en-us Copyright 2006-2010 Flocasts Inc Tue, 9 Feb 2010 11:20:59 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/assets/portal/simple30/images/logos/flowrestling-logo.gif http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1642-american-victory AMERICAN VICTORY - The Remarkable and Inspirational Autobiography of Olympic Gold Medalist Henry Cejudo AMERICAN VICTORY - Wrestling, Dreams, and a Journey Toward Home   December 2, 2009, Phoenix AZ – In a new book from the Penguin Group (USA), AMERICAN VICTORY, readers embark on an inspirational journey, as Olympic Gold Medalist Henry Cejudo personally guides them through the depths of his memories, sharing intimate details of a story that inspired a nation, the story of his life. Although new heroes will be crowned each year during the Olympic Games, Americans will not soon forget the awe-inspiring story which unfolded before an international audience at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; a true story of hope and perseverance that prompted the masses to dream.    AMERICAN VICTORY: Wrestling, Dreams, and a Journey Toward Home by Henry Cejudo and Bill Plaschke (Celebra Hardcover Original; January 5, 2010; $24.95), is the powerful and inspiring memoir of a young and determined American-born son of undocumented Mexican immigrants who, against all odds and expectations, achieved his dream of becoming an Olympic champion. Henry Cejudo not only successfully achieved his dreams; he did it in grand style -- by making Olympic history.  Born in Los Angeles into a world of instability and poverty, Henry learned at an early age that at times one must fight to live, literally. Raised by a single mother with his six siblings, Henry’s life was far from easy, and never normal. Extreme poverty and living conditions that would have adversely affected most people, only succeeded in building Henry’s character and integrity. The determination, unbridled passion, and stubborn resolve of a life spent fighting both on and off the mat culminated in Henry’s invitation to compete under the Stars and Stripes.   Through it all, Henry’s family offered their unwavering support, as he grappled to find himself and fight for his dream, something Henry will always be thankful for, “Thank goodness. I did belong to somebody. Good or bad, I belonged to my family. We had no permanent home, but somehow... there beat a permanent heart,” he confides. At the Beijing Olympics, Henry Cejudo made history by becoming the youngest American to ever win a gold medal in freestyle wrestling. In addition, as the only American wrestler to bring home the gold during the 2008 Games, Cejudo is solely responsible for keeping U.S.A Wrestling’s four decade gold medal win streak alive.  Today, Henry offers guidance and inspiration to inner-city and at-risk youth across the country, sharing his story, fostering hope, and helping shape the lives of thousands of young athletes. AMERICAN VICTORY is a success story depicting a family’s struggle to survive, a young man’s indomitable spirit, and the American Dream.  AMERICAN VICTORY will be available in bookstores nationwide on January 5th, 2010. Pre-order’s available now on Amazon.com. For more information on Henry Cejudo, please visit www.HenryCejudo.com.    About the Authors: Henry Cejudo is a freestyle wrestler who won a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At twenty-one years old, he was the youngest American ever to have won an Olympic wrestling gold medal. Henry was born in Los Angeles. He currently lives in Phoenix Arizona, and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Bill Plaschke has been named the Associated Press Sports Columnist of the year four times. He has been a sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times since 1996 and is a regular panelist on ESPN’S “Around the Horn.” He has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and his work has been featured frequently in The Best American Sports Writing.   Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1642-american-victory Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:38:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1567-flonetwork-website-builder Fill out my Wufoo form! Pat Hitchins http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1567-flonetwork-website-builder Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:28:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1539-the-cowboy-wrestling-club-joins-the-flonetwork Flowrestling is pumped to announce cowboywrestling.com as the newest member of the FloNetwork.  The Cowboy wrestling club's mission is to help develop Freestyle Olympic and World Champions.  A Cowboy has represented the Olympics in every Olympics since 1924.  Our rich history is the foundation for future success.  Everything we do, from winning NCAA titles to sending athletes overseas to compete in competitions is done in a way that develops a person and gives them the necessary tools to be successful on the mat.   Cowboywrestling.com FloNetwork     Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1539-the-cowboy-wrestling-club-joins-the-flonetwork Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:12:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1527-pennsylvania-youth-wrestling-joins-flonetwork Pennsylvania Youth Wrestling is a site that compiles the best wrestling info in the great state of PA. The site is run by Mark Morris, who has spent several years covering wrestling in the state. Already Mark has been active in creating some great video content, visiting Wyoming Seminary and Messiah College. FloNetwork Pennsylvania Youth Wrestling Pat Hitchins http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1527-pennsylvania-youth-wrestling-joins-flonetwork Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:44:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1493-wyoming-seminary-joins-the-flonetwork Wyoming Seminary has joined the FloNetwork. Wyoming Seminary, or more affectionately known as "Sem," is the oldest coeducational independent college preparatory school in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Their wrestling team is a dominant force in PA, and nationwide. The team is headed up by Coach John Gordon, who has over 26 years of highschool coaching experience.  If you are interested in getting your HS team on the Network, contact us at FloNetwork@flocasts.org). Wyoming Seminary FloNetwork Pat Hitchins http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1493-wyoming-seminary-joins-the-flonetwork Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:49:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1479-cheesehead-tournament-joins-the-flonetwork The Cheesehead Wrestling Tournament is now on the Network! Its getting to be one of the toughest tournaments in the nation with schools like Apple Valley (MN), Montini Catholic (IL), Wyoming Seminary (PA), Brandon (FL), and Simley (MN). You can follow the action this year on the Cheesehead site as well as Flowrestling.  Do you have a tournament that needs a site? Give us a holler at flonetwork@flocasts.org Cheesehead Wrestling Tournament FloNetwork  Here is the match of the event from last year! Wrestling Videos on Flowrestling Pat Hitchins http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1479-cheesehead-tournament-joins-the-flonetwork Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:44:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1466-redmond-hs-joins-the-flonetwork FloNetwork is excited to have another West Coast Team onboard. Redmond High School in Redmond, Oregon is the latest team to join the FloNetwork. Headed up by Nathan Stanley, RHS is a force in Oregon, and now on the FloNetwork. Check out rhswrestling.com for more on the team, and its wrestlers.  If you have a HS team, organization, or want a cool website contact us to become part of the network (flonetwork@flocasts.org)   RHSWrestling.com   FloNetwork Pat Hitchins http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1466-redmond-hs-joins-the-flonetwork Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:27:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1454-bishop-lynch-joins-the-flonetwork Things are heating up down here in the Lone Star State! Bishop Lynch's Highschool Wrestling team is the latest team to join the FloNetwork.  Based out of Dallas TX, and only hours away from Flowrestling's HQ, Bishop Lynch is a Texas wrastlin' powerhouse. Take a look at their sweet new site, and stay tuned for more action with the HS wrestling season just around the corner. Give us a holler if you want your HS team or organization on FLO (flonetwork@flocasts.org) BishopLynchWrestling.com FloNetwork  It never hurts when you have a Gold Medalist helping out with the team. Here is a video with Kenny Monday.       Visit bishoplynchwrestling.com for more Videos Pat Hitchins http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1454-bishop-lynch-joins-the-flonetwork Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:36:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1381-blair-academy-joins-flonetwork Blair Academy, home of one of the best high school wrestling programs in country, is now on the Flonetwork. Jeff Buxton heads up the team at Blair Academy, located in Blairstown New Jersey. Here is a little bit more about Blair:  Two questions frequently asked of Blair head coach Jeff Buxton are, "Why would a kid attend Blair while in high school and pass up the chance at becoming a state champion?" and "Why would a graduating senior attend Blair when he has already been accepted to college?" Buxton's reply to both queries is usually the same: "They come to Blair because they see the big picture." The goal of the Blair Academy wrestling program is to provide student-athletes with as many opportunities as possible. In an effort to accomplish that goal we expanded our schedule for the 1999-2000 season by adding specific competitions for our Prep Team. The creation of a Prep schedule enables wrestlers from both the college and high school teams to compete on the same squad in dual meet competition against other prep schools, and provides increased opportunities for our entire roster. Do you have a HS team that needs a new site? Contact us for a quote:(flonetwork@flocasts.org)  FloNetwork Blair Wrestling     Here is Head Coach Jeff Buxton giving a tour of the facilities at Blair:   Wrestling Videos on Flowrestling Pat Hitchins http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1381-blair-academy-joins-flonetwork Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:09:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1368-left-coast-wrestling-joins-the-flonetwork The FloNetwork continues to grow. Left Coast Wrestling, focusing on Wrestling on the West Coast has joined the FloNetwork. Here is some more about Left Coast and their goals:   "We feel that wrestling is the greatest sport ever known to mankind. Our goal with this site is to expand coverage and help the sport continue to grow. We want to share this great sport, its' stories and personalities with more people. Our coverage will be centered on wrestling in the western United States, but not limited to the region. The left coast describes a geographical description of the western United States only. We feel it is vital for wrestling to continue to build in the western United States. Exposure to the sport and coverage for fans is crucial, which is why we have taken on the challenge. We can always use help, if you can help with coverage- we want to hear from you. We can't be everywhere and there is certainly a lot of great action out there to cover." If you are interested in having Flowrestling build a site for you, and becoming part of the FloNetwork, contact us (flonetwork@flocasts.org)   Left Coast Wrestling FloNetwork         Pat Hitchins http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1368-left-coast-wrestling-joins-the-flonetwork Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:35:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1353-riot-sports-marketing-joins-flonetwork Flowrestling is excited to announce the addition of Riot Sports Marketing to the FloNetwork. RSM was founded by Jim Harshaw, an All American in wrestling at the University of Virginia.  With a background in small business management and as a Division I wrestling coach, he developed RSM systems with the goal to increase attendance, media coverage and fundraising for wrestling programs as well as other Olympic sports programs. RIOT SPORTS MARKETING FLONETWORK Visit riotsportsmarketing.com for more Videos Pat Hitchins http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1353-riot-sports-marketing-joins-flonetwork Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:19:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1327-ben-askren-joins-flonetwork Flowrestling is excited to announce that Mr. Funk, Ben Askren, now part of the FloNetwork. Ben has been making waves in the MMA world, and continues to make moves in the wrestling world. Check back to his site to see updates from him, new videos, and what his newest hairstyle is.   FloNetwork (Have us design your site) BenAskren.net     Some more about Ben: There is no "type" of wrestler that Ben can be catagorized as. He has created a whole new genre that is unique with his rolling and pinning style. Ben over the last two years of his college career was flawless. His first two years were not half bad either, each time going losing in the finals of the NCAA tournament. Ben Askren will mostly be remembered for the entertaining fashion he wrestled his matches. He always had fun and always put on a show for the fans.In 2008 he won the U.S. Nationals and Olympic trials and competed in the Bejing games. Since then he has continued on as an volunteer wrestling coach and has begun training mma at American Top Team in Columbia, MO. His first fight is likely to be in early 2009.     Wrestling Videos on Flowrestling Pat Hitchins http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1327-ben-askren-joins-flonetwork Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:06:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1204-david-taylor-commits-to-penn-state High School Wrestling All-American and Nation's Top Recruit David Taylor Commits to Penn State Sanderson and Nittany Lions land nation's top talent   June 9, 2009   STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling program, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, received more outstanding news today as high school All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) committed to Penn State. Taylor is considered by many to be the top wrestling recruit in the nation. He signed a financial aid letter today and will join the Nittany Lions this fall for the 2009-10 campaign. Taylor had signed a national letter of intent to attend Iowa State but was given a release from that NLI earlier this spring when Sanderson made the move to Happy Valley to take over the reins of the Nittany Lion program. Since an athlete may only sign one NLI, Taylor's acceptance of the financial aid agreement solidifies his status as Penn State's newest Nittany Lion grappler. "We're very pleased to welcome David to Penn State," Sanderson said. "He is an outstanding young man from an outstanding family and his addition to our program is great news for every Penn State wrestling fan. David is a special talent whose character will allow him to excel at the collegiate level and it is an honor to have him join our program." Taylor, the son of David and Kathy Taylor, recently concluded an outstanding high school career at St. Paris Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio. Under the guidance of head coach Jeff Jordan, the Falcons have reeled off a stunning nine consecutive Ohio State Division II state titles and have claimed the 2008 DII National Championship as well. Taylor has had a major influence on St. Paris-Graham's fortunes. This past year, Taylor received the prestigious Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award. The award is given in honor of the former Olympic and World Champion and is given to the nation's top wrestler, evaluated on excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, character, citizenship and community service.        Taylor posted an amazing 180-2 overall record in four years and won four consecutive Ohio State Championships. As a high school freshman and sophomore, Taylor claimed the 103 pound title and as a junior he won the 112 pound crown. This past year, Taylor moved up to 135 for his senior season and rolled to his fourth straight championship. David was named the 2009 Ohio State Wrestling Tournament's Outstanding Wrestler and was named the Ohio Wrestler of the Year in each of the past two seasons. Not just garnering Ohio laurels, Taylor is a two-time Asics First Team All-American and has claimed the Beast of the East crown and won the Ironman title an unprecedented four times. He is the only wrestler in that tournament's long and storied history to win four titles. He also won three Cadet and two Junior National titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman competition. Taylor was a member of the 2007 FILA Junior World team as well. "David Taylor is the kind of athlete any coach would be proud to work with," Sanderson continued. "We are welcoming an outstanding young man to our program that is as committed to academic excellence and his community as he is to succeeding on the mat. He is an impressive person and I am confident that our fans will enjoy watching David's career unfold." Taylor's off-the-mat achievements are as impressive as his work for the Falcon wrestlers. He is a member and officer of the 4-H Club and is ranked in the top 10 of his class, carrying a 4.0 GPA into his final days at St. Paris-Graham. As an Asics All-America first teamer, Taylor joins fellow first teamer and Nittany Lion signee Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), who was also an Asics All-America first team selection after his title-winning run at the Blair Academy this past season, and Luke Macchiaroli (Tempe, Ariz.) in this year's recruiting class. Penn State Wrestling season tickets for the 2009-10 season can be reserved now. To make a $20 deposit on the best Rec Hall locations, fans should call 1.800.NITTANY between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. Current wrestling season ticket holders do not need to make a new deposit and will simply go through the coming renewal process. Penn State wrestling season tickets are all reserved locations in Rec Hall. The exact seat assignments for new commitments will not be available until the renewal cycle is complete, but new season ticket commitments made now will be assigned locations based on Nittany Lion Club point totals and the time/date the deposit was received by Penn State Athletics. Season ticket pricing for the 2009-10 season will be finalized and announced by July 1, 2009. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1204-david-taylor-commits-to-penn-state Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:48:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1183-usa-wrestling-proudly-announces-the-living-the-dream-medal-fund Press release from USA Wrestling We have created the Fund with the purpose of allowing the entire wrestling community to participate in celebrating and honoring the hard work of our champions. While we understand that no wrestling champion wrestles ‘for the money”, this Fund will send a strong message to our elite athletes that their glory is our collective glory and their hard work and dedication is appreciated. U.S. World and Olympic team members are our ambassadors to the global wrestling community. The long journey from pee wee wrestler to an Olympic medalist requires a level of determination, of sweat, of pain, of time on the road, and in the gym, and on the mats…of dieting, deprivation, almost madness. The few that survive that journey and win deserve our support. The Fund is being established to award stipends for gold medal, silver medal, and bronze medal finishes at this years World Championships in Copenhagen, the 2010 and 2011 Worlds, and the 2012 Olympic Games. For the World Championships, the plan is to offer $50,000 for a gold medal,$25,000 for a silver, and $15,000 for a bronzeFor the London 2012 games, the plan is to offer $250,000 for a gold medal, $50,000 for a silver, and $25,000 for a bronze. It is important to note that contributions to this Fund will only go directly to pay the awards referred to above to each athlete that achieves their spot on a World or Olympic podium. The Fund will incorporate and utilize the existing stipends from USA wrestling and stipends as made available by the USOC.The Fund will be maintained as a restricted and segregated fund by USA Wrestling.* It will be overseen by a board that includes representatives of USA wrestling as well as a group of stewards who have helped establish the Fund and will assist in financially underwriting it. We are now looking for donations from $5 to $5,000 from our brothers and sisters in the wrestling community. It is this extended family of wrestlers, of cauliflowered crusaders, where we will find support and strength to back our athletes. “This is huge, history-making news for the U.S. wrestling program,” said National Freestyle Coach Zeke Jones. “This can change the face of wrestling history. This is a great opportunity for our athletes and coaches. They are excited and thankful.”We appreciate your help. We need it. Our champions need it.  To donate Click Here Art MartoriDave BarryRichard TavosoMike NovogratzStan DziedzicUSA WrestlingUSOC*This announcement summarizes the purpose of and provides general information regarding the living the dream medal fund. Additional information pertaining to the fund may be obtained from USA Wrestling, including information regarding return of contributions to donors in the event the full amount of the fund is not awarded after conclusion of the 2012 Olympic Games based on the performance of the USA Wrestling 2009, 2010 and 2011 World Teams and 2012 USA Olympic Wrestling Teams.  Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1183-usa-wrestling-proudly-announces-the-living-the-dream-medal-fund Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:56:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1182-world-team-trials-seeds-for-saturday USA Wrestling Press Release: U.S. Nationals champions in men’s freestyle have advanced to the best-of-3 final-round series on Saturday night. They will meet the Challenge Tournament winner in the final-round series.   60 kg/132 pounds U.S. Nationals champion – Mike Zadick, Solon, Iowa (Gator WC) Challenge Tournament seeds 1. Shawn Bunch, Columbus, Ohio (Gator WC) 2. Matt Valenti, New York, N.Y. (Lehigh Valley Athletic Club) 3. Andy Simmons, Lansing, Mich. (Sunkist Kids) 4. Nick Gallick, Tucson, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) 5. Drew Headlee, Morgantown, W.Va. (Sunkist Kids) 6. Coleman Scott, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC) 7. Reece Humphrey, Indianapolis, Ind. (Ohio State) 8. Daniel Dennis, Ingleside, Ill. (Hawkeye WC)   74 kg/163 pounds U.S. Nationals champion – Travis Paulson, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids) Challenge Tournament seeds 1. Dustin Schlatter, Massillon, Ohio (Minnesota Storm) 2. Ryan Churella, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC) 3. Jon Reader, Davison, Mich. (Cyclone WC) 4. Andrew Howe, Cedar Lake, Ind. (New York AC) 5. Lloyd Rogers, Chattanooga, Tenn. (unattached) 6. Mack Lewnes, Annapolis, Md. (New York AC) 7. Moza Fay, Anamosa, Iowa (Panther WC)   96 kg/211.5 pounds U.S. Nationals champion – Jake Varner, Bakersfield, Calif. (Sunkist Kids) Challenge Tournament seeds 1. Kyle Cerminara, Lewiston, Pa. (New York AC) 2. Wynn Michalak, Mount Pleasant, Mich. (Gator WC) 3. Andy Hrovat, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC) 4. Brandon Halsey, Vista, Calif. (No Mercy) 5. J.D. Bergman, Columbus, Ohio (New York AC) 6. Sean Stender, Cedar Falls, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) 7. Mike Tamillow, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 8. Clayton Foster, Kamiah, Idaho (Gator WC) 9. Brent Jones, Burke, Va. (Cavalier WC) 10. Eddie Phillips, Woodland, Mich. (Cliff Keen WC)   WORLD TEAM TRIALS GRECO-ROMAN SEEDS   U.S. Nationals champions in Greco-Roman who have also placed in the top five at the World Championships have advanced to the best-of-3 final-round series on Saturday night. They will meet the Challenge Tournament winner in the final-round series. In the other weight classes, all qualifiers must compete in the Challenge Tournament.   55 kg/121 pounds Challenge Tournament Seeds 1. Jermaine Hodge, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 2. Sam Hazewinkel, Centerville, Ohio (Sunkist Kids) 3. Spenser Mango, St. Louis, Mo. (New York AC) 4. Lindsey Durlacher, Colorado Springs, Colo (New York AC) 5. Nate Engel, St. Helena, Calif. (Sunkist Kids) 6. Max Nowry, Wheeling, Ill. (USOEC) 7. Ryan Mango, St. Louis, Mo. (New York AC) 8. Anthony Hayes, Colorado Springs, Colo. (USOTC) 9. Jonathan Pattison, Windsor, Colo. (U.S. Marine Corps)   74 kg/163 pounds U.S. Nationals Champion - Harry Lester, Marquette, Mich. (New York AC) Challenge Tournament seeds 1. Jake Fisher, Platte City, Mo. (New York AC) 2. Cheney Haight, Orem, Utah (New York AC) 3. Jess Hargrave, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 4. Andrew Bisek, Chaska, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 5. Jacob Deitchler, Ramsey, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 6. Ben Provisor, Stevens Point, Wis. (Sunkist Kids) 7. Steve Forrest, Hubert, N.C. (U.S. Marine Corps) 8. Aaron Briggs, Tucson, Ariz. (USOEC) 9. Anton Gottfredson, Laguna Hills, Calif. (USOTC) 10. Tim Bleau, Ishpeming, Mich. (USOEC)   84 kg/185 pounds U.S. Nationals champion - T.C. Dantzler, Colorado Springs, Colo. (unattached) Challenge Tournament seeds 1. Aaron Sieracki, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 2. Chas Betts, St. Michael, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 3. Walter Hoffman, Bossier City, La. (U.S. Air Force) 4. Gabe Dretsch, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 5. Jacob Ison, Athens, Ohio, (Bobcat WC) 6. Peter Hicks, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 7. Chad Hemerson, Monterey, Calif. (USOEC) 8. Talan Knox, Salt Lake City, Utah (USOEC) 9. Joshua McAllister, Camp Lejeune, N.C. (U.S. Marine Corps) 10. Jim Gibson, Clarion, Pa. (Clarion WC)   120 kg/264.5 pounds U.S. Nationals champion - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) Challenge Tournament seeds 1. Brandon Rupp, Pocatello, ID (New York AC) 2. Erik Nye, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) 3. David Arendt Jr, Port Washington, Wis. (U.S. Marine Corps) 4. Mark Simmonds, Minneapolis, Minn. (U.S. Air Force) 5. Timothy Taylor, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 6. Pete Kowalczuk, Colorado Springs, Colo. (USOEC) 7. Akil Patterson, Frederick, Md. (New York AC)   WORLD TEAM TRIALS WOMEN’S FREESTYLE SEEDS   U.S. Nationals champions in men’s freestyle have advanced to the best-of-3 final-round series on Saturday night. They will meet the Challenge Tournament winner in the final-round series.   51 kg/112.25 pounds U.S. Nationals champion - Patricia Miranda, Colo. Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) Challenge Tournament seeds 1. Katherine Fulp-Allen, Half Moon Bay, Calif. (New York AC) 2. Jessica Medina, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 3. Stephanie Murata, Minden, Nev. (Sunkist Kids) 4. Gabrielle Henry, Columbus, Ohio (Univ. of the Cumberlands) 5. Emily Harper, DeForest, Wis. (Victory School of Wrestling)   59 kg/130 pounds U.S. Nationals champion - Kelsey Campbell, Milwaukie, Ore. (Sunkist Kids) Challenge Tournament seeds 1. Deanna Rix, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 2. Schuyler Brown, Montpelier, Va. (USOEC) 3. Natasha Umemoto, Oklahoma City, Okla. (Sunkist Kids) 4. Nena Garcia, Clyde, Ohio (Univ. of the Cumberlands) 5. Shannon Reeves, Cuyuhoga Falls, Ohio (Univ. of the Cumberlands)   67 kg/147.5 pounds U.S. Nationals champion - Adeline Gray, Denver, Colo. (New York AC) Challenge Tournament seeds 1. Sheila McCabe, San Diego, Calif. (OCU Stars) 2. Amber Miracle, Berlin, Wis. (USOEC) 3. Lauren Knight, Vallejo, Calif. (Univ. of the Cumberlands) 4. Christen Paysse, Fullerton, Calif. (Univ. of the Cumberlands) 5. Stefenie Shaw, Waterford, Conn. (OCU Stars)   72 kg/158.5 pounds U.S. Nationals champion - Jenna Pavlik, Colorado Springs, Colo. (USOTC) Challenge Tournament seeds 1. Ali Bernard, New Ulm, Minn. (Gator WC) 2. Kendra Lewis, Houston, Texas (Univ. of the Cumberlands) 3. Lacey Novinska, Fennimore, Wis. (OCU Stars) 4. Erin Clodgo, Richmond, Vermont (USOEC) 5. Melissa Simmons, Ridgefield, Wash. (OCU Stars)   Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1182-world-team-trials-seeds-for-saturday Fri, 29 May 2009 18:24:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1123-heffernan-named-illinois-14th-head-wrestling-coach   Long-time Illinois assistant coach Jim Heffernan was promoted to take over for Mark Johnson as head wrestling coach.  April 28, 2009   CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - University of Illinois Director of Athletics Ron Guenther announced the promotion of long-time assistant coach Jim Heffernan to the position of head wrestling coach. Heffernan has been the top assistant under recently retired head coach Mark Johnson for the past 17 years at Illinois and two previous seasons at Oregon State. "I am pleased to announce Jim Heffernan as our head wrestling coach," Guenther said. "Jim has been an assistant in our program for the past 17 years and was an integral part of the program's success. He has displayed exceptional loyalty and has a great understanding of the University of Illinois. Jim had an exceptional career as a collegiate wrestler and is well respected in the wrestling community. I look forward to working with him to advance our program to the next level." Heffernan, 45, takes over for Johnson, who was the Illinois wrestling head coach for the past 17 years. Heffernan was an assistant coach on the Illini staff throughout that entire tenure as well as the two seasons they spent at Oregon State prior to coming to Champaign. Heffernan has helped guide Illinois to 10 Top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships and has helped produce seven national champions, 45 All-Americans and 120 NCAA qualifiers. "I would like to thank Ron Guenther for giving me the opportunity to carry on the tradition Mark Johnson and I had started 17 years ago," Heffernan said. "I feel extremely fortunate to remain at Illinois as the next head wrestling coach, as this is where I want to finish my career. Champaign-Urbana and the University of Illinois have been a great place to live, work and raise my family and we are pleased to be able to continue to call it home as we move forward. I would also like to thank Vince Ille, Tom Porter, Terry Cole, Dana Brenner and Susan Young for their role in the decision making process. They were all extremely helpful and I am grateful to them for their support." Heffernan helped lead the Illini to a Big Ten championship in 2005, three consecutive Midlands titles from 2004-06 and 17 consecutive winning seasons in dual meets. He has twice been named the National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year, earning the honor in 1995 and 2001, and he also was named the AFLAC Assistant Coach of the Year in 2003. "I'm extremely happy that Jim Heffernan will be the new coach of the Fighting Illini," former head coach Mark Johnson said. "He has paid his dues as a part of a very successful program at the University of Illinois for the past 17 years and he deserves this opportunity. I wish him the best and will be his biggest fan." A 1987 graduate of the University of Iowa, Heffernan was a four-time All-American and the 150-pound NCAA champion in 1986. He earned Iowa's Male Athlete of the Year honor in 1987 and was a four-time Big Ten champion. He also led the Hawkeyes to three NCAA championships and four Big Ten titles during his time in Iowa City.        >"As I transition into my new role, there will be big shoes to fill," Heffernan said. "Mark Johnson has raised the expectations and standards of the program to an extremely high level. Those expectations and goals are something I will continue to embrace as we continue on to the next chapter in Ilini wrestling. Further, I would like to commend our student-athletes for the way they handled themselves through this difficult situation. There was a lot of uncertainty throughout the last month but they remained positive, motivated and continued to work hard through the resolution of the decision." Heffernan began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Iowa before becoming an assistant coach at Lehigh in 1988. After a two-year stint in Bethlehem, Pa., Heffernan joined Johnson's staff at Oregon State as an assistant coach in 1990. He also coached the Cadet Wrestling Team at the world championships in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1992, and led the USA World Espoir Team in 1989. Heffernan graduated from national wrestling powerhouse St. Edward High School in Cleveland, Ohio, where he won a pair of state titles. Heffernan and his wife, Rebecca, live in Champaign with their son, Sean, and daughter, Alex. TransactionsUniversity of Illinois names Jim Heffernan head wrestling coach WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT HEFFERNAN   Dan Gable // Former University of Iowa head coach, Olympic gold medalist and three-time NCAA champion"Jim and I go back a long time. He was able to step right in as a freshman at Iowa and start on a national championship team, which was pretty impressive. I just knew that he would go on and do a good job coaching. I'm really glad to see that he's able to carry on in the Illinois program. I think the big thing is that now his work is really going to begin. It's going to be his program and whatever he did in the past to make it good, he's going to be the guy who will decide how good it can be. His commitment has always been there and I don't question it, but I know he'll have to go to another level. He'll have to get a lot of people around him to help him and I don't think he'll take a backseat to anyone. I think he'll take that challenge. He knows what to do and has the right attitude to do it." J Robinson // University of Minnesota head wrestling coach"I am extremely happy that Jim Heffernan has been given the opportunity to lead the Illinois wrestling program. He has a great background as a wrestler in high school and at Iowa. He's been an assistant for 20 years and I think it's great that people who are loyal to the university are given a chance. I think Jim will continue to build upon some of the great things that have been done during the last 17 years when he was with Mark Johnsonand I'm looking forward to welcoming him as one of the Big Ten's coaches." Steve Marianetti // 1995 NCAA Champion and head coach at Elmhurst College"I'm first relieved and then excited for Jim. After 17 years of being an assistant, Jim deserves a chance to lead the Illini. First off, Jim has always made a huge impression on the alumni. The alumni love him and he's been a huge part of their life. He's had a quiet but powerful influence behind the scenes. Now he has a chance for our state and the country to see his ability to lead. Mark has always been such a good front-man and leader that Jim hasn't had to step into that role as much, but we all know that he has it in him. Being part of the program, we see that every day. We have seen him lead in the room, but not many people have been privy to that view." Adam Tirapelle // 2001 NCAA Champion and assistant coach at Clovis (Calif.) High School"Illinois not only has a great wrestling program but also a great tradition of having a strong, ethical, well-respected program where its student-athletes graduate and go on to become productive members of society. Not only does Jim understand that, but he's also been a big part of creating that and I'm sure he'll continue to uphold that same high standard. He's also one of the best technical coaches in the country and I'm sure he'll surround himself with the people who will fill the roles necessary to make a great coaching staff." Alex Tirapelle // Two-time NCAA All-American and assistant coach at UC Davis"Jim brings a real level of professionalism and compassion to the program. It's a one-of-a-kind program because they really care about the kids and they treat them as their own. Jim's a father-figure type of coach. He'll look after the wrestlers and they'll become part of the program's family for the rest of their life. He'll look out for what's best for you and give you sound advice." Mike Polz // Carl Sandburg High School head wrestling coach and father of Illinois wrestlers Clinton and Conrad Polz"I'm really happy and excited that Illinois has chosen to hire Jim. He brings a ton of experience since he's been along for the whole ride with Mark Johnson at Illinois and before that at Oregon State. His credentials say a lot. He's very familiar with the Big Ten over a long period of time and he's a good person. He's a great technician and it'll bring a lot to the program and keep it moving in the direction it was going."   THE HEFFERNAN FILE   College Coaching Experience• Illinois, assistant coach (1992-present)• Oregon State, assistant coach (1990-92)• Lehigh, assistant coach (1988-89)• Iowa, graduate assistant (1987)   Honors• AFLAC Assistant Coach of the Year Award (2003)• NWCA Assistant Coach of the Year (1995 & 2001)• Iowa's Male Athlete of the Year (1987)• NCAA 150-pound Champion (1986)• Four-time All-American, University of Iowa (1984-87)   International Coaching Experience• Cadet Wrestling Team, Istanbul, Turkey (1992)• USA World Espoir Team (1989) Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1123-heffernan-named-illinois-14th-head-wrestling-coach Sat, 02 May 2009 10:26:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1121-kevin-jackson-named-isu-head-wrestling-coach AMES, Iowa – Former Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Champion Kevin Jackson has been named Iowa State’s head wrestling coach. Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard will introduce Jackson – often referred to as one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers in United States history – at an 11 a.m. news conference Friday in the Jacobson Athletic Building (Hunziker Auditorium). Jackson captured gold medals at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain and at the World Championships in both 1991 (Varna, Bulgaria) and 1995 (Atlanta). He is one of just five wrestlers in U.S. history with three career world-level titles.  Jackson is a member of the FILA International Wrestling Hall of Fame, the United States National Wrestling Hall of Fame (as a distinguished member) and the Iowa State University Athletics Hall of Fame (2007 inductee). “We are very excited to welcome Kevin back to the Cyclone family,” Pollard said. “He was captain of the last Cyclone national championship team and is a member of our Athletics Department’s Hall of Fame. His competitive intensity, combined with his technical skills as a coach, will make an immediate impact on our wrestling program. For the last decade, Kevin has coached and trained the best United States wrestlers. He has excelled at the highest levels of international wrestling as both an athlete and coach.”   Jackson’s return to Iowa State brings back fond memories for him. “Winning a national team championship at ISU remains a career highlight and I’m grateful for the opportunity to come back to Ames and lead such a distinguished program,” Jackson said. “There is no ceiling to what we can accomplish on and off the mat at Iowa State and I couldn’t be more excited to get started. I’m pleased to inherit such an outstanding team and we’ll begin immediately to focus on hard work and technique with the goal of competing for the NCAA title. We’ll build a wrestling environment at Iowa State in which our student-athletes will flourish in and our fans will respond.”   Currently head coach of the Sunkist youth development program, Jackson served eight years (2001-08) as the National Freestyle Coach for USA Wrestling. He was the first full-time freestyle wrestling coach for the organization and took two United States’ teams to the Olympics. Two of his athletes – Cael Sanderson (2004) and Henry Cejudo (2008) – won gold medals. His 2001 freestyle team won the World Cup, the 2003 team placed second and the 2006 squad finished third at that meet.   Prior to his appointment as the nation’s head freestyle coach, Jackson was freestyle resident coach at the Olympic Training Center and head coach for the U.S. Army team at Fort Carson (1998-2001). During that tenure, he personally trained 2000 Olympic champion Brandon Slay.   As a college wrestler, he attended Louisiana State and earned All-America honors three times before the school dropped the sport. He transferred to Iowa State for his senior year and captained the Cyclones’ last NCAA championship team (1987), earning another All-America award with a NCAA runner-up finish and registering a 30-3-1 record. After college, Jackson won two Pan American Games titles and was a member of World Championship teams for the United States in both 1993 and 1995. He won three U.S. National Titles and placed second five times. Jackson also became the first American to win the prestigious Takhti Cup (1998) in Tehran, Iran.   During his post-collegiate competitive career, Jackson also assisted with the Cyclone Wrestling Club (1989-92) and volunteered with the Arizona State (1997) program. Jackson’s success earned him a number of major awards, including the 1995 John Smith Award as National Freestyle Wrestler of the Year, 1992 Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year and 1991 USA Wrestling and USOC Wrestler of the Year.   He earned a bachelor of sports science degree from the U.S. Sports Academy / University of Americas in 2005. The native of Lansing, Mich., won two state high school championships for Eastern High School before becoming a Junior National Greco-Roman champion. Jackson and his wife, Robin (a native of Emmetsburg, Iowa), have five children: Cole, Bailee, Trinity, Brynn and Kira.   Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1121-kevin-jackson-named-isu-head-wrestling-coach Fri, 01 May 2009 06:52:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1101-beat-the-streets April 30th “Golden Night at Guastavino’s” Gala Fundraiser to support organization that provides 3,500 New York City students with wrestling opportunities   NEW YORK – On April 30, Beat the Streets Wrestling Program will host its annual gala fundraiser "Golden Night at Guastavino's" in New York City to help continue the organization’s work in providing approximately 3,500 boys and girls wrestling opportunities and safe havens for them to practice.    In addition, New York City wrestling coaches will be named High School Coach of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year and Middle School Coach of the Year at the Gala.   Gathering to show their support for Beat the Streets are wrestling legends: * Bruce Baumgartner, four-time Olympic wrestling medalist, National Wrestling Hall of Fame and U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member and Director of Athletics at Edinboro University * Henry Cejudo, 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist * Brandon Slay, 2000 Olympic Gold medalist, USA Wrestling Assistant National Freestyle Coach * John Smith, 2x Olympic and 4x World Championship gold-medal winner, head coach at Oklahoma State University; National Wrestling Hall of Fame member    “Beat the Streets is proud to bring together the wrestling community, not just in New York City but the world, to help encourage and support New York City girls and boys’ efforts to participate in the sport of wrestling,” said Brian Giffin, President and Executive Director of Beat the Streets. “Because of Beat the Streets, thousands of children are instilled with important values such as perseverance, discipline and self reliance, which they will carry with them throughout their lives. We would like to thank Bruce Baumgartner, Henry Cejudo, Brandon Slay and John Smith for showing their support for Beat the Streets’ work.”    Baumgartner, who is a past president of USA Wrestling, has supported this program since its inception.   "The success of Beat the Streets Wrestling Program in New York City is a true testament to the organization, which has dedicated itself to not only teaching children about the sport of wrestling, but also shaping young minds and preparing them for whatever challenges may come their way, whether it be on the mat or in the class room,” said Bruce Baumgartner.    The Beat the Streets Wrestling Program is a not-for-profit organization that creates opportunities for boys and girls from New York City schools to participate in after-school wrestling programs in safe and nurturing environments. Beat the Streets provides free coaching, gear and equipment; free access to afterschool training centers in all five boroughs; all-expenses paid trips to the most prestigious training camps in the country; and safe havens for students from the poorest urban neighborhoods seeking to improve their fitness and stay on the right path.   Approximately 3,500 boys and girls from New York City schools currently participate in the organization’s afterschool programs. Beat the Streets’ work has effectively helped the sport of wrestling grow in New York City. In 2005, New York City's Public School Athletic League had 23 teams only in high schools and fewer than 300 kids enrolled. Now New York City has wrestling teams in 58 high schools and 54 middle schools with 3,500 enrollees.    About Beat the Streets Gala Fundraiser   Thursday, April 30 at 6:30pm Guastavino’s 409 E 59th Street New York, NY 10022 Tickets: $150 Tickets required for all guests   Tickets are available at www.beat-the-streets.org or by contacting Brian Giffin at (646) 922-0811 and gala@beat-the-streets.org.   Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/1101-beat-the-streets Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:28:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/921-mark-johnson-retires-from-head-coaching-position-at-illinois   from:  http://www.fightingillini.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/033009aab.html Johnson Retires After 17 Seasons at IllinoisMost Successful Coach in Illini History Steps Down at Leader of IlliniWrestling ProgramMark Johnson announced his retirement after 17 years as head coach atIllinois on Monday.   March 30, 2009CHAMPAIGN, Ill.  After 17 seasons at the helm of Illinois Wrestlingand 19 as a collegiate head coach, Mark Johnson announced hisretirement from coaching Monday. Johnson finishes his career as themost successful wrestling coach in Illinois history and one of thebest nationally."I would like to thank Ron Guenther and the entire athletic departmentfor giving me the great opportunity to fulfill my dream of leading theFighting Illini," Johnson said. "I couldn't have asked for a betterathletic director than Ron. I want to thank him for how he treated myprogram and me over my 17 years here. I really enjoyed therelationships with my athletes and staff, and I think this program isin great shape for the future." Johnson led the Fighting Illini to an eighth-place finish at the 2009NCAA Championships, which finished on March 21, with Mike Poeta, JimmyKennedy and John Wise bringing Johnson's total of All-Americans atIllinois to 45. He finishes his coaching career with seven individualnational champions, 10 Top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships inthe last 15 years and took a total of 120 wrestlers to 17 NCAAChampionships during his time at Illinois."Mark's decision to resign as head wrestling coach did not necessarilycome as a surprise to me," Guenther said. "Mark has done anexceptional job in leading our wrestling program, however, over thepast few years, he has expressed a desire to explore otheropportunities. I am pleased for Mark that an opportunity came up tohold him in our community and I wish him much success." Johnson's career is unmatched at Illinois, as he finishes with themost wins, NCAA Champions, All-Americans and NCAA qualifiers of anycoach in Illini history. He was named the National Coach of the Yearin 1995 and 30 of his 45 All-Americans have come in the last 10 years.He led the Orange and Blue to a team title at the 2005 Big TenChampionships, Illinois' first Big Ten crown in 53 years, and a pairof Big Ten dual titles in 2005 and 2006. He also guided the Illini toa No. 1 national ranking in 2004.The Rock Island, Ill., native won his 200th career dual meet earlierthis season at Wisconsin when the Illini took down the Badgers, 24-16,and finished the season with the second-best winning percentage amongactive college wrestling coaches. He also ranked 12th in career winsamong active coaches. Johnson finishes his career with more than twiceas many wins as any other coach in Illinois history.Illinois' highest finish at the NCAA Championships under Johnson camein 2001, when the Illini placed fifth on the backs of NCAA ChampionsAdam Tirapelle and John Lockhart and All-Americans Matt Lackey and PatQuirk. Johnson-led teams hold the Illinois records for most dual wins,pins, dual winning percentage and points scored at both the NCAA andBig Ten Championships. Johnson also guided Illinois wrestlers to success off the mat, as fourof his student-athletes earned the Big Ten Medal of Honor and 18 werenamed Academic All-Americans. Illinois also has 77 Academic All-BigTen selections under Johnson.A member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, Johnson was a two-timeAll-American in 1976-77. He was a two-time National Wrestling Championand was a member of the USA Wrestling team. He was an assistant coachfor the 1988 USA Olympic team and was the head coach for the OlympicSports Festival in 1991 and 1996.Johnson and his wife, Linda, reside in Champaign. They have two growndaughters, Tricia and Mackey. EducationB.S. in education, University of Michigan, 1977 Coaching Experience1992-2009 Head Coach - University of Illinois1990-92 Head Coach - Oregon State University1982-90 Assistant Coach - University of Iowa1978-80 Graduate Assistant - University of Iowa Record At Illinois (17 seasons): 203-44-3 (.818)Career record (19 seasons): 223-48-5 (.817) Coaching Honors2005 Big Ten Coach of the Year2002 NWCA All-Star Meet Head Coach2001 Big Ten Coach of the Year2000 Quad City Sports Hall of Fame1999 IWCOA Man of the Year1995 NWCA National Coach of the Year1995 W.I.N. Magazine National Coach of the Year1992 Pac-10 Coach of the Year1987 Illinois Wrestling Hall of Fame1986 NWCA National Assistant Coach of the YearCoaching Accomplishments• Won 2005 Big Ten Championships• Ranked No. 1 in 2004• Won Midlands team title 2003-05, only the third team to win threeconsecutive team titles• Led Illinois to 10 Top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships and 13Top-15 finishes in the last 15 years• Coached seven NCAA Champions• Coached 45 All-Americans• Coached 120 NCAA qualifiers at IllinoisWrestling Experience• Olympic Team, 1980• USA Wrestling Team• National Wrestling Champion (Twice)• Two-time All-American (1976-77)International Coaching Experience• USA National Coaching Staff member• Olympic Sports Festival, head coach (1991 & 1996)• USA Olympic Team, assistant coach (1988)• World Espoir Team, head coach (1987) Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/921-mark-johnson-retires-from-head-coaching-position-at-illinois Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/898-who-won-the-prediction-contest Congratulations to Lloyd Hilton (bobmoon300)for winning the Prediction contest, please check your Flowrestling messages. Others good luck the next time, and you can check out your scores to see how you did it. Obs Username 125 133 141 149 157 165 174 184 197 285 Final Score Tie Breaker lbs lbs lbs lbs lbs lbs lbs lbs lbs lbs 1370 bobmoon300 8 13 10 12 13 6 13 11 13 12 111 105 573 collum141 7 13 11 7 13 7 11 12 13 12 106 105 632 southern_yankee 6 13 12 9 11 5 12 12 13 13 106 126.5 1232 johnson3 11 14 10 9 12 7 12 12 10 9 106 118.5 480 kpasa3 8 13 5 10 13 6 11 13 14 12 105 111.5 1262 cmvc3680 11 14 6 9 12 6 13 12 13 9 105 119 655 btp119 9 12 10 10 11 8 12 13 11 8 104 Iowa 1212 jarvey 10 12 9 9 9 7 12 12 13 11 104 112.5 1432 apmartinez 11 14 10 9 13 6 9 12 13 7 104 113.5 65 psuchamp135 12 11 6 8 9 7 12 13 13 12 103 108 178 blazechatham 11 10 6 9 9 7 12 13 14 12 103 130.5 230 Matwrestler130 11 14 6 9 9 4 12 13 13 12 103 Iowa 332 nanutch 9 12 7 10 10 5 11 13 14 12 103 126 612 jfarmer103 7 14 10 10 8 7 12 13 13 9 103 92.5 713 mauler01 9 15 7 10 12 6 11 12 12 9 103 112 917 kstroh200 13 10 9 9 8 4 12 13 12 13 103 135.5 1298   8 14 7 9 11 6 11 12 13 12 103 115 303 flo-then-pin 10 14 6 8 9 6 12 12 13 12 102 103.5 379 JacobWhite 11 11 10 10 9 7 12 13 10 9 102 Iowa 119.5 404 145OJ09 7 14 10 9 13 7 12 6 12 12 102 IOWA 123.5 474 SirLukeJohn 9 10 11 10 12 7 12 12 13 6 102 It hasn't happened 678 mcaroten 11 12 6 9 14 5 11 13 12 9 102 105.5 684 Macbethshoes 8 14 7 14 10 7 11 12 10 9 102 121 1072 joeyward123 12 10 10 9 10 5 11 13 10 12 102 123 1088 dbonge 12 13 10 10 11 7 11 10 10 8 102 94.5 1127 wresTlinG 11 12 7 9 8 6 12 13 13 11 102 124.5 1162 BDB57 12 10 5 8 12 4 15 12 11 13 102 130 1259 jateat11 8 13 7 7 12 6 12 13 11 13 102 111 1335 consho 8 12 6 10 11 7 12 12 13 11 102 105.5 231 Chuckles56 11 14 5 9 9 6 13 11 13 10 101 115 265 pwnage135 11 13 6 8 10 6 12 13 13 9 101 iowa state 118 317 grappler7608 11 15 6 9 9 7 12 13 12 7 101 135 477 guest 11 12 5 8 13 7 12 12 13 8 101 119 635 liswrestle 11 10 8 10 13 7 12 11 11 8 101 132.5 636 Nellienell125 12 12 6 7 9 6 11 13 13 12 101 106 669 DRBECK81 9 10 9 10 8 8 10 13 11 13 101 128 686 sleeptwin2 9 13 6 9 10 6 12 13 14 9 101 124 783 jeburge 9 13 5 9 12 6 12 12 11 12 101 Iowa 125.5 824 joeybufano 12 13 5 10 10 7 12 13 12 7 101 112 841 wkt2wkt2 10 11 10 8 10 7 12 12 13 8 101 127 850 kenpobrad 8 14 7 9 14 8 12 11 10 8 101 112.5 1045 Jday 8 14 6 10 11 7 12 12 12 9 101 89 1157 GrapplinZebra 13 13 7 8 10 6 12 12 12 8 101 114 1189 Snoochie06 8 13 10 10 8 7 12 13 13 7 101 102.5 1219 ourada22 12 8 7 10 13 7 11 12 11 10 101 125.5 1314 bryce saddoris 11 14 7 9 9 7 12 11 13 8 101 119.5 1368 acp713 11 13 10 9 12 6 13 8 12 7 101 105.5 243 AAAPA 12 9 6 8 9 6 13 13 12 12 100 126 245 wghsgrappler2008 9 11 6 10 10 5 9 14 14 12 100 iowa 108.5 405 dawgs45 8 13 10 9 9 6 12 12 12 9 100 112 520 Trapper 10 10 10 9 12 5 10 10 12 12 100 112 581 4xmdchamp 11 12 10 8 12 7 9 11 14 6 100 121.5 602 mwm93 7 14 6 8 12 6 11 11 13 12 100 121 621 tctctc 9 14 6 9 9 7 12 13 13 8 100 97.5 626 jshanks 7 13 7 9 12 8 11 11 13 9 100 132 663 reddman24 12 11 4 9 12 7 12 13 13 7 100 Iowa 711 CHAVEZ 12 14 8 7 9 6 12 12 13 7 100 iowa 113 761 bigsweety 7 15 7 9 13 6 12 12 10 9 100 108.5 858 bmoose11 12 12 5 9 12 6 11 11 12 10 100 124 1146 Beaverc11 7 14 11 10 7 6 12 11 13 9 100 115 1199 brian mathews 13 12 4 9 13 6 12 13 10 8 100 112 1277 scatts22 10 13 6 9 11 6 11 12 11 11 100 108 1302 waco01 12 15 5 9 14 6 10 11 11 7 100 130.5 1355 acguns 13 11 6 8 12 7 10 12 13 8 100 104 1384 clones22 8 11 6 10 13 5 12 13 13 9 100 iowa 115 1395 utcmoc133 8 12 11 9 10 5 10 13 13 9 100 cornell 6 johnson144 11 14 6 9 9 7 12 12 10 9 99 113.5 16 wbmfour 11 14 6 9 9 7 12 12 10 9 99 114.5 23 tom puckett 13 13 6 8 9 7 12 11 11 9 99 125 iowa 49 gager93 9 14 6 10 9 6 11 13 12 9 99 123 107 JPost 9 12 7 9 10 6 11 13 11 11 99 111.5 129 super2 13 12 6 9 9 7 12 12 10 9 99 123.5 161 Guatpride 10 13 6 10 9 6 13 10 11 11 99 108.5 180 datafax1 8 11 6 10 9 6 11 12 14 12 99 115 192 martinotest 11 14 6 9 9 7 12 12 10 9 99 110 264   10 12 6 10 10 5 11 13 13 9 99 109.5 300 csweezy 11 14 6 10 9 7 12 12 10 8 99 120.5 327 herd79 7 13 6 10 9 7 12 11 12 12 99 128.5 429 kgarrett10 11 14 6 9 9 7 12 12 10 9 99 111.5 466 brickerdixon 7 11 5 10 9 7 13 12 13 12 99 122.5 507 Jmstatechamp 9 13 10 10 7 7 12 13 10 8 99 114.5 508 liwrestle 13 13 4 9 12 7 11 11 11 8 99 Iowa 593   8 13 11 9 9 6 12 13 12 6 99 109.5 740   11 11 5 10 13 5 11 12 13 8 99 110 795 skoal 8 10 5 7 13 7 12 12 13 12 99 131 827 wtheos 11 14 7 9 10 7 11 11 10 9 99 133 870 gripsnhips 12 8 6 11 12 7 12 12 13 6 99 100 1008 TylertheSquint 9 11 6 9 9 6 12 12 13 12 99 114 1012 Whopooted165 9 11 7 10 10 6 12 13 9 12 99 123 1034 micahnelson 9 14 7 9 8 7 11 12 13 9 99 108.5 1097 lycodave 8 14 5 11 11 5 12 13 12 8 99 126.5 1114 mmorrisguest 7 12 10 10 8 6 12 12 13 9 99 102.5 1143 smwwrest 13 13 4 8 11 6 12 11 12 9 99 130 1201 gang_greenwc 14 8 10 10 12 6 12 10 9 8 99 102.5 1252 kalamazoo 7 10 10 10 13 7 12 12 11 7 99 111 1258 gemdy 12 11 5 9 13 5 11 11 14 8 99 113 1274 kollaboration 9 13 5 10 8 5 12 13 10 14 99 Iowa 1284 Thumen 13 11 5 8 9 7 12 11 13 10 99 135 1326 biged 12 12 6 9 12 8 11 11 9 9 99 104.5 1417 skeetonyou 8 11 5 9 13 6 12 12 12 11 99 119.5 22 jbradleyR 12 14 6 9 9 7 11 10 11 9 98 104.5 25 odoylerules 11 13 7 9 9 7 12 11 10 9 98 109 29 cradle2thegrave 11 12 6 13 9 6 11 12 9 9 98 113.4 112 Donatevo 14 7 6 9 9 6 10 11 14 12 98 100 143 jasonitravel 7 13 6 10 9 8 12 12 13 8 98 112 145 Joepintowin 10 12 6 9 9 7 11 13 12 9 98 123 176 Gerberick112 8 10 4 13 9 6 12 12 13 11 98 112.5 190 coreytbrower 12 10 6 8 9 7 12 13 12 9 98 110 272 ohsaawrestlingfan 9 13 6 8 9 7 11 13 13 9 98 112.5 363 lowsingle45 11 14 7 9 9 6 11 12 10 9 98 iowa 120.5 365 cman47572 11 14 5 9 8 7 11 11 13 9 98 157.5 419 bbessemer 13 11 8 6 9 5 13 11 13 9 98 104 543 njwrestlingpfam 11 12 5 9 11 6 12 11 13 8 98 109 697 Augie_Matt 9 10 11 9 12 5 11 13 11 7 98 215 704 frankenberry 8 13 5 7 13 8 12 11 13 8 98 121 705 jmst119 10 12 6 9 10 8 12 12 11 8 98 130 724 wrestler90 12 11 5 9 14 6 11 12 7 11 98 121 733 Blodg 8 14 5 8 9 7 12 13 13 9 98 125.5 741 cnags184 12 10 5 9 12 5 11 13 13 8 98 123.5 770 Jason Roush 10 10 9 10 9 6 12 13 10 9 98 114.5 790 matt.valenti 8 13 5 9 13 6 12 12 13 7 98 106.5 798 riv0376 9 13 7 9 10 8 13 10 10 9 98 135 836 joepa06 9 11 8 8 9 6 11 13 11 12 98 122 862 rattlerwrestling 10 11 11 9 10 5 8 13 13 8 98 115 1014 coachal 9 13 7 7 11 7 11 12 13 8 98 108.5 1188 nicky c23 12 14 6 9 6 8 12 11 11 9 98 Iowa 125 1200 ltcherep 9 9 8 8 12 7 11 13 9 12 98 115 1215 burg01 11 12 6 9 12 5 11 12 13 7 98 iowa 1244 Lordnelson 7 11 5 10 12 6 12 13 13 9 98 131.5 1269   10 13 6 8 13 6 8 13 9 12 98 125.5 1276 basche 11 7 7 10 12 7 12 11 12 9 98 111.5 1304 JayPuma 8 14 9 8 9 7 11 11 12 9 98 107.5 1336 LChawk12 11 8 4 10 13 7 11 13 12 9 98 Iowa- 107.0 1420 mjmgreek 13 8 9 8 8 6 13 11 11 11 98 112.5 1444 wrestlingshoe 12 10 7 8 10 7 11 12 13 8 98 112.5 2 tburgtiger6 12 14 5 8 10 8 10 11 10 9 97 123.5 19 joebagodoughnuts 14 14 6 9 8 6 11 11 9 9 97 100 20 Ryan Shank 11 14 6 9 9 7 11 12 10 8 97 Iowa 125.5 27 thewildcat243 13 14 5 8 9 7 12 11 10 8 97 Iowa 110.5 75 paloma 11 11 6 10 9 5 9 12 12 12 97 114.5 77   9 9 6 9 10 6 10 12 13 13 97 124.5 89 cougarass 11 14 6 8 9 5 10 11 11 12 97 109 210 masstomahawk 12 12 6 8 9 5 12 12 13 8 97 106.5 215 Mentor 9 11 7 10 9 6 12 13 13 7 97 125 289 tec87 10 13 6 8 9 6 12 12 9 12 97 105 297 msnj87 11 11 6 10 8 6 12 12 11 10 97 114.5 309 ironboy125 13 10 5 9 10 4 12 12 10 12 97 114 316 tdg130 8 13 6 9 9 7 11 12 13 9 97 110.5 354 mobley1680 10 14 5 8 10 7 12 8 11 12 97 122.5 392 tomasrosa 9 14 5 9 10 8 11 11 13 7 97 115 468 abroad1 12 11 5 10 13 6 7 11 14 8 97 130 518 parchy 10 8 5 9 12 7 11 12 11 12 97 138 556 Broncowilly 11 10 5 9 12 8 11 11 13 7 97 119 607 islanderzfan49 11 13 5 10 9 7 12 11 9 10 97 115 629 davedave219 9 14 6 8 9 6 12 11 13 9 97 134.5 646 onheylo 7 13 10 7 12 6 11 12 11 8 97 120 648 magchamp1 12 10 7 7 12 6 8 11 13 11 97 110.5 651 JoeGulotta 8 13 6 9 13 8 12 12 9 7 97 111 699 willthrill165 10 9 9 10 8 6 13 13 11 8 97 108.5 709 TyKo95 12 12 6 10 7 6 11 12 13 8 97 123.5 769 selba89 11 14 6 9 9 5 12 12 10 9 97 112.5 775 redrider 7 11 6 10 11 6 12 13 11 10 97 123.5 785 aatomaso 9 10 7 10 10 7 12 13 10 9 97 Iowa 95.5 810 T-DIGITAL 11 13 7 7 10 7 12 12 11 7 97 Iowa 814 hchelesvig 12 12 5 10 7 8 11 10 13 9 97 124 833 bulldog11 7 14 6 8 12 5 12 11 9 13 97 121.5 835 coachv3445 10 14 9 9 9 5 12 13 8 8 97 121 875 stvmccon 11 14 6 9 7 7 12 12 10 9 97 112 903 travtko7 9 12 4 10 11 5 12 13 13 8 97 109 959   8 14 4 10 8 6 11 12 12 12 97 132.5 1031 ed2512 11 9 6 8 9 6 12 12 13 11 97 99.5 1037 hack18 11 9 5 8 13 7 11 11 13 9 97 93 1070   13 9 5 9 9 7 12 13 13 7 97 112 1120 Like_That 9 10 9 10 12 6 11 11 11 8 97 115 1142 ehtwrestling 11 11 4 9 12 6 13 11 11 9 97 118 1203 digger32 9 8 10 8 12 6 11 12 12 9 97 121 1213 karamazov 10 12 5 11 7 6 12 12 14 8 97 111 1229 gkurz 11 13 5 10 12 6 12 11 11 6 97 112 1288 jaf212 8 10 5 9 12 6 12 12 11 12 97 115.5 1290 vanillagorilla 8 10 5 9 14 5 12 13 9 12 97 112 1297 cookclay33 12 12 5 10 13 5 10 12 10 8 97 122 1381 WRESTLE 12 11 6 10 11 4 12 12 12 7 97 118 1433 mcchipfan 6 13 6 7 12 5 10 13 13 12 97 1121 1 juanadawg 13 13 5 9 9 8 11 10 9 9 96 123.5 3 jingram 12 12 5 9 8 8 12 11 11 8 96 130.5 12   12 13 6 9 8 8 12 10 9 9 96 118.5 14 bigran24 12 13 5 9 8 9 12 10 10 8 96 iowa 34 DukeNukem 7 11 6 9 9 7 13 13 13 8 96 113 41 newtrier 11 13 6 9 10 7 11 12 9 8 96 132.5 48 theshrug 9 10 6 9 9 5 12 13 11 12 96 114 71 rigs2448 10 12 4 9 9 5 14 13 11 9 96 113.5 78 gocke 8 12 6 10 9 6 12 13 10 10 96 108 98 dannyclarke 9 13 4 9 9 6 12 12 12 10 96 140.5 137 themaloneymaniac!! 10 10 6 9 9 6 11 13 14 8 96 126.5 163 Matt Stephens 9 12 6 8 9 6 12 12 13 9 96 121 172 cam-den 12 13 5 8 9 4 11 12 14 8 96 115 179 lnicoll 12 7 6 10 9 5 11 12 12 12 96 104.5 186 enagl 10 9 6 8 9 7 12 11 13 11 96 128 228 milktruck361 10 10 6 9 9 7 13 12 13 7 96 115 235 iawrestler 11 10 6 9 8 7 13 12 12 8 96 120 282 ahmrdali@yahoo.com 11 11 6 7 9 6 12 12 13 9 96 125.5 290 wisconsinwrestler 7 12 6 9 9 8 12 12 12 9 96 115 295 saintswrestler95 8 13 5 9 10 8 12 12 10 9 96 122.5 315 blax34 10 12 6 9 9 5 12 12 12 9 96 104 334   11 13 5 9 9 7 12 10 12 8 96 105 336 Freshmaters 8 12 6 7 10 6 11 14 10 12 96 110.5 346 matt_tomahawkthe1 8 12 6 8 9 8 12 12 9 12 96 124.5 352 jamesonoster 10 8 6 10 9 7 11 12 13 10 96 122 410 ZFAVRE 6 14 5 10 12 7 12 10 11 9 96 105 412 ekkeman 8 12 6 7 13 7 12 12 12 7 96 112 - Iowa 456 gdubwrestler130 8 13 6 9 10 8 12 12 10 8 96 119.5 460 carmelwraslin11 8 13 10 8 8 7 8 12 13 9 96 113.5 463 Pirates 12 12 5 10 8 6 10 12 10 11 96 Cornell 108.5 464 zs_914 9 13 8 7 13 6 12 11 8 9 96 110.5 476 minock 10 10 10 10 8 4 12 11 12 9 96 Iowa 112 493 thewildcat243 10 10 5 9 13 5 12 12 9 11 96 112.5 502 headlockmaster 12 8 8 8 12 6 11 10 13 8 96 102.3 505 ccfink06 7 10 5 8 12 7 12 13 13 9 96 122 536 supermav86 9 13 5 10 8 6 12 12 13 8 96 109.5 537 LowSingleOTW 10 14 4 9 8 8 12 11 8 12 96 112.5 544 lordoftheringsviii 9 14 6 8 9 6 11 12 13 8 96 109.5 574 soap 10 10 11 7 12 6 7 10 11 12 96 Iowa 106.5 601   7 13 5 14 10 3 11 11 13 9 96 Cornell 622 DCM 8 10 5 9 10 7 11 12 12 12 96 121.5 661 jerseywrestl1 10 9 4 9 13 7 12 14 11 7 96 105.5 745 halldri 10 10 6 11 10 7 12 12 7 11 96 127.5 749   12 9 6 10 10 6 11 10 11 11 96 Iowa 133.5 830 reesea 11 13 5 9 9 5 11 12 12 9 96 Iowa 125.5 871 orchardpark 12 9 5 9 12 7 12 12 10 8 96 133 881 sjoseph 10 12 7 10 8 7 12 11 13 6 96 108 911 dennisrich 8 13 7 10 12 4 11 11 13 7 96 115.5 948 jzerull 12 8 6 9 11 7 12 11 11 9 96 125 982 bruce_zurek 8 14 6 10 13 5 9 12 8 11 96 Nebraska 120 986 eglanz 11 10 8 9 8 5 12 12 13 8 96 134 1049 genestevens 9 13 5 9 11 7 12 11 10 9 96 115 1051 Squirrel09 8 15 6 7 12 5 12 11 11 9 96 114 1052 lowebar 8 14 6 9 9 7 12 12 10 9 96 103 1060 millo 7 12 8 9 7 7 11 13 13 9 96 104 1064 bobpoggi 9 11 4 9 9 5 11 13 12 13 96 115 1076 andrewsmomanddad 11 12 5 10 8 5 10 13 13 9 96 105 1103 lehswrestling 10 10 7 8 12 6 12 9 13 9 96 110 1109 dsola21 9 11 6 9 11 8 12 11 10 9 96 120 1112 bsj 7 10 5 9 13 7 12 11 12 10 96 123.5 1174 D-Mart152 8 13 6 8 10 6 12 11 13 9 96 125 1224 lowrstlr08 9 13 7 9 8 7 12 11 11 9 96 96.5 1230 Bridgeman 7 9 10 10 11 7 11 11 13 7 96 126 1260 tlambert10 10 12 6 10 8 6 12 10 13 9 96 112.5 1261 jpurs96 8 13 6 10 8 7 12 13 12 7 96 105 1264 moniker098 9 10 5 9 13 6 12 13 13 6 96 128 1279 JohnnyK 11 11 6 9 8 6 12 12 13 8 96 125 1320 cangemi 12 12 4 10 12 6 7 12 14 7 96 98 1350 nv_gladiators 8 14 7 9 9 7 12 12 10 8 96 125 1398 KennyD99215 8 9 8 8 10 7 12 12 13 9 96 Iowa 110 1424 joelos 8 11 4 10 10 6 11 13 14 9 96 123 4 aaronhynick 11 12 7 8 9 8 11 11 9 9 95 154 5 cuttoomuch08 11 13 6 9 9 7 12 11 9 8 95 106.5 33 jbrugueras 11 11 6 8 9 7 12 12 10 9 95 118 84 lnicoll 12 8 6 9 9 6 11 11 11 12 95 104.5 100 kholliday 9 10 6 9 9 7 12 12 13 8 95 125 113   11 11 6 10 9 5 8 13 13 9 95 109.5 126 rizzitelloj 10 12 5 10 9 6 11 11 12 9 95 Iowa 193 drupp77 9 13 6 9 9 7 11 11 11 9 95 116 218 toughontopbronc 9 12 6 10 9 6 11 13 13 6 95 108 222 lowlevel 8 12 6 10 9 5 12 12 13 8 95 98 227 glabes21 7 14 6 9 9 7 12 12 10 9 95 133.5 239 bjtepper87 10 12 6 9 10 6 12 10 13 7 95 110 340 Coach T-bar 9 13 6 8 9 6 12 12 12 8 95 113 355 Tony Park 9 10 6 10 9 8 12 12 10 9 95 126 391 grapplerhk 10 11 7 9 9 6 10 12 14 7 95 112 395 Train165 9 9 5 9 8 6 12 12 13 12 95 122.5 467 johnnymac 7 8 6 11 12 7 11 12 13 8 95 125 482 ownin 8 9 7 9 9 8 12 13 13 7 95 40 511 champ08 8 12 6 8 10 5 12 11 14 9 95 118.5 521 brandonsharples 10 9 5 8 8 7 12 11 13 12 95 112.5 539 jedcox 7 9 10 9 12 7 10 13 10 8 95 152 591 dukenukem 7 11 5 10 10 7 12 12 12 9 95 114 603 centralwr09 8 13 4 10 8 6 13 12 12 9 95 128 611 cshort2011 8 9 5 9 12 5 11 12 12 12 95 114.5 617 gskoster1 10 12 4 9 12 6 11 8 14 9 95 110 627 wdanforth 9 12 10 8 10 5 12 12 11 6 95 114 650 jake10 8 9 4 10 13 5 11 13 13 9 95 118 653 dcowbs 9 11 10 7 9 6 12 12 10 9 95 109.5 680 gcarter 7 12 5 9 11 7 12 11 13 8 95 Iowa 120 693 Baguba88 12 8 7 8 7 7 12 11 12 11 95 127 694 N/A 12 10 5 10 11 7 12 11 9 8 95 111.5 708 Revenant 8 14 5 10 7 8 11 10 13 9 95 119.5 722 jonhen 11 12 9 10 8 8 7 10 12 8 95 125 735 funkjunkie 12 8 6 8 13 7 11 11 7 12 95 115.5 768 garrettfrey 7 11 7 10 11 7 12 12 10 8 95 109 803 douglasarmendarez 9 14 6 7 8 5 12 12 13 9 95 121 804 btourdot 8 14 7 8 8 8 10 12 13 7 95 117.5 813 watty 11 11 10 10 9 7 8 13 9 7 95 122 818 jmjmjm 11 14 6 9 9 5 12 11 9 9 95 123 837 qfactor65 8 9 5 8 10 7 12 12 12 12 95 112.5 860 Mpotterf 10 9 10 10 7 6 12 11 13 7 95 89.5 869 jwhitman 9 8 7 9 12 7 13 12 9 9 95 121 894 pacman149 10 13 5 8 12 4 9 12 14 8 95 128.5 899 Bigbat22 12 13 6 7 7 6 11 12 13 8 95 110 954 ccaywood 13 10 8 10 7 6 11 12 9 9 95 111 960 jsyankees12 11 10 5 8 9 8 12 12 12 8 95 123.5 969 Roughneck184 12 12 5 9 6 6 13 12 12 8 95 112.5 975 primetime22 9 14 10 10 8 6 10 9 12 7 95 227 988 s4f4ris34n 9 12 6 8 11 6 12 13 9 9 95 125 999 r2ssaint24 9 13 7 9 9 7 12 11 10 8 95 146 1007 clarencelong4 8 14 7 10 9 6 8 11 14 8 95 118.5 1073 Machine 11 10 7 8 12 7 12 12 10 6 95 121 1128 Balista 8 12 6 10 11 5 11 11 14 7 95 130.5 1129 Voices 12 13 5 6 9 7 12 11 12 8 95 117 1134 Etherton 12 8 5 10 12 4 12 13 10 9 95 105 1149 webzchris 8 13 4 10 9 5 12 12 13 9 95 105 1169 madizdad 8 12 5 9 13 6 12 12 10 8 95 101 1179   8 13 6 8 8 7 12 11 13 9 95 140 1183 shnewton125 10 8 6 9 13 7 11 11 13 7 95 121 1305 Bo Weaver 11 10 6 9 13 6 12 11 10 7 95 114.5 1340 starsaw 12 10 7 7 8 8 11 13 13 6 95 114 1347 bchball53 8 10 9 7 13 8 12 11 9 8 95 125 1351 chswrestler543 12 14 6 9 10 7 11 10 8 8 95 114 1397 andyross 10 10 11 8 13 5 0 12 13 13 95 114 1422 colemk12 10 14 6 7 9 6 12 12 11 8 95 117 1429 WKS 11 12 5 8 10 6 6 13 12 12 95 105.5 24 jerseyboys 13 13 5 8 8 8 10 11 9 9 94 Iowa 112.4 94   10 9 7 10 9 6 12 12 13 6 94 112 101 rvega33 7 12 6 9 9 7 11 11 12 10 94 103.5 131 ken 9 10 6 9 9 6 11 12 14 8 94 113 149 hwt275 9 12 6 7 9 7 7 12 13 12 94 115 150 4444 8 12 6 9 9 7 12 10 12 9 94 125.5 168 Mike Munno 9 11 5 9 9 7 12 12 13 7 94 123.5 177 crandle 11 11 6 7 9 6 11 12 13 8 94 126 203 jesco89 8 12 6 7 9 6 12 12 14 8 94 121 229 Superman 10 11 5 7 9 5 11 12 12 12 94 Iowa -- 122.5 247 RageSlave06 8 12 6 7 9 5 12 14 13 8 94 112.5 254 Thunderpin 7 13 6 9 9 6 12 11 13 8 94 120.5 267 conradical 10 12 7 8 9 5 9 13 10 11 94 111 311   11 9 4 9 9 6 13 11 10 12 94 123 323 lammergeier 10 11 5 9 8 4 11 13 13 10 94 115 373 bacwrestler125 8 12 9 8 9 5 11 12 11 9 94 121.5 431 jalgints 12 8 7 9 12 5 11 12 11 7 94 105 475 ofcrboob 8 9 5 10 13 5 12 12 13 7 94 116 479   10 7 8 9 7 5 11 12 13 12 94 Iowa 123 503 wrestlerva 9 12 5 9 11 8 12 12 10 6 94 120 512 matos5 10 10 6 7 8 7 13 12 13 8 94 126 569 lcombs 9 11 7 9 8 5 10 11 13 11 94 94 582 Ephratawrestling 9 14 6 9 9 7 11 12 10 7 94 114.5 589 ItsJFRY 10 10 6 8 10 7 12 13 9 9 94 117.5 590 djchrist 7 12 5 10 11 6 12 12 9 10 94 110.5 604 Russell Correll 9 11 6 8 9 7 12 13 12 7 94 132 605 gallo81 12 9 9 9 9 6 9 11 8 12 94 114 658 Bobshkins808 9 14 7 10 9 5 12 11 10 7 94 115.5 666 Jbird22 8 12 7 9 10 6 11 12 13 6 94 101 748 rrea 6 14 5 9 12 6 8 12 13 9 94 124 767 newberry149 9 10 6 9 13 7 9 12 11 8 94 123 776 imahog4u 9 13 6 7 12 7 8 11 12 9 94 132 782 wilcox174 10 13 9 8 8 4 11 10 13 8 94 135 788 bmjobe 9 7 5 8 13 5 11 13 15 8 94 109 802   9 9 7 8 10 6 12 12 13 8 94 140 808 13om13nugget 8 9 5 9 11 7 12 11 13 9 94 128 811 pujols05 11 8 5 8 10 7 12 12 13 8 94 119.5 822 Guttaboyz89 9 13 6 9 9 5 12 12 12 7 94 114.5 842 ml11jr 9 9 10 10 8 6 11 10 11 10 94 111.5 865 freakofnature 8 14 7 8 9 6 11 11 12 8 94 120 872 iamwallace 7 14 4 8 13 6 11 11 9 11 94 127 900 cody fobes 8 12 6 10 10 5 12 12 13 6 94 115.5 947 149wrestler 10 10 10 9 12 6 7 9 11 10 94 120-Iowa 952 branimal 10 10 5 9 11 6 11 11 13 8 94 122 1005 log 8 10 6 8 13 7 9 12 13 8 94 112.5 1048 mikemc1 11 11 6 7 9 7 13 10 11 9 94 130 1082 zak7 9 14 5 9 10 6 12 12 10 7 94 110.5 1085 ddb7x9 8 14 6 9 12 7 11 12 9 6 94 106 1093 datdude 8 12 7 7 9 7 12 10 12 10 94 iowa 115 1111 butch62783 8 9 7 10 13 7 12 12 11 5 94 128 1115 wolfclan 7 12 6 10 13 5 11 12 11 7 94 109.5 1133 matt34 10 13 8 9 9 5 9 10 13 8 94 112 1154 coco b-ware 8 13 8 10 12 6 8 11 10 8 94 115 1167   10 14 4 8 10 6 12 10 12 8 94 138 1186 chief4jesus 9 13 5 9 9 6 12 10 13 8 94 123.5 1220 dwilliams1 9 10 6 8 12 7 9 11 13 9 94 111.5 1233 jty174 8 13 6 9 9 7 12 11 13 6 94 Iowa 1285 caralegal 11 9 7 9 10 6 13 12 12 5 94 121.5 1354 Wrigley 11 11 5 7 11 5 12 12 13 7 94 98.5 1367 hawk09 8 11 7 10 8 6 11 12 13 8 94 135 1385 whmwolverine 12 13 6 8 12 5 11 12 9 6 94 108 1399 Chris Dardanes 10 7 5 10 10 7 11 12 13 9 94 133 1427 djwerd 12 8 6 10 13 5 11 12 9 8 94 126.5 7 whitt4209 12 12 5 8 8 8 11 11 9 9 93 Iowa With 109.5 8 hockwrestler119 11 14 6 8 9 7 11 10 9 8 93 125 9 eric1mannes@yahoo.com 12 13 5 8 8 7 12 11 9 8 93 Iowa 15 jedcox 11 14 5 8 9 7 11 10 9 9 93 132 47 cflo 7 13 6 9 9 7 12 9 9 12 93 120 51 bobill 11 11 7 7 9 5 11 11 12 9 93 121 54 brasing 8 9 6 9 9 5 12 12 11 12 93 121 60 mdellis171 7 10 6 9 9 5 11 12 12 12 93 124.5 85 dont have one yet 10 9 6 10 10 6 10 13 11 8 93 106 104 Tigerwrestling08 7 11 7 8 9 7 10 11 12 11 93 123 118 gawrestlingfan12513 9 12 5 9 8 6 12 12 12 8 93 112 158 Scoy 11 9 7 8 9 7 12 9 12 9 93 135 189   7 6 6 11 9 8 11 11 11 13 93 125 197 king184 8 9 6 8 9 6 12 11 13 11 93 123.5 201 lowsingle157 10 13 6 7 8 7 12 11 11 8 93 135 209 rmswengros 12 10 5 10 9 5 10 11 13 8 93 132 262 chrisdavidson3 11 10 6 9 9 7 11 13 8 9 93 121 271 cornellwrestling 10 13 4 9 9 4 12 12 14 6 93 101.2 276 donnymoney 9 9 6 8 8 7 12 11 12 11 93 112.5 277 171micah68 7 10 6 9 9 7 12 12 12 9 93 115.5 299 nhelterbrand 8 14 6 7 9 6 12 10 13 8 93 130 302 pauldude64 13 11 5 9 8 6 11 12 11 7 93 Iowa 121.5 307 Arthuro 9 13 6 8 9 6 11 13 12 6 93 92 350 CMU Maniac 13 8 6 9 9 8 12 12 9 7 93 107 358   11 11 6 10 9 7 11 8 12 8 93 115 371 Log30 7 10 6 9 10 7 12 12 11 9 93 111.5 387 rstlr 8 9 5 8 13 6 12 11 12 9 93 98.5 394   11 9 6 8 9 6 12 13 12 7 93 137.5 397 mbbrittain 10 8 7 10 10 6 11 12 11 8 93 114 406 kevyboy 13 12 4 8 12 4 10 12 10 8 93 119.5 448 churchwellct 8 9 7 13 8 6 8 12 10 12 93 124 455 MustangsForever 8 14 5 9 6 7 12 12 12 8 93 110.5 509 loganbosley 8 13 7 9 7 7 12 9 13 8 93 120 517 WildTurkey 7 12 5 9 8 7 12 12 9 12 93 122 535 claker23 9 12 10 9 9 7 9 9 8 11 93 108.5 587 RawPower 9 12 5 8 13 7 12 12 8 7 93 113.5 639 wrassler 12 8 5 10 7 6 11 13 13 8 93 127 682 drawnc 6 12 7 9 12 6 11 11 10 9 93 121 690 rpreston119 10 12 4 9 9 5 11 12 13 8 93 114 696 sabolizer 8 12 8 8 11 6 10 11 12 7 93 109.5 718 dereknagy 13 9 5 9 11 5 10 13 12 6 93 122.5 756 Mosley42 9 10 7 9 12 6 12 10 10 8 93 110 759   7 7 6 9 12 8 8 12 12 12 93 133 762 Greg165 13 11 7 9 7 6 11 13 9 7 93 121 774 strales152 11 9 6 9 9 7 11 12 11 8 93 137 848 Chad167 9 10 6 8 7 5 11 12 12 13 93 102.5 849 Half 7 11 6 9 11 6 11 13 12 7 93 123 866 garteaser4 12 10 5 8 8 6 11 12 13 8 93 114.5 876 michael moudy 9 11 7 6 13 6 6 13 10 12 93 122 878   8 10 7 8 8 8 11 11 13 9 93 112.5 886 jeffjanecky 6 13 6 7 8 7 12 13 13 8 93 121 890 hshscoach125 11 10 5 9 13 7 11 11 8 8 93 108 893 Socrates44 7 11 5 10 9 5 12 13 12 9 93 122 905 bjandrin98 7 14 6 8 9 7 12 12 9 9 93 116 909 00bingram 10 8 4 10 11 7 13 12 12 6 93 115 929 williamsale 10 9 9 7 7 7 11 8 14 11 93 101.5 935   10 9 10 7 12 6 11 8 12 8 93 108.5 958   8 12 5 10 13 6 11 11 9 8 93 115.5 981 tjcombo 8 11 6 10 11 7 11 12 10 7 93 130 991 NicholasBasile 11 9 6 9 9 7 11 11 12 8 93 112.5 1003 SF Wrestling 7 9 11 8 12 6 10 10 13 7 93 121.5 1062 judowrestler13 7 11 5 8 12 7 12 12 10 9 93 113 1092 swomack10 8 12 4 9 10 6 13 9 9 13 93 136 1105 caimen 9 11 6 7 13 8 12 9 9 9 93 115 1110   12 11 6 8 8 7 11 10 12 8 93 93 1121 kudos157 12 8 6 8 9 6 13 12 10 9 93 120 1168 mitwrestler 8 8 6 9 9 7 12 12 13 9 93 125 1172 MBuhr12 11 8 5 9 10 8 11 10 12 9 93 122.5 1206 edthedoober 12 11 5 8 9 7 10 11 8 12 93 125 1249 InjuryTO 11 10 5 10 10 5 11 10 12 9 93 102 (Iowa) 1255 Waggs 9 10 7 13 8 5 9 11 13 8 93 106.5 1296 millswrestle20 6 10 10 9 10 7 12 11 11 7 93 98.5 1310 thaxton 7 11 9 10 9 5 11 12 12 7 93 110.5 1316 Tasso 11 12 4 9 8 7 12 9 13 8 93 114 1318 wderrel 8 12 7 10 12 6 7 13 10 8 93 109 1353 jhogue 10 9 6 10 9 6 11 13 9 10 93 112 1400 donbuckeye 9 10 6 10 9 7 12 13 9 8 93 121 1404 kmaute 9 10 5 9 9 6 11 12 14 8 93 146 1408 alwaysgoforthegold 6 14 7 10 9 7 12 10 11 7 93 115 26 borgist 11 13 6 7 8 8 10 11 10 8 92 119.5 66 Piper 9 14 6 9 9 6 12 10 9 8 92 121 76 speedyshane 8 13 4 8 9 7 12 12 12 7 92 120 110 Chadley316 12 9 5 8 9 8 11 10 12 8 92 125 121 elifelts 9 9 6 9 9 4 12 12 14 8 92 108 124 schudmak 7 11 5 9 9 7 11 12 12 9 92 iowa 141 bucscoach142 6 13 5 10 8 6 11 12 13 8 92 108 166 broncoblueandorange 8 11 6 8 9 7 11 12 12 8 92 Iowa 109.5 169 laportej 9 12 6 10 9 7 9 12 9 9 92 123 211 wardo1970 9 9 6 8 8 6 11 11 12 12 92 101.5 217 Pin2Win13 10 12 6 8 9 6 8 10 14 9 92 126.5 268 imapopupguy 8 11 7 7 9 7 12 12 11 8 92 Iowa State 269 nlc9418 9 11 6 9 8 6 12 12 13 6 92 103.5 279 FUNANREAL 10 12 6 9 9 5 8 13 12 8 92 111.5 310 Legcradle 7 11 6 13 9 6 11 10 10 9 92 111.5 321 Kalamazoo 8 10 6 10 9 5 12 12 12 8 92 109.5 328 galante 10 12 6 10 9 6 10 12 9 8 92 iowa 109 341 ropeadope 9 9 6 9 10 5 12 13 12 7 92 101 364 joey5130 8 12 6 7 8 8 12 11 12 8 92 120 Iowa 372 JPwrestle 11 12 6 8 7 6 12 10 8 12 92 109 384 haddenjriley 7 11 10 10 8 5 11 11 10 9 92 103 393 jvanni32 7 11 10 8 8 6 9 9 12 12 92 115 403 gjfovf 10 10 6 8 8 7 8 13 9 13 92 120.5 416 scwrestling 9 8 10 8 8 5 11 12 13 8 92 iowa 121.5 423 dustin_west 11 13 5 9 8 6 11 9 11 9 92 111.5 434   11 8 5 10 11 7 8 13 12 7 92 135 452 luckylat333x 11 9 10 12 6 5 9 11 10 9 92 121.5 481 beh211 8 12 3 9 10 7 12 12 8 11 92 97 488 stp 8 13 5 7 9 6 12 13 10 9 92 Iowa 111 497 mikeloveswrestling 12 12 5 7 10 4 7 13 13 9 92 123.5 504 docmartin 11 13 5 7 8 6 11 13 10 8 92 98.5 514   9 9 7 10 11 4 11 12 10 9 92 120 549 jhanse 8 12 5 8 12 3 15 14 10 5 92 94.5 559 fuckiowa 8 11 9 9 10 7 12 13 6 7 92 152.5 568 scramble14 11 12 7 9 8 5 11 12 9 8 92 114 586 SikeD 8 9 7 11 10 4 11 12 9 11 92 112 598 borowrestler11 8 13 8 9 12 6 6 9 13 8 92 114.5 609 Catfur7 9 10 6 9 8 5 11 12 13 9 92 125 634 Mark 7 11 6 8 8 6 11 12 13 10 92 102 637 acchokie 8 15 5 10 9 6 12 10 10 7 92 126.5 659 dguyette 12 9 4 9 12 6 11 11 11 7 92 107.5 707 Nasty09 8 11 6 9 9 5 9 13 14 8 92 iowa 112 717 jbeach 8 14 6 9 8 7 12 12 9 7 92 120 721 burtonbrady 8 9 7 9 9 8 11 11 8 12 92 112 723 hwt1975 9 13 5 9 9 7 12 10 11 7 92 Iowa 120 725 ewreck9 8 13 5 9 9 6 12 12 9 9 92 124.5 751 Jozabad43 8 8 6 10 10 5 12 13 13 7 92 106.7 763 wrestledk 9 11 4 10 10 8 13 11 9 7 92 92.5 796 lwb 9 11 5 9 8 7 9 12 14 8 92 125 801 steveheim30 8 12 4 10 12 7 9 12 12 6 92 103 829 nealharris 7 14 5 9 8 7 11 12 10 9 92 112 854 goblue 9 12 5 9 13 5 12 11 9 7 92 105 892 ty184 9 8 5 9 9 4 12 11 13 12 92 124.5 924 sjm10834 7 14 5 9 8 7 12 11 10 9 92 Iowa 159.5 1046 Susan Knox 10 14 5 8 12 7 6 11 10 9 92 114.2 1079 kjwatson 12 10 5 9 8 7 12 11 11 7 92 111.5 1102   9 14 7 9 9 5 12 9 10 8 92 124.5 1106   9 8 7 9 12 5 11 10 12 9 92 130 1116 cp308 8 11 5 9 13 8 8 13 10 7 92 121.5 1118 otis45 10 13 4 9 8 7 12 8 13 8 92 iowa 111 1125 josh arnone 11 9 7 7 9 8 9 12 11 9 92 109 1178 mgford6154 9 14 7 9 11 5 8 12 9 8 92 103.5 1245 Wolftrap 9 12 5 8 9 6 12 10 12 9 92 134 1271 bigD881952 9 12 8 8 8 5 10 11 11 10 92 112 1281 LostinTexas 10 12 5 8 8 6 12 13 9 9 92 120.5 1292 theclasher9 12 7 5 9 8 7 12 12 13 7 92 108.5 1293 kodiakwrstlr7 10 7 4 9 12 6 11 12 13 8 92 120 1329 MDwrestlingfan 10 12 5 9 11 5 9 10 9 12 92 110 1342 vsnej 10 12 4 9 8 6 8 13 13 9 92 120.5 1357 mbeshey 8 11 7 8 9 7 13 11 10 8 92 131 1391 nickgatchell 8 13 4 8 13 7 12 10 9 8 92 112.5 1401 mhweber 11 9 7 8 10 6 11 11 12 7 92 112 1407 STAG921 7 13 6 8 7 6 12 10 13 10 92 121 1416 isaacburger 8 10 9 9 8 7 11 9 13 8 92 114 1440 keppywrestler 7 11 6 6 14 5 12 12 10 9 92 Iowa 18 aschneider 11 13 6 8 9 7 11 10 8 8 91 99 32 wemartin08 9 12 7 7 8 6 12 12 10 8 91 108 63 ccg71 8 12 5 9 8 4 13 13 11 8 91 109.5 87 eric125 9 9 6 9 9 5 11 13 12 8 91 Iowa 110 117 dressler 9 12 5 9 9 5 11 12 12 7 91 121.5 160 oliver069 10 12 5 8 9 4 10 12 13 8 91 113.5 204 Cal Poly Martin 11 6 6 9 9 7 12 12 10 9 91 98.5 241 AZliberty 8 8 6 10 9 7 11 13 11 8 91 124 252 trevstan22 10 7 5 10 8 6 12 12 12 9 91 Iowa with 134 266 herbrussell 9 14 6 8 8 7 11 10 10 8 91 105 293 cookcu 8 13 5 9 8 8 11 10 11 8 91 111.5 301 Chriscarlino 11 10 5 10 10 5 11 10 6 13 91 113 305   8 9 5 8 9 7 12 11 10 12 91 121.5 375 larryotsuka 9 10 5 9 11 4 11 13 8 11 91 102 377 matma006 7 13 7 8 8 7 13 10 9 9 91 114.5 407 jwwrestling 11 11 5 8 7 7 11 10 11 10 91 Iowa 132 points 414 e_wilson 8 8 10 7 13 5 8 12 10 10 91 107 443 cman47573 8 13 6 8 11 5 8 11 13 8 91 112.5 451 wesleyrosamilia 7 12 5 10 12 6 0 13 14 12 91 105 454 jdmp10 7 13 7 10 9 5 12 11 9 8 91 112 458 cnrambo165 8 8 10 7 8 6 12 11 12 9 91 138.5 519 sandman130 11 12 6 8 12 6 8 12 9 7 91 122.5 531 ohiocore 8 13 6 10 8 6 11 12 9 8 91 112.5 540 C-Phunk 8 10 7 8 11 6 12 9 8 12 91 109.5 550 hernando23 8 10 10 9 7 7 6 13 13 8 91 113.5 558 mikep 11 12 9 9 13 6 11 6 8 6 91 131 567 dozer141 6 9 7 9 8 7 12 11 13 9 91 129.5 624 NDSteelers 9 9 5 8 8 6 12 12 13 9 91 110 652 Takedown520 13 12 5 9 7 5 9 12 10 9 91 125.5 660 ajvogel 14 7 6 7 9 5 12 12 11 8 91 123 664 hhsmasontilt 7 14 9 10 7 6 8 10 11 9 91 120.5 672 sara/kate 9 11 7 8 7 7 8 11 12 11 91 112.5 676 bigpappa85 12 8 7 7 9 5 10 12 10 11 91 97 716 slimpinner 8 9 5 9 9 7 11 12 12 9 91 120 731 JimP 12 10 9 7 11 5 8 9 14 6 91 112 739 bthuney 7 10 6 8 9 7 10 13 13 8 91 114 779 sjwrestler09 8 11 5 9 9 7 12 10 12 8 91 110.5 791 stonemetz 8 14 4 8 8 7 11 10 12 9 91 120.5 805 thomas_grappler 10 10 7 8 9 5 12 9 12 9 91 112 843 icutch14 10 10 7 9 9 7 12 11 8 8 91 128.5 925 drob 12 10 6 10 7 6 11 11 9 9 91 112.5 932 sdmatfan 12 13 7 8 7 7 11 12 8 6 91 105.5 939 Rob Walkowiak 8 12 5 9 8 7 12 12 9 9 91 125.5 941 greenheads 8 14 6 7 8 7 12 11 11 7 91 104.5 950 curtlangley 8 12 7 7 12 7 11 7 12 8 91 129 985 johnbrooks 7 10 6 8 13 6 12 10 10 9 91 114.5 1006 rueckle 8 13 10 9 9 6 7 12 10 7 91 129 1022 rynop18 6 9 6 9 12 7 11 12 11 8 91 126.5 1027 msims 12 9 4 9 12 6 8 11 13 7 91 129.5 1042 mattygsmitty 8 11 4 8 12 6 12 12 12 6 91 1 1081 ssentes 8 14 10 7 8 5 12 10 8 9 91 119 1086 ccraiders 8 13 6 9 9 7 12 11 8 8 91 110.5 1094 jm8228 8 13 4 7 9 7 11 11 13 8 91 111.5 1099 jjhornets 9 13 5 9 10 6 11 11 10 7 91 115.5 1104 nicolopez 9 10 5 9 7 8 11 14 10 8 91 110 1123 redmonkey 8 11 5 10 11 6 8 12 12 8 91 100 1148 Nuch1507 8 9 7 10 7 4 13 12 13 8 91 110.5 1152 egerber 8 13 4 8 10 6 12 12 12 6 91 125.5 1171 oldtimer 8 13 4 9 9 5 12 11 9 11 91 108 1180 carter133 11 7 5 9 9 6 11 11 13 9 91 99.5 1190 protege191 8 13 5 9 10 6 12 11 9 8 91 108.5 1222 Eric_Schubert 9 10 7 9 12 6 11 12 9 6 91 110.5 1228 navy84 8 11 10 8 9 6 8 10 13 8 91 iowa 109.5 1240 peter_huddleston 8 8 5 8 8 4 12 12 14 12 91 87.5 1256 boblute 9 9 8 9 12 6 11 11 9 7 91 109 1280 damonkeydad 8 9 7 9 7 8 12 11 12 8 91 132 1358 coachz 8 8 10 8 12 5 12 11 10 7 91 112 1363 lwikel 7 11 10 9 8 6 12 11 12 5 91 132 1448 jotobias 7 14 7 8 9 6 11 12 8 9 91 112.5 10 mhm296 12 12 4 8 8 7 12 11 8 8 90 104.5 13 heavybreather 9 14 6 9 10 3 11 10 10 8 90 112 68 Yokota_Japan 7 11 6 10 9 6 11 12 9 9 90 124 83 mdiet22 7 12 7 10 9 7 12 8 9 9 90 114 109 1lbover 13 7 5 8 9 7 11 12 11 7 90 120 119 jhonen140dirge 11 10 5 8 9 7 11 8 13 8 90 Iowa 144 swarm123 8 11 7 8 8 7 10 11 12 8 90 Iowa. 111 151 cpsu197 10 7 7 11 10 5 13 12 8 7 90 105 198 joemauser 8 10 5 7 9 5 12 11 14 9 90 122.5 236 nmbr1buckfan4 10 10 6 8 9 7 10 12 9 9 90 98.5 250 NickP125 7 12 6 9 9 4 12 7 12 12 90 Iowa 105.5 263 thuss05 12 9 5 10 9 5 12 11 9 8 90 Iowa with 122.5 270 chasev619 9 12 6 8 9 6 9 10 13 8 90 116.5 306 zipkin149 12 9 4 9 9 6 12 12 9 8 90 100 322 jbdckid 8 9 7 10 9 6 11 12 9 9 90 120.5 324 YHSwrestler2010 8 10 6 8 9 5 11 12 13 8 90 110.5 326 hoochcoach1 9 14 6 8 9 5 11 11 10 7 90 122.5 345 bveasey 9 10 6 10 8 5 12 10 12 8 90 99.9 374 tbag77 13 9 5 8 7 6 12 11 12 7 90 106.5 380 paladin 7 12 6 9 6 7 12 11 11 9 90 115 424 nevie 12 9 5 8 9 6 11 11 11 8 90 95 462 kjb0505 12 10 4 9 6 5 10 13 13 8 90 120 471 sjeromy 12 13 6 7 8 4 11 12 8 9 90 112 491 fatboris 11 7 4 9 12 6 12 9 13 7 90 123.5 513 brandonpen 8 11 7 8 10 5 9 11 13 8 90 121.5 524 jkm5779 10 10 5 9 10 6 9 11 12 8 90 113.6 527 blooddrunklion 7 8 10 8 8 7 10 11 12 9 90 134.5 528 sebber123 9 11 5 9 8 7 11 11 8 11 90 124.5 551 wct83101 10 10 6 10 8 6 9 9 13 9 90 120.3 552 jerseyboys 8 13 4 9 9 7 11 11 10 8 90 Iowa 112.8 553 bcan 8 9 5 10 8 5 11 13 13 8 90 132.5 566 crossfitswat 7 13 3 8 10 5 13 11 11 9 90 121 580 algred 9 10 5 8 9 7 12 10 13 7 90 110 614 osmith 7 14 7 8 9 5 9 11 12 8 90 102 628 lilmatrats 12 7 5 8 10 7 11 12 11 7 90 115 649 FightingIrish 7 13 6 8 10 4 12 11 11 8 90 115.5 681 beeasy157 7 9 7 8 12 6 12 10 8 11 90 Iowa 140.5 685 carsten 9 9 4 9 10 7 11 12 8 11 90 124.5 687 kehs 11 12 6 7 6 6 11 10 12 9 90 110 695 trappero0 10 10 4 6 12 8 11 11 11 7 90 102 700 Mahi1 10 10 5 10 7 5 10 12 12 9 90 107.5 710 samhal8 8 9 5 8 9 7 11 12 12 9 90 Iowa 726 Crappieman04 8 9 4 9 8 6 11 14 12 9 90 104 737 Dirtybubble 9 8 8 9 12 6 9 12 11 6 90 121.5 738 joeyMAC215 9 11 6 10 7 8 11 10 9 9 90 148.5 758 sclough 9 7 5 9 9 7 12 13 11 8 90 126.5 764 aaronboucher 12 10 6 9 8 5 11 12 11 6 90 125 772 BrianBecher 8 10 10 8 10 5 10 10 12 7 90 111 847 cmonkey 12 8 6 8 12 4 6 13 12 9 90 136 885 coachrank 11 12 5 7 9 5 12 10 12 7 90 112.5 901 coachcheney 10 12 6 9 10 6 11 9 9 8 90 97 910 cyclonecoach 13 9 6 9 8 7 9 12 10 7 90 106.5 922 coachfischer 11 9 5 9 8 5 9 12 13 9 90 105 946 mouthatsouth 7 11 10 0 12 6 12 10 11 11 90 121.5 978 abuhasan 6 14 5 10 8 5 13 12 8 9 90 121 998 ahelmich 8 9 10 10 8 6 11 11 9 8 90 124 1004 scharfenberger 7 9 5 10 11 8 11 11 12 6 90 111.5 1017   11 13 6 6 12 7 9 4 13 9 90 98.5 1021 kckage7 9 12 6 7 13 5 10 6 13 9 90 112.5 1023 ajpbrooks 10 10 5 9 9 6 12 7 13 9 90 103.5 1030 beerke01 7 9 5 9 8 7 12 12 12 9 90 110.5 1040 tbaugh 7 13 6 8 8 5 11 10 11 11 90 119 1075 pcarte74 12 10 6 7 6 5 11 12 13 8 90 Iowa 120 1080 kkearney171 8 13 10 8 8 5 8 11 13 6 90 109 1084 gratz1983 11 11 6 8 7 7 13 8 12 7 90 99.5 1090 hammen 8 10 7 9 10 5 11 11 8 11 90 112 1141 Justin 11 9 5 9 9 6 11 9 12 9 90 108.5 1156 ryan thompson 5 13 5 10 8 5 9 13 13 9 90 106 1159 CoachDavis 7 11 9 7 9 6 11 10 8 12 90 114.5 1175 colbykenney 11 7 7 7 8 7 11 11 12 9 90 119 1204 ELO560 8 10 6 8 12 6 11 10 12 7 90 110.5 1208 Mwrestler09 11 15 5 8 9 6 8 9 10 9 90 119.5 1216 wise guy 8 13 6 8 8 7 11 10 13 6 90 113.5 1266 conchcoach 7 9 5 8 13 7 12 11 10 8 90 iowa 122 1295 taigakoda 8 9 5 9 12 7 9 13 10 8 90 125.5 1344 bfish140 10 8 10 8 12 4 11 11 10 6 90 119.5 1346 Bartman 8 10 10 7 8 5 12 11 12 7 90 110 1349 wakefieldcoach 8 9 9 8 12 8 11 11 8 6 90 130.5 1359 bmuir 13 8 4 8 12 3 12 12 12 6 90 123 1380 viratas 9 9 4 9 10 7 12 12 10 8 90 109 1383 coach mcvige 12 9 4 10 12 6 10 10 9 8 90 105 1430 pirchcj 12 10 8 6 8 6 10 10 13 7 90 110 28 Anonymous Coward 9 10 5 9 9 7 12 11 9 8 89 120.5 38 Benjamin 13 9 5 7 9 7 11 11 9 8 89 130 50 hansna 8 10 6 9 9 6 10 13 11 7 89 123.5 102 tcole14 11 10 6 8 9 5 11 12 8 9 89 120 115 jpresley1234 9 8 6 8 9 4 12 11 11 11 89 123 152 idahopanhandle 9 7 5 7 9 6 12 11 13 10 89 101 173 MattFrucht 8 9 7 8 9 7 11 11 12 7 89 113 199 crusaderwrestling 8 10 6 9 9 6 12 12 9 8 89 119 223 stully 10 9 6 8 9 7 12 10 10 8 89 121.5 232 matrat157 8 12 5 6 9 7 11 14 10 7 89 173 244 jacob klein 7 13 5 9 9 7 11 12 8 8 89 105 278 thirstine 9 6 6 7 9 6 11 13 10 12 89 128 283 ot3 8 11 6 9 9 7 11 13 10 5 89 116 284 ready2wrestle 9 8 5 7 9 7 13 11 13 7 89 134 286 duranSD 11 10 6 7 8 7 11 8 13 8 89 125.5 298 larsen171 8 14 6 8 9 5 9 12 10 8 89 110.5 351 dail9039 7 9 6 10 10 6 11 12 9 9 89 120.5 357 GJensen 12 7 4 8 9 6 11 12 12 8 89 120 362 dustinmm4 7 11 6 8 9 7 11 12 11 7 89 102.5 368 Zach White 8 8 4 9 10 7 11 11 13 8 89 116 399 Fat Al 7 10 9 9 8 6 11 8 13 8 89 112 420 barcarn22 9 11 4 9 11 5 10 11 11 8 89 114 422 keldric08 8 9 7 6 12 7 10 12 9 9 89 Iowa 436 jkreamy 8 12 5 9 7 7 9 12 12 8 89 Iowa Wins 126.5 438 vegascop 8 11 6 10 9 6 11 9 12 7 89 111.5 442 2017 8 10 5 9 12 6 9 11 11 8 89 Iowa 130 449 wrsl141 7 9 5 8 8 6 11 12 11 12 89 114 453 drouillard119 9 10 6 7 8 8 11 10 13 7 89 108 494 beachkid 12 12 6 9 7 6 10 9 11 7 89 112.5 506 Tallicafan 12 12 5 9 7 7 12 7 10 8 89 114.5 565 markf 7 13 5 9 8 7 12 12 7 9 89 108.5 595 wpfggold214 10 11 10 8 8 6 9 12 7 8 89 113.5 600 hansem07 8 10 7 8 12 6 8 10 12 8 89 107.5 610 swivelhips19 11 7 6 9 13 7 11 6 12 7 89 109 615 chlada75 8 10 9 9 7 6 8 10 13 9 89 111.5 630 lammergeier 8 8 10 8 6 4 13 10 14 8 89 105 638 tschwartz307 8 13 5 8 9 6 11 11 10 8 89 134 647 Shawnsil89 10 14 7 8 8 4 13 8 7 10 89 113 656 tedhsmith 12 10 6 10 9 4 10 11 8 9 89 114 657 jngf1 14 11 3 10 11 6 11 7 8 8 89 115 730 octupus44 11 10 7 8 7 8 11 10 9 8 89 127 753 ledemonwrestling 10 13 6 10 10 5 0 13 10 12 89 118 773 thetruth3450 11 11 6 7 8 5 10 12 11 8 89 118 800 hanbil 10 8 5 11 8 7 11 11 9 9 89 125 825 collettb 7 10 6 10 13 5 12 10 9 7 89 109 845 cywainwright 8 10 4 9 8 7 12 11 12 8 89 121 879 Kansky 8 12 5 10 8 7 11 8 13 7 89 121 920 lkeleher 10 12 3 10 9 6 12 9 8 10 89 112 921 bpweber5 12 12 10 9 8 6 12 9 7 4 89 125 940 RayRentler 8 13 4 9 10 7 11 10 7 10 89 111 953 Dragon44 9 12 5 8 8 6 11 11 13 6 89 IOWA 111.5 956 sbagnowski 8 7 7 8 10 6 12 12 12 7 89 114 957 smallie20 8 11 4 9 9 6 11 11 9 11 89 115 971 Yosemite Sam 9 8 4 8 12 8 11 11 10 8 89 130 972 mike4w 8 14 5 8 9 6 11 9 13 6 89 135 993 matburns 11 13 5 7 9 7 11 7 10 9 89 118 996 trent2256 7 13 7 8 10 6 12 9 8 9 89 110 1002 samut50 7 8 11 8 9 6 12 11 12 5 89 120 1011 hogg103 8 8 7 8 10 6 8 13 12 9 89 123 1015 52pounddog 9 9 5 9 12 7 8 10 11 9 89 123 1077 Allamerican 8 10 7 8 8 6 11 13 9 9 89 129.5 1083 matty 12 9 5 9 10 6 10 10 11 7 89 1130   13 6 10 7 7 7 7 11 10 11 89 121.5 1170 jdicicco 7 11 5 9 12 7 9 11 9 9 89 112 1181 alexkontz 9 13 5 10 13 7 0 12 11 9 89 1194 coachrob 7 13 7 8 12 5 12 10 9 6 89 121.5 1227 grant87 11 12 4 7 8 5 12 12 11 7 89 122 1246 coachtoma 6 13 4 7 7 7 11 13 13 8 89 91.5 1267 tiahnaleigh 7 10 9 8 9 7 11 10 9 9 89 114 1283 tenpenn2 7 10 4 9 13 7 10 11 11 7 89 102.5 1300 e_wilson 9 11 4 8 10 7 11 11 10 8 89 112 1313 prillz 12 12 6 8 9 4 10 10 9 9 89 105 1334 blunderbuss 7 11 10 6 10 6 11 7 12 9 89 107.5 1364 bgoodman 11 11 4 9 9 7 11 11 9 7 89 115.5 1394 circuitrider 12 10 5 8 6 5 11 12 13 7 89 127 1405 grizzwrestling 10 8 5 9 8 7 12 10 12 8 89 126.5 1411 josh.. 8 9 6 8 11 7 8 11 9 12 89 108.5 1418 dtripp26 9 7 9 9 9 6 12 10 9 9 89 142 1431 ChrisElliott149 6 10 10 9 6 6 7 13 11 11 89 115.5 1435 dsandoval112 9 14 7 8 8 6 8 8 12 9 89 105.5 1437 RangerMoody 9 10 5 7 9 6 12 12 12 7 89 Iowa 100 44 smittyfan 7 9 6 10 9 4 11 12 13 7 88 149 53 Kneepick12 7 8 6 10 9 6 14 10 9 9 88 112 79 mikeyosu 8 10 5 10 9 7 11 11 9 8 88 132.5 97   9 10 6 8 10 4 11 10 13 7 88 120.5 122 fcimato 9 11 6 10 8 6 7 12 11 8 88 123.5 128 parks3215 11 10 6 8 9 5 11 9 12 7 88 114.5 135 wrestlingmaster3 6 12 5 8 9 5 12 12 10 9 88 121 138 DylanMarriott 9 9 5 9 9 6 8 13 12 8 88 121.5 140 NJ1234 8 8 5 9 9 5 12 12 12 8 88 121.5 154 st.p73 10 8 6 10 9 7 12 12 7 7 88 112.5 156 touchfall 10 9 6 9 9 7 12 10 8 8 88 Iowa 112.5 187 Barrios 10 10 6 9 10 5 11 11 9 7 88 131 188 Bulldawg345 8 10 7 8 9 5 11 11 12 7 88 87.5 194 lurshy92 11 7 6 9 8 7 8 12 11 9 88 202 guest 10 10 6 8 9 7 9 12 8 9 88 121 207 liwrestler7171 9 9 7 8 9 6 10 11 10 9 88 113.5 214 64018 7 13 6 9 9 6 8 9 13 8 88 118 234 blastdouble 8 7 6 9 8 6 12 12 12 8 88 Iowa 125.5 242 lexusmexicano 8 10 7 9 9 5 12 10 9 9 88 Iowa 256 redwingcoach 9 9 6 10 9 7 12 10 8 8 88 124.5 292 ksellar 9 10 5 9 8 5 11 10 13 8 88 113.5 367 FrostyDB 8 7 5 9 8 6 12 11 13 9 88 125 489 rocmi01 9 9 5 8 10 7 12 11 9 8 88 100 530 egghead 10 11 5 8 9 6 12 11 9 7 88 112.5 532 clubchamp 9 9 5 9 12 7 10 13 8 6 88 126.5 538 SF112 9 9 10 9 7 6 10 8 12 8 88 iwoa 120 541 dawgworthy 11 10 6 9 7 5 11 12 8 9 88 115 571 takedown57 7 12 7 9 13 7 9 7 10 7 88 iowa 104 613 brandspankinew1 12 9 6 8 7 7 13 11 7 8 88 Iowa 625 rizzo 7 8 5 9 10 6 11 12 14 6 88 122 654 ahull 12 8 9 9 10 6 9 9 8 8 88 130 734 barnsy 9 9 6 10 13 4 10 11 9 7 88 105 th="32" height="15">744 jensma02 8 8 10 10 8 7 11 12 8 6 88 109.5 757 BradBaker 12 8 5 8 10 7 12 11 7 8 88 120 765 eclipsegut 9 10 5 9 11 5 9 10 11 9 88 Iowa 122.5 771 mparriosh 12 8 10 8 7 7 10 13 5 8 88 133 816 wrestlingone 10 9 5 10 9 7 11 12 8 7 88 110 859 jdparker 8 9 6 7 10 4 13 13 12 6 88 124 868 duckster25 10 7 5 8 9 7 11 11 13 7 88 121.5 902 mrdhatch 8 12 6 8 9 7 10 12 8 8 88 116 904 mmotherway 10 13 5 8 7 7 11 10 10 7 88 Iowa 105.5 914 devante125 12 8 5 9 8 6 10 10 12 8 88 128 937 veryvolunteer 10 10 8 8 11 4 11 11 6 9 88 98 1028   5 9 5 8 10 7 12 12 13 7 88 101.5 1044 duvie_125 8 13 5 9 9 3 9 12 12 8 88 111.5 1071 mjpatrick19 8 12 6 9 10 7 12 13 3 8 88 121 1113 tonetroc 8 10 5 9 9 7 13 11 9 7 88 127.5 1144 florox 9 9 6 6 9 7 11 10 13 8 88 98 1145 Mann Fairbanks 7 13 5 8 12 5 7 11 13 7 88 114 1160 cbasich 8 10 5 9 11 6 8 11 13 7 88 130 1161 literaldrop 9 15 5 9 9 6 9 9 9 8 88 115.5 1234 jasonpreus 8 13 6 6 8 6 12 12 8 9 88 119 1268 Atilla 7 8 10 7 8 8 12 12 9 7 88 121 1309 iammaxpower 8 14 6 8 9 5 9 12 11 6 88 129 1315 coachrollins 10 9 4 8 11 5 6 12 12 11 88 124.5 1332 macen304 11 9 11 8 10 6 4 10 12 7 88 215 1337 Captjack 8 10 6 9 12 5 11 10 9 8 88 104.5 1374 Bceng99 14 9 6 10 9 7 0 11 9 13 88 102.5 1377 morphine1978 7 11 7 10 7 7 11 12 9 7 88 112 1378 camels125 8 13 6 9 9 6 0 12 13 12 88 118 1389 cloneu 8 11 8 8 6 7 11 11 12 6 88 113 1403 jdw244 8 9 10 8 7 6 13 9 9 9 88 114 39 Triggaman 8 7 5 10 9 7 12 13 7 9 87 123 57 cheeks 8 7 5 9 9 6 9 13 12 9 87 129.5 103 Dfish 7 10 4 8 9 6 11 12 10 10 87 112 105 Hawkeyes 6 8 6 10 9 6 12 12 10 8 87 Iowa 132.5 155 ruppt 6 13 6 7 9 6 11 11 10 8 87 115.5 216 dont have one 7 10 6 9 9 5 9 8 12 12 87 120 226 psu20 9 8 6 8 8 5 11 12 11 9 87 154.5 274 aaronernest 8 13 6 8 10 8 0 12 13 9 87 102.5 313 stealyphil223 8 11 5 8 8 5 12 12 11 7 87 126.5 314 mohawk09 12 11 6 9 9 7 9 9 8 7 87 113.5 318 maximilian 9 11 6 9 8 5 11 9 12 7 87 111 320 Ryan038 8 8 5 8 9 7 11 12 12 7 87 123.5 329 pokemonmaster 10 13 6 9 9 7 8 6 10 9 87 94.5 331 4N coach 11 7 6 8 9 6 12 12 10 6 87 107.5 376 dholmes120h 7 10 9 9 8 5 11 10 9 9 87 110 381 coachbrining 9 14 6 7 7 5 8 11 12 8 87 108 390 kevinscrazy 12 14 4 9 7 5 12 5 9 10 87 110 400 nolanstern 10 10 9 8 8 6 6 12 11 7 87 110 426 dtran103 9 9 10 9 13 7 0 9 13 8 87 111.5 465 vwilli5751 8 10 9 9 10 3 7 13 12 6 87 Iowa 113.5 469 Elbowpass189 10 8 5 7 7 7 10 13 10 10 87 112.5 470 dlanterman 8 7 5 9 8 6 12 12 11 9 87 121 472 jeffreyj 8 11 5 10 10 5 12 10 9 7 87 120 510 balboa7 13 8 5 7 10 4 7 14 11 8 87 125 526 The Buda 11 8 9 8 9 4 11 8 12 7 87 110 564 abg125 10 9 7 7 8 8 10 10 11 7 87 122 641 mkelley 7 9 5 8 9 6 11 11 12 9 87 98 698 coreysdad 7 9 7 7 14 5 8 8 12 10 87 IOWA 137 736 The Scientist 8 7 6 7 10 5 7 11 14 12 87 117 742 chawk72 8 12 7 7 11 6 7 12 8 9 87 106 766 kmata 8 9 7 9 8 6 11 10 10 9 87 111.5 777 tstjoh 8 9 5 7 10 7 12 10 12 7 87 126 781 CoachMasse 9 8 5 9 9 6 13 12 9 7 87 134.5 812 ftd55 12 8 5 8 9 6 12 12 8 7 87 112 828 MDBuckeye 7 12 5 8 7 5 11 13 12 7 87 123 832 big_g 8 9 5 7 9 6 12 11 13 7 87 129.5 883 cklever 12 8 4 8 10 7 8 8 10 12 87 120.5 888 jopfer 11 8 4 9 8 6 11 10 12 8 87 112 916 dietzengl 7 12 5 8 8 6 11 12 10 8 87 125.5 928 dhinkel 8 11 5 10 10 5 13 12 7 6 87 133 944 shruggs215 8 12 5 9 12 7 0 13 12 9 87 120.2 994 vhaug 10 9 4 8 9 6 12 13 7 9 87 119.5 1016 perkyjerky 9 8 7 9 8 4 10 11 12 9 87 98.5 1019 lwwrestling98 9 9 5 10 6 8 11 12 8 9 87 103 1043 hofman19 12 7 4 10 7 4 11 12 12 8 87 115.5 (Iowa) 1055 elhswg93 3 13 6 8 8 7 12 11 10 9 87 139 1182 dpgupton 8 10 4 9 9 7 12 11 10 7 87 112 1218 YTS 6 12 4 9 9 6 13 11 12 5 87 123 1237 miamis77 11 8 7 10 11 7 9 7 10 7 87 122 1254 cougardt123 12 10 4 10 10 7 10 10 7 7 87 121.5 1273 ajstevens100 11 12 5 9 13 5 0 12 11 9 87 135 1275 t2nf3 7 11 5 9 8 7 12 11 9 8 87 113.5 1287 jwwreslting 8 12 5 10 7 6 7 11 10 11 87 Iowa 132 1294 achilles38 7 10 6 9 8 7 11 8 13 8 87 Iowa 124 1306 wrestler527 9 13 5 9 9 4 12 11 8 7 87 130.5 1323 2XCHAMP 6 9 5 10 12 7 11 11 9 7 87 138 1339 mdorf125 12 13 7 8 9 7 8 6 10 7 87 121.5 1343 103 8 10 10 8 9 6 9 11 9 7 87 122.5 1356 LEGNFA 8 10 6 10 9 5 12 11 9 7 87 108.5 1365 william 7 7 5 9 8 8 10 11 13 9 87 1379 145champ02 9 8 5 8 11 5 8 13 12 8 87 103.5 1387 jasonkahlstorf 8 8 4 9 13 8 7 11 11 8 87 125 1390 SRau 10 9 5 10 9 4 12 11 8 9 87 114.5 1425 gnjanes 8 9 7 8 12 6 9 10 12 6 87 108 1426 honestabe 7 12 5 7 9 8 12 6 12 9 87 107 59 greco 9 13 6 9 9 7 12 12 0 9 86 117.5 61 mafia42 6 9 6 9 8 7 9 12 13 7 86 117.8 108 kamahl 9 11 5 9 8 5 6 13 12 8 86 102 123 KevinC4583 10 10 5 6 9 4 11 12 9 10 86 Iowa 182 steckster1 11 9 5 8 9 5 11 9 13 6 86 Iowa 183 Cody Shubert 3 9 6 10 9 7 11 13 10 8 86 121.5 205 THUNDERGODxx 7 12 6 8 9 7 11 9 8 9 86 112.5 238   8 10 6 10 9 6 8 10 12 7 86 129 260 wiswrestler187 7 8 6 10 9 5 11 12 7 11 86 iowa 120.5 275   7 7 7 9 9 7 11 12 10 7 86 127.5 312 adam93 6 11 5 8 8 7 12 12 8 9 86 140 348 robu 9 6 6 8 9 5 14 11 12 6 86 120 369 panther13o4 6 9 11 11 8 6 11 12 7 5 86 138 425 vonkrieger 11 12 6 7 8 6 11 7 9 9 86 113.5 450 jstickel 7 7 10 8 8 5 12 10 11 8 86 139 492 Buffett 8 11 6 8 9 5 7 11 8 13 86 136 499 Bubba21 10 12 5 8 7 7 12 9 9 7 86 102.5 533 scott_collins 11 9 6 7 9 5 9 10 12 8 86 128 547 twoshot07 8 10 6 7 7 8 11 11 11 7 86 Iowa 619 JOsh 8 10 10 7 8 5 11 6 12 9 86 127.5 640   7 7 5 8 8 7 12 12 13 7 86 108.5 665 milo165 7 10 10 7 12 6 9 7 9 9 86 128.5 671 ironwill 13 10 5 9 8 6 11 8 8 8 86 119 679 davemiller6 9 7 6 8 11 6 11 13 8 7 86 113 689 jperyea 13 12 5 7 6 5 11 11 9 7 86 110 732 vixiim 6 9 6 9 12 6 7 11 13 7 86 132 750 mlevanti 8 6 5 10 6 6 10 11 10 14 86 129.5 809 rick charlton 8 10 4 10 8 5 12 12 10 7 86 126 839 scott sanchez 9 13 7 7 7 6 12 10 7 8 86 Iowa 125 880 mustangman 11 8 6 8 9 6 8 10 13 7 86 122 898 brettmcb 8 11 4 9 10 6 11 11 8 8 86 120 918 samy 7 8 6 9 9 8 11 10 11 7 86 122.5 930 derekkoenig 9 5 4 7 11 8 11 13 12 6 86 Iowa 964   8 10 5 7 8 7 11 9 12 9 86 114.3 974 kbrat4th1 12 7 5 9 7 6 11 10 12 7 86 Iowa 130 983 coachskid 7 9 5 8 8 7 11 13 10 8 86 126 989 Luke3 9 9 4 9 10 6 11 12 8 8 86 104.5 992 mzovistoski 10 9 6 7 11 7 10 8 10 8 86 119 1020   11 10 5 8 10 5 11 7 10 9 86 Iowa 1033 35lber 10 12 5 7 12 7 10 8 7 8 86 123.5 1053 sneed 9 11 5 9 9 5 11 11 9 7 86 115.5 1074   7 9 5 8 12 5 12 8 13 7 86 125.8 1135 Alexjabaley 9 14 5 8 10 6 12 6 9 7 86 Iowa 1136 ricktart 12 14 10 8 6 5 0 12 13 6 86 111.5 1137 cyclone88 9 7 9 6 10 5 12 11 10 7 86 123.5 1158 Superman_Wrestle 9 8 6 9 12 7 11 11 6 7 86 114.5 1187 tigerride 7 10 5 10 8 7 11 13 9 6 86 112 1193 bob vanwinkle 9 13 5 10 9 6 0 12 13 9 86 121.5 iowa 1198 jbru167 11 12 5 8 8 6 10 10 8 8 86 122.5 1211 deferebee 9 11 10 8 9 5 7 10 9 8 86 116.5 1241 mjo125 12 7 4 10 8 6 12 12 8 7 86 114 1308 tvelez11 9 9 10 9 7 5 8 12 10 7 86 110.5 1311 mjdevine 7 11 9 9 6 7 10 9 9 9 86 115 1312 Rstegmaier 6 10 9 9 8 6 7 11 12 8 86 103 1322 LeaandJeff 5 10 5 8 9 6 11 10 13 9 86 101.5 1352 wahlert 7 9 7 8 8 7 12 10 12 6 86 115 1436 jkck 11 7 5 10 8 4 10 13 10 8 86 121.5 30 alex thomas 8 8 6 9 9 6 9 12 9 9 85 122 148 runt 5 11 5 6 9 6 11 13 12 7 85 iowa-125.5 165 OSU Fan 7 11 5 9 8 6 8 11 11 9 85 113.5 184 hvathlete51 8 9 5 10 9 6 11 10 6 11 85 115 185 prineville 5 12 6 8 9 5 11 11 11 7 85 Iowa 154 196 nk140 9 10 5 10 8 5 9 9 8 12 85 112 212 bfa 8 8 6 8 9 7 11 7 14 7 85 150 246 jday2 10 11 4 9 8 6 10 11 10 6 85 132 248 iowarules 12 8 6 9 9 7 9 8 9 8 85 134 291 endries 11 10 6 8 9 7 7 8 11 8 85 106 294 cfunk 11 7 5 9 9 7 12 5 12 8 85 123 333 contraman23 8 12 5 7 9 7 6 12 9 10 85 120.3 347 msn84 9 7 5 9 9 5 9 13 11 8 85 127 356 coachcoffin 11 9 5 9 9 4 10 10 11 7 85 110.5 378 BIGDAWGFROMHTOWNTEXAS 8 12 5 8 9 6 12 9 9 7 85 125 383 ehizzle324 7 14 10 9 9 7 0 10 10 9 85 118 388 JKessler 11 13 4 7 7 5 10 12 7 9 85 128.5 413   7 10 6 11 9 5 9 11 10 7 85 126 457 jumawilson 10 11 7 7 10 5 10 10 7 8 85 103 478 rossraterink 6 10 5 7 8 7 11 9 11 11 85 105.5 484 gbeall 5 11 9 10 8 6 10 10 8 8 85 98.3 486 reddragon 8 9 7 8 7 6 8 12 12 8 85 104.5 487 kieranmalone 8 12 5 9 8 7 10 11 8 7 85 130 515 mason888 10 14 7 6 8 5 9 8 10 8 85 108.5 545 jeremydeshas 7 9 5 8 9 7 11 13 7 9 85 123.5 546 braff 11 10 4 7 9 5 10 12 10 7 85 iowa 99 560 vinnie 9 11 4 9 12 6 7 11 8 8 85 iowa 113.5 570 bigoy138 7 13 7 8 8 6 11 9 8 8 85 123 575 rddeprey 8 7 5 8 8 7 12 12 11 7 85 IOWA 108 592 ohiojoe 8 12 5 10 7 7 11 12 7 6 85 109 616 miker 8 13 7 7 10 6 5 13 10 6 85 136 618 teamohio 9 10 6 7 7 6 11 12 11 6 85 119.5 633 09pjs 12 10 10 8 9 5 0 12 11 8 85 135 728 falcon160 9 10 4 8 8 7 11 12 9 7 85 112 729 MichMatmen 8 9 6 10 6 7 10 12 8 9 85 108.9 793 jdelgado141 7 8 5 8 9 7 8 11 13 9 85 139.5 797 crim130 8 11 5 9 9 5 12 7 10 9 85 112.5 817 brnnnkenney 5 8 4 8 8 6 12 12 11 11 85 122 855 daheat 8 9 3 7 11 8 11 12 9 7 85 119 877 jfella22 8 7 6 8 8 6 12 12 10 8 85 120.5 897 lstandish 11 8 5 10 7 8 11 10 9 6 85 125 906 Takedown197 8 9 6 8 7 6 11 12 11 7 85 120 915 billo 9 9 6 9 7 6 11 11 11 6 85 109 933 bmoyer 9 0 5 8 10 7 12 12 12 10 85 104.5 966 Sanchezthis 11 8 11 6 8 5 6 11 12 7 85 Iowa 113.5 976 bigdps2 8 8 7 9 8 6 12 9 11 7 85 Iowa 103.5 1009 mohawk09 9 11 7 7 7 6 11 11 10 6 85 113.5 1091 titoesco 8 9 5 8 9 5 11 10 12 8 85 154 1153 acbushido 11 9 5 9 9 9 10 6 9 8 85 112.5 1333 Wild McGee 9 9 5 8 8 8 10 12 8 8 85 125 1392 midgetman6203@yahoo.com 8 8 4 8 7 8 11 10 12 9 85 12:00 1438   9 7 6 8 9 4 12 12 8 10 85 113.5 31 Funk101 10 11 5 8 8 6 7 11 9 9 84 105.5 40 MTXE125 9 13 5 8 9 6 8 9 9 8 84 Iowa: 125 55 Alex Yde 8 9 6 9 9 4 8 10 9 12 84 132.5 56 mark 7 9 5 7 9 7 13 11 8 8 84 130 67 BlazeHarding 9 12 6 9 9 7 11 9 5 7 84 113 88 bucknut45 8 11 6 10 8 5 10 10 9 7 84 120 90 ScottNY 11 10 6 9 9 6 0 12 12 9 84 102 99 New Jersey's Finest 6 8 5 12 8 5 12 12 8 8 84 109.5 114 tysonsdad 10 10 5 7 9 6 7 10 12 8 84 Iowa 110.5 120 WJFAN 8 9 6 7 9 6 12 9 9 9 84 115 133 soonerman10 7 12 5 8 9 6 7 10 11 9 84 120.5 139 Zeke Zimmer 10 9 6 7 8 5 11 12 9 7 84 Iowa 164 sdwrestling119 12 11 5 9 9 5 10 8 7 8 84 114.5 175   10 9 5 7 9 7 10 10 9 8 84 125.5 219 bryan 12 10 5 8 9 5 7 7 13 8 84 105.5 237 grantb9 6 7 6 10 9 7 7 12 12 8 84 125 287 beans22 10 13 6 9 9 6 0 12 10 9 84 120 342 krush 7 10 6 8 9 7 9 7 12 9 84 120.3 415 mfiorell 5 8 5 9 10 6 12 11 10 8 84 Iowa 126.5 433 dirtsquirt 7 9 6 7 7 8 9 12 11 8 84 109.5 440 dompam 8 9 9 8 7 5 11 12 7 8 84 112 441 ironcat7 8 13 5 6 8 6 11 9 9 9 84 145 446 jackhnath 9 9 6 7 8 6 12 10 10 7 84 123 447 jmgoblue 6 7 6 11 7 4 11 13 11 8 84 126 522 cebackhaus 8 12 5 8 8 7 11 9 8 8 84 112.5 578 nvhs157 13 9 7 11 10 6 0 12 8 8 84 116.5 703 kurtzitsch 8 9 6 9 8 6 7 11 12 8 84 113.5 706 daperfater 7 10 6 8 7 6 8 11 12 9 84 125 714 mike19 6 9 4 8 9 8 7 11 11 11 84 133 778 LakerNatio 11 5 9 8 8 5 12 11 8 7 84 147 792 teustice 6 6 3 7 13 7 11 11 12 8 84 112 819 flynn1210 7 9 4 8 8 7 11 11 11 8 84 116.5 821 mspudic 11 12 7 7 7 4 8 13 8 7 84 126.5 831 Spartanrnnr 10 8 4 10 8 7 6 11 13 7 84 121 846   7 8 4 9 10 6 11 10 7 12 84 iowa 125 874 RavensWrestling 0 9 7 8 10 6 12 12 12 8 84 123.5 955 jmlhs83 9 11 9 9 7 8 8 5 10 8 84 126.5 961 GB_Lions_fan 11 11 5 7 8 6 0 12 12 12 84 106 977 mkasz 8 11 4 8 7 6 11 11 12 6 84 111.5 1025 hammerheadz 9 10 5 9 7 6 10 10 10 8 84 121 1059 blazewrestler112 13 8 3 9 8 6 11 10 9 7 84 123 1061 georgiawrestler 8 9 4 9 9 6 11 8 11 9 84 129.5 1068 mwbagelboss 8 10 4 6 7 5 11 11 13 9 84 108 1089 stherman72 10 13 8 7 11 4 9 8 9 5 84 106 1101 CHItownSlugger 8 7 4 7 8 6 11 13 11 9 84 127.5 1139 bigo25 8 9 9 9 9 5 11 10 8 6 84 108 1140 cebackhaus 7 12 6 8 8 7 11 9 8 8 84 111.5 1147 sgill 12 9 9 10 8 4 0 8 12 12 84 97.5 1163 Spiral 10 8 10 8 7 5 12 8 10 6 84 146 1166 fresh prince of widefield 0 11 5 8 8 7 12 11 13 9 84 114.5 1191 jmfitterer 8 9 6 10 7 7 11 10 9 7 84 124.5 1192 Rojoman 8 12 6 9 7 7 10 10 7 8 84 98 Iowa 1196 crash08 9 12 5 7 7 5 12 11 8 8 84 187 1214 warhawk 6 9 7 10 9 4 8 11 13 7 84 141 1236 JimCondon 8 8 6 9 8 5 11 12 9 8 84 116 1250 turnec 10 7 6 9 8 6 12 10 6 10 84 105.5 1257 TheOldCoach 0 11 7 8 9 7 12 11 12 7 84 108 1282 bigoy138 8 12 5 8 12 6 8 9 8 8 84 114.5 1286 mjayne 9 8 5 8 10 6 11 11 8 8 84 124 1327 zwinfrey 9 11 7 7 8 5 8 11 10 8 84 120 1376 dbldizzow 8 10 5 7 6 6 12 10 10 10 84 114 1393 redburhans 13 6 6 7 10 7 7 11 11 6 84 115.5 1402 alwaysonthehead 7 7 6 10 9 8 11 11 8 7 84 123.5 1412 ricv56 8 8 4 6 11 6 9 11 13 8 84 122 1421 Connor Devereux 9 11 11 9 10 6 0 9 10 9 84 120.5 1439 iclark197 13 8 7 7 6 4 10 12 9 8 84 Iowa 98.5 42 dichromate 9 8 6 6 9 7 11 12 8 7 83 iowa 58 thirstine 9 6 5 7 9 6 6 13 11 11 83 128 74 zebulin miller 9 10 5 9 8 5 10 11 8 8 83 140 106 Jdenz91 12 10 6 8 9 7 0 12 12 7 83 120.5 130 jpatley 6 8 7 8 10 5 10 13 6 10 83 123 136 Pablo 5 12 6 6 9 5 8 7 13 12 83 120 142 brandonpen 8 9 6 8 9 6 11 7 12 7 83 114.5 157 daave35 6 6 5 9 9 5 10 11 11 11 83 108 167 kdoug9564 5 11 4 8 9 7 9 9 12 9 83 112 206 ks6111 13 10 5 8 8 4 11 11 7 6 83 112 213 BullHard 6 7 6 10 9 6 9 12 11 7 83 145.5 249   13 8 5 8 8 7 7 13 7 7 83 CORNELL 255 teaguemoore 7 12 6 9 10 4 9 10 8 8 83 143.5 304 mondonwrestler15 8 11 6 8 8 5 8 9 13 7 83 143.5 319 stealyphil 8 8 4 8 8 6 13 12 8 8 83 126.5 370 Joe O 8 13 5 7 8 4 8 12 10 8 83 114.5 389 curranc 6 6 5 10 8 7 8 12 12 9 83 105 418 Coach_B 10 8 7 10 6 5 10 8 11 8 83 121.5 428 Potter 9 8 4 9 8 5 12 11 10 7 83 109 430 Charlie Baumgartner 12 7 10 8 6 4 7 11 10 8 83 131 483 kyle121890 8 7 10 8 8 5 12 10 8 7 83 116.5 498   9 7 5 9 8 4 11 12 11 7 83 135 523 kkearney171 7 12 6 7 8 4 12 8 11 8 83 109 548 Thoerr 7 8 4 7 10 6 10 10 11 10 83 105 557 Nick Mauriello 9 11 4 8 7 6 10 10 11 7 83 107 608 schihl 8 8 6 9 9 6 12 13 6 6 83 125 623 Ogard 8 9 5 9 6 5 11 12 11 7 83 104 644 adamholm 7 11 6 8 7 6 7 11 13 7 83 109 662 worldchamp 8 11 7 7 9 6 0 11 12 12 83 Iowa 110.5 673 kidwrestle 7 8 7 7 12 5 10 8 12 7 83 131.5 683 big_kat 8 9 5 9 12 4 10 10 11 5 83 115 688 WashedUp 10 10 7 8 9 5 7 12 10 5 83 108.5 701 rshear13 10 9 4 9 9 7 7 13 8 7 83 102.5 852 tstjoh 6 9 7 8 10 5 11 10 11 6 83 121 863 westmar1 9 8 6 9 8 5 11 8 11 8 83 108 931 hawks_63 7 9 5 9 11 6 9 9 9 9 83 iowa 1035 tdurham64 9 13 8 8 8 5 0 13 10 9 83 115 1065 mattymorgs145 8 10 6 7 8 6 12 9 9 8 83 123 1067 hizank111 11 8 5 8 8 6 10 7 11 9 83 97.5 1108 jeremynkirk 8 10 5 10 9 5 0 12 12 12 83 124.5 1165 2004sox 7 12 5 8 12 6 8 11 8 6 83 iowa 130 1210 mminnium 9 10 4 8 10 5 8 11 11 7 83 110 1217 cpmike88 8 7 8 6 12 7 10 9 10 6 83 121 1278 wrestlrdan 8 9 5 8 11 6 8 10 10 8 83 140 1348 gdubwrestler130 7 12 9 9 8 6 8 12 6 6 83 119.5 1366 Coach B 10 10 6 9 8 6 7 10 11 6 83 124.5 1388 BillyWiteShoes 8 8 5 9 8 5 10 12 10 8 83 123.5 1410 mattbuzek 8 10 6 7 8 6 11 9 12 6 83 123.5 80 jek 7 9 5 11 8 7 11 12 6 6 82 98 81 sluush 8 12 6 9 9 7 0 12 10 9 82 112.5 92 Eutpc 9 10 5 8 9 5 9 12 7 8 82 138 127 mbelich 7 8 6 7 10 6 11 8 10 9 82 119.5 146 worldchamp 9 12 6 9 9 6 0 10 12 9 82 Iowa 110.5 224 michaud158 9 8 5 7 9 6 10 13 9 6 82 Iowa 106.5 280 ndimeo 8 12 6 9 9 6 0 12 11 9 82 111 330 gibby81390 5 15 6 9 9 5 0 11 13 9 82 123.5 335 ogb75 7 11 5 8 10 6 9 12 6 8 82 126.5 459   6 10 5 8 7 6 12 9 12 7 82 122.5 485 dude6 10 10 6 7 8 6 11 8 9 7 82 123.5 561 cpmike88 7 7 7 9 12 5 10 10 9 6 82 132 577   8 9 7 9 10 4 11 11 5 8 82 110 606 chawk 8 13 5 9 9 6 9 12 6 5 82 107 746 dco 13 13 7 8 9 5 0 7 13 7 82 112 784 cmugirl 9 9 4 7 7 5 11 12 9 9 82 104.5 851 pointerdog 12 9 4 7 7 5 7 11 13 7 82 132 912 TexWrestler 5 7 5 8 8 8 11 11 10 9 82 123.5 945 navybmet30 8 9 5 9 8 6 10 10 10 7 82 109 1000 rd149 8 9 6 9 11 4 7 10 7 11 82 113.5 1039 mujavo 10 6 4 7 8 6 8 11 12 10 82 120 1087 tbomb91@sbcglobal.net 9 11 6 7 6 5 8 10 12 8 82 118 1124 team lyla 6 11 5 10 8 5 11 11 7 8 82 125.5 1126 o-dub02 8 14 4 6 6 6 10 12 8 8 82 134.5 1138 joeghione 6 6 11 13 7 6 5 10 8 10 82 cornell 123.5 1155   10 14 4 8 10 5 0 11 12 8 82 136 1197   7 8 6 9 9 6 8 9 12 8 82 112.5 1243 elguapo 7 10 5 8 9 7 11 11 8 6 82 110 1270 LFunk 7 12 7 7 8 6 11 7 8 9 82 88.5 1328 c-dubs 9 12 9 7 8 4 9 10 6 8 82 114.5 1362 Motorocket 8 13 4 7 7 6 7 11 12 7 82 124 1409 MIZZOUTB 8 12 4 7 10 5 8 10 7 11 82 121 1413 tadmerritt 9 13 7 8 9 6 0 12 9 9 82 112.5 1441 walterleejr 9 8 10 7 7 5 8 9 11 8 82 115.5 1445 mpetro 7 9 10 6 7 6 10 11 11 5 82 105.5 91 bj23nkc 12 12 7 8 9 7 0 12 7 7 81 123.5 93 bashwrestling 8 9 5 9 9 6 11 11 6 7 81 IOWA 128.0 134 BLAZER88 7 9 6 8 9 7 7 10 11 7 81 115 153 section8 8 12 5 6 10 5 6 11 10 8 81 128 220 TL10390 10 8 5 9 8 6 10 7 9 9 81 124 225 judowrestler13 7 13 5 8 9 7 0 12 9 11 81 113.5 259 am7 7 9 6 8 9 5 11 10 9 7 81 Iowa will have 109. 261 gbwrestler140 10 14 6 8 9 6 0 9 10 9 81 122.5 281 pa1602002 11 7 5 8 10 6 9 7 10 8 81 114 285 connellc 5 9 6 7 9 6 12 11 9 7 81 131 361 antonysharples 8 9 5 7 10 5 11 11 10 5 81 115 386 ben 6 10 6 8 8 5 6 12 11 9 81 119.5 408 insidetrip 7 10 6 8 8 5 10 11 9 7 81 130 427 marsha133 7 9 5 10 10 7 8 8 8 9 81 149 432 NMEDAD 6 7 5 9 6 6 13 11 10 8 81 104.5 597 JDM418 10 10 6 8 8 6 0 9 13 11 81 116 631 mhs119 8 7 6 7 7 6 11 11 10 8 81 122 670 grappler4life 7 9 5 8 7 6 10 10 12 7 81 133.5 674 Steve Birchmeier 9 8 6 9 8 6 10 9 8 8 81 121.5 692 joshroe 9 13 7 7 8 6 0 12 11 8 81 131.25 712 wrestle24 6 8 4 10 8 5 12 10 10 8 81 122 834   9 8 6 8 6 7 8 11 12 6 81 120 884 lwajda 8 10 5 9 7 5 11 12 8 6 81 120 895 kkuhn 6 12 5 8 10 5 0 12 12 11 81 115 907 dmurphy_0289 9 9 6 6 6 6 12 11 8 8 81 124 934 coachlone 7 10 6 8 9 6 10 8 9 8 81 114.6 1018 shenx12 8 8 11 8 12 5 0 12 10 7 81 108 1057 geahanse 7 12 7 8 12 5 7 10 8 5 81 104 1096 lwendling2 8 12 10 9 8 6 0 8 12 8 81 121 1119 ttim27 10 11 4 10 7 6 0 12 12 9 81 109 1253   5 11 5 7 8 5 10 13 9 8 81 110.5 1289 jlsimps1 8 9 6 9 8 7 10 9 7 8 81 110 1331 DeanoV 9 8 5 8 11 5 10 11 6 8 81 112.5 1360 cmarwine 9 9 6 10 12 4 6 11 7 7 81 112.5 1415 pearce2100 8 7 4 10 10 6 10 12 6 8 81 123 35 teamjosh 8 9 5 8 8 4 11 12 7 8 80 117.5 36 112champion 11 9 4 6 8 4 7 8 11 12 80 131 69 brjohn 10 9 5 10 8 4 7 11 9 7 80 124.5 73 Quinn 11 12 5 8 9 5 0 12 7 11 80 Iowa 121 95 ewince 6 12 6 10 9 7 0 13 9 8 80 Iowa with 112.5 147 mragusa 7 7 6 8 9 6 11 10 8 8 80 120.5 171 benrosen103 7 6 6 9 9 5 12 12 7 7 80 Iowa 174 peteryates 7 13 4 9 8 8 0 12 10 9 80 109.5 208 6afc4a427239ed1d381fe633c6 11 10 6 7 9 7 0 11 10 9 80 Cornell 251 TheChampx 9 8 5 8 8 7 11 11 8 5 80 109.5 288 dwoodfresh 7 9 6 8 10 6 10 11 8 5 80 111.5 402 Crossface-King 7 8 9 7 12 4 10 7 9 7 80 104.5 411 chargers45 8 12 6 7 9 7 12 10 0 9 80 145 461 bjarso 8 9 9 6 8 5 4 11 12 8 80 134 495 cannella1111 8 8 11 7 11 4 11 5 8 7 80 112.5 496 gracioussix 11 10 6 8 8 5 10 8 8 6 80 109.5 554 STOOPID13 7 6 9 6 11 5 8 8 13 7 80 IOWA WITH 113.0 620 duganbpa 9 6 7 8 7 2 11 12 7 11 80 114 702 Lambert79 5 13 5 8 7 7 10 9 9 7 80 109 760 wraslr 9 10 11 7 8 5 0 9 14 7 80 108.5 780 oneontastate 12 7 6 9 7 5 8 9 9 8 80 Iowa 119 807 obbiera 8 11 5 8 13 5 0 11 11 8 80 124.5 826 cswick 7 10 10 9 5 8 11 8 7 5 80 105.5 896 Birdman1834 8 13 5 8 8 7 0 12 11 8 80 98.5 913 coachking 9 11 6 8 6 5 11 7 12 5 80 98 936 benchris_189 8 10 6 8 7 6 7 11 10 7 80 iowa 938 iceguy 8 7 4 7 7 5 9 12 13 8 80 112.5 1013 dsamattime 5 7 5 8 12 5 12 8 9 9 80 128 1069 steelfrog 7 5 10 8 8 5 8 10 11 8 80 Iowa 102 1251 Cruo 7 7 7 8 8 7 7 10 11 8 80 135 1265 Steele9 8 11 6 8 8 6 0 12 12 9 80 112 1299 Leroy_Jenkins 11 7 3 7 9 6 11 10 11 5 80 130 1301 birky27 5 10 6 10 8 7 9 9 9 7 80 123 1382 ryan11 11 11 5 8 0 6 11 10 9 9 80 111.5 1396 ominous_x 7 7 5 9 13 5 12 8 8 6 80 127 37 nj-hwt 7 13 6 8 8 6 0 9 10 12 79 300 45 Willmason 11 6 6 7 9 4 8 11 10 7 79 Iowa 46 slap2tap 8 10 6 8 9 6 0 12 12 8 79 135 62 sub_wrestler 10 8 5 10 9 8 0 11 12 6 79 117 64 mandible 8 9 7 10 9 5 0 11 13 7 79 120 86 Ratty1972 8 11 6 9 9 7 0 11 11 7 79 109.5 132 ferg3207 12 9 6 7 9 5 6 8 10 7 79 119 181   11 8 5 7 9 5 7 10 10 7 79 118.5 191 jccats135 9 7 6 9 8 6 6 11 9 8 79 311 273 wakimwrestling 9 10 6 7 9 6 6 6 9 11 79 112.5 396 rolltide 7 9 6 9 7 6 8 13 6 8 79 108.5 409 Coachcronin 6 10 7 9 8 6 7 10 8 8 79 99.5 516 bpratt 11 11 5 7 8 6 0 11 8 12 79 Iowa 124.50 525 thirdsecond 11 7 6 8 6 4 11 10 10 6 79 iowa 529 ethanc 8 11 9 8 8 5 5 6 8 11 79 126 747 finman 7 9 6 8 11 6 6 8 13 5 79 99.5 943 MOOSEMAN 6 11 5 7 6 5 8 13 11 7 79 120 949 jamesgendler 11 11 7 9 9 6 0 8 10 8 79 121.5 987 bathcoach 8 10 4 10 7 7 11 11 6 5 79 109 990 postscorch 5 11 5 5 10 7 10 9 8 9 79 102.7 1205 ind1kmk 6 11 6 7 7 7 12 7 9 7 79 106 1238 saturdaynightride 6 5 6 5 9 6 11 12 12 7 79 121.5 1361 kmaute 9 10 5 9 8 7 0 10 14 7 79 iowa 138 1375 coachtobar 10 13 5 8 11 5 11 7 9 0 79 118 1446 coach.riley 6 11 6 9 7 6 0 13 13 8 79 109 82 chemist 9 8 5 8 8 7 8 11 8 6 78 115 96 minwax 7 9 5 7 9 5 10 10 8 8 78 129.5 116 tbird 5 6 6 6 9 4 12 11 11 8 78 Iowa State 112.5 200 AWCoach 9 11 6 9 9 5 0 11 9 9 78 119 240 TristianOrtega 5 8 7 9 8 6 9 6 13 7 78 117 343 yuri122590 10 7 5 7 8 5 7 9 12 8 78 114 555 Garrett Cummings 8 13 8 9 7 5 0 8 13 7 78 112 572 meguloki 7 10 6 6 7 7 10 11 7 7 78 122.5 585 jgros 11 14 5 7 9 6 0 8 9 9 78 97 588 mcwreslte 8 9 6 7 8 6 11 10 6 7 78 134 719 mikeee 8 7 6 7 9 7 6 8 12 8 78 148.5 806 Fallein 8 9 5 9 8 5 8 10 7 9 78 145 823 holleyad3 8 10 6 8 8 6 9 8 7 8 78 Iowa-211 891 keith.hill 8 9 5 9 12 6 7 9 7 6 78 122 1054   10 8 5 7 7 6 10 10 9 6 78 110 1151 csw2k 9 9 11 10 9 4 0 9 8 9 78 Iowa 112.2 1207 mcfergus 8 7 4 7 7 5 11 9 13 7 78 135 1235 CoachKees 9 8 4 7 11 7 0 11 12 9 78 113.5 1307 Proof 12 14 11 9 9 0 0 10 13 0 78 105 70 rlb189 8 9 7 9 9 6 0 13 9 7 77 112.5 72 wrestlingterp 8 6 3 9 8 5 8 10 13 7 77 97.75 195 thompsd 8 7 5 8 8 5 6 12 9 9 77 108 349 mholbert03 8 11 6 6 8 5 11 8 7 7 77 102 691 niloc2822 11 10 4 6 6 5 10 7 10 8 77 124.5 752 tburke 7 8 6 8 8 6 8 11 8 7 77 125 787 LloydHT 7 9 10 8 8 5 8 9 7 6 77 115.5 789 topfer 10 11 4 9 8 6 0 13 9 7 77 121 908 rfink 8 9 5 9 8 4 6 12 9 7 77 Iowa 117 962 Thadob 13 14 6 6 8 8 0 10 6 6 77 124 1132 jott 7 7 4 7 7 6 11 11 6 11 77 106 1150 Neillybob 9 8 7 7 8 5 7 10 9 7 77 112.5 1184 troyb 8 9 4 9 8 5 11 11 7 5 77 121.5 1195   0 12 5 8 8 7 9 7 12 9 77 128 1373 tydubz 7 7 6 9 7 6 7 8 13 7 77 116 11 barbwire 13 0 5 5 8 7 10 10 9 9 76 123 308 ny125 8 9 3 7 9 5 11 11 6 7 76 123.5 344 studwrestler12 5 9 5 7 9 5 7 9 13 7 76 123.5 353 mightymo152 6 10 6 9 9 5 0 11 13 7 76 Iowa=105.5 385 georgio140 8 8 4 7 11 5 12 10 5 6 76 147.5 401 thefanatic 7 7 6 7 10 4 10 8 10 7 76 105.5 473   8 8 4 12 11 4 0 13 11 5 76 102.5 490 Briopiate 7 7 4 7 9 6 11 11 7 7 76 124 667 mpatterson15 10 9 6 7 6 6 8 8 8 8 76 125 786 bgm81 7 6 7 7 7 6 8 11 11 6 76 133 853 jolsonole 8 7 7 8 9 6 0 11 13 7 76 123.5 861   6 12 4 6 6 8 7 7 8 12 76 123.5 997 pfcshaun149 12 9 4 7 7 3 10 8 10 6 76 122 1010 Moorewrestling 4 8 10 7 7 5 5 13 10 7 76 121.5 1024 pcwrestler103 9 9 4 7 8 8 0 12 11 8 76 120.5 1221 ccotter 6 4 5 7 8 6 12 12 9 7 76 110.9 1239 JBAM 6 9 7 9 8 5 0 12 12 8 76 Iowa 119.5 339 borogear 9 10 6 7 8 6 9 9 5 6 75 127 382 Alastair 0 14 5 10 10 6 0 12 10 8 75 121.5 542 the1twobeat 5 11 4 6 8 6 12 6 10 7 75 121.5 596 jbow1091 7 7 6 7 6 5 10 10 9 8 75 123.5 727 Curt Patton 6 8 4 9 8 6 11 11 7 5 75 128 887 sbenton 10 6 3 7 13 7 0 10 13 6 75 112.5 951 todd308 8 8 6 7 7 3 10 8 10 8 75 122.5 1066 hironed 6 6 6 6 8 4 9 11 11 8 75 97 1078 NAwrestling09 9 13 5 8 8 7 0 7 10 8 75 132.5 1117 Johnnythompsonnum1 9 7 5 9 7 5 7 10 8 8 75 122 1164 justin7w2011 0 0 7 10 7 5 11 11 11 13 75 110 1272 coachmjg 6 8 6 9 6 3 10 11 7 9 75 115 1319 uwe2006 6 7 5 8 11 4 4 12 7 11 75 98;5 1338 screaming_demon 8 11 5 6 9 5 0 10 13 8 75 Iowa 110 52 georgio140 6 7 5 7 9 6 11 11 6 6 74 131.5 296 Alex 7 10 6 8 9 5 0 9 11 9 74 112 337 studwrestler12 7 10 5 7 9 6 11 6 7 6 74 123.5 366 Longislandwrestling99 10 10 5 6 9 6 5 7 8 8 74 100.3 435 ethan6292 8 11 4 7 6 7 9 8 9 5 74 113.5 437 Dnavarro 7 6 7 7 5 4 0 13 13 12 74 112.5 501 rockswrestler112 7 11 8 7 7 4 10 7 8 5 74 ohio state 677 namesonlock 8 13 6 6 12 6 12 11 0 0 74 IOWA- 145.5 995 jonlee 5 11 7 8 7 5 8 6 9 8 74 Oklahoma 1026 skidmark 6 7 4 7 7 5 8 10 9 11 74 128.5 1058 grapplefan 8 9 5 8 12 6 0 7 12 7 74 123 1176 ferg3207 11 9 7 8 7 4 6 6 10 6 74 121 1177 bunit285 5 9 7 9 6 6 5 12 8 7 74 120.5 1223 stevenpopovitch 8 9 4 8 6 4 12 11 5 7 74 135 1386   7 9 6 9 7 6 6 10 8 6 74 124.5 1419 team-jolas 9 8 4 6 7 5 10 10 8 7 74 112.5 325 fatdaddydrop 7 9 6 6 9 7 0 11 10 8 73 97 642 vtwrestle 7 9 5 11 7 5 0 10 12 7 73 122 668 lionsga141 7 7 4 9 9 6 8 11 7 5 73 111.5 755 ovillalong 8 8 4 9 8 3 0 11 14 8 73 123 794 twade70 11 5 5 10 8 4 0 12 11 7 73 141 1001   6 9 6 9 6 6 7 9 9 6 73 110.5 1303 buddhaonbelay 13 9 5 8 7 0 0 13 12 6 73 Iowa 111 1372   9 7 6 10 6 3 5 12 8 7 73 121 1442   8 11 6 7 7 6 0 11 8 9 73 109 253 fdbd 8 13 2 7 8 6 0 10 7 11 72 112 338 rsesso 9 7 6 8 9 6 0 11 8 8 72 105 398 iswp91 10 10 7 7 7 4 0 8 11 8 72 126.5 444 bmxpro6789 9 8 7 9 8 6 0 11 8 6 72 110.5 584 DiscoStud 11 8 5 8 5 4 6 10 9 6 72 121 963 zsc1890 8 7 5 6 7 6 5 7 12 9 72 113.9 967 bonelessman1 4 8 4 8 8 5 7 11 11 6 72 119.5 Iowa 1247 sportgoofy 6 6 3 6 6 7 12 10 11 5 72 114 1434 kfluck 7 9 6 7 8 7 0 11 10 7 72 102.5 233 wrastlinROB 6 6 5 8 9 5 8 9 9 6 71 123 439 ferlazzo 9 5 4 7 7 3 8 10 11 7 71 103.5 562 dgdret 8 6 9 4 7 5 6 9 10 7 71 122.5 1036 wrestlingbears 1 8 3 7 9 6 8 12 10 7 71 123 421 esmmjn 8 8 7 6 5 5 9 9 7 6 70 122 534 ncwa 8 8 6 10 6 6 5 9 4 8 70 158.5 857 Cubwrestler08 7 9 4 8 6 6 0 11 12 7 70 114.5 970 stewartayers 9 13 4 5 11 2 7 9 7 3 70 Iowa 1185 desch1km 7 7 4 8 8 6 7 8 9 6 70 103.5 1325 coachsmithwick 9 6 4 10 7 6 8 7 8 5 70 115 1369 tonygansen 8 8 4 6 10 3 0 11 11 9 70 108.5 1406 jf8604 8 11 5 8 7 6 0 10 6 9 70 113.5 1414 ColbyM2392 8 8 5 5 10 6 5 10 8 5 70 110.5 43 j2mitchell 6 9 6 8 8 6 0 12 8 6 69 105.5 162 TheUofIowa 8 8 6 8 9 5 0 10 8 7 69 131 675 J2Lee28 5 14 9 6 6 4 4 7 7 7 69 123.5 1226 howard240 8 10 4 7 8 6 0 8 8 10 69 100 1324 erniea 10 11 5 9 0 7 0 8 11 8 69 Iowa 1341 cstate-alum 11 7 6 6 6 4 4 11 10 4 69 106 159 Bob Spallone 10 2 5 8 10 4 8 9 7 5 68 113.5 500 ddaawwgg 8 8 10 7 10 5 0 7 8 5 68 111.5 715 irishredsox 5 7 5 7 8 7 6 7 8 8 68 123.5 984 winel44 5 6 4 5 10 5 5 12 9 7 68 121.5 1317 smokey 3 5 7 7 5 5 11 7 9 9 68 Iowa 1107 waterrob 4 8 5 8 9 8 7 9 4 5 67 120 1248 kary51 7 10 7 9 8 2 6 7 6 5 67 119.5 1321 hotoppm 5 7 10 9 9 6 0 7 6 8 67 112 579 kwinn35 10 9 3 8 8 5 0 6 12 5 66 Iowa 121.5 815 trepals 8 6 6 5 6 5 5 6 10 9 66 114 867 goduto2 7 8 5 8 8 5 7 5 7 6 66 111.5 1032 graftonwrestler112 1 6 6 9 8 5 8 9 8 6 66 Iowa 927 unlv1988 0 13 5 6 10 6 0 11 8 6 65 111 1095 nova1313x 8 6 7 9 8 3 1 9 5 9 65 104 21 z_wrestler 1 3 5 7 9 4 10 10 8 7 64 130 170 samir hafiz 5 13 6 9 9 0 6 0 9 7 64 110 257 i dont have one 12 9 5 3 3 3 6 9 9 5 64 120 926 shortyirish118 3 7 4 9 5 5 6 8 8 9 64 121.5 643 raymond124 7 8 5 6 8 4 0 9 7 9 63 114.5 844 abpowell 5 6 6 8 7 7 0 7 9 7 62 116 889 goldteam 4 4 6 5 6 4 7 8 11 7 62 112 1371 woodybettis1206 2 4 0 5 12 7 6 9 10 7 62 114.5 599 Whelanch 7 5 4 8 6 5 4 7 10 5 61 109.5 417 pkhoneycutt 3 7 6 4 7 5 5 11 7 5 60 114.5 445 tricountychamp 4 6 6 5 4 5 10 5 8 7 60 125 838 4insidewrestling 6 6 5 5 2 6 9 6 8 7 60 121 873 cheyko 5 7 4 6 9 7 0 7 9 6 60 96.8 919 chanznoah 3 5 5 4 7 4 11 6 11 4 60 112 973 lawrassla 7 6 6 10 12 5 0 6 6 2 60 128 1047 jjustpins 5 8 6 6 5 4 9 5 8 4 60 124.5 1100 gabeg2 7 8 8 5 6 5 7 6 4 4 60 122 720 mikestaub91 9 10 8 4 11 0 7 9 1 0 59 126 743 sethholt 5 10 9 7 2 2 5 10 3 4 57 109.5 594   7 12 10 3 7 5 0 6 6 0 56 111 111 jaime testing 9 5 4 5 7 5 4 6 6 1 52 yes; I finished! te 1122 favs12 10 14 5 9 8 0 0 3 1 2 52 117 1242 09pinney09 3 6 4 5 4 3 5 7 6 8 51 124.5 1038 luvchunk 6 7 2 9 6 2 4 9 4 1 50 110 1443 matthewstenglein 6 6 1 3 1 2 10 7 7 5 48 119 1131 ralph6 1 5 11 6 3 3 4 4 5 4 46 115 1056   11 14 6 0 8 0 0 0 6 0 45 100.5 1447 chadbarga 3 4 4 6 2 4 6 9 2 5 45 iowa 1428 dela510 6 7 0 8 8 6 0 0 6 1 42 125.6 1173 dragoncomish 4 6 2 4 7 2 0 4 9 2 40 115.5 1291 lemosbrian 6 10 0 7 12 5 0 0 0 0 40 359 jaime testing 0 0 1 3 8 5 7 7 6 1 38 another successful 1345 gotashot 1 4 5 4 2 4 1 8 3 6 38 221 ms41893 10 10 6 9 0 0 0 1 0 0 36 132 799 meganita 4 5 2 6 1 3 1 5 7 2 36 121 754 josecampo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 13 9 33 115 645 zipkin149 11 7 2 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 32 360 jaime testing 10 9 1 0 2 0 1 1 3 4 31 another successful 980 sherid93 1 4 5 5 1 4 2 2 6 1 31 116.5 576   7 10 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 7 29 1029 12317132 10 0 8 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 28 120.5 1098 bhinkle100 0 6 2 4 0 3 0 0 3 0 18 112 820 ed decker 1 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 16 112 563   1 0 6 1 0 0 6 0 0 0 14 122.5 258 eaglewrestler11 7 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 856   6 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 1423 johnwr0320 0 0 2 3 0 1 0 0 6 1 13 116.5 17 gaethje157 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 121.5 942 th1rcfrdmn 8 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 119 1231 garvandemark 3 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 1041 jawshoowah 8 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 10 115 1263 dmcal 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 114 1209 rhswrestler112 0 1 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 1 8 106 583   0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 125   4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 840   0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 864 rsweaney 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 iowa 923 Mr. Mac Nasty 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 132 979   0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1063 Raaw 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 idk 882 sandie8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 112.5 965 Gwen 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 129 968 pklenkel 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1050   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1202 CantonTough 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 112.5 1225 alwaysgoforthegold 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1330 ddormanen 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0   Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/898-who-won-the-prediction-contest Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:55:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/866-2009-ncaa-brackets To download the 2009 NCAA Wrestling Championships Brackets file as a PDF right click and save this link. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/866-2009-ncaa-brackets Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:54:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/865-apprentice-stuns-field-and-wins-2009-ncwas-nationals Builders win National Team Title 03/16/2009 - It must be something with hometown advantage. After participating in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association National Championships for 11 years, the Apprentice School brought home its first-ever team national championship on Saturday night at Hampton University Convocation Center. The Builders amassed 118.5 points to outdistance three-time defending champion Grand Valley State who scored 109 points in the 84-team event. The national championship for the wrestling team marked the first ever team championship for the Builders who have now won seven individual national champions. "I thought we had potential with this young team," said Apprentice School Head Coach Bruce Shumaker. "Right now it's amazing, they did a tremendous job this weekend and we got a championship now." He was honored at the post-event banquet as the 2009 National Coach of the Year. What helped the Builders as they had four wrestlers wrestling for third place or higher, while the Lakers had four wrestlers wrestling for fifth place and one for a national championship. The advancement point victories helped the Builders clinch the national championship halfway through the final round. Senior Cecil Lee became the first individual champion for the Apprentice School as he won the 285 pound championship match with a 4-1 decision over Tim Rose of Amerhst College. Lee iced the championship with a two-point takedown with 1:25 left in the third period and held on for his school record 46th victory on the season. Earlier Saturday he defeated Chris DeScantis of Pittsburgh 1-0 to advance to the finals. His 46 wins set the school single-season victory record that was held by current assistant coach Micah Amrozowicz with 45. The last individual champion for the Builders was York High graduate Sinque Holmes who won the heavyweight championship in 2002. " To do this in our area is quite a way to finish my career," said Lee. "It felt like I was at home with all the fans cheering in the finals." Freshman Marcus Chevres fell behind early in his match with Steven West for the 133 pound championship and lost a 16-7 major decision. On the season he finished with a 26-17 record and went 4-1 in the tournament. Earlier on Saturday the Norfolk, Va. native advanced to the finals with a 10-5 win over Joey Heersche of Kansas State. Senior Ty Holley lost 5-1 for third place at 141 pounds to Mike Girodano of Northampton Community College. Giordano put Holley into the losers bracket on Friday in a 3-2 decision. Holley finished 23-16 on the year. Earlier on Saturday he scored a 15-5 major decision over Jason Mustall of Mott Community College and defeated Mark Burchardt by injury default from Hudson Valley Community College. Junior Matt Perry finished eighth at 149 pounds after having to take a default in his match against Lance Goodell of Mott Community College. He finished his season with a 22-18 record and earned his second All-American honor. In his first match on Saturday, the Chesapeake, Va. native lost a 6-5 decision to Jeffrey Slaughter of Louisiana State University. Sophomore Will Harcum won 9-3 over Steve Bauer of Mott Community College to take fifth place at 165 pounds. That win avenged an earlier loss to Bauer in the quarterfinals on Friday for the Williamsburg native. He opened with a flurry taking an early 4-1 advantage and won his 34th match of the season. Earlier Saturday he won by fall in 1:43 over Michael Wright of Delaware and then lost an 11-4 decision to Nick Newell of Kansas State University. Freshman Charles Mills lost 14-6 to Oscar Huntley from U.S. Naval Academy Prep for third place at 174 pounds. Mills, a freshman from Republic, Washington, finished the year 28-14 and went 4-2 in the event. Earlier Saturday he lost a 4-2 decision to Richard Doherty of Grand Valley State in the semifinals and scored a win in 5:56 over Michael Bard of Delaware in the consolation semifinals. The championship was the sixth for the Apprentice School as the women's basketball team won the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association National Championship in 2000-01 and 2001-02, while the men's team won championships in 2001-02 and 2002-03. The baseball team won the U.S.C.A.A. national championship in 2008 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Top 10 Teams (out of 84): Apprentice School 118.5; Grand Valley State 109; U.S. Naval Prep 96.5; Marion Military Institute 96; Central Florida 85.5; U.S. Military Prep 69; U.S. Air Force Prep 64.5; Mott CC 63, Northampton CC 56.5, Kansas State 56.5.    Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/865-apprentice-stuns-field-and-wins-2009-ncwas-nationals Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:55:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/856-pickems-contest   Click the button 2009 NCAA Flowrestling Pick'em Contest  (Contest opens in a new window) Rules Contest: All Entries after 11am central time on March 11th will be recorded. ===================================================== 1 point if you pick an All American  2 points if you pick 3rd (or your pick for third scores higher than third) 3 points if you pick 2nd (or if your pick for second is champion) 6 points if you pick champion (If your pick for champion ends up taking 2nd you will get 3 points, if he takes 3rd you will get 2 points, if he is an                                          all american you will get 1 point) ====================================================== examples: If you pick someone to be 1st but gets 3rd you tally 2 points. If you pick someone to be 2nd but he gets 4th you get 1 point. If you pick someone to be third but he is 1st you get 2 points. if you pick someone to be 7th but is 1st then you get 1 point.     Click the button 2009 NCAA Flowrestling Pick'em Contest  (Contest opens in a new window) Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/856-pickems-contest Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:23:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/851-ncaa-all-qualifiers Here is the list of all 2008 2009 NCAA Qualifiers. To make the text bigger, use the full screen option to the right or tools tab to increase the size. To see the At Large Bids, Click here  Complete NCAA Qualifiers 1 2 125 Byrne Brendan Maryland RSJR Cape May 21-8 1 ACC 3 125 Garnett Jarrod Virginia Tech FR Newark, DE 39-7 2 ACC 4 125 Clark Tyler Iowa State SO Davenport, IA 24-6 2 Big 12 5 125 Fio Joey Oklahoma SO Sandpoint, ID 21-3 1 Big 12 6 125 Blanc Obenson Oklahoma State RSSR Naples, FL 27-8 3 Big 12 7 125 Futrell Bernard Illinois FR Oak Forest, IL 23-12 6 Big Ten 8 125 Escobedo Angel Indiana RSJR Griffith, IN 22-3 1 Big Ten 9 125 Falck Charlie Iowa RSSR Arlington, IA 22-4 3 Big Ten 10 125 Watts Mike Michigan SR Riverton, UT 14-11   Big Ten 11 125 Olanowski Eric Michigan State RSFR Virginia Beach, VA 20-17 7 Big Ten 12 125 Sanders Zachary Minnesota RSFR Wabasha,MN 35-7 5 Big Ten 13 125 Precin Brandon Northwestern JR Orland Park, IL 27-3 2 Big Ten 14 125 Triggas Nikko Ohio State SO Moraga, CA 20-15   Big Ten 15 125 Pataky Brad Penn State RSSO Clearfield, PA 28-9 4 Big Ten 16 125 Bonanno Steve Hofstra FR Wantagh, NY 28-13 2 CAA 17 125 Nicholson James Old Dominion RSSO Des Moines, IA 35-2 1 CAA 18 125 Chamberlain William Duquesne JR Shippensburg, PA 26-9 1 East Regional 19 125 Reber Derek Bucknell FR Lewisburg, PA 31-10 3 EIWA 20 125 Nickerson Troy Cornell RSJR Chenango Forks, NY 20-0 1 EIWA 21 125 Garner Prescott Navy FR Wes Linn, OR 28-14 5 EIWA 22 125 Peterkin Rollie Penn SO Wellsley, MA 21-5 2 EIWA 23 125 Moser Ian Bloomsburg RSSO Dover, DE 22-12 3 EWL 24 125 Ivanco Jay Clarion RSSO Monroville, PA 19-12 2 EWL 25 125 Donahoe Paul Edinboro RSSR Davison, MI 31-0 1 EWL 26 125 Sentes Scotti Central Michigan FR North Fort Myers, FL 25-6 1 MAC 27 125 Bedelyon Nicholas Kent State SO Lewistown, PA 25-8 2 MAC 28 125 Robles Anthony Arizona State RSSO Mesa, AZ 25-6 1 Pac-10 29 125 Owen Brian Boise State FR Spokane,WA 12-7 4 Pac-10 30 125 Zoetewey Brandon Cal State Bakersfield SR San Ramon, CA 24-6 2 Pac-10 31 125 Orozco Marcos UC Davis SR Vacaville, CA 21-8 3 Pac-10 32 125 Johnson Demetrius Chattanooga RSFR Brighton, TN 10-6 1 SoCon 33 125 Mustari Anthony Northern Colorado RSJR Greeley, CO 26-8 2 WWC 34 125 Martinez Michael Wyoming RSFR Pagosa Springs, CO 37-9 1 WWC 35 133 Bell Steve Maryland RSJR Connellsville, PA 24-4 1 ACC 36 133 Rappo Michael North Carolina RSSO Holland, PA 24-8 2 ACC 37 133 Little Darius North Carolina State FR High Point, NC 18-15 3 ACC 38 133 Bonson Matt Virginia RSFR Lewistown,PA 17-7 4 ACC 39 133 Fanthorpe Nicholas Iowa State JR Naperville, IL 20-4 1 Big 12 40 133 Schavrien Todd Missouri SO Poway, Calif. 14-11 3 Big 12 41 133 Notte Christopher Oklahoma State JR Wantagh, NY 27-7 2 Big 12 42 133 Kennedy James Illinois JR Ingleside, IL 28-4 3 Big Ten 43 133 Dennis Daniel Iowa RSJR Ingleside, IL 27-4 5 Big Ten 44 133 Gomez Franklin Michigan State RSJR Brandon, FL 22-2 1 Big Ten 45 133 Ness Jayson Minnesota RSJR Bloomington, MN 33-7 4 Big Ten 46 133 Humphrey Reece Ohio State RSJR Indiapolis, IN 26-3 2 Big Ten 47 133 Strayer Jake Penn State RSSR South Fork, PA 16-8 6 Big Ten 48 133 Ruggirello Lou Hofstra JR Walden, NY 28-3 1 CAA 49 133 Hutter Kyle Old Dominion JR New Lenox, IL 22-12 2 CAA 50 133 Smith Christian Liberty Grad Chesapeake, VA 23-12 1 East Regional 51 133 Marble David Bucknell JR Harpersville, NY 27-10 4 EIWA 52 133 Grey Mike Cornell SO Rockaway, NY 22-8 2 EIWA 53 133 Fisk Matthew Lehigh RSJR Wyalusing PA 26-7 3 EIWA 54 133 Baker Joe Navy SR Poway, CA 14-0 1 EIWA 55 133 Deubel Rick Edinboro RSSR Chagrin Falls, OH 27-11 2 EWL 56 133 Conroy Jimmy Pittsburgh JR South Plainfield, NJ 21-11 1 EWL 57 133 Beebe Conor Central Michigan RSJR Western Springs, IL 22-12 2 MAC 58 133 Mitcheff Dan Kent State RSJR Lorain, OH 23-8 1 MAC 59 133 DeShazer Tristen Northern Illinois RSSO Wichita, KS 21-11 3 MAC 60 133 Hochstrasser Andrew Boise State RSSO Tooele, UT 30-2 1 Pac-10 61 133 Novachkov Filip Cal Poly RSSO Sunnyvale,CA 22-7 3 Pac-10 62 133 Kimbrell Thomas Cal State Bakersfield RSSR Daswonville, GA 25-12 5 Pac-10 63 133 Dillashaw Tyler Cal State Fullerton RSSR Angels Camp, CA 27-7 6 Pac-10 64 133 Kubec Kelly Oregon State RSFR Everett, WA 21-7 2 Pac-10 65 133 Low Brandon UC Davis RSSO Honolulu, HI 14-8 4 Pac-10 66 133 Celorrio Frank Appalachian State JR Hialeah, FL 26-13 1 SoCon 67 133 VomBaur Cory Wyoming RSJR Vacouver, WA 27-12 1 WWC 68 141 Krom Alex Maryland RSJR Easton, PA 21-4 1 ACC 69 141 Ramirez Vincent North Carolina RSSR Durham, NC 31-8 3 ACC 70 141 Caramanica Joe North Carolina State JR Nazareth, PA 11-8 5 ACC 71 141 Nelson Nick Virginia SO Pittsburgh,PA 23-10 4 ACC 72 141 Diaz Christopher Virginia Tech SO Camden, DE 35-10 2 ACC 73 141 Gallick Nick Iowa State JR Tucson, AZ 28-4 2 Big 12 74 141 Hoehn Marcus Missouri SR Farminton, MO 29-8 1 Big 12 75 141 Parks Jamal Oklahoma State RSFR Tulsa, OK 27-8 3 Big 12 76 141 Prater Ryan Illinois SO Plainfield, IL 11-15 7 Big Ten 77 141 Tsirtsis Alex Iowa SR Griffith, IN 25-5 4 Big Ten 78 141 Russell Kellen Michigan SO High Bridge, NJ 26-2 1 Big Ten 79 141 Thorn Michael Minnesota RSSO Saint Michael,MN 29-15 5 Big Ten 80 141 Sulzer Keith Northwestern JR Cleveland, OH 19-12 6 Big Ten 81 141 Jaggers J Ohio State RSSR Northfield, OH 23-7 3 Big Ten 82 141 Molinaro Frank Penn State RSFR Barnegat, NJ 19-16 8 Big Ten 83 141 Tanelli Zach Wisconsin RSSR Milburne, NJ 25-4 2 Big Ten 84 141 Accordino Justin Hofstra RSFR Wilkes-Barre, PA 23-11 2 CAA 85 141 Williams Ryan Old Dominion SR Mechanicsburg, PA 35-3 1 CAA 86 141 Harner Tim Liberty SR Norristown, PA 25-8 1 East Regional 87 141 Simpson William Army SR Nashville, TN 18-6 4 EIWA 88 141 Jantzen Corey Harvard SO Shoreham, NY 13-2 2 EIWA 89 141 Ciasulli Seth Lehigh RSJR Easton, PA 24-8 1 EIWA 90 141 Rappo Richard Penn JR Holland,PA 18-7 3 EIWA 91 141 Nauman Tyler Pittsburgh RSFR Middletown, PA 28-7 1 EWL 92 141 D'Alie Anthony Central Michigan RSJR Waterford,WI 14-9 2 MAC 93 141 Lashaway Drew Kent State RSSR Bowling Green, OH 29-5 1 MAC 94 141 Drouin Chris Arizona State RSSO Temecula, CA 26-6 2 Pac-10 95 141 Fish Cory Boise State JR Spokane, WA 18-9 4 Pac-10 96 141 Nacita Elijah Cal State Bakersfield RSSO Bakersfield, CA 33-11 1 Pac-10 97 141 Duenas Adin Cal State Fullerton RSSO Gilroy,Ca 20-7 3 Pac-10 98 141 Cleveland Cody Chattanooga RSJR Tullahoma, Tn 17-6 1 SoCon 99 141 Bencivenga Christopher North Carolina-Greensboro RSSR Davie, FL 29-10 2 SoCon 100 141 Washington Trenton Northern Iowa RSFR Omaha, NE 14-7 1 WWC 101 149 Stabile Nicholas North Carolina RSSO Lenhartsville, PA 27-9 2 ACC 102 149 Caldwell Darrion North Carolina State SO Rahway, N.J. 33-0 1 ACC 103 149 Balum Kellon Virginia JR Herndon, PA 10-11 3 ACC 104 149 Yates Peter Virginia Tech FR Conyers, GA 36-8   ACC 105 149 Mueller Mitch Iowa State JR Iowa City, IA 20-7 2 Big 12 106 149 Sanders Robert Nebraska RSSR Blanding, UT 26-15 3 Big 12 107 149 Terry Kyle Oklahoma RSJR Midwest City, Okla. 28-1 1 Big 12 108 149 Metcalf Brent Iowa RSJR Davison, MI 33-0 1 Big Ten 109 149 Palmer Lance Ohio State JR Columbia Station, OH 27-3 3 Big Ten 110 149 Jenkins Bubba Penn State JR Virginia Beach, VA 24-1 2 Big Ten 111 149 Patacsil Jake Purdue RSSR Sunrise, FL 33-8 4 Big Ten 112 149 Ruschell Kyle Wisconsin RSJR Critenden, KY 26-7 5 Big Ten 113 149 Roberts Michael Boston U. RSSR Albany, NY 31-10 2 CAA 114 149 Gillespie Paul Hofstra RSFR Long Beach, NY 19-13 1 CAA 115 149 Cathell Matt Delaware State RSSO   16-0 1 East Regional 116 149 Borshoff Kyle American SO Pittsford, NY 26-4 3 EIWA 117 149 Kyler Matthew Army JR Clearfield, PA 39-5 2 EIWA 118 149 LeValley Kevin Bucknell SO Hugo, CO 28-13 6 EIWA 119 149 Meagher Daniel Cornell SO Bow, NH 14-10   EIWA 120 149 Chinn Trevor Lehigh RSSR Canadaigua, NY 27-7 4 EIWA 121 149 Saddoris Bryce Navy SO Spring Creek, NV 40-5 1 EIWA 122 149 Grajales Cesar Penn SO Brandon, FL 25-8 5 EIWA 123 149 Hickman George Bloomsburg RSSR Wilmington, NC 23-12 2 EWL 124 149 Gillespie Torsten Edinboro FR Webster, NY 26-17 6 EWL 125 149 Fittery Matthew Lock Haven RSSR Denver, PA 29-7 1 EWL 126 149 Jauregui David West Virginia RSSR Santa Ana, CA 14-5 3 EWL 127 149 Green Desmond Buffalo FR Henrietta, NY 38-7 2 MAC 128 149 Brown Steven Central Michigan RSJR Hermon, NY 21-6 1 MAC 129 149 Chamberlain Jason Boise State FR Springville,UT 26-7 1 Pac-10 130 149 Barnes Heinrich Oregon State SR Pretoria, South Africa 35-5 2 Pac-10 131 149 Waddell Daniel Chattanooga RSFR Chattanooga,TN 12-9 1 SoCon 132 149 Polkowske Mitchell Northern Colorado FR LaJara, CO 28-6 1 WWC 133 149 Kittleson Trevor Northern Iowa RSSO St. Ansgar, IA 27-9 2 WWC 134 157 Scotton Thomas North Carolina RSSO Willingboro, NJ 20-13   ACC 135 157 Hamrah Kody North Carolina State SR Middlesex, N.J. 31-8 1 ACC 136 157 Moore Jedd Virginia FR Marion,OH 28-13 3 ACC 137 157 Dong Jesse Virginia Tech FR Westerville, OH 32-9 2 ACC 138 157 Sanderson Cyler Iowa State JR Heber City, UT 18-7 4 Big 12 139 157 Chandler Michael Missouri SR High Ridge, MO 27-6 2 Big 12 140 157 Burroughs Jordan Nebraska JR Sickerville, NJ 30-0 1 Big 12 141 157 Terry Chad Oklahoma RSJR Midwest City, Okla. 16-7   Big 12 142 157 Erisman Robert Oklahoma State RSSO De Soto, KS 31-9 3 Big 12 143 157 Poeta Michael Illinois RSSR Highwood, IL 13-0 1 Big Ten 144 157 Kinser Kurt Indiana RSSO Bloomington, IN 18-8 6 Big Ten 145 157 Hynes Aaron Michigan RSSO Flint, MI 20-13 5 Big Ten 146 157 Jones Anthony Michigan State SO Highland Park, MI 23-13 7 Big Ten 147 157 Safratowich Tyler Minnesota RSSR Park Rapids, MN 29-12 3 Big Ten 148 157 Welch Jason Northwestern FR Walnut Creek,CA. 23-8 2 Big Ten 149 157 Johnstone Jason Ohio State RSSR Massilon, OH 20-12   Big Ten 150 157 Salazar Colton Purdue RSSO Midway, UT 14-12 4 Big Ten 151 157 Bonilla-Bowman Jonny Hofstra RSJR Pomona, NY 22-7 1 CAA 152 157 Kessler Michael Rider RSJR Randallstown, MD 25-11 2 CAA 153 157 Smith Shaun Liberty JR Parkersburg, WV 12-12 1 East Regional 154 157 Leen Jordan Cornell RSSR Soddy Daisy TN 23-2 1 EIWA 155 157 O'Connor J.P. Harvard JR Oxford, NY 30-3 2 EIWA 156 157 Dragon Matt Penn JR Dallas,PA 25-7 4 EIWA 157 157 Winston Scott Rutgers FR Jackson NJ 38-7 3 EIWA 158 157 Moley Matt Bloomsburg JR Phoenixville, PA 31-5 1 EWL 159 157 Harrison Hadley Clarion JR McKean, PA 20-13 4 EWL 160 157 Gillespie Gregor Edinboro JR Webster, NY 37-1 2 EWL 161 157 Goodman Ryan West Virginia RSFR Greensburg, PA 8-9 3 EWL 162 157 Deutsch Bryan Northern Illinois RSSO Columbia City, IN 20-10 1 MAC 163 157 Hall Adam Boise State RSSO Bonners Ferry, ID 31-4 2 Pac-10 164 157 Pami Chase Cal Poly RSJR Las Vegas, NV 22-7 1 Pac-10 165 157 Knox Joseph Chattanooga RSJR Signal Mtn. TN 16-10 1 SoCon 166 157 Gaethje Justin Northern Colorado SO Safford, AZ 22-6 1 WWC 167 165 Mueller Keegan North Carolina RSSR Dallas, TX 32-7 1 ACC 168 165 Reader Jonathan Iowa State SO Davison, MI 25-6 3 Big 12 169 165 Marable Nick Missouri JR Collierville, TN 23-6 1 Big 12 170 165 Dwyer Stephen Nebraska JR Rockton, IL 25-5 2 Big 12 171 165 Smith Ryan Oklahoma RSFR Prineville, OR 15-11 5 Big 12 172 165 Mason Brandon Oklahoma State RSSR Shenandoah, IA 26-9 4 Big 12 173 165 Smith-Bergsrud Roger Illinois RSSR Lake Bluff, IL 19-10 6 Big Ten 174 165 Young Paul Indiana RSSO Bloomington, IN 29-13 7 Big Ten 175 165 Morningstar Ryan Iowa RSJR Lisbon, IA 27-5 2 Big Ten 176 165 Zeerip Justin Michigan RSFR Freemont, MI 8-18 8 Big Ten 177 165 Kendle Rex Michigan State RSSR Edwardsburg, MI 22-13   Big Ten 178 165 Sponseller Colt Ohio State SO Glenmont, OH 30-6 4 Big Ten 179 165 Vallimont Dan Penn State RSJR Lake Hopatcong, NJ 21-10 3 Big Ten 180 165 Manuel Luke Purdue RSSO Nevada City, CA 25-13 5 Big Ten 181 165 Howe Andrew Wisconsin FR Cedar Lake,IN 26-4 1 Big Ten 182 165 Patrovich Ryan Hofstra RSSO Islip, NY 20-8 3 CAA 183 165 Brown Chris Old Dominion RSJR Chesapeake, VA 27-6 1 CAA 184 165 Lapham Jason Rider SR West Chazy, NY 26-11 2 CAA 185 165 Brooks Jeremy Millersville JR Linden, PA 30-8 1 East Regional 186 165 Rendos Andrew Bucknell JR Brockway, PA 28-6 2 EIWA 187 165 Lewnes Mack Cornell SO Annapolis, MD 35-0 1 EIWA 188 165 Galante Mike Lehigh RSJR Ocean City, NJ 27-6 3 EIWA 189 165 Pletcher Matt Rutgers SR Easthampton, NJ 33-11 4 EIWA 190 165 Schmelyun Rick Bloomsburg JR New Oxford, PA 31-13 5 EWL 191 165 King Jarrod Edinboro RSJR Connellsville, PA 27-5 1 EWL 192 165 Headlee Ethan Pittsburgh SO Waynesburg, PA 24-14 3 EWL 193 165 Jones Donald West Virginia RSJR Slickville, PA 10-3 2 EWL 194 165 Stewart Trevor Central Michigan SR Canton, MI 23-8 1 MAC 195 165 Sherfey Tyler Boise State RSSR Kenewick, WA 25-8 1 Pac-10 196 165 Davis Keegan Oregon State JR Salem, OR 25-13 3 Pac-10 197 165 Amuchastegui Nick Stanford RSFR Talent, OR 28-6 2 Pac-10 198 165 Garvin William Chattanooga RSSR Hoover, AL 22-9 1 SoCon 199 165 Fay Moza Northern Iowa RSSR Anamosa, IA 25-4 1 WWC 200 174 Henrich Christopher Virginia SO Lansdale, PA 36-1 1 ACC 201 174 Trongone Anthony Virginia Tech RSFR Glendora 26-14 2 ACC 202 174 Burk Ryan Iowa State JR Peoria, IL 17-7   Big 12 203 174 Jordan Raymond Missouri SR New Bern, NC 30-4 2 Big 12 204 174 Browne Brandon Nebraska RSSR Plattsmouth, NE 26-3 1 Big 12 205 174 James Jeff Oklahoma RSSO El Reno, Okla. 22-6 4 Big 12 206 174 McSpadden Newly Oklahoma State RSSR Vinita, OK 19-7 3 Big 12 207 174 Dergo John Illinois JR Morris, IL 13-8 4 Big Ten 208 174 Perry Trevor Indiana RSJR Davison, MI 26-15 6 Big Ten 209 174 Borschel Jay Iowa RSJR Marion, IA 27-3 3 Big Ten 210 174 Luke Steve Michigan SR Massillon, OH 27-0 1 Big Ten 211 174 Hinton Ian Michigan State RSFR Mishawaka, IN 19-17 8 Big Ten 212 174 Rella David Ohio State JR Akron, OH 20-13 5 Big Ten 213 174 Wright Quentin Penn State FR PA Furnace, PA 29-10 2 Big Ten 214 174 Meys Hunter Boston U. FR Cliffton pk NY 29-10 4 CAA 215 174 Tovuujav Mendbagana George Mason FR Ulaanbaatar City, Mongolia 24-7 1 CAA 216 174 Lucas Alton Hofstra SR West Babylon, NY 24-6 2 CAA 217 174 Decker Eric Old Dominion RSJR Wells Bridge, NY 26-17 3 CAA 218 174 Smith Shane Millersville RSFR Pennsburg, PA 32-13 1 East Regional 219 174 Cannon Michael American RSSO Mechanicsville, MD 30-0 1 EIWA 220 174 Riccio Shane Bucknell JR Warren, NJ 32-14 3 EIWA 221 174 Anceravage Steve Cornell RSSR Bloomsburg, PA 27-4 2 EIWA 222 174 Herbert Justin Franklin & Marshall SR New Milford, PA 23-11   EIWA 223 174 Caruso Alex Lehigh RSSO Green Brook, NJ 19-9 4 EIWA 224 174 Rebertus Luke Navy FR Elkton, MD 34-9 5 EIWA 225 174 Giffin Scott Penn RSFR Berlin, NJ 16-10 6 EIWA 226 174 Brenner Kurt West Virginia RSSR Rochester, PA 18-4 1 EWL 227 174 Rock Nate Buffalo JR Ephrata, PA 26-14 2 MAC 228 174 Miller Mike Central Michigan RSSO Uniontown, OH 26-6 1 MAC 229 174 Lee Nathan Boise State RSJR Payson, AZ 18-3 1 Pac-10 230 174 McCroskey Jason Chattanooga RSFR Hixson, TN 17-10 1 SoCon 231 174 Sigmon Byron North Carolina-Greensboro RSSO Claremont, NC 17-9 3 SoCon 232 174 Onufer Shane Wyoming RSFR Auburn, WA 42-9 1 WWC 233 184 Barone John Duke RSJR Shirley, N.Y. 36-6 3 ACC 234 184 Caponi Rocco Virginia RSSR Uniontown, OH 15-5 1 ACC 235 184 Spellman Thomas Virginia Tech SO Newton, NJ 24-9 2 ACC 236 184 Ward Jerome Iowa State RSFR Evergreen Park, IL 23-11 2 Big 12 237 184 Henderson Dorian Missouri RSFR Columbia, Mo. 20-13   Big 12 238 184 Jones Vince Nebraska SR Sicklerville, NJ 31-6 1 Big 12 239 184 Flynn Patrick Oklahoma JR Quakertown, PA 25-6 3 Big 12 240 184 McNeil Christopher Oklahoma State RSFR Lawton, OK 24-11 4 Big 12 241 184 Blanton Jordan Illinois FR Richmond, IL 26-8 4 Big Ten 242 184 Cameron Eric Indiana JR Cincinnati, OH 21-18 6 Big Ten 243 184 Keddy Philip Iowa RSJR Vernal, UT 29-3 2 Big Ten 244 184 Biondo Anthony Michigan RSSO Clinton Twp, MI 18-13 5 Big Ten 245 184 Herbert Jake Northwestern RSSR Wexford,PA 29-0 1 Big Ten 246 184 Pucillo Mike Ohio State RSJR Strongsville, OH 19-1 3 Big Ten 247 184 Kissel A.J. Purdue SO Sheboygan, WI 27-8   Big Ten 248 184 Patterson Joshua Binghamton JR Ontario, NY 41-4 1 CAA 249 184 Umbehauer Doug Rider RSSR Shamong, NJ 19-4 2 CAA 250 184 Daggett Christopher Liberty SR Parkersburg, WV 25-13 1 East Regional 251 184 Gevelinger Matthew Brown SR Mineral Point, WI 24-12 4 EIWA 252 184 Thompson David Bucknell SO West Liberty, OH 22-14 5 EIWA 253 184 Kerber Justin Cornell RSSO Emmetsburg, IA 30-10 2 EIWA 254 184 Caputo Louis Harvard JR Blue Springs, MO 30-5 3 EIWA 255 184 Craig David Lehigh JR Brandon, FL 25-4 1 EIWA 256 184 Caldwell Kenneth Navy SR Liberty, IN 31-13 6 EIWA 257 184 Honeycutt Christopher Edinboro FR North Ridgeville, OH 30-6 1 EWL 258 184 Moran Mickey Buffalo SR Pittsburgh, PA 23-11 3 MAC 259 184 DiDona Vincenzo Central Michigan RSSR Cleveland, OH 25-12 2 MAC 260 184 Kilgore Dustin Kent State RSFR Berea, OH 31-3 1 MAC 261 184 Smith Kirk Boise State SO Boise, ID 36-1 1 Pac-10 262 184 Orozco Riley Cal State Bakersfield RSSO Fallon, NV 27-11 2 Pac-10 263 184 McKee Mikal North Carolina-Greensboro SO Asheville, NC 31-12 1 SoCon 264 184 Dolly Alex Northern Iowa RSSR Mishawaka, IN 11-4 2 WWC 265 184 LeBlanc Joe Wyoming RSFR Meeker, CO 40-6 1 WWC 266 197 Taylor Hudson Maryland RSJR Pennington, NJ 31-7 2 ACC 267 197 Drury Dennis North Carolina RSJR Jenkintown, PA 27-8 3 ACC 268 197 Jones Brent Virginia RSJR Burke, VA 29-6 1 ACC 269 197 Bruce Daniel Virginia Tech SO Naperville, IL 28-15 4 ACC 270 197 Varner Jake Iowa State JR Bakersfield, CA 26-2 2 Big 12 271 197 Askren Maxwell Missouri JR Hartland, WI 26-5 3 Big 12 272 197 Brester Craig Nebraska RSJR Howells, NE 29-3 1 Big 12 273 197 Lapotsky Eric Oklahoma JR Mt. Carmel, PA 22-8 5 Big 12 274 197 Foster Clayton Oklahoma State SO Kamiah, ID 27-5 4 Big 12 275 197 Bond Patrick Illinois RSJR Chesapeake, VA 16-12 3 Big Ten 276 197 Beatty Chad Iowa RSJR Muscatine, IA 18-4 4 Big Ten 277 197 Todd Tyrel Michigan SR Bozeman, MT 21-1 1 Big Ten 278 197 Brown Logan Purdue RSSO Covington,OH 29-13 5 Big Ten 279 197 Herbst Dallas Wisconsin RSSR Winneconne, WI 23-3 2 Big Ten 280 197 Hall John Boston U. SO Palo Alto CA 25-10   CAA 281 197 Oplinger Jon Drexel RSSR Bath, PA 31-5 2 CAA 282 197 Byers Cayle George Mason SO Chugiak, AK 27-5 1 CAA 283 197 Fagiano Joe Hofstra SO Harwood Height, IL 17-8 4 CAA 284 197 Strawn Jesse Old Dominion JR Holton, KS 33-11 3 CAA 285 197 Bennet Raymond Millersville SO Clarks Summit, PA 19-13 1 East Regional 286 197 Silber Charles American SR Scotch Plains, NJ 22-12 5 EIWA 287 197 Starks Richard Army JR Midway, KY 33-6 2 EIWA 288 197 Simez Cameron Cornell RSFR Allegan, MI 34-9 1 EIWA 289 197 Bradshaw Patrick Edinboro RSJR Saegertown, PA 25-7 1 EWL 290 197 Hamel James Buffalo FR Watick, MA 30-12 2 MAC 291 197 McClure John Eastern Michigan RSSR West Ottawa, MI 14-15 1 MAC 292 197 Chine Eric Kent State RSSR Youngstown, OH 22-11 4 MAC 293 197 Chriswell Brent Boise State RSSO Port-Orchad,WA 13-1 1 Pac-10 294 197 Halsey Brandon Cal State Bakersfield RSSR Oceanside, CA 20-3 2 Pac-10 295 197 Feist Luke Stanford RSSR Sandpoint, ID 22-13 3 Pac-10 296 197 Delaney Andrew The Citadel FR Santa Rosa Beach, FL 25-16 1 SoCon 297 197 Anderson Andrew Northern Iowa RSSR Sioux City, IA 26-7 1 WWC 298 197 Sorenson Tyler South Dakota State RSJR Garretson, SD 14-2 2 WWC 299 285 Dudziak Konrad Duke RSSO Bayonne, NJ 27-2 1 ACC 300 285 Dobies Justin North Carolina RSSR Garfield Heights, OH 27-8 2 ACC 301 285 Marone David Virginia Tech SO Broomfield, CO 31-14 3 ACC 302 285 Zabriskie David Iowa State JR Branchville, NJ 30-2 1 Big 12 303 285 Ellis Mark Missouri JR Raymore, MO 26-3 2 Big 12 304 285 Lane Tucker Nebraska RSFR Redvale, CO 26-12 3 Big 12 305 285 Fernandez Nathan Oklahoma RSSO Lawton, Okla. 20-10 5 Big 12 306 285 Rosholt Jared Oklahoma State RSJR Sandpoint, ID 30-4 4 Big 12 307 285 Wise John Illinois RSJR Pittsfield, IL 21-7 3 Big Ten 308 285 Everhart Nathan Indiana JR Orland Park, IL 25-15 5 Big Ten 309 285 Erekson Daniel Iowa JR McCall, ID 22-6 1 Big Ten 310 285 Berhow Benjamin Minnesota RSSO Hayward,MN 26-9 4 Big Ten 311 285 Morrison Corey Ohio State RSJR Shaker Hts. OH 19-13   Big Ten 312 285 Massey Kyle Wisconsin RSSR Champlin, MN 23-8 2 Big Ten 313 285 Bordas Eddie Rider JR Montgomery, NY 26-8 1 CAA 314 285 Porter Dustin Gardner-Webb RSJR Burton, OH 31-5 1 East Regional 315 285 Flores Ryan Columbia FR Clovis, CA 32-3 1 EIWA 316 285 Hammond Zach Cornell RSSR Galloway, NJ 18-12 5 EIWA 317 285 Birchler Christopher East Stroudsburg JR Fairfield, NJ 23-5 3 EIWA 318 285 Rey Zachery Lehigh RSFR Hopatcong, NJ 21-4 2 EIWA 319 285 McLean Trey Penn JR Merlin, OR 18-10 6 EIWA 320 285 Russo III Rutgers RSSO Netcong, NJ 31-14 4 EIWA 321 285 Goff Rashard Cleveland State RSSR Brandon, FL 30-9 1 EWL 322 285 Fendone Joe Edinboro RSSR Salem, NH 27-6 2 EWL 323 285 Sheaffer Zach Pittsburgh RSSR Carlisle, PA 18-9 4 EWL 324 285 Rogers Dustin West Virginia RSSR Corning, CA 19-5 3 EWL 325 285 Trice Jarod Central Michigan RSFR Highland Park, MI 22-10 2 MAC 326 285 Porter Jermail Kent State RSSR Akron, OH 28-1 1 MAC 327 285 Monteiro Mitchell Cal State Bakersfield RSJR Paso Robles 28-6 1 Pac-10 328 285 Jack Clayton Oregon State RSFR Vacaville, CA 21-9 3 Pac-10 329 285 Alcala Ricardo UC Davis RSSO Arvin, CA 16-10 2 Pac-10 330 285 wine josh VMI SO massaponax 14-6 1 SoCon 331 285 Brantley Christian Northern Iowa RSFR Homewood, IL 25-8 1 WWC                     Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/851-ncaa-all-qualifiers Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:43:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/776-leftover-thoughts-from-the-showdown Ian McCutcheon FloWrestling.org There is not much that I can add to the discussion of David Taylor and Colin Palmer.  Unless something drastic happens, this will be the high school match of the year.  Potentially, it’s the high school match of the decade.  With six, soon to be eight, state titles between the two, this was a dream for anybody associated with wrestling.  I give all the credit in the world to Taylor for having the guts to bump up in weight class, to Palmer for accepting the challenge, and to both coaches for making it happen.  For anybody who had the privilege of being in the building, it looked like an absolutely electric atmosphere, worthy of the magnitude of the bout.  Everything in the previous paragraph has been said a thousand different ways by writers, message board posters, and John Q. fan who heard about the match.  But after looking at the totality of the weekend, the thing that interested me most was not the match.  In one of his interviews with Flo, Colin Palmer was asked what happened in the third period, where his 4-3 lead became an 8-5 loss.  He answered that “I don’t really get pushed too much,” and “I don’t have anybody that pushes me for the full six minutes,” to flesh out his point that conditioning played a part in the result.  On the flip side, Taylor was excited to mention that there are four or five guys he wrestles with that are national caliber, adding “there’s always somebody that’s going to take you down in practice.”  This is not a knock on St. Ed’s program, or an assertion of Graham’s dominance as a program.  They’re two of the top programs in the history of high school wrestling.  But it does raise the real dilemma that elite wrestlers like Taylor and Palmer face.  In most sports, you can practice your skills individually and excel.  Great basketball players can work on shooting and ball handling at all times.  Baseball players take batting practice and throw.  Golfers can practice any shot in the book.  But wrestlers need somebody else to wrestle.  Being great is really only half the battle.  Wrestlers that are successful at the highest levels need not only their own individual talent, but people around to push them, whether it be fellow wrestlers, assistant coaches, or whoever.  Although wrestling appears individual, the contribution your workout partners make immeasurable, and ultimately makes the difference between champion and runner up.  Frankly, this is one of the things that hurt the chances for ever having parity in the college game.  Wrestlers who want to become the best need to go where they’ll be pushed.  I’ve complained in this space before that team talent is way too concentrated.  But when you go to Iowa as a middle weight, you’re not just going for the tradition, but for the chance to roll around with Brent Metcalf and Ryan Morningstar every day.  That’s how you become the best.  While Michael Beasley can be the best high school player in the nation, go play for a relative basketball nobody like Kansas State and still be national player of the year and a lottery pick, a wrestler would have serious trouble flourishing in the same situation.  Schools of that profile in wrestling simply can’t handle a kid like David Taylor.  Dan Gable could be coaching the team, but if he doesn’t have the people to roll around with he’s not going to reach his ceiling.  More than any coaching change, budget shift, or facility upgrade, this is what holds back mid and lower tiered programs from jumping a level.  One final addendum.  I loved seeing the packed house for this dual.  But what made me really happy was listening to David Taylor’s interview where he spoke of the atmosphere for the match.  As a former high school basketball player who doubles as a wrestling junkie, it was great to hear that the Graham student section is led by the basketball team.  It’s great that there is a student section period.    So often, wrestling tends have an incestuous crowd, where only wrestling people go to wrestling events and support the sport.  Often it appears as if this is by design.  As an outsider, I’ve noticed wrestling folk tend to isolate themselves as a fan base.  I realize that is imbedded in the culture.  It’s a lonely sport, and being independent is how you get through it.  But that’s not a great way to build a fan base.  The Palmer-Taylor match was.  The main reason for this is it was accessible to everybody.  Taylor said that he saw so many people that have never been to a match before.  With two competitors of that caliber and an atmosphere like that gym, tidily-winks could be exciting.  And more than just wrestling people saw it live.  That’s important.  The first time I went to a wrestling match, I saw defending state champs Matt Ciasulli and Jeff Ecklof go at it in front of a sold out crowd in Easton’s gym.  The electricity in the room that night hooked me to the sport for life.  Hopefully the same thing happened to somebody else last Saturday.    Wrestling Videos on Flowrestling Ian McCutcheon http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/776-leftover-thoughts-from-the-showdown Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:12:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/763-who-is-on-pace-to-make-the-ncaas NCAA Division I Wrestling Coaches Panel Rankings  Through Results of 1/18/2009  Rank Wt Class Name School  1 125 Paul Donahoe Edinboro  2 125 Troy  Nickerson Cornell  3 125 Brandon Precin Northwestern  4 125 Angel Escobedo Indiana  5 125 Charlie Falck Iowa  6 125 Tyler Clark Iowa State  7 125 Scotti Sentes Central Michigan  8 125 James Nicholson Old Dominion  9 125 Zachary Sanders Minnesota  10 125 Rollie Peterkin Pennsylvania  11 125 Joey Fio Oklahoma  11 125 Anthony Robles Arizona State  13 125 Obenson Blanc Oklahoma State  14 125 Mike Watts Michigan  15 125 Jarrod Garnett Virginia Tech  16 125 Marcos Orozco UC Davis  17 125 Nicholas Bedelyon Kent State  18 125 Brad Pataky Penn State  19 125 Brandon Zoetewey Cal State Bakersfield  20 125 Anthony Mustari Northern Colorado  21 125 Jay Ivanco Clarion  22 125 Nikko Triggas Ohio State  23 125 Steve Bonanno Hofstra  24 125 Prescott Garner Navy  25 125 Ian  Moser Bloomsburg  26 125 Brian Owen Boise State  27 125 Bernard Futrell Illinois  28 125 Michael Martinez Wyoming  29 125 Derek Reber Bucknell  30 125 Chris Albright Pittsburgh  31 125 Thomas Williams American  32 125 Brendan Byrne Maryland  33 125 Caleb Flores University of Northern Iowa      1 133 Franklin Gomez Michigan State  2 133 Reece Humphrey Ohio State  3 133 James Kennedy Illinois  4 133 Daniel Dennis Iowa  5 133 Andrew Hochstrasser Boise State  6 133 Nicholas Fanthorpe Iowa State  7 133 Jayson Ness Minnesota  8 133 Steve Bell Maryland 9 133 Mike Grey Cornell  10 133 Jake Strayer Penn State  11 133 Joe Baker Navy  12 133 Lou Ruggirello Hofstra  13 133 Tyler Dillashaw Cal State Fullerton  14 133 Rick Deubel Edinboro  15 133 Dan Mitcheff Kent State  16 133 Christopher Notte Oklahoma State  17 133 Matthew Fisk Lehigh  18 133 Todd Schavrien Missouri  19 133 David Marble Bucknell  20 133 Tristen DeShazer Northern Illinois  21 133 Kyle Hutter Old Dominion  22 133 Jimmy Conroy Pittsburgh  23 133 Conor Beebe Central Michigan  24 133 Michael Rappo North Carolina  25 133 Thomas Kimbrell Cal State Bakersfield  26 133 Matt Bonson Virginia  27 133 Brian Shelton Oklahoma  28 133 Sean  Clair Eastern Michigan  28 133 Eric Metzler Northwestern  30 133 Will Livingston Virginia Tech  31 133 Cory  VomBaur Wyoming  32 133 Matthew Vacanti Nebraska  33 133 Kelly Kubec Oregon State      1 141 Alex Tsirtsis Iowa  2 141 Zach Tanelli Wisconsin  3 141 Nick Gallick Iowa State  4 141 Corey Jantzen Harvard  5 141 Kellen Russell Michigan  6 141 Chris Drouin Arizona State  7 141 Ryan Williams Old Dominion  8 141 J Jaggers Ohio State  9 141 Tyler Nauman Pittsburgh  10 141 Joe Caramanica North Carolina State  11 141 Cody Cleveland Chattanooga  12 141 Michael Thorn Minnesota  13 141 Marcus Hoehn Missouri  14 141 Drew  Lashaway Kent State  15 141 Alex Krom Maryland  16 141 Anthony D'Alie Central Michigan  17 141 Jamal Parks Oklahoma State  18 141 Keith Sulzer Northwestern  19 141 Christopher Diaz Virginia Tech  20 141 Seth Ciasulli Lehigh  20 141 Vincent Ramirez North Carolina  22 141 Frank Molinaro Penn State  23 141 Nick Nelson Virginia  24 141 Cory Fish Boise State  25 141 Tim Harner Liberty  26 141 Christopher Bencivenga North Carolina-Greensboro  27 141 Andrae Hernandez Indiana  28 141 Elijah Nacita Cal State Bakersfield  29 141 Trevor Melde Rutgers  30 141 Ryan Prater Illinois  31 141 Joel Webster Edinboro  32 141 Matthew Mariacher American  33 141 Adin  Duenas Cal State Fullerton      1 149 Brent Metcalf Iowa  2 149 Bubba Jenkins Penn State  3 149 Darrion Caldwell North Carolina State  4 149 Lance Palmer Ohio State  5 149 Kyle Ruschell Wisconsin  6 149 Bryce Saddoris Navy  7 149 Jake Patacsil Purdue  8 149 Steven  Brown Central Michigan  9 149 Kyle Borshoff American  10 149 Matthew Kyler Army  11 149 Cesar Grajales Pennsylvania  12 149 Matt Cathell Delaware State  13 149 Kyle Terry Oklahoma  14 149 Trevor Chinn Lehigh  15 149 Heinrich Barnes Oregon State  16 149 Nicholas Stabile North Carolina  17 149 Mitch Mueller Iowa State  18 149 Jason Chamberlain Boise State  19 149 David Jauregui West Virginia  20 149 Torsten Gillespie Edinboro  21 149 Michael Roberts Boston U.  22 149 Peter Yates Virginia Tech  23 149 Matthew Fittery Lock Haven  24 149 Desmond  Green Buffalo  25 149 Luke Silver Oklahoma State  26 149 Daniel Meagher Cornell  27 149 Kevin LeValley Bucknell  28 149 Andrew Sherry Missouri  29 149 Robert Sanders Nebraska  30 149 Barrett Abel UC Davis  30 149 Ryan  Adams North Dakota State  32 149 Mitchell Polkowske Northern Colorado 33 149 Mark Powell Pittsburgh      1 157 Gregor Gillespie Edinboro  2 157 Jordan Burroughs Nebraska  3 157 Michael Poeta Illinois  4 157 Jordan Leen Cornell  5 157 J.P. O'Connor Harvard  6 157 Adam Hall Boise State  7 157 Cyler  Sanderson Iowa State  8 157 Dan Vallimont Penn State  9 157 Michael Chandler Missouri  10 157 Matt Moley Bloomsburg  11 157 Robert Erisman Oklahoma State  12 157 Chase Pami Cal Poly  13 157 Kurt Kinser Indiana  14 157 Scott Winston Rutgers  15 157 Matt Dragon Pennsylvania  16 157 Jason Welch Northwestern  17 157 Shane Vernon Oklahoma  18 157 Tyler Safratowich Minnesota  19 157 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman Hofstra  19 157 Jason Johnstone Ohio State  21 157 Jedd Moore Virginia  22 157 Joseph  Knox Chattanooga  23 157 Kody Hamrah North Carolina State  24 157 Jesse Dong Virginia Tech  25 157 Michael Kessler Rider  26 157 Hadley Harrison Clarion  27 157 Tyler Grayson Central Michigan  28 157 Thomas Scotton North Carolina  29 157 Sean Bilodeau Lehigh  30 157 Derek Sickles Columbia University  31 157 Anthony Jones Michigan State  32 157 Joel Ahern Navy  33 157 Aaron Hynes Michigan      1 165 Mack Lewnes Cornell  2 165 Ryan  Morningstar Iowa  3 165 Moza Fay University of Northern Iowa  4 165 Colt Sponseller Ohio State  5 165 Stephen  Dwyer Nebraska  6 165 Jonathan Reader Iowa State  7 165 Nick Marable Missouri  8 165 Jarrod King Edinboro  9 165 Andrew Howe Wisconsin 10 165 Trevor Stewart Central Michigan  11 165 Brandon Mason Oklahoma State  12 165 Andrew  Rendos Bucknell  13 165 Luke Manuel Purdue  14 165 Chris Brown Old Dominion  15 165 Mike Galante Lehigh  16 165 Keegan Mueller North Carolina  17 165 Roger Smith-Bergsrud Illinois  18 165 Scott Glasser Minnesota  19 165 Tyler Sherfey Boise State  20 165 Keegan Davis Oregon State  21 165 Ryan Patrovich Hofstra  22 165 Rick Schmelyun Bloomsburg  23 165 Ryan Smith Oklahoma  24 165 Zack Shanaman Pennsylvania  25 165 William Garvin Chattanooga  26 165 Matt Epperly Virginia Tech  27 165 Paul Young Indiana  28 165 Rex Kendle Michigan State  29 165 Jason Lapham Rider  30 165 Brian Letters Maryland  31 165 Ethan Headlee Pittsburgh  32 165 Nick Amuchastegui Stanford  33 165 Matt Pletcher Rutgers      1 174 Steve Luke Michigan  2 174 Brandon Browne Nebraska  3 174 Michael  Cannon American  4 174 Jay  Borschel Iowa  5 174 Steve Anceravage Cornell  6 174 Raymond Jordan Missouri  7 174 Christopher Henrich Virginia  8 174 Mike Miller Central Michigan  9 174 Alton Lucas Hofstra  10 174 Jeff James Oklahoma  11 174 Quentin Wright Penn State  12 174 Ryan Burk Iowa State  13 174 Kurt Brenner West Virginia  14 174 Alex Caruso Lehigh  15 174 Nathan Lee Boise State  16 174 John  Dergo Illinois  17 174 Austin Trotman Appalachian State  18 174 Newly McSpadden Oklahoma State  19 174 Shane Onufer Wyoming  20 174 Luke Rebertus Navy  21 174 Jacob Ison Ohio  22 174 Trevor Perry Indiana  23 174 Kyle Bressler Oregon State  24 174 Scott  Giffin Pennsylvania  25 174 Travis Rutt Wisconsin  26 174 Mendbagana Tovuujav George Mason  27 174 Hunter Meys Boston U.  28 174 Tyler Bernacchi UC Davis  29 174 Shane Riccio Bucknell  30 174 Eric Decker Old Dominion  31 174 Mike  Whalen Rutgers  32 174 David Rella Ohio State  33 174 Nicholas Corpe Purdue      1 184 Jake Herbert Northwestern  2 184 Mike  Pucillo Ohio State  3 184 Philip  Keddy Iowa  4 184 Kirk Smith Boise State  5 184 Dustin Kilgore Kent State  6 184 Doug  Umbehauer Rider  7 184 Louis Caputo Harvard  8 184 Joshua Patterson Binghamton  9 184 David Craig Lehigh  10 184 Joe LeBlanc Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/763-who-is-on-pace-to-make-the-ncaas Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:57:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/726-why-the-iowa-hawkeyes-wont-win-the-national-duals National Duals Preview and Picks  Ian McCutcheon FloWrestling.org  While our crew at Flo will be at the Virginia Duals this weekend, which boasts national powers Lehigh, Oklahoma State, Central Michigan, and Edinboro, there will be another frenzy of dual meets in the Midwest.  This weekend is the annual NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, theoretically crowning the best dual meet team in the country.  As always, it is a star studded field, with top ranked Iowa looking to defend its crown and win the event for the fifth time.  The Hawkeyes will certainly be tested though, as they are one of seven top ten teams entered in the field.  There are enough salient match ups that this is worth a full bracket preview equipped with picks.  First Round (seeds appear before team names) #1 Iowa vs. #16 Wyoming This match is more about the future than the present.  Iowa is a runaway favorite and the popular pick to win the entire tournament.  Wyoming hardly has the name recognition of the Gold and Black, but being entered in this tournament is an important first step in the overall plan of first year head coach Mark Branch.  Branch is the type of young, enthusiastic head coach needed to spread wrestling outside of the Big 12/Big Ten vice grip.  His Cowboys finished 19th in Vegas, with red-shirt freshman Joe LeBlanc being the surprise of the tournament at 184 pound.  LeBlanc defeated Nebraska standout Vince Jones there to finish 3rd, and shouldn’t be counted out against Hawkeye star Phil Keddy.  While I don’t expect this one to be close, it is the change in attitude and the expectations that go along with just being here are the real wins for Wyoming.  #8 Minnesota vs. #9 Buffalo Minnesota finds itself in an unusual spot.  They are seeded 8th here and ranked outside the top ten for the first time in years.  This is a green Minnesota squad, and while they may not make serious waves in this tournament, they match up well with the Buffalo Bulls.  Kevin Smith, the Bulls wins leader, meets Minnesota’s best wrestler, Jayson Ness, at 133, Mickey Moran, the most experienced member of the Bulls lineup meets super talented redshirt freshman Sonny Yohn at 184, and John Martin-Cannon draws Tyler Safratowich at 157.  While this is the Minnesota team for a school like Buffalo to upset, the match ups just aren’t there.  #5 Missouri vs. #12 Penn State Anybody who follows the NCAA basketball tournament knows that there is a 5-12 upset every year.  While Penn State would certainly hope that this steadfast rule carries over to wrestling too, it will be an uphill battle.  The Missouri upper weights have the kind of firepower the Nittany Lions cannot handle.  From 57 up, the Tigers are brutal, and I don’t see either Dan Vallimont or Quentin Wright being able to steal decisions for Penn State.  The Nittany Lions need to build momentum in the first four bouts.  Marcus Hoehn and Frank Molinaro, as well as the Vallimont-Michael Chandler and Wright-Raymond Jordan bouts will be key for Penn State, but I don’t think this one will ever be in doubt for Missouri.  #4 Nebraska vs. #13 Northwestern One of the impressive storylines of this season so far has been Nebraska’s ability to overcome a series of off-season distractions and reload after a resurgent 2008 season.  Northwestern lost boatloads of experience, and while they have a few outstanding individuals, they will have a tough time overcoming the Cornhuskers depth.  Nobody has a top of the lineup quite like Nebraska.  They trot out Jordan Burroughs, Stephen Dwyer, Brandon Browne, Vince Jones, Craig Brester, and Tucker Lane.  Oh my.  Burroughs and freshman phenom Jason Welch will have everybody watching in this one, but a less showy but equally intriguing match up is Husker freshman John Burns against NCAA qualifier Keith Sulzer.  Burns has raced out to a 14-3 record, cracking the Nebraska duals line up against Michigan.  He gets much less press than Welch, the other true freshman in this dual, but could turn some heads with an upset of Sulzer here and fuel the Husker victory.  #3 Cornell vs. #14 Michigan Will we see Troy Nickerson this weekend?  That is the question on the mind of everybody in Ithaca.  Nickerson has been out of action since the first weeks of the season.  If he is here and healthy, the Big Red are as good as anyone in the country.  Mike Grey is back to 133 and looks like himself again, and Jordan Leen, Mack Lewnes, and Steve Anceravage is a difficult middle of the lineup to get through.   Meanwhile, this Michigan team looks familiar; three absolute studs in Kellen Russell, Steve Luke, and Tyrell Todd, but matching up in every match they’ll have trouble.  Luke and Anceravage will be worth the price of admission, but Cornell should win going away.  #6 Ohio State vs. #11 Northern Iowa The Buckeyes have a chance to roll here.  They came into the year with national title hopes based on last season’s runner up finish.  While that goal is doubtful, Tom Ryan’s squad has the balance to be successful in duals.  They have few wrestlers that will overwhelm you but plenty that beat you.  Northern Iowa suffers from a case of bad match ups.  Their best wrestlers seem to catch the best the Buckeyes have to offer.  However, the Moza Fay-Colt Sponsellor rematch at 165 will have everybody in the arena watching.  Fay has been spectacular this year, while Sponsellor is an aggressive fan favorite.  While I think Fay will win the battle, the Buckeyes should win the war.  #7 Wisconsin vs. #10 Boise State Wisconsin was my preseason sleeper.  Boise State is also one of my unheralded teams to watch.  Unfortunately they draw each other here in the first round.  While I like the young squad from Boise State, in particular I think Jason Chamberlain is a flat out stud and will defeat veteran Kyle Ruschell, I like the Badgers here.  Zach Tanelli looked like a world beater at Midlands, Andrew Howe may be the best of a strong class of freshman, and they could get bonus points up top from Dallas Herbst and Kyle Massey, which will push this one over the edge.  #2 Iowa State vs. #15 Indiana The Hoosiers lower weights have been the strength of their lineup for years now.  Starting matches with Angel Escobedo, Matt Ortega, and Andrae Hernandez is a great way to build momentum.  Unfortunately, Iowa State has Nick Fanthorpe to match up with Ortega and Nick Gallick to match up with Hernandez.  From there, the Cyclones have a bevy of wrestlers that can put up bonus points, and I don’t see the Hoosiers being able to keep up.  The best match here is Kurt Kinser and Cyler Sanderson.  Sanderson has really impressed me this season, and this should be his first of a couple big wins this weekend.  Quarterfinals #1 Iowa vs. #8 Minnesota I just sat and looked at the potential match ups here, trying to pick out which bouts would be key.  But as I scored the bout to myself, I was blown away with just how much I expected to see the Hawkeyes win by.  Jayson Ness and Daniel Dennis will be a great individual match up, but if Dennis pulls the upset it is possible that the Gophers will only win one match.  Although this is a Minnesota team caught in a rebuilding year, it’s still Minnesota, and the Hawkeyes will send a message in this one.  #5 Missouri vs. #4 Nebraska This will be the battle of the big guys.  From 157 up, all of the matches are barnburners.  Top ten wrestlers face each other at 57, 65, 74, and 97.  All four of these are tosses, with each team slightly favored in two.  The separation up top will come in the battle at 184.  The Huskers Vince Jones is much more proven, but the Tigers Dorian Henderson has bottomless talent and will be a star in the future.  For right now though, I like Jones in the match up.  The other key for Nebraska will be the performance of heavyweight Tucker Lane.  He’s been impressive, but Mark Ellis is national title good.  If Lane can avoid bonus, coupled with the Jones win, I like the Cornhuskers here.  But it’ll be the match of the day. #3 Cornell vs. #6 Ohio State This will be another nail biter.  The health of Josh Arnone will be critical here.  Arnone defaulted out of the consolation bracket at the Southern Scuffle after making his first appearance of the year.  If he does not wrestle or even if he’s not on top of his game, Cody Gardner can and will win here.  That splits my bout count 5-5.  The question of Nickerson’s health is also a concern.  Without him here, Nikko Triggas swings another match in the Buckeyes favor.  Ohio State also has a good shot at bonus points with Mike Pucillo lurking at 184.  The first upset of the day comes with the Buckeyes knocking off the Big Red.  #2 Iowa State vs. #7 Wisconsin While the dual here should be a comfortable Iowa State win, Nick Gallick and Jake Varner should both be out for revenge.  Gallick was defeated by Zach Tanelli when Iowa State beat Wisconsin 27-7 earlier in the season.  Tanelli has been a giant killer recently, knocking off Corey Jantzen and Alex Tsirtsis at Midlands, giving him three wins over top two wrestlers already this season.  Varner has split is matches this year with Dallas Herbst, with Herbst winning the latest installment of the rivalry and claiming a Midlands title.  If both Iowa State wrestlers avenge these losses, the final in this one won’t be pretty.  Semifinals #1 Iowa vs. #4 Nebraska Is it possible?  Can anybody beat the Iowa?  The Huskers certainly think so.  There are two keys here to fuel the upset.  One is Jordan Burroughs matching whatever bonus points Brent Metcalf puts up.  Second is how well Nebraska’s other stars perform.  Stephen Dwyer and Brandon Browne have huge toss ups with Ryan Morningstar and Jay Borschel.  Should they win those two, the upset then is really brewing.  While Iowa is much better suited for tournaments, Nebraska matches up well with them in a dual setting.  Iowa has already had a close call with their archrival Iowa State, and if they are at all looking ahead to a rematch, they’ll be watching an all Big 12 final.  I smell an upset here by Nebraska.  #2 Iowa State vs. #6 Ohio State This bout will come down to three toss ups.  The first is at 133 where Reece Humphrey and Nick Fanthorpe clash.  Humphrey has made the leap this year from young wrestler to contender.  Fanthorpe had a similar breakout last season, and now is one of the nation’s elite.  Humphrey has more to prove here, and I like the hungry dog in the fight.  The next important bout is 141.  This weight class has been topsy-turvy all year long, and nothing is a better sign of that than the struggles of defending national champion J Jaggers.  If the Buckeyes want to go to finals, they’ll need him to beat Nick Gallick.  At this point, I don’t see that happening anymore.  Finally, two sophomore studs will clash at 165.  Colt Sponsellor is a goer, while Jon Reader likes to control tie-ups and pace.  Sponsellor has struggled at times when his motor can be slowed down.  This will put the Cyclones over the edge.  Finals #2 Iowa State vs. #4 Nebraska Like all of their duals this weekend, Nebraska will need to keep it close in the early going.  If Tyler Clark, Fanthorpe, Gallick, or Mitch Mueller pick up bonus points, this one is over.  But then that stellar top of the line up will have a chance to work.  Stephen Dwyer will have to have yet another stellar performance on the day, as he takes on Jon Reader in a must win.  Craig Brester will also need to defend his top ranking in the nation when he wrestles the man he claimed the title from, Jake Varner.  Even if things fall so perfectly for Nebraska and they avoid early bonus points and win those two toss ups, Iowa State still has one thing they don’t:  a closer.  A great heavyweight is like the back end of a lights out bullpen.  It’s tough to win when Mariano Rivera is lurking to finish.  Iowa State has a Rivera in Dave Zabriskie.  If this comes down to the wire, which it very well could. Zabriskie is the kid you want to see running out if you’re a Cyclone fan.  He’ll close the dual, and Iowa State will be your 2009 National Duals Champion. Ian McCutcheon http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/726-why-the-iowa-hawkeyes-wont-win-the-national-duals Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:52:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/695-the-last-chapter Eric Grajales, at the ripe old age of 19, is having a mid-life crisis.In just a few months the nation’s best wrestler will no longer wrestle for Brandon High School. At 7 pm on February 21, 2009, Grajales will don the white Brandon Wrestling singlet for the last time.He won’t cry, but for a moment he will be at his introspective best.His entire life, all he has ever wanted to do was wrestle for Russ Cozart and the Brandon Eagles. “What am I going to do when I don’t wrestle for Brandon anymore,” he thinks.“While some of my classmates wanted to be veterinarians, or whatever, all I ever wanted to do was wrestle for Brandon.” The nations’ best high school wrestler is also a member of the nation’s most historic team.A documentary was filmed a year ago about the team’s season.It has a Hall of Fame Coach, in Russ Cozart.The Brandon High School Wrestling Eagles own the world’s longest winning streak in any sport at any level, after winning 459 straight dual matches.This team, it’s all he’s ever known, all he’s ever wanted. Imagine having everything you ever dreamed and wished for, and having to leave it behind.Now you know how Eric Grajales feels. Eric Grajales’ story as a Brandon Wrestler doesn’t start in a sweaty, musk gym.It doesn’t begin by watching the WWE on television and a chance meeting with a neon-colored flyer.   His initiation began exactly 28 years ago when Cesar Grajales, a wrestler at Pinellas Park fell head over heels in love with Leslie Baker.Ironically, their first meeting was at a football game. “It was very uneventful,” Leslie recalls.“We just knew from the start that we belonged together.” The longest the two have been away from each other was during the summer months following Leslie’s sophomore year of high school.Young Cesar had to travel north to work in his uncle’s auto shop to save money so that, during the wrestling season, he didn’t have to.After that, the two traveled north together whenever Cesar had to go. “We’ve been living together, basically, since I was 17,” Leslie says.“All we had was each other.We knew we wanted to give our kids everything and give them the opportunities we didn’t have.” The two love birds moved north permanently after Leslie’s graduation.However, Leslie became home-sick, as living in New Jersey, she knew no one except Cesar.She returned home to Florida in late November.Predictably, the relationship hit a rough patch, as the two had to decide whether to continue the relationship or possibly, break up.The decision was made for them on a chilly night on Christmas Eve. Leslie’s mother, tragically, passed away after being involved in a car accident.There was never another discussion about breaking up.Cesar stayed in Florida to console Leslie, and never left her side. The two eventually had children, three in all, in Anthony, the oldest, Melissa and finally Eric. Cesar and Leslie eventually started their own business, Rubber City, Inc., an auto shop in St. Petersburg.A highlight of their dedication is the hour drive to work that the Grajales’ brave every day.The burgeoning business afforded them the ability to dote on their three highly successful children. Anthony, known in wrestling circles as Cesar, was a top-ranked recruit himself and is enrolled at Penn.Melissa is a future law student, attending the University of Florida. Eric is the youngest and you can see that his personality is an amalgamation of his siblings and parents.Eric has the compassion of his mother, the work ethic and leadership of his brother, the mental toughness of his highly independent sister, and the sense of humor and vision of his father.Eric is the kid that lights up the room, is always ready with an intelligent quip and the one who leads by example. Big Cesar, is the architect behind the success of both of his boys.After transferring to Brandon his senior year, he always knew he wanted his boy or boys to wrestle for Cozart.He knew Cozart would push his kids the same way he pushed every one of his other wrestlers.Through wrestling, his boys would have the opportunities he never did – namely, go to college. After Anthony turned 5, the Grajales traveled twice a week, an hour away to practices in Brandon for the elementary-aged kids. “Our lives changed forever,” Leslie says. What followed was Cesar doing everything possible one father could do to ensure the success of his children.His boys and other future Brandon wrestlers traveled the country, looking for the best matches and the best competition - all in an effort to become the best wrestlers possible. “The goal was never to be good in Florida,” Cesar says.“It was to be good on a national level.” Tulsa Nationals was one of the largest national tournaments the boys went to.Anthony and Eric both came within a match or two of placing their first time competing.After that, Big Cesar decided that the boys would focus only on wrestling.No more peewee football or baseball. “They [Eric and Anthony] were not happy about it,” Cesar says. Showcasing his strength and determination, Eric made a deal with his dad.He told him he would wrestle at Tulsa Nationals and win, and that the next year he was playing football. “I said deal,” Cesar says.“The next year, just like he said, he won it.” Early on Cesar decided that he would lead by example.When they would work out, Big Cesar would lift alongside his boys.Father and sons would go on 5k runs.He would take them to wrestling camps and take notes.He made sure they saw that he was willing to do the same things he expected them to. “The desire to win is important,” Cesar says.“But the desire to want to train hard is much more important.” And so, Eric’s life has always been co-driven.As father and coach, Big Cesar played the role with delicate aplomb. “Every now and then it gets kind of annoying,” Eric says.“Especially when you’re cutting weight.But we try to be honest with each other 100% of the time.We each understand the other one’s position.” Eric started wrestling sometime after he turned 3.From the beginning, working out with the Brandon Wrestling Club and Coach Cozart, he has been a phenom. “I thought he was a little ball of fire,” Cozart remembers.“He was all muscle, really aggressive and a really good wrestler, even then.” His talent apparent, Eric admits that Cozart was the right coach for him. Because Eric Grajales is no saint. “I wasn’t a bad kid,” Eric says.“But I like to push people to their limits.He [Cozart] always put me in my place.” On a day that Eric states was probably a bad one for Coach Cozart, he added fuel to the fire.While warming up, jogging around the mats, Eric and workout partner Austin Figari decided that pushing the other wrestlers would be a better warm up.Coach Cozart didn’t agree.He sent the two deviants to do push-ups in the corner. “At first, we were making jokes, laughing,” Eric remembers.“After about 20, 30 minutes it got old, and after 45 minutes we’d do about 3 or 4 pushups every 5 minutes or so.” The two did pushups the entire practice… all ninety minutes of it, and Eric got the point.Not that he didn’t continue to push the boundaries, but he knew when to back off.He realized Coach Cozart would help him become the wrestler he so desperately wanted to be, but he realized it would be by Cozart’s rules. Russ Cozart fostered and developed Eric’s ability the only way he knew how. It was the only way he coached and it was the same way he coached his own two sons – hard work.The Brandon Wrestling Club opens the door for wrestling every day. Russ Cozart is wrestling, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.Much in the same way he busts his own tail on a daily basis, he expects nothing less from his wrestlers. Eric picked up on that.His earliest memories are of a bearded Cozart, wrestling in open tournaments right along side his own sons, Rocky and Joey. Saturday’s were a family day, with the Grajales’ and whomever else from the Brandon Wrestling Club decided to travel.Through trips to cities such as Las Vegas, Atlanta, Chicago and Oklahoma City, Eric has seen much of the country’s sports arenas.He loved every minute of it, and it didn’t hurt to have teammates of similar mind. Every wrestler who joins the Brandon Wrestling Club dreams of one day having their name placed on The Wall.It is the place where all of Brandon’s 70 State Champions have their name marked under their weight class and year.While it is common for athletes to dream big, it is unholy common to have athletes, plural, work big.Every week of Eric’s life at least 2 times a week, he trained with the Brandon Wrestling Club.And every week, at least 4 times a week, the club was filled to the brim with other kids with the same dream and the same work ethic. Coach Cozart’s greatest accomplishment isn’t the 459 dual-match winning streak, it isn’t the 19 Team State Titles he’s won, and isn’t the 139 All-Americans he’s coached.It’s the culture he has created, where coming to practice year-round and doing so with your fullest effort isn’t enough. At Brandon, you’re expected to come to every practice.You’re expected to work hard in practice, every day.You’re expected to wrestle tournaments every Saturday.You’re expected to win a State Title.You’re expected to be an All-American.And while at most programs you have 2 or 3 guys who are willing to pay the price, the Brandon Eagles average 20 – 30 wrestlers at every practice.If Coach Cozart says there is 5 am run on Christmas morning, you can bet that everyone will show up. This atmosphere, this camaraderie is what Eric craves.He eats it up, he lives it, and he basks in it.It’s a lot easier to go through practice with 20 other guys suffering with you. Monday through Friday it was intense training with constant repetitions.On Saturdays it was time to compete, and win.Coach Cozart is a realist. While he understands and coaches his kids to enjoy the work and practice necessary, deep down, it’s about winning.It’s about winning wrestling matches week in and week out because your opposition is not training as intense, or as often, as you are. It is no coincidence, then, that Eric Grajales will continue the next chapter of his illustrious career at the Division I school of his choice. That next chapter will start in Ann Arbor, Michigan.On October 14, he committed to Coach Joe McFarland and the Wolverines. That the Number 1 ranked recruit in the nation got away from the likes of Iowa, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Minnesota isn’t that much of a surprise.It happens a lot more in collegiate wrestling, than say, NCAA Division I football, where powerhouses like USC and Florida build a veritable storehouse of talent.Thanks to a scholarship limit of 9.9, there is a lot more competition for the best recruits.Still, for a wrestler not even to consider the supposed “top” schools is an anomaly. “I wanted a balance between academics and athletics,” he says.“Not to say they aren’t good schools, but Iowa, Iowa State, it doesn’t add up.” Consider, Eric Grajales is one of those kids.Beyond Michigan, he considered and visited Cornell, Penn and Columbia.That’s Ivy, Ivy, Ivy and then one of the nation’s best public schools.When it comes to academia, Grajales is Einstein with a suplex. “I have a 4.78 GPA,” he says. “I guess I have good genes, because I never study.”He says this with a shadow of arrogance and a lot of gratitude. Remember that kid?The one who rarely does homework, rarely studies, rarely stays awake in class and still manages to pull a 97 on every test?That’s Eric Grajales.He remembers everything, the first time.Absolutely nauseating to the rest of common society, he admits, that, if anything, his grades should be better.But he doesn’t try, and he doesn’t have to.Because even when he doesn’t try, he’s still better than average. Brandon High offers AP Calculus to those few daring and intelligent individuals looking for a challenge in the discourse of math.At 7:25 in the morning, Eric Grajales saunters into the classroom, sits in his desk, and goes to sleep. A certain recipe for failure for the other 95% of the population, Grajales sleeps his way to two C’s.His mother received a phone call at least twice a week from his Calculus teacher, expressing concern that Eric was sleeping in class, and that he was not reaching his full potential. “His teacher would literally have him stand next to his desk,” Leslie recalls. “It didn’t seem to have a point,” Eric says with disgust. Couple that with the daily three-hour grind sessions that Coach Cozart’s practices are known for and the extra 3 or 4 mile run at 8 o’clock every night and you have one really disinterested Calculus student.That he pulled a C is a testament to his intelligence.Even without caring, without being even marginally interested or involved Eric Grajales passed a class a majority of Americans have never even seen the book cover for. His achievements in Honors and AP classes in addition to his first-try score of 1240 on the SAT afforded him opportunities most secondary students only dream of.But he always knew he’d go to a good school.He expected it.His parents expected it, and it was never in doubt.Now he simply had to make the first real big decision of his life.He made a check list. Great Academics Great Wrestling Teammates who share same goals Coach I can Trust to push me The weather was the only thing that did not play a part in his decision.Living in the Sunshine State, Eric knew wherever he went, it would be cold. “Whether its -10 degrees or 0, it’s still cold,” he says. New York (Columbia) and Philadelphia (Penn) were just too big, and Ithaca (Cornell) was too small. “I couldn’t see myself in a big city like New York or Philadelphia,” he says. “I know it would be too much of a distraction.At the same time, I didn’t want to be in the sticks.” And there was something that itched him the wrong way when he took his visit to the Ivy Schools. “A lot of the guys had different intentions.They wanted to get amazing degrees and wrestle along the way,” he says.“I want to win an NCAA title and have great academics.” Predictably, Grajales had a great time when he took his official visit to Michigan. “They’re supposed to show you a good time,” he says without a hint of naiveté.“But even when we weren’t out doing something, I could, just, you know, hang.All of the wrestlers, were just, wrestlers.” The wrestlers talked about bringing home the school’s first NCAA Team Championship.They talked about working hard and pushing each other in practice every day.The more they talked, the more Grajales respected these guys.He felt the same camaraderie that he felt when he talked with his Brandon teammates back home. Grajales respects wrestlers like you respect a NAVY SEAL.“People don’t understand what wrestlers go through,” he says with a bit of anger seeping out.“If you’ve never done it, you don’t know anything in my book.” Grajales isn’t talking about wrestling for four years as a high school wrestler. He’s talking about logging over 10,000 miles in extra running, just to make weight.He’s talking about giving up every single Spring Break to train at the Olympic Training Center, sometimes three times a day.He’s talking about wrestling year round and traveling annually to Vegas and Fargo, ND.He’s talking about training 4 -5 days a week in the so-called off-season.He’s talking about sacrificing meals, plural.He’s talking about not going to the movies with friends.He’s talking about not hanging out with a girlfriend who worships at your feet.He’s talking about not being at home for months on end to train in a sport where you are thrown on your head in practice. He’s talking about sacrifice.Grajales, like every other elite athlete, is married to his craft.For better or worse, in success and defeat, sacrifice is the unforgiving bitch of a wife who needs your attention like an unborn child needs an umbilical chord.The training that is necessary to compete for wrestling is far more taxing than anything a boxer or an MMA fighter experiences.Imagine training for the biggest fight of your life, every week for 11 months.While boxers and MMA athletes train with similar intensity, they do not train at a similar length.An elite boxer and/or MMA athlete train for, max, 2 or 3 fights a year. But Eric can’t help himself.As much as he’d like to spend more time with friends or eat that second helping of his Mom’s Cajun Chicken Alfredo, he can’t.He loves to win.He loves to have his hand raised, while his opponent’s head nods in defeat.Much in the same way a symphony was meant to be appreciated by an audience, Eric Grajales loves to put on a show for any and everyone watching him.The bigger the crowd, the better. “I want to get my hand raised in front of hundreds, thousands of people,” he says.“I love that pressure.” Due to his incessant quest for training, it has only been on rare occasions that Eric has not had his hand raised.He has never lost a Greco-Roman match at the nation’s most prestigious junior/high school tournament – code name Fargo. The Asics Cadet and Junior National Championships, held annually in Fargo, ND, is, ‘where State Champs go to die.’ It is the world’s largest tournament and it is also the single most important tournament in a sport where scholarships at the Division I level are scarce.Place top eight in this tournament, where it is not uncommon to have more than 70 competitors in a single weight class, and you can pretty much punch your ticket to a Division I school. Or, you can just beat Eric Grajales. Like adding seasoning salt and pepper to any dish, wrestling is Eric Grajales spiced up.As if wrestling wasn’t easy enough, he wants to do it, thrives on it.Nothing inspires him like stepping on the mat.He feels at his best, most complete and happiest inside that circle.He wants to destroy every opponent he faces.   Eric Grajales wants your mother to scream in terror and for your girlfriend to be embarrassed of you.He wants to feel the moment that your mind tells your body that it’s not worth it to fight back - give up. If at all possible, he would not feel in the least bit guilty if some poor soul quit the sport after a thrashing.It would be a compliment.Step on the mat with a bear, and prepare to be mauled. There is nothing cautious about Eric’s wrestling.There are those wrestlers who approach a match like playing chess with your great aunt and her arthritic wrists.Slow and methodical is not the preferred pace. Ike Anderson’s official title is Greco-Roman Developmental Coach.He’s the guy responsible for finding and honing the abilities of the next crop of American Greco-Roman wrestlers.A style where attacks below the waist are forbidden, Americans, have been, historically, deficient at the World and Olympic Level. Greco, does not in any way resemble, Folkstyle, the style employed by American High Schools and College.Folkstyle wrestling much more closely resembles Freestyle, a style associated with names like Dan Gable, John Smith and Cael Sanderson.It’s no wonder then that, as the nation’s #1 high school wrestler, Eric will stake his claim as a force to be reckoned with as a Freestyle competitor during the next Olympic Cycle. Nope. “Eric hates freestyle,” Anderson says with delight.“I’ve never met a kid like him.He’ll do Folkstyle, then in March, Greco.He’ll wrestle Freestyle for Team Florida at national tournaments, but that’s it.” Even at a young age, Eric has always been great at Greco. His American age-group opponents were mastering the gut wrench.This move starts as your opponent is lying prostrate on the mat and your hands are locked on or above the waist, heads facing in the same direction.Driving your feet like a sprinter off the blocks, and keeping your hands locked, in one continuous motion, you roll and arch your back, ultimately finishing in the same position you started. Meanwhile, Eric had mastered the crowd-pleasing, mother-hating Reverse Lift.The move that made 3-time Olympic Champion Alexander Karelin the most feared wrestler ever, is, and has always been Eric’s favorite move.Opponent prostrate on the mat, Eric positions himself atop and to the side of his opponent, forming a T.While facing his opponent’s feet he reaches over his opponent’s waist with one hand, the other scooping underneath. Eric locks his hands, stands straight up and arches his back, lifting his, now defenseless, opponent chest high, arms and legs flailing.As Eric’s back arches in a backwards crescent motion, his arms drive his opponent into the mat at a 90-degree angle. The top of the cranium is often the first body part to feel the mat. It is the most vicious move possible, in the world’s most vicious sport. Cozart remembers that during Eric’s first year of wrestling, the Brandon Wrestling Club made the reverse lift a part of its daily practice regimen. “I remember watching some little kids at a tournament doing it,” Cozart says.“I thought, hey, if they can do it, why can’t we?” Cozart warns that the move is not as simple as it looks, nor as spontaneous as it may seem.It takes hours upon hours of practice and years of experience to be able to hit it consistently on good wrestlers.You love Thanksgiving, Eric loves reverse lifting.He’s added his own personal touches, and over the years has learned to make adjustments, on the fly, depending on how his opponent reacts. Try to “dead-weight” yourself and he’ll load you up on his knee.Try to circle behind his legs, and he’ll pivot his heel and spin accordingly. Try to run him over and he’ll straighten his back, his hips exploding with such force that his back and knees force his body into a perfect ‘I.’ If Eric Grajales gets his hands locked in the reverse lift position – enjoy the ride. Anderson first saw Eric wrestle at the FILA Cadet Nationals in Chicago.  He watched him repeatedly reverse lift every opponent he wrestled.He was just 14. “You’re talking about a move that, at that age is not common,” Anderson says.“It is common for the Europeans, who don’t even know what Folkstyle or Freestyle is.At an early age he was hitting moves that guys on the University and Senior level do.He was like a European.” That Anderson compares Eric to a European may be the highest compliment possible.Our friends across the ocean focus on one style their entire lives, and at a young age, are taught with the same system that creates World and Olympic Champions.In Russia, you must have at least a master’s degree in physical education to become a coach.Imagine having a John Smith or Dan Gable at every high school in the nation, and the effect it would have on the development of our athletes.Eric was wrestling like them. There were no holes in his Greco, nothing he was not athletic enough to do, no move he didn’t pick up the first time.He’s so good he can see a move once, and five minutes later, try it in a match, and hit it perfectly.He would try to score at every opportunity, with no regard for the score, no regard for position.Anderson watched this phenom and knew that if he didn’t get Eric to understand that defense wins championships he wouldn’t reach his full potential. “I told Eric, if you score 12 points on a guy and he scores 13, you’ll lose,” Anderson recalls.“He didn’t think it was important and that was the thing I worked on the most with him.” Ike Anderson is responsible for the Eric Grajales that now inhabits the Greco Circuit.Whenever Eric would venture to the Olympic Training Center the two would work on Eric controlling himself, staying in positions that would keep his opponent from scoring on him.At the top of the to-do list was Eric’s gut-wrench defense, of which, Eric had none.The endless drilling, learning how to fight the gut wrench properly using your hips as a weapon, completed him. Ironically, it also gave him a gut wrench that he can hit on almost anybody.Slowly, Eric decided that defense was important. “I’m always worried about my attacks,” he says.“Ike didn’t necessarily want to slow me down, but he wanted me to be more meticulous.He wanted me to keep my elbows in and not take all the chances.” He finally put it all together last March at a tournament in Bulgaria. “I finally saw that he was getting it,” Anderson says with satisfaction.“He finally grasped the concept.” In addition to his vast array of offensive weapons, Eric had made himself near-impossible to score on.After placing third, Anderson knew his star pupil was ready to wrestle at the Senior Level. Eric called Anderson for advice some weeks after that tournament.He was thinking about wrestling at the US Senior Open.He wanted Anderson’s honest opinion on whether or not he should even try it.Anderson assured Eric he was ready. Anderson was so certain that he fought for Eric to get seeded.Eric wasn’t a trailblazer, as wrestlers in high school had wrestled in and done well prior on the Senior Level.That he was considered to be seeded in the top 8 was, however, noticeable.He had never competed at the Senior Level, although he had practiced with some of the guys who did.The first question at the coaches meeting that would determine the seedings, was, why?Why did Eric deserve it over guys who had, at the least, wrestled in the Senior Division? Anderson, armed with the knowledge that he personally knew Eric was ready not only to compete, but win, rattled off his list of accomplishments.Former Greco Athlete of the Year, 2-time Junior World Team member (losing only to the champion and third-placers) and 3-time Fargo Greco Winner.A few of the other coaches in the room, including Steve Fraser, The National Greco-Roman Head Coach, had seen Eric wrestle and they all agreed he deserved a seed. Seeded seventh, Eric, in short, wrestled the tournament of his life. “It was crazy, he hadn’t even trained that much [Greco] prior to it,” his father says.“It was great timing with the fact that he had peaked for the State Tournament.So he was in great shape and shortly after State there were a ton of guys in the room training with him. He wrestled the best I have ever seen.” When the tournament was over, Eric was not the National Champion, but he had wrestled above his seed.He finished fifth, again losing only to the eventual champion and third-placer.Along the way, he scored the most points in the tournament, scoring a technical fall in every one of his wins.To score a technical fall Eric had to outpoint his opponents by at least 6 points in two separate periods or score a 5-point throw (think, reverse lift). His talent, his drive, his work ethic, his ability, his potential, was on display at the best time possible.He had qualified for the Olympic Trials as just a high school junior.Although he wouldn’t make the Olympic Team, or place, Eric had cemented himself as the possible future of Greco Wrestling. At about 8:25 on February 21, 2009 Eric Grajales will complete his career as Florida’s second 4-time undefeated State Champ.He will etch his name into the conversation as possibly Florida’s greatest wrestler ever. He will be at his introspective best. Damn, what do I do now? Brandon Scott http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/695-the-last-chapter Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:19:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/667-brute-northeast-duals-match-ups We got a nice side with your left over turkey: The 2008 Brute Northeast Journeyman Duals brought to you by Frank Popolizio in albany NY. Flowrestling will be there all day Saturday and cover some key matchups. FOLLOW ALL COVERAGE HERE ON FLOWRESTLING This dual tournament is big for schools like Bucknell, Drexel, American, Harvard, Lehigh, NC Greensboro ect. These schools are fighting for qualifiers and with the new qualifing system if they can knock off a top ranked wrestler early and have a solid rest of the year they could be in store for a trip to NCAAs even without winning their respective conference championship. This is a huge opportunity for a lot of wrestlers around the country. This tournament can be considered a path to the NCAA tournament in March.  We got some interesting storylines: University of Iowa Hawkeyes will be facing their first test within the top 20 with Central Michigan. In past years there were upsets at the Northeast duals. Remember when Hofstra upset the untouchable Minnesota? This year the only team that could feasibly do that would be Central Michigan but the odds are stacked against them. Obviously all eyes will be glued on Brent Metcalf to put on a performance.  It will be interesting to see what Missouri does. They are ranked in the top 5 again this year after getting bumped down last year. They are favored in all their duals but it will be interesting how Nick Marable does. He was ranked #1 preseason but is battling in every match for the victory. In his first match of the year he lost to a Bucknell wrestler. His last couple of bouts have come down to the wire. Also interesting to see howBrian Smith deals with their heavyweight controversy is going. Mark Ellis, round of 12 in 2008, may have earned his spot back after winning the Missouri Open. Dominque Bradley took 3rd after being the starter for the last couple of dual meets. Dorian Henderson, Max Askren and Raymond Jordan are other wrestlers to watch. Oklahoma State will come to this tournament after beating ODU in 7 of 10 bouts. They will be facing Pat Santoro's Lehigh first round. We will keep an extra close eye on Clayton Foster 197lbs. A top recruit in 2007, he failed to qualifier for NCAAs. He followed that up with placing 3rd in the world this summer at Junior Worlds. How will he wrestle? He could be a huge "unforeseen" weapon for the Cowboys if he can wrestle up to his potential. Keep an eye on Rosholt to see how he performs...Should he be ranked #1 in another year of a wide open Heavy Weight division?  The many more teams and many more matchups and story lines to follow. Follow all week as we build up to the NorthEast Journeyman Duals. Iowa will be facing: Binghampton, Maryland, CMU and Bloomsburg Missouri will be facing: Old Dominion, Maryland, Harvard and Brown Oklahoma State will be facing: Lehigh, Virginia, App St, and American Central Michigan will be facing:Bucknell, Iowa, American, and Drexel Virginia will be facing: Oklahoma State, Harvard Bucknell Lehigh will be facing: Oklahoma State, NC Greensboro, Binghampton, App St Maryland will be facing: Drexel, Iowa, and Missouri  Harvard will be facing: Old Dominion, Virginia and Missouri American will be facing: NC greensboro, Brown, CMU and Oklahoma State       Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/667-brute-northeast-duals-match-ups Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:01:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/647-highest-ranked-coaches-and-coaches-in-must-win-situations Ian McCutcheon Contributed to this article. Flowrestling did the poll.   We took a poll of Division I coaches as well as members of the wrestling media to determine who the top ten coaches in the country are.  Though not necessarily an order of the most successful, these are the coaches that do the best jobs with their programs.  No surprise, most of the top programs in the country are represented here.  There also was a poll taken to determine what coaches will need to see improvement in the next few years, or they may be feeling the heat, because of tradition, funding, or recruiting base.  Below are the results of the poll, with small assessments of each selection.Top Ten Coaches in the Country   1. Tom Borrelli, Central Michigan (MAC Conference) Athletic Director  Dave Heeke:  Nobody in the country does more with less.  Borrelli tops this list because he has built a national powerhouse out the Central Michigan Chippewas in his 17 year reign.  A year ago, he led the Chippewas to a 7th place finish at the NCAA Tournament, which is astonishing considering that he operates with a fraction of the budget of the Big Ten and Big 12 schools he consistently beats.  He is 188-85-6 in his career at Central Michigan, and has won nine MAC Championships.  But his most impressive accomplishments are beyond the MAC.  Every year there are a host of Chippewas contending for medals and championships, which is really the hallmark of any top program.  No other school in such a small conference has mirrored Central Michigan's success.  He has been able to draw top talent to Central Michigan despite the MAC as a whole being hampered by the old qualifying system.  With qualifiers opening up, even more wrestlers may be drawn to Mount Pleasant.  This is a scary proposition, seeing last year CMU had the nation's top ranked recruiting class.  The one piece missing from Borrelli's impressive resume is a NCAA Team Title, but that could be a very real possibility in the near future.     Some things to look out for in 2009: His right hand man and first NCAA Champion Casey Cunningham was lured away by Iowa State. Mark Disalvo, a 2x All American (and a classic Central Michigan overachiever) has filled in nicely but who will train the Central Michigan upper weights? Wynn Mikahlik, NCAA Runner-up, and the Sinnott twins are going to have to try and fill the shoes of Casey Cunningham.  This year's version of the Chippewas will be a little wet behind the ears, but they sky is the limit for this young team in the coming years.2. Tom Brands, Iowa (Big Ten) Athletic Director Gary Barta: Its hard to argue with winning. Tom Brands restored the marquee program in college wrestling to prominence by winning the NCAA tournament with Iowa in just his second year as their head coach. It is hard to imagine how things could get any better, but he just might make it happen. Brands brought in a ridiculously talented staff this year with over half the Freestyle Olympians now residing in Iowa City. It is going to be hard to knock off Iowa this year no matter what the polls say. Wrestling is king in Iowa and Tom Brands is making the best of all the tools he has at his disposal. And at Iowa you certainly have tools.  Unlike any almost any other program in the county, Iowa is the golden child of the athletic department, as well as the marquee athletic team in the talent rich state.  But with that comes a serious pressure to win, as seen by Jim Zalesky being replaced after finishing 4th at NCAA's.  Some coaches would struggling to handle those sometimes unrealistic expectations.  But Brands is not most coaches.  Widely regarded as the most intense man in a sport full of intensity, Brands' greatest strength is the faith his wrestlers have in him.  The sign of a great leader is people's willingness to follow, and six kids were willing to give up a year of their college eligibility because they felt Tom Brands was the guy who was going to make them accomplish their goals.  Few higher compliments can be paid to a coach.   That certainly was a legal and public relations mess, but it solidified his place as a guy kids want to wrestle for.  But it's not just the "Iowa Style" kids that Brands has made successful.  One of this best moments as a coach had to be Mark Perry's first NCAA title. Perry was hardly a physical, in your face wrestler, and he and Brands butted heads on more than one occasion.   But Brands was able to get Perry over the hump, snap an eight match losing streak to Johny Hendricks (who is the type of guy I'm sure Brands dreams of coaching) and won his first NCAA title, as well as the first title for one of Brands' pupils.                     Some things to Look Out For in 2009: Loaded.  They could All American at eight weight classes, and they have six wrestlers legitimately competing for a national title. Iowa is the odds-on favorite. 3. Brian Smith, Missouri (Big 12) Athletic Director Mike Alden: Upon graduating from Michigan State, Brian Smith entered the coaching ranks by putting Western High School in Fort Lauderdale Florida on the state map. He slowly moved up the coaching ladder, stopping at Cornell and Syracuse before taking the Missouri job in 1998. Mizzou at the time was perennially in the cellar of the Big 12 and rarely considered for the top 25. Since that time Brian Smith has made the Tigers contenders for a national title. During the 2006-07 season they became the 11th program in the history of college wrestling to hold a #1 ranking, completing an astonishing rebuilding job.  They finished 3rd in 2007 and are currently ranked 4th for the 2008-9 season. Furthermore they are consistenly in the top ten in attendance, a sign of the change in culture in Columbia.  Missouri high school wrestling has also entered the national radar with such a strong college program in the state. The Columbia community is actively involved in the push to bring home a national title. So far, Brian Smith's coaching highlight was when his team stormed the stage in 2007 with two of the top individual awards at the tournament given to Ben Askren (Outstanding Wrestler award) and Matt Pell (most Pins in the least amount of time).  From Big 12 doormat, to National Championship threat, Smith's epic rebuilding job solidifies his spot.            Some things to Look Out For in 2009: Currently ranked fourth, Mizzou has outstanding upper weights. Can they punch through to the next level and produce multiple NCAA Champions.  They have plenty of oppurtunity with Raymond Jordan dropping to 174 and Nick Marable holding the preseason top ranking at 165. Also look out for Georgia native Dorian Henderson at 184 lbs. Showing outside promise is Max Askren who wrestled at the Olympic Trials and Mark Ellis at HWT.  They are one of the teams that has visions of knocking off Iowa.4. Tim Flynn, Edinboro (EIWA) Athletic Director Bruce Baumgartner: Tim Flynn is proof that it's not how much you have but what you do with what you have.  Flynn has produced 20 All Americans and National Champions Josh Koscheck and Gregor Gillespie in his decade long run at Edinboro.  What makes this impressive is that Edinboro is a 7,000 person school in the remote northwest corner of Pennsylvania where wrestling is the only sport that competes at the Division I level.  Part of the success is due to a strong tradition and support from his athletic director, former Olympian Bruce Baumgartner, but any coach that can keep Edinboro on the national radar year in and year out is worth his salt.  Flynn has less than every coach on this list in terms of budget and state of the art facilities, but keeps attracting and developing top talent.  His Fighting Scots have dominated the EWL, finished as high as 8th at the NCAA Tournament, and have done it all without the glitz and glamor of programs like Iowa and Oklahoma State.         Some things to Look Out For in 2009:  Edinboro made headlines this summer by accepting the transfers of mega-talent Garrett Scott and former NCAA Champion Paul Donahoe, who each were dismissed from their previous schools.  Donahoe will wrestle during the 2nd semester, and joins a lineup with former NCAA Champ and human highlight film Gregor Gillespie, as well as potential All Americans Jarrod King and Chris Honeycutt.  Look for another EWL championship and a high finish at NCAA's for the Fighting Scots.   5. J Robinson, Minnesota (Big 10)  Athletic Director Joel Maturi: J Robinson built Minnesota from the ground up. He left Iowa over an ugly dispute over camp funds and set out to make his mark at a new program. He left coaching altogether, before resurfacing in the Big Ten at Minnesota. He took the team that was an afterthought and made it a perennial powerhouse squad. In his 17 years at Minnesota he is 318-103-3, and has coached 11 wrestlers to National Titles.  His team has also won three national titles and holds more trophies at the University of Minnesota than any other program. In 2001 after several heartbreak finishes at the NCAA championship J Robinson won the Tournament without a single NCAA Champion but an unheard of 10 All Americans. In 2002 the Gophers successfully defended their title. He also added a National Title in 2007.  J Robinson is nothing less than an iconic figure in wrestling and to some extent, in the Twin Cities metro area. However, his real legacy and influence may be made with his intensive camp system he pioneered. His camp blueprint has created one of the major systems of funding for college wrestling, and its alumns include a host of All Americans and National Champions.  He also is one of the great ambassadors of the sport, and his contributions extend far beyond competition. Few market wrestling quite like J Robinson.  He started the Border Brawl event between Iowa and Minnesota that became the biggest dual in the sport. He has done everything under the sun to promote his program and wrestling at University of Minnesota, particularly with his outside the box and controversial thinking. Besides his team making headlines he will often make the news in the Minneapolis area with his outspoken opinions. J Robinson holds more titles than anyone else on this list except for John Smith. He is not invincible, as his Gophers underachieved last season, where they were predicted to run away with a National Championship, but Robinson's squad is looking to turn the page and return to glory this year.            Some things to Look Out For in 2009:   Marty Morgan, J Robinson's right hand man left the staff to coach one of Minnesota's all time best wrestlers Brock Lesnar in MMA. How will the Gophers staff and team respond? The Gophers shouldn't be in title competition right now but they have an extremely young and talented team. They had arguably one the best recruiting classes in the nation last year, even after losing Jake Deitchler to the Olympic Training Center.  And while a team title may be a stretch, they have plenty of wrestlers capable of winning it all.  Jayson Ness was the odds-on favorite at 125, leading the nation in falls and finishing as Big Ten and NCAA runner up.  He moves up to 133 looking to make one more step up the podium.  They also return former NCAA Champ Dustin Schlatter, who is also bumping up a weight class in search of another title.  Another guy to keep your eye on is red-shirt freshman Zach Sanders.  Sanders is the most decorated wrestler in Minnesota state history, and should make an immediate impact in the lineup. 6. John Smith, Oklahoma State (Big 12) Athletic Director Mike Holder: Not many people have five NCAA titles to their coaching names. Then again, not many people are John Smith.  Smith is possibly the most decorated wrestler in American history, and has only expanded his legend in the coaching realm.  Smith took over a program decimated by NCAA sanctions at the tender age of 28.   He won an NCAA title in just his second season, but then Cowboys endured a ten year drought, watching Iowa and Minnesota pass them on the national scene. However, Smith brought the Cowboys back to glory in 2003 with an NCAA title as a mature and seasoned head coach. This was the beginning of a Cowboy four-peat, highlighted by one of the greatest teams in history.  The 2005 installment of the Cowboys crowned five NCAA champions, the most in history.  They also set an NCAA record for points scored and margin of victory. All in all, Smith has crowned 23 National Champions, and no doubt has many more on the way.  Few coaches have the international experience or the ability to surround themselves with championship caliber assistants like Smith.  Any wrestler would be crazy not to want to pick his brain.                 Some things to Look Out For in 2009:  Obe Blanc, Jamal Parks, Clayton Foster, Brandon Mason and Jared Rosholt are wrestlers to watch for the Cowboys. Blanc is a former All American who transfers to Stillwater from Lock Haven after an Olympic red-shirt year.  Parks is a high school national champ that is fast, entertaining to watch, and in a wide open weight class. Clayton Foster just took 3rd in the Junior Worlds this summer, which some consider the second toughest tournament in the world. Brandon Mason moves down to 165, is vicious on top, and has already been on the podium.  And Jared Rosholt is ranked #1 in the preseason ranking at heavyweight.  7. Rob Koll, Cornell (Ivy League) Athletic Director Andrew Noel Jr:   Rob Koll has taken the Cornell program to a point where it is a top contender for an NCAA Championship. And unlike any other coach on this list, he has done it without the aid of scholarships or red-shirt years, both not allowed by the Ivy League.  He also has to deal with the rigid academic standards that come with the Ivy League.  But despite these challenges, Koll has built a national power, unseating Lehigh as the dominant force in the EIWA and has put together a team with a realistic shot at a National Title.  He has not only built up the team he has built up the facilities. Through his savy business skills Rob Koll has found a way to build a standalone wrestling facility for his team that ranks as one of the best in the nation.  This will only help him draw blue-chippers to Ithaca.  Facility improvements, a top notch education, and the ability to compete for a winner are the selling points Koll has used to attract some of the nation's best recruiting classes.  He has bucked the common knowledge that great schools can't also have great wrestling, especially if they don't even have scholarships to give.             Some things to Look Out For in 2009:  Cornell is in the hunt!!! The last NCAA Championship that Cornell won in any sport was in 1977 with a title in Mens Lacrosse, but the Big Red have as good a chance as anybody this season.  They have six former All Americans in their lineup, welcoming back National Champion Jordan Leen, Mack Lewnes, Steve Anceravage, and Mike Grey, and former All Americans returning from injury Troy Nickerson and Josh Arnone.8. Cael Sanderson, Iowa State (Big 12) Athletic Director Jamie Pollard:  When the Ohio State job opened up two years back, it set the wrestling coaching carousal in motion.  Cael Sanderson's name was rumored to be at the top of the Buckeyes short list.  Afraid to repeat their mistake from decades ago when Iowa State let legend Dan Gable flee to Iowa, the Cyclones acted quickly, announcing that Bobby Douglas had resigned at that they were hiring Sanderson effective immediately.  Everybody in wrestling knows of Sanderson's accomplishments.  Just like John Smith, he took over his alma mater at the age of 28.  In his first season, Sanderson was named National Coach of the Year, and the Cyclones were national runners up.  He also coached his first of what will be many national champions, with Trent Paulson claiming the title at 157 pounds.  Sanderson has the ability to put together stellar recruiting classes, as few high school wrestlers are able to say no to possibly the greatest collegiate wrestler in American history.  Iowa State has become a haven for upper weights, as the chance to roll around with Cael is one almost every wrestler dreams of.           Some things to Look Out for in 2009:  Some polls have the Cyclones ranked first, ahead of defending champ and archrival Iowa.  This is based on their incredible tournament strength, with potential National Champions Nick Fanthorpe, Nick Gallick, Cyler Sanderson, Jon Reader, Jake Varner, and David Zabriskie in the lineup.  They also match up well with the Hawkeyes in a dual setting.  Hopes are justifiably high in Ames this season.9. Tom Ryan, Ohio State (Big 10) Athletic Director Gene Smith:  For years, Ohio State was seen as a sleeping giant in college wrestling.  With all of the high school talent dripping out of Ohio, it was just a matter of time before the Buckeyes were one of the best teams in the country.  In any college sport, they key to success first and foremost is winning your turf.  This was Ohio State's problem, as top programs across the country came and plucked top talent right out of Ohio.  Not so anymore.  Tom Ryan established himself as one of the premier head coaches in the country by turning Hofstra into one of the best teams in the country, building a program at a school with no tradition, little support, and a conference with few qualifiers.  His success at Hofstra drew the Buckeyes attention, and his hire has paid off nicely.  The Buckeyes finished second in the country last season and crowned two national champions, including Mike Pucillio, who followed Ryan from Hofstra.  Almost more importantly, Ryan has started his domiance in Ohio recruting, signing Tony Jameson and Sean Nemac, as well as securing commitments from prep studs Colin Palmer and Logan Steiber.  If Ryan consistently wins Ohio, there is no reason he won't also win a National Championship.     Some things to Look Out for in 2009:  With National Champions J Jaggers and Pucillio back, the Buckeyes feel like they can knock off Iowa for a National Title.  They'll need to replace National Runner up J.D. Bergman, but with Lance Palmer back at 149, Nikko Triggas and Reece Humphrey ready to make the leap from good to great, and high impact transfers Dave Rella and Cody Gardner making their debut, the Buckeyes will be right back in the thick of things. 10. Pat Santoro, Lehigh (EIWA) Athletic Director Joe Sterrett: Lehigh has entrusted former assistant Pat Santoro to return their program to glory after a rough 2007-08 season.  Santoro's rebuilding job seems to be ahead of schedule after the season's opening weekend where he defeated his former team, the 17th ranked Maryland Terripans.  Santoro had previously been the coach at Maryland for five seasons, overseeing one of the best turnarounds in any NCAA sport.  Maryland was a doormat in the ACC, operated with virtually no scholarships, and the program was at a crossroads.  Rather than drop the program, Maryland hired Santoro away from Lehigh and started the Fear the Turtle program, which led to the full funding of all their men's sports.  Blessed with the full compliment of scholarships, Santoro built a program on the verge of being a national power.  Last year, the Terps finished 17th at NCAA's, and Hudson Taylor was the first Terp All American in over a decade.  Both of these accomplishments seemed unheard of when Santoro took the job.  Lehigh hired him away from Maryland in part because he has led to Lehigh's decline.  Maryland's current roster looks like a Lehigh roster during their glory run in the early 2000s.  He has stolen kids away from Pennsylvania, specifically the Lehigh Valley, and Blair Academy, and those important pipelines have been a key to Maryland's resurgence.  If he can bring those ties with him to Lehigh, watch out.       Some things to Look Out for in 2009:  Lehigh's squad already looks improved after one dual.  Four wrestlers made their debut, with John McDonald and Zach Rey winning.  The key for Lehigh's tournament strength will be the performance of David Craig, the stud in their lineup.  Craig was the nation's top recruit and made the Round of 12 as a true freshman.  But his sophomore campaign was a bumpy one, and he spent the second semester on the bench due to academic issues.  If everything is back in order, Craig should contend to All American, and be the first step in Santoro's rebuilding project at Lehigh.     Ten Coaches Who Need to Win 1. Tom Minkel (Michigan State): Once upon a time, Michigan State was one of the flagship programs of the Big Ten.  They are one of only seven different schools to win a National Championship since 1960.  But last season, the Spartans qualified just one wrestler for the NCAA Tournament. Seeing that the Big Ten received over 70 qualifiers, this number is particularly damning.  Michigan and Central Michigan have consistently been beating them to top level in-state kids, and although Michigan State has had stars in the past few years, they have struggled to develop a deep lineup.  This has the natives restless.  Tom Minkel needs a breakout year in a big way. His contract is winding down and there certainly are candidates eyeing this potential opening. 2. Thom Ortiz (Arizona State): Like Michigan State, Arizona State is one of the seven schools to win a title since 1960. Also like Michigan State, they no longer are a perennial top five team. However, unlike the Spartans, the consequences have been dire in Tempe.  The Sun Devils, once the premier program in the Pac-10, barely survived their athletic department's chopping block after last season. A few powerful alumni donated a boatload of money, and will expect a return on their investment. Therefore, Arizona State's struggles at the NCAA Tournament need to end soon. Anthony Robles will certainly be an impact wrestler this season, but more are necessary to restore this team to prominance. 3. Carl Adams (Boston University): There are number of disadvantages that Carl Adams has at Boston University. The first is that Massachusetts hardly provides him with a fertile recruiting base. Second, he is the third fiddle of winter sports at BU, where hockey is the undisputed king, and basketball is among the top programs in the American East. But he does have an advantage that many coaches across the county, including some in much bigger conferences do not: a full compliment of scholarships. In a day in age where so few schools have the allotted 9.9, BU needs to be able to produce more than one All American every 20 years. Mike Roberts certainly had a good year last season, and Hunter Meys was a big recruit, but these need to be the exception, not the rule, if BU wants to be a more national player, and if the balance of power will start to swing from the midwest to the east. 4. C.D. Mock (North Carolina): C.D. Mock certainly has recruited well, but does not have the expected national accomplishments to show for it in his tenure at North Carolina. He has had success in the ACC, winning a pair of conference titles, but has not been able to translate it into significant national success, with only Evan Sola attaining All American status under Mock. He has recruited Pennsylvania especially well, but the slew of highly touted wrestlers from the Keystone State have underachieved. Some in the Tar Heel camp fear that Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina State have passed UNC in the race for the ACC. In an ever improving conference, it's important that Mock and the Tar Heels keep up. 5. Rocky Bonomo (Lock Haven): Years ago, it was Lock Haven that was the dominant small program in Pennsylvania. Like Edinboro, Lock Haven is a small Division II school competing at the Division I level in wrestling. They too have a strong tradition of nationally competitive teams, with studs like Cary Kolat and Jamarr Billman both wrestling here.  The expectation of many in Pennsylvania is that they should still be strong. However, Pennsylvania talent has increasingly gone to Penn State, Lehigh, and Edinboro when they stay in state. There also has been a huge flock of talent leaving the state, particularly to go to the ACC.  This is partly responsible for that conference's resurgence, but also for the regression of schools like Lock Haven, East Stroudsburg, and Clarion. If Bonomo is going to turn the program around, he is going to need to start keeping some of these kids in state. 6. Jack Spates (Oklahoma): You might wonder what a guy who has had more top five finishes than 90% of the coaches on this list is doing on the hot seat. But a 39th place finish at last years nationals will put the heat on for any Oklahoma sport. Part of Jack Spates ailments may be contributed to Oklahoma's high school wrestling settling into the second tier nationally.  Clearly, there is work to do here.  They've started by revamping the coaching staff, the backbone of any successful program, as well as their facilities.  Jack Spates has recently raised the money and built a state of the art facility that has upped the ante on the the spending war between programs. Furthermore Jack Spates brought in Michael Lightner, former 4x All American and NCAA Champ, plus they have renovated their wrestling room, which gives them an advantage both functionally as well as the "wow" factor for recruits.  But with these new tools in place, success will be the expectation.  In early season competition at the Brockport Open the Sooners look stronger, knocking off Edinboro, Central Michigan and Kent State, all ranked opponents. With Oklahoma's tradition and history, the facilities they have, and the support from the Administration they need to be knocking on the door to the top ten and be moving towards the top five for next year.   7. Jim Beichner (Buffalo): Coach Beichner has accomplished some pretty phenominal things at the University of Buffalo.  He took over a program in the late 1990s that had won six matches combined in the four years before he was hired.  In his first five years, Beichner's teams had won 50 matches.  He's coached an All American in Kyle Cerminara, and revived a lifeless program.  Now it is time for Buffalo to take the next step.  They are one of the MAC's fully funded programs, and as we've seen earlier in this list, it is possible to be a national caliber team in that conference, just ask Tom Borrelli.  Tom Ryan built Hofstra's program around New York kids, for whom Buffalo is the only other option in the state.  Buffalo is also painfully close to both western Pennsylvania and Cleveland, two wrestling hotbeds.  If Coach Beichner can tap into these advantages, his program could be a sleeping giant.   8. Randy Stottlemeyer (Pittsburgh): Coach Stottlemeyer is an institution at Pitt.  He is one of the longest tenured coaches in the country, approaching his 30th year as head coach.  But it is tough to look at Pitt's program and think of the potential.  Located in the heart of wrestling country, Pitt has never struggled to bring in top notch talent.  But Pitt has had a problem getting over the hump and becoming the national program that they should be.  Keith Gavin the last two seasons certainly was a great story, but National Champions are too few and far between at this school.  This is a top 10 team waiting to happen, but they've even slipped in dominance in their own conference, watching Edinboro pass them in the last few years.  There are plenty of good kids at Pitt, most notably red-shirt freshman Tyler Nauman, but it's time for Pitt to be among the best programs in the country.      9 Brad Penrith (University of Northern Iowa): Northern Iowa has always been the little brother of Iowa college wrestling.  It is tough operating in the shadow of Iowa and Iowa State, but the Northern Iowa advantage is in it is in Iowa.  I've alluded to Pennsylvania and Ohio as being the two strongest states in the country, but Iowa is the most wrestling crazy.  Traditionally, Northern Iowa has been very strong, but Coach Penrith's career record of 70-57 is underwhelming.  On one hand, I give him credit for going out and scheduling tough opponents, but they also compete in the Western Region, and their conference schedule is hardly like wrestling in the Big Ten.  Northern Iowa has posed as a major program for a while, but needs the consistency to actually be one.    10. Dave Amato (Brown University): There is a deep divide in the Ivy League.  Cornell, Penn, and Harvard have clearly pulled away as the class of the league, leaving Columbia, Princeton, and Brown a step behind.  But Columbia has had a two time All American, Matt Palmer, in the recent past, and Princeton has just hired Chris Ayers, a young member of the Pat Santoro coaching tree.  Amato has been at Brown for twenty five years, but has only produced two All Americans, none since 1998.  Brown also has only had two winning seasons in the last decade.  They are hampered by a lack of scholarships in a major conference, which makes this one of the more difficult jobs in the country.  But the results have not been there.   Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/647-highest-ranked-coaches-and-coaches-in-must-win-situations Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:27:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/638-unnecessarily-large-season-preview Ian McCutcheon FloWrestling  Season previews are kind of pointless.  October is a time for questions, most of which can’t possibly be answers until March.  Take the theme of last year’s previews for example.  Minnesota was going to score the most points in NCAA history, Iowa was inexperienced and had distractions to overcome, Dustin Schlatter was ready to prove his 3rd place finish was a fluke, and Jordan Leen’s parents were the only people thinking title.  As history tells us, this was all flawed logic.  Basically, what I’m trying to get at is predictions are useless.  Instead I want to focus on two major categories to flesh out my preseason thoughts, what we know will happen during the season, and what we’re sure we’re going to find out.  Here is my mega-NCAA season preview.  What We Know  Iowa will be tested:  Are the Hawkeyes the favorite?  No doubt about it.  No lineup can match the firepower they have with Charlie Falck, Joey Slaton/Daniel Dennis, Alex Tsirtsis/Dan LeClere, Brent Metcalf, Jay Borschel, and Phil Keddy all high AA or title threats.  But they certainly aren’t invincible.  The questions at 133 and 141 are problems any coach would love to have, but it also takes the right type of athlete to be able to deal with a competition like that.  It’ll also be seen how team morale is be affected with two potential All Americans on the bench, especially if they are seniors.  Beyond those issues, there also are plenty of teams with enough ability to dethrone Iowa.  Iowa State seems to match up well with the Hawkeyes and has plenty of potential champs.  Cornell could score a ton of points at the tournament and welcomes back Troy Nickerson to an already stacked lineup.  And Ohio State appears to have an even stronger and more mature line up, which is impressive considering their second place finish a year ago.  Iowa is the pick for now, but by no means is it in the bag.  There will be a freshman that everybody is talking about:  People like what’s new.  Combine that with how prevalent high school wrestling is on the national scene and people love to anoint true freshman as contenders.  This year could look a lot like 2006, which saw two freshman in finals.  The high school class of 2008 is one of the strongest in years.  Plenty of blue chippers with eschew red-shirts and compete as true freshman.  All reports seem to have Quentin Wright jumping right into the lineup at Penn State.  Wright has a resume that included a number of wins over college wrestlers, and has created buzz no Penn State freshman has received since Cary Kolat.  Andrew Howe at Wisconsin is another hot name and with 165 lacking a lot of stars, he could end up with the best postseason finish of anyone in his class.  But most of the attention is focused on the fictitious rivalry at 157 between Scott Winston of Rutgers and Jason Welch of Northwestern.  Welch has received Metcalf/Schlatter/Nickerson like hype, and has a skill set that is matched by few.  Winston is a bull of a wrestler, and helps legitimize the Rutgers program, a perennial sleeping giant.  There was plenty of debate as to who the best recruit in the country was, and now their supporters will get to see.  Someone will get hot early:  We saw it last season with Darrion Caldwell and Lou Ruggirello.  Somebody will come out of the gate and annihilate all comers.  This will announce them as a player on the national scene.  It’ll be somebody who is a pinner, since falls garner the most attention.  By January, whoever this is will have cooled down, whether it be unspectacular wins over lesser opponents, or a loss to another ranked wrestler that “exposes” the early season phenom.  By March they’ll be back off the radar, then surprise people when they make a run at NCAAs.  My pick: Corey Jantzen blows through the early part of his schedule and impressively wins Vegas.  Pat Santoro is a good coach:  One of the most anticipated matches of the season is the Pat Santoro Bowl, which will pit Maryland against Lehigh the second weekend of the season.  The program Santoro built will come to fruition this season, where the Terps are loaded, and could put ACC wrestling back on the map.  More on that later.  Meanwhile, Santoro is taking over a once proud Lehigh program seemingly falling on hard times.  They will be noticeably better, especially from their feet, where they struggled mightily the past few years.  Santoro will diversify the Hawks offensively, and look for at least one of their young wrestlers to blossom into an All American contender.  They won’t be dormant for long, especially once he gets his kids in there.  Somebody will come out of nowhere to win a title:  We think we know, but we really have no idea.  The beauty and the curse of college wrestling is that all it takes is one good weekend to cement your name among the immortals.  The trick is seeing it coming.  Weights like 141 and heavyweight are so wide open this season that somebody from outside the top ten or the traditional power conferences very well could sneak up on everybody.  Just don’t be surprised when it happens.  Not everybody will repeat:  History tells us that about one third of defending champs defend their title.  Angel Escobedo, J Jaggers, Brent Metcalf, Jordan Leen, and Mike Pucillio all return with a target on their backs.  Escobedo (Indiana) and Pucillio (Ohio State) both have to deal with bona fide studs returning to their weight classes, Jaggers (Ohio State) is getting little respect from pre-season prognostications, and Leen (Cornell) was the biggest surprise in recent memory.  Only Metcalf seems to be a heavy favorite to repeat.  He very well may be the only one.  The buzz weight is 157:  There are three wrestlers this season ranked at 157 that have won NCAA titles in their career.  And the best wrestler at 57 might not even be one of them.  Gregor Gillespie (Edinboro), Jordan Leen, and Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) all have titles to their name.  Gillespie is as exciting as anybody in the sport; Leen had the toughest road to finals of anybody and is the defending champ.  And Schlatter, the former second coming, will be the most scrutinized wrestler in America after a tough junior year.  But the favorite here might be Mike Poeta of Illinois, who is probably the best current wrestler without a title.  He lost a classic to Leen in finals last season, and should be loaded for bear this year. Beyond these four, there also is Dan Vallimont of Penn State, who was the most improved wrestler in America, J.P. O’Connor of Harvard, who could not be more underrated, returning All Americans Cyler Sanderson of Iowa State and Matt Moley of Bloomsburg, plus Adam Hall of Boise State, Johnny Bonilla-Bowman of Hofstra, Matt Coughlin of Indiana, and a slew of other guys that could end up on the podium.  In my opinion, this year’s 157 is even better than last season’s 149.  No weight class will be more exciting.  What We Will Find Out  Can Metcalf do it? Last season, Mr. Metcalf put together one of the most impressive performances in recent memory, rolling easily through a stacked weight class to win a national title and the Hodge Trophy in his first year of competition. The trick now is repeating the feat, which may not be as easy as advertised.  No wrestler has repeated at 142/149 since Pat Santoro in 1988.  That is twenty years worth of very good wrestlers that couldn’t defend their title.  149 is always loaded.  Even though Metcalf has navigated the mine field once, he’s the man to beat now instead of the newcomer looking to make his mark.  To quote the great Charles Barkely “There’s no such thing as a second year slump, they just didn’t know who your ass was.”  They know who Metcalf is now, and every 49 pounder in the country is training specifically to beat him.  He very well might repeat, but it won’t be as easy as advertised.  How has the year off treated Jake Herbert and Troy Nickerson?  Because of the Olympics and injuries, we were without two of the biggest stars in college wrestling last season.  Jake Herbert of Northwestern is back to defend his title at 184, with infinitely more questions than answers.  He was a wrecking ball two years ago, but has a number of head scratching losses in his year off, including a folkstyle defeat by Jake Varner of Iowa State, who he pummeled in finals the year before, and a freestyle loss to Tyrell Todd of Michigan.  Both of these competitors fell to Mike Pucillio last season, who now wears the belt at 184.  If the 2007 version of Herbert shows up, he should win.   But who knows what a year off will do.  Nickerson on the other hand was bit by the injury bug.  He challenges Poeta for the distinction of best current wrestler without a title.  He’s come dangerously close twice.  But there are questions both about his recovery and where he will wrestle this season.  Common logic seems to think he’ll make 125 again, in a weight class that is suddenly ruled by Angel Escobedo.  For both wrestlers, they are welcomed back to a completely different landscape and a new mountain to climb.  Will moving up help?  A number of high profile wrestlers are moving up a weight class this season.  The strategy certainly paid off for guys like Chad Mendes and Eric Tannenbaum, but the wrestling community always seems to think that the farther the cut, the better (just look at the David Craig speculation).  Some of these guys will definitely buck common logic.  For Dustin Schlatter, I think the move up to 157 could be a great one.  His offense has all but disappeared, and he hasn’t been healthy in three years.  He was gigantic for 149, and I can’t help but think the cut was killing him.  When healthy, he’s as good as they get.  Furthermore, I’m pulling for the kid.  He’s too talented to not have a great senior year.  Jake Varner moves up to 197, where he begins the year ranked 1st by most publications.  Varner is an immovable object, and I don’t think the 13 pound jump will hurt him defensively.  He, however, moves into a loaded field where the contenders match his strength.  It will be even more imperative for him to generate offense, which is certainly not his MO.  I also wonder if he’ll be as effective on top against the big boys.  Most of the contenders here are physical specimen, and Varner will be hard pressed to overpower them.  Jayson Ness was a monster for 125, and there is no surprise he moves up.  Until his finals match, he was all but crowned the champion, and has lost almost all of his buzz coming into this year. But make no mistake, he might be the favorite at 133.  I think his skills will translate smoother to the higher weight class than Varner, who he is similar to.  He lives on top, but his half series is made for the lower weights.  JP O’Connor, Matt Kyler, Mike Grey, Adam Hall, and Tyrell Todd are other potential All Americans who will try to get it done by moving up.  Which surprise champs are for real?  All offseason long Jordan Leen and J Jaggers have heard that they were fluke champions, and that they’d be hard pressed to duplicate the feat.  Each had tremendous weekends, and knocked off the best wrestlers in their weight classes.  Their titles were well earned.  But both will face the added challenge of being the defending champ.  For some, a title gives them a new fire, and they wrestle better than ever.  Others wilt under the pressure of being the champ.  Leen is faced with battling the toughest weight class in the country.  Repeating would be admirable.  However, Jaggers is just scratching the surface of how good he can be.  Especially if he’s healthy (which is always a problem), I see his run being like Joe Dubuque or Matt Valenti, defending champs who received little or no acclaim, then came back and ran through the tournament.   Who is this year’s Nebraska?  Off season jokes aside, Nebraska was beyond impressive last year.  Before the year started, they were just outside the national radar.  They had the pieces in place to compete, but had yet to prove they were a real player.  By the end of the year, they were a top 3 team, and announced the rejuvenation of the program.  This year, the Wisconsin Badgers are the team lurking to join the top 5.  The Badgers feature returning potential All Americans Kyle Ruschell, Dallas Herbst and Kyle Massey.  Massey and Herbst both could win titles, and they are experienced and steady at 141 and 184.  Barry Davis has an experienced and battle tested core which should mix nicely with the best recruiting class in the nation.  The aforementioned Andrew Howe will definitely start and depending on the situation in the room, we may see Ben Jordan.  These two certainly are talented, and balance the Badger lineup to the point where team hardware may be in their future.  What teams will crash the party? With the new qualifier system as well as a shifting balance of power among mid-majors, it is entirely possible that we will be seeing a handful of new teams creep into the upper echelon of college wrestling.  Obviously the Big Ten and Big 12 will always be the big boys, but the Pac-10 and ACC could start stealing spots from the EIWA, MAC, and EWL sooner rather than later.  Boise State is in the middle of this transformation, and has the firepower to finish in the top 10.  I really like Adam Hall and Kirk Smith this year to be in the title mix.  They are the great hope for the western part of the country.  Oregon State is a few years behind the Broncos, but also will be a perennial contender in the coming years.  Virginia and Maryland are also on the move.  The Cavaliers will field a solid team, filled with NCAA qualifiers.  Look for breakout years from Mike Chaires, Ross Gitomer, and Nick Nelson.  Meanwhile, Maryland is setting the blueprint for rebuilding a mid-major from scratch.  There are justifiably high expectations in College Park.  Hudson Taylor is a popular pick to win 197 and if he wrestles, Mike Letts is due to All American at 174.  But the Terps strength comes in their rising crop of stars.  Steve Bell, Eric Medina, and Brian Letters all have earned pre-season rankings, and each could make a leap from good to special.  The Terps also have sleepers in Brendan Byrne and Alex Krom who are both tough and vastly underrated.  That is seven wrestlers they could score points from, and their showing could be the start of the return of the ACC.  Who makes “the leap”?   Every year, there are guys that make the leap from good wrestler to All American caliber.  Sometimes it takes a coaching change, sometimes it’s a change in attitude, sometimes it’s just a year of maturity.  But there are stars out there waiting for it to happen.  Here is one at each weight class.  At 125, everybody forgets how good of a wrestler Brad Pataky is.  He took rare back-to-back redshirt years because of the Olympics, but he was one of the best high school wrestlers in America, and will contend in an open weight class.  At 133, Reece Humphrey puts it all together.  He’s had an amazing few runs in the summer, and his hard work in freestyle will translate to folk finally.  As I mentioned earlier, with a year under his belt Corey Jantzen will be a force at 141.  At 149, Cesar Grajales does not receive the hype of his little brother, but is ready to be an All American.  Although Penn has had a difficult offseason, the movement of guys up to 157 opens the door for his breakout year.  Last year, 157 saw the biggest leap when Dan Vallimont announced his presence as a star.  This year, Adam Hall will put it all together.  At 165, Donnie Jones has had a career full of injuries.  If he is finally healthy, he will be the next in a long line of Jones brothers to star for West Virginia.  At 174, as mentioned before, if Mike Letts does not red-shirt, he will be a huge point scorer for the Terps.  He’s had two disappointing NCAA tournaments, but won’t have a third.  At 184, Edinboro’s Chris Honeycutt lives up to his St. Ed’s pedigree.  Tim Flynn is among the best coaches in the country, and Honeycutt helps Edinboro live up to their “little powerhouse that could” billing.  At 197, the pride of Idaho Clayton Foster gives the Oklahoma State Cowboys another hammer at the top to go along with Jared Rosholt.  At heavyweight, Lehigh will receive a boost from red-shirt freshman Zack Rey, who in a shallow weight class could find himself in position to be a four-time All American, and the start of Pat Santoro’s rebuilding project.       Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/638-unnecessarily-large-season-preview Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:30:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/637-wrestlers-can-wrestle Ian McCutcheon FloWrestling  The headline of this article seems pretty self explanatory.  Yet a whole host of people don’t seem to get it.  This summer, there was a lot of negative buzz David Taylor of St. Paris Graham skipped Fargo Junior Nationals so that he could focus on bulking up.  There was even more of a gasp in the wrestling community when he committed to Iowa State, and was projected by their coaching staff as a 141/149 pounder.  He announced he was planning on wrestling 135 during his senior year.  After winning state titles in Ohio at 103 and 112, this obviously was an out of the blue statement.  And with this huge jump in weight class came a firestorm of critics.  All the time, 103 and 112 are flamed for being classes filled mostly with freshman and sophomores.  I myself even wrote last season that a freshman’s accomplishments were more impressive than others because he did them against the “big boys” and 171 pounds rather than a light weight class.  Critics sat back and were ready to pounce on Taylor if he struggled at 135 as proof that he merely made a career of beating up little kids at 3 and 12 and isn’t worth the hype. After this weekend’s Super 32, I think that question has been answered.  Taylor rolled through Super 32, advancing to quarters by a combined score of 53-10, with a thirty second fall mixed in for good measure.  He then impressively defeated Virginia State Champ Ian Squires, New Jersey Runner-Up Kodie Silverstri, and Pennsylvania and Fargo Runner Up Josh Kindig in consecutive matches, all in the same day, to earn the Super 32 Belt.  The only points scored on him in those three matches were two escapes by Silverstri.  In his first real test, Taylor passed with flying colors.  He defeated accomplished wrestlers, who all have had success in top notch wrestling states and have also been competitive on a national level.  Each wrestler has always wrestled at weights much higher than Taylor.  I think he might be successful up a weight.  And I have no idea why wrestling people are at all surprised.  This is where I get back to my headline.  Wrestlers can wrestle.  No matter what weight class he’s in, guys like David Taylor will be successful.  Just because Taylor’s body matured and he hit a natural growth spurt is not going to negate the fact that he is uber-talented.  It’s not like he’s wrestling 135 while weighing in at 115.  He made the jump up because he’s physically bigger, so why would his skill set suddenly change because his body has?  His growth spurt didn’t change his body type; he’s still long and lean.  He’s fundamentally sound on his feet, has a go-to ankle pick, defends his legs incredibly well, and is a leech on top.  He’s never relied solely on strength to win.  Most importantly, he knows how to wrestle.  He has an uncoachable mat savvy.  He’s wrestled the top competition at his weight that he can find since he’s been old enough to be on the national scene.  The strategy, rules, and technique don’t suddenly change because he has an extra 23 pounds on his frame.  Winning Super 32 shouldn’t be headline news, and being heavier is not a reason that he wouldn’t still be elite.     I guess what I’m trying to hammer against is the misnomer that smaller is always better.  From junior high up to college, too many guys get sucked in to wrestling culture where there is something glorious about cutting weight to get as low as you can go.  The common logic seems to be that if a guy is dropping a class from the previous year that he should do much better, since he will be bigger and stronger than the competition, while guys moving up are serious question marks until they prove themselves.  From my novice observations, it looks like the opposite is true.  Guys always look more comfortable when they move up, and frequently guys that drop struggle to stay healthy and gas early.  Look at a guy like Chad Mendes last year, who went from being a sucked down afterthought at 125 to an NCAA finalist at 141.  If you can wrestle you can wrestle, weight class shouldn’t matter all that fire much.  I can’t deny that size and strength aren’t important skills, that would just be ignorant, but I think we take too much stock in how much moving up hurts guys.  I know David Taylor would agree with me.     Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/637-wrestlers-can-wrestle Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:30:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/630-the-quintessential-ben-askren-review I get to reading a lot of wrestling books and DVDs. Recently I got a couple DVDs from Ben Askren about his career. It is essentially a compilation of all his matches as an athlete, and some cool behind the scenes stuff, some that I have never seen. I think it is really powerful because rarely do you get to see this kinda raw footage from a guy who has changed college wrestling with his technique, personality and pure confidence in himself.  One thing I learned from watching this is that Ben Askren never seemed to be on the defensive even if he was locked up in a cradle on his back. You could actually see him working to score from there. It was also cool to see some of the matches that I have heard people talking about. Some of my favorites is his first bout with Chris Pendleton, where he lost, and of course the next favorite is his Freshman year quarterfinals match with Brad Dillon from Lehigh. Before your eyes you see how Ben Askren became the wrestler he became. This is a guy who totally changed the expectations for college wrestling with his crazy technique and this DVD proves it. Ben also has some high school matches on there but I wasnt into those as much as the college ones. There is also a crazy long 25 minute highlight film (which is cool.) If you just like wrestling and are interested in the sport the DVD isnt going to be something for you. If you are a student of the sport you are going to want to have these DVDs. IF your an extreme fan of the sport you also will want to have these DVDs. You can get the DVDs HERE. Watch Chris Pendleton talk about his first match between Ben Askren. Watch John Messenbrink talk about Ben Askren's first State Title. You can watch Brad Dillon mention his NCAA Quarterfinal final overtime Bout. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/630-the-quintessential-ben-askren-review Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:58:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/623-amateur-wrestling-news-prep-40 2008 Pre-season Rankings by Bob Preusse   1.   Blair Academy N.J. 2.   St. Paris Graham Ohio 3.   Northampton Pa. 4.   Central Dauphin Pa. 5.   Apple Valley Minn. 6.   St. Edward Ohio 7.   Wyoming Seminary Pa. 8.   Catoosa Okla. 9.   Huxley Ballard Iowa 10. Montini Catholic Ill. 11. Iowa City West Iowa 12. Central Mountain Pa. 13. Massillon Perry Ohio 14. Bishop Lynch Texas 15. Cumberland Valley Pa. 16. Eastern Regional NJ 17. Don Bosco Iowa 18. St. Mark Del. 19. Shady Side Academy Pa. 20. Brandon Fla. 21. Simley Minn. 22. Providence Catholic Ill. 23. Clovis Calif. 24. Wausau West Wisc. 25. Roseburg Oreg. 26. Goddard Kans. 27. Reynolds Pa 28. High Point N.J. 29. Oak Park Mo. 30. Colonial Forge Va. 31. McDonogh Md. 32. Holt Mo. 33. Flathead Mont. 34. Waverly-Shell Rock Iowa 35. Selma Ca. 36. Campbell County Wy. 37. Christiansburg Va. 38. Oak Park River Forest Ill. 39. S. Dade Fla. 40. Havre Mont.   Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/623-amateur-wrestling-news-prep-40 Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:27:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/537-marty-morgan-steps-down-from-u-wrestling-post University of Minnesota Press Release Marty Morgan Steps Down From ‘U’ Wrestling Post  Head assistant wrestling coach Marty Morgan resigned from his position at the University of Minnesota on Tuesday afternoon after 16 years with the program. Morgan will go on to train former Gopher All-American wrestler Brock Lesnar, a popular Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) competitor, on a full-time basis.   “I’m going to step back for a year to help Brock [Lesnar] train and I’ll see where I’m at next summer. I’ve been working with Brock [Lesnar] the past few years on his training and now I’ve been offered a unique opportunity to work with him full time.” Morgan said. “This has definitely been a difficult decision, considering that I have been involved with the program for 20 years as an athlete and coach. I am happy to have a great relationship with the University of Minnesota administration, J Robinson, the wrestling staff, past and current team members, and numerous fans around this great wrestling state.”  A native of Bloomington, Minn., Morgan began his collegiate wrestling career at North Dakota State where he won a Division II national championship as a true freshman before transferring to Minnesota. Morgan was a three-time All-American for the Gophers and won a national title at 177 pounds as a senior in 1991. With a 39-0 record during his senior season, Morgan became the first wrestler in school history to finish with an unblemished record and is one of just three wrestlers in Minnesota history to accomplish that feat. He capped off his career with the Big Ten Medal of Honor, which is awarded to a Big Ten student-athlete who demonstrates excellence in academics and athletics.   Morgan was the top assistant under head coach J Robinson for 13 of his 16 seasons with the program. During his time at Minnesota, Morgan helped secure Minnesota Wrestling’s status as one of the most storied and successful programs in the nation. Under Morgan’s watch, the Gophers attracted some of the nation’s most sought-after recruits on a regular basis and won national titles in 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2006-07. The Gophers have also captured six Big Ten Conference championships under Morgan’s tutelage.  “Marty has been around Minnesota Wrestling for 20 years, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him to step away for a year and to see what else is out there,” head coach J Robinson said. “I think it’s important for people to see different opportunities that life has to offer from a different perspective and a year away from the program can provide that perspective for Marty. He will be obviously missed this year with the way we do things, but we look forward to working with him in the future.”  The Gopher wrestling program, which boasts one of the nation’s highest-rated recruiting classes again this year, begins its 2008-09 season with the Bison Open in Fargo, N.D. on Nov. 15. Minnesota’s first home wrestling event comes when the Gophers host fellow perennial national power Oklahoma State in a New Year’s Day dual at the Sports Pavilion.    Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/537-marty-morgan-steps-down-from-u-wrestling-post Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:16:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/525-mike-zadick-t-shirts Support Mike Zadick by purchasing his T-Shirt at http://www.chasetony.com/zadick/?page_id=20  FILA adds U.S. wrestler Mike Zadick to the Olympic Games field at 60 kg in men’s freestyle wrestling BEIJING, China - USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, has been notified by the international wrestling federation FILA that U.S. wrestler Mike Zadick (Solon, Iowa/Gator WC) has been added to the field at 60 kg (132 lbs.) in men’s freestyle wrestling at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.The United States had not qualified to participate in the Olympic Games at 60 kg during the qualification process prior to the Beijing Olympics.USA Wrestling made a formal request to FILA to add Zadick to the Olympic Games field at 60 kg when it was learned that the Bulgarian Wrestling Federation withdrew its entry from the Olympics at that weight division due to injury.The FILA Bureau, the governing council for international wrestling, met on Sunday to discuss the request and came to its decision at that time. Zadick was a 2006 World silver medalist and member of the 2007 U.S. World Team. He won the 60 kg division at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June to earn the No. 1 spot on Team USA in his weight class.“It was determined that Mike Zadick was an Olympic eligible athlete, who has been in serious training if this opportunity became available,” said USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender. “We are excited for him and have confidence in his ability to perform well at the Olympic Games.”Zadick will weigh in on Monday, August 18 and will compete on Tuesday, August 19.“It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to wrestle in the Olympic Games,” Zadick said. “I never stopped believing it would happen. I want to thank USA Wrestling and (USA Wrestling Executive Director) Rich Bender for making this happen. I’m looking forward to having an opportunity to wrestle in the Olympics and bringing home a gold medal.” Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/525-mike-zadick-t-shirts Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:33:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/501-spencer-mango-t-shirts Help send Spencer Mango's family get to Beijing by purchasing the Spencer Mango T-Shirt.  Spencer Mango is the United States 55kg representative in Greco-Roman Wrestling.  The St. Louis Sensation is looking to score a gold in Beijing. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/501-spencer-mango-t-shirts Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:04:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/498-mark-branch-named-head-wrestling-coach-at-the-university-of-wyoming Article from http://wyomingathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/071408aab.html LARAMIE, Wyo. - University of Wyoming Athletics Director Tom Burman announced on Monday that Mark Branch has been selected as the new head wrestling coach at UW. Branch comes to Wyoming from Oklahoma State University where he was the Associate Head Wrestling Coach. He was a part of five NCAA team championships as a coach and student-athlete at OSU. As a college wrestler, Branch was a member of OSU's 1994 NCAA Championship team, and served on the coaching staff for OSU's 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 NCAA titles. He provided the Cowboys from Stillwater with personal and team instruction including technique training, weight training, conditioning and nutrition. He was instrumental in the recruiting of student-athletes to Stillwater, as well as organizing fundraising projects, promotional strategies and assisting in public relation functions with student-athletes. Branch replaces Steven Suder, who coached the Wyoming Cowboys from 1989-2008. "The hiring of Mark is exciting for the future of Wyoming Cowboy wrestling," Burman said. "We feel his experience and passion will enable us to become a national player in the wrestling community." "For me, this is the realization of my goal to become an NCAA head coach," said Branch. "I'm from a competitive background, and I was looking for a place where I could build a nationally-competitive program. I believe there is a great deal of support from the Athletic Department and the University as a whole at Wyoming. Wyoming is the right program for me and the right fit for me and my family. I appreciate the confidence that Tom Burman (UW Athletics Director) and Matt Whisenant (UW Senior Associate Athletics Director) have shown in me to get the job done." As a member of the OSU coaching staff, Branch was named the National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA) Assistant Coach of the Year in 2004. He helped coach OSU to seven Big XII Championships, four NCAA Championships and three Dual Team Championships. He was named the Associate Head Coach at OSU in 2002. He individually coached 31 All-Americans and nine NCAA Champions. Branch has been a freestyle wrestling coach for the Gator Club in New Orleans, La., since 1997 where he provides personal instruction and training in freestyle wrestling. His teams have participated at various World Team training camps. He has coached at the U.S. Nationals and World/Olympic Team Trials. As a student-athlete at OSU, Branch was a four-time NCAA All-American (1994-97), four-time NCAA National Finalist (1994-97), two-time NCAA National Champion at 167 pounds (1994 and '97) and a two-time National Freestyle All-American (1998 and '99). In 1997, he was named the Big XII Athlete of the Year, OSU Student-Athlete of the Year and the top graduating senior for OSU Wrestling. He was a four-time NWCA Academic All-American, received an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship Award and a Big XII Post-Graduate Scholarship Award. Branch earned his bachelor of science degree in secondary education from Oklahoma State in 1997 and earned his master of science degree in athletic administration from OSU in 2000. "I wouldn't be in this position if it weren't for the opportunities I was given at my alma mater, Oklahoma State," said Branch. "John Smith (Head Wrestling Coach at Oklahoma State) gave me the opportunity to learn from him. I consider him to be the greatest coach in college wrestling. I was fortunate to be a part of the greatest program in college wrestling as a student-athlete and assistant coach with the Oklahoma State Cowboys, now I'm excited to build on the great tradition of Wyoming Cowboy wrestling." A native of Newkirk, Okla., he and his wife Susan have a daughter, Maggie Belle, and a son, Mason Layne.    Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/498-mark-branch-named-head-wrestling-coach-at-the-university-of-wyoming Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:57:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/474-cejudo-t-shirts Henry Cejudo made his first Olympic Team at 55kg for Freestyle. In doing so he is the youngest member of the Freestyle team. Help his family go out to Beijing to watch him wrestle! His t-shirts are for sale so buy one and think about going to Beijing and supporting him in person. Visit Teamcejudo.com to buy the Shirts.   Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/474-cejudo-t-shirts Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:22:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/443-silent-h-t-shirts In probably the most exciting match of the Olympic trials Silent H aka Andy Hrovat went on to win in 3 matches for dramatic fashion. He carried over that dramatic fashion to his shirt line where you can purchase any one of or all of his line of shirts. Silent H  a true American hero!Congrats to Andy Hrovat and all of our wrestling olympians.   Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/443-silent-h-t-shirts Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:30:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/436-askrens-t-shirts-available Olympian Ben Askren To Sell “Chin in China” T-Shirts …Help Support Askren in His Quest for Olympic Gold… Columbia, Mo. –The now notorious “Putting the Chin in China” t-shirts adorned by Ben Askren fans at the Olympic Trials are available for sale through www.wrestling-central.com.  T-shirts are $19.95 plus shipping and handling, with proceeds going toward Askren’s journey to Beijing, China for his first Olympic gold medal.  “I’m really thrilled by the response I’ve gotten about the shirts,” Askren said.  “We made the ‘Funky’ t-shirts when I was college and those were a huge success.  I knew I wanted to make another shirt as I began my training for the Olympics, and this just seemed like an appropriate theme.” Askren supporters wore the black t-shirts that feature the 74 kg wrestler’s recognizable profile throughout the Olympic Trials.  “I just want to thank everyone for all of the support they’ve given me,” Askren said.  “It’s a great feeling knowing that I have so many fans cheering me on as I train for my first Olympic appearance.”  Askren is one of six wrestlers that will represent Team USA in the Freestyle competition beginning Wednesday, Aug. 20, at the China Agriculture University Gymnasium.  A two-time National Champion at Missouri, Askren is the first Tiger graduate to earn an Olympic berth in the sport of wrestling.      Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/436-askrens-t-shirts-available Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:44:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/403-asu-reinstates-wrestling-program-as-21st-varsity-sport ASU Reinstates Wrestling Program As 21st Varsity Sport The Sun Devils will compete fully in 2008-09 May 23, 2008 TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State University Vice President for Athletics Lisa Love announced Friday that the athletic department is fully reinstating the sport of varsity wrestling, effective immediately, due to financial support from local civic leadership. The reinstatement of wrestling gives ASU 21 sports in its varsity athletic program. "It is with great pleasure that I announce the reinstatement of the varsity sport of wrestling at ASU," says Love. "The wrestling community, both locally and nationally, accepted this as a challenge to do something wonderful for the sport. ASU is forever grateful for that passion and unwavering support. Something special is happening on our campus thanks to civic leadership that cares deeply about ASU wrestling." "Lisa Love and the proud supporters of wrestling have breathed life back into the Sun Devil wrestling program and we are very grateful for their, and everyone else's, support," Head Coach Thom Ortiz said. "We need to continue to build our fundraising efforts to remain a top and competitive program. This show of support will catapult Sun Devil wrestling into the future. Lisa Love was once a head coach and has always looked out for the best interest of her athletes and she did so with our wrestlers. This show of support is big not only for ASU, but for the sport of wrestling as well." ASU had announced on May 13, 2008 that it was discontinuing the sport of wrestling due to the rising cost of operating a 22-sport varsity program. It was determined at that time that sponsoring a 20-sport program would better fit ASU¹s athletic financial profile. Love indicated at the time that if the wrestling community were able to raise enough financial support the sport could be reinstated. That commitment is there and the sport will continue at Arizona State. Love said that fundraising for the sport of wrestling will be an ongoing process. The objective is not just to sponsor wrestling as a varsity sport, but to position the sport as one of the top programs in the country. The Sun Devil wrestling team is a member of the Pacific-10 Conference. For more information regarding giving to assist the Sun Devil varsity sports programs, visit www.sundevilclub.com Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/403-asu-reinstates-wrestling-program-as-21st-varsity-sport Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/393-kerry-mccoy-named-marylands-head-coach COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Director of athletics Deborah A. Yow announced May 12 that Kerry McCoy has been named the head coach for the University of Maryland wrestling program. In three seasons as head coach at Stanford, McCoy transformed the Cardinal into a national contender after inheriting a team that went 6-8-1 in 2004-05. “I am very fortunate to join such a great program,” McCoy said. “The opportunity to be closer to our family and having a chance to compete for a national championship is very exciting. I want to thank Dr. Yow and everyone who was involved with this process for supporting me and more importantly for supporting the sport of wrestling.” McCoy led the Cardinal to a 19th-place finish at the NCAA Championships this past season which was the second-best finish in program history. Stanford went 13-4 with a 6-3 mark in the Pac-10 while finishing second in the conference championships, its best showing ever. Stanford sent five wrestlers to nationals in St. Louis for the second straight season, which was also the most in team history. “Kerry McCoy is the right coach for Maryland at the right time,” Yow said. “He will achieve as a coach what he achieved as an athlete - elite status as a program and eventually, the possibility of winning the national championship.” McCoy made an immediate impact in his first season as Stanford went 8-7 in 2005-06 and improved its showing at the Pac-10 Championships by two places. He guided two wrestlers to the NCAA Championships that season and mentored Tanner Gardner to All-America accolades. In 2006-07, McCoy continued to steadily improve the program, as the Cardinal went 8-8 during the season and performed even better than the year before in the conference championships, finishing sixth. Five wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships which was a program record, and two wrestlers, Gardner and Josh Zupancic, became the first Stanford duo to earn All-America honors in the same season since 1967. In addition, Zack Giesen was tabbed the Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year. Prior to his time at Stanford, McCoy spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Lehigh where he mentored 14 All-Americans and a pair of NCAA Champions. He helped the Mountain Hawks to four EIWA titles and led Jon Trenge to a school-record 133 wins in his career at 197 pounds. Trenge was a three-time All-American. During his time at Lehigh, McCoy shared the sidelines with former Maryland head coach Pat Santoro, who was also on the staff at Penn State when McCoy was a wrestler. "I have been very fortunate to know Kerry as an athlete and coach over the past 15 years, and we have become very close,” Santoro said. “Kerry is a great fit for this team and will help take them to the next level. I am excited for Kerry and his family to have this opportunity at Maryland to reach their professional goals. Personally, our family is excited to have him back on the east coast." While at Lehigh, McCoy also served as the director of wrestling and head coach of the Lehigh Valley Athletic Club where he was responsible for conducting clinics in the local area, promoting the sport of wrestling, and fundraising. McCoy serves on the USA Wrestling Athlete Advisory Committee as well as the USAW Executive Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, and has been a U.S. Freestyle World Team coach for two seasons. McCoy also had a stint as an assistant coach at Penn State for three seasons, where he helped the Nittany Lions to a pair of fourth-place finishes at the NCAA Championships and guided 10 All-Americans and two national champions. McCoy spent his collegiate wrestling career with the Nittany Lions and posted a record of 150-18 in his four seasons. He captured a pair of NCAA Championships in 1994 and 1997 and won three Big Ten titles. After going 19-17 in his first 36 matches at Penn State, McCoy lost just once in his final 132 with an 88-match winning streak. A three-time All-American, McCoy was named the Penn State Athlete of the Year and the Nittany Lions’ Wrestler of the Year in 1994 and 1997 while being tabbed the 1997 Hodge Award winner as W.I.N. Magazine’s Wrestler of the Year. He earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1997. McCoy was also a two-time Olympian for the United States and took fifth place at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and seventh in 2004 in Athens. McCoy also won five straight U.S. National Freestyle Wrestling Championships from 2000 to 2004. McCoy has been a member of the United States National Team nine times and earned a silver medal in 2003 at the World Championships. In August 2003, McCoy won a gold medal at the Pan-Am Games and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. McCoy and his wife, Abbie, are expecting their first child in July. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/393-kerry-mccoy-named-marylands-head-coach Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/375-managerial-perspectives-of-coaching-wrestling Chris Vondruska 3/6/08 Managerial Perspectives of Coaching Wrestling
 Introduction What are the key ingredients to a thriving organization? Is it the capital required to start them? Is it the facilities in which they operate? Or is it the equipment used everyday? Both my research in sport studies and my experience in the sport of wrestling have allowed me to understand how useless these material resources would be without the sufficient human resources. In a business setting human resources are made up of employees and their managers; business can only use these material resources (capital, facilities, and equipment) with their employees and managers who convert them into wealth.1 In a sport setting (such as wrestling) the human resources are the athletes and coaches; these coaches resemble managers in the sense that their major function is to manage their athletes. In most organizations sports or not, human resources are a unique resource and are all that matter because it is the people that make the organizations run. Without the athletes and coaches, the facilities and equipment would be useless. Furthermore, with athletes and coaches that lack the characteristics required for such positions, the activity would go nowhere. Former head football coach at The Ohio State University, Woody Hayes, was fond of the saying “you win with people”. Perhaps he was speaking accurately to say so, in the case of The Ohio State football program’s support, which not only includes players and coaches, but fans as well. However, in my experiences and studies in the sport of wrestling, not only do you need people, but you need the right people. Everyone with direct influence to the organization should be on the same page and have similar goals with that of the organizational leader. In the summer of 2006, newly hired head wrestling coach at The Ohio State University, Tom Ryan, found himself in need of the “right” people to achieve a goal, to transform a good team into a great one. He began with forming a staff of qualified coaches. Five coaches were injected into the program, all varying in weight in order to facilitate the athletes’ training. Perhaps more importantly, those chosen were similar in the sense that they all expressed great interest in Ohio State wrestling, as well have proven their dedication to the sport through previous coaching experience. Coach Ryan then notified all returning and incoming wrestlers of the staff changes and sent all student-athletes the book, From Good to Great, by Jim Collins. The Author, Jim Collins is a student and teacher of great enduring companies as noted in his biography.2 His primary studies in the book are how good organizations thrive and eventually grow into the great ones that remain in their respective industries. The message that Tom Ryan was attempting to transfer to the team was that “Ohio State wrestling, just like some of the major fortune 500 companies, is a business, only on a much smaller scale, but not a less important scale.”3 He thought the book would give all members of the team a good idea of what to expect from the coaching staff while trying to motivate the wrestlers for the upcoming season. The coaching staff assembled by Ryan expected a maintained greatness from all the human resources surrounding the program. Coaches and athletes involved with wrestling can gain valuable insights from the literature in human resource practices. Coach Ryan recognized early on that while all the amenities of his new job were nice, it would not make the team great. Only the right people can make any organization great. In this paper I will relate the sport of wrestling to human resources. The sections are divided similarly to the works of P. Chelladurai (2006) in direct relation to the sport of wrestling. These insights I give are not meant to be taken as scientific research, but merely advice from my research of human resources in direct relation to the sport of wrestling. Values The term value in a sport’s setting in general refers to a belief of what ought to be (e.g. there should be no emphasis on winning in sport). These values however will greatly influence the long-term goals and decisions made by the individual.4 Wrestling is not unique in the sense that the sport holds similar values of all other sports in the United States, including: success, competition, continual striving, deferred gratification, and perhaps most important hard work.5 Hard work is the value that is stressed, and has been ingrained in aspiring wrestler’s minds, most notably present in former University of Iowa head coach Dan Gable’s coaching philosophy.6 Perhaps the most common value in sport is success. But what is success? And how does one come about achieving such success? Success in my opinion is achieving the goals set forth by the individual, so much so that the individual receives an intrinsic reward or satisfaction directly from the activity. Wrestlers are encouraged to set goals early on in their careers, often which require some type of plan of action for achieving these goals. In general athletes trying to improve at a sport and move up in various class levels recognize that more time and work at the sport will be required. The definition of hard work differs from sport to sport as well as business to business; however it is common in the sense that it requires feats greater than the competition. In wrestling, competition could be anyone training in the sport at the same weight class; therefore it is difficult to know exactly what the competition is doing at all times. Hence in wrestling, it is more effective to focus on individual training rather than the competition. Dan Gable embodied the value of hard work so much so that he formed it into an attitude. His attitude was that there was no way he was going to lose, nor have his athletes lose from lack of effort in training. Therefore he trained 7 hours each day during his years of competition, and presumed that no other athlete could train as hard as him, and that he would outwork his opponents throughout every position of every match. He set goals for himself that were attainable only by constantly training everyday, and he was successful in attaining his goals by winning the Olympics and dominating everyone in his weight class.7 Coaches such as Gable encourage wrestlers to have terminal (societal vs. personal) and instrumental (moral vs. competence) values8, and then to prioritize these values throughout their careers. Terminal values in wrestling can be organized into personal values and team values. Personally, wrestlers value winning their matches; beyond winning individually; they also value the team victory during dual meets and tournaments. Although wrestling is an individual sport, the team aspect promotes group encouragement and internal competition which allows the athletes to individually strive to excel in the sport. If wrestlers only valued what was important to them, they perhaps would not get as far as they are potentially able to. For example if an athlete has a minor injury he may not compete in practice to allow time to heal, however he may think of helping their team and wrestle with the injury, continue training, ultimately helping himself and the team get better. Instrumental values in wrestling can be organized into practice and competitions. In practice everyone must be held accountable for their training. Therefore, if people are slacking on the team, they must be called out and redirected for the team to function properly. In this situation they can be called out by a coach or a team member, both of which should aid in the productivity of the athlete. As far as competitions, everyone is expected to compete to the best of their abilities every time they step on to an athletic field, which carries over to all sports. This alignment of ability is crucial and if they are not aligned mental training needs to be implemented. Ultimately, commitment and sacrifices are put into athletics for a reason, to show your ability at competitions and do your best. The values in sport carry over to abilities when improvements in practice and competitions are the goals of the individual. Abilities Wrestling is a sport which requires open psychomotor abilities which are learned and improved by engaging in the activity.9 In my opinion, wrestling is designed for athletes who lack size or certain abilities. Ball sports such as baseball, basketball, and football all require hand-eye coordination, which I argue are prerequisites of certain sports that some people simply have difficulty with. Wrestling does not require this feature, which may lead to interest in the sport of wrestling when lacking this ability. On the other hand wrestling does have similar psychomotor characteristics which coincide with these “ball” sports, like explosive strength and reaction time, although not easily transferred from sport to sport due to position differences. Wrestling is unique in the sense that a functional team must have athletes on it that vary in weight. In high school the range is from 103 pounds to 285 pounds, a range which encompasses most high school males. In sports like basketball and football, coaches are often looking for a certain height and weight of individuals as a prerequisite to their abilities. In wrestling the coaches can go straight to looking at the abilities in three basic categories: muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance, and movement quality. It is standard for a wrestler to lack all of these qualities in the beginning stages of their careers. This makes the coach’s job a little more difficult, but at the same time more rewarding when they are able to successfully shape a young person with very low abilities into one with abilities in all three areas. Coaches will train their wrestlers muscularly by weight training and utilize balance exercises for muscle endurance, both of which will make the athlete stronger. Cardiovascular endurance is tested every day in the gruesome practice room as well as preseason runs to get in shape. Movement quality is perhaps the most difficult acquired ability, but ideally is taken care of within the first month of practice by teaching basic drills in all positions of wrestling. While this can be acquired in a quick amount of time this quality continues to improve over years of experience. Wrestling is an excellent example for those taking the behavioralist point of view10 in issues over ability because it is a sport that no matter how inherently gifted a person is it will not make up for the rigorous practice and training required in wrestling. Preferred prerequisites in the sport include: total body quickness, strength, power for explosive movements, agility (rapid changes in body position), flexibility, coordination, and cardiovascular training.11 A person can be gifted in the sense that they are big and strong; however in wrestling the person will have no real advantage because their opponents will generally weigh the same as them. The sport is about mastering the three psychomotor abilities, and the only way to do that is from constantly practicing and training in those areas. In the end because of the physical nature of the sport wrestling will never attract as many athletes as other sports; nevertheless exceptional athletes now compete as wrestlers and more are on the way.12 Leadership Leadership is a characteristic desired by colleges as well as businesses when accepting applicants. The sport of wrestling demands leadership qualities from both the coach and the individual athletes. Coaches operate under the dimensions of leader behavior in sport13, while athletes operate under dimensions stemming from leading by example. Leaders are molded from the highest character and are generally the hardest workers on the team. They’re the first to come to practice and the last ones to leave. During practice, they lead by example with their mouths closed, concentrating hard. They understand the team’s goals so they know what has to be done. They realize that practice is precious preparation time for the real thing – the game.14 Wrestling coaches at any level need all dimensions of leader behavior in sports to be successful (training and instruction, social support, positive feedback, democratic behavior, and autocratic behavior).15 The importance of training is stressed by coaches to give the wrestlers a mindset throughout the season. It is crucial for the athletes to know what exactly is expected of them and what being a part of their wrestling program entails. Coaches may come across individual issues within the team which a coach must deal with, thus having social support. Coaches must also have a balance between autocratic and democratic behavior in the practice room for the wrestlers. Constantly having a coach run practice the same day in and day out may lead to burning out the wrestlers or boring them, which can yield disengaged athletes on the team, some of which may quit. At the same time having no structure to daily workouts can lead to wrestlers being out of shape and having low skill levels, which most likely will yield many losses. From my experiences in wrestling I see that coaches will often recognize that different parts of the season will have different levels of coach involvement during practice. At the beginning of the season coaches need to set up the training regimen, and most likely stress instruction as well as conditioning for the athletes. During the season coaches may recognize athletes getting worn out from lack of independence in training, which the coach may respond by having semi-structured practices or periodic practices without structure, both of which the coaches will watch and evaluate the wrestlers. The end of the season is usually most important with the eve of conference, state, and national championships nearing; here coaches will use autocratic behavior because for the most part they know how to properly prepare their athletes for these competitions. Throughout the season autocratic behavior is important for coaches to have, but it is equally important for the athletes to have autocratic behavior in their independent training sessions. Wrestlers may or may not be leaders of a team depending on their individual dedication and attitude toward the sport. The training regimen expected by the coaches is strictly a minimum in wrestling. A successful coach will properly prepare their wrestlers to compete at their current level. However, a successful athlete must go beyond the coach’s training and induce an autocratic behavior outside of normal practice time to ensure success. This is demonstrated by morning or late night workouts not scheduled by the coaches. A leader in wrestling is one who outworks his opponents; the only way to do so is by putting in more work prior to competitions. A leader cannot emerge from those simply following the coach’s order. Along with immense dedication to training an athlete must also obtain a positive attitude which can be transferred to the rest of the team. This attitude must also motivate others to train harder yielding more athletes to go beyond the coaches expectations. The wrestler will often do this by setting forth goals throughout the season congruent with the teams’ goals. With these values of leadership in high school and college, these young wrestlers will be prepared for life after college and be able to obtain jobs with the leadership qualities ingrained in their systems. Motivation “Motivation is the driving force behind great achievements in wrestling, sports, academics, professional careers, or any pursuit where work is required”.16 With the choices of raw talent and self-motivation, coaches in any sport would choose the athlete who is self-motivated to put in the work, get the job done, and maximize his or her talents. Motivations in wrestling differ from person to person; however, most successful wrestlers have similar motivations which are crucial to the sport. One of these motivations is performance, a general desire to perform with intrinsic rewards in mind. Wrestlers with extrinsic rewards in mind (medal, trophy, or media attention) “lack the drive to do what’s necessary to develop the skills and conditioning that’s required to win on a consistent basis.”17 In the case of wrestling and nearly all amateur sports, the intrinsic rewards are generally more satisfying and more prevalent than extrinsic rewards. A wrestler should recognize the only way to receive these rewards is in competition, and the higher level of the opponent the higher level of reward. An obvious way to achieve an intrinsic reward (those rewards satisfying a person internally) is by winning and a great way to better the chances of winning comes from the effort put in during practice time. Great effort comes from constant practice and could lead to many wins, but wins are not guaranteed simply from effort. The effort will be connected to the reward more frequently when the performance is the display of the absolute best efforts. Win or lose, if an athlete competes at his/her best the intrinsic reward should be present. If an athlete’s efforts are not congruent to the performance on days of competition, he/she will need to focus training mentally with the coaches and develop a positive attitude to overcome the pressures of competition. Why do amateur athletes (like wrestlers) compete at such a high level with no extrinsic rewards in sight? The primary reason I see is the motivation for intrinsic rewards outweighs that of the extrinsic rewards in the sport. The only extrinsic rewards that I see coming from wrestling are scholarships to compete in college or some type of medal or trophy which comes from individual events, all of which are rewards that could possibly motivate athletes. Clearly the scholarship is more valuable. Still, if it is the only reward in mind, the success of the individual will be very limited because the lack of intrinsic motivation. In the other case, perhaps a trophy or a gold medal means something, but without the tangible received from the event the athlete is the same person, and should feel the same sense of accomplishment. Unquestionably it is the intrinsic rewards coming from performance in the activity that motivate wrestlers and amateur athletes. When a match is completed in wrestling the referee claims one person the winner of the match signified by raising their hand; for most this is the best part of the match and a key intrinsic reward for wrestlers. An athlete not getting his/her hand raised at the end of a match receives almost no intrinsic reward. The fact that some wrestlers learn from their mistakes when they lose could lead to more intrinsic rewards, thus gaining from the defeat. A wrestler has various options of action when dealing with a loss; the effort can be increased, decreased, or remain the same. Obviously the effort should be increased when incurring a loss. First, however, the athlete must admit their fault and go to work on ways to prevent similar mistakes. Increasing the effort could mean various actions which boil down to muscular training, cardiovascular training, movement training, or even mental training when performance and effort do not coincide. An athlete could decide that wrestling is not the sport they want to pursue and quit, thus decreasing efforts all together. This is sad and often a problem in the lower levels of the sport as young athletes cannot properly cope with a loss, because the only person to blame is themselves. On a positive note, athletes can learn how to handle wins and losses from the sport of wrestling. An athlete that has no desire to improve in the sport could simply remain training at the same level because they are satisfied with their performance. A person could argue that time constraints may prohibit a person from increasing their training; however the increased effort does not always have to mean increased time. A person could vary their training to include more weight training when they are outsized by many of their opponents, while decreasing their movement training when the skills are where they need to be. The level of intensity could also be increased which would make the effort more efficient and eventually effect the performance. Generally all of these training variations would be the coaches’ obligations to help the wrestler improve. Satisfaction Satisfaction in the sport of wrestling is different depending on the level of competitiveness. Noticeably as one moves up in skill or age levels, the more satisfaction is related to winning. I recognize that the facets of satisfaction are important to all people involved with the program rather than just the individual. The coaches’ satisfaction is directly effected by the athletes’ satisfaction, both in training as well as competition. In individual sports such as wrestling, a unique factor is that the athlete has almost complete control over the performance, with the right training, effort, and general abilities. There is no teammate to blame when a wrestler comes off the mat, with the possible caveat that the teammate could have pushed them harder in the practice room. Nor can an individual blame a coach that has done their job in preparation for competition; again the exception may be that a coach could have done a better job in the training process. The individual is ultimately in control of the situation and the only person to blame is himself/herself. Therefore the individual satisfaction of a wrestler depends upon only the athlete themself. A win may lead to great satisfaction, while at the same time it may lead to little satisfaction as mistakes were most likely made. In the case of a loss the athlete may feel extreme dissatisfaction. On the contrary, perhaps an athlete did the best possible with the training available and is satisfied with the performance thus eventually motivating the individual to continue to improve in the sport. At the beginning of his freshman year in college, Dan Gable experienced this extreme dissatisfaction while training with Bob Buzzard, an already experienced college wrestler at the time. On their final day of summer training, Buzzard wanted to prove that Gable still had a ways to go in order to be successful. This training session most likely stayed in Gables mind for some time, because it drove him to much success and satisfaction. After Buzzard finished with Gable that night, Dan fell to the mat crying tears of anger. Right then Gable recalls, “I vowed I wouldn’t ever let anyone destroy me again. I was going to work at it everyday, so hard that I would be the toughest guy in the world. By the end of practice, I wanted to be physically tired, to know that I’d been through a workout. If I wasn’t tired, I must have cheated somehow, so I stayed a little longer.18 Wrestling coaches witness their athletes daily in training as well as competition, and satisfaction levels change according to their performance. Coaches recognize when their athletes are ready for practice and come with the mindset of becoming a better wrestler, leading to satisfaction within the coaching staff. When coaches have unmotivated athletes who go through the motions on a daily basis the coach can be left with dissatisfaction and possibly looking to coach another team. During competitions the coaches generally have expectations of each wrestler which can be obtained by the athletes on the team. When the expectations are barely met or not achieved the level of satisfaction is relatively low for the coaches as they expect their wrestlers to compete at a higher level than they train. Athletes outperforming the expectations of the coaches will have satisfaction and cause satisfaction for the coaches alike for the success and improvement of the individual. Commitment Commitment is yet another feature in the sport of wrestling and is a category required for the success of the individual as well as the future of the sport. As more and more wrestlers start at a young age, each year improving in the sport, they develop a commitment to the sport which can be caused by various factors. An athlete can be generally happy with the outcomes of the sport and have an affective commitment that last throughout their time as a competitor. A wrestler can have no emotional attachment, but have a sense of duty or obligation to continue on the sport for the good of the team or even themselves. Yet time after time wrestlers feel the sense of being locked into the sport of wrestling because it often leaves little time for other activities, making them continuance committed. Only when a person aligns himself/herself with the teams’ mission and goals are they considered to be normatively committed.19 The three bases of commitment as previously stated are: affective commitment, continuance commitment, and normative commitment. When an individual feels attached to an organization by feelings of pleasure, loyalty, and warmth they are affectively committed to the organization. A person’s commitment may also be based on continuance in an activity; if a person has put a lot of personal sacrifice and time, they often look to continue with the commitment because of the lack of opportunity to change (continuance commitment). The third component of organizational commitment is normative commitment; here a person is attached to the goals, values, and the mission of the organization. This differs from continuance commitment in the sense that it does not necessarily fluctuate with personal calculation of inducements or sunk costs.20 Personally my wrestling career has had points of affective commitment, continuance commitment, as well as normative commitment.21 When I started in the sport improving at a very high rate at a young age I was generally happy and had an affective commitment for the sport. As I began to get burned out in the sport before high school I felt a sense of obligation to continue with the sport to help the team (normative commitment). Starting off in high school, at a very competitive school, not making the starting line-up left me unmotivated; but I felt trapped in the sport as I was continuance committed. My commitment soon changed after my first year of high school back to affective commitment as I again became emotionally attached with the sport. College wrestling was a big jump for me and as I struggled to start my first year, I felt obligated to stay with the sport since I was on scholarship (continuance committed). Finally in 2006 as I graduated from Hofstra University my commitment level to competition in the sport fell, and decided to continue with the sport as a coach to help the sport grow (continuance committed). With the new opportunity at my feet to complete my last year of eligibility at The Ohio State University I decided to be whole heartedly committed to the sport to take advantage of the opportunity that has recently expired. The commitment level for all involved with a program searching for greatness should be normatively committed to that program. Conclusion Needless to say there are many other aspects of human resources which need to be examined in the sport of wrestling. The categories of values, abilities, leadership, motivation, satisfaction, and commitment all have one central feature in common: they all stress the idea of hard work. Hard work is a value; hard work is required to master athletic abilities; hard work is a characteristic of leaders; hard work is directly stemmed from motivated individuals; hard work yields success; and hard work demands time and commitment. The athletes and coaches that stress and put in the hard work are the ones who win, it’s that simple. It is not the coach with the biggest office who obtains success, nor is it the individual or team with the largest facilities. Jim Collins, Dan Gable, and Tom Ryan would all agree that human resources are the backbone to great organizations. Collins has served as a teacher to hundreds of CEO’s of corporations and understands the value of a marquee employee, but does not mention the need for machines in any of his texts. Gable gives a brief outlay of his wrestling room in Coaching Wrestling Successfully, but does not credit any of his success to it. Ryan is proof that greatness does not come from material resources, having success at two schools with drastic budget differences. Clearly in sport or business, only the combination of the right human resources will make an organization function successfully. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/375-managerial-perspectives-of-coaching-wrestling Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/367-pat-santoro-named-new-coach-at-lehigh BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh University has named Pat Santoro its new Lawrence E. White ‘64 Head Coach of Wrestling, Goodman Dean of Athletics Joe Sterrett ’76 announced Tuesday. Santoro, who becomes just the eighth head coach in the 99-year history of Lehigh wrestling, replaces Greg Strobel who will be making the transition into an administrative leadership role within the Lehigh Athletics Department. This announcement marks the return to Lehigh for Santoro, a Bethlehem native who spent nine seasons at Lehigh as an assistant coach. “Greg Strobel was ready for a new assignment outside of coaching and he is very well skilled and suited for working with our camps program and in our athletics alumni relations and fund raising areas,” said Sterrett. “Pat Santoro was an outstanding assistant coach at Lehigh for nine years, and has done a magnificent job in developing the Maryland program. He will bring a deep affection for the institution, the educational values we prioritize, and the ability to make the transition seamless.” Santoro returns to Lehigh after spending the last five years as the head coach at the University of Maryland where he helped resurrect the Terrapins program, which in 2008 captured its first ACC title in 35 years; a feat which earned Santoro ACC Coach of the Year honors. This past season the Terps went 16-4 and entered the national rankings for the first time since 1993, climbing as high as No. 21. Under Santoro’s guidance, Maryland crowned its first All-American since 1997 en route to a top-25 team finish at the NCAA Championships. Santoro posted a 48-41-1 record in five seasons at College Park, including an impressive 33-9 dual mark the last two years. “It’s an honor and a privilege to be the new head coach at Lehigh University,” said Santoro. “Lehigh is a program with a strong and rich tradition of wrestling, and terrific support from the alumni, fans and the community. Lehigh wrestling has been a part of my family for a long time. I grew up around the program and its great tradition, and I’m looking forward to coming back home and trying to continue the great history and tradition of Lehigh wrestling.” Prior to his stint at Maryland Santoro served as an assistant at Lehigh for nine years, including eight seasons as the top assistant on Greg Strobel’s staff. During his initial tenure, Santoro was part of some of the most successful teams in school history. In 2003, Santoro was named the national Assistant Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, after helping guide the Brown and White to its fourth EIWA title in five years, and a fourth place finish at the NCAA Championships, at the time the program’s best finish in 24 years. “I had a great experience in my first nine years at Lehigh, and Greg and I were together for eight of those years,” explained Santoro. “We became very close, and Greg helped me tremendously throughout the years, especially in my first few years at Maryland when I was trying to build the program. I’m very fortunate to have worked along side him.” Strobel’s transition into Lehigh’s athletic administration comes as part of a more comprehensive re-organization of Lehigh’s athletics leadership structure. In 13 seasons, Strobel amassed a career dual mark of 189-83-1 and led Lehigh to six EIWA championships including five consecutive titles from 2002-06. Strobel was named EIWA Coach of the Year four times, and was named National Coach of the Year by the NWCA after leading Lehigh to a third place finish at the 2004 NCAA Championships. His wrestlers captured 28 individual EIWA titles and totaled 30 All-America medals. Strobel coached two national champions, Rob Rohn in 2002 and Troy Letters in 2004. One of the most respected figures in American wrestling, Strobel also served as the U.S. Olympic head coach in 2000, and worked closely with a number of U.S. national freestyle teams. In his new role, Strobel will oversee Lehigh’s highly-successful summer camp program, while also taking on additional responsibilities in athletics fund raising and sport supervision. “I’m really excited,” said Strobel. “It’s a win-win for both me and Lehigh wrestling. I’ve wanted to move into administration for a while, and it just happened that the position I wanted opened up. It really is the perfect assignment for me, dealing with camps, and alumni and fund raising and I’m ready to move on.” Strobel then offered his thoughts on his successor, “I’m excited for Pat as well. He was an integral part of our program for my first eight years and for him to come back will be a tremendous thing for the program. We have a great group of student-athletes returning, and I think they will enjoy having Pat as their head coach. His coaching style is very similar to mine, so there should be a pretty seamless transition.” After wrestling for Bethlehem Catholic High School and taking a post-graduate year at Blair Academy, Santoro wrestled collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh, where he became the Panthers’ only four-time All-America while capturing national titles in 1988 and 1989 at 142 pounds. Santoro graduated from Pittsburgh with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1992 and went on to enjoy a successful international career, becoming a four-time member of the U.S. National Team and serving as an alternate for the 1996 Olympic Team and the 1999 World Team. Santoro and his wife Julie have a daughter, Leah. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/367-pat-santoro-named-new-coach-at-lehigh Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/350-the-best-weekend-in-sports FloWrestling.org Picture By www.tech-fall.com Everybody always says that the NCAA Tournament is the culmination of the wrestling season. In a way, they’re right. But really, the NCAA Tournament IS the wrestling season. Essentially you need to find a way to punch a ticket, and whatever you do over the course of three days is going to determine how your year went. Because the stakes are so high, few weekends in any sport carry as much drama. You’re always a second away from glory or a second away from disaster. There are too many heroes to count, to many turning points to notice, too many warriors to recognize, and just too much good wrestling for me to feel like anything I write here can sufficiently sum up the weekend. But I’m going to take it a paragraph at a time and give it a shot. More than anything, the NCAA Tournament is about guts. If I had to pick out one snapshot from the entire weekend, it would have to be Dustin Fox, blood dripping from his face, nose mangled as all hell, with his arms triumphantly up in the air and a 1,000 kilowatt smile. It’s no secret that I’ve been rooting for Bergman all year, but Fox absolutely gutted this one out and found a way to get his hand raised. And hopefully somebody has a good shot of him right after he won, that’s what wrestling is all about. While we’re talking guts, J Jaggers provided us with the quote of the tournament. After a grisly scene in his finals match where he tore multiple ligaments in his ankles, Jaggers responded to the ESPN interviewer by saying “My ankle will heal eventually, but losing never would.” All night the ESPN announcers talked about how these are the toughest athletes in college sports and the pride of blue collar America, and J Jaggers backed them up. Incredible effort from one of my new favorite wrestlers. I’d like to thank all of the wrestlers that made me look like I know what I’m talking about. My mid season predictions worked out much better than I thought they would (although there were some clunkers, which I’ll get to in a second). I’d like to give special thanks to four guys for making me look much smarter than I am. I had a hunch that “J Jaggers is talented enough to make a finals run”, turns out he won the whole thing. I used my incredible Pennsylvania bias to pick Matt Kyler as my sleeper at 141 all year. He wrestled a fantastic tournament and was one of only a handful of unseeded wrestlers to place. He’s only going to accomplish bigger things. Hudson Taylor gets nowhere near the hype he deserves, but has helped put Maryland wrestling back on the map. No match is ever over when he’s wrestling, which is an attitude that could win him a national title. His matches with Josh Glenn and Craig Brester were incredible. The last one deserves its own paragraph. Turns out having Jordan Leen as a sleeper at 157 was a good idea. He gets my vote for Most Outstanding wrestler of the tournament. Talk about turning it on when it counts. Leen didn’t even win EIWAs last week, and now for the rest of his life he’ll be known as a National Champion. Although he had an illustrious prep career, Leen was almost an afterthought in a recruiting class that included Josh Arnone, Adam Frey, and the almighty Troy Nickerson. Three years later, Leen has one more National Title than all three combined. If everybody is healthy next season, Cornell could be scary good. To be fair, I also made plenty of picks that didn’t work out. In hindsight, referring to Mike Poeta as the Secretariat of the 157 pound weight class probably was over hyping him just a tad. As somebody who knows a hell of a lot more about wrestling than I do pointed out too me, he’s explosive as hell, but if you’re good enough to stop his first move, he’s not going to score. Taking Kenny Jordan and Chris Oliver as sleepers wasn’t exactly a good move. Actually, that wasn’t a good move at all, as Oliver needed to make the tournament before he made the waves that I expected him to.. Jake Strayer didn’t exactly make a “serious run”. Mike Letts would have been a nightmare quarterfinal match up for anybody…had he made quarterfinals. Jake Varner was not as untouchable as I thought, a season of 2-1 scores should have warned me. And Patrick Bond wasn’t exactly the sleeper I was hoping he would be at 197. Never in my life have I been so confident that somebody would win a match after being taken down twice in the first period. After Brent Metcalf’s second escape, all I could say was buckle up, because the pedal is about to be pressed to the floor. Sure enough, he wrestled the rest of the match like his singlet was on fire, destroying Bubba Jenkins in the process. The more I see him wrestler, the less human I think he is. Then all doubt goes out the window when I hear him speak. Tom Brands has completely brainwashed this poor kid into a killing machine. He wasn’t even remotely excited after winning his first National Title, just focused on the next time he’s going to wrestle. It takes a different mindset to succeed in this sport, and Metcalf has perfected it. The kids I feel the worst for are the wrestlers who have come so close to climbing the mountain the year before, then not getting a shot to redeem themselves. Josh Churella, Ryan Lang, and Craig Henning all deserved another shot at a title. I especially wanted to see Lang go out and win one after last year’s debacle. We all saw how happy Coleman Scott and Keith Gavin were after shaking their finals loss, it’s a shame that the other three will never get the shot to shake that weight. But it certainly is a part of sport. All three had fabulous careers, and have nothing to hang their head about. Look for Dustin Schlatter to come back loaded for bear. A week ago he was 10 seconds from beating Metcalf. Now he has an entire off-season to think about the disaster that was NCAAs. Personally, I’d love to be good enough where it was a disaster to finish 7th in the deepest weight class in recent memory, but Schlatter certainly is on that level. He takes needless crap from “fans”, and I would love to see him shut everybody up. By all accounts he’s a classy kid, he certainly is a phenomenal wrestler, and here’s hoping that next season he comes out like a man on fire and reminds everybody about the best true freshman we’ve ever seen. Show of the night goes to Coleman Scott. Single, cradle, celebrate. He looked like a five ton weight was lifted off his shoulders. I always wonder what that exact moment is like, when you’ve reached the pinnacle of your sport, and that instant you’ve dreamed of since you were a little kid finally comes true. I love celebrations because it gives us a glimpse into just how great that feeling is. Watch Scott celebrate, I couldn’t fend off an ear to ear grin. It’s one of the best parts about sports, the pure, unbridled joy of victory. Here’s to another great college wrestling season. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/350-the-best-weekend-in-sports Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/339-nobody-asked-me-butpennsylvania-aaa-states-edition Nobody Asked Me, But…Pennsylvania AAA States Edition Ian McCutcheon FloWrestling.org “Welcome to Hershey, Pennsylvania, the SWEETEST place on Earth!” Everybody in the Keystone State knows that this is the greeting before every session at the state tournament. States, as they are affectionately known, are far and away the best weekend in Pennsylvania High School sports. Although I couldn’t make the trek out to Hershey for any of the action, I was parked squarely in front of my TV on Saturday night to watch finals. The one thing I really missed was the electricity in the building. The best part of any sporting event, particularly wrestling, is the feeling in the stadium before a big match. My dorm room didn’t exactly have that effect. However, there was plenty to be commented on throughout the night. With that said, nobody asked me, but… -I don’t know why the Parade of Champions needs to be a tough guy contest. I couldn’t tell if the wrestlers were going to a State Finals match or prison. -Quentin Wright was the exception to that last rule. I think somebody told him that he just won Powerball. -With the advent of the State Duals Champion, the team scoring aspect of States is completely irrelevant. -Mark Rappo reminded me of Matt Kyler in 2005 in the 103 pound finals. He not only is a very solid wrestler, but an absolutely enormous 103 pounds. He’s a good get for Penn, but he has a lot of adjustment to make if he wants to wrestle 125 pounds. -He’s also about the 16th Rappo brother to win a state title. -Brightest future award goes to Zach Horan. Although he was clearly overmatched by Rappo in finals, he’ll be back plenty of times. I’d like to see him dominate in out of state competition a little more, but he had a fantastic rookie campaign. With that said however, papers here refer to him already as the next Jordan Oliver, and they should probably hold their horses. -Kenny Courts was sorely missed at states. Along with Chris Phillips, he’s the best freshman in the country, and should have set himself up to be Pennsylvania’s first four time state champ in a long time. Too bad an injury robbed us of seeing history. -It would have been interesting to see how Anthony Marino could shake up the 112 pound bracket. The extremely talented sophomore handled finalist Taylor Brown twice already this season, but tore his trap muscle in regionals and had to default out of the tournament. He’s a name to remember next season. -Does anybody realize that Shane Young hasn’t lost in two years? It certainly was a surprise to me. He’s a flat out stud with a year left to go. Probably the most underappreciated wrestler in Pennsylvania. -I couldn’t believe the talk all week that Kegan Handlovic was the most vulnerable defending champ. It took about 4 seconds for him to change everybody’s mind in finals with an awesome ankle pick off the whistle. He’s not flashy, but he’s a goer who is incredibly physical. Hard to think he was an afterthought when he moved to Easton before his sophomore year. Unfortunately, he’ll be the least appreciated multi-time state champ in Easton history, since he did it all in Jordan Oliver’s shadow. -Most surprising champ of the night was Cort Choate of Blue Mountain. We all knew 125 was wide open, but I didn’t envision Choate even sniffing finals. And in finals he did it the hard way, by riding out Chris Albright for the entire third period. One thing you can always find in Pennsylvania is good mat wrestling. -The camera guy falling down in the background as Choate was winning his state title was also priceless. -Celebrations on the whole were down this year. There was nobody doing round off back flips like Billy Spencer or my personal favorite, Gino Fortobono sprinting into the stands and hugging everybody he saw. Very subdued. -Jordan Oliver’s high school career could not have ended much weirder. Josh Kindig wrestles to keep it close (shots were about 35 to 3 in favor of JO), Oliver gets booed because of a controversial call, and was visibly upset after finals. If there’s one thing I wish from this year’s finals, it would be Jordan having a better send off. It would have helped if Kindig actually would have wrestled him. -Speaking of stall calls, they were all over the place tonight. Refs were super aggressive with them in some match, especially Shuster-Robinson, where they were banged 5 times, including the last one that basically decided the match for Shuster in overtime when Robinson was working a Merkel. For the record, I thought none of them were warranted. Meanwhile, Marshall Peppelman and Bryce Busler essentially do nothing for 6 minutes without either of them giving up points. -Busler lost that match because of his unwillingness to go underneath Peppelman. I don’t care how good Marshall is on top, if you want to win a state title, you have to be able to get out from bottom. -I would have loved to see Dylan Alton wrestle Colin Johnston. Johnston couldn’t win in overtime forever, and Adam Will made him pay for keeping scores so close. Although that was a fantastic upset, it let to a pretty anticlimactic final. -I had never seen Joey Napoli wrestle before Saturday night but man was I impressed. He is absolutely viscous on top and seemed to have Walt Peppelman all figured out. -Despite being outwrestled, Peppelman had a legitimate shot to at least take Napoli to overtime. I still can’t figure out why he didn’t cut him in the last 30 seconds and try to tie it with a take down. I know his tilt is lethal, but he didn’t have enough time to set it up and turn him. -Three years ago if you told me that both Colin Johnston and Walt Peppelman would only win one state title I would have called you crazy. Both have three trips to finals and only one gold medal to show for it. Tough pill to swallow. -Jake Kemerer is a house of a human being. There was nothing flashy about his win over Steve Bosak, he just bullied him. I was also impressed to learn that Kemerer had only given up one takedown the entire year. How haven’t I heard more about this kid? -How many other states would Ryan Kemmerer and Josh Dziewa not place in? -Performance of the night goes to Quentin Wright, despite the fact that Loffredo was pinned up until the ref slapped the mat, when he wiggled almost completely free. Wright looks like a basketball player trapped in a singlet, but he’s smooth as they come. He’s already shown it this year, but he could be the best college wrestler in this very impressive national class. -Joe Kennedy is what Lehigh needs badly. Tough wrestler that can actually take people down. Although I think he’s way too slender to wrestle 197 for the Hawks. -Incredible efforts from Jimmy Sheptock, Justin Haines, and Jason Dominick to lose in the first round and wrestle all the way back for third. I hope college coaches took notice of the guts each of those three kids showed. -When Jordan Enck decides he really wants to wrestle, he’s unstoppable. I thought he looked disinterested in last year’s state finals match, but clearly had his game face on this year. The Coleman Scott red-dyed hair might have helped. -For the first time in history, the most entertaining bout of the night was at heavyweight. -If I had to describe Evan Craig in one word it would be “butterball” -If I had to describe Evan Craig in three words they would be “incredibly skilled butterball”. He doesn’t look remotely like an athlete, but could end up one of the best heavyweights in Pennsylvania history. After one of the best scrambles of the night, he found himself down 5-0, but battled his way back into it before being taken down in the waning seconds to lose 9-7. This is a kid that will make waves. -Sean Owen is Clearfield’s 40th State Champion. Quite impressive. He’s also the first junior to win a state title at heavyweight in well over a decade. Luckily for the fans in Pennsylvania, both he and Craig will be back next year. For a state that churns out little guys, it’s nice to see a solid crop of dancing bears coming up. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/339-nobody-asked-me-butpennsylvania-aaa-states-edition Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/335-ncwa-womens-wrestling-division-making-an-impact Teams Prepare for First NCWA Women’s National Championship Dallas, Texas – March 6, 2008 --After announcing the addition of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) Women’s Division this past summer, colleges from all over the United States and Canada are set to compete in the first ever National Championship to be held March 13-15 in Lakeland, Florida. Among the newly established NCWA programs is Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, which is known for its deep seeded tradition in Division I men’s wrestling. “I am hoping we set the stage for collegiate women, said Lock Haven’s Rachael Groft. Groft, who is currently ranked #5 at 112-pounds had quit wrestling two years ago and was convinced her post-high school wrestling career was finished due to lack of competitive opportunities. Groft was coaching a girls club team while working and attending community college near her hometown when she responded to an e-mail from Lock Haven’s Women’s Coach Terry Fike, who was spreading the word about the new Lady Eagles wrestling program. “Rachael mentioned that she attended Lock Haven University previously and had worked out with a member of the men’s team, but had no competitive opportunities,” said Fike. “I read between the lines in her e-mails, and I told her it sounded like she had some unfinished business to attend to, and apparently, she agreed.” Groft said she probably wouldn’t have returned to Lock Haven if not for the creation of the women’s team. “I would have probably completed my education at community college” she said. “Once I learned about the women’s program, I knew I’d also have an opportunity to compete.” The newly established Lady Eagle program follows in the steps of 2004 Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann, as well as nationally ranked and Olympic team contenders Jenny Wong, Erin Tomeo, and Jenna Pavlick, all of whom attended and trained at Lock Haven University in the past, without the benefit of a women’s program. Although this is a historical first year for the NCWA Women’s division, many of the programs and competitors are no stranger to an elite level of competition. Pacific University in Oregan has had their program established since 2001, and has produced some of the nations top ranked wrestlers including 2004 Olympic team member, Tela O’Donnell. Adding to the already elite level of United States women’s competition in this year’s championship will be two Canadian teams: Douglas College and Simon Fraser University. Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, established their women’s program in 1990 and is one of the oldest and most successful women’s programs in both the United States and Canada. Just last weekend, the team captured the Canadian University CIS National Championships held in Calgary. Among the Seven SFU National Championship team members set to compete at the NCWA National Championships are CIS National Champions Ashley McKilligan (105-lbs), Miranda Dick (121-lbs) Stacie Anaka (148 lbs) National Runner-ups Rita Pare (112 lbs) and Danette Torgeson (138 lbs) and third place place finisher Erin Church (158 lbs) Among the other colleges and universities set to attend this years championship event are: San Jose State (CA), Stony Brook University (NY), University of California-Santa Barbara, The University of Florida, and The University of Texas-Arlington. This year’s Championships are hosted by The University of Central Florida and will be held at The Lakeland Center’s George Jenkins Arena in Lakeland, Florida. The NCWA Men’s National Championship competition will begin at 10 am Thursday March 13 and the Women’s competition begins on Friday at 10 am. Both tournaments will run simultaneously together with both the men’s and women’s finals set for Saturday March 15th at 4 pm. Contact: Jim Giunta, Executive Director – National Collegiate Wrestling Association Phone: 214-378-8700 extension 107 Email: jim@ncwa.net Address: 13111 North Central Expressway, Fifth Floor, Dallas, Texas 75243 Web: www.ncwa.net Press Release written by: Tabitha Wilson, Women’s Director – National Collegiate Wrestling Association Phone: 412-309-0116 Email: Tabitha@wilsoncreativegroup.com Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/335-ncwa-womens-wrestling-division-making-an-impact Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/326-jamestown-college-womens-wrestling Jamestown College has announced the addition of a women’s varsity wresting program. The team will begin competing as a varsity sport for the 2008-09 season. Jamestown College, located in Jamestown, North Dakota is an independent four year college founded in 1883 by Presbyterian settlers. It is the only North Dakota college or university in 2008 to be names by US News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” as a top tier Midwest region baccalaureate college. Jamestown College is proud to announce that, Cisco Cole, head men’s wrestling coach, will also become the head coach of the women’s team. “I am extremely excited about coaching the new women’s wrestling team here at Jamestown College”, said Cole. “Women’s wrestling is one of the world’s fastest growing women’s sports. There are over 6,000 high school girls that wrestle, so being able to offer them an opportunity to continue wrestling at the college level just makes sense.” Jamestown College is ideally located near the center of several US and Canadian colleges and universities that offer women’s wrestling. “We believe that our location provides an excellent opportunity for Jamestown College to host national and international competitions right here on our campus”, says Athletic Director, Lawrie Paulson. Jamestown College enjoys a strong reputation for providing quality academic programs. Adding a women’s wrestling program that allows stude nt athletes the opportunity to compete on a national and international level demonstrates the college’s commitment to providing quality opportunities for our students to excel in and outside the classroom. For more information about the Jamestown College women’s wrestling program, please contact Coach Cole by e-mail or phone at ccole@jc.edu, or 701-252-3467 ext. 2457. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/326-jamestown-college-womens-wrestling Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/324-we-care-jeffrey FloWrestling.org The most pressing and important issue in college wrestling is not whether Iowa can regain its glory and win their first team title under the new regime, whether the NCAA changes the qualifier system to give smaller conference wrestlers a chance, or how liberally stalling rules are enforced. The most pressing and important issue in college wrestling now, and maybe ever, is what is happening at the University of Oregon. Everybody reading this probably knows the facts, so I’ll just give a Cliff Notes version. The past two years, the Oregon State Beavers have won the College World Series, bringing a boatload of attention to the school. While baseball is hardly a member of the ruling elite in college sports (and nobody will ever join basketball and football in these ranks), the College World Series is the third most high profile event of the year, and there is a serious price tag attached. It is fair to assume that the University of Oregon saw the success of their archrival and wants a piece of the pie. Oregon has not only picked up baseball, but is trying to put together the best program money can buy. They have built a state of the art facility and hired George Horton, one of the best coaches in the country, away from Cal State Fullerton. In addition to baseball, they are also picking up Competitive Cheerleading. Now I’m a college baseball player, and love to see more programs added, but Oregon has not gone about this the right way. Because as a balance for adding these two sports, the wrestling program is being cut. For more information, go to www.saveoregonwrestling.com. While this decision certainly is troubling for the future of wrestling, there are plenty of people way more qualified than me to teach you how to help. And there are plenty of people that care. A petition to save the program has gathered well over 7,000 signatures and the Save Oregon Wrestling drive has netted upwards of 2.3 million dollars, putting it on its way to a goal of 6.5 million which would endow the program (although the Oregon athletic department has made it clear that the money raised makes no difference, probably the first time that has happened in the history of college athletics). Despite a bleak outlook, there are very determined people who have gained a louder and louder voice to protect yet another wrestling program from being cut. This all brings me to last week’s debacle. Before February 19th, I doubt anybody outside of Eugene had ever heard of the Daily Emerald. I’m positive that nobody on the planet had ever heard of Jeffrey Dransfeldt. But anybody who has been on any wrestling related website or message board in the past week, Oregon’s little student newspaper and their sports editor are names that draw visceral reactions. The headline to Dransfeldt’s weekly column reads “Wrestling is being cut, but do you (or I) really care?”. Suddenly these very dedicated people were very angry people. Now I have no place to dispute the subject matter Dransfeldt chose. If he feels passionate about why Oregon should drop their wrestling program, then by all means he should be allowed to write a column about it. Part of journalism is writing things that won’t be popular. It’s your job. He certainly took a lightning rod opinion, but if he could logically back it up and give me concrete evidence as to why it would be so beneficial for the school to drop wrestling, then I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree. That’s what freedom of the press is all about. But he didn’t do that. Dransfeldt’s column is disturbing at best. Because he didn’t back his opinion up with facts about how the wrestling program is a budget drain to the University, or how he’s in favor of scaling back of athletics as a whole, or the program is scandal ridden and deserves to go, or Title IX is so out of whack at Oregon that unpopular decisions need to be made, or the potential for an Oregon baseball team is just too good to pass up. While I wouldn’t agree with any of these reasons, at least they would offer some sort of substance. There are no facts to back his opinion up. Instead he “will be the first to say sayonara” to the wrestling program for three reasons. First, nobody cares. Second, he broke his wrist wrestling in gym class when he was in junior high. Third, he likes to play pick up basketball. Are. You. Kidding. Me? Of course, we need to take Dransfeldt’s observations at face value because “Many students on campus likely share my opinion. Ask nearly any student what they think about wrestling, and the reply will border on ambivalence” which is essentially a convenient way of saying, “Nobody is actually going to read this, and I want to make this point, but I don’t want to do any research.” He doesn’t look for attendance records (such as maybe the 4,000 people that showed up for the NWCA All Star Classic or the close to 2,000 people at the Oregon-Oregon State dual last week), and doesn’t even have a quote from someone in his apparent army full of wrestling-apathetic students. His support for the lack of attendance at Oregon’s instead rests on the fact that he has not attended a wrestling match in his three years at Oregon. As the sports editor for the school paper, isn’t that more a statement to your level of commitment instead of a reason that wrestling at Oregon is a failure. Plus based on the “attendance is the driving force beyond college sports” logic, shouldn’t Oregon also be dropping their cross country (who by the way are the defending national champions), lacrosse, golf, tennis, and track teams? After all, I’ve never seen a student section anywhere sold out for a golf match. Anybody can see from a mile away that is an misguided statement. Besides, if Oregon is anything like Lafayette (the school I attend), nobody reads the newspaper either, so that probably should fall by the wayside too. The meat of Dransfeldt’s article comes from his tear jerking tale of woe from junior high, where the while wrestling the over aggressive Chad Stevens, Dransfeldt landed awkwardly on his wrist after he stopped trying and was thrown to the mat. The injury left Dransfeldt sprawled out in pain that was “instant and excruciating”, required his parents to take him to the hospital where he was X-rayed and fitted for a cast, and most importantly, kept him on the sidelines for much of his community league basketball season. He finishes by saying “The sport of basketball—the game I love—had been taken away instantly by the sport I hated.” I’m not making this up; this is the majority of the article. Fill in jokes as you see fit. Finally, he complains that the wrestling team’s “move” from the Casanova Center to one of the recreational basketball courts for practice has cut into prime pick-up basketball. He then explicitly states that he equates wrestling’s importance with that of pick up basketball, and he can’t wait for the season to be over so there are more courts to play on. My major concern here is that he’s directing his anger at the wrong place. Shouldn’t he be more upset with the athletic department that kicked wrestling out of its facility and moved it to the Rec Center? If Dransfeldt is looking for a noble editorial to write that sticks up for pick up basketball, there’s the subject he should be attacking. He finishes by saying that the reopening of these pick up courts settles his score with wrestling by giving him more opportunities to play basketball, since wrestling took those opportunities from him years ago. There you have it; that is why Oregon Wrestling being dropped is a blessing. This is the gist of Dransfeldt’s article. It is no more than a page long. I’ve only seen the online version, but in print it is probably just a sidebar on the front of the sports page next to a basketball article. When the paper hit campus, I’m sure only a handful of people read the article in print. Most of them were probably Dransfeldt’s friends (as somebody who dabbles in writing, that is usually your whole audience, and you need to beg them to read it). He probably thought this column would be published one day and forgotten the next. As Lee Corso would say, not so fast my friend. The mistake is right in the headline. “Do you really care?” The answer has been a resounding yes. On the Daily Emerald’s website, the second most commented article has 15 comments. Dransfeldt’s article has an astonishing 664 response comment, most of them incredibly negative. Looks like he underestimated the outcry from the fans. By lunchtime on the 19th, the link to this article was on every wrestling website in the country. And suddenly, everybody with even a passing interest in college wrestling had read the article. Nobody was happy. Enjoy it Jeffrey, it probably will be the most read piece of your career. It also will be the most full your inbox has ever been. The rallying cry has been to flood him with e-mails expressing the disapproval of the wrestling community. The paper’s editor has also received her fair share of mail. He clearly opened a can of worms he never anticipated. The backlash has good and bad qualities. It is a testament to the strength and solidarity of the wrestling community that so many people have picked up on this story and responded to it (I’m patting myself on the back for sending him an e-mail). The article even appeared on the Lehigh Valley wrestling site, which is over 3,000 miles away from Eugene. The internet is one of wrestling’s biggest allies, and it came through here. Without a few outraged wrestling fans posting the link everywhere, this story could have fallen by the wayside rather than become a rallying cry for Save Oregon Wrestling. Instead, plenty of people have publicly voiced their disapproval. Some of the comments left on the Emerald’s site have been intelligent, eloquent, and appropriate. The response piece three days later by Jeremy McLaughlin is particularly well done. As a member of the Oregon wrestling team, if anybody has a legitimate gripe it’s him, but he takes the higher ground. I commend him for that; he is clearly a class act. Other responses have given the wrestling community somewhat of a black eye. Personal attacks, insults, and threats undermine the popular support that such a negative article has created for wrestling. I urge anybody who thinks they should respond to Dransfeldt in this way to take a step back and think for a second. While it might make you feel better, it doesn’t do anything to actually help the cause. It also reinforces stereotypes of the wrestling community as barbaric, and as a sport with plenty of negative stereotypes, we shouldn’t fan those flames. But by all means, our sport should stand up for itself. If anybody hasn’t yet responded to this article, please do so. Will all this kicking and screaming ultimately change Dransfeldt’s mind or save the program? Probably not. But what it does is say that wrestling is not going to take this sitting down. I’m glad that both the Daily Emerald and Jeffrey Dransfeldt are being held accountable for this irresponsible piece of journalism. It is offensive not only to the wrestling community, but to any college athlete, who can assume that not only could their sport be a flippant decision away from the chopping block, but that their own peers will not stick up for them. This is where Dransfeldt has failed his fellow students as a member of their paper. I hope the newly instated competitive cheerleading team practices on Dransfeldt’s precious basketball courts next year. In a small way, it will make up for the lost sport Dransfeldt’s school took away. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/324-we-care-jeffrey Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/315-anybody-versus-anybody FloWrestling.org There is probably nothing more important in wrestling than body weight. It’s the most recognizable aspect of the sport and the foremost concern of almost every athlete and coach. Where wrestlers weight in depends on a complex matrix of factors including strength, quickness, body composition, hydration, and about a million other things. After all, the divisions of the sport are set up entirely on body weight. It’s an important thing to consider. It also changes the way we look at match ups. If anybody watched the surreal interview with Ryan Lang this past week, his comments about maybe moving up to 157 or 165 are laughed off as ridiculous claims, and the funniest jokes he tells in the interview. He’s a talented wrestler, but can you even imagine him going up against Eric Tannenbaum? He’s simply not big enough. We all realize that little guys wrestling big guys is inherently unfair. It’s why weight class exists in the first place. This is a circuitous introduction brings me to one of my favorite hypothetical questions: what if weight class did not matter? What match ups would I really want to see? In real life, our favorite match ups are limited to weight class. We want to see guys wrestle who actually have a shot at wrestling each other. There also are discussions about who are “pound for pound” the best wrestlers in the country. This is kind of like that. If weight class completely did not matter and there was a completely even playing field in terms of relative size, who would you really want to see wrestle? Here is the basic rule: size doesn’t matter. You can find and match up two guys from any of the ten weight classes in college wrestling. Assume the match up exists with both of the wrestlers weighing exactly the same. Qualities do carry over though. If a wrestler is big and strong at 125, he’ll still be big and strong if he’s wrestling a 184 pounder (Mike Sees for example, would be huge no matter where you put him). Essentially you’re taking his body type and moving it to whatever weight class suits your individual match up, not worrying about weight advantages. Skill sets also remain the same. If a wrestler is dominant on top at 141, he’s still great from that position if you want to see him wrestle at 174 (Mark Perry could ride as well at heavyweight as he can at 165). It takes a little imagination, and certainly is far from perfect, but somebody trying to avoid doing work for class tomorrow on a rainy Monday afternoon (read: me), it poses some interesting questions. Here are a ten inter-weight class match ups I would love to see. Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State) vs. Mike Poeta (Illinois): Freight train double versus freight train double. I feel like Scott’s length would give Poeta fits, plus he’s deceptively strong for how lanky he is. I could see Poeta struggling to get out from bottom. But the real meat of the match would be in neutral. Both wrestlers are aggressive, explosive, and diverse from their feet. If they really get after it, as both wrestlers usually do, it could be an offensive clinic from both wrestlers. This is probably the most exciting match up I can think of. Jayson Ness (Minnesota) vs. Mark Perry (Iowa): Who is better on top? Perry has used turns to spark both of his finals appearance, including one of the more memorable (and controversial to Cowboy fans) tilts in recent memory to knock off Johny Hendricks. And we’re all aware of Jayson Ness’s lethal half series, which has him tied for the national lead in falls. Perry has a little more funk from neutral, and I see him winning the takedown battle. He also has the capability to score in buckets from top. But Ness is strong as a bull, and Perry has a reputation for struggling on bottom, and I’d have to imagine Ness could sink a half or two and make this one very interesting. Could he make Perry yet another one of his many victims? This would be the best mat wrestling we’d see all year. Brent Metcalf (Iowa) vs. Colt Sponsellor (Ohio State): The all gas tank match up. While I think that Metcalf would have a serious advantage in this one based on skill set, the pace alone would make this worth the price of admission. It would be an absolutely blistering seven minutes. Ryan Lang (Northwestern) vs. J.D. Bergman (Ohio State): Fireworks much? The one downside to this match is that it could be over in the first 30 seconds. At some point, there will be a highlight reel throw. At some point, something crazy will happen. Both guys are athletic and wide open. Just don’t blink, the match might be over. Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra) vs. Gregor Gillespie (Edinboro): Dream match up for fans from New York. In case you haven’t noticed, there are few things I appreciate more than good mat wrestling, and that certainly would be the case here. I also recognize that good mat wrestling isn’t necessarily exciting wrestling, but these guys are about as active as you get. I’ve seen Gillespie put up 17 points in a period. The kid has more tilts than tattoos. But Ruggirello’s arm bars could be just as troublesome. Ruggirello’s problem would be getting to top, as Gillespie is more well rounded from his feet. Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) vs. Jake Varner (Iowa State): What would the over under on this match be in Vegas? Two and a half? Darrion Caldwell (North Carolina State) vs. Max Askren (Missouri): Can you even imagine some of the scrambles that would take place in this one? Both guys can hit pinning combinations from anywhere, both guys have gumby-like flexibility, and both guys are comfortable in every position imaginable. While I think Caldwell is a tad stronger, Askren’s funk negates the strength advantage. This is another one that could be over in a hurry either way. Keith Gavin (Pitt) vs. John Glenn (American): A match up of the two quietest stars in college wrestling. Competing outside of the power conferences really keeps them out of the limelight after the major tournament season is over, as there really aren’t a whole lot of major match ups on either wrestler’s schedule. Once again, this is a match up of guys who will go after each other. Gavin wrestles absolutely fearless, and Glenn benefits from a score, score, score mentality. I don’t see either of these guys pulling punches against each other. Paul Donahoe (Nebraska) vs. Josh Churella (Michigan): The appeal of this match up is simple, warrior versus warrior. It would be especially appealing if they held this in March, when both wrestlers have a propensity for stepping their games up. I see Churella being able to push Donahoe around a little bit, but it would be a tight, low scoring affair that would need some late bout heroics, which both guys are apt to do. Plus it’s a battle between two of Michigan’s favorite sons. Phil Davis (Penn State) vs. Raymond Jordan (Missouri): Talk about athletes. Davis and Jordan are two of the countries most dangerous wrestlers. I’d go as far as to say that Davis is the strongest wrestler in America, and Jordan is in the conversation for the quickest. The clash of styles would be phenomenal. Explosive is possibly the highest complement a wrestler can be given, and these two are as explosive as anybody in the country. The great thing about these match ups is that they are completely up for debate. You may think I’m crazy on any one of these. And there are still hundreds more matches that could be brought up. If anybody has any other’s they’d like to think up and debate, feel free to post below. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/315-anybody-versus-anybody Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/306-waking-rob-rohn-in-nazareth Ian McCutcheon FloWrestling.org The most fun day of wrestling every year is the District 11 Duals Tournament in eastern Pennsylvania. As a recent Easton grad, I’ll be the first to admit my bias, but for wrestling fans, it’s worth making the pilgrimage at least once. For as many years as I’ve attended, there has been one “Oh my word did that just happen” moment at the tournament. Whether it be unknown Spencer Beck cement mixing Joe Caramanica to his back (which Northampton fans still insist was a fall), Brad Gentzle’s decision over 3 time state place winner John Paukovitz (who teched Gentzle the week earlier), the “biting” incident during Easton-Northampton two years ago, or Sean Richmond’s Peterson roll on Billy Haydt during ride-out that led to Easton turning the tables on Northampton after losing in the regular season for the second year in a row. The tournament never fails to deliver excitement. While I think that finals have been somewhat compromised since now both teams make the State Duals Tournament rather than just the champion, semi-finals are now the hot ticket. This year’s semi delivered a moment that will forever live in District 11 lore. The Easton-Nazareth semi-final bout was 26-19 in favor of Nazareth with just 125 and 130 left to wrestle. Easton had Jordan Oliver looming at 130, so most likely whoever won 25 was going to win the dual. Clearly, this had the makings for a hero. Easton trotted out Mark Hartenstine, a sophomore who won Reno this year, who has developed into one of Easton’s most dependable wrestlers, and a future star in District 11. Nazareth countered with Ryan Krecker, one of a number of supremely talented freshmen in their lineup. He’s the kind of kid I see winning a state title in the future, but right now, Hartenstine probably was a consensus favorite. Since all everybody here in the Lehigh Valley can talk about is the last ten seconds, I’ll fast forward. Hartenstine has what seems to be a commanding 3-0 on the strength of an ankle pick and an escape. Knowing Hartenstine’s reputation as a fantastic rider with an above average tilt series, Krecker chose neutral for the third. In those final ten seconds, Hartenstine was inexplicably pushing the action. He sees an opening, and takes a shot, which Krecker counters with a front headlock. Uh-oh. Before the Easton contingent could say “Rob Rohn”, Krecker hit a cement mixer for two and two, and pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory. The gym in Bethlehem went ballistic, Nazareth forfeited to Oliver at 130, and walked away with a 29-25 victory and a ticket to Hershey. The win snaps an Easton streak of seven consecutive years in state finals, with four titles. Now I realize this is a national website, so I need to make a point that reaches a wider audience then the people I try to encourage to read this on a local message board. While there was some controversy surrounding Krecker’s headlock, the overwhelming majority seems to say, “What was Hartenstine doing, he never should have been in that position with 10 seconds left, up three point, and no stall warnings. Why is he shooting? Why is he even still wrestling?” How quickly people have jumped on him has been something I’ve mulled over all week. Certainly as a coach, one of the major points you try to pass on to your wrestlers is know the situation. Bout score, team score, time, and stall warnings are all a major part of this awareness. But the problem I have is with the contention that Hartenstine should have just stopped wrestling. I guess it’s the equivalent of taking a knee in a football game or breaking into the four corners offense in basketball, but I feel like there is something to admire about him continuing to shoot through the end of the match. The result certainly isn’t what you want, Easton sitting at home this weekend proves this, but it’s a mistake you can learn from. Which brings me to Mike Tamillow’s blog this week. The Cliff Notes version is short. Make a decision. The best piece of advice my dad has ever given me is “if you’re going to make a mistake, make it at 100 miles an hour.” The worst thing you can do in sports is be indecisive. As a college baseball player, nothing sets our head coach off more than a check swing. Either commit to the swing or don’t. If you make a decision, it can be coached. It may not be the right decision, but we can talk about it and see why it wasn’t the right decision. If you’re indecisive, there’s nothing to go on. It’s a completely wasted effort. I hear it on almost a daily basis in practice, but not until I read Tamillow’s blog this afternoon did I really think to apply it across the board. And it’s exactly the point I was searching to think of in how I felt about the last ten seconds of the Hartenstine-Krecker match. Mark Hartenstine made a decision in the final seconds that he was going to push the action and keep shooting. Was it the right one? Probably not. But he didn’t sit back on his heels and get doubled to his back, he made an aggressive mistake. There’s no shame in that. It just so happens that Ryan Krecker made a better decision. Whether he had a wrist or his own elbow in the headlock, he was going to hit the move as hard as he could and see what happens. Because he made a very good, split second decision, Nazareth is in the State Duals Tournament this weekend, where if they can beat a very good Central Dauphin team, will most likely get another shot at Northampton in a rematch of District Finals. Easton will be watching on TV for second time this millennium. But don’t think for a second that both wrestlers and teams won’t be better because of the last ten seconds of that match. Two athletes gave great efforts and one of the most amazing finishes I’ve ever seen. Their efforts are everything that’s right about high school wrestling. Everybody in Pennsylvania, enjoy State Duals this weekend, we’ve got it good in the Keystone State, so make sure you take advantage. I’m sure another classic moment will happen sometime this weekend. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/306-waking-rob-rohn-in-nazareth Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/297-eagles-break-historic-win-record ITHACA, N.Y. — The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team made the most of their trip to the Empire State, posting a perfect 3-0 record on the day. The Eagles defeated Binghamton, 31-6, Mercyhurst, 29-9, and Ithaca, 29-12, here Saturday afternoon at Benlight Gymnasium inside the Hill Center. With the win against Mercyhurst, the 2007-08 Eagles set the all-time single-season win record at 13, surpassing the 1974-75 squad. For the year, EMU moves to 14-5 (2-1, MAC), with five dual matches remaining, including two Mid-American Conference matches. Seniors Cory Mancuso (Brockway, Pa.-Brockway) and Charlie Pienaar (Trafford, Pa.-Trafford), redshirt sophomores No. 16 ranked Sean Clair (Turtlecreek, Pa.-Plum), Zach Donofrio (Monroe, Mich.-Dundee) and David Wade (Beavercreek, Ohio-Beavercreek) all posted perfect records, helping lead the Green and White on the day. In the first match of the day the Eagles easily defeated the Binghamton Bearcats, 31-6, giving them their 12th win of the season and tying the 1974-75 squad. EMU jumped out to a 10-3 lead behind a 13-4 major decision from freshman Andrew Novak (New Boston, Mich.-Huron) in the 125-pound match and decisions from Donofrio and Clair, winning the 133-pound and 141-pound matches respectively. Heading into the third period of the 157-pound contest, Mancuso trailed Nate Patterson 2-0 late in the third period. Mancuso reversed and pinned Patterson with 1:13 remaining in the match, spawning an EMU surge, winning four of the final five matches. Also, posting wins against the Bearcats was Justin Brandel (Saginaw, Mich.-Swan Valley) 5-0 in the 165-pound class, Charlie Pienaar, 14-7 in the 184-pound class, John McClure (Holland, Mich.-West Ottawa), a 4-0 winner at 197-pounds, and Wade, a winner by pin fall in the first period of the heavyweight match. Against Mercyhurst, the No. 12 ranked team in the latest Intermat/NWCA Division II rankings, the Eagles took seven of 10 matches from the Lakers. Novak, Clair, Donofrio, Mancuso, Derek Foore (Wadsworth, Ohio-Wadsworth), Charlie Pienaar and Wade all posted winning decisions in the 29-9 victory over Mercyhurst. With their second win of the day, the Eagles won their 13th match of the year, a new single-season record. “It feels good to know that we’re in the record books and that these guys and the coaching staff will always be known as the team that broke that record,” said second-year head coach Derek DelPorto. In the final match of the day, against Ithaca College, ranked No. 21 in the latest Brute/Adidas Division III national rankings, the Eagles faced an uphill battle after falling behind 12-3 four matches in. EMU relied on senior leadership to get back into the match, starting with a technical fall from Mancuso in the 157-pound match. Taking a 4-1 lead into the second period, Mancuso turned the heat up, registering multiple near-falls and widening his margin to 10-1. Two takedowns and a point for riding time were added late in the third, giving him the 17-2 victory, closing the gap to 12-8 in favor the Bombers. Brandel continued the comeback with a 12-5 decision in the 165-pound match that featured six takedowns, including three in the second period alone. Brandel’s decision knotted the score at 12-12, with four matches remaining. The ensuing two matches swung the momentum in favor of the Eagles. Foore and Charlie Pienaar recorded first-period pins, bringing the score to 24-12 in favor of the Green and White. “I was real proud of the effort that our team showed today,” said assistant coach David Bolyard. “We had a few calls not go our way, but we still figured out how to fight through it, and found a way to win.” McClure would tack on a 13-3 major decision in the 197-pound match before Wade earned a 5-0 decision in the heavyweight, his third shutout decision on the day. “Hats off to David Wade’s performance today, not one point scored against him, a testament to what he can do when he gains confidence,” said DelPorto. ”We had a solid day and persevered against Ithaca when the momentum was in their favor,” stated Mancuso. “It feels good setting the record today, but our winning this season isn’t done, we still have five matches until the conference championship and our goal is to win each one of those matches.” The Eagles return to action for the final home matches of the season, Saturday, Feb. 9. EMU will host Clarion, Gardner-Webb and MAC rival Northern Illinois in Bowen Field House. First match is set for a noon start, with action continuing throughout the afternoon. Eastern Michigan 31 Binghamton 6 125 lbs. – Andrew Novak (EMU) maj. dec. Tyler Mamlberg (BU) 13-4 133 lbs. – No. 16 Sean Clair (EMU) dec. Mike Kleemna (BU) 5-1 141 lbs. – Zach Donofrio (EMU) dec. Anwar Goeres (BU) 8-4 149 lbs. – No. 15 Kyle Fried (BU) dec. David Pienaar (EMU) 5-2 157 lbs. – Cory Mancuso (EMU) fall Nate Patterson 5:47 165 lbs. – Justin Brandel (EMU) dec. Brett Nelson (BU) 5-0 174 lbs. – No. 17 Josh Patterson (BU) dec. Derek Foore (EMU) 10-4 184 lbs. – Charlie Pienaar (EMU) dec. Matt Beretta (BU) 14-7 197 lbs. – John McClure (EMU) dec. Corey Waite (BU) 4-0 285 lbs. – David Wade (EMU) fall Daniel Bittner (BU) 1:03 Eastern Michigan 29 No. 12 Mercyhurst 9 125 lbs. – Andrew Novak (EMU) fall Payne Lint (MC) 6:13 133 lbs. – No. 16 Sean Clair (EMU) tech. fall Lance Pitcel (MC) 17-0 141 lbs. – Zach Donofrio (EMU) dec. Braxdon Scaletta (MC) 6-2 149 lbs. – No. 3 Brian Pogel (MC) dec. Drew Lesko (EMU) 8-4 157 lbs. – Cory Mancuso (EMU) dec. Andy Lamancusa (MC) 8-1 165 lbs. – Hudson Harrison (MC) dec. Justin Brandel (EMU) 6-1 174 lbs. – Derek Foore (EMU) dec. Jeremiah Hill (MC) 5-0 184 lbs. – Charlie Pienaar (EMU) forfeit 197 lbs. – Trevor Gallo (MC) dec. John McClure (EMU) 5-4 285 lbs. – David Wade (EMU) dec. Kenny Bluska (MC) 2-0 Eastern Michigan 31 vs. No. 21 Ithaca College 12 125 lbs. – John Gregory (IC) dec. Andrew Novak (EMU) 4-3 133 lbs. – Chad Winowich (IC) dec. 9-2 Vince Licari (EMU) 9-2 141 lbs. – Zach Donofrio (EMU) dec. Will Horwath (IC) 9-5 149 lbs. – Blaine Woszczak (IC) fall David Pienaar (EMU) 1:52 157 lbs. – Cory Mancuso (EMU) tech. fall John Paxos (IC) 17-2 165 lbs. – Justin Brandel (EMU) dec. John Dale (IC) 12-5 174 lbs. – Derek Foore (EMU) fall David Priest (IC) 2:52 184 lbs. – Charlie Pienaar (EMU) fall Brandon Stark (IC) 2:56 197 lbs. – John McClure (EMU) maj. dec. David Sbriscia (IC) 13-3 285 lbs. – David Wade (EMU) dec. Joe Goetz (IC) 5-0 Copyright © 2007 Eastern Michigan University Intercollegiate Athletics Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/297-eagles-break-historic-win-record Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/290-assessing-the-season-at-the-halfway-point FloWrestling.org We’re a little past the halfway point in what has been a turbulent college wrestling season. No team has really been able to establish dominance as even the top ranked Iowa Hawkeyes have a blemish on their record. Individually, few weight classes have true favorites that have separated themselves from the pack. This couldn’t be any better for college wrestling. Although team strength is still concentrated in the hands of the few, a kid from pretty much any wrestling program in the country could win a national title. The fact that there are so many talented wrestlers spread out all over the NCAA is a sign of the overall health of wrestling. The ever expanding popularity of high school wrestling, especially in non traditional areas is being felt in college. There are top five wrestlers from Cal-Poly, Michigan State, Harvard, American, and Navy. Parity is a good thing and needs to be embraced by college wrestling aficionados for two reasons. First, it’s a sign that the sport is growing. Second, it’s here to stay. Here’s my quick assessment of each weight class so far, and what you can expect to see down the road. 125 The contenders: There seems to be three names kicked around as serious threats to win in March in this top heavy weight class. Possibly the most impressive season thus far in all of college wrestling belongs to Jayson Ness of Minnesota, who has 16 pins under his belt already. He’s a classic power-125, big for the weight class, dominant half series from top, clamps down once he smells blood. His polar opposite is Angel Escobedo, who is as little and slick as Ness is big and powerful. Both are undefeated, but since Indiana and Minnesota do not wrestle this year, we’ll have to wait for Big Tens for the top seed at 125 to emerge. But lurking in the back is Paul Donahue, the defending champion from Nebraska. Donahue certainly hasn’t blown the competition away, but he’s a gamer and don’t think we won’t hear plenty from him in March. What about: Charlie Falck? Apparently the Iowa hype machine has missed a wrestler. Falck has quietly put together a national championship caliber season. But for some reason, Ness, Escobedo, and Donahue are the only names that come up in the national championship picture, which is probably exactly how Falck would like it. Don’t be surprised to see him in finals. Dark horse AA: Steve Mytych of Drexel has crept up to 11th in the rankings without many people taking notice. Mytych is a seasoned wrestler who is incredibly strong. Drexel had Ryan Hluschak come out of nowhere last year to All American at 157, and fellow Lehigh Valley alum Mytych could follow that trend. The Pick: Escobedo is a pleasure to watch, and continues Indiana’s (okay, Joe Dubuque’s) recent dominance of 125. 133 The contenders: This is a weight class where a clear favorite has emerged. Oklahoma State’s Coleman Scott has been a man on fire since an early season loss to Lou Ruggirello. It looks like everybody here is chasing Scott, who has the skills on his feet that it takes to run through March. The sentimental favorite here is Minnesota’s Mack Reiter who overcame a brutal ACL injury last year. He’s an all attack, all the time wrestler, which is what college wrestling needs. The other two potential finalists I see are Joey Slaton, the first of many Hokieyes who have made a serious difference for Tom Brand’s squad this year, and Franklin Gomez, who seems to have some fire in his belly after being left at home for last year’s NCAA Tournament. What about: Mike Grey you ask? After seeing Scott take it to him in Vegas finals (which I realize won’t be used at the seeding meeting) I have to think that Grey is a year away from really contending for a title, despite his #3 ranking. Dark horse: Could Kenny Jordan sneak into finals? Nebraska is going to need a big effort from someone to try and overtake Iowa and Oklahoma State and Jordan is talented enough to make this run. Working out with Paul Donahue every day helps, and Donahue can share a thing or two about peaking in March. The pick: I’ve seen him wrestle since he was a sophomore in high school, and despite rooting hard against him all three years at Pennsylvania States, I think and hope that Coleman Scott wins it all this year. 141 The contenders: Who knows what to think here? One through ten in the rankings could win a national title. The highest returning placer is Charles Griffin from Hofstra. His rivalry with Okie State’s Nathan Morgan is probably the best subplot in this weight class. Kellen Russell is the best true freshman in the country, but I’m hesitant to pick him to win it all. After all, it’s a big stage for a freshman. Chad Mendes is the only undefeated wrestler left, and is the best wrestler that nobody has really seen compete. If you get a chance, find his match with Manny Rivera. I also could see Jake Strayer, J Jaggers, or Dan LeClere making a serious run here. Most wide open weight this season. What about: With so much parity, there really isn’t anyone overlooked this year. Dark horse: Matt Kyler from Army. You’ll be hard pressed to find a tougher kid in any weight class in the country. And you have to imagine that once he starts making a run, the whole crowd in St. Louis will get behind the kid from West Point. But don’t let his non-power school fool you, Kyler can really wrestle. I have a hunch he’ll find his way onto the podium. The pick: Your guess is as good as mine. Twist my arm and I’ll pick Griffin, giving the 2004 Pennsylvania 125 pound weight class two national champions (he lost in finals to Coleman Scott). Don’t be surprised to see J Jaggers in finals either. He’s got boatloads of talent, and just might be healthy enough to put it together. 149 The contenders: No weight class receives more attention. Brent Metcalf-Dustin Schlatter is what everybody wants to see in finals. I’ll devote an entire column to the clash of titans next week, so I’ll skip ranting about the match up this week. Although there is an abundance of worthy wrestlers here (Caldwell, Jenkins, Burroughs, Churella, Lang, O’Connor, Palmer) I think fate will pit Metcalf and Schlatter in finals. Although Ryan Lang has the best chance to disrupt that. What about: J.P. O’Connor? He has very quietly ascended to third in the rankings. Harvard being in the EIWA certainly has something to do with that, but make no mistake about it, he’s for real. Along with Lang, I like his chances the best to upset one of the big two. He matches up particularly well against Schlatter. Dark horse: Speaking of the EIWA, Harvard isn’t the only team with a supremely talented 149 pounder. Cesear Grajales has burst onto the scene as a sophomore at Penn. Although I think 149 is way too deep for an outsider to crack the podium, I like Grajales to win enough matches to turn some heads and build momentum for next year. The pick: At this point in the year, nobody looks as good as Brent Metcalf. But to me, he looks like a Zack Esposito style match up for Schlatter. Dustin could neutralize him. One thing I will predict, is that they will split Big Tens and Nationals. One won’t go undefeated against the other. 157 The contenders: Much like 125, this looks to me like a three horse race. Unlike 125, I see Illinois’ Mike Poeta as being Secretariat in this horse race. Poeta has been incredible this season. He won a thriller early in the year over Edinboro’s Gregor Gillespie and seems to have figured out Wisconsin’s Craig Henning. I’d even go as far to say that Poeta is better on his feet than anybody in America. But nobody can score from top like Gillespie, who, not for anything, is a defending NCAA champion. He’s not going to give away that distinction too easily. Henning also is a seasoned veteran with finals experience. What about: Jordan Leen? I tend to forget he’s even up at 157. He was the chic pick last year to unseat Schlatter at 149, but has fallen off of everybody’s radar this year. He’s good enough to own a win over Gregor Gillespie, and all that talent didn’t disappear over the course of the year. Dark horse: Just like 133, this is a weight where Cornhusker could make waves. This is another weight that Nebraska needs to score major team points in if they want to make a serious run at a National Title. Don’t be surprised if Chris Oliver sneaks onto the podium here to fuel the upset hopes. The pick: Poeta in what might be the most entertaining final of the tournament. Every one of the big guns here is explosive and loves to score. Make sure you tune in for this one. 165 The contenders: Mark Perry, Eric Tannenbaum, and the young bucks. Despite a few hiccups, Perry has a fantastic shot at repeating. He owns wins over almost all of the top guys, most in convincing fashion. The lone exception is a troubling loss to Oklahoma State’s Jake Dieffenbach, which is a chink in Perry’s armor. Michigan’s Tannenbaum has been knocking on the door for years now and looks primed to make his first finals appearance. Beyond that, it’s a young weight class. Mack Lewnes, Jon Reader, Nick Marable, and Colt Sponsellor all have had flashes of brilliance, and could unseat either of the old guys. What about: Matt Coughlin from Indiana? He knocked off Matt Storniolo last year on his way to a 7th place finish at NCAA’s. Granted that was two weight classes down, but Coughlin is still a force to be reckoned with, despite being off everybody’s radar screen. Dark horse: Edinboro’s Jarrod King is the type of wrestler that always manages to surprise people at the tournament. He’s a senior with plenty of experience and savvy. The transfer closer to home seems to have suited him well. He knows how to wrestle, especially in close, grind it out tournament matches. He’ll factor in one way or another. The pick: Until proven otherwise, Mark Perry is the champ. Especially with the Iowa mindset that seems to have taken over that entire team, he’s not going to give up that distinction very easily. 174 The contenders: After being somewhat of a surprise finalist last year, Pitt’s Keith Gavin has absolutely rolled through the field so far at 174. It’s tough to envision anybody beating him this year, unless Ben Askren is granted an emergency fifth year. Michigan’s Steve Luke may be able to slow the match down enough to make it a one takedown affair, Oklahoma State’s Brandon Mason has some serious firepower, Hofstra’s Alton Lucas seems to have finally figured out how good he really is, and Iowa’s Jay Borschel has burst onto the scene, but Gavin is the clear cut favorite. What about: Brandon Sinnott? The whole Central Michigan crew doesn’t get a ton of respect. They may be the most balanced team in the country, and Sinnott has put together a fantastic year. Much like his team, he deserves much more hype than he actually gets. Dark horse: Mike Letts has the chance to be Maryland’s first All American in a long time. Fantastic on his feet and strong as an ox, Letts is a nightmare quarterfinal match up for one of the highly seeded wrestlers in this bracket. The pick: It’s not creative or daring, but Keith Gavin is going to win this weight class. 184 The contenders: Much like 174, the whole pack seems to be chasing one wrestler. Jake Varner has improved by leaps and bounds since last year, which is saying a lot since he was the runner up as a freshman. Pound for pound, nobody in the country is stronger, and the workouts with Cael seem to be paying off. He already has defeated defending champion Jake Herbert, rival Roger Kish on multiple occasions, and everybody else who has stepped on the mat with him. A lot of people complain that Varner stalls, but that is just because nobody can move him. Tyrell Todd and Mike Pucillio may give him a run for his money, but that will take a Herculean effort. What about: Raymond Jordan? Last year I would have said he’s a year away. He beat Varner in Big 12 Finals, but Varner is a different wrestler now. But Jordan is as slick as they come for 184 and may be able to catch lightning in a bottle at NCAA’s. Dark horse: Part of the nice thing about being a freshman is that nobody takes you seriously. That is especially true when competing at Boise State and completely out of the national spotlight. But make no mistake, Kirk Smith can wrestle. Boise State is quietly building itself in a contender. Ben Cherrington’s national title helped set the wheels in motion. Kirk Smith making a run to a high finish will only help that. The pick: Not exactly going out on a limb here, but my money is on Varner. 197 The contenders: Just like 149, the final seems almost predetermined. Josh Glenn is the defending national champion. He defeated Mike Tamillow in a classic at Midlands in his only real test of the year. He has cruised to an undefeated record, which puts him on a collision course with fellow unbeaten Phil Davis from Penn State. Davis has destroyed anything that has come in his path, with bonus points in almost every win. Davis is a freak athlete who is dangerous from every position imaginable. Although 197 is one of the deepest classes this year, these two have risen above the pack. What about: Hudson Taylor? He was a win away from being an All American last year. No big man can ride like Maryland’s Taylor, who is among the national leaders in pins. He also can grind matches out on his feet. He’s ranked highly, but competing in the ACC keeps his publicity down. Dark horse: Patrick Bond from Illinois had one of the most illustrious prep careers in recent memory. It seems like he’s been around forever, yet he’s only a sophomore. Bond is incredibly long and tough to score on, which is a combination that works in the tournament, where every match is a nail biter. My only question is whether he can generate enough offense. The pick: Maybe it’s because I’ve seen more of him, but there is no way I see anybody beating Phil Davis, not even Josh Glenn. Whoever wins this final will walk away with the Hodge Trophy as well. 285 The contenders: There is a fantastic clash of styles between the two top dogs at heavyweight. Northwestern’s Dustin Fox is the classic big bruising heavyweight. He’s a huge man, and so far has beaten up on everybody. Ohio State’s J.D. Bergman is a much smaller, more athletic heavyweight. I said at the beginning of the year that I thought bumping up from 197 was a great move, and Bergman has proved me right. He lost once to Fox already, but they will meet plenty more this season, hopefully including finals. What about: Jared Rosholt? He’s a bigger version of his brother, which very well might include a tremendous ability to produce in March. Although I don’t see him winning three titles, he has to be in the conversation to make a finals appearance this season. Dark horse: Mike Spaid of Bloomsburg is a big heavyweight who likes to hit home runs. Spaid is a pinner, which makes him a nightmare match up at NCAA’s. No matter how far down he is, he’s always in the match. He’ll finish higher than everybody thinks. The pick: I love the Tommy Rowlands, Kerry McCoy style heavyweight. J.D. Bergman fits that mold perfectly. I would love to see him knock off Fox and bring back the athletic heavyweight. Team Race: Unless Nebraska or Oklahoma State gets some incredible performances from unheralded wrestlers, the title will end up in Iowa. Tom Brands will get his first of many National Coach of the Year honors. He’s done a fabulous job with this team, who look like vintage, Gable-era Hawkeyes. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/290-assessing-the-season-at-the-halfway-point Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/289-jim-mclean PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers University is mourning the loss of former RU wrestler Jim McLean, who passed away on Sunday, Jan. 20, after a snowboarding accident in Breckenridge, Colo. McLean was a four-year letterwinner and a team captain at Rutgers from 1994-98. He ranks tied for 14th place on Rutgers' all-time career wins list with 87. McLean received the RU wrestling scholar-athlete award in 1995-96 and the Wilfred-Cann Award for the most inspirational athlete in 1995. Former Rutgers wrestling coach John Sacchi remembers McLean as "the kind of kid that you'd say, 'That's how I want my son to grow up.' He was a wonderful person, everybody liked him." McLean was working at the University of Kansas Hospital as an assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. Although he had only been there for eight months he was asked to head up an expansion of the hospital's spine program. He is survived by his parents, Jim and Jackie McLean, and his brother Justin McLean. Wakes will be held at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25, at the Gallaway & Crane Funeral Home in Basking Ridge, N.J. Funeral services will be at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26, at St. James Church, 184 S. Finley Ave., Basking Ridge, N.J. For more information or stories about Jim: Jim McLean Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/289-jim-mclean Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/276-5-counties 5 counties tournament is one of the nations toughest tournaments and is the toughest tournament in the state of California. California is the nations largest wrestling state and the top teams from California flock to this tournament as a predecessor to the epic state tournament of California. Flowrestling is excited to be covering the tournament in depth. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/276-5-counties Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/271-dr-death-returns-to-norman Former two-sport star at OU and professional wrestler returns to roots NORMAN, Okla. – Former University of Oklahoma All-American and professional wrestling sensation Steve Williams, most famously known as “Dr. Death,” will be recognized and honored in Norman this Friday, Nov. 18, when the No. 18 Sooners host No. 16 Tennessee-Chattanooga at 7 p.m. at the Howard McCasland Field House. “Dr. Death was one of the greatest and most unique athletes OU has ever produced." head coach Jack Spates said. "He was also one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time after he graduated from the University." Williams was given the nickname Dr. Death in high school after his rough demeanor in athletics. The name stuck when he arrived at Oklahoma, as he was a two-sport star for the Sooners. Dr. Death is one of only 10 Sooners in the history of the wrestling program to be recognized as a four-time All-American. Wrestling under Coach Stan Abel, Williams was a two-time Big 8 champion for the Sooners and was the national runner-up in 1981. The football program under legendary coach Barry Switzer was also impacted by Dr. Death. Williams was part of two teams that won the Big 8 championships and played in five bowl games, including three trips to the Orange Bowl. After graduating from OU with a degree in health and recreation, he played professional football as a defensive nose guard for the United States Football League. After leaving the league in 1983, he joined the Universal Wrestling Federation and had great success in the professional wrestling ranks. He became the World Heavyweight Champion in 1987 and tag team champion in 1986 and 1988. His success took him to Japan in 1990 when he signed a contract with the All-Japan Wrestling League where he won countless titles and belts overseas, including the 1994 All-Japan Triple Crown. Dr. Death has since written a book entitled, “How Dr. Death Became Dr. Life,” where he shares his life testimony, including his battle when diagnosed with life-threatening throat cancer. Last summer after overcoming the illness, he was inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Hall of Fame. “What a delight for this program to have Dr. Death return to Norman,” Spates said. “His story is both amazing and inspiring. We are proud to welcome him back to the Sooner wrestling program.” Following is a list of promotional events surrounding the Oklahoma/UT-Chattanooga dual: · Free admission to the public, with doors opening at 6 p.m. · First 500 fans will receive a 2007-08 Sooner wrestling team photo. · Raffle allowing one lucky fan to take home a 26-inch flat screen television · Autograph session with current wrestlers and Dr. Death at the conclusion of the match Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/271-dr-death-returns-to-norman Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/266-cal-poly-report Hello to all. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and are looking forward to a fabulous 2008! Here's some great news to look forward to in the new year: wrestlingmart.com has extended its Cal Poly promotion through the month of January. Go to the wrestlingmart.com website, click on the Cal Poly icon, order something, and all of the gross profit from your purchase will be donated to the Cal Poly wrestling program. Many thanks to wrestlingmart.com and Mike Applegate! I was fortunate to be able to attend the Reno Tournament of Champions on December 18. For those of you who didn't make it, you really should plan to do so next year. It's a fun tournament, with great wrestlers competing, including the Mustangs. Chase Pami finished a very close second at 157 lbs. Boris Novachkov took third at 125, and Filip Novachkov finished fourth at 133. The other Mustang wrestlers all competed hard, and many won multiple matches. Chad Mendes was unable to compete because of a knee injury, but you should expect to see him back in the line-up soon. The Mustangs return to action in Mott Gym on Thursday, January 3 at 1:00 p.m. (yes, that's 1:00 p.m.!) against West Virginia and again versus the Oregon Ducks on Friday, January 4 at 7:00 p.m. Finally, our head assistant coach, Sammie Henson, has been devoting some of his time to working out with The Iceman, Chuck Liddell, in advance of his December 29 fight in Las Vegas. Chuck has been a great supporter of Mustang wrestling. Tune in to the broadcast and you will likely see Sammie somewhere in the picture! Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/266-cal-poly-report Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/261-wrestling-wraps-up-southern-scuffle Bobcats take 22nd at UNCG’s annual tournament GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Ohio wrestling team placed 22nd at the UNC-Greensboro Southern Scuffle on Saturday and Sunday. A host of Bobcat wrestlers left the two-day double-elimination event with winning records. Freshman Germane Lindsey (Cincinnati, Ohio), sophomore Seth Morton (Canal Winchester, Ohio), sophomore Jason Marshall (West Liberty, Ohio) and sophomore Kevin Christensen (Springfield, Ohio) all recorded 3-2 marks at the 29-team Southern Scuffle. But wrestling unattached at 149, freshman Matt Reedy (Hiram, Ohio) tallied the best record, 4-2, of any Ohio competitor at the tournament. Reedy recorded a fall in 4:17 against Minnesota’s Luke Mellmer in the first round of the tournament and then defeated the No. 7 seed, Kent State’s Clint Sponseller, on a 4-3 decision in the second round. Reedy lost his first bout of the day in the third round against Old Dominion’s Joey Metzler but rattled off back-to-back wins against Virginia Tech’s Matt Rosen and Lock Haven’s Matthew Fittery in the consolation bracket. Reedy’s fantastic weekend came to an end when he lost a decision against Navy’s Bryce Saddoris, the No. 9 seed at 149 pounds, who placed seventh at the tournament. Morton, at 133 pounds, lost his opening round match to the No. 5 seeded and No. 14 ranked Mike Grey of Cornell but defeated three straight opponents by decision (Charles Golden of Maryland, Mike Kleeman of Binghamton and Darrius Little of NC State) before falling to Boise State’s Cory Fish. Lindsey posted an identical 3-2 record in the following weight class, 141, but in a slightly different fashion. Lindsey defeated Boise State’s Mark Maya in the opening round but fell to Cornell’s Adam Frey, the No. 4 seed in the bracket, in the second round. But Lindsey battled back with consecutive victories against Liberty’s Colon Lewis and Edinboro’s Kory Bissett before losing to Virginia’s Nick Nelson. Marshall won his first two matches of the tournament with decisions against Appalachian State’s Jared Campbell in the first round and Boston University’s Jim Connors in the second round. Marshall’s first lost came to No. 1 seeded and No. 14 ranked Ed Prendergast of Navy. Prendergast won the championship at HWT with a pin of his Naval Academy teammate, Scott Steele, in the final. Marshall rebounded with his loss to the eventual champion with a decision against VMI’s Leon Barrow but lost to Minnesota’s Joe Nord in the next round of the consolation bracket. Christensen recorded a 3-2 mark at 149 by winning his first match of the weekend against Gardner-Webb’s Josh Lowe. Christensen fell to Adam Hall of Boise State, the No. 5 seed at 149, but like his teammates before him, battled back in the consolation bracket. Christensen defeated Binghamton’s Brandon Toro-Segarra and Kent State’s Jeremy Depoy before falling to Fittery in the match before Reedy defeated the Lock Haven product. Tommy Weinkam (Cincinnati, Ohio) advanced to the third round at 165 with wins against Navy’s Justin Jacobs and UNC-Greensboro’s Victor Hojilla before being knocked out of the winner’s bracket by Minnesota’s No. 2 seed and No. 15 ranked Scott Glasser. Freshman Erik Schuth (Spencerport, N.Y.) outlasted No. 6 seeded Michael Moore of Cornell 4-2 in overtime in the first round at 184. No. 4 ranked Minnesota took first overall at the Southern Scuffle with Jayson Ness winning the 125 pound weight class, Mach Reiter the champion at 133, Manuel Rivera winning at 141 and CP Schlatter taking the trophy at 157. No. 14 Edinboro took second place and No. 15 Hofstra claimed third. The biggest surprise at the Southern Scuffle was Boise State’s Kirk Smith, wrestling unattached, knocking off the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 seeds at 184 to take the championship. Smith was not seeded in the bracket. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/261-wrestling-wraps-up-southern-scuffle Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/258-midlands-are-approaching EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern University is set to host the 2007 Midlands Wrestling Championships, Dec. 29-30 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. This year marks the 45th installment of one of the most prestigious events in collegiate wrestling. The annual tournament attracts hundreds of the most talented wrestlers from around the country in a two-day, four-session double-elimination tournament. Founded by Northwestern's Ken Kraft, the Midlands Championships are held every December in Welsh-Ryan Arena. The tournament has historically brought together the very best in amateur wrestling, and has provided the springboard for 92 Olympic wrestlers. Last year's champion, Iowa State, returns to the site of its victory for another shot at the title. The Big Ten had previously dominated the tournament as Illinois won the previous three Midlands Championships, while Iowa and Minnesota combined to win the nine before that, dating back to 1990. Four top-10 teams are competing in Midlands "45," headlined by No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 Iowa State, No. 6 Central Michigan and No. 9 Northwestern, according to the latest release of rankings by the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll Individually, the Midlands host a plethora of individual talents searching for an NCAA Championship at season's end, including defending Midlands Champions: Angel Escobedo (Indiana) at 125 lbs., Nick Simmons (Michigan State) at 133 lbs., Ryan Lang (Northwestern) at 149 lbs., Mike Poeta (Illinois) at 157 lbs., Jake Herbert at 184 lbs., Mike Tamillow (Northwestern) at 197 lbs. and Tervel Dlagnev (Nebraska-Kearney) at heavyweight. "Midlands is one of the best events in college wrestling," Northwestern head wrestling coach Tim Cysewski said. "A Midlands championship, a Big Ten championship and an NCAA championship, that's the triple crown of college wrestling." Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/258-midlands-are-approaching Fri, 28 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/255-nobody-asked-me-but Since you last heard from me, plenty has happened in the wrestling world. High schools have almost completed the “Super Tournament” portion of the year. Beast of the East, Reno, Super 8, and Dvorak have all crowned their champions in the last week and a half. College wrestlers meanwhile are plugging away during the drudgery that is practice after finals and everybody else has left campus. They now are just a few short days away from Midlands and the Southern Scuffle, which will provide us with some of the most entertaining match ups of the season. Now this is all fine and good. But it doesn’t help the fact that I don’t have a good idea for a column. So since I don’t have one big observation, I will break this column down into a lot of little observations. It’s an idea I pilfered from Jim Murray, the Pulitzer Prize winning sports columnist from the Los Angeles Times. For any of you that have never heard of Murray, absolutely check out his work. He is hilarious and one of the best journalists of the 20th century. When stumped for a column idea years ago I ran across a Murray piece entitled “Nobody Asked Me, But” which was his way of serving up a series of things that he had been thinking about or that bothered him. Basically, it is a list of unsolicited opinions, which makes for a fun little gimmick. Its one of my favorite columns and it is a fabulous format to hit on the wrestling world as a whole instead of limit myself. With that said, nobody asked me, but… -I just finished Kim D. Parrish’s Cowboy Up about the 2004-2005 Oklahoma State. Very good read. Although most of the book is centered around John Smith, Steve Mocco is by far my favorite character. Makes me wish I rooted more for him in college. -I was amazed to see Cael Sanderson respond to Jim Brown’s blog post about Iowa-Iowa State. I’m not surprised that Sanderson tried to defend his decision (which I think was the correct one) but it is unbelievable to me that the premier name in the sport is accessible enough to entertain a very public discussion on this website. I don’t think wrestling fans realize how lucky they really are. You don’t see Michael Jordan interacting with fans and athletes on many basketball websites. -Alex Meade has the biggest upside of any senior in this year’s class. He will be the best of a bumper crop. -If the Midlands is looking to blame somebody for ruining the prestige of the tournament, the Southern Scuffle is not it. A big problem is the amount of super tournaments before Midlands that steal away the glory match ups early in the year. A bigger problem is the number of post-grads is drastically reduced, which was one of the major reasons the tournament had such a reputation. This year I think Herbert and Simmons are the only names to write home about. That has been the biggest change. -Jordan Oliver scored 30 points in a match at Reno. Let that sink in for a while. -There’s something right with the world when Iowa is ranked first in the country in wrestling. And frankly, if any Iowa team was going to bring back luster to the Iowa program, I’m glad it is this one. I’m going to need to devote an entire column to this at some point, but a story is only as good as its villain. Iowa makes one hell of a villain. Mark Perry is college wrestling’s new bad boy with his choking incident at St. Ed’s and other transgressions. Plenty up people were upset with Matt Fields after his celebratory dance against Iowa. The entire sophomore class has been involved in one of the most vicious and ugly battles in college sport with the question of their transfer and eligibility. The hype following Brent Metcalf makes most people sick. And they’re led by one of my favorite people in wrestling, the king of bad boys, Tom Brands. They’re an easy team to hate. And that’s why I really like them. -Anybody that loves wrestling should be chomping at the bit to see Darrion Caldwell wrestle Dustin Schlatter this week. Here’s hoping Caldwell gets Dustin out of his shell. If so, we could see fireworks. -Who thought they’d ever see the day again when a public high school was running away with a national title? I don’t care what you have to say about the “T” word, St. Paris Graham is awesome. Anybody that throttles Blair and St. Ed’s in back to back weekends gets all the credit in the world. And I’m sick of hearing about school’s “recruiting” kids. That doesn’t happen. Success breeds success. That attracts kids enough. Good wrestlers will flock to good programs. If a kid moves into the district by his family’s own free will, there’s really nothing anybody should be able to say about it. But it’s not like these coaches are real estate agents on the side. -I’m very interested in seeing how Ryan Lang’s move up to 149 goes. Not only does it leave a gaping hole at 141, who truly has no favorite at this point in the year, but it adds another big name to a ridiculously deep weight class. I like Lang because he is a goer, but he’s biting off quite a lot by throwing his hat in the ring at 49. -Back to sucking up to St. Paris Graham for a second, I love the guts for Jeff Jordan to try and schedule a dual with Blair to give them a shot in a real head-to-head format. That is a much better measuring stick than entering in the same tournament. Both he and Jeff Buxton are two coaches with not only their kid’s best interests, but the wrestling’s best interests at heart. There are teams all over the country who could learn a lesson from that. You become the best by wrestling the best. -I might have jumped the gun by claiming Chris Phillips is the best freshman I have ever seen. While I firmly stand by everything I said in my last column, Kenny Courts from Central Dauphin made me turn my head. -I think Wynn Michalek has been in college for 35 years. Seriously, wasn’t he a senior three years ago? -It was nice to see Coleman Scott take it to Mike Grey at Reno. The freight train double is going to be tough to stop. Pennsylvania > New Jersey. -Everybody who is writing off Lehigh needs to wait at least a year. I’d like to see how they look with Connor McDonald, Matt Fisk, and Sean Bilodeau in their lineup. Although they better help, because the ship is sinking fast. -The NCAA should sponsor a dual meet champion. I know there are National Duals, but that is really a mythical title. Duals show the true strength of a team and the tournament should select that. You wrestle duals all year, they should actually mean something in the end. -Hats off to Pat Santoro and the Maryland Terps. He has a solid team this year that will mature into a force next season. The new qualifier system is happening at the perfect time. He has no seniors in his lineup this year and gets to add Alex Krom and a healthy Andrew Bradley. It hasn’t taken him long to build a contender. -Angel Escobedo is the most underrated wrestler in the country. He’s ranked second and I haven’t heard a peep about him all year. -Speaking of 125, that weight class has fallen off of the map. After being one of the most talked about classes for the last few years, its not just Escobedo that is getting the silent treatment. Even the Donahue-Ness debates have come to a screeching halt. Does the absence of Troy Nickerson suck the life out of this weight class? -A Roger Kish-Jake Varner National Final will not happen. Mark my words, somebody will falter. -I wonder what Tom Ryan has offered Jim Tressel to let him have access to Dex Larimore or incoming freshman Garrett Goebel next season. Ohio State will have two kids that could All-American at heavyweight next year and neither of them will be in a singlet. -Now that you’re done with my column, read Mike Tamillow’s blog. That’s the best writing on the site. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/255-nobody-asked-me-but Tue, 25 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/247-how-much-can-we-expect Handling a 15-Year-Old Phenom One thing that makes wrestling different that mainstream sports is how closely it is followed at the high school level by a majority of its fans. Because there is no professional wrestling, high school is followed much like college basketball and football is followed by NBA and NFL fans. It’s incredible to watch the following created by programs like Blair Academy and St. Edward’s. Most wrestling fans across America can tell you who the studs are in these lineups year in and year out, even if they’re not fans of the specific programs. The top high school kids every year are treated like established stars. I guarantee you almost every true wrestling fan this year knows about Jordan Oliver, Mario Mason, Mike Mangrum, Alex Meade Jason Welch, Scott Winston, etc. They’re superstars before they even set foot on a college mat. High school legends are almost more famous than college ones. A prime example is Cary Kolat, who is definitely better known for his exploits at Jefferson-Morgan than his two NCAA titles and his spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. Another example is the “rivalry” between Brent Metcalf and Dustin Schlatter. They’ve actually wrestled two times, neither of which has occurred at Iowa and Minnesota. I doubt any other sport’s premier rivalry exists because of what two individuals did as seniors in high school against each other. But because of the premium put on high school wrestling, this is the chic rivalry in the wrestling world today. Part of the reason high school wrestling carries so much weight is that more than any other high school sport, it appeases its followers by pitting national caliber teams and kids together as much as possible. It started with the Reno Tournament of Champions, the original “super tournament” in the mid-1990s. Easton, Walsh Jesuit, Blair, St. Ed’s, Wasatch (UT), and Choctaw (OK) were all under one roof. Kids that DIDN’T win titles that first year include Bryan Snyder, Adam Tirapelle, Joe Heskett, and Cael Sanderson. Now it seems every weekend there is a tournament with half the teams in the national top 25 attending. Super 32, Ironman, Beast of the East, Reno, Super 8, the NHSCA Final Four, The Clash, and that’s only in the season. After the high school season is over there still are NHSCA Nationals as well as the holy-grail that is Fargo. With all of these venues to showcase yourself, it’s easy to see how the hype machine gets behind a high school kid and takes him to mythic proportions. I say all this because it looks like the next legend in high school wrestling was born on Saturday afternoon in Cleveland, Ohio. It comes as no surprise that a freshman won the Ironman tournament. It also comes as no surprise that a freshman beat a highly regarded upper classman. These things happen all the time. However, these things do not happen at 171 pounds. At 103 or 112, sure, but freshman do not step in and beat up the big boys. Especially kids like Brian Roddy. Roddy, from St. Edward’s, might be the best senior in the state of Ohio. He’s a two-time Division I finalist, a defending state champion, and one of the most physical wrestlers out there. Not surprisingly, he’s ranked either first or second at 171 by every major publication out there. RevWrestling has him ranked as the 11th best recruit in the country, regardless of weight class. He has already committed to wrestle for the Northwestern Wildcats, one of the top programs in the country. And he was dismantled on Saturday by freshman Chris Phillips of Monroeville, Ohio. Make no mistake, Phillips took it to Roddy. Although the final was “only” 7-3, Phillips dominated for six minutes. For anybody who has no seen the match, please stop reading this column and take a look at it on the Ironman portion of this site. What you’ll see is incredible. Phillips can do it all. After funking out of some really good offensive opportunities by Roddy in the first, Phillips shows off one of the slickest fireman’s carries I have ever seen. I have no idea about his repertoire, but if he can hit that all the time, oh my. His second takedown came off of a great counter and even better mat awareness to drag both feet as he doubled Roddy out of bounds. He spins out of an ankle pick early in the second to prevent Roddy from getting back in the match. He doesn’t get flustered after Roddy rolls back and out of his near perfect double that would have blown the match wide open later in the second. And most impressively, he keeps his cool when Roddy tries to bully him in the 3rd with some shoving and head butts. He was slicker than Roddy, he was stronger than Roddy, he was better than Roddy. And being better than Roddy means he’s pretty much better than everybody. Phillips clearly has all the tools. He looked plenty big and strong, even compared to Brian Roddy, who is a very big and physical 171. Phillips is built like a man already. He’s quick as a cat on his feet. He looks like he has Ben Askren level flexibility. His mat awareness is unreal. Because of these features he is incredibly difficult to score on. He has a variety of offensive moves from his feet. His double looks unstoppable. He’s creative too, as illustrated by some of the unorthodox spins and sprawls to stay out of harm’s way as well as the filthy fireman’s carry (I’m not kidding about this move, you really need to see it). Although he said in his post match interview that he needs to get in shape, his gas tank looked great. And most importantly he’s mentally tough, as illustrated by how well he handled himself when Roddy tried to turn the wrestling match into a slugfest. Clearly the kid has all the tools. He certainly will be fun to watch wrestle over the next four years. But I’ve said all of that to say this, please let’s not put the pressure of the world on this kid right away. I’m just as impressed as everybody else is by Phillips. The fact that he did it at 171 makes him probably the most impressive freshman I have ever seen. But he is only a freshman. And so far he has exactly one weekend of varsity competition under his belt. How about he wins his first state title before he becomes the first undefeated four-timer in Ohio history? And the people I’ve seen who claim he’ll win four NCAA titles need to tone it down just a little bit. Personally, I’d like to wait at least until the kid has a driver’s license before we anoint him the next Cael Sanderson. Like I said earlier, clearly he has all the tools. But what can we really expect from a 15 year old? A lot has to happen before Phillips joins Hodge, Gable, Smith, and Sanderson. It is important to keep this in mind. Because now, what happens if he loses? Suddenly does his whole career become a failure because he drops a match in high school? What if he gets beat in a state or NCAA final? Does that make him the biggest disappointment we’ve ever seen? I have a little brother who is the same age as Phillips and I can see how tough it is to be 15. You really start to carve your identity. That’s not the easiest task in the world. Throw on that the expectations of the wrestling world to be one of the greatest ever and suddenly Phillips has a lot to deal with. Some kids can take these expectations and run with them. They like the challenge. They can thrive on the pressure and the adrenaline that comes with being the best. They like chasing history. Others feel the weight of the world on their shoulders. They’re no longer wrestling for themselves; they’re wrestling for everybody else. Then it’s not fun anymore. I’m sure we’ve all seen what happens when an overbearing dad takes the joy out of wrestling, I hope the wrestling community as a whole doesn’t become Chris Phillips’s overbearing dad. If I had to make a prediction, I’d say Phillips is the first kind of kid I described. He looks like a gamer. He certainly looked like he was having fun. After listening to his post match interview, he seems like a class act. More likely than not, he’ll have a fabulous career. I have no reason to believe otherwise. But still, it makes me cringe when I see some of the bold things people are predicting for Phillips on the strength of this weekend and some legends surrounding him. Naming all of the greats he is going to follow and surpass is simply not fair. Let’s let him blaze his own trail. He’s going to accomplish a lot of things, but let’s not spend his whole career telling him what those things will be. He’s good enough, he’ll figure them out. He doesn’t need to be Dustin Schlatter, he doesn’t need to be Cael Sanderson, he doesn’t need to be Dan Gable. He needs to be Chris Phillips. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/247-how-much-can-we-expect Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/246-my-first-civil-war MY FIRST CIVIL WAR December 8, 2007 I just got back home to Corvallis, Oregon from my first ever Civil War Dual Meet. The match took place in the nostalgic McArthur Court, on the campus of the University Oregon. Oregon State, the team I coach for, won the dual 23-14. However, this dual was bitter sweet. I have heard about the Oregon State - Oregon rivalry since I first began discussing the possible coaching position with Jim Zalesky. Everyone told me how intense the rivalry was and how deep the loyalties ran. So many spoke of how hard the athletes compete, and how intensely the fans cheer. Those on both sides have expressed how intimately the match-up between the universities, depsite athletic contest, effects them. Tonight I saw a glimpse of that. The sad thing is, despite this rivalry being one of the most heated in collegiate sports, it is coming to an end. Yes, that is right the third longest wrestling rivalry at the division one level just experienced its last contest in McArthur Court. That is because, despite large financial donations form several prominent boosters in recent history (including the $100 milion given by Phile Night of Nike) wrestling is being dropped by University of Oregon Athletics. McArthur Court, the nostalgic, timeless, and historic venue is being demolished. The new, $200 plus million Arena will not house wrestling, or its contests. Instead, baseball and competitive cheer is being added by the University of Oregon Athletic Department. This is an Athletic Department headed by a man named Pat Kilkenny, who does not have an undergraduate degree. Yes, every person he is in charge of has one. Yes, every athelete at the University of Oregon is required to work towards the completion of one. Yet, he does not. How can a leader expect something from his followers that they themselves do not posses? Unfortunatley, I can not answer that question, despite my own undergraduate degree with honors, it simply dumbfounds me. So when you really examine the situation, it should not suprise you that this is happening at such a prominent and progressive instutuion like the University of Oregon. An instituion, that has lead the way in academic, athletic, and social endeavors should not be regressing, or even staying stagnant. It is though, and it is due to an ineptness of leadership. Maybe I should not say that, maybe it is unprofessional? However, this is America and freedom of speech is still protected in my constitutional rights. This leadership, has never participated at the division one level in athletics, graduated with a four year degree, or had the experience of running the day to day operations of a major athletic department at a prominent university. Sure, I may be on a soap box right now, but it kills me to see a sport that has given me so much continue to suffer due to others short-sightedness and lack of understnading. A sport that has allowed me to travel the world, make life-long friends, receive a college education, spend time with my family, find employment, etc., etc., etc. I could go on forever, and anyone who has been involved in the sport could also do so. Wrestling is the oldest sport known to man, an original olympic event, and the fastest growing high school sport in much of the nation. However, opportunities at the collegiate level are continuing to disappear. Many claim title IX, and its constraints for this. I do not. I blame those not doing everything they can to promote our great sport and save our programs. I blame those that are using title IX inappropriatley. I blame those who have the ability to step in when they can and make a difference and do not. When will this stop? When will our sport fight back? That is what wrestling is; a controlled fight. Universities like that of Oregon, that are progressive and have substantial financial backing must lead the way. They must continue to be leaders and innovators. Will they do the right thing? Will Mr. Kilkenny fix the biggest mistake he may ever make? Will the University of Oregon step in and correct their mistake? I hope so, maybe if they do and are lead by the new athletic director (the one with no degree) in this correction, others will follow. My fear is that if they do not our great sport may continue to regress and lose opportunties. This is simply unacceptable. So I guess this really goes out to those at the University of Oregon, those with the ability to truly step in and make a difference, those with the power to reverse the decision and do what is right; Save Oregon Wrestling!!!! I hope this is not my last trip to Eugene to experience the great rivalry known as the "Civil War." Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/246-my-first-civil-war Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/243-oh-how-the-world-has-changed The Full Nelson with Ian McCutcheon, Flowrestling Oh How the World Has Changed I started high school with little to no interest in wrestling. As a sports fan in the Lehigh Valley, I read the papers enough to know who the big names were, but that was about it. One of my good friends wrestled, but beyond “did you win?” our conversations about his sport didn’t go very far. I had played basketball my whole life, and had virtually no technical knowledge of wrestling. But what I quickly found out was the thing to do at Easton High School in the winter was go to wrestling matches. And since my aforementioned friend won the varsity 103 spot, all of my friends went quite often both to be cool and to watch him. So my options were either be the loser that always stayed at home, or go watch the wrestling match. Since no 9th grader is comfortable enough to accept being a loser, off I went. I was hooked pretty early. My favorite thing about matches was something was always happening (which oddly enough, is a common complaint I hear from wrestling fans , “c’mon ref, he’s not doing anything!”). It helped that the team I rooted for always won. The more watched wrestling, the more I wanted to really know what was going on. I figured out scoring on my own, contrary to popular belief, its really not that hard if you can get a question or two answered early on. But I wanted to know more. It wasn’t good enough that things were happening; I wanted to know why things were happening. It bothered me that I didn’t know what moves were what, terminology was beyond me at this point. One thing I loved about watching basketball was I could see things before they happened. If you understand and offense, you can make the passes yourself in your head before they actually happen. I hoped that once I really “got” wrestling, I’d be able to see the set-ups and openings the wrestlers obviously were seeing. I did this through television. The lucky thing about living in the Lehigh Valley is that wrestling is on TV all the time. RCN and Service Electric are the two local cable companies, both show high school sports virtually every night of the week. Wrestling was no exception. But it wasn’t just that wrestling was on TV, I was already watching it a ton. But RCN had perhaps the best commentators possible for a budding wresting junkie. Scott Barr was, and still is, the play-by-play man. Wrestling is his passion. He has written books on the sport, and he gets what’s going on. A lot of my terminology was picked up from Barr narrating replays. “Oh, that’s a cement job” was one of my earliest finds, while watching Barr yell as Jeff Ecklof cranked over an unsuspecting victim. And while he was a great play-by-play announcer, the man who really taught me wrestling was Ray Nunnamaker. Nunnamaker is the coach that built the Nazareth program. He is one of the most well respected high school wrestling coaches in the country. Having recently retired, Nunnamaker was staying around the sport by doing matches on RCN a few times a week. He was fantastic. Although he did not exactly have the voice for television (more than once my mom would hear the TV and say “oh my, what is that?” when Nunnamaker was talking) but oh my did he have the know how. Nunnamaker’s commentary was exactly what I was looking for. By the time Easton-Northampton rolled around at the end of the year, I thought I was a certified pro when it came to wrestling knowledge. And after one full year as a wrestling fan, I was quickly turning into a junkie. As I started to expand my horizons, I came to a disheartening conclusion: wrestling was really hard to follow. I kept up with national rankings, at first to see how local guys stacked up, but then became generally curious at all the other names I was looking at. My favorite event in the world became the NHSCA Final Four because I got to see all of these names I was reading on Amateur Wrestling News’s top 12 each month. Once I year I got to watch Patrick Bond, Cameron Doggett, Charlie Falck, Daniel Frishkorn, and other studs from far off that I only read about. But other than Final Four matches, I had no way of really seeing any of these other wrestlers. Sure I could follow box scores. I read tournament brackets all the time. But as we all know, most wrestling events aren’t great about staying updated, and I found myself frustrated and angry more often than not. As many wrestling fans do, I fell into reading messages boards as some method of getting more information than “Nickerson dec. Scott 4-2”. While hearing what hundreds of experts and idiots (there are plenty of both) had to say was certainly entertaining (especially when the two mixed), it really wasn’t what I was looking for, it certainly was entertaining. I also had started to follow college wrestling by tracking guys I had watched in high school. But there still was a major problem, I couldn’t actually watch it. Over the last three years, that has all changed. Wrestling is at a crossroads right now. A lot of people say the sport is dying, and Title IX is constantly being blamed for the sport’s demise. But that’s not what I see. I see a landscape that is incredibly pro-wrestling. Because I never had any intention of falling in love with the sport. I fell in love with wrestling by watching it constantly. That is an opportunity I had only because of where I lived. But across the country, wrestling is becoming easier and easier to watch. First of all, YouTube deserves some of the credit. I’m sure my college freshman year GPA suffered because I found out that I could watch whatever matches people posted online. Through Thematforums, people began making it known that they had these great matches could put them online. Suddenly, I could watch Cael Sanderson wrestle whenever I wanted. I watched Brent Metcalf’s front-flip against Matt Dragon. After reading about a match for weeks, I suddenly could watch and make my own observations. Now I was one search away from seeing almost whatever I wanted. FloWrestling has taken this to a whole different level with their coverage, which is why I wanted to get involved with the site. The interviews make wrestling all the more personal, and a lot of it exposes what is so good about the sport. The virtues of hard work, mental toughness, and tenacity are what makes wrestling sub-culture so great. And the expanded coverage of matches is only going to lead to good things down the road, I think we saw that with Vegas this weekend. The step beyond the internet is television. And this is a more optimistic battle than wrestling fans make it out to be. Because of the sub-culture, everybody who loves wrestling watches whenever it is on TV. ESPN has taken notice of this and shows more and more of the NCAA tournament every year. This year I’m sure will be no exception. This past weekend, the Big Ten Network showed Minnesota-Iowa State at the behest of a ton of angry e-mails about showing more wrestling live. The Big Ten Network granted our wish, and we came through by watching the match in very large numbers. The network has stated that they have not set their winter schedule, but that wresting fans will be very happy with the coverage. Slowly, we are winning the war. What wrestling needs now is two things. The first is a “Ray Nunnamaker” for the world. I liked watching wrestling because Nunnamaker made sure I knew what was going on. He has forgotten more about wrestling than I could ever aspire to know, but on TV it sounded like we were equals. He made it that easy. If there could be a team of broadcasters with that skill, wrestling will have its true voice to bring it to the layperson. The second thing is wrestling needs to showcase itself. Matches like Poeta-Gillespie from the weekend (which by the way, I told you so) are the thing the casual fan needs to see. The casual fan needs to see Darrion Caldwell. The casual fan needs to get the personalities like Ben Askren and Johny Hendricks that make wrestling fantastic. Wrestling is slowly getting exposure, now it needs to market itself. When that happens, it really will capitalize on the environment being created by the technology era. I’m a living, breathing example of what exposure to wrestling can do. I love it. And if it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/243-oh-how-the-world-has-changed Thu, 06 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/239-nathan-morgan-embraces-leadership-role Two-time All-American pursues first individual NCAA title this year. By Travis Tindell, OSU Media Relations Oklahoma State’s Nathan Morgan has enjoyed a good deal of success in his wrestling career. A three-time California high school state champion, Morgan has been a key component on two of the Cowboys’ unprecedented 34 NCAA title teams. This year, Morgan looks to etch his name among the list of OSU’s 132 individual NCAA champions. A two-time All-American, Morgan took fourth in the 141-pound weight class at NCAAs last year as the Cowboys finished fifth in the team standings. “We train all year to win that national title and when you don’t get it at the end, it is disappointing. This is the year. This will be the year,” Morgan said. As for training, Coach John Smith has pushed his wrestlers farther than any of his teams in the past. A new concept to most wrestlers is the extensive running drills that Smith implemented in the off-season. “I think the training that Coach Smith has put us through has just been unbelievable this year,” Morgan said. “The way he has motivated us and put us through all these running workouts and drills has really stepped up our wrestling. Conditioning has put us where we need to be for this year.” Morgan said the training and extra conditioning will drastically help the squad in its performance, especially in the second half of the season and the training puts the Cowboys a step ahead of the competition. “It gives us more chances for late takedowns. It keeps our legs fresh and we are able to push it the entire time,” Morgan said. “Everything we have done will improve our scoring, especially in the last minutes of the match.” A three-time Big 12 champion and two-time All-American, Morgan is a legitimate contender for an individual NCAA title this year and has already made strides as he sports a 9-1 record with three tech falls and four major decisions. Getting off to a fast start is exactly what Morgan was looking for heading into the year to help him take a leadership role for the Cowboy newcomers. As a senior, Morgan is well-aware of the expectations placed on him. “This is my fourth year so I need to be a good example for the new guys. I know the younger guys are looking up to me and I need to step it up and work harder to be that leader,” Morgan said. “I think it is good for me because it makes me step it up to show them what they need to do. The freshmen are doing a great job. I couldn’t ask for anything better.” Morgan said Smith has prepared he and his teammates and has stressed the fact that they must maintain intensity for a full seven minutes when taking the mat. The Cowboys have one of the toughest schedules in the NCAA, but Morgan welcomes the challenge. “It is always going to be tough and there are always going to be guys gunning for you, but that is what makes it fun.” Morgan and the Cowboys host Oklahoma at 2 p.m. Sunday in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/239-nathan-morgan-embraces-leadership-role Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/236-review-of-all-star-classic DISCLAIMER: I realize it is a little last to publish this journal. However, everybody who tried to watch the All Star Classic knows that the last two and a half matches were cut out of the live webcast. I’ve been waiting to put this up in case I could somehow see the rebroadcast and redo the journal. However, because of some technical difficulties of my own I can’t view the archived matches, so I’m going to have to send it in as is. Here we are, live from Lafayette College. I’m sitting in front of my computer waiting to watch this year’s All Star Classic. In a genius idea, it is being held at the University of Oregon, which I think really sticks it to the powers that be and tries to send a message. Good decision. Tonight should be entertaining, the fact that it is an exhibition should mean some guys really open up and try some things, at least that’s what I’m hoping for. I’m keeping a running journal, which will be a minute by minute account of observations and comments while watching the web cast. It’s a formula used quite successfully by ESPN’s Bill Simmons, who I hope won’t sue me for plagiarism. Anyway, let’s get to the journal. 9:59 I signed up a half an hour ago, hopefully that helps with the web cast. I know people have had problems with these in the past, but I’m thinking that signing up early will alleviate any headaches. I watched some of the first two exhibitions, but my feed cut out after that. I think that happened to everybody, as it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to show 20 minutes of dead air. 10:01 I still don’t have any video. However, the LIVESPORTSVIDEO written across the screen is in a relatively cool font, so I guess that’s a small victory. Also, Thematforums.com has completely shut down due to traffic. Who says nobody cares about wrestling? 10:06 I’m starting to get antsy. I’ve tried logging out and back in but still I get nothing but a blank screen. Here’s hoping they’re running late. Events like this never start on time anyway. Plus the text updates at Intermat haven’t started either, so I think I’m okay. Jason Bryant is usually very much on top of things. His pre-classic blog is very well written for those of you who want to go back and take a look. I’ve read it four times already while waiting. 10:11 Still working under the assumption that it hasn’t started yet. Instead of a blank screen though, they could give me some pre-match commentary, maybe set the stage a little bit. It’d be a little more entertaining than a blank screen. Wrestling manages to shoot itself in the foot more often than not. 10:15 The worst part about this is waiting here in front of my computer like an idiot, knowing that I’ve already paid five bucks, so now I’m completely at the mercy of this website. 10:18 I’m reading Intermat’s text updates from Hofstra-Penn State from Saturday. I love these because of the extra little tidbits that always get added in. For example, apparently Bubba Jenkins’ mom apparently is a vocal presence at her sons matches. It’s the little things that make their coverage great. 10:21 And it’s official, I’m missing Jayson Ness of Minnesota against Paul Donahue of Nebraska. It’s disappointing because now that Troy Nickerson from Cornell is out, people have been anointing Ness the champion left and right, which I’m sure doesn’t sit well with your defending national champion Paul Donahue. I’d like to see him send a message. I didn’t think it was possible, but he seems to be getting less respect than Joe Dubuque did defending a title. 10:27 We have our first video of the night. Donahue has already defeated Ness, which I’m sure the Minnesota people are not happy about. Maybe they’ll actually have to work for their team title this March. Video comes in during 133 which is Hofstra’s Lou Ruggirello versus Minnesota’s Mack Reiter, no score in the middle of the first. 10:28 This is the first I’ve seen Ruggirello wrestle. His legs look like my forearm. There’s not much to the kid. Reiter, on the other hand, is a big boy for 33. By the way, although I do have video, there is no sound or commentary, no clock, and no scoreboard. Kind of a budget operation. 10:29 Ruggirello takes Reiter down with :16 seconds left in the first. A wise man once said matches are won on the edge of the mat and at the end of periods. 10:31 I think that the Ruggirello-Ben Ashmore debates from their senior year have cooled down a little. It’s always funny how things like that turn out. Out of high school, Ashmore was the clear selection for best in the country at 119. Now Oklahoma State fans are clamoring for Tyler Shinn to come back down to 125 so he can take Ashmore’s spot in the lineup. Meanwhile, Ruggirello is in the All Star Classic. 10:32 Mack is really slow off the whistle. I think his new scouting report on Ruggirello is “do not go on the mat under any circumstances” which neutralized Mack’s best weapon, his cradle. By the way, Ruggirello just got out from under in 4 seconds. He rode Mack for the entire two minutes, so much for seeing great mat wrestling both ways. 10:34 Neither guy is doing much to change levels, just pushing on each other in tie ups. I made fun of Ruggirello earlier for being skinny, but he’s incredibly long. Weird body type, he’s going to be very tough to beat. 10:35 There are 35 seconds left and Mack is going to need a miracle. And there it is! No, Mack tries for what would be a beautiful inside trip to make this interesting, but Ruggirello counters it for 2, final is 6-0. I’m glad Mack didn’t score at the end, he was pretty much dominated the whole match, no way he should have pulled that out, no matter how dangerous he is. 10:36 Up next we have Nathan Morgan from Oklahoma State and Charles Griffin from Hofstra. Who would have thought that Hofstra would have back to back guys in the All Star event? That’s a really a testament to Tom Ryan. Griffin is probably the most underrated star in the country, and has been since high school. 10:38 My video is gone again. The picture froze; I have no idea what’s happening. I’m going to try and log back in. This is a nightmare 10:42 And we’re back! The score is 4-3 Morgan, your guess is as good as mine as to how it happened. Thanks guys at Livesportsvideo. 10:43 Griffin is a lot bigger than I remember; he must be killing himself to get down to 141. Meanwhile, Morgan looks like he’s 13. He also looks like way to nice of a kid to be a wrestler. 10:44 Great shot by Griffin at the end of the second that Morgan fights off to keep a lead going into the third. This really looks like a college match. Tons of counter wrestling, and two guys that look big enough to be college athletes. Not a knock on Ruggirello and Reiter, but watching the littler guys in college still reminds me of really good high school wrestlers. 141 and up you can usually really see a size difference. 10:47 The guys in the background look miserable. Maybe they’re just getting in the zone, but I figured this would be a fun event to take part it. I can’t really tell who it is, but I think one of them is Wisconsin’s Craig Henning. 10:48 End of the period, Morgan still leading by one. Sixteen seconds left and Morgan is coming around and is going to reverse Griffin to win. Oh my, Griffin takes Morgan to his back instead, then rolls him back and tilts him for another 3. Six points in the last 15 seconds to win by Griffin, great finish. Matches are won on the edge and at the end of periods. The only question is, why go for the home run there Morgan? He had the reversal, but it looked like he was hunting for back points too. Not necessary. 10:50 This is one of the matches I’ve really been waiting for, Minnesota’s Dustin Schlatter and Michigan’s Josh Churella. I want to see if the new and improved Dustin Schlatter is for real. I hope he opens it up and puts on a show like the Schlatter of old. 10:51 Churella lets up out of his stance for just a second, and Schlatter manages to shoot and take him down. Talk about taking advantage of mistakes. When he wants to be, Dustin Schlatter is scary good. He cuts Churella loose and they’re back to their feet. It’s almost pointless to shoot on Schlatter. It looks like Churella is getting good looks, but he can’t so much as touch Schlatter’s leg. Wow. 10:52 I’m not sure why Schlatter is cutting Churella to start the period. At least work on top a little, you know Churella will ride for a while next period and he should at least try to make it tougher to earn riding time. Every second counts. Now we’re getting the Schlatter of old, just happy to sit on a lead. Ask Gregor Gillespie how that works out for him. I admired his defense last period, but now he’s just shutting down. 10:54 Michigan has awesome singlets. Very classy. Churella looks sharp. 10:55 Third period and Churella is working his cross-body ride. I love the one foot in rule in college, it extends the mat a ton. It would improve high school wrestling a lot. So many potential takedowns are killed off by going out. I think it helps to cure the growing stalling problem too if it’s tough to skirt out of bounds. And Churella is brutal on top. He seems to be the forgotten man in this weight class, despite the fact he’s a returning finalist. He’ll be in the thick of things at the end. 10:56 Churella just misses riding time, Schlatter is out after 55 seconds. That would have made things interesting. At least Schlatter would have needed to wrestle. 10:57 Schlatter is done for the night; he’ll hang on for the next minute and walk away with a 3-2 win. It’s amazing how much things change. Schlatter-Esposito I is one of my favorite matches of all time because it pits two of the slickest kids I’ve ever seen against each other. Schlatter is a totally different wrestler now. Part of it is that he’s too good defensively for his own good. Maybe he didn’t learn his lesson last year at NCAA’s, because he’s going to find out the hard way again that he needs to score to win. 10:59 The other match I’m dying to see, Mike Poeta versus Craig Henning. Poeta walks around like he has a screw loose, which usually means he’s going to win. He’s awesome on his feet, and I can’t wait to see him unleash his double. 11:00 Wait for it… 11:01 Wait for it… 11:02 BOOM! Blast double by Poeta, takes Henning down hard. Henning tries to funk out a little bit and puts himself in a pretty compromised position. Ref slaps the mat, Poeta sticks Henning in a little over two minutes. He is really explosive. Obviously that is not indicative of how all their matches will go, Craig Henning is a very good wrestler, but Poeta looked fired up. I love watching this kid wrestle. I hope Dustin Schlatter was watching. 11:04 It’s intermission now. I just checked the text updates at Intermat and they aren’t working either. Maybe the connection in the gym is bad, which takes some of the heat off of livesportsvideo. I’ll try to be a little less critical. 11:13 We’re just about to get started again, Roger Kish is warming up alone on the mat sporting his Minnesota Wrestling crew neck sweatshirt. I don’t think they make hoods in Minnesota. Last year I was at the Southern Scuffle, and that seemed to be the clothing article of choice for the entire team. 11:14 First match after intermission is Eric Tannenbaum from Michigan against Patrick Pitsch from Arizona State. Right away this is an entertaining match. Tannenbaum is taking awesome shots, but just can’t seem to get something together. I can’t stress enough how aesthetically pleasing this match is. They got the memo that this is an exhibition and are going all out. Both guys are getting really good scoring opportunities, and both guys are counter wrestling really well. There is way too much action for no score. 11:18 Pitsch is taking shots from waaaay out. He covers tons of ground every time. This is the first I’ve seen him wrestle, he looks very good. 11:19 Tannenbaum muscles his way for a takedown. It’s amazing that his has been such a slick match, but the first takedown is Tannenbaum just bulling his way through Pitsch. 11:21 Tannenbaum is really improved on the mat. I have no idea how he was at 149 two years ago, he is giant for 165. He punishes Pitsch from top and bulls his way to a 4-0 win. Both of these guys could really give Mark Perry of Iowa problems this year. The question is, can they out swagger him? Perry wins because he’s very good and very confident, especially as a defending champ. Tannenbaum and Pitsch are going to have to match that confidence. 11:23 Before I even mention the competitors at 174, Navy has two piece singlets complete with sleeves. Are you kidding me? Of all places I would think that Navy would stick to tradition. They look awful. Matt Stolpinski is the Naval Academy’s competitor. He’s wrestling Keith Gavin from Pittsburgh. 11:24 The service academies should produce incredible wrestlers. I kind of worry about national security when I see them get beat. However, Gavin looks really really good. I take back what I said about him in my column this week; he deserves to be at least one of the favorites. His run last year was no fluke. 11:25 The big guys mat wrestling has been much better than the little guys. Gavin and Tannenbaum both are really active on top. That’s a pleasant surprise, usually the bigger guys just slug it out on their feet. 11:28 Stolpinski tucks in his shirt. I can’t stress enough how horrible those uniforms look. Somebody should be dishonorably discharged for that. 11:30 Gavin has dominated this match so far, yet it’s only 4-3. Wrestling is weird that way. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Stolpinski hit something late and pull this out. 11:31 Stolpinski gets a low single called off for potentially dangerous. That looked like his shot to turn this match around. Sure enough, Gavin is in deep and scores to make it 7-3, put this one in the books. 11:32 Stolpinski changes levels nicely, but can’t finish his shot and Gavin counters for the match to end 9-4. Gavin is from not far from where I live, yet I had never heard of him in high school. He came out of nowhere last year and gave Ben Askren his best match of the year in finals. He looked like the real deal tonight. 11:33 This is the most anticipated match up of the night. Roger Kish of Minnesota wrestles Jake Varner of Iowa State in the only match up of #1 and #2 ranked wrestlers in the country. Kish clearly has revenge on his mind after losing last year to Varner in NCAA semifinals. 11:34 Jake Varner is LONG. Big lanky kid with boats for feet. Kish simply can’t get in on shots. For such an explosive kid, Kish seems to have no answer for Varner’s length. Every time I’ve seen Kish wrestle he’s a scoring machine, so this is odd. I wonder if Jake Herbert is sitting in front of his computer somewhere and laughing. A title at 184 this year should come with an asterisk. Not saying these both aren’t great wrestlers, but Jake Herbert toys with both of him. He’s in a different stratosphere. 11:36 Incredible ankle pick by Varner, wonder how many times a day Cael does that to him in practice. It looks like the boy is learning. However, an absolute WOW moment from Roger Kish to get out of it. The counters tonight have been unbelievable. That’s what really separates top level college wrestlers. All these flurries have led to no points in the first. 11:38 Kish starts on bottom and simply cannot get away from Varner. Varner looks to have really separated himself, Kish has no answer for his size. 11:39 NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 11:40 My screen is completely frozen. Roger Kish is waiting for the restart, Varner is coming back to the center of the mat, and my video feed is dead. This is a debacle. 11:50 I’ve given up hope of seeing the last three matches. Apparently there were fireworks after Kish-Varner, I’m sorry I missed that. I’m not a happy camper. This is ridiculous. Once again, wrestling manages to shoot itself in the foot. What was otherwise a pretty good evening has been ruined quite nicely. I’m going. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/236-review-of-all-star-classic Sun, 25 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/235-wrestling-shocks-no-5-michigan-wins-two-of-three-at-northeast-duals TROY, N.Y. - Down 16-6 with three matches to go against No. 5 Michigan, the Maryland wrestling team completed an improbable comeback to take down the Wolverines, 18-16, in its opening match at the Journeymen/BRUTE Northeast Duals. Redshirt junior Josh Haines took down the No. 3 ranked wrestler at 184 pounds, redshirt sophomore Hudson Taylor scored his first of three falls on the day, and redshirt freshman Patrick Gilmore completed the run to steal the win. The Terrapins went on to beat Appalachian State, 31-7, before losing to No. 9 Central Michigan. The Terps were down 16-6 after seven matches against the Wolverines with redshirt sophomores Brendan Byrne and Stephen Bell opening the dual with a pair of decisions. Michigan's powerful lineup, which featured three wrestlers ranked in the top five in their respective weight classes, rattled off five straight wins to take the commanding lead. Maryland's wrestlers kept the damage to a minimum though, allowing four decisions and one major. Haines, who pinned No. 16 Eric Chine last weekend, ended the Michigan streak with a stunning upset of Todd. After a scoreless first period, Haines rode out Todd to accumulate 2:00 of riding time. In the third, Haines scored an escape and a takedown. Todd's only point came on a stalling penalty to Haines. Taylor recorded his fifth pin of the season, and most important one to date, in the first period against Anthony Biondo to pull the Terps within one, 16-15, with just the heavyweights to go. Gilmore and his opponent, Matthew Guhn, went back and forth with Gilmore almost recording a pin at the end of the first and second periods. Gilmore began to pull away though with a 14-11 advantage and then closed the match out with an escape and a takedown to give Maryland one of its biggest wins in program history. Freshman Eric Medina scored the most impressive win of the dual against Appalachian State as he recorded an 11-2 major decision against senior Scott Ervin, ranked No. 5 in the nation at 149 pounds. Medina's upset tied the team score, 7-7, and started a seven-match win streak to give Maryland the easy 31-7 victory. Both Taylor and sophomore Mike Letts recorded falls in their respective matches against the Mountaineers. Taylor picked up his third pin of the day when he ousted Vincenzo DiDona of Central Michigan. It was the Terps' only win against the Chippewas in a 36-6 setback. Maryland (4-3) will host its first action of the season at Comcast Pavilion when Lehigh visits College Park on Sunday, December 2 at 2:00 p.m. MARYLAND 18, MICHIGAN 16 125 - Brendan Byrne dec. Mike Watts, 5-2 (3-0) 133 - No. 16 Stephen Bell (MD) dec. Chris Diehl, 5-2 (6-0) 141 - Kellen Russell (MI) dec. Jon Kohler, 8-3, (6-3) 149 - No. 2 Joshua Churella (MI) dec. Eric Medina, 8-2 (6-6) 157 - No. 17 Jeff Marsh (MI) dec. Brian Letters, 2-0 (6-9) 165 - No. 2 Eric Tannenbaum (MI) major dec. Mike McGill, 10-2 (6-13) 174 - No. 4 Steve Luke (MI) dec. No. 7 Mike Letts, 9-5 (6-16) 184 - Josh Haines (MD) dec. No. 3 Tyrel Todd, 4-1 (9-16) 197 - No. 11 Hudson Taylor (MD) fall over Anthony Biondo, 2:41 (15-16) HWT - Patrick Gilmore (MD) dec. Matthew Guhn, 17-11 (18-16) MARYLAND 31, APPALACHIAN STATE 7 125 - Frank Celorrio (ASU) dec. Brendan Byrne, 7-5 (0-3) 133 - No. 16 Stephen Bell (MD) dec. Terreyl Williams, 8-6 (3-3) 141 - Marcus Cox (ASU) major dec. Jon Kohler, 20-11 (3-7) 149 - Eric Medina (MD) major dec. No. 5 Scott Ervin, 11-2 (7-7) 157 - Brian Letters (MD) dec. Edward Hutchinson, 7-1 (10-7) 165 - Mike McGill (MD) dec. Tommy Hutchinson, 5-2 (13-7) 174 - No. 7 Mike Letts (MD) fall over Antionne Jones, 1:04 (19-7) 184 - Josh Haines (MD) dec. Austin Trotman, 9-7 (22-7) 197 - No. 11 Hudson Taylor (MD) fall over John Griswold, 4:01 (28-7) HWT - Patrick Gilmore (MD) dec. Jared Campbell, 5-0 (31-7) CENTRAL MICHIGAN 36, MARYLAND 6 125 - No. 13 Luke Smith (CMU) dec. Brendan Byrne, 3-2 (0-3) 133 - Conor Beebe (CMU) dec. No. 16 Stephen Bell, 3-2 (0-6) 141 - Eric Kruger (CMU) tech. fall Jon Kohler, 19-3 (0-11) 149 - Brandon Carter (CMU) dec. Eric Medina, 10-3 (0-14) 157 - Tyler Grayson (CMU) dec. Brian Letters, 6-2 (0-17) 165 - No. 18 Trevor Stewert (CMU) major dec. Mike McGill, 11-3 (0-21) 174 - No. 5 Brandon Sinnott (CMU) dec. No. 7 Mike Letts, 3-1 (0-24) 184 - No. 7 Christian Sinnott (CMU) inj. Default Josh Haines (0-30) 197 - No. 11 Hudson Taylor (MD) fall over Vincenzo DiDona (6-30) HWT - Hafeez Qureshi (CMU) wins by forfeit (6-36) Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/235-wrestling-shocks-no-5-michigan-wins-two-of-three-at-northeast-duals Sun, 25 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/234-sooners-win-8-of-10 NORMAN, Okla. -- The University of Oklahoma came out on top in eight of ten weight classes at the 37th Oklahoma Open held at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman. Sophomore Kyle Terry was the first of eight straight Sooners to claim titles with a defeat of Luke Ashmore of Oklahoma State at 141 pounds. Seth Vernon continued the Sooner success with a win over Willy Pendleton of Labette to take first at 149 pounds. Chad Terry won over teammate Shane Vernon and Max Dean over Kyle Griffin of Oklahoma State to claim the 157 and 165-pound titles, respectively. Jeff James defeated teammate Chris DeVilbiss at 174 pounds to take the title and Joshua Weitzel won the 184-pound bout over Jack Jensen of OSU. There were co-champions at 197 pounds between Sooners Joel Flaggert and Eric Lapotsky, and Nathan Fernandez topped teammate Luis Hernandez in the heavyweight division. Oklahoma also placed three out of the top four in the 125-pound class. Freshman Joey Fio placed second for the Sooners, followed by Greg Cannon and John Starzky. Oklahoma State's Jamal Parks, who claimed the 133-pound title, was named the Open's Most Outstanding Wrestler. The Sooners will begin the Big 12 conference slate next Sunday, Dec. 2, at 2 p.m. versus in-state rival Oklahoma State. Junior high and high school results at the Oklahoma Open are listed on SoonerSports.com. Below are the top four finishers for each weight class: 125 Pounds 1st Isaac Wall (Newman) 2nd Joey Fio (Oklahoma) 3rd Greg Cannon (Oklahoma) 4th John Starzyk (Oklahoma) 133 Pounds 1st Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) 2nd Tyler Shinn (Oklahoma State) 3rd Tim Elliott (Labette College) 4th Justin Blumer (Oklahoma City) 141 Pounds 1st Kyle Terry (Oklahoma) 2nd Luke Ashmore (Oklahoma State) 3rd Nolan Spring (Oklahoma) 4th Jeremy Garner (Oklahoma City) 149 Pounds 1st Seth Vernon (Oklahoma) 2nd Willy Pendleton (Labette College) 3rd Charles Skelley (Oklahoma City) 4th Clint Swango (Oklahoma City) 157 Pounds 1st Chad Terry (Oklahoma) 2nd Shane Vernon (Oklahoma) 3rd Blake Allen (Oklahoma) 4th Brandon Benson (Oklahoma City) 165 Pounds 1st Max Dean (Oklahoma) 2nd Kyle Griffin (Oklahoma State) 3rd Ryan Smith (Oklahoma) 4th Cody Foust (Nebraska) 174 Pounds 1st Jeff James (Oklahoma) 2nd Chris DeVilbiss (Oklahoma) 3rd Joe Yust (Labette College) 4th John Wilcox (Oklahoma City) 184 Pounds 1st Joshua Weitzel (Oklahoma) 2nd Jack Jensen (Oklahoma State) 3rd Josh Hinton (Oklahoma) 4th Mitchell Eichenuer (Oklahoma City) 197 Pounds T1. Joel Flaggert (Oklahoma T1. Eric Lapotsky (Oklahoma) 3rd Brent Parkey (Oklahoma State) 4th Chad Cointment (Oklahoma State) HWT. 1st Nathan Fernandez (Oklahoma) 2nd Luis Hernandez (Oklahoma) 3rd Ben Hohensee (Labette College) 4th Jeremy Johnson (Oklahoma City) Championship Match Results 125: Isaac Wall (OSU) dec. Joey Fio (OU), 15-12 133: Jamal Parks (OSU) dec. Tyler Shinn (OSU), 7-3 141: Kyle Terry (OU) dec. Luke Ashmore (OSU), 9-3 149: Seth Vernon (OU) dec. Willy Pendleton (Labette), 10-3 157: Chad Terry (OU) dec. Shane Vernon (OU), 4-3 165: Max Dean (OU) dec. Kyle Griffin (OSU), 6-3 174: Jeff James (OU) dec. Chris DeVilbiss (OU), 2-1 184: Joshua Weitzel (OU) dec. Jack Jensen (OSU), 2-1 197: Joel Flaggert (OU) and Eric Lapotsky (OU) (No match, co-champs) HWT: Nathan Fernandez (OU) dec. Luis Hernandez (OU), 3-1 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/234-sooners-win-8-of-10 Sun, 25 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/233-golden-gophers-start-off-strong The defending national champion Golden Gopher wrestling team completed a three-meet sweep Saturday, beating Northern Illinois, Northern Colorado and North Dakota State at the first-ever Northern Quad event at the UCR Regional Sports Center in Rochester, Minn. Minnesota outscored its opponents 109-21 and lost just four matches all day. They will enter next Sunday’s Williams Arena showdown with Iowa State a perfect 3-0 in dual meet competition. Jayson Ness, Manuel Rivera, C.P. Schlatter, Dustin Schlatter and Gabe Dretsch all went a perfect 3-0 on the day, while Mack Reiter, Scott Glasser and Justin Bronson each won both of their matches. Tyler Safratowich, Brandon Sitch and Ben Berhow also earned single victories on the day. An estimated crowd of well over 1,500 people traveled to the Rochester Community Technical College campus to watch the all-day event. The Gophers have now won 23 consecutive dual meets, dating back to Nov. 25 of last season. They are still ranked first in every national wrestling poll. Minnesota will now prepare for their Dec. 2 meet with Iowa State, which will get underway at 2 p.m. in Williams Arena a week from Sunday. The Cyclones were the runners-up at last season’s NCAA Championships and have already won five dual meets this season (5-0). The meet will be televised either live or via tape delay by the Big Ten Network. Stay tuned to gophersports.com for more updates. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/233-golden-gophers-start-off-strong Sun, 25 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/229-huskers-hold-off-lehigh-for-28-13-win Lincoln – The Husker wrestling team opened their home schedule with a 28-13 dual victory over a persistent Lehigh squad on Friday at the NU Coliseum in front of 828 fans. Nebraska, ranked No. 14 in the nation, tangled with the Mountain Hawks into the eighth match of the night. David Craig scored a 9-4 decision over NU’s Andy Johnson at 184 pounds to pull Lehigh within two as LU looked for the upset. Sophomore Levi Wofford went down early in his 197-pound match and the Huskers looked to be on the ropes. Wofford collected himself to take the lead with a dramatic takedown with three seconds left in the first period and crank up the Husker’s momentum with a 13-4 major decision win over LU’s Alex Iacocca. Wofford’s win stretched the lead back to five and rousing victories by senior Jon May at heavyweight and junior Paul Donahoe at 125 capped the dual with three straight wins and a 15-point win for NU. Nebraska found the Mountain Hawks to be a worthy adversary early in the dual. Lehigh jumped out to a 4-0 lead when Kevin Vinh recorded a 10-2 major decision over the Huskers’ Austin Baier to start the dual at 133 pounds. Junior Robert Sanders tied the match at four with a 14-4 major decision at 141 as the Huskers won the next two matches behind sophomore Jordan Burroughs at 149 and junior Chris Oliver at 157 to stretch the lead to 12-4. Lehigh asserted themselves back into the dual with a Mike Galante pin of Nebraska’s Stephen Dwyer at 165 and cut the Huskers’ down to two. Junior Brandon Browne gained NU some breathing room with an 11-5 decision over LU’s Alex Caruso at 174, but Lehigh responded with Craig’s win over Johnson. Nebraska won the next three matches and Donahoe put an exclamation point on the dual at 125 pounds. Donahoe pinned LU’s Mitch Berger in 1:29 to improve to 2-0 in his title defense. The Huskers travel to the talent-filled Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha Saturday. The majority of NU’s squad will compete in the one-day open tournament; with action beginning at 9 a.m. Donahoe will skip the Kaufman-Brand to prepare for the All-Star Classic in Eugene, Ore., on Monday. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/229-huskers-hold-off-lehigh-for-28-13-win Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/228-wish-list-for-the-2007-2008-wrestling-season Sure, this is a cheap, gimmicky column. Everybody seems to write top ten lists to preview a season. But these are the things in each weight class that I really want to see. Obviously I want to see great wrestling. More often than not, college wrestling delivers that. But to step out of its niche, there are things in each weight class that can help the sport as a whole. The athletic heavyweight, a better relationship with football, the best rivalry in sport, expansion of programs outside the Midwest, all are things that can slowly start to be accomplished in a variety of classes this season. I want to see exciting guys do well. I want to see some inherent drama created by great rivalries, most notably Schlatter-Metcalf. I’ve grown up in Easton, Pennsylvania, and following District 11 every year I found the storylines were almost better than the wrestling. As I move on to the college game, this isn’t necessarily the case anymore. This list is also meant to map out some of the story lines I’d love to see develop. 10. That JD Bergman rolls through heavyweight. Unless I am in Mr. Bergman’s immediate family, that seems like an odd wish. However, I do have a method to my madness. As JD makes the move up to heavyweight from 197 he has the potential to fill a glaring gap in this weight class this year. But this wish goes beyond that. The old adage goes that coaching is the greatest form of plagiarism. Tom Ryan’s idea to move Bergman up to heavyweight is a calculated gamble to take a great athlete that could make the cut to 197, and stick him up with the big boys to try his luck. In a recent interview, Bergman says he weights a steady 235 pounds, making him a typical meal for Cole Konrad. While Conrad, and Steve Mocco, were certainly a fantastic athlete in his own right, too many of those freakish size and agility combination find themselves lining up on Saturdays in the fall. Beyond those two, heavyweight has been boring as more and more coaches go with guys that push the 285 pound limit who can match up at least physically with Konrad and Mocco and do little more than push each other. With Konrad and Mocco both gone, what we have is a boring class where nobody particularly stands out, and a season of 2-1 OT matches looks very possible. When I heard rumors this summer that JD Bergman and Phil Davis were both considering going heavy, I thought it would be a step towards saving the weight class. While the Davis thing didn’t happen, (and judging from the public mugging of Hudson Taylor, he made a good decision) Bergman can be a catalyst. If enough coaches see Bergman successful and remember the Tommy Rowlands/Kerry McCoy types of the late 90s and early 2000s, we could see coaches utilizing recruiting out of the 215 pound weight class and the fad of sleek, athletic heavyweights could return. Year in and year out, 197 has the best athletes found on a wrestling mat. The combination of size, power, and speed may not be matched in all of sport. Many of these are high school 215s that haven’t cut weight until college. While this certainly fits the needs of most programs, some certainly would benefit by keeping these 215s in the weight room and at the dinner table. Virginia Tech is doing this with Cody Gardner, who is my ultimate hope to bring the light-heavyweight back into vogue. But Bergman rolling through this season would at least give other coaches some ideas. 9. That somebody steps up at 174 Five years ago I saw David Erwin dominate Sean Richmond at the Final Four at Easton Area High School. I have never, and never again, seen Richmond so overmatched. A year later, Erwin killed Donnie Jones at the Dapper Dan Classic in Pittsburgh. Three years later he…can’t win a wrestle-off? There are a few guys that could bring some star power back to 174, which frankly lost most of it when everybody ran from Ben Askren. Erwin I would say is certainly one of them, but he needs to get on the mat first. Steve Luke is an incredibly good wrestler, but nothing about his style screams “watch me, watch me!” He doesn’t score enough to be ready to take over the class either. Keith Gavin is your preseason #1, but I could see him winning a title or going 2-2 at the tournament. His overtime decision to Alex Caruso doesn’t inspire confidence either. I like Steve Anceravage’s move up, but he failed to All American at a lower (albeit tougher) weight class. Maybe he can make waves here. Mike Letts is the most interesting guy in the weight class. I’ve heard him described as an “innovator” by teammates and his style that is equally technician and brawler certainly is fun to watch. He’s one of the last guys in the NCAA I’d want to be in a street fight against and cruised to an ACC title last year. Maybe with a year under his belt he can put together a longer run at the tournament. The wild card of course, is what will Dave Craig do? I think I speak for college wrestling fans everywhere when I say please come down where you belong. Brandon Mason has the most potential as of right now. He certainly looked like a world beater last weekend, but he has to prove that week in and week out before I fully believed in him. There eventually will be a champion here, but if there are real stars at 174 remains to be determined. 8. The best rivalry in wrestling turns out to be…Gillespie-Poeta? I’ll get to the clash of titans in a minute (number 1 for those of you who can’t stand the wait), but here’s hoping the best matches in the country this year involve my two favorite wrestlers to watch in the country. I’ve always had a soft spot for Gillespie, he reminds me of Mike Rogers, my favorite wrestler to watch in high school. But Gillespie is even more explosive, especially on his feet. The fake outside, redirect inside shot is mind numbing, and no wrestler in the country scores more from top. And of course no conversation about explosive wrestlers could be complete without Mike Poeta, whose blast double could go against Bryan Snyder’s any day of the week. He’s as dynamic on his feet as anybody in the country. Both of these guys are go, go go, score, score, score at all times. Both guys are goers, but both also can score style points with the best of them. Frankly, this is what college wrestling needs. While the weight class below has the inherent drama of natural rivals, here’s hoping that these two meet up in NCAA finals, when the lights of the sporting world are on wrestling for one night (kind of). What could be better than a 10-9 finals match with each of these guys scoring every way imaginable. Josh Churella did the right thing last year against Gregor by attempting to slow him down at all costs. Poeta can match him point for point, and I’d have to imagine would give it a shot. For years, we’ve complained about people wrestling boring, conservative matches in finals that reiterate the fact that wrestling is not consumer friendly. Seven minutes between Gillespie and Poeta could go a long way to changing that. 7. Kerry McCoy gets his first big lift out West Pretty much everybody can agree that the best thing for wrestling is parity. While at the team level, it will take years to pry the grip of the Big 10 and Big 12’s hands off of the trophy, the first dents are made by individuals winning from outside the axis of power. And with the disappointing decisions made by certain athletic directors out west, they need some hope. Derek Moore was a great story last year, and certainly gave us the best performance in finals. But UC-Davis isn’t what I’d necessarily call and up and coming program. Stanford could be. Kerry McCoy is one of the great ambassadors of the sport. He’s a class act all the way, and certainly has credentials that few coaches around the country can match. By hiring McCoy, Stanford has made an effort to improve its wrestling profile, which along with the help of Jimmy Zalesky at Oregon State, could save the Pac-10. What would give McCoy more momentum than crowning his first national champion? Although it would be a long-shot, Tanner Gardner has the tools to win it all at 125. While he certainly isn’t the chic pick, Troy Nickerson and Jayson Ness can battle out that honor, he would do good beyond just his tenure at Stanford. Gardner’s national title would be a cornerstone to start really building that program. 6. Slap the mat all over the place at 133 Nothing is more exciting than wrestlers who can turn and pin guys at will. Pinners are dangerous, pinners are fun, pinners put butts in the seats. I remember being in middle school and watching Easton wrestle. I was worried to even turn around during Gino Fortibono’s matches, because I didn’t want to miss somebody get decked. This excitement level is certainly apparent with some of the studs at 133 this year. Last weekend Lou Ruggerlio’s double armbar on Tyler McCormick turned the rankings upside down. My hunch is that he won’t be the last big name King Lou pins. Mack Reiter has the same level of danger with the best cradle in the country. Coleman Scott has the advantage because he’s better on his feet than everybody in the class, but his tentacles on top will lead to their fare share of falls. These three guys make 133 the most fun class in the country this year. More than any other weight class, we have guys that are going to ride looking for a fall. Here’s hoping these three wrestlers put on a show all year. Without Ben Askren around, we need somebody who can test how many times their opponent doesn’t see the second period. Heck, for riding to be cool again, we need more guys like Scott, Ruggerlio, and Reiter to start sticking guys at an alarming clip. Mat wrestling is good for the sport when it’s done right. These three do it right, and all falls all the time will make this class. 5. Ryan Goodman makes his run In a move that is great both for the ACC and the 184 pound weight class, Ryan Goodman is moving down, giving one of the best classes in the country yet another stud. Although he can’t be put on the same level as Roger Kish, Jake Varner, Mike Pucillio, and Tyrell Todd just yet, Goodman might be the best athlete in the country. We saw how dangerous he can be at 197 last year, now he comes down to 184 as one of the biggest guys in the weight class. It helps that NC State is having a miserable football season, and we could see him in the Wolfpack lineup sooner rather than later. But if Goodman lives up to his billing coming into college, which he certainly has been on the ascent to do, we could see five legitimate national title contenders. The absence of Jake Herbert here this year makes 184 as exciting and wide open as any class in the country. Having a two sport athlete throw his hat in the ring is a good thing for a lot of reasons. Beyond the competitive aspect of it, it also sends great messages to football coaches at all levels, but particularly in high school, that football and wrestling can mix. While Stephen Neal is the best example of this, Ryan Goodman is another nice piece of evidence. 4. Avoid the hangover at 165 Last year, 165 had inherently more drama than any other weight class. Every story is only as good as it’s villain, and Johny Hendricks was one hell of a villain. He was cocky, he over celebrated, he whined when things didn’t go his way. But most importantly, Johny Hendricks was good…very good. They don’t boo nobodies, and that was certainly the case with Hendricks. Beyond rooting against Hendricks, there also was the storyline of Mark Perry trying to finally break through and beat not only Hendricks, but his family in Hendricks’ corner. It’s no great secret that Perry didn’t go wrestle for Uncle Johnny. And last year’s title bout culminate a season’s worth of drama with a happy ending. No celebration was greater or more pure than seeing Hendricks scream and fall to his knees after finally defeating Hendricks. For somebody to overcome such a tremendous obstacle, not to mention all of the pressure of the Iowa program and Tom Brands that was strategically placed on Perry’s shoulders, it was the perfect ending to a great year at 165. The question now is, what’s next? Perry is exception, there’s no doubt about that. His great task will be climbing the mountain again. But beyond that, what is going to happen? Eric Tannenbaum has always been a very good wrestler, but will he ascend to be a worthy challenger to Perry’s title? Perry doesn’t have the charisma of Ben Askren to make utter domination interesting. But until a foil really emerges, that might be what we have to settle for. 3. Phil Davis stays scary good After watching him wrestle this weekend, Phil Davis could be the best in the country. Easily. Granted, he’s wrestled exactly one match this year. But oh what a display it was. He brutalized Hudson Taylor, who will have as good a season as anybody at 197 this year. Josh Glenn gets absolutely no respect as the defending national title, and I’m sure writing this is a slap in the face to him. His title is one of the steps wrestling needs to expand outside of the Big 10 and Big 12. But if Davis wrestles like that, the fun will be seeing who can even stay with him, Glenn included. I’ve been talking about athletes this entire column, athletes are what makes the sport interesting. Davis is that kind of athlete that can change the sport. He’s had some blips on the radar in the past, the swing at Jake Rosholt, missing weight at last year’s All Star Classic. But if he can keep wrestling at this level, he’s the story of the year. 2. Ryan Lang’s redemption Maybe the trend for Northwestern wrestlers is to get embarrassed in NCAA Finals one year, then come back like a man on a mission. That strategy certainly worked for Jake Herbert last year, as he punished the field to win 184. Ryan Lang certainly has the first part of the equation figured out. After sticking Darrion Caldwell in the most entertaining match of the tournament, Lang had all the momentum he needed going into semifinals. But a tight match against Don Fisch and a disaster against Derek Moore led to one of the more unsatisfying runner up finishes in recent years. But Lang is a warrior. He’s an interesting kid, gives great interviews, and has a personality you want to root for. He also goes for broke in every match he’s in. Once again, the type of wrestler college wrestling needs. But getting killed in a big match affects kids in many different ways. Some bounce back and have the year of a lifetime, look at Jake Herbert. Others never quite recover. Wrestling is more mental than physical, and many people would be mentally broken after being teched in finals by a relative unknown. This year I’ll be rooting for Ryan Lang for that very reason. I’m hoping that as bad as last year felt, this year is just as sweet. 1. The clash of titans lives up to the hype Darrion Caldwell is a physical specimen. Lance Palmer was the best true freshman in the country last year. Bubba Jenkins won a world title and is now in the right weight class. J.P. O’Connor could be the EIWA’s best wrestler. Josh Churella is a returning NCAA finalist. And you know what, I hope none of it even matters. What matters is for the first time in two years, Brent Metcalf will be wrestling when it means something. The reincarnation of Tom Brands is making his debut. I hope Metcalf is as mean as advertised. Sometimes, there is beauty in brutality. If Brent Metcalf doesn’t eat glass for breakfast, run through brick walls to warm up, and finish matches by drinking his opponent’s blood, I might be disappointed. I want Metcalf to be good because he’s supposed to be. I want Metcalf to be good because he’s a goer at its very highest levels. His style can be as punishing as anyone in the sport’s history. And his topsy turvey career so far lends itself to Hendricks-like villain status. Brands has hinted that Metcalf really is the second coming. He has the most talent in a very talented Iowa room. I want to see it. I also want Dustin Schlatter back. Show me Dustin Schlatter that outscores his opponents 33-2 at the NCAA tournament. The Dustin Schlatter that puts 10 up on Zack Esposito. The Dustin Schlatter that hits duck unders in his sleep. The Dustin Schlatter who scores at will that you can’t possibly score on. And then I want to see these two wrestle. A lot. I’d be content if every time they stepped on the mat it’s against each other. And each time they wrestle, I hope it’s a war. I want Metcalf to try and turn it into a street fight. I’d like Schlatter to continue to be a surgeon. Through this clash of styles I want to see the match the ancient Greeks envisioned when they created the sport. The clash of styles, the mix of personalities, the anticipation. I want Schlatter-Metcalf to be better than advertised. I want athletic directors to see their matches and immediately examine how they can bring back wrestling. I want ABC Sports to want the rights to Schlatter-Metcalf match ups. I want Schlatter-Metcalf to change the course of college wrestling. It’s the only thing that can satisfy the hype. And it’s really all I wish for. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/228-wish-list-for-the-2007-2008-wrestling-season Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/227-minnesota-goes-to-kaufman-brand-open The defending national champion Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling team will wrap up its final tune-up before the start of the dual meet season this Saturday when they compete at the Kaufman-Brand Open, hosted by the University of Nebraska-Omaha. The Kaufman-Brand Open is the largest single-day collegiate wrestling meet in the nation. The event will get underway at 9:00 a.m. at the Lee & Helene Sapp Fieldhouse in Omaha, Neb. A total of 42 teams are expected to enter approximately 650 wrestlers in the meet, making it easily the country's largest single-day collegiate meet. The U.S. Olympic Training Center will send a squad in addition to many of the top teams in all three NCAA divisions. Minnesota’s dual meet season begins on Nov. 24 when they participate in the first-ever Northern Quad invitational, a one-day dual meet event held at the UCR Regional Sports Center in Rochester, Minn. The Gophers’ home dual meet season begins on Dec. 2 against 2006-07 national runner-ups Iowa State. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/227-minnesota-goes-to-kaufman-brand-open Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/223-oklahoma-and-north-carolina-state-to-battle-in-norman NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma wrestling squad will host defending ACC champion North Carolina State on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. at the Howard McCasland Fieldhouse. The match will mark the first home dual for OU this season. "It is great to be home competing against the defending ACC champs," head coach Jack Spates said. "We are looking forward to representing the Big 12 with our young and aggressive squad." Oklahoma is 6-0 all-time against the Wolfpack, with the most recent victory in 2004 by a 39-9 decision. The Sooners, 3-0 and ranked No. 21 by NWCA, are coming off an impressive showing last weekend at the Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic in Brockport, N.Y., winning a ninth straight team title. The Sooners dominated competition, winning eight of 10 individual championships. OU redshirt freshman Zack Bailey was named most outstanding wrestler and junior Chris DeVilbiss won the most pins award at the event. The most anticipated matchup Thursday against the Wolfpack will be the 149-pound dual. OU junior Will Rowe, ranked No. 12, will face No. 10 Darrion Caldwell of North Carolina State. "Will has his hands full because Caldwell is arguably the most dynamic wrestler in the country," Spates said. "We are off to a great start and fans should come out Thursday night as we try to continue our success against the Wolfpack." Doors will open at 6 p.m. and admission is free to the public. Thursday night is also 50-cent hot dog while supplies last. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/223-oklahoma-and-north-carolina-state-to-battle-in-norman Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/224-patriot-open-on-its-way Just wanted to let you know the "Patriot Open" at Valley Forge High School is this Sunday. This is an open tournament for wrestlers of all ages, from a 5-6 division through high school and even an open division. More than 300 wrestlers are expected for this event. Five mats will run all day, and a split start time will be used, check the entry form (attached) for details. This tournament is the first "Tournament of Champions" Qualifier of the season, with top three place finishers qualifying for the TOC on April 26th. Deluxe trophies will be awarded to top three finishers ages 12 and under, medals to those 13 and up. Also, a 48-inch team trophy will be awarded to the top two teams, so be sure to note what team you are competing for on the entry form! For high school wrestlers, this event is your final opportunity to get some extra competition in to prepare for the upcoming season. Please note: competing in this tournament will not affect your OHSAA eligibility unless your team has competed in an official scrimmage with another team. In other words, the fact that your team has started practice does not matter! There is an entry form attached that you can download for more details. You can also download a form at: http://www.ohiowrestler.com/Forms/OW_07_Youth_ValleyForge_Form.pdf See you on Sunday! Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/224-patriot-open-on-its-way Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/221-getting-ready-for-the-all-star-classic The 42nd edition of the NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps comes to the Pacific Northwest for the first time in 17 years as Eugene, Ore., will host the annual wrestling spectacle. This year’s lineup features six top-ranked wrestlers in Division I, one top-ranked wrestler in Division II, eight second-ranked wrestlers from Division I along with four #3’s and one #4. In all, 14 different schools will be represented and will comprise athletes from the Big Ten, Big 12, Colonial, EIWA, EWL, Pac 10 and Division II. “We’re excited to have the event in an area that’s not only known for its wrestling wealth, but an area that is nationally known for putting out some of the top wrestlers in the nation,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. There is one pivotal focus of this year’s event – save the wrestling program at the University of Oregon. In June, the school announced it was cutting the sport in favor of adding baseball and women’s competitive cheer, and that 2007-08 would be the final season of Duck Wrestling in Eugene. “This is an important event, not only for the sport of wrestling, but for the health and well-being of wrestling in the state of Oregon and around the country,” said NWCA President Ron Mirikitani. “There is great tradition at the University of Oregon. National Champions, Olympic Medalists, Olympic Coaches,” continued Mirikitani. “We’re hoping that a great fan presence will show the administration that Oregon needs wrestling and wrestling needs Oregon.” The lineup that’s going to be taking to the mat at McArthur Court is solid. At 125 pounds, returning NCAA champion Paul Donahoe of Nebraska comes in ranked #1 in the country after his surprise run to the title last season. He’ll take on Jayson Ness, a sophomore from Minnesota ranked fourth in the nation and a fifth-place finisher at the NCAA Championships last March. It is the first appearance for both wrestlers. At 133 pounds, two of the Big 12’s top wrestlers will square off with three-time All-American and returning NCAA runner-up Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State will take on Missouri’s two-time All-American Tyler McCormick. Scott is 2-1 lifetime against McCormick and is one of two Cowboys to be represented in the event. Scott’s making his second All-Star appearance, losing last year to Penn’s Matt Valenti. At 141 pounds, it’s the second Cowboy, two-time All-American Nathan Morgan. Morgan, ranked third, will face second-ranked Charles Griffin of Hofstra. Griffin bested Morgan in the third-place match at the 2007 NCAA Division I Championships last March 6-2 and is the first Hofstra wrestler to compete in the main event of the All-Star Classic since Nick Gallo wrestled in the event in 1977, which conversely, took place in Corvallis. Morgan’s making his second All-Star appearance. He fell last year to top-ranked Ryan Lang of Northwestern. Hofstra head coach Tom Shifflet will also represent the Pride. At 149 pounds, a pair of Big Ten opponents will tangle as top-ranked Dustin Schlatter, a two-time All-American and 2006 NCAA champion, will face off with second-ranked Josh Churella, a two-time All-American and 2007 NCAA runner-up. It will be Schlatter’s second All-Star appearance. Last season, he defeated Oklahoma’s Matt Storniolo in Dallas. At 157 pounds, Wisconsin’s NCAA runner-up Craig Henning, ranked second at the weight, will wrestle Illinois’ Mike Poeta in another All-Big Ten tussle. It’s been six years since Barry Davis has had a wrestler compete in the event – Donny Pritzlaff in 2001. Davis joins Shifflet, Iowa Central coach Luke Moffitt and Embry-Riddle coach Ken Ramsey as coaches for the event. Second-ranked Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan, ranked second, will take on third-ranked Patrick Pitsch of Arizona State at 165 pounds. The match could draw some fans from nearby Washington as the two-time Pac-10 champion hails from Spanaway, Wash., a four-hour drive up I-5. Two Eastern conferences are represented at 174 pounds, with returning NCAA finalist and top-ranked Keith Gavin of Pittsburgh against second-ranked Matt Stolpinski of the United States Naval Academy. Gavin is Pitt’s first representative since J.J. Fasnacht in 1996, while Stolpinski is the Academy’s first since Mark Conley in 2002. Making his second All-Star Classic is Minnesota’s Roger Kish. Last season, Kish fell to Northwestern’s Jake Herbert, but the Michigan native will have a familiar foe in his opponent in 2007 – Iowa State’s top-ranked sophomore Jake Varner. Varner defeated Kish in overtime in the semifinals of last year’s NCAA championships at 184 pounds. A pair of Big Ten wrestlers will again meet at 197 pounds, as second-ranked Phil Davis, a three-time All-American from Penn State, will face third-ranked Mike Tamillow of Northwestern. This will be Davis second appearance in the All-Star Classic, but he failed to make weight at last year’s event. Tamillow was seventh at last year’s NCAA championships. At heavyweight, Division I’s top-ranked heavyweight Dustin Fox of Northwestern will have a large challenge in front of him, the top-ranked heavyweight in Division II, Nebraska-Kearney’s Tervel Dlagnev. Dlagnev beat Fox in the finals of last year’s Midlands championships and is making his third All-Star appearance but first in the main event. In 2005 in Stillwater, Dlagnev beat Central Oklahoma’s Josh LeadingFox in the event’s only exhibition, while in 2006, the Texan beat Wartburg’s Blake Gillis in one of five exhibition matches. Dlagnev’s the first non-Division I wrestler in the event since Emmett Willson of Montana State-Northern (NAIA) in 2004 and the first Division II wrestler to compete since Dan Russell of Portland State in 1990 – the last time Oregon hosted the event. “We feel the All-Star Classic is one of wrestling’s greatest events because it can give you a potential NCAA final right now,” said Moyer. “We’re hoping the momentum of this event in Eugene, with people like Ron Finely among others, leading the charge to keep this valuable and historic sport in the state of Oregon.” “Countless teachers and coaches have come through the wrestling room at the University of Oregon and it would be a shame if there was no longer a pipeline to Oregon’s youth and high school wrestlers and coaches to and from Eugene.” “We hope the All-Star Classic not only puts the 20 best wrestlers in the nation on display, but the need for wrestling at Oregon as well,” said Moyer. The United States Marine Corps is again partnering with the NWCA for the event and has been a win-win situation for the NWCA and the event itself. “The United States Marine Corps and the NWCA have built a great partnership over the years,” said Moyer. “They present one of our showcase events – the All-Star Classic – and also are a key player in our leadership awards. We’re pleased to continue our relationship with them on every level.” The event is slated for a 7 p.m. start, and tickets are available by calling the Duck ticket office at 1-800-WEB-FOOT (or 541.346.4461 locally) during weekday normal business hours. Prices are $15 for reserved, $10 for Adult General Admission and $5 for Children General Admission (ages 2-18) and UO Students (with a valid UO student ID). For teams of 15 or more, reserved tickets are available for $10 for each ticket if arranged in advance through the UO Athletic Department Ticket Office. Other general ticket information is available at the online at www.GoDucks.com website. More information on the NWCA is available at the www.nwcaonline.com website. 42nd NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps November 19, Eugene, OR 125: #1 Paul Donahoe (Nebraska) vs. #4 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) 133: #1 Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State) vs. #2 Tyler McCormick (Missouri) 141: #2 Charles Griffin (Hofstra) vs. #3 Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State) 149: #1 Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) vs. #2 Josh Churella (Michigan) 157: #2 Craig Henning (Wisconsin) vs. #3 Mike Poeta (Illinois) 165: #2 Eric Tannenbaum (Michigan) vs. #3 Patrick Pitsch (Arizona State) 174: #1 Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh) vs. #2 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) 184: #1 Jake Varner (Iowa State) vs. #2 Roger Kish (Minnesota) 197: #2 Phil Davis (Penn State) vs. #3 Mike Tamillow (Northwestern) 285: #1 (D2) Tervel Dlagnev (Neb.-Kearney) vs. #1 (D1) Dustin Fox (Northwestern) EXHIBITIONS (2) 174: Ron Lee (Oregon) vs. Luke Feist (Stanford) TBA COACHES Tom Shifflet (Hofstra), Barry Davis (Wisconsin), Luke Moffitt (Iowa Central), Ken Ramsey (Embry-Riddle) Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/221-getting-ready-for-the-all-star-classic Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/217-bring-on-the-chaos Lou Ruggirello of Hofstra and Tyler Shinn of Okie State shook up the 133lb weight class this weekend. They beat Tyler McCormick and Coleman Scott respectively. That is the #2 and #1 wrestlers in the country falling, for all extensive purposes, in the opening weekend of the 2007-8 Season. I believe this is a foreshadowing of the chaotic things to come in 2008. It is anybody's game in every weight class. I think Hofstra is a team that is proving that if you do the right things to build a program you can make it happen no matter who you are or what your past. Central Michigan is another team that is shaking things up and of course we cant exclude UTC, who upset Ohio State for the second straight year this past weekend. Of course Ohio State are contenders and so is Missouri, Northwestern, Edinboro and Cornell. All teams with very little past that are or becoming National Contenders for a National Title. Am I missing someone else? The weight classes are wide open most notably heavy weight but obviously now we can see 133lbs is also wide open especially if last years highest place winner fell to his "back up". Tyler Shinn has definitely shook things up and is demanding a a whole new level of respect just like the aforementioned teams. Hang on because this year it will be chaos. Teams like Hofstra and wrestlers like Shinn are inciting it. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/217-bring-on-the-chaos Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/218-utc-wrestlers-knock-off-ohio-state-for-second-straight-year CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Matt Koz scored an 11-2 major decision over Ohio State’s John Weakley in the 197-pound match Saturday to secure Chattanooga’s 19-16 victory over the No. 8-ranked Buckeyes. Koz, an Ohio native ranked as high as No. 11 nationally, extended the 19th-ranked Mocs’ lead from 15-10 to 19-10, an insurmountable lead with one match left. “This is big, huge for us,” UTC Head Coach Chris Bono said. “But we can’t look at it like this made our season. It’s the first match of the year. I wish they would practice like they came out to wrestle tonight. I’m going to expect this from them every day.” UTC, which defeated the Buckeyes last year, 28-13 in Columbus, Ohio, earned victories in six of the 10 matches. Sophomore Joey Knox pulled off perhaps the surprise of the dual with a 6-3 victory over third-ranked Lance Palmer at 149. Javier Maldonado, ranked as high as No. 8 at 125 pounds, got the scoring going for the Mocs, 3-0, with a 7-1 decision over Nikko Triggas. OSU, 3-1, took a 6-3 lead on the strength of back-to-back decisions by Reece Humphrey at 133 and No. 6 J Jaggers at 141. After Knox tied the score, UTC strung together three consecutive wins. Seth Garvin edged Jason Johnstone 8-7 on a riding time point at 157, Nick Davis recorded a 16-6 major over Robel Campbell at 165 and No. 16 Lloyd Rogers defeated Alex Picazo 11-5 at 174. Mike Pucillo held true to his No. 4 national ranking with an 18-2 technical fall over Josh Edmondson in the 184-pound match. Fourth-ranked J. D. Bergman closed out the match following Koz’s win with a pin of UTC’s Ben O’Neill in the heavyweight final. Earlier in the day, the Mocs registered a 42-3 victory over Cumberland University and a 44-4 win over Anderson University. The Buckeyes defeated Anderson 44-3 and Cumberland 39-16. UTC picked up three pins, two tech falls and two major decisions in the win over Cumberland and recorded the same amount of bonus wins over Anderson. Picking up pins in the first two matches were Koz and Rogers with two apiece, and Maldonado and Garvin. The Mocs will compete at the Pennsylvania Open Nov. 18 in Philadelphia. No. 19 Chattanooga 19, No. 8 Ohio State 16 125 – No. 8 Javier Maldonado (UTC) dec. Nikko Triggas (OSU), 7-1 3-0 133 – Reece Humphrey (OSU) dec. Steve Hromada (UTC), 8-4 3-3 141 – No. 6 J Jaggers (OSU) dec. Cody Cleveland (UTC), 10-7 3-6 149 – Joey Knox (UTC) dec. No. 3 Lance Palmer (OSU), 6-3 5-5* 157 – Seth Garvin (UTC) dec. Jason Johnstone (OSU), 8-7 8-5 165 – Nick Davis (UTC) maj. dec. Robel Campbell (OSU), 16-6 12-5 174 – No. 16 Lloyd Rogers (UTC) dec. Alex Picazo (OSU), 11-5 15-5 184 – No. 4 Mike Pucillo (OSU) tech fall Josh Edmondson (UTC), 18-2 (6:29) 15-10 197 – No. 11 Matt Koz (UTC) maj. dec. John Weakley (OSU), 11-2 19-10 285 – No. 4 J.D. Bergman (OSU) pinned Ben O’Neill (UTC), :28 19-16 (*one team point deducted from both teams) No. 19 Chattanooga 42, Cumberland University 3 125 – Javier Maldonado (UTC) pinned DeSean Willis (CU), 6:30; 6-0 133 – Steve Hromada (UTC) tech. fall Josh Choppa (CU), 6:38 (22-7) 11-0 141 – Cody Cleveland (UTC) tech. fall Eddie Sanchez (CU), 1:51 (16-1) 16-0 149 – Theo Dotson (CU) dec. C.J. Baron (UTC), 11-7 6-3 157 – Seth Garvin (UTC) major dec. Corey Bleaken (CU), 15-5 20-3 165 – Nick Davis (UTC) major dec. David Wiese (CU), 14-4 24-3 174 – Lloyd Rogers (UTC) pinned Stephen Medina (CU), :28 30-3 184 – Josh Edmondson (UTC) dec. Jordan Powers (CU), 9-2 33-3 197 – Matt Koz (UTC) pinned Kyle Studer (CU), 1:49 39-3 Hwt – Matt Lettner (UTC) dec. B.J. Stewart (CU), 4-3 42-3 No. 8 Ohio State 44, Anderson 3 125 – Nikko Triggs (OSU) pinned Nick Moreira (AND), 1:11 6-0 133 – Reece Humphrey (OSU) pinned Chris Francis (AND), 2:07 12-0 141 – J Jaggers (OSU) tech. fall Tim Crocken (AND), 2:46 17-0 149 – Lance Palmer (OSU) pinned Nick DiCarlo (AND), 1:18 23-0 157 – Jason Johnstone (OSU) major dec. T.J. Selke (AND), 13-4 27-0 165 – Trevor Sanford (AND) dec. Robel Campbell (OSU), 4-1 27-3 174 – Tommy Priestly (OSU) dec. Josh Hambrick (AND), 4-1 30-3 184 – Wes Bergman (OSU) dec. Luis Audelo (AND), 3-2 33-3 197 – John Weakley (OSU) tech. fall, Logan Watson (AND), 2:54 (16-0) 38-3 HWT – J.D. Bergman (OSU) by forfeit 44-3 No. 19 Chattanooga 44, Anderson 4 125 – Javier Maldonado (UTC) tech. fall Joshua Barnes (AND), 3:33 (15-0) 5-0 133 – Steve Hromada (UTC) tech. fall Bradley Benton (AND), 6:04 (21-6) 10-0 141 – Tony DiCarlo (AND) major dec. T.J. Hannah (UTC), 18-8 10-4 149 – Joey Knox (UTC) major dec. Nick DiCarlo (AND) 12-2 14-4 157 – Seth Garvin (UTC) pinned T.J. Selke (AND), 4:50 20-4 165 – Mark Rogers (UTC) dec. Trevor Sanford (AND), 6-0 23-4 174 – Lloyd Rogers (UTC) pinned Zach Anderson (AND), 4:41 29-4 184 – Josh Edmondson (UTC) dec. Luis Audelo (AND), 8-5 32-4 197 – Matt Koz (UTC) pinned Logan Watson (AND), 1:20 38-4 HWT – Matt Lettner (UTC) by forfeit 44-4 No. 8 Ohio State 39, Cumberland 16 125 – Josh Choppa (CU) pinned Nikko Triggas (OSU), 5:59 0-6 133 – Reece Humphrey (OSU) tech. fall Desean Willis (CU), 16-1 5-6 141 – J Jaggers (OSU) pinned Eddie Sanchez (CU),:34 11-6 149 – Theo Dotson (CU) by forfeit; 11-12 157 – Jason Johnstone (OSU) pinned Pat Blanks (CU), 4:21 17-12 165 – Corey Bleaken (CU) major dec. Robel Campbell (OSU), 12-3 17-16 174 – Alex Picazo (OSU) pinned Stephen Medina (CU), 2:16 23-16 184 – Mike Pucillo (OSU) pinned Jordan Powers (CU), 4:10 29-16 197 – Nickolai Timbs (OSU) major dec. Kyle Studer (CU); 8-0 33-16 HWT – J.D. Bergman (OSU) pinned B.J. Stewart (CU), 1:16 39-16 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/218-utc-wrestlers-knock-off-ohio-state-for-second-straight-year Sun, 11 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/215-evolution-of-style-as-a-strength Another season is upon us but instead of predicting my favorites for the tournament or getting excited about the All Star Classic I find myself intrigued with the development of our sport today. This development is the progression of "wrestling styles" or the particular trends and techniques in wrestling. For my entire life I've heard the basic breakdowns of wrestling between an "Iowa Style" or a "Cowboy Style" but it seems that as time progresses, individuals develop their own approaches to our sport that separate them from others on the mat. From the unique stance of Edinboro's NCAA Champion Gregor Gillespie to the trademark "funk" of Ben Askren, wrestlers everyday are elaborating on and tweaking fundamental techniques in order to highlight their strengths and keep their opponents on their heels. There is no longer a clear cut division between the brawling, aggressive, hard double legging "Iowa Style" or the quick, low to the ground, ankle picking, finesse filled "Cowboy Style" but instead wrestling has evolved to the point where athletes have become aware enough of their abilities that they can now grow and advance relying on their own unique method and manner of competing. What is it that takes a wrestler from singles and doubles to inside sweeps and ankle picks? Where did Mark Perry develop his incomparable leg riding? For any veteran of the sport, there are clear cut distinctions in the style of every wrestler but how is it that so many styles nowadays are so "outside the box"? We are in an era where "schools" or "styles" of wrestling are quickly being diminished and the creativity, determination, and persona of wrestlers are being showed more blatantly in their mat performance. It must, at times, be difficult for coaches to address or acclimate their lessons to these individuals but I feel that these progressions come reinforced with the fundamentals of successful wrestling. One must be well-versed and experienced in this sport in order to push their technique to an area of uncertainty when competing but without this push there would be no growth for our beloved sport. I can only hope that this upcoming season reiterates my point and provides further evidence of the unique styles in wrestling today. Either way, there are sure to be many memorable moves and matches but next time you see something out of the ordinary on the mat think if that odd technique might serve a functional purpose for that particular athlete. We would like to make this a discussion throughout the season so if you see anything, have any opinions, or personal experiences then feel free to share with us! Help fuel discussion here at flowrestling.org Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/215-evolution-of-style-as-a-strength Sun, 11 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/216-cowboys-dominate-and-coleman-scott-gets-upset-by-teammate Seven Cowboy Wrestlers Win Weight Class Titles At Central Missouri Open Warrensburg, Mo. - Oklahoma State opened its 2007-08 wrestling season with a solid showing at the Central Missouri Open Sunday, as seven different Cowboys won their respective weight classes and an additional five OSU wrestlers were finalists in their respective weight classes. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day came when OSU's Tyler Shinn knocked off teammate and top-ranked Coleman Scott with a 3-1 sudden victory in the championship bout at 133 pounds. Shinn and Scott have faced off three times since last Wednesday, with the two going to the wire in each of the three matches. A three-time All-American, Scott handed Shinn a 5-4 setback in ranking matches last Wednesday, then claimed a 4-3 victory over Shinn at the Orange and Black Dual the next night. In other action at 133, freshman Jamal Parks was impressive, taking third place with his only loss coming at the hands of eventual champion Shinn in the semifinal bout. OSU was well-represented at 125 pounds, where redshirt freshman Ben Ashmore took second place after suffering a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Stanford captain and two-time All-American Tanner Gardner. "I thought as a team we had some good, we had some not-so-good, and we definitely had some ugly," Head coach John Smith said. "I'd still give the team a passing grade though for now. We still have a lot of things to work on and we will continue to get better." Cowboy senior and two-time All-American Nathan Morgan stormed through the 141 pound weight class by claiming two technical fall victories and a trio of major decision wins before handing Central Oklahoma's Kyle Evans a 6-1 defeat in the title bout. Freshman Luke Ashmore took fifth place at 141 pounds by beating Missouri's Vince Hannon by a 5-3 margin in the fifth place match. Redshirt freshman Quinten Fuentes further strengthened his grip on a potential starting spot at 149 pounds by winning the weight class at Central Missouri. Fuentes routed Central Oklahoma's Colby Robinson, 10-2 in the championship bout after picking up a pin and a tech fall on his way through the bracket. The starting spot at the 149 pound weight class is wide open at Oklahoma State, but Fuentes is making a strong case after winning his match at the Orange and Black Dual, then rolling to the title Sunday. "Quinten wrestled well and took advantage of some upper body attacks," Smith said. "He has had a much better start this year than last year. The starting spot at 149 will still be evaluated at over the next couple weeks and no decision has been made yet, but Quinten is doing well." Newly McSpadden, the Cowboys' returning starter at 157 pounds, was strong Sunday, finishing as the runner-up behind Stanford All-American Josh Zupancic. 157 is another weight class that is open for competition at OSU, and with a win at the Orange and Black Dual plus a solid showing at Central Missouri, McSpadden has stated his case. Teammates Neil Erisman and Ryan Freeman took fourth place and fifth place, respectively Sunday. Looking to replace two-time NCAA individual champion Johny Hendricks at 165 pounds in the Oklahoma State lineup, sophomore Kyle Griffin took second place at Central Missouri, falling to Missouri Valley's Chris Jones in the final, 7-4. Teammate Kevin Wainscott finished fifth. Oklahoma State rolled in the upper weights, with All-American Brandon Mason steamrolling through at 174 pounds with a pair of tech fall wins to go with two major decisions. At 184 pounds, Cody Hill also claimed a pair of tech fall wins and a pair of major decisions before beating Central Missouri's Jeremy Hudson in the championship bout, 7-1. Freshman Adam Rosholt took sixth at 184 pounds. One of the more interesting results of the day came in the championship match at 197 pounds, where OSU freshman Clayton Foster knocked off teammate and returning starter Jared Shelton, 6-3. The two met last Thursday at the Orange and Black Dual, with Shelton claiming a 10-3 win. This remains a weight class to watch for the Cowboys. Cowboy sophomore Jared Rosholt won the heavyweight bracket with a 1-0 victory over Lindenwood's Lance Shunia in the championship match. The Cowboys return to action next Saturday when selected OSU wrestlers compete at the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, Neb. OSU Highlights At The Central Missouri Open 125 pounds - Ben Ashmore (Second Place) 133 pounds - Tyler Shinn (First Place); Coleman Scott (Second Place); Jamal Parks (Third Place) 141 pounds - Nathan Morgan (First Place); Luke Ashmore (Fifth Place) 149 pounds - Quinten Fuentes (First Place) 157 pounds - Newly McSpadden (Second Place); Neil Erisman (Fourth Place); Ryan Freeman (Fifth Place) 165 pounds - Kyle Griffin (Second Place); Kevin Wainscott (Fifth Place) 174 pounds - Brandon Mason (First Place) 184 pounds - Cody Hill (First Place); Adam Rosholt (Sixth Place) 197 pounds - Clayton Foster (First Place); Jared Shelton (Second Place) Heavyweight - Jared Rosholt (First Place) Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/216-cowboys-dominate-and-coleman-scott-gets-upset-by-teammate Sun, 11 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/213-tiger-wrestlers-come-from-behind-for-22-21-win-over-no-13-hofstra ...Final Win Decided in Heavyweight Bout... Hempstead, N.Y. -In a dual that came down to the final bout of the night, the sixth-ranked Missouri wrestling team came from behind to take down No. 13 Hofstra, 22-21, in the David S. Mack Sports Complex. A technical fall by sophomore heavyweight Mark Ellis (Blue Springs, Mo.) proved the deciding factor in the night's dual. Needing five points to win the battle, Ellis managed a 21-6 win in 6:39 to help the Tigers improve to 2-0 on the season. "I'm pleased with the way our team fought back tonight," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "We suffered some tough losses and we'll have to go back to the practice room and work on a few things. But, it's still early in the season. We'll use these early duals to really find out where we are and what we need to work on." Down 14-0 entering the 149 pound match, Tiger senior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) was first to put points on the Tiger's side of the scoreboard. Holding on for a 5-2 win over 17th-ranked Mitch Smith, ninth-ranked Wagner and Smith entered the second period tied at two, but Wagner managed an escape in six seconds and a takedown with nine seconds left on the clock to take a 5-2 lead into the third period. Allowing Smith a single escape in the third, Wagner collected his first win of the season and started Missouri on a three-bout win streak. Junior NCAA qualifier and ninth-ranked Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) helped cut the Pride's lead in half by recording a 15-6 win by major decision over 15th-ranked Johnny Bonilla-Bowman. In his first start of the season, Chandler collected seven of his 14 points by nearfall, all in the third period. Each wrestler was awarded one point for either a stall call (Bonilla-Bowman) or technical violation (Chandler). Chandler was the first Tiger to score first in a bout, taking down Bonilla-Bowman 1:25 into the match. After quieting the large Pride crowd sophomore Nicholas Marable (Colliersville, Tenn.) moved to 2-0 on the season, shutting down 12th-ranked Ryan Patrovich, 10-2, at 165 pounds. Marable held the Hofstra wrestler to only two escapes, scoring a takedown and reversal in the second period and a takedown in the third. Hofstra increased its lead to seven points, but junior Raymond Jordan was quick to close the gap, pinning Jeff Siciliano in 4:20. The second Tiger fall of the very young season, Jordan showed his dominance at 184 pounds taking down Siciliano three times in the first period and scoring four points through back points before sticking the Pride wrestler. A loss at 197 pounds put the Tigers down 21-17, but Ellis' technical fall helped Missouri to its second win of the season. Ellis took down James Guerin eight times in the match and managed 1:55 of riding time. Two duals into the season and Missouri has won seven of its 20 matches by bonus point victories. The Tiger wrestling team will return home to host the eighth annual Missouri Open Sunday, Nov. 18 in the Fieldhouse. The all-day tournament will begin at 9 a.m. (CT) with finals expected to start around 3 p.m. (CT). Volunteers are still needed to help with the annual event. If interested, please contact Smith at smithbq@missouri.edu . Wt. Wrestler vs. Wrestler MU HU 125 #7 Dave Tomasette (HU) major decision Tony Pescaglia (MU): 16-2 0 4 133 #6 Lou Ruggirello (HU) fall #2 Tyler McCormick (MU): 5:30 0 10 141 #2 Charles Griffin (HU) major decision Marcus Hoehn (MU): 13-0 0 14 149 #9 Josh Wagner (MU)decision #17 Mitch Smith (HU): 5-2 3 14 157 #9 Michael Chandler (MU) m.d. #15 Johnny Bonilla-Bowman (HU):15-6 7 14 165 #12 Nicholas Marable (MU) m.d. #12 Ryan Patrovich (HU): 10-2 11 14 174 #10 Alton Lucas (HU) major dec. James Williamson (MU): 10-1 11 18 184 #6 Raymond Jordan (MU) fall Jeff Siciliano (HU): 4:20 17 18 197 #9 Joe Rovelli (HU) decision #3 Maxwell Askren (MU): 4-2 17 21 HWT #13 Mark Ellis (MU) tech fall James Guerin (HU): 6:39 21-6 22 21 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/213-tiger-wrestlers-come-from-behind-for-22-21-win-over-no-13-hofstra Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/210-cowboy-up-book-release New Book Chronicles Oklahoma State¹s Record-Setting 2005 Wrestling Season ³Cowboy Up² gives readers an all-access pass into an NCAA title season with OSU. Stillwater, Okla. Oklahoma State¹s unforgettable run to the 2005 NCAA Wrestling Championship has been immortalized in author Kim Parrish¹s new book, Cowboy Up, which is now available for purchase online at www.okstate.com, at cowboyupbook.org and at OSU wrestling duals at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Cowboy Up, which includes a foreward written by OSU Head Coach John Smith, provides readers with an insider¹s glimpse into every aspect of the Cowboy wrestling program. Parrish followed the team into the wrestling room, on road trips and in every other way imaginable. ³This is the most in-depth account of our run to the 2005 NCAA title and Judge Kim Parrish has done an excellent job of capturing a season of training and hard work and all the struggles that went into the success that team enjoyed,² Smith said. ³This isn¹t just a book about Oklahoma State wrestling. It¹s a book about a group of young men that came together with a purpose and made the sacrifices needed to achieve a larger goal.² The Cowboys of 2004-05 matched an NCAA record with five individual national champions and won the NCAA team title by 70 points over second-place Michigan in one of the most dominating runs in the history of the NCAA Championships. Led on the mat by NCAA individual champions Zack Esposito, Johny Hendricks, Chris Pendleton, Jake Rosholt and Steve Mocco, the Cowboys compiled a perfect 21-0 record in dual matches and romped to wins over rivals Iowa, Minnesota and Oklahoma before storming to the 2005 Big 12 Championship and eventually the NCAA crown. With 34 national championships to its credit, Oklahoma State wrestling has won more NCAA team titles than any other team at any other school in the nation. In fact, the Cowboy wrestling program has won more championships than any North American professional team as well, as the New York Yankees have the second-most titles with 26 World Series championships. ³(Cowboy Up) makes a riveting declaration about the essence of the sport,² said James Ravannack, President of USA Wrestling. ³John Smith and Oklahoma State are synonymous with excellence. This page-turner does them justice.² ³This fascinating and gritty story is recommended reading for wrestling coaches everywhere. A discerning study in the education of a coach and the molding of a team,² said Mike Moyer, executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. ³This is more than a book about wrestling. It is a book about the importance of goals, discipline, team building, self-contemplation and learning what it takes to get the job done. It is a strategy book in the sense that one must learn everything about competition and vulnerability. This is a book for entrepreneurs of all types and anyone else who wants to achieve success at the highest levels,² said B. Curtis Hamm, PhD and Professor Emeritus of the William S. Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/210-cowboy-up-book-release Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/207-columbia-wrestle-offs NEW YORK -- Close, competitive matches were commonplace as the Columbia Wrestling team opened the 2007-08 season with its annual Blue-White Match before hundreds of fans and alumni at University Gym. There were seven matches in all, as the Blue team emerged with six victories for an 18-3 win. While Columbia wrestlers still had to face teammates, this was the first time this season that the team saw a referee, and a crowd cheering behind them, creating a competitive atmosphere. All seven matches were decided by six points or less, including a triple-overtime thriller between senior Anthony Constantino and Matt Dunn. In that bout, Constantino earned a 2-1 victory, as the only points scored were by escapes. Constantino's win was also the only victory for the White team. After a scoreless first period, Dunn started on the bottom to start the second and quickly escaped to take a 1-0 lead. Constantino tied the score with a similar escape in the third period. Neither wrestler could score a move in the first or second extra sessions. Finally, Constantino was on the bottom position in the third overtime, and again escaped to earn the win. "Dunn and Constantino are always competitive when they face each other," said Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling, Brendan Buckley. "They had a very close wrestle-off last year, and make each other better when they wrestle. Matt made the NCAAs last year, and Anthony made nationals in 2006, so they are both great to have on our team." The evening opened with a match between seniors Brandon Kinney and Jerome Greco. Greco scored the first point of the match on an escape, but Kinney earned two points on a takedown in the second period. Each wrestler scored escapes later in the match, as Kinney held on for a 3-2 victory. Veteran Sal Tirico defeated first-year Nick Standish, 9-3, in the match two, as Tirico earned three takedowns, and a reversal. Tirico also amassed exactly three minutes in riding time in the win. In another close bout, Andy Geving earned a takedown against Mike Wolfer in the first period, and held on for a 3-1 victory. Geving missed having another point, as he only had 59 seconds of riding time. Junior Kenji Porter fell behind, 5-0, against Ray Resnick, after Resnick scored a takedown and the evening's only near fall. Porter had two takedowns and an escape to pull within 6-5. Resnick, a senior, took Porter down again in the third period and won the bout, 9-6. In other matches, Derek Sickles earned a 9-4 decision over Joe Kushnerick and Nick Sommerfeld beat Mike Bossetta, 8-3. "Sommerfeld looked really good tonight," Buckley said. "He used great technique and was more aggressive. He set a good example of the physical style of wrestling we are trying to teach at Columbia." Several alumni served as honorary coaches at the Blue-White event, as Dave Barry '87 and Matt Palmer coached the Blue team and Mike Barry '89 and Ricky Turk '07 coached on the White squad. The Lions open the regular season on November 17 at the East Stroudsburg Open, and then travel to Mat Town USA for a tournament in Lock Haven, Pa. on November 24. The results: Columbia Blue Team 18, Columbia White Team 3 Match 1 - Brandon Kinney (Blue) dec. Jerome Greco, 3-2 Match 2 - Sal Tirico (Blue) dec. Nick Standish, 9-3 Match 3 - Anthony Constantino (White) dec. Matt Dunn, 2-1 sv (3 OT) Match 4 - Derek Sickles (Blue) dec. Joe Kushnerick, 9-4 Match 5 - Andy Geving (Blue) dec. Mike Wolfer, 3-1 Match 6 - Ray Resnick (Blue) dec. Kenji Porter, 9-6 Match 7 - Nick Sommerfeld (Blue) dec. Mike Bossetta, 8-3 Saturday, November 3, 2007, University Gym, New York, N.Y. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/207-columbia-wrestle-offs Sat, 03 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/203-gopher-wrestlers-ness-dustin-schlatter-and-kish-to-compete-in-2007-nwca-all-sta Minnesota Gopher wrestlers Jayson Ness, Dustin Schlatter and Roger Kish will compete in the 2007 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Star Classic, the premier one-day collegiate wrestling event in the country. The 43-year old competition will take place on Monday, Nov. 19 at the University of Oregon’s McArthur Court in Eugene, Ore. Including the defending national champion Gophers’ three participants, the field will welcome six top-ranked wrestlers, eight second-ranked seeds and four third-ranked selections from the recent Intermat / USA Today preseason national rankings. It will also include 18 All-Americans from the 2006 NCAA Championships, which includes all three of Minnesota’s representatives. The University of Oregon announced this July that the wrestling program would be eliminated after the 2007-08 season to revive the baseball team and to satisfy Title IX compliance issues. Ness, an All-American sophomore out of Bloomington, Minn., will take on defending national champion Paul Donahue of Nebraska in the opening match of the event at 125 pounds. Ness sports a 2-0 career record against the junior, earning an 11-5 decision at the Kaufman-Brand Open 11/11/06 and an 8-6 dual meet win Feb. 11 of last season. Donahue upset Sam Hazewinkel of Oklahoma to win the 2007 national championship at 125 pounds. Ness is No. 4 in the Intermat preseason poll, while Donahue claims the No. 1 spot. Dustin Schlatter is a two-time All-American and ranked No. 1 at 149 pounds in the current Intermat / USA Today preseason poll. After winning the national championship as a freshman in 2006, Schlatter had a 65-match winning streak snapped in the quarterfinals of last season’s NCAA Championships and finished in third place for the eventual national champion Gophers. His opponent, Josh Churella of Michigan, is a two-time All-American and was the runner-up at last year’s national championships. Schlatter owns a 2-0 career record against Churella, with both of those victories coming last season. Schlatter defeated Churella 3-2 for the 2007 Big Ten Championship. The match-up at 184 pounds will be a fierce one between the Gophers’ Kish and Jake Varner of Iowa State. Kish and Varner have met three times in their careers, with all three matches coming last season. Kish earned a 7-2 dual meet win over Varner Dec. 8 of last season and followed that with a 5-2 decision at the 2007 National Duals, before falling 4-2 in the 2007 NCAA national semifinals. Varner fell to Northwestern’s Jake Herbert in the national title match, while Kish earned his second All-American certificate with a third-place finish. Varner and Kish are No. 1 and 2 in the recent Intermat preseason rankings. In the 2006 NWCA All-Star Classic, held in Dallas, Texas, Schlatter defeated Matt Storniolo (Oklahoma) and Kish was topped by Northwestern’s Hebert. Previous Gopher participants 43rd annual event in the include Cole Konrad (2005), Brock Lesnar (2000), Leroy Vega (2000) and current Gopher assistant coaches Brandon Eggum (2000) and Marty Morgan (1990). Below is a list of the entire 2007 NWCA All-Star Classic Field: 125: Paul Donahoe (Nebraska) vs. Jayson Ness (Minnesota) 133: Tyler McCormick (Missouri) vs. Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State) 141: Charles Griffin (Hofstra) vs. Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State) 149: Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) vs. Josh Churella (Michigan) 157: Craig Henning (Wisconsin) vs. Mike Poeta (Illinois) 165: Eric Tannenbaum (Michigan) vs. TBA 174: Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh) vs. Matt Stolpinski (Navy) 184: Jake Varner (Iowa State) vs. Roger Kish (Minnesota) 197: Phil Davis (Penn State) vs. Mike Tamillow (Northwestern) 285: Tervel Dlagnev (Nebraska-Kearney) vs. Dustin Fox (Northwestern) The Golden Gophers will begin their national title defense on Nov. 10 when they travel to Fargo, N.D. for the Bison Open. Minnesota’s dual meet season starts on Dec. 2 against 2006-07 national runner-ups Iowa State. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/203-gopher-wrestlers-ness-dustin-schlatter-and-kish-to-compete-in-2007-nwca-all-sta Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/202-sooners-debut-with-intrasquad-dual NORMAN, Okla. -- Sooner fans attending the annual Red/White ranking match expecting great competition went home satisfied, seeing the white team top the red squad, 18-12. Three matches went into overtime periods, including four overtimes needed in the 165-pound battle between senior Max Dean and freshman Ryan Smith. "There were a lot of close matches and some incredible courage displayed out there tonight," head coach Jack Spates said. "It is certainly a great situation to have guys competing and pushing each other in every class." Joey Fio put the white team up 3-0 by defeating Greg Cannon in the 125-pound match by a decision of 6-4 in overtime. Brian Shelton at 133 pounds quickly tied the team score back up, defeating John Starzyk by a decision of 6-3. The white team then reeled off four straight wins to give the squad a 15-3 advantage. Zach Bailey needed the final seconds in the third period to post a 6-5 decision over Kyle Terry in the 141-pound bout. Will Rowe gave the white team another boost at 149 pounds by defeating Seth Vernon by a decision of 6-2. Chad Terry then defeated Shane Vernon in the 157-pound match by a decision of 7-4. The most competitive match of the evening came in the 165-pound bout. Max Dean and Ryan Smith battled into four over times before Dean prevailed by a decision of 3-2. Jeff James put red back on the board with a 3-1 decision in overtime over Chris DeVilbiss at 174 pounds, making the score 15-6 in favor of white. Joshua Weitzel gave the white squad three more points in the 184-pound match by scoring an 8-1 decision over Josh Hinton. Two-time All-American Joel Flaggert topped Eric Lapotsky in the 197-pound battle by a score of 9-4. The score ended with white winning 18-12 when Nathan Fernandez scored a 3-2 decision over Brad Famer in the heavyweight division. "I saw a lot of good things, but I also saw a lot we need to improve on," Spates continued. "This was a very informative meet for us and we look forward to getting better from here." The Sooners start the season Sunday, Nov. 4, by traveling to Oklahoma City to compete in a triple-dual against Missouri Valley, Neosho Community College and Oklahoma City. Weight-By-Weight Results 125: Joey Fio (white) dec. Greg Cannon (red), 6-4 133: Brian Shelton (red) dec. Johnny Starzyk (white), 6-3 141: Zach Bailey (white) dec. Kyle Terry (red), 6-5 149: Will Rowe (white) dec. Seth Vernon (red), 6-2 157: Chad Terry (white) dec. Shane Vernon (red), 7-4 165: Max Dean (white) dec. Ryan Smith (red), 3-2 174: Jeff James (red) dec. Chris DeVilbiss (white), 3-1 184: Joshua Weitzel (white) dec. Josh Hinton (red), 8-1 197: Joel Flaggert (red) dec. Eric Lapotsky (white), 9-4 HWT: Nathan Fernandez (red) dec. Brad Farmer (white), 3-2 Final Score: White 18, Red 12 -OU- Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/202-sooners-debut-with-intrasquad-dual Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/199-new-boys-buying-in-with-brands IOWA CITY - It’s been a long and winding road for the men of Tom Brands’ heralded 2005 recruiting class, but not one of them has forgotten why they took the trip from Blacksburg to Iowa City after just one year. Despite losing a year of eligibility, Joe Slaton, Jay Borschel, and Brent Metcalf are set and ready to put in work as they prepare for their first season in the Hawkeye starting lineup. All three men prepare to approach the season with the mentality that Tom Brands and the Hawkeye program have carried and instilled in their wrestlers for years. That mentality is the idea of no frills wrestling and utter dominance that has come to be a trademark of Iowa wrestling. “When you walk out there you have to be the meanest and toughest guy and believe it. That state of mind is turning around the program and nothing is acceptable here but pure dominance,” says Metcalf, currently ranked 6th at 149 pounds by Intermat. “If you’re not going out to be a national champ then you’re not asking enough out of yourself,” explains Borschel, the projected starter at 174 pounds. The Hawkeyes all seem to have bought in to this message as they expect nothing less than a national title as a team but also individually throughout the lineup. The Iowa program is looking to return to its familiar position atop the podium but onlookers speculate on the performance of the new starters. “We all have something to prove to everybody. People don’t understand what we can do and it is our job to go out there and show them,” Slaton claims confidently. Nobody in the wrestling room doubts the potential of this team and what it can accomplish as Borschel states, “Everybody in this program has all the talent in the world but the difference now is that all those guys believe they can beat anyone at their weight class.” Excitement builds everyday for the Hawkeyes as a clear change in perspective is seen by everyone within the program. “For so many guys college wrestling was a hobby but for all of us here it’s a lifestyle,” proclaims Metcalf. Borschel, Metcalf, and Slaton now begin the journey to establishing their own legacy but for the Hawkeye program as a whole the opportunity to rebuild a dynasty is right before them. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/199-new-boys-buying-in-with-brands Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/194-duke-to-begin-2007-08-season-with-blue-white-rankings Duke To Begin 2007-08 Season With Blue-White Rankings DURHAM, N.C. — The Blue Devil wrestling team will host its annual Blue-White rankings meet on Saturday in Card Gymnasium at 3 p.m. The meet will feature nine intrasquad exhibition matches spanning across eight weight classes. Projected match lineup: 141 (pounds): A.J. Guardado vs. Spencer Jasper 149: Mike Bell vs. Colby Johnson 157: Jared Sernoffsky vs. Voris Tejada 165: Willy Mello vs. Addison Nuding 174: Mat Koelling vs. Ben Wales 174: Chase Macer vs. Turner Rooney 197: Dan Fox vs. Jack Richards HWT: Mike Tunick vs. Wade Van Sickle Wildcard: John Barone (184) vs. Michael Degli Obizzi (149) Duke is looking to the 2007-08 season to continue the improvement from their 7-9 record last year and to gain ground in the ACC. With seven starters returning from last year’s lineup and another top-quality recruiting class entering the wrestling room, the Blue Devils have high hopes for the upcoming season. Duke’s schedule this year will feature an always tough ACC conference schedule as well as big tournament appearances at the East Stroudsburg Open, the Nittany Lion Open and the Southern Scuffle. The Blue Devils will also travel to Bloomington, Ind., for the Indiana Duals with Indiana, Oregon St., Ohio and Liberty. The season kicks off on Nov. 3 with the Freshmen and Sophomore Open in Charleston, S.C. This year the team will host five home meets in Cameron Indoor Stadium. “Our team is beginning to mature,” said head coach Clar Anderson. “The coaches have seen a lot of leadership coming from the captains, seniors and juniors. This preseason was our most challenging yet, and the guys responded really well. They have stepped up their effort and performance in all aspects of training--- maintaining weight, mental preparation, technique and just grinding it out in the room. They are working hard in school, coming to practice ready to go and balancing all of the demands that a college student faces at a university like Duke. This could be a very good year for us--- winning ACC titles, sending guys to NCAA’s and excelling in the classroom--- all of the areas that make Duke a special place to be a student-athlete. That’s what the coaches are shooting for and that’s what our athletes want as well.” A look at each weight class: 125 Senior captain Kellan McKeon appears to have the position won for the fourth consecutive season. McKeon went 13-18 in 2006-07 and has a career record of 35-53. He defeated the ACC’s top 125-pound wrestler in Drew Forshey last season and looks to make a run at the ACC title this year after finishing fourth last year. McKeon will be challenged by freshman Anthony Jorge, who comes to Duke from Lakeland, Fla. Jorge was a two-time state champion and compiled a 170-13 record in four years. “Kellan McKeon has fully grown into this weight class,” said Anderson. “He showed great promise in beating UNC’s ranked wrestler, Drew Forshey, in the ACC tournament and placing fourth. We’re hoping to improve on that this year.” 133 Redshirt senior captain Bryan Gibson returns to start at 133 pounds this year, after missing most of the last two seasons due to injury. He was 10-4 last year and a perfect 3-0 in duals before a season-ending injury. At the UPenn Invitational, Gibson placed fourth. He comes into the season 19th on the all-time wins list at Duke with 63. Gibson’s 34 wins in 2004-05 is the most by any Duke wrestler in one season in the program’s history. Jorge will provide backup at 133 pounds if necessary. “After two years off due to injury, Bryan Gibson is back stronger than ever,” said Anderson. “He’s showing great leadership in the wrestling room. We see him vying for an ACC title and national recognition.” 141 The Blue Devils lose both wrestlers at this weight from last season. Philip Wightman, who was 5-6 in 2006-07, graduated in May and Wes Kuser, who was 15-11 last year, is abroad for the semester. Kuser may return in January, but Duke looks to be deep at this weight with or without him. In the meantime, sophomore Spencer Jasper will move up from 133 pounds and hopes to start. Jasper was 12-10 last season with three falls and a fourth-place finish at The Citadel Open. Freshman A.J. Guardado will challenge Jasper. Guardado is a product of West Covina, Calif., and wrestled to a 179-36 record in high school. Freshman Vince Taweel will redshirt this season due to injury. “Spencer Jasper is bumping up from 133 this season,” said Anderson. “He was a two-time Arizona state champion and showed a lot of promise last year. Prep standout A.J. Guardado will challenge him for the starting nod.” 149 Starter Daniel Shvartsman, who was ninth all-time at Duke for career wins, graduated in May. The big hole being left at 149 pounds will most likely be filled by redshirt sophomore Michael Degli Obizzi, who was 7-4 in tournaments last year and earned a third place finish at the Davidson Open. As a freshman, Degli Obizzi was 15-18 with two falls. Freshmen Colby Johnson and Mike Bell will also compete for the starting job this season at 149. Johnson hails from Conrad, Mont., where he was 148-18 and a two-time state champion in his four years of high school. Bell, a native of Rockwall, Texas, was 155-37 for his career and a state champion at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tenn. “Michael DegliObizzi is coming off a redshirt season where he improved tremendously,” said Anderson. “He competed in and did well in several open tournaments last year. He will be challenged by Colby Johnson, two-time Montana state champion and high school All-America, and Mike Bell, a state champion from Tennessee.” 157 This weight class looks to be very deep and competitive for the Blue Devils this year. Sophomore Voris Tejada hopes to start full-time at 157 after splitting time between 149 and 157 last season. Tejada went 19-8 for the team’s best individual winning percentage in 2006-07. He placed third at The Citadel Open, fifth at the UPenn Invitational and fourth at the Nittany Lion Open. He was named Duke’s Most Outstanding Freshman for the season. Tejada will be tested by sophomore Jared Sernoffsky and freshman Willy Mello. Sernoffsky, a native of Elizabethtown, Pa., was 2-6 in his freshman campaign. Mello wrestled to a 104-27 record and was a runner-up at states during his prep career in Chesapeake, Va. “Voris Tejada had a great freshman year at 149 and is looking to transition smoothly to 157,” said Anderson. “Voris placed in every tournament he entered last year. He’ll be challenged by Jared Sernoffsky, a Pennsylvania state placer.” 165 Once again, the 165-pound weight class will be one where Duke will have great depth this year. Four different Blue Devils will compete for the starting spot. Junior captain Addison Nuding will attempt to move up to 165 from 157, where he competed in his first two years. Nuding was 12-10 last season with a 9-3 dual meet mark and holds a career record of 22-27. He may wrestle the entire season at 165 but could drop down to 157 if necessary. Redshirt junior Aaron Glover wrestled to a 19-13 record in 2006-07 at 165. He had four pins and was 11-4 in dual meets. Glover will redshirt the fall semester and return to the lineup in January. His overall record at Duke is 35-36. Redshirt sophomore Ben Wales will put pressure on the other three as he moves up from 157 pounds. Wales was 8-7 at that weight last season and recorded two falls. “This is our deepest weight class by far,” said Anderson. “Aaron Glover was an ACC placer last year and Addison Nuding is coming up from 157 pounds. We are looking for some good competition and success from these guys.” 174 Redshirt junior Turner Rooney will throw his hat into the ring at 174 after competing at 165 in 2006-07. He looks to start this semester. Rooney was 7-4 last year with all of his competition coming at tournaments, and holds a 14-12 mark as a Blue Devil overall. Sophomore Mathew Koelling also figures to be competitive again this season. He posted a 7-11 record at 165 and 174 pounds in 2006-07 and looks to stay at the higher of the two weights this season. “After two injury-laden years, Turner Rooney should step up and contribute significantly,” said Anderson. “He will be pressed by Mat Koelling and Chase Macer. Koelling contributed well when called upon last year.” 184 Redshirt sophomore captain John Barone will be the favorite starting out the season, as he tries to move up full-time from 174 pounds. Barone had the most wins and falls on the team last season with 24 and 7, respectively. He also won The Citadel Open and was third at the UPenn Invitational and ACC Tournament. Barone was honored as the Blue Devils’ Most Outstanding Held-Back Freshman for the 2006-07 season as he wrestled at 174 and 184 pounds. Redshirt junior Dan Fox will be the strongest competition first semester for Barone. Fox was 8-11 last year with three pins and a fifth place finish at the UPenn Invitational. He gained a great deal of experience last year due to some injuries to other wrestlers and holds a 30-31 record as a Blue Devil. “John Barone is moving up from 174 this year to test his ware,” said Anderson. “He was the team’s highest placer at the ACC championship last year with a third-place finish.” 197 Duke loses last year’s starter, Patrick Keenum, to graduation. Redshirt freshman Robert Holbrook will look to step up from 184 pounds and start for the Blue Devils. Holbrook was 4-3 with one fall in his freshman campaign and placed third at The Citadel Open. The native of Tempe, Ariz., was 129-18 in his prep career and won the state title in his senior season. Redshirt junior captain Dan Tulley will return second semester this year at 197 and compete for the starting job. He was 3-10 in his injury-plagued 2006-07 and is 20-27 in his career. “Dan Tulley has battled some injuries throughout his career, but is our most seasoned wrestler,” said Anderson. “He has been pushing hard in the room and showing great leadership. Robert Holbrook is a two-time Arizona State champion and will push for time.” 285 Two redshirt sophomores, Wade Van Sickle and Mike Tunick, will both compete this season in the heavyweight class. Van Sickle returns after being redshirted for the 2006-07 season. He was 17-22 with two pins as a freshman in 2005-06. Tunick went 7-18 last year with three pins on the season. The two will push each other in the hopes of elevating Duke’s output at 285 pounds. “Both heavyweights have one year of experience under their belts,” said Anderson. “They have shown great competition in the wrestling room so far, which should translate into success on the mat.” The Blue Devils kickoff the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 3 when the underclassmen head to the Freshmen and Sophomore Open in Charleston, S.C. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/194-duke-to-begin-2007-08-season-with-blue-white-rankings Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/192-ou-lands-in-top-20-of-preseason-polls NORMAN, Okla., -- The Sooner wrestling team is gaining more attention in preseason rankings as it prepares for the 2007-08 campaign. The USA Today/National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and its media Web-site, InterMat, tabbed the Sooners at No. 19 in the team rankings. The poll also ranked four Sooners in the individual weight standings. Will Rowe at 149-pounds is ranked No. 9, Max Dean at 165-pounds is ranked No. 16, Joshua Weitzel at 184-pounds is ranked No. 11 and Joel Flaggert at 197-pounds is ranked No. 8. Additionally, TheWrestlingMall.com released its preseason poll on Thursday and included five OU wrestlers in the individual weight rankings. Kyle Terry at 141-pounds is ranked No. 17, Rowe is ranked No. 12, Dean is ranked No. 14 and Weitzel and Flaggert are ranked No. 15 and No. 9, respectively. The Sooners were also recently ranked No. 17 as a team by W.I.N. magazine. Oklahoma finished the 2006-07 season with a record of 11-7. Oklahoma returns five NCAA qualifiers in Flaggert, a two-time All-American, Terry, Rowe, Weitzel and newcomer Max Dean. Dean transferred from Indiana and is coming off three straight years of qualifying as a Hoosier. Oklahoma will hold its annual Red/White scrimmage on Thursday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Howard McCasland Fieldhouse. The season will officially begin for the Sooners Nov. 4 in a triple-dual against Missouri Valley, Oklahoma City and Neosho Community College in Oklahoma City. USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Preseason Poll Rank Team 1 Minnesota 2 Oklahoma State 3 Iowa State 4 Iowa 5 Michigan 6 Northwestern 7 Missouri 8 Ohio State 9 Cornell 10 Central Michigan 11 Penn State 12 Wisconsin 13 Hofstra 14 Nebraska 15 Indiana 16 Edinboro 17 Illinois 18 Navy 19 Oklahoma 20 Pittsburgh 21 UT-Chattanooga 22 Harvard 23 Penn 24 American 25 Oregon State Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/192-ou-lands-in-top-20-of-preseason-polls Wed, 24 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/191-the-eagles-will-head-into-this-season-looking-to-improve-upon-their-17th-place-s WASHINGTON - After crowning its first-ever National Champion and tying the program’s best NCAA Championship finish, the American University wrestling team was ranked 24th in the USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Preseason Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll. Also included in the poll released Tuesday were the InterMat/NWMA/NWCA Preseason Division I Wrestling Rankings, previewing each weight class, in which senior Josh Glenn ranked first at 197 lbs. and sophomore Mike Cannon was selected 10th at 165 lbs. American received 133 points in the poll and finished ahead of Oregon State (115 pts.) and just behind the University of Pennsylvania (144 pts.). The poll is voted on by one representative member of each Division I wrestling conference and one wild card. The Eagles were joined in the preseason rankings by four other EIWA schools including Cornell (9th, 371 pts.), Navy (18th, 268 pts.), Harvard (22nd, 148 pts.) and Penn. Lehigh and Columbia were listed as receiving votes. Last season AU sent four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships and put one atop the podium in National Champion and unanimous preseason No. 1 Glenn. Cannon, Kyle Borshoff and Rudy Rueda all joined Glenn at the tournament and combined they scored 33 points, placing American 17th and tying the school’s best finish at nationals. American had finished sixth at the EIWA Tournament two weeks prior to the NCAA Tournament. Glenn repeated at the conference meet as the 197 lbs. champion and Cannon, Borshoff and Rueda all had podium finishes. Jasen Borshoff and Damian Swietlik each placed at the EIWA Tournament as well. The individual rankings are voted on by members of the National Wrestling Media Association and featured Glenn as the nation’s best 197 lbs. wrestler and put Cannon at No. 10 at 165 lbs. This is the third preseason poll that has included the two Eagles, the others being the Amateur Wrestling News’ Pre-Season Rankings where Glenn was selected first and Cannon fifth, and W.I.N. Magazine’s Preseason Poll which again chose Glenn No. 1 and Cannon eighth. Teammate Kyle Borshoff was also included in the Amateur Wrestling News’ Pre-Season Rankings, showing up at No. 17 on the list. Glenn returns this season as the NCAA Champion at 197 lbs. and has earned the No. 1 preseason ranking that accompanies the title. Glenn's season record was nearly unblemished as he went 27-1 en route to AU's first national championship in wrestling. As a junior, he earned nine falls and five major decisions and will enter competition this year with a 24-match win streak. Glenn began the first day of competition at the NCAA Championships with a 14-2 major decision over Andrew Anderson of Northern Iowa and later earned a 3-0 decision over Patrick Bond of Illinois. On the second day, Glenn pinned both of his opponents for the win. Nebraska's Craig Brester went down at 6:36 and Hofstra's Chris Weidman lasted only 4:27. Glenn faced Kurt Backes of Iowa in the championship match. Backes had previously handed Glenn his only loss of the season via fall just 1:58 into the match. The incoming senior would have his revenge though, earning a 6-4 overtime decision and taking home the crown as the country's best wrestler at 197 pounds. At 165 lbs., Cannon comes into the season ranked 10th. As a freshman, the Maryland native recorded a 29-8 overall record with three major decisions, three falls and a 16-2 dual record. Between January 14 and March 2, Cannon ripped off 10 consecutive wins including a 8-4 decision over then No. 12 Jason Kiessling of Maryland and a 5-3 decision over then No. 15 Andrew Renos of Bucknell. Cannon's season concluded at the NCAA Championships where he earned two wins and two losses. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/191-the-eagles-will-head-into-this-season-looking-to-improve-upon-their-17th-place-s Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/177-ohio-state-wrestling-joe-heskett-has-sudden-heart-surgery-wrestling-career-end Volunteer assistant coach being treated at OSU Medical Center’s Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital COLUMBUS, Ohio – Joe Heskett, Ohio State wrestling volunteer assistant coach, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and ventricular tachycardia last Thursday and underwent surgery at Ohio State University Medical Center’s Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital Tuesday to have a cardiac defibrillator implanted. Heskett, who had a heart rate in excess of 250 beats per minute at a practice session last Thursday, will continue to undergo medical treatment. His condition will no longer allow him to compete as a wrestler, ending his remarkable and successful career. Just a week after finishing fifth for the U.S. Freestyle team at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Heskett suffered life-threatening ventricular tachycardia at the Steelwood Athletic Training Facility, the practice site for the OSU wrestling team. The prompt action by Todd Miller, the facility’s head athletic trainer, as well as the Columbus Fire Department, resulted in life saving shock defibrillation. “I want to first and foremost say thank you to my family and friends, and I am grateful for the support from the Ohio State Athletics Department and the professional first-class care at Ross Heart Hospital,” Heskett said. “Through all of this I just know how blessed I am with the love that has surrounded me. Nothing has been more fulfilling than seeing my daughters, although my youngest, Ava, keeps trying to pull on all my wires.” Cardiomyopathy, a rare heart condition that can go unnoticed until an episode occurs and likely inherited in Heskett’s case, is a weakening and scarring of the heart muscle that reduces the ability of the heart to pump blood efficiently. One of the complications can be ventricular tachycardia, a rapid, uncontrolled heart rhythm that can lead to sudden cardiac death. Several days of tests at the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital demonstrated both conditions to be present, leading to aggressive treatment with medications and an implanted defibrillator to prevent a recurrent episode. “I have no idea how Joe was able to compete at a world class level in such a demanding sport,” Dr. James Ryan, the cardiologist treating Heskett, said. “As I told him, he has a damaged V-6 engine, competing against a bunch of turbo-charged V-8 engines. Some combination of inner drive, technical superiority and intelligence must have allowed him to compensate for his cardiac limitations. The Russian (two-time world champion Makhach Murtazaliev), who defeated him in the world championships last month, certainly would have had his hands full if Joe had a normal heart.” “God has blessed Joe with so many talents,” Tom Ryan, Ohio State wrestling head coach, said. “It has been a privilege to work with Joe and watch his passion to train and win Olympic gold. It is a difficult and surreal circumstance as all of us close to him stand beside him as he deals with the reality of the situation. Joe is one of the finest men I have met in the sport and looking at the big picture, I am just glad he is alive to share more laughs with. He has a wonderful wife and two beautiful daughters who bring perspective to the situation. Clearly, God has bigger plans for Joe.” “We’re devastated by Joe’s condition and we will definitely miss him on the mat,” Kevin Jackson, U.S. Wrestling National Freestyle coach, said. “We’re very happy and thankful his health is good and nothing more serious did happen to him. I have a lot of love for Joe and so do his teammates. I’m happy they found out about his condition soon enough to be able to help him. I’m happy to know that Joe will be there for his wife and his children.” Emergency action plans are posted outside of every training room, near a telephone, so others, in addition to athletic training staff will be prepared to handle any situation in a calm manner. In addition, Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) are placed throughout competition and practice facilities. The athletic training division at Ohio State evaluates the system annually, making changes if necessary. “The plan worked because Joe knew something was wrong and he came to me seeking advice and soon after, I knew he needed a higher level of care than I could provide,” Miller said. “I am remarkably blessed to be alive,” Heskett said. “This situation, although unfortunate, is the will of our great Lord and I turn over every fiber of faith to his plan. I don't have time to ask why and ponder. I will get healthy and I look forward to the next chapter of my life. I do not hang up my shoes easily, but the reality of the situation leaves me with one option and that is to stay optimistic and begin to excel in other areas of my life that I have been extremely blessed to possess.” Joe Heskett Profile National and International competition Five-time U.S. National Team Member Finished fourth at 2007 World Wrestling Championships 2007 and 2001 Pan American Silver medalist 2004 Summer Olympic Games alternate 2004 Dave Schultz International Champion, earning Outstanding Wrestler 2002 New York Athletic Club Champion Iowa State (1999-2002) Became the Cyclones eighth four-time All-American (1999-2002) with a career record of 143-9 2002 NCAA Champion at 165 pounds Finished third in 1999 at NCAA championships, second in 2000 and 2001 Three-time Big 12 champion (1999, 2001, 2002) Three-time Midlands champion (1998, 2000, 2001) Third on ISU’s all-time wins list (143) 1999 and 2000 University National Freestyle champion Four-time Academic All-American, graduated from Iowa State in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in speech communications and earned a masters degree with honors in educational leadership from Cal Poly in 2005 Walsh Jesuit High School Three-time Ohio High School state champion Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/177-ohio-state-wrestling-joe-heskett-has-sudden-heart-surgery-wrestling-career-end Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/171-arizona-state-wrestling-adds-zach-roberson-to-coaching-staff Former NCAA champion and three-time All-American will work with light weights TEMPE, Ariz. – Zach Roberson, a three-time All-American and 2004 NCAA 133-pound Champion at Iowa State, has joined the Arizona State University wrestling coaching staff Head Coach Thom Ortiz announced Tuesday. The second-ranked freestyle wrestler in the United States at 60kg (132 pounds), Roberson will work with the lightweights in the Sun Devil program while working toward his goal of representing the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics. “I am excited to have a talented wrestler like Zach Roberson in our wrestling complex to help our student-athletes prepare to excel this year,” Ortiz said. “I recruited him in college and knew he was a talented wrestler. He proved that at the collegiate level and is ready to do so on the international level. I look forward to having him train toward making the U.S. Olympic team while helping ASU’s wrestlers prepare to compete for Pac-10 and NCAA titles.” Roberson recently placed second at the Senior World Team Trials, falling to Mike Zadick in the Championship Final at the tournament in Las Vegas in July. The runner-up at 60kg in the first season of Real Pro Wrestling for the Iowa Stalkers team, Roberson placed fourth at the most recent U.S. National Championships in Las Vegas. Recruited to Ames, Iowa, by then-assistant coach Ortiz, Roberson placed seventh at the NCAA Championships as a sophomore for his first All-America accolade before taking second as a junior and winning the national title as a senior by defeating Penn State’s Josh Moore, 7-3, in the 2004 event. The 2003 Midlands Champion at 133 pounds and Art Kraft Champion of Champions recipient (best exemplifying the qualities of a champion) at the same meet, Roberson also placed third in the Big XII Championships before taking second place as a senior. Prior to his arrival at ISU, Roberson was a four-time state champion in Kansas, claiming crowns at 103, 112, 119 and 125-pounds before taking runner-up honors at the 125-pound high school national tournament. A recipient of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award, which honors academic and wrestling excellence as well as community service, Roberson completed his prep career with an unblemished 153-0 record and won 109 of those bouts by pin fall. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/171-arizona-state-wrestling-adds-zach-roberson-to-coaching-staff Sat, 29 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/169-tyron-woodley-named-siue-assistant-wrestling-coach EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Tyron Woodley has been named the assistant coach for the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville wrestling program. SIUE Coach Patrick McNamara welcomed his new assistant, who comes to Cougar wrestling after spending the last two years on staff at the University of Missouri. Woodley joins SIUE as it begins its final year wrestling as an NCAA Division II institution. Beginning with the 2008-2009 wrestling season, SIUE will compete at the NCAA Division I level. "I am really excited to be apart of a rising program. This is a very unique situation. Our administration, parents, and community are showing tremendous support with the resurrection of a once-dominate program," Woodley said. The new coach has been involved at Missouri since 2000. He wrestled for the Tigers from 2000-2005 and coached from 2005-2007. Woodley was involved with the Tiger Total Person Progam, where he oversaw the academic progress of Missouri wrestlers. In addition to his coaching and academic responsibilities, he also coordinated many of the on-campus recruiting activities and TigerStyle camps. As a three-time team captain, Woodley collected several honors and awards. For the 2003 and 2005 seasons, he was a NCAA Division I All-American. In 2003, he claimed Missouri's first individual Big 12 Conference Championship. The Tigers had never won a individual title since the creation of the conference in 1997. While on his way to earning All-American honors, Woodley collected 110 wins and reached the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships three times. He also helped guide the Tigers to their highest NCAA Wrestling Championship finish in 20 years (11th) at the time. "I am very excited to have Tyron on my staff. Tyron is an outstanding wrestler who will bring a lot of skill and intensity to our wrestling room, but more importantly Tyron is a great person who will set a great example for our student-athletes. I am confident that Tyron has the abilities to help us take this program to the next level," said McNamara. The Cougar wrestling squad begins action on Sunday, Nov. 11, at the Central Missouri Open in Warrensburg, Mo. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/169-tyron-woodley-named-siue-assistant-wrestling-coach Fri, 28 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/172-national-champion-gopher-wrestling-team-enjoys-busy-day-in-washington-dc The defending national champion Golden Gopher wrestling team enjoyed an eventful day in Washington, D.C. Friday, as they commemorated their NCAA victory with stops at the Capitol Building, Pentagon and a ceremony at the White House with President George W. Bush. The 2006-07 championship squad, along with several athletics administration and team staff members, were treated to tours of some our nation’s most important landmarks before ending their day by commemorating their third NCAA championship on the lawn outside the White House. The team’s day began at 8 a.m. sharp, as they received a tour of the Capitol Building as guests of former House Speaker (and current Illinois state representative) Dennis Hastert. Hastert, a former high school wrestling coach, was also instrumental in arranging the team’s previous visit to the White House in 2001. The Gophers visited Hastert’s office as well as the House chamber until about 11 a.m. One of the day’s highlights was a police escort that shuttled the Gopher delegation between their stops at the Pentagon and White House, allowing them to circumvent the normally heavy D.C. traffic. After a brief Pentagon tour, the group headed to the White House at approximately 12:30 p.m. for that afternoon’s ceremony. Seven other NCAA champion squads were also present at the commemoration, including the two-time College World Series champion Oregon State baseball team and the defending NCAA champion Tennessee Lady Vol basketball team. At the White House, the Minnesota delegation toured several of the structure’s most noted rooms, including the Blue Room, Library and State Dining Room. After team members posed for a photo with President Bush, the entire crowd was brought to the South Lawn for that afternoon’s presentation. The championship teams entered the lawn and were introduced as the President’s Band played each school’s fight song. Two-time NCAA champion Cole Konrad and the other team champion captains were allowed a personal 20-minute audience with the President before the ceremony began. The team captains also walked onto the podium with the President himself, standing next to the country’s chief executive during his speech. “I’m honored to be among the nation’s finest student-athletes,” said President Bush during his roughly 10-minute address. “These people set high standards both on and off the field, and work hard to achieve the goals they set for themselves.” After the President’s remarks ended their White House stay, the team made stops at the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial before their late Friday evening flight to Minneapolis. The Gopher wrestling team has now visited the White House and President Bush on two separate occasions, the other following the program’s first national championship in 2001. The 2007-08 Gopher wrestling season opens on Nov. 10 when Minnesota partakes in the 2007 Bison Open, hosted by North Dakota State. The defending national champions return to Williams Arena for their home opener Dec. 2. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/172-national-champion-gopher-wrestling-team-enjoys-busy-day-in-washington-dc Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/170-northern-colorado-wrestling-releases-its-2007-08-schedule Greeley, COLO. University of Northern Colorado head coach Jack Maughan today announced the wrestling schedule for the 2007-08 season. The Bears open their season at the Cowboy Open in Laramie on Nov. 10 and then host the Northern Colorado Open on Nov. 18. For the second year in a row, the Bears will also face #1 Minnesota, this time as the defending national champions in Rochester, Minn. They will close out November at the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, which will feature several Big 10 and Pac-10 teams. After the holidays, NC will host Nebraska – another team ranked in the top 10 in the preseason poll and then on Jan. 26, father and son will square off as the Bears host North Dakota State, where Jack’s father is the head coach. "We are really looking forward to this schedule," said Maughan. "The goal of our scheduling is to make us battle tested so we can perform at the end of the season. We think this schedule will prepare us to be successful at the NCAA tournament. To have an opportunity to compete against #1 ranked Minnesota on the road and then a top-10 team in Nebraska at home are great challenges for our program. The Western Wrestling Conference gets tougher every year and we host North Dakota State and in-state rival Air Force at Butler-Hancock Pavilion. The Colorado wrestling community has been looking forward to the return of Division I wrestling to the state and we hope they will continue to support us as we take on top programs". Northern Colorado returns seven letterwinners, including two of the five NCAA Qualifiers from last season Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/170-northern-colorado-wrestling-releases-its-2007-08-schedule Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/159-osus-daniel-cormier-takes-bronze-at-world-championships Baku, Azerbaijan -  Former Oklahoma State All-America wrestler Daniel Cormier became the first American to win a freestyle medal at the 2007 FILA World Wrestling Championships when he claimed the bronze at 96kg Friday after picking up a 1-0, 0-1, 1-0 win over Kyrgyzstan’s Alexey Krupnyakov in the bronze medal match. With the win, Cormier claimed the first international-level medal of his career. “We were really dedicated in our training for this,” Cormier said Friday. “I came home last week and every day there was someone there to train with. Some of the time it was with Coach Smith, other times with Eric Guerrero and other times with Zack Esposito. Having that kind of support was very helpful to me. I talked to Coach Smith last night and he told me that I need to just go out and wrestle. He said that I have trained hard for this all year and now it is just time to go out and do it.” Making the win more significant is the fact that Cormier’s victory avenged an earlier loss to Krupnyakov at the 2005 FILA World Championships. “It was tough,” Cormier said. “It was a scrap. I had to come out and wrestle. This was the same guy who beat me a couple years ago at the World Championships so it was good to exact a little revenge this time around.” Cormier’s route to the bronze medal started with a first-round bye, then he stormed past Australia’s Ian Wardell, 6-0, 6-0 in his opening match. Cormier followed that dominating performance by rallying to knock off Belarus’ Ruslan Sheykhov in his second match. Sheykhov took the first period, 1-0, but Cormier responded by winning the second period, 1-0 and the decisive third period by a 4-0 margin. The 2001 NCAA runner-up while at OSU, Cormier sustained his only setback of the World Championships when he lost a 5-0, 2-1 decision to Iran’s Saeid Abrahimi. Abrahimi figured to be stiff competition for Cormier, as Abrahimi won the gold medal at the 2005 Asian Championships. Following his loss to Abrahimi, Cormier was moved into the wrestleback, where he handed Japan’s Kiyotaka Kodaira a 3-0, 6-0 beating in his first match before picking up his medal-winning victory over Krupnyakov. “Daniel has worked very hard for this moment and it has paid off in a big way,” Oklahoma State Head Coach John Smith said. “This will give him great motivation going into this coming Olympic year.” “It was nice to pick up this medal, but it is not the end goal,” Cormier said. “I want a gold next time.” Oklahoma State’s Daniel Cormier At The 2007 FILA Senior World Championships First Round – Bye Second Round – Defeated Ian Wardell (AUS): 6-0, 6-0 Third Round – Defeated Ruslan Sheykhov (BEL): 0-1, 1-0. 4-0 Quarterfinal Round – Lost to Saeid Abrahimi (IRN): 0-5, 1-2 Wrestleback Semifinal – Defeated Kiyotaka Kodaira (JPN): 3-0, 6-0 Bronze Medal Match – Defeated Alexey Krupnyakov (KGZ): 1-0, 0-1, 1-0 Daniel Cormier Wrestling Highlights 2007 World Championships - Bronze Medal 2007 Pan America Games - Bronze Medal 2004 Olympic Games – Fourth Place 2003 World Championships – Fifth Place 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 – U.S. Nationals Champion 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 – U.S. World Team Member 2003 – Pan American Games – Gold Medal 2001 NCAA Championships – Runner-up while at Oklahoma State Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/159-osus-daniel-cormier-takes-bronze-at-world-championships Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/155-oklahoma-state-announces-2007-8-schedule Oklahoma State Wrestling Announces 2007-08 Schedule OSU set to host Big 12 Championships, reigning NCAA champs Minnesota and NCAA runners-up Iowa State. Stillwater, Okla. ­ The Big 12 Wrestling Championships coming to Gallagher-Iba Arena along with home duals against reigning NCAA champions Minnesota, 2007 NCAA runner-up Iowa State, in-state rival Oklahoma, Penn State, Northern Iowa and Cal Poly highlight the 2007-08 Oklahoma State wrestling schedule that was announced by Head Coach John Smith today. The Cowboys also take the mat against Nebraska at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City for a match that will be televised nationally by ESPNU. The season starts on the road when Oklahoma State competes in the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha on Nov. 17. Selected Cowboys will then move on to compete at the NWCA All-Star match Nov. 19 in Eugene, Ore. The early-season road swing comes to an end when OSU travels to Albany, N.Y., to take part in the Northeast Duals on Nov. 24. Oklahoma State opens the home schedule with a bang, as in-state rival Oklahoma visits Gallagher-Iba at 2 p.m. on Dec. 2 for the first of two Bedlam Series matches. The Cowboys have won 18 straight dual matches over the Sooners and own a commanding 123-24-9 advantage in the all-time series with OU. After finishing 11th at last year¹s NCAA Wrestling Championships, Penn State visits Gallagher-Iba at 2 p.m. on Dec. 9. The Cowboys are then back on the road for the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 19. Jan. 6 shapes up to be one of the biggest days in collegiate wrestling as all eyes will be on Iowa City for the Cowboys¹ dual with inter-conference rival Iowa out of the Big Ten. Oklahoma State and Iowa have a combined 54 NCAA team championships between them, with the Cowboys claiming 34 crowns and the Hawkeyes winning 20 of their own. The rest of the nation has combined to win 24 national championships. Oklahoma State then travels to Hampton, Va., to take part in the Virginia Duals from Jan. 11-12 before heading to Columbia, Mo., on Jan. 19 for a Big 12 dual at Missouri set to start at 1 p.m. Big 12 runners-up last year, the Tigers finished third at the 2007 NCAA Championships and pose a formidable challenge again in 2007-08. There will be no rest for the Cowboys following their dual at Missouri, as they take the mat at 2 p.m. the next day at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City to host Nebraska for a dual that is part of a Ford Center doubleheader that also includes a dual match between Oklahoma and Wisconsin. A pair of consecutive home duals against Northern Iowa (7 p.m. on Jan. 25) and reigning Big 12 champion and 2007 NCAA runner-up Iowa State (2 p.m. on Jan. 27) set up a much-anticipated home dual with reigning NCAA champion Minnesota at 1 p.m. on Feb. 3 at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys and Golden Gophers are the only two teams to have won a national championship since 2001, as OSU claimed the title in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, with Minnesota winning the championship in 2001, 2002 and 2007. A brief west-coast swing in early February pits Oklahoma State against Oregon at 7 p.m. on Feb. 8 in Eugene, Ore., and at UC Davis at 1 p.m. on Feb. 10 in Davis. The west coast returns the favor when Cal Poly visits Gallagher-Iba at 7 p.m. on Feb. 16 in what will be the final regular-season home dual for Cowboy seniors and returning All-Americans Nathan Morgan and Coleman Scott, among others. Oklahoma State puts a cap on the regular season when it travels south to Norman to face Oklahoma at 7 p.m. on Feb. 21. The Cowboys will pursue their 42nd conference championship when they play host to the 2008 Big 12 Wrestling Championships on March 8. In addition to OSU¹s 41 team conference titles, 204 Cowboy wrestlers have been crowned as individual conference champions through the years. The NCAA Championships are set for March 20-22 in St. Louis, Mo., with the Cowboys looking to pick up their fifth national championship in the last six years and their 35th overall NCAA team championship. Smith returns four All-Americans and eight NCAA qualifiers from last year¹s team that finished fifth at the NCAA Championships. The Cowboys have won five of their 34 team national championships under Smith and have crowned 132 individual national champions through the years. No collegiate program in any sport in the nation can boast the level of success enjoyed by Oklahoma State wrestling. 2007-08 Oklahoma State Wrestling Schedule Sat., Nov. 17................. Kaufman-Brand Open................. Omaha, Neb.................. All Day Mon., Nov. 19................. NWCA All-Star Match................. Eugene, Ore.................. TBA Sat., Nov. 24................. Northeast Duals................. Albany, N.Y.................. All Day Sun., Dec. 2................. Oklahoma................. Stillwater................. 2 p.m. Sun., Dec. 9................. Penn State................. Stillwater................. 2 p.m. Wed., Dec. 19................. Reno Tournament of Champions................. Reno, Nev.................. All Day Sun., Jan. 6................. at Iowa................. Iowa City, Iowa................. 2 p.m. Fri.-Sat., Jan. 11-12................. Virginia Duals................. Hampton, Va.................. All Day Sat., Jan. 19................. at Missouri................. Columbia, Mo.................. 1 p.m. Sun., Jan. 20................. Nebraska................. Oklahoma City, Okla. (Ford Center)................. 2 p.m. Fri., Jan. 25................. Northern Iowa................. Stillwater................. 7 p.m. Sun., Jan. 27................. Iowa State................. Stillwater................. 2 p.m. Sun., Feb. 3................. Minnesota................. Stillwater................. 1 p.m. Fri., Feb. 8................. at Oregon................. Eugene, Ore.................. 7 p.m. Sun., Feb. 10................. at UC Davis................. Sacramento, Calif.................. 1 p.m. Sat., Feb. 16................. Cal Poly................. Stillwater................. 7 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 21................. at Oklahoma................. Norman, Okla.................. 7 p.m. Sat., March 8................. Big 12 Championships................. Stillwater................. All Day Thurs.-Sat., March 20-22................. NCAA Championships................. St. Louis, Mo.................. All Day Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/155-oklahoma-state-announces-2007-8-schedule Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/156-heskett-williams-and-schwab-heading-to-3rd The USA wrestling team came out like a hurricane in day 2 in Baku. Each of the first 4 matches the US won in straight periods. Schwab rolled through the Australian and Puerto Rican. Joe Heskett and Joe Williams rolled through their first opponents as well but had close bouts from there on out. The intensity and endurance of this tournament hit me hard as I was following each and every match. You really got to be clicking on all cylinders to be battling these other countries. Heskett during the bouts with the Iranian and Hungarian really came through when it counted. He picked his battles and was very tactical in both matches. He did exactly what he had to do to win. That lead him to the Semi Finals against the Russian. This match may have been the match of the tournament thus far. Joe won the first round and the Russian won the second round. In the third round Joe got the first takedown with about 40 seconds left in the match. The russian then countered and got deep on the legs of Heskett and pulled out a 3 point move. With only 10 seconds left all Joe could do was frantically and flailing after the russian to no avail. Joe Heskett is heading into the 3rd place match tonight. Joe Williams was proving to have a great tournament all the way up to the quarters. Joe Williams is the type of wrestler that really will only have a couple of opportunities in a match and has relatively high % of finishes on those opportunities. In the match against the Russian in the Quarters Joe had those opportunities but just didnt capitalize. He lost in straight periods. In the consolations he went back to his form from the earlier matches and managed to get into the third place match tonight. The Cuban soundly defeated Schwab in the Quarter Finals in straight periods.During the consolations Schwab started off sluggish. He gave up two straight takedowns to the Mongolian but just kept at it. With about 30 seconds left int he first period he took down his opponent and managed to turn him with a loose and funky leg lace. It got the job done and in the second period won in the clinch. He as well is heading into the third place match tonight. Overall with the exception of a couple of periods the USA team wrestled very smart and very strong. I would love to see one of them in the finals but that's not how the cookie crumbled. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/156-heskett-williams-and-schwab-heading-to-3rd Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/161-wrestle-4-relief-iii HOLLAND, PA The Council Rock South Wrestling Booster Club is again joining forces with Team Apache Wrestling Club, PAWF (Pennsylvania Amateur Wrestling Federation) and Council Rock School District to proudly present WRESTLE 4 RELIEF III on Sunday, October 14th, 2007. This charity fundraiser will take place at Council Rock South High School in Holland, PA. We are happy to announce that the charity for 2007 will be Autism Awareness. We will be raffling off items in an effort to raise money for this great cause. Concessions will also be available. Find out more about Autism Awareness at: http://www.neighborheart.org/default.asp Our inaugural “Wrestle 4 Relief” event in October of 2005 was a huge success and raised $5600 for the Red Cross in support of the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. We followed that up in 2006 with “Wrestle 4 Relief II” and donated over $4500 to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation to help fight childhood cancer. “I know that this may sound like a cliché, but this wrestling community is indeed a family! This community transcends sports and competition. The true goodness of people and all that is right with the sport of wrestling and these kids was on full display at both Wrestle for Relief events as hundreds of wrestlers, coaches, parents and fans competed and donated their time and effort, all in the name of charity.” said Brad Silimperi, Club Director of Team Apache and Head Wrestling Coach at Council Rock South High School. “I can tell you that the wrestling community is one that I am proud to be a part of.” Coach Silimperi continues “We are extremely excited about WRESTLE 4 RELIEF III and having a great charity like Autism Awareness being a part of the event. It is also the chosen charity for the Council Rock School District for 2007-2008 and a great opportunity for the wrestling community to help make a difference.” This tournament is PAWF folkstyle event. Wrestlers from outside of PA are welcome. For division & weight class information, go to www.usapawf.com. Registration & Weigh ins: 8:00 – 8:30am Wrestling begins: approximately 9:30 Entry Fee: $20 Admission Donation: $5 Walk-ins ONLY. USA Card is required and will be available at registration. Separate payments will need to be made for USA cards and registration. Any questions or if anyone would like to volunteer your time and help out, please contact Ed Evans at ETRCRS@aol.com Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/161-wrestle-4-relief-iii Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/149-oklahoma-wrestling-welcomes-10-newcomers-to-squad NORMAN, Okla.- University of Oklahoma wrestling welcomed one of the largest classes ever to the program this season. Ten new Sooners have started practice and will quickly challenge for starting spots on the squad. "Our recruiting classes aren't usually this large, and there is a good possibility that several of these guys will wind up in the starting line-up," Head Coach Jack Spates said. "We have signed guys that are extremely capable of contributing right away and put us in a position for a bright future." The Sooner recruiting effort went coast-to-coast, signing state champions from California to Pennsylvania. The 10 member class combined for 15 state championships. The class is comprised of eight freshmen, one sophomore and a senior. The group has two previous NCAA qualifiers in transfers Max Dean (Indiana) and Eric Lapotsky (Bucknell). There will be holes to fill with several key Sooners departing from last year's team. But holes in the line-up present opportunities for new faces to make their way onto the mat to start for the Sooners. "We have a chance to have six, maybe seven freshmen and sophomores in the line-up this year," Spates said. "It is going to be a really fun group to coach." The coaches are excited about the youth, and the competition makes them excited about what's in store for this year's team. "The young guys and transfers we brought in have exceptional drive and determination," Spates said. "It is going to be an extremely fun year because although these guys are young, they are going to be an aggressive group on the mat." Practice for the Sooner team begins Tuesday, September 18. Below is a list of the 2007-08 class with a brief list of past accomplishments and what Head Coach Jack Spates had to say about their additions to the team: Kyle Bergstedt Freshman |6-2|197 Magalia, California (Paradise High School) -Named Junior National All-American as a senior -Five-time Cadet Junior All-American -Six-time Freestyle and Greco state champion Spates on Kyle: "Kyle is another high school All-American who has great range and just loves the sport. He is a mat rat who can never get enough. I can tell he is going to have a fine future as a Sooner." Max Dean Senior|5-9 |165 Cincinnati, Ohio (Lakota West High School) -Three-time NCAA qualifier at Indiana University -Three-time academic All-American at IU -2006-07 Hoosier team captain and two-time Big 10 Sportsmanship Award winner Spates on Max: "Max Dean is a national qualifier at Indiana. He is wrestling at a weight that is really important to us, and we expect him to be a man to step in and do well for us. His coach at Indiana expressed his admiration for his work ethic and we are tremendously excited for him to join our team." Joey Fio Freshman |5-8|125 Sandpoint, Idaho (Sandpoint High School) -Two-time state champion in the state of Idaho -Three-time MVP wrestler at Sandpoint High School -Four Year letterman at Sandpoint Spates on Joey: "Joey Fio is from the same school as extremely talented wrestlers of Jake Rosholt and Jared Lawrence from Oklahoma State and Minnesota. His coach said his talent is right in keeping with those guys. He is a tremendosuly hard worker and a greatly impassioned athlete." Pat Flynn Freshman |6-2|184 Quakertown, PA. (Quakertown High School) -Pennsylvania state champion his senior year -Fila Cadet National Champion Freestyle and Greco -Four-time letterman and all-academic team in high school Spates on Pat: "Pat Flynn is a Pennsylvania state champion and Schultz Award winner two years ago. He is a tremendous pinner and a dangerous opponent who can put you on your back from anywhere. He is wrestling at a weight where we have few seniors, so the future is bright at that weight." Eric Lapotsky Sophomore |6-1|197 Mt. Carmel, PA. (Bucknell University) -NCAA Qualifier at Bucknell University -Three-time Pennsylvania state qualifier -Regional champion winner his senior year of high school -Totaled 125 wins and was a two-time medal winner in high school Spates on Eric: "Eric upset the number one wrestler last year at the NCAA's after not even wrestling as a true freshman. He is, along with Joey Fio, leading the runs with the team which is very unusual for a big guy. He is a very hard working talented man who is going to push for the starting spot this year, but he will leave us in very good hands when Joel Flaggert leaves." Steve Nijoka Freshman |5-11|184 Houston, Texas (Strake Jesuit High School) -2007 Texas state champion -Received the George Bush Sports Hero Award his senior year -Four-year letterman at Strake Jesuit High School Spates on Steve: "Steve is another state champion from the state of Texas. He has a lot of ability and was not highly touted coming out of high school, but has really impressed us with his athleticism and his ability." Brent Rogers Freshman |5-9|165 Grand Prarie, Texas (James Bowie High School) -Two-time Texas state champion -Three year letterman in high school Spates on Brent: "Brent Rogers is a little bit of a diamond in the rough because he won two Texas state championships. He actually beat two-time Oklahoma state champion and highly esteemed Chris Hacker who went to Nebraska. We are really eager to see his progress." Ryan Smith Freshman |5-10|165 Prineville, Ore. (Crook County High School) -Three-time Oregon state champion -Four-year letterman at Crook County High School -Placed third at Greco Nationals Spates on Ryan: "Ryan Smith was a high school national runner-up, junior national runner-up and a three-time state champion. He is another really hard worker who has made big strides already in just the short time he has been here. He is such a tremendos competitor." Seth Vernon Freshman |5-8|149 Tulsa, Okla. (Tulsa Union High School) -Three-time Oklahoma state champion -Four-year letterman at Tulsa Union High School -Dapper Dan team member -Younger brother of current Sooner, Shane Vernon Spates on Seth: "Seth Vernon is a high school national runner-up and a three-time state champion. He has great determination, great athleticism and tremendous passion to be great." John Starzyk Freshman |5-10|133 Oak Hill, Ill. (Providence Catholic High School) -Three-time Idaho state champion -Four-year high school letterman -Dapper Dan team member Spates on John: "John is an outstanding competitor, which is evident by his three state championships. He won the Pin Award at the high school national championships and is one of the most prolific pinners in Illinois wrestling history." Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/149-oklahoma-wrestling-welcomes-10-newcomers-to-squad Tue, 18 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/148-wrestling-in-wonderland Sitting on the edge of match side for my first world championships and Im stunned by the absurdity of it all. Maybe you want to call it culture shock, but it doesnt feel like it. It just feels like im watching these matches like I am Alice in Wonderland. I look down and see an electronics advertisement with two kids in their underwear, one giving a thumbs up and the other eating an ice cream cone. How does two kids in their underwear have anything to do with electronics? Does kids in their underwear produce the same result as hot women in beer commercials. If so Im truly in a weird and probably dangerous place. I look up and see TC Dantzler wrestling and his coaches coaching. They have the same type of look on their face that I might have. I have a hard time believing my eyes as the referees take the match away from the guy. One mistake after another makes me feel like it isnt a mistake. I truly feel like im Alice. The American in me wants to do something, say something. I begin to shout and Jason Bryant warns me that if I shout they will expel me. Im dumb founded. This is a wrestling match not a lecture hall or one of the Azerbaijan's president's political conferences. The reality is, is that there is no reality here and I am Alice and this is a wonderland. It doesnt make sense and dont try to make sense of it. Fila simply goes by a whole set of rules and standards that waiver, bend and break with the weather. What I feel like must be a hundreth of the feeling that Harry Lester must be feeling. A guy who works for years to have a chance at being a World Champion gets that chance stolen in the semi final match against an Azerbaijanian. Does the fact that the dictator of Azerbaijan happened to be at the event have anything to do with it? Stupid question..Irrelavant question..there are no facts, no objectivity in this country and in this sport. The only way your going to win as an American is the way Brad Vering (84 Kg Greco) won in his second round match. Brute force and power, a decision so decisive even a referee looking to steal it couldn't possibly find a way. He walks off the mat like he just ran through a brick wall and didnt even feel it. Moral of the story: If your an American you better not leave anything up to the Queen in this Baku Wonderland. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/148-wrestling-in-wonderland Tue, 18 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/150-au-coach-does-well-in-baku AU Assistant Wrestling Coach Brad Vering Wins Silver at the Senior-Wrestling World Championships Vering earned his best career finish in the international event Sept. 18, 2007 WASHINGTON - American University assistant wrestling coach Brad Vering earned a silver medal at the Senior-Wrestling World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Tuesday. Vering was defeated 4-0, 4-0 by former Olympic champion Aleksey Mishin of Russia in the 84 kg finals. "We are very proud of what Mark accomplished," AU Head Coach Mark Cody said. "The best wrestlers in the world competed at this event and he proved that he belongs among the best. I am sure that once he returns to American University he will have great stories to tell and a wealth of new knowledge to share with our guys." Vering, who won the 2007 U.S. Nationals and U.S. World Team Trials at 84 kg, won five matches on his way to the finals. In his previous appearances at the World Championships, Vering placed fifth in 2002 and 2003 but failed to place in 2005. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/150-au-coach-does-well-in-baku Tue, 18 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/152-cejudo-and-zadick-come-out-flat Henry Cejudo (55Kg) and Mike Zadick (60Kg) come out flat for the first match at the World Championships. The pace was slow with as little action as it took for their opponents to win both rounds. Years of preparation and months of intensity just didnt carry over on the mat today in Baku. Only the 55 and 60 Kg weight classes wrestled on this first day of freestyle. In World Championship competition if you lose you only make it to the consolation rounds if the opponent you lost to goes to the finals. Henry Cejudo lost to the Iranian in a clear cut match. His first round he got taken down at the end of the first minute. In the second minute Cejudo simply wasnt able to get in on the legs of the Iranian. Going into the second period The idea was to pick up the aggressiveness. Americans are typically in better shape and it is usually in their best interest to have a high tempo and intense match to challenge the conditioning of their opponents. You can hear Kevin Jackson calling out "Its got to be a war" from mat side as opposed to a chess match. In the second period Cejudo did pick up the intensity taking more shots and making more fakes and trying to move his opponents. However he took a one armed shot and the iranian caught his arm and took him down. Cejudo was forced to open up with only about 40 seconds remaining and the iranian capitalized on a double leg from his knees. All in all it was a short premier for Cejudo as he was knocked out of the tournament when the Iranian lost in the next round. Mike Zadick came in with something to prove against an Albanian (Sait Prizreni) who has trained at the New York Athletic club. Right away Zadick scored the first point when he pushed his opponent out of bounds. IT was all down hill from there. Mike Zadick didnt continue with the pressure and instead played into his opponents hands by waiting around for the end of the period by trading position battles. Prizreni with time running out in the first period ducked under Zadicks right shoulder and reappeared behind Zadicks left arm- almost like a magician - and scooted behind for the takedown. By scoring the last point in the period the 1-1 tie for that period went to Prizreni. In the second period Zadick picked up the intensity a bit. but it was to no avail. The period went to the clinch and the coin ended up flipping in the Albanian's favor. Prizreni capped the upset by barely taking Zadick down in the clinch. Zadick now must await his fate with the performance of Sait Prizreni in the following rounds. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/152-cejudo-and-zadick-come-out-flat Tue, 18 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/144-brands-announces-change-in-gables-title IOWA CITY -- University of Iowa Assistant Wrestling Coach Dan Gable has decided to step down from that position. The announcement came today from Head Wrestling Coach Tom Brands. Brands said Gable will remain fully engaged in the day-to-day operations of Iowa’s wrestling program, but without the title or on-the-mat responsibilities that come with the title of assistant coach. “Dan has been my coach and my mentor. What’s important to me is that he’s going to remain involved in the Hawkeye wrestling program and will continue to play a significant role as we continue to make progress toward the goal of domination,” said Brands. “My assistant coach’s role was always temporary and I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be directly involved in our wrestling program as much as NCAA rules allow me to be,” said Gable. Gable, arguably the state of Iowa’s most successful student-athlete and coach and the architect of one of college athletics’ longest running dynasties, will return to his role as special assistant to the director of athletics effective Oct. 1. Another full-time coach will be added to the wrestling staff. “I’m very excited for everyone who loves the sport of wrestling and cares about wrestling at the University of Iowa and worldwide. I feel good about the direction of our program and the leadership and the young men who are involved in our program,” he continued. “What isn’t temporary, and what will never be temporary, is the respect and appreciation I have for Tom, his drive and determination, and the love he has for wrestling. We’re in very, very good hands and there is absolutely no doubt that we’re headed in the right direction.” “The wrestling team is very lucky to have two great coaching minds like Coaches Brands and Gable available every day to help make us better,” said senior Mark Perry, the defending Big Ten Conference and NCAA champion at 165 pounds. “I look forward to working with both of them again this year in helping our team win championships.” Perry added. Brands said he has no timetable for the hiring of a full-time assistant coach. “I have great guys around me including Coach Gable. They are all totally committed. At some point down the road, we’ll get the position filled with someone who shares my commitment to developing young student-athletes to win championships,” said Brands. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/144-brands-announces-change-in-gables-title Sun, 16 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/141-arizona-state-wrestling-adds-brent-chriswell-to-roster Redshirt freshman transfers into program from Purdue TEMPE, Ariz. – Brent Chriswell, a two-time high school state champion from Washington, has transferred to Arizona State University and joined the Sun Devil wrestling program, seventh-year Head Coach Thom Ortiz announced. A native of Seattle, Wash., Chriswell comes to Tempe following one year at Purdue University where he redshirted his true freshman season While redshirting at PU, Chriswell competed in a pair of events for the Boilermakers during the 2006-07 season. Wrestling at 184 pounds, he won the Edinboro Open and took second at the Nittany Lion Open. Prior to transferring to ASU, Chriswell competed in the 2007 FILA Junior National tournament in Las Vegas, Nev., where he captured the 185-pound freestyle crown. During his prep career, Chriswell compiled a three-year record of 107-3 and pinned 88 opponents. After finishing as the state runner-up as a sophomore at 160 pounds, he captured his first state title, winning the 171 pound crown in 2005 with a 36-1 record. As a senior, Chriswell moved up to 189 pounds and won his second state title after posting a 39-0 record with 33 of those victories coming by fall. For his efforts, he was selected as an Asics Honorable Mention All-American. On the national level, Chriswell won a pair of titles in 2005 as he captured the FILA Cadet Greco-Roman crown at 167.5 pounds in the same weekend he won the FILA Cadet Freestyle title at 187.25 pounds. That same year, he also finished third at the 2005 USA Wrestling Junior Freestyle National Championships at 171 pounds. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/141-arizona-state-wrestling-adds-brent-chriswell-to-roster Fri, 07 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/143-defending-national-champion-golden-gophers-announce-2007-08-wrestling-schedule The University of Minnesota wrestling program announced its schedule for the 2007-08 season today, highlighted by home meets with 2006-07 national runner-up Iowa State, Big Ten rival Iowa and the 2007-08 Big Ten Championships, which will take place March 8 and 9 at Williams Arena. After gaining their third national championship a year ago under head coach J Robinson, the Golden Gophers will attempt to make it back-to-back titles and bring home the another national crown this winter. This yearÂ’s schedule features the programÂ’s typically strong non-conference schedule. The Gophers will participate in two early-season open meets in November – the Bison Open, hosted by North Dakota State University on Nov. 10, and the Kaufman-Brand Open at the University of Nebraska-Omaha the next weekend. Minnesota will also go against three different opponents (Northern Illinois, Northern Colorado and North Dakota State) in the Northern Quad meet in Rochester on Nov. 24. Minnesota open the dual meet season at Williams Arena with the 2006-07 NCAA runner-up Iowa State Cyclones on Dec. 2. The Gophers defeated the Cyclones 19-13 in their dual meet match-up last season and won the national championship by 9.5 points (98.0 - 88.5) last March. Following their meeting with Iowa State, the Gophers will host Nebraska at the Sports Pavilion Dec. 6 before traveling to California that weekend to take on Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly Dec. 8. Following the holiday break, the Golden Gophers will head to Greensboro, N.C., to compete in the Southern Scuffle from Dec. 29-30. Minnesota then enjoys a two-week break before competing in the National Duals from Jan. 12 through 13, hosted by Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. After squaring off against South Dakota State on Jan. 20, the Golden Gophers will open Big Ten action with a weekend in Michigan. Minnesota takes on Michigan State Jan. 25 in East Lansing and will travel to Ann Arbor the next day for a dual meet with the Wolverines. The Gophers come back home to do battle with the Iowa Hawkeyes on Feb. 1 in one of the yearÂ’s marquee match-ups. The Gophers trounced Iowa 29-13 last season in dual meet competition as the Hawkeyes went on to finish ninth at NCAAs. Two days later (Feb. 3), Coach RobinsonÂ’s squad will travel to Stillwater for their annual meeting with Oklahoma State, which placed fifth a year ago at the NCAA National Championships. The next weekend the Gophers will travel to Northwestern (Feb. 8) and Purdue (Feb. 10) before returning home for three consecutive Big Ten dual meets. Williams Arena will be the setting for competitions with Illinois on Feb. 15 and Wisconsin on Feb. 17, and Minnesota rounds out the regular season with Ohio State on Feb. 24 at the Sports Pavilion. The University of Minnesota will play host to the Big Ten Championships for the first time in 10 years on March 8 and 9. The Gophers have finished first or second in the Big Ten every year since 1999, including six championships. The NCAA Championships will be held in St. Louis, Missouri at the Scottrade Center from March 20-22. Despite losing two-time national champion Cole Konrad to graduation, the Gophers return a number of talented athletes on the mat. Brothers Dustin (third at the NCAA Championships in the 149 lbs. division) and C.P Schlatter (sixth in 157 lbs.) will be back for their junior and senior seasons, respectively, while national placewinners Roger Kish (184 lbs.) and Jayson Ness (125 lbs.) also return. With seven of their top eight wrestlers coming back, Minnesota should once again be a force both in the Big Ten and on the national stage. Fans looking to get in on the Gopher wrestling action will be able to view select meets this season on the Big Ten Network. The Big Ten Network will broadcast between 65-75 live Gopher athletic events this year, including Big Ten Championship events and a nightly show that will keep you up-to-date on whatÂ’s going at the U of M. In addition, exclusive Gopher wrestling content (including live video webcasts) will be available on the web via the Gold Zone. Stay tuned to www.gophersports.com and www.bigtennetwork.com for more details. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/143-defending-national-champion-golden-gophers-announce-2007-08-wrestling-schedule Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/142-indiana-hoosiers-release-schedule The Indiana Hoosier wrestling schedule begins with the Crimson and Cream intrasquad scrimmage on Monday, Oct. 29, held at the Brown County High School in Nashville, Indiana. The Hoosiers then head to Wabash College for a dual against the Little Giants on Nov. 9 before beginning tournament play. Indiana's first tournament is set for Nov. 11 when they will compete at the Michigan State Open. The Hoosiers then welcome Cumberland (Ky.), Duke, Liberty, Ohio and Oregon to Bloomington for the Hoosier Duals on Nov. 24. IU looks to strike it rich at the Las Vegas Invitational from Nov. 30- Dec. 2 to begin a long run of tournament competition. Followed by the FITE Duals (Dec. 16 - Chicago, Ill.), Midlands (Dec. 29-30 - Evanston, Ill.), the National Duals (Jan. 11-12 - Cedar Falls, Iowa) and Hoosier Quad (Jan. 19) to finish off the regular season tournament slate. The Air Force Academy, Gardner-Webb and the University of Indianapolis will participate in the Hoosier Quad. The IU grapplers will then spend the next month competing in seven Big Ten dual matches before coming to a crescendo at the Big Ten Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Mar. 8-9. The NCAA Championships will take place Mar. 20-22 by the Gateway Arch in the St. Louis, Missouri. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/142-indiana-hoosiers-release-schedule Wed, 05 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/140-jay-weiss-and-trent-kroll-honored-as-usmc-excellence-in-leadership-award-recipie ItÂ’s not merely a suggestion, itÂ’s a paramount requirement. That requirement is called leadership. Harvard University wrestling coach Jay Weiss and Hood River Valley High School coach Trent Kroll both not only excel at that requirement, it has been the pivotal piece in helping them mentor and coach student athletes. On Thursday, both were awarded the United States Marine Corps Excellence in Leadership Award at the Horizon Casino Resort as part of the 2007 National Wrestling Coaches Association Convention. As in past years, the award was presented by former Purdue wrestler Sgt. Maj. Larock Benford of the U.S. Marine Corps. Benford outlined his key points to leadership in a powerful motivational speech prior to announcing Weiss and Kroll as the winners of their respective awards. The United States Marine Corps Excellence in Leadership Award is presented yearly to a collegiate and high school coach that represents the core values of the United States Marine Corps in their passion for wrestling and leadership. Weiss, a 1990 graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, has been at the helm at Harvard for the past 14 seasons. As he heads into his 15th season in Cambridge, Weiss has coached 13 All-Americans – including three in 2006-07 – and one NCAA champion. Last season, Weiss led the Crimson to a 22nd place finish at the NCAA championships, quite a feat when you consider they lost former All-American Bode Ogunwole at mid-season and All-American candidate Andrew Flanagan, but did pick up a medal from true freshman J.P. OÂ’Connor – one of only two true freshmen to place at the 2007 NCAA Championships. “Jay Weiss is in an extremely competitive conference and always has his wrestlers prepared,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “As any wrestling coach knows, itÂ’s not always smooth sailing. He had a litany of injuries in his lineup this season and still came away with a solid showing at the NCAA championships.” “ItÂ’s a testament to his leadership and drive as a head coach that not only makes Jay a great coach, but makes him a valued recipient of this award,” said Moyer. “IÂ’m honored,” said Weiss. “I donÂ’t feel like IÂ’ve done anything different that IÂ’ve aspired to do. As coaches, weÂ’re supposed to be leaders, thatÂ’s why IÂ’m the person I am.” Weiss has been strong, not just leading his team, but also in leadership roles on the Board of Directors for the National Wrestling Coaches Association as the District I representative in NCAA Division I. HeÂ’s also served as the president of the Ivy League wrestling coaches and the EIWA. Weiss has also been supportive of the NWCA/USMC Coaching Education initiatives and was one of the first coaches to complete the online leadership course. HeÂ’s also numerous coaching development and leadership courses through NWCA partner Novations, One thing that Weiss has to deal with is his surroundings and realizing that his wrestlers will be dealing with their own hurdles down the line simply because of where they come from. “IÂ’m dealing with future Harvard graduates, so I have to prepare them for post-college,” said Weiss. “A lot of coaches are doing the same thing. Through sport, we get to teach life lessons. My guys are graduating with a Harvard degree and youÂ’re expected to lead immediately.” “I definitely try to lead by example and try to put my athletes in leadership roles from the get-go,” he said. “From the minute they are freshmen Â… I took a poll on my team to see who were captains of their high school teams and 100 percent were.” Weiss explained that his surrounding changed his coaching design and took it from a results based focus to one based around leadership. A part of Harvard's program is getting its wrestlers to join public service inititatives. Recently, Harvard wrestlers have contributed to such groups as the Cambridge School Volunteers, St. Paul's Food Pantry, the Pen Pal program, and the Sports Equipment Drive, just to name a few. “I just felt when I first got into coaching it was about wins and losses,” he explained. “When I was younger, the competitive nature in me was wins and losses. IÂ’m fortunate enough to be at a school like Harvard where Harvard changed me.” “My job as a leader and a coach is to put my athletes in situations in learning how to lead and what I found out was it eventually came back and we were more competitive. We went in a roundabout way to become a competitive team,” he said. With the injuries to Flanagan and Ogunwole, Weiss had to put the pain of losing those two wrestlers aside Â… and lead by example. “ItÂ’s very tough,” explained Weiss. “You have to be able to keep moving forward. You canÂ’t be like ‘Aw, our chances are done without our two guysÂ’.” “Bode being a senior and ranked #2 and Flanagan couldnÂ’t go, but fortunately he has two years left. Inside, I was devastated for them, but outside -- I have to say, ‘Ok, whoÂ’s goingÂ’.” When (the kids) see that kind of attitude, they realize adverse situations, you can get through it, not only that, but you have to get through it.” “In real life, theyÂ’re going to be dealing with a lot harder situations than that,” continued Weiss. “You have to keep going, thatÂ’s my attitude. I was pulling for the kids and myself.” Kroll, the current head coach at Hood River Valley High School in Oregon was surprised by the award. “I had no idea, when they said that I had ran the Northwest Wrestling Coaches Clinic for the last seven years, I knew it was me,” said Kroll. “When they first started talking, I thought it was Les Combs. I actually turned to him and said ‘Get readyÂ’.” Kroll, a humble but appreciative individual, explained his passion for the sport. “I enjoy sharing the sport with the next generation,” said Kroll. “I enjoy being around people that enjoy being around the sport and making the sport better in Oregon and I work hard to do it. Sometimes I have to focus on what to attack and what not to attack as far as making the sport better in our community.” Not only did he not expect to win an award, he didnÂ’t expect to speak. “When they asked me to speak, I looked out into the audience and saw John Smith and Joe Russell,” explained Kroll. “Oh my, IÂ’m speaking in front of guys that I had posters of on my wall when I was growing up.” “That was pretty cool,” said Kroll. “I went to an Oklahoma State wrestling camp in 1987. It was probably the turning point in my career. It took me from being a mediocre wrestler to a person that had an opportunity to compete in college.” Kroll went on to wrestle for Mike Clock at then-NAIA Pacific University in Oregon, where he explained he was just a “50/50 wrestler.” “Coaches like Trent Kroll show that itÂ’s not the most decorated wrestlers that become great mentors and coaches for the next generation of student athletes,” said Moyer. “HeÂ’s directed his athletes to make their own decisions regarding their team captains and heÂ’s steered his wrestlers into leadership roles by encouraging them to take the NWCAÂ’s online leadership course.” ItÂ’s that leadership course which helped Kroll at Centennial High School before heading to Hood River Valley. “For the last three seasons, IÂ’ve been working with Jeff Bowyer on the leadership training program,” explained Kroll. “I have a mission statement for my team now Â… and a plan intact for creating leaders, showing them what happens when we do have good leadership and what happens when we donÂ’t.” Past Winners 2006 College: Jack Maughan, University of Northern Colorado Scholastic: Jose Martinez, North Hills (Pa.) High School 2005 College: Drew Black, Wesleyan University Scholastic: Paul White, South Forsyth (Ga.) High School Jason M. Bryant Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/140-jay-weiss-and-trent-kroll-honored-as-usmc-excellence-in-leadership-award-recipie Mon, 27 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/138-csu-pueblo-back-on-the-mat PUEBLO – Joe Folda, Colorado State University-Pueblo director of athletics, announced today the hiring of Dax Charles as the ThunderWolves' new wrestling coach. Beginning in the Fall of 2008, CSU-Pueblo will reinstate its wrestling program, which was dropped in 2001. "We are delighted to bring Dax Charles back to the University to start and build our wrestling program," said Folda. "Dax has a tremendous passion for the University and in particular the wrestling program. He will tie our former wrestlers back into the University and has proven that when he sets goals, he achieves them. I am certain that Dax will build a program of which all can be proud. His wrestlers will be successful on and off the wrestling mat and will be a great representatives of the University and the community of Pueblo." As a 150-pound wrestler for the ThunderWolves, Charles won the 1992 NCAA Division II National Championship. He went on to be a three-time All-American and a 1994 academic All-American. Following graduation from CSU-Pueblo in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in recreation, Charles served as an assistant wrestling coach under Doug Moses from 1994-2001. Under Moses, now the head wrestling coach at New Mexico Highlands University, Charles assisted in all aspects of the wrestling program including recruiting, academic advising, supervising study hall, arranging travel, and on-mat training. Over the last 14 years, Charles has been the director of support services at El Pueblo Boys and Girls Ranch. At El Pueblo, he was responsible for the design, development and implementation of support services, compliance and recreation for more than 300 troubled youth, as well as the supervision and training of more than 300 employees. Charles will begin his duties as head wrestling coach on September 1, 2007. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/138-csu-pueblo-back-on-the-mat Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/139-division-i-head-coach-opening Sacred Heart University is seeking applications for the part-time position of Head Wrestling Coach for its Division I wrestling program (associate member of the Colonial Athletic Association). The successful candidate will be responsible for all aspects of the wrestling program which includes practice/skill development, scheduling, recruitment, academic advisement and other day-to-day administrative tasks within the program. Qualifications: Bachelor?s degree required, successful collegiate level coaching experience preferred. If interested, please send your cover letter, resume and references to: Sacred Heart University, c/o Mike Guastelle, Sr. Associate Athletic Director, 5151 Park Avenue Fairfield, CT 06825 or via email at guastellem@sacredheart.edu Sacred Heart University is a four-year co-educational, private Catholic university located 55 miles north of New York City in Fairfield, Connecticut. Sacred Heart's four colleges provide a high quality education for over 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The University is the third largest and fastest growing Catholic university in the Northeast. Sacred Heart possesses a proud athletics tradition and, as a member of the NCAA DI Northeast Conference, fields 32 varsity teams involving over 800 student-athletes. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/139-division-i-head-coach-opening Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/135-illini-announce-wrestling-schedule Illini Announce 2007-08 Schedule Orange and Blue Return to Midlands, Host Iowa on Senior Day CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The University of Illinois announced its 2007-08 wrestling schedule Tuesday, a slate that includes a trip to the Las Vegas Invitational at the beginning of December, the prestigious Midlands tournament at the end of December and a home dual meet against Iowa on Feb. 24 to close out the regular season. In Big Ten dual competition, the Illini will face four of the five conference teams that placed in the top-10 at the 2007 NCAA Championships. “Our schedule is more intense than last year,” Illinois coach Mark Johnson said. “By going back to Las Vegas and to the Virginia Duals, we add some more quality and depth to the schedule.” The Illini begin the season with a trip to the Missouri Open on Nov. 18, hosted by a Tiger team that finished third at the NCAA Championships in 2007. Illinois then travels to the Las Vegas Invitational Nov. 30-Dec. 1, but the Orange and Blue will split the squad that weekend, also sending some wrestlers to the UNI Open in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Illinois then opens its home schedule against Findlay and McKendree College on Dec. 8. After a holiday break in competition, the Illini return to action at the Midlands tournament in Evanston, Ill., on Dec. 29-30. Two weeks later, the team will compete in the Virginia Duals on Jan. 11-12, and will visit the WendyÂ’s Duals the following week in Ashland, Ohio. “The Las Vegas Open, Midlands and the Missouri Open are three quality tournaments that will help us prepare for the tournaments at the end of the season,” Johnson said. “And by the time we get to the Big Ten season, weÂ’re prepared for the tough dual meets we always see in conference.” The Orange and Blue begin their Big Ten slate at Michigan, which finished sixth in the nation last season, on Feb. 1 then return home on Feb. 3 for a dual with Penn State. The following Friday, Feb. 8, the Illini host Wisconsin before traveling to Indiana on Sunday, Feb. 10. Illinois continues a three-match road swing the following weekend, facing 2007 NCAA team champion Minnesota on Feb. 15 and Northwestern, which finished fourth in the country last season, on Feb. 17 before returning home for a pair of home matches to finish the dual-meet season. Purdue visits Huff Hall on Feb. 22 and the Illini host rival Iowa, the eight-place finisher at last seasonÂ’s NCAA Championships, on Feb. 24 in what promises to be an exciting regular-season finale and senior day celebration. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/135-illini-announce-wrestling-schedule Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/136-schwab-zadick-earn-spots-on-world-team IOWA CITY, IA -- University of Iowa assistant wrestling coaches Doug Schwab and Mike Zadick have earned spots on the 2007 United States World Freestyle Team. Schwab is the Hawkeye Volunteer Assistant Coach and Zadick is the Strength Training Coach. Both won titles at the Senior Freestyle World Team Trials in Las Vegas, NV, in June, but Zadick had to post a win over 2007 U.S. National Champion Nate Gallick in a special best-of-three wrestle-off earlier today in Colorado Springs, CO, to earn the spot. Zadick, who won a silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last month, defeated Gallick in two straight matches. He won the first match 0-1, 1-0, 4-2 and the second match 1-0, 0-1, 3-0. Gallick received special permission for the wrestle-off because he could not compete in the team trials earlier this summer due to injury. At the world team trials, Schwab was the No. 6 seed at 66 kg entering the tournament, while Zadick was the top seed at 60 kg. Schwab upset the top three seeds during the challenge tournament on June 10, and beat defending U.S. National freestyle champion Chris Bono in the finals. Schwab was named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for his performance. Zadick beat Zach Roberson of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club in the finals. Schwab and Zadick, who are both competing for Gator Wrestling Club, are scheduled to compete at the World Championships, September 17-23 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/136-schwab-zadick-earn-spots-on-world-team Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/137-portland-state-adds-wrestler Portland State Adds a Freshman and a Veteran To Wrestling Roster Portland- Portland StateÂ’s head wrestling coach Mike Haluska announced the signing of freshman Alan Dickey and junior Henry Kofa to a national letter of intent for the 2007-08 season. Dickey had an extensive career at Willamina High School under PSU alum and 1993 All-American wrestler Ariah Fasana. Dickey qualified for the Oregon high school state tournament four times. He accumulated two championships and two third-place finishes. Recently, Dickey placed eighth at the 2007 Junior Greco National Tournament. He is the son of Vane and Denise Dickey of Sheridan, Ore. Kofa is coming to PSU as a transfer from Lassen Community College in Susanville, Calif., where he was a two time All-American. Kofa placed fifth as a freshman and second as a sophmore at the national tournament. Kofa graduated from Denver East High School where he won the 2004 Colorado high school state championships and was selected into the Denver East High SchoolÂ’s Hall of Fame. He is the son of Rose Dunn and Randy Gallegos of Denver, Colo. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/137-portland-state-adds-wrestler Wed, 15 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/134-former-army-assistant-mike-clayton-named-head-wrestling-coach-at-stevens Former Army Assistant Mike Clayton Named Head Wrestling Coach at Stevens HOBOKEN, N.J. (August 8, 2007) – Former United States Military Academy head assistant coach Mike Clayton (Brooklyn, Iowa) has been named the head wrestling coach at Stevens Institute of Technology. A four-time letterwinner at the United States Naval Academy during the 1990's, Clayton takes over the Ducks' program after former head coach Andy Lausier assumed the position of assistant coach at Princeton University in late-June. "I'm very excited to join a great group of people at Stevens," Clayton said. "The school's administration and athletics director (Russell Rogers – Branchburg, N.J.) have made a landmark commitment to bring back a program to a wrestling rich community. They are 100 percent behind building the best Division III wrestling program in the nation. "With our campus location near Manhattan, a top academic reputation and amazing job placement history, wrestling at Stevens is a natural fit for the best young men all around the country," Clayton added. During his three years at Army, Clayton helped produce eight NCAA Championship qualifiers. In his first year with the team, he guided Phillip Simpson to his third consecutive All-America certificate and an appearance in the national finals. In 2004-05 and 2005-06, Clayton was instrumental as the Black Knights returned to the national polls. He was also responsible for student development, recruiting, team and individual workouts, travel, budgeting, camps, purchasing, facility improvements and promotions while at West Point. Clayton's 2006 recruiting class ranked No. 22 nationally in the Wrestling USA Magazine poll. Prior to arriving at Army, Clayton spent five years as the head coach at Newport News Apprentice School in Virginia. During his time there, Clayton mentored 30 National Collegiate Wrestling Association All-Americans and eight national champions. He also increased the team size from eight wrestlers upon his arrival in 1999 to 30 in 2003 by developing a national recruiting base. Clayton's 2003-04 roster featured athletes from 14 different states. In addition, the team's fortunes turned around immensely on the mat. After posting a 0-10 record his first two seasons at the helm, Clayton guided Apprentice School to a 26-11 mark over his final three years. During those final three years at Apprentice, Clayton delivered a college curriculum in Business Operations/Leadership, Ship Construction and Microsoft Office. He also developed a partnership with the U.S. Naval Academy's leadership department as part of his Business Operations course. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Navy in 1995, Clayton, a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Supply Corps, was named an assistant wrestling coach for the Midshipmen. He served in that role for five months before heading to Athens, Ga., to complete the 27-week Navy Supply Corps Officers Basic Qualification School. While there, Clayton earned a spot on the All-Navy wrestling team, capturing a silver medal at the 1996 Armed Forces Championships and placing fourth at the Chattanooga, Tenn., Olympic Regionals. From 1997-2001, Clayton served in a variety of posts. He was a Supply and Disbursing Officer on the USS Guam from 1997-98. Clayton also worked as a Hazardous Material Control and Ship's Store Officer on the USS Nimitz and as a Logistics/Purchasing Officer at Fleet Hospital Support Office in Virginia. During his professional career, Clayton has published a book entitled Championship Training Log for Wrestling. The book helps wrestlers self-assess their habits to ensure healthy and effective training. What They're Saying About Mike Clayton "We are very excited to bring one of the nation's top young wrestling coaches to Stevens. Mike has the experience, vision and determination to lead our team as we strive to build one of the nation's elite programs. Most importantly, I look forward to seeing the positive impact that his leadership is going to have on the overall development of our student-athletes." ~ Russell Rogers, Director of Athletics at Stevens Institute of Technology "I am excited that Coach Clayton will have a chance to lead such a wonderful program like Stevens. During his time at West Point, he worked very hard, and I'm certain that he will carry that over in this new position and help elevate the Stevens' program to the upper echelon of the Division III ranks." ~ Chuck Barbee, Head Wrestling Coach at the United States Military Academy "Mike Clayton is a student of the sport of wrestling and has a great concept of what it takes to win on a national level. He has great insight into training, conditioning, and the skills needed to be standing on top of the podium." ~ Bruce Burnett, Head Wrestling Coach at the United States Naval Academy "As a friend and colleague of Mike's, I am excited for him. Mike is a winner on and off the mat. He is a person with many talents and a great passion for kids and wrestling. As a former West Point coach, I am sorry to see him leave, but this is a great opportunity – one in which he will prosper and bring a new level of excellence to Stevens Wrestling while impacting many lives." ~ Jack Spates, Head Wrestling Coach at Oklahoma University Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/134-former-army-assistant-mike-clayton-named-head-wrestling-coach-at-stevens Wed, 08 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/133-northwestern-recruits-shine FARGO, N.D. --- Mike Benefiel (Aurora, Ill./Montini) returned to the top of the podium at the Asics Tiger Junior Nationals, which was held from July 21-26. Benefiel won the 171-pound weight class, which included 94 competitors from 41 different states. He went 10-0 in the tournament and only surrendered two points throughout the entire competition. In addition, Benefiel earned five technical falls and three pins (17 seconds, 20 seconds and 2:37) during the competition, including a decisive technical fall in his championship match. Benefiel was a Cadet National Champion in 2004 and was a Junior All-American last year. He competed for Team Illinois in the national event and trains at the Overtime School of Wrestling. "Mike's tournament performance is indicative of his training regiment," top assistant coach Drew Pariano said. "He dominated all of his opponents and that is why we believe he is one of if not the top recruit in the country." This past season, Benefiel received the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award. This annual award is bestowed upon high school seniors who demonstrate excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, character, citizenship and community service. Benefiel completed his high school career as a four-time state champion from Montini with a career record of 200-4. Robert Kellogg (Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North) also earned All-American accolades by placing fourth in the Junior Greco-Roman competition. Kellogg won six matches and won five additional matches in the freestyle competition, missing All-American status by just one match. Kellogg's resume has a 2006 Junior National Greco-Roman title attached to it, as well as a 2007 high school state championship for Sioux City North High School in Iowa. "Robert is a true competitor. He wrestled 16 matches in four days, became an All-American and nearly missed becoming a two-time All-American by just one match," Pariano said. Frank Battaglia (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) had an impressive tournament earning six victories in the 160-pound freestyle bracket. Both of Battaglia's losses were to eventual All-Americans. Battaglia competed for Team Illinois in the event and also trains at the Overtime School of Wrestling. Ben Kuhar (Mentor, Ohio/St. Edward) competed in the 285-pound freestyle bracket. Kuhar began the competition by reeling off three-straight victories before losing to the eventual seventh place finisher, as well as the two-time defending Junior National Champion. "Frank and Ben both had a great tournament," Pariano said. "Ben will benefit from current All-American Dustin Fox once we get both of these men in the wrestling room and Frank is a completely different wrestler than he was just three months ago. He is gaining confidence with each and every win." John Schoen (Homer Glen, Ill./Marist) competed in the 215-pound freestyle bracket. In his first Junior Nationals appearance, Schoen was victorious in his second bout of the day and then bowed out to the eventual Junior National Champion at his weight class. Pariano though, believes this experience will be very helpful to his future. "John gained valuable experience and competed against an elite athlete in this tournament. His athleticism will enable him to have a great deal of success in college." All five signees will compete for the Wildcats next fall. Full results can be accessed at themat.com. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/133-northwestern-recruits-shine Mon, 06 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/132-wrestling-adds-two-time-all-american-darrell-vasquez-to-staff Wrestling Adds Two-Time All-American Darrell Vasquez to Staff Two-time All-American Darrell Vasquez joins Harvard wrestling staff as the coaching assistant for 2007-08 season. Vasquez was a three-time PAC-10 place winner, three-time NCAA qualifier and two-time top-six finisher at the NCAA Championships for Cal Poly. After red shirting his freshman season, Vasquez compiled a 30-7 overall record, finished as the runner-up at 133 pounds at the PAC 10 tournament and took sixth at the NCAAs in St. Louis, Mo., in 2004. After a breakout first-year performance, Vasquez earned a No. 2 preseason ranking before illness sidelined him for the 2004-05 season. In 2005-06, Vasquez returned to the mat where he placed third at the PAC-10 tournament and qualified for his second NCAA Championships. In 2006-07, the senior compiled a 28-3 mark en route to an undefeated conference record and a PAC 10 championship. He went on to finish fifth at the NCAA Championships. The native of Bakersfield, Calif., was the first four-time high school state champion in California history. He received the Dave Schultz Award as Champion of Champions in 2001 and 2002. Vasquez is currently finishing his degree in business from Cal Poly. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/132-wrestling-adds-two-time-all-american-darrell-vasquez-to-staff Tue, 24 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/131-ncwa-to-create-a-womens-collegiate-style-wrestling-division Dallas, Texas, July 20, 2007 -- The National Collegiate Wrestling Association has officially announced the addition of a Women's Collegiate Division for the upcoming 2007-2008 season. This monumental addition will provide the only post high school collegiate style venue for women, thus catering to a deeply underserved wrestling population. "We are excited to lead the way and act as pioneers for women's wrestling" said NCWA Executive Director, Jim Giunta. "Women's wrestling is rapidly growing across the nation on the youth and high school level, but there are very few options for them on the college level." Currently there are just under 5,000 girls wrestling in high school nationwide. Only a total of six colleges offer women's freestyle teams and until this announcement, absolutely zero post high school opportunities to wrestle women's collegiate style wrestling. Going into its 11th year, the NCWA currently has nearly 150 colleges and universities across the nation with successful men's wrestling programs. With a strong core structure already in place, adding a women's division to run along side the men's should allow for a seamless and well received inaugural first year. The NCWA is committed to providing and expanding athletic leadership opportunities through involvement in collegiate style wrestling. With a strong commitment to providing and expanding collegiate style wrestling opportunities, the NCWA's Goal is to have over 300 Universities actively competing intercollegiately by 2012. That's more teams than the NCAA DI, DII and DIII currently have combined. With a bold Goal, so comes a bold Vision. The Vision of having a team at every collegeÂ…every private, every public, every junior, every community college, every trade school, every secondary institution that wants to grow leaders. Although the men's and women's wrestling divisions will be conducted separately, they will operate under almost identical rules and regulations as set forth by the National Collegiate Wrestling Association and the team's respected institutions. Since 1997, NCWA events have provided over 100,000 additional college matches to over 9,000 student athletes. These graduates would not have been afforded college competition without the expanded opportunities provided by NCWA member institutions' coaches and volunteers. About the National Collegiate Wrestling Association: The National Collegiate Wrestling Association is committed to providing and expanding Athletic Leadership Opportunities through involvement in Collegiate Style Wrestling. The NCWA is designed to be a spawning ground for America's Leaders. NCWA Students not only excel athletically and compete well with their NCAA counterparts, but NCWA Wrestlers take athletics to another level. NCWA Student Athletes learn more than just how to wrestle, they Learn Leadership skills. Through a wrestling team model students not only learn, but get practical applied leadership skills. Some of which include: group organizational management, business budgeting, proposal and presentation planning, fund raising, motivational speaking, winning attitude, transportation coordination, and many other leadership skills necessary to make their team a success both on and off the mat. NCWA Administration is 100% Volunteer. From the Executive Director and Board to the Conference Chairmen and Committees, the NCWA is the only National Wrestling Association that is 100 % Volunteer. That means 100% of any money earned goes to work providing serious opportunities for today's young people. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/131-ncwa-to-create-a-womens-collegiate-style-wrestling-division Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/130-thornton-gift-spurs-wrestling-construction NORMAN, Okla. - The University of Oklahoma, thanks in large part to former wrestler Rodney Thornton, is set to launch a $2.4 million project at the McCasland Field House. The bulk of the construction will include a $1.3 million addition to the Port Robertson Wrestling Center. The facility serves as the practice venue for the Sooner wrestling team. Ground will be broken on the project, which will also address the existing structure, later this month. Construction should be concluded in August 2008. The lead gift for the project was made by Thornton, a former Sooner wrestler, who contributed $1 million. The Norman businessman wrestled under Stan Abel and attended OU from 1987-91. "The university is grateful to Rodney Thornton for his generous gift and to others who joined with him to make this improvement possible," said OU President David L. Boren. OU Vice President for Athletics Program and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione appreciates the involvement of a former Sooner athlete. "Few things are more rewarding than those times when former student-athletes involve themselves in our programs the way Rodney Thornton has on this project," he said. "This is a testimony to the tremendous educational and athletic experience at Oklahoma. We are proud of Rodney's accomplishments and are grateful for his support." Current Sooner wrestling coach Jack Spates is thrilled with the addition to his team's practice facility. "The greatness of Sooner wrestling is due to the talents of many wrestlers and the faithful generosity of others," he said. "This gift from Rod Thornton is a demonstration of his incredible success and loyalty to the program he devoted himself to - first as a student-athlete and now as a successful businessman." Plans include an expansion and renovation of the Port Robertson Wrestling Facility. The 9,600 square-foot addition will be built on the north side of the existing facility. It will house three official size practice mats, practice observation area and open area for weight training. There also will be renovation in the existing wrestling facility to provide a new team room, separate club team practice area and team training room for both wrestling and volleyball. The renovation will include minor demolition of existing partitions and finishes, placement of new walls, doors and finishes as well as revised mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems as required. The project will also include renovation of approximately 2,450 gross square feet of existing space in the McCasland Field House. That work includes construction of three visiting team locker rooms and ground floor public restrooms & concessions. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/130-thornton-gift-spurs-wrestling-construction Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/129-buckeye-wrestlings-2007-08-incoming-class-tabbed-no-1 COLUMBUS, Ohio – After earning the No. 2 ranking by Wrestling International Newsmagazine in May, the Ohio State wrestling teamÂ’s 2007-08 incoming class was regarded the best in the nation among Division I programs by wrestling Web site intermatwrestle.com Friday. Buckeye head coach Tom RyanÂ’s first recruiting class consists of eight of the top wrestlers in the nation who combined for 14 state high school individual titles, while three wrestlers earned National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) All-America honors. The Buckeye fall signees were Sean Nemec, Colt Sponseller, Bo Touris, Nikko Triggas and John Weakley. Nemec, who hails from Lakewood, Ohio, and attended St. Edward High School, was a three-time high school state champion as a four-time finalist. He also was the 2004 Cadet Freestyle National Champion. A two-time junior national freestyle All-American, Nemec finished third at 152 pounds in 2006 and sixth at 145 pounds in 2005. A student at West Holmes High School in Millersburg, Ohio, Sponseller was a three-time high school state champion. Wrestling at 160 pounds, Sponseller was the 2007 NHSCA Senior National Champion (160), as well as the 2006 NHSCA Junior National Champion (152). Touris is a native of West Chester, Ohio, and attended Lakota West High School. The 2007 Ohio High School state champion at 112 pounds, Touris went on to finish fourth at the 2007 NHSCA Senior Nationals. Touris also was the Ohio Cadet Greco Roman and Freestyle state champion and a Fargo Nationals Cadet Greco Roman National champion. Hailing from Moraga, Calif., where he attended Campolindo High School, Triggas wrestled at 119 pounds and was the third freshman at any weight in the history of Campolindo to become a high school state champion. A four-time state qualifier, Triggas again won the state championship in 2006. Triggas also was the 2005 and 2006 Cadet Greco Roman Champion and was the 2007 Senior National runner-up. Most recently Triggas won the gold medal in the Greco Roman competition before winning the bronze medal in the freestyle at the 2007 Pan American Juniors Championships in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Weakley is from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and prepped at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, where he was the 2006 and 2007 Ohio High School state champion at 189 pounds. The 2007 PAC Outstanding Wrestler, Weakley helped the Royals to its third consecutive PAC team title, as he earned his fourth conference championship. Weakley's freestyle and Greco Roman credentials include becoming a three-time All-American, three-time freestyle state champion, three-time Greco Roman state champion and the Greco Roman Junior National runner-up in 2006. Jesse Campbell, Patrick Harrington and Pat Zamaria signed with Ohio State in the spring. A product of Sullivan Black River High School, Campbell is the 2007 Ohio High School state champion at heavyweight. Harrington is from Sandusky, Ohio, and attended St. Mary Central Catholic High School. He is a two-time Ohio High School state champion, winning in 2007 at 119 pounds and in 2006 at 103 pounds. He also advanced to the round of 12 at the 2007 NHSCA Senior National Championships. Zamaria comes to Ohio State from Brecksville High School and was a fourth-place finisher at the OHSAA tournament. InterMat Division I Recruiting Class Rankings for 2007 1. Ohio State 2. Missouri 3. Penn State 4. Virginia Tech 5. Minnesota 6. Oklahoma State 7. Michigan 8. Virginia 9. Northern Iowa 10. Kent State 11. Oklahoma 12. Oregon State 13. Lehigh 14. Edinboro 15. Cornell 16. Old Dominion 17. Lock Haven 18. Nebraska 19. Hofstra 20. Harvard 21. Penn 22. Michigan State 23. Eastern Michigan 24. Columbia 25. Indiana 26. Iowa State 27. Iowa 28. Bucknell 29. George Mason 30. Northwestern Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/129-buckeye-wrestlings-2007-08-incoming-class-tabbed-no-1 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/128-brian-smith-names-assistant-wrestling-coaches Columbia, Mo. –Missouri wrestling Head Coach Brian Smith has named Lee Pritts and Shawn Charles as assistant coaches while Ben Askren will serve as the TigersÂ’ volunteer assistant for the upcoming 2007-08 campaign. “I lost two very experienced assistant coaches in Bart Horton and Pat McNamara,” Smith said. “But, I know that IÂ’m replacing them with three individuals that are as equally talented and up to the challenge of coaching this team to its first National title.” Pritts, a former Missouri assistant coach from 1998 through 2004, will fill the roll as assistant in charge of the TigersÂ’ lighter weight classes. A native of Davie, Fla., Pritts left Missouri following the 2003-04 campaign to serve as head assistant at Old Dominion. Over the course of two years, Pritts helped guide the Monarchs to back-to-back Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) runner-up finishes with three individuals, a program tying record last set in 1995, qualifying each year for the NCAA Championships. In addition, Pritts helped build two top-10 recruiting classes. As a college wrestler at Eastern Michigan Pritts made three NCAA appearances, earning All-America honors at 118 pounds in 1996. “Lee is one of the hardest working assistant coaches in the country,” Smith said. “ItÂ’s nice to have him back on staff. HeÂ’s a very motivated and driven person and that meshes well with the teamÂ’s desire to win.” Familiar with Big 12 wrestling, Charles enters his first year at Missouri with 13 years of coaching experience to his name. Among the schools he has coached at, Charles served four seasons as top assistant at the University of Nebraska from 2001 through 2005. During his time in Lincoln, Neb., the Cornhuskers were ranked as high as third in the nation and finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships twice. Upon leaving Nebraska, Charles served as head coach at Fresno State, coaching the Bulldogs to a third-place finish in the NCAA Western Regional before the program was cut in 2006. Last season, Charles was an assistant coach at Brown University. In college, Charles wrestled for Arizona State, becoming the schoolÂ’s first four-time All-American while competing at 126 pounds. “Shawn has gained a lot of valuable coaching experience over the past few years,” Smith said. “His work at Nebraska combined with his head coaching experience at Fresno State and freestyle experience with SunKist Kids will help take this program to the next level.” Recent ESPY nominee Askren will enter his first year as a volunteer assistant coach this coming fall. MissouriÂ’s first four-time wrestling All-American and two-time National Champion, Askren is the recipient of two Dan Hodge Trophies and Wade Schalles awards. MissouriÂ’s record holder for career falls (91) and season falls (29), Askren also owns MissouriÂ’s record for most consecutive wins at 87 and career wins at 131. While serving on the Tiger coaching staff, Askren will continue to prepare for his run at the 2008 Olympics. “Ben has a lot of youthful energy,” Smith said. “He wants to continue to learn not only on the mat, but how to be a better coach. His experiences, combined with those of Lee and Shawn are sure to make for a winning combination.” Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/128-brian-smith-names-assistant-wrestling-coaches Thu, 05 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/127-assistant-position-open The University at Buffalo, a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and NCAA, is accepting applications for the Division I Assistant Coach position for its Wrestling program. The duties and responsibilities of this position include assisting the Head Coach for Wrestling in all phases of a successful Division I intercollegiate program. The incumbent will identify, recruit and retain student-athletes and assist in the development of all student-athletes. As the Assistant Coach, duties will include, but not be limited to, teaching, scheduling, recruiting, fundraising, camps and clinics, developing and maintaining positive relationships with alumni, faculty and staff. Bachelor's Degree required, and a Master's Degree is preferred. One year experience coaching at the collegiate level is required, preferably Division I-A. Must be proficient with computers, have strong communication skills and excellent teaching and coaching skills. A light-weight coach is preferable, but may hire outside weight restrictions depending on qualifications. National and international wrestling experience preferred. Salary Range: $32,525 - $33,325 Persons interested in above position must apply on-line at http://ubjobs.buffalo.edu and attach a resume and 3 references. Applications will be accepted until 7/11/07. State University of New York at Buffalo is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/127-assistant-position-open Wed, 13 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/126-sponseller-went-49-0-during-senior-campaign Incoming Freshman Colt Sponseller Honored as High School Wrestling Senior Athlete of the Year COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State wrestling incoming freshman Colt Sponseller was selected as the wrestling National High School Senior Athlete of the Year the National High School Coaches Association announced. Sponseller (Millersburg, Ohio/West Holmes) was a three-time Ohio state high school Division II champion. He went 6-0 en route to winning the 160-pound weight class in the NHSCA National High School Seniors Wrestling Championships in April and was named the meetÂ’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. It was SponsellerÂ’s second NHSCA national championships, as he also captured the National Juniors crown at 152 pounds in 2006. He concluded his senior season at West Holmes with a 49-0 record to compile a career mark of 157-13. Sponseller also was a finalist for Wrestling International MagazineÂ’s (W.I.N) Junior Dan Hodge Trophy, which is awarded to the top high school wrestler in the nation. The NHSCA is in its eighth year in honoring student-athletes for their achievements in the high school athletic community nationwide. A total of 20 boys and girls from 14 different states were honored. While they represent a multitude of different backgrounds, they exhibit a common theme: a strong dedication to developing their skills and preparing themselves to become the productive leaders of tomorrow. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/126-sponseller-went-49-0-during-senior-campaign Sun, 10 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/125-wrestling-assembles-standout-recruiting-class-for-2007-08 BOSTON - The Boston University wrestling team and head coach Carl Adams are pleased to announce that seven student-athletes will join the Terriers this fall, assembling what promises to be one of the programÂ’s top recruiting classes in recent history. The incoming group features wrestlers from five different states who have combined to earn six titles in their respective state tournaments, along with eight All-America finishes in the national tournaments. "This group represents one of the most talented recruiting classes we have had during my tenure at Boston University," said Adams, who will enter his 27th season at the helm of the Terrier program. "[Assistant coach] Sean [Gray] did a fantastic job in helping put together this great class. The seven recruits have a combined GPA of 3.67 and all are capable of contributing as true freshmen." Alex Cournoyer (North Granby, Conn./Blair Academy) - 133/141 2007 National Collegiate Wrestling Association champion... 2006 Ironman All-American... Three-time New England champion at Suffield Academy before spending post-grad year at Blair Academy... Three-time Connecticut state champion... Placed in 10 collegiate tournaments while at Blair, including Wilkes and East Stroudsburg Opens... 12-time youth All-American, seven-time high school All-American... Overall record of 181-31 last five years. The coaching staff says: "Alex comes from SeanÂ’s old high school, Blair Academy, which is the top wrestling program in the country. After having a rough senior year due to injury, he burst onto the collegiate wrestling scene as a post-grad this past season with determination. Alex won the NCWA nationals, beating some real tough kids. His next step is to compete for a CAA conference championship and All-American honors." Freddy Santaite (Upper Saddle River, N.J./Northern Highlands) - 125 2007 Beast of the East champion after runner-up finish in 2006... 2006 New Jersey state champion after fourth-place finish in 2005... Ranked as high as third in the nation by W.I.N. as a senior... Five-time All-American (three in freestyle, two in Greco Roman)... Two-time county and region champion, earning regionÂ’s Most Outstanding Wrestler award in 2007... Four-time district champion... Overall record of 143-14. The coaching staff says: "Freddy is one of the top recruits in the nation. He is a New Jersey state champion and a five-time Fargo All-American, including two silver medals this past summer. He also won the nationÂ’s toughest high school tournament in the Beast of the East. It was there that he beat the fourth- and fifth-ranked wrestlers in the country. Freddy is a fierce competitor and we expect him to compete for a conference title and All-American honors right out of the gate." Ryan Malo (Georgetown, Mass./St. JohnÂ’s Prep) - 184/197 Posted perfect 58-0 record as a senior with 51 pins en route to second consecutive state championship and New England title... Placed eighth at 2007 Senior Nationals... Ranked 10th in final InterMat rankings... 2007 Boston Globe Wrestler of the Year... 2007 Boston Herald All-Scholastic... Two-time sectional champion... Overall record of 148-27. The coaching staff says: "Ryan had a breakout senior year, proving that he is one of the best in the nation at his weight class. He is a vicious, vicious competitor that is always looking for the pin. Lose focus when wrestling him and itÂ’s lights out. He was truly impressive at the Senior Nationals, where he was knocking off other state champs left and right. What we really liked about him is the fact that he gets himself up for every match — something that you need to be able to do to succeed at the highest levels in Division I wrestling." John Hall (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) - 197 Placed second at 2007 California state championships after eighth-place finish as a junior... Earned titles at San Ramon Invitational, Overfelt Tournament, Mid Cal Tournament, SCVAL League Tournament and Sectionals, capturing Most Outstanding Wrestler honors at three events... Preseason honorable mention by W.I.N. Magazine... Two-time team captain and MVP... Second wrestler in Palo Alto history to be a multiple state place winner. The coaching staff says: "John is a guy that people will definitely be reading about in the next couple of years. He only started wrestling when he was a freshman and earned his way up the ladder, placing eighth and second in California, which could be the toughest wrestling state in the country right now after putting seven guys in the finals at the Senior Nationals. John is an amazing athlete that has a huge upside and his ability to pick up wrestling quickly will make him a serious threat in a year or two. He is definitely one to keep an eye on." Matt Morgenstern (Montvale, N.J./Bergen Catholic) - 149/157 Placed sixth at 2006 New Jersey state championship... Four-time district champion... Three-time regional medalist... Two-time county champion... Two-year team captain, earning Most Outstanding Wrestler honors all four years... Named to Wrestling USAÂ’s Best High School Seniors... Career record of 115-35, becoming just the fifth 100-win wrestler in Bergen Catholic history. The coaching staff says: "Matt is one of hardest working young men you will ever find. His work ethic alone will take him very far at this level, which is what we like so much about him. He proved himself as one of the best wrestlers in New Jersey after making the semifinals as a junior. We look for Matt to instantly raise the level of intensity in our middle weights and compete for the starting job. He is a great team guy and we are lucky to land such a fine young man of character." Mike Platco (Schwenksville, Pa./Spring Ford) - 184/197 Placed eighth in 2006 PIAA state championships... Two-time All-Pac-10 honoree... Totaled school-record 67 pins... Captained team as a senior... Named to All-District and All-State Academic teams. The coaching staff says: "Mike is another one of those guys that has been blessed with unbelievable talent and a great work ethic. He was ranked as high as second in AAA Pennsylvania, which boasts some of the nationÂ’s toughest wrestling. An injury before the season hampered him from having a breakout year. He is another guy that has a huge upside since he only started wrestling when he was a freshman, and still managed to become a state medalist. Mike is also a stone-cold pinner, breaking the record at Spring Ford with 67 pins." Dan Kennedy (Milford, Pa./Delaware Valley) - 174 Three-time district place winner... Three-time regional qualifier... Captured titles at 2007 New York Ironman Tournament and 2007 Tunchanock Kiwanis Tournament... Ranked as high as seventh in Pennsylvania as a senior... Recorded 116 career victories at Delaware Valley. The coaching staff says: "Dan is a hard-nosed competitor with an endless work ethic. He is battle-tested after competing four years in AAA PennsylvaniaÂ’s toughest wrestling, the Lehigh Valley. He is a member of the 100-wins club, which is not an easy feat in PA. Dan will instantly compete for the starting job as well as make some serious jumps with great workout partners. He is also one of our best incoming students with a 3.88 GPA." Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/125-wrestling-assembles-standout-recruiting-class-for-2007-08 Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/124-illini-wrestling-inks-three-illinois-state-champs Prater, Rowan and Vercelli Add Depth to JohnsonÂ’s Young Squad Champaign, Ill. – Illinois head wrestling coach Mark Johnson announced the signings of three former Illinois state champions to his young and talented roster. Ryan Prater, Zeke Rowan and Vince Vercelli, who all won state titles in February at Assembly Hall, will all be wearing orange and blue for the Fighting Illini next season. Prater, who hails from Plainfield Central High School, took home the 135-pound Class-AA title. The 2007 high school All-American was also a runner up his junior year. Rowan is the Class-AA 130-pound champion from Mount Carmel High School. Vercelli, a graduate of Wilmington High School, is the 135-pound Class-A champion. The three state champs join six other state title winners already on the team in Pat Brownson, John Dergo, Joe Gomez, Jimmy Kenndy, Mike Poeta and John Wise. Last season, Dergo and Kennedy found themselves in the starting lineup after winning their state titles just six months earlier. “These guys are proven winners,” said Johnson. “Considering we only lost one senior this past season, these guys will be a great addition to our lower weight-classes. I am thrilled to have them as part of our squad.” Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/124-illini-wrestling-inks-three-illinois-state-champs Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/123-escobedo-earns-spot-on-junior-world-championship-team BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana wrestler Angel Escobedo earned the 60- kilogram (132-pound) freestyle title at the FILA Junior World Team trials at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Saturday, May 26, to earn a spot on the Junior World Championship Team. Escobedo will wrestle for the chance to become a world champion at the Junior World Championships on Aug. 21-26 in Beijing, China. Escobedo was dominant in the Saturday challenge, winning all six periods to take first place at the elite event. He began the event by dropping Oklahoma wrestler Henry Roman 5-0 and 7-0, and then followed that with a strong win over Harvard signee Corey Jantzen, 3-1 and 8-0. In the finals, Escobedo faced the Olympic Training Center's own Pat McCaffrey, and Escobedo topped the two-time Junior World bronze medalist with a pair of 1-0 victories to take first place in the challenge. In the Saturday final, Escobedo squared off with a familiar opponent in Northwestern grappler Brandon Precin. Escobedo defeated Precin in the IU-NU dual meet on Feb. 11 and then followed that with a 14-3 major decision at the Big Ten championships on March 3. In Saturday's final, Escobedo was topped 1-0 in the first period of round one, then took the next two periods, 3-0 and 2-0, to win the round. He then swept round two by scores of 3-0 and 1-0 to win the championship. The Griffith, Ind., native will be joined on the Junior World Team in the freestyle division by David Taylor (50 kg), Tyler Graff (55 kg), Bubba Jenkins (66 kg), Jake Kerr (74 kg), Louis Caputo (84 kg), Taylor Moore (96 kg) and Dom Bradley (120 kg). Escobedo wrapped up his debut season for the Hoosiers by finishing in third place at the Big Ten Championships and in fourth at NCAAs. The Griffith, Ind., native posted a 39-7 record on the year with 14 pins. Those totals rank him in a tie for sixth and seventh, respectively, on the IU wrestling single-season lists all- time. His 39 victories were the most ever by an IU freshman. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/123-escobedo-earns-spot-on-junior-world-championship-team Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/122-recruiting-class-rankings Ohio State Wrestling Incoming Class Earns No. 2 Ranking from W.I.N. Magazine OSU lone Big Ten Conference school in Top 5 COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State wrestling teamÂ’s incoming freshman class for the 2007-08 season was deemed second-best in the nation Wrestling International Newsmagazine announced in its May issue. The No. 2 standing gives the Buckeyes the highest standing among Big Ten Conference schools. Oklahoma State was No. 1, while Virginia Tech rounded out the Top 3. Head coach Tom Ryan and his coaching staff of Tommy Rowlands and Lou Rosselli just completed their first season at the helm of the OSU program. With that came their first full year of recruiting for the Scarlet and Gray. “Our entire staff is very pleased with the group of young men who represent the 2006-07 recruiting class,” Ryan said. “Tommy Rowlands did a great job fostering strong friendships with hardworking student-athletes throughout the process. Our goal was to keep the best student-athletes in the state of Ohio and we accomplished that in our first year as a new staff. Keeping the best at home is a priority.” Ryan welcomed four Ohio natives during the fall signing period in Bo Touris (125) of West Chester Lakota West, Sean Nemec (157) of Lakewood St. Edward, Colt Sponseller (165) of Millersburg West Holmes and John Weakley (197) of Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy. Joining those four was Nikko Triggas (125) of Moraga Campolindo in California. Highlighting the spring class is Patrick Zamaria (119) of Brecksville High School in Brecksville, Ohio, two-time Ohio state champion Pat Harrington (125) of St. MaryÂ’s Central Catholic and state champion Jesse Campbell (HWT) of Sullivan Black River. WIN Magazine 2006-07 Recruiting Ranking 1. Oklahoma State 2. Ohio State 3. Virginia Tech 4. Missouri 5. Virginia 6. Penn State 7. Hofstra 8. Lehigh 9. Oregon State 10. Minnesota 11. Oklahoma 12. Nebraska 13. Edinboro 14. Northwestern 15. Cornell 16. Navy 17. Ohio 18. Pittsburgh 19. Harvard 20. Columbia 21. Maryland 22. Indiana 23. Michigan 24. Arizona State 25. Bucknell Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/122-recruiting-class-rankings Wed, 16 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/121-duke-has-highest-team-gpa-in-the-nation May 7, 2007 DURHAM, N.C. — The Duke wrestling team was announced as the 2006-07 National Wrestling CoachesÂ’ Association All-Academic champion this weekend. With a cumulative team grade point average of 3.3861, the Blue Devils edged out Stanford and last yearÂ’s champion Brown. Individually, Duke placed two wrestlers on the 57-member All-Academic team in 149-pound Dan Shvartsman and 165-pound Aaron Glover. Glover is a junior with a 3.53 GPA as a psychology major with a certificate in markets and management. He placed fourth at the ACC championships in March. Shvartsman, a graduating senior, will receive his diploma in economics and history with a minor in Russian. He holds a 3.48 GPA and finished third at the ACC championships. “This is something the NWCA, its board members and staff are always pleased to announce,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “ItÂ’s one thing to always talk about how good these guys are on the mat, but we must remember that academics are more important than any particular sport, and itÂ’s great to see these programs doing it in the classroom.” For teams to be eligible for consideration, teams comprise 12 student athletes, including the 10 wrestlers that were the entries in the NCAA tournament conference qualifier. If teams had less than 10 entries for their respective qualifier, they may fill those spots with wrestlers that competed in at least one varsity dual during the season. Individually, wrestlers must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA, been an NCAA qualifier or won 60 percent of his total schedule – and must have competed in at least 60 percent of said schedule. The other way to qualify for the All-Academic team is have a 3.0 cumulative and been an NCAA All-American. Top 10 All-Academic Teams (with team GPA) 1. Duke University- 3.3861 2. Stanford University- 3.368 3. Brown University- 3.3649 4. Princeton University- 3.189 5. University of Northern Iowa- 3.1441 6. Duquesne University- 3.1036 7. American University- 3.095 8. Drexel University- 3.0383 9. Northwestern University- 3.0152 10. North Dakota State University- 3.0151 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/121-duke-has-highest-team-gpa-in-the-nation Tue, 08 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/120-cysewski-rounds-out-recruiting-class May 7, 2007 EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's recruiting class is complete as Frank Battaglia (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) has signed a National Letter of Intent and will join the Wildcats for the 2007-08 campaign. Battaglia, who projects to be a 165/174-pound wrestler for the Wildcats, compiled a 141-27 career record with 71 career falls. In his senior year for the Hinsdale Central Red Devils, he was 46-2 with 22 pins. He earned first-place finishes at both the IHSA Regionals and Sectionals in 2007 and finished third in the 2007 state tournament. He owns his high school records in career and single season wins. He is a four-time All-West Suburban Conference selection and was All-State in 2007. Battaglia is a four-year honor roll student and is an All-Academic West Suburban Conference selection. Battaglia joins Mike Benefiel (Aurora, Ill./Montini Catholic), Robert Kellogg (Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North), Ben Kuhar (Concord Township, Ohio/St. Edward) and John Schoen (Homer Glen, Ill./Marist) in this year's recruiting class. Full bio appears below: Frank Battaglia 5-10 • 165/174 Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central High School: Career record of 141-27 with 71 falls ... first place at IHSA Regionals (2007) ... First Place at IHSA Sectionals ... Third Place at IHSA State Finals (2007) ... Owns high school single season and career wins records ... Four-time All-West Suburban Conference selections ... 2007 All-State selection. Personal: Born Frank A. Battaglia on 11/21/88 ... Son of Ernie and Rosalie Battaglia ... Plans to major in economics ... Chose Northwestern over Wisconsin, Old Dominion and Northern Illinois. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/120-cysewski-rounds-out-recruiting-class Mon, 07 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/119-wyoming-wrestling-inks-two-for-2007-08-season Laramie, Wyo. (May 3, 2007) — University of Wyoming wrestling coach Steven Suder announced today the signing of two high school stand-out student athletes to National Letters of Intent for the 2007-08 season. Tyler Davis, 149 pounds, from Oviedo, Fla., and Joe Leblanc, 165 pounds, from Meeker Colo.; will join the Cowboys for the upcoming season. "These two guys bring some immediate quality to our middle weights," Suder said. "Both Tyler and Joe could actually challenge for starting spots right away if we needed them to." Tyler Davis, 149 pounds, Oviedo, Fla. (Oviedo High School) Davis was a Double Junior Nationals All-American, both in Freestyle and Greco-Roman, and was a Florida State Champion while at Oviedo. The Oviedo wrestling team won four consecutive state championships while he was there. Joe Leblanc, 165 pounds, Meeker, Colo. (Meeker High School) Leblanc was a three-time State Champion and the State Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler. He was an All-American Wrestler, all-state football player, all-conference baseball player and was on the honor roll for three years while at Meeker. His overall record while at Meeker was 130-23 and recorded 90 pins. "Both of these guys come from solid high school programs and have both experienced success at the regional and national level. As a staff, we feel this is a great indicator of their readiness to take the next step at this level," Suder said. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/119-wyoming-wrestling-inks-two-for-2007-08-season Sat, 05 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/118-minnesota-state-champion-signs-up-with-ndsu FARGO, N.D.—North Dakota State wrestling head coach Bucky Maughan has announced that Trent Sovde of Greenbush-Middle River (Minn.) High School has signed a National Letter of Intent to wrestle and continue his education for NDSU. Sovde won the Minnesota Class A State Championship at 160 pounds in 2007 and was the runner-up at 145 pounds in 2006. A four-time state entrant, Sovde finished his high school career with a record of 137-36. He is projected to wrestle at either 157 or 165 pounds for the Bison. Trent also excelled in the classroom and was named to the academic all-state first team. Trent was coached in high school by Todd Bergeron and is the son of Richard and Kathy Sovde. He is currently undecided on a major. Sovde is the fifth wrestler to sign a National Letter of Intent this season. He joins Tyler Hemmesch of Elk River (Minn.) High School, Kirk Anderson of Barnesville (Minn.) High School, Shannon Fettig of Napoleon High School (N.D.) and Tyler Steinwand of Mandan (N.D.) High School, who all signed National Letters of Intent earlier this month. Taylor Nagel of Corvallis (Mont.) High School will join the wrestling team as a recruited walk-on. North Dakota State is a member of the Western Wrestling Conference and finished with an 8-5-1 record overall. The Bison became eligible for NCAA Championships in the 2006-07 season, qualifying three wrestlers in their first year. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/118-minnesota-state-champion-signs-up-with-ndsu Tue, 01 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/117-utcs-bono-featured-on-espnus-national-wrestling-telecast CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Head Wrestling Coach Chris BonoÂ’s appearance last month at the 2007 U.S. National Wrestling Championships will be televised nationally by ESPNU Wednesday. Bono claimed his third consecutive U.S. Freestyle National Championship at the Nationals in Las Vegas in early April. ESPNU, a branch of the ESPN Networks which focuses on collegiate athletics, will broadcast a 90-minute show with highlights from the menÂ’s freestyle and menÂ’s Greco-Roman competition. The show will be aired on a tape-delayed basis and is tentatively set for 7 p.m. Bono, the fourth seed in the tournament in the 145.5 pound division, has now won four overall U.S. Freestyle titles. He received an automatic bid to the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 9 and 10 in Las Vegas. Bono defeated second-seeded Jared Frayer, 2-6, 3-1, 1-0 for the title. Veteran broadcaster Van Stokes will serve as the play-by-play announcer for the telecast. Joining Stokes will be 2000 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Coach and Head Coach at Lehigh University, Greg Strobel, and USA Wrestling National Teams Director, Mitch Hull. May 1, 2007 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/117-utcs-bono-featured-on-espnus-national-wrestling-telecast Tue, 01 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/115-grand-canyon-university-announces-wrestling-recruiting-class Fall Program Includes Prep State Champions and Medal Winners PHOENIX ? April 15, 2007 ? Grand Canyon University (GCU) Head Wrestling Coach R.C. LaHaye has chosen the inaugural recruiting class to kick-off the wrestling program at GCU for fall 2007. Class standouts include 14 individual prep state champions and seven transfer students with previous college wrestling experience. GCU is still actively recruiting out-of-state wrestlers and training will begin at the start of the fall semester. "We couldn't have asked for a better class," said Coach LaHaye. "We have a great balance of local high school standouts along with a few guys with previous college wrestling experience, we couldn't be happier." Prep standouts expected to compete for the Antelopes include 2007 State champions Eric Garcia (Coolidge). Andy Jay (Mesa), David Leaphart and Ricky Abril (Thunderbird), Justin Felix and RJ Rios (Safford), Harley Fandrich (Sunrise Mountain), Tony Colvert (Mesa Mt. View), and Nick Peidmont (Suahrita). Transfer students expected to make an impact at GCU include NJCAA All-American Efrain Escudairo (Pima CC) along with NJCAA National Qualifiers Adrian Rios (Pima CC), Adam Barnett (Glendale CC) and Anthony Birhcak (Pima CC). Other standout transfers to note are former three-time state champ Jose Palencia (ASU), along with former state champs Clint Casteneda (Mesa CC), Mike Abril (Glendale CC) and Lonnie Brunson (Pima CC), also included is California Community College finalist Jack Porter (Cerritos CC). Out of state recruits also committed to GCU include 3x Texas State placer Daniel Caraveo (El Paso, TX), and 2x Indiana State Placer Chris Pingleton (Greencastle, IN). Chris is the brother of Indianapolis All-American Charlie Pingleton. Rounding out the recruiting class are prep athletes and state medal winners Sonny Esquivel (Maryvale), Brandon Wendt (Centennial), twins Corey Cross and Casey Cross (Centennial) Josh Calteaux (Hamilton), Julian Hamilton (Boulder Creek), and Tim Carillo (Desert Vista). Also expected to compete for GCU are Daniel Rubio and Vince Arollo (Ceasar Chavez), Nick Caprario (Millennium), Cale Errigo (Thunderbird), Juan Aquayo (Dysart), Matt Gordon (Dobson HS) and Lowen Sniff (Saguaro). About Grand Canyon University Founded in 1949, Grand Canyon University is a one of Arizona's leading higher learning institutions and one of the nation's fastest-growing. Based in Phoenix, the regionally accredited, private, non-denominational Christian university offers online and campus-based bachelor's and master's degree programs through the Ken Blanchard College of Business, College of Education, College of Nursing, and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The school was recently ranked as having the top online education program by OEDb (Online Education Database). With a total enrollment of approximately 13,000 students, GCU emphasizes individual attention for both traditional undergraduate students as well as the working professional. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/115-grand-canyon-university-announces-wrestling-recruiting-class Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/114-joe-russell-to-receive-medal-of-courage-from-national-wrestling-hall-of-fame University of Minnesota assistant wrestling coach Joe Russell will be honored with the Medal of Courage from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Russell will be honored by the Minnesota Chapter of the Hall of Fame at a reception in Owatonna, Minn., this Saturday, Apr. 14., and will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame at the 2007 Honors Weekend Banquet and Induction Ceremony on June 2 in Stillwater, Okla. The Medal of Courage is presented annually to a wrestler or former wrestler who has overcome what appeared to be insurmountable challenges, which may be physical, mental or other handicaps that make his or her achievements all the more uplifting. Russell, who has spent the last 11 seasons as an assistant coach under J Robinson's, has helped lift the Golden Gopher wrestling program to new heights despite having to deal with severe physical challenges caused by a motorcycle accident just before his senior year in high school. One of the top high school wrestlers in the nation, Russell won two state titles while compiling a 90-1 record through his junior year at Gresham High School in Oregon. He was a double champion at the 1985 Junior Nationals and was an Espoir National Champion and placewinner at the Espoir World Championships. In addition, Russell claimed two World School Boy championships. In 1985, however, Russell's life changed when a horrifying motorcycle accident left him partially paralyzed on the left side of his body. He was riding on the back of a friend's motorcycle when a truck pulled out in front of them and, in an effort to avoid the truck, the cycle flipped and the bike's foot peg jammed three inches into Russell's skull. Russell spent three weeks in a drug-induced coma and the process of recovery was long and grueling, but he did recover and has not let his physical challenges stop him from achieving both on and off the mat ever since. Russell wrestled at the University of Minnesota from 1988-92, where he served as the team's captain in 1991-92 and was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team as a senior. He was also the winner of the team's Fraser Dean Most Courageous Wrestler award. As a student-athlete, Russell was named an IBM Student-Athlete of the Week and made the Dean's list in law school his last two years. Russell completed his juris doctorate in 1995 and earned his master's degree in sports management this past December. After serving two years as the marketing and promotions director for the Minnesota wrestling program, Russell has spent the last 11 seasons as an assistant coach under J Robinson. Since his first season as an assistant coach in 1996-97, Minnesota has finished in the top three at the NCAA Championships nine times, more than any other school in the country, including capturing the third national title in seven years last month. In addition, Minnesota has finished in the top two at the Big Ten Tournament nine straight years, including winning the conference title six times. In addition to his responsibilities with the Golden Gophers, Russell has also coached with the Minnesota Storm Junior World and University teams. Under Russell's tutelage, the Storm have won four FILA Junior National Championships in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Russell's coaching career has also featured a number of assignments with the U.S. national teams. In 1999, Russell was named the USA Wrestling FILA Junior/University Person of the Year for his leadership within the organization. On Saturday, Russell will be inducted along with six other individuals at the Hall of Fame Banquet. Dr. Bill O. Manning will receive the Outstanding American Award, and Kenneth Bergstedt, Fran McCann, Chuck Prunty, Darrell Sohn and Virg Vagle will all be honored with the "Lifetime of Service" Award. Russell and his wife, Sadie, currently reside in Vadnais Heights, Minn. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/114-joe-russell-to-receive-medal-of-courage-from-national-wrestling-hall-of-fame Sun, 22 Apr 2007 07:33:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/113-nu-wrestlers-honored-at-banquet The Nebraska wrestling team celebrated its 2006-07 season and honored several members of this year's squad at a banquet held Saturday night at the Cornhusker Hotel in downtown Lincoln. Drawing top honors as Nebraska's Outstanding Wrestler for the 2006-07 season was sophomore 125-pound wrestler Paul Donahoe, who became the program's ninth national champion with his 3-1 overtime win over Sam Hazewinkel of Oklahoma in the finals of the NCAA Championships. Donahoe finished the season with a 35-5 record, becoming the first NU wrestler since Jason Powell in the 2002-03 season to win at least 30 matches. Redshirt freshman Craig Brester was the lone Husker to be honored twice, as the freshman 197-pounder was named both the Husker Power Lifter of the Year and the Most Improved Wrestler on this year's team. In his first year in the varsity lineup, Brester finished 19-7 with a 14-2 dual mark, while finishing just one win shy of All-America status at the NCAA Championships. Senior 141-pound wrestler Dominick Moyer captured the Most Dedicated award. A three-year NCAA qualifier, Moyer finished 28-9 on the season and earned his third career trip to nationals. Matt Vacanti earned Redshirt-of-the-Year honors. In his first year with the Nebraska program, Vacanti finished 17-2 at 125 pounds. Vacanti joins an illustrious list that includes recent All-Americans Justin Ruiz, Jason Powell, Jacob Klein, B.J. Padden and Paul Donahoe. Austin Baier was named the Lincoln Optimist Award winner for his work on the mat and in the classroom. Jordan Burroughs and Stephen Dwyer, starters as true freshmen at 149 and 165 pounds, respectively, were awarded the Spirit of Excellence Award. Chris Oliver (157), Tom Rice (HWT) and Cameron Browne (HWT) shared the Granite Award. The Nebraska wrestling team finished the season with a 10-7-1 dual record and a 16th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. The Huskers will return eight starters from this year's squad and will have nine wrestlers on the roster with NCAA Championships experience in 2007-08. 2007 Nebraska Wrestling Awards Lincoln Optimist-Austin Baier Husker Power-Craig Brester Spirit of Excellence-Jordan Burroughs and Stephen Dwyer Most Improved-Craig Brester Granite-Chris Oliver, Tom Rice and Cameron Browne Redshirt of the Year-Matt Vacanti Most Dedicated-Dominick Moyer Outstanding Wrestler-Paul Donahoe Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/113-nu-wrestlers-honored-at-banquet Sun, 22 Apr 2007 07:30:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/112-iowa-wrestling-awards-announced IOWA CITY, IA - University of Iowa junior Mark Perry has been named the Mike Howard Most Valuable Wrestler for the 2006-07 season. He received the award at the team's annual awards banquet Saturday in Iowa City. Perry was the 165-pound NCAA and Big Ten Champion. The three-time all-American posted a 28-4 record in collegiate matches this season. With his 4-3 win over two-time defending NCAA Champion Johny Hendricks in the national finals, Perry ended the season on a 12-match winning streak. He was named TheMat.com's Wrestler of the Week for March 13-19 for capturing his first national title. The Stillwater, OK, native scored 21 team points at the Big Ten Championships, which ranked third among all tournament competitors. He posted a 16-3 dual record and went 7-1 in Big Ten duals. Perry led the Hawkeyes in team points scored in dual competition (68), number of dual wins (16), fastest fall (0:38) and major decisions (7). He also shared the team most pins award (6) with senior 133-pounder Mario Galanakis. Galanakis, a native of Greenfield, IA, also shared the Mike McGivern Award, which is given to the team's most courageous wrestler, with sophomore Dan Erekson. Galanakis posted a 23-11 collegiate record and went 12-5 in dual matches. He was injured in the later part of the Big Ten season, but returned to place seventh at the conference meet and qualify for the NCAA Championships. Galanakis scored 52 team points in dual competition and ranked second on the team in major decisions (6). He ends his Hawkeye career with a 40-20 record. Erekson was also injured during the season, missing all eight Big Ten duals. The 197-pounder from Eagle, ID, posted a 10-8 mark in collegiate matches. Senior Eric Luedke earned the All-America Award. The Colby, KS, native placed third at the NCAA Championships to earn his second all-America honor. Luedke recorded a 33-4 season mark, going 16-1 in duals and 7-1 in Big Ten duals. The 174-pounder led the team in collegiate wins (33), dual wins (16), collegiate winning percentage (.892) and dual winning percentage (.941), and won an individual title at the 2006 Midlands Championships. He also placed third at the Big Ten Championships and was an academic all-Big Ten selection. Luedke ends his career at Iowa with a 56-19 record. Sophomore Charlie Falck earned the Most Improved Award. The 125-pounder earned his first all-America honor placing eighth at the NCAA Championships. Falck compiled a 24-10 record in collegiate matches, going 15-4 in duals and 7-1 in Big Ten duals. The Big Ten runner-up, he led the team in technical falls (4), and ranked second in major decisions (6), and third in dual wins (15) and dual winning percentage (.789). Falck is a native of Strawberry Point, IA. Senior Joe Uker earned the J. Donald McPike, Sr., Award, which is given annually to the senior with the highest grade-point average. A biology major, Uker is a four-time academic all-Big Ten honoree and letterwinner, two-time Dean's List selection and earned a spot on the 2005 President's List. The Osage, IA, native is a four-year letterwinner, wrestling between 157-174 pounds. Senior twins Ben and Brett Stedman earned the Coaches Appreciation Award. Natives of Sioux City, IA, the Stedman's are the fifth set of twins to wrestle for the Hawkeyes. Ben wrestled between 165-184 pounds, and Brett at 149 pounds. Both are four-year letterwinners. 2006-07 University of Iowa Wrestling Team Awards Mike Howard Award (Most Valuable): Mark Perry Mike McGivern Award (Most Courageous): Mario Galanakis, Dan Erekson J. Donald McPike, Sr. Award (Highest GPA for graduating senior): Joe Uker All-America Award: Eric Luedke Most Pins Award: Mark Perry (6), Mario Galanakis (6) Most Improved Award: Charlie Falck Coaches Appreciation Award: Ben Stedman, Brett Stedman Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/112-iowa-wrestling-awards-announced Sun, 22 Apr 2007 07:29:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/111-gopher-wrestling-program-announces-2006-07-team-awards The 2007 NCAA Champion Golden Gopher wrestling team announced its team awards at its annual banquet on Sunday evening. All 30 members of the team were presented with plaques commemorating the 2007 championship season, but on a night dedicated to celebrating the third national title in program history, it was difficult for one individual not to steal the show. The crowd paid tribute to senior Cole Konrad, honoring him with multiple standing ovations as he accepted the Most Outstanding and Most Valuable Wrestler Awards, in addition to the Verne Gagne Leadership Award. The reigning two-time national champion at heavyweight finished his career with a school-record 76 consecutive victories. Described by Head Coach J Robinson as the greatest wrestler in Minnesota history, Konrad finished his career with a 155-13 overall record while capturing two national titles, three Big Ten titles and becoming just the fifth athlete in school history to earn four All-America certificates. In recognition of all of his contributions to the Golden Gopher wrestling program over the last five years, Konrad was also honored with the Dick Mueller Award of Excellence. Fellow seniors Danny Williams and Juan Martinez were also recognized for their dedication and commitment to the Gopher wrestling program. In their five seasons at Minnesota, the three seniors were a part of a team that won a national title, three Big Ten Championships, two National Duals championships and posted a dual meet record of 78-22. Jayson Ness also collected multiple awards as he earned Most Outstanding Freshman honors and received the Most Falls Award. In his first season in the starting lineup, Ness captured the Big Ten title at 125 pounds and finished fifth at the NCAA Championships to collect his first All-America accolade. He finished the year with 15 pins, tied for the seventh-most in school history. Junior Mack Reiter and sophomore Dustin Schlatter were both honored with the Fraser Dean Most Courageous Wrestler Award. Reiter, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in late September, was forced to sit out the first three months of the season but returned late in the season to help the Gophers capture their second straight Big Ten title and third national championship in the last seven years. The defending national champion at 149 pounds, Schlatter had a target on his back all year and battled through a nagging knee injury for much of the last half of the season but still managed to capture his second Big Ten title and second All-America certificate. Schlatter posted a 37-1 overall record on the year to push his career mark to 79-2 (.975), the highest winning percentage in school history. Other award winners on Sunday night included Roger Kish, who was recognized as the Most Exciting Wrestler, Manuel Rivera, who earned the title of Most Improved, and C.P. Schlatter, who was named the Most Dedicated. Kish earned his second All-America certificate at the NCAA Championships in March while surpassing the 100-win plateau for his career. In his first season as a full-time starter, Rivera established himself as one of the top 141-pounders in the nation as he won his first 35 matches to start the year before a knee injury prevented him from finishing the season at full strength. Schlatter, the defending two-time Big Ten Champion at 157 pounds, capped off his 2006-07 campaign by finishing sixth at the NCAA Championships to collect his first All-America honor. Two wrestlers were also recognized for their outstanding academic performance during the 2006-07 year. Jeremy Larson earned the Upperclassman Academic Award after posting a 3.507 GPA, while Joe Nord was the Freshman Academic Award winner with a 3.917 GPA. Nearly 300 people were in attendance at the banquet, which was held at the Four Points Sheraton in Minneapolis. 2006-07 Minnesota Wrestling Team Awards Most Valuable Wrestler: Cole Konrad Most Outstanding Wrestler: Cole Konrad Verne Gagne Leadership Award: Cole Konrad Most Outstanding Freshman: Jayson Ness Fraser Dean Most Courageous Wrestler: Mack Reiter and Dustin Schlatter Most Dedicated Wrestler: C.P. Schlatter Most Exciting Wrestler: Roger Kish Chris Berglin Most Improved Wrestler: Manuel Rivera Most Falls Award: Jayson Ness Upperclassman Academic Award: Jeremy Larson Freshman Academic Award: Joe Nord Dick Mueller Award of Excellence: Cole Konrad The Golden Gopher wrestling team would like to thank their families, friends and fans for all of the support throughout the 2006-07 season. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/111-gopher-wrestling-program-announces-2006-07-team-awards Sun, 22 Apr 2007 07:28:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/110-buena-vista-senior-ben-strandberg Profile on BVU Wrestler Ben Strandberg (originally appeared in Spring 2007 BVBriefs) Memories. Buena Vista University and the city of Storm Lake are full of them for Beaver wrestler Ben Strandberg. Most of them great. Some of them painful. All of them unforgettable. Not that you will ever hear Ben wishing that they would go away. One look at him in his uniform reveals the ink that he will carry with him the rest of his life as a reminder of all that he had and tragically lost one fateful spring day six years ago. B.J. Strandberg, Ben's older brother, was the quintessential hometown athletic hero. He had the full package deal to go along with being one of the most successful wrestlers in Storm Lake High School's history: a great personality, academic success, the respect and friendship of his teammates as well as of his opponents, tremendous family support, and a cute girlfriend. Needless to say, there were an abundance of smiles around town when he decided to stay in his home community to continue his athletic career after posting over 150 prep victories. "B.J. had a very bright future as a collegiate wrestler and there was no doubt in my mind that he would be an All-American at least once before he graduated from BVU," recalls former Buena Vista wrestling coach Al Baxter. "He had the desire, motivation, family support and ability to be an outstanding wrestler at the college level." During his freshman season, B.J. was well on his way to fulfilling the promise that Baxter saw in him. He earned a varsity spot at 197 pounds on a Beaver team that placed eighth at the NCAA National Championships. He went 19-12 on the year, and although he did not reach All-America status, the season was a success. After all, he was only a freshman, and there would be three more years to reach those loftier goals. In early May, B.J. began the gradual process of moving his belongings from his campus dorm room back to his family's home, less than a mile away, for the summer. Taking a break from that one Saturday, he and a group of his friends decided that they were going to go into town for a bite to eat in B.J.'s pickup truck. Eventually, for one reason or another, everyone besides he and his good friend Jeff Paulson decided to stay on campus and eat in the cafeteria. Heading north, they approached the railroad tracks that bisect the town. According to the police report, B.J stopped completely, or almost completely, at the tracks. He pulled ahead and was swiftly blindsided by a train on the driver's side. Jeff escaped the collision with a broken nose and some other minor injuries. B.J. was killed instantly. Ben and his dad, Jerry, were at a freestyle wrestling tournament out of town that day. When they returned home, they found a variety of vehicles outside of their house, including a patrol car, and immediately knew something was amiss. A family friend exited the house, met the car, and told the two Strandbergs the devastating news. Ben lost more than just an older brother that day. One of his best friends and most influential role models had been ripped away. To be sure, the relationship between the two competitive siblings who were only separated by two years was not always filled with hugs and tender moments. There were often wrestling scrums between the two that broke out, and not all of them were exactly conducted fairly and without malice. However, as the two grew and matured, they continually found that they had increasingly more in common and actually enjoyed each other's company. "We fought a lot growing up," remembers Ben. "The year that B.J. came to Buena Vista, we got 10 times closer. I would come to campus and work out with him after our practices. He was my best friend by the time he passed away. We never said we loved each other growing up and then after he came to BVU, we said it almost every time we parted." In the weeks following the accident, the memories were overwhelmingly painful and powerful. Ben did not want to forget about his brother, but the constant reminders of his untimely passing, from the high school gym where they both wrestled their home matches to the lake where they spent time water skiing, were simply too much. He made the decision he needed to get away. "I just couldn't live in Storm Lake anymore. You can't go anywhere in Storm Lake without going by the tracks." His mom, Anna, who worked at the University, and dad agreed. They all needed a fresh setting to attempt to cope with the tragedy. With that mindset, the Strandbergs moved to Emmetsburg in August 2001 where Ben had many friends and would be the most comfortable for his senior year of high school. "I believe Ben would have followed in his brother B.J.'s footsteps and been a member of our team if the accident hadn't happened," says Baxter, who knew given the set of circumstances that it was still too soon for Ben to return and enroll for his freshman year of college at Buena Vista. Ben ultimately chose the University of Nebraska-Omaha and became a two-time national qualifier. His junior season, UNO brought in a freshman in his weight class who won the first two open invitationals of the fall semester. Despite being ranked fourth in the nation, Ben was told over the holiday break that he would have to beat his new teammate at the next tournament in order to keep his varsity spot. It was time for Ben to make another decision. Stay at UNO and be fighting for his varsity slot for the rest of his collegiate career or transfer to another school where he was assured of having the chance to make an impact. He ended up selecting the same place his older brothers Brad and B.J. had years before: Buena Vista. "It felt like the right choice. (Buena Vista assistant coach) Pat Wilsbacher and B.J. were in the same class, and I had heard great things about head coach Mark Schwab. I thought I could handle it, so two weeks later I was at Buena Vista." Once again there was a Strandberg wrestling for the Beavers in the 197 pound weight class. Ben seemingly picked up right where B.J. left off half a decade earlier. He went 21-11 with his new team and qualified for nationals. Instantly, he became a team leader. "Ben is a great example by his actions," states Schwab. "He is an honor student, is always where he is supposed to be, and in simple terms, he works his tail off." Although he says he has more friends at Buena Vista than he ever did at UNO, Ben does not regret the 3 1/2 years that he spent in Omaha. He was a part of two national championship teams. He also had time for healing. "I discovered living on campus isn't the same as living in Storm Lake. I still have to drive by the tracks and whatnot, but it's easier." Along with his tattoos, there are plenty of artifacts around Buena Vista to remind Ben of B.J. From a tree that was planted in his memory to the "BJ" that is stitched on the Beaver wrestlers' singlets to the wrestling All-American display that bears his name, there are numerous items that keep B.J.'s memory alive. The place where Ben has one of his fondest and final memories of his brother is a place he now goes every day, the wrestling room in the basement of Siebens Fieldhouse. On the Thursday before the accident, all three Strandberg brothers came to campus to the wrestling room. Reenacting a scene that played out countless times in the Strandberg living room, Brad, Ben and B.J. all took turns wrestling each other. "Brad left after awhile. B.J. and I kept wrestling until we were exhausted. Then we just started goofing off like little kids and were laughing at each other. I'm so glad that we had that moment together." One last memory. Perhaps the best of all. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/110-buena-vista-senior-ben-strandberg Sun, 22 Apr 2007 07:27:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/109-marist-high-school-product-joins-cats-for-2007-08 EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head wrestling coach Tim Cysewski has announced that John Schoen (Homer Glen, Ill./Marist) has signed a National Letter of Intent and will join the 'Cats for the 2007-08 season. The Wildcats are coming off a fourth-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Championships, the highest in program history. Schoen, who projects to be a 197-pound wrestler for the Wildcats, compiled 118 wins in high school record while competing four seasons on the varsity squad. He broke Marist's career record for most takedowns. He led the Redhawks in wins, team points, takedowns and winning percentage. He is currently ranked 11th nationally at 215 lbs. by W.I.N. Magazine. "John will compliment out upper-weights very well," Cysewski said. "Last season, we had the best 184, 197, 285 combination in the NCAA and John will help ensure that this trend continues." In his senior year as Team Captain, Schoen was 44-4 with 22 falls and took first place at the Mahomet Seymour and IHSA Regionals. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC) where we won a conference championship at 215 lbs. He took second place at the IHSA sectionals and third at the Class AA state finals. During his junior year, Schoen was a state finalist. Schoen also was a two-year starter at linebacker for Marist's football team and was a four-year honor roll student. He joins Mike Benefiel (Aurora, Ill./Montini Catholic), Ben Kuhar (Concord Twp., Ohio/St. Edward) and Robert Kellogg (Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North) in this year's recruiting class. Schoen's bio appears below: John Schoen 6-1 ? 210 Homer Glen, Ill./Marist High School: Career record of 118-38 ... Two-time ESCC champion at 189 and 215 lbs. in 2006 and 2007 ... Second place at Class AA state finals (2006) ... Third at state finals in 2006 ... Owns school records for takedowns and escapes ... First place at IHSA Regionals (2007) ... ESCC Outstanding Wrestler (2007) ... Ranked 11th nationally at 215 lbs. by W.I.N. Magazine ... Star Newspaper All Area Team (2007) ... Two-year starter in football at linebacker ... Four-year honor roll student. Personal: Born John Michael Schoen on 8/22/1989 ... Son of Edward and Julie Schoen ... High school teammate in football of Jeremy Nash of the NU basketball team ... Chose Northwestern over Indiana, Purdue and Northern Illinois ... Plans to major in communications. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/109-marist-high-school-product-joins-cats-for-2007-08 Thu, 19 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/108-smith-maumoynier-place-at-us-fila-junior-national-championships LAS VEGAS ? Portland State freshmen Zack Smith and Joe Maumoynier placed at the 2007 Las Vegas/ ASICS U.S. FILA Junior Greco-Roman National Championships held on April 4 ?7. Smith, the Vikings? starting heavyweight during the 2006-07 season, placed fourth after losing by decision (3-0, 4-2) to Kurt Klimek of the Titan Wrestling Club during the third-place match. A redshirt in 2006-07, Maumoynier placed eighth at 174-pounds wrestling as a member of the Northern Xtreme club. Maumoynier was forced to forfeit the seventh-place match to Clete Hanson of the Viper wrestling club after suffering an injury earlier in the competition. ?It?s impressive,? Head Coach Mike Haluska said. ?As hard as they went during the competitive year, these freshmen paid their own way to wrestle at a high profile meet in the off-season. It shows they?re serious about getting better. I look forward to seeing their continued growth.? Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/108-smith-maumoynier-place-at-us-fila-junior-national-championships Wed, 11 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/107-national-champion-gopher-wrestling-team-to-be-honored-prior-to-twins-yankees The 2007 NCAA Champion Minnesota wrestling team will show off its national championship trophy at the Twins-Yankees game on Wednesday, April 11. The Golden Gophers will be recognized on the field during a pre-game ceremony and two-time All-American Mack Reiter will have the privilege of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:10 p.m., at the Metrodome. Select members of the team will also participate in the tradition of leading ?Take Me Out to the Ballgame? during the seventh-inning stretch. The Gophers were also previously scheduled to be recognized at the State Capitol on Wednesday afternoon, but due to scheduling conflicts that appearance has been postponed to a later date to be determined. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/107-national-champion-gopher-wrestling-team-to-be-honored-prior-to-twins-yankees Wed, 11 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/105-utcs-bono-wins-wrestling-national-title-at-us-nationals CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Head Wrestling Coach Chris Bono claimed his third consecutive U.S. Freestyle National Championship Saturday night at the 2007 U.S. National Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bono, who entered the tournament seeded fourth in the 145.5 pound division, has now won four overall U.S. Freestyle titles. He receives an automatic bid to the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 9 and 10 in Las Vegas. As a seeded wrestler, Bono did not have to go through the preliminary qualifying matches. He defeated Joe Johnston, 3-0, 1-1 and Zack Esposito, 1-1, 0-1, 3-1 to get to the semifinals. In the semis, Bono got past top-seeded Jared Lawrence, 3-0, 0-3, 1-0 before beating second-seeded Jared Frayer, 2-6, 3-1, 1-0 for the title. The championship match came down to the third period which Bono won 1-0 after Frayer stepped out of bounds. ?Jared is a tough and dangerous wrestler,? Bono said. ?This is the first time I have ever beaten him. This is exciting because I?m out of the mini-tournament. I only have to wrestle two matches to be on the World Team. I?ll let those other guys beat each other up before they get to me.? Six UTC wrestlers also competed at the Nationals with each of them providing good showings. Two-time All-America Matt Keller won four matches at 132.25 pounds to advance to the championship round before an injury ended his run. Josh Keefe went 1-2 in the same bracket. All-America Michael Keefe and Joey Knox wrestled in the same bracket as Bono. Both wrestlers compiled impressive 3-2 marks. Seth Garvin went 2-2 at 163 pounds, and former wrestler and current UTC assistant coach Israel Silva won three matches after losing his initial match and ended up 3-2. UTC?s Individual Results 60 kg/132.25 pounds Matt Keller pinned Travis Mercado (Titan WC), 0:46 Keller dec. Jake Strayer (Penn State), 1-0, 1-3, 4-2 Keller dec. Cory Vombaur (Cowboy WC), 1-0, 3-0 Keller dec. Joey Rivera (Warrior WC) Nate Gallick (Sunkist Kids) def. Keller by injury default Eric Metzler (Wildcat WC) def. Keller by injury default Josh Keefe tech fall Clint Frutiger (Michigan WC), 6-0, 6-0 Joey Rivera (Warrior WC) dec. Keefe, 5-0, 3-2 Franklin Gomez (Michigan WC) dec. Keefe, 6-0, 1-4, 4-3 66 kg/145.5 pounds Chris Bono dec. Joe Johnston (Hawkeye WC), 3-0, 1-1 Bono dec. Zack Esposito (Gator WC), 1-1, 0-1, 3-1 (semifinals) Bono dec. Jared Lawrence (Minnesota Storm), 3-0, 0-3, 1-0 (finals) Bono dec. Jared Frayer (Gator WC), 2-6, 3-1, 1-0 Ron Tarquinio (Pitt WC) dec. Joey Knox, 1-0, 4-4 Knox dec. Eric Stevenson (Orange Crush), 7-4, 7-6, 7-0 Knox dec. Levi Price (NWC WC), 3-0, 8-2 Knox dec. Ben Nakamura (Jesus is Lord), 6-0, 7-5 Jeff Wimberly (Michigan WC) dec. Knox, 5-4, 4-3 Michael Keefe dec. Peter De La Cruz (Sahuarita Bad Boys), 6-4, 8-2 Carey Kolat (Unatt.) dec. Keefe, 5-1, 7-1 Keefe def. Ryan Lang (Wildcat WC), by injury default Keefe dec. Benny Garcia (Titan WC), 2-2, 3-0, 3-0 Ron Tarquinio (Pitt WC), dec. Keefe, 3-1, 1-1 74 kg/163 pounds Seth Garvin dec. Andrew Grillo (Golden Eagle WC), 4-0, 6-0 Garvin tech fall Joseph Lambert (Unatt.), 7-0, 6-0 Ryan Churella (New York AC) dec. Garvin, 5-1, 6-0 Jason Welch (Pleasant Hill WC) dec. Garvin 3-0, 4-1 95 kg/211.5 pounds Mike Tamillo (Wildcat WC) dec. Israel Silva, 4-0, 1-0 Silva dec. Andrew Lundgren (NWC WC), 2-0, 6-0 Silva tech fall Ernesto Ancona (Bakersfield Unatt.), 6-0, 9-0 Silva def. Brandon Halsey (Road Runner Express) by forfeit Daniel Cormier (Gator WC) pinned Silva, 1:59 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/105-utcs-bono-wins-wrestling-national-title-at-us-nationals Tue, 10 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/106-current-and-former-cowboys-perform-well-at-freestyle-national-championships LAS VEGAS ? Five former Oklahoma State wrestlers placed at the U.S. Senior Freestyle National Championships to qualify for the World Team Trials to be held in Las Vegas June 9-10. Daniel Cormier and Muhammed Lawal both advanced to the finals at 96 kg (211.5 lbs.). The winner will receive a bye to the championship series of the trials, while the loser will be the top seed of the challenge bracket. Zack Esposito and Steve Mocco both finished third at 66 and 120 kg, respectively. Two-time NCAA champion Chris Pendleton finished fourth at 84 kg (185 lbs.), while Tyrone Lewis finished seventh at 74 kg (163 lbs.). All five wrestlers qualify for the trials, but will have to win a challenge tournament where they will face the U.S. National Champion. The winner of that championship series will advance to the World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Ben Ashmore finished runner-up at the FILA Junior National Championships, while both Neil Erisman and Cody Hill finished sixth to qualify for the FILA Junior World Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 25-26. Ashmore lost to Tyler Graff in the finals at 55 kg (121.25 lbs.), 3-0, 1-0. Ashmore will be the top seed of the challenge bracket of the trials for the right to face Graff again with a trip to the FILA Junior World Championships on the line. Graff receives a bye to the championship series. Cowboy junior Coleman Scott won the trials last year at 60 kg (132 lbs.). Erisman and Hill were both forced to default in the fifth-place match at 74 and 85 kg, respectively. Ashmore, Erisman and Hill all redshirted this season as freshmen for the Cowboy wrestling team. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/106-current-and-former-cowboys-perform-well-at-freestyle-national-championships Tue, 10 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/104-brian-smith-set-to-lead-tigers-through-2012 Columbia, Mo. - Missouri Director of Athletics Mike Alden announced today that wrestling Head Coach Brian Smith has signed a five-year contract that will have him leading the Tigers through the year 2012. "We're very pleased to be able to do this for Coach Smith and the Tiger wrestling program," Alden said. "Securing Brian in this way helps ensure the stability of the program and it is undoubtedly a win-win situation for everyone involved. The job that Brian and his staff have done to build this into one of the nation's premier programs has been remarkable to watch, and he's been such an outstanding representative of the University of Missouri over the years. This is a great day for Mizzou." Coming off of a season in which the Tigers recorded a program-high third place finish at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and tied the previous Missouri wrestling best Big 12 finish at second, Smith will enter his 10th season with the Tigers this coming fall. In dual competition, Smith earned his 100th Missouri career win Dec. 9, 2006, with a 31-9 victory over then-No. 11 Central Michigan. Smith is 110-55-1 in his nine years at Missouri and owns the highest Tiger wrestling coach winning percentage at 66 percent. "When I came to Missouri I had a vision of where I wanted to take the wrestling program," Smith said. "We are getting closer but there is still more work to be done and goals to accomplish. Contrary to the rumors that had me leaving Missouri, I have had no reason to want to leave the University and have had every reason to stay here. Most importantly, my family and I love the Columbia and the University communities. My wife teaches at the same school all three of my children attend and we've been involved in trying to bring a new Catholic High School to Columbia and that is going to happen. Another reason this is one of the best coaching jobs in the country is because of the tremendous support given by the wrestling alumni, boosters and fans. My administrators, Mike Alden and Sarah Reesman have shown continued support for the program since I began my career here in 1998. My goal and theirs is to win a national championship." Since Smith's inaugural season, the Tigers have continued to improve both on the mat and in the classroom. Missouri crowned its first wrestling Big 12 Champion in 2003 with Tyron Woodley (Ferguson, Mo.) and its first wrestling National Champion last season in Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.), a feat he repeated in 2007. A total of eight wrestlers have earned 15 All-America honors with seven earning nine Big 12 titles. Askren, Missouri's 174 pounder, has received national recognition as a two-time Dan Hodge Trophy Award recipient, wrestling's equivalent to the Heisman, as well as multiple tournament honors and was named the 2006 NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Wrestler. "This was a very important deal for us to complete. Brian's stock has risen tremendously over the past few years and we wanted to recognize him for all the wonderful things he and his staff and student-athletes have accomplished," Senior Associate Athletic Director Reesman said. "There is no one I would rather have running this program. Brian's expectations mirror the department's and institution's in every aspect, from athletics to academics to community service. This program is one in which the entire Mizzou community may take great pride." Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/104-brian-smith-set-to-lead-tigers-through-2012 Mon, 09 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/103-up-and-down-wrestling-season-ends-on-high-note David G. Bunning Head Coach for Wrestling Jay Weiss had high hopes for his wrestling squad this season and even though the year did not pan out how he scripted, no one can argue with the success his team achieved in 2006-07. Three All-Americans for the first time in program history, first freshman All-American, most number of points scored at the NCAA Championships, highest finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and two finalists for the first time, and highest finish at the Midlands Championship. Harvard entered the year with five wrestlers ranked in the top-20 and a team ranking of No. 22. The Crimson returned all five NCAA qualifiers from a season ago, four of which were EIWA finalist, but injuries plagued the Crimson throughout the season and left Harvard short handed heading into March. ?Going in to the season we were very excited with the returning wrestlers we had and the incoming recruits,? Weiss said. ?We had to deal with a lot of adversity on and off the mat and I am very proud of how the guys stayed the course and were able to shine when needed to the most.? ?I believe our strong finish has elevated our program to the next level and for that I am even more excited. With our current staff, Jesse [Jantzen] and Jamill [Kelly] and incoming class in the fall, I can only see us setting our expectations even higher.? Harvard opened the season at the East Stroudsburg Open with seven placewinners. Sophomore 184-pounder Louis Caputo led the charge with a second-place showing, while rookie J.P. O'Connor finished fourth at 149 pounds. Junior Bobby Latessa was fourth at 157 pounds and classmate Matt Button was fifth. Newcomer Frankie Colletta placed fifth at 165 pounds, while juniors Jonathan Butler and Joseph Bechtold were seventh and eighth, respectively, at 197 pounds. That same weekend, senior All-American Bode Ogunwole was one of three Ivy League wrestlers to win at the NWCA All-Star match. Ogunwole defeated No. 4 Spencer Nadolsky of North Carolina to become the first Crimson grappler to compete at the event. The Crimson traveled to the highly competitive Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, where Harvard placed two grapplers in the finals for the first time and finished seventh – its highest finish to date. Ogunwole dominated at heavyweight to win the title, while O?Connor fell to No. 6 Josh Churella of Michigan in the finals at 149. Caputo placed third at 184 pounds to round out the three top-four placewinners. Harvard took a select number of wrestlers to the Midlands Championships where four grapplers placed in the top five and the Crimson took ninth. Senior tri-captain Max Meltzer (141) and O?Connor (149) took third, Sophomore Andrew Flanagan placed fourth at 157 pounds and Caputo was fifth at 184 pounds. For five of the next eight weeks, Harvard competed in 13 dual meets and compiled a 5-7-1 mark. Harvard?s first dual meet of the season was a 26-13 loss to American in December giving the Crimson a 5-8-1 dual meet record for the year. Highlights from the duals included a 22-18 win over Army on national television, three straight wins over Boston University, 27-13; Brown, 27-15; and Franklin & Marshall, 29-15. Meltzer compiled a 12-2 dual meet mark, winning 11 straight. O?Connor lost just one dual match – to No. 4 Jordan Leen of Cornell – to go 13-1. Latessa, Button, Butler and Colletta provided a balance for the Crimson in the middlewights. Latessa went 5-3 in dual action at 157 pounds, while Button went 4-2 in duals, Butler sported a 4-5 record and Colletta went 5-4. Freshmen Ryan Fitzgerald and Fred Rowsey competed at 125 and 174 pounds, respectively. During that stretch, senior tri-captain Robbie Preston rejoined the team after taking first term off, but the team was devastated when Ogunwole went down with a career-ending injury in January and Flanagan suffered a season-ending injury in February. Harvard headed to the EIWA Championships with out its defending champions, but with a solid group of competitors. Caputo led five Crimson placewinners by taking the 184 pound title, marking the 10th year in a row a Harvard wrestler has won an EIWA title. O?Connor took second at 141, Preston and Meltzer were third at 133 and 141, respectively, and Latessa placed sixth at 157 pounds. Harvard tied for sixth overall with 71 team points. Four wrestlers automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships. Caputo, Meltzer, O?Connor and Preston all advanced to the round of 12 at the NCAA Championship. O?Connor who was seeded sixth at 149 pounds, took fifth to become the first freshman All-American at Harvard. Caputo, the 10th seed, placed eighth, Meltzer who was unseeded, finished eighth and Preston, the 12th seed, advanced to the round of 12, but lost his match to earn All-America honors. In all, the Crimson racked up 29 points - a program best. It was the first time three Crimson wrestlers placed at the NCAA Tournament. O?Connor was named EIWA Freshman of the Year, Ivy League Co-Rookie of the Year and earned second-team All-Ivy honors. Four others were named to the All-Ivy team. Meltzer was a unanimous first-team selection, while Caputo also earned first-team honors. Flanagan was named to the second team and Preston received honorable mention honors. With the success of the Crimson this season, it is for certain the Harvard wrestling program will be one to contend with in the Ivy League, EIWA and on the national stage for years to come. The bar has been raised, how high will the Crimson go? Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/103-up-and-down-wrestling-season-ends-on-high-note Tue, 03 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/102-titan-wrestler-lene-wood-to-sign-with-oklahoma-city-univ FRISCO, TX, MARCH 30, 2007: Centennial High School senior wrestler Lene? Wood will sign her letter of intent to wrestle for Oklahoma City University on Tuesday April 3, 2007. The signing will take place at 10:00 A.M. at the high school, located at 6901 Coit Road in Frisco. The signing and a brief reception afterwards will be in the auditorium foyer on the west side of the school. Oklahoma City University is the first university in Oklahoma to create a women?s wrestling program and one of only six nationwide. OCU Head wrestling Coach Archie Randall will be on hand for the signing. Randall expects to have 30 women on the team by next year. ?One of our goals is to allow them the opportunity to pursue their Olympic goal,? Randall said. Lene? capped off her three-year career with her second straight undefeated state championship, finishing her high school career on a 68 match winning streak and a 93-5 record in just three years of wrestling. She completed her senior season with a remarkable 101-0 takedown advantage as well as not allowing a single offensive point to an opponent. Her efforts at the state tournament helped lead Centennial to a second place finish overall, the highest finish in Frisco ISD history. Lene?s outstanding season also earned her Female Wrestler of the Year for 2007 as chosen by the Dallas Morning News. Lene? is also a two-time All-American in freestyle wrestling, the style she will continue at OCU and throughout the rest of her career. She will attempt to cap off her Folk style career this weekend as she wrestles in the Folk style National Championships in Livonia, Michigan. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/102-titan-wrestler-lene-wood-to-sign-with-oklahoma-city-univ Sat, 31 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/101-four-ohio-state-all-americans-cap-2006-07-wrestling-season Buckeyes conclude campaign with four All-Americans and a 10th-place finish at nationals COLUMBUS, Ohio - It was a season that concluded with four All-Americans for first-year head coach Tom Ryan and that gave the Buckeyes a Top 10 finish in the 2007 NCAA Championships for the first time since 2004. J Jaggers (141), Lance Palmer (149), Mike Pucillo (184) and J.D. Bergman (197) placed in the Top 8 of their respective weight classes to secure the coveted All-America status. The quartet of wrestling All-Americans is the most for a first-year Ohio State head coach. The Scarlet and Gray reached as high as eighth-place in the championships. The Buckeyes concluded the event 10th with 54.5 points. THE MIDAS TOUCH In addition to the Buckeyes garnering four All-Americans at the 2007 championships, head coach Tom Ryan and assistant Lou Rosselli also witnessed recruits from their former schools of Hofstra and Edinboro, respectively, obtain All-America honors. The Pride finished seventh in the standings with four All-Americans, while the Fighting Scots were ninth with three All-Americans. NOTING THE OSU ALL-AMERICANS J Jaggers (Seventh ? 141): Jaggers (21-10) made his first official appearance at nationals after qualifying for the event for consecutive seasons. Last year, the redshirt-freshman missed out on the NCAA championships because of an injury he suffered during the Big Ten championships. Jaggers made his debut at the 2007 NCAA Championships a memorable one, finishing seventh and earning the opportunity to partake in the Parade of All-Americans. Jaggers went 5-2 in the championships, including a 7-1 decision over Harvard?s Max Meltzer in the seventh-place match-up. Lance Palmer (Fourth ? 149): As a true freshman Palmer (34-15) had an impressive first outing at nationals, as he advanced to the semifinals of the championship bracket. A No. 10-seed, Palmer started off strong, winning by a major decision (10-2) in his opening bout against John Cox of Navy. From there to the quarterfinals, Palmer did not let up, upsetting seventh-seed Scott Ervin of Appalachian State, 10-3, and beating Indiana?s Matt Coughlin, 2-1, in a match that was decided on Palmer?s 1:51 of riding time. He entered the semifinals against a familiar rival in Michigan?s Josh Churella. Palmer, who had defeated the third-seeded Churella earlier in the dual season, lost a close 5-2 decision to the Wolverine, dropping to the consolation semifinals where he rebounded with a 6-5 tiebreaker win against Tyler Turner of Wisconsin. It would seem Palmer would have his hands full in the third-place match-up against No. 1 Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota, but the Buckeye held his own. Schlatter?s riding time advantage was the lone point scored, as he escaped with a 1-0 win. Mike Pucillo (Sixth ? 184): A redshirt-freshman, Pucillo (26-5) won four-consecutive matches after losing his second-round bout to advance to the consolation semifinals against second-seed Roger Kish of Minnesota. Included in the wins were victories over No. 8 Christian Sinnott of Central Michigan, 4-2, and No. 10 Louis Caputo of Harvard, 11-3. His match against Kish had a dramatic finish, as the Gopher won on a last second takedown after Pucillo tied the score at 5-all on a takedown of his own with 20 seconds on the clock. J.D. Bergman (Fourth ? 197): It appeared it was déjà vu all over again for the sixth-seed and two-time All-American (28-9). Reminiscent of his experience at nationals in 2004, Bergman lost his first-round match, only to answer with six-consecutive wins to qualify for the third-place contest. En route to his final match of the championships, Bergman won three of his bouts via a fall, including dropping Nebraska?s and seventh-seed Craig Brester in 3:15. However, Bergman lost his second match of the championships against No. 11 Chris Weidman of Hofstra, 9-4, in his quest for third place. THIRTY-SOMETHINGS Lance Palmer and Chris Vondruska registered more than 30 wins on the year. Palmer finished the year with a 34-15 record and Vondruska owned a 30-16 mark. TWENTY-SOMETHINGS J.D. Bergman, J Jaggers and Mike Pucillo tallied more than 20 wins this season. Bergman had 28 victories to his credit (nine losses). Jaggers held a 21-10 mark and Pucillo was 26-5. SETTING THE STANDARD The 10th-place finish for the Buckeyes under head coach Tom Ryan at the NCAA championships is the best finish for a first-year OSU head coach. Ryan coached four All-Americans to a total of 54.5 points. Previously, the highest NCAA finish for a Buckeye coach in his inaugural season was 20th in 1977. That team was mentored by Chris Ford (1977-86). OHIO STATE ALL-AMERICANS With Ohio State?s four All-Americans, the Buckeyes now have a total of 61 All-America selections, while 42 different OSU wrestlers have earned the coveted honor. The Buckeyes have 10 two-time All-Americans, three three-time All-Americans and Tommy Rowlands is the only four-time Buckeye All-American (2001-2004). FIRST TIMERS Lance Palmer and Mike Pucillo made their national postseason debut at the 2007 NCAA Championships and came away with All-America honors. Palmer was the first true freshman since teammate J.D. Bergman to obtain All-America laurels. Pucillo is a redshirt-freshman. He spent a season at Hofstra in 2005-06, before joining Tom Ryan at Ohio State this season. FALLING INTO LINE J.D. Bergman finished tied for 15th in the nation among Division I wrestlers for the most falls. Bergman collected 13 falls in 2006-07, including three at the NCAA championships in Detroit. Bergman also was just one of four Big Ten Conference wrestlers to make the Top 20 cut. ANOTHER DAY ON THE JOB Prior to the 2007 championships, J.D. Bergman had never faced a Big Ten Conference opponent on the national stage until this year and fared well against his familiar foes, going 2-0 in back-to-back matches. In the fifth wrestleback, Bergman avenged his 11-5 loss to Northwestern?s and No. 3 seed Mike Tamillow in the 2007 Big Ten championships by defeating the Wildcat, 5-4. Bergman then followed that performance with another 5-4 win against fourth-seed Phil Davis of Penn State in the consolation semifinals. HELLO AGAIN After Lance Palmer and Josh Churella of Michigan met in the semifinals of the Big Ten championships, it should not have been a surprise the two would meet again in the semifinals of the NCAA championships. It is a familiar setting for Palmer and Churella. The two first met this season at the Eastern Michigan Open semifinals Nov. 4, 2006, where Churella recorded a 3-0 win. Palmer answered with a 6-4 overtime victory against the Wolverine in dual meet action Feb. 11 in Ann Arbor, Mich. IT?S ONLY THE BEGINNING In his first ever meeting against No. 1 seed and nationally No. 1-ranked Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota, Lance Palmer held his own, not allowing Schlatter to score a single point during the seven minutes of competition. Schlatter only was able to win based on the accrued riding time. PART TWO During J Jaggers? All-America run at the 2007 nationals, he began and ended the championships with wins against Harvard?s Max Meltzer. Jaggers opened his first NCAA championships with an 11-5 victory and then concluded it with a 7-1 decision to win the seventh-place bout. THE MORE THE MERRIER Ohio State?s six qualifiers to the NCAA championships were the most for the Buckeyes since the 2002-03 season. During that campaign, OSU sent seven wrestlers to the national event, including Tommy Rowlands, who now is an OSU assistant coach. For the first and only time in program history, the Scarlet and Gray advanced all 10 weight classes to nationals in 2001. NCAA HISTORY The Buckeyes had their best finish at the national championships in 2004 when they tied for third with 77.5 points. During its run in 2004, Ohio State sent five Buckeyes to nationals and all five placed in the Top 8. Tommy Rowlands led the contingent, capturing his second national title at heavyweight. As a freshman, J.D. Bergman finished third at 197 pounds. After dropping his first bout, Bergman preceded to win seven-consecutive matches, including recording a pair of falls in the first and second round consolations. John Clark and Blake Kaplan earned fifth-place finishes at 165 and 184 pounds, respectively, and Jeff Ratliff was eighth at 149 pounds. Ohio State has 11 national champions, most recently two-time NCAA champion Rowlands at heavyweight (2002 and 2004). A LOOK BACK: 2007 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS Ohio State concluded the 2007 Big Ten Championships with a ninth-place finish with 68.5 points March 4 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. Six Buckeyes in T.J. Enright (133), J Jaggers (141), Lance Palmer (149), Chris Vondruska (165), Mike Pucillo (184) and J.D. Bergman (197) qualified for the 2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships March 15-17 in the Palace of Auburn Hill in Auburn Hills, Mich., as Top 7 finishers. Minnesota finished first with 156 points. Wisconsin was second (99.5) and Iowa (91) rounded out the Top 3. No. 4 seed Bergman finished second at 197 pounds. The runner-up finish is the second of Bergman?s career. In 2005, Bergman finished second to qualify for his second NCAA championships. In his first Big Ten championships as a freshman, No. 3 seed Palmer posted a third-place showing at 149 pounds. Enright, an eighth seed, finished sixth at 133 pounds after taking a medical forfeit in the fifth-place match-up to advance to his second NCAA championships. Enright made his debut at nationals in 2005 as a freshman. No. 5 seed Vondruska faced Illinois? Roger Smith-Bergsrud for the second time in the championships in the fifth-place bout and defeated him, 3-0. The seventh-seeded Jaggers qualified for his second-consecutive NCAA championships when he won his seventh-place bout against Bryan Heller of Penn State, 7-3. Jaggers finished sixth last season at the Big Ten championships, but was unable to compete at nationals because of injury. Freshman and No. 3 seed Mike Pucillo was forced to medical forfeit his two matches of the day, the consolation semifinals and the fifth-place match-up, to finish sixth. AND THEN THERE WERE THREE Lance Palmer became the first freshman to place in the Top 3 of the Big Ten championships for Ohio State since Ryan Hieber (174 pounds) and Tommy Rowlands (HWT) finished second and third, respectively, in 2001. SPREADING THE WEALTH For the Buckeyes at the Big Ten championships, it appeared beating the higher seed was contagious for Will Livingston, No. 8 T.J. Enright, No. 5 Chris Vondruska and No. 4 J.D. Bergman. In the second-round wrestleback, Livingston eliminated fourth-seed Franklin Gomez of Michigan State, 10-7, while Enright also knocked out a fourth seed in Zach Tanelli of Wisconsin. Vondruska defeated No. 4 Roger Smith-Bergsrud twice, the first a 2-1 tiebreaker and the second with fifth place on the line, 3-0. Bergman, a fourth-seed himself, met No. 1 Phil Davis of Penn State and handed him a 6-4 loss. ROUND 3 It was round three for Buckeye T.J. Enright and Spartan Nick Simmons at the Big Ten championships. The two had split their previous two meetings, 1-1. Simmons was able to escape with a 1-0 win in the Michigan State Open Nov. 4, 2006, but Enright got the better of the undefeated Simmons (27-0), 4-2sv, in dual action Feb. 2 in front of the home crowd in St. John Arena. Again it went down to the wire for their third and final meeting of the season, where Simmons won a 2-1 decision in overtime. DROP IT LIKE IT?S HOT J Jaggers recorded the fastest fall time at the 2007 Big Ten Championships. Jaggers dropped Purdue?s Nick Bertucci in 25 seconds in the second round consolation. ONLY THE BEST Ohio State owned one of the toughest schedules in the Big Ten Conference, taking on 10 teams that finished the regular season ranked in the Top 25 of the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA poll (March 7, 2007). Four of the Buckeyes? opponents ended the regular season in the Top 10 (Missouri-No. 3, Northwestern- No. 5, Iowa-No. 6, Cornell-No. 7). NOT TO BE OVERLOOKED Ohio State defeated its third-consecutive ranked opponent after beating then-No. 10 Northwestern, 18-16, Feb. 4 and its fourth overall. Prior to the upset over the Wildcats, the Buckeyes bettered No. 19 Michigan State, 19-14, (Feb. 2), No. 16 Indiana, 19-14, (Jan. 28) and No. 9 Cornell, 18-17, (Nov. 26). MAKE IT 110 Tom Ryan earned his 110th career victory with the Buckeyes? 18-17 win over Cornell Nov. 26. Ryan gathered his first win as the head coach of the Scarlet and Gray, while his other 109 wins came at Hofstra, where he was the head coach for 11 seasons. Ryan?s career record is 117-90-1. BUCKEYES IN THE STANDINGS In the final edition of the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Coaches? Poll (March 7), four Buckeyes ended the regular season ranked in the Top 20. At 149 pounds, Lance Palmer was ninth and at 165 pounds, Chris Vondruska was 19th. Mike Pucillo remained No. 3 at 184 pounds, while classmate J.D. Bergman was sixth at 197 pounds. CONFERENCE LAURELS Mike Pucillo and T.J. Enright earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors during the regular season. Pucillo was the first OSU honoree (Dec. 4), capturing the award after finishing first in the 184-pound division at the 25th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 1-2. A redshirt freshman who transferred from Hofstra, Pucillo defeated Top 4 opponents Raymond Jordan of Missouri (No. 4) and Tyrel Todd of Michigan (No. 3) in the semifinal and championship bouts en route to the title. Enright garnered the laurel Feb. 5 after producing one of the more memorable wins of his collegiate career. Enright (133) began the weekend with a 4-2 sudden victory over No. 1 Nick Simmons of Michigan State in Columbus, Ohio, to help propel the Buckeyes to a 19-14 upset over the No. 10 Spartans. He again was at the center of a dramatic win for OSU, as he defeated Eric Metzler of Northwestern, 7-2, to pull the Scarlet and Gray within one point (16-15) with one match left at 141 pounds. Classmate J Jaggers won a 7-5 decision and the Buckeyes rallied for the 18-16 win over the No. 10 Wildcats in Lakewood, Ohio. LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL CHAMPION Redshirt-freshman Mike Pucillo won the 184-weight class at the 25th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 1-2 in Primm, Nev. Pucillo recorded two major decisions and a fall en route to the semifinal where he defeated No. 4 Raymond Jordan of Missouri, 3-1. In the championship bout against Michigan?s and No. 3 Tyrel Todd, Pucillo notched a 12-6 victory for the title. Pucillo became the first Buckeye to win a title at the event since assistant coach Tommy Rowlands won in 2003 at heavyweight. BERGMAN FINISHES SECOND AT SCUFFLE J.D. Bergman captured a second-place finish at the 2006 Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C., Dec. 29-30, 2006. Bergman, who wrestled at 197 pounds, had an impressive outing on day one of the event, recording two falls and a major decision en route to the quarterfinals. The following day, Bergman notched a decision to advance to the semifinals where he was slated to meet No. 2 seed and nationally No. 2-ranked Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell. However, Rinaldi was forced to take a medical forfeit and that set up a rematch between Bergman and No. 1 seed and top ranked Max Askren of Missouri. After leading 2-1 going into the third period, Askren pinned Bergman in 5:48. UPSET CITY, BABY! T.J. Enright was no stranger to upsetting top-ranked wrestlers when he beat No. 1 Nick Simmons of Michigan State, 4-2, in sudden victory Feb. 2. During his freshman campaign in 2004-05, Enright defeated then-No. 4 Sam Hiatt of Northern Illinois in the Michigan State Open (Nov. 21, 2004) and in Big Ten Conference dual action in 2005, he upset then-No. 3 Mack Reiter of Minnesota (Feb. 13, 2005). Junior J.D. Bergman continued the upset trend during the weekend against Northwestern when he beat second-ranked Mike Tamillow at 197 pounds, 4-2. Lance Palmer followed those two acts with an impressive win of his own over No. 2 Josh Churella (6-4 2TB) of Michigan Feb. 11. GOING DOWN TO THE WIRE For the second time in his OSU career, T.J. Enright produced the winning points for Ohio State in the final bout. With the Buckeyes down, 17-15, against No. 9 Cornell going into the concluding match at 133 pounds, Enright tallied a 5-3 decision over Nick Bridge to give Ohio State the 18-17 victory. It was nearly the same scenario for Enright and the Buckeyes during the 2004-05 season. Enright recorded a 7-2 win over Bloomsburg?s Joe Hassenman to lift the Scarlet and Gray over the Huskies by the same 18-17 margin at the Buckeye Duals in St. John Arena. Classmate J Jaggers? 7-5 win over Northwestern?s James Kohlberg in the deciding match at 141 pounds completed Ohio State?s rally for the 18-16 victory over the 10th-ranked Wildcats. JUST A NUMBER Redshirt freshman Mike Pucillo (184) faced eight ranked opponents in 2006-07 and compiled a 7-1 record against his Top 20 rivals. Pucillo began the season with a 16-0 record before losing his first match to No. 1 Jake Herbert of Northwestern Feb. 4. In dual action, seven of J.D. Bergman?s 15 opponents were ranked in the Top 20. He went up against five ranked wrestlers in January and February and overall finished with a 9-3 record in those two months. CLEVELAND?S CELEBRATED CELEBRITY Freshman Lance Palmer was a finalist for the 2005-06 Cleveland Outstanding High School Athlete Award, which was presented at the fifth annual Greater Cleveland Sports Awards, created by The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC), Jan. 29 at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, Grand Ballroom. Palmer, who compiled a regular-season record of 26-12 during his freshman campaign, was a four-time Ohio high school national champion from 2003-2006. During his senior year, Palmer helped lead St. Edward High School to its 10th-consecutive team title at the Ohio High School Athletic Association wrestling tournament at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. A two-time Most Valuable Wrestler for the Eagles, Palmer compiled a high school career record of 150-6 and was considered the No. 1 recruit nationally by several wrestling media publications. ROSSELLI TO COACH U.S. FREESTYLE WORLD TEAM Assistant coach Lou Rosselli was selected as a U.S. Freestyle World Team Coach for the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17-23. Rosselli will join USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson of Colorado, Springs, Colo., and Kerry McCoy, who is the head coach at Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif. ?It is always exciting to get the opportunity to work with the best athletes and coaches in the nation,? Rosselli said. ?Hopefully we can improve on last year when we won four medals and were close to winning as a team. We will work together to again put ourselves in the position to win. As our weight classes become deeper, it will help our effort. If it is difficult to make the U.S. team, then the No. 1 athletes go up to a higher level. We have the guys to get the job done. We have the talent to do what we need to do. Our athletes train hard and I am excited to work with them once again.? As a world team coach in 2006, Rosselli helped guide the freestyle squad to a third-place finish, while coaching four individual medalists, including world champion Bill Zadick. Rosselli also was the assistant coach of the 2005 U.S. World Team at the World University Games, which placed third in the team standings and had three individual gold medalists, including fellow Buckeye assistant Tommy Rowlands. ASSISTANT COACHES TAKE GOLD Ohio State wrestling assistant coaches Joe Heskett and Tommy Rowlands claimed titles at the Henri Deglane Challenge in Nice, France, and the American Airlines/New York AC Holiday International in New York, respectively, at the end of November. In his first season as the volunteer assistant coach for the Buckeyes, Heskett defeated 2000 Olympic silver medalist and 2006 Russian National Champion Arsen Gitinov in the championship match to win the gold medal at 74kg/163 pounds in the freestyle competition at the Nov. 24-25 tournament. For his efforts, Heskett was named TheMat.com Athlete of the Week for the week of Nov. 21. Rowlands defended his freestyle title at 120kg/264.5 pounds at the New York Athletic Club Nov. 18-19, winning all four of his bouts, including defeating Michael Irving, 4-1 and 6-0, in the final. CLASS OF 2007-08 Head coach Tom Ryan announced the signing of five student-athletes to the Buckeye squad for the 2007-08 season. Sean Nemec, Colton Sponseller, Bo Touris, Nikko Triggas and John Weakley will join the team next season. ?As a staff, we are honored each of these young men have chosen to pursue their academic and athletic goals at Ohio State University,? Ryan said. ?Each of these young men have won at the highest level with class and hard work. Our staff is looking forward to helping them build upon their successes in every aspect of their lives.? Nemec, who hails from Lakewood, Ohio, and attends St. Edward High School, is considered by many the top wrestling recruit in Ohio. Entering his senior year at St. Edward, Nemec is ranked as high as first in the nation at 152 pounds in the wrestling publication Amateur Wrestling News and second by Wrestling International Newsmagazine. Nemec is a two-time high school state champion, three-time finalist and the 2004 Cadet freestyle national champion. Nemec also is a two-time junior national freestyle All-American, finishing third at 152 pounds in 2006 and sixth at 145 pounds in 2005. Sponseller, a student at West Holmes High School in Millersburg, Ohio, is a two-time high school state champion. Wrestling at 160 pounds, Sponseller also is the 2006 NHSCA Junior National Champion. Ranked as high as fourth in W.I.N. Magazine?s preseason rankings, Sponseller was a seventh-place finisher in the 2005 freestyle competition. Touris is a native of West Chester, Ohio, and attends Lakota West High School. Wrestling at 112 pounds in 2005, Touris was an Ohio high school state division I district qualifier and finished the season with a 36-6 record. In 2006, Touris returned to 103 pounds after wrestling at that weight his freshman year and finished third in the Ohio high school state championships, capping a 46-1 season. Touris also was the Ohio Cadet Greco Roman and Freestyle state champion in 2005. Touris, a Fargo Nationals Cadet Greco Roman National champion, also finished second at the FILA nationals in Cadet Greco Roman competition. Touris was ranked as high as fifth at 103 pounds in W.I.N Magazine and ninth at 112 pounds in that same publication. Triggas hails from Moraga, Calif., where he attends Campolindo High School and wrestles at 119 pounds. Triggas was the North Coast section champion his freshman, sophomore and junior years. He is the third freshman at any weight in the history of Campolindo to become state champion and is on track to become the second wrestler at Campolindo to win four sectional championships. A three-time state qualifier, Triggas finished third his sophomore year with a 51-3 record and was state champion his junior year, compiling 51-2 mark. Triggas also was the 2005 and 2006 Cadet Greco Roman Champion and finished third in freestyle competition in 2005 with a 19-1 record. Weakley is from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and preps at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, where he wrestles at 189 pounds. Weakley is a three-time All-American, three-time conference champion, two-time district champion and two-time sectional champion. Weakley has been ranked No. 1 in all divisions and is the No. 2-ranked senior in Ohio according to ohiowrestling.net after winning PAC-7 Wrestler of the Year last season. Weakley?s freestyle and Greco Roman credentials include becoming a three-time All-American, three-time freestyle state champion, three-time Greco Roman state champion and the Greco Roman Junior National runner-up in 2006. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/101-four-ohio-state-all-americans-cap-2006-07-wrestling-season Tue, 27 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/100-the-d3-nationals-verus-d2-and-d1not-the-big-show-but-close Well, a few weeks ago, I officiated my 5th NCAA Championship, 4 D3?Championships and 1 D2 Championship so far. I have been asked to give a little insight into these tournaments as far as how they run and the evaluations the referees are subject to. Also if there is a difference in intensity between the D2 or D3 versus D1. Since I have not done the D1?s...yet, I can only speculate and that is what I shall do. A little background. I remember my first D3 Finals?they were held in Dubuque Iowa and I was very very excited. My mentor, coach and friend, Bob Triano and I had lunch the day before I left for the tournament and he told me officiate the same way as I have all season, be intense without being too focused and most important have fun. I had a great tournament, felt good, moved good and hoped I would get rewarded with a finals match. Though I truly didn?t expect one since I was the rookie, I really wanted one badly and was so nervous sitting in that locker room as Pat McCormick read off the names of who was refereeing what finals match. I didn?t hear my name called at 125, or 133 or next or next or next. I was sure I wasn?t getting one and then I heard 197 wasn?t me so I resigned myself to not getting one. I didn?t really hear the 285 pound match but knew it wasn?t me. The guy beside me patted me on the shoulder and said he was glad he was working with me in the finals. I said??oh?I?m assisting you at heavy??. He looked at me and said ?no?you are the lead!? I got it! My first NCAA finals..I was so happy and pleased. Last year, I was fortunate enough to have both the D3 and the D2 Championships. I remember talking to a referee who had all 3 Championships in one year. I told him I had 2 of them this year and how cool it would be to have all 3 in one year. He said ?be careful what you wish for!? I found out what he meant that week. At the D2?s at Findlay Univ that year, I felt that things stepped up somewhat from the D3?s. Not that it was better wrestling?just different. A different type of intensity. The coaches were a bit more severe and the emotional drain was phenomenal. Pressure is not only felt from the first match, it can be cut with a knife. It hangs in the air, thick and dripping from the rafters. I was lucky enough to get a final again at that tournament too. Evaluations When you are working the 2?s or 3?s as a referee, the evaluations are done by the coaches. At the D1?s, the evals are done by real evaluators. Big difference. Not that coaches don?t know how a match should be officiated, but they do tend to have a different view depending on if their kid won or lost. Shouldn?t be that way, but it is a fact of life. 99% of the D3 and D2 coaches that I know are great guys and are way above fair. There are a few that no matter what you do, no matter how mechanically correct you are during a match, their evaluation of you is based on if their kid wins or loses. At the D1?s, the evaluators are either former referee?s who have been to the Big Show and blew a whistle or they are former coaches who have been there and know how a match should be called. There is a form that each evaluator uses and there are numerical values. At the end of the semis, the forms are collected, tabulated and then the top 10 work the finals and the bottom 10 sit during the finals. Up to this year, they assisted in the finals but that has changed now. I am a proponent of evaluations at any level, high school or college. How can you truly know you are doing things right if no one is critiquing you, other than the two coaches in the corner? Staying Focused (the secret) One of the key factors when doing a match regardless of if it is a JV match or a National Tournament is staying focused at all times. My secret for doing that is this: If I am being evaluated at a tournament I know eyes are on every move I make and I better make sure my mechanics are correct. What if I am not being evaluated? In order to maintain my ?consistency? I pick one person in the stands, whoever it is, and I tell myself that this person is the person that when this match is over will tell me if I get the D1?s. That guarantees me that I will not slack off on any given match. Simple? Corny? Well..it works for me! If a referee will open themselves to proper critiquing, they will improve tremendously! Levels of Intensity I have been fortunate to work some high level D1, 2 and 3 duals and tournaments over the years. There is a difference of style at each level I think. It isn?t that there is a different degree of intensity, it the style of wrestling between the 3 divisions. Here is an example of what I mean. A friend of mine and a fellow referee worked some D1 stuff, but it wasn?t Big Ten level matches. He was fortunate to get the D1 one year and a couple weeks prior, he refereed the Big Tens. He had never worked a Big Ten dual let alone the Big Ten Championships. When I saw him the following season at a tournament we do together, he mentioned how grateful he was that he had the opportunity to so the Big Tens prior to the D1 tournament. Why? He wasn?t used to that level, style, scrambling etc and it prepared him mechanically for the D1 Championships. On the other hand?I have worked a lot of Big Ten level duals and Midlands Tournament, Cliff Keene Las Vegas Tournament etc and those are as tough as it gets in my opinion. My mentor Bob Triano always told me to work the highest level and as much as I can prior to the NCAA Championships be it 1, 2 or 3 so that I would be ready for anything thrown my way. On that same regard, I think referring college makes me a much better high school official because of the higher level of activity and complexity of the moves and situations. Watch how a referee handles himself on the mat. His or hers confidence level is always very apparent when the tough calls start flying. Why? The more that referee has seen, the easier it is to recognize what is occurring. I have always told my class that IO teach that if you had to take a safari into the deepest darkest part of Africa and you had your choice of two different guides, one with tremendous experience who has hand fought alligators and lions and knows every inch of the jungle or the other guy who read a book about how to guide?.which would you choose? Same with referees?confidence equates with experience. As is our confidence, so is our capacity. About the author, Fredrick Feeney: Fred, a long time Ohio wrestling official, is a member of the CDWOA, the CWOA and the NWOA, and is a moderator on several popular wrestling discussion forums. Fred's in-depth experience encompasses both scholastic and collegiate levels, having culminated with numerous assignments at the OHSAA State Tournament and 5 NCAA Division II and III Championship finals. Fred and his wife reside in Dublin, Ohio. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/100-the-d3-nationals-verus-d2-and-d1not-the-big-show-but-close Fri, 23 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/99-ben-askren-recieves-dan-hodge-trophyagain Columbia, Mo. ? Missouri two-time defending National Champion Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) was awarded his second consecutive Dan Hodge Trophy, wrestling?s equivalent to the Heisman, as announced today by the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum and W.I.N. Magazine. With the honor, Askren becomes just the second grappler since the creation of the award in 1995 to earn the Hodge Trophy on more than one occasion. Iowa State standout Cael Sanderson received the honor on three occasions (2000-01-02). ?It?s a great honor, especially (finishing ahead) of guys like Cole (Konrad) who is amazing,? Askren said. ?To be in the same company with Cael winning the top honor, it can?t get any better than that. I?m very excited.? Askren capped his five-year Tiger career with an 8-2 win by decision over second-ranked Keith Gavin of Pittsburgh in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship finals held at the Palace of Auburn Hills March 17. The win extended Askren?s streak to 87 consecutive victories, dating back to the start of his junior campaign in 2006. Askren closed his collegiate wrestling career with a 153-8 mark which places him firmly at the top of the Missouri career wins record book. Former Tiger grappler Wes Roper held the previous record at 131 wins for 15 years. Of the 42 matches in his senior campaign, 29 went down by way of fall, and 23 of the 29 ended in the first period of action. Prior to his final meeting on the mat with Gavin at the NCAA Championships, Askren had pinned the Pittsburgh wrestler twice earlier in the season. Askren?s final pin of his collegiate career was recorded against Matthew Palmoer of Columbia on March 16. It set the new Missouri career pins record at 91. ?It?s not a surprise to me that Ben would win the Dan Hodge Trophy again,? Head Coach Brian Smith said. ?Ben?s dominating style carried over from last year and he improved on certain areas so that he wouldn?t just win, he?d win big. I couldn?t be happier for Ben to win the Hodge. He truly deserves it. Anyone one that watches Ben wrestle knows how much he enjoys the sport.? Askren will officially receive the Hodge Trophy at the Missouri wrestling banquet tentatively set for Sunday, April 15. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/99-ben-askren-recieves-dan-hodge-trophyagain Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/96-minnesota-crowned-as-national-champions The top-ranked University of Minnesota wrestling team won its third NCAA Championship since 2001 on Saturday night at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich. The Golden Gophers clinched the team race following back-to-back losses by Iowa State wrestlers in the 184- and 197-pound title matches. In the final bout of the tournament, heavyweight Cole Konrad concluded his stellar collegiate career with a pin of Penn State's Aaron Anspach in the finals. Konrad became the fourth two-time national champion in school history. Minnesota finished with 98.0 points, while Iowa State finished second with 88.5. Iowa State entered the championship round with three finalists and needed a mininum of two victories to overtake the Golden Gophers prior to the heavyweight match. Top-ranked Trent Paulson pulled the Cylcones to within 3.5 points after defeating Wisconsin's Craig Henning at 157 pounds. Freshman Jake Varner could not follow with a victory of his own as he was soundly defeated by top-ranked and unbeaten Jake Herbert of Northwestern at 184 pounds. It was then up to No. 9 Kurt Backes at 197 pounds, but No. 2 Josh Glenn of American got the takedown at the edge of the mat in the middle of the first overtime session and the Golden Gopher faithful celebrated the championship. "I think the true character of a team is when you get yourself in a hole and you have to dig yourself out," head coach J Robinson. "They responded when they had to and that's what champions do. This was a team win. All nine guys contributed to this and that's the beauty of this victory." With the team title locked up, Konrad took to the mat looking to cement his place alongside Golden Gopher legends Verne Gagne, Tim Hartung and Damion Hahn as a two-time national championi. In the title match, Konrad put his patented body lock on Anspach midway through the first and threw him to his back. Konrad got the fall at 1:53 of the first period. He finished the season unbeaten with a 35-0 record and a second straight individual title. "We had a tough semifinal round, but in a national tournament, you can't expect everything to go the way you want," Konrad said. "We focus in our training on getting stronger as a tournament goes on and we were able to bounce back today. I can't think of a better way to finish a career." Konrad finished his career with back-to-back NCAA Championships and 76 wins in a row. He finished with a 154-13-0 career record, just five wins behind the career record of 159 held by Ed Giese since 1986. Konrad also had 50 pin, which rank second in school history. Cole Konrad also became Minnesota's fifth four-time All-American. He joined Chad Kraft, Luke Becker, Jared Lawrence and Damion Hahn. This morning during the medal round, junior Roger Kish and sophomore Dustin Schlatter earned third place at 184 and 149 pounds, respectively. Redshirt freshman Jayson Ness claimed fifth place at 125 pounds with his third pin of the tournament. Junior C.P. Schlatter finished his first All-American season with a sixth-place finish at 157 pounds. The Golden Gophers finished the 2006-07 season with a national title, five All-Americans, their sixth Big Ten title in the last nine years and their fourth National Duals title in the last seven years. Minnesota will return four All-Americans and nine starters from a team which finished the regular season with a 20-1 record. The lone loss will be Konrad at heavyweight. Team Results - Following Session VI Team Standings 1. Minnesota, 98.0 2. Iowa State, 88.5 3. Missouri, 80.0 4. Northwestern, 71.5 5. Oklahoma State, 69.0 6. Michigan, 62.0 7. Hofstra, 60.5 8. Iowa, 57.0 9. Edinboro, 56.0 10. Ohio State, 54.5 11. Penn State, 54.0 Golden Gopher Placewinners 1st - Cole Konrad (HWT) 3rd - Dustin Schlatter (149) 3rd - Roger Kish (184) 5th - Jayson Ness (125) 6th - C.P. Schlatter (157) Individual Results No. 4 Jayson Ness - 125 pounds 1st Round - Ness pinned Taylor Cummings (NCSU), 2:28 2nd Round - Ness pinned Tyler Shinn (OSU), 4:17 Quarterfinals - Ness dec. No. 5 Charlie Falck (Iowa), 3-0 Semifinals - No. 1 Sam Hazewinkel (OU) maj. dec. Ness, 10-0 Consolation - No. 7 Angel Escobedo (Indiana) dec. Ness, 7-3 5th Place - Ness pinned No. 9 Obenson Blanc (Lock Haven), 1:00 Fifth Place with a 4-2 record All-American No. 7 Mack Reiter - 133 pounds 1st Round - Reiter pinned Richard Donald (Bloomsburg), 4:36 2nd Round - Reiter dec. Joseph Baker (Navy), 12-5 Quarterfinals - No. 2 Matt Valenti (Penn) dec. Reiter, 4-0 Consolation - No. 8 Tyler McCormick (Missouri) dec. Reiter, 4-2 Eliminated with 2-2 record No. 4 Manuel Rivera - 141 pounds 1st Round - Rivera maj. dec. Matthew Schumm (CSB), 14-4 2nd Round - Rivera dec. Matthew Kyler (Army), 5-2 Quarterfinals - Don Fisch (Rider) dec. Rivera, 10-4 Consolation - No. 7 Brandon Rader (WVU) dec. Rivera, 9-5 Eliminated with a 2-2 record No. 1 Dustin Schlatter - 149 pounds 1st Round - Schlatter dec. Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska), 3-2 2nd ROund - Schlatter dec. Matt Moley (Bloomsburg), 5-1 Quarterfinals - Schlatter dec. Tyler Turner (Wisconsin), 6-3 Semifinals - No. 5 Gregor Gillespie (Edinboro) dec. Schlatter, 3-2 Consolation - Schlatter dec. No. 6 J.P. O'Connor (Harvard), 5-4 Consolation - Schlatter dec. No. 10 Lance Palmer (Ohio State), 1-0 Third Place with a 5-1 record All-American No. 4 C.P. Schlatter - 157 pounds Pigtails - Schlatter maj. dec. Luke Salazar (UNC), 9-1 1st Round - Schlatter maj. dec. Cody Midlam (Duquesne), 10-2 2nd Round - Schlatter dec. John Jarred (Navy), 1-0 Quarterfinals - No. 5 Michael Poeta (Illinois) dec. Schlatter, 5-4 Consolation - Schlatter dec. No. 6 Brandon Becker (Indiana), 3-2 Consolation - Schlatter dec. Josh Zupancic (Stanford), 1-0 Consolation - No. 3 James Strouse (Hofstra) dec. Schlatter, 3-2 Fifth Place - No. 11 Matt Kocher (Pittsburgh) dec. Schlatter, 2-1 Sixth place with a 5-3 record All-American Tyler Safratowich - 165 pounds 1st Round - Safratowich dec. No. 8 Steve Anceravage (Cornell), 8-4 2nd Round - No. 9 Matt Pell (Missouri) maj. dec. Safratowich, 15-3 Consolation - Safratowich pinned Eric Decker (Virginia Tech), 4:30 Consolation - No. 11 Patrick Pitsch (ASU) dec, Safratowich, 7-4 Safratowich eliminated with 2-2 record Gabriel Dretsch - 174 pounds 1st Round - Drestch dec. Nathan Lee (Boise State), 5-3 2nd Round - No. 1 Ben Askren (Missouri) pinned Dretsch, 4:51 Consolation - Dretsch dec. No. 12 Mike Letts (Maryland), 4-2 Consolation - No. 3 Steve Luke (Michigan) dec. Dretsch, 2-1 TB1 Dretsch eliminated with 2-2 record No. 2 Roger Kish - 184 pounds 1st Round - Kish maj. dec. Jack Jensen (OSU), 12-3 2nd Round - Kish pinned Shawn Vincent (UNC), 1:44 Quarterfinals - Kish dec. No. 7 Alex Clemsen (Edinboro), 9-5 Semifinals - No. 6 Jake Varner (ISU) dec. Kish, 4-2 SV1 Consolation - Kish dec. No. 3 Mike Pucillo (Ohio State), 7-5 Third Place - Kish dec. No. 7 Alex Clemsen (Edinboro), 3-2 Third Place with a 5-1 record All-American No. 1 Cole Konrad - Heavyweight 1st Round - Konrad dec. Jared Rosholt (OSU), 8-2 2nd Round - Konrad maj. dec. Rashard Goff (CSU), 9-1 Quarterfinals - Konrad maj. dec. No. 9 Michael Spaid (Bloomsburg), 16-4 Semifinals - Konrad dec. No. 5 Ty Watterson (Oregon State), 2-1 Finals - Konrad pinned No. 2 Aaron Anspach (Penn State), 1:53 First Place with a 5-0 record All-American Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/96-minnesota-crowned-as-national-champions Mon, 19 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/97-cowboys-conclude-ncaa-championships-in-fifth-place AUBURN HILLS, Mich. ? Oklahoma State placed four All-Americans and finished fifth at the NCAA Wrestling Championships with 69 points at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich. The Cowboys failed to crown a national champion for the first time in six years as OSU went 0-for-2 in the finals. The last time Oklahoma State did not have a national champion was in 2000 when the Cowboys placed three All-Americans and finished fifth. The Cowboys also placed fifth as a team in 2002, but they followed that with the next four national team titles. Coleman Scott scored the only takedown in the 133-pound final against second-seeded Matt Valenti of Pennsylvania. Valenti, however, reversed Scott before the end of the first period to tie the match. Valenti took control in the second period with a full two minute ride. Scott was forced to cut Valenti to start the third and he could not get the decisive takedown in the final period. ?I felt good the whole time I was out there,? Scott said. ?My mind set was good and then I gave up the reversal and got ridden out. It was that whole second period that cost me. ?He did not get hit for stalling, but what are you going to do. It is my fault, I lost it for myself.? Johny Hendricks seemed to be in control of Iowa?s Mark Perry after a full second period ride. He then scored a reversal in the third period to go up 2-0, but Perry tied the match with a reversal of his own. The match came down to the final 20 seconds and Perry was able to tilt him for two back points, which proved to be the difference in the match. ?I beat myself,? a dejected Hendricks said afterward. Minnesota held off Iowa State for the team title in an extremely close race that came down to the 197-pound final. Iowa State?s Kurt Backes lost to American?s Josh Glenn, which clinched the title for Minnesota. Cole Konrad then went out and recorded a fall in the heavyweight final for good measure. Oklahoma State returns nine starters and three All-Americans, and will make a run at its 35th national championship in 2008 in St. Louis. Team Standings Minnesota 98 Iowa State 88.5 Missouri 76 Northwestern 71.5 Oklahoma State 69 Michigan 62 Hofstra 60.5 Iowa 57 Edinboro 56 Ohio State 54.5 Finals 133- #2 Matt Valenti (Penn) Dec. #4 Coleman Scott (OSU); 4-2 165- #2 Mark Perry (Iowa) Dec. #1 Johny Hendricks (OSU); 4-2 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/97-cowboys-conclude-ncaa-championships-in-fifth-place Mon, 19 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/98-3-all-americans-for-harvard-is-a-first Aburn Hills, Mich. – It was a historical weekend for the Harvard wrestling team at the 2007 NCAA Championships at the Palace at Auburn Hills. Three grapplers finished as All-Americans, while Harvard had it first freshman All-America and scored the most points ever at an NCAA Championships. Freshman J.P. O'Connor took fifth at 149 pounds and became the first freshman All-American in program history. O?Connor battled No. 1 Dustin Schlatter for a chance to go to third, falling just short in a 5-4 match. The rookie bounced back to take a 6-4 decision over Tyler Turner of Wisconsin in the fifth-place bout. O?Connor took and early 3-1 lead on a takedown and escape, Turners ties it up with a takedown, but O?Connor counters with a reversal. Turner managed to get loose, and chose down for the third, but was rode out. O?Connor finishes his rookie campaign with a 37-8 mark. He is just one of two true freshmen to All-American this year. Sophomore Louis Caputo placed seventh at 184 pounds to earn his first All-American honors. Caputo, the 10th seed, defeated a familiar foe Josh Arnone of Cornell, 2-0. Caputo defeated Arnone in the EIWA semifinals two weeks ago. Caputo earns an escape and riding time for his two points in the win. Caputo finishes his second year campaign with 39-2 mark. Senior tri-captain Max Meltzer took eighth at 141 pounds and earned All-America honors to close out his collegiate career. Meltzer lost to Jeff Jaggers of Ohio State, 7-1 in the seventh place bout. It was the second meeting between the two this weekend. Meltzer finishes the season with a 25-7 mark and a career record of 88-29. Meltzer is a three-time NCAA qualifier. Senior tri-captain Robbie Preston went 3-2 in his third NCAA Championships and finishes his junior campaign with a 10-4 record. Heading into the finals, the Crimson is tied for 21st with 29 points. Harvard?s 29 points are the most in program history and Harvard?s three All-Americans are also a program first. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/98-3-all-americans-for-harvard-is-a-first Mon, 19 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/95-josh-glenn-becomes-au-wrestlings-first-national-champion Josh Glenn Becomes AU Wrestling's First National Champion AU junior wins in sudden victory overtime, 6-4 to win 197 lb. title March 17, 2007 Photo Gallery -- Final Brackets (PDF) AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Before the NCAA Championships, American University wrestler Josh Glenn said his only goal heading in was to win five more matches. Three days of competition later, Glenn did that and more, becoming AU wrestling's first national champion and AU Athletics' first national champion in more than 40 years with a heart-stopping 6-4 win in overtime over Kurt Backes of Iowa State for the 197 lb. title. The match itself was as dramatic as any in recent memory as both wrestlers battled through regulation into overtime. It was Glenn on the attack first, scoring a takedown in the opening minute and gaining over a minute of riding time before Backes escaped near the end of the period for a 2-1 lead. Glenn chose down to start the second and popped right up for the 3-1 lead. Late in the period, Backes scored on a reshot to tie the match at three. The Cyclone chose down to start the third and earned the escape for the 4-3 lead though Glenn had locked up a riding time point. Late in the period, it appeared Glenn finished a takedown and was awarded two points when the action was stopped for potentially dangerous. Because Glenn was in the dangerous position, the refs conferred and repealed the takedown, keeping the score at four apiece and pushing the match into overtime. Once there, it did not take long for the AU Eagle to attack, launching a single leg shot into a takedown for the 6-4 win. Asked about his takedown at the end of regulation that was called back, Glenn answered in his usual calm demeanor, "I knew I was going to win the match no matter what... I didn't care if I got the call or not. I knew I was going to stay aggressive and keep wrestling." Glenn's win is American's first national championship in any sport since 1966 when diver Ray Crowe won the national title. The victory also makes him the first wrestler from the Washington D.C. area to win a national title since the University of Maryland's Gobel Kline accomplished the feat in 1969. For the AU junior from Johnson City, N.Y., the victory highlights a year-long road back to NCAA Championships podium after his fourth-place finish in 2006. Glenn became the first AU wrestler to win All-America honors as an underclassman, when he entered last year's tournament as the No. 1 seed at 184 lb. and fell a point short of making the finals. This season, Glenn has been as dominant as anyone in the country, ending his 27-1 season on a 24 match winning streak. He became American's second two-time EIWA Champion two weeks ago, defeated three All-Americans and won 16 matches by bonus points. In just three years of competition, the double major in law and society and international studies has 91 career wins, which is good for third all-time in program history. Glenn's win was also revenge on Backes who earned the only win over the AU junior this season. Asked about his junior captain, head coach Mark Cody was effusive in his praise. "Josh does not do anything between two and 99 percent - he gives 100 percent all the time." The Eagles ended the tournament with 33 points, which put them in 17th place, a tie for a school-best. American wrestling loses just two athletes to graduation this spring and for the first time ever will return four national qualifiers, including one National Champion. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/95-josh-glenn-becomes-au-wrestlings-first-national-champion Sun, 18 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/94-no-20-buckeyes-send-most-wrestlers-to-nationals-since-2002-03 Six Wrestlers Make a Bid for All-America Status at 2007 NCAA Championships No. 20 Buckeyes send most wrestlers to nationals since 2002-03 COLUMBUS, Ohio - In his inaugural season as head coach of the No. 20 Ohio State wrestling team, Tom Ryan will coach six Buckeyes at the 2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Thursday-Saturday in the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. Representing the Scarlet and Gray are T.J. Enright (133), J Jaggers (141), Lance Palmer (149), Chris Vondruska (165), Mike Pucillo (184) and J.D. Bergman (197). 2007 NCAA Championships Qualifiers 133 ? T.J. Enright (13-8: 4-4 Big Ten) 141 ? J Jaggers (16-8; 5-3 Big Ten) 149 ? Lance Palmer (30-13: 7-1 Big Ten) 165 ? Chris Vondruska (30-14; 4-4 Big Ten) 184 ? Mike Pucillo (21-2; 7-1 Big Ten) 197 ? J.D. Bergman (22-7; 5-3 Big Ten) HOW TO GET THERE Tickets to the 2007 NCAA championships are sold in three-day, six-session packages only. Prices are $150, $130 and $120. To order tickets, call the Palace of Auburn Hills box office at 248-377-0100. Prices include on-site parking and unlimited readmittance. EXPANDED COVERAGE The NCAA and ESPN announced in October expanded live television coverage of the 2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. For the first time, in the 77-year history of the Division I Wrestling Championships, the Saturday morning medal round will be televised. Scheduled for 10 a.m. EST March 17 on ESPNU, the championships medal round determines the third through eighth-place finishers who are honored as All-Americans. LIVE RESULTS Live results will be available on ncaasports.com. IT?S GOOD TO BE BACK T.J. Enright and J.D. Bergman will return to the national championships after a one-year hiatus. Enright, who wrestled at 141 pounds last season, did not place at the Big Ten championships last year, while Bergman was forced to take a medical redshirt in 2005-06. In 2005, Enright finished sixth in the conference championships at 133 pounds to qualify for the national event as a freshman. Bergman also was an NCAA qualifier at 197 pounds in 2005, a year removed from earning All-America status with a third-place finish at nationals in 2004. FIRST TIMERS A pair of freshmen in Lance Palmer and Mike Pucillo will get their first glimpse of the NCAA championships after placing in the Top 7 at the Big Ten championships. Palmer finished third at 149 pounds, while Pucillo was sixth at 184 pounds. THIRTY-SOMETHINGS So far, Lance Palmer and Chris Vondruska have registered 30 wins on the year. Palmer owns a 30-13 record and Vondruska is 30-14. TWENTY-SOMETHINGS J.D. Bergman and Mike Pucillo have tallied more than 20 wins this season. Bergman has 22 victories to his credit (seven losses) and Pucillo is 21-2. DROP IT LIKE IT?S HOT J Jaggers recorded the fastest fall time at the 2007 Big Ten Championships. Jaggers dropped Purdue?s Nick Bertucci in 25 seconds in the second round consolation. SECOND TIME AROUND After qualifying and missing the NCAA championships because of a knee injury last season, J Jaggers will seek his first All-America honor during the three-day event this year. ALMOST PERFECT Mike Pucillo owns the highest winning percentage on the team (.950). His mark stands at 21-2, with losses against the Nos. 1 and 2 wrestlers in the nation. SAME OLD SONG For Chris Vondruska, it does not matter where he wrestles because for the second-consecutive season he qualified for the NCAA championships. Last year, the Lakewood, Ohio, native won the 165-pound weight class in the Colonial Athletic Association championships and this season he finished fifth in the Big Ten championships. AND THEN THERE WERE THREE Lance Palmer is the first freshman to place in the Top 3 of the Big Ten championships for Ohio State since Ryan Hieber (174 pounds) and assistant Tommy Rowlands (HWT) finished second and third, respectively, in 2001. HITTING HIS STRIDE After finishing third in the Big Ten championships, Lance Palmer now has won 13 of his last 16 matches. Going into the conference championships, Palmer had won six-consecutive bouts and extended that streak to eight when he won his first two match-ups in East Lansing. Palmer?s lone loss at the Big Ten event was against the No. 2 seed and third-ranked Josh Churella of Michigan in a close 3-2 decision. JUST SO YOU KNOW J.D. Bergman defeated the No. 1 seed and Big Ten defending champion Philip Davis of Penn State, 6-4, in the semifinal of the conference championships. Philips also was a two-time NCAA finalist at 197 pounds. THE MORE THE MERRIER Ohio State?s six qualifiers to the NCAA championships are the most for the Buckeyes since the 2002-03 season. During that campaign, OSU sent seven wrestlers to the national event, including assistant coach Tommy Rowlands. For the first and only time in program history, the Scarlet and Gray advanced all 10 weight classes to nationals in 2001. CAN WE SAY 63? With its six NCAA qualifiers, Ohio State will seek its 63rd All-America selection, while thirty-nine OSU wrestlers have earned the coveted honor. The Buckeyes have nine two-time All-Americans, three three-time All-Americans and Tommy Rowlands is the only four-time Buckeye All-American (2001-2004). NCAA HISTORY The Buckeyes had their best finish at the national championships in 2004 when they tied for third with 77.5 points. During its run in 2004, Ohio State sent five Buckeyes to nationals and all five placed in the Top 8. Tommy Rowlands led the contingent, capturing his second national title at heavyweight. As a freshman, J.D. Bergman finished third at 197 pounds. After dropping his first bout, Bergman preceded to win seven-consecutive matches, including recording a pair of falls in the first and second round consolations. John Clark and Blake Kaplan earned fifth-place finishes at 165 and 184 pounds, respectively, and Jeff Ratliff was eighth at 149 pounds. Ohio State has 11 national champions, most recently two-time NCAA champion Rowlands at heavyweight (2002 and 2004). A STEP BACK IN TIME ? 2007 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS Ohio State qualified six wrestlers to nationals at the conclusion of the Big Ten championships March 3-4 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. Leading the OSU contingent was 197-pounder J.D. Bergman, who finished second. In his debut at the league event, Lance Palmer executed a third-place showing as a freshman at 133 pounds. Competing at 165 pounds, Chris Vondruska was fifth in his first Big Ten championships. Vondruska wrestled at Hofstra from 2002-2006. T.J. Enright and Mike Pucillo finished sixth after both wrestlers were forced to take medical forfeits. J Jaggers qualified for his second-consecutive national championships after he finished seventh. As a team, the Buckeyes finished ninth with 68.5 points. ONLY THE BEST Ohio State owned one of the toughest schedules in the Big Ten Conference, taking on nine teams that were ranked in the Top 25 of the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA poll. At the time of competition, five of the Buckeyes? opponents were in the Top 10 (Missouri-No. 3, Illinois- No. 7, Cornell-No. 9, Iowa-No. 10 and Northwestern-No. 10). NOT TO BE OVERLOOKED Ohio State defeated its third-consecutive ranked opponent after beating then-No. 10 Northwestern, 18-16, Feb. 4 and its fourth overall. Prior to the upset over the Wildcats, the Buckeyes bettered No. 19 Michigan State, 19-14, (Feb. 2), No. 16 Indiana, 19-14, (Jan. 28) and No. 9 Cornell, 18-17, (Nov. 26). MAKE IT 110 Tom Ryan earned his 110th career victory with the Buckeyes? 18-17 win over Cornell Nov. 26. Ryan gathered his first win as the head coach of the Scarlet and Gray, while his other 109 wins came at Hofstra, where he was the head coach for 11 seasons. Ryan?s career record is 117-90-1. BUCKEYES IN THE STANDINGS In the latest edition of the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Coaches? Poll (Feb. 20), four Buckeyes are ranked in the Top 20. At 149 pounds, Lance Palmer is 16th and at 165 pounds, Chris Vondruska is 17th. Mike Pucillo continues to hold down the No. 3 spot at 184 pounds, while classmate J.D. Bergman No. 10 at 197 pounds. CONFERENCE LAURELS Mike Pucillo and T.J. Enright earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors during the regular season. Pucillo was the first OSU honoree (Dec. 4), capturing the award after finishing first in the 184-pound division at the 25th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 1-2. A redshirt freshman who transferred from Hofstra, Pucillo defeated Top 4 opponents Raymond Jordan of Missouri (No. 4) and Tyrel Todd of Michigan (No. 3) in the semifinal and championship bouts en route to the title. Enright garnered the laurel Feb. 5 after producing one of the more memorable wins of his collegiate career. Enright (133) began the weekend with a 4-2 sudden victory over No. 1 Nick Simmons of Michigan State in Columbus, Ohio, to help propel the Buckeyes to a 19-14 upset over the No. 10 Spartans. He again was at the center of a dramatic win for OSU, as he defeated Eric Metzler of Northwestern, 7-2, to pull the Scarlet and Gray within one point (16-15) with one match left at 141 pounds. Classmate J Jaggers won a 7-5 decision and the Buckeyes rallied for the 18-16 win over the No. 10 Wildcats in Lakewood, Ohio. LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL CHAMPION Redshirt-freshman Mike Pucillo won the 184-weight class at the 25th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 1-2 in Primm, Nev. Pucillo recorded two major decisions and a fall en route to the semifinal where he defeated No. 4 Raymond Jordan of Missouri, 3-1. In the championship bout against Michigan?s and No. 3 Tyrel Todd, Pucillo notched a 12-6 victory for the title. Pucillo became the first Buckeye to win a title at the event since assistant coach Tommy Rowlands won in 2003 at heavyweight. BERGMAN FINISHES SECOND AT SCUFFLE J.D. Bergman captured a second-place finish at the 2006 Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C., Dec. 29-30, 2006. Bergman, who wrestled at 197 pounds, had an impressive outing on day one of the event, recording two falls and a major decision en route to the quarterfinals. The following day, Bergman notched a decision to advance to the semifinals where he was slated to meet No. 2 seed and nationally No. 2-ranked Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell. However, Rinaldi was forced to take a medical forfeit and that set up a rematch between Bergman and No. 1 seed and top ranked Max Askren of Missouri. After leading 2-1 going into the third period, Askren pinned Bergman in 5:48. UPSET CITY, BABY! T.J. Enright was no stranger to upsetting top-ranked wrestlers when he beat No. 1 Nick Simmons of Michigan State, 4-2, in sudden victory Feb. 2. During his freshman campaign in 2004-05, Enright defeated then-No. 4 Sam Hiatt of Northern Illinois in the Michigan State Open (Nov. 21, 2004) and in Big Ten Conference dual action in 2005, he upset then-No. 3 Mack Reiter of Minnesota (Feb. 13, 2005). Junior J.D. Bergman continued the upset trend during the weekend against Northwestern when he beat second-ranked Mike Tamillow at 197 pounds, 4-2. Lance Palmer followed those two acts with an impressive win of his own over No. 2 Josh Churella (6-4 2TB) of Michigan Feb. 11. GOING DOWN TO THE WIRE For the second time in his OSU career, T.J. Enright produced the winning points for Ohio State in the final bout. With the Buckeyes down, 17-15, against No. 9 Cornell going into the concluding match at 133 pounds, Enright tallied a 5-3 decision over Nick Bridge to give Ohio State the 18-17 victory. It was nearly the same scenario for Enright and the Buckeyes during the 2004-05 season. Enright recorded a 7-2 win over Bloomsburg?s Joe Hassenman to lift the Scarlet and Gray over the Huskies by the same 18-17 margin at the Buckeye Duals in St. John Arena. Classmate J Jaggers? 7-5 win over Northwestern?s James Kohlberg in the deciding match at 141 pounds completed Ohio State?s rally for the 18-16 victory over the 10th-ranked Wildcats. WE?RE GOING STREAKING Chris Vondruska tallied a nine-match win streak from Dec. 17, 2006-Feb. 2, 2007. In that period, Vondruska knocked off 14th-ranked Max Dean of Indiana, 2-1, in overtime. J Jaggers owned a six-match win streak from Jan. 14-28, defeating three conference and nonconference rivals. During that span, Jaggers recorded two major decisions and a fall en route to a 12-3 overall record. Lance Palmer completed the regular season on a six-match win streak, finishing with a 26-11 overall record. JUST A NUMBER Redshirt freshman Mike Pucillo (184) has faced eight ranked opponents in 2006-07 and has compiled a 7-1 record against his Top 20 rivals. Pucillo began the season with a 16-0 record before losing his first match to No. 1 Jake Herbert of Northwestern Feb. 4. In dual action, seven of J.D. Bergman?s 15 opponents were ranked in the Top 20. He went up against five ranked wrestlers in January and February and overall finished with a 9-3 record in those two months. CLEVELAND?S CELEBRATED CELEBRITY Freshman Lance Palmer was a finalist for the 2005-06 Cleveland Outstanding High School Athlete Award, which was presented at the fifth annual Greater Cleveland Sports Awards, created by The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC), Jan. 29 at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, Grand Ballroom. Palmer, who compiled a regular-season record of 26-12 during his freshman campaign, was a four-time Ohio high school national champion from 2003-2006. During his senior year, Palmer helped lead St. Edward High School to its 10th-consecutive team title at the Ohio High School Athletic Association wrestling tournament at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. A two-time Most Valuable Wrestler for the Eagles, Palmer compiled a high school career record of 150-6 and was considered the No. 1 recruit nationally by several wrestling media publications. ROSSELLI TO COACH U.S. FREESTYLE WORLD TEAM Assistant coach Lou Rosselli was selected as a U.S. Freestyle World Team Coach for the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17-23. Rosselli will join USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson of Colorado, Springs, Colo., and Kerry McCoy, who is the head coach at Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif. ?It is always exciting to get the opportunity to work with the best athletes and coaches in the nation,? Rosselli said. ?Hopefully we can improve on last year when we won four medals and were close to winning as a team. We will work together to again put ourselves in the position to win. As our weight classes become deeper, it will help our effort. If it is difficult to make the U.S. team, then the No. 1 athletes go up to a higher level. We have the guys to get the job done. We have the talent to do what we need to do. Our athletes train hard and I am excited to work with them once again.? As a world team coach in 2006, Rosselli helped guide the freestyle squad to a third-place finish, while coaching four individual medalists, including world champion Bill Zadick. Rosselli also was the assistant coach of the 2005 U.S. World Team at the World University Games, which placed third in the team standings and had three individual gold medalists, including fellow Buckeye assistant Tommy Rowlands. ASSISTANT COACHES TAKE GOLD Ohio State wrestling assistant coaches Joe Heskett and Tommy Rowlands claimed titles at the Henri Deglane Challenge in Nice, France, and the American Airlines/New York AC Holiday International in New York, respectively, at the end of November. In his first season as the volunteer assistant coach for the Buckeyes, Heskett defeated 2000 Olympic silver medalist and 2006 Russian National Champion Arsen Gitinov in the championship match to win the gold medal at 74kg/163 pounds in the freestyle competition at the Nov. 24-25 tournament. For his efforts, Heskett was named TheMat.com Athlete of the Week for the week of Nov. 21. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/94-no-20-buckeyes-send-most-wrestlers-to-nationals-since-2002-03 Mon, 12 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/91-lang-herbert-and-tamillow-give-nu-three-champions-for-first-time-since-1931 Junior Mike Tamillow captured his first career Big Ten title. March 4, 2007: EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Northwestern captured three titles at the 2007 Big Ten Championships as Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward), Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) and Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) all reigned supreme in their respective weight classes. NU will send six wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Herbert's title is his second while Lang and Tamillow won their first career Big Ten championships. Herbert was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler as Northwestern finished sixth with 84 points. NU will send six wrestlers to the 2007 NCAA Championships as Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) finished third at heavyweight and Brandon Precin (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) and Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central) finished seventh at 125 and 174 lbs., respectively. In the 141 lbs. final, the second-seeded Lang took on Wisconsin's fifth-seeded Kyle Ruschell. After early hand-fighting, Lang landed one of his first shots for a two-point double-leg takedown just over halfway through the first period. The Wildcat took a two-point lead into the second frame. Lang started down in the second and needed 15 seconds to land a two-point reversal for a 4-0 lead. Ruschell scored an escape to close to 2-1 with 30 seconds remaining in the second to put both grapplers neutral. No more points were scored in the second and Lang maintained a 4-1 lead going into the third period. Lang held a three-point lead and a healthy riding time advantage to start the third and he did not surrender another point en route to his first Big Ten title. The top-ranked Lang notched a 5-1 decision over Kyle Ruschell to remain undefeated at 25-0. After topping No. 4 seed Tyrel Todd of Michigan in the semifinals, the top-ranked and top-seeded Herbert took to the mat against second-seeded and second-ranked Roger Kish of Minnesota one of the most anticipated bouts of the tournament. The two danced around for most of the first period, but it was Kish who took the first shot. Herbert countered and no points were scored. It was the Wildcat who scored first with a swift two-point takedown with 20 seconds remaining in the first. Herbert rode Kish for the rest of the frame and maintained a two-point advantage going into the second. Herbert started down to begin the second and he freed himself from Kish's grasp in less than 15 seconds, forcing the wrestlers to neutral with Herbert leading 3-0. Kish took another shot toward the end of the second period, but Herbert defended again to keep his three-point advantage. It appeared Herbert had added to his lead with a takedown on the edge of the mat, but the original call by the official was overturned and the match stayed at 3-0 as time had expired in the period. With the wrestlers neutral to start the third, Herbert dove in scored his second takedown of the match and with a violation by Kish, the Wildcat extended his lead to 6-0 and started the next part of the period on top. Kish escaped to close to 6-1 with one minute remaining, but Herbert scored another takedown at the end of the third and captured his second Big Ten title -- Northwestern's second of the tournament -- with an 8-1 decision. Herbert remains undefeated at 26-0. Tamillow faced J.D. Bergman in his 197-pound final match and struck first with a two-point takedown after one minute had elapsed. Tamillow continued to dominate the first period, scoring a three-point near-fall at the halfway mark. Bergman escaped to close to 5-1 with 40 seconds remaining in the first and he notched a takedown to make the score 5-3 with just under 20 seconds remaining. Tamillow reversed to extend his lead to 7-3 and maintained the four-point advantage heading to the second. Tamillow escaped quickly to start the second and opened up an 8-3 cushion. The Wildcat, determined to win NU its third Big Ten title, scored another takedown to pull ahead 10-3. Bergman escaped late and the Wildcat led 10-4 moving into the final stanza. Tamillow captured his first Big Ten title with an 11-5 decision - giving NU three Big Ten champions for the first time since 1931. In his consolation semifinal match, Fox topped Wisconsin's fifth-seeded Kyle Massey by a 5-3 decision. The junior scored his first points with a reversal in the second period and added to his lead with a late takedown in the third. Fox used an escape in overtime to overcome fifth-seeded Matt Fields of Iowa to capture third place. Precin, a true freshman, punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships when he pinned Ohio State's Will Livingston in the first period of their seventh-place bout. Precin scored a takedown early and after riding the Buckeye for most of the first frame, he finally turned him. The freshman kept his opponent slightly off his back for nearly 30 seconds before the referee declared the fall. The win was Precin's 31st of the season. Sixth-seeded Hayes secured entry into the NCAA Championships with a seventh-place finish at 174 lbs. The junior downed Illinois' eighth-seeded Matt Winterhalter with a 4-2 decision. Hayes scored an early takedown added an escape and built a healthy riding time cushion to secure the win. Northwestern Results: Finals #2 Lang dec. #5 Ruschell (WIS), 5-1 #1 Herbert dec. #2 Kish (MINN), 8-1 #2 Tamillow dec. #4 Bergman (OSU), 11-5 Third-Place Match #3 Fox dec. #5 Fields (Iowa), 2-1 (OT) Consolation Semifinals #3 Fox (NU) dec. #5 Massey (WIS), 5-3 Seventh-Place Matches #6 Precin (NU) fall Livingston (OSU), 2:32 #6 Hayes (NU) dec. #8 Winterhalter (ILL), 4-2 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/91-lang-herbert-and-tamillow-give-nu-three-champions-for-first-time-since-1931 Sun, 04 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/93-four-gophers-claimed-individual-titles-on-sunday The top-ranked University of Minnesota wrestling team successfully defended its 2006 Big Ten title with a dominating performance in East Lansing, Mich. The Golden Gophers crowned four individual champions and had five other wrestlers place in the top five to run away with the team title. The Gophers finished with 156 points, 56.5 ahead of second-place Wisconsin. Minnesota captured its sixth Big Ten title in the last nine years while crowning four individual champions for the second straight year. Ness wrapped up a dominating individual performance in his first Big Ten Championships with a 12-1 major decision over Iowa?s Charlie Falck to win the 125-pound title. Ness wasted no time going to work on Falck as he overpowered the Hawkeye wrestler to take him down to his back just 30 seconds into the first period to take a 4-0 lead. Ness continued to build his lead from there, getting a reversal and three-point near fall in the second to cruise to the victory and claim his 19th consecutive victory. Ness ended the championships with two pins and a major decision. After rebounding from a quarterfinal loss yesterday, Mack Reiter continued to roll through the wrestlebacks with two pins today to finish third at 133. Reiter began the day by pinning Penn State?s Jake Strayer in 1:40 to advance to set up a rematch with Illinois? James Kennedy, who handed him a 6-3 loss earlier this year. Reiter made sure a repeat would not happen. After a scoreless first period, Reiter took Kennedy down directly to his back midway through the second to get the fall at 4:02. Reiter pinned his final three opponents of the tournament. At 141, Manuel Rivera suffered his second straight defeat in the consolation semifinals but rebounded to pin Illinois? Cassio Pero to claim fifth place. Rivera, who was unable to wrestle at full strength this weekend due to a knee injury, fell to Michigan State?s Andy Simmons, 8-2, in his first match. He got back on track with the win over Pero. Rivera controlled the match throughout, getting a takedown and back points in the first period before scoring a reversal to put Pero directly on his back and get the fall at 4:17. With the win, Rivera improved to 36-2 on the season. Top-ranked sophomore Dustin Schlatter captured his second Big Ten individual title in as many years with a 3-2 decision over Michigan?s Josh Churella. In a very evenly contested match, Schlatter got a takedown 20 seconds in and rode Churella out for nearly the entire second period, which proved to be the difference. Schlatter avoided danger in the second when Churella nearly took him down with a single-leg but he scrambled out and held on for the victory. With three wins this weekend, Schlatter extended his winning streak to 62 consecutive matches. Not to be outdone, C.P. Schlatter also successfully defended his 2006 Big Ten title with a 1-0 decision over Indiana?s Brandon Becker. In a defensive battle throughout, Schlatter rode Becker out the entire second period to get the decisive point. Tyler Safratowich completed an impressive tournament by winning his final four matches to take third place. Safratowich defeated Ohio State?s Chris Vondruska, 6-3, on Sunday morning and then turned in a gutsy performance against Purdue?s Justin Fraga in the third-place match. Safratowich tweaked his knee in the first period but battled to a 4-4 tie after two periods. After starting down in the third, Fraga got the escape to go ahead 5-4, He scored the decisive takedown with just six seconds remaining and added the bonus point for riding time to win 7-5. At 174, Gabriel Dretsch took out his frustrations from a narrow loss last night by dominating Wisconsin?s Matt Maciag in the consolation semifinals. Dretsch scored eight back points on Maciag on his way to a convincing 18-2 tech fall to advance to the third-place match. In a tight match much like his bout with James Yonushonis last night, Dretsch lost another heartbreaking match in overtime, this time falling to Iowa?s Eric Luedke in overtime. Tied at one after regulation, Luedke got a three-point near fall in the tiebreaker on his way to a 6-3 decision. With a 2-2 record on the weekend, Dretsch matched his fourth-place finish at last year?s Big Ten Championships. In the most anticipated match of the day, second-ranked Roger Kish fell to No. 1 Jake Herbert in the 184-pound final. Down 3-0 in the second, Kish had a chance to cut into Herbert?s lead when he got in deep with a shot but could not quite finish as Herbert scrambled out. Herbert added a pair of takedowns in the third period to win 8-1, handing Kish just his second loss of the year, both of which have come against top-ranked wrestlers. Konrad captured his third straight Big Ten title with a pin of second-seeded Aaron Anspach of Penn State. Konrad used a body lock to take Anspach down in the first period and after a restart quickly rolled him to his back to get the fall in 2:20. The victory was Konrad?s 70th in a row as he became just the fifth wrestler in school history to win three Big Ten individual titles. Minnesota also brought home three Big Ten awards. With a 36-3 record on the year, Ness was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Cole Konrad earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Years honors for the second straight year, while Head Coach J Robinson captured his seventh conference Coach of the year accolade. The Gophers now have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Championships which will be held March 15-17 in Auburn Hills, Mich. Final Team Standings 1. Minnesota, 156 2. Wisconsin, 81 3. Iowa, 91 4. Penn State, 90.5 5. Indiana, 86 6. Northwestern, 84 7. Illinois, 83.5 8. Michigan, 79.5 9. Ohio State, 68.5 10. Purdue, 33 11. Michigan State, 30.5 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/93-four-gophers-claimed-individual-titles-on-sunday Sun, 04 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/90-perry-wins-big-ten-title-as-iowa-takes-3rd-overall EAST LANSING, MI -- Hawkeye junior Mark Perry won the 165-pound title at the Big Ten Championships Sunday in East Lansing, MI, defeating Michigan?s Eric Tannenbaum, 5-2 in the finals. A three-time Big Ten finalist, Perry won his first conference title while handing Tannenbaum his first loss of the season. The Stillwater, OK, native is Iowa?s first Big Ten champion since Cliff Moore in 2004. Iowa edged out a late charge by Penn State to place third with 91 points, and qualified eight wrestlers for the NCAA Championships, set for March 15-17 in Auburn Hills, MI. It is the 11th time in school history that the Hawkeyes have qualified eight competitors for the national meet. Minnesota won its second straight team title and its 10th in school history with 152 points. The Hawkeyes had their best showing of the tournament Sunday, going 9-3 and recording eight placewinners. Sophomore Charlie Falck placed second at 125, losing a 12-1 major decision to Minnesota?s Jayson Ness in the finals. Iowa?s other placewinners included junior Alex Tsirtsis (3rd-141), senior Eric Luedke (3rd-174), junior Matt Fields (4th-Hwt.), redshirt freshman Ryan Morningstar (5th-157), senior Mario Galanakis (7th-133) and redshirt freshman Phillip Keddy (7th-184). FINAL TEAM STANDINGS Place Team Points 1. Minnesota 156 2. Wisconsin 95.5 3. Iowa 91 4. Penn State 90.5 5. Indiana 86 6. Northwestern 84 7. Illinois 83.5 8. Michigan 79.5 9. Ohio State 68.5 10. Purdue 33 11. Michigan State 30.5 IOWA?S SESSION III INDIVIDUAL RESULTS Championship Finals 125 - Jayson Ness (MN) maj. dec. Charlie Falck (I), 12-1 165 - Mark Perry (I) dec. Eric Tannenbaum (MICH), 5-2 Consolation Semifinals 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) dec. Cassio Pero (IL), 6-2 157 - Craig Henning (WIS) dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 6-0 174 - Eric Luedke (I) dec. Trevor Perry (IND), 6-1 Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) dec. Josh Buuck (IND), 7-3 Third Place 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) dec. Andy Simmons (MSU), 6-0 174 - Eric Luedke (I) dec. Gabriel Dretsch (NW), 6-3 TB-1 Hwt. - Dustin Fox (NW) dec. Matt Fields (I), 2-1 TB-1 Fifth Place 157 - Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Bubba Jenkins (PSU), 9-2 Seventh Place 133 - Mario Galanakis (I) dec. Zach Tanelli (WIS), 8-3 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) dec. Marc Bennett (WIS), 9-5 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/90-perry-wins-big-ten-title-as-iowa-takes-3rd-overall Sun, 04 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/84-american-univerisity-sends-4-athletes-to-nationals EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. - Josh Glenn used a strong all around performance to win his second consecutive EIWA Championship Saturday night as the American University wrestling team tied a program-best with a sixth place finish. In total, six Eagles placed and four Eagles will be representing AU at the NCAA Championships in two weeks. "Josh wrestled absolutely perfect," head coach Mark Cody said. "He had a quality opponent who's a really solid wrestler. It's to the point now with Josh where he will not accept defeat. He's not satisfied unless he's dominating his opponents. . Josh proved today he is a complete wrestler. He was great in all the scramble situation. At one point, when he drug Rinaldi back on to the mat, that was just heart. At NCAAs There is no doubt in my mind that he's the top 197 pound wrestler in the country." Indeed, it appeared Glenn wanted to leave his impression on those in attendance for his championship match at Koelher Fieldhouse. After a slow first period, which featured numerous tie-ups and no scoring, Glenn started the second period down and escaped for the 1-0 lead. When it appeared his opponent Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell had Glenn on his way down by ankle, Glenn reversed with an ankle pick on the edge, which he converted for a two point takedown after miraculously pulling him back on the mat by the foot. Glenn rode Rinaldi out the remainder of the second and almost a minute into the third. When the Cornell senior finally broke free, Glenn ankle picked him right back to the mat for the 5-1 lead with riding time. With just 30 seconds remaining, the Eagle rode him out for the win. The win marks the second straight EIWA Championship for Glenn. His record is now 22-1 on the season and he will most likely receive a top-two seed in the NCAA Championships. Fellow AU finalist Mike Cannon took second at 165 lb. Pitted against 2006 EIWA Runner-up Stephen Anceravage of Cornell, Cannon appeared to score first in the match, as he escaped an Anceravage takedown. After he was awarded two points, the official cited an illegal hold on Cannon and awarded Anceravage a penalty point. Anceravage was able to penetrate the Eagles' defense for four takedowns in the match as he shot out to a 6-2 lead into the third. Cannon escaped to close the gap, but riding time was still a factor. Anceravage scored his last takedown in the final minute and cut Cannon loose. Cannon was able to score a double leg takedown in the final 15 seconds to tighten the score at 9-6, where it remained. Cannon heads into the NCAA Tournament with a 27-6 record and a No. 12 ranking. "This tournament made Mike a better wrestler," Cody said. "He was on the tougher side of his bracket. The two guys he beat earlier were in for third and fourth-place. He can improve that in two weeks. If he just decides he's going to attack all match and work for the double leg. In two weeks I expect him to get on the podium. Glenn and Cannon's performances in the evening session guarantee them spots in the NCAA Championships alongside teammates Kyle Borshoff and Rudy Rueda who earned berths earlier Saturday. The foursome's berths to nationals mark the second time in program history American will be sending four athletes to the NCAA Wrestling Championships. "Sending three underclassmen to the NCAA Tournament speaks volumes for our program," Cody added. "Each one of them is good enough to get on the podium. How high is up them." Placewinners Jasen Borshoff and Damian Swietlik combined with the performances of the aforementioned foursome mark the first time in school history the AU Eagle wrestling program placed six wrestlers at the EIWA Tournament. American has two weeks to rest up and put the final touches on its preparation heading into the NCAA Championships in two weeks. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/84-american-univerisity-sends-4-athletes-to-nationals Sat, 03 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/80-kitchner-and-mock-qualify-for-ncaa-wrestling-tournament Kitchner and Mock Qualify for NCAA Wrestling Tournament East Stroudsburg, PA ? For the first time since the 2003-2004 season, the Brown wrestling team will send two wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament. Tri-captains Shawn Kitchner (Stratford, WI) and Levon Mock (Bangor, MI) finished fourth in their respective weight classes, earning automatic bids to the national championships. Junior Mark Savino (Princeton, NJ), Brown?s other wrestler competing on Saturday, finished in sixth at 141 pounds. As a team, Brown finished in 10th with 34.5 points for the tournament. Kitchner, who wrestled for the first time this weekend since what was then-thought to be a season-ending injury on Jan. 7, came out determined to get one more weekend of wrestling before ending his collegiate career. In his consolation semifinal match, he faced second-seeded Zach Shanaman of Penn, who is ranked 10th in the country at 165. Kitchner took a 4-2 lead, scoring a takedown late in the third period to clinch a birth at nationals with a 6-2 victory. He faced #20 Andy Rendos of Bucknell in the consolation final, and grabbed a 4-2 lead after two takedowns. However, Rendos tied the match on a reversal just before the end of the second period, then got two more points on a takedown in the third for a 6-4 win. Mock began his day with his second big win over Columbia?s Kevin Lester in just over two weeks. On Feb. 16, Mock?s pin of Lester gave Brown a 21-20 victory in a dual at the Pizzitola center, completing a 12-point comeback in the final two matches. This time, Mock cruised again, building a 13-4 lead before finally pinning Lester at 5:24 to clinch a spot at nationals. In the consolation finals, he faced Army?s Nathan Thobaben for the second time in two days and third time this season. Thobaben took the rubber match on a pin at 1:38, after Mock had defeated him 4-3 the day before. At 141 pounds, Savino opened with unseeded Kyle Borshoff of American, who had upset top-seeded Max Meltzer of Harvard in the first round on Friday. Borshoff built a 5-0 lead and held on, defeating Savino, 9-3. Savino still had a shot at an at-large bid, facing eighth-seed Brett McCurdy of Penn in the fifth-place match. The Brown junior held a 3-1 lead late in the match, but McCurdy scored a reversal with 10 seconds remaining to force overtime. Neither wrestler scored in the pair of 30-second tiebreakers, and McCurdy scored a sudden-victory takedown 27 seconds into the second overtime for the 5-3 win. Kitchner and Mock will have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Tournament, held from March 15-17 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The tournament will be the final competition for Kitchner. 165 Pounds - #8 Shawn Kitchner (Fourth Place) Cons. Semifinal ? Kitchner dec. #2 Zach Shanaman (Penn), 6-2 Cons. Final - #4 Andy Rendos (Bucknell) dec. Kitchner, 6-4 285 Pounds - #5 Levon Mock (Fourth Place) Cons. Semifinal ? Mock WBF #6 Kevin Lester (Columbia), 5:24 Cons. Final - #4 Nathan Thobaben (Army) WBF Mock, 1:38 141 Pounds - #6 Mark Savino (Sixth Place) Cons. Semifinal ? Kyle Borshoff (American) dec. Savino, 9-3 Fifth-Place Match - #8 Brett McCurdy (Penn) dec. Savino, 5-3 s.v. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/80-kitchner-and-mock-qualify-for-ncaa-wrestling-tournament Sat, 03 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/79-four-missouri-wrestlers-advance-to-finals-of-big-12-championships Columbia, Mo. - The third-ranked Missouri wrestling team advanced four wrestlers to the finals of the Big 12 Championships in the morning session held in the Hearnes Center. Competing in front of 2,633 fans, Missouri sits in third place with 35.5 points behind second-ranked Iowa State (44) and No. 4 Oklahoma State (41). Junior All-American Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) became the first Tiger to advance to the finals at 133 pounds. Senior two-time Big 12 Champion Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) followed suit with sophomore Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C) and redshirt freshman Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) also taking wins in the 174, 184 and 197 pound semi-finals, respectively. The championship finals will begin at 7 p.m. (CT). After suffering wrestle-in losses by redshirt freshman John Olanowski (Virginia Beach, Va.) and true freshman Ashtin Primus (South Connelsville, Pa.) at 125 and 141 pounds, respectively, McCormick warmed up in the tunnel for his turn at the mat. Wrestling third-seeded Nick Gallick of Iowa State, McCormick recorded his third shutout of the season, 7-0, advancing to his second career Big 12 finals appearance. McCormick put Gallick on his back in the first period earning a three-point nearfall call at the buzzer. Scoreless through the second period, McCormick took down Gallick at the start of the third for the win. Tangling with Grant Turner of Iowa State for the second time of the season, Askren pinned the Cyclone in 1:47 for his 26th fall of the season, a new Missouri single-season record. In addition, the win extended Askren's streak to 80 straight victories. After taking down Turner in 1:01, Askren was able to lock up a cradle and put his opponent on his back for the win by fall. Entering the tournament as the No. 1 seed at 184 pounds, Jordan took on Josh Hinton of Oklahoma in the semi-finals. Hinton won his wrestle-in match over Levi Wofford (Nebraska) by a score of 4-3 to advance to the semi's. The second meeting of the season between the two grapplers, Jordan closed out the match in 6:14 with a 20-4 technical fall, his second tech fall victory of the campaign. Recording six takedowns and awarded four points for Hinton's continual stalling, Jordan put the Sooner on his back for a five-count, in the first period and allowed Hinton his four points through escapes. In a rematch many fans were waiting for, Maxwell Askren rebounded from his regular season loss to Iowa State's Kurt Backes, outscoring the Cyclone, 8-7, on riding time. The two entered the second period tied at two and Askren, who chose down, escaped and managed a takedown for a one point advantage. Backes, managed a reversal to keep within one of the second-ranked wrestler. In the end, Askren was able to tack on 2:35 of riding time to send the Cyclone to the consolation bracket. Missouri's final match of the morning session came at heavyweight. Redshirt freshman Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) dropped a 4-0 loss to second-seeded Jared Rosholt of Oklahoma State. Session two, which includes the third place match, consolations and finals will begin at 4 p.m. Live results are available on line at Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/79-four-missouri-wrestlers-advance-to-finals-of-big-12-championships Sat, 03 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/83-hawkeyes-advance-five-to-big-ten-semifinals EAST LANSING, MI -- The Hawkeyes advanced five wrestlers to Saturday night?s semifinals at the Big Ten Championships in East Lansing, MI. Iowa went 5-5 in Saturday afternoon?s first round and is currently in fourth place with 42 points. Minnesota leads the team race with 66. Iowa went 0-3 in its preliminary matches before #2 seed Charlie Falck scored a 5-2 win over Penn State?s Mark McKnight at 125 pounds. The win was Falck?s 20th this season. Iowa?s next win came at 141 when #6 seed Alex Tsirtsis upset #3 seed Andy Simmons, 2-1. Iowa finished the quarterfinal round with three straight wins, including major decisions from junior Mark Perry (165) and senior Eric Luedke (174), and junior Matt Fields? (Hwt.) 60th career victory. Saturday night?s matches include the championship semifinals and consolation matches up to the semifinals. Iowa?s bouts include Falck vs. #3 seed Angel Escobedo of Indiana at 125, Tsirtsis vs. #2 seed Ryan Lang of Northwestern at 141, #2 seed Perry vs. #6 seed Justin Fraga of Purdue at 165, #2 seed Luedke vs. #3 seed Steve Luke of Michigan at 174, and #4 seed Fields vs. #1 seed Cole Konrad of Minnesota at heavyweight. Tsirtsis is 1-4 against Lang, Perry is 1-0 against Fraga, and Fields is 0-2 against Konrad. Falck and Escobedo, and Luedke and Luke have never wrestled. Competition is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. (CST) at Michigan State?s Breslin Center. TEAM STANDINGS AFTER SESSION I Place Team Points 1. Minnesota 66 2. Illinois 44 Michigan 44 4. Iowa 42 5. Northwestern 39 6. Ohio State 38 7. Penn State 36 8. Indiana 35.5 9. Wisconsin 31 10. Purdue 11 11. Michigan State 8 IOWA?S SESSION I INDIVIDUAL RESULTS Championship Preliminary Matches 149 - Josh Churella (MICH) dec. Alex Grunder (I), 10-6 184 - Tyrel Todd (MICH) dec. Phillip Keddy (I), 8-4 197 - Patrick Bond (IL) dec. Dan Erekson (I), 7-5 SV-2 Championship Quarterfinal Matches 125 - Charlie Falck (I) dec. Mark McKnight (PSU), 5-2 133 - James Kennedy (IL) dec. Mario Galanakis (I), 7-6 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) dec. Andy Simmons (MSU), 2-1 157 - C.P. Schlatter (MN) dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 6-4 165 - Mark Perry (I) maj. dec. Dave Rella (PSU), 13-2 174 - Eric Luedke (I) maj. dec. Matt Maciag (WIS), 9-1 Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) dec. Kyle Massey (WIS), 5-2 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/83-hawkeyes-advance-five-to-big-ten-semifinals Sat, 03 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/85-nick-simmons-advances-to-finals-andy-simmons-still-alive-at-big-ten-wrestling-c EAST LANSING, Mich. Two-time defending Big Ten champion and top-seeded Nick Simmons will go for his third straight conference title Sunday afternoon after defeating fourth-seeded Jake Strayer of Penn State, 4-2, in the 133-pound semifinals of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships Saturday night at the Breslin Center. Simmons is looking to become just the sixth Spartan to win three Big Ten titles, and the first since David Morgan accomplished the feat in 1998. Andy Simmons, who was upset in the quarterfinals in the first session Saturday afternoon, won two matches in the second session to remain alive in the 141-pound bracket. With his two wins, Andy is guaranteed a top-seven finish and a trip to the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in his career. Nick is also assured a trip to the NCAA Championships March 15-17 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The third and final session of the championships starts at noon on Sunday in the Breslin Center; the finals will be approximately at 2 p.m. No. 1 Minnesota, the defending Big Ten Champion, leads the team standings after two sessions with 121 points. Wisconsin is second with 81 points, while Penn State is third with 80.5 points. Nick, who beat Strayer in the Penn State Open finals 4-3 earlier this season, got off to a quick 2-0 lead with a takedown in the first. Simmons gave up a rare reversal, however, and the match was tied at 2 entering the second period. Starting in neutral to start the second, neither wrestler scored, setting up a crucial third period. Simmons started down to begin the third, and took the lead with a reversal at the 1:10 mark. He rode Strayer the remainder of the match to advance. Simmons will wrestle sixth-seeded Andrae Hernandez of Indiana in the finals, who upset second-seeded Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois, 3-1. Simmons beat Hernandez 2-0 earlier this season in the Midlands semifinals. Andy secured a berth in the NCAA Championships by defeating Scott Kelly of Indiana by major decision, 8-0, in the consolation first round, and Ohio State?s J Jaggers, 4-0, in the consolation second round. Simmons will wrestle top-seeded Manuel Rivera of Minnesota in the consolation semifinals. Rivera entered the tournament as the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the country, but fell to fifth-seeded Kyle Ruschell of Wisconsin, 7-4, in the semifinals. Rivera beat Simmons in the dual on Feb. 9 in Minneapolis, 7-2. The Simmons brothers were the lone wrestlers to win matches in the championships for the Spartans. Franklin Gomez entered the 125-pound bracket as the fourth seed, but was eliminated after suffering two straight upsets. Gomez fell in the quarterfinals to Gabe Flores in the first session and dropped a 10-7 decision to Will Livingston of Ohio State in the consolation round. Joe Williams, the No. 6 seed at 184 pounds, fell in his consolation match, 3-1, to Iowa?s Phil Keddy. Sunday?s finals will be televised by College Sports TV on a tape-delayed basis (Wednesday, March 7, 8-10 p.m.). SESSION TWO RESULTS (Attendance: 3,089) 125 pounds Consolation First Round - Will Livingston (OSU) dec. No. 4 Franklin Gomez (MSU), 10-7 - Gomez eliminated (0-2) 133 pounds Semifinals - No. 1 Nick Simmons (MSU) dec. No. 5 Jake Strayer (PSU), 4-2 - Simmons advances to finals (2-0) 141 pounds Consolation First Round - No. 3 Andy Simmons (MSU) major dec. Scott Kelly (MSU), 8-0 Consolation Second Round - No. 3 Andy Simmons (MSU) dec. No. 7 J Jaggers (OSU), 4-0 - Simmons advances to consolation semifinals (2-1) 149 pounds Consolation First Round - Dan Vallimont (PSU) pinned Jeff Wimberley (MSU), 3:47 - Wimberley eliminated (0-2) 157 pounds Consolation First Round - No. 5 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) dec. Tony Greathouse (MSU), 6-3 - Greathouse eliminated (0-2) 165 pounds Consolation First Round - No. 7 Dave Rella (PSU) dec. Rex Kendle (MSU), 9-6 - Kendle eliminated (0-2) 174 pounds Consolation First Round - No. 6 Nick Hayes (NU) dec. John Murphy (MSU), 4-1 - Murphy eliminated (0-2) 184 Pounds Consolation First Round - Phil Keddy (Iowa) dec. Joe Williams (MSU), 3-1 - Williams eliminated (0-2) 197 Pounds Consolation First Round - No. 6 Nathan Moore (Pur) pinned Nick Palmieri (MSU), 2:16 - Palmieri eliminated (0-2) HWT Consolation First Round - No. 5 Kyle Massey (Wis) pinned Alan O?Donnell (MSU), 1:41 - O?Donnell eliminated (0-2) Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/85-nick-simmons-advances-to-finals-andy-simmons-still-alive-at-big-ten-wrestling-c Sat, 03 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/87-top-ranked-gophers-open-up-lead-at-big-ten-championships The top-ranked Golden Gophers advanced five wrestlers to the finals and extended their team-lead during Session II of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships on Saturday night in East Lansing, Mich. Minnesota is 30 points ahead of second-place Wisconsin heading into the final day of competition. Dustin Schlatter, C.P. Schlatter, Roger Kish and Cole Konrad will all have the opportunity to defend their 2006 Big Ten individual titles, while redshirt freshman Jayson Ness will look to capture his first. Four other Minnesota wrestlers are still alive in the consolation bracket. C.P. Schlatter advanced to the finals by avenging an earlier loss to Illinois? top-ranked Mike Poeta in perhaps the most anticipated match of the semifinals. Ness was dominant in his first Big Ten Championship appearance, pinning both of his opponents, while Kish was equally as impressive with two pins of his own. Dustin Schlatter did not allow a single point on Saturday, shutting out his two opponents by a combined score of 10-0. Konrad will look to become just the third wrestler in school history to win three Big Ten individual titles after he extended his winning streak to 70 consecutive matches with three wins on Saturday. Mack Reiter, Manuel Rivera, Tyler Safratowich and Gabriel Dretsch are all still alive in the consolation bracket and have wrapped up NCAA tournament berths. After tough quarterfinal losses, Reiter and Safratowich both stormed back with a pair of impressive wins on Saturday night in the wrestlebacks. Rivera suffered his first loss of the season to Wisconsin?s Kyle Ruschell in the semifinals, ending a streak of 35 consecutive wins. Gabriel Dretsch also lost a heartbreaker, falling 3-1 to top seed James Yonushonis of Penn State in double overtime. Ness began the day with a pin of eighth-seeded Brandon Tucker of Purdue in 2:11 and followed it up with his second pin of the year against Illinois? Gabe Flores. In an entertaining first period against Flores which saw each wrestler score a reversal and back points, Ness took control in the second with another reversal and a three-point near fall before getting the fall at 4:22. With his two victories today, Ness extended his winning streak to 18 consecutive matches. After a disappointing quarterfinal loss to No. 6 seed Andrae Hernandez from Indiana, Reiter came out with something to prove in the evening session. Against Northwestern?s Eric Metzler, Reiter scored a takedown in each period and was never seriously challenged on his way to a 7-0 victory. In his second wrestleback match, Reiter fell behind 2-0 when Iowa?s Mario Galanakis scored the first takedown. It was all Reiter from there, however, as he put Galanakis on his back late in the second period to get the fall in 4:44. After extending his winning streak to 35 consecutive matches with a 10-8 decision over Michigan?s Justin Chrzanowski in the quarterfinals, Rivera had a tough time against Ruschell and fell behind 5-0 midway through the second period. Rivera made a late charge but it was not enough as he suffered his first loss of the season, 7-4 At 149, Dustin Schlatter shut out Indiana?s Matt Coughlin, 6-0, in round one before topping Wisconsin?s Tyler Turner, 4-0. Much like many of his opponents this year, both Coughlin and Turner played defense in an attempt to keep the score close. Schlatter was all too used to the strategy, however, and came away with a pair of relatively easy victories. After winning a pair of matches in the morning to set up the showdown with Poeta, C.P. Schlatter battled through three defensive periods of wrestling against the Illinois grappler. Neither wrestler was able to finish on any shots in regulation, and the two wrestlers went into overtime tied at one apiece on a pair of escapes. After starting down in the tiebreaker, Schlatter got the escape to take a 2-1 lead and then was able to ride Poeta in the second 30 second period to earn the victory. With the win, Schlatter avenged a narrow 3-2 loss to Poeta earlier this year. At 165, Safratowich won an event-filled match over Northwestern?s Greg Hagel in this first match of the day before dropping a narrow 6-4 decision in the sudden victory period to sixth-seeded Justin Fraga. Safratowich, who controlled much of the match against Fraga, came within three seconds of riding time of winning the match in regulation. In his first match of the wrestlebacks, Safratowich displayed tremendous resiliency with a late comeback victory over Wisconsin?s Jake Donar. Trailing 5-2 in the third period, Safratowich scored a reversal with under 30 seconds remaining and got two back points to win the match 6-5. He proceeded to beat Penn State?s Dave Rella, 9-6, in his final match of the night. After defeating Trevor Perry, 9-4, in round one, Dretsch got the opportunity to renew his rivalry with Yonushonis in the semifinals. The two wrestlers did not disappoint, battling through a nail-biter in the 174-pound semifinal. Tied 1-1 after regulation, neither was able to score in the first overtime, but Yonushonis escaped with the victory with a takedown midway through the second sudden victory period. Kish won a pair of matches in the morning session, pinning Purdue's Nick Skinner in 3:52 before winning a 9-7 decision over Illinois' John Dergo. In the semifinals, Kish made quick work of third-seeded Mike Pucillo, taking the Ohio State wrestler down to his back to get the pin in 1:33. Kish?s win sets up a showdown between the top two wrestlers in the country on Sunday in the finals, as he will meet Northwestern?s Jake Herbert for the title. Yura Malamura was the only Gopher wrestler not to make it through the first day of competition, as he was eliminated with back-to-back losses to Mike Tamillow and Nate Everhart. Konrad needed all of one minute in his first two matches in the morning to advance to the semifinals. After Michigan's Casey White defaulted in the first round, Konrad made quick work of Ohio State?s Corey Morrison in round two. With a clear size advantage, Konrad used a body lock to take Morrison down directly to his back and got the pin at 1:00. In the semifinals, Konrad scored a takedown late in the first period on Iowa?s Matt Fields, and it was all he would need to get the win. He added two more points on stalling penalties on Fields to make the final score 4-0. Minnesota will look to wrap up its second straight Big Ten team title, and its sixth in the last nine years, during the final day of the tournament tomorrow. Competition begins at 11 a.m. (CST). Team Standings 1. Minnesota, 121 2. Wisconsin, 81 3. Penn State, 80.5 4. Indiana, 78.5 5. Iowa, 71.5 6. Michigan, 70 7. Illinois, 66 8. Northwestern, 63.5 9. Ohio State, 62 10. Purdue, 24.5 11. Michigan State, 23 Weight-by-Weight Results 125 ? Jayson Ness, First Seed Quarterfinals: Ness pinned No. 8 Brandon Tucker (PUR), 2:11 Semifinals: Ness pinned No. 5 Gabe Flores (ILL), 4:22 133 ? Mack Reiter, Third Seed Quarterfinals: No. 6 Andrae Hernandez (IND) dec. Reiter, 5-2 Consolation: Reiter dec. Eric Metzler (NU), 7-0 Consolation: Reiter pinned No. 7 Mario Galanakis (IOWA), 4:44 141 ? Manuel Rivera, First Seed Quarterfinals: Rivera dec. No. 8 Justin Chrzanowski (MICH), 10-8 Semifinals: No. 5 Kyle Ruschell (WIS) dec. Rivera, 7-4 149 ? Dustin Schlatter, First Seed Quarterfinals: Schlatter dec. No. 8 Matt Coughlin (IND), 6-0 Semifinals: Schlatter dec. No. 5 Tyler Turner (WIS), 4-0 157 ? C.P. Schlatter, Fourth Seed Pigtails: Schlatter maj. dec. Jason Johnstone (OSU), 9-1 Quarterfinals: Schlatter dec. No. 5 Ryan Morningstar (IOWA), 6-4 Semifinals: Schlatter dec. No. 1 Mike Poeta (ILL), 2-1 TB1 165 ? Tyler Safratowich, Third Seed Pigtails: Safratowich dec. Greg Hagel (NU), 14-7 Quarterfinals: No. 6 Justin Fraga (PUR) dec. Safratowich, 6-4 SV1 Consolation: Safratowich dec. Jake Donar (WIS), 6-5 Consolation: Safratowich dec. No. 7 Dave Rella (PSU), 9-6 174 ? Gabriel Dretsch, Fourth Seed Quarterfinals: Dretsch dec. No. 5 Trevor Perry (IND), 9-4 Semifinals: No. 1 James Yonushonis (PSU) dec. Dretsch, 3-1 SV2 184 ? Roger Kish, Second Seed Pigtails: Kish pinned Nick Skinner (PUR), 3:52 Quarterfinals: Kish dec. No. 7 John Dergo (ILL), 9-7 Semifinals: Kish pinned No. 3 Mike Pucillo (OSU), 1:33 197 ? Yura Malamura, Unseeded Pigtails: No. 2 Mike Tamillow (NU) maj. dec. Malamura, 12-2 Consolation: No. 8 Nate Everhart (IND) dec. Malamura, 8-2 Hwt ? Cole Konrad, First Seed Pigtails: Konrad over Casey White (MICH), default Quarterfinals: Konrad pinned No. 8 Corey Morrison (OSU), 1:00 Semifinals: Konrad dec. No. 4 Matt Fields (IOWA), 4-0 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/87-top-ranked-gophers-open-up-lead-at-big-ten-championships Sat, 03 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/86-hazewinkel-silver-lining-with-ow-award COLUMBIA, Mo. ? The Oklahoma wrestling team qualified six wrestlers for the NCAA Championships at the 2007 Big 12 Championships in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday. As a team the Sooners finished in fifth place with 44 team points in the tournament. The NCAA Championships are in Detroit, Mich., March 15-17. The Sooners also claimed two individual titles on Saturday night at the Big 12 Championships at the Hearnes Center on the campus of the University of Missouri. Sam Hazewinkel won the 125 pound Big 12 title with his 12-3 major decision over Paul Donahoe of Nebraska in the finals. "It feels awesome to be a Big 12 Champion again and it felt good to get my offense going this weekend," Sam Hazewinkel said. With the title Hazewinkel is now a three-time 125 pound Big 12 Champion. He also claimed titles as a redshirt- freshman in 2004 and as a junior in 2006. He was the runner-up as a junior in 2005. For his career the Pensacola, Fla. native was 8-1 with four top-two finishes. With the victory Hazewinkel qualifies for the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in his career. The Sooner fifth year senior has finished in third place each year at nationals and is a three-time All-American. Hazewinkel also took home the Outstanding Wrestler of the championships. "It also feels great to win the Oustanding Wrestler of the tournament. I was upset that I was not able to win four titles so I am glad to get this," Hazewinkel continued. Matt Storniolo claimed his first ever 149 pound Big 12 Championship with his shutout of Cyler Sanderson of Iowa State. Storniolo took the match with a decision of 5-0. Storniolo took the individual title after having finished as the runner-up the previous two years. For his career Storniolo went 4-2 with three top-two finishes at the Big 12 Championships. Storniolo went 2-1 at the Big 10 Championships as a freshman when he finished as the 149 pound runner-up as a member of the Penn State Nittany Lions. With the victory on Saturday Storniolo qualifies for the NCAA Championships for the fourth consecutive year. The State College, Pa. native is also a two-time All-American for the Sooners. "I have won three silver medals at my conference championships and it feels terrific to finally win a gold medal," Matt Storniolo said. Also qualifying for the NCAA Championships with third place medals are Kyle Terry at 141 pounds and Joel Flaggert at 197 pounds. Flaggert responded to a loss in the semifinals by winning two straight matches to claim third place at 197 pounds. The two-time All-American has claimed three top-three finishes in his career at the Big 12 Championships and a career mark at the championships of 6-3. Each of the past two years he has taken home the third place medal. The victory puts the Choctaw, Okla. Native in the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive year. Redshirt-freshman Kyle Terry medaled in his first career Big 12 Championships as he took third place at 141 pounds. The Midwest City, Okla. native also qualifies for his first ever NCAA Championships with the victory. Will Rowe 157 pounds and Joshua Weitzel 174 pounds, qualified for the NCAA Championships as a wild card qualifier as decided on by a vote of the league coaches. Shane Seibert is the first alternate for the NCAA's. Weight-By-Weight Results: Big 12 Championship Finals 125: Sam Hazewinkel (OU) maj. dec. Paul Donahoe (NU), 12-3 149: Matt Storniolo (OU) dec. Cyler Sanderson (ISU), 5-0 Final Team Standings 1. Iowa State - 66.5 2. Missouri - 61.5 3. Oklahoma State - 61 4. Nebraska - 46 5. Oklahoma - 44 2007 Big 12 Championships Play-by-Play Saturday, March 3, 2007 Hearnes Center Columbia, Mo. 125 pound Final Sam Hazewinkel, Oklahoma vs. Paul Donahoe, Nebraska 1st Period Time Action Score 0:58 Hazewinkel takedown 2-0 0:37 Hazewinkel near fall 5-0 2nd Period Time Action Score 1:54 Hazewinkel escape 6-0 1:11 Hazewinkel takedown 8-0 3rd Period Time Action Score 1:10 Hazewinkel takedown 10-0 0:25 Donahoe escape 10-1 Hazewinkel riding time 2:45 Final: Hazewinkel dec. Donahoe, 12-3 149 pound Final Matt Storniolo, Oklahoma vs. Cyler Sanderson, Iowa State 1st Period Time Action Score No action 2nd Period Time Action Score 1:53 Storniolo escape 1-0 3rd Period Time Action Score 1:30 Storniolo near fall 4-0 Storniolo riding time 1:57 Final: Storniolo dec. Sanderson, 5-0 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/86-hazewinkel-silver-lining-with-ow-award Sat, 03 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/88-six-chippewas-win-titles-as-cmu-claims-sixth-straight-mac-championships-crown BUFFALO, N.Y. ? Six Central Michigan University wrestlers won individual titles to lead the Chippewas to their sixth consecutive Mid-American Conference Championships title. CMU won the team title with 106.5 points. Kent State was second with 73.5 points. Winning individual conference championships and earning automatic bids to the NCAA Championships were Eric Kruger (141 pounds), Mike Miller (165), Brandon Sinnott (174), Christian Sinnott (184), Wynn Michalak (197) and Bubba Gritter (285). Wild card bids to the national tournament will be announced later Sunday. CMU also claimed three of the conference?s four specialty awards. Tom Borrelli was named MAC Coach of the Year for the fifth straight season and ninth time in his career. Miller was named MAC Freshman of the Year, becoming the ninth Chippewa to win the honor. Michalak was selected MAC Wrestler of the Year for the second year in a row. He joins 1999 national champion Casey Cunningham as Chippewas who have won the award twice. Michalak also becomes the seventh CMU wrestler to win three individual MAC titles. Kruger was the first Chippewa to punch his ticket to nationals, posting a convincing 10-1 major decision over Northern Illinois? Dan Ruettiger in the finals at 141 pounds. Following a scoreless first period, Kruger scored a takedown and two back points to take a 4-0 lead into the third period. Kruger?s lead expanded to 7-0 with a takedown and stalling point, but Ruettiger escaped late in the third to cut the deficit to 7-1. Kruger answered with a takedown just before the final buzzer to ensure the major, then tacked on the riding time point with an advantage of 3:06. Miller, a redshirt freshman, won a conference title in his first try at 165 pounds. Miller trailed 4-2 after the first period, but rallied with an escape and a takedown in the second period. Miller?s takedown came with less than 10 seconds remaining in the period. Galloway would even the score with an escape late in the third, but Miller?s 1:16 riding time advantage was the difference in his 6-5 decision. Brandon and Christian Sinnott completed a sweep of Northern Illinois Danny and Duke Burk at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively. Brandon Sinnott won his second consecutive MAC title at 174 pounds with a 10-4 decision, while Christian Sinnott won his first conference championship with a 4-0 decision over Duke Burk. Both Sinnotts will make their second consecutive trip to the national championships. Michalak won his third consecutive MAC title at 197 pounds with a methodical 7-2 decision over Eastern Michigan?s Tony Lyssiotis. Michalak scored a takedown in the first period, then rode Lyssiotis for nearly the duration of the second period. After starting in the down position, Michalak added an escape and a takedown in the third, then added the riding time point with an advantage of 3:43. Gritter won his first MAC title by earning a 4-1 advantage over defending champion Jermail Porter at heavyweight. Gritter opened the scoring with an escape in the second period, then was the recipient of a point for Porter stalling. After a Porter escape in third, Gritter sealed the win with a takedown later in the period. COMPLETE CMU RESULTS No. 2 Luke Smith ? 125 pounds ? Third Place First Round: Bye Semifinals: L, dec. No. 3 Chad Sportelli (Kent State), 4-3 Consolation Semifinals: W, pin Jack Cassedy (Eastern Michigan) at 2:16 Third Place: W, maj. dec. No. 4 Seth Morton (Ohio), 9-0 No. 4 Conor Beebe ? 133 pounds ? Third Place First Round: Bye Semifinals: L, dec. No. 1 Mark Budd (Buffalo), 6-4 SV1 Consolation Semifinals: W, maj. dec. John Weinert (Northern Illinois), 13-1 Third Place: W, dec. No. 3 Terry Jackson (Ohio), 12-7 True Second: L, dec. No. 2 Danny Mitcheff (Kent State), 3-2 No. 2 Eric Kruger ? 141 pounds - Champion First Round: W, maj. dec. Zach Donofrio (EMU), 8-0 Semifinals: W, dec. No. 3 Drew Lashaway (Kent State), 6-2 Finals: W, maj. dec. No. 4 Dan Ruettiger (Northern Illinois), 10-1 No. 3 Brandon Carter ? 149 pounds ? Third Place First Round: L, maj. dec. Clay Tucker (Ohio), 18-5 Consolation Semifinals: W, dec. No. 1 Mike Grimes (Northern Illinois), 13-6 Third Place: W, dec. Clay Tucker (Ohio), 9-5 True Second: L, dec. No. 4 Jason McGee (Kent State), 11-6 No. 1 Andy Keller ? 157 pounds ? Third Place First Round: Bye Semifinals: W, dec. No. 4 Cory Mancuso (Eastern Michigan), 5-3 Finals: L, dec. No. 3 Kurt Gross (Kent State), 7-3 True Second: L, dec. No. 2 Jacob Frerichs (Ohio), 2-0 No. 2 Mike Miller ? 165 pounds ? Champion First Round: W, maj. dec. Sli Bostelman (Kent State), 10-2 Semifinals: W, dec. No. 3 Jacob Ison (Ohio), 5-3 Finals: W, dec. No. 1 Johnny Galloway (Northern Illinois), 6-5 No. 1 Brandon Sinnott ? 174 pounds ? Champion First Round: W, maj. dec. Nate Rock (Buffalo), 16-5 Semifinals: W, maj. dec. No. 4 Josh Lewis (Eastern Michigan), 14-5 Finals: W, dec. No. 2 Danny Burk (Northern Illinois), 10-4 No. 1 Christian Sinnott ? 184 pounds ? Champion First Round: Bye Semifinals: W, maj. dec. No. 4 Ray Lamb (Buffalo), 15-5 Finals: W, dec. No. 2 Duke Burk (Northern Illinois), 4-0 No. 1 Wynn Michalak ? 197 pounds ? Champion First Round: W, pin Jake Blowers (Buffalo) at 2:04 Semifinals: W, pin No. 4 Larry Reichard (Ohio) at 4:38 Finals: W, dec. No. 2 Tony Lyssiotis (Eastern Michigan), 7-2 No. 1 Bubba Gritter ? 285 pounds ? Champion First Round: Bye Semifinals: W, maj. dec. Jeff Parker (Buffalo), 10-2 Finals: W, dec. No. 2 Jermail Porter (Kent State), 4-1 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/88-six-chippewas-win-titles-as-cmu-claims-sixth-straight-mac-championships-crown Sat, 03 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/89-8-wreslters-from-hofstra-punched-their-tickets-to-detroit-for-the-ncaa-champions FAIRFAX, Va. (March 3, 2007) - The Hofstra Pride took home the team title at the 2007 CAA Wrestling Championships on Saturday night at John Linn Memorial Gym with a score of 138.5 points. Rounding out the top five were Old Dominion (89.0), Rider (84.5), Drexel (66.5) and Sacred Heart (41.5). The Pride will be sending eight wrestlers to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at The Palace of Auburn Hills near Detroit, Michigan, slated for March 15-17. Rider will be sending five wrestlers to competition and followed up behind them is Drexel with four competing wrestlers. Hofstra's Mike Patrovich, the champion at 165 pounds, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler. In his quarterfinal bout, Patrovich won by major decision against Brent Poynter of Campbell, 20-5. Patrovich then went on to beat Billy Haydt of Drexel by way of pin in 4:45. Patrovich won his championship bout in dominating fashion with a 19-3 technical fall against Nick Pullano of Old Dominion. Patrovich will be accompanied by seven teammates to Detroit, six by way of winning their respective weight classes, and one voted in as a wildcard. In the three weight class titles not secured by Hofstra, Mike Roberts of Boston University at 149 pounds, Doug Umbehauer of Rider at 174 pounds and Payam Zarrinpour of Sacred Heart in the heavyweight bracket each took home personal titles at their respective weight classes to advance to nationals. George Mason will not be sending a competitor to nationals this year, as Tyler Tisdell fell in the semifinals of the 165-pound championship bracket to Nick Pullano of Old Dominion in a close decision, 2-1. Team Scores 1) Hofstra - 138.5 2) Old Dominion - 89.0 3) Rider - 84.5 4) Drexel - 66.5 5) Sacred Heart - 41.5 6) Boston U - 29.5 7) Binghamton - 28.0 8) George Mason - 25.0 9) James Madison - 7.5 10) Campbell - 5.5 11) Wagner - 2.0 Championship Bouts 125: Dave Tomasette (Hofstra) dec. Steve Mytych (Drexel), 4-0 133: Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra) dec. Christian Staylor (ODU), 6-4 141: Charles Griffin (Hofstra) dec. Don Fisch (Rider), 7-1 149: Mike Roberts (Boston U.) dec. Mike Kessler (Rider), 5-3 157: James Strouse (Hofstra) dec. Ryan Hluschak (Drexel), 8-4 165: Mike Patrovich (Hofstra) maj. dec. Nick Pullano (ODU), 19-3 174: Doug Umbehauer (Rider) dec. Josh Patterson (Binghamton), 12-10 184: Joe Rovelli (Hofstra) dec. Mike Miller (Rider), 7-2 197: Chris Weidman (Hofstra) dec. David Mendoza (ODU), 6-4 285: Payam Zarrinpour (Sacred Heart) dec. Chris Cowen (Drexel), 6-4 Consolation Finals 125: Kyle Hutter (ODU) maj. dec. Tommy Lorenzo (Rider), 14-6 133: Bill Martin (Drexel) dec. Paul Galipeau (Sacred Heart), 13-6 141: Ryan Williams (ODU) maj. dec. Carlo Ferrandino (Boston U.), 11-3 149: Kyle Fried (Binghamton) dec. Kaylen Baxter (ODU), 4-1 157: Nate Galloway (Rider) dec. Chris Brown (ODU), 3-2 165: Bill Haydt (Drexel) fall Rob Morrison (Rider), 2:53 174: Nick Kozar (Drexel) dec. Alton Lucas (Hofstra), 4-2 184: Jesse Strawn (ODU) dec. Andrew Silber (Sacred Heart), 7-3 197: TJ Morrison (Rider) dec. Jon Oplinger (Drexel), 7-5 285: Matt Pollock (Hofstra) fall Matt Peller (ODU), 0:46 True Second Matches 141: Don Fisch (Rider) dec. Ryan Williams (ODU), 5-2 157: Nate Galloway (Rider) dec. Ryan Hluschak (Drexel), 8-6 165: Nick Pullano (ODU) dec. Billy Haydt (Drexel), 4-3 174: Nick Kozar (Drexel) dec. Josh Patterson (Binghamton), 5-3 Wild Cards Alton Lucas, Hofstra, 174 lbs Josh Patterson, Binghamton, 174 lbs Ryan Hluschak, Drexel, 157 lbs Most Outstanding Wrestler: 165 lb Champion - Mike Patrovich - Hofstra National Qualifiers 125: Dave Tomasette - Hofstra 125: Steve Mytych - Drexel 133: Lou Ruggirello - Hofstra 133: Christian Staylor - ODU 141: Charles Griffin - Hofstra 141: Don Fisch - Rider 149: Mike Roberts - Boston U. 149: Mike Kessler - Rider 157: James Strouse - Hofstra 157: Ryan Hluschak - Drexel 157: Nate Galloway - Rider 165: Mike Patrovich - Hofstra 165: Nick Pullano - ODU 174: Doug Umbehauer - Rider 174: Josh Patterson - Binghamton 174: Nick Kozar - Drexel 174: Alton Lucas - Hofstra 184: Joe Rovelli - Hofstra 184: Mike Miller - Rider 197: Chris Weidman - Hofstra 197: David Mendoza - ODU 285: Payam Zarrinpour - Sacred Heart 285: Chris Cowen - Drexel -30- Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/89-8-wreslters-from-hofstra-punched-their-tickets-to-detroit-for-the-ncaa-champions Sat, 03 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/78-western-regional-action Laramie, Wyo. (March 1, 2007): Wyoming Wrestling began the 06-07 season with a lot of weight classes up for grabs and some uncertainty with the season. The Pokes have gelled to turn their season around as of late and bring a 4-1 Western Wrestling Conference dual record and a three match winning streak to Cedar Falls, Iowa on Saturday, March 3 for the 2007 NCAA West Regional Tournament. Teams participating in this year?s tournament are; Air Force Academy, Eastern Illinois, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State and Wyoming. "This is what we point toward all year," head coach Steven Suder said. "This is the ultimate goal that we want to accomplish, getting to the NCAA Championships. There are 70 guys fighting for 21 spots and it will be a war all day." The coaches seeding meeting will be held Friday night to determine all the seeds for the tournament. Wyoming has three projected number one seeds in Nick Ramirez (125), Carter Downing (149) and Sam Wendland (197). Cory VomBaur (133) is the projected second seed and Bryan Bernal (174) is the projected third seed. Garrett Desmond (141) and Kyle Morrow (165) will be considered for the third, fourth or fifth seeds. Junior Carter Downing (29-7 overall) who leads the Cowboys in every scoring category, went 5-0 in the WWC. Downing improved his dual win streak to nine in a row and has nine major decisions, five technical falls and three pins this year. He was also named WWC wrestler of the week December 19. Redshirt freshman Nick Ramirez also went 5-0 in WWC conference action. Ramirez has two major decisions, one technical fall and two pins to go along with his 20 wins this year. Senior Sam Wendland finished a perfect 4-0 in WWC action and 12-1 overall. Wendland won three of his four WWC matches by major decision and one by technical fall. Redshirt freshman Cory VomBaur will enter Saturday?s competition with a 17-12 overall record (4-1 in the WWC) and one pin. Junior Bryan Bernal is the projected third seed in the 174 pound weight class. Bernal finished the regular season with a 21-13 overall record (4-1 in the WWC) and had four major decisions, one technical fall and one pin. Also wrestling for Wyoming is sophomore Dan Barrone (184), sophomore Dane Fuhrman (157), junior Kyle Morrow (165), and junior Jason Still (Hwt.). The 2007 West Regional will begin Saturday, March 3, at 9 a.m. Mountain Time in Cedar Falls, Iowa and run all day. Schedule of Events 9 a.m. Quarterfinals 11 a.m. Semifinals 1 p.m. Wrestle-Backs 4 p.m. Finals Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/78-western-regional-action Fri, 02 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/77-chippewas-seek-sixth-consecutive-mac-championships-title MOUNT PLEASANT ? Central Michigan University?s wrestling team travels to Buffalo this weekend seeking the program?s sixth consecutive Mid-American Conference Championships title. The six-team conference tournament is slated for Saturday and Sunday at Buffalo?s Alumni Arena. CMU, ranked fifth in the final NWCA/InterMat top 25 dual meet poll, secured its ninth straight MAC title with a 34-3 victory over then-No. 25 Kent State in the regular season finale Feb. 18. The win capped a regular season that saw the Chippewas set a new school record for wins (17) despite taking on arguably the most challenging schedule in program history. The rigorous practice and competition schedule was put in place to help the Chippewas prepare for this week?s conference tournament and the NCAA Championships,March 15-17 in Detroit. ?Maybe we?ve been a little tougher on them because they are more experienced as a team,? said 16th-year head coach Tom Borrelli of his squad. ?I think since they were a little more experienced we were able to handle a tougher regular season schedule. ?I feel really good about where our team is right now,?he added. ?Obviously we still have a lot of work to do to be ready at nationals, and that all starts here with the MAC Championships. I think we?re really confident and our guys are ready for this weekend.? Last season, CMU collected four individual titles and had another three individuals earn wild card bids to the national tournament. At least two Chippewas have won conference championships each of the last 10 years; in 1999 and 2005, CMU took home a conference-record eight individual crowns. ?In a perfect world we would have 10 guys go through to nationals,? Borrelli said. ?That may be a reach, but our goals are always to qualify as many as we can. We had seven qualifiers last year, and we?d like to do better than that this year.? Those individuals earning bids to the national tournament will compete at the Palace of Auburn Hills March 15-17. Reviewing the 2006 MAC Championships: CMU collected four individual titles on its way to its fifth consecutive MAC Championships title. All 10 individuals placed in the top three of their respective weight classes. The Chippewas tallied 102.5 team points, while Kent State was second with 72.5. Tom Borrelli took home his fourth straight (and eighth overall) MAC Coach of the Year award, while Wynn Michalak was named MAC Wrestler of the Year and Mark DiSalvo Outstanding MAC Meet Wrestler. The Dynasty: CMU has won nine consecutive Mid-American Conference titles and five straight MAC Championships titles. The Chippewas have won 48 of their last 49 conference duals, including 24 straight dating back to the 2002-03 season. CMU has won 25 straight MAC duals at Rose Arena. Back at the MACs: CMU returns no less than eight individuals who have competed at the MAC Championships in the past. Recapping those individuals? MAC Championships history: Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/77-chippewas-seek-sixth-consecutive-mac-championships-title Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/76-senior-will-cap-his-career-with-first-appearance-in-the-national-tournament TEMPE, Ariz. ? John Espinoza, a senior on the Arizona State University wrestling team, was awarded one of nine wild card selections into the NCAA Wrestling Championships, the Pac-10 Conference announced. In a vote of the 10 conference coaches, Espinoza was selected to join teammates Brian Stith (157), Patrick Pitsch (165), Greg Gifford (184) and Jason Trulson (197) in Auburn Hills, Mich., for the national tournament March 15-17. Espinoza, competing at 125 pounds, posted a 2-2 record at the Pac-10 Wrestling Championships over the weekend in Bakersfield, Calif., falling to Marcos Orozco of UC Davis in the third-place bout, 8-6. Seeded third in the tournament, Espinoza opened with a 12-10 decision over Brandon Zoeteway (CS Bakersfield) before dropping a 4-2 decision to second-seeded Eric Stevenson (Oregon State) in the semifinals. In the consolation bracket, Espinoza scored a 5-1 decision over Cory Fish (Boise State) to earn a place in the third-place bout with Orozco. Stith, Pitsch and Gifford each won individual titles in the tournament with both Stith and Pitsch earning their second conference crowns. Trulson placed third in his weight class to earn an automatic berth to the national meet. Joining Espinoza as the nine wild card selections were Cal State Fullerton?s T.J. Dillashaw (133) and Bryan Tice (165), Cal Poly?s Dave Roberts (141) and Chase Pami (157), Stanford?s Brian Perry (165) and Luke Feist (174), Bakersfield?s Colton Nichols (heavyweight) and Boise State?s Andy Patrick (heavyweight). Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/76-senior-will-cap-his-career-with-first-appearance-in-the-national-tournament Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/75-pre-seeds-for-2007-big-ten-wrestling-championships-announced PARK RIDGE, Ill. ? The preliminary seeds for the 2007 Big Ten Wrestling Championships were announced today by conference officials. The pre-seeds are determined by a vote amongst the conference?s head wrestling coaches after consideration of regular-season results. The 2007 Big Ten Wrestling Championships will take place on Saturday, March 3, and Sunday, March 4, at the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. The official Big Ten Championships bracket will be set on Friday, March 2. Top-ranked Minnesota leads all Big Ten teams with four top pre-seeds, as Jayson Ness (33-3 at 125 pounds), Manuel Rivera (34-0 at 141), Dustin Schlatter (29-0 at 149) and Cole Konrad (26-0 at HWT) all earned the top billing for the Golden Gophers. Last season, Konrad was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and has won his last 67 matches. Schlatter was the conference?s Freshman of the Year in 2005-06, while Ness and Rivera have both earned Wrestler of the Week accolades this season. Penn State earned a pair of top pre-seeds, while Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State and Northwestern and were all represented with one selection. The Nittany Lions boast top pre-seeds in James Yonushonis (27-3 at 174) and defending Big Ten Champion Phil Davis (22-1 at 197). The remaining No. 1 pre-seeds consist of Illinois? Michael Poeta (19-0 at 157), Michigan?s Eric Tannenbaum (21-0 at 165), Michigan State?s Nick Simmons (31-1 at 133) and Northwestern?s Jake Herbert (24-0 at 184). Less than one week remains until all 11 conference schools will take to the mats for the 2007 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. Ten conference squads are currently ranked in the nation?s top 25, including unanimous No. 1 Minnesota. Illinois is ranked seventh, followed by No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 10 Iowa, No. 11 Penn State, No. 15 Northwestern, No. 18 Indiana, No. 21 Ohio State, No. 22 Michigan State and No. 23 Michigan. Last year at Indiana, Minnesota claimed the 2005-06 conference championship with a score of 138 points. Illinois (125) placed second and Michigan (115), Penn State (91) and Northwestern (87.5) rounded out the top five. Iowa (86) and Wisconsin (76.5) finished sixth and seventh, respectively, while Michigan State (68), Purdue (45.5), Indiana (43.5) and Ohio State (40) rounded out the field. Tickets may be purchased by contacting the Michigan State University Ticket Office at 517-355-1610 or online at www.msuspartans.com. The complete list of pre-seeds follows. 2007 BIG TEN WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS PRELIMINARY SEEDS 125 lbs. 1. Jayson Ness, Minnesota 2. Charlie Falck, Iowa 3. Angel Escobedo, Indiana 4. Franklin Gomez, Michigan State 5. Gabriel Flores, Illinois 6. Brandon Precin, Northwestern 7. Mark McKnight, Penn State 8. Brandon Tucker, Purdue 133 lbs. 1. Nick Simmons, Michigan State 2. James Kennedy, Illinois 3. Mack Reiter, Minnesota 4. Zach Tanelli, Wisconsin 5. Jake Strayer, Penn State 6. Andrae Hernandez, Indiana 7. Mario Galanakis, Iowa 8. T.J. Enright, Ohio State 141 lbs. 1. Manuel Rivera, Minnesota 2. Ryan Lang, Northwestern 3. Andy Simmons, Michigan State 4. Cassio Pero, Illinois 5. Kyle Ruschell, Wisconsin 6. Alex Tsirtsis, Iowa 7. J Jaggers, Ohio State 8. Justin Chrzanowski, Michigan 149 lbs. 1. Dustin Schlatter, Minnesota 2. Joshua Churella, Michigan 3. Lance Palmer, Ohio State 4. Jake Patacsil, Purdue 5. Tyler Turner, Wisconsin 6. Dan Vallimont, Penn State 7. Troy Tirapelle, Illinois 8. Matt Coughlin, Indiana 157 lbs. 1. Michael Poeta, Illinois 2. Brandon Becker, Indiana T3. C.P. Schlatter, Minnesota T3. Craig Henning, Wisconsin 5. Ryan Morningstar, Iowa 6. Bubba Jenkins, Penn State 7. Jacob Murphy, Purdue 8. Jeff Marsh, Michigan 165 lbs. 1. Eric Tannenbaum, Michigan 2. Mark Perry, Iowa 3. Tyler Safratowich, Minnesota 4. Roger Smith-Bergsrud, Illinois 5. Chris Vondruska, Ohio State 6. Justin Fraga, Purdue 7. Dave Rella, Penn State 8. Max Dean, Indiana 174 lbs. 1. James Yonushonis, Penn State 2. Eric Luedke, Iowa 3. Steve Luke, Michigan 4. Gabriel Dretsch, Minnesota 5. Trevor Perry, Indiana 6. Nick Hayes, Northwestern 7. Matthew Winterhalter, Illinois 8. Matthew Maciag, Wisconsin 184 lbs. 1. Jake Herbert, Northwestern 2. Roger Kish, Minnesota 3. Mike Pucillo, Ohio State 4. Tyrel Todd, Michigan 5. Marc Bennet, Indiana 6. Joseph Williams, Michigan State 7. John Dergo, Illinois 8. Trevor Brandvold, Wisconsin 197 lbs. 1. Phil Davis, Penn State 2. Mike Tamillow, Northwestern 3. Patrick Bond, Illinois 4. James Bergman, Ohio State 5. Dallas Herbst, Wisconsin 6. Nathan Moore, Purdue 7. Nick Roy, Michigan 8. Nathan Everhart, Indiana HWT 1. Cole Konrad, Minnesota 2. Aaron Anspach, Penn State 3. Dustin Fox, Northwestern 4. Matt Fields, Iowa 5. Kyle Massey, Wisconsin 6. Josh Buuck, Indiana 7. John Wise, Illinois 8. Corey Morrison, Ohio State Jeff Smith Assistant Director of Communications BIG TEN CONFERENCE 1500 W. Higgins Rd. Park Ridge, IL 60068 Phone: (847) 696-1010 ext. 142 Fax: (847) 696-1110 jsmith@bigten.org Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/75-pre-seeds-for-2007-big-ten-wrestling-championships-announced Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/74-proper-high-school-wrestling-officiating-mechanics-part-3 This is Part 3 of 3 on the series on proper mechanics. Watch the very best officials be it college or high school and will see the proper mechanics being used from the first match to the last. When asked how do I keep the same tempo through a match or a tournament, I do this: Before every match, I look at the crowd and I pick one person, doesn?t matter who it is, but to me?that is the person who I imagine is not only is evaluating me, but ?can on the spot? give me the D1?s or the State Tournament, or whatever, based on how I referee this one match. If you make every match that ?one match? you will always be in top form. Spaghetti Wrestling ? When is control gained? You better know the right criteria. ? Know the criteria ? Enough said. ? Verbalize ? Still Neutral! Let everyone know what you are seeing. ? Be decisive. All part of selling the call ? Don?t Panic ? You will see it and know instinctually what to do at the right time. ? Don?t listen but don?t tune them out ? The coaches might just help you by them seeing something you don?t. Get into the right position. ? Be in the Proper Position ? Worse thing is to be out of position and try and sell a call. ? Sell the call!!! See all the above! Resolving ConflictDealing with Coaches ? Know the criteria better than any coach ? Listening skills ? Learn them and use them ? Flexibility ? Adapt and Adjust ? Willingness to change ? Understand you may be wrong! ? Agree to disagree ? Can?t win them all ? Eye contact ? Look the coach in the eye when you talk with him ? Don?t interrupt ? Give him his turn ? Know the rules ? You are the expert, act like it ? Who had the best angle? Were you in proper position? ? Understand what occurred ? Play it over in your mind?s eye ? There are always consequences ? Have courage to do the right thing ? Let the rules work for you ? Knowing the rules better than anyone is strong medicine. ? Make your own call ? Don?t be bullied by anyone. ? Be Consistent! Proper Use of Assistants ? Why? To get it right ? Extra eyes/ears/mouth/brain ? 51% to 49% - The lead is the voice ? First on, Last off ? Go to top of mat and see what occurs before and after ? Stay in the match/ No arms folded or in pockets ? 180 from the lead ? Stay outer circle ? Know the choices ? Neutral Position ? Clock start? ? Don?t block table ? Stay out of the way ? Catch but be ready ? Circle and close in during spaghetti ? Circle in and to head for falls/Keep standing ? Out of bounds? Catch Correctly Back/Side ? Front Head locks ? Open to your side? ? Fig 4 ? Scissors ? Know when to step in and stop match ? Line Calls ? What did you see? Simple stuff ? Falls ? Stay up ? Watch clock ? Be prepared for when time was out ? Second Period/Third Periods ? Refresh lead ref with cautions/warnings ? Know choice/Keep choice ? Stalling/Communicate if needed ? Don?t agree? Move away and talk ? Agree to disagree ? Great call? Tell him/Nod ? Second Period/Third Periods ? Refresh lead ref with cautions/warnings ? Know choice/Keep choice ? Stalling/Communicate if needed ? Don?t agree? Move away and talk ? Agree to disagree ? Great call? Tell the lead/Nod End of Match Procedures ? Declare Match Over ? Keep Both Wrestlers in View ? Good Handshake/Raise Hand ? Hesitate a bit before going to table if alone ? Assistant to top of mat ? Check Score/ Circle Winner/Fall/Bout time Summary ? Anticipate the action ? Work hard mentally, maintain Focus ? Know what?s coming ? Always consider priorities ? Arrive ahead of the action ? Know where to be ? Announce and signal clearly ? 5 P?s - Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance ? Be smooth ? Be in Control ? Be Confident CLEAR rulings, from GOOD POSITIONS, compliment the credibility of all calls. Rulings from poor positions, or delays, as you ?chase? the action, compromise the credibility of correct calls. Be a duck! If you walk like a duck and quack like a duck and look like a duck, people will think you are a duck. Same with being a referee. Act like one, look like one and people will think you are one! Perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. About the author, Fredrick Feeney: Fred, a long time Ohio wrestling official, is a member of the CDWOA, the CWOA and the NWOA, and is a moderator on several popular wrestling discussion forums. Fred's in-depth experience encompasses both scholastic and collegiate levels, having culminated with numerous assignments at the OHSAA State Tournament and NCAA Division II and III Championship finals. Fred and his wife reside in Dublin, Ohio. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/74-proper-high-school-wrestling-officiating-mechanics-part-3 Mon, 26 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/73-jim-zalesky-wastes-no-time-at-oregon-state BAKERSFIELD, Calif. ? The No. 16 Oregon State University wrestling team captured the Pac-10 Championship for the first time since 1994, edging the host Cal State-Bakersfield Roadrunners at the Icardo Center Sunday. The Beavers finished the tournament with a team score of 110 points, while the Roadrunners had 105 and UC Davis 96.5. ?This is a big step for this program,? first-year head coach Jim Zalesky said. ?We train all year for this time of the season. We talk about being champions and today we accomplished a big goal. I?m very proud of this team and I look forward to what is ahead for Beaver wrestling.? The Beavers won individual titles at 174 pounds and heavyweight. Jeremy Larson, ranked No. 17, defeated top-seeded Ken Cook of UC Davis 8-4 in the title match at 174. Larson?s win evened his head-to-head competition vs. Cook for the season at two wins each. ?We knew this was going to be a very competitive match judging from the past meetings,? Zalesky said. ?Jeremy knew what to watch for and to be ready for his opportunities. This was a very entertaining match.? No. 5 ranked and top-seeded Ty Watterson nearly shut out third-seeded Cody Parker of Cal Poly, before settling for an 8-2 victory. ?We tell Ty that when he wrestles his style, not too many people in the country are going to beat him,? Zalesky said. ?Cody took a couple of shots early, but Ty eventually took control. He wrestled a very solid match.? The Beavers also picked up runner-up points from second-seeded Eric Stevenson at 125, who fell 4-1 to top-seeded Tanner Gardner of Stanford. Bobby Pfennings forfeited the championship match at 133 to Darrel Vasquez of Cal Poly. Third-seeded Derek Kipperberg lost his 149 title match to top-seeded Morgan Atkinson of Cal State-Fullerton 8-4. Pfennings has been bothered by a nagging hamstring injury and the coaches decided that it would be beneficial for him to concentrate on becoming healthy for the NCAA Championships rather than risk further injury. Fourth-seeded Kyle Bressler took third place honors at 184 with a 9-0 victory over Brysen French of Oregon. Fifth-seeded Travis Gardner finished fourth after falling in the 197 match to third-seeded Jason Trulson of Arizona State. Unseeded Keegan Davis captured fifth place with an 8-2 win over six-seeded Daniel Alejandro of CSUB. The top three placers at each weight plus nine ?wildcards? advance to the March 17-19 NCAA Championships in Detroit. Pac-10 coaches were meeting at press time to determine the wildcards. OREGON STATE AT PACIFIC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS ? FINAL TOTAL FINAL TEAM SCORES: 1. Oregon State 110; 2. Cal State-Bakersfield 105; UC Davis 96.5; 4. Cal Poly 84; 5. Arizona State 76.5; 6. Stanford 72; 7. Cal State-Fullerton 69.5; 8. Oregon, 62; 9. Boise State, 58.5 10. Portland State 5.5. OREGON STATE RESULTS (Current National Wrestling Coaches Association national rankings in parentheses) 125, NO. 2 SEED ERIC STEVENSON ? Pinned Brad Caldwell, PSU, 3:31 in preliminary round; dec. over Josh Obregon, CPU, 4-0 in quarterfinals; dec. over No. 3 seed John Espinoza, ASU, 4-2 in semifinals; dec. by No. 1 seed Tanner Gardner, Stan, 4-1 in championship ? Stevenson finishes second. 133, NO. 2 SEED BOBBY PFENNIGS ? Dec. over Levi Jones, BSU, 6-3 in quarterfinals; dec. over No. 3 seed Omar Gaitan, UCD, 4-3 in semifinals; forfeited championship match (injury). Pfennings finishes second. 141, NO. 3 SEED (18) KYLE LARSON ? Dec. by No. 6 seed Teddy Astorga, CSUF, 4-2 in quarterfinals; dec. by Robert Galvan, ASU, 11-5 in wrestleback quarterfinals; 149, NO 3 SEED DEREK KIPPERBERG ? Dec. over No. 6 seed Shawn Haratani, UCD, 8-3 in quarterfinals; dec. over No. 2 seed Brandon Doyle, CSUB, 6-5 in semifinals; dec. by No. 1 seed Morgan Atkinson, CSUF, 8-4 in championship match ? Kipperberg finishes second 157, KEEGAN DAVIS ? Dec. by No. 3 seed Chase Pami, CPU, 10-4 in preliminary round; dec. over Kyle Bounds, UO, 9-5 in wrestleback preliminary round; dec. over No. 5 seed Jon Clark, UCD, 3-2 in wrestleback quarterfinals; dec. over No. 6 seed Daniel Alejandro, CSB, 8-2 ? Davis finishes fifth 165, NO. 6 SEED BRETT ARAND ? Major dec. by Daniel Atondo, CSUB, 16-6 in preliminary round; dec. over Jake McCoy, UO, 6-4 in wrestleback preliminary round; dec. by No. 4 seed Bryan Tice, CSUF, 10-8 in wrestleback quarterfinals. 174, NO. 2 SEED (17) JEREMY LARSON ? Tech. fall over Brian Lemmon, PSU, 20-4 (time n/a) in quarterfinals; dec. over No. 3 seed Nate Lee, BSU, 3-1 in semifinals; dec over No. 1 seed Ken Cook, UCD, 8-4 in championship match ? Larson Pac-10 champion 184, NO. 4 SEED KYLE BRESSLER ? Dec. over No. 5 seed Luke Smith, BSU, 4-2 in quarterfinals; dec. by No. 1 seed Greg Gifford, ASU, 6-2 in semifinals; Pinned No. 6 seed Ernesto Ancona, CSB, 1:31; dec over Brysen French, UO, 9-0 in third-place match ? Bressler finishes third 197, NO. 5 SEED TRAVIS GARDNER ? Pinned No. 4 seed Eliot Kelly, UCD, 5:11 in quarterfinals; major dec. by No. 1 seed (17) Matt Monteiro, CPU, 12-3 in semifinals; dec. over No. 6 seed John Drake, CSF, 1-0; dec. by No. 3 seed Jason Trulson, ASU, 13-1 ? Gardner finishes fourth HWT, NO. 1 SEED (5) TY WATTERSON ? Pinned Phil Doerner, SU, 2:18 in preliminary round; dec. Broc Maffia, UCD, 4-1 in quarterfinals; major dec. over No. 5 seed Colton Nichols, CSUB, 13-5 in semifinals; dec. over No. 3 seed Cody Parker, CP, 8-2 ? Watterson Pac-10 Champion. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/73-jim-zalesky-wastes-no-time-at-oregon-state Sun, 25 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/72-nick-simmons-breaks-msus-all-time-falls-record Senior records 46th-career pin in final home dual match. EAST LANSING, Mich. - The setting couldn?t have been more perfect. Wrestling in his final home dual on Senior Night, in the last match of the evening at 133 pounds, senior Nick Simmons became MSU?s new all-time falls leader by pinning Oklahoma?s Henry Roman in just 58 seconds Friday at Jenison Field House. It gave Simmons 46 falls for his illustrious career, passing Jim Mason, who collected 45 from 1980-84. "I just wanted to go out there and get it done with, get it out of the way so I wouldn?t have to worry about it at Big Tens or nationals," Simmons said. "It felt good though, to go out there and get that pin. It was good to get it on the last home dual match. Really, it?s good to just get it over with before it gets real hectic. Now I can focus on the task at hand, and like I?ve said, this record is only second tier for me right now." Simmons hopped on the wrestling platform at Jenison for the final time in his career to a standing ovation. The patient crowd had waited all evening for Simmons to break the record - and the Williamston native did not disappoint. He recorded a takedown less than 10 seconds into the match, and from there, it was only a matter of time. Simmons recorded near-fall points to go up 5-0 at the 2:19 mark, and with Roman on his back, Simmons positioned himself for the record-setting pin. It came just seconds later, at the 2:02 mark. Simmons then waved to the crowd on his way over to shake hands with Oklahoma Coach Jack Spates. "With Nick and Andy, I?ve said this over and over, there?s symmetry to their careers," said MSU head coach Tom Minkel. "And that was the case here tonight, as Nick breaks the all-time pin record in his last dual. We just drew the matches randomly at the beginning, and it worked out that he?s the last bout of the night. It?s like it was meant to be. At that point, you just knew. "I?m really, really happy for him. He exemplifies what aggressive wrestling is all about. He?s always trying to pin you, no matter what, so he certainly deserves that record." Although Simmons came away with the record, the No. 22 Spartans still fell short against the 14th-ranked Sooners, 24-15. Unfortunately, the beginning of Senior Night didn?t go to plan. Andy Simmons, ranked fourth at 141 pounds, entered his last home dual meet with a 20-1 career home record. However, in a shocking upset, he fell to redshirt freshman Kyle Terry in the first match of the dual, 4-2. Andy, who hadn?t wrestled since the Minnesota dual on Feb. 9 due to an injury, fell behind 2-0 after giving up a reversal at the 1:28 mark in the second period. He escaped five seconds later to make it 2-1, but gave up a takedown with 20 seconds left in the period. Entering the third period down 4-1, Simmons escaped with 1:16 left, but he couldn?t collect a takedown and lost by the final of 4-2. The Sooners (11-7) then went on to win the next four matches to take a 18-0 lead heading into intermission. MSU (3-11) got on the board with a forfeit win at 184 pounds, and cut the lead to 18-9 after Nick Palmieri came through with a 10-8 victory over Josh Hinton at 197 pounds. Oklahoma stopped the momentum in the heavyweight bout as Brad Farmer beat Alan O?Donnell, 6-3. In the marquee matchup of the dual, top-ranked Sam Hazewinkel held off MSU?s eighth-ranked Franklin Gomez at 125 pounds, 6-2. Gomez took a 2-1 lead with a takedown midway through the second period, but it was the only points he would get. Gomez quickly gave up a reversal and near-fall points just 20 seconds after the takedown to fall behind 6-2. Michigan State returns to action to host the Big Ten Championships March 3-4 at the Breslin Center. MATCH RESULTS No. 14 Oklahoma 24, No. 22 Michigan State 15 (Attendance: 645) 141: Kyle Terry (OU) dec. No. 4 Andy Simmons (MSU), 4-2; OU leads, 3-0 149: No. 2 Matt Storniolo (OU) dec. Jeff Wimberley (OU), 3-0; OU leads, 6-0 157: No. 11 Will Rowe (OU) dec. Tony Greathouse (MSU), 8-3; OU leads, 9-0 165: No. 18 Shane Seibert (OU) pinned Rex Kendle (MSU), 1:56; OU leads, 15-0 174: No. 8 Josh Weitzel (OU) dec. John Murphy (MSU), 8-5; OU leads, 18-0 184: No. 10 Joe Williams (MSU) win by forfeit, MSU awarded six team points; OU leads, 18-6 197: Nick Palmieri (MSU) dec. Josh Hinton (OU), 10-8; OU leads, 18-9 HWT: Brad Farmer (OU) dec. Alan O?Donnell (OU), 6-3; OU leads, 21-9 125: No. 1 Sam Hazewinkel (OU) dec. Franklin Gomez (MSU), 6-2; OU leads, 24-9 133: Nick Simmons (MSU) pinned Henry Roman (OU), 0:58; OU wins, 24-15 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/72-nick-simmons-breaks-msus-all-time-falls-record Sat, 24 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/71-oregon-state-narrow-favorites-to-win-pac-10-conference-tournament The Pac 10s are the first of 11 conference tournaments. From here on out the intensity of every match is turned up across the nation. Cal Poly started out as the front runner in this years Pac 10s but has been shaken by All American Chad Mendes deciding to sit this year out and a lack luster dual meet performances. Jim Zalesky has transformed Oregon State in what seems like a heart beat. If there is a front runner for this years tournament it is Oregon State. They are narrow favorites over Cal Poly and UC Davis. Jim will have to watch out for his older brother Lennie who heads the UC Davis squad that also has a legitimate shot at taking the title. In years past you could expect Boise State and Arizona State to be in the mix but this year has clearly been a rebuilding year and would take outstanding performances from Arizona State athletes to win it, while Boise State would need something next to a miracle. Below are the rankings for each of the weight classes: 125 1. Tanner Gardner, Stanford 2. Eric Stevenson, Oregon State 3. John Espinoza, Arizona State 4. Ryan Dunn, Oregon 5. Marcos Orozco, UC Davis 6. Brandon Zoetewey, Cal State Bakersfield 133 1. Darrell Vasquez, Cal Poly 2. Bobby Pfennigs, Oregon State 3. Omar Gaitan, UC Davis 4. Joey Lucas, Oregon 5. Thomas Kimbrell, Cal State Bakersfield 6. T.J. Dillashaw, Cal State Fullerton 141 1. Derek Moore, UC Davis 2. Justin Pearch, Oregon 3. Kyle Larson, Oregon State 4. Dave Roberts, Cal Poly 5. Matt Schumm, Cal State Bakersfield 6. Teddy Astorga, Cal State Fullerton 149 1. Morgan Atkinson, Cal State Fullerton 2. Brandon Doyle, Cal State Bakersfield 3. Derek Kipperberg, Oregon State 4. Eric Maldonado, Cal Poly 5. Cam Jones, Boise State 6. Shawn Haratani, UC Davis 157 1. Brian Stith, Arizona State 2. Chase Pami, Cal Poly 3. Tyler Sherfey, Boise State 4. Josh Zupancic, Stanford 5. Jon Clark, UC Davis 6. Daniel Alejandro, Cal State Bakersfield 165 1. Patrick Pitsch, Arizona State 2. Dustin Noack, UC Davis 3. Brian Perry, Stanford 4. Bryan Tice, Cal State Fullerton 5. Johnny Nunez, Boise State 6. Brett Arand, Oregon State 174 1. Ken Cook, UC Davis 2. Jeremy Larson, Oregon State 3. Nate Lee, Boise State 4. Luke Feist, Stanford 5. Nick Hernandez, Cal Poly 6. Rick Renzi, Arizona State 184 1. Greg Gifford, Arizona State 2. Zack Geisen, Stanford 3. Kyle Bressler, Oregon State 4. Tyler Bernacchi, UC Davis 5. Yuri Kalika, Cal Poly 6. Brandon Ceremello, Cal State Bakersfield 197 1. Matt Monteiro, Cal Poly 2. Brandon Halsey, Cal State Bakersfield 3. Jason Trulson, Arizona State 4. Eliot Kelly, UC Davis 5. Travis Gardner, Oregon State 6. John Drake, Cal State Fullerton 285 1. Ty Watterson, Oregon State 2. Cody Parker, Cal Poly 3. Andy Patrick, Boise State 4. Colton Nichols, Cal State Bakersfield 5. Chris Dearmon, Oregon 6. Broc Maffia, UC Davis Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/71-oregon-state-narrow-favorites-to-win-pac-10-conference-tournament Wed, 21 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/68-big-12-announces-wrestler-of-the-week IRVING, Texas ? Paul Donahoe (Nebraska) has been named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for his performances of Feb. 12-18, the conference announced. Donahoe receives this recognition for the first time in his career. Paul Donahoe, Nebraska, So. at 125 pounds. Donahoe went 3-0 on the weekend including an 8-2 win over No. 20 Matt Eveleth (Penn) at 125 pounds. He has won six of his last seven matches including two against ranked opponents. The Davison, Mich., native started out the season by winning 23 of his first 24 matches. He is 29-4 on the season and 15-3 in duals. 2006-07 Big 12 Wrestlers of the Week/Month November Maxwell Askren Missouri Fr. 197 December Ben Askren Missouri Sr. 174 January 22 Johny Hendricks Oklahoma State Sr. 165 January 29 Johny Hendricks Oklahoma State Sr. 165 February 5 Josh Wagner Missouri Jr. 149 February 12 Kurt Backes Iowa State Sr. 197 February 19 Paul Donahoe Nebraska So. 125 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/68-big-12-announces-wrestler-of-the-week Tue, 20 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/70-senior-budd-reaches-100th-career-victory-in-final-regular-season-bout The 100-win plateau is a special mark for any collegiate wrestler, one that signifies sustained excellence throughout an entire four-year career. So if a wrestler wins just seven matches in his freshman campaign, reaching 100 career wins might seem impossible. But for University at Buffalo senior captain Mark Budd (Orrville, OH/Orrville), that is exactly what happened. After struggling to make an impact early in his career, the Orrville, Ohio native has developed into one of the best 133-pound wrestlers in the nation. On February 17, Budd joined Kyle Cerminara, Gary Cooper and Josh Slate in the 100-win club at Buffalo when he defeated Rob Slavin of Binghamton by technical fall 20-5. ³When I got here, I expected to win but it never really crossed my mind (winning 100 career matches). It¹s an honor to be on that list of guys who have won 100,² Budd said of the accomplishment. As a freshman in the 2002-03 season, Mark Budd competed in the 125-pound weight class, earning just a 7-9 record. The following season was a transitional year for Budd, as he moved up to a more natural weight of 133 pounds and also redshirted. After struggling to a 13-14 mark out of the gate to begin 2004-05, Budd finished the season on a high, winning 10 of his last 12, including the 133-pound title at the New York State Collegiate Championships. That late season success was an indication of what was to come. Early in the 2005-06 campaign, Budd earned a sudden-victory win over Shawn Bunch of Edinboro, the nation¹s top-ranked wrestler at the time and the 2005 national runner-up. That win put Mark Budd on the national map and is when, Buffalo Head Coach Jim Beichner believes, Budd¹s mentality started to change. According to Beichner, ³We started to see Mark Budd change and saw him explode shortly thereafter, he started to believe in himself. He had a couple of wins and a couple of close matches against some really good competitors and something clicked, I think, mentally with Mark and he started to believe that he was good enough to compete with the best kids in the country.² Budd went on to compile a 38-6 record, a second straight New York State Championship, a MAC Championship and a number 13 ranking in the final National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) poll. In this his final season, Mark Budd has continued to be a dominant force, amassing a record of 32-4, making him only the second UB wrestler ever to post back-to-back 30 wins season. He won the UB Open and the Oklahoma Gold Classic and he currently ranks in the top 20 in all of the major wrestling rankings. In addition, Budd also currently sits fourth in career takedowns at UB with 106. With just the MAC and NCAA Championships meets remaining, Coach Beichner believes that more big things could still be in store for Mark Budd. ³He¹s been working hard and wrestling extremely well over the last couple of weeks, his confidence level is up, his energy level is up. The MAC Championships are first and you have to focus and concentrate on the winning that first and forget about the NCAAs right now. But obviously when you get there then the goal is to win that tournament as well, 133-pounds is a very competitive weight class?there are a number of guys that can win at that weight class and I believe Mark Budd is one of those guys.² Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/70-senior-budd-reaches-100th-career-victory-in-final-regular-season-bout Tue, 20 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/67-proper-high-school-wrestling-officiating-mechanics-part-2 In the continuation of this series on proper mechanics, officials should strive to work on the proper mechanic on calling a match, versus their ?own style?. There is room for ?personal style? but not at the expense of proper mechanics. 2nd Period - 3rd Period ? Have a system to know proper choices ? Flip and let the disk hit ? Don?t catch it ? Kneel to pick it up (saves your back) ? Verbalize so the table and both teams know who chooses what ? Do it same way every time ? Double check with table ? Know 3rd period choice with your system Starts - Referees Position ? Clear Directions: Bottom, top, or optional ? Bottom: see lines ? get the right angle ? Top: Feet location ? get the right angle ? Top: contact ? get the right angle (see a theme here?) ? Move to see what you need to see when you need to see it ? Establish a proper cadence ? Motion & Whistle as one action. Don?t cause a false start because of your own actions First Moves ? Near side arm chop ? Be on the near side ? Legs In ? Get on the open side ? Merkle ? Understand what it is and when control is established ? Three Quarters ? Be aware of the turn and ready for the fall ? Switch - far side. Don?t chase the tail. They go right, you go left. ? Scramble / Crawl - either side, not in front ? Optional starts ? Angles!!! If you don?t have the proper angle, one of the coaches will. Sit Outs ? Hands, Fingers - front or side. Watch for pull backs ? Snap back to near fall ? side ? Turn in ? side Control Position ? Standing ? Safety first ? How will the fall be broke when brought to the mat? ? Hands - front or side ? Can the bottom kid protect himself? ? Back Trip ? side position ? Front Trip ? side position ? Watch for the Whizzer or?Whiz. What?s the difference? Cradles ? Cradles happen ? watch the hands ? be in the correct position ? Roll Through - front position ? Straight back ? back position ? Inside shoulder - from top looking down ? Top and Side Views Blocked - Try rear view, up spine Bottom Position ? Sit outs ? Locked Hands? Stall? ? Stand Ups ? Reverse? ? Switches ? Re-switch possible? ? Granby's ? Back points? Who checks who? ? Optional Starts ? Turn in? Angles! Pinning Combinations ? Arm Bars, Half Nelsons ? Close enough to protect bottom wrestler ? Ahead of turn to see criteria ? Consider rotating in opposite direction ? Keep it legal! Blair Tilts? ? Guillotines ? Close enough to protect bottom wrestler ? Audible count ? Visible, Audible Signals ? Every time near fall criteria is met and lost ? Proper 2 seconds Out of Bounds/Line Calls ? Apply all of the above and be in the right position ? Be there ahead of the action. Much easier to sell a call when you are in the proper position. ? Straddle the line and then catch only if you need to. ? One of the worst times to be ?late? in getting into position. ? Focus first on supporting points ? Feet will move, control will not disappear ? Preferably, award any points earned prior to out of bounds signal ? Keep wrestlers in view coming back Next week we will focus on dealing with pins, tough calls and tough coaches. Treat every match as if your entire career is based on this one match? s evaluation. About the author, Fredrick Feeney: Fred, a long time Ohio wrestling official, is a member of the CDWOA, the CWOA and the NWOA, and is a moderator on several popular wrestling discussion forums. Fred's in-depth experience encompasses both scholastic and collegiate levels, having culminated with numerous assignments at the OHSAA State Tournament and NCAA Division II and III Championship finals. Fred and his wife reside in Dublin, Ohio. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/67-proper-high-school-wrestling-officiating-mechanics-part-2 Tue, 20 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/66-no-5-cmu-dominates-no-25-kent-state-34-3-to-win-mac-title MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan University locked up its ninth consecutive Mid-American Conference title with a convincing 34-3 win over Kent State Sunday afternoon in Rose Arena. The Chippewas won 9-of-10 individual bouts in extending their winning streak to 10 consecutive duals. The victory was CMU's 23rd straight in conference action and secured the program's 11th MAC title overall. It was also CMU's 17th victory this season, establishing a new single-season school record. After splitting the first two matches, CMU went on to post wins in each of the final eight individual bouts. Luke Smith opened the day with a 3-2 decision over Chad Sportelli at 125 pounds. Smith scored a takedown on the edge of mat one minute in, then built a riding time advantage of 1:45 in the first period. After a scoreless second period, Sportelli scored a takedown with just over a minute remaining to even the score at 2-2. Smith escaped just seconds later, however, to score decisive point. At 133, Conor Beebe built a 3-0 lead with an escape and takedown in the second period. Danny Mitcheff opened the third period with an escape, the scored a takedown 30 seconds into the period to even the score at 3-3. Following a blood timeout, Beebe scored an escape with 18 seconds remaining to take a 4-3 lead. Mitcheff, however, tallied a takedown at the buzzer and collected the riding time point for a 6-4 decision. Eric Kruger's takedown in the closing seconds of the second period was the difference in a 3-1 decision over Drew Lashaway at 141. Starting in the down position, Kruger scored an escape early in the second period, then took down Lashaway in the final 10 seconds to lead 3-0 entering the third. Lashaway's escape in the third accounted for his only points. Tyler Grayson evened his conference record at 2-2 with a 6-4 decision over Jason McGee. Grayson scored takedowns in the first and second period, then secured the win with a reversal midway through the third after starting the period in the down position. All four of McGee's points came via escapes. In his final appearance at Rose Arena, senior Andy Keller posted a 9-6 decision over Kurt Gross at 157 pounds. After Gross evened the score at 5-5 with a takedown in the third, Keller answered with an escape and takedown of his own to take an 8-5 advantage. Gross tacked on a late escape, but Keller also tallied the single point for riding time for the final three-point difference. Mike Miller controlled the action from start to finish in his 11-1 major decision over Sli Bostelman at 165 pounds. Miller tallied a trio of takedowns and built a riding time advantage of 4:35 in the win. The only point he allowed was an escape that he gave away in the third period. CMU extended its lead to 22-3 when Kent State's Aaron Miller was disqualified at 174 points. CMU's Brandon Sinnott was leading 11-3 at the time, and had been granted four unsportsmanlike conduct points during the course of the match after Miller repeatedly slapped Sinnott in the head. At 184 pounds, Christian Sinnott scored takedowns in each of the first periods on his way to a 5-1 win over Eric Chine. A third-period escape was the only scoring Chine would muster. Wynn Michalak had a 9-0 lead with he pinned Ardian Ramadani at 197 pounds. The fall was Michalak's eighth of the season and 34th in his career. At heavyweight, Bubba Gritter earned a 6-3 decision over Jermail Porter. Gritter built a 3-0 lead with a takedown late in the first period and an escape to open the second. Porter cut the deficit to 3-2 with a takedown midway through the second period, but Gritter escaped immediately after the restart. Porter, starting in the down position, drew to within 4-3 with an escape early in the third, but Gritter sealed the 6-3 decision with a takedown in the closing seconds. CMU now has two weeks to prepare for the Mid-American Conference Championships at Buffalo March 3-4. The Chippewas have won five consecutive conference tournament titles. No. 5 CMU 34, No. 25 Kent State 3 125: No. 18 Luke Smith (CMU) dec. No. 17 Chad Sportelli, 3-2; CMU leads 3-0 133: Danny Mitcheff (KSU) dec. Conor Beebe (CMU), 6-4; Tied 3-3 141: No. 17 Eric Kruger (CMU) dec. Drew Lashaway (KSU), 3-1; CMU leads 6-3 149: Tyler Grayson (CMU) dec. Jason McGee (KSU), 6-4; CMU leads 9-3 157: Andy Keller (CMU) dec. Kurt Gross (KSU), 9-6; CMU leads 12-3 165: Mike Miller (CMU) maj. dec. Sli Bostelman (KSU), 11-1; CMU leads 16-3 174: No. 7 Brandon Sinnott (CM) win by disqualification of Aaron Miller (KSU); CMU leads 22-3 184: No. 9 Christian Sinnott (CMU) dec. Eric Chine (KSU), 5-1; CMU leads 25-3 197: No. 9 Wynn Michalak (CMU) pin Ardian Ramadani (KSU), 5:56; CMU leads 31-3 285: No. 2 Bubba Gritter (CMU) dec. No. 19 Jermail Porter, 6-3; CMU leads 34-3 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/66-no-5-cmu-dominates-no-25-kent-state-34-3-to-win-mac-title Mon, 19 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/65-gophers-golden-amidst-blackout-in-iowa-city The top-ranked University of Minnesota wrestling stormed into Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday night and rolled over the 10th-ranked Hawkeyes with a convincing 29-13 victory. Iowa fans were encouraged to wear all black in an attempt to create a hostile environment, but the Gophers made the announced crowd of 8,274 mostly a non-factor, winning seven of 10 matches on the night. With the win, the Golden Gophers reached 20 wins for the fifth time in Head Coach J Robinson?s tenure and finished the Big Ten dual meet season with an unblemished record for the fourth time in his career and the first time since their back-to-back national championship runs in 2001 and ?02. The dual meet started with a battle between two top five opponents, as No. 4 Jayson Ness took on No. 5 Charlie Falck. Ness took control of the match early with a takedown just over a minute in and rode Falck out for the remainder of the first period. After starting down in the second, Ness took a 3-0 lead with an escape in the second. Ness built onto his lead with a quick takedown and two-point near fall in the third, adding the bonus point with 2:43 of riding time to get the 8-0 major decision. Iowa native Mack Reiter followed with a pin of Hawkeye senior Lucas Magnani in 5:38. Reiter scored two takedowns in the first period, the second one after countering a shot by Magnani to take a 4-1 lead. The Hawkeyes got six points back with a pin at 141 pounds, as Minnesota gave second-ranked Manuel Rivera a night off. No. 6 Alex Tsirtsis took true freshman Mike Thorn down 17 seconds into the match and simply wore him out on his back, getting the fall at 1:16. Thorn made his first start at the weight class after spending much of the year at 133. Top-ranked Dustin Schlatter got Minnesota back on track with a 5-2 decision over Alex Grunder at 149. Schlatter used a pair of first period takedowns to build a 4-1 lead and held off Grunder the rest of the way to earn the win. No. 6 C.P. Schlatter followed with a 9-4 decision over No. 16 Ryan Morningstar at 157. Schlatter controlled the match from the opening whistle, scoring three takedowns in the first period to open up a 6-3 lead. Schlatter got another takedown in the second and added the bonus point for riding time to make the final score 9-4, giving the Gophers a 16-6 advantage before intermission. Tyler Safratowich suffered his first loss at 165 pounds, falling by major decision to No. 4 Mark Perry, 10-2. Perry scored the first points of the match with a takedown midway through the first and added two back points at the end of the period to take a 4-0 lead. Down 8-0 in the third, Safratowich scored his only point of the match with a reversal, but Perry got an escape as time expired and added the bonus point for riding time to get the major decision. In a defensive battle at 174 pounds, No. 4 Eric Luedke escaped with a 3-1 overtime decision overtime over No. 14 Gabriel Dretsch. The two wrestlers traded escapes at the beginning of the second and third periods to send the match into overtime tied at one apiece. Dretsch nearly scored the winning takedown in the sudden victory period but could not find enough room on the edge of the mat. Luedke got the win with a reversal in the tiebreaker session to narrow the margin in the dual to 16-13. It was as close as the Hawkeyes would get, however, as second-ranked Roger Kish defeated Phillip Keddy in the next match with a 14-5 major decision. Keddy kept the match close in the first period, but Kish went to work in the second, scoring three takedowns in the period to build a 7-2 lead. Kish got three more takedowns in the third, the last coming with under 20 seconds remaining to seal the major decision and extend Minnesota?s lead to seven. After a scoreless first period at 197, Yura Malamura got an escape to take a 1-0 lead early in the second. Malamura added a takedown after a scramble later in the period and led 3-1 after two. Jordan McLaughlin tied the match with a reversal in the third period, but Malamura quickly broke free to get the deciding escape and seal the dual for the Gophers. With the outcome decided, Iowa forfeited at heavyweight to make the final score 29-13, and top-ranked Cole Konrad extended his winning streak to 67 consecutive matches. Minnesota now has two weeks off before the Big Ten Championships, which will be held March 3-4 in East Lansing, Mich. #1 Minnesota 29, #10 Iowa 13 125 - #4 Jayson Ness (MINN) maj. dec. #5 Charlie Falck (IOWA), 8-0 133 - #9 Mack Reiter (MINN) pinned Lucas Magnani (IOWA), 5:38 141 - #6 Alex Tsirtsis (IOWA) pinned Mike Thorn (MINN), 1:16 149 - #1 Dustin Schlatter (MINN) dec. Alex Grunder (IOWA), 5-2 157 - #6 C.P. Schlatter (MINN) dec. #16 Ryan Morningstar (IOWA), 9-4 165 - #4 Mark Perry (IOWA) maj. dec. Tyler Safratowich (MINN), 10-2 174 - #3 Eric Luedke (IOWA) dec. #14 Gabriel Dretsch (MINN), 3-1 TB1 184 - #2 Roger Kish (MINN) maj. dec. Phillip Keddy (IOWA), 14-5 197 - Yura Malamura (MINN) dec. Jordan McLaughlin (IOWA), 4-3 Hwt - #1 Cole Konrad (MINN) wins by forfeit Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/65-gophers-golden-amidst-blackout-in-iowa-city Mon, 19 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/64-northwestern-shakes-michigan-20-14 EVANSTON, Ill. -- Despite owning a significant advantage at the midway point, the No. 23-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team could not hold on, falling to No. 14 Northwestern 20-14 in its regular-season finale Sunday evening (Feb. 18) at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The dual came down to the final match, as the Wildcats rallied late with four straight wins to claim a narrow three-point advantage entering the 133-pound contest. Freshman Chris Diehl (Burton, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) could not find a way to score and had difficulty getting out from underneath as Northwestern's Eric Metzler sealed his team's victory with a 4-0 decision. Northwestern also carried the initial lead after top-ranked Travis Lang earned a technical fall at the opening weight of 141 pounds. However, senior/junior captain Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) kicked off a series of four Wolverine wins as U-M charged back to establish control in the dual meet. Churella set the pace early against the Wildcats' Marty Gould at 149 pounds with a quick single-leg takedown just seconds into the opening frame. The Wolverine captain, ranked third by NWCA/InterMat, initiated a game of cat and mouse in the latter periods, adding four more takedowns while accumulating 4:15 in riding time to claim a 15-5 major decision. Fifth-year senior Rob Sulaver (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn HS) claimed his second straight dual victory with a 7-2 decision against Dominic Marella at 157 pounds. The Wolverine struck first late in the opening period, scoring out of the scramble that immediately followed his double-leg shot off a restart. Marella evened the score early in the second when Sulaver was caught riding too high and the Wildcat wrestler dumped him from top to claim a reversal. But with a pair of escapes, including one to start the third frame, Sulaver maintained a narrow two-point edge. He sealed the win just moments later out of another scramble in which he spun around to score. Sulaver rode out the remainder of the period to gain 2:23 in riding time. Senior/junior captain Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) put on a takedown clinic at 165 pounds, scoring on seven attempts, including four in the first period, to claim a 16-5 major decision against Greg Hagel. The Wolverine, ranked second, scored on his low single at will in the opening frame and added a few counters in the later frames to give the Wolverines their first lead of the dual and remain perfect on the season at 21-0. In his first competitive match in more than a month, junior/sophomore Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) needed overtime to earn a 5-3 decision over Nick Hayes. Luke struck first with a single leg midway through the opening period, but the Wildcat wrestler neutralized that with an extra escape and riding time. Midway through the extra frame, Luke reached down for an ankle pick, and when Hayes lifted up his leg, the Wolverine blew through on a double to score the deciding takedown. The evening's marquee match at 184 pounds lived up to its billing as fourth-ranked junior/sophomore Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) fell just shy in his upset bid against top-ranked Jake Herbert. The Wildcat wrestler took early control with single-leg takedowns in the first and second periods. Todd, however, stormed back in the third as the wrestlers exchanged early takedowns. Earning his choice after Herbert's second injury timeout, Todd registered an escape and quickly locked up another takedown on the edge of the mat to knot the score at 8-8. With 16 seconds remaining and Herbert possessing time advantage, Todd cut him loose but could not score again, leaving the Wildcat with a 10-8 final decision. Northwestern claimed decisions at the next three matches to steal away the lead for good as the Wildcat wrestlers outcored U-M 16-2 in the three matches. The Wolverines will take a two-week break to prepare for the 2007 Big Ten Championships, scheduled for March 3-4 in East Lansing, Mich. Hosted by Michigan State University, the two-day tournament will be held at the Jack Breslin Center. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #14 Northwestern 20, #23 Michigan 14 Individual rankings from NWCA/InterMat 141 -- #1 Ryan Lang (NU) tech. fall Justin Chrzanowski, 17-2 (5:49) NU, 5-0 149 -- #3 Josh Churella (U-M) major dec. Marty Gould, 15-5 NU, 6-4 157 -- Rob Sulaver (U-M) dec. Dominic Marella, 7-2 U-M, 7-6 165 -- #2 Eric Tannenbaum (U-M) major dec. Greg Hagel, 16-5 U-M, 11-5 174 -- #6 Steve Luke (U-M) dec. Nick Hayes, 5-3 SV U-M, 14-5 184 -- #1 Jake Herbert (NU) dec. #4 Tyrel Todd, 10-8 U-M, 14-8 197 -- #7 Mike Tamillow (NU) dec. #20 Nick Roy, 4-0 U-M, 14-11 Hwt -- #4 Dustin Fox (NU) dec. Casey White, 6-1 Tie, 14-14 125 -- #18 Brandon Precin (NU) dec. Michael Watts, 6-1 NU, 17-14 133 -- Eric Metzler (NU) dec. Chris Diehl, 4-0 NU, 20-14 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/64-northwestern-shakes-michigan-20-14 Mon, 19 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/61-missouri-closes-regular-season-sick-and-with-loss Columbia, Mo. ? With several members of Missouri?s third-ranked wrestling team (12-3) plagued with the flu, the Tigers fell to UTC (16-1), 40-8, in the Hearnes Center. Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith was forced to forfeit at five weight classes giving the Mocs of UTC an automatic 30-point advantage. ?This sickness has been a nightmare,? Smith said. ?We?re slowly getting guys healthy, but it?s been hard training with so few bodies in the room.? After forfeiting at 125, 133, 141 and 149 pounds, redshirt freshman Dane Espinosa (Neosho, Mo.) made his debut in the Tiger starting lineup, wrestling at 157 pounds. Battling with Jake Yost, Espinosa suffered an 11-2 loss by major decision, scoring both points on escapes. Junior James Williamson (Blue Springs, Mo.) took the mat next for Missouri at 165 pounds. Coming off of a Wednesday night win against Old Dominion, Williamson faced off with T.J. Sayers and was held to only one escape in his 8-1 loss. Prior to the start of the afternoon dual, Missouri recognized its senior co-captains, Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) and Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.). Despite a bout of the flu, Askren wrestled at 174 pounds and extended his win streak to 78, earning a 10-1 major decision over 16th-ranked Lloyd Rogers. Askren took a 4-1 lead into the second period after recording two takedowns. Starting down to open the second period, Askren escaped and again took down his Moc opponent. Askren managed a final takedown with 10 seconds left on the clock, tacking on 1:16 of riding time for the 10-1 victory. ?Ben is by far one of the greatest competitors I?ve ever coached,? Smith said. ?He?s been great to work with these past five seasons. It?s been fun watching him grow and develop into the wrestler you see today.? Sophomore Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) extended Missouri?s win streak to two matches with his 16-6 win by major decision over Josh Edmondson. Jordan recorded seven takedowns in the bout and collected 2:59 of riding time. Missouri?s final bout of the day came at heavyweight after a Missouri forfeit at 197 pounds. Redshirt freshman Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) suffered a one point, 2-1, loss to 13th-ranked Matt Koz, earning his point off of Koz?s continual stalling. ?We?ll be ready for the Big 12 Championships,? Smith said. ?This bug that hit our team is on its way out and we?ll be back in the room training hard and preparing as soon as possible.? The Tigers will have two weeks to prepare for the 11th annual Big 12 Wrestling Championships held in the Hearnes Center, Saturday, March 3 beginning at 11 a.m. (CT). This marks Missouri?s third time hosting the league Championships since the formation of the Big 12 in 1996. In Missouri?s second time hosting, 2003, the Tigers were honored with their first-ever wrestling Big 12 Champion, Tyron Woodley, at 165 pounds. All session passes for the all-day event are $18 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. Those interested in attending a single session can purchase a ticket for $10 for adults, $7 for students and seniors or $4 for youth with a USA Wrestling card. All tickets can be purchased in advance through the Mizzou Arena box office, on line at www.mutigers.com, or by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS. REMINDER: BIG 12 MEDIA CREDENTIAL REQUESTS ARE DUE TO ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF MEDIA RELATIONS EMILY GATEWOOD NO LATER THAN MONDAY, FEB. 19. Wt. Wrestler vs. Wrestler: Result MU UTC 125 UTC wins by forfeit 0 6 133 UTC wins by forfeit 0 12 141 UTC wins by forfeit 0 18 149 UTC wins by forfeit 0 24 157 Jake Yost (UTC) maj. dec. Dane Espinosa (MU): 11-2 0 28 165 T.J. Sayers (UTC) dec. James Williamson (MU): 8-1 0 31 174 #1 Ben Askren (MU) maj. dec. #16 Lloyd Rogers (UTC): 10-1 4 31 184 #5 Raymond Jordan (MU) maj. dec. Josh Edmondson (UTC): 16-6 8 31 197 UTC wins by forfeit 8 37 HWT #13 Matt Koz (UTC) dec. #20 Mark Ellis (MU): 2-1 8 40 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/61-missouri-closes-regular-season-sick-and-with-loss Sun, 18 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/63-illinois-edges-ohio-state No. 21 Ohio State Wrestling Drops 19-18 Decision to No. 7 Illinois Buckeyes next head to 2007 Big Ten Wrestling Championships in East Lansing, Mich. COLUMBUS, Ohio ? The 21st-ranked Ohio State wrestling team lost a heartbreaker to No. 7 Illinois, 19-18, Sunday in Huff Hall in Champaign, Ill. After four lead changes, the Buckeyes (8-6; 4-4 Big Ten) held the 18-15 advantage going into the final match at 174 pounds, but were unable to hold on, as Illinois? Matt Winterhalter recorded a 9-0 major decision. Up next for Ohio State is the 2007 Big Ten Wrestling Championships March 3-4. Hosted by Michigan State University, the event will be held at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing, Mich. No. 3 Mike Pucillo (Fr., Cuyahoga, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) helped the Buckeyes jump out to an early 4-0 lead when he scored a 17-5 major decision over No. 16 John Dergo. Pucillo never trailed, ending the first period with a 4-1 lead on a pair of takedowns. He added five more points in the second session on two takedowns and an escape and concluded the period with a 9-2 lead. In the final period, Pucillo continued to dominate, putting up six points on three takedowns, plus a riding time advantage of 3:06. Pucillo also was awarded a point after Dergo was called for his second stall. With the Buckeyes trailing 6-4, after losses at 197 and 285 pounds, Illinois forfeited the 125-pound match, giving Ohio State six points and a 10-6 lead. At 133 pounds, eighth-ranked Jimmy Kennedy pulled the Fighting Illini within one (10-9) after decisioning T.J. Enright (Jr., Galloway, Ohio/Westland), 4-3. Enright was down 3-1 with 1:50 left in the third period, but tied the score at 3-all after recording a takedown with 45 seconds left. However, Kennedy notched an escaped with 39 seconds on the clock for the 4-3 win. At 141 pounds, No. 12 Cassio Pero defeated J Jaggers (So., Northfield, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel), 11-4, giving the Fighting Illini a 12-10 lead. However, No. 17 Lance Palmer (Fr., Lakewood, Ohio/St. Edward) pushed the Buckeyes ahead, 14-12, after beating Dan Zeman, 14-5. Palmer finished the first period with a 2-0 lead on a takedown and increased his margin to 5-0 at the end of the second after recording a takedown and receiving an additional point on Zeman?s second called stall. It was in the third session, Palmer took control of the match, notching three takedowns, an escape and 5:22 of riding time. Palmer also was awarded a point on Zeman?s third warning. Jason Johnstone (So., Massillon, Ohio/Perry) followed that performance with 8-0 win over Clint Arlis to give the Scarlet and Gray an 18-12 lead. Johnstone took a 2-0 lead on a takedown after the second period and increased his advantage to the final tally on two takedowns, an escape and a riding time of 1:52. At 165 pounds, No. 10 Chris Vondruska (Sr., Lakewood, Ohio/Hofstra) dropped a close 3-1 decision to 14th-ranked Roger Smith-Bergsrud in overtime. Even at 1-all in the extra period, Smith-Bergsrud scored a takedown as the final second ticked off the clock for the win. No. 21 Ohio State 18, No. 7 Illinois 19 OSU Illinois 184 - No. 3 Mike Pucillo mdec. No. 16 John Dergo, 17-5 4 0 197 - No. 12 Patrick Bond dec. No. 6 J.D. Bergman, 6-5 4 3 285 - John Wise dec. Corey Morrison, 2-1 4 6 125 - Will Livingston wins by forfeit 10 6 133 - No. 8 Jimmy Kennedy dec. No. 18 T.J. Enright, 4-3 10 9 141 - No. 12 Cassio Pero dec. J Jaggers, 11-4 10 12 149 - No. 17 Lance Palmer mdec. Dan Zeman, 14-5 14 12 157 - Jason Johnstone mdec. Clint Arlis, 8-0 18 12 165 - No. 14 Roger Smith-Bergsrud dec. No. 14 Chris Vondruska, 3-1 18 15 174 ? Matt Winterhalter mdec. Tommy Priestley, 9-0 18 19 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/63-illinois-edges-ohio-state Sun, 18 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/62-niu-wrestling-team-goes-3-0-on-sunday NIU Wrestling Team Goes 3-0 on Sunday in DeKalb Huskies score 99 points en route to sweeping the competition on senior day DeKalb, Ill. ? It was big day for the NIU wrestling squad on Sunday as the Huskies sent the Senior class out in style with three consecutive wins against Eastern Michigan, Southern Illinois ? Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois en route to an undefeated day of wrestling. Huskie seniors Mike Grimes, Johnny Galloway and Danny Burk along with junior Pat Castillo each recorded three victories on the day to lead NIU. The Huskies finish the regular season with a dual meet record of 6-4-1 overall and 3-2 in MAC competition. NIU vs. EMU After honoring Seniors Mike Grimes, Johnny Galloway, Danny Burk and Justin Metcalfe it was time for the Huskie wrestlers to get down to business against conference opponent Eastern Michigan. MAC wrestler of the week Pat Castillo, ranked seventeenth in the nation, roared out of the gates for the Huskies, picking up a 20-4 technical fall over EMU?s Jack Cassidy in the first match of the day. It would be Castillo?s first of three consecutive technical fall victories on the day and gave the Huskies an early 5-0 lead. EMU came back strong in the next two matches recording consecutive decisions to take a 6-5 overall lead. Then, it was time for Mike Grimes, ranked tenth in the nation, to pick up his first win of the day as he defeated the third ranked MAC wrestler at 149-pouns in Jermain Thompson with a key 5-1 decision to put the Huskies back on top 8-6. The Huskies found themselves in a dogfight with the Eagles who posted a decision in the very next match to take the lead back. It was up NIU?s Johnny Galloway, ranked nineth in the nation, to once again give NIU the lead as he escaped with a 6-5 win over the third ranked MAC wrestler at 165-pounds in Nick Conklin. Danny and Duke Burk, ranked eighteenth in the nation, picked up consecutive decisions to give the Huskies some breathing room as they went up 17-10 on EMU. Eastern Michigan closed the gap to four points with a decision at 197-pounds but then Dave Benner battled his way to a 5-1 decision over EMU?s Charlie Walker to seal the 20-13 win for the Huskies. NIU vs. SIUE In the second match of the day NIU faced off against Southern Illinois ? Edwardsville in the first of two intra-state battles for the Huskies. NIU?s Pat Castillo overwhelmed his second opponent of the day in SIUE?s Tommy Hill en route to a second 20-5 technical fall victory, once again giving the Huskies a 5-0 lead. After an SIUE forfeit James Aschenbrenner of SIUE bested NIU?s Will McDermotte with a 12-5 major decision to close the gap to 11-4 in favor of the Huskies. But, that would be as close as SIUE would get, after yet another forfeit Kalen Knull won a hard fought 3-1 decision to give NIU a 20-4 lead with five matches left. NIU?s Johnny Galloway then began a sequence three impressive victories for the Huskies with a 12-4 major decision over SIUE?s John Ficht. NIU?s Danny Burk pinned his opponent at the 1:44 mark and Duke Burk scored a 16-5 major decision over SIUE?s Jacob Petrie to give the Huskies an insurmountable 34-4 lead with two matches left. At 197-pounds NIU?s Nick McClone outlasted SIUE?s Tony Lyssiotis for a 1-0 decision and in the final match Dave Benner won by forfeit to give the Huskies a 43-4 win over Southern Illinois ? Edwardsville. NIU vs. EIU If the Huskies were tired after wrestling back-to-back matches they certainly did not show it against Eastern Illinois. Pat Castillo looked fresh and well rested as he wrestled his way to a third technical fall victory. John Weinart of NIU followed Castillo?s performance by recording a solid 6-2 decision over EIU?s Lenny Grodoski. Eastern Illinios forfeited at 141-pounds then Mike Grimes showed that Pat Castillo was not the only Huskie who could get a technical fall as Grimes picked up on of his own against EIU?s Tommy Reamer. Kalen Knull won his second match of the day with a 7-3 decision over EIU?s Kyle O?Tool to give the Huskies a 22-0 overall lead. Johnny Galloway then wasted no time in expanding NIU?s lead by pinning his opponent with 2:36 left in the first period. The victory gave Galloway three on the day and improved his record to 17-2 this season. In the match of the day Danny Burk found himself trailing 3-1 at the end of the first period against EIU?s Kenny Robertson. Burk fought back to tie the score at 4-4 going into the third period. The two warriors battled to a 6-6 tie at the end of regulation and were forced to settle the matter in overtime, where Burk ended it quickly with a takedown to make the senior a perfect 3-0 on the day and give the Huskies a 30-0 overall lead. At 184-pounds a hobbled Duke Burk was not able keep NIU?s shutout intact as Greg Perz of EIU got the better of Burk with a 3-1 decision. The Panthers forfeited at 197-pounds and EIU?s Joe Trinka outlasted NIU?s Dave Benner to end the days action with a 9-7 win for EIU. While Trinka won the heavyweight battle, Benner and the Huskies won the war with an impressive 36-6 victory over Eastern Illinois and a sterling 3-0 record on the day. Head coach Dave Grant said, ?It was a pretty good day, our guys wrestled tough. The seniors each went out 3-0. I?m proud of their commitment they have shown this year and every year they have been in our program.? The Huskies are off this week as they prepare for the MAC Championships to be held March 3-4 in Buffalo New York. NIU 20, EMU 13 125 NIU Pat Castillo def. EMU Jack Cassady 20-4 tech fall 5-0 NIU 133 EMU Chris Jenkins def. NIU Gralan Early 7-2 dec. 5-3 NIU 141 EMU Zach Donofrio def. NIU Will McDermott 12-10 dec. 6-5 EMU 149 NIU Mike Grimes def. EMU Jermain Thompson 5-1 dec. 8-6 NIU 157 EMU Cory Mancuso def. NIU Kalen Knull 9-2 maj. dec. 10-8 EMU 165 NIU Johnny Galloway def. EMU Nick Conklin 6-5 dec. 11-10 NIU 174 NIU Danny Burk def. EMU Josh Lewis 12-6 dec. 14-10 NIU 184 NIU Duke Burk def. EMU John McClure 8-4 dec. 17-10 NIU 197 EMU Tony Lyssiotis def. Nick McClone 4-2 dec. 17-13 NIU Hwt NIU Dave Benner def. EMU Charlie Walker 5-1 dec. 20-13 NIU NIU 43, SIUE 4 125 NIU Pat Castillo def. SIUE Tommy Hill 20-5 tech fall 5-0 NIU 133 NIU John Weinert by forfeit 11-0 NIU 141 SIUE James Aschenbrenner def. NIU Will McDermotte 12-5 maj. dec. 11-4 NIU 149 NIU Mike Grimes by forfeit 17-4 NIU 157 NIU Kalen Knull def. SIUE John Ruawitz 3-1 dec. 20-4 NIU 165 NIU Johnny Galloway def. SIUE John Ficht 12-4 maj. dec. 24-4 NIU 174 NIU Danny Burk def. SIUE Nick Young by fall at 1:44 30-4 NIU 184 NIU Duke Burk def. SIUE Jacob Petrie 16-5 maj. dec. 34-4 NIU 197 NIU Nick McClone def. SIUE Tony Lyssiotis 1-0 dec. 37-4 NIU Hwt NIU Dave Benner by forfeit 43-4 NIU NIU 36, EIU 6 125 NIU Pat Castillo def. EIU A.J. Ciccarelli 21-6 tech. fall. 5-0 NIU 133 NIU John Weinart def EIU Lenny Grodoski 6-2 dec. 8-0 NIU 141 NIU Will McDermott by forfeit 14-0 NIU 149 NIU Mike Grimes def. EIU Tommy Reamer 21-4 tech. fall 19-0 NIU 157 NIU Kalen Knull def. EIU Kyle O?Toole 7-3 dec. 22-0 NIU 165 NIU Johnny Galloway def. EIU Billy Gallo by fall at 2:36 28-0 NIU 174 NIU Danny Burk def. EIU Kenny Robertson 8-6 dec. in O.T. 30-0 NIU 184 EIU Greg Perz def. NIU Duke Burk 3-1 dec. 30-3 NIU 197 NIU Nick McClone by forfeit 36-3 NIU Hwt EIU Joe Trinka def. NIU Dave Benner 9-7 dec. 36-6 NIU Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/62-niu-wrestling-team-goes-3-0-on-sunday Sun, 18 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/59-sooners-upset-no-68-hofstra-21-13 Sooners Upset No. 6/8 Hofstra, 21-13 Oklahoma ends three-match skid NORMAN, Okla., ? The No. 11/15 Oklahoma Sooners (10-7, 0-5 Big 12) upset the No. 6/8 Hofstra Pride (17-4-2, 7-0 CAA) Saturday night at the Howard McCasland Field House, 21-13. "This is a real big win for our team and a lot of guy?s stepped up tonight to help us get the victory," head coach Jack Spates said. The Sooners recorded their first win since defeating Arizona State, 31-9 on Feb. 2. It is the team?s first win over a ranked opponent since the Lone Star Duals when Oklahoma defeated Navy, 30-9. The Sooners are now 5-0 all-time versus Hofstra. Sam Hazewinkel who has not wrestled since the NWCA National Duals returned to the lineup but did not get to wrestle as he won by a forfeit. Hazewinkel?s victory put six team points on the board for the Sooners. Kyle Terry came up big for the Sooners as he upset No. 8 Charles Griffin of Hofstra by a decision of 7-4 at 141 pounds. Terry and Griffin traded takedowns and escapes in the first period as the two wrestled to a 3-3 tie at the end of period one. The Sooner redshirt freshman from Midwest City, Okla., began the second period with an escape and than recorded a takedown to reach period three with a 6-4 advantage. There was no action in the final period but Terry added a point due to riding time to close out the match. "Kyle Terry got a big win for the team and himself tonight and it proved to be big. Will (Rowe) battled back against the No. 2 wrestler in the country and got a big win and I am very proud of him," Spates continued. No. 2 Matt Storniolo defeated No. 15 Mitch Smith of Hofstra by a decision of 6-4 at 149 pounds. Storniolo began the match with a takedown as the only points of the first period. Smith began period two with a reversal to tie the score. Storniolo countered with back-to-back escapes as Smith could only manage one more score as the Sooner senior added a bonus point due to riding time to finish the match. No. 13 Will Rowe proved huge for the Sooners at 157 pounds. The sophomore upset No. 2 James Strouse by a decision of 6-5. Strouse began the match strong scoring two takedowns as Rowe only managed two escapes in the first period. The second period only saw Strouse score an escape to take a 5-3 lead. Rowe began the third period with an escape to pull within a point. The turning point came with 0:11 seconds left as Rowe scored a takedown to win the match 6-5. "This is a great way for us to start wrestling heading into the postseason. Tonight was a great team victory and I could not be more happy with the total team effort we showed today," Spates said. After three consecutive setbacks at 165, 174 and 184 pounds No. 5 Joel Flaggert got Oklahoma going back in the right direction with a 4-2 decision over No. 11 Chris Weidman at 197 pounds. The two traded penalty points in period one. Flaggert scored an escape and a takedown in period two to take a 4-1 lead. Weidman could only manage an escape at the beginning of period three as Flaggert recorded his 26th victory on the year. Brad Farmer ended a three-match losing streak as he defeated Matt Pollock, 5-0 at heavyweight. All Farmer need was a takedown to begin the match as the two heavyweights went scoreless until 1:11 to go as Farmer added a reversal to take the match 4-0. The Sooners next travel to East Lansing, Mich,, on Friday, Feb. 23, as they close out the regular season when they tangle with the Michigan State Spartans at 7 p.m. Weight-By-Weight Results 125: Sam Hazewinkel (OU) winner by forfeit 133: Lou Ruggirello (HU) dec. Joe Comparin (OU), 6-2 141: Kyle Terry (OU) dec. Charles Griffin (HU), 7-4 149: Matt Storniolo (OU) dec. Mitch Smith (HU), 6-4 157: Will Rowe (OU) dec. James Strouse (HU), 6-5 165: Mike Patrovich (HU) dec. Shane Seibert (OU), 6-3 174: Alton Lucas (HU) dec. Josh Weitzel (OU), 7-4 184: Joe Rovelli (HU) maj. dec. Josh Hinton (OU), 12-0 197: Joel Flaggert (OU) dec. Chris Weidman (HU), 4-2 HWT: Brad Farmer (OU) dec. Matt Pollock (HU), 5-0 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/59-sooners-upset-no-68-hofstra-21-13 Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/58-penn-state-21-michigan-16 ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Despite a strong performance at the middle weights and bonus win at 165 and 184 pounds, the No. 23-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team fell one match short in a 21-16 loss against No. 11 Penn State in the home finale on Friday evening (Feb. 16) in front of 706 fans at Cliff Keen Arena. Senior/junior captain Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) claimed his 100th career win in strong fashion with a 12-3 major decision over Dave Rella at 165 pounds. Tannenbaum, ranked second nationally, converted on five takedowns and added 1:58 in riding time advantage to pick up his sixth major decision of the season and improve his record to perfect 20-0. Junior/sophomore Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) also captured a big win for the Wolverine squad at the 184-pound division, scoring a second-period fall -- his fourth of the season -- against the Nittany Lions' Phil Bomberger. Todd dominated throughout the match, scoring five takedowns in the opening frame to build up a six-point lead after three minutes. Starting the second period on top, Todd rode hard before locking up a near-side cradle to roll Bomberger to his back to collect the pin at the 4:48 mark. Despite the bonus wins late in the match, the Wolverine could never recover from the early deficit after Penn State claimed the opening three weights, including back-to-back major decisions at 125 and 133 pounds. Sophomore/freshman Justin Chrzanowski (Metamora, Mich./Lapeer West HS) put the Wolverines' first points on the board with a 7-2 decision at 141 pounds over the Lions' Bryan Heller. Chrzanowski claimed his points on the mat, countering errant shots by Heller in the first and third periods to force scrambles and score. In the second, the Wolverine scrambled for a reversal midway through and frame and added 2:22 in riding time to seal up his second dual win in three matches. Senior/junior captain Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) responded in kind in the subsequent bout at 149 pounds, scoring a takedown in each period to cruise past 16th-ranked Dan Vallimont 8-3. Churella early with a first-period single leg, added a double early in the second and sealed it up with another single late in the third, while accumulating 2:11 in riding time. Senior/junior Jeff Marsh (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) suffered a narrow defeat at 157 pounds as Bubba Jenkins used a takedown in the closing moments of the third period to take a 4-2 decision. Fifth-year senior Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS) hung with top-ranked Phil Davis in the final home appearance, but the Nittany Lion wrestler, last year's NCAA runner-up at 197 pounds, earned an early advantage behind a pair of first-period takedowns to claim a 6-1 win. The Wolverines wrap up the dual-meet portion of their 2006-07 slate on Sunday (Feb. 18), squaring off against No. 14 Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. CST start at Welsh-Ryan Arena. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #11 Penn State 21, #23 Michigan 16 Individual rankings from NWCA/InterMat Hwt -- #3 Aaron Anspach (PSU) dec. Casey White, 11-5 PSU, 3-0 125 -- #10 Mark McKnight (PSU) major dec. Michael Watts, 13-4 PSU, 7-0 133 -- #11 Jake Strayer (PSU) major dec. Chris Diehl, 13-2 PSU, 11-0 141 -- Justin Chrzanowski (U-M) dec. Bryan Heller, 7-2 PSU, 11-3 149 -- #3 Josh Churella (U-M) dec. #16 Dan Vallimont, 8-3 PSU, 11-6 157 -- Bubba Jenkins (PSU) dec. Jeff Marsh, 4-2 PSU, 14-6 165 -- #2 Eric Tannenbaum (U-M) major dec. Dave Rella, 12-3 PSU, 14-10 174 -- #5 James Yonushonis (PSU) major dec. Jordan Sherrod, 12-4 PSU, 18-10 184 -- #4 Tyrel Todd (U-M) pinned Philip Bomberger, 4:38 PSU, 18-16 197 -- #1 Phil Davis (PSU) dec. #20 Nick Roy, 6-1 PSU, 21-16 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/58-penn-state-21-michigan-16 Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/56-oklahoma-attempts-to-end-three-match-skid NORMAN, Okla. The No. 11/15 Oklahoma Sooners (9-7, 0-5 Big 12) host the No. 6/8 Hofstra Pride (17-3-2, 7-0 CAA) Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the Howard McCasland Field House. "Hofstra comes in with a great team and they are the only team to beat top-ranked Minnesota," head coach Jack Spates said. Hofstra enters the match with nine of its 10 starters ranked in the top 20 of their individual weight classes. The Sooners come in with five wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes. Last season Oklahoma defeated Hofstra at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, 26-15. The premier matches of the evening will pit No. 2 Matt Storniolo and No. 15 Mitch Smith at 149 pounds, No. 13 Will Rowe and No. 2 James Strouse at 157 pounds, No. 18 Shane Seibert and No. 6 Mike Patrovich at 165 pounds and No. 5 Joel Flaggert and No. 11 Chris Weidman at 197 pounds. "It is going to be a great meet because there are so many ranked wrestlers. The key for us will be surviving out of the gate because we don?t want to give up bonus points and we need to win the close matches," Spates continued. Sam Hazewinkel and Matt Storniolo will be honored during a pre-match ceremony as part of Senior Night ceremonies. And at halftime the Oklahoma wrestling program will honor John Kading, Michael Lightner and Teyon Ware for their selection to the Big 12 Wrestling 10th Anniversary Team. The Sooners next travel to East Lansing, Mich,, on Friday, Feb. 23, as they close out the regular season when they tangle with the Michigan State Spartans at 7 p.m. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/56-oklahoma-attempts-to-end-three-match-skid Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/55-spartans-back-home-to-host-indiana-and-penn-state-this-weekend The No. 22 Michigan State wrestling team (3-8, 2-4 Big Ten) returns home after a long road trip to Minnesota and Iowa last weekend to host No. 18 Indiana on Friday at 7 p.m. and No. 11 Penn State on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Spartans fell to the top-ranked Gophers, 35-4, and lost at No. 10 Iowa, 33-9. Second-ranked Nick Simmons won both of his matches over the weekend to improve to 30-1 for the season. He notched a major decision (13-0) over Minnesota's Mike Thorn for MSU's only win of the dual, then won by injury default over Iowa's Mario Galanakis. Simmons was up 5-0 on Galanakis before the match was stopped with 37 seconds left in the first period. Junior Joe Williams reached a milestone with his win in the Iowa dual, collecting his 23rd victory of the season, marking a new career high. His previous career best was 22 wins, when he went 22-8 his freshman year. The Orange, Calif., native is ranked 10th at 184 pounds with a 23-9 record. Although the final score was 33-9, MSU battled Iowa in several hard-fought matches. MSU was up 6-3 after Simmons' injury default win, but unfortunately gave the six points right back with a forfeit at 141 pounds. At 157 pounds, Tony Greathouse lost by one point to 16th-ranked Ryan Morningstar, 3-2, and Rocky Cozart led most of his match at 165 against fourth-ranked Mark Perry before falling 9-7. In the 174-pound match, John Murphy and No. 3 Eric Luedke were tied after regulation, 1-1, but Luedke had a riding-time advantage of 1:22 to collect the one point needed for the victory. In the opening match at 125 pounds, No. 4 Franklin Gomez lost on a last-second takedown in the third period to No. 8 Charlie Falck. No. 18 Indiana enters East Lansing with a 12-4 record, 3-3 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers scored wins over No. 23 Michigan, 21-15, and No. 12 Northwestern, 28-11, last weekend. Penn State, ranked 11th, did not wrestle last weekend. The Nittany Lions (12-5, 3-3) will head to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan Friday night before facing MSU on Sunday. In their last dual, the Lions defeated Iowa, 24-13, before a crowd of nearly 6,000 at PSU's Rec Hall. Penn State also defeated Northwestern, 25-8, that same weekend. The matches against Indiana and Penn State are the final duals of the Big Ten schedule. The Spartans close the regular season Friday, Feb. 23 against No. 14 Oklahoma at Jenison Field House. MSU hosts the 2007 Big Ten Wrestling Championships March 3-4 at the Breslin Center. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/55-spartans-back-home-to-host-indiana-and-penn-state-this-weekend Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/60-missouri-closes-regular-season-sick-and-with-loss Missouri Closes Regular Season Sick and With Loss ?Tigers Forfeit Five Weight Classes, Fall, 40-8 to No. 13 UTC? Columbia, Mo. ? With several members of Missouri?s third-ranked wrestling team (12-3) plagued with the flu, the Tigers fell to UTC (16-1), 40-8, in the Hearnes Center. Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith was forced to forfeit at five weight classes giving the Mocs of UTC an automatic 30-point advantage. ?This sickness has been a nightmare,? Smith said. ?We?re slowly getting guys healthy, but it?s been hard training with so few bodies in the room.? After forfeiting at 125, 133, 141 and 149 pounds, redshirt freshman Dane Espinosa (Neosho, Mo.) made his debut in the Tiger starting lineup, wrestling at 157 pounds. Battling with Jake Yost, Espinosa suffered an 11-2 loss by major decision, scoring both points on escapes. Junior James Williamson (Blue Springs, Mo.) took the mat next for Missouri at 165 pounds. Coming off of a Wednesday night win against Old Dominion, Williamson faced off with T.J. Sayers and was held to only one escape in his 8-1 loss. Prior to the start of the afternoon dual, Missouri recognized its senior co-captains, Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) and Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.). Despite a bout of the flu, Askren wrestled at 174 pounds and extended his win streak to 78, earning a 10-1 major decision over 16th-ranked Lloyd Rogers. Askren took a 4-1 lead into the second period after recording two takedowns. Starting down to open the second period, Askren escaped and again took down his Moc opponent. Askren managed a final takedown with 10 seconds left on the clock, tacking on 1:16 of riding time for the 10-1 victory. ?Ben is by far one of the greatest competitors I?ve ever coached,? Smith said. ?He?s been great to work with these past five seasons. It?s been fun watching him grow and develop into the wrestler you see today.? Sophomore Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) extended Missouri?s win streak to two matches with his 16-6 win by major decision over Josh Edmondson. Jordan recorded seven takedowns in the bout and collected 2:59 of riding time. Missouri?s final bout of the day came at heavyweight after a Missouri forfeit at 197 pounds. Redshirt freshman Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) suffered a one point, 2-1, loss to 13th-ranked Matt Koz, earning his point off of Koz?s continual stalling. ?We?ll be ready for the Big 12 Championships,? Smith said. ?This bug that hit our team is on its way out and we?ll be back in the room training hard and preparing as soon as possible.? The Tigers will have two weeks to prepare for the 11th annual Big 12 Wrestling Championships held in the Hearnes Center, Saturday, March 3 beginning at 11 a.m. (CT). This marks Missouri?s third time hosting the league Championships since the formation of the Big 12 in 1996. In Missouri?s second time hosting, 2003, the Tigers were honored with their first-ever wrestling Big 12 Champion, Tyron Woodley, at 165 pounds. All session passes for the all-day event are $18 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. Those interested in attending a single session can purchase a ticket for $10 for adults, $7 for students and seniors or $4 for youth with a USA Wrestling card. All tickets can be purchased in advance through the Mizzou Arena box office, on line at www.mutigers.com, or by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS. REMINDER: BIG 12 MEDIA CREDENTIAL REQUESTS ARE DUE TO ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF MEDIA RELATIONS EMILY GATEWOOD NO LATER THAN MONDAY, FEB. 19. Wt. Wrestler vs. Wrestler: Result MU UTC 125 UTC wins by forfeit 0 6 133 UTC wins by forfeit 0 12 141 UTC wins by forfeit 0 18 149 UTC wins by forfeit 0 24 157 Jake Yost (UTC) maj. dec. Dane Espinosa (MU): 11-2 0 28 165 T.J. Sayers (UTC) dec. James Williamson (MU): 8-1 0 31 174 #1 Ben Askren (MU) maj. dec. #16 Lloyd Rogers (UTC): 10-1 4 31 184 #5 Raymond Jordan (MU) maj. dec. Josh Edmondson (UTC): 16-6 8 31 197 UTC wins by forfeit 8 37 HWT #13 Matt Koz (UTC) dec. #20 Mark Ellis (MU): 2-1 8 40 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/60-missouri-closes-regular-season-sick-and-with-loss Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/53-proper-mechanics-part-1-start-of-match-and-takedowns We are at the start of the post season tournaments. How do you know if a referee at this level is doing a good job? Well, it really is all about proper mechanics. In my referee classes that I teach, I tell my students to always be a duck. If you walk like a duck, and quack like a duck and look like a duck, people will naturally think you are a duck. Same way with being an referee. If you are doing the things that make you look like you are a referee people will believe you are. When I watch a match, I very rarely watch the action of the wrestlers, I am usually watching the mechanics of the referee. Very quickly, I can tell if he is a duck or not. Next time you watch a referee work, watch his mechanics. Be it high school or college, that referee will very clearly will show you his ?feathers?. One other point, you may not agree with all a referee?s calls, but if his mechanics are correct, you can be assured, he knows what he is doing. Proper Wrestling Officiating Mechanics o Signals - clear and complete for all rulings o Position - optimum location to see what is required to make a ruling o 1st Rule ? Hustle! 2nd Rule ? Hustle! 3rd Rule ? Hustle o 2nd Rule ? Anticipate! Anticipate the action. Always be in position for the action to come to you. Credibility of rulings increases from optimum, stationary positions o Don?t anticipate the call, anticipate the move. That sounds like a contradiction, but it?s not. If you can ?feel? what?s coming and adjust your position or your visual focus on the right area, you?ll see the action better and you'll have a much better opportunity to make a correct call. Prior to Match o Arrive hour prior/Dressed appropriately o Proper Pre-Meet o Communicate with table o Assign right colors o G/R in book o Chairs matside? o How will tappers work? 4-3-2-1 Time! Start of match o Correct wrestlers? o Eye contact with timer o Start in close o Whistle & Motion all in one o Don?t create false starts o Look for Visible Lean o Back out quick ? Be prepared for a quick shot o Angles/Angles/Angles Signals - Points o Clear, High and Rotate o Use Approved Signals o Don?t Look at Table! o Maintain Focus o Check Table / Scoreboard after every period Neutral Position o Centered looking between wrestlers o Angles lie o Move laterally ahead of attack Takedowns - Single Leg Attack o Cross Face - front side, see face o Hands - front side, see hands / fingers o Front Trip - side, see top contact o Back Trip - back side, action comes to you o Lace finish - back side, see whizzer or cross leg control Takedowns - Double Leg Attack o Cross Face - front side, see face o Deep shots on mat - side view to see: o Control o Locked hands around back o Imminent near fall o Crotch / body lock lift effectiveness Takedowns - Front Head Locks o Change level as low as required, possibly down on mat o Location of lock / forearm o Inclusion of arm o Side without arm included o See any contact / pressure on the neck Takedowns ? Other types o Duck Under ? Anticipate where the throw might go. o Drags ? Don?t get out of position if it goes away from you o Ankle picks ? Don?t get in too close o Front trips ? Don?t let then trip into you, get further back o Back Trips ? Don?t let them trip so far away you can?t see everything o Spaghetti Wrestling ? Hold your call! Let it finish o Position yourself different for middle of mat versus line calls Next week we will look at the 2nd and 3rd period starts and referee position. To be prepared against surprise is to be trained. To be prepared for surprise is to be educated. About the author, Fredrick Feeney: Fred, a long time Ohio wrestling official, is a member of the CDWOA, the CWOA and the NWOA, and is a moderator on several popular wrestling discussion forums. Fred's in-depth experience encompasses both scholastic and collegiate levels, having culminated with numerous assignments at the OHSAA State Tournament and NCAA Division II and III Championship finals. Fred and his wife reside in Dublin, Ohio. Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/53-proper-mechanics-part-1-start-of-match-and-takedowns Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/49-oregon-state-beats-north-dakota-state CORVALLIS, Ore. -- North Dakota State jumped out to an early 11-3 lead but No. 18 Oregon State won the final six bouts to defeat the Bison 29-11 at the Gill Coliseum in front of 1,246 spectators on Sunday, February 11. North Dakota State (8-4) got victories in three of the first four bouts, beginning with Eric Hoffman defeating Jake Gonzales 8-2 at 125 pounds. Hoffman's victory pushes his personal winning streak to five and he has now won seven of his last eight matches. Oregon State (16-2) tied the match in the next bout with Eric Stevenson narrowly defeating NDSU's Eric Sanders 4-3. Gabe Mooney picked up his second win in as many nights, defeating Clifton Ivanoff by techincal fall, giving the Bison an early 8-3 lead. At 149 pounds, Ryan Adams would increase the margin to eight with a 10-9 victory over Derek Kipperberg. Adams' victory would be the last for North Dakota State on the day as the Beavers won the final six bouts on "Senior Day". OSU also defeated Stanford 31-13 earlier in the day. The Bison will look to get back to their winning ways in the final home dual of the season against Western Wrestling Conference opponent Northern Iowa at the Bison Sports Arena on Friday, February 16. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. No. 18 Oregon State 29, North Dakota State 11 125 ? Eric Hoffman (NDSU) dec. Jake Gonzales (OSU) 8-2 133 ? Eric Stevenson (OSU) dec. Eric Sanders (NDSU) 4-3 141 ? Gabe Mooney (NDSU) tech fall Clifton Ivanoff (OSU) 17-2 149 ? Ryan Adams (NDSU) dec. Derek Kipperberg (OSU) 10-9 157 ? Keegan Davis (OSU) dec. Adam Aho (NDSU) 6-3 165 -- Brett Arand (OSU) maj. dec. Mike Quamme (NDSU) 14-0 174 ? No. 19 Jeremy Larson (OSU) fall Warren Gall (NDSU) 5:33 184 -- Kyle Bressler (OSU) dec. Matt Hermann (NDSU) 4-1 197 ? Travis Gardner (OSU) maj. dec. Jacob Bryce (NDSU) 10-0 HWT ? No. 6 Ty Watterson (OSU) fall Justin LaGosh (NDSU) 2:49 Flowrestling http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/49-oregon-state-beats-north-dakota-state Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.flowrestling.org/articles/view/47-hawkeyes-pound-michigan-state-33-9 IOWA CITY, IA -- University of Iowa Head Wrestling Coach Tom Brands picked up his 30th career victory as Iowa pounded Michigan State, 33-9, Sunday afternoon at Ca