InterMat Staff

Jim Heffernan

Event: UFC 118: Penn vs. Edgar 2 Venue: TD Garden Arena (Boston, Massachusetts) Date: August 28, 2010 Let's forget about UFC 117's long list of upsets that halted the UFC Monster's winning streak, and take a look at the long anticipated rematch of B.J. Penn and Frankie Edgar, and the laughable matchup of Randy "The Natural" Couture and James "Lights Out" Toney. Wrestler vs. Boxer, a true circus sideshow. Then throw in a "Fight of the Night" matchup with local hero Kenny Florian, trying to be the first to defeat "The Bully," Gray Maynard. And, let's add two world-class submission artists, Demien Maia and Nate Diaz, fighting two sluggers, Miranda and Marcus Davis, and tonight's PPV card is awesome. Plus, there is the bonus of getting two preliminary fights (Lentz vs. Winner, and Lauzon vs. Ruediger) for FREE on Spike TV. With some quick finishes we will most likely see replays of the other three preliminary fights, as well. In the lightweight title fight between champion B.J. Penn, and challenger Frankie Edgar, I was the only one on the planet (outside of the East Coast) who bet on Edgar and cashed as a big 'dog. I knew the only way Frankie could win that fight was to out-point B.J. and earn a decision. He fought brilliantly and did just that! Why not again? … and why is he a +250 'dog? Why? Because B.J. Penn will finish him tonight and make a statement. The judges can sit on their hands because I think B.J. will catch Edgar early with some powerful punches and quickly have him in a world of trouble on the mat. B.J. wins by first round submission, and leaves no doubt as to who will own the 155-pound division. Lay the -300, and I'll see you at the winner's window (again). Bridge jumping in this sport is always dangerous. And, let's not forget that a washed up former boxer, Ray Mercer, needing money desperately, knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion, Tim Silvia, in a matter of seconds. So weird stuff happens. But in my worst nightmare I just can't see Randy "The Natural" Couture, our legendary hero, getting KO'd by a fat, out of shape James Toney in a 15-minute misadventure. Can you? I see Toney having about 10 seconds to try and throw a connecting bomb onto Randy's chin, before the Greco beast drills him with a double leg takedown pinning him to the mat. From there it will be ground and pound to teach all boxers a lesson in MMA, and then Randy will nicely transition to an arm bar submission and leave poor James licking his wound and searching the floor for his pride. I got down at -550. Middleweight Demien Maia has shown us what his jiu-jitsu skills are all about. His body triangle will suck the life out of your very existence. And, I suppose one could argue that his striking skills leave him vulnerable to those who can keep him standing. Marquardt put him out in a matter of seconds. Miranda has accurate striking skills as well. But when these two Brazilians tangle, I think Maia will find his opening, and when you see that happen, and this thing goes to the mat, you will also see me heading towards the winner's window. Laying -215 on Maia looks cheap to me. The UFC Monster has been in some hot water with InterMat writers on my next pick. I like Kenny "KenFlo" Florian at -155 to hand Gray "The Bully" Maynard his first loss. Wrestling worshippers point out that not only is Maynard undefeated (giving Edgar his only loss!), but he has consistently man-handled his opponents and "bullying" them on the ground. He doesn't finish fights, but he wins. That makes him unattractive to UFC powers, who want crowd-pleasing finishers, not judge's decisions. So, herein lies the problem for Maynard. He will take chances, and he will get caught. KenFlo is a better striker, and a better submitter. That leaves Maynard in his best scenario, laying on top of KenFlo, hoping to rack up points. But that will fail when Kenny's razor-sharp elbows open up some nasty cuts on Maynard's forehead, and the blood flow stops this match … told you so. Now let's see what will happen on the undercard. On FREE Spike TV, you can watch wrestler Nik Lentz pull a mild upset at +105 against striker Andre Winner. And you can see Joe Lauzon at -345 show off his long leg wrap submission skills as he beats Gabe Ruediger, who may be a very nice guy, but has no place on this fight card to continue a UFC career. I think Mike Pierce is worth the risk at -260 as his wrestling superiority should be enough to defeat Alves. Dan Miller should get back in the win column at -275 with a submission victory over Salter, who was to have fought Phil "New York Bad Ass" Baroni, who was actually favored to beat Salter! And, I will listen to some wise Asian advice and bet on Soto as a growing +165 underdog to upset Nick Osipczak. Okay, so now let's see what we can do with our "fictitious" $1000 bankroll. Let's lay $210 to win $70 on B.J. Penn to finish Frankie Edgar. Let's lay $300 to win $60 on Randy Couture embarrassing James Toney. Let's lay $107 to win $50 on Demien Maia's world class submission skills. Let's lay $62 to win $40 on KenFlo to give Maynard his first defeat. Let's lay $100 to win $50 on punk brother Nate Diaz subbing Irish Hand Grenade. Let's lay $69 to win $20 on Joe Lauzon's triangle choke. Let's lay $55 to win $20 on Dan Miller's lethal guillotine choke. Let's lay $52 to win $20 on Mike Pierce's superior wrestling skills. Let's lay $20 to win $33 on Soto. And, let's lay $25 to win $27 on Nick Lentz in a mild upset. In all, we are risking an even $1000 to win just $380! Why? Because our sides have clear-cut advantages in fighting styles, experience, motivation, and all the intangibles that go into making champions. Not that our opponents aren't formidable. But, often in MMA you will see large numbers of favorites winning, and there is a reason for that. Tonight I see very little advantage in playing longshot underdogs, who most likely will be laying flat at the end of their matches. At any rate, have fun and enjoy the fights. I know I will. And, PLEASE don't bet with money that you cannot afford to lose! Don't forget to share any winnings with your local youth wrestling program where tomorrow's champions are born!

Hello again Wrestling Fans. We return to the Brute Adidas studios for this weeks show brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods. Join Scott Casber, Geoff Murtha (Simpson) and Ryan Freeman (Ok State) and Randy Crimmins. Geoff Murtha joins us courtesy of Mass Mutual Financial Services, Ryan Freeman courtesy of ATT. Our Guests Include: 9:01 Joel Greenlee- Head Coach of the Ohio Bobcats. Ohio Athletics announced that Seth Morton has been named the 2010 Senior Student-Athlete of the Year. Morton (Canal Winchester, Ohio) began his senior season by winning 13 of his first 14 matches and finished the season with an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship by placing second at the 2010 MAC Championships. He finished the dual meet season with a 12-2 record, tying a team high in dual meet victories. He recorded four major decisions, two technical falls and two pins on the season. He was a 2010 All-MAC Honorable Mention, a three-time Academic All-MAC honoree and was a 2010 National Wrestling Coaches Association Academic All-American. Additionally, he has compiled a 3.299 cumulative GPA while majoring in Physical Therapy. 9:20 Dr. William Rizk- After competition, why should athletes be concerned with weight and what are the options. 9:40 Steve Costanzo- Head Coach of St. Cloud State- Jayson Ness, a four-time NCAA Division I All-American, will the guest clinician at the 2010 Fall Wrestling Clinic at St. Cloud State University. The clinic is open to all youth wrestlers in grades 1-12, and it will take place in the University's Halenbeck Hall Fieldhouse on Saturday, Oct. 30. The clinic will begin with registration at 8 a.m. 10:01 5 Minutes with comedian and friend Greg Warren- Greg is currently on tour and starred on USA Wrestling's Living the Dream Telethon with host J. Bryant. 10:20 Cody Saveraid, Devin Carter- They debuted in July of 2005. Its been over 5 years and the Iowa promotion 3 XW wrestling is a alive and on the grow. These 2 guys are reasons why. Next show date Clobberpalooza Sept 3rd. 10:40 Heath Eslinger- Head Coach of U Tennessee Mocs- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team put four student-athletes on the National Wrestling Coaches Association annual Division I All-Academic Team, tying for the most in the nation. Sophomores Demetrius Johnson, Jason McCroskey and Brandon Wright and freshman Dean Pavlou were all honored for their work in the classroom. 10:50 Amy Williams (Rubel)- Wildrose Resort and Casino 515-883-0042 Wrestling fans- Episode 72 of TDR TV wrestling news is now on. Check TV Guide for listings. How to watch and listen- TDR and TDR TV. It's appointment Radio and TV! 1.78 MILLION HOMES AND GROWING! TDR on Radio: LIVE Saturday at 9:00 AM CST on 1460 KXNO in Iowa. Delayed Saturday nights at 7:00 PM Eastern on Supertalk 1570 in Michigan, TDR TV: Mediacom Cable Ch. 22. IA, MO, AK, NE, MN, IL Tues. 5 PM, Sat. 10 AM Time Warner Cable NY Ch. 813 Sat. 12 Noon Comcast Cable Tennessee Ch. 96 5PM (Premiers September 3rd) Call your local cable operator and ask them to carry TDR TV TDR on Internet: You can join us 9 to 11 AM Saturday mornings at Takedownradio.com TDR TV On Internet: 31 various web sites now carry your favorite wrestling news show Thanks to our affiliates, our media partners and friends at Livesportsvideo.com. Thanks for watching and listening!

VESTAL, N.Y. -- Binghamton University wrestling has filled out its coaching staff with the hiring of Jasen Borshoff, a former NCAA qualifier and Academic All-American from American University. Borshoff joins head coach Pat Popolizio's staff after a stellar collegiate career at American University. He was a four-time EIWA placewinner and 2008 NCAA qualifier before graduating cum laude in 2008. Borshoff was a two-time Academic All-American and received his bachelor's degree in health promotion with a 3.6 grade-point average. He was a six-time Dean's List honoree and helped the Eagles produce the highest wrestling GPA in the nation two times and second-highest another year. "Jasen will have an immediate impact on our wrestling program," Popolizio said. "He is an accomplished wrestler and will bring discipline, character and a strong work ethic to Binghamton University. He will work predominantly with the light weights. I am looking forward to having him this year and the strides our program will make by adding such a creditable person to our staff." After graduation, Borshoff worked as a sales associate with Biometrics, a nutrition and fitness company in Maryland, and also was a health coodinator at Virginia Hospital Center. A Rochester native, Borshoff won 180 scholastic matches and went unbeaten in four years of dual matches. He was a four-time county finalist and sectional champion for Pittsford Sutherland. His father, Tom, was a standout wrestler at Binghamton in the 1970s and was inducted into the University's Hall of Fame in 2001. The Bearcats open their 2010-11 season by hosting the Binghamton Open on November 14.

Related: Inside Trip: Vietnam (Part 1) In a perfect wrestling world, cultures would still achieve oral and written tradition alongside the physical, the passing along of local wrestling techniques, rules and ceremony are excellent examples of cultural identifiers. Sumo is different than Kushti is different than Scholastic and each of the variables reflects priorities and provides information about local values. Yesterday I'd discovered that someone in Lieu Doi was passing these traditions to members of his small village. But who? I was at the pho shop at 10 a.m., I'd need a translator and the only person I knew in Phu Ly (the closest town with accommodations) was Van and her high-pitched Hollywood English. She was sitting in the back of her family's open air restaurant watching the Mark Wahlberg/M. Night Shamalan collaboration, The Happening. I asked her about translating for the day and she said, "No problem, I tell my father and we can go at 1 p.m. ... I'll take you at the coffee shop." Van guided me through the back alleys of the neighborhood where kids were playing beneath red flags emblazoned with the hammer and sickle. Some were kicking the soccer ball, while others were crouched over shooting marbles. Van chose me a seat at the coffee shop, ordered me a ca phe and mango shake. The caf� smelled enough like pork and coffee to remind me of morning, but not enough for me to want to order their bacon. "I come back at 1:15," she said. "Then go to Lieu Doi." She was back in 10 minutes. "I cannot go with you to Lieu Doi because my father said it is not OK." She then reached in her bag and presented me with an egg shell white ceramic wind chime in the image of a pagoda, the sides hand painted with flowers and Vietnamese lettering. She apologized effusively and made a quick exit -- ever so sorry that she'd disappointed me. I did my best to allay her guilt and told her I'd be fine on my own. "No big deal, I'm sure your father is just worried." Was I the evil American in some Vietnamese after-school special about stranger danger, only specifically about bulky white Americans? The news ruined my plans to visit Lieu Doi. I stayed on the computer to catch up on e-mails and enjoyed six more mango shakes and two more cold ca phes. The plan was to catch a bus to Hanoi by 5 p.m. ... and rent a room and sleep before my early morning flight to Ho Chi Minh. Without a translator I'd learn nothing in Lieu Doi. I paid my bill and unplugged the computer. As I did, a 10-year-old girl bedazzled in Hello Kitty gear appeared staring nervously. "For you. stay," she said before disappearing in the David Copperfield manner in which she arrived. Dear Mr. Timothy, Would you please wait me in Bom's Cafe till 1h 30 pm? I and my little sister will come there and we will go to Lieu Doi village, oki? Best wishes, Van Van showed up on time and we hailed a taxi. Her sister, a diminutive 15-year-old with a strong aversion to spoken communication, sat in the backseat as I hopped up front with a cigarette guzzling cabbie with dark sunken eyes. We exchanged names, his was "Mikey" and though I repeated "Timothy" several times, we all settled on "Pimchee." Mikey called his boss as flummoxed as the Dolt about where exactly he might find Lieu Doi. Once we hit the main street, I told Van that I remembered the way. After six or seven turns on dirt paths marked by puddles, hay barrels, and one blue moped, Mikey complimented my sense of direction. I felt the need to clarify, "My father was a Marine, as were both my grandfathers. Soldiers, you know. Bang bang." Van's interpretation was met with a grim silence and the enormity of my idiocy becomes apparent. "No! No! No!" I blurt out "I'm a civilian. Only Vo Vat ... No soldier ... No bang bang." "Ugly American: What to do when if you meet one. Who to call and how to act ... Special Presentation at 4 p.m. Van's sister is still winning the quiet game, while Mikey and I fill the time with playing twenty questions through Van, who is proving to be a good but at times confused translator. She's only just taken off her jacket and decorative surgeons mask; the Vietnamese woman has a vampire-like aversion to the sun, the implication being that a tan is akin to being a farmer, a clearly established social hierarchy was defined by this skin tone differentiation (same was true in Cambodia and Thailand). Many of the women take severe measures to ensure their light skin; rays to the skin are considered more dangerous than softball sizes of hail against your noggin. We arrive and Mikey decides to join our crew of reporters. A look of "This I must see" splattered across his face. Mikey, Pimchee, Van and the Mute: of this scene United Nations Christmas cards make. I try to catch up with Mikey who has stopped to interrogate an old man walking the road with a cane. I peak over a gate and call a few boys lounging in hammocks (napping is a national pastime). The first to emerge was my cheetah-shirt pal from the day before. We exchange greetings and they chuckle awkwardly. Where yesterday the group of boys was engaging, today they were quiet and aloof; less interested in questions about wrestling and more concerned with acting cool in front of Van, an attractive girl. While you'd imagine she was being scoped and thus quiet or passive, the boys were actually squatting down picking at grass only answering her questions over their shoulders. The more she forced them to speak the more I realized that Van was not to be trifled with. As she navigated the mind of the teenage boy, Mikey pulled through and commented that the older gentleman had directed our motley crew to the residence of the Lieu Doi wrestling coach. Truong Nguyen, a slight build, bowl cut and weighing 155 pounds, is the 27-year-old coach, teacher, and local pho shop owner. He invited me into his home and sat poured some voit tea (sweet and similar in taste to green tea), for the guests. He looked at me and smiled. Before we shook hands or Van explained why we had showed up, he reached across the table and pointed at me ears. "Yeah, vo vat." I said as the smiles continued. The room was cinder with a permanent black tarpaulin above our heads. We sat on small red plastic chairs and rested our arms on a low table. Van introduces the group and immediately started translating my questions. The Lieu Doi wrestling festival is Vietnam's only wrestling-specific festival. According to Troung, the festival is a deep-rooted Vietnamese tradition, having been practiced "for centuries." He's been a competitor, claiming to have won several tournaments and placing in many more. There are other festivals, some even in the Nam Dinh province which have more wrestlers, but those have less meaning because they are wrapped into larger festivals. Lieu Doi is their NCAA tournament. Last year's festival welcomed more than 150 grapplers all competing in a single weight class. Presumably there has been little need for expanding the weights because the rules tend not to favor the heavier opponents and many Vietnamese are similar slight builds. The tournament and surrounding festival takes five days to complete, with some time spent on ceremonies on day one, and closing ceremonies on day five. That was the extent I could learn about the festival. There was too much information for Van, just a college student, to be able to translate. Accumulating facts about the festival would be for another trip. For now, I wanted to roll with Troung, who'd mentioned he'd been injured playing soccer earlier in the week. He went to change for some light drilling and technique. I was most interested in the rules and ceremony surrounding each competition. Are the Vietnamese praying to a deity? Are they donning ornate robes? Who do they pay tribute too? Take the example of Sumo. Japan, a country of diminutive people, exalt their national sport which consists of giants many of whom are taught to act in accordance with traditional Japanese values of conformity, modesty and fair play. When you contrast that with Mongolian wrestling culture, or even Vietnam, you begin to get a superficial understanding of the natural and inextricable impact wrestling has had on the development of local culture. Tim Foley arm wrestles MikeyTroung says that he will change into work clothes and we can walk to the stadium. In the meantime Mikey has gotten edgy from the lack of combat and challenges me to arm wrestling competition. This guy is 140 pounds when holding a first-grader, yet, he's already latched onto the table with his left hand, speared the table with his right elbow and presented his hand for our physical tete-a-tete. Van is in hysterics; this she just has to see. She snatches the camera from the table and stands to take photos. We lock hands and I allow Mikey to open up a big lead. He's strong, but in the end I put on a show for the table, we stand to hug and take another drink of tea. Troung and I enter the arena with the Mute, Van and two neighborhood kids we picked up on the walk. Van is cowering beneath an umbrella. She has recruited the smaller of the two boys to hold an umbrella over her head as she snaps photos. The boy, at most 50 pounds, has him arm fully straightened in the air, like Mary Poppins descending from a rooftop. At some point he quivers, maybe his nose was itchy, but the umbrella falls away from Van's face and she gets pelted by some UV. There was something barked sharply in Vietnamese, the point clear to even the English speaker: Let the umbrella fall again, country boy and I'll eat you. Pre-competition danceWe start with the modified electric slide, I am whirling my hands in a tight circle as I kick up my feet in bowing retreat from where they will place their statue. The dance then turns to face Truong and we make a series of sumo-like stomps along with stares and intimidating slapping gestures (you thought that was just Americans?). These aggressive motions signal to my opponent that I am prepared to wrestle and that I intend to give him my full "spirit." We then bow a few times and start to drill. The festival, I've been made to understand, has a much more complicated series of dances and garb. Troung starts by showing an outside single. I showed a basic elbow tap setup to the outside single. He showed a duck under -- I replied with an inside trip. We went back and forth for 20 minutes in front a few dozen locals who'd come to see their coach scrap with the fat American. (I weigh 180 pounds.) Van was taking photos and translating when we'd pause the action to stand flat-footed, arms stretched wide, saying aloud in our native tongues, "What the hell are you doing?" Troung gives Tim Foley a knee to the crotchThe rules for Vietnamese traditional wrestling, as best I could tell, are simple. You accumulate wins by lifting your opponent's feet off the ground, or placing him on both his shoulders. Action is restarted once you hit the ground with anything but your opponent's back exposed. These rules lend to a straight legged wrestling style, bent at the hips head sticking forward to block. All defense and very little risk. Front head locks are tempting, but didn't seem effective and may only open you up for a duck under or fireman's carry (Troang's favorite). The foil is the belt, which is popular in several Asian wrestling styles. Knowing I was unfamiliar and seeing a thick black leather belt around my waist, Troung took time to show me how to best utilize your leverage and lift your opponent's feet into the air. He gave me a knee to the crotch and guess what? My feet left the earth. Still a bit tender I grabbed Truong and gave him an aggressive head fake, he down blocked and I snapped his head, which he circled out of in his recovery. I'm not too sure anything was communicated past that point, but his ankle seemed fine as he tried for a duck under. Like a little kids wrestling practice the light drill had suddenly gone live. Troung came in hot, stepping into a high-duck which I posted out of, sagging my weight and managing my right arm into an under hook, we were now in over under. He feinted a high single to my over-hook side which opened up a well hit inside trip. He transferred his weight back to the post leg and stepped out with little effort. We scrap a few more moments, soaked with sweat and Van offers to video the performance. Truong and I took photos with some of the kids, the rest having scattered at the sight of a camera. Mikey drove us the 150 yards to Truong's restaurant-home, where we shared a hand shake, modified bro-hug and our e-mail addresses. He asked me to come back and I gave him a cordial head nod of appreciation. He insisted and told Van, "He is special guest. Stays in my house and competes in the festival." Tim Foley with Truong and kids post-workoutI was flattered. Not only had he offered for me to enter his tournament also his home. I'd have to come early, he told Van, because only one foreigner had tried before, a judo coach from Russia, and there was lots of paperwork. I thanked him again and said that I'd work on the return trip, hopefully to write about his town's festival in January, next time with a professional translator in tow, not to mention the watchful eye of the hammer and sickle. When you are planning to compete, it's never too early to prepare I'll be busy breaking down the video of our 90-second match to look for weaknesses and find out what happened to that well-executed inside trip. I'm not entering this festival to lose; winning I'm sure is a universal value of wrestling.

Those of you who have followed my writings from local message board icon (kidding, of course) to freelance wrestling journalist know that I have always had a special place in my heart for the New York State Catholic League. It was the place of origin of my now well established affinity for the world's oldest and greatest sport (to borrow from one of my literary heroes, Mike Chapman). Therefore, it is no understatement to say that I take immense pride and satisfaction when learning that one of its student-athletes has "done good." For this reason, last night took on great significance to me when I was informed that the league's brightest star, three-time NYS finalist/2009 NYS DI champion Grant Greene of St. Anthony's High School, had given a verbal commitment to compete for Coach Drew Pariano as a part of the class of 2015 at Northwestern University. Grant GreeneGreene, who will be named to the Top 10 seniors list when the New York installment of the InterMat Wrestling 49 series is released at a future date, becomes the first rising senior from the recruiting class of 2011 to formally announce his intentions to continue his academic and athletic pursuits at the Evanston, IL based institution of higher learning. Emerging onto center as an eighth-grader, it was not long before all Empire State wrestling aficionados knew Greene's name as he would go on to finish as the 2007 DII state runner-up at the 96-pound weight class as a representative of Nassau County and Cold Spring Harbor High School (with a first period pin over the current No. 29 recruit from the class of 2012, Quinton Murphy, highlighting this run to the championship bout). As a freshman, Greene and his family opted to seek out a higher caliber of competition by enrolling in the South Huntington located private school. In addition to putting him in a position to compete for a chance to qualify for the DI state tournament, the family's decision also allowed Greene's vast talents to be cultivated further by an excellent coaching staff consisting of former West Virginia University/nationally-ranked U.S. senior-level freestyle wrestler Antoni Walters, former NYS runner-up Keith Eckert (who competed for St. Anthony's from 1998-2001) as well as a host of other gifted staff personnel (three-time NCAA DI All-American Charlie Heard and the renowned T.J. Hill) who have and continue to serve in an official capacity for the returning Catholic state champion Friars. Greene would make an immediate impact for STA, cruising to the Catholic state finals before losing a hard fought decision to current U.S. Military Academy wrestler Connor Hanafee. With his freshman campaign seemingly over following the loss (only the CHSAA champion is invited to participate in the Federation state tournament), Greene was the benefactor of some good fortune when an injury prevented the aforementioned Hanafee from competing. Given new life, the future NU Wildcat wrestler would rebound from an opening-round loss to win his next two bouts before bowing out one victory short of placement, an impressive feat when you consider that the weight class he was competing in (112) was stacked with the likes of fellow DI wrestlers Nick Arujau (three-time NYS DI Champion; true freshman at American University), Steven Keith (two-time NYS Champion; 2010 NCAA qualifier for Harvard University), and Justis Flamio (three-time NYS DI finalist; freshman at the U.S. Naval Academy). Despite not placing in Rochester, 2008 would end in grand fashion for Greene, as he earned All-American honors in Virginia Beach, finishing fourth at 112 pounds at the NHSCA Freshman Naitonals. There would be no sophomore jinx for Greene as 2009 would be the year that he would finally claim the top spot on the podium at the NYS tournament, outscoring his first two opponents by a margin of 21-4 before punching his ticket to the title match with a 0:24 semifinal pin of returning DI state champion/fellow 2011 blue-chip recruit Bob Dierna (who was a 2010 NHSCA Junior Nationals champion at 130 pounds). The pinnacle would be reached later that evening when Greene built up a sizable early lead and then fought off of his back midway through the championship bout to defeat yet another highly-touted member of the rising senior class, Steven Rodrigues (who finished second at 125 this past year at the inaugural FloNationals), 11-7. Greene would again enjoy success at the national level, repeating as an NHSCA All-American, finishing fifth at 112 (including another win over Rodrigues in the placement round). With a complete determination and ambition to maintain his position atop the NYS latter, Greene would again walk through the Catholic state tournament in 2010, scoring bonus points in all of his bouts en route to a second consecutive CHSAA state crown. In his mind, this was a precursor to the larger mission of repeating as a DI state champion. And, for the first two rounds, it appeared that he was well on his way towards doing just this as he unleashed an offensive juggernaut, combining to score 32 points in advancing to the semifinal round. Unlike the previous season where Greene was able to put to bed his semifinal opponent in the time it takes most people to tie their sneakers, 2010 would require more work as the defending state champ was pushed to the brink by Billy Watterson (freshman at Brown University) before ultimately etching out a 9-7 victory to again earn his spot in the "big dance." Pitted against returning state runner-up Damon McQueen (who competed at 103 in 2009), Greene was successful in hitting a pair of his signature dumps to claim the early lead. However, demonstrating the heart of a champion common to most wrestlers from the Empire State, McQueen (who was the 2010 NHSCA Senior Nationals bronze medalist) would fight back, rallying in the closing seconds of the match to send the bout to sudden victory with the score all knotted up at seven apiece. Greene would come out aggressive in the 1:00 SV period, getting in deep in his Suffolk County opponent. However, with the momentum still very much in his corner, McQueen was able to fight off the shot. This strong display of defense would pay dividends a few seconds later as it would be McQueen getting his first taste of championship glory, earning the deciding takedown at approximately the half way point of the extra frame. To his credit, rather than sulk, Greene proved that he is as much a champion off the mat as he is on it, putting aside his own feelings of disappointment to not only embrace McQueen and his family, but only to support one of his closest friends, Arujau (Greene has long been a star pupil of Arujau's father, two-time World champion Vougar Oroudjov) in his quest for a third title. A third All-American distinction would put an exclamation mark on the 2010 season as Greene again proved his is among the nation's best, finishing seventh (down a weight class at112) at the FloNationals. Projected as either a 125 or 133-pounder at the collegiate level, before deciding upon Northwestern, Greene had narrowed down his college choices to Cornell, Virginia, and North Carolina, to go along with the eventual winner of his services. In expressing the reasons for his selection, Greene cited the strong film program at the U.S. News and World Report's No. 12-ranked national university, as well as the opportunity to work out with two-time NCAA DI All-American Brandon Precin (who will remain in Evanston after graduating) as motivating factors. He also expressed how difficult the decision was and how truly grateful and appreciative he is to all of the coaches and university personnel who actively pursued him. On behalf of everyone at LHW, we sincerely congratulate Grant, his family, and the St. Anthony's program on this exciting announcement. We wish Greene and his teammates the very best of fortune as they look to repeat at team champions in 2011. InterMat was granted permission to republish this article from LighthouseWrestling.com.

Cal State Fullerton wrestling has hope for a future. The sport, designated last week for termination at the end of the 2010-11 season, has been given a reprieve to continue fund-raising efforts to keep the program competing. A combination of positive reaction to the “finality” of last week’s announcement and some accounting adjustments renewed hope that approximately $450,000 can be raised by next Spring to fund the program for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. “The university will allow the wrestling program to use existing pledges toward future seasons to cover the shortfall that was created when the program missed its August goal of approximately $196,000 in the bank to fund the 2010-11 season,” said Director of Athletics Brian Quinn. “All new money coming in must first go to covering this year’s shortfall.” Fullerton competes in the hybrid Pac-10 for wrestling against Arizona State, Boise State, Cal Poly, Cal State Bakersfield, Oregon State and Stanford. The season begins on Nov. 19 with a home meet vs. Stanford.

Boiling Springs, N.C. -- Gardner-Webb wrestling head coach Richard Wince along with the Gardner-Webb athletics department is pleased to announce the addition of Conor Beebe to coaching staff in 2010. Beebe, who graduated in August 2010 with a degree in Business Administration, excelled on the mat during his time at Central Michigan University. While at Central Michigan, Beebe was a four-time NCAA qualifier, while in 2010 he was the MAC Conference Champion and was named to the 2010 First-Team All-Conference. In 2010, Beebe, a two-time Midlands Place winner, received the Coaches Award, as he served as the captain of the wrestling team. Beebe, who has done various charity work through the Red Cross, Special Olympics and Adopt a Family Charity, has spent the last four summers working various wrestling camps at Holland High School, Loyola Academy and Central Michigan University. “We are excited to have Conor join our staff,” stated assistant coach Daniel Elliott. “His knowledge, skill set and experience will help our team tremendously.”

Randy Lewis, 1984 Olympic champion and two-time NCAA champion for the University of Iowa, will go “On the Mat” this Wednesday, August 25. “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. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Lewis will be on the show for a roundtable discussion on the greatest University of Iowa wrestling team in program history. The Hawkeyes have won 23 out of the past 35 NCAA team titles and are arguably the greatest dynasty in sport. Lewis – along with co-hosts Kyle Klingman and Doug Van Gelder – will rank Iowa's top five NCAA championship wrestling teams with their reasons why. Lewis wrestled for the University of Iowa from 1977 through 1981 and was a four-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion. He is currently involved with the program as a club coach. A replay of the show will be made available at www.wrestlingmuseum.org.

When Joe Heskett was hired as the new Army head coach in July many people in the wrestling community saw him as a perfect fit for the job or someone that could make a difference. With less than thirty days on the job it didn’t take long for him to make an early impact when he secured a verbal commitment from one of the nation’s hottest recruits, Conor Youtsey, over the weekend. A senior at Mason High School in Jackson, Michigan; Conor is a two-time state champion, three-time state place winner, freestyle All-American, and is currently the No. 55 recruit in the InterMat Top 100. "I am proud to announce to everyone that I will be attending the United States Military Academy," stated Youtsey over the phone on Sunday night. "I am confident that I made a great decision and I am looking forward to having a great senior year." Conor Youtsey (Photo/MichiganGrappler.com)It takes a special recruit to wrestle at a service academy and Conor has had as much success in the classroom as he had on the wrestling mat. A standout wrestler and an outstanding student, he has a three-year record of 157-2 while maintaining an accumulative GPA of 3.74. As a freshman he placed third at 112 pounds before moving up and winning state at 119 and 125 pounds the last two years. "I just got back from West Point and I really loved the military environment. The campus, the facilities, and the atmosphere were amazing. Spending time with coach Heskett, some of the cadets, and getting to meet with some of the colonels and officers was huge. It is a place and an opportunity where I can be challenged academically, athletically, and personally," asserted Youtsey. A member of the National Honor Society and Varsity M Club, he selected Army over Air Force, Cornell, Michigan, and Michigan State. "The academics were one of the most important factors in my decision. Forbes ranked West Point as one of the top schools in the United States for a reason. I know it is not going to be easy, but there is nothing I like more than a challenge. I can thank wrestling for helping to put me in this position so it is up to me to make the most of the opportunity," offered Conor when speaking of the importance of his degree. At the same time the opportunity to wrestle for Black Knights under new head coach Joe Heskett wasn’t lost on future cadet. "I have really gotten close to Coach Heskett and his family. He has a vision for Army Wrestling that I want to be a part of. As a recruit he made me feel right at home, as a wrestler he was one of the best around, and as a coach he knows what it takes. He is sincere, it isn’t a sales pitch, but a belief that he can bring everyone together and put West Point on the college wrestling map. I am excited to be a part of the future of the program and I am excited to have Joe Heskett as a coach," responded Conor. Youtsey is expected to sign his National Letter of Intent in November. From there he hopes to be undefeated and wrestling for his third state title in a row next March and plans on continuing wrestling until it is time to enroll at West Point in the fall. Conor anticipates attending the prep school his first year on campus to prepare to compete for a spot in the starting lineup during the 2012-2013 season. He projects as a 125 pound wrestler throughout his four or five-year college career. Setting the standard As part of InterMat’s ongoing 49 States in 49 Days series, Conor Youtsey was selected as Michigan’s top senior wrestler by the MichiganGrappler.com. "Coming into this spring and summer the top three or four guys in this class were all pretty similar in terms of in-state and national success. However, over this summer Youtsey has created a bit of separation from the pack," stated Tony Greathouse. "Since winning the FloNationals without surrendering an offensive point, he went on to put together a summer filled with big-time wins, including three wins over wrestlers who ended last season ranked Top 10 in the country by InterMat: Bricker Dixon (No. 4 at 112), Jerome Robinson (No. 5 at 119), and Mark Grey (No. 9 at 119). He beat Grey, who is a three-time Fargo national champ, at the FILA Junior Nationals where he also took Pitt freshman and NCAA qualifier Anthony Zanetta to three periods. He was 11-1 at the Junior Duals in Freestyle and was an All-American in Fargo, finishing seventh at 119 pounds." Greathouse was a 2001 Michigan state champion for Mason HS that wrestled five years in college at Michigan State. He has coached Youtsey at practice and in competition snd currently writes for InterMat and the Michigan Grappler. "His physical and stingy style should help him compete right away in college. He holds position and keeps himself in matches, which sets him up for big time wins. A couple other intangibles that make Youtsey attractive to college coaches should be his small stature and his performance in the classroom. He has been the same size for almost three years and still did not appear to be a full 119-pounder this summer in Fargo, so staying at 125 pounds for his collegiate career should not be an issue." "Between the Junior Duals and Fargo, Youtsey beat five wrestlers are 2010 Freestyle All-Americans: Hunter Weber (WI), Dixon (MO), Rob Deutsch (NJ), Eric DeVos (IA), and Thomas Gilman (NE). He has been one of the best wrestlers in Michigan since arriving on the scene as a freshman, losing only twice throughout his prep career. However, his past summer of big wins is what has sealed him as the No. 1 recruit in this class," concluded Greathouse. Premium InterMat subscribers can read the complete article profiling the Top 10 Michigan high school seniors at: http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/7184 Wrestling with Conor Youtsey It is no secret that Michigan high schools have some of the strictest regulations regarding out of state travel and a team’s ability to wrestle schools from other states. Without the ability to attend many of the in-season national tournaments it is hard to gauge how you stack up against the best in the country if you haven’t wrestled them before. "I started wrestling nine years ago and pretty much only wrestled folkstyle until the last couple of years so I didn’t get to see a lot of guys. I think wrestling freestyle has really helped me develop as a wrestler. It has given me the chance to see some great competition outside of Michigan," offered Conor, "but at the same time I think winning an event like FloNationals put me on the map as far as recruiting goes." "As a wrestler you want to challenge yourself and that means wrestling the best. If we only wrestled during the high school season in Michigan you see a good kid every once in awhile, at a national tournament you get to see good and great kids almost every match. It is big in a lot of different ways when you are competing on the national stage," said Youtsey. When asked what drives him on the wrestling Conor admits he likes to challenge himself. "I want to do the best I can in class and in wrestling, I like the challenge to do your best. In wrestling people like to see big wins but I want to get better every day. I think you learn from your wins and losses… from practice and from competition. Adversity and opportunity build character. I have been watching a lot of video of my matches and film of some of the best guys out there to see what I can work on." When asked about some of the people who have contributed to his success Youtsey was quick to credit his coaches and family. "I have had a lot of people help me or get behind me over the years from my coaches, to my teachers, to my practice partners, and most definitely my family. They have always challenged me to be my best and that is the way it is going to be at Army. If it wasn’t for the people around me, I don’t think I would be who I am or in the position I am in and that is one of the reasons I am excited about West Point." "In wrestling I am always looking for a good workout and Roger Massa runs a group up at St John that always has a lot of guys in the room that are always ready to work hard. Tony Greathouse has done a lot with me at practice and has coached me on the national level." "As far as family goes, it is very important to me so I don’t think I can say enough. I come from a big family and we get together every other week. I really have to give credit to my dad, (Darren), for pushing me through the hard times in wrestling and academics; and to my mom, Chantell Marston, who has been great when things go good and when things don’t go as planned." With his college decision made Youtsey has twelve months before making a decade long commitment by choosing to go to one of the service academies. "I have a year or two to get ready to wrestle in college depending on how you look at it. It is hard to say if I am going to be able to wrestle the same schedule I did this year after the high school season but I am going to try to again next year. I am planning on going back to Fargo and I definitely want to continue wrestling freestyle while I am at the Academy," asserted Youtsey. "Hopefully after five years at West Point we have accomplished our goals and I am in a position where I can continue wrestling with the WCAP program in Colorado Springs. I definitely have a lot to look forward to and a lot of challenges ahead." InterMat was granted permission to republish this article from BuckeyeWrestling.com. http://www.buckeyewrestling.com/?q=node/37584

As the wrestling season's start is fast approaching, InterMat will be taking fans across the United States of America on a tour of scholastic wrestling. From early August until the middle of November, InterMat will introduce fans to the top senior wrestlers in the 49 states with scholastic wrestling. From Alaska to Florida, and from Maine to California, fans will gain exposure to the potential stars of future NCAA Championships. The rankings within this article do not necessarily reflect those done by InterMat. Did you a miss a Wrestling 49 feature? Visit Wrestling 49 archives. The Class of 2011 is a very talented and accomplished group that features six returning state champions, four wrestlers in pursuit of a rare fourth California state medal (only 21 wrestlers have earned four medals since 1973), and nine competing for a respective third. At the national level, this group has performed very well among the elite states at the Freestyle/Greco nationals in Fargo and the NHSCA national tournaments, producing thirty-six All-American honors and five national champions overall. In addition, eleven Golden State wrestlers are ranked among the Top 100 seniors per InterMat. Once again, the Central Valley has the greatest representation, followed by the Sac-Joaquin and Southern Sections respectively. Leading this talented group of seniors is two-time state champion Morgan McIntosh from Santa Ana's Calvary Chapel High School in the Southern Section. After a solid performance this summer winning a Flo and junior freestyle title in Fargo, McIntosh returns primed to win his third state title and fourth medal overall. In my humble opinion, he is among the top five high school wrestlers in the country (all weight groups) and ready to step on the mat at the division one level. Joining McIntosh in their pursuit of earning a rare fourth state medal are returning state champion Nick Pena (Selma), Turlock's Fabian Garcia, and Cody Tow of Union Mine in El Dorado. Other returning wrestlers that have great D1 potential include, returning state champions Bryce Hammond (Bakersfield), William "Tank" Knowles (Calvary Chapel), and two-time placer Chris Mecate (Redlands East Valley). Despite not having a California state title behind their names, Vince Rodriguez (Clovis North), Lucas Sheridan (De La Salle), and Vince Waldhauser (Oak Ridge) are each returning medalist and All-Americans that have great potential to win state. This summer, Sheridan earned a national title in Greco and Rodriguez and Waldhauser are each returning state finalists and in position to earn their third state medals. Others to watch include returning state champion and four-time All-American Nashon Garrett (Chico), Damien Arredondo (Buchanan-Clovis), Jesse Baldazo (Liberty-Brentwood), Nick Cano (Saint Francis), Orry Elor (College Park), Matt Hickman (Camarillo), Bradley Johnson (Canyon Springs), Shane Tate (Oakdale), Justin Lozano (Selma), Nathan Zarate (Selma), and returning state champion and two-time medalist David Ferry of Oakdale. On a final note, I expect the California State Championships to be a barnburner this season and am confident that our top seniors in California will do very well on the national stage, which include high caliber tournaments such as Walsh Ironman, Reno TOC, and NHSCA Nationals in Virginia Beach. While compiling this list, it was very difficult to pick the top ten in California because many of wrestlers listed below are very close in talent. Many of the kids listed in the "honorable mention" section are just as talented and are more than capable of being in the top ten. In short, there is a great deal of depth this season and the road to the top podium in California will be a hard fought battle to say the least. Below is a look at California's Top 10 high school recruits and list honorable mention wrestlers from the Class of 2011. 1. Morgan McIntosh High School: Calvary Chapel-Santa Ana (Southern Section) Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 189 Projected College Weight Class: 184 Morgan McIntosh (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Analysis: Morgan McIntosh can be described in one word ... NAILS! McIntosh enters the 2010-11 season rated among the top seniors in the country. In a brief description, McIntosh is very powerful on his feet, possesses great mat awareness, and has a style that is relentless from start to finish. In my humble opinion, McIntosh has the tools to be the top "Blue Chip" in the country. In the state of California I expect him to dominate his opponents from the beginning of the season to end. With two state championships and three medals under his belt, McIntosh is in position to earn a rare fourth state medal and become the fifteenth 3x state champion. This past summer he earned national titles at the Flo and Junior Nationals in Fargo, each in dominating fashion. Moreover, McIntosh is a five-time All-American and is more than ready to compete at the division one level. McIntosh is a two-time California state champion (fifth in 2008), Junior Nationals champion, third-place finisher at FILA Junior Nationals, FloNationals champion, two-time Cadet All-American (double finalist), and two-time Five Counties champion. 2. Bryce Hammond High School: Bakersfield (Central Section) Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 171 Projected College Weight Class: 165 Bryce Hammond (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Analysis: Bryce Hammond is a true competitor and among the top wrestlers to compete in the Golden State this past decade. Entering last year's CIF State Championships with an injury suffered to his elbow at the Central Section Masters meet (aka, Valley), Hammond overcame his injury and dominated the competition in route to his first state championship. Not only does Hammond have great mat sense, he is tough to score upon and is dominating on the mat. It is this high level of wrestling that has contributed to his earning of All-American honors and finals appearance at the Cadet Nationals in 2008, and a title at the NHSCA Nationals in 2009. Entering the 2010-11 season, Hammond is rated among the top seniors in the country and is in position to earn a second state title and third medal overall. Along with McIntosh, Hammond has the necessary tools to compete at the division one level and earn All-American honors and more. Hammond is a state champion (fourth in 2009), Five Counties champion, NHSCA Nationals champion, and Cadet All-American (finalist). 3. Nick Pena High School: Selma (Central Section) Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 135 Projected College Weight Class: 133 Nick Pena (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Analysis: Ranked in the top three in California for a majority of last season, Nick Pena set himself above all when he defeated highly rated Bobby Morales of Laguna Hills in the state finals in a well balanced and competitive weight group. This season, Pena is in position to earn a rare fourth California state medal and is ranked among the nation's top light middleweights. Placing a strong fourth at the nation's most competitive tournament, Walsh Ironman in Ohio, I expect Pena to be the favorite to win a second California state title and rank high on the national level. Keep an eye on this kid ... He's a good one. Pena is a state champion (third in 2009, sixth in 2008) and fourth-place finisher at the Walsh Ironman. 4. Vince Rodriguez High School: Clovis North (Central Section) Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 130 Projected College Weight Class: 125/133 Vince Rodriguez (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Analysis: Since his freshman year, Vince Rodriguez has been a fixture in the top tier of the lightweight division. Yet to win an individual state title, Rodriguez is a returning state finalist and finished third his sophomore year. After losing a hard fought state final in 2010 to Chris Martinez of Clovis West, Rodriguez capped the season off by adding to his 2009 All-American performance by winning the NHSCA Junior Nationals. In short, Rodriguez is a highly competitive wrestler who has the tools to compete at the next level and beyond. Rodriguez is a state runner-up (third in 2009), NHSCA Nationals champion (two-time NHSCA All-American), and Five Counties champion. 5. William "Tank" Knowles High School: Calvary Chapel-Santa Ana (Southern Section) Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 215 Projected College Weight Class: 197 Tank Knowles (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Analysis: A strong fixture at the 215-pound weight group since his freshman season, William "Tank" Knowles enters the 2010-11 season ranked among the top heavyweights in the country. His credentials tell the entire story ... a great deal of mat time and success. After coming one match short of placing at state his freshman season, Knowles has not let up since with his aggressive non-stop style of wrestling that mirrors many in the lightweight division. With two state medals (one championship) and solid victories at the Reno TOC & Walsh Ironman, Knowles will be tough to beat at this weight, both in California and across the country. This past summer he earned his third and fourth All-American honors at the Flo and junior nationals in Fargo and appears determined to be the top heavyweight in the country entering his senior season. Knowles is a state champion (fourth in 2009), FloNationals runner-up, Five Counties champion, Walsh Ironman champion, Reno TOC champion, Junior Nationals All-American, and two-time Cadet Nationals All-American. 6. Lucas Sheridan High School: De La Salle-Concord (North Coast Section) Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 189 Projected College Weight Class: 184 Lucas Sheridan (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Analysis: I have had the privilege to watch Lucas Sheridan compete since his days in the kid's circuit. One thing is certain ... Sheridan is a focused, dedicated, and determined wrestler who has the drive to be the best of the best. The extra mat time in the post season is beginning to pay off during the regular season. In 2010, he placed a solid third at the California state championships and earned a junior national title at the Greco-Roman championships in Fargo. In addition, he earned a trip to compete at the first ever Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, placing fourth in a highly competitive weight group. To date, Sheridan has earned five All-American honors and has had made several finals appearances. Entering the 2010-11 school year, Sheridan is among the top light heavyweights in the state and will challenge for the state title. More importantly, I believe he has the potential to make the Olympic team someday in Greco-Roman ... A true competitor! Sheridan is a Junior Nationals (Greco-Roman) champion, fourth-place finisher at Youth Olympic Games, two-time FILA Cadet Nationals All-American, state third-place finisher, and two-time Cadet Nationals All-American. 7. Nashon Garrett High School: Chico (Northern Section) Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 112 Projected College Weight Class: 125 Nashon Garrett (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Analysis: Nashon Garrett first entered my radar when he earned double All-American honors at the Cadet Nationals in 2009. Last season he had a solid performance at the prestigious Five Counties Invitational and capped it off by winning a competitive weight at the state championships. He then finished the post season with another double All-American performance at Fargo, making it four in two years. With additional growth, Garrett has the tools, skill, and competitive edge to compete at the collegiate level, and challenge for future US World Teams and more. Nashon Garrett is a true competitor that has the vision to become the best of the best. Garrett is a state champion, Five Counties champion, two-time Junior Nationals All-American, and two-time Cadet Nationals All-American. 8. Chris Mecate High School: Redlands East Valley (Southern Section) Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 130 Projected College Weight Class: 133 Chris Mecate (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Analysis: The state of California has produced many wrestlers that are like a diamond in the rough. Often, the difference between winning our one division state meet or placing in the top six is a last second takedown in overtime during the semis. This is the case for Redland's Chris Mecate, a wrestler who has been in the mix since his freshman year, placing fifth and sixth at state respectively, but arguably good enough to have won it all. Mecate has proven to be among the top seniors in the country with his strong finish at the tough as nails Five Counties Invitational in Southern California, beating highly rated Zach Zimmer of Clovis West in the finals. Prior to the beginning of last season, Mecate opened a lot of eyes when he won the pre-season Super 32, defeating several nationally ranked kids in the process. Entering the 2010-ll season, Mecate will definitely be among the favorites to win a prestigious California state title and is ranked among the Top 100 seniors in the country by InterMat. Mecate is a two-time state placewinner, Five Counties champion, and Super 32 champion. 9. Fabian Garcia High School: Turlock (Sac-Joaquin Section) Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 125 Projected College Weight Class: 125 Fabian Garcia (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Analysis: Fabian Garcia has been in the spotlight since placing seventh at state his freshman year entering the tournament unranked. Since that time, Garcia has earned two additional medals, placing fourth and sixth respectively. Despite not having the national credentials, as does many of the top ten and wrestlers listed in the honorable mention section, Garcia is truly among the top tier in the state and is more than capable of competing with the nation's best. Along with McIntosh, Pena, and Tow, Garcia is in position to earn a rare fourth state medal and has the talent and skill set to win it all. Garcia is a three-time state placewinner. 10. Vince Waldhauser High School: Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills (Sac-Joaquin Section) Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 171 Projected College Weight Class: 165 Vince Waldhauser (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Analysis: Waldhauser is a returning state finalist and two-time placer that has the potential to challenge for the title in 2011 with Bakersfield's Bryce Hammond being his toughest opponent. Although he has national experience earning All-American honors at the NHSCA Nationals, Waldhauser has been low on the national radar, but in my humble opinion has the potential to compete with the top tier in the country. Keep an eye on this kid; I believe he will open some eyes in 2011. Waldhauser is a state runner-up (seventh in 2009) and NHSCA Nationals All-American. Honorable Mention: Damien Arredondo (Buchanan-Clovis, CS), 4th, 6th State Jesse Baldazo (Liberty-Brentwood, NCS), 8th State ** Nick Cano (Saint Francis-Mountain View, CCS), 3rd State * Orry Elor (College Park-Pleasant Hill, NCS), 8th State *** David Ferry (Oakdale, SJ), State Champion, 8th State Matt Hickman (Camarillo, SS), 6th State * Bradley Johnson (Canyon Springs-Moreno Valley, SS), 5th State ** Shane Tate (Oakdale, SJS), 3rd, 5th State Cody Tow (Union Mine-El Dorado, SJS), 6th, 7th, 6th State Justin Lozano (Selma, CS), 5th State ** Nathan Zarate (Selma, CS), 2nd, 5th State * *All-American honor (Cadet/Junior/NHSCA) A special thanks to John Sachs and Tony Rotundo at Tech-Fall.com for the use of photos.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Takedown Wrestling Media and Comcast Cable have established a relationship that will bring the popular TDR TV amateur wrestling program to an additional 140,000 homes in the state Tennessee. The first broadcast of the weekly TDR TV on Comcast Cable in Tennessee will be Saturday, September 3rd, on Channel 96 at 5 PM. (Check your local listings for availability on additional channels.) TDR TV is a 30-minute weekly TV show that covers all aspects of amateur wrestling in the U.S. Host Scott Casber updates viewers on the latest developments in high school, college and international wrestling, conducts insightful interviews with the sport's top wrestlers and coaches, and shares his passion for the “oldest and greatest sport” in a fun, fast-paced show. TDR TV is also available on the Mediacom Cable TV system serving six Midwestern states in and around Iowa, Time Warner Cable Sports in New York and can be viewed online at www.TakedownRadio.com and at over thirty other affiliated amateur wrestling websites. “Chattanooga, Tennessee is a hotbed for championship level wrestling on both the high school and collegiate levels,” said Heath Eslinger, Head Coach of UTC's Men's Wrestling program. “We know wrestling fans across the state will enjoy the visibility that TDR TV will bring to the sport across the state." Casber, founder of Takedown Wrestling Media, said, “This is an important step forward for the athletes, coaches and fans of wrestling across the country. Comcast Cable is a respected name around the country. They understand wrestling fans and the need for promotion of the sport in order to continue its positive growth. This is a special opportunity to partner with Comcast Cable in the distribution of TDR TV. We understand the responsibility we have in this and will present wrestling in a positive manner.” “Comcast Cable will present our weekly TV program throughout Tennessee where collegiate and High School wrestling enjoys a very strong fan base. “We're very excited that we'll be seen in a part of the country that features some of the best high school wrestling programs in the nation.” Takedown Wrestling Media started 13 year ago as a single one-hour radio program broadcast from Clear Channel's KXNO studios in Des Moines. TDR quickly added Internet distribution of its audio format and began to broadcast live events along with its weekly program. Founder Scott Casber is well-known throughout the wrestling community, speaking to wrestling groups around the country and promoting the sport wherever he can. TDR TV was born as an addition to the radio program, initially available only on the Internet, but now available on 31 different web sites, as well as in six Midwest states through its distribution on Mediacom Cable. More information can be found at: Takedownradio.com Comcast Corporation is one of the nation's leading providers of cable, entertainment and communication products and services, with 23.2 million cable customers, 16.4 million high-speed Internet customers and 8.1 million Comcast Digital Voice customers. Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable networks and in the delivery of programming content.

Hello again Wrestling Fans. This week we're back in the Brute Adidas studios of KXNO for Takedown Wrestling Radio presented by Kemin Agrifoods. We have another great show lined up for you. Join Scott Casber, Randy Crimmins, Ryan Freeman and Geoff Murtha for an exciting, fun filled 2 hours of wrestling talk. This week we have a special in studio guest, Mike McClintock of Hopkins Sporting Goods and Sunflower Wrestling Supply. Our very special Guests Include: JP O' Connor- Formerly of Harvard University took home ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first team honors. He concluded his career with his best season, going a perfect 35-0 at the 157 weight class, as he captured the NCAA championship. Andrew Pariano- Head Coach of Northwestern University. Drew recently hired Jake Herbert. Also you can get 10.00 off the price of admission for the Midlands. Tune in and find out how. Be prepared to act quickly. John Clark- Asst. Hd Coach of the Brown Bears. The Bears have announced the class of 2014. With new recruits coming in to the room John has a reason to be happy these days. Jim Andrassy- Head Coach of the Golden Flashes of Kent State. Last season The Golden Flashes clinched a top 25 finish at the NCAA Championships for the second straight season. Jim Heffernan- Head Coach of the Fighting Illini. July 1st Longtime Fighting Illini wrestling fan Dave Williams completed a bicycle journey from Huff Hall to the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pa., home of the 2011 NCAA Wrestling Championships in an attempt to raise $25,000 to support Illinois wrestling. We'll find out how he did. Wrestling fans- Episode 71 of TDR TV wrestling news is now on. Check TV Guide for listings. How to watch and listen- TDR and TDR TV. It's appointment Radio and TV! TDR on Radio: LIVE Saturday at 9:00 AM CST on 1460 KXNO in Iowa. Delayed Saturday nights at 7:00 PM Eastern on Supertalk 1570 in Michigan, TDR TV: Mediacom Cable Ch. 22. IA, MO, AK, NE, MN, IL Tues. 5 PM, Sat. 10 AM Time Warner Cable Ch. 813 New York Sat. 12 Noon Call your local cable operator and ask them to carry TDR TV More cities and states will be announced in the next few weeks. TDR on Internet: You can join us Saturday mornings at Takedownradio.com TDR TV On Internet: 31 various web sites now carry your favorite wrestling news show Thanks to our affiliates, our media partners and friends at Livesportsvideo.com. Thanks for watching and listening!

Below is a letter written by Cal State Fullerton wrestling coach Dan Hicks To our fans, friends, donors, parents and wrestling folks from across the country, I am sure that many of you have heard the news that Athletic Director Brian Quinn announced the termination of the wrestling program at the end of this school year. Basically they chose to disregard our Lasting Impact Pledge drive ($70,000) which would have been enough to cover the 10-11 season expenses of $196,145. Year one of the pledge drive had a 98% fulfillment rate. $20,000 is in contracted pledge agreements. Never the less, these were not considered as having met the August 1st goal of cash in the bank. The bar was also raised higher by informing us in late May, that the next goal would be two years ahead by March 1st, 2011 ($400,000) in cash. Our Pledge Drive would not be counted, nor any other event or camps after March 1st. Basically the administration has made it clear they want cash up front for the continuation of the wrestling program. As we have done before, we will continue to find ways to overcome the obstacles and save Cal State Fullerton Wrestling. We can continue to fund the Lasting Impact Pledge drive, develop other fund raising events, explore opportunities for a Fight for Wrestling Night, like Cal Poly and Cal Bakersfield, and look for donors who have the means to help us reach the goal of $400,000 by March 1st to secure the 11-12 & 12-13 season. Our 10-11 recruiting class is very, very good. We have had interest from all of the country in coming to California to wrestle. We have found an exception in the residency policy allowing out-of state wrestlers into cal State Fullerton,l as residents, because we are a Regional Olympic Training site for USA wrestling. This provides a great opportunity for wrestlers from states that do not have college wrestling to come to CSUF to continue their wrestling careers. We have potential to develop into a premier college program. We can be the place that turns around this trend of cutting D-1 wrestling. We must survive for the 27,000 plus high school wrestlers in California who want a chance to wrestle in college. There are too many states with no college opportunities. We must find a way now. Please spread the word to everyone who loves this sport to get involved. Continue to donate to the program. Continue to pass on to others the dream and ask them to donate. $400,000 is doable. We raised $300,000 for last year and this year so far. Help us find a way to buy two more years and then we can focus on an endowment. To Download Donation Form for CSF Wrestling Donate Online To CSF Wrestling by clicking here I sincerely thank all of you who have supported us in the past and for the many people I have met across the country that love this sport and what it does for our young people. It is a battle worth fighting . Dan Hicks Head Wrestling Coach Cal State Fullerton dhicks@fullerton.edu 657-278-2138 714-222-4395cell www.savefullertonwrestling.com

USAFA, Colo. -- Air Force wrestling head coach Joel Sharratt has announced the addition of Tony Black to the Falcons' coaching staff as a volunteer assistant. Black, a 2003 NCAA All-American, currently serves as the Manager of State Services for USA Wrestling. "I am very excited that Tony Black will be joining the Falcon wrestling staff this season," said Sharratt. "I have had the opportunity to work with Tony at several camps and clinics and he is an outstanding coach and educator who will help raise the bar in our program." Black was a four-year starter at the University of Wisconsin from 1999-2003, earning All-America honors in 2003 by finishing fifth at 125 pounds. He served as an undergraduate assistant coach for the Badgers from 2003-05, while working as a volunteer assistant at Wisconsin from 2005-06. A native of River Falls, Wis., Black was a two-time WIAA state champion (103 pounds in 1998, 112 pounds in 1999) at River Falls High School, while earning USA Wrestling Cadet All-America honors in 1996, placing fourth at 88 pounds. "Tony will be a contributor in many ways, but will have a special focus early on in developing our lower weights," continued Sharratt. "As an NCAA All-American, Tony knows what it takes to be podium-ready and he is excited to share those winning character traits and skill sets with the men in our program."

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern and the Big Ten Conference announced on Thursday that the 2011 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, previously scheduled to be held at Purdue, have been moved to Welsh-Ryan Arena on the campus of Northwestern. The tournament is set for Saturday-Sunday, March 5-6, 2011. "I speak for the entire Northwestern Athletic department when I say we are 100 percent committed to hosting an outstanding Big Ten Championships," said first-year Wildcat head coach Drew Pariano. "We will work endlessly to create an exceptional environment for the student-athletes and thousands of fans arriving in Evanston this March. "Our team could not be more excited about the news of our hosting this event," Pariano continued. "It gives our seniors a chance to compete in Welsh-Ryan Arena one final time before heading to Philadelphia for the NCAA Championships." Fans interested in purchasing tickets should submit their initial requests to the Northwestern ticket office via e-mail at wrestling.northwestern@gmail.com. Please include your the following information in your e-mail: Full name Phone number E-mail address Mailing address Number of single-day (indicate which day) and/or weekend-long passes you would like to purchase You will be contacted at a later date by a member of the Northwestern ticket sales staff to finalize your transaction. No single-day or weekend-long ticket prices have been set at this time. Northwestern, which has hosted the Big Ten Wrestling Championships on 13 prior occasions, last held the event in its home arena in 2001. Welsh-Ryan Arena now will be the site of two of college wrestling's premier events in 2010-11, with NU also set to host the 48th annual Midlands Championships Dec. 29-30, 2010.

Wrestling and writing are a winning combination. A number of great authors once wrestled, including novelists Terry Davis (Vision Quest), Ken Kesey (One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest), and John Irving (The World According to Garp). Former wrestler David Gillaspie has found a way to bring together writing and wrestling -- and express himself creatively -- with his blog "DeeGee's B&B" and with his eBook, Wrestle With Care: Inspirationals from Life with Sport. Gillaspie's grappling groundwork The acts of wrestling and writing have long been tied into Gillaspie's life. He won a Greco-Roman title in high school in his native Oregon. He then went to the University of Southern Oregon, where he continued his wrestling career for one year, leaving the mat to concentrate on his studies. David GillaspieNext, Gillaspie had a stint in the U.S. Army. "I tried out for the Army team, saw what a buzzsaw that was, and decided to focus on racing (marathons)," said the Oregon native. "Talking to other wrestling guys, you realize you'll never be in that type of shape of again -- wrestling shape," said Gillaspie. "So you test yourself in other ways. For me, it's marathons." Despite no longer competing in wrestling, Gillaspie continues to see the value of the sport. "I wanted my sons to experience wrestling. I'd talk up wrestling in front of them, introduced them to youth wrestling ... Once they got to high school, I encouraged them to go out for wrestling." "My sons have learned tenacity from the sport. They now are in intramural basketball in college, but they go all-out." "I don't worry about my sons. I know they will avoid trouble because of what they've learned from wrestling." Wrestler's discipline in writing David Gillaspie continues to use what he learned in wrestling in his life beyond the mat, especially as a writer. "In wrestling, you find your stance, and you build everything upon that," said Gillaspie. "You use that same foundational approach in real life." "My wrestling background guides me to write with structure, to be clear, to get to the point." It's one thing for Gillaspie to say this. But an independent organization -- International Blogging Recognition Council (IBRC) -- designated "DeeGee's B&B" a "Recognized Blog" which is reserved for "those blogs that effectively connects with the audience and promotes the sharing of ideas and experiences." Gillaspie estimates he's written 120,000 words in his "DeeGee's B&B" blog, which, according to the header, is "where writers, wrestlers, caregivers, and historians walk, talk, and squawk." As makes clear in his biography at his blog, David Gillespie's writing focus isn't limited to wrestling. In August, he shared his adventures of traveling with his family (including his mother-in-law) to Spain, writing about everything from an olive oil-tasting tour, to dealing with his wife being hospitalized with pneumonia far, far from home. However, even in dealing with that health emergency, Gillaspie called upon his mat background to stay cool in a crisis, and get his wife the help she needed, not knowing Spanish, or understanding the health care system in Granada. Whether he's writing about Spain, Dan Gable or any other topic for his blog, Gillaspie does it with a wrestler's discipline. As he put it in this interview for InterMat, "I write in a standard newspaper column format -- 700-800 words ... I write in the standard "set-up, conflict, resolution" pattern, hopefully not in a formulaic way." Wrestle With Care From these blog entries/essays sprang Gillespie's book Wrestle With Care: Inspirationals from Life with Sport, available online as an eBook from Amazon.com. Here's how he described this venture online: Civilized people predict the end of wrestling. A dying sport. Others scoff at the notion of an ebook. It's a novelty. Naturally I've combined both, an ebook of wrestling stories both informational and informative. An essay tells you something. A story makes you feel something. I've linked my best essays. Thirty three thousand reads later I've written the story. Wrestle With Care, a free Kinkle reader for PC download on Amazon, tells the story of a former wrestler who goes to the hospital bedside of his wrestling coach, turning the tables, scoring a reversal as wrestler becomes coach and mentor to the man who performed those functions for him at an earlier stage of life. Gillespie has lived all this. What's more, he incorporated his experience as caregiver for his father-in-law who battled Parkinson's disease. "In caregiving, as in wrestling, you anticipate when the other person is about to shift balance," said Gillespie. "In wrestling, you go on the attack. In caregiving, you go in to prevent a fall." Wrestling and writing inspiration Gillaspie's writing background goes beyond his blog and Wrestle With Care eBook. "I've taken a ton of writing courses -- novel writing, screenplay writing, news writing. I've participated in writing workshops at the University of Iowa, and the USC (University of Southern California) screenwriter workshops." David Gillespie in 1973In terms of writing and wrestling, Gillaspie described Ken Kesey as his inspiration. "I thought it was cool that he was from my area, writing about where I grew up, with great books such as Sometimes a Great Notion and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest." Gillespie and Kesey shared more than an upbringing in the same part of the world -- and a love for writing. They both shared a love of the oldest sport. Kesey wrestled at Springfield High School in Oregon, and at the University of Oregon. "To my mind, he invented the 60s," Gillaspie said of Kesey, who, in addition to being a noted novelist, was a counter-culture figure who became part of the Merry Pranksters that traveled the nation in a school bus with friends (including Beat writers like Neal Cassady and Jack Kerouac), and chronicled in Tom Wolfe's book, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Despite his association with these Beat icons -- and his status as one of the great writers of the 1960s -- Kesey said in a 1999 interview, "I was too young to be a beatnik, and too old to be a hippie." David Gillaspie also cites Dan Gable as a source of inspiration. The name of the Iowa State wrestler and University of Iowa head coach pop up frequently in his DeeGee's B&B blog; for example, in the opening of the August 13, 2010 installment: One name represents wrestling in America. Dan Gable. The DG. He marked the sport like no other competitor or coach marked any other sport. Gable's name also was mentioned more than once during the interview for this profile. In talking about the Cyclone mat great's one college loss -- to Larry Owings of the University of Washington in the 142-pound finals at the 1970 NCAA championships -- Gillaspie said, "With Gable, that one loss helped him be the coach that he was -- so he could help others prevent what happened to him." For additional inspired insights into wrestling -- and all aspects of life -- check out David Gillaspie's DeeGee's B&B blog ... and his eBook, Wrestling With Care. It's wrestling writing that's richly rewarding to read. To learn more about Wrestling With Care -- and to get a free copy of this eBook -- visit http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003B667V6

USA Wrestling and the Living The Dream Medal Fund are pleased to announce the inaugural Living The Dream Telethon on Friday, August 20 at 9 p.m. Eastern. Featured on the webcast will be all 21 U.S. World Team Members and stand-up comic and past NCAA All-American from Missouri, Greg Warren. Greg has been on the stand-up circuit for several years and has been a sensation on Flowrestling with the character Wesley "Wes" Wesley. Donations will be able to be made online and via call-in, where World Team members and coaches will be fielding your calls. ALL proceeds go directly to the Living The Dream Medal Fund. USA Wrestling will provide the webcast free on its Ustream channel here and on the front page of TheMat.com. For More Information on the Telethon, Click Here. Greg Warren Web Site: www.gregwarrencomedy.com Wesley "Wes" Wesley on Flowrestling: Click Here. Donate: www.livingthedreammedalfund.com CALL IN NUMBER: (1-800-999-8531)

The NWCA Leadership Academy kicked off the 2010 Convention with a tremendous blast of enthusiasm. Thirty-three young, aspiring college coaches and 24 mentors (seasoned veteran coaches, administrators, and business leaders) gathered for a two-day workshop, which was facilitated by internationally renowned coaching development expert, Dr. Dan Gould of Michigan State University. The purpose of the focus group was to utilize peer group discussion among college coaches, athletic administrators, and CEOs to develop best practices for protecting and strengthening intercollegiate wrestling programs through this challenging economy. Specifically, the goal is to help coaches strengthen their CEO skills and better align their programs with educational values (i.e. improve eligibility and graduation rates, etc.). Qualifying to receive a full scholarship to attend the NWCA Leadership Academy is predicated on completing the following three pre-requisites: online educational modules that help coaches understand general CEO principles required to protect their teams, a program assessment survey, and a 360 evaluation to assess how others perceive the competency of the coach to be. Once the pre-requisites are completed, the coaches are awarded full scholarships to attend the Leadership Academy workshop where they can collaborate with mentors to customize the general principles (learned in the online modules) to meet their unique needs on each campus. Upon completion of the Academy, each coach is assigned to a mentor so they can receive ongoing guidance on an “as needed” basis. “Being able to scholarship these thirty-three coaches is a testament to those generous donors who believe that we can better ourselves as a sport through education and leadership. By attending the Academy, these coaches are taking ownership of their program and asserting themselves as the CEO of their team,” said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. A highlight of Academy was the keynote speech which was presented by Arkansas businessman and wrestling benefactor, Greg Hatcher, which focused on “outrageous service.” Hatcher, founder of The Hatcher Agency, delivered a phenomenal message on providing great customer service and overcoming your greatest enemy which is time itself. Hatcher encouraged the participation of the coaches during his speech and ultimately challenged them to be sure to apply the newly acquired knowledge toward the improvement of their programs upon their return back to campus. In addition, Hatcher provided each attendee a copy of his book “55 Steps to Outrageous Service.” One of the newly appointed Women’s Wrestling Coaches, Marcie Van Dusen, said, “the 2010 NCWA Convention was a wonderful educational experience for me. The Academy and the Convention provided me with knowledgeable leaders and innovative speakers who shared their insights. It was a unique setting where I was able to learn from the successes and failures of the best coaches in the nation. These coaches shared with me the tools they used to create their wrestling traditions. It was an inspiring experience for me and I can’t wait to implement what I have learned to create a stronger Women’s wrestling program at Menlo College.” The 2010 Leadership Academy consisted of the following coaches: Matthew Azevedo, Alaina Berube, Seth Bloomquist, Matthew Burlingame, Ken Caudell, Sevond Cole, Derek DelPorto, Timothy Dernlan, Ramon Diaz, Daniel Elliott, Ron Headlee, Josh Henson, Scott Hinkel, Eric Keller, Dock Kelly, Jason Loukides, Mike Mendoza, Nick Mitchell, Bob Patnesky, John Petty, Ken Prophete, Ken Ramsey, Matt Sedivy, Nathan Shearer, Michael Simon, Chad Smith, Pat Sole, Walter Ulrich, Marcie Van Dusen, Andy Vogel, Robbie Waller, Kevin Ward, and Mauricio Wright. With coaches from all divisions present in the 2010 Academy the response was virtually the same. “The Leadership Academy really opened my eyes to new ideas and strategies that I need to incorporate into the Purdue Wrestling Program. It was such a valuable experience to listen and learn from all the outstanding mentors and coaches that were in attendance. I will certainly nominate any coaches that are on my staff to attend in the future. Thank you NWCA so much for the opportunity to attend,” said Scott Hinkel, head coach at Purdue University. Mentors for the 2010 Leadership Academy were: Ron Beaschler, Jim Beichner, Coyte Cooper, Tim Fader, Mark Gumble, Dan Harris, Todd Hibbs, Jay Jones, Dave Kemmy, Rob Koll, Jon Laudenslager, John Licata, Jim Miller, Carl Poff, Archie Randall, Frank Romano, Brian Smith, Jack Spates, Rande Stottlemyer, Greg Strobel, Jeff Swenson, Alan Utter, Derek van der Merwe and Billy Walker. The Friday Luncheon was kicked off with the graduation recognition of the Inaugural NWCA Leadership Academy Class from 2009 (not all of them were able to be in attendance): JohnMark Bentley, Ben Berogen, Jason Borrelli, Mark Branch, Brandon Brissette, Shawn Charles, Dax Charles, Heath Eslinger, John Garriques, Trent Goodale, Scott Hawes, Scott Hinkle, Tim Homan, Greg Ilaria, Tony Islas, R.C. LaHaye, Tom Layte, Clint Manny, Risto Marttinen, Joe Pollard, Tom Prairie, Todd Roberts, Ryan Smith, Ben Stehura, Casey Stouffer, Beau Vest and Jason York. “The Leadership Academy would not have been possible without the help of many wrestling ambassadors who have dedicated their time to making sure the coaches received the most out of this experience, especially the primary architects Dr. Dan Gould and Derek van der Merwe. Both were instrumental in the delivery of the program and the foundation it was built on. Further, we are forever grateful for the many mentors that have given so generously of their time and knowledge to help guide the coaches through the program as well,” said Moyer. With the goal of inspiring each and every coach that participated in the Academy, the mentors and staff will be working throughout the year to encourage dialogue and implementation of these practices in their daily routines with the school, community and athletes. "The NWCA Leadership Academy was one of the most beneficial experiences in my coaching career. I was amazed at the depth and breadth of areas we covered in just two days. I left the convention energized and inspired to implement several of the strategies we discussed. The NWCA Leadership Academy is going to single handedly elevate the level of college coaching in America," said Tim Dernlan, Ashland University.

EDINBORO, Pa. -- Edinboro University Director of Athletics Bruce Baumgartner announced today the hiring of Joey Fendone as assistant coach for the wrestling team. Fendone joins Cliff Moore as an assistant under Tim Flynn, who will enter his 14th year as the head coach this year. He replaces Kyle Cerminara, who left earlier this summer to join the staff at Pennsylvania. A former standout for the Fighting Scots, Fendone served as a volunteer assistant with the Fighting Scots a year ago. Flynn is pleased to have Fendone as a full-time member of his staff. “I think Joe will do an outstanding job,” related Flynn. “He knows what our program is all about and he relates very well with our team.” A four-time national qualifier. Fendone wrapped up his career in 2009 with his third trip to Nationals at heavyweight, along with qualifying once at 197 lbs. He concluded his career tied for 19th in career wins with a 105-40 record. He ranks second in career falls with 45. As a fifth-year senior Fendone won his second PSAC title while recording a 30-8 record at heavyweight. That included 20 falls to tie Deonte Penn’s school record. Fendone ended the year ranked 12th by InterMat and 14th by Amateur Wrestling News. He finished second at the EWL Championships to qualify for Nationals, and then went 3-2 in St. Louis. He took home first place at the Oklahoma Gold Classic. As a junior Fendone finished with an 18-11 record with six falls. he was hampered by an ankle injury that forced him to miss a month of the season, but he still finished the year ranked 12th by Amateur Wrestling News and 17th by InterMat. He placed third at both the EWL Tournament and PSAC Championships. Fendone fell one win shy of earning All-American honors in his first season as a heavyweight as a sophomore. He capped a 28-12 season with a great run at Nationals, losing to national runnerup Aaron Anspach of Penn State, 11-1, in the quarterfinals, before coming back with a pair of wins in the wrestlebacks. He decisioned Kyle Massey of Wisconsin, 10-7, then picked up his biggest win as a heavyweight with a 4-3 decision over Iowa’s Matt Fields, who was seeded seventh. With All-American status on the line, suffered his fourth loss to Bloomsburg’s Mike Spaid, but extended the ninth seed to sudden victory before losing 6-4. He was a wildcard selection to Nationals in 2006-07 after finishing fourth at the EWL Tournament. He finished second at the PSAC Championships, falling to Spaid in the finals. Fendone began his career at 197 lbs. He enjoyed a cinderella season, taking over as the starter at 197 lbs. in mid-January, then proceeding to dominate the competition, running off 13 straight wins at one point to climb into the national rankings. He ended the year with a 29-9 ledger and ranked second on the team with 11 falls, tied for the 17th-most in school history. In his first trip to Nationals he went 1-2. He placed second at the EWL Tournament and picked up the title at PSAC Championships. He was named to Amateur Wrestling News’ 2006 All-Rookie Team, on the fourth team. Fendone was a highly-touted recruit who was only the second wrestler ever to win three New England Tournament titles and a three-time Massachusetts state champion. He captured three Massachusetts state championships at 215 lbs. at Central Catholic High School in massachusetts, and set the school record with a 176-6 career record and had 120 falls, also a school record. He was twice named the Boston Globe Wrestler of the Year and was a four-time All-State and Boston Herald All-State team selection . He posted the first undefeated record in school history as a senior (36-0). Fendone received his bachelor’s degree in Sports Administration in May 2009. His brother Shawn will be a fifth-year senior on the Fighting Scots and competes at 197 lbs.

SINGAPORE -- Wrestling competition wrapped up on the podium for Team USA at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games as Jordan Rogers (Spokane, Wash.) won silver in the -76 kg weight class. Rogers lost to Resul Kalayci of Turkey in the gold medal match, after a hard fall forced him to withdraw before the final minutes were up. “It’s disappointing to lose, but it’s also a great accomplishment to be in the Youth Olympic Games,” Rogers, 16, said. “I had to win a national tournament and a qualifier to get here. These are elite guys from each country, and it’s amazing to be No. 2 out of all of the competition. This is my first time overseas, so it’s all new to me.” Rogers made quick work of his first opponent, Victorin Kouagou of Benin. He followed with a close victory against Egypt’s Amr Ali, and also topped Christopher Aguon of Guam to win his pool competition. “He didn’t win the match, but he had the opportunity to wrestle for a gold medal,” head coach Mark Halvorson said following Rogers’ medal match. “There are a lot of positives he can take out of this as well. Now, he’s got a taste of what it’s like to be in an Olympics and world-class competition. He’s got a lot to be proud of winning the silver medal – it was a tough competition.” Rogers will be a junior at Mead High School in Spokane, Wash. He was a 2010 Cadet Nationals champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Rogers also claimed a 2010 FILA Cadet Nationals title in freestyle. He was a 2009 Cadet Nationals freestyle runner-up and won Schoolboy National titles in both styles in 2008. He was a Washington state high school champion in 2009, but missed the 2010 state meet due to an emergency appendectomy. Quinton Murphy (Holley, N.Y.) had a solid pair of wins in pool play to advance to the bronze medal match in the -63 kg weight class. He finished fourth after falling to Irakli Mosidze of Georgia. Murphy, 16, also started with a speedy defeat of Amadeus Pereira of Guinea-Bissau in just .19 seconds. He topped Algeria’s Mohamed Boudraa in his second match, before falling to Bakhodur Kadirov of Tajikistan in his final match of pool competition. Murphy will be a junior at Holley High School in New York. He placed third in the 2010 FILA Cadet Nationals in freestyle. He was a 2009 Central Regional Cadet freestyle champion, and has won numerous medals at USA Wrestling age-group regional events. He is a two-time New York state high school champion (2008 and 2010) and a state runner-up in 2009. Team USA concluded wrestling competition with a silver medal won by Rogers. On Sunday, Lucas Sheridan (Concord, Calif.) finished fourth in Greco-Roman, and Jenna Burkert (Middle Island, N.Y.) finished fifth in the women’s freestyle wrestling -60 kg weight class Monday. The wrestling lineup features 112 athletes – 80 men and 32 women – with eight participants in each weight class. An additional wrestling competition at the Youth Olympic Games, beach wrestling, will be held on Saturday, August 21 at Siloso Beach on Sentosa Island. This event is open to all YOG athletes in all sports. The U.S. wrestlers will have the opportunity for another competition if they enter the Beach Wrestling tournament. Additional Quotes Rogers: “The first match, it felt nice to get that out of the way. Usually you’re a little nervous for that first one, especially since I’ve never really been to international competition so it’s a newer experience. Once I got that first match out of the way, I started feeling a little more comfortable and felt a lot more confident going into the next matches.” Rogers: “We competed early, so I’ve been focused on preparing for the competition. I’ve seen all that’s going on, and I’m really excited to get involved in all of the activities. It’s just a really cool experience to meet people from other countries.” YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES At Singapore, August 17 Men’s freestyle results 46 kg/101 lbs. Gold – Aldar Balzhinimaev (Russia) Silver – Mehran Sheikhi (Iran) Bronze – Artak Hovhannisyan (Armenia) 4th – Andry Davila (Venezuela) 5th – Mohamed Abdelnaeem (Egypt) 6th – Robinson Rios (Peru) 54 kg/119 lbs. Gold – Yuki Takahashi (Japan) Silver – Kanan Guluyev (Azerbaijan) Bronze – Mehmet Ali Daylak (Turkey) 4th – Yerzon Hernandez (Colombia) 5th – Jayden Lawrence (Australia) 6th – Jeffry Serrata (Dominican Republic) 7th – Maher Ghanni (Tunisia) 8th – Kester Chun Yue Leung (Singapore) 9th – Prince Mbambi (Congo) 63 kg/138.75 lbs. Gold – Azamatti Pshnatlov (Russia) Silver – Bakhodur Kadirov (Tajikistan) Bronze – Irakli Mosidze (Georgia) 4th – Quinton Murphy (USA) 5th – Johnny Pilay (Ecuador) 6th – Mohamed Boudraa (Algeria) 7th – Amadeus Pereira (Guinee-Bisau) 8th – Haris Fazlic (Australia) 76 kg/167.5 lbs. Gold – Resul Kalayci (Turkey) Silver – Jordan Rogers (USA) Bronze – Dierbek Ergashev (Uzbekistan) 4th – Amir Ali (Egypt) 5th – A, Hushtyn (Belarus) 6th – Victorin Kouagou (Benin) 7th – Dalton Webb (Canada) 8th – Christopher Aguon (Guam) 100 kg/220 lbs. Gold – Ali Magomedabirov (Azerbaijan) Silver – Abraham de Jesus Conyedo Ruano (Cuba) Bronze – Satywart Kadian (India) 4th – Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) 5th – Oyunbold Enkhtugs (Mongolia) 6th – Parmvir Dhesi (Canada) 7th – Andries Schutte (South Africa) 8th – Manuolefoaga Sualevai (American Samoa) U.S. Men’s freestyle performances 63 kg/138.75 lbs - Quinton Murphy, Holley, N.Y., 4th WIN Amadeus Pereira (Guinee-Bisau) WIN Mohamad Boudraa (Algeria) LOSS Bakhodur Kadirov (Tajikistan) LOSS Irakli Mosidze (Georgia) 76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Jordan Rogers, Spokane, Wash., 2nd WIN Victorin Kouagou (Benin) WIN Amir Ali (Egypt) WIN Christopher Aguon (Guam) LOSS Resul Kalayci (Turkey) About Team USA The U.S. Team in Singapore is comprised of 82 athletes in 18 sports, the maximum number of qualified U.S. athletes. Team USA is competing in aquatics (swimming and diving), archery, badminton, basketball, boxing, equestrian, fencing, gymnastics, judo, modern pentathlon, sailing, table tennis, taekwondo, track & field, triathlon, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling. Complete information on Team USA can be found at youtholympicgames.teamusa.org. About the 2010 Youth Olympic Games Singapore is hosting the inaugural Youth Olympic Games from Aug. 14-26, 2010, as young athletes age 14-18 compete in 26 sports and take part in the Culture and Education Program. Approximately 3,600 athletes from around the world will participate, and all 205 National Olympic Committees will be represented. The Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games aim to inspire youth to embrace, embody and express the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. More information can be found at www.singapore2010.sg. For more information, visit www.teamusa.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

2010 World Team members Jake Herbert and Travis Paulson 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. Jake Herbert won a World silver medal last year, just six months after winning his second NCAA championship at 184 pounds for Northwestern University. A four-time All-American, Herbert also won the prestigious Dan Hodge Trophy in 2009, awarded to the most dominant college wrestler in the nation. Herbert will be competing in the 185 pound freestyle division at the World Championships in Moscow, Russia in early September. Travis Paulson will represent the United States in the 163 pound freestyle division at the World Championships. At the World Team Trials in June, in his hometown of Council Bluffs, Iowa, Paulson defeated his twin brother, Trent, in the finals of the challenge tournament. This was the only time Travis and Trent have ever wrestled in competition. The twins were both three-time All-Americans at Iowa State University.

As the wrestling season's start is fast approaching, InterMat will be taking fans across the United States of America on a tour of scholastic wrestling. From early August until the middle of November, InterMat will introduce fans to the top senior wrestlers in the 49 states with scholastic wrestling. From Alaska to Florida, and from Maine to California, fans will gain exposure to the potential stars of future NCAA Championships. The rankings within this article do not necessarily reflect those done by InterMat. Did you a miss a Wrestling 49 feature? Visit Wrestling 49 archives. Kansas once again made a splash in 2010 by placing four seniors in Division I programs and nine in Division II. In what was projected as a rebuilding year, Kansas' 2011 class has plenty of talent. This class has almost 100 Fargo wins to its credit! Headlining the class are a pair of teammates in three-time state champ and nationally-ranked Ryne Cokeley and Fargo Greco champion and double All-American Taylor Moeder. Throw in another multiple Fargo AA Daniel DeShazer and you have a trio that would rival any state in the nation! 1. Ryne Cokeley High School: St. James Academy Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 160 Projected College Weight Class: 157/165 Ryne CokeleyAnalysis: With a career record of 124-11, Cokeley is chasing his fourth Kansas state title. He is one of the most heralded wrestlers in Kansas history with 36 total Fargo wins! He has beaten 52 former state champions across the nation. He carries a 41-13 career Cadet and Junior Dual record, going undefeated in 2008 and 2010, making the USA National Teams both years. Cokeley placed second at Virginia Beach in the 2010 NHSCA Junior Nationals and was the FILA Cadet Pan American Games gold medalist. The Future Olympian rankings have listed him as first, third, and third in his first three years. This kid is a machine in practice and has sought out competition from coast to coast. It's been a pleasure being one of his biggest fans. Division I awaits! 2. Taylor Moeder High School: St. James Academy Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 145 Projected College Weight Class: 141/149 Analysis: Moeder had a breakout season in 2010. Capping off his 40-1 junior season and second state championship, he was crowned with the Fargo Junior National Greco title! He then returned to the Fargo podium in freestyle, placing fourth to complete a dream season. Taylor also placed fourth at the NHSCA Folkstyle Junior Nationals in Virginia. We all knew of his Kids division accolades with four Kids state titles, six-time placer at Tulsa Nationals, and a Cliff Keen Kickoff championship, but he was the best-kept secret in Kansas until splashing onto the national scene this year. He had the Kansas faithful raising eyebrows when he moved up a weight at the Derby Invitational and stopped Chase Nitcher's 71-match winning streak. His career high school record is 117-9 and he is no longer under the radar with Division I coaches. One last point: His Duck Under should be on a training video! 3. Daniel DeShazer High School: Wichita Heights Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 130 Projected College Weight Class: 125/133 Daniel DeShazerAnalysis: DeShazer is a four-time Fargo All-American, including a Greco Roman finalist in 2008! With a career record of 92-3, he is a two-time state champion and a three-time finalist. He has been a powerful contributor to our Kansas National Dual teams at all levels. He dominated most of his youth career, placing at many national tournaments and winning Kids state six times. He is the younger brother of former four-time Kansas state champ and NCAA qualifier Tristen DeShazer of Northern Illinois. DeShazer has a rare athleticism that makes him a crowd favorite and is a lock to land in a prominent college program. 4. Zack Tanenbaum High School: Blue Valley North Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 135/140 Projected College Weight Class: 133/141 Analysis: Tanenbaum is a two-time state champion with a career record of 115-10. He also made the state finals as a freshman. He has made the Deans list every year at Blue Valley North High School and carries a 3.9 GPA. He was the 2010 Brute adidas Nationals champion and is a two-time Kansas Triple Crown winner. He is a multi-sport athlete, winning the 2007 Kansas State Judo championship as well as earning a varsity football letter in 2009. Tanenbaum has competed for the Schoolboy, Middle School, Cadet and Junior National Kansas dual teams and had seven freestyle/Greco-Roman wins this year at Fargo. He is the younger brother of current Division I wrestler Jake Tanenbaum of Cal Poly. 5. Jake Gentzler High School: Andover Central Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 125/130 Projected College Weight Class: 125/133 Analysis: Gentzler is a two-time state champion and three-time finalist. He has a career record of 112-9. Along with being a three-time regional champion, he also has three league championships while being named Outstanding Wrestler at two regionals. On the national level, Gentzler is a Brute adidas Nationals champion in 2008 and two-time USAW Folkstyle Nationals placer. He carries a 3.25 GPA. 6. Spencer Blew High School: Lansing Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 140 Projected College Weight Class: 141 Analysis: Spencer is a two-time state champion with a career record of 109-16. He is a phenomenal athlete that carried his Kids division domination into high school. He is a two-time Brute adidas All-American and is a multi-sport athlete, competing in varsity football, track and lacrosse. He is also a member of the National Society of High School Scholars. 7. Symon Seaton High School: Basehor-Linwood Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 130 Projected College Weight Class: 133 Analysis: Seaton is a three-time state placer, bringing home a state title in 2010. Capping off a stellar junior season of 34-2, he competed with the Junior National Dual Team in OKC and was a Junior National Team member in Fargo. With a career record of 96-15, Seaton placed third as a freshman in a loaded 112 bracket. 8. Dylan Penka High School: Bishop Carroll Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 171 Projected College Weight Class: 174 Analysis: Penka is a three-time state placer. He is a two-time USAW Folkstyle Nationals AA, placing third in 2009 and fifth in 2010. He has placed in every high school tournament that he has entered. Previous to his Cadet days, he won two Greco and two freestyle USAW national championships. Penka scored a 31 on his ACT and has received interest from coaches at the Division I level. He has many weapons to call on, but watch out for his headlock! It is a crowd pleaser. 9. Chase Sanchez High School: Emporia Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 160/171 Projected College Weight Class: 157/165 Chase SanchezAnalysis: Sanchez is a two-time state placer for Emporia High School, contributing to the program's back-to-back Class 5A state championships. He is a multiple-time state freestyle and Greco-Roman champion, winning the Triple Crown in 2009. In 2009, Sanchez landed on the podium as a Fargo All-American in Greco. He won two more matches this year in the Junior Greco division, giving him 11 career Fargo wins. He was also a Cadet National Dual Team member both years and is a multi-sport athlete, playing strong safety on the football team. Sanchez carries a 3.25 GPA and wants to pursue a secondary education degree, planning to teach science as well as coaching wrestling or serving as an athletic director or principal. 10. Kyle Johnson High School: Columbus Projected 2010-11 High School Weight Class: 130 Projected College Weight Class: 125/133 Analysis: Johnson is a three-time state placer, making the finals each of his last two years. With 89 high school wins, he has had many memorable matches including a tough overtime loss to Moeder in the 2010 state finals. As a junior, his path to the state finals included wins over Seaton, as well as Fargo All-American Brandon Charbonneau. Johnson is also a three-year letter winner in Football and carries a 3.11 GPA. Honorable Mention: Troy Bainter (Norton) Tyler Baughman (Lansing) Cody Beasley (Wichita Campus) Mario Corado (Pittsburg) Colton Eck (Andale) Zach Hoehn (Wellsville) Trey Houlden (Goddard) Ethan Mumaw (Jefferson West) Dillon Salmans (Hoxie) Dillon Scanlon (Lansing)

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Former Lehigh head coach Greg Strobel has been named USA Wrestling’s Man of the Year, it was announced on Monday. The award recognizes an outstanding man for his contributions to the sport of wrestling. Strobel, who currently works as an administrator at Lehigh, has served the sport of wrestling as a volunteer leader, coach and administrator for decades. “My first thought when I heard about this was that it is a cool deal,” Strobel told USA Wrestling. “I’ve seen the list of previous winners, and that is very good company. All of those people dedicated their lives to improve wrestling. To join those people with this award is a great honor.” Strobel coached Lehigh for 13 seasons, guiding the Brown and White to one of its most successful runs in the program’s 101-season history. He posted a 189-83-1 dual meet record, good for the second most wins in school annals, and led the Mountain Hawks to six EIWA team titles including a string of five straight from 2002-2006. Strobel’s Lehigh teams finished in the top ten at the NCAA Championships six times, led by the 2004 squad which tied for third place with five All-Americans, an accomplishment that led to Strobel being named NWCA National Coach of the Year. A four-time EIWA Coach of the Year, Strobel guided his wrestlers to 28 individual EIWA titles and 30 All-American medals. Strobel coached two NCAA Champions, Rob Rohn in 2002 and Troy Letters in 2004. Currently, Strobel serves as First Vice President of USA Wrestling and is a member of the Executive Committee. He has served on USA Wrestling’s Board of Directors for almost 20 years. Strobel is the chairperson of USA Wrestling’s Freestyle Sports Committee which oversees the national freestyle program. He also chairs the Sports Science Committee and the Freestyle Coach Selection Committee. Strobel has been a member of numerous USA Wrestling committees in the past. On the international circuit, Strobel was one of USA Wrestling’s most successful freestyle coaches. He was a co-coach for the 2000 U.S. Olympic Freestyle team and an assistant with the 1996 Olympic team. He also coached internationally in several U.S. World teams plus the 1997 U.S. World Cup team, 1997 U.S. Junior World team and the 1994 U.S. Goodwill Games team. He was named the 1997 USA Wrestling’s Freestyle Coach of the Year and 1999 Developmental Coach of the Year. He is the first to receive both Developmental and Senior coach of the year honors. Strobel came to Lehigh after serving as wrestling coach for the Team Foxcatcher club program in Pennsylvania. From 1983-1991 Strobel was the Director of National Team Programs for USA Wrestling, which included a stint as National Freestyle Coach from 1987-88. As liaison on USA Wrestling’s most active committee, Strobel helped to design the policies, procedures, team selection, training and competition for all USA teams including the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympic teams. A 1975 graduate of Oregon State, Strobel received his bachelor’s degree and master’s in business education. Strobel earned NCAA titles in 1973 and 1974 while wrestling at 190 pounds and was fifth in 1972. In 1973 he was named the tournament’s outstanding wrestler. He compiled a daunting 126-7-1 record from 1972-74 and still holds the school record for consecutive wins with 74. Strobel won three Pacific 8 Conference championships and earned an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholar-Athlete Award in 1975. Strobel is currently Lehigh’s Assistant Athletic Director for Camps and External Relations. He will be recognized by his peers during the USA Wrestling Board of Directors meeting on August 20. “I am honored that USA Wrestling is presenting this award to me,” Strobel said. “The timing is perfect, with it being recognized at our Board meeting, which we hope will be a landmark meeting as we discuss Board restructuring. To be named Man of the Year and to work on that project at the same time is very special for me.”

SINGAPORE -- Lucas Sheridan (Concord, Calif.) advanced to the 85 kg/187.5 lbs. bronze- medal match of Greco-Roman wrestling competition on the first day of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. He finished the day on the losing side of a close match with Ruslan Kamilov of Uzbekistan, 1-3, to wrap up competition with a 2-2 record and a fourth-place finish. "He wrestled him tough - it's just a tough tournament," said head coach Mark Halvorson. "I think he knows he was in the match, and both he lost were winnable. It was just one of those matches, and he lost a couple close ones. This whole thing is such a great experience for everyone. This is a great venue and a first-class event." Sheridan opened the pool rounds at the International Convention Center with a quick, 5-0 win against Teia Mweia of the Solomon Islands. He lost a close match to Hamdy Abdelwahab of Egypt, 1-3, followed by a 4-0 win versus Adil Al-Abedi of Iraq to advance to the medal rounds. Sheridan will be a senior at will be at De La Salle High School in California. He was a 2010 Junior Nationals Greco-Roman champion. At the 2010 FILA Cadet Nationals, he was second in freestyle and third in Greco-Roman. Sheridan was also second in freestyle and third in Greco-Roman at the 2009 Cadet Nationals. He placed third in the 2010 California state high school tournament. Wrestling competition continues on Monday, Aug. 16, for Team USA. Jenna Burkert (Middle Island, N.Y.) is on the mat in the -60 kg weight category, beginning pool play at 12 noon. She will face Pooja Dhanda of India, followed by Dzhanan Ahmed of Bulgaria and Natasha Puteri of Singapore. The wrestling competition features 112 athletes - 80 men and 32 women - with eight participants in each weight class. An additional wrestling competition at the Youth Olympic Games, beach wrestling, will be held on Saturday, August 21 at Siloso Beach on Sentosa Island. This event is open to all YOG athletes in all sports. The U.S. wrestlers will have the opportunity for another competition if they enter the Beach Wrestling tournament. YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES At Singapore, August 15 Greco-Roman results 42 kg/92.5 lbs. Gold – Murad Bazarov (Azerbaijan) Silver – Yosvanys Flores Pena (Cuba) Bronze – Akan Baimaganbetov (Kazakhstan) 4th – Oleksiy Zhabskyy (Ukraine) 5th – Merhdad Khamseh (Iran) 6th – Henry Pilay (Ecuador) 7th – Mahmoud Hussein (Egypt) 50 kg/110 lbs. Gold – Elman Mukhtarov (Azerbaijan) Silver – Nurbek Hakkulov (Uzbekistan) Bronze – Shadybek Sulaimanov (Kyrgyzstan) 4th – Johan Banguela Rodriguez (Cuba) 5th – Andrei Pikuza (Belarus) 6th - Amine Boughazi (Algeria) 7th – Paal Erik Gunderson (Norway) 58 kg/127.75 lbs. Gold – Urmatbek Amatov (Kyrgyzstan) Silver – Olexandr Lytvynov (Ukraine) Bronze – Artur Suleymanov (Russia) 4th – Jason Afrikaner (Namibia) 5th – Pedro Ramirez Camarillo (Mexico) 6th – Adrian Kranitz (Hungary) 7th – Leonard Gregory (South Africa) 69 kg/152 lbs. Gold – Zanibek Kandybayev (Kazakhstan) Silver – Musa Gedik (Turkey) Bronze – Yousef Ghaderian (Iran) 4th – Aliaksandr Nedashkourski (Belarus) 5th – Abdelkrim Ouakali (Algeria) 6th – Carlos Valor (Colombia) 7th – Ahmad Darwish (Syria) 8th – Jose Gonzalez (Nicaragua) 85 kg/187.5 lbs. Gold – Ruslan Adzhigov (Russia) Silver - Hamdy Abdel-Wahab (Egypt) Bronze - Ruslan Kamilov (Uzbekistan) 4th – Lucas Sheridan (USA) 5th – Varos Petrosyan (Armenia) 6th – Adil Al-Abedi (Iraq) 7th – Jung-Hyeong Choi (Korea) 8th - Teia Mwei (Solomon Islands) U.S. Greco-Roman results 85 kg/185 lbs. – Lucas Sheridan, Concord, Calif., 4th WIN Teia Mwei (Solomen Islands) LOSS Hamdy Abdel-Wahab (Egypt) WIN Adil Al-Abedi (Iraq) LOSS Ruslan Kamilov (Uzbekistan) About Team USA The U.S. Team in Singapore is comprised of 82 athletes in 18 sports, the maximum number of qualified U.S. athletes. Team USA is competing in aquatics (swimming and diving), archery, badminton, basketball, boxing, equestrian, fencing, gymnastics, judo, modern pentathlon, sailing, table tennis, taekwondo, track & field, triathlon, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling. Complete information on Team USA can be found at youtholympicgames.teamusa.org. About the 2010 Youth Olympic Games Singapore is hosting the inaugural Youth Olympic Games from Aug. 14-26, 2010, as young athletes age 14-18 compete in 26 sports and take part in the Culture and Education Program. Approximately 3,600 athletes from around the world will participate, and all 205 National Olympic Committees will be represented. The Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games aim to inspire youth to embrace, embody and express the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. More information can be found at www.singapore2010.sg. For more information, visit www.teamusa.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.