InterMat Staff

Tervel Dlagnev

NEW YORK -- "I'm baaack!!" Those were the words tweeted by 2008 Olympic champion Henry Cejudo moments after his victory over Russia's Rasul Mashezov in two straight periods on Thursday night at the Beat the Streets Gala held in Times Square. Henry Cejudo (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Cejudo, who had not competed since winning his gold medal on Aug. 19, 2008 at the Beijing Olympics, wasted little time picking up the first points of the match with a lighting quick low single leg to go up 1-0. Cejudo added another takedown and took the first period 2-0. He closed out the victory by winning the second period, 4-3, over Mashezov, a 2011 Dave Schultz Memorial International champion and 2010 Junior World bronze medalist. "I feel good," said the 24-year-old Cejudo in his post-match interview. "You can't beat this. Look at Times Square. It's beautiful. It's America." Cejudo's opening-match victory helped propel Team USA over Russia, five matches to two, on a historic night billed as "The Battle on Broadway." After Cejudo 's win at 55 kg, Russia's Rasul Murtazaliev, a runner-up at the 2011 Ivan Yarygin Memorial Grand Prix, evened the dual meet at one win a piece with a 3-0, 3-0 victory over Shawn Bunch at 60 kg. At 66 kg, Brent Metcalf put Team USA back on top with a hard-fought three-period victory over Magomedmurad Gadzhiev. The former Iowa Hawkeye standout took the first period in the clinch, 1-0, but Gadzhiev, a 2011 Dave Schultz Memorial International champion, battled back to win the second period 4-1 to force a third and deciding period. Metcalf took the final period 1-0. Metcalf's victory over Gadzhiev avenged a loss from the bronze medal match at the 2011 Ivan Yarygin Memorial Grand Prix in January. "Last time it was the same match except for when I got to him I didn't finish," said Metcalf, a 2010 U.S. World Team member. "So that was the difference. I got to him and I finished. I would have liked to pick it up more. But he keeps his level low. I've got to find a way to get past his defense." Jordan Burroughs (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Jordan Burroughs, this year's InterMat Wrestler of the Year and Dan Hodge Trophy winner, kept the momentum on Team USA's side with a 1-0, 2-1 victory over Aniuar Geduev at 74 kg. Burroughs' victory put Team USA up 3-1. He used two of his patented blast double legs to pace him to the victory. For Burroughs, it was his first match ever against a Russian opponent. "Who said Jordan Burroughs couldn't double leg a Russian?" tweeted Burroughs after the victory. Russia came back to win the next match at 84 kg with 21-year-old Andrey Valiev, a 2010 Junior World champion, defeating 2009 World silver medalist Jake Herbert in two straight periods, 3-1, 3-2. At 96 kg, Jake Varner gave Team USA its fourth victory of the night and put the dual meet out of reach with an impressive 5-0, 0-1, 4-0 victory over Shamil Akhmedov, a 2011 Ivan Yarygin Memorial Grand Prix champion and 2010 Junior World champion. Tervel Dlagnev, a World bronze medalist in 2009, put the finishing touches on Team USA's victory over Russia with a 3-0, 3-1 win over Barsag Kesaev at 120 kg, avenging a loss from the 2011 Yarygin Memorial Grand Prix. Results: 55 kg: Henry Cejudo (USA) dec. Rasul Mashezov, 2-0, 4-3 60 kg: Rasul Murtazaliev (Russia) dec. Shawn Bunch (USA), 3-0, 3-0 66 kg: Brent Metcalf (USA) dec. Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (Russia), 1-0, 4-1, 1-0 74 kg: Jordan Burroughs (USA) dec. Aniuar Geduev (Russia), 1-0, 2-1 84 kg: Andrey Valiev (Russia) dec. Jake Herbert (USA), 3-1, 3-2 96 kg: Jake Varner (USA) dec. Shamil Akhmedov (Russia), 5-0, 0-1, 4-0 120 kg: Tervel Dlagnev (USA) dec. Barsag Kesaev (Russia), 3-0, 3-1

The University of Michigan wrestling program has let go of assistant coaches Kirk Trost and Mike Kulczycki. "I felt that we needed to make a change for the continued development of the program," said Michigan head coach Joe McFarland. "Kirk and Mike have served the Michigan program well -- both as coaches and as student-athletes -- and we wish them continued success in the future." Trost, a teammate of McFarland at Michigan in the mid-80s, spent 23 years on the Wolverine coaching staff. He was the 2005 NWCA Assistant Coach of the Year. Kulczycki, an All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier for Michigan, was on the Wolverines' coaching staff for six years. Michigan became one of the nation's top programs with Kirk Trost and Mike Kulczycki on staff, finishing as high as second at the NCAA Division I Championships in 2005. But the Wolverines are coming off three straight seasons of finishing outside the top 10. A national search is underway to replace Trost and Kulczycki. "We plan to actively seek out top candidates to complete our coaching staff," said McFarland.

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Senior Kevin LeValley (Hugo, Colo./Limon) earned the William A. Graham IV Most Outstanding Wrestler Award to highlight the list of honors doled out by Bison coaches as the Bucknell wrestling team held its end-of-season banquet this past Saturday evening inside Larison Hall. It is the second consecutive year LeValley has been honored with the Graham Award, given annually to the Bison wrestler who performs best at the NCAA Championships. Four other Bison were honored with individual awards, while the 12 letterwinners and two NCAA qualifiers (LeValley, Jay Hahn) were also recognized. Senior Brantley Hooks (Spartanburg, S.C./James F. Byrnes) was presented with the Class of 2010 Leadership Award, while classmate Scott Sechler (Slatington, Pa./Northern Lehigh) was given the Coach’s Award. Sophomore Jack Ingram (Cotuit, Mass./Tbor Academy) copped the 11th Man Award and Hahn (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) was rewarded with the Most Improved Award. LeValley, who became just the third two-time All-American in program history by finishing seventh at the NCAA Championships for a second straight year, shared the prestigious Graham Award with Andy Rendos in 2010. He is the program’s career wins leader with a 127-40 record, including a stellar 76-11 his final two seasons. LeValley, in 2010-11, led Bucknell in wins for a second consecutive season as he piled up 34 victories against just three losses. He joined Rendos as the only Bison to win EIWA individual titles, claiming the 149-pound title one year after finishing in a runner-up position. Bucknell’s single-season wins leader with 42 as a junior, LeValley earned the Christy Mathewson Award as the top male athlete in the Class of 2011 at Tuesday night’s Bison Club Senior Recognition Dinner. He climbed as high as No. 2 in the national rankings as a senior and finished his career with 59 dual wins, a 22-8 EIWA dual mark and nine pins. A fifth-year senior, Hooks joined current assistant coach David Marble as the only recipients of the two-year-old Class of 2010 Leadership Award, given to the team’s best leader in honor of the first class of seniors following the reinstatement of the program. Hooks began his Bison career in 2006-07, the same year the program returned from a four-year hiatus. The 157-pounder finished his career with an 87-67 record, ranking 10th on Bucknell’s all-time wins list. He was 21-12 as a senior and finished seventh at the EIWA Championships, his second consecutive time as a placewinner at the conference meet after a sixth-place showing in 2010. Sechler earned the Coach’s Award, which recognizes what the coaches look for in an athlete: work ethic, dedication and a positive attitude. Sechler, a 157-pounder, wrestled in six individual tournaments as a senior, finishing sixth at the Mat-Town Open and fourth at the Shorty Hitchcock Invitational. A 2009 EIWA placewinner (6th), Sechler finished the 2010-11 campaign with a 9-12 mark, but won five of his final seven bouts, bringing his career win total to 40. The 11th Man Award recognizes a wrestler who may not be in the starting lineup, but works just as hard, if not harder, and contributes tremendously to the overall achievement of the team. Ingram earned the honor this year and will try to replicate the success of 2010 winner Corey Lear, who became an EIWA placewinner this season. Ingram, a 141-pound grappler, wrestled just 12 bouts in 2010-11, picking up his only win of the season at the Shorty Hitchcock Invitational. Hahn joined LeValley in giving Bucknell two NCAA qualifiers as he copped the Most Improved Award. He nearly doubled his previous high win total of 16, posting a 29-12 record in 2010-11, bringing his final career tally to 63-52. Hahn finished fourth in the 197-pound bracket at the EIWA Championships, earning his first automatic berth to the NCAA Championships. At NCAAs, Hahn collected one win against two losses. Hahn posted four different winning streaks of at least four bouts and was 13-2 in bonus-point matches this past season. He never lost more than two consecutive bouts and finished third at both the Michigan State Open and Navy Classic. Hahn’s 29 wins tied for 13th on the program’s single-season list. Bucknell’s Class of 2011 – Hahn, Hooks, LeValley, Sechler, David Thompson (West Liberty, Ohio/Graham Local) and Rob Waltko (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) - will graduate with 39 dual wins, the second-most of any class in program history. Bucknell posted a 7-11 record in 2010-11 and were 2-5 in EIWA duals. The Bison finished in eighth place at the EIWA Championships and had five placewinners at the event that took place inside Sojka Pavilion.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the Greater Chattanooga Sports & Events Committee announced today that they have teamed up to host the 2012 Chattanooga Southern Scuffle. One of the largest in-season collegiate wrestling tournaments in the nation, the Chattanooga Southern Scuffle will be held January 1-2, 2012, at McKenzie Arena. The event is a 30-team invitational tournament with student-athletes competing in each of the 10 collegiate weight classes. The Southern Scuffle gained notoriety in its original home of Greensboro, N.C., over the previous eight years. UNC Greensboro recently cut its collegiate wrestling program, prompting a need for the Southern Scuffle to find a new home. "This is a great opportunity for our student-athletes, our program and the Chattanooga community," stated Mocs Head Coach Heath Eslinger. "In terms of wrestling, this has become one of the toughest tournaments in the country outside of the NCAA Championships. It will allow us to showcase some of the best competition at the collegiate level to our wrestling community and provide our guys with a chance to compete against the best in the country." With approximately 300 participants, and the accompanying coaches, family and fans, descending upon the Scenic City, the Chattanooga Southern Scuffle will have a tremendous economic impact on the area. The event generated overall $1 million in tourism revenue each year during its run in Greensboro. "We are excited to partner with UTC to bring the Southern Scuffle to Chattanooga," added Scott Smith, President of the Greater Chattanooga Sports & Events Committee. "It will be a great event for our city, especially considering it occurs on January 1-2, when hotels are relatively empty. Events of this size at that time of year are normally hard to find." In addition to the Mocs, 16 teams have already committed to the tournament next year. Six squads finished in the top-25 at the 2011 NCAA Championships, including No. 2 Cornell, No. 7 Minnesota, No. 19 Missouri, No. 21 Oregon State, No. 23 Virginia and No. 25 Indiana. "When I heard that Heath was taking over the Southern Scuffle, I knew I had to get our team involved," said Virginia Head Coach Steve Garland. "He runs a class program and I'm completely confident this event will be a class event. We are excited to experience the new Scuffle at Chattanooga!" Also competing in the event are Duke, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Appalachian State, Army, Campbell, Cleveland State, Gardner-Webb, Ohio and Old Dominion. Represented among all 17 teams are 10 returning All-Americans and one NCAA National Champion from the 2011 season. "Chattanooga is a great choice for continuing the Southern Scuffle," said Indiana Head Coach Duane Goldman. "The location and facilities are very good; that along with their hospitality and willingness to support wrestling in taking on such an event make us eager to attend." Be sure to check back to GoMocs.com in the coming months as more teams are added to the field. Ticket information for the Chattanooga Southern Scuffle, as well as the Mocs' full 2011-12 dual match schedule will be available in the next few weeks.

There are currently 16 wrestlers with college wrestling eligibility remaining who have qualified for the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials in freestyle, which take place June 10-11 at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. However, several college stars with strong freestyle wrestling pedigrees have been missing in action this spring and have not qualified for the Trials. Wrestlers may still qualify for the event by winning the Northern Plains Regional on May 12 or by earning a wildcard selection. Below is a list of 10 wrestlers with college wrestling eligibility who have been missing in action this spring that could make noise at the Trials if they earn wildcard selections (or win the Northern Plains Regional). Please note: Some wrestlers may not be competing due to injury. Jason ChamberlainJason Chamberlain (Boise State) Chamberlain earned a spot on the All-American podium for the first time in his college wrestling career this past season with a third-place finish at 149 pounds. He has a strong freestyle wrestling pedigree. Chamberlain represented the U.S. at the Junior World Championships in 2009 and 2010. He narrowly missed earning a medal at the 2010 Junior World Championships, losing in three periods to Anton Afansyeu of Belarus in the bronze medal match. Derek Garcia (Ohio State) Garcia, a high school senior in 2009-2010, deferred enrollment at Ohio State to spend a year training freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The Washington native, who won a Junior Nationals freestyle title in the summer of 2009, has seen limited action in competition over the past year, but has received high praise from Brandon Slay and Bill Zadick, two coaches on the U.S. freestyle staff. Garcia is expected to step in the lineup at 165 pounds for the Buckeyes in 2011-12 and many believe he will be an immediate impact freshman. Tyler GraffTyler Graff (Wisconsin) Graff, a two-time All-American at Wisconsin, has been active on the freestyle scene throughout this entire career, which is why his inactivity this spring is a bit puzzling. He represented the U.S. at the Junior World Championships in 2007 and 2008. Last spring, Graff was runner-up at the University World Team Trials, losing in three periods to 2011 U.S. Open champion Reece Humphrey. He competed at the 2010 U.S. World Team Trials and went 1-2. Matt McDonough (Iowa) McDonough has gone 64-3 in his first two seasons in the Hawkeye lineup, winning an NCAA title as a freshman in 2010 and finishing as an NCAA runner-up this past season. He won the FILA Junior World Team Trials at 60 kg last spring, which earned him a spot on the U.S. Junior World Team. Jordan OliverJordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) Oliver, an undefeated NCAA champion this past season, has openly stated that he wants to win World and Olympic gold medals in freestyle, which is no surprise considering he uprooted from his home state of Pennsylvania and moved to Oklahoma to be coached by John Smith, widely considered to be the greatest American freestyle wrestler ever, and Eric Guerrero, a 2004 Olympian in freestyle. Oliver has had a considerable amount of success in age group freestyle events, not only domestically, but also overseas. He earned a bronze medal at the 2009 Junior World Championships. Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) Perry, the younger brother of Illinois associate head coach Mark Perry and nephew of Oklahoma State head coach John Smith, is another Cowboy with a strong freestyle wrestling pedigree who has been inactive this spring. He placed in the top five at the Junior World Championships in both 2009 and 2010, earning a Junior World bronze medal last summer at 84 kg. Perry also placed fourth at the 2010 U.S. Open. Zach ReyZach Rey (Lehigh) Rey, an NCAA champion, continues to progress as one of the nation's top young heavyweights. He benefited greatly from the addition of Steve Mocco to the Lehigh coaching staff this past season. Rey placed seventh at the both the U.S. Open and University World Championships last year, but the Lehigh big man has been inactive in freestyle this year. Kellen Russell (Michigan) Russell was an undefeated NCAA champion this past season at 141 pounds, but rarely gets mentioned in conversations about the nation's best pound-for-pound college wrestlers because of the fact that he wrestles many close matches. But Russell is a winner. Wrestlers who win at the highest levels of wrestling are those who find ways to win the close matches ... and Russell has proven to be one of those wrestlers. Russell was two-time Junior Nationals finalist in freestyle, winning a title in 2006, but he has not competed much in freestyle since becoming a Wolverine. He finished runner-up to Jordan Burroughs at the 2008 University World Team Trials. Ed RuthEd Ruth (Penn State) As a collegiate 174-pounder, Ruth finds himself in between freestyle weight classes. If Ruth does compete at the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials, it will likely be at 84 kg (185 pounds), but he would be giving up some size to bigger, stronger wrestlers like Jake Herbert and Bryce Hasseman. Ruth finished fourth at the 2010 FILA Junior Nationals, losing to Iowa's Grant Gambrall and soon-to-be Penn State teammate Morgan McIntosh. David Taylor (Penn State) Taylor has been among the nation's best in freestyle at every level in which he has competed. He won national titles in freestyle as a Cadet and Junior. Taylor represented the U.S. at the Junior World Championships in 2007. He also won a University Nationals title last spring. Taylor competed at 157 pounds this past season for Penn State and will likely be moving up to 165 pounds next season. Like Nittany Lion teammate Ruth, Taylor is a tweener in freestyle right now. He is too big to drop down to 66 kg (145.5 pounds), but would be undersized competing at 74 kg (163 pounds).

Laramie, Wyo. -- Head coach Mark Branch and the Cowboy coaching staff announced the Wyoming wrestling squad’s team awards during the program’s annual year-end gathering last Saturday in Laramie. Friends and family saw UW wrestlers recognized for their efforts on the mat and in the classroom during the 2010-11 season. “This was a great way to celebrate a very successful season,” Branch said. “These men have continued to elevate this program and this was a day for thanking them for their hard work and outstanding contributions. It’s always sad to say goodbye to our seniors, but everyone is already fired up about the 2011-12 season and the future that waits for Cowboy wrestling.” Named after former head coaches of the program, Wyoming’s four team awards were the most highly coveted accolades of the event and were determined based on a vote of the coaching staff. Junior Shane Onufer took home top honors of the night as he was named UW’s Everett Lantz Most Outstanding Wrestler of the season. Onufer finished fifth at the 2011 NCAA Championships to earn his first All-America honor courtesy of a team-best 34-4 record. Senior Cole Dallaserra earned the Joe McDaniel Most Improved Wrestler thanks to his first West Regional title and a trip to the national tournament this season, while junior Michael Martinez claimed the Joe Dowler Cowboy Up Award after battling through several injuries to post another successful campaign. Junior Joe LeBlanc received the Steven Suder High Point Award for the second-straight season, which is a combination of dual points and grade-point average. The four Cowboys, along with sophomore L.J. Helbig and redshirt freshman Patrick Martinez, were given plaques for qualifying for the 2011 NCAA Championships, while Onufer and LeBlanc received watches for their All-America finish at the event. A total of 11 wrestlers were honored for their achievements in the classroom during the year. Dallaserra, LeBlanc, senior Shane Doughman, junior Alfonso Hernandez, senior Joe O’Farrell, freshman Leland Pfeifer, sophomore Michael Poulos, freshman Brandon Richardson and junior Tyler Davis all were recognized for having above a 3.25 cumulative GPA, while Michael Martinez and Helbig claimed the Hussle Award for their extra efforts academically. UW’s senior team members Dallaserra, Doughman, Bubba McLaughlin and Jack Tennant were thanked by Branch and the staff for their contributions and dedication during their careers with the Cowboys.

Alex Shaffer, a New Jersey state wrestling champion who stars in the new wrestling movie “Win Win,” and Marty Morgan, former assistant coach at Minnesota who coaches MMA star Brock Lesnar, will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, May 4. “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 p.m. CST on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show will be available on themat.com. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Alex Schaeffer made his acting debut in the film "Win Win." The film, which features wrestling prominently throughout, has received extremely positive reviews. Schaeffer was a state champion in New Jersey prior to making this movie. Morgan was an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota before training mixed martial arts star Brock Lesnar full time. He was an NCAA champion at 177 pounds for Minnesota in 1991.

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! Takedown Wrestling Hosts Steve Foster and Jeff Murphy take over the show along with former Iowa State wrestlers David Zabriskie and Jon Reader. Join in this Saturday for Takedown Wrestling 9 to 11 a.m. CST. This weeks guests include: 9:01 to 9:15 Joel Sharratt -- Air Force head coach 9:20 to 9:35 Tervel Dlagnev -- Preparing for the World Team Trials 9:40 JD Bergman -- Preparing for the World Team Trials 9:50 Max Muscle Minute with Ty Barkley 10:01 to 10:15 Jeremy Spates -- Assistant coach at Cornell University 10:20 Open talk with in-studio guests David Zabriskie and Jon Reader 10:40 Mike Denney -- New head coach at Maryville University 10:50 Wildrose Casino and Resort in Clinton, Iowa Join us LIVE 9 to 11 AM CST for Takedown Wrestling. Listen on radio, on computer, your Blackberry or I Phone with the I Heart Radio App. KXNO.com, Takedownradio.com, I Heart Radio App.

Michael Novogratz

Reece Humphrey

Event: UFC 129: GSP vs. Shields Venue: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Canada Date: April 30, 2011 If you like watching Canadians fight, then tonight is your night! In what will be the largest live audience ever for an MMA event, 55,000 will be in attendance to see their favorite Canadians do battle with some of the sports best fighters. There are two five round title fights featured on a card with a dozen fights. So let's get busy trying to find the betting value in this record breaking affair. Welterweight Georges St. Pierre (21-2) could be elected Canadian Prime Minister he is so popular. He has eaten up all competition in his weight class, despite being criticized for fighting boring fights, and being unable to finish his opponents. Tonight he plans to finish former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields (26-4-1), whose sixteen fight-winning streak spans over six years! St. Pierre is perhaps better in each fight category, with the exception of jiu-jitsu, where Shields has the Cesar Gracie pedigree. Jake trains with the deadly Diaz brothers (Nick being the Strikeforce welterweight champion), and Gilbert Melendez, who is already posted as a -130 favorite to beat current UFC champion Frankie Edgar, if he gets by Gray Maynard on May 28. I love GSP, but how can you make Shields a +320 underdog against anyone? He beat the crap out of Dan Henderson for Pete's sakes! And, you don't think Hendo would hang with GSP? I do, and so will Shields as he shocks the world with a stunning rear-naked choke against the future HOF'er. GSP's reign ends with a third round submission. The first ever UFC featherweight (145 pounds) title is on the line tonight with Jose "Scarface" Aldo (18-1) making his UFC debut as the UFC champion against Canadian Mark "The Machine" Hominick (20-8), whose relentless pace and striking skills give him hope. But as he will soon learn, Aldo is a freak on a different level. Jose's explosive speed and devastating kicks make him impossible to corner. He mauls his opponents, and leaves them in heaps on the mat. Hominick may come out firing, but he will soon be another name notched into Aldo's golden belt. A -465 bridge jump is warranted as this one ends before the fight is half over (a prop bet that I added to my deposit slip). Aldo wins by KO in second round. Tonight's card will be memorable, if for no other reason, it is Randy "The Natural" Couture's (19-10) last fight! And, it is a fight that he has wanted to have ever since Lyota "The Dragon" Machida (16-2) won his light-heavyweight belt. Randy calls Lyota the Rubick's Cube of MMA. But unfortunately Shogun Rua and Rampage Jackson have already figured out the solution. Randy attempts to make it three straight losses for Machida, but is a huge +280 underdog in his venture. PERFECT. As much as I love Machida for his humbleness and unique fighting skills, I love Randy as a 'dog more. Bring it on! We know Randy will try to force the action against the cage with another dirty boxing clinic. But can he catch the quicker, more elusive Dragon? I hope so. Unless Lyota catches him with a stunning knockout like he did against Rashad Evans, or dances to victory like he is likely to do, Randy has a chance. We know the scene, and it is based on Greco Roman wrestling. Let's hope Randy goes out in style ... one more time, Randy. Please, just one more time! I think he wins by decision. I mean really, what judge wants to go against this legend in his final fight? No one. Thank you, Randy, for the memories and your gracious representation of the sport we all love (wrestling). We will miss you dearly. Light heavyweight fighters Jason Brilz (18-3) and Vladimer Matyushenko (25-5) are mirror images of each other, though Brilz is the younger fighter on the rise and "The Janitor" is in the twilight of his career. Simple math puts me on Brilz to grind out a convincing decision on the mat in a boring fight. And the -115 looks cheap to me. Two submission specialists fight when lightweight Canadian Mark Bocek (9-3) takes on former WEC star Ben "Smooth" Henderson (12-2). I think Henderson has the superior striking skills, and his two wins over Cowboy Cerrone showed me that he is "Gumby" when it comes to avoiding submissions. And that is Bocek's game. In what should be an action-packed battle with numerous ebb-and-flows, I think Henderson will do enough to win a close, maybe split, decision. Lay the -120 and enjoy the fight. On the undercard, we have a few more interesting matchups. The following two fights can be seen tonight FREE on Spike TV. The rest of the preliminaries can be seen for FREE on the UFC's Faceback page. If you like wrestling, you will like watching Jake Ellenberger (23-5) dismantle and control overmatched Canadian Sean Pierson. Ellenberger -200 wins by second round TKO. If you have never seen a Diaz brother fight, tonight younger bro,' welterweight Nate (13-6) will be on display. This Compton street punk is a well-skilled Cesar Gracie submission specialist. His gangly, pawing, awkward-looking striking style, sets up his lethal jiu-jitsu game. And if you find yourself on the mat with a Diaz, you are in deep waters. A wise Rory MacDonald (10-1) shouldn't go there. Nate wins by triangle choke submission in the third round. Cashing at -110 is simply a bargain. Canadian Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald (24-14) is recovering from a broken leg last time out. His skill set includes some dangerous submission holds, and tonight's opponent, Ryan Jensen (15-7) has lost five of his fights by submissions and is a dismal 2-5 in the UFC. The loser gets a pink slip. The winner fights on. Let's go with home cooking and take modest underdog MacDonald at +105 by third round armbar submission. Two more submission specialists tangle when French Canadian Claude Patrick (13-1) takes on Daniel "Ninja" Roberts (12-1). I'll take Roberts all day long as a +130 underdog. A close decision is the call here. Journeyman veterans Ivan Menjivar (21-8) and Charlie Valencia (12-6) will test their skills to see who can survive these shark infested waters. I like a determined, hungry-hobo-looking Valencia to bring home the bacon. His WEC losses were to the likes of Faber, Cruz, Torres, and Bowles, all top tier fighters. Pedigree and experience give this +160 underdog a shot. Valencia does enough to win a close decision. Canadian John Makdessi (8-0) fights Kyle Watson (14-6-1) ... who? I'll pass. Same with Pablo Garza and Canadian Yves Jabouin. No betting action there either. So now let's figure out how to make some much-needed money from these thoughts ... Let's see what we can do with our "fictitious" $1000 bankroll. Let's lay $115 to win $368 on Jake Shields to submit GSP. Thank you, Cesar Gracie. Let's lay $186 to win $40 on a Jose Aldo bridge jump. Look out below! Let's lay $100 to win $280 on the Natural's swan song ... one more time, Randy! Let's lay $92 to win $80 on a Brilz snooze fest. Let's lay $96 to win $80 on Smooth Henderson in an action packed fight. Let's lay $110 to win $100 on Nate Diaz and wish we had laid more ... Let's lay $150 to win $75 on Jake Ellenberger in an easy one. Let's lay $60 to win $63 on Jason MacDonald's recovery. Let's lay $50 to win $65 on Ninja Roberts all day long. Let's lay $40 to win $64 on Charlie Valencia. Let's pass (no bets) on Watson/Makdessi and Garza/Jabouin So we are all in risking $999 to win $1215. Lots of 'dogs, some big. I smell a big night! Don't forget to give some of your winnings to your local youth wrestling program, where tomorrow's champions are born. Enjoy the fights, I know I will.

Dear Brown Community Members, As you may be aware, the Athletics Review Committee released a preliminary report for campus discussion and feedback on April 21. This report, an effort to resolve longstanding questions about the appropriate scope and budget for Brown’s varsity athletics program, is a response to a request from the Corporation that we submit a plan for addressing these questions at their May 2011 meeting. In the week that the preliminary report has been available, campus discussion and debate about this subject has naturally generated a variety of concerns from students, parents, alumni, staff and faculty. Committee members have listened attentively to those concerns. However, one observation that has been made repeatedly is that the time-frame for consideration and implementation of the discontinuation of specific sports is too brief. This is especially troubling for some because of where we are in the semester, when students are focused on final projects and exams. Heeding this concern, the committee has now recommended to me that further deliberations and decisions on any recommendations concerning the discontinuation of team sports be placed on hold until the beginning of the fall semester. I have decided therefore to report to the Corporation that we will not make a recommendation with respect to the future status of wrestling, skiing and fencing at the May meeting and that those team sports will be allowed to continue through the next academic year. I will return to this matter in the fall, giving ample time for further discussion prior to submitting a recommendation at the October meeting of the Corporation. However, I will recommend to the Corporation at the May 2011 meeting that we move ahead to implement certain other of the committee’s recommendations. In particular, effective Fall 2011, I will recommend that we begin to reduce the number of admission slots for recruited athletes in line with the report’s rationale and terms for doing so develop a plan to make the necessary salary adjustments for staff and coaches as called for in the report; raise funds to support improvements in financial aid as allowed under Ivy rules, which provide that we may only improve financial aid to athletes if we are similarly improving aid for non-athletes; and raise funds for the most urgent additional needs identified by the report. I acknowledge that this discussion has been very difficult for all concerned: the students who stand to be significantly affected by the discontinuation of their teams, the supporters of those teams, the committee, and the campus more generally. While delaying the decision on the outcome for these teams is not ideal, I am persuaded that the committee’s recommendation to allow students to complete the semester’s work without the burden or stress of addressing this issue is sound and compassionate. Students will be able to return to Brown in September with the assurance of a full year of participation in their sport as well as have the opportunity to offer additional input about the value and status of their sport before a decision is made. Let me add also that we do not and will not plan to discontinue any additional varsity sports as part of this process. I want to thank the wrestling, skiing and fencing students and their many supporters for their efforts to collect information and to offer testimony to the committee. Not surprisingly, our students have conducted themselves with great poise and intelligence. I am especially grateful to the committee for the work they have completed to date on this very important topic. Their efforts to address the needs of the Athletics program as called for by the Corporation Principles of February 2011 as well as their openness to debate have been laudable. The committee’s memorandum to me pertaining to the suspension of discussion may be found on the right side of this web page, where the April 21 report already resides. Sincerely, Ruth J. Simmons

FARGO, N.D. -- Head coach Bucky Maughan today announced the addition of eight student-athletes to the North Dakota State wrestling program. Anthony Caputo of Red Lake Falls, Minn.; Tanner Carlisle of Prior Lake, Minn.; Evan Knutson of Wausau, Wis.; Kody Sorenson of Frazee, Minn.; Alex Andel of Valley City, N.D.; Kameron Hamley of Rolla, N.D.; Travis Kammerer of Chisago Lakes, Minn. and Brent Rees of Vacaville, Calif. will wrestle and continue their education at NDSU. They will join three-time Minnesota state champion Hayden Zillmer and two-time Oregon state champion Curtis Berger as part of the 2011 class. Caputo is an All-American and six-year letterwinner out of Crookston High School. Caputo earned All-America honors after finishing fourth at 152 pounds at the National Wrestling Championships in Virginia Beach this spring. He is also a two-time Minnesota All-State honoree after taking fourth at the state championships as a junior and third as a senior. A four-time all-conference selection, he holds five season records and two career records at Crookston. He finished his career with an overall record of 201-43. He was also an all-conference football player. Carlisle is a three-time all-state honoree out of Prior Lake High School. As a senior, he finished sixth at the Minnesota state championships at 145 pounds. he was fourth in the same weight as a junior. In 2007, he took fifth in the state at 103 pounds. He also qualified for the state championships in 2008 and 2009. A four-time all-conference pick, Carlisle holds the school record for takedowns in a season with 216. Knutson is a four-year letterwinner from Wausau West High School. He finished second at the Wisconsin state championships at 285 pounds as a senior and took third as a junior. In 2009, he won the regional championship. An academic all-state selection, Knutson was a member of the 2008 state championship team as well as state runner-up squads in 2009 and 2010. He was also a two-year letterwinner in football and track and field. Sorenson comes to NDSU from Frazee High School. He won the 2011 Minnesota Class A title at 189 pounds with a record of 48-1. He also took fourth at the state championships in 2010. Sorenson won back-to-back titles at the Rumble on the Red in 2009 and 2010. He finished his career with an overall record of 130-40. Andel, a product of Valley City High School, won the 2011 North Dakota Class A title at 285 pounds. He also took third at the state championships as a sophomore. Andel also helped lead Valley City to its first entry into the state team duals. He broke the school’s season pins record three years in a row and also holds the school’s all-time pins record. His overall career record was 142-34. Hamley is a two-time North Dakota state champion out of Turtle Mountain Community High School. He claimed the 2011 title at 135 pounds and the 2010 title at 130 pounds. He was also a state runner-up in 2009 and 2008. An academic all-state athlete, Hamley won the west region title three times. He is also a two-time folkstyle All-American. Hamley holds the school record for most career wins with 184 and also holds the record for career pins with 128. Kammerer is a two-time Minnesota state championship entrant out of Chisago Lakes High School. A four-time all-conference honoree, he holds the school record for career wins with 167. Kammerer was a team captain as a senior and also led the team in three statistical categories in his senior campaign - most takedowns, most near falls and most reversals. Rees is a 2011 California state championship qualifier out of Vacaville High School. He claimed the Monticello Empire League title as a senior at 145 pounds. He helped the school win its 17th straight Divison 1 North section title as well.

Love him or hate him, Bubba Jenkins is an entertainer. He wrestled with flair and always spoke his mind. Jenkins' college wrestling career, which started at Penn State and concluded at Arizona State, was filled with ups and downs, but it could not have ended on a much higher note than it did. Jenkins pinned his former teammate at Penn State, previously-unbeaten David Taylor, on the biggest stage to win the NCAA title at 157 pounds this past season. Now Jenkins is planning on taking his talents to MMA. InterMat caught up with Jenkins and talked to him about what he has been up to since winning his NCAA title, what his plans are with MMA, his relationship with David Taylor and whether he has spoken to him since the NCAAs, Jordan Burroughs' future in freestyle wrestling, who he thinks will represent the U.S. at the 2012 Olympic Games at 66 kg in freestyle, how he wants to be remembered by wrestling fans, and more. First off, what have you been up to since winning your NCAA title? Jenkins: I've been getting my shirts out to people who ordered them. I've got some new national championship shirts out. I've been dealing with that and trying to graduate. I only have about two weeks left, so I'm pretty excited about that. I'm getting ready to start MMA. I have to decide if I'm going to stay back and coach another year ... or ship out and get my career started in MMA. I've been talking to my mom and the people who are closest to me in my life to help me with my big decisions. Any idea where you might train? Bubba Jenkins finished his senior season at Arizona State with 21-3 record en route to winning the NCAA title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Jenkins: Agents have been calling me left and right. The possibilities are real big. Everybody thinks I'll be pretty exciting and pretty explosive on the scene. I've just been weighing my options and I'll probably make a decision soon on what I'm going to do next. But right now I don't know. Everything is just pretty new to me. You mentioned coaching. That's a possibility? Jenkins: Yeah. I like coaching. I liked coaching when I was on the team. I like coaching wherever I'm at. That's definitely a possibility. What factored into your decision to choose to pursue an MMA career over an international wrestling career? Jenkins: I feel like I've done a lot in wrestling. I've done pretty much everything that I wanted to do in wrestling. I think I need to open up my athleticism a little bit more. I feel like I can open up my athleticism more and use my personality more in the sport of MMA. You won a Junior World title in freestyle in 2007 and many believed you would eventually be training to win World and Olympic medals in freestyle wrestling. Were your goals different when you won your Junior World title? And if so, what caused your goals to change? Jenkins: I think my goals changed because the money situation changed. People are making big money. I have a lot of friends who are making good money in the sport. I know that I will be really good at it ... and still be able to compete. I feel like I can open up a lot more ... strikes and kicks ... things I'm not allowed to do in wrestling. Who are some of the MMA fighters that you admire? Jenkins: Phil Davis, Urijah Faber, Jon "Bones" Jones, Rashad Evans, GSP, Jake Shields. My boy Chandler is doing a real good job. Askren is a real good fighter. I'm just a big fan of the sport in general. I like anybody who is going to be exciting. If you're going to take somebody down and ground-and-pound, and you're exciting, I like that. If you're going to be on your feet and try to knock somebody out, I like that too. Arizona State has produced a lot of MMA fighters, including UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Even one of Arizona State's coaches, Ben Askren, is actively fighting. Did Arizona State's ties to MMA factor into your decision at all to become a Sun Devil? Jenkins: A little bit. I had aspirations of wanting to become an MMA fighter when I was at Penn State ... just from hanging around Phil Davis all the time and going into the gym. Being around that scene a little bit more made me want to go into it. But definitely coming to Arizona State made it a more real situation ... being that so many Arizona State Sun Devils are in MMA. They say that Arizona State is one of the top schools for MMA ... and that's just because the area out here is so big and everybody wants to compete in that type of atmosphere. That's what everybody does. I can imagine you're happy with how everything turned out at Arizona State. But had Penn State coach Cael Sanderson given you a full release to transfer to any college, do you think you would have been a Sun Devil? Bubba Jenkins celebrates (Photo/Larry Slater)Jenkins: Well, who knows. I'm not sure if I could have been made it at Cornell. I liked Cornell. I looked at Maryland and a couple other schools. But I respect loyalty. Stith was on me for a long time. Stith had always told me, 'If anything ever goes wrong, you always have a spot in Arizona ... as long as you're wrestling and doing your thing.' We got in touch after Cael released me and the rest is history. Did Penn State's national championship this past season surprise you at all? Jenkins: No, it didn't surprise me. I knew the caliber of guys that were in the room. I know Cael reaches people and on certain levels can inspire them. I was in the room with them. These were the same guys I drilled with, ran with, and hung out with. I wasn't surprised. I knew how good they were. I said my fifth-year senior year that Penn State would win a national title. I thought I was going to be a part of that national title. But I knew Penn State would win a national title and they got it done. I was happy for them. Did you stay in touch with many wrestlers at Penn State when you were at Arizona State? Jenkins: I was focused on winning nationals at Arizona State, but I did stay in touch with some people at Penn State. There were a lot of new guys that came in at Penn State and a lot of the old guys that shipped out. I definitely talked to a lot of the guys after the season. In 2007, you were on a Junior World Team with David Taylor. Is that when you first met him? Jenkins: I think I might have met him before that. I knew who he was then. He was cool. We had practices together. He wrestled one of my teammates, Eric Caschera. David has always been on the wrestling scene. I've always heard of him coming up. He's a good kid and I think he's going to have a really bright future. He's going to be great. David Taylor has talked about how when he first arrived at Penn State, he took a lot of lumps in the practice room wrestling against you, Cyler Sanderson, and others. What do you remember about wrestling with David Taylor when he first arrived at Penn State? Bubba Jenkins locks up a cradle on David Taylor in the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Jenkins: That he keeps fighting. I knew he was going to be good. He's a fast learner. He doesn't make the same mistakes over. He learns quickly and adapts well. That's what I remember. At that time he wasn't strong enough, fast enough, or explosive enough when he was wrestling with Cyler and me. I watched him grow across the mat when we were teammates and I also watched him grow across the country when I was at Arizona State. I knew he was shaping up to be real good. Have you talked to David Taylor since the NCAA Championships? Jenkins: No, I have not talked to David since then. I haven't reached out to him. I think we're Facebook friends. I wouldn't contact him because I don't want it to seem like I'm rubbing it in his face. I wouldn't want that. If he wants to talk to me, I'm all ears. But I wouldn't contact him because I don't think that would be right. Jordan Burroughs recently won the U.S. Open in freestyle at 74 kg. What kind of future do you think Burroughs has in international wrestling? Jenkins: I think he has a bright future. I don't know who is going to beat him. He's tough to beat. Very few people beat him in college. It's going to be very tough to beat him when he's able to just focus on wrestling. People don't understand that he actually has school and all these other things to deal with. When he's able to just focus on wrestling and training all the time, he's going to be unstoppable. I can't wait to watch him. You have competed with a lot of the wrestlers at 66 kg in freestyle. If you were to make a prediction right now, who do you think will be representing the U.S. at 66 kg at the 2012 Olympic Games in freestyle wrestling? Jenkins: I think Metcalf probably will. I haven't looked at the freestyle scene too closely. I was focused on winning this year. But every time I go somewhere, they're talking about Metcalf. I'm not sure what Caldwell plans to do after the season with his shoulder injury. I know Metcalf is a determined person. I think he's going to get the job done. There are going to be some guys who come up and want to challenge him in freestyle. But right now I think it's his spot. Now that your wrestling career is over, how do you want to be remembered by wrestling fans? Do you care? Jenkins: I do care. Everybody kind of cares what people think about them, whether they admit it or not. I was just a real person. I spoke with my heart. I never tried to hurt anybody. I just liked to have fun. I had a great career. I beat a lot of good guys. I hope I'm remembered as one of the most exciting wrestlers. You didn't know what I was going to do. It wasn't pin or be pinned for me ... because I didn't get a lot of pins and I wasn't pinned a lot. I just tried to be exciting, put on a show every time, and get the job done at the end of the day. I just want to be remembered. Period. I don't care how people remember me ... Just remember me.

ST. LOUIS -- Maryville University has announced its intention to field a varsity wrestling program that will compete in NCAA Division II as an independent during the 2011-2012 competitive season. The University has hired legendary wrestling coach Mike Denney to establish the team, effective June 1, 2011. Denney, whose teams have won three consecutive NCAA Division II National Championships and five in the past six seasons, most recently coached at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO). UNO recently announced that it will eliminate its wrestling program as a result of joining NCAA Division I athletics next year. "Maryville is faced with an extraordinary opportunity, to say the least," said Mark Lombardi, PhD, president of Maryville. "To create a new varsity athletic program and turn it over to the best coach in our nation is certainly a coup for our University. We enthusiastically welcome Coach Denney to our Maryville community and to St. Louis, and look forward to the beginning of a winning wrestling tradition." Denney recently was voted 2011 InterMat Coach of the Year. This award recognizes the top college wrestling coach across all NCAA divisions as determined by a vote by InterMat writers and executives. He was named the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1981, 1991 and 2009. Denney coached at UNO for 32 seasons. He possesses a career dual record of 314-111-5 (.730). During that stretch, Denney claimed seven national titles: his first in 1991, three in a row from 2004-2006 and in the past three seasons (2009-2011). UNO finished in the NCAA Division II top 10 for all but one season during his tenure. Included in that run are 23 top three finishes and 27 top five placements. "It isn't every day that an experienced coach gets the chance to create a college wrestling program from scratch, but that's exactly the opportunity I've been blessed to receive at Maryville University," said Denney. "I'm excited to move to Maryville, along with many of my current student-athletes, so we can replicate the type of success we've had in Omaha in St. Louis. A lot of hard work lies ahead in establishing our new program, but we're confident in our ability to maintain high standards of excellence for our student-athletes on and off the mat." Denney, who is known for his positive approach and his perseverance, believes that success in coaching results from passion for one's work. His philosophy is evidenced by the academic achievements of his wrestlers: 47 have been recognized as NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Academic All-Americans during his coaching tenure at UNO. Denney was a four-year starter in football and wrestling at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota. He was inducted into the Dakota Wesleyan Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988 and NCAA Division II Hall of Fame in 1999. About Maryville University Founded in 1872, Maryville University is a four-year, private university located in St. Louis, Missouri and ranked by US News & World Report as one of America's Best Colleges in the Regional Universities - Midwest category. Maryville University students may choose from 50 academic programs, including degrees at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels. Approximately 3,700 students are enrolled through the College of Arts and Sciences, the John E. Simon School of Business, the School of Health Professions and the School of Education. Maryville is completing its Provisional Year in the reclassification to NCAA Division II athletics. This is the final step/ year before Maryville moves to full active Division II membership, in reclassifying its 17 intercollegiate teams from Division III to Division II. Maryville had been a member of NCAA Division III since 1978, and 2008-2009 was its final year of affiliation with the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Over its 30-year history, Saints athletic program teams have made 15 appearances in NCAA post-season tournaments.

OREM, Utah -- Despite already ranking 17th nationally in the 2010-2011 recruiting class, Utah Valley University's wrestling coach, Greg Williams, announced the signing of two more top Utah wrestlers and one outstanding talent from Las Vegas, Nev. on Wednesday. Cody Hone from Cedar City High School in Cedar City Utah, a four-time state finalist and two-time state champion, has signed with the Wolverines. He was 51-1 this past season and has a 180-18 career record. Cody is projected to be a 133 pounder for the team next year. Also from Utah, Jake Falk from West Jordan High School in West Jordan, Utah, has signed with UVU. Jake was a four-time state placer, a three-time state finalist and was the Utah State Champion this past season. He is ranked No. 14 in the country according to InterMat Wrestling. The coaches feel that Jake is capable of competing anywhere from 149-174 pounds during his career. Napoleon Aniciette from Las Vegas High School in Las Vegas, Nev., signed a National Letter of Intent last week with the Wolverines. Napoleon was a three-time state champion (not being able to compete his sophomore season because of a transfer rule) and will compete at either 149 or 157 for Utah Valley next season. Recovering from post-season surgery, Napoleon will most likely red-shirt next year. "We are very excited about this group of student-athletes," Williams stated. "They are great young men in the classroom, on the mat and in general. They bring experience, confidence and work ethic into our program and will make great contributions to the team." "These three help complete a tremendous recruiting class. With the talented freshmen and sophomores we already have and the development of this group, our program will be an exciting team to watch during the next few years."

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State wrestling head coach Kevin Jackson has announced his recruiting class for the 2011-12 season. There will be nine new signees joining the Cyclones next year, including some with names that Iowa State fans will immediately recognize. The nine new signees are: Connor Clarke (Sherwood, Ore.), Logan Molina (Lincoln, Neb.), Quean Smith (Highland Park, Mich.), Bo Schlosser (Bettendorf, Iowa), Aaron Sorenson (Forest City, Iowa), Alex Spooner (Forest City, Iowa), Tyler Swope (Davenport, Iowa), Shayden Terukina (Kamehameha, Hawaii) and Tanner Weatherman (Huxley, Iowa). Between the nine wrestlers, they have collected 13 state titles. “I am really excited about the group that we are bringing in,” Jackson said. “I think that we have identified some really talented kids that have the ability to make an immediate impact, and if they are the best kids we have at that weight, they will wrestle.” This Cyclone recruiting class has a strong core of successful Iowa high school wrestlers in Spooner, Schlosser, Sorenson, Weatherman and Swope. “One athlete that will make an immediate impact on our program is Bo Schlosser,” Jackson said. “He has all of the skills that would allow him to step into our line-up and start for us next year. I am also very excited about Tyler Swope, the heavyweight from Davenport Assumption. He is a big, strong heavyweight who is very passionate and has a lot of energy. We also believe that Tanner Weatherman is at the top of the list of Iowa high school wrestlers this year and look for him to make some early noise.” Weatherman is the younger brother of current Cyclone Trent Weatherman, who was Iowa State’s starter at 157 pounds last season. The family affair does not stop there with state champion Aaron Sorenson joining older brother Andrew Sorenson on the Cyclone roster. Andrew was ranked as high as fifth in the country at 165 pounds last season before suffering a season ending injury. Along with the strong class of Iowans, Jackson and his staff have also brought in a very tough group of grapplers from other states. Clarke, Molina, Smith and Terukina have combined for an impressive seven state titles. “Quean Smith is a special heavyweight whose athletic ability is going to be unmatched in the heavyweight division,” Jackson said. “He has all of the skills and we expect special things out of him.” According to Jackson, Terukina is a special wrestler. He hails from Kamehameha High School in Hawaii. “Another wrestler who is going to be special that people don’t know much about will be Shayden Terukina,” Jackson said. “He is out of Hawaii and sent us his videos so that we could recruit him. We have a relationship with a former Cyclone wrestler, Grant Nakamura, who kind of pointed him in our direction. I went out and watched him wrestle and he is very talented. I am really excited about him joining our squad. Being from Hawaii, I think he is going to be a diamond in the rough that people did not get a chance to see.” The Cyclone coaches are very pleased with this class, because they feel that along with last year’s recruiting class, this group is pointing the program in the right direction. “The last two classes are definitely full of the kind of kids that we want from an understanding that everything they do affects their performances on and off of the mat,” Jackson said. “We like their toughness and fight for the entire match. Another thing I am very excited about is their technical skill level. I think that this group we are bringing in is at a very high level technically. That is an added bonus on top of the toughness that they have demonstrated.”

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- The Oregon State wrestling team announced Wednesday that the Beavers have signed three student-athletes to national letters of intent to join the team for the 2011-12 season. The Beavers have signed Zac Cardwell, from Lowell, Ore., George Swartzlander, who hails from Burns, Ore., and Clackamas Community College's Tyrell Fortune. "Well, I like these guys, especially the fact that two of them are heavyweights, which we are lacking now," Oregon State head coach Jim Zalesky said. "(Clayton) Jack really had no one to work out with, and if he went down, we didn't really have anyone last year. So it gives us a lot of depth in the heavyweights and I think Cardwell is another guy who brings in another class that we need. And the upper weight class is really where we are targeting this year." Cardwell, who attends Lowell High School, is the son of former Oregon State All-American Jeff Cardwell and projects to wrestle at either 174 or 184 pounds. He is a four-time state champion and won the Resers Tournament of Champions in January at the 171-pound weight class. "He has been around the program and his dad coached here," Zalesky said of Cardwell. "He is a four-time state champ and has been successful along with being a great student. I think he is really looking forward to being here and down the road I think he is really going to help us out." Swartzlander will join the Beavers next season after winning three state titles while at Burns High School and Lakeview High School in southern Oregon. He has competed at the heavyweight class while in high school. "Swartzlander is a guy who is 265 pounds and started out in his freshman year at 160, so he is a heavyweight who knows how to wrestle and has some skills which is what you look for," Zalesky said. Fortune is a back-to-back national junior college champion in the heavyweight division and helped guide Clackamas to the national title in 2011. He is a two-time All-American and accumulated a 26-1 record this past season. Coming out of Lakeridge High School in Portland, he won a pair of state titles at the 215-pound class and was named as the nation's top high school wrestler in that weight class by USA Wrestling. "Tyrell Fortune has been successful at every level he has been at," Zalesky said. "He's an Oregon kid, and all of them are, so that's great." The three will join the program along with three OSU signees from November: Tarrence Williams (who is a teammate of Fortune's at Clackamas), Seth Thomas and Drew Van Anrooy. Support Oregon State University Athletics by making your tax deductible donation to the Beaver Athletic Student Fund. For more information follow this link or call 541-737-2370. Former Student-Athletes are invited to join the Varsity O Facebook Page for upcoming Alumni events.

Many of the nation's top college-age wrestlers competed at the 2011 University Nationals, which took place April 21-23 in Akron, Ohio. Five of the finalists in the University Nationals freestyle competition have wrestled in the NCAA finals and 18 of the top-eight finishers have been NCAA Division I All-Americans. But there were a handful of college competitors with lesser college wrestling resumes who had breakout performances in Akron. InterMat looks at five college wrestlers who shined at University Nationals. Tyler Cox (Wyoming) Tyler Cox (Photo/Wyoming Sports Information)University Nationals: Cox fared well in both styles, Greco-Roman and freestyle, at University Nationals. In Greco-Roman, Cox posted a 4-1 record, losing only to Max Nowry, who was fifth in the 2010 Junior World Championships. Cox defeated 2010 All-American Nikko Triggas of Ohio State in the true second match. His most impressive win, though, came in the freestyle competition when he defeated three-time All-American Zach Sanders of Minnesota in the second round. Not only did Cox beat Sanders, but he handled him with relative ease, winning 4-0, 6-0. Sanders, though, did come back to avenge that loss in the consolation bracket with a 3-0, 1-6, 4-2 victory. Cox wound up fifth in the freestyle competition, with his only losses coming to NCAA qualifier Frank Perrelli of Cornell, who was fifth at the 2011 U.S. Open, and Sanders. Collegiate Career: After a 20-4 redshirt season, Cox compiled a record of 25-13 this past season as a redshirt freshman for Wyoming. He started the season at 125, but moved up to 133 when Michael Martinez moved back down to 125. Cox, who weighs 124 naturally, gave up several pounds to his opponents at 133, but still managed to win 25 matches. He had wins over five NCAA qualifiers and spent most of the season ranked in the top 20, but failed to qualify for the NCAA Championships, going 0-2 at the West Regional. Next Season: With Martinez returning for his senior season, there is a possibility Cox may take an Olympic redshirt season, according to Wyoming coach Mark Branch. Cox and Martinez are both 125-pounders and Branch does not want to face the same dilemma he faced this past season. "We are hoping to give us an option for Cox to take an Olympic redshirt if he places in the top eight (at the U.S. World Team Trials in June)," said Branch. "We won't decide until after if we will do that, but we want it to be an option with Michael being a senior and recovering from back surgery. If Michael is healthy we will probably do that in order to avoid a similar dilemma." James English (Penn State) James English (Photo/PSU Sports Information)University Nationals: English captured a University Nationals freestyle title at 70 kg, a weight class comprised of nearly 70 competitors. He had wins over NCAA qualifiers Joey Napoli of Lehigh and Eric Terrazas of Illinois. In addition, English placed ahead of All-American Tyler Nauman of Pitt, NCAA qualifier Danny Zilverberg of Minnesota, and teammate Dylan Alton. Collegiate Career: English has served as Frank Molinaro's backup at 149 pounds the past two seasons. He has compiled a career record of 30-11. This past season, English went 13-4, with all four of his losses coming to NCAA qualifiers. His most notable wins this past season came over West Virginia's Brandon Rader, a two-time All-American, and Harvard's Corey Jantzen, a Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational champion. Next Season: With Molinaro back next season at 149 and David Taylor expected to move up a weight class to 165, English's best opportunity to break into the Nittany Lion lineup appears to be at 157. But he will still have his work cut for him in that weight class. English will likely battle Dylan Alton and James Vollrath, among others, for the starting spot at 157. According to Penn State assistant head coach Casey Cunningham, English is a quiet leader who leads by example on and off the mat. "James is an incredible kid," said Cunningham. "He has a 3.7 GPA in chemical engineering and is a model student athlete. He continues to get better because he works very hard every day and when he got an opportunity to wrestle in several of our dual meets last year, because Frank Molinaro was hurt, he beat two top 10 guys at the time. He proved how much his hard work is paying off this weekend, but I do not think the guys on our team were surprised because they wrestle with him all the time and know what he is capable of. He is the type of kid you want in your program from all aspects. I believe his goal is to be an NCAA champion and he will work his butt off until he gets his opportunity to do that. He is a quiet leader and we are very fortunate to have him on our team here." Bryce Busler (Bloomsburg) Bryce BuslerUniversity Nationals: Busler, like English, navigated through a weight class at 70 kg comprised of more than 70 competitors to reach the finals. He eventually fell to English in the finals, 1-1, 9-4, but had some impressive victories throughout the tournament, including shutout victories over both Dylan Alton and Tyler Nauman. Busler's bid to a qualify for the U.S. World Team Trials was halted when he lost his true second match to Eric Terrazas. Collegiate Career: Busler has had a productive collegiate wrestling career, compiling a record of 35-19 in two seasons. But the Mechanicsburg (Penn.) native has been unable to crack the Bloomsburg lineup. He was penciled in as the 157-pound starter before last season, but Frank Hickman took control of the spot after wrestle-offs and the Navy Classic. Next Season: According to Bloomsburg head coach John Stutzman, Busler will drop to 149 next season to battle for a spot in the lineup. Eight of Bloomsburg's 10 starters this past season were freshmen or sophomores. Stutzman, who was named EWL Coach of the Year this past season, sees a bright future for Busler. "He is one of the most talented wrestlers in the room," said Stutzman. "He is a true sophomore right now and I expect big things out of him next year. He will be at 149 as he does not cut anything to make 157." He also believes Busler played a key role in Hickman's success this past season. "I think having Bryce wrestle at 157 last year is why Frank Hickman became successful," said Stutzman. "Frank had to step up and beat a good guy to make the team and he did." Chad Hanke (Oregon State) Chad Hanke (Photo/Ethan Erickson)University Nationals: It's hard not to be impressed with Hanke's performance at University Nationals. He won a weight class (96 kg) that included five All-Americans and an NCAA champion. Hanke outscored NCAA champion Dustin Kilgore of Kent State 11-1 in the semifinals before beating two-time NCAA All-American Sonny Yohn of Minnesota in the finals. Collegiate Career: Hanke was an NCAA qualifier this past season for the first time in his collegiate career. He went 1-2 at the NCAAs and finished his junior season with a 23-12 record. Interestingly, he suffered a bad loss to Kilgore (10-2) and a close loss to Yohn (5-3), two wrestlers he beat at University Nationals. Hanke has a career record of 75-37. Next Season: Hanke will return for his senior season at 197. Four of the eight All-Americans in the weight class return, including Kilgore. Will Hanke be able to parlay his freestyle success into better success in NCAA competition next season? That remains to be seen. Some believe his wrestling style is better suited for freestyle. In a recent interview, Hanke told GOhioCasts's Zeb Miller that he feels better competing in the freestyle weight class of 211 (96 kg) than he does in the collegiate weight class of 197. Oregon State assistant head coach Kevin Roberts believes Hanke's mental approach helped him perform to his ability in Akron. "Chad had a great tournament and beat some very good wrestlers," said Roberts. "For whatever reason, his belief system seemed to be where it should be this past weekend. It is something that we are always working on and preaching, that he is a very capable competitor. He seemed to get on a good roll early in the tournament and just kept it going." So what will Hanke's performance at University Nationals do for him going forward? "I think it gives him some momentum and confidence going forward, and it should carry over to this coming season," said Roberts. "He is a very talented kid and works hard, and deserves to win. We have high expectations for Chad, and he should for himself as well. I see him down the line being a guy that could be a very good wrestler in the 96 kg weight class, which he will have no problem filling into." Tyler Clark (Iowa) Tyler ClarkUniversity Nationals: Clark reached the finals in the University Nationals freestyle competition at 60 kg before losing to Steve Mytych. Clark's run to the finals included a 6-0, 2-1 victory over three-time NCAA qualifier Jarrod Garnett of Virginia Tech. Kent State's Nic Bedelyon, a 2009 All-American, finished seventh in the weight class. Collegiate Career: Clark's collegiate wrestling career started at Iowa State in 2007. He spent two years in Ames and qualified for the NCAAs twice as a Cyclone. Clark transferred to Iowa after the 2009 season and redshirted the 2009-10 season. This past season, Clark failed to crack the starting lineup for the Hawkeyes at 133 pounds, but did finish fifth at the Midlands Championships, which included a victory over teammate and starter Tony Ramos. Next Season: The senior-to-be Clark will likely find himself in another dogfight to break into the Hawkeye lineup next season. Ramos, an NCAA qualifier this past season, returns for his sophomore season, so Clark will need to unseat a wrestler he was unable to unseat this past season, despite winning a head-to-head meeting and placing higher at the Midlands.

Link: Brackets Note: Photos by Jeff Beshey & Mark Beshey, The Guillotine 2011 JJ Classic Champions Champions 2011 JJ Classic Placewinners 106: 1st: Dante' Rodriguez (Grand Island, Neb.) 2nd: Cameron Sykora (Border West, Minn.) 3rd: Tanner Johnshoy (Prior Lake, Minn.) 4th: Kaz Onoo (Mason City, Iowa) 5th: Jesse Shearer (West Fargo, N.D.) 6th: David Flynn (Scott West, Minn.) 106 Placewinners 113: 1st: Fredy Stroker (Bettendorf, Iowa) 2nd: Jordan Shearer (West Fargo, N.D.) 3rd: Tristan Manderfeld (Foley, Minn.) 4th: Jarred Oftedahl (BSM, Minn.) 5th: Brock Morgan (Apple Valley, Minn.) 6th: Joey Majerus (Zumbrota-Mazeppa, Minn.) 113 Placewinners 120: 1st: Josh Alber (Dakota, Ill.) 2nd: Andres Gonzalez (Mason City, Iowa) 3rd: Robert Lee (Kaukauna, Wis.) 4th: Aaron Anderson (Clarion Goldfield, Iowa) 5th: J.J. Wolfe (Dakota, Ill.) 6th: Austin Riggs (Robinson, Va.) 120 Placewinners 126: 1st: Seth Gross (Apple Valley, Minn.) 2nd: Ben Brancale (Eden Prairie, Minn.) 3rd: Garet Anderson-Lind (Oshkosh West, Wis.) 4th: Brandon Peters (Faribault, Minn.) 5th: Trey Blaha (Cedar Rapids Prairie, Iowa) 6th: Frank Wilczek (Little Falls, Minn.) 126 Placewinners 132: 1st: Sam Brancale (Eden Prairie, Minn.) 2nd: Mitchel Lexvold (Kenyon-Wanamingo, Minn.) 3rd: Taner Trembley (LCWM, Minn.) 4th: Marcus Hamer (Kimball, Minn.) 5th: Mark Voss (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) 6th: Brett Stolarzyk (Stewartville, Minn.) 132 Placewinners 138: 1st: Marcus Peterson (Clarion Goldfield, Iowa) 2nd: Kyle McKenzie (La Crosse Logan, Wis.) 3rd: Tyler Pasvogel (Sibley East, Minn.) 4th: Wayne Voss (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) 5th: Isaac Lundgren (Spirit Lake, Iowa) 6th: Logan Peterson (ACGC, Minn.) 138 Placewinners 145: 1st: Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) 2nd: Weston Droegemueller (Wayzata, Minn.) 3rd: Josh Halicke (Sartell, Minn.) 4th: Mitchell Hartwig (GSLLP, Minn.) 5th: Kendall Carnahan (Duncan, Okla.) 6th: Kyle Kragnes (West Fargo, N.D.) 145 Placewinners 152: 1st: Brandon Kingsley (Apple Valley, Minn.) 2nd: Adam Cooling (Madelia Truman Martin Luther, Minn.) 3rd: Mason Manville (South County, Va.) 4th: Grant Nehring (Saint Cloud Appollo) 5th: Devin Wicks (WHAN, Minn.) 6th: Jake Deutschlander (BSM, Minn.) 152 Placewinners 160: 1st: Justin Koethe (Iowa City West, Iowa) 2nd: Ben Sullivan (Apple Valley, Minn.) 3rd: Derek Weinmann (Irondale, Minn.) 4th: Darrin Allen (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) 5th: Ben Cousins (Bloomington Kennedy, Minn.) 6th: Christian Carnahan (Duncan, Okla.) 160 Placewinners 170: 1st: Cody Anderson (White Bear Lake, Minn.) 2nd: Alex Jackson (Kenyon-Wanamingo, Minn.) 3rd: Elijah Preisser (Bettendorf, Iowa) 4th: Dillon Downes (Zumbrota-Mazeppa, Minn.) 5th: Sal Ayala (Libertyville, Minn.) 6th: Nick Hoff (LARP, Minn.) 170 Placewinners 182: 1st: Lance Benick (Totino Grace, Minn.) 2nd: Corbin Farrell (Apple Valley, Minn.) 3rd: Miles Hammerlund (Delano, Minn.) 4th: Austin Gould (Cedar Rapids Prairie, Iowa) 5th: Max Bullock (Waconia, Minn.) 6th: Greg Johnson (LARP, Minn.) 182 Placewinners 195: 1st: Alex Gray (Maple Grove, Minn.) 2nd: Schoen Kichler (Waconia, Minn.) 195 Placewinners 220: 1st: Coyte Kuefner (Owatonna, Minn.) 2nd: Cody Linssen (Park, Minn.) 3rd: Jordan Stevens (Central, Minn.) 4th: Mitch Diller (White Bear Lake, Minn.) 5th: Matthew Wilson (Saint Charles, Minn.) 6th: Josh Deike (Wahpeton, N.D.) 220 Placewinners 285: 1st: Michael Kroells (Scott West, Minn.) 2nd: Sam Stoll (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) 285 Placewinners Most Outstanding Wrestler: Sam Brancale (Eden Prairie, Minn.) Sam Brancale Most Falls in Least Time: Tanner Johnshoy (Prior Lake, Minn.) Tanner Johnshoy

Andrew Campolattano

MINNEAPOLIS -- Six-time state champion and Minnesota incoming freshman Logan Storley, a product of Webster, S.D., has earned the 2010-11 Junior Dan Hodge Trophy, given annually to the top high school wrestler in the nation by the Amateur Athletic Union and WIN Magazine. InterMat's top-ranked wrestler in the 171 lbs. weight class, Storley capped a 42-1 senior season with his sixth state championship -- making the senior just the third wrestler in history to win six individual state titles along with South Dakota's Kirk Wallman and Alabama's Michael Sutton. Storley, who also helped Webster High School clinch team titles in 2011 and 2006, ended his high school career with an impressive 262-3 overall record. His numerous accolades and honors include the 2009 South Dakota Prep Boys Athlete of the Year, the 2010 Outstanding Wrestler honor at the AAU's Disney Duals and two NHSCA national titles. The Junior Dan Hodge Trophy has been awarded annually to the nation's top high school wrestler since 1998. Storley marks the second Gopher wrestler to earn the prestigious honor along with two-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American Damion Hahn, who earned the honor in 1999.

After much discussion, the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS) finally made a decision about the future weight classes for high school wrestling, and the recommendation was for change. Based on a three-to-four year data mining process of data from the NWCA's Optimal Performance Calculator (OPC) for the body-fat/hydration assessments done at the opening of the season, the NFHS chose to realign weight classes. The following will be the 14 weight classes starting with the 2011-12 season: 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220, and 285. In reality, there are three key changes coming from this decision: (1) the opening weight class changes from 103 to 106 (2) the stretch that covers weights 125-145, which used to include five weight classes, now just has four classes (3) the back end of the lineup (171-285) now features five weight classes instead of four. The area of most impact will be in the opening weight class. The 106 weight, which becomes 108 after the two-pound growth allowance kicks in for most states, will offer greater ability for that wrestler who was previously thinking about making a somewhat steep cut to 103 to make that cut to this opening weight class. In turn, this creates greater disadvantage for wrestlers close to or under the opening weight threshold. While unfortunate for those individuals, the NFHS weight class decisions were made based on real participant data. Consolidating the lower middle-weight classes from five to four (125-145) will make for deeper weight classes in an area of competition that was already pretty strong from a quality standpoint. On the other hand, the addition of a back end weight will essentially create a third weight class where there were two previously (170, 182, and 195 vs. 171, 189). From a competitive standpoint, this reduces the depth in an area of the lineup where depth was hit or miss at present. However, this will provide greater alignment between the high school upperweights and the college upperweights (165, 174, 184, 197 vs. 160, 170, 182, 195). An additional unintended side effect could be an increase in athletes from other sports participating in wrestling, given that they may face less pressure to cut weight -- a total unknown at this time. The ultimate impact of these changes will not be known at least until the completion of the 2011-12 season, though much will for sure be made about them through the spring and summer months. It will be interesting to see if the amount of forfeits that occur in the first three weight classes is reduced, the amount of forfeits in the upper (now) five weight classes is increased, and/or just what exactly happens.