InterMat Staff

Related: Super 32 Challenge Results GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Being a favorite during the Sunday portion of the first two-day Super 32 Challenge was not a good position. This was a day marked by many upsets of perceived favorites. However, that in no way minimized the high quality of competition. From 8:00 a.m. through the finish, the atmosphere was electric with belts and medals on the line. Sophomore Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, PA) won the first final of the afternoon with a 5-3 overtime decision over fellow sophomore Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, OH) at 103 pounds. Cruz scored a first period takedown, but was extended to overtime when called for two stalling penalties in the last half-minute of regulation. Then in a great scramble and counter situation during overtime, Cruz scored the match-winning takedown. His two earlier matches were decided by similarly narrow margins, 3-2 over Ryan Diehl (Berkeley Springs, WV) and 3-1 over Dalton Macri (Canon-McMillan, PA). "It feels real good to win the title, but I'm really tired," were the comments of Cruz after winning the championship. Fellow sophomore Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, NJ) was the champion of the 112 pound weight class, which was a true meatgrinder. The last five matches that Ashnault won were all against state tournament champions. He was absolutely dominant in the finals against fellow sophomore Zain Retherford (Line Mountain, PA) in securing four takedowns to earn an 8-3 victory. That came after a 5-4 semifinal win in the tiebreak against Junior National double champion Freddie Rodriguez (Grand Ledge, MI). In the opening match of his Sunday, Ashnault dominated fellow sophomore Jacob Schmitt (St. John's, MI) by 11-1 major decision; Schmitt had won prior meetings between the two in both styles of the Cadet Nationals this past summer. "I really opened up my attack and seized the right moments," commented Ashnault about his wrestling during the tournament. "I wanted to win the title, and was not worried about the opponents in my way." A second overtime bout of the championship finals came at 119 pounds, where junior Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, MD) upended defending Super 32 champion Joey Dance (Christiansburg, VA), 4-2, after countering a very deep Dance scoring opportunity in sudden victory overtime. Key to the victory was a second period ride-out while trailing 2-1 after Dance scored a first period takedown. "I had been doing well on top (throughout the tournament)," observed Kraisser about that key sequence. "However, I knew I had to stop (Dance's) explosion from bottom. I had to take things one point at a time to come back in the match." The second day of the Super 32 really served as an eye-opener for national wrestling pundits and college coaches about senior 125-pound champion Geoff Alexander (Shady Side Academy, PA), who has never placed higher than third in the state. On this day, it was Alexander making the statements with three wins over state champions -- all of whom placed at the Super 32 last year. To open the day, Alexander beat prospect Joe Rendina (Dundee, MI) 7-3. Then, by a pair of 2-1 victories, he upended the Brandon duo of Kevin Norstrem and Rossi Bruno. In the Norstrem match, Alexander used a third period ride-out to secure the victory. Then in the final, it was a very late reversal to earn the victory over Bruno. "The field was really tough," commented Alexander. "However, I just kept getting better as the tournament moved on." Just in order to reach the final, senior Ethan Raley (Indian Creek, IN), a two-time state finalist, had to defeat three different state champions; pinning Alec Mooradian (Detroit Catholic Central, MI) yesterday before scoring a 9-2 victory over Nick Soto (Springstead, FL) and a 6-4 victory over Junior National double champion Tyler Liberatore (Brandon, FL) earlier in the day. Scoring a last second foot sweep takedown to secure a 5-3 victory, Raley relegated Brandon Jeske (Cox, VA) to a second place finish for the second straight year. "I don't let big picture things bother me, just listening to music between matches to prevent distraction," said Raley. "The last second takedown was awesome, especially after the attempt prior was derailed." Some degree of order returned in the 135 pound weight class where junior Steve Spearman (Erie McDowell, PA), a state champion this past year, earned the tournament championship with a 5-3 win over Dan Neff (Solanco, PA). Spearman used takedowns in the first and third period to earn the victory. When asked about his outside double-leg takedown attack, Spearman observed that, "It's my strength, so if it's not broke, don't fix it." Hence he keeps going to that attack for points. The 140 pound weight class saw a second wrestler earn runner-up honors at the Super 32 for a second consecutive year. Earning the victory was senior Roger Wildmo (Durand, MI), a 6-5 result over junior Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, IN). This was Wildmo's fourth appearance at the Super 32, placing eighth last year ... after failing to place in his freshman and sophomore years. "It feels great to finally overcome the (gauntlet of a) tournament and earn a belt," said Wildmo, who sealed the victory when he scored the go-ahead takedown with approximately 25 seconds left in the match. After giving up the first takedown, Wildmo scored that takedown and one in the second period to earn the victory. "The little mistakes fire me up," continued Wildmo in discussing the championship match. "I'm also working on being more aggressive with my technique." While this was a tournament in which one could say every weight was loaded, along with the 112-pound weight class, it was the bracket at 145 pounds that took the cake as being toughest. The bracket featured InterMat Top 100 Class of 2011 prospects as the top six placers, with a pair of multi-time Pennsylvania big-school state placers finishing seventh and eighth. During Sunday's competition, senior Nick Hodgkins (Wyomissing, PA) earned a 1-0 win over Mitch Minotti (Easton, PA) as well as a 4-2 overtime victory against Pete Baldwin (Osceola, FL) prior to the final. To reach the final, senior James Green (Willingboro, NJ) earned a 9-3 victory over Josh Clark (Matoaca, VA) and a 7-1 win over Eric Roach (Crown Point, IN) in a battle of FloNationals champions. Both Green and Hogkins earned escapes during the five minutes of regulation in a match with many scrambles and battles, which meant the score was 1-1 headed into sudden victory overtime. During that period, each wrestler was able to get deep on the opponent but was fended off. Having scored first, Green chose down in the tiebreaker. However, Hodgkins was able to ride Green out for the victory. "I just had to keep pushing, work through being tired," commented Hodgkins about the tiebreak period. Having earned a 6-0 shutout victory over two-time state champion, and one of the nation's top Class of 2012 wrestlers, Felipe Martinez (Oregon Clay, OH) in the quarterfinals -- and earning a tiebreaker ride-out victory in the semifinal round -- senior Jonathan Rivera (Kennesaw Mountain, GA) reached the 152 pounds final with lots of momentum on his side. However, senior Codey Combs (Sussex Central, DE) was able to end the momentum string with a second period go-ahead takedown as part of a 3-1 victory. After falling short in the semifinals the last couple of years, Combs finally earned a championship. "This wasn't easy, it was a tough road," commented Combs. "Finally being healthy, I was able to take it all the way." Despite being one of the nation's top sophomores after earning Outstanding Wrestler honors at the Powerade and winning a state title, 160 pound champion Cody Wiercioch (Charleroi, PA) entered this tournament as somewhat of an unknown commodity. That would change after a Sunday morning semifinal bout with the No. 1-ranked junior in the country, Taylor Massa (St. John's, MI). Though the match was not without controversy during the sudden victory overtime, the match reached the tiebreaker with a 2-2 score. Video - http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view_video/237445-2010-super-32-flonationals-major/362610-160-lbs-s-taylor-massa-mi-vs-cody-wiercioch-pa Wiercioch had the choice and choose the down position. Midway through the tiebreak period, he was able to earn the victory on a reversal. "I was optimistic heading into the match," said Wiercioch. "I wanted to have fun, hopefully it would work out, and so it did." The championship final placed him against yet another nationally-ranked junior in Nikko Reyes (Clovis West, CA). With a single takedown in the first period, and a pair in the third period, Wiercioch earned clear and convincing 7-3 decision and the Super 32 Challenge title. "I've been working out at Quest for three years now, and there are always good partners," he responded to questions about his early high school success. Continuing on, "Consistency, practice, and being relentless are the keys to my success." All the way from the Pacific Northwest came junior Brandon Griffin (Sprague, OR) to win the Super 32 title at 171 pounds. He got the belt with a 2-1 victory in the tiebreak against senior Wally Figaro (Brandon, FL). "This was a really tough tournament, kind of like Fargo (which is a short-hand name for the annual Cadet and Junior Nationals held in freestyle and Greco-Roman during late July) in a way," observed Griffin. The match itself was a real grind, with scoring opportunities for both opponents that each had to fend off. The pair of Greco-Roman stars, Figaro finishing third at the Junior Nationals and Griffin a FILA Cadet champion, gave the fans an exciting show despite the low score. Senior 189-pound champion Kenny Courts (Central Dauphin, PA) was the tournament's most dominant wrestler, winning all five matches by major decision, including a 14-1 victory over senior Cody Johnston (Warrensburg, MO) -- a Junior National Greco-Roman All-American -- in the championship final. Finally healthy, Courts was able to demonstrate his full arsenal of leg attacks, rides, and tilts. "It feels good to be healthy, as it seems like there's always something ailing me," said Courts, champion in his return Super 32 Challenge appearance after a runner-up finish as a freshman in 2007. "It's a big difference, allows me to demonstrate my full arsenal, and enables me to work on and learn different stuff." Despite a Beast of the East championship last December on the resume, senior Matt Idelson (Garnet Valley, PA) entered this weekend's 215-pound weight bracket as a relative unknown commodity never having even made the state tournament in his career. Any reservations about Idelson should be removed after a pin in the semifinals against NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Josh DaSilveira (Cardinal Gibbons, FL) and a 3-1 victory against three-time state qualifier, and 2009 state placer, Scott Syrek (Owen J. Roberts, PA). It was a second period takedown that served as the key factor in the championship match victory. "I like to wrestle at a quick pace, and dislike having to hug the big guys," commented Idelson about his wrestling style. After last year's Beast of the East title, Idelson sustained a concussion shortly thereafter which kept him out until early February. Not being fully prepared for the state tournament series, he fell short of the state tournament. "I really want to just make it down (to state), need to get there, hopefully place high and even possibly win it," Idelson stated. The final match of the tournament was the only championship final not to go the full five minute regulation match (Sunday matches at the Super 32 had a format of 2-1:30-1:30, instead of the 2-1-1 and 1-1-1 of Saturday and for all matches in prior years). Senior Jacob Aiken-Phillips (Central Gwinnett, GA) had a 1-0 lead midway through the third period, and was riding fellow senior Colin Campbell (Person, NC) in the top position. However, at that point, Campbell was disqualified for misconduct for biting Aiken-Phillips in the lower arm or wrist. "I had a great tournament and fought hard," said Aiken-Phillips. "Even though the match ended early, I still thought I was going to ride him out for the win anyway." Based on brief research, Aiken-Phillips could possibly be the first ever wrestler from the Peach State to come home with a championship belt.

The initial day of the first ever two-day Super 32 Challenge opened to as always rave reviews. Competition was fierce, matches were intense, and the surprises were plentiful from start to finish. The following is a weight-by-weight outlook of the quarterfinal pairings. Wrestlers in the quarterfinals place with one win, while those in the consolation round of 16 must place two matches to finish inside the top 8. 103: Brenden Calas (Seton Hall Prep, NJ) vs. Ryan Diehl (Berkeley Springs, WV); Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, PA) vs. Dalton Macri (Canon-McMillan, PA). Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, OH) vs. Michael Olsen (Park Hill, MO); Will Crisco (Hand, CT) vs. Richie Bliss (Springstead, FL). 112: Freddie Rodriguez (Grand Ledge, MI) vs. Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, PA); Jacob Schmitt (St. John’s, MI) vs. Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, NJ). George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, OH) vs. Zain Retherford (Line Mountain, PA); Evan Link (Penn Cambria, PA) vs. Connor Schram (Canon-McMillan, PA). 119: Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, MD) vs. Devon Lotito (Bethlehem Liberty, PA); Brandon Fifield (Leslie, MI) vs. Earl Hall (South Dade, FL). Michael Fleck (Easton, PA) vs. Joey Dance (Christiansburg, VA); Eric Devos (Waverly Shell-Rock, IA) vs. Russell Coleman (Park Hill, MO). 125: Cody Wheeler (Towanda, PA) vs. Chris Caton (Northside Christian Academy, NC); Rossi Bruno (Brandon, FL) vs. Josh Kieffer (Roncalli Catholic, IN). Joe Rendina (Dundee, MI) vs. Geoffrey Alexander (Shady Side Academy, PA); Narcisco Incharregui (Lorain, OH) vs. Kevin Norstrem (Brandon, FL). 130: Ethan Raley (Indian Creek, IN) vs. Nick Soto (Springstead, FL); Tyler Liberatore (Brandon, FL) vs. Cameron Throckmorton (South-Western, PA). Steven Rodrigues (Fox Lane, NY) vs. Solomon Chisko (Canon-McMillan, PA); Greg Flournoy (Fauquier, VA) vs. Brandon Jeske (Cox, VA). 135: Steve Spearman (Erie McDowell, PA) vs. Ty Lydic (Greater Latrobe, PA); Bronson Steuber (Jackson County Central, MN) vs. Jake Ekster (Cy-Fair, TX). Bobby Dierna (Wayne, NY) vs. Dan Neff (Solanco, PA); Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, OH) vs. Brent Fickel (Padua, OH). 140: Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, IN) vs. Devon Gobbo (Delbarton, NJ); Quinton Murphy (Holley Central, NY) vs. Andrew Romanchik (Padua, OH). Jacob Crawford (Millbrook, VA) vs. Charlie Lynch (Archbishop Spaulding, MD); Lou Mascola (Seton Hall Prep, NJ) vs. Roger Wildmo (Durand, MI). 145: James Green (Willingboro, NJ) vs. Josh Clark (Matoaca, VA); Eric Roach (Crown Point, IN) vs. Lex Ozias (Southern Garrett, MD). Pete Baldwin (Osceola, FL) vs. Henry Carlson (Cox, VA); Mitch Minotti (Easton, PA) vs. Nick Hodgkins (Wyomissing, PA). 152: Felipe Martinez (Oregon Clay, OH) vs. Jonathan Rivera (Kennesay Mountain, GA); Josh Smith (Lake Norman, NC) vs. Christian Barber (Westfield, NJ). Ryne Cokeley (St. James Academy, KS) vs. Tyler Askey (Northgate, GA); Brian Brill (Central Mountain, PA) vs. Codey Combs (Sussex Central, DE). 160: Taylor Massa (St. John’s, MI) vs. Kyle Koziel (Brandon, FL); Cody Wiercioch (Charleroi, PA) vs. Jay Matheus (Sussex Central, DE). David Wesley (St. Christopher’s, VA) vs. Patrick Jennings (Longwood, NY); Doug Hamann (Jackson Memorial, NJ) vs. Nikko Reyes (Clovis West, CA) 171: Jason Luster (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, PA) vs. Josh Snook (St. Mark’s, DE); Hunter Adams (Franklin County, VA) vs. Brandon Griffin (Sprague, OR). Colin Hedash (Northern Lehigh, PA) vs. Scotty Bacon (Republic, WA); Tylan Coleman (Mayfield, OH) vs. Wally Figaro (Brandon, FL). 189: Kenny Courts (Central Dauphin, PA) vs. Anthony Abro (Canton, MI); Torey Bennett (Berkeley Springs, WV) vs. Nick Kidd (Northfield Mount Hermon, MA). Joe Jessen (Millbrook, VA) vs. Vic Avery (Foxboro, MA); Jesse Doyle (Wheatmore, NC) vs. Cody Johnston (Warrensburg, MO). 215: Joseph Cummings (Nyack, NY) vs. Matt Idelson (Garnet Valley, PA); David Quackenbos (Red Lion, PA) vs. Josh DaSilveira (Cardinal Gibbons, FL). Zachary Nye (East Pennsboro, PA) vs. Matt Mongera (Seneca, PA); Scott Syrek (Owen J. Roberts, PA) vs. Ian Kirkman (Morehead, NC). 285: Colin Campbell (Person, NC) vs. Jalal Paige (Easton, PA), Deven Riles (71st, NC) vs. Tyler Maher (Garner, NC); Chandler Ford (James Martin, TX) vs. Wayne Purnell (Salesanium, DE); Ben Tammany (Timberlane, NH) vs. Jacob Aiken-Phillips (Central Gwinnet, GA). Day 2 of the “Battle for the Belt” begins at 8 a.m. ET.

Kirk Smith didn’t stray far from home when he made his college choice, sticking around his native Boise, Idaho to wrestle for Greg Randall’s Boise State Broncos. He was one of the stars of his incoming class. Joe LeBlanc, however, wasn’t on the radar for many of the nation’s big-time programs. From tiny Meeker, Colo., in the northwest corner of the state, LeBlanc didn’t wait very long to burst on to the college wrestling scene. Coming into the season, the western combatants are ranked 1-2 and will be the second announced matchup of top-ranked wrestlers when the 2010 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by The Marines at Selland Arena in Fresno, Calif., on November 21. Both wrestlers come in as two-time All-Americans. Smith was a national finalist last year, while LeBlanc, a junior, earned his second medal in as many years. The two have met three times previously, twice in 2009-10 and once last season. Smith holds a 3-0 advantage. Smith, a senior, bested LeBlanc by major decision both times two seasons ago, but won by a slim 3-2 margin last season. Smith reached the finals of the 2010 NCAA Division I Championships after failing to place as a sophomore. Smith was the top seed in the tournament and finished the season an impressive 29-1. LeBlanc finished fourth in 2010 and fifth in 2009 and wrapped up last season with a 39-6 mark. He’s won over 80 matches in his first two years under Mark Branch at the University of Wyoming. Smith will be seventh Bronco wrestler to compete in the event and second announced for the 2010 event. Andrew Hochstrasser was announced last week to compete against Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State at 133 pounds. LeBlanc is only the second Wyoming wrestler to compete. Reese Andy wrestled in the event twice, in 1995 and 1996. The 45th Annual NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by The Marines will be held at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California on Sunday, November 21, 2010. The doors open at 2:00 p.m. The All-Star Classic follows a weekend of fundraising events. For more information about the tournament, purchasing tickets and the fundraising events, visit the www.nwcaonline.com's event page. To donate to the effort to save collegiate wrestling programs, visit http://nwca.ticketleap.net. 2010 NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by the Marines Rankings by W.I.N. Magazine 125 - 133- #1 Jordan Oliver, So. (Oklahoma St.) vs. #2 Andrew Hochstrasser, Sr. (Boise St.) 141- 149- #4 Torsten Gillespie, Jr. (Edinboro) vs. #5 Kevin LeValley, Sr. (Bucknell) 157- 165- 174- #3 Jordan Blanton, Sr. (Illinois) vs. #6 Nick Amuchastegui, Jr. (Stanford) 184- #1 Kirk Smith, Sr. (Boise St.) vs. #2 Joe LeBlanc, Jr. (Wyoming) 197- 285- #2 Jarod Trice, Jr. (Central Michigan) vs. #4 Alan Gelogaev, Jr. (Oklahoma St.) Exhibitions: About California USA Wrestling California USA Wrestling is a non-profit organization committed to the success and health of their athletes and dedicated to the promotion and preservation of collegiate and international styles of amateur wrestling. As the official California affiliate of USA Wrestling, the national governing board for international-style amateur wrestling in the United States, the club is responsible for the organization and execution of sanctioned USA Wrestling events in the state. California USA Wrestling educates the community about the styles of wrestling and the value of being involved in the sport. They strive to provide fun, exciting and well-planned events and improve the quality of California wrestling at the competitive level. For more information, visit www.ca-usaw.org. About NWCA The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a professional organization dedicated to supporting and elevating the sport of amateur wrestling. NWCA provides leadership and guidance primarily to scholastic and collegiate wrestling programs, but is an advocate to all levels of wrestling. The NWCA promotes communication, recognizes achievement, recommends rules and regulations, sponsors events and serves as a resource for education and information pertaining to the sport of wrestling. Additionally, The NWCA strives to foster the sportsmanship and integrity that are the cornerstones of any competitive sport. For more information, visit http://www.nwcaonline.com.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Hello Wrestling Fans its almost here. The season! I'll be announcing the SOLD OUT USA Wrestling Preseason Nationals at the University of Northern Iowa for Brian Keck this weekend. Steve Foster will return to the helm of the Brute Adidas studios for this weeks show brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods. Join Steve Foster, Geoff Murtha (Simpson) and Randy Crimmins. Geoff Murtha joins us courtesy of Mass Mutual Financial Services. This weeks show will be split, 9 AM to 10 AM and then 11 AM to 12 Noon. Now back to the days show: Our Guests Include: (All times Central) 9:01 Mark Manning- Head Coach of Nebraska- 1 Season away from the Big 10 9:20 Wade Shalles- Why never bet against Iowa 9:40 Mike Clayton- Head Coach- Stevens Institute of Technology. 18th in the NWCA D III Brute-Adidas preseason poll – the school’s highest-ever ranking in 91 years. 1 Hour Break 11:01 Les Anderson- To be inducted Nov. 14th in the Excel Wrestling "Hall of Heroes" http://www.excelwrestling.com/fallcamp_dinner.html 11:20 Steve Garland- Head Coach University of Virginia 11:40 Roger Moore- Voice of the Cowboys of Oklahoma State 10:50 Amy Williams- Wildrose Resort Wrestling fans- Episode 81 of TDR TV wrestling news is now on. Check your TV Guide for listings. How to watch and listen- TDR and TDR TV. It's appointment Radio and TV! 4.5 MILLION HOMES AND GROWING! TDR on Radio: LIVE Saturday at 9:00 AM CST on 1460 KXNO in Iowa. 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 (Check Local Listings) Comcast Cable Tennessee Ch. 96 Fridays 5 PM CATV- CCN, Pennsylvania Ch. 8 Fridays 5 PM Western Reserve Ohio Cable Ch. 9 Fridays at 5:30, Sat's 10 PM, Tues 11 PM Time Warner Texas- Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Etc. -TBA Time Warner Southern California- Los Angeles, San Diego, Etc. -TBA Long Lines Cable NW Iowa, NE Nebraska, SE South Dakota- TBA Call your local cable operator and ask them to carry TDR TV, It works! TDR on Internet: You can join us 9 to 11 AM Saturday mornings at Takedownradio.com TDR TV On Internet: 32 various web sites now carry your favorite wrestling news show Thanks to our affiliates, our media partners at Livesportsvideo.com. Thanks for watching and listening!

Current Central College head wrestling coach Eric Van Kley, and new Iowa State assistant wrestling coach Eric Voelker, will go “On the Mat” this Wednesday, October 27. “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 5:05 - 6:00 PM CST on AM 1650, The Fan. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Van Kley enters his fourth season as the head wrestling coach at Central College in Pella, Iowa. He was named co-Iowa Conference Coach of the Year last season for leading the Dutch to its first winning season since 2000-01. Van Kley also started the wrestling program at the University of Great Falls (Mont.) in 2004 and was the program’s inaugural head coach. Voelker begins his first year as an assistant coach under Kevin Jackson at Iowa State University. He was a three-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion for the Cylcones, winning titles in 1987 & ’89. Voelker compiled a 101-13-1 college career record at Iowa State.

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Central Michigan junior heavyweight Jarod Trice will face Oklahoma State junior Alan Gelogaev at the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic in Fresno, Calif. on Nov. 21. Trice is the first Chippewa to compete at the event since 2005, and he is the fourth different CMU wrestler to appear at the event. Trice, who is currently in Italy preparing for the World University Championships this weekend, earned All-America honors with an eighth-place finish at the 2010 NCAA Championships. He is the 2010 Midlands heavyweight champion, a two-time national qualifier and boasts a career record of 50-17. Gelogaev is moving up to heavyweight after earning All-America honors at 197 pounds last season. The junior from Moscow, Russia was 30-9 overall last season. He won the 197-pound title at the Reno Tournament of Champions and placed seventh at the NCAA Championships. Trice (No. 2) and Gelogaev (No. 4) enter the season ranked in the top four nationally at heavyweight by both Amateur Wrestling News and W.I.N. Magazine.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh fans will get their first look at the 2010-11 Mountain Hawks Thursday night with the annual wrestle-offs held inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks have been hard at work in the wrestling room for nearly a month in preparation for the 102nd season of Lehigh wrestling, which officially begins November 5. “Last week we really started figuring things out as we moved towards wrestle-offs,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “The guys have been working hard. They started to get tired towards the end of last week, but they should be tired. Everyone’s spirits are good. The guys are excited to go out and wrestle against new competition.” The Mountain Hawks return six starters that competed at last year’s EIWA Championships, including a quartet of grapplers that qualified for the NCAA Championships. On Monday, Amateur Wrestling News announced its preseason rankings. Lehigh is ranked 14th in the AWN team rankings and has four individuals ranked in the top 20, led by returning All-American Zach Rey who is ranked No. 1 at 285 after placing third at last year’s NCAA Championships. Also ranked for the Mountain Hawks are junior Brandon Hatchett, who comes in at No. 8 at 165, sophomore Robert Hamlin, who moved up a weight class to 184 and is ranked 13th, and junior Joe Kennedy, who is ranked 12th at 197. The NWCA unveiled its preseason coaches poll on Tuesday, with Lehigh coming in at No. 17. Rey is one Lehigh grappler who will not be competing Thursday night at Leeman-Turner Arena. The junior heavyweight is currently in Turin, Italy, where he represented the United States in freestyle at the University World Championships. Rey won the right to compete in Italy by winning the University World Team trials in late May. The 120 kg./264.5 weight class was contested on Tuesday, with Rey going 1-1 to place seventh in his weight class. Rey opened with a victory over Iliya Enev of Bulgaria, 3-0. 4-0, then lost to H. Sheyda Khangheshlaghi of Iran, 0-4, 0-2. When the Iranian failed to reach the finals, Rey was not eligible for the repechage rounds. Thursday night’s projected card features ten bouts with wrestlers from nine weight classes competing. Three bouts will be contested at 149, highlighted by a match-up between senior Kyle Rosser and returning starter Joey Napoli. Juniors Shane Welsh and Dane Stevens will match up as will freshmen Anthony Salupo and Dillon Smith. A couple experienced juniors will meet at 157 as incumbent Sean Bilodeau will meet Brian Tanen, who has seen action at 149 and 157 the last few years. Two freshmen will clash at 174 with true freshman Shane Stark challenging deferred freshman Austin Meys. Other matches include senior Mitch Berger versus sophomore Alex Abreu at 125, Hamlin versus junior Kevin Bailey at 184 and Kennedy versus freshman Max Wessell at 197. Two scheduled bouts will be exhibitions between wrestlers from different weight classes. True freshman 133-pounder Frank Cagnina will meet deferred freshman 141-pounder Albert Woody. Senior Kadeem Samuels will go up from 184 to challenge freshman heavyweight Tim Granata. “As long as the guys stay healthy we’ll be in good shape,” said Santoro, who begins his third season. “We expect our last five weights to be solid, but we’d like to see who steps up in the first five weights. We will need some guys to come in and make an immediate impact. We’re probably going to start three freshmen, but until you’re out in competition, you don’t know what you have. With our schedule, we will find out really fast.” The wrestle-offs get underway at 7 p.m. Thursday from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME, by visiting the Lehigh ticket office, located in Grace Hall or by visiting Lehighsports.com. For those unable to make it to Grace Hall on Thursday, the wrestle-offs can be seen live at Lehighsports.com, with Lehigh wrestling historian Denny Diehl ’70 joining Steve Lomangino and Gary Brownell for the commentary.

Halloween lurks around the corner this weekend, which brings with it the month of November, and the official start of wrestling practices for high schools across the country. While there have been varying local and regional dual meet tournaments and bracket tournaments already this wrestling season, this weekend's Super 32 Challenge emits that clear smoke signal for the scholastic wrestling season finally being upon us. The steady growth of this tournament came to a nadir last year when the approximately 1,200 wrestler high school division field reached its capacity less than 45 minutes after the start of open registration. As a result, the tournament expanded from a one-day event into a two-day event. Both the high school and middle school divisions have a record number of participants in their respective fields. Just over 1,500 high school wrestlers are slated to commence competition on Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. (Eastern Time), while another 300 middle school wrestlers will join those high school competitors able to advance through day one of the competition to battle it out on Sunday. With eight Division I college wrestling programs within the Tar Heel State -- second most among any state in the country -- Greensboro, North Carolina serves as an ideal host for a national showcase event. Additionally, another eight programs are located in the bordering states of South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Over 50 college programs -- including schools from all three NCAA divisions and the NAIA -- attended last year's tournament, with close to that amount possibly to come this year (32 programs have registered for attendance as of October 26th on the Super 32 website). When these college coaches arrive, they will get to witness a showcase field featuring some of the nation's best scholastic wrestling talent. This group of wrestlers is anchored by those in the Class of 2012. The top four wrestlers in that class are registered to be competing in the tournament -- Taylor Massa (St. John's, MI) at 160 pounds, Jason Luster (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, PA) at 171 pounds, Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, IN) at 140 pounds, and Felipe Martinez (Oregon Clay, OH) at 152 pounds. Six other members of the top 20 ranked, and a total of 15 in the top 50 are in the tournament field. Among the Top 100 seniors, 19 of them are registered for the tournament; 15 of the top 50 sophomores are in the field; as are 7 of the top 25 freshman; and the top ranked junior high wrestler in the country Mark Hall -- he is registered in the 135 pound weight class. In addition, four other members of the top 15 junior high wrestlers are registered for Sunday's middle school competition. Nuts & Bolts What: Super 32 Challenge Where: Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center; Greensboro, NC When: Saturday, October 30 and Sunday, October 31; both days starting at 8:00 a.m. ET Format: The high school tournament will start on Saturday, and continue until the quarterfinals and consolation round of 16 are set. Competition will resume at that point on Sunday morning for the high school tournament and continue to the tournament's completion, along with the commencement and completion of the middle school tournament. Website: http://www.super32.com InterMat Coverage: High School Analyst Josh Lowe will be in Greensboro, NC covering the tournament. Periodic updates will be posted on Lowe's twitter account (@JLowe_intermat). In addition, InterMat will provide a recap of each day of the competition. Social Media: The tournament can be followed on Twitter (@thesuper32) and on Facebook Bracket information will also be available through the Super 32 website. Weight-by-Weight Breakdown 103: Already in the tournament's opening weight class, the nature of the Super 32 field comes to a head. Along with Nathan Tomasello and Darian Cruz, six additional wrestlers in this field earned All-American honors at the Cadet and Junior Nationals in Fargo, ND this past summer: Brenden Calas (Seton Hall Prep, NJ); Zac Hall (St. John's, MI); Micah Hight (Caesar Rodney, DE); Colton Howell (Brandon, FL); Zach Howell (Caesar Rodney, DE); and Dalton Macri (Canon-McMillan, PA). Another four incoming freshmen were either champions or runner-up in their weight class at the middle school Super 32 last fall: Ryan Millhof (Archer, GA) and Michael Olsen (Park Hill, MO) were champions while Sean Russell (Collins Hill, GA) and Christian Clary (Dayton Chrsitian, OH) finished as runners-up. In addition to the 14 wrestlers described above, another pair of wrestlers won scholastic state titles in 2010, Richie Bliss (Springstead, FL) and Ryan Diehl (Berkeley Springs, WV). While another pair -- Billy Rappo (Council Rock South, PA) and Javier Vieyra (Salina South, KS) -- were Fargo All-Americans in 2009. In his freshman year of high school, Nathan Tomasello was a state champion and followed that up with a FILA Cadet National freestyle title at 101 pounds and was third in Cadet freestyle at 98 pounds. Fellow sophomore Darian Cruz sustained an injury midway through his high school season and was unable to compete at the state tournament, but placed at the Beast of the East, and had a terrific offseason that included a runner-up finish at 98 pounds in Cadet freestyle. Projected Final: Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, OH) vs. Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, PA) 112: Should the Freddie Rodriguez-Nick Roberts matchup materialize, it would amazingly be the first time I can recall these two superstars competing against one another in a competitively relevant platform in calendar years 2008-2010. Rodriguez swept his way to freestyle and Greco-Roman titles at the FILA Cadet Nationals in April and the Junior Nationals in July, while Roberts was twice a Cadet National double champion before representing the United States at the FILA Junior World Championships this summer in Budapest. However, there are a whole litany of wrestlers in this field that are studs in their own right and stand in the way of this showcase matchup. Nine additional wrestlers in this weight class were ranked in the top 20 of their high school weight class at the end of the 2009-10 season and/or are currently ranked in their graduating class: Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, NJ); George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, OH); Drew Ferguson-Mitchell (Collins Hill, GA); Gary Wayne Harding (Collinsville, OK); Cody LeCount (Perry Meridian, IN); Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, PA); Zain Retherford (Line Mountain, PA); Jacob Schmitt (St. John's, MI); and Connor Schram (Canon-McMillan, PA). Additional credentialed wrestlers in this field include Beast of the East champion Zach Bridson (Timberlane, NH), National Prep champion Will Mason (Cape Henry Collegiate, VA), Junior National freestyle third place finisher Jordan Wigger (Summerville, NC), returning Super 32 placers Austin Miller (Hempfield, PA) and Jake Smith (Robinson, VA), as well as NHSCA freshman champion JR Wert (Morgan County, GA). Projected Final: Freddie Rodriguez (Grand Ledge, MI) vs. Nick Roberts (North Star, PA) 119: Sophomore Joey Dance, champion at 103 pounds last year, is the lone returning champion in the field this year; 12 of the 14 champions from 2009 were seniors, while Old Dominion verbal commit Chris Mecate (Redland East Valley, CA) is not returning. During the season, Dance competed at 112 pounds where he placed at the Walsh Ironman, Beast of the East, and Powerade before winning a state championship and finishing runner-up at the FloNationals. This summer, Dance finished fourth in Greco-Roman. Multiple-time state champion Earl Hall was top four in both styles at the Junior Nationals this summer after finishing third at 112 pounds at the NHSCA Junior Nationals in April. In addition to Dance and Hall, five other wrestlers earned Junior National All-American honors this past summer: Greco-Roman runner-up Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, MD); four-time state finalist Eric Devos (Waverly Shell-Rock, IA); Eric Friedman (St. Paul's, MD); state champion Nick Harrison (Stillman Valley, IL); and Alex Calandrino (Howell, MI). Another trio of wrestlers in this weight was gold medalists at the AAU Scholastic Duals this past June -- state champions Dean Heil (St. Edward, OH), Brandon Fifield (Leslie, MI); and Michael Waters (Davie County, NC). Projected Final: Joey Dance (Christiansburg, VA) vs. Earl Hall (South Dade, FL) 125: Brandon teammates Rossi Bruno and Kevin Norstrem help anchor a team that will contend to be No. 1 in the country this coming season. Three-time state champion Bruno was a Junior National Greco-Roman champion this past summer and placed sixth in last year's Super 32 at 119 pounds. Two-time state champion Norstrem placed seventh in last year's tournament - also at 119 pounds, and was a double All-American at both the FILA Cadet Nationals in April and the Junior Nationals in July. Among the other notables in this weight are returning Super 32 placers Joe Rendina (Dundee, MI) and Kyle Casaletto (Southern Regional, NJ); former Super 32 placers John Fahy (Trinity, KY) and Narcisco Incharregui (Lorain, OH); as well as Cadet National All-Americans Josh Bennett (Francis Howell Central, MO) and Josh Pennell (St. John's, MI). Projected Final: Rossi Bruno (Brandon, FL) vs. Kevin Norstrem (Brandon, FL) 130: Should the finals matchup between Tyler Liberatore and Brandon Jeske materialize, it would match up the Junior and Cadet National freestyle champions at 130 pounds from this past Fargo. Liberatore was absolutely dominant in sweeping through the Greco-Roman and freestyle tournaments after a season in which he earned a state championship. Returning Super 32 runner-up Jeske was runner-up at the Beast of the East and National Prep Championships as a freshman. In addition to the national title in Fargo, his off-season also included a FILA Cadet freestyle championship and a runner-up finish in Greco-Roman at Cadet Nationals. Five proven veteran competitors serve as the prime challengers to this duo, and all are seniors. Three-time state champion Kyle Bauer (Wheeling Park, WV) was one match away from placing at the Super 32 last year, and finished fourth at the FloNationals; Bobby Dierna (Wayne, NY) was champion of the NHSCA Junior Nationals at 130 pounds; state runner-up Steven Rodrigues (Fox Lane, NY) was a FloNationals runner-up; state champion Nick Soto (Springstead, FL) was fifth at the NHSCA JuniorNationals; while Joey Mazzi (LaSalle, PA) is a three-time state qualifier and twice a state placer. Four additional wrestlers in this field have previous place finishes at the Super 32 Challenge: freshman sensation Solomon Chisko (Canon-McMillan, PA) placed eight at 112 pounds as an eighth-grader; Greg Flournoy (Fauquier, VA) was eighth at 119 pounds; Cameron Throckmorton (South-Western, PA) placed as a freshman in 2007; while sophomore Shayne Tucker (Bella Vista, CA) placed fifth at 103 pounds last year. Other notable wrestlers in this field include two-time state champion and FILA Cadet National All-American Alec Mooradian (Detroit Catholic Central, MI); former state champion Arty Walsh (Schuylkill Valley, PA); and Junior National freestyle All-American Camryn Jackson (Lansing Eastern, MI). Projected Final: Tyler Liberatore (Brandon, FL) vs. Brandon Jeske (Cox, VA) 135: In keeping with the lead of this preview, my predicted finals matchup features a pair of sensational juniors that ended last season ranked nationally at 130 pounds, and are among the top 20 regardless of weight class in the Class of 2012. Steve Spearman earned a state title in 2010 after being an All-American at both the FILA Cadet and Cadet Nationals in freestyle during the off-season of 2009. Nate Skonieczny was champion at the Walsh Ironman and Cheesehead in 2009-10, runner-up at the FloNationals, and earned a gold medal at the AAU Scholastic Duals. The group of primary challengers to this dual features five returning state champions: Junior National freestyle runner-up Terrel Wilbourn (Francis Howell Central, MO); returning Super 32 placer Cody Ross (Springstead, FL); and a trio of two-time champions in Bronson Steuber (Jackson County Central, MN), Zach Tanenbaum (Blue Valley North, KS), and Cody Broomall (Sussex Central, DE). Other notables in this weight include junior high sensation Mark Hall; state placer Dan Neff (Solanco, PA); returning Super 32 placer Brent Fickel (Padua, OH); state placer Brandon Choate (Blue Mountain, PA); FloNationals placer Ty Lydic (Greater Latrobe, PA); state placer Matt Rappo (Council Rock South, PA); NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Will Switzer (Archbishop Spaulding, MD); as well as state champions Jake Ekster (Cy-Fair, TX), Taylor Simaz (Allegan, MI), and Scotty Hardiman (Hibriten, NC). Projected Final: Steve Spearman (Erie McDowell, PA) vs. Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, OH) 140: This is yet another weight class that features a pair of juniors as the projected finalists. Jason Tsirtsis finished second at the Super 32 last year before winning a second consecutive state championship; which was followed up by a FloNationals championship, a FILA Cadet championship, and finishing third in Junior National freestyle. Jacob Crawford placed at the Super 32 in 2008 and earned a second consecutive state title during 2009-10 after placing third at the Beast of the East and Mount Mat Madness. Another quintet of wrestlers is breathing down their backs seeking to spoil that matchup. Both Elijah Sullivan (Iowa City West, IA) and Taylor Moeder (St. James Academy, KS) were Junior National Greco-Roman champions this past summer; Sullivan was a state runner-up during the scholastic year, while Moeder was fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and in Junior National freestyle. Returning Super 32 placer Quinton Murphy (Holley Central, NY) earned a second state title this past season in his third finals appearance. National Prep placer Charlie Lynch (Archbishop Spaulding, MD) was runner-up at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. Finally, Super 32 placer Matt Cimato (LaSalle, PA) made a tremendous leap in the off-season after failing to place at state during the regular season; when he placed at the FloNationals, was a FILA Cadet National and Junior National freestyle All-American, and earned a silver medal at the AAU Scholastic Duals. A trio of wrestlers that have made the Garden State podium will seek to rise to the Super 32 podium -- for Devon Gobbo (Delbarton, NJ) it would be a repeat appearance, while it would be a debut appearance for Lou Mascola (Seton Hall Prep, NJ) and Michael Bakuckas (Hammonton, NJ). Projected Final: Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, IN) vs. Jacob Crawford (Millbrook, VA) 145: College coaches pay attention. Senior studs abound in this weight class, though some have already verbally committed to colleges. Six members of the InterMat Top 100 wrestlers for the Class of 2010 anchor this weight class, including four of the top 34 and five of the top 48. Anchoring the field are FloNationals champion James Green and NHSCA Junior Nationals champion Nick Hodgkins. Green was runner-up in the Garden State last year, and undefeated at the Junior Duals in freestyle; while Hodgkins earned a third consecutive top three finish in the state tournament. The four other anchor seniors are FloNationals runner-up Pete Baldwin (Osceola, FL), runner-up at state the last two years after winning it as a freshman; FloNationals third place finisher Roger Wildmo (Durand, MI) placed at the Super 32 last year and earned a second state title in three finals appearances; Junior National double All-American Lex Ozias (Southern Garrett, MD) was third at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and is twice a state champion; while FloNationals champion Eric Roach (Crown Point, IN) won his first state title in 2009-10. Other notable seniors include two-time state placer CJ Cobb (Williamstown, NJ); state runner-up Josh Clark (Matoaca, VA); two-time state placer Matt Martoccio (Council Rock South, PA); two-time third place finisher at state Brody Grothus (Davenport Assumption, IA), one match away from placement last year; two-time National Prep placer Brady Massaro (Mt. St. Joseph, MD); two-time state champion Ron Vaughters (Old Mill, MD); returning Super 32 placer, and three-time state placer, Jayshon Wilson (Carlisle, PA);and multi-time state champion Damen Capper (Berkeley Springs, WV), who was also one match away from placement last year. Underclassmen to watch in this weight class include a pair of two-time state placers in junior Michael Minotti (Easton, PA) and Andrew Morse (Lowell MI), as well as sophomore state champion Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, VA). Projected Final: James Green (Willingboro, NJ) vs. Nick Hodgkins (Wyomissing, PA) 152: Like clockwork at the Super 32, this is yet another weight class with tremendous depth. The anchor figure in this weight class is one of the finest talents in the whole nation -- two-time state champion Felipe Martinez, who is ranked fourth nationally in the Class of 2012. Formerly at Graham High School, Martinez came to the fore with a runner-up finish at the Walsh Ironman as a freshman. This past year, he sealed his state title with six wins over former Super 32 champion Tucker Armstrong over the course of ten weeks. Codey Combs is a returning Super 32 placer, three-time Delaware state champion, and Beast of the East runner-up. However, the gap between the projected finalists and not even being in a placement position is very minute in this weight class. Seven other wrestlers in this field are ranked in their respective graduating classes: Ryne Cokeley (St. James Academy, KS) is a returning Super 32 placer, three-time state champion, and NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up; Max Schneider (Lane Tech, IL) is a two-time state champion and Youth Olympic Games Judo champion; two-time state champion Clark Glass (Brandon, FL) placed third in Junior National Greco-Roman; senior Lorenzo Thomas (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, PA) was a state runner-up; Henry Carlson (Cox, VA) and Duke Pickett (Woodberry Forest, VA) were Junior National freestyle All-Americans at 145 pounds; and NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion Tyler Askey (Northgate, GA) was a Cadet National double All-American. Other wrestlers meriting significant attention in this weight class are FloNationals runner-up Jordan Wohlfert (St. John's, MI); state placer Brian Brill (Central Mountain, PA), who was one match away from placing last year); state champion and NHSCA Junior National All-American Austin Wilson (Hastings St. Cecelia, NE); two-time state champion Cody Allala (Hopewell, VA), also one match away from placement last year; as well as state champion Brian Henke (Richmond, MI). Projected Final: Felipe Martinez (Oregon Clay, OH) vs. Codey Combs (Sussex Central, DE) 160: Taylor Massa made his debut on the high school national scene with a semifinal appearance in this tournament three years ago as an eighth grader. Since then, his stock has continued to sizzle with two Cadet National double championships, double All-American honors at the Junior Nationals this past summer, a FILA Junior National freestyle title this past April, a FloNationals title, and two undefeated state championships in high school. However, the one thing to escape his grip has been a Super 32 championship belt -- as he was runner-up each of the last two years; in 2008 to Andrew Alton, and in 2009 to Jackson Morse. Though the perception of this weight class would be Massa in one corner and the field in another, the proverbial “field” is a very deep group of wrestlers with limited differentiation. The designated leader of the field is NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion Nikko Reyes, who was third in his state tournament after ending up one match away from placement in this tournament last year. Among the other names to watch is NHSCA Junior National champion, and National Prep runner-up David Wesley (St. Christopher's VA); state champion and Beast of the East placer Jay Matheus (Sussex Central, DE), who was third at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals; sophomore Cody Wiercioch (Charleroi, PA), who burst onto the scene with MVP honors at the Powerade and a state title during his freshman year; state runner-up Adam Bonner (Greenville, MI), the only wrestler to knock off Jackson Morse in 2009-10; AAU Scholastic Duals silver medalist Travis McKillop (Burrell, PA), a state placer; two-time state champion Issah Meade (Caesar Rodney, DE); and a pair of NHSCA Junior National All-Americans in Patrick Jennings (Longwood, NY) and Doug Hamann (Jackson Memorial, NJ). Another group of notables are state champions Rich Eva (Christiansburg, VA); John Lampe (St. Xavier, KY); TJ Duncan (McCallie, TN); and Forrest Przybysz (Jefferson, GA). Projected Final: Taylor Massa (St. John's, MI) vs. Nikko Reyes (Clovis West, CA) 171: Three years ago while Massa was making his run to the semifinals of the Super 32, another junior high wrestler was making an impression in the tournament as well. Jason Luster -- also an eighth grader at the time -- was also in the field and involved in a match against Joey Cozart (Brandon, FL/Iowa State) that went right down to the wire. The physical tools that Luster has are undeniable and have led him to two National Prep championship finals, including a title last year; as well as a FloNationals runner-up finish to Massa this past spring. On the other hand, until this summer, Wally Figaro was a known commodity in the national context but in need of a perception breakthrough. That came with a terrific Junior Duals tournament followed up by a Junior Nationals double All-American finish at 160 pounds in Fargo. Other wrestlers to watch in this weight include state placer Colin Hedash (Northern Lehigh, PA); two-time state champion and NHSCA Junior National All-American Patrick Downey (North County, MD); two-time state champion and FILA Cadet Greco-Roman champion Brandon Griffin (Sprague, OR); state placer and FloNationals placer Jackson Bratcher (Eastbrook, IN); three-time state placer Colin Hewitt (Franklin, NJ); National Prep placer Stout Watson (Forsyth County, NC); and two-time state placer, three-time state qualifier Tylan Coleman (Mayfield, OH). Projected Final: Jason Luster (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, PA) vs. Wally Figaro (Brandon, FL) 189: About the only thing in common the two projected finalists in this weight class have are they both were undefeated state champions in the Keystone state. While Stephen Ceremuga was a relative unknown in his state title run, and probably still is; Courts has been on the forefront of the national landscape since the Super 32 three years ago when he finished runner-up as a freshman to Collin Palmer (St. Edward, OH/Ohio State). After that Super 32 runner-up finish, Kenny Courts would defeat Dylan Alton (Central Mountain, PA/Penn State) in the finals of the Top Hat and earn Outstanding Wrestler honors at the Beast of the East prior to sustaining an injury that ended his freshman season of high school. In the last two years, Courts was runner-up and champ at the state tournament, and this past year earned titles at the Beast of the East and Powerade during the regular season. This weekend, he is the clear favorite to earn his first Super 32 belt. Along with Ceremuga, other notable challengers include state runner-up, and NHSCA Junior Nationals champion, Josh DaSilveira (Cardinal Gibbons, FL); NHSCA Junior Nationals All-American, and Junior National Greco-Roman All-American, Cody Johnston (Warrensburg, MO); state runner-up Michael Mauk (St. Mark's, DE); Super 32 and National Prep placer Nick Kidd (Northfield Mt. Hermon, MA); along with state champions Tory Bennett (Berkeley Springs, WV) and Mac Bennett (Collins Hill, GA). Projected Final: Kenny Courts (Central Dauphin, PA) vs. Stephen Ceremuga (Commodore Perry, PA) 215: To the general wrestling consumer, these last two weight classes are going to be pretty limited in terms of high profile names that create sizzle and cache in the mind. However, there are a group of credible wrestlers in each of these weight classes seeking to increase their place on the radar of wrestling fans. Michael Kennedy is ranked 100th among the Top 100 wrestlers in the Class of 2011 nationally. The returning Super 32 placer was a NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion in 2009 and won his first state title this past year. Ian Kirkman was runner-up at the state tournament this past year, but made his slight dent on the national scene with a Gold medal at the AAU Scholastic Duals. Other notables in this weight are a pair of state runner-ups Zachary Nye (East Pennsboro, PA) and Matt Mongera (Seneca, PA); New England Regional champion, and NHSCA Junior National All-American, Patrick Gillen (Shelton, CT); state placer Andrew Marra (Wall, NJ); 2009 state placer Scott Syrek (Owen J. Roberts, PA); Beast of the East champion Matt Idelson (Garnet Valley, PA); and NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion James Suvak (St. Edward, OH). Projected Final: Michael Kennedy (Blackman, TN) vs. Ian Kirkman (Morehead, NC) 285: On the surface, this weight class is a golden opportunity for three of the finest upper-weight wrestlers in the southeast to showcase on the national landscape, and provide some clarity on which is best. Colin Campbell, a state champion and returning Super 32 placer, made his significant dent on the national scene with a 5th place finish in Junior National freestyle this past summer. Jacob Aiken-Phillips, a fellow state champion, was third at the NHSCA Junior Nationals this past spring. The third member of this trio is state champion Ross Burbank (Cox, VA). Others to watch in this weight class include state champions Chandler Ford (James Martin, TX) and Wayne Purnell (Salesanium, DE); Cadet National double All-American James Dreggors (Springstead, FL); state placer and returning Super 32 placer Caleb Baker (General McLane, PA); and New England Regional third place finisher Ben Tammany (Timberlane, NH). Projected Final: Colin Campbell (Person, NC) vs. Jacob Aiken-Phillips (Central Gwinnet, GA) Middle School Nuggets Frankie Bruno (Brandon, FL), the younger brother of Rossi Bruno, is among those in the field at 85 pounds. Vincenzo Joseph (St. Phillip, PA) and Cameron Kelly (Bellbrook, OH) are proven commodities at the junior high level from power states, both are in the field at 90 pounds Matthew Kolodzik (Miami Valley, OH) is ranked third nationally among junior high wrestlers, and heads the field at 95 pounds. However, AC Headlee (Margaret Bell Miller, PA) is a proven commodity in PJW competition and Kyle Norstrem (Brandon, FL) is the younger sibling of Kevin Norstrem -- both also in that weight class. The 100-pound weight class features two nationally-ranked wrestlers -- Dylan Lucas (Brandon, FL) ranked fourth, and Sam Krivus (Hempfield, PA) ranked 13th. Isaac Dulgarian (Horizon Academy, KS) is a proven national commodity in USA Wrestling events, and is a wrestler to watch at 112 pounds. Twelfth-ranked Mason Manville (Hayfield, VA) is among those in the field at 136 pounds.

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- The 2010 InterMat JJ Classic took place on October 23 at the UCR Regional Sports Center in Rochester, Minnesota. Wrestlers from Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Texas competed in the inaugural preseason tournament. The event not only served as a tune-up for wrestlers in grades 7-12, it was also a fundraising event in honor of Justin Joseph (JJ) Kukowski, an avid sports fan who passed away on March 12, 2007 after a courageous battle with brain cancer. Proceeds from the InterMat JJ Classic go towards the Justin Kukowski Center for Spiritual and Physical Healing, a treatment center for patients dealing with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. The final round included tight matches, dominating performances, upsets, dramatic finishes, and a closing exhibition showdown. No finals match had a more dramatic finish than the 215-pound finals match between Coyte Kuefner (Owatonna, MN) and Collin Jensen (Mobridge-Pollock, SD). Jensen, who wrestled at 171 pounds last season, completely dominated the first two periods of the match and took a 7-0 lead into the third period. Jensen added to his lead in the third period to go up 9-0. But as attempted a tilt, Kuefner reversed Jensen and put him to his back, picking up a pin with 13 seconds remaining in the match. "It wasn't my plan, but it works," said Kuefner after the match. Apple Valley High School (MN) crowned three champions, the most of any program. Winning titles for Apple Valley were Derek Scott (125), Ben Sullivan (160), and Jake Waste (171). Scott cruised to a 6-0 victory in the finals over Andy Underhill (Burnsville, MN) to win the title at 125 pounds. Sullivan, a state champion and two-time NHSCA Nationals All-American, was dominant in the finals, winning by major decision, 9-1, over Cody Anderson (White Bear Lake, MN). It was Sullivan's first competition since transferring to Apple Valley. "I just came from Alaska," said Sullivan. "I'm loving the school. I'm loving my decision. The guys are great. The coaches are great." Waste, who is ranked as the No. 44 senior recruit in the country by InterMat, registered a 10-3 victory in the finals over Hunter Rud (Byron, MN). Waste outscored his three opponents at 171 pounds 34-6, but still had high praise for the competitors in his weight class. "I had tough kids," said Waste, a 2009 Cadet National Triple Crown winner. "Every kid is going out there to beat me. I go out there, just do my thing and work as hard as I can." The 145-pound final between Travis Leiskau (Klein Oak, TX) and Grant Kyllo (Zumbrota-Mazzepa, MN) was a seesaw battle. Leiskau scored first with a body lock to go up 2-0 and ran the score to 4-0 with a tilt. But Kyllo battled back, reversing Leiskau to his back to take the lead 5-4 heading into the second period. The only points in the second period came from a Leiskau reversal, which gave him the lead back at 6-5 with a period to go. Leiskau added a third-period takedown to take the match 8-5. Leiskau is up six weight classes from his competition weight class of 119 last season. "I just worked out a lot over the summer," said Leiskau, a past NHSCA Nationals All-American and Toshiba Midwest Classic placewinner. "I've been wrestling too light the last two years, so I decided to make the change." Foley High School (MN) crowned a pair of champions at the 2010 InterMat JJ Classic in Tristan Manderfeld (103) and Keith Thell (119). Manderfeld turned in a dominating performance on Saturday, shutting out two age-group national champions to win a deep 103-pound weight class that was filled with national talent. Manderfeld won 12-0 over 2010 Schoolboy National Triple Crown winner Dante' Rodriguez (Grand Island, NE) in the semifinals, before taking out 2009 Folkstyle Nationals champion Jarred Oftedahl (Benilde-St. Margaret's, MN), 5-0, in the finals. Manderfeld was named Outstanding Wrestler of the event. Thell, a state placewinner last season, edged Brett Stolarzyk (Stewartville, MN), 4-2, in an action-filled match. The two wrestlers exchanged takedowns in the first two periods and the match was knotted at 2-2 heading into the third period. Thell was able to score a reversal in the third period, which proved to be the difference in the match. Nate Jozsa (Mount Zion, IL) put together an impressive tournament to win the title at 112 pounds. He took out returning state placewinner Jimmy Scieszinski (Van Meter, IA) in the semifinals before stopping local favorite Andrew Dayland (St. Charles, MN) in the finals. "I would like to thank Nathan Martinez, T.J. Williams, and Mount Zion High School for getting me this far," said Jozsa. He now has his sights set on the next events on his wrestling schedule. "I'll be going to Super 32 next weekend, Border War Nationals, and then I'll start high school (wrestling) at Mount Zion High School at 2A in Illinois," said Jozsa. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the finals came at 135 pounds, where Matt Tlougan (Byron, MN) knocked off two-time state champion and NHSCA All-American Andrew Riedy (Grand Island, NE), 2-0, in overtime. Tlougan shot a single leg off the whistle in overtime and converted it into a winning takedown. Hayden Rouser (ACGC, MN), a state third-place finisher in 2009, became the first InterMat JJ Classic champion ever crowned as he defeated 2010 state runner-up Mitchel Lexvold (Kenyon Wanamingo, MN), 2-0. Rouser scored a takedown off a Kelly in the first period, which turned out to be the lone points scored in the match. At 140 pounds, Jacob Anderson (River Valley, MN) gave up the first takedown of the match to go down 2-0, but went on to score five unanswered points to win 5-2. Trey Hable (Albert Lea, MN) rolled to a convincing 14-6 major decision victory over Daniel Egesdal (Chaska/Chanhassen, MN) to win the championship at 152 pounds. Chad Matthees (Zumbrota-Mazeppa, MN) registered a 14-4 decision over Apple Valley's Corbin Farrell at 189 pounds. At heavyweight, Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman All-American Sam Stoll (Kasson-Mantorville, MN) defeated Kyle Wiemann (Elk River, MN) in the championship match. The inaugural InterMat JJ Classic closed with an exhibition showdown between a pair of champions from this year's event, Waste (171) and Matthees (189). Waste scored the only two takedowns in the match and picked up a 5-2 victory. Finals Results: 103: Tristan Manderfeld (Foley, MN) dec. Jarred Oftedahl (BSM, MN), 5-0 112: Nate Jozsa (Mount Zion, IL) dec. Andrew Dayland (St. Charles, MN), 4-0 119: Keith Thell (Foley, MN) dec. Brett Stolarzyk (Stewartville, MN), 4-2 125: Derek Scott (Apple Valley, MN) dec. Andy Underhill (Burnsville, MN), 6-0 130: Hayden Rouser (ACGC, MN) dec. Mitchel Lexvold (Kenyon-Wanamingo, MN), 2-0 135: Matt Tlougan (Byron, MN) dec. Andrew Riedy (Grand Island, NE), 2-0 OT 140: Jacob Anderson (River Valley, MN) dec. William Sustercich (Foley, MN), 5-4 145: Travis Leiskau (Klein Oak, TX) dec. Grant Kyllo (Zumbrota-Mazeppa, MN), 8-5 152: Trey Hable (Albert Lea, MN) major dec. Daniel Egesdal (Chaska/Chan, MN), 14-6 160: Ben Sullivan (Apple Valley, MN) major dec. Cody Anderson (WBL, MN), 9-1 171: Jake Waste (Apple Valley, MN) dec. Hunter Rud (Byron, MN), 10-3 189: Chad Matthees (ZM, MN) major dec. Corbin Farrell (Apple Valley, MN), 14-4 215: Coyte Kuefner (Owatonna, MN) pinned Colin Jensen (Mobridge-Pollock, SD), 3:47 285: Sam Stoll (Kasson-Mantorville, MN) dec. Kyle Wiemann (Elk River, MN), 5-3

Download Brackets (PDF) 103: 1. Tristan Manderfeld (Foley, Minn., Sophomore) 2. Jarred Oftedahl (Benilde-St. Margaret's, Minn., Sophomore) 3. Trey Blaha (Cedar Rapids Prairie, Iowa, Freshman) 4. Josh Alber (Dakota, Ill., Freshman) 5. Dante' Rodriguez (Grand Island, Neb., Freshman) 6. Maolu Woiwor (Apple Valley, Minn., Eighth-Grader) 112: 1. Nate Jozsa (Mount Zion, Ill., Freshman) 2. Andrew Dayland (St. Charles, Minn., Freshman) 3. Jayden Flege (Cedar Rapids Prairie, Iowa, Sophomore) 4. Tyler Jenson (Foley, Minn., Junior) 5. Jimmy Scieszinski (Van Meter, Iowa, Junior) 6. Nathan Stebbins (North St. Paul, Minn., Senior) 119: 1. Keith Thell (Foley, Minn., Sophomore) 2. Brett Stolarzyk (Stewartville, Minn., Sophomore) 3. Shamar Williams (Apple Valley, Minn., Freshman) 4. Byron Fortsner (Madelia-Truman, Minn., Sophomore) 5. Trent Butcher (Chaska/Chanhassen, Minn., Sophomore) 6. Dylan Herman (United South Central, Minn., Freshman) 125: 1. Derek Scott (Apple Valley, Minn., Senior) 2. Andy Underhill (Burnsville, Minn., Junior) 3. Zach Goldberg (Lakeville, Minn., Senior) 4. Mason Brownlee (MLLC, Minn., Freshman) 5. Zack Gawboy (Maple Grove, Minn., Junior) 6. Carson Henry (St. Charles, Minn., Senior) 130: 1. Hayden Rouser (ACGC, Minn., Junior) 2. Mitchel Lexvold (Kenyon-Wanamingo, Minn., Junior) 3. Nate Galvin (Crestwood, Iowa, Sophomore) 135: 1. Matt Tlougan (Byron, Minn., Senior) 2. Andrew Riedy (Grand Island, Neb., Junior) 3. Jake Deutschlander (Benilde-St. Margaret's, Minn., Freshman) 4. Jonny Dill (Maple Grove, Minn., Junior) 5. Mario Tuccitto (North St. Paul, Minn., Senior) 6. Kaleb Lienhard (Crestwood, Iowa, Junior) 140: 1. Jacob Anderson (River Valley, Minn., Junior) 2. William Sustercich (Foley, Minn., Junior) 3. Tyler Pasvogel (Sibley East, Minn., Junior) 4. Zach Jaeger (Stewartville, Minn., Sophomore) 5. T.J. O'Hara (Tartan, Minn., Freshman) 6. Frank Cramer (Maple Grove, Minn., Senior) 145: 1. Travis Leiskau (Klein Oak, Texas, Junior) 2. Grant Kyllo (Zumbrota-Mazeppa, Minn., Senior) 3. Travis Johnson (East Buchanan, Iowa, Senior) 4. Ben Rynda (Trinity, Minn., Junior) 5. Reese Kling (Minnetonka, Minn., Junior) 6. Devin Wicks (WHAN, Minn., Junior) 152: 1. Trey Hable (Albert Lea, Minn., Junior) 2. Daniel Egesdal (Chaska/Chanhassen, Minn., Senior) 3. Blake Wiemann (WHAN, Minn., Junior) 4. Ryan Jones (Mille Lacs, Minn., Senior) 5. Jacob Jackson (Minnetonka, Minn., Senior) 6. Joe Hoeve (Farmington, Minn., Freshman) 160: 1. Ben Sullivan (Apple Valley, Minn., Junior) 2. Cody Anderson (White Bear Lake, Minn., Junior) 3. Anton Kalista (Lakeville North, Minn., Junior) 4. Ben Cousins (Bloomington Kennedy/Jefferson, Minn., Junior) 5. Luke Schmit (New Ulm, Minn., Junior) 6. Miles Hammerlund (Delano, Minn., Sophomore) 171: 1. Jake Waste (Apple Valley, Minn., Senior) 2. Hunter Rud (Byron, Minn., Senior) 3. Christian DuLaney (Shakopee, Minn., Freshman) 4. Alex Jackson (Kenyon-Wanamingo, Minn., Sophomore) 189: 1. Chad Matthees (Zumbrota-Mazeppa, Minn., Senior) 2. Corbin Farrell (Apple Valley, Minn., Junior) 3. Aaron Baker (Lakeville North, Minn., Junior) 215: 1. Coyte Kuefner (Owatonna, Minn., Junior) 2. Collin Jensen (Mobridge-Pollock, S.D., Junior) 3. Nathan Rose (Sibley East, Minn., Freshman) 4. Jesse Root (Fridley, Minn., Senior) 5. Ivan Guernsey (Fridley, Minn., Senior) 6. Alex Gray (Maple Grove, Minn., Junior) 285: 1. Sam Stoll (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn., Freshman) 2. Kyle Wiemann (Elk River, Minn., Junior)

Jake Waste (Apple Valley, MN) Kathleen Hennessy Rehbein (JJ's Mother) Matt Krumrie (The Ultimate Guide to Wrestling Camps) Brad Ewing (Spring, TX)

103: Maolu Woiwor (Apple Valley, MN) dec. Levi Marsh (G8) LCWM, MN), 7-0 103: Dante' Rodriguez (Grand Island, NE) pinned Louie Sanders (Madelia, MN), 0:44 103: Dante' Rodriguez (Grand Island, NE) pinned Maolu Woiwor (Apple Valley, MN), 3:00 103: Tristan Manderfeld (Foley) maj. dec. Dante' Rodriguez (Grand Island, NE), 12-0 103: Jarred Oftedahl (Benilde-St. Margaret's, MN) dec. Josh Alber (Dakota, IA), 4-2 119: Brett Stolarzyk (Stewartville, MN) pinned Aaron Beyer (Nicollet), 1:10 119: Trent Butcher (Chaska/Chan, MN) dec. Shamar Williams (Apple Valley, MN), 8-5 125: Carson Henry (St. Charles, MN) pinned Zack Gawboy (Maple Grove, MN), 2:37 145: Grant Kyllo (Zumbrota-Mazeppa) pinned Dillon Carlson (North St. Paul, MN), 0:39 145: Travis Leiskau (Klein Oak, TX) pinned Reece Kling (Minnetonka, MN), 1:38 145: Travis Johnson (East Buchanan, IA) dec. Ben Rynda (Trinity, MN), 11-8 171: Jake Waste (Apple Valley, MN) maj. dec. Christian DuLaney (Shakopee, MN), 12-2 215: Collin Jensen (Mobridge-Pollock, SD) dec. Ivan Guernsey (Fridley), 4-0 215: Nathan Rose (Sibley East, MN) pinned Harrison Barnes (Kasson-Mantorville), 0:39

103: Tristan Manderfeld (Foley, MN) dec. Jarred Oftedahl (BSM, MN), 5-0 112: Nate Josza (Mount Zion, IL) dec. Andrew Dayland (St. Charles, MN), 4-0 119: Keith Thell (Foley, MN) dec. Brett Stolarzyk (Stewartville, MN), 4-2 125: Derek Scott (Apple Valley, MN) dec. Andy Underhill (Burnsville, MN), 6-0 130: Hayden Rouser (ACGC, MN) dec. Mitchel Lexvold (Kenyon-Wanamingo, MN), 2-0 135: Matt Tlougan (Byron, MN) dec. Andrew Riedy (Grand Island, NE), 2-0 OT 140: Jacob Anderson (River Valley, MN) dec. William Sustercich (Foley, MN), 5-4 145: Travis Leiskau (Klein Oak, TX) dec. Grant Kyllo (Zumbrota-Mazeppa, MN), 8-5 152: Trey Hable (Albert Lea, MN) maj. dec. Daniel Egesdal (Chaska/Chan, MN), 14-6 160: Ben Sullivan (Apple Valley, MN) maj. dec. Cody Anderson (White Bear Lk, MN), 9-1 171: Jake Waste (Apple Valley, MN) dec. Hunter Rud (Byron, MN), 10-3 189: Chad Matthees (Zumbrota-Mazeppa, MN) pinned Aaron Baker (Lakeville, MN), 1:51 215: Coyte Kueffner (Owatonna, MN) pinned Colin Jensen (Mobridge-Pollock, SD), 3:47 285: Sam Stoll (Kasson-Mantorville, MN) dec. Kyle Wiemann (Elk River, MN), 5-3 Exh: Jake Waste (Apple Valley, MN) dec. Chad Matthees (Zumbrota-Mazeppa, MN), 5-2

Photos by Johnnie Johnson

A recent press release promoting the NWCA All-Star Classic wrestling event to be held in Fresno, Calif. on Nov. 21 announced that the competition was being held as a fundraiser to preserve college wrestling in California. A sentence in the release stated that “numerous Division One wrestling programs such as Cal State Bakersfield, Cal Poly, UC Davis and Cal State Fullerton are in danger of being eliminated due to the adverse conditions of California’s economy.” Although it is true that Div. I wrestling teams in California face major challenges at this time, the inclusion of Cal Poly in this list has been misinterpreted and misunderstood. The facts are that the other three programs, Cal State Bakersfield, UC Davis and Cal State Fullerton, announced last year that they were dropping their varsity wrestling programs. Both Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State Fullerton have reinstated their programs after effective fundraising efforts. The efforts to save the UC Davis program have not been successful to date, and there is no varsity program there this season. Another Div I college program at Fresno State was dropped after the 2005-06 season. Cal Poly has not made any official statement concerning its varsity wrestling program which would imply that the program is in danger. In fact, Cal Poly has made recent decisions which indicate a commitment to its varsity wrestling program including: - Reaching a three-year agreement with Mark Perry as its head coach - The addition of two scholarships for the varsity wrestling program - Cal Poly is extremely proud of the successes, both on the mat and in the classroom of our wrestlers. We have enjoyed significant external financial support for our program and we have not considered eliminating our wrestling program." Commented Athletic Director, Alison Cone. Cal Poly is expected to have a successful team this season, and has set high goals for the program in future seasons. If more college wrestling programs, especially on the Div. I level, are eliminated in California, there is no doubt that it will add additional pressure on those programs which remain. Nobody within the wrestling community disputes this assertion. The current economic conditions across the nation have placed many Olympic sports in college campuses in peril. This is not just an issue about wrestling, nor is it just an issue in California. However, the press release concerning the effort to support and protect college wrestling in California was not written to imply that Cal Poly’s wrestling team may be dropped. The NWCA and California USA Wrestling, who are working together to promote the NWCA All-Star Classic, will continue to educate the community about the importance of wrestling on the college level. Both organizations are dedicated to protect and preserve all wrestling opportunities in the state of California.

The first weight class for the 45th annual NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the Marines has been announced. Two wrestlers from Pennsylvania colleges will participate at 149 pounds in the All-Star Classic at Selland Arena in Fresno, Calif., on November 21. All-Americans Kevin LeValley of Bucknell and Torsten Gillespie of Edinboro will square off in one of the nation's most competitive weight classes. LeValley, a senior from Hugo, Colo., will be making his first appearance in the All-Star Classic and will be Bucknell's second straight representative in the event. Last year, Andy Rendos became the first Bison wrestler to wrestle in the All-Star Classic competing at 165 pounds. LeValley finished seventh at the 2010 NCAA Championships with a 42-8 record and will represent the U.S. later this month in Tornio, Italy at the University World Championships in freestyle wrestling. Gillespie, a junior from Webster, N.Y., had a stellar run at the 2010 NCAA Championships, reaching the quarterfinals before finishing in sixth place after coming into the tournament unseeded. He finished the 2009-10 campaign with a 32-16 record. Gillespie will be the Fighting Scots' 11th participant it the event all-time and first since 2004 when Matt King wrestled Tyrone Lewis of Oklahoma State at 165 pounds. Gillespie and LeValley have never met in collegiate competition. The 45th Annual NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by The Marines will be held at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California on Sunday, November 21, 2010. The doors open at 2:00 p.m. The All-Star Classic follows a weekend of fundraising events. For more information about the tournament, purchasing tickets and the fundraising events, visit the www.nwcaonline.com's event page. To donate to the effort to save collegiate wrestling programs, visit http://nwca.ticketleap.net. 2010 NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by the Marines Rankings by W.I.N. Magazine 125- 133- 141- 149- #4 Torsten Gillespie, Jr. (Edinboro) vs. #5 Kevin LeValley, Sr. (Bucknell) 157- 165- 174- 184- 197- 285- Exhibitions: About California USA Wrestling California USA Wrestling is a non-profit organization committed to the success and health of their athletes and dedicated to the promotion and preservation of collegiate and international styles of amateur wrestling. As the official California affiliate of USA Wrestling, the national governing board for international-style amateur wrestling in the United States, the club is responsible for the organization and execution of sanctioned USA Wrestling events in the state. California USA Wrestling educates the community about the styles of wrestling and the value of being involved in the sport. They strive to provide fun, exciting and well-planned events and improve the quality of California wrestling at the competitive level. For more information, visit www.ca-usaw.org. About NWCA The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a professional organization dedicated to supporting and elevating the sport of amateur wrestling. NWCA provides leadership and guidance primarily to scholastic and collegiate wrestling programs, but is an advocate to all levels of wrestling. The NWCA promotes communication, recognizes achievement, recommends rules and regulations, sponsors events and serves as a resource for education and information pertaining to the sport of wrestling. Additionally, The NWCA strives to foster the sportsmanship and integrity that are the cornerstones of any competitive sport. For more information, visit http://www.nwcaonline.com.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Defending National Champion Notre Dame (Ohio) landed on top of the NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Preseason Top 20 Poll, the NAIA announced Tuesday. The Falcons racked up 160 total team points. Missouri Valley and Campbellsville (Ky.) share the No. 2 spot with 79.5 points. McKendree (Ill.) checks in at No. 4 with 73 points and with 71.5 points, Cumberland (Tenn.) rounds out the top-five teams. The Falcons’ had 11 grapplers garner a ranking in their respective weight class. The only weight class that Notre Dame is not ranked is 141. Campbellsville boasts eight ranked individuals and Missouri Valley has seven. Both have a ranked wrestler in seven weight classes. Notre Dame’s dominance at the 2010 Wrestling National Championships has set the Falcons apart. Reigning National Wrestling Coach of the Year Frank Romano’s arsenal remains intact as all nine wrestlers that advanced to medal matches return for the 2010 – 11 season. Of the nine that wrestled for a spot on the podium, eight came away as All-Americans, including three national champs. Jeffrey Pelton and Thomas Straughn will be eyeing a second title at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively, and 197-pounder Derek Foore will be gunning for back-to-back titles. All three enter this season ranked No. 1 in their respective weight class. The trio of defending national champions from Notre Dame is joined by Campbellsville’s Tommy Pretty as reigning titlists. Pretty took home top-honors at 133 pounds last year, but has bumped up a weight class and is ranked second at 141. Great Falls’ (Mont.) Myles Mazurkiewicz, who finished second to Pretty in the 133-pound finals, also moved up to 141 pounds and starts the season ranked third. A 165-pound semifinalist, Chris Chionuma of Lindenwood (Mo.), made the move up and is listed second at 174. The third returning semifinalist is Notre Dame’s heavyweight Orlando Scales. He enters his campaign ranked No. 1. Three weight classes, 141, 174 and 184, have five returning All-Americans or honorable mentions ranked. The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the groupings. The first regular-season poll will be announced on Nov. 23. RANK SCHOOL TOTAL TEAM POINTS 1 Notre Dame (Ohio) 160 2 Missouri Valley (Mo.) 79.5 2 Campbellsville (Ky.) 79.5 4 McKendree (Ill.) 73 5 Cumberland (Tenn.) 71.5 6 Great Falls (Mont.) 65 7 Dickinson State (N.D.) 58 8 Grand View (Iowa) 54 8 Lindenwood (Mo.) 54 10 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 40.5 10 Morningside (Iowa) 40.5 12 Southern Oregon (Ore.) 38 13 Montana State-Northern (Mont.) 32 14 Menlo (Calif.) 29.5 15 Hastings College (Neb.) 26 16 Oklahoma City (Okla.) 24.5 17 Cumberlands (Ky.) 20 18 Missouri Baptist (Mo.) 18 19 California Baptist (Calif.) 15 20 Jamestown (N.D.) 8.5 Others receiving votes: Midland University 8; Shorter College 5.5; Baker (Kan.) 2.5; Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 1.5; York College (Neb.) 1.5; William Penn (Iowa) 1; Sioux Falls (S.D.) 1; Northwestern (Iowa) 1. Top-Ranked Individuals 125 – Larone Madison, Cumberlands (Ky.) 133 – Wade Lowe, McKendree (Ill.) 141 – Micahel Davis, Cumberland (Tenn.) 149 – Jeffrey Pelton, Notre Dame (Ohio) 157 – Thomas Straughn, Notre Dame (Ohio) 165 – Preston McKinney, Missouri Valley 174 – Cody Butzer, Notre Dame (Ohio) 184 – Michael French, Great Falls (Mont.) 197 – Derek Foore, Notre Dame (Ohio) HWT – Orlando Scales, Notre Dame (Ohio)

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- For a program that has won two of the last three ACC Championships and finished in the top 20 at two straight NCAA Championships, one might expect that losing three All-Americans could change the expectations heading into a new season. But Maryland expects the return of two former ACC Champions plus an influx of talented newcomers will propel them to another outstanding season in 2010-11. Mike Letts, the 2007 and 2008 ACC Champ at 174 pounds, Jon Kohler, the 2008 Champ at 141 pounds, plus 2010 NCAA Qualifiers Josh Asper and Kyle John lead a talented group into Maryland’s first season under head coach Kerry McCoy without an All-American returning. Program stalwarts Steven Bell, Alex Krom and Hudson Taylor combined to earn All-America status six times during their illustrious careers and replacing them promises to be a challenge. But McCoy is confident this group will leave their own mark on the Terrapin wrestling program. “Our expectations never change,” said McCoy. “One of the reasons I came here is that I wanted to be a program that could challenge for a national championship. Winning the ACC is the goal every year and we want to be in the hunt at the NCAA Championships. We have a young team this year and there will be some new guys in the lineup that we have to see what they can do. But without a doubt, we have three or four guys that should get on the podium and help us be in the hunt for a top 20 finish.” Letts, a fifth-year senior who redshirted in 2009 and had his 2010 season cut short due to injury, is healthy this season and looks ready to return to his championship form. His progression will be key to a team that has relied on its veterans heavily in the past. “Mike has the potential to win a national championship,” said McCoy. “He has some monsters in front of him. He’ll wrestle some very highly ranked wrestlers early on between the Oklahoma Gold Classic, the Northeast Duals and the Penn State Open. He could potentially see eight to ten ranked guys in the first semester. Without a doubt he’s a top-five wrestler.” Asper just missed out on All-America status as a freshman at the 2010 NCAA Championships and is ranked as high as fifth in the nation by some wrestling publications. The Parkton, Md., native set the Maryland freshman wins record with 34 last season and solidifies the middle of the lineup for the Terps. With Kyle John, a 2010 ACC runner-up, at 157 pounds, Asper at 165 and Letts at 174, Maryland can compete with almost any team in the nation at the middle weights. Corey Peltier, though perhaps under the radar, has had success in the past and looks for a breakout season at 184 pounds. A junior, Peltier won 21 matches last season, with a 3-1 mark in ACC matches. “Corey has been right there the last few years,” said McCoy. “This year I think he’s looking to turn that corner. I’m really excited for what he’s going to do this year.” A talented group of newcomers led by Spencer Myers, a first team ASICS All-American in high school, will be ready to contribute immediately. Freshman Ben Dorsay is a highly-touted freshman and will compete with redshirt freshman Justin Cash, among others, for the starting position at 149 pounds in a battle McCoy terms the most competitive on the team. The Terps will face plenty of tough competition early in the season, though McCoy designed it so there will be ample time to integrate the newcomers into the demands of college wrestling. “Our schedule is set up where we have enough time to train and to recover between competitions. We have a high enough level of competition that our guys are going to see elite-level competition, but we’re not in a situation that we’ve been in the past where we’re just grinding. So I’m very optimistic about the year.” Maryland will open the season with the Red and Black Wrestle-Offs on Saturday, Oct. 23, an intrasquad exhibition that determines the initial starters at each weight class. Although fans may not see some of the familiar faces they’ve grown accustomed to over the past few years, McCoy’s goals remain unchanged. “We should never be out of the hunt for an ACC title and a top 20 finish at the NCAAs. When everything comes together we can get into the top five and challenge for a national championship. This year we want to get multiple All-Americans, win the conference tournament and be in the top 20 at the NCAA Championships.” 125 With the departure of James Knox, who graduated, junior Pat Strizki is the favorite to win the starting job. Junior Will Sharbaugh, sophomore Brian Marcoux and freshmen Ken Collado, Shane Gentry and Jenkins Monzey will all be in the hunt, however. Strizki won 11 matches last season and was 4-4 in dual competition. 133 Senior Lou Ruland and junior Joey Boone have separated themselves as the top two at 133 pounds. The winner of this job will have big shoes to fill, as Steven Bell won the last three ACC titles and was a two-time All-American at 133. Freshmen Frank Goodwin and Mason Goretsas will also challenge for time here. 141 Senior Jon Kohler returns to the weight where he won the 2008 ACC Championship after spending last season at 149 pounds. He looks to solidify a position that has been a strength for Maryland over the last three seasons – with Alex Krom’s 2009 and 2010 titles, the Terps have won this weight at the ACC Championships the past three seasons. Kohler will be pushed by junior Matt Bogusz, sophomore Brad Molina, redshirt freshman Danny O’Malley and freshman Mark Hartenstine. 149 This could be the most open competition out of the 10 weights, with five challengers vying for the starting position. Dexter Lederer is the lone senior and wrestled in two ACC duals last season, but a talented group of freshmen looks ready to challenge. Justin Cash, Eric Beverly and Danny Orem are all redshirt freshmen who spent last season wrestling in open competition, and true freshman Ben Dorsay comes to Maryland with high accolades. 157 Kyle John returns as the starter at 157 a season after winning 29 matches and qualifying for the NCAA Championships. John was 17-6 in dual meets, including 4-0 in ACC regular season meets, and is ranked in the top 10 at 157 pounds. 165 Sophomore Josh Asper is the returning starter and will look to improve on a season in which he set the school record for wins by a freshman and narrowly missed out on All-America status. Asper was an impressive 23-5 in dual meets last season and 11 wins by major decision. Redshirt freshman Jimmy Sheptock, who went 24-3 last season in open competition, will challenge Asper. 174 Two-time ACC Champ Mike Letts looks to return to form after an injury-shortened 2010 season. Letts won the ACC Championship as a true freshman and sophomore and has never been outside the top 15 in the rankings when healthy. 184 Corey Peltier is the returning starter. Senior Bradley Nielson, redshirt freshman Ty Snook and true freshman Rob Fitzgerald will also compete here. 197 The spot left vacant by Hudson Taylor will likely come down to redshirt freshmen Christian Boley and Dallas Brown. Both are very talented and gained experience wrestling in open competition last season. Senior Tommy Sitar may also compete here, but will likely start the season at heavyweight. 285 Redshirt sophomore Ryan Gray moves up to heavyweight from 197 this year and will compete with true freshman Spencer Myers for the starting job. The Pennsylvania state champ at 215 pounds as a high school senior, Myers went 44-0 in his final season at Selinsgrove High School. Senior Owen Duffy and possibly Sitar will also battle for the starting role.

USA Wrestler, the official magazine of USA Wrestling, is now available to general public as a digital edition. The October 2010 edition of USA Wrestler, which is being delivered in the mail to USA Wrestling members this week, has also been posted and can be viewed online. The October issue is now available in its entirety in this exciting new format. You only have to type in your email address, and you will have free access to the entire issue. Check out the latest edition of USA Wrestler at: http://content.yudu.com/A1pi4m/Oct2010/ The digital edition has many features which will make reading the issue easy and fun. You can view USA Wrestler online, and flip through the publication with a click of your computer mouse. You can zoom in and zoom out, viewing the page as close-up as you choose. You can look at a two-page spread, or look at each individual page by itself. If you click on any URL web address in the publication, either in an advertisement or in the articles, it will take you directly to the webpage. There is also a search function where you can type in a word, and you can go directly to the pages where that word appears in the edition. Fans can download the edition to their personal computers. They can also print off the publication to their own printer. Everybody in wrestling is encouraged to check out the digital edition of USA Wrestler. The digital edition of USA Wrestler is a great benefit of membership with USA Wrestling, but it is also a powerful tool to reach out to new people to build and expand our sport at all levels. You are also encouraged to send this URL link to all your friends and acquaintances with an interest in wrestling, so these people can also enjoy this new digital publication. For more information on USA Wrestling, the nation’s premier wrestling organization, visit: http://www.usawrestling.org

The future is heating up for Ben Sullivan. The 17-year-old Apple Valley High School (Minnesota) junior is the most recent high school wrestler willing to transfer in order to find better competition. While some wrestlers in the past have chosen to abscond allegiances and head to cross-town rivals, and other grapplers have crossed county or state lines, Sullivan has chosen to forgo his final two years of eligibility at Chugiak High School, Alaska and head to the Lower 48. In his crosshairs: better practice partners and a chance at a wrestling scholarship. It's not difficult to imagine the frustration for a competitive wrestler like Sullivan. Ben Sullivan (Photo/Joshua Borough, Mtnboy Media) After suffering a close semifinal loss at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals in Virginia Beach last spring, he began talking with his father, Rodger, about the prospect of a transfer. "He was determined," said Rodger Sullivan. "He's right there with the kid and if he cleans up a few things he can beat him and go on to the finals. He's putting in the work, but thought he could be just a bit better with tougher guys around him." Sullivan had a few more close losses and those disappointments mounted until he made the decision that a change of venue would be positive for his career. The plan became to find a boarding school in the Northeast, like Blair or Peddie, but Sullivan's father had some apprehension about the cost and whether or not he'd get the proper school experience. "We didn't know if it was a good fit and then we saw that 40K a year price tag," said Rodger Sullivan. "It just seemed like too much. My sister-in-law was there in Minnesota and was willing to let Ben come and stay with the family. I looked into some schools and called some coaches and, man, Jim Jackson is a heck of a nice guy. He didn't know me from Adam and didn't know if my boy was any good, and just told me what I would need to do to make it through the process." The Apple Valley school district doesn't allow transfer students relocating without their parents to compete on varsity in their first season. The policy is meant to deter local talent pools from developing that might skew competitiveness within communities. Rarely would an intra-state transfer draw the ire of competition committees, as they're rarer and usually called upon for reasons of family and work. High-school transfer rules, and athletes like Sullivan who still choose to go ahead and make the move, are often a lightning rod for discussion and draw criticism because opponents claim it removes a layer of amateurism that should innately exist in prep athletics. But the transfer penalty in Minnesota forces Sullivan to abdicate a season of eligibility, which seems an adequate exchange. Sullivan maintains that he wants to win and this sacrifice of family and eligibility was worth it if it means he can be a champion wrestler and make his way into a good wrestling school. Jim Jackson & Bill Demaray (Photo/The Guillotine)"We have good coaches back home, but it was hard to find more than a few guys to roll with who could challenge me on a daily basis," said Ben Sullivan, who won an Alaska state title at 135 pounds last season. "I needed to get into a room where the guys would make me better. Right now I'm trying to steal takedowns in this room, which is a lot different and making me better." The takedowns are more difficult to achieve because Sullivan is facing three InterMat Top 100 recruits inside the Apple Valley wrestling room, including consensus No. 1 recruit Destin McCauley, along with Steven Keogh (160), and Jake Waste (171). Sullivan has reason to be guarded about his expectations for wrestling room success, one of the metrics for determining improvements come time for the season. "I'd love to wrestle varsity, but I knew when I came here that I'd be JV. Right now, I'm looking to do well in the preseason tournaments." (Sullivan is registered for this weekend's InterMat JJ Classic in Rochester, Minnesota.) Hopefully I can do well enough and continue to improve enough to compete at the Junior Nationals at the end of the season, Fargo and beyond." Sullivan packed his bags 45 days ago, and while his father was proud of his son for choosing a direction and following his passion, his mother, who supported the move, now misses her son. Ben Sullivan (Photo/Joshua Borough, Mtnboy Media) "She thought it was pretty easygoing for a few weeks, but we just hosted our tournament and I think it was tough for her to see all the other parents watching their kids," said Rodger Sullivan. "She was like, 'You jerk!' ... but she gets what he's up to." Sullivan has a year to improve, to try to sneak takedowns on McCauley, Keogh, and Waste. His plan is to continue to develop as he prepares for a series of offseason tournaments that will be his introduction for college coaches. For now, Sullivan is realistic about the disappointments he may feel in sitting out this season, but confident in his choice to move to the Lower 48. "I'm sure I'll miss being in the starting lineup during the season, but for right now I couldn't be happier," said Ben Sullivan. "I'm going to keep getting better. I really feel like this was the best decision of my life."

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The dual between the Missouri Tigers, ranked as high as No. 10 in the preseason polls, and the Purdue Boilermakers, ranked as high as No. 13, will be televised, as finalized Tuesday. The potential top-15 matchup, which will be held on Sunday, Dec. 12, in Lafayette, Ind., will air on the Big Ten Network. The meet will air live on the network beginning at 11 a.m. CT. Missouri is looking to avenge last year’s loss at home, a match that Purdue won 19-15 early in the season. More information on the meet will be announced as it becomes available. For Mizzou’s complete 2010-11 schedule, visit here.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University Head Wrestling Coach Duane Goldman has announced Wed., Oct. 27 as the date for the 2010 Cream and Crimson Intra-Squad Scrimmage. The event will take place in Assembly Hall and begin at 7 p.m. There will be 10 matches on the docket, one for each weight class. Both admission to the competition, and a wrestling clinic from 5:30-6:30 p.m., are free of charge.

The job of an assistant wrestling coach is nearly indefinable. Like the head coach, the assistant coach works as part-time nutritionist, second-string doctor, team psychologist, occasional travel agent, data input manager, and occasionally, if there's time: wrestling technician. Quality assistant coaches need to also work well with their head coaches who themselves are pulled in several directions by generating donations, ensuring NCAA compliance and, oh-by-the-way, winning matches. Finding a partnership that works for both head coach and assistant can mean the difference in a happy wrestling room, and a losing one. The best of the best (there are a few hundred Division I assistant coaches) make champions despite the myriad ancillary jobs they're responsible to perform. Their paycheck, like the head coach's, is dependent on wins and losses; if the techniques are sound, the advice correct (Think: Sonny in Godfather) and the work ethic in place, these assistants will have the opportunity to make their own assistants miserable with work someday. The five coaches on the list have each defined themselves as worthy of recognition. While some may aspire to be a head coach, others will continue on as assistants, comfortable in helping to create champions. But right now they are each having an impact. Leading the Pack Sammie Henson (Photo/Morgan Hennessy)1. Sammie "The Bull" Henson (Oklahoma)The former two-time NCAA champion has arguably been more successful as a college coach than he was a college competitor. Yes, he's been floating from program to program like a thieve on the lam for the past dozen years, but in all those miles he racked up an impressive list of lightweight champions: Chad Mendes, Michael Lightner, Sam Hazewinkel, Josh and Scott Moore, Paul Donahoe, et. al. Henson's intensity is legendary and seemingly always transferred to his grapplers. There is nothing coincidental about his arrival in Norman and the Sooners impressive 2009-2010 turnaround. 2. Chris Owens (Boise State) Somebody is responsible for Boise's success. While Greg Randall deserves the largest chunk of Blue-hued praise, Owens has been his assistant for 15 seasons and has earned recognition. (If you are Googling "Chris Owens Boise State" don't feel bad. Half the college wrestling community couldn't pick him out of a two-man lineup.) Owens has been there for it all: he was on board for Kirk White, he was on the payroll for Ben Cherrington, and he is currently coaching a very large and intimidating Kirk Smith. I don't know how to define his role more than to point and tell you to pay attention this season as the Broncos compete for an NCAA team title. Donny Pritzlaff (Photo/Tony Rotundo, Tech-Fall.com)3. Donny Pritzlaff (Wisconsin)The easiest connection to Pritzlaff's coaching success is Andrew Howe's recent NCAA title, but the 2006 World bronze medalist and two-time NCAA champion has been an assistant coach since graduating as a Badger in 2002. He spent three years on Long Island where he and Tom Ryan paired up to produce a slew of All-Americans and CAA championships. The New Jersey native is proving to be an excellent recruiter across the country, helping to pull big ticket names like Tyler Graff and Ben Jordan. And if we are to believe the rumors, he may have a chance to secure the nation's No. 1 recruit, Destin McCauley. Maybe head coach Barry Davis saw the impact Pritzlaff was having on the program and named him associate head coach in the summer of 2009. 4. Carl Perry (Illinois) The man who beat Schwab. Remember? That was 10.5 years ago, but that same fight can be seen in his wrestlers. He's well-respected enough to have survived the recent coaching change in Urbana-Champagne. Perry guided Poeta to two NCAA finals and you can see that same gritty style in current Illini star Jimmy Kennedy. He'll be mentioned for future head coaching positions because his resume is filling up fast. 5. Josh Moore (Kent State) From recruiting to budgeting to technique, Moore has been at the tip of the spear for the newly emergent Golden Flash. Working alongside head coach Jim Andrassy, the team has matured from an epic All-American drought (23 years) into a squad capable of besting perennial class of the MAC, Central Michigan. The past few seasons have seen All-American titles coming back to Kent State, many of them at the lighter weights. There's no doubt he'll get a crack at a head coaching position sometime in the next two seasons. Others Brad Dillon (Lehigh) He's been at Santoro's side at Maryland and now in Lehigh. He's disciplined, successful and well-respected by his athletes. Mark DiSalvo (Central Michigan) Talented and hard-working Central Michigan alumnus has been crucial in helping head coach Tom Borelli create a championship caliber team every season. Casey Cunningham (Penn State) Coach Cael brought him to Happy Valley, which should make Nittany Lion fans, well, happy.

The United States Military Academy has long been considered one of the top colleges in the United States. Few schools can match the quality of their education, the character of their student body, or the accomplishments of their alumni. With the verbal commitment of Iowa senior Travis Mallo the future of the wrestling program got a new face and another impact recruit. “I really believe in the tradition of the Academy. You get a great education, you have an opportunity to serve your country, and the opportunities after you graduate are hard to beat,” stated Travis Mallo over the phone on Sunday night. “It is a prestigious place; an amazing opportunity; and I am really excited about making the most of the experience. It really is a place that I feel I can succeed on the wrestling mat and it will best prepare me for life after school.” A senior at Mason City High School, Mallo is a two-time state place winner for the Mohawks, an accomplished freestyle wrestler, and a recruit on the rise with an off-season of national and international success. Travis MalloWith a 93-23 high school record, Travis is a three year letterman going 23-7 at 125 pounds as a freshman, 33-10 at 152 as a sophomore, and 39-6 as a junior. Moving up in weight every year he was a district qualifier in 2008, placed eighth at state in 2009, and finished fourth in 2010. Taking his folkstyle national after the high school season ended this year, the future cadet finished fifth at the inaugural FloNationals in Ohio and less than a week later he took seventh at the 2010 Asics Folkstyle Nationals in Cedar Falls at 171 pounds. “Wrestling is a tough sport that takes a lot to be good, and even more to be great. You work your butt off in the room so you want to get out on the mat at compete,” offered Travis when asked about wrestling year round. “I love the sport and I like to have fun when I wrestle; by traveling you can see how you can do against the best, you see what works, and what needs work.” Freestyle has enabled Mallo the opportunity to travel throughout the country and internationally to Brazil. After jumping onto the national stage in 2009 with a third place finish at 171 pounds in Fargo at Cadet Nationals, that success carried over into 2010 with a third place finish in April at the 2010 FILA Cadet Nationals in Akron. Instead of going to Fargo with Team Iowa in July, Mallo made the Cadet National Team and won a Gold medal at the Pan-American Game in Manaus, Brazil. He has also competed for Team Iowa at the 2009 and 2010 Cadet Duals. With a 3.5 GPA in the classroom and a wrestling resume that improved every year; Mallo chose Army over Missouri and Northern Illinois amongst several others that were recruiting him. Having a good idea of where he wanted to go before he took his official visits, the trip to West Point solidified his decision while giving him a glimpse of his future. “The visit was an eye opener but it gave me a preview of what it would be like at the Academy. I stayed in the barracks and got to see life as a cadet. I got up with them in the morning, went to class, ate with them, and was there for Taps. There was a lot to it but I really just got a chance to walk in their shoes,” responded Mallo when asked about this visit. As the service academies are able to contact recruits during their junior year because of the extensive application process Mallo had considered wrestling for the Black Knights for some time. Assistant coaches Ryan Wilman and Rafael Vega reached out to Mallo under former coach Chuck Barbee and his recruitment continued when Joe Heskett became head coach in July and into the fall. With the change in head coaches Travis saw the transition from Barbee to Heskett as a great opportunity that became even more enticing. “I was considering Army before Coach Heskett took over but he really put them over the top. Wrestling at Iowa State and accomplishing all that he has done has earned him a great reputation. Getting to know him and the other coaches made me confident in my decision,” offered Mallo. With his college decision made Travis can now turn his attention to his last season of high school football and his last year of wrestling in Iowa. “I really wanted to make a choice before wrestling season started because I didn’t want any distractions. I had been thinking about it for awhile and after I took my official visit to West Point last weekend, and I knew that was where I wanted to go,” said Travis who will be back at 171 pounds. “The goal this year is to win the state championship; I have been working for it for a long time and this is my last chance to get it done. I’ll probably keep wrestling after that but that is what I focusing on right now.” At the same time Mallo was just as excited about his future at Army. “With the team they have, the coaching staff with Joe Heskett, the recruits that are coming in, and the energy that is there; I think that Army wrestling is going to improve every year and we can accomplish a lot while I am there,” said Mallo. Travis Mallo joins Conor Youtsey in head coach Joe Heskett’s first recruiting class at West Point. Both wrestlers are expected to attend the United States Military Prep School their first year on campus and each is expected to compete for a spot in the starting lineup the following year. Mallo projects as a 174 for the Black Knights while Youtsey, the 55th ranked recruit in the InterMat Top 100, expects to be at 125 for most of his career. InterMat was granted permission to republish this article from BuckeyeWrestling.com. http://www.buckeyewrestling.com/index.php?q=node/37588

Minnesota native Jake Clark has been one of the nation's top Greco-Roman wrestlers on the senior level for over a decade. Clark, who turned 30 earlier this year, made his second U.S. World Team this year at 84 kg and competed at the 2010 World Championships in Moscow, Russia last month. Now he has his sights on wrestling in the London Olympic Games in 2012. InterMat recently caught up with Clark and talked to him about the World Championships, this season, training, goals, MMA, and much more. Jake Clark (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Let's start with the World Championships last month in Moscow, Russia. You got off to a fast start, beating the Moldovan and the Greek to advance to the quarterfinals. You were able to score with some offensive attacks and also in par terre. Did you feel as great as you looked in those first two matches? Clark: I felt amazing in my first two matches. My weight cut went great. I completely changed my approach to warming up, and I was on the attack in my matches. My confidence was there, and I really felt things were coming together at the right time. In my match against the Moldovan, that's how I want to wrestle every time! I believe the first period was slow, but I was able to get in my groove in the second period. In the quarterfinals, you were paired with Damian Janikowski of Poland, a wrestler you had beaten 3-0, 1-0 at the Pytlasinski International in Poland in late July. What was going through your head as you prepared to wrestle Janikowski again? Clark: I felt ready for my quarterfinal match and I was definitely excited about having someone I recently beat standing in my way. I don't feel I was overconfident, and I knew he was going to be more well prepared than our match in Poland the month prior. You ended up losing in two periods to Janikowski, 0-1, 0-2, which ultimately eliminated you from the competition after he lost in the semifinals. What was the difference in that meeting with Janikowski compared to your previous meeting with him? Clark: In the match with Janikowski I had about three attempts that I didn't finish. He scored on his gut wrench, but if I could have finished my moves the results would've been different. I've seen some photos that were taken of that match and I can't believe I didn't finish on a few of my attempts. Leading up to the Worlds I was really working on this area of my wrestling, but it's something I need to continue to improve on ... and I will. Jake Clark (Photo/Tony Rotundo, Tech-Fall.com)How would you describe your overall experience in Moscow, Russia? Clark: Initially I was upset, as most people are after losing. However, the more I thought about it, the more I was pleased with how I did. It was a great building block for what is to come. I know I am right up there with the top guys in the world, and as long as I continue in the direction I'm heading, I will be on the podium. I didn't bring a medal home, but I definitely brought some experience and confidence for the upcoming season. It's important to live and learn. Coming into this year, you had wrestled in just two tournaments over the last three years. You have stated that your goal wasn't to make the U.S. World Team this year, but things fell into place. What was your goal heading into the year? Clark: I had taken a lot of time off from competitive wrestling from the beginning of 2008 to the beginning of 2010. During those years off I was doing more coaching, and working with MMA fighters. Now, in 2010 I found myself back on the mat, ready to compete, and committed like never before. I try to be very realistic with everything, and I know that to be at one hundred percent I need to be on the mat a lot more than I was. I shouldn't expect to be back a few months, and to be right back in the mix of things. Everyone I'm wrestling against has been going at it while I took this time off, and I needed to put the work in as well. In 2010, I was hoping to get back on the mat, stay healthy, and just get the ball rolling for 2012. My goal is 2012, and everything I do from now until then is to prepare for that. While I was warming up for my first match at the Trials I had a conversation with God. I was stretching out and I said, 'God, I am trying to do the right things and understand I haven't put in all the hard work yet. I'm going to, but I still need more time. It would be too much to ask that I win this tournament, so please just give me what I deserve.' I'm a competitor and I wanted to win, but did I truly think I would be on the 2010 World Team? No. I felt great at Worlds, but should I expect to be on the podium with only being back to the mat for six months? Again, my answer is no. Things have happened very quickly and I'm extremely grateful for that. My 2010 season was not only a surprise to the coaches and fans, but for me as well. I feel I'm taking the proper steps, and I'm going to surprise more people in the next few years. After you made the U.S. World Team this past June, you said that you never fully committed yourself to the sport until this year. You have talked about lifestyle changes you have made this year. What caused you to make these changes? Clark: I've wrestled my entire life. It's all I've ever done. I sacrificed many things while I was younger, and feel I was very committed at times. However, I feel like I'm putting a puzzle together now. At the World Championships I believe I was at eighty percent of my potential. I'm adding new pieces to this puzzle, and am hoping that by 2012 they all come together to make the best picture ever. It's going to take time, and I definitely need help finding a few pieces, but I am committed to this puzzle and am going to do everything possible to complete it. In the end of 2009, while I was helping to build the sport of wrestling in the Federated States of Micronesia, I had a great chat (on Facebook) with Olympic champion Rulon Gardner. Everything he said made complete sense, and I'm forever in debt for the insight he provided. To have one of our country's greatest wrestlers take the time and help put things into perspective means the world to me. I'm not sure I'm comfortable sharing what was said, as I feel it was between him and I. However, I saved our conversation and go back and look at it every so often as a reminder. Let's just say what he said really hit me upside the head. Not only that, but the timing was right. Not only was I ready for the changes, but I had the support of THE Rulon Gardner! Jake Clark (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)You started your career with the U.S. Marines and then moved to the U.S. Air Force. You're currently living in Colorado Springs. How is your current training situation? Clark: I'm currently living at the Olympic Training Center, but am no longer wrestling for the Air Force. I had planned on transferring from the Marines to the Army, but in the midst of doing my paperwork, I was contacted by Air Force wrestling coach and 2008 Olympic coach Rich Estrella. He mentioned that I might want to look into what he can offer, and set me up with the job of heading to Micronesia. I felt the Air Force would be more of a fit for me, and in February of 2010 I joined their wrestling camp in Mountain Home, Idaho. At this time I joined the Air Force Reserves and had put my paperwork in for the Air Force's World Class Athlete Program. I was told that the process would be quick, but here I am over seven months later, and I'm still not accepted into their WCAP. It's been very stressful and I feel there is no light at the end of this tunnel with them. I'm now currently pursuing another avenue in which I'm not able to talk about at the moment. I promise it will soon be public knowledge, though! You have been wrestling since you were 5 years old and been competing on the senior level for over a decade. Are you enjoying the sport now as much as you ever have? Clark: I've always enjoyed this sport and am very grateful for all that it has done for me. The people I've met, the friends I've made, and the adventures I've been on. To me, those things are priceless. I like to think I've become a lot wiser than I was 10 years ago. I might be losing my hair, but in return I'm gaining more and more appreciation for our sport. It's crazy for me to think that this is my 25th year of wrestling. Wow! The 2012 Olympic Games are less than two years away. You have wrestled in three previous U.S. Olympic Team Trials, but have yet to make a U.S. Olympic Team. How much does that drive you? Clark: I'm definitely driven to make this Olympic Team. I wish things would have worked out earlier, but everything happens for a reason. I've had this dream of representing the U.S. at the Olympics since I was 6 years old, and it's something I want sooooo badly. I am now in a position to live out a childhood dream and am going to do everything in my power to make it happen. In order to get to where you want to be in 2012, what areas of your wrestling do you feel that you need to improve upon the most? Jake Clark (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Clark: I am concentrating on improving every aspect of my wrestling ... on and off the mat. Technically, when I'm on my feet I need to push the pace more. I'm confident that no one can take me down, but I need to make sure I can score on everyone. I am also putting a lot of emphasis on my par terre defense. It's definitely not an easy task, but I am confident in my abilities and potential. I have a plan, and I truly believe in it. Not only that, but I have coaches and mentors I believe in too. It's time! You turned 30 years old earlier this year. Have you put a timetable on how much longer you plan to compete? Or is it something you will reevaluate after 2012? Clark: I will compete as long as my body and mind allow me to. I know several people that wish they could still be competing, but due to injuries they can no longer chase their dream. Because of this, I must take advantage of what has been put in front of me, and give it my everything. You have competed primarily in Greco-Roman throughout your career on the senior level. But last year you competed in freestyle at the Northern Plains Regional and took a period from 2010 U.S. World Team member J.D. Bergman. Do you ever wonder how your career might have turned out if you would have chosen freestyle over Greco-Roman? Clark: Of course I wonder how things could have worked for me on the freestyle and folkstyle side of things. I honestly believe that if I concentrated solely on freestyle I would be in the mix as well. I've wrestled in a few freestyle tournaments over the last handful of years and have wins over some of the top guys ... Clint Wattenberg and Willie Parks to name a few. I remember in 2004 leading up to the Olympics I had randomly joined a few freestyle practices. At the end of my Greco practice, Cael Sanderson and Kevin Jackson were on the side going over a few things. Kevin asked me if I could go for a little bit with Cael and I agreed. We were doing some live goes and I scored the first takedown. I'm sure Cael and Kevin were a bit surprised, but to be honest, I wasn't. I have always done well with freestyle. However, I've still been considered a "Greco guy." Cael and I wrestled for about four minutes, in which my back was completely worn out three minutes into it. The conditioning and styles are too difficult on the senior level to just jump back and forth like that. If my memory is correct, I had two takedowns to his four. A month or two later he was the Olympic champion. Greco-Roman is very popular all across the world. However, in the United States, there seems to be less interest in Greco-Roman compared to freestyle and folkstyle. Why do you think that is the case? Clark: I'm not sure. I can't say I have an honest answer to this. However, I know that in recent years Greco is getting more and more attention here. It could be due to the change in rules and that there is more scoring now. Obviously, with storylines like (Jake) Deitchler in 2008, having wrestlers like (Spenser) Mango and (Harry) Lester, those things definitely help. Jake Clark, B.J. Penn, Joey ClarkWhat some people might not know is that you have served as a training partner for UFC fighters B.J. Penn and Kendall Grove. How did those opportunities come about? And what have your experiences training with UFC fighters been like? Clark: I've actually worked with a wide variety of well-known fighters, including B.J. Penn, Kendall Grove, Rashad Evans, Nate Marquardt, Mo Lawal, Bobby Lashley, Brett Rogers, Joe Warren, and many others. Just last week I had an offer to go back to Hawaii and work with B.J. before his upcoming fight with Matt Hughes in November. My coaches here at the OTC are against me doing this, but it's a great chance to make some money and network for the future. My brother has been a training partner for B.J. for around seven years or so, and that's how I got linked up with B.J. My first time working with him was only supposed to be for three weeks, but when it was time to leave, they asked if I could stay longer. I ended up staying for three months, which led to my working with Kendall Grove. After I left Hawaii, about two weeks later, I got a call from Kendall and he wanted me to help him train in Maui. I ended up staying there for a month and a half. I'm so honored to have these guys calling me. But not only that, I get paid, and get to do so in Hawaii! Your older brother, Joey, has been a successful MMA fighter. Wrestlers, specifically Greco-Roman wrestlers, have done very well in MMA. Obviously your focus is on wrestling right now and making the U.S. Olympic Team, but would you ever consider competing in MMA? Clark: Of course I've thought about it, but I'm really not sure if I'd actually go through with it. I've never been in a fight in my entire life. I've never punched anyone, and no one's ever punched me ... thankfully! Haha. There is so much money and fame in this sport, I'd hate to look back when I'm 50 and say, 'I should have done that.' Right now, my priority is the Olympics and I am concentrating on that. On occasion I like to mix my training up and work jiu-jitsu and grappling. It helps change the pace up. If I do decide to become a mixed martial artist, I've done a great job of networking and will be able to learn from some of the greatest fighters around! Is there anything else you would like to add? Clark: I'd really like to thank my sponsors: Cage Fighter Wrestling, AmbitionTrainingAcademy.com, InterMatWrestle.com, TheGuillotine.com, WrestlingGear.com, KuttingWeight.com, StrombergAuctioneering.com, BlueChipWrestling.com, and DracsPub.com for all of their help and support. With the help of my sponsors, along with my family and friends, we were able to raise enough money to get my mom and brother over to Moscow for the World Championships! I can never thank anyone enough for how much that meant to me. To my fellow wrestlers, PLEASE support those who support us! On a final note, I've recently put a team of Olympic Training Center wrestlers together and we are currently working on a business plan that has some great potential. I can't wait to go public with this, and am hoping we will be doing so in the very near future. If anything, add me on Facebook and I will keep you posted. Also, feel free to ask me any questions you might have about wrestling or life in general. I like to help whenever I have the chance! Search for "Jake Clark."