InterMat Staff

The Ohio State wrestling program has had a busy spring on the recruiting front and the good news has continued to roll in with their fourth verbal commitment from the Class of 2011. On Friday Walsh Jesuit junior Johnni DiJulius gave his verbal commitment to OSU head coach Tom Ryan to wrestle at OSU. The three-time Ohio state finalist is expected to sign his National Letter of Intent in the fall. Two-time state champion Johnni DiJulius is ranked as the No. 26 junior recruit in the country by InterMat (Photo/Bob Tuneberg, BuckeyeWrestling.com)"It is one of the best feelings in the world to say that I am going to be a Buckeye," stated Johnni DiJulius in an interview on Monday night. "I really think it is the best choice I ever made and I hope when I am done they can feel the same way about investing in me." DiJulius is a two-time DII Ohio state champion for the Warriors. As a freshman he lost in overtime to Aurora's Ty Mitch at 103 pounds since then he has been perfect at state. Moving up the last two years he won his first state title at 119 pounds and his second at 125 as a junior. After three years he is 130-6 in high school with all six losses to wrestlers that were ranked in the top-three nationally at their weight. "I have always been an Ohio State fan so it really is an honor to get the opportunity to wrestle for the Buckeyes. I am going to do everything I can do to become the best wrestler I can be," offered the humbled recruit. "I want to set my goals high and represent my team, the coaches, my family, and the school in a way they can be proud." DiJulius has been a highly regarded wrestler throughout his high school career. He was considered the 26th-ranked junior in the Class of 2011 according to the most recent InterMat class rankings and he finished this past season as the 12th-ranked 125-pound wrestler in their individual all-class rankings. "The Ohio State wrestling program is one of the best in the country from the coaches and the facilities to your workout partners and schedule. I am going to have a lot of friends on the team, it is close to home, and if we work hard we are going to be able to accomplish all of our goals," stated the future Buckeye. DiJulius is the fourth member of the 2010-2011 OSU recruiting class joining Monroeville juniors Hunter Stieber and Cam Tessari, and post-graduate Derek Garcia. Together they have combined to win twelve individual state championships with the possibility to add three more next season. All four will sign their NLI in the November. InterMat was granted permission to republish this article from BuckeyeWrestling.com. http://www.buckeyewrestling.com/?q=node/37344

Monterrey, Mexico -- Former University of Minnesota wrestler, Manny Rivera competed at the Pan-American Championships this past weekend (Mat. 2), earning a bronze medal for Mexico. Rivera was competing in Freestyle in the Pan-Am Championships, and earned Bronze Medal honors at the 66 kg (145.5 lbs) weight class. He shared the bronze with Haislan Garcia of Canada, while Geandry Garzon of Cuba won the gold medal and Pedro Soto of Puerto Rico took home the silver. Rivera was part of a Mexican team that took fourth at the event with 46 total team points. Cuba led the way with 60 team points, ahead of Canada with 57. The United States rounded out the top-three with 50 points. While at the University of Minnesota, Rivera closed his career by earning All-American honors in 2007-08, placing seventh at 141 pounds. He was a three-time NCAA qualifier and was a member of the Golden Gophers 2007 National Championship team. He was also a three-time place-winner at the Big Ten Championships, finishing as Big Ten runner-up in his senior season. Rivera came to the University of Minnesota in 2003 from Rosemead High School in El Monte, Calif. where he was a 2003 NHSCA Senior National Champion. He remains a member of Golden Gopher wrestling, in his second season on the staff as an Administrative Assistant.

BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- Billy Greene has announced his resignation from head wrestling coach duties at Campbell University after six seasons at his alma mater. Billy GreeneA 2000 Campbell graduate, Greene will seek other professional opportunities while remaining at CU as an adjunct professor in the mathematics department. "It has truly been a once-in-a-lifetime experience serving my alma mater as head wrestling coach," said Greene. "I am so grateful to our athletics director Stan Williamson, who entrusted this responsibility to me over the past six seasons. Through the wins and the losses, Mr. Williamson always exemplified a steady commitment to the wrestling program's success. For that I am genuinely thankful. I would also like to extend my deepest appreciation to President Jerry Wallace and the rest of the university administration for their solid support." Under Greene's guidance, Campbell has earned National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Academic Team distinction in each of the last two years. In 2008, the Camels compiled the ninth-best team GPA among all Division I programs. CU posted the 23rd-highest team GPA in 2009. In addition, the Campbell wrestling program's Academic Progress Rate (APR) improved nearly 100 points (from 882 to 975) over the past five years. The NWCA ranked Campbell's APR improvement as third-best in the country in the fall of 2008. Greene coached a pair of athletes, who qualified for the NCAA Wrestling Championships, including 2010 NCAA East Region 197-pound champion Parker Burns. During his stay as assistant coach, Lantz Nixon qualified for the 2002 NCAA Championships. The Camels were runner-up at the 2009 NCAA East Region duals meet. "Finally, I want to offer a special acknowledgment to Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Dwaine Greene, Vice President for Business and Treasurer Mr. Jim Roberts, and Psychology Department Chairman Dr. Gary Taylor," said Coach Greene. "These three gentlemen have been steadfast and loyal supporters of the Campbell University wrestling program during my tenure, cheering the wrestlers on at nearly every home match, and on a number of occasions even at the away contests." During Coach Greene's tenure, Campbell moved into the state-of-the-art John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center in the fall of 2008, leaving behind 55-year-old Carter Gym. "I step away from the collegiate coaching ranks with good feelings and many wonderful memories," said Coach Greene. "What a thrill it has been to train and compete in the newly-constructed John W. Pope, Jr. Convocation Center! The new wrestling training facilities have created such a positive boost for the program. I am convinced Campbell wrestling's best years lay ahead. I look forward with anticipation to the honors and achievement subsequent wrestling squads will earn under the tutelage of the next head wrestling coach." Billy Greene (Photo/Will Bratton)A native of Lewiston, Idaho, Greene arrived at Campbell in 1996. In his four-year career, Greene recorded 74 victories, 10th all-time in CU history. As a senior, he posted a 27-5 won-lost record and qualified for the NCAA Division I Championships in 2000 after winning the 157-pound division at the Colonial Athletic Association meet. In addition to being named team MVP and Campbell's Outstanding Male Athlete for 1999-00, Greene was selected to the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic second team. Greene and his teammates were also ranked sixth academically among Division I programs. He earned a Presidential Academic Scholarship to Campbell and was a member of the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society and the Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society. A President's List student, Greene earned his B.S. in mathematics with a 3.85 grade-point average. Following graduation, Greene joined former Olympian and wrestling hall of fame inductee Dave Auble's coaching staff. He assisted in all phases of the wrestling program, including match strategies, practices, recruiting, monitoring the team's academic progress, and assisting with the daily operations of the wrestling office. "Billy Greene is an outstanding person and has contributed a great deal to Campbell University through his years as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach," said Director of Athletics Stan Williamson. "Billy will be missed, and we certainly wish him the very best." Greene completed his Master's of Education degree in August of 2004. He and his wife, Liza, are expecting their first child in July.

Shawn Bunch

Glenn Garrison

Dan Bishop

MONTERREY, Mexico -- The U.S. freestyle wrestling team, lead by Iowa State assistant coach Chris Bono, notched third-place honors at the Pan-American Championships, held Sunday in the Centro de Alto. The squad crowned one gold medalist in former Nebraska-Kearney heavyweight, Tervel Dlagnev (120 kg/264.5 pounds). Former ISU national champion Trent Paulson took the bronze medal at 74 kg (163 pounds). Paulson began the tournament with a win over Puerto Rico’s Franklin Lantigua. After dropping the opening period, Paulson dominated the remaining two periods to take the match, 1-3, 5-0, 6-0. The former Cyclone 157-pound standout fell to 2004 Olympic bronze medalist and eventual tournament champion Ivan Fundora of Cuba by a score of 1-2, 0-2. Paulson, a native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, went 1-1 in the event.

University of Northern Iowa Director of Athletics Troy Dannen announced the three finalists for the Panthers' head wrestling coach vacancy. Chris Bono, Pat Popolizio and Doug Schwab will interview at UNI next week. "The three finalists each bring a unique set of experiences and background." Dannen said. "I was very pleased with the depth of the pool and the quality of the finalists. We are eager to have the candidates visit campus, meet our student-athletes and present their vision for the future of Panther wrestling." Bono, who will interview on Thursday, is an assistant coach at Iowa State University. He is in his second stint as a Cyclone assistant after serving as the head coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga from May 2006 to July 2009. Bono was a three-time All-American at Iowa State, winning 130 matches from 1994-97, including the NCAA 150-pound championship in 1996. Popolizio, who will interview on Friday, is the head coach at Binghamton University, where he has served in that capacity since 2006. The Binghamton wrestling program had been terminated in 2003 and since Popolizio took over his teams have produced 10 NCAA qualifiers and two All-Americans. In 2010, Binghamton won the CAA title and placed 21st at the NCAA Championships. Popolizio was a three-time NCAA qualifier (1997, 1998, 2002) and four-time academic all-Big XII honoree at Oklahoma State University. Schwab, who will interview on Tuesday, is currently an assistant coach for three-time defending NCAA champion Iowa Hawkeyes. Schwab was a three-time All-American and Big Ten champion for the Hawkeyes from 1998-2001. The Osage, Iowa, native won the 1999 NCAA title at 141 pounds and finished his collegiate career with 130 wins, which ranks 10th-best in school history.

I just returned from the Bellator Fights held in KC. This promotion loves wrestlers. We do return to the Brute adidas studios this week for a packed show. We have some special guests stepping up to the Mic to talk wrestling, camps the NCAA Championships and much more. In studio guest hosts- Author Matt Krumrie- The Ultimate Guide to Wrestling Camps, www.wrestlingcampguide.com Former Ok. State Cowboy- Ryan Freeman returns to join the regular cast. Joining us on line will be- Hudson Taylor- Graduating senior, one of the very talented wrestlers from the east coast will join us. Originally recruited and coached by Pat Santoro, Hudson was recently awarded the ACC Wrestling Scholar-Athlete among all his other accolades. Bruce Burnett- Head Coach US Naval Academy will join us to discuss past season, recruiting and summer camps. Navy as quite the offering. Jack Childs- Head Coach of the Drexel Dragons. The NCAA's are coming us in Philly next year. Jack may give us some insight on places to eat, sleep and ways to save money in the city of brotherly love. Lenny Zalesky- Head Coach of UC Davis. It was recently announced that his program along with other sports would be eliminated from the athletic offerings. He'll update us on the progress of putting this program back together and what you can do to get involved. Bill Miller- Founder of Lighthousewrestling.com has a new social news networking site called Shruggit.com. Designed to get more news together in one place, to be a home for budding and accomplished writers. Check this new site out. http://shruggit.com Wrestling fans- Please note that Episode 55 of TDR TV is now available with a new look. It's on over 31 different web sites now and growing. TDR every week! It's appointment Radio and TV! Join us at Takedownradio.com for America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show that airs on Supertalk 1570 in Michigan, AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa and on line at many of our broadcast partners around the world including Livesportsvideo.com. TDR "the Radio Program" airs 9 AM to 11 AM CST every Saturday morning we look forward to having you listen. Thanks for watching and listening!

What Kyle Dake accomplished as a true freshman at Cornell, winning an NCAA title at 141 pounds and going 34-2, is nothing short of incredible. Almost equally incredible, though, is the fact that a year ago Dake was ranked behind three other Class of 2009 wrestlers. David Taylor (Photo/BuckeyeWrestling.com)In the final InterMat grade level rankings for the 2008-09 season, Dake, a two-time New York state champion, was ranked fourth in the Class of 2009 ... behind No. 1 David Taylor (Graham, OH), No. 2 Eric Grajales (Brandon, FL), and No. 3 Chris Perry (Stillwater, OK). Taylor (Penn State), Grajales (Michigan), and Perry (Oklahoma State) all redshirted this past season. One has to wonder, considering Dake's immediate success, what kind of impact Taylor, Grajales, and Perry will have in their first official season of collegiate wrestling. Could the Class of 2009 go down as one of most accomplished classes ever? If this past collegiate wrestling season is any indication, it certainly has the makings of what looks to be a special class. Dake was not the only Class of 2009 wrestler to earn All-American honors as a true freshman. Two other InterMat Top 100 recruits from the Class of 2009, Tyler Caldwell (Goddard, KS) and Cashe Quiroga (Lawrence North, IN), found places on the All-American podium at the Qwest Center in Omaha. Interestingly, Caldwell and Quiroga were ranked 43rd and 65th respectively coming out of high school. Of the InterMat Top 10 recruits from the Class of 2009, only three started this past season as true freshmen. Below is a look at how the InterMat Top 10 recruits fared this past collegiate wrestling season and what other wrestlers in the Top 100 made an impact. 1. David Taylor (Penn State) Taylor began his redshirt season with an 11-4 exhibition loss to teammate Cyler Sanderson, a two-time All-American, at Penn State's intrasquad. Taylor, a four-time state champion who won everything under the sun as a high school wrestler, went on to compile a 21-2 record at 157 pounds in open tournament competition. His first loss came to two-time All-American Bubba Jenkins, a teammate at the time, 4-3, at the East Stroudsburg Open. His only other loss came to Sanderson, 9-7, at the Nittany Lion Open. 2. Eric Grajales (Michigan) Grajales tore his ACL before stepping foot on the Michigan campus, which prevented him from competing in the Wolverine lineup as a true freshman. He wrestled one match, picking up a pin at the Simonson Open on January 23, before injury defaulting out of the tournament. Chris Perry3. Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) Perry, the younger brother of four-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion Mark Perry, went 15-1 as a redshirt at 184 pounds. His only loss came to teammate and All-American Clayton Foster, 7-4, in the championship match at the Central Missouri Open. Of his 15 victories, 10 came with bonus points. Perry won tournament titles at the Missouri Open, Fort Hays State Open, and Roger Denker Open. 4. Kyle Dake (Cornell) Dake put together a sensational true freshman campaign at Cornell. The Lansing, New York native went 34-2 and became the first true freshman since Dustin Schlatter in 2006 to win an NCAA title. He was named 2010 InterMat Freshman of the Year. 5. Ed Ruth (Penn State) Ruth compiled a 14-3 mark as a redshirt at 184 pounds. He won the Floyd 'Shorty' Hitchcock Memorial Open. Two of his losses came to teammate Quentin Wright, a 2009 true freshman All-American who redshirted this past season, and his other loss came to redshirt Chris Honeycutt of Edinboro, who went 26-1 with a victory over All-American Dustin Kilgore of Kent State. Collin Palmer6. Collin Palmer (Ohio State) Palmer, the younger brother of Buckeye four-time All-American Lance Palmer, saw limited action this season as a redshirt at 149 pounds. The four-time Ohio state champion was runner-up at the Cleveland State Open on December 13, losing in the finals, 3-2, to Purdue's Sam Patacsil. 7. Jake Kemerer (Penn State) Kemerer redshirted and competed in three open tournaments, going 11-4 at 165 pounds. He placed third at both the Washington & Jefferson Open and East Stroudsburg Open. 8. R.J. Pena (Oregon State) Pena started for the Beavers at 149 pounds and put together a solid true freshman season. He placed seventh at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and spent much of the season ranked nationally. But Pena struggled mightily at the end of the season, losing his final four matches of the regular season. At the Pac-10 Championships, Pena lost in the opening round, but bounced back to place fifth. He finished the season with a 29-13 record. 9. Joey Napoli (Lehigh) Napoli earned the starting nod at 149 pounds for Lehigh. He compiled a season record of 21-12. His season ended with a disappointing 0-2 performance at the EIWA Championships. 10. Tony Ramos (Iowa) Ramos redshirted and went a perfect 12-0 at 133 pounds while competing in open tournaments. He won tournament titles at York Open, Grand View Open, and Duhawk Open. Other InterMat Top 100 recruits from the Class of 2009 who made an immediate impact � No. 14 John Nicholson (Old Dominion) Nicholson started for Old Dominion at 149 pounds and finished with a 23-8 record. He won the Hokie Open and placed seventh at the Southern Scuffle. No. 27 David Klingsheim (Nebraska) Klingsheim started at 125 pounds for Nebraska and went 15-16. No. 28 Alex Ekstrom (Oklahoma) Ekstrom was the starter for the first part of the season at 133 pounds for Oklahoma before Kendric Maple took over the spot. He finished with a 6-8 record. No. 29 Shane Young (West Virginia) Young went 16-10 and qualified for the NCAA Championships at 125 pounds for West Virginia. No. 32 Sean Boyle (Michigan) Boyle went 20-21 as Michigan's starter at 125 pounds. His season ended with a 1-2 performance at the Big Ten Championships. No. 36 Robby Fisher (Minnesota State-Mankato) Fisher went 20-15 for Division II Minnesota State-Mankato, but failed to qualify for the NCAAs. His biggest win of the season was a pin over two-time NCAA Division I qualifier Elijah Nacita of Cal State Bakersfield at the Reno Tournament of Champions. No. 37 Ellis Coleman (USOEC/U.S. Olympic Training Center) Coleman started the season in the USOEC program in Northern Michigan, but transferred out and is now a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, focusing on Greco-Roman full-time. He recently placed fourth at the U.S. Open. No. 39 Eloheim Palma (North Carolina State) Palma started at heavyweight for North Carolina State and went 23-16. No. 40 Orlando Scales (Notre Dame) Scales was an NAIA runner-up for national champion Notre Dame College at heavyweight, losing in the finals to Simon Fraser's Arjan Bhullar, the Canadian World Team member in freestyle. No. 41 C.J. Napier (Nebraska) Napier was the starter at 133 pounds for Nebraska and compiled a record of 16-15. No. 42 Ian Paddock (Ohio State) Paddock was an NCAA qualifier at 133 pounds for Ohio State, going 2-2 in Omaha. No. 43 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma) Oklahoma's Caldwell earned All-American honors, finishing fifth at 165 pounds. He won over 30 matches. No. 52 Cory Lear (Bucknell) Lear went 20-11 at 165 pounds for Bucknell during the absence of All-American Andy Rendos from the lineup. No. 61 Joe Colon (Iowa Central) Colon was an NJCAA champion for Iowa Central at 125 pounds. He registered a victory over Division III champion Clayton Rush of Coe during the regular season. No. 62 Joe Waltko (Clarion) Waltko earned the starting spot at 125 pounds for Clarion and went 15-16. No. 64 Steven Keith (Harvard) Keith started at 125 pounds for Harvard and qualified for the NCAA Championships after a third-place finish at the EIWA Championships. No. 65 Cashe Quiroga (Purdue) Quiroga, who started at 125 pounds for Purdue, earned All-American honors with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. He finished with a 28-15 mark. No. 68 Brendan Ard (Wisconsin) Ard earned the starting spot in the Wisconsin lineup at 174 pounds, finishing with a 1-11 record. No. 72 Brian Stephens (Virginia Tech) Stephens was thrust into the starting lineup for Virginia Tech at 149 pounds after an injury to Pete Yates. He made the most of the opportunity, winning 23 matches (including 12 in a row at one point) and capturing the ACC title to earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships. No. 73 Dale Shull (North Carolina State) Shull dropped down to 133 pounds for the latter part of the season for North Carolina State after wrestling 141 pounds. He was 18-16 on the season and finished 4th at the ACC Championships at 133 pounds. 80. Justin LaValle (Old Dominion) LaValle started at 133 pounds for Old Dominion, which allowed two-time NCAA qualifier Kyle Hutter to redshirt. He compiled a 17-13 mark and placed fourth at the CAA Championships. No. 81 Erik Spjut (Virginia Tech) Spjut began the season as the starter at 133 pounds for Virginia Tech, but a knee injury cut his season short. He finished with a 7-6 record. No. 88 Nick Pica (Iowa Central) Pica placed third in the NJCAA Championships at 184 pounds for Iowa Central. No. 90 Luke Vaith (Hofstra) Vaith spent much of the season as Hofstra's starter at 141 pounds before dropping down to 133 pounds at the end of January. He finished with an overall record of 16-18. No. 91 Bret Baumbach (Stanford) Baumbach started for Stanford at 141 pounds and finished with a 10-22 record. No. 96 Roger McCovey (North Idaho) McCovey was an NJCAA runner-up at heavyweight for North Idaho. No. 100 Ryan Mango (Stanford) Mango, the younger brother of 2008 Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler Spenser Mango, started at 125 pounds for Stanford and qualified for the NCAA Championships, going 1-2 in Omaha, after a third-place finish at the Pac-10 Championships. He compiled a 25-15 record.

MINNEAPOLIS -- University of Minnesota head wrestling coach J Robinson and the Golden Gopher Wrestling Program are pleased to announce the signing of high school senior Scott Schiller to a National Letter of Intent today (Apr. 29). Scott SchillerA native of Fargo, N.D., Schiller will graduate this spring from West Fargo Senior High School. Schiller had a standout career at West Fargo High School, earning three consecutive North Dakota State titles. He won his first state title as a sophomore, claiming the title at 171-pounds. As a junior he moved up to 189, but still won his second consecutive state championship. Finally, his senior year was his best, as he dominated the competition on the way to a 43-0 record and his third state title at his third different weight class, winning at 215-pounds. He also spent his senior year in the national polls, ranking at No. 4 in the country at 215. He finished his career with a 165-27 record and was named North Dakota's Senior Wrestler of the Year in 2010. Schiller is the 10th Gopher Wrestling signee this season, and joins an already stellar class of recruits for 2010-2011. He will begin his Golden Gopher career next fall. The 2009-10 group of Minnesota wrestlers finished their season with a seventh place finished at the NCAA Championships and will return three All-Americans next season.

Doug Schwab, 2008 freestyle wrestling Olympian, JD Bergman, 2010 winner of the U.S. Open at 211 pounds, and Eric Keller, co-head wrestling coach at Wartburg College, will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, April 28. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM CST on AM 1650, The Fan. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Schwab was an Olympian in 2008 and a World Team member in 2007 in freestyle wrestling. A three-time All-American and 1999 NCAA champion for the University of Iowa, he is currently an assistant coach at his alma mater. Schwab has stated publicly that he has applied for the vacant head coaching position at the University of Northern Iowa. Bergman recently won the 211-pound title in the freestyle portion of the U.S. Open in Cleveland, Ohio. Bergman was a three-time All-American for Ohio State University and has wrestled competitively in both freestyle and Greco-Roman throughout his career. Keller will enter the 2010-2011 wrestling season as Wartburg’s co-head wrestling coach, a position he will share with Jim Miller. Keller served as Wartburg’s associate head coach for four seasons and was promoted to the co-head coach position this year. Keller was an All-American for the University of Northern Iowa.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota Athletic Department held the fourth annual Golden Goldys last night (Apr. 26) honoring athletic excellence over the past year. An ESPY style event, Golden Gopher Wrestlers Jayson Ness and Mike Thorn each walked away as winners, adding yet more trophies to their case. Ness claimed the night's top honor, winning Male Athlete of the Year, on the strength of his National Championship. The Bloomington, Minn. native put together one of the best years in the century long history of Golden Gopher Wrestling. He finished 31-0, just the sixth perfect season in program history, and racked up 19 falls along the way. With 19 pins, he posted the third highest total in program history, behind his record 20 from 2008. 2008 also marked the last time Ness won a Golden Goldy, also for Male Athlete of the Year, making him the only two-time winner in an individual category. Cole Konrad also won Male Athlete of the Year in the inaugural Golden Goldys in 2007, giving wrestling three of the four winners in history of the event. Ness capped his year with his first NCAA title and fourth All-America honor. He won his second Big Ten title and was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year. At the NCAA Tournament he earned Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships, becoming just the second Gopher to do so. At the conclusion of the season he was bestowed the highest honor in college wrestling as the winner of the Hodge Trophy, awarded to the top amateur wrestler in the country. Ness beat out baseball's Derek McCallum, cross country and track & field's Hassan Mead, track & field's R.J. McGinnis and swimming's Michael Richards in the category. Thorn earns his first Golden Goldy , as Male Breakthrough Athlete of the Year. The junior from St. Michael, Minn. won his first Big Ten title this past season, and earned his first All-America honor at the NCAA Championships. Thorn placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships as a sophomore, and went 0-2 at the 2009 NCAA Tournament, before breaking out this season. Thorn finished a career best 29-7 this season, dropping his losses from 17 in 2009. He was ranked in the top-10 all season, climbing as high as third in the country. He led the team with a career high 11 major decisions, and was second on the team with nine falls. As the two seed at the Big Ten Tournament, he beat the top seed and nation's No. 2 wrestler for the title, and then went 4-2 at the NCAA tournament with a 56 second fall in his last match to place seventh and earn All-America accolades. In one of the most competitive categories, Thorn beat out basketball's Devoe Joseph, baseball's Michael Kvasnicka, golf's Ben Pisani, and football's Nate Triplett. In addition to Konrad's honor on 2007, wrestling was also the 2007 team of the year, the only previous time they won two Golden Goldys at one event.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Ohio State recruiting class of 2011 continued to grow over the weekend when Monroeville junior Cam Tessari gave the team their third verbal commitment. A three-time Ohio state champion, Cam recently helped the Eagles win their first team title in school history at 2010 Ohio state tournament. He is expected to sign his National Letter of Intent in November and projects as a 141-149 in college. "At the end of the day there wasn't a better place for me than Ohio State," commented Tessari on the phone on Friday night. "Now that I made the decision I can just focus on school and wrestling my senior year." Cam Tessari (Photo/BuckeyeWrestling.com)Despite coming from one of the smallest schools in the state, Cam has quickly become one of the most sought after recruits in the country. Currently the fourth-ranked 140-pound wrestler in the most recent InterMat rankings he is also rated as the seventh-ranked wrestler at any weight in his junior class. In the classroom Cam is an honor roll student that finished his last quarter with a 3.8 GPA. On the mat he is undefeated against Ohio wrestlers and has won state championships at three different weights. As a freshman he won his first title at 112 before moving up to 130 for his second in 2009. In March he won his third championship at 140 and completed his first undefeated season at 53-0 to improve to 135-5 in his career. "It meant a lot to finish the year undefeated because I hadn't done it before," stated Tessari at the 2010 Ohio state tournament. "It was always the goal and the Ironman was always a tough tournament so to win a title there was a big part of ending the year without a loss." At that point Tessari was still undecided about a college but listed OSU, Michigan, and Virginia Tech as his favorite. It didn't take long for him to make a decision. "I think I just needed a little more time but I know that I made a great choice," stated Tessari on Saturday when speaking of Ohio State. "They are close to home, I'm going to have a lot of friends on the team ... they have the coaches and practice to partners that can help me win a national title ... and I am going to get a great education." Tessari won't be the only Monroeville wrestler on the Ohio State team. He will join Logan Stieber who will enroll at OSU in the fall and his younger brother Hunter Stieber who will also sign his NLI with the Buckeyes in November. Logan is the nation's No. 1 ranked recruit at any weight while Hunter is ranked fourth overall at 119 pounds and ninth in his junior class. Together they have combined to win ten state titles. "I have been wrestling with Logan and Hunter since I was little so it means a lot to know we'll be together in college," said Tessari when asked about the ties. "We were able to win help Monroeville win a team title and it would mean just as much for all of us to be in the lineup helping Ohio State win a NCAA championship." The Buckeyes have three wrestlers that have given verbal commitments in their 2011 recruiting class. Joining Cam and Hunter Stieber, Derek Garcia will be released from his 2010 National Letter of Intent to resign with OSU in November. Garcia would have arrived in the fall with Logan Stieber but after making the decision to have knee surgery he also decided to delay enrollment for a year. Derek is the ninth-ranked recruit in 2010. Tessari's goals for his senior year are no different then what they were every year. "Hopefully we can come together and win another a team title. I want to go undefeated and work hard to get ready to wrestle in college. It is going to be a challenge and I want to be ready to wrestle when I get the opportunity. I am excited to be a Buckeye," said Tessari. Buckeyes receive third commitment in last three weeks The coaches received their third commitment in the last three weeks on Monday when Dublin Scioto senior Alex Gordon signed his National Letter of Intent. He joins high school teammate Randy Languis who signed with the Buckeyes last week and Tyrell Fortune who announced his intention to transfer to Ohio State after graduating from Clackamas Community College in the fall. Completing the current class of seven Logan Stieber, Josh Demas, Drew Stone, and Max Gladstone signed their NLI in November 2009. InterMat was granted permission to republish this article from BuckeyeWrestling.com. http://www.buckeyewrestling.com/?q=node/37256

Wrestling’s Mike Cannon was named the American University Male Senior Student-Athlete of the Year on Sunday at the 2010 American University Student-Athlete Banquet. has been at the forefront of the wrestling team's continued success over the last four years, helping the Eagles to a program record 14th-place finish at the NCAA Championships this March. Cannon’s third-place showing at this year’s NCAA Championships capped off an illustrious career, as he will graduate with 122 career wins, second most in school history. Among his numerous accomplishments this senior can boast being one of only two wrestlers in program history to earn All-America status three times, doing so in three different weight classes. His other accolades include being a 2008 Midlands Champion, a two-time EIWA Champion, a three-time Midlands place winner, a four-time EIWA place winner and a four-time NCAA Championships Qualifier. An accounting major, Cannon is American wrestling’s only three-time NWCA Academic All-American. He also helped the Eagles earn the distinction of NWCA Champions of the Classroom in 2008 and 2009, as the team achieved the highest combined GPA of all Division I wrestling programs.

CLEVELAND -- University of Minnesota wrestling sophomore Sonny Yohn took fifth over the weekend (Apr. 22-25) at the U.S. Open, and in doing so qualified for the final U.S. Word Team Trials. Also, freshman Danny Zilverberg claimed top honors in freestyle at the Asics Junior Nationals, and was named Outstanding Wrestler. Yohn took fifth place with a 2-0, 4-1 win over Brent Jones in the fifth place match. The Alamosa, Colo. native went 4-2 at 96 Kg (211.5 lbs) to claim fifth place honors, after winning his first national title on Apr. 11 at the University Nationals. Zilverberg was a redshirt freshman for the Golden Gophers last year, racking up a 17-5 record at 149 lbs. At the FILA Junior Nationals he went 6-0 with a 7-1, 2-0 win over Andrew Alton in the championship match for the 66 Kg (145.5 lbs) title. Zilverberg beat Alton's brother Dylan in the semifinals, rallying back from a 0-7 loss to win 0-7, 3-0, 1-1 to advance, on his way to the championship and Outstanding Wrestler honors. "I have improved tremendously," Zilverberg said. "I just kept battling and pushing the pace out there. This is going to be a good motivator to keep training through the spring." Also in Junior Freestyle, David Thorn (St. Michael, Minn.) placed second at 60 Kg (132.25 lbs), Jake Kettler (Ramsey, Minn.) placed fourth at 120 Kg (264.5 lbs) and Kevin Steinhaus (Pennock, Minn.) placed seventh at 84 Kg (185 lbs). Thorn lost a 6-0, 3-2 decision to future Gopher Nick Dardanes in the championship match. In the quarterfinals, Thorn beat Dardanes twin brother Chris to advance to the semifinals. In FILA Junior National greco roman, Alec Ortiz (Grande Rhonde, Ore.) earned championship honors at 74 Kg (163 lbs) with a 0-1, 3-0, 8-0 win over Corey Hope. In addition to freestyle, Kettler also competed in greco roman, and placed fourth again, at 120 Kg (264.5 lbs). All of the FILA Junior placewinners have now qualified for the final Junior World Team Trials. The World Team trails will be held in Council Bluffs, Iowa, June 11-12.

For those only truly familiar with high school and college wrestling, picture a tournament where arguably the easiest 16-man bracket was one that had seven wrestlers that had earned All-American honors at the NCAA Division I Championships. Well, that is the case when you analyzed the brackets this past weekend at the U.S. Open in men's freestyle. This is a testament to the level of competition witnessed at the Wolstein Center on the campus of Cleveland State University. One of the more wide open weight classes in the current men's freestyle landscape is at 55 kg (121 pounds). The championship bracket of 16 featured 11 wrestlers that had earned All-American honors at the NCAA Division I tournament. Angel Escobedo, a four-time All-American, and Paul Donahoe, a three-time All-American, were NCAA champions; while Sam Hazewinkel and Nick Simmons were also four-time NCAA All-Americans. However, the two main stories ended up being a one-time All-American that placed sixth, and a wrestler that has yet to graduate from high school. Eventual champion Obe Blanc did not give up a point in his four matches, while defeating two-time All-American Brandon Precin 3-0, 3-0, 2009 World Team representative Danny Felix, 1-0, 2-0, and Escobedo, 1-0, 4-0. High school senior Logan Stieber, ranked first by InterMat in the Class of 2010, advanced to the semifinal round on the strength of a three-period win over Hazewinkel (1-1, 4-0, 1-1) capped off by a double leg takedown right before the buzzer. Then, in the semifinal round, he was seconds away from defeating a second four-time All-American before Escobedo hit a three-point throw to win the match in three periods (1-0, 0-2, 4-1). Stieber lost two more matches to place sixth -- which meant that a wrestler who went 180-1 in high school had lost three consecutive matches. On the other hand, the landscape at 84 kg (185 pounds) seems to possibly be in the hands of Jake Herbert -- a 2009 World silver medalist, four-time NCAA All-American, and two-time champion. Most interesting is that the second-ranked wrestler in this weight, who also finished second at the U.S. Open, is an individual that never earned All-American honors while competing at Bloomsburg, Bryce Hasseman. Keep in mind that this was a bracket, which including Herbert, featured 11 total Division I All-Americans, plus two-time Division II champion Tom Meester. Herbert, Keith Gavin, and Chris Pendleton all have Division I championships to their credit as well. Given that context, the post-collegiate performance of Hasseman is very impressive. Other weight brackets that featured three Division I champions were 60 kg (132 pounds) and 66 kg (145.5 pounds). Matt Valenti, Coleman Scott, and Derek Moore were the NCAA Division I champions in the 60 kilogram bracket at the U.S. Open. However, the top two wrestlers in this weight class according to the rankings and the finish at this past weekend's tournament were Shawn Bunch and Mike Zadick; Bunch was a two-time All-American taking home second and third, while Zadick earned three All-American honors (seventh, third, and seventh). Though not competing at the U.S. Open, three-time All-American and NCAA champion Nate Gallick was ranked third in this weight in the most recent TheMat.com U.S. senior freestyle rankings. Doug Schwab, Teyon Ware, and J Jaggers were the NCAA champions appearing in the bracket at 66 kg -- with Ware and Jaggers having two titles to their credit. Two-time All-American and NCAA runner-up Jared Frayer is the top-ranked wrestler, and the one who emerged as U.S. Open champion in this weight class, while three-time All-American, also a NCAA runner-up, Josh Churella finished runner-up in the tournament. This weight class should also expect the injection of NCAA champions Darrion Caldwell and Brent Metcalf -- if not by the World Team Trials, then for sure in time to prepare for the 2012 Olympic Games. The weight in which the United States seems most equipped with high-level international depth is at 120 kg (264.5 pounds). Two NCAA Division I champions appeared in the U.S. Open bracket, along with three of the best ever to compete at heavyweight outside of Division I. Fresh off an NCAA championship last month, David Zabriskie placed eighth at the U.S. Open, while fresh off of an almost two-year retirement, four-time All-American (and two-time champion) Tommy Rowlands finished third. Rowlands was seconds away from defeating eventual champion Les Sigman in the semifinals, as Sigman needed a last second score to extend the match to three periods in his 0-2, 2-2, 3-0 victory. Sigman, a four-time Division II champion at Nebraska-Omaha then defeated Tervel Dlagnev in three periods for the championship (3-4, 2-1, 2-0). Dlagnev was a World bronze medalist in 2009, and won titles in Division II at Nebraska-Kearney the two seasons after Sigman left the collegiate scene. Finishing fourth in this weight class was Blake Gillis, a four-time Division III finalist (only one title) while competing at Wartburg. Just when there isn't enough for quality depth within the United States, 2008 Olympian Steve Mocco did not compete in this tournament but could be back by the World Team Trials -- and for sure will be in the mix for the 2012 Olympic Games. Mocco was a four-time Division I finalist winning titles as a true sophomore and redshirt junior. Along with Zabriskie, two other 2010 NCAA champions competed in the U.S. Open this past weekend. The first was 2009 World Team member Jake Varner, who was top seed in the 96 kilogram (211.5-pound) weight class after capping off a career in which he was a four-time Division I finalist and two-time champion. After not giving up a point in matches prior to the final, Varner fell in three periods to J.D. Bergman (0-1, 2-0, 5-0). Bergman was a three-time All-American while in college, including a runner-up finish at heavyweight as a senior. Though he did not compete this weekend, the 2008 Olympic representative at 84 kg (185 pounds) is ranked third in this weight behind Varner and Bergman; Andy Hrovat was a three-time Division I All-American. Andrew Howe, champion at 165 pounds five weekends ago as a true sophomore at the NCAA Division I Championships, earned three-period victories against both Paulson twins on the way to the U.S. Open title at 74 kg (163 pounds). In the semifinals, he defeated defending U.S. Open champion Travis Paulson, 0-1, 1-0, 4-0, while in the final, he upended World Team member (though it was down one weight class at 66 kg) Trent Paulson, 0-7, 1-0, 6-2.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Five Virginia wrestlers were named to the 2010 Virginia Sports Information Directors' All-State Wrestling Team, announced today by VaSID. UVa also captured two of the three major honors, with head coach Steve Garland winning Coach of the Year laurels and Chris Henrich (Jr., Lansdale, Pa.) earning the state's Wrestler of the Year award. The Cavaliers had three wrestlers named to the All-State First Team -- Henrich at 174 pounds, Mike Salopek (R-Fr., North Huntingdon, Pa.) at 184 pounds and Brent Jones (R-Sr., Burke, Va.) at 197 pounds. Matt Snyder (R-Fr., Lewistown, Pa.) and Jack Danilkowicz (R-Jr., Green Oaks, Ill.) each were named to the second team at 133 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. Garland was named Coach of the Year after leading the Cavaliers to one of the most memorable seasons in program history. After recording the second-most dual wins in a season at UVa (16), the Cavaliers peaked in postseason play. Virginia won its first ACC Championship since 1977, with Garland earning ACC Coach of the Year honors, marking the first time the ACC bestowed that honor on a UVa wrestling coach. The Cavaliers went on to finish 15th at the NCAA Championships. It was Virginia's second-best finish in program history behind only the 1957 team's 10th-place finish. Henrich had a memorable season of his own, as he finished 35-3 while easily winning the ACC Championship at 174 pounds before taking third place at the NCAA Championships. By virtue of his third-place NCAA finish, Henrich earned All-America honors for the second straight season, becoming the first two-time All-American in Virginia wrestling history. Salopek posted a 28-10 record in his redshirt freshman season. He recorded one of the more dramatic wins in Virginia wrestling history when he scored a late takedown in the final period against Virginia Tech's Tommy Spellman in their ACC Championship match. Salopek's ensuing win provided the clinching points for Virginia to win the team title. Salopek went on to compete at the NCAA Championships. Jones went 27-13 this season with a team-high 11 falls. He also competed at the NCAA Championships and fell one win shy of reaching All-America status. He finished his Virginia career as the all-time UVa pins record holder with 45. He also ended his career with 106 career wins, which ranks fourth in school history. Jones earned the 2010 Gorrarian Trophy, which is presented to the wrestler who pinned the most opponents in the least amount of time at the NCAA Championships. Snyder, normally a 125-pounder, wrestled up a weight class for the second half of the year and finished his season with a 27-16 record. He also took runner-up honors at the ACC Championships. Danilkowicz recorded his best season as a Cavalier with a 19-14 record. After taking third place at the ACC Championships, he earned a berth in the NCAA Championships, where he posted a 1-2 record. VaSID All-State First Team 125 James Nicholson, Old Dominion 133 Marcus Chevres, Apprentice School 141 Chris Diaz, Virginia Tech 149 Brian Stephens, Virginia Tech 157 Peter Rose, Southern Virginia 165 Chris Brown, Old Dominion 174 Chris Henrich, Virginia 184 Mike Salopek, Virginia 197 Brent Jones, Virginia HWT Josh Wine, VMI VaSID All-State Second Team 125 Jarrod Garnett, Virginia Tech 133 Matt Snyder, Virginia 141 Ty Holley, Apprentice School 149 Frankie Gayeski, Liberty 157 Jesse Dong, Virginia Tech 165 Chad Porter, Liberty 174 Mendbagana Tovuujav, George Mason 184 Tommy Spellman, Virginia Tech 197 Jesse Strawn, Old Dominion HWT Jack Danilkowicz, Virginia Wrestler of the Year Chris Henrich, Virginia Rookie of the Year Brian Stephens, Virginia Tech Coach of the Year Steve Garland, Virginia

Jake Shields

Marty Bartram

Andrew Murano

Marcie VanDusen

Chuck Barbee

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland wrestling team celebrated a second consecutive top-20 finish at the NCAA Championships and said goodbye to one of the most decorated senior classes in program history Saturday night at the team banquet. The senior class consisting of Hudson Taylor, Steven Bell, Alex Krom, Mookie Golden, James Knox, Rich DiPietro, Casey Marwine and Andrew Bradley, along with volunteer assistant Brendan Byrne, were all presented individual awards for their contributions to the program. "It was an incredible event and a great way to cap off the season," said head coach Kerry McCoy. "We had a great senior class and a lot of emotions were displayed. I'm really happy with the success of the banquet and all the support we received. It really shows that Maryland is a special place." The Terps had a number of individual and team achievements to celebrate. Maryland achieved a No. 6 preseason ranking, the highest in school history. Krom became the first Terp to win the Midlands Championship and Maryland finished sixth as a team, its highest finish ever. Maryland set a school record with 19 dual-meet wins, finished in the top-20 at the NCAA Championships for the second straight year and had multiple All-Americans for the second consecutive year. M Club Executive Director Ziz Abdur-Ra'oof was on hand to recognize letter winners and present seniors with a special gift signifying their membership to the M Club. Taylor was awarded the John C. McHugh Outstanding Wrestler of the Year for the third straight year after going 42-4 and finishing fourth at the NCAA Championships. Taylor became the first three-time All-American in school history and finished his career with as Maryland's winningest wrestler with a 165-26 record. He also owns the school record for career pins (87) and single-season pins (24), which he set in 2009-10. Taylor also received the Kevin R. Kearns Award, given to the senior wrestler who has contributed the most to wrestling at the university. Taylor was recently named the ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year for the second time and also recently received an ACC postgraduate scholarship, to go with a number of other off-the-mat accomplishments. Steven Bell and Taylor received awards for becoming All-Americans. Bell finished eighth at the NCAA Championships and compiled a 27-8 record on the season, while Taylor finished fourth. Bell also captured his third ACC Championship and became the program's fifth two-time All American. Other award winners included: Mookie Golden, who went 15-6 on the season and stepped in to win several crucial conference matches for the Terps, was awarded the Tom Norris Unsung Hero Award for the wrestler who always puts the team first over himself. Josh Asper took home both the Freshman of the Year award and the Curt Callahan Mental Toughness Award, given to the wrestler who was always ready to do battle in the practice room, tournaments and dual meets. Asper had a sensations season, setting the school record for wins by a freshman with 34 and coming up just short of an All-American season by placing ninth at the NCAA Championships. Kyle John went 29-13 and qualified for the NCAA Championships as a redshirt sophomore and received the Most Improved Award. Jimmy Sheptock took home the Redshirt of the Year award after going 24-3 and winning the East Stroudsburg Open and the Wilkes Open. 2010 Maryland Banquet Awards: John C. McHugh Outstanding Wrestler of the Year: Hudson Taylor Kevin R. Kearns Award: Hudson Taylor Tom Norris Unsung Here Award: Mookie Golden Curt Callahan Mental Toughness Award: Josh Asper Most Improved Award: Kyle John Redshirt of the Year Award: Jimmy Sheptock Freshman of the Year Award: Josh Asper