InterMat Staff

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue head wrestling coach Scott Hinkel was named the 2008 Amateur Wrestling News (AWN) Rookie Coach of the Year on Tuesday. Joining him with first-year honors were freshmen Luke Manuel, Logan Brown and A.J. Kissel, who were all named to the AWN Freshman All-American Team. Scott HinkelHinkel led the Boilermakers to a 10-8 dual record in his inaugural campaign, and the squad placed 30th at the 2008 NCAA Championships. He has been a significant part of Purdue wrestling for the last three decades, wrestling for the Old Gold and Black from 1984-to-1987, serving as an assistant coach in 1989 and 1990, again from 1993-to-2007, and then taking over as the Boilermakers' head coach in 2007. He's just the third coach in school history to post a winning dual record in his rookie season, joining Herb Miller and Don Corrigan, and led Purdue to more Big Ten Dual wins in 2008, than the previous two seasons combined. He also guided the Boilermakers to their first win over archrival Indiana University since 2004, as they topped the 17th-ranked Hoosiers 18-16 on February 8. The Boilermakers took 10th at this year's Big Ten Championships, but scored 51.5 team points, their highest total since the 2004 season and just the fourth time in the last 14 years they've surpassed the 50-point plateau. With four NCAA qualifiers, Hinkel's squad amassed 14.5 points en route to its 30th-place finish, and had a pair of wrestlers reach the Round of 12 in their respective brackets and fall one win shy of NCAA All-America honors. Manuel was one of these two, posting a 3-2 mark at nationals, including an upset win over a seeded opponent. He finished 29-9 at 165 pounds, placing in every tournament he wrestled in over the season. He earned an automatic bid to nationals with a third-place showing at the Big Ten Championships, while winning the Jim Fox Open and the NWCA National Open. He finished second at the Eastern Michigan Open and eighth at the Midlands Championships, while notching a 1-1 mark in Big Ten Duals. Both Brown and Kissel nabbed automatic trips to the NCAA Championships as well as Brown finished fifth at the conference meet, while Kissel nabbed seventh. Brown was 1-2 at nationals and 24-16 on the season, finishing tied for fourth on the team in wins this season. He was second on the squad in takedowns with 63, and scored a 3-5 mark in conference duals over the season. Kissel posted one of the most outstanding freshman seasons in recent memory, shattering the Boilermakers' single season falls record with 19 on the year. His total was tied for second in NCAA Division I, and has already moved him to 12th on Purdue's career list. Kissel finished 25-17 on the season, going 2-6 in Big Ten Duals and 2-2 in the NCAA Tournament with a pin of ninth-seeded Brent Chriswell of Arizona State in the second round. He tied for the team lead in reversals (13), while finishing third on the squad in wins. "This says a lot about the direction of our program," said Hinkel. "To have so much success with such a young group gives us great hope for the future. We're building something great here at Purdue, and we can't wait to be a part of the nationally elite."

The Beat the Streets Wrestling Program will honor New York City school coaches and the Public School Athletic League (PSAL) at a gala fundraiser held at the Bowery Hotel in New York City on Tuesday. Gathering to show their support of the Beat the Streets Program are wrestling legends Dan Gable, U.S.A. Wrestling Hall of Fame and U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member and Gannet Co.'s "Wrestler of the Century"; Lee Kemp, 2008 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Coach and three-time World Champion Winner; John Smith, Olympic and World Championship Medal Winner; and Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director, National Wrestling Hall of Fame. "Beat the Streets teaches students through wrestling how to meet challenges head-on and encourages a mentality that can help young people achieve greater personal success," said Michael E. Novogratz, the Beat the Streets' Chairman of the Board. "Our honorees have worked hard to positively affect the lives of thousands of New York City school children and we are honored that some of the greatest athletes in United States wrestling history have come to us to help recognize these outstanding individuals." A member of the Wrestling Hall of Fame, Novogratz attributes his business success to the discipline and focus he learned through wrestling. Mr. Novogratz currently serves as President and Director of Fortress Investment Group LLC and helped Beat the Streets raise more than $2 million, the largest contribution to any school sport in the history of New York City's public schools. "Beat the Streets' work to expand wrestling opportunities and teach young boys and girls valuable life lessons is extremely vital in New York City and the country," said Dan Gable. "The sport of wrestling teaches independence. One learns to master disciplines of stamina, strength, and agility as well as focusing on technical and tactical skills. The importance of learning to ‘stand alone' while actually being part of a team develops the total individual." Founded in 2004, Beat the Streets' mission is to expand wrestling in the New York City Metropolitan area from beginner to the Olympic level. Approximately 3,500 boys and girls from the New York City Public, Private and Catholic School systems currently participate in Beat The Streets after-school programs. The organization works closely with a wide range of partners including coaches, school administrators and current and former professional athletes to provide opportunities for children of diverse backgrounds to participate in opportunities beyond its own programs such as wrestling clinics, tournaments and summer camps. 2008 Beat the Streets Award Winners Overview Man of the Year: Eric Goldstein, Chief Executive, Public School Athletic League Goldstein is being honored for his work to vastly expand the opportunities for students to participate in wrestling. He has worked tirelessly to coordinate the involvement of the Department of Education and the Public School Athletic League administration to help facilitate a large number of wrestling programs in New York City schools. College Coach of the Year: Bruce Haberli, Wrestling Coach, New York University, New York, NY Haberli has had an outstanding year, winning the University Athletic Association Championships and finishing 8th in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III with a 13-1 team dual meet record. He has also recruited two middle school programs for Beat the Streets. High School Coach of the Year: Michael Blythe, Coach, Michael J. Petrides School, Staten Island, NY Blythe won the Public School Athletic League City Championship and has built the largest program in the PSAL, with two assistant coaches, an active Booster and Parents Club. He has also hosted several events for Beat the Streets throughout the year. High School Developmental Coach of the Year: Keith Conrade, Coach, Canarsie High School, Brooklyn, NY Conrade was recruited to help take over an existing but floundering high school wrestling program. Under his leadership he helped rally the principal, faculty and student body to support the program and rejuvenate it to resounding success. Middle School Coach of the Year: Corey Luce, Coach, Roosevelt Island Middle School, Roosevelt Island, NY Luce has helped set the standard for Beat the Streets' middle school program with a successful and engaging model. He is currently Assistant Coach at New York University after spending several years as Assistant Coach at Hunter College.

The Arkansas Wrestling Academy is proud to be the host of the 2008 Olympic Hopeful Training Camp. 6-Time World, 2-Time Olympic Champion and arguably the greatest American wrestler ever … Head Coach of Oklahoma State University: JOHN SMITH! May 30-June 7th www.arkansaswrestlingacademy.com 6900 Pinnacle Valley Rd. Little Rock, AR 72223 Contacts: Pat Smith at 501-519-0850 or Greg Hatcher at 501-517-4734

Wrestler. Coach. Athletic director. Innovator. Promoter. Architect. Gary Kurdelmeier's lasting legacy a decade after his death may well be as the architect whose planning and efforts thirty-five years ago helped put Iowa at the top of the collegiate wrestling world in 2008 (Photo/National Wrestling Hall of Fame)Gary Kurdelmeier wore many hats in his life. Although he was a two-time Iowa high school state champ, a Big Ten titlist, an NCAA champ, and coach whose wrestlers won conference and national titles, Kurdelmeier's lasting legacy a decade after his death may well be as the architect whose planning and efforts thirty-five years ago helped put his Iowa Hawkeyes at the top of collegiate wrestling as 2008 NCAA team champions. Long before Tom Brands, or Jim Zalesky, or Dan Gable, Gary Kurdelmeier was the head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa in the early 1970s. In just four seasons (1972-1976), Kurdelmeier's Hawkeyes won their first Big Ten individual and team titles in a decade, and their first-ever NCAA team titles. Kurdelmeier's coaching talent and innovative ideas helped set the foundation for Iowa to win 21 NCAA and 28 Big Ten team titles since 1974. Even history-minded wrestling fans may only know Gary Kurdelmeier as "the man who hired Dan Gable." True, Kurdelmeier brought in the legendary Iowa State wrestler an assistant coach at Iowa in 1972 -- the year Gable won the freestyle gold medal at the Munich Olympics. But his own accomplishments as wrestler, coach and tireless innovator make Gary Kurdelmeier a significant figure in U.S. amateur wrestling in his own right. The Wrestler Growing up in a wrestling hotbed Gary Kurdelmeier was born in 1936 in Cresco, Iowa, a prosperous farming community of approximately 4,000 in the northeastern corner of the state, about a dozen miles south of the Minnesota border. From the 1920s into the early 60s, Cresco was a major force in wrestling in a state where the sport verges on being a religion. Among the famous men who wrestled at Cresco: Future Iowa State head coach Harold Nichols and his brother Don… Tom Peckham, Cyclone star of the mid 1960s … Dale Henson, University of Minnesota's second-ever NCAA champ and World War II hero… and Dr. Norman Borlaug, another Golden Gopher wrestler who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his lifesaving work in agricultural science has fed billions throughout the world. While at Cresco High School, Gary Kurdelmeier was involved in a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including sports. According to his biography in the 1954 Spartan yearbook, he was a Film Operator all four years, a class officer his sophomore year, in two plays his junior year, and on the yearbook staff his senior year. All four years he was on the track team, and played baseball and football, earning All-State tackle honors his senior year. But the sport where Gary Kurdelmeier really made a name for himself was wrestling. In 1952, he won a gold medal wrestling at 160 pounds at the YMCA tournament in Waterloo, Iowa. The following year, as a junior, Kurdelmeier won the conference title, then the heavyweight title at the 1953 Iowa high school state tournament, defeating Dave Shakespeare of Cedar Rapids Roosevelt in the finals. His senior year, Kurdelmeier won a second conference crown, followed by a second state championship, this time beating Algona's Joe Funk in the heavyweight title match. He concluded his prep mat career with a perfect 23-0 record. From Spartan to Hawkeye Gary Kurdelmeier graduated from Cresco High in 1954, then headed almost straight south to the University of Iowa at Iowa City on a wrestling scholarship. Back in the 1950s, per NCAA rules, first-year student-athletes were not allowed to compete in varsity sports; freshman year was considered to be a time to adapt to the academic rigors of college coursework, make friends, and get comfortable with being away from home. Gary KurdelmeierIn his sophomore year, Gary Kurdelmeier went out for football, playing tackle for head coach Forest Evashevski. (One of the Cresco native's teammates on the Hawkeye football team: Alex Karras, future NFL star, and familiar face on TV and movie screens.) However, Kurdelmeier injured his knee during that first season, and that was the end of his gridiron career. Back when Kurdelmeier was the Hawkeyes' starter at 177 pounds, the Iowa wrestling program was enjoying a period of success under Dave McCuskey, who, before coming to Iowa City in 1952, had piloted the Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa) wrestling program during its glory days in the 1940s, working with mat legends such as Bill Koll, Gerry Leeman, Bill Nelson, and Bill Young. Gary Kurdelmeier's college wrestling teammates were mostly Iowa boys who had made names for themselves in high school; like Gary, many were state champs. At least two of his fellow Hawkeyes eclipsed their prep success in significant ways. Terry McCann, 1952 Illinois state champ who won his title in just 37 seconds, became a two-time NCAA champ at 115 pounds (1954, 1955) who went on to win a freestyle gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome (Click HERE to read a profile on Terry and Fran McCann) … and Simon Roberts of Davenport, Iowa, the Hawkeyes' 147-pounder who was the first African-American to win an Iowa high school state title (1953) … then wrote another chapter of history by being the first black to win a national collegiate wrestling title at the 1957 NCAAs. (To read more about Simon Roberts, click HERE.) In a 2007 interview with RevWrestling.com, Simon Roberts weighed in with his opinions on the Iowa head coach: "Dave McCuskey was a tough guy. He ran you through your paces, but he was a fair guy." "He helped produce a lot of great wrestlers." The stats back up Roberts' statement. From 1954 through 1958 – the years Roberts and Kurdelmeier wrestled for the University of Iowa – Dave McCuskey's Hawkeyes had eight individuals win Big Ten titles, and a total of five Hawkeyes become NCAA champs. Both Kurdelmeier and Roberts belong in both groups. Sophomore season: Big Ten finalist In Gary Kurdelmeier's sophomore year (1955-56) -- his first season as Iowa's primary 177-pounder -- Iowa posted a dual-meet record of six wins and just two losses (losing to the University of Michigan, and the University of Oklahoma, where he moved up to heavyweight, losing to defending champ Gordon Roesler on an end-of-match takedown). At the 1956 Big Ten conference championships at Northwestern University, Kurdelmeier was one of Iowa's finalists. In the 177-pound title match, the Cresco native faced off against Jack Marchello of the University of Michigan. There was a lot of pressure riding on the shoulders of both wrestlers; the winner of this match would determine whether the Hawkeyes or the Wolverines left Evanston, Illinois with the Big Ten team title. Jack Marchello (Photo/University of Michigan Sports Information)Jack Marchello remembers considerable details from the 1956 Big Tens. "In the semifinals, I wrestled Ahmet Senol of Purdue, nicknamed The Turk because he was from Turkey, and considered unbeatable. He had pinned me in 45 seconds in a dual earlier that season." This time, a reversal of fortune: the Wolverine got the win over the Boilermaker from Turkey, setting up the finals match-up vs. Kurdelmeier. "We had never wrestled each other in a dual," discloses Marchello, who was born in East Moline, Illinois but moved to suburban Chicago (Harvey) at age twelve. "At the Iowa/Michigan dual, I went up against someone else, Cal Jenkins, I believe." "(In my Big Ten title bout,) I gave away ten pounds," Marchello continues. "But that was typical. I was more a 167 than 177, so I usually wrestled guys bigger than me." "Gary was tremendously powerful. He had huge shoulders and arms. I knew I wasn't going to out-muscle him. I had to be fast on my feet. Instead of tying up with a guy like Gary, I controlled the legs, worked to keep him off his base. I was an excellent control wrestler." "I remember getting one takedown on him," says Marchello, who, like Kurdelmeier, was a sophomore. "I think I took him by surprise." The final result: Jack Marchello defeated Gary Kurdelmeier by the score of 4-2 for the 1956 Big Ten 177-pound crown. With that win, Michigan claimed the conference team title. "We never wrestled each other again. The following season, I pretty much wrestled 167," according to Marchello, who, at age 72, still designs wrestling headgear for Cliff Keen Athletic, as well as protective gear for the physically challenged for his own company in Ann Arbor, Michigan. A few weeks later, at the 1956 NCAAs -- held at venerable Gallagher Hall at Oklahoma State -- Jack Marchello dropped down to 167 … while Gary Kurdelmeier stayed at 177. The Hawkeye was seeded fourth; the top seed was defending champ Dan Hodge of Oklahoma. Kurdelmeier drew a bye in the opening round … then got a 6-1 victory over Iowa State's Gene Frank. In the quarterfinals, the Iowan defeated University of Toledo's fifth-seeded Dick Bonacci 6-1. However, Kurdelmeier's title dream was derailed in the semifinals by the champ; Dan Hodge pinned the Hawkeye at 4:35, and went on to win his second title. However, Kurdelmeier bounced back in the consolation round, placing third, and earning All-American honors along with teammates Harlan Jenkinson (third at 167), and individual champs Terry McCann at 115, and Ken Leuer at 191. The Hawkeyes placed fourth in the team standings -- their best showing ever. Junior year: Big Ten champ Gary Kurdelmeier's junior year saw the Hawkeyes improve to a 7-2 dual meet record. In the first match of the season, the Iowan went up against the man who had pinned him at the 1956 NCAAs, two-time champ Dan Hodge. In wrestling historian Mike Chapman's 2005 book Wrestling Tough, Kurdelmeier reported that the Sooner's grip was so powerful, he had black-and-blue marks on his arms days afterwards. "When you knew you were wrestling Hodge, you didn't get too many good nights of sleep," the Hawkeye 177-pounder was quoted as saying. It was a typical match for Hodge; the native of Perry, Oklahoma put Kurdelmeier's shoulders to the mat in their January 1957 dual. Bill Wright (Photo/University of Minnesota Sports Information)The 1957 Big Tens were hosted by Ohio State. At St John Arena, Gary Kurdelmeier got a 4-2 win over Michigan's Karl Lutomski, shut out Bob Killian of Indiana 2-0 in the quarterfinals, and, in the semifinals, edged out Illinois' Steve Szabo 4-3. In the finals, the Hawkeye took on Bill Wright of Minnesota … and got the 7-5 decision over the Golden Gopher to win the 1957 Big Ten 177-pound title. Gary Kurdelmeier wasn't the only Big Ten champ from Iowa that year; Ralph Rieks won the 137-pound crown. The Hawkeyes placed third in the conference team standings. Just after the conference championships – and before the NCAAs -- 1957 Big Ten champ Gary Kurdelmeier wrestled at the 1957 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) national championships in Ames, Iowa, moving up to the 191-pound weight class. In the finals, he went up against Iowa teammate Gordon Trapp, who had moved down from heavyweight. Kurdelmeier was the fall guy, getting pinned by Trapp at 4:08, and placing second. In late March, Gary Kurdelmeier and the Hawkeyes headed east, to the University of Pittsburgh, to compete at the 1957 NCAAs. The Big Ten 177-pound champ competed at the 191-pound weight class (which wasn't wrestled at Big Ten dual meets or the conference championships), and was seeded fourth. In the first two matches, he held his opponents scoreless. Sadly, the Iowan ran into a roadblock again in the semifinals, losing to the top-seeded, hometown hero (and eventual champ) Ron Schirf of Pitt, 1-0 … then fell to Colorado's Jack Himmelwright on a referee's decision in the consolation round, failing to place. Iowa placed eighth in the team standings, with two All-Americans: Ralph Rieks (3rd at 137), and 147-pound champ Simon Roberts. Senior year: NCAA champ In Gary Kurdelmeier's last season in Iowa City (1957-58), the Hawkeyes boosted their dual-meet record to 10-3. Kurdelmeier could rest somewhat easier, knowing that three-time NCAA 177-pound champ Dan Hodge had graduated from Oklahoma. However, he might have had a sleepless night before his second dual meet of the season. In that January 1958 bout, Kurdelmeier stepped up for his team big time … going up against defending heavyweight champ Bob Norman of the University of Illinois. The Iowan gave up considerable poundage to the Illini big guy, suffering his only dual-meet loss of his senior season. Gary KurdelmeierThe 1958 Big Ten conference championships were held at Huff Hall at the University of Illinois in Champaign in early March. The 1957 Big Ten champ Gary Kurdelmeier successfully wrestled his way through the 177-pound bracket. His 4-0 win over Purdue's Gil Mesic in the semifinals put him in the finals for the third straight year. In the 177-pound title bout, Kurdelmeier went up against Michigan State's Tim Woodin. The strapping Spartan was on a six-match pinning streak, scoring falls over all his opponents at the Big Tens. Unfortunately for Kurdelmeier, the streak continued; Woodin put the hirsute Hawkeye's shoulders to the mat at 8:21 using a half-Nelson and body scissors, according to Amateur Wrestling News. At the end of March, the Hawkeyes traveled west to the 1958 NCAAs, hosted by the University of Wyoming. Gary Kurdelmeier was seeded fourth at 177. The top seed was Iowa State's Frank Powell, 1958 Big Eight champ and undefeated all season… while Big Ten champ Tim Woodin of Michigan State was second. The Spartan continued his pinning ways, getting falls in his first two bouts, and shutting out his semifinals rival 3-0. Kurdelmeier drew a bye in the opening round, then got a 7-4 victory over Colorado State's Ed Rath in the second. In the quarterfinals, he shut out Merv Miller of Cornell College of Iowa, 7-0. In the semifinals, it was the battle of Iowa, with Kurdelmeier facing off against the Cyclones' Frank Powell, who was on a nineteen-match win streak. The top-seeded ISU senior had won his first three bouts rather convincingly, by the scores of 5-0, 8-2, and 9-3. However, all that didn't matter; the Hawkeye scored a 6-4 upset over Powell, the Big Eight champ. Now Gary Kurdelmeier's sights were set on the man who pinned him for the Big Ten title: Tim Woodin. It's not hard to imagine that Gary Kurdelmeier wanted to avenge his Big Ten finals loss when he faced Tim Woodin for the NCAA title. Here's what the Des Moines Register wrote in its post-NCAA report: "Gary Kurdelmeier, badly beaten and pinned by Woodin in the conference test, scored two takedowns and an escape in beating the former National Amateur Athletic Union king, 6-2." In its more colorful and descriptive analysis, Amateur Wrestling News said that the Iowa senior "pulled an upset by out-horsing" his Michigan State rival, who "found it impossible to break Kurdelmeier's leg ride." Gary Kurdelmeier got his revenge against Woodin … but, more importantly, concluded his college mat career with the 177-pound national title. (Iowa's Jim Craig placed third at 191, joining Kurdelmeier as an All-American at the 1958 NCAAs.) Off the mat at Iowa Thumb through the Hawkeye yearbooks covering Gary Kurdelmeier's time at the University of Iowa, and the immediate question is: When did this guy sleep? In addition to being on the Iowa football team one season, and the wrestling team all four years, Kurdelmeier was the very picture of the active, involved student. Among his activities as a junior: he was elected to the nineteen-person Student Council, and was an officer of Hillcrest men's dorm, and sang in the dorm's choir. In his last year at Iowa, Kurdelmeier was elected secretary of the senior class, president of the Lettermen's Club (organization of letter-winning varsity athletes who served as ushers for sporting events and did charity work), president of the Phi Epsilon Kappa professional fraternity for physical education and recreation majors, president of Delta Upsilon men's social fraternity, and involved in ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps). The Coach From Iowa to Iowa Falls … Back to Iowa Gary Kurdelmeier graduated from the University of Iowa in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in physical education from the College of Liberal Arts. As an Iowa Hawkeye wrestler, he compiled an impressive 28-3-1 dual-meet record. Kurdelmeier was a three-time Big Ten finalist, winning the 177-pound title at the 1957 Big Ten championships. He was a two-time NCAA All-American (1956, 1958), capping his wrestling career at Iowa with the 1958 NCAA title at 177. After graduating, Kurdelmeier accepted an ROTC commission, serving six months as a second lieutenant in the Army Reserves. He then launched his coaching career at Iowa Falls High School in the north-central part of the state. From 1960 through 1966, he was the head wrestling coach, as well as assistant football coach… and also served as athletic director. While at Iowa Falls, Kurdelmeier earned his master's degree in physical education from the University of Iowa. For the 1966-1967 school year, Gary Kurdelmeier served as wrestling coach at Cedar Rapids Jefferson High, where his varsity J-Hawks were 10-4-0. In 1967, Gary Kurdelmeier returned to Iowa City. He was hired by his college coach, Dave McCuskey, as an assistant wrestling coach. Five years later, when McCuskey retired, 36-year-old Gary Kurdelmeier took the helm of the Hawkeye wrestling program. Reversal of fortune for the Hawkeyes Wrestling has been a staple at the University of Iowa since 1911. The Hawkeyes have a long, rich history of individual wrestlers winning Big Ten and NCAA titles, going back to Leslie Beers claiming the 158-pound crown at the very first NCAAs in 1928. However, two years before Gary Kurdelmeier became the Hawkeyes' head wrestling coach in 1972, Iowa tied for thirty-second in the NCAA team standings. The program had never won an NCAA team title. It had been a decade since a Hawkeye had won an individual national title; Iowa big man Sherwyn "Thumper" Thorson was the last, winning the NCAA heavyweight title in 1962. That was also the last year Iowa had claimed a Big Ten team title. In the four seasons Gary Kurdelmeier was head coach (1972-1976), Iowa made an amazing turnaround. The Hawkeyes compiled a 51-7-5 record, earning a .850 winning percentage -- second only to Dan Gable among past Iowa coaches. Against Big Ten rivals, Iowa built a 24-3-4 dual-meet record. Under Kurdelmeier, Iowa won three Big Ten and two NCAA team titles … with seven Hawkeyes winning ten Big Ten individual crowns, and five individuals bringing six NCAA titles back to Iowa City. For orchestrating Iowa's incredible reversal, Kurdelmeier was voted Coach of the Year in both 1975 and 1976. A winning plan to put fans in the stands In recent years, the Iowa Hawkeyes have set national home attendance records for dual meets… but it wasn't always so. Steve Hunte, who wrestled for Gary Kurdelmeier at Iowa in the early 1970s, paints a picture of how it once was: "The first wrestling meets when I was a freshman they would only pull out one bleacher because there were only about 75-100 fans in 1973. During those meets, joggers were allowed to continue to run, and other students were still playing pickup basketball." "However, soon, with win after win, suddenly beating big-name teams, the fans started coming to watch the Iowa wrestling team, the underdogs, starting to beat teams no one would have predicted the year before," says Hunte. "The turning point was going to Iowa State my freshman year. Their arena was packed with 12,000 screaming fans. I remember sitting with fellow freshman Chris Campbell at the edge of the mat, saying to each other almost in disbelief, 'We're going to beat Iowa State!' over and over. After that, Iowa fans started coming in greater numbers to see the new phenomenon, underdog, upstart Iowa, beat teams in dual meets that were very exciting and very, very close." "Getting us that match against Iowa State really put us on the map," Hunte adds. "They were one of the top programs of the era. We hadn't wrestled them in years. Then, (Kurdelmeier) got us to wrestle the Cyclones twice a year, once at each school, usually the first dual would be right after New Year's, to get fans excited about the season, and the last match of the season, just before the NCAAs, to give us momentum and publicity for the nationals … It was a great situation for both schools. We'd pack both halls." In a profile Iowa City Press-Citizen wrestling writer Andy Hamilton wrote on Gary Kurdelmeier for the 2006 book The History of Collegiate Wrestling, Minnesota head coach J. Robinson -- a graduate assistant at Iowa in the 1970s -- described what Kurdelmeier achieved: "He became the head coach of a team that was terrible, and two years later, he won the NCAA two years in a row. That's pretty phenomenal when you think about it." From big mats to big money, Iowa's innovator Gary Kurdelmeier also put fans in the stands with innovative promotions. For instance, for the 1975 dual meet vs. Oklahoma, he made a deal with the local McDonald's: If the Hawkeyes held the Sooners to fewer than ten points, each fan in attendance would score a free hamburger. Gary KurdelmeierThe promotion didn't stop there. For that Iowa vs. Oklahoma dual meet, Kurdelmeier had a 74-foot square mat put down on the floor of the Iowa Field House. "The mammoth mat practically covered the entire basketball floor, and the circle extended beyond the basketball foul lines on each end," according to Steve Hunte, Iowa's 134-pounder at the time. "Oklahoma was notorious for playing the edge, hence the huge mat. You should've seen the looks on their faces when they came out into the gym and saw that huge mat for the first time … It really got the Iowa crowd excited." The big mat worked. The dual meet was wrestled in just 56 minutes, with action being stopped only once for going out-of-bounds. The Hawkeyes drubbed the Sooners 34-5. As then-assistant coach J Robinson told Andy Hamilton for The History of Collegiate Wrestling, "It just about broke McDonald's. All of the sudden they had 9,000 people descending on them for a free hamburger." In the "Ask Dan Gable" column at Iowa Public TV's College Wrestling website, the legendary wrestler/coach weighed in on the big mat: "The matches were quick because of very few whistle stops. No edge-of-the-mat controversial calls. Scared our opponents. Their coach said, 'It was like getting caught in an Iowa cornfield and not being able to find your way out.' Had a few meets, then it was outlawed by the wrestling rules committee. Rule based on inequality, that not everyone could afford to have a mat of that size." Another innovation was Gary Kurdelmeier's partnership with Roy Carver, the multi-millionaire wrestling fan from Muscatine, Iowa. Carver's financial backing helped establish and sustain the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, which allowed wrestlers to continue their training after college … and share their knowledge and experience with the young college grapplers in Iowa's wrestling room. This legacy of innovation didn't emerge from thin air in the 1970s. Even in the 1950s, Gary Kurdelmeier impressed his college teammates as a thinker and innovator. In the InterMat Rewind profile of Simon Roberts, the first black NCAA champ spoke with fondness about his Iowa teammates, including his friend from Cresco, who he described as being "an innovator, as a wrestler, coach and college administrator. He was always a step ahead in his thinking about wrestling. He liked to call me to talk about ideas he had." Ken Leuer, 1956 NCAA champ for Iowa at 191, weighed in with his impressions of Kurdelmeier in The History of Collegiate Wrestling: "Gary was always thinking. He always had plans… He always had ideas of how wrestling should be in the nation, how things should happen, and a vision. He brought that to Iowa wrestling. From my perspective, I would say the quarter-century in which Iowa dominated was the result of Gary's planning, organization, and putting things together and getting the right people to execute the plan." Getting Gable In terms of laying the groundwork for the long-term success of the Iowa Hawkeyes, it's easy to consider Gary Kurdelmeier's most significant "innovation" was hiring Iowa State superstar Dan Gable as an assistant coach for the Hawkeyes. In terms of laying the groundwork for the long-term success of the Iowa Hawkeyes, it's easy to consider Gary Kurdelmeier's most significant "innovation" was hiring Iowa State superstar Dan Gable as an assistant coach for the HawkeyesHere's how Andy Hamilton described the recruiting process in his profile on Kurdelmeier for The History of Collegiate Wrestling: Kurdelmeier inherited the Hawkeye program in 1972 and immediately pulled off his biggest recruiting coup when he snatched Gable away from Iowa State and into the Iowa wrestling room. He worked behind the scenes to lure Gable to Iowa City. He respected Gable's wish to focus on training for the Munich Olympics but frequently contacted Gable's friends and family. In March of 1972, Kurdelmeier called Gable again to gauge his interest in coaching at Iowa. He told Gable to take his time with the decision. "The very next day, he calls me back and says, ‘Gable, I want you to know I've had a little change of heart. I'm going to ask you to take the job or leave it,'" Gable recalled. Gable asked for time to consult with his father. He called friends. Everyone seemed to be in agreement that he should accept Kurdelmeier's offer. An hour later, Gable was the cornerstone in Kurdelmeier's blueprint for excellence. A bit later in Hamilton's profile of Kurdelmeier, Gable tells of being called into his boss' office one month into his first season as an Iowa assistant. "I can see right now that you can do a better job training the athletes than me," Kurdelmeier told Gable. "I'm going to turn the wrestling room, practices, training, all that stuff over to you." Wrestling for Kurdelmeier Steve Hunte was a two-time New York state champ from Bellmore Kennedy High School on Long Island who was recruited by a number of colleges. His dad, Ken Hunte, an All-American at Syracuse who was long-time coach at Long Island prep powerhouse Mepham, wanted Steve to wrestle at the U.S. Naval Academy. However, Steve Hunte had competed twice at the Junior Nationals held in Iowa City. "I'd seen that (University of) Iowa had a great recruiting class ahead of mine, and my class was shaping up the same way," recalls Hunte. "Those factors, along with John Marks' recruitment efforts, made me a believer." Among Steve Hunte's highlights as a Hawkeye: he defeated Rick Thompson of Slippery Rock at the 1977 NWCA All-Star event… and he was a two-time Big Ten champ, winning the 134-pound conference title in 1977 and 1978. "Gary Kurdelmeier was very much a man of his word," according to Hunte. "He'd say, 'As long as you work hard and come to the wrestling room every day, you'll have your scholarship here at Iowa.'" When asked to describe his college coach, Hunte said, "More of a traditional coach. Loved wrestling. A workaholic. Smart guy. A real man. Not flashy. Always dressed in jacket and tie for meets." "Unlike some coaches, Coach Kurdelmeier always took a more subdued position in public announcements about other teams. He was never cocky, never bragged." "He was a big, strong guy with powerful arms and a bull neck. He still wrestled with us in practice … (though) Gable was more the technique man, Kurdelmeier the strategist." "He genuinely liked his wrestlers. He never belittled us. Instead, he'd say ‘I know you can do this.' From him, we learned we had so much potential inside us." "We wanted to succeed for him, to earn his respect." "I remember when a couple of us ran off after he had asked us to move some mats. Next day, he called us into his office, and chewed us out. You didn't want to disappoint him." "He had Red Flag Days, where practice would go an extra half-hour," recalls Hunte. "No advance notice. Sprints to the top of the Field House. Shark-bait drills of non-stop wrestling. More sprints. Carrying guys piggyback to the top of the Field House. The grueling intensity was unimaginable. Your lungs would be burning, muscles reacting -- pulling, pushing, grasping, grabbing, slapping, shooting, pounding, smashing, denying, fighting, grinding, tripping, punishing, prying, wrestling in pools of sweat, no break, no rest, giving it 100% as if your life depended on it, for three hours straight." "At the end of a Red Flag Day, a lot of the wrestlers would lie on the mat for a half-hour or so… By the time we walked out onto the mat for a match, we could handle anything because we'd been through all this." After Iowa When Gary Kurdelmeier announced he was officially passing the head coaching job to Dan Gable in 1977, the Iowa Hawkeyes were in good hands. Thanks to the valuable hands-on coaching experience gained right from the start as an assistant, Gable built upon the foundation crafted by the Cresco native. During his incredible 21-year career as Hawkeye head coach, Gable compiled a 355-21-5 record, bringing home 21 Big Ten and 15 NCAA team titles. What lured Gary Kurdelmeier away from coaching duties? A promotion; he was named assistant athletic director at the University of Iowa, a position he held for nine years. While in that job, he was inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1978. This facility, located in Kurdelmeier's hometown of Cresco, honors great Iowa-born amateur wrestlers and coaches. In 1985, Kurdelmeier left Iowa City to serve as Executive Director of U.S.A. Wrestling. During his three years at the helm, he helped the sport to expand, and was instrumental in moving the organization's headquarters from Stillwater, Oklahoma to Colorado Springs. After a brief retirement, Gary Kurdelmeier got back into the action all over again, helping set up the wrestling program at Georgia State University in Atlanta, and then serving as head coach from 1991-1995. At that time, he also served as a volunteer leader for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. In early October 1998, Gary Kurdelmeier died in Pensacola Beach, Florida at age 62. The cause of death was Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a degenerative fatal brain disorder that's extremely rare, affecting only one person in a million each year, or about 200 individuals in the U.S. annually. Typically, the onset of symptoms occurs at about age 60, with approximately 90 percent of patients dying within one year. Since his passing, Gary Kurdelmeier was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 2000 as a Distinguished Member, and, in 2003, was welcomed into the Glen Brand Hall of Fame at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. In addition, his family and friends established a Gary Kurdelmeier Wrestling Scholarship at the University of Iowa. Gary Kurdelmeier's legacy as a wrestler and innovative coach continues to light the way for the Hawkeyes a decade after his passing. "I think of him as the spark that lit the flame that still burns at Iowa," says Steve Hunte. For photos of Gary Kurdelmeier in high school, college and as Iowa's head coach -- along with pics of some of his college teammates and opponents, and the individual NCAA champs during his tenure at Iowa City -- visit the Vintage Amateur Wrestling Yahoo group by clicking HERE DVD copies of the original silent films of the 1958 NCAAs -- the year Gary Kurdelmeier won the national title -- are available for purchase direct from the host school. For contact information for the University of Wyoming archives, email mark@RevWrestling.com

OREM, Utah -- Utah Valley head wrestling coach Greg Williams announced his 2008-2009 signees Wednesday, a list that includes seven accomplished grapplers from Utah and Nevada. With the additions of these top recruits UV will look to be make an impact in the Western Wrestling Conference (WWC) in the 2008-09 season. "We are very excited to have this caliber of young men come into our program," Williams said. "They are all gifted wrestlers, good students, and hard workers. We feel this will be a group that will help Utah Valley get to the next level in competitiveness. In the short history of our program, we have not signed so many talented individuals in one year. To sign this many top recruits is a statement of the growth of the Wolverine wrestling program and the support that we have received from our administration and the Utah wrestling community." Adam Fager: Fager is a two-time Utah State Champion and All-American, having placed fifth at the High School Nationals as a senior and seventh as a junior. He is from Layton High School and is coached by his brother, John Fager. John, as well as Adam, used to compete for Coach Williams when he ran the Elite Wrestling Club. Adam will compete at 197 pounds. Trey Edmunds: is from Damonte Ranch High School in Nevada, Edmunds was a state champion this past season and is a two-time finalist. As a senior he placed seventh in the High School Nationals. Edmunds is very accomplished in freestyle and Greco, winning a National Cadet Championship in Greco-Roman in 2006 and he placed fourth in the FILA Cadet National Freestyle Championships in 2007. Edmunds will compete at 157/165 pounds. Josh Wilson: Wilson, a two-time All-American, signed in the fall and was a two-time state champion from Morgan High School in Utah. He was a National Champion at the High School Nationals as a junior and placed third as a senior. Wilson wrestled for Coach Williams for six years in the Elite Wrestling Club. He went on a mission to England and will be back in August. Wilson will compete at 149 pounds. Paul Johnson: Johnson is a three-time state champion from Lone Peak High School. He will compete at Utah Valley for one-year before serving an LDS mission. He will compete at 133 pounds. Wyatt Ray: Ray is a two-time Utah High School finalist and a State Champion from Roy High School. He is the brother of current Utah Valley wrestler Flint Ray. Wyatt Ray is also a student body officer at Roy. He wrestled for Coach Williams previously in the Elite Wrestling club. He will be going on a mission after his first year at Utah Valley and will compete at 133 pounds. Nicko Paraso: Paraso, a three-time state placer, two-time finalist and a Utah State High School Champion; will compete at 125 pounds for Utah Valley. He was second at state as a sophomore, third as a junior, and won state this year as a senior. Nick Flores: Flores is also a three-time state placer, placing sixth as a sophomore, second as a junior, and third as a senior. He previously wrestled for Coach Williams in the Elite Wrestling Club. He will compete at 125 pounds for the Wolverines.

On Saturday night, Minnesota-based Seconds Out Promotions will be putting on its second combined mixed martial arts (MMA) and boxing event. The event, called "Uncaged," will take place at the St. Paul Armory in St. Paul, Minnesota. It is set to get underway at 7 p.m. The first combined MMA and boxing event put on by Seconds Out Promotions ("Evolution") took place on March 29 at the Myth Nightclub in Maplewood, Minnesota. The event drew around 1,300 fans. Seconds Out Promotions President Tony Grygelko expects around 2,000 or more fans for "Uncaged" on Saturday night. "I think the format makes a lot of sense," said Grygelko, a former professional boxer who wrestled collegiately at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. "It was kind of experimental for us, but our first event was extremely successful. The biggest thing is that the fans seemed to really enjoy it. It should be another great night of fights." "Uncaged" will feature three MMA fights and four boxing fights. Two former Augsburg wrestlers, Marcus LeVesseur and Rich Taylor, will be showcased in MMA fights. Some of Minnesota's top boxers will also be on the card, including Caleb Truax and Matt Vanda. Marcus LeVesseur, who was a four-time undefeated NCAA Division III champion wrestler for Augsburg, will face Chaylen Raider, an MMA veteran with a 30-12 record. The 25-year-old LeVesseur, who carries a record of 12-1, is a rising star in MMA. He is coming off a dominating victory over Jessi Evans in Fargo, North Dakota on April 26. To see highlights from that fight, click HERE. Rich Taylor, who is the reigning Brutaal champion at 145 pounds, will take on Bryant Clark, a fighter LeVesseur defeated on March 29. "I feel very confident going into my fight on Saturday," said Taylor, who was a member of Augsburg's 2005 national championship wrestling team. "My game plan is to keep it standing, close the distance, cut off the ring, and look for the KO." Rich TaylorTaylor is coming off an impressive victory over Austin Judge on March 15 at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota. Prior to wrestling at Augsburg, Taylor was a three-time section champion and state place-winner with a career record of 133-25 while wrestling for Como Park High School in St. Paul. He now trains at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy in Brooklyn Center, the same academy that produced former UFC lightweight world champion Sean Sherk. "I'm just real excited about this fight," said Taylor, who owns a 5-1 MMA record. "It's my first time ever fighting in my hometown … and I'm going to give the crowd what they pay to see." Grygelko has high praise for Taylor. "Rich Taylor is a very talented fighter," said Grygelko. "He's real technical. He has been pretty dominant locally." Undefeated rising star Caleb Truax and former IBA middleweight champion Matt Vanda will headline the boxing fights. Truax, a former Upper Midwest Golden Gloves champion who owns a professional record of 5-0, will take on Jason Medina. The fight is scheduled for six rounds. Vanda (37-6), a former IBA Americas light middleweight champion, will fight Bruce Rumbolz in the main event, which is scheduled for eight rounds. "It's going to be a great fight," said Grygelko. "Matt Vanda always puts on the best fight in the state. The kid is super exciting. It's nice to have him back fighting in his backyard in East St. Paul. People are really excited. Anybody who follows Matt knows that he's the most exciting fighter in the Midwest. It doesn't matter who he's fighting, he will put on a great fight. He just has a way of getting everybody excited for the fight." Tickets for "Uncaged" are priced at $45 for ringside, $35 for reserved seating, and $25 for general admission. Save money on box office fees, by purchasing tickets in advance at soboxing.com or by phone at 612.807.5547. Tickets can also be purchased by e-mailing tickets@soboxing.com. Fight Card: MMA: Marcus LeVesseur (12-1) vs. Chaylen Raider (30-12): 155 Pounds Rich Taylor (5-1) vs. Bryant Clark (3-2): 155 Pounds Jimmy Gomez (7-2) vs. Joe Rico (0-0): 205 Pounds Boxing: Matt Vanda (37-6) vs. Bruce Rumbolz (21-16): 168 Pounds Caleb Truax (5-0) vs. Jason Medina (N/A): 168 Pounds Corey Rodriguez Minneapolis, MN (3-0) vs. Fred Thomas (0-7): 147 Pounds Fight TBD

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling program, fresh off a superb 2007-08 campaign, has finalized its recruiting class for the upcoming year. Ten outstanding high school talents are set to help the powerful program continue its climb on the national scene. The class begins, alphabetically, with Justin Aube (Harrisburg, Pa.). Aube will matriculate at Central Dauphin High School this year after wrestling in Minnesota for three years. During his four years as high school wrestler, Aube was a three-time captain and four-time all-conference selection. A state qualifier, Aube helped guide Central Dauphin to the 2008 Team State Championship this season and was a member of the Mid-Penn All-Star Team. He ended his high school career with nearly 200 victories. Aube was also a member of the Minnesota Freestyle and Greco Roman squads and was two-time team MVP. Aube projects at 149 or 157. Jack Chidester (Conestoga, Pa.) is a three-time state qualifier from Conestoga High School. A section, district and regional champion, Chidester won over 100 bouts during his outstanding career at Conestoga, collecting an all-time school record of 133 victories. Chidester is also a stand-out in freestyle wrestling, having just placed fourth at the USAW Northeast Regional Freestyle Qualifier. Chidester could wrestle at 125 or 133. James English (York, Pa.) won the 2008 District 3 title at Central York High School. A three-time PIAA qualifier, English placed seventh at 145 in 2007 and third at 145 this season. An outstanding talent, English had a superb 150-29 career record and is coming off a senior season that saw him go 45-1 with 26 points. English was also a second team all-conference linebacker. An outstanding student, English carries a 3.9 grade point average with him and is ranked in the top five percent of his class at Central York High School. English could wrestle at 149 for Penn State. Nick Fischer (Unionville, Pa.) comes to Penn State after winning the PIAA Southeast Regional title last year. Fischer was a four-year letterman for Unionville High School and went 121-28 during his high school career, including a 40-3 mark as a senior. An outstanding student, Fischer won the 2007-2008 Southeastern Pennsylvania Wrestling Officials Association Scholar-Athlete Award. Fischer projects at 157 for Penn State. Jarrett Freeman (Maspeth, N.Y.) comes to Penn State from New York City's Martin Luther King High School, where he was team captain for his team the last three years. Freeman was a three-time all-conference pick for MLK High School and was named his team's Most Outstanding Wrestler twice. Freeman was a two-time New York State place winner and went 27-7 his senior year. Freeman is an outstanding student and was a two-time Academic All-American. Freeman could wrestle at 133 for the Nittany Lions. Justin Ortega (Oxford, Pa.) just completed an outstanding career at Oxford Area High School, where he went 80-33 during his years there. He won the 2008 District 1 Central title and the District 1 Section 6 crown. Ortega was a two-time all-county pick and a 2008 PIAA state qualifier. Ortega was team captain his last two years and was a volunteer coach for the Oxford Junior Wrestling program. An outstanding student, Ortega was an all-academic pick during his high school career and was nominated for the National Society of High School Scholars. He has served on the Student Council at Oxford Area High School and was voted both Treasurer and Secretary during his time there. Ortega projects at 165 for the Nittany Lions. Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) had an outstanding career at Warwick High School, where he set the school record for victories with 136. Pearsall went 40-5 as a senior with 26 falls. Over the course of his four years at WHS, Pearsall had 80 pins, an unofficial school record. Pearsall was a four-year Lancaster Lebanon League All-Star and claimed the Lancaster Lebanon League tournament title twice. He was voted tournament Outstanding Wrestler this past season and claimed the Most Falls Award after garnering four pins in 3:24. Pearsall was a three-time sectional champion and qualified for states as a senior. An outstanding Greco wrestler, Pearsall has won two USA Wrestling Greco state titles and has won two USA Wrestling Regional Greco crowns. He was a freestyle All-America as well, placing sixth in 2006. Pearsall projects at 133 for the Nittany Lions. Nick Venditti (Berwick, Pa.) was the 2008 Pennsylvania AA State Runner-Up. He has been a two-time state place winner, having placed eighth in 2007. Venditti won the last two Northeast Regional AA titles and District 2 Championships as well. In 2007, he was named the district tournament's Outstanding Wrestler. Venditti amassed 137 wins during his high school days at Berwick and was on the Distinguished Honor Roll Student. He will be an Honor Graduate for the Class of 2008 as well. Venditti could wrestle at 165 or 174. Ethan Virgili (Carmichaels, Pa.) had an outstanding career at Jefferson Morgan High School. Virgili went 127-36 during his years at JMHS, including a 36-3 record this past season. Virgili won the sectional title this season, placed second at districts and then won the regional crown. He capped off a superb senior year with a Runner-Up performance at the state championships. Virgili is a two-time state place winner, having placed eighth as a junior in 2007. Virgili projects at 184 as a Nittany Lion next year. Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), who signed a National Letter of Intent with Penn State last fall, capped off an amazing high school career with his second state title this past March. A partial list of Wright's accolades begins with a 39-0 mark as a senior with 27 pins. He was named the PIAA Most Outstanding Wrestler after winning his second straight title (Wright won in 2007 and was Runner-Up in 2006). Wright is a four-time District and Regional Champion as well and won the Dapper Dan tourney this past season. As a high school senior, Wright claimed the 165 pound title at this year's Nittany Lion Open. An outstanding Freestyle and Greco wrestler, Wright won the 2008 Fila Junior Freestyle National Championship and placed second at the Greco-Roman Championships. Wright was Vice President of his class this year and was Sergeant in Arms of his Business Leaders of America chapter. Wright could wrestle at 165 or 174 for the Nittany Lions. "We are extremely excited about the incoming freshmen," head coach Troy Sunderland said. "As our program continues its national ascent, these young men will be welcome additions to the squad. Their prowess on the mat during their high school careers speaks for itself and we are proud to welcome these wrestlers into our family. The coaching staff did an outstanding job this year and this group of young men is testimony to that effort. We are hopeful that this group, with commitment and hard work, can have an immediate impact in the wrestling room." Penn State is coming off a superb 2007-08 season that saw it go 14-5 in dual meets, have four wrestlers become All-Americans, crown one National Champion and place third at the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana's Angel Escobedo, a 2008 NCAA National Champion in the 125-lb. weight class, is one step closer to his life-long dream of representing the United States in the Olympics. Escobedo won his Olympic Regional Trial on May 10 in Waterloo, Iowa, earning a spot in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June. "We are very proud of Angel," said IU Head Coach Duane Goldman. "He has always had his sights set on making an Olympic team, and for him to progress to this level already is impressive. There are no breaks for this guy; he won the NCAA Championship and has moved on to the next thing on his list. That is part of what makes him so good. I am glad that he is on our side." In order to qualify for the Olympic Trials, one must have either placed in the top seven at the U.S. Senior Nationals which were held in Las Vegas on April 28, win the USA Wrestling University National Championship or win one of the four Regionals. Escobedo chose the last path, and will be one of 12 competitors in the 55 kg (121-pounds) weight division vying for a shot at Olympic gold in Beijing. The 2008 Olympic Games Team Trials will be held in a one-day format. The Trials will be a line bracket double elimination to third place format. The finals match, determining which individuals will don the Stars and Stripes, will be a best of three matches. For complete and the most-up-to-date information on the Olympic Wrestling Team Trials click here.

This week we'll be LIVE from the Brute Adidas Studios and will face the startling news from AZ State right off the bat. There are things we can do politically speaking and we'll outline those with AZ State head Coach Thom Ortiz. What can be done? What can we do? Tune in and find out. You can make a difference. Scheduled on the show: Thom Ortiz- Embattled Head Coach at Arizona State. I think it's a real possibility we can turn this around. there is precedents and we need to take a look at those examples of what worked and what didn't. Thom will join us to uncover the truths and what needs to be done right away. James Nicholson- Old Dominion Wrestler will join us in studio to discuss his freshman year, his 8th place finish on the year and the future. I just worked out around this kid and he looks good. It will be interesting to get his perspective on the year. Pat Santoro- New Head Coach of Lehigh will join us to discuss his recent move, what he did right at Maryland and what brought him back to the hills and mountains of the valley he called home as an under grad and as a young coach. David Ertl- Owner of 24 7 Xpress Gym, avid competitive Cyclist will join us in studio to discuss how we train and what we can do to stay in great cardio shape through the summer months using the vehicle of cycling. Scott McKendry- One of the Chiefs at Team Quest MMA Club in Oregon will join us for an update on the great northwest. TQFC is throwing a grappling qualifying tournament and Scott will tell you how you can get involved and how you can qualify. Brian Smith- Head Coach of the Tigers of Missouri will join us to discuss his teams architectural structure, summer camps and opinions. Like everyone, Brian has opinions and we want to hear his on the developing story that is AZ State. Bob Steenlage- Fighting Back: The Inspirational Story of Bob Steenlage (Paperback) The inspirational true story of amateur wrestling legend Bob Steenlage who graduated from West Point and was traumatized by his service in Vietnam. Bob became a recluse and raised his family with home schooling. After a 20 year hiatus from society he came to grips with his problems and became an accomplished public speaker. Bob's life story is Being looked at for a motion picture treatment. About the Author Mike Chapman is considered amateur wrestling's greatest historian and writer. He is the author of 15 books and hundreds of magazine articles. He recently retired from a 35 year career in newspapers, and a retired from directing the International Wrestling Institute & Museum in Waterloo, IA. What can we do for AZ State right now: Form a committee with people who can help you achieve everything you can to reinstate the program. Get people involved who can help you develop this plan to save the program and who can get access and the attention of the following list of people. Put your case on paper with how you want these people to help you: -- Governor of Arizona- Write and call -- State Regents for Higher Education- Write and call -- State and U.S. representatives, congressmen, and senators, Write and call -- Contact Major figures in the state like Jerry Colangelo… The ASU trustees, president and A.D. have already approved the decision and will not respond to backlash unless it comes from above their heads. Develop with the help of a Public Relations consultant, a marketing plan that will help sell this story on the university's denial of opportunities for wrestlers like Anthony Robles. See if ESPN, local and other national media affiliates will help make the case for the "little guy". Talk to some lawyers and see what case should be made for our PR efforts. This is OUR sport. WE must fight for it! We must not wait for others to jump on the band wagon. We must take control and right the ship that is wrestling. We've made some great and positive strides by adding wrestling programs. Don't let the decision to drop wrestling at AZ State rest in the hands of those that don't give a rip about the sport or the people it benefits. Get involved and stay involved.

Brute-adidas wrestling announced today it has signed on with South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D., The South Dakota State wrestling team, which just completed its second full season of Division I competition, has a proud wrestling history and for years, was one of the programs in Division II contending for national championships. "We're excited that coach Jason Liles has brought the Jackrabbits wrestling team on board with us at Brute," said Brute-adidas wrestling Partner and CEO Tom Sculley. "South Dakota State is the only Division I wrestling program in the state," said Sculley. "Getting an opportunity to not only provide the school with the best in wrestling shoes, equipment and gear, but getting exposure for our products to the fans in South Dakota at the highest level is exciting." "Being a Division I program, it's just part of the process and we're excited about being in partnership with Brute-adidas," said Liles. "It think it's good for our program." With South Dakota State's move to the pinnacle of college athletics, NCAA Division I, the need for a high-quality apparel partner was necessary. "Kids expect to have this as part of their program. It's part of the transition to go to Division I from Division II," explained Liles. "It's the next step for us." Liles believes the deal with Brute-adidas will also help his program in the long run and his relationship with the company was also a big reason why he elected to have his squad outfitted by the company. "It definitely helps with the visibility of our program and our university," said Liles. "I've know the Brute-adidas people for a long time and they're good people and I'm glad we've gotten this completed." The deal is also a win for Brute-adidas. "South Dakota State's wrestling program has the ability to become a major player in the sport of wrestling and be one of the teams the university can rally around," said Sculley. "Brute-adidas' relationship with the wrestling program so early in its Division I status is a testament to how we believe both South Dakota State and Brute-adidas can be in the region and on the mats." Recently, South Dakota State wrestlers Jeff Cooley and Ryan Meyer were honored by the Western Wrestling Conference on the All-Academic Teams. About Henson Group Henson Group, under the brand names of Brute wrestling and adidas wrestling, provides top quality products to the Sports Goods dealers of North America and distributors in Central and South America. Henson Group's customer base is national in scope and ranges from local stores to national retail giants. Henson Group is the exclusive distributor of adidas wrestling footwear and the exclusive licensee of adidas wrestling apparel and accessories. www.hensongroupsports.com About South Dakota State University South Dakota State University is located in Brookings, South Dakota. This small but lively town of nearly 19,000 people is just miles from the Minnesota border and less than an hour's drive to the state's largest city, Sioux Falls. SDSU has an enrollment of 11,400 students making it the largest university in the state. You'll find a diverse campus experience here, with over 200 majors and minors and unique opportunities for "hands-on" learning in every field of study.

The Golden Gopher wrestling program has signed the top recruiting class in the nation this year, according to the most recent issue of W.I.N. Magazine. All six of Minnesota's early period recruits ended their prep careers ranked in the top-11 in the final W.I.N. Magazine national high school rankings. Jake Deitchler (Anoka, Minn.) and Ryland Geiger (Scapposse, Ore.) were each ranked No. 1 in their weight classes following outstanding prep careers - Deitchler at 152 pounds and Geiger at 189. Deitchler will also have a chance to make the U.S. Olympic team this June when he competes at the U.S. Team Trials in Las Vegas. Blair Academy's (N.J.) Mario Mason was the nation's second-best recruit at 145 pounds, according to the publication, while Apple Valley High School (Minn.) product Matt Mincey was the nation's fourth-ranked wrestler at 135 pounds. Rounding out the nation's top recruiting class are Topeka, Kan. native Atticus Disney (seventh) and 171-pounder Cody Yohn (11th), the brother of current Gopher freshman Sonny Yohn (both hail from Alamosa, Col.). Three spring signees not factored into W.I.N.'s ranking include Thane Antczak (Chetek/Prairie Farm, Wis.), Zach Loppnow (Lake City, Minn.) and Wesley Richard (Dillingham, Alaska). Minnesota boasts the only class in the nation with six incoming wrestlers ranked in W.I.N.'s final prep rankings. This is generally considered to be the program's most-heralded class in several years - W.I.N. ranked the Gophers 10th in 2007, fourth in 2006, 14th in 2005 and 19th in 2004.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- In response to economic realities experienced over a long period of time, Arizona State University today announced the discontinuation of three varsity sports programs, effective immediately. The sport programs affected are men's swimming, men's tennis and wrestling. ASU President Michael Crow and Vice President for University Athletics Lisa Love made the announcement. With the budget cuts the University is facing, Intercollegiate Athletics cannot expect the University to make up the difference. This move reduces the number of varsity sports sponsored by ASU to 20 from 22. The move will not affect men's diving. ASU will continue to fund football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, women's tennis, women's swimming and diving, men's diving, women's volleyball, women's gymnastics and women's water polo. "Our primary concern for the immediate future is the student-athletes and coaches that are affected," says Love. The student-athletes in the discontinued sports who decide to transfer to another institution will be provided with full assistance from ASU regarding the transfer process. The student-athletes who chose to remain at ASU will receive the full benefits of their scholarship awards through their senior year. "With a dedicated effort to a successful 20-sport varsity program in mind," says Love, "these three sports were selected with the following criteria: financial impact, potential competitive success, conference/regional support and gender equity. Our revenue trajectory has been positive, however, our ongoing financial challenges have been well documented by the media. The decision to discontinue sport programs is a last resort, yet necessary." "These moves are extremely painful," says Love. "We have arrived at the realization that funding a 20 sport program is a better fit for our financial profile and will serve to secure and strengthen our future. It is our responsibility to operate a fiscally prudent varsity athletics program. The costs of doing business are escalating daily and the costs of maintaining excellence even more so." At 20 varsity sports, ASU is in line with other major institutions around the country. In the Pacific-10 Conference, schools that compare favorably with ASU are UCLA and Washington 23 sports each, USC 21, Arizona 20, Oregon and Oregon State 18 each and Washington State 17. On a national scale, Florida, Georgia and Auburn sponsor 21 varsity sports, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma and LSU 20 apiece, and Florida State 19. "The profile of our operations budget and donation base does not lend itself to the sponsorship of 22 athletic teams," says Love. "While our revenue streams are achieving a positive trajectory they are simply not keeping pace with the current size and scope of the department. "The decision to discontinue sports has been the most distressing and painful choice this administration has had to make. It is counter-intuitive to our administrative thinking. This decision impacts many people, both on and off our campus. The entire University, the Board of Regents, Sun Devil alumni and other universities will share in the loss of these sports and student-athletes and the contributions they have made to our University and to their sport. "The action is in no way meant to diminish the dedication, effort or ability of these student-athletes, coaches and alumni. They have contributed greatly to Arizona State University athletics and to the vitality and history of the University," Love says. As many as 70 student athletes will be affected by the elimination of these sports. Six full-time coaching positions will be eliminated. Head coaches will remain on contract through November, 2008. The establishment of a 20-team varsity sport program will allow the department to realize a reduction in expenses that will total approximately of $1 million annually. This is the second time in ASU's athletic history that programs have been eliminated. In 1993 ASU eliminated men's gymnastics, an NCAA-sponsored sport, and two club sports sponsored by ICA -- men's and women's and mixed archery and men's and women's and mixed badminton. Two sports have been added in recent program history, including women's varsity soccer in 1996 and women's water polo in 2002.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina's wrestling program has signed eight prep standouts from six different states to National Letters of Intent, head coach C.D. Mock announced Monday. This group, which features seven wrestlers in the lighter weight groups, will join the Tar Heel program in the fall and will be eligible to compete for Carolina in the 2008-09 season. "With the exception of heavyweight, we decided to focus our recruiting this year on building depth at the lighter weights," said Mock. "We are only losing one starter this year, so it is a great opportunity for us to add depth and build for the future. In addition to the impressive wrestling credentials this group brings to Chapel Hill, I am particularly excited about their character and enthusiasm about being Tar Heels. They will fit in very well with the group we have coming back. My assistants did an exceptional job bringing in this group of young men." At 125 pounds, the Tar Heels added standouts Ian McLaughlin (Butler, Pa.) and Nick Shields (Metairie, La.). A product of The Kiski School, McLaughlin won the 2008 national prep title at 119 pounds and was named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the nationals. Shields is a three-time Louisiana state champion and four-time qualifier at Brother Martin High School. He placed third at the 2007 Beast of the East Tournament and recently was named the Louisiana recipient of the Dave Shultz High School Excellence Award. UNC continued its strong haul in the lower weight classes with the addition of 133-pounder Ky Corley (Stillwater, Okla.). Corley is a four-time Oklahoma placewinner at Stillwater High School and captured a state title in 2008. The Tar Heels also added three at 141 pounds – Daniel Helena (Decatur, Ga.), Bobby Shanor (Eden, N.C.) and Jake Vonderbruegge (Hillsboro, Mo.). Helena is a four-time Georgia placewinner and won a Dominican Republic national title in 2005 and a Venezuelan national bronze medal in 2007. Shanor won a trio of North Carolina state titles at Morehead High School, while Vonderbruegge captured a 2008 Missouri state title and was a three-time state placewinner at Hillsboro High School. Also joining the Carolina program out of Missouri is 149-pounder Tyler St. Louis (Kansas City, Mo.), who won three state titles at Platte County High School. Ziad Haddad (Orefield, Pa.) was the lone addition in the upper weight groups for Carolina. A projected heavyweight, he won a Pennsylvania state title in 2008 for Bethlehem Catholic High School and captured a NHSCA senior national championship. 2008 NORTH CAROLINA WRESTLING SIGNEES Name Weight Hometown Previous School Ky Corley 133 Stillwater, Okla. Stillwater Ziad Haddad HWT Orefield, Pa. Bethlehem Catholic Daniel Helena 141 Decatur, Ga. Shiloh Ian McLaughlin 125 Butler, Pa. Kiski School Bobby Shanor 141 Eden, N.C. Morehead Nick Shields 125 Metairie, La. Brother Martin Tyler St. Louis 149 Kansas City, Mo. Platte County Jake Vonderbruegge 141 Hillsboro, Mo. Hillsboro

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Director of athletics Deborah A. Yow announced May 12 that Kerry McCoy has been named the head coach for the University of Maryland wrestling program. In three seasons as head coach at Stanford, McCoy transformed the Cardinal into a national contender after inheriting a team that went 6-8-1 in 2004-05. Kerry McCoy (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)"I am very fortunate to join such a great program," McCoy said. "The opportunity to be closer to our family and having a chance to compete for a national championship is very exciting. I want to thank Dr. Yow and everyone who was involved with this process for supporting me and more importantly for supporting the sport of wrestling." McCoy led the Cardinal to a 19th-place finish at the NCAA Championships this past season which was the second-best finish in program history. Stanford went 13-4 with a 6-3 mark in the Pac-10 while finishing second in the conference championships, its best showing ever. Stanford sent five wrestlers to nationals in St. Louis for the second straight season, which was also the most in team history. "Kerry McCoy is the right coach for Maryland at the right time," Yow said. "He will achieve as a coach what he achieved as an athlete - elite status as a program and eventually, the possibility of winning the national championship." McCoy made an immediate impact in his first season as Stanford went 8-7 in 2005-06 and improved its showing at the Pac-10 Championships by two places. He guided two wrestlers to the NCAA Championships that season and mentored Tanner Gardner to All-America accolades. In 2006-07, McCoy continued to steadily improve the program, as the Cardinal went 8-8 during the season and performed even better than the year before in the conference championships, finishing sixth. Five wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships which was a program record, and two wrestlers, Gardner and Josh Zupancic, became the first Stanford duo to earn All-America honors in the same season since 1967. In addition, Zack Giesen was tabbed the Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year. "I would like to thank Stanford for giving me the opportunity to lead the wrestling program," McCoy added. "It was an amazing experience and a very difficult place to leave. I also want to thank all of the alumni, fans, parents and administrators for the support the program received. I especially want to thank Bob Bowlsby and Earl Koberlein for providing me with the tools necessary to build a top notch program. I am very happy with the direction the program is going and I expect great things in the future." Prior to his time at Stanford, McCoy spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Lehigh where he mentored 14 All-Americans and a pair of NCAA Champions. He helped the Mountain Hawks to four Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association titles and led Jon Trenge to a school-record 133 wins in his career at 197 pounds. Trenge was a three-time All-American. During his time at Lehigh, McCoy shared the sidelines with former Maryland head coach Pat Santoro, who was also on the staff at Penn State when McCoy was a wrestler. "I have been very fortunate to know Kerry as an athlete and coach over the past 15 years, and we have become very close," Santoro said. "Kerry is a great fit for this team and will help take them to the next level. I am excited for Kerry and his family to have this opportunity at Maryland to reach their professional goals. Personally, our family is excited to have him back on the east coast." While at Lehigh, McCoy also served as the director of wrestling and head coach of the Lehigh Valley Athletic Club where he was responsible for conducting clinics in the local area, promoting the sport of wrestling, and fundraising. McCoy serves on the USA Wrestling Athlete Advisory Committee as well as the USAW Executive Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, and has been a U.S. Freestyle World Team coach for two seasons. McCoy also had a stint as an assistant coach at Penn State for three seasons, where he helped the Nittany Lions to a pair of fourth-place finishes at the NCAA Championships and guided 10 All-Americans and two national champions. McCoy spent his collegiate wrestling career with the Nittany Lions and posted a record of 150-18 in his four seasons. He captured a pair of NCAA Championships in 1994 and 1997 and won three Big Ten titles. After going 19-17 in his first 36 matches at Penn State, McCoy lost just once in his final 132 with an 88-match winning streak. A three-time All-American, McCoy was named the Penn State Athlete of the Year and the Nittany Lions' Wrestler of the Year in 1994 and 1997 while being tabbed the 1997 Hodge Award winner as W.I.N. Magazine's Wrestler of the Year. He earned his bachelor's degree in marketing in 1997. McCoy was also a two-time Olympian for the United States and took fifth place at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and seventh in 2004 in Athens. McCoy also won five straight U.S. National Freestyle Wrestling Championships from 2000 to 2004. McCoy has been a member of the United States National Team nine times and earned a silver medal in 2003 at the World Championships. In August 2003, McCoy won a gold medal at the Pan-Am Games and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. McCoy and his wife, Abbie, are expecting their first child in July.

The Stanford wrestling team celebrated a season of successes last night with the team's annual awards banquet. The Cardinal recognized numerous wrestlers with team awards and bid farewall to seniors Tanner Gardner, Josh Zupancic, Phillip Doerner, Bobby Pease and Mark Shughart. The night began with recognition of the winners of the Tod Surmon award, presented to the wrestler with the most outstanding performance in a home dual meet. In 2007-08, the winners were Gardner, Zack Giesen and Jake Johnson for Cal State Bakersfield on Jan. 24, Johnson for Portland State on Jan. 25, Porfirio Madrigal for Menlo College on Jan. 25 and Gardner, Zupancic and Luke Feist for Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 10. Next, captains Gardner, Zupancic, Doerner and Feist were presented with the Captains' Award. Voted by the team, true freshman Kyle Barrett and redshirt freshman Lucas Espericueta were named the team's Most Outstanding Newcomers, while Johnson was deemed Most Improved. Gardner and Zupancic, both 2008 All-Americans, were named the squad's Most Valuable Wrestlers. Gardner and Zupancic also both earned the Outstanding Scholar-Athlete award given to the wrestler who best combines academic and athletic excellence. The Coaches Award, given to the individual who made the most significant contributions to the well-being of the team in terms of attitude, improvement, or special leadership, was awarded to Doerner and junior Kyle Pubols. Stanford recorded one of its most successful years in history last season. In the course of the year, the Cardinal squad won more duals than any season in the last three decades (13), posted its highest Pac-10 finish in school history, its second-highest national finish and sent a program-best five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Stanford took 19th nationally, just its third all-time top-20 finish. For just the third time in program history and the second time in two years, Stanford produced two All-Americans in the same season. Owning two of the conference's four All-Americans, the Cardinal's 19th place finish was the best in the Pac-10.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Three members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team have been dismissed from the team, according to head coach Troy Sunderland. Freshmen Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.) and Jared Platt (Blairstown, N.J.) and sophomore Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) have all been dismissed from the squad for violation of team rules and the standards of the program. "We have granted each of these young men a release from the team in order for them to continue their academic and athletic careers at different schools," Sunderland said. "This was a very tough decision for all of us, but as this program continues to improve, each of our wrestlers must live up to the high standards of the program." "We wish each of these individuals the best of luck in their future endeavors," Sunderland said. "After our outstanding performance last season, we are primed to continue this ascent and we must focus on all aspects of this program." Penn State is coming off a banner season that saw the team place third at the 2008 NCAA Championships, garner four All-Americans and led the nation in the latest Academic Progress Rate (APR) among all wrestling programs according to the NCAA.

2007-08 NWCA Division I All-Academic Wrestling Team The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced its annual Division I All-Academic Top 30 and Individual All-Academic wrestling teams for the 2007-08 season. Duke University finds itself at the head of the class for the second straight year, but the Blue Devils have company. American University tied Duke for the top team GPA with a 3.335. For teams to be eligible for consideration, teams comprise 12 student athletes, including the 10 wrestlers that were the entries in the NCAA tournament conference qualifier. If teams had less than 10 entries for their respective qualifier, they may fill those spots with wrestlers that competed in at least one varsity dual during the season. Individually, wrestlers must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA, been an NCAA qualifier or won 60 percent of his total schedule – and must have competed in at least 60 percent of said schedule. The other way to qualify for the All-Academic team is have a 3.0 cumulative and been an NCAA All-American. Last season, 57 wrestlers were named to the All-Academic team. This year, that number increased 35 percent to 88 total wrestlers. The 2007-08 All-Academic team was highlighted by 27 Division I All-Americans and three national champions – Brent Metcalf of Iowa (149), Jordan Leen of Cornell (157) and Mike Pucillo of Ohio State (184). Four other finalists also made the squad: Eric Tannenbaum (165) and Steve Luke (174) of Michigan, Wynn Michalak of Central Michigan (197) and J.D. Bergman of Ohio State (285). Five All-Americans were named to the All-Academic team at 197 pounds, the most of any weight single class. Nine of the 10 weights had at least two All-Americans represented on the All-Academic team. "We're seeing more teams and more coaches aware on how important being recognized for academics can be," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "We had mountains of data to look through and reference while compiling this information. Our staff was impressed with not only the volume of nominations, but the number of new programs who were submitting All-Academic recommendations." "The All-Academic Team represents more than just fine work in the classroom, because the impact of the Academic Progress Report is more important to a sport like wrestling now more than every," said Moyer. "These programs are making the grade." "This is one important indicator to the academic integrity in our sport," added Moyer. "That said, we can't turn a blind-eye to the NCAA's yardstick (APR) for measuring academic integrity." Both Duke and American had four wrestlers on the All-Academic Team. Leading the way for the Eagles were All-Americans Mike Cannon and Josh Glenn and qualifier Chris Stout. Duke, which didn't have an NCAA qualifier, was led by Addison Nuding's 3.67 in International Comparative Studies. Team wise, Liberty followed in third with a 3.286. The Flames just finished their second season after being re-instated and qualified six wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Four of them were on the All-Academic Team, led by Patrick Walker's 3.93 in Religion and Christian Smith's 3.83 in the MBA program. Stanford was fourth, with a 3.269. Two of the three Cardinal honorees were All-Americans with stellar GPA's. Tanner Gardner, a three-time All-American, sported a 4.0 in sociology, while Josh Zupancic notched a 3.71 in American Studies. Princeton, the highest Ivy League program on the list, didn't have anyone on the individual list, but overall was represented with a team GPA of 3.209. Two Ivy League schools, two southern schools and a MAC program rounded out the Top 10. Gardner-Webb was sixth nationally with a 3.175. The Bulldogs were followed by Brown (3.156), Columbia (3.114), Campbell (3.109) and Northern Illinois (3.100). "We like the cross-section of programs represented in the Top 30," said NWCA President Ron Mirikitani. "It's not just the high profile private schools dominating the list, we have many state schools represented across the list as well as our traditional service academies and Ivies, but it's a good to see so many types of schools represented." Individually, Gardner and Edinboro's Jarrod King had the highest GPA of the 86 honorees, both reporting 4.0's. King, a transfer from Oklahoma, is majoring in Health & Physical Education with an emphasis on Human Performance. Rounding out the top five are Lehigh's Manuel Schubert (3.98, Biology), Eastern Michigan's Cory Mancuso (3.97, PE), and Missouri's Tyler McCormick (3.95, Business Administration). In all, 48 schools had at least one wrestler represented on the All-Academic Team, over half of all participating schools in NCAA Division I. Eleven schools had three or more All-Academic Selections. American, Duke, Iowa and Liberty each had four representatives, while Cal State-Bakersfield, Central Michigan, Michigan, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Old Dominion and Stanford had three apiece. Overall, 26 teams had two or more wrestlers on the All-Academic Team. The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a professional organization dedicated to serve and provide leadership for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on scholastic and collegiate programs. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The NWCA, through its organizational structure, promotes communication, recognizes achievement, recommends rules and regulations, sponsors events, and serves as an educational and informational source. Additionally, the NWCA strives to foster the sportsmanship and integrity that are the cornerstones of athletic competition.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The Maryland wrestling team handed out its awards for the 2007-08 season at the annual awards picnic at Epping Forest Club House in Annapolis on May 3. Sophomore Hudson Taylor was given the John McHugh Most Outstanding Wrestler Award for the second-straight season after becoming the first Terrapin All-American since 1997. Taylor finished the season with a 37-3 record at 197 pounds and his third place finish at NCAAs was the best for a wrestler at Maryland since 1992. His win total was tied for the most in the ACC and tied for the eighth highest in all of Division I including every weight class. Eighteen of his wins came by fall which tied for third nationally. Taylor won the 197 pound title at the ACC Championships on March 8 at Comcast Center to complete a perfect season against conference competition at 10-0. Half of those wins came by way of fall. Taylor was named ACC Wrestler of the Week a staggering five times which was more than any other team's total number of honors. Senior Charlie Pinto was honored with the Kevin Kearns Senior Leadership Award after serving his third season as team captain. Junior Josh Haines was named the Tom Norris Unsung Hero, named after the Vietnam veteran and author. Haines finished the year 16-10 with three falls at 184 pounds, including a win over two-time All-American Tyrel Todd, which proved instrumental in the Terps' victory over No. 5 Michigan. Sophomore Brendan Byrne was given the Curt Callahan Mental Toughness Award, named after the alum, as he went 19-12 at 125 pounds with five major decisions and true sophomore Jon Kohler was named Most Improved, as he finished 17-14 at 141 pounds. Kohler added seven wins from his freshman campaign at 133 pounds. Brian Letters was tabbed the Freshman of the Year after winning the ACC Championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament where he upset the #9 seed in the first round. Letters finished with a record of 18-15 at 157 pounds. Alex Krom received the Redshirt of the Year Award after winning titles at the Buffalo Open and Edinboro Open at 141 pounds. He also earned a second place finish at the Mat Town Open and a third place finish at the Kent State Open. Krom capped off his redshirt season by placing third at the Freestyle University Nationals to earn All-America status at 145.5 pounds. The Terps also added a new award this season, The Strongest Man, to honor Ryan Brown. Brown set the Maryland school record with a strength index of 853, which consists of a power clean (255 pounds), squat (641 pounds), and bench press (305 pounds). An 853 strength index makes Brown the strongest athlete pound-for-pound in the history of the University of Maryland. Maryland's 2007-08 campaign was a memorable one as the Terps captured their first ACC Championship since 1973. Five wrestlers claimed individual championships and six represented Maryland at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, the most entrants for the Terps since 1990. All six of the wrestlers Maryland sent to nationals were underclassmen, as four of them were sophomores in eligibility and two were true freshmen. Maryland finished 21st this season at nationals which was its best showing since 1992 and the best for an ACC team since 2004. The Terps also returned to the national forefront this year, climbing as high as No. 21 in the USA Today/NWCA/InterMat poll. It was the first time the Terps had been ranked since 1993. Included in the 16 wins was one of the most impressive dual-meet victories in school history when the Terps beat No. 5 Michigan, 18-16, on November 24. The Terps also won at No. 22 Navy, marking the first time Maryland had won in Annapolis in 22 years. It was the first time Maryland had beaten the Midshipmen since 1997. The Terps went 16-4 in 2007-08 and went 5-0 in the ACC for the second-straight season. Maryland's .800 winning percentage this season established a new school record and its 33 wins the last two years is more than any other two-year span in Terps history. FULL LIST OF AWARDS John McHugh Most Outstanding Wrestler: Hudson Taylor Kevin Kearns Senior Leadership Award: Charlie Pinto Tom Norris Unsung Hero: Josh Haines Curt Callahan Mental Toughness: Brendan Byrne Most Improved: Jon Kohler Most Falls: Hudson Taylor (18, ranked third nationally) Redshirt of the Year: Alex Krom Freshman of the Year: Brian Letters Strongest Man: Ryan Brown Captain Awards: Josh Haines, Charlie Pinto, Hudson Taylor Senior Awards: Ryan Brown, Ryan Kennett, Charlie Pinto, Matt Rothstein, Clint Stout

FARGO, N.D. -- Three-time Minnesota state qualifier Will Johnson of Hibbing High School has signed a National Letter of Intent to wrestle and continue his education at North Dakota State University. Head coach Bucky Maughan made the announcement today. Johnson is the ninth high school wrestler to commit to North Dakota State this year. He is the next in a long line of Hibbing wrestlers to come to NDSU, including Bison All-Americans David Calliguri (1988 and 1989), Tim Tekautz (1992 and 1993) and Jack Thompson (1993). His older brother Skip Johnson wrestled in a backup role at NDSU for two seasons from 2003 to 2005. Will Johnson set Hibbing's career records for victories (185), pins (99) and team points (841). He was named to the all-conference first team five times, including the Most Outstanding Wrestler award in the conference this year. He went on to place third in the state at 160 pounds and was selected to the state all-academic team. North Dakota State was 11-9 overall and 4-2 in the Western Wrestling Conference this year. The Bison placed fifth in the NCAA West Regional and qualified three wrestlers for the NCAA Division I national championships.

Columbia, Mo. -- Missouri senior Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) and sophomore Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) earned National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Academic All-America honors as announced May 6. This marks the sixth time in seven years that at least one Tiger grappler has received NWCA recognition for work in the classroom. McCormick, Missouri's 133-pound starter for the 2007-08 campaign, made his fourth and final NCAA appearance at the Championships March 20-22 in St. Louis. The two-time All-American finished his collegiate career with a 77-43 record that included wins over some of the best wrestlers in the nation. McCormick took second at the 2008 Big 12 Championships in Oklahoma City, besting No. 1 ranked Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State, 5-3. This marks McCormick's third NWCA Academic All-American honor. A business management major that will graduate in May, McCormick owns a 3.95 cumulative grade-point average and recently was awarded an NCAA postgraduate scholarship. A first-time recipient of the NWCA Academic All-America award, Askren carries a 3.41 cumulative GPA. Askren earned his first All-America honor at the 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships after taking seventh in the 197-pound bracket. A two-time Big 12 Champion, Askren closed out his sophomore campaign with a 26-4 record, earning his final win of the season, 9-7, in overtime over Iowa State's David Bertolinio.

Manheim, Pa. -- The National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholastic Board of Directors announced on Tuesday the annual winners for the NWCA Scholastic Coach of the Year, Scholastic Assistant Coach of the Year and the Scholastic Wrestler of the Year. Apple Valley High School coach Jim Jackson is the recipient of the Head Coach of the Year after leading the Eagles to nine state dual team titles in the last 10 years. Ranked in the top five all season, Apple Valley has been one of the upper Midwest's powerhouses for over a decade and Jackson has quite a stable of former wrestlers who went on to bigger things. One will even be making waves on Sundays in the near future as AV graduate Trevor Laws was picked in the second round of the NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. This year, Jackson crowned five individual state champions. "When a person receives an award like this, it's more a program award," said Jackson. "The credit belongs to the athletes, the parents and my assistant coaches and my administration. It's a combination of that, I'm honored by it, but it's a program award." "There are a lot of people that have a piece of this award," said Jackson. "What Jim Jackson continues to do in a rugged wrestling state like Minnesota is remarkable," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "Wrestling tradition and history is storied at Apple Valley. It's one name that immediately springs to mind nation-wide when you talk about the scholastic wrestling in Minnesota." Jackson's Apple Valley teams have won 10 state team titles in 13 years and nine of the last 10. Prior to taking over the reigns as head coach for the 1995-96 season, he served as an assistant coach for Bill Demaray for 15 seasons. But since taking over, Apple Valley's dual meet mark is an astonishing 465-25-3 (94.3 percent) With more than its fair share of worthy and qualified candidates, Easton Area (Pa.) High School's Jordan Oliver emerged as the NWCA's Scholastic Wrestler of the Year. Oliver won his third state championship and also won titles at the Manheim Lions, Reno Tournament of Champions and High School Nationals. Oliver's Reno title was his second and he completed his scholastic career with a remarkable 175-5 record. Oliver was also the NWCA Region 2 Wrestler of the Year. Bound for Oklahoma State, Oliver's also versed in the international styles, winning a Junior National Freestyle Championship in 2007 to follow his Cadet title the year before. "I'm looking forward in being in the environment with John Smith and Eric Guerrero and just being around trained by those coaches and in good surroundings, I'm looking forward to training with my teammates," said Oliver. "Lightning quick, technically sound and an absolute terror on the mat -- Jordan Oliver has all the tools," said NWCA President Ron Mirikitani. "It's not a question of will he do well on the next level, it's more about how soon." Oliver also participated in two of the most prestigious post-season All-Star events in the nation, the Dapper Dan Classic and the Wrestling USA Dream Team Classic. He was also the state and regional winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award as presented by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. "It's a pretty awesome of an accomplishment, I never had it in mind during the season, but throughout the season, I wanted to dominate. It's an honor," said Oliver. "The field of regional and state award winners was deep and talented," said Moyer. "We would have been pleased with any number of different wrestlers who were nominated, but you really can't go wrong with a kid like Jordan. His credentials and reputation speak for themselves." Tom Spale of Schuyler Central High School in Nebraska was honored as the Assistant Coach of the Year by the NWCA. A 35-year veteran of coaching on the youth and scholastic levels, Spale's been a high school assistant for 25 years and helped guide Schuyler Central to an 11th place finish at the Nebraska Class B state championships. Schuyler qualified five to the tournament and crowned one state champion, Dustin Stodola at 112 pounds and 130-pounder John Svoboda finished second. "A common misconception in our sport is some people believe you have to be a dominant program to be considered a good coach," said Moyer. "Caring coaches like Tom Spale have been involved with good teams and great kids, but his steady hand and commitment to wrestling are things you can't put wins and losses against." Regional Winners Region 1 Head Coach, Lawrence E. Tremblay, Winchester HS (MA) Assistant, Bob Bathalon, Otter Valley Union HS (VT) Wrestler, Hunter Meys, Shenendehowa HS (NY) Region 2 Head Coach, John Garnder, High Point Regional (NJ) Assistant, Bill Lehto, C. Milton Wright HS (MD) Wrestler, Jordan Oliver, Easton Area HS (PA) Region 3 Head Coach, Doug Thurmond, Jefferson HS (GA) Assistant, Jon Renner, Science Hill HS (TN) Wrestler, Peter Yates, Salem HS (GA) Region 4 Head Coach, Dale Eggert, Libertyville High School (IL) Assistant, Craig Zeerip, Hesperia High School (MI) Wrestler, Andrew Howe, Hanover Central High School (IN) Region 5 Head Coach, Jim Jackson, Apple Valley HS (MN) Assistant, Chris Kyle, Holt HS (MO) Wrestler, Jake Dietchler, Anoka HS (MN) Region 6 Head Coach, Terry Alley, Andover Central HS (KS) Assistant, Tom Spale, Schuyler Central HS (NE) Wrestler, Tyler Graff, Loveland HS (CO) Region 7 Head Coach, Jeff Thompason, Flathead HS (MT) Assistant, Thomas W. Tripple, Governor John R. Rogers HS (WA) Wrestler, Tyrell Fortune, Lakeridge HS (OR) Region 8 Head Coach, Tom Wokasch, Mingus Union HS (AZ) Assistant, Mario Chagolla, Camp Verde HS (AZ) (Co-Wrestler), Jason Welch, Las Lomas HS (CA) (Co-Wrestler), Jason Chamberlain, Springville HS (UT) The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a professional organization dedicated to serve and provide leadership for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on scholastic and collegiate programs. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The NWCA, through its organizational structure, promotes communication, recognizes achievement, recommends rules and regulations, sponsors events, and serves as an educational and informational source. Additionally, the NWCA strives to foster the sportsmanship and integrity that are the cornerstones of athletic competition.

We'll be back in the Brute Adidas studios this week for another show filled with guests, news and information about this sport. To all of you who have signed up for the Pod casts thank you! Wow, what a successful idea that was. Technology always amazes me. I'm grateful to all of you who listen. Intermatwrestle.com's Jason Bryant joins us a special guest co-host for this broadcast. This week on TDR- Brad Penrith- Head Coach of the Panthers of University of Northern Iowa joins us to give us an update at UNI and on Olympic Trial bound Tolly Thompson. Thompson is looking for what might be his last trial ever and would sure like to go out on top. Jake Herbert- Northwestern University's Jake Herbert qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials by winning the 185-pound division at the University National Freestyle Championships last weekend. Herbert was named Most Outstanding Wrestler and was one of four Wildcats to place in the tournament. In the finals, the 2007 NCAA champion at 184 lbs. defeated Iowa State's David Bertolino of the Cyclone WC, 2-0, 1-0. Herbert had three victories during the final day including a three-period win over Matt Pell of Cavalier WC in the second round. Herbert took an Olympic redshirt year from the Wildcats last season and has been competing in many international events. He wanted one more tournament before the U.S. Nationals coming up in two weeks in Las Vegas. "I got in a good test, wrestled good matches and know what my strengths and weaknesses are," Herbert said. "I also got my qualification for Olympic Trials. It now doesn't matter what I do at U.S. Nationals if I win Olympic Trials. That is what I have been working so hard for." The next event for Herbert in his quest to qualify for the Olympics is the U.S. Nationals, April 23-26. The winner of the U.S. Nationals becomes the No. 1 seed at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. The top three finishers in each weight at the trials are named to the U.S. National Team. The U.S. Olympic Team Trials take place June 13-15 in Las Vegas. NU had three other All-Americans in the tournament. Mike Tamillow took true second at 211.5 lbs. and Ryan Lang was second at 145.5 lbs. Mike Benefiel, who redshirted last season and will be a starter for the 'Cats in 2008-09, finished fifth at 174 lbs. John Stutzman- Head Coach Coach Bloomsburg University- 3rd year going in to 4th year. John was able to produce his 2nd All American in Matt Moley (157lbs). Along with Coach Carl Fronhoefer Stutzman has been able to bring this program along very quickly and has recently received the keys to a brand new wrestling only facility off-campus dedicated to the advancement of Bloomsburg Wrestling. Dalton Folkerts- This little dynamo AAU wrestler from Albia, Iowa is a true testament to what a wrestler can be. Dalton took 1st A 75 in 2007 and went 11-1 on the season to earn 1st place honors on the box at vets auditorium this last year. What a ride its been for this young man. Now I'm going to warn you, this young man speaks his mind and exposes his heart. Medals and trophies mean very little to this youngster with a much high vision. Tune in and find out what I mean..... Greg Strobel- Outgoing Head Coach of Lehigh University. Greg is quite possibly one of the nicest men I've ever met. Warm, Giving, Understanding, Trusting, one hell of a coach and one great teacher. It's understandable that when he moves to his new position that one of his own, an alumnus of Lehigh would leave a very high profile position at Maryland to move back and take the spot of his mentor, teacher and friend. Greg will join us to describe his new duties, and maybe a bit of reflection on the last few years. Remarkable is one word I can and do use in describing Greg Strobel. Lehigh University has named Pat Santoro its new Lawrence E. White ‘64 Head Coach of Wrestling, Goodman Dean of Athletics Joe Sterrett '76 announced Tuesday. Santoro, who becomes just the eighth head coach in the 99-year history of Lehigh wrestling, replaces Greg Strobel who will be making the transition into an administrative leadership role within the Lehigh Athletics Department. This announcement marks the return to Lehigh for Santoro, a Bethlehem native who spent nine seasons at Lehigh as an assistant coach. "Greg Strobel was ready for a new assignment outside of coaching and he is very well skilled and suited for working with our camps program and in our athletics alumni relations and fund raising areas," said Sterrett. "Pat Santoro was an outstanding assistant coach at Lehigh for nine years, and has done a magnificent job in developing the Maryland program. He will bring a deep affection for the institution, the educational values we prioritize, and the ability to make the transition seamless." Each week through the year we do our level best to provide for our sport through our programming. We do welcome suggestions. Know of an athlete, a coach or a friend of wrestling that deserves or needs some recognition? Let me know. Email me at Svideoman@aol.com. I welcome calls and emails. Thanks for listening and thanks to our sponsors who for years have understood the bigger picture.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature John Oostendorp and Allan Kieta. "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. Oostendorp is the currently the head wrestling coach at Coe College. The Kohawks placed fourth at the 2008 Division III NCAA tournament and Oostendorp was named 2008 National Wrestling Coach of the Year. This year's Coe team had five All-Americans and its first NCAA champion in school history. As a wrestler, Oostendorp was a two-time All-American at the University of Iowa. He was also a member of several Greco-Roman national teams and participated in the 1995 World Championships. Kieta, a former wrestler who is blind in both eyes, used his wrestling skills to overpower an intruder and hold the man at knifepoint until help arrived. The story has received prominent national attention from the media. Indianapolis police called the event one of the most incredible tales of citizen self-defense they had encountered. Kieta will discuss the event and how he used his wrestling background in the altercation. "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.

Five Augustana wrestlers received awards at the team's annual banquet over the weekend. The awards are selected by a vote of the team members. Freshman Ty Copsey received the Most Valuable Wrestler Award. Copsey, the North Central Conference Freshman of the Year, earned All-America honors by finishing fourth at the NCAA Division II National Championships at 197 pounds. Jason Jeremiason earned a pair of awards. He received the Freshman of the Year and also the Most Improved Award after qualifying for nationals following a fourth-place regional finish. In addition, Sid Bice received the Redshirt of the Year Award. Jay Sherer, another freshman national qualifier, was presented the Hardest Worker Award, while Lance Peters earned the Viking Purple Heart Award. A natural 197-pounder, Peters wrestled heavyweight for most of the season. Augustana finished fifth in the rugged North Region and went on to place 17th at the NCAA Division II National Championships, crowning 2 All-Americans in the process. Most Valuable Wrestler: Ty Copsey Redshirt of the Year: Sid Bice Freshman of the Year: Jason Jeremiason Hardest Worker: Jay Sherer Most Improved: Jason Jeremiason Viking Purple Heart Award: Lance Peters

IOWA CITY, IA -- Iowa wrestling's NCAA Champions - senior Mark Perry and sophomore Brent Metcalf - have been named the Mike Howard Most Valuable Wrestlers for the 2007-08 season. They received the award at the team's annual awards banquet Sunday in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes had much to celebrate at the team banquet. The team won its 21st NCAA title and 32nd Big Ten title, which were firsts for second-year Head Coach Tom Brands. Iowa crowned two individual NCAA champions - a first since 1999 - and seven all-Americans - the highest number since 2001. The Hawkeyes posted a 21-1 overall record, ending the season on a 14-match winning streak. Iowa also won the Big Ten regular season title with an unblemished 8-0 mark. Brands was named NWCA and Big Ten Coach of the Year. Perry won his second national title to become Iowa's 14th two-time NCAA champion. He also captured his fourth all-America honor, becoming the 17th Hawkeye to accomplish the feat in school history. Perry scored 25 team points at the NCAA Championships, the most of any wrestler in the tournament. Despite missing the entire Big Ten dual season due to injury, the Stillwater, OK, native posted a 20-3 season record and led the team in pins (12) and fastest pin (21 seconds). The 165-pounder was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week Dec. 19 and TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week Mar. 25. Perry ends his Hawkeye career with a 96-16 record. Metcalf stormed through the competition in his first season at 149 pounds with the Hawkeyes, winning his first NCAA and Big Ten titles. He earned the prestigious Dan Hodge Trophy, which is annually presented to the nation's top collegiate wrestler. The Davison, MI, native was named Outstanding Wrestler at both the NCAA and Big Ten Championships, and the Division I NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. He also garnered Big Ten Wrestler of the Year honors, becoming only the fourth Hawkeye to earn both in the same season. Metcalf led all point-scorers at the Big Ten tournament with 24, and his 23 points at NCAAs tied for third among all competitors. He posted a 35-1 season record, ending the year on a 32-match winning streak. He was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week twice, becoming the first student-athlete in conference history to earn in the honor in consecutive weeks. He was also named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week twice. Metcalf, who also earned academic all-Big Ten honors, led the team in collegiate wins (35), collegiate winning percentage (.972), dual wins (21), dual winning percentage (.954), dual team points scored (100) and technical falls (6). Senior heavyweight Matt Fields took home three team awards. He earned the the J. Donald McPike, Sr., Award, which is given annually to the senior with the highest grade-point average, the Most Improved Award and shared the All-American Award with four other teammates. A health and sports studies major from Lowden, IA, Fields earned his first all-America honor this season. He posted a 32-8 record and earned academic all-Big Ten accolades. Fields ends his Iowa career with a 95-38 mark, starting 64 duals. Fields shared the All-American Award with junior Charlie Falck, and sophomores Jay Borschel, Phillip Keddy and Joe Slaton. Falck earned his second all-America honor at 125, placing sixth at the NCAA Championships and fourth at the Big Ten tournament. His season record of 31-7 included a 21-1 dual mark. A native of Strawberry Point, IA, Falck shared the team lead in dual wins (21) and dual winning percentage (.954) with Metcalf. Keddy, from Vernal, UT, earned his first all-America honor at 184 in his second season in the lineup. His 28-11 record included a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships and a sixth-place finish at NCAAs. Borschel and Slaton each picked up their first all-America honor in their first season with the Hawkeyes. Slaton placed second at the NCAA Championships and third at Big Tens at 133, posting a 31-5 season record. The Cedar Rapids, IA, native was also named Wrestler of the Week by the Big Ten and TheMat.com after Iowa's win at Iowa State in December. Borschel placed third at both tournaments at 174 with a 32-5 record. The academic all-Big Ten honoree from Marion, IA, led the team in major decisions (11) and ranked second in collegiate wins (32) and dual team points scored (79). Sophomore Chad Beatty was honored with the Mike McGivern Award, which is annually presented to the team's most courageous wrestler. The Wilton, IA, native moved up two weight classes to compete at 197 pounds after the season started. His season record of 13-15 included key dual wins against Indiana and Michigan late in the season to help the Hawkeyes earn the conference regular season title. Beatty was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week Feb. 20 for his efforts in those matches. Sophomore Illinois natives Rick Loera and Daniel Dennis earned the team's Coaches Appreciation Award. Loera, who also moved up to compete at 197 pounds, posted a 7-9 record. Dennis was injured at the start of the season, but came back at 133. Loera is from Park Ridge, and Dennis is a native of Ingleside.