InterMat Staff

Jarad Swint

The Mid-South Conference athletics directors unanimously voted to add men's wrestling as a conference sport on Wednesday at the annual summer meeting at Campbellsville University. Men's wrestling becomes the 18th sport sponsored by the Mid-South Conference and will begin competition in the 2009-10 season. Campbellsville, Cumberland University, TN, University of the Cumberlands, KY, Lindsey Wilson College and West Virginia University Institute of Technology will make up the five-team conference. "We're incredibly excited about the addition of wrestling and what the sport and its student-athletes will bring to our conference," Mid-South Conference Commissioner Mike Pollio said. "The Mid-South Conference continues to be one of the premiere conferences in the NAIA and we expect that wrestling will only strengthen that commitment to excellence." Full-time MSC members Campbellsville, Cumberlands, Lindsey Wilson and West Virginia Tech are joined by Cumberland -- who prior to joining the MSC in wrestling was a football-only member -- to makeup only the second wrestling conference in the NAIA. The MSC joins the Great Plains Athletic Conference as the only conferences to recognize men's wrestling as a sport at the conference level. The upcoming season will include the MSC Championships hosted by Campbellsville in late February prior to the NAIA National Championships scheduled for March 4-6, 2010 in Oklahoma City, Okla. "We continue to look for ways serve our institutions, teams and most importantly our student-athletes," Pollio said. "The addition of wrestling is another example of the Mid-South Conference serving our student-athletes by embracing their accomplishments both in competition and in the classroom. "Wrestling is an ideal fit with the other 17 sports in the Mid-South Conference and we welcome its coaches and student-athletes with open arms."

BOONE, N.C. -- Appalachian State University wrestling head coach JohnMark Bentley hired Christian Sinnot as an assistant coach for the upcoming season, announced Bentley Tuesday afternoon. Sinnot comes to Appalachian from Central Michigan, where he was an volunteer assistant coach for the 2008-09 season. He also served as the strength and conditioning coach for wrestling, football, baseball, gymnastics and field hockey in 2008. “I’m very excited about adding Christian to our staff here at ASU,” Bentley said. “I believe he will be a tremendous asset to our upper weight classes, and his experience as a competitor and coach will help our program.” During his career on the mat with the Chippewas, Sinnot was a three-time NCAA qualifier, a two-time Mid-American Conference champion and earned All-American honors as a senior. He ranks in the top-15 in school history in career winning percentage and helped lead Central Michigan to back-to-back top-10 national finishes in his junior and senior years.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Wrestler J Jaggers has been named the 2008-09 Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year, the department of athletics announced Tuesday. Jaggers, a Northfield, Ohio, native who won his second-consecutive NCAA title as a senior in 2009, is the first wrestler to earn the honor in the 28-year history of the award. Before making his debut as the volunteer assistant coach of the Ohio State wrestling team next season, Jaggers will be known for leaving an impressive imprint on the two-time national runner-up Buckeyes. In 2009, the All-American joined an exceptional class of wrestling Buckeyes as the 141-pound national champion in back-to-back seasons in 2008 and 2009. He joins Tommy Rowlands, a 2002 and 2004 heavyweight champion and Kevin Randleman, the 177-pound champion in 1992 and 1993 in the elite group. Ending his senior campaign with a 28-7 ledger, Jaggers completed his career with a remarkable 108-33 record as a three-time All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier. After winning his first national championship in dramatic fashion where he held on for the title with 16 seconds left despite suffering a severe ankle injury, Jaggers successfully defended his title this past spring, proving “you don’t just stumble on two national championships.” The 2008 Greater Cleveland Athletic Sports Commission Collegiate Athlete of the Year, Jaggers is a three-time National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic and two-time Academic All-Big Ten Team selection, as well as a three-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete. He earned his bachelor’s degree in communication at the end of winter quarter. Jaggers is considering continuing his training in hopes of making the 2012 Olympic Team. Jaggers moves on to the ballot for the Big Ten’s Jesse Owens Athlete of the Year award. Women’s basketball sophomore Jantel Lavender was named the Buckeyes’ female athlete of the year Monday. Ohio State Male Athletes of the Year: Year Men Sport 1982 Art Schlichter Football 1983 Chris Perry Golf 1984 John Frank Football 1985 Robert Playter Gymnastics 1986 Mike Lanese Football 1987 Butch Reynolds Track/Field 1988 Chris Spielman Football 1989 Joe Greene Track/Field 1990 Mike Rancanelli Gymnastics 1991 Jim Jackson Basketball 1992 Jim Jackson Basketball 1993 Chris Nelloms Track/Field 1994 Chris Sanders Track/Field 1995 Blaine Wilson Gymnastics 1996 * Eddie George Football 1997 * Blaine Wilson Gymnastics 1998 Hugo Boisvert Hockey 1999 Scoonie Penn Basketball 2000 Jamie Natalie Gymnastics 2001 Jamie Natalie Gymnastics 2002 Raj Bhavsar Gymnastics 2003 Craig Krenzel Football 2004 Dan Taylor Track/Field 2005 Mike Nugent Football 2006 A.J. Hawk Football 2007 Troy Smith Football 2008 Andras Horanyi Fencing 2009 J Jaggers Wrestling * Recipient of the Big Ten Jesse Owens Award

We have a great show lined up for you this Saturday. We return to our Brute Adidas studios of TDR for two hours of wrestling Talk. It's what America's listening to each and every week. This week joining Chris and I will be: Mark Palmer- IntermatWrestle.com's Staff Writer and our College Wrestling Examiner Joel Greenlee- Head Coach of the Bobcats of Ohio University Tim Flynn- Head Coach of Edinboro Fighting Scots John Stutzman- Head Coach of Bloomsburg Lyle Howry- Lyle Howry Productions- Producing NBC's Ultimate Women Challenge. This is the day after his big birthday celebration. He's now 51 years old. We have a lot to talk about so please join us from 9 AM CST to 11 AM CST. Takedownradio.com . Also, please check out the new episode of TDR TV. You can find that at Intermatwrestle.com or the web sites of any of our friends on the Internet.

John Hangey

Randi Miller

Tadaaki Hatta

Mack Reiter

C.P. Schlatter

Six-time NCAA champion Carlton Haselrig and 2009 World Team Trials champion Shawn Bunch will be radio show guests Wednesday night. Carlton Haselrig won three NCAA Division II wrestling titles at heavyweight for University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown in the 1980s. He also won three NCAA Division I titles, back when Division II and III champions were allowed to compete in the Division I tournament. Although he didn’t play college football, Haselrig was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1989 draft and earned Pro Bowl status as an offensive guard in 1992. He is currently training and fighting in Mixed Martial Arts out of his hometown, Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Haselrig will be one of more than 20 celebrities participating in the 10th Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament in Waterloo, Iowa on July 10, a fundraising event for the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum. Shawn Bunch won the 132-pound freestyle division at the World Team Trials last month by defeating Mike Zadick in consecutive matches in the finals. A two-time NCAA All-American at Edinboro University, Bunch placed second and third in the nation in 2005 and 2006 at 133 pounds. A native of Leavenworth, Kansas, he will be competing in his first World Championships in September in Herning, Denmark. “On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show.

With the recent trend of many graduated seniors choosing not to compete at the Junior Nationals -- held during late July in Fargo, North Dakota -- the Cadet National Championships have taken on greater prominence at Fargo. In fact, some have argued that the Cadet Nationals have a greater representation of the nation's top wrestlers than the Junior National Championships. Since the cadet level features wrestlers that are less seasoned in their high school career, many of the key cadet figures are not known to a national audience. The Cadet National Duals -- which will be held this week in Rochester, Minnesota -- can serve either as a breakthrough moment for the young star wrestler, or a tournament to cement their name on the radar of fans across the country. Greco-Roman competition will be held on Thursday and Friday (June 18 and 19) with freestyle competition being conducted Saturday and Sunday (June 20 and 21). Pre-registration indicates that 25 teams from 22 states will be in the Greco-Roman competition, with 29 teams from 25 states slated for the Freestyle event. Each competition will start with a round-robin in which teams will be split into four pools. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the championship competition, which will commence with two four-team groups that compete in another round-robin. The top team in each championship pool will compete for first place, the second team in each competes for third place, and such for the top eight places. Teams finishing third through sixth in the preliminary pools will advance to a single elimination consolation bracket, from which the two finalists will finish ninth and tenth. Looking ahead to 2009 For yet another year, fans everywhere will be able to follow the competition using TrackWrestling.com. The computer program will have up to date pools, results, and the schedule of matches. In addition, InterMat will be covering the championship rounds on Friday (Greco-Roman) and Sunday (freestyle). Blair Academy's Mark Grey, a 2008 Cadet Nationals double champion, will be competing in both styles for New JerseyWhile all of the lineups are not yet available to the public through TrackWrestling.com, past history as well as performance during the past school year can provide some idea of what to expect in the two competitions. Defending champion Wisconsin will travel a very formidable squad across its western border in its quest to repeat as Cadet National Greco-Roman dual meet champions. Anchoring the Badger State effort will be Alex Dieringer and Devin Peterson. Coming off of two straight runner-up finishes in this event, the host team from Minnesota would love to take that one last step and emerge as champions. In addition, teams from Illinois, Iowa, and Pennsylvania should be formidable champions. Unlike the defending Greco champions, much of Oklahoma's Cadet Dual winning freestyle team was made up of second-year cadets in 2008; though Josh Walker and Chase Ferman will likely return to lead the effort at a repeat title. Lead contenders for the title in freestyle include the hosts Minnesota, returning runners-up Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Looking back at 2008 Greco-Roman: Wisconsin emerged as champions in what was a very balanced field. In pool competition, the Badger State squad lost to Pennsylvania. In fact, that pool ended in a three-way tie; Illinois beat Pennsylvania but lost to Wisconsin. Wisconsin and Pennsylvania advanced on the basis of tiebreaker, while Illinois finished third in the pool but won the consolation bracket to finish in ninth. Border rivals Minnesota reached the final undefeated, with its final three victories against Pennsylvania, New York, and Indiana coming in the championship pool. Wisconsin countered with victories against Missouri, Iowa, and Kansas in its championship pool. Championship Match: Wisconsin defeated Minnesota, 32-31 Third-Place Match: Pennsylvania defeated Missouri, 34-32 Fifth-Place Match: New York defeated Iowa, 46-32 Seventh-Place Match: Kansas defeated Indiana, 44-33 Ninth-Place Match: Illinois defeated New Jersey, 50-25 Freestyle: Heading into the championship final, the Oklahoma squad had beaten most of its opposition sooner rather than later. They finished first in the preliminary pool and advanced to the championship final with victories over Missouri, Wisconsin, and Delaware. However, their championship opponents from the Keystone State had paved a similar road with an undefeated run in preliminaries followed by victories over New Jersey, Minnesota, and Illinois. That finals match was close throughout, but Oklahoma used its strength in the middle of the lineup (6-3 in matches from 112 to 160) in order to squeeze out the title. Championship Match: Oklahoma defeated Pennsylvania, 35-33 Third-Place Match: New Jersey defeated Missouri, 48-25 Fifth-Place Match: Wisconsin defeated Minnesota, 39-27 Seventh-Place Match: Illinois defeated Delaware, 39-33 Ninth-Place Match: Iowa defeated New York, 40-36

Question: How does a bashful five-foot-something, 119-pound high school kid find a way to stand out in public without Twitter or shameless self-promotion? Answer: By going undefeated at his first two Pennsylvania state high school wrestling tournaments. Jimmy Gulibon (Photo/Stephanie Blackstone)His name is Jimmy Gulibon, and if you haven't heard his name before that's because he speaks at a whisper and owns a Quaker's modesty. In a state known for loudmouth national politicians, Philadelphia sports fans, and more wrestling dads than seats at Heinz Field, you'd think that Jimmy Gulibon would never get discovered, as MMA fighters are prone to repeating, "The closed mouth doesn't get fed." Gulibon, who is going into his junior year at Derry Area High School, is on pace to become one of only about a dozen four-time Pennsylvania state champions. He has already won two AAA state titles and an equal number of WPIAL crowns. And with two years remaining, very few prognosticators would bet against his chances of finishing out his career free of another loss. In addition to his wrestling with his high school, Gulibon travels to the Young Guns Wrestling Club headed up by 2000 NCAA Division I runner-up and Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Famer Jody Strittmatter. It's difficult to do, but in a room that includes future Division I stars Nico Megaludis (Penn State, 2011) and A.J. Schopp (Edinboro, 2010), Gulibon is expected to be even better. "I really like my teammates," said Gulibon. For Gulibon, the goal is to work hard and get better, the results, he feels, are independent of expectations. "I just want to win every match I wrestle," said Gulibon. "I try not to think about the next season. I just want to get into the wrestling room and keep working hard and getting better in new positions." Jody StrittmatterHe might be getting some help from the state as his school has once again been reclassified to AA. Despite the seeming demotion, this is still Pennsylvania wrestling ... No one should be taken lightly. Gulibon is apparently already aware of that. "He never takes anything for granted," said Strittmatter, who won two Division II national titles before transferring to Iowa. "He works and works and when everyone else would be done, he just works some more. "Some guys are afraid to work hard, they're afraid to put themselves on the line like that, but with Jimmy, it's a natural thing. He pushes himself harder than any kid I've ever met. He's a one-in-a-million type of kid." He's also shyer than a British Petroleum executive at Mardi Gras. "The kid is so soft spoken and humble it's easy to forget just how nasty he can be once he's on the mat," said Strittmatter. Like Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson, another man who pursued wrestling greatness, Gulibon is a bit of a media introvert, choosing brief replies in favor of thorough self-examination. He also keeps his focus outside of wrestling on his family. "Someone told me that his uncle is his best friend, which is just too cool," said Strittmatter. The humble and shy Gulibon inherited those genes, but probably not from his father (who weighs in around 200 pounds). According to Strittmatter, Jimmy's father is an excellent guitar player, who plays every chance he gets: club picnics, tournaments, anytime he sees an audience. "It's kind of funny," said Strittmatter. "His dad is incredible on the guitar and will sit down in front of people and sing for a long time. Meanwhile, you can't get Jimmy to sit down in front of on person and have a conversation (laughs)." Jimmy GulibonThe timidity he exhibits in public isn't carried onto the mat, where he has placed beatings on opponents in his two trips to the state tournament. Despite that aggressiveness, Gulibon is often the most nervous guy on the team before a match. "I kind of just pace," said Gulibon. "I'm not thinking about anything bad ... I just want to get out there and wrestle. I don't like all the waiting around." Strittmatter said that Gulibon's confidence during competition would come with age. "He's still pretty young, learning things about competition," said Strittmatter. "The crazy thing is that you see this kid who is already accomplished and so much better than almost anyone around him and yet he's the one who's nervous." Regardless of his pre-match butterflies or social anxieties, it's obvious that Jimmy Gulibon is the next big name in Pennsylvania wrestling. His approach to the public is different than his father's and his voice still a whisper, but his plan for success seems to strike the right chord. "You can't win a fourth state title until you win that third," said Gulibon. "And I have a lot of work to do before I even think about next year."

Steve Silver

Jake Deitchler

Debbie Yow

The Lone Star Wrestling Association, hosts of the Hilton Arlington Lone Star Duals is excited to announce the addition of Arizona State to the thirteenth edition of the event, to be held January 15 and 16, 2010. New head coach Shawn Charles confirmed that the Sun Devils will be joining the field which also includes, Air Force, Brown, Harvard, Cal Fullerton, Oklahoma, Northwestern, Utah Valley University, Central Oklahoma, Nebraska Kearney, New Mexico Highlands, Newman University, UT Arlington, and a couple of other teams to be announced shortly. In addition to the college competition on January 16, there will be a two day high school competition involving 24 high schools coming from as far away as Virginia. The high school competition will begin on January 15th with pool competition to determine the top 12 teams to compete alongside the colleges on the 16th to determine the team champion. Texas' own Bishop Lynch HS will be back to attempt to win their third consecutive championship. There are still a couple spots left in the limited field. Interested teams should contact Tournament Director Barry Boustead at barry_boustead@hotmail.com or call 817.235.6111. The competition schedule will be set shortly so teams is of the essence.

Brandon Paulson

Event: UFC 99: The Comeback Venue: Lanxess Arena, Cologne, Germany Date: June 13, 2009 The UFC comes to Germany! Saturday night’s card is full of promising, young European fighters and a few old veterans in the twilight of their Hall-of-Fame careers. There are a dozen fights scheduled in all, so let’s take a look and see if we can pick the winners. It is the UFC Monster’s mission to find value in the Las Vegas betting line as it relates to mixed martial arts fights. Using strong handicapping skills and a vast range of experience in sports betting, I attempt to make our readers a little extra spending money, as well as help them enjoy the fights with a bit more background. It’s good clean fun, and if readers had followed my advice in UFC 98, they would have netted a nice profit of $178.50! That’s enough to buy five (5) years worth of Platinum subscriptions to this Web site! In tonight’s featured fight, we have a non-title battle at a 195-pound “catch weight” between Rich “Ace” Franklin (26-4-0) and Wanderlei “The Ax Murderer” Silva (32-9-1). Wow. Here’s two future HOF’ers. Franklin used to own the UFC 185-pound middleweight division, but Anderson “Spider” Silva changed all of that with two convincingly devastating Muay Thai exhibitions on Ace’s face. Franklin then moved up to light-heavyweight (205 lbs) where the UFC’s deepest division lies. In comes Wanderlei Silva from Japan’s Pride where he ruled undefeated for almost half a decade, and we have some history here. Unfortunately, The Ax Murderer has had a blunt instrument in the UFC, losing four of five, but his style is the same as Spider used to defeat Franklin, so that may be his key to victory. But, my guess is that Franklin can stay away from the onslaught with some precision kicking, and will do enough effective striking to gain a majority decision. I can’t believe I’m thinking a Wanderlei Silva fight will go the distance, but let’s take Franklin and lay the –140. That looks cheap. Interestingly, 60% of UFC fighters polled liked Silva to win this fight. I hope they are wrong. Huge Frenchman Cheick Kongo (24-4-1) is on a tear these days mowing down opponents with his powerful punching. He is no easy opponent for the rising star of Cain Velasquez (5-0-0), who many of you should remember as a great wrestler from Arizona State. Somehow, the bookies made the relatively inexperienced Velasquez the -200 favorite, giving Kongo some legitimate value as an underdog. But, before I walk into that trap, I have seen the beast of Cain, and I think this will be a classic battle of great wrestler against great puncher. The wrestler wins almost every time! I think Kongo will get a few shots in (and it only takes one)! But Velasquez will control the mat, where the fifht will end in the very first round with some vicious ground-and-pound. Take Velasquez and lay the –200 to win by TKO. Welterweight (170 pounds) Mike “Quick” Swick (13-2) is known for some lightning quick knockouts. His skinny arms turn into lawnmower-like blades as he saws his opponents down. He is the real deal and a favorite of Dana White’s for his loyalty to the organization. His mission? To defeat the undefeated en “Killa B” Saunders (7-0-2). Saunders is another awesome Muay Thai fighter, long and gangly, usually able to control his opponent’s distance and the pace of the fight. This one should be full of fireworks with both fighters standing up throwing hay-makers. No judges decision will be needed here. This is my underdog play of the night. I like Saunders to unleash his fury of knees and end this early in the second round with a TKO victory. I’m going to the winner’s window with a +160 'dog. More welterweights, Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis (21-5-0) and Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy (21-6-0) have a real dislike for each other. The heavy-handed Davis always seems to fight on the UFC’s overseas cards. Hardy, known for his Mohawk, is a strong kickboxer, with ample Muay Thai, and an almost non-existent ground game. I see Davis trying to end this quickly, and if he is unable to, he will find a way to the mat, where his ground-and-pound will shortly end this affair. Take the Irish Hand Grenade and lay the –200. Lightweight (155 lbs) Spencer “the King” Fisher has an incredible 23-4-0 record, built on a relentless attacking style. He likes stand-up fighting, but has a strong guard and can put you in a chokehold in a flash. Caol Uno (25-11-4) is a seasoned former UFC fighter than is making his return into the Octagon. I will always remember Caol as the victim of a 17-second beating he took at the lightning fast hands of BJ Penn in a fight I attended many years ago at the MGM Grand in Vegas. Since that fateful day Caol has learned a lot, including an improved ground game. Tho' I like Fisher as a fighter, I think the betting value lies in Uno’s potential upset as a +175 underdog. Let’s take him to surprise the crowd with a stunning guillotine choke midway through the third round. Nobody on this card has as an impressive resume of victories than heavyweight Mirko Cro Cop (24-6-2), who somehow owns three (yes, 3) victories over Josh “The Baby-faced Assassin” Barnett, as well as going the distance with Fedor Emlianenko, most recognized as the world’s greatest heavyweight fighter. The Croatian Cro Cop is best known for his powerful high kicks that end many a fight. But, his UFC arrival has been anything but successful, as he has struggled to win even half of his most recent fights. Mostapha Al Turk is coming off a loss to Cheik Kongo, and the Englishman has been posted as a big underdog in this one. Cro Cop may be an undersized heavyweight at 220 lbs, but he should have enough left in the tank to KO Al Turk in the second round. Let’s bridge jump at –450. That completes the main Pay Per View card. Now let’s take a quick look at the prelims ... Lightweight Terry Etim (12-2) has superior striking skills here. His lanky frame and long reach will keep Justin Buckholz (9-2), a wrestler, at bay. I see Etim winning by triangle choke in the 2nd round. Let’s take another bridge jump at –370. German lightweight Dennis Siver (13-6-0) will be the crowd favorite as he meets relative unknown, Dale Hartt (6-1-0). Siver is the stronger striker and his power and motivation should get the job done as a modest –170 favorite. I’m calling it a first-round KO. Englishman and welterweight Paul Taylor (9-4-1) brings a strong kicking game into his fight with German newcomer Peter Sobotta (8-1-0), whose only hope is taking it to the mat with some ground control wrestling. I don’t see that happening. Taylor brings home the bacon as another big fave. Lay the –380. Lightweight Paul Kelly (9-1-0) is a brute, who is dropping down in weight. He will be trying to ground and pound his way to a convincing win over “The Crazy Cuban” Rolando Delgado (8-3-1). While I believe Kelly is the more rounded and probably better fighter, I think we take a chance here that Delgado at +300 gets a surprise submission and his late first-round rear-naked choke ends this one. Two UFC newcomers, heavyweights, Denis “the Menace” Stojnic (12-2-0) and Stefan “Skyscaper” Struve (20-3-0), will try to settle things quickly. When a good big man (Struve at 6’11” tall) meets a good little man (Stojnic at 5’11”), you generally want to be on the larger man. That puts me on Struve with his longer reach. He wins by second-round KO and cashes at a very cheap –130. Welterweight John “The Hitman” Hathaway (11-0-0) will try to stay unbeaten against Rick “The Horror” Story (7-2-0) who is making his UFC debut. The hyper-active Hathaway should outwork his opponent here and gain a majority decision for his efforts. I’m taking the Hitman and laying the –150. OK, there you have it. Twelve (12) fights, and hopefully, more winners for us than losers. Let’s try our luck with a fictitious $1000 bankroll. Let’s lay $140 to win $100 on Rich Franklin. Let’s lay $100 to win $50 on Cain Velasquez. Let’s lay $100 to win $160 on Ben Saunders. Let’s lay $100 to win $50 on Marcus Davis. Let’s lay $40 to win $70 on Cael Uno. Let’s lay $90 to win $20 on Mirko Cro Cop. Let’s lay $74 to win $20 on Terry Etim. Let’s lay $85 to win $50 on Dennis Siver. Let’s lay $76 to win $20 on Paul Taylor. Let’s lay $50 to win $150 on Rolando Delgado. Let’s lay $65 to win $50 on Stefan Struve. Let’s lay $75 to win $50 on John Hathaway. In total, we are laying $995 to try and win $790. Let’s give the remaining $5 to our local youth wrestling program. Good luck and enjoy the fights!

Mitch Hull

Jason Peters

Eric Grajales has been linked to David Taylor for several years. The two wrestlers have dominated age-group national events for close to a decade. Eric GrajalesGrajales, who wrestled for Brandon High School in Brandon, Florida, and Taylor, who competed for Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio, are widely considered to be the top two high school wrestlers in the U.S. from the Class of 2009. Grajales finished his high school career with a perfect 218-0 record and won four state titles in Florida. Taylor finished his high school career with a record of 180-2 and claimed four Ohio state titles. The two competed in the same weight class (103) as freshmen before Grajales hit a growth spurt and moved into higher weight classes for his sophomore and junior seasons. Taylor never got above 112 pounds until senior season. Then Taylor had his growth spurt, which caused him to move up four weight classes and into the 135-pound weight class, which included Grajales. Even though Grajales and Taylor were the consensus top two high school wrestlers in the U.S. from the Class of 2009, there was no consensus as to which wrestler was No. 1 and which wrestler was No. 2. InterMat and Amateur Wrestling News both have Taylor No. 1 and Grajales No. 2, while WIN Magazine has Grajales No. 1 and Taylor No. 2. The two wrestled a few times when they were younger. Both have beaten each other. But the two have not met since junior high. Since the two were not scheduled to face each other during the high school wrestling season, the debate as to who is No. 1 raged on. In late January, Taylor bumped up from 135 pounds to 140 pounds and defeated Ohio State-bound Collin Palmer, a four-time state champion from St. Edward in Ohio. After the match, Taylor made it clear that he wanted to face Grajales. “I want to wrestle that match,” Taylor told Flowrestling.com. “First things first, I want to win my fourth state title. After that, I got picked to go to the Dream Team against Oklahoma. The Dapper Dan Team is undecided. I want to wrestle Grajales. Senior Nationals, I'll go if he goes.” The dream matchup never materialized. Eric Grajales won his second Junior Nationals Greco-Roman title in Fargo last summer (Photo/Dave Jedlicka)For the Dapper Dan, a postseason all-star event, both Taylor and Grajales were placed on the team. Taylor was the 135-pounder, while Grajales was the 140-pounder. Taylor was given the nod for the USA Dream Team at 135 pounds that competed against an all-star team comprised of Oklahoma seniors. At the Dapper Dan, Grajales pinned three-time state champion Dane Johnson of Shady Side Academy, Pennsylvania in 3:28. He was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the event. After that, Grajales was ready to move on with his high school wrestling career. “I definitely wanted to wrestle David Taylor just as much as he wanted to wrestle me,” said Grajales. “He's a great wrestler. Everybody knows that. I know that. He knows I'm a good wrestler. It would have been great for the sport of wrestling. I would have loved to have had the opportunity. But it was never able to happen. It would have been too hard to figure out. After the Dapper Dan, I was ready to move on. Senior Nationals was not where I felt like I wanted to be. I wanted to be out in Vegas (competing in Greco-Roman). After that, I was done with high school wrestling. I had nothing left to prove at Senior Nationals.” Grajales was recruited by all the nation's top wrestling programs. His older brother, Cesar, is a two-time NCAA qualifier for Penn. Grajales visited Penn, as well as two other Ivy League schools, Cornell and Columbia, but eventually decided on Michigan. “Between my teammates, coaches, and the area, it was just the perfect package at Michigan,” said Grajales, who ranked in the top 10 percent of his graduating class. “All the other schools I visited were great schools. I pretty much knew that I needed to be at a place where I could not only fulfill my athletic goals, but also my academic goals. I want to come out of college with a great degree. Michigan was my first visit and I knew right after it that it was going to be really tough for any other school to beat. I got along really well with the wrestlers. I loved the coaches. Other than the cold, of course, Ann Arbor reminded me of my hometown.” Grajales plans to study business at Michigan and hopes to get accepted into the Roth School of Business at Michigan in two years, although he admits that he's not one-hundred percent sure that's what he wants to do. But that's his initial plan. Grajales plans to compete collegiately for Michigan at 133 pounds, but he's not yet certain if he will compete in the lineup next season for the Wolverines or redshirt. “I'm going to go in there and see how I feel in the wrestling room,” said Grajales. “I might need a year to get acclimated to the college scene. But I might not. We'll see.” As for collegiate wrestling goals? “I definitely have very high expectations for myself,” said Grajales. “I have never been one to think that I'll just let it go how it goes. I have always set out a plan and had goals. I don't always achieve them. But in mind, if you don't have those goals, you can't really judge your success. As long as everything goes well, barring any major injuries, by the end of my career, I want to be able to say that I had won at least one NCAA title. I know that with a lot of hard work and the proper training, I can achieve my goals.” Eric Grajales has his sights set on making the 2012 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman team (Photo/Dave Jedlicka)Grajales has won major national events in all three styles of wrestling -- folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman -- but he favors Greco-Roman. “I will definitely try to pursue my goals in Greco,” said Grajales, who was one of only two wrestlers with high school eligibility remaining to compete at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Greco-Roman. “I don't know if I will ever wrestle freestyle again. I think I'm at a point where I need to concentrate on one or the other Olympic styles. I have had some success in freestyle. But that's just not where my heart was at. I've never really liked it very much. I feel like between Greco and folkstyle, I'll have my hands full.” And so will his opponents.

Yero Washington

June, Florida, and wrestling. One might think it mixes together as well as oil and water. However, now in its thirteenth year, the AAU Scholastic Duals (aka Disney Duals) have broken that paradigm. Held in Orlando, Florida -- hosted at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex -- many of the top wrestlers from across the nation have assembled for a week of intense competition in conjunction with the laid back atmosphere inherent of being at Disney World. Approximately 30 of those earning medals at the Disney Duals in 2008 ended the 2008-09 school year ranked in the top 20 nationally at their respective weight class according to InterMat, while another 15 were graduating seniors and in the year-end rankings for 2007-08. Starting June 22, approximately 100 teams will converge upon the Milk House and Jostens Center to battle it out for team and individual honors in at least three different divisions. They include the District All-Star Division, Community Division 1, Community Division 2, and possibly a District Reserve Division. District teams can come from any number of schools, but all the competitors have to reside within an AAU district. Community teams come from primarily one school, while at most three team members can attend another high school. Competition in the Community divisions commences on the opening day, and ends with championship matches on Thursday. District division competition starts on Tuesday, June 23, and ends with championship matches on Friday, June 26. In each division, the competition will start with preliminary pools. The top few teams will advance to championship bracket competition, while the other teams will compete in consolation rounds. Team awards will be given to those finishing in the top 8 as well as for best sportsmanship. Individual awards will go to the Most Outstanding Wrestler and the Most Technical Wrestler. For the fifth consecutive summer an open invitation has been extended by the AAU for college coaches to join them for this event. Many programs have capitalized on this opportunity, including some of the nation's foremost Division I wrestling programs. For further information, check out the information on http://www.aauwrestling.net. A Look Back at 2008 District All-Star: Championship Match: Ohio Samsons defeated Michigan Red, 30-18, for the championship to end the four-year reign for teams coming from the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Association (MAWA). They also were champions in 2003, the year before the recent run of titles by MAWA. Third-Place Match: PA Steel Gold defeated Michigan Blue, 31-27. Fifth-Place Match: Team Diesel (PA) defeated Michigan Freeze by walkover. Seventh-Place Match: (PA) Premium Select defeated MAWA Blue, 30-27. Awards: Jacob Burge earned Outstanding Wrestler, while Eric Cubberly was named Technically Superior. Community Division 1: Championship Match: Troy Christian (OH), after a third place finish in 2007, avenged their only loss from that year's tournament with a 35-26 victory in the championship final over Bronco Wrestling Club (Montini Catholic IL). Third-Place Match: In their Disney Duals debut, Collins Hill (GA) defeated 2007 tournament runners-up Palmetto Ridge (FL), 32-24, to earn a third-place finish. Fifth-Place Match: Springfield Delco (PA) defeated Perry Meridian (IN) Falcons Blue, 43-28. Seventh-Place Match: Moeller (OH) defeated Oregon Clay (OH), 31-27. Awards: Troy Christian swept the individual honors with Zach Toal earning Outstanding Wrestler and Ben Sergent winning the Technically Superior award. Community Division 2: Championship Match: Yorktown (IN) Tigers won the championship available for schools with a smaller enrollment in a 28-21 victory over Fuzzy Hat (IL). This was the first year of a split in the Community Division. Third-Place Match: Maumee (OH) defeated Spring Hill (FL), 48-22. Awards: Kyle Moser was the Outstanding Wrestler, while Yohe Rojas was named Technically Superior. Looking Forward to 2009 While official team lineups are not yet known, the published team lists indicate that most of the usual suspects are back to compete in the 13th edition of the Disney Duals. District All-Star: Ohio Samsons will seek to defend its title from last summer, and should yet again have a strong and capable squad ready for the many capable challengers present among the field. Foremost among the challengers is MAWA Blue, which is a perennial power in this event. Two other traditionally strong squads from the Keystone State of Pennsylvania are Diesel and Premium Select, while a new entry from Quest could be a squad to watch. Entries from the state of Michigan are always dangerous, and headlined by last year's event runners-up Michigan Red. Also present will be Michigan Blue and Michigan Storm. Looking to finally make a break into the championship bracket will be Ohio Dragons, which has finished third in its preliminary pool that last two years, but then steamrolled its way through the consolation bracket back to ninth place finishes. Community Division 1: Neither of the finalists -- Bronco Wrestling Club (Montini IL) nor Troy Christian (OH) -- from the 2008 tournament is listed for a return appearance this year, which means there will be new blood on top of this division. The team most likely to capitalize on this opportunity would be Collins Hill (GA), which ended the year ranked in the Amateur Wrestling News Top 40. However, at least three Ohio entries will be nipping on their heels -- Moeller, Oak Harbor, and Ohio Lightning (CVCA). Also to watch are Perry Meridian, team state runner-up in Indiana; and Hartland, team state semifinalists in Michigan's big-school division. Community Division 2: Yorktown (IN) will seek to defend its title, as over 20 other teams seek to dethrone.

The Badger wrestling team has added seven more recruits for the 2009-10 season, head coach Barry Davis announced today. The group of signees has some of the top wrestlers from the state of Wisconsin and one from New York. The new recruits include Dan Arnell (Oyster Bay, N.Y.), Jack Duerst (Boyceville, Wis.), Jackson Hein (Wausau, Wis.), Scott Liegel (Spring Green, Wis.), Shawn Perry (Wausau, Wis.), Cole Tobin (Hudson, Wis.) and Eric Vanevenhoven (Kaukauna, Wis.). These seven join Brendan Ard (Watchung Hills, N.J.), Derrick Borlie (Winchester, Va.), Kalvin York (Belleville, Wis.) and John Prezzia (Clinton, Pa.), who all signed National Letters of Intent in the fall. “I think we definitely have a top 10 recruiting class coming in,” Davis said of his 15th recruiting class at Wisconsin. “We have a wide variety of weight classes coming in and we've got a lot of kids from different states coming into the program. We cover five different states with this group and that's good because it will help us with recruiting down the road.”