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Chael Sonnen (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) On Saturday, Chael Sonnen, a 1998 NCAA Division I All-American and 2000 World University Greco-Roman silver medalist, will face Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 148 in Las Vegas. Here are three reasons wrestling fans should root for the 35-year-old Sonnen on Saturday ... Sonnen is one of wrestling's greatest supporters and fans Sonnen traded in his singlet for fight shorts almost a decade ago, but still continues to give back to wrestling. He is a volunteer coach at a youth wrestling club in his hometown of West Linn, Ore., called All-Phase Wrestling Club. He still follows the sport religiously. Sonnen makes regular appearances in USA Wrestling's chat room during World-level events to follow Team USA's results and interact with wrestling fans. Earlier this week Sonnen tweeted to his 177,000 Twitter followers that he was offering two UFC 148 tickets to the first person to donate $1,000 to U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestlers Jake Herbert, Coleman Scott, or Jared Frayer. It didn't take long for Herbert to receive a donation of $1,000. Here is a 29-minute interview Sonnen did with Flowrestling after the 2011 World Championships ... Sonnen will bring wrestling more mainstream media attention as UFC champion Sonnen is already a major draw as the top middleweight contender in the UFC. If When Sonnen defeats Silva on Saturday night, he will be an even bigger draw and will make more mainstream media appearances. With those mainstream media appearances come more opportunities for Sonnen to promote wrestling through what he wears and says about wrestling. It's not uncommon to see Sonnen wearing a USA Wrestling jacket or a wrestling T-shirt. On Thursday night, when he was making the media rounds, Sonnen referenced Les Gutches and Randy Couture in his interviews, and talked about wrestling nine matches in a single day. A Sonnen victory could set up a title fight against another former wrestler If When Sonnen defeats Silva on Saturday night, there is a strong possibility he will face another former wrestler, Mark Munoz, for the UFC middleweight title. A title fight between two former wrestlers who faced each other as collegians will bring wrestling to the forefront in the UFC. Munoz, an NCAA champion at Oklahoma State, faces former All-American wrestler Chris Weidman on Wednesday night on the UFC on Fuel TV 4 card. Assuming Munoz gets past Weidman, he will be in position to earn a title shot against the winner of Silva-Sonnen on Saturday night. (Of course, depending on how Saturday night's fight turns out, a Silva-Sonnen III cannot be ruled out.) Sonnen and Munoz were scheduled to fight on Jan. 28, but the fight was cancelled after Munoz sustained an injury.

The InterMat Notebook includes all the latest wrestling news from across the country. Links: College Commitments Report a Commitment Get a Profile Top 100 Seniors & Senior Profiles Cadet freestyle champion Odighizuwa chooses football, commits to UCLA for Class of 2016 May 6, 2015: Osawaru Odighizuwa (David Douglas, Ore.), a Cadet National freestyle champion and two-time state champion, has committed to UCLA for football prior to the end of his junior school year. Odighizuwa is rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals, and his older brother Owamagbe just finished his college football career at UCLA and was drafted by the New York Giants. He is ranked No. 40 in the Class of 2016 as a wrestler, and finished the 2014-15 season as the nation's No. 10 wrestler at 285 pounds. Two-time state champion Holloway stays in-state, chooses Iowa April 29, 2015: Two-time state champion Steven Holloway (Mediapolis, Iowa), who ended the 2014-15 season ranked No. 13 nationally at 195 pounds, committed to the University of Iowa on Wednesday evening. The projected 197 pound wrestler added a second place finish in 2013 to the state titles earned the last two years, and was also a Silver Medalist at the Disney Duals this past summer. He joins three other nationally ranked commits for Iowa in their 2015 class: Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional, Pa.), Vincent Turk (Montini Catholic, Ill.), and Cash Wilcke (OA-BCIG, Iowa). NHSCA Senior Nationals runner-up Richards signs with VMI April 16, 2015: Four-time state champion Neal Richards (Matoaca, Va.) signed with VMI late Thursday afternoon. Richards is ranked No. 77 overall in the Class of 2015, and eighth nationally at 152 pounds. He was a NHSCA grade-level champion as a freshman, sophomore, and junior before finishing second in Virginia Beach at 152 pounds in late March. Richards placed eighth at the Super 32 Challenge this fall, and projects to compete at 149/157 pounds in college. NHSCA Senior Nationals champion Racer chooses Virginia Tech April 14, 2015: Dayton Racer (Bettendorf, Iowa), runner-up at this past fall's Super 32 Challenge and champion at the NHSCA Senior Nationals earlier this month, verbally committed to Virginia Tech earlier on Tuesday afternoon. Racer is currently ranked No. 6 nationally at 160 pounds, and No. 56 overall in the Class of 2015. He joins two other top 100 recruits in this year's Virginia Tech recruiting class, No. 14 David McFadden (DePaul Catholic, N.J.) and No. 70 Andrew Dunn (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) The runner-up finish at 152 pounds in the Super 32 was Racer's second placement in that tournament, finishing eighth the previous year. This fall, he also placed third at the Preseason Nationals at 160. Racer was a state runner-up this past year at Bettendorf, having placed second and then first when competing for Apple Valley as a freshman and sophomore in Minnesota. He projects as a 157/165 in college. Wisconsin native Lee second ranked wrestler to commit to Pittsburgh in 2015 class April 12, 2015: Three-time state champion, and four-time state finalist, Robert Lee (Kaukauna, Wis.) verbally committed to Pittsburgh late Sunday evening. The projected 133/141 pound wrestler is currently ranked No. 14 nationally at 138 pounds. He placed eighth in the Super 32 Challenge at 145 pounds this fall, and was runner-up at 132 pounds in the FloNationals one year ago. Lee will join Eli Seipel (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) as a nationally ranked wrestler to commit to the Panthers in their 2015 recruiting class. No. 10 Arujau becomes second major commit to Cornell for 2017 recruiting March 29, 2015: Two-time state champion Vitali Arujau (Syosset, N.Y.) made his college intentions known on Sunday evening, as the nation's No. 10 overall wrestler in the Class of 2017 verbally committed to Cornell University. Arujau won the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals at 126 pounds earlier in the day. He also won a second state title a month ago, that one coming at 132 pounds, where he is ranked No. 11 nationally in the weight class. Arujau is also ranked No. 10 nationally in the whole 2017 recruiting class, and will join No. 5 Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) as a Cornell commit in that group. He projects as a 141/149 in college. Ironman champion Reynolds stays in state, chooses Edinboro March 27, 2015: Dylan Reynolds (Saegertown, Pa.), who finished as an undefeated state champion during his senior campaign with titles at the Walsh Ironman and PowerAde, verbally committed to attend Edinboro University earlier this afternoon. He placed fourth and third the previous two seasons. Reynolds is currently ranked No. 13 nationally at 195 pounds, and projects to compete at 184 or 197 in college. He will join a very solid recruiting class for the Fighting Scots, one that is anchored by a pair of top 100 prospects in No. 79 Patricio Lugo (South Dade, Fla.) and No. 85 Korbin Myers (Boiling Springs, Pa.) No. 40 Kraisser commits to Campbell for Class of 2016 March 26, 2015: Austin Kraisser (Centennial, Md.), now a two-time state champion, verbally committed to be part of the Campbell University 2016 recruiting class. During his junior season, Kraisser went 39-3 on the way to a state title in the 152 pound weight class, with all three losses coming during a sixth place finish at the Walsh Ironman. He is currently ranked No. 9 nationally at 152, and No. 40 overall in the 2016 class. Last spring, Kraisser placed eighth at the FloNationals in the 145 weight class, and was a FILA Cadet freestyle runner-up at 138 pounds. He was also a Cadet National double All-American in the summer of 2013, and projects to the 157 pound weight class in college. No. 12 Brinson signs with Army primarily for football February 19, 2015: Kenneth Brinson (Marist, Ga.), ranked No. 2 in the nation at 220 pounds and No. 12 overall in the Class of 2015, signed with Army primarily as a football player. He was rated as a three-star recruit, projected to play the weakside defensive end position in college. Brinson's final decision came down to Army and Stanford. In addition to winning his fourth state title this past weekend - and being a champion at the NHSCA freshman, sophomore, and junior nationals - he is an elite age group competitor in the weight throws (shot, discus, etc.). Should Brinson wrestle in college for the Black Knights, he would project to the 285 pound weight class. No. 64 Parmely signs with Upper Iowa for football, wrestling February 10, 2015: Ryan Parmely (Maquoketa Valley, Iowa) was a record-setting running back on the football field during the fall, and has had a banner career on the wrestling mat. He will continue with both sports at Upper Iowa, a Division II program. In wrestling, Parmely has already amassed 193 career wins with the district and state tournaments remaining in his senior season. He is already a three-time state place-winner, taking fourth and third before winning state as a junior. In addition, he was a Junior National folkstyle runner-up last spring at 220 pounds. Parmely is currently ranked No. 5 nationally in the 220 pound weight class, and No. 64 overall in the Class of 2015. He projects as either a 197 or 285 in college. Two-time state champ Schroder chooses Purdue for 2016 class January 23, 2015: Devin Schroder (Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Mich.) won state titles during each of his first two high school seasons, and has verbally committed to attend Purdue University, as part of their 2016 recruiting class. Schroder had a 93-4 mark during his first two seasons of high school competition, and was a FloNationals champion last year at 113 pounds. He is ranked No. 19 nationally at 120 pounds, and projects to compete at 133/141 in college. Junior double All-American DeShazer a fourth top 100 commit to Oklahoma in 2015 class January 12, 2015: The commitment of three-time state champion Sean DeShazer (Wichita Heights, Kan.) to Oklahoma was verified on Monday evening. This past summer, he placed third in Junior Greco-Roman and fourth in Junior freestyle at 126 pounds. He is currently ranked No. 10 at 132 pounds nationally, and No. 58 overall in the Class of 2015. DeShazer projects to compete at 125/133 pounds in college, and joins Davion Jeffries (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Dylan Lucas (Plainview, Okla.), and Christian Moody (Collinsville, Okla.) as top 100 commits for the Sooners in this class. Rundell a second top 100 Class of 2015 commit for Tar Heels January 9, 2015: Two-time state placer Matthew Rundell (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), third at state last year and runner-up as a freshman, verbally committed to the University of North Carolina on Friday evening. Rundell is currently ranked No. 72 overall in the Class of 2015, and No. 18 in the 160 pound weight class. He projects as a 165/174 in college, and joins A.C. Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa.) as a top 100 senior commit for the Tar Heels. No. 66 senior Montoya chooses Northern Colorado December 26, 2014: Richard Montoya (Robertson, N.M.), ranked No. 66 nationally in the Class of 2015, verbally committed to Northern Colorado on Friday evening. The three-time state champion was also a NHSCA Junior Nationals champion in Virginia Beach this past spring. In addition, Montoya was a Cadet National double All-American in the summer of 2013, and a FILA Cadet freestyle medalist in May of 2014. He is currently ranked No. 12 nationally at 132 pounds, and projects to be a 133/141 in college. Cadet National double champ Stencel chooses Central Michigan for 2016 December 23, 2014: Matt Stencel (Oregon Clay, Ohio), who won both the freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments at the Cadet Nationals this past summer, verbally committed to be part of Central Michigan's 2016 recruiting class on Tuesday evening. He went 40-6, and finished as state runner-up at 182 pounds in 2013-14. Already this high school season, he was runner-up at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman in the 195 pound weight class. Stencel entered the 2014-15 season ranked No. 42 overall in the Class of 2016, and is currently ranked No. 15 at 195 pounds nationally. He projects to be a 285 pound wrestler in college. Lucas a third top 100 senior to commit to Oklahoma December 17, 2014: Four-time Florida state champion Dylan Lucas (Plainview, Okla.) signed with the University of Oklahoma. While competing for Brandon in his freshman through junior years, he amassed a record of 159-1. Along the way, he was third at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, second at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals, and fifth in the 2013 Super 32 Challenge. Lucas projects to be a 133/141 pound wrestler in college, and is currently ranked No. 51 overall in the Class of 2015. He is also ranked No. 7 nationally at 138 pounds, and joins Davion Jeffries (Broken Arrow, Okla.) along with Christian Moody (Collinsville, Okla.) as top 100 wrestlers in the Sooners' 2015 recruiting class. Mackall a second Class of 2016 commit for Rutgers December 15, 2014: Alex Mackall (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), who placed in his third Walsh Jesuit Ironman tournament in as many attempts this weekend, verbally committed to Rutgers University on Monday evening. He has earned finishes of fourth, sixth, and seventh in the nation's best in-season high school tournament. Mackall was state champion as a sophomore, after placing seventh as a freshman. He is ranked inside the top ten nationally at 120 pounds, and is top 30 overall in the Class of 2016. Mackall projects as a 125/133 in college, and joins Brandon Paetzell (Phillipsburg, N.J.) as commits for the Scarlet Knights in the 2016 class. Nation's top 113-pound wrestler Moody commits to Virginia December 9, 2014: Jabari Moody (Rich Central, Ill.), who enters the 2014-15 season ranked No. 1 nationally at 113 pounds committed to the University of Virginia on Monday evening. The projected 125-pound wrestler in college is ranked No. 81 overall in the Class of 2015. Moody makes it four Cavalier commits that are in the top 100 for the senior class, joining No. 7 Fox Baldwin (Osceola, Fla.), No. 26 Sam Krivus (Hempfield Area, Pa.), and No. 40 Cameron Harrell (McDonogh, Md.) Moody was an undefeated state champion in 2013-14, amassing a 37-0 record at 106 pounds. Directly after the season he won a NHSCA Junior Nationals title at 106 pounds, and in early June, he earned a spot on the FILA Junior World freestyle team at 110 pounds. No. 23 junior Hidlay chooses North Carolina State December 8, 2014: Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.), third at the Super 32 Challenge last month in the 145 pound weight class, verbally committed to be part of the Class of 2016 for North Carolina State on Monday evening. A state qualifier in Pennsylvania's big-school division in both seasons of his high school career to date, Hidlay placed sixth at state last year, and enters his junior season with a career record of 66-12. Hidlay starts the 2014-15 season ranked No. 8 nationally at 145 pounds, and No. 23 overall in the junior class. Hidlay placed fifth in Junior Greco-Roman this summer, and was a runner-up in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the Cadet Nationals during the summer of 2013. He projects as a 149/157 pound wrestler in college. No. 8 sophomore Coy chooses Virginia December 3, 2014: Cameron Coy (Penn-Trafford, Pa.), 39-5 last year as a freshman and a state champion at 132 pounds, made an early verbal commitment late Wednesday afternoon to the University of Virginia. The nation's No. 8 overall sophomore also placed fifth at the Super 32 Challenge this fall in the 138 pound weight class, and starts the 2014-15 season ranked No. 10 nationally at 138. Coy projects as a 149/157 in college. Three other ranked wrestlers made college commitments on Wednesday November 19, 2014: In addition to elite junior prospect Mason Manville (Blair Academy, N.J.) verbally committing to Penn State, three other ranked wrestlers made their college intentions known on this day before Thanksgiving. Chance Cooper (Timberland, Mo.), ranked No. 15 nationally at 195 pounds, signed with Division II program McKendree University. The projected 184 pound wrestler placed third at the Super 32 Challenge earlier this month after placing third at the NHSCA Junior Nationals after the 2013-14 season. Cooper is also a two-time state runner-up. Kevin Budock (Good Counsel, Md.), ranked No. 15 nationally at 145 pounds and No. 47 overall in the Class of 2016, verbally committed to Old Dominion University. The projected 149/157 is a two-time National Prep runner-up and a champion at both the NHSCA freshman and sophomore nationals. Budock also placed sixth at the Super 32 Challenge earlier this month. Justan Rivera (Kennesaw Mountain, Ga.), ranked No. 6 nationally at 195 pounds and No. 39 overall in the Class of 2015, committed to Notre Dame College. The defending Division II national champs procure a projected 184 pound wrestler, who is a three-time state champion and was a Junior National double All-American this summer at 182 pounds (including a championship in Greco-Roman). No. 2 overall junior Manville commits to Penn State November 26, 2014: Mason Manville (Blair Academy, N.J.), a FILA Cadet World champion this summer in freestyle at 69 kilos (152 pounds), verbally committed to Penn State as part of their 2016 recruiting class on Wednesday morning. He was undefeated during his sophomore season competing at 152 pounds, including titles at the Walsh Ironman, Beast of the East, Escape the Rock, and National Prep tournaments. He also won a FILA Cadet national freestyle title and Junior National freestyle title at 152 pounds this summer, along with a FILA Junior national Greco-Roman title this spring. Manville starts the 2014-15 season ranked No. 2 nationally at 160 pounds, and No. 2 overall in the Class of 2016. His accomplishments are abundant, and he projects as a 165-pound wrestler in college. Two nationally ranked seniors, one junior commit to colleges November 23, 2014: Seth McLeod signed with Boise StateSeth McLeod (Post Falls, Idaho), ranked No. 79 in the Class of 2015, signed with Boise State University. The three-time state finalist, 2013 state champion, is ranked No. 7 to start the 2014-15 season at 182 pounds. Projected as a 174/184 in college, McLeod also placed fourth in Junior Greco-Roman this summer at 182 pounds. Jonathan Viruet (Springfield Central, Mass.), ranked No. 88 in the Class of 2015, committed to Brown University. A New England regional champion this past year, he starts the season ranked No. 12 at 170 pounds. Projected as a 157/165 in college, Viruet also is a two-time All-American in Junior Greco-Roman and was a NHSCA Junior Nationals champion this spring. Ben Darmstadt (Elyria, Ohio), ranked No. 15 at 182 pounds to start the season, committed to Cornell as part of the 2016 recruiting class. He finished as a state runner-up last season, was third in Cadet freestyle this summer, and placed fourth in the Super 32 Challenge earlier this month. Darmstadt projects as a 197 in college. More nationally ranked seniors commit November 19, 2014: With the early signing period a week old, much information is coming in related to new commitments and signings. Over the last few days a number of nationally ranked (both grade-level and weight class) wrestlers have had their college decisions made known. This includes a pair of top 100 seniors: Kris Williams (Thornwood, Ill.), a three-time state champion and ranked No. 64 overall, signed his national letter of intent with the University of Nebraska. The projected 125/133 starts the 2014-15 season ranked No. 8 at 120 pounds. Tate Orndorff (University, Wash.), a Junior National double All-American this summer and ranked No. 47 overall, signed his national letter of intent with Oregon State University. The projected 285 starts the season ranked No. 3 at 285 pounds. Four other weight class ranked seniors committed as well: Henry Pohlmeyer (Johnston, Iowa), ranked No. 20 nationally at 120 pounds, is a projected 125 and signed with South Dakota State. Salvatore Profaci (Monroe, N.J.), ranked No. 20 nationally at 132, is a projected 133 and committed to the University of Michigan. Kade Kowalski (Tri-Valley, Ohio), ranked No. 18 nationally at 152, is a projected 157 and signed with Ohio University. Cole DePasquale (Robinson, Va.), ranked No. 14 nationally at 195, is a projected 184/197 and signed with Stanford. No. 82 Armstrong commits to Nebraska November 16, 2014: Junior National double All-American Jacob Armstrong (Salem Hills, Utah) committed to the University of Nebraska this weekend. The two-time state champion is ranked No. 8 at 182 pounds in the initial 2014-15 weight class rankings, and was No. 82 overall for the Class of 2015 in the grade-level rankings published in August. Armstrong projects as a 174/184 and joins Jordan Shearer (West Fargo, N.D.) and Patrick Grayson (Colonial Forge, Va.) as weight class ranked wrestlers to commit to the Cornhuskers for the 2015 recruiting class. No. 34 junior Wentzel commits to Pitt November 16, 2014: Two-time state placer (eighth and third) Jake Wentzel (South Park, Pa.) verbally committed to the University of Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon. The No. 34 overall Class of 2016 prospect placed third at 152 pounds in the Super 32 Challenge two weekends ago, and is ranked No. 11 at 152 to start the 2014-15 season. Wentzel projects as a 157 pound wrestler in college. Two-time Super 32 Challenge placer Jared Prince chooses Naval Academy November 14, 2014: Jared Prince (Palm Harbor University, Fla.), a two-time Super 32 Challenge placer and two-time state champion, committed to attend the U.S. Naval Academy on Friday afternoon. Jared is currently ranked No. 4 nationally at 132 pounds, and was ranked No. 22 overall in the Class of 2015 in the August edition of the grade-level rankings. Jared is joined in committing to Navy by twin brother Connor, a three-time state placer and one-time state champion. Both wrestlers project to the 141 pound weight class. No. 17 Mejia second elite lightweight commit for Iowa in 2017 recruiting class November 12, 2014: State champion as a freshman in California, Justin Mejia (Clovis) made a very early college commitment on Wednesday evening. Before even the official start of practice for his sophomore season, the No. 17 overall Class of 2017 prospect verbally committed to the University of Iowa. Mejia projects as a 125/133, and will start the 2014-15 campaign ranked No. 3 at 113 pounds. He joins Jason Renteria (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) - who is ranked No. 4 at 113 and No. 22 in the 2017 class - as a Hawkeye verbal commit. Super 32 Challenge champion Ritter chooses Wisconsin November 11, 2014: Hunter Ritter (John Carroll, Md.), the nation's No. 35 overall ranked senior prospect, verbally committed to Wisconsin late Monday evening. The two-time National Prep placer (third/second) has won a FILA Cadet freestyle national title and a Super 32 Challenge title since the end of the 2013-14 scholastic season. In addition, Ritter has titles in Cadet Greco-Roman and at the NHCA Sophomore Nationals from the spring/summer of 2013. A projected 184/197 for the Badgers, Ritter is their second top 100 commit, joining No. 86 Eli Stickley (St. Paris Graham, Ohio). No. 24 Arthur second highly ranked recruit from Michigan to commit to Purdue November 10, 2014: Two-time state champion Angus Arthur (St. Johns, Mich.) verbally committed to Purdue University late on Monday afternoon. The No. 24 overall recruit in the Class of 2015 went undefeated during his junior season, and was also a FILA Cadet double national champion in May 2013. Arthur projects to compete at 197 pounds for the Boilermakers, and will join No. 31 Nate Limmex (Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Mich.) in their 2015 recruiting class. Two-time Super 32 champion Diakomihalis commits to Cornell for 2017 class November 10, 2014: Two-time state champion Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.), ranked No. 5 overall among sophomores nationally, verbally committed to Cornell University on Monday afternoon. Diakomihalis has also won the Super 32 Challenge each of the last two years, and during the past off-season was champion at the Flo Nationals and runner-up in Cadet freestyle. He projects to be a 133/141 pound wrestler in college. Junior National freestyle runner-up Tucker commits to Cornell November 8, 2014: Three-time National Prep finalist Chaz Tucker (Blair Academy, N.J.) verbally committed to Cornell on Friday evening. The 2013 National Prep champion finished as a runner-up in freestyle at the Junior Nationals this summer. Tucker is ranked No. 30 overall in the Class of 2015, and also was a Junior freestyle All-American in the summer of 2013 after being a Cadet freestyle runner-up the previous summer. He projects as a 133/141 in college. No. 33 junior Andersen commits to Missouri November 8, 2014: Ethan Andersen (Southeast Polk, Iowa), an undefeated state champion in 2013-14 during his sophomore season verbally committed to the University of Missouri on Saturday afternoon. The No. 33 overall junior represented the United States in Greco-Roman at the FILA Cadet world championships this summer, and projects as a 285 pound wrestler in college. Andersen also placed sixth at state as a freshman, and was a Cadet National freestyle All-American in 2013. No. 20 Myers a fourth top 100 commit for Mountaineers in 2015 class November 6, 2014: First-year head coach Sammie Henson has hit the ground running with recruiting at West Virginia, and that continues with the procurement of No. 20 Austin Myers (Campbell County, Ky.) as part of the 2015 recruiting class. The three-time state champion was a double All-American at this summer's Junior Nationals, sixth in Greco-Roman and third in freestyle. He won NHSCA grade-level titles as a freshman and sophomore, before finishing as runner-up last year. Myers projects as a 197/285 in college, and joins three other top 100 Class of 2015 wrestlers as Mountaineer commitments: No. 25 Keegan Moore (Putman City, Okla.), No. 36 Patrick Duggan (Cumberland Valley, Pa.), and No. 96 Devin Brown (Franklin Regional, Pa.) No. 43 Chaknois chooses Northwestern October 30, 2014: Two-time state runner-up, and three-time state placer, Zack Chaknois (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) verbally committed to Northwestern University on Thursday evening. The No. 43 overall senior carries a career record of 114-10 headed into his senior year, and is also a two-time Beast of the East runner-up. Chakonis projects to compete at 285 pounds in college. No. 22 Renteria commits to Iowa, initial commit nationally for the 2017 class October 30, 2014: Sophomore Jason Renteria (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) verbally committed to the University of Iowa on Thursday afternoon. During his freshman season, Renteria was a runner-up at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman and the Illinois Class 3A state tournament, both coming at 106 pounds. Since then, Renteria won a Gold Medal (going undefeated) at the Disney Duals in the District All-Star Division, and was champion at the Preseason Nationals in the freshman/sophomore division. He is ranked No. 22 overall in the Class of 2017, and an early projection for him is at 125/133 pounds. No. 81 Wyckoff commits to West Point October 29, 2014: Two-time state runner-up Wyatt Wyckoff (Paradise, Calif.) verbally committed to Army on Wednesday evening. The No. 81 overall senior also placed fourth in Junior Greco-Roman at 145 pounds this summer. He projects to be a 141/149 pound wrestler in college. Weiler a second top 15 commit for Lehigh in 2016 recruiting class October 29, 2014: Two-time Junior National freestyle All-American Chris Weiler (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) verbally committed to Lehigh University on Wednesday evening. The No. 15 ranked overall junior in the country is also a two-time National Prep placer, including finishing as runner-up during the 2013-14 season. He joins No. 5 Jordan Wood (Boyertown, Pa.) as part of the Mountain Hawks' 2016 recruiting class, and projects to be a 174/184 in college. No. 99 Turk third top 100 commit for Iowa in 2015 class October 28, 2014: Two-time state finalist Vincent Turk (Montini Catholic, Ill.) verbally committed to the University of Iowa on Tuesday afternoon. The No. 99 overall senior wrestler was a state champion this past season at 138 pounds, placing seventh at the Walsh Ironman in that weight class during the season, and projects to wrestle at 141 pounds in college. Turk joins No. 16 Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional, Pa.) and No. 93 Cash Wilcke (OA-BCIG, Iowa) as top 100 seniors to commit to The University of Iowa so far. No. 98 Walter is second top 100 Class of 2015 commit for Lehigh October 25, 2014: Three-time state placer - third, seventh, and third - Cole Walter (Mifflinburg, Pa.) verbally committed to Lehigh University of Saturday evening. The No. 98 overall Class of 2015 prospect also placed fifth at the FloNationals this spring, and seventh in Junior Greco-Roman this summer. Walter projects as a 157/165, and joins No. 73 Jordan Kutler (Blair Academy, N.J.) in the Lehigh recruiting class for 2015. No. 100 Patton a fourth top 100 commit for Northern Iowa in 2015 recruiting class October 23, 2014: State champion, and three-time state placer (7th/3rd/1st) Isaiah Patton (Dowling Catholic, Iowa) verbally committed to the University of Northern Iowa on Thursday evening. The No. 100 overall recruit in the senior class is a multi-sport athlete, and projects to be a 165/174 in college. Patton joins No. 19 Taylor Lujan (Carrollton, Ga.), No. 40 Max Thomsen (Union, Iowa), and No. 45 Bryce Steiert (Waverly-Shell Rock, Iowa) as top 100 prospects in the 2015 recruiting class for the Panthers. No. 7 Kolodzik will follow older brother's footsteps at Princeton October 23, 2014: FILA Junior National freestyle runner-up Matthew Kolodzik (Blair Academy, N.J.) verbally committed to Princeton University on Thursday morning. The No. 7 overall Class of 2015 prospect won a state title in Ohio during his freshman season before transferring to Blair Academy, where he has been a National Prep champion the last two seasons. In addition, Kolodzik is a three-time Walsh Ironman finalist, and a two-time Beast of the East finalist; winning an Ironman title during his junior season. The projected 149 joins No. 87 Mike D'Angelo (Commack, N.Y.) as a top 100 Tigers' commit in the 2015 recruiting class. Matthew's older brother Daniel wrestled for Princeton, where he was a multi-year starter and NCAA qualifier. Bucknell nabs pair of Class of 2016 commits in No. 50 Phipps and Karam October 23, 2014: This has been a busy week for Bucknell relative to recruiting for the Class of 2016. The Bison secured commitments from a pair of home-state juniors, Drew Phipps (Norwin) and Luke Karam (Bethlehem Catholic). Phipps, ranked No. 50 overall in the Class of 2016, placed fourth at state this past year and was a Super 32 Challenge placer last fall; he projects to be a 197 pound wrestler in college. Karam is a two-time state finalist, who won state this past year and also was a Super 32 Challenge placer last fall, projects to be a 133 pound wrestler in college. No. 90 Marsden makes it five top 100 commits for OSU October 20, 2014: State champion Andrew Marsden (Crystal Lake Central, Ill.) verbally committed to Oklahoma State on Monday evening. The No. 90 overall senior will follow his older brother Austin, who started at heavyweight this past year for the Cowboys and earned All-American honors. Marsden also finished second at 220 pounds in FILA Cadet freestyle this spring. He projects as a 285 in college, and is the fifth top 100 commit in this Oklahoma State class. Marsden joins No. 9 Nick Piccininni (Ward Mellville, N.Y.), No. 33 Kaid Brock (Stillwater, Okla.), No. 46 Boo Lewallen (Yukon, Okla.), and No. 62 Lincoln Olson (Davison, Mich.). No. 9 junior Marinelli switches commitment to Iowa October 19, 2014: Two-time state champion and two-time Walsh Ironman runner-up Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) changed his mind in terms of his college plans this evening. The No. 9 overall Class of 2016 prospect plans on attending Iowa, which is a change from his verbal commit to Ohio State of two months ago. Marinelli projects as a 157/165 in college, and is the second top 25 junior to already commit to the Hawkeyes - joining No. 25 Kaleb Young (Punxsatawney, Pa.), who also projects as a 157/165. No. 76 Cefolo a second top 100 recruit for SDSU 2015 class October 16, 2014: Two-time state champion Anthony Cefolo (Hanover Park, N.J.) verbally committed to South Dakota State on Thursday evening. The projected 125 pound wrestler is ranked No. 76 overall in the Class of 2015, and has been a Greco-Roman All-American in Fargo each of the last four summers - Cadet in 2011 and 2012, Junior in 2013 and 2014. Cefolo also earned All-American honors in both styles this past summer at 120 pounds, second in Greco-Roman and third in freestyle. He also finished eighth place at 120 pounds in the 2013 Super 32 Challenge, and will join No. 59 Brett Bye (Vermillion, S.D.) in the Jackrabbits 2015 recruiting class. 2013 Junior freestyle champion Oliver commits to Indiana October 13, 2014: Elijah Oliver (Washington, Ill.), a three-time state champion while competing for Christian Brothers, Tenn., verbally committed to Indiana University on Monday evening. The projected 125/133 won a Junior National freestyle title at 113 pounds in the summer of 2013. Ranked No. 74 overall in the Class of 2015, Oliver joins No. 65 Devin Skatzka (Richmond, Mich.) as top 100 wrestlers to commit as part of this Hoosiers’ recruiting class. No. 48 Amine makes it three top 50 commits for Wolverines in 2015 recruiting class October 12, 2014: State champion Myles Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), the No. 48 overall recruit in the Class of 2015, verbally committed to the University of Michigan on Sunday afternoon. The projected 157 pound wrestler placed third at the Flo Nationals this past spring, and seventh in Junior freestyle this summer. Amine joins No. 2 Logan Massa (St. Johns, Mich.) and No. 32 Austin Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) as top 100 commits to the University of Michigan in the 2015 recruiting class. Three-time Super 32 Challenge finalist Kemerer chooses Iowa October 8, 2014: Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional, Pa.), a three-time state runner-up, verbally committed to the University of Iowa on Wednesday evening. The projected 157/165 enters his senior season with a career high school record of 120-10, which also includes three finals appearances at the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament, with titles won in December 2011 and 2013. Kemerer is a three-time finalist at the Super 32 Challenge, winning as a freshman in 2011, before finishing second each of the last two years. Also a two-time Junior National freestyle All-American, Kemerer joins No. 93 Cash Wilcke (OA-BCIG, Iowa) as top 100 wrestlers included in the Hawkeyes’ 2015 recruiting class. No. 89 Stout makes it a pair of top 100 Class of 2015 commitments for Penn State October 8, 2014: Kellan Stout (Mt. Lebanon, Pa.), runner-up at both the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament and Pennsylvania Class AAA state tournament during his junior year, verbally committed to Penn State on Wednesday evening. The projected 197 pound wrestler is ranked No. 89 overall in the Class of 2015, and has 100 wins in his high school career to date. Stout joins No. 8 Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) as a top 100 Class of 2015 recruit to commit to Penn State. Five-time North Dakota state champ Shearer chooses Nebraska October 8, 2014: Jordan Shearer (West Fargo, N.D.), a five-time state champion, verbally committed to the University of Nebraska on Wednesday afternoon. The projected 141/149 is the nation's No. 94 overall recruit in the Class of 2015. During the summer of 2013, he was a Junior National double All-American at 126 pounds, winning the Greco-Roman tournament and placing sixth in freestyle. Shearer has a career record of 223-20. He is the initial commit for Nebraska in this recruiting class. No. 53 Tovar chooses Grand Canyon University October 6, 2014: As Grand Canyon transitions to Division I wrestling, they procured the talents of a pretty good wrestler in Ralphy Tovar (Poway, Calif.), a two-time state placer. The No. 53 overall recruit in the Class of 2015 placed fifth and fourth at state the last two years. In addition, the projected 149 placed third at the Flo Nationals this past spring. No. 77 Parson commits to Oregon State October 6, 2014: Three-time state finalist, and 2013 state champion, Bryce Parson (Lewiston, Idaho) verbally committed to Oregon State on Monday afternoon. The projected 141/149 has a three-year high school record of 135-7, and placed third in the NHSCA Junior Nationals this past spring. No. 65 Skatzka commits to Indiana October 5, 2014: Three-time state champion Devin Skatzka (Richmond, Mich.) committed to Indiana University on Sunday afternoon. The No. 65 overall ranked wrestler in the Class of 2015 has placed the last two years at the Flo Nationals, seventh at 145 and third at 152. Skatzka has a career record of 139-13, and projects to be a 165/174 in college. He is the Hoosiers' initial top 100 commit in this class. No. 87 D'Angelo chooses Princeton October 5, 2014: NHSCA Junior National runner-up Mike D'Angelo (Commack, N.Y.) verbally committed to Princeton University on Friday afternoon. The projected 141 pound wrestler is ranked No. 87 overall in the Class of 2015, and has placed fifth and third in his state tournament each of the last two seasons. D'Angelo is the initial top 100 commit for Princeton in the 2015 recruiting class. Ohio State receives verbal from No. 4 Hayes to cap strong recruiting week for Buckeyes October 3, 2014: Two-time state champion Ke-Shawn Hayes (Park Hill, Mo.), who has a career record of 136-6 verbally committed to Ohio State on Friday morning. The No. 4 overall Class of 2015 prospect was a Junior National freestyle runner-up this summer at 132 pounds, after completing an undefeated 47-0 junior season at 126 pounds that included titles at the Walsh Ironman (120 weight class) and the Kansas City Stampede. The projected 141/149 joins No. 3 Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.), who committed to Ohio State on Monday, and No. 49 Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry, Ohio) as top 100 commits for the Buckeyes in this recruiting class. No. 71 Barlow the initial commit for Harvard in 2015 recruiting class October 3, 2014: Three-time National Prep place-winner L.J. Barlow (Haverford School, Pa.) committed to attend Harvard University on Friday afternoon. He finished as runner-up in the 195 pound weight class at the National Prep Championships in February of 2014 after placing fourth and third the two years prior. Barlow also placed fifth at the Flo Nationals in the spring of 2012 and 2013, and placed at both the Ironman and Beast of the East during December 2013. He is ranked No. 71 overall in the Class of 2015, and projects as a 197 pound wrestler in college. No. 39 overall junior Harris chooses Kent State October 3, 2014: Already with 100 wins, and only six losses, in two seasons of high school competition, Jack Harris (Urbana, Ohio) verbally committed to Kent State on Thursday evening. The No. 39 overall prospect in the Class of 2016 has finished fifth and second in the state tournament so far during his high schoolc areer. Harris was runner-up in both Cadet folkstyle and freestyle during the 2013 off-season, while in May 2014 he was sixth at 187 pounds at the FILA Cadet freestyle nationals. He is the Golden Flashes initial Class of 2016 commitment, and projects as a 184 pound wrestler in college. Two-time state champ Brown becomes third top 100 commit for West Virginia in 2015 class October 1, 2014: Devin Brown (Franklin Regional, Pa.), a two-time state champion who is ranked No. 96 overall in the Class of 2015, verbally committed to West Virginia University on Tuesday evening. Brown is a combined 85-1 over the last two seasons, which includes an undefeated mark of 37-0 this past season. He is also a two-time Powerade finalist, winning that title in December 2013. Overall in high school Brown has a career record of 127-10. He was also a FILA Cadet freestyle champion in 2013 at 101 pounds, and projects as a 125 pound wrestler in college. Brown will join No. 25 Keegan Moore (Putman City, Okla.) and No. 36 Patrick Duggan (Cumberland Valley, Pa.) as top 100 commits in the Mountaineers' 2015 recruiting class. No. 8 Joseph, top senior in the Keystone State, stays in-state at Penn State September 29, 2014: Junior National freestyle runner-up Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) verbally committed to Penn State on Monday evening. The nation’s No. 8 overall Class of 2015 prospect was a state champion this past high school season, is a three-time state placer (7th/3rd/1st), and has a three-year high school record of 105-20. During his high school career, he is a two-time Powerade finalist, winning that title as a freshman; and is a two-time Walsh Jesuit Ironman placer. The projected 149/157 is also a two-time Junior freestyle All-American, placing seventh in 2013 at 138 pounds to go with this summer’s runner-up finish at 145, and the initial top 100 commit in this year’s recruiting class for the Nittany Lions. Junior National freestyle champion Martin, No. 3 overall in Class of 2015, commits to Ohio State September 29, 2014: Two-time National Prep champion, and three-time finalist, Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.) verbally committed to Ohio State on Monday afternoon. This past summer, the No. 3 overall prospect in the Class of 2015 won a Junior National freestyle title at 182 pounds, after finishing fifth in the FILA Junior freestyle tournament at 185 pounds in April. Martin was champion at the Beast of the East and runner-up at the Walsh Ironman during his junior campaign, after finishing second and third in those tournaments his sophomore season. The projected 174/184 is the second top 50 commit for Ohio State in this recruiting class joining No. 49 Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry, Ohio). No. 73 Kutler, a Junior National All-American, chooses Lehigh September 28, 2014: Jordan Kutler (Blair Academy, N.J.), who earned All-American honors this summer in Fargo after placing seventh in Junior freestyle, verbally committed to Lehigh University late on Sunday evening. Ranked No. 73 overall in the Class of 2015, Kutler also finished fifth this past season in the 138 pound weight class at National Preps after winning the 106 pound weight class title in 2012. In addition, he was a FILA Cadet freestyle national champion at 101 pounds in 2012. The projected 149/157 in college is the initial top 100 commit for Lehigh in the Class of 2015. No. 23 Headlee commits to North Carolina September 28, 2014: Junior National freestyle third place finisher A.C. Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa.) verbally committed to the University of North Carolina on Sunday afternoon. The two-time state placer has a career record of 122-15, having placed sixth and third at the state tournament during the last two seasons. In addition, the projected 133/141 pound wrestler went undefeated at the Disney Duals this summer, finished third at the Flo Nationals this spring, and placed seventh in the October 2012 edition of the Super 32 Challenge. Headlee is currently ranked No. 23 overall in the Class of 2015. State champion Johnson chooses to play football for the Akron Zips September 28, 2014: Pennsylvania Class AAA state champion Jan Johnson (Governor Mifflin) made the decision to play football in college for the University of Akron. He plays quarterback and linebacker for his high school football team, but is slated to exclusively play linebacker for the Zips in college. Johnson went 44-1 on his way to a state title at 195 pounds this past season, after placing third at 195 pounds with a 43-3 record the previous season. He is currently ranked No. 56 overall in the Class of 2015. Junior National freestyle runner-up McFadcden commits to Virginia Tech September 25, 2014: Ranked No. 18 overall in the Class of 2015, David McFadden (DePaul Catholic, N.J.) verbally committed to Virginia Tech early on Thursday afternoon. The three-time state placer was a state champion this past high school season, and has a career record of 118-8 entering his senior season. McFadden has also finished third each of the last two years at the Beast of the East in addition to the Junior National freestyle runner-up finish this past summer. He is the initial top 100 commit for the Hokies in this class, and is a projected 165/174. No. 83 Myers chooses Edinboro September 25, 2014: Three-time state placer Korbin Myers (Boiling Springs, Pa.) verbally committed to Edinboro University yesterday evening. The No. 83 ranked overall Class of 2015 prospect was a state champion this past year, after finishing runner-up as a freshman and third during his sophomore campaign. Myers has a career record of 137-8, and projects to be a 133 pound wrestler in college. No. 16 Norstrem opens up 2016 recruiting for Virginia Tech September 24, 2014: Three-time state champion Kyle Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.) became the initial commitment for Virginia Tech in the Hokies' Class of 2016 late Monday night. Including his eighth grade season when competing for Class 1A Tampa Bay Christian, Norstrem has a high school record of 171-3. He has won titles at the NHSCA grade-level nationals in Virginia Beach each of the last two years, and placed fourth in the 113 pound weight class at the Super 32 Challenge in October 2013. Norstrem projects as a 125/133 in college, where he will join older brother Kevin on the Hokies' roster. No. 49 Rodriguez stays in-state, chooses Ohio State September 23, 2014: Three-time state finalist Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry, Ohio) verbally committed to Ohio State earlier on Tuesday afternoon. The nation's No. 49 ranked Class of 2015 prospect is also a two-time Super 32 Challenge placer (fourth and third), and was both a Cadet Nationals and FILA Cadet freestyle All-American in 2013. Rodriguez was also a state champion in 2013, and is a projected 133-pound wrestler in college. He is the initial top 100 commit for Ohio State in this class, and joined two-time state runner-up Kollin Moore (Norwayne, Ohio) as the initial commits in this Buckeyes' recruiting class today. No. 9 Piccininni makes it four top 100 commits for Oklahoma State in 2015 class so far September 22, 2014: Three-time state champion Nick Piccininni (Ward Melville, N.Y.), who ended the 2013-14 season ranked No. 1 nationally at 120 pounds, verbally committed to Oklahoma State on Monday. The No. 9 overall Class of 2015 prospect was also a FloNationals champion in April 2014, and projects as a 133-pound wrestler in college. He joins No. 33 Kaid Brock (Stillwater, Okla.), No. 46 Boo Lewallen (Yukon, Okla.), and No. 62 Lincoln Olson (Davison, Mich.) as Cowboys commits in their 2015 recruiting class, who are positioned in the top 100 for the grade level. No. 58 Roark chooses in-state Missouri, becomes third ranked commit to the Tigers September 21, 2014: Junior National freestyle fourth place finisher Will Roark (Seneca, Mo.) verbally committed to the University of Missouri on Sunday evening. The No. 58 overall prospect in the Class of 2015 became the third top 100 prospect to commit to the Tigers’ program in this class. Roark will join No. 38 Jaydin Clatyon (Father Tolton Catholic, Mo.) and No. 41 Dylan Wisman (Millbrook, Va.) as ranked recruits to make their way to the Columbia campus. Roark is a two-time state champion, and three-time state finalist. This past year he was an undefeated 52-0, and he has a three-year record of 161-4. Roark projects to be a 141/149 in college. No. 37 Ugalde chooses Maryland September 19, 2014: Two-time state placer Josh Ugalde (Bound Brook, N.J.) verbally committed to the University of Maryland last evening. The nation's No. 37 ranked overall Classs of 2015 prospect has placed sixth and second at state each of the last two years, and a career record of 103-20 (68-9 over the last two seasons). Ugalde is a two-time Cadet National freestyle All-American, placing eighth and third in 2012 and 2013 respectively, and he also finished as runner-up in the FloNationals this spring. The projected 165/174 is Maryland's first top 100 ranked commit for the 2015 class. No. 44 Johnson first top 100 commit for North Carolina State in 2015 class September 18, 2014: Illinois state runner-up Tyler Johnson (Lockport), who finished 51-1 competing at 195 pounds during his junior season, verbally committed to North Carolina State earlier on Thursday evening. The two-time Cadet freestyle All-American was a national champion at 195 pounds in Fargo during the summer of 2013. He was also a FILA Cadet freestyle fifth place finisher this spring in Akron at 187.5 pounds. Projected to compete at 197 pounds for the Wolfpack, he is ranked No. 44 overall in the Class of 2015, and their first top 100 commit in this class. Hawkeyes nab No. 25 Young as their first Class of 2016 commitment September 18, 2014: Kaleb Young (Punxsatawney), who placed fifth in the Pennsylvania Class AAA state tournament at 138 pounds, became the first University of Iowa verbal commitment for the Class of 2016 on Thursday evening. Also qualifying for state as a freshman at 126 pounds, Young has a two-year high school record of 60-6. The projected 157 pound wrestler in college is ranked No. 25 overall in his grade level, having also placed sixth in the 152 pound weight class at the FILA Cadet freestyle Nationals this past spring. No. 50 Jeffries initial Class of 2015 commit for Oklahoma September 16, 2014: Three-time state finalist, and two-time state champion, Davion Jeffries (Broken Arrow, Okla.) verbally committed to Oklahoma earlier on Tuesday evening. The projected 133/141 pound wrestler enters his senior season with a three-year career record of 109-7. Ranked No. 50 overall in the Class of 2015, Jeffries was eighth at the Super 32 Challenge and sixth in the FloNationals during the 2013-14 school year, both coming at 126 pounds. No. 66 Simmons a second top 100 commit for Iowa State September 16, 2014: Two-time state champion Markus Simmons (Broken Arrow, Okla.) verbally committed to Iowa State University on Monday evening. The nation's No. 66 overall prospect in the Class of 2015 is also a three-time state finalist, winning state as a freshman and junior, while finishing runner-up as a sophomore. Simmons has a career record of 102-11. The projected 125/133 also placed fourth at 120 pounds in the December 2013 edition of the Walsh Ironman, and ended the 2013-14 season ranked No.1 2 nationally at that weight class. Simmons joins No. 85 Colstin DiBlasi (Park Hill, Mo.) as top 100 prospects to commit to Iowa State in the 2015 class. No. 41 Wisman a second top 50 Class of 2015 commit for Mizzou September 14, 2014: FloNationals champion and NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Dylan Wisman (Millbrook, Va.) verbally committed to the University of Missouri on Sunday evening. Ranked No. 41 in the Class of 2015, Wisman also won his first state title and finished third at the Junior Nationals in freestyle during the 2014 calendar year. In previous years, he twice placed second at the state tournament, and finished fourth in Fargo in both styles during the summer of 2013. Wisman projects as a 184 pound wrestler in college, and will join No. 38 Jaydin Clayton (Father Tolton Catholic, Mo.) in the Tigers’ 2015 class. No. 62 Olson third Oklahoma State top 100 verbal in 2015 class September 9, 2014: Two-time Junior freestyle All-American Lincoln Olson (Davison, Mich.) vebally committed to Oklahoma State earlier on Tuesday afternoon. The nation's No. 62 overall Class of 2015 prospect has twice placed seventh in Fargo, and is a three-time state champion. His in-season scholastic record is 137-3. Projected to compete at 141 pounds in college, and also having placed seventh at the FloNationals this spring, Olson joins No. 33 Kaid Brock (Stillwater, Okla.) and No. 46 Boo Lewallen (Yukon, Okla.) as verbal commits to the Cowboys in the 2015 class. No. 31 Limmex initial Purdue commitment in 2015 September 8, 2014: Two-time state champion Nate Limmex (Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Mich.), who has a combined record of 45-0 during these two consecutive title-winning campaigns, verbally committed to Purdue University on Sunday evening. Having also won a FloNationals title in the spring of 2013, Limmex will enter his senior campaign with a record of 82-9 having finished fourth, first, and first in the state tournament. Ranked No. 31 overall in the Class of 2015, he projects as a 141/149-pound wrestler in college. No. 19 Lujan a third top 50 commit for UNI in 2015 class September 1, 2014: Three-time state champion Taylor Lujan (Carrollton, Ga.) verbally committed to the University of Northern Iowa earlier on Monday afternoon. He joins No. 40 Max Thomsen (Union, Iowa) and No. 45 Bryce Steiert (Waverly-Shell Rock, Iowa) in the Panthers' 2015 class. In addition to three state titles, Lujan was runner-up at both the Super 32 Challenge and the FloNationals during the 2013-14 scholastic wrestling year. The projected 174 is ranked No. 19 overall in the Class of 2015, and ended the 2013-14 season as the No. 13 overall wrestler at 170 pounds. No. 11 Shields a fifth top-30 to commit to ASU August 30, 2014: Josh Shields (Franklin Regional, Pa.), a three-time state placer, verbally committed to Arizona State University earlier on Saturday evening. The nation's No. 11 overall prospect in the Class of 2015 has placed sixth, third, and second in the Keystone State during three high school campaigns in which he has amassed a record of 122-18. Shields placed third at 152 pounds in freestyle last month’s Junior Nationals. He projects to the 157/165-pound weight class area in college, and will join four other top-30 prospects in the Sun Devils' 2015 class. Those wrestlers would be No. 1 Anthony and No. 5 Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.), No. 12 Lance Benick (Totino-Grace, Minn.) and No. 29 Josh Maruca (Franklin Regional, Pa.). No. 67 James chooses Old Dominion August 30, 2014: Three-time state placer Brandon James (Perry Meridian, Ind.) verbally committed to Old Dominion University earlier on Saturday afternoon. The nation’s No. 67 ranked Class of 2015 prospect has placed third, fifth, and second in the state during his first three scholastic campaigns. James, a projected 141 pound wrestler, will enter his senior season with a three-year record of 125-7. During his high school career, he was third at the FloNationals this past spring, a Junior freestyle All-American last summer, a Super 32 Challenge placer in the fall of 2012, and a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American. No. 41 Agaisse early commit for Princeton in 2016 class August 28, 2014: Ty Agaisse (Delbarton, N.J.), an undefeated state champion during the 2013-14 high school season at 106 pounds, verbally committed to Princeton University this afternoon. Headed into his junior season, Agaisse has placed seventh and first in the state tournament, and has a two year record of 77-4. A Cadet freestyle third place finisher at 113 pounds last month, he projects as a 125/133 in college. In addition, he is currently ranked No. 41 overall in the Class of 2016, and was third in last fall's Super 32 Challenge at 106 pounds. No. 25 Moore a second top-40 recruit for Mountaineers’ 2015 recruiting class August 25, 2014: Three-time state placer Keegan Moore (Putnam City, Okla.), the nation’s No. 25 overall recruit in the Class of 2015, verbally committed to West Virginia University of early Monday evening. The projected 141-pound wrestler will enter his senior season with a 99-5 career record, placing third, first, and second in the state tournament. During the current off-season, Moore placed third at the FloNationals and fourth in Junior freestyle, both coming at 132 pounds. His uncle Hardell Moore was an All-American for Oklahoma State. Keegan Moore joins No. 36 Patrick Duggan (Cumberland Valley, Pa.) as a verbal commitment for the Mountaineers. No. 34 Early a third elite Class of 2015 recruit for the Gophers August 25, 2014: Three-time state placer and 2014 state champion Larry Early (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) verbally committed to the University of Minnesota on Monday afternoon. The nation's No. 34 ranked Class of 2015 prospect joins No. 10 Bobby Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.) and No. 15 Fredy Stroker (Bettendorf, Iowa) in the Gophers' 2015 recruiting class. Early enters his senior season with a career record of 125-17, having placed third, second, and first in Illinois Class 3A. He is also a three-time Fargo All-American in Greco-Roman, including a Cadet national title last summer and a third place finish at the Junior level last month. The projected 157 pound wrestler in college was also a placer in the 2013 Walsh Jesuit Ironman and a Cadet freestyle All-American in the summer of 2013. No. 36 Duggan chooses West Virginia August 23, 2014: First-year head coach Sammy Henson got his first verbal commitment for the Class of 2015 in No. 36 overall prospect Patrick Duggan (Cumberland Valley, Pa.). The projected 149/157 pound wrestler has placed in the top four of Pennsylvania’s Class AAA state tournament during each of his first three high school seasons; fourth as a freshman, runner-up during his sophomore year, and third this past season. Duggan will enter his senior season with a career record of 118-15. Prior to the 2013-14 season, Duggan placed third in the Super 32 Challenge at 138 pounds. He ended the season ranked No. 11 nationally at 138 pounds. Last month Duggan placed eighth in junior freestyle at 145 pounds. Top-15 recruit Stroker commits to Minnesota August 19, 2014: Fredy Stroker recently watched a replay of the Minnesota-Penn State dual meet from Feb. 9 broadcast on the Big Ten Network. The Bettendorf (Iowa) High School senior saw Dylan Ness of Minnesota pin Dylan Alton and electrify the Gopher faithful in Minneapolis. The Gophers would go on to defeat the Nittany Lions, 18-17, in front of 5,600 fans at the Sports Pavilion. "I'm hoping to have a moment like that in the future," said Stroker, a two-time state champion and three-time state finalist with a career record of 144-3. That could soon become a reality. On Tuesday, Stroker gave a verbal commitment to the University of Minnesota. He becomes the second top-15 recruit from the Class of 2015 to commit to the Gophers, joining Junior National freestyle champion Bobby Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.), who committed last fall. Read full story ... No. 12 Benick is fourth top-30 recruit to commit to ASU August 15, 2014: Lance Benick (Totino-Grace, Minn.) a three-time state champion and No. 12 overall Class of 2015 prospect, verbally committed to Arizona State earlier on Friday evening. He will enter his senior season of high school with a mark of 125-4 in those three state title campaigns, including a 48-0 mark this past season. The 2013-14 year was one in which Benick ended the season ranked No. 1 nationally at 195 pounds. He has been superlative in three Fargo summer runs. This past year he finished second in Junior freestyle at 195 pounds. It comes after two straight Cadet National double (Greco-Roman and freestyle) titles. Benick projects to the 197 pound weight class in colleg, and will join No. 1 Anthony and No. 5 Zahid Valenica (St. John Bosco, Calif.) along with No. 29 Josh Maruca (Franklin Regional, Pa.) in the Sun Devils' Class of 2015. State champion Kelly, No. 55, to Ohio University August 15, 2014: Cameron Kelly (Bellbrook, Ohio), a three-time state finalist who is ranked No. 55 overall in the Class of 2015, verbally committed to Ohio University this afternoon. The 2012 state champion, and runner-up each of the past two seasons, will enter his senior year with a career record of 110-7. He is the initial commit for the Bobcats in this class, and projects as a 133/141 in college. This off-season, he was a Central Regional champion in Junior freestyle, and then was one match away from All-American honors in Junior freestyle at Fargo after a 5-2 tournament at 132 pounds. No. 29 Maruca gives verbal commitment to ASU August 9, 2014: Josh Maruca (Franklin Regional, Pa.) made a strong surge up the recruiting rankings this summer with an Outstanding Wrestler honor at the AAU Disney Duals and a third place finish in Junior National freestyle at 145 pounds. The nation's No. 29 ranked prospect in the Class of 2015 is also a three-time st

Darrion Caldwell

Tom Ryan has guided Ohio State's wrestling program to five top-10 finishes in his six seasons as head coach, including NCAA runner-up finishes in 2008 and 2009. Ryan has twice been named InterMat Coach of the Year. The Buckeyes are coming off a fifth-place finish at the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship in a season in which they started seven freshmen. InterMat caught up with Ryan and talked to him about his Monroeville wrestlers, including newcomer Chris Phillips, why a takedown was not awarded in the closing seconds of the NCAA finals match at 133 pounds, what the win over the Iowa Hawkeyes meant to the Ohio State wrestling program, what makes Lou Rosselli a great coach, what his outlook is for the 2012-13 college season, and much more. The early contact period for recruiting kicked off on Sunday. You have already landed the nation's No. 1 overall senior. Are you targeting specific needs in terms of weight classes, or are you just looking for kids that best fit into your program? Ryan: I would say a combination of both. There are weight classes that we're still learning about with guys we brought in recently. There are other weight classes where you hope to get a little bit of depth and have some people challenging. This past season you started seven freshmen and finished fifth at the NCAAs. Your four All-Americans tied the second most in school history. Prior to the NCAAs you talked about wanting a team trophy. Obviously, you came up a little short. But how did you and the staff feel about how this past season turned out? Ryan: Overall we felt good. When you have individuals that you get close to and work with every day, you want to see each guy reach his goals, as well as the team. There was excitement with the Stiebers and Tessari. Campolattano and some other guys didn't attain the things they wanted to. Until you have ten national champs and win a team title, there will always be the ups and downs of coaching. But overall I think we were pleased. When we started the season, if someone said we were going to have a freshman win nationals and have three other wrestlers place, I would say we would have been pleased with that. It was a good rebound to a very tough season for us the year before. What did you take away from that 2010-11 season in which you went 2-11 in dual meets and finished eighth at the Big Ten Championships? Ryan: I think we learned a lot in that tough season. When you're winning, maybe you're not really assessing all the little things as much as you need to. But when you're losing the way we did, you really assess every aspect of your program, and I think we're all better for it. The athletes and staff, we're better now than we were before that season occurred. Tom Ryan coaching at the 2011 Big Ten Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)One of your highlights from this past season was a 21-9 victory over Iowa in front of almost 5,700 fans in Columbus. It was the program's first win over Iowa since 1966. What did that dual meet victory do for the program? Ryan: Iowa has been the standard for so long. They've done such an incredible job. When you think about all the great teams that Coach Hellickson had, and to never beat an Iowa team is pretty amazing. I think it's testament to the University of Iowa and how they do things there. For us, I think it was somewhat of a justification for kids in the state. It's so critical for us to really fence in the state and get the guys that we want from the state. So I think it was great justification, cementing in the fact that you can come to Ohio State. You can win national championships. You can be a part of a team that beats Iowa, Penn State, and others. It was a very, very important step in the process, as was Logan winning it as a freshman ... because there are a lot of great high school wrestlers out there right now that believe in their heart that they can win it as a freshman. When you do it, I think it gives great credence to the fact that they've done it before ... If Logan can do it, then I can do it too mentally. Your three Monroeville wrestlers, Logan Stieber, Hunter Stieber, and Cam Tessari, were freshmen All-Americans at 133, 141, and 149 pounds respectively. How much do they feed off each other? Ryan: They have a very healthy competitive relationship. They respect each other tremendously. I think Logan is the leader of the crew. He's the oldest and sets a great standard in every aspect of his life. So it's great having a leader like that. When Logan and Hunter were in the NCAA semifinals, Cam Tessari was fired up because he wasn't there. Then obviously he came back all the way through the tournament to place as well. They are a great nucleus for the program. Chris Phillips will be joining us this year, which will be nice. What has Chris Phillips shown you since he started training in Columbus and made a commitment to be a Buckeye? Ryan: Well, the only time we can see Chris is during the Regional Training Center workouts. He's an extremely impressive competitor. He has the toughness that's needed to excel at the next level. Now can he be consistent like the others? We'll see. A lot remains to be seen. But I'm certainly excited to have him on board. Do you anticipate a redshirt season for Phillips? Ryan: No, I don't anticipate a redshirt. Right now, Derek Garcia is going down to 157 to challenge Josh Demas. They'll fight it out. I think the loser there may come up and wrestle Chris Phillips at 165. There are still some question marks about our lineup. There are some really competitive weights this year, more so than any year I've been in coaching. Wrestleoffs will be challenging. Obviously, Logan Stieber's NCAA finals match against Jordan Oliver had a controversial finish. Some felt that Oliver had a takedown in the closing seconds. In your opinion, why wasn't it a takedown? Ryan: We have tremendous respect for Jordan Oliver. We recruited him. He's special. We knew that. We knew the preparation would have to be incredibly intense getting ready for him. The bottom line, in my opinion, is that the proper call was made. We saw Max Askren make a living there. Guy has his legs ... they can't get their head out, and next thing you know he pulls his hips out and the other guy is on his back. Obviously, it's my guy, but I'm very confident the right call was made. If his head came out or he lifted his legs, he would have had two. Also, overall, we controlled the pace of the match. I think that was the other factor. I think the guy that controlled the pace of the match was the guy that won the match. Logan Stieber, an NCAA champion this past season at 133 pounds, won in dramatic fashion over Russia's Akhmed Chakaev at the Grapple in the Big Apple held in Times Square (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Logan Stieber has put together a very strong spring and summer wrestling freestyle. He was runner-up at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, won at the Grapple in the Big Apple in Times Square, and recently won the W. Ziolkowski Memorial in Poland. Where has he made his greatest gain as a wrestler? Ryan: I think the greatest gain Logan has made is his toughness. He was tough when he got here, but now he's really tough. Greatness doesn't care how you feel. Greatness doesn't care that you may me a little tired today, you may be little sore today. You get your butt up at seven o'clock and you get in that room and you come back at three o'clock. He completely understands that. Both of his parents have an incredible work ethic. I think he saw that as a young person, how his dad works and mother works. He just understands that you have to put the work in. He continues to get stronger and tougher. Obviously, with a guy like him in your program, you feel pretty good about things. I know that Logan Stieber and Hunter Stieber are both driven to succeed. But it seems like their personalities are quite a bit different ... Ryan: Yeah, they're very different. One is much more laid back ... They're both kind of laid back. Hunter is more of a joker ... but when it comes time to step on the mat, they're equally as competitive. Hunter is extremely hungry to win some titles as well. They're very, very competitive people. Hunter is Logan's biggest fan. The relationship between the brothers and the parents is pretty impressive. It's pretty impressive in this day and age to see a family interact the way these guys do. How important has the Ohio RTC been to the Ohio State wrestling program? Ryan: It's the pillar. You look at the teams that are vying for national championships, they have a freestyle element where you have these elite athletes that set a very high standard. They're training alongside our guys. When I was at Iowa in '92, heck, any day I could pick one of ten people to beat me up. There were so just so many good people in there. Right when you think you're starting to get really good, you run across someone who is capable of winning a World championship, and you realize that you have a long way to go. They bring tremendous perspective to just how good a human being can be at this sport. They're invaluable. We have to keep it going, and we will keep it going. We've got some tremendous supporters that are backing the RTC that understand the importance of it. Lou Rosselli coaching Tommy Rowlands at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Lou Rosselli is widely considered to be one of the top coaches in the country. He was recently put on the Olympic coaching staff. What makes Lou a great coach? Ryan: Lou is all in. Lou understands the work that has to take place for people to reach their full potential. He understands how small the margin is between victory and defeat, and how much time goes into a one-point win. He's incredibly consistent. He loves the sport. He's very knowledgeable. For Lou, it isn't about telling guys to be in the room working out, he's in there. He spends a lot of time in the room with these guys. We're a very good team because we have him. The roles are well defined. He executes his role as well as any person in the sport of wrestling. He's a pleasure to have. Looking at the recruiting class you signed this past season, you added a few nationally ranked high school wrestlers in Nick Roberts, Mark Martin, and Nick Tavanello. You also landed an impact transfer in Chris Phillips. What are your overall thoughts on your 2012 recruiting class and how those wrestlers fit into the program? Ryan: Most importantly, the report on all these guys is that their work ethic is fantastic, and their character is impeccable. Those are areas, quite frankly, that we need to stay true to as a staff. Work ethic and character are two non-negotiables in recruiting. I feel all those guys have those characteristics. Now the question is ... Are they going to be able to make the adjustment to the rigors of day in and day out battling? A lot remains to be seen. I think we filled our needs. We're extremely excited about all these guys. Andrew Campolattano reached the round of 12 at the 2012 NCAAs before losing to Minnesota's Sonny Yohn, a three-time All-American (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Andrew Campolattano seemed to progress throughout his true freshman season and reached the round of 12 at the NCAAs. He won the FILA Junior Nationals in freestyle this spring. How do you feel about Camp's progression? Ryan: I think the sky is the limit for Camp. I think Camp is learning how hard he has to fight for points. This is guy that if he won the Olympic gold medal down the road, it wouldn't surprise me. He has that type of talent. When he was younger, in ninth grade, we saw a guy that was lighting people up and scoring lots of points. We want to continue to see him attack, build leads, and believe in the system, which is to get in in the morning, get back in the afternoon, and you do it regardless of how you feel. He has been a pleasure to coach. Coming out of high school, there were some questions about Andrew. There aren't any more. Andrew Campolattano wants to be great, and we're fortunate that he's at Ohio State. Do you see Camp as a career 197-pounder? Or could we see him at heavyweight down the road? Ryan: It's a constant discussion, really being led by Andrew, because obviously it affects our recruiting. Right now we feel like he's a 197-pounder. We've got Tavanello at heavyweight. We're still recruiting the weight. We just don't know where he's going to fall yet. 211 (96 kilos) is a perfect weight for him. We're watching that situation closely. But right now he's a 197-pounder. Looking ahead to the upcoming season, as you touched on, you have a lot of talent returning. Wrestlers like Nikko Triggas, Ian Paddock, and Kenny Courts come off redshirt. With so many talented wrestlers returning, is there a chance you could redshirt any of last year's true freshmen, like Johnni Dijulius, Hunter Stieber, or Cam Tessari? Ryan: There's a chance. Based on what we've seen as a coaching staff, day in and day out, the guys who are working the hardest, the guys who have done the best in the past, they teach you what to expect. We have expectations on what the lineup is going to look like. But it doesn't mean that things can't change. Ian Paddock is going to be a force in the middle weight classes. Johnni Dijulius doesn't want to redshirt. So Nikko and Johnni have been going at in the room. We're not really sure how it's going to play out. But we're excited about it. I think it's a healthy situation for us. If you're a student-athlete who is serious about winning a national championship, I don't know how you can't be excited about having somebody in the room every day that is going to push you. I know it made a difference for me as a competitor. I knew what I was getting into. When you've got an All-American in your weight class and your goal is to win national championships, well, you have to make the team first. How is your schedule shaping up for the 2012-13 season? Ryan: Our schedule is finalized now. Obviously, it's a grueling schedule that gets you ready for the end of the year. We're looking forward to it. Fortunately, we have a lot of depth. We're going to wrestle at Madison Square Garden at that inaugural event. We'll have Iowa on Jan. 4. I know they're looking forward to it, as are we. We have Minnesota, Penn State ... so as excited as we are, there is no time to rest because we know darn well that Cornell, Minnesota, Iowa, Oklahoma State, and even Oklahoma, after picking up those transfers, will be strong. It's very competitive at the top. Tom Ryan has twice been named Coach of the Year by InterMat (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Do you believe that Ohio State is a team that can realistically challenge for an NCAA team title in 2013? Ryan: I do. I think we can win it. I think Penn State has around 125 returning points. We have around 78. They're going to insert four guys. We're going to insert four guys. Is it a fairly big undertaking knocking off Penn State? Yes. But I've said we can do it before, and I don't think I believe it any more than I do now. This is a team that can win it if people live their lives the right way. We have the talent to win the tournament. We know there are things a lot more important than talent. So if those things come to fruition and these guys really train and believe, then we're going to be in the hunt. Is there anything else you want to add that we did not touch on? Ryan: J Jaggers has been fantastic with the team. He has been a great example for our guys. He's a fantastic young coach, as is Ross Thatcher. J has done a great job with our lightweights, just as Ross has done a great job with our upperweights.

OREM, Utah -- Utah Valley University wrestling and head coach Greg Williams have announced the hiring of world bronze medalist and Orem resident Justin Ruiz to an assistant coaching position. Ruiz comes to UVU on the heels of a long, decorated wrestling career that featured a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships. Ruiz is very familiar with Williams as he was one of Williams' pupils at the club level during high school and this is the second time that Ruiz has joined Williams' staff as he previously coached at UVU for a short time during the 2007-08 season. That year Ruiz left to continue his distinguished wrestling career but this time the three-time Utah State Champion at Taylorsville High School (Taylorsville, Utah) returns to Orem after recently retiring from competition. Justin Ruiz"I've spent the majority of my life in wrestling and I'm looking forward to turning my attention to coaching full-time," Ruiz said. "I'm excited to be able to help these student-athletes go as far as they can in the sport of wrestling, especially here in the state of Utah and here at UVU." "We're really excited to be bringing Justin onto the staff," said Williams. "He's accomplished so many accolades during his career and he will be a great positive influence for all of the wrestlers in our program. I coached Justin at my club when he was in high school so I know what kind of work ethic he has and we're looking forward to what he can help us accomplish here." Besides winning three state titles at Taylorsville High, Ruiz was also a three-time ASICS Junior National Champion, a three-time Fila Junior Nationals Champion and a High School National Champion. He also was a member of the Fila Junior World Team two times and the recipient of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 1998. After high school he redshirted a year at the University of Nebraska before serving an LDS mission in Concepcion, Chile. Upon returning from his mission, he spent the next two seasons as an All-American wrestler at Nebraska. Ruiz then made the transition to the international ranks, where he went on to become a seven-time U.S. Open National Champion, six-time U.S. World Team member, 10-time U.S. National Team member, two-time Olympic alternate, two-time US Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year, four-time Pan American Champion, a World Cup Silver Medalist and a member of the first and only U.S. Greco-Roman Team to win a World Championship (2007). Williams, Ruiz and Erkin Tadzhimetov will make up the 2012-13 Wolverine wrestling coaching staff. "I've known Greg for a long time and I'm excited for the opportunity to be able to work together with him as well as Erkin," Ruiz added. "I also know the benefits of Greg's system because it worked for me and that's something that I can show the guys."

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA Division III Wrestling Committee announced Monday the selection of six sites to host the 2013 Division III Wrestling Regional Championships. The selected sites and host schools are: The six-site regional format is part of a new qualification process for the Division III Wrestling Championships, approved by the Division III Championships Committee in April. The format says that the top-three wrestlers from each weight class will advance to the championships from each of the six regional sites, allowing for a total of 180 qualifiers. The previous Division III wrestling qualification system consisted of seven automatic-qualifying conferences and two NCAA sponsored regionals that moved 170 student-athletes onto the championships through automatic bids and at-large selections. Student-athletes advancing out of the 2013 regional championships will compete at the Division III Wrestling Championships scheduled for March 15-16 at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Ali Bernard

Terry Steiner

Grade Rankings: Top 100 Seniors|Top 50 Juniors|Top 50 Sophomores|Top 25 Freshmen|Top 15 Junior High Sunday was July 1 and the initial day that Division I college coaches could make direct contact with prospective student-athletes from the Class of 2013. The day before that was the conclusion of the Junior National Duals in Oklahoma City. The freestyle and Greco-Roman event featured a vast collection of high-level talent from this class, as well as the graduating seniors and juniors-to-be. It is one where many an elite wrestler will lose multiple matches, and conversely an opportunity for wrestlers to amass multiple "quality wins." Bo Jordan (Photo/Rob Preston)Even though the AAU Scholastic Duals (aka Disney Duals) are in progress in Orlando, rankings are being posted today to provide an assessment of the landscape as the contact period begins. Results from the Disney Duals, and from the Cadet and Junior Nationals in Fargo (coming up in less than three weeks), will be captured in an early August update of these prospect rankings. Leading the way in the Class of 2013 is Bo Jordan, already a verbal commit to Ohio State. The three-time state champion from St. Paris Graham, Ohio, has a career record of 133-1. The loss came to Nate Skonieczny, who is bound for the University of Iowa, in the overtime tiebreaker at the final of the Top Gun Tournament during his freshman year; a result which was avenged by a 3-1 state semifinal victory. Jordan has also won titles at the Walsh Ironman these past two seasons Right behind Jordan is the very impressive Adam Coon, a three-time state champion from Fowlerville, Mich. Over the two previous summers in Fargo, he has a 30-2 record with a Cadet and Junior title in Greco-Roman with second and third-place finishes in freestyle. Also on the resume was a Cadet freestyle World title late last summer, a FILA Junior Greco-Roman title this spring, and a fifth-place finish in FILA Junior freestyle. His high school career record is 157-3, including 106-0 the last two seasons, and with eight pins in 12 career state tournament matches. Third in this rising senior class is two-time state champion Isaiah Martinez from Lemoore, Calif. In the last fifteen or so months, he finished second and first at the FloNationals; took second at the Walsh Ironman in the 152-pound weight class, losing just 2-0 to Bo Jordan; and was undefeated at the America's Cup over the Memorial Day holiday, which included a 7-3 victory over Ben Whitford and a 14-5 major decision against a two-time Ohio state champion. Ben Whitford is fourth in the Class of 2013. After winning a pair of state titles at Marmion Academy in Illinois, he returned home to St. Johns, Mich., this past year to win yet another state title and move his career record to 127-1. His resume is extremely robust, including six finals appearances in Fargo and five championships (double titles the previous two summers). The University of Michigan-bound wrestler was a dominant champion at the Super 32 Challenge this past fall with five pins, a technical fall, and then 13-3 major decision in the final at 138 pounds. Class of 2013 Top 10 Recruits 1. Bo Jordan, St. Paris Graham, Ohio 2. Adam Coon, Fowlerville, Mich. 3. Isaiah Martinez, Lemoore, Calif. 4. Ben Whitford, St. Johns, Mich. 5. Brooks Black, Blair Academy, N.J. 6. J'den Cox, Hickman, Mo. 7. Jake Short, Simley, Minn. 8. Brian Murphy, Glenbard North, Ill. 9. Cody Wiercioch, Canon McMillan, Pa. 10. A. Ashnault, So. Plainfield, N.J.Closing out the top five in this group is Brooks Black from Blair Academy. Black is a two-time National Prep champion, Walsh Ironman champion, and Beast of the East champion. In addition, Black won three Cadet National titles in Fargo, finished sixth in Junior National freestyle last summer, and won three FILA Cadet National titles. Along with Coon, Black is a heavyweight wrestler with the rare trifecta of being big, athletic, and possessing vast wrestling abilities. Other highlights of the Top 100 in the Class of 2013 are three St. Edward, Ohio, wrestlers inside the top 18 (and a fourth in the rankings as well); Pennsylvania with 17 in the rankings (6 top 30, another 6 top 50, and the last five inside the top 70; and three other programs with three in the rankings (St. Johns, Blair Academy, and Christiansburg). Kyle Snyder (Photo/Rob Preston)Like the Class of 2013, the junior to be group is also very talented. It is led by the much ballyhooed Chance Marsteller. The two-time state champion from Kennard-Dale, Pa., is undefeated for his high school career with two championships at the POWERade. Additional features on the resume are a FILA Cadet National freestyle title, Super 32 Challenge title, a pair of Cadet freestyle titles, and a Cadet Greco-Roman title. Three high profile upperweight wrestlers reside in the top six of this class. Ranked second in this class is two-time National Prep champion Kyle Snyder from Good Counsel, Md. Snyder is also a two-time Beast of the East champion, won titles at the Walsh Ironman and FloNationals this past year, was a double Cadet National finalist last summer (freestyle champion), and placed third at the FILA Junior Nationals this spring. Fourth in the rankings is two-time state placer Nick Nevills from Clovis, Calif. This wrestler won state as a freshman, was third this past year, and runner-up to Snyder at the FloNationals. While sixth in the rankings is two-time state champion Thomas Haines from Solanco, Pa. This past year, Haines added Super 32 Challenge and POWERade titles to the resume. Other highlights from the Top 50 for the Class of 2014 are four Blair Academy wrestlers ranked within the top 30, and eight wrestlers competing at high schools in the Keystone State populating the rankings. Rounding out the top-ranked wrestlers in each class are Zahid Valencia from St. John Bosco, Calif., in the Class of 2015; two-time Minnesota high school state champion Mark Hall for the Class of 2016; and high school state champion Brady Berge from Kasson-Mantorville, Minn., for junior high wrestlers. Additional notes for the other three grade levels include nine Pennsylvania wrestlers in the Top 50 for the Class of 2015, along with an extremely talented incoming ninth grade group (Class of 2016) that has multiple wrestlers having demonstrated major accomplishments against high school age competition. Link: Grade Rankings

Justin Lester

This past season several freshmen showed they could compete with the nation's best high school wrestlers. The Valencia brothers, Zahid and Anthony, made California wrestling history as the only two freshman brothers ever to win a state championship in the same year. Zahid finished the season ranked No. 1 at 106 pounds after a perfect 40-0 season. But it wasn't only freshmen lightweights who made waves on the national scene. Heavyweight Michael Johnson Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) was a Prep National runner-up who finished the season ranked 13th nationally among all heavyweights. So who will the breakout freshmen be in 2012-13? Below is a list of 10 incoming freshmen to watch. Please note: Wrestles are listed in no particular order, and this is not an all-inclusive list or ranking of the nation's top freshmen in 2012-13, but merely a sampling of freshmen wrestlers to watch. Mark Hall (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Mark Hall High School: Undecided Projected Weight Class: 152/160 About Hall: Hall has received the most national attention among this group of incoming freshmen, and deservedly so. He will be entering high school with three high school state finals appearances and two high school state championships already on his wrestling resume. Hall was a state runner-up in Kentucky in 2010, and then claimed back-to-back Minnesota state titles in 2011 and 2012 wrestling for national power Apple Valley. He won three major preseason events in 2011, Grappler Fall Classic, InterMat JJ Classic, and NUWAY Southwest Kickoff Classic. Hall went undefeated this past season en route to winning a state championship at 145 pounds. His most notable win this past season came over nationally ranked Jake Short of Simley at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament. Hall finished the season ranked No. 3 nationally at 145 pounds. Apple Valley assistant coach Bill Demaray on Hall: "Mark is an outstanding student-athlete who has spent years preparing to become one of the premier wrestlers in the country. He is very relaxed and confident when he is competing and is like a cat that is ready to strike at any moment. He is a very caring person who will help others without being asked. Mark is the kind of person that any coach would be lucky and honored to have on their team." Luke PletcherLuke Pletcher High School: Greater Latrobe, Pa. Projected Weight Class: 106/113 About Pletcher: Pletcher is the Keystone State's most accomplished incoming freshman. He is a five-time PJW state champion and an eight-time TOC champion. As an eighth-grader, Pletcher finished fourth at the Super 32 Challenge competing at 106 pounds in the high school division. He lost a heartbreaker, 1-0 (ultimate tiebreaker), in the semifinals to fellow PA wrestler Michael Kemerer, who finished the season ranked seventh nationally at 106 pounds. This spring Pletcher finished third at FloNationals and fifth at FILA Cadet Nationals in freestyle. Last month he notched a win over PIAA state champion Ethan Lizak, ranked sixth nationally, at the NHSCA National Duals. Pittsburgh Wrestling Club coach Jason Peters: "Luke's committed. He works really hard. He wants to learn. He's tough. He's just a good kid. We've just been kind of fortunate to get the opportunity to work with him, to get a kid that has good drive that you can actually teach high-level wrestling to. It's been fun. The unique thing about Luke is that he has some great traits. His parents hold him accountable. He works hard. He wants to be good at wrestling. And he's tough. Those guys are hard to beat." Jose ChampagneJose Champagne High School: Montini Catholic, Ill. or Lowell, Ind. Projected Weight Class: 132 About Champagne: Champagne was adopted from Colombia and has only been in the U.S. for five years. He is just now completing his fourth full year of wrestling. Champagne did not speak a word of English when he was adopted, but has come a long way in a short period of time, both in the classroom as an honor roll student and on the mat as one of the nation's top incoming freshmen wrestlers. He is an eight-time state champion in Indiana. He has also won many national events, including USA Wrestling Nationals, Super 32 Challenge (middle school division), and Liberty Nationals. This year he was an Indiana Triple Crown winner as a Cadet, winning state titles in folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman. Izzy Style & Montini Catholic coach Izzy Martinez on Champagne: "He's only wrestled a few years, so he hasn't been in the grind since he was 5, 6, or 7 like many of these kids. He's relatively new to the sport, so I think mentally he's charged. He has a full battery. He's not drained. He's not tired. He doesn't hate it. Mentally, he's ready to win. He learns well. Not only that, but he's very competitive. That's probably one of the biggest things you can't teach kids is a competitive drive." Aaron Pico (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Aaron Pico High School: St. John Bosco, Calif. Projected Weight Class: 132 About Pico: Last year St. John Bosco High School in California had two of the nation's top freshmen in the Valencia brothers, Zahid and Anthony. Both won state championships. This year the program has another freshman phenom on its hands in Pico. He has been successful in national age group events for several years, but his major coming out performance came last summer in Fargo when he won Cadet National titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, and did so in dominant fashion. Pico added a Cadet National folkstyle title this spring, where he went 5-0 with three pins and two major decisions. He won 19-7 in the finals. At the California state freestyle tournament this spring, Pico did not surrender a single point and won every match by fall or technical fall. Pico will be a heavy favorite to win double titles again this summer in Fargo to cap off his Cadet Triple Crown. St. John Bosco coach Omar Delgado on Pico: "Aaron "Cheeks" Pico is a complete phenom in the sport of wrestling. What sets him apart is not only his work ethic, and athletic ability, but his total commitment to the sport of wrestling. Cheeks doesn't just like wrestling, he loves wrestling, and wants to be the best in the world. I am truly blessed to have the Valencia boys and now Aaron "Cheeks" Pico in my wrestling room. Cheeks will push the Valencia boys to be the best, as will the Valencia boys push Cheeks because the commitment they have to living like champions is hard to find in one young man let alone three. I look forward to journeying with him for the next four years." Mason Manville (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Mason Manville High School: Apple Valley, Minn. Projected Weight Class: 145 About Manville: Manville has been dominating national age group events for several years. This past season he moved from Virginia to Minnesota to wrestle for national power Apple Valley, and made an immediate impact in the lineup. Manville won the Minnesota Christmas Tournament, which included a victory over Junior National folkstyle champion Nick Wanzek of Simley. He wrestled everywhere from 138 pounds to 152 pounds for the Eagles. Manville went undefeated at The Clash. He entered the state tournament ranked No. 1 in Minnesota's Class AAA at 152 pounds, but was upset in the state semifinals and finished third. Manville has been impressive this spring and summer. He won both styles at Southeast Regionals. He placed fourth at FILA Cadet Nationals in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Manville competed on Team Minnesota at the Cadet National Duals and posted a perfect 14-0 record in freestyle and Greco-Roman. Apple Valley assistant coach Bill Demaray on Manville: "Mason is a very intense individual when he is preparing to compete or while he is competing. He has set high but achievable goals of someday being an Olympic/World champion. I personally love watching him prepare and compete because he goes full out the whole time. In the practice room he is always working hard to get better. Mason has been coached by his dad David and without a doubt this has given Mason a leg up on his competition. Technically and emotionally Mason has been prepared very well by his dad." Kyle NorstremKyle Norstrem High School: Brandon, Fla. Projected Weight Class: 113 About Norstrem: Norstrem, like Mark Hall, already has a high school state championship on his resume before he even begins his freshman year of high school. This past season as an eighth-grader at Tampa Bay Christian, Norstrem compiled a record of 41-1 en route to claiming a Florida state championship at 106 pounds. In addition, he has an excellent resume in Greco-Roman wrestling, as a two-time FILA Cadet National finalist (champion this past year) and finishing third at the Cadet Nationals last summer. He will be wrestling at national power Brandon High School for his freshman year, where he will join older brother Kevin, who is one of the nation's top high school seniors. USA Wrestling Developmental Greco-Roman coach Ike Anderson on Norstrem: "Kyle is a hard-working young man who is always looking for ways to get better. He loves learning new things on and off the mat." Keegan Moore (Photo/Dan Condon, Jackson County Pilot)Keegan Moore High School: Jackson County Central, Minn. Projected Weight Class: 152/160/170 About Moore: Moore, the youngest in a family of seven, comes from a wrestling family. His older brother Cooper was a nationally ranked 170-pounder this past season and signed with Northern Iowa. His brother Paden, who will be a sophomore, placed fifth in the state tournament at 145 pounds. Moore wrestles for Minnesota legendary high school wrestling coach Randy Baker at Jackson County Central, a program that has won four state championships over the past five seasons. Several collegiate standouts have come out of the program, including four-time NCAA Division I All-American Chad Kraft, NCAA Division II champion Nate Baker, and three-time NCAA Division I qualifier Cole VonOhlen, among others. Moore is a six-time Minnesota/USA Wrestling Triple Crown winner (state champion in all three styles), which ties the state record. He has wrestled two years on the varsity at JCC, and qualified for the state tournament this past season as an eighth-grader, where he went 2-2 at 138 pounds. This spring Moore posted a 20-0 record at the Schoolboy Duals, earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. He was also a USA Wrestling national champion in folkstyle. Jackson County Central coach Randy Baker on Moore: "Keegan is very athletic. He has a lot of natural tools. He also has a lot of experience. He's done a lot of wrestling since the high school season ended. He should improve pretty fast with the workout partners he has." Brent MooreBrent Moore High School: St. Paris Graham, Ohio Projected Weight Class: 120/126 About Moore: Moore is the Buckeye State's top incoming freshman. He is expected to be an immediate impact freshman for Jeff Jordan at national power St. Paris Graham. Last fall Moore claimed a title at the Super 32 Challenge (middle school division). He went undefeated this past season in junior school wrestling at Graham, and claimed an OAC junior high state championship. He was also a Philo Electric Invitational champion, which included a 3-2 victory over Luke Pletcher. This spring he went 8-0 at the Schoolboy National Duals in freestyle. He was also undefeated at the AAU Middle School National Duals. He was a fifth-place finisher at the Ohio TOC, where he split matches with nationally ranked Matthew Kolodzik. St. Paris Graham coach Jeff Jordan on Moore: "Brent understands how to really rise to the occasion when match time arrives. He thrives on the spotlight and is able to elevate his intensity level higher than his opponent when it is time to compete. He has a tremendous work ethic, but what truly makes him special is his insatiable will to win." Luke KaramLuke Karam High School: Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. Projected Weight Class: 106 About Karam: Karam posted a perfect 51-0 record through two years of junior high wrestling. He is a two-time junior high District XI champion, Cadet freestyle state champion, Cadet National freestyle runner-up, and Eastern Nationals runner-up. Karam was also undefeated at the Cadet National Duals in freestyle in each of the past two years. Bethlehem Catholic coach Jeff Karam on Karam: "I am really excited to have Luke and his brother (Cole) be a part of the high school team. They were born into wrestling (literally). I was actually coaching in a match when I got the call from my wife that she was in labor. I had to leave in the middle of the match and meet her at the hospital. Luke has been very self-motivated since he first started wrestling at age 5. Luke has a great mental attitude about the sport and shows a lot of maturity for someone of his age. He constantly looks at ways to improve his technique and is an extremely hard worker. Luke also is surrounded by some great workout partners in the room. He gets the opportunity to drill with Darian Cruz (nationally ranked, returning state champ) on a daily basis. Darian has been a great role model for Luke in preparing him for high school wrestling." Nick SurianoNick Suriano High School: Undecided Projected Weight Class: 106 About Suriano: Suriano trains at the Apex Wrestling Club in New Jersey, which is run by former Michigan two-time All-American Damion Logan. Suriano won his third Tulsa Nationals title this year. He has won the War at the Shore three times and the Super 32 Challenge (middle school division) twice. Apex head coach Damion Logan on Suriano: "Nick Suriano is a very focused, hard-working individual who has inspiration to be the best he can possibly be. Because of that, he's one of the kids that is always paying attention, trying to get the most out of his training and workouts because he needs all the answers for success." Apex assistant coach Matt Wernikoff on Suriano: "I think what makes Nick successful is that he wants to win very badly, and he has an understanding of what it's going to take to win on the high school level and on the national level. He's willing to make the sacrifices. He does all the little intangibles right."

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Q: Recently, former NFL MVP, Kurt Warner, stated that he does not want his children playing football. Do you have any reservations about your own children wrestling? -- W. Mondale Foley: You want to do this? Fine, let's do this. Let me start with a broader interpretation of your question. Sports aimed at children should teach skills and values that will influence them in maintaining an active and sustainable lifestyle through adulthood. What does that mean? That means that our job as parents, teachers, and coaches should be to give our children the tools and knowledge to show them healthy sporting options that they can continue to play for years to come. Obviously, football is WELL outside of these parameters, both because of the concussion issues and because there is no sustainable way to participate in full-contact football as an adult. There are other issues regarding football that make it unhealthy: lack of cardiovascular workout, injury rates, and unnecessary weight gain are just the first that popped into my likely damaged-by-football brain. Wrestling has injuries, too. Any activity increases your chance of a concussion while participating and wrestling is not different. However wrestling, unlike football, is a sport without additives -- there are no helmeted heads or shoulder pads to wield as weapons. Head injuries are ancillary in wrestling, while in football they're unavoidable. Nothing is scarier than watching a kids football game when nine-year-old kids leave their feet and dive headlong into a lineman twice their size just to impress their overcompensating youth football coach. Wrestling has its unnecessary dangers as well, premier among them being extreme weight cutting. Once the decision is made to start cutting weight there is usually no sacrifice a wrestler isn't willing to make in order to favor that weight and strength advantage. Cutting weight is lazy. It takes more discipline to maintain a healthy diet year-round than it does to shed ten pounds in two days. Disagree? How healthy do most of the former wrestlers you know look one year after they finish competing? Hell, take a look at some of our NCAA wrestlers with eligibility and you'll see some fleshy bodies. That type of cyclical eating leads to poor food choices later in life, and when you take away the two-hour workouts for five months you end up chunky. Given complete control I'd want my kid to start wrestling around his 12th birthday and would always encourage him to go up a weight class. The top priority of our wrestling community should be ending the cycle of binge and purge. How to do that, I don't know, but WEIGHT CUTTING will be our sport's biggest concern over the next decade. Gloomy, I know, but I also know that with leadership wrestling can once again be the absolute healthiest sport in the world. As for football? I suspect I'll love my children and because I will, none of them will play a snap, and neither should yours. Football doesn't make you tough and it doesn't build character, at best it'll give you a high school letterman jacket and a lifetime of headaches. Stick to running, swimming, and wrestling -- sports that maximize the human body's potential and when done in moderation leave us emotionally and physically healthy. Q: I am surprised that Michigan didn't make the list of the top wrestling states. They have produced 103 All-Americans since 1961, which is more than both Virginia and Minnesota. Recently St. Johns High School spent most of the past two years ranked in the top five with a few other schools also cracking the list. There was also the crop of Davison wrestlers winning NCAA titles: Paul Donohoe, Brent Metcalf, and Jon Reader. Cam Simaz won an NCAA title last year as well. As for the college scene, Central Michigan has spent more time in the last 10 years inside the top 10 than out. Michigan has had some success as well. Michigan State and Eastern Michigan have been a little down. Kevin Jackson and Steve Frasier both went to high school in Michigan before winning Olympic gold. Currently, some of the top freestyle wrestlers are training out of Ann Arbor and there is the USOEC Greco-Roman program in Marquette. -- RRudy Foley: I don't hate your argument. The only reason I threw North Dakota in as an honorable mention is because the Fargo tournament holds a special place in the culture of American wrestling and deserved a little recognition for its contribution. Michigan definitely deserves to be in the discussion of the nation's top wrestling states. Q: Has there ever been any more than five champions on one team at any NCAA Division I tournament? How many times have there been five? -- Rick Foley: (Realizes this is a research question, bangs head against desk.) THREE TIMES (H/T Joe). OSU had five NCAA champions in 2005 (Photo/Jeremy Cook)The first squad (since 1961) to accomplish the feat was the 1986 Iowa Hawkeyes Brad Penrith (126) Kevin Dresser (142), Jim Heffernan (150), Marty Kistler (167) and Duane Goldman (190). (Note: Four of these men are or have been Division I head coaches. Impressive stuff.) Next was the much-documented 1997 Iowa Hawkeyes. The NCAA champs that season were Jesse Whitmer (118), Mark Ironside (126), Lincoln McIlravy (150), Joe Williams (158) and Lee Fullhart (190). The other team to capture five individual championships at the NCAA tournament was the 2005 Oklahoma State Cowboys who did the deed with Zack Esposito (149), Johny Hendricks (165), Chris Pendleton (174), Jake Rosholt (197) and Steve Mocco (285) It's interesting that in an era of parity one school could be so dominant as to have five champs. But it seems to be the case that we are coming into a cycle of mega-programs with a sea of equally matched also-rans. As for the next team to have five champs? Well, if you believe in patterns, you might want to lay some money on Penn State having five champs in 2013, which was eight years after Okie State and 16 years after Iowa's second team to accomplish the feat. Q: Worst description of wrestling in Hollywood: A. A.C. Slater's girlfriend on SBTB almost passing out in a wrestling match due to her much larger male opponent's standing full nelson? B. Vin Diesel's pin (I guess flat stomach on the mat is considered a pin) of Everyone Love's Raymond's brother in "The Pacifier"? C. Louden Swain's coach wearing a singlet (over his T-shirt) during wrestling practices? D. None of the Above. -- D. Tompkins Foley: I'll eliminate the singlet over the T-shirt because I'm certain that at least one of our readers had a wrestling coach that dressed that way on occasion. In fact, my assistant wrestling coach wasn't scared to pull it off, but I can't remember if it was a joke or not. I'll choose to remember it as something he did to motivate us for dual meets. Did I miss something when I passed on the chance to watch "The Pacifier?" If you locked me on a plane for 14 hours and made me choose between sitting in first-class where I HAD TO WATCH "The Pacifier" on repeat, or else occupy a middle seat in coach between an arguing couple, I'd gladly choose to play Dr. Phil. However, if the first-class movie was Vin Diesel's "Fast Five" I'd be SOLD. I watch that movie by accident once a week, and each time I'm shocked by the attractiveness of the Brazilian female cop. Yikes. She needs more work.(Unfortunately, she's married to that enormous Australian dude who plays Thor.) That leaves me with "none of the above" or Slater's girlfriend almost going night-night from an illegal, albeit improbable, hold. I have to go with "None of the Above" because I'd never want to anger the SBTB overseers, or discourage them from including wrestling as often as they did. How many football games did we watch at Bayside? Basketball? Wrestling was their sport of choice, and though they flubbed the move in this situation, they DID get right that Slater wanted to wrestle at Iowa instead of going to West Point, where presumably he wouldn't be wrestling (Would hiring Joe Heskett have changed Slater's mind?). To my SBTB geeks: On how many episodes of SBTB was wrestling featured? Other sports? Well-researched answers get an InterMat T-shirt and the gratitude of our readers. Q: I like to compare wrestlers from different decades. Wrestling has clearly advanced significantly over the past 20 years (more funk). That being said, I give you this match: 2012 133-pound NCAA champion Logan Stieber (freshman) vs. 1992 134-pound NCAA champion Tom Brands (senior). Who's your pick? -- Robbie P. Foley: Are you challenging me because of my perceived (and not at all real) man-crush on Logan Stieber? Tom BrandsUnfortunately a "young" Stieber wouldn't be a match for 23-year-old Tom Brands, who won the OW at the 1992 NCAA Championships. Stieber's victory over Jordan Oliver was significant (although a *touch controversial), and though his wrestling style might have frustrated Brands briefly, I don't think anyone was going to stop that monster in 1992. Hell, imagine if Brands had the opportunity to wrestle on the entire mat? Stieber would've passed out from exhaustion. I think that Stieber may end up being more accomplished and his older self might've slaughtered Brands, but not the 2012 version. Brands by two. Q: Any more jiu-jitsu and I'm going to stop reading the mailbag. -- Jim D. Foley: You just opened the door. Adios, hombre! Jiu-jitsu is relevant to wrestling. Cael Sanderson knew that the value of learning more about grappling he invited black belt Ricky Lundell onto his Iowa State squad. That anecdote might not have ended with Lundell winning an NCAA championship, but it shows the power that the sport has in influencing wrestling. The sports are closer cousins than many people imagine. (It's NOT just for people looking to start their MMA career.) What compels many former wrestlers to take up the sport is the sustainability of the act (fewer injuries) and the attractiveness of a more technical and calculated set of skills and game planning. In many ways wrestling is checkers and jiu-jitsu is chess. Just this week comedian and UFC announcer Joe Rogan earned his black belt from 10th Planet jiu-jitsu in LA. Watch his promotion and listen to his speech and you'll hear the themes I've touched on in the mailbag and that many jiu-jitsu choose the sport: camaraderie, self-awareness, and physical conditioning. Rogan isn't a guy proud to get his black belt because he thinks it might score him extra points with women, it's just a minor recognition that he's dedicated his life to self-improvement through jiu-jitsu. Why should we stop learning about ourselves after our wrestling career is over? Jiu-jitsu is also an example of the type of healthy sport that I'd encourage my kids to practice from a young age. If he picks it up he'll also be able to dork up all those bully lineman and tight ends filling high school and college campuses with their false machismo. "You're wearing pads and you play four seconds at a time. CALM DOWN BUTKUS" Please note: Foley's Friday Mailbag is taking next week off in the expectation that you'll be wakeboarding and NOT sitting at your desk reading about wrestling. Feel free to send in questions and Happy Independence Day. See you back here on Friday, July 13.

Stephany Lee will no longer be heading to London for the 2012 Olympic Games as a member of the U.S. Olympic women's freestyle team at 72 kilos. The 27-year-old Lee tested positive for a tetrahydrocannabinol acid, a marijuana metabolite, at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City on April 21. She has accepted a one-year suspension. "I apologize to USA Wrestling, my teammates, my coaches and everyone who supported me for my mistake. I will continue to train, and hope to be able to represent my country at the 2016 Olympic Games," said Lee said in a statement released through USA Wrestling. Ali BernardAli Bernard, who was runner-up to Lee at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, has been named the U.S. nominee for the 2012 Olympic Games at 72 kilos. U.S. Olympic Team nominees are subject to approval by the USOC Board. Bernard, a native of New Ulm, Minn., was fifth at the 2008 Olympic Games. She is a returning World bronze medalist. She is also a two-time Junior World champion and a University World champion.

DES MOINES -- Hello wrestling fans! Scott Casber, Jeff Murphy and Geoff Murtha will be live in TDR's home-based Brute Adidas studios for another two-hour show this week brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods. Guest hosts include Nate Hansen, Troy Peterson, and Tony Sly. Live 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. CT its Takedown Wrestling Radio. Listen on radio, on computer, your Blackberry, or iPhone with the iHeartRadio App. This week's guests: 9:01 Mike Clayton, Stevens Institute head wrestling coach 9:20 Jason Peters, Pitt assistant wrestling coach 9:40 Chad Smith, Lindenwood head wrestling coach 10:01 Kevin Roberts, Oregon State assistant wrestling coach 10:20 Jason Gillis, Cradle Gear founder 10:40 Justin Lester, 2012 Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Former University of Iowa All-American Ryan Morningstar has been appointed to the Iowa wrestling staff as a full-time assistant coach. The announcement was made today by head coach Tom Brands. Ryan Morningstar“I’m excited to welcome Ryan Morningstar to the coaching staff,” said Brands. “He obviously has strong ties to the Iowa program and I have no doubt he takes a tremendous amount of pride in Hawkeye wrestling. I know he gained some valuable experience in the coaching ranks last season and I think, once again, he’s going to be a tremendous asset to our program.” Morningstar joins the Iowa staff after serving as an assistant coach at Wisconsin for one season. He joined the Badger staff following a collegiate career that included four NCAA appearances (2007-10) as a Hawkeye. He earned All-America honors in 2009 and 2010, and was a member of three NCAA championship teams (2008-10). “I couldn’t be more excited to come home and work for my mentors,” said Morningstar. “The University of Iowa is a special place and I’m really looking forward to rejoining the wrestling program and getting to work.” Morningstar placed third at the NCAA championships and was a Big Ten runner-up at 165 pounds in 2009. He suffered a knee injury during his senior season (2010) but still went on to place seventh at the NCAAs and fourth at the Big Ten championships. That same year he was named Iowa’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner and won the Mike McGivern Award, which is given annually to the team’s most courageous wrestler.

This week UFC featherweight prospect Max Holloway joined the show to discuss his win over Pat Schilling at the TUF Live Finale and upcoming showdown with Justin Lawrence at UFC 150. The youngest fighter on the UFC roster also talks about how he got into MMA and when he thinks he will be ready to contend for a title. Also on the show, Richard and John break down all of the weekend's action, including UFC 147 and Clay Guida's puzzling display against Gray Maynard. Do you want to listen to a past episode? View archives.

Related: Top Ten Wrestling States: Part 1 The list of America's top ten wrestling states wasn't easy to finalize. The states listed in this two-part series are a combination of the objective (individual performances at NCAAs, Fargo results, recent Olympians) and the subjective (cultural impact, leadership, overall reputation). This is a reflection of what wrestlers, clubs, teams and leaders have done to further the sport both on and off the mat. Special consideration is given to historical influences as well as how each state is trending. Therefore the list is both based on the history of the sport in each of these states and how they are currently influencing our wrestling community. Here is Part 2 of our two-part series looking at the top wrestling states in America. Let the debating begin! 5. New York The quality of New York's high school wrestling talent has never been better. Last decade wrestling fans were treated to the careers of Troy Nickerson and Jesse Jantzen. Nickerson, a 2009 NCAA champion for Cornell at 125 pounds. the Chenango Forks High School grad was the first-ever five-time New York high school state champion. Jantzen, who parlayed his four prep titles into a Harvard education, became that Ivy League school's first-NCAA champion since 1938. Nickerson and Jantzen, while exceptional, can't match the glow around the country's most talked about collegiate wrestler, three-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake of Cornell. Dake, who attended Lansing High School near Ithaca, next season is looking to become only the third wrestler in NCAA history to win four NCAA titles. When it comes to dominance, New York has produced some impressive talents. Rob Koll has turned Cornell's wrestling program into a power (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The most impressive and influential aspect of New York wrestling has come at the college level. Cornell University has not only done well to place at a few NCAA tournaments and crown individual champions, but make a substantial and lasting impact on the way college programs are operated. Cornell head wrestling coach Rob Koll has basically pioneered the CEO style of program management, and been successful in creating and maintain alumni support. From raising money for the nation's first-ever stand-alone facility to endowing each of his coaching positions, Cornell's financial stability and friendship network is the standard bearer for the rest of the NCAA. In addition to Koll's influence, the state has several other competitive Division I teams that have done well as regional entities, recruiting local talent and winning on the national stage. Hofstra had two All-Americans in 2012, and Binghamton added two more All-Americans to its growing list of wrestlers that have achieved success in recent years. On the hyper-local level wrestling is doing exceedingly well in upstate New York thanks to Journeymen Wrestling Club founder Frank Popolizio. His club, which brings in arguably the most decorated clinician staff throughout every season giving birth to some fresh-out-of-high-school talent and improving the competitiveness of the state at national tournaments. When it comes to the community aspect of the sport, some the most passionate and loyal fans in the country live on Long Island where allegiances are always tested and the battles between local high schools can draw respectable crowds. Finally nothing has been more beneficial to wrestling as a whole than Al Bevilacqua and his Beat the Streets Program. His non-profit has generated media interest, funding and reestablished wrestling as a sport in America's largest city. His organization and the support of the NYC donors could propel the sport to heights we've never understood to be possible. NCAA Division I All-Americans (since 1961): 133 4. Oklahoma The National Wrestling Hall of Fame is in Stillwater, Okla.I'll start with the accomplishments of ONE Oklahoman family. Pat Smith: First four-time NCAA Division I champion; John Smith: four-time World champion, two-time Olympic Champion, two-time NCAA champion, five-time NCAA Division I championship coach; LeRoy Smith: NCAA champion; Mark Smith: three-time All-American. On the team level, Oklahoma has been the most dominant state in the country with a combined 41 NCAA titles between Oklahoma State (34) and Oklahoma (7). The influence of college wrestling is pronounced and the Oklahoma tradition created by Ed Gallagher whose influence extends today as he remains the only wrestling coach with an arena named in his honor. Gallagher and alter Art Griffin did more to shape the current wrestling landscape than almost any two other historical figures. Their coaching tradition is now being shepherded by John Smith, but his in-state dominance is certainly being tested. Last year's addition of Mark Cody as the head wrestling coach in Norman means that the competition between the old rivals is tightening and with a sudden influx of major talent on both sides we can expect to witness more Bedlam duals like last year's 19-18 criteria decision, and higher placings at the NCAA tournament in March. The only knock on Oklahoma might be a recent dearth of in-state wrestling talent. Johny Hendricks was the last native-Oklahoman to win an NCAA Division I championship, though Chris Perry placed third at this year's NCAAs. Still, the Oklahoma wrestling tradition is alive and well heading into the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The Olympic freestyle team is going to be represented by two Sooners, Sam Hazewinkel (55 kilos) and Jared Frayer (66 kilos), and one Cowboy, Coleman Scott (60 kilos). NCAA Division I All-Americans (since 1961): 134 3. Ohio Written by InterMat high school analyst Josh Lowe This year celebrated the 75th edition of the OHSAA State Wrestling Tournaments, the first of which was hosted in Cleveland in 1938. Fourteen of the first 16 championships were won (or shared) by a Cleveland public school. Subsequent to that is the Maple Hts. (an inner-ring suburb southeast of Cleveland) dynasty led by head coach Mike Milkovich. In a 19-year stretch (1956-1974), the Mustangs won 10 state titles and were runners-up six additional times. Among the driving forces in that era were two of his sons, Tom and Pat, who would become NCAA champions at Michigan State in the early 1970's. Inspired by that, Howard Ferguson's charisma, wealth and vision built the St. Edward program into a state and national power starting with the maiden team state title in 1978, anchored by Brian Heffernan, who was the program's first state champion. From that same family came four-time All-American, and 1986 national champion, Jim (now head coach at Illinois) and two-time All-American John (now the primary assistant coach at St. Edward). In the 12 years before Ferguson's tragic death, the Eagles won 11 titles, only interrupted by a fourth place finish in 1988. Greg Urbas continued that legacy, and has led them to 16 state titles in 23 years (six other times in second place). Stars of the Urbas era include 2008 Olympian Andy Hrovat, four-time NCAA All-Americans Ryan Bertin (also a two-time champion) and Lance Palmer. The runner-up finish from Chris Honeycutt in St. Louis made it 22 consecutive and 31 of 33 Division I NCAA tournaments in which a St. Edward alumnus earned All-American honors. David Taylor gave Logan Stieber his only high school loss (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The program at St. Paris Graham (located between Columbus and Dayton) demonstrates that wrestling is not exclusively a Cleveland "thing." Brothers Jim and Jeff Jordan became the second and third four-time state champions from 1978-1983, and gave the Falcons their first state title in 1982. Jim would go on to earn three All-American honors and two national titles at Wisconsin, and is now a U.S. Congressman. Younger brother Jeff was twice fourth at the national tournament, and has been head coach for 11 consecutive state championship teams, and the 2008/2010 national title winning teams. Current Penn State superstar David Taylor (a four-time state champion from 2006-2009) is the defining wrestler of the modern Graham dynasty. Also of significance is Jim's oldest son Ben, a three-time state champion (2005, 2006, 2008), who was an NCAA All-American this past year. The Cleveland, Ohio influence extends the national wrestling media. InterMat high school wrestling analyst Josh Lowe calls the Greater Cleveland area home, as do Bob Preusse from Amateur Wrestling News and Dan Fickel from Wrestling USA Magazine. The interest in wrestling is so strong that since 1972, way before the Internet and teams from different parts of the state competing in the same events, Brian Brakeman has written a comprehensive forecast for the state tournament one month before the event. In addition, Mark Osgood wrote the seminal publication, Ohio's Best in Amateur Wrestling to capture the first sixty years of the state tournament era, and an addendum was subsequently published. Ohio natives have made their impact felt at the collegiate and Olympic levels as well. In the last 42 years, 25 of them have seen a native son win a NCAA Division I title (as have 9 of the last 11). These champions include legendary three-timer Lee Kemp; along with two-timers Pat Milkovich, Jim Jordan, Dan St. John, Kevin Randleman, Markus Mollica, Tommy Rowlands, Ryan Bertin, and J. Jaggers. Buckeye State native Justin (Harry) Lester is on the U.S. Olympic squad this year, Hrovat was on the 2008 team, Mark Coleman represented in 1992, Lee Kemp and Greg Wojciechowski would have been on the 1980 squad, Bobby Dougas appeared in 1964 and 1968, Bill Kerlaske was a three-time Olympian, while Harry Steel was a gold medalist in 1924. NCAA Division I All-Americans (since 1961): 177 2. Iowa Tell someone from Iowa that you wrestle and you're guaranteed to be engaged in a compelling discussion of wrestlers that attended their high school, or hear that their brother, father, cousin, uncle or grandfather was a famous wrestler. Perhaps nowhere else in the country is wrestling more of cultural staple than in Iowa. In fact, Dan Gable was so popular that in 2001 he was approached by leaders in the Republican Party to challenge incumbent Governor Tom Vilsack. Gable declined and Vilsack retained his governorship. Including Cael Sanderson, Iowa has produced two of the biggest names in American wrestling history and both wrestled collegiately at Iowa State and became NCAA championship coaches. Iowa's Matt McDonough, who will be vying for his third NCAA championship next March in Des Moines, is coached by Iowa legends Tom and Terry Brands (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)The state has an outsized influence on almost every aspect of American wrestling. There is an argument to be made that the style of American wrestling most often mimicked over the past 40 years was the "Iowa style" which is defined by superior conditioning and unending pressure placed on opponents. Iowa wrestling has also inspired some of wrestling's biggest pop culture hits with the books "Four Days to Glory: Wrestling with the American Heartland" and the "A Season on the Mat: Dan Gable and the Pursuit of Perfection." The prep scene in Iowa is healthy and not surprisingly the Iowa Hawkeyes have done a fantastic job of taking local talent and creating NCAA champions and All-Americans. For example, homegrown talent Matt McDonough could become a three-time NCAA champion and four-time finalist next March in Des Moines, far from ho-hum, but not the best-ever within the state of Iowa. The state has produced dozens of multiple-time NCAA champions and Olympians. Many of the top college coaches from around the country were trained by Gable at Iowa. His influence can't be overstated. Gable has woven his DNA into the fabric of our wrestling community and directly changed the way our sport is perceived by millions of Americans. More than a decade after retiring from coaching he's still the sport's most recognizable figure. NCAA Division I All-Americans (since 1961): 186 1. Pennsylvania There are plenty of places to start the quantification and qualification of Pennsylvania as the top wrestling state in the country. You can look at the number of All-Americans (295), NCAA champions (75), or Division I programs (12), each of which are a national best. You can look at the Dapper Dan where the Pennsylvania All-Star team competes ever year in a dual meet against the USA All-Star team (PA has a close to .500 record in the event, which started in 1975), or take a look at any number of other statistical oddities. For me the telling data is actually in the following anecdote, and not because it's SHOCKING, but because it makes complete sense. Pennsylvania native Jake Herbert won a World silver medal at the 2009 World Championships in Herning, Denmark (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Jake Herbert and Coleman Scott, America's Olympic freestyle representatives at 84 kilos and 60 kilos respectively, wrestled at the same club, Angry Fish. I'm sure it's happened before, but with all the different paths you can take to the Olympic dream (Colorado Springs and Regional Training Centers), I find it a bit heartwarming that these two knuckleheads GREW UP wrestling at the same club. Were they near the same weight, or went to the same high school we could add-in those factors, but they weren't and didn't. They just attended the same freestyle club and grew up in a time and place (mid-90's Pittsburgh) where wrestlers could be created. Obviously there is a new argument to be made for the state that revolves around the success of Penn State under Cael Sanderson. There are arguments to be made around the fact that Pennsylvania native Cary Kolat is the greatest high school wrestler in history. But none of these factoids matter, because you the reader know that Pennsylvania is the keystone of American wrestling. Within the borders of the commonwealth resides the most wrestling-pure subcultures in the country. You might disagree that Illinois is sixth or that California is ninth, but when it comes to No. 1 you knew the answer all along, which isn't to say that there won't be a new answer in ten years. Ohio or Iowa are certainly capable of making the jump. Until that happens the heart of American wrestling rests in Pennsylvania. NCAA Division I All-Americans (since 1961): 295

STANFORD, Calif. -- The deadline for votes for the 2012 Stanford Fan Choice Awards came to a close Sunday night on the Stanford Athletics on Facebook page and featured some close votes over the five categories. Stanford Athletics would like to thank all of its fans for participating and making their voices heard in selecting their favorite athletes and moments of the 2011-12 athletic season. A late surge in the polls Saturday and early Sunday vaulted wrestling's Nick Amuchastegui into the lead and by closing time, Amuchategui would be the fans' choice for 2011-12's Male Athlete of the Year. At the time of close, Amuchastegui carried 54.5 percent of the votes. Early leader Andrew Luck would be next with 34.3 percent. This past season, the senior 174-pounder from Talent, Ore. ended his collegiate career going 24-1 and reaching the NCAA Championship Final in St. Louis. Although he fell short in the title match, Amuchastegui still put together one of the finest wrestling seasons and careers ever seen on The Farm. He was unanimously voted the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year in 2012, becoming only the second Stanford wrestler to earn the honor. He captured the Pac-12 crown in the 174-lb. class, his second conference title, and for his career never finished lower than second at the conference tournament. He concluded his collegiate career with a 118-19 overall record, marking the fourth-best win total in program history. Amuchastegui competed in four NCAA Championships, earning All-America status on three occasions, joining Tanner Gardner as Stanford's only three-time All-Americans. Amuchastegui was also one of the top academics amongst his fellow student-athletes, twice being named CoSIDA's Men's At-Large Academic All-American of the Year (2011 and 2012). A mechanical engineering major, Amuchastegui is a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-America Team selection and was named the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year this past April. Nnemkadi Ogwumike, voted by the fans as Stanford's top female athlete for the second straight year, earned that honor with an even greater campaign as a senior. In leading the Cardinal to a 35-2 record, a 12th straight Pac-12 title and fifth straight Final Four appearance, she averaged a school-record 22.5 points with 10.2 rebounds a game, becoming one of just five Stanford players to average a double-double for the season. Ogwumike scored a school-record 809 points on the year, and became one of just four Stanford players to accumulate both 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds during her career. She ranks in Stanford's career top-five in field goals made (965 - first) and attempted (1,656 - second), points scored (2,491 - second), field-goal percentage (58.3 - second), rebounds (1,226 - third), scoring average (17.2 ppg - fourth), rebounding average (8.5 rpg - fourth) and free throws made (555 - second) and attempted (718 - first). Ogwumike, a consensus national player of the year candidate, earned a boatload of honors for her performance, becoming only the third three-time WBCA All-American in school history. She also earned All-America honors from the Associated Press, USBWA and John R. Wooden Award. She was named the 2012 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award winner and captured her second Pac-12 Player of the Year honor and was named MVP of the Pac-12 Tournament and Fresno Regional. Ogwumike captured 52.1 percent of the fan vote by Sunday night, nearly 35 points more than the runner-up, women's tennis' Nicole Gibbs, who got 17.4 percent of the vote. In the Newcomer of the Year balloting Chioma Ubogagu of women's soccer made a late push, moving up the ranks and taking home the honor. Ubogagu would top the closest vote of the week, grabbing 24.1 percent of the votes and beating out diver Kristian Ipsen by a single vote while men's basketball's Chasson Randle and women's water polo's Kiley Neushul were each just three votes behind. This past fall Ubogagu established herself immediately as a player to watch for the Cardinal. She scored 10 goals (second on the team) with 10 assists (third) for a total of 30 points, third-most on the squad, as the Cardinal claimed its first NCAA title. Those numbers helped lead to her being named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, to the Soccer America All-Freshman First Team, the NSCAA All-Pacific Region Second Team, the All-Pac-12 Second Team and All-Freshman Team, and the NCAA College Cup All-Tournament Team. Ubogagu stepped right into the spotlight at the College Cup, scoring Stanford's first goal then assisting on the second just over two minutes later in the 3-0 semifinal win over Florida State. Two days later, the freshman was part of the sequence which led to the lone goal of Stanford's 1-0 title-clinching win over Duke, supplying a through ball to Camille Levin, who worked ahead and fed Teresa Noyola for the goal. Stanford Football would take home the Game and Performance of the Year votes, both coming in the Cardinal's thrilling 56-48 triple-overtime win at USC on Oct. 30. The game itself featured 948 combined yards of offense, 13 touchdowns and 104 points in Stanford's 56-48 triple-overtime victory. What was just a 10-6 game at halftime exploded in the second half, as each team scored 14 points in the third quarter. In the fourth, tied at 27, USC's Nickell Robey picked off an Andrew Luck pass and took it down the sidelines and in to give the Trojans a 34-27 lead with 3:08 to play. Luck, who captured the Performance of the Year with 40.2 percent of the vote, bounced back, immediately engineering a 76-yard drive capped by Stepfan Taylor's tying touchdown with 38 seconds left. For the game Luck would go 29-for-40 for 330 yards and three touchdowns passing, and ran for 56 yards and another score. Running back Stepfan Taylor rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Both teams scored in the first two overtimes, and, with the ball first in the third overtime, Taylor rushed for the go-ahead score and Luck capped it with a two-point conversion pass to Coby Fleener, accounting for the final points of Stanford's thrilling 56-48 win. 2011-12 Stanford Fan Choice Award Winners Male Athlete of the Year: Nick Amuchastegui, Wrestling Female Athlete of the Year: Nnemkadi Ogwumike, Women's Basketball Newcomer of the Year: Chioma Ubogagu, Women's Soccer Game of the Year: Football outlasts USC, 56-48 in three overtimes (Oct. 30, 2011) Performance of the Year: Andrew Luck Rebounds To Lead Stanford Past USC, 56-48 In Three Overtimes (Oct. 30, 2011)

Related: Top Ten Wrestling States: Part 2 The list of America's top ten wrestling states wasn't easy to finalize. The states listed in this two-part series are a combination of the objective (individual performances at NCAAs, Fargo results, recent Olympians) and the subjective (cultural impact, leadership, overall reputation). This is a reflection of what wrestlers, clubs, teams and leaders have done to further the sport both on and off the mat. Special consideration is given to historical influences as well as how each state is trending. Therefore the list is both based on the history of the sport in each of these states and how they are currently influencing our wrestling community. Here is Part 1 of our two-part series looking at the top wrestling states in America. Let the debating begin! Honorable Mention: North Dakota Many of the nation's best high school wrestlers make the trip to Fargo every July (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Every summer North Dakota's largest city hosts the largest amateur wrestling tournament in North America. Like cauliflower-eared locusts the wrestling masses descend on this farming city with intentions of taking home titles in Cadet and Junior freestyle and Greco-Roman styles of wrestling. The Fargo tournament is one of the largest economic events in the North Dakota every year, and thanks to USA Wrestling's commitment to the city, wrestlers and coaches from several generations have a tournament site from which they can share common stories. North Dakota State is also improving its wrestling program, having hired former Minnesota Gopher and NCAA All-American Roger Kish as the program's head wrestling coach. The team had two wrestlers in the All-American round at the NCAA tournament in 2012, and with a good recruiting class and improved results the Bison could become a team that could produce All-American candidates every March. The work of Coach Kish is important, but Fargo is still best known for being the summer home of amateur wrestling in America. Without Wrestling's Oz, who knows how many fewer wrestling stories would start with "So we're on this bus for like thirty hours ..." 10. Virginia The state that gave birth to the Granby roll is itself on a roll. The high school programs in Virginia are as good as they've been since the 1960's and the collegiate options are the best they've ever been with nationally recognized coaches at the state's four top-tier programs. Virginia high school wrestling had for decades been dominated by two schools: Great Bridge of Chesapeake and Grundy of the coal-mining town with the same name. But over the past 15 years the power within the state has shifted. The top program is now Colonial Forge, led for the past 13 years by head wrestling coach Bill Swink. The Eagles, who've sniffed around the top fifteen nationally, are starting to also produce quality Division I talent, including the Huntley brothers who are currently on the rosters at the Univ. of Michigan and the United State Naval Academy. Grundy has alos fallen out of the top rans both nationally and in the state. The new powerhouse is Christiansburg, coached by three-time All-American and NCAA champion Daryl Weber of Iowa. The Hawkeye alum took over the Blue Demons program from Kevin Dresser in 2006 when the latter was offered the head coaching job at nearby Virginia Tech. (He was also the head coach of Grundy when they won eight-straight AA state titles.) Last year Dresser produced two All-Americans for the Hokies and at one point in the season had a top-ranked wrestler in Devin Carter (133 pounds), who he'd originally coached at Christiansburg. Bryan Hazard of Robinson High School and Roy Hill of Hayfield also have quality high school programs and have become charismatic leaders on the local and national stage. Steve Martin (right) and then-ODU assistant coach Matt Storniolo coached Ryan Williams to the NCAA finals in 2009 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)The college scene has been improving for the past six years with new coaches taking over at Virginia Tech, University of Virginia (Steve Garland), and George Mason (Joe Russell). Steve Martin, who was hired away from his head wrestling coach duties at former powerhouse Great Bridge to coach Old Dominion program, has experienced some success as well. Martin's aggressive personality has translated into wins for the Monarchs and even an NCAA finalist in Ryan Williams (141 pounds in 2009). The influence of the Martin family on wrestling in Virginia can't be overstated. The Granby System has been influential for more than forty years, and not just because any bum on Granby Ave. can hit a fancy roll. The entire area, including the media, follows the sport with some passion making it one of the area's top high school sports. Let us not forget that the state Virginia also gave us Poquoson graduate and the voice of USA Wrestling, Jason Bryant! NCAA Division I All-Americans (since 1961): 38 9. California You'd expect the state with the largest population to be higher on the list, and were it not for a rapidly declining range of collegiate options, California might still have the momentum necessary to be one of the top five overall wrestling states in the country. However, as it stands now the state of wrestling in California is mirroring the state of its economy: dismal and trending south. Still, though there are some general disappointments the state has some notable bright spots. The high school scene in California is solid, largely because of the vast numbers of competitors at the prep level. The California high school state tournament is one of the top five toughest tournaments in the country meaning that multiple time champs like Darrell Vasquez, Ryan Flores and more recently Alex Cisneros are solid contenders for NCAA titles and locks for multiple All-American plaques. The state also shows well every year in Fargo, FloNationals, and NHSCA Nationals. California natives Jamill Kelly, Eric Guerrero, and Stephen Abas were teammates on the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Much of the state's top talent hails from the Central Valley, including the cities of Bakersfield and Fresno. CSU Bakersfield won several NCAA Division II team titles in the 1980's and produced megawatt wrestling superstar Stephen Neal in the 1990's. Until its sudden dismissal in 2010 the program consistently placed wrestlers at the NCAA tournament. Similarly the Abas brothers from Fresno State were some of the most influential wrestling of the past two decades, with a style that evoked creativity and on-the-feet mastery. Unfortunately the recent troubles stemming from Title IX and budget concerns has dismembered the Bulldogs program and forced Bakersfield into what essentially amounts to a self-funded status. In their stead Cal Poly and Stanford each rolled out two All-Americans in 2012 and hope to build on those traditions with young coaching staffs and top recruiting classes. Canadian Olympic Team member Matt Gentry is also a NCAA champion from the Stanford Cardinal. Every season California produces some of the most exciting wrestling talent in the country and with investment at the grassroots level (BTS coming to Los Angeles in 2012-13) that state that made popular the skank roll and cheap tilt could climb the rankings and once again become a top five wrestling state. NCAA Division I All-Americans (since 1961): 152 8. Minnesota Written by InterMat co-owner & senior editor Andrew Hipps The land of 10,000 lakes has a rich wrestling tradition, especially in Greco-Roman. Minnesota has produced an Olympian in Greco-Roman in each of the past 12 Olympic Games, dating back to 1968. Chas Betts (84 kilos) will compete in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. But Minnesota is much more than just a Greco-Roman wrestling hotbed. High school and college wrestling programs in Minnesota thrive on the national level year in and year out. Seven-time defending state champion Apple Valley is one of the nation's premier high school wrestling programs. The Eagles have won two national titles over the past three seasons. Jayson Ness won an NCAA title in dramatic fashion in 2010 (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)The University of Minnesota (Division I) and Augsburg College (Division III) have combined to win nine national championships since 2000. In 2007, Augsburg's Marcus LeVessseur, a native of Minneapolis, became only the second college wrestler ever to finish his career as a four-time undefeated NCAA champion. (Iowa State's Cael Sanderson was the first.) In 2010, Jayson Ness, a native of Bloomington, Minn., claimed the Dan Hodge Trophy and InterMat Wrestler of the Year honors after an undefeated national championship season for the Gophers. University of Minnesota coach J Robinson remains a leader in college wrestling and one the sport's greatest promoters. Robinson and the Gophers have attracted some of the largest crowds ever for dual meets. The 2002 Border Brawl between Minnesota and Iowa in downtown Minneapolis attracted 15,646 fans, which set an NCAA attendance record for a collegiate wrestling dual meet. Rochester, Minn., located in Southern Minnesota, hosts The Clash National High School Wrestling Duals, and has hosted the Cadet National Duals, InterMat JJ Classic, and Minnesota Christmas Tournament, among other high-level wrestling events. The 1996 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships took place in Minneapolis, and the NWCA/Cliff National Duals finals will take place in Minneapolis in 2012. Minnesota/USA Wrestling is one of USA Wrestling's leading state associations. The Guillotine, a Minnesota wrestling news magazine that has been around since 1971, remains one of the nation's top wrestling state publications. InterMat's headquarters is also located in Minnesota. NCAA Division I All-Americans (since 1961): 78 7. New Jersey My roommate is from Toms River and nothing gives me more satisfaction than placing New Jersey in seventh place as he pleads for a spot in the top five. I've loved my visits to the Jersey Shore, but the Garden State's resume for inclusion as a wrestling powerhouse while impressive at the prep level is still very incomplete. Returning World champion Jordan Burroughs is from New Jersey (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)On the prep side, Blair Academy is the most successful high school wrestling program in the country. For the past 20 years Jeff Buxton has been creating some of the most coachable college wrestlers in the country, including recent two-time NCAA Champion Kellen Russell. High school wrestlers from New Jersey have recently gone on to win NCAA titles in the Big Ten, the Big 12 and even the Ivy League and many more have placed for other conferences across the country. The talent and toughness of a Jersey-trained wrestler is beginning to translate well. In addition to the NCAA titles, the state is also home to 2011 World champion and current Olympic gold medal favorite Jordan Burroughs. The state is filled with all-star talent, but for a state with arguably the third best stable of college-ready talent they're still missing a dominant Division I program. This list doesn't rate states based solely on the talent of their prep wrestlers because NCAA programs have enormous influence over the future of the spot on a local and national level. That Rutgers program has struggled getting wrestlers to the podium and Rider is serviceable, but not excelling, which presents a problem in ranking the state ahead of nearby competitors. States like Pennsylvania and Ohio recruit locally AND win, which in turn creates more interest at the local level. Should Rider and Rutgers start pumping out locally sourced All-Americans and NCAA Champions -- and I've predicted in the past that they will -- the state will be much easier to place in the top five, much to the pleasure of my roommate. Notable wrestlers: Jordan Burroughs, Damion Hahn, Donny Pritzlaff, Steve Mocco, Matt Valenti, and Kellen Russell. NCAA Division I All-Americans (since 1961): 123 6. Illinois The city of Chicago might be wanting for great talent, but the surrounding metropolitan area has some of the country's best clubs and fastest-rising high school programs. The state is undergoing a bit of a youth movement as well as increased success at the collegiate level. Team Illinois recently took home three straight Cadet National Dual championships, while the University of Illinois placed seventh and Northwestern placed ninth at this year's NCAA tournament. Illinois is the state that shows the most potential for becoming a future prep and collegiate powerhouse. Olympian Ellis Coleman wrestled for Mike Powell at Oak Park-River Forest, Ill. (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)At the prep level, Illinois has been led by Montini Catholic head wrestling coach Izzy Martinez and his complimentary clubs with the ubiquitous Izzy Style Training shirts. In Naperville, a suburb 45-minutes to the southwest of the Chicago, Team Overtime has become a juggernaut of a club. That team, first created by now-Michigan assistant Sean Bormet has been placing their top wrestlers in Division I programs across the country for several years. Another force on the high school scene is Mike Powell at Oak Park-River Forest, who has had the most success programs of the past five years coaching what has become an impressive roster of studs, including the Dardanes twins, Sam Brooks, and now-Olympian Ellis Coleman (Greco-Roman, 60 kilos). That program, which also competes for state titles year in and year out, is part of a long tradition in Chicago that includes the careers of the Williams brothers (Steve, Joe, and T.J.) from Mount Carmel. Pat McNamara is heading up a local youth movement in the southern portion of the state which is sure to produce some high quality talent that are guaranteed to be BEASTS on the mat. City champion and two-time state champion Max Schneider (Cal Poly) was the nation's No. 3-ranked wrestler at 152 pounds by InterMat. Illinois has some legitimate wrestling history between the collar-and-elbow bouts of Abraham Lincoln, the high school coaching days of former Speaker Dennis Hastert (IL-14) and the long-standing quality of the Midlands Championships. In spite of all that history it's actually the rush of new talent taking the podium at national and international events that makes Illinois one of the best wrestling states in the country. NCAA Division I All-Americans (since 1961): 137 Want to see the top five? Read Part 2.

Chance Marsteller finished this past season as the No. 1-ranked high school wrestler at 160 pounds, and No. 1 overall in the Class of 2014, after an undefeated sophomore campaign capped off by winning his second Pennsylvania state championship. He will take a perfect 85-0 high school career record into his junior season at Kennard-Dale High School. On June 3, Marsteller won the FILA Cadet Nationals in Akron, Ohio, which earned him a spot on the Cadet World Team that will compete at the FILA Cadet World Championships on Aug. 21-27 in Baku, Azerbaijan. On Sunday, Marsteller defeated Johnny Sebastian (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), 4-2, at the Adam Frey Classic. InterMat caught up with Marsteller and talked to him about his training, FILA Cadet World Championships, what his disappointment at FILA Junior Nationals did to him, whether he plans to wrestle in college or train full time at the OTC after he finishes high school, whether he would like to face Bo Jordan, what he needs to improve upon the most, and much more. What's your training schedule like right now? Marsteller: Right now it's just mainly at the wrestling barn at my house, just inviting guys in, like if a kid is home from college, one of my old buddies or something ... invite them in, work out with them. It's kind of a day-by-day thing to see who I can get in the room. Chance Marsteller claimed a Super 32 Challenge belt last October with a victory over Cody Allala (Photo/Rob Preston)You recently made the Cadet World Team by winning FILA Cadet Nationals. You'll wrestle in the FILA Cadet World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan in August, which will be your first event against foreign competition. What excites you most about that opportunity? Marsteller: The most exciting part is finally getting to go overseas and wrestle foreigners and just getting a feel for different countries and different styles of wrestling. I'm just really excited to go overseas. You have talked about wanting to wrestle an American style with a Russian mindset. What do you mean by that? Marsteller: Russians are really relaxed. Americans always try to be in really good shape and are always looking to go the full six or seven minutes. I kind of meant having a great gas tank, like most American try to have, but in the same respect have the Russian mindset of a relaxed wrestler. I know you wanted to wrestle in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, but were not allowed to compete because of your age. How disappointing was that for you? Marsteller: It was pretty disappointing because I wanted to wrestle in the Trials before 2016 to kind of get a feel for what it's like. But at the same time, it also let me be a kid a little bit and have a little bit of fun ... and not cut a lot of weight. I would have had to maintain my weight for a while. It allowed me to go up a weight class, relax a little bit, and focus on training. Chance Marsteller with three-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake of Cornell (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)You went two and out at the FILA Junior Nationals this year in Madison, Wisconsin. What did that do to you? Marsteller: Well, I was sick with some kind of pneumonia. I was upset that I let myself compete, and let myself compete at that level with the way I felt. Coming into FILA Cadets, it really gave me something to look forward to and reprove myself. I trained really hard for the FILA Cadets because of it. It kind of put fire in my stomach again. You have spent time at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Who is the toughest U.S. wrestler you have trained with at the OTC? Marsteller: I really don't know. I couldn't pick one. There are a ton of great guys out there who bring a lot to the table. One of my favorite guys who taught me a lot was Raymond Jordan. Have you trained with Jordan Burroughs at the OTC? Marsteller: Not really. We have maybe drilled once. You still have two years left of high school. Have you decided whether you want to wrestle freestyle on a full-time basis immediately after high school, or whether you want to wrestle in college? Marsteller: Right now I'm thinking that I'm going to go to college and just take an Olympic redshirt in 2016. If I go to a good college I'll be in the room all the time with tough wrestlers. Chance Marsteller dominated his competition last summer in Fargo (Photo/Dave Jedlicka, jedicheetah.com)Is there a chance you could spend one of your high school years training at the OTC? Marsteller: It has crossed my mind, but right now I'm not really sure. I'm going to wait until my senior year to see where everything is at in my life. Many consider you and Bo Jordan of St. Paris Graham to be the top two wrestlers in the country regardless of weight class. He finished the year ranked No. 1 at 152 pounds and you were No. 1 at 160 pounds. Is Bo Jordan someone you'd like to face? Marsteller: People have asked me if I've wrestled him before, and I've always said no. It would be a great match to wrestle. I've just never really had a chance to yet. I don't really go to the same tournaments as him. It's not uncommon for high school wrestlers to transfer schools to seek out better training partners and coaches. You have chosen to stay at the school in your hometown and not transfer to an elite high school program. Why? Marsteller: I have a decent thing going here. I have my wrestling barn and can pull guys in when I want to. It just kind of keeps the fire going ... because if everything is just handed to you, you can get lazy. But I'm always seeking out partners. I also want to be a four-time Pennsylvania state champion, so I want to stay in PA. You have stated that you won't be competing in Fargo this summer. What went into that decision? Marsteller: It was mainly just a focusing kind of thing. I know when I really set my goals on one thing, that's normally when I do best. I'm just looking to keep training, instead of focusing on Fargo, cutting weight for Fargo, and everything that goes into that. I can find better training partners, whether it be around here or at the OTC. Chance Marsteller, wearing Nike Kolat wrestling shoes, is uncomfortable with the comparison to U.S. wrestling great Cary Kolat (Photo/Rob Preston)Is there a current U.S. wrestler or international wrestler you admire or try to emulate? Marsteller: No, sir. People like to compare you to U.S. wrestling great Cary Kolat. When you hear that comparison, how does it make you feel? Marsteller: I don't like being the second someone. I'm just going to be the first me and I want to do what I do. I kind of get upset when people compare me to Cary because I'm still young and Cary has had a great career. He was a great wrestler and I'm far from being what he ever was. What are some of the things you like to do when you're not training or competing? Marsteller: Just the basic high-schooler kind of stuff ... just hang out with friends, go swimming, play basketball, football, volleyball, whatever ... Do you take much of a break from wrestling? Or is it pretty much training year-round? Marsteller: It's training year-round, but I try to find a month where I can take a three-week break from practice and matches, which gets a little hard because I get antsy and want to get back on the mat. Penn State has reeled off two straight NCAA titles, and will be one of the frontrunners to win in 2013. Being in Pennsylvania, are you a fan of the Nittany Lions? Marsteller: I like to watch them wrestle. Chance Marsteller prefers freestyle over folkstyle (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)You have rolled through two years of high school undefeated and haven't been seriously challenged. You only gave up one takedown this past season, which happened in the state finals against Brian Brill. Is it ever difficult to motivate yourself against high school competition? Marsteller: Not really because I kind of look at everyone as a national-caliber wrestler or a national champion. You can never really take anyone lightly ... You could have a bad day and he could have a good day. You just never know. So I have the same mindset for every match. Do you enjoy wrestling freestyle or folkstyle more? Marsteller: I love wrestling freestyle. Folkstyle, not so much. I have heard you say you have wanted to be an Olympic champion since you were 10 years old. What put that goal in your head? Marsteller: I guess when I first started training at Kolat's ... and just knowing everything he did, learning and hearing about it, and wanting to get better at that time. Cary always wanted all of his guys to set their goals high. So I said that I wanted set the highest goal. What aspects of your wrestling do you feel you need to improve upon the most to get to where you want to be in 2016? Marsteller: I guess just a little more maturity, a little more lifting. I need to get stronger. Also, I need to learn how to get past the older guys' hands. They have great hand position and head position.

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! Every Saturday it's Takedown Wrestling Radio. Join Scott Casber, Steve Foster and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/10 a.m. to noon ET. This week's guests: 9:03 Bart Horton, Air Force assistant head wrestling coach 9:20 Brian Smith, Missouri head wrestling coach 9:40 Jason Reitmeier, Augustana head wrestling coach 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update * 10:00 Bruce Burnett, Navy head wrestling coach 10:20 Joe Johnston, Missouri assistant wrestling coach 10:40 Tom Borrelli, Central Michigan head wrestling coach 10:50 Maureen Roshar, Wildrose Casino and Resort Fans, athletes, coaches: Join in the conversation live by calling 866-333-5966 or 515-204-5966. Listen on radio, computer, Blackberry, or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app.

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Q: What do you think of the Jordan Oliver vs. Logan Stieber non-takedown call at the end of the match? Didn't he meet takedown criteria? Don't we see less control called takedowns all the time, especially at the edge of the mat? -- Mike S. Jordan Oliver was close to securing a takedown in the closing seconds (Photo/Kevin Schlosser, BuckeyeWrestling.com)Foley: Blargh. I don't really want to answer this question because I know that there are too many people that think I'm irrationally high on Logan Stieber, but I'll give this question my best bi-partisan effort. My contention has been that Stieber's chest lock kept his position active, and that with Oliver's head stuck in Stieber's crotch no takedown should have been awarded. Even when you look at Oliver's grip, his left arms seemed to be wrapped around Stieber's extended right leg, but Oliver's right arm was around Stieber's left shin and ABOVE THE PLANTED FOOT. Stieber's chest lock, Oliver's head position and the way his hands were locked are what I think prevented his final shot from being called a takedown. The edge of the mat argument employed by those who thought Oliver had a takedown I think reflects on our conditioning as fans and wrestlers more than it does actual rules. The edge of the mat usually creates big scrambles with the popular kick-turn-kick three-step used by defensive wresters to avoid giving up the takedown. When offensive wrestlers hang onto one leg and then REEEEAAAAAACHH for the other both fans and the referees are ready to call an immediate takedown. Hell, even the defensive wrestler tends to give in a little when his second ankle is finally nabbed. Reaction times are truncated and both fans and referees understand the second ankle to indicate immediate control. In this way wrestling in the middle of the mat is significantly different than wrestling on the edge. Stieber had more options to pursue and as with all middle of the mat takedown attempts was given a wider berth in exploring those defensive options. The takedown wasn't happening on the edge of the mat so Stieber wasn't conditioned to sense that he'd given up a takedown. Also, with Oliver's head lodged in his crotch and with his thighs flat against the mat, Stieber reacted like a wrestler in a scrambling position which was essentially perceived by the referee(s) as the case. There was no need to declare finality to the action because not only were they not n the edge but Stieber's back wasn't exposed AND the referee wasn't acknowledging the clock. (Side note: John Smith and Eric Guerrero stayed on stage after the match to shake Stieber's hand. I KNOW that is what we EXPECT as fans, but in such a difficult time they showed class to congratulate the opposing wrestler even as theirs jumped from the stage in disappointment.) Q: Sounds like Ed Ruth is bumping up to 184 next season and Matt Brown will wrestle 174 for PSU. I have a two-part question: How do you think Ruth does at 184 in both the Big Ten and NCAAs. What about Brown at 174? Ed Ruth was the InterMat Wrestler of the Year this past season (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Foley: Heading into next season Ed Ruth is my selection as best overall wrestler in the country. Confident as I am in his ability, Ruth will face a stacked weight class including defending NCAA champion Steve Bosak (Cornell) and 2011 NCAA runner-up Robert Hamlin (Lehigh), both back for their senior campaigns. Still, if Ruth can maintain his dominance next season then he'll not only walk through Big Tens and NCAAs, he'll also earn InterMat Wrestler of the Year honors again and also claim the Dan Hodge Trophy. Matt Brown will do just fine and could easily contend for both the Big Ten and NCAA titles. His teammates (most of whom are PRETTY GOOD) think of him as some sort of superhero with limitless amounts of conditioning and incredible athleticism. Another year of technique and I don't see why he's not top three at the NCAA tournament. (Remember before this season Brown spent two years in Africa completely removed from wrestling.) He could very well do much better than third place, which could result in another NCAA team title for the Nittany Lions who will be in position to put as many as five wrestlers into the finals. Five wrestlers into the finals? You're right to be shaking your head. The Nittany Lions could squeeze in a sixth. Yes, they're that loaded. Q: What do you make of Sammie Henson to Mizzou? It'll be weird seeing him coach against Tyler Caldwell. -- Andrew H. Foley: Sammie Henson has experienced one of the most frustrating careers in college coaching. Absolutely no assistant coach has a more immediate impact on a program with more consistency than Sammie. He's a genuine dude, family man and a tough-as-nails leader, but when its come time for the increase in responsibility he's gotten some tough breaks. My hope for non-Mizzou fans is that we'll see a big-time program extend him the opportunity and until then I'm on the Sammie bandwagon screaming to AD's: GIVE THIS MAN A HEAD COACHING JOB! Henson will do wonderful at Mizzou. The team had 10 NCAA qualifiers and no All-Americans in 2012 and I'd predict -- depending on which conference they land in -- that we'll see eight NCAA qualifiers and three All-Americans in 2013. Sammie has THAT type of impact on a program. Look for returning starters Alan "Dirty" Waters, Kyle Bradley and Drake Houdashelt to make big gains in the first semester. I love that you mentioned Tyler Caldwell! Neither of these guys will let their admiration for each other get in the way of a good competition. If Mark Perry would coach against Chris Perry, I wouldn't doubt for a second that Henson would corner his Tiger against Caldwell. Q: You posted up some cool videos of Marcelo Garcia. Have you gone back and done any wrestling recently? Was there a big difference? -- Mark B. Foley: I have. Yesterday I wrestled with Minnesota's Chris Dardanes for 45 minutes and though I outweigh him by thirty pounds and stand six inches taller my neck is so sore from being bullied that I'm staring at my computer screen with my head on a tilt. I much prefer being choked out by Marcelo Garcia to being head snapped by a Big Ten All-American wrestler. One significant difference between the sports is the pace and the anxiety you feel while competing on your feet. I can "pull guard" in jiu-jitsu (go to my back) and be in a better scoring position, whereas in wrestling I HAVE to stay on top or else I'm losing. That variable alone decreases the anxiety of of a match by eliminating that necessity of aggression on your feet. And remember, in jiu-jitsu you are only ONE move away from an equalizer, even if you're on your back. Q: Bo Jordan committed to Ohio State even though his father, uncle, and cousin wrestled at Wisconsin. I think that this shows us it's all going downhill in Madison, don't you? -- Aaron M. Foley: Alarmist. Would you wrestle for Tom Ryan? I would, especially if I lived in Ohio. That 'Little Jordan' chose to compete for Ohio State isn't surprising and isn't indicative of a larger problem at Wisconsin. Yes, Barry Davis has been going through a tough streak as of late, but he's one hell of a good coach and I suspect that given this year to prove his wrestlers can compete at the NCAA tournament we'll see an influx of talent for the recruiting class rankings in 2013. Too much is made of what family members do in comparison to their familial predecessors. That we've had high profile brothers (Chris and Mark Perry) choose different schools is actually indicative of a very healthy family life. Supporting your children on their individual path to success seems to me like one of the highest ideals you can achieve as a parent. That written, my kids WILL ATTEND the University of Virginia. Q: I was wondering your opinion on what was the best individual rivalry in wrestling. Collegiate and international? -- Brad H. Foley: The best collegiate rivalry of the past 20 years: Brent Metcalf vs. Darrion Caldwell or Mark Perry vs. Johny Hendricks. The best collegiate rivalry going forward: Tony Nelson vs. Mike McMullan. The best international rivalry of the past 20 years: Keith Sieracki vs. Matt Lindland. The best international rivalry going forward: Denis Tsargush vs. Jordan Burroughs. Q: Battle of the Batmen Tournament Edition: Val Kilmer vs. Michael Keaton and George Clooney vs. Christian Bale? -- D. Thompkins (Semifinal results: Michael Keaton dec. Val Kilmer 6-1. Bale tech. fall Clooney 18-3, 2:26). Foley: Who is the Batman? Let's start with the one sure best-of in the Batman franchise: Heath Ledger playing the Joker is the best villain of the franchise and has a claim to best overall acting performance in the franchise. Can we all agree on this? Michael Keaton, who as we've discussed has had a so-so career since the late 90s, introduced audiences to the idea of Batman. His success in portraying Bruce Wayne's ass-kicking side was something he did well enough to spawn the Spiderman movies. Christian Bale has taken the role and elevated to a new potential, which also may or may not have given incentive to other superhero franchises (like Spiderman) to simply start over. Do you over-credit Keaton by saying that his original incarnation was the only thing that made possible Bale's role? Or do we treat it as an inevitability? Bale has an argument as one of the top ten actors of the past 15 years. If you want a passionate portrayal of a complicated character you seek out Daniel Day-Lewis (greatest living actor) or you find Bale. He's dedicated himself to his craft and created believers out of studios and fans. Even his role in Terminator Salvation could have flopped, but his detail and professional approach (NSFW) to the art of acting might have carried him past all his competitors. As Bale has become one of the biggest actors in the world, Keaton has struggled to find work and leave an impression on younger audiences. And I REPEAT: Bale lost 60 pounds for a role. That type of caloric restriction appeals to the wresting community and gives him the win. It WAS a foregone conclusion, Bale maj. dec. Keaton, 12-1.