InterMat Staff

Four-time World bronze medalist Ali Shabanov of Belarus (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo. 7/7/21 - Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Russia) 7/6/21 - Suleyman Karadeniz (Turkey) 7/5/21 - Frank Chamizo (Italy) 7/3/21 - Yui Susaki (Japan) 7/1/21 - Amir Zare (Iran) 6/28/21 - Zavur Uguev (Russia) 6/27/21 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 6/26/21 - Sergey Kozyrev (Russia) 6/24/21 - Kenchiro Fumita (Japan) 6/23/21 - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) 6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada) 6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino) 6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan) 6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France) 6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China) 6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India) 6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany) 6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) One of the premier contenders at 74 KG from 2013-2017, #19 Ali Shabanov of Belarus, put together an exceptional run at the weight that saw him win three world bronze medals and establish himself as one of the best wrestlers in the world at any weight. Shabanov, who was known as one of the bigger 74's, made the move up to 79 KG in 2018, where he'd win his fourth world bronze medal. In 2019, he jumped up to his fifth weight class after competing at 66, 70, 74, and 79 from 2012-2018. Shabanov reached elite contender status at 86 KG with strong finishes at the European Championships and European Games. A shocking upset at the world championships to #12 Myles Amine (SMR) meant the Belarusian stalwart would have to compete at the European and world qualifiers to compete in Tokyo. Now coming off gold at the European qualifier and bronze at the European championships, we're going to take a look at four-time world bronze medalist #19 Ali Shabanov of Belarus in today's Olympic profile. The Stats #19 Ali Shabanov (BLR)- Four-time world bronze medalist ('13,'14,'17,'18), 2019 86 KG European championships bronze medalist, 2019 86 KG European Games runner-up, 2019 Dan Kolov runner-up 2016 74 KG Henri Deglane Grand Prix champion, 2013 74 KG Ali Aliyev runner-up, 2021 86 KG European Olympic Games qualifier champion, 2021 86 KG European championships bronze medalist. Key Wins: #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (2016 74 KG Henri Deglane finals), Ezzatollah Akbari (2018 79 KG world bronze medal match), #12 Myles Amine (2019 86 KG European championships), Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (2017 74 KG world bronze medal match), #13 (74) Soner Demirtas (2013 74 KG world championships, 2014 Ali Aliyev finals), #13 Sosuke Takatani (2013 74 KG world championships, 2017 74 KG world championships), Akhmed Dudarov (2019 86 KG European Games), Fatih Erdin (2019 86 KG European Games), Ramazan Sahin ( 2011 66 KG world championships, 2012 66 KG Olympic Games), Purevjav Unurbat (2015 74 KG world cup) Key Losses: Jabrayil Hasanov (2012 66 KG Olympics, 2018 79 KG world championships, 2015 74 KG world cup), #13 (74) Soner Demirtas (2015 74 KG world cup), #2 (74) Kyle Dake (2013 Baku GGP), #8 (74) Jordan Burroughs (2013 74 KG world championships, 2015 74 KG Medved, 2017 74 KG world championships), #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (2019 86 KG Dan Kolov finals), #12 Myles Amine (2019 86 KG world championships), #9 Vladislav Valiev (2019 86 KG European championships), #4 Dauren Kurugliev (2019 86 KG European Games finals), #14 (74) Khetag Tsabolov (2014 70 KG world championships). 2011-2013 Ali Shabanov's career began at 66 KG in 2011 and started off with a huge title at the Medved over 2007 European champion Albert Batyrov (BLR). Shabanov, having previously competed for Russia as he originally hailed from Dagestan, had put his name on the map in just his first competition with Belarus. Off his victory over Batyrov at the Medved, Shabanov was selected as the representative for the European Championships. Making it to the semifinals, Shabanov dropped a 3-0 match across two periods to Leonid Bazan of Bulgaria. Falling to the bronze medal match, Shabanov would lose 3-0 to Yarygin champion Adam Batirov of Russia and take fifth. A seventh-place finish at the Ali Aliev slowed down the earlier momentum Shabanov had built in the year, but going into the world championships, Shabanov was still seen as a potential dark horse contender. Shabanov delivered on his promise early in the tournament, upsetting two-time World/Olympic champion Ramazan Sahin (TUR) in the Round of 32 and would meet 2009 world champion Mehdi Teghavi (IRI) in the Round of 16. A 1-0, 1-1 loss for Shabanov would put an early end to his world championships run, but it was clear that Shabanov would be a contender for years to come. Still having to qualify for the London Olympics, Shabanov began his 2012 winning the European qualifier over European bronze medalist Devid Safaryan (ARM). As a warmup for the Olympics, Shabanov competed all the way up at 66 KG at the Grand Prix of Spain, where he'd take 10th. Now came the big day and Shabanov was ready. An opening-round win over American standout Jared Frayer (USA) put Shabanov in the quarterfinals opposite two-time World bronze medalist, 2011 European champion Jabrayil Hasanov (AZE). Shabanov would win the first period 2-2 over Hasanov, Hasanov reclaiming the second period 1-1 and in the ultimate period, it would be the Azerbaijani who pulled away with the 2-0 score and the match win. Hasanov's loss to eventual champion Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu (JPN) in the semifinals meant Shabanov's Olympic run would be ended early, as would his time spent at 66 KG. Shabanov, making the official move up to 74 KG, competed at the Moscow Lights tournament to end the year where competing in team action, Belarus finished in 6th. Shabanov's first full season at 74 KG began in 2013, with his first competition of the year being at the Ivan Yarygin Memorial. An opening-round win against 2011 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Ramazan Shamsudinov (RUS) put Shabanov opposite Saba Khubezhty (RUS), who'd net a 7-4 win over the Belarusian. With Khubezhty's run to the finals, Shabanov was pulled back into repechage where he beat the likes of two time Russian Nationals runner-up #4 (79) Atsamaz Sanakoev (RUS) and Isa Daudov (RUS) to make the bronze medal match opposite 2009 66 KG world silver medalist Rasul Dzhukaev (RUS). Dzhukaev would prove to be too much for Shabanov and he would be relegated to a fifth-place finish after a 5-0 loss. Shabanov's competition would be at the World Cup, where he'd put together wins over world medalist Nurlan Bekzhanov (KAZ) and Ashraf Aliyev (AZE) but fall to #18 (74) Kakhaber Khubezhty (RUS) and #8 (74) Jordan Burroughs (USA). After a decent showing at the World Cup, Shabanov was expected to contend for hardware at the European Championships, but a second-round upset loss to Giya Chykhlandze (UKR) cut his run short. Shabanov's losses at the World Cup and European championships would be a thing of the past as he put together an exceptional run to make the finals of the Ali Aliyev, beating the likes of 3x Russian Nationals medalist Kamal Malikov (RUS), 2018 79 KG world bronze medalist #6 Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov (RUS) and 2004 Olympian Kryzstain Brzozowski (POL). Even with his runs over Russian standouts and Olympian Brzozwski, Shabanov would still be stopped in his tracks in the final match, losing 2-2 on criteria to #13 (74) Soner Demirtas (TUR) and taking silver. Having proven himself at the Ali Aliyev, Shabanov entered the 2013 World Championships a real medal contender. Revenge against #13 (74) Soner Demirtas (TUR) for Shabanov would come by way of a 6-2 win in the Round of 16 and Grigor Grigoryan (ARM) would be decimated by Shabanov in the quarters by tech fall. Facing off against the reigning two-time World/Olympic champion #8 Jordan Burroughs (USA), Shabanov was out gunned offensively, but was extra physical with the American, but as game as he was, the offense of Burroughs won through and cautioned Shabanov out of the match while up 7-1. In the bronze medal match, Shabanov faced off with surprise contender Narsingh Yadav of India, who'd upset Hasanov and Kakhaber Khubezhty (RUS) earlier in the tournament. A potent upper body specialist, Yadav was seen as a capable threat, but Shabanov not only matched his strength in ties but bullied him around, face planting the Indian powerhouse around the mat for a 6-1 win and his first world bronze medal. To conclude his year, Shabanov competed at the Golden Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan. In his opening round match, Shabanov drew 4x NCAA champion #2 (74) Kyle Dake (USA), who was fresh off a runner-up finish at the US World Team Trials to Jordan Burroughs. Dake proved himself capable of going with the best in Burroughs but had yet to get a marquee international win and Shabanov would be his shot. The American standout would defeat Shabanov and 3x World champion Denis Tsargush (RUS) on his way to a 5th place finish at the Golden Grand Prix. 2014-2017 2014 for Shabanov began with his second Medved title, winning over 2013 Ali Aliyev champion #13 (74) Soner Demirtas (TUR). Shabanov's performance at the European Championships would see him make the semifinals opposite returning champion, two-time Russian Nationals medalist Aniuar Geduev (RUS). Leading Geduev early in the match, the Kabardian standout would retaliate against Shabanov with a huge double leg and win 7-4. Now in the bronze medal match, Shabanov lost a controversial 4-4 bout on criteria to Kryzstian Brzozowski (POL) and took fifth. Making the surprising cut down to the new Non-Olympic weight class of 70 KG, Shabanov tech falled his way into the quarterfinals, where he met Nick Marable (USA), who'd upset Burroughs at the Yasar Dogu earlier in the year. Shabanov was able to fight by the powerful Marable for a 5-2 win and a semifinals berth opposite #14 (74) Khetag Tsabolov (SRB). Tsabolov, a 5x Russian Nationals finalist now competing for Serbia, was on another level than Shabanov and teched him 11-0 to make the world finals. Shabanov would face Cleopas Ncube of Canada in the bronze medal match and put on an offensive masterclass, chaining his chest wrap go behinds and low singles to a dominating 13-1 win and his second back to back world bronze medal. 2015 began with a surprising jump up in weight for Shabanov, competing all the way up at 86 KG for the Yarygin where, after beating 2014 Asian Games bronze medalist Adilet Davlumbaev (KAZ), he forfeited to #4 Dauren Kurugliev (RUS) and placed eighth. Making the cut back down to his more natural weight of 74 KG, Shabanov made the semifinals of the Medved off a 5-1 win over two-time world bronze medalist Hasanov. Getting his chance of redemption against Burroughs, Shabanov would push the American standout to his limit in an 8-6 loss. Falling behind 1-0 after the first, Shabanov rallied back to beat #6 (79) Khalil Aminov (RUS) for bronze. After his run at the Medved that saw him push Burroughs to the limit and unseat beat out Jabrayil Hasanov, expectations were high for Shabanov going into the World Cup. But the World Cup would not be kind to the Belarusian standout as he had a 1-3 record with losses to Hasanov, Soner Demirtas, Morteza Rezaei Ghiasi (IRI) to a sole win over Purevjav Unurbat (MGL). The European Games began for Shabanov with an opening-round match against two-time European champion Aniuar Geduev of Russia. Geduev left Shabanov scoreless in a 6-0 loss for the Belarusian and when Geduev made his third straight European championships/Games finals, Shabanov was pulled into repechage. Breezing past an overmatched Giorgis Savvoulidis (GRE) in the first round, Shabanov would come away with a 6-5 victory in a highly physical match against 2014 Junior world champion Zelimkhan Khadjiev (FRA). Returning world fifth-place finisher, Jumber Kvelashvili (GEO) would be all that stood between Shabanov and his first European medal, but the Georgian would be superior to Shabanov on the day and win 6-5. After back-to-back world bronze medals to start the quad, Shabanov failed to place at the 2015 World Championships bowing out after a 2-1 loss to 2013 world bronze medalist Rashid Kurbanov (UZB). After arguably the worst year of his career, Shabanov rallied back in a major way to start his 2016 with a huge title at the Grand Prix of Paris in a 6-6 barn burner against future 3x World/Olympic champion #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati of Iran. Competing with the momentum of his Grand Prix of Paris title, Shabanov was seen as a favorite to win his third Medved title but a shocking opening round upset to #9 (79) Arsalan Budazhapov (KGZ) put Shabanov out of the competition early. Tragedy would strike at the European championships when against 2013 European bronze medalist Gia Chykhlandze (UKR), Shabanov would tear his ACL and be forced out of competition for the rest of 2016 until May 2017. Coming off a long injury lay off going back to his match against Chykhlandze from the 2016 European championships, Shabanov began his 2017 campaign in May at the European Championships with a win over Aleksey Scherbak (UKR), before losing his next match to Yarygin champion #6 Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov (RUS) and being eliminated from competition. Shabanov would return to compete at the Ziolkowski, winning the title in impressive fashion with wins over 2017 U-23 European champion #7 Avtandil Kentchadze (GEO) and Zhiger Zakirov (KAZ) before entering the world championships. With the memory of his 2015 failure still fresh in his mind, Shabanov entered the world championships wrestling the best he ever had. Taking a 5-0 lead at the end of the first against Burroughs in their opening round match, Shabanov would fail to stop the furious comeback of Burroughs and would fall 7-5. Put into repechage, Shabanov would start his campaign for his third world bronze medal with a 6-1 win over 2014 world runner-up #13 Sosuke Takatani (JPN) before moving on to face the surging Zelimkhan Khadjiev (FRA). Shabanov took no mercy on the explosive Khadjiev and blew through him in a 10-0 tech fall win to make the bronze medal match. Bekzod Abdurakhmanov (UZB) had stunned the wrestling world the year before at the 2016 Olympics with an 11-1 tech fall win over the returning Olympic champion Burroughs and was seen as one of the serious contenders at 74 KG for the 2016-2020 quad. A 31-0 scoring difference between Abdurakhmanov and his opponents made it clear that the hype was real and going into the semifinals, it was a very real possibility Abdurakhmanov could upset Burroughs again and eliminate Shabanov from the competition. But Burroughs, as he had shown throughout the whole world championships, had ice running through his veins and was able to pull away for a 6-5 win against the dangerous Abdurakhmanov to make the world finals. Now off the back of his 6-5 semifinal loss to Burroughs, Abdurakhmanov was faced with the surging Shabanov in a battle of 2014 70 KG world bronze medalists. Close throughout the bout, a crucial flurry that put the freakish athleticism of Shabanov on full display allowed for the Belarusian to get a bodylock on Abdurakhmanov and throw him for four and pull away with the match for the 8-4 win and his third world bronze medal. In winning his bronze, Shabanov had proven himself to be not only one of the best at 74 KG but one of the best in the world at any weight. Shabanov would conclude his 2017 with a final competition in November up at 86 KG, where he took bronze at the Kunaev after a loss to 2015 86 KG world bronze medalist #18 Sandro Aminashvili (GEO). 2018-2021 After the high of the 2017 world championships, Shabanov would debut at his fifth weight class of his career at the 2018 79 KG Takhti Cup in February. Having proven himself in the toughest bracket at the toughest weight in the world at 74 KG at the end of 2017, Shabanov was expected to be a front runner for world gold at his new weight class of 79 KG. The momentum of Shabanov as a title contender at 79 KG hit a speed bump in the form of a loss to Murad Suleymanov (AZE) and Shabanov would be eliminated after Suleymanov's shocking loss to eventual runner-up Mihail Nagy (HUN). The European Championships would come around for Shabanov in May, and opening with a shutout victory against 2015 74 KG European Games bronze medalist Jumber Kvelashvili (GEO) pitted Shabanov against Takhti Cup runner-up Mihail Nagy (HUN). Opposing the powerful underhooks, low singles, and chest wrap of the Belarusian standout, Nagy was able to notch his second big upset of the year and defeat Shabanov to make the semifinals, where he'd fall to Martin Obst (GER). Shabanov would injury default out of the Medved in September and go to the world championships with a lot of question marks surrounding his health and repeat his exceptional performance from 2017. Outscoring Santiago Martinez (COL) and Dovletmurat Orazgylygov (TKM) 18-0 to make the quarterfinals, Shabanov would meet against old foe 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Hasanov. Close throughout, a critical tactical mistake from Shabanov on a chest wrap would cost him a four-point double leg against Hasanov and the match by a 6-2 score. With Hasanov beating 2013 74 KG world runner-up Ezzatollah Akbari (IRI) 3-3 in the semis, Shabanov was given a chance at repechage that he'd make the most of. A surprisingly tough match against Ethan Ramos of Puerto Rico was a 16-12 win for the Belarusian and late match heroics would be needed again as after going to a substantial early lead, Shabanov would hang on by the skin of his teeth for an 8-8 win on criteria over Ezzatollah Akbari (IRI) and his fourth world bronze medal. 2019 would begin Shabanov's full-time move up to 86 KG to qualify Belarus at the weight for the Olympics. Shabanov's year started with the Indian Pro League, where he made the finals competing for the Haryana Hammers and avenged an early-season loss to two-time World/Olympic bronze medalist Dato Marsagishvili (GEO) with a 3-2 victory. Shabanov would make the finals of the Dan Kolov against now 2x World/Olympic champion #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI) in a rematch of their 2016 Grand Prix of Paris finals match. Yazdani and Shabanov put on the front runner for match of the year and the early counters and reversals kept him alive 8-2 at the end of the first, but the continuing punishing hand fighting and leg attacks of Yazdani broke Shabanov on his way to a 16-5 tech fall loss that showed Yazdani had jumped levels in a major way. Shabanov's next competition would be at the European Championships, where he'd go head to head with 2017 world bronze medalist #9 Vladislav Valiev (RUS) in the opening round. Valiev's power stunned Shabanov and his powerful underhook takedowns shut down any of the counters of the Belarusian, with Valiev handing him a lopsided 11-0 tech fall loss. Pulled into repechage, Shabanov got past Giorgis Savvoulidis (GRE) 4-0, #12 Myles Amine (SMR) 6-2 and would avenge his 2018 loss to 2018 U-23 world bronze medalist in an impressive 11-2 victory. Shabanov's run at the European Games was what would really cement him as a contender at 86 KG as he took out Akhmed Dudarov (GER) and upset returning world runner-up Fatih Erdin (TUR) with a clutch underhook throwby in the last three seconds of the match to make the finals opposite #4 Dauren Kurugliev (RUS). In the continued tradition of Shabanov facing the most physical 86's that Russia and Iran could offer, Kurugliev would scrape by Shabanov for a 3-2 victory and his second European title. Now, as a serious medal contender, Shabanov began his world championships against European Games bronze medalist Amine. What was supposed to be a tough, but winnable opening-round match for Shabanov would be a commanding 5-1 win for Amine. Amine would finish fifth at the world championships after mounting consecutive upset wins over Yurieski Torreblanca (CUB), #13 Sosuke Takatani (JPN), and European Games bronze medalist Dudarov against losses to #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI) and #3 Artur Naifonov (RUS). With Shabanov eliminated from the competition, he would have to claw and fight his way to qualify Belarus for the Olympics, but his shot at the Olympics would have to wait. Shabanov would not compete for the entirety of the abbreviated 2020 season and would make his return to competition this year in March at the European Olympic qualifier. Shabanov qualified for his second Olympic Games with wins over 2020 Individual World Cup medalists Piotr Ianulov (MDA) and Osman Gocen (TUR). Reestablishing his spot in the top 10 of 86 KG, Shabanov was considered a front runner for gold at the European championships. But a late high crotch in the semifinals for 2015 world bronze medalist #18 Sandro Aminashvili (GEO) would stop Shabanov from making the finals from a 3-2 loss and relegate him to bronze that he'd take over Henri Deglane Grand Prix runner-up Sebastian Jezierzanski of Poland 4-2. As one of the most consistent performers at the World Championships through the 2012-2016 and 2016-2020 quads, #18 Ali Shabanov (BLR) has cemented himself as a man you can never count out. Combining incredible technique with ridiculous technique and absurd strength from his underhooks, Shabanov is very much the unwanted draw in Tokyo. If he is firing on all cylinders, he could very well make a medal run.

(Photo/Bellarmine Athletics) On Wednesday, Bellarmine announced that they hired Ned Shuck as their next head coach. After the official announcement, we put together an article that documented some of Shuck's history prior to his hiring. Today we're focusing on the job that Shuck will inherit rather than his background. Bellarmine is a school that most probably don't know about as it is new on the DI landscape. Spencer Adams was the Knights previous head coach and stepped down in late May after leading the program since 2016. Prior to that, he was the leader of the St. Catherine program, and we'll explain later how he moved from St. Catherine to Bellarmine. Along with Adams, the rest of the coaching staff will not return. To explain the Bellarmine job, we'll focus on a handful of factors that will impact the school. This is an exercise we did prior to the hirings at Illinois and Stanford, earlier this offseason. The Conference Just over a year ago, on July 1st, 2020, Bellarmine's athletic department formally began a transformation from Division II to Division I status. Most sports will compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference, but since they do not sponsor wrestling, Bellarmine has joined the Southern Conference (SoCon). The SoCon has traditionally received the least amount of national qualifiers and, in turn, has produced the lowest number of All-Americans over the last decade. Since 2012, only nine SoCon wrestlers have gotten onto the NCAA podium. That doesn't include four wrestlers that garnered first or second-team All-American honors when the 2020 national tournament was canceled. Despite a so-so history, the conference could be on the upswing. Campbell received a shot in the arm when Cary Kolat transformed the team from an afterthought, nationally, to one regularly among the top-25. Despite Kolat's departure, top assistant Scotti Sentes has taken over the Camels and continued to recruit well and produce on the mat in 2021. Campbell logged their third-straight SoCon regular season and tournament title and sent seven wrestlers to St. Louis. Campbell had one wrestler advance to the 2021 NCAA Round of 12 and another earn a top-15 seed. Appalachian State continues to improve and has been excellent at developing under-the-radar recruits. 149 lber Jonathan Millner was the conference's lone AA in 2021. Chattanooga has long been a traditional force in the SoCon. Under fourth-year head coach Kyle Ruschell, the Moc program should continue to gain steam. New head coaches are a theme for the bulk of the conference. Davidson, Presybetrian, The Citadel, and VMI all have leaders that have been at the helm for less than five years. This is important because most have new blood on staff that has reinvigorated their respective squads. Initially, Bellarmine could have difficulties getting wrestlers through to nationals, like the rest of the league. But, the SoCon is improving and could see its automatic qualifier number rise in the future. The School After the transition, Bellarmine became the only private DI institution located in Kentucky. It is also a Catholic institution. Located in Louisville, Bellarmine has approximately 4,000 students, with about 2600 being undergraduates. Academically, the school is best known for its nursing program and majors within the healthcare industry. Bellarmine's tuition is over 40k per year, which is steep; however, they have very generous financial aid packages. Average financial aid is over 30k per student and almost all of their student body received some sort of assistance. The campus is located close to downtown Louisville, in the city's Belknap area. So while Bellarmine may be more of an urban campus, compared to most schools that offer DI wrestling, it's not totally in the midst of a big city. Those factors could be attractive to some recruits, while a turnoff for others. The Roster The Knights roster carried almost 30 wrestlers during the 2021 season. Oftentimes, during coaching changes, a bit of attrition is expected. This will undoubtedly be the case with Bellarmine. The athletic department announced in 2019 the move to DI status, so there are plenty of wrestlers on the roster that signed with the expectation to compete on the DII level. Though the school was not permitted to participate in postseason competition, due to the transition, Bellarmine wrestled a SoCon schedule in 2021. As one may expect, the bulk of their lineup took some lumps. 165 lber Eric Beck and 174 lber Devan Hendricks were the only Knight wrestlers to finish with a .500 record or better. Beck was 6-4, while Hendricks was 7-3. Digging deeper into the results, all three of Hendricks' losses came to eventual NCAA qualifiers. Beck was able to produce a win over Bilal Bailey, who was a notable recruit for Campbell in the Class of 2020. No offense, but Shuck will need to upgrade the roster for the Knights to be more competitive against DI foes. The Facilities Bellarmine's facilities are in the midst of an upgrade, which is common as schools undergo a transition to DI status. Below you will see a picture of their current wrestling room. (Photo/Bellarmine Athletics) You may be able to tell it was converted from a church. It has locker rooms, as well and will continue to improve. The Salary The actual salary for the position is unknown. But from what we've been able to obtain, it will not stack up with Power Five schools. Because of that, you didn't hear the usual suspects that are assistants in the Big Ten associated with rumors surrounding this position. Even so, Bellarmine was able to hire a high-quality candidate in Shuck. The entire coaching staff from 2020-21 has left, so two assistants and a graduate assistant will need to be hired. Again, salaries are unclear for these positions, too. Expect to see some young, hungry recent graduates fill these roles. The Administration Before we get into the actual administration, the story of how Bellarmine's wrestling program even came to be is pretty unique. In 2016, St. Catharine College, located in Bardstown, approximately 45 mins away, shut down due to financial problems. Not the wrestling program, the entire school. Bellarmine absorbed the wrestling team. Members of the St. Catherine team were allowed to transfer in and Adams remained the head coach. Seeing that the school took on a wrestling program that they never started is a positive sign. They must have really wanted to add wrestling. Most schools wouldn't have batted an eyelash in a similar predicament. The entire department is led by Scott Wiegandt, a Bellarmine alum that has held the position since 2006. Since Wiegandt presided over the relocation of the wrestling team, he has to have some appreciation for the sport and its place at Bellarmine. Wiegandt is a baseball guy; he was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies and spent ten years playing professional baseball. At smaller institutions, having a football team can prove to be detrimental to the health of wrestling and other "non-revenue" sports. Dedicating so many scholarships to football, along with funding, can place the program on shaky footing (see: Eastern Michigan/Old Dominion). Bellarmine does not have a football team. On the other side of the coin, having a team gives a school promotion and level of prestige that is difficult to replicate otherwise. Now that isn't to say that football won't be at Bellarmine, sort of. In the fall of 2022, sprint football is coming. The team, which will not be sanctioned by the NCAA, has a 178 lb weight limit and will compete against a handful of other institutions in the Midwest Sprint Football League. InterMat plans to speak with coach Shuck in the coming days and weeks to obtain a possible plan for growth. The wrestling team is not fully funded, so we'll see if there are any plans or avenues in place to increase scholarships. The Recruiting Base Bellarmine is the only DI wrestling program in Kentucky. Being the only school does have plenty of advantages; however, Kentucky has not been traditionally a hotbed for DI talent. Since 2010, ten Kentucky natives have combined to qualify for the NCAA Tournament on 14 occasions. The last All-American from the state was Kyle Ruschell (now head coach at Chattanooga) in 2010. The 2021 national tournament saw two Kentucky natives compete in St. Louis (Saul Ervin - SIU Edwardsville and Ben Barton - Campbell). Wrestling in Kentucky does appear to be on a slight upswing. After Ruschell's graduation, only one Kentucky resident (Caleb Ervin - Illinois) made it to nationals between 2011-15. With two last year and in 2019, things are headed in the right direction. Wrestling, as a whole, is improving in the south, led by Georgia, Florida, and, to a lesser extent, Tennessee. Could Kentucky be next in line? Even as Kentucky grows, it will be a long time before Shuck can rely primarily on in-state talent. He'll have to look outside its border and most likely to the north in Ohio. His track record recruiting in Ohio and his history coaching at Heidelberg is well documented. Aside from Ohio, Louisville is located on the Indiana border and less than two hours from Indianapolis, so getting recruits from that vicinity should also be a priority. Looking even further away, Illinois, then St. Louis, are not that far, in the grand scheme of things. Once the rapidly improving talent from Tennessee gets college-ready, Bellarmine could get into some recruiting battles for kids that otherwise may have looked at staying in-state and wrestling for UTC.

2019 World Champion Gadzhimurad Rashidov (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo. 7/7/21 - Suleyman Karadeniz (Turkey) 7/6/21 - Frank Chamizo (Italy) 7/3/21 - Yui Susaki (Japan) 7/1/21 - Amir Zare (Iran) 6/28/21 - Zavur Uguev (Russia) 6/27/21 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 6/26/21 - Sergey Kozyrev (Russia) 6/24/21 - Kenchiro Fumita (Japan) 6/23/21 - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) 6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada) 6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino) 6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan) 6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France) 6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China) 6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India) 6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany) 6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) Twice a world runner-up at 61 KG, #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov of Russia has jumped levels to an entirely new echelon of the elite from his move up to 65 KG. Three straight Russian National titles, a world championship and wins over #3 Zagir Shakhiev (RUS), #4 Ismail Musukaev (HUN), #5 Takuto Otoguro (JPN), #6 Haji Aliyev (AZE), #9 Abdulmazhid Kudiev (RUS) and #10 Murshid Mutalimov (RUS) has skyrocketed Rashidov to the number three spot in the pound for pound rankings. As the favorite to win gold in a loaded field in Tokyo, Rashidov truly has the makings of a defining generational talent. In today's Olympic profile, we will look at the rise of 2019 65 KG world champion #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov of Russia. The Stats #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov (RUS)- 2x Cadet world champion ('11 at 50 KG, '12 at 54 KG), 2015 61 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist, 2x 61 KG world runner-up ('17 & '18), 2x European champ ('16 & '18), 2018 Yarygin champ, 2018 Ziolkowski champ, 4x Russian Nationals champion ('17, '19, '20, '21), 2019 65 KG world champion. Key Wins: #3 Zagir Shakhiev (2021 65 KG Russian Nationals finals), #4 Ismail Musukaev (2018 61 KG Yarygin finals, 2019 world champion), #5 Takuto Otoguro (2019 65 KG world championships), #6 Haji Aliyev (2019 65 KG world championships), #17 Nachyn Kuular (2019 Russian nationals finals), #13 Akhmed Chakaev (2017 61 KG Russian nationals semis, 2020 65 KG Russian Nationals finals ), #14 Daulet Niyazbekov (2019 65 KG world finals) Daichi Takatani (2019 world cup), Vladimir Khinchegashvili (2017 world quarters), Logan Stieber (2017 world's Round of 16), Alexander Bogomoev (2018 Yarygin), Magomedrasul Idrisov (2018 61 KG Ziolkowski) Key Losses: #13 Akhmed Chakaev (2017 & 2019 Yarygin), #6 Haji Aliev (2017 61 KG world finals), Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (2018 61 KG world finals), Alexander Bogomoev ( 2015 61 KG Ivan Yarygin Memorial, 2015 61 KG Russian Nationals, 2016 57 KG Ivan Yarygin Memorial) 2011-2016 Gadzhimurad Rashidov's career would begin with back-to-back Cadet titles from 2011 and 2012 at 50 and 54 KG. In his 2011 final, Rashidov would face off against future 3x World/Olympic champion #2 (86) Hassan Yazdani Charati of Iran. Arguably the best upperweight hand fighter in the whole world, who terrorizes the most elite of 86 KG, Yazdani had yet to grow into his considerable frame and refine the skillset that would make him a legend in his own right. The more compact Rashidov tactfully countered the Iranian to dominate 6-2, and 5-0 scores across two periods for his first world gold. 2012 would be a far less credentialed field for Rashidov and he would win his second Cadet World title over Abhisek Mann of India. Rashidov's Senior-level debut would take place at the end of 2017, when at, only the age of 17, he won a bronze medal at the prestigious Ali Aliyev tournament behind Russian Nationals medalists Artem Gebek (RUS) and #4 Ismail Musukaev (HUN). Rashidov would not make his return to international competition until May 2014 up at 61 KG, again at the Ali Aliyev but was unable to replicate his early success from 2012 and failed to place after a loss to Rustam Abdurashidov (RUS). At 18 years old and going into his first Junior World Championships, Rashidov would begin one of his early defining rivalries, this time in the form of Iman Sadeghikoukandeh of Iran. Rashidov, already a proven Senior level commodity, could not match the Iranian who cemented himself in the place of countless highlight reels with a jaw-dropping backflip counter of a Rashidov single leg. Rebounding from his 7-3 semifinal loss to Sadeghikoukandeh, Rashidov took bronze by 10-0 tech fall over Ivan Bileichuk of Ukraine. Only 19 years old, Rashidov would compete for the first time at the legendary Ivan Yarygin Memorial. The unofficial Russian Nationals before Russian Nationals, the Yarygin fielded brackets so deep with Russian talent they boasted greater talent than the world and Olympic championships. In his inaugural showing, Rashidov made the quarterfinals against returning Russian Nationals champion Alexander Bogomoev. The king without a crown at 61 KG, Bogomoev had carved out an intimidating resume of domestic dominance at the time of their match and, as the favorite going into the 2014 World Championships, was upset by Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez of Cuba. While Rashidov was talented, Bogomoev was a star. 3-0 would be the margin of victory for the talented Buryat wrestler over Rashidov, but Rashidov was given a chance at repechage after Bogomoev won 8-2 over 2012 55 KG Olympic champion Dzhamal Otarsultanov (RUS). Showing himself to be right there with the best, Rashidov would ultimately fall 8-6 to Otarsultanov and finish fifth at his first Yarygin. A bronze medal at Senior Russian Nationals after another loss to Bogomoev would be Rashidov's penultimate competition before competing at his second Junior World Championships. Even showing himself capable of pushing consensus Senior level top talent the likes of Bogomoev and Otarsultanov, Rashidov was still unable to get by returning Junior World champion Iman Sadeghikoukandeh and would have to console himself with a bronze medal. 2016 began with a more mature Rashidov making the cut down to 57 KG for the Yarygin. Notching an impressive win over 2014 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #10 (70) Viktor Rassadin (RUS) on his path to the semis where he'd fall in his third time in as many times against two time Russian Nationals champion Alexander Bogomoev (RUS). Rashidov won bronze over Vladimir Flegontov (RUS). With his bronze medal at the Yarygin and with Bogomoev and Rustam Ampar not making the cut down, Rashidov was selected as the Russian representative for the European Championships. Wins over Georgi Vangelov (BUL) and Asadulla Lachinov (BLR) would pit Rashidov in the finals against 2014 Cadet World champion Andrey Yatsenko (UKR), who'd upset 2014 55 Kg Junior world champion Makhir Amiraslanov (AZE) and Andrei Dukov (ROU) to make the finals. Showing that he was too much for Yatsenko, Rashidov beat the Ukrainian standout 6-0 for the 57 KG European championships title. Coming off his European title, Rashidov was selected as Russia's 57 KG rep for the World Cup. Compiling a 1-2 record, Rashidov clashed horns with the elite of the elite at 57 KG, beating #2 Suleyman Atli (TUR) and losing to a pair of world champions in Hassan Rahimi (IRI) and Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO). Going into Russian Nationals as a Yarygin bronze medalist and European champion, Rashidov was expected to contend for the title but withdrew in the quarterfinals against #18 (61) Aldar Balzhinimaev (RUS) due to Dagestan protesting the Russian Nationals after the controversial quarterfinal between two-time world champion Viktor Lebedev (RUS) and returning national runner-up #4 Ismail Musukaev (HUN). Context is critical to understand the highly controversial 2016 Russian Nationals championships. In the 57 KG quarterfinals, two-time world champion Lebedev faced Musukaev in a rematch of the 2015 national finals won by Lebedev. Originally scored a controversial 4-3 win for Lebedev, upon review it was correctly scored 4-2 for Musukaev after mistakes were found with the officiating, but even then Lebedev was still allowed to compete in the semifinals and went on to win gold 1-1 over returning two-time 61 KG Russian Nationals champion Bogomoev. It should be noted that all of this controversy does have a solid base in home cooking as Lebedev was the face of Yakut wrestling and taking place in Yakutsk; there was a clear agenda to see their hometown hero get his spot at the Olympics. After the controversy to end 2016, Rashidov would have to make the move back up to a loaded 61 KG weight class filled with divisional veterans and Olympic standouts from 57 KG making their move back. Time would tell what lies ahead for Rashidov. 2017-2021 Back at the weight that saw him put his name on the map, Rashidov would be thrown into the fire right away in another loaded Yarygin field. In his opening round match, Rashidov faced the returning 57 KG Olympic runner-up #15 (57) Rei Higuchi (JPN), the uncrowned champion of the weight who had upset three past/future world champions in Rahimi , Kyong Il Yang (PRK) and Bonne Rodriguez before losing in a controversial final to returning world champion Khinchegashvili. Rashidov and Higuchi had past history that leaned in Rashidov's favor, a dominating tech fall win for the Russian from the 2015 Junior World championships where Rashidov took bronze. While not to the same degree, Rashidov was still able to show he was the better man against Rashidov and beat the Japanese standout 3-1 to move on in the bracket. 2015 133 LB NCAA champion Cody Brewer (USA) would be next for Rashidov and he blew past the American standout 12-1 to move onto the Round of 16 against returning Yarygin champion Nyurgun Skryabin (BLR). Skryabin would be a tighter 4-1 win for Rashidov, but a win nonetheless, that put him in the quarterfinals against 2013 World Champion Bekhan Goygereev (RUS). Goygereev, whose 2013 Russian National and world title run included wins over 5x World champion Besik Kudukhov (RUS) and 2x world medalist Masoud Esmaielpour (IRI), was supposed to be capable of stopping the freight train Rashidov, but he fell harder than those before him in an 8-0 loss. In the semifinals, Rashidov crushed Bulat Batoev to make the finals opposite, returning world bronze medalist #13 Akhmed Chakaev (RUS). In a tense showdown, it would be the length and power of Chakaev that would win him the day against Rashidov as he converted a low single to win the Yarygin gold 2-2. Off a runner-up finish at the Yarygin, a rejuvenated Rashidov made mincemeat of the U-23 European Championships beating Sedat Oezdemir (TUR) in the finals for gold. Those U-23 European Championships would serve as Rashidov's final warmup before a monster bracket at the Russian Nationals championships. Returning Russian Nationals bronze medalist Nyrugun Skryabin (BLR) would be Rashidov's first test in the Round of 16 that Rashidov would pass by a 3-0 score. A tactical Goygereev would hold Rashidov to a nail-biting 2-1 win in the quarterfinals to set up a rematch against #13 Akhmed Chakaev (RUS). Chakaev, who had missed weight but was still allowed to compete at 61 KG as Russian Nationals occurred concurrently with Ramadan, was the man to beat at 61 (even if he didn't make the weight) as he had a world bronze medal, Yarygin gold and European silver to his name. Rashidov, right from the get-go, showed no fear of Chakaev and prevented the bullying Chechen from establishing his underhooks and turned the tables on Chakaev, powering through the Chechen standout with an excellent underhook series for a high octane 11-8 win and a berth to the finals. Yarygin bronze medalist #10 (70) Viktor Rassadin (RUS) had looked the best he ever had, as the returning national runner-up had outscored the competition 45-6 on his way to the finals. Rassadin looked to be in control throughout the match and not to be denied gold, but Rashidov, as clutch as he had ever been, scored a last-second single leg to take the 3-3 win and Russian Nationals gold. Having had successfully run the gauntlet at Russian Nationals, Rashidov was now without a doubt on the shortlist of contenders to win world gold in Paris. But returning World/Olympic medalists Khinchegashvili, #6 Haji Aliyev (AZE), Logan Stieber (USA) and Bonne Rodriguez, plus the return of 3x European champion Cengizhan Erdogan (TUR), meant that Rashidov would have his work cut out for him if he was truly determined for gold. The unheralded Josef Molnar of Hungary would serve as a beginning for Rashidov's World Championships in the form of an 11-0 tech fall. Next would come the returning world champion Logan Stieber of the United States. Stieber had stunned the world in 2016, beating the likes of Chakaev (RUS), Vasyl Shuptar (UKR), Behnam Ehsanpour (IRI) and #3 (61) Beka Lomtadze (GEO) for gold and looked to be a serious title threat in Paris. Rashidov put out the Stieber fire with an 11-0 tech fall win that showed he was on another level than America's best. Having bested the returning world champion, Rashidov would get his chance at revenge against the returning Olympic champion in Khinchegashvili. Right from the get-go of their match, Rashidov was in total control, not allowing Khinchegashvili to get to his low single, knee pull single, or chest wrap that had won him Olympic Gold at 57 KG the year before. A slide-by for Khinchegashvili would transition him into a big side lift, but the refs controversially waved off the 4 point takedown, giving Khinchegashvili only a 2 point takedown and penalizing him for his failed challenge resulting in a 6-3 win for Rashidov. Cengizhan ErdoÄŸan (TUR), the wrestler formerly known as Opan Sat, had been a four-time Nationals runner-up and three-time European champion while competing for Russia and was seen as one of the serious dark horses upon his return to competition. Rashidov put any talk of Erdogan the contender to bed with an 8-2 win in the semifinals. The man opposite Rashidov would be returning two-time world champion #6 Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan. While Rashidov had proven himself to be better than those before, Aliyev was a completely different animal and punished the composed Russian with counter-attacks on his way to a victory by pin while up 7-1 on the Russian standout. Having gotten so close to reaching the top of the mountain, Rashidov was pushed down and forced to start his climb again. With Stieber, Khinchegashvili, and Aliyev all moving up to 65 KG, Rashidov was now, without a doubt, the clear favorite to win world gold in 2018. Rashidov's year began as the year prior had with an exceptional run at the Yarygin, but this time would be finished with a title after avenging three past losses to Bogomoev and beating Musukaev for gold. Rashidov walked through the field at the Dan Kolov on his way to gold over 2015 61 KG world bronze medalist Vasyl Shuptar (UKR). Rashidov's second European title would be another showing with him as the cream of the crop, as he took apart 2016 world runner-up #3 (61) Beka Lomtadze (GEO) for gold. Rashidov was allowed to not compete at the Russian Nationals championships and would wrestle-off against the champion at a later tournament before the World Championships to decide who would go. That champion who would be Magomedrasul Idrisov (RUS), who'd upset the favorites Zelimkhan Abakarov (RUS) and Ismail Musukaev for gold. As fate would have it, Rashidov and Idrisov would meet in the first round of the tournament, with Rashidov walking away the victor over Idrisov on his way to Ziolkowski gold. Rashidov's World Championships would be defined by precise dominance with a 24-2 margin over his opponents going into the finals against returning world bronze medalist Bonne Rodriguez. Bonne had looked vulnerable the whole world championships and it was the wise choice that Rashidov would take apart the wily veteran and claim his title. But Bonne Rodriguez, who'd carved out a reputation for himself as a man who only needs one shot to win, made it count the most with an absolutely massive five-point fireman's carry in the first that would carry him to a 6-5 win over Rashidov and hand the Russian his second back to back world finals loss. After having spent the majority of his career at 61 KG, Rashidov made the move up to 65 KG, where he would begin his 2019. The year started as 2018 and 2017 had, with him competing at the prestigious Ivan Yarygin memorial. NCAA wrestling legend, 3x national champion Zain Retherford (USA) was Rashidov's first match and Rashidov was pushed to his very limit and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat took out the American 4-3 to move on. A lingering hand injury was bothering Rashidov the whole tournament and old rival Chakaev took advantage of it for a 3-2 win in the quarterfinals. A diminished Rashidov beat Cristian Solezal Lopez (CUB) 2-1 for bronze and looked to recover going into his next world competition. Healed from his hand injury at the Yarygin, Rashidov competed at the World Cup in Yakutsk, Russia, where he notched an impressive 10-0 win over 2018 Asian Games runner-up Daichi Takatani of Japan. Competing again at the Russian Nationals championships, Rashidov was eager for his second national title. On his path to the finals, Rashidov beat a pair of national runner-ups in Bekhan Goygereev (RUS) and #10 Murshid Mutalimov (RUS). In the finals, Rashidov handled returning bronze medalist #18 Nachyn Kuular (RUS) for gold. The World Championships in Nursultan would be incredibly deep as it was the final year of the quad and a top 6 finish at the world championships would guarantee a spot in the Olympics. #5 Takuto Otoguro (JPN), Aliyev, Alejandro Valdes Tobier (CUB), #12 Bajrang Punia (IND), #14 Daulet Niyazbekov (KAZ) and Khinchegashvili were the returning World/Olympic medalists and the addition of Musukaev and #2 Vazgen Tevanyan (ARM) meant that Rashidov would be pushed to his limit for gold. Right out of the gate, Rashidov had his most challenging match of the tournament, a rematch of his lopsided 2017 world 61 KG world finals loss to #6 Haji Aliyev (AZE). Aliyev and Rashidov went to war, but it was a controversial score on the edge that would be ruled in Rashidov's favor that gave him revenge over Aliyev in a 4-2 win. Amr Reda Hussen (EGY) was a surprisingly close 5-3 win for Rashidov and rumors of a lingering rib injury began to pop up after his lackluster performance in the match. Returning world champion #5 Takuto Otoguro (JPN) was the man of anyone in the field to beat Rashidov next to Aliyev, but he was thoroughly dismantled by the Russian in an 8-1 loss. Having already beaten two past world champs to make the quarters, Rashidov made light work of Haji Ali (BRN) in a 9-0 quarterfinals win. In the semis would be a blast from the past, Musukaev had outscored his competition 43-7 that included a win over 2x World/Olympic champion Khinchegashvili to make the semis. As he had done in 2018 down at 61 KG, Rashidov would play the matador to Musukaev's bull and take away a 3-2 victory and his third world finals appearance. Three-time Asian champion #14 Daulet Niyazbekov (KAZ) had then top-ranked #13 Bajrang Punia (IND) 9-9 in a highly controversial semifinal win, but Rashidov gave the Kazakh no chance for victory as he thrashed him 11-0 for world gold. The top of the mountain, having beaten the best, Rashidov had done it and the king had been crowned. Rashidov's final title over the year at the World Military Games was a lay-up against Vasyl Shuptar (UKR) and the future looked bright for the king of 65 KG. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rashidov would only compete twice in an abbreviated 2020 season. First at the Russian Nationals, where he looked fantastic in beating the likes of Alan Gogaev (RUS), #10 Murshid Mutalimov (RUS) and Chakaev and look every part of the man destined for Olympic gold and then a stunning injury loss at the Individual World Cup to #6 Haji Aliyev (AZE) would end Rashidov's year in heartbreak. 2021 has seen the return of a healthy and refocused Rashidov who's path to his fourth Russian Nationals title was punctuated by impressive victories over the likes of #3 Zagir Shakhiev (RUS), #9 Abdulmazhid Kudiev (RUS), #10 Murshid Mutalimov (RUS) and two-time 61 KG Russian Nationals runner-up Ramazan Ferzaliev (RUS). A title up at 70 KG at the City of Sassari tournament against 2016 70 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Ildous Giniyatullin (RUS) puts Rashidov as the clear favorite in a loaded field in Tokyo for gold. Rashidov, twice denied gold, will now be in a position to cement himself as one of the generation's lightweight best with a second consecutive title in Tokyo. I, for one, believe the Russian's chances are fantastic and look forward to his performance.

Ned Shuck at the 2021 EIWA Championships (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com) Today, Bellarmine University announced that Ned Shuck would be the school's next head coach. Shuck has spent the last three years at Army West Point and was most recently their associate head coach. During his time at West Point, Shuck has earned the reputation of being a stalwart on the recruiting trail and has been a critical component of a staff that has seen a recent uptick in recruiting. The Black Knights Class of 2021 was ranked 24th in the country and featured nine of the nation's top 300 seniors. On the mat, Shuck assisted with an Army squad that has sent seven wrestlers to the national tournament in each of the last three years. The team produced a pair of EIWA champions (PJ Ogunsanya - 149 and Ben Pasiuk - 174) in 2021 and six conference finalists during that same span. In dual action, Army went 20-9 with Shuck on staff. The Black Knights have gone on to take third place in the EIWA in each of the last two seasons. This won't be Shuck's first head coaching position, as he led a pair of DIII programs before moving on to West Point. Shuck spent three years at the helm at Heidelberg University in Ohio, then was at Wisconsin-Whitewater for four seasons. At Wisconsin-Whitewater, Shuck coached two-time national champion Jordan Newman, along with a total of 11 All-Americans. Shuck has obviously established a recruiting network in Ohio during his time at Heidelberg, as Army has done well at recruiting in the state. That could be extremely useful at Bellarmine, given the proximity of the school (Louisville) to the Ohio border (approximately 250 miles). The Minnesota native, Shuck, wrestled collegiately at the University of Iowa from 2000-05. Bellarmine is an athletic department that is in the process of transitioning from DII to DI status. That means the school will not be eligible for postseason competition until the 2024-25 season. The team competed in the SoCon for the first time during the 2021 season. Under previous head coach, Spencer Adams, the Knights went 1-9 with their lone win coming over Presbyterian, 32-18.

From left, Sage Mortimer, Jordan Williams, Robert Perez III (Photo/John Sachs; Tech-Fall.com) We are just over a week from the Junior and 16U National Championships, otherwise simply known as "Fargo". Before we get into any previews for the 2021 action, take a look at the 16U national champions from the last ten tournaments. Of course, there was no tournament in 2020. Junior Champions Men's 16U Freestyle Women's 16U Freestyle Men's 16U Greco-Roman

2021 NCAA qualifier Marcus Robinson of Cleveland State (Photo/Cleveland State athletics) Unlike many other sports, wrestling provides an equal opportunity to all youth, high school, collegiate, and elite-level athletes regardless of their age, size, gender, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, familial structure, and various other factors. Those factors alone do not define an individual's success. What defines an individual's success in wrestling is a combination of speed, agility, technical skill, and unmatched physical and mental toughness, all of which are met by an intrinsic motivation within an individual. Every time an individual steps out onto the mat, they carry with them invisible "baggage." Although it may not be seen by spectators, coaches, teammates, or opponents, that baggage still contains weight. For many individuals, that weight is significantly heavier than their opponents, affecting their identity on and off the mat. Ideally, that individual is hoping for an opportunity to successfully reach their final destination; obtaining the chance to empty their baggage by reducing the weight those constraints once held on their life. Marcus Robinson, a redshirt sophomore at Cleveland State University, is no stranger to grappling with life's challenges and finding his identity in and through wrestling. Robinson was first introduced to the sport by his older cousin and friend; both of whom had a huge influence on him. They wrestled at a small club located in his hometown of Arkansas City, Kansas. Robinson said, "I wasn't very good at wrestling growing up, but I loved to train, and I wanted to see how far I could push myself." After years of focused training and pushing his body to unimaginable limits, Robinson told his dad, "I'm going to be the next four-time state champ, just watch." In response, his dad replied, "Son, let's just focus on making varsity first." After Robinson's four years at Arkansas City High School, he accomplished that once seemingly unattainable feat by becoming a four-time Kansas state champion, winning each title in a different weight class. In addition, he notched 177 career wins while also leading his high school team to a state championship. Robinson said, "I still remember that conversation with my dad today. Even if I feel like I don't have a lot left in the tank, that fuels me. It's something that has always grounded me back to my roots, and I continue to press forward." Marcus at the Kansas state tournament (Photo/Marcus Robinson) Robinson's roots haven't always been planted in solid ground. During high school, and amongst his most successful wrestling achievements where he was finally finding his identity, Robinson learned that he and his younger brother were adopted. Although this news would completely derail most 16-year old's, Robinson remained positive and carried this additional weight with pride. "My brother and I were adopted at a very young age; we were both babies. I feel like we were given a second chance, and the folks I have now are and will always be our parents. They raised us to be respectable young men and gave us a life we would not have otherwise had. When I found out, I felt that it served as motivation for me, not only in the wrestling room but in life. At times it was difficult to comprehend and talk about, but now I embrace it. It's part of my story. Especially now, I feel like I'm doing something that most people don't get the opportunity to do. I don't want to waste the opportunity, as I've always felt like I was going to do something bigger than myself. I just want to make my family proud," Robinson said. Robinson added, "I want to give my little hometown of Arkansas City, Kansas hope. It doesn't matter where you come from; you can be different and still accomplish great things. Ultimately, that's my story. I'm different, and I'm proud of it. I hope that I can inspire and motivate those around me, especially with how I ended up, and the accomplishments I've had in my life thus far. Your story is your story and through a lot of hard work and dedication, you truly can do anything." After grappling with this new information, Robinson set his sights on something more than himself. He wanted to become the first Division I athlete in his family. Robinson initially achieved that milestone by attending the University at Buffalo for two seasons, where he won over 40 combined bouts. Most notably, Robinson placed seventh at the MAC Championships in 2020 after winning three matches as an unseeded competitor. Robinson competed alongside teammates Bryan Lantry, Alex Smythe, Jason Estevez, Kyle Todrank, and Michael Petite; all of whom contributed to Robinson's success at the University at Buffalo. Robinson said, "Bryan Lantry was the guy I trained with every day. He brought out the competitor in me, telling me exactly what I needed to do and how I needed to do it to be the best wrestler possible. He really believed in me." After two seasons at the University at Buffalo, Robinson set his sights on another Division I wrestling program located 197 miles away in Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland State University. Robinson shared, "I really loved the team, and I was close to the guys, but if I wanted a better shot at becoming an All-American, it wasn't there. I wasn't enjoying myself anymore and I wanted more for myself. I was underachieving at what I had originally set out to do, and I felt like I was getting held back. If I really wanted to do this thing the right way, Cleveland State was ultimately where I had to be." Once in the transfer portal, Cleveland State's Head Coach, Joshua Moore, began to interest Robinson. When asked about the transfer process, Coach Moore said, "On our end, the first time I found out that Marcus was looking to leave Buffalo was when I saw his name pop up on the transfer portal. I remembered that Marcus wrestled Even Cheek (2018 EWL Champ) a few times that year, and they were both really good matches. From my few interactions, I could tell that Marcus was a competitor, well-mannered, had great sportsmanship, and was a very nice kid. I decided to ask another one of our guys, Justin Patrick, who also wrestled at Buffalo, about Marcus. He said that he was very quiet, humble, and a hard-working kid." Moore went on to say, "I started calling Marcus late March, and it took him two or three months to commit. He really wanted to make the right choice by going to a place that was home for him. With Marcus being so far away from home, he wanted to make sure that he had a good connection with his coaches and teammates. Although he couldn't meet too many of the guys during the transfer process, Patrick essentially served as a familiar face and friend that Marcus needed to solidify his decision." Furthermore, "Through our conversations about wrestling, what we were doing at Cleveland State, our expectations, and a little bit about what being a husband and a father meant to us individually, I think he felt really comfortable with us as a coaching staff. Ultimately, I think that's why he decided to pick Cleveland State." Luckily, only 197 miles separated Robinson from his girlfriend, Sydney, who supported him throughout the transfer process. Once again, Robinson was forced to revamp his identity after leaving behind one of the most influential factors in his support system. Robinson leaned on his girlfriend and her family for parental guidance due to being so far away from his hometown. Robinson said, "My folks back home, my family, and my girlfriend have all been important factors throughout my journey. They continue to motivate me to no end, and I am forever grateful for their influence on my life. Everything that I do is to make them proud, and hopefully get the most out of it for myself." Marcus Robinson (Photo/Cleveland State athletics) After making the move to Cleveland State, Robinson began to find his identity inside of the wrestling room and beyond. Robinson shared, "I didn't want to be just another guy at another big program. I wanted to be a part of something special. I always wanted to be a trailblazer and go somewhere where I could be a leader and make an impact. I wanted to have great coaches who could push us to that next level. I wanted to show that you don't have to go to a big school to win. You can win at these smaller schools. I wanted to be the guy, not just another guy. That's part of why I picked Cleveland State. It's an up-and-coming program and we're only getting better. Our coaches have proven they can wrestle, both of whom are NCAA finalists and multiple-time All-Americans. They know their stuff, and I fully believe in them and trust them." Robinson continued, "At Cleveland State, I am one of the biggest leaders. Even at Buffalo, I was a leader. I didn't always understand or even ask for the role, but there's just something in me that warrants the guys to rally behind me. At Cleveland State, I've learned to be more vocal. I've previously let my actions show and do everything right. But now, I rally the team and pick up guys that are down. I've stepped out of my shell a little bit. At the end of the day, I want to be something special for my team. I have a lot of passion. I have a lot of fight. It's what drives me. I try to bring that out through my work ethic, how I live my life, and what I do on and off-campus, in and out of the wrestling room, and the classroom; everything I do." Regarding Robinson's addition to Cleveland State, Coach Moore said, "Marcus is a very proactive kid. He is the guy that shows up early and sets the tone for practice. With this being the first year with him on our team, he was working his butt off every day. He was not only drilling every day to improve his own skills, but his teammates. He has taken a captain-like approach to help the guys he is competing alongside. He's showed them that there is another level that they could and should be working at." He went on to say, "We have seen a dedication in his academics as well. At Buffalo, he was a pretty good student, but he struggled a few semesters with an average GPA. At Cleveland State, after feeling comfortable and knowing what his mission was, he had two of the highest GPAs he has ever had. It shows that when a kid is doing well in a sport, academically, and socially, they can overcome adversity and do very well. As time has gone on, Marcus has become a vocal leader in the wrestling room. Everyone starts out as a leader by actions and working hard, but he slowly started to realize that he could have a bigger impact on the team and that he could influence them. He can be something bigger than himself." Robinson has utilized his unsteady roots as a diving board for his success, never letting the extraneous weight hinder his progress. Looking forward to the future, Robinson hopes to train for the world and Olympic team once he graduates from Cleveland State. There is no doubt that Robinson's challenges thus far have given him the motivation needed to be a beacon of light to everyone he meets. Robinson stated, "If there are people out there like me, I want to give them hope. Hope that you can be different, and still strive to do what you want in life. You might not always know where you come from or your past life, but you can still accomplish your dreams and your goals." 2021 Adoption Facts and Figures According to The Adoption Network 1 out of every 25 families in the United States have an adopted child. 1 out of every 50 children is adopted. There are 1.5 million children adopted in the United States. Each year, 140,000 children are adopted by American families. 6 out of every 10 Americans have had a personal experience and/or connection with adoption. If you or someone you know is interested in adoption, please visit AdoptUSKids or call 1-888-200-4005.

Suleyman Karadeniz at the 2020 European Championships (Photo/Anadolu Agency) As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo. 7/6/21 - Frank Chamizo (Italy) 7/3/21 - Yui Susaki (Japan) 7/1/21 - Amir Zare (Iran) 6/28/21 - Zavur Uguev (Russia) 6/27/21 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 6/26/21 - Sergey Kozyrev (Russia) 6/24/21 - Kenchiro Fumita (Japan) 6/23/21 - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) 6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada) 6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino) 6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan) 6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France) 6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China) 6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India) 6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany) 6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) Part of the Turkish resurgence along with #2 (57) Suleyman Atli (TUR), #5 (70) Heydar Yavuz (TUR), Fazli Eryilmaz (TUR), Osman Gocen (TUR) and #6 (92) Erhan Yaylaci (TUR), #6 Suleyman Karadeniz of Turkey burst onto the scene in 2020 beating past world medalists Aslanbek Alborov (AZE) and #13 (92) Irakli Mtsituri (GEO) for gold at the 92 KG European Championships. A bronze medal at the Individual World Cup to end the year and a runner-up finish at the European championships this year have cemented Karadeniz as a medal contender going into Tokyo. Today's Olympic profile will look at rising 97 KG #6 Suleyman Karadeniz of Turkey. The Stats #6 Suleyman Karadeniz (TUR)- 2019 92 KG Ziolkowski champion, 2020 92 KG European champion, 2020 97 KG Individual World Cup bronze medalist, 2021 97 KG International Ukrainian Tournament champion, 2021 European Olympic Qualifier runner-up), 2021 97 KG European runner-up. Key Wins: #7 Elizbar Odikadze (2021 International Ukrainian Tournament, 2021 European championships), #6 (92) Erhan Yaylaci (2019 92 KG International Ukrainian Tournament) #15 Albert Saritov (2021 European OG Qualifier), #17 Erik Thiele (2021 European OG Qualifier), Aslanbek Alborov (2020 92 KG European championships), #13 (92) Irakli Mtsituri (2020 92 KG European championships), Shamil Zubairov (2019 92 KG world championships, 2021 97 KG European championships). Key Losses: #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev (2020 97 KG Individual World Cup), #4 Alikhan Zhabrailov ( 2019 92 KG World Cup, 2019 92 KG world championships, 2021 97 Kg European championships finals), #11 Aleksandr Hushtyn (2021 97 KG European OG qualifier), Bendeguz Toth (2019 92 KG Yasar Dogu), Mojitaba Goleij (2017 Tbilisi GP finals), #13 (92) Irakli Mtsituri (2019 92 KG Dan Kolov, 2019 92 KG International Ukrainian Tournament) 2016-2018 Suleyman Karadeniz began his career in early 2016 at the 97 KG U-23 European Championships, debuting and losing against Givi Matcharashvili of Georgia. A winless performance at the Alrosa Cup would end Karadeniz' 2016 on a sour note and the start of 2017 saw him fare no better with a 17th place finish at the Yasar Dogu, after an opening-round loss to 2014 world bronze medalist Selim Erdogan (TUR). Karadeniz would make his first breakthrough in the middle of 2017, with a runner-up finish at the Tbilsi GP to 2x U-23 world champion Mojitaba Goleij (IRI). At the Tbilisi GP, Karadeniz beat a pair of tough Georgians in 2011 Junior World runner-up Mamuka Kordazia (GEO) and 2020 125 KG Georgian National runner-up Zviad Metrevelli (GEO). A bronze medal finish at the Ion Cornianu Memorial would push Karadeniz into the Intercontinental Cup. An opening-round loss to Sukhrobjon Mukaramov (UZB) saw him finish in 14th place and finish the year on a loss. Karadeniz would compete once in 2018 , in his debut at 92 KG, in a loaded field at the Tbilisi GP, where he took fifth. Karadeniz put together one of the most complete performances of his young career, beating Dave Schultz Memorial Invitational champion Iliskhan Chilayev (KAZ) and Asian championships bronze medalist Azizbek Soliev (UZB) against losses to #3 (92) Javad Ebrahimi (IRI) and #9 Alireza Karimimachiani (IRI) 2019-2021 Karadeniz had an absolutely maniacal schedule in 2019, competing an incredible seven times at his new weight class of 92 KG. Starting off his year would be Takhti Cup, where Karadeniz fell in his opening match to 2012 Olympic champion #12 Sharif Sharifov (AZE). A 1-2 showing at the Dan Kolov secured a fifth-place finish for Karadeniz, sandwiching a win against 4x DIII NCAA champion Riley Lefever (USA) between loses to #13 (92) Irakli Mtsituri (GEO) and Ibragim Bolukbasi (TUR). A fruitless showing at the World Cup saw Karadeniz put together an 0-4 record with losses to Dato Marsagishvili (GEO), Lazaro Hernandez (CUB), #4 Alikhan Zhabrailov (RUS) and Atsushi Matsumoto (JPN). The International Ukrainian Tournament would see Karadeniz rebound from an opening-round loss to #13 Irakli Mtisturi (GEO) to win bronze over #6 (92) Erhan Yaylaci (TUR). 2018 University world runner-up Bendeguez Toth (HUN) would be the man to hand Karadeniz defeat in the semifinals of the Yasar Dogu, with Karadeniz bouncing back to bronze with an 8-0 victory over Viky Viky (IND). Karadeniz's inaugural international title would come at The Ziolkowski Memorial, where he upended returning runner-up Nurgali Nurgaipuly (KAZ) for gold. Concluding 2019 at his first Senior World Championships, Karadeniz would make an immediate impact in his opening match, upsetting returning U-23 world champion Shamil Zubairov (AZE) 7-6 to get a shot at revenge from the World Cup against #4 Alikhan Zhabrailov (RUS). A big fireman's carry for Zhabrailov would hold off Karadeniz to a 4-3 loss, but the future was bright for the young Turk. The 2020 92 KG European championships bracket was in no way supposed to be up for the taking of Suleyman Karadeniz. It was supposed to be a chance at redemption for 2017 97 KG world bronze medalist Aslanbek Alborov (AZE), who was a world finals favorite in 2018 after wins over Olympic champions #3 Kyle Snyder (USA) and #12 Sharif Sharifov (AZE), but was upset early by #7 Elizbar Odikadze (GEO). Or it was to be returning world medalist #13 Irakli Mtsituri (GEO) who'd beaten out two-time World/Olympic medalist Dato Marsagishvili (GEO) to win Georgian Nationals. The predictions were in and no one had forecast Karadeniz to win gold. The opinion of pundits didn't matter at all; Karadeniz didn't just win; he dominated. Simone Iannatonni (ITA) was a flawless opening round tech fall, setting up a quarterfinal against Alborov. The powerful Alborov was run roughshod by Karadeniz, who dominated him 11-1 to make the semis. Two past losses to Mtsituri had no negative impact on Karadeniz; if anything, they motivated him more to put on an absolute clinic on the dangerous Mtsituri and pin his way into the finals. Samuel Scherrer (SUI) had become a history maker in being Sweden's first Men's Freestyle European championships finalist, but Karadeniz would deny him being their first champion as he shut out the talented Swede 3-0 for European gold. A second consecutive Ziolkowski title propelled Karadeniz into the Individual World Cup, where he'd make his return to 97 KG. Facing the reigning world 5x World/Olympic champion #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) in his opening round match, Karadeniz' typical pressuring style was picked apart by the Russian technical savant in an 8-0 loss. Karadeniz path to medal would be an uphill one as he faced powerful veterans Radoslaw Baran (POL) and #16 Valerii Andriitsev (UKR). Baran was a game but overmatched opponent to Karadeniz, who got past the tough Pole 10-5 to set up a match opposite 2012 Olympic runner-up #16 Valerii Andriitsev (UKR). Andriitsev, notorious for his reputation of hand fight-heavy, low scoring matches, stayed true to himself, limiting the offense of Karadeniz, but the young Turk prevailed for a 2-1 victory and bronze at the 2020 Individual World Cup. 2021 began for Karadeniz with his second foray into the International Ukrainian Tournament. Facing a surprisingly deep field with World/Olympic medalists Elizbar Odikadze (GEO), Albert Saritov (ROU), Valerii Andriitsev (UKR) and Magomed Ibragimov (UZB), Karadeniz would further cement himself as a medal contender in Tokyo. A 10-2 quarterfinal win over returning 2x 92 KG European runner-up Samuel Scherrer set up a semifinals match opposite 2018 world bronze medalist Elizbar Odikadze (GEO). Odikadze, fresh off a win over 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Magomed Ibragimov (UZB), held Karadeniz close early in the match, but it would be Karadeniz who would pull away late to secure his spot in the finals opposite old rival Valerii Andriitsev (UKR). Even closer than their already tentative last meeting, Karadeniz walked away with a razor-thin 1-1 meeting over Andriitsev for gold. As strong as Karadeniz had been throughout 2020, he still had yet to qualify Turkey for the Olympic Games at 97 KG. Karadeniz's chance to do so would be at the European Olympic qualifier, where wins over #15 Albert Saritov (ROU), #17 Erik Thiele (GER) and Milan Korcsog (HUN) put him in the finals qualifying him for Tokyo. In the finals, he'd faced returning European runner-up #10 Aleksandr Hushtyn (BLR). Hushtyn, a perennial contender for Belarus with excellent reattacks, capitalized on them against Karadeniz and won 4-3 in a close match against the Turk. Karadeniz final competition before Tokyo would be at the European Championships, where looking to capture his second title at his second weight, he made the finals opposite 2019 92 KG bronze medalist #4 Alikhan Zhabrailov (RUS) after wins over #7 Elizbar Odikadze (GEO), Shamil Zubairov (AZE) and U-23 European runner-up Radu Lefter (MDA). Zhabrailov, owner of two past wins over Karadeniz in 2019, added win number three in a tight 6-4 victory for the Russian. Suleyman Karadeniz is one of the premier up-and-coming contenders in the 97 KG field but faces an uphill battle in Tokyo. While he can best the likes of the old guard in Elizbar Odikadze (GEO), Albert Saritov (ROU) and Magomed Ibragimov (UZB), I see him struggling to cover much ground against the true elites of the weight in the form of #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS), #2 Mohammad Mohammadian (IRI), and #3 Kyle Snyder (USA). Given the right draw, Karadeniz is a lock to medal, but in my opinion, his chances against the big three and breaking through at this point aren't great.

Our SoCon correspondent Rachel Gallardo is back to talk about a variety of topics. First and foremost, is an update on the Bellarmine head coaching search. Could the Knights be close to a hire? Also, plenty of information about coaching vacancies in the conference and camps/fundraisers. Past SoCon Reports: June 5th, 2020

Donnie Vinson (left; front center) and Kellen Russell (right) (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) New Cornell head coach Mike Grey has announced a pair of assistant coaching hires today via the team's Instagram. Kellen Russell and Donnie Vinson will join the staff. Vinson as the Associate Head Coach and Russell as the first assistant. Vinson was a volunteer assistant with the Big Red from 2014-17, will return to join Grey's first staff at Cornell. Vinson has spent the last four years as a coach at NC State under Pat Popolizio. During his time in Raleigh, the Wolfpack have gone 52-6 in dual meets and captured three regular season and ACC Tournament titles. In Vinson's first season, NC State finished in a tie for fourth in the nation, the highest in school history. Counting the NWCA All-Americans from 2020, Vinson oversaw 12 AAs during his time with NC State. Vinson will return to New York, which is his home state. He was a two-time New York state runner-up for Whitney Point High School before enrolling at Binghamton. While at Binghamton, Vinson racked up 132 wins against only 27 defeats. The 132 wins set a Bearcat record, one that still stands to this day. During his sophomore season, Vinson defeated four-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake in a dual meet. It was one of four losses for Dake during his collegiate career. Vinson qualified for the NCAA Championships on four occasions and was seeded in the top-ten three of those times. He earned All-American honors in 2012 after finishing third. That path to the consolation finals came in the most challenging way possible. As the fourth seed, Vinson lost in the opening round and proceeded to reel off seven straight wins. In those seven wins, Donnie tallied two falls, a tech, and a major decision. After Vinson's competitive career at Binghamton ended, he spent a year on the Bearcat bench as a graduate assistant. Russell comes to Ithaca after spending the last six years coaching at his alma mater, Michigan. He was initially a volunteer assistant for four years, before moving into a full-time assistant position. During his time on the Wolverine coaching staff, Russell and company produced 26 All-Americans and finished with an NCAA team trophy (fourth-place) in 2018. Despite Michigan's recent success, Russell remains the school's most recent national champion. He finished his career with back-to-back national titles at 141 lbs in 2011 and 2012. During his junior campaign, he edged Boris Novachkov (Cal Poly) in the national finals, before downing Montell Marion (Iowa) in sudden victory, as a senior. Russell went a perfect, 38-0, as a junior and finished at 134-12. Russell became the first (and only) Wolverine wrestler to capture four Big Ten titles. That led to the number one seed in each of his last three seasons. As a freshman, Russell was seeded third but finished in the Round of 12. He was seventh as a sophomore. After college, Russell competed in freestyle and won the 2013 US Open. He was a runner-up at the World Team Trials later that year. Like Grey, Russell is a New Jersey native, so moving to Ithaca brings him closer to home.

From left, Anthony Echemendia, Kennedy Blades, and Ridge Lovett (Photo/John Sachs; Tech-Fall.com) We are just over a week from the Junior and 16U National Championships, otherwise simply known as "Fargo". Before we get into any previews for the 2021 action, take a look at the Junior national champions from the last ten tournaments. Of course, there was no tournament in 2020. Men's Junior Freestyle Women's Junior Freestyle Men's Junior Greco-Roman

Frank Chamizo at the 2017 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo. 7/3/21 - Yui Susaki (Japan) 7/1/21 - Amir Zare (Iran) 6/28/21 - Zavur Uguev (Russia) 6/27/21 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 6/26/21 - Sergey Kozyrev (Russia) 6/24/21 - Kenchiro Fumita (Japan) 6/23/21 - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) 6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada) 6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino) 6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan) 6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France) 6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China) 6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India) 6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany) 6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) A captivating entertainer who has backed up his talk more than anyone in the world, #5 Frank Chamizo of Italy has done it all going into his second Olympics. World medals at four weight classes starting at 55 KG to 74 KG, all throughout the time, Chamizo has turned heads for his incredible combination of athleticism, match savvy, and ridiculous counters that led him with wins over World/Olympic champions Togrul Asgarov, Soslan Ramonov and Jordan Burroughs alongside so many other credentialed competitors. Today's Olympic profile will take a look at the career of two-time world champion #5 Frank Chamizo of Italy. The Stats #5 Frank Chamizo (ITA)- 2010 55 KG world bronze medalist, 2015 65 KG world champion, 2016 65 KG Olympic bronze medalist, 2017 70 KG world champion, 2019 74 KG world runner-up, 2020 74 KG Individual World cup runner-up, Four-time European champion (‘16, ‘17, ‘19, ‘20), Two-time 74 KG European bronze medalist (‘18, ‘21) 2015 65 KG European Games runner-up, 2017 70 KG Ali Aliyev champ, 2018 Yasar Dogu champ, 2018 74 KG world 5th, 2019 world runner-up, 2021 Matteo Pellicone champion Key Wins: #8 Jordan Burroughs (2018 Yasar Dogu finals, 2021 74 KG Matteo Pellicone finals), #1 (70) Israil Kasumov (2018 74 KG Korkin semis), #3 Magomedkhabib Kadiamagomedov (2018 Dan Kolov), Soslan Ramonov (2015 65 KG Ziolkowski), #1 (79) Akhsarbek Gulaev (2018 74 KG International Ukrainian tournament, 2018 74 KG European Championships bronze medal match), #10 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov(2017 70 KG Ali Aliyev finals, 2020 74 KG European championships finals), Togrul Asgarov(2015 65 KG worlds), Ikhityor Novruzov(2015 65 KG worlds finals, 2014 Ali Aliyev quarterfinals, 2017 70 KG worlds), #7 (70) James Green (2017 70 KG world finals), #14 Khetag Tsabolov (2018 European Championships quarterfinals), #7 Avtandil Kentchadze (2018 European Championships first round match, 2021 European championships), #5 (79) Akhmed Usmanov (2018 74 KG Korkin qualification round), #13 Soner Demirtas (2020 74 KG European championships opening round), Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev ( 2019 74 KG European championships, 2020 74 KG European championships), #9 Timur Bizhoev (2019 74 KG European championships), Zelimkhan Khadjiev (2019 74 KG European finals, 2019 74 KG world championships) Key losses: #1 Zaurbek Sidakov (2017 70 KG Alans tournament, 2018 74 KG world semifinals), #2 Kyle Dake (2020 79 KG Flo Pro match), #4 Taimuraz Salkazanov (2021 74 KG European championships), #6 Razambek Zhamalov (2020 74 KG Individual World Cup finals), #8 Jordan Burroughs (2018 Beat the Streets, 2018 74 KG world bronze medal match, 2019 Dan Kolov), Soslan Ramonov (2016 Medved finals), Togrul Asgarov (2015 65 KG Euro games finals, 2016 65 KG Olympic semifinals), #7 (70) James Green (2015 70 KG Grand Prix of Spain finals match), #13 Soner Demirtas (2018 European Championships semifinals match), #12 Nikita Suchkov (2018 74 KG Korkin finals), Victor Lebedev (2010 55 KG world championships, 2011 55 KG world championships), Mihran Jaburyan (2011 55 KG world championships) 2010-2014 Chamizo's first World Championships appearance would end in disappointment. In the second round of Junior World's, he would lose to eventual World bronze medalist Rasul Mashezov of Russia, while representing Cuba. Chamizo's Senior world championships debut would fare much better as he would make the semifinals and face off against reigning world champion Viktor Lebedev of Russia. In a tightly contested semifinal bout, Chamizo would fall 1-0, 1-0 to the reigning world champion Lebedev. Going on to win bronze in a 1-0, 2-3, 5-1 match against Kim Hyo Sub of Korea, Chamizo would emerge from the world championships at 18 years old as one of the top 55 kilogram wrestlers in the world. An older, more experienced Chamizo would meet again with Lebedev, this time in the 2011 World Championships quarterfinals. Even with his experience gained, Chamizo could not stop the now 2x reigning world champion Lebedev and lost a 0-1, 1-1 match to fall into repechage. Repechage would see Chamizo fare no better as he was upset by Mihran Jaburyan of Armenia by a 3-7,7-0, 3-2 score and failed to place at the world championships. After a two-year gap in competition and up two weights, Chamizo would return to compete for Italy at 66 kilograms. A runner-up finish at the Grand Prix of Spain to Ruslan Dibirgadzhiev of Azerbaijan was Chamizo's first significant finish competing for Italy. Chamizo's performance at the Ziolkowski was even less fruitful as he took fifth after losses to Agaguseynov Mustafaev (AZE) and #11 (65) Ilyas Bekbulatov (UZB). Chamizo's 2014 would be a significant turnaround in 2014, winning the Yasar Dogu and Grand Prix of Spain with wins over 2x world medalist Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (MGL), Magomed Muslimov (AZE), and Aaron Pico (USA) with a bronze at the Ali Aliyev and a loss to returning world champion Devid Safaryan (ARM) at the City of Sassari. 2015-2017 Now being able to officially compete for Italy at continental and world championships, Chamizo would be a significant factor to earn his second world bronze medal, now at 65 kilograms. Starting his year off in Belarus at the Medved, Chamizo would face off against 2013 World bronze medalist and 2016 World champion Magomed Kurbanaliev of Russia. Down 5-0 in the second period, Chamizo would rally back with a takedown to open, and with 30 seconds remaining in the match, to tighten things up to a 5-3 score. Being held off by a fading Kurbanaliev, Chamizo would lose his quarterfinal match 5-3 and fall to repechage. Facing him would be two-time world bronze medalist Mandakhnaran Ganzorig of Mongolia, 9-3. A U-23 European title and runner-up finishes at the European Games and the Grand Prix of Spain bumped up to 70 kilograms, Chamizo had garnered much praise for his wins over talents of the weight like Zurab Iakobishvili and Avtandil Kentchadze of Georgia, Magomed Muslimov of Azerbaijan, and Mustafa Kaya of Turkey but fallen short against 2012 60 KG champion Togrul Asgarov of Azerbaijan and James Green of the United States in the European Games and Grand Prix of Spain finals respectively. In what was supposed to be a tune-up tournament before the world championships, Chamizo would face returning world champion Soslan Ramonov of Russia in his first match at the Ziolkowski Memorial in Poland. A brilliant Chamizo held off a late charge from the reigning world champ to take a 4-3 victory and would go on to win the Ziolkowski returning University World runner-up George Bucur of Romania in the finals. Coming into the world championships with the momentum that he had, Chamizo was one of the favorites to win in what was an absolutely stacked field. An indication of that was the fact that Chamizo would square up against the reigning European Games runner-up at 70 kilograms, a 2010 bronze medalist at Russian Nationals, Magomedmurad Gadzhiev of Poland. A late go behind into a double leg for Chamizo was able to win him the close match against Gadzhiev, and gave him the momentum to defeat 2012 Olympic champion Togrul Asgarov of Azerbaijan, returning world runner-up Sayed Ahmad Mohammadi of Iran, and surprise finalist Ikhtiyor Navruzov of Uzbekistan who had upset reigning world champion Soslan Ramonov of Russia by pin in the semis. His first competition in 2016 after a brilliant World Championships performance that culminated in gold with a 4-3 win over Ikhtiyor Navruzov of Uzbekistan, Chamizo would reach the finals of the Medved after wins over Logan Stieber of the US and 2001 World bronze medalist for Russia Alexander Kontoev (BLR). In the finals, he would go against World bronze medalist Soslan Ramonov of Russia. Showing no signs of lapse in performance that he had at world's, Ramonov took the match to Chamizo and came away with an impressive 7-7 win over the reigning world champion. Bronze at the Rio Olympics and coming off a lackluster showing in Bundesliga that saw him lose by pin to Alejandro Valdes Tobier of Cuba and to Kakhaber Khubezhty, Chamizo had a lot to prove making the move up to 70 kilograms. His first competition of 2017 the year would be in April at the Dan Kolov, where he made the Round of 16 to face off against 2015 world champion Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov of Russia. Chamizo was taken apart and pinned by Gazimagomedov and would default out of the tournament. Chamizo's run to his second European title saw him start out his tournament out with yet another win over Ruslan Dibirgadzhiev of Azerbaijan and it would not be until the finals against 2015 European Games runner-up Magomedmurad Gadzhiev of Poland would he face another Dagestani transfer. In a match against two wrestlers with the defensive prowess the likes of Chamizo and Gadzhiev, it was the slick offense of Chamizo that would earn him the 4-3 win and his second Senior European title. The Ali Aliyev was set up to have a finals that would pit Gazimagomedov and Chamizo against each other and have serious implications going into the World Championships. Both men would hold their part of the bargain; Chamizo beating Murad Kuramagomedov and Zaurbek Sidakov of Russia, and avenging his 2015 Medved loss to Mandakhnaran Ganzorig of Mongolia; Gazimagomedov's path to the finals was built upon wins over Murtuz Muslimov, Renat Ramazanov, and Shamil Magomedov all of Russia. The finals match between the two was tightly contested with Gazimagomedov being able to test Chamizo with his pressure and knee pull single, but it would ultimately be the scrambling of Chamizo that would win the day with a big 8-4 win defined by a huge four-pointer off a reverse lift scored in a scramble against Gazimagomedov. Chamizo was also able to notch an injury default win over 2015 Junior world bronze medalist and future 2x 74 KG world champion Zaurbek Sidakov of Russia. Winning world's in dominant fashion with victories over five past World/Olympic medalists, Chamizo entered the Alans with the intent to make the finals and get the chance to avenge past losses to Soslan Ramonov and Magomed Kurbanaliev. So close to his second chance after wins over Dagestani Magomed Muslimov of Azerbaijan and Konstantine Khabalashvili of Georgia, Chamizo would face off against Zaurbek Sidakov in the semifinals. Sidakov wouldn't let Chamizo off the hook for a single second of the match, capitalizing off his strong underhook and scoring on the edge to upset the reigning two-time world champion in a 9-6 win. Chamizo forfeited out of the tournament and ended up taking 5th. 2018-2021 A dominating world title run at 70 kilograms over five returning World/Olympic medalists, made Chamizo the hottest commodity at 74 kilograms in 2018, even with his upset loss to Zaurbek Sidakov at the end of 2017. And Chamizo held up his end of the deal, starting the year off with two titles at the International Ukrainian Tournament and at the Dan Kolov with a signature win over 2017 70 KG Russian national champion #3 Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (BLR) along the way. A third Senior European title for Chamizo would see him face his most formidable challenge yet in a loaded field with the returning world runner-up, 2014 70 KG world champ Khetik Tsabolov of Russia, returning European champion and two-time World/Olympic bronze medalist Soner Demirtas of Turkey, returning U-23 world runner-up Akhsarbek Gulaev of Slovakia, and returning U-23 European champion Avtandil Kentchadze of Georgia. A comfortable 9-4 opening win over Kentchadze set up a colossal quarterfinal matchup against the reigning world runner-up Tsabolov. In a stunning turn of events, Chamizo dominated the entire match and was able to step over an extended Tsabolov shot for the fall to make the semis. An upset 4-3 semifinal loss that saw him give up a stepout with less than 10 seconds left in the match against Soner Demirtas of Turkey, Chamizo would finish with bronze by way of a 10-0 technical superiority win over #1 (79) Akhsarbek Gulaev of Slovakia. Titles at the Yasar Dogu and at The Mediterranean Games gave Chamizo strong momentum going into world's, especially with his win over 5x World/Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs of the United States in the Yasar Dogu finals. All that he had left was to take gold at the Dmitri Korkin tournament in Yakutsk, Russia, before arriving in Budapest to do the same. An opening win against 2020 79 KG Individual World Cup champion #5 (79) Akhmed Usmanov of Russia began his tournament and his semifinal against three-time national runner-up Israil Kasumov of Russia would define it. An early four-point throw from Kasumov set the tone for the entire match as Kasumov and Chamizo fought tooth and nail against each other, with Chamizo eventually walking away with a 14-11 win. Perhaps tired from the shootout he had with Kasumov or underestimating two-time nationals bronze medalist Nikita Suchkov of Russia or some combination of both, Chamizo would be defeated in the finals by Suchkov 5-3 of a go behind off a stuffed shot. Emerging from what was a weak top half bracket compared to the monster he had run through the year prior at 70 kilograms, Chamizo would have a surging Zaurbek Sidakov in the semifinals for their rubber match, fresh off Sidakov's stunning upset win over returning 5x World/Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs in the quarterfinals. Sidakov was not to be denied by Chamizo, and even though he would stifle Sidakov's early attacks, the mat IQ and pressure of Sidakov would prove again to be Chamizo's undoing as he fell 3-2. Chamizo's bronze medal fight against Burroughs didn't fare much better, as while Chamizo was able to keep Burroughs extended early on his shots and out scramble him, the pressure and single legs of Burroughs would prove to be too much for Chamizo and he would take fifth with a 4-4 loss. 2019 began with an early win over Azamat Nurikov of Belarus that was then followed by a lopsided loss to Jordan Burroughs and a win over Alipasha Umarpashaev (BUL), left Chamizo with a bronze medal to start the year at the Dan Kolov. Chamizo's early struggles would have had to be corrected if he was going to win his third Senior-level European title. Standing in his way were three Russians, but only one competing for the red, white, and blue in the form of Timur Bizhoev, who had finished 5th at the Yarygin but had won a qualifying match in training camp against returning national runner-up Khetik Tsabolov. The other Russians were Dagestani Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev competing for Azerbaijan and Chechen Zelimkhan Khadjiev competing for France. Bizhoev was Chamizo's stiffest competition by far, as he was coming off a runner-up finish at U-23 world's and a very impressive run at the Alans where he beat reigning world silver medalist Avtandil Kentchadze of Georgia in the finals to avenge his U-23 world finals loss. Wrestling against the stingy Bizhoev, Chamizo's usually high octane offense was muted and he was only able to win a 3-0 win in the Round of 16. Facing Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev in the semis, Chamizo walked away with a 6-2 victory over the 2018 Junior world champion. The finals saw him take on the returning European runner-up, 2016 Olympian Zelimkhan Khadjiev of France. Running up a dominant 6-0 first period against the Chechen Frenchman, Chamizo added a final second-period takedown to ice a dominant 8-0 victory and take his third Senior European title. Chamizo's second meeting against Khetik Tsabolov would go much different than their first at the 2018 European championships, as the 2017 world runner-up for Russia was much better prepared for their semifinal match at the City of Sassari tournament. Owning a 4-3 lead over Chamizo off two first-period takedowns, Chamizo scored a slick low single with less than a minute left in the match to take a 5-4 win over the Russian. Chamizo's second world championships at 74 kilograms would fare better as in his sophomore effort, he was able to best Zelimkhan Khadjiev 4-1 in the semis to matchup against returning world champion Zaurbek Sidakov of Russia. Sidakov was still far too much for Chamizo to handle, as he completely controlled a 5-2 match to take home his second world title and leave Chamizo with his first world silver medal. In a season that was drastically shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic virus, Chamizo competed a total of three times in 2020: European championships, the Individual World Cup, and a showcase match against two-time 79 KG world champion #2 Kyle Dake (USA). Chamizo's European championships run began with a 6-4 win in a rematch two years in the making against 3x European champion #13 Soner Demirtas (TUR) after a semifinal loss from the 2018 European championships. A fellow two-time world champion, #10 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov, had cemented himself as the #2 in Russia behind reigning two-time world champion #1 Zaurbek Sidakov after an exceptional Yarygin run with wins over #13 Khetag Tsabolov and #6 Razambek Zhamalov. Chamizo clutch as ever wasn't fazed by the run of Gazimagomedov was able to negate the heavy hand fighting of the Russian for a 4-3 win and his fourth European title. As a warm-up for the Individual World Cup, Chamizo was booked in a marquee matchup opposite two-time 79 KG world champion #2 Kyle Dake of the United States. Dake's dominance would be felt by Chamizo and the talented Italian would lose 4-3. Chamizo's cruised through to the finals of the Individual World Cup, where he faced Russian phenom Razambek Zhamalov. A takedown in the first for Chamizo set the pace for the match, but Zhamalov continued to press forward and was able to get in on a bodylock with 10 seconds left and score the match winning takedown and the 3-2 win, 4-2 after a Chamizo challenge. 2021 began on Chamizo's home turf of Italy at the The Matteo Pellicone, where he'd get his shot at revenge against 5x World/Olympic champion #8 Jordan Burroughs (USA). A controversial score on the edge for Chamizo would turn the tide of the match and seal a 3-2 win. A fifth European championships title was on the verge for Chamizo in April in a loaded field with world medalists Razambek Zhamalov, Avtandil Kentchadze, Taimuraz Salkazanov and Khetag Tsabolov. In the round of 16, Chamizo was stunned by two-time World medalist Taimuraz Salkazanov of Slovakia 6-2. Pushed into the repechage after Salkazanov's wins over Avtandil Kentchadze and Razambek Zhamalov put him into the finals, Chamizo would have to fight and claw his way back to medal. Kentchadze would be a smooth 8-2 win for Chamizo to push him in a massive rematch of the Individual World Cup against Razambek Zhamalov (RUS) loomed. A visually diminished Zhamalov fought hard against Chamizo, but Chamizo prevailed 5-1 for bronze. As a final warm-up before Tokyo, Chamizo breezed past continental medalists Daniyar Kaisanov of Kazakhstan and Semen Radulov of Ukraine to make the finals of the Ziolkowski. Forfeiting out in the finals to 2016 70 KG world bronze medalist Mostafa Hosseinkhani (IRI), Chamizo locked up the #1 seed for the Olympics. As one of the most electrifying athletes in all of wrestling, Chamizo has carved out a spot for himself as one of the best 74 KG athletes in the past two decades. In a loaded field in Tokyo with two other 2x world champions in #1 Zaurbek Sidkaov (RUS) and #2 Kyle Dake (USA), Chamizo has the chance to truly cement himself as the best 74 KG of this generation.

2021 NCAA champion Nick Lee (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Let's take a quick look into the numbers for the last ten years at The Big Dance. The following is a compilation of finishes starting with NCAA Champions and going through finalists and Top 3's. Penn State dominated in all categories and the blue bloods along with Iowa, Ohio State, Oklahoma State who were dominant. I'm not sure if you would have included Cornell in the 'elite' category prior to the aughts. But they're most certainly there now. Other great performances came from Missouri and Minnesota. Illinois and Northwestern had surprisingly strong decades. And Pat Popolizio ushered in a new era, and a new level of expectations, at NC State. Keep in mind that for the 2020 NCAA Championships, I plugged in their respective seeds as their final placement. Champions This Decade 1. Penn State (27): Nico Megaludis, Roman Bravo-Young, Nick Lee, Zain Retherford 3x, Frank Molinaro Jason Nolf 3x, Vincenzo Joseph 2x, David Taylor 2x, Mark Hall 2x ('20), Carter Starocci, Matt Brown, Ed Ruth 3x, Aaron Brooks, Bo Nickal 3x, Quentin Wright, Anthony Cassar 2. Ohio State (11): Nathan Tomasello, Logan Stieber 4x, Luke Pletcher ('20), Myles Martin, Kollin Moore ('20), Kyle Snyder 3x 3. Iowa (10): Spencer Lee 4x ('20), Matt McDonough, Tony Ramos, Cory Clark, Pat Lugo ('20), Derek St. John, Alex Marinelli ('20) 4. Oklahoma State (9): Jordan Oliver, Dean Heil 2x, Alex Dieringer 3x, Chris Perry 2x, AJ Ferrari 4. Cornell (9) : Nahshon Garrett, Yianni Diakomihalis 2x, Kyle Dake 2x, Steve Bosak, Cam Simaz, Gabe Dean 2x 6. Minnesota (4): Tony Nelson 2x, Gable Steveson 2x ('20) Missouri (4) : Drake Houdasheldt, J'den Cox 3x Illinois (4) : Jesse Delgado 2x, Isaiah Martinez 2x 9. Northwestern (3) : Jason Tsirtsis, Sebastian Rivera ('20), Ryan Deakin ('20) North Carolina St. (3) : Nick Gwiazdowski 2x, Mike Macchiavello 11. Iowa State (2) : David Carr, Kyven Gadsen Northern Iowa (2) : Drew Foster, Taylor Lujan ('20) Oklahoma (2) : Kendric Maple, Cody Brewer Arizona St. (2) : Zahid Valencia 2x Rutgers (2) : Nick Suriano, Anthony Ashnault 16. South Dakota St. (1) : Seth Gross Lehigh (1) : Darian Cruz North Carolina (1) : Austin O'Connor Stanford (1) : Shane Griffith Virginia Tech (1) : Mekhi Lewis Michigan (1) : Kellen Russell Notes: Twenty one schools had an NCAA Champion over this period. The top five schools - PSU, Ohio State, Iowa, Oklahoma St., and Cornell accounted for a whopping 66% of all champs (66 of 100). Minnesota had just two individual champs this decade. And of Missouri's four titles, J'den Cox earned three of them. Two of Northwestern's three 'titles' came from the canceled year when both Sebastian Rivera and Ryan Deakin were top seeds. Finalists This Decade The Champs listed above plus: 1. Penn St. (40): Nico Megaludis 2x, Nick Lee ('20), Jason Nolf, Vincenzo Joseph 2x ('20), Mark Hall 2x, David Taylor, Matt Brown, Quentin Wright, Bo Nickal, Morgan McIntosh 2. Iowa (20): Thomas Gilman, Cory Clark 2x, Tony Ramos, Montell Marion, Jaydin Eierman, Brandon Sorensen, Derek St. John, Michael Kemerer 2x ('20) 3. Ohio State (19): Joey McKenna, Micah Jordan, Sammy Sasso, Bo Jordan, Myles Martin, Kollin Moore, Kyle Snyder, Nick Heflin 4. Oklahoma State (15): Daton Fix 2x, Jordan Oliver, Josh Kindig, Tyler Caldwell, Derek White 5. Cornell (13): Nahshon Garrett, Brian Realbuto, Gabe Dean, Max Dean 6. Minnesota (9): Ethan Lizak, Dylan Ness 2x, Brett Pfarr, Tony Nelson 7. NC State (7): Hayden Hidlay 2x ('20), Trent Hidlay, Nick Gwiazdowski Michigan (7): Stevan Micic, Mason Parris 2x ('20), Adam Coon 2x 9. Missouri (6): Lavion Mayes, Joey Lavallee Illinois (6): Isaiah Martinez 2x 11. Northwestern (5): Jason Welch, Mike McMullan Lehigh (5): Brandon Hatchett, Robert Hamlin, Nate Brown, Zach Rey 13. Edinboro (4): Mitchell Port 2x, David Habat, Chris Honeycutt Virginia Tech (4): Devin Carter, Hunter Bolen ('20), Jared Haught Wisconsin (4): Seth Gross ('20), Tyler Graff, Connor Medbery 16. Oklahoma (3): Andrew Howe Arizona St. (3): Brandon Courtney Rutgers (3): Nick Suriano Pitt (3): Jake Wentzel, Ty Wilps, Nino Bonaccorsi 20. South Dakota St. (2): Seth Gross Iowa State (2): Two Champs (see above) Northern Iowa (2): Two Champs (see above) North Carolina (2): Austin O'Connor ('20) Stanford (2): Nick Amuchestegui Virginia (2): Jack Mueller, George DiCamillo Nebraska (2): Tyler Berger, Tim Dudley Wyoming (2): Bryce Meredith 2x West Virginia (2): Zeke Moisey, Noah Adams ('20) 29. Boise St. (1): Jason Chamberlain Indiana (1): Taylor Walsh Princeton (1): Pat Glory ('20) Rider (1): Jesse Dellavecchia Lock Haven (1): Ronnie Perry Kent St. (1): Dustin Kilgore Maryland (1): Jimmy Sheptock Notes: Thirty-five different programs were represented in the finals over the past decade. Ohio State edged Iowa in champs, but Iowa flips that in total finalists. Minnesota (5 to 4), NC State (4 to 3), Lehigh (4 to 1) and Michigan (5 to 1), had more runners-up than champs and climb the board. Wisconsin, Edinboro, and Pitt didn't have a champ but had at least 3 runners-up. Jason Chamberlain was the last Boise St. finalist ever. Top Three Finishers Most Top 3 Finishers By School Finalists Above Plus The Following 1. Penn St. (44): Nico Megaludis, Dylan Alton, Aaron Brooks ('20), Morgan McIntosh 2. Ohio St. (29): Nathan Tomasello 3x, Joey McKenna, Hunter Stieber, Sammy Sasso ('20), Bo Jordan 2x, Myles Martin, Kollin Moore 3. Iowa (27): Thomas Gilman, Tony Ramos, Austin DeSanto, Brandon Sorenson, Tony Cassioppi 2x ('20) 4. Oklahoma St. (22): Nick Piccininni ('20), Alex Dieringer, Tyler Caldwell, Chris Perry, Cayle Byers, Preston Weigel, Alan Gelogaev 5. Cornell (17): Nahshon Garrett, Chaz Tucker ('20), Steve Bosak, Gabe Dean 6. Minnesota (15): Zach Sanders, Pat McKee, Logan Storley, Brett Pfarr, Scott Schiller, Gable Steveson 7. Michigan (14): Stevan Micic, Eric Grajales, Alec Pantaleo, Logan Massa, Myles Amine 3x, Adam Coon 8. Northwestern (12): Sebastian Rivera, Yahya Thomas, Jason Tsirtsis, Ryan Deakin, Mike McMullan 3x 9. NC State (11): Tariq Wilson 2x, Kevin Jack, Pete Renda 10. Missouri (10): Alan Waters, Jaydin Eierman, Lavion Mayes, Keegan O'Toole Nebraska (10): Tyler Berger, James Green 2x, Robert Kokesh 2x, Mikey Labriola, Tim Dudley, Eric Schultz ('20) 12. Illinois (7): Emery Parker Virginia Tech (7): Devin Carter, Nick Brascetta, Zach Epperly Edinboro (7): AJ Schopp, Mitchell Port, Vic Avery 15. Wisconsin (6): Tyler Graff, Evan Wick Lehigh (6): Jordan Kutler 17. Arizona St. (5): Zahid Valencia, Tanner Hall Stanford (5): Joey McKenna, Real Woods ('20), Shane Griffith ('20) 19. Oklahoma (4): Cody Brewer Pitt (4): Matt Wilps Northern Iowa (4): Joe Colon, Parker Keckeisen 22. North Carolina (3): Austin O'Connor Iowa State (3): David Carr ('20) Rutgers (3): See Above 25. Princeton (2): Matt Kolodzik Kent St. (2): Kyle Conel Lock Haven (2): Chance Marsteller South Dakota St. (2): See Above Virginia (2): See Above West Virginia (2): See Above Wyoming (2): See Above 32. Cal Poly (1): Boris Novachkov Binghamton (1): Donnie Vinson Clarion (1): Bekzod Abdurakhmanov Appalachian St. (1): Austin Trotman Columbia (1): Steve Santos North Dakota St. (1): Steven Monk Oregon St. (1): Amar Dhesi Indiana (1): See Above Rider (1): See Above Maryland (1): See Above Boise St. (1): See Above Notes: Ohio State had ten third place finishers to Iowa's seven enabling them to leapfrog the Hawks into second place for most Top 3's. Michigan had eight 3rds. That was tied for second most behind Ohio State with Nebraska. What might be most impressive is that Northwestern, with seven 3rd, vaults to overall #8 for the entire decade based on most Top 3's. Nebraska and Missouri, with 10, was the cutoff for the Top 10 teams best on 3rd or higher for the decade. Seven schools didn't have a finalist and did have a 3rd placer.

Ohio State's NCAA runner-up Sammy Sasso (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) July 1st, 2021, marked a historic date in college athletics. As of that day, student-athletes were given the opportunity to capitalize on their name, image, and likeness (NIL). With this in place, collegiate athletes can seek out endorsements and profit off of their name. Since July 1st, InterMat has tracked wrestlers who have announced new partnerships that capitalize on their NIL and will continue to do so. Below is a list of wrestlers who have publicly announced their new deals. There are probably others which have not been publicized as of yet. Please let us know if there is anyone that needs to be added. Gable Steveson (Minnesota) - Barstool Athlete, Cameo Spencer Lee (Iowa) - Barstool Athlete, Cameo, The Player's Truck (Shirts) Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) - Shot Sled Beau Bartlett (Penn State) - Beau Knows Edits Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) - Customized Shoe Auction, Barstool Athlete, Cameo AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State) - Nearfall Clothing Trent Hidlay (NC State) - Rokfin Joey Sanchez (Oklahoma State) - Merrifield Office Supply Emma Bruntil (McKendree) - Fantasy Fight League Below are the wrestlers who have been designated as "Barstool Athletes." This is a venture from the site Barstool Sports. At this time, no one is exactly sure what the label entails. It's safe to assume that these wrestlers will receive gear from Barstool to promote on social media and in their personal lives. Anything further that gear has not been made public by Barstool, as of yet. It appeared that this was not a long-term, well-thought-out project by Barstool, but something they built on the fly after July 1st. More will be posted about this project as it evolves. Joe Andrassy (Kent State) - Barstool Athlete Will Betancourt - (Ohio State) - Barstool Athlete Kyle Davis (George Mason) - Barstool Athlete Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) - Barstool Athlete Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) - Barstool Athlete Fabian Gutierrez (Chattanooga) - Barstool Athlete Niko Katsuyoshi (Harvard) - Barstool Athlete Devin Schroder (Purdue) - Barstool Athlete Marlee Smith (Arizona State) - Barstool Athlete Mike Torzano (Oregon State) - Barstool Athlete Joseph Walker (Michigan) - Barstool Athlete Jacob Warner (Iowa) - Barstool Athlete

Kendall Coleman at the 2021 NCAA Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Rachel Gallardo is a Dietetic Intern at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Rachel will be graduating with her Master's in Nutrition in August and will sit for the Registered Dietitian exam following graduation. She has a background in sports and performance nutrition from working with Appalachian State's Performance Nutrition program and completing her Master's research project, NUTRITION AND BODY COMPOSITION CHANGES ACROSS A COMPETITIVE SEASON IN COLLEGIATE WRESTLERS. Staying hydrated is important during times of extreme heat. Becoming overheated and dehydrated may result in heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Staying hydrated is one of the best ways to prevent these from happening! Hydration is more than drinking water, but keeping mineral balance as well. Our sweat is made of sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Sodium, chloride, and potassium aid in regulating and maintaining fluid balance while magnesium and calcium are essential in optimal muscle performance as well as energy metabolism. Benefits of hydration include: - Assisting the body in thermoregulation via sweat - Providing lubrication to joints - Is the medium of transportation of the blood and across cells - Our muscles are 75% water, better hydration = better muscle function How can I tell if I'm under-hydrated? - Headache post-training with high sweat rate or low fluid intake during activity - Dizziness, lightheadedness, fatigue, moodiness/irritability, thirst - Heat intolerance during exercise - Decreased endurance performance - Dark, low volume of urine - Poor appetite, nausea, cramps What can cause under-hydration? - High volume of sweat - Intense, long workouts - Heavy workouts in cold weather with multiple layers - Hot and humid conditions How can I assess my hydration? - Use WUT: if two or more are present, you may be dehydrated - Weight: maintain body weight within 1% - Urine: darkened first morning urine or reduced daily frequency - Thirst: dry mouth or craving fluids What are some ways I can stay hydrated? - Pre-training: Salted watery fruits and veggies: apples, watermelon, tomatoes Water with a dash of salt: 1/16th Tablespoon per 20 fl oz. Hyperhydration beverage such as Liquid IV or high sodium broth/soup - During training: Drink appropriately a sports drink that contains approximately 7 - 9.5 g sugars, 150 - 190 mg sodium, 60 - 75 mg potassium per 8 fl oz. (ex. Gatorade/Powerade Zero) - Post-training: Urine should be clear 2-3 hours post-activity Protein + carbohydrate-based recovery smoothie Low-carbohydrate electrolyte drink (ex. Gatorade/Powerade Zero) Soups Salted watery fruits and veggies

Yui Susaki at the 2017 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo. 7/1/21 - Amir Zare (Iran) 6/28/21 - Zavur Uguev (Russia) 6/27/21 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 6/26/21 - Sergey Kozyrev (Russia) 6/24/21 - Kenchiro Fumita (Japan) 6/23/21 - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) 6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada) 6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino) 6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan) 6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France) 6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China) 6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India) 6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany) 6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) For the first time in this series, we'll profile a member of Japan's women's freestyle team, 50 kg superstar Yui Susaki. Although she is only 22, Susaki is already a two-time Senior world champion. She also has two Junior world gold medals and three at the Cadet level. Susaki has not only won at a young age, but also dominated the competition. Since women's wrestling has been a part of the Olympics, Japan has been a force, particularly at the opening weight. Susaki is attempting to become the third straight Japanese woman to win gold at the lowest weight class. She'll have the added pressure/excitement that goes along with wrestling in front of her home country, as well. So get to know one of the favorites of the 50 kg weight class, a competitor that has yet to suffer a loss to foreign competition. Key Wins: Whitney Conder (2019 World Cup), Oksana Livach (2018 World Championships; Semifinals), Yuki Irie (2018 All-Japan Invitational; Finals), Mariya Stadnik (2018 Klippan Lady Open; Finals), Emilia Vuc (2018 World Championships; Round of 16, 2017 World Championships; Finals), Victoria Anthony (2018 Klippan Lady Open; Quarterfinals, 2017 World Cup, 2017 World Championships; Quarterfinals), Son-Hyang Kim (2017 World Championships; Semifinals, 2017 Asian Championships; Finals), Yanan Sun (2019 World Cup, 2017 World Cup, 2017 Asian Championships; Quarterfinals), Maria Tiumerekova (2016 Cadet World Championships; Finals), Macey Kilty (2016 Cadet World Championships; Semifinals), Alleida Martinez (2015 Cadet World Championships; Final), Veronika Gurskaya (2014 Cadet World Championships; Round of 16) The Cadet Years (2014-16) Right after her 15th birthday, Susaki entered her first international competition, the 2014 Cadet World Championships. Susaki tore through the field and proved that she had the goods to become the next big thing in Japanese women's wrestling. Since the Japanese may not compete as frequently as other international competitors, we do not have as much background information on her. A year later, Susaki duplicated that feat and went back-to-back as a Cadet World Champion. Susaki achieved her world title without surrendering a single point in any of her four matches. The finals match would prove to be a sign of things to come. For the first time, and unfortunately, not the last, Susaki dominated an American opponent. In the gold medal bout, she disposed of Alleida Martinez for a 10-0 tech. Susaki's final year of Cadet eligibility was similar to her first two. For the third consecutive year, Susaki moved up in weight (43 kg to 46 to 49), but still managed to win gold in dominating fashion. Again, she went unscored upon by the best Cadets in the world. Like 2015, Susaki faced off with a prominent American foe (Macey Kilty), this time in the semifinals. Kilty trailed 8-0 when Susaki won by fall. The Japanese superstar clinched a third gold medal when she tech Maria Tiumerekova 10-0 in the finals. The Present (2017-21) Despite being a few months removed from Cadet competition, Susaki jumped right into Senior-level events in 2017 and never missed a beat. In the first two months of 2017, Susaki captured titles at the Ivan Yarygin and Klippan Lady Open. Despite neither event having returning world medalists at her 48 kg weight class, Susaki picked up wins over a bunch of seasoned opponents and proved she belonged despite having yet to turn 18. The 2017 Asian Championships were the spot where Susaki clashed with some decorated foes and showed that she may be a world title threat immediately. In the quarterfinals, Susaki defeated Yanan Sun of China, who had already appeared in two world finals (2012 - 2nd; 2013 - 1st) and was an Olympic bronze medalist in Rio. For the Asian title, Susaki downed 2014 Youth Olympic Games gold medalist Son-Hyang Kim of North Korea. The perfect record in 2017 helped Susaki get the nod for Japan at the 2017 World Championships. Once again, Susaki would face the American entry, this time, it was Victoria Anthony in the quarterfinals. Anthony was the third straight victim of Susaki via tech fall. Her 5-2 semifinal win over Kim proved to be her only bout that went the entire six minutes. Susaki earned the title world champion after a 14-4 tech fall over 2016 Olympian Alina Vuc (Romania). Just a couple of months after her 18th birthday, Susaki had outscored the field 53-8 to win a world championship. Also in 2017, Susaki made an appearance at the World Cup. She went unbeaten and logged wins over Sun and Anthony while helping Japan to a team title. In December, Susaki entered the Emperor's Cup and was set to clash with 2016 Olympic gold medalist Eri Tosaka. The matchup never happened because Susaki was upset earlier in the tournament by Yuki Irie. For the second straight year, Susaki traveled to Sweden and left with a gold medal at the Klippan Lady Open. This time she defeated heavily decorated Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan) to claim her title. Since Susaki was still so young, she decided to enter the Junior World Championships in September. Another accomplishment was checked off her list as she earned another gold medal in Trnava. The 2018 Senior World Championships started the way the 2017 tournament ended, with Susaki facing Romanian Alina Vuc. This time Vuc was not able to mount any sort of offense and was pinned. The semifinals saw Susaki dismantle Oksana Livach (Ukraine), who has since developed into a medal contender for Tokyo. To win world title number two, Susaki would have to get by Stadnik again. This proved to be easier than one may imagine and Susaki dominated the then-eight-time World/Olympic medalist for a 10-0 tech. During this world title run, Susaki went unscored upon and outdistanced herself from the competition, 31-0, not including a fall. Because of Japan's depth, even though Susaki was a two-time world champion and had never been defeated by an international competitor, she still needed to fight to get on the 2019 world team. Standing in her way was Irie, the opponent that beat her in 2017. During Japan's multiple-event wrestle-offs, Irie scored two more wins over Susaki and was given a spot on the 2019 world team. That loss sent Susaki to the Junior World Championships, which she won for the second time. At the World Championships, Irie ended up losing in a 13-12 shootout to Sun, who in turn fell in her next bout. That eliminated Irie from the tournament and left Japan without an automatic qualifying spot in the 2020 Olympic Games. Susaki did not compete internationally in 2020, but was given an opportunity to lock up a spot for Japan in the Olympics as their representative at the Asian Olympic Games Qualifier. Four matches and a 41-0 margin later, Susaki was crowned champion at the 50 kg weight class and qualified for the Games. Susaki will be a heavy favorite in Tokyo and still hasn't suffered a defeat to anyone outside of Japan.

Jim Gibson (left) coaching at the 2019 NCAA Championships (photo/VMI athletics) Jim Gibson's journey to college wrestling wasn't a traditional route. Growing up in northwest Pennsylvania, on a horse farm between Pittsburgh and Erie, Jim wrestled throughout elementary and middle school. This was also at a time where club teams weren't common. When transitioning to high school, Jim had shifted from public to private school. Kennedy Christian, now Kennedy Catholic, housed many state placers and champions before Gibson's arrival. As a freshman and sophomore, the team wasn't too strong; however, Gibson's junior and senior seasons took an interesting turn. During team sign-ups, the wrestling team didn't get the interest it had seen in years past - only six kids signed up for the team. After seeing how small the team would have been that year, the school's administration decided to no longer sponsor the wrestling program. "Where do we go from here? What's the next step for us? What's my future in this sport?" were a few of the questions running through Jim's head. He had a couple of options: go back to public school and risk issues with eligibility due to transferring or transfer to another private school. Jim and his family decided to approach the administration at Kennedy Christian to petition the school's decision to no longer sponsor the wrestling program that year. The school agreed to keep the program but with one condition: Jim would be the sole competitor that season. No dual meets. No team tournaments. Just Jim. The coach decided to stay to help him train, with his dad filling in as the assistant coach. The season was difficult, making phone calls to get into individual tournaments throughout the school year, adding one additional slot into a weight class. Most schools were receptive to the situation and allowed Jim to wrestle in eight individual tournaments that year. At the State Tournament that season, Jim took home eighth place. Hungry for another season, Jim, his coach, and his father were able to stick to the one-man show for his senior season. Jim placed second his senior year. This situation forced him to mature quickly and take more self-responsibility in his career. Being in this unique situation, Gibson stood out as a recruit. Edinboro, Clarion, Pittsburgh, and the University of Buffalo were possible landing spots for Jim. He headed to Edinboro, where he was a four-year starter and a national qualifier as a senior. His unique junior and senior high school seasons gave him the perseverance, commitment, and accountability he needed to succeed during his college, and eventually, coaching careers. As a recruit, Gibson definitely stood out. While wrestling in college is a team sport, the dedication to training, keeping up with school, and staying healthy all typically fall on the discipline of the student-athlete. Jim's self-discipline prepared him for his career ahead. As a coach, Gibson has seen the recruiting process evolve in many ways. One of the most significant changes has been social media. Coaches are now able to hop online to see how recruits performed at tournaments and matches without having to travel to every event. Before social media, wrestlers would have to reach out to coaches individually, by sending tapes with footage or letting coaches know which tournaments they would be competing at. It's much easier for the recruiting process now with the use of social media and viewing platforms for wrestling content. Wrestling under Tim Flynn, "one of the best wrestling minds in the country," he broadened his mindset and approaches to coaching. "I think that's one of the biggest things, especially as a coach, don't ever think you should ever stop learning. There's always a different way, always a different approach. There's a new approach, an old approach, and you have to be able to really take what you've experienced around others, use what you think works and what doesn't work, and also build it into your own program." Gibson's coaching debut was made at Clarion University, as a graduate assistant under Teague Moore. Coach Gibson's first full-time coaching job was a head assistant coaching position and the recruiting coordinator at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. His experience as an assistant for six years further prepared him for his first and current head coaching position at Virginia Military Institute. "Ultimately, the responsibility falls on me, to make sure I'm giving the right guidance and utilizing my assistants to their strengths. I think that's something I learned as an assistant coach is to understand how to best use assistants. I was prepared to evaluate my assistants to be able to get the most out of them and use them in the areas where I may not be as strong." Jim began coaching at VMI in March 2018, ready to get to work with staff and bringing on assistant Ty Schoffstall, who also wrestled under Tim Flynn at Edinboro. "I think any time when you put a staff together, it's important that everyone's like-minded. You have to be on the same page, relaying the same information and message to your athletes, but even if there's a disagreement within the coaching staff, that's okay. Coming from that Edinboro system with Coach Flynn and his development, I feel that we're on the same page more often than not, which is putting us on our way to being successful." The recruiting process is another important piece in a program's success. When recruiting for a military college, cadets are expected to take all aspects of their careers seriously due to the responsibilities that come with attending a military institution. Their days are meticulously planned out, with little free time nor flexibility. Coach Gibson's recruiting approach for VMI is to look for potential cadet-athletes who have high academic and athletic goals, and who are able to manage and balance the responsibilities that accompany being a cadet-athlete. Coaching for a military college can be more difficult when it comes to scheduling; however, the school sets aside time for the teams to practice. Outside of those times, there are no guarantees that team members can do one-on-one drills or extra lifts. "The most challenging aspect is the time piece related to what they have to do here and how we have to work around it. It forces us coaches to almost be extra prepared, to have a system in place of what we need to do and things we need to work on." As for next year, Coach Gibson and the VMI staff are excited to get back to a more normal season, with more normal preparation and recruiting processes. "I think COVID has taught us some things about training, preparation, and competition that maybe we wouldn't have thought about before. I was trying to find some sort of positive in every situation. Going through a pandemic, you have to persevere through it. You always talk to your guys about it, that they're going to run into adversity and tough times, but this was the time to show them how to make adjustments on the fly, try to be successful, and persevere through some adversity and this tough time."

Mark Grey at the NCAA Championships (photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) With the UFC, PFL and Bellator taking the weekend off for the holiday, there are not nearly as many high-profile domestic MMA cards this weekend. However, there are still several former wrestlers in action across Valor FC 84, Titan FC 70, and CFFC 98. Valor FC 84 takes place Friday night and is available via internet pay per view. In the main event, the promotion's amateur light heavyweight champion Torrez Finney defends his title against Tylando Mattress. Finney was a two-time Georgia state champion in high school for Jones County and reportedly earned a scholarship to wrestle for Tennessee Chattanooga. Despite this, he chose to focus on football at UTC . After his sophomore season, he returned to the wrestling mats. However, in his first match back against Devin Nye (Kent State), he suffered a knee injury and walked away from the sport. He made his amateur MMA debut last October and has won his first three fights. Also, on Friday, the Titan FC 70 card, which airs on UFC Fight Pass, features a pair of former NAIA All-Americans. Denzel Freeman, who wrestled for Cumberlands before training at the WWE Performance Center, is scheduled to face Duane Crespo. Riley Boomer, who was an NAIA champion for Missouri Valley, will face Angel Alvarez. Interestingly enough, Boomer competed at 174 pounds in college, but this fight will be all the way down at featherweight (145 pounds). CFFC 98 takes place on Saturday in Philadelphia and features several names wrestling fans likely remember. The biggest one of those names is clearly Mark Grey. On the high school level, Grey was a four-time National Prep champion before Blair Academy before going to Cornell for college . There he was a three-time NCAA qualifier and finished with an 81-42 record. Grey made his amateur MMA debut this past March. On Saturday, he faces off against Todd Box in another amateur fight. Miles Lee reportedly did not start wrestling until his sophomore year of high school. However, he still finished fifth in Pennsylvania as a senior. In 2017, he went on quite a run at Fargo and made it to the finals in freestyle before coming up short against current Iowa All-American Jacob Warner. Along the way, Lee defeated current UTC wrestler Matthew Waddell in the semifinals. Lee made his professional debut earlier this year and defeated Troy Cain. At CFFC 98, he hopes to improve to 2-0 against Liam Anderson. Bryan Diaz wrestled for former Lehigh standout Jon Trenge at Parkland high school in Pennsylvania. There he was a District XI placewinner. Diaz is currently on the roster at Division III York College, and he will take on Saige Gomez in his amateur MMA debut. Santo Curatolo was a multiple-time PSAL city individual large schools champion and actually wrestled at the 2012 edition of Beat the Streets. He will face Dilshod Zaripov at CFFC 98. Also on the card, Joseph Schick takes on Zachary Burhans. Schick wrestled collegiately for East Stroudsburg when they were at the Division I level. He currently manages a fighter career while working as a school teacher.

Roman Bravo-Young at the 2021 NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) On the first day that the NCAA allowed student-athletes to make money for their services and image, the Big Ten released a list of their top individual social media stars. Three of them were wrestlers. Based on Instagram followers, Iowa's Spencer Lee was 7th with 111k followers and RBY (126k) of Penn State was #3. Gopher Gable Steveson, with 245k, has the most Instagram followers of any athlete in any sport from the Big Ten. There are several things to take away from that - the first being that it's abundantly clear how powerful our sport is in the Big Ten. Another thing is that RBY, who became a star after Spencer Lee, and has less accolades than him, has surpassed him in followers, and, you could say, ‘brand.' Winning and losing matters most, but it's not the entire equation. RBY put in A LOT of time in his social media game. His prominence has grown with his openness, his volume, and lifestyle content that often has little to do with wrestling. In that way, he's surpassed current and former wrestlers that have accomplished more on the mat than he has. And everyone will recognize that. If you're a wrestler, you're taking notes. And if you're one of those anti-social media, get-off-my-lawn types, duck for cover. More of it is coming. Another thing we do know is that the universities will embrace it. There are already courses available to athletes next fall that educate you on NIL decisions. And several schools have announced programs to help facilitate their optimization. From the media side, old vets like myself and Earl and Jason Bryant of the National Wrestling Media Association have often sung the praises of universities' Sports Information Directors that go above and beyond in wrestling. It's not just the information and accessibility that we've appreciated, but their undeniable passion helps build stars. And now, that quality will take on an even more critical and difference-making role for individuals. Better, more creative SID's will be appreciated by wrestlers as they act as de facto brand-builders. Coaches would be wise to put a portfolio of their SID's work in front of their recruits. (And let's hope the SID's get paid a little more by the schools going forward.) What lies ahead will be interesting to follow, no doubt. The advent of NIL cash flow is upon us - and regardless of how much research one did on the topic or how prescient you fancy yourself - no one can guess all the pros nor all potential pitfalls that will accompany it. Will it be a distraction? Will sometime, somewhere, a wrestler engage in a faux pas that leads to a suspension? Will it lead to more, or less, wrestling programs? I don't think anyone can speak with certainty on those matters, but it sure is a fun ride to watch. To your questions… What do you see as possible unintended consequences of the NIL? @DutrowJim I think there are a few likely scenarios. The obvious one being that a wrestler gets involved with something outside the parameters of what's legal under the NIL framework. So wrestlers. GET. SCHOOL. APPROVAL. What I hope doesn't happen is that in an effort to keep their athletes eligible in football and basketball, schools don't wind up employing 25 compliance officers that further hamstrings their balance sheets and leads to the cutting of even more Olympic programs. Another thing is that there are gonna be some really good wrestlers that try to have social media cache to build their brand and end up coming off as ultra cringeworthy. You can say that's already started. But it'll get worse. Here's one for ya, too - a wrestler wins over fans, wins a title as a sophomore, cashes in, becomes a douche, takes 6th the following year. Fans totally turn on him and chastise him for caring more about his social accounts than his riding ability. This will happen. You know why wrestlers are often the most intensely focused, goal-oriented individuals? They're hungry. Can you stay hungry when you're comfy? You know why MMA fighters tail off after a hot start to their careers? They ain't hungry no more. Another one - bad contracts. There are already really, really, really awful contracts in the wrestling world. People that are signed with certain companies (even big in our sport) have very paltry compensation. I can see current college athletes taking a deal for little more than the serotonin that comes along with the press release. Don't sign a contract for gear. Make sure you're getting your real value. And make it legal. What do you think of Barstool Athletics? RBY signed on. @Capt_AlexPerez I have no idea. And I'm pretty sure RBY has no idea. Dave Portnoy himself said that the project was thrown together at the 11th hour with no real plan. What I do know is that Barstool is a creative force that typically makes good decisions. At a minimum, I think it leads to increased popularity for the athletes that join and more opportunities. At its ceiling, I think it could be a very influential movement. Which athletes will be sponsored by The Brain? @chunkofWEAVE Haha. I don't know exactly, but some will for sure. I got some ideas. Additionally, and somewhat unexpectedly, several current college wrestlers asked me if I was interested in being their agent, and it's something I'm considering. Not sure if it will go that far, but I certainly want to connect them to the right people, so they have more opportunities. Feel free to DM or email me if you're interested. What school do you view as a dark horse that can really benefit from NIL? @TheGOATFollower The Ivies and here's why. Penns and Princetons have uber-rich alumni. Until now, what has been their method of support? Donating to RTC's? Financing a new room? There have been limitations to what they could do. The NIL deal opens another door. Forget Gatorade and Nike and Coca-Cola. I think we'll see a Penn alum at a major investment firm sponsor Michael Coliaocco. I think Mike Novogratz slaps a Galaxy Capital logo on Patrick Glory at Trials.

Iran's Amir Zare (Photo/United World Wrestling) As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo. 6/28/21 - Zavur Uguev (Russia) 6/27/21 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 6/26/21 - Sergey Kozyrev (Russia) 6/24/21 - Kenchiro Fumita (Japan) 6/23/21 - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus) 6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada) 6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino) 6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) 6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran) 6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) 6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan) 6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France) 6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China) 6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India) 6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany) 6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) A dominant Cadet champion that rapidly rose through the ranks to become one of heavyweights best, #3 Amir Zare of Iran has cut through some of the best competition in the world to establish himself as one of the top medal contenders in Tokyo. One of a trio of top young prospects along with #4 Sergey Kozyrev (RUS) and #6 Gable Steveson (USA). Today's Olympic profile will look at the career so far of #3 Amir Zare of Iran. The Stats #3 Amir Zare (IRI)- 2018 110 KG Cadet Asian Champion, 2018 110 KG Cadet world champion, 2018 Youth Olympic Games runner-up, 2019 Junior Asian champ, 2019 Junior World runner-up, 2019 U-23 world champ, 2019 Alans bronze medalist, 2020 Matteo Pellicone champ, 2020 Iranian World Team Trials runner-up 2021 Ziolkowski champ. Key Wins: #2 Geno Petriashvili (2019 Club World Championships), #4 Yusup Batirmurzaev (2019 U-23 world championships, 2020 Matteo Pellicone), Bilyal Makhov (2020 Matteo Pellicone finals), Nick Gwiazdowski (2019 Alans bronze medal match, 2021 Ziolkowski finals), #8 Amin Taheri (2020 Iranian World Team Trials), Yadollah Mohebbi (2020 Iranian World Team Trials), Parviz Hadi (2020 Iranian World Team Trials), Khasanboy Rakhimov (2019 Alans), Vitali Goloev (2019 U-23 world finals). Key Losses: #6 Sergey Kozyrev (2018 110 KG Youth Olympic Games Finals), #8 Amin Taheri (2020 Iranian World Team Trials), #18 Batraz Gazzaev (2019 Alans semifinals), Mason Parris (2019 Junior world finals). 2018-2021 #3 Amir Zare (IRI) kicked off his international career with a Cadet Asian and Cadet World title at 110 KG in 2018, with his most notable win coming over Penn State All-American Greg Kerkvliet (USA) of the Cadet World finals. Zare would take on Cadet world bronze medalist #4 Sergey Kozyrev (RUS) in the finals of the Youth Olympic Games and fell to the Russian to complete his Cadet eligibility. Zare's 2019 saw him begin his Junior campaign with an Asian championships title over Buheerdun of China. Going into the Junior World Championships as the returning Cadet world champion, Zare was expected to be one of the favorites to win gold. Zare looked keen on fulfilling those expectations alive as he made the world finals opposite Mason Parris of the United States. Parris, now an NCAA runner-up for the Michigan Wolverines and Senior national champion, was at the time coming off a 33-9 true freshman season that saw him make the Round of 12 at NCAA's. In a battle of prospects, it would be the powerhouse Parris who would walk away with a stunning first-period pin over Zare for the Junior world heavyweight title. After Junior World's is where Zare really made the change. Mason Parris is an absolute beast of a heavyweight, one of the most physically imposing wrestlers at any weight, who bullies the most elite of competition. Zare, finally having gotten to face that sort of Senior level power, had turned a corner. Nowhere was this improvement more evident than at the U-23 world championships. Zare outscored his competition 49-7, breaking the likes of Senior level elites 2020 Asian champion #9 Yusup Batirmurzaev (KAZ) and 2020 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Vitali Goloev (RUS) for gold. The prestigious Alans tournament in Vladikavkaz, Russia, would be where Zare would get another chance to prove his deserved spot among the elite. And Zare did more than prove it, as right out of the gate, he put a 12-2 clinic on World bronze medalist Khasanboy Rakhimov (UZB) in the Round of 16. #15 Atsamaz Tebloev (RUS) forfeited to Zare in the quarters, which would set up a semifinal bout against Russian Nationals bronze medalist #17 Batraz Gazzaev (RUS). Gazzaev was an absolute monster at the end of 2019, winning the Intercontinental Cup and Kadyrov Cup, where he had beaten the reigning national champion #8 Alan Khugaev (RUS). Zare was able to lead Gazzaev 2-1 throughout most of the match, but a clutch bodylock takedown for the hulking Gazzaev would earn the North-Ossetian standout a place in the finals. In the bronze medal match, tech falled two-time world bronze medalist #7 Nick Gwiazdowski (USA) 10-0. In a spectacular recovery from his bronze medal at the Alans, Zare notched a huge 15-11 upset of reigning three-time world champion #2 Geno Petriashvili of Georgia in the World club championships to end 2019. In the abbreviated 2020 season, Zare was able to compete twice at the Matteo Pellicone tournament and at the Iranian World Team Trials. At the Matteo Pellicone, Zare was excellent, beating #9 Yusup Batirmurzaev (KAZ) in dominant fashion and getting a monster win over 3x World champion Bilyal Makhov (RUS) in the finals. Zare's performance at the Iranian World Team Trials would be another story. Zare beat 2018 World bronze medalist Parviz Hadi and two-time world rep Yadollah Mohebbi to make the best-of-three finals against 2017 U-23 World bronze medalist #19 Amin Taheri. The structure of Iran's training camps is such that guys wrestle with the same partners throughout the whole camp with little variety, so the degree of familiarity among opponents is very high. Zare was undoubtedly the better wrestler results-wise than Taheri, but because of their familiarity, the lesser Taheri was able to win the series 2-1. However, Taheri would not go to the 2020 World Championships as Iran would only send one wrestler to the 2020 Individual World Cup in the form of two-time Cadet world champion Rahman Amouzadkhalili at 57 KG, who took bronze. With the heavyweight spot still needing deciding for Iran for Tokyo, Iran sent Amin Taheri to the Asian championships at the start of this year. Taheri was upset by Individual World Cup bronze medalist Aiaal Lazarev (KGZ), which made Zare the favorite to take a spot. But the final qualifier that would determine whether Zare or Taheri would go to Tokyo would happen in June at the Ziolkowski. Taheri opened with a win over Asian champion #20 Oleg Boltin (KAZ), but promptly lost 6-3 to 2018 U-23 World runner-up #18 Youssif Hemida (EGY) in his quarterfinal match. Zare tech falled his way to the finals and cautioned out two-time World bronze medalist #7 Nick Gwiazdowski (USA) up 6-1. It was clear, Zare was the man for Iran. Amir Zare is in a very special place right now at heavyweight. One of the premier contenders for gold at heavyweight at only 20 years old, Zare among with #4 Sergey Kozyrev (RUS) and #6 Gable Steveson (USA) are part of a new group of resurgent, high offense heavyweights taking the international scene by storm. The heavyweight division is at the best it's ever been and I look forward to seeing how the new blood of Zare, Kozyrev, and Steveson clash against each other and the legends Taha Akgul and Geno Petriashvili.

AJ Ferrari at the 2021 NCAA Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Today is a landmark day for college athletes, not just in the wrestling world. Starting today, college athletes have the ability to make money off of their name, image, and likeness (NIL), without jeopardizing their eligibility. Even though this goes into effect on July 1st, there are still plenty of i's to be dotted and t's to be crossed, as to how this will happen. Not all states, conferences, and universities will be on the same page and operate under the same rules. Some of the fine print and actual regulations can get kind of boring, so we decided to have some fun and matched up some of college wrestling's biggest stars with potential endorsement ideas. Some of these ideas are well-thought-out and serious. Others make for a good laugh, but maybe could work, too. So enjoy and leave us some of your suggestions in the comments. AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State) - The best mom-and-pop Italian restaurant in Stillwater. AJ and his family are very proud of their Italian heritage. What about a series of commercials on local TV with Ferrari being Ferrari? Hilarity ensues. The possibilities are endless for 665 lb-related shirts and such, as well. We'll look past ads for Ferrari sports cars, that's low-hanging fruit. Spencer Lee (Iowa) - Pokemon. It was his entrance music; you may as well endorse something you like. Gable Steveson (Minnesota) - Nike. Nike has a history of building its respective brand around a certain athlete. Michael Jordan took the company from middle-of-the-pack to the clear number one in the athletic footwear and apparel industry. Nike Golf was virtually non-existent before Tiger Woods. Steveson could fit the bill as a dominant, hip, slightly-edgy cornerstone of their wrestling market. Plus, the Olympic exposure doesn't hurt. Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) - Nike. There's already a line of shoes for basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo, the "Greek Freak." What about a similar line for the wrestling version of the same name? Trent Hidlay (NC State) - Sheetz. The Twitter handle is Hoagie Hidlay and he pulled one out after his Who's #1 win. Rumor has it that Hidlay is a Sheetz guy. Sheetz vs. WaWa is a heated topic among East Coast sandwich and convenience store connoisseurs. Michael Kemerer (Iowa) - Advil. It's always kind of a gut punch to see some of your favorite athletes endorsing products geared towards an older generation. Shaquille O'Neal, Brett Favre, and others have gone down this road. Kemerer has said his teammates refer to him as "grandpa." He seems like he has a sense of humor; you may as well lean into the joke. David Carr (Iowa State) - BMW. It's not really the brand of car that matters, any sort of sports car works. But the dad-joke teller in me can think of a hundred cheesy lines for Carr to say, "This Carr goes 0-60 in so many seconds", "High-performance Carr," etc. Shane Griffith (Stanford) - Investment Firm. Again, I can picture more cheesy lines. "Hey, I may have saved 11 sports, but I really want to help you save money". Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) - Anything. The guy gets it. For the last year, he's put up solid content on social media and built a good following. He'd be a great face of a company. 2021 NCAA Champion Austin O'Connor (Photo/Josh Conklin) Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) - Cheez-It. Why not? (courtesy of @dysgold_2005) Evan Wick (Cal Poly) - Yankee Candle. Candles with a really long wick (courtesy of @jagger712) Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)/Cam Caffey (Michigan State)/Michael Beard (Penn State) - Some sort of hair/beard products. Micky Phillipi/Jake Wentzel/Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) - Primanti Bros. - The famous sandwich shop is closely associated with Pittsburgh and we have three of the Panthers superstars from the greater Pittsburgh area. Sounds like a perfect fit.

Alec Pantaleo (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 57 KG #1 Zavur Uguev (RUS) won the Sassari City tournament up at 61 KG. 2019 European Games runner-up Stevan Micic (SRB) won the Ziolkowski in a round-robin bracket, beating #20 Makmudjon Shavkatov (UZB) and Beka Bujiashvili (GEO) to return to the rankings at #20. #17 Gulomyon Abdullaev (UZB) avenged an earlier loss in pool action to #5 Ravi Kumar (IND) with a 5-3 win in the 61 KG finals of the Ziolkowski to move up #9 in the rankings. Abdullaev also notched a big win over #8 Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ) and #15 Jahongirmirza Turobov (UZB) to build momentum going into Tokyo. 2019 Russian Nationals champion #11 Ramiz Gamzatov (RUS) won the Ali Aliyev with 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Khasanhussein Badrudinov (RUS) and Yarygin runner-up #10 Musa Mekhtikhanov (RUS). Diamentino Fafe (GBS) won the 57 KG Sassari City tournament title. 61 KG #1 (57) Zavur Uguev won the Sassari City tournament title. #8 Muslim Mekhtikhanov (RUS) moves up three spots to #5 for winning the Ali Aliyev title over #20 Eduard Grigorev (POL). This is because Grigorev beat Taras Markovych (UKR) 14-3 in the semis after Markovych had upset #5 Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ) in his opening round match. The results of the Ali Aliyev see Mekhtikhanov go up three spots, Grigorev goes up fourteen spots to #6 and Markovych debut in the rankings at #7 while Sanayev drops three slots in the rankings to #8. #9 (57) Gulomyon Abdullaev (UZB) won the Ziolkowski title with impressive victories over #5 (57) Ravi Kumar (IND), #8 Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ) and #15 Jahongirmirza Turobov (UZB). 65 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist #9 Abdulmazhid Kudiev (RUS) took gold at the Ali Aliyev with an electrifying 12-9 win over two-time 61 KG Russian Nationals runner-up Ramazan Ferzaliev (RUS) in the finals. Ferzaliev and Kudiev both had impressive runs; Ferzaliev beating 2020 61 KG Russian Nationals bronze Ibragim Abdurakhmanov (RUS) and 2020 61 KG Yarygin bronze medalist Kezhik Chimba (RUS), while Kudiev beat three-time World medalist Bajrang Punia (IND) and Artur Badtiev (RUS). The Ali Aliev was serious redemption for the Indian superstar Punia who returns to the rankings at #12 after making the semis with wins over 2018 Alans champion Muslim Saidulaev (RUS) and 2019 world runner-up Daulet Niyazbekov (KAZ). Niyazbekov makes his return to the rankings at #14 for beating Yarygin champion #13 Alik Khadartsev (RUS) in the round of 16 at the Ali Aliev. Yianni Diakomihalis is back in the rankings for winning the 65 KG Ziolkowski title with victories over US Olympic Trials runner-up #18 Joey McKenna (USA) and Ali Aliyev runner-up #6 (61) Eduard Grigorev (POL). #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov (RUS) won the City of Sassari tournament title up at 70 KG over 2016 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Ildous Giniytatullin (RUS), while Michael Bucher (SUI) won the 65 KG City of Sassari tournament title over George Ramm (GBR). 70 KG Alec Pantaleo (USA) had an absolutely fantastic run to Ziolkowski gold that saw him overcome a pool loss to #11 James Green (USA) to beat three-time world champion #6 (65) Haji Aliyev (AZE) 6-6 to make the finals and avenge his earlier loss to Green with a 5-3 victory. For his efforts, Green was able to beat Pantaleo and 2017 65 KG world champion #16 Zurab Iakobishvili (GEO) to make the finals, where he was silver to Pantaleo. From this, Pantaleo secures his first top ten spot in the rankings at #6 while Green moves up four spots to #7. Yarygin bronze medalist Rezuan Kazharov (RUS) got the biggest win of his career with a 3-3 victory over veteran Azamat Nurikov (BLR) in the finals of the Ali Aliyev. Nurikov in the semifinals upset #5 Viktor Rassadin (RUS) 8-8. Both men see a significant rise in their stock, with Kazharov skyrocketing from #20 in the rankings to #8 while the veteran Nurikov returns at #9. 2019 U-23 world champion #15 Mirza Skhulukhia (GEO) moved up to 74 KG for the Ali Aliyev, where he failed to place and has been removed from the rankings. 74 KG #1 Zaurbek Sidakov (RUS) teched Jevon Balfour (CAN) for the City of Sassari tournament title. The Ziolkowski was used as the final decider for the Olympic spot for Iran between 70 KG world bronze medalist Mostafa Hosseinkhani (IRI) and Younes Emami (IRI). Hosseinkhani would win the Ziolkowski by way of forfeit over #5 Frank Chamizo (ITA) and beat 2019 European Games bronze medalist #20 Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev (AZE) in the semifinals after Gadzhiev had upended Emami 4-2 in the quarterfinals. For this, Hosseinkhani returns to the rankings at #20. Another qualifier took place at the Ziolkowski, this time for Kazakhstan between two-time Asian champion Daniyar Kaisanov (KAZ) and 2019 70 KG world runner-up Nurkhoza Kaipanov (KAZ). Kaipanov was upset in the first round by Amr Hussen (EGY), while Kaisanov locked up the spot by finishing bronze with wins over Jason Nolf (USA) and Semen Radulov (UKR). Two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist #15 Nikita Suchkov (RUS) moved up three spots in the rankings to #12 after winning the Ali Aliev title over Saipulla Alibulatov (RUS). Alibulatov (RUS) makes his debut in the rankings at #15 for wins at the Ali Aliev over #9 Magomed Kurbanaliev (RUS) and Daniyar Kaisanov (KAZ). #9 Magomed Kurbanaliev (RUS) falls seven spots in the rankings to #17 after his Ali Aliyev semifinals loss to Saipulla Alibulatov (RUS). Kurbanaliev rebounded for bronze over Kaisanov and confirmed by Instagram he was battling a rib injury going into the tournament. 79 KG #1 Akhsarbek Gulaev (SVK) won the Ziolkowski with victories over #20 Rashid Kurbanov (UZB) and Vasyl Mykhailov (UKR) to maintain his top spot in the rankings. #13 Atsamaz Sanakoev (RUS) reclaims a top-ten spot in the rankings at #4 with a victory over 2020 Individual World Cup champion #4 Akhmed Usmanov (RUS) in the finals of the Ali Aliyev. Usmanov (RUS) won his second Ali Aliyev title by way of 3-3 criteria victory over 2019 Russian Nationals runner-up #13 Atsamaz Sanakoev (RUS). Sanakoev moves up four spots in the rankings to #9 after making the Ali Aliyev finals with wins over Magomedmurad Dadaev (RUS) and Asret Ulimbashev (RUS). Dadaev and Ulimbashev debut in the rankings at #11 and #12 as Ulimbashaev upset 2020 Russian Nationals runner-up #12 Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev (RUS) in the quarterfinals of the Ali Aliyev, and Dadaev pinned Ulimbashev for bronze. #4 Gadzhi Nabiev (RUS) moved up to 86 KG, where he lost in his opening round match to Hadi Vafaeipour (IRI) and failed to place. 86 KG #20 Javrail Shapiev (UZB) put together an exceptional run for Ali Aliev gold beating the likes of Tazhidin Akaev (RUS), 2017 world bronze medalist #8 Vladislav Valiev (RUS) and Yarygin champion #7 Magomedsharif Biyakaev (RUS) for gold and to retake his spot in the top 10 at #7. Shapiev has been improving leaps and bounds this year and put together a killer resume with wins over world medalists Piotr Ianulov (MDA), #9 Vladislav Valiev (RUS), Fatih Erdin (TUR) and Osman Gocen (TUR), plus Russian hammers #8 Magomedsharif Biyakaev (RUS) and Tazhidin Akaev (RUS). Shapiev is very much on the shortlist to contend for a medal in Tokyo and I'm excited to see how he does in a loaded field. U-23 European champion Amanulla Rasulov (RUS) got the first big win of his career over three-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist #11 Arsenali Musalaliev (RUS) to debut in the rankings at #16 while Musalaliev fell 6 spots to #17. #11 Zahid Valencia (USA) looked impressive, winning gold at The Ziolkowski with a win over 2020 European runner-up #12 Myles Amine (SMR), #19 Sandro Aminashvili (GEO) and #20 Sebastian Jezierzanski (POL). #5 Magomed Ramazanov (RUS) won the City of Sassari tournament title. 92 KG 2020 Asian champion Javad Ebrahimi (IRI) made his return to competition by winning the Ali Aliev 6-3 over #16 (86) Zbigniew Baranowski (POL). 92 went through a lot of shakeups with returns from contenders at 86 and 97 KG. First, it started at the Ziolkowski where two-time 92 KG world champion #4 (97) J'den Cox (USA) made his return and dropped a shocking 2-1 semifinal loss to Illia Archaia (UKR). Archaia loses 12-3 in the finals to #16 (86) Zbigniew Baranowski (POL). Fast forward to the Ali Aliyev and Archaia loses to Belarusian Nationals bronze medalist #19 Amarhadzi Magomedov (BLR) and is eliminated from the competition when Magomedov is pinned in the semis by eventual champion Javad Ebrahimi (IRI). So with Cox, Ebrahimi, and Baranowski back, what does that mean for the weight? Then throw in three-time 86 KG World/Olympic medalist #11 Selim Yasar (TUR), upsetting #5 Erhan Yaylaci (TUR) in the Yasar Dogu finals and it's hard to make sense of things, but here's how it all shakes out. Ebrahimi returns to the rankings the highest #3 for winning the Ali Aliyev over Baranowski, who takes the #7 spot for his runner-up finish at the Ali Aliyev and title at the Ziolkowski and victories over Archaia, #17 Guram Chertkoev (RUS) and Alan Bagaev (RUS). Yasar takes the #5 for his win over #5 Yaylaci, who falls one spot to #6. Amarhadzhi Magomedov (BLR) moves up ten places to #9 for his victory over Archaia. Finally, J'den Cox's return to 92 KG sees the two-time world champion fall from #4 at 97 KG to #11 at 92 KG for his Ziolkowski semifinals loss to Archaia. #4 Aslanbek Alborov (AZE) was removed due to inactivity as he hasn't competed since February 2020, where he took bronze at the European championships over #13 Irakli Mtsituri (GEO). ***edit*** Russian Nationals runner-up Anzor Urishev (RUS) was returned to the rankings at #5 after I had mistakenly removed him. 97 KG #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) made the finals of the Ali Aliev with wins over Vladislav Baitsaev (RUS), Magomedkhan Magomedov (RUS) and #20 Mojitaba Goleij (IRI) but forfeited to 2016 Olympic bronze medalist #18 Magomed Ibragimov (UZB) to prevent aggravating a knee injury he had going into the competition. 2018 European champion Vladislav Baitsaev's made his return to 97 KG and takes the #4 spot for past wins over #6 Elizbar Odikadze (GEO), #11 Aleksandr Hushtyn (BLR), #12 Abraham Conyedo Ruano (ITA) and #13 Sharif Sharifov (AZE). #8 Mohammad Mohammadian (IRI) ran through a loaded Ziolkowski bracket to take gold and lock up his spot for the Tokyo Olympics and move up six spots in the rankings to #2. Mohammadian tech falled Matteo Pellicone champion #9 Kollin Moore (USA) in his opening round match, three-time world medalist #10 Alireza Karimimachiani (IRI) and avenged his two losses from Iranian World Team Trials to #7 Ali Khalil Shahbaninbengar (IRI) in the finals. Other significant results from the Sassari were #10 Alireza Karimimachiani (IRI) avenging his Matteo Pellicone finals loss to #9 Kollin Moore (USA) 2-2 for bronze and #14 Abraham Conyedo Ruano (ITA) upsetting 2019 world runner-up #13 Sharif Sharifov (AZE) 2-2 in the qualifying round before being tech falled in the quarters 11-1 by #10 Alireza Karimimachiani (IRI). What these results do is bump Alireza Karimimachiani (IRI) and Abraham Conyedo Ruano (ITA) up to #9 and #11, respectively, while dropping #9 Kollin Moore (USA) five spots to #14. The reason for this is that Moore's Senior-level resume (and top 10 status) were heavily dependent on his win over Karimi at the Matteo Pellicone and when Karimi avenged that loss Moore's resume doesn't really hold up to Hushtyn, Sharifov, Conyedo Ruano, or Matcharashvili (GEO). 2019 world runner-up Sharifov had an impressive run to gold at the Yasar Dogu, beating 2019 U-23 European champion Ibragim Ciftci (TUR) and 2018 U-23 world champion #13 Givi Matcharashvili (GEO). Yarygin champion Magomedkhan Magomedov (RUS) returns to the rankings at #20. #4 J'den Cox (USA) was removed from the rankings as he cut back down to 92 KG, where he won world gold in 2018 and 2019 and is currently ranked 11th after a semifinal loss to #10 (92) Illia Archaia (UKR) at the Ziolkowski. 2019 world bronze medalist Magomedgadzhi Nurov (MKD) won the City of Sassari tournament. 125 KG Heavyweight saw the most movement it has out of the whole year, with a plethora of new and old faces returning and established top ten guys plummeting in the rankings. Starting off the month at the Ziolkowski, #7 Amir Zare (IRI) cautioned out US Olympic Trials runner-up, two-time world bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski (USA) for gold. Gwiazdowski made the finals with impressive wins over #4 Yusup Batimurzaev (KAZ) and Youssif Hemida (EGY). Now Hemida had beaten 2020 Iranian World Team Trials champion #8 Amin Taheri (IRI), who had taken bronze at the Asian championships after being upset by #13 Aiaal Lazarev (KGZ). Taheri beat Asian champion #3 Oleg Boltin (KAZ) in his opening round match. Now the Ziolkowski was the qualifier for Iran to decide who they would send to Tokyo and Zare got the spot. Now let's fast forward to the Ali Aliev semifinals, where #4 Yusup Batirmurzaev (KAZ) is taking on 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist #16 Zelimkhan Khizriev (RUS). Zelimkhan beat him 7-4 to make the finals, where he beat the brakes off 2018 U-23 European champion Kamil Kosciolek (POL) 18-8 for gold. Now having tied in the results for the USA, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Iran, let's break down how this caused the huge heavyweight shakeup. Zelimkhan Khizriev moved up eleven spots in the rankings to #11 for winning the Ali Aliyev and beating #4 Yusup Batirmurzaev (KAZ), who now sits at #9 behind Gwiazdowski and #8 Alan Khugaev (RUS). The reason Khizriev sits ahead of #6 Gable Steveson (USA), who tech falled Gwiazdowski in the Olympic Trials finals, is because Khizriev has a deeper international resume than Steveson with wins over Zhiwei Deng, Khamzat Khizriev, Yusup Batimurzaev, and Vitali Goloev to outdo Steveson's sole big international win over Gwiazdowski. Now having just talked about Steveson's big win over Gwiazdowski at Trials does put Steveson in the rankings at #6. And for the final part of the Gwiazdowski supply chain, Zare gets a bump based on his dominating win over Gwiazdowski plus his wins over #9 Yusup Batirmurzaev (KAZ) and #2 Geno Petriashvili (GEO). Now let's cover the other action at heavyweight. #8 Amin Taheri (IRI) falls twelve spots in the rankings to #20 for his loss to Youssif Hemida (EGY), who slots in at #19 for beating Taheri. Asian champion #3 Oleg Boltin (KAZ) plummets out of the rankings after losing in the opening round of the Ziolkowski to #19 Amin Taheri (IRI). Boltin also lost at the Ali Aliyev to runner-up Kamil Kosciolek (POL) and finished bronze. In other action, 2x Age group world champion Abbas Foroutanrami (IRI) won the Yasar Dogu title over U-23 European champion #14 Anil Killicsallyan (TUR) to take the #14 spot. and 2020 97 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Erik Dzhioev (RUS) won the Sassari City tournament title. Pound for Pound #1 Zaurbek Sidakov (RUS) won the 74 KG Sassari City tournament title. #2 Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) forfeited in the 97 KG Ali Aliev finals to 2016 Olympic bronze medalist #18 (97) Magomed Ibragimov (UZB). #3 Gadzhimurad Rashidov (RUS) won the 70 KG City of Sassari tournament title over 2016 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Ildous Giniyatullin (RUS). #15 J'den Cox (USA) was dropped from the pound-for-pound rankings for his upset loss to #10 (92) Illia Archaia (UKR) at the 92 KG Ziolkowski. Cox is currently ranked 11th at 92 kilograms. #16 Magomed Kurbanaliev (RUS) was removed from the pound for pound rankings after a semifinal upset loss to #15 (74) Saipulla Alibulatov (RUS). In the absence of Cox and Kurbanaliev, 2018 65 KG world champion Takuto Otoguro (JPN) and 2019 57 KG world runner-up Suleyman Atli (TUR) take the #24 and #25 spots.

New Stanford head coach Rob Koll (left) with new Cornell head coach Mike Grey (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) We're only one day away from the calendar turning over into July and there are still dozens of DI programs looking to fill coaching vacancies. Within the last week, InterMat has published a list documenting open positions and another detailing moves that have already been made this offseason. Since this list was compiled, Bucknell and Kent State, released postings looking for new staff members. This list is also not an "official" list because there are other schools with open positions that have yet to be posted by their respective athletic departments. Unfortunately, there are no records of open positions per day in years past to compare the current phenomenon against. This year just "feels" different, though. In speaking with head coaches who are handling these coaching searches, they have noticed the uptick in vacancies and the difficulty in which they've experienced filling said positions. So the question is, "Why are so many coaching positions still available right now?" There isn't a single answer to point to, but in talking to a variety of coaches, we've been able to identify three main points. 1) The Extra Year of Eligibility Whether it's right or wrong, wrestling has the sentiment that the most accomplished athletes will make the best coaches. Of course, this isn't always the case. That is a contrast to most other sports. Still, having a national championship or a bunch of DI All-American finishes on the resume gets your foot in the door. Maybe this will change at some point, but for now, it's still a thing. Wrestling is different in that you can compete one-on-one against legendary figures in your exact role and get a feel for what makes them great. A freshman quarterback doesn't get to clash with an NFL All-Pro QB to improve himself. A first-year collegiate pitcher isn't groomed by a pitching coach who tries to hit against them. So there is a lot of merit to butting heads with an Olympian or a multiple-time national champion everyday, compared to someone with lesser credentials. If you look at the list of open positions, you'll see that the bulk of them are for volunteer or graduate assistants. Who tends to fill those positions? Wrestlers fresh off of completing their collegiate careers. With the NCAA giving an extra year of eligibility to wrestlers active in the 2020-21 (which is a good thing), it does limit the pool of candidates to choose from among graduating seniors. The vast majority of senior All-Americans from 2021 have decided to use their extra year in 2021-22. While there are a few seniors that did not publicly state their intentions to return yet, many have. Only a few have announced that they will not use the free year. Of the returning All-Americans, only Louie Hayes (Virginia), Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State), Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider), Daniel Bullard (NC State), and Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State) have been ruled out. Out of the coaching changes made public, as of 6/30/21, only Dellavecchia was an active competitor during the 2020-21 season. The lack of top-flight seniors to choose from could end up having a positive impact once new coaching hires have been completed. Without coaches looking for the biggest superstar to hire, they may be forced to think outside of the box more and select a candidate with all the proper coaching intangibles, yet no national titles or AA finishes. For some, just getting their first opportunity is all they need. Once a head coach sees their value, they would be more likely to expand their coaching responsibilities, or it could lead to a more prominent position. Two Big Ten programs that announced new coaching hires this week have looked outside of the standard formula for finding new staff members. Indiana brought in four-time DIII national champion Riley Lefever as an assistant. Lefever has been a part of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club and has a ton of freestyle experience, so it seems like a wise move. But, with more DI All-Americans in the mix, would he have gotten that opportunity? Yesterday, Maryland announced Elijah Oliver as its volunteer assistant. Oliver was a four-time national qualifier for Indiana that finished up in 2019. By all accounts, Oliver is an excellent selection and will thrive with the young Terrapins. Does someone like him, who graduated two years ago, get lost in the mix in a typical year? Next year will be the one to watch, as far as the coaching movement goes. With two years' worth of seniors looking for jobs, competition will be hot and heavy. 2) The Accessibility of RTC's Within the last decade, Regional Training Centers (RTC) have become commonplace, which has proven to be an excellent development for wrestling at the Senior and collegiate levels. Before RTC's, the vast majority of wrestlers were forced to coach at the collegiate level, train for World/Olympic berths with low wages, or take up second jobs. Or maybe some combination of the three. RTC's have allowed wrestlers to focus on their international aspirations and train in environments conducive to their needs. Having such high-level athletes around also trickles down to the collegiate program. Even if the wrestlers aren't necessarily threatening on the domestic ladder, it still gives a team extra young, talented practice partners/unofficial coaches, if nothing else. So in years past, wrestlers didn't have that opportunity to train out of an RTC for a few years before moving into coaching or into a non-wrestling-related profession. Now that it's an option, many are pursuing that angle and why not? There are many of the perks associated with being a coach, without the actual responsibilities. RTC athletes aren't officially allowed to recruit. They don't have to work alongside the administration. While you'd ideally like for an RTC athlete to be a good role model and care about the student-athletes they work with, there is no responsibility for keeping up with their academics and such. While RTC's aren't responsible for taking away a significant part of the potential coaching population, it's a factor. 3) Covid Hiring Freezes One not-so-talked-about part of this equation is that there were plenty of schools that did not replace coaches that left after the 2019-20 season. Administrators were operating under budget crunches last summer and some teams were shorthanded last season. That has carried into this offseason and coaches are forced to deal with all of the competition for a smaller group of potential candidates. A few coaches I spoke with are just getting the "go ahead" from their bosses to make their hires and round out their staff. This shouldn't come as a surprise since many athletic departments, even in Power 5 Conferences, went through temporary layoffs or pay cuts to make it through 2020. If these schools were in the financial duress they claimed to be in, then hiring a second assistant for the wrestling team is sadly not a top priority. Especially when it was uncertain whether or not the schools would even compete. American University was one of these schools. Teague Moore did not have any assistant coaches due to the hiring freeze. Once the team parted ways with him during the season, they were forced to name Jason Grimes an interim coach. Since the school has hired Jason Borrelli. Nothing has been made public about Grimes' status; however, the team still has a few holes on the staff. Whether it's coincidental or not, the EIWA is a conference that has a lot of vacancies. Two or three on the AU staff, plus Brown, Bucknell, Cornell, Lehigh, and Penn. At least one other school in the conference has a vacancy that has yet to be announced publicly. Army West Point had an opening, but it was filled by Dellavecchia. Some of these vacancies could be filled by candidates currently coaching at other institutions, so as one is filled, others could open. Expect the coaching carousel to continue spinning into August!

Nick Suriano at the 2019 NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Ever since LeBron James and Chris Bosh decided to join Dwyane Wade on the Miami Heat, many NBA fans and pundits have called the current state of the league the “player empowerment era.” Obviously, college wrestling can't be a direct comparison, but the influx of transfers has allowed wrestlers to move around the country and find a spot that works for them. The transfer portal has not only had an effect on individual wrestlers, but this past season it had a pretty significant impact on the NCAA tournament team race. Iowa won their first national title since 2010 with a pair of transfers in the lineup. Those same transfers will need to contribute once again if the Hawkeyes hope to bring home another championship. The following looks at the highest NCAA tournament point scoring performances from wrestlers that previously transferred from the last five tournaments. 2021 Jaydin Eierman transferred to Iowa after three All-American seasons at Missouri. He redshirted his first season with the Hawkeyes, but entered the starting lineup this past season. Eierman won the Big Ten tournament and entered the NCAA championship with an undefeated record. On his way to the finals, he picked up bonus points in three of his four matches. Even though he came up short in the finals against Penn State's Nick Lee in sudden victory, he added 21.5 points to Iowa's team score. Eierman's total was tied for the seventh most with NCAA champions Aaron Brooks (Penn State) and AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State). If Iowa hopes to pick up another team title, they will likely need another strong performance from Eierman, who has already announced his return. 2019 After a true freshman season at Penn State, Nick Suriano returned to his home state and transferred to Rutgers. The New Jersey high school legend then became the first NCAA champion in program history as he bested Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) in a controversial sudden victory final. Suriano added 23 points to the total of the Scarlet Knights. Two weights later, his teammate Anthony Ashnault became the second NCAA champion in program history. Rutgers finished with 51.5 points, which was good enough for ninth place. After winning his title, Suriano took a redshirt to prepare for the Olympics. Unfortunately, he was eventually forced out of the Trials due to the Covid protocol. Suriano also sat out the 2021 season. In theory, he has a year remaining, but it is currently unknown if he will return to Rutgers, transfer to yet another school or walk away from college wrestling. 2018 Seth Gross started his career at Iowa before transferring to South Dakota State. While on the squad, he won an NCAA title at 133 pounds in 2018. He finished with 28 points, which was tied for third with fellow champions Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) and Michael Macchiavello (NC State). In the process, Gross became South Dakota State's first Division I NCAA champion and helped the Jackrabbits finish 12th with 42 team points. After his title, Gross had one more season of eligibility. He returned to South Dakota State but wrestled only one match before sitting out with an injury. Gross then qualified for another season and followed coach Chris Bono to Wisconsin. He went 27-2 during his final year, but never got a shot at a second title after the international pandemic led to the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA tournament. 2017 Gross was also the highest-scoring transfer during his sophomore season. He finished with 19.5 team points after making the finals of the 2017 NCAA tournament. There he faced off against former teammate Cory Clark in a match that was an instant classic. Gross' team point total was bolstered by a technical fall over Joseph Palmer (Oregon State) and a pair of major decisions over Eric Montoya (Nebraska) and Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State). 2016 Nick Gwiazdowski started his career at Binghamton before following coach Pat Popolizio south to North Carolina State. The accolades quickly followed as he won heavyweight NCAA titles as a sophomore and a junior. During his senior season, he was on a collision course with Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder, and the pair ultimately met in the NCAA finals. Eventually, Snyder won the match in sudden victory and denied Gwiazdowski his third NCAA title. Despite the runner-up finish, Gwiazdowski finished with 19.5 team points for the Wolfpack. His total was tied for 16th with Penn's Casey Kent. Transfers are more a part of collegiate wrestling than ever before. In some ways, the ability to attract high-quality transfers is nearly as important as signing top high school recruits for college coaches. Transfers were essential to Iowa's title run, and they will need to be again this year. During this past offseason, the Hawkeyes dipped into the transfer portal again to pick up former Northern Iowa wrestler Drew Bennett as well as Brennan Swafford, who wrestled last year for NAIA Graceland. Rival Penn State added former Cornell finalist Max Dean at 197 pounds, while Michigan added former Princeton All-American Patrick Brucki at the same weight. It remains to be seen who brings home the 2022 NCAA team title, but it does seem certain that the winning squad will receive significant contributions from a wrestler who previously transferred.

Chance Marteller with Cary Kolat (left) at the Olympic Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The Navy-Marine Corps Regional Training Center announced their latest addition on Tuesday as two-time Lock Haven All-American, Chance Marsteller, will join the team. The move reunites Marsteller with Navy head coach Cary Kolat, who coached Marsteller at the club level while in high school. Marsteller and Kolat are perhaps the two best high schooler's ever to come out of Pennsylvania. Both were undefeated four-time state champions. Chance was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the state tournament on three occasions. Following high school, Marsteller enrolled at Oklahoma State University and redshirted immediately. During the 2015-16 season, Marsteller competed at 157 lbs for the Cowboys, sputtered to a 6-5 record, and had difficulty maintaining the weight. He would later transfer to Lock Haven. Back home in Pennsylvania, Marsteller experienced a renaissance and qualified for the NCAA Championships both years competing for the Bald Eagles. He amassed a 72-7 record wrestling for Scott Moore's team and placed fourth at the 2018 NCAA Championships as a junior. As a senior, wrestling in Pennsylvania at the national tournament, Marsteller finished in third place at 165 lbs after defeating notables like Evan Wick (Wisconsin), top-seeded Alex Marinelli (Iowa), and Josh Shields (Arizona State). Wick was responsible for Chance's only defeat of the tournament. Since the conclusion of his collegiate career, Marsteller has been active on the Senior level in freestyle. Earlier this year, he emerged from a talented field at the Last Chance Qualifier to secure a berth at the Olympic Trials. Marsteller downed Alec Pantaleo and Vincenzo Joseph, among others, to lock up his spot in the 74 kg Trials. In Fort Worth, at the Olympic Trials, Marsteller was paired with Joseph in his opening match and won 3-3 on criteria. He was pinned by Wick in the next round, the quarterfinals, of the Challenge Tournament. While Marsteller did not fulfill his goal of becoming an Olympian in April, his brother, John Stefanowicz, made the Greco-Roman team at 87 kg. Stefanowicz trains as a member of the US Marine Corps. Chance has previously trained with the Lehigh Valley Athletic Club.

From left; Logan Stieber, Kyle Snyder, Zack Kemmerer, Jason Welch (Photos/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com) At the beginning of June, the dead period for DI recruiting was lifted and coaches were allowed to host recruits on campus or travel to make home visits. For most staffs, their attention shifted from the Class of 2021, to the rising seniors in 2022 or even the Class of 2023. With the renewed ability to focus on recruiting and projecting the collegiate careers of today's stud high schoolers, we've decided to look back at past recruiting lists to see how the elite recruits developed once in college. For purposes of this article, "elite recruits" will be considered the top-15 pound-for-pound wrestlers in a specific year. Not all years are created equal, some classes had a deeper talent pool than others, but this was an easy, uniform way to judge wrestlers from past classes against each other. Before a wrestler's collegiate career begins, it's easy to proclaim that they'll be "at least" a two or three-time NCAA champion, "easily" a four-time All-American. But, how often does that become a reality? Even amongst wrestlers that were head-and-shoulders above their respective senior classes. As we dig into it, the answers vary, but there are fewer than you'd think that go on to super-stardom (on the mat, at least). This article will track wrestlers from the 2005-2015 recruiting classes. Why, you ask? There are very few concrete recruiting rankings available before the 2004-05 school year. And anything after 2015, will include a bunch of wrestlers with collegiate eligibility remaining. Even so, there is a smattering of wrestlers from the Class of 2015, still competing in college. Those wrestlers have been denoted and highlighted in italics. Each wrestler has been grouped into ten categories based on their collegiate results. 1) Four-time NCAA Champions. 2) Two/Three-time NCAA Champions. 3) One-time NCAA Champions. 4) Four-time All-Americans (w/ no titles). 5) Two/Three-time All-Americans. 6) One-time All-Americans. 7) Four-time NCAA Qualifiers (never All-Americans). 8) Two/Three-time NCAA Qualifiers. 9) One-time NCAA Qualifiers. 10) Never Qualified for the DI National Tournament. The results may be surprising as to which group has more members than the others. Four-time NCAA Champions. This one is self-explanatory. The only information you may not realize was their recruiting ranking. Multiple-time NCAA Champions. I think it's interesting that this list is longer than the next list. It's probably a product of our era of wrestling. More kids come into the collegiate level well-equipped for success and more ready to win multiple titles. One-time NCAA Champions. It's pretty remarkable that four members of this list won titles as freshmen (Schlatter, Tsirtsis, Tomasello, and Martin). Again, a testament to the competition in this era and how difficult it is to "just" win one. Everyone here earned All-American honors at least three times. Four-time All-Americans (w/ no titles). All of these wrestlers competed in the Big Ten. I'm not sure if that correlates or is relevant to anything. Also, three are from Minnesota. Two/Three-time All-Americans (w/ no titles). This group encompasses a large segment of the population. Almost everyone on the list was a title threat throughout their entire careers and could have won once with a break or two. One-time All-Americans (w/ no titles). There are a handful of wrestlers mentioned here that dealt with a bevy of injuries that didn't allow them to be in top form for each crack at the NCAA Tournament. Four-time NCAA Qualifiers (never All-Americans). We'll take the time to mention here, actual NCAA placements were only counted here. Taylor Lujan was the top-seed at the canceled 2020 national tournament and likely would have found a place within the top-eight. Aside from the GOATs (Dake/Stieber), this group is the smallest of the bunch. It sort of makes sense. There aren't many guys that stuck it out through four (or five) years of DI competition and performed at a solid level, despite having sky-high expectations. Again, with this group, there are plenty that were banged up at the big show. Two/Three-time NCAA Qualifiers (never All-Americans). This group has the most transfers of the bunch. That makes sense, as maybe they needed a fresh start to experience some success. Many on this list did. Also, if you go, man-for-man, down the list, you'll find that most had at least a postseason (or two) wiped away due to significant injuries. Some even had careers cut short. One-time NCAA Qualifiers (never All-Americans). What an interesting group here! There's not one blanket statement to be made about this cast. Many did not have the full four years of competition in college. Never Made the DI National Tournament. It's pretty amazing that this is the largest group. A few disclaimers. You'll see Henry Cejudo's name on the list. He never went to wrestle in college, but focused on the Senior-level and won the Olympics only two years later. He made the right choice, for him. Others, mainly Joey Davis, Deron Winn, Destin McCauley, all had a lot of success at the non-DI level. It may not be suitable to lump them in with this group. Jake Deitchler also made the 2008 Olympic team in Greco-Roman. Concussions prevented his collegiate career from ever getting off the ground, but his career was very successful, in his own right. For the rest of the wrestlers on this list, there's any number of reasons why they didn't have a similar amount of success compared to the high school level. Many suffered injuries. Others had issues in the classroom or from a discipline standpoint. Some, just found college wrestling is really tough. I'd like to see if this feature is different ten years from now. Some of the earlier recruiting classes were based on much less information than is available now. There are more national-level high school tournaments for wrestlers to participate in and either shine or see their ranking drop. For those that really study the recruiting process, the advent of social media could make it easier to determine if off-the-mat issues will rear their ugly head, too. Also, with the transfer portal available, maybe it's easier for recruits to get out of a situation that's less-than-ideal, which could translate to more success on the mat. But, the big takeaway is success is not guaranteed at the collegiate level, even if you have a fancy resume coming into school. There are plenty of wrestlers not on this list and wrestled during this time period that went on to have outstanding careers. Multiple-time NCAA champions Jordan Burroughs, Kellen Russell, Tony Nelson, Jesse Delgado, and Nick Gwiazdowski are just a few examples.