InterMat Staff

Jesse Thielke at Final X Stillwater (Photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The World Team spots are now filled across men's and women's freestyle and Greco-Roman and a team that quietly makes up a large part of the contingent heading to Serbia in September, is the Army World Class Athlete Program. The Army World Class Athlete Program “Allows top-ranked Soldier-athletes to perform at the international level while also serving their nation in the military.” Each “Soldier-Athlete” is required to complete some form of Army IET which typically consists of Basic Training and AIT, or for officers, some form of OCS, ROTC, Academy schooling, and BOLC. They hold an MOS and rank just the same as any other soldier and are required to maintain their appropriate readiness by completing physical fitness tests, medical requirements, and various other tasks. To get promoted they must go to the appropriate NCOES or OES and pass all the same requirements most regular Army Soldiers must complete. Naturally, there are still some differences in their experience's comparative to other soldiers, their predominant focus is wrestling, but the “Soldier-Athlete” concept is a very real merging of the two. Their dominance in Greco is hard to ignore. They had five wrestlers win their series at Final X, making up half of the lineup heading to Serbia. 55 KG-SSG Max Nowry 60 KG-SGT Ildar Hafizov 63 KG-SPC Jesse Thielke 67 KG-SPC Alejandro Sancho 77 KG-PFC Kamal Bey Two of those finals included fellow WCAP wrestlers as did 82 KG, where SPC Spencer Woods fell to Ben Provisor. Hafizov defeated WCAP wrestler Dalton Roberts and Bey beat teammate Britton Holmes. Jesse Thielke on his WCAP experience: “Basic and our job training was definitely a bit of a culture shock for me. But I was made for this, I was made to be a Soldier-athlete. I was made to be a part of this team. It's been wonderful. Different in ways I never could have told you, predicted or imagined, but wonderful all the same.” “I think the biggest thing is accountability. People like Alejandro Sancho… Ellis Coleman, and Michael Hooker were here with me every step of the way. When I say I want to do something, they hold me to it. And that's from the top down. It starts with our leadership, way at the top, all the way down to our Commander and 1SGT, to us. It's something when I got to Basic and AIT, that was the culture shock, that was the adjustment. Once I made that, everything has gone beautifully. I couldn't be happier.” Bolstered by 2021 World Medalist Jenna Burkert, who unfortunately suffered an injury last week at Final X-Stillwater after winning the first bout in her series with Jacarra Winchester, the women's team has shared a large amount of success as well. Though Burkert was unable to continue competing, her influence and mentorship helped guide Abby Nette to a Final X win over Lexie Basham and the 59 KG spot. When asked about Jenna's leadership in the room Nette stated it's been a big influence on her. “Absolutely! We go together most of the time. She kicks the dog *beep* out of me… But she's also a person who can sit down and talk to me about it. She's basically helping me become the next thing in the Army and I really appreciate that and I really appreciate everything she's done for me.” In just two months in the program, Nette believes it's been great for her. “It's a great program, I think everyone should join… It's a good thing to be in a room full of great energy, to be in a room full of winners. We're not just winners, we're a family… Knowing those people are behind me helps me out there.”

Willie Miklus before a 2021-22 home dual meet (Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Kevin Claunch: I am very happy to speak with Willie Miklus, assistant coach at Michigan State University. Willie was a 4x All-American while competing for both Missouri and Iowa State. Willie, I can't begin to tell you how many positive things I've heard from people when I told them that I was going to be doing this interview. You're obviously incredibly well-respected, and I'm pumped to be able to speak with you. Willie Miklus: Yeah, I'm excited to do this. I've been a big fan of yours and, and your work for a while now. I'm super pumped to do this interview. Kevin Claunch: I figure we might as well start with Missouri. You had tremendous success there and I was just looking through some of the rosters of the teams that you were on. I had followed those teams pretty closely, mostly because, as a Central Michigan alumnus, and I hated that you guys just kept beating us, you know, consistently, but I was looking back, you had, J'den (Cox) was on some of those teams. Then you had guys like Daniel Lewis, Joey Lavallee, Lavion Mayes, Grant Leeth, a lot of leaders on those teams throughout the years. Since then, a lot of them have transitioned into coaching now. Was the leadership and the sheer number of leaders, something that was discussed amongst that group? Willie Miklus: It was actually. We had some awareness of the number of real leaders that we had on the team, and we knew that any of us were able to help drive towards the collective goal. Coach (Brian) Smith made sure that was a consistent theme though. To be a leader wherever you were. If it was in the wrestling room, if it was in a wrestling practice, wherever we were we were practicing those leadership skills, so it was something we openly talked about and were aware of. Honestly, a lot of the guys that we had on the team were great dudes and we competed in everything. It didn't matter if it was kickball before practice. And then we had fist fights break out there or, you know, just competing in the room and wrestling or whatever it was. It didn't matter. We were there trying to do our best. Everybody wanted to be a leader. Everybody wanted to be the guy, and I was super blessed to have a lot of those teammates that you mentioned. Kevin Claunch: Did you guys talk about post-competition, and getting into coaching or was that something that just happened? I mentioned Leeth and Daniel Lewis, but you know there are a couple of other guys too who have gotten into coaching, which we'll get to in a minute, but was that also an open discussion or just kind of happened? Willie Miklus: It just kind of happened. I mean, I knew I wanted to be a college coach, or I knew I wanted to be a coach. I shouldn't say college coach, but I knew I wanted to be a coach from the time I was 15. When I got to Mizzou, I was very open about wanting to be a division one coach, and wanting to be a head coach one day. I talked to Brian (Smith) about it several times. I've talked to him since I got this job. So yeah, I was pretty open about wanting to coach. I would always ask questions and always paid attention to what he was doing and saying. I know that Leeth, I'm not sure if he always wanted to be a coach, but he's a pretty darn good one. Kevin Claunch: Yeah, I had the pleasure of talking to him for just a couple of minutes at NCAAs, this last year, and I was like, "This guy's got a lot of charisma and energy." It would be easy to just want to run through a wall for him. I wanted to focus on coach Smith too, because he built that program into what it is. He didn't inherit some set and established program. He built it into what it is today, and has been for the last several years. So as an athlete, I wanted to focus on that first, and this is going to be a theme throughout a lot of this interview. What were some of the biggest lessons you picked up, from coach Smith when you were an athlete? Willie Miklus: Probably just compete, compete, compete, compete, expect to win, like all the Tiger Style pillars. I had to do my diet right. I had a train right. I had to sleep right. I had to eat right. I had to go to school and to take classes seriously. I had to focus like it was my job. My job was being an athlete. You know, I got to really pour as much effort as I wanted into it, but doing the right things at the end of the day, it made it a lot easier to look at yourself in the mirror. I think that was kind of one of the biggest things I got out of it, just the overall mentality towards competition and competing and how we trained and what we focused on. The level and amount of work that was put into each season is a staggering difference (from high school). I shouldn't say a staggering difference from high school because my high school team was very, very mature, and very hardworking as well. A very successful team as well, but yeah, it was just a different level of work. Kevin Claunch: Now that you've transitioned into coaching, what are some of the biggest lessons that you've picked up from him to have sustained coaching success? Willie Miklus: Honestly, Coach Smith, like he coached everybody as an individual, or tried to, as much as he could. You look at J'den Cox and the way he wrestles, versus me, versus Grant Leeth with the neck brace or, you know, Jaydin Eierman or Daniel Lewis, or Lavallee, any single one of those guys. We were all incredibly different people. We all had different things that made us tick, we all had different styles, like different things that we did well, as well as different things we struggled with. As a coach, you know, you work on general things as a team, but then you also tailor it towards the individuals. I think that that's probably one of the biggest things I've taken away from him and just on my own, I noticed as an athlete, I had to do things my own way. I had to do things differently, and try to work to perfect each and every single one of those things. Kevin Claunch: Awesome. Speaking of some of the other coaches there, I remembered that while you were at Missouri, so was Alex Clemsen (current head coach at the University of Maryland). I also remember him being so passionate and exuberant, I knew that given the time and attention at Maryland he would do well. He was just really, really intense while coaching. So now fast forward and you're coaching against him in the Big Ten. What's it like having him now, as someone that you're competing against? I'm sure it was great having him in your corner, but how is it having him on the other side? Willie Miklus: It's really cool. We went to the Maryland dual this year and I got to see his son Porter. When he came to staff (as a Missouri coach), his daughter, Peyton, and his son Porter were, we're really young and Porter is starting to get really big. It was pretty cool. You get to see that, I have gotten to be around Porter as he's grown up and his daughters have grown up. And getting to know his wife. Having him as a coach was like, he texted me yesterday actually. And he's just like, you know, 'You always had fun'. He kind of brought that up like, 'Dude you were just so fun to coach', but just wished me well and happy Memorial Day. He was, he was super fun to have in my corner. A guy that I, I really enjoyed, while I got to be around him. Coaching against him now is kind of fun too, because I told him before our dual meet I said, 'it doesn't matter what you say, I'm just going to yell the opposite.' So he just kinda chuckled because he didn't know what do you say to somebody that said something like that? I'm not even going to worry about coaching my guys, I'm just going to coach opposite of you. Kevin Claunch: (Laughing loudly, and regaining composure) That is… that's unbelievable. I love it. So, from Missouri, you transferred to Iowa State to be closer to home. Clearly, it's a very unique situation for you to be able to come into a new program, at that point you were already a three-time All-American, anybody would have been happy to have you join their team. To be closer to home you got to jump into this program at Iowa State, work with Kevin Dresser, Brent Metcalf, Derek St. John. Obviously under tough circumstances with your father's illness, so not ideal. However, you got to do something really cool, in coming home. I hope that you still really value and appreciate it all these years later. You were happy to have that chance at the time, but has the appreciation grown over the years? Willie Miklus: Yeah, what I got to do was super special. I don't know that I even understand the magnitude of it yet. I know for sure, I didn't understand it then. Yeah, it was, it was such a special thing, such a special opportunity that I had. I'm forever grateful to the Missouri staff for helping me with that and doing whatever they could for me in that time and understanding that that was kind of what I needed. Even when I was doing it, I know they didn't see it all. They didn't understand what was happening with my dad fully. But it would be impossible to, unless you were living in it, and I was living in it, but it was a really cool thing that I got to do, and then the magnitude of it is still lost on me a little bit. Kevin Claunch: I think it was crazy. Like, so not to make this about me or anything, but just as a point of emphasis, I'd had lost my father about a year or so before, the news came out with your transfer and the reasoning behind it and everything. So, I just respected everybody involved. Like you said, Missouri being willing to let you transfer, not that I think most people wouldn't. You like to think that most coaches would help their athletes in that situation, but it doesn't make it any less remarkable that they did, and it worked out that way. So, it was really cool to watch everyone be so human and for you to have the opportunity to be closer to home and to have the experience of being in another wrestling room. Being in the Iowa State room, and having that opportunity, what did you take away from Coach Dresser and that staff as an athlete? Willie Miklus: He liked to coach you old school, that was kind of his thing. He was like, you know, "I need your permission to coach old school". And I was super about it. That's how my dad always was, he was super old school and really blunt to the point. Dresser never pulled any punches with me. He'd always just tell me exactly how it was, and I knew exactly where I stood with him. I may not have agreed or liked it at the time, but I always knew exactly where I stood. So that was something, you know, some guys really thrive out of that and you can be super blunt and super to the point. Some guys not so much, but I really appreciated Dresser for that because he was like, "Hey, you know, I'll just tell it to you straight, how it is, and what I think" I figured "Cool, sounds good. Like it was awesome." We did a lot more like longer live go's, which I kind of enjoyed, especially once I got back into shape. On the first day I did it, I did not have fun. Metcalf and St. John traded in on me. They didn't need to trade, but they did. And then I went a live and extended go with each one of them after that, too. And it was just, it was terrible. All three of those days were just awful days. Kevin Claunch: Those are two guys who have never struggled with conditioning. If college wrestling matches were 30 minutes long, they wouldn't get tired. Willie Miklus: Yeah, no, they both can still wrestle. They can both still do it. And we're a couple of years down the road now, too. But back then, they were still every bit as able to just beat you up as much as they wanted to do. Kevin Claunch: I don't doubt it for a second. Is there anything in particular that you took away from him, now that you're coaching, from the coaching perspective? Willie Miklus: Yeah, like I said, I get to be straightforward with some kids. Other kids, I gotta beat around the bush a little more. Just the way you talk to somebody is super vital. Dresser was always willing to do whatever was best for me, whatever I absolutely needed. Not that Missouri wasn't that way, but that's been a theme with my college coaches. Metcalf and St. John have always had my back and always will. So I mean, I got really blessed, right? Like a lot of people, they leave their college team and don't like their coaches or whatever, but I had two different sets of coaches and I really enjoyed both. But yeah, just doing whatever's best for the person and kind of being a little bit old school at times and a little bit new school at times. That's kind of what I picked out of them. Kevin Claunch: You're at Michigan State now, with Wynn Michalak going down to Campbell to coach with Scotti Sentes. It was funny because right around that time we had Cam Caffey on our podcast, Bloodround, Rayvon was on that episode as well. I think it was right before you were hired, but there must have already been some conversations, he must've known what was coming because he seemed very excited. Like you could almost tell he knew you were being brought in but couldn't say it yet. So the question is, what first intrigued you about the Michigan State job? Willie Miklus: Cam Caffey's haircut. It's flawless. He's such a unique kid. You just don't coach many kids like him ever. He's something else. Honestly, it was just the rise in the program that I've seen. Cam Caffey was the first big name, Rayvon too. I remember watching him AA. But yeah, just the way the team was trending, they had just beat Wisconsin. That was a real eye-opener and a head turner for a lot of people. Everything just seemed like it was clicking and firing in the right ways and trending in a really good direction headed into nationals. So just kind of the direction of the program was headed. I knew that it had a lot to do with Roger and Chris and Wynn, and they all did phenomenal jobs, and Roger and Chris still do. Kevin Claunch: Are there any particular highs or lows that stand out to you, since coming to East Lansing and helping the team develop? Willie Miklus: We beat Rutgers last year. We went on a hot streak in duals, we were ranked top 15, like 14 is where we were the highest we were ranked this past season, maybe 12th. I think it was the 14th though. We had a few different come-from-behind dual wins. Our 184, 197, and heavyweight pulling us out of a hole at Lock Haven during their whiteout… Kevin Claunch: That's right, I was watching that. It was very early in the season. Willie Miklus: Yeah. I told those guys that it was going to be a hostile environment and I don't think they believed me, um, as much as they should have, but, and they figured it out real quick. Like my favorite thing that's the biggest highlight for me is how close the team is. Aside from wrestling, like they're all best friends. Nobody's safe, everybody's going to get picked on. I feel like that's a trademark of a great team. You know, you, you gotta get picked on. Roger gets picked on sometimes. I definitely get picked on a lot. I bring it on myself quite a bit. I'll be honest. But just the comradery of the team. Obviously, we're getting a lot better at wrestling. We're starting to have a lot more success. That's cool. But the environment, the group of guys that we have in the room right now, is what's amazing. All credit to them. And then the coaches for recruiting them. Kevin Claunch: It seemed like a really close team and a lot of great personalities on the team. We talked about Caffey earlier. I was at the CMU versus MSU dual this last year where Layne Malczewski was on his back for a hot minute. Of course, the match ended with him flipping it around and pinning Cushman. Those points were necessary to win the dual, too. So obviously, you have a pretty awesome team that's not going to quit fighting for each other. So as a coach, where do you feel you've had the best impact on the program since getting to East Lansing? Willie Miklus: I feel like I bring up a pretty different dynamic. I'm constantly joking around. I'm constantly having fun. Even when we're getting better, or we're working on something like I'm constantly cracking jokes or like, suggesting "Hey, why don't you try this? Why don't you fit this in and see how you like that?". Just like constantly coming up with different ideas in the room, but like all of our coaches do that, we've all done it. I think one of the best parts of our staff is just that none of us have an ego. A couple of guys need to work on hand fighting. And I was like, "Look, I'm not that guy." I sent him over to Roger. Roger's a better hand fighter than I'll ever be. That goes all the way around. I've sent guys to Chris to work on things. I've picked on guys about things. Justin Oliver, I have sent guys to him to work on things. I think that me jumping in as a coach was kind of like, you know, a puzzle piece fitting in, and I just feel like I'm at home now. I think my biggest contribution is just being me. It's hard to explain. I'm constantly just having fun and I love to be in the room. Kevin Claunch: Do you have a dry sense of humor? I'm kind of picking up a dryness in the jokes. Willie Miklus: Yeah, a real dry sense of humor. Kevin Claunch: It sounds like, from this conversation, that you've been pretty aware of where some coaches have been able to help you and to improve. Is there anything in particular that you want to continue to get better at as a coach, and to have a greater impact on the team? Willie Miklus: I'm trying to become a better recruiter. It's a tricky skill. I'm still working on it. I'm trying to work on recruiting, film breakdowns are pretty good, but I think I can always improve there. Sometimes, you know, and you push a kid when you need to pull back on them, or you pull back on when you need to push them. So just like dialing that in. I know that Roger's level of patience is unparalleled. He's a super patient person and I am not always so patient. So that's a skill I'm definitely working on. I try to improve myself every day in some sort of way. I think all around I can always become a better coach, um, whether it's technique, just having a good relationship with the guys or, you know, whatever they might need. I'm constantly trying to get better. I don't think there's any such thing as a perfect coach, like, but I'm trying to do the best that I can. I have all different kinds of things that I can get better at. I asked my guys all the time, "what do you guys think I need to do?" I guess some interesting answers for sure, but I'm working in a lot of different areas to become a better, but I think recruiting is the number one area I can improve on. Kevin Claunch: That's a great answer because recruiting is obviously a big aspect of it, but I guess I forget to think about how important that is. How valuable a skill that is as a coach in college, so that's an excellent point. Are there any particular Spartans jumping into the lineup next year or is there anything in particular that we should just be paying attention to or watching from Michigan State, as we head through this summer and into next season? Willie Miklus: I think the whole team is honestly pretty hungry right now. They want to do better next year than they did this year. I'm excited to see what Cam Caffey and Layne Malczewski can do next year. You know, losing at nationals was not a good taste in their mouth. I'm excited to see Rayvon Foley back on the mat, I'm excited to see Tristan Lujan back on the mat. The whole team up and down the lineup, I'm really excited for it. I think that we've got a lot of good things trending in a positive direction right now. We've got guys getting better and that are starting to get committed to the process of being great wrestlers. I think as far as our team for next year, the whole team is going to come back better than they were this year, which is exciting for us. Kevin Claunch: For sure. Like you said, the team had a really good year. I was really impressed with Saldate last season and how good he's gotten on top. I mean, he was good on top before, but he was, he was really, really tough last year. The improvements were noticeable. A really good foundation that you guys have built out there and, I'm really pumped to see what the Spartans do next season and truly appreciate your time. Willie Miklus: Anytime, you know that. I'm super pumped for it. It's going to be a really fun season.

Clockwise from top left: Matt Azevedo, Steve Garland, Troy Nickerson, Mike Grey, Jordan Leen, Brian Smith, Jeremy Spates, and Damion Hahn; with Rob Koll (center) (All photos courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) On Monday afternoon, Brown University announced that Jordan Leen would be the program's new head coach, a move lauded by many observers in the wrestling community. After looking past Leen and his accomplishments, the hiring also marked another significant occurrence. His hiring extends another branch on the growing coaching tree of current Stanford head coach Rob Koll. Leen is the eighth current DI head coach to have coached under or wrestled for Koll, while at Cornell. That's territory that previously only existed under John Smith/Oklahoma State or Dan Gable/Iowa. Before we get to more about Leen, here are the eight coaches that headline the Koll Coaching Tree. Mike Grey (Cornell) The successor to Rob Koll at Cornell, Mike Grey, is an obvious answer. Grey spent his competitive career at Cornell, where he made the NCAA podium on two occasions and won the EIWA twice, as well. Right after his eligibility was exhausted, Grey found his way onto the Big Red coaching staff as a volunteer assistant. With such a long, distinguished list of alumni available, that speaks volumes about Grey's aptitude for coaching. In year one as Cornell's head coach, the Big Red regained control of the Ivy League and EIWA, as well as placed seventh in the country, behind Yianni Diakomihalis' third NCAA title. Brian Smith (Missouri) Since Brian Smith has been at the helm for Mizzou since 1998 it's easy to forget he got his start coaching collegiately at Cornell, under Rob Koll. Smith was on staff for David Hirsch's 1994 NCAA championship, the first by a Cornell wrestler since 1960. He left following the 1997 season to assume head coaching duties at Syracuse for a year, before moving to Missouri. At Mizzou, Smith has completely revamped the program and put his “TigerStyle” stamp across the state. Under Smith, the team has seen six wrestlers combine to win nine NCAA titles. Prior to his arrival, the school never had a national champion. As a team, Missouri has claimed two NCAA trophies (3rd and 4th place), and finished in the top ten at the last seven NCAA Tournaments. Steve Garland (Virginia) After graduating from Virginia, Steve Garland was on the Cornell staff for six seasons and served as the team's recruiting coordinator. Under his direction, the Big Red landed mega-recruits like Troy Nickerson, which helped change the trajectory and expectations of recruiting at the Ivy League school. On the mat, he assisted two-time NCAA champion Travis Lee, who did the same, elevating the level of results for the team. Garland was hired as UVA's head coach in 2006 and has been with the Cavaliers ever since. His teams have produced 13 All-Americans, including a pair of national finalists. Virginia has captured a pair of conference titles in the ever-improving ACC and notched two top-15 finishes during Garland's tenure. Matt Azevedo (Drexel) Matt Azevedo spent two years on the Cornell bench after coming in from Cal Poly. During Azevedo's two seasons, Cornell finished second in the nation, both years. In 2010, the Big Red were a distant second place to a dominating Iowa squad, while the 2011 bunch was expected to win, yet yielded to Penn State and their first title under Cael Sanderson. After the 2011 season, Azevedo was hired by Drexel to lead their program following the retirement of legendary head coach Jack Childs. Under Azevedo's direction, the Dragons were ranked in the top-25 for the first time ever and have transitioned from the CAA to the EIWA. Since the move, three Drexel wrestlers have claimed EIWA championships. Azevedo has also been instrumental in the development of the Pennsylvania RTC, a shared venture between Drexel and neighboring Penn, which has become a force on the international front. Troy Nickerson (Northern Colorado) The aforementioned Nickerson was the prize of the 2005 recruiting class and delivered on the mat for Cornell with four, top-four finishes at the NCAA tournament, including a national title in 2009. Just four years after his collegiate career at Cornell ended, Nickerson was named head coach at Northern Colorado. This came after a stint on the Iowa State staff. Nickerson's hire has injected life into a Northern Colorado program that was likely overlooked in the WWC/West Regional. While in Greeley, Nickerson has been able to nab a top-ten recruiting class (2019) and has overseen a tremendous improvement for the Bears on-the-mat product. During the NCAA Tournament-less 2019-20 season, three UNC wrestlers earned honorable mention All-American honors. In 2022, Andrew Alirez won the first Big 12 crown in program history, after Northern Colorado put a wrestler in the finals in the two previous years. Damion Hahn (South Dakota State) After winning two NCAA titles and AA'ing four times for Minnesota, New Jersey native Damion Hahn went back to the east coast and spent 12 years on the Cornell staff. With Hahn on staff, Cornell finished in the top-ten 11 times, including their back-to-back runner-up years of 2010 and 2011. Among others, Hahn worked closely with Cam Simaz, Steve Bosak, and Gabe Dean, all upperweights that won national titles for Cornell. In 2018, after Chris Bono left for Wisconsin, Hahn took over the South Dakota State program. Building off the momentum from Bono, Hahn's Jackrabbit team saw three wrestlers earn second-team All-American honors in 2020, followed by Clay Carlson's podium finish in 2021. Under Hahn, SDSU has become a power on the recruiting trail and also has started construction on a brand-new state-of-the-art wrestling facility. Jeremy Spates (SIU Edwardsville) Jeremy Spates spent five years coaching under his father, Jack, at Oklahoma, before coming to Cornell and spending four years on staff in Ithaca. Spates was instrumental to the development of a young Kyle Dake, who won all four of his NCAA titles with Spates on the bench. After Dake's Hodge Trophy-winning 2012-13 campaign, Spates was hired by SIU Edwardsville. Just four years later, the Cougars saw their first DI All-American as Jake Residori got on the podium at 174 lbs, despite being unseeded. That same tournament Freddie Rodriguez narrowly missed out on AA honors, by a match. SIU Edwardsville has since moved into the MAC, which has been more competitive than the SoCon. There are signs of a bright future as SIUE already has verbals from a pair of 2023 Big Boarder's. Jordan Leen (Brown) The newest member of this group, Jordan Leen, wrestled for Koll at Cornell from 2004-09. While at Cornell, Leen earned All-American honors on three occasions and was a national champion in 2008, as the eighth seed at 157 lbs. Leen has gone on to coach at Duke and Virginia, before his most recent role at Pittsburgh. While with the Panthers, Leen has assisted Keith Gavin in resurrecting a Pittsburgh program that previously failed to land top recruits from the fertile, local high schools. The 2021 NCAA Tournament saw Pittsburgh place two wrestlers in the national finals. Leen will now go head-to-head with former teammate, Grey, as he attempts to bring Brown into national prominence in the Ivy League and EIWA.

2x NCAA Qualifier RJ Mosley (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…Gardner-Webb! 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 NCAA Qualifiers (14) 2022 165: RJ Mosley (#22) 2021 165 - RJ Mosley (#28); 184 - Jha'Quan Anderson (#32) 2019 165 - Tyler Marinelli (#20) 2018 157 - Tyler Marinelli 2017 157 - Ryan Mosley; 174 - Austin Trott; 184 - Hunter Gamble 2016 149 - Chris Vassar; 165 - Austin Trott; 285 - Boyce Cornwall 2015 149 - Ryan Mosley 2014 165 - Austin Trott 2013 174 - Hunter Gamble NCAA Champions None NCAA All-Americans None NCAA Round of 12 None SoCon Champions 2022: RJ Mosley (165) 2019: Tyler Marinelli (165) 2018: Tyler Marinelli (157) 2017: Ryan Mosley (157) 2016: Austin Trott (165) 2013: Hunter Gamble (174) Dual Record 2021-22: 7-7 2021: 4-7 2019-20: 5-9 2018-19: 3-12 2017-18: 3-10 2016-17: 8-8 2015-16: 9-6 2014-15: 7-11 2013-14: 6-16 2012-13: 4-13 SoCon Tournament Placement 2021-22: 4th 2021: 4th 2019-20: 7th 2018-19: 5th 2017-18: 6th 2016-17: 5th 2015-16: 3rd 2014-15: 4th 2013-14: 5th 2012-13: 4th Head Coaching History Daniel Elliott (2012-Present) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Cortez Starks: 2x SoCon 3rd Place 133 - Tyler Ziegler: 2016 SoCon Runner-Up 141 - Trevon Majette: 2021 SoCon 3rd Place 149 - Ryan Mosley: 2x NCAA Qualifier; 2017 SoCon Champion 157 - Tyler Marinelli: 2x NCAA Qualifier; 2x SoCon Champion 165 - RJ Mosley: 2x NCAA Qualifier; 2022 SoCon Champion 174 - Austin Trott: 3x NCAA Qualifier; 2016 SoCon Champion 184 - Hunter Gamble: 2x NCAA Qualifier; 2013 SoCon Champion 197 - Anthony Perrine: 2x SoCon 3rd Place 285 - Boyce Cornwell: 2016 NCAA Qualifier Recruiting Number of Big Boarder's Per Year 2017: #72 Denton Spencer (GA) 2013: #163 Chris Vassar (PA); #199 George Weber (MD)

New Brown University head coach Jordan Leen (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Today, Brown University announced Jordan Leen as their next head coach. Leen has spent the last five years as the associate head coach under Keith Gavin at the University of Pittsburgh. He held the same position for the University of Virginia for a season, which happened to be his last stop before Pittsburgh. In total, Leen spent five years with Virginia, as well. Leen is no stranger to the Ivy League; he was a three-time All-American and 2008 NCAA Champion for Cornell at 157 lbs. In each of his final three years in Ithaca, Leen made the podium going eighth as a sophomore, before capturing his national title as a junior, then he was third as a senior. Leen also happened to compete at three different weights at Cornell. He started at 141 and finished at 157 lbs. In conference competition, Leen won the EIWA as a sophomore and senior. He never finished lower than third and was a runner-up during his national title season. That championship came as he was the eighth seed. Leen has developed a reputation as an excellent recruiter. He was instrumental in the Panther's #15 ranked recruiting class for 2022. The Panthers inked a pair of top-50 recruits and three of the top-100. Each of these signees are from Western Pennsylvania, Pitt's backyard. When Gavin and staff took over, improving the Panthers in-state recruiting was deemed necessary for them to compete in the ACC and beyond. Recruiting will play a big factor in Brown's improvement under Leen. Ivy League rivals Penn (#18) Princeton (#20), and Columbia (HM) all were mentioned in InterMat's Class of 2022 Recruiting Rankings. Traditional power, Cornell, was not on the list but returns the bulk of a squad that finished seventh in the nation in Detroit. Additionally, the Big Red already have three of the top-80 recruits from the Class of 2023 aboard. In order, to keep up with the rest of the Ivy, as well as the EIWA (Lehigh #17, Navy #21, Army West Point #23 - recruiting rankings), the Bears will have to up their recruiting results. On the mat, Pitt has made sharp gains over the past few seasons. In 2021, two Panther wrestlers made the NCAA finals (Jake Wentzel - 165 and Nino Bonaccorsi - 197), which led to an 11th-place finish. One would assume, based on size, that Leen was very hands-on with Wentzel's development. Like Leen, Wentzel earned a reputation as one of the best in the country from the top position. This year, while Wentzel and Bonaccorsi missed the podium, 141 lber Cole Matthews finished fifth in the nation and won U23 nationals over the weekend. Leen is only the tenth head coach in Brown wrestling history and the third since 1983.

Eric Thompson (left) and Cohlton Schultz at the 2022 NCAA Championships (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Arizona State's heavyweight Cohlton Schultz took the wrestling world by storm last season, finishing second at NCAAs. Although many factors led to Schultz's success, there is a hidden factor that has allowed him to find his place in Arizona. In August 2021, ASU added Eric Thompson to the coaching staff as the heavyweight coach. However, before he was able to land the job at Arizona State, he had to leap over a few hurdles. First, he dealt with assistant coach Lee Pritts while in Budapest. In addition, he talked to a long-time acquaintance, Frank Molinaro. After bonding with them, Thompson received a call from head coach Zeke Jones. After discussing with Jones, Thompson believed this coaching gig could be the right fit for him. "It's a place that's trending upwards," Thompson said. "I got along with the other coaches and it's a place where I could see my career grow." Although it was a perfect fit, he had to meet with one last person before receiving the job. "When we first met, he was really professional and had to make that good first impression," Schultz said. "But once we get past that, and spent four hours a day or whatever we got to know each other really well, he is really tight." After a handful of days, Thompson and Schultz began to bond closely. According to Thompson, the two bonded well because of their similar mindsets, their enjoyment of the sport, and both being heavyweights. Heading into the season, Schultz was excited to have a coach who can wrestle against him and have his back. "It is nice to have a big heavyweight who understands how wrestling changes when you get up to the upper weights," Schultz said, Plus, he's a guy who I know is looking out for me." Eric Thompson (left) and Cohlton Schultz at Final X Stillwater (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Compared to normal coach and athlete relationships, Schultz also looks out for Thompson and his family. During the season, Thompson would invite his children to Arizona State's practices. Although they are still learning the ropes of the sport, Schultz has become a great role model for Thompson's kids. "Cohlton will watch our kids sometimes," Thompson said. "He's great with our kids and that's important to me. That's why I do what I do. When I treat Cohlton the way I treat him and he treats my son that way, that's a healthy circle of life." Besides helping out off the mat, Thompson has been a big influence on the mat for Schultz. "It's definitely been a blessing," Schultz said. "My wrestling has gone through the roof this year because [Thompson] doesn't mind jumping in with me. He's got a great feel for wrestling too. He understands a lot of positions and just has a good feel." On the other hand, Thompson has been amazed at Schultz's progression after their first year together. "To be there with him and see him get more and more confidence to where he is now, it's cool," Thompson said. "it's really neat to see him do those things." As for the future, the two of them have separate, yet, similar ideas on how their bond will last. "I'm excited to be able to keep building on it," Schultz said. "His two little kids are here. They're funny little fellows that are just adorable, real funny. It'd be pretty fun to be able to see those kids grow and keep working with them. Overall, he's a great friend, a great mentor, and I can't imagine having anyone else." "I'm excited to see how his life goes," Thompson said. "I'm excited to see his wife and his kids. That's why you do this, is to be a part of kids' lives and hopefully be a positive impact."

Cohlton Schultz (right) and Zachary Knighton-Ward (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) WWE unveiled 15 college athletes who will join the company's NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) program - "Next In Line™" - that provides a clear pathway from collegiate athletics to WWE. The second "Next In Line" class includes athletes from 14 universities, seven NCAA conferences and seven sports, including the program's first athletes from cheer & dance, gymnastics, volleyball, men's basketball and representation from an HBCU program. The following 15 athletes will be unveiled later this evening at the inaugural NIL Summit at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta: • Ali Mattox of Ole Miss, a 5-foot-7 cheer & dance athlete from Little Rock, Ark. • Case Hatch os Arizona State, a 6-foot-1, 230-pound football player from Gilbert, Ariz. • Chandler Hayden of Tennessee, a 5-foot-11 track & field athlete from Pittsfield, Ill. • Cohlton Schultz of Arizona State, a 6-foot-2, 285-pound wrestler from Parker, Colo. • Derrian Gobourne of Auburn, a 5-foot-4 gymnast from Sarasota, Fla. • Ericka Link of Elon, a 5-foot-6 volleyball player from Hedgesville, W.Va. • Keshaun Moore of Hampton, a 6-foot-3, 270-pound football player from Suffolk, Va. • Luke Ford of Illinois, a 6-foot-6, 260-pound football player from Carterville, Ill. • Maliq Carr of Michigan State, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound football and basketball player from Inkster, Mich. • Mikala Hall of Central Michigan, a 5-foot-5 basketball player from Danville, Ill. • Rachel Glenn of South Carolina, a 6-foot track & field athlete from Long Beach, Calif. • Ruben Banks of Arkansas, a 6-foot-4, 270-pound track & field athlete from Binfield, England • Thunder Keck of Stanford, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound football player from Northfield, N.H. • Tyanna Omazic of Miami, a 6-foot-2 volleyball player from Kansas City, Mo. • Zachary Knighton-Ward of Hofstra, a 6-foot-2, 285-pound wrestler from Rosedale, N.Y. Editor's Note: Schultz, who was NCAA runner-up at 285 for Arizona State this season, recently made his second straight U.S. Senior World Greco-Roman Team. Knighton-Ward is an NCAA qualifier for Hofstra. Ironically, Schultz beat Knighton-Ward in the first round at the 2022 NCAA Championships in Detroit. WWE's comprehensive NIL program launched in December and serves to recruit and develop potential future Superstars, and further enhances WWE's talent development process through collaborative partnerships with college athletes from diverse athletic backgrounds. "Next In Line" has signed 31 full-time college athletes since its inception and currently has 25 active athletes following the graduation of six inaugural members from the program. All athlete partnerships will feature access to the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., in addition to resources across the organization including brand building, media training, communications, live event promotion, creative writing and community relations. Upon completion of the NIL program, select athletes may earn an exclusive opportunity to be offered a WWE contract. All six athletes who graduated from the first class have either signed or are in discussion to join WWE on a full-time basis. Four of the 16 initial members of WWE's "Next In Line" program are nominated for awards at the NIL Summit including Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson (University of Minnesota) for Male Athlete of the Year, Haley & Hanna Cavinder (University of Miami) for Female Athlete of the Year and Jon Seaton (Elon University) for the Hustle Award. Additionally, WWE is a finalist for Brand of the Year. For more information about the inaugural NIL Summit, held June 13-15 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, visit nilsummit.com. Learn more about the "Next In Line" program at wwerecruit.com.

Oklahoma State's Dustin Plott at the U23 World Team Trials (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Several World Teams have been decided in the last few weeks, and a host of Big 12 wrestlers made those teams. We're going to look at who from the Big 12 grabbed some of those spots along with some of the close calls that just missed the cut or placed at some of the tournaments. Senior World Team At Final X Stillwater, the Big 12 can sort of lay claim to two World Team spots. Missouri's J'Den Cox, who never actually wrestled in the Big 12, took the 92 KG FS spot and Seth Gross, a former South Dakota State wrestler who finished out his career at Wisconsin, beat out Oklahoma State's Daton Fix for the 61 KG spot. Former Oklahoma State wrestler and 4-time Big 12 Champion Jordan Oliver also competed here, falling to Zain Retherford at 70 KG. Final X New York saw Hayden Zillmer, who wrestled collegiately at North Dakota State, win the 125 KG spot over Nick Gwiazdowski. Zillmer was the Big 12 runner-up at 184 in 2016. U23 Trials Tournament The Big 12 had some flavor at the U23 Trials tournament. Trevor Mastrogiovanni from Oklahoma State was the runner-up at 57 KG. At 61 KG Julian Farber(Northern Iowa) and Jace Koelzer(Northern Colorado) finished seventh and eighth. South Dakota State became the fourth Big 12 school to medal here with Clay Carlson finishing eight at 65 KG. Some Bedlam at 70 KG as OU's Jacob Butler finished fifth and Oklahoma State's Daniel Manibog finished seventh. West Virginia joined the party with Peyton Hall finishing as the runner-up at 74 KG. They've got a really solid young star coming up in Hall. Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State then gave the conference their first championship by winning at 79 KG. Evan Bockman gave Utah Valley their first placer by taking second at 92 KG and West Virginia got a second placer when Austin Cooley took fifth. Tanner Sloan of South Dakota State was the conference's only wrestler to make the U23 World Team by winning the tournament. Sloan was the 97 KG tournament champion. Iowa State's David Carr also grabbed a spot at 74 KG, but it was done by winning a spot on the Senior team. He beat Joey Lavallee at Final X to do so. To close things out, the conference had two placers at 125 KG with Zach Elam (Missouri) finishing second and Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) finishing fifth. On the Greco side, Wyoming's Job Greenwood took the title at 67 kg and earned a spot on the World Team. He dropped his first bout to Cayden Henschel, before rallying in the last two. Juniors (U20) The Big 12 did well in the Junior Tournament. Four Big 12 commits/signees won here. Wyoming commit Jore Volk kicked things off by winning the 57 KG title. The newest entrant into the Big 12, Cal Baptist had a champion with Mitchell Mesenbrink, who won 70 KG. Then Oklahoma State verbal Brayden Thompson won 79 KG, and South Dakota State's Bennett Berge won 86 KG, giving the Big 12 four world team members. Oklahoma State's Carter Young finished second at 65 KG as did South Dakota State's Jack Thomsen (74 KG). Oklahoma's Tate Picklo returned to wrestle in one of his first tournaments after a long recovery from knee surgery to finish second in the trials tournament at 86 KG. All told there were wrestlers from every Big 12 school except Air Force that medaled in Ohio.

New Michigan Wolverine Matt Finesilver (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) It's only been two weeks since our last transfer tracker update, but some big names have been on the move. Most notable is three-time NCAA qualifier Matt Finesilver, who moved from Duke to Michigan. Finesilver was an ACC runner-up in 2019 and twice been seeded in the top-13 at the NCAA Championships. With the departure of Logan Massa, the Wolverines had a possible hole at the 174 lb weight class, so his addition is very welcome. Another multiple-time time NCAA qualifier on the move is Tate Samuelson, who has transferred from Wyoming to Lehigh. Samuelson has gone 1-2 three times at the NCAA Championships. He was a Big 12 runner-up in 2021 and later earned the tenth seed in St. Louis. He'll solidify a strong set of upperweights for the Mountain Hawks. The other wrestler in this group with prior NCAA experience is Logan Ashton, who moves closer to home after qualifying for nationals at Stanford last year. Ashton will wrestle for a resurgent Chattanooga team that has received a trio of strong transfers (Rocky Jordan and Jake Boyd). Other new additions include a pair heading to Binghamton (Conner Decker and Tyler Kellison) and Cleveland State (Anthony Perrine and Caleb Rea). Nolan Miller-Johnston, Clayton Fielden, and Zack Zeamer are the other new names on this list.

F&M All-American Richard Durso (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.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…Franklin & Marshall! 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 NCAA Qualifiers (7) 2022 141: Wil Gil (#31) 2019 285: Antonio Pelusi (#31) 2018 285: Antonio Pelusi 2016 141: Richard Durso (#9); 285: Antonio Pelusi 2014 141: Richard Durso (#12) 2013 141: Richard Durso (#9) NCAA Champions None NCAA All-Americans Richard Durso (2014 - 8th) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Richard Durso (2014 - 141) EIWA Champions 2016: Richard Durso (141) 2013: Richard Durso (141) Dual Record 2021-22: 8-2 2021: Did Not Compete 2019-20: 5-7 2018-19: 3-10 2017-18: 4-11 2016-17: 4-9 2015-16: 6-12 2014-15: 3-8 2013-14: 7-6 2012-13: 7-9 Conference Tournament Placement 2021-22: 13th 2021: Did Not Compete 2019-20: 16th 2018-19: 12th 2017-18: 15th 2016-17: 15th 2015-16: 12th 2014-15: 16th 2013-14: 17th 2012-13: 13th NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: No Team Score 2021: Did Not Compete 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: No Team Score 2017-18: 56th-tie (1 point) 2016-17: No Qualifiers 2015-16: 50th-tie (3 points) 2014-15: No Qualifiers 2013-14: 44th (6.5 points) 2012-13: 55th-tie (2 points) Head Coaching History Mike Rogers (2010-present) Best Lineup (comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Gio Diaz 133 - Robert Ruiz 141 - Richard Durso: 4x NCAA Qualifier; 2014 NCAA 8th Place; 2013 NCAA Round of 12; 2x EIWA Champion 149 - Paddy Quinlan: 2019 EIWA 7th Place 157 - Anthony Murano 165 - Noah Fox 174 - Colin Gironda 184 - Anthony Mancini 197 - Phillip Robilotto 285 - Antonio Pelusi: 3x NCAA Qualifier; 2019 EIWA 4th Place Recruiting Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #171 Mason Leiphart (PA)

Top-ranked Russian 79kg wrestler Radik Valiev (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 57KG 2020 Russian Nationals runner-up #4 Azamat Tuskaev avenged two past losses to #5 Abubakar Mutaliev in the semis and #6 Nachyn Mongush in the finals to win gold at the Poddubny tournament. 2021 Russian Nationals runner-up Mongush had an impressive run to the finals to reclaim his status as a contender at 57 KG, beating Yarygin champion #2 Ramiz Gamzatov and 2021 Yarygin runner-up #10 Musa Mekhtikhanov. Bronze medalists at the Poddubny tournament were Gamzatov and #5 Abubakar Mutaliev. After the results of the Poddubny tournament, Tuskaev moves up two spots to #2, Mongush moves up three spots to #3 for beating Gamzatov and Mekhtikhanov while Gamzatov and Mutaliev fall to #4 and #6 respectively. #9 Zhargal Damdinov moved up to 61 KG so Mekhtikhanov got bumped up one spot to #9 and 2021 Umakhanov tournament runner-up Magomed Abdurakhmanov gets in at #10. Khalid Magomedov won the Dagestan U23 Championships over Gadzhimagomed Akhmedov with Yunus Yavbatyrov and Khabib Mekhtikhanov taking bronze. Ananda Dashiev won Russian University Nationals over Kharyskhal Grigoriev with Amir Chamzyn and Dmitry Ilarionov taking bronze. 61KG #1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov secured gold at the Poddubny tournament with a hard-fought 8-3 win over Junior Russian National champion #7 Bashir Magomedov. Bronze medalists at the Poddubny were Magomed Baitukaev and Zhargal Damdinov. 2021 Cadet world champion Magomed Baitukaev was a major breakthrough from the Poddubny as he upset 2021 Russian Nationals runner-up #2 Muslim Mekhtikhanov in the quarterfinals. Baitukaev was stopped dead in his tracks by #1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov by tech fall in the semifinals, but Baitukaev's tournament means he debuts in the rankings at #3. #7 Bashir Magomedov moves up five spots to #2 for beating Baitukaev in the Junior national finals in March. Kezhik Seden won Russian University Nationals over Alexander Avelov with Bilal Kazimagomedov and Gadzhimurad Gadzhiev taking bronze. Magomedrasul Dagirov won the U23 Dagestan Championships over Akhmed Abdulaev with Magomed Darzhania and Ramazan Shamilov taking bronze. 65KG 2021 Yarygin champion Alik Khadartsev made his return to the rankings in a big way, winning the Poddubny over 2021 world bronze medalist Tulga Tumur Ochir (MGL) in the finals. Khadartsev notched impressive wins as well over 2020 61 KG Russian nationals bronze medalist #10 (70) Ibragim Abdurakhmanov and Yarygin bronze medalist #5 Ibragim Ibragimov on his way to the finals. Taking bronze at the Poddubny was Abdurakhmanov and Arip Abdullaev. Khadartsev is back in the rankings at #4 for his wins over #4 Ramazan Ferzaliev from the 2021 Yarygin, #5 Ibragim Ibragimov and Abdurakhmanov. Abdurakhmanov is back in the 65 KG rankings at #6 for beating Ibragimov for bronze at the Poddubny. Artur Badtiev beat 2021 Yarygin bronze medalist Chayan Mongush to win Russian University Nationals with Abdurakhman Dalgatov and Kilyab Khanipaev taking bronze. Dalgat Abdulkadyrov won the Dagestan U23 Championships over #8 (61) Akhmed Zubairov by forfeit with Ramazan Chankaev and Abdurakhman Dalgatov taking bronze. 70KG #3 Viktor Rassadin won the Poddubny tournament by injury default over #6 Ruslan Zhendaev. Bronze medalists at the Poddubny were Ruslan Bogatyrev and #4 Kurban Shiraev. Zhendaev moves up three spots in the rankings to #3 after upsetting #2 Israil Kasumov and Shiraev on his way to the finals. Rassadin moves up one spot to #2. Kasumov falls two spots to #4 while Shiraev falls one spot to #5. Bogatyrev slots in at #6 for beating Yarygin runner-up #5 Anzor Zakuev for bronze. #10 Ibragim Abdurakhmanov cut back down to 65 KG where he is currently ranked 6th. Mukhamed Dadaev won the Dagestan U23 National over Magomed Zharulaev with Ali Makhachev and Naib Gaziev taking bronze. Sayin Kazyryk won Russian University Nationals over Konstantin Kaprynov with Mukhammed Beshtoev and Magomed Magomedov taking bronze. 74KG In a battle of North Ossetian senior world champs, top-ranked Zaurbek Sidakov would edge past #6 David Baev 3-1 for gold at the Poddubny. Taking bronze at the Poddubny was #2 Razambek Zhamalov and #3 Cherman Valiev. Baev moves up four spots to #2 for his semifinal win over Zhamalov while Sidakov keeps the top spot locked down for his wins over Baev and #3 Cherman Valiev. Zhamalov and Valiev both drop one spot each to #3 and #4 respectively. On the bottom half of the rankings, I removed Magomedrasul Asluev and Mohamad Nasirkhaev for more Saipula Alibulatov (2021 Ali Aliyev runner-up with a win over 2019 national champion Magomed Kurbanaliev) and Magomed Abulkadyrov (2021 Oleg Dukanov runner-up with wins over past Russian Nationals medalists Kakhaber Khubezhty and Magomed Dibirgadzhiev) at #7 and #8 respectively. Anton Suchkov won Russian University Nationals over Asludin Bagamaev with Aslan Gagaev and Aisen Potapov taking bronze. Imam Ganishov won the Dagestan U23 Championships over Biysoltan Arslanov with Abdulkadyr Abdulkadyrov and Gadzhimurad Hasanov taking bronze. 79KG #2 (INT) Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (BLR) won the Poddubny in impressive fashion, using a second-period comeback to take the gold over #1 Radik Valiev in the finals. Finishing with bronze at the Poddubny was #2 Malik Shavaev and #7 Amanulla Gadzhimagomedov. Radik Valiev returns at #1 after having a foray up at 86KG, where he won the North Ossetia wrestling championships. #6 Atsamaz Sanakoev got moved up three spots to #3 because his resume from winning the Umakhanov over Shavaev and #4 Akhmed Usmanov gives him better footing to take the loss he had to #5 Dmitri Kuprin at the Yarygin and keep his spot then Usmanov did for losing to #2 Shavaev and #3 Alikhmaev plus his loss in December to Sanakoev at the Umakhanov. So from this shuffling, #2 Zainidinov, #3 Alikhmaev and #4 Usmanov all drop down two spots to #4, #5 and #6 while #5 Dmitri Kuprin falls four spots to #9 for his loss to #7 Amanulla Gadzhimagomedov for bronze at the Poddubny. Rasul Asluev won the Dagestan U23 Championships over Ali Nurov with Nabi Aputaev and Akhmed Manilov taking bronze. #8 Magomed Magomaev won Russian University Nationals over Ali Tsokaev with Roman Petrenko and Alik Badtiev taking bronze. 86KG #1 Artur Naifonov beat #2 Dauren Kurugliev in the finals of the Poddubny tournament. Bronze medalists were #3 Ada Bagomedov and #6 Amanulla Rasulov. Important head-to-head results were Naifonov over Bagomedov, Kurugliev over Rasulov, Kurugliev over #9 Arsenali Musalaliev, Rasulov over Musalaliev for bronze, and #3 Ada Bagomedov over 2019 79 KG world bronze medalist Gadzhi Nabiev in the qualification round. Aslan Bagaev won Russian University Nationals over Shamil Magomedov with Alexander Kondratov and Akhmed Bagavudinov taking bronze. Magomednabi Magomedov won the U23 Dagestan Championships over Ramazan Abuzagidov by forfeit while Akhmed Bagavudinov and Rashid Satykhadzhiev took bronze. 92KG 2021 world runner-up #1 Magomed Kurbanov won the Poddubny tournament over Junior Russian Nationals champion Magomed Sharipov. Bronze medalists at the Poddubny were #3 Guram Chertkoev and #7 Azamat Zakuev. Sharipov debuts in the rankings at #3 for upsetting Chertkoev and #6 Tazhudin Mukhtarov. Kurbanov keeps his top spot with wins over #3 Sharipov, #4 Tapsiev, and #7 Zakuev. Zakuev moves up three spots to #4 for avenging his loss from the Yarygin to #4 Tamerlan Tapsiev in the bronze medal match. Chertkoev and Tapsiev both drop two spots to #5 and #6 respectively after their losses. Gadzhimurad Kadilov won the Dagestan U23 Championships over Sagrab Isaev with Kamil Abdulkadyrov and Shakhban Surkhaev taking bronze. Nikita Safronov won Russian University Nationals over Berd Kusov with Farid Kazimov and Salikhan Imeev taking bronze. 97KG Junior Russian Nationals runner-up Akhmed Tazhudinov came out of absolutely nowhere to wrestle a career-best tournament and win gold at the Poddubny. Tazhudinov's tournament started off with a quarterfinal upset of 125 KG Tokyo Olympian #4 Sergey Kozyrev, avenged his Junior Nationals finals loss to #9 Abulla Kurbanov in the semifinals and capping it off with an impressive victory over 2021 Russian Nationals champion #2 Alikhan Zhabrailov. With the results of his incredibly impressive run, Akhmed Tazhudinov is able to make his debut in the rankings at #2 behind seven-time World/Olympic champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev. Finishing with bronze at the Poddubny was #7 Abdulla Kurbanov and Aleksandr Hushtyn. Tamil Dzhikaev beat Maxim Tolmachev to win the Dagestan U23 Championships with Dagir Iskakov and Gadzhimagomedo Tazhudinov taking bronze. Shamil Umarov won Russian University Nationals over Magomedarip Abdulkhalikov with Akhmed Mutalimov taking bronze. 125KG #1 Zelimkhan Khizriev won the Poddubny over 2021 world bronze medalist #9 Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur. Bronze medalists at the Poddubny were Erik Dzhioev and #3 Anzor Khizriev. Erik Dzhioev returns to the heavyweight rankings at #3 for beating #4 Atsamaz Tebloev, #5 Vitali Goloev, and #6 Alen Khubulov. #10 Ostap Pasenok moves up six spots to #4 for upsetting #2 Baldan Tszyhipov. Tsyzhipov is now ranked at #5. Magomed Alichuev won the Dagestan U23 Championships over Gamzat Alizhudinov with Mansur Ilyasov taking bronze. Gamzat Alizhudinov won Russian University Nationals over Andrey Aronov with Nikita Khabarov and Abdulkhalil Dzhavatkhanov taking bronze. Pound for Pound 2019 70 KG world champion David Baev makes a ten-spot jump in the rankings up to #6 for his win over #5 Razambek Zhamalov in the semifinals of the 74 KG Poddubny tournament. Baev also holds wins over the likes of #8 Cherman Valiev, #18 Evgheni Zherbaev and #21 Israil Kasumov. I've been bullish about pushing Abasgadzhi Magomedov into the upper echelon of the domestic and international pound-for-pound, but having been unbeaten for two years now and showing absolute dominance over the 61 KG weight class, it's now time to acknowledge him as a true pound-for-pound elite as the 2021 61 KG world champ moves up four spots to #5 in the pound for pound rankings. There was an extensive shakeup from the 15-25 spots for this month. With #11 Israil Kasumov and #18 Kurban Shiraev both losing to Ruslan Zhendaev at the 70 KG Poddubny, the revolving door of 70 KG has made it to where necessary adjustments had to be made. Both 2021 79 KG world bronze medalist #19 Radik Valiev and 2021 125 KG national champ #20 Zelimkhan Khizriev moved up four spots to #15 and #16 respectively based on their domestic resumes and Kasumov and Shiraev's losses. 2020 57 KG Russian Nationals runner-up Azamat Tuskaev fills in at #17 after winning the Poddubny over 2021 Russian Nationals runner-up #23 Nachyn Mongush along with his wins over #3 Zavur Uguev, #24 Ramiz Gamzatov and #25 Akhmed Idrisov. #10 Evgheni Zherbaev falls eight spots to #18 due to his resume not holding up to the turbulence of the 70 KG weight up against the elite of the top 10 and inactivity since the 2021 world championships. 70 KG Poddubny runner-up Ruslan Zhendaev debuts in the rankings at #20 for his wins over #11 Israil Kasumov and #18 Kurban Shiraev and Kasumov and Shiraev fall to #21 and #22 respectively. 2021 57 KG Russian Nationals runner-up Nachyn Mongush returns to the rankings at #23 for beating #21 Ramiz Gamzatov at the 57 KG Poddubny.

2x NCAA Runner-Up Mitchell Port (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.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…Edinboro! 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 NCAA Qualifiers (43) 2022 141: Gabe Willochell (#23) 2021 174: Jacob Oliver (#21); 285: Jon Spaulding (#28) 2020 174: Jacob Oliver (#24); 285 Jon Spaulding (#25) 2019 174: Jacob Oliver (#28) 2018 125: Sean Russell (#11); 133: Korbin Myers (#14); 157: Andrew Shomers; 174: Ty Schoffstall; 285: Billy Miller (#13) 2017 125: Sean Russell (#7); 133: Korbin Myers; 149: Pat Lugo (#8); 157: Chase Delande; 165: Austin Matthews (#12); 174: Ty Schoffstall; 184: Dakota Geer (#14); 285: Billy Miller (#12) 2016 125: Sean Russell; 149: Pat Lugo (#16); 157: Austin Matthews (#14); 165: Casey Fuller; 184: Vic Avery (#3); 285: Billy Miller 2015 125: Kory Mines (#12); 133: AJ Schopp (#9); 141: Mitchell Port (#2); 149: David Habat (#3); 184: Vic Avery (#13); 197: Vince Pickett 2014 125: Kory Mines; 133: AJ Schopp (#2); 141: Mitchell Port (#1); 149: David Habat (#8); 157: John Greisheimer; 184: Vic Avery; 285: Ernest James (#13) 2013 133: AJ Schopp (#4); 141: Mitchell Port (#4); 149: David Habat; 165: John Greisheimer; 285: Ernest James NCAA Champions None NCAA All-Americans Sean Russell (2017 - 7th) AJ Schopp (2015 - 3rd, 2014 - 4th, 2013 - 4th) Mitchell Port (2015 - 2nd, 2014 - 3rd, 2013 - 2nd) David Habat (2015 - 2nd, 2014 - 4th) Vic Avery (2015 - 3rd) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Pat Lugo (2016 - 149) Kory Mines (2015 - 125) EWL Champions 2018: Sean Russell (125); Korbin Myers (133); Billy Miller (285) 2017: Sean Russell (125); Korbin Myers (133); Pat Lugo (149); Ty Schoffstall (174); Dakota Geer (184); Billy Miller (285) 2016: Sean Russell (125); Austin Matthews (157); Vic Avery (184) 2015: Kory Mines (125); Mitchell Port (141); Vic Avery (184); Vince Pickett (197) 2014: AJ Schopp (133); Mitchell Port (141); David Habat (149); Vic Avery (184); Ernest James (285) 2013: AJ Schopp (133); Mitchell Port (141); David Habat (149) Dual Record 2021-22: 2-11 2021: 2-1 2019-20: 10-10 2018-19: 2-9 2017-18: 8-5 2016-17: 9-6 2015-16: 8-11 2014-15: 14-5 2013-14: 11-3 2012-13: 10-6 Conference Tournament Placement MAC 2021-22: 13th 2021: 5th 2019-20: 11th EWL 2018-19: 4th 2017-18: 3rd 2016-17: 1st 2015-16: 1st 2014-15: 1st 2013-14: 1st 2012-13: 2nd NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 61st-tie (No Points) 2021: 58th-tie (0.5 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 63rd-tie (No Points) 2017-18: 36th-tie (7 points) 2016-17: 20th (20.5 points) 2015-16: 32nd-tie (10 points) 2014-15: 3rd (75.5 points) 2013-14: 5th (62 points) 2012-13:14th (37.5 points) Head Coaching History Matt Hill (2018-present) Tim Flynn (1997-2018) Best Lineup (comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Sean Russell: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#6, #7, and #11 seeds), 2017 NCAA 7th Place, 3x EWL Champion 133 - AJ Schopp: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#2, #4, #7, and #9 seeds), 3x NCAA All-American (3rd, 4th x2), 3x EWL Champion 141 - Mitchell Port: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#1, #2, and #4 seeds), 3x NCAA All-American (2nd x2, 3rd), 3x EWL Champion 149 - David Habat: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#3, #8, and #9 seeds), 2x NCAA All-American (2nd, 4th), 2x EWL Champion 157 - John Greisheimer: 3x NCAA Qualifier, 2014 EWL Runner-Up, 2011 NCAA Round of 12 finisher 165 - Austin Matthews: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#12 and #14 seeds), 2x EWL finalist, 2016 EWL Champion 174 - Ty Schoffstall: 2x NCAA Qualifier, 2017 EWL Champion 184 - Vic Avery: 4x NCAA Qualifier, 2015 NCAA 3rd Place, 3x EWL Champion 197 - Vince Pickett: 2015 NCAA Qualifier; 2015 EWL Champion 285 - Billy Miller: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#12 and #13 seed), 2x EWL Champion Recruiting Big Boarder's Per Year 2021: #168 Trent Schultheis (PA); #169 Dylan Kohn (FL) 2020: #82 Gabe Willochell (PA); #98 Max Millin (OH); #165 Ryan Burgos (NY); #167 Jacob Lagoa (OH) 2018: #78 Cody Mulligan (PA) 2017: #36 Jacob Oliver (PA) 2016: #33 Dakota Geer (PA) 2015: #53 Dylan Reynolds (PA); #64 Pat Lugo (FL); #87 Korbin Myers (PA); #110 Nate Hagan (OH) 2014: #39 Sean Russell (GA); #119 Billy Miller (OH) 2013: #76 Jake Hart (PA)

125 kg men's freestyle Final X winner Hayden Zillmer (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Below are full Final X results from this year in Stillwater and New York City, along with the previous two versions of the event from 2018 and 2019. 2022 2019 2018

2x NCAA Champion Isaiah Martinez (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) CHAMPAIGN, IL - University of Illinois wrestling coach Mike Poeta has added one of the most-storied wrestlers in Fighting Illini history to his coaching staff with today's announcement that Isaiah Martinez is joining the staff as an assistant coach. "The Illinois wrestling program got a lot stronger today with the addition of Isaiah Martinez," Poeta said. "No other coach could match his familiarity with the Illinois program and success in not only the Big Ten, but the country. It didn't take very long for Isaiah to become the most decorated wrestler in Illinois history en route to winning two NCAA titles and four Big Ten titles. "He's since moved on to a very successful senior level wrestler and coaching career. Isaiah has a special way of teaching and developing student-athletes, having a proven track record as an assistant coach both here at Illinois and the last two seasons at Oregon State. Since joining the OSU staff in 2020, he has helped lead the program's resurgence into a national powerhouse. With the addition of Isaiah, I'm proud to have the most accomplished staff in the country, including Ed Ruth and Jeremy Hunter. I know Isaiah will fit right in and we'll hit the ground running. It's been great seeing his enthusiasm to be back home and our current wrestlers couldn't be more excited to start working with him. It's great news for the Illinois wrestling family, but we know there's no time to waste. It's time to get to work." Martinez won NCAA titles at 157 pounds in both 2015 and 2016, while finishing second at the national tournament at 165 pounds in 2017 and 2018. He joined the elite club of four-time Big Ten champions with titles at 157 pounds in 2015 and 2016, and at 165 pounds in 2017 and 2018. Only 16 Big Ten wrestlers have won four Big Ten titles in 110 years of wrestling in the conference, and two are on the Illini staff when Martinez joins with assistant coach Ed Ruth, who won four at Penn State from 2011-14. "I would like to thank Mike Poeta, as well as University of Illinois Athletics Director Josh Whitman, for this opportunity," Martinez said. "I look forward to working alongside Mike and the rest of the staff in developing successful student-athletes. The Fighting Illini have a rich tradition in wrestling, one of which I am proud to have contributed to as an athlete. I'm excited to have the opportunity to help further contribute to that tradition now as a coach. I-L-L!" A native of Lemoore, California, Martinez was the 2015 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and the 2016 and 2018 Wrestler of the Big Ten Championship. He was named the Illinois Big Ten Medal of Honor winner in 2018 for excellence in both academics and athletics, and twice was named the Dike Eddleman Male Athlete of the Year. Martinez concluded his Illini wrestling career with the highest winning percentage in school history, winning 97.5 percent of his matches with a record of 116-3. The 116 victories by Martinez is tied for 10th all-time in Illinois history, and had a 54-match winning streak that stretched over two seasons. In freestyle wrestling, Martinez is a two-time U.S. Open National champion (three-time finalist) and was a 2017 U.S. U23 World Team Member. Martinez graduated from Illinois in 2018 with a degree in sociology.

2022 NCAA All-American and U23 national champion Cole Matthews (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Pitt's Cole Matthews could have been in a worse spot than having to rely on a Yianni Diakomihalis win at Final X in New York and hope it sways him away from claiming the 65-kilogram spot on the U23 World Team. Diakomihalis has the first right of refusal for that spot, in addition to the Senior World Team spot he claimed by sweeping Evan Henderson in their best-of-3 Final X matchup. The day after that win, Diakomihalis hasn't yet reached a decision on whether he will compete on both world teams or focus on the Senior level, Cornell coach Mike Grey said. Diakomihalis has until June 27 to make that decision, which will have an impact on Matthews' summer and fall plans. The Senior World Championships are in Serbia in September, and U23 Worlds are in Spain in October, which makes competing in both a legitimate scenario. The spot being in flux didn't stop Matthews from being hopeful in the aftermath of Yianni's win. "I think we all knew that two out of three, Yianni was probably going to win, but then after that first one where he was scoring double digits on him, you're like, 'Ooh, this could be pretty interesting,'" Matthews said. "At the Final X stage, everything gets a little closer, so it kind of made sense. But after the second one, I was pretty damn happy." Matthews is also pretty damn deserving after a calendar year that started with rehab from a torn ACL, featured the biggest breakthrough of his career, along with his first trip to the NCAA podium, and now a U23 victory that included revenge wins over Nebraska's Ridge Lovett, who beat him in the U20 finals, and Ohio State's Dylan D'Emilio, who beat him in a dual last season. Matthews rolled into the U23 quarterfinals with three straight tech falls, then took a 13-2 tech over Rutgers' Sammy Alvarez and scored a late crotch lift to turn a 5-4 deficit to Lovett into a 6-5 win in the final 10 seconds of the semifinals. Matthews built an early 6-0 lead in Round 1 of the finals against D'Emilio, then withstood a comeback to tie it at 6 and scored the winning points on a go-behind and a turn in the final 20 seconds. D'Emilio flipped the script in Round 2 by jumping out to a 4-1 lead, but Matthews charged back to sweep the series with an 8-4 win. All of Matthews' best qualities were on full display throughout the run at U23s, but most of all his ability to remain calm in the midst of chaos and to never flinch in his positioning. It's the same formula that had him in the NCAA semifinals and eventually placing fifth at 141 pounds. "His composure within the match is a nice improvement," Pitt coach Keith Gavin said. "He's always been pretty composed, but he's getting better at being more efficient with his energy. There are certain positions where he knows he has to explode and go get it because these are positions that favor him. Again, that comes with maturity and experience." Matthews at U23's with Luke Pletcher (left) and Drew Headlee (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Part of that learning experience has been daily battles with Pitt volunteer assistant Luke Pletcher, who Matthews says is a virtual clone of his body type and wrestling style. Matthews gives plenty of credit to Pletcher for helping to unlock the best version of himself through the work they do together, while imparting some of his strengths into him. Pletcher was a two-time NCAA All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier during his time at Ohio State behind a style built on a high wrestling IQ and compact power. His influence in those departments has only helped Matthews reinforce existing strengths in his game, allowing him to stay in remarkably good position through even the wildest scrambles. Through that process and an early-season hot streak that Matthews kicked off with a big win over Michigan's Stevan Micic, he started to look like a brand new wrestler. "That's about as big as anything else," Pletcher said of Matthews' poise and confidence. "Everything has its part, but if the moment is too big for you, it doesn't matter how well you do in practice. It doesn't mean that much if you can't control your actions when all the stress is there and everything is on the line. He's able to keep his calm, see everything for what it is, and not let the highs get him too high." After beating Lovett in the U23 semifinals, Matthews looked like he had just rolled off the couch from a Sunday afternoon nap. But apparently, he was feeling more alive on the inside, because he said he feeds off emotion and energy in matches. Matthews has learned to harness that unique combination of energy and calm to make his style work for him. He's never had a better feel than he does right now for when to be patient in matches and when to press. "I'm a pretty emotional guy, even if I don't look like it," Matthews said. "I kind of form my wrestling around what's around me. You've got low-energy Keith Gavin telling me everything's going to be fine. You've got Drew Headlee looking like his head's about to pop off sometimes, and Pletcher just straight-faced staring at me. "I try to dumb things down a little bit because that's what works for me." The self-deprecation doesn't do Matthews' technique justice, just as the improvements in his game don't do justice to the story of his wrestling career. The kid wrestled through a torn ACL with understandable limitations to his game as a redshirt sophomore in 2020-'21, but he gutted out a third-place finish at the ACC Championships and qualified for NCAAs for a second straight season. Given the condensed COVID season and the urgency Matthews felt to make the most of his window to compete on the collegiate stage, he said he only had one choice: Battle. "It was like, 'It's your choice. You do whatever you can do with what's going on,' and it really wasn't an option because it was already a shortened season anyway," he said. "It's like, I've only got such a small window in college to compete, so if I'm not screaming out there in pain, you've got to go out there and at least try to compete with it." Matthews underwent surgery after that season and was still in recovery mode through the early part of the 2021-'22 season. He returned to the mat looking to get back to 100 percent physically, but to also find himself mentally. Cole Matthews in his breakout win over Stevan Micic (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) The win over Micic was part of a 16-match winning streak that earned Matthews ACC Wrestler of the Month honors in January and unlocked a whole new level of confidence. After limping through a challenging season and offseason, he officially arrived and went on a tear through the remainder of his schedule, through NCAAs and U23 Nationals. At his lowest moment against Micic, a nudge from his corner helped to propel him down that path. "You try to give yourself every reason to, maybe take yourself out of a match sometimes," Matthews said. "It's like, 'I'm still coming back from ACL surgery. Maybe I'll just not push through it in the third period or something.' I think I found that stride when the coaches were yelling at me in my match against Micic. They were screaming, 'Finish this match right now!' And I was like, 'Oh god, yeah, I should go finish this.'" Matthews hasn't looked back since, though he had a couple outcomes he wanted back at NCAAs with an ultimate tiebreaker loss to North Carolina's Kizhan Clarke in the semifinals and then another tight loss to Oregon State's Grant Willits in the consolation semifinals. Matthews bounced back with a 7-3 win over Stanford's Real Woods in the fifth-place match. That performance, followed by his U23 title, was a very real demonstration of how far Matthews has come since he got healthy. At the same time, he was left with examples of matches he could still open up and win, so he'll remain hopeful about a spot on the World Team and train with those objectives in the back of his mind. The goal is to unlock an even better version of Cole Matthews this fall and into his redshirt senior season. "He definitely could still improve," Gavin said. "He was in some tight matches, and you want to widen the gap. He was fifth place last year, and fifth place isn't what he wanted to be, so there's certainly lots to improve on. It's the same as everybody, but he's at that level now. He found his lane, and now you keep building on it until no one can beat you."

3x Final X winner Sarah Hildebrandt (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) With Final X in the rearview mirror and 29 world team members crowned, it's time to reflect on some of the results we've seen within the last week. Now that there has been three years' worth of Final X, we can also develop some sort of records and identify trends that have formed. Below are some of the standout performers and records from the events this year and over time. Max Nowry and Helen Maroulis were both victorious in their Final X series'. Both were facing opponents from a previous Final X appearance. Nowry (Brady Koontz) and Maroulis (Alex Hedrick). Those were the only past rematches on the docket for 2022. The following wrestlers won their third Final X series: Men's Freestyle: Kyle Dake, Jordan Burroughs, J'den Cox, and Kyle Snyder Women's Freestyle: Sarah Hildebrandt, Jacarra Winchester, and Tamyra Mensah-Stock Forrest Molinari and Nick Gwaizdowski are wrestlers that had an opportunity to win a third Final X series but were stopped (by Mallory Velte and Hayden Zillmer, respectively). Of the wrestlers that have won three series', only Dake, Snyder, Hildebrandt, and Mensah-Stock have been able to do so without losing a single bout. The only wrestler that has competed in all three years of Final X and has not yielded a single point is Sarah Hildebrandt. (‘18 vs. Haley Augello; 6-0, 8-0; ‘19 vs. Katherine Shai: 3-0, 8-0; ‘22 vs. Alyssa Lampe: 10-0, 10-0). During the first two years of Final X, nine series went to three matches. 2022 had nine series' that went the full three matches. Of those nine series' from 2018-19, only five saw the loser of the first match win the series. That happened four times in 2022. Seth Gross, Hayden Zillmer, Jacarra Winchester, and Benji Peak. Hayden Zillmer joined Pat Smith (‘18) and Erin Clodgo (‘18) as the only wrestlers to win a series where they were outscored cumulatively. Nick Gwiazdowski outscored Zillmer 12-9 in their three matches. The big difference between that point margin is a 5-0 win by Gwiz in match one. Both of Ildar Hafizov's Final X wins have come at the expense of Army WCAP teammates. In 2019, he defeated Leslie Fuenffinger, while he beat Dalton Roberts in three matches this year. Speaking of Army WCAP, half of the 2022 Greco World Team is a part of the program. Nowry, Hafizov, Jesse Thielke, Sancho, and Kamal Bey all qualified. California has long been one of the powers of women's wrestling. The state flexed its muscles this year as half of the women's squad hails from Cali. Dom Parrish, Jacarra Winchester, Mallory Velte, Amit Elor, and Dymond Guilford. Both Velte and Guilford defeated opponents from California, as well (Molinari and Yelena Makoyed). Final X ‘22 featured three Olympic Trials Finals rematches. Thomas Gilman/Vito Arujau, Kyle Snyder/Kollin Moore, and G'Angelo Hancock/Braxton Amos. In each instance, the Olympic Trials winner was victorious at Final X. Prior to 2022, the only Final X series that featured two bouts that ended in criteria was when Nick Gwiazdowski defeated Gable Steveson at Final X Rutgers. That was matched by Nowry who defeated Koontz in two matches decided by criteria. Speaking of Nowry/Koontz. Both of their matches ended 1-1. That made it the lowest-scoring match and two-match series of any year/style in Final X. With rule changes, it's hard to imagine we'll have any lower-scoring matches in the future. On the other end of the spectrum, the 11-9 win by Yianni Diakomihalis over Evan Henderson made it the highest-scoring single bout in Final X history. The previous high was 16 points. That was done three times (Nowry/Koontz 11-5 in 2019, Logan Stieber/Joey McKenna 8-8 in 2018, and Winchester/Becka Leathers 10-6 in 2018). Thomas Gilman also matched 16 points last week in his 14-2 win over Vito Arujau. A pair of 2022 Greco bouts amassed point totals that would have eclipsed the previous high (16 points), but occurred after the Diakomihalis/Henderson contest. Hafizov/Roberts put up 18 points, while Sancho/Nutter had 19. Speaking of Gilman, his 12-point victory over Arujau tied him for the highest margin of victory in Final X history. The 12-point margin has been hit twice; once by Nahshon Garrett in his 12-0 win over Joe Colon in 2018 and also by Helen Maroulis with the same score that same year. 2022 saw two of the lowest scoring three-match series' in the history of Final X contested. Previously, there had never been a three-match series with a total cumulative score lower than 20. That mark was missed twice in 2022. J'den Cox and Nate Jackson only put up a total of 14 points in Stillwater (4-2, 2-3, 3-0). That low point stood for less than a week as Jordan Burroughs and Chance Marsteller “broke” it with 13 (4-0, 2-2 ,5-0). After three Final X's, Joe Colon remains the only wrestler to have two career match victories, yet has never won a series. He lost in three matches to Garrett in 2018 and Tyler Graff in 2019. Mallory Velte and Jordan Burroughs are the only two wrestlers who have won multiple three-matches series' in Final X history. Velte defeated Forrest Molinari this year in three matches and Kayla Miracle in 2018. Burroughs survived a test from Chance Marsteller this year after beating Isaiah Martinez in 2019. Burroughs, Velte, and Molinari have the most total Final X matches for their career. Each has wrestled in eight over the three years of the event. Kayla Miracle could also do so if her eventual wrestle-off goes to three matches. This year saw four returning world medalists lose their respective Final X series' (Daton Fix, Nick Gwiazdowski, Jenna Burkert, and Forrest Molinari). Only three wrestlers combined to lose four series' in the two prior events. Despite having more three-match series' than previous years, 2022 also had more lopsided results than any of the three previous years. 22 of 66 matches ended with some sort of match termination (fall/tech). 2019 saw 18 terminated. 12 is the number from 2018; however, that isn't an apples-to-apples comparison as Greco wasn't a part of Final X that year.

2x All-American Jacob Kasper (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.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…Duke! 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 NCAA Qualifiers (30) 2022 149: Josh Finesilver (#14); 174: Matt Finesilver (#13) 2021 149: Josh Finesilver (#27) 2020 174: Mason Eaglin (#32) 2019 141: Josh Finesilver (#25); 149: Mitch Finesilver (#3); 157: Ben Anderson (#33); 165: Zach Finesilver (#23); 174: Matt Finesilver (#12) 2018 133: Josh Finesilver; 157: Mitch Finesilver (#12); 165: Zach Finesilver; 174: Matt Finesilver; 285 - Jacob Kasper (#4) 2017 157: Jake Faust; 174: Connor Bass; 285 : Jacob Kasper (#4) 2016 141: Zach Finesilver; 149: Mitch Finesilver (#14); 165: Jake Faust; 197: Conner Hartmann (#5) 2015 133: Mitch Finesilver; 149: Marcus Cain; 157: Immanuel Kerr-Brown; 184: Jacob Kasper; 197: Conner Hartmann (#10) 2014 157: Immanuel Kerr-Brown; 197: Conner Hartmann 2013 133: Brandon Gambucci; 197: Conner Hartmann NCAA Champions None NCAA All-Americans Mitch Finesilver (2019 - 4th) Jacob Kasper (2018 - 4th, 2017 - 6th) Conner Hartmann (2016 - 7th, 2015 - 6th, 2014 - 5th) NCAA Round of 12 Finishers Josh Finesilver - 149 (2021) Mitch Finesilver - 149 (2016) ACC Champions 2019: Mitch Finesilver (149) 2018: Jacob Kasper (285) 2016: Conner Hartmann (197) 2015: Conner Hartmann (197) Dual Record 2021-22: 7-10 2021: 0-5 2019-20: 0-17 2018-19: 2-9 2017-18: 7-7 2016-17: 4-9 2015-16: 6-9 2014-15: 11-7 2013-14: 6-15 2012-13: 9-10 ACC Tournament Placement 2021-22: 6th 2021: 6th 2019-20: 6th 2018-19: 5th 2017-18: 4th 2016-17: 6th 2015-16: 5th 2014-15: 4th 2013-14: 7th 2012-13: 6th NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 48th-tie (2.5 points) 2021: 48th-tie (3.5 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 24th (19 points) 2017-18: 32nd (21 points) 2016-17: 32nd (9.5 points) 2015-16: 31st (11 points) 2014-15: 28th (14 points) 2013-14: 29th (10.5 points) 2012-13: 63rd-tie (0.5 points) Head Coaching History Glen Lanham (2012-present) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Thayer Atkins 133 - Brandon Gambucci: 2013 NCAA Qualifier; 2013 ACC Runner-Up 141 - Josh Finesilver: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#14 seed); 2021 NCAA Round of 12 Finisher 149 - Mitch Finesilver: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#3, #12, and #14 seeds); 2019 NCAA 4th Place, 2019 ACC Champion, 4x ACC finalist 157 - Jake Faust: 2x NCAA Qualifier 165 - Zach Finesilver: 3x NCAA Qualifier; 2018 ACC Runner-Up 174 - Matt Finesilver: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#12 and #13 seeds); 2019 ACC Runner-Up 184 - Kaden Russell 197 - Conner Hartmann: 4x NCAA Qualifier (#5 and #10 seeds); 3x All-American (5th, 6th, 7th), 2x ACC Champion 285 - Jacob Kasper: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#4 seed x2); 2x All-American (4th, 6th); 3x ACC finalist; 2018 ACC Champion Recruiting Big Boarder's Per Year 2021: #282 Christian Colman (PA) 2020: #161 Logan Agin (OH) 2014: #49 Grant Leeth (MO); #117 Luke Farinaro (NJ)

U20 Greco-Roman champion Christian Carroll (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) USA Wrestling hosted the U20 and U23 World Team Trials for both Greco Roman and men's freestyle last weekend. While the representative for the upcoming World Championships was only selected in certain weights, many of the top wrestlers in these age groups were in action. The following looks at the competitors who separated themselves from the field statistically. InterMat's sister site MatScouts has Christian Carroll ranked second in the class of 2023. He certainly backed up that performance at the U20 World Team Trials. He chose to enter the event only in Greco Roman, and he left no doubt he was the best competitor in his division. There were only three competitors at 97 kg, which meant that Carroll would have to best both in a round-robin bracket in order to advance to the best-of-three final series. The Penn commit scored a pair of 8-0 victories over Gavin White and MacAron Kukowski in a combined time of 91 seconds. Against White, he scored a quick four-point takedown. After White somehow managed to avoid the fall, it only took two quick gut wrenches to finish the match. Carroll returned against Kukowski. It was a similar script as it took a takedown and three gut wrenches to end things inside the first minute. Robert Plympton was waiting for Carroll in the final series thanks to his first-place finish at the U20 Open back in late April. In the finals of that event, he scored a 10-0 victory over Jackson Dewald in only 39 seconds. This was a different story. Carroll won both of the matches to earn a spot on the U20 World team. Once again, it was a pair of 8-0 victories in under two minutes combined. The final match against Plympton took 66 seconds, which was Carroll's longest bout of the tournament. Across those four matches, Carroll averaged 9.85 points per minute, allowed zero points and therefore finished with a +9.85 differential. That was by far the highest point differential across both styles in the U20 and U23 age groups. No other competitor had a point differential above six. Defensively Carroll was one of only three wrestlers to make it through the event without surrendering a single point, but he was really the only one with a complete tournament. Chris Cannon picked up a pair of quick 10-0 victories, before defaulting out of the U23 freestyle bracket at 61 kg. Alex Facundo sat in the finals of the 74 kg bracket of U20 freestyle and dispatched Jack Thomsen in two-straight matches without allowing a score. Even though he finished seventh at 86kg in the U23 freestyle division, Northwestern's Jack Jessen had quite the tournament from an offensive perspective. He finished with a 7.43 points per minute rate, which was the highest rate in freestyle and the third-highest rate overall behind Carroll and Aaron Doobs (GR U20 82kg). Jessen got off to a blistering start in the tournament. He won his first three matches in a combined 85 seconds and outscored those three opponents 24-0. However, his momentum was stopped in the quarterfinals where he dropped a 14-1 match against NCAA finalist Trent Hidlay. Jessen bounced back on the backside with a fall over Maximus Hale in a match he was leading 12-0 at the time of the fall. He then nearly pulled an upset over Chris Foca in the consolation quarterfinals. Jessen was leading 8-3 before getting pinned about halfway into the first period. Excluding the Hidlay match, Jessen had a +9.68 differential, which is higher than even the rate Carroll finished with. Last year during the collegiate season, Jessen certainly had a tough time, but he was still able to qualify for his first NCAA tournament. He should have two years of eligibility left for Northwestern and this freestyle performance might be a good omen for his future prospects. Most Matches/Mat Time Michial Foy was one of multiple wrestlers to enter the tournament in multiple styles. He competed in both the U23 87 kg Greco tournament as well as the 86 kg freestyle bracket. Foy won the Greco bracket and finished seventh in freestyle. Along the way, he wrestled in a whopping 14 matches, which was the most of any wrestler at the event. His path to the title in Greco saw him wrestle six bouts, while his freestyle campaign took eight bouts. Despite the 14 matches and multiple styles, Foy did not spend the most time on the mat over the weekend. In those 14 bouts, he racked up a little bit over 40 minutes in wrestling time, which was the 12th most. The title for most time spent wrestling belongs to Sonny Santiago. The North Carolina wrestler spent nearly an entire hour on the mat and finished with 51:04 wrestling. He accomplished this in only nine matches on his way to a fifth-place finish in the U23 74 kg bracket. Highest Scoring Match Oftentimes, high-scoring matches in freestyle see both competitors going on scoring streaks until one wrestler finishes the contest. This bout was surprisingly back and forth until Drew Munch finished things off and took a 27-17 VSU1 win over Cain Tyus in the second round of the U23 70 kg bracket. Tyus started off the scoring with a takedown inside the first 20 seconds of the bout. Munch then went ahead with a takedown of his own in a scramble followed by a gut wrench, which was nearly reversed. Tyus put himself back on top with a four-point throw. The two continued to trade the lead, and Munch went to the break up 14-11. The two went right back to trading scores in the second period. However, after Tyus hit a four-pointer to pull ahead 17-16, Munch took over. He immediately reversed the position and then added a gut wrench to go ahead 19-17. Munch then scored a four-point takedown and two more gut wrenches to close proceedings. Interesting enough, Munch would have another high-scoring match on the backside. He was eliminated by Lincoln Heck by an 18-14 score. That 32-point match was tied for the ninth-highest scoring bout of the event.

Dom Parrish (left) G'Angelo Hancock and David Taylor (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 2022 Men's Freestyle Team 57 kg - Thomas Gilman (4th World Team - 5th World/Olympic Team) 61 kg - Seth Gross (1st World Team) 65 kg - Yianni Diakomihalis (2nd World Team) 70 kg - Zain Retherford (3rd World Team) 74 kg - Kyle Dake (4th World Team - 5th World/Olympic Team) 79 kg - Jordan Burroughs (9th World Team - 11th World/Olympic Team) 86 kg - David Taylor (3rd World Team - 4th World/Olympic Team) 92 kg - J'den Cox (5th World Team - 6th World/Olympic Team) 97 kg - Kyle Snyder (6th World Team - 8th World/Olympic Team) 125 kg - Hayden Zillmer (1st World Team) 2022 Women's Freestyle Team 50 kg - Sarah Hildebrandt (5th World Team - 6th World/Olympic Team) 53 kg - Dom Parrish (1st World Team) 55 kg - Jacarra Winchester (3rd World Team - 4th World/Olympic Team) 57 kg - Helen Maroulis (10th World Team - 12th World/Olympic Team) 59 kg - Abby Nette (1st World Team) 62 kg - Kayla Miracle/Jennifer Page (To be determined) 65 kg - Mallory Velte (3rd World Team) 68 kg - Tamyra Mensah-Stock (5th World Team - 7th World/Olympic Team) 72 kg - Amit Elor (1st World Team) 76 kg - Dymond Guilford (1st World Team) 2022 Greco-Roman Team 55 kg - Max Nowry (3rd World Team) 60 kg - Ildar Hafizov (6th World Team - 8th World/Olympic Team) 63 kg - Jesse Thielke (3rd World Team - 4th World/Olympic Team) 67 kg - Alex Sancho (1st World Team - 2nd World/Olympic Team) 72 kg - Benji Peak (1st World Team) 77 kg - Kamal Bey (2nd World Team) 82 kg - Ben Provisor (3rd World Team - 5th World/Olympic Team) 87 kg - Alan Vera (2nd World Team) 97 kg - G'Angelo Hancock (5th World Team - 6th World/Olympic Team) 130 kg - Cohlton Schultz (2nd World Team)

Jordan Burroughs at Final X NYC (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Second Round Final X Bouts 77 kg GR - Kamal Bey fall Britton Holmes Fall 6:00 72 kg WFS - Amit Elor over Skylar Grote 10-0 65 kg MFS - Yianni Diakomihalis over Evan Henderson 14-4 87 kg GR - Alan Vera over Timothy Young 9-1 125 kg MFS - Hayden Zillmer over Nick Gwiazdowski 4-3 67 kg GR - Alex Sancho over Alston Nutter 5-2 53 kg WFS - Dom Parrish over Felicity Taylor 8-2 60 kg GR - Dalton Roberts over Ildar Hafizov 3-2 97 kg GR - G'Angelo Hancock over Braxton Amos 8-2 50 kg WFS - Sarah Hildebrandt over Alyssa Lampe 10-0 74 kg MFS - Kyle Dake over Jason Nolf 2-1 57 kg WFS - Helen Maroulis over Alex Hedrick 10-0 79 kg MFS - Chance Marsteller over Jordan Burroughs 2-2 86 kg MFS - David Taylor over Zahid Valencia 10 Third Round Final X Bouts 125 kg MFS - Hayden Zillmer over Nick Gwiazdowski 5-5 60 kg GR - Ildar Hafizov over Dalton Roberts 4-1 79 kg MFS - Jordan Burroughs over Chance Marsteller 5-0

Alan Vera lift Timothy Young at Final X NYC Round 1(photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) National Team True Third Place bouts 61 kg MFS - Daniel DeShazer FFT Nico Megaludis 57 kg WFS - Amanda Martinez FFT Cameron Guerin 79 kg MFS - Carter Starocci FFT Vincenzo Joseph 62 kg WFS - Alex Liles FFT Macey Kilty 65 kg WFS - Emma Bruntil FFT Maya Letona 97 kg MGR - Lucas Sheridan over Haydn Maley 12-4 55 kg WFS - Lauren Mason over Alisha Howk 9-8 86 kg MFS - Mark Hall over Trent Hidlay 6-4 92 kg MFS - Jay Aiello over Isaac Trumble 8-6 First Round Final X Bouts 77 kg GR - Kamal Bey fall Britton Holmes 5:12 72 kg WFS - Amit Elor over Skylar Grote 10-0 65 kg MFS - Yianni Diakomihalis over Evan Henderson 11-9 87 kg GR - Alan Vera fall Timothy Young 1:00 125 kg MFS - Nick Gwiazdowski over Hayden Zillmer 5-0 67 kg GR - Alex Sancho over Alston Nutter 10-9 53 kg WFS - Dom Parrish over Felicity Taylor 7-2 60 kg GR - Ildar Hafizov over Dalton Roberts 11-7 97 kg GR - G'Angelo Hancock over Braxton Amos 8-0 50 kg WFS - Sarah Hildebrandt over Alyssa Lampe 10-0 74 kg MFS - Kyle Dake over Jason Nolf 4-2 57 kg WFS - Helen Maroulis over Alex Hedrick 10-0 79 kg MFS - Jordan Burroughs over Chance Marsteller 4-0 86 kg MFS - David Taylor over Zahid Valencia 4-2

3x NCAA Qualifier Michael O'Malley (photo courtesy of Tony DiMarco) 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…Drexel! 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 NCAA Qualifiers (37) 2022 165: Evan Barczak (#30); 174: Mickey O'Malley (#8) 2021 141: Julian Flores (#31); 149: Luke Nichter (#24); 157: Parker Kropman (#25); 165: Evan Barczak (#30); 174: Mickey O'Malley (#19); 197: Bryan McLaughlin (#23) 2020 125: Antonio Mininno (#33); 165: Ebed Jarrell (#23); 174: Mickey O'Malley (#28); 197: Bryan McLaughlin (#33) 2019 149: Parker Kropman (#30); 165: Ebed Jarrell (#12); 197: Stephen Loiseau (#17); 285: Joey Goodhart (#18) 2018 133: Austin DeSanto (#7); 157: Garett Hammond; 174: Austin Rose; 184: Alex DeCiantis; 197: Stephen Loiseau (#12) 2017 133: Kevin Devoy (#16); 149: Matt Cimato; 184: Alex DeCiantis; 285: Joey Goodhart 2016 125: Zack Fuentes; 149: Matt Cimato (#4); 285: Joey Goodhart 2015 133: Kevin Devoy (#8); 141: David Pearce; 149: Matt Cimato; 157: Noel Blanco 2014 133: Kevin Devoy; 157: Austin Sommer; 197: Brandon Palik 2013 141: Frank Cimato; 197: Brandon Palik NCAA Champions None NCAA All-Americans None NCAA Round of 12 Finisher Austin DeSanto - 133 (2018) Matt Cimato - 149 (2016) Kevin Devoy - 133 (2015) Conference Champions EIWA 2016: Matt Cimato (149) 2015: Kevin Devoy (133) CAA 2013: Brandon Palik (197) Dual Record 2021-22: 6-8 2021: 2-1 2019-20: 7-11 2018-19: 4-11 2017-18: 12-4 2016-17: 13-6 2015-16: 10-7 2014-15: 8-14 2013-14: 7-15 2012-13: 8-12 Conference Tournament Placement EIWA 2021-22: 10th 2021: 5th 2019-20: 12th 2018-19: 9th 2017-18: 4th 2016-17: 9th 2015-16: 8th 2014-15: 6th 2013-14: 13th CAA 2012-13: 5th NCAA Tournament Team Placement 2021-22: 33rd (8 points) 2021: 48th-tie (3.5 points) 2019-20: No Tournament 2018-19: 56th-tie (0.5 points) 2017-18: 35th (8 points) 2016-17: 53rd (1.5 points) 2015-16: 45th-tie (5 points) 2014-15: 41st (5 points) 2013-14: No Team Score 2012-13: 57th-tie (1.5 points) Head Coaching History Matt Azevedo (2011-present) Best Lineup (Comprised of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Zack Fuentes: 2016 NCAA Qualifier; 2016 EIWA 3rd Place 133 - Kevin Devoy: 3x NCAA Qualifier; 2015 NCAA Round of 12 finisher; 2x EIWA finalist, 2015 EIWA Champion 141 - David Pearce: 2015 NCAA Qualifier; 2015 EIWA 4th Place 149 - Matt Cimato: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#4 seed), 2016 EIWA Champion, 2016 NCAA Round of 12 finisher 157 - Noel Blanco: 2015 NCAA Qualifier; 2015 EIWA 3rd Place 165 - Ebed Jarrell: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#12 seed) 174 - Mickey O'Malley: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#8 seed); 2022 NCAA Round of 12 finisher 184 - Alex DeCiantis: 2x NCAA Qualifier 197 - Stephen Loiseau: 2x NCAA Qualifier (#12 and #17 seed); 2x EIWA 3rd Place 285 - Joey Goodhart: 3x NCAA Qualifier (#18 seed); 2017 EIWA Runner-Up Recruiting Big Boarder's Per Year 2022: #168 Gabe Giampietro (DE); #211 Jordan Soriano (NY) 2021: #242 Tate Nichter (PA) 2020: #79 Luke Nichter (PA) 2018: #52 Mickey O'Malley (NJ); #66 Anthony Walters (PA); #77 Ty Smith (NV); #81 Josh Stillings (PA) 2017: #17 Austin DeSanto (PA); #86 Bryan McLaughlin (NJ) 2016: #107 Julian Flores (CA) 2014: #89 Stephen Loiseau (PA); #123 Nezar Haddad (PA) 2013: #104 Zack Fuentes (PA); #136 John Dutrow (PA)

G'Angelo Hancock and Braxton Amos at the 2020 Olympic Team Trials finals (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com We already know one half of our 2022 Senior world team as the first leg of Final X (Stillwater) took place on Friday. Now we await the other half of the team. On Wednesday, from Madison Square Garden in New York City, the rest of the squad will be determined. Final X Stillwater yielded some surprising results, classic matches, and memorable moments. You can guarantee there will be more of all three Wednesday. Before then, here's what to expect from the competitors taking the mat in Final X New York. We'll close out with the Greco-Roman preview. 60 kg - Ildar Hafizov vs. Dalton Roberts This will be the first of two Greco matches between Army WCAP teammates. The pair have combined to wrestle in seven World Championships and two Olympic Games, so both are quite seasoned. Last year, the two met in the World Team Trials best-of-three finals. The series ended up going to three matches and Roberts won via tech after two tight bouts. Due to the familiarity and high level of competition between the two, it wouldn't be surprising if they had another three-match battle. The last time both were in action was at the World Team Trials and both cruised through the competition. These two could've met at the US Open; however, Roberts defaulted out after making the semifinals. Hafizov would end up getting the title after a 9-0 tech over Max Black. 67 kg - Alex Sancho vs. Alston Nutter Last year at the Olympic Trials, Alex Sancho had a bye to the finals and prevailed over long-time veteran Ellis Coleman to make his first Senior team. Now he'll attempt to get on the world team for the first time. He tried to do so last year and was stunned by Michigan State wrestler Peyton Omania in the best-of-three finals at the WTT's. To get to the finals, Sancho edged Alston Nutter by a point. The two met again in the semifinals this year at the Open. Again, it was a 6-5 score in favor of Sancho. To qualify for Final X, Sancho got a measure of revenge against Omania in the WTT semis, while Nutter dominated Lenny Merkin. Nutter has made three age-group world teams (highlighted by a Junior bronze in 2019), so it's probably just a matter of time before he gets over the hump and makes his first Senior team. 77 kg - Kamal Bey vs. Britton Holmes This will be the second match on the card between Army WCAP teammates. Just three years ago, at Final X Rutgers, Kamal Bey was considered one of the brightest young Greco stars and the future of the sport. Bey ended up falling in three matches to Pat Smith and hasn't been back to the world or Olympic team since. Now, Bey has joined the Army WCAP and is ready to give it another shot. After defaulting out of the Open, in the semis, Bey downed 2020 Olympic Trials winner Jesse Porter at the WTT's for the chance to return to Final X. Could an older, more experienced version of the 2017 Junior World Champion, be ready to take on the world at the Senior level? To do so, he'd have to get by Britton Holmes. Holmes had a difficult path to Final X, as he had to defeat Alec Ortiz in the WTT quarters before taking out top-seeded RaVaughn Perkins, a past world team member, to lock in his spot in New York. Holmes and Ortiz got into a shootout at the US Open, a bout ultimately won by Holmes, 9-6. The rematch at the Trials resulted in a tech, in Holmes' favor. 87 kg - Alan Vera vs. Timothy Young Post-Olympic Trials, perhaps the most dominating domestic Greco wrestler (in relation to his competition) has been Alan Vera at 87 kg. Vera teched Ryan Epps in two-straight bouts in the 2021 WTT's in order to make his first Senior world team. Since then, Vera has won four matches at the Open/2022 WTT's without surrendering a point. One of those wins, in the Open semis, came against his Final X opponent Timothy Young. The former Old Dominion wrestler, Young, got his spot in Final X after pinning 2018 U23 World Team member George Sikes in the semis of the WTT's. Young actually wrestled for a bronze medal at the Cadet World Championships back in 2014. He'll probably enter MSG as the most significant underdog on the Greco portion of the card. 97 kg - G'Angelo Hancock vs. Braxton Amos Earlier we mentioned Bey as one of the possible faces of US Greco, but that title has been taken for the time being by G'Angelo Hancock. Hancock has made every Senior World/Olympic team since 2017 and has shown no signs of slowing down. In 2021, he finally broke through internationally and claimed a bronze medal from the World Championships. At various times in previous years, Hancock looked like he may make that jump. It's fitting that the most recognizable Greco athlete (domestically) will get an opportunity to showcase his talents on the big stage in New York. Of course, his opponent, Braxton Amos isn't conceding anything. Amos surprisingly made the Olympic Trials finals last year, opposite Hancock, before making the Junior World Team in both styles. Amos came home from Ufa, Russia with a bronze medal in Greco and a world title in freestyle. Though Amos focused on folkstyle from October-March at Wisconsin, he did not enter the Open or WTT's in freestyle, so he could devote his full attention to Greco. At the Trials, Amos took care of business against tough veteran Lucas Sheridan in the semis, before stopping Haydn Maley twice in the finals.

World medalists Alyssa Lampe (left) and Sarah Hildebrandt (photos courtesy of Sam Janicki (Lampe) and Tony Rotundo (Hildebrandt) We already know one half of our 2022 Senior world team as the first leg of Final X (Stillwater) took place on Friday. Now we await the other half of the team. On Wednesday, from Madison Square Garden in New York City, the rest of the squad will be determined. Final X Stillwater yielded some surprising results, classic matches, and memorable moments. You can guarantee there will be more of all three Wednesday. Before then, here's what to expect from the competitors taking the mat in Final X New York. We'll move on to women's freestyle, before closing with Greco-Roman. ***Note the 62 kg match between Kayla Miracle and Jennifer Rogers has been postponed due to medical reasons on Miracle's behalf*** 50 kg - Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Alyssa Lampe The women's freestyle portion of Final X featured three bouts between past world medalists. Two of those series' took place in Stillwater. The third is Sarah Hildebrandt against Alyssa Lampe. Hildebrandt has established herself as one of the more consistent figures in American women's wrestling. She has made every World/Olympic team since 2018 and has come away with a medal in three of those four appearances. 2021 saw her grab Olympic bronze and world silver. Hildebrandt moved down from 53 kg for the Olympic run and has been even more impressive than at 53 kg. She'll face off with a veteran herself in Alyssa Lampe. Lampe has been a part of five world teams during her long career with bronze medals coming in 2012 and 2013. Both were in the same bracket for the 2020 Olympic Trials; however, Hildebrandt was waiting in the finals, while Lampe finished true second in the challenge tournament. This year, Lampe finished as a runner-up at the US Open (at 53 kg), before dropping down and defeating Erin Golston in the WTT's best-of-three finals. Lampe is seeking to make her first world team since 2015 and most of her best work was done in the old 48 kg weight class. 53 kg - Dom Parrish vs. Felicity Taylor Stillwater saw two women make their first Senior world team with Abby Nette and Dymond Guilford doing so at 59 and 76 kg, respectively. Someone else will do at 53 kg, but the question is who? Dom Parrish has plenty of experience with three U23 world team competitions under her belt and an appearance in Final X 2019 to her name. Those came at 55 kg; however. Now at 53 kg, Parrish recently captured her first Pan-American title and was third at the Yasar Dogu. Parrish only needed to win once at the WTT's to claim a spot in Final X, but it was quite the win. She shut out 2020 Olympic Trials runner-up Ronna Heaton, 6-0 for the honors. Though Parrish has a longer international resume, she'll have to contend with the red-hot Felicity Taylor. Taylor was not seeded at the Open, but ran through the competition with two falls and a victory via tech in the finals over Lampe. If I had to guess, I'd think this series will be the most competitive and highest scoring of any on the women's side in Final X NYC. 57 kg - Helen Maroulis vs. Alex Hedrick Sitting in Final X is Helen Maroulis, who is attempting to make her 12th World/Olympic Team and bring home her eighth medal. Maroulis' place in US wrestling history is already safe with her 2016 Olympic gold medal and three world titles; so anything from here out is icing on the cake. In her only action of 2022 thus far, Maroulis came away with a gold medal from Russia's Ivan Yarygin. It was the first time she competed (and won) at the prestigious event. The only other time Maroulis qualified for Final X was in 2018 against…Alex Hedrick. The series had to be delayed because of injuries to Maroulis and it was the precursor to a prolonged absence from the sport due to concussions and shoulder injuries. Despite all of this, Maroulis still managed to defeat Hedrick 10-0, 12-0, to make the 2018 World Team. Hedrick has international experience competing at two Junior World Championships and one at the U23 level. In order to qualify for this Final X, Hedrick managed to emerge victorious in two tight bouts with Cam Guerin at the WTT's. She also won a close one over Amanda Martinez in the semis. If she can slow down the offense from Maroulis, Hedrick does have experience in those tight situations. 72 kg - Amit Elor vs. Skylar Grote 72 kg's will be the second women's weight class in New York with a first-time world team member. Both Amit Elor and Skylar Grote are young, so it could be the first of many for the winner. Elor has been a prodigy and competed favorably against older competition, since she broke on the scene as a Cadet. In 2019, as a first-year Cadet, she took home bronze from Worlds. Last year, Elor won gold medals at both the Cadet and Junior World Championships. With a resume at such a young age, she won't be blinded by the big stage and the bright lights at Madison Square Garden. I would expect the crowd to favor her opponent, Skylar Grote, from across the river in New Jersey. Grote has had a remarkable year after moving up to 72 kg. She's claimed titles at the US Open and the Pan-American Championships, along with making the WTT finals and securing a berth at Final X. Grote went unscored upon during her three matches at the Open and WTTs. She is one of three women from the Beaver Dam RTC that have qualified for Final X. Mallory Velte already is on the world team, with teammate Alyssa Lampe competing at 50 kg. However this turns out, New York is the appropriate place for the match to take place, as it will be the crowning of a new, young star.

2x NCAA Qualifier Scott Patrick (photo courtesy of Davidson athletics) 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…CSU Bakersfield! 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 NCAA Qualifiers (4) 2015 184: Scott Patrick 2014 149: Kevin Birmingham; 184: Scott Patrick 2013 133: Anthony Elias NCAA Champions None NCAA All-Americans None NCAA Round of 12 Finishers None SoCon Champions 2015: Scott Patrick (184) 2014: Scott Patrick (184) 2013: Anthony Elias (133) Dual Record 2021-22: 5-10 2021: 3-5 2019-20: 3-12 2018-19: 2-13 2017-18: 3-10 2016-17: 3-14 2015-16: 4-14 2014-15: 5-14 2013-14: 5-14 2012-13: 6-14 SoCon Tournament Placement 2021-22: 6th 2021: Did Not Compete 2019-20: 5th 2018-19: 6th 2017-18: 10th 2016-17: 8th 2015-16: 8th 2014-15: 6th 2013-14: 7th 2012-13: 7th Head Coaching History Andy Lausier (2017-22) Bob Patnesky (2004-17) Best Lineup (consisting of wrestlers from 2013-22) 125 - Phillip Elias 133 - Anthony Elias: 2013 NCAA Qualifier; 2013 SoCon Champion 141 - Dustin Runzo 149 - Kevin Birmingham: 2014 NCAA Qualifier 157 - Tony Palumbo: 2019 SoCon Runner-Up 165 - Jaden Hardrick 174 - Nathaniel Powers 184 - Scott Patrick: 2x NCAA Qualifier; 2x SoCon Champion 197 - Ian Solcz: 2015 SoCon 4th Place 285 - Mitchell Trigg: 2022 SoCon 4th Place