InterMat Staff

2021 NCAA All-American Clay Carlson (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Welcome to a new, regular feature for InterMat! Every day, for the next few months, we'll look into the recent history of a DI wrestling program with our "Ten Years of…" feature. Even if you're a die-hard supporter of a particular school, there will be good information you may have forgotten. For others, it's a quick way to learn about a program you may not be familiar with. We're going in alphabetical order for this one, so next up is...Stanford! NCAA Qualifiers (56) 2022 #33 Logan Ashton (125 lbs), #4 Real Woods (141 lbs), #23 Jaden Abas (149 lbs), #5 Shane Griffith (165 lbs), #26 Tyler Eischens (174 lbs) 2021 #26 Jackson DiSario (125 lbs), #21 Real Woods (141 lbs), #8 Jaden Abas (149 lbs), #17 Requir van der Merwe (157 lbs), #8 Shane Griffith (165 lbs), #27 Nick Stemmet (197 lbs), #25 Nathan Traxler (285 lbs) 2020 #28 Jackson DiSario (125 lbs), #3 Real Woods (141 lbs), #29 Tyler Eischens (157 lbs), #3 Shane Griffith (165 lbs), #12 Nathan Traxler (197 lbs) 2019 #20 Gabe Townsell (125 lbs), #31 Mason Pengilly (133 lbs), #14 Requir van der Merwe (149 lbs), #8 Nathan Traxler (197 lbs), #24 Haydn Maley (285 lbs) 2018 Gabe Townsell (125 lbs), Mason Pengilly (133 lbs), Paul Fox (157 lbs), #9 Keaton Subjeck (174 lbs), Nathan Traxler (197 lbs), #7 Nathan Butler (285 lbs) 2017 Gabe Townsell (125 lbs), Connor Schram (133 lbs), #3 Joey McKenna (141 lbs), Paul Fox (157 lbs), Keaton Subjeck (165 lbs), Peter Galli (174 lbs), Zach Nevills (184 lbs), Josh Marchok (197 lbs), Nathan Butler (285 lbs) 2016 #10 Connor Schram (125 lbs), #2 Joey McKenna (141 lbs), #13 James Wilson (165 lbs), Keaton Subjeck (174 lbs), Garet Krohn (184 lbs), #16 Nathan Butler (285 lbs) 2015 Evan Silver (125 lbs), Connor Schram (133 lbs), Garrett Schaner (149 lbs), #10 James Wilson (165 lbs), Nathan Butler (285 lbs) 2014 #13 Evan Silver (125 lbs), #11 Ryan Mango (133 lbs), #16 James Wilson (165 lbs), Kyle Meyer (174 lbs), Dan Scherer (197 lbs) 2013 Evan Silver (125 lbs), Bret Baumbach (165 lbs), Dan Scherer (285 lbs) NCAA Champions Shane Griffith (2021 - 165) NCAA All-Americans 2022: Real Woods (141 - 6th), Shane Griffith (165 - 2nd) 2021: Jaden Abas (149 - 7th), Shane Griffith (165 - 1st) 2017: Paul Fox (157 - 7th) 2016: Connor Schram (125 - 8th), Joey McKenna (141 - 3rd) 2015: James Wilson (165 - 8th) NWCA All-Americans Real Woods (141 - First Team) Shane Griffith (165 - First Team) Nathan Traxler (197 - Second Team) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Real Woods (2021 - 141) Nathan Traxler (2019, 2021, 197/285) Mason Pengilly (2019 - 133) Paul Fox (2018 - 157) Nathan Butler (2018 - 285) Joey McKenna (2017 - 141) James Wilson (2016 - 165) Ryan Mango (2014 - 133) Pac-12 Champions 2022: Real Woods (141), Tyler Eischens (174) 2021: Jaden Abas (149) 2020: Real Woods (141), Shane Griffith (165) 2019: Requir van der Merwe (149), Nathan Traxler (197) 2017: Joey McKenna (141), Zach Nevills (184) 2016: Connor Schram (125), Joey McKenna (141), James Wilson (165) 2015: James Wilson (165), Nathan Butler (285) 2014: Evan Silver (125), Ryan Mango (133), James Wilson (165), Dan Scherer (197) 2013: Bret Baumbach (165) Dual Record 2021-22: 5-4 2021: 5-3 2019-20: 11-4 2018-19: 9-4 2017-18: 7-5 2016-17: 10-3 2015-16: 11-4 2014-15: 11-4 2013-14: 17-5 2012-13: 6-16 Pac-12 Tournament Placement 2021-22: 3rd 2021: 3rd 2019-20: 2nd 2018-19: 1st 2017-18: 4th 2016-17: 2nd 2015-16: 4th 2014-15: 3rd 2013-14: 2nd 2012-13: 5th NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 19th (31.5 points) 2021: 17th (35.5 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 40th (5.5 points) 2017-18: 34th (8.5 points) 2016-17: 24th (16 points) 2015-16: 19th (24 points) 2014-15: 35th-tie (8 points) 2013-14: 40th-tie (7 points) 2012-13: 38th-tie (5.5 points) Head Coaching History Rob Koll (2021 - Present) Jason Borrelli (2008 - Present) Best Lineup (Comprised of Wrestlers from 2013-2022) 125 - Connor Schram: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#10 seed), 2016 NCAA All-American (8th), 2016 Pac-12 Champion 133 - Ryan Mango: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#7, #8, and #11 seeds), 2x NCAA All-American (5th, 6th), 2x Pac-12 Champion 141 - Real Woods: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#3 and #4 seeds), 2022 NCAA All-American (6th), 2020 NWCA First-Team All-American, 2x Pac-12 Champion 149 - Jaden Abas: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#8 seed), 2021 NCAA All-American (7th), 2021 Pac-12 Champion 157 - Paul Fox: 2x NCAA Qualifier, 2017 NCAA All-American (7th), 2018 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher 165 - Shane Griffith: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#3, #5 and #8 seeds), 2x NCAA All-American (1,2), 2021 NCAA Champion, 2020 NWCA First Team All-American, 2020 Pac-12 Champion 174 - Keaton Subjeck: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#9 seed), 2x Pac-12 Runner-Up 184 - Zach Nevills: 2017 NCAA Qualifier, 2017 Pac-12 Champion 197 - Nathan Traxler: 5x NCAA Qualifier (#8 and #12 seed), 2x NCAA Round of 12 Finisher, 2019 Pac-12 Champion, 2022 NCAA Qualifier/ACC Champion for Virginia Tech 285 - Nathan Butler: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#7 and #16 seeds), 2018 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher, 2015 Pac-12 Champion Recruiting Number of Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #2 Daniel Cardenas (CO), #9 Hunter Garvin (IA), #108 Brook Byers (CO), #117 Jack Darrah (MO) 2021: #82 Nico Provo (CT) 2020: #120 Kyle Rowan (OH), #182 Nick Stemmet (IL), #197 Charlie Darracott (GA) 2019: #11 Jaden Abas (CA) 2018: #25 Real Woods (NM), #28 Shane Griffith (NJ) 2016: #36 Nathan Traxler (IL), #49 Brandon Dallavia (NJ), #61 Requir van der Merwe (NJ) 2015: #141 Austin Flores (CA), #149 David Shownumi (PA) 2014: #8 Joey McKenna (NJ), #71 Mason Pengilly (CA), #80 Paul Fox (CA), #87 Brian Rossi (IL), #108 Isaiah Locsin (CA), #127 Boomer Fleming (OR) 2013: #25 Connor Schram (PA), #69 Nathan Butler (KS), #90 Garet Krohn (CO), #192 Tommy Pawleski (IL) For past teams: Air Force American Appalachian State Arizona State Army West Point Binghamton Bloomsburg Brown Bucknell Buffalo Cal Poly Campbell Central Michigan Chattanooga Clarion Cleveland State Columbia Cornell CSU Bakersfield Davidson Drexel Duke Edinboro Franklin & Marshall Gardner-Webb George Mason Harvard Hofstra Illinois Indiana Iowa Iowa State Kent State Lehigh Lock Haven Maryland Michigan Michigan State Minnesota Missouri Navy NC State Nebraska North Carolina North Dakota State Northern Colorado Northern Illinois Northern Iowa Northwestern Ohio Ohio State Oklahoma Oklahoma State Oregon State Penn Penn State Pittsburgh Princeton Purdue Rider Rutgers Sacred Heart SIU Edwardsville South Dakota State

Bo Nickal at the 2020 Olympic Trials (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The UFC has a rare weekend off and this weekend in the MMA world overall is not particularly stacked. However, there are a few key fights that wrestling fans might not want to miss. Friday: Bellator 285 Benson Henderson vs. Peter Queally On Friday, Bellator returns to Ireland for a show headlined by a former UFC champion. Henderson will take on Dublin native Queally. During his collegiate days, Henderson wrestled for Dana College. At the NAIA school, he was a two-time All-American. He finished fifth at 157 pounds as both a junior and senior, and he exhausted his eligibility in 2006. Later that same year, Henderson made his professional MMA debut. In 2010, he defeated Jamie Varner for the WEC lightweight title, but dropped the belt to Anthony Pettis' on the promotion's final show before it was absorbed into the UFC. Two years later, Henderson defeated Frankie Edgar for the UFC lightweight title. He defended the belt three times before losing it to Pettis. Henderson joined Bellator in 2016. He has fought for both the Bellator welterweight and lightweight titles, but came up short in each challenge. Queally has been fighting professionally since 2012. He signed with Bellator in 2019 and has gone 2-2 with the promotion. In his last fight, Queally faced off against Patricky "Pitbull" Freire with the vacant Bellator lightweight title on the line and suffered a second-round knockout. Yoel Romero vs. Melvin Manhoef Romero was a six-time World/Olympic medalist in freestyle for Cuba. He won a gold medal at 85 kg in 1999 and followed that up with a silver medal at the 2000 Olympic Games. Romero was also a multiple-time champion at the Pan American Games/Championships where he picked up victories over Americans Tommy Rowlands, Brandon Eggum, Andy Hrovat, and Cael Sanderson. In 2007, Romero defected to Germany where he also started his MMA career. In 2011, he signed with UFC where he won his first eight fights to earn a shot at the interim middleweight championship against Robert Whittaker. Romero ultimately came up short in an instant classic fight. He left the UFC in 2020 after dropping a decision against middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. He has fought twice since for Bellator. Romero dropped a decision against former Penn State wrestler Phil Davis and then defeated former Northwestern wrestler Alex Polizzi. Manhoef is a veteran of 50 MMA bouts and 52 kickboxing fights. Over the course of his career, he has picked up victories over the likes of Mark Hunt, Kazushi Sakuraba and Remy Bonjasky. The well-traveled veteran has been fighting exclusively with Bellator since 2014 and has gone 4-4 with the promotion. In his last fight, he lost via second-round knockout against former Wisconsin-Whitewater wrestler Corey Anderson. The main card of Bellator 285 will air live on Showtime at 4:00pm ET. Tuesday: Dana White's Contender Series 2022: Week 10 Bo Nickal vs. Donovan Beard Last month Nickal had his second professional MMA fight on week three of the Contender Series, and he won the bout in only 62 seconds. Nickal did not even absorb a single strike. While he was not awarded a UFC contract, he was invited back for a second fight. Beard might not have the higher profile in this fight, but he does have an edge in experience. He holds a 7-1 record as a professional and is coming off a fourth-round submission victory over Miles Lee for the Cage Fury FC middleweight title. The victory over Lee is an interesting wrinkle in this fight. While Lee clearly does not have the wrestling credentials of Nickal, he did finish fifth in Pennsylvania as a senior and made the Fargo finals in 2017 before coming up short against current Iowa wrestler Jacob Warner. Nickal, of course, was a four-time NCAA finalist and three-time champion. He won the Hodge Trophy following his senior year where he went undefeated and won his third title. Nickal continued to wrestle on the freestyle circuit and won a gold medal at the 2019 U23 World Championships. Nickal then mostly turned his attention to MMA. He fought twice as an amateur in 2021 and scored two quick finishes. Earlier this year, he turned professional and has won both of his fights in a combined 95 seconds. DWCS Week 10 will air live on ESPN+ at 8:00pm ET. The bout between Nickal and Beard is expected to be the main event.

Austin Gomez in the 2022 Big Ten Semifinals (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) It's officially preseason for NCAA Wrestling. It's time to really start reflecting on what's to come. Storylines, potential matchups, events, and all of the spectacle and fanfare that come with a college wrestling season. That being said, I'm here to do my job, which is to highlight some of those things and get you excited about what's to come. I aim for this to help you prepare your mind and body for what will undoubtedly be an excellent season of college wrestling. Similar in some ways to what it must have been like for Louden Swain to prepare for the biggest match of his life. This is why I'm going to use quotes from the 1985 movie Vision Quest to remind us of some of the exciting things we have to look forward to this season. Being that I'm a Big Ten Correspondent, this will focus on the Big Ten primarily. So let's get it started, and let's get it started in the best way possible, with the quote that opens the movie. "My name's Louden, Louden Swain. Last week I turned 18. I wasn't ready for it. I haven't done anything yet. So I made this deal with myself. This is the year I make my mark." - Louden Swain The whole premise of the movie is basically laid out here. A young man who feels he hasn't made his mark, and makes the drastic decision to cut 20 or so pounds to make 168 and wrestle Brian Shute. For those who don't know, he's generally understood as less of a man and more of a god, and wrestling him might as well be a death sentence. That didn't bother Louden. He set his sights on a goal and went for it. The other piece which is important here is that he saw it as his last chance. This was his senior year, and now he was legally a man, but didn't feel like one. It was now or never. I imagine that same feeling resonates with many of the Seniors who haven't yet become All-Americans. This is not an attempt to disparage the tremendous careers of some excellent wrestlers, but simply to point out that despite a lot of success, they haven't reached the podium. We all have some of our favorite wrestlers who always got close, but seemed to fall just short, and it's heartbreaking every time. For fans, coaches, and athletes for sure. This isn't designed to apply pressure to these athletes, but rather to have them embrace the naive courage of Louden Swain. Here is a list of the guys with one more chance to make their mark: Malik Heinselman, Ohio State, 125 Jack Medley, Michigan, 125 Liam Cronin, Nebraska, 125 Boo Dryden, Nebraska, 133 Cale Davidson, Nebraska, 285 Parker Filius, Purdue, 141 Max Murin, Iowa, 149 (voted an All-American in the 2020 season, but I imagine standing on the podium is still a driving factor in his return this year) Garrett Model of Wisconsin, 157 Bailee O'Reilly, Minnesota, 174 Michial Foy, Minnesota, 197 Matt Finesilver, Michigan, 184 Cam Caffey, Michigan State, 197 Andrew Davison, Northwestern, 197 Jaron Smith, Maryland, 285 For the athletes on this list, I hope you make a deal with yourself. This is the year you make your mark. Onto the next quote. "But all I ever settled for is that we're born to live and then to die, and… we got to do it alone, each in his own way. And I guess that's why we gotta love those people who deserve it like there's no tomorrow. 'Cause when you get right down to it - there isn't." - Louden Swain This is the end of the movie. Last line that Louden delivers as Steve Perry of Journey passionately sings "Only the Young". It's an iconic shot of him being held up by his team (despite the fact that the dual is clearly not over yet. I can't imagine the team point implications here. Not good for Thompson High. Act like you've been there before.) This goes to another batch of Seniors. Some of the ones who, looking back, we are going to feel so lucky that we got to watch. Spencer Lee is coming back after his series of knee issues, and you know he's going to wrestle like there's no tomorrow. Roman Bravo Young, this is his last ride. There are Gable Steveson rumors that he'll be back, which until recently I thought were erroneous… Now I think it's more likely than not that he will return for one last ride. Max Dean going to match his brother for NCAA Championships, Mason Parris with one final shot to win an NCAA title. The Big Ten is full of guys who deserve it like there's no tomorrow. And for them, there is no tomorrow. These are the guys I'm ready to cheer for one last time in their college singlets. Alright Vision Quest, what do we have next? "I got a bulletin for you, Otto: wrestling is not a team sport! When you're out there on the mat with another guy who's quicker and faster than you, there's not a whole helluva' lot a team can do for you." - Louden Swain Philosophically, I disagree with this in many ways. However, I'm being dishonest if I don't agree that in the literal sense, it's accurate. Regardless, this is a way for me to focus on some of the individual contributors on some Big Ten teams that likely won't be battling for a trophy in March, but nonetheless, you should watch for some of their standouts. Maryland has Jaxon Smith at 197, who took fifth at U23s this summer. He's been a focus of mine, so this shouldn't come as a shock, but also look for Ethen Miller at 141 to jump into the fold right away, as well as Braxton Brown at 125. Indiana has Cayden and Graham Rooks at 141 and 149, both of whom have been solid contributors for them. The Hoosiers also have Derek Gilcher at 157 and Donnell Washington at 184. Washington at one point got a win over Carter Starocci when they were freshmen at 174, and at times last year looked like an All-American contender. I think that Purdue is going to be a top half of the Big Ten team next year, but I also feel like they need more recognition for some of their studs. They lose Schroder at 125, but Matt Ramos will be going down to 125, and has looked good at that weight. We also get Kendall Coleman with another year of recovering from a tough knee injury. Remember, he didn't get back on the mat until just before last season started. You've also got Stoney Buell expected to jump into the lineup for them, a big recruit out of Dundee High School in Michigan, who could have a big impact. Another team worth mentioning here is Northwestern. They actually don't really fit the quote, since as a team last year they qualified all 10 wrestlers to the tournament, so literally, their whole team was there to train with and cheer for each other. Regardless, this is a team that had 4 All-Americans, three of them returning, and a National Champion (not returning), and yet I don't feel there's a lot of talk about them. So that's what I'm doing here. Talking about them. Although now we are talking about teams that qualified all of their wrestlers a year ago and had a National Champion. This quote got out of hand. Let's bring it back to something fun. "Hey, Carla? I'd do it again" - Louden Swain "So would I" - Carla If you don't know what this quote is referring to, then I'm surprised you've made it this far in the article. Also, stop reading it and watch Vision Quest immediately, then come back and finish reading… (for those who this applies to) Welcome back! Okay, this is Austin Gomez, right? Can you think of a more fun guy to watch wrestle that for a moment we didn't think we'd get to watch wrestle again? He was so dynamic at Iowa State, and was as dangerous as they get. A blue-chip recruit who seemed more comfortable throwing (literally and figuratively) caution to the wind to win. Scared money don't make money right? He transfers to Wisconsin, bumps up two weights, and wins the Big Ten title by beating an NCAA finalist in the process. It wasn't the easiest path, and there were some difficulties along the way, but I like to think he'd do it again. Oh wait, he will. One last ride for Austin Gomez, and I've got my popcorn ready. What's next? "Big guys aren't better. 168 happens to be the toughest division in the state - maybe in the whole god d*** world." - Louden Swain This isn't 100% accurate. He's 3 pounds off. Do you realize that 165 this year will have 3 NCAA Champs, an NCAA finalist, and several returning All-Americans? Not to mention both David Carr and Keegan O'Toole had won U20 World Titles as well. This weight is so deep that you had Patrick Kennedy and Alex Facundo ranked 17th and 24th to start the year. As far as the Big Ten is concerned, we'll get Cam Amine (Michigan), Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin), Carson Kharchla (Ohio State), Bubba Wilson (Nebraska), Patrick Kennedy (Iowa), Alex Facundo (Penn State), and Andrew Sparks (Minnesota) currently ranked by us here at Intermat, so we'll have that to look forward to, which is nice. "I was in the room here one day... watchin' the Mexican channel on TV. I don't know nothin' about Pele. I'm watchin' what this guy can do with a ball and his feet. Next thing I know, he jumps in the air and flips into a somersault and kicks the ball in - upside down and backwards... the god***** goalie never knew what the f*** hit him. Pele gets excited and he rips off his jersey and starts running around the stadium waving it around his head. Everybody's screaming in Spanish. I'm here, sitting alone in my room, and I start crying. [pause] That's right, I start crying. Because another human being, a species that I happen to belong to, could kick a ball, and lift himself, and the rest of us sad-assed human beings, up to a better place to be, if only for a minute... let me tell ya, kid - it was pretty god***** glorious. It ain't the six minutes... it's what happens in that six minutes." - Elmo This is the quote everyone knows. This is the one that really, perfectly, puts everything into perspective. It reminds everyone why what we are about to see is important. Keep in mind, when Elmo says this to Louden, he hasn't wrestled the match yet. He hasn't even made weight yet! This is an impromptu speech by a hotel cook. And d*** does it hit. My Big Ten equivalence won't match this speech, but not much can. I just think of the several rounds of 6 minutes that we'll get to begin the Big Ten season with at the MSU Open, and finish the Big Ten season with at the Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor. It's going to be a tremendous season, clearly with a lot to look forward to. Just let it soak in for a moment. With every six-minute match (7 minutes, I guess, but let's not miss the point here) in these tournaments, we'll get to see to pretty god***** glorious things happen. "I'm speechless. You've broken new ground here, Louden! This is professional stuff! We're gonna' draaaggg this dinky school paper right into the twentieth century! I mean, where do you get your ideas?" - Margie Epstein This encapsulates Earl Smith's reaction to editing this piece before it was published. Onto the next one. "I don't know. Nobody likes to think about it (death). I don't like to think about it. But if you don't, you might go through life thinking you've got plenty of time. You put off the really important stuff until later, and pretty soon, before you know it, there's no more time left, you've blown it." - Louden Swain I never realized how much this movie focuses on life and death. Up until looking for quotes from the movie for this assignment, I thought this movie was about wrestling and a weird kid with impeccable balance. Turns out it's about something much more than the face-value content offered. Anyway, I'm choosing to connect this with a team that is full of dudes who have made the most of every minute of their time. A team that won't have to look back on their life at the end and wish that they had done more with their time. Penn State. Regardless of your allegiances, it's impossible to reasonably look at what Cael and company have done and not be completely amazed. I am a Detroit Pistons fan, and as such developed healthy hatreds for the San Antonio Spurs, as well as LeBron James. Looking back, I spent a long time hating some pretty amazing teams and players over the last 20 years of the NBA, and I kind of wish I had appreciated it more in the moment. I didn't, and I can't have that time back. I blew it. Don't do that with these teams. Appreciate them for what they are. Historically great. This year's team brings back three guys going for their third National Title (RBY, Starocci, and Brooks), a dude going for his second National Title (Max Dean), and Kerkvliet starting the year ranked second at Heavyweight. Beau Bartlett dropping to 141, and Alex Facundo stepping into their lineup at 165. They won the NCAA title last year, and still return 5 AA's, and 8 NCAA Qualifiers. This team has been so good that it would be a shame if you didn't take a moment to appreciate what they've been able to do in the past, and what they aim to do this season. Don't put off appreciating them before there's no more time left and you've blown it. I hope this lights your pilot light for the upcoming NCAA wrestling season. Rock on! The 2022 NCAA Champion Penn State Nittany Lions (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)

Princeton Director of Operations Julia Salata (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Growing up, Julia Salata was always surrounded by boys. Being an only child, she was at the mercy of the children in her neighborhood – which happened to be very male-dominant. Because of this, she gravitated towards the things boys like so she would fit in – from tackle football, street hockey, and whatever else young boys used to do before today's technology-driven activities. She remembers watching WWE SummerSlam on VHS and loving every second of it. She grew to love pro wrestling while other girls her age were watching Disney movies and playing dress-up. Simpler times. Her personal wrestling debut came in eighth grade when her middle school was starting up a wrestling program for the first time ever. Already playing sports like hockey, softball, volleyball, track and field (just to name a few), she begged her mom to let her sign up. After a warning from her mother saying, “this is not like what you watch on TV,” Julia continued to convince her mom that this is what she wanted to do. Once she won districts, the rest is history. What's even more impressive, is that she had to compete against all boys. Some of the boys she beat were club guys who were expected to make some noise at the high school level. She saw success immediately. Her future high school coach saw her performance and just had to have her on the team. This would be the first female he's ever coached on his high school team. Little did she know, her life was going to change. Quick sidebar to set the stage and remind people of the days before women were given the equal opportunity they have now in terms of scholastic wrestling. If women wanted to wrestle for their school, they were wrestling boys. Up until college, most women had to find success while battling it out with boys their age and size (unless competing at Fargo or similar national tournaments). Once it was time for college, the number of options for women wrestlers was very slim. We have come a long way since then, but it is always nice to remember how things used to be. To put it into perspective, Julia said “I was maybe 1 of 20 girls wrestling in the state of Michigan at the time.” Because of this, Julia is still fully engaged in her role at Wrestle Like a Girl. Her position as Sr. Manager of Women's Collegiate Advancement is playing a vital part in helping the NCAA establish, facilitate, and legitimize the growing need and demand for women's wrestling. More on that later. Back to Julia's inspiration to continue to pursue wrestling. She was JV her first season, ending the season with a .500 record. She participated in Fargo that year as well. Although she was disappointed that she didn't place, she witnessed one of her friends, CC Weber, claim a Women's Fargo National Title. This was the motivation she needed. Well, that plus one other thing… Julia's father and her made a deal. If Julia won Fargo the following year, she would be allowed to get a tattoo. After witnessing her first season with an average-at-best record, her father agreed, really liking his odds. Guess who ended up getting a tattoo the following year. A year and a half into the sport, she was already a National Champion! Julia Salata at the 2017 World Team Trials (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) If you follow wrestling enough, you most likely heard her name in discussions, or seen her on Twitter. To summarize her results as a competitor, you'd need one of those long scrolls the jester used in the medieval days. She was a multiple-time All-American in college and twice an undefeated champion. She immediately became an assistant coach at King University in Tennessee, right after she was done competing there collegiately. King University was, and still is, a perennial women's wrestling powerhouse. While coaching, she also made multiple national teams and amassed a very respectable career as a competitor. I can go on and on about her contributions to the sport. Now that we have some background, let's explore her new role at Princeton as Director of Operations. In the past, we've seen this position utilized in a few ways. One way I've seen it implemented in a creative way, was to bring on a young, recently graduated wrestler who was looking to get into coaching. The Director of Operations can be used as an extra coaching position to improve workout partners in the room. Typically, this person is the one who makes things happen behind the scenes, maybe booking hotels, running errands, administrative, work, etc. This was just one of the many ways to implement this role. Princeton, being unique in its approach, had other things in mind. Due to Julia's role at Wrestle Like a Girl (WLAG), she became very familiar with Princeton Head Coach, Chris Ayres, and maybe moreso his wife, Lori. As some of you may know, Lori Ayres is heavily involved with women's wrestling and helping advance the sport in the state of New Jersey, and around the country. “The idea of bringing Julia in to fill this position was largely due to Lori,” Coach Chris Ayres stated. “There was no hesitation once we knew the position would be opening. I never really had any second thoughts” (It makes you wonder who the real brains behind the Princeton program has been all these years…) “The obvious end-goal is to have a women's varsity team at Princeton. The first step to that is getting an established club team and having a women's wrestling presence on campus” Salata mentioned. She recently retired from competing at the end of 2021, so the timing could not have been more perfect. She went on a visit in April to make sure this is what she really wanted. “That trip really solidified it for me.” Between the beautiful Ivy League campus, and the atmosphere surrounding the program, it was a no-brainer for her. “I've lived in Tennessee for 11 years. I wouldn't just uproot my life and move for anybody.” Julia was more than thrilled to take the job. She knew it would be a huge change in her life. Just like any decision we need to make in life, there is always that negative thought that lingers in the back of your mind… “Imposter Syndrome” was a word that Julia mentioned in our brief discussion. That's exactly the phrase I was looking for, as I was trying to formulate some type of question asking how she felt making the jump from coaching women's wrestling to NCAA Division 1. She felt she had a little bit of this “imposter syndrome” coming from a women's wrestling background. Once she came to fruition that “the fact that I have the support of the coaching staff is so huge. And it's a testament to the culture they have there… Believing that women have a role in these kinds of roles.” As mentioned, Princeton did reach out to her. This helps alleviate any doubt. On the contrary, Julia mentioned she still needed to earn the respect of the guys, explaining “I'm kind of coming into their men's division 1 space – I get that. But it has been fantastic so far, everyone has been super welcoming.” A perfect example is when Julia told me the story of her first time in the room, sitting down along the wall before practice starts. She walked into the room and was immediately greeted by a Princeton wrestler. She didn't have her glasses on, so she has terrible vision and can only see a blurry figure. “Hi Julia, I'm Patrick. Nice to meet you.” Julia, with a smile on her face, then proceeds to say “Holy crap! It's Pat Glory.” She was so impressed that he could have easily ignored her and had that chip on his shoulder being a returning NCAA runner-up. But, he was the first to greet her. This has since been a common theme. “All of the guys are so welcoming. That's just how the culture is there. I truly believe they buy into the progress of women's wrestling and excited to have me on board.” It's safe to say, she is excited for this opportunity – as is the entire program. Excited, anxious, and maybe a little nervous best describe her recent life change. “I've been on national teams. I've coached high-level athletes at RTC camps. This is still that, but different.” Julia explained how she always had loved the idea of coaching at this level… “But 7-8 years ago, this was not an option to even wrestle at this level. Now, to be on staff at one of the best (and quickly improving) teams in the nation, is just so cool.” Not just a great wrestling program, but a program that is so “forward-thinking” as Julia perfectly put it. Forward-thinking in all aspects of life. They know life is greater than this sport alone. The tee shirts the squad wore at NCAAs in Detroit were just an appetizer of figurative statements they are making when it comes to the equality in wrestling. Plain black shirts with “Grow Women's Wrestling” on the front. “Bridge the D1vide” written in white text, minus the ‘D1' portion of the word, which was in blue. It goes without saying, the coaching staff looked very fashionable in them. I'll let them argue over who looked best amongst themselves. Anyway, the shirts make the statement that they are here to help support the sport. This hire exclaims, “we are part of the solution.” This hire is a historical one, but not the least bit surprising from Princeton, which has been at the forefront of equality in the sport of wrestling over the last decade or so. Many schools have talked the talk. They are one of the first teams to really walk the walk. What is there to not like about the Princeton wrestling program? Two returning NCAA runner-ups (Patrick Glory – 125lbs and Quincy Monday – 157lbs), last year's 3rd place team finish at the EIWA Championships, and a full returning line-up plus a talented recruiting class. Off the mat, they are one of the top programs in the country when it comes to marketability. Ivy League – check. Incredible networking opportunities – check. Social media presence – check. The energy and excitement of the program is unmatched. Julia Salata (right) coaching at Fargo (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) When I asked Coach Ayres why Julia was the top candidate, “Well, one, why not a female? Secondly, she's a great wrestler. She is a great wrestling mind and is doing big things. It just made sense. It was an easy decision to have her come to Princeton.” It's a unique situation because she is part-time with her role at Princeton. She can do her remote work for WLAG as needed, but is currently working from the coaches' office at the school. He bragged for Julia, “she is young, but she's in a very powerful leadership position. She has big tasks in front of her, and to see her handle those things and watch her operate the way she does…” he started to laugh “she gets a little bit out of this deal, we get A LOT out of it.” As mentioned, she will be heavily involved with the women's side of the RTC. I would imagine it's very comforting and reassuring as a young female wrestler seeing a women coach. “…when you go to tournaments like the women's nationals at Fargo, there's just not enough women coaches. There are way more men coaching women than women coaching” Ayres stated. He continued, “We need more women in leadership positions.” He continued more about the lack of women in leadership roles. “It's no wonder wrestling is where we are… We are light-years behind other sports in terms of women representation.” This entire movement is not just for competitive opportunities. It also supports expanding employment opportunities for women within the sport of wrestling. Many of us, myself included, forget about the latter. Princeton has been at the forefront for numerous things outside of wrestling, which in turn, help sustain a healthy culture and atmosphere inside the program. One final talking point from Coach encapsulates his vision for Julia: “When those young RTC athletes, boys and girls, walk into practice and see Julia as a leader, she is a great example of a mentor. Those kids will quickly realize that. That's what I'm most excited about.” Until the season starts, Julia is settling into her new home in Princeton, NJ. She is ecstatic about the lifestyle change. She is a self-proclaimed “foodie” so she could not be in a better location for her passion. Being roughly halfway between Philadelphia and New York City, she has endless options of great pizza, deli subs, bagels, and much more. But, as things change, some remain the same. One of her first realizations was the passion behind the food, including the infamous ‘Taylor Ham vs pork roll' debate. With an almost terrified look on her face, she exclaimed “I've been here for like 18 hours, and already getting dragged into this debate!” Her stance of now – “It's a good breakfast sandwich, whatever you want to call it is up to you.” I'm not from New Jersey but being non-committed to this issue seems to be a serious offense. To make matters worse, she said Detroit-style pizza is her favorite. Thankfully, Princeton does not discriminate against lesser styles of pizza, and still allows Julia to be employed at the university. Coach Ayres and staff are excited to have her as part of the team, and slowly indoctrinate her taste buds with real pizza.

Legend Lamer (left) at the 2022 Pac-12 Championships (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) There have been some legendary sibling combos in NCAA history. The first ones that come to mind are the Brands, Smiths, and Schultz's. However, a new brother combo may become the next best sibling combo in NCAA history. The Lamer brothers from Corvallis, Oregon have built their roots within the NCAA wrestling scene. Brawley, the cautious and academic brother, led the charge by joining Cal Poly. Next, Legend, the carefree and lighthearted brother, joined Brawley's footsteps and joined the Mustangs. Chance, debatably the best wrestler of the four, joined the Michigan Wolverines. Lastly, Daschle, the social butterfly and youngest, recently committed to Cal Poly too. Their roots began when Brawley landed in San Luis Obispo in 2017. "I wasn't getting recruited by a lot of schools and my dad knew one of the old coaches, Michael Hatcher," Brawley said, "My dad called him up and sent him some videos of me wrestling and I was good enough to go there. I took a recruiting trip down there and it was absolutely gorgeous. I'm really big into academics and Cal Poly was a perfect match for me." Legend joined Brawley in 2019 and began to build upon the legacy, finishing 12-5 as a redshirt. Next season, he took the wrestling world by storm, sneaking into the NCAA Championships as the ninth seed as a redshirt freshman. On August 26th, Daschle committed to Cal Poly, meaning three of the four brothers will compete alongside each other for the first time ever. High school senior Daschle Lamer (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) "It's really special," Daschle said. "I had the chance to wrestle with my other brother Chance in high school, but never had the opportunity to wrestle alongside Legend and Brawley. I'm really excited about it." Brawley said, "It's really exciting. Daschle is a lot younger than me so I finally get to be on a team with him. I was really pumped when I heard he committed here." Since committing to Cal Poly, the brothers have realized their bond will continue to grow over time. "Personality-wise, we are very different from each other," Brawley said. "But, our bond is super close, even Chance. Whenever we are all together, we are best friends and hang out and do everything together." Legend said, "We all got a lot closer after we got to college. When we hang out, it's a lot more special now." The Lamer bond has allowed each one to flourish on the mat too. Each one has used the other as motivation to become the best wrestler in their weight class. "Building off each other's success is huge," Legend said. "We are competitive guys and when we see one guy working hard, we want to match it. It's been huge for us to have each other to build off of." Daschle said, "I look up to my brothers. They are my idols and when I see them working hard and having the mindset of being an NCAA champ, that's what I want too." Chance Lamer at the 2020 Junior Trials (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Although Chance may not be alongside the other three, Brawley, Legend, and Daschle support him and vice versa. "We joke around with Chance a lot but there is no competitiveness," Legend said. "We root for him and he roots for us. Michigan comes to Cal Poly this year so that will be really cool to watch him compete and he watch us compete." Although none of the brothers have brought home silverware in college yet, they believe their impact has already been noteworthy. "Four brothers going division one is pretty incredible," Brawley said. "That seems like a pretty cool thing to accomplish. Hopefully, we can go down as one of the best wrestling families by the time we are done." Brawley Lamer (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

David Taylor in the 2022 World finals against Hassan Yazdani (photo courtesy of Kadir Caliskan/UWW) The U.S. men's freestyle team brought home the team title with a 48-point margin over second place Iran. Along the way, the team won medals in eight of 10 weights and finished with four gold medals. Collectively, the team scored 324 match points and allowed only 97. On a per-minute basis, the team averaged 1.67 points per minute. The only team with a higher rate was Costa Rica, who entered only one wrestler. One of the key performers for Team USA was David Taylor. The former Penn State national champion was dominant on his way to the title at 86 kg. He advanced to the finals without surrendering a single point, and only allowed his rival, Hassan Yazdani, to score one point in the gold medal match. Taylor averaged 2.95 points per minute, while allowing only 0.07 points per minute. His +2.88 match point differential was the highest on Team USA across all three styles and the fourth highest among all competitors in the tournament. The only men's freestyle competitor with a better differential was Rei Higuchi (+2.99) who won the tournament title at 61 kg. 22 of Taylor's points came via takedowns, and he added another 14 with exposures. He also scored a single step-out point, one shot clock point and his opponents failed on a pair of challenges. The only score his opponents were able to score against him was a step out in the finals by Yazdani. In his last three matches against Yazdani, Taylor had failed to keep him under three points. Jordan Burroughs, who returned to the top of the podium at 79 kg, had the most points off takedowns in men's freestyle with 26. Yianni Diakomihalis broke the Team USA medal drought at 65 kg with a silver. He scored the most points via exposures with 18 (unconfirmed due to missing video). A key factor in the team's overall success against Iran. While the final point gap between the two countries was wide, things could have easily turned out differently. In men's freestyle, Team USA went 4-2 in head-to-head matches against Iran with all four of the team's gold medalists defeating a member of Iran's team on the way to the title. The women's freestyle team finished with seven total medals and a second-place finish behind Japan in the team race. Of those seven medals, three were golds. Olympic gold medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock had a particularly strong showing on her way to the title in the 68 kg division. Mensah-Stock scored 2.80 points per minute and won the title without surrendering a single point. Her +2.80 match point differential was the second highest on Team USA overall, behind only Taylor, and fifth overall in the tournament. In women's freestyle, it was the third best rate behind 50 kg champion Yui Sasaki (+6.43) and 62 kg champion Nonoka Ozaki (+3.02). Of the 30 champions in all three styles, Mensah-Stock was one of only five to win gold without giving up a point. She joined Susaki, 55 kg champion Mayu Mukaida, 65 kg champion Miwa Morikawa and 55 kg Greco Roman champion Eldaniz Azizli of Azerbaijan. One surprise for Team USA was the gold medal run for Amit Elor. The 18-year-old wrestler won all four of her matches and took home the title at 72 kg. She allowed only two points across all four matches and finished with a +2.60 match point differential. Across all three styles, Elor had the ninth-highest differential. While Team USA fans are used to seeing Sarah Hildebrandt rack up points at world-level events, her performance at this year's World Championships was slightly different. She added a bronze medal to her collection, and her only loss came against champion Sasaki. Hildebrandt scored 33 match points, which was only one behind Mensah-Stock for the most on the team. Normally, she runs up the total with her leg lace in par terre. However, this year, she scored 24 of her 33 points via takedowns. It was the most points scored via takedowns for Team USA in women's freestyle. Team USA's head-to-head matches against Japan had a lot to say about the final team score in women's freestyle. In the style, the team faced off against the perennial women's wrestling powerhouse in seven matches. Mensah-Stock and Elor won their encounters and went on to win gold. However, the other five all lost. Overall, Japan outscored the squad 32-7 across those seven matches. At the 2021 World Championships G'Angelo Hancock broke through and brought home a bronze medal at 97 kg. Unfortunately, Team USA's Greco squad was not able to return to the podium. Overall, this was a tough tournament for the team. Three of the 10 wrestlers who made the world team pulled out and were replaced. The team went 7-12 through their 19 matches. The first score in 15 of those matches was a passive call by the referee. Max Nowry (55 kg) and Ildar Hafizov (60 kg) provided four of the seven victories by adding two each. Nowry probably had the best performance as he pinned his first two opponents and made the bronze-medal bout before finishing fifth. In terms of point differential, only three members of the team finished on the right side of positive. At 82 kg Spencer Woods (+0.75) finished with the highest as he was leading 13-10, when he lost by fall. The other positive differentials belonged to Alejandro Sancho (+0.52) and Wisconsin folkstyle wrestler Braxton Amos (+0.25). Collectively, the team was outscored 88-67. Team USA was actually outscored at all three age levels so far in Greco. However, the edge at the senior level was larger than at the U17 level (91-86) and U20 level (107-100). With the World Championships in the book, the American wrestling world will likely turn its attention to folkstyle with a brief break for the Olympic styles in late October for the U23 World Championships.

Iowa transfer Felicity Taylor at Final X NYC (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Another jam-packed summer of wrestling is behind us and the academic year has begun at colleges with women's wrestling across the country. We take a look at where the best high school recruits in the class of 2022 will be suiting up in college, as well as a long list of transfers that found new homes as well. This was likely the most top-tier transfer movement we've seen in women's wrestling in recent memory. As we did in our 2021 recruiting class rankings, we rank classes based on the number of notable recruits, paying particular attention to top-tier talent in regards to both freshmen and transfers. We use the Final National Girls High School Rankings from the 2021-2022 season that USA Wrestling provided in late June for individual ranks of the High School class of 2022, and previous final High School rankings and collegiate results for high-profile transfers. 1. University of Iowa (NCAA Division I) Number of Notable Recruits: 13 Notable Freshmen: Brianna Gonzalez (#1 at 100), Nyla Valencia (#1 at 112), Reese Larramendy (#1 at 144), Sam Calkins (#1 at 200), Kylie Welker (#2 at 164), Ella Schmitt (#3 at 132), Bella Mir (#6 at 144), Sterling Dias (#8 at 106), Emilie Gonzalez (#10 at 106), Esther Han (#12 at 132), Ava Bayless (#15 at 112) Notable Transfers: Felicity Taylor (McKendree) and Nanea Estrella (Menlo) The Hawkeyes won't compete this coming season, but will instead redshirt and prepare for their inaugural season in 2023-2024. But that didn't stop Head Coach Clarissa Chun from cleaning up with her first recruiting class, landing four top-ranked recruits and nine that finished their senior seasons ranked inside the top-10 at their weight class. California twins Brianna and Emilie Gonzalez shared the 100-pound Fargo Junior title in 2021 after each ran their way to the finals. Nyla Valencia opened eyes when she topped multiple-time World Champion and 4x Collegiate National Champion Emily Shilson at the U23 nationals in May. Calkins was a champ at Fargo in 2021 before falling in the finals this past July. Wyoming Seminary's Reese Larramendy was more than impressive in dominating her way to the title at the U20 World Team Trials in May. 2021 Junior World Champion Kylie Welker landed at #2 at 164 in the final rankings, simply because fellow World Champion Amit Elor claimed the #1 spot ahead of her; but folks could easily make the case that Welker was the #1 overall recruit in the class. The young Hawkeyes will get some much-needed leadership from a pair of seasoned transfers. Felicity Taylor comes over from McKendree for her final season of eligibility after making three NCWW finals appearances for the Bearcats, including taking the crown in 2021 at 116 pounds. Taylor was impressive in winning the US Open in April with a tech fall over Alyssa Lampe in the finals. Nanea Estrella, wrestling at Menlo, fell in the NAIA finals in 2022, but won the US Open title just a month later in Vegas. She will likely slot in right away for the Hawkeyes at 130 pounds. 2. Life University (NAIA) Number of Notable Recruits: 13 Notable Freshmen: Madeline Welch (#2 at 215), Sarah Savidge (#3 at 127), Latifah McBryde (#4 at 164), Zaynah McBryde (#5 at 138), Kailey Rees (#10 at 127), Kailyn Garrett (#11 at 200), Sidney Sullens (#15 at 152), Anna Krejsa (#19 at 127), Charlene Hamilton (Previously ranked at 122), Jamilah McBryde (Previously ranked at 144) Notable Transfers: Kaci Bice (Southwestern CC), Jasmine Godinez (Texas Wesleyan), Miranda DiBenedetto (Big Bend CC) Eight ranked freshmen arrive in Ashley Flavin's 2022 class, including four top-5s. Their spot on this list is tops among NAIA programs. Sarah Savidge won her first Fargo title in July to go along with a 5th place finish at the U20 trials, which included an impressive tech fall over Grand View All-American Adrienna Turner. Madeline Welch was 4th at Fargo this past summer. The McBryde sisters have become an incredible story in women's wrestling, and all three will head to Life this fall to compete for the Running Eagles. Each of the sisters earned All-American honors at USA Wrestling's Women's Nationals in May. Kailey Rees won multiple Florida state titles and made a Super 32 final last fall. A host of other talented incoming freshmen will provide a boost to a team that won the NAIA National Duals title in 2022. On the transfer side, Kaci Bice was a runner-up at the Junior College National Championships at 123 pounds. Jasmine Godinez comes over from Texas Wesleyan after a 5th place finish at 109 pounds at the NAIA Championships. Miranda DiBenedetto was the NCWA champion at 109 pounds for Big Bend Community College in 2022. 3. North Central College (NCAA Division III) Number of Notable Recruits: 8 Notable Freshmen: Kendall Bostelman (#9 at 144), Maddie Avila (#20 at 100), Trinity Malave (Previously ranked at 112), Sydney Park (Previously ranked at 132) Notable Transfers: London Houston (King), Jaslynn Gallegos (Presbyterian), Brittyn Corbishley (Texas Wesleyan), Sara Sterner (Cuesta CC) The strength of the class for the Cardinals is an outstanding transfer haul. London Houston was the #2 overall recruit in the class of 2022 and the nation's #1 ranked 132-pounder after claiming titles at the Junior Pan Ams, Fargo, and the Recruiting Showcase in her senior season. 2021 Junior World teamer Jaslynn Gallegos comes over from Presbyterian after claiming three straight NCWW All-American awards and a WCWA National title. She was 5th at the 2021 Junior World Championships for Team USA. Brittyn Corbishley won a Fargo title in 2021 and concluded her senior season as the nation's #2 ranked 180-pounder before spending her freshman season at Texas Wesleyan, where she earned a 4th place finish at the NAIA Championships. Her most impressive win came in a fall over eventual NCWW #1 seed Cheyenne Bowman at the Missouri Valley Open. Sara Sterner was 4th at Fargo as a senior in 2021 and finished as the runner-up at U23 Nationals this past May at 57kg. Her run there included an impressive win over King All-American Melanie Mendoza. Wyoming Seminary's Kendall Bostelman and California's Maddie Avila lead the list of freshmen for North Central. Bostelman was impressive in winning the 143-pound title at the ESU Collegiate Women's Open last fall, where she topped Sacred Heart's Madison Sandquist, the eventual 3rd place finisher at the NCWW Championships. Avila was undefeated this summer for team California at the Women's Junior Duals and owns a pair of Fargo All-American awards. 4. Central Methodist University (NAIA) Number of Notable Recruits: 8 Notable Freshmen: Caitlyn Davis (#14 at 144), Kierstyn Bockert (#17 at 122), Berlin Kiddoo (#27 at 132) Notable Transfers: Jaycee Foeller (McKendree), Skye Realin (McKendree), Emmily Patneaud (McKendree), Hannah Hall (McKendree), Caitlyn Thorne (McKendree) Sam Schmitz made the surprising jump from 3x defending NCWW Champion McKendree to take the job as Director of Wrestling and Head Men's Coach at CMU. Brieana Delgado will continue to serve as the Women's Head Coach and will greatly benefit from five impact transfers that followed Schmitz in the move. Jaycee Foeller concluded her senior season as the nation's #1 ranked 180-pounder and was the NCWW runner-up at 191 in her freshman season for the Bearcats, while Realin and Patneaud were 4th and 5th, respectively, at 136. Hannah Hall was the #4 ranked 112-pounder her senior year. She didn't make it into the stacked Bearcat lineup as a freshman, but claimed a 3rd place finish in the U20 Division at Women's Nationals in May, a run that included a fall over Texas Wesleyan All-American Camille Fournier. On the freshman side, Caitlyn Davis comes in with a couple of Fargo All-American awards on her resume. 5. Southern Oregon University (NAIA) Number of Notable Recruits: 4 Notable Freshmen: Isabella Amaro (#16 at 144) Notable Transfers: Joye Levendusky (McKendree), Natalie Reyna (McKendree), Grace Kristoff (McKendree). Gabby Weyhrich, the top assistant at McKendree for the past several seasons, makes the move west to become the new Head Coach at SOU, and she'll bring three Bearcat All-Americans with her. Joye Levendusky, a three-time NCWW All-American, has been 2nd at the Championships each of the past two seasons, while Natalie Reyna has turned in finishes of 7th, 3rd and 4th. Grace Kristoff has two NCWW All-American awards of her own, and was particularly impressive in knocking off the #1 seed at the 2022 Championships. Isabella Amaro, a multiple-time Oregon state champ, will lead the crop of Raider freshmen. Amaro was an All-American at Fargo in 2019 before falling just short of the podium in 2021 and 2022, but has had several impressive wins in her High School career. 6. McKendree University (NCAA Division II) Number of Notable Recruits: 4 Notable Freshman: Jennifer Soto (#2 at 127) Notable Transfers: Salyna Shotwell (Life), Alexandra Castillo (Campbellsville), Sylvia Pierce (Life) Alexio Garcia will be the new Head Coach at McKendree and will look to continue the dominance the Bearcats have established in the NCAA division. A couple of high-profile transfers will join him. Salyna Shotwell finished her High School career as the #4 ranked 117-pounder in the country, and backed it up in her freshman campaign at Life, wrestling to a 2nd place finish at the NAIA Championships at 116. Alexandra Castillo comes over from Campbellsville where she followed up a WCWA Championship from 2020 with a runner-up finish at the NAIA Championships in 2021. Sylvia Pierce finished her High School career as the nation's #12 ranked 138-pounder but saw limited action in her freshman season at Life. She will likely look to fill the void left by two departing All-American 136-pounders for the Bearcats. Jennifer Soto, the nation's #2 ranked 127-pounder, has had an outstanding High School career that included three California state titles and three Fargo finals appearances. 7. Menlo College (NAIA) Number of Notable Recruits: 9 Notable Freshmen: Neila Fritts (#4 at 225), Shannon Workinger (#9 at 164), Haley Narahara (#14 at 122), Stephanie Chavez (#15 at 138), Lexy Beadles (#18 at 112), Karen Salais (#19 at 106), Alexandra Lopez (#25 at 144), Kayla McKinley-Johnson (Previously ranked at 106) Notable Transfer: Samantha Barragan (Life Pacific) Head Coach Joey Bareng held things together admirably for the Oaks through COVID restrictions that rendered them unable to compete at the NAIA Championships for two straight seasons before returning with a 3rd place team finish in 2022. He also fared well on the recruiting trail, landing eight ranked recruits to go along with an All-American transfer. Samantha Barragan comes over after the program was dropped at Life Pacific, where she became the school's first and only NAIA All-American with an 8th place finish at 136 in her freshman season. Neila Fritts captured a California state title at 235 pounds in 2022, while Shannon Workinger capped an impressive Fargo Junior tournament with a third-place finish at 164. Karen Salais and Lexy Beadles both wrestled to 3rd place finishes at the California state championships while Kayla McKinley-Johnson was 3rd in Washington. 8. Grand View University (NAIA) Number of Notable Recruits: 8 Notable Freshmen: Maya Davis (#5 at 117), Madyson Gray (#8 at 132), Eva Diaz (#12 at 112), Lita Cruz (#13 at 106), Catie Campbell (#13 at 122), Leah Gaitan (#15 at 122), Shenita Lawson (#15 at 180), Cailin Campbell (#25 at 132) Angelo Crinzi and the Grand View staff head into the program's fourth season in search of their first trophy finish in the NAIA. They will lean on the strength of a large contingent of quality freshmen as the Vikings landed eight ranked recruits. Maya Davis, Madyson Gray, and the Campbell sisters all won multiple state championships and were regular attendees at Fargo. Shenita Lawson was the Texas State runner-up at 185 as a senior. Lita Cruz earned All-American finishes at the Recruiting Showcase and Folkstyle Nationals last spring. 9. Colorado Mesa (NCAA Division II) Number of Notable Recruits: 6 Notable Freshmen: Aynslee Hester (#9 at 152), Isabella Morales (#18 at 100), Jada Llamido (#20 at 138), Israel Resendez (#20 at 117), Hailey Chapman (#22 at 144), Celina Cooke (#27 at 138) Travis Mercado has built a powerhouse program in a hurry at Colorado Mesa, coaching the Mavericks to three straight top-5 finishes at the NCWW Championships since their inaugural season in 2019. They'll add six quality freshmen to a solid contingent of returning All-Americans in 2022. The top two in the class come from Washington. Aynslee Hester wrestled to a 3rd place finish in a very tough 155-pound bracket at the Washington state tournament, while Isabella Morales won the title at 100. Jada Llamido was 3rd in 2022 after winning a state title in Florida in 2021. Hailey Chapman was 3rd at the always tough California state championships and followed it up with All-American honors at the U23 Nationals in May. Celina Cooke earned All-American honors at women's nationals as well, to go with her Nevada State Championship. 10. Missouri Valley College (NAIA) Number of Notable Recruits: 3 Notable Transfers: Kelani Corbett (Lyon), Ashley Whetzal (Lyon), Emma Carter (William Jewell) Kevin Corbett makes the jump from Lyon College to Missouri Valley to become the new Head Coach of the Vikings. He brings a couple of transfers with him, including younger sister Kelani, who was the 2022 NAIA National Champion at 191 pounds after finishing 3rd in 2021. Ashley Whetzal also comes from Lyon where she fell in the bloodround at the 2022 NAIA Championships. She was 5th at U23 Nationals in May. Emma Carter wrestled to a 5th place finish at U20s after falling in the bloodround of the NCWW Championships wrestling for William Jewell. Honorable Mention Indiana Tech University (NAIA) - 3 Notable Recruits: Riley Dempewolf (#3 at 200), Haley Thompson (#10 at 225), Makayla Young (Previously ranked at 100) Vanguard University (NAIA) - 3 Notable Recruits: Lily El-Masri (#12 at 164), Piper Staniford (#21 at 152), Mariz Soliman (#21 at 138) Brewton Parker College (NAIA) - 3 Notable Recruits: Jamesa Robinson (Indian Hills CC), Katelyn Lewis (#8 at 180), Madisyn Blackburn (Previously ranked at 127) Presbyterian College (NCAA Division I) - 2 Notable Recruits: Paige Wehrmeister (#4 at 138), Ella Beam (#18 at 180) Lock Haven (NCAA Division II) - 2 Notable Recruits: Kaelani Shufeldt (#6 at 100), Grace Stem (#8 at 144) Campbellsville (NAIA) - 2 Notable Recruits: Torie Buchanan (#9 at 122), Shea Reisel (#20 at 112) Aurora University (NCAA Division III) - 2 Notable Recruits: Alexis Janiak (#7 at 127), Natasha Markoutsis (#16 at 127) Augsburg University (NCAA Division III) - 2 Notable Recruits: Ashley Lekas (Texas Wesleyan), Brooklyn Hayes (#15 at 164) Gannon University (NCAA Division II) - 2 Notable Recruits: Schyler Caringi (#15 at 144), Lili Ujfalvi (Hungary) East Stroudsburg University (NCAA Division II) - 1 Notable Recruit: Sofia Macaluso (#1 at 122) Limestone University (NCAA Division II) - 1 Notable Recruit: Dasia Yearby (#5 at 200) Tiffin University (NCAA Division II) - 1 Notable Recruit: Jenavi Alejandro (#6 at 112)

Amit Elor in the 2022 Senior World Finals (photos courtesy of Martin Gabor/UWW) In reviewing the results of the 2022 Senior World Championships, I noticed that three of the four champions for the United States of America, in men's freestyle, were over 30 years old. That generally goes against the typical thought process that the international game is trending towards youth. Which led me to look at all of the champions' ages and continue the exercise across the other two styles. Then for comparison's sake measured it against the 2021 champions. Here they are, for fun, this could be a topic for deeper dives in the future! Men's Freestyle 57 kg - Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania) 29 years old 61 kg - Rei Higuchi (Japan) 26 years old 65 kg - Rahman Amouzad (Iran) 20 years old 70 kg - Taishi Narikuni (Japan) 24 years old 74 kg - Kyle Dake (USA) 31 years old 79 kg - Jordan Burroughs (USA) 34 years old 86 kg - David Taylor (USA) 31 years old 92 kg - Kamran Ghasempour (Iran) 25 years old 97 kg - Kyle Snyder (USA) 26 years old 125 kg - Taha Akgul (Turkey) 31 years old Average Age 2022 Men's Freestyle Champions = 27.7 years old 2021 Men's Freestyle 57 kg - Thomas Gilman (USA) 27 years old 61 kg - Abasgadzhi Magomedov (Russia) 23 years old 65 kg - Zagir Shakhiev (Russia) 22 years old 70 kg - Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (Poland) 33 years old 74 kg - Kyle Dake (USA) 30 years old 79 kg - Jordan Burroughs (USA) 33 years old 86 kg - Hassan Yazdani (Iran) 26 years old 92 kg - Kamran Ghasempour (Iran) 24 years old 97 kg - Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) 25 years old 125 kg - Amir Zare (Iran) 20 years old Average Age 2021 Men's Freestyle Champions = 26.3 years old Women's Freestyle 50 kg - Yui Susaki (Japan) 23 years old 53 kg - Dom Parrish (USA) 25 years old 55 kg - Mayu Mukaida (Japan) 25 years old 57 kg - Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan) 21 years old 59 kg - Anastasia Nichita (Moldova) 23 years old 62 kg - Nonoka Ozaki (Japan) 19 years old 65 kg - Miwa Morikawa (Japan) 23 years old 68 kg - Tamyra Mensah-Stock (USA) 29 years old 72 kg - Amit Elor (USA) 18 years old 76 kg - Yasemin Adar (Turkey) 30 years old Average Age 2022 Women's Freestyle Champions = 23.6 years old 2021 Women's Freestyle 50 kg - Remina Yoshimoto (Japan) 21 years old 53 kg - Akari Fujinami (Japan) 18 years old 55 kg - Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan) 20 years old 57 kg - Helen Maroulis (USA) 30 years old 59 kg - Bilyana Dudova (Bulgaria) 24 years old 62 kg - Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) 28 years old 65 kg - Irina Ringaci (Moldova) 20 years old 68 kg - Meerim Zhumanazarova (Kyrgyzstan) 21 years old 72 kg - Masako Furuichi (Japan) 24 years old 76 kg - Adeline Gray (USA) 30 years old Average Age 2021 Women's Freestyle Champions = 23.6 years old 2022 Greco-Roman 55 kg - Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) 30 years old 60 kg - Zholaman Sharshenbekov (Kyrgyzstan) 22 years old 63 kg - Sebastian Nad (Serbia) 25 years old 67 kg - Mate Nemes (Serbia) 29 years old 72 kg - Ali Arsalan (Serbia) 27 years old 77 kg - Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan) 23 years old 82 kg - Burhan Akbudak (Turkey) 27 years old 87 kg - Zurab Datunashvili (Serbia) 31 years old 97 kg - Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) 30 years old 130 kg - Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) 32 years old Average Age 2022 Men's Greco-Roman Champions = 27.6 years old 2021 Greco Roman 55 kg - Ken Matsui (Japan) 20 years old 60 kg - Victor Ciobanu (Moldova) 28 years old 63 kg - Meysam Dalkhani (Iran) 24 years old 67 kg - Mohammadreza Geraei (Iran) 25 years old 72 kg - Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia) 22 years old 77 kg - Roman Vlasov (Russia) 30 years old 82 kg - Rafig Huseynov (Azerbaijan) 33 years old 87 kg - Zurab Datunashvili (Serbia) 30 years old 97 kg - Mohammadhadi Saravi (Iran) 23 years old 130 kg - Ali Akbar Yousefi (Iran) 24 years old Average Age 2021 Greco-Roman Champions = 25.9 years old In both men's styles, the average age of the champions went up a bit. Greco, moreso than freestyle, though it started lower in 2021. What's interesting is that women's freestyle stayed exactly the same and is significantly lower than the men's champions. The second part is not particularly surprising considering the growth of women's wrestling, with more younger talented wrestlers joining the pool.

Yianni Diakomihalis (left) and Joey McKenna in the 2021 World Team Trials finals (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) We're only one day removed from the final whistles being blown at the 2022 Senior World Championships, but with that in mind, there's nothing that says we can't look ahead and speculate about what the 2023 world team may look like. The 2022 World Championships resulted in 15 medals across 30 weights for the American team. Those 15 world medalists have earned a bye to the best-of-three series in Final X. So what could Final X 2023 look like, since we know half of the participants? It is important to know that wrestlers will only receive a bye if they return to the weight in which they won their world medal. Typically, that may not be an issue, but with the Olympics looming in 2024, we may see some shifting to Olympic weights. So, here are our fearless predictions for Final X 2023, with a little bit about each potential matchup. Men's Freestyle 57 kg - Thomas Gilman (bye to Final X) vs. Spencer Lee Is this the year we finally see Gilman/Lee? Provided Spencer gets through the collegiate season in one piece, it could be. Though there has to be some sense of familiarity between the two, Gilman has jumped levels since moving to the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. With all the storylines involved, this could end up being the most anticipated series in Final X 2023. For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

2022 86 kg world champion David Taylor (photo courtesy of Martin Gabor/UWW) It's the Monday after the 2022 Senior World Championships. The smoke has cleared and all of the action has concluded. We'll have some more World Championship-related content, but before then, take a look at the Americans who came home from Belgrade, Serbia with a world medal. Also, if they have a history of winning hardware at world's. 2022 American Senior World Medalists Men's Freestyle Thomas Gilman - Silver at 57 kg: Career (2021 - Gold, 2017 - Silver; 2020 Olympic - Bronze) Yianni Diakomihalis - Silver at 65 kg Zain Retherford - Silver at 70 kg Kyle Dake - Gold at 74 kg: Career (2021 - Gold, 2019 - Gold, 2018 - Gold; 2020 Olympic - Bronze) Jordan Burroughs - Gold at 79 kg: Career (2021 - Gold, 2019 - Bronze, 2018 - Bronze, 2017 - Gold, 2015 - Gold, 2014 - Bronze, 2013 - Gold, 2011 - Gold; 2012 Olympic - Gold) David Taylor - Gold at 86 kg: Career (2021 - Silver, 2018 - Gold; 2020 Olympic - Gold) J'den Cox - Silver at 92 kg: Career (2021 - Bronze, 2019 - Gold, 2018 - Gold, 2017 - Bronze; 2016 Olympic Bronze) Kyle Snyder - Gold at 97 kg: Career (2021 - Silver, 2019 - Bronze, 2018 - Silver, 2017 - Gold, 2015 - Gold; 2020 Olympic - Silver, 2016 Olympic - Gold) Women's Freestyle Sarah Hildebrandt - Bronze at 50 kg: Career (2021 - Silver, 2018 - Silver; 2020 Olympic - Bronze) Dom Parrish - Gold at 53 kg Helen Maroulis - Silver at 57 kg: Career (2021 - Gold, 2017 - Gold, 2015 - Gold, 2014 - Bronze, 2012 - Silver; 2020 Olympic - Bronze, 2016 Olympic - Gold) Kayla Miracle - Silver at 62 kg: Career (2021 - Silver) Mallory Velte - Bronze at 65 kg: Career (2018 - Bronze) Tamyra Mensah-Stock - Gold at 68 kg: Career (2021 - Bronze, 2019 - Gold, 2018 - Bronze; 2020 Olympic - Gold) Amit Elor - Gold at 72 kg

2022 61 kg World Champion Rei Higuchi of Japan (photo courtesy of Kostadin Andonov/UWW) 61 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Rei Higuchi (Japan) over Reza Atri (Iran) 10-0 Bronze Medal Match: Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia) over Seth Gross (USA) 12-0 Bronze Medal Match: Narankhuu Narmandakh (Mongolia) over Georgi Vangelov (Bulgaria) 9-0 65 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Rahman Amouzadkhalili (Iran) over Yianni Diakomihalis (USA) 13-8 Bronze Medal Match: Iszmail Muszukajev (Hungary) over Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 4-2 Bronze Medal Match: Bajrang Punia (India) over Sebastian Rivera (Puerto Rico) 11-9 97 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Kyle Snyder over Batyrbek Tsakulov (Slovakia) 6-0 Bronze Medal Match: Magomedkhan Magomedov (Azerbaijan) over Mohammadhossein Mohammadian (Iran) Fall 4:23 Bronze Medal Match: Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia) over Vladislav Baitsaev (Hungary) 5-3

97 kg world champion Kyle Snyder (photo courtesy of Kostadin Andonov/UWW) The 2022 Senior World Championships wrapped up Sunday from Belgrade, Serbia, as the medal matches for the final three men's freestyle weights took place. Saturday's action officially wrapped up a team title for the United States; however, they were able to officially celebrate the win at the conclusion of the tournament. In the tournament's final match, Kyle Snyder picked up his fourth World/Olympic gold medal with a 6-0 victory over Slovakia's Batyrbek Tsakulov, a 2019 U23 World silver medalist. Just :16 seconds into the 97 kg bout Snyder picked up the matches only taken and never looked back. He added another point in the first for a shot clock violation from Tsakulov. The third period saw Snyder gain three points from step-outs as he coasted to the final buzzer unscathed. Snyder only surrendered two points in his four bouts at the 2022 World Championships. Not only did Snyder grab his fourth gold medal, but he also claimed his eighth Senior world medal, in as many tries. Seven times during that span Snyder reached the finals. The first wrestler to hit the mat for the Americans was Seth Gross at 61 kg. Gross fell 12-0 to Armenia's Arsen Harutyunyan in the bronze medal match. He'll settle for fifth place in his first Senior World appearance. Yesterday, Yianni Diakomihalis broke the 65/66 kg medal drought that went back to 2007, as he made the world finals at 65 kg. Diakomihalis and Rahman Amouzadkhalili (Iran) got off to a quick start with a scramble situation that was initially run 4-2 in Yianni's favor. After a challenge, the score was changed to 8-6, still with the Cornell star leading. From there, Amouzadkhalili would take over. He locked up three takedowns and a step out during the final period and a half to emerge victorious, 13-8. The US men's freestyle team finished with eight world medals which matched the record set by the 1987 team. All eight medalists made the finals, which set an American record for finalists in a single year. The team also had four gold medalists, a mark that hadn't been hit since the 1995 squad. 2022 Senior World Championships US results 61 kg Men's Freestyle Bronze Medal Match: Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia) over Seth Gross 12-0 65 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Rahman Amouzadkhalili (Iran) over Yianni Diakomihalis 13-8 97 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Kyle Snyder over Batyrbek Tsakulov (Slovakia) 6-0

2022 world bronze medalist Stevan Micic (photo courtesy of Kostadin Andonov/UWW) 57 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania) over Thomas Gilman (USA) 7-2 Bronze Medal Match: Zanabazar Zandanbud (Mongolia) over Wanhao Zuo (China) Fall 4:33 Bronze Medal Match: Stevan Micic (Serbia) over Reineri Andreu Ortega (Cuba) 7-1 74 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Kyle Dake (USA) over Tajmuraz Salkazanov (Slovkia) 3-2 Bronze Medal Match: Yones Emamichoghaei (Iran) over Sagar Jaglan (India) 6-0 Bronze Medal Match: Frank Chamizo (Italy) over Soner Demirtas (Turkey) 5-3 92 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Kamran Ghasempour (Iran) over J'den Cox (USA) 2-0 Bronze Medal Match: Miriani Maisuradze (Georgia) over Ahmed Bataev (Bulgaria) 12-10 Bronze Medal Match: Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan) over Radoslaw Marcinkiewicz (Poland) 11-0

Four-time World Champion Kyle Dake (photo courtesy of Kostadin Andonov/UWW) A day after the men's freestyle claimed a pair of gold medals in men's freestyle, Kyle Dake added another and continued to add to his legacy. Dake won his fourth world title with a 3-2 victory over the opponent he defeated for gold number three in Oslo, Tajmuraz Salkazanov (Slovakia). The number four is synonymous with Dake as he won four NCAA titles at four different weights while he starred at Cornell. Dake displayed some of his typical traits while battling for the gold. Timely offense, sound defense, and plenty of mat savvy. Not only has Dake won four world titles, but he's also won the event every time he's entered from 2018-22. He has a 2020 Olympic bronze medal mixed in. This is also the second world title that came at 74 kg, as he captured the first pair at 79 kg. In his post-finals interview, Dake also revealed that he would be joining Penn State's Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. The other two Americans in the finals today suffered losses and settled for silver medals. Thomas Gilman (57 kg) and J'den Cox (92 kg) both came up short in their quest to add more gold to their collection. As it is, Gilman now has four career World/Olympic medals and has made the world finals on three occasions. Cox now has six World/Olympic medals. This was the first time that he has suffered a loss in the world finals, which occurred in his third appearance. Albania's Zelimkhan Abakarov scored the 7-2 victory over Gilman, while Kamran Ghasenpour of Iran, shut out J'den Cox, 2-0. Earlier in the day, the final three members of the men's freestyle team started their tournaments. The big news was that Yianni Diakomihamlis made the world finals at 65 kg. That guarantees Diakomihalis a medal and ended one of the weirdest streaks in US wrestling. The American team had failed to capture a medal at 65/66 kg every year since current head coach Bill Zadick won the 2007 world title at 66 kg. Not only did Diakomihalis make the world finals, but he ran through the gauntlet to get there. Diakomihalis' first three wins came over past world medalists. Yianni's semifinal opponent was a very familiar face, four-time NCAA All-American Sebastian Rivera, who competes for Puerto Rico. Diakomihalis wasted no time and needed less than a minute to roll to a 10-0 tech. Despite the tough string of opponents, Diakomihalis did not surrender a point in four matches. Squaring off with Yianni in tomorrow's final is Rahman Amouzadkhalili of Iran. The young Amouzadkhalili was a U20 world champion last year and is a two-time Cadet world champion. Earlier this year, he took the Asian Senior title. While Diakomihalis' wins were a pleasant surprise, it was business-as-usual at 97 kg with Kyle Snyder making his seventh World/Olympic final. Snyder also locked up his eighth medal in as many tries. In the semis, Snyder downed Mohammadhossein Mohammadian of Iran, an opponent who defeated him at the 2020 Matteo Pellicone and is a past world medalist. He'll have to face Batyrbek Tsakulov (Slovakia) in order to win World/Olympic title number four. The final member of the US squad, Seth Gross, took the mat for the first time at the Senior World Championships in his career. Gross advanced to the semifinals before losing 14-7 to 2016 Olympic silver medalist and 2018 U23 World Champion Rei Higuchi (Japan). Earlier on the day, Gross' most impressive win came in the quarters, where he dominated two-time world medalist Suleyman Atli (Turkey), 10-4. The performance on Saturday from the US squad locked up the team championship heading into Sunday's medal matches. 2017 was the last time that the American team came out victorious and that victory broke a 22-year drought. 2022 Senior World Championships US Results 57 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania) over Thomas Gilman 7-2 61 kg Men's Freestyle Qualification: Seth Gross over Andrii Dzhelep (Ukraine) 13-2 Round of 16: Seth Gross over Eduard Grigore (Poland) 7-0 Quarterfinals: Seth Gross over Suleyman Atli (Turkey) 10-4 Semifinals: Rei Higuchi (Japan) over Seth Gross 14-7 65 kg Men's Freestyle Qualification: Yianni Diakomihalis over Vazgegn Tevanyan (Armenia) 4-0 Round of 16: Yianni Diakomihalis over Vladimir Dubov (Bulgaria) 10-0 Quarterfinals: Yianni Diakomihalis over Bajrang Punia (India) 10-0 Semifinals: Yianni Diakomihalis over Sebastian Rivera (Puerto Rico) 10-0 74 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Kyle Dake over Tajmuraz Salkazanov (Slovakia) 3-2 92 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Kamran Ghasenpour (Iran) over J'den Cox 2-0 97 kg Men's Freestyle Round of 16: Kyle Snyder over Zbigniew Baranowski (Poland) 4-1 Quarterfinals: Kyle Snyder over Magomed Magomedov (Azerbaijan) 10-0 Semifinals; Kyle Snyder over Mohammadhossein Mohammadian (Iran) 4-1

2022 World Champion Taha Akgul (photos courtesy of Kadir Caliskan/UWW) 70 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Taishi Narikuni (Japan) over Zain Retherford (USA) 10-0 Bronze Medal Match: Ernazar Akmataliev (Kyrgyzstan) over Naveen (India) 4-1 Bronze Medal Match: Zurabi Iakobishvili (Georgia) over Arman Andreasyan (Armenia) 5-5 79 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Jordan Burroughs (USA) over Mohammad Nokhodilarimi (Iran) 4-2 Bronze Medal Match: Arsalan Budazhapov (Kyrgyzstan) over Ali Umarpashaev (Bulgaria) 5-1 Bronze Medal Match: Vasyl Mykhailov (Ukraine) over Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (Uzbekistan) 5-3 86 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: David Taylor (USA) over Hassan Yazdani (Iran) 7-1 Bronze Medal Match: Boris Makoev (Slovakia) over Sebastian Jezierzanski (Poland) 3-1 Bronze Medal Match: Azamat Dauletbekov (Kazakhstan) over Ethan Ramos (Puerto Rico) 10-0 125 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Taha Akgul (Turkey) over Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur (Mongolia) 6-2 Bronze Medal Match: Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) over Oleg Boltin (Kazakhstan) 9-4 Bronze Medal Match: Amir Zare (Iran) over Amarveer Dhesi (Canada) 8-0

Jordan Burroughs after winning his seventh World/Olympic title (photos courtesy of Kadir Caliskan/UWW) If you're reading this you likely just watched Jordan Burroughs etch his name into American wrestling history once again. Since the 1992 Olympics, John Smith's six world/Olympic titles have been the mark of wrestling greatness in the United States. Last year, Jordan Burroughs tied Smith's total of six, with his fifth world title, to go along with his 2012 Olympic gold medal. Also, Adeline Gray won her sixth world championship. With Gray sidelined after recently giving birth to twins, Burroughs was left alone on the precipice of history. As we celebrate Burroughs' incredible accomplishment, let's look back at all seven titles to remember (or learn) about some of the events surrounding Burroughs' performance on the mat or off it. 2011: Number One You've really got to go back in time to put this one into perspective. Earlier this year, Burroughs wrapped up his collegiate career at Nebraska with a second undefeated, national championship-winning season, and also claimed the Hodge Trophy. While Burroughs won the 157 lb weight class in 2009, he was injured for the second half of the 2009-10 season. That same year, Andrew Howe was unbeaten at 165. In 2010-11, some favored Howe, as Burroughs was coming off a knee injury and moving up a weight. Burroughs cleared up any of those doubts with a resounding win at the Midlands and the two never met in college again, as Howe fell in the NCAA semis to Tyler Caldwell. All of this is to say, it was pretty unexpected that Jordan immediately jumped in and made the Senior world team. He did so after downing Nick Marable at the US Open, then Howe in the finals of the World Team Trials. The 2011 World Championships itself are funny to rewatch, because you see such a raw version of Burroughs. He's far from polished, but still was good enough to beat the best in the world. The big match came in the round of 16 as Burroughs won his first meeting with the returning world champion Denis Tsargush of Russia. We got a glimpse of Tsargush, known as one of the dirtiest players in the game, tugging on and ripping Burroughs' singlet. The actual gold medal match came against Sadegh Goudarzi, which started a long, friendly rivalry with the Iranians. This state of USA Wrestling is also important to note here. From 2007-10, the American men's freestyle team only won three total medals, with the only gold being Henry Cejudo's at the 2008 Olympics. The 2010 team had zero. Much of the talented 2008 Olympic team had left for the greener pastures of MMA. Not only was 2011 huge for Jordan, but also for USA Wrestling. It was the point where results began to shift towards our American wrestlers. Not overnight, but it was the beginning of a progression. 2012: Superstardom A world title is an incredible achievement in any sport. In wrestling, a world title can be more difficult than the Olympics due to a larger field, which has more matches and more potential room for error. Even so, the Olympics are in a world of their own. The cache that Olympian, Olympic medalist, or even Olympic gold medalist makes the world championships pale in comparison to the general sporting public. Winning the 2012 Games in London took Burroughs' star power to another level. He did the normal NBC Olympic talk show circuit and made some headlines with his tweet stating that the next tweet would be holding the gold medal. Oh, and he won $250k from the Living the Dream fund. Burroughs went from a world champion to wrestling royalty, along with a small dose of mainstream crossover appeal. The tournament itself featured two of the key players from 2011, as Burroughs got by Tsargush in the semis, before winning the gold over Goudarzi once again. 2013: The Ankle If the 2012 Olympic gold medal was a music album, it would be the crossover success, the one with hits that get played on repeat all summer and sells 5 million copies (at least when people bought albums/CD's). A casual fan of a band or artist may love this achievement the most. An Olympic gold medal resonates differently with your wrestling fans that don't regularly follow international wrestling. Now for your wrestling fans that get up at three in the morning to follow international wrestling tournaments, your hard-est of the hardcores, 2013 may be your favorite. Using the music analogy, 2013 did not generate as much widespread attention, but it was heavy on substance. Burroughs was extremely dominant, even in the old-style FILA matches. He outscored the competition 27-2 in four matches, not including a disqualification win in the semifinals. If that's not enough, Burroughs did it all on an ankle that was broken about four weeks ahead of the tournament. Up until a few days before the competition, Burroughs was off the mat. So not only did Burroughs win the world title and crush the field, but he also was wrestling in a condition that would have sidelined most other competitors. Once again, Burroughs defeated an Iranian opponent in the finals, Ezzatollah Akbari. For all of these reasons, 2013 was Burroughs' masterpiece. Also, 2013 was the year wrestling was voted to be dropped from the Olympic Games and then reinstated. It's hard to quantify exactly how much Burroughs' wrestling abilities helped draw awareness to the sport, but it was a factor. 2015: Home Field Dominance For the first time, since Burroughs hit the international scene full-time, he didn't capture a world/Olympic gold medal in 2014. 2015 was the chance to show that 2014 was a fluke and he was a little more banged up than he'd like you to believe. Burroughs did come away with a bronze in 2014. Now, 2015. The World Championships on American soil. Thousands of his supporters were in Las Vegas to watch him and the rest of the US team pursue medals. Burroughs' run to the finals in Vegas was actually more difficult than his gold medal match. In the quarters, Burroughs downed Alireza Ghasemi (Iran), 5-0 and in the semis, he survived Aniuar Geduev (Russia), 4-3. This year was important for USA Wrestling as well because of the arrival of phenom Kyle Snyder, who set a then-record by winning a world title at 19 years old. With the young Snyder in the fold, he and Burroughs could share the duties of "face of American wrestling." 2017: The Comeback The 2016 Olympic Games were a huge disappointment as Burroughs fell in a rematch to Geduev and failed to medal. Typically wrestling careers aren't very long and revolve around the Olympics, so it seemed natural to wonder whether this was the last we'd see of Jordan. That proved to be a premature assumption as Burroughs defeated Dake at the 2017 US Open and in an incredible three-match series at the World Team Trials to regain control of the 74 kg weight class. The 2017 World Championships gave Burroughs an opportunity to exercise some demons and return to the top of the mountain. Just to make the finals, Burroughs had to get by Bekzod Abdurakhmanov, the former Clarion All-American that eliminated him from the 2016 Olympics. Burroughs got by Abdurakhmanov by a point and was tasked with facing Russian Khetig Tsabolov, a 2014 world champion at 70 kg. By this time, Burroughs' late-match heroics were a regular occurrence, so no one was too surprised when he did it versus Tsabolov. The match was symbolic of Burroughs' year. He capped off his comeback season with an excellent one against a top-notch opponent with gold on the line. Looking at the big picture, the American team captured its first men's freestyle team title for the first time in 22 years. The team portion of this rebuild, that Burroughs was front and center for, had come full circle. 2021: 79 kg After the 2020 Olympic Trials, Burroughs was left to contemplate his future, once again. Kyle Dake dropped from the non-Olympic weight, 79 kg, to take Burroughs' customary 74 spot. With a long and accomplished career at this point (April 2021), it wouldn't have been surprising to see Burroughs walk away. That wasn't the case though, Burroughs just moved up at 79 kg for a shot at the World Team in Oslo. Burroughs notched a pair of wins over Alex Dieringer in the World Team Trials to make his 10th world/Olympic team. At the World Championships, Burroughs faced yet another Iranian opponent in the finals Mohammad Nokhodi and put together a workman-like 5-1 victory. Draws always have tends to pit Burroughs against the toughest possible path and this year was no different with wins over opponents from Russia, Japan, and Kazakhstan before getting to the Iranian. This ended up being his first title at a weight class that wasn't 74 kg and probably proved to be more satisfying, by not having to cut an extra 5 kg. It was also the first time where Burroughs trained away from his alma mater, Nebraska. In the early fall, Burroughs relocated back to the east coast and started training out of Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania RTC. 2022: The Record Breaker All things considered, this year had less drama surrounding it compared to past wins. No crazy injuries or overwhelming disappointment to overcome. It was just wrestling. And the matter of surpassing a hallowed record in American wrestling circles. For the second straight year, Burroughs needed to get by Nokhodi to claim his record-breaking gold medal. As is typically the case, the Iranian was able to play defense for the early portion of the bout. In the second period, Burroughs' movement, head fakes, level changes, and heavy hands all began to wear down his opponent. That allowed Burroughs a chance to score in the second period and he did so with a pair of takedowns, the last coming via his trademark double leg. One of the most impressive marks in a career filled with them is that Burroughs' seventh title came 11 years after his first, which is a lifetime (or two) in international wrestling.

From left, Seth Gross, Yianni Diakomihalis, and Kyle Snyder (photos courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 61 KG Title Contenders #3 Rei Higuchi (JPN) - 2016 Ziolkowski champ, 2016 Olympic runner-up 2016 Macedonian Pearl champion, 2016 57 KG Astana OG Qualifier champion, 2017 61 KG Asian Championships bronze, 2017 61 KG Yarygin bronze medalist, 2018 Meiji Cup runner-up (65), 2018 65 KG U-23 world champ, 2019 57 KG All-Japan championships gold medalist, 2020 57 KG All-Japan championships bronze medalist, 2022 61 KG Asian champion. Key Wins: #8 Islam Dudaev (2018 U-23 quarters), #10 (65) Tulga Tumur Ochir (2018 U-23 world's qualification round), Qualifier), Hassan Rahimi (2016 Olympics), Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez(2016 Olympics), Kyong Il Yang(2016 Olympics). Bekhan Gogyereev(2017 Yarygin), Takuto Otoguro (2019 65 KG Meiji Cup), Yuki Takahashi (2019 57 KG All-Japan championships), #15 Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov (2022 61 KG Asian championships) Key Losses: #6 (65) Gadzhimurad Rashidov(2015 Junior worlds, 2017 Yarygin), Fumitaka Morishita(2015 Mongolia Open), Damdinbazaar Tsgotbataar (2015 President Cup of Buryatia), Hak Song Kim (2017 61 KG Asian Championships) Vladimir Khinchegashvili (2016 57 KG Olympics), Rinya Nakamura (2017 World Team Trials wrestle off), Takuto Otoguro (2017 Emperor's Cup, 2018 Meiji Cup finals), Tulga Tumur Ochir (2018 Korkin quarters), Daulet Niyazbekov (2018 Korkin repechage), Yuto Takeshita (2020 57 KG All-Japan championships), Yuki Takahashi (2021 57 KG Olympic team wrestle-off) For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

Jordan Burroughs (left) and David Taylor (photo courtesy of Kadir Caliskan/UWW) Friday proved to be the most eventful day of the 2022 World Championships, thus far, at least from an American perspective. The first three American finalists in the men's freestyle division were in action and there were plenty of fireworks associated with the results. Two of the biggest storylines of the men's freestyle tournament were a potential rematch between David Taylor and Hassan Yazdani (Iran) in the 86 kg finals and Jordan Burroughs' pursuit of a seventh World/Olympic gold medal. Since the finals were conducted in ascending order, by weight, Burroughs took the mat first. After a tactical first period that saw Burroughs behind on the scoreboard (1-0), he began to wear down his opponent, Mohammad Nokhodi. Nokhodi was Burroughs' opponent from the 2021 world finals, as well. In the second period, Burroughs seized the lead with one of his patented double leg takedowns. He also was active and did not allow his Iranian foe to come close to a takedown during the closing seconds. As those seconds ticked off the scoreboard it read 4-2 in favor of the undisputed greatest of all-time (GOAT) in American wrestling history. After a pair of bronze medal matches at 86 kg, Taylor got on the raised stage opposite his rival Yazdani for the fifth time. The first three went Taylor's way, while Yazdani finally broke through in the 2021 world finals. Yazdani gained an early lead off of a shot clock violation, but it proved to be the one point he could muster against Taylor. A takedown off of a low reshot late in the opening period put Taylor in the lead, a position he'd never relinquish. Throughout the bout, Taylor was able to get to Yazdani's legs and on three occasions he converted them into takedowns. Perhaps most impressive was a sequence late in the second period where a Yazdani takedown looked imminent. Only inches away from a takedown and a possible momentum shift, Taylor was able to quickly get out of the dangerous position and then avoided exposure attempts from Yazdani. Taylor finished the match to win via a 7-1 margin. This victory gives Taylor a second world title and third world/Olympic gold medal. The afternoon session got underway for the Americans at 70kg as Zain Retherford took on Taishi Narikuni (Japan) in the gold medal match. In the first period, the two engaged in a prolonged scramble, which was eventually won by Narikuni. After securing the takedown, Narikuni was able to expose Retherford, then moved into a leg lace. He never released the hold and turned Retherford three more times to win 10-0 via technical superiority. Retherford settles for a silver medal, which is his first world hardware in three trips to the tournament. This morning, three more past world champions started their tournaments. Thomas Gilman (57 kg), Kyle Dake (74 kg), and J'den Cox (92 kg) all advanced to the tournament's gold medal matches at their respective weights. Gilman and Cox were met with little resistance during their run to the finals, while Dake had to grind out a 2-2 win over Iran's Yones Emamichoghaei. 2022 Senior World Championships US Results 57 kg Men's Freestyle Semifinals: Thomas Gilman over Wanhao Zou (China) 8-2 70 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Taishi Narikuni (Japan) over Zain Retherford (USA) 10-0 74 kg Men's Freestyle Semifinals: Kyle Dake over Yones Emamichoghaei (Iran) 2-2 79 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Jordan Burroughs over Mohammad Nokhodi (Iran) 4-2 86 kg Men's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: David Taylor over Hassan Yazdani (Iran) 7-1 92 kg Men's Freestyle Semifinals: J'den Cox over Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan) 7-0

2022 70 kg World Finalist Zain Retherford (photo courtesy of Kadir Caliskan/UWW) In the wake of Zain Retherford's semifinal win, I couldn't help but think about the various trajectories that these guys go through before they finally reach the top. We've been blessed with so much young talent in recent years that it's no longer surprising to see a current college wrestler make a Men's World Team. Daton Fix does it. Yianni got himself a nod last year. Kyle Snyder made a habit out of it. Gable Steveson did his thing on the biggest stage of them all. Back in 2016, J'den Cox was making Olympic teams and following everyone back on Twitter. And way back five years ago in 2017, Zain won himself a spot in the dreaded 65kg class. When I got back into the sport that same year, I immediately gravitated towards Zain and he quickly became my favorite wrestler to watch. Being a bit more naive at the time, I was certain he'd win a medal because he was as good a wrestler as I'd ever seen. Maybe I got ahead of myself by five years. Maybe we take for granted the number of years it takes to adjust to world-level freestyle after completing your folk career. After half a decade of battling in our toughest weight domestically, the Zain Train has settled into a comfortable weight at 70kg and looks better than ever. Now in his prime wrestling age of 27, the hammer from the pumpkin farms of Pennsylvania is primed to win this gold medal and hopefully start a run of domination like his teammate David Taylor did when he turned 27. Sometimes the journey to get there takes longer than expected, but the only thing that matters is you get there. Zain has arrived and the world has been put on proverbial notice. You love to see it. What's something I didn't know I needed to know about the upcoming college season? EB Did you know that Robbie Howard is back and ready to lift the 125 curse for Penn State? The legend from New Jersey has battled a bevy of shoulder surgeries through the years, but hopefully is ready to go this year without any setbacks. We got a small sample of the 3-time Cadet team member in the shortened 2021 season with mixed results but some nice victories to show that he's still dangerous. Plus, four years left! Would you rather get a cash prize for winning a World medal or a free boat with warranties for a lifetime of happiness? JL Vice Cash prize no doubt. I can always buy a boat with the money. I'm also quite the landlubber so the open water is all yours. All things considered, would you rather have free smokes for a year or an all-expense paid trip to the NCAA tournament? Jkos11 What's with all the hypothetical questions here? I'll take the free trip and quit smoking before it kills me. How good is Kyrgyzstan with their new Greco, Men's and Women's freestyle head coach CEO of Italians? Seth Petarra CEO of Italians Put it this way, I can spell it without looking thanks to your influence. Short mailbag today as I know you all want to sneak in a nap before the medal rounds in a few hours. Wrestling is officially back and off to a great start. Amit Elor! World Champ at 18! Most 18-year-olds are halfway through high school at this point and she's already destroying the world.

2022 59 kg World Champion Anastasia Nichita of Moldova (photo courtesy of Kostadin Andonov/UWW) 57 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan) over Helen Maroulis (USA) 3-0 Bronze Medal Match: Anhelina Lysak (Poland) over Davaachimeg Erkhembayar (Mongolia) 10-6 Bronze Medal Match: Alina Hrushyna (Ukraine) over Zhala Aliyeva (Azerbaijan) 10-0 59 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Anastasia Nichita (Moldova) over Grace Bullen (Norway) 4-1 Bronze Medal Match: Jowita Wrzesien (Poland) over Erdenesuvd Bat Erdene (Mongolia) 4-2 Bronze Medal Match: Sakura Motoki (Japan) over Qi Zhang (China) Fall 3:37 68 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Tamyra Mensah-Stock (USA) over Ami Ishii (Japan) Fall 2:10 Bronze Medal Match: Linda Morais (Canada) over Nisha (India) Fall 2:44 Bronze Medal Match: Irina Ringaci (Moldova) over Feng Zhou (China) Fall :50 72 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Amit Elor (USA) over Zhamila Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan) 10-0 Bronze Medal Match: Alexandra Anghel (Romania) over Svetlana Oknazarova (Uzbekistan) 10-0 Bronze Medal Match: Masako Furuichi (Japan) over Buse Tosun (Turkey) 3-2

David Taylor in the 2022 World semifinals (photo courtesy of Kostadin Andonov/UWW) The semifinal round was kicked off by Zain Retherford, who was on the precipice of his first Senior world medal. Standing between him, a medal, and the 70 kg world finals was a highly-decorated opponent in Zurabi Iakobishvili (Georgia). The three-time world medalist and 2017 world champion came into Belgrade fresh off a European Championship. Iakobishvili's past didn't matter at all to Retherford, who grabbed a pair of points in the opening period off a step-out and a shot clock violation. As the second period progressed, Iakobishvili became noticeably winded and Retherford capitalized. He amassed two takedowns and a step out all off of a sweep single to the tired Georgian. Shortly after Retherford pushed the score to 7-0 the final seconds ticked off on the scoreboard. Retherford clinched a world medal, though he is focused on making sure the color is gold. He'll have to contend with Taishi Narikuni (Japan), a bit of a surprise finalist. Narikuni was an Asian Champion earlier this year and knocked off the tournament's top seed, Ernazar Akmataliev (Kyrgyzstan) in a 10-10 semifinal shootout. We went from Retherford locking up his first world medal to Jordan Burroughs who now has ten. Burroughs squared off with Ali Umarpashaev (Bulgaria), a two-time ninth-place finisher at the World Championships. Umarpashaev was never able to get into a rhythm due to Burroughs' motion, fakes, and level changes. Burroughs also dealt with an opponent who repeatedly pushed the boundaries of legal physicality. None seemed to fluster the veteran, who ended up winning via a 9-2 score. Burroughs will now face off with his 2021 World finals opponent Mohammad Nokhodilarimi (Iran). The third finalist on the day was David Taylor who started off slow against Azamat Dauletbekov (Kazakhstan), leading only 1-0 after a period. As is usually the case, Taylor wore on his opening and found several openings throughout the final two-plus minutes. A takedown followed by a gut wrench blew the match open and Taylor didn't stop until the scoreboard read 12-0. Taylor's win sets up perhaps the most anticipated match of the entire tournament, as he will take on Hassan Yazdani (Iran). Taylor took the first three meetings between the two, including the 2020 Olympic finals; however, Yazdani returned the favor at the 2021 World Championships in Oslo. Both teams are expected to contend for the team titles, so this round could have extra implications. In the 125 kg semifinal, perennial gold medal threat Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) suffered an upset loss to Mongolia's Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur, which eliminated Hayden Zillmer from the tournament. 2022 Senior World Championships US Results 70 kg Men's Freestyle Semifinal: Zain Retherford over Zurabi Iakobishvili (Georgia) 7-0 79 kg Men's Freestyle Semifinal: Jordan Burroughs over Ali Umarpashaev (Bulgaria) 9-2 86 kg Men's Freestyle Semifinal: David Taylor over Azamat Dauletbekov (Kazakhstan) 12-0

From left, Thomas Gilman, Kyle Dake, J'den Cox (photos courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Another year, another world championship. Even without the inclusion of returning World/Olympic champions Russia, the competition in Belgrade will be excellent with headlining matchups brewing between 2021 Olympic medalists #2 Ravi Kumar (IND) and #3 Thomas Gilman at 57 KG and #1 Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI) and #2 David Taylor (USA) at 86 KG in a rematch of the world finals won by Yazdani that avenged his Olympic finals loss to Taylor. Day one of the World championships for men's freestyle will see competition from athletes at the 70, 79, 86, and 125 kilogram weight classes. Read below to figure out who are the favorites, who's got the chance to medal, and who are the dark horses that could break through. 57 KG Title Contenders #2 Ravi Kumar (IND) - 2019 57 KG world bronze medalist, 2018 57 KG U23 world runner-up, 2015 55 KG Junior world runner-up, 2020 57 KG Asian Champion, 2021 61 KG Ziolkowski runner-up, 2022 61 KG Dan Kolov runner-up, 2021 57 KG Asian champion, 2022 57 KG Asian champion, 2022 61 KG Yasar Dogu champion, 2020 57 KG Matteo Pellicone champion, 2019 57 KG Asian championships 5th, 2019 57 KG Medved bronze medalist, 2022 57 KG Commonwealth Games champion. Key Wins: Arsen Harutyunyan (2019 57 KG world championships), Yuki Takahashi (2019 57 KG world championships), Reza Atri (2019 57 KG world bronze medal match, 2021 61 KG Ziolkowski semis), Gulomjon Abdullaev (2021 61 KG Yasar Dogu finals, 2021 61 KG Ziolkowski rd 1), Nurislam Sanayev (2020 57 KG Asian championships, 2021 57 KG Olympics), Georgi Vangelov (2021 57 KG Olympics, 2022 61 KG Dan Kolov), Taras Markovych (2018 57 KG U23 world championships), Jahongirmirza Turobov (2018 57 KG U23 world championships), Alireza Sarlak (2020 57 KG Asian championships finals), Adlan Askarov (2021 61 KG Ziolkowski rd 2). Key Losses: Gulomjon Abdullaev (2016 57 KG Junior World championships, 2021 61 KG Ziolkowski finals), Gamzatgadzhi Khalidov (2020 57 KG Individual World Cup), Zavur Uguev (2019 57 KG world championships semifinals, 2021 57 KG Olympics finals), Zelimkhan Abakarov (2022 61 KG Dan Kolov finals), Toshihiro Hasegawa (2018 57 KG U23 world finals), Kumsong Kang (2019 57 KG Asian championships), Yuki Takahashi (2019 57 KG Asian championships), Jahongirmirza Turobov (2019 57 KG Medved), Volodmyr Borukov (2019 61 KG Dan Kolov round of 16), Makhir Amiraslanov (2015 55 KG Junior world finals). For the full article, Subscribe to InterMat's Rokfin Page

2022 World Champions Tamyra Mensah-Stock (left) and Amit Elor (photo courtesy of Kostadin Andonov/UWW) History was made for Team USA in the very last match of the women's freestyle tournament at the 2022 World Championship. 18-year-old Amit Elor became the youngest American wrestler to win a Senior world championship when she disposed of returning world silver medalist Zhamila Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan) in just over :70 seconds. The previous mark was held by Kyle Snyder who won his 2015 world championship as a 19-year-old. Bakbergenova was the offensive wrestler, but was stymied by Elor on her only shot attempt. Elor patiently improved her position until she was able to swiftly go behind for a takedown. She quickly transitioned into a leg lace and that was the match. Four turns later, Elor was a world champion. The numbers are staggering for Elor. In her four matches in Belgrade, Elor downed three of the four returning world medalists, including both finalists. Her other contest was a win over the 2021 U23 world champion. Although, Elor outscored the field 23-2 and that doesn't include a fall in the quarterfinals. Elor now has two world titles in 2022 (U20 and Senior) and will seek a third next month at U23's. The American squad crowned another gold medalist at the weight class before Elor's, as Tamyra Mensah-Stock prevailed at 68 kg. Mensah-Stock faced Japan's Ami Ishii, another U20 world champion from earlier this year. After a brief “feeling-out” process, Mensah-Stock hit a big blast double to get on the scoreboard, 2-0. Shortly after, Mensah-Stock got a second takedown and then sucked Ishii back for exposure. She didn't stop at the point, instead increasing the pressure and eventually picking up the fall at 2:10 in the opening period. Throughout the tournament, Mensah-Stock did not surrender a single point and never was pushed to the fourth minute of any bout. She tallied three 10-0 techs before the fall in the finals. The gold medal gives Tamyra three World/Olympic titles and five medals overall. She has left every World/Olympic event with some form of hardware since 2018. Also adding to her medal collection was Helen Maroulis at 57 kg. Maroulis was held in check by Japan's Tsugumi Sakurai, 3-0 in the gold medal match. Sakurai was a world champion in 2021 at 55 kg, who moved up this year. Maroulis had to settle for silver for the second time in her illustrious career. For her career, Maroulis now has eight World/Olympic medals (4 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze). The US women's freestyle team finished the tournament in second place, behind Japan. Seven American women won medals and three were crowned world champions; two being first-time champs. The US team also had three champions in 2019 when Mensah-Stock, Jacarra Winchester (55kg) and Adeline Gray (76 kg) won. 2022 Senior World Championships US Results 57 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan) over Helen Maroulis 3-0 68 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Tamyra Mensah-Stock over Ami Ishii (Japan) Fall 2:10 72 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Amit Elor over Zhamila Bakbergenova (Kazakhstan) Fall 1:12

70 kg world team member Zain Retherford (photo courtesy of Ben Mrad Bayrem/UWW) The first four weight classes for men's freestyle took the mat Thursday morning at the 2022 World Championships. In doing so, the American team made its presence felt. Three of the four team members punched their ticket to the semifinals and did so in impressive fashion Former Penn State Hodge Trophy winners Zain Retherford (70 kg) and David Taylor (86 kg) both have berths in the semifinals and went 5-0 with a combined score of 36-0 and a fall. For Taylor, he is seeking his fourth world/Olympic medal and second world championship. A possible 2021 finals rematch with Hassan Yazdani (Iran) is one of the most anticipated potential matches of the entire tournament. Before getting another shot at Yazdani, Taylor will need to go through the Asian Champion Azamat Dauletbekov (Kazakhstan), a fifth place finisher at the 2021 World Championships. Retherford, on the other hand, is chasing after his first world medal, after coming up short in his two previous world team appearances. He had a tech and a fall in his first two bouts, before a workman-like 5-0 victory over Arman Andreasyan (Armenia) in the quarterfinals. The third semifinalist for the American team is one of the most decorated wrestlers in our nation's history, Jordan Burroughs at 79 kg. In search of his sixth world title and seventh world/Olympic gold medal, Burroughs has looked like his typical self. Although he's the only one of the semifinalists who have surrendered a single point, they have been insignificant in back-to-back 12-1 victories to start the tournament. None of Burroughs' three matches this morning made it out of the first period. For another world medal and a berth in the finals, Burroughs will have to get by Ali Umarpashaev (Bulgaria). Umarpashaev's best finish at the world championships has been 9th place, which he has done twice. Also starting his tournament today was Hayden Zillmer at 125 kg. Zillmer picked up two solid wins, the second being a 3-2 victory over battle-tested veteran, Robert Baran (Poland), before running into legendary big man Geno Petriashvili (Georgia). The two-time Olympic medalist downed Zillmer 9-4 to move into the semi's. But with a loss to a high-quality opponent like Petriashvili, Zillmer's hopes for repechage look good. The morning started with one of our women's freestylers in repechage, Abby Nette, at 59 kg. Nette fell to Mongolia's Erdenesuvd Bat Erdene 4-0 and has been eliminated. 2022 World Championship US Results 70 kg Men's Freestyle Qualification: Zain Retherford over Kevin Henkel (Germany) 10-0 Round of 16: Zain Retherford over Marc Dietsche (Switzerland) Fall 1:10 Quarterfinals: Zain Retherford over Arman Andreasyan (Armenia) 5-0 79 kg Men's Freestyle Qualification: Jordan Burroughs over Sahergeldi Saparmyradov (Turkmenistan) 12-1 Round of 16: Jordan Burroughs over Dejan Mitrov (Macedonia) 12-1 Quarterfinals: Jordan Burroughs over Arslan Budazhapov (Kyrgyzstan) 10-0 86 kg Men's Freestyle Round of 16: David Taylor over Aron Caneva (Italy) 10-0 Quarterfinals: David Taylor over Ethan Ramos (Puerto Rico) 11-0 125 kg Men's Freestyle Qualification: Hayden Zillmer over Zyyamuhammet Saparov (Turkmenistan) 15-4 Round of 16: Hayden Zillmer over Robert Baran (Poland) 3-2 Quarterfinals: Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) over Hayden Zillmer 9-4 59 kg Women's Freestyle Repechage: Erdenesuvd Bat Erdene (Mongolia) over Abby Nette 4-0

Three-time World Champion Yui Susaki (photo courtesy of Kostadin Andonov/UWW) 50 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Yui Susaki (Japan) over Otgonjargal Dolgorjav (Mongolia) Fall 1:23 Bronze Medal Match: Sarah Hildebrandt (USA) over Emilia Vuc (Romania) 10-0 Bronze Medal Match: Anna Lukasiak (Poland) over Miesinnei Genesis (Nigeria) 3-2 53 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Dom Parrish (USA) over Khulan Batkhuyag (Mongolia) 4-2 Bronze Medal Match: Vinesh Phogat (India) over Emma Malmgren (Sweden) 8-0 Bronze Medal Match: Maria Prevolaraki (Greece) over Lucia Yepez Guzman (Colombia) 14-4 65 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Miwa Morikawa (Japan) over Jia Long (China) 2-0 Bronze Medal Match: Mallory Velte (USA) over Mimi Hristova (Bulgaria) 11-2 Bronze Medal Match: Koumba Larroque (France) over Elis Manolova (Azerbaijan) 3-2 76 kg Women's Freestyle Gold Medal Match: Yasemin Adar (Turkey) over Samar Hamza (Egypt) 6-0 Bronze Medal Match: Yuka Kagami (Japan) over Genesis Reasco Valdez (Ecuador) 4-0 Bronze Medal Match: Epp Maee (Estonia) over Justin DiStasio (Canada) 2-1