InterMat Staff

Rick Lawinger, who was the first University of Wisconsin wrestler to win an individual NCAA championship and then became a respected high school coach in his home state, died Tuesday. He was 67. Rick LawingerLawinger won his 145-pound crown -- the first individual national mat title for the Badger wrestling program in any weight class -- at the 1973 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, defeating Steve Randall of Oklahoma State for the 1974 NCAA championship, completing a 39-1 season campaign. Lawinger recently suffered complications from heart surgery, his friend and former Badgers coach Duane Kleven told Madison.com. "He knew it from the minute he stepped in the door at Wisconsin that he was going to be their first national champion," Kleven said of Lawinger. "No doubt about it." Lawinger's 1974 NCAA championship started the Badgers on the path to seven more in the following four years, three of them by Lee Kemp, the school's first four-time All-American and only three-time NCAA champion. In addition to winning the first NCAA title for Wisconsin, Lawinger was also a Big Ten Conference champion in both his junior and senior seasons. He was also a three-time team MVP and ranks fourth in UW history with an .882 career winning percentage (130-17-1). He also won a bronze medal in freestyle at the 1973 World University Games. Born July 30, 1952, Rick Lawinger grew up on a dairy farm near Mineral Point, Wis. He didn't start wrestling until joining the powerhouse Mineral Point High School program led by head coach Al Bauman, but he finished an undefeated 1969-70 senior season by winning the state title at 145 pounds. As a coach at River Valley, Lawinger had the state's No. 1 dual meet team in 1978 and 1979. The team finished as state runner-up in 1978. Rick Lawinger was inducted into the George Martin Wrestling Hall of Fame at University of Wisconsin in 1983.

Lee Kemp, Chris Campbell and Nahshon Garrett Beat the Streets Bay Area ("BTS Bay Area"), a Bay Area youth development organization focused on improving the lives of youth through wrestling and mentorship, is pleased to announce the first in a series of conversations on racism and the importance of Black lives. We have amazing and esteemed panel members willing to share their personal stories of being Black and the impact that wrestling and mentorship had on their lives. They will also discuss the importance of the work that BTS Bay Area is undertaking. Register to attend via https://respond.orrick.com/v/cledp1qq. BTS Bay Area believes the horrors of racial injustice have greatly impacted Black lives and that indifference and inaction make us complicit in the systematic and disproportionate racism and violence against Black people. As an organization we stand for giving back and helping those in need. BTS Bay Area's mission is to be part of the solution and to combat inequality in our community to help create lasting change. We focus on the grass roots, bottom up effort of providing opportunity to help kids achieve their potential so they mature into productive, engaged citizens who know they matter and can affect society positively. We believe communication and dialogue regarding issues facing Black wrestlers is critical in this mission and, therefore, BTS Bay Area is sponsoring at least two events to begin the dialogue and conversation for everyone in our community to be better informed and take action. First Panel: Wednesday, August 5, 2020, 12 p.m. PST Reggie Lee (Panel Moderator) BTS Bay Area Board Member Harvard wrestling alum Lee Kemp (Panelist) Three-time world champion Olympic coach BTS Board Member MBA Chris Campbell (Panelist) World champion Olympic bronze medalist 1980 & 1992 Olympian Juris Doctorate Nahshon Garrett (Panelist) NCAA champion Cornell wrestling alum Second Panel: Wednesday, September 16, 2020, 12 p.m. PST BTS Bay Area will follow up with a second conversation on Black lives featuring Black women wrestlers on Sept. 16, 2020 at 12 p.m. PST (Save the date). If you cannot make the presentation and would like to donate: https://www.btsbayarea.org/take-action. Link: Press Release About Beat the Streets Bay Area In February 2019, BTS Bay Area was formed to improve the lives of youth in disadvantaged communities through the sport of wrestling and mentorship. BTS Bay Area focused its initial programs in Oakland, partnering with the Oakland Unified School District, to launch after school wrestling programs in the Spring of 2019. BTS Bay Area brings the life changing sport of wrestling to Oakland student-athletes to improve their academic, health and social and emotional well-being. BTS Bay Area partnered with the Award-Winning Summer Program Aim High to offer a program at the Oakland Westlake Middle School in 2019. This summer, BTS Bay Area is partnering with Aim High to provide enrichment opportunities through distance wrestling and fitness programs featuring many notable wrestling luminaries including BTS Bay Area Board Members Cynthia Calvillo and Lee Kemp (see: https://www.btsbayarea.org/summer2020). In the Fall, BTS Bay Area plans to expand its programming to the Oakland Housing Authority, Sunnyvale, and San Jose youth wrestling programs. To learn, more visit https://www.btsbayarea.org

Carlton Haselrig Carlton Haselrig, legendary amateur wrestling great, mixed martial arts professional and NFL star, collapsed and died Wednesday morning at home in his hometown of Johnstown, Pa.. He was 54 years old. The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat reported Wednesday that Cambria County Coroner Jeffrey Lees pronounced Haselrig dead at 9:19 a.m. this morning. The coroner said Haselrig's death was initially believed to be from natural causes. An autopsy will be conducted. Born in Johnstown, Pa., in 1966, Carlton Haselrig found success in multiple sports -- as a 1984 PIAA Pennsylvania state high school state wrestling champion, a six-time NCAA college wrestling champion (three NCAA Division I heavyweight titlewinner and a like number of NCAA Div. I titles for University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown (NCAA DII) -- before finding wider fame and fortune in the NFL playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, then later participating for a time in professional mixed martial arts. Haselrig's first wrestling title was a 1984 PIAA Pennsylvania state high school state championship, despite his school (Johnstown High) not having its own wrestling team. Competing as a one-man team during his senior year, he went 10-0 and won the district, regional and state titles in the unlimited weight class. In addition to his prep title, Haselrig also won two additional titles -- the 1985 Junior Greco-Roman World Championship, and 1986 Junior Freestyle World Championship. Carlton Haselrig While in college at University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, Haselrig made a name for himself in a number of distinctive ways in multiple sports. Despite there not being a wrestling team at Johnstown High, Haselrig wrestled his senior year on his own, compiling a 10-0 record and winning the PIAA Pennsylvania state heavyweight title with a 10-0 record in 1984. Haselrig continued his wrestling career locally at NCAA Division II University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, compiling an overall collegiate record of 143-2-1, including an NCAA-record 122 consecutive matches without a loss. He never lost a match at the NCAA Division I meet, going 15-0 at the heavyweight class in the 1987, 1988 and 1989 tournaments. (Note: Back then, champions crowned at the NCAA Division II or NCAA III automatically qualified to wrestle at the NCAA Division I championships. Haselrig was able to tally a total of six national titles -- the most of any collegiate wrestler. The "Haselrig rule" was changed not long after Haselrig was able to tally two NCAA titles in each Division while in college ... a record that remains to this day.) After concluding his college football career at Pittsburgh-Johnstown, Haselrig turned his attention to the pros. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, becoming a becoming a Pro Bowl offensive guard in his third NFL season in 1992. After four years with the Steelers, Haselrig spent one season with the New York Jets before retiring from the NFL. Carlton Haselrig continued his sports career in professional mixed martial arts in 2008. Before retiring, Haselrig compiled an overall record of 3-2 before retiring from MMA. Carlton Haselrig was welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. in 2016. Haselrig was also inducted into the Pitts-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009. In recent years, Haselrig served as an assistant coach of the wrestling and football teams at Greater Johnstown High School. Just last year, Haselrig was the subject of a biography titled "Giant Killer: The Carlton Haselrig Story" by Kevin Emily, a long-time high school wrestling coach who was recently hired as an assistant coach at Lander College in Greenwood, South Carolina.

David Nugent, who spent a long and rewarding life in the state of Oregon -- much of it involved in multiple activities, including the sport of wrestling -- passed away peacefully on June 13, 2020 at his home with his family, five months after being diagnosed with cancer. According to his obituary in The Olympian newspaper this weekend, David Nugent moved with his family to Lebanon, Oregon at age four. As a young child, he suffered rheumatic fever and was bedridden for months. With the support of his parents, Young Dave more than made up for this early setback, which inspired him to put his all into everything he found interesting, which, in the words of his cousin Jeff Millennor, including harvesting strawberries, playing trumpet, and competing in wrestling throughout high school and college. "Something I always found deeply reassuring about Dave was his consistency. He didn't wander from his personal center of friends." Dave started his work life early, as a field worker harvesting strawberries until he transitioned to working for his uncle's meat plant in his teens. He played trumpet, competed in wrestling throughout high school and college, and dedicated time to helping his family. He graduated from Lebanon High School in 1962 and took manufacturing jobs to pay for his undergraduate education at Oregon State University. He also served in the National Guard from 1964-65. Taking a break from college, he served as an officer in the U.S. Army from 1966-70, stationed primarily in Kaiserslautern, Germany. In December 1966, Dave married Linda Helen Clinton at Grace Lutheran Church in Corvallis, Oregon. During their 23-year marriage, they had two daughters and a son. In 1972, Dave graduated from OSU with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and in 1974 he graduated with a Master of Business Administration from Portland State University. In 1977, after working several years as a financial controller in Oregon, Dave moved to Thurston County, Washington, where he was employed by various businesses in the Puget Sound area, including serving as the Vice President of Finance for Baden Sports. In 1996, Dave met his life partner, Linda Carlisle, and they blended their personal and professional lives until Dave's death. In 2000, Dave and Linda launched a private mortgage brokerage company called Mortgage Services, Inc. They also refurbished and managed or sold several investment properties. In the final years before his retirement in March 2020, Dave worked as a senior loan officer with Homestreet Bank, helping thousands of families and individuals finance their dreams. Starting in the late 1970s, Dave joined the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Olympia. There he participated as a youth group sponsor, church finance committee member, and Assistant Scoutmaster of the church's Boy Scout Troop 266. He is fondly remembered from those years as a mentor and role model by hundreds of youth in the community. In his final act of community service, Dave donated his body to the University of Washington Medical School to be used for scientific research. The family will hold a memorial service in the Olympia area at a time when pandemic response protocols allow for larger gatherings. Please email dedeewilnernugent@gmail.com if you would like to be notified when that event has been scheduled. Memorial gifts may be made to University of Washington Medical School, the Capitol Land Trust in Thurston County, or another reputable charitable organization.

Kyle Dake and Frank Chamizo, both two-time world champions, will meet on Saturday (Photos/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Freestyle wrestling returns on Saturday. FloWrestling will host a card featuring a main event between a pair of returning world medalists. Reigning 79-kilogram world champion Kyle Dake will take on 74-kilogram world silver medalist Frank Chamizo. The bout may turn out to be an Olympic preview if Dake can get past Jordan Burroughs at the Olympic Team Trials. The event also features another world champion, several former collegiate stars and a former Bellator champion. The following is a match-by-match preview of the event. Kyle Dake vs. Frank Chamizo When the weight classes expanded following the 2017 World Championships, it was clear that the new 79-kilogram weight would benefit Dake. He had been stuck behind Jordan Burroughs at 74 kilograms for years, and he certainly made the most of the new opportunity. Dake won gold at both the 2018 and 2019 world events as clearly solidified himself as one of the best wrestlers currently representing the U.S. With the Olympics around the corner, Dake is back down at 74 kilograms and looking to break through against Burroughs. Chamizo is also fond of moving weights. He won his first world title at 65 kilograms before moving up to 70 kilograms two years later. He now finds himself in one of the deepest weights in an Olympic year. He won a silver last year's World Championships with his only defeat coming against two-time world champion Zaurbek Sidakov. Like Dake, Chamizo has gone through an extensive series with Burroughs. The two have split their four matches with Burroughs taking a 9-2 decision in their last meeting at the 2019 Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov tournament. The path to victory is pretty clear for Dake. He needs to hold a solid stance as always and look for the big throws to avoid the scrambling on Chamizo. However, that might be easier said than done against the two-time world champion. It is entirely possible that this turns into a low scoring and defensive match. If that happens, it will favor Chamizo who has more ways to score and should be able to avoid Dake's dynamic offense. Prediction: Chamizo over Dake (VPO1) David Taylor with a Pan American Olympic Qualifier gold medal (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) David Taylor vs. Myles Martin Pat Downey seemingly tweeted himself into a match with Taylor and then tweeted himself out of the match. The 2018 world champion will take on Myles Martin in the co-main event. Taylor returned to the mats at the Pan American Olympic Qualifier this past March and scored a pair of dominant performances over veterans Pedro Ceballos (Venezuela) and Yurieski Torreblanca (Cuba). In the process, he qualified 86 kilograms for the U.S. It was Taylor's first action back since he suffered a knee injury against Drew Foster at the 2019 Beat the Streets event. Prior to the injury defeat against Foster, the former Penn State wrestler had not lost since he dropped a decision in the 2017 World Team Trials against J'den Cox. Martin took this match on short notice after the card was shuffled. He finished his Ohio State career in 2019 as a four time All-American and one-time champion. Since leaving college, he has joined the freestyle circuit. He had an impressive end to the 2019 year before the shutdown as he finished second at both the Bill Farrell Memorial and Senior Nationals. Along the way, he scored victories over Nick Heflin, Nathan Jackson, Brett Pfarr and Alex Dieringer. The only real questions about Taylor this year dealt with his recovery from injuries. In his first action back, he answered those questions in a big way. Martin is clearly one of the best wrestlers at this weight class domestically, but he will struggle to stay on the mat for the full six minutes here. Prediction: Taylor over Martin (VSU) Roman Bravo-Young wrestling Iowa's Austin DeSanto (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Jack Mueller vs. Roman Bravo-Young After finishing second at the NCAAs as a junior, Mueller was one of the favorites to reach the finals yet again this past season. He finished the season with a 13-1 record after suffering an upset at the ACC tournament. He lost only two matches during his final two years at Virginia. Mueller also experienced international success in the freestyle version of the sport. He represented the U.S. at the 2018 U23 World Championships and brought home a bronze medal. His only loss in the tournament came against eventual champion Toshihiro Hasegawa of Japan. In 2019, Mueller defeated Nick Piccininni at the Beat the Streets event and finished fourth in the World Team Trials challenge tournament. Bravo-Young finished his second year at Penn State with a 20-2 record. His only two losses came against Sebastian Rivera and Seth Gross, so he was clearly a contender to place high at the NCAA tournament. During the year, he picked up victories over the likes of Austin DeSanto and Sammy Alvarez. In freestyle, Bravo-Young has finished as the runner-up in three straight national-level tournaments. He made the finals of the 2018 U23 Nationals, 2019 Junior Nationals and the 2019 Junior World Team Trials. Bravo-Young always had the raw skills and a year in the Penn State room have allowed him to make meaningful strides. However, a lot of those improvements are specific to freestyle. On the other hand, Mueller has always been a slick freestyle practitioner. Both wrestlers will have moments of success in this match, but Mueller should be able to win the scrambles and exchanges. Prediction: Mueller over Bravo-Young (VPO1) Vito Arujau gets his hand raised after advancing to the finals of the Junior Worlds (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) Vito Arujau vs. Sammy Alvarez Arujau finished his freshman season at Cornell with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA tournament. He then sat out the 2020 season to prepare for the Olympic Team Trials. He competed in the 2019 Senior Nationals at 57 kilograms and finished third. He defeated Zach Sanders and NCAA champion Nick Suriano to reach the semifinals where he ran into Spencer Lee. Arujau lost to Lee before bouncing back to finish third at the event. Despite his folkstyle success, freestyle has always been where he shined. He won silver medals at both the 2016 Cadet World Championships and 2019 Junior World Championships. Alvarez started for Rutgers out of the gate this past season. As a true freshman, he went 26-10 and qualified for the NCAA tournament that never happened. He went 3-3 at the Big Ten tournament with a variety of exciting matches, including a 9-6 loss against NCAA champion Seth Gross. Arujau showed just how dangerous he is in freestyle at the Senior Nationals. Alvarez is certainly game, but he will be up against it here. The Rutgers wrestler will make it an exciting match, but this will be a dominant performance from Arujau. Prediction: Arujau over Alvarez (VSU1) Luke Pletcher battling PSU's Nick Lee at the Big Ten Championships (Photo/Juan Garcia) Darrion Caldwell vs. Luke Pletcher Anthony Ashnault was originally set for this match against Pletcher. However, he pulled out of the bout with an injury and opened this slot for Caldwell. The former Bellator bantamweight champion will make his return to competitive wrestling for the first time since making his MMA debut in 2012. Caldwell was a two-time All-American at NC State, and he won an NCAA title in 2009. After a rash of injuries ended his senior season, he transitioned to freestyle for the 2012 Olympic cycle. He ended up going 2-2 at the Trials with wins over Brandon Bradley and Jacob Wadley as well as losses against Jason Tsirtssis and Destin McCauley. About six months after the Olympic Team Trials, Caldwell made his MMA debut under the Legacy FC banner. After winning his first three fights, he signed with Bellator. He won seven of his first eight fights for Bellator including wins over fellow former wrestlers Joe Warren and Shawn Bunch. In his 12th fight, he won the Bellator bantamweight title over Eduardo Dantas. He has since lost the belt in a two-fight series against Kyoji Horiguchi, but he got back on track with a pair of wins in the Bellator featherweight tournament. Pletcher was clearly one of the favorites to bring home an NCAA title at 141 pounds this past year. He entered the conference tournament with only one loss, which came against Nick Lee of Penn State. Pletcher was able to reverse that defeat, and he was set to enter the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed before the cancellation. After a hiatus, Pletcher returned to action at the Rumble on the Rooftop event against Pat Lugo. It was a tough outing for Pletcher as Lugo was able to control the clinch situations and got to his offense. The former Ohio State wrestler ultimately dropped a decision. This is by far the hardest match on the card to predict. In a vacuum, Caldwell should probably be the favorite. He had the more impressive wins on the collegiate level and competed at a higher weight class. However, he has been out of wrestling for over eight years. On the other hand, unlike many MMA converts, Caldwell has not strayed from his wrestling roots, and it remains an essential element of his style. However, there is nothing like actually wrestling. Pletcher had a tough showing against Pat Lugo, but with a more steady training camp he should be able to defeat the former Bellator champion. Prediction: Pletcher over Caldwell (VPO1)

The InterMat Classic has been held at Edina High School in Edina, Minnesota, since 2018 MINNEAPOLIS -- The 2020 InterMat Classic has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 11th edition of the preseason high school wrestling event was scheduled to take place in October at Edina High School in Edina, Minnesota. COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country, including in Minnesota. On Monday, Minnesota reported 922 new cases, bringing the state's total COVID-19 cases to 47,107. The safety of wrestlers, parents, coaches, officials, staff and spectators is our top priority.

The California high school wrestling season has been moved to the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Interscholastic Federation announced Monday. The CIF's fall sports, like football, have been moved to the winter, while winter sports, which includes wrestling, will have their seasons pushed back to spring, with the state championships set for June. "We are continuously monitoring the directives and guidelines released from the Governor's Office, the California Department of Education, the California Department of Public Health, and local county health departments and agencies as these directives and guidelines are followed by our member schools/school districts with student health and safety at the forefront,” the organization said in a statement. COVID-19 cases continue to rise in California. On Monday, Gavin Newsom ordered all counties in the state to close bars and the indoor operations of businesses.

TOKYO -- The wrestling competition schedule for the Tokyo Olympic Games has been finalized. Wrestling will be contested on the final seven days of the Tokyo Olympics, Aug. 1-8, and held at Makhuari Messe Hall A. Women's wrestling will be spread across the seven days of the wrestling competition. Greco-Roman will take place Aug. 1-4, while freestyle is scheduled for Aug. 4-7. Host nation Japan will look to continue its dominance in women's wrestling. The Japanese women have claimed 11 of 18 Olympic gold medals since 2004, the first year the sport was introduced at the Olympics. Days 1/2: GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg Days 2/3: GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg Days 3/4: GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg Days 4/5: FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg Days 5/6: FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg Days 6/7: FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg The full schedule is as follows: Day 1 (Sunday, August 1) 11:00-12:20 - 1/8 action (GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg) 12:20-13:00 - Quarterfinals (GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg) 18:15-19:15 - Semifinals (GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg) Day 2 (Monday, August 2) 11:00-11:30 - Repechage (GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg) 11:30-12:50 - 1/8 action (GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg) 12:50-13:30 - Quarterfinals (GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg) 18:15-19:15 - Semifinals (GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg) 19:30-22:00 - Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (GR: 60kg, 130kg | WW: 76kg) Day 3 (Tuesday, August 3) 11:00-11:30 - Repechage (GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg) 11:30-12:50 - 1/8 action (GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg) 12:50-13:30 - Quarterfinals (GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg) 18:15-19:15 - Semifinals (GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg) 19:30-22:00 - Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (GR: 77kg, 97kg | WW: 68kg) Day 4 (Wednesday, August 4) 11:00-11:30 - Repechage (GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg) 11:30-12:50 - 1/8 action (FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg) 12:50-13:30 - Quarterfinals (FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg) 18:15-19:15 - Semifinals (FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg) 19:30-22:00 - Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (GR: 67kg, 87kg | WW: 62kg) Day 5 (Thursday, August 5) 11:00-11:30 - Repechage (FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg) 11:30-12:50 - 1/8 action (FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg) 12:50-13:30 - Quarterfinals (FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg) 18:15-19:15 - Semifinals (FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg) 19:30-22:00 - Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (FS: 57kg, 86kg | WW: 57kg) Day 6 (Friday, August 6) 11:00-11:30 - Repechage (FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg) 11:30-12:50 - 1/8 action (FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg) 12:50-13:30 - Quarterfinals (FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg) 18:15-19:15 - Semifinals (FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg) 19:30-22:00 - Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (FS: 74kg, 125kg | WW: 53kg) Day 7 (Saturday, August 7) 18:45-19:05 - Repechage (FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg) 19:30-22:00 - Gold and Bronze Medal Finals (FS: 65kg, 97kg | WW: 50kg)

Ki Zhan Clarke Sometimes a unique story starts from the beginning of one's life. Literally -- the very beginning. Kizhan Clarke's father intended for his son to be named Keyshawn, but his German mother was on her own for the birth, and did her best. His birth certificate officially says "Ki Zhan." Clarke's path has often been a bumpy one ever since. But all along the way, he's been able to turn his dreams into realities. Before this All-American wrestler's collegiate career on the mat is over, he'll be well on his way to achieving yet another dream - completing law school. When American University classes resume, Clarke, who already earned his bachelor's degree in justice & law from the School of Public Affairs, will be enrolled in the Washington College School of Law as a part-time student. The program required a waiver from the NCAA which was granted, and Clarke will be able to focus on his fifth and final year of wrestling during the day while working toward his law degree at night. The obstacles put in Clarke's way have included many changes in residence, daunting financial hardships, a late start to the sport of wrestling and the necessity to forge his own path. He's the first in his family to even attend college. While in his view the color of his skin has never held him back, being from a minority community is just one more challenge Clarke has faced. He was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, leading to the very early discovery that being Black set him apart. "Amongst my family there is much diversity, with my grandmother being German and my grandfather being a Black American," says Clarke. "But my family was one of the only Black families in the town I was born in, so we stood out quite a bit. Although, it never stopped us from doing some of the normal activities like visiting the local farms, picking strawberries, and stopping by the bakery truck to pick up my favorite rolls." Memories of Germany are few, because Clarke moved to Dallas, Texas, with his mother, new stepfather and brother when he was only a year old. They went back and forth to his native country until he was four, and then they moved to the States for good. The only family they had in the U.S. at that time was his grandfather, whom they lived with until around his fifth-grade year, but "home" remained a fluid term in the years after that. Stops in Houston included apartment buildings, hotel rooms and friends of Clarke's mother. After a visit to his aunt's home in Florida in 2012, the Sunshine State became their permanent home. Three years later, not long before he moved to D.C. for college, Clarke's immediate family finally got a place of their own - a trailer home in Gibsonton, Florida. The initial move to Dallas provided a different world for Clarke - one in which he grew up around others who looked like him. "It definitely took some adjusting from being the only Black family in town to seeing Black families at the store, school and especially church," he said. "This made me feel a lot more ingrained into the community, so much so that I even joined the choir at my grandfather's Baptist church. As I matured, I began to realize the importance in the representation of my racial identity." While the sport of wrestling was not on Clarke's radar early on, his chosen profession was already on his mind. "I remember being called to the stage for my elementary school graduation, and my teacher announcing my future occupations, which were NFL player and lawyer," he said. "Both were probably pretty outlandish careers for an 11-year-old who shared a single-parent household with two other siblings. I didn't have family members in the legal profession, and the only thing I knew about the career at the time were the nice suits attorneys had to wear." But even then, Clarke knew achieving his dreams would be something really special. Not only to become the first in his family to attend college and to hopefully be financially stable as an adult after years of struggle, but to make a real difference in the lives of others in his community. "As I grew older my 'why' evolved greatly," he says. "I now realize the importance of law in every aspect of life, as well as the power that comes from it. With the legal profession made up of mostly white individuals, I can more effectively represent people who come from minority communities much like mine. People from my community deserve to have legal counsel that can relate and empathize with them, which is rare from a typical public defender. It is said among legal professionals that you shouldn't get too close with a client, but I feel that attitude is what leads to attorneys looking at their clients as cases instead of people. I hope to change this notion and even help those who have been shuffled through the justice system because of this mindset." The statistics on people of color in the legal profession provide a clear picture of the effects of systemic racism. Eighty-five percent of lawyers identify as White/Caucasian, while only five percent of attorneys are Black. The statistics regarding specific minority percentages have not changed over the past decade, even though the overall minority populations in the U.S. have increased over that same time frame. "The transition from undergrad to law school makes me excited because not only am I doing something that many individuals cannot do, but I am also representing an underrepresented community in the profession," said Clarke. "I have always seen myself as a leader, whether that be for my family or my team, so being at the front of the pack doesn't deter me. Though this puts a lot of pressure on me, I feel that I only get stronger as my expectations are raised." The outlook for racial equality and justice is perhaps better than it has ever been with so much of the country recently waking up to centuries of oppression faced by the Black community. The violent acts leading to that awakening are abhorrent, but the movement stemming from it is "a step in the right direction," says Clarke. "I hate that it has taken this many lost lives for people to realize the issues of police brutality and systematic racism, but I feel that there has finally been a breaking point. I've been to a couple protests, and I try to engage in conversations with individuals so I can educate them and learn a few things myself. We are far from where we need to be, but I'm glad the wheels are in motion." While the question would never be posed to a white student-athlete, Clarke is fortunately able to answer "no" when asked if he's ever felt he needed to change himself to fit in or if he's experienced discrimination with regards to opportunities because of his skin color. "I'm able to excel in college and athletics without noticing any explicit forms of racism," he said. "Even with the instances of racial misconduct that have occurred on campus, I feel like wasting my energy stressing over prejudiced behavior is only giving the perpetrators more attention than they deserve. I cannot speak for other Black people or for instances that I will face in the future." The future of his wrestling career also isn't as certain as anyone would like it to be in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. While no definite obstacles to his senior season have been put forth at this time, there are very likely to be disruptions. For now, Clarke is focused only on what he can control, which is his level of preparation to compete on the mat. "Although COVID has caused me to adjust my whole life, I live in a house full of other wrestlers, so we still find ways to lift, wrestle, and work out," he said. "I don't plan on my law school schedule interfering with my wrestling either, especially now that I'm in the part-time program. My goal of becoming AU's second national champion hasn't changed since I stepped foot on campus." Clarke made plenty of progress toward that goal in his redshirt junior season when he was, at one point, ranked as high as seventh in NCAA Division I at 149 pounds. After finishing with 36 wins to rank third all-time at AU in a single season, and placing fourth at the EIWA Championships, Clarke earned his first-ever spot at the NCAA Championships. Unfortunately, COVID led to the abrupt cancellation of those championships just a week out. The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) decided to honor All-Americans based on their body of work throughout the year. Clarke and teammate Tanner Harvey both earned Honorable Mention All-America status, and Clarke was also named the wrestling team's MVP at the virtual year-end banquet. "Having the support system I have with my coaches, my family, my girlfriend, all my teammates behind me having my back, it just made this year such a bright one," he said. "It's unfortunate how it ended, but there's a lot of momentum moving forward and I'm excited for the future." Clarke credits wrestling for the positive path his life has traveled since he made his way to the sport. "I cannot explain how much wrestling has done for me," he said. "It has enabled me to become the first in my family to receive a college degree, it's taught me discipline and hard work, and helped me form relationships that will last a lifetime…Without wrestling, I don't think I'd be able to deal with the stress of law school." Off the mat, Clarke is a two-time NWCA Scholar All-American, and the recipient of the 2020-21 Barbara J. Reimann Postgraduate Scholarship, established in 2007 by Barb Reimann to provide financial assistance to deserving student-athletes pursuing postgraduate studies. Nothing has come easy for Clarke, making his achievements in academics and sports that much more meaningful. He hopes his background will serve as an inspiration as he continues toward achieving future dreams. "I want to be an example for people who look like me and grew up in some of the same circumstances. Others need to see that it doesn't take money or privilege to achieve your goals. Everything I have has been earned through hard work and dedication, and I wouldn't want it any other way."

Earl W. Fuller, first coach to be inducted into the Upstate New York Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and considered to be "the Dean of College Wrestling" for the organization, passed away on Thursday, July 16. The Dean of College Wrestling coaches in New York State was 98. Earl Fuller was born June 3, 1922 and raised in Carmichaels, Pennsylvania where he grew up working on his family's farm. He attended Waynesburg High School where he was an accomplished wrestler. Earl continued to wrestle at Waynesburg College where he received his BA. He later received his Masters' Degree from the University of Pittsburgh. During WWII, Earl served in the Navy on the USS Dutchess attack transport ship. In 1948, Earl began in his career at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology), teaching economics and psychology at the Downtown campus and later taught in the Physical Education Department. For nearly six decades, Earl was a prominent, respected, and well-known member of the RIT community and served it well in a variety of different ways. Earl coached wrestling for 46 seasons and served as a golf coach for 15 years. During his tenure as wrestling coach and golf coach, he recorded 201 wins in wrestling and 158 as the golf coach. On the wrestling side, seven men earned RIT Senior Athlete of the Year honors and 26 were inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame. Earl produced 15 RIT Invitational, nine state and 18 ICAC champions. Additionally, six of his grapplers won the 4-I Tournament and 17 carried off top honors in the Niagara District AAU competition. In 1953-54, he guided the grapplers to a perfect 10-0 record. In golf, he sent a RIT representative to 10 NCAA Championships. And his teams always responded by finishing in the top 10. He boasted seven All-American linksmen and four undefeated campaigns, while leading the squad to 23 winning campaigns. Upon his retirement, he continued to teach RIT golf classes until he was 84 years old. During his career, Earl earned a number accolades including being inducted into the RIT Sports Hall of Fame for wrestling, golf, and distinguished service in 1979; becoming one of the founder of Rochester's High School Section 5 Association; Earl became a member of the Section 5 High School Hall of Fame, and in 2011, he was inducted into the Frontier Field Walk of Fame. He was a member of the National Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame and was president-elect to the New York State College Wrestling Coaches Association. The Earl Fuller/Frank Marotta Sportsmanship Award is named after him in Rochester and awarded each year to a Rochester High School wrestler. Earl has been a mentor, an inspiration, a leader, and a coach to hundreds of student athletes over the past 50 years. When asked about Coach Fuller, Carl Koenig, President of Upstate New York Chapter National Wrestling Hall of Fame, responded instantly: "Earl Fuller was a great coach who dedicated his life to wrestling but more importantly he was a wonderful individual who impacted the lives of all those who he came into contact with in his career." Koenig added one quick story about Earl: "After a very hotly contested bout that I officiated, he came up to me and said, 'You made all the right calls.'" (I might add that his wrestler did not win the bout … that was the type of person he was. A true professional and gentleman!! Very respected." Earl is survived by his loving family, wife of 72 years Correne; daughter, Karen Ayres; son, Gregory (Mary Anne) Fuller; daughter, Linda Fuller-Durfee (Arthur Durfee); Sandra (Mark) Biancofiore, 11 grandchildren and 10 great children. Earl's family is eternally grateful to have had him as a husband, dad, grandfather, and friend. Earl met his wife Correne in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania while working at the Fort Jackson Hotel. They dated, danced at the "gables", and married in 1948. Earl and Correne have fond memories of family picnics at Conesus Lake, visits to Lollipop Farm, drive-in menu theaters where he enjoyed all the popcorn he could eat, sledding, and of course swimming and skating at RIT. The family were members of Westminster Presbyterian Church in the city's 19th ward where Earl served as a Deacon and Elder. In lieu of flowers, please feel welcome to make a contribution to a charity of your choice.

University of Chicago wrestlers practice The University of Chicago wrestling team, along with all fall and winter sports, will not compete in the fall semester, the school announced. A letter was sent by Rosalie Resch, Interim Director of Athletics and Recreation. Dear Varsity Athletes, It is with deep regret that I write to inform you that the Athletics & Recreation Working Group has decided that UChicago's varsity teams will not participate in fall and winter sports competition during the upcoming Autumn Quarter. While this is a very disappointing outcome of the careful and deliberate process to evaluate the feasibility of a fall season, it reflects the most current public health and epidemiological guidance from the CDC, Illinois and Chicago public health agencies, NCAA, and specialists from UChicago Medicine. Moreover, UAA's announcement last week about the fall conference schedule, the city of Chicago's emergency travel order, and the limited availability of regional non-conference opponents led the Working Group, which includes members of the coaching staff, to conclude that there is not a realistic scenario in which we can appropriately conduct competition at this time. Despite this development, we are planning to provide meaningful opportunities this fall for you to work with your coaches and teammates through in-person practice and strength and conditioning programs. Our plan is to bring invited fall athletes to campus on September 2 to begin a phased-in program to enable students to safely return to conditioning and practice. Our coaches are working hard to find opportunities for you to pursue your passion for your team and sport this coming quarter, despite these unprecedented and extremely disappointing circumstances. The Working Group will continue to evaluate plans for scheduled practice for winter and spring sport teams and possible competition in 2021, to develop recommendations for the opening of athletic facilities, and to assess the feasibility of offering intramural and recreational sports during the upcoming academic year. I know this is not the news you were hoping to hear. We will miss watching you compete this fall, but your health and safety is our primary concern. A Q&A page that will address many of your questions has been posted on the website. I encourage you to reach out to your coaches if you have additional questions and ask that you support one another as you come to terms with this difficult news. Sincerely, Rosalie Resch Interim Director of Athletics and Recreation

Jordan Burroughs at Beat the Streets in New York City (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Seems as if Jordan Burroughs has been wrestling for forever. Decades forever. This past week, Burroughs made two major announcements: He revealed his plans to continue to focus on his freestyle wrestling, moving his training facility from its present location in America's heartland at the University of Nebraska (his collegiate home) ... to head back to his old stompin' grounds back east to the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center in Philadelphia as a resident athlete in September 2021 ... just before heading across the Atlantic Ocean to prep for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Jordan Burroughs made his presentation last week at the Wrestling World Cup at the Paris Bercy Arena. It was here -- on Wednesday, July 15, 2020 -- that Burroughs reveled his plans to eager wrestling fans of the world. It was then that Burroughs shared he would leave his longtime training facility in Nebraska's heartland for Philadelphia. It was the end of an era. A time of transition. Burroughs competed as a collegian at Nebraska ... then has continued to train under coach Mark Manning of the Cornhuskers the past 14 years. Burroughs, 32, said he and his wife have always wanted to move closer to his hometown of Sicklerville, New Jersey, a short drive from Philadelphia. "Over the last three months I've had a considerable amount of time to think about my future," Burroughs said. "Is it my time? Should I walk away? Will this Olympic cycle be the last for me? Should I leave my shoes on the mat and move on to the next season of life? "The answer is simple. Not yet. My body is strong. My mind is sharp. I love this sport, and I'm not finished. I will continue. But in a new place. Back where it all started." Burroughs won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London, and he won world championships in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017. He also earned bronzes at worlds in 2014, 2018 and 2019. Jordan Burroughs has made a name for himself in wrestling for more than a couple decades, first in high school in his native New Jersey ... then as a collegiate champ at University of Nebraska in NCAA Division I (with two National titles and a trio of NCAA All-American honors) ... and, now in international freestyle competition the world over. Now arguably the face of men's U.S. wrestling for approximately a decade is making plans to wrap up his future on the mat at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. And, to prepare for those Summer Games AFTER the 2021 Tokyo Games next summer, Burroughs is planning to relocate his training facility to the Philadelphia Regional Training Facility in 2021, having spent the most recent freestyle training cycles in his college home at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. "The plan was always for Jordan to wrestle until 2020 and move on after that," Manning said. "He has the next phases of life, and he wants to open a big club in Philadelphia." But Manning said Burroughs still has his quickness, he's as good as ever technically, he has good health and, most important, still has passion. "In our sport it's hard to tell an aged veteran like that to stop wrestling or keep wrestling," Manning said. "You have to have the inner desire in a sport like wrestling to say, `Hey, I've had enough,' or `Hey, I haven't had enough. I've got years left in me.' That's what Jordan was conveying to me." And now we can call take that first step for getting prepped for the 2024 Paris Games.

PIAA wrestling is dropping weight ... all to reduce weight classes, and enhance competition among high school wrestlers within the state The PIAA board gave final approval this week to a long-discussed plan to reduce the number high school weight classes from 14 down to 13 starting in this next season, providing greater competition and reduce potential for forfeits The vote was unanimous. Here's how PIAA will restructure its weight classes to enhance competition. The PIAA will maintain weight classes 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152 and 160 pounds. However, it will modify the upper weights. Rather than 170, 182, 195, 220 and 285, the PIAA will use 172, 189, 215 and 285. The move is intended to reduce “the huge number of forfeits” in regular-season dual meets, PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said. “I think last year, in 93% of our wrestling matches we had a forfeit,” Lombardi said. “That's ridiculous. That means you don't have kids to fill weight classes. You've got too many.” The board heard from critics in June who argued that eliminating a weight class would cost athletes opportunities and possibly pose health risks. However, once the PIAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee said health risks were unfounded, the PIAA board moved ahead with the initiative. Wednesday's vote finalized a multi-year effort by the PIAA wrestling steering committee that started with an idea to eliminate two weight classes. That 12-class plan eventually stalled, but this 13-class proposal gained traction with support from the wrestling coaches association, Lombardi said. “The support of the coaches association and the sports medicine committee was huge,” Lombardi said. “They think this is the right thing to do. I agree, and the board agrees.” The PIAA had asked the National Federation of State High School Associations to consider making a weight-class reduction nationwide, but the NFHS didn't include the PIAA request when it released its updated rule book in May. Therefore, the PIAA made the change itself. “I'll be candid with you: I'm disappointed with some of the other levels where we tried to get this addressed,” Lombardi said. “Things happened and I understand that, but to wait five years to get a change that our people have been clamoring for, it's counterproductive to the young people who are wrestling.”

Kayla Miracle, Helen Maroulis, Jacarra Winchester and Sarah Hildebrandt (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Even by the lofty standards of the wrestling community, last weekend was one of the most controversial and dramatic in recent memory. In short, FloWrestling refused to add women to their upcoming Dake vs. Chamizo card, claiming there was no economic benefit, thus roiling many female wrestlers and their advocates. In the fallout, Pat Downey backed Flo's positions with some pretty aggressive tweeting, but was ultimately pulled from the card when it was rumored/revealed he'd sent inappropriate text messages. Since then a number of other smaller fires have popped up but have been so far been less dramatic than the original discussion. At its core though the weekend's discussion revolved around women's wrestling and the fight for representation and the role "for-profit" business models should play in supporting larger community aspirations. First, while FloSports airs niche content -- largely of Olympic style sports -- the industry they covered is almost entirely funded through taxation, donation, and non-profit means. It's hard to think of wrestling and not get confused, so imagine you sell livestreaming for a church service. You run a for-profit business, but that business is entirely dependent on the health and success of the non-profit. For example, USA Wrestling pays prize money to its athletes, which in part comes from the funds provided by the USOPC. The USOPC monies come from a combination of sponsorship deals derived from an agreement with the IOC, other Games revenue, and governmental support. Therefore, the events and athletes that are being elevated and promoted by Flo aren't themselves working inside a free market -- like they would be in MMA or jiu-jitsu -- they are supported by the IOC and the Olympic structure. A large part of the Olympic movement is about equality of opportunity and representation. Not having enough women on the mat was part of the reason FILA was shown the guillotine in 2013. When wrestling chose to increase the number of women and improve governance the IOC saw the change and welcomed wrestling back into the Olympics (which provides $15-20 million in direct funding of wrestling per cycle). Therefore, when women are excluded from participating in events based on their gender there is ample reason to be upset. The "we don't make money" off women's wrestling is circular logic insomuch as nobody can make money off something they don't promote. At the moment, I have 200-plus film cameras and vintage lenses I'd like to sell, but I can't because nobody has shown interest in them. No, I haven't posted them on eBay or taken the time to explain their value, but why would I take the time to do that if they haven't already sold? See the fallacy of the argument? I know that women's wrestling sells because United World Wrestling has contracts in two massive media markets (Japan and India) where the value is largely driven by the access to women's wrestling competition. India's program only found success starting in 2016, but with investment from partners in India and a culture who actively welcomes their participation, the sport is blossoming. In Japan the women wrestlers have huge marketing deals and are often so popular as to be subject to tabloid press. In short, women's wrestling is marketable in Japan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Brazil, and Canada. However, it's not in the United States? One of the ways United World Wrestling became better at identifying women's stories and delivering them to our audience was by -- wait for it -- hiring women! Of our full-time staff for the Olympic Games just about half will be women. They were hired because they are capable, talented and driven to deliver good work. They didn't need to have wrestled, and having them on staff has been wildly beneficial (and yes profitable). Take for example an ad-hoc hire of Russian translator Karina. Any interview you've seen with a Russian speaking wrestler from Europeans to Worlds has been done by Karina. I've tried to get these interviews. Other wrestlers have tried. But for whatever reason -- maybe because athletes don't tend to be rude to a female reporter -- Karina gets the interview, has it translated immediately, and delivered. Same with Nazerke, who runs on Russian social media accounts. Need insight on Russian memes -- ask Nazerke.. When it comes to understanding emotional moments or being in the right place at the right time the media team tends to select Helena as the lead videographer. She can feel a moment, gets the best shot, and is respectful of distance and the need to have space. Sometimes male shooters (myself included) can leave too quickly or take a shooting posture that could impact the wrestler and the moment. Certainly, that's not always the case, but having a diversity of experience means we can choose from different individuals to meet a variety of moments and expectations. USA Wrestling also enjoys the benefit of diversity, which we access, too. Taylor Gregorio brings a fresh perspective to the view of wrestling in North America. She also speaks fluent Spanish and has helped the United World Wrestling team reach into new markets with well-asked questions and even helping produce documentaries with Spanish-speaking athletes. Yes, we could have had a male who spoke Spanish do the same, but we didn't. We had Taylor and she's a bad ass. Sachiko's photography, Ana's video editing, and Rita's marketing. The teams we create have women because it would be incredibly short-sighted to have five people in one room who've all had the same experiences. If I hired five American men aged 30-45 with wrestling experience and Big Ten degrees I'd have one arrow in my quiver. With a diverse group of five individuals it often feels like I have 10. As for the wrestlers affected, the American women's wrestlers I know are intelligent, hardworking, tough and marketable. These women are superstars who deserve 100 times the coverage they are currently provided in the United States. I agree that the men might be more popular or cost-effective right now, but it's foolish to ignore a growing segment of the wrestling world. If Toyota sells 100,000 Camry's it doesn't mean they can't also sell some Tacomas. The two aren't related. If anything you grow your audience by tapping into the new networks and exposure that comes with women's wrestling. The COVID era is difficult. Spending is limited, but that's not an excuse for a lack of creativity. Quite the opposite, the times require more inclusive-minded solutions and community creativity. Growing wrestling means growing the size and diversity of our community. Failing to invest in something marketable might seem like the prevention of a short-term cash drain, but in fact it has devastating downstream consequences. We are the stories that we tell and the relationships we create. Ignoring the existence of a gender, or reducing them to an equation of profitability, is not something I believe this community should value. I hope that we can all work together over the coming months and create space for our female athletes that allows them the same opportunity for success as we provide the men. To your questions … Q: What are your thoughts on Jordan Burroughs' decision to leave Lincoln next year? What do you think was the main draw? I always assumed this Olympic cycle would be his last, but I guess not. -- Mike C. Foley: I hadn't given much thought to if he'd continue, but a majority of athletes tend to base their long-term plans on their last performance, say the Olympic Games or worst case, the Olympic Team Trials. Even so, Burroughs has plenty left to keep competing, its more just a matter of priority and what goals he has left to accomplish. The timing of the decision is a little odd. Why not go now? You want to be with Coach Manning, which I think is a good idea, but then why announce a change in July 2020 that won't take effect for 14 months? Seems like a lot of anticipation and could very well distract from training in the short term. I'm not a psychologist, and Burroughs is mentally tough, but I wonder if it splits focus. Who knows, maybe it makes him energized to finish off his time in Nebraska with maximum effort. Also, the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center is snatching up a lot of top talent. Could be an excellent place for wrestlers to train for the 2021 World Championships and beyond. Congrats to Coach Slay for creating a positive atmosphere that welcomes so many top-level athletes. Q: Did the NJRTC make the right decision to drop Pat Downey? -- Mike C. Foley: Yes. Downey hasn't shown to be a person of high character. Starting in college he has been given multiple opportunities to correct his behavior and has chosen each time to revert to bad habits. Downey's playing the bad boy because he feels he can monetize the wrestling audience who he believes wants that type of personal drama. Add on the accusations of illegal behavior, constant disrespect for opponents, coaches, teammates, and a variety of other people invested in his success and you can conclusively say he should not have been receiving the time, money, and coaching investment of the NJRTC. Q: Conferences like the Ivy League and PSAC announced they will not be competing in any sports in the fall season. What does this mean for wrestling programs in those conferences if there is competition? Does it exclude them from competing in events like the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and open tournaments? -- Mike C. Foley: The college wrestling season won't begin in the fall semester, save the introduction of a vaccine or a treatment that can immediately combat the deadliness of the disease. The best solution would be for 100-percent of the nation to wear a mask every time they were in public, wash hands, socially distance, and comply with a nationwide contact tracing protocol that could immediately reduce the number of infections. If, for the sake of college athletics (or human lives, whichever is more important to you) the country could get on board then we would likely see football in the fall, wrestling in the spring, and something resembling normalcy come the 2021-2022 school year. Right now, we are a country without a plan and thousands of people are dying for no reason. MULTIMEDIA SHOWCASE OF WOMEN'S WRESTLING The Rise of Indian women's wrestling Signature Move: Grace Bullen Battsetseg documentary Most watched match in UWW history Belarus vs. Ukraine 76-kilogram quarterfinal (27K views) Signature Move: Vicky Anthony Dope comeback by Adeline Domination by Helen

Helen Maroulis with the Olympic gold medal in Rio (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) University of Maryland head wrestling coach and director of the newly named DMV RTC, Alex Clemsen announced the addition of Jon Morrison to be the head coach of the DMV RTC on Monday. He also will be adding Olympic gold medalist Helen Maroulis as an assistant coach and athlete. The Olympic Regional Training Center -- formerly known as the Terrapin Wrestling Club -- will now be named the DMV RTC to better align with the region and the athletes who associate themselves closely with the area. "I couldn't be more excited to be making three big announcements today," Clemsen said. "First, by renaming our Olympic Regional Training Center the DMV RTC, we better align ourselves with one of the best areas in the world to live and we want to emulate the spirit of the region in our efforts to grow and support the greatest sport in the world." Morrison will head the DMV RTC after successful stints leading the Cowboy Wrestling Club (Stillwater, Okla.) from 2014-16 and the Capital Wrestling Club (Rockville, Md.) starting in 2019. Morrison's stellar wrestling career at Oklahoma State was highlighted by championships at the Southern Scuffle (twice), Big 12 Championships twice) and a NCAA All-American finish in 2013. Most recently, Morrison was named a Bill Farrell Memorial International Champion. "By bringing Jon on to be the head coach of the DMV RTC," Clemsen said, "I know that the current athletes, the region, and the future athletes will be able to reach their greatest potential as both wrestlers and citizens. Jon is one of the best people I have ever encountered in our sport and I couldn't be happier to get to work alongside him within the DMV RTC." "I couldn't be more thrilled to join the DMV RTC," Morrison said. "Recent history has shown that wrestlers from the state of Maryland are capable of succeeding at the very highest level with Helen and Kyle Snyder winning gold medals at Rio in 2016. Our vision is to build on that legacy by creating one of the very best training situations in the world; allowing our elite cadet and junior athletes alongside our college athletes to reach a world-class level. "Recent history has also shown that a strong RTC and in-state recruiting are critical to a college's success at the NCAA tournament. After coaching at the club level here in the DMV for the past 18 months, I see everything needed for Maryland to be the top wrestling program in the country. From the talent, the coaches, the fan base, and the school... it's all there. As I've gotten to know Alex, Nick, and Devin over the last several years, I know they believe the same thing and are working tirelessly to get there. I'm very grateful for the opportunity and I can't wait to join them!" Maroulis will join the DMV RTC as a coach and athlete. Maroulis - one of the most storied female wrestlers in the country - became the first female wrestling Olympic gold medalist when she won at Rio in 2016. Her career has also been highlighted by four WCWA Collegiate National Championships and two World Championships (2015, 2017). "They say sometimes you save the best for last, and the last part of this trifecta is to bring Helen Maroulis home and fully support her in her quest to win a second Olympic gold medal and fourth overall world championship," Clemsen said. "When Helen became America's first and only Olympic gold medalist in women's freestyle wrestling in Rio, the world was watching, as that match garnered some of the best ratings of the entire games. To have her back in her home state of Maryland and to be able to work with her and support her next quest to put the world on notice could not make me more excited and proud." "As a Maryland native, it's such a joy to come back to my roots and be a part of the DMV RTC program as a coach and athlete," Maroulis said. "As athletes, we aspire to be the very best we can be. We also understand that it takes a village to do so - a key group of coaches, resources, and teamwork to bring the dream to fruition. In the end, everyone wins. With this new partnership. I believe we can all grow wrestling in Maryland at the grassroots, collegiate, and international level. RTC's afford the opportunity to advance at all levels in the sport. It is exciting to think about the generation that will come up out of this program and continue to put Maryland wrestling on the map. I'm grateful to the staff and coaches for creating the space for these dreams to be realized and can't wait to contribute." Morrison and Maroulis will help lead the DMV RTC, which is a Non Profit 501-C-3 organization located in College Park, Md. The goal of the DMV RTC is to promote wrestling and to help wrestlers become more competitive on a local, state, national, and international level. "I am confident these three moves will continue to help our efforts to grow wrestling in the DMV and to win championships at all levels of wrestling," Clemsen said.

If you don't live in Alabama, you might not realize just how much "the oldest and greatest sport" of wrestling is growing within the state these days. A handful of prep wrestling programs have come to life in southeastern Alabama in recent years. The latest high school wrestling program to take root in the Wiregrass of Alabama is Northside Methodist Academy in Dothan, Alabama, which has announced plans to welcome the sport this upcoming season. The Knights are entering their first year in the Alabama High School Athletic Association, the Dothan Eagle reported Wednesday. "We will start a wrestling program this year," Northside Methodist Academy athletic director Mike Mordecai said. "We will get it going. We have gotten the OK to get it going. Some of the students are excited about it." Northside Methodist becomes the fifth Wiregrass school to pick up the sport in the last five years in rapid succession. Northview (now Dothan High) was the first with wrestling in 2016-17. Enterprise, Charles Henderson and Houston Academy all added the sport in 2018-19. With the addition of Northside Methodist Academy, three of the four city of Dothan high schools in the AHSAA now have wrestling. Providence Christian is the lone program without it. "It would be great to have a Circle City wrestling championship," Mordecai said. The NMA athletic director also announced the coaches for the new sport. "Our head coach is going to be Justin Scott, who is also our strength and conditioning coach (at the school)," Mordecai said. "He will be assisted by Travis Robinson, who has helped start a couple of programs in this area and has a background in wrestling. I am happy to have this guy to help our program, but he is more than one of our coaches. He is an ambassador for wresting around here." All that means even greater opportunities for young athletes to compete with success in the sport they love.

Erik Wince (Photo/American University Athletics) HAYS, Kan. -- Fort Hays State University Director of Athletics Curtis Hammeke announced the hiring of Erik Wince as head wrestling coach on Wednesday (July 15). Wince comes to FHSU from NCAA Division I affiliate American University in Washington D.C., where he served as assistant coach in 2019-20. Prior to that, he was head coach at Greensboro College, a Division III program in Greensboro, North Carolina, for four years. "I am extremely excited and honored to be the next head coach of the Fort Hays State wrestling program!," said Wince. "I want to thank Athletic Director Curtis Hammeke and the rest of the FHSU athletic administration for believing in me and making Hays feel like the place I needed to be to help usher the wrestling program into its next phase of success. My family and I are excited to make this move and join the rest of the Tiger Athletics Family. The FHSU wrestling program has a strong history of success and I cannot wait to get to campus and continue building FHSU Wrestling into a top tier program, year in and year out." Last year, Wince helped American University produce four national qualifiers for the NCAA Division I championships. Three of the four held national rankings entering the championships, which ultimately was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two of the wrestlers earned All-America Honorable Mention status by the NWCA following the season, while three members of the team earned NWCA Scholar All-America honors. The program was strong academically, producing a team GPA of 3.55, which was second-highest among NCAA Division I programs. At American University he assisted head coach Teague Moore, who has built a strong program athletically and academically for nearly a decade. Wince was the first head coach in the history of the Greensboro College wrestling program, which began in 2015-16. In his four years of building Greensboro's program, Wince coached one All-American, three conference champions, and multiple academic all-conference performers and individually ranked wrestlers. Wince has been an assistant coach at two NCAA Division I schools. He served two assistant coaching stints at Davidson College in North Carolina from 2005-2008 and 2012-2015. The pair of three-year stints as an assistant at Davidson bookended a four-year role as head coach of the Forsyth County Day School, a prep school in Lewisville, North Carolina. During his second stint at Davidson, Wince helped the program produce four NCAA national qualifiers. At Forsyth County Day School, he coached two national prep All-Americans, multiple individual state champions, and led the program to three consecutive team state championships. While serving at Forsyth, Wince was named the Piedmont Athletic Conference of Independent Schools (PACIS) Wrestling Coach of the Year. Wince was the USA Wrestling State Chairman for North Carolina for seven years. He also served as the national team head coach for the Junior National Duals (2006), Cadet Nationals (2007), and Junior Nationals (2008-10). Wince served as coach of the North Carolina USA Wrestling National Teams from 2004-2016. Before beginning his coaching career, Wince attended Gardner Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education in 2004. He was a four-year member of the Gardner-Webb wrestling team and finished his senior year with a 27-5 record. This earned Wince the University's Male Athlete of the Year and the University's Outstanding Wrestler Award in 2003, while becoming the program's first athlete to qualify for an NCAA Division I Tournament since the institution changed their affiliation to Division I in 2001. "We're excited about Erik's experience, knowledge, integrity and passion," FHSU Director of Athletics Curtis Hammeke said. "We look forward to watching the growth of our wrestling program and the development of our young men under his guidance." Wince is a native of Lattimore, North Carolina. He and his wife Hannah, who is a native of Wilson, Kansas, have two daughters, Kersee and Sydney. Wince becomes the 14th coach in the history of the Tiger Wrestling program.

Jordan Burroughs at the 2019 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Olympic champion and four-time World champion Jordan Burroughs will join the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center (PRTC) as a resident athlete in September 2021. Jordan is one of the most decorated and accomplished wrestlers in history. He won a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics and world championships in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017. He also earned bronze medals at the world championships in 2014 and 2018. Jordan is one of three American wrestlers to ever win four or more world championships. His eight World and Olympic medals are the second most medals in U.S. history. He has qualified for nine consecutive U.S. Freestyle Wrestling Teams and has an extraordinary senior freestyle record of 189-9. On the decision to join the PRTC Jordan commented, "The infrastructure that has been created at the PRTC in Philadelphia will provide my family and me the best opportunity to accomplish our goals -- both on and off the mat, in the next chapter of life. Not only does Philadelphia provide a great room of training partners and an Olympic champion coach, it is only 23 miles from my hometown. I am committed to leaving a lasting impact on the Tri-State area -- the same community where I first began this journey. I want to leave this region better than how I found it. It's time to come home." Since its inception, the PRTC has leveraged the resources of the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University as well as the wrestling community in greater Philadelphia to create a world-class wrestling ecosystem to attract elite wrestlers and give back to local schools and communities through partnerships such as Beat the Streets Philadelphia The PRTC's commitment to this mission and the support of Penn and Drexel alumni has been instrumental to its success on and off the mat. Drexel's Head Wrestling Coach and 2008 US Open Champion Matt Azevedo said, "I would like to thank our Drexel alumni and administration for their tremendous support of Olympic wrestling in the city of Philadelphia. The PRTC is vital to our program's success and I am grateful to have a community that values its growth. Jordan is not only one of the greatest American wrestlers of all time, but is also one of the greatest ambassadors of our sport. His experience and wisdom will generate a lasting impact on Philadelphia wrestling. We are so excited to welcome Jordan and his family to the PRTC!" The PRTC's executive director and head coach, Brandon Slay, is a 1998 graduate of Penn, an Olympic Champion, and a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He commented on Jordan's commitment to the PRTC, "While I served as the Assistant National Coach for USA Wrestling from 2009-2016, Jordan made six consecutive World and Olympic Teams. Jordan became a crucial catalyst to helping Team USA become a world wrestling power again. At the London Olympics in 2012 where Jordan won gold, Team USA earned the distinction of being the best team on the planet. It was such an honor to be part of Jordan's journey to the top during those years. In the Fall of 2021, I look forward to the opportunity of working with Jordan again to help him keep improving as a wrestler and leader. Jordan lives out the core values of the PRTC, and we are thankful he is coming back home to finish his wrestling career as well as establish his post-competition future. Jordan believes in better, and I look forward to seeing him live it out." Among the many supporters of the PRTC mission are Dave Pottruck and Josh Harris, both Outstanding Americans of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Dave is a PRTC Board Member, 1970 University of Pennsylvania graduate, Penn wrestling team captain, and Chairman of Hightower Advisors and Red Eagle Ventures. Josh graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and was a member of Penn's wrestling team. He is Co-Founder of Apollo Global Management and the Managing Partner of Philadelphia Sixers and New Jersey Devils. Dave and Josh offered statements related to Jordan joining the PRTC and what it means for the program and its mission. "We welcome Jordan, Lauren and their family to an incredibly exciting future in Philadelphia, to the PRTC, and to the Penn Wrestling family. We share the vision of both championship level results, alongside high-level leadership and community engagement. We couldn't be more excited about this new partnership," said Dave Pottruck. "I am thrilled to welcome Olympian Jordan Burroughs to the greater Philadelphia, PRTC and Penn Wrestling family. Under Coach Reina's leadership, Penn Wrestling has become a world-class program, attracting the best talent of our sport. This organization means a great deal to me and I am very excited to see what the future holds for both Jordan and the broader program," said Josh Harris. At the PRTC, our mission is to enrich lives locally and globally through the sport of wrestling, and we do this by living out our core values of Faith over fear, Full effort, Struggle well, and Serve others.

James Green works to take down Wyatt Sheets at the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo WrestlersAreWarriors.com) James Green doesn't know exactly when his next wrestling match will be, but he's preparing for his return to the mat. Like most wrestlers, Green has been away from competition for several months during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 27-year-old Green is training again after spending time being quarantined at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska. It has been a summer of transition for Green, who recently announced he will be leaving Nebraska for the regional training center at Virginia Tech. "It's been a crazy time obviously with everything going on," he said. "My wife and I are both from New Jersey, and we wanted to be closer to family. Being at Virginia Tech, we will be within driving distance of our family. Our daughter is 13 months old now and we really like the idea of her being close to family. Moving out to Virginia, it was the best option for me to be able to do that." Green accomplished plenty during his time at the University of Nebraska. He was a four-time All-American for the Huskers under coaches Mark Manning and Bryan Snyder. He captured a world bronze medal for the United States in 2015 before winning a world silver medal in 2017. He made the U.S. World Team the past five years while training in Lincoln. "I've been in Nebraska for almost 10 years and it has been a really good experience for me," Green said. "Snyder and Manning are great coaches -- I have a lot of respect for them. They've done a lot for me. I hated to break the news to them that I was leaving because they have done so much for me. We did a lot together and accomplished a great deal. I appreciate them and we are still good friends." Green trained alongside Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion Jordan Burroughs during his time in Lincoln. "I will probably still train some with Jordan when I can," Green said. "I still have a great relationship with him and with the guys I've trained with at Nebraska." During the pandemic, Green has been home taking care of his daughter, Glory, while being unable to compete. "It's been great to be able to spend so much time with my daughter," he said. "My wife has been working during the day and I have been at home taking care of our baby. My daughter was 9 months old when the quarantine started. I didn't have as much one-on-one time before because I was training and I was on the road. I was able to spend a lot of time with her. I saw her go from crawling to walking, which was awesome. So that definitely was one good part for us to have all of that time together. I was a stay-at-home dad for a while. It was great -- I loved it. I enjoyed spending more time with my family. It was the most time I had spent at home." Green said he is looking forward to training in the Virginia Tech wrestling room. "Virginia Tech has a good program, and they are doing really well with recruiting," he said. "I really liked the location. Ty Walz is there training. I am with Titan Mercury and there are other clubs that are within driving distance -- North Carolina State and North Carolina. There are a lot of people close to here that I can wrestle with. I also see an opportunity to coach here when I'm doing competing." Green also will be able to train with Virginia Tech's Mekhi Lewis, an NCAA champion and Junior world champion. Lewis still has three years of college eligibility left. "Mekhi Lewis is here and it's a good opportunity for me to be able to work with him," Green said. "He's obviously a good young wrestler. I'm sure he will be a great training partner. We can definitely help each other get better." Green said he plans to keep wrestling after the Tokyo Olympics. "I will wrestle through 2024 -- that's the plan," he said. "I am going to wrestle another cycle. As long as my body holds up and I'm having fun." James Green after winning silver at the 2017 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Green actually won both of his world medals while not being 100 percent physically. "I had hip surgery after the World Championships in 2017," he said. "I was wrestling with the injury from 2014 to 2017. I definitely feel a lot better now. I used to wake up and my back was killing me because of my injury. But that stopped after I had surgery." Green, who competes in the non-Olympic weight class of 70 kilograms, plans to move up a weight class for the Olympic Trials next year. "74 kilos, that's the plan right now," he said. "I will go back down to 70 after that. I actually lost a little bit of weight during the quarantine, so I will see how it goes when I get back into training full-time again." Green said he plans to stay involved with the sport after he finishes competing. "Coaching is definitely in my future," he said. "I am on the fence right now as far as what I'm going to do with it. I have thought about opening my own club and working with some young kids. Or I may help coach with a college team. I do know I want to coach and give back to the sport. I enjoy working with kids and teaching them. I think I can make a positive impact as a coach." Before he does that, Green has other goals he is pursuing. "I know I still have a lot to give as a wrestler," he said. "I know I'm capable of getting it done at the World Championships. I just have to string those matches together. I need to be mentally dialed in for four or five matches. I expect a lot out of myself. I think it can all come together. I am still learning and still trying to improve." Green said he appreciates his wife, Chandell, his high school sweetheart, for everything she does when he is away from home for weeks at a time. "My wife is really supportive of what I'm doing -- you need to have that to be able to do this," he said. "It's obviously bigger than just me. I go on the road, and I'm gone for weeks at a time. She's been great and she understands the commitment it takes for me to be an athlete at this level. I appreciate everything she does for our family." James Green celebrates after beating Jason Chamberlain at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Green has been working out in Lincoln and spent time training in Blacksburg, Virginia, this week. He hasn't competed since wrestling in a tournament in Italy in January. "I don't have a timetable yet for when my next tournament is," he said. "I have been talking to (U.S. National Coach) Bill Zadick, but we are waiting to see what is going to happen with the pandemic going on. They are talking about having a World Championships in December, but I'm not sure if that's going to happen or not. If they do have the World Championships, I will definitely do my best to prepare for that. I will be ready." 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.

Pat Downey at the 2019 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Self-anointed wrestling bad boy Pat Downey is unrepentant and firing back at the New Jersey Regional Training Center for cutting him loose. Downey was fired on Saturday after tweeting that "in general the average fan aint paying for womens wrestling" with the hashtags #SorryNotSorry" and #Feelings LieNumbersDont." He issued an apology saying in part, "I have always and will always support wrestling as a whole including women's wrestling. THAT'S ONE OF MY MAIN GOALS. With the platform I have, it's negligent of me not to think through the effects of my words." But Downey takes nothing back. When I first saw the tweets I was torn. The woman and feminist in me wanted to side with the NJRTC and give them credit for a swift and severe consequence to a sentiment that is antithetical to my love and support for women's wrestling. But the journalist and free speech advocate in me wanted to side with Downey's right to say what he did even though I don't agree. Was what he said illegal? No. Could the NJRTC simply have sent out a statement disavowing the opinion and dealt with Downey differently and internally? Yes. Downey is out of the wrestling event at the center of the controversy in which he was to wrestle world champion David Taylor. In an ironic twist, Downey told me he dropped out because of the event's lack of support for women's wrestling. But one of the first to respond to Downey's initial tweet was world silver medalist Sarah Hildebrandt. She tweeted how incredibly disappointed she was in her teammate, stating that, "He only hurts OUR sport." Other notable women joined the conversation to agree with Hildebrandt and to chastise Downey. Olympic champion Helen Maroulis and Wrestle Like a Girl's Sally Roberts to name a few. For his part, Downey is very aware that his words have meaning and the trail of drama he has left behind during his wrestling career thus far is no accident. He had a notorious Twitter spat with UFC champion and former Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier. He was dismissed from Iowa State midseason for what the team called "repeated violations of team rules" with reports at the time pointing to his tweets as the culprit. Downey also did a short stint in Iowa City training at the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. None of that should have been news to the NJRTC when Downey came on board. Downey said he does not remember signing an ethics agreement or anything limiting his social media presence or agreeing to a disclaimer that his opinions are his own and not those of the NJRTC. But, he said, there was tension over his tweets. Pat Downey won a bronze medal at the Pan American Games (Photo/Tony Rotundo WrestlersAreWarriors.com) As Downey put it, "This (the firing) was the final straw that broke the camel's back." It didn't have to be. And more importantly, shouldn't be. Stifling an opinion that is unpopular is counterproductive. Without the tweet, offensive, disappointing or disrespectful as it might be, we lose the conversation and through conversation comes growth. If we don't engage in civil discourse, if we don't allow for opinions we disagree with, then we are stagnant, never moving forward and doomed to failure if the goal is to grow the sport. To be clear I'm not talking about hate speech here. Pointing out that women's wrestling is not as popular with fans as men's freestyle is not necessarily misogynistic. At this moment in time it's a fact, but one that could be changing rapidly given the explosion in participation numbers for women. As my colleague Tim Foley astutely pointed out, the most watched moment on social media for all of the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 was Helen Maroulis beating Japan's Saori Yoshida for gold. He also gave other examples of women's matches outshining the men's matches. Although those might be anomalies now, as the women keep putting on exciting, high-paced, high-level performances the fans will take notice. In fact, Downey told me he is a champion of women and women's wrestling. He said he runs camps and clinics for women and girls and he noted that he has a little sister. NJRTC coach Reece Humphrey throw Pat Downey in celebration at the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Downey said he is considering a lawsuit against the NJRTC for wrongful termination. When contacted the NJRTC would only point to its tweet regarding Downey. When asked if this whole thing would make him think twice before he tweets or change what he says and does on social media Downey said he would, "Keep being me until I die." Future employers are warned. And the rest of us are reminded that free speech has a role to play ... even if it's painful.

Josh Clayton is hoping to take the Eagles wrestling program at Milford High School in suburban Cincinnati to new heights. Josh ClaytonThe Milford High School Department of Athletics has announced that Clayton will take the controls of the Eagles high school mat program for the 2020-21 season as interim varsity head coach, bringing a unique skill set as a retired Marine pilot, U.S. Naval Academy alum (including two years as wrestler at Annapolis) and, most recently, serving as a coach with Milford's junior high wrestling program. "I am ecstatic to announce Josh Clayton as our next leader of the Milford Eagles wrestling program," Athletic Director Aaron Zupka told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "He exemplifies everything we want our student-athletes to be and how we want our program to be represented. Coach Clayton has a tremendous amount of energy, passion and enthusiasm for growing the sport of wrestling at Milford. I know he will work tirelessly to further the development of our student-athletes on and off the mat." Clayton is a graduate of Milford High School where he was a four-year member of the Eagle wrestling program, qualifying for the OHSAA State Tournament as a senior. After Milford, Coach Clayton attended the U.S. Naval Academy, spending two years as a member of the wrestling program at Annapolis. Following graduation, Clayton deployed several times to Iraq and Afghanistan, finishing his career with 16 years flying AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters for the Marines. Coach Clayton launched his coaching career during his time in the Marines as a youth team coach. Upon returning to Milford, he started helping with the Milford youth program, before moving on to working with the junior high and high school wrestlers the following year later. In addition to the honors and accomplishments listed above, Josh Clayton was welcomed into the Milford Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. Earned four varsity letters in wrestling Career wrestling record of 95-38 Tournament record: five -- 1st place, six -- 2nd place, seven -- 3rd place, two -- 4th place Most career wins in school history at the time of his graduation Milford Wrestling Hall of Fame member (1993) Graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy (1997) Awarded Naval Aviator "Wings of Gold" (1999) Greater Miami Conference (GMC) wrestling champion (1993) Four-time Milford Invitational Tournament wrestling champion (1991, 1992, 1993) Three-time District wrestling Qualifier (1991, 1992, 1993) State wrestling qualifier (1993) "I am honored to continue our tradition of hard work and discipline to help our wrestlers continue to grow," Clayton told the Enquirer. "The skills they learn on the mat will help them be better wrestlers, citizens, and leaders."

Ivan McClay, who had been 2017 NCAA Division II national 125-pound wrestling champ at Notre Dame College in the Cleveland area, is heading west to Ohio Northern University, located in Ada, Ohio between Toledo and Dayton. where he will be serving as an ONU assistant wrestling coach. Ivan McClayMcClay brings an impressive on-the-mat and academic resume to ONU. He won his first major title in high school, becoming the first Ohio state champ at Massillon High School in 2012 ... then built on that success at Notre Dame (Ohio) where he was a 2017 NCAA Division II National Champion, a three-time NCAA All-American wrestler and a four-time Academic All-American. McClay graduated with a bachelor's degree in integrated social studies from Notre Dame in 2017. Most recently, he was a graduate assistant coach at NDC in 2019-20. That year, Notre Dame wrestling won the NCAA Division II national wrestling team title. Here's how Ohio Northern University extended the welcome mat to Ivan McClay to his new position at Ohio Northern, southwest of the Cleveland, area. "Ivan comes to us from Notre Dame College where he was the graduate assistant for two years. Prior to that he wrestled for the Falcons where he was a three-time Academic All-American and three-time NCAA DII All-American including winning the 2017 National title at 125 pounds. McClay will focus his coaching efforts in the lower weight classes -- 125-through 157 pounds. In addition, McClay will be responsible for generating information for the ONU wrestling team's social media outlets, and will assist with recruiting. According to Ohio Northern's announcement welcoming Coach McClay to its Ada campus, "We are beyond excited about adding Ivan to our staff and can't wait to see how far we can push next season!" #onthhunt #topgang #winteriscoming Founded in 1871, Ohio Northern University is a four-year, private university affiliated with the United Methodist Church with a student enrollment of approximately 3,000. The ONU intercollegiate sports programs -- including wrestling -- compete under the sports team name "Polar Bears" with mascot name "Klondike."

Tony Ersland (right), with A.J. Schopp, coaching at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue wrestling head coach Tony Ersland was named president elect of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) last week, setting him up to be next in line as the head of the organization. The NWCA Board of Directors met on on June 25, voting in Ersland's position in addition to several others. "It's an honor to be put in a position where I can help lead and grow wrestling," said Ersland. "Pat Popolizio (North Carolina State head coach) has done a great job the last two years, and I'm looking forward to working alongside Kevin Ward (Army West Point head coach) the next two years." Ersland continued, "I love wrestling, I love the future of wrestling, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it at a leadership level." He plans to serve as the president elect for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons before taking the chair as the NWCA president in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Ersland is going into his sixth year as the head coach at Purdue, leading the Boilermakers into some of the greatest successes in program history. Purdue crowned a single-season program-record five All-Americans in 2020, which the NWCA awarded on April 17 based on the Boilermakers' NCAA Championship seedings after the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Boilermakers were projected to finish seventh at the national tournament based on their seedings, and were only 5.5 points shy of fourth place and an NCAA team trophy. Purdue put together its best Big Ten Championship finish since 1992, taking fifth at the 2020 conference tournament at Rutgers with 83 points and eight individual placewinners. Ersland helped a pair of grapplers advance to the Big Ten Championship match, marking the first time since 2004 multiple Boilermakers competed for a conference crown. The Boilermakers finished 12-5 in dual competition in 2019-20, including a 5-4 mark in Big Ten Duals, the Boilermakers' best since 2012. Ersland is no stranger to national committees and work toward the betterment of wrestling, currently serving on a pair of efforts in addition to his new post. He's served on the NWCA's coaches' leadership group since 2018, and is a member of the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate committee, which started in February of 2020. Ersland's appointment extends a trend of national leadership among the Boilermaker athletics coaches, joining several other Purdue staff members with positions on national coaches association boards. Men's basketball head coach Matt Painter currently holds a spot on the National Association of Basketball Coaches Board of Directors and is the chair of the USA Basketball selection committee, while women's basketball head coach Sharon Versyp has served on multiple committees for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, including most recently on the national recruiting committee. Softball head coach Boo De Olivera is on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association board of directors, women's volleyball head coach Dave Shondell currently serves on the NCAA Regional Selection Committee, and cross country coach John Oliver spent time on the executive committee for his group and was the NCAA West Region representative.

Nenad Lalovic (Photo/Tony Rotundo WrestlersAreWarriors.com) CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland -- The official candidacies for the 2020 United World Wrestling Bureau elections have been received and confirmed. There are seven positions up for re-election in 2020, including six seats on the Bureau and the position of UWW President. Five incumbents have submitted their candidacy for re-election while nine new candidacies have been received for Bureau positions. Successful candidates serve a six-year term on the Bureau. Incumbent President Nenad LALOVIC (SRB) will be running unopposed for re-election. The election will be his second six-year term as President. Elections were scheduled to be held on 6 September 2020 during the Ordinary Congress planned on the eve of the 2020 Junior World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade. Due the pandemic, different options are examined for this year's congress. An announcement will be made later when the calendar is consolidated. Present incumbent: DI BUSSOLO PELLICONE, Marina (Ms) (ITA) GAMA FILHO, Pedro (BRA) MAMIASHVILI, Mikhail (RUS) MESKOUT, Fouad (MAR) RUZIEV, Akhroldjan (UZB) New candidates: CANEVA, Lucio (ITA) IGALI, Daniel (NGR) KARSNAK, Jan (SVK) KHARENKO, Dina (Ms) (UKR) KORPELA, Marko (FIN) MACHAIDZE, Edisher (GEO) RYAN, Don (CAN) SORYAN, Hamid (IRI) ZAMBRANO, Johnny (ECU) The end of the term of the late Mr. Tzenov was this year. A new candidate - with regards to his term as Continental Council President - the Bureau approved Mr Theodoros Hamakos (GRE), Vice-President of UWW-Europe to act as interim President of the European Council until next year when all Continental Councils hold their elective assemblies to renew all positions.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling program has launched an alumni advisory group to assist fundraising efforts for the Carver Circle facility campaign. The 12-member group includes head coach Tom Brands and is led by chairman Chuck Yagla, a two-time NCAA champion and 1980 Olympian. The committee's goal is to engage Iowa Wrestling alumni and strengthen the connection between Iowa's past, present, and future as the program moves forward with the new wrestling facility. "Iowa Wrestling is a brand recognized throughout the world, and it includes a number of great people who attribute their success personally and professionally to this program," said Yagla. "We take tremendous pride in our leadership role when it comes to college wrestling, and this larger network of individuals will amplify what is already an incredibly strong and motivating voice. You can count us among the many people out there who want to continue to see Iowa Wrestling at the top of the sport." Carver Circle, the Iowa Wrestling facility campaign, is raising funds to build a new facility adjacent to Carver-Hawkeye Arena that supports Iowa Wrestling's championship standards and validates Iowa City's reputation as the greatest wrestling city in the world. To date, the project has received over $10.5 million in gift commitments. More information on the campaign is available at CarverCircle.com. Carver Circle Alumni Advisory Group (graduation year) Lou Banach, 1983 Tom Brands, 1992 Paul Glynn Jr., 2020 Paul Glynn Sr., 1986 Mark Ironside, 1998 Aaron Janssen, 2010 Tom Lepic, 1975 Bill Mitchell, 1973/1975 Blake Rasing, 2012 Herm Reininga, 1965 Mark Trizzino, 1984 Chuck Yagla, 1977