InterMat Staff

State College, PA -- LionHeart Professional Management and Promotions, Inc. has signed 2008 NCAA champion and four-time All-American Phil Davis to an exclusive MMA career management contract. Davis' first fight under his new contract will be held on June 21 at The House of Blues in Atlantic City, NJ. Tickets and event details are available at www.newbreedfighters.tv "I'm looking forward to beginning a new phase of my athletic career," said Davis. "Signing with LionHeart allows me to continue training with the intensity and focus I'm used to as a Division 1 athlete. I'll be surrounded with the kind of coaches and management that I'll need to pursue a championship at the professional level." Founder Chad Dubin believes that signing Davis will be a momentum builder for LionHeart. "I think that signing Phil sends a clear message to the MMA athletes, promoters, and professional leagues around the country that LionHeart is on the scene. With management, training facilities, and a full time coaching staff all working from a central site here in State College, we've created something unique, a real destination for mixed martial arts." Davis and Dubin will be available to the media tomorrow, June 19 at a press conference held at 1:00 p.m. at the new LionHeart MMA training complex located at 127 Sowers St. in State College, PA. Fighters and coaches interested in learning more about the opportunities at LionHeart should contact Chad Dubin at (814) 280-1982 or chad@lionheartfighters.com. For further information visit: www.lionheartfighters.com

LAS VEGAS, NV -- University of Iowa Assistant Wrestling Coach Doug Schwab earned a spot on the 2008 United States Olympic Freestyle Wrestling team by winning the 145.5-pound bracket at the Olympic Team Trials in Las Vegas, NV, last weekend. Schwab defeated former Hawkeye Bill Zadick in the championship match (1-0, 1-0; 1-0, 1-1, 2-1) to earn his first Olympic berth. In all, 10 wrestlers with ties to the University of Iowa competed at the three-day tournament. "There were some tough times," explained Schwab about his development as a wrestler. "I came out for the U.S. Nationals five or six times, and I was fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh. Not until last year did I really have my break through. I always believed in hard work. Now it's just confidence. I can feel it out there. I'm just a more confident wrestler." Iowa strength and conditioning coach Mike Zadick also won the 132-pound tournament bracket, but since the United States did not qualify that weight class for the Olympics he will have to wait for a wild card berth, which could be announced later this week. Zadick defeated Shawn Bunch of Gator Wrestling Club in the finals (3-1, 1-0; 0-3, 0-3; 0-2, 3-0, 1-0). The rest of the freestyle Olympic squad includes Henry Cejudo (121), Ben Askren (163), Andy Hrovat (185), Daniel Cormier (211.5) and former Hawkeye Steve Mocco (264.5). Hawkeye sophomore Brent Metcalf went 2-2 at the tournament, competing at 145.5. Former Hawkeyes Joe Williams (185, 1-2), Joe Johnston (145.5, 0-2), Eric Luedke (163, 0-2) and Lee Fullhart (185, 0-2) all competed in the freestyle tournament. Former Hawkeye David Spangler went 0-2 at 185 in the Greco-Roman competition. The wrestling events for the 29th Olympic Games will be held August 12-21 at the China Agricultural University Gymnasium in Beijing.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Heading into the 2011 Big Ten Championships, the team race was expected to be tight with No. 2 Penn State and No. 3 Iowa battling it out for the team title. As it turned out, the team race couldn't have been much tighter. In the end, it was Penn State edging Iowa, 139-138, for the team title on Sunday. The Nittany Lions went a perfect five for five in the finals and picked up a much-needed bonus point win in a fifth-place match. "We're happy," said Penn State coach Cael Sanderson, who was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. "Yesterday we were down 20-something points. We just said we have to keep fighting, keep hustling. Whoever wants it is going to get it. These guys went out and did it. I'm real proud of them." Winning individual titles for the Nittany Lions were Andrew Long (133), Frank Molinaro (149), David Taylor (157), Ed Ruth (174), and Quentin Wright (184). Long, an NCAA runner-up last at 125 pounds for Iowa State, faced Wisconsin's Tyler Graff in the finals and gave up an early takedown. Long added an escape in each of the first two periods to knot the score at 2-2 heading into the third period. Graff picked up an escape and held a 3-2 lead late into the third period. But Long stayed aggressive and eventually scored a point from a fleeing the mat call to tie the match at 3-3 and send it into sudden victory. Long picked up a takedown just 18 seconds into the sudden victory period and added two nearfall points to win 7-3. "It feels really good," said Long. "Coming from Big 12s it's a little different atmosphere. But still the same goal in mind. It's good to get that first victory and that big title under your belt." It was the second meeting between the two wrestlers this season. Long won the first meeting 12-5 on Feb. 18. Long said Graff used a different tactic the second time around to keep the match closer. "He just stayed away from me," said Long. "He kept running the whole match. You could see that I had to chase him down. They didn't want anything to do with me in the tie-ups or even in the match. It was just cat and mouse for seven minutes." Molinaro earned his title with a 3-0 shutout victory over sixth-seeded Eric Grajales of Michigan. Grajales picked up a takedown in the first period and added an escape while shutting down Grajales' offense. "Overall, I was happy," said Molinaro, who improved to 28-2 this season. "I didn't give up a point the whole tournament. That was one of my goals coming in, to go unscored on. So I've got to be happy with that." It was Molinaro's third victory over Grajales this season. Grajales, a four-time Junior & Cadet National champion in Fargo, has proven to be a big-move wrestler, so Molinaro wanted to stay solid. "I think his game plan, his coaches, want to keep it close, kind of lure me to sleep, and then hit me with a big throw, big move, big momentum swing," said Molinaro. "So I just wanted to stay solid." Taylor, a redshirt freshman, captured his first Big Ten title with an 8-3 victory over another redshirt freshman, Iowa's Derek St. John, 8-3. St. John scored the first takedown to go up 2-0, but Taylor stayed aggressive the entire match, picking up a takedown in each of the three periods to win and improve to 34-0 this season. It was only the second match all season in which Taylor has not picked up bonus points. "I've just got to keep attacking," said Taylor, who was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year. "It's just one step towards nationals. Since the beginning of the season guys have been really trying to slow me down and I've tried to continue working more and more on my shots, attacks, putting things together ... two, three setups, two, three shots, which take the good guys down." With Taylor going undefeated and dominating his competition en route to winning a Big Ten title, he has put himself in a position to earn one of the top seeds at 157 pounds at the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia. Two other wrestlers in his weight class, Steve Fittery of American and Adam Hall of Boise State, are also undefeated this season. Both Fittery and Hall are returning All-Americans. The weight class also includes Taylor's former teammate at Penn State, Bubba Jenkins, a 2008 NCAA runner-up who is now at Arizona State. "I think I've got an argument to be No. 1 seed at nationals," said Taylor. "Whatever happens, though, I've got to wrestle whoever I step on the mat against." Taylor wasn't the only freshman on his team to win a Big Ten title. His teammate, Ed Ruth, captured the title at 174 pounds with an 8-5 victory over Ohio State's Nick Heflin. Ruth used a second period cradle, which nearly resulted in a pin, to break the match open. Ruth said seeing his teammates win titles gave him motivation to do the same. "When I see all these guys from my team that are winning, it gives me a real big boost," said Ruth, who improved to 32-1 this season. "When I go out there, I just want to beat my guy and join the rest of the winner's circle." Penn State's fifth Big Ten champion, Quentin Wright, was the surprise of the tournament. Wright entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed at 184 pounds after losing his final three matches of the regular season. He avenged two losses on Saturday by beating the No. 1 and No. 5 seeds. On Sunday, Wright avenged another loss by edging second-seeded Kevin Steinhaus of Minnesota, 4-3. Steinhaus won the first meeting, 10-1, on Feb. 13. "That's what I dreamed about for the past three months," said Wright, who was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. "It didn't look it. It didn't feel like it most of the way through the season. Don't ever give up on your dreams. Don't ever give up on yourself. Make sure the people around you are building you and keep yourself built up and then your dreams will come true." A pair of returning NCAA champions, Matt McDonough of Iowa (125) and Andrew Howe of Wisconsin (165), captured Big Ten titles on Sunday. McDonough won a hard fought match, 3-1, over Northwestern's Brandon Precin. The Hawkeye sophomore trailed 1-0 after two periods, but picked up an escape and takedown off a scramble in the third period to pull out the victory. It was the third meeting between the two wrestlers this season. Precin won the first meeting, but McDonough has now won the last two. It feels good, but it's just one more big match in preparation for the ultimate goal," said McDonough. "It just builds more confidence going into that postseason. Peaking every day. So tomorrow's got to be a better day." Howe, who missed part of January and all of February because of a knee injury, defeated Ohio State's Colt Sponseller, 3-1, in sudden victory in a rematch of last year's Big Ten final at 165 pounds. He was also a big Ten champion two seasons ago as a freshman. Howe scored a takedown with just six seconds remaining in the sudden victory period. "For the most part I had a pretty good tournament after coming back from that injury," said Howe, who became the first Badger since Donny Pritzlaff (1999-2001) to win three Big Ten titles. Howe is expected to be the No. 2 seed at the NCAA Championships behind Nebraska's Jordan Burroughs, the wrestler who defeated him in the finals of the Midlands Championships and snapped his 51-match winning streak. How is looking forward to the possibility of facing Burroughs in Philadelphia. "I've been thinking about it constantly since (Midlands)," said Howe. "It would be great. I would love to even the score. Hopefully we run into each other in Philly." Howe's wasn't the only wrestler to win his third Big Ten title. Michigan's Kellen Russell claimed his third conference title with an 8-4 decision over 2010 Big Ten champion Mike Thorn of Minnesota. It was Russell's third victory over Thorn this season. Five of the nation's top seven 141-pounders, including the top four, are from the Big Ten. Russell feels that having to battle the nation's best on a regular basis will give him an edge over other wrestlers from outside the conference at the NCAA Championships. "There's not a conference out there that has as many tough guys as the Big Ten right now," said Russell, who is undefeated on the season at 33-0. "We're all beating each other up right now. But those guys aren't used to this kind of competition. Hopefully when it gets late in matches like that they're not going to be used to grinding it out like we are." Wisconsin's Trevor Brandvold repeated as Big Ten champion at 197 pounds. He defeated Iowa's Luke Lofthouse, 5-2. The Badgers finished fourth in the team standings, six points behind third-place Minnesota and 35.5 points behind champion Penn State. Wisconsin finished fourth at the NCAA Championships. Brandvold feels the Badgers could do as well or better this season. "As a team, we have a lot of guys that can do some damage, so hopefully we can rack up the team points there," said Brandvold. Blake Rasing of Iowa captured the Big Ten title at heavyweight with a 5-2 victory over Minnesota's Tony Nelson. Rasing used a third period takedown and two nearfall points to pull away for the victory. Team Standings: 1. Penn State 139 2. Iowa 138 3. Minnesota 109.5 4. Wisconsin 103.5 5. Michigan 86.5 6. Illinois 64 7. Northwestern 62 8. Ohio State 57 9. Purdue 51 10. Indiana 50 11. Michigan State 49.5 Finals: 125: No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) dec. No. 2 Brandon Precin (Northwestern), 3-1 133: No. 1 Andrew Long (Penn State) dec. No. 2 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin), 7-3 SV 141: No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) dec. No. 3 Mike Thorn (Minnesota), 8-4 149: No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) dec. No. 6 Eric Grajales (Michigan), 3-0 157: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) dec. No. 2 Derek St. John (Iowa), 8-3 165: No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) dec. No. 2 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State), 3-1 SV 174: No. 1 Ed Ruth (Penn State) dec. No. 2 Nick Heflin (Ohio State), 8-5 184: No. 8 Quentin Wright (Penn State) dec. No. 2 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota), 4-3 197: No. 1 Trevor Brandvold (Wisconsin) dec. No. 2 Luke Lofthouse (Iowa), 5-2 285: No. 3 Blake Rasing (Iowa) def. No. 4 Tony Nelson (Minnesota), 5-2 Not every significant match happened in finals Not every significant match took place in the finals. There were several third-place battles that featured returning All-Americans, upset specialists and unseeded underdogs. At 141 pounds, returning All-American and No. 4 seed Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois got out to a 5-1 lead on No. 2 and returning NCAA runner-up Montell Marion of Iowa thanks to a couple textbook powerful double leg takedowns. A Marion escape early in the third period cut Kennedy's lead to 6-5, but the Illinois senior got a leg on the edge, then switched to a double in the middle of the mat to seal the deal. "I was able to finish a lot of times I got in," Kennedy says. "As long as I could capitalize on his aggressiveness, I knew I'd be OK. Either the championship or the third place match could have been a final. The dual for third place at 149 pounds between No. 2 Andrew Nadir of Northwestern and No. 3 Kurt Kinser of Indiana was choppy thanks to continual blood time for Nadir. Kinser fought off continual Nadir shots until the third period. The relentless front headlocks by Kinser wore down Nadir. In that final frame, Kinser escaped quickly, then In the overtime, Kinser again locked his hands, then spun around behind for a 6-4, come-from-behind overtime decision and a third-place finish. "My style is to grind people out, and that was a grinder victory," Kinser said. "With those front headlocks, you just have to get your on him and then eventually break him. Once you break their base, you just whip behind [your opponent]." The Hoosier's senior now shifts his focus to his fourth straight NCAA Championships, knowing that it will take wrestling a full match in Philly to finally earn All-American status. "The stuff that dogged me in my loss is the same stuff that has dogged me for awhile," Kinser said. "Just wrestling a full seven minute go, not having that mental lag that catches you off guard." Michigan State 197-pounder Tyler Dickenson (22-15), who has dealt with inconsistency all season, was the only unseeded wrestler who finished in the top six. The junior St. John's High grad took down three seeded wrestlers before finally falling in a 6-2 decision to fourth-seeded Matt Powless of Indiana to finish in fourth place and seal a trip to his first NCAAs. "I'm pretty happy with my overall tournament," Dickenson said. "I did a good job of clearing my head and forgetting about the past and [my opponent], and just getting after it." Few third-place finishers had a better tournament than Wisconsin's Eric Bugenhagen. After losing to eventual champion Blake Rasing, the senior bounced back to go 5-1 overall, upsetting second-seeded Ricardo Alcala of Indiana and top-seeded Cameron Wade of Penn State in the process. In the third place match, Bugenhagen took down seventh-seeded Joe Rizqallah of Michigan State twice in the first period and cruised to a 6-1 decision to advance to his first NCAA Tournament. "It was a rough start against Iowa," Bugenhagen says, "but I feel like I wrestled some of my best matches all year at this tournament. I feel like I'm peaking at the right time."

WATERLOO -- The flood of the century has severely damaged the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum but the staff has decided to go ahead with "Super Weekend" scheduled for June 27-28, with a few modifications. The weekend begins with a celebrity golf tournament Friday at Irv Warren Golf Course at noon. A World League Wrestling show, produced by Harley Race, will go on as scheduled. Called "Night of the Legends 2" it will be held at Young Arena, starting at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.). The flood of the century has severely damaged the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum but the staff has decided to go ahead with "Super Weekend"Saturday's schedule includes the only major change. The official inductions into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame will still go on at 11 a.m., but will be held in Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center two blocks away from the museum. The event had been set for the museum, but the severe flooding has virtually ruined the museum. The fourth and final event is the inductions banquet at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center at 7 p.m. (social hour at 6 p.m.). "Even though the museum suffered unimaginable damage, the staff and board of directors felt it was imperative that we go ahead with "Super Weekend," said Mike Chapman, executive director of the museum. "This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and we hope the wrestling community from around the nation will rally to support us. The museum needs all the help it can get." A combination of flooding and sewer back up into the museum has destroyed thousands of dollars of artifacts and memorabilia, and left the physical plant ravaged. A professional clean up crew has been working in the museum for five days, tearing out carpet, polluted walls, battered furniture and office equipment, and some displays. The museum board of directors is resolved to get the museum up and running again, but it is going to take considerable time, effort, patience, and money," said Chapman. "The staff has been working virtually around the clock to clean up the mess and still prepare for "Super Weekend." The six inductees this year are Roddy Piper, Abe Jacobs, Masa Saito, Leo Nomellini, Ray Gunkel, and Stu Hart. Piper, Jacobs, and Saito are attending and Bret Hart, Class of 2006, is accepting his father's award. The daughter of Ray Gunkel is also planning to attend. In addition, Wendi Weaver, the daughter of Penny Banner, will accept the Frank Gotch Award on behalf of her mother who passed away last month. Also being honored are Father Jason Sanderson, with the Lou Thesz Award and writers Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson with the Jim Melby Award. Fans will be able to get autographs of many former hall of famers at the Friday night matches, and also at the Fan Festival following the inductions at 11 a.m. Saturday. Price of admission for the 11 a.m. inductions is $10 per person. Banquet tickets are $60 a person and seating is limited. Banquet tickets must be purchased at 5 p.m. June 24. Tickets to the "Night of Legends II" show are $15 for ringside and $10 for general admission. Tickets can be purchased at Young Arena. The museum lobby will be open Friday, June 27 from noon to 6 p.m. for the pick up of tickets that have already been purchased or for information on the weekend's events. The museum is located at 303 Jefferson St. The phone service for the museum is expected to be up and running soon. The number to call is 319-233-0745. Schedule of Events: Friday, June 27 Noon – Celebrity Golf tournament at Irv Warren Golf Course, Byrnes Park 6 p.m. – Doors open for the World League Wrestling Show at Young Arena Saturday, June 28 10 a.m. – Doors open to Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center for 2008 George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame induction ceremony 11 a.m. – Official induction ceremony begins Noon – 2 p.m. – Fan Fest following inductions 6 p.m. – Social hour for official induction banquet 7 p.m. – Banquet begins

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Former Oklahoma State wrestlers Daniel Cormier and Steve Mocco will represent the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics after both Cowboys won their respective weight classes at the Olympic Trials in the Thomas and Mack Center Sunday. Cormier is set to compete in his second straight Olympic games after he won his best-of-three championship series over Damion Hahn. Cormier claimed a 6-1, 6-0 win over Hahn in the first match of the best-of-three finals series, then followed it up with a 1-0, 1-0 win over Hahn to punch his ticket to Beijing. Cormier, the 2008 winner of the John Smith Award as the top American freestyle wrestler, won the bronze medal at the 2007 World Championship. He placed fourth at the 2004 Athens Olympics and is now a five-time member of the United States freestyle world team. He did not have to wrestle through the challenge tournament to get to the finals as a result of his past successes. Mocco stormed through the challenge tournament with a first-round bye and followed it up with a 1-0, 1-0 win over Les Sigman to set up his resounding 2-0, 7-0 semifinal win over Scott Steele. Mocco faced previous nemesis Tommy Rowlands in the best two-of-three championship series and handed him a 1-0, 2-0 beating to land a spot on the U.S. Olympic roster. The victory was particularly sweet for Mocco, who lost to Rowlands at the U.S. Nationals in April. By beating Rowlands Sunday, Mocco made the U.S. World Team for the first time in his career after posting runner-up finishes in 2005, 2006 and 2007. He was also the runner-up at the U.S. Nationals in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008. In addition to the victorious Cormier and Mocco, two other former Cowboy wrestlers competed in the Olympic Trials finals, with Tyrone Lewis and Mo Lawal both falling short in their Olympic bids. Lewis lost his best-of-three finals match to Ben Askren by dropping the first match, 2-0, 1-0 and the second match by a 2-6, 2-0, 1-0 score. Lewis' route to the finals started with a first-round bye followed by a 1-1, 1-0, 1-0 win over Keith Gavin in the second round. Lewis' 0-2, 3-0, 7-0 pounding of Ryan Churella put him into the final round, where Askren held him off. A late takedown with only 17 seconds left in his championship match with Andy Hrovat ended up costing Lawal, who lost a 0-1, 1-0, 2-2 decision. Like Cormier, Lawal earned a spot in the championship series by virtue of his past performances. He did not wrestle in the challenge tournament. Not including Cormier and Mocco in 2008, a total of 32 former Oklahoma State Cowboys have wrestled in 38 Olympic Games and Cormier is set to join John Smith, Kendall Cross, Kenny Monday, Gene Davis, Harry Geris and Yojiro Uetake as former Cowboys to wrestle at more than one Olympic games.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Competing at 74 kg, Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) became the first Missouri graduate to qualify for the Olympics in the sport of wrestling, doing so with a back-to-back wins by decision over former Oklahoma State grappler Tyrone Lewis at the Thomas & Mack Center on the University of Nevada campus. Askren is only the second Missouri wrestler to qualify for the Olympics and first since 1991 All-American Sam Henson captured a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics in the 54 kg weight class. One of seven freestyle wrestlers that will represent Team USA in Beijing, China, Askren went 3-0 at the all-day tournament. Seeded No. 1 in his weight class, Askren, wrestling for Sunkist Kids, held off No. 9 seed Donny Pritzlaff of the New York Athletic Club, by decision, 3-0 and 1-1. Advancing in the championship bracket, Askren topped No. 5 seed Ramico Blackmon, also of the New York Athletic Club, 1-0 and 2-1. The final match paired Askren with second-seeded Lewis. In a best-of-three series, Askren won the first two bouts of round one, 2-0 and 1-0 to record the win. Competing in round No. 2, Askren lost the first bout 6-2, but rattled off a 2-0 and 1-0 win to earn his first Olympic bid. The 2008 Olympics will begin August 8, 2008. Freestyle wrestling will begin Saturday, August 16. Askren became Missouri's first National Champion after capturing the 174 pound title as a junior in 2006. The Tiger grappler repeated the feat as a senior in 2007. 2008 All-American Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) made his first Olympic Trials appearance and wrestled at 96 kg. Askren went 0-2 as the No. 5 seed. Sitting out the first round with a bye, Askren met at center circle with Damion Hahn (New York Athletic Club) and fell to the consolation bracket after dropping a 1-0, 5-2 match. Askren's second match of the day paired him with Nik Fekete of New York Athletic Club. Askren won the opening bout, 1-0, but lost the final two bouts, 1-1 and 1-1.

Ben Askren said before the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials that come June 15 people are either going to be convinced or delusional. On Sunday night at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Askren more than convinced the crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center that he is not only the No. 1 man in the United States, but also one of the best hopes for a medal in Beijing. The confident Askren, who picked up his first U.S. Nationals title in April, won two matches to zero over Tyrone Lewis to make his first U.S. Olympic Team at 74 kg. Andy Hrovat, Daniel Cormier, and Steve Mocco also won titles on Sunday night to earn berths on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Team. Hrovat, who was a member of the 2006 U.S. World Team, defeated Mo Lawal two matches to one to make his first U.S. Olympic Team at 84 kg. Hrovat avenged his U.S. Nationals finals loss to Lawal by picking up a two-point exposure with seven seconds left in the final period of the final match. Cormier made his second U.S. Olympic Frestyle Team by completely dominating Damion Hahn in consecutive matches. Cormier, who has not lost to a U.S. wrestler at 84 kg since the 2005 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, gave up the first takedown of the first match against Hahn, but then rolled to easy victories the rest of the way without surrendering another point. Mocco toppled arch-rival Tommy Rowlands in hard-fought three-match series to make his first U.S. Olympic Team at 120 kg. In Greco-Roman, Adam Wheeler scored an upset victory over 2005 World bronze medalist Justin Ruiz to make the 2008 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman Team at 96 kg. Dremiel Byers, who won a World title in 2002, made his first U.S. Olympic Team at 120 kg by defeating Army teammate Timothy Taylor in three matches. The total attendance for the three-day event was 22,642. Final Brackets Day 1 Recap Day 2 Recap Rev Audio Freestyle: Henry Cejudo (55 kg) Mike Zadick (60 kg) Doug Schwab (66 kg) Ben Askren (74 kg) Andy Hrovat (84 kg) Daniel Cormier (96 kg) Steve Mocco (120 kg) Greco-Roman: Spenser Mango (55 kg) Joe Betterman (60 kg) Jake Deitchler (66 kg) TC Dantzler (74 kg) Brad Vering (84 kg) Adam Wheeler (96 kg) Dremiel Byers (120 kg) Women's Freestyle: Clarissa Chun (48 kg) Marcie VanDusen (55 kg) Randi Miller (63 kg) Ali Bernard(72 kg)

On Saturday night at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jake Deitchler, a native of Ramsey, Minnesota (Anoka High School), accomplished something that has not been done since 1976: Make the U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling Team immediately after his senior year of high school. On Saturday afternoon, the 18-year-old Dietchler, who attended the same high school as 1996 Greco-Roman Olympic silver medalist Brandon Paulson, pulled the biggest upset of the tournament by beating two-time World bronze medalist Harry Lester in the Greco-Roman semifinals at 66 kg. On Saturday night, Deitchler capped off his amazing run by beating Faruk Sahin in two consecutive matches. Deitchler was one of three Greco-Roman champions crowned on Saturday night. Also joining Dietchler on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman Team will be a pair of U.S. World Team veterans in T.C. Dantzler and Brad Vering. Dantzler, who was fifth at the 2006 World Championships, received an automatic berth in the championship finals after winning the 2008 U.S. Nationals. The 37-year-old Dantzler defeated rising star Cheney Haight in the finals in two consecutive matches at 74 kg. Vering, a returning World silver medalist, bounced back from his upset loss at the 2008 U.S. Nationals to dominate Aaron Sieracki in two consecutive matches. In freestyle, three returning U.S. World Team members won titles on Saturday night: Henry Cejudo, Mike Zadick, and Doug Schwab. Cejudo stopped 2004 Olympic silver medalist Stephen Abas in the 55-kg finals, winning in three matches. Cejudo, who was upset by Matt Azevedo in the finals of the 2008 U.S. Nationals, looked very impressive throughout the tournament. Zadick, a 2006 World silver medalist, defeated Shawn Bunch two matches to one. However, even though Zadick won the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, he is not guaranteed a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Team, since the the U.S. has not qualified that weight class for the Olympics Games. There is still a chance, though, that Zadick could earn a wild card and compete in Beijing. Seven wild cards will be handed out among the 18 total weight classes in freestyle, Greco-Roman, and women's freestyle. In a battle of former Iowa Hawkeyes, Schwab defeated 2006 World champion Bill Zadick two matches to one to make his first U.S. Olympic Freestyle Team. Brackets Day 1 Recap Rev Audio Greco-Roman: Jake Deitchler (66 kg) TC Dantzler (74 kg) Brad Vering (84 kg) Freestyle: Henry Cejudo (55 kg) Mike Zadick (60 kg) Doug Schwab (66 kg)

What has been labeled the worst flooding in nearly 50 years in Waterloo, Iowa, has caused considerable damage to the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum. The museum moved to Waterloo from Newton, Iowa, in January 2007. "We have a beautiful facility that gives visitors an incredible visual tour of the history of wrestling," said museum executive director Mike Chapman. The facility was dealt a devastating blow on June 9 and 10 by what some are calling the worst flood in half a century. "We have lost invaluable artifacts, most of our inventory from our gift shop, and a multitude of books, magazines and articles from the library. It is heart breaking to witness it. The museum staff and board of directors is more determined than ever to clean up the facility, restore it to its former beautiful state and continue to market and promote Mankind's Oldest Sport." Chapman elaborated. At a press conference at Waterloo City Hall on June 11, Mayor Tim Hurley discussed the horrific impact of the flood. He declared portions of downtown, including the Gable Museum, off limits to all but emergency personnel and declared a state of emergency in the area. "The Gable Museum has been a tremendous addition to the city and I would encourage all citizens to help get it back on its feet," Hurley stated. Chapman was interviewed by the Associated Press and by area radio stations and media outlets. "One of the values wrestling teaches is how to get off your back and back on your feet," said Chapman. "That is exactly the philosophy of the Gable museum at this point." The museum's biggest weekend of the year is planned for June 27 and 28. Those events include a celebrity golf tournament, pro wrestling show, as well as the pro hall of fame inductions and banquet. The museum plans to have these events on these dates, however, this will be determined as soon as all the damage has been assessed. Anyone wishing to get involved with donations and clean up efforts should contact Kent Sesker or Kyle Klingman. The museum mailing address is DGIWIM, 303 Jefferson St., Waterloo, Iowa, 5070. Please direct e-mail efforts going forward to iowawrestlingzone@yahoo.com or kyle.klingman@yahoo.com. You can also reach Kent Sesker at 319-533-1445 and Kyle Klingman at 319-504-4438.

Day 1 at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials at the Thomas Mack Center in Las Vegas on Friday saw one Greco-Roman wrestler, Spenser Mango (55 kg), and four women freestyle wrestlers, Clarissa Chunn (48 kg), Marcie Van Dusen (55 kg), Randi Miller (63 kg), and Ali Bernard (72 kg) punch their tickets to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. One other 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Greco-Roman champion was crowned on Friday, Joe Betterman (60 kg), but he did not receive a berth in the 2008 Olympic Games because the U.S. did not qualify that weight class. Brackets Rev Audio Greco-Roman: Spenser Mango (55 kg) Joe Betterman (60 kg) Women's Freestyle: Clarissa Chun (48 kg) Marcie Van Dusen (55 kg) Randi Miller (63 kg) Ali Bernard (72 kg)

Columbia, Mo. – Missouri's two-time National Champion Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) was awarded the No. 1 seed in the 74 kg freestyle weight class in preparation for the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials, June 13-15, in Las Vegas, Nev. Joining Askren in the freestyle competition are former Missouri wrestler Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.), seeded sixth in the 84 kg weight class, and current Tiger grappler Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.), seeded fifth in the 96 kg bracket. The trio will compete for a coveted spot on the Olympic team, Sunday, June 15, in the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada. Wrestling will begin at Noon (CT) with NBCOlympics.com providing a live webcast of the championship finals beginning at 7 p.m. (CT). A two-hour tape delayed broadcast of the event will air Sunday, June 22, at 11 a.m. (CT) on MSNBC. Askren, a four-time All-American who claimed the 174 pound NCAA Division I Wrestling title his junior (2006) and senior (2007) seasons enters the all-day tournament after taking top honors at the U.S. Nationals, April 26. Askren earned the title after besting Tyrone Lewis (Gator Wrestling Club), 3-0 and 3-2. Lewis enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed. In his last run through the Olympic Trials, 2004, Askren finished fifth in the 84 kg weight class, defeating 2001 World Silver Medalist Brandon Eggum, 6-2. Two-time All-American Pell is making his first appearance at the Olympic Trials and will face Tyrel Todd (New York Athletic Club), the No. 11 seed, in his opening round match. Pell, a current assistant coach with the UVA wrestling team, finished sixth at the U.S. Nationals. To Pell's name, the former Tiger wrestler finished third at the Pan American Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala in the summer of 2005. Pell earned All-America honors in 2005 at 184 pounds and 2007 at 165 pounds. Current junior Maxwell Askren enters the Olympic Trials as the No. 5 seed at 96 kg. Askren earned his first All-America honor after taking seventh in the 197-pound weight class at the 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis. Five weeks later, Askren finished sixth at the U.S. Nationals. Askren lost the fifth-place match to Damion Hahn (New York Athletic Club), his opening round opponent at the Trials June 15, by a score of 7-0, 3-0. Askren was a member of the 2006 FILA Junior World Team, and wrestled at 211.5 pounds. Both Askrens will be wrestling for Sunkist Kids and are one of five sets of brothers competing in the Olympic Trials.

The TDR Brute Adidas Studios move west to Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Thomas and Mack Center for all of the color and competition of the rush for the gold at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Who will earn the right, the honor to wrestle for the USA on the grandest international stage of them all? Which men and women will represent this country? Who will go for the Gold and the Glory? Join Scott Casber, Steve Foster, Nick Passolano and others from the TDR family as we bring to life this historic event. Takedownradio.com is the site to check out at Intermatwrestle.com. It's free courtesy of our sponsors. During the morning session each day, you can expect in-depth interviews with the athletes, coaches and fans. Results will be mentioned when available. Will some of our stars from the past be back and climb the mountain once more or will some of the sports young phenom's rise to the occasion? Takedown Radio will not broadcast the evening session as Scott Casber will be part of the USA Wrestling broadcast team providing commentary for NBCOlympics.com. Among the exciting festivities at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling & Judo is the popular Vendor Village. Fans in Las Vegas can receive additional event coverage by attending the popular Vendor Village at the Cox Pavilion between sessions. Vendor Village will have ongoing events for spectators and participants to enjoy, as well as review exhibits from a number of vendors. Each day there will be a preview and analysis of finals match-ups by a number of wrestling analysts. Each analyst will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of competing finalists and predict winners. This will take place prior to the evening sessions. Analysts include Scott Casber, founder of nationally broadcast Takedown Wrestling Radio, Steve Foster, Takedown Radio commentator, Kyle Klingman, associate director of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum, and national television commentator Van Stokes. Please be sure to check out TheMat.com for official broadcast schedules and changes as they occur.

Three-time state champions David Taylor (112) of St. Paris (Ohio) Graham High, Alex Meade (152) of Camden Wyoming (Del.) Caesar Rodney High and Jason Welch (160) of Walnut Creek (Calif.) Las Lomas High are repeat selections to the 14-member First Team as the 23rd annual ASICS All-America Wrestling Team was announced today. The ASICS All-America Team, selected by a nationwide panel of wrestling experts, is the only national all-star team for which wrestlers enrolled in all four high-school grades are eligible. ASICS is a title sponsor of the ASICS Vaughan USA Wrestling Fargo Junior National Championships and is a major benefactor of the sport at all levels. "This team represents the best of the best in our schools today," said Neil Duncan and Nick Gallo of ASICS and TW Promotions, Inc. "We are proud to have these young men, with their talent and work ethic, representing us. They are clearly the World and Olympic champions of the future." Members of the First Team, as well as the ASICS Wrestler of the Year, will be honored prior to the finals of the ASICS Vaughan USA Wrestling Junior National Freestyle Championships in July at Fargo, N.D. The ASICS All-America Team includes eight wrestlers at each of the 14 high school weight classes – the First, Second, and Third Teams and five Honorable Mention selections. Wrestlers are considered at the weight class at which they competed in their state tournament or the National Prep Championships this year. Taylor, Meade and Welch are among nine First Team members to finish their careers with at least three state or National Prep titles. Joining them are Eric Grajales (130) of Brandon (Fla.) High, Collin Palmer (135) of Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward High, Michael Mangrum (145) of Auburn (Wash.) Riverside High, Ryland Geiger (189) of Scappoose (Ore.) High and Marcel Dubose (215) of Oak Park (Mich.) High, all three-time state champions, and Jason Chamberlain (140) of Springville (Utah) High, the lone four-time state champion to earn First Team honors. Taylor, Grajales and Palmer, all juniors, and sophomore Logan Stieber (119) of Monroeville (Ohio) High are the four underclassmen on the squad. The rest of the First Team: Mark Rappo (103) of Holland (Pa.) Council Rock South High, Nate Moore (125) of Iowa City (Iowa) West High, Quentin Wright (171) of Wingate (Pa.) Bald Eagle Area High and Eric Thompson (285) of Waverly (Iowa) Waverly-Shell Rock High. All four are seniors. Iowa City West, one of four schools with three wrestlers selected, was the only school with three selections to the First, Second and Third teams. Blair Academy, Graham and Monroeville also had three selections. Riverside, St. Edward, Waverly-Shell Rock, Apple Valley (Minn.) High, Carol Stream (Ill.) Glenbard North High, Easton (Pa.) High, Kansas City (Mo.) Oak Park High, Mill Hall (Pa.) Central Mountain High, Orland Park (Ill.) Carl Sandburg High and Troy (N.Y.) LaSalle Institute each had two wrestlers selected. The team also includes three brother combinations. Logan Stieber was joined by freshman brother Hunter (103), along with junior Tony (125) and senior Vince Ramos (145) of Glenbard North and sophomore twins Dylan (135) and Andrew Alton (140) of Central Mountain. The 14 First Team members combined to post 37 state high school or National Prep championships, along with nine Junior National and 14 Cadet National titles. The Second and Third Teams are not far behind. The Second Team combined for 24 state or National Prep titles, including four three-time champions, to go with five Junior National and seven Cadet National titles. The Third Team boasts 23 combined state titles, one Junior National and eight Cadet National crowns. Ohio had the most overall selections, placing 16 wrestlers on the squad, including a national-best three First Team selections and six on the top three teams. Pennsylvania had 13 selections and Illinois 11, followed by New Jersey (eight), California and Iowa (seven), Oregon (six) and Minnesota and Washington (five). The 112 wrestlers selected come from 26 states. 2008 ASICS All-America Team First Team 103 - Mark Rappo, Sr, Council Rock South HS, Holland, PA 112 - David Taylor*, Jr, Graham HS, St. Paris, OH 119 - Logan Stieber, So, Monroeville HS, Monroeville, OH 125 - Nate Moore, Sr, Iowa City West HS, Iowa City, IA 130 - Eric Grajales, Jr, Brandon HS, Brandon, FL 135 - Collin Palmer, Jr, St. Edward HS, Lakewood, OH 140 - Jason Chamberlain, Sr, Springville HS , Springville, UT 145 - Michael Mangrum, Sr, Riverside HS, Auburn, WA 152 - Alex Meade*, Sr, Caesar Rodney HS, Camden Wyoming, DE 160 - Jason Welch*, Sr, Las Lomas HS, Walnut Creek, CA 171 - Quentin Wright, Sr, Bald Eagle Area HS, Wingate, PA 189 - Ryland Geiger, Sr, Scappoose HS, Scappoose, OR 215 - Marcel Dubose, Sr, Oak Park HS, Oak Park, MI 285 - Eric Thompson, Sr, Waverly-Shell Rock HS, Waverly, IA Second Team 103 - Hunter Stieber, Fr, Monroeville HS, Monroeville, OH 112 - Joey Langel, Sr, Howell HS, Farmingdale, NJ 119 - Jon Morrison, Jr, Carl Sandburg HS, Orland Park, IL 125 - Chris Villalonga, So, Blair Academy, Blairstown, NJ 130 - Jordan Oliver, Sr, Easton HS, Easton, PA 135 - Dylan Alton, So, Central Mountain HS, Mill Hall, PA 140 - Marshall Peppelman, So, Central Dauphin HS, Harrisburg, PA 145 - Mario Mason, Sr, Blair Academy, Blairstown, NJ 152 - Jake Deitchler, Sr, Anoka HS, Anoka, MN 160 - Scott Winston, Sr, Jackson Memorial HS, Jackson, NJ 171 - Grant Gambrall, Sr, Iowa City West HS, Iowa City, IA 189 - Brent Haynes, Sr, Oak Park HS , Kansas City, MO 215 - Rudi Burtschi, Sr, Oakdale HS, Oakdale, CA 285 - Elijah Madison, Sr, Oak Park HS, Kansas City, MO Third Team 103 - Sean Boylan, So, St. Mark's HS, Wilmington, DE 112 - B.J. Futrell, Sr, Mount Carmel HS, Chicago, IL 119 - Zach Neibert, Jr, Graham HS, St. Paris, OH 125 - Andrew Long, Sr, Creston HS, Creston, IA 130 - Brian Owen, Sr, University HS, Spokane, WA 135 - Chase Skonieczny, Sr, Walsh Jesuit HS, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 140 - R.J. Pena, Jr, Sprague HS, Salem, OR 145 - Derek St. John, Jr, Iowa City West HS, Iowa City, IA 152 - Josh Condon, Sr, Carl Harrison HS, Kennesaw, GA 160 - Andrew Howe, Sr, Hanover Central HS, Cedar Lake, IN 171 - Ben Bennett, Sr, Rockford HS, Rockford, MI 189 - Romero Cotton, Sr, Hutchinson HS, Hutchinson, KS 215 - Tyrell Fortune, Sr, Lakeridge HS, Lake Oswego, OR 285 - Garrett Goebel, Sr, Montini HS , Lombard, IL Honorable Mention (listed in alphabetical order) 103: Gilberto Camacho, Sr, Washington HS, Fresno, CA; Devin Carter, So, Christiansburg HS, Christiansburg, VA; Jesse Meis, Sr, Alamosa HS, Alamosa, CO; Ty Mitch, So, Aurora HS, Aurora, OH; Max Nowry, Sr, Wheeling HS, Wheeling, IL. 112: Sean Boyle, Jr, Blair Academy, Blairstown, NJ; Jamie Clark, So, St. Edward HS, Lakewood, OH; Alan Waters, So, Park Hill HS, Kansas City, MO; Sam White, Jr, Perry HS, Massillon, OH; Shane Young, Jr, Penn-Trafford HS, Harrison City, PA. 119: Kegan Handlovic, Sr, Easton HS, Easton, PA; Jordan Keller, Sr, Bishop Carroll HS, Wichita, KS; Mitchell Lofstedt, Sr, Roseburg HS, Roseburg, OR; Destin McCauley, Fr, Apple Valley HS, Apple Valley, MN; Thomas Williams, Sr, South Hills HS, West Covina, CA. 125: Kody Klaus, Sr, Vacaville HS, Vacaville, CA; Tony Ramos, Jr, Glenbard North HS, Carol Stream, IL; Scotti Sentes, Sr, Riverdale HS, Fort Myers, FL; Ben Sergent, Sr, Troy Christian HS, Troy, OH; David Thorn, Jr, St. Michael-Albertville HS, Albertville, MN. 130: Tyler Graff, Sr, Loveland HS, Loveland, CO; Josh Kindig, So, Blue Mountain HS, Schuylkill Haven, PA; Matt McDonough, Sr, Linn-Mar HS, Marion, IA; Derek Reber, Sr, Lewisburg HS, Lewisburg, PA; Derek Valenti, Sr, Kittatinny HS, Newton, NJ. 135: Mark Ballweg, Sr, Waverly-Shell Rock HS, Waverly, IA; Colin Johnston, Sr, Canon-McMIllan HS, Canonsburg, PA; Josh Kratovil, Sr, Lincoln-Way Central HS, New Lenox, IL; Matt Mincey, Sr, Apple Valley HS, Apple Valley, MN; Mark Weber, Sr, Goodrich HS, Goodrich, MI. 140: Andrew Alton, So, Central Mountain HS, Mill Hall, PA; Zach Clemente, Jr, LaSalle Institute, Troy, NY; Derek Garcia, So, Sedro Woolley HS, Sedro Woolley, WA; Trevor Melde, Sr, Delbarton HS, Morristown, NJ; Richie Spicel, Sr, Brunswick HS, Brunswick, OH. 145: Jon Burns, Sr, Cardinal Gibbons HS, Raleigh, NC; Brennan Cosgrove, Sr, Hobart HS, Hobart, IN; Tony Jameson, Sr, Austintown-Fitch HS, Youngstown, OH; Ben Jordan, Sr, Graham HS, St. Paris, OH; Vince Ramos, Sr, Glenbard North HS, Carol Stream, IL. 152: Tyler Johnson, Sr, Bismarck HS, BIsmarck, ND; Eric Jones, Sr, Riverside HS, Auburn, WA; Nick Menditto, Sr, Ocean Township HS, Oakhurst, NJ; Jedd Moore, Sr, Pleasant HS, Marion, OH; Jake Salazar, Sr, Wasatch HS, Heber City, UT. 160: Bryan Bourne, Sr, Spencerport HS, Spencerport, NY; Eric Cubberly, Sr, Eastwood HS, Pemberville, OH; Ethan Lofthouse, Jr, Mountain Crest HS, Hyrum, UT; Alec Ortiz, Jr, Newberg HS, Newberg, OR; Conrad Polz, Sr, Carl Sandburg HS, Orland Park, IL. 171: Jordan Blanton, Sr, Richmond-Burton HS, Richmond, IL; Hunter Collins, Sr, Gilroy HS, Gilroy, CA; Kyle Cuthbertson, Sr, Scottsboro HS, Scottsboro, AL; Chris Phillips, Fr, Monroeville HS, Monroeville, OH; Chris Spangler, Sr, Neuqua Valley HS, Naperville, IL. 189: Louis Bland, Sr, Central Catholic HS, Modesto, CA; Joe Budi, Sr, Kaukauna HS, Kaukauna, WI; Hunter Meys, Sr, Shenendehowa HS, Clifton Park, NY; Chris Perry, Jr, Stillwater HS, Stillwater, OK; Erich Schmidtke, Sr, Aberdeen HS, Aberdeen, WA. 215: Ben Apland, Sr, Downers Grove South HS, Downers Grove, IL; Jordan Enck, Sr, Manheim Central HS, Manheim, PA; Travis Pettengill, Sr, Kearsley HS, Flint, MI; Orlando Scales, Jr, Elder HS, Cincinnati, OH; Jacob Scharbrough, Sr, Weiser HS, Weiser, ID. 285: Ken Altarac, Jr, LaSalle Institute, Troy, NY; Atticus Disney, Sr, Shawnee Heights HS, Tecumseh, KS; Ziad Haddad, Sr, Bethlehem Catholic HS, Bethlehem, PA; Sam Maresh, Sr, Champlin Park HS, Champlin Park, MN; Jarrett "Bubba" Owens, Sr, Tillamook HS, Tillamook, OR.

NBCOlympics.com, in cooperation with USA Wrestling, will provide a live webcast of the Championship Series matches at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev., June 13-15. Fans can go to NBCOlympics.com and see the matches from the final round on all three days, starting at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Each day, there will be six best-of-three Championships Series held. The weight classes contested each day are: * Friday, June 13 – 48 kg women's freestyle, 55 kg women's freestyle, 63 kg women's freestyle, 72 kg women's freestyle, 55 kg Greco-Roman, 60 kg Greco-Roman * Saturday, June 14 – 66 kg Greco-Roman, 74 kg Greco-Roman, 84 kg Greco-Roman, 55 kg men's freestyle, 60 kg men's freestyle, 66 kg men's freestyle * Sunday, June 15 – 96 kg Greco-Roman, 120 kg Greco-Roman, 74 kg men's freestyle, 84 kg men's freestyle, 96 kg men's freestyle, 120 kg men's freestyle The broadcast team for the NBCOlympics.com live wrestling webcast will be veteran announcers Van Stokes and Scott Casber. Stokes has been the play-by-play commentator for numerous USA Wrestling telecasts on a variety of networks, and also has national broadcasting experience with other sports. Casber, a veteran radio and broadcast announcer, is the founder and voice of Takedown Radio, a wrestling show that airs weekly in a number of markets as well as internationally over the Internet all year long. This special webcast is in addition to the previously announced television coverage for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling and Judo. A two-hour taped show from the event will be broadcast on Sunday, June 22 at 12:00 noon ET on MSNBC. The broadcast team for the MSNBC show is play-by-play announcer Matt Devlin, wrestling color commentator Rulon Gardner and judo color commentator Pat Burris.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's Jake Herbert will find out his Olympic fate this weekend at the United States Olympic Team Trials held June 13-15 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Herbert -- one of 12 entries at 185 lbs. -- must win six matches in one day to qualify. "This is the biggest weekend of my wrestling career," Herbert said. "I took the year off with hopes of earning an Olympic berth." Mo Lawal is the favorite at 185 pounds, as he has earned an automatic berth in the finals. The other 11 will compete in a single-elimination bracket to determine who will face Lawal in a best-of-three final. Herbert is seeded eighth and opens against ninth-seeded Chris Pendleton. If he advances, he would face top-seeded Andy Hrovat, who was a member of the 2006 U.S. Team at the World Championships. Draws are subject to change, and should Herbert move up in seeds, he would face Michigan wrestler Tyrel Todd. The Wildcat would need to win four matches in the morning session and then beat Lawal in a best-of-three final. With his place in the finals secured, Lawal will have the enormous advantage of weighing in before the event and will have all day to prepare for his finals opponent. Herbert qualified for the Olympic Team Trials by winning his weight class at the University National Freestyle Championships in April. He was also named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. Herbert also competed in the U.S. Nationals, which took place in Las Vegas, April 23-26, but did not place. Herbert rebounded with a title at the University World Team Trials in Colorado Springs, May 23-24. The title earns him a berth in the World University Championships in Thessaloniki, Greece, from July 9-13.

The U.S. Freestyle Wrestling Team has picked up one individual gold medal in each of the past two Olympic Games. In 2000, Brandon Slay lost in the gold-medal match at 74 kg, but was later awarded the Olympic gold medal after his opponent, Alexander Leipold of Germany, tested positive for anabolic steroids. In 2004, Cael Sanderson won an Olympic gold medal at 84 kg. Prior the 2000 Olympics, the U.S. Freestyle Team had won multiple gold medals in each of the three previous Olympics dating back to 1988. The U.S. Freestyle Team won three gold medals in 1996, three in 1992, and two in 1988. Bill Zadick is the lone U.S. freestyle wrestler to win a World title since the 2004 Olympics. The U.S. Freestyle Team had a very disappointing performance at last year's World Championships Baku, Azerbaijan. The team had extremely high expectations entering the 2007 World Championships, but picked up only two medals, both bronze. Like the U.S. Greco-Roman Team, the U.S. Freestyle Team has not qualified the 60-kg weight class for the Olympics, which is surprising considering that Mike Zadick won a World silver medal at that weight class less than two years ago. The U.S. Freestyle Team is hoping to rebound from a disappointing 2007 World Championships at the 2008 Olympics. But who will represent that team in Beijing? The field at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials will include several past World and Olympic medalists, and many young, rising stars, so expect it be very tightly contested. Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown with predictions of this weekend's U.S. Olympic Team Trials in freestyle. Matt Azevedo was one of the surprises of the 2008 U.S. Nationals (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)55 kg: Matt Azevedo was one of the major surprises at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Azevedo, a freestyle veteran who was never an All-American as a collegiate competitor, pinned rising star Henry Cejudo to win his first U.S. Nationals title. Azevedo is now being coached by one of the all-time great U.S. lightweights in Sammie Henson. He seems to be taking his wrestling to a new level under the tutelage of Henson. A native of Las Vegas, Azevedo will be wrestling in front of his home crowd at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. The 21-year-old Cejudo burst onto the scene in 2006 when he won the U.S. Nationals as a high school senior. In 2007, Cejudo won both the U.S. Nationals and U.S. World Teams Trials. He competed in the 2007 World Championships in Baku, but failed to place. Cejudo pinned 2007 World bronze medalist Andy Moreno of Cuba at the Pan American Championships. The big news in this weight class, though, is the return of 2004 Olympic silver medalist Stephen Abas. Abas has battled knee injuries and has not competed much since the 2004 Olympics. He did not compete at the 2008 U.S Nationals, but did place third at the 2008 Dave Schultz Memorial International. Danny Felix, a freestyle veteran, wrestled well at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, placing third. Felix also won the Sunkist Kids International Open. Nick Simmons, who is just over a year removed from his collegiate wrestling career, was a 2007 U.S. Nationals runner-up and placed fourth at the same event this year. Vic Moreno is another wrestler who could contend in this weight class. Moreno, who placed third in the Ivan Yarygin Memorial Golden Grand Prix, lost a close match to Azevedo in the semifinals of the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Collegiate standout Angel Escobedo, who won the NCAA title this season at Indiana, has the potential to make some noise in this weight class. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Stephen Abas over Henry Cejudo 60 kg: Since the U.S. has not qualified this weight class for the 2008 Olympics, there is a chance some of the wrestlers in this weight class will move up to 66 kg. However, at this point, there haven't been any wrestlers in this weight class who have stated publicly that they will be moving up. The top-three placewinners become members of the U.S. National Freestyle Team, so there is still some incentive to compete at this weight class. Mike Zadick was a World silver medalist in 2006 and a 2007 U.S. World Team member. Nate Gallick, a former World University Games champion, won the 2007 U.S. Nationals, but lost in a wrestle-off to Zadick to make the 2007 U.S. World Team. Neither Zadick nor Gallick competed at the 2008 U.S. Nationals as the two were preparing to qualify the weight class for the Olympics. The young and talented Shawn Bunch, a former NCAA runner-up for Edinboro, had a breakthrough performance at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, winning the title in impressive fashion. Coleman Scott also turned in a very impressive performance at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, reaching the finals just over a month removed from winning the 133-pound NCAA title at Oklahoma State. Former Oklahoma Sooner Teyon Ware placed third at the U.S. Nationals with his only loss coming to Scott. Another former Sooner, Michael Lightner, who is also a former U.S. World Team member, lost to Bunch in the semifinals of the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Zach Roberson has proven over the past few years that he is one of the contenders in this weight class. Roberson, who was runner-up to Zadick at the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials, lost to Scott in the semifinals of the 2008 U.S. Nationals before injury defaulting out of the event. Dylan Long, who is a volunteer assistant coach at Iowa State, wrestled well at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, placing fourth. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Nate Gallick over Mike Zadick Jared Frayer has been one of the top contenders at 66 kg for many years (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)66 kg: This is perhaps the deepest and most competitive freestyle weight class in the U.S. Doug Schwab has proven that he is the man to beat since winning both the U.S. Nationals and U.S. World Team Trials in 2007. He earned a bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships. Schwab won the 2008 U.S. Nationals and earned an automatic berth in the best-of-three championship finals. So who will Schwab face in the finals? There is an abundance of contenders. Bill Zadick, who was a World champion in 2006, lost a tight match Schwab in the finals of the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Jared Frayer has been one of the top contenders for many years in this weight class. He is coming off an impressive third-place finish at the 2008 U.S. Nationals with his only loss at the event coming to Schwab in the semifinals. Chris Bono, a former U.S. World Team member who placed fourth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, has been in the hunt for nearly a decade. Collegiate star Brent Metcalf placed fifth at the U.S. Nationals and could make some noise in this deep weight class. However, many believe Metcalf is still a few years away from making a World or Olympic team. Eric Larkin, who is a member of the U.S. National Freestyle Team, has been in the mix for many years. He has placed third at the last two U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Trent Paulson has been one of the biggest surprises in this weight class this season. He dropped down from 74 kg and won both the Dave Schultz Memorial International and the Kiev International. Cary Kolat, who many consider to be the best freestyle wrestler in U.S. history without a World or Olympic gold medal, is back competing. He won the Sunkist Kids International Open, but had a disappointing 2008 U.S. Nationals, where he failed to place. Kolat was a member of the U.S. National Freestyle Team seven times and placed ninth at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Zack Esposito, who placed sixth at the U.S. Nationals, is also a very talented wrestler in this weight class who should not be overlooked. Jesse Jantzen should be in the hunt as well. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Jared Frayer over Doug Schwab 74 kg: Joe Heskett was a U.S. World Team member at this weight class in 2007, but was forced to retire from competition after a heart ailment shortly after the 2007 World Championships. With Heskett no longer competing, Ben Askren has quickly become the new man to beat in this weight class after winning his first U.S. Nationals title in April. Askren has steadily improved since finishing his collegiate wrestling career in 2007. He has won titles at three tournaments this season. Donny Pritzlaff won a bronze medal at the 2006 World Championships, but has not been able get back to the top of the U.S. ladder since. Pritzlaff had a disappointing 2008 U.S. Nationals, where he failed to place. Casey Cunningham is another wrestler who has been near the top of this weight class for several years. In 2007, he was runner-up at both the U.S. Nationals and U.S. World Team Trials. But Cunningham, like Pritzlaff, failed to place at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Former Oklahoma State star Tyrone Lewis was runner-up to Askren at the 2008 U.S. Nationals and will contend for the top spot. Ryan Churella had a breakthrough performance at the U.S. Nationals, placing third, which included a victory over Pritzlaff. Matt Lackey placed fourth at the U.S. Nationals. Veteran Ramico Blackmon is always a threat in this weight class. He placed third at the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials and fifth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Travis Paulson could be the spoiler in this weight class. He defeated Askren at the Sunkist Kids International Open. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Ben Askren over Tyrone Lewis The flamboyant Mo Lawal is back at 84 kg and defeated Andy Hrovat to win the 2008 U.S. Nationals84 kg: The one and only Mo Lawal, who placed seventh at the 2005 World Championships, is back on top in this weight class. Lawal moved up to 96 kg in 2007 and lost to Daniel Cormier in the finals of both the U.S. Nationals and U.S. World Team Trials. He is back at 84 kg and wrestling with a lot of confidence after winning the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Andy Hrovat, who was a U.S. World Team member in 2006, was runner-up to Lawal at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Hrovat, a 2007 Pan American Games silver medalist, pinned Lawal at the 2006 U.S. World Team Trials. Joe Williams is the returning U.S. World Team member at this weight class and placed fifth at the 2007 World Championships. Williams, who is a two-time World bronze medalist and placed fifth at the 2004 Olympics, was upset in the opening round of the 2008 U.S, Nationals before defaulting out of the event. This could be Williams' final Olympic run in what has been an outstanding international wrestling career. Collegiate standout Jake Herbert won the Dave Schultz Memorial International earlier this season, but had a disappointing 2008 U.S. Nationals, where he failed to place. He bounced back to win the University World Team Trials. Clint Wattenberg, who was runner-up at the 2006 U.S. World Team Trials and place third in 2007, is expected to challenge in this weight class. He lost to Lawal in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Nationals and then wrestled back to the third-place match, where he lost by injury default to Bryce Hasseman. Hasseman won the 2008 Guelph Open in Canada. Lee Fullhart is perhaps the most experienced wrestler in this weight class. The former Hawkeye has played the role of bridesmaid numerous times throughout his career. He is a two-time U.S. Olympic Team Trials runner-up, five-time U.S. Nationals runner-up, and four-time U.S. World Team Trials runner-up. Fullhart did not place at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, but won the Northern Plains Regional Olympic Trials to qualify for the event. This weight class also includes a number of young, rising stars such as Jake Varner, Chris Pendleton, B.J. Padden, Matt Pell, and Tyrel Todd. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Mo Lawal over Joe Williams 96 kg: Daniel Cormier is the overwhelming favorite to win this weight class. Cormier is a returning World bronze medalist who placed fourth at the 2004 Olympics. He has dominated his competition in the U.S., winning both the U.S. Nationals and U.S. World (or Olympic) Team Trials every year since 2003. He has earned an automatic berth into the best-of-three championship finals. It will by tightly-contested, wide-open battle to see who gets the opportunity to face Cormier for a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Team. Nik Fekete was runner-up at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, but did not score a single point against Cormier. Damion Hahn has the second best international wrestling resume behind Cormier. Hahn placed third at the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials and has been a threat on the senior level ever since he burst onto the scene as a high school phenom. A decade ago, Hahn was beating NCAA champions at the U.S. Nationals before he graduated from high school. The rest of the contenders in this weight class are young stars who are looking to eventually take the torch from Cormier. Those wrestlers include Willie Parks, Kurt Backes, and Max Askren. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Daniel Cormier over Damion Hahn 120 kg: Tommy Rowlands took control of this weight class in 2007, winning both the U.S. Nationals and U.S. World Team Trials. Rowlands, who placed fifth at the 2007 World Championships, won the 2008 U.S. Nationals, which gives him an automatic berth in the best-of-three championship finals. He has his sights set on an Olympic gold medal in Beijing. But there some very talented and experienced heavyweights looking to knock off Rowlands. Steve Mocco has been Rowlands' main rival for many years, dating all the way back to their collegiate careers. Mocco lost a close match to Rowlands in the finals of the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Mocco has had a great season, winning four tournaments, but the 26-year-old has yet to make a U.S. World or Olympic Team. Tolly Thompson is a two-time U.S. World Team member and earned a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships. Thompson placed fourth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, losing to Tervel Dlagnev in the third-place match. Dlagnev recently finished up his collegiate wrestling career at Nebraska-Kearney after winning two NCAA Division II titles at heavyweight. He will likely face Thompson in the second round, who, ironically, has been his workout partner for more than a year. Les Sigman, who was four-time NCAA Division II champion for Nebraska-Omaha, placed fifth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals and will be in the mix. Pat Cummins placed sixth at the U.S. Nationals and is more than capable of knocking off any of the contenders. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Tommy Rowlands over Steve Mocco

In 2007, the U.S. Greco-Roman Wrestling Team made history by winning the team title for the first time ever at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Four wrestlers on that team placed in the top five and three brought home World medals, but none of those World medals were gold. Interestingly, of the four U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers who placed in the top five at the 2007 World Championships, only one of those wrestlers, Dremiel Byers, won the 2008 U.S. Nationals title. Unfortunately, the U.S. has not qualified the 60 kg weight class for the Olympics. Despite that misfortune, this year's U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman Team will surely be one of the favorites to strike gold in Beijing. But who will represent the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing? Below is a weight-by-weight breakdown with predictions of this weekend's U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Greco-Roman. Spenser Mango defeated Lindsey Durlacher for the first time in his career at the 2008 U.S. Nationals (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)55 kg: Spenser Mango defeated Lindsey Durlacher for the first time his career to win the 2008 U.S. Nationals and was named Outstanding Wrestler of the event. Prior to the 2008 U.S. Nationals, Durlacher had defeated Mango 10 consecutive times. Durlacher has been on the past three U.S. World Teams and placed fifth at the 2007 World Championships. Jermaine Hodge placed third at the U.S. Nationals. Sam Hazewinkel, who is just over a year removed from his collegiate wrestling career at Oklahoma, placed fourth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, losing to Mango in the semifinals. Hazewinkel's father, Dave, and uncle, Jim, are former U.S. Olympians in Greco. Hazewinkel will likely get another shot at Mango in the semifinals at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. Both are young and talented Greco stars. Mango is a bit more explosive, but the two are very evenly matched. Florida high school star Eric Grajales, who is a three-time state high school champion for Brandon High School, placed fifth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Josh Habeck, who placed third at the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials and seventh at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, should also be in the mix. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Spenser Mango over Lindsey Durlacher 60 kg: This is the lone weight class that the U.S. has not qualified for the Olympics in Greco-Roman, which is strange considering that this weight class has been one of the strongest weight classes for the U.S. Greco-Roman Team in recent years. In 2006, Joe Warren won a World title and was the self-proclaimed baddest man on the planet. But in 2007, Warren tested positive for metabolites of cannabis or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and received a two-year suspension, which not only forced him to miss the 2007 World Championships, but also put an end to his Olympic dream. With Warren no longer in the picture, 2007 U.S. World Team member Joe Betterman, who was runner-up to Warren at the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials, becomes the favorite. Betterman lost to his Northern Michigan coach, Jim Gruenwald, a two-time Olympian, in the finals of the 2008 U.S. Nationals. However, Gruenwald dislocated his shoulder competing in Rome while trying to qualify the weight class for the Olympics, which put an end to his competitive wrestling career. Glenn Garrison was the 2007 U.S. Nationals champion at 66 kg, but moved down to 60 kg this season. He placed third at the 2008 U.S. Nationals and is certainly one of the favorites in this weight class. California native Marco Lara placed fourth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. U.S. National Team member Jeremiah Davis placed fifth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, where he defeated Lara, but lost to Betterman and Garrison. Willie Madison lost in three periods in the semifinals of the 2008 U.S. Nationals to Jim Gruenwald and eventually placed sixth. Eric Stevenson and Donny DePatto could also challenge. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Joe Betterman over Glenn Garrison Harry Lester is a two-time World bronze medalist and has not lost to an American wrestler at 66 kg since the 2005 U.S. World Team Trials (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)66 kg: Two-time World bronze medalist Harry Lester did not compete at the 2008 U.S. Nationals due to sickness. The 24-year-old Lester is the prohibitive favorite in this weight class and has not lost to an American wrestler at 66 kg since the 2005 U.S. World Team Trials. Mark Rial was the 2008 U.S. Nationals champion and enters the event as the No. 1 seed, but still remains the underdog. Rial, a former wrestler for Northern Iowa, has put together a good season He was runner-up at the Dave Schultz International Memorial behind World champion Nikolay Gergov of Bulgaria. At the Vehbi Embre Grand Prix, Rial placed fifth, losing a close match to Olympic silver medalist and World champion Seref Eroglu of Turkey. Greco-Roman phenom Jake Deitchler was runner-up at the 2008 U.S. Nationals to Rial. Deitchler, who hails from the same high school, Anoka (Minnesota), as 1996 Greco-Roman Olympic silver medalist Brandon Paulson, has been an age-group star his entire career. Paulson calls Deitchler the best high school Greco-Roman wrestler he's ever seen. Faruk Sahin has been knocking on the door and will certainly be in the mix. In 2007, Sahin was runner-up at the U.S. Nationals and placed fourth at the World Team Trials. Sahin was pinned by Deitchler in the quarterfinals at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, but came back to place third. This weight class includes a number of veterans with a lot of experience, including Jacob Hey, Marcel Cooper, Oscar Wood, and Mike Ellsworth. Cooper is a former U.S. World Team member, while Wood is a former Olympian. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Harry Lester over Faruk Sahin 74 kg: T.C. Dantzler, who has been on the past five U.S. World Teams, enters the event as the frontrunner in this weight class. The 36-year-old veteran was fifth at the 2006 World Championships. He receives an automatic berth in the best-of-three championship finals after winning the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Keith Sieracki, like Dantzler, is a veteran who has been in the mix for over a decade. Sieracki was a member of the 2001 U.S. World Team and also won the Olympic Team Trials in 2000 and 2004. However, Sieracki did not compete in either of those Olympics. In 2000, he lost a controversial legal battle to Matt Lindland. In 2004, the U.S. did not qualify the weight class for the Olympics, which prevented Sieracki from competing. Young and talented Andy Bisek, who competes for the USOEC in Northern Michigan, appears to be the future in this weight class and maybe even the now. Bisek, who was runner-up at the 2008 U.S. Nationals to Dantzler, has had an outstanding season. He beat the defending World champion, Yavor Yanakiev of Bulgaria, at the Dave Schultz Memorial before losing a tight match to Harry Lester in the semifinals. Bisek also won his second straight University Nationals title. Two other Northern Michigan wrestlers, Jake Fisher and Cheney Haight, placed third and fourth respectively at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Ken Cook, who concluded his collegiate career at UC Davis just over a year ago, has been an age-group star throughout his career. He was third at the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials and placed fifth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals while competing at 84 kg. Jess Hargrave placed fifth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals with his only losses coming to Dantzler and Haight. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Andy Bisek over T.C. Dantzler Brad Ahearn defeated Brad Vering to win the 2008 U.S. Nationals title (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)84 kg: This is perhaps the most intriguing weight class at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Greco-Roman. It includes two former Olympic or World team members in Brad Vering and Jake Clark. Interestingly, though, the No. 1 seed in this weight class is neither Vering nor Clark. It is Brad Ahearn, who defeated Vering to win his first U.S. Nationals title. Ahearn moved down to 84 kg after competing at 96 kg last season. He is a strong, powerful wrestler who is wrestling with a lot of confidence right now. Vering was a silver medalist at the 2007 World Championships and was also a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman Team. Clark, who did not compete at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, has been runner-up to Vering numerous times at the U.S. Nationals and the U.S. World and Olympic Team Trials. However, in 2006, Clark won both the U.S. Nationals and U.S. World Team Trials and represented the U.S. at the World Championships in Guangzhou, China. Chas Betts is a young, rising star who placed third at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Betts won a silver medal at the 2006 World University Championships. Aaron Sieracki is a veteran who has the experience and ability to contend for the top spot. He placed fourth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, but has defeated Vering in the past. Another dangerous wrestler is Jake Plamann, who competes for Northern Michigan. Plamann, who placed third at the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials, lost to Betts in the opening round of the 2008 U.S. Nationals, but battled back to place sixth. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Jake Clark over Brad Vering 96 kg: Justin Ruiz has been the man to beat in this weight class for the past five years. He has won four U.S. World Team Trials titles and five U.S. Nationals titles. In 2005, Ruiz earned a bronze medal at the World Championships. Ruiz has yet to make a U.S. Olympic Team. He lost in the finals of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials to Garrett Lowney. Ruiz has earned an automatic berth into the best-of-three championship finals. If everything goes according to seeds, Ruiz will face either R.C. Johnson or Adam Wheeler for a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. Johnson, who was runner-up to Ruiz at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, has steadily climbed the Greco-Roman ladder in the U.S. The Minnesota native wrestled in the Northern Michigan program, where he improved by leaps and bounds, before moving to Colorado Springs to train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. Wheeler, who also wrestled at Northern Michigan, was runner-up to Ruiz at the 2005 and 2007 U.S. World Team Trials. He was upset in the opening round of the 2008 U.S. Nationals by Frank Workman, but won five straight matches in the consolation bracket to place third. Robbie Smith is a young and talented wrestler who placed fourth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Justin Millard was a U.S. Nationals runner-up in 2007, but finished fifth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, losing to Johnson and Smith. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Justin Ruiz over Adam Wheeler 120 kg: Dremiel Byers was a World champion in 2002, a World bronze medalist in 2007, and has made the past three U.S. World Teams. However, he has yet to make a U.S. Olympic Team. In 2004, Byers lost in the finals of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials to Rulon Gardner. He has earned an automatic berth in the best-of-three championship finals. If he wrestles to his ability, Byers should make his first U.S. Olympic Team. But he admitted after the 2008 U.S. Nationals that the wrestlers are getting a lot better and that he's had to work harder to stay at the top. Russ Davie has been runner-up to Byers at the past three U.S. World Team Trials … and most recently was runner-up to Byers at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Timothy Taylor finished third at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, losing to Davie in the semifinals. Taylor upset Byers at the 2007 U.S. Nationals en route to a runner-up finish. Erik Nye placed fourth at the 2008 U.S. Nationals, losing only to Byers and Taylor. Another very talented wrestler to watch in this weight class is Cole Konrad, who placed seventh at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Konrad, who won two NCAA heavyweight titles for Minnesota, switched from freestyle to Greco eight months ago. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Dremiel Byers over Russ Davie .g {text-indent:3px;padding-right:3px;overflow:hidden;white-space:nowrap;letter-spacing:0;word-spacing:0;background-color:#FFFFFF; z-index:1;border-top:0px none;border-left:0px none;border-bottom:1px solid #CCC;border-right:1px solid #CCC;} .dn {display:none} .chip {background-image:url('http://www.google.com/images/spreadsheets/chip.gif'); background-repeat:no-repeat; background-position:top right;} .s0 {background-color:#ffffff;font-family:Arial;font-size:100.0%;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;color:#000000;text-decoration:none;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom;white-space:normal;overflow:hidden;text-indent:0px;padding-left:3px;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;} .s4 {background-color:#ffffff;font-family:Arial;font-size:100.0%;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;color:#000000;text-decoration:none;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom;white-space:nowrap;overflow:hidden;text-indent:3px;padding-left:0px;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;} .s3 {background-color:#ffffff;font-family:Arial;font-size:100.0%;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;color:#000000;text-decoration:none;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom;white-space:normal;overflow:hidden;text-indent:0px;padding-left:3px;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;} .s1 {background-color:#ffffff;font-family:Arial;font-size:100.0%;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;color:#000000;text-decoration:none;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom;white-space:normal;overflow:hidden;text-indent:0px;padding-left:3px;border-top:1px solid black;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;} .s2 {background-color:#ffffff;font-family:Arial;font-size:100.0%;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;color:#000000;text-decoration:none;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom;white-space:normal;overflow:hidden;text-indent:0px;padding-left:3px;border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:1px solid black;} .WeightPredicted FinalistPredicted FinalistPredicted Champion.55 kgSpenser MangoLindsey DurlacherSpenser Mango.60 kgJoe BettermanGlenn GarrisonJoe Betterman.66 kgFaruk SahinHarry LesterHarry Lester.74 kgT.C. DantzlerAndy BisekAndy Bisek.84 kgJake ClarkBrad VeringJake Clark.96 kgJustin RuizAdam WheelerJustin Ruiz.120 kgDremiel ByersRuss DavieDremiel Byers

Columbia, Mo. -- Recent graduate and two-time wrestling All-American Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men's At Large First Team as announced today by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). McCormick's first-team honor is Missouri's first since Shaon Fry was awarded the accolade in 1993. Missouri's first three-time Academic All-American in wrestling, McCormick earned third team honors his junior (2007) and sophomore (2006) seasons. The 133-pound grappler was one of 15 individuals selected to the ESPN The Magazine Men's At-Large University Division First Team. In addition, McCormick is one of three wrestlers named to the first team and one of only two Big 12 honorees. McCormick recorded a 3.95 cumulative grade-point average throughout his time at Missouri, earning a degree in business management in May, 2008. One of 29 recipients of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, McCormick is a four-time Academic All-Big 12 first team honoree, three time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Seven award winner and three-time National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-American in Academics.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- D1CollegeWrestling.Net named the Purdue wrestling team's 2008-09 recruiting class the 19th best in the nation on Sunday night. The Boilermakers inked five highly touted recruits from across the nation and secured a few solid transfers from Central Michigan, Columbia and the junior college ranks. Indiana native Brennan Cosgrove tops the list, finishing the 2008 season as the No. 7 wrestler in the country at 145 pounds, and will likely bump up to 149 pounds for Purdue. He was a state champ in Indiana and one of two future Boilermaker's to earn All-American honors, taking sixth place at Senior Nationals. Ethan Smith is the other high school All-American to come to West Lafayette after taking fourth place at Senior Nationals. Smith hails from Wasatch High School in Utah, the same alma mater as 2006 NCAA Qualifier Colton Salazar and Olympic Gold Medalist and four-time NCAA Champion Cael Sanderson. Smith finished the 2008 season at No. 13 in the nation at 160 pounds. Rounding out the list of nationally ranked grapplers is Kegan Handlovic, who came out of 2008 ranked No. 14 in the country at 119 pounds. A product of national power Easton High School in Pennsylvania, Handlovic won back-to-back state titles in 2007 and 2008, and will give the Boilermakers ample help at 125 pounds. Matt Bryan joins the Old Gold and Black at 141 pounds, coming to West Lafayette from Broken Arrow, Okla., while Ryan Gambill closes out the group of newcomers, hailing from Casstown, Ohio. Bryan Gambill, Handlovic, Smith and Cosgrove combined to win 10 state titles in their high school tenure. Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel picked up a few transfers this offseason, highlighted by Carson Beebe, Orrin Kleinhenz and Juan Archuleta. Beebe, the younger brother of former Boilermaker Chase Beebe, comes to Purdue from highly-ranked Central Michigan, and will wrestle at 133 pounds, while Kleinhenz switches to Old Gold and Black from Columbia blue, and will wrestle at 184 or 197 pounds. Archuleta won the 2008 California Junior College Championship at 141 pounds for Sacramento City College. The Boilermakers are one of eight Big Ten teams to earn national top-20 honors on the recruiting front, including the top-ranked class of the University of Minnesota. This marks Purdue's best-ranked recruiting class since the 2003 season, when the Boilermakers earned top-15 marks from several publications.

Columbia, Mo. -- Missouri wrestling Head Coach Brian Smith announced today that an additional four grapplers have signed on to compete with the Tiger team beginning Fall, 2008. Taylor Crane, Cody Farinella, Nicholas Gregoris and Todd Schavrien will round out the recruiting class, bringing Missouri's total number of signees to seven. "All of these young men are focused in the classroom and on the mat," Smith said. "They are excited about the challenge of competing in the Big 12 Conference and especially anxious to be part of a team that will be battling for an NCAA title. My staff and I are looking forward to working with them in the practice room and seeing them develop." Expected to wrestle at 141- pounds for Missouri, Crane, a native of Columbia, Mo. attended Rock Bridge High School and tallied a 157-17 record. Crane competed in the 135-pound weight class and earned Freestyle State titles his freshman (2005) and sophomore (2006) seasons. Additionally, Crane was a member of the 2005 Championship Cadet Freestyle National Dual Team and 2006 Championship Junior Grecco National Dual Team. Recognized for his ability to put his opponent on his back, Crane pinned 87 wrestlers throughout his four year career. Entering his senior season, Crane was ranked 14th in the nation by W.I.N. Magazine. A four-time state placer, Farinella earned top honors at 135 pounds during his senior season at Parkway North High School. Farinella finished the 2007-08 campaign with a perfect 45-0 record, bringing his career mark to 168-11. A native of Maryland Heights, Mo. Farinella wrestled in four different weight classes in high school finishing third at 112 pounds as a freshman, second at 125 pounds as a sophomore and second at 130 pounds as a junior. Farinella is a two-time runner-up at the freestyle state championships and finished third in Greco. The Parkway North Scholar Athlete of the Year, Farinella notched a 4.35 grade-point average and was named North's most outstanding wrestler all four years of high school. Farinella will likely wrestle at 141 or 149-pounds for the Tigers. Chapel Hill High School grappler Gregoris is a three-time North Carolina State Champion, earning titles his freshman (2005), sophomore (2006) and senior (2008) season. Gregoris, ranked 19th in the nation at 152 pounds, is expected to wrestle at 157-pounds for Missouri. Finishing his season with a 183-7 record, the North Carolina native, earned NHSCA Senior National All-America honors after finishing the tournament in fourth place. In addition, Gregoris was a Super 32 Finalist and Reno Tournament of Champions finalist. Schavrien is a transfer from Arizona State and will compete at 133 pounds at Missouri. Entering the 2008-09 season as a sophomore in athletic standing, Schavrien redshirted his first season at Arizona State, earning FILA Junior National Championship honors in the 60 kg class in the off-season. A native of San Diego, Calif., Schavrien attended Poway High School and graduated in 2006. Schavrien claimed the California State title in 2006 while wrestling at 130-pounds, finishing third as a junior in 2005. A two-time All-American, Schavrien is an All-State selection and holds the Poway High School record in winning percentage, consecutive wins and tournament titles.

Event: UFC 85: BEDLAM Venue: O2 Arena, London, England Date: June 7, 2008 In a UFC card full injuries and late substitutions, Matt HUGHES finds himself in the main event against Thiago "The Pit Bull" ALVES. London, England is the site of UFC 85, thus creating an awkward start time of 2 p.m. central today for the event. This card pales in comparison to the recent UFC 84 card, where the UFC Monster posted a +$207 profit with his prediction as posted right here on Rev. That would buy you seven (7) GOLD STAR subscriptions to this outstanding website! So. Let's jump in and test the bloody waters of the UFC again. I believe today's card is full of upsets. I find six (6) of them on an 11-fight card, with four (4) favorites and one (1) no pass. Let's take a look: On the main card: Let's lay $ 50 to win $150 on Jason DAY to pull a big upset over local boy, Michael BISPING, who has looked awesome since dropping to the middleweight ranks. But, I haven't cared for him since before he was wrongfully awarded a decision over Matt "The Hammer" Hamill. Day wins by TKO in the third round. Lay $120 to win $127 on the "Irish Hand Grenade" Marcus DAVIS to sneak in a KO punch on Mike "Quick" SWICK, who should be roaring out like a freight train for another early knockout. DAVIS will survive the attack and find his mark early in the second round. Lay $ 80 to win $120 on Fabrico WERDUM, who is bigger, a better puncher, and much better on the ground than his opponent, Brandon "the Truth" VERA. The truth is that Vera looked dwarfed against Tim Silvia, and may not have any better results here. I like Werdum with a second-round submission by choke. Lay $204 to win $120 on Nate "The Great" MARQUARDT to walk right through Thales LEITAS. The public is pounding Marquardt, driving him from �145 all the way to �220. There is a reason. Only Anderson Silva has made Nate look anything but great! I see a second-round submission putting this one to rest. My POD (Play of the Day). Lay $110 to win $187 on a another shocking upset of Matt HUGHES by determined Thiago ALVES. In the featured event, yet non-title, these two will battle for three (3) rounds only. Hughes, of course, will try to use his fading brute strength to control Alves on the ground. The Pit Bull wants to keep it standing where he is a better puncher than his opponent. I see Hughes' eagerness to dominate and his hard-charging style playing into the hands of Alves, who delivers a resounding KO punch near the end of the second round! On the undercard, Lay $ 81 to win $ 20 on a "bridge jump" on Thiago TAVARES over Matt Wiman, first round submission by rear-naked choke. Lay $ 60 to win $120 on the experienced Jorge RIVIERA over kick-boxer, Martin KAMPMANN on a split decision. Lay $120 to win $50 on Englishman, Paul TAYLOR to dominate and kick the crap out of Jess Liaudin. Lay $120 to win $ 80 on Jason LAMBERT to crush Luiz CANE with some devastating ground-and-pound second-round TKO. Lay $ 55 to win $ 99 on late substitute, Eddie SANCHEZ, to KO Antonio HARDONK in the first round. … and let's PASS on Roan CAMEIRO vs. Kevin BURNS. In summary, we are laying an even $1000 to try and win $1073. Remember, take those winnings and join REV GOLD. And, enjoy the fights. I know I will. More later. The UFC Monster

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State University wrestling team has released its schedule for the 2008-09 season which will feature eight home duals and three tough tournaments in the month of December, including the Midlands Tournament in Evanston, Ill. In all, the Sun Devils will compete in 15 duals during the season and will face both of its intrastate foes, Embry-Riddle and Grand Canyon, in the Valley of the Sun. "Once again, we have another challenging schedule that I feel will prepare our team for the Pac-10 Championships and the NCAA Championships," Head Coach Thom Ortiz said. "Each year, we face some of the best teams in the nation and this year will be no different. Our goal is to win the Pac-10 and place in the Top 10 nationally, and I feel this schedule will prepare our wrestlers to reach those goals in March." The Sun Devils will open the year at home on November 8 with a Pac-10 dual against UC Davis before taking on Portland State in another league contest one week later at home. Following a road trip to face defending NCAA champion Iowa and fifth-place Iowa State, the Sun Devils will welcome Embry-Riddle to Wells Fargo Arena for its first intrastate battle. The month of December will see ASU face competition in three tournament settings. The Sun Devils will open the month on December 5-6 at the Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational before heading to the Reno Tournament of Champions on December 18. The month closes with the Sun Devils traveling to Evanston, Ill., to compete in the prestigious Midlands Tournament hosted by Northwestern. When the year changes to 2009, the Sun Devils will return to dual competition, opening the New Year (January 3) at the Grand Canyon State Duals in Phoenix where ASU will face Oklahoma City University, Pima CC (Tucson) and the host Antelopes of GCU. The following day, ASU will take on league rival CS Bakersfield at home to open a four-dual homestand. After home non-conference duals with Oklahoma (Jan. 18) and Minnesota (Jan. 23), the Sun Devils close out January with a Pac-10 dual against Cal Poly (Jan. 31) at home. The Sun Devils will hit the road for Pac-10 action at Stanford (Feb. 6) and Oregon State (Feb. 8) for their final two duals away from Tempe before closing out the regular season on Feb. 15 when CS Fullerton comes to town. From there, the championship season will be upon the Sun Devils as the team will head to Fullerton, Calif., for the 2009 Pac-10 Championships (March 2-3) before closing the year at the 2009 NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Mo. (March 19-21). Last year, the Sun Devils finished in a tie for 28th place at the NCAA tournament with Michigan State as both squads scored 15.5 points while ASU had four wrestlers fall one victory short of earning All-America status. At the conference level, the Sun Devils scored 103 points, just 3.5 points out of a tie for second place with Stanford, at the Pac-10 event with ASU sending five competitors to the finals of their respective weight classes. Patrick Pitsch (165) and Brent Chriswell (184) each won titles while Anthony Robles (125), Chris Drouin (141) and Jason Trulson (197) each took second. Of those five, Robles, Drouin and Chriswell were freshmen.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro has made the first addition to his coaching staff on Tuesday with the announcement that former Mountain Hawk All-American Brad Dillon is returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach for the 2008-09 season. Dillon, a 2004 Lehigh graduate and two-year team captain, spent the last four seasons as an assistant under Santoro at Maryland. "I'm really excited to have Brad join our coaching staff," said Santoro. "He came to Maryland four years ago and was a big part of our turnaround down there. He knows the sport and cares about the student-athletes. I have complete trust in his abilities as a coach." Dillon amassed a record of 101-26 at Lehigh and ranks in the top ten in school history for career victories. As a senior in 2004, Dillon set a school single-season record with 24 dual meet victories, and also had a record-string of 39 straight dual meet wins from 2002-2004. Dillon captured EIWA Championships at 174 in both his junior and senior seasons, and went on to earn All-American honors in each of his final two years, placing fifth in 2003 and fourth in 2004. Off the mat, Dillon was an NWCA Academic All-American as a senior and was an Academic All-District At-Large selection by CoSIDA. Before graduating with a degree in Biology, Dillon earned the Athletics Department's highest honor when he was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2004. Like Santoro, Dillon will be returning to his native Lehigh Valley. Dillon was raised in Allentown, and graduated from nearby Parkland High School. "It's good to be home," said Dillon. "The Lehigh Valley has been home for as long as I can remember, and being able to return to my alma mater is a pretty neat experience. I'm excited to start working the guys on the team and I'm looking forward to new challenges that lie ahead here at Lehigh." During his tenure at Maryland, Dillon proved to be one of the most versatile coaches on Santoro's staff. Dillon worked in the practice room with wrestlers from nearly every weight class, and also assisted in the recruiting efforts that helped the Terrapins land several nationally ranked recruiting classes. Last season, Dillon helped guide the Terrapins to their first ACC Championship in 35 years and Maryland went on to crown its first All-American since 1997 en route to a top-25 team finish at the NCAA Championships.

WATERLOO, Iowa -- Four of the biggest stars in Greco-Roman history and one of the top politicians of the past decade will be the honorees on Saturday, July 19, at the inaugural inductions into the Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Champions. The hall is located in the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum here, and is named for Alan and Gloria Rice, a husband-and wife team that has been one of the most influential forces in American wrestling history. Greco-Roman wrestling is a style that allows only holds above the waist, and Alan Rice has been one of its staunchest advocates for half a century. The four Greco-Roman champions to be inducted are: • Steve Fraser, 1984 Olympic champion and a coach of the 2007 World championship team in Greco-Roman; • Mike Houck, 1985 World champion, the first in U.S. history; • Dennis Hall, 1995 World champion and a silver medalist in the 1996 Olympics; • Joe Warren, 2006 World champion and two-time national champion. In addition, Dennis Hastert, former Speaker of the House of the United States Congress, will receive the Sport of Lincoln Award for his longtime contribution to the sport. A 10-term Congressman from Illinois, Hastert was a successful college wrestler and high school coach, and has been a major supporter of the sport for decades. He has been an advocate for modifying Title 9 rules to allow for protection of all male sports while supporting growth for women's athletics, and played a key role in keeping several colleges from dropping the sport. Hastert was Speaker from 1999 to 2007 and is the longest serving Republican House Speaker in U.S. history. He resigned his Congressional position on Nov. 26, 2007, and today is in demand as a public speaker and as an adviser on a number of prominent issues. His biography, "Speaker," will be available for purchase. The event will include a free Greco-Roman clinic by Dennis Hall and Joe Warren at 6 p.m. Friday (July 18) at the Dan Gable Teaching Center in the museum; an Olympic Spirit Festival at the museum, starting at noon Saturday (July 19); the official inductions at 2:30 p.m. in the new hall of champions, and the induction banquet at the Five Sullivans Brothers Convention Center, at 7 p.m. (social starting at 6 p.m.). "This is a wonderful opportunity to honor some of America's greatest athletes and to meet a man who was third in line to the Presidency," said Mike Chapman, the museum's executive director. "This is a huge event for the sport of wrestling and we invite all sports fans and Olympic fans to come share this day with us." Admission to the museum is $5 per person. The banquet is $25 per person and is limited in seating. Banquet reservations must be made by July 14, by calling the museum at 319-233-0745. The Olympics Spirit Festival is designed as a lead-in to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. The Olympics are scheduled for August 8-24. "We want to help people get into the Olympic spirit and be a part of the festivities," said Kent Sesker, marketing director at the museum. "We have scheduled an exciting festival, which features a discussion panel with past Olympians, some giveaways and some Olympic raffle items." The Olympic panel will be moderated by Kyle Klingman, associate director. The audience will be invited to participate in a question-and-answer session. Members of the panel invited to participate will include Glen Brand, 1948 Olympic champion from Iowa State; Bill Smith, 1952 Olympic champion who wrestled for Iowa State Teachers College; Dan Gable, 1972 Olympic champion from Waterloo; Chuck Yagla, Waterloo native who made the 1980 Olympic team but was denied an opportunity to compete by the boycott of President Jimmy Carter; Ed Banach, Olympic champion in 1984; Randy Lewis, Olympic champion in 1984; Steve Fraser, 1984 Olympic champion in Greco-Roman; Tom Brands, 1996 Olympic champion, and Cael Sanderson, 2004 Olympic champion. "This is a great event for all of wrestling and the entire State of Iowa," said Gable, who also coached the 1980 and 1984 Olympic freestyle teams. "We are pleased to have Alan and Gloria Rice be such a special part of the museum. They have made a huge contribution to the sport over the decades and this is a perfect way to let Alan know we appreciate all his work for the sport." A two-time Big Ten champion and an All-American at the University of Minnesota, Rice was a national champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling in 1956. He also made the 1954 World freestyle team, placing fifth, and was a member of the 1956 Greco-Roman Olympic team. He coached the 1972 Olympic team in Greco-Roman and has coached two World teams. He and his wife, Gloria, helped found the Minnesota Wrestling Club. The club enjoys the unique distinction of placing a wrestler on every World and Olympic team since 1964, a record unequalled in American wrestling history. Gloria Rice was also a key player in wrestling circles. She was the first woman to learn the complicated international pairings system and then taught it to other American officials. Her attention to detail at the 1969 World Championships played a role in the winning of the first gold medal at that level by an American when she caught a pairing error that could have eliminated the American entrant. Gloria and Alan Rice traveled the world to attend wrestling events at the highest level. She passed away on Sept. 1, 2001. In an editorial in a Minnesota newspaper, Gloria was lauded for her great work in the church, her community and in wrestling. "This is a tremendous honor for Greco-Roman wrestling, and for Gloria and me," said Rice. "Greco-Roman is a very tough, physical style that demands total commitment and dedication. I am thrilled that the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum has chosen to honor these special athletes in such a fashion." There are two other halls of recognition in the Gable Museum: the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa and the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. In addition, the AAU National Wrestling Hall of Fame has its own wall in the museum. The Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Champions will be positioned between the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa and the Dan Gable Teaching Center. It will house various artifacts from Greco-Roman wrestling history. There are a total of nine spots in the museum named after various people: • Dean Rockwell Library and Research Center • Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa • Dan Gable Teaching Center • Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Champions • Arno Niemand Video Room • Warren and Jayne DePrenger MATMAN Gift Shop • Bob Siddens-Keith Young-Dave Natvig Lounge • Abe Lincoln Lobby • George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Nikita Koloff and Randy Lewis. Koloff is a former professional wrestler who was the 2006 recipient of the Frank Gotch Award. This award is given to someone who brings prestige and honor to professional wrestling. Lewis was a 1984 Olympic champion and a two-time Olympian. Considered one this country's most exciting wrestlers ever, Lewis won two NCAA titles for the University of Iowa in 1979 and 1980. He is currently a coach with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club in Iowa City. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. This week's broadcast can be heard live from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, hosts the show. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with questions or comments about the show.