InterMat Staff

Like the Greco-Roman competition at the 2009 Schoolboy National Dual Meet Championships this weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana, the question was if Minnesota and Pennsylvania would make it three consecutive years in the final against one another. Minnesota was the defending champion, while Pennsylvania took home the title in 2007. Instead the story of the tournament was about second opportunities. In fact, both finalists in the Freestyle Duals finished second in their preliminary pool. Illinois was second to the top entry from Pennsylvania, while Missouri was second to New Jersey. The defending champions, Minnesota 1, also took second in their preliminary pool -- to Oklahoma. The need for a second chance became even more pressing for Illinois when they would lose the opening match of Championship Red Pool competition to Oklahoma, 38-35. The crucial last five points for Oklahoma came from a forfeit at 265 pounds. Arguably the headline match of the event came within this dual meet, as Bryce Brill defeated Gary Wayne Harding in two periods (6-5, 2-0) at 98 pounds. Brill and Harding are ranked third and fourth respectively in the recently completed Intermat Junior High rankings. New Jersey defeated Oklahoma in the next match of pool competition, 42-29, which enabled them to head into the final match of the round-robin undefeated at 2-0. Despite rolling out to a 34-14 lead after the 144 pound weight class against the Garden State squad, the road coming home for Illinois would not be easy. New Jersey did make it close with wins in five of the last six matches. However, that one victory, which came from Edgar Ruano at 190 pounds, would be enough to give Illinois the victory. That victory would have Illinois, New Jersey, and Oklahoma end the Red pool 2-1. Michigan was 0-3 in this pool. The first tiebreaker would be total match points in the three-team round-robin to determine a third place finisher. Oklahoma had the least points from the three teams, 67 compared to 74 for Illinois and 77 for New Jersey. Illinois won the pool, as the head-to-head dual match is the tiebreaker at that point. In order to make it to the final from the Championship Blue Pool, Missouri had to survive a pair of close matches against the returning finalists in this event. Despite losing 9 of the 17 contested matches, Missouri would outlast Minnesota 36-33 when Keyen Broughton would bump up one weight class and earn the fall against Minnesota’s Colton Hines in the last match of the dual meet. In the final dual meet of the pool stage, Missouri would steamroll to a 28-7 lead against Pennsylvania after nine matches. However, it would need every one of those points, as the Show Me State squad only got wins from Matthew McClimens (175) and DeShawn Clancy (210) coming home. The final score was 37-36 in favor of Missouri. Illinois defeated Missouri in the championship final match 40-31, as they took home nine of the fifteen contested matches. After Edgar Ruano’s win at 190 pounds, the squad had a 40-21 lead, which clinched the victory. Two forfeit wins by Missouri would make the final margin of defeat nine points. Brill was the lone undefeated wrestler for the Illinois squad, and was 17-0 for the combined Schoolboy National Dual Meet competitions. Placement Matches: First Place: Illinois defeated Missouri, 40-31 Third Place: New Jersey defeated Minnesota 1, 37-34 Fifth Place: Oklahoma 1 defeated Pennsylvania Red, 40-36 Seventh Place: Wisconsin defeated Michigan Red, 47-29 Ninth Place: Minnesota 2 defeated Kansas, 36-35 Undefeated wrestlers (at least six wins in contested matches): 70 Pounds: Markus Simmons (OK-1) 10-0, Ryan Friedman (MD) 7-0 77 Pounds: Davion Jeffries (OK-1) 10-0, James Pleski (MN-2) 6-0 91 Pounds: Chandler Carroll (IN-2) 7-0 98 Pounds: Bryce Brill (IL) 8-0 112 Pounds: Jack Clark (NJ) 9-0 120 Pounds: Justin Staudenmayer (PA) 7-0 128 Pounds: Eric Morris (PA) 9-0 136 Pounds: Chris Wilkes, Jr (MO) 7-0, Alex Hernandez (IA) 6-0 144 Pounds: Brock Warren (OK-1) 10-0, Stephen Bachmann (MD) 7-0 152 Pounds: Jadon Davenport (OK-1) 10-0, Dominick Flock (WI) 8-0 160 Pounds: Jacyn Goebel (IA) 6-0 190 Pounds: Tom Haines (PA) 9-0 210 Pounds: El-Shaddai Gilmore Vanltoesen (NY) 6-0 265 Pounds: Gregory Webb (NJ) 9-0

Heading into the 2009 Schoolboy Greco-Roman National Duals, one wondered whether it would again be a battle between Minnesota and Pennsylvania for the title. In each of the last two years, those squads met in the final. Minnesota won in 2008, while Pennsylvania prevailed in 2007 to win the back end of consecutive titles in this event. However, New Jersey -- not exactly a traditional Greco-Roman power -- surprised the field with a 9-0 run through the championships. The Garden State squad was anchored by a pair of wrestlers that went 9-0 for the competition, Dylan Milonas (120) and Cory Damiana (190). Milnoas is raned 11th nationally in the recently released Junior High rankings by InterMat. The run was not without challenges. In Pool A competition, defending champions Minnesota actually took 9 of the 17 matches from New Jersey. The difference in the 37-36 New Jersey victory was getting five victories by pin and technical fall, while Minnesota only mustered three. A pin by Damiana, technical fall by Jeffrey Miller (210), and pin by Gregory Webb (265) in the last three matches of that dual meet turned a 35-23 deficit into the one-point victory. Then, in the last match of championship pool competition, New Jersey needed a last match pin from Webb to knock off Wisconsin, 39-38. Despite losing a match in preliminary Pool D to Missouri, Illinois cleared the other championship pool with a 3-0 record to advance to the first place match against New Jersey. The Land of Lincoln squad would fall short in the final, as they could not hold a 28-18 lead that they had secured heading into the last six matches of the dual meet. David Williams (152), Anthony Ferraro (160), Kenneth Bradley (175), Damiana, and Webb would win their matches to rally the Garden State squad to the gold medal. Placement matches: 1st place: New Jersey defeated Illinois,, 40-33 3rd place: Missouri defeated Minnesota 1, 39-30 5th place: Pennsylvania Red defeated Wisconsin, 40-29 7th place: Michigan 1 defeated Minnesota 2, 42-33 9th place: Kansas defeated Florida, 44-26 Undefeated wrestlers (at least six wins in contested matches): 70 pounds: Jabari Moody (IL) 6-0 77 pounds: KeShawn Hayes (MO) 9-0 84 pounds: Dylan Lucas (FL) 8-0 91 pounds: Coy Ozias (MD) 7-0, Luke Zilverberg (MN-2) 6-0 98 pounds: Bryce Brill IL 9-0 105 pounds: Brogan Humprhey (KS) 6-0 112 pounds: Russell Coleman (MO) 9-0, Jarred Johnson (KS) 6-0 120 pounds: Dylan Milonas (NJ) 9-0, Levi Eck (KS) 8-0 128 pounds: Eric Morris (PA) 9-0 144 pounds: Joe Cortese (IL) 8-0 152 pounds: Tommy Longendyke (MN-1) 8-0, Dominick Flock (WI) 7-0, Nick Corba (OH) 6-0 160 pounds: Luke Kisselback (PA) 9-0 190 pounds: Cory Damiana (NJ) 9-0, Adrian Bolognani (IL) 7-0 215 pounds: Alex Lennarston (WI) 9-0

Bryce Hasseman

Greg Warren is wrestling’s funniest man. The St. Louis, Missouri native wrestled collegiately at the University of Missouri, where he was an All-American in 1991 at 158 pounds for the Tigers. He eventually became a full-time comedian in 2001. Greg WarrenWarren recently had his own half-hour special on Comedy Central, which debuted in March. He has had numerous TV and festival appearances. Warren can be seen on networks such as BET (as a finalist on Coming to the Stage) and Country Music Television’s Comedy Stage. He has also developed a following from his work on the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom radio show, which led him to tour theaters across the country with the Bob and Tom Comedy All-Star Tour. He is also a regular guest on CBS’ The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and was a semi-finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing. InterMat recently caught up with Warren and talked to him about his CD that is scheduled to be released next week, where he got his start as a comedian, and some of his most memorable experiences. Warren also reflects on his college wrestling career at Missouri, including his battles with the likes of Tim Krieger and Pat Smith. You have a CD coming out on iTunes on Tuesday. What will be on the CD? Warren: It is my first CD under a major record label so I incorporated a couple of things. There will be 30 minutes of highlights from my first two self-published CDs. Also, it will include an additional 20 minutes of material not on any CDs. There is a big segment on wrestling, a lot of stuff on my family, a brand new segment on my year at West Point. The title is One Star Wonder. 'One Star' is a term that I kind of hit on accidentally. I was talking about those Priceline ads where they say, "You can stay at a four-star hotel for the same price as a one-star hotel.” After staying at hotels 300 nights a year for 10 years, I can tell you that you will then have a lot of one-star people staying at four-star hotels. The term sort of caught on and turned into a big piece of my act. One Star is a kinder, gentler way of saying "redneck" or "white trash." Editors Note: If you are interested in purchasing Greg's new CD on iTunes, click, click HERE. How did you get your start as a comedian? Warren: I had several false starts actually. I think really the first time I actually went on stage was … my friend Craig Martin … He was actually the captain of the wrestling team at Mizzou. He was an All-American there. He was a senior and I was a freshman. I was sort of loud or whatever in the practice room. He was working at this bar and they had some sort of comedy contest. So I entered this comedy contest and won. That was probably the first time. I did it very sparingly in college whenever anyone would give me the opportunity, which was not very often. I was wrestling too, so it was kind of hard to focus on that. I got out of school and took a job with Procter and Gamble in Houston. I would start and stop down there a bunch of times. Like I would do it for a while … and then I would focus on my career more. I couldn’t decide what I wanted to be. Right around 1996 in Houston, I started doing it pretty regularly. Then I was transferred to Ohio. I was like getting promoted with the company. I was still thinking about whether I wanted to do that or be a comedian. I started doing it a lot in Ohio. I started to get a little better … to be honest with you. I had this one weekend where I was working at a club in Dayton, Ohio … it was like with Kevin Pollak, who was kind of big at the time. It was sold out. I did really well. I got to work that next Monday and was like, ‘There’s no way I can do this office thing anymore.’ So I wound up quitting my job and doing it full-time. That was like 2001. You have performed all over the country. You have had television and festival appearances. What do you enjoy most about being a comedian? Warren: That’s a tricky question. It goes in full circle. There’s a huge amount of freedom even versus like filmmakers, actors, or writers. I can create whatever I want and put it on the stage that night and get immediate feedback. So that’s kind of a really cool thing about being a comedian, which helps with my no sense of patience. As you reflect on your career as a comedian, what has been your most memorable experience? Warren: There are several. But some that come to mind … the Comedy Central special was pretty cool. That was really, really fun. I taped it last August. My family and a lot of friends came up. That was really, really cool. I’ve done a lot of TV … and that was probably the first time where I was doing TV and I was relaxed, which is good. I like working with other people, which you don’t get to do as a standup much. I’ve had a bunch of comedian friends of mine come to St. Louis and we did like these sketches and put them on the Internet. That was really a memorable time … just working together for like a week with a bunch of comics. We did one that actually kind of caught on a little bit. It was called Cauliflower Ear. One of my real good friends, Henry Phillips, and I, did that. It was really cool … because that was something that had appeal to people that were in wrestling and out of wrestling, so that was good. You have a cauliflower ear yourself, which is something people probably are not accustomed to seeing the comedy world. Do you ever see people looking at it? Or asking you questions about it? Warren: Yeah, the funny thing about that is people are very comfortable with talking about that deformity. People will come up to you in the mall and be like, “Hey man, did you wrestle?” And then they’ll point at your ear. And I’ll be like, “Yeah, yeah, I did.” I didn’t know that’s what people do these days … walk up to a complete stranger, point at his deformity, and guess the origin. You just have to wonder who else these people are walking up to and what other ailments they’re guessing about. Who are some comedians that have inspired you throughout your career? Greg WarrenWarren: I’m a big fan of Bob Newhart. Actually, it’s funny that you ask … I was never like a big standup comedy fan as a kid. I don’t know if my parents wouldn’t let me watch it or what or whatever. I liked a lot of movies. The summer between my sophomore and junior year, I took a train to Junior Nationals with my buddy Stacy Weiland. Stacy was a wrestler. He wrestled in junior college and at the University of Oklahoma. He was also a coach at Lindenwood for a while. But Stacy had this cassette tape of Eddie Murphy. I listened to that thing. It was like when they first came out with Walkmans. I listened to Delirious. I listened to that thing like 50 times. I was cutting weight. I couldn’t eat, so I just listened to Delirious all the way from St. Louis to Iowa on a train. So like the next three weeks, especially at the wrestling tournament, I would just go around repeating what Eddie Murphy said, and annoying the shit out of all my friends. So I would say Eddie Murphy was the first comic that influenced me. Some of the more recent guys that come to mind … Mitch Hedberg. Our styles are exactly opposite, but I’m a big fan of him. I’m a big fan of Dave Attell. He’s another one that I’m not really that much like. There’s a guy named Mike MacRae that’s a friend of mine that I’m a big fan of. Henry Phillips, the guy that I did that Cauliflower ear thing with. I really like his stuff. A lot of my contemporaries I’m a fan of. But it’s funny … if I see something funny, it doesn’t matter who they are ... like they don’t have to be famous …and a lot of times actually they’re not famous. There’s this kid in St. Louis named Jeff Wesselschmidt. He has only been doing it for a few years, but he makes me laugh all the time. But stylistically, I would say Bob Newhart has influenced me. You wrestled collegiately at the University of Missouri, where you were an All-American for the Tigers in 1991. What was that experience like for you competing collegiately at the University of Missouri? Wes RoperWarren: It was great. College wrestling is brutal. It’s not easy by any stretch. I went to West Point my first year. Jack Spates recruited me to go there. That didn’t really take for me. And then I transferred to Mizzou and Wes Roper was my coach. It was a good time, but it’s brutal. It’s tough. It’s hard. That probably shaped my sense of humor a lot too because sometimes that’s all you had. I remember that drudgery of going to practice … I mean, just sitting in the training room and thinking, “Oh no, man, we just have to get beat on for two hours. I remember some of the funniest stuff we would do … me and my friend Chip Bunner, who was a really good wrestler at Mizzou … Chip and I would just a lot of goofy stuff. I think we pretty much stole this idea from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. But we ordered a pizza to the wrestling room from Domino’s for our heavyweight, Bobby Henderson. The guy actually brought the pizza up in the middle of practice. Coach was like, “What the $#!& are you doing here?” He was like, “Well, we have a pizza, Sir” Coach was like, “Who’s it for?” He was like, “It’s for Henderson, Sir.” And Coach was like, “Does he look like he needs a $#!&ing pizza?” One time some local news station came out to do a story on Missouri wrestling. They interviewed me and Chip. There was a dual the following night. At the end of practice, me and Chip were messing around. We were doing like all these WWE moves, like dropkicking each other in the face and doing the pile driver. And they were filming that. Of course, that’s what they showed on the newscasts that night. We took vans back then. I think the only plane trips we took were to nationals. We took vans all over the place. I think a decent amount of my sense of humor was shaped in those vans. You’re just cutting weight and miserable. The only thing you can do is sort of make fun of the situation. Who was the toughest wrestler you ever competed against in college? Tim KriegerWarren: I’m trying to think … I wrestled a lot of tough guys. I think Tim Krieger would have to be up there. I think I wrestled Krieger when I was a freshman. I think Krieger wound up losing twice his whole career. I’m pretty sure there were days when I lost three. I was wrestling Krieger once. My coach, Roper, did not care who the guy was. He was like, “Warren, I don’t care what you do. You go after him and take it to him. You don’t show him any respect. I think Krieger was a little bit hurt at the time. But I got on top of him in the second period and put a leg Cysewski on him and I started cranking his leg pretty hard. And then they stopped the match. He went over to his corner to get looked at. I went over to my corner. I’m thinking, “Yeah, alright, finally … Roper is going to be proud of me.” He was like, “Warren, I’m not sure I would have pissed him off. Now you pissed him off. He was hurt. He was just going to coast it out and beat you like 5-2. But now he’s mad.” Krieger killed me after that. He punished me for about four and a half minutes after that. I think it was in the Big 8s, I had wrestled this guy from Nebraska. His name was Paul something. He wound up being an All-American that year. But I beat him … and then I wrestled Krieger. And Krieger beat me up so bad and I had to wrestle that guy again … and that guy beat me because I couldn’t even move my neck. I think that is where the cauliflower ear began, actually, was in that match. But it’s funny … my buddy Craig Martin was the grad assistant at that time. Krieger was doing a leg Cysewski on me and there was thing he was doing where he would just basically rip your face. And Craig noticed it and showed me that technique and I used it for like three years afterwards. Krieger was tough. Pat Smith … He didn’t physically beat you up at all, but I was so off balance wrestling that guy. I remember Smith was bitching at the ref the whole time and he was beating me like 10-2. I’m like, “What are you complaining about? I’m getting killed here?” Brian Dolph was another guy I always wrestled that I thought really tough. Steve Hamilton was another guy. I never beat him, but I had a match where I went pretty tough with him. Todd Chesbro was another guy I wrestled a lot. I could never beat Chesbro, Hamilton, or (Matt) Demaray. Those guys didn’t destroy me. Actually, Chesbro pinned me once. But I had a couple decent matches with those guys, but I could never beat them. In 1991, you were one of two All-Americans for Missouri. The other was Sammie Henson, who went on to have a great international wrestling career that included winning a world title and earning a silver medal at the Olympics. Have you kept in touch with Sammie since your college days? Warren: I’ve followed his career, but I don’t really stay in touch with him. He was a freshman when I was there. He was the ultimate competitor. That guy had an amazing amount of heart. He was just one of the best competitors I’ve ever seen. Often times, wrestlers feel nervous before stepping out on the wrestling mat. Are there nerves involved with comedy acts? And if so, how do those nerves compare to the nerves you got as a wrestler? Greg WarrenWarren: It’s funny … I used to get super nervous before matches all the time. That’s one thing I could never figure out how to get rid of. Comedy … I don’t get nervous anymore unless it’s TV … then sometimes I get nervous. But if it’s just a night at a club, I don’t get too nervous. But TV I still get a little nervous, especially if it’s live TV. It’s not the same thing at all. That’s a problem I had originally. You don’t want to be intense and pumped up for a performance. I think I made that mistake early. In fact, the guys used to make fun of me when I first started doing comedy. They would be like, “Dude, you look like you’re in your wrestling stance when you’re up there, man. It’s not very comfortable for the crowd.” So it’s not the same kind of energy at all. There are times when wrestlers come out flat and don’t perform to their ability. Maybe they’re just not feeling it that day. Does the same kind of thing happen in comedy? Warren: It would be easy to try to make these comparisons, but I don’t think that they’re very valid … other than there is pressure in both situations. You learn how to deal with pressure as a wrestler. There is certainly pressure as a comic … and you learn how to deal with it. You definitely learn a work ethic in wrestling. I can outwork people in comedy. I have a work ethic and that has helped. There’s pressure in both situations and you learn to deal with it. I don’t think you deal with it in the same manner at all. Greg WarrenHow often do you incorporate wrestling experiences into your comedy? Warren: Quite a bit. I go through phases on what I write about. I had a bit that talked about the fact that I was on the wrestling team in high school and also played the clarinet in the band. That bit has done more for me than anything. It’s called Flute Man and I did it on the Bob and Tom Show. That’s probably where I’ve gotten most of my fans. But they made that bit famous. It’s all about high school wrestling. I’ll probably go back to talking about it a little bit more. I sort of hit a phase for about two years where I really, really cranked out a lot of material on it. Actually, on my CD, there’s quite a bit of wrestling material … probably 10, 15 minutes of wrestling material. You have done some color commentary on college wrestling for Fox Sports Midwest. How was the experience for you? And is that something you would like to do again? Warren: I loved it. It was awesome. I was working with Mike Kelly. He was the play-by-play guy and I was the color guy. And Mike knows everything about broadcasting and very little about wrestling. I know very little about broadcasting and everything about wrestling. So very quickly, we sort of switched and I was doing more of the play-by-play than I was the color. That was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. I would do that any chance I got. It was just too much fun. Are you still involved with wrestling at all? Do you ever go to the NCAAs or attend Missouri dual meets? Warren: Yeah, I live in St. Louis. The NCAAs were in St. Louis. I had to do a gig on Saturday, so I missed the finals. Up until this past year, my dad was a high school wrestling coach, so I would go in there and work out with those guys a lot and help them. But I’m well out of wrestling shape. I can tell you that. I’m a huge fan of Missouri. So I stay pretty close to the program. I talk to Brian Smith every month or so during the season. I try to get up there and see the guys … either when doing a gig or just coming through town, I try to get up and see practice and see the guys. The Missouri wrestling program has steadily climbed the college wrestling ranks … and is now one of the nation’s top programs year in and year out. How does that make you feel as a Missouri alum? Warren: It’s awesome. I’m incredibly proud. They’re great. It’s really, really fun. There nothing more fun than watching them wrestle. A lot of times I’ll be in the airport watching them online or just watching the scores come in. I can’t go to as many things because I’m always traveling. I travel like 48 weeks a year. I probably have like three Saturdays off or something a year. The Internet has really helped out … because I watch a lot of it online at the airport or even sometimes backstage at a gig I’m watching wrestling. It’s kind of cool. To learn more about Greg Warren and see some of his work, visit his official Web site at www.gregwarrencomedy.com.

USA Wrestling has announced that the 2009 U.S. Grappling World Team Trials will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Ariz., October 22-24. The competition will be hosted alongside the Sunkist Kids International Open, which is a major international wrestling tournament in the three Olympic wrestling styles. The Sunkist Kids International will be hosted October 23-25. The winners at the U.S. Grappling World Team Trials will represent the United States at the 2009 Grappling World Championships, which will be at the Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Dec. 12-13. The U.S. Grappling World Team Trials will be an open tournament for Senior-level men and women grapplers. There will be no pre-qualification required to enter the competition. There will be competition in both the No-Gi and Gi styles of international Grappling under the FILA rules. In past years, USA Wrestling had a series of qualifying events which determined the athletes eligible to participate in the World Team Trials. By making it an open event this year, it is expected that the nation’s most talented grappling athletes will choose to participate. “I want to encourage all U.S. Grappling athletes to mark down this date and try out for the U.S. Grappling World Team,” said National Grappling Coach Ricardo Liborio. “We are expecting high quality competitors to compete, so we can put together a very strong American team. We know that because the USA is hosting the World Championships, the best in the world will be coming here and the quality of the Grappling will be outstanding.” The Phoenix Convention Center is located in downtown Phoenix, surrounded by restaurants, shops and other entertainment opportunities. Host hotels for the U.S. Grappling World Team Trials and the Sunkist Kids International Open have been identified. For basic information on the events and hotels, download the Save the Date flier by clicking here… http://www.themat.com/events/GrapplingWTTSavetheDate.pdf The final event schedule for the U.S. Grappling World Team Trials has not yet been finalized. The No-Gi Grappling competition will be held on Friday, October 23 and the Gi Grappling competition will be held on Saturday, October 24. The United States is the defending World Champion team in both No-Gi and Gi Grappling, after winning team titles at the first FILA Grappling World Championships in Switzerland in 2008. Download the FILA International Grappling Rules at: http://www.fila-grappling.com/fileadmin/user_upload/regulations/GRAPPLING_REGULATIONS_2009.pdf

Spring has sprung past. Summer is almost here. That means July 1 is fast approaching, and the start of the contact period between NCAA Division I college coaches and incoming seniors. Andrew Alton of Pennsylvania is the No. 2-ranked wrestler from the Class of 2010 (Photo/Pennsylvania Wrestling Newsmagazine)Despite what was perceived by some as a “down” group of seniors this past year in the state of Pennsylvania, the Keystone State seniors were victorious in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic by a 30-21 score against Team USA. This could mean one of two things, or some combination thereof. First, the notion of that group of seniors being down was a misnomer. Second, the Class of 2009 was not a relatively strong group across the nation. Those two assertions are the polar opposite of reality with the Class of 2010. This group of seniors nationally is much more comparable to the strong 2008 group than the not-so-deep 2009 group. The Keystone State anchors this class with seventeen of its residents and prep stars ranked." In his first two-plus months on the job, Cael Sanderson has already capitalized on this strong senior class, as he has brought in two of Pennsylvania’s finest to Happy Valley. Andrew and Dylan Alton (Central Mountain, PA) have verbally committed to Penn State. Andrew placed third at state in his first two years of high school before getting that elusive state title this past season; he also has freestyle titles the last two summers in Fargo, and a Super32 title to his credit. Dylan is a two-time state champion, and was a double champion (Greco-Roman and Freestyle) at Junior Nationals this past summer. However, it is Logan Stieber (Monroeville, OH) that is the leading figure in this senior class. The three-time state champion has an Ironman title and four Fargo titles (a Junior National double, and two Cadet freestyle championships) to his credit, as well as his emergence on the senior level at 55 kg (121 pounds) this spring. Stieber has verbally committed to Ohio State, and anchors a group of 12 Ohio natives in the Class of 2009 top 100. Ranked third in this senior class is Chris Villalonga (Blair Academy, NJ), who has not lost a match since late December 2006, when he lost 6-4 in the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic semifinals to Dan Kelly. That is the only tournament in which Villalonga has not made the final during his career. To his credit is a trio of Ironman and Beast of the East finals, of which he won in his sophomore and junior years. Villalonga also has three National Prep titles, and anchors a group of twelve Garden State scholastic wrestlers (11 natives) in the rankings. Rounding out the top ten in this senior class are career undefeated and three-time state champion Nick Moore (Iowa City West, IA); three-time state finalists, and two-time state champions in Marshall Peppelman (Central Dauphin, PA) and Jamie Clark (St Edward, OH); two-time state champions Anthony Baldosaro (Eastern Regional, NJ) and Lee Munster (Fox Lake Grant, IL); and twice state finalist, this past year state champion Josh Kindig (Blue Mountain, PA). Morgan McIntosh is ranked No. 3 in the Class of 2011 (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Stieber’s teammate, Chris Phillips, is the top-ranked wrestler in the Class of 2011, which is the group of juniors-to-be. Phillips has a pair of state titles and Cadet National freestyle championships. His only loss in two years of high school was to Ed Ruth in the quarterfinals of the Ironman this season, and that includes two titles at Brecksville with an Ironman title as a freshman. Two other upper-weights follow close behind Phillips in the rankings for this class. Andrew Campolattano (Bound Brook, NJ) has two state titles in as many seasons of high school, and earned double Cadet National titles last summer. Morgan McIntosh (Calvary Chapel, CA) finished runner-up in both tournaments to Campolattano at Fargo, and is a two-time state placer in the single-class California state tournament. McIntosh won Reno Tournament of Champions and California state titles during 2008-09. Among sophomores-to-be, the Class of 2012, it is another wrestler that has made Fargo a personal playground in the anchor position of the rankings. Taylor Massa (St John’s, MI) was also a double (Greco-Roman and freestyle) Cadet Nationals champion last summer, and followed that up with a state title in his freshman season of high school. The first eight wrestlers ranked in this class won state titles as freshmen, while the other two members of the top ten were second in their state-level tournament. Tops in the incoming freshman (Class of 2013) group is Eric Morris from Pennsylvania, while leading the group of wrestlers that will be in junior high next season is Ohio’s Jered Cortez. InterMat will be unveiling its recruiting profiles on or before July 1 for all scholastic wrestlers. Further details will be made available in the coming weeks. Want to see the rankings? Click HERE.

Mike Pollio

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