InterMat Staff

Abdulrashid Sadulaev after winning a gold medal at the 2019 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The Individual World Cup wraps up today in Belgrade with the freestyle finals, including 97 kilograms where Abdulrashid Sadulaev looks to continue his three-year winning streak. No wrestler has continued to capture the imagination of the international wrestling community more than Sadulaev. From that first steam rolling of the competition at the 2013 Cadet World Championships, to the first senior world title in 2014, and even the 2017 loss to Kyle Snyder, there is no wrestler in the world that is more admired, pursued, discussed, respected, emulated, and sought after than the Russian captain. Americans want to see Sadulaev beaten. Maybe by J'den Cox, maybe Kyle Snyder, but the aim of fans is to have the Stars and Stripes upend arguably the best wrestler of the past ten years. That type of singular focus by the United States media and fans on an exalted athlete is what could make the 2021 Tokyo Games the most watched wrestling event in history. Those lofty expectations come with an assumption that the United States puts its 97-kilogram representative into the Olympic finals against Sadualev. But should it happen the broader international media won't hesitate to make the matchup a marquee event for that day of the Olympic Games. We've seen this before. When Rulon faced Karelin at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney the media was in attendance. The IOC president was even in the audience. The match wasn't meant to be a Miracle on Ice Olympic redux; rather a coronation of Alexander Karelin, who over 13 years had gone unscathed on the mats, as the greatest wrestler who ever lived. That moment was vanquished by an antiquated rule set and a rotund midwestern belly, but gave rise to the now most-fabled moment in wrestling's long history. For the wrestling purist the Karelin loss didn't sit well. The Soviet-then-Russian wrestler was beyond anything we'd seen before: strong, intelligent, and fierce. His posters were in the workout rooms of Americans and his Sports Illustrated articles read over-and-over again. I know of one wrestler who'd named his mother's dog "Karelin." That mismatch and outcome won't be what is drawing eyes to a potential USA vs. Sadulaev matchup. The draw is the intrigue that the sport has built around these characters and how their story has developed in front of our eyes like no other story in wrestling history. Just think, every match Sadulaev has wrestled is on video, as is every match from Snyder and Cox. There are no dark spots or unknown results. The clarity of their story and the detail in which it can be told can be molded for a variety of audiences, bringing in those quadrennial crowds that make our sport one of the most discussed at each Games. The ecosystem created around wrestling has worked to create stars and provide easy access points to fans around the world. When I started working with then-FILA in 2013 we had 5,000 Facebook fans, no streaming, and zero impact on the sports landscape. This week, IOC president Thomas Bach said United World Wrestling was the seventh-best international federation in sports. The media probably plays a small role in that, but I think it's important. The ranking by the IOC shows that we will be part of the Olympic program for as long as we'd like to continue to tell stories, innovate, provide equal opportunities and develop the sport in new regions. So, when you're watching Sadulaev in today's finals think about all of that. How far we've come, where we can go, and the feeling you'll be experiencing when next summer an American beats "The Tank" on the biggest sporting stage in the world with tens of millions of eyeballs ooh'ing and aww'ing the whole time. To your questions … Q: 57 kilograms in the United States seems pretty balanced. Seth Gross defeated Thomas Gilman Wednesday night. Vito looked great at the RTC Cup. Spencer Lee and Daton Fix are there and possibly Joe Colon. If you had to predict now, who will wrestle for the Olympic spot? -- Mike C. Foley: I agree. The depth, especially when you focus on their battles with each other, makes 57 kilograms one of the most intriguing weights in the United States. Let me throw a little cold water on the discussion of the weight. Unless the United States representative does something at the Ranking Series event in Poland, or another international event prior, whomever is sent won't be a heavy favorite to medal. There are a lot of talented 57-kilogram wrestlers in the world right now, with Zaur Uguev head-and-shoulders above them all. While I think that Daton, Spencer, and to a lesser extent Vito, could make waves at the Olympics they are far from being an outright medal contender. Again, that's unless the representative who emerges also scores some significant international wins before July. I feel like I have a bias, but for my money Spencer Lee is the most likely to win the spot, represent the United States, and medal at the Olympic Games. He's a generational talent and though he's been off the mats for a bit he's well-equipped to win the weight here at home. Only caveat to that is the growth of Vito as evidenced by his outstanding wins at the RTC Cup. Should he keep up the progression, and the seeding separates them, I'd expect a final between Vito and Spencer. Q: What do you make of the match at the NLWC event between RBY and UFC fighter Aljamain Sterling? Six minutes of wrestling and three minutes of BJJ. With Sterling having a big following, it seems like a good way to bring more attention to wrestling. -- Mike C. Foley: The mixed-style events are always an interest to fans, but like watching a pit bull fight a puma there is something that always feels icky about the scene. The matchup -- unless there is something I'm not aware of -- pits RBY (who doesn't know any jiu-jitsu) against Sterling (who is a black belt) for three minutes. Are there rule considerations? No heel hooks or chokes? No submissions at all? While Sterling isn't a top-flight jiu-jitsu competitor he is a fantastic fighter and the black belt would indicate a higher-than-average competency on the mat. Sterling should have little issue finding a submission. In the wrestling portion, I'm sure it'll be a nice RBY victory not unlike we saw when Caldwell stepped on the mat against Luke Pletcher. There might be flashes, but otherwise it shouldn't be a tightly competed match. As for attention … sure. Sterling is a big name, but I think wrestling has progressed past the point of always needing sideshow events to draw in new fans. We do perfectly fine building on our core audience and retaining them with solid production values and quality, meaningful matchups. Chasing the outliers gives us a false sense that their money and attention is more valuable than our own, and that's not the case. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME He's not easy on the eyes, but Eric Olanowski is crushing these recaps Uguev is no joke Destribas won … Q: What do you think of Russia's doping ban being reduced from four years to two years? What does this mean for international wrestling? -- Mike C. Foley: There is far too much political entanglement to the story of Russia, doping, and the Olympic Games for me to give you an answer that would be somehow more enlightening than what was already put online by CAS and investigators. In short, they seemed to have cheated but have made changes to their anti-doping programs and a two Olympic Games ban was deemed bad enough. After reviewing the case, CAS halved the number of years. There isn't much impact on international wrestling outside of not having to hear the Russian anthem after each gold medal. Truthfully, I think that stings for the athletes who feel national pride in what they have achieved. The wrestlers will still compete, but with no national representation it must be under a neutral flag. The only decision to be determined is whether or not the 2022 World Championships will still be held in Krasnoyarsk. I don't think that has been sorted since it was awarded prior to the announcement of the investigations. Watch the UWW homepage for announcements when its made clear by the IOC what needs to occur. Q: Were you surprised Yoel Romero was cut by the UFC? Bellator picked him up. -- Mike C. Foley: No. The UFC goes through a mass culling four-times a year and Yoel, while explosive and fun to watch, is long in the tooth and wasn't lining up for another championship run. Bellator's lineup is exciting and he'll have plenty of opportunity for good money matchups and a place for him to showcase his full talent. I'd always had the impression that Yoel was given the opportunities but wasn't able to fully match the moment. Maybe in Bellator he'll have less pressure and find big victories that eluded him in the Octagon. Love Yoel and hope to see him fight many more times.

Jordan Oliver gets in on a shot on Bajrang Punia at the Matteo Pelicone in Rome (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) FloWrestling will host its second 8-Man Challenge on Friday. This time, it will be for competitors 150 pounds and under. The field features multiple world medalists as well as some of the top domestic wrestlers. The following is a match-by-match preview of the opening round and projection for the following rounds of the tournament. Bajrang Punia vs. Pat Lugo Bajrang is a three-time world medalist who represents his native India in international competition. In the most recent World Championships, he brought home a bronze medal in the 65-kilogram division. Bajrang defeated Krzystzof Bienkowski, David Habat and Son Jong-choi before falling in the semifinals to eventual silver medalist Daulet Niyazbekov from Kazakhstan. Over the years, Bajrang has faced off against multiple American wrestlers and holds wins over the likes of Zain Ratherford, Joey McKenna and Jordan Oliver. Regardless of how this tournament plays out, Bajrang already has his next date booked. He will face off against Zain Retherford on the Dec. 22 NLWC show. Lugo was certainly a contender for the NCAA title at 149 pounds last year before the cancellation of the NCAA tournament. He had a 21-1 record on the season and won the Big Ten title. In the finals of that tournament, he avenged his only loss of the season against Sammy Sasso. During the year, he also knocked off the likes of Brayton Lee, Jarrett Degen and Austin O'Connor. Since the end of the folkstyle season, Lugo has picked up a pair of high profile domestic freestyle victories. First he defeated Luke Pletcher with a one-sided 5-0 victory. Lugo then returned on the debut HWC Showdown Open show and defeated Matt Kolodzik via a 7-2 score. Bajrang really excels at turning an opponent's leg attacks into points. Even if Lugo is able to clear hands and get to his leg attacks, he may struggle if he gets caught up in scrambles. Look for this one to start out at a slow pace before Bajrang starts winning exchanges and taking the bout. Prediction: Bajrang VPO1 over Lugo Evan Henderson vs. Anthony Ashnault Henderson has had a very strong 2020 season so far. Back in January, he brought home a bronze medal from the Henri Deglane tournament in France. Henderson then returned to action for the 2020 Senior Nationals and made a somewhat surprising run to the finals. Along the way, he scored victories over Dayne Morton, Doug Zapf, Ian Parker, Rob Mathers and Jaydin Eierman before ultimately coming up short against Andrew Alirez in the finals. The two-time All-American at North Carolina then took an 8-3 victory over Anthony Echemendia on the undercard of the Jordan Burroughs vs. Zahid Valencia card. Ashnault bounced back from an injury suffered at the 2019 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament this year. He entered the Pan American Championships back in March and won the tournament. In his four matches, Ashnault scored three falls and a 12-2 technical superiority. He was set to return to action this summer, but he pulled out of a match with another injury. The former NCAA champion for Rutgers is reportedly healed and ready to go for this tournament. This should be an interesting contrast of styles. If Ashnault is able to create distance and score takedowns from the outside, he should be able to take this one. However, Henderson does well when he is able to get to the ties and muck up the bout. If he can get his hands on Ashnault, he should be able to make it his match and take it. Prediction: Ashnault VPO1 over Henderson Jordan Oliver vs. Alec Pantaleo After an eventful 2019, Oliver has only wrestled in a few events this year. He began 2020 with a silver medal performance at the Matteo Pellicone. At the event, Oliver outscored his first three events by a combined 21-0 score before running into Bajrang in the finals. Oliver's only other action came at the Rumble on the Rooftop card where he dropped a lackluster match against Jason Nolf. During the 2019 year, the former NCAA champion won medals at the Dan Kolov0Nikola Petrov tournament, Bill Farrell Memorial and Senior Nationals. In his first full post-college year, Pantaleo has been active on the domestic freestyle circuit. The three-time All-American for Michigan faced off against Zain Retherford on the debut NLWC show back in September. It was a close match, but the former Penn State wrestler took a 3-2 decision. Pantaleo returned earlier this month for the RTC Cup. He won all four of his matches at the event as he bested Kevin Jack, Brayton Lee, Tariq Wilson and Matthew Kolodzik, and his team, the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club, won the event. Pantaleo's frame and style makes him very hard to score against in freestyle. He holds stance very well, and wrestlers have trouble getting under him. With that being said, Oliver mixes up his leg attacks well and scores against even the best at this weight. This one might be close, but in the end Oliver will be the aggressor. That should be enough to escape with a victory. Prediction: Oliver VPO1 over Pantaleo Bryce Meredith vs. James Green Meredith finished his collegiate wrestling career in 2018 as a three-time All-American and two-time finalist, but that has not stopped him from challenging some top college wrestlers this year. He began the year with a match against incoming Penn State freshman Beau Barlett on the second NLWC show. Meredith took the match 8-6. The former Wyoming wrestler then returned at the HWC Showdown Open show and defeated Iowa All-American Austin DeSanto via an 11-3 score. Meredith then took a step up in competition and dropped a bout back-and-forth bout against Seth Gross on the debut WRTC Underground show. Green also challenged a top current college star as he faced off against Alex Marinelli on the HWC show. While the bout was close at time, Green exploded for a four-point move and took the bout 5-4. The two-time world medalist then joined the combined NJRTC/SERTC team for the RTC Cup. Green went 2-2 at the event with wins over Brayton Lee and Anthony Echemendia as well as a pair of losses against Yianni Diakomihalis. Meredith is adapting his scrambling folkstyle tactics to freestyle. At times this helps him score points during odd exchanges. However, it might get him into trouble against Green. The veteran has the experience on the freestyle circuit and has shown he can finish his takedowns while avoiding scrambles. Look for Green to be in the driver's seat throughout this match. Prediction: Green VSU over Meredith Projected Semifinals Bajrang Punia vs. Evan Henderson This should be an interesting semifinal. Unfortunately for Henderson, his best path to victory seems to play into Bajrang's game. If Henderson is able to muck it up and create scramble situations, he may end up giving up a fair share of points to Bajrang. This one could be closer than most expect, but Bajrang should be able to take it. Prediction: Bajrang VPO1 over Henderson Jordan Oliver vs. James Green Considering Green is moving down to 65 kilograms for the Trials, this could be a preview of a key match on the path to the Olympic team. With that being said, Green has never really looked like himself cutting this far down in weight. Even at the RTC Cup, which had an allowance, he did not appear to be in peak form. Green's saving grace here is that Oliver does not always push the pace. However, he could control the pace and turn this into a one-move match. Prediction: Oliver VPO1 over Green Projected Finals Bajrang Punia vs. Jordan Oliver These two have met previously with their most recent encounter coming at the Matteo Pellicone. In that bout, Oliver was able to score the first points and close the gap. Unfortunately for him, Bajrang kept coming with his attacks. He ended up scoring on a counter off an Oliver shot and held on to win. Oliver will need to keep attacking for six minutes to win this one, and it will hard to keep that pace against someone as active as Bajrang. Prediction: Bajrang VPO1 over Oliver

Seth Gross edged Thomas Gilman in the main event of WRTC Underground 2 (Photo/Stacy Schiesl Photography) Another exciting of wrestling, featuring top senior-level and college athletes, produced an entertaining night of competition. Wisconsin RTC Underground 2 was held on Wednesday and was broadcast live on Rokfin. A full card of competition was contested, with competition for both men and women. An undercard of youth bouts was followed by the main card. The main event featured a battle between world silver medalist Thomas Gilman and NCAA champion Seth Gross. The match ended up deadlocked 4-4 with Gross prevailing on criteria. That was among many hard-fought, competitive matches on a fun night of wrestling. Here is a recap of Wednesday night's event: 182: Graham Calhoun dec. Tanner Mendoza, 12-10 Calhoun charged out aggressively in a battle of top young wrestlers. Mendoza fought back before Calhoun took charge with a series of turns to lead 11-4 after a wild first period. Mendoza rattled off six straight points to close within 11-10, but Calhoun added a late point to win 12-10. It was an action-packed opening match between two guys who pushed the pace. It was a great way to open the evening. 150: Dresden Simon tech. Aiden Medora, 12-1 Medora powered in for the opening takedown to lead 2-0 in the first minute. Simon turned Medora to his back and then scored on a succession of turns to finish a quick 12-1 tech. That was an impressive showing by Simon in a dominating performance. Katelynn Gunderson tech. Mateah Roehl, 15-4 Roehl came out with a pair of quick attacks to take a 4-0 lead. Gunderson came right back, hitting a four-point move to lead 5-4. Gunderson executed a four-point throw just before time ran out to lead 11-4 after one period. Gunderson shot in for a takedown and followed with a leg lace to win 15-4. It was a strong showing by Gunderson after she fell behind early in the bout. 150: Joey Bianchi dec. Joe Zargo, 12-4 Biachi and Zargo let it fly and battled in a high-scoring match. Bianchi went up 9-4 early in the second period with an aggressive attack. Bianchi added a pushout to lead 10-4 with a minute to go. Bianchi looked impressive with his re-shots. He added a late takedown on a counter in the final seconds to prevail 12-4. That was an entertaining match to watch. 197: Chris Weiler pinned Kobe Woods This was an interesting match to watch between a pair of veteran college wrestlers. Weiler, who transferred from Lehigh to Wisconsin, battled a Wartburg College standout in Woods. Weiler struck first with an early pushout on a counter. Woods turned Weiler to his back briefly before Weiler came right back to lead 4-2. Weiler then locked up a cradle to record the fall midway through the first period. Weiler looked strong against a quality opponent. 135: Paul Bianchi dec. Kyle Burwick, 10-5 Bianchi struck first, scoring an early takedown. Bianchi is an impressive looking young wrestler. He finished a takedown off a single-leg shot late in the first period to lead 6-1. Burwick fired in strong right off the whistle to start the second period. He scored a takedown and turn to draw within 6-5. These matches continue to be excellent with plenty of action. Bianchi responded with a takedown to lead 8-4 with just over two minutes left. Bianchi continued to attack, converting a single into a takedown to lead 10-5 with a minute to go. Great showing by Bianchi. He's a tough wrestler. The Bianchi brothers went 2-0 on Wednesday. 130: Drew Hildebrandt dec. Eric Barnett, 10-4 This was another bout that fans were looking forward to with a pair of top-level lightweights. Hildebrandt has excelled at Central Michigan and he struck early for a takedown. Hildebrandt followed with another blast double to lead 4-0 at the break. Hildebrandt spun behind with a slick maneuver to lead 6-0 with two minutes left. Barnett came right back to score a takedown and turn near the edge to move within 6-4 with 1:25 left. This is another awesome bout to watch. The explosive Hildebrandt powered back with a leg attack to lead 8-4 with a minute left. Hildebrandt looked very sharp in earning a 10-4 victory over a tough foe. 145: Kylie Welker tech. Amor Tuttle, 10-0 Welker powered out to quick 4-0 lead with a takedown and turn against a strong young opponent in Tuttle. Welker is an excellent prospect and it showed. Welker spun behind for a takedown to lead 6-0. She followed with a gut-wrench and then another to earn a quick 10-0 win. It's going to be interesting to see how Welker fares moving forward. She's a gifted young wrestler. 132: Ronna Heaton dec. Koral Sugiyama, 10-7 This was another matchup that fans were interested in seeing. Heaton, a Cadet world champion, was headlocked early and trailed 4-0 against Sugiyama. Heaton came back with a single-leg attack and finish to draw within 5-3. Heaton followed with another textbook single and finish to even the match 5-5 after one period. Heaton took her first lead on a pushout early in the second period. She continued to attack, scoring a takedown to lead 8-5. This was another match where the athletes didn't hold back. Sugiyama came back with a pushout to draw within 8-6 with 30 seconds left. Heaton won a late scramble to earn a takedown for a 10-7 victory. That was a heck of a match between two good wrestlers. 173: Evan Wick tech. Kennedy Monday, 16-5 Monday fired in on a quick single to lead 1-0 on a stepout. Monday followed with a leg attack and takedown to take a 3-0 lead over Wick, a three-time All-American for Wisconsin. Down 5-0, Wick countered with a leg attack and turn to climb within a point of Monday. Wick continued the momentum, scoring a pair of takedowns to lead 8-5 early in the second period. Wick kept pouring it on, finishing with a turn to win 16-5. He scored 16 unanswered points after falling behind early. Wick continues to make improvements and looked superb against Monday. 114: Erin Golston dec. Maria Vidales, 7-1 Golston, a veteran on the Senior level, shot in to score a quick takedown. She followed by winning a scramble to earn a second TD and lead 4-0. Vidales stayed in the match and was within 4-1 early in the second period. Golston came back to take a 5-1 lead midway through the period before adding a late takedown to win 7-1. Golston prevailed over a worthy opponent in women's freestyle. Seth Gross defends a shot from Thomas Gilman (Photo/Stacy Schiesl Photography) 132: Seth Gross dec. Thomas Gilman, 4-4 The featured match promised to be a great battle between two outstanding wrestlers. Gilman opened the scoring with a single and stepout to lead 1-0. Gilman was the aggressor and was in on a handful of shots, but only led 1-0 at the break. Gross countered a shot for a takedown to lead 2-1 with just over two minutes left. Gross countered a shot with a turn for exposure to lead 4-2. Gilman fired back with a single and stepout to draw within 4-3 with 1:09 left. Gilman tied it 4-4 on a pushout with 30 seconds left. Gross held criteria at this point. Gilman may have had a pushout with 12 seconds left, but it was not awarded and Gross prevailed 4-4 on criteria. The match was at 132 pounds, nearly seven pounds above the international weight class of 57 kilograms they would meet at in the Olympic Trials. It will be interesting to see what happens if they meet again in the spring. Final word I've watched a number of these events and this may have been the best that I have seen in terms of action. The wrestlers really got after it in every match and it was an enjoyable night of wrestling. Kudos to everyone involved who put this on. Great job by veteran Joe Miller on the broadcast. He did a great job keeping us informed and he is someone who is very knowledgeable about the sport. Following the event, Wisconsin head wrestling coach Chris Bono tweeted that WRTC Underground 3 will take place Jan. 20. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games, written 10 books and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

Thomas Gilman wrestling at the Pan American Olympic Qualifier (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The Wisconsin RTC is back with their second event on Rokfin. WRTC Underground 2 features a main event between NCAA champion Seth Gross and world silver medalist Thomas Gilman. The rest of the card features some interesting tests for the members of the WRTC as well as the Wisconsin team. The following is a match-by-match preview of the show, which takes place Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. Graham Calhoun vs. Tanner Mendoza Calhoun signed with Wisconsin back in November 2019, and it appears as if he could be taking a gap year and spending this year with the Badger RTC since he does not appear on the official roster. At the high school level, he was a two-time state placer in Indiana and finished his career with a 133-9 record. Calhoun recently competed at Junior Nationals at 79 kilograms where he dropped a pair of matches against Jaden Bullock and Gage Hockett. Mendoza will be a true freshman for Arkansas Little Rock this upcoming season. The former high school student at Valiant College Prep was an Arizona state champion and won NHSCA nationals as a junior. Like Calhoun, Mendoza also wrestled at 79 kilograms in the recent Junior Nationals. He went 3-2 on the day with all three of his victories coming by way of match termination. His run through the consolation bracket came to an end with a one-point loss against Penn starter Neil Antrassian. Based on their finishes alone at Junior Nationals, Mendoza should be the favorite in this match. He showed an interesting mix of clean takedowns and freestyle-specific scoring techniques in the tournament, and that should be enough to take the victory here. Prediction: Mendoza VPO1 over Calhoun Dresden Simon vs. Aidan Medora Simon has one year of eligibility remaining at Central Michigan. This past season, he went 29-8 and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time. During the year, Simon picked up victories over the likes of Kyle Shoop (Lehigh), Michael Blockus (Northern Iowa), Carter Happel (Iowa) and Grant Leeth (Missouri). He culminated the season with a title at the MAC tournament. After the season, the NWCA awarded Simon with second-team All-American honors. Medora is a new addition to the Wisconsin program. He was a two-time state champion in Wisconsin who finished his high school career with a 105-4 record. Medora finished second at Fargo in 2017 at the cadet level. He recently competed at the Junior Nationals and went 3-2 with victories over Danny Fongaro, Austin Keal and Cade Schmitz. This will likely be a tough test for Wisconsin's true freshman. Simon clearly took a step forward this past season, and his All-American finish reflects that progress. He does a good job of holding his stances and moved even the toughest wrestlers he faced in the ties. That will likely be too much for the young wrestler to contend with. Prediction: Simon VPO1 over Medora Mateah Roehl vs. Katelynn Gunderson Roehl will be the freshman at North Central this upcoming season. The Wisconsin native wrestled on the high school level at Johnson Creek. In 2017, she entered Folkstyle Nationals and pulled out a sixth-place finish after coming up short against Lizette Rodriguez in the fifth-place match. Last year, she wrestled at Fargo in the 122-pound division. She went 3-2 with two match-termination wins but failed to place. Gunderson wrestles collegiately for Lakeland. She sat out her first season on campus with an injury but returned to the starting lineup last year. Gunderson finished fourth at the North Central College Open, which was her best finish of the year. She represented the Muskies at the 2020 WCWA Nationals, but she went 2-2 and failed to place. This is a match that could easily be a preview for the upcoming season. Gunderson has the experience on the college level, and that might end up being the difference in this contest. Prediction: Gunderson VPO1 over Roehl Pete Christensen vs. Jake Rau Christensen is expected to step into a starting role for Wisconsin at 197 pounds this year. Last season, he went 8-9 as a true freshman and started in three duals. He returned to freestyle for the first time since 2018 on the debut WRTC Underground show. For the event, he moved up to heavyweight on late notice to wrestle Danny Chaid. Christensen scored some early points, but Chaid took over and finished the bout 14-4. Rau is a two-time Wisconsin state champion who will begin his collegiate career at Itasca Community College. During his senior year at 220 pounds, he went 38-2 and finished his career with 139 total victories. Look for Christensen to be the favorite in this match after filling as the underdog in his last match. Rau might have a bit of a size advantage against the 197 pounder, but Christensen's experience on the college level should widen the gap in this one. Prediction: Christensen VPO1 over Rau Joe Zargo vs. Joey Bianchi Like Calhoun, Zargo might be using this season as a sort of gap year since he signed with Wisconsin but is not listed on their roster. He signed with Wisconsin as a highly ranked recruit out of Bergen Catholic. Before the first WRTC Underground show, he went 4-2 at Junior Nationals. On the show, he scored a quick 10-0 victory over NC State's Hunter Lewis. Bianchi joined his older brother at Arkansas Little Rock this past season. He redshirted and went 4-5 on the year, and he was the runner-up at the season opening Oklahoma City Open. On the high school level, Bianchi finished fourth at Fargo in Greco back in 2018. He recently entered the 2020 Junior Nationals in freestyle and went 3-2. These two actually met at Junior Nationals. In that match, Bianchi managed to make it to the second period. However, Zargo was dominant throughout and took it via a 13-2 score. Look for Zargo to be just as dominant in this second meeting. Prediction: Zargo VSU over Bianchi Chris Weiler vs. Kobe Woods Weiler was a two-time NCAA qualifier for Lehigh. Following this past season, the NWCA awarded him with third-team All-American honors. Over the offseason, he transferred to Wisconsin for his final year. The 184-pounder went 17-7 last season with key wins over Cade Belshay (Arizona State), Tanner Harvey (American) and Louie DePrez (Binghamton). He is expected to hold down the 184-pound spot for the Badgers this year. Woods spent his first two years of college wrestling at Purdue before transferring to Wartburg before the 2018-2019 season. This past year Woods went 18-7 as the 197-pound starter for the Division III powerhouse. He has one season of college eligibility remaining. At the high school level, Woods was an Indiana state champion and made the finals of the 2015 Cadet World Team Trials. He recently entered U23 Nationals and wrestled his way to a fourth-place finish. Despite the fact that Woods has always seemed to have better results in freestyle, Weiler should be the favorite in this match. Woods went 0-2 against Division I competition last season, and Weiler appeared to be competitive against some of the top wrestlers at his weight. Prediction: Weiler VPO1 over Woods Kyle Burwick vs. Paul Bianchi Burwick redshirted last season for Wisconsin. He went 16-6 on the year and picked up key wins over Minnesota's Boo Dryden and Rutgers' Malcolm Robinson. On the high school level, Burwick finished his career as the top-ranked wrestler at 126 pounds with a 293-18 record. The North Dakota native was also a five-time state champion. Burwick recently competed at Junior Nationals. He made the quarterfinals before dropping an 8-8 match on criteria against No. 3-ranked high school junior Jesse Mendez. After three seasons at North Dakota State, Bianchi joined Little Rock for their first season on the mats. Last year, he went 13-7 in his first year up at 133 pounds and picked up key victories over Dryden and Jamie Hernandez (North Carolina). Bianchi ended his season with a second-place finish at the Pac-12 tournament. This should be an interesting match between a former North Dakota prep and a former North Dakota State competitor. Burwick is expected to enter the starting lineup for Wisconsin this year, and this match could say a lot about his prospects going forward. He had some strong performances during his redshirt season, but he will be facing wrestlers on Bianchi's level on the regular as a starter in the Big Ten. Look for Burwick to pull out the victory here, but the veteran will not make it easy on him. Prediction: Burwick VPO1 over Bianchi Eric Barnett vs. Drew Hildebrandt Barnett started as a true freshman this past season for Wisconsin. He finished with a 21-11 record highlighted by wins over Alex Thomsen (Nebraska), Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) and Christian Moody (Oklahoma). As a prep, Barnett finished with a 185-3 record and was a Fargo champion. This past season Hildebrandt qualified for the NCAA tournament for the second time. He finished the year 31-3 and won the MAC tournament. After the Midlands Tournament, he did not lose another match and finished the year on a 12-match winning streak including wins over Logan Heil (Cleveland State), Cameron Valdiviez (Missouri) and Killian Cardinale (Old Dominion). Following the year, the NCWA awarded Hildebrandt with first-team All-American honors. The two met this past season at the Midlands. In that meeting, Hildebrandt won a solid 9-4 victory. Barnett scored the first takedown of the match, but the Central Michigan representative really took over after that. Despite that result, expect this confrontation to be closer. Hildebrandt does a lot of his best work from the top position. He still scored from neutral in their first meeting, but a takedown contest will be a tighter affair. Prediction: Hildebrandt VPO1 over Barnett Kylie Welker vs. Amor Tuttle Welker had quite the year in 2019. She won the Cadet Women's Nationals in May to earn a spot on the world team. She then brought home a bronze medal from the Cadet World Championships with a 59-second fall over Uzbekistan's Laylokhon Sobirova in the bronze-medal match. Welker moved up the junior level this year and finished second at Junior Nationals last month. She defeated her first three opponents by a combined 32-0 before running into multiple-time world medalist Macey Kilty in the finals. Tuttle is a two-time Fargo placer. In 2019, she finished fifth after defeating Sydney Harper in the fifth-place match. The Minnesota native entered both U23 and Junior Nationals last month. Somewhat surprisingly, she won a bronze medal in the U23 bracket despite an eighth-place finish on the junior level. In the U23 tournament, Tuttle picked up victories over Brianna Csontos and Skie Rice. Despite Tutte's finish at U23 Nationals, Welker remains a strong favorite in this match. She has proven herself to be one of the top high school wrestlers in the country, and she will get the opportunity to show it in this bout. Prediction: Welker VSU over Tuttle Ronna Heaton vs. Koral Sugiyama Heaton comes into this match with a lot of momentum. She finished second at the 2020 Senior Nationals after coming up short against Katherine Shai. Heaton then entered the U23 Nationals and ran the table on the way to the tournament title. Along the way, she defeated Anja Tschohi, Tiare Ikei and Cheyenne Sisenstein. Heaton is also a two-time cadet world medalist after winning gold in 2015 and silver in 2016. Sugiyama finished her collegiate career at Campbellsville in 2019 with a second-place finish at the NAIA tournament. She followed that up by finishing fourth at the 2019 U23 Nationals. Sugiyama returned this year for U23 Nationals and made the finals before coming up short against Desiree Zavala. In the semifinals, she picked up a very impressive 16-6 tech over Gracie Figueroa. Heaton is still looking for senior level international success to match her accomplishments at the age level, but she appears to have made strides recently. Weight may play a factor in this bout since Sugiyama was up at 59 kilograms for U23s, while Heaton was all the way down at 53 kilograms. With that being said, Heaton should be able to make a difference with her turning ability and take this match. Prediction: Heaton VPO1 over Sugiyama Evan Wick vs. Kennedy Monday Wick comes into this event after having some mixed results at the RTC Cup. He represented the Gopher WC at the event and went 1-2. He defeated NCAA champion Mekhi Lewis but dropped a pair of matches against Logan Massa and Tommy Gantt. Prior to the RTC Cup, Wick had a very strong performance at U23 Nationals. The former Wisconsin All-American won the tournament with victories over Jacori Teemer and Danny Braunagel. Monday's last action was a shootout match against former Duke wrestler Mitch Finesilver. The two faced off on the first Tar Heel Wrestling Club event on Dec. 4. Both wrestlers put major points on the board, but Finesilver took the 13-11 victory. The North Carolina wrestler went 20-8 this past season. The two-time NCAA qualifier will have one more shot at All-American status this upcoming year. Monday does his best work when he is able to create distance and shoot from the outside. Unfortunately for him, Wick is extremely long and does a good job getting his hands on people. On top of that, Wick should be able to reliably score if he is able to get on top in this bout. Prediction: Wick VPO1 over Monday Maria Vidales vs. Erin Golston Vidales is a senior for Emmanuel. Last year she took an Olympic redshirt, and is expected to return to the lineup this season. Vidales is a two-time WCWA All-American after finishing third as a freshman and second as a sophomore. At the recent U23 Nationals, she finished third in the 50-kilogram division with wins over Valerie Acosta, Sydney McGhee, Jaclyn McNichols, Ashley Gooman and Aleeah Gould. Golston had been scheduled for a faceoff with Sarah Hildebrandt on the HWC Showdown Open. However, Hildebrandt pulled out at the last minute. Golston went on to pick up a quick 10-0 victory over Devyn Gomez on the show. The veteran is a three-time junior world medalist. She moved up the senior level after winning a junior world silver in 2013. During the 2019 season, she scored silver medals at the Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov tournament, the Pan American Championships and the Bill Farrell Memorial International. Over the past year, Golston has not been particularly active, but she has been a regular on the senior level for some time now. Look for Vidales to maybe give her some trouble early, but Golston should be able to control this match from start to finish. Prediction: Golston VPO1 over Vidales Seth Gross vs. Thomas Gilman Gross went 3-1 at the RTC Cup. He scored dominant victories over Darian Cruz, Zach Sanders and Jakob Camacho before running into Nahshon Garrett in the finals. The match was close early, but Garrett was able to score a four-point takedown to seal the 12-4 victory. Following his final college season where he went 27-2 and picked up another All-American season, Gross returned to freestyle at Beat The Streets. He engaged in a back-and-forth battle against Joe Colon and ultimately dropped a 21-15 match. Gross got back on the winning track with a 10-7 victory over former collegiate rival Bryce Meredith. Gilman recently moved from the Hawkeye Wrestling Club to the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. Since the move, the former Iowa All-American and world silver medalist has wrestled on a pair of NLWC shows. On the debut show, he scored a 14-4 match termination victory over Cruz. Gilman then returned on the third show from the club and scored a fall over Frank Perrelli. This should be an interesting clash of styles. Gross certainly has the wider variety of ways to score, but he will also find himself at a disadvantage in a takedown battle. If Gross can introduce a level of scrambling into the match, he certainly has a chance. However, it is more likely that Gilman will slow the action down and try to win by controlling the ties. It should be a good barometer for where both wrestlers are with the Olympic Team Trials at 57 kilograms on the horizon. Prediction: Gilman VPO1 over Gross

Evan Wick will face Kennedy Monday at Wisconsin RTC Underground 2 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The match order has been set for WRTC Underground 2, which will take place Wednesday, Dec. 16, in Wisconsin. It will be broadcast live on Rokfin. The undercard matches are slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. CT, with the main card set for 7 p.m. CT. The event is headlined by Seth Gross vs. Thomas Gilman. Below is the match order: Undercard (6:30 p.m. CT) Hunter Wagner vs Amryn Nutter Gavin Davis vs Maddox Goebel Brady Harper vs Lincoln Swick Main Card (7 p.m. CT) Graham Calhoun vs. Tanner Mendoza Aiden Medora vs. Dresden Simon Katelynn Gunderson vs. Mateah Roehl Peter Christensen vs. Jake Rau Joe Zargo vs. Joey Bianchi Chris Weiler vs. Kobe Woods Kyle Burwick vs. Paul Bianchi Eric Barnett vs. Drew Hildebrandt Kylie Welker vs. Amor Tuttle Ronna Heaton vs. Koral Sugiyama Kennedy Monday vs. Evan Wick Erin Golston vs. Maria Vidales Seth Gross vs. Thomas Gilman

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) announced the cancellation of all 2021 winter state championships, including wrestling, and postponed all high-risk sports, which includes wrestling. Below is the announcement from the NYSPHSAA. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) announces the cancellation of all 2021 Winter State Championships and the postponement of all high-risk sports until authorization is granted by state officials. The NYSPHSAA Officers rendered these decisions with input from the NYSPHSAA membership and the 11 Section Executive Directors. "When examining the feasibility of Winter State Championships, it became apparent that travel and overnight accommodations would create a unique challenge for our member schools," said Dr. Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director. "At this time, we must prioritize maximizing student participation without a focus on championship events." The Association's decision to postpone all high-risk sports until authorization is granted was reinforced by the increase in infection and hospitalization rates across the State. The New York State Department of Health has determined the following NYSPHSAA-endorsed sports to be high risk: basketball, boys lacrosse, competitive cheerleading, football, ice hockey, volleyball, and wrestling. The cancellation of the Winter State Championships (bowling, basketball, boys swimming & diving, competitive cheerleading, gymnastics, indoor track & field, ice hockey, skiing, and wrestling) addresses membership concerns associated with increased travel, hotel accommodations, transportation logistics and the planning for meals. Furthermore, venue capacity limitations and social distancing restrictions make it increasingly difficult to ensure the safety of student-athletes, coaches, and families. "As an educator, I am witnessing first-hand the challenges our member schools are facing each day in addressing this pandemic," said Julie Bergman, NYSPHSAA President. "It is important we continue listening to the concerns being expressed by our membership when making decisions impacting interscholastic athletics." Low- and moderate-risk regular season sports continue to be permitted. The 2021 NYSPHSAA Spring State Championships remain scheduled at this time.

The South Dakota Board of Regents approved plans Thursday for South Dakota State University to move forward with a $4 million on-campus wrestling training facility. The nearly 16,000-square-foot Kurtenbach Family Wrestling Center would be constructed on the southwest corner of the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex. Former SDSU wrestler and coach Frank Kurtenbach provided the lead gift for the facility, which will feature four competition mats, plus a strength and conditioning area, locker rooms, team room, coaches' offices and spaces for academics and nutrition. "The approval from the Board of Regents to break ground on a state-of-the-art wrestling facility will forever change the landscape of SDSU Wrestling," SDSU head coach Damion Hahn said. "I can't thank our Jackrabbit family enough for the contributions that have been made toward this endeavor. I would like to make a special thank you to the Kurtenbach family for their vision and support of the project." Pending final approval by the South Dakota Legislature, construction of the two-story structure is tentatively scheduled to begin in spring 2021. "This facility not only meets a critical need for our wrestling program, but it will rank as one of the top training centers in the country," SDSU Director of Athletics Justin Sell said. "I marvel at the transformation we have seen in our athletic facilities over the past decade and thank the Kurtenbach family and others who have contributed to this project for making this newest addition a reality." Naming opportunities still exist to support the project. Those interested in doing so can contact the SDSU Athletics Development Office at (605) 697-7475 or jackrabbitclub@sdstate.edu. Donations to support the project can also be made through the SDSU Foundation.

The Individual World Cup begins Saturday in Belgrade with wrestlers from more than 50 nations in attendance and six individual Olympic champions scheduled to take the mats. The international wrestling community has been inactive since the Pan American Olympic qualification tournament in March. In the eight months since the world has battled the worst pandemic in 100 years, some nations are having more success in their fight than others. Wrestling, unlike other sports, has had to wait to resume competitions because of the safety protocols required and nations interested in hosting. And with one of the deadliest days in American history happening yesterday it can feel wrong to watch wrestling knowing that the spread of the virus here is uncontrolled. On the topic of safety, there are a number of protocols in place for the IWC. The Serbian government is supporting United World Wrestling's effort to test all athletes, coaches, and staff prior to entering the country. The teams and the individuals will be in a bubble environment for the two weeks and everything, including dining, will be socially spaced and on a strict schedule. There are pages of protocols which will guide the behavior of the athletes and the event. There will be no fans or press allowed in the venue. We are in the midst of a pandemic and protocols are important, but as we've seen with the American tournaments that's mostly becoming the background noise. The wrestling public, in general just wants to see some competition. As was stated last month, the United States won't be in attendance, but several European nations are bringing their starting lineups, including Russia who is bringing their full team of top wrestlers. With 300,000 CHF in prize money who can blame them? There are myriad storylines to follow, including a Greco-Roman 97-kilogram weight class that is absolutely stacked with killers including defending Rio Olympic champion Artur Aleksanyan and defending world champion Musa Evloev. The tournament schedule is here, and you can watch on Trackwrestling and follow along on United World Wrestling via Twitter, Instagram, TikTok (@unitedworldwrestling), YouTube, and Facebook. To your questions … Q: Does the news of Pennsylvania shutting down sports surprise you? -- Jed R. Foley: Yes. Pennsylvania had announced there were to be no rule modifications for the upcoming season and that competitions were to go forward as planned. Right now the soonest they can return is Jan. 8, 2021 but given the current numbers, planned holiday travel, the unstopped spread of the virus its highly unlikely that the date will stay unmoved. A month off is a long time, but states seem to be reacting to immense pressure from educators, parents, and health officials. I'm really interested to see how this will affect the collegiate wrestling season. As of today there is the abbreviated season to start in January, but will the NCAA (and the member institutions) just plow ahead if another 100,000 Americans die of COVID in January? I struggle to think of a situation in which several colleges would even choose to reopen for in-person classes and thus risk massive travel spread. If there are not in-person classes, then those same schools might follow the example of the Ivy League and shut down their seasons. The NCAA has benchmarks for how many schools must be competing in order to qualify 33, 16 or fewer wrestlers for the tournament. Those may change. The entire thing could shut down. But as of right now it's the 2021 season with an aim to have a full bracket for the tournament. Q: Initial thoughts on the announcement of Jordan Burroughs and David Taylor meeting on Jan. 9? -- Mike C. Foley: Gimme. This feels like a fresh matchup with a fun backstory and an exciting style comparison. The size and strength of David Taylor will be a factor, especially early, but it could be for naught if Taylor shuts down in the second period. The Zahid match might be instructive for Taylor as he prepares. Wrestling low prevents doubles and reattack outside singles, but it does open up the defensive wrestler to front headlocks, snaps, and passbys. Taylor has shown himself to be aggressive of late. He's attacking opponents early and running up the score. That's likely to prevent any nasty entanglements like the one which caused his knee injury at Beat the Streets, but it also serves to give him a much larger cushion should he fade in the second period. They haven't wrestled in six years and their lifetime results are close-close. A 4-0 shutout at the 2013 U.S. Open, before the rule changes (3-0, 1-0), the epic 7-6 at the 2014 U.S. Open and then the back-to-back 5-2 and 6-5 matches at the 2014 World Team Trials. That was a lifetime ago and at a different weight, but Burroughs is my favorite here. So much of wrestling is mental and until the King is Dead, Long Live the King. Gabe Steveson (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Q: Do you view Gable Steveson as the favorite over Nick Gwiazdowski now? -- Mike C. Foley: Yes. He's gotten bigger, which is key for a heavyweight. He's gotten stronger. That's key for just about everyone. Gable has also improved his mat sense tremendously and seems focused on taking opportunities to compete and prepare for the Olympic Games. On the technical side, he also found a way to finish the knee pick he attempted in their prior two meetings, which indicates a legitimate game plan. Where I thought Gable's youth was a disadvantage for a July 2020 Games, I think it's now a huge advantage. With Nick getting older and a number of the international heavyweights aging quickly, the thought of Gable on the Olympic stage would translate to a medal. One concern is that he's chatting about this being his last year wrestling. I don't know what that means, or if that is a UFC type of ploy to gain attention and money, but it would be heartbreaking given he's a frontrunner to win the 2024 Olympics and whatever other pursuits he's interested in pursuing will still be around in three years. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME #WrestleBelgrade Burroughs vs. Taylor is going to be … outrageous Nate Parker's new movie American Skin debuts in January Q: What do you think of James Green's chances at 65 kilograms? Do you think he is capable of making the team and qualifying the weight for the Olympics? -- Mike C. Foley: Of course. He's a world silver medalist and a top-level international competitor. The 65-kilogram field in America is extremely competitive. Yianni's first criteria win was an important match for both men, but heading into their first match I'd heavily favored Yianni and came away thinking Green is more effective at 65 kilograms than I'd previously thought. By the second match I thought Yianni had a gamesmanship advantage. Green will face a tough Bryce Meredith in the first round of Flo's 8-Man Challenge, likely followed by a matchup with Jordan Oliver. Should he make it through that mess he will almost certainly face Bajrang Punia who is top three in the world. I can speculate all I want about his ability to compete, but fortunately we will see it play out over the next several weeks. On a separate note, I think Jordan Oliver is the wrestler best suited to qualify the weight class at the international level, followed closely by Jaydin Eierman and then Yianni. Q: Who do you think will win Flo's 8-Man Challenge at 150 pounds? -- Mike C. Foley: Bajrang

Lars Jensen was affiliated with San Francisco State for four decades (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco State wrestling legend Lars Jensen passed away on Tuesday, surrounded by family. One of the most decorated Gators in history, Coach Jensen led the first-ever NCAA Division II national championship team at SF State in 1997. He was inducted into six different halls of fame. In 2004, he was inducted into the San Francisco State Athletics Hall of fame; in 2009, Jensen was inducted into the California Wrestling Hall of Fame; and in 2013, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. "The great impact of the loss of Coach Jensen goes far and wide. His contributions and dedication to Gator Athletics, the wrestling world, and the countless lives of students, professors, and staff in the SF State community and beyond is immeasurable," said Director of Athletics Stephanie Shrieve-Hawkins. "Gator Athletics sends sincere condolences to his wife Chanda, their two children Brendan and Lara, and his family and friends. Rest peacefully to a legendary man." Jensen began as a student-athlete and finished as a coach at San Francisco State. He took the reins of SF State wrestling prior to the 1983-84 season and concluded his head coaching career in 2016-17. He coached three Division I national qualifiers. Under Jensen, the Gators had a wrestler qualify for the National Championships 122 times and produced 62 All-Americans. In 2012-13, Naveed Bagheri made his fourth appearance to the tournament and went on to grab the national championship title at 141 pounds, becoming Jensen's tenth individual national champion. Jensen had 55 conference champions and 67 NWCA All-Academic team members. Coach Jensen began his wrestling career at the College of San Mateo, where he was named the team's outstanding wrestler for two seasons before transferring to San Francisco State in 1977. A two-time letter-winner for the Gators, Coach Jensen qualified for the 1980 NCAA Division II Championships after capturing the West Regional title at 190 pounds. Later that year, he also participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials. Coach Jensen then made the transition to the coaching ranks, serving as San Francisco State assistant varsity coach and junior varsity head coach from 1980-83. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education in 1981, a single subject teaching credential in Physical Education in 1982, and a masters in physical education in 1987, all from San Francisco State. Following the 1983-84 season, his first season as head coach of the Gators, Coach Jensen was selected as Amateur Wrestling Rookie Coach of the Year and was honored as a conference Coach of the Year seven times. He was also named the NCAA West Region Coach of the Year twice and was voted as the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year in 1997. Further details regarding remembrance services will be announced by the family at a later date.

Jordan Burroughs gets his hand raised after beating David Taylor at the U.S. Open in 2014 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) Two of America's biggest wrestling stars will go head-to-head next month. Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs and world champion David Taylor will meet on Jan. 9 live on FloWrestling.

BATESVILLE, Ark. -- Lyon College President W. Joseph King and Director of Athletics Kevin Jenkins announced that Chad Cook will take over as the new head men's wrestling coach. Cook replaces Tom Erikson, who was in charge of the Scots since the 2015-16 season. "I am excited to welcome Chad Cook as our next head men's wrestling coach," said Jenkins. "Coach Cook will be a great asset to our men's wrestling program, athletic department and college. He brings years of high-level wrestling knowledge and experience along with a hard-working attitude!" Chad CookCook most recently served as an assistant wrestling coach at Kentucky Wesleyan College. He helped improve the Panthers' record by four wins. The team also finished sixth in NCAA Division II in total volunteer hours. Prior to his stint at Kentucky Wesleyan, Cook was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the men's and women's wrestling program at Wayland Baptist University. During his time at WBU, Cook helped the women's program to a NAIA National Duals Team Championship and the highest finish in school history (4th) at the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) Nationals. He also led the men's team to 10 NAIA national qualifiers, while being ranked as high as No. 9 nationally. Cook coached 25 All-Americans, six National Champions, five World Team Trials (WTT) places and one WTT champion for the women's team. Cook also held coaching positions at Manchester University and the University of Dubuque. Cook got his coaching career started in 2005, when he served as the wrestling coach at F.J. Reitz High School in Evansville, Ind. At F.J. Reitz, Cook coached 20 high school state qualifiers and 10 state place winners. He also established the Reitz Elite Program, which taught top-level technique to the best 4th-8th graders. He was a collegiate wrestler at the University of Dubuque and the University of Southern Indiana. At Southern Indiana, he was a two-time NCWA national qualifier, earning 2008 NCWA All-American (sixth place) at 165 pounds. "I'm extremely excited to start this new journey at Lyon College," stated Cook. "Everyone I met through the interview process was very welcoming, and it's clear this is a place we can be successful. While this is a unique year, I'm excited to get right to work on helping the current guys find their spot on the national podium and finding future Scots that want to get a great education, achieve big things athletically, and develop as a man. I want to thank Kevin Jenkins and the rest of the hiring committee for this opportunity. I'm also looking forward to working with Coach [Kevin] Corbett in making Lyon College a destination for future national and world champions!" Cook earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Dubuque in 2013 and will obtain a Masters of Education in Sports Administration & Management from Wayland Baptist this upcoming May.

Bajrang Punia at the 2019 Beat the Streets event (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) FloWrestling revealed its 150-pound 8-Man Challenge bracket on Thursday. The event is set for Dec. 18, and will be streamed on FloWrestling. A pair of multiple-time world medalists earned the top two seeds. Bajrang Punia, a 2018 world silver medalist at 65 kilograms, earned the No. 1 seed. He earned bronze medals in 2013 and 2019. Bajrang has claimed two gold medals at the Asian Championships, as well as a gold at the Asian Games. Two-time world medalist James Green is the No. 2 seed. Green, who has competed at 70 kilograms throughout his international wrestling career, was a world silver medalist in 2017 and won a bronze in 2015. He recently announced his move down to 65 kilograms for his Olympic run. Green went 2-2 at the RTC Cup, with wins over Anthony Echemendia and Brayton Lee and two criteria losses to Yianni Diakomihalis. Jordan Oliver and Joey McKenna received the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds respectively. Oliver defeated McKenna in the 2019 Senior Nationals finals by technical superiority. McKenna is a past U.S. Open champion and has two age-group world medals. Other wrestlers in Flo's 150-pound 8-Man Challenge field include Evan Henderson, Anthony Ashnault, Bryce Meredith and Pat Lugo.

Stanford's wrestling program released a statement Tuesday. On July 8, our student-athletes and coaches were blindsided when Stanford announced its intention to eliminate wrestling and ten other varsity athletics programs at the conclusion of this season due to fiscal concerns. Though shocked, our team immediately decided that it would band together and do what wrestlers do best -- work to persevere through adversity. We began developing and executing a plan to reverse the university's decision and establish an endowment that would not only ensure wrestling's place at Stanford, but help preserve collegiate wrestling's presence on the West Coast and nationally. The resilience and determination our team has demonstrated has been inspiring. We have raised over $12 million and counting since September when our fundraising efforts began in earnest. We have established working relationships with many allies within the university and across the country. We have the support of 36 Sports Strong and other prominent Stanford alumni. These successes now have us more optimistic for the program's continued future at the varsity level than ever. Still, from the beginning, we understood that our efforts to reverse the university's decision would take time and were unfolding on top of the NCAA and academic calendars. With that and the best interest of our student-athletes in mind, we planned for our student-athletes to enter the NCAA transfer portal at an optimal time so they could line up their best options should Stanford decide not to keep the wrestling program. With fall classes recently concluded and a month before the start of the NCAA competitive season, we feel that time is now. Tomorrow, five of our students will put their names in the NCAA transfer portal with the full support and encouragement of their coaches, teammates, and families. All of these student-athletes are committed to staying at Stanford through the 2020-21 academic year. In a worst-case scenario, almost all will stay until they earn their Stanford degrees and then look to continue their eligibility in a graduate program elsewhere. Should we succeed in reinstating the Stanford wrestling program, all will stay at Stanford through the conclusion of their academic and athletic careers. The resolve and optimism that our student-athletes, coaches, alumni, supporters, and families continue to feel toward keeping Stanford Wrestling remains unchanged. Our student-athletes are simply executing our plan. They enter the portal today so they can receive information from schools they would consider should Stanford maintain its uncharacteristic course. They intend to retract their names from the portal prior to the start of the NCAA wrestling season. We appreciate the support of the wrestling community and request respect for our student-athletes' privacy as they attempt to gain clarity on their potential options in the midst of such uncertain times. Thank you.

LA GRANDE, Ore. -- Eastern Oregon University Director of Athletics Anji Weissenfluh is pleased to announced the hiring of Carlene Sluberski as the head women's wrestling coach. Sluberski becomes the third head coach in the program's history. Prior to joining the Mountaineers, she worked at the University of Providence in Montana for two seasons where she was the head bench boss for the Argos. "I am very happy to announce Carlene Sluberski as our new Women's Wrestling Coach," Weissenfluh said. "She is very competitive and knowledgeable and we are lucky to have her join our staff at EOU." In 2019-20, Sluberski led her grapplers to a top-10 team ranking (9th) and a third-place finish at the inaugural CCC Championships. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NAIA National Invite canceled and her squad like many other were unable to compete. Along with a top-10 ranking in the final regular season poll, Sluberski's squad had 11 wrestlers ranked individually that were set to compete at the NAIA Invite. In her first season working with the Argos, Sluberski guided Providence to a trio of All-American honors in 2018-19. The Argos had two Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association All-Americans and one NAIA All-American that season. "I am very excited to have been selected as the head women's wrestling coach at Eastern Oregon University. The women's wrestling program has had a history of producing high achieving student-athletes, academically and athletically," Sluberski said. "I believe this speaks to the athletic department and the high standards set for staff and student-athletes. If we continue to build the culture and bring in the right fit individuals, there is no limit on how much I think this program could achieve. I am so thankful that I have this opportunity to become a better coach and leader." 21WRR_Carlene-Coaching Before Providence, Sluberski was a graduate assistant coach for the University of the Cumberlands women's wrestling program from May 2017-December 2018. During her time at UC, Sluberski coached five All-Americans in the WCWA, in addition to two All-Americans in the U23 World Team Trials. Sluberski has also worked with USA Wrestling in multiple capacities. In November 2019 she worked with USA Wrestling for the Berlin Open. She traveled with cadet and juniors to Berlin, Germany for international competition and training camp. In February 2019, she worked with USAW for Klippan Lady Open in Klippan, Sweden. Sluberski also served as Team Montana's women's coach in 2019 for High School Marine Corps Freestyle Nationals in Fargo, N.D. Team Montana had two female All-American in 2019. In the summer of 2018 Sluberski served as a volunteer coach in Fargo for Team New York, in addition to coaching at the Junior Pan-Ams in Fortaleza, Brazil in which the Team USA women placed first overall. On the mat, Sluberski was a four-time Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Champion, renamed and now known as U Sports. She was also a two-time U.S. Senior National Team Member and served as a training partner for the 2013 and 2014 World Championships, as well as the 2016 Olympic Games. She was also a member of the Junior World Team in 2011. Sluberski attended the Northern Michigan University Olympic Education Center from 2009-12 before transferring to Brock University in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology in May 2016. She received her Master of Arts degree in Teaching from UC in December 2018. Sluberski is a native of Fredonia, New York. She currently resides in La Grande.

Nick Gwiazdowski takes a shot on Gable Steveson at the RTC Cup (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The first-ever RTC Cup this past weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio, brought many exciting matches, outstanding performances and even some unexpected results. The unexpected results can lead fans to overreact. Let's examine five overreactions from the RTC Cup. Overreaction: Nick Gwiazdowski is now No. 3 on the freestyle heavyweight ladder What happened: Gwiazdowski, who will turn 28 years old later this month, suffered two losses over the weekend, both to wrestlers under the age of 22. Three-time age-group world champion Gable Steveson (age 20) defeated Gwiazdowski 4-1. Gwiazdowski also split matches with junior world champion Mason Parris (age 21), losing the final meeting 10-7 on Saturday. Reality: Gwiazdowski is still America's top freestyle heavyweight regardless of his losses at the RTC Cup. He has represented the United States at the World Championships in each of the last three years, winning world bronze medals in 2017 and 2018. He has claimed medals at several international wrestling events as well. Gwiazdowski defeated Steveson in two straight matches at Final X last year. It's unlikely Gwiazdowski was peaking for the RTC Cup. Give him credit for putting it on the line with very little to gain. Gwiazdowski is still the favorite to make the U.S. Olympic team and be in the hunt for a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, with Steveson and Parris being his top challengers at the Olympic Team Trials in April. Vito Arujau finished 4-0 at the RTC Cup (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Overreaction: Vito Arujau is the favorite to make the Olympic team at 57 kilograms What happened: Arujau, a junior world silver medalist and NCAA All-American, went undefeated at the RTC Cup. He defeated Nahshon Garrett twice, Seth Gross and Jack Mueller. Arujau outscored those opponents by a combined score of 44-18. He looked extremely sharp in all positions. Arujau scored with clean shots, showed his big-move potential and showcased his strong par terre game. Reality: Arujau is among a group of five or six wrestlers who will contend for the U.S. Olympic team spot at 57 kilograms. The 57-kilogram weight class in the U.S. is filled with wrestlers who have had success on the world stage. In addition to Arujau, the group includes multiple-time age-group world champion Spencer Lee, world team member Daton Fix, world silver medalist Thomas Gilman, world bronze medalist Joe Colon, Gross and possibly Garrett. Arujau has always had a great feel for freestyle wrestling. His father Vugar is a two-time freestyle wrestling world champion and Olympic bronze medalist. While Arujau did win a Senior Nationals title this year and was impressive at the RTC Cup, he is not the favorite to make the team. Arujau faced Lee last December in the semifinals of the 2019 Senior Nationals and lost by technical superiority. Carson Kharchla finished undefeated, which included a win over Mekhi Lewis (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Overreaction: Carson Kharchla is the favorite to be NCAA champion in 2021 What happened: Kharchla, who is coming off a redshirt season at Ohio State, was completely dominant at the RTC Cup, going a perfect 4-0, which included wins over Mekhi Lewis, Jevon Balfour, Tommy Gantt and Elroy Perkin. He outscored his opposition 28-3. Reality: Kharchla is a tremendous young wrestler with a lot of upside. He was the InterMat High School Wrestler in 2019. Kharchla has spent over a year in the Ohio State wrestling room getting high-level coaching and training. He posted a 16-0 record and four tournament titles as a redshirt. Kharchla, the son of former Soviet standout and NAIA national champion Miron Kharchilava, is a bit of a late bloomer. His father held him back from competition until he was in eighth grade. He didn't qualify for the Ohio state tournament until he was a junior, when he won his first of two state titles. Like Arujau, Kharchla has always favored freestyle and he has had his best results in the style. While he did go undefeated as a redshirt, his most notable win came over Buffalo's Troy Keller, a two-time NCAA qualifier. Kharchla has the ability to be a freshman NCAA champion, but it's too soon to peg him as the favorite. Mekhi Lewis posted a 2-3 record at the RTC Cup (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Overreaction: Mekhi Lewis is overrated What happened: Lewis posted a record of 2-3 in five matches at the RTC Cup. The only wrestler he defeated in the event was Jevon Balfour, a veteran Canadian wrestler. Lewis had two wins against Balfour, one in pool competition and one the championship bracket. He took losses to Kharchla, Evan Wick and Logan Massa. In his three losses, Lewis was outscored 23-9. Reality: Lewis, a New Jersey native who attends Virginia Tech, is still one of the nation's top 74-kilogram freestyle wrestlers. Prior to the RTC Cup, Lewis had not competed since December at the 2019 Senior Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas, where he finished runner-up to Massa. After winning the NCAA title as a redshirt freshman in 2018-19, Lewis took an Olympic redshirt in 2019-20. His talent is undeniable. For all intents and purposes, Lewis was a freestyle novice when he won a gold medal at the 2018 Junior World Championships. It was only his third freestyle tournament ever. His results this past weekend were likely a combination of mat rust and freestyle inexperience. It's unlikely Lewis will pose a serious threat to Jordan Burroughs or Kyle Dake in 2021, but it's a fairly safe bet that he will be in the hunt to make world and Olympic teams after his college wrestling career. James Green dropped two matches to Yianni Diakomihalis at the RTC Cup (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Overreaction: James Green is not a threat to make the Olympic team at 65 kilograms What happened: Green, a multiple-time world medalist at 70 kilograms, moved down to 65 kilograms (actually, 68 kilograms with the weight allowance) for the RTC Cup and went 2-2, with both losses coming to Yianni Diakomihalis. He notched wins over Anthony Echemendia and Brayton Lee. Reality: Green is a world-class competitor regardless of the weight class. He has often been thought of as a tweener (in between weight classes) in the Olympic weight classes, with his best results coming at the non-Olympic weight class of 70 kilograms. In 2016, Green dropped to 65 kilograms for the Olympic Team Trials and went 0-2, losing to Zain Retherford and B.J. Futrell. Prior to the pandemic, Green was planning on making his Olympic run at 74 kilograms. However, in a recent blog post, Green announced that he's changing course and will compete at 65 kilograms. He says he feels "great" and that he's "ready to commit to this process." Both of Green's losses at the RTC Cup to Yianni came by criteria. He looked extremely impressive in his wins over Echemendia and Lee. While the United States still has not qualified the weight class for the Olympics, Green has the tools to make the team, qualify the weight class for Tokyo and contend for an Olympic medal.

Logan Massa and Mekhi Lewis battle in the championship match (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The first-ever RTC Cup went down over the weekend, and the event more than delivered. Richard Mann (@richardamann) and Clay Sauertieg (@ByCSauertieg) break down all the matches from the final between SERTC/NJRTC vs. Cliff Keen WC as well as some overall reactions from the two-day event. Following that, the duo looks at the top two matches from the debut Tar Heel Wrestling Club show. 0:00 - Open 4:25 - Nahshon Garrett vs. Seth Gross 10:37 - Matthew Kolodzik vs. Alec Pantaleo 16:13 - Mekhi Lewis vs. Logan Massa 22:35 - Nate Jackson vs. Myles Amine 27:08 - Ty Walz vs Tim Dudley 30:54 - Jordan Wood vs. Mason Parris 38:18 - Austin O'Connor vs. Dean Heil 42:49 - Macey Kilty vs. Emma Bruntil 47:44 - Closing and plugs

Dan Gable speaking at the 2018 Freestyle World Cup in Iowa City (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) When I sat down to write about why Dan Gable is so deserving of being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, my mind started racing in a million different directions. His accomplishments obviously speak for themselves. Winning two NCAA titles, a world title and an Olympic gold medal as a wrestler. Winning an unthinkable 15 NCAA titles and 21 Big Ten titles in 21 seasons as the head coach at Iowa. Coaching three of his wrestlers -- Randy Lewis, and Ed and Lou Banach -- to gold medals at the 1984 Olympic Games. And later coaching another wrestler, Tom Brands, who won the Olympics in 1996. Gable's accomplishments extend far beyond his incredible resume in the sport of wrestling. I have my own share of experiences and memories from being around Gable over the years that have given me a better understanding and appreciation of a man I have tremendous respect for. I first learned about Dan Gable when I checked out a book on him at my school library while growing up in Tipton, Iowa. Like many kids in Iowa, and beyond, I wanted to follow in his footsteps and win the Olympics. His story was motivating and inspiring. My mother gave me a hard time because of how often I checked that book out from the library over the years. I loved the fire and intensity Gable brought when I first saw him in person in the late 1970s. I was fortunate to grow up just a 30-minute drive from the University of Iowa. My father took me and my brothers to numerous Iowa home duals and we attended the Big Ten Championships at the old Iowa Fieldhouse. Gable's wrestlers were tough, relentless and entertaining to watch. They put on a heck of a show in front of the big crowds at the Fieldhouse. I made the bold decision to attend the Iowa Intensive Camp in Waverly when I was in high school in 1982. I had heard how difficult the camp was and it was definitely an eye-opening experience. I learned first-hand how the Hawkeye wrestlers trained. The camp was run by Iowa assistant coach J Robinson along with current and former Hawkeye wrestlers that included Lewis, the Banach twins and Olympic silver medalist Barry Davis. It was one of the best -- and worst -- experiences of my life. It was torture, but it was also extremely gratifying to survive 10 days of pure hell. We had two, and sometimes three, high-intensity wrestling practices a day. We ran sprints, stairs and hills early in the morning, and did a grueling 12-mile run on the final day of the camp. Not everyone survived. My roommate quit after the first day of the camp. The one day that I remember most was when a balding man in gray sweats walked onto the mats at Wartburg College. It was Gable. Iowa was in the midst of its heyday and it was like God had just entered the building. He delivered a message that resonated with the kids at the camp: "This is how champions train!" he said emphatically while pumping his right fist. Dan Gable getting interviewed by the media during the 2016 Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) I didn't reach my goals as a wrestler, but I definitely gained an appreciation for how Gable's Hawkeyes trained after attending that camp. I was fortunate to stay involved in the sport when I became a sportswriter. When I started my career, and was in my early 20s, Gable was someone who was available and accessible to be interviewed. I always appreciated his candor and his honesty. He would tell it like it is and not sugarcoat anything. He was a genuine, matter-of-fact, no-nonsense guy who was very down-to-earth. And he always had something interesting to say. That was refreshing. I was covering the 2002 NCAA tournament in Albany, New York, when Iowa State's Cael Sanderson become the first college wrestler to complete a four-year career unbeaten. I ran into Gable just after the match ended and asked him for his thoughts about what had just transpired. Gable offered high praise for Sanderson, but he also became emotional while flashing back to his own career. Gable was unbeaten in college until falling in his final match in 1970. He used that setback as fuel to win a world title and an Olympic gold medal the next two years. But wrestlers never completely get over those tough losses and Gable still felt the sting and impact of it 32 years later. To his credit, Gable came back with a vengeance and turned in one of the most dominant performances in Olympic history. He shut out every one of his opponents at the Olympic Games. Iowa captured a record nine straight consecutive national championships under Dan Gable (Photo/George Tiedemann, Getty Images) Gable enjoyed so much coaching success at Iowa that it was almost hard to believe. His teams were incredibly dominant and competed at an extremely high level. They did it by simply outworking everybody else. They trained like madmen. They pushed the pace and broke their opponents with an aggressive, attacking style. He was every bit as good of a coach as he was a wrestler. He knew how to motivate, push and drive his guys. He had a knack for having his teams peak when it mattered most. When I joined USA Wrestling as the communications manager in 2006, I worked even more closely with Gable. Most notably was in 2013 when wrestling was in danger of being removed from the Olympic Games program. One of the heroes that year was Dan Gable. He put the rest of his life on hold so he could dedicate his efforts to saving wrestling. I remember him flying into Niagara Falls that year for a women's wrestling event that was hosted on the Canada side. He was exhausted from a long day of travel, but he still took time to sign autographs, pose for photos, give a speech to young wrestlers, do interviews with the media and help with the broadcast of the event. Coach Gable called me frequently during the Olympic fight in 2013, always asking if there was anything more that he could do to help. He made numerous appearances at events and he was one of the leaders in keeping wrestling in the Olympic Games. It was amazing, but not surprising, how committed and dedicated he was to helping save wrestling. Dan Gable (right) with wife Kathy (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Around that time, I remember walking into the hotel lobby after a wrestling event that I had worked for USA Wrestling in Los Angeles. Gable was there and he invited me over to his table before Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo later joined us. I was like a kid in a candy store, listening intently to numerous stories that Gable told about his incredible experiences in the sport. Nobody is more passionate about wrestling than he is. In 2020, I asked Coach Gable to write the Foreword for a book that I was working on. The book is on the amazing life of Afsoon Roshanzamir Johnston, a girl who fled Iran during her childhood before becoming a success story in wrestling in the United States. Gable had talked with Afsoon in Niagara Falls in 2013, and he had been there when she became the first U.S. world medalist in women's wrestling in 1989. The day I called Gable and asked him to write the Foreword, we talked on the phone for close to an hour. He was blown away by Afsoon's remarkable story and did a superb job writing the Foreword for a book that has received excellent reviews. He retired from coaching more than two decades ago, but Gable is still doing a great deal for the sport of wrestling. It's nothing short of impressive. The recently remodeled Dan Gable Museum in his hometown of Waterloo looks outstanding. Coach Gable is still heavily involved with events and promotions that are held there. It's going to be incredible when Gable is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on Monday in Washington, D.C. Dan Gable speaking at a VIP dinner before the 2016 Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) It is one of the highest honors a United States citizen can receive. I can't think of anyone more deserving. Coach Gable has had a tremendous impact on thousands of people around the world. He not only is one of the best wrestlers and coaches of all-time, he's the best ambassador the sport has ever seen. He's done so much for wrestling. And he's one of the best people in the sport. He is in his early 70s now, but he continues to be arguably the biggest name in the sport of wrestling. He's a legend in so many ways. Nobody has done more for wrestling than Dan Gable. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games, written 10 books and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

The Cliff Keen WC won the inaugural RTC Cup (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) CINCINNATI -- The Cliff Keen Wrestling Club capped off an undefeated (4-0) weekend by winning the inaugural RTC Cup Saturday night in Cincinnati. The Cliff Keen WC held a narrow 3-2 lead on the NJRTC/SERTC in the championship match before Mason Parris stepped on the mat to face Jordan Wood at 125 kilograms. The junior world champion Parris, fresh of a win over two-time world bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski, clinched the title for the Cliff Keen WC by claiming a 12-1 technical superiority over Wood in the final match of the inaugural event. Nahshon Garrett opened the dual with a win over Seth Gross (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Nahshon Garrett opened the championship dual with a convincing 12-4 win over Seth Gross at 57 kilograms to put the NJRTC/SERTC up 1-0. Garrett led 6-3 at the break and blew the match open early in the second period after getting a four-point exposure. He would add a late takedown to win by eight. After dropping the first match, the Cliff Keen WC reeled off three consecutive victories. Alec Pantaleo (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Alec Pantaleo won a hard-fought match, 8-6, over Matthew Kolodzik at 65 kilograms. Pantaleo scored two first-period takedowns and led 4-2 at the break. The second period saw a flurry that resulted in a two-two exchange. After a failed challenge by the NJRTC/SERTC, Pantaleo extended his lead to 7-4. Kolodzik cut the deficit to 7-6 after scoring a two-point exposure, but Pantaleo would add a step out and hold on to win by two. He finished the weekend a perfect 4-0. At 74 kilograms, Senior Nationals champion Logan Massa edged junior world champion Mekhi Lewis 3-2 in a rematch from last year's Nationals finals. All the scoring occurred in the first period. Massa scored first with a step out. Lewis came back with a takedown to go up 2-1. Massa would come back with two more step outs, which would prove to be enough for him to earn the victory. Myles Amine dominated Nate Jackson at 86 kilograms (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Myles Amine, San Marino's first-ever Olympic qualifier, turned in a dominating performance at 86 kilograms, cruising to a first-period technical superiority over Nate Jackson. Amine scored an early takedown before securing his leg lace and turning Jackson four times to go up 8-0. After Amine was awarded a point from a caution, he scored another takedown to close out the 11-0 technical superiority. His victory put the Cliff Keen WC up 3-1 with two matches remaining. Ty Walz kept the NJRTC/SERTC's hopes alive by topping T.J. Dudley 5-1 at 97 kilograms. Walz led 1-0 at the break before pulling away in the second period on the strength of two takedowns. Mason Parris defeated Jordan Wood by technical superiority (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Parris then sealed the deal with a 12-1 technical superiority over Wood at 125 kilograms. After a scoreless 90 seconds, Parris fired off a shot and scored two points, followed by another four and another two in the span of less than 15 seconds to go up 8-0. Wood would get on the scoreboard with a step out late in the first period. Parris closed out the victory in the second period, scoring with a crotch lift to go up 10-1. He then scored a takedown off a reattack with just over a minute remaining to close out the victory. The Spartan Combat RTC finished third with a 4-2 win over the Wolfpack RTC. Vito Arujau and Yianni Diakomihalis capped off undefeated tournaments with technical superiority shutouts at 57 kilograms and 65 kilograms. The Hidlay brothers, Hayden and Trent, picked up much needed wins for the Wolfpack RTC to even the score at 2-2. At 97 kilograms, Jacob Cardenas of the Spartan Combat RTC used a late four-point move to come from behind and beat Timmy McCall. That win put the Spartan Combat RTC up 3-2. Dom Bradley then closed the dual meet with a 2-1 win over Michael Macchiavello, who moved up a weight class to fill in for Nick Gwiazdowski. The Ohio RTC claimed fifth place with a 5-1 victory over the Gopher WC. Zach Sanders of the Gopher WC opened the dual with a win over Jack Mueller at 57 kilograms, but the Ohio RTC swept the remaining five matches. Getting wins for the Ohio RTC were Sammy Sasso (65 kilograms), Carson Kharchla (74 kilograms), Sammy Brooks (86 kilograms), Kollin Moore (97 kilograms) and Amar Dhesi (125 kilograms). Placement Match Results Championships: Cliff Keen WC df. NJRTC/SERTC, 4-2 57: Nahshon Garrett (NJRTC/SERTC) dec. Seth Gross (Cliff Keen WC), 12-4 65: Alec Pantaleo (Cliff Keen WC) dec. Matthew Kolodzik (NJRTC/SERTC), 8-6 74: Logan Massa (Cliff Keen WC) dec. Mekhi Lewis (NJRTC/SERTC), 3-2 86: Myles Amine (Cliff Keen WC) tech. Nate Jackson (NJRTC/SERTC), 11-0 97: Ty Walz (NJRTC/SERTC) dec. T.J. Dudley (Cliff Keen WC), 5-1 125: Mason Parris (Cliff Keen WC) tech. Jordan Wood (NJRTC/SERTC), 12-1 Third Place: Spartan Combat RTC df. Wolfpack RTC, 4-2 57: Vito Arujau (Spartan Combat RTC) tech. Darian Cruz (Wolfpack RTC), 11-0 65: Yianni Diakomihalis (Spartan Combat RTC) tech. Tariq Wilson (Wolfpack RTC), 11-0 74: Hayden Hidlay (Wolfpack RTC) tech. Jevon Balfour (Spartan Combat RTC), 11-0 86: Trent Hidlay (Wolfpack RTC) dec. Drew Foster (Spartan Combat RTC), 12-9 97: Jacob Cardenas (Spartan Combat RTC) dec. Timmy McCall (Wolfpack RTC), 7-4 125: Dom Bradley (Spartan Combat RTC) dec. Michael Macchiavello (Wolfpack RTC), 2-1 Fifth Place: Ohio RTC df. Gopher WC, 5-1 57: Zach Sanders (Gopher WC) dec. Jack Mueller (Ohio RTC), 8-6 65: Sammy Sasso (Ohio RTC) tech. Mitch McKee (Gopher WC), 14-4 74: Carson Kharchla (Ohio RTC) tech. Elroy Perkin (Gopher WC), 11-0 86: Sammy Brooks (Ohio RTC) dec. Brett Pfarr (Gopher WC), 2-1 97: Kollin Moore (Ohio RTC) dec. Hayden Zillmer (Gopher WC), 2-2 125: Amar Dhesi (Ohio RTC) dec. Anthony Nelson (Gopher WC), 3-2

Mason Parris came from behind late to avenge a loss to Nick Gwiazdowski (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) CINCINNATI -- The Cliff Keen WC and the NJRTC/SERTC advanced to the finals of the RTC Cup. The teams will meet at 8 p.m. ET. The dual will be streamed on FloWrestling. In the first semifinal, junior world champion Mason Parris came from behind late to defeat two-time world medalist Nick Gwiazdowski 10-7 in the final match to help propel the Cliff Keen WC to a victory over the Wolfpack RTC. Parris' victory avenged a loss from Friday when he fell by technical superiority to Gwiazdowski. Trailing 7-6 with under 30 seconds left, Parris fired off a shot and scored a takedown before transitioning to a lace, which he used to turn Gwiazdowski and claim the victory. Also getting victories for the Cliff Keen WC were Seth Gross (57 kilograms) and Alec Pantaleo (65 kilograms). Tommy Gantt (74 kilograms), Trent Hidlay (86 kilograms) and Michael Macchiavello (97 kilograms) earned victories for the Wolfpack RTC. In the second semifinal, the NJRTC/SERTC, who went 0-2 on Friday, came back to defeat the Spartan Combat RTC 4-2 in the semifinals, avenging a loss from Friday. The Spartan Combat RTC picked up key victories from Vito Arujau (57 kilograms) and Yianni Diakomihalis (65 kilograms) to start the dual meet. Arujau used a four-point throw late in the match to come from behind and beat Nahshon Garrett for the second straight day. Diakomihalis edged James Green 4-4 on criteria, which marked his second straight win over Green at the RTC Cup. Ty Walz earned a key victory for the NJRTC/SERTC (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) After falling behind 2-0, the NJRTC/SERTC stormed back to win the final four matches. Mekhi Lewis (74 kilograms) and Nate Jackson (86 kilograms) earned technical superiorities. Ty Walz then shut out Jacob Cardenas 7-0, which clinched the dual meet victory for the NJRTC/SERTC. Jordan Wood of the NJRTC/SERTC received a forfeit at 125 kilograms. The Spartan Combat RTC will meet the Wolfpack RTC for third place, which will be followed up by the championship match at 8 p.m. ET between the Cliff Keen WC and the NJRTC/SERTC. Cliff Keen WC df. Wolfpack RTC, 3-3 (Criteria) 57: Seth Gross (Cliff Keen WC) tech. Jakob Camacho (Wolfpack RTC), 14-4 65: Alec Pantaleo (Cliff Keen WC) tech. Kevin Jack (Wolfpack RTC), 10-0 74: Tommy Gantt (Wolfpack RTC) dec. Logan Massa (Cliff Keen WC), 7-3 86: Trent Hidlay (Wolfpack RTC) dec. Myles Amine (Cliff Keen WC), 4-3 97: Michael Macchiavello (Wolfpack RTC) dec. Domenic Abounader (Cliff Keen WC), 7-2 125: Mason Parris (Cliff Keen WC) dec. Nick Gwiazdowski (Wolfpack RTC), 10-7 NJRTC/SERTC df. Spartan Combat RTC, 4-2 57: Vito Arujau (Spartan Combat RTC) dec. Nahshon Garrett (NJRTC/SERTC), 7-5 65: Yianni Diakomihalis (Spartan Combat RTC) dec. James Green (NJRTC/SERTC), 4-4 74: Mekhi Lewis (NJRTC/SERTC) tech. Jevon Balfour (Spartan Combat RTC), 19-6 86: Nate Jackson (NJRTC/SERTC) tech. Drew Foster (Spartan Combat RTC), 11-0 97: Ty Walz (NJRTC/SERTC) dec. Jacob Cardenas (Spartan Combat RTC), 7-0 125: Jordan Wood (NJRTC/SERTC) by forfeit

Nate Jackson of the NJRTC/SERTC after beating beating Brett Pfarr by technical superiority (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) CINCINNATI -- The semifinals are set at the RTC Cup in Cincinnati. The NJRTC/SERTC and the Wolfpack RTC claimed quarterfinal victories in Saturday's first session to earn spots in the semifinals. The NJRTC/SERTC will face the Spartan Combat RTC, while the Wolfpack RTC will meet the Cliff Keen WC. The NJRTC/SERTC advanced to the semifinals with a criteria victory over the Gopher WC. Both teams won three matches, but the NJRTC/SERTC had more classification points (14-9). Nahshon Garrett and James Green got the NJRTC/SERTC off to a fast start as they earned back-to-back technical superiorities at 57 kilograms and 65 kilograms to start the dual meet. Garrett made quick work of Zach Sanders, earning a 10-0 technical superiority in the first 30 seconds. He scored a quick takedown and transitioned to a gut wrench to go up 4-0. He then fired off a single leg and went right back to his gut wrench to turn Sanders twice and end the match. Green, a two-time world medalist, rolled to a 11-0 technical superiority over Brayton Lee at 65 kilograms. He went up 1-0 on a step before getting a takedown and turn to lead 5-0 at the break. He then closed out the match in the second period with a takedown and two gut wrench turns. The Gopher WC got on the board at 74 kilograms when Evan Wick came from behind to defeat junior world champion Mekhi Lewis. Wick trailed 4-3 at the break, but came out strong in the second period, scoring six quick points off a four-point takedown and turn. He would add another takedown to win by six. Nate Jackson proved to be too much for Brett Pfarr at 86 kilograms. Jackson immediately fired off a shot and scored a takedown before transitioning to a lace, turning Pfarr four times to go up 8-0. He then shot a double leg and scored a takedown to close out a 10-0 technical superiority in 30 seconds. Hayden Zillmer kept the Gopher RTC's hopes alive by topping Ty Walz 6-1 at 97 kilograms. Zillmer scored a takedown and gut wrench turn in the first period to lead 4-0 at the break. He would add another takedown in the second period. Gable Steveson dominated Jordan Wood 10-0 in the final match of the dual meet at 125 kilograms. Steveson built an 8-0 lead after one and ended it early in the second period. Still, despite the Gopher WC winning the final two matches (and three overall), the NJRTC/SERTC won by criteria to move into the semifinals, where they will face the Spartan Combat RTC at 6 p.m. ET. The Wolfpack RTC moved into the semifinals with a 4-2 win over the Ohio RTC. Darian Cruz gave the Wolfpack RTC a 1-0 lead when he topped Jack Mueller 3-1 at 57 kilograms. Mueller led 1-0 at the break after scoring off the activity clock. Cruz took the criteria lead in the second period when he scored off the activity clock. He then scored a takedown with just over a minute remaining and held on to win by two. At 65 kilograms, Sammy Sasso of the Ohio RTC was dominant in picking up a 13-2 technical superiority over Kevin Jack. Jack scored an early takedown to go up 2-0, but it was all Sasso the rest of the way. He went on to score 13 unanswered points, earning the technical superiority with five seconds remaining. Carson Kharchla of the Ohio RTC remaining undefeated at the RTC Cup with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Tommy Gantt at 74 kilograms. Kharchla scored both of his points off the activity clock, while Gantt's lone point came from a step out. The Wolfpack RTC's Trent Hidlay turned in a strong performance at 86 kilograms, beating Sammy Brooks 14-7 in an action-filled match. Hidlay went up 7-1 before Brooks used a body lock to throw Hidlay to his back and earn four points in the process. Hidlay would come back with a four-point move of his own and cruise to a seven-point victory. At 97 kilograms, the Wolfpack RTC's Michael Macchiavello came from behind late to stun Kollin Moore on criteria. Macchiavello scored an early takedown and led 2-0 at the break. Moore turned it up in the second period, scoring three consecutive takedowns to build a 6-2 lead. With under 20 seconds left, Macchiavello countered Moore's attack for a takedown and then locked up a lace and turned the Ohio RTC wrestler with under five seconds remaining to earn the 6-6 criteria victory. Two-time world bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski closed out the dual meet with an 11-0 technical superiority over Amar Dhesi to give the Wolfpack RTC a 4-2 victory. The Wolfpack RTC will now meet the Cliff Keen WC at 5 p.m. ET. NJRTC/SERTC df. Gopher WC, 3-3 (Criteria) 57: Nahshon Garrett (NJRTC/SERTC) tech. Zach Sanders (Gopher WC), 10-0 65: James Green (NJRTC/SERTC) tech. Brayton Lee (Gopher WC), 11-0 74: Evan Wick (Gopher WC) dec. Mekhi Lewis (NJRTC/SERTC), 11-5 86: Nate Jackson (NJRTC/SERTC) tech. Brett Pfarr (Gopher WC), 10-0 97: Hayden Zillmer (Gopher WC) dec. Ty Walz (NJRTC/SERTC), 6-1 125: Gable Steveson (Gopher WC) tech. Jordan Wood (NJRTC/SERTC), 10-0 Wolfpack RTC df. Ohio RTC, 4-2 57: Darian Cruz (Wolfpack RTC) dec. Jack Mueller (Ohio RTC), 3-1 65: Sammy Sasso (Ohio RTC) tech. Kevin Jack (Wolfpack RTC), 13-2 74: Carson Kharchla (Ohio RTC) dec. Tommy Gantt (Wolfpack RTC), 2-1 86: Trent Hidlay (Wolfpack RTC) dec. Sammy Brooks (Ohio RTC), 14-7 97: Michael Macchiavello (Wolfpack RTC) dec. Kollin Moore (Ohio RTC), 6-6 125: Nick Gwiazdowski (Wolfpack RTC) tech. Amar Dhesi (Ohio RTC), 11-0

Yianni Diakomihalis helped lead the Spartan Combat RTC to a 2-0 day (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) CINCINNATI -- The inaugural RTC Cup kicked off Friday in Cincinnati with six teams competing over two days. The opening day consisted of pool competition to set up the seeds for Saturday's championship bracket. The Cliff Keen WC and the Spartan Combat RTC finished unbeaten on Friday and will receive byes into Saturday's semifinals. Below is a recap from Friday's pool competition. The Cliff Keen WC finished 2-0 on Day 1 (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Pool A The Cliff Keen WC rolled to a 5-1 victory over the Gopher WC in the first dual in Pool A. The first four matches went to the Cliff Keen WC, which clinched the dual meet after 86 kilograms. Seth Gross, filling in for Stevan Micic, opened with a 12-4 victory over Zach Sanders in a battle of Minnesota natives. Sanders led 3-2 after the opening period, but Gross came out strong in the second period and pulled away to win by eight. At 65 kilograms, Alec Pantaleo was dominant in picking up a 10-0 technical superiority over Brayton Lee. Pantaleo led 1-0 at the break, but poured it on the second period, scoring two takedowns, two turns and a step out to close out the match. Senior Nationals champion Logan Massa gave the Cliff Keen WC a 3-0 lead by beating Evan Wick 5-2 at 74 kilograms. Massa used two second-period takedowns to pace him to the victory. Myles Amine, an Olympic qualifier for San Marino, clinched the dual meet for the Cliff Keen WC with an 8-2 win over Brett Pfarr. Pfarr led 2-2 on criteria after the opening period, but Amine scored three straight takedowns in the second period to win by six. The Gopher WC got on the scoreboard at 97 kilograms when Hayden Zillmer dominated T.J. Dudley 11-1. Junior world champion Mason Parris closed out the dual meet with an 8-2 win over two-time NCAA champion Tony Nelson. Parris led 6-0 at the break and the two wrestlers traded takedowns in the final period. The second dual meet of the session pitted the Cliff Keen WC against the Wolfpack RTC. The Cliff Keen WC took the first three matches before the Wolfpack RTC stormed back to win the final three matches, making the dual meet score 3-3. The dual meet was ultimately decided by criteria, with Cliff Keen WC taking the victory. Gross started the dual meet with a 13-2 technical superiority over Darian Cruz at 57 kilograms in a battle of NCAA champions. At 65 kilograms, Pantaleo controlled Kevin Jack 7-2 to put the Cliff Keen WC up 2-0. The 74-kilogram match between Massa and Hayden Hidlay was filled with drama. Hidlay looked strong early. He scored two takedowns before using a four-point arm throw to go up 8-0 at the break. Massa, though, battled back, scoring two four-point moves to win 8-8 on criteria. Trent Hidlay gave the Wolfpack RTC its first win of the dual meet with a 10-6 victory over Abounader at 86 kilograms. Hidlay trailed 2-1 at the break, but came out strong in the second period, using a four-point move to go up 5-2. He extended his lead to 6-2 with a step out. Abounader used a takedown and turn to cut the deficit to 8-6. But Hidlay came right back with a takedown and held on to win by four. Michael Macchiavello, a 2018 NCAA champion, grinded out a 5-4 victory over Dudley at 97 kilograms. Nick Gwiazdowski came from behind to earn a technical superiority over Mason Parris (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The final match of the dual meet was a showdown between two-time world medalist Nick Gwiazdowski and the Senior Nationals champion Parris. Parris came out fast, scoring three takedowns and a turn to build an 8-0 lead. Gwiazdowski came back with a takedown before securing a lace and turning Parris five times to go up 12-8. Gwiz continued to roll in the second period, picking up a takedown and exposure to go up 16-8. He then closed out the technical superiority with another takedown. With both teams splitting the six matches, it came down to criteria, technical points. The Cliff Keen WC edged the Wolfpack RTC 46-45 on technical points to earn the dual meet victory and finish the day undefeated. In the final dual meet of Pool A, the Gopher WC edged the Wolfpack RTC on criteria after both teams won three matches. Jakob Camacho put the Wolfpack RTC up 1-0 after a 12-6 win over Sean Russell at 57 kilograms. Junior world silver medalist Mitch McKee used a big second period to roll to a 15-6 win over Jack at 65 kilograms. The Wolfpack RTC's Tommy Gantt topped Wick 7-2 at 74 kilograms. Gantt led 3-2 at the break and scored two step outs and a takedown in the final period. At 86 kilograms, Trent Hidlay used two second-period takedowns to propel him to a 6-2 win over Pfarr to put the Wolfpack RTC up 3-1. Minnesota would take the final two matches, with Hayden Zillmer and Gable Steveson picking up wins at 97 kilograms and 125 kilograms respectively to give both teams three wins. Zillmer defeated Michael Macchiavello 8-4 on the strength of two four-point moves. He led 8-0 before Macchiavello scored a late takedown and turn. The final match -- with the dual meet on the line -- pitted America's top two freestyle heavyweight against each other, Gwiazdowski vs. Gable Steveson. Steveson, a three-time age-group world champion, scored a takedown on the edge of the mat in the first period and took a 2-0 lead into the break. In the second period, Gwiz scored a step out to cut the deficit to 2-1. Steveson countered a Gwiz attack and scored another takedown and held on to win 4-1. Gable Steveson after defeating Nick Gwiazdowski (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Steveson's victory helped give the Gopher WC a narrow victory over the Wolfpack RTC on criteria (technical points). The Gopher WC concluded the day with a 1-1 record, while the Wolfpack RTC finished 0-2, losing both matches by criteria. Pool A Results Cliff Keen WC df. Gopher WC, 5-1 57: Seth Gross (Cliff Keen WC) dec. Zach Sanders (Gopher WC), 12-4 65: Alec Pantaleo (Cliff Keen WC) tech. Brayton Lee (Gopher WC), 10-0 74: Logan Massa (Cliff Keen WC) dec. Evan Wick (Gopher WC), 5-2 86: Myles Amine (Cliff Keen WC) dec. Brett Pfarr (Gopher WC), 8-2 97: Hayden Zillmer (Gopher WC) tech. T.J. Dudley (Cliff Keen WC), 11-1 125: Mason Parris (Cliff Keen WC) dec. Tony Nelson (Gopher WC), 8-2 Cliff Keen WC df. Wolfpack RTC, 3-3 (Criteria) 57: Seth Gross (Cliff Keen WC) tech. Darian Cruz (Wolfpack RTC), 13-2 65: Alec Pantaleo (Cliff Keen WC) dec. Kevin Jack (Wolfpack RTC), 7-2 74: Logan Massa (Cliff Keen WC) dec. Hayden Hidlay (Wolfpack RTC), 8-8 86: Trent Hidlay (Wolfpack RTC) dec. Domenic Abounader (Cliff Keen WC), 10-6 97: Michael Macchiavello (Wolfpack RTC) dec. T.J. Dudley (Cliff Keen WC), 5-4 125: Nick Gwiazdowski (Wolfpack RTC) tech. Mason Parris (Cliff Keen WC), 18-8 Gopher WC df. Wolfpack RTC, 3-3 (Criteria) 57: Jakob Camacho (Wolfpack RTC) dec. Sean Russell (Gopher WC), 12-6 65: Mitch McKee (Gopher WC) dec. Kevin Jack (Wolfpack RTC), 15-6 74: Tommy Gantt (Wolfpack RTC) dec. Evan Wick (Gopher WC), 7-2 86: Trent Hidlay (Wolfpack RTC) dec. Brett Pfarr (Gopher WC), 6-2 97: Hayden Zillmer (Gopher WC) dec. Michael Macchiavello (Wolfpack RTC), 8-4 285: Gable Steveson (Gopher WC) dec. Nick Gwiazdowski (Wolfpack RTC), 4-1 Pool B The Spartan Combat RTC finished undefeated in Pool B, picking up wins over the Ohio RTC and the NJRTC/SERTC. The Spartan Combat RTC opened its day by winning a hard-fought battle over the Ohio RTC in a dual meet that came down to criteria after the teams split the six matches. Vito Arujau picked up two wins on Friday (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Cornell stars Vito Arujau and Yianni Diakomihalis kickstarted the Spartan Combat RTC as both picked up technical superiorities at 57 kilograms and 65 kilograms respectively. Arujau won 11-0 over Jack Mueller, while Diakomihalis earned a 12-2 win over Sammy Sasso. Ohio State freshman Carson Kharchla got the Ohio RTC on the board with a 6-0 shutout over Jevon Balfour at 74 kilograms. Kharchla, the 2019 InterMat High School Wrestler of the Year, finished the day 2-0, outscoring his two opponents by a combined score of 15-2. Sammy Brooks came from behind to defeat Drew Foster (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The most thrilling match of the dual meet came at 86 kilograms, where former Hawkeye Sammy Brooks, competing for the Ohio RTC, came from behind late to defeat Drew Foster. Foster dominated the first half of the match and appeared to be on the verge of a technical superiority when he went up 8-0. But Brooks battled back, getting a step out, three takedowns and an exposure in the second period for a 9-8 come-from-behind victory. Brooks' win evened the dual at 2-2. At 97 kilograms, Kollin Moore turned in a dominant performance, scoring a 10-0 technical superiority over Jacob Cardenas in just 25 seconds. In the final match of the dual meet, Dom Bradley came from behind late to defeat . Amar Dhesi 5-2, which gave both teams three wins. With both teams also tied on classification points, it came down to the second criteria, with Spartan Combat RTC winning on the strength of two technical superiorities. The Spartan Combat RTC then capped off its day with a 4-2 win over the NJRTC/SERTC. The dual meet opened with Cornell All-Americans Arujau and Nahshon Garrett going head-to-head at 57 kilograms. Arujau, a junior world silver medalist, dominated the early part of the match and built an 11-2 lead. Garrett battled back late, cutting the deficit to two points, but Arujau held on for the 14-9 victory. In one of the most anticipated matchups of Day 1, Diakomihalis, a two-time NCAA champion, edged two-time world medalist James Green 3-3 on criteria at 65 kilograms to give the Spartan Combat RTC a 2-0 lead. Green led 1-1 on criteria after the opening period. He extended his lead to 3-1 with a takedown in the second period. But Diakomihalis responded with a takedown of his own and held on for the criteria victory. Junior world champion Mekhi Lewis gave the NJRTC/SERTC its first win of the dual meet as he dominated Balfour 12-2. In one of the pivotal matches of the dual, Foster scored a late takedown to edge Nate Jackson 4-3, which gave the Spartan Combat RTC a 3-1 lead. Ty Walz kept the NJRTC/SERTC's hopes alive as he cruised to a 10-1 win over Cardenas. With the match coming down to the final match, Bradley blanked Jordan Wood 6-0, giving the Spartan Combat RTC a 4-2 victory. In the opening match of Pool B, the Ohio RTC claimed a 4-2 victory over NJRTC/SERTC. Mueller kicked it off with a 6-4 victory over Garrett. Green evened the dual at 1-1 after picking up a 14-4 technical superiority over Anthony Echemendia. Green found himself trailing in the second period before getting a takedown and locking up a lace, which he used to turn Echemendia five times and earn the technical superiority. Carson Kharchla defeated junior world champion Mekhi Lewis at 74 kilograms (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The most impressive performance of the dual meet came from Kharchla, who earned a 9-2 victory over the junior world champion Lewis at 74 kilograms. Kharchla led 1-0 after the first before turning it up in the second period, scoring two takedowns and two turns off a gut wrench. At 86 kilograms, Jackson of the NJRTC evened the dual at 2-2 with a 14-4 technical superiority over Brooks. At 97 kilograms, Moore made short work of Walz, earning a first-period 10-0 technical superiority. With the dual meet on the line, past junior world champion Dhesi topped Wood 4-2, giving the Ohio RTC the victory. The Ohio RTC finished the day 1-1, while the NJRTC/SERTC went 0-2. Competition will resume Saturday with quarterfinal action at 1 p.m. ET. The Cliff Keen WC and the Spartan Combat RTC receive byes into the semifinals. The Gopher WC will face the NJRTC/SERTC, while the Ohio RTC will face the Wolfpack RTC. Pool B Results Ohio RTC df. NJRTC/SERTC, 4-2 57: Jack Mueller (Ohio RTC) dec. Nahshon Garrett (NJRTC/SERTC), 6-4 65: James Green (NJRTC/SERTC) tech. Anthony Echemendia (Ohio RTC), 14-4 74: Carson Kharchla (Ohio RTC) dec. Mekhi Lewis, 9-2 86: Nate Jackson (NJRTC/SERTC) tech. Sammy Brooks (Ohio RTC), 14-4 97: Kollin Moore (Ohio RTC) tech. Ty Walz (NJRTC/SERTC), 10-0 125: Amar Dhesi (Ohio RTC) dec. Jordan Wood (NJRTC/SERTC), 4-2 Spartan Combat RTC df. Ohio RTC, 3-3 (Criteria) 57: Vito Arujau (Spartan Combat RTC) tech. Jack Mueller (Ohio RTC), 11-0 65: Yianni Diakomihalis (Spartan Combat RTC) tech. Sammy Sasso (Ohio RTC), 12-2 74: Carson Kharchla (Ohio RTC) dec. Jevon Balfour (Spartan Combat RTC), 6-0 86: Sammy Brooks (Ohio RTC) dec. Drew Foster (Spartan Combat RTC), 9-8 97: Kollin Moore (Ohio RTC) tech. Jacob Cardenas (Spartan Combat RTC), 10-0 125: Dom Bradley (Spartan Combat RTC) dec. Amar Dhesi (Ohio RTC), 5-2 Spartan Combat RTC df. NJRTC/SERTC, 4-2 57: Vito Arujau (Spartan Combat RTC) dec. Nahshon Garrett (NJRTC/SERTC), 14-9 65: Yianni Diakomihalis (Spartan Combat RTC) dec. James Green (NJRTC/SERTC), 3-3 74: Mekhi Lewis (NJRTC/SERTC) tech. Jevon Balfour (Spartan Combat RTC), 12-2 86: Drew Foster (Spartan Combat RTC) dec. Nate Jackson (NJRTC/SERTC), 4-3 97: Ty Walz (NJRTC/SERTC) dec. Jacob Cardenas (Spartan Combat RTC), 10-1 125: Dom Bradley (Spartan Combat RTC) dec. Jordan Wood (NJRTC/SERTC), 6-0

The 2020 RTC Cup begins Friday with six of the top RTCs set to compete in Cincinnati over the course of two days. The New Jersey RTC, Spartan Combat, Ohio RTC, Wolfpack RTC, Minnesota Storm, and the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club are being drawn into pools with a dual meet structure. Titan Mercury, who is not an RTC, is sponsoring the event, which comes with a $200,000 prize for the winning club. Pool A includes Cliff Keen Wrestling Club, Wolfpack WC and Gopher Wrestling Club, while Pool B is the Spartan Combat RTC, NJRTC/SERTC and the Ohio RTC. Wrestlers from clubs not entered in the competition were allowed to join those in the tournament in an effort to fill out rosters. The action on the mat is interesting and for a full breakdown of matchups and storylines you can check out InterMat's breakdown and some multimedia content from Flo. While the level of competition is going to be world class the larger story around the RTC Cup is the way in which it looks to rejigger how American wrestlers prepare for their freestyle careers. The low point for USA Wrestling was the output (and preparation) for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The lackluster performance at the 2008 Games gave USA Wrestling the opportunity to change and find new solutions. Part of that was to create the Living the Dream Fund, which created direct financial compensation for good performance. The other was to create increased traction with the NCAA for RTC growth (and eventually) a more lenient set of rules by which the Olympic athletes could participate in practice. Add in increased media opportunities for athletes (aka more money) and the number of stable training opportunities available to post-graduate Olympic athletes has grown to the level where additional competitions inside the states are possible. Going forward it's likely that the NYAC and Sunkist will be just one of several competitions each year, rather than the only two cost-effective ways for most post-graduates to get top-level competition. The RTC Cup has the ability to be an annual event, and the variety of head-to-head duals on other platforms may also prove to provide monthly competitions. The question remains how all these will be affected by a return to normalcy in the spring when the international calendar returns with opportunities for ranking series points and access to European and Asian opponents. For now we should enjoy this pandemic-primed response by the community. We are adapting as best we can for an uncertain future and in doing so creating an organic structure that should be repeatable for years to come. To your questions … James Green is expected to compete at 65 kilograms at the RTC Cup (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Who is competing at the RTC Cup? Any must-see matchups? -- John G. Foley: First, the rosters are posted on Flo. They also have a tremendous amount of content around each wrestler and you should go watch. While the United States loves its NCAA wrestlers and most of us know these guys, the fact that they are competing in freestyle is a great opportunity to learn more about their thinking and approach to competition. I'm tuning into the 65-kilogram matchups between Anthony Echemendia, Yianni Diakomihalis and James Green. This is the big ticket pull. We are going to watch a world silver medalist in Green and potential future world medalists in Echemendia and Yianni. Who will beat who and what will the matches look like? Heaven knows. Creative defenses, blast attacks, and three proven winners in one weekend of wrestling. We are lucky to watch. I'll take Yianni. The heavyweight trifecta of Gable, Gwiz, and Parris is also one of the more discussed matchup triangles of the RTC Cup. That is a tremendous amount of talent (and heft) for any nation to have, but especially to have it at the upperweights is a gift for the United States. I'd guess Gwiz is the slight favorite over Gable and Parris, but to see Gable go undefeated wouldn't surprise me too much. I'd need to see more out of Parris before predicting that he's winning his weight, but I equally wouldn't be surprised to see him take a match from Gwiz or Gable. My only fear is that there might be some personnel shifting and we the fans would be denied a marquee matchup. Q: There will be a couple Cuban wrestlers in Division I. Anthony Echemendia at Ohio State and Yonger Bastida at Iowa State. What are realistic expectations for these wrestlers in their first year of Division I wrestling? Do you think this could be a trend where Division I coaches recruit from outside the country? -- Mike C. Foley: The Cubans have arrived! I'm not sure what is happening on the larger level that has led to TWO Cubans in the same year, but it's wonderful for NCAA wrestling to have some international flare. Ohio State and Iowa State are sure to get better because of their presence, but I think the larger NCAA pool of athletes will also benefit from seeing their international style melding with the NCAA rules. As for what we will see from Echemendia and Yonger you can bet heavily on both being All-Americans. Most fans are aware of Echemendia and know he will compete right off the whistle. Yonger is lesser-known, but is an absolute monster with a slew of big wins in his recent past. In addition to being a junior world silver medalist and U23 bronze medalist, Yonger has wins over Hayden Zilmer, Blaize Cabell, and Kyven Gadson. He can place right away. There have been a number of wrestlers from foreign countries who've competed in the NCAA championships over the last two decades. Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and Russia are the most prevalent, but it'll be interesting to see if the recent Cuban additions becomes a pipeline, or if it's a coincidence that both were able to make it over in 2020. If the United States starts adopting collegiate women's wrestling my guess is we'll begin to see an incredible pipeline from Japan, Mongolia, and the Nordic countries and possibly India. Should be an interesting few years. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Yonger No. 1 Yonger No. 2 Great Burroughs throwback Musukaev! Link: Excellent read from Patrick Wyman Q: Nice to see some women's matches as co-main events in these recent RTC events, don't you think? The Wisconsin RTC had Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Alyssa Lampe as the co-main event, while the Tar Heel Wrestling Open has Macey Kilty vs. Emma Bruntil as the main event. -- Mike C. Foley: Wonderful to see. The women are exciting competitors and I think that every time our consumers have the opportunity to watch they come back. When the consumers get to know backstories they tend to tune in. We've seen that at United World Wrestling. Just this week we hosted a Legends vs. Stars bracket for women's wrestling and there were almost 200,000 votes for just the final matchup. That's insane. Those are NBA numbers. Our community is growing and the growth is through women's wrestling. As an example, I love watching Macey Kilty wrestle, but haven't caught much of Emma Bruntil -- and now I have the chance because I want to watch Macey and now I can learn about Emma. It's perfect. It was great seeing Sarah and Alyssa as the co-main event at WRTC Underground 1. Both world-class competitors. Q: Legendary boxers Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. recently fought. Both are over 50 years old. What's one match you would like to see between wrestling greats over the age of 50? -- Mike C. Foley: Valentin Jordanov vs. John Smith

Over the past few seasons, regional training centers have become a bigger and bigger element of the domestic wrestling landscape. As the teams, mostly based around college sites, have proliferated, many hoped for competition between the RTCs. Those fans finally got their wish as FloWrestling will host its first RTC Cup event on Friday and Saturday. The event will be a six-team dual tournament featuring the Olympics weights. The following RTCs have entered teams: Cliff Keen Wrestling Club, Ohio RTC, Spartan Combat RTC, Wolfpack WC, Gopher WC as well as a joint team featuring both the NJRTC and the SERTC. The following is a preview of the best potential individual matches that could materialize out of the dual tournament. 57 kilograms: Seth Gross (Cliff Keen WC) vs. Nahshon Garrett (NJRTC/SERTC) After previously winning a national title at South Dakota State, Gross transferred to Wisconsin for his senior season. In his final year, he went 27-2 with his only losses coming against Austin DeSanto (Iowa) and Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern). During the season, he also picked up wins over the pair and also defeated the likes of Sammy Alvarez (Rutgers), Travis Ford-Melton (Purdue) and Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State). Gross returned to action for the first time following the collegiate season at Beat the Streets. He engaged in a shootout with Joe Colon and ended up dropping the match 21-15. Gross returned on the debut WRTC Underground show and defeated former collegiate rival Bryce Meredith via a 10-7 score. Garrett won a spot on the 2018 world team after defeating Joe Colon at Final X. Unfortunately for him, an injury kept him out of the competition, and Colon went on to win a bronze medal. Since returning from injury, Garrett has placed fourth at the 2019 Bill Farrell and sixth at the 2019 Senior Nationals. During his collegiate career at Cornell, Garrett was a three-time All-American and culminated his career with an NCAA title at 133 pounds as a senior in 2016. In 2018, Gross and Garrett faced off twice. Their first meeting came at the U.S. Open. That match was tied 10-10 after the first period, but Garrett had the edge in the second and took it 18-13. In the rematch at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, Gross held a 7-6 lead at the break. Once again, Garrett turned it on in the second and won 16-12. Gross can score with anyone, but in freestyle, he simply allows his opponents to score from too many positions. This will likely be another high scoring match, but Garrett should be able to pull out the late victory once again. Prediction: Garrett VPO1 over Gross 65 kilograms: Yianni Diakomihalis (Spartan Combat RTC) vs. James Green (NJRTC/SERTC) Diakomihalis sat out the last college season to prepare for the Olympics. The two-time NCAA champion is expected to return to Cornell with two years of eligibility remaining. As a sophomore, he went undefeated and captured his second NCAA title. At the NCAA tournament, he picked up wins over Peter Lipari (Rutgers), Chad Red (Nebraska), Dom Demas (Oklahoma), Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) and Joey McKenna (Ohio State). On the freestyle scene, Diakomihalis won a pair of world championships on the cadet level. Following his 2019 collegiate season, he went on quite a run. Diakomihalis won the U.S. Open and followed that up with a win over Bajrang Punia at Beat the Streets. Despite the momentum, he came up short in his bid for the world team. He faced off against Zain Retherford in a best-of-three series at Final X. Retherford won both matches. After an appeal of the second match, Diakomihalis secured another chance. However, in the redo match, Retherford prevailed once again. The Cornell wrestler started this year with a gold medal performance at the Pan American Championships. Diakomihalis returned for the 2020 edition of Beat the Streets and dropped 4-4 criteria decision against Olympic champion Vladimer Khinchegashvili. Green has been full time on the freestyle circuit since completing his collegiate eligibility at Nebraska in 2015. He was a four-time All-American who finished third as both a junior and senior. Despite never winning an NCAA title, Green broke through on the senior level with a bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships. The medal came within months of the end of his college career. Since then Green has been a mainstay on the international scene and represented the U.S. at five-straight World Championships. In 2017, he added a world silver medal to his collection. Late last year, Green moved up to 74 kilograms. Last December he finished second at the Alans tournament. A few months later, Green entered the Matteo Pellicone, but he dropped his first match against Yones Aliakbar Emamichoghaei of Iran. In his first action since the pandemic, Green faced off against Alex Marinelli at the HWC Showdown Open and took a 5-4 victory. Despite his success domestically and internationally, Green has always done his best work at 70 kilograms. Unfortunately for him, that is not one of the Olympic weights. In 2016, Green dropped down to 65 kilograms for the trials and lost in the first round against Retherford. It appeared as if he was moving up to 74 kilograms for this cycle, but perhaps he will make a run at 65 kilograms after a strong performance here. Green certainly has the ability to get to legs against Diakomihalis. The real challenge for him in this match will be finishing clean without giving his opponent the opportunity to score. There will be times in this match when holding on for the stalemate will be a win for Green. His ability to control the pace and limit the action should likely go a long way. Of course, this all depends on Green's ability to perform at his peak when cutting to the lower weight, and Diakomihalis is certainly a tough way to start the trek. Prediction: Green VPO1 over Diakomihalis 74 kilograms: Logan Massa (Cliff Keen WC) vs. Kyle Dake (Spartan Combat RTC) It is entirely possible that Massa is the hottest domestic wrestler on the freestyle ladder at the moment. While spending the year away from Michigan to prepare for the Olympic, Massa started his streak at the 2019 Senior Nationals. He won the tournament at 74 kilograms with wins over Anthony Valencia, Nazar Kulchytskyy and Mekhi Lewis. Massa returned to action this past September with a victory over Bekzod Abdurakhmonov on the debut NLWC show. He then won yet another Senior Nationals title. On his way to the 2020 title, he defeated Jarrett Jacques, Danny Braunagel, David Carr and Valencia. On the college mats, Massa finished third at the NCAA tournament as a true freshman in 2017. He returned to the NCAA tournament twice but never returned to All-American status. He will have one year remaining at Michigan. Domestic fandom has been collectively waiting for the anticipated showdown between Dake and Jordan Burroughs. The two are the clear favorites for the Olympic spot at 74 kilograms, and the delays have only prolonged the suspense and tension. Since moving up to 86 kilograms and coming up short at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials, Dake went back down to 74 kilograms and tried to dethrone Burroughs and take his spot on the world team. They met in the finals of the U.S. Open, and Burroughs escaped with a 2-2 criteria win. They faced off again two months later at the World Team Trials in a three-match series. Dake won the first match 6-6, but Burroughs bounced back with 8-4 and 6-2 victories to earn the spot on the team. Burroughs went on to win yet another world championship. After the 2017 season, the weights expanded, and Dake found a home at 79 kilograms. He won both the 2018 and 2019 world championships as well as the 2018 Yasar Dogu and the 2020 Matteo Pellicone. Dake returned to action this past July against Frank Chamizo. It was a close match, but he ultimately pulled out the 4-3 victory. If Dake is able to add an Olympic team or medal to his resume, it would be on top of one of the most storied collegiate careers in history. During his time at Cornell, he won four NCAA titles at four different weight classes and finished his run with a 137-4 record. Dake is the clear favorite in this match, and he would be the favorite against anyone domestically not named Burroughs. With that being said, Massa has been running through the field recently. If Massa is able to hold position, he may be able to keep it close, but Dake will likely run away with it. Prediction: Dake VSU over Massa 86 kilograms: Myles Martin (Ohio RTC) vs. Myles Amine (Cliff Keen WC) Martin won an NCAA title as a true freshman in 2016, and he finished his Ohio State career in 2019 as a four-time All-American. During his senior year, he went 25-1 with his only loss coming against Max Dean at the NCAA tournament. Despite being in the middle of the college season, Martin entered the 2019 Senior Nationals. He made the finals with impressive victories over Nick Helfin and Alex Dierginer, but he ultimately came up short against Zahid Valencia to finish second. Martin return to action this year on the undercard of Flo's Dake vs. Chamizo show. He filled in as a late replacement against David Taylor and dropped an 11-0 match. The former NCAA champion got back on track in Flo's 8-Man Challenge. He took the tournament title with wins over Drew Foster, Nate Jackson and Taylor Lujan. Amine wrestles for Michigan, but he represents San Marino on the international level. He took an Olympic redshirt this past year, and he certainly made the most of the time. Amine made a surprising run through the 2019 World Championships with wins over Ali Shabanau (Belarus), Sohsuke Takatani (Japan) and Yurieski Torreblanca Queralta (Cuba) on the way to a fifth-place finish. In the process he qualified for the weight for San Marino and is expected to represent the country at the upcoming Olympic Games. Amine proved it was not a fluke as he took a silver medal at the 2020 European Championships. In his first three years at Michigan, Amine finished fourth, third and third. In his last season on the college mats, he established himself as one of the best wrestlers at 174 pounds with his only four losses coming against eventual finalists Mark Hall (Penn State) and Zahid Valencia (Arizona State). Amine is expected to move up to 184 pounds for the upcoming season. Martin had a very strong showing in the recent 8-Man Challenge, but Amine has shown himself to be on another level on the international scene. This will likely be a close match but expect Amine to make a big difference with his ability to score from the top position. Prediction: Amine VPO1 over Martin 97 kilograms: Kollin Moore (Ohio RTC) vs. Hayden Zillmer (Gopher WC) After three straight top-four finishes at the NCAA tournament, Moore was the heavy favorite to bring home a national title in 2020. Unfortunately, the tournament never happened, and his Ohio State career came to an end with a Big Ten title. As a senior, he went 27-0 with wins over Nathan Traxler (Stanford), Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State), Eric Schultz (Nebraska), Lucas Davison (Northwestern) and Shakur Rasheed (Penn State). Moore returned to action this past August on the debut Wrestling Underground show. He took a 7-0 decision over Deron Winn. He carried that momentum into the 2020 Senior Nationals, where he defeated Traxler, Zillmer, Ty Walz and Kyven Gadson. Zillmer has been a mainstay on the freestyle ladder since completing his collegiate eligibility in 2016. He was a three-time NCAA qualifier and an All-American for North Dakota State. In 2019, he made the finals of the World Team Trials challenge tournament before coming up short against Michael Macchiavello. He bounced back with bronze medals at the Bill Farrell tournament and carried that momentum into the 2019 Senior Nationals. He ran through the field and took the title. So far this year Zillmer has taken bronze at the Cerro Pelado tournament and the 2020 Senior Nationals. Moore and Zillmer have recently developed a strong rivalry. In 2019, they faced off three times, and Zillmer won all three meetings. Despite the losses, Moore steadily closed the gap. The margin in those three matches went from 12-7 to 12-10 and finally to 10-10. Zillmer and Moore met yet again at this year's Senior Nationals. This time Moore broke through and took a 6-5 victory. Was that result a sign of things to come? A rematch here will go a long way to decide that. Despite Zillmer being known for his defense, Moore has never really had trouble scoring against him. At Senior Nationals, he showed better control of that mat pace. If he can duplicate that performance, he should take this potential matchup. Prediction: Moore VPO1 over Zillmer Gable Steveson takes a shot on Gable Steveson at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 125 kilograms: Nick Gwiazdowski (Wolfpack WC) vs. Gable Steveson (Gopher WC) The heavyweight division has the potential to provide the biggest match of the weekend. Gwiazdowski and Steveson have been on quite the collision course recently. Since coming up short at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials, Gwiazdowski has been the representative at three straight world championships. Along the way, he picked up bronze medals at both the 2017 and 2018 editions of the tournament. While Gwiazdowski was dominating the senior level, Steveson was racking up gold medals on the age-group levels. He won a pair of cadet world championships and a junior world championship before ever stepping foot on a college campus. He signed with Minnesota and made his debut for the 2019 season. In his first year in college he finished third at the NCAA tournament and dropped only two matches against Anthony Cassar. This past year, he went undefeated and was the clear favorite heading into the NCAA tournament. During the year, he scored victories over Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa), Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) and Mason Parris (Michigan). Gwiazdowski and Steveson faced off for the first time at Final X in 2019 in a three-match series with a spot on the world team on the line. Gwiazdowski won both matches, but both of the wins came on criteria. In the first match, Steveson went on the board first with a shot clock point. Gwiazdowski then pulled ahead with a nifty single and finish through the quad pod. After the break, Steveson got back into the match with a double to single that turned into a step out. The match was tied at 2-2, but Gwiazdowski held the edge on criteria thanks to the two-point move. Steveson kept coming as he scored his own takedown on a reattack off a short shot from the former NC State NCAA champion. With about a minute left, Gwiazdowski got in on a single and fought off a chest wrap attempt to take the 4-4 criteria lead. He held on for the rest of the match and took the first bout. Steveson got on the board first again in the rematch. He tried an ankle pick that forced Gwiazdowski out of bounds for the step out point. After the break, Steveson got in deep on a reattack single, but the hips were too much. Gwiazdowski pulled an ankle and spun behind for the 2-1 lead. Both wrestlers got in on singles, but Steveson was able to expose Gwiazdowski from short offense and reclaim the lead via a 3-2 score. Gwiazdowski never gave up on the position and finished the takedown for the reversal point. In the process, he took the lead 3-3 on criteria and never relinquished it. At this point, Gwiazdowski might still be too active and dynamic for Steveson. Both wrestlers will have their opportunities, so finishing will be very important. In the end, getting an early shot here could be very valuable for Steveson's prospects at the Olympic Trials. Prediction: Gwiazdowski

Austin O'Connor faces Dean Heil in the co-main event of the Tar Heel Wrestling Open (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The Tar Heel Wrestling Club becomes the latest Regional Training Center to host its own event. The debut card dubbed the Tar Heel Wrestling Open will be an internet pay-per-view available through FITE TV on Friday at 8 p.m. ET. In the main event, 2019 junior and U23 world silver medalist Macey Kilty tries to avenge a previous defeat against 2019 Senior Nationals champion Emma Bruntil. In the co-main event, UNC's national title contender Austin O'Connor takes on two-time NCAA champion Dean Heil. The following is a match-by-preview of the card. Joe Heilmann vs. Nico Aguilar After starting as a true freshman for North Carolina during the 2019 season, Heilmann redshirted last year. During his redshirt campaign, he went 21-9 in open tournaments with victories of the likes of Cayden Rooks (Indiana), Paul Glynn (Iowa) and Shane Metzler (Rutgers). While a starter in 2019, Heilmann finished fourth at the ACC tournament with tournament wins over Brendon Fenton (Pittsburgh) and Harrison Campbell (Duke). Aguilar was the 125-pound starter for Rutgers this past season. He went 24-11 and placed ninth at the Big Ten tournament. Over the course of the season, Aguilar scored signature victories over Eric Barnett (Wisconsin), Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) and Malik Heinselman (Ohio State). Following the season, he was awarded Honorable Mention All-American honors from the NWCA. Prior to coming to Rutgers, Aguilar was a California state champion for Gilroy High School. Both of these wrestlers have experienced the grind of the Division I season. So far, Aguilar has experienced the higher level of success. This should be an interesting match, but the Rutgers wrestler's ability to finish through scrambles should help him pull out the victory. Prediction: Aguilar VPO1 over Heilmann Max Shaw vs. Jordan Pagano Shaw was a WPIAL champion for Thomas Jefferson before joining the Tar Heels last season. During his redshirt year, he went 11-6 and won the Newberry Open. Shaw recently competed at Junior Nationals in the 86-kilogram division. He won his first two matches over Kenneth Prince and Cole Urbas before dropping his next two and falling out of the tournament. Last spring Pagano finished his senior year at Rutgers. He went 22-8 and qualified for the NCAA tournament. He finished the year with injuries and did not compete in either of his matches at the Big Ten tournament. However, during the year, he picked up several impressive victories. He defeated Patrick Brucki (Princeton), Ethan Laird (Rider) and Jake Woodley (Oklahoma). When he was healthy this past season, Pagano looked as if he was a contender to reach the All-American podium. If he has recovered, he should be able to dominate this match. Look for Pagano to have a physical advantage on the feet and do enough to take the bout. Prediction: Pagano VPO over Shaw Gabriel Tagg vs. Sammy Alvarez Before joining the UNC program Tagg spent a year at the Olympic Training Center as part of the Elite Accelerator Program. He finished that year with a bronze medal at the 2019 Junior World Championships. Tagg redshirted during his first year at North Carolina. He went 15-5 with a 3-2 mark at the Midlands where he defeated Pat D'arcy (Princeton), Justin Stickley (Iowa) and Troy Stanich (Stevens Tech). Alvarez started right away for Rutgers last year as a true freshman. He finished the year with a 26-10 record. Following the season, the NWCA awarded him with second-team All-American honors. During the year, Alvarez picked up wins over Ridge Lovett (Nebraska), Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) and Ramazan Attasauov (Iowa State), and he also finished first at the Southern Scuffle. Alvarez recently finished fifth at the recent Junior Nationals. Tagg took some surprising losses during his redshirt year, but it looks like he will be back down at 133 pounds this upcoming season. This should be a good test since Alvarez was very much in the mix throughout the season last year. Alvarez goes for big moves in freestyle and might build an early lead. However, Tagg has an experience edge in freestyle, and that might pay dividends here. Prediction: Tagg VPO1 over Alvarez Jaime Hernandez vs. Kemol Bagakov Hernandez qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time last year as a sophomore after finishing second at the ACC tournament for UNC. He finished the year 16-10 at 133 pounds. During the year, he scored key wins over Josh Kramer (Arizona State), Louie Hayes (Virginia) and Gavin Teasdale (Northern Iowa). Bagakov is a recent addition to the New Jersey Regional Training Center. Per the website, he previously placed fifth at the Cadet World Championships. There does not seem to be a lot of information available on Bagakov, which makes a prediction pretty difficult. Hernandez will look to get it done at his home event. Prediction: Hernandez VPO1 over Bagakov A.C. Headlee vs. Nestor Taffur Headlee finished his North Carolina career this past year with a third straight NCAA qualifying season. Unfortunately, he never got the opportunity to try to break through and become an All-American. For the year, he moved up to 157 pounds and finished third at the ACC tournament. Headlee defeated multiple ranked wrestlers during the season including Taleb Tahmani (Pittsburgh) Brian LaPrade (Virginia Tech) and Will Lewan (Michigan). Headlee recently competed at the 2020 Senior Nationals where he went 2-2 with wins over Brenton Dotter and Cory Graham. Taffur wrestled collegiately for Boston University, and he now competes internationally for Colombia. In his last tournament action, he attempted to qualify the 74-kilogram weight for the upcoming Games via the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament, but he finished fifth. Since then, Taffur has wrestled at both the Rumble on the Rooftop and NLWC second event. He dropped matches to Dylan Ness and Bekzod Abdurakhmonov respectively. Taffur certainly has had the more extensive career, and he has been more active recently. With that being said, the wrestlers coming off their collegiate career often seem to have an advantage in matches like this. Look for Headlee to kick off his freestyle circuit career with a big win here. Prediction: Headlee VPO1 over Taffur Kennedy Monday vs. Mitch Finesilver Monday and Finesilver wrestled twice during the 2018 college season. Their first meeting came during the North Carolina vs. Duke dual. In the bout, Finesilver took a 4-0 decision. The rematch came the following month at the ACC tournament. Monday closed the gap to a single point, Finesilver still took the 4-3 victory. Following that match, Monday went on to qualify for the NCAA tournament and finish in the round of 12. This past season, he qualified once again after going 20-8 for the Tar Heels. During the year, he scored victories over the likes of Peyton Mocco (Missouri), Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh) and David McFadden (Virginia Tech). For the 2019 season, Finesilver finally broke through and became an All-American. After three previous trips to the NCAA tournament that ended short of the podium, he finished fourth as a senior with victories over Parker Kropman (Drexel), Cole Martin (Wisconsin), Pat Lugo (Iowa), Jared Prince (Navy) and Matt Kolodzik (Princeton). Finesilver represents Israel on the international stage and finished 13th at the 2020 European Championships. This should be an interesting rematch under freestyle rules. In their last meeting, Finesilver spent a lot of time working from his knees in the neutral position. That option will not really be available in this match. If he can't get his hands on Monday, the North Carolina wrestler should be able to score from the outside with his leg attacks. Prediction: Monday VPO1 over Finesilver Clay Lautt vs. Joe Grello Lautt started this past season for UNC at 174 pounds. He qualified for the NCAA tournament after winning the ACC tournament. The NWCA rewarded his efforts with an Honorable Mention All-American award after he went 21-7 on the year. Lautt's run through the ACC tournament was particularly impressive since he had to knock off both Daniel Bullard (NC State) and Gregg Harvey (Pittsburgh). Grello is expected to return to Rutgers for his senior year. This past season, he suffered an injury in a match against Mark Hall (Penn State) back in January, and this match will be his first return to action. The previous season, as a sophomore, Grello qualified for the NCAA tournament at 174 pounds. That year, he went 18-11 and defeated the likes of Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley), Mitch Bowman (Iowa) and Travis Stefanik (Princeton). Lautt really seemed to figure things out towards the end of last season. He would have been an interesting story at the NCAA tournament, since he was reversing results from earlier in the season. If he can keep that momentum going, he should be able to take the win over a wrestler coming off an injury. Prediction: Lautt VPO1 over Grello Matt Finesilver vs. C.J. Brucki Finesilver redshirted this past season at Duke, and he is expected to return to the lineup with two years of eligibility remaining. For the 2019 season, he qualified for the NCAA tournament after finishing second at the ACC tournament. During the year, Finesilver defeated Grello, Bullard, Harvey and Marcus Coleman (Iowa State). Brucki was a two-time NCAA qualifier for Central Michigan. During the 2017 season, he handed NCAA champion Mark Hall his first collegiate defeat. During his senior season, Brucki finished second in the MAC and defeated the likes of Sheldon Wright (Old Dominion), Devin Skatzka (Indiana), Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) and Johnny Sebastian (Northwestern). He recently entered the 2020 edition of Senior Nationals and finished eighth. Last Month, Brucki faced off against Max Dean on the third NLWC show and dropped a 13-4 decision. Brucki showed a lot of offense early in his match against Dean. However, after some early success, he faded pretty hard. If Finesilver comes into this match prepared, he should be able to withstand the early offense from Brucki and take the decision. Prediction: Finesilver VPO1 over Brucki Austin O'Connor vs. Dean Heil O'Connor was a clear contender for an NCAA title last season. As a sophomore at UNC, he went 25-1 and won the ACC title at 149 pounds. O'Connor's only defeat came against Pat Lugo (Iowa), who was expected to be the No. 1 seed that national tournament. During the year, the North Carolina representative knocked off the likes of Kizhan Clarke (American), Mike D'Angelo (Princeton) and Bryce Andorian (Virginia Tech). Heil was a two-time NCAA champion and a three-time All-American for Oklahoma State. He finished his collegiate career in 2018 and has been competing on the freestyle circuit ever since. In 2019, Heil finished third at the Cerro Pelado International and won the Last Chance Senior World Team Trials Qualifier. So far this year, he brought home a silver medal from the Henri Deglane tournament in France. At the most recent Senior Nationals, Heil went 1-2 with a victory over Cody Trybus. O'Connor has shown himself to be a contender on the collegiate level, and with a victory here, he could announce himself on the senior level as well. Per USA Wrestling, he has not competed in a major freestyle tournament since making the finals of the 2018 Junior World Team Trials. Considering the training environment at UNC, look for him to show the strides he has made since then. Prediction: O'Connor VPO1 over Heil Macey Kilty vs. Emma Bruntil Kilty already has five world medals on the age group level. Last year, she took silver at both the Junior and U23 World Championships. This year she has expanded to a third age group. She competed at Senior, U23 and Junior Nationals. Kilty won the Junior and U23 tournaments by a combined 78-2 score. On the senior level, she finished second after dropping a one-point match against Jennifer Page in the finals. As a freshman at McKendree this past season, Bruntil won a national title at the Cliff Keen WCWC Women's National Championships. A few months previous, she won the 2019 Senior Nationals at 62 kilograms. On the way to her 2019 Senior Nationals title, Bruntil scored a 6-4 semifinal victory over Kilty. In the bout, Kilty got out to a two-point lead after working through a single leg. She expanded that lead in the second period after limping out of a whizzer to finish. Bruntil then got back in the match after surprising her opponent with a double leg for four. Kilty went for broke, knowing that Bruntil had the criteria, and gave up another two points on the failed attempt. While Bruntil was able to score the upset, it really came down to one exchange. The four-point takedown really changed the complexion of the bout. If Kilty is able to stay alert and continue to attack with her single, she should be able to reverse the result from 2019. Prediction: Kilty VPO over Bruntil

Eric Swick, a former Wisconsin wrestler and multiple-time age group national champion, has joined the Wisconsin RTC as the club's youth director. Below is a posting from the Wisconsin RTC about the addition of Swick. Eric SwickHelp us welcome Eric Swick to the Wisconsin Regional Training Center! Eric will be joining the Wisconsin RTC as the Youth Director. Eric's focus in his role, will be to help the Wisconsin RTC connect to local wrestling clubs and academies within Wisconsin! The goal of the Youth Director's position is to help connect the Wisconsin RTC's resources to the youth in Wisconsin to help them achieve their goals on the wrestling mat! Eric Swick is a name that many of you have heard! Eric is an alumni of the University of Wisconsin! Eric also won many state titles while growing up in Wisconsin. Eric also competed and placed at World Championships. It is the RTC's hope that in this position, we can provide resources to the youth to help them achieve the same success as Eric. Help us welcome Eric to the Wisconsin RTC!