InterMat Staff

David Taylor was named Outstanding Wrestler at the NCAAs (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) Penn State sophomore David Taylor is one of the most talked-about wrestlers in college wrestling, and for good reason. The 2012 Hodge Trophy winner was dominant in his second season, finishing 32-0 with 15 pins and nine technical falls. After receiving a wild card bid to the Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Taylor has his sights on Olympic gold. How's it been going since NCAAs? Taylor: I took off the last week off and was back on the mat this week and ready to go. It's been nice to get everything back on track and let my body heal up a little bit. What was the student reaction on campus? Taylor: It's been growing. I've been walking around campus a couple of times and people would stop me and say 'congrats' or whatever. Everybody reads the daily newspapers and stuff so I think a lot of people were aware of what happened. We keep gaining more and more fans, so I think it's probably a bigger deal than it was in the past. David Taylor gets his hand raised after winning the NCAA title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)You engaged with the Penn State fans way more this year than you did last year. Was that intentional? Taylor: I enjoy what I'm doing and I'm a pretty emotional wrestler, I think there's no reason not to express how we feel when we step onto the mat. Our fans are the greatest in the country and they're really supportive and it makes a difference in some matches. You were literally making eye contact with fans and nodding your head in recognition. That's a new one for you this season. Taylor: How ever many people are there and people are yelling and screaming, and suddenly some guy stands up and screams your name, it's motivating. It's awesome. I've been around wrestling for a long time and it doesn't happen very often, but I think people really like the way we wrestle and are really supportive. You're getting ready and you hear your name, there's no reason not to smile at them and recognize that moment. It helps. Penn State had three dominant NCAA champions. Was there a significant competition for recognition? Taylor: Frank, Ed, Quentin and I battled all season during matches to see who get more bonus points and pins. I think it helped during the season for us to be really dominant and we were going out trying to outdo each other. Competitiveness among the team definitely helped us. Did you compete to win the Hodge Award? Taylor: It's a special thing to battle with your teammates for those kind of awards, but if I could split it three ways I'd split it with those guys. David Taylor celebrates after getting a pin in the semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Everybody sensed bonus points would be huge coming into the NCAA tournament. Was it something you guys talked about in the room? Taylor: We knew bonus points were huge coming into the tournament. Four teams ended with more than 100 points. Bonus points make a difference and we'd been doing it all season, and coming into nationals you want to do that same things. Get a guy in his back and that's huge. Seemed to make the difference. Taylor: Absolutely. Me, Ed, Q and Frank's bonus points were equal to another All-American or two. I didn't realize that it could be so huge. Did Cael talk about scoring bonus points? Taylor: Not really. We had signs in the room with little things all season, stuff that said 'bonus points,' 'extra effort,' and that motivates us, but it's nothing anyone had to say. If there are 20 seconds left and you're up by seven points, guys were getting takedowns to get the major. That doesn't happen in the NCAA tournament because everyone is worrying about advancing, but guys like Frank and Q were cutting guys to get those majors. I think it says a lot about our team. Talk a little about the country's most popular backup, Matt Brown. Taylor: Such a good guy. Matt came in this year after his mission and was literally in better shape than everyone in the preseason. We were like, 'Holy smokes, this guy is going to be an animal.' He came in and kept getting better. Ruth wrestled with him all the time and loved it. David Taylor has a 70-1 carer record in two seasons (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Is he going to find the lineup next season? Taylor: Right now the plan is for me to stay at 165 and Ruth and Q are going up. Then Brown goes 174. So if you stay at 165 and Cornell's Kyle Dake moves up a weight class ... People are already talking about this like it's the "Match of the Century." Taylor: When you've got two guys that are pretty good at different weight classes people start talking. The only way to find out is if it actually happens. I'm staying at 165, so we'll see what happens. You guys are pretty close, right? Taylor: We grew up wresting each other and had similar growth patterns, so we wrestled each other at Fargo. I went to his house in New York and wrestled with him, and he would stay at our house in Ohio. Grew up pretty good friends. So ... Match of the Century? Taylor: I think it would be great for the fans, and great for them to talk about. Who knows what would happen, but it would definitely be good for wrestling and talked about for a really long time. You two might not be alone at the weight class with Andrew Howe and Tyler Caldwell rumored to be coming back at 165 pounds. Taylor: I'm all for it. I'm all for competition. It'll make it more fun.

Mo Lawal (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal was cut by Zuffa on Tuesday after a day of professional and personal setbacks. Lawal's bad day started when he went in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission to answer for his positive test for the anabolic steroid, drostanolone. King Mo lost his appeal and took his disappointment and anger with him to the Twittersphere where he made inflammatory and slanderous comments about NSAC commission chair Pat Lundvall, calling her a "racist bitch." Much has been written about King Mo's bad day, but none of it places the blame on the main perpetrator of wrongdoing: "King Mo" Lawal himself. If you take a look at where the controversy has ended up -- race and Twitter -- you have to address Lawal's assertion that comments made by Lundvall were racist and that King Mo was within reason to attack her through social media. To believe King Mo and the current discussion, you have to swallow a lot of half-truths and take a few leaps of faith. Lundvall, a partner in a Las Vegas law firm and chair of the NSAC that overheard Lawal's appeal, was incredibly tough on the former Oklahoma State wrestler during his meeting on Tuesday. She questioned him on when he took what supplements and why he so poorly documented them in his pre-fight questionnaires. After a long back-and-forth with Lawal (audio), Lundvall asked him why he failed to mention he was taking any medications (including Aleve), much less the supplement in question. Lawal immediately began to weave excuses to which Lundvall, like an exasperated parent condescending a misleading child, said "You signed this (application) that you filled out, did you not?" ... "And you understand English? And you read English?" King Mo was suspended for nine months and docked a total of $39,000 in winnings for the positive test. His Twitter response was immediate. "I honestly feel like Lundvall was a racist bitch asking me if I can read or speak English. Go on somewhere with that bullshit." Lundvall's comments were far from racist, and the only bullshit in the exchange was calling a woman a "bitch" for aggressively questioning an obvious runaround. Lawal's comment was a combination of name-calling and a desire for a discussion of racial issues instead of his own failures. But this type of excuse-making and distraction creation is "Mo being Mo" -- scanning the available landscape for others to blame for his shortcomings and failures, when he's the only person responsible for his actions. He knows he has no rational play, no substantial claim at racism. He's out of excuses, but where a floundering, desperate fighter would normally capitulate and recognize their errors, King Mo (because of his effervescence, intelligence and willingness to give a good interview) has received positive coverage by members of the media. Specifically leading the charge to make his dismissal more about inconsistencies in firing Zuffa fighters, and the need for a "Twitter Code of Conduct." Shortly after being dismissed (mere hours) Lawal was on the phone with the staff of MMAfighting.com (Ariel Helwani and Ben Fowlkes) pleading his case to friendly ears. The duo then took to the airwaves to mostly substantiate Lawal's claims of racism and inconsistency regarding the policing of Twitter. Later, King Mo popped up on No Holds Barred with Eddie Goldman claiming again that he was the victim of racism, and specifying that where he grew up in Tennessee the words Lundvall said were considered racist. Racial tensions have been exploited by professional athletes in the past to displace blame for personal actions. Whether the athlete is black or Hispanic or Polynesian the attempt to make an issue with one's conduct into a discussion about the racial beliefs of those making the decision is textbook misdirection. Asking someone if they can read is condescending and rude, but it's also a trope repeated millions of times a day by irritated rule makers (looking at you, Mom) who are frustrated by a never-ending stream of excuses. Lundvall's choice of colloquialisms weren't based in race, they were just focused on the inability of others to pay attention to the instructions as they were listed. Lawal is playing the race card for personal gain, and the media that supports Mo's assertions are calling shotgun on a fantastical joy ride. I don't know Lundvall, but it's categorically unfair to accuse her of being a racist, or assume that her comments were inspired by the fact that King Mo is black. For that accusation alone Lawal should have been fired. Never mind that he was suspended for using steroids, something that has gotten other fighters canned in the past. But that wasn't all he wrote, Lawal also called Lundvall a "bitch." He of course had an explanation for this as well, explaining that if you look on his Twitter feed he's called more men "bitches" than women. Who cares who else Lawal calls a "bitch?" He's a 31-year-old man who insulted and demeaned a very successful woman who did nothing but call him on his bullshit. If you want to talk about prejudices, the more common one in this exchange would be calling a powerful woman a "bitch" for being assertive. What about the Twitter Code of Conduct that the MMA media intelligentsia is so desperate to see? It's not a bad idea, but it also wouldn't have impacted any portion of Zuffa's decision to dismiss Lawal. The Twitter Code of Conduct might have been helpful in the case of Miguel Torres and Forrest Griffin, who tweeted broad indirect jokes about rape without a singular audience as their intended victim. These guys were knuckleheads, but they were also immediately remorseful for having offended women, and the victims of rape. Not only did both delete the offending tweets and apologize online and in-person, they also made attempts to perform good. (Griffin made a donation to a rape crisis center.) They showed remorse. Lawal did nothing but delete the tweet, but his offense wasn't having crappy comedic taste, it was attacking an individual -- one who happend to be his boss' boss (kind of). Zuffa can't allow their fighters to personally insult members of the NSAC. That's just bad business. But in terms of Twitter Code of Conduct, in no way would that policy include an exemption for calling the Chair of the Nevada State Athletic Commission a "racist bitch." As of now, Lawal is standing by his assessment that Lundvall is a “racist bitch.” He has shown no repentance, no comprehension that what he tweeted and what he's said is wrong. There's not an employer in the world that should keep someone that insubordinate and indignant on their payroll. Lawal is a good guy. He's entertaining. He's a decent fighter and a profitable draw. However, he's been handed a nine-month suspension and has attacked members of the commission. His behavior is more costly to the organization that hired him (and I'm including the use of steroids in his conduct) than it is worth to keep him around. Lawal needs to learn his lessons and needs to apologize. He needs to stop making excuses and own up to his mistakes. Lawal's a wrestler by training, and would be well-served to remember two lessons from his days on the mat: One: Never speak to a referee. Two: When you lose, you only have yourself to blame.

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! This Saturday it's Takedown Wrestling Radio. Join Scott Casber and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. to noon ET. Special guest host: former PA wrestler, Now Marine Corp. Sgt. Wayne Edmiston This week's guests: 9:03 Jeff Bowyer, Brute 9:15 Takedown Wrestling Headline News with Brad Johnson 9:20 Jim Giunta, NCWA 9:40 Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:03 Rashad Evans, UFC fighter 10:20 Gil Martinez 10:40 Mike Ester, Indiana Tech coach 10:50 Amy Ruble, 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.

Lee Kemp and Kelly Ward will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, March 28. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM Central on AM 1650, The Fan. An archive of the show can be found on www.themat.tv. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Kemp was a three-time NCAA champion for Wisconsin (1976, 1977, and 1978) and a three-time World champion (1978, 1979, and 1982). Kemp’s current company -- Forza -- sells nutritional supplements. It is an official partner of USA Wrestling. Ward will enter the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa on April 14. He was an NCAA champion in 1979 and a three-time NCAA championship finalist at Iowa State. Kemp and Ward faced each other in the NCAA finals at 158 pounds in 1977 and 1978.

Across the country, the end-of-season individual state tournaments are completed over a stretch of five weekends. However, this coming week, all three major post-season national tournaments will be conducted. The National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) sponsors its annual grade-level nationals events in Virginia Beach, as the freshman, sophomore, and junior competitions commence today, with those finals being conducted Friday evening. The senior event will start on Friday, and continue through its finals on Sunday. At present, 1745 underclassmen are registered to compete with at least 675 seniors slated to join the fray. On the other hand, Flowrestling is sponsoring an all-class event for the third consecutive year. This year, the FloNationals moved to the campus of Drexel University in Philadelphia. This event will be held on Saturday and Sunday, and sold out at its capacity of 800 wrestlers. Finally, USA Wrestling is hosting its Folkstyle National Championships this weekend at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa for all of its age groups -- including the high school comparable Cadet and Junior levels. The joint Cadet/Junior event is on the verge of selling out at a capacity of 1300 wrestlers, with an estimated 620 Cadets and 680 Juniors expected to compete. With close to 4,500 high school aged wrestlers taking to the mats in these high-level tournaments this week, it is somewhat surprising to see the limited number of nationally ranked wrestlers in this list. Out of the 280 wrestlers that appear in the high school weight class rankings (14 weight classes, 20 wrestlers per weight), just a little less than one-third of this pool is currently in one of the events. Below is a breakdown of nationally ranked wrestlers by event ... At NHSCA Senior Nationals 120: No. 9 Nick Herrmann (Amarillo Tascola, Texas), No. 20 Hermilio Esquivel (Orland, Calif.) 126: No. 8 Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, Md.), No. 11 Hunter Weber (Marshall, Wis.), and No. 17 Max Hvolbek (Blair Academy, N.J.) 132: No. 3 Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.) 138: No. 5 Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.) 145: No. 16 Alenick Richardson (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.), No. 19 (at 170) Jared Reis (Napoleon, N.D.) 152: No. 12 (at 160) Dylan Palacio (Long Beach, N.Y.), No. 13 Jake Elliott (Oakmont, Calif.), No. 16 Sal Mastriani (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.), No. 17 Austin Trott (Camden County, Ga.), No. 19 Raamiah Bethea (Trenton Central, N.J.), and No. 20 Aaron Walker (Judson, Texas) 160: No. 4 Clark Glass (Brandon, Fla.), No. 7 (at 170) Geordan Speiller (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.), No. 7 Cody Allala (Hopewell, Va.), and No. 20 Chris Nevinger (Letchworth, N.Y.) 170: No. 3 (at 182) Jordan Thomas (Greenville, Mich.), No. 14 Silas Nacita (Bakersfield, Calif.) 182: No. 2 (at 170) Kyle Crutchmer (Tulsa Union, Okla.), No. 10 Jake Dechow (Richmond Burton, Ill.), and No. 11 Taylor McGiffen (Alton, Ill.) 195: No. 2 Tim Dudley (Irmo, S.C.), No. 13 Dwight Howes (Arvada, Co.), No. 18 (at 220) J.T. Goodwin (Bear Creek, Calif.), and No. 19 Shawn Scott (Holly, Mich.) 285: No. 4 Mimmo Lytle (Swanton, Ohio), No. 5 Austin Goergen (Caledonia, Minn.), and No. 20 (at 220) Austin Lobsinger (West Valley, Calif.) At NHSCA Junior Nationals 113: No. 10 Zac Gentzler (Andover Central, Kan.) 132: No. 16 (at 126) Chris Wilkes (Whitfield, Mo.) 138: No. 14 B.J. Clagon (Toms River South, N.J.) 145: No. 10 (at 138) Austin Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) 152: No. 15 Coleman Hammond (Bakersfield, Calif.) 182: No. 8 Domenic Abounader (St. Edward, Ohio) 220: No. 6 J'Den Cox (Hickman, Mo.), No. 15 Spencer Empey (Reed, Nev.) At the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals 106: No. 10 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.) 138: No. 18 Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md.) At FloNationals 106: No. 1 Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 113: No. 13 Kyle Gliva (Simley, Minn.), No. 14 Jonas Gayton (Clovis, Calif.), and No. 20 (at 106) Domenic Forys (North Allegheny, Pa.) 120: No. 6 (at 113) Jason Nolf (Kittaning, Pa.), No. 12 Godwin Nyama (Brashear, Pa.) 126: No. 15 Jeffrey Ott (Belmont Hill, Mass.) 132: No. 12 Niko Villarreal (Gilroy, Calif.) 138: No. 2 (at 132) Alex Cisneros (Selma, Calif.), No. 3 (at 145) Jake Short (Simley, Minn.), No. 8 Matt Cimato (LaSalle, Pa.), No. 12 Tony DeAngelo (Southern Alamance, N.C.), No. 15 (at 145) Willie Fox (Gilroy, Calif.), and No. 17 Shayne Tucker (Bella Vista, Calif.) 145: No. 14 Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.) 152: No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, Calif.), No. 10 Josh Llopez (La Plata, Md.), No. 11 Nick Wanzek (Simley, Minn.), and No. 12 Nick Becker (Hartford, Wis.) 160: No. 2 Joey Davis (Santa Fe, Calif.), No. 5 (at 170) Micah Barnes (Simley, Minn.), and No. 9 Victor Pereira (Newark Memorial, Calif.) 170: No. 10 Zach Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) 182: No. 5 Nikko Reyes (Clovis West, Calif.), No. 15 Kevin Beazley (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), and No. 18 Ryan Wolfe (Caravel Academy, Del.) 195: No. 5 Gage Harrah (Crystal Lake Central, Ill.) 220: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.), No. 8 (at 285) Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), No. 15 Spencer Empey (Reed, Nev.) 285: No. 9 Nick Tavanello (Wadsworth, Ohio), No. 11 Dink Purnell (Sussex Tech, Del.) At USA Wrestling Cadet Folkstyle Nationals 113: No. 8 (at 106) Matthew Kolodzik (Miami Valley School, Ohio), No. 15 Jens Lantz (Ellsworth, Wis.) 152: No. 2 (at 145) Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) At USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle Nationals 113: No. 5 Tommy Thorn (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), No. 9 (at 106) Doug Miner (Spirit Lake Park, Iowa) 120: No. 17 (at 113) Jordan Northrup (Machesney Park Harlem, Ill.) 126: No. 11 Hunter Weber (Marshall, Wis.) 145: No. 7 (at 132) Brandon Sorensen (Denver-Tripoli, Iowa), No. 20 Eleazar DeLuca (Phoenix, Ore.), No. 20 (at 138) Jack Bass (Allen, Texas) 152: No. 7 Oliver Pierce (Allen, Texas) 160: No. 8 (at 152) Keilan Torres (Altus, Okla.), No. 15 (at 170) Kyle Begin (Anoka, Minn.) 170: No. 8 Alex Meyer (Southeast Polk, Iowa), No. 11 Cooper Moore (Jackson County Central, Minn.), No. 12 Zach Beard (Tuttle, Okla.) 220: No. 2 Willie Miklus (Southeast Polk, Iowa) 285: No. 2 Adam Coon (Fowlerville, Mich.), No. 19 (at 220) Nathan Butler (Leavenworth, Kan.) Glad you're back After missing all of his senior season, it's nice to see Steve Congenie (Villa Park, Ill.) back on the mats. The Cornell bound wrestler will be competing in the 195 pound weight class at the USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle Nationals. Congenie is ranked 34th overall in the Class of 2012, and was a combined 82-1 in winning state titles the previous two years after finishing in fourth with a 42-5 record as a freshman. In terms of the weight class field, it is not too strong a weight class -- with primary challenges likely coming from a pair of two-time state champions in Alex Bambic (Desert Vista, Ariz.) and Derek Geddings (South Sioux City, Neb.), along with state runner-up Blake Blair (Edwardsville, Ill.). Given his competing at 195 here, what would fans in the Land of Lincoln have paid to see a Dvorak tournament bracket now two-time state champions No. 4 Brad Johnson (Lockport) and No. 5 Gage Harrah (Crystal Lake Central) along with Congenie in it! How do these tournaments matter? A couple of questions that people might ask with so many of the nationally ranked wrestlers "missing in action" this weekend would be: (1) Why does this matter? (2) How are the results evaluated? As for why this matters, the level of competition present in all of these events is still pretty high. Just because wrestlers aren't ranked doesn't mean they're not good. Only 280 total wrestlers in America can appear in the national weight class rankings. There are many non-ranked wrestlers who are state champions, high state placers, have placed in other major tournaments, etc. In addition, the difference between the select few ranked wrestlers and those just outside the rankings is not that profound. In addition, any time wrestlers step on the mat and test themselves against opposition, it is valued time to develop and become a better wrestler. Moreover, in these events, there are many scrutinous eyes observing these tournaments and their results. Yes, eyeballs even more important than my own! Those would be the eyes of college coaches. They are looking at the prospects already committed to attend their school, prospects they may want to bring in during the late period this year, and/or underclassmen to seek out in upcoming months and years. At all these events, there will be a cadre of college coaches across all levels (DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, etc.) present. In terms of how I evaluate these events, it is done in many ways and on many levels. The most pressing concern to some might be the upcoming final weight class rankings. These events obviously can serve as a last impression -- either for the good or the not so good. Whether it's a highly rated wrestler "putting it on the line" and then "taking care of business", or wrestlers on either side of the fringes of the rankings validating their standing, or somebody outside the rankings coming up with some huge wins ... it all matters, and it's all evaluated. Along with the national weight class rankings, there are the graduating class rankings that are done "pound-for-pound." Especially for the underclass wrestlers, the events this week serve as a key way to identify and determine who may belong in the rankings and/or at what level. The medalists in these events can also get their names added onto the "directories" of national rankers and college coaches. Outcomes and performances in these events -- for underclassmen -- can also serve as a tone setter for evaluation headed into next year. More importantly, from a wrestling standpoint, results here can serve as a catalyst of future performance -- whether it's headed off to college, or into the off-season of a continuing high school career. Final thoughts Best of luck to all those competing in a tournament this week(end). Here's to tournaments of great enjoyment and success for everybody, as over 4,500 wrestlers have chosen to test themselves against formidable competition. Keep your computers tuned into the front page of InterMat throughout the week and weekend for further information about all of the events.

125: Matt McDonough (Iowa) 133: Logan Stieber (Ohio State) 141: Kellen Russell (Michigan) 149: Frank Molinaro (Penn State) 157: Kyle Dake (Cornell) 165: David Taylor (Penn State) 184: Steve Bosak (Cornell) 197: Cam Simaz (Cornell) 285: Tony Nelson (Minnesota)

Brian Realbuto defeated Cody Copeland at 152 (Photo/Tami Knopsnyder) PITTSBURGH -- After victories from the Keystone State squad in two of the last three Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic main events, Team USA made it seem like 2001-2008 all over again with a 34-9 victory over the Pennsylvania squad in front of a close to capacity crowd at Fitzgerald Field House on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. Though many of the matches were individually close, Team USA capitalized on the momentum storm early and often. The USA team started the evening with four consecutive decisions. No. 5 Zane Richards (Carbondale, Ill.) used a second period takedown to outlast Mac McGuire (Upper St. Clair, Pa.) 3-1 in the opening match at 132 pounds. Then, it was yet another fifth ranked wrestler -- and also Junior National freestyle champion -- in Brian Realbuto (Somers, N.Y.) taking to the mats and earning a decision at 152 pounds. Realbuto used two takedowns in the opening period, a second period reversal, and lots of riding to earn a 6-1 victory over Cody Copeland (Greenville, Pa.). With a 6-0 lead and not much momentum for the home side, the next two matches served to sap even further momentum, since they were both defeats and the matches were relatively dull. At 170 pounds, No. 2 Kyle Crutchmer (Tulsa Union, Ok.) outlasted No. 13 Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) 2-1 in the tieberakers, while Doug Vollaro (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.) -- ranked No. 13 among all class of 2012 prospects -- upended Averee Robinson (Susquehanna Township, Pa.), ranked No. 15 at 285 pounds, 5-1 in overtime. As Team USA sensed things going totally their way, No. 1 Jordan Rogers (Mead, Wash.) took to the mat in the evening's fifth match at 182 pounds against No. 13 Wes Phipps (Grove City, Pa.). Finally, some flurries of action ensued. After one period, it was two takedowns and a two-point near fall giving Rogers a 6-1 lead. Phipps did cut the deficit down to 8-4 after two periods with an escape to start the period, and a late reversal. However, it was lights out early in the third period when Rogers countered a Phipps shot, hipped over and scored the fall on a beast of a counter at the 4:34 mark. "For the most part, I had good counter offense," observed Rogers about his match. "I didn't get to my offense as much as I wanted, but capitalized on some opportunities, and used my hips extremely well to score the fall." That performance earned Rogers Most Outstanding Wrestler honors for the USA squad. "It's a great feeling to wrestle along with the top guys in the nation," Rogers added. "It's an honor to be here, it was a fun trip, and I'm very excited to have wrestled as well as I did." Facing an 18-0 deficit, the Pennsylvania squad had to turn to a pair of wrestlers who have football in their futures in hopes of stemming the momentum of Team USA. Taking to the mat at 195 pounds was No. 7 Perry Hills (Pittsburgh Central Catholic), who will be attending the University of Maryland on a football scholarship, and will compete for the starting quarterback job this fall. After two periods, Hills led 3-2 over No. 5 Gage Harrah (Crystal Lake Central, Ill.). Harrah had an early match takedown. Then Hills scored a reversal late in the first period, and an escape in the second. The Drexel-bound Harrah responded with an escape early in the third, and then scored the match winning takedown with about five seconds remaining after the two wrestlers engaged in an excellent scramble. The 5-3 victory for Harrah stretched out the Team USA lead to 21-0. Three-time state champion John Rizzo defeated Stanford-bound Josh Marchok (Photo/Tami Knopsnyder)Next up for Team USA was another Illinois native, No. 4 Josh Marchok (Schaumburg), facing No. 3 John Rizzo (Richland, Pa.). Rizzo, a three-time state champion, will be playing Division I football in college, while two-time state champion Marchok will be wrestling at Stanford. Rizzo used a first period takedown to score a 3-2 victory and get the Pennsylvania team off the schneid. "I didn't open up as much as I wanted to, but still came out with the win, which is great," said Rizzo. "I wanted to go out there and try to turn things around (after the 0-for-6 start from the Pennsylvania squad)." Rizzo, who wants to be a running back in college, will "greyshirt" and delay his college enrollment until January 2013. In the interim, he will participate in the Pennsylvania East-West All-Star Game during the first week of May. Interestingly, Rizzo will be joined by Hills as a teammate on the West squad in the event to be held in Gateway, Pa. Four-time undefeated state champion Jon Meeks emerged victorious over Steve Spearman in ultimate tiebreaker (Photo/Tami Knopsnyder)It was back to regularly scheduled programming for Team USA with the next match, a tightly contested win, as No. 2 John Meeks (Des Moines Roosevelt, Iowa) upended No. 6 Steve Spearman (Erie McDowell, Pa.) 3-2 in the ultimate tiebreaker at 138 pounds. Neither wrestler was able to score an offensive point, as they traded escapes during regulation and in the :30-:30 portion of the tiebreaker. Having escaped in the second period, Meeks had choice in the ultimate tiebreaker. Choosing the down position, Meeks was able to score the escape, and as a result the four-time undefeated state champion emerged victorious over two-time state champion Spearman. Yet another four-time state champion took to the mats for Team USA in the next match, as No. 1 Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Ind.) dominated Zach Beitz (Juniata, Pa.) by 13-4 major decision at 145 pounds. Tsirtsis, ranked No. 2 overall in the Class of 2012, scored a pair of takedowns during each period, and joined older brother Alex as a winner in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic. Alex earned a 6-4 victory in 2004. "I wanted to push the pace, and score points, as I do in every match," said the Northwestern-bound Tsirtsis. "Though I got a little tired mid-match, things worked out and I was able to push through it." Even though Pennsylvania had already mathematically lost the dual meet, trailing 28-3 with four matches remaining, No. 5 Brian Brill (Central Mountain) came through with an exemplary performance in the 160 pound match against No. 3 (at 170) Zach Brunson (Churchill, Ore.). Facing a four-time state champion with just two career losses, Brill stormed out to a 6-1 lead after two periods with a first period takedown, and a reversal and takedown in the second period. Brunson, a Junior National freestyle champion this past summer, scored to takedowns in the third; but it was too little, too late -- as Brill scored the 7-5 victory. Each of the last three matches of the dual meet featured a number one wrestler taking to the mats. First, at 113 pounds, it was Jarred Brooks (Warsaw, Ind.) facing off against No. 9 Billy Rappo (Council Rock South, Pa.). Brooks emerged with an 8-5 victory over Rappo, scoring his first two takedowns on impressive duck-under attacks. Billy was the fourth Rappo to wrestle in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, and the family dropped to 1-3 in the event, with only Mike securing a 10-5 victory in 2006. George DiCamillo defeated Nick Roberts, 10-5, in a battle of No. 1 vs. No. 2 at 120 (Photo/Tami Knopsnyder)Next, at 120 pounds, it was George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius) wrestling No. 2 Nick Roberts (North Star, Pa.). The wrestlers traded takedowns and escapes in the first period, as the period ended tied at 3-3. However, DiCamillo separated somewhat in the second period with a choice escape and late takedown to take the 6-3 lead. "After the second (period) takedown, I could just feel it," said DiCamillo. "I knew the match was there to be had." Roberts scored an escape early in the third period to cut the deficit to 6-4. However, DiCamillo sandwiched takedowns around another Roberts escape to earn an impressive 10-5 victory. "(Roberts) is a tough competitor, but I seized the opportunity," said DiCamillo. The evening's last match was also the clear highlight for the Pennsylvania squad. Wrestling in front of a hometown crowd, Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area, Pa.) turned it up about ten notches in the last ninety seconds of the match to secure a 10-3 victory over No. 5 Cory Clark (Southeast Polk, Iowa) in a battle of four-time state champions. Penn State-bound Jimmy Gulibon defeated Iowa-bound Cory Clark in the final match (Photo/Tami Knopsnyder)After scoring the opening takedown, Gulibon gave up a late reversal to Clark in the first period, as the match was tied 2-2 after one. The wrestlers traded escapes at the start of the second and third period. Then, the steamroll occurred when Gulibon scored a takedown, then trapped Clark on his back in a scramble type situation for three, and scored a tilt for two more right at the end of the match. "The end of the match felt great," said Gulibon. "I finally got back to normal -- less tentative, more comfortable, and more confident." That result earned Gulibon the Most Outstanding Wrestler award for the Pennsylvania squad. "I've been coming to the Dapper Dan since I was nine years old," said Gulibon, "and it's incredible to win the way I did. It was so much fun." Bound for Penn State, Gulibon will join fellow Pittsburgh area native Nico Megaludis -- who just finished second at the national tournament as a true freshman -- on the Nittany Lions roster as a lower weight. "I watched Nico last weekend on television, and it was incredible," said Gulibon. "I can't wait to wrestle with him again (as they trained together for just over three straight years prior to Megaludis moving on to State College)." Results: 132: No. 5 Zane Richards (Carbondale, Ill.) dec. Mac McGuire (Upper St. Clair), 3-1 152: No. 5 Brian Realbuto (Somers, N.Y.) dec. Cody Copeland (Greenville), 6-1 170: No. 2 Kyle Crutchmer (Tulsa Union, Okla.) dec. No. 13 Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic), 2-1, TB 285: Doug Vollaro (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.) dec. No. 15 Averee Robinson (Susquehanna Twp.), 5-1 OT 182: No. 1 Jordan Rogers (Mead, Wash.) pinneed No. 13 Wes Phipps (Grove City), 4:34 195: No. 5 Gage Harrah (Crystal Lake Central, Ill.) dec. No. 7 Perry Hills (Pittsburgh Central Catholic), 5-3 220: No. 3 John Rizzo (Richland) dec. No. 4 Josh Marchok (Schaumburg, Ill.), 3-2 138: No. 2 John Meeks (Des Moines Roosevelt, Iowa) dec. No. 6 Steve Spearman (Erie McDowell) 3-2 UTB 145: No. 1 Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Ind.) maj. dec. Zach Beitz (Juniata), 13-4 160: No. 5 Brian Brill (Central Mountain) dec. No. 3 (at 170) Zach Brunson (Churchill, Ore.), 7-5 113: No. 1 Jarred Brooks (Warsaw, Ind.) dec. No. 9 Billy Rappo (Council Rock South), 8-5 120: No. 1 George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, Ohio) dec. No. 2 Nick Roberts (North Star), 10-5 126: No. 1 Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area) dec. No. 5 Cory Clark (Southeast Polk, Iowa), 10-3 Maryland All-Stars defeat WPIAL All-Stars After two straight years of very close undercard matches involving the WPIAL squad, last year's match was a blood-letting to say the least. In fact, it was the first shutout in the history of the event, as a very strong WPIAL squad scored a 42-0 blanking over a team of all-stars from Michigan. Coming into the match, and looking at things from the outside, one would have expected this to be close. The WPIAL team was not as strong "on paper" as last year; and while Maryland is not as highly reputed a wrestling state as is Michigan, their squad was truly a reflective organization of the best seniors the state had to offer. Not only was the margin of the dual not that close, the visiting Maryland squad came in extremely prepared and focused, then came up with wins in ten of the thirteen matches - many of which were tightly contested. If the opening match was to be any indication, the above opinion would have been insanity. No. 12 (at 120) Godwin Nyama (Brashear, Pa.) took it to Tony Farace (Owings Mills, Md.). This year's Pennsylvania state champ scored nine takedowns in securing the 18-7 major decision over a three-time state champion in the five minute match (two periods of 2-1/2 minutes, each starting in the neutral position). That performance earned Nyama, who just started wrestling as a sophomore in high school, Most Oustanding Wrestler honors. "Three years ago I couldn't even hit a switch or finish a double leg," said Nyama. "Through lots of hard work and drilling things over-and-over, I've been able to reach this level of success. The difference this year was learning how to take wins, instead of sneaking them out." However, the Maryland squad responded back with three consecutive wins. First at 120 pounds, Eric Friemdan (St. Paul's) scored a 4-2 overtime victory over Colton Shorts (Canon McMillan) to cut the dual meet deficit to 4-3. Then, at 126 pounds, No. 8 Nathan Kraisser (Centennial) gave the Maryland squad the lead for good with a 9-0 major decision over Derek Evanovich (Peters Township). That result earned the four-time state champion, and returning Junior National double All-American, Most Outstanding Wrestler honors for the Maryland squad. "To be able to perform the way I did feels great, and makes me proud to represent Maryland," said Kraisser. "We've been doing it together since junior league (Kraisser and about five others trained with Cary Kolat all the way from youth through high school), and we came in here well prepared and ready to win." Tyler Goodwin (Arundel, Md.) then separated a match that he led 4-3 after the first period with a five-point move in winning 9-4 over Josh Kwasny (Charleroi) at 132 pounds. Tanner Wiltrout (Connellsville) was able to cut into the Maryland lead with a 9-5 victory over Collin Harrell (Broadneck) at 138. Two-time state champion Alex Rice (Chesapeke, Md.) then came up with a critical victory to keep his squad with the lead, as he upended the very talented Ty Lydic (Greater Latrobe) 5-3 in the tiebreaker at 145 pounds. The wrestlers traded takedowns in regulation, with Rice securing a reversal in the tiebreaker to give Maryland a 13-7 lead. In the next match, the Maryland-bound Tyler Manion (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) responded with an upset for the WPIAL, avenging a 1-0 loss from the quarterfinals of the POWERade with a 5-3 victory over Peter Galli (St. Paul's), a four-time National Prep placer. Manion scored a four-point move early in the second period, but then had to hang on at the end as Galli came on strong in the back portion of the period with a takedown and then an almost takedown as time was up. "I was more tentative last time," said Manion. "This time, I was able to open it up a bit and wrestle my style. However, at the end, I was just trying to hold on because (for some reason) I struggled in the last minute." Trying to hold on to a 13-10 dual meet lead, the Maryland squad sent out Brad Mutchnik (St. Paul's) at 160 pounds, who placed sixth at National Preps this past year. His opponent was state champion Francis Mizia (Bentworth, Pa.). Scoring a first period takedown, Mutchnik hung on for the 2-1 victory. "I've heard of this event since I was a little kid, though I never thought I'd get to participate," said Mutchnik, who will wrestle collegiately at American University. "It's kind of surreal to think that I'd come in here, face a Pennsylvania state champion, and score the win. That win started a string of six consecutive wins to close out the dual meet for the Maryland squad, which ended up winning 34-10. The next two matches were 5-4 decisions. At 170 pounds, Tyler Rill (Mt. St. Joseph) upended Jake Wisener (Ringgold); while it was the Princeton-bound Judd Ziegler and his 4.7 GPA scoring the victory over Jarred Lux (North Allegheny) at 182. Two-time National Prep placer Dylan Devine (DeMatha) scored 6-2 victory over two-time state placer Jordan Kitta (Southmoreland) at 195 pounds. 2011 National Prep placer Kevin Marvel (McDonogh), who placed at the Ironman and Beast this year, scored a fall in 2:24 over Greg Krumer (Fort Cherry) at 220 pounds. Finally, it was state champion Jason Johnson (River Hill) winning 1-0 in the tiebreaker against Corey Garry (Fort Cherry) when Cherry was called for locking hands in the top position. Results: 113: No. 12 Godwin Nyama (Brashear) maj. dec. Tony Farace (Oakland Mills, Md.), 18-7 120: Eric Friedman (St. Paul's, Md.) dec. Colt Shorts (Canon-McMillan), 4-2 OT 126: No. 8 Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, Md.) maj. dec. Derrick Evanovich (Peters Twp.), 9-0 132: Tyler Goodwin (Arundel, Md.) dec. Joshua Kwasny (Charleroi), 9-4 138: Tanner Wiltrout (Connellsville) dec. Collin Harrell (Broadneck, Md.), 9-5 145: Alex Rice (Chesapeake, Md.) dec. Ty Lydic (Latrobe), 5-3 OT 152: Tyler Manion (Central Catholic) dec. Peter Galli (St. Paul's, Md.), 5-3 160: Brad Mutchnik (St. Paul's, Md.) dec. Francis Mizia (Bentworth), 2-1 170: Tyler Rill (Mt. St. Joseph, Md.) dec. Jake Wisener (Ringgold), 5-4 182: Judd Ziegler (Middle Town, Md.) dec. Jarred Lux (North Allegheny), 5-4 195: Dylan Devine (Dematha, Md.) dec. Jordan Kitta (Southmoreland), 6-2 220: Kevin Marvel (McDonogh, Md.) pinned Greg Kumer (Fort Cherry), 2:24 285: Jason Johnson (River Hill, Md.) dec. Corey Garry (Fort Cherry), 1-0 OT

The job of head wrestling coach is not just about teaching technique or raising money or building a dynasty. The job is the pursuit of all those things simultaneously, a multi-front battle to win now while also expanding the alumni and fan bases -- make no mention of protecting a program's precarious position within the athletic department. The job is all-consuming and overwhelming, head coaches are asked to be a kind of warrior CEO, mastering at the moves that win matches and values that will ensure their program is prosperous well into the future. The stress of a head coaching position means that after a few years some guys want out, or are asked to leave. There's no hiding from wins and losses or the perceived momentum of a program and this week two different, but individually attractive jobs opened up. Both are in the ACC. The first was N.C. State, who said goodbye to their head coach Carter Jordan, who'd overseen the program for eight seasons. His dual meet record was unimpressive, but Jordan coached an All-American in 2012 (Darius Little) and had recruited and coached NCAA champion Darrion Caldwell. The N.C. State program is fully-funded, has a new wrestling facility and the momentum of the aforementioned competitors. Losing Ohio stud Chris Phillips to retirement (and now Ohio State) hurts their future, but with Raleigh as one of the nation's nicest college towns, it shouldn't be hard to recruit new talent to the program. The day after the N.C. State announcement came the news that longtime Duke head wrestling coach Clar Anderson was stepping aside. Anderson, a two-time NCAA champion at Oklahoma State, has been the Blue Devil's head coach for 14 years, coaching national finalist Konrad Dudziak in 2010. Many wrestling fans believe that the Duke program sits near the bottom in terms of institutional support. That's tough to verify, but they do have limited scholarship opportunities a small budget and tough admission standards. However, as one of the nation's top five academic institutions with increased financial aid packages and a motivated and proactive alumni base, the Duke program could excel under the right leadership. Also, Durham is an attractive spot for recruiting a coach with a family. The following names are not really in order. They are based off of conversations and assumptions. Of course I can't mention all the possibly candidates as these jobs will receive dozens of applications, however, these are a few of the most compelling and attractive candidates. The list does not include the current staff members who very well may get the bump in responsibility, including Glen Lanham of Duke and Lee Pritts or Steve Anceravage of NC State. Again, this is just a cobbling together of pieces of information on who will and won't apply, hunches on who is primed for a change and some opinion on what type of coaching background and track record is best suited for the challenges of each job. N.C. State Wolfpack 1. JohnMark Bentley (Head coach, Appalachian State) In-state recruiting is a huge issue for state schools like N.C. State, and JohnMark Bentley has shown that he can recruit and coach-up the local talent, first as an assistant with Appalachian State for five years and now as the program's head coach. In his third year as head coach Bentley lead App. State to a 21st place finish in 2012 (the best since 1972) and coached two All-Americans (the first since 1941). Bentley, a three-time ACC champion from UNC-Chapel Hill, has shown that he has the ability to coach a winning program in North Carolina, and for N.C. State he might just be the perfect man to combine local and national talent and make the Wolfpack a part of the national discussion. Mark Perry has been successful everywhere he has been (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)2. Mark Perry (Associate head coach, Illinois) Perry is one of the more divisive coaching figures in college wrestling, but he's also a proven winner. Love him or hate him he's been part of two programmatic rebirths, first at Cal Poly and now in Illinois. Even detractors say that his obsession with the sport and passion for seeing his guys win is admirable. He'll be a head coach soon enough, and no matter where he lands as a head coach he'll be firing off NCAA champions and All-Americans. But will he leave the Big Ten remains to be seen. 3. Brad Dillon (Assistant coach, Lehigh) Pat Santoro's right-hand man since his days as the head coach of Maryland, Brad Dillon has slowly shown the wrestling community he's a better-than-average leader and recruiter. The Santoro coaching style has proven effective and Dillon has spent the majority of his college wrestling and college coaching career learning that style. He could bring immediate energy to the Wolfpack program and in short order make them competitive in the ACC and the nation. 4. Sammie Henson (Head coach, Sunkist Kids) The former Clemson wrestler has been a part of almost a dozen NCAA Division I wrestling programs as an assistant coach, and everywhere he's been the team has improved immediately and dramatically. He wasn't hired at Oklahoma which likely stung, but moving forward he has to be considered a top candidate for any head coaching position. Henson will have to fight the stigma that he has programmatic ADD, but should he convince the Wolfpack athletics department to give him a chance there are sure to be NCAA champions in the school's future. Josh Moore is a hard worker and big draw in Pennsylvania (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)5. Josh Moore (Associate head coach, Kent State) Arguably the assistant coach with the most distinguishable record for helping to turn around a program, Josh Moore is well overdue for a head coaching position. Since his arrival at Kent State during the 2004-2005 season the Golden Flash have crowned their first All-American since 1983, recorded their best national finish ever, and had their first-ever NCAA champion (Dustin Kilgore, 2011). Oh, and they raised enough money to revamp their facilities. Moore's a hard worker and still a big name in Pennsylvania, which is wonderful for recruiting. Others names to consider: Casey Cunningham (Assistant coach, Penn State), Tony Robie (Associate head coach, Virginia Tech), Bryan Snyder (Assistant coach, Nebraska), Alex Clemsen (Assistant coach, Virginia) Duke Blue Devils 1. Jeremy Spates (Assistant coach, Cornell) When you see the name Spates, you probably still think Oklahoma, but the son of Jack has become a marketable and successful coach in his own right. You could argue that the young coach's biggest accomplishment to date was being hired at Cornell as an assistant, a job that dozens of other coaches would like to have. However to excel in the Ivy League coaches need to be a polished product and posses mat skills. Spates does, and as the weight class coach to Kyle Dake for two seasons, he's been a steward to one of the most impressive wrestling careers in NCAA history. Despite the on-the-mat successes, it'll be the fundraising and friend-raising he learned in Ithaca that'll make him most valuable to a program much in need of both. 2. Pat Owen (Assistant coach, Harvard) The Harvard assistant has been a quiet leader for Crimson for five seasons, and in that time has coached several All-Americans, including two in 2012 and NCAA Champion J.P. O'Connor. The Michigan grad has been a part of a winning tradition, and like Spates, has operated inside the Ivy admission and financial aid process -- an enormous advantage when compared to many other candidates. 3. Josh Moore (Associate head coach, Kent State) Read above. 4. Todd Beckerman (Assistant coach, Maryland) After two seasons coaching at the Naval Academy and another seven in College Park, Todd Beckerman has established himself as one of the most respected coaches in the nation. He's been a winner at every level, including his college career at Nebraska, but what sets Beckerman apart is his familiarity with the Mid-Atlantic region and the competition in the ACC. Should Beckerman apply he'll have to show that he can lead the Duke program to sustained health by raising donations and winning matches. 5. Jordan Leen (Assistant coach, Virginia) A one-time assistant of the Blue Devil program, the former NCAA champion spent the past season in Charlottesville as an assistant coach under Steve Garland. He's a graduate of Cornell and has seen the issues inside the Duke program first hand. Leen is young and from a coaching family (much like Jason Borelli of Stanford), and should the native Tennessean and former ESPN broadcaster get an interview he'll also show his compelling communication skills. Other names to consider: Roman Fleszar (Assistant coach, Columbia), John Clark (Assistant coach, Brown), Brad Dillon (Assistant coach, Lehigh), Alex Clemsen (Assistant coach, Virginia), Troy Letters (Assistant coach, Clarion)

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State wrestling assistant head coach Yero Washington is leaving his position after three seasons with the Cyclones to assume the executive director position for a non-profit organization in Los Angeles, Calif. "My time at Iowa State has been an amazing experience," Washington said. "I'd like to thank the athletic administration, our fans and friends of Iowa State athletics, and especially head coach Kevin Jackson, for giving me the opportunity to become a part of the Cyclone family. I wish our student-athletes all the best, as they pursue their academic and athletic goals. I have no doubt that the future is bright for the Iowa State wrestling program." During his three seasons under Jackson at Iowa State, Washington helped guide Cyclone wrestlers to All-American status. He was a part of the Cyclones' third-place national team finish in 2010 at the NCAA Championships. Washington is a native of Berkeley, Calif. He returns to his home state to assume the executive director position for Beat the Streets - Los Angeles, Inc, (BTS-LA), a newly formed non-profit organization focused on promoting and developing wrestling programs at primary schools in Los Angeles. BTS-LA is modeled after the very successful Beat the Streets programs operating in the eastern half of the United States, including the original Beat the Streets -- New York City and Beat the Streets - Philadelphia. Washington begins his position in May. "This is a tremendous opportunity for me to make a difference in the lives of youth members of the Los Angeles, specifically in underserved communities," Washington said. As a product of inner city Oakland, the lessons I've learned through the sport of wrestling have helped me to overcome many obstacles in my life. Wrestling literally prepared me for life's many challenges and has motivated me to achieve many of my personal and career goals. I aim to have that same type of influence on the lives of young people in Los Angeles." Prior to his career at Iowa State, the Fresno State alum coached at Columbia for seven years, working as head assistant wrestling coach from 2004-07. "Yero Washington has been the most loyal, hard working and selfless coach I have ever known," Jackson said. "I want to thank Yero for his three years of service to Iowa State. I wish him nothing but the best in his new role as executive director of BTS-LA. He will be greatly missed." Jackson has begun an immediate search for a replacement.

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! This Saturday we're pleased to present our Annual Takedown Wrestling NCAA champions Show. 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. Special in-studio guest hosts: Mike McClintock, Royce Alger, Jon Reader Our very special guests include 2012 NCAA champions: Hour 1: Iowa wrestler Matt McDonough Ohio State wrestler Logan Stieber Michigan wrestler Kellen Russell Penn State wrestler Frank Molinaro Cornell wrestler Kyle Dake Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update Hour 2: Penn State wrestler David Taylor Penn State wrestler Ed Ruth Cornell wrestler Steve Bosak Cornell wrestler Cam Simaz Minnesota wrestler Tony Nelson Amy Ruble, Wildrose Casino and Resort Fans, Athletes, Coaches Join in the conversation LIVE 866-333-5966 515-204-5966 Join us live 9 to 11 a.m. CT for Takedown Wrestling. How to listen: Iowa: 1460 KXNO Michigan: 1570 AM KXNO.com Takedownradio.com Blackberrys, iPhone with the iHeart Radio app.

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University Vice President and Director of Athletics Kevin White announced on Wednesday the resignation of Duke wrestling head coach Clar Anderson. Anderson has served as the wrestling head coach since the 1997-98 season. "It has been a privilege working for Duke University and especially with outstanding student athletes," Anderson said. "A highlight of my career is when our team garnered the highest GPA in the country for wrestling teams and coaching Konrad Dudziak in the NCAA finals. But equally important to me was the deep relationships I forged with all of my athletes. I will miss coaching, but look forward to the next stage of my life and spending more time with my family." In his 15 seasons with Duke, Anderson compiled a career record of 101-125-2. He helped guide 14 Blue Devils to the NCAA Championships and mentored two-time All-American heavyweight Konrad Dudziak. He was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 2004 after guiding Duke to a third-place finish at the ACC Championships with four All-ACC selections and four NCAA qualifiers. In 2008, Anderson amassed a career-high win total with a 12-9 overall record. Under Anderson's guidance, the team has ranked among the nation's top programs in grade point average, including the highest in 2007 and 2008. Ten Duke wrestlers earned NWCA All-Academic honors under his watch. In 2012, Duke posted a 3-10-0 overall record and 0-5 mark in ACC competition. The Blue Devils finished sixth at the ACC Championships. Freshman Tanner Hough represented Duke at the NCAA Championships this season. Assistant coach Glen Lanham will remain on staff as the interim head coach until Anderson's successor is hired. A search for a head coach will begin immediately.

Jimmy Gulibon recently won his fourth state title (Photo/Bill Ennis) The 38th edition of the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic will yet again showcase many of the nation's best high school seniors. In fact, four of the wrestlers from last year's event were All-American finishers at the just completed NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, including Nico Megaludis (Penn State/Franklin Regional, Pa.) -- who was runner-up at 125 pounds. With the titles won by Logan Stieber (Ohio State/Monroeville, Ohio), Kellen Russell (Michigan/Blair Academy, N.J.), and David Taylor (Penn State/St. Paris Graham, Ohio), the streak of years with at least one NCAA champion having wrestled in the Dapper Dan was extended to 36 (1977-2012). Even more amazing is the fact that at least three NCAA Division champions have wrestled in this event at every single tournament since 1995 but two (1997 and 2010), 16 of the last 18 years. This year's field features five wrestlers that are ranked first in the country -- Jarred Brooks (Warsaw, Ind.) at 113 pounds, George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, Ohio) at 120, Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area, Pa.) at 126, Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Ind.), and Jordan Rogers (Mead, Wash.) at 182. Additionally, John Meeks (Des Moines Roosevelt, Iowa) is the highest ranked senior at 138 pounds; while Doug Vollaro (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.) would have been the highest ranked senior at 285 pounds if he competed during the high school season. The event will take place on Sunday, March 25th at the Fitzgerald Field House on the camputs of the University of Pittsburgh. Wrestling will begin at 4:00 p.m. (ET) with an undercard match between senior all-stars from the state of Maryland and the WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League), and the main event between the United States and Pennsylvania will follow at 6:00 p.m. First is a preview of the matches in the main event, seniors from across the United States against those from the Keystone State of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has won two of the last three Wrestling Classic dual meets, after the United States pulled off victories in eight consecutive events from 2001 through 2008. 113: No. 1 Jarred Brooks (Warsaw, Ind.) vs. No. 9 Billy Rappo (Council Rock South) Brooks, ranked first nationally, is a three-time state medalist having won his lone title this past year. Additionally, he was a Super 32 champion this year, a Junior National and FILA Junior freestyle runner-up, and placed fourth at the FloNationals. Rappo is a two-time state champion and two-time Super 32 placer, also earning a silver medal at the Disney Duals. When the two wrestlers met in Fargo this summer, Brooks won a 1-0/2-0 decision. An interesting note is that Billy's three older brothers each also competed in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic main event -- Ricky losing 4-0 at 112 pounds in 2005, Mike winning a 10-5 decision at 130 pounds in 2006, and Mark losing a 7-0 decision at 112 pounds in 2008. 120: No. 1 George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, Ohio) vs. No. 2 Nick Roberts (North Star) This match pits two of the nation's finest lightweights against one another. Both were gold medalists at the Disney Duals this past summer, and have placed four times at the state tournament combining for five championships. Twice a state champion, DiCamillo is also a three-time Walsh Ironman champion, two-time FloNationals champion, and a three-time Super 32 medalist. With three state titles to his credit, Roberts was also a FILA Junior freestyle champion last spring and has two Cadet National freestyle titles to his credit from earlier in his caeer. An interesting note is that George's father Ralph competed in the undercard event at the 1976 Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, and emerged with a 4-2 decision in the 126 pound bout. 126: No. 5 Cory Clark (Southeast Polk, Iowa) vs. No. 1 Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area) The wrestlers competing in this match are both four-time state champions, and have combined for five total losses in their careers against over 300 wins. The University of Iowa bound Clark has also twice been a double All-American at the Junior Nationals in Fargo, while the Penn State bound Gulibon was a FloNationals champion in 2010 and a Disney Duals gold medalist this past summer. 132: No. 5 Zane Richards (Carbondale, Ill.) vs. Mac McGuire (Upper St. Clair) Richards is a three-time state finalist, winning state titles each of the last two years. In addition, he is one of the nation's finest wrestlers in both of the Olympic styles, with only three losses across six tournaments in Fargo over the last three summers. He has a pair of titles in Cadet Greco-Roman and one in Junior freestyle, with a pair of thirds in Cadet freestyle and a runner-up in Junior Greco-Roman. McGuire, bound for Kent State, has twice been in the Pennsylvania state finals, closing the deal with a state championship this year. He is also only the second wrestler to compete in the main event from Upper St. Clair, the previous one was Tom Bogan, who won a 7-6 decision at 160 pounds in 1995. 138: No. 2 John Meeks (Des Moines Roosevelt, Iowa) vs. No. 6 Steve Spearman (Erie McDowell) In four years of high school, Meeks went 168-0 as he was a four-time state champion. This past summer, making a foray into freestyle competition, he finished sixth in the Junior National freestyle competition. Spearman was a three-time state medalist (twice a champion and third as a freshman), only not getting on the stand after failing to make weight during the early stages of the state series his junior year. In addition, Spearman was a 2010 Super 32 champion and FloNationals runner-up last year. 145: No. 1 Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Ind.) vs. Zach Beitz (Juniata) Arguably the finest wrestler in America regardless of grade or weight class, Tsirtsis has not lost a match since midway through his freshman year of high school in earning four state titles. His wrestling outside the high school season has been superlative as well -- twice a FloNationals champion, twice a FILA Cadet national champion, twice a Super 32 runner-up, and four times an All-American in Fargo including a Junior National freestyle title this past summer. His opponent Beitz has four medals at the state tournament to his credit, including a state championship this year after finishing third, fifth, and second in his prior state tournament appearances. 152: No. 5 Brian Realbuto (Somers, N.Y.) vs. Cody Copeland (Greenville) Realbuto placed at state five times during his high school career, which includes state championships as a freshman, junior, and senior. In addition, he was a Junior National freestyle champion this past summer. His opponent Copleand placed three times at the Pennsylvania state tournament, winning state this year with an undefeated record after finishing second and third the prior two years. 160: No. 3 (at 170) Zach Brunson (Churchill, Ore.) vs. No. 5 Brian Brill (Central Mountain) Brunson his high school career as a four-time state champion with just two career losses, including a 4-3 loss in the finals at the Reno Tournament of Champions his junior year to fellow Dapper Dan participant Kyle Crutchmer. This past off-season, he was a Junior National freestyle champion in Fargo and a FILA Junior freestyle runner-up. His opponent Brill, headed to Lehigh in the fall, was a three-time state placer including state champion as a junior. This past year, he was undefeated prior to his state finals loss to Chance Marsteller, the top ranked wrestler nationally at the weight class; and Brill also was a Cadet freestyle runner-up in 2009. 170: No. 2 Kyle Crutchmer (Tulsa Union, Okla.) vs. No. 13 Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic) Crutchmer finished his high school career as a three-time state finalist, with state titles in each of the last two years. He additionally was a two-time champion at the Reno ToC, a NHSCA Junior Nationals champion last spring, and has twice earned double All-American honors at the Junior Nationals in Fargo. Like Brill, Riddick is also bound for Lehigh in the fall. His career exploits include a state title this year, a fourth place finish last year, a Super 32 runner-up this past fall, and placements at both the Ironman and Beast of the East this year (third and second, both losses to Eric Morris). 182: No. 1 Jordan Rogers (Mead, Wash.) vs. No. 13 Wes Phipps (Grove City) Yet another one of the nation's star wrestlers, Rogers joins Crutchmer as an Oklahoma State bound participant. He is a three-time state champion, only not winning as a sophomore when he did not compete due to injury. Very proficient in the Olympic styles, Rogers has earned All-American honors in all six Fargo appearances (fourth in Greco-Roman and second in freestyle as a first-year Cadet in 2009, double titles as a Cadet in 2010, along with third and second place finishes as a Junior this past summer); and has three FILA Cadet championships to his credit. His opponent Phipps joins Gulibon and Beitz as Penn State bound prospects on the Keystone State squad, and is an impressive four-time state placer -- all at or above 160 pounds. Phipps earned an elusive state title this year after previous finishes in second, third, and fifth place. The off-season resume includes a third place finish at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and a silver medal at the Disney Duals. 195: No. 5 Gage Harrah (Crystal Lake Central, Ill.) vs. No. 7 Perry Hills (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) The Drexel-bound Harrah makes a foray into the Keystone State for this event, though his next visit will be about five hours east on I-76. Like Phipps before, he is a four-time state placer at or above 189 pounds, having finished third and fourth his first two years of high school before state titles the last two. The off-season resume includes Junior National freestyle All-American finishes the last two summers. On the other hand, Hills has done virtually zero off-season wrestling, as he will be attending the University of Maryland on a football scholarship to play the quarterback position. In fact, Hills missed two of his school's three major in-season tournaments during December due to football, only winning the Beast of the East on the way to an undefeated state championship season after finishing fourth at state last year. 220: No. 4 Josh Marchok (Schaumburg, Ill.) vs. No. 3 John Rizzo (Richland) Marchok is headed to Stanford with three state place medals and four state tournament appearances all at or above 189 pounds during his high school career. It also includes state championships the last two years, and a trio of All-American finishes at the Junior Nationals in Fargo (eighth and fourth in Greco-Roman the last two years, along with a fifth in freestyle this past summer). Rizzo comes into the Wrestling Classic having finished one of the most decorated careers ever for a Keystone State upper-weight -- four state placement medals, including gold the last three years (fifth at 215 as a freshman, titles at 285 as a sophomore and junior, and the title at 220 this year). This year, his lone loss was 2-1 to the nation's top-ranked wrestler at this weight class, Kyle Snyder, due to a penalty point. 285: Doug Vollaro (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.) vs. No. 15 Averee Robinson (Susquehanna Township) Despite not participating in state tournaments the last two years, the Lehigh-bound Vollaro is probably the best heavyweight prospect in the Class of 2012. His resume includes a Super 32 title this past October, double third place finishes at the Junior Nationals this past summer, a FloNationals title last spring, runner-up at the 2010 Walsh Ironman to Brooks Black, and double runner-up finishes at Cadet Nationals (to Black) in 2010. His opponent Robinson is a two-time state champion (and three-time placer) despite some inconsistent results outside of the state tournament, which include a fifth place finish at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, a fourth place finish at the Beast of the East, and losing in the regional tournament this past year prior to state. The undercard will feature a team of Maryland seniors -- both from public schools (MPSSAA) and those that compete under the National Preps umbrella -- against a group from the WPIAL, which is the governing body for high school athletics around the Pittsburgh area. 113: Tony Farace (Oakland Mills) vs. No. 12 (at 120) Godwin Nyama (Brashear) Farace was state champion in the first three years of his high school career prior to finishing third at state this year in the 120 pound weight class. Nyama placed twice at state, including a title this year at 120 pounds, and also won the POWERade this year. 120: Eric Friedman (St. Paul's) vs. Colt Shorts (Canon McMillan) Friedman is a four-time National Prep place-winner (second, fourth, third, and fourth), including a fourth place finish this year at 126 pounds. Shorts placed twice at the state tournament, including eight this year at 126 pounds. At this year's POWERade, Friedman beat Shorts 5-1 in the consolation quarterfinal. 126: No. 8 Nathan Kraisser (Centennial) vs. Derrick Evanovich (Peters Township) Kraisser is a four-time state champion, a 2010 Super 32 champion, and was a double All-American at the Junior Nationals this summer in Fargo after earning runner-up honors in Junior Greco in 2010. Evanovich won a WPIAL championship this year, and lost consecutive matches at the state tournament by a single point to fall short of state placement. 132: Tyler Goodwin (Arundel) vs. Josh Kwasny (Charleroi) Goodwin is a three-time state finalist, winning titles each of the last two years. Kwasny has twice made the state tournament, including a sixth place finish in Class AA this year. 138: Collin Harrell (Broadneck) vs. Tanner Wiltrout (Connellsville) Harrell was unable to compete in this year's state tournament series due to an incident at the county tournament; however, he did place fifth in the state as a junior at 119 pounds. Wiltrout finished as a runner-up at the WPIAL meet in Class AAA, and went 1-2 in the state tournament. 145: Alex Rice (Chesapeke) vs. Ty Lydic (Greater Latrobe) Rice finished his career as a two-time state champion, and placed sixth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals last spring. Lydic placed fifth at the state meet this year after making state but not placing the previous two years. He also placed seventh at the Super 32 in October, and is a two-time FloNationals placer. 152: Peter Galli (St. Paul's) vs. Tyler Manion (Pittsburgh Central Catholic) Galli is a four-time National Prep placer, finishing third this year after earlier career finishes of fourth, fifth, and second. In addition, he was a runner-up at the Preseason Nationals this past fall. Manion won the WPIAL meet and placed at state for the second consecutive year, this time fifth to follow up the sixth place finish from last year. The wrestlers met in the quarterfinals at the POWERade, a match won by Galli 1-0. 160: Brad Mutchnik (St. Paul's) vs. Francis Mizia (Bentworth) Mutchnik finished sixth at the National Prep tournament this past season, and is going up against Class AA state champion Mizia. Additionally, Mizia placed seventh at state as a junior, and went 1-2 in the state tournament his sophomore year. 170: Tyler Rill (Mt. St. Joseph's) vs. Jake Wisener (Ringgold) Rill is a three-time National Prep placer, runner-up this year after finishes of third and seventh the prior two years. Wisener finished fifth in the Class AAA state tournament down a weight class at 160 pounds. 182: Judd Ziegler (Middletown) vs. Jarred Lux (North Allegheny) Ziegler was a state champion this year, after finishing second in the state two years ago. Lux made his state tournament debut this year, going 1-2 but losing by a single point in his match to place. However, he has twice placed eighth at the Super 32 Challenge. 195: Dylan Devine (Dematha) vs. Jordan Kitta (Southmoreland) Devine placed twice at the National Prep tournament, including a runner-up finish this year to follow up the third place finish from last year. Kitta has twice won a WPIAL title in Class AA and placed in the state tournament on each occasion, eighth last year and sixth this year. 220: Kevin Marvel (McDonogh) vs. Greg Krumer (Fort Cherry) Despite finishing as a runner-up to Devine, losing 3-1 in the state prep final, Marvel did not compete in the National Prep tournament at 195 pounds. However, he still brings an excellent resume that includes a sixth place finish at National Preps last year, a sixth place finish at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, and placements at both the Ironman and Beast of the East this year. Kumer placed eight at the state tournament this year in Class AA in his lone state tournament appearance 285: Jason Johnson (River Hill) vs. No. 18 Cody Klempay (Canon McMillan) Johnson earned a state championship this year, while Klempay is a two-time state placer. After a third place finish at state last year, Klempay was a state semifinalist this year but had to default out of his semifinal match against eventual state champion Robinson despite scoring the match's first takedown. Earlier in the second, Klempay beat three-time Ohio state champion Nick Tavanello in the finals at North Canton, and lost 2-1 in the POWERade final to best in the nation Brooks Black.

Related Link: The MMA Outsider Podcast Archives So we're sure that Eric Prindle and Thiago Santos are going to finally settle the Bellator Fighting Championships tournament finals? Positive? Just in case the fight actually happens and ends in something other than a no-contest, Richard and John break down the match-up one more time. Spoiler alert: Santos is still going to win. As for the less lopsided action going down this Friday, the boys also break down the opening round of the lightweight tournament, which features Patricky "Pitbull" Freire, Ricardo Tirloni, and some other talented individuals. This week's guest is flyweight contender Darrell Montague. The former Tachi Palace Fights champion won the belt with a resounding victory over the highly touted Ulysses Gomez. However, he fell short in his first title defense against Ian McCall, now a top 125-pounder in the UFC. With Zuffa's flyweight division open for business, Montague talks about his future fight plans, what he's done with his time off, and the opening round of the UFC flyweight tourney.

The Octagon is empty in March (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Maybe I can't overstate my disdain for March Madness, but I will try. The actual game of basketball doesn't bother me. I think it's a fine game and when played in playgrounds and backyards is an excellent way to get children exercising. College basketball, in principle, isn't that offensive, a game can be a fantastic place to bring alumni and locals together in a moment of camaraderie. However, March Madness is not about physical exertion or happy-happy joy-joy feelings of community, it's about money. What bothers me as much as the gross over-commercialization of an amateur contest and the irrational grip these have on the psyche of the American sports fan. It's laughable to hear courtside announcers and grown men cackling about this tournament's "Cinderella!" Grow up, kids. The entire month is a spectacle if it wasn't already unpalatable for its awkward and predatory components the domination of the sports calendar by the round ball enthusiasts has meant a hiatus for the largest mixed martial arts promotions. The Ultimate Fighter is on, but reality television fighting isn't the level of competition fans are use to seeing every other weekend from the sport's largest promotion. If the UFC were available in March I could at least turn off the television for the week and hold out hope for the weekend PPV. But there is no respite -- no oasis of big fights to keep me intrigued on Thursday night. Instead like the protagonist of an Orwellian novel, I'm forced into hours of propaganda by walls filled with talking heads discussing the virtue, class, heart, integrity and general greatness of a sporting event I thoroughly challenge. The next televised UFC fight is April 14, a free card from Sweden, which marks the return of the organization after a five-week break. As I wait, the NCAA will be splashing our eyeballs with the imaginary values of their student-athletes. It's not hyperbolic imagery to contrast big wig college presidents and athletic directors sitting in luxury suites and flying home on private jets to the athletes receive critiques for their performances by overpaid bloviating commentators before taking a bus back to their shared dorm room. Maybe their most prominent value is "sacrifice." (This is probably tangential but consider the amount of money the NCAA and colleges will be making off their free and largely disenfranchised labor force -- while also jacking up the cost of tuition for every student on campus.) Inundation of corporate bullshit and institutional self-righteousness don't make for viewing pleasure, even if Jim Nance uses the words "heroic" and "courageous" to describe a blocked shot or 15-foot jumper. No, Nance-y Boy, those words are reserved for warriors like Frankie Edgar and the Korean Zombie, who are able to withstand facial fractures and body-battering muti-round soirees with a man trying to put them to sleep. Maybe the best way to make it through this atrocious stretch of UFC-less action is to bet point spreads, but that would only feed the gambling that is the supporting culture of this tournament. If you don't think betting drives the majority of attention for this weekend then you need to conduct a survey of NON-sports fans and ask how many of them filled out a bracket. Your numbers will be higher than fifty-percent. Then ask those sports fans you know if they, or any of their friends, are making trips to Las Vegas, or tournament cities. The answer will be "Yes." Analyze the reality of this month and the odor of the impropriety becomes too pungent to ignore: The NCAA tournament is just weaving slivers of athletic achievement between commercial space. The free labor force working for crusty old white guys. Contrast that lack of individual representation that with self-determination and profit possibilities of MMA and the frustrations of having to deal with basketball becomes almost too brutal. Of course the fight world isn't without its own troubles, but at least the premise and the operators conduct much of their business at a level above "pond scum." Yes, there are shady dealings and underpaid fighters, but they're professionals and unlike their college basketball counterparts aren't being induced by the bait-and-switch of a free education. Fighting is in-your-face and unapologetic, March Madness is a spectacle where the fewer questions asked means more money for the have's, even as the have-not's do all the work. I'll pass the ball on watching and leave my only updates to unavoidable big screens at gastro pubs and sports bars. In the meantime I'll brush up on my knowledge of the upcoming fights and watch replays of the NCAA wrestling tournament. Hell, I might even watch old Pride fights. Watching someone get soccer-kicked in the face seems more fair than watching the indentured servitudes perform for the masses.

Dan Gable and Jim Miller will go “On the Mat” this Wednesday, March 21. “On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM Central on AM 1650, The Fan. An archive of the show can be found on www.themat.tv. E-mail kklingman@nwhof.org with questions for any of the guests. Gable coached the University of Iowa to 15 NCAA team titles from 1977 through 1997. He is also the namesake of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. Gable will provide a recap of this year’s NCAA tournament and a preview of the Olympic Trials in Iowa City on April 21-22. Miller is the current head wrestling coach at Wartburg College. He recently coached his team to its ninth NCAA Division III championship. Miller was a two-time NCAA Division II champion and a two-time Division I All-American for Northern Iowa.

RALEIGH, NC -- Carter Jordan will not return as head coach of the Wolfpack wrestling program in 2012-13. Jordan served in the position for the past eight seasons. "We would like to thank Carter for his contributions to the Wolfpack program and wish him well in the future," said Associate Director of Athletics Sherard Clinkscales, who supervises the wrestling program. Jordan's teams posted a 69-77-3 overall record during his eight years as head coach, including a 16-26-1 mark in ACC competition. A national search for a new head coach will begin immediately. Assistant coaches Steve Anceravage and Lee Pritts will remain on staff and continue to manage the program during the search.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- After three years on the wrestling staff, assistant coach Matt Pell has declared that he will relinquish his position, as announced by head coach Brian Smith on Tuesday afternoon. Pell is stepping down to spend more time with his family, as he and his wife Melissa had their first child last summer. “I just want to thank Coach Smith, the administration and my athletes for affording me the opportunity to be a part of a program that has accomplished so much over the last three years,” said Pell. “The memories I have made as a coach at the University of Missouri will be held dear to my heart for the rest of my life.” A four year starter on Missouri's wrestling squad, Pell first earned All-American honors as a sophomore in 2005 while competing at 184 pounds. The Tiger team captain became just the third Missouri wrestler in program history to earn All-American accolades in more than one weight class, managing a third place finish at the 2007 Championships in the 165 pound weight class. In addition to his second top-eight NCAA finish, Pell was presented with the Gorarrian Award after recording the most pins in the least amount of time at the NCAA Championships held in St. Louis. Pell's third place finish helped Missouri to its best squad showing in program history, third. The four-time NCAA qualifier completed his career with 122 wins, good enough for sixth best in program history. After receiving his bachelor's degree from Mizzou in May of 2007, Pell left the Midwest and worked as an assistant coach for the University of Virginia (UVA) wrestling squad. In his two years on staff, Pell helped coach five Cavaliers to Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship titles, and one grappler, Chris Henrich, to UVA's first All-America honor in five years. “Matt has been a part of this program for a long time, and he’ll continue to be a Tiger even after he leaves,” said Smith. “He was an All-American here, a captain here, an assistant coach here. He’s left a big mark on our program. He’s a great friend and I appreciate everything he’s done for Missouri wrestling.”

Every wrestling fan at this year's NCAA wrestling tournament has a moment, or thought they've been sharing with friends and coworkers. It might have been the dominance of David Taylor and Penn State, the stumbling of Iowa State or the surprise three NCAA championships by Cornell. There were hundreds of matches over three days by 330 wrestlers from 70 schools. That type of volume and variety made way for everyone to have their own weekend of emotional ups and downs while following their chosen favorites. Most of our best moments come from the teams and individuals we support without rational thought -- the teams for which we have biases. Being in the media means I have to be objective about how I portray what I see, but I'm no different than any other fan. I rooted for the wrestlers I once recruited or coached, or for the teams in which close friends were at the helm. I cheered my ass off for U.Va. The NCAA wrestling tournament is special like that. There is no limit to stories, or way to quantify for others the emotions you can feel in supporting your favorite wrestlers and teams. The editor of InterMat teases me because my favorite wrestler was 157-pounder Anthony Jones of Michigan State, a mild obsession that dated back to his performance at the 2010 Big Ten tournament. Why I held onto it, I don't know, but I even put him as an All-American in my pool. When he wrestled I couldn't focus on anything else. He wasn't a front-runner or world beater, just a kid I saw display a lot of heart two years ago in Michigan. Penn State's Frank Molinaro hugs his coach Cael Sanderson (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)I also like Penn State and Cael Sanderson. They've challenged the Midwestern dominance of the sport and brought a hybrid style of funk and aggression that has propelled the sport forward. All the credit for that style can't be left in Happy Valley, though. Cornell head wrestling coach Rob Koll, who I first met in my first year of college, has been at the front of the technique curve, promoting a similar aggressive and fluid style of wrestling. Neither of these assertions means that I look at these programs through rose-tinted glasses. I read the complaints by fans and coaches about Penn State's lack of participation and nod along. I agree it would be nice to have everyone available for a dual team tournament in 2013. The level of technique and competitiveness at this year's NCAAs was among the best I've ever seen. There was domination by several individuals, but if you look at historical data, it wasn't that much more than in years past. Only one wrestlers outside of the top three seeds won the tournament, and that was No. 4 seed Steve Bosak of Cornell. That result hints that while there is developing team parity in wrestling, the individual wrestlers at the top three of the weight class are typically just that much better than the rest. Seeding was abysmal (bad enough to deserve its own article), but played little in the results of the tourney. What was most compelling was how clearly dominant wrestlers like Frank Molinaro and David Taylor were able to clear out their weight classes of top-level challengers. Looking at the final placewinners supports that assertion with the seeds to placing in those weights suffering the most upheaval. On the contrary, 141 pounds proved to be the toughest weight of the tourney, and the most predictable in terms of All-Americans. In my offline pool of 10 players, it was the most accurately predicted weight class. 149 and 184 were the least accurately predicted. NCAAs is also a place to meet old friends and tell stories, something made easier by the prodigious amount of alcohol consumed in the city that brought us Budweiser. That wrestling fans like to booze is something I already knew, but it was nice to see so many fans alternatively enjoying the St. Patrick's Day festivities outside and the wrestling inside. We might be prohibitionists during the season, especially for those competing, but as the stress comes undone the familiarity with a pint of Guinness and cups of single malt whiskey seem to reestablish themselves, and the potent potable fall down our gullets with considerable ease. Of course boozing promotes dancing, something that I found 94.8 percent of the wrestling public was incapable of doing in an inoffensive manner. I watched middle-aged men in team shirts waddle onto the floors they should have left to regulars. There was no harm in their lack of rhythm, and let's face it, wrestlers aren't meant to win Dancing with the Stars. Appalachian State's Austin Trotman placed third at 184 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Booze-filled dance halls aside, the best moments of the weekend happened on the mat. Austin Trotman engaged with 17k fans after his upset of No. 1 seed Joe LeBlanc of Wyoming. The Appalachian State wrestler was no fluke and had an overtime match in the semifinals with NCAA champion Steve Bosak. Trotman finished third and his teammate Kyle Blevins fourth, the first All-Americans for Appalachian State since Mark Fee in 2003. Hats should be tipped to JohnMark Bentley, the former UNC stud who has shown himself to be an excellent head coach, and one I think will be mentioned for larger head jobs this offseason. One of my favorite moments came watching Matt McDonough win the NCAA title. Wrestling is unforgiving, and McDonough has had to endure a year of promotions for Anthony Robles, who defeated him in the 2011 finals. McDonough is likely a four-time NCAA finalist and odds-on favorite to win a third NCAA title, but he may only be remembered popularly for that very publicized loss to Robles. I don't feel bad for him. Plenty of people work hard and never achieve their goals. I just liked to see him be dominant again and hopefully fans will see that work ethic and change the tenor of his wrestling legacy. Minnesota's Zach Sanders' NCAA championship dreams were crushed when he fell to Penn State's Nico Medaludis (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)The NCAA tournament is filled with highly-emotional moments. It was hard to watch Zach Sanders of Minnesota lose to Nico Megaludis of Penn State in the 125-pound semifinals. The Gopher senior walked off with his hands over his head, but only made it to the aisle behind the scorer's table before collapsing into tears. It was a reminder of just how hard these kids are working towards a goal, and that while beautiful, wrestling can take from you every ounce of your energy and never return to you what you think you deserve. There are no guarantees in this sport, and nobody to blame but yourself if things go pear-shaped. Still, I'd have liked to see him finish his career in the NCAA finals. Speaking of blame, the worst call of the tournament was made during the overtime match between Nic Bedelyon of Kent State and Jesse Delgado of Illinois. Referees have bad days, too, but the series of calls in this match were inexplicably awful. For those needing a quick reminder, Bedelyon had Delgado in a leg turk with a crossface, earning what looked to be an easy set of back points. However, instead of looking for the fall, the referee simply stopped the match and gave the two-point takedown and win to Bedelyon. The call was then referred to the assistant referee who made mention that Bedelyon's other leg was trapped, and maybe, just maybe, it wasn't actually two points. They waived off the win and restarted the match in neutral. Of course, they shouldn't have, and the right call at the time was to just call back points and let the period run out. Giving two should have been dependent on Bedelyon's ability to keep Delgado in danger, not how his knee was being captured. From there the referee lost some confidence and gave a series of bad calls to both wrestlers, with the final coming in the form of a makeup two point takedown for Bedelyon. The right wrestler won, but man, it was ugly. Jordan Oliver was close to securing a takedown in the closing seconds (Photo/Kevin Schlosser, BuckeyeWrestling.com)So, what about that Logan Stieber-Jordan Oliver takedown? I don't want to cause trouble, and I don't have time to answer 347 emails from fans in Stillwater, so I'll just say, that there has been less called a takedown, and nobody would have complained were it called. However, that position for the defensive wrestler has become more popular as a means of transitioning a hip out from danger, particularly when only one leg is wrapped up above the knee (as it was with Stieber's leg). Someone made a valid point that it could only be two if Oliver is trying to get his head out of Stieber's crotch and does so. If he doesn't, then it's tough to say he's in control. Either way, it's a difficult call to make, but certainly not the worst no-call in NCAA finals history. St. Louis was once again a great host. I'll never understand their regional obsession with toasted ravioli, but I can appreciate their hospitality. The city has the right type of layout for a wrestling tournament, and like many lamented over the weekend, we'd all like to see the event stay in one place, a sentiment I agree with, if for no other reason than we can all grow familiar with hotel and dining options. The NCAA should investigate trying to establish something like NCAA baseball has with its College World Series in Omaha, instead of delaying the release of the wild cards and brackets for five hours (... jerks). For any of your friends wondering what it feels like to watch a wrestler that you love take the mat, have them watch the two videos below. Not only do they speak to the emotional torture of watching those matches, but also how much the coaching staffs of wrestling teams care for their wrestlers. This isn't a loose assemblage of talent, or a sad media-generated attempt to make for-profit sports look like they instill values, this is just two coaches, not knowing that they're being taped, showing why wrestling is the greatest sport in the world.

SAINT LOUIS -- Pitt wrapped up competition at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Saturday, finishing 15th with two All-Americans in front of a record-breaking crowd of 18,919. Matt Wilps closed out his season with a fourth-place finish at 197 pounds, while Tyler Nauman ended his illustrious career with the Panthers with a fifth-place showing at 149. Wilps, a junior, was close to being in the championship finals, but dropped an overtime decision to No. 2 Chris Honeycutt in the semifinals. He bounced back with a 3-2 decision over No. 9 Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming) before losing a close 3-2 decision to No. 5 Cale Byers (Oklahoma State) in the consolation finals. It was the first All-American honor for Wilps in his second appearance at the national tournament. Both wrestlers who finished ahead of him - Honeycutt and Cam Simaz (Cornell) - are seniors. Wilps finishes the season 34-5, and recently notched the 100th win in his career with his victory over Honeycutt in the finals of the Eastern Wrestling League Tournament. The 34 wins are the fifth most all-time by a Pitt junior in one season. Nauman finished the season 30-6 and became a two-time All-American for the Panthers, ending one of the best careers in Pitt wrestling history. With his career record of 140-31, he is third all-time at Pitt in wins. Thirty-nine of those wins came by fall, which is also third all-time. Like Wilps, Nauman came up just short of earning a spot in the national finals. In his 8-5 loss to Minnesota's Dylan Ness in the semifinals, the score was tied 5-5 late, but knowing Ness had a point for riding time locked up, Nauman had to go for the score. He gave up a late takedown in an 8-5 loss. Following a loss to No. 4 Donald Vinson in the consolation semifinals, Nauman got the chance to end his great career with a victory, something only a handful of wrestlers are able to do. He took advantage of the opportunity with a 4-3 decision over Hofstra's Justin Accordino. The 15th-place showing as a team was Pitt's best finish since the Panthers took 13th in 1989. It was the first time the team had two All-Americans since 2007 (Keith Gavin and Matt Kocher). Penn State easily won the team title, clinching first-place before the finals had even started. It was the second straight national championship for the Nittany Lions. The three-day attendance total was also a new record for the event. The six sessions combined for 112,393 fans.

ST. LOUIS -- The Illini wrapped up competition at the 2012 NCAA Championships with four Illini placing in the top eight of the tournament. Jordan Blanton (174) took fourth, B.J. Futrell (133) took sixth, Jesse Delgado (125) placed seventh and Conrad Polz(165) finished eighth. The Illini finished in seventh place with 62 points, the fourth most points scored at the national tournament in school history. Blanton finished the highest of all the Illini as he wrestled above his No. 7 seed, took fourth and notched his second All-American honor. In Blanton's consolation semifinals match against No. 4 seed Logan Storley (Minnesota), the Illini grappler and the Gopher were scoreless after the first. Blanton started on bottom for the second and scored the only point of the match with his escape. The redshirt-junior rode out the Gopher for the remainder of the bout and moved on to face No. 2 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State), a rematch of the championship quarterfinals. Blanton dropped his match to Perry 4-1, but finished a career-best fourth place at the three-day contest. Futrell finished the highest of his career, taking sixth at his third national tournament. In his first match against No. 10 Chris Dardannes, Futrell was in control throughout the first period, with a near pin just seconds into the bout and lead the Gopher 5-1 after the first and 8-4 after the second. Dardannes scored two escapes and a takedown before putting Futrell on his back and getting the pin in 6:29. The Park Forest, Ill., native then fell to No. 6 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) by a pin in 1:44 to take sixth. In just his first national tournament, freshman Delgado earned All-American honors and placed seventh after he defeated No. 12 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra), 3-1. Delgado and Bonanno put up zero points in the first period, however the Illini grappler notched the escape to go ahead 1-0 after the second. Bonanno escaped early in the third, but Delgado scored the winning takedown, 3-1 and ended his rookie year with a 34-8 record. Polz faced Wisconsin's Ben Jordan in his final match of the national tournament. The Illini gave up a takedown and trailed Jordan 2-0 after the first. Polz started down for the second period and escaped to inch the score closer, 2-1. In the final period, Jordan scored an escape and the riding time point to win 4-1. Polz ended the season as the eighth best wrestler in the country with a 24-8 record, a career-best.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Chris Honeycutt’s quest for a national championship came up one victory short on Saturday night in St. Louis, as top-seeded Cam Simaz of Cornell won a 7-5 decision over the Edinboro standout. The bout was part of the NCAA Division I Wrestling National Championships at the Scottrade Center. Edinboro would finish 17th for its sixth straight finish in the top 25 at Nationals. Penn State made it back-to-back national championships, with Minnesota finishing second, Iowa third, Cornell fourth and Ohio State fifth. The 197 lb. championship was a matchup between the top two seeds, with each wrestler losing just once all year. Honeycutt, the second seed, had lost just once previously and he had avenged that loss yesterday with a 6-3 decision over Pittsburgh’s Matt Wilps, the third seed. He was looking to become just the fifth Division I national champion at Edinboro. Honeycutt would open the scoring with 27 seconds left in the first period with a takedown for a 2-0 lead. Simaz opened the action with a single leg attempt, but Honeycutt defended it well and won out in a scramble for the takedown. Simaz would escape with 11 seconds remaining to make it 2-1 after one period. Honeycutt began the second period on the bottom, and just as he did twice against Wilps on Friday, he reversed Simaz to grab a 4-1 lead with 1:41 remaining. Simaz would escape at 1:30 to make it 4-2. The match would change with just over a minute remaining in the period when Simaz converted an ankle pick into a takedown with 1:07 to go. That knotted the score at 4-4, and the Cornell senior would ride out Honeycutt. Simaz started the third period on the bottom, and would escape at 1:46, although Honeycutt was able to wipe out riding time. Leading 5-4, Simaz would answer a Honeycutt short with a reshot, and would record his second takedown at the edge of the mat with 1:24 remaining. Honeycutt escaped at 1:14 to make it 7-5, but he was unable to finish several takedown attempts in the final minute. A shot with 30 seconds to go ended in a stalemate. Another shot at the edge of the mat failed with four seconds to go. Simaz, a four-time All-American, would end the year at 31-1. Honeycutt ends the year at 40-2, just the 12th time an Edinboro wrestler has reached the 40-win plateau. His brilliant career ends with two All-American certificates, just the 14th multiple All-American at Edinboro, and a 130-22 career record. That is good for seventh in career victories. Honeycutt finished fifth at 184 lbs. a year ago. Unfortunately for Honeycutt, instead of becoming the fifth Division I All-American at Edinboro, he now joins the impressive list of Fighting Scots who finished as runners-up. That list now numbers eight. The last Boro wrestler to finish second was Paul Donahoe at 125 lbs. in 2009. Honeycutt was recognized by the NCAA at the end of the night as the Division I leader in technical falls with 11, tying Buffalo's Mark Lewandowski.

ST. LOUIS – Two Western Wrestling Conference grapplers earned All-America honors Saturday at the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Mo. Both wrestlers to place in the top-eight were from the University of Wyoming as redshirt junior Alfonso Hernandez (197 pounds) led the way by placing sixth and Joe LeBlanc became the league's first four-time All-American by finishing seventh at 184 pounds. LeBlanc stepped on the podium for his fourth consecutive time after he placed fifth in 2009, fourth in 2010 and sixth in 2011. The honor for Hernandez was his first. The two All-American additions now give the WWC 11 All-Americans in its six-year history. Both Cowboy wrestlers entered the tournament seeded. LeBlanc entered as the No. 1 seed and Hernandez came in at No. 9. On the way to his first placement at nationals, Hernandez knocked off the higher-seeded Mario Gonzalez from Illinois (seventh-seed), 7-6, the No. 8 seed from Indiana Matt Prowless, 7-6, and the No. 11 seed Micah Burak from Penn, 2-1. In the fifth/sixth-place contest Hernandez then fell to the No. 10 seed from Minnesota Sonny Yohn, 4-1. LeBlanc's finish might not have been the one he was hoping for entering the tournament, as he was upset in the quarterfinals by the No. 9 seed from Appalachian State Austin Trotman, 12-9, but he wrapped up a tremendous career at Wyoming by becoming the program's first-ever four-time All-American none the less with his seventh-place finish. LeBlanc earned seventh place after his opponent in the seventh/eighth-place bout, No. 7 Josh Ihnen from Nebraska, didn't compete due to injury so LeBlanc won the contest by medical forfeit. In all 18 wrestlers competed for the WWC at the NCAA Championships this weekend, and 15 of them made it to day two of the three-day event.. In the team race, Wyoming led the conference as the Cowboys finished tied for 19th place with 31 points. Northern Iowa was next by coming in 34th place with 12 points and North Dakota State and Air Force finished 36th (10.5) and 37th (10) respectively. Overall there were 70 teams that competed at this year’s championships. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.

ST. LOUIS -- A strong overall NCAA tournament for Lehigh ended on a bittersweet note as seniors Brandon Hatchett and Zach Rey were denied national championships after losing in the national finals Saturday night at Scottrade Center. Hatchett lost by technical fall to David Taylor of Penn State, while Rey gave up a late takedown to drop a 4-1 decision to Tony Nelson of Minnesota. “I didn’t have them ready,” said a disappointed Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro after the finals. “We had an opportunity to win a national championship with two guys and we let it slip. It’s unfortunate. They wrestled their hearts out. It was a great tournament for both of them. Everybody wrestled hard. It’s just a tough way to finish the season.” The Mountain Hawks did post their second straight top ten team finish, coming in eighth with 61 points. Lehigh also crowned a total of four All-Americans with Hatchett and Rey placing second at 165 and heavyweight respectively, junior Robert Hamlin finishing fourth at 184 and senior Joe Kennedy taking eighth place at 197. The four All-Americans are the most for Lehigh since crowning five in 2004. Hatchett had the unenviable task of facing 31-0 David Taylor of Penn State in the finals. Taylor scored bonus points in 29 of his 31 matches entering the finals and the championship bout proved to be no different as he scored early and often en route to a 22-7 technical fall in in 5:50. After holding Taylor to an 8-5 decision in December at Stabler Arena, Hatchett was not able to replicate the feat second time around. Taylor scored three first period takedowns to lead 6-2 after one period and added a reversal, a takedown and a two-point near fall in the second period. He closed out the match with four more takedowns in the third period to sew up his first title. Hatchett ends his career as a two-time All-American (7th, 2nd) with a 74-29 career record. In the final bout of the night, Rey looked to repeat his championship performance from last season, but came up short against the Golden Gopher sophomore. After a scoreless first period, Rey chose down in the second was ridden for over a minute before finally escaping with a Granby roll. In the third period, Rey rode Nelson long enough to erase the Gopher’s riding time advantage, but late in the period, Nelson gained control of Rey’s legs at the edge of the mat. He was awarded the go-ahead takedown with seven seconds left, and rode out the remainder of the bout to regain riding time in a 4-1 win. Rey’s Lehigh career comes to an end as a three-time All-American (3rd, 1st, 2nd) and a two-time finalist. With a 116-14 career record Rey ranks third on Lehigh’s career wins list. He became Lehigh’s 15th three-time All-American and its first three-time heavyweight All-American. “Guys come here to win national championships and when they fall short it’s disappointing for the program,” Santoro said. “They (Hatchett and Rey) did everything they were supposed to do. My hat goes off to them. They overcame a lot of adversity. They had great careers and should hold their heads up high. They’re great people and I was fortunate to coach them. I just wish we could have gotten a couple more titles.” Penn State pulled away with its second straight team title scoring 143 points, 25.5 more than second place Minnesota. Iowa and Cornell also eclipsed the 100 point mark and finished third and fourth respectively. Taylor capped a stellar 32-0 season by winning the Gorriaran Award for most falls and the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler Award. With four All-Americans, Lehigh ties Michigan State for eighth in most all-time All-Americans with 135. The Mountain Hawks will lose four NCAA qualifiers including three of their All-Americans to graduation.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- University of Michigan fifth-year senior wrestler Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy) used an overtime takedown to beat Iowa's Montell Marion, 6-4, on Saturday evening (March 17) -- his second win over the Hawkeye in two weeks -- to capture his second straight 141-pound title at the NCAA Championships inside Scottrade Center. As a team, U-M tied for 11th with Virginia Tech, the Wolverines' highest finish since 2008-09, also 11th. After trading one takedown and two escapes apiece through the match's first seven minutes, Russell countered a Marion shot midway through the sudden-victory frame, stuffing the head before spinning around behind to wrap up the Hawkeye and bring him to the mat and end the bout with 23 seconds on the clock. Russell had gained the initial advantage on a single leg late in the first period, getting the leg high and pulling Marion back onto the mat to finish. Marion escaped after 28 seconds and Russell followed suit early in the second to preserve his two-point advantage until Marion struck deep on a single leg, finishing on the edge to even the score. Russell escaped quickly and, taking advantage of several hard returns, rode Marion for the first half of the third period before the Hawkeye wrestler escaped with Russell's holding only 59 seconds of riding-time advantage. The escape evened the score again and ultimately sent the match to overtime. It was his third overtime win against Marion in four career meetings. The Wolverine captain becomes the sixth U-M wrestler to capture multiple NCAA titles, upping the Michigan program's total to 22 trophies and five under current head coach Joe McFarland, joining Ryan Bertin (2003, '05) and Steve Luke (2009). Russell completed his collegiate career with a 134-12 record, earning a share of the eighth position among Michigan's all-time winningest wrestlers. His career win percentage of .918 ranks second in program history. Senior Zac Stevens (Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS) won his final collegiate match in the morning session, rallying to a 13-11 decision over Harvard's Steven Keith in a wild seventh-place match at 133 pounds. Keith jumped out to an early four-point advantage, scoring on a single leg and subsequent two-point tilt in the first minute of the match. The Wolverine senior narrowed the gap with an ankle pick at the buzzer then surged ahead with a busy second period, earning a quick reversal and catching Keith in a scramble to tack on two back points late. Stevens used a splits to earn another two-point near fall early in the third before the wrestlers traded reversals; Stevens locked up a cradle out of the latter to score two more back points, and the points made the difference when Keith reversed him to his back in the waning seconds to narrow the final score.

ST. LOUIS, Mo.-- Northwestern is coming back to Evanston with two All-Americans and a top-10 finish after three days of competition at the 2012 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Redshirt freshman Mike McMullan finished third at heavyweight while redshirt junior Jason Welch was a fourth-place finisher at 157, giving NU at least two All-Americans in six of the last seven years. The two, along with the other four NU qualifiers who each won at least one match, helped the Wildcats place ninth, finishing with 42.5 points. NU has placed within the top 15 at NCAA's in seven of the last eight years, with the lone exception coming in 2009-10 when one Wildcat qualified for NCAA's. The 'Cats have two top-10 finishes in that span as this year's ninth-place finish is Northwestern's best since placing fourth during the 2006-07 campaign. NU was one of six Big Ten teams to finish in the top 10 of this year's standings. As a 10 seed, Mike McMullan made his way to the third-place match after top-seeded Ryan Flores of American medically forfeited out of the tournament. His third-place match was a key one in terms of team standings as he faced No. 3 seed Clayton Jack of Oregon State. The Beavers were one point behind Northwestern in the team standings heading into the match but McMullan kept the 'Cats ahead with a dominating 10-5 victory. McMullan almost ended the match early as his first takedown took Jack to his back and the Wildcat picked up two nearfall points to lead 4-0. Jack started the second period down and McMullan turned him, which again almost resulted in a pin, giving McMullan the 6-1 advantage and over a minute of riding time (1:02) before Jack escaped. Jack scored his lone takedown in the third, coming within two at 6-4. McMullan added an escape and the decisive takedown with 39 seconds left. Jack would escape once more and McMullan tacked on a point for riding time (1:17), to win, 10-5. McMullan's third-place finish at NCAA's is the best of any NU redshirt freshman since Jake Herbert took third at 174 lbs. during the 2005 championships. He capped his first season of competition with a 29-11 record, going 6-1 at the 2012 NCAA Championships. No. 3 seed Jason Welch assured his spot in the 157 third-place match, defeating Clarion's No. 6 James Fleming in the consolation semifinals. Welch jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the end of the second, scoring off two takedowns. The third period was an exciting one with two lead changes. Fleming chose top to start the third, turned Welch for two nearfall points and then again for three more backpoints, taking the 5-4 lead. Fleming's lead did not last long though as Welch re-gained control, scoring a reversal (6-5) and then two backpoints of his own (8-5). Welch tacked on another point for 1:59 of riding time as he advanced to the third-place match against Penn State's No. 7 Dylan Alton. After a scoreless first, Welch trailed 3-1 at the end of the second and came within one point (3-2) with 1:22 left in the third. Alton scored the decisive takedown though and added a point for riding time, giving Welch a fourth-place finish with the 6-2 decision. Welch is NU's 15th two-time All-American as he finished sixth as a redshirt sophomore in 2011. He also concludes his junior year with the best record of his career at 27-3. Northwestern's ninth-place finish at the 2012 NCAA Championships concludes the 2011-12 season where the 'Cats went 11-4 in dual action, finished a program-best second at Midlands and added two more All-America honors to the list.