InterMat Staff

Jack Childs

Henry Priest

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The University of Illinois announced its 2009-10 schedule Wednesday, highlighted by the addition of duals against Big 12 opponents Iowa State and Missouri to the always difficult slate. The Illini also will travel to Binghamton, N.Y., for the Journeymen/Asics Sprawl & Brawl duals, where they will face Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Davidson. In addition to a full slate of Big Ten duals, Midlands and the Las Vegas Invitational, Illinois' schedule will provide constant challenges throughout the season. "I am pleased with the upgrades we have made to our schedule by adding two teams from the Big 12 in Iowa State and Missouri," head coach Jim Heffernan said. "Combined with our usually rigorous tournament and Big Ten schedule, I am confident this will help prepare us for the postseason." Illinois starts the campaign strong, facing Missouri, which finished seventh at the 2009 NCAA Championships, in a dual on Nov. 12 at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo. The next weekend, the Illini will send its dual starters to Sprawl & Brawl while other squad members return to Missouri for the Missouri Open. Two weeks later, the team will travel to the annually tough Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. The first home meet of the season will be against Findlay and McKendree at Huff Hall on Dec. 12 at noon. The Illini also will make their annual trip to Midlands during the holiday break on Dec. 29-30 at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. Just over a week later, Illinois will return home for a dual against SIU Edwardsville on Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. The Orange and Blue enter the heart of their dual schedule with a final non-conference meet at Iowa State, which finished third at the 2009 NCAA Championships, on Jan. 16 before opening Big Ten action at Penn State on Jan. 22 and traveling to Michigan State on Jan. 24. The next weekend, Illinois visits Indiana and Northwestern for duals before returning home for four Big Ten duals in February. The Illini host Minnesota on Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. and welcome Wisconsin to Huff Hall on Feb. 7 at 1 p.m. Illinois will face Ohio State, which finished second at the 2009 NCAA Championships, on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. before wrapping up the conference dual season on Thursday, Feb. 18, against Purdue. Big Ten Championships will be held March 6-7 at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich., with the 2010 NCAA Championships being held March 18-20 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb.

Craig Turnbull

Aaron Anspach

Two years ago, when Bobby Telford was entering his sophomore season at St. Mark's High School in Delaware, after posting a 13-23 record as a freshman and a 1-4 record at Cadet Nationals in Fargo, you would have been hard-pressed to find someone who would believe that he would eventually become one of the nation's top high school heavyweights and earn a scholarship to wrestle at University of Iowa. But it happened. On Wednesday, Telford, who is ranked as the No. 43 recruit in the country by InterMat, called Tom Brands to let him know that he wants to be a Hawkeye. Bobby Telford"I don't think anyone can match the workout partners, coaching staff, fans, program, support ... No one can offer that except Iowa," said Telford. "Obviously, Iowa takes it to the extreme. That's where I want to go." Iowa head coach Tom Brands and assistant coach Doug Schwab visited Telford's home in early September, which he said got him "psyched up to get out there and see what it's all about." He took official visits to Pittsburgh, Old Dominion, and Illinois. He was also recruited by North Carolina, Northwestern, Wyoming, Northern Colorado, Virginia, and Penn. Telford, though, knew in his heart that he wanted to be a Hawkeye. "I think it's every kid's dream to wrestle for the Hawkeyes when they grow up," said Telford. "It's kind of hard to not root for the hardest-working, best team out there. That's the name of the game. Who puts in the most time and effort, who works the hardest ... You have to respect that no matter what. When I was a little kid, it was special to watch the Hawkeyes wrestle." As a freshman, Telford wrestled at 135 pounds before moving up six weight classes as a sophomore to compete at 189 pounds. As he has grown into his body, he has improved by leaps in bounds in all aspects of his wrestling. "When I wrested 135, it was hard for me to keep my weight down," said Telford. "I was having a problem. I didn't feel energetic. I didn't feel confident when I went out on the mat. I'm sure my record shows that. When I moved up to 189, I started getting a little more confidence in myself. I felt good every match. I started to improve physically and mentally." As a sophomore, Telford posted a 22-16 record at 189 pounds. He failed to place at the Delaware state tournament, which one could look at as the defining moment of Telford's young career to this point. "The day after I was eliminated from the state tournament, my dad and me got in the car, got right back at it, and started to get better the next day," said Telford. "I didn't feel sorry for myself. I just got right back at it. There was no sense in staying down on myself. It was just all about hard work. I was starting to grow into my body a little more. The more and more I wrestled, the more comfortable I got with myself." It all came together for Telford as a junior. Last season, the 6'5", 265-pound heavyweight won every tournament he entered, including the prestigious Beast of the East, and finished the season a perfect 38-0. At the state tournament, Telford dominated the competition, going 4-0 with two first-period pins, a technical fall (15-0), and shutout victory (9-0) in the finals. He earned a place on the ASICS All-American Third Team at heavyweight. Jason BastianelliSt. Mark's has long been a state wrestling power in Delaware. The Spartans, who are coached by St. Mark's alum Jason Bastianelli, have finished first or second in the Delaware High School Dual Meet Wrestling Championships every year since 1995. Last season, St. Mark's defeated longtime rival Caesar Rodney, 44-15, to win its 11th state title in 22 years, but its first since 2002. St. Mark's finished last season ranked No. 11 in the country by Amateur Wrestling News. This year's St. Mark's senior class has four wrestlers ranked among the InterMat Top 100 recruits in the country. In addition to Telford, Nick Schenk (No. 57), Sean Dolan (No. 80), and Sean Boylan (No. 83) are all in the InterMat Top 100. Dolan has given a verbal commitment to North Carolina State, while Boylan will be heading to Bloomsburg. Schenk is uncommitted at this point. Bobby Telford"It's great to be a part of such a strong team," said Telford. "We all push each other. When you surround yourself with good people, only good things can come from it. I think we came together as a team last year ... I'm looking forward to good things this year." Telford's goals for his senior season include repeating as an undefeated state champion, winning the Beast of the East, and earning a place on the ASICS All-America First Team. As for college goals, Telford has sights set on being the best. "Everyone wants to be an NCAA champion," said Telford. "That my No. 1 goal. All it is ... is hard work to get there. Spoken like a true Iowa Hawkeye.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia University Director of Athletics Ed Pastilong has announced the 2009-10 wrestling schedule, highlighted by six home dual matches and the hosting of the 2010 Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Championships. “Coach (Craig) Turnbull and the Mountaineers have put together an exciting and challenging schedule this season,” Pastilong says. “We are especially pleased to be hosting the EWL Championships to showcase our outstanding university and facilities.” The Mountaineers open the year at the Washington & Jefferson College Open on Nov. 14, and then return to the Navy Classic, where selected Mountaineers will compete in Annapolis, Md., on Nov. 21 at the all-day event. WVU will open its dual meet schedule with the annual “Sprawl & Brawl” – hosted by Binghamton – in Vestal, N.Y. The Mountaineers will first wrestle Wyoming, which had four NCAA qualifiers last season, at 11:30 a.m. WVU will follow with a match against Illinois, which finished eighth at the 2009 NCAA Championships, at 1:15 p.m. After more than a week off, WVU will fly west to compete at the 28th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational from Dec. 4-5. Michigan, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Ohio State are just four of the 59 teams competing in Primm, Nev. Coach Craig Turnbull’s squad then will wrestle its first home dual meet against Big Ten foe Penn State on Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. The Nittany Lions return five of their six NCAA qualifiers and eight of 10 starters. Nine days later, WVU will fly back west to compete at the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions in Reno, Nev., on Dec. 20. “As we’re getting everyone to wrestle from two to six matches in a weekend, it gives them less time to work out some things in the beginning of the season,” Turnbull says on wrestling in two top-tier tournaments. “To have a dual meet and then not wrestle again for another week – you’re at the beginning and you’re trying to get all of your timing and rhythm of the season together. Getting them a good amount of matches in early season tournaments is really helpful to get to our midseason form quicker.” After the Reno Tournament, the Mountaineers will resume their dual meet schedule with two more Big Ten opponents. On Jan. 2, WVU will play host to Indiana at the Coliseum at noon. The team then travels to East Lansing, Mich., to face Michigan State on Jan. 9. WVU continues its road trip as it heads to Bethlehem, Pa., for a contest with Lehigh, which posted a 23-1 overall record in 2008-09. On Jan. 22, WVU will wrestle EWL opponent Clarion at home at 8 p.m. to begin league competition. The Mountaineers also face Bloomsburg (1/24), Lock Haven (1/31) and Pitt (2/6) at home before hitting the road with a match against non-conference opponent Ohio on Feb. 14. “I believe the Eastern Wrestling League schools are really making significant gains in their programs,” Turnbull adds. “We’ll have some very good challenges within the league.” The Mountaineers wrap up their regular-season portion of the schedule with road matches against EWL opponents Cleveland State (2/19) and league and tournament dual meet champion Edinboro on Feb. 20. On March 7, WVU will host the EWL Championships – a day long tournament, which will take place at the Coliseum. The 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships will be held at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb., from March 18-20. “The schedule, in general, we feel very good about,” Turnbull says. “We have some good diversity of teams on there. We upgraded the schedule a little bit in some ways, where we added the Reno Tournament. I believe it’s a schedule that we’re looking forward to and will prepare us to be at our best at the end of the season.”

AMES, Iowa -- New leadership is in place for the Iowa State wrestling team and expectations are high. Eight starters return from the 2009 NCAA Championships’ third-place squad to wrestle under new head coach Kevin Jackson. The former Cyclone NCAA finalist and 1992 Olympic Gold medalist will attempt to help ISU wrestlers reach their aspirations. ISU has placed in the top five teams at the last three NCAA Championships. “We’ve got a good group of guys,” Jackson said. “They haven’t accomplished all of their goals so there is always room for improvement. We are bringing in a different attitude from a technical and tactical standpoint. We are going to be more aggressive and try to score more points.” Jackson plans to work on expanding the wrestling repertoire of each individual Cyclone on the team. “You can say ‘Let’s be more aggressive’ but there is more to it than just that,” Jackson said. “Our strength and conditioning program will greatly aid all of our student-athletes. We are doing things that haven’t been done in the past.” The group of senior Iowa Staters that made up the top-ranked recruiting class of 2005 are set to begin their final campaigns. Iowa State starters Nick Fanthorpe, Nick Gallick, Mitch Mueller, Jake Varner, David Zabriskie and reserve Joe Curran have compiled 436 career wins. The ISU group has lived up to the lofty billing by taking a personal stake in three-straight Big 12 Championship team titles. “When the seniors came to Iowa State, they came here for a couple reasons,” Jackson said. “They wanted to be individual champions, they wanted to win a NCAA team title and they wanted to beat Iowa in a dual meet. Varner is the only one to reach one of those goals with his NCAA title. There are goals they haven’t yet fulfilled. We continue to work everyday to help them reach the goals that they set when they were being recruited by Coach (Bobby) Douglas.” Headlining the Cyclone lineup is Varner, a three-time NCAA finalist and 2009 197-pound national champion. The Bakersfield, Calif. native will be striving to become the 11th four-time All-American in school history at the NCAA meet in March in Omaha, Neb. Varner polished his wrestling technique over the summer by winning the U.S. Senior Nationals and made the American World Championships freestyle team that competed in Herning, Denmark Sept. 21-23. Varner holds a 90-10 career record. “We know Jake (Varner) gained a ton of experience wrestling in the World Championships,” Jackson said. “Only certain Americans are special enough to ever even wrestle in that event. He worked out with some of the best wrestlers in the country in preparation for it and met some of the best in the world over there in Denmark. Varner is truly world-class.” Varner’s progression will be closely monitored by Jackson and the ISU leader is ready to push the 197-pound titlist even further. “Hopefully with the experience he gained he’ll realize that he is the best in the nation,” Jackson said. “But he needs to know that he has to prove it every day, either in the practice room or in competition. We want him to know that when individuals wrestle him closely, it is almost a win for them. We are out for total domination now. We want him to be undefeated this season.” Four fellow ISU teammates return with All-America accolades on their resume. Gallick, a native of Tucson, Ariz., placed third at 141 pounds at last season’s NCAA Championships. He knocked off the division’s top two seeds en route to earning All-America honors for the second time. He is also the winningest Cyclone on the current roster, with a career mark of 92-28. Zabriskie, ISU’s “little” heavyweight, will be trying to earn All-America honors for the third time. Zabriskie has defied all odds in his career, routinely emerging victorious from matches where he is out-weighed by up to 50 pounds. The Cyclone from Branchville, N.J. stands at 90-20 for his career. Jon Reader, a junior, has made the most of his two NCAA Championships trips so far, being honored as an All-American both times. The native of Davison, Mich. captured a silver medal in April at the 2009 Pan-Am Games, competing in freestyle competition. Reader has notched 60 wins to 17 losses halfway through his career. Fanthorpe, a senior 133-pounder, will be looking to return to form after being hampered by a leg injury during his junior campaign. The Naperville, Ill. native was an All-American as a sophomore and will have his eye on the award stand for his final season. He holds an 82-23 career record. “I like this team’s energy level,” Jackson said. “I like their focus. They understand they’ve accomplished some things already, but they still have their best tournament to come. That comes from what we do every day in training. Their championship is going to be won before they get to the NCAA tournament. It is going to be won with what we do everyday.” Senior Mitch Mueller returns after his most promising NCAA Championships outing. Mueller, hailing from Iowa City, Iowa, was stopped one match short of All-America accolades at 149 pounds last season. Fellow senior Duke Burk has his sights set on another trip to the NCAA Championships. The Peoria, Ill. native will be the wrestler to watch at 174 pounds in his second season as a Cyclone. At 184 pounds, sophomore Jerome Ward, of Evergreen Park, Ill., went 1-2 at the NCAA Championships to conclude his freshman campaign. Ward showed potential in his redshirt freshman campaign by grabbing runner-up honors at the Big 12 Championships. Cyclone grapplers who could also see action on the mat are Anthony Valles (RFr., 133 pounds), Nate Carr, Jr. (Jr., 157 pounds) and Eric Thompson (RFr., HWT). Valles was ranked among the top-20 wrestlers in the country at 130 pounds his senior year of high school. Carr, Jr. went 13-6 in his first season in a Cyclone singlet. Thompson, a native of Shell Rock, Iowa, was the top-ranked heavyweight high school wrestler in the nation for 2008. New additions to the ISU wrestling room this season include: Boaz Beard (184) of Wichita, Kan., Ben Cash (133) of Prole, Iowa, Tyler Christensen (184) of Middleton, Wis., Dallas Collier (125) of Aiea, Hawaii, Tyler Grask (125) of Des Moines, Iowa, Cole Shafer (174) of Heber City, Utah, Trent Weatherman (149) of Huxley, Iowa and Keith White (141) of Melbourne, Iowa. Jackson has high expectations for the new faces in the room. “I want them to follow by example,” Jackson said. “I want them to look at guys like Varner, Gallick, Reader, Fanthorpe and Zabriskie. We have a group of seniors and juniors that are trying to be their best, both on and off the mat. They need to bridge the gap between high school and college, first academically and then athletically.” Jackson is hopeful the newcomers understand they are the future of the program. “Our freshmen are already ahead of schedule,” Jackson said. “We want them to be ready to break the lineup next year.” ISU begins the dual season at home within the friendly confines of Hilton Coliseum, facing South Dakota State Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. The Cyclones will hold an intrasquad match at the Lied Recreation Center Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. Click the links section in the above photo to access the 2009-10 schedule and this season's team roster.

The Colonial Athletic Association has released its preseason rankings. Team Rankings: 1. Old Dominion University 2. Rider University 3. Hofstra University 4. Binghamton University 5. Drexel University 6. George Mason University 7. Boston University 8. Sacred Heart University Individual Rankings: 125 1. James Nicholson, ODU 2. Steve Mytych, Drexel 3. Steve Bonnano, Hofstra 4. Brian Wright, Mason 5. Fred Santaite, BU 6. Tommy Lorenzo, Rider 133 1. Kyle Hutter, ODU 2. Jim Kirchner, Rider 3. Frank Cimato, Drexel 4. Ryan Buff, BU 5. Denny Herndon, Mason 6. Justin Belanger, SHU 133 1. Anwar Goeres, Binghamton 2. Fred Rodgers, Rider 2. Joey Rivera, Boston 3. Cory Dunn, SHU 4. Matt Dugan, Drexel 5. Abby Rush, BU 6. Craig Wilson, ODU 141 1. Mike Kessler, Rider 2. Donnie Vinson, Binghamton 3. Justin Accordino, Hofstra 4. Brett McCurdy, Drexel 5. Anthony Priore, SH 6. Chad Lowman, ODU 157 1. Jon Bonilla-Bowman, Hofstra 2. Justin Lister, Binghamton 3. Ben Mandebraut, BU 4. John Nicholson, ODU 5. Zac Cibula, Rider 6. Joe Booth, Drexel 165 1. Chris Brown, ODU 2. Frankie McLaughlin, Mason 3. PJ Gillespie, Hofstra 4. Rob Morrison, Rider 5. CJ Inglin, BU 6. Ryan McGarity, Binghamton 174 1. Bagna Tovuujav, Mason 2. Ryan Patrovich, Hofstra 3. Eric Decker, ODU 4. Hunter Meys, BU 5. Dave Woodall, Drexel 6. Mike Ward, Rider 184 1. Josh Patterson, Binghamton 2. Ben Clymer, Hofstra 3. John Hall, BU 4. Joe Budi, ODU 5. Mike Miller, Rider 6. Justin Wieller, Drexel 197 1. Cayle Byers, Mason 2. Jesse Strawn, ODU 3. Tyler Smith, Rider 4. Brock Mantella, BU 5. Jack Callender, Drexel 6. Nate Schiedel, Binghamton 285 1. Eddie Bordas, Rider 2. Kyle Frey, Drexel 3. Corey Waite, Binghamton 4. Mike Peterson, Mason 5. Paul Snyder, Hofstra 6. Grant Chapman, ODU

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. -- The Colonial Athletic Association wrestling coaches have announced the CAA preseason All-Freshman Team for the 2009-10 season. Old Dominion University had four of the 10 selections and Boston University had two. Binghamton University, Rider University, Hofstra University and Drexel University were also represented on the team. The 2009-10 CAA All-Freshman Team is: 125 Jimmy Chase of Binghamton, 133 Justin LaValle of ODU, 141 Luke Vaith of Hofstra, 149 Ramon Santiago of Rider, 157 John Nicholson of ODU, 165 Kyle Czarnecki of Boston U., 174 Joey Sheridan of ODU, 184 Billy Curling of ODU, 197 Brandon Palik of Drexel and heavyweight Nate Lavalle of Boston U. Chase (Hanover Park, IL./Glenbard North) finished in the top four in the Illinois State Championships three times, including a State Title as a junior. In 2008 he placed fourth in the Greco Roman Olympic trials and in 20098 fifth at the Junior World Greco Championships. LaValle (Apple Valley, MN/Apple Valley) is a two-time Minnesota State Champions and was ranked seventh by InterMat and Wrestling USA and eighth by W.I.N. Magazine and won the Greco Championship at Fargo in 2009. Vaith (Hastings, MN/Hastings) was a Minnesota State Champion and a Freestyle and Greco All-American at the Junior Nationals. Santiago (Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville High) earned NHSCA All-America honors when he placed eighth at the High School Nationals at 152 pounds. A New Jersey State runner-up as a senior, Santiago was 41-1 last year and finished his scholastic career with a 130-21 record, three times winning the District Championship. Nicholson (Des Moines, Iowa/Theodore Roosevelt) is a two-time Iowa State Champion who placed second at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. He was the Iowa Championships’ Most Outstanding Wrestler. Czarnecki (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove) is the reigning Illinois State Champion after placing fourth as a junior and was 5-2 at Senior Nationals, one win away from All-America honors. Sheridan (Tulsa, Okla./Tulsa Union) is a three-time Oklahoma State Champion who was ranked tenth in the nation and was the 2007 USA Wrestling Cadet National Champion. Curling (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) was an All-American at the Sophomore High School nationals and placed among the top three twice in the Virginia State Championships. Palik (Bethlehem, Pa./Saucon Valley) won a Pennsylvania AA State Championship and was ranked fifth in the nation by W.I.N. Magazine. Lavalee (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Cape Elizabeth) was a three-time State Champion and the New England runner-up as a senior. He placed fourth at Junior Nationals and was runner-up in voting for the top football player in Maine.

Wayland Baptist University will add men's and women's wrestling as intercollegiate sports, Athletic Director Dr. Greg Feris officially announced at a press conference today. "Intercollegiate wrestling is a win-win situation for the university. It will generate additional students while providing an additional competitive sport for the university community." The WBU wrestling program will compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) beginning with the 2010-11 school year. Thirty-seven NAIA schools currently sponsor wrestling for men, ten for women. There are currently no intercollegiate wrestling programs in the state of Texas, despite recent statistics that show an excess of 245 high school boys' wrestling teams and 198 girls' teams in the state. In the Texas Panhandle area, there are approximately 375 boys and more than 125 girls participating in the sport. The boy's team from Randall High School and the girl's team from Caprock High have recently won state championships. "The sport is growing and is very popular in many regions of the country," added Feris. "Wayland is fortunate to be located in an area where several communities have embraced the sport at the high school level. I think we are going to fill a void in the area for fans of the sport. In addition, we are excited to be able to offer these young student-athletes a new opportunity to continue to participate in a sport that they love while at the same time obtaining an outstanding education in a Christian environment." Search for a new coach will begin right away. Feris says he hopes to have someone in place sometime after the first of the new year. Mike Moyer, Greg Feris, Dan Gable, and Brandon SlayAmong those present at the press conference were Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association and former Olympic gold medalists Brandon Slay and Dan Gable. Slay, a graduate of Amarillo's Tascosa High School who is currently the resident freestyle coach for USA Wrestling at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, won the gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney. Gable, who did not give up a single point on his way to the gold at the 1972 games in Munich, won two individual NCAA titles as a student-athlete at Iowa State University and 15 NCAA team titles as head coach at the University of Iowa. The new WBU two teams will practice in the James P. and Nelda Laney Student Activities Center. Duel or tournament events will be held in Hutcherson Center. The addition of the wrestling programs brings Wayland's athletic offering to a total of 14.

Trevor Voelker

Greg Feris

The brackets were released on Wednesday for the 2011 NCAA Division I Championships. Iowa's Matt McDonough is the defending NCAA champion at 125, has two wins over Northwestern's Brandon Precin, and has picked up bonus points in 19 of his 23 victories (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)To me, the two biggest surprises were Iowa's Matt McDonough not earning the No. 1 seed at 125 pounds and Kyle Dake of Cornell getting the fourth seed, as opposed to the third seed, at 149 pounds. Don't get me wrong ... I believe Arizona State's Anthony Robles, who earned the No. 1 seed at 125 pounds, is a tremendous wrestler who is having an incredible season. He's 31-0 with 22 technical falls, five major decision, two pins, and two decisions. He's also a two-time All-American and 13 of his wins this season have come against 2011 NCAA qualifiers. But let's look at the facts. McDonough is not only the defending NCAA champion, but has two wins over Northwestern's Brandon Precin, a two-time All-American and U.S. Open placewinner, with the most recent victory coming in the finals of the Big Ten Championships. McDonough is 23-1 and his only loss is to Precin, while Precin's only losses are to McDonough. McDonough has wins over four wrestlers who earned seeds, while Robles has wins over three wrestlers who earned seeds. In addition, McDonough has wins over two wrestlers seeded in the top five, while Robles has not beaten any of the top five seeds. (Robles' technical fall victory over No. 5 Zach Sanders of Minnesota at the NWCA All-Star Classic is not counted by the NCAA or used for seeing purposes.) Arizona State's Anthony Robles has been crushing opponents all season (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Some will say Robles deserves to be seeded ahead of McDonough and Precin simply because he's undefeated and McDonough and Precin have losses. But then what about James Nicholson of Old Dominion? He's also 31-0 this season, but earned the fourth seed. Should he be seeded ahead of McDonough and Precin? Or has Robles earned the No. 1 seed because of the way he has dominated opponents? One could argue that McDonough has been equally as dominant as Robles this season. He has picked up bonus points in 19 of this 23 victories, plus he has 11 more pins than Robles in seven less matches. With McDonough getting the No. 2 seed, it means a likely semifinal match against his Big Ten rival Precin, while Robles will face Nicholson in the semifinals if the seeds hold up. No disrespect to the undefeated Nicholson, but Precin is the tougher semifinal match. Precin is the only wrestler to defeat McDonough this season. I think a stronger case could be made for Precin getting the No. 2 seed over Robles (Precin did win the last head-to-head meeting) than Robles getting the No. 1 seed over McDonough. While McDonough not getting the top seed at 125 pounds was surprising, Dake getting the fourth seed at 149 pounds, as opposed to the third seed, was equally as surprising to me. Like McDonough, Dake has won an NCAA title in his only attempt. I understand that current year data is most important when looking at seeding, so let's examine how the top wrestlers at 149 pounds have performed this season. North Carolina State's Darrion Caldwell, an NCAA champion, is the No. 1 seed. That's a no-brainer. Caldwell is undefeated, hasn't lost a college wrestling match since 2008, and has been on the U.S. National Team. But where it gets sticky is No. 2 through No. 4. Penn State's Frank Molinaro, a two-time All-American, earned the No. 2 seed. He's 28-2 this season and recently won a Big Ten title. He has been a beast, especially during the second half of the season. He has reeled off 15 straight victories. His losses this season are to Mario Mason of Rutgers, who is seeded seventh, and Dake. LeValley is 30-1 and his only loss is in sudden victory to Mason, 3-1, two months ago. Cornell's Kyle Dake edged Penn State's Frank Molinaro, 1-0, in the finals of the Southern Scuffle (Photo/Cliff Fretwell)When comparing LeValley's season to Molinaro's season, both have been impressive, but I have a hard time seeing how Molinaro's overall body of work this season puts him over LeValley. Of LeValley's 30 wins this season, five have come against seeded wrestlers, with two of those coming against wrestlers seeded in the top five. LeValley also has a win over Dake. Molinaro, on the other hand, has two wins against seeded wrestlers, including splitting matches with one of those two (Mason). When comparing Dake's season to Molinaro's season, both have two losses. However, Dake is not only the defending NCAA champion, but has the head-to-head win over Molinaro and the same amount of victories against seeded wrestlers. In addition, Dake registered an 11-1 major decision victory over Mason, a wrestler who has a win over Molinaro. With Molinaro getting the second seed, as opposed to the fourth seed, he does not have to deal with having Caldwell on his side of the bracket. Instead, it puts two NCAA champions, Caldwell and Dake, on the same side of the bracket. I'm not stating that I don't think Molinaro, who has been on tear, can't or won't beat LeValley or Dake. Molinaro certainly has the tools to reach the finals. However, it's my belief that both LeValley and Dake deserved to be seeded higher. Other thoughts on seeding ... The seeding at 157 pounds turned out like I thought it would. The weight class includes three undefeated wrestlers in Adam Hall of Boise State, Steve Fittery of American, and David Taylor of Penn State, plus an NCAA runner-up and Junior World champion in Bubba Jenkins of Arizona State. I believe all four are very close. I don't think I'm in the minority when I state that I'm excited to see how things shake out at 157 pounds. Fittery is ranked ahead of Hall in the InterMat rankings only because of Hall's loss to Jenkins at the NWCA All-Star Classic. That match is not counted by the NCAA or used for seeding purposes, but is used by the InterMat rankings committee. Therefore, Hall is not only undefeated, but he is also the highest returning NCAA finisher and beat Fittery in their last meeting at the NCAA Championships, so it makes sense that he's seeded ahead of Fittery. I expect all four wrestlers to make the semifinals, which is going to make for some incredible matches in this weight class on Friday night. I expected Cornell's Mike Grey to be seeded a bit higher than eighth, but also understand why the seeding committee placed him there. He has not competed much this season and lacks quality wins. He's 11-0 with his most notable victory coming over Penn's Rollie Peterkin, the 10th seed, 10-5. The two wrestlers seeded ahead of Grey, Tony Ramos of Iowa and B.J. Futrell of Illinois, have more quality wins this season.

Joey Cozart

On Monday, Iowa State added to its already stellar recruiting class by receiving a verbal commitment from Joey Cozart of Brandon High School in Florida. Cozart, who is ranked as the No. 28 recruit in the country by InterMat, is a three-time state champion for Brandon. Last season, Cozart finished his season with a 65-1 record and claimed the state title at 140 pounds. He was a 2009 Junior Nationals freestyle runner-up at 152 pounds. "I chose Iowa State for many reasons, including having the same ideas that Coach Jackson has for me," said Cozart. "With the coaches, I believe Iowa State is the right place for me to reach my goals for college and on the senior level." Cozart becomes the seventh wrestler from the Class of 2010 to commit to Iowa State. He joins No. 22 Michael Moreno, No. 23 Ryak Finch, No. 68 Kyven Gadson, Luke Goettl, Mike England, and Brandon Jones as part of Kevin Jackson's first recruiting class at Iowa State. Cozart is projected at 149 pounds in college.

LighthouseWrestling.com (LHW) continues its rapid growth with the addition of TDR TV. In less than a year LHW has evolved in to much more than a HS Wrestling news site. Founder Bill Miller has added LIVE event coverage, both broadcast and text to the sites abilities as well as collegiate coverage. Seeing a lack of exposure by major news outlets on the coast, Miller took the job in to his most capable hands. LHW should be added to your favorites list. "We're very happy to add LHW to of our distribution network for TDR TV", said Takedown Wrestling Radio Founder Scott Casber. "LHW has a gifted computer guru in Bill Miller who also happens to love our sport. He understands what most coaches have long known, If you want the job done, do it yourself. He has done just that by founding LightHouseWrestling.com, added Casber. Check out LightHousewrestling.com for a different view of wrestling from the East Coast.

As the wrestling season's start is fast approaching, InterMat will be taking fans across the United States of America on a tour of scholastic wrestling. Between now until the middle of November, InterMat will introduce you to the top senior wrestlers in the 49 states with scholastic wrestling. From Alaska to Florida, and from Maine to California, you will gain exposure to the potential stars of future NCAA Championships. Did you miss a Wrestling 49 article? Check out the archives. Ohio is one of the nation's top high school wrestling states in terms of talent ... right there with Pennsylvania and New Jersey on a year in and year out basis. This year is no different as Ohio is coming off the 2009 Junior National Freestyle Duals in Oklahoma in which they were crowned champions. Ohio returns a heavily talented recruiting class for 2010 that is second only to Pennsylvania in terms of InterMat Top 50 recruits. The anchor of this talented class is none other than Logan Stieber, who was third at U.S. Nationals in freestyle in April as only a junior in high school. Logan Stieber (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)1. Logan Stieber School: Monroeville 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 125 Projected College Weight Class: 125/133 Scouting Report: Stieber, who is ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the country by InterMat, is looking to be a seven-time state champion this year (three junior high state titles, four high school state titles). Should Stieber do this, he will join only David Taylor and Collin Palmer with such an accomplishment. Stieber qualified this past summer for the U.S. World Team Trials at 121 pounds and should make an immediate impact at Ohio State in 2010-11. An Ohio State verbal commit since the summer of 2008, Stieber should continue to have no true challenges this year during the high school wrestling season. He will take a 129-1 record into this season ... and look to win his second Ironman title in dominating fashion. 2. Jamie Clark School: Lakewood St. Edward 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 130 Projected College Weight Class: 133 Scouting Report: Clark is a very explosive wrestler who will be gunning for his third state title this year. If not for an ultimate tiebreak loss in the finals his freshman year to Sam White (now wrestling at Illinois), he would be going for his fourth. Clark finished last season as the top-ranked wrestler at 119 pounds, and is a candidate to start the season in the same position this year at 130 pounds. Last season, he claimed his first Ironman title as part of an undefeated season. Clark will continue his college career at Illinois. 3. Max Thomusseit School: St. Paris Graham 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 189 Projected College Weight Class: 197 Scouting Report: Thomusseit is about as big and strong as they come for the 189-pound weight class and will enter the season as one of the top wrestlers in this weight. Thomusseit had a breakout year last year. He was runner-up the Ironman, losing to Blair Academy's Max Huntley in the finals. He then won a “rubber matchup” with rival Nick Mills for the state title; having beaten Mills in the semifinals at Ironman, but falling short in the finals at Top Gun. This summer he went an outstanding 9-1 at the Junior National Duals in Oklahoma, losing only to Huntley in a pair of 1-1 periods. Thomusseit will continue his college career with his brother, Zac, at Pittsburgh. 4. Nick Sulzer School: Lakewood St. Edward 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 160 Projected College Weight Class: 165 Nick SulzerScouting Report: Sulzer probably had the biggest summer from a standpoint of boosting his stock in recruiting and rankings. Yet to win a state title, Sulzer has finished second, third and second in the state tournament. But this past offseason he won the NHSCA Junior Nationals at 152 pounds and was fifth at Junior Nationals in Fargo at 160 pounds. Sulzer is looking to join his older brothers, Aaron and Keith, as state champions this season. Sulzer has committed to wrestle at Virginia, joining former Eagle teammates Shawn Harris and Dan Gonsor in Charlottesville. 5. Josh Demas School: Westerville North 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 160/171 Projected College Weight Class: 174 Scouting Report: Demas avenged his only loss of the season -- ultimate tiebreak in the finals at Medina -- when he beat Nick Sulzer for the state title with an exploding takedown in the last minute of the match. Demas is a very athletic wrestler and will be very hard to defeat in whatever weight he ends up at this year. Seeking a second state title this year, if he competes at 160, he could see Sulzer right out of the gate at Ironman. Demas will continue his career at Ohio State, wrestling for Coach Tom Ryan and company next year. Ty Mitch won a Junior Nationals freestyle title in Fargo at 119 pounds (Photo/Dave Jedlicka/jedicheetah.com)6. Ty Mitch School: Aurora 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 119 Projected College Weight Class: 125 Scouting Report: Mitch was relatively unknown outside of Ohio until he climbed to the top of the podium this past summer at Junior Nationals, claiming the freestyle title at 119 pounds. Mitch comes in this year as a two-time state champion and will be gunning for his third state title this year. Mitch will look to win his first titles at Ironman and Brecksville this year, but will face very stiff competition from all angles, much of it from in-state competition as well. Mitch recently gave a verbal commitment to Virginia Tech. 7. Jerome Robinson School: Cleveland St. Ignatius 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 112 Projected College Weight Class: 125 Scouting Report: Robinson had a stellar junior season after being plagued by injuries the year before. It was a season in which he finally captured a state title, after taking third his freshman year, losing only to Jamie Clark, 3-2, in the quarterfinals. Robinson returns back to 112 pounds this year and looks to win his first Ironman and Brecksville titles as well. Robinson recently committed to wrestle for Old Dominion. 8. David Habat School: Cleveland St. Ignatius 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 152/160 Projected College Weight Class: 157 Scouting Report: The very talented Habat finally broke through and won his first state title last year at 145 pounds. If he is to do so again he will have just as many challenges; either having to navigate through Pierce Harger if at 152 pounds, or having to battle Sulzer and possibly Demas in the 160-pound class. Habat is one of two Ohio wrestlers listed in the Top 10 who has not yet committed to a college. Pierce Harger9. Pierce Harger School: Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 152 Projected College Weight Class: 157/165 Scouting Report: Harger is the best wrestler in Ohio that has yet to make a state finals appearance. He has been close in years past, including taking third, losing only to Habat in the state semifinals, 9-6, this past season. During the offseason, he was a finalist in both styles at the Western Junior Regionals (champion in Greco-Roman) and part of Team Ohio that won the Junior National Freestyle Duals in Oklahoma. Harger is a very dangerous wrestler and will score points in bunches. Harger has committed to wrestle at Northwestern and projects at 157/165 pounds. 10. Gus Sako School: Lakewood St. Edward 09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 125 Projected College Weight Class: 125 Scouting Report: Sako is the third member of the talented St. Edward squad inside the Top 10 recruits for the state. Sako is a two-time state finalist and was an overtime period away (against Robinson) last year from winning his second state title. Sako looks to move up two weight classes to 125 pounds, where he would be the early favorite right now to win the state title. Sako has not yet committed to a college, but his five official visits were to Cornell, Penn, Minnesota, Cal Poly, and Virginia.

Alan Waters

Jamie Clark

Derek Garcia

Tom Minkel

Greg Urbas

Ryan DesRoches shouldn't have been that worried. Last season, as the nation's 15th-ranked wrestler at 165 pounds and a returning NCAA qualifier, his selection by the NCAA at-large committee seemed a guarantee. He'd qualified a weight class for the Pac-10, but because he was upset in the semifinals of the conference tournament, he was forced to wait along with scores of other wrestlers to find out if he qualified for another NCAA tournament. "I remember training after Pac-10s and feeling good about my chances, but every once in a while I'd kinda wonder," says DesRoches, a senior at Cal Poly who is currently ranked seventh at 174 pounds. This season DesRoches earned an automatic berth in the NCAAs despite losing a narrow 5-4 decision to top-ranked Nick Amuchastegui of Stanford in the finals of the Pac-12 tournament. He was happy to not be playing the waiting game he had to last season. Ryan DesRoches received an at-large selection last season (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The Pac-10/12 holds its conference tournament a week prior to other conferences, which gives the member schools an extra week of training for NCAAs, but also forces the wrestlers in contention for an at-large bid to wait a full extra week, something that left DesRoches biting his nails to the very end. "I really did feel confident I was going to be selected, but I was listening to them announce names and mine just wasn't being called," says DesRoches. "I'd waited for almost two full weeks and after 30 names had been called I'm still sitting there wondering. I ended up having to wrestle Andrew Howe, who was the No. 2 seed last season." DesRoches was the last name called. The old system wasn't much better. Ask any bow-legged cauliflower wrestler in his thirties and they'll retell horror stories of waiting after the conference tournament to find out which wrestlers the conference chose. The system used to work off historical data and gave the conferences and their coaches discretion on who to place in the NCAA tournament. An ACC tournament in 2005 might have 16 qualifiers, with 10 automatic and six at-large. Coaches then huddled and attempted to appeal for their wrestlers, and possibly who they thought might benefit the conference's chance at earning more bids in the future. As the coaches discussed, wrestlers were sitting in locker rooms and abandoned auditoriums awaiting their decisions and coming to justifications all on their own for who should and shouldn't go. It was a random process with little justification. The new process does seem to extract more of the top wrestlers from conference tournaments and into the NCAA Championships, though the wrestlers have now become more aware of the process in advance of their conference tournament. Should they falter, how did someone near their RPI do at their conference tournament? Was there an upset? Who would go if ... ? And what if ... ? Matt Nelson is one wrestler who might end up sitting on the bubble (Photo/Virginia Sports Information)Matt Nelson of Virginia is one wrestler who might end up sitting on the bubble. Ranked in the top 20 for part of the season, Nelson has quality wins over other ranked opponents and a solid 15-4 record, but heading into the conference tournament he has alternating visions of his own dominance and the reality that anyone can have a bad day and end up in the mercy of the national at-large selection committee. "There are three spots and I'm the second-seeded guy at the weight," says Nelson. "I'm looking to beat both my opponents, and I'm focused on doing that as best I can with the stuff that I already do well." He does admit that should something happen, he hopes that his work to this point has gotten him far enough. "The last three years I was the guy carrying the water bucket," says Nelson who has spent the majority of his time in Charlottesville suffering from severe concussions. The 2011-2012 season has been his first season on the mat. "I'm thinking about what I can do at NCAAs and I'm sure that if I have to wait to hear from the committee that the time between the end of ACCs and when they announce is gonna stink, but I'm going to train through even if that is the case." The pressure for many of these wrestlers couldn't be greater. Unlike the team sports where blame can be deferred, college wrestlers are forced to take on the reality of their shortcomings in front of their friends, families and teammates. An extended wait period only prolongs the amount of time that support system will pump them up with confidence or analyze the RPI of opposing wrestlers and who they think might also make the cut. It's an exhausting proposition. In the meantime, if they don't automatically qualify, they'll be asked to train as if they were, a tough psychological hedge for any wrestler with goals of being an All-American or NCAA champion, but facing the reality that they might not even be allowed to participate. "I think it's all about getting that chance," says Nelson. "Whether I earn the automatic qualifier spot, or get in at-large, my goal is to be standing on the podium in two weeks. "I'll deal with just about anything to get there."

FARGO, N.D. -- Jahwon Akui came to Fargo with something to prove after not being able to defend his state title in Illinois this past season because of a suspension. On Tuesday afternoon, Akui won the Junior National Greco-Roman title at 171 pounds with a 1-0, 1-0 victory over Kevin Beazley (Michigan) at the FARGODOME in Fargo, N.D. Jahwon Akui (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)"I didn't get to wrestle in the state championship for Illinois after having a perfect season as a senior," said Akui. "I felt like I had a lot of unfinished business. I had a few more titles that I wanted to get before I enter college." Akui will be attending Iowa Central Community College, where he plans to play football wrestle. Akui has won the first two legs of USA Wrestling's Junior Triple Crown this year by winning Junior National titles in folkstyle and Greco-Roman. So will he be wrestling in freestyle competition? "Maybe," said Akui, before chuckling. "I might. Right now I don't know. I've wrestled 171 for the last few years. It's been tough making it this time and at the (Junior) Duals. I'm still thinking about it. Maybe." Akui's title helped Illinois capture the team title in the Junior National Greco-Roman competition. The Land of Lincoln finished with 16 All-American, three finalists, and two champions. The other Illinois wrestler to win a title, in addition to Akui, was Nkosi Moody, who defeated Dante Rodriguez (Nebraska) in the championship at 105 pounds. Moody was happy to contribute to Illinois' success. "I take a lot of pride in being from Illinois," said Moody. It's just a great wrestling team." Moody won a Junior National folkstyle title in April. If he wins the freestyle competition, which gets underway on Thursday, Moody will become just the third Junior Triple Crown winner ever. "Winning the Triple Crown is very important to me," said Moody. "Last year I wasn't able to do it. This year I'm coming after it. I've put in so much work that it would just mean so much to me." Florida crowned four champions, Isaiah Varona (119), Rossi Bruno (125), Kevin Norstrem (130), and Geordan Speiller (160), which was twice as many as any other state. Varona, who attends South Dade High School (Fla.), defeated defending Junior National Greco-Roman champion Tyler Fraley (New Jersey) in three periods to take the crown at 119 pounds. It was a breakthrough performance for Varona, who has come up just short in major events. He was runner-up at the FILA Junior World Team Trials in Greco-Roman. He placed third at the 2010 FILA Junior Nationals in Greco-Roman. He has placed third and fifth at the Florida high school state tournament. "I know what got me here was that self motivation, doing stuff on my own … the running, the lifting," said Varona. I don't even have a partner at my house to practice in my garage." Bruno defeated Zane Richards (Illinois), a 2010 Cadet National Greco-Roman champion, in three periods, 3-0, 0-1, 1-0, to claim the title at 125 pounds. It was Bruno's second straight Junior National Greco-Roman title. "He's tough," Bruno said of Richards. "He's strong. He stayed in good position. I have to give it up to him. He was definitely my toughest match of the tournament." Bruno, who attends Brandon High School, will be going for his fifth state in his senior season, which has never been accomplished in Florida. His Brandon teammate, Clark Glass, who lost in the Junior National Greco-Roman finals at 152 pounds, will also be going for his fifth state title. "I always tease him that I'm going to be the first (five-time state champion) because I'm lighter than him," said Bruno, who plans on taking recruiting visits to Rutgers, Michigan, Lehigh, North Carolina State, and one other school to be determined. Another Brandon wrestler, Kevin Norstrem, won the title at 130 pounds, with a shutout victory in the finals over Jacob Velarde (Washington), 3-0, 1-0. "I wasn't going to settle for anything less than first," said Norstrem, who is ranked as the No. 7 junior in the country by InterMat. "I had a goal … I didn't want anybody to score on me this tournament either, and I achieved that as well." Norstrem said his Brandon teammates are like family. "We're a team, but we're more of a family," said Norstrem, who went 65-0 en route to winning his third state title this past season. "We spend more time together than we do with our own relatives. It's just great having those guys working out with you every day, having those guys beat on you, you beat on them. We get a little hot sometimes, but that only helps." Norstrem's younger brother, Kyle, finished third in the Cadet Greco-Roman competition at 98 pounds. "I had to one-up him," said Norstrem. "He took third and that's kind of hard to beat, but I had to one-up him. I'm proud of him. He's only a first-year Cadet. I didn't place my first year here. Him taking third is huge." Florida's fourth champion was Geordan Speiller, who defeated Alex Meyer (Iowa), 3-0, 3-1, to take the title at 160 pounds. There were three wrestlers who repeated as Junior National Greco-Roman champion. In addition to Bruno, Missouri's Colton Howell (112) and Wisconsin's Devin Peterson (189) repeated as champions. Howell, a FILA Junior National Greco-Roman champion this year, registered a shutout victory over Phillip Laux (Iowa), 1-0, 3-0, to take the title at 112 pounds. Peterson, who is ranked as the No. 24 senior recruit by InterMat, defeated longtime rival Jake Waste (Minnesota), 5-0, 1-0, to claim the title at 189 pounds. Peterson was not the only Wisconsin wrestler to win a title in the Junior Greco-Roman competition. Wisconsin's Alex Dieringer (Wisconsin) defeated Clark Glass (Florida), 2-0, 1-0, to capture the championship at 152 pounds. Dieringer, a three-time time state champion, will be heading to Oklahoma State, a school not known for training Greco-Roman wrestlers. So what that Dieringer's last Greco-Roman tournament? "I don't even know," said Dieringer. "Maybe when I'm a little older, after I'm all done with college, maybe I might switch over. But I feel freestyle is my best style, so I think I'm going to stick with that." Dieringer will move up a weight to 160 pounds for the freestyle competition. "Every year I have been going up," said Dieringer. "It's my last year. I want to have fun, so I'm going to go up to 160 and see how that goes. If I don't win it, it's alright. I still want to win it, though … That's for sure." Ben Whitford (Michigan), a Cadet National double champion last summer, cruised to an easy technical fall victory in the finals over Chase Ferman (Oklahoma), 9-2, 7-0. "Now I'm back at Michigan," said Whitford, who won two individual state titles as a freshman and sophomore at Marmion Academy (Ill.). "I've still got a lot of great guys to practice with. Everyone in the Massa room is great to practice with." Whitford will be attending St. Johns High School (Mich.) for his junior season and reuniting with friends, like Taylor Massa, he grew up wrestling with. "I'm glad to be on the team with them," said Whitford. "Hopefully win a state title or two and put our team out there and have really great success." Another Michigan wrestler, Adam Coon, took the title at 215 pounds with a second-period pin over Lee Wildes (Florida). Johnson Mai (California) had a come-from-behind victory over Bobby Nachreiner (Wisconsin), 2-5, 3-2, 3-0, to win a stop sign at 105 pounds. Joe Schumacher (North Dakota) won a title in his home state with a 2-0, 1-0 victory over Casey George (Idaho) at 140 pounds. Jacob Falk (Utah), who will be attending Utah Valley State in the fall, defeated multiple-time Fargo champion Oliver Pierce (Texas), 2-1, 1-0, in the championship match at 145 pounds. Parker Betts, who won the heavyweight title, was Minnesota's lone champion. Betts, who will continue his Greco-Roman wrestling career at Northern Michigan, defeated Wisconsin recruit Connor Medbery (Colorado), 1-0, 2-0.