InterMat Staff

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

Michael Novogratz

Reece Humphrey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Andrew Campolattano

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

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

Akron, Ohio -- The University of Wyoming’s Tyler Cox placed second in the 55 kilogram (121.25 pound) Greco-Roman division of the University Nationals over the weekend in Akron, Ohio, to pace three Cowboy wrestlers in the event. The placing qualified the UW redshirt freshman for the U.S. Senior World Team Trials on June 9-11 in Oklahoma City, Okla. Cox compiled a 4-1 record in Greco-Roman on Thursday thanks to four-straight victories in the consolation bracket. He opened with a 4-0, 7-0 loss to eventual-champion Max Nowry (NYAC), but rebounded with a 3-0, 10-0 decision over Ben Willeford (CLEVWC) and a 10-0, 8-0 technical fall of Zachery Knowlton (Marines). He pinned Brandon Escobar (NYAC) in the second period of the consolation final and defeated Nikko Triggas (NYAC), an All-American at Ohio State, with a 5-3, 4-1 decision in the true-second match. The top two finishers in each weight class advance to the U.S. Senior World Team Trials. The University age group consists of 20-25 year olds, featuring some of the nation’s top collegiate wrestlers. Cox also fared well in the freestyle division on Friday and Saturday, as he placed fifth at the same weight with a 3-2 record. Redshirt freshman Patrick Martinez and junior Dallas Hintz competed in the freestyle division as well. Martinez went 2-2 at 74 kilograms (163 pounds), while Hintz was 1-2 at 84 kilograms (185 pounds). Cox recently completed his first season in UW’s starting rotation. Splitting the season between 125 and 133 pounds, he posted a 25-13 overall mark, including 10-6 in duals. He earned seven pins, three technical falls and two major decisions.

WATERLOO, Iowa -- A banquet and a new induction format greeted the Class of 2011 into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa on April 16. The 10th hall of fame class included four individuals and a championship team. This was the first Glen Brand Hall of Fame class since the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, formed its historic partnership. On hand for the event were Lee Roy Smith, executive director of the Hall of Fame, and Dan Gable, 1972 Olympic champion and namesake of the Dan Gable Museum. "Our staff in Waterloo did a great job of planning and implementing a new format for the ceremonies this year," said Smith. "The formality of this event elevated its prestige. It was a great turn out and I learned a great deal about the heritage of wrestling in the state of Iowa. "This event is what we are all about: showcasing, telling, and preserving the story of our sport through the lives of those individuals, teams, and contributors who make our sport great." Individual inductees included Joe Scarpello (University of Iowa), Jason Smith (Iowa State University), Bill Zadick (University of Iowa), and Doug Schwab (University of Iowa). Scarpello was an NCAA champion in 1947 and 1950. He also has the distinction of being the only wrestler inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa (2011) and the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (2003). Both halls of fame are located in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. Scarpello died on Nov. 9, 1999. "I walked by Joe Scarpello's picture a 1000 times at the University of Iowa wrestling room," said Bill Zadick during his induction speech. "It is an honor to be inducted in the same hall of fame class as someone who inspired me to become an NCAA champion." Zadick and Schwab were NCAA champions with distinguished international careers. Zadick was an NCAA champion in 1996 and a World champion in 2006. Schwab was a 1999 NCAA champion and an Olympian in 2008. Smith was an NCAA champion for Iowa State in 1969 and 1970. The highlight of the evening was inducting the first team into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa. The 1947 NCAA championship team from Cornell College (located in Mount Vernon) was recognized for its historic achievement of becoming the first team outside the state of Oklahoma, and the first in the state of Iowa, to win an NCAA team title. Members of the team, and family members of the team, were on hand to accept the award. There was also a special reception at Cornell College in Mount Vernon prior to the banquet at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo. Arno Niemand, author of "The Dream Team of 1947," presented the award to the team, while team member Al Partin provided the induction speech. R.K. Scott, son of Hall of Fame coach Paul Scott, accepted the award on behalf of his later father. Paul Scott was the head wrestling coach at Cornell from 1941 through 1950. "It was a wonderful thing for this team to be honored, especially in Waterloo," said Niemand. "As many as four out of the eight starters on the team came from West Waterloo High School. I like that this hall of fame will honor the tradition of great teams in the state of Iowa." In addition to the individual and team inductions, Steve Knipp, former head wrestling coach at East Waterloo, was presented with the Russ Smith Community Impact Award at the induction ceremony. The award is given to a person demonstrating exceptional local impact on wrestling. Closing remarks at the banquet were provided by Dan Gable. "Since I have been going to the hall of fame inductions this was one of the most successful," said Gable. "There were a couple new angles, and inducting the team in addition to what we've been doing before added to the event." Next year's class will be selected in the coming months. The 13-member selection committee includes 10 past Glen Brand Hall of Fame inductees and three members of the media. Nominations for the hall of fame will be accepted until July 31, 2011. Contact the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum at (319) 233-0745 for more information.

AKRON, Ohio -- Eight members of the Minnesota wrestling team placed at the 2011 ASICS University Nationals competition this weekend in Akron, Ohio including a trio of Gophers who will advance to the World Team Trials this June in Oklahoma City. Redshirt junior and two-time All-American Sonny Yohn picked up a runner-up finish in the 96kg/211.5 lbs. competition, finishing 4-1 at the event. Meanwhile, freshman Nick Dardanes also went 4-1 and finished second in the 63kg/138.75 lbs. bracket. After opening with a win in the 55kg/121.25 lbs. division, redshirt junior and three-time All-American Zach Sanders dropped his second match of the tournament, but rebounded with six-straight wins to place third. Sanders would join Dardanes and Yohn at the World Team Trials after adding another win over Frank Perrelli in the true second match to bring Sanders' record to 8-1 at the event. Five other members of the Minnesota wrestling team placed at this weekend's event. Tony Nelson went 5-2 in the 120kg/264.5 lbs. bracket to finish fourth in the division while Kevin Steinhaus, David Zilverberg and Danny Zilverberg each took sixth in their respective weight class. Steinhaus, who finished eighth at the NCAA championships this year to earn All-America honors, went 5-3 in the 84kg/185 lbs. bracket. Danny Zilverberg, an NCAA qualifier this year, went 6-2 at 70kg/154.25 lbs. while David Zilverberg went 6-3 at 63kg/138.75 lbs. Also at 70kg/154.25 lbs., Pat Smith placed eighth after going 4-3 over the weekend.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Wrestling at the University Nationals this past weekend held in Akron, Ohio, the University of Missouri wrestling team saw four of their grapplers post top-eight finishes in their respective weight classes, highlighted by Dom Bradley's first place finish at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Zach Toal (74 kg/163 lbs.) finished in second place, Nicholas Hucke (66 kg/145.5 lbs.) took third, while Cody Farinella, also wrestling at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., finished seventh. With their top-two finishes, Bradley and Toal qualify for June's U.S. World Team Trials, held in Oklahoma City, Okla. Bradley rolled to the semifinals with three easy wins, winning by decisions of 6-0/2-0, 1-0/2-0 and 1-0/3-0. Facing off with Tyrell Fortune (Cougar WC) in the semis, Bradley won the first period by a 6-1 score before being knocked off 1-0 in next round. He bounced back in the final period, topping Fortune by a 5-0 final to move on to the championship round. He took first place after Jeremy Johnson (Bobcat Wrestling) had to default due to injury. Two of Toal's first three wins came via pin, as he opened with a win by fall over Will Delk (OCU Stars), pinning him 20 seconds into the second period. After a 2-1/1-1 decision in his next match, Toal then pinned Kyle Dooley (Illinois) 51 seconds into the match to move on to the quarterfinals. From there he was bumped to the consolation bracket after a 1-0/2-1 loss, but bounced back to win his next four matches, sending him to the true second-place match against Kyle Dake. Dake injury defaulted to Toal as he claimed second. Hucke advanced all the way to the semifinals before being bumped to the consolation bracket, highlighted by a win by fall in his opening match. Losing the first period 6-0, Hucke bounced back and pinned Brandon Rader (West Virginia) 1:30 into the second period. He then rallied off wins of 3-0/4-0, 2-0/3-2 and 6-5/1-0 before falling by a 1-0/3-0 decision. He went up against Rader in his first consolation match, winning by a 1-2/8-1/5-1 decision and then toppled Mike Rowe (Team Jaguar), 4-3/0-2/4-1, for third place. After winning his first three matches, including a win by fall in his second match, Farinella fell to the wrestlebacks after dropping a 4-0/3-0 decision to Rowe in the quarterfinals. After winning his first consolation match by a 6-0/4-6/4-3 decision, Farinella was bumped to the seventh place match after a 6-0/3-1 loss. However, he bounced back, toppling Samuel Schmitz (Team Missouri Select) by a 2-1/6-0 decision to capture seventh place.

AKRON, Ohio -- Fresh off completing his Northwestern Wrestling career as a three-time All-American, Brandon Precin had an outstanding first outing in his 2011 freestyle season, winning the 55-kg (121-pound) championship at the 2011 ASICS University Nationals event in Akron, Ohio, on Saturday. By virtue of winning his weight class at University Nationals -- which this year featured 22 NCAA Division I All-Americans and eight NCAA finalists -- the Orland Park native and Carl Sandburg alum earned an automatic bid to the United States Senior World Team Trials in June in Oklahoma City. "Brandon wrestled a great tournament, especially considering it was his first freestyle competition of the spring," said Northwestern head coach Drew Pariano. "It's very important to us that our wrestlers reach their goals in freestyle in addition to succeeding during the college season, and guys like Brandon, Jake Herbert and Lee Munster have proven that this spring. Our goal is to place guys on World Teams so we'll be working toward that over the next few weeks." Precin, who placed third nationally at the 2009 and 2011 NCAA Championships, recorded three pins on his way to his first career title at University Nationals. Precin won his championship match by a 1-0, 2-1 score over Cornell senior Frank Perelli. Precin, who graduated ranked third all-time at NU with 138 career wins, will be joined at June's World Team Trials by former Northwestern teammate Jake Herbert, who recently won his third straight U.S. Open championship. Precin competed at the World Team Trials in 2010, posting a third-place finish in his debut at the event. Herbert also was a University Nationals champion, having been named Most Outstanding Wrestler back in 2007.

A new week and the wrestling community is once again confronted with the elimination of a storied program. This go-round it's the Brown Bears, an Ivy League team with a 99-year commitment to the sport of wrestling. The school didn't drop the program outright, instead choosing to rely on a protracted process of committees and commissions that suggest a course of action, then hear complaints regarding those suggestions. That process began last Thursday and will continue into the month of May. Now, say many in their camp is the time to act. "One of the things we are trying to focus on is creating highly effective communication with the committee over the next few days," says Brown alumnus, two-time EIWA champion Bob Hill. "We are looking to our network of supporters and asking them to get on board with some of out larger efforts. Instead of sending 100 letters to Ruth Simmons (Brown's President) we'd like to see 100 people sign the same letter and present it to the committee on Wednesday." Hill, who is the leader of the Friends of Brown Wrestling, an alumni organization, said they are making contact with high-level donors, alumni, students, and faculty to make sure they create the case for Brown wrestling not only in selfish terms of the student-athletes losing their opportunity to participate in athletics but the goodwill programs established by the program that would disappear if eliminated. Fifteen years ago the wrestling program adopted Fox Point Elementary School and has sustained a relationship with the school through wrestling. "Should it be eliminated, that'll be another opportunity lost because of the cuts," said Hill. Dave Amato has been the head wrestling coach at Brown for the past 27 seasons and he says that he really didn't see this coming. "I know that the athletic director didn't want to act on these recommendations. He's always been very supportive, so but now we have to get the community behind us and influence the next step in the process." Dave AmatoThe next step in the process is a review by the committee that made the original recommendations. The committee features the athletic director, two students, two faculty members and most notably Dick Spies, who chaired a similar commission at Princeton which advocated for the removal of their wrestling program. Spies, who is well known in wrestling circles for the aggressive nature by which he attacked the Princeton program, came to Brown along with President Ruth Simmons and is considered by many to be her "right-hand man." He'll be facing off against representatives from each of the graduating classes, Coach Amato and members of the other effected teams. "There is always a lot anger that erupts during these cuts," says Hill. "Wrestlers want to do something, but in this circumstance it is to write one letter and get as many signatures as possible. Make it a kind letter that outlines why Brown wrestling is important to your community." The important message to remember about the Brown wrestling program still has a chance to survive. Athletic departments like the Univ. of Virginia and Princeton have used committees to gauge the the backlash of their alumni. In both those cases the feedback was severe enough to indicate to the universities that they'd be better off supporting the program rather than cutting it completely. The wrestling community has a lot to be angry about - the cuts at Brown aren't motivated by the financial needs of the University (Brown recently raised $1.6 billion, of which only 1-percent is allocated for athletics). Amato says that the wrestling team was able to raise their operational budget for the year, about $75k, and over the years maintain their $800k endowment, of which a portion of the interest drawn is given to the program for costs. Unfortunately the wrestling program might be the victim of a school interested in having fewer athletes on campus. The Brown athletic department is being asked to return 30 admission slots to the university by the end of the year, and with the wrestling program holding 8 of those slots, elimination is a quick and easy solution to solver their problems. Cornell head coach Rob Koll is not a stranger to the Ivy League system and what it takes to create a successful program, and he thinks that the lessons of Brown are universal, and though trite are worth repeating. "You absolutely have to have an active and engaged young alumni group . These are the guys who are going to be your fans and put in place the mechanisms to prevent being dropped." In the case of Brown, much of the action being taken is in reaction to the events, something many coaches agreed needs to be remedied. Cornell coach Rob Koll believes Brown's young and successful alumni can be a real force and help get things turned around (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"Unfortunately, it should really never get to this point," says Koll. "Every coach needs to be ready with a list of reasons why our program should be the one preserved. You have to make yourself an asset on campus." The Brown wrestling community has received some negative press in recent months. On the mat the Bears were unable to produce an NCAA qualifier in 2011 and off the mat are still dealing with the fallout of the William McCormick court case against the university, which has been well-publicized by the New York Times and other media outlets. That case and any other discretions, Amato and Koll agree, look bad for the program, though Koll believes that they shouldn't be the death knell of any program. "We are dealing with hundreds of 20-something young men who sometimes make bad decisions and get caught up in bad stuff," says Koll. "The point is you need your program to be in a better position than to be susceptible to those few bad actions." Maybe most disappointing for fans of Brown wrestling is that the program is so proud. While Greensboro recently lost its program, they only ceded 15 years of competition, should Brown be eliminated the wrestling community would be losing one of the oldest programs in the nation, a program ready to celebrate their 100-year anniversary next season. All the coaches interested in the heath of the Ivy League are looking to do their part and promote involvement in saving Brown athletics; Koll, Jay Weiss of Harvard, Brendan Buckley of Columbia, Rob Eiter of Penn, and Chris Ayres of Princeton are all leaning on their social networks to create awareness and maybe some social pressure. "Brown has some amazingly successful young alumni," said Koll. "I think that they can be a real force and get this thing turned around." According to Amato the team is in place with presentations for tomorrow's committee review. "We want our guys to show them what cutting the program is going to do to their lives and how they have to choose between the Ivy education or transferring for wrestling." "Our strategy is to intervene at every level and keep up the pressure until we get this things reversed," says Hill. "We can do this. It'll be tough, but I think we can do this." The wrestling community is pulling for their success. After the committee hearing the next step is for the corporation to review the recommendations and vote. The commission is made up five officers, including Brown President Simmons and should be announcing that date later this week, but it will likely be in mid-May. Jokingly, Koll offered another more desperate solution, "We keep losing these battles, right? I bet if one of the wrestlers went on a hunger strike we'd start seeing different results. Jeez, I mean what does it take for us to show how committed we are to the sport." While no one, including Koll, is directly advocating for huger strikes and sit-ins, the desperation of these continued losses is beginning to agitate the community en masse. Still, the Brown alumni and coaches suggest that the wrestling community utilize the avenues presented by the university to discuss the committee's suggestions. Hill says that the main course of action remains intense focus on writing letters and contacting decision makers. "Brown is an interesting place and we need to be careful how we approach this thing, everyone wants what's best for the program and these wrestlers."

A host of World, Olympic and NCAA Champions are included in the final lineups announced today for the freestyle wrestling dual meet between the United States and Russia, part of the 2011 Beat the Streets Gala on Thursday, May 5 at New York's Times Square. The event will be held in Duffy Square in New York City, located in the historic Times Square setting at 46th Street. The event is free to the public, and will also be streamed live on TheMat.com by USA Wrestling and be shown on the single largest facing LED screen in Times Square. The USA vs. Russia freestyle wrestling dual meet will begin at 6:00 p.m., following a card of exhibition matches featuring young athletes who wrestle in the Beat the Streets youth program, as well as high school wrestlers from the Public School Athletic League, which will begin at 3:00 p.m. The U.S. team will include: 2008 Olympic champion Henry Cejudo (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids), who competes at 55 kg/121 lbs. This will be Cejudo’s first competition since winning the Olympic gold at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. 2009 World silver medalist Jake Herbert (Evanston, Ill./New York AC) will wrestle at 84 kg/185 lbs. Herbert, who also competed in the 2010 World Championships, is coming off his third straight U.S. Open title on April 9 in Cleveland. He was a two-time NCAA champion and a Hodge Trophy winner at Northwestern. 2009 World bronze medalist Tervel Dlagnev (Columbus, Ohio/Sunkist Kids) will compete at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Dlagnev won his first career U.S. Open title this year. He captured two NCAA Div. II national titles for Nebraska-Kearney. Brent Metcalf (Iowa City, Iowa/New York AC), a member of the 2010 U.S. World Team, will represent the USA at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. Metcalf was a two-time NCAA champion and a Hodge Trophy winner for Iowa. Members of the 2009 U.S. World Team competing in New York will be Shawn Bunch (Columbus, Ohio (Gator WC) at 60 kg/132 lbs. and Jake Varner (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Bunch was a college star at Edinboro, while Varner won two NCAA titles for Iowa State. At 74 kg/163 lbs., the USA will be represented by Jordan Burroughs (Sicklerville, N.J./Sunkist Kids). Burroughs won his second career NCAA title for Nebraska in March, received the Hodge Trophy, then captured his first U.S. Open national freestyle title in April. "We have a great American team for this event," said USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones. "When the Russians come to town, we don’t mess around. We are putting a strong team out there." The U.S. team will be coached by Jones, along with past Olympic head coach Bobby Douglas of Ames, Iowa. Mike Novogratz of New York, N.Y. is the Team Leader. Russia is the reigning World Team Champion in freestyle wrestling. Its lineup for the New York City dual meet features a European champion and four Junior World champions and will be very competitive. Nariman Israpilov, a 2009 European champion, is on the Russian roster at 55 kg/121 lbs. Past Junior World champions in the Russian lineup include Israpilov, plus Magomedmurad Gadzhiev at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., Andrey Valiev at 84 kg/185 lbs. and Shamil Akhmedov at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Rounding out the Russian roster are young talents Rasul Murtazaliev at 60 kg/132 lbs., Aniuar Geduev at 74 kg/163 lbs. and Barsag Kesaev at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. All three have won medals at the Ivan Yarygin Memorial Grand Prix, considered one of the world’s toughest international competitions. A U.S. lineup featuring an Olympic champion and three past Hodge Trophy winners will face a Russian lineup showcased by four Junior World champions. "Russia is the bullseye for us, and we are excited for every chance we can get to wrestle against them," said Jones. "We know that in our preparation to be the best in the world, we have to knock the Russian wrestlers off. They are very good. We have to be at our very best and ready to go when we face them." Each year, the Beat the Streets Gala is held to celebrate wrestling and raise funds for Beat the Streets Wrestling, Inc., the successful program which has provided wrestling opportunities for thousands of middle school and high school students in New York City. This is the second straight year in which a major Olympic-style competition has been featured as part of the Beat the Streets Gala. In 2010, an all-star challenge featuring top U.S. wrestlers was held on the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier docked on the west side of Manhattan. The Beat the Streets Reception and Awards Ceremony is set for the Hard Rock Cafe, 1501 Broadway in New York City, starting at 7:30 p.m. There will be a live musical performance by country music legend John Rich at the function. 2011 BEAT THE STREETS GALA New York Is Wrestling Battle on Broadway Duffy Square – Times Square at 46th Street in New York, N.Y., May 5 USA vs. Russia Freestyle Dual Meet matches 55 kg/121 lbs. – Henry Cejudo (USA) vs. Nariman Israpilov (Russia) 60 kg/132 lbs. – Shawn Bunch (USA) vs. Rasul Murtazaliev (Russia) 66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Brent Metcalf (USA) vs. Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (Russia) 74 kg/163 lbs. – Jordan Burroughs (USA) vs. Aniuar Geduev (Russia) 84 kg/185 lbs. – Jake Herbert (USA) vs. Andrey Valiev (Russia) 96 kg/211.5 lbs. –Jake Varner (USA) vs. Shamil Akhmedov (Russia) 120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Tervel Dlagnev (USA) vs. Barsag Kesaev (Russia) ABOUT BEAT THE STREETS The Mission of the Beat the Streets Wrestling Program is to expand and develop wrestling in the New York City Metropolitan area from the youth through the Olympic level. Our dream is to provide opportunities for boys and girls in the activity of wrestling, building lifelong skills. If you share this mission and would like to volunteer to help, please contact info@beat-the-streets.org.

US Nationals freestyle champions Jordan Burroughs and Teyon Ware will be radio show guests this week. “On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum and can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Burroughs won his second NCAA title for the University of Nebraska in March, completing his junior and senior seasons undefeated. He won the Dan Hodge Trophy as the most dominant college wrestler in the country and won the US Nationals freestyle title at 163 pounds. Ware was a four-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion for Oklahoma University at 141 pounds. He recently won the US Nationals in freestyle at 145.5 pounds. Burroughs and Ware will both enter the World Team Trials in Oklahoma City on June 10 & 11 as the number one seed in their respective weight classes and will be looking to become World Team members for the first time.

Related Link: Results & Videos AKRON, Ohio -- The freestyle competition came to a conclusion on Saturday afternoon at the FILA Cadet and University Nationals on the campus of the University of Akron. Eleven young men were crowned as champions, with each (but for the one at 275 pounds) earning the right to compete for the United States in late August at the FILA Cadet World Championships -- which will be held in Hungary. For a pair of young men -- Jordan Rogers (Mead, Washington) and Brooks Black (Blair Academy, New Jersey) -- it was a repeat title at the FILA Cadet Nationals. Rogers, who is ranked No. 18 nationally in the Class of 2012, absolutely dominated the competition in the 167.5-pound weight class. In the eight matches of this tournament, he only allowed an opponent to score in one period. Five wins were by fall, and three by technical fall -- including a 7-0, 7-0 victory over Jason Grimes (Holy Innocents, Georgia) in the final. "I'm always seeking out the best competition, constantly trying to get better," said Rogers when asked about how he has become such a dominant force. "All the experience has enabled me to get to this point, though there's always room for improvement." This came in follow up to the Greco-Roman championship on Thursday in which he was also named Outstanding Wrestler, when he only gave up a single point over the course of six matches. Black, who is ranked No. 4 in the Class of 2013, added this title at 275.5 pounds to a robust resume that includes a Cadet National Greco-Roman title in 2009 and sweeping both styles at the FILA Cadet Nationals and Cadet Nationals in 2010. For the sixth time in thirteen months, his opponent in a championship final match was Doug Vollaro (Oviedo, Florida), who is ranked No. 20 in the Class of 2012. As with the other five matches, it was a nip-and-tuck affair for the duration with Black coming out on top, this time in a 1-0, 0-1, 3-0 three period decision. Black won the first period in the leg clinch, while Vollaro responded back scoring on a leg attack in the second period to send the match to the third and deciding period. In that period, Black scored first as he drove Vollaro out of bounds off a body lock starting from an underhook tie. "I went out hard in that third period with a strong attack, and felt confident that I could wear him down," said Black. In addition to Rogers, a pair of other wrestlers also swept titles in the Greco-Roman and freestyle competition this weekend -- Sam Brooks (Oak Park River Forest, Illinois) and Adam Coon (Fowlerville, Michigan). Brooks, ranked No. 47 in the Class of 2012, had three runner-up finishes among his four Cadet National All-American finishes. He also brings to the table another runner-up finish, having finished second during this scholastic season at 171 pounds. In the championship final, it was a battle of 171-pound state runner-up, when Brooks outlasted Jack Dechow (Richmond, Illinois) 2-1, 1-0. After the high school season ended, Brooks has spent a lot of time focusing on the Olympic styles, and it showed in sweeping the titles this weekend and winning medals in both styles at the FILA Junior Nationals two weekends ago. "Freestyle and Greco-Roman are a lot easier for me to have fun in," he said, "and I wrestle a lot better with that laid back demeanor." Already winning state titles in both years of his high school career, Coon is ranked No. 18 in the Class of 2013, and faced a rematch of last summer's Cadet National freestyle final this afternoon. He added to his Greco-Roman title, and avenged that loss in Fargo, with a 1-1, 2-0 victory over Ty Walz (St. Edward, Ohio). "I've worked on some more sprawls, stronger hip defense, and stronger high-crotch defense," he said in response to what the difference was in this match compared to the meeting in Fargo. "I knew I'd see Ty again somewhere, and had to stop that lethal high-crotch of his." In fact it was that ability that enabled him to score the match sealing takedown in the second period. Joining Brooks as a champion from the state of Illinois, was Zane Richards (Carbondale) at 127.75 pounds. Richards, ranked No. 22 in the Class of 2012, adds this title to the pair of Cadet National Greco-Roman titles that he earned in 2009 and 2010. The championship was earned with a 1-0, 6-0 victory over Sam Brancale (Eden Prairie, Minnesota); though a very critical victory came in his last preliminary match against Hayden Tuma (Centennial, Idaho). Tuma had upended Richards in Thursday evening's Greco-Roman final; however, on Saturday morning, Richards earned the 2-1, 3-0 victory over the No. 17 wrestler in the Class of 2014. "It was all about mentality," Richards responded to the question about what was different between the two matches. "I knew that I had to make it happen, to wrestle my match, and with a lot of confidence." Richards' tournament performance earned him Outstanding Wrestler honors, and provides great confidence for him as the path to Fargo (Junior Nationals) continues. "I've just got to keep working hard, keep getting the matches, and keep learning so I can thrive in Fargo," said Richards. Along with the two champs from Illinois, a pair of Minnesota wrestlers also won championships. In fact, it was a second national title this month for each wrestler, as both won the Cadet National folkstyle tournament three weekends ago in Cedar Falls, Iowa. This pair of Class of 2014 members won titles at 92.5 and 101.25 pounds. Gannon Volk (Apple Valley, Minnesota) upended the Greco-Roman champion from earlier in the week Lincoln Olson (a freshman-to-be at Davison, Michigan) by a 3-2, 1-0 decision in the final. Hoping to be the starting 103-pound wrestler for Apple Valley in 2011-12, Volk sees this tournament as a building block. "I just want to keep doing well until Fargo, and keep getting better," stated the 2010 Cadet National double All-American, who also won the Cadet folkstyle championship at the beginning of this month. Like Volk, Tommy Thorn (St. Michael-Albertville, Minnesota) added to his title winning resume with a championship finals victory over a national champion. His victory came over 2010 Junior National freestyle champion Matt Garelli (Oak Park Fenwick, Illinois) by a 3-2, 4-2 score. Thorn was one of two finalists from the PINnacle Wrestling School in the FILA Cadet National freestyle competition. (Brancale at 127.75 pounds was the other PINnacle finalist.) Thorn, a state champion during the high school season at 103 pounds, comes from a strong wrestling lineage. His oldest brother Mike earned a second NCAA All-American finish this year, older brother David went 2-2 at the NCAA tournament, losing a pair of overtime matches as a redshirt freshman, and father John finished fourth at the NCAAs (for Iowa State) in 1983. "They've shown me how to wrestle and win through by their words and actions," was how Tommy assessed having a pair of older brothers and a father with such accomplished wrestling backgrounds. "In that match, I just kept working and didn't stop, even when I was trailing." At 110.25 pounds, Dalton Brady (Chandler, Arizona) -- who finished third in this event last year -- beat a pair of national champions to earn his championship. In yesterday's preliminary rounds, he upended returning event champion Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio) in a three period match, 3-0, 0-2, 4-0. Then, in the championship match, it was with a first period fall in 1:34 over 2010 Cadet National freestyle champion Phillip Laux (Iowa City West); Laux also won the Greco-Roman tournament contested earlier in the week. "I just had much more experience (this year versus last year)," said Brady. "My dad took me to more tournaments, and I was able to work on more and better technique. Just to get a better feel, understanding for strategy, and more confidence." Making the move up from second to first in this event at 119 pounds was Thomas Gilman (Skutt Catholic, Nebraska). Gilman -- ranked No. 17 in the Class of 2012 -- lost a three period match in the final last year before going on to win Cadet Nationals in Fargo last summer. In six preliminary matches to the final, Gilman had dominated all comers -- giving up two just points and ending five matches early (three technical falls and two pins). The championship final was a battle of returning runners-up, as Jacob Schmitt (St. John's, Michigan) -- ranked No. 37 in the Class of 2013 -- finished second at 101 pounds to Tomasello in this event last year. In two mirror image periods, Gilman emerged with a 2-1, 2-1 victory. Both periods opened up with a Gilman takedown, which was followed up by a Schmitt takedown, and then Gilman scored a period winning takedown on each occasion. "If things stayed the way they were, I was going to lose the period," said Gilman when asked about his late period scoring. "I just laid it all on the line with everything I had. Even though I could, I didn't want to wrestle a third period; just wanted to dominate in two." Rounding out the tournament champions were a pair of nationally ranked Class of 2013 wrestlers in Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nevada) at 138.75 pounds and Oliver Pierce (Allen, Texas) at 152 pounds. In a battle of sophomores, who earned All-American honors in both styles last summer at Cadet Nationals, it was Lavallee who upended Josh Pennell (St. John's, Michigan) 3-0, 3-2. Ranked No. 29 in his grade, Lavallee set the tone for the match when he was able to score an exposure in countering Pennell's advantage situation in the first period leg clinch. "I wanted to get to the boot scoot position," said Lavallee in discussing his leg clinch defense strategy. "I got to that point right when (Pennell) lifted up slightly, and I was able to pounce in with a crotch lift." "I feel real happy to win (this national title)," he continued. "I've been going all over the place to get ready for this, and I feel blessed for the training opportunities I've gotten." Pierce -- ranked No. 14 in his grade -- earned this title with a 2-1, 2-1 victory over Gabriel Moreno (Urbandale, Iowa). The "stop sign" will go on his mantle with those earned in Cadet National freestyle last summer and Greco-Roman in the summer of 2009; while Moreno was third in Cadet freestyle in 2009, and runner-up at the Junior National folkstyle tournament three weekends ago. Not only is Pierce a very talented wrestler, he's also a key contributor to one of the nation's best high school football programs. As a sophomore this past fall, Oliver was the second-string quarterback, a starter as an inside wide receiver, and the primary kickoff and punt returner. His team lost in the second round of the state playoffs to the number one team in the nation by a 37-35 score, the game was played in front of 50,000 people at the new Cowboys Stadium. Finals Results: 42 kg/92.5 pounds: Gannon Volk (Minnesota) dec. Lincoln Olson (Michigan), 3-2, 1-0 46 kg/101.25 pounds: Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) dec. Matthew Garelli (Illinois), 3-2, 4-2 50 kg/110.25 pounds: Dalton Brady (Arizona) pinned Phillip Laux (Iowa), 1:34 54 kg/119 pounds: Thomas Gilman (Nebraska) dec. Jacob Schmitt (Michigan), 2-1, 2-1 58 kg/127.75 pounds: Zane Richards (Illinois) dec. Sam Brancale (Minnesota), 1-0, 6-0 63 kg/138.75 pounds: Joey Lavallee (Nevada) dec. Joshua Pennell (Michigan), 3-0, 3-2 69 kg/152 pounds: Oliver Pierce (Texas) dec. Gabriel Moreno (Iowa), 2-1, 3-1 76 kg/167.5 pounds: Jordan Rogers (Washington) dec. Jason Grimes (Georgia), 7-0, 8-0 85 kg/187.25 pounds: Sam Brooks (Illinois) dec. Jack Dechow (Illinois), 2-1, 1-0 100 kg/220.5 pounds: Adam Coon (Michigan) dec. Ty Walz (Ohio) Dec 1-1, 2-0 125 kg/275.5 pounds: Brooks Black (Pennsylvania) dec. Doug Vollaro (Florida), 1-0, 0-1, 3-0