InterMat Staff

Minnesota seniors Mike Thorn (wrestling) and Kaylee Jamison (swimming) have been named winners for this year's Big Ten Medal of Honor award-given annually to the top male and female student-athletes at each conference institution. Mike Thorn (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Thorn (St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS) closed out his Gopher career by posting a 39-5 record and earning All-American honors for his third-place finish at the 2010-11 NCAA championships at 144 pounds. He captured the Big Ten title in 2010 and was the runner-up this past spring as a senior. A two-time All-American, Thorn closed out his stellar career in maroon and gold by recording 27 pins and compiling an overall record of 125-59. Academically, Thorn was named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division I All-Academic Team and earned Academic All-Big Ten honors. "Anytime you get honored amongst your peers is one of the greatest honors you can receive. Of all the great scholar-athletes to come out of the University of Minnesota, to be picked as the number one male is a great honor and a statement that shows how great his academics, athletics and character are," Minnesota head wrestling coach J Robinson said. "As a society we are looking for leaders today. When you are looking for leaders in your school, Mike has the character that will be very positive for the University of Minnesota. This is an award that he will carry for the rest of his life."

InterMat will be providing coverage throughout the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials, which take place Friday and Saturday at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. A women's freestyle preview was released on Monday, followed by a Greco-Roman preview on Tuesday. This preview looks at the men's freestyle competition. All eyes are fixed on U.S. freestyle coach Zeke Jones and Team USA after last year's disappointing World Championship performance where the team failed to win a medal. But there are plenty of reasons for optimism. The U.S. has had some positive results in international events over the past year, like beating Russia at the Beat the Streets Gala and putting five wrestlers in the Pan American Championship finals. There are also indications that Olympic gold medalists Henry Cejudo and Cael Sanderson may be returning to the sport, which would be a huge boost to the freestyle program. With five of the seven U.S. Open freestyle champions being first-time winners this year, there are new names emerging that have many fans excited about the future. Ultimately, though, as the coaching staff and athletes understand, the success of the U.S. freestyle team will be measured through performance at this year's World Championships and next year's Olympic Games. Below is a weight-by-weight preview of the freestyle competition at this year's U.S. World Team Trials. 55 kg: Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo, who came out of retirement this year, is the heavy favorite to win this weight class. Cejudo competed at the Beat the Streets Gala on May 5, which was his first match since winning an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He looked very sharp in his return, beating Russia's Rasul Mashezov in two straight periods. Cejudo did not have to make 55 kilos for that event, so this will be his first time down to his competition weight in almost three years. Sam Hazewinkel captured the U.S. Open title to earn an automatic berth in the best-of-three finals. He will have a large contingent of fans in Oklahoma, the state where did he did his collegiate wrestling and currently trains. Hazewinkel has performed well overseas this season, winning medals at the Medved International, Cerro Pelado International, and Pan American Championships. Troy Nickerson, a former collegiate standout at Cornell, was runner-up to Hazewinkel at the U.S. Open. Nickerson has had a tremendous amount of age-group success in freestyle, but is now beginning to make his mark on the senior level. Obe Blanc made his first U.S. World Team last year and wrestled well at the World Championships, but finished a disappointing fourth at this year's U.S. Open. Nick Simmons is a veteran that cannot be counted out. This weight class is filled with young and talented up-and-comers like Danny Mitcheff, Angel Escobedo, and Frank Perrelli, Daniel Dennis, and Brandon Precin, and Zach Sanders. Prediction: Cejudo over Hazewinkel Reece Humphrey (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)60 kg: Reece Humphrey broke through and won his first U.S. Open title in April, which included victories over past U.S. World Team members Mike Zadick and Shawn Bunch. By winning the U.S. Open, Humphrey put himself in the driver's seat to make his first U.S. World Team. He will await the winner of the Challenge Tournament. Humphrey is a past University World silver and bronze medalist. Bunch, a U.S. World Team member in 2010, fell to his Ohio RTC training partner and teammate, Humphrey, in the finals of the U.S. Open. Bunch performed better in international events than Humphrey. He won the Medved International this season and has proven that he can compete with the world's top wrestlers at 60 kilos. Zadick was a World silver medalist in 2006, but has not been able to get back to that level in recent years. He went 0-1 at the World Championships last year and placed fourth at this year's U.S. Open. Zadick and Bunch have developed a rivalry over the years ... and could very well meet again at the Trials. Coleman Scott, a past NCAA champion at Oklahoma State, has been knocking on the door in this weight class and is one to watch. He finished a strong third at the U.S. Open, beating Zadick and losing only to Bunch. He has the tools to win at this level ... He just needs to put it all together. Drew Headlee, Matt Valenti, Nick Fanthorpe, Tyler Graff, Logan Stieber, and Derek Moore should figure into the mix. Prediction: Bunch over Humphrey 66 kg: Teyon Ware surprised many by knocking off returning U.S. World Team member Brent Metcalf in the semifinals at this year's U.S. Open. Ware, who trains with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, then defeated U.S wrestling great Cary Kolat in the finals to win his first U.S. Open title. Ware's U.S. Open title put him in the best-of-three finals where he will await the winner of the Challenge Tournament, but he admitted after the U.S. Open that Metcalf is still the No. 1 wrestler in the weight class. Metcalf has placed in the top five at several international events this season. He also notched a win over a very solid Russian, Magomedmurad Gadzhiev, at the Beat the Streets Gala. Kolat is the oldest competitor in this weight class at 38 years old, but do not let his age fool you. He is still among the nation's best, as he showed at the U.S. Open with his runner-up finish. Josh Churella was on the U.S. National Team this past year after finishing third at last year's Trials. He lost to Kolat in the semifinals of this year's U.S. Open before defaulting to sixth place. U.S. Open placewinners Chase Pami, Kyle Ruschell, and Phillip Simpson cannot be overlooked. Prediction: Metcalf over Ware Jordan Burroughs (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)74 kg: Jordan Burroughs finished his collegiate career at Nebraska in March, winning his second NCAA title, and then claimed his first U.S. Open title less than a month later. The 22-year-old Burroughs is an explosive athlete who many believe has the talent to eventually win World-level medals. If Burroughs continues progressing like has over the past few months, those World-level medals could come sooner than later. Burroughs' toughest competition may come from past U.S. World Team members Trent Paulson and Dustin Schlatter, two wrestlers he did not see at the U.S. Open. Paulson did not compete at the U.S. Open, while Schlatter suffered an injury in the U.S. Open quarterfinals and defaulted to sixth place. Paulson, a U.S. World Team member in 2009, won the New York AC International this year. Schlatter was on the U.S. World Team in 2009 and missed 2010 while recovering from a torn ACL and MCL. Paulson and Schlatter are both very strong and tough to score on. Nick Marable has been wrestling well of late. He reached the finals of the U.S. Open, losing to Burroughs in three periods, and then won a gold medal at the Pan American Championships. Kirk White is a veteran who has shown that he can be in the mix by his third-place finish at the U.S. Open. Andrew Howe, an NCAA champion for Wisconsin, is one of the top contenders at this weight class. He won the U.S. Open last year. Howe did not compete at this year's U.S. Open, but did capture a University Nationals title, beating another NCAA champion, Kyle Dake. Indications are that Dake will be wrestling at the Trials as well. Others who could make noise in this weight class include Ryan Morningstar, Mike Poeta, Lloyd Rogers, and Moza Fay. Prediction: Burroughs over Paulson 84 kg: Indications are that Olympic gold medalist Cael Sanderson will be wrestling at the Trials. He has not officially entered as of Wednesday morning, but a source familiar with the situation confirmed on Monday that Sanderson plans on wrestling ... but "it's just for fun." Fun for Sanderson maybe, but not for the other competitors in this weight class. Sanderson wrestled at the Northeast Regionals in late March, which he said he did "just for fun," and destroyed the competition. He has not competed at the Trials in seven years, but would still be an overwhelming favorite to win a weight class that includes a World silver medalist in Jake Herbert. The 26-year-old Herbert gets an automatic berth in the best-of-three finals after winning the U.S. Open where he will await the winner of the Challenge Tournament ... likely Sanderson. Herbert's international results have been mixed since he won his World silver medal. Keith Gavin, who was runner-up at the U.S. Open has always battled Herbert tough. Gavin was runner-up at the Dave Schultz Memorial and placed third in the Cerro Pelado in Cuba. Andy Hrovat, Bryce Hasseman, Max Askren, Brandon Sinnott, Raymond Jordan, and Chris Pendleton will battle for spots on the U.S. National Team. Prediction: Sanderson over Herbert Jake Varner (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)96 kg: This is expected to be a two-horse race between Jake Varner and J.D. Bergman. Varner won the Trials in 2009, while Bergman came out on top at the Trials a year ago. The two have developed a rivalry that will likely continue at this week's Trials. Bergman has the upperhand in the rivalry of late, winning meetings at last year's Trials and at the New York AC International. But Varner, who placed fifth in the Ivan Yarygin, is in the top spot right now after winning the U.S. Open. Bergman, who missed the U.S. Open due to injury, will have to battle through the Challenge Tournament to get an opportunity wrestle Varner. Dan Erekson had a strong showing at the U.S. Open, reaching the finals before losing to Varner. Jack Jensen, David Zabriskie, Tyler Lehmann, Brent Jones, Wynn Michalak add depth to the weight class. Prediction: Bergman over Varner 120 kg: This is arguably the deepest of the seven freestyle weight classes. It includes four past U.S. World Team members, including 2009 World bronze medalist Tervel Dlagnev, who came out on top at the U.S. Open. Dlagnev, who won the Buryatia Republic President's Cup in Russia, will await the winner of the Challenge Tournament. Steve Mocco, Tommy Rowlands, and Les Sigman are the other past U.S. World Team members who will be in contention to win the Trials. Mocco, who represented the U.S. at the 2008 Olympic games, was runner-up to Dlagnev at the U.S. Open. Rowlands, a fifth-place finisher at the 2007 World Championships, has wrestled well in international events this season, winning the Sunkist Kids International, Hargobind International, and Cerro Pelado. Sigman is the returning U.S. World Team member at this weight class. He suffered an injury in the semifinals of the U.S. Open against Mocco, which forced him to injury to default to sixth place. Collegiate star Dom Bradley, a past Junior World champion, was on the U.S. National Team this past year and has proven that he can be in the mix. Potential spoilers in this weight class include Jarod Trice, Aaron Anspach, and Tyrell Fortune. Prediction: Dlagnev over Rowlands

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head coach Drew Pariano has announced the addition of four-time Illinois state place-winner Jameson Oster to the Wildcat wrestling program as an incoming freshman in 2011. Oster won a 2009 IHSA state championship at 119 pounds and completed his prep career as the all-time wins leader at Lockport High School (Ill.) with a record of 153-12. Oster also has enjoyed success on the national level, last month winning an Illinois state freestyle championship. In 2009 he was a Cadet Freestyle All-American and FILA Cadet All-American as well as a member of the Illinois team that defeated Minnesota for the Cadet National Duals freestyle championship, winning his match without being scored on in two periods. He is the last in a line of four brothers who made a significant impact on the Lockport wrestling program, with the oldest Oster, Josh, recent taking over the school's head coaching position after eight years as an assistant. While at Lockport, Jameson Oster was a teammate of rising Northwestern junior Kevin Bialka. Oster projects to compete at 133 pounds for Northwestern. His complete bio can be found below: Jameson Oster Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport 5'8" • 133 pounds High School: Finished top-four at the IHSA state tournament all four years of his career and won the 2009 state championship at 119 pounds ... Four-time regional and sectional champion ... Overall career record of 153-12, setting the all-time wins record at Lockport High School ... Helped Lockport win first-ever regional championship in 2010 ... 2011 Illinois Freestyle state champion at 135 pounds ... Cadet Freestyle All-American (fifth place) and FILA Cadet All-American (sixth place) ... Member of Illinois team that defeated Minnesota for Cadet National Duals freestyle championship in 2009 ... Trained at Overtime School of Wrestling. Personal: Born Jameson Michael Oster ... Son of Martin and Cathy Oster ... Three older brothers ... Brother Jake was a four-time Division III All-American and a national champion at Elmhurs College ... Oldest brother Josh was an assistant coach at Lockport for eight years and took over as head coach following the 2011 season ... High school teammate of NU's Kevin Bialka ... Chose Northwestern over Illinois ... Anticipated major is undecided. ••••••

InterMat will be providing coverage throughout the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials, which take place Friday and Saturday at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. Previews will be released leading up to the event. The women's freestyle preview was released on Monday, followed by this Greco-Roman preview. A men's freestyle preview will be released on Wednesday. The U.S. Greco-Roman Team won a World team championship just four years ago, but has not been able to break into the top 10 at the past two World Championships. The U.S. failed to bring home an individual medal at last year's World Championships. This year's field at the U.S. World Team Trials includes a mix of World medalists, seasoned veterans, and young rising stars looking to break through. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of the Greco-Roman competition. Spenser Mango (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)55 kg: Spenser Mango, a three-time U.S. World Team member, is the class of the field. Mango, who joined the Army's WCAP program last year, has dominated his U.S. competition in recent years, but is still looking for his first World-level medal. Mango is a heavy favorite to come out on top this weekend, but the rest of the weight class is relatively wide open. The next group of wrestlers in this weight class includes Jermaine Hodge, Nate Engel, and Paul Tellgren. Hodge and Engel, like Mango, wrestle for the Army. Hodge is a past U.S. Open champion who has won medals in some prestigious overseas events. He competed at 60 kg for this year's U.S. Open, but is expected to drop to 55 kg for the Trials. Engel, like Mango, wrestled in the USOEC program at Northern Michigan before joining Army's WCAP program. He placed third at the U.S. Open. Tellgren, a 21-year-old rising star, was runner-up to Mango at the U.S. Open. He was also a Sunkist Open champion this past October and has won medals overseas. Tyler Erdman, Nikko Triggas, Dmitry Ryabchinskiy, and Max Nowry add depth to the weight class. Prediction: Mango over Hodge 60 kg: This weight class appears to be a three-way battle between Joe Betterman, Jeremiah Davis, and Joe Warren. No wrestler outside of those three has won the Trials at this weight class since 2004. Betterman, who won the Trials in 2007 and 2008, has had the most productive season of the three, winning the Sunkist Kids International, New York AC International, Dave Schultz Memorial, and the U.S. Open. He defeated Davis in a very tight match in the U.S. Open finals. Betterman was coming off a torn ACL at last year's Trials and was beaten by Davis in the Challenge Tournament. Davis will be looking to make his third straight U.S. World Team. Warren is a 2006 World champion and easily the most experienced and accomplished of the three, but has not been as active as Betterman and Davis over the past few years. Warren was out of wrestling for almost three years while pursuing an MMA career. He has not yet been able to get back to the level that made him one of the best in the world, but should get stronger as he gets more mat time. Others to keep your eye on in this weight class include Marco Lara, Chad Vandiver, Matt Holt, and Jesse Thielke. Prediction: Betterman over Davis Justin Lester (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)66 kg: Justin Lester, a two-time World medalist, is the prohibitive favorite in this weight class. Lester cruised to his third U.S. Open title in April, beating Army teammate Glenn Garrison in the finals. Lester is an explosive athlete with a lot of tools. Garrison is a tough, savvy veteran who has shown that he can push Lester. C.P. Schlatter is a well-known name in the wrestling world for what he accomplished as a high school and college wrestler, but has now begun to make his mark as a Greco-Roman wrestler on the senior level. Schlatter won the New York AC International Open and placed third at the U.S. Open. Faruk Sahin has won the Trials the past two years, but his inactivity this year makes him a bit of a wildcard. Another wrestler who will be in the mix to earn a spot on the U.S. National Team in this weight class is University of Minnesota wrestler Pat Smith. The 20-year-old Smith placed fourth at the U.S. Open and is a past University Nationals champion. Others to watch in this weight class include Ben Sanchez, John Cox, and RaVaughn Perkins. Prediction: Lester over Garrison 74 kg: This is arguably the most wide-open weight class with three to four wrestlers who could challenge for the title. Ben Provisor, a three-time Junior World Team member, broke through to win his first U.S. Open title in April. The 20-year-old Provisor dropped down from 84 kg this season and has continued to progress under the tutelage of U.S. Greco-Roman great Dennis Hall. Jake Fisher, the returning U.S. World Team member at this weight class, has put together a strong season, winning the Dave Schultz Memorial and New York AC International. He dropped a close match to Provisor in the U.S. Open finals. Andy Bisek has been one of the top contenders in this weight class over the past few years, but is still looking to make his first U.S. World Team. Bisek won the Sunkist Kids International and earned a bronze medal at the Hungarian Grand Prix this past winter. He placed third at this year's U.S. Open, losing to Provisor in the semifinals. Steven Forrest is a solid veteran who has shown that he can battle with the best in this weight class. He was a runner-up to Fisher at last year's Trials and won a bronze medal at the Grand Prix of Slovenia. Kendrick Sanders is young and explosive wrestler who could do some damage. Aaron Sieracki and James Johnson are solid veterans who add depth to this weight class. Prediction: Fisher over Provisor Jake Clark (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)84 kg: This is one of the deeper weight classes. It includes three past U.S. World Team members, Jake Clark, Chas Betts, and Keith Sieracki, plus this year's U.S. Open champion, Jordan Holm. Clark has been on two U.S. World Teams, including the last one. Clark missed the U.S. Open due to injury, but is now healthy and poised to make his third U.S. World Team. Betts, a 2009 U.S. World Team member, has put together a nice season, winning medals in some prestigious overseas events, including a bronze medal at the Ivan Podubbny Grand Prix in Russia. He did not compete at this year's U.S. Open. Holm has been coming strong of late. After winning the U.S. Open in April, Holm earned a bronze medal at the Pan American Championships, and then defeated reigning world champion Hristo Marinov of Bulgaria at the Curby Cup. Sieracki, who will turn 40 years old later this summer, is a very tough veteran who could be in the mix. Another one of the top contenders in this weight class is Cheney Haight, who has been in the U.S. Open finals in each of the past two years. He won the Sunkist International and New York AC International this season. Peter Hicks, Mark Stenberg, and Travis Rutt will be in the hunt to place. Prediction: Clark over Holm 96 kg: Justin Ruiz is the man to beat at this weight class. Ruiz captured his seventh straight U.S. Open title in April. He was a World bronze medalist in 2005 and placed fifth at last year's World Championships. By winning the U.S. Open, coupled with a top-five finish at the World Championships, Ruiz earned an automatic berth in the best-of-three finals. Robbie Smith and R.C. Johnson are the top contenders to win the Challenge Tournament and earn a shot at Ruiz. Smith, a New York AC International champion, battled Ruiz tough in the U.S. Open finals, losing in three periods. Johnson, a 2009 U.S. World Team member, won the Sunkist Kids International this past October. John Lorenz, a third-place finisher at this year's U.S. Open, has been wrestling well and should be in the hunt. Others who figure into the mix include Pete Gounaridis, Justin Millard, and Zac Nielsen. Prediction: Ruiz over Smith 120 kg: Dremiel Byers has owned this weight class since 2005. The 36-year-old Byers has won three World-level medals, one in each of the three colors. His most recent World-level medal came in 2009 when he captured the silver. That achievement, along with his recent U.S. Open title, puts Byers in the best-of-three finals. Byers' Army teammate Timothy Taylor is one of the top contenders in this weight class. He was second to Byers at the U.S. Open and has been among the top heavyweights for several years. Brandon Rupp is a past U.S. Open champion who should be in the hunt. Rupp lost to Taylor at the U.S. Open before defaulting to sixth. Steve Andrus, Jake Kettler, and Pete Kowalczuk will be battling for spots on the U.S. National Team. Prediction: Byers over Taylor

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling. This week the Brute studios will be in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at the Cox Convention Center and the World Team Trials. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! Join Takedown Wrestling Host Scott Casber, Steve Foster, Jeff Murphy and Brad Johnson with Takedown Wrestling's Headline News. Listen in this Saturday for Takedown Wrestling 9 to 11 a.m. CST/ 10 a.m. to 12 noon Eastern. This weeks guests include: A who's who of the wrestling world as we gather to witness the competition of who will make the teams for the USA. Join us LIVE 9 to 11 a.m. CST for Takedown Wrestling. Listen on radio, on computer, your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio App. on KXNO.com and Takedownradio.com.

InterMat will be providing coverage throughout the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials, which take place Friday and Saturday at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. Previews will be released leading up to the event, starting with this women's freestyle preview, followed by a Greco-Roman preview on Tuesday, and a men's freestyle preview on Wednesday. The U.S. women's freestyle wrestling team is coming off a fifth-place finish at the 2010 World Championships. Elena Pirozhkova and Tatiana Padilla earned World medals last year. Pirozhkova won a silver medal at 63 kg, while Padilla took home a bronze medal at 55 kg. Several U.S. women wrestlers have performed well in international events this year. Because the 2011 World Championship is a qualifying event for the 2012 Olympic Games, a decision was made to have only the four women's freestyle Olympic weight classes be contested at this year's Trials. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown of the women's freestyle competition. Clarissa Chun (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)48 kg: Clarissa Chun, a 2008 World champion, gets an automatic berth in the best-of-three finals after cruising to her fourth U.S. Open title in April. Chun, who battled a shoulder injury last year, came up short of making the 2010 U.S. World Team, losing to Alyssa Lampe in the best-of-three finals. Lampe did not compete at this year's U.S. Open, but is expected compete at the Trials. She has won medals in international events this season, including a gold medal at the Guelph Open in Canada. Nicole Woody, a past Junior World champion, was runner-up at this year's U.S. Open to Chun. Sara Fulp-Allen is a past U.S. Open champion who has the tools to challenge at this weight class. Whitney Conder, a past Junior World champion, won the U.S. Open at 51 kilos and will be one of the top contenders in this weight class. Jessica Medina, who was runner-up to Condor at the U.S. Open, is also dropping from 51 kilos and will be looking to make her third straight U.S. World Team. Another wrestler to keep your eye on in this weight class is Mary Kelly, who is expected to compete for the first time since suffering an injury at last year's Trials. Kelly, a 2006 U.S. World Team member, has been a top contender for more than a decade and is still only 27. Others who could figure into the mix include C.C. Weber, Erin Golston, and Victoria Anthony. Prediction: Chun over Lampe 55 kg: Helen Maroulis came out victorious at this year's U.S. Open, which automatically puts her in the best-of-three finals. Maroulis was a member of the 2008 U.S. World Team and won the U.S. Open in 2009. She has been successful in age group events, winning two Junior World bronze medals and two WCWA women's college championships. Tatiana Padilla, who has represented the U.S. at the past three World Championships, is not expected to compete due to injury. Kelsey Campbell, who won both the U.S. Open and U.S World Team Trials in 2010 at 59 kilos, has put together solid season. She won the Sunkist Kids International this season and was runner-up to Maroulis at the U.S. Open. Schuyler Brown, who has been on the Junior World Team twice and placed third at the U.S. Open, is another contender in this weight class. Sharon Jacobson, a past U.S. Open champion, should figure into the mix, as should Shauna Isbell and Michaela Hutchison. Isbell and Hutchinson, both college wrestlers, placed fifth and sixth respectively at the U.S. Open. Others to watch if they compete in this weight class include Trinity Plessinger, Katherine Fulp-Allen, and Ashley Hudson. Prediction: Maroulis over Campbell 63 kg: Elena Pirozhkova captured the U.S. Open title at this weight class and will face the winner of the Challenge Tournament. Pirozhkova had a tremendous year in 2010, winning a World silver medal, a second University World title, and a Pan American title. She is looking to make her fourth straight U.S. World Team. Kristie Davis and Adeline Gray are two of the frontrunners in the Challenge Tournament. Davis, a two-time World champion and nine-time World medalist, was runner-up to Pirozhkova at this year's U.S. Open. Davis made the U.S. World Team last year at 67 kilos. Gray, who placed fifth at the 2009 World Championships, was out of competition most of last year because of a knee injury, but has looked strong since returning to the mat this year. Gray claimed the U.S. Open title at 67 kilos, and won gold medals at the Dan Kolov International in Bulgaria and Mongolian Nationals. Davis and Gray are the clear frontrunners, but others like Alli Regan, Othella Lucas, and Veronica Carlson could figure into the mix. Regan, a member of the King College women's wrestling team, placed third at this year's U.S. Open. Lucas, who is a part of the U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program, placed fourth at this year's U.S. Open. Carlson, a 2009 Junior World bronze medalist, was runner-up to Pirozhkova at the Trials a year ago. Another wrestler who could challenge in this weight class if she enters is Erin Clodgo, who was runner-up to Gray at the U.S. Open at 67 kilos. In 2010, Clodgo won a U.S. Open title and was runner-up to Davis at the Trials. Prediction: Gray over Pirozhkova Ali Bernard (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)72 kg: Stephany Lee entered this season as the top wrestler in this weight class after finishing eighth at the World Championships a year ago. However, Lee did not compete at this year's U.S. Open, clearing the path for Ali Bernard to win her third U.S. Open title and earn an automatic berth in the best-of-three finals. Iris Smith, a 2007 World champion, finished runner-up to Bernard at the U.S. Open. Lee, if she competes, and Smith will likely be the top two seeds in the Challenge Tournament. Others who could make noise in this weight class include Kendra Lewis, Melissa Simmons, Emma Randall, and Brittany Delgado. Prediction: Bernard over Lee

CORALVILLE, Iowa -- The University of Iowa announced Saturday it will display a bronze statue of former Iowa wrestling coach Dan Gable outside the main entrance to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The announcement was made by University of Iowa Director of Athletics Gary Barta at the “Gable's Gold” celebration. The seven-foot statue is being sculpted by Larry Nowlan -- the same artist commissioned by the UI to create the Nile Kinnick statue in the Krause Family Plaza, the bronze Nile Kinnick display located in Kinnick Stadium's south concourse, and the butterfly stroke bronze relief inside the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. The sculpture will have the same look -- finish/color -- as the Nile Kinnick statue and will reflect an iconic image of Gable coaching the Hawkeyes. It is expected to be in place when Carver-Hawkeye Arena hosts the 2012 USA Wrestling Olympic Trials on April 21-22, 2012. “Coach Gable stands in a class on his own in terms of the contributions he's made to the University of Iowa and the sport of wrestling,” said Barta. “Fifteen NCAA Championships and 21 Big Ten titles in 21 years is a remarkable feat, but his progressive contributions go well beyond the numbers. He produced the sport's greatest wrestling environment inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena; and we believe this statue is a fitting and well deserved tribute that honors his legacy.” As the University of Iowa's all-time winningest wrestling coach, Gable compiled a career record of 355-21-5 from 1976-1997. He coached 152 All-Americans, 106 Big Ten Champions, 45 national champions, and 10 Olympians -- including four gold, one silver and three bronze medalists. During his tenure, the Hawkeyes averaged more than 17 wins and just one loss per season and posted a 95-1 record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Gable retired as Iowa's head wrestling coach in 1997. He later held the position of Assistant to the Athletic Director before retiring from that post Dec. 31, 2010. The Hawkeyes won 25 consecutive Big Ten championships from 1973-1998, 21 while Gable was a head coach and four while he was an assistant coach and administrator. Aside from assisting with Iowa athletics, Gable aids the university in its fundraising efforts to promote the sport of wrestling worldwide. He also coaches potential Olympic wrestlers in the local club sports, gives motivational and performance speeches nationwide and does color commentary for televised collegiate wrestling events.

Steve Fraser

The National Wrestling Coaches Association is pleased to announce the recipients of the Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Awards for the 2010-11 season. The award is presented annually to one coach across each division of collegiate wrestling. It's intended to recognize an outstanding coach who epitomizes the qualities and characteristics of a role model and mentor for developing young student-athletes. This year's winners are: Brendan Buckley (Columbia – Division I), Steve Costanzo (St. Could State – Division II), Ron Beaschler (Ohio Northern – Division III), Tim Jager (Morningside - NAIA), Scott Norton (Highline - NJCAA), and Mike Tellez (Rio Hondo - CCC). “Since the inception of the Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award, we've been able to recognize and honor those coaches who go above and beyond when it comes to more than just coaching,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “This award is designed to recognize coaches who totally embrace the concept of educationally-based athletics.” Brendan Buckley, The Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling, at Columbia University has been the leader of the lions since 2000. His team finished 7th at the EIWA Championships, with two wrestlers earning trips to the NCAA Championships. He had six wrestlers earn All-Ivy League Recognition as well this season, including one first team selection in Kevin Lester. In each year since Buckley has been the head coach his team has successfully made the All-Academic Team, five of those years were in the Top 10. St. Cloud State head coach Steve Costanzo garners the honors for Division II, he was also Bob Bubb Award Winner in 2003 when he was the head coach at Dana College. His team placed second at the NCAA Championships in 2010-11, which is the best they have done in team history. They also earned a third place finish at the 2011 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Costanzo's thirteen year career holds 47 All-Americans which is almost even to his record of 46 NWCA All-Academic Athletes. In the past four seasons his team has finished the year in the Top 20 Academically. Representing Division III is Ron Beaschler, the head coach at Ohio Northern, who wears many hats other than just coach. He is currently serving as the chairperson of the Department of Human Performance and Sports Sciences, he is an assistant professor in the Health and Physical Education Department and coordinates the sport management program at Ohio Northern. Amidst those jobs he also will be starting his term as the NCAA Secretary Rules Editor a longtime position that was held by Bob Bubb until 2011. Beaschler is currently the all-time winningest coach in school history and also holds the longest tenure as head wrestling coach at ONU. Tim Jager of Morningside College has been coaching at the NAIA school for seven seasons. He is currently the President of the NAIA Coaches Association. He was also the 2011 GPAC and NAIA North Region Coach of the Year after he guided the Mustangs to their first-ever GPAC and NAIA North Region Championships Jager's team also came in No. 2 on this year's NWCA/NAIA All-Academic Team with five wrestlers receiving individual honors. Highline Community College head coach Scott Norton has been with their program since 2003. He had four All-Americans for the second year in a row, with his team placing 10th at the NJCAA Championships. The Highline team placed third in their region behind the eventual first and second place teams at the NCAA Championships Clackamas CC and North Idaho College. Mike Tellez of Rio Hondo Community College has been the head coach for the past five years; he has had 13 All-Academic Wrestlers in that time. He has also won three conference championships and has seen a dramatic improvement with his team in his time at Rio Hondo. This year his team faced adversity at their first tournament of the year when one of his wrestlers, Jesus Cruz, collapsed during a match and went into cardiac arrest, he passed away after arriving at the hospital. Coach Tellez kept his team together during this difficult time and they finished the season placing 20th at States. “I want to personally congratulate my fellow coaches who are receiving the Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award this year. They are all tremendous ambassadors for our sport and they represent the highest standard in coaching,” said NWCA President Brian Smith. The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, student-athlete welfare, and promotion of wrestling.

Jordan Burroughs

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team added three signees to its top-25 recruiting class head coach Heath Eslinger announced today. With this trio of student-athletes set to attend UTC, the Mocs will welcome seven new wrestlers to the Scenic City in the fall. Chattanooga already has commitments from four student-athletes in the early signing period. Highlighted by high school state champions Marvin Lopez (Cleveland, Tenn.) and Nick Soto (Spring Hill, Fla.), to go with Virginia Tech transfer T.J. Mitchell (Lawrenceville, Ga.) and prep wrestler Austin Sams (Fairfield, Ohio), the Mocs' fall class ranked No. 23 in the nation according to Wrestling Insider News (WIN) Magazine. Click here for a full recap of the early signing class. This newest group of signees is led by the top wrestler in Georgia in Hunter Barnes (Blue Ridge, Ga.). Barnes is projected as a 197-pounder at the collegiate level. He won the last two state titles at 171 and was the Sean Hage Award winner as last year's most dominant wrestler in Georgia. Alex Kooser (Dayton, Ohio) is the second Ohioan in this class to move south to Chattanooga. He finished in the top eight in the state tournament in each of the last two years. He is projected to compete at 149 at the collegiate level. Josh Lampe (Fairdale, Ky.) rounds out the group. He is a two-time state champion from St. Xavier High School in Louisville, Ky. He has also placed in the top-6 at the FloNationals in each of the last two years. "We have some talented wrestlers coming in with this class," stated Eslinger. "They are all going to have to work hard to crack the lineup, but they have the ability to push our returners in the wrestling room. They are also accomplished in the classroom and will help build our program, both on and off the mat." Hunter Barnes - 197 - Blue Ridge, Ga. - Gilmer County HS Two-time state champion for Gilmer County High School in Ellijay, Ga. ... led the Bobcats to back-to-back state championships ... wrestled for coaches Sam Snider ... went 148-9 in his prep career ... perfect 48-0 as a senior when he repeated as the 171-pound champion ... won the Sean Hage Award as the state's most dominant wrestler as a senior ... wrestled less than four minutes in the state tournament as a senior with four first period pins ... went 33-2 as a junior ... four-year starter on the football team and led the team to the state playoffs as a senior quarterback ... PERSONAL ... Full name is Christian Hunter Barnes ... son of Jerry and Cindi Barnes ... has an older sister, Cydney, and an older brother, Whit ... plans to major in Education. Alex Kooser - 149 - Dayton, Ohio - Oakwood HS Finished in the top-8 in the state in each of the last two years at Oakwood High School in Dayton, Ohio ... went 42-5 and placed fifth as a senior ... won four titles during senior season ... wrestled for head coach Gary Kesler ... was 37-10 as a junior, including an eighth place showing in the state tournament ... won a total of 13 tournaments during his prep career ... was on the Team Ohio Junior Olympic Team ... also lettered in soccer for two seasons ... PERSONAL ... Full name is Alex Kelly Kooser ... son of Kelly and Ellen Kooser ... born Aug. 7, 1992 ... oldest of three with two younger brothers, Dylan and Mason ... plans to major in Criminal Justice. John Lampe - 165 - Fairdale, Ky. - St. Xavier HS Two-time state champion from St. Xavier High School in Louisville, Ky. ... Posted a 120-8 record in high school, including a perfect 47-0 mark as a senior ... placed fifth and sixth in the FloNationals in the last two years, respectively ... wrestled for head coach James Kraezig ... first in the county in each of the last three years ... made the Principal's List all four years of high school ... earned the Ryken Underclassman Award in 2009 ... PERSONAL ... Full name is John Alexander Lampe ... born June. 19, 1993 ... son of Jeff and Shelley Lampe ... oldest of five with two brothers, Justin and Dominic, and two sisters, Maria and Angela ... plans to major in History

Arkansas Baptist College has announced plans to add wrestling and softball to its lineup of collegiate sports. The school, a Region 2 member of the NJCAA, will fill a void among colleges offering wrestling which are Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU). The last HBCU to field a wrestling team on any level was Delaware State, which cut the sport a few years ago. College President Fitz Hill and athletic director Charles Ripley said in a news release that both sports will begin competing in the 2011-2012 academic year. Roosevelt Hadley has been chosen to coach the wrestling team while Ronald Roland will coach softball. Hadley has served as a volunteer wrestling coach at the Arkansas School for the Blind and at Central Arkansas Christian School. Roland is a former assistant softball coach at J.A. Fair High School.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team has announced its much anticipated 2011-12 schedule and the 2011 National and Big Ten Champions will once again have seven home duals, all in Rec Hall. Penn State, under the direction of veteran head coach Cael Sanderson, will also take part in the Nittany Lion Open as well as host an Intrasquad Dual in early November. The season begins on Thursday, Nov. 3, when Penn State opens the Rec Hall doors for its Intrasquad Dual at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The regular season starts with the 2011-12 opener on Sunday, Nov. 13, when the Bloomsburg Huskies come to town for a 2 p.m. match-up. Penn State's home schedule, as always, features four Big Ten duals. This year's conference slate gets an early start when the Nittany Lions host conference rival Minnesota on Sunday, November 20, at 2 p.m. The dual was moved from early January to November to accommodate a trip to the 2012 Southern Scuffle. Penn State then competes in the Nittany Lion Open on Sunday, Dec. 4. The Nittany Lions hit the road for the first time when they trek to Lehigh for the annual match-up with the Mountain Hawks. Penn State and Lehigh will battle in Bethlehem on Friday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. Purposefully creating a schedule to both please its ever-growing fan base and to help grow the sport of wrestling statewide and nationally, the Nittany Lions will close out December with two important non-conference duals. Penn State welcomes long-time eastern rival West Virginia to Rec Hall on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m., before continuing its long-standing rivalry with local opponent Lock Haven. This year, the Nittany Lions make the short jaunt to LHU to battle the Bald Eagles in Thomas Fieldhouse on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 2 p.m. Penn State returns to action on New Year's Day with a trip to the Southern Scuffle. This year, the event has moved to Chattanooga, Tenn., and will be hosted by Tennessee-Chattanooga on Jan. 1-2. The Nittany Lions return to Big Ten action a week later with their first conference road dual when they take on Michigan State in East Lansing on Sunday, Jan. 8, at 2 p.m. The battle with the Spartans is the first of three straight conference road contests. Penn State treks to Evanston, Ill., to face Northwestern on Friday, Jan. 13, at 8 p.m. (Eastern) and then heads north to Madison to meet the Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 2 p.m. (Eastern). Click here to find out more! Penn State returns home to welcome the Iowa Hawkeyes to Rec Hall in January. The Lions and Hawkeyes will meet on Sunday, Jan. 22, at 2 p.m. in a rematch of last year's standing room only dual here at Penn State. A week later, rival Ohio State comes to town for a battle on Sunday, Jan. 29, also at 2 p.m. The Nittany Lions head to Lincoln, Neb., for their inaugural dual against the Nebraska Cornhuskers as a Big Ten opponent. The Lions and Huskers will meet on Friday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m. (Eastern). Penn State will then have a quick turnaround to get ready for its final home Big Ten dual on Sunday, Feb. 5, when the Nittany Lions meet Michigan in Rec Hall at 2 p.m. Mid-February will afford the Nittany Lion nation yet another opportunity to continue to grow the sport, this time with an important Western road trip and with the continuation of one of Pennsylvania's oldest wrestling rivalries. Penn State will close out its non-conference schedule with a first-ever visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The Nittany Lions and UVU will meet on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 9 p.m. (Eastern). The trip to UVU marks the first time a Penn State team has wrestled a road dual west of the Central Time Zone since a road swing to Fresno State and CS-Bakersfield in 1996-97. A week later, Sanderson's squad closes out its dual meet slate against long-time in-state rival Pittsburgh. The dual with the Panthers, the 67th meeting between the two teams, will be on either Friday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. or Sunday, Feb. 19, at a time to be determined (depending on the finalization of Pitt's own home schedule later this summer). "We are excited about our schedule for next year," Sanderson said. "Once again, we have outstanding home matches and are looking forward to wrestling in front of our great fans in Rec Hall. There is a lot of hard work and organization that goes into putting this together and (associate head coach) Cody (Sanderson) did an excellent job of crafting such an exciting schedule. We are looking forward to the opportunities that next year will offer us." The season will culminate in March with the 2012 Big Ten Wrestling Championships on March 3-4. Purdue University will host the event in West Lafayette, Ind. The 2012 NCAA Wrestling Championships take place two weeks after that in St. Louis. The three-day event is set for March 15-17, in St. Louis' Scottrade Center. In all, Penn State will take on nearly half of the top 15 teams from last year's NCAA Championship (won by Penn State in Philadelphia). The Lions will take on third-place finisher Iowa, seventh-place Minnesota, eight-place Lehigh, 10th-place Wisconsin, 12th-place Nebraska, 13th-place Northwestern and 15th-place Michigan. It is important to note that all dates and times are subject to change, particularly with the Big Ten Network still finalizing its wrestling broadcast schedule. This year's season ticket package features seven home duals (the Nittany Lion Open is not part of the package and the Intrasquad is free) and costs only $42 for all seats, the same price as last year. Fans can place new orders for season tickets by calling Joel Diamond at 814-867-2557. A $5 per order handling fee will be added to new season ticket holders. Current season ticket holders from last year will receive their renewal notices later this summer and information on single dual tickets will come as the season approaches. With season ticket sales already brisk, Penn State will be capping the number of total season tickets sold (combining new applications and renewals from last year), so fans wishing to purchase new season tickets are encouraged to do so quickly. All information for purchasing new season tickets is also available online at is www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets/m-wrestl-tickets.html . Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstatepat and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2010-11 Penn State Wrestling season has been presented by The Family Clothesline. The full 2011-12 Penn State Wrestling Schedule is as follows: 2011-12 SCHEDULE NOVEMBER Thur. 3 INTRASQUAD DUAL -- 7 p.m. Sun. 13 BLOOMSBURG -- 2 p.m. Sun. 20 MINNESOTA* -- 2 p.m. DECEMBER Sun. 4 NITTANY LION OPEN -- 8:30 a.m. Fri. 9 at Lehigh -- 7 p.m. Sun. 11 WEST VIRGINIA -- 2 p.m. Sun. 18 at Lock Haven -- 2 p.m. JANUARY Sun.-Mon. 1-2 Southern Scuffle, Chattanooga, Tenn. -- All Day Sun. 8 at Michigan State* -- 2 p.m. Fri. 13 at Northwestern* -- 8 p.m. Sun. 15 at Wisconsin* -- 2 p.m. Sun. 22 IOWA* -- 2 p.m. Sun. 29 OHIO STATE* -- 2 p.m. FEBRUARY Fri. 3 at Nebraska* -- 8 p.m. Sun. 5 MICHIGAN* -- 2 p.m. Sat. 11 at Utah Valley -- 9 p.m. Fri./Sun. 17/19 PITTSBURGH# -- 7 p.m./TBA MARCH Sat.-Sun. 3-4 2012 Big Ten Championships, West Lafayette, Ind. Sat. 3 Session 1 -- Opening Round Sat. 3 Session 2 -- Semifinals Sun. 4 Session 3 -- Consolations, 7th place Sun. 4 Session 4 -- Championship finals, 3rd, 5th Thur.-Sat. 15-17 2012 NCAA Wrestling Championships, St. Louis, Mo. Thur. 15 Session 1 -- 1st Round Thur. 15 Session 2 -- 2nd Round/Consolations Fri. 16 Session 3 -- Quarterfinals/Consolations Fri. 16 Session 4 -- Semifinals/All-America Rd. Sat. 17 Session 5 -- Medal Rounds Sat. 18 Session 6 -- Championship Finals * Big Ten Dual -- # Pitt dual will be either 2/17 at 7 p.m. or 2/19 time TBA in Rec Hall All Dates and Times Subject to Change -- All Times EASTERN

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The honors continue to roll in for former University of Iowa wrestling coach Dan Gable. Wrestling USA announced this week it has named Gable its 2011 Master-of-Wrestling, an award recognizing years of dedication and leadership through the sport of wrestling. The national award has been presented to the nation's best in the sport since 1975. Gable is the second Iowa recipient of the honor. The first was Bob Siddens, who coached Gable at West High School and received the Master-of-Wrestling honor in 1979. Gable is considered, by most, to be the best collegiate wrestling coach in history. He was Iowa's head coach for 21 years and compiled a 355-21-5 record that included 15 national and 21 Big Ten team titles. His wrestling legacy is being honored Saturday at the Coralville Marriot and Convention Center. “Gable's Gold: A Celebration of Dan Gable's Legacy” is sold out. Gable is also being honored Friday, Sept. 2, at the third annual FRY Fest, “A Celebration of all that is Hawkeye.” Contact the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau or visit fryfest.com for more information about the event.

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! Join Takedown Wrestling Host Scott Casber and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News. Listen in this Saturday for Takedown Wrestling 9 to 11 a.m. CST/ 10 a.m. to 12 Noon Eastern. This weeks guests include: Special surprise guest the return of CHRIS BONO 9:01 John Nicholson of Old Dominion 9:20 Joe Russell of the University of Minnesota 9:40 Eric Guerrero of Oklahoma State 9:50 Max Muscle Minute with Ty Barkley 10:01 Ricky Lundell of University of Grappling 10:20 Joel Greenlee of the Ohio Bobcats 10:40 Josh Kindig of Oklahoma State 10:50 Amy Williams Wildrose Casino and Resort in Emmetsburg, Iowa Join us LIVE 9 to 11 a.m. CST for Takedown Wrestling. Listen on radio, on computer, your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio App. on KXNO.com and Takedownradio.com.

Every high school wrestling season there are freshmen who turn heads and prove that age does not matter. This past season there were several freshmen across the country who burst onto the high school wrestling scene and not only captured state championships, but showed they could compete with the nation's best high school wrestlers. Names like Chance Marsteller and Kyle Snyder immediately come to mind. Marsteller won the POWERade and finished his freshman season as an undefeated state champion in Pennsylvania. Snyder, a 215-pounder from Maryland, went a perfect 55-0, did not surrender a takedown all season, and won the Beast of the East, Mount Mat Madness, and National Preps. So who will the breakout freshmen be in 2011-12? Below is a list of 10 incoming freshmen to watch. Please note: This is not an all-inclusive list or ranking of the nation's top freshmen in 2011-12, but merely a sampling of names to watch. Fox Baldwin High School: Osceola, Florida Projected Weight Class: 132/138 Fox BaldwinAbout Baldwin: Baldwin has already put together a very impressive high school wrestling resume before even beginning his freshman season. In his sixth, seventh, and eighth grade seasons, Baldwin compiled a high school record of 180-15 and placed three times at the state tournament. He was a high school state champion this past season at 119 pounds, going 61-2 with 53 pins. Baldwin holds national high school records for most wins before ninth grade (180) and most pins before ninth grade (131), both records his brother Pete previously held. He wrestled for Lake Highland Prep the last three seasons, but will be wrestling for Osceola in 2011-12. This spring Baldwin placed fifth at FloNationals and won a Brute adidas Nationals title. Osceola coach Jim Bird on Baldwin: "Fox is ahead of where his two-time state champ, record-setting brother Pete was at this age. He is a better athlete, has more refined skills from his feet, and almost as good on top. He will be fun to watch when he grows some muscles to go along with his technique. Maybe Fox can be the next breakout freshman at POWERade this year." Zahid Valencia High School: St. John Bosco, California Projected Weight Class: 126 Zahid ValenciaAbout Valencia: Valencia's pre-high school production has many California wrestling aficionados believing that he is about to make a big splash in the Golden State as a freshman, much like Eric Guerrero, Stephen Abas, Darrell Vasquez, and Alex Cisneros did before him. Valencia has already made waves in some national high school wrestling events. He placed fifth at FloNationals in 2010 as a seventh-grader at 103 pounds. This past season, Valencia won the NUWAY Southwest Kickoff Classic as an eighth-grader at 115 pounds, beating Junior National freestyle champion Ruben Navejas in the finals. He has wins throughout his career over many of the nation's best, including Nathan Tomasello, Mark Hall, Bryce Brill, Isaiah Martinez, Dom Malone, Brandon Sorenson, and Gary Wayne Harding. Valencia is a four-time Trinity Award winner who been dominating national events for several years. His brother Anthony is also a multiple-time national champion and an incoming freshman to keep an eye on. St. John Bosco coach Omar Delgado on Valencia: "Zahid is the hardest working young man I have ever had the pleasure of coaching. He is completely dedicated to his academic and wrestling goals. Zahid always shows up a half hour before practice and will read a book or complete his homework for the day. He trains twice a day every day unless he is competing in a tournament. Zahid absolutely loves the sport of wrestling and I know that his father Ruben has never had to tell him to get ready for practice because Zahid looks forward to practice and competition more so than any other boy I have ever coached. Zahid has big dreams and with his work ethic I know Zahid can make those dreams come true." Sammy Krivus High School: Hempfield Area, Pennsylvania Projected Weight Class: 106/113 Sammy KrivusAbout Krivus: The Keystone State is loaded with talented incoming freshmen and Krivus is at or near the top of the list, along with Franklin Regional's tremendous trio of Michael Kemerer, Josh Maruca, and Josh Shields. Krivus went a perfect 59-0 this season and captured his third PJW state title in four years. He has been in the PJW state finals every year since 2007, with his only two PJW state losses coming to Jason Nolf during that span. He had three wins this past season over Fredy Stroker, another nationally-ranked junior high wrestler, including a 1-0 victory in the PJW state quarterfinals. Krivus has won several national events, including the Super 32 Challenge (middle school division), Northeast Nationals twice, Philo Electric Invitational, and War at the South Jersey Shore. Krivus is very solid on his feet. He's always on the attack and is tough to score on. Krivus is also a bear on the mat. He is expected to start the season at 113 pounds before dropping to 106 pounds. Hempfield Area coach Vince DeAugustine on Krivus: "Sammy probably has the most natural ability that I've seen in a long time, combined with an incredible work ethic. He was born to wrestle. If he continues to buy into the philosophy that I preach to him, the sky is definitely the limit for him." Ke-Shawn Hayes High School: Park Hill, Missouri Projected Weight Class: 106 Ke-Shawn HayesAbout Hayes: Hayes will be stepping into a solid lineup at Park Hill, a program that has won two Missouri Class 4 titles in the last three seasons. He should be in the mix to win a state championship as a freshman at 106 pounds. Hayes is a two-time Trinity Award winner, two-time Tulsa Nationals champion, five-time Cliff Keen Tulsa Kickoff Classic champion, two-time Reno Worlds champion, and four-time Liberty Nationals champion. Hayes has won 15 state championships in folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman. Park Hill coach Jason Keck on Hayes: "One of the things that sets Ke-Shawn apart from others is his maturity at a young age. Everybody matures at a different rate, but he's one of those guys that gets it early on. That's one of his biggest assets, just having the maturity level to know what it takes to be the best. And then not only recognizing it, but then actually going out and consistently doing it. A lot of kids know what it takes, but it's hard to do, not only from a physical standpoint, but a mental standpoint. Ke-Shawn is one of those kids that is mentally mature enough to realize that and not make any excuses ... just go and get it done." Michael Johnson Jr. High School: TBD Projected Weight Class: 285 Michael Johnson Jr.About Johnson: Standing 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 280 pounds, Johnson is a monster of an incoming freshman. He has won everything under the sun as a youth wrestler, including, two USAW Triple Crowns, four IL/USAW Triple Crowns, Ultimate Dominator Award twice, Tulsa Nationals multiple times, and many other national events. He has twice been named TheMat.com Athlete of the Week for his achievements. Last year he hurt his shoulder at Cadet National Duals, which prevented him from wrestling in Fargo. He is expected to make his Fargo debut this summer. Johnson is also a former swimmer and weightlifting national champion. Montini Catholic coach Israel Martinez on Johnson: "Michael Johnson Jr. is a wonderful kid. He's very respectful. He trains hard. It's going to be exciting to finally see him compete with guys that are his size and as mature as him. Michael Johnson Jr. has the ability to do whatever he wants. He's fast. He's strong. He's athletic for a big guy. He's going to be a force to be reckoned with." Davion Jeffries High School: Collinsville, Oklahoma Projected Weight Class: 106 Davion JeffriesAbout Jeffries: Jeffries is a special talent who has the tools to be in the hunt for a state title as a freshman, but will be in a dogfight just to make the lineup at Collinvsille, a program that won both the dual team and state championship in Oklahoma's Class 5A this past season. He is expected to battle with Christian Moody, Wyatt Jordan, and Jacob Finley for the starting spot at 106 pounds. Coach Wes Harding's Cardinals graduate only two seniors and had underclassmen state champions at 112, 119, and 125 this past season, so the future looks bright at Collinsville. Jeffries is a two-time Trinity Award winner, six-time Cliff Keen champion, four-time Tulsa Nationals champion, three-time Reno Worlds champion, seven-time USJOC champion, and three-time All-American in freestyle. Collinsville coach Wes Harding on Jeffries: "Davion's major strength is his flexibility. He can actually do a back bridge and put his feet on top of his head. He's a dangerous wrestler because he's one of the those wrestlers that nobody wrestles like. He can pin the best kid at any time. His flexibility makes him an outstanding scrambler. Most of the time he ends up on top in scrambles." Fredy Stroker High School: Bettendorf, Iowa Projected Weight Class: 106 Fredy StrokerAbout Stroker: Stroker, an Army brat, was born in Panama and has been in wrestling in Pennsylvania with the aforementioned incoming freshmen from the Keystone State. Stroker, though, will be moving to Iowa later this summer to begin his high school career at Bettendorf. He is a five-time PJW state placewinner, which includes three trips to the state finals. He won a PJW state championship in 2010 with a 6-2 victory over Jason Nolf, who was an undefeated PIAA state champion this past season. Stroker is a Tulsa Nationals champion, two-time 2010 MAWA Eastern Nationals champion, Cliff Keen Eastern Worlds champion, West Coast Nationals champion, two-time Northeast Nationals champion, Liberty Nationals champion, and American Crown Award recipient. This spring he won Cadet state titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. All-American Wrestling Club coach Rob Waller on Stroker: "Fred has the will to win. He has great speed too. You can't teach speed." To read more about Fredy Stoker, check out the profile story published on InterMat. Luke Norland High School: Jackson County Central, Minnesota Projected Weight Class: 145/152 Luke NorlandAbout Norland: Norland grew up wrestling in Spirit Lake, Iowa, but moved over to nearby Jackson, Minnesota last fall. He has a youth wrestling resume that indicates that he could make an impact at the high school level as a freshman. In 2010, Norland captured the Trinity Award, and also made the USAW Schoolboy Duals All-Tournament Team in both Greco-Roman and freestyle, going a perfect 15-0. He wrestles for Minnesota high school coaching legend Randy Baker at Jackson County Central, a perennial powerhouse program in southwestern Minnesota that has churned out several college wrestling standouts, including Chad Kraft, Nate Baker, Travis Rutt, and Cole VonOhlen. An injury (hairline fracture) kept Norland off the mat for much of his eighth grade season, including the section tournament, but he still managed to win nearly 20 matches and give some of the state's best fits. Jackson County Central coach Randy Baker on Norland: "Luke is a tough eighth-grader. He'll do well. He has some good defensive skills. I think his composure is kind of uncanny for someone his age. Nothing seems to bother him. He can be ahead or behind and it doesn't show. You can tell he's wrestled a lot. He has been in a lot of situations. He has some good practice partners too." Matthew Kolodzik High School: Miami Valley, Ohio Projected Weight Class: 106 Matthew KolodzikAbout Koldzick: Kolodzik became just the seventh wrestler ever to win three Ohio junior high state (OAC) titles, putting him in the same company as Ohio high school wrestling greats like David Taylor, Logan Stieber, and Chris Phillips. This spring Kolodzik won a Central Regional Cadet freestyle title and placed third at FILA Cadet Nationals. He captured a Super 32 Challenge title in the middle school division this past year. He is also two-time Schoolboy Nationals freestyle champion. His older brother Daniel was a two-time Ohio state champion and currently wrestles at Princeton Eastside Cincinnati Catholic coach Duane Meyer on Kolodzik: "Matthew is an amazing wrestler with a great work ethic and a wonderful personality. Matthew, while obviously driven to achieve individual goals in our sport, understands the importance of team wrestling. Whether it is pushing the action for bonus points or working on the side with a practice partner, Matthew constantly displays the leadership and poise that make him such a well-rounded young man, as well as being one of the top junior high wrestlers in the nation. I am confident Matthew will continue to see success at the high school level, and I am looking forward to seeing him on the mat again this winter." Markus "Pupp" Simmons High School: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Projected Weight Class: 106 Markus SimmonsAbout Simmons: Simmons is expected to step in and start as the 106-pounder for Broken Arrow, a wrestling powerhouse program in Oklahoma that won the regional, dual state, and state championship this past season, becoming the first Class 6A program to accomplish that Triple Crown since 2005. He is a six-time state champion, two-time junior high state champion, and three-time freestyle state champion. Simmons has won the Trinity Award, Tulsa Nationals twice, Cliff Keen Kickoff Classic three times, Reno Worlds three times, USJOC four times, Liberty Nationals, and has been a member of the World All-Star First Team five times. Collinsville coach Wes Harding on Simmons: "Pupp is an all-around athlete. He's not going to be real big. His dad is not huge. He'll be a solid 106-pounder. All that I can say about Pupp is that he's an outstanding athlete with natural ability. He's done it his whole life and has gotten good."

Jim Miller will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, June 1. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 – 6:00 PM Central on AM 1650, The Fan. Podcasts of the show are available on themat.com. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Miller is the head wrestling coach at Wartburg College. He has coached the Knights to eight NCAA Division III team titles during his tenure. Miller will be on the program in advance of the Gable's Gold banquet being held in Iowa City, Iowa, on June 4. The banquet will honor Gable's legacy in the sport of wrestling. Miller will tell his “Outfly” story about Dan Gable coming to Wartburg in 1991.

It is not uncommon to hear stories of top high school wrestlers crossing city and state boundaries for better opportunities. Transferring has become a part of the high school wrestling landscape. Every spring and summer, wrestling fans speculate where the nation's top "free agents" will land. Fredy Stroker at the Pennsylvania junior state qualifierFredy Stroker, one of the nation's top junior high wrestlers, will be crossing state boundaries this fall to start his high school career at Bettendorf High School in Iowa, which is over 800 miles away from where he has spent the last five years in Mechanicsburg, Pa. It is rare for a wrestler as accomplished as Stroker, who is ranked as the No. 13 junior high wrestler in the country by InterMat, to leave wrestling-rich Pennsylvania shortly before his high school career begins. But Stroker's move, unlike many other top wrestlers who transfer, is not all about wrestling. It is only a piece of the puzzle. From Panama to Pennsylvania Fredy Stroker was born in Panama on Aug. 29, 1996, while his father, Fred, a Pennsylvania native, was serving in the military in Panama. His mother, Anabel, was born and raised in Panama. Six months later, the family moved to Charleston, S.C. because of Stroker's father's military work. In 2000, the family moved again, to Fort Leavenworth, Kans. A year later, the Strokers moved to Virginia Beach, Va. For Stroker, who was 4 years old at the time, it was the life of an Army brat. It is in Virginia Beach where Stroker was first introduced to wrestling while in kindergarten. Fredy Stroker with his very first medal in 2003"My dad put me in a real fun wrestling room right when I started," said Stroker, who also participated in soccer, gymnastics, and taekwondo. "We played dodgeball at practice, so right from the beginning I liked it a lot. It was real fun." Stroker's taekwondo training, a sport in which he earned a black belt, helped with the transition to wrestling. "There was some overlap between taekwondo and wrestling," said Stroker's father, Fred. "As all kids are, Fredy was very active. The taekwondo really taught him focus." Stroker won a medal in the very first wrestling tournament he entered in Virginia Beach, finishing third out of four wrestlers. From that point on, he was hooked on the sport. After his first grade year, Stroker began spending his summers in Western Pennsylvania, staying with his grandparents, and attending wrestling camps, like Rob Waller's All-American Wrestling Camp in Latrobe. Stroker was rolling around with some of the most accomplished youth wrestlers in Pennsylvania ... like Jimmy Gulibon, Solomon Chishko, Jason Nolf, Michael Kemerer, and Sammy Krivus. While in Virginia, he was wrestling in a club called Pin2Win with Brandon Jeske and Joey Dance. At the Cox Wrestling Club, Stroker remembers practicing alongside a future NCAA Division I champion. "I remember always doing sprints right next to Bubba Jenkins when he was only in ninth and tenth grade," said Stroker. "He was like the superstar." Fredy Stroker wins his second Virginia state titleWrestling was becoming a bigger part of his life. Wrestling camps, practices, and tournaments filled Stroker's calendar, which left little time for other sports. "He was a good soccer player," said his father. "He gave up soccer because wrestling was going into March, April, and May. That's the prime time for traveling soccer in Virginia." The summer training in Pennsylvania was paying off in competition. Stroker won Virginia elementary state titles in both in 2005 and 2006. He was named Outstanding Wrestler both years. Making his mark in the Keystone State Pennsylvania has long been king of the wrestling world. The numbers don't lie. In the final InterMat high school rankings of the 2010-11 season, Pennsylvania had 39 nationally-ranked wrestlers, which was 13 more than any other state. At this year's NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Pennsylvania produced 10 All-Americans, which was four more than any other state. At this year's Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, a team comprised of Pennsylvania All-Stars defeated a team comprised of USA All-Stars. This year's NCAA Division I team champion, Penn State, also came from the Keystone State. Fredy Stroker with his father, Fred"Pennsylvania is just so deep," said Stroker's father, Fred, who wrestled at Hempfield High School, a District 7 school in Western Pennsylvania. "That's what I tell everyone from traveling around in the military. Pennsylvania has eight studs and another eight that no one even knows about that on any given day can take out top guys all over the place." In 2006, Stroker's father had military orders to go to the Middle East (Kuwait), so he moved the family to the Western Pennsylvania town of Greensburg, a city that sits on the Allegheny Plateau in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, and only a few miles from where Stroker had been spending his summers with his grandparents. Stroker wrestled in his first Pennsylvania junior (PJW) state tournament in 2007, finishing runner-up in the 10-and-under, 75-pound division. After spending a year in the Middle East, Stroker's father returned to the U.S. and accepted a position at the U.S. Army War College in South Central Pennsylvania, and the family settled in Mechanicsburg, Pa. "I never imagined that I would get stationed in Pennsylvania," said Stroker's father. "I knew I wanted to be there for wrestling, but I just never imagined there would be a career opportunity for me in Pennsylvania." Fredy Stroker with Rob WallerIn 2008, Stroker began winning national wrestling events like Northeast Nationals and MAWA Eastern Nationals. He finished third at the PJW state tournament, losing to Solomon Chishko in the semifinals. Not only was he traveling out of state for wrestling tournaments, but also for wrestling training camps and practices. He started attending practices at Cary Kolat's wrestling club in Maryland, which helped him improve his technique and conditioning. Stroker also continued going to Rob Waller's All-American Wrestling Camp. Waller, who is now in his 60s, is one of the most respected wrestling minds not only in Pennsylvania, but across the country. He speaks his mind and coaches with his heart. Waller is a member of the Western Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame, Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame, and National Wrestling Hall of Fame. His son, Robbie, was an NCAA Division I champion at Oklahoma in 2003 and is currently the head wrestling coach at Lock Haven. "He's a great teacher and technician," Stroker said of Rob Waller Sr. "He's one of my favorite coaches. He goes over stuff a lot. He doesn't let you go on to the next move until you have mastered it. He goes over all the basics." Fredy Stroker at the MAWA Eastern NationalsWaller believes that fundamentals need to be ingrained early on in a wrestler's career. "When you're young, it's crucial that you learn your fundamentals right because it will adversely affect you," said Waller, an Olympic Team Trials finalist in 1972 and 1976. "It's like the first three or four years of school ... If you don't get that stuff down right, you suffer forever. It's no different in wrestling. Your fundamentals are crucial in any sport ... I don't care if it's pingpong. I believe champions do the common things uncommonly well." In 2009, Stroker reached the PJW finals before losing to a wrestler he had beaten in the area finals. He also earned the American Crown Award, which is given to a wrestler who wins three America Crown national tournaments in the same season. In 2010, Stroker finally captured a PJW state title, a title that had eluded him the previous three years. Fredy Stroker wins a PJW state title in 2010"That had been my biggest goal, so I was real excited to win it," said Stroker of his PJW state championship. "In the finals, I had a three-time returning state champ who is pretty tough named Jason Nolf. He is a buddy of mine. We used to go to Waller's all the time, but he was always a weight below me." Stroker finished third at this year's PJW state tournament, losing only to Sammy Krivus, another nationally-ranked junior high wrestler, 1-0, in the quarterfinals. He also competed in freestyle and Greco-Roman for the first time in his career this spring. "It's a little bit of a change," Stroker said of wrestling the international styles. "You have to know where you are at all times. You have to keep good position so you don't expose your back." Despite his limited experience in freestyle and Greco-Roman, Stroker became a double champion at the PAWF Freestyle and Greco-Roman State Championships, which took place May 20-22. Moving to Iowa and starting his high school career Last November, Stroker's father, a lieutenant colonel, logistics officer in the Army with 21 years of active service, was notified of an open position at the Rock Island Arsenal in Rock Island, Illinois. Fredy Stroker working from the top position"We literally took the kids out of school and drove out to see the area," said Stroker's father, who also has two daughters, Damaris, 12, and Cecelia, 10. "I wanted the whole family to say, 'We could live here.' We liked it. It's a lot like Pennsylvania." So the Strokers made the decision to leave Pennsylvania and move to the Quad Cities, an area that straddles the Mississippi River on the Iowa-Illinois boundary. Stroker will begin his high school career this fall at Bettendorf High School, which is six miles from the Rock Island Arsenal where Stroker's father will be working. Bettendorf is a high school wrestling power that finished this past season ranked 12th in the InterMat Fab 50. "We'll have a pretty good lineup," said Stroker, who will likely compete at 106 pounds as a freshman barring a growth spurt. "I think I'm going to fit in well. We have a good coach (Dan Knight) who went to Iowa State. He was a four-time state champion in the state of Iowa and went undefeated." Stroker will compete for Team Pennsylvania at Cadet Nationals (Fargo) in late July before moving to Iowa at the end of the summer. So how does Stroker feel about all the moving? Fredy Stroker wins OW at the 2011 Wilson JH Classic"I have kind of gotten used to the moving," said Stroker, who has lived in two countries, four states (soon to be five), and attended wrestling training camps in eight states. "I know that wherever I go I'll fit in well." Stroker's father says that he would have loved to keep the family in Pennsylvania, but has held tight to advice Waller gave him a long time ago. "Waller said, 'Look, there are good people everywhere. Just make sure he's around the best wherever you go.' That was something I preached to Fredy." Waller clarified what he meant by that statement. "I meant that two ways," said Waller. "Number one, good people as in good human beings, character people. Number two, if you can get that, and they know how to wrestle, then you have a great combination. I think where he's going it's like that ... good character people and they know how to wrestle. They'll add to Fred's style. When Fred's 18, he'll probably do what I taught him when he was 10. He's just going to do it better." So who is Fredy Stroker? Fredy Stroker is a typical teenage kid who enjoys playing Xbox, watching movies, and hanging out with friends. Wrestling, though, is his passion. Fredy Stroker is presented with the American Crown Award"I love wrestling and I love what I do," said Stroker. "It's basically a full-time sport. There are no real long breaks. I get a break sometimes, maybe two or three weeks in the summer. Besides that, I'm usually going all year-round." But according to his father, you would never know it if you were in school with him. "His teachers tell me they wouldn't even know he wrestled," said Stroker's father. "That's just his personality. His sister wears more of his wrestling t-shirts than he does." Waller lights up when describing Fredy Stroker. "Fred's a great kid, a little mischievous," said Waller. "He's got that little smile about him. I tease him all the time. I love the kid. He's a great kid." Stroker not only enjoys competing, but also enjoys watching the best wrestlers compete. He has attended the PIAA State Wrestling Championships since he was a little boy. He attended the sold-out Iowa vs. Penn State dual meet this past season in Happy Valley. Stroker also attended the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia, where he got to see one of the wrestlers he admires win an NCAA title. Fredy Stroker at the 2011 NCAAs in Philadelphia"I look up to Jordan Oliver," said Stroker. "I think my style is kind of like his. I like Oklahoma State and he's from Pennsylvania too. He's real fast and real good." So how does Stroker describe his own wrestling style? "I always attack on my feet," said Stroker. "I'm always shooting. I like to clear ties and go. I'm real fast. On top, I'm real brutal with the crossface cradle. I can usually turn almost anyone with it." As for his wrestling goals, Stroker has short-term and long-term wrestling goals. "My short term goal right now is to be a state champion in Iowa," said Stroker. "My long-term goal is to be an NCAA champion."

Rashad Evans

Event: UFC 130: Hamill vs. Rampage Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada) Date: May 28, 2011 Tonight's UFC 130 fight card was supposed to be headlined with Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard's rematch for the lightweight title. But injuries to both have forced that action off the card, and moved the legendary Quinton "Rampage" Jackson into the spotlight as he takes on Matt "The Hammer" Hamill, who has won five in a row. Despite the disappointment in losing Edgar/Maynard III, tonight's card offers plenty of intrigue and lots of hard-hitting action. It is my job to find weaknesses in the Las vegas betting line, and try to pick winners for Intermat readers. So let's take a quick look and see what we find. Matt Hamill (10-2) is the only man on the planet to have beaten Jon "Bones" Jones the amazing UFC light heavyweight champion. But he did it by disqualification after Jones used illegal downward elbows to demolish Hamill's face. Poor Matt was getting blasted before the ref stopped the fight and awarded him the awkward win. We all love Matt for his courage to train hard and fight despite being deaf. And, the lead he carries in his powerful fists is nothing to scoff at. But Rampage (31-8) is a different rabid beast. He howls at the moon, and uses street smarts to put his opponents away, usually with a knockout punch for the ages. We've seen a dozen years of his stuff. He ain't afraid of nobody. As much as the +220 price tag is appealing, I don't think Hamill has the speed or quickness to fight Rampage effectively. I see a slow, plodding, yet determined effort, falling by the wayside midway through the second period, as Rampage clocks him with an overhand right, ending it by KO. Heavyweight Frank Mir (14-5) has always been one of my favorites. His cockiness has been well-earned, as he is a former UFC champion. He also is one of the very best jiu-jitsu fighting heavyweights. His boxing has improved dramatically, and he has overcome a severe motorcycle accident to improve with every outing. And then there is Roy "Country" Nelson (15-5), who looks like an out-of-shape, blubber-bellied truck mechanic. But don't be fooled. Roy can fight and his KO power compliments an underrated ground game. Mir's five losses have all come by KO. Nobody has won a decision against him. And nobody has submitted Mr. Mir. And, nobody will tonight either. I see a testy, slow-paced couple of rounds, until early in the third, when Mir grabs an appendage and drags the farm boy to the mat. There it ends with an vicious armbar as Roy screams in pain. Mir is a bargain at -135. This is my best bet of the evening. In my "Fight of the Night," UFC veteran (13 octagon fights), welterweight Thiago Alves (18-7 w/11 KOs) will battle with Rick "Horror" Story (12-3), who was the first man to beat Okie State's Jonny Hendricks. Both fighters bring it, and both fighters are aggressive in pressing the pace. I see plenty of action and both will have their hands full. This one will be bet as my FON, but I will also lay the -210 on Alves with his vast experience being the difference. If you like watching giants fight, you will love 6'8" Stefan Struve (21-4) and 6'7" Travis Brown (10-0-1) battle. Struve uses his mediocre boxing to set up his powerful submission game. His long appendages make his ground game lethal. Brown will try to keep it standing as he wins his fights by KO. So, we have two different styles, which always makes for an interesting fight. Both have awesome records, but only one advances tonight ... I'll wager that Struve survives the first round pounding and gets his second round submission with an shoulder-popping arm bar to cash at +115. Former U.S. Marine Brian Stann has used his adrenaline and military focus for his buddies to carve out an impressive 10-3 record, winning most fights by KO. His opponent, Jorge Santiago (23-8 w/12 submissions) is another of the long list of Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighters who can end it quickly if you make a mistake. This one should have Stann punching away, as Santiago tries to drag him to the mat. Eventually he will, and that is where it will end. Santiago will end this with a rear-naked choke and send me to the winner's window with a +125 ‘dog. Upset special. Now, let's take a brief look at tonight's undercard. Is Miguel Torres (39-3) back? Or is Mighty Mouse Demetrious Johnson (8-1) for real? Johnson can sure wrestle, but Torres has a wider arsenal of weapons. I like Torres at an extremely cheap price of -120. Another rear-naked choke ends this one. Free-swinging middleweight Kendall Grove (12-8) uses his lanky 6'6" frame to keep opponents away. He also has a great ground game where his lankiness is used to leverage opponents. But Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch (12-4) is a light heavyweight who is cutting down to see if his power will transfer to a lower weight class. I think it will, and I'm hoping for a mild upset with Boetsch winning a close decision. I'll grab the +125. Veteran Gleison Tibau (22-7 w/10 decisions) is still improving. Rafaelio Oliveira (14-3) is formidable and will look to win by submission. I'm liking his +280 price tag and will hope for the best. Another surprise upset. Brazilian Renan Barao (25-1 w/12 submission) has built up an impressive record with many fights of lesser opponents in Brazil. But 25-1 is 25-1. He should cruise over Cole Escovedo (17-6 w/10 submissions). This will be a ground test of who has the best jits. Barao does, so lay the heavy -350. Michael McDonald (12-1) should defeat Chris Cariaso (11-2), but the price is too steep at -400, so I will pass on this action. That's 10 fights. We have five favorites and four underdogs with 1 no play. I like that distribution. I hope I have found some barking dogs. Now let's look at how we divide up our "fictitious" $1000 bankroll....... Let's lay $156 to win $60 on Rampage. Let's lay $189 to win $140 on Frank Mir. Let's lay $126 to win $60 on Thiago Alves. Let's lay $60 to win $69 on Stefan Struve. Let's lay $60 to win $75 on Jorge Santiago. Let's lay $120 to win $100 on Miguel Torres. Let's lay $74 to win $92 on Tim Boetsch. Let's lay $175 to win $50 on Renan Barao. Let's lay $40 to win $112 on Rafaelio Oliveira. Let's pass on Michael McDonald. In total we are risking $1000 to win $758. We need our big favorites to come through, and a few winning, barking 'dogs would seal the deal. Don't forget to share your winnings with your local youth wrestling program where tomorrow's champions are born! Good luck and enjoy the fights. I know I will.

Hempstead, NY -- Hofstra University Head Wrestling Coach Rob Anspach today announced the appointment of former two-time All-American Dan Vallimont as an assistant coach on the Pride staff for the 2011-12 season. Vallimont, a native of Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, was a four-time NCAA qualifier for the Nittany Lions of Penn State from 2005 through 2010 who recorded a 110-36 mark during his collegiate career. A team captain in 2008-09 and 2009-10, Vallimont placed second at the 2010 NCAA Division I Championships at 165 pounds and finished the season with a 30-9 mark. As a sophomore, he finished third at the 2008 NCAA Championships at 157 pounds and posted a 32-3 record. A three-time top three finisher at the Big Ten Championships, Vallimont placed second in 2008 and third in 2009 and 2010. As a red-shirt freshman in 2006-07, he placed fourth in the Big Ten Championships and tallied a 22-12 record. Vallimont advanced to the NCAA Championships as the 12th-seed at 157 pounds and came within one win of All-America accolades. As a junior, he placed third in the Big Ten, advanced to the NCAA Championships at 165 pounds and, again, came one victory shy of All-America status, finishing with a 26-12 slate on the season. "I am quite pleased to add Dan to our Pride coaching staff," Anspach said. "As an outstanding student, one of the top wrestlers in the Big Ten and a recent two-time All-American, he brings to our program the talent and experience necessary to help bring us to the next level, both on and off the mat," Vallimont, who graduated from Penn State in 2010 with a degree in architectural engineering, was a two-time New Jersey State High School champion at Jefferson Township High School in Oak Ridge, New Jersey. A three-year team captain and a four-year member of the National Honor Society, he posted a 134-9 career record in high school.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- The Rutgers wrestling team will welcome five highly-decorated scholastic standouts to its 2011-12 recruiting class, head coach Scott Goodale announced today. The class, which is made up of Earl Hall (Miami, Fla.), Steven Rodriguez (Fox Lane, N.Y.), Anthony Perrotti (Caldwell, N.J.), Doug Hamann (Jackson, N.J.) and Billy Smith (High Point, N.J.), is ranked as one of the best in the nation by InterMat. “We're really excited about this class,” said Goodale. “It's a great class. There are five really, really good wrestlers in there. They're coming into a program where there is some depth now so they're going to have to fight everyday but I think that all of them have tremendous upside and I think you'll see that the first two or three weeks.” Hall, who InterMat ranks as the 14th best 119-pound prospect and 84th overall, comes to RU after an extremely successful high school career at South Dade and Homestead where he won an unprecedented four Florida State Championships. In addition to his success on the high school level, Hall was the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals Champion at 103-pounds in 2009 and a Dapper Dan team member. Hall projects to a 125-pound wrestler at RU. “Earl is one of the most decorated high school wrestlers to come from South Dade High School,” Goodale said. “He's won at every level, is extremely explosive and has tremendous upside. We look forward to getting him into a room with solid workout partners. We think he has a really high ceiling.” Rodriguez, who is ranked the 15th best 130-pound-prospect and 90th overall by InterMat, is a 2011 New York DI State Champ at 130-pounds. A projected 133 or 141-pound wrestler for the Scarlet Knights, Rodriguez finished third at New York DI's in 2010 and second in 2009. The Fox Lane, N.Y. native is also a 2010 FloNational Runner-up and a 2010 Super 32 fourth-place finisher. “Rodriguez has a motor, that's the best way to describe him,” Goodale said. “He's nonstop and loves to train. His work ethic is going to be contagious to the whole wrestling room. I think that's going to rub off on all of our guys, including the upperclassmen.” A 2011 New Jersey State Champ at 130-pounds, Perrotti comes to RU from West Essex High School in Caldwell, N.J. Perrotti, who became just the second wrestler in West Essex history to win a state title, also won back-to-back county, district and region championships this season. In addition to his success on the scholastic level, Perrotti placed sixth at the 2010 Super 32. Perrotti is projected to wrestle at 133 or 141-pounds during his career “On the Banks”. “Perrotti has what we call the X factor,” said Goodale. “He's tremendous on top. He's a great mat wrestler who does a lot of neat things from the top position that allows him to score a lot of points. He's a good ole Jersey boy, just a blue collar tough kid. He has a ton of upside.” A projected 157 or 165-pound wrestler for RU, Hamann is a 2010 Beast of the East fourth-place finisher. Hamann, a Jackson, N.J. native, was a standout wrestler for Jackson High School where he compiled several key dual victories for the Jaguars. Unfortunately for Hamann, an injury caused him to miss the New Jersey State Tournament his senior season, where he was seen as one of the favorites. “Dougy Hamann has the ability to wrestle at an extremely high level,” Goodale said. “He wasn't really able to show that because of his injury. I thought he was going to be the favorite to win the state title, but that doesn't matter since we signed him before that. We signed him because we think that he can be very, very, good at this level. The one thing with him is that he's hungry. He's going to be hungry because he doesn't have some of the accolades that some of the other guys have so he has something to prove and has a chip on his shoulder.” Smith, InterMat's fourth best heavyweight and 36th overall prospect, arrives “On the Banks” after a very successful high school career at High Point where he wrestled for Coach John Gardner. During his tenure at High Point, Smith garnered many accolades including going undefeated and winning the 2011 New Jersey State Championship at heavyweight. Additionally, Smith finished third at the State Championships in 2010 while competing at 215-pounds and was a two-time Region I Champion. “I love our heavyweight, Billy may be the gem of this class for the fact that he really wrestles,” said Goodale. “He grew up wrestling at 145-pounds, 171-pounds, 215 as a junior and now is a heavyweight who weighs 255-pounds. He's a big kid who can wrestle, very similar to DJ Russo (Netcong, N.J.), and he does a good job of winning because of conditioning. We love his work ethic and he comes from a great high school program in High Point, the No. 1 team in the state of New Jersey. He's been a part of winning teams so he's excited to come here and feed off of our guys and in turn hopefully all of his winning rubs off on them as well.” Rutgers finished the 2010-11 season with a school-record 21 dual wins and No. 9 national ranking. The Scarlet Knights also saw a school-record nine wrestlers place at the 107th EIWA Championships, including a champion in 165-pounder Scott Winston (Jackson, N.J.), and sent a school-record tying eight wrestlers to the NCAA Championship. The future looks bright for RU as it will return seven starters and eight NCAA qualifiers for the 2011-12 season.

Joe Heskett Drive north on Route 9W on some September morning and you'll climb high along the eastern slope of Bear Mountain. The mountain and other hills are blanketed in the bronze and auburn tones of turning leaves. Glance to the right and you'll find that the mountain pinches the road narrowly along the winding Hudson, and that its waters warmly reflect the rising sun. Such is the scene that greets you before the gates of the United States Military Academy. Follow Thayer Road into the heart of Army's campus, and then take a walk on its granite sidewalks. Tradition. Joe Heskett (Photo/GoArmySports.com)Since 1802, thousands of America's finest and most patriotic young men have taken this path. Countless military legends like Grant, Patton, Eisenhower, MacArthur, and Westmoreland roamed these hills as cadets. Each year, a thousand more soldiers file into that Long Gray Line, graduating into leadership roles in the U.S. Army. If you're still walking, you'll find the Arvin Cadet Physical Development Center, site of the campus fitness center and the wrestling facilities for the Black Knights. This week, head wrestling coach Joe Heskett has invited three NCAA All-Americans to make the scenic trip every day as coaches. Announced as the head coach less than a year ago himself, Heskett welcomes Dan Mitcheff, Kyle Ruschell, and Terry Madden to help build a culture of high wrestling expectation and toughness. The Academy coaching staff has had significant turnover over the last decade, and Joe is excited to recruit a staff he expects to bring consistency for the next three to five years. "I'm really pumped up to establish some continuity that we've lacked in the past," explained Heskett. "But also, these guys are young and West Point is an excellent environment to grow. We have the opportunity to build something more or less from the ground up, and that's a valuable experience for a young coach to gain." Hiring three assistants would be a critical moment for any team administrator. In setting the foundation of the program, Heskett sought three traits for his hirees. "Obviously, coming to West Point, character is key. I was looking for guys who were excited not just about wrestling in the room every day, but in mentoring and developing young men." The youth of each candidate also helped earn him a spot on Heskett's short list. "They have the energy to train every day and really push our guys. That's something I don't think we've had in a while at Army. Having three young bucks come in to grind every days is really going to help our guys feel that next level." Finally, he sought to follow the habit West Point has for selecting all of its students: finding unique, driven individuals. "Each of them has such a unique story; where they've come from, how they have impacted the sport in their own ways." Mitcheff, an All-American for Kent State in 2010, went overlooked by most Division I programs as a high school wrestler. His tenacity and work ethic, however, have helped the Golden Flashes rise from irrelevance to a top-20 program. "I've heard nothing but outstanding things about his character and genuine nature. He wrestled at Kent State, where there had been a drought for a couple of decades when they didn't have an All-American, but he was a part of turning that around," said Heskett of Mitcheff's experience elevating a program. Dan is remorseful at leaving Kent just as they've reached their highest high, but relishes the opening before him. "It was little tough leaving because I've been a part of the success and I'd like to see this team continue to grow, but I think it's a good opportunity to be over there at Army. I admire what the cadets are doing up there, serving our country. I just think it was a good chance to move on," explained Mitcheff. "On top of [his experience turning a program around], I've watched him compete and beat elite wrestlers like Reece Humphrey, Brandon Precin and Obe Blanc. He's a little guy and I was in the market for a little guy coach. I don't think I could have landed a better one," added Heskett. Ruschell, who twice earned All-America status for Barry Davis at Wisconsin, glowed on Heskett's radar by achieving excellence out of the state of Kentucky. "Kentucky's not the most powerful wrestling state, but yet here comes a young man that qualified for nationals all four years and became a two-time All-American. I remember watching him wrestle Lance Palmer. Lance was winning 4-1, but Kyle came back to win 5-4 for third place at NCAA's. Now in his first year on the freestyle scene he's right there competing to win the U.S. Open. He's a fighter," claimed Joe. Kyle has trained in south and the midwest, and looks forward to living in a new region of the country. "I absolutely loved the campus. I think it's a cool atmosphere with the cadets in structure and uniform. I think it's going to be a really great experience," he expressed. The Academy draws its student population from all 50 states and many countries. "Kyle represents so much of what West Point is. You don't have to have all the tools at the onset, but hard work pays off," the head coach continued. The third coach is Empire State native Terry Madden, who placed third in the New York state tournament as a high school senior. He went on to wrestle at Hunter College, where he was a two-time DIII All-American and the 2007 NCAA Champion. Since then, he has clawed his way up the Senior freestyle ladder, reaching as high as fifth in the 74 kg rankings. "He didn't even wrestle DI, but then immediately on the freestyle scene he's competing with some of the best guys in the country. I like that. I like that he's fighting day-in and day-out as a DIII national champ and beats some of the best guys in the country from DI," raved Joe. In addition to his fighting spirit, Madden brings a love for West Point and a familiarity with New York wrestling to the table. "When I was a kid I used to go to the club there, and that was the college I went to watch compete as a little kid," said Terry. While Heskett gains a lot of strong talent to work with his collegians, he also takes a greater responsibility upon himself to help three freestylers trying to make the 2012 Olympic team. "We're going to have a solid training system for them. I've been fortunate enough to see a high level of freestyle competition and I feel confident in my abilities to coach. A lot like Lou Rosselli trained me when I started at Ohio State. However, we're going to have to be flexible and masters of time management." Dan, Kyle and Terry are optimistic about their new training environment. "To be coached by someone of [Joe's] caliber, I think my level of wrestling will increase a lot. I feel like he'll correct a lot of problems I have," claimed Madden. "At Hofstra, I really didn't have a freestyle coach." Ultimately, growing pains are certain to be part of a package of three young coaches who must split their time between teaching and learning. However, Coach Heskett is elated at the step the program is taking in his second year as mentor. "Year one was all about the culture; we had to lay out who we are. Year two is a little more transitional, getting the coaching staff into place." In years three, four and five, he hopes to add wrestling excellence to the profound tradition at West Point. "As we move forward, every year needs to be incremental progress to becoming a nationally prominent wrestling program. This can happen. We have the resources, we have the facilities, and we have the support of the administration. Not all institutions have that. We do." "Not only is it an elite academic institution, but you can become a leader of men. And on top of that, you can win big time wrestling matches. Yes, yes you can."

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! Join Takedown Wrestling Host Scott Casber and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News. Join in this Saturday for Takedown Wrestling 9 to 11 a.m. CST/ 10 a.m. to 12 noon Eastern. This weeks guests include: 9:01 Shayna "Queen of Spades" Baszler Showtime Star 9:20 Jeff Murphy- Cyclone wrestling Club 9:40 Mike Garrow Fight Now TV Network 9:50 Max Muscle Minute with Ty Barkley 10:01 to 10:15 Randy Couture -- His dispute with UFC lays foundation for insurance policy 10:20 "Big" John McCarthy UFC and MMA Legend 10:40 Michael Chandler- Former Missou Star, Bellator Champ to be 10:50 Maureen Roshar Wildrose Casino and Resort in Clinton, Iowa Join us LIVE 9 to 11 a.m. CST for Takedown Wrestling. Listen on radio, on computer, your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio App. on KXNO.com and Takedownradio.com.

Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Tom O'Connor announced that George Mason Wrestling Coach Mark Weader has resigned to pursue other opportunities. "George Mason will always be a special place to me and my wife Shannon," Mark Weader said. "I have been fortunate to spend 16 years here and I am truly grateful to the senior athletic administration at Mason for the opportunities that they gave me. I also feel honored to have worked with some great student-athletes and I'm proud of the accomplishments the wrestling program made during my tenure." "Mark has been an integral part of Mason wrestling, watching him grow from a student-athlete to a coach and leader," O'Connor said. "We are grateful for his dedication he provided to the program, the student-athletes and the Mason community. We wish him and his family the very best." Weader recently concluded his sixth season as head coach and 16th overall with the Patriots program. He was the top assistant for the George Mason wrestling team from 1999-2005 and a former Patriot star, and took over the full-time head coaching duties after serving as the interim head coach during the 2005-06 season. The Danville, Pa native guided several wrestlers to conference and NCAA heights. In 2010, Brandon Bucher (149) and Mendbagana Tovuujav (174) both earned berths to the NCAA Championships. In 2008-09, both Cayle Byers (197) and Tovuujav (174) finished the season nationally ranked. At the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Byers came within one win of earning All-America status. During the 2007-08 season, Weader guided the Patriots to a 13-5 overall mark, recording the most wins since the 1991-92 season. Two of Weader's pupils, Byers and senior Randy Oates, both qualified for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, while three freshmen - Bucher (149), Byers (197), who finished the season nationally ranked in two polls, and Frankie McLaughlin IV (157) - were all named to the CAA All-Rookie Team. In addition to their success on the mat, the Patriots were also recognized for their hard work in the classroom, earning 2007-08 NWCA Division I All-Academic Wrestling Team honors. In his first season as a head coach in 2005-06, redshirt freshman Tyler Tisdell finished as the runner-up at 165 pounds at the CAA Championships and advanced to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. As a student-athlete Weader completed his George Mason career in 1998-99 as he compiled a 17-11 overall record, won the Colonial Athletic Association Championship at 157 pounds and advanced for the first time to the NCAA Championships. The tri-captain placed second twice at 142 pounds at the CAA Championships, and he won the Virginia Division I Intercollegiate Championship in 1998. A four-year starter for the Patriots after transferring from Clemson University, Weader finished his career with an overall record of 75-40, ranking in the top-20 all-time in victories at Mason. Weader and his wife, the former Shannon Jones, married on May 14, 2005. Jones played soccer for George Mason's women's team from 1996-98. The couple has two sons, Benjamin and Tyler.