InterMat Staff

Mark Cody

NORMAN, Okla. -- Mark Cody, the reigning national college wrestling coach of the year, has been named the head wrestling coach at the University of Oklahoma. He succeeds Jack Spates, who retired from the position following the 2011 season, his 18th with the Sooners. Cody, who comes to OU after nine years at American University, led the Eagles to a program-best fifth-place finish at the recently completed NCAA Championships. The team produced three All-Americans after qualifying six for the tournament, while also posting a school record 3.48 grade point average. "The wrestling community has watched Mark Cody do remarkable things with his teams at American," said Joe Castiglione, Oklahoma's Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and Athletics Director. "He has maximized limited resources to take a program that was once struggling and transform it into one of the strongest in the country. Along the way, he has earned the respect of his peers as not only a great program builder, but an outstanding teacher and leader. "We have watched Mark's work and spoken with a number of people in the profession who are familiar with him. He is held in very high regard and has proven his ability to operate a program at an extremely high level." Cody said it was tradition and the people of the Sooner state that attracted him to the job. "I think back on Tommy Evans, Stan Abel, Jack Spates and the other men who coached there and I really appreciate the tradition they established," Cody said. "It's a responsibility to take that over, but it's also encouraging because it's a school that appreciates and expects success." Two stints at Oklahoma State taught the New York native all he needed to know about Oklahomans. "People make the place and I have always loved the people in Oklahoma," he said. "I lived there twice and always felt they were some of the nicest people in the world." Recent improvements at OU's wrestling facility caught Cody's attention and said things like the upgrades at the Port Robertson Center send a strong message. "The improvements to the facilities indicate a commitment to the sport and that's something that has a great impact on recruiting," he said. "The cupboard is full there in terms of the resources and I look forward to getting started." Cody's work at American has been impressive. He took over the program just after it had been dropped and then resurrected. Just 4.5 scholarships were available for seven wrestlers. Finally, in 2005, the Eagles broke through with their first national qualifiers. It went on to post top 25 team finishes in the NCAA Tournament from 2006-2011. In 2008, American added wrestling as only its third fully-funded sport. "People thought I was crazy when I took the job, but we always had a plan for recruiting, fund-raising and running the program," said Cody. Some $180,000 were raised in the programs first year and that total has risen to nearly $1 million over the length of Cody's nine seasons. Now he can look back on a tenure that included the school's first national champion, 14 All-Americans and 16 NCAA qualifiers (all since 2005) and 21 academic All-Americans. Cody came to American after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State. He helped OSU to a Big 12 Championship and a fifth-place finish at the 2002 NCAA Championships. In addition, the squad earned recognition from the NWCA as a top-25 academic team, and two were named Academic All-America by the NWCA. Nine were also named to the Academic All-Big 12 team. Before joining Oklahoma State, Cody served as the upper-weights coach for 12 years at the University of Nebraska. During that time, he was responsible for bringing in some of the nation's top recruiting classes, including national champions Tolly Thompson (Hwt.) and Brad Vering (197). Vering later became a two-time Olympian with Cody in his corner. While Cody was at Nebraska, 23 Cornhuskers were named All-America, including Rulon Gardner, who later captured the heavyweight gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Cody spent the 1986-87 season as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State. He was also an assistant at Bloomsburg University during the 1985-86 season and for the University of Missouri in 1984-85. As a student-athlete, Cody was a three-time All-American. He spent two years at the State University of New York at Delhi before transferring to Missouri in 1983. His greatest success came during his senior season, 1984-85, when he earned All-America status and was named the team's Most Outstanding Wrestler. Cody still ranks in Missouri's single season top-10 for falls (17) and winning percentage (.875). He graduated from Bellevue University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business. A member of the New York Athletic Club, he was a 198-pound finalist at the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials. A native of Binghamton, N.Y., Cody and his wife, Holly, have three sons, George, Charlie and Henry.

CLEVELAND -- Redshirt sophomore Kendrick Maple won the FILA Junior Nationals freestyle title at 63 kilograms on Sunday at the Cleveland Public Auditorium. Maple, a 2010 NCAA qualifier at 133 pounds, defeated Penn States’ Samuel Sherlock, 3-1, 2-0, to take home the 138.75 pound championship. Additionally, incoming freshman Sam Wheeler and Cody Brewer finished fourth and fifth, respectively. OU redshirt freshman Justin DeAngelis also finished fifth. The Junior age group consists of 17-20 year olds, featuring some of the nation’s top wrestlers, as well as underclassmen from the college level. The champions in each of the seven Olympic weight classes, plus 50 kg/110 lbs., advance to the best-of-3 finals for the FILA Junior World Team Trials. The Junior World Team Trials are set for May 19-20 in Franklin, Ind. The top six finishers in the seven Olympic classes, plus 50 kg, qualify for the Junior World Team Trials. There were 357 wrestlers entered in the FILA Junior freestyle class.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Freshmen Alan Waters and Drake Houdashelt of the Tiger wrestling squad posted impressive finishes this weekend at the 2011 ASICS FILA Junior Nationals, as each took third place in the freestyle category in their respective weight classes in Cleveland, Ohio. Waters, who went 39-7 with an NCAA appearance as a true freshman at 125 pounds for the Tigers, opened with a 7-0, 1-0 decision over Sean Boylan (Husky Wrestling Club). He followed that up with a 6-0, 6-0 technical fall over Robert Dyar (NYAC-Harlem) before knocking off Mike Rhone (Mat Town USA), by a 5-0, 7-3 decision. Waters was bounced from the championship bracket in the quarterfinals, losing to Jesse Delgado (Meathead WC), the eventual champion of the 55 kg/121.25 pound class, by a 5-1, 1-0 decision. Waters bounced back in the consolations, winning his first match on that side of the bracket by a 6-0, 7-0 technical fall over Zack Nelson (Samurai) before toppling Caleb Richardson (Blair Academy) by decision, 1-0, 2-0, in the third place contest. Wrestling at 70 kg/154.25 pound weight class, Houdashelt bounced back after a second round loss to win his next eight matches, securing third place. Winning his first match by a 6-0, 6-0 technical fall, Houdashelt fell by a 2-0, 0-3, 4-2 decision in the second round to Steve Santos (NYAC-Harlem) to fall to the consolation round. He was the winner of his first wrestleback match by forfeit, and then rallied off two technical falls in a row, the first by a 6-0, 6-0 final and 7-1, 6-0 in the second. He rallied past Christopher Castillo (Bronco Wrestling Club) in the next match, as he overcame an 0-6 loss in the first period to win the next two, 4-0 and 7-0. He pinned his next opponent in 0:51 in the second round, and moved to the third place match after taking an 0-2, 4-1, 2-0 decision. In his final match, he knocked off Justin Koethe (Trojan Wrestling Club) by decision, winning 13-6, 4-3. Houdashelt redshirted this season for the Tigers, and went 23-5 wrestling in opens over the course of the season. Of his 23 wins, 16 came by bonus points.

Related Link: InterMat High School Rankings The following wrestlers have been selected No. 1 in the nation to end the 2010-11 high school campaign, and they comprise the InterMat High School All-American First Team for this season. Morgan McIntosh (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Wrestler of the Year: Morgan McIntosh Weight Class: 189 High School: Calvary Chapel, California Class: Senior About McIntosh:On the way to a third state championship, McIntosh had an undefeated senior season in which he did not give up a takedown. The Penn State-bound grappler was champion at the Walsh Ironman, Five Counties Invitational, and FloNationals to go with a pin during the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic. Last offseason, McIntosh was a Junior National freestyle champion and finished third at the FILA Junior Nationals in freestyle. 103: Nathan Tomasello High School: CVCA, Ohio Class: Sophomore About Tomasello: Tomasello was undefeated at 43-0 in winning a second state title in as many years of high school, as he earned titles at the Walsh Ironman, Medina, and Top Gun tournaments. This past offseason, he was champion of the FILA Cadet Nationals in freestyle, third in freestyle at Cadet Nationals, and a Super 32 Challenge runner-up. 112: Anthony Ashnault High School: South Plainfield, New Jersey Class: Sophomore About Ashnault: Though he was an undefeated state champion as a freshman, and a double Cadet National All-American over the summer, it was at the Super 32 Challenge in late October that Ashnault burst onto the national consciousness. His last five victories on the way to the title were over a quartet of 2010 state champions and an additional National Prep champion. Like in the freshman campaign, Ashnault was an undefeated state champion with a 42-0 record. 119: Jimmy Gulibon High School: Derry Area, Pennsylvania Class: Junior About Gulibon: Despite a maiden Walsh Ironman championship, a third title at the POWERade, and a third state title -- none of those accomplishments will be what defines Gulibon this season. Instead it was a mid-January event in which he went up a weight class to take on fellow No. 1 in the nation Nico Megaludis; despite holding a late lead, Megaludis scored a takedown inside the last 30 seconds to win 4-3. Heading into the senior year, Gulibon has 111 wins against just three losses (the third of which was a disqualification in his first tournament as a freshman for an illegal slam). 125: Nico Megaludis High School: Franklin Regional, Pennsylvania Class: Senior About Megaludis: The Penn State-bound Megaludis capped off one of the finest high school careers of any prep wrestler in Keystone State history with a 135-match winning streak, not losing in high school since a 1-0 state semifinal loss his freshman year. The 170-1 career mark included three state titles and becoming only the third wrestler to win four titles at the POWERade. 130: Jesse Thielke High School: Germantown, Wisconsin Class: Senior About Thielke: His Greco-Roman exploits are known to all across America, as the repeat winner of FILA Junior National titles is now seeking a third straight Junior World team trip. However, Thielke's scholastic record is very distinguished, as the four-time state champion ended high school on a 100-match winning streak after starting his career on a separate 85-match streak. The only loss (to Jake Sueflohn, who is ranked No. 2 at 140 pounds this year) coming in the sectional final as a sophomore, which was avenged the next week in the state final. Thielke also beat No. 2 Zach Horan in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic 8-3. After a year at the Olympic Training Center, he is planning to enroll at Wisconsin in 2012-13. 135: Hunter Stieber High School: Monroeville, Ohio Class: Senior About Stieber: While David Taylor is the only four-time champion in Walsh Ironma history, Stieber joined Chris Villalonga as the only other wrestlers to make the finals four times at what is arguably the nation's best in-season high school tournament. Winning as a freshman, Steiber lost in the championship match the next two years, before upending No. 2 Austin Ormsbee (a 2010 Junior National freestyle champion) in this year's final. For the senior year, Stieber went 54-0 to cap off a 203-2 high school career. Like his older brother Logan, Hunter will be attending Ohio State next year. 140: Jason Tsirtsis High School: Crown Point, Indiana Class: Junior About Tsirtsis: The two-time FloNationals champion and Super 32 Challenge runner-up has also been freestyle All-American in three Fargo appearances (twice as a Cadet, and last summer finishing third at the Junior level). Tsirtsis is also a three-time state champion in as many years, undefeated his last two seasons, with an unofficial career mark of 129-2. 145: Nick Hodgkins High School: Wyomissing, Pennsylvania Class: Senior About Hodgkins: Since falling 4-2 in the state semifinal last year to eventual state champion A.J. Schopp, all Hodgkins has done is win. He came back to finish third at state as a junior, won the NHSCA Junior Nationals, won the Super 32 Challenge over No. 3 James Green, won a title at the Beast of the East, was an undefeated state champion at 47-0, and defeated No. 2 Alex Dieringer by a 7-2 score in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic. Hodgkins ends his career with two state titles and placements of second, first, third, and first. Hodgkins has yet to select a college. 152: Destin McCauley High School: Apple Valley, Minnesota Class: Senior About McCauley: Like fellow No. 1 Thielke, McCauley will be spending the next year at the Olympic Training Center before planning to enroll at the University of Wisconsin in 2012-13. The anchor of Apple Valley's national championship team was a six-time state finalist, only failing to win a state title his sophomore year. The 2010 Junior National freestyle champion finished his high school career with two 50-0 seasons after that loss. 160: Bryce Hammond High School: Bakersfield, California Class: Senior About Hammond:Having chosen to stay home and attend Cal State Bakersfield, Hammond earned a second consecutive state title; then he finished his high school career with a win in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic and a NHSCA Senior National championship. 171: Logan Storley High School: Webster, South Dakota Class: Senior About Storley: The rarest of phenomena, Storley is a six-time state champion. Over the last year, Storley was a NHSCA Junior National champion, Disney Duals Association Division gold medalist, and a Junior National freestyle champion. He has signed to wrestle at the University of Minnesota 215: Tanner Hall High School: Meridian, Idaho Class: Senior About Hall: After going 17-20 as a freshman state qualifier at 171 pounds, Hall finished his last three years with a 123-5 record along with three state titles. Since the end of the junior year, Hall was a double FILA Cadet National champion, double FILA Junior National All-American, and double Junior National finalist (freestyle champion). Also earning a title in this year's Walsh Ironman, Hall will join Thielke and McCauley in delaying his college enrollment by one year to be a resident athlete at the Olympic Training Center. 285: Donny Longendyke High School: White Bear Lake, Minnesota Class: Senior About Longendyke: After a one-and-done state tournament as a freshman 215-pound wrestler, Longendyke made three consecutive state finals earning state titles the last two years. The Nebraska bound grappler had a 92 match win streak from the time of his state finals loss as a sophomore to the loss in the sectional final this past year (that loss was avenged in the state final); he went 138-4 in his last three years of high school. Longendyke has also been a double All-American the last two summers in Fargo. Below is a count of the number of wrestlers ranked from each state in the top twenty of their respective weight classes. 39: PA 26: OH 25: IL 23: CA, NJ 17: IA 16: MN 12: MI 11: FL 10: NY 9: MO, WI 7: VA 6: IN 5: MD 4: NE, OK, OR, WA 3: CO, KS, SD 2: GA, ID, MT, NC, TX, UT 1: AZ, KY, MA, NM In all, wrestlers from 32 states appear in the weight class rankings. InterMat will also be releasing updated grade level rankings this week.

TheMat.com Playlists (Interviews & Matches): U.S. Open Freestyle U.S. Open Greco-Roman U.S. Open Women's Freestyle FILA Junior Freestyle FILA Junior Greco-Roman

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- North Carolina assistant wrestling coach Cary Kolat made a miraculous run through the U.S. Open advancing all the way to the finals after a three-year absence from competition. Kolat, who will turn 38 next month, had been guiding other wrestlers at the North Carolina Regional Olympic Training Center in Chapel Hill when he decided to make a run for the 2012 Olympic Games. Kolat last wrestled competitively in 2008 when he was vying for a spot on the 2008 Olympic team and just last year became the Director of Wrestling Operations at North Carolina before being elevated to assistant coach during the 2010-11 season. After training with several wrestlers at the North Carolina Regional Olympic Training Center Kolat decided to make a run at the Olympics one more time after being a two-time NCAA Champion and a member of the 2000 United State Olympic Wrestling squad. Kolat entered the U.S. Open unseeded and advanced all the way to the finals knocking off second-ranked Josh Churella in the process. With the win Kolat earned a place in the finals against two-time NCAA Champion Teyon Ware who checked in a decade younger than Kolat. Kolat took the first period from Ware, 1-0, before dropping the second period 5-0. Ware and Kolat battled to a 1-1 draw in the third period as Ware would claim the win. The top eight ranked wrestlers in the U.S. will earn and invitation to the World Team Trials in Oklahoma City, Okla. set for June 9 of this year. With the run to the finals of the U.S. Open Kolat has a chance to be among the eight selected for a shot to represent the U.S. at 66 kg in the 2012 Olympics.

Fullerton, Calif. -- Cal State Fullerton today announced that its intercollegiate wrestling and women's gymnastics programs will be terminated. The action was considered at the end of the 2009-10 academic year, but the programs were given the opportunity to continue operating if they could fund their own annual budgets. Extensive fund-raising campaigns enabled them to compete in 2010-11 but came up short of a subsequent goal of a two-year funding commitment by a Mar. 1 deadline given to them. All pre-existing scholarships will be honored until the student-athletes' eligibility has expired. Wrestlers and gymnasts who wish to transfer to other schools will be given blanket releases. "It is with great sadness that we must eliminate two great Olympic sports that have a long history at Cal State Fullerton," said Director of Athletics Brian Quinn. "Unfortunately, we just do not have the resources to continue sports that are not sponsored by the Big West Conference. "We want to thank wrestling Coaches Dan Hicks and Risto Marttinen and gymnastics Coaches Jill Hicks and Richard Gishi for their dedication and hard work for the student-athletes. We also want to thank our many donors for their support in helping keep the programs over the past few years." Wrestling dates to 1968 at Cal State Fullerton. Dan Hicks, who arrived from Oregon State in 2002-03, is only the fourth head coach in the program's history. The Titans never won a team championship but boast 31 conference champions, 12 Div. I and 3 Div. II All-Americans and 87 NCAA Div. I national qualifiers including at least one in the 26 seasons prior to this one. Gymnastics dates to 1976 when the program achieved national attention from its outset, winning its first 71 matches. Fullerton won the 1979 national championship (AIAW) and had three second-place (2 AIAW, 1 NCAA) and five third-place (3 AIAW, 2 NCAA) finishes to go with 10 conference championships and nine regional titles, all between 1976 and 1995. The program produced 34 All-Americans but none since 1989. Jill Hicks is only the fourth head coach in this program's history, moving up from an assistant's role for the 2007 season.

On March 14, UNCG Athletics Director Kim Record announced to the team and the public the school's plan to terminate UNCG's wrestling program. The following day, as four Spartan wrestlers prepared for the NCAA National Championships, not knowing their own fate, and having been described as "middle-tiered" by their own AD, the protest and outcry began. The response from the wrestling community was instantaneous and unanimous: outrage, sadness and a demand for an answer to the question, "Why?" For those of you who have not experienced it, it's tough to describe the dedication of the wrestling community. While the sport's popularity may not rival that of basketball or baseball, the loyalty of its fans is second to none. For several years, Greensboro has been strongly pushing its image of being a "Tournament Town." If UNCG cancels its wrestling program, you can say goodbye to three wrestling tournaments: the Southern Scuffle, the Super 32 Challenge and the N.C. High School Athletic Association's state championships. All three tournaments are held at the Greensboro Coliseum and their annual net economic impact for the city is an estimated $6.7 million. "Losing these tournaments would significantly hurt our business," says Kenny Giard, owner of the Corner Bar, located on Spring Garden Street within a half-mile of the coliseum. "We depend strongly on coliseum traffic, and the wrestling alumni have supported us for years." In a UNCG press release, the athletics director said, "While UNCG will not have a team, we anticipate the Southern Scuffle can still be a successful Greensboro community event." To think there could still be a tournament after shutting down the team is laughable. Does Record also expect to host the Southern Conference tournament in 2012? College coaches all across the country are united in their consensus of their boycott of UNCG's Scuffle. North Carolina high school coaches have spoken up and said they would no longer support the Super 32, and although the high school championships is not an event that can be boycotted, there is a strong demand for another host city. Record has described this effort as "misplaced anger." Anyone who thought that this issue would just "blow over" is remarkably mistaken. Isaac Newton said, "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." Well, this is the reaction that the often overlooked wrestling community has shown. If you visit any high school wrestling tournament in the country, there's a good chance you will see some vendor selling cliched wrestling T-shirts with a common theme, "Never Give Up!" Not surprisingly, this is the unofficial mission statement of the wrestling community regarding this decision. Officials at UNCG claim that this is strictly an economic decision, that the $308,000 budget can be better spent. If this is truly an economic issue, then why should the city of Greensboro throw away millions so that the university can reallocate (not save) 2.9 percent of its athletic budget? For 18 years UNCG wrestling fans have rooted for the team to get a "major decision." Now we need the city of Greensboro and its officials to make a "major decision" to help keep this outstanding program alive and undo this tragic mistake. Every year the wrestling program tries to break records. It seems that this year, Record broke the program. The website saveUNCGwrestling.com has the latest information on how you can help support and save this great program. Keith Ritter is a former UNCG student and former captain of the Spartan wrestling team.

CLEVELAND -- The semifinals are set at the 2011 U.S. Open in Greco-Roman and women's freestyle competition. Friday brought few surprises. In Greco-Roman, all seven No. 1 seeds cruised to the semifinals. Zac Nielsen of the Minnesota Storm pulled the stunner of the round by shutting out second-seeded Justin Millard, 4-0, 1-0, at 96 kg. Nielson will now face six-time U.S. Open champion and World bronze medalist Justin Ruiz of New York AC in the semifinals. Faruk Sahin, the U.S. representative at the past two World Championships at 66 kg, fell in the second round at 74 kg to Jonathan Anderson. All No. 1 seeds and No. 2 seeds advanced to the semifinals in the women's freestyle competition. Two No. 3 seeds, Sharon Jacobson of the U.S. Army (55 kg) and Cianah Hee of Cumberlands (59 kg), were upset in Friday's quarterfinals. Jacobson was defeated by Shauna Isbell of Lindenwood in the quarterfinals, while Hee fell to Amanda Hendey of San Diego Hot Beaches. Men's freestyle preliminaries are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday. The semifinals in all three divisions are scheduled to begin at noon. Greco-Roman Semifinal Matchups 55 kg: No. 1 Spenser Mango (U.S. Army) vs. No. 4 Nikko Triggas (New York AC) No. 3 Paul Tellgren (USOEC/Minnesota Storm) vs. Dmitry Ryabchinskiy (New York AC) 60 kg: No. 1 Joe Betterman (Sunkist Kids) vs. No. 4 Marco Lara (U.S. Army) No. 2 Jeremiah Davis, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) vs. No. 3 Chad Vandiver (Sunkist Kids) 66 kg: No. 1 Harry Lester (U.S. Army) vs. Jon Cox (U.S. Marines) No. 2 Glenn Garrison (U.S. Army) vs. No. 3 C.P. Schlatter (Minnesota Storm) 74 kg: No. 1 Jake Fisher (New York AC) vs. Kendrick Sanders (New York AC) No. 2 Ben Provisor (Sunkist Kids) vs. No. 3 Andrew Bisek (Minnesota Storm) 84 kg: No. 1 Cheney Haight (New York AC) vs. No. 4 Mark Stenberg (USOEC) No. 2 Jordan Holm (Minnesota Storm) vs. No. 3 Peter Hicks (U.S. Army) 96 kg: No. 1 Robert Smith (New York AC) vs. No. 4 R.C. Johnson (Sunkist Kids) No. 3 Justin Ruiz (New York AC) vs. Zac Nielsen (Minnesota Storm) 120 kg: No. 1 Dremiel Byers (U.S. Army) vs. No. 4 Steve Andrus (Michigan WC) No. 2 Tim Taylor (U.S. Army) vs. No. 3 Brandon Rupp (U.S. Army) Women's Freestyle Semifinal Matchups 48 kg: No. 1 Clarissa Chun (Sunkist Kids) vs. Erin Golston (New York AC) No. 2 Victoria Anthony (New York AC) vs. No. 3 Nicole Woody (Gator WC/OCU) 51 kg: No. 1 Whitney Conder (Gator WC) vs. Joey Miller (Gator WC/OCU) No. 2 Jessica Medina (Sunkist Kids) vs. No. 3 Gabrielle Henry (New York AC) 55 kg: No. 1 Helen Maroulis (New York AC) vs. No. 4 Michaela Hutchison (Gator WC/OCU) No. 2 Kelsey Campbell (Sunkist Kids) vs. Shauna Isbell (Lindenwood) 59 kg: No. 1 Deanna Rix (Sunkist Kids) vs. No. 4 Jenna Burkert (New York AC) No. 2 Ashley Hudson (Gator WC/OCU) vs. Amanda Hendey (San Diego Hot Beaches) 63 kg: No. 1 Kristie Davis (Gator WC/OCU) vs. No. 4 Othella Lucas (U.S. Army) No. 2 Elena Pirozhkova (Gator WC) vs. No. 3 Veronica Carlson (New York AC) 67 kg: No. 1 Erin Clodgo (Sunkist Kids) vs. No. 4 Britteny Roberts (Gator WC/OCU) No. 2 Adeline Gray (New York AC) vs. No. 3 Christen Paysee (Cumberlands) 72 kg: No. 1 Ali Bernard (Gator WC) vs. No. 4 Kendra Lewis (Lindenwood) No. 2 Iris Smith (U.S. Army) vs. No. 3 Melissa Simmons (Gator WC/OCU)

All times Eastern Thursday, April 7 FILA Junior Greco-Roman Preliminaries through Finals 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Friday, April 8 Women's Freestyle - Championship Tournament - Session I Preliminaries and Consolations 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Greco-Roman - Championship Tournament - Session I Preliminaries and Consolations 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Men's Freestyle - Qualification Tournament - Session I Preliminaries and Consolations 11:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Men's Freestyle - Qualification Tournament - Session II Preliminaries and Consolations 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Women's Freestyle - Championship Tournament - Session II Quarterfinals and Consolations 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Greco-Roman - Championship Tournament - Session II Quarterfinals and Consolations 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Saturday, April 9 Men's Freestyle - Championship Tournament - Session III Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, and Consolations 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Men's Freestyle - Championship Tournament - Session IV Semifinals, Consolations, 5th Place and 7th Place Matches 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Women's Freestyle - Championship Tournament - Session IV Semifinals, Consolations, 5th Place and 7th Place Matches 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Greco-Roman - Championship Tournament - Session IV Semifinals, Consolations, 5th Place and 7th Place Matches 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Men's Freestyle, Women's Freestyle, & Greco-Roman - Session V Championship Finals, 3rd Place Matches, and Awards 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Sunday, April 10 FILA Junior Freestyle - Session I Preliminaries and Consolations 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. FILA Junior Freestyle - Session II Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Consolations, and Medal Round 3:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

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IOWA CITY, Iowa -- A retirement celebration for Dan Gable will be held June 4 at the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. The affair will be called “Gable's Gold: A Celebration of Dan Gable's Legacy”. The Hall of Fame coach will be honored with a reception and banquet that is open to the public. Tickets for the reception and sit-down dinner are $50 per person, or $500 for a table of 10, and available through the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office. Tickets can be purchased at hawkeyesports.com, over the phone at (319) 335-9323 or (800) IA-HAWKS, or in person at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena West entrance. Ticket office hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. To order online, go to hawkeyesports.com and scroll over the tickets option and select “Buy Tickets” from the available options. On the next page you will want to select the group “Gable's Gold: A Celebration of Dan Gable's Legacy”. On the next page you will be able to enter in your ticket quantity and any special requests. Tickets are limited and must be purchased before May 27. The reception is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. with dinner scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and a special program scheduled to follow. Featured speakers include former college and Olympic teammate Ben Peterson; Hawkeye head wrestling coach Tom Brands; former Hawkeye wrestlers Mike DeAnna and Terry Brands; and UI Director of Athletics Gary Barta. Gable is considered, by most, to be the best collegiate wrestling coach in history. He was Iowa's head coach for 21 years and compiled a 355-21-5 record that included 15 national and 21 Big Ten team titles.

KENT, Ohio -- Thursday, April 7, 2011, was declared "Dustin Kilgore Day" according to the city of Kent. An official proclamation was presented to the Kent State junior by Mayor Jerry Fiala Thursday morning at the Bowman Breakfast, held inside the KSU Student Center. The Berea, Ohio native was recently named Mid-American Conference Wrestler of the Year after becoming the first wrestler in Kent State history to win an NCAA title. The 197-pound champion was also the first MAC wrestler since 1999 to win a national title. During the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, Kilgore broke program records for career victories (135) and wins in a single season (38). He also earned his third consecutive MAC title and became just the second two-time All-American in school history. The Bowman Breakfast, a tradition since 1963, is sponsored by Kent State University and the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The University of Oklahoma wrestling program has created an assistance fund for freshman Ronnie Balfour, who was recently diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Balfour won the state championship last year as a senior at Union High School in Tulsa and was among the nation's top-ranked college recruits. Donations to help the Balfour family pay for medical bills and other costs associated with treatment may be sent to the OU Athletics Department at the address listed below. Please make checks payable to “OU Foundation” with Ronnie Balfour's name listed in the memo line, or call 405-325-8215 to donate by credit card. Mail to: OU Athletic Development McClendon Center for Intercollegiate Athletics 180 W. Brooks Norman, OK 73019

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. -- James Nicholson was named Colonial Athletic Association Wrestler of the Year, the league announced on Tuesday. The voting was conducted by the CAA coaches. Also receiving honors for the Monarchs were Eric Dunnet, Scott Festejo and Tristan Warner, who earned All-Freshman accolades. Nicholson capped his outstanding career with a 35-3 record this season and earned All-America honors for the second time in his career, becoming the first ODU two-time All-American since Buddy Lee, who did it in 1980 and 1982. The Des Moines, Iowa native became the first CAA wrestler to win four-straight conference championships when he won the 125-pound championship this season. Nicholson started the year winning his first 31 matches, going 19-0 in dual matches, recording eight pins, nine major decisions and three technical falls. He finishes his career tied atop ODU's all-time wins list with Chris Brown, as each wrestler has 138 victories. The senior earned the No. 4 seed at the NCAA Championships and started his run with a second period pin over Cal State Bakersfield's Tyler Iwamura. After a second round loss, he fought back to win three-straight matches, all against seeded wrestlers, to clinch All-American honors. Dunnet went 9-4 on the year, taking fifth place at the Hokie Open and second at the Binghamton Open. He had six major decisions on the year. Festejo earned his all-freshman honor at 141 pounds, where he went 8-10 on the season. He delivered two dual meet wins and three major decisions. Warner led all ODU freshman with 18 victories while wrestling at 174 pounds. He notched two pins and three major decisions on the season. He took third at the season opening Hokie Open and second at the Pembroke Classic. 2010-11 CAA All Freshman Team 125: Bubba McGinley, BU 133: Eric Dunnet, ODU 141: Scott Festejo, ODU 149: Zach Clemente, Hofstra 157: Ramon Santiago, Rider 165: Frank Miele, Rider 174: Tristan Warner, ODU 184: John Paris, Binghamton 197: Cody Reed, Binghamton 285: Kevin Innes, BU Coach of the Year Tom Shifflett, Hofstra Wrestler of the Year James Nicholson, ODU Freshman of the Year John Paris, Binghamton

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from our mobile Brute studios brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods LIVE from Missouri! Join Takedown Wrestling Host Scott Casber and a great roster of surprise guests at the Brute adidas Nationals in Independence Missouri. Over 15 hundred young wrestlers and their families will converge on the Independence Events Center in Missouri for a fun filled and action packed weekend. Saturday morning from 9 to 11 we'll talk to the event organizers from Brute and some of those coaching and competing as well. You can Join in from 9 to 11:00 AM this Saturday for Takedown Wrestling at (KXNO.com and I Heart Radio on smart phones) This weeks guests include: 9:01 John Purnell, The Bonomo Twins 9:20 Jeff Bowyer- Dir Sports Marketing Henson Group, Brute Adidas Nationals 9:50 Tyler Barkley- Max Muscle 10:50 Amy Ruble- GM Wildrose Casino and Resort in Clinton Iowa Don't forget For incredible pictures of this years NCAA Championships check out Kevin Schlosser's Buckeye Wrestling Web Site photos at http://www.buckeyewrestling.com/?q=image/tid/1837 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

Hempstead, NY -- Former Hofstra University Head Wrestling Coach Tom Shifflet, who resigned last month following the Pride's fourth Colonial Athletic Association championship in his five seasons, has been named the 2011 CAA Wrestling Coach of the Year, the CAA announced Tuesday. Shifflet led the Pride to a 14-4-1 regular season dual match record including a 5-1 mark against CAA opposition, the program's ninth CAA title in the past 10 years, and a 26th-place finish at the 2011 NCAA Division I Championships in Philadelphia. In the process, Shifflet and his staff produced four conference champions, seven NCAA qualifiers and two All-Americans in 2011. It is his third CAA Coach of the Year award after earning the honor in 2007 and 2009. In addition to the Coach of the Year award announcement, James Nicholson of Old Dominion University was named the CAA Wrestler of the Year and John Paris of Binghamton University was named the CAA Rookie of the Year, in the vote by the CAA coaches. Nicholson, the CAA Champion, earned All-America honors at the NCAA Division I Championships, placing eighth in the 125 pound weight class. Paris finished runner-up in the CAA Championships at 197 pounds and heads up the CAA All-Rookie Team. Hofstra red-shirt freshman Zach Clemente (Troy, NY), who recorded a 16-14 record including a 3-1 mark in the CAA, was named to the 2011 CAA All-Rookie Team. That team includes 125 Bubba McGinley of Boston University, 133 Eric Dunnett of Old Dominion, 141 Scott Festejo of ODU, 149 Zach Clemente of Hofstra, 157 Ramon Santiago of Rider University, 165 Frank Miele of Rider, 174 Tristan Warner of ODU, 197 Cody Reed of Binghamton and 285 Kevin Innes of Boston University. Coach of the Year: Tom Shifflet - Hofstra Wrestler of the Year: James Nicholson - Old Dominion Freshman of the Year: John Paris - Binghamton 2010-11 CAA All Freshman Team: 125: Bubba McGinley, BU 133: Eric Dunnett, ODU 141: Scott Festejo, ODU 149: Zach Clemente, Hofstra 157: Ramon Santiago, Rider 165: Frank Miele, Rider 174: Tristan Warner, ODU 184: John Paris, Binghamton 197: Cody Reed, Binghamton 285: Kevin Innes, BU

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Seeds have been finalized in men’s freestyle for the U.S. Open, set for Friday and Saturday at Public Hall in Cleveland, Ohio and five wrestlers with Oklahoma State connections are included on the list of seeded wrestlers. At 55 kilograms, Obe Blanc is the No. 1 seed. 2008 NCAA champion Coleman Scott is the No. 5 seed at 60 kilos and current Gator Club assistant Bryce Hasseman is the No. 5 seed at 84 kilos. 2008 All-American Jack Jensen is seeded fourth at 96 kilos and 2005 NCAA champ Steve Mocco is the No. 5 seed at 120 kilos. Additionally, current Cowboys Josh Kindig and Matt White will both compete at the FILA Junior National Championships held as part of the same event. In men’s freestyle, the top eight seeds in each weight class will not compete until Saturday. The committee selected alternates in some of the weight classes. A men’s freestyle qualifying tournament for the U.S. Open will be held on Friday in the freestyle weight classes with 20 or more wrestlers entered. A qualifying tournament will be held at 60 kg/132 lbs., 66 kg/145.5 lbs., 74 kg/163 lbs. and 84 kg/185 lbs. The top eight finishers in the men’s freestyle qualifying tournament will join the top eight seeds in the final day of the U.S. Open on Saturday. A qualifying tournament will not be held at 55 kg/121 lbs., 96 kg/211.5 lbs. and 120 kg/264.5 lbs. since fewer than 20 wrestlers were entered in those divisions. All wrestlers in those three weight classes will compete only on Saturday. The top seven finishers in each weight class from all three styles at the U.S. Open will qualify for June’s U.S. World Team Trials in Oklahoma City.

The 2011 U.S. Open gets underway on Friday in Cleveland, Ohio. Several collegiate wrestlers are entered in the freestyle competition, including two NCAA Division I champions and six NCAA Division I All-Americans. Last year Andrew Howe captured a U.S. Open title after his sophomore season at Wisconsin. Howe, a three-time All-American, will not compete at this year's U.S. Open, but is expected to wrestle at the U.S. World Team Trials in June. The 2010 U.S. Open saw 13 collegiate wrestlers place. Which collegiate wrestlers will shine this year at the U.S. Open? Below is a list of 10 collegiate wrestlers who could make an impact this weekend at the U.S. Open in Cleveland. Two-time NCAA champion Jordan Burroughs is the No. 5 seed (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Jordan Burroughs College: Nebraska Weight Class: 74 kg Outlook: Burroughs is coming off a dominant collegiate season. He went 36-0 and finished his collegiate wrestling career with his second NCAA title. Burroughs also won the Dan Hodge Trophy and was voted InterMat Wrestler of the Year. Expectations are very high for Burroughs in freestyle. Many believe he is the future for the U.S. in this weight class ... and some believe that future is now. He possess a rare combination of speed, power, and athleticism. As a collegiate competitor, Burroughs had wins over Andrew Howe, a 2010 U.S. Open champion, and Dustin Schlatter, a 2009 U.S. World Team Trials champion. Burroughs, the fifth seed, will have to navigate through a field that includes U.S. World Team members Schlatter and Trent Paulson. Dom Bradley College: Missouri Weight Class: 120 kg Outlook: Bradley finally cracked the Mizzou lineup for the postseason as a junior, after sitting behind NCAA champion Mark Ellis the previous two seasons, and finished third at the NCAAs. Bradley was a 2009 Junior World champion in freestyle. He has fared well on the senior level and is a member of the U.S. National Team. He has finished third at the U.S. World Team Trials the past two years. Last year he notched a victory over past U.S. World Team member Tommy Rowlands. Bradley, the third seed, is competing in a heavyweight class this is loaded with talent. It includes four past U.S. World or Olympic Team members. 2011 NCAA champion Dustin Kilgore is the No. 8 seed (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Dustin Kilgore College: Kent State Weight Class: 96 kg Outlook: "Killer" became Kent State's first NCAA champion in wrestling last month by winning the crown at 197 pounds with a pin over then-undefeated Clayton Foster of Oklahoma State. Kilgore has been successful in age group events throughout his career ... and last year he began making waves on the senior level by placing fourth at the U.S. World Team Trials. Kilgore grew up just outside Cleveland in Berea, Ohio, so having the U.S. Open in Cleveland might prove to be an advantage for him. He comes in as the No. 8 seed and will likely see 2009 U.S. World Team member Jake Varner in the quarterfinals. Sonny Yohn College: Minnesota Weight Class: 96 kg Outlook: Yohn earned his second straight All-American honor at Minnesota this past season by placing seventh at 197 pounds. He has a strong freestyle pedigree with success in age group events and on the senior level. Yohn placed fifth at the 2010 University World Championships last October in Turin, Italy. He was also fifth at the U.S. Open a year ago. If that's not enough fifths ... Yohn is the fifth seed at 96 kg. Jarod Trice is a two-time All-American at Central Michigan (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Jarod Trice College: Central Michigan Weight Class: 120 kg Outlook: "Doughboy" became a two-time All-American (with one season remaining) by placing fourth at the NCAAs last month. He has been very successful in age group events in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Trice was a University Nationals double champion last spring. He competed at the 2010 University World Championships in Greco-Roman and placed eighth. if the seeds hold true at 120 kg, Trice, the seventh seed, will face 2009 World bronze medalist Tervel Dlagnev in the quarterfinals. Ryan Tomei College: Pittsburgh Weight Class: 120 kg Outlook: Tomei was the sixth-seeded heavyweight at the NCAAs last month, but was upset in the opening round. He came back to win two matches in the consolation bracket, but fell short of All-American honors. Tomei placed fifth at the U.S. Open in 2009. He earned the eighth seed at 120 kg. Mario Mason College: Rutgers Weight Class: 66 kg Outlook: Mason, a two-time NCAA qualifier, was ranked in the top 10 most of the season, even climbing to as high as third in the nation at 149 pounds. He entered the NCAAs as the No. 7 seed, but failed to earn All-American honors, going 2-2 and losing in the round of 12. Mason is a freestyle-first wrestler. He not only enjoys it more, but his style is better suited for freestyle than collegiate wrestling. He was inactive last spring, but in 2009 competed in both the U.S. World Team Trials and the FILA Junior World Team Trials. He went 1-2 at the U.S. World Teams Trials, but opened some eyes at that event by wrestling a competitive match against 2008 U.S. Olympian Dough Schwab. He was runner-up to Jason Chamberlain at the 2009 FILA Junior World Team Trials. Mason is unseeded at 66 kg. Frank Perrelli College: Cornell Weight Class: 55 kg Outlook: Perrelli had a strong season at Cornell, winning over 30 matches, but had a disappointing NCAAs, going 1-2 at 125 pounds. He was a University Nationals champion last spring, which qualified him for the 2010 U.S. World Team Trials, but chose not to compete. Perrelli is seeded eighth at 55 kg. Chris Honeycutt earned All-Americans honors at 184 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Chris Honeycutt College: Edinboro Weight Class: 84 kg Outlook: Honeycutt entered the NCAAs last month undefeated and as the top seed at 184 pounds. He wound up placing fifth to earn his first All-American honor. Honeycutt has been successful in freestyle age group events (fourth at the 2008 FILA Junior Nationals), but is still looking to make his mark on the senior level. P.J. Gillespie College: Hofstra Weight Class: 74 kg Outlook: Gillespie, a junior, earned his first All-American honor by placing eighth at 165 pounds after entering the NCAAs unseeded. He was a fifth-place finisher at University Nationals in freestyle in 2008. Gillespie is unseeded at 74 kg. Other collegiate wrestlers to watch at the U.S. Open: Jarrod Garnett (60 kg), Erik Spjut (60 kg), Billy Ashnault (66 kg), Frank Hickman (74 kg), Jake Salazar (74 kg), Nick Heflin (84 kg), C.J. Magrum (84 kg), Blake Rosholt (96 kg), Elijah Madison (120 kg), and Mike McClure (120 kg).

OREM, Utah -- As voted by its coaches, the Western Wrestling Conference has announced postseason award winners for the 2010-11 season. Utah Valley senior 125-pounder Ben Kjar was named WWC Wrestler of Year, 184-pound Northern Iowa redshirt freshman Ryan Loder was the unanimous WWC Freshman of the Year and Wyoming head man Mark Branch was chosen by his peers as the WWC Coach of the Year. The Wrestler of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards were voted on by the league's head coaches this past week, while the Coach of the Year balloting was determined after the West Regional Tournament. Wrestler of the Year: Ben Kjar (Utah Valley), 125 lbs., Sr., Centerville, Utah (Viewmont HS) Following up on a dominant career at UVU, Kjar became the underdog story of the NCAA Championships as he went from unseeded to place fourth at the 2011 NCAA Championships in Philadelphia. With the placement Kjar became Utah Valley's first-ever All-American. On his way through the bracket, he upset No. 4 seed James Nicholson (Old Dominion), No. 5 seed Zachary Sanders (Minnesota) and No. 7 seed Ryan Mango (Stanford) at Nationals. Kjar also found himself in the semifinals against the No. 1 seed and eventual champion Anthony Robles (Arizona State) and Kjar gave his undefeated opponent his closest match of the season at 4-2. At the West Regional the No. 2 seeded Kjar was upset in his first bout of the tournament and almost didn't even make it to Nationals as he had to wrestle all the way back to earn his qualifying spot. Kjar did just that however as he went on to win his next four matches in a row. He finished the season with a 30-8 overall record. Kjar also posted an 8-1 dual mark and also went a solid 11-2 versus WWC opponents on the year. Kjar was ranked No. 11 in the final NCAA Coaches Rankings at 125 pounds and was No. 8 in the final RPI. He was named the WWC Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 5 after he placed third at the Southern Scuffle with a 5-1 record. Kjar won the Cowboy Open, placed second at the Kaufman-Brand Open and seventh at the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. He will leave UVU as its most winningest wrestler in school history as he's compiled a career 129-35 mark. He was also recently named the 2010-11 D1CollegeWrestling.net WWC Wrestler of the Year. Freshman of the Year: Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa), 184 lbs., RFr., Granite Bay, Calif. (Granite Bay HS) Loder was the Panthers' standout performer during the 2010-11 season, finishing as the West Regional champion at 184 pounds to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. In the finals of the regional tournament, Loder defeated now three-time All-American and No. 1 seed Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) 4-3 to win his first regional crown. Loder entered the NCAA championships as the No. 6 seed and advanced to the round of 12 before bowing out to eventual All-American and No. 4 seeded Travis Rutt (Wisconsin) by a narrow 4-2 margin. He finished the season with a 30-11 overall record, which lead UNI in wins. Loder also finished his Western Wrestling Conference dual season with a 4-1 record, falling only to Wyoming's LeBlanc by a narrow 6-5 margin. He also won 23 of his last 28 matches, including a string of 12 straight wins that included victories over six ranked opponents. A three-time WWC Wrestler of the Week, Loder recorded six wins by fall, six by major decisions and three by technical falls while having none of those verdicts scored against him. Loder placed fifth at the prestigious Midlands Championships and posted three consecutive wins over ranked opponents during the 2011 National Duals, upsetting No. 12 Mike Larson (Missouri), 3-1, Ohio State's No. 20-ranked Cody Magrum, 6-4, and No. 11 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State), 8-2. He was also recently named the 2010-11 D1CollegeWrestling.net West WWC Freshman of the Year. Coach of the Year: Mark Branch (Wyoming) Branch, who just completed his third season as the Cowboys' head coach, was named the 2010-11 WWC Coach of the Year. The honor is Branch's second during his tenure at Wyoming, as he was previously named the Coach of the Year following his first season, 2008-09. Branch led his team to their second consecutive West Regional/WWC Tournament Championship as his Cowboys led the way at the qualifying tournament with 93 points, finishing six points ahead of UNI who placed second. He also led Wyoming to a second place WWC regular season finish with a 5-1 dual record in league matches. He also helped Wyoming qualify six wrestlers to the NCAA Championships -- three more than any other school in the conference -- and coached two more All-Americans as 165-pounder Shane Onufer placed fifth and 184-pounder Joe LeBlanc finished sixth at the championships. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. The conference formed in April 2006.

Joe Tiboni, Jack Childs, and Bill Zadick will go “On the Mat” this Wednesday, April 6. “On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM CST on AM 1650, The Fan. An archive of the broadcast is available on USA Wrestling's website www.themat.com. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Tiboni co-wrote the recently released wrestling movie “Win Win.” The movie, which has received extremely positive reviews and was featured at the Sundance Film Festival, stars Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, and Bobby Cannavale. Tiboni wrestled for four years at New Providence High School in New Jersey. Childs recently retired as the head wrestling coach at Drexel after serving 35 years in the position. His 510 dual meet wins was the most among all active Division I wrestling coaches. He coached two All-Americans during his tenure. Zadick currently serves as the developmental freestyle wrestling coach as USA Wrestling. He was a 2006 World champion and a 1996 NCAA champion for the University of Iowa. Zadick will be inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa on Saturday, April 16.

Mike Mendoza

David Taylor is the very definition of "freshman phenom." In his first year wrestling for Penn State, the Ohio native was a near-perfect 38-1, scoring bonus points in 34 of those victories, grabbing the 2011 Big Ten title, and making it to the 157-pound finals at the 2011 NCAA Division I Championships. For all these reasons, Taylor is the unanimous choice for 2011 InterMat Freshman of the Year. 2011 InterMat Freshman of the Year 1st-5th-Place Votes: 9-7-5-3-1 Total Votes/(First-Place Votes) 1. David Taylor, Penn State, 126 (14) 2. Ed Ruth, Penn State, 94 3. Derek St. John, Iowa, 33 4. Kevin Steinhaus, Minnesota, 27 5. Andrew Alton, Penn State, 19 6. Tony Nelson, Minnesota, 17 7. Tony Ramos, Iowa, 14 8. Spencer Myers, Maryland, 9 9. Eric Grajales, Michigan, 5 T10. Devin Carter, Virginia Tech, 3 T10. Alan Waters, Missouri, 3Each year, this honor is awarded to the nation's top freshman wrestler across all divisions of college competition, and is determined by a vote of InterMat writers and executives. Taylor received all 14 first-place votes, for a total of 126 points. In second place was Penn State teammate Ed Ruth (winner of the Gorriaran Award for most pins in the shortest time at the 2011 NCAAs), with 94 points. Derek St. John of the University of Iowa placed third in the balloting, with 33 points. (Of the 11 freshmen who received votes, eight wrestle in the Big Ten.) Taylor joins a stellar list of InterMat Freshman of Year honorees. Last year, Kyle Dake of Cornell University received the award. Others include Wisconsin's Andrew Howe (2009), Cornell's Mike Grey (2008), Iowa State's Jake Varner (2007), and Minnesota's Dustin Schlatter (2006). In his first season as a Nittany Lion, Taylor had captured the imaginations of wrestling writers and fans. Back in January, Craig Sesker of TheMat.com said, "Taylor has taken the college wrestling world by storm as a redshirt freshman." Just prior to the NCAAs, Tim Leone of the Harrisburg (Pa.) Patriot-News described Taylor as "a precocious redshirt freshman with supernatural skill and supernatural cool." David Taylor gave American's Steve Fittery his only loss this season (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"David Taylor was the most dominating individual in college wrestling all season, save for one match," said InterMat staff writer T.R. Foley. "Winners win and make those around them perform better, and Taylor was able to impact those around him in a positive way all season." David Taylor's credentials were well established long before setting foot in the Penn State wrestling room. The product of St. Paris, Ohio was a four-time state champ for St. Paris Graham High School, one of the powerhouse prep programs in the nation. He compiled a phenomenal 180-2 record in high school, winning four Beast of the East and a like number of Ironman championships. Taylor also garnered three Cadet and two Junior National titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman competition. He completed his prep career by being named the recipient of the 2009 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award.

Related Link: Brackets Related Link: Video Coverage CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio -- The FloNationals were one of the three major events on this end of season championship weekend for high school folkstyle wrestling. A pair of No. 1-ranked wrestlers won second consecutive championships this afternoon at the second-year event hosted by Walsh Jesuit High School just outside of Akron, Ohio. Both wrestlers are also currently ranked second in their respective graduating classes. Morgan McIntosh (Calvary Chapel, California), a senior 189 pound wrestler bound for Penn State, won his three matches prior to the final by technical fall, 23-9 major decision over a state runner-up, and 24-11 major decision over a state champion. In the championship final, McIntosh faced No. 8 Gabe Dean (Lowell, Michigan), and emerged with a convincing and controlling 11-6 victory. After getting just one takedown in the first period, despite dominating the leg attack activity, McIntosh turned up the pressure and intensity in the second period to extend the 2-1 lead to a 9-4 lead with three takedowns. "I changed up my attacks, just opening it up to get in low," McIntosh said. "The big thing was to continue pushing the pace, as I had in the first period." With the order of matches being random for the finals, McIntosh's match was seventh, which made him the first ever two-time FloNationals champion. "It is great," said McIntosh. "I've done a lot of winning over the last three years." Joining McIntosh as a two-time champion was junior Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Indiana), who won the 135 pound weight class after competing in the regular season at 140 pounds. The two-time Super 32 Challenge runner-up wrestled Super 32 champion Steve Spearman (Erie McDowell, Pennsylvania) in the last match of the afternoon. A first period takedown and a whole bunch of riding time was enough to see him emerge with the 4-2 victory. "It's a great tournament, and it feels good to win it," Tsirtsis commented. "I love the riding time and college out of bounds rules. It makes the matches more fun and technical." Jason also indicated that he will be wrestling this coming weekend in the FILA Junior freestyle event at 132 pounds, and will seek to make the world team at the trials in Franklin, Indiana in the middle of May. The other wrestler seeking to defend his FloNationals title, No. 4 Conor Youtsey (Mason, Michigan) fell short in the championship match against No. 16 Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio) by a 4-3 score. In the second last match of the afternoon, Heil came back from giving up a late third period takedown to get an escape and a takedown of his own to win the match. In trying to counter Youtsey's control of the ties through the front headlock and underhooks, Heil knew he had to "catch (my) opponent off guard" and "right after the escape was my best opportunity." And that is how he got in on an open double leg to score the match-winning takedown." Despite some struggles during the regular season, Heil came on strong in the post-season and at the FloNationals, where he had three major decisions and a 7-1 victory over No. 9 Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Virginia) prior to the final. "I finally got my weight under control, and changed up my approach to the matches (and the other aspects of the sport)." One of the more exciting finals matches was the first one of the session at 140 pounds, where Super 32 Challenge champion (with a victory over Tsirtsis) Roger Wildmo (Durand, Michigan) emerged with a 9-8 victory over No. 13 Isaiah Martinez (Lemoore, California). Trailing 4-2 after one period, giving up a pair of leg attack takedowns, Wildmo -- ranked No. 2 at 152 nationally -- was able to surge back some mid-match adjustments. "I just defended my legs a bit better, worked hard to get some more attacks and improve my positions," was Wildmo's response when asked about those adjustments. He cut the deficit to 7-6 after the second period, as he scored a pair of takedowns in that period. An escape and late takedown in the third period gave Wildmo his first lead of the match. Then, despite a late escape from Martinez, he held on for the victory. "I haven't had to scramble so much in a long time, but I wasn't uncomfortable, though I'd just rather control the match," commented the Michigan State bound Wildmo. The theme of the next match was complete domination, as junior Elijah Hull (Lewis County, West Virginia) earned a 15-0 technical fall in 3:16 against Austin Maneese (Clear Fork, Ohio). Despite it being the middle of baseball season for Hull, he was able to score from an array of attacks on his feet and in the top position. "I won the state tournament on a Saturday (Feb. 26), and that Monday I was at baseball conditioning," said Hull. Even though Hull is the starting catcher this year for his baseball team, after not playing last year due to injury, wrestling is clearly his focus for college. "Right after baseball ends, I'm going to start training for Fargo (for the first time)." Next to the mats was a pair of nationally ranked heavyweights, who traded a pair of escapes. However, it was No. 9 Doug Vollaro (Oviedo, Florida) who emerged with a 2-1 victory over No. 17 Chris Lopez (Carl Sandburg, Illinois) due to accruing greater than a one minute riding time advantage in the match. Vollaro scored an early escape in the second period, before riding Lopez for over 90 seconds in the third period. "The key was that first breakdown," said Vollaro. "Once I got him down to his base that first time, I felt confident that I could hold him down to get the (advantage) point." From big to small the finals went, as next to the mats were a pair of freshman 103 pound wrestlers. Third in the state Emilio Saavedra (Pitman, California) earned a 5-2 victory over state champion Nathan Boston (Lawrence North, Indiana). Key to the match was a two-point near fall off his staple two-on-one tilt while riding Boston for the majority of the second period. After getting reversed before period's end, Saavedra came back in the third period with one of his own and rode Boston out to earn the victory; the advantage point making the score 5-2. "It's my go to move in the top position," said Saavedra about that tilt. The FloNationals title caps off a season in which he had just two losses -- one in the state semifinal and then one up at 119 pounds in a dual meet where he weighed in at 112 pounds. "After the semifinal loss, I've been working even harder for this tournament." Another wrestler seeking to bounce back from state tournament defeat was the champion of the 125 pound weight class, No. 18 Kagan Squire (Wadsworth). After finishing third and second the prior two years, the junior entered state as a clear favorite but had some struggles -- barely surviving his semifinal in the ultimate tiebreaker before losing the final in overtime. However, in this tournament, Squire had two pins, a technical fall, and a 10-2 major decision prior to the final. "After state I took a week off," Squire said. "While upset about the outcome, I wasn't going to let it define me as a person." To earn this title, he beat No. 6 Zane Richards (Carbondale, Illinois) 2-1. Squire rode Richards out in the second period, scored a relatively early escape in the third period, and then fended off some Richards attacks. Though penalized for stalling two times, the riding time advantage point earned him the victory. "My strong top position and defense usually wins me these close matches," observed Squire. Bouncing back from state tournament disappointment continued to be the theme, as Nick Bonaccorsi (Bethel Park, Pennsylvania) earned the title at 171 pounds with a 3-1 victory over two-time state champion Blake Stauffer (Neosho, Missouri), after upsetting No. 13 (at 189) Brandon Griffin (Sprauge, Oregon) 2-0 in the semifinal. In both of those matches, one of the points that Bonaccorsi scored came due to the riding time advantage being greater than one minute. After qualifying for state in his first three years of high school, with just a pair of eighth place finishes, he entered this year's state tournament undefeated. However, Bonaccorsi drew another undefeated wrestler (John Staudenmayer, ranked No. 19 nationally), fell short in that match and finished third. "I wasn't satisfied after state," said Bonaccorsi. "I wanted to keep wrestling, was hungry for some more, and heard that this was a good tournament. It also helps me out with the riding time at the next level (having signed to wrestle at the University of Pittsburgh)." Close matches continued to be the order of the day, as a pair of Ohio juniors took to the mat at 112 pounds, with No. 4 George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius) facing off against Cory Stainbrook (Walsh Jesuit). The unranked Stainbrook reached the final with a 3-2 win over No. 18 J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Virginia) and 6-4 win over No. 15 Jarred Brooks (Warsaw, Indiana). Like in his semifinal against Godwin Nyama (Brashear, Pennsylvania) and his final three matches at the Ironman, DiCamillo had to rally back from a deficit to emerge as champion in the Walsh Jesuit gym for the second time in 2010-11. Ridden out in the second period, DiCamillo rode his opponent for more than a minute of the third period before giving up the escape, which gave Stainbrook a 1-0 lead. Inside the last 30 seconds of the match, DiCamillo shot in on a sweep single to the right, scrambled to reach the far leg and score the go ahead takedown right on the edge of the mat. "It's just a tradition that I have to make it exciting in this gym," said DiCamillo. DiCamillo and Stainbrook wrestle with each other a lot in the off-season, competing for the same club program at events such as the Disney Duals. "It's hard to go up against such a good friend, someone I work with a lot," DiCamillo added, "however, I got the win and hopefully kept the audience intrigued." After pulling off the upset of the tournament in the semifinals, a 2-1 victory over two-time state champion Tank Knowles (Calvary Chapel, California) -- ranked No. 5 nationally -- junior Matt Meadows (CVCA, Ohio) was unable to muster another victory of similar ilk in the final. Like Meadows, senior Logan Erb (Wapakoneta, Ohio) upended a nationally ranked wrestler by a point in the semifinal round -- a 3-2 victory over No. 12 Michael Kroells (Scott West, Minnesota). The pair of Buckeye State wrestlers that did not win a state title this year traded escapes in the regulation portion of the final at 215 pounds. In the overtime period, Erb earned a takedown right before time was up at the edge of the mat to win 3-1. When asked about always seeming to wrestle in low scoring matches, Erb responded, "It's really hard to explain, but I'm fine with it as I win most of them." The 2010 state champion is currently unsigned, not sure what his college plans are, except for that he'll be competing down at 197 pounds. After a string of close matches, No. 3 (at 135) Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) absolutely took it to his finals opponent at 130 pounds, three-time state champion Quentin Murphy (Holley Central, New York). Murphy is ranked No. 13 nationally at 135 pounds, and earned a freestyle win last spring over Skonieczny at the FILA Cadet Nationals. However, in this match the Walsh Jesuit junior took it to Murphy scoring nine takedowns on the way to a 21-6 technical fall victory. It was three single legs and six double leg scores. "He left it open for me, so I just kept taking advantage of it," said Skonieczny about his double leg takedown scoring. "Why change something that's working so well." Ending the three finals match victory string for Ohio wrestlers was No. 19 Joey Davis (Santa Fe, California) when he upended No. 6 Ian Miller (Oak Harbor) 11-9 in a battle of two-time state finalists. State champion this year, Davis used four takedowns -- mostly open double leg attacks -- to secure the victory over the Ironman and 2010 state tournament champion Miller. "It's the same exact open space double leg as (NCAA champion, Dan Hodge Trophy winner and InterMat Wrestler of the Year Jordan) Burroughs," said Davis about his primary scoring move. Rounding out the champions was No. 13 Geordan Speiller (Oviedo, Florida), who earned a 4-2 victory over Kevin Beazley (Detroit Catholic Central, Michigan) at 160 pounds on the strength of two inside trips -- one in the first period, and one in the third period. All this coming despite his a major cut/opening over his right eye that came during his first match of the tournament on Saturday afternoon.