InterMat Staff

Kamaru Usman This past weekend the UFC fired up its much-anticipated Fight Island project. An ambitious, unique plan for holding MMA fights during a pandemic, I have to say, it is a pretty cool idea. The card was a bit light on accomplished wrestlers, but of the two high-level wrestlers featured, one was the reigning champion and main event of the evening, the other impressed greatly in his preliminary bout victory. I should also point out that while co-main event winner and UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski can wrestle his rear end off and actually won a national title in Australia, he did so at age 12 and left the sport for rugby shortly thereafter. As for the two aforementioned high-level wrestlers, here is what we learned about them. Kamaru Usman What we learned: The UFC's 170-pound champion earned a unanimous decision over Jorge Masvidal, but still has room for improvement in his overall mixed martial arts game. Now let me be clear, this is not a knock on Usman, but rather a reflection of the colossal athletic and combative ability that he possesses. Usman came into the sport of MMA with very high expectations. On the strength of his fantastic wrestling resume, anchored primarily by his NCAA Division II national title and his time spent as a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, many had him pegged as a potential future champ right from the start. Considering his wrestling skill, incredibly strength, great size (he competed successfully in freestyle as high as 96 kilograms), explosiveness, and relative youth, one would have to think that Usman's ceiling is indeed very high. As he has in all 12 of his UFC fights, Usman got the job done. He won convincingly on all three judges' scorecards and he's going home with the belt, but Usman still needs his signature win. He still needs one of those flawless victory-type performances to serve as his masterpiece and to cement his status as one of the best fighters in history, which is his stated goal. This was not it. Given what we have seen thus far from Usman, we know he has considerable power in his fists, a ruthless clinch game in terms of his upper body takedowns, miserable pressure, and the nasty right hands that he digs to the body when in close. He has an unshakeable resolve, fantastic cardio, and ground-and-pound that is good enough to do damage while maintaining positional advantages. With this in mind, the type of signature win we want to see from Usman could feature an advancing, stalking, aggressor pushing his foe to the fence before hurting him with a big right hand, tossing him to the mat, and finishing him off with punches and hammer-fists from on top. In other words, we want to see him fight with airtight execution and a sense of urgency that sees him aggressively playing to his strengths while deliberately shifting between the dimensions of an MMA contest. We have seen Usman knock out an overmatched opponent, we've seen him grind out fighters over the course of a full fight, and we've seen him win a war of attrition title fight against a deserving challenger, but we have not seen him execute in the manner outlined above. Despite the fact that Usman's dance partner on Saturday night was an incredibly seasoned, wily veteran, he is a pumped up 155-pounder who took the fight on a week's notice and still managed to make Kamaru look a bit stiff and a bit green. All of MMA's greats had wins that left no doubt as to who the best in the world was. Fights that show the clear gap between the champ and everyone else. Kamaru Usman can still achieve this himself, but until he does, he will be known as a champ but not an all-time great. Makwan Amirkhani What we learned: The Iranian/Kurdish fighter from Finland is one of the smoothest, slickest fighters on the UFC roster. His style is a study in efficiency and kinesiology. Amirkhani, a Finnish national champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, with a good degree of success competing in senior-level Greco-Roman tournaments at the higher levels, is quite unique in his style. Not just in the way that he seamlessly flows with the natural energy of a fight from one position to the next, but also in the way that he incorporates each of MMA's three primary facets (striking, wrestling, submission grappling). You don't see too many fighters moving like Amirkhani. Most fighters who come from a significant wrestling background can't help but use the typical hardnosed, rugged style of a wrestler as the backbone of their fighting style. Lots of shooting and clinching, intense, sustained pressure, effective and considerable weight cutting, and a whole lot of grit are usually the main pillars of a wrestler's fighting style. Not Amirkhani. Can he change levels and get in deep on opponent's hips? Sure he can. Can he apply intense pressure up against the cage? You bet. Able to go upper body and hit big slams from the clinch? All day. Amirkhani differs from most other converted wrestlers in several ways. For one, he doesn't rely much on cutting weight. He may even be a tad undersized for the UFC's 145-pound class. Also, he has no qualms about losing position because he knows how to either get it right back, or, finish the fight from where he winds up. In fact, Amirkhani is just as comfortable attacking with submissions from his back and rolling for heel hooks as his is in the body lock or inside the guard. So often, even in 2020, you don't see many wrestlers fully take to the more nuanced aspects of submission grappling, but Amirkhani blends the best of both worlds and is racking up UFC wins because of it.

Former University of Nebraska-Kearney assistant wrestling coach. Working to rebuild the wrestling program at Alma High School in Nebraska. Independent business entrepreneur. Josh EricksonNow Josh Erickson can add "head wrestling coach at Hastings College of Nebraska" to his growing resume, having been just named the fourth head coach in the Broncos wrestling program's 13-year history since the mat program was relaunched in 2008-09. "When I got the call to offer me the job, I felt like it was a dream come true," Erickson said upon being named to join the coaching staff at Hastings College, having gained insight into the Hastings' mat program, having worked as a consultant with the program for the past eleven years by developing and operating Team Concepts during that time period at Hastings. "I felt like all the effort and energy I've put into building athletic teams and other organizations has prepared me for this one opportunity." Erickson brings many different leadership qualities to this position as he developed and subsequently operated Team Concepts for the past 11 years. His familiarity with Hastings College stems from his experience working at Team Concepts to develop leadership skills on the Hastings campus on numerous occasions, facilitating public speaking, corporate training and team building for organizations of all shapes and sizes… skills that can serve him well at the helm of a college wrestling program. "Josh Erickson undoubtedly brings the leadership qualities Hastings College is looking for in a head coach," according to Hastings' Director of Athletics B.J. Pumroy. "He has built businesses from the ground up while also helping wrestling programs reach national championship levels. His team building expertise, forward thinking mindset along with his team management skills makes him a great fit for Hastings College." Prior to his knowledge and experience gained with his Team Concepts consultancy, Erickson served as an assistant wrestling coach at the University of Nebraska-Kearney from 2007-2013, where the program tallied three national NCAA Division II team titles (and placed second in the team standings in 2007). Erickson helped coach 45 All-Americans that included NCAA DII national wrestler of the year Tervel Dlagnev in 2008. "I am most excited about helping all these young men capture their full potential," Erickson continued. "We will spend a lot of time learning how to add value to other people's lives through service, commitment and honor." Since the restarting of the team the Broncos have accumulated seven All-American finishes at the NAIA Championships and 16 NWCA Scholar Athlete All-American awards. Their highest ever team placing at the NAIA national championships was in 2018 when the team finished 15th. "Josh Erickson undoubtedly brings the leadership qualities Hastings College is looking for in a head coach," said Director of Athletics B.J. Pumroy. "He has built businesses from the ground up while also helping wrestling programs reach national championship levels. His team building expertise, forward thinking mindset along with his team management skills makes him a great fit for Hastings College." Founded in 1882, Hastings College is a four-year school located in Hastings, Neb. in south-central Nebraska. Hastings has approximately 1,900 students. The school's wrestling program -- as well as other intercollegiate sports programs -- participate in NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics).

Appalachian State University has announced the names of the five past student-athletes as members of the Class of 2021 -- which will include 1960s star wrestler George Sansone -- the North Carolina school announced. George Sansone with App State coach JohnMark BentleyBecause of the current coronavirus pandemic, there will be no Hall of Fame class or induction ceremony in calendar year 2020. Below is a brief bio on Sansone. Sansone was an NCAA All-American in 1968 and two-time national qualifier … Fifth place in the 123-pound weight class at the NAIA national championship tournament in Alamosa, Colo., in 1968 … Career record of 45-11 in college … Four-year starter at 123 pounds while helping App State post a combined team record of 37-10-2 during his time with the Mountaineers … Wrestled for coach Steve Gabriel at App State … All-America honor came during junior season in which he went 12-3 and App State had an 8-4-1 record … Went 13-3 as a sophomore (when App State was 8-1-1) and a senior (when App State was 12-5) … Had a 7-2 record as a freshman for an unbeaten App State team that went 9-0. (Will be honored posthumously.)

Stanford University announced Wednesday that they intend to eliminate 11 sports programs at the conclusion of the 2020-2021 athletic season. The list of teams included the wrestling program. The expected budget shortfalls in athletic departments is due to the lack of revenue generated by football, due to the inability to play as caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. But this is really only a stress test for a system that has spent decades overspending and valuing the personal gains of those in the NCAA bureaucracy more than the labor of those on the field. College sports was professionalized by career-focused athletic administrators who overleveraged football teams and infrastructure project to boost their personal brand. The C-Suite athletic directors (largely white, largely wealthy) saw riskless career advancement on the backs of a largely unpaid Black labor force. The majority of those in charge could bankrupt an ATM, but it their estimation a recyclable, unpaid labor force, who could be pushed past all modern labor laws by nostalgic friends on America's benches as a means to increase ticket sales, build larger stadiums, pump up their own notoriety and lever it all to the hilt. The athletic directors at Power 5 conferences could give two cents about anything but the way they are perceived by their peers as they oversee their programs. Academic All-Americans is a pretty column in the recruiting column, but the only paper these athletes want is the cash everyone else is using as currency to buy goods. But for the athletic directors there is only enough money to line their pockets. Greed and poor fiscal management are why Stanford announced the elimination of 11 sports. But it also accounts for the survival of the bureaucracy. As of today there weren't any additional layoffs among the 200-plus support positions at Stanford. Why? Bureaucracies like those at Stanford don't die because they are inside a self-affirming system that spirals up to the NCAA. It's interwoven and unkillable. "Of course we can't fire the associate director for academic performance!" If Stanford axed the non-contributing fat, they'd have to admit that the metrics and support systems were all a smokescreen for not having to pay individuals for the services they perform. Boise State AD Curt Apsey Curt Apsey, the much-maligned AD at Boise State, is probably the most abysmal of the bureaucratic dinosaurs who believes that shuffling personnel and setting outlandish goals is positive career juice. After working his way up the ranks at Boise State he took a short stint as an AD of a smaller school, only to be called back by Boise State in 2016. What's that first plan? Cut wrestling and add baseball. A program with little overhead and plenty of success being replaced by one that requires immense overhead and has no players. Now baseball is being cut and Apsey essentially spent the last four years of his life figuring out how to light $4 million on fire. Apsey is just one of many examples of athletic directors with no economic expertise who've convinced alumni and school officials to expand expensive offerings in order to boos the "brand identity" and reputation of the school through sports. The interesting part missing from Apsey's plan was that Boise State winning the College World Series would, at best, result in the program being self-sufficient for a year or two. However, his resume would be padded and the reputation he sells up the NCAA food chain and to other schools would be improved. Apsey has failed in spectacular fashion, but nothing will happen. He's entrenched and COVID will take the blame, because his generation is devoid of accepting responsibility for their actions. The AD's in his sphere thought the money tree would never stop delivering. But it did and now there is a baseball team off the field and a broken legacy of Broncos wrestlers. Apsey? Employed and happy. Maybe that will change, but he'll have a golden parachute to ease his return to Applebee's and nights out talking about the time he ruined a state's favorite athletic institution. It's not just the Apseys of the world that take the blame. We do too. Off campus we elected the officials who've so far created the limpest, most lethargic, self-defeating, and toothless response to the COVID pandemic in the world. Truly, leading the world in incompetence. Make no mistake that we could be back on the mats, on the field, and in restaurants were it not the intent of those in power to watch us die. If the American government had tested, contact traced, and encourage us to wear masks this column wouldn't be live. We'd be talking about the upcoming football season and we'd have wrestling at Stanford. But that didn't happen, because masks have been bastardized and weaponized by insecure milquetoast racists like Tucker Carlson and promoted by the weakest national leadership in American history. But hey, we elected these racist clowns, so we have to own some responsibility. As for Stanford wrestling? I get it and we all know the steps to this dance. The community is going to fundraise for Stanford. Their alumni, mid-stickup, will fork over $10 million to save wrestling in the process probably even add women's wrestling. That could be an awesome moment, but we aren't solving any larger issues in college athletics by capitulating to the short-sighted economic hijacking of the wrestling team. Right now, the model is free labor in support of all activities. While there is a lot of fat in the athletic programs at its core it's a system run by largely white athletic directors using the labor of Black America to generate profits for themselves and their corporate partners. COVID is bringing that much into focus so if you ask me what we should do right now? Save Stanford, sure. But it's time to drop the hose and turn off the alarms. Let it burn.

The U.S. Supreme Court announced Wednesday that Chief Justice John Roberts -- who wrestled while in a private high school in Indiana decades ago -- was hospitalized for a head injury earlier this summer after suffering a fall about three weeks earlier while exercise-walking on a golf course in Maryland on Sunday, June 21, 2020. John RobertsRoberts was kept overnight for one evening, having been treated with sutures for minor cuts, then released from the hospital the next day. Roberts' doctors ruled out a seizure. They believe the fall was likely due to lightheadedness caused by dehydration. John Glover Roberts Jr. was born January 27, 1955 in northwest Indiana. He attended Notre Dame Elementary School, then La Lumiere School, a small but affluent and academically rigorous Roman Catholic boarding school in La Porte, Indiana. While at La Lumiere, he was captain of the football team and was a regional champion on the varsity wrestling team. Roberts graduated first in his class in 1973.

Ben Rosen, an accomplished coach and competitor, has been named Lakeland's new head men's wrestling coach. Ben RosenHe comes to Lakeland from Campbellsville University, an NAIA-member institution in Campbellsville, Ky., with a very successful men's wrestling program. He has served as a full-time assistant coach for the past two seasons. This past winter, the team finished 21-2 overall and was seventh at the NAIA Championship with five All-Americans. It's the 16th year in a row the program has placed at the NAIA Championship. In his first season as an assistant, he helped lead the Tigers to earn one Mid-South Conference Championship and two NAIA All-American honors. Off the mat, he was extensively involved in recruiting, event management and he managed/created the wrestling program's social media platforms. "Wrestling has been a long road and I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that it has led me to Lakeland University," Rosen said. "Lakeland is a fantastic institution and I'm excited to be a part of it. I would like to thank Athletic Director April Arvan and the rest of the search committee for this incredible opportunity. I cannot wait to mentor and develop our student-athletes." Arvan said Rosen is a great fit for a variety of reasons. "He brings us a great background in leadership, passion for wrestling and experience working for some outstanding coaches and programs," Arvan said. "We are excited for what he will do for our Muskies and our men's wrestling program." Prior to coming to Campbellsville, Rosen served as a graduate assistant coach at Doane University in Crete, Neb., where he had recruiting and coaching responsibilities. Rosen coached two All-Americans, one national runner-up and a NAIA Scholar-Athlete. In addition, he overhauled the training program and served as 2016 NAIA Regional Tournament Director. Rosen also managed the Wilber-Doane High School Wrestling Camp, the largest youth camp in Nebraska with more than 400 wrestlers and 1,000 matches wrestled. He received a Master of Arts in Management degree with an emphasis in leadership and coaching from Doane in 2019. Rosen wrestled as an undergraduate at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Business in 2014. While at Cornell, he won 92 career matches and earned his fastest pin 1:19. He was 28-11 as a freshman and earned four pins, earning the Cornell Freshman of the Year. He also earned NWCA Scholar-Athlete his sophomore and senior seasons. After graduating from Cornell, Rosen was the assistant coach at Niles West High School in Skokie, Ill., for two years.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- The National Wrestling Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday that it would be reopening its museum on Monday, July 13. The Hall of Fame will follow guidelines and recommendations from health and safety experts to help ensure the well-being of its visitors and staff. "We are excited to reopen and welcome visitors back to the Hall of Fame, but we want to do so in a manner that ensures the safety of our visitors and our staff," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director. "We appreciate visitors understanding that the precautions that we are taking are to protect not only their health, but also the health of our community." The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Visitors are requested to contact the museum in advance of their visit to make a reservation. Reservations can be made by telephone at (405) 377-5243 or by email at info@nwhof.org. In order to maintain social distancing, the number of visitors permitted in the museum at one time will be limited, so walkups may not be admitted for safety reasons. The Hall of Fame will implement enhanced health and safety measures for all visitors and staff. For everyone's safety, face coverings (masks) must be worn at all times inside the museum. The face covering not only provides protection for you, but also protects others near you, to prevent those who may have the illness from unknowingly spreading COVID-19 to others. Social distancing guidelines are encouraged, including maintaining a physical distance of at least six feet between individuals. The Hall of Fame will regularly clean and disinfect the museum, with enhanced frequency in high-traffic and high-touch locations, such as interactive displays and kiosks, using EPA-approved disinfectants. The Hall of Fame interactives will be available and cleaned using the high-touch protocols. Each museum guest will receive a complimentary stylus to use at the interactive digital kiosks during their visit. Handwashing supplies will be restocked regularly in restroom facilities, and hand sanitizer will be placed throughout the museum. The Hall of Fame asks that individuals who have a fever, or otherwise feel ill, do not visit the museum. Anyone with a temperature above 100.4 degrees will not be admitted and should not visit the museum until they have no fever and no evidence of COVID-19 symptoms. Hall of Fame Reopening Guidelines Make advance reservation at (405) 377-5243 or info@nwhof.org Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday through Friday Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday Visitors and staff MUST wear face coverings (masks) at ALL times Social distancing guidelines - six feet between individuals - are encouraged Museum will be regularly cleaned and disinfected with enhanced frequency in high-traffic and high-touch locations Interactives will be available and cleaned using the high-touch protocols Visitors will receive a complimentary stylus to use at the interactive digital kiosks during their visit Individuals who have a fever, or otherwise feel ill, are asked to not visit the museum Anyone with a temperature above 100.4 degrees will not be admitted National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum America's shrine to the sport of wrestling, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum was founded as a nonprofit organization in 1976 to honor the sport of wrestling, preserve its history, recognize extraordinary individual achievements, and inspire future generations. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has museums in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Waterloo, Iowa. The Stillwater, Oklahoma, location reopened in June 2016 following a $3.8 million renovation while the Waterloo, Iowa, location reopened in March 2019 after undergoing a $1.4 million renovation. Both museums now feature interactive exhibits and electronic kiosks, as well as the opportunity to watch NCAA Championship matches from the 1930s to present day. Stillwater also has the John T. Vaughan Hall of Honors where the greatest names in wrestling are recognized, including iconic granite plaques presented to Distinguished Members since the Hall of Fame opened in 1976. The museum has the largest collection of wrestling artifacts and memorabilia in the world, including the most collegiate and Olympic wrestling uniforms. Wrestling truly is for everyone and the diversity and accessibility of the sport continues to be highlighted through exhibits featuring females, African-Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Latino Americans. There is also a library featuring historical documents, including NCAA guides and results, as well as books on the sport. For more information about the Hall of Fame, please visit www.NWHOF.org.

Stanford head wrestling coach Jason Borrelli (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Stanford University announced Wednesday that it will discontinue its wrestling program, along with 10 other varsity sports, at the end of the 2020-21 academic year. According to Stanford, the discontinued programs will be able to complete their 2020-21 seasons "should the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 allow it." In addition to wrestling, Stanford eliminated men's and women's fencing, field hockey, men's volleyball, lightweight rowing, men's rowing, co-ed and women's sailing, squash and synchronized swimming. "Providing 36 varsity teams with the level of support that they deserve has become a serious and growing financial challenge," Stanford said in a statement. "We now face the reality that significant change is needed to create fiscal stability for Stanford Athletics, and to provide the support we believe is essential for our student-athletes to excel. "This is heartbreaking news to share. These 11 programs consist of more than 240 incredible student-athletes and 22 dedicated coaches. They were built by more than 4,000 alumni whose contributions led to 20 national championships, 27 Olympic medals, and an untold number of academic and professional achievements. Each of the individuals associated with these programs will forever have a place in Stanford's history." Stanford's wrestling program, under the leadership of Jason Borrelli, finished this past season with a dual meet record of 11-4 and runner-up at the Pac-12 Championships. Freshmen Real Woods (141) and Shane Griffith (165) won Pac-12 titles this year. The program has produced several All-Americans in its history, including a national champion, Matt Gentry, in 2004.

April 2017: A dark time for collegiate wrestling in the northwest U.S. -- and beyond -- as Boise State University announced it would eliminate its successful intercollegiate wrestling program ... effective immediately. All to focus its intercollegiate sports resources on its men's baseball program. Now, this past Fourth of July holiday weekend, Boise State got out its hatchet again ... taking its axe to its swimming, diving and baseball programs. All part of a $3 million budget cut to the Broncho athletics programs, effective immediately. "After reviewing the budget and issues based on COVID-19, the department announced the move, to set themselves up better for the long-term," according to the initial report from KMVT/KSVT of Twin Falls, Idaho. Normally, InterMat would not bother mentioning the passing of a college sports program that didn't involve wrestling mats, singlets or headgear. However, because the nation's wrestling community was actively involved in efforts of save BSU Bronchos mat program, we figured the least we could do is provide an update of some of the basics of what happened since the news back in April 2017. The basics of rebuilding Boise State's baseball program Here's how the Idaho Statesman recapped the return of the Boise State baseball program: "This spring, the Broncho baseball team took the field in regular season games for the first time since it was disbanded in 1980. In 2017, the university dropped wrestling to pursue baseball, and the Broncos went 9-5 this year before coronavirus forced the cancellation of the remainder of the season." The article went on to state, "Players on the baseball team said the decision came as a shock, and no matter how the news was delivered, it was tough to hear." "Expenses for the swim and dive team in 2019 totaled $917,283, according to documents obtained by the Statesman through a public records request." "Going off (BSU Athletic Director Curt) Apsey's $2.2 million figure, the baseball team's expenses were somewhere around $1.3 million, and those costs were likely to grow, given the sheer number of games in a season and the plans to build a stadium." What's next? Most of the athletes in the baseball, swimming and diving programs at Boise State were told the bad news in Zoom calls on Thursday, July 3. "To add insult to injury, they were also told to not bother trying to drum up funds to keep the team afloat. So, now as most of the team have reluctantly placed their names in the transfer portal (first baseman Joey Yorke has already found a new home at Cal Poly) the team is throwing a hail Mary (or the baseball equivalent) to try to save the team." "Of course, the swimming and diving team was put on the chopping block as well and have also decided they'd rather not go down without a fight. As of last night, KTVB's Jay Tust reported that they've already rallied over $120k in 24 hours to save both the beloved squads and have almost another $25k in pledges." Sounds all too familiar for too many of us. Wrestling gets the ax in April 2017 Here's the initial news report at InterMat on April 18, 2017, about Boise State dropping the hammer on its Broncho wrestling program: Boise State announced on Tuesday that it will no longer offer wrestling as an intercollegiate sport. According to the school, "The move was made to better align its programs with the Mountain West, and with the intent to add baseball in the future." "This was not an easy decision, but one that needed to be made as we consider the long-term vision for Bronco athletics," said Director of Athletics Curt Apsey. "We will continue to honor the scholarships we provide our student-athletes, and will do all we can to help those who want to continue their collegiate wrestling careers elsewhere. "Additionally, current coaching contracts will be honored." Wrestlers are free to transfer, and the school will help them with that process. Scholarships will be honored for those that wish to remain at Boise State. Boise State has a strong wrestling tradition. The Broncos have won six conference team championships. The program has had 12 top-20 NCAA team finishes and five top-10 NCAA team finishes. Boise State finished 2-9 in dual meets this past season and fifth at the Pac-12 Championships.

Mickey Martin STILLWATER, Okla. -- Mickey Martin, a Distinguished Member inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014, passed away on Monday, at the age of 78. "We are saddened to learn of Mickey Martin's passing and send our most sincere condolences to his family, friends, teammates and the many student-athletes he taught and coached during his career," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director. "Mickey and his father, Wayne, are both folkstyle wrestling legends and Distinguished Members of the Hall of Fame. They are the only father and son duo in history to win the Outstanding Wrestler award at the NCAA Division I Championships. "Mickey is considered one of the greatest technicians the sport of wrestling has ever known," he added. "There are many champions from the state of Oklahoma and around the country, including myself and my brothers John, Pat and Mark, who were taught the art of riding, turning and pinning opponents thanks to his mastery of teaching and coaching." Watch Mickey Martin's Hall of Fame induction video When he arrived at the University of Oklahoma, Mickey Martin was known as the son of a Sooner wrestling legend. By the time he left, he had created a legacy of his own. As a high school senior, Martin won the 130-pound Oklahoma state wrestling championship in 1959, competing for legendary Tulsa Central High School. Following in his father's footsteps, he attended the University of Oklahoma. Competing in the 130-pound class for the entirety of his collegiate career, Martin turned in an impressive campaign for the Sooners as a sophomore in 1961, placing third at both the Big Eight tournament and the NCAA tournament. As a junior, he won his first Big Eight championship and his first NCAA title. In 1963, Martin wrestled his way into the history books. In December of that year, he broke his collarbone and missed most of the season, but the injury did not prevent the Sooner superstar from winning the Big Eight and NCAA championships for the second year in a row. For his feat, he was voted Outstanding Wrestler at the NCAA tournament, joining his father, Wayne Martin, also a Distinguished Member, as the only father - son combination to win the Outstanding Wrestler award. Mickey finished his collegiate career with a 42-6 overall record. Martin's 1963 NCAA title was especially important as it powered Oklahoma to an NCAA team championship over runner-up Iowa State. His victory in the finals was a thrilling 12-8 win over eventual Olympian and Hall of Famer Bobby Douglas of West Liberty State. After college, Martin turned his focus toward instructing young wrestlers in the sport. He spent two seasons as head coach of then NCAA Division II South Dakota State University, finishing ninth in the 1976 NCAA tournament and eighth in 1977. In two years, he compiled a record of 21-6-1 and coached two individual national champions. As a high school coach for more than 25 years, Martin mentored athletes in high schools all over the state of Oklahoma with stints at Norman, McAlester, Lawton Eisenhower, Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City, East Central and Hale in Tulsa, and Del City. He coached three state championship teams and finished as runners-up six times. In all, he coached 31 individual high school state champions. National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum America's shrine to the sport of wrestling, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum was founded as a nonprofit organization in 1976 to honor the sport of wrestling, preserve its history, recognize extraordinary individual achievements, and inspire future generations. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has museums in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Waterloo, Iowa. The Stillwater, Oklahoma, location reopened in June 2016 following a $3.8 million renovation while the Waterloo, Iowa, location reopened in March 2019 after undergoing a $1.4 million renovation. Both museums now feature interactive exhibits and electronic kiosks, as well as the opportunity to watch NCAA Championship matches from the 1930s to present day. Stillwater also has the John T. Vaughan Hall of Honors where the greatest names in wrestling are recognized, including iconic granite plaques presented to Distinguished Members since the Hall of Fame opened in 1976. The museum has the largest collection of wrestling artifacts and memorabilia in the world, including the most collegiate and Olympic wrestling uniforms. Wrestling truly is for everyone and the diversity and accessibility of the sport continues to be highlighted through exhibits featuring females, African-Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Latino Americans. There is also a library featuring historical documents, including NCAA guides and results, as well as books on the sport. For more information about the Hall of Fame, please visit www.NWHOF.org.

Colton McCrystal gets in on a shot against Justin Oliver at the CKLV Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Morningside College just landed an impressive candidate to join its wrestling coaching staff. Head coach Jake Stevenson announced Monday that Colton McCrystal -- a former University of Nebraska-Lincoln who was a two-time NCAA Division I national qualifier and 2019 Pan American Games gold medalist -- will be joining the Mustangs coaching staff. "This is tremendous news (for our program)," Stevenson said. "To have an individual like Colton (on staff) who is passionate for the sport and has had so much success in competition at the highest levels will help us attract even more of the young men we are wanting to become Mustangs." "I'd like to thank (Coach) Stevenson and the Morningside community for allowing this opportunity," McCrystal said. "Being a native of Sergeant Bluff, it'll be awesome to be close to family and friends and also to help guide a program which is among the best in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics." "This is tremendous news (for our program)," Stevenson said. "To have an individual like Colton (on staff) who is passionate for the sport and has had so much success in competition at the highest levels will help us attract even more of the young men we are wanting to become Mustangs." McCrystal is among the legends of Iowa High School Athletic Association wrestling. As a student-athlete member of the Sergeant Bluff-Luton Warriors, he tallied a remarkable 193-8 all-time record during which he was a two-time Iowa state champion and four-time top two place-winner. McCrystal also forged impressive credentials off the mat, as he was a two-time Nebraska-Lincoln Scholar-Athlete honor roll recipient and was named to the athletic department's Tom Osborne Citizenship Team. Morningside College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in Sioux City, Iowa. Founded in 1894 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Morningside has approximately 2,000 students. The men's wrestling program -- the Mustangs -- is affiliated with the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics).

The year 2020 should end on a positive note for the international wrestling community, with the 2020 World Wrestling Championships concluding the last month of the year… should health and safety measures be met regarding the coronavirus pandemic. The event has been scheduled for December 12-20, 2020 in Belgrade, the NBC Olympics website reported Monday. The 2020 World Wrestling Championships must include eight of the 10 best ranked teams and a minimum of 70 percent participating countries, based on 2019 attendance. Specific health regulations have not been announced, according to rules, must be confirmed two months before the event takes place. “Competitions must provide general sanitary conditions, the ability to travel to/from the nation, and robust countermeasures to COVID-19 impacts on competition must be enforced,” according to United World Wrestling. World Wrestling Championships have been held every year dating to 2005 ... and going back decades earlier in non-Olympic years. (Before the pandemic, there were no wrestling worlds scheduled for 2020, which would have ended the streak of holding worlds in the autumn of Olympic years for non-Olympic weight classes.)

Kamaru Usman (Photo/Getty Images) Kamaru Usman is a UFC champion who hasn't lost a fight in more than seven years. But he is still a man looking for respect. Most of the focus entering Usman's upcoming fight hasn't been on him this week, but more on his opponent. Usman is scheduled to battle Jorge Masvidal in a welterweight title fight on Saturday at UFC 251 on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Masvidal stepped in on short notice after Gilbert Burns was forced to withdraw as Usman's opponent. Masvidal caught the attention of the wrestling and mixed martial arts world last year when he scored a stunning five-second knockout over Olympian Ben Askren. Masvidal is an aggressive and dangerous fighter who has become popular with fans. Even though there has been the usual banter and smack talk between fighters, Usman respects his opponent. "I know he's tough," Usman said in an interview after the bout was announced. "And I know it will be a dogfight." Masvidal agreed to travel halfway around the world and fight on short notice for an opportunity to fight in a UFC main event. And cash in with a lucrative payday. Both fighters will earn big money while headlining the UFC card Saturday. Usman also has had to make a quick adjustment while training for a different opponent. "I just did a full training camp preparing for another guy," he said. "I'm the one risking everything here by agreeing to fight Masvidal. If he gets beat, he has a built-in excuse because he took the fight on short notice." The 33-year-old Usman is a tough, hard-nosed fighter whose record speaks for itself. He has a 16-1 record in mixed martial arts since turning pro in 2012. He has won his last 15 fights, including 10 in the UFC. Usman defeated Tyron Woodley in March 2019 to win the UFC welterweight title in 2019 before defeating Colby Covington late in the year to retain his 170-pound belt. Usman is well-known to wrestling fans. He won an NCAA Division II championship for Nebraska-Kearney in 2010 before making a University World Team in freestyle for the U.S. later that year. He wrestled on the Senior level for a couple of years before transitioning to mixed martial arts. Usman has drawn criticism at times for not being flashy enough and not being known for his knockout ability. He's an excellent wrestler who is adept at taking opponents down before punishing them on the ground. He possesses a strong gas tank that comes from his wrestling background. But in his most recent fight, Usman put on a show to win a hard-fought and entertaining slugfest with Covington. He was effective with his striking ability on his feet while relying on a strong right hand. He is a powerful athlete who has developed into an excellent all-around fighter. In the win over Covington, Usman looked very sharp in all phases of his game. He was the superior striker as the fighters chose to slug it out on their feet for much of the bout. He also was effective with front kicks to his opponent's body. Usman floored Covington with a vicious right hand that knocked him down late in the fight. Usman followed by jumping on top of his opponent and firing off a barrage of punches before the referee stepped in to stop it. It was an impressive performance and his bout was chosen as Fight of the Night by the UFC. Usman has never been taken down in his UFC career. That's an incredible stat. He's also dealt with his share of adversity during his career. And his upcoming fight will be another major obstacle for Usman. "This is what champions are made of," he said earlier this week. "You can't always control the circumstances. What I can control is being prepared to go out and do my thing." Usman also had to quickly refocus. After learning the fight with Burns was off Friday night, he said he ate a big dinner in Las Vegas while thinking he no longer needed to make weight. The next day, Usman was about to dive into a Mexican meal and have a beer at the airport in Dallas. But he then received a call that the fight was back on and Masvidal had agreed to step in as a replacement. Usman was scheduled to fly to Abu Dabi early this week with just a few days left before weigh-ins for the fight. "I have always been professional," he said. "and made weight." Almost exactly one year after he scored his quick knockout over Askren, Masvidal will fight Usman for the UFC title. "I'm happy for this opportunity because I get to break his face," Masvidal said. "People see the violence that I bring. Now I get to prove to the world how good I am against Usman. I can't wait to come home with that belt." Masvidal is so confident that he was actually talking in an interview this week about future opponents he would face after he wins the UFC title. One thing is certain. The Usman-Masvidal showdown promises to be an entertaining fight between two guys who don't like each other very much. For Usman, a 3-1 favorite to win the fight, his quest for respect continues. Even though he's never lost in the UFC and his only career setback in mixed martial arts came in 2013. "It's been the story of my career," he said of being disrespected. "But at the end of my career, people will remember who won and who lost. "All I can do is go out there and do my job, which is win. There is always pressure -- it's always there. It's just a matter of how you deal with it. I'm just excited that the fight is finally here." 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.

Noah Gonser (Photo/Campbell Athletics) BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- Former All-American Noah Gonser has joined Campbell's wrestling coaching staff as Director of Operations and Recruiting Coordinator. Working under first year head coach Scotti Sentes, Gonser will coordinate the daily operations, administrative functions and recruiting travel for the program. "I'm excited to start this new chapter and join a great coaching staff that builds champions on and off the mat," said Gonser. "I'm going to attack this with the same mindset that I did as a wrestler, but instead of focusing on my own goals, I'm focused on helping others reach their full potential. I'm excited to see these guys become champions." Gonser joins the staff after a tremendous collegiate career on the mat, including two years at Campbell. The Grand Blanc, Mich. native wrapped up one of the most decorated seasons in CU program history in 2019-20, earning NWCA Second Team All-American status, one of five Camels to earn All-America honors last season. The 2020 SoCon Wrestler of the Year, Gonser ended the year with a 14-match winning streak, carrying a 30-5 overall record. A Grand Blanc, Mich. native, Gonser, seeded ninth at 133 pounds, was set for his third NCAA Championships appearance, and second as a Camel, beginning his career at Eastern Michigan. In two seasons at Campbell, Gonser helped lead the Camels to two SoCon tournament and dual championships. The Camels finished the 2019-20 regular season at 11-2 overall and a perfect 7-0 in SoCon duals, winning its final nine matchups that included all seven conference bouts. He was one of five Camels to claim individual SoCon tournament championships, helping secure Campbell's second straight and third SoCon tournament championship in four years (2017, 2019, 2020). CU's six NCAA qualifiers tied a school record (2019). Campbell, ranking as high as No. 12 in the country (InterMat), completed a sweep of the SoCon's regular season with a 35-13 win at Davidson on February 23, claiming its second straight league dual championship.

Two decades after completing a combined wrestling/football career at Baldwin Wallace University, Mike Blackburn, head wrestling coach at Steubenville High School in eastern Ohio, will become one of ten Yellow Jackets for Life as he is welcomed into the Athletics Hall of Fame for the NCAA Division III school located in in Berea, Ohio just south of Cleveland later this year at a date yet to be determined. Mike BlackburnThere are a couple aspects of Mike Blackburn's induction that make this honor even more special. For starters, Blackburn is the only Class of 2020 inductee to welcomed for playing two sports -- wrestling (as a heavyweight), and football (as a right tackle). (Another BW 2020 Hall of Fame inductee coached and played tennis.) In wrestling, he was a two-time NCAA Division III national qualifier as a heavyweight and finished runner-up twice in the OAC Tournament. "Both guys I lost to made the national championships," Blackburn told the Weirton (W.Va.) Daily Times . "We had some good heavyweights in the OAC back then." Adding to his Hall of Fame credentials ... Mike Blackburn's 75-50 career record in wrestling ranks 29th all-time in Baldwin Wallace annals. Perhaps even more in the realm of rarified "what-if stories" for a future BW Hall of Fame inductee ... Blackburn came oh-so-close to never enrolling at Baldwin Wallace in the first place. Here's how Baldwin Wallace's Director of Athletic Communications & Public Relations Kevin Ruple described the situation in Mike Blackburn's Hall of Fame announcement: https://www.bwyellowjackets.com/general/2019-20/releases/blackburn "When Blackburn was looking at colleges and universities, he was strictly looking at schools to wrestle and was all set to attend another school, which sponsored wrestling at that time. But BW Hall of Fame Wrestling Coach Rich Fleming (1988-2011), Hall of Fame Football Coach Bob Packard '65 (1980-2001) and Hall of Fame football player and wrestler Tony Cipollone '93, who was Fleming and Packard's assistant coach at the time, all talked him into coming to Berea to play football and wrestle. "I was all set to go to another school," said Blackburn, "but then Coach Fleming kept calling. And, Coach Packard started calling. And, Cip [Cipollone's nickname] began to call, and we really developed a bond. And, that did it. It made a difference, and I'm glad they did. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. "I got to BW and I met my second family," said Blackburn. "Coach Packard and Coach Demmerle [Hall of Fame Coach Dave Demmerle] were awesome and my Offensive Tackles Coach Mike Kelly '80 was the best-ever football coach. He really made me work hard and taught me how to play tackle in the OAC. He played on BW's National Championship team, so he knew how to win. "And my teammates on the offensive line were unbelievable," said Blackburn. " Tallying up a winning post-collegiate high school mat career ... and life Since graduating from Baldwin Wallace in the spring of 1999, Mike Blackburn played professional football in the arena league and has returned to his roots in the Steubenville area as a teacher and coach. His 15 years of coaching success has culminated with being named as the OHSAA Div. II Wrestling Coach of the Year in both 2012 and 2020. In addition, Blackburn has been named as the OVAC 4A Coach of the Year five times, serves as the Eastern District Coaches Representative, the OHSAA Coaches Committee and the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Representative for the State of Ohio. Blackburn's teams have compiled a 255-58 dual match record and a 268-64 career record. During the last eight seasons, six of his teams have placed in the top 10 at the OHSAA State Tournament in Div. II, including in each of the past five seasons. His teams also have won eight 4A and 5A Ohio Valley Athletic Conference dual meet championships, five 4A OVAC championships, one OVAC overall, seven OHSAA Sectional and two OHSAA district titles. In 2016, he led Steubenville to the Div. II Ohio Dual Regional title and to the OHSAA state semifinals. Individually, Blackburn has coached 23 OVAC champions, 61 OHSAA sectional champions, 21 OHSAA district champions, 30 OHSAA State Tournament placewinners and seven OHSAA State Tournament runners-up. "I have so many great memories of Baldwin Wallace. I made friends with so many people and some that I am still friends with today," he added Other BW Class of 2020 honorees In addition to Mike Blackburn -- now head wrestling coach at Steubenville High -- other inductees include Keith Aufmuth (2006, men's basketball); Randy Edwards (1983, football); Kelsey Hills-Finucan (2008, women's basketball); Joel Nichols (1996, baseball); Brian Rector (1989, men's tennis and coach); Larry Rosati (1983, football); Jeff Schenk (1987, men's soccer); Mike Turchan (2006, baseball); and Michelle White (2007, women's basketball). With these 10 just-announced additions, the Yellow Jackets for Life that have been honored with their inductions now total 356. An announcement will be made later this summer or early fall regarding the timing of the induction ceremony for the Class 2020. Baldwin Wallace University is a four-year private school located in Berea, Ohio south of Cleveland, near Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport. Its varsity sports teams compete in the NCAA Division III. There are approximately 3,500 students enrolled.

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland -- Following the decision to cancel and postpone international wrestling competition until August 31, the Executive Board of United World Wrestling recently convened to develop an action plan for the remaining events in 2020. This plan includes conditions and criteria which would allow events to be delivered if they ensure the health and safety of the athletes and any additional participants. Competitions must provide general sanitary conditions, the ability to travel to/from the nation, and robust countermeasures to COVID-19 impacts on competition must be enforced. The specific countermeasures are still being reviewed by various UWW commissions and experts with the intent to provide the safest possible competition conditions. UWW will also work together and maintain dialogue with the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical department to remain up to date on these critical details. Any competition wishing to be held in 2020 must follow the criteria as established by the Executive Board and must be fulfilled for any competitions to go ahead. The competitions must include 8 of the 10 best ranked teams and a minimum of 70% participating countries (based on prior year's athlete attendance). To be valid, the conditions and criteria for competition must be confirmed by UWW and local organizers two months prior to the start of the competition. If the criteria is met, the best-case scenario would allow for the following competitions to take place on these dates: - Cadet European Championships - City to be confirmed, POL - October 5-11, 2020 - Junior European Championships - Skopje, MKD October 19-25, 2020 - U23 World Championships - Tampere, FIN, November 23-29, 2020 To help reduce risk and control the safety of the events the Executive Board also chose to postpone the Junior World Championships until December and combine the Junior and Senior World Championships with the same organizer. Belgrade will be the host for both competitions. - Junior World Championships - Belgrade, SRB, December 4-10, 2020 - Senior World Championships - Belgrade, SRB December 12-22, 2020 Continental Championships will be reviewed by each Continental Council and the feasibility of each competition will be determined, taking into consideration the status of the pandemic within each region. The Board also decided if the conditions do not allow for Junior World Championships then Continental Championships may be considered in its place. For example, if conditions do not permit for U-23 World Championships, U-23 European Championships may be organized during those dates. The Executive Board will reconvene in August and keep the wrestling community up to date with any new decision in accordance with updated information on the pandemic, as well as update the competition programme and competition delivery criteria. "United World Wrestling has the utmost respect and thank all organizers for their dedication and commitment to delivering competitions during these unprecedented times," said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. "We would like to thank the entire wrestling community for their support and flexibility in adapting to the conditions that are changing daily. Together we will achieve success on and off the mat."

Fans gather to watch Rumble on the Rooftop in Chicago (Photo/Justin Hoch, jhoch.com) Last weekend's Rumble on the Rooftop in Chicago became wrestling's first substantial competition since the conference tournaments in mid-March. The meet was competed on a rooftop with limitations on size of crowd and a myriad interaction that might cause viral spread. The match went down at a time that the United States has seen the single most daily cases since the virus began. In Texas, Arizona, and Florida the virus is almost totally out of control. While the virus hasn't changed to meet these new numbers, the behavior of those in America has. After 12 weeks of trying to social distance and the government enforcing closures and strict measures many of those mechanism had been undone. People have simply lost interest in following government guidelines. According to this week's article on InterMat much of what happened at Rumble on the Rooftop can be seen as a microcosm of the United States' larger failure to organize behind an effective, life-saving response to COVID-19. USA Wrestling sent specific instructions on protocols to follow and yet none were met. According to the nurse at the event the lack of discipline in following protocol could lead to it becoming a super-spreader event. Do we want this for our sport? Wrestling won't be taken from the earth because a pandemic has made it unsafe to practice or compete. In fact, the only way to safely return to practicing and competition is to have wholesale buy-in on wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands, getting tested, and believing scientists. Right now, due to unnecessary politicization of a deadly virus, the United States has the worst outbreak in the world. We are unable to travel to the E.U. and may of the things we might have been able to do by this point in a well-executed quarantine (like wrestling) simply are not available. I miss jiu-jitsu. It's my connection to friends, an outlet for creativity, and a way to destress and decompress. I'm also someone who has had COVID-19 and could maybe even roll safely without fear of getting sick. However, I don't because it's not clear what is going on with this virus and the risk of transmission to friends and family is far too great. On a recent podcast my jiu-jitsu professor (jiu-jitsu athletes call them "professor") Marcelo Garcia said something I hadn't thought about in regard to jiu-jitsu and the outbreak. In short, he said that jiu-jitsu trains its athletes for these moments. Marcelo's outlook on being in a bad position isn't that you fall back on aggression, but instead remain calm and think your way to a solution. Patience is required even when you are suffocating, because there is almost always air to breathe and enough blood to keep you awake. In COVID we can feel desperate and frustrates, but flailing in an unplanned counterattack against an invisible virus is not a solution. Sitting back may not work well for an antsier and aggressive wrestling community. Offense is in our DNA. During the 90's when the outcry over program elimination prompted the wrestling community to fund an attack of Title IX. The community wanted the rules changed and the mechanisms eliminated -- in order to fix a problem most knew was unchangeable. But instead of thinking up a solution (women's wrestling!) we poured millions of dollars into legal fees and corporate-level brain damage. We might be making the same mistakes with COVID-19. It's doubtful that we are going to look back and be thrilled that on some random June evening we were able to host two club teams on the top of a building. We will however look back and ask ourselves if that type of event was worth the risk of exposure, or that it made us look out of touch with those in need around the country. We will wrestle again. But for now, let us all try to re-flatten the curve and get ourselves to place where we can test, contact trace, and travel overseas. To get there will require the discipline of patience, not the insecurity of haste. To your questions … Q: What do you think of some colleges canceling wrestling for first semester? -- Mike C. Foley: Each college and individual education institution will need to make the decision that is best for their local community, teachers, and students. There is no secret that all resources will be allocated to protect the idea of a football season. Without athletes having independent representation there is little chance that the players can stop the season, even if they fear for their safety. That aside, I think that the few schools who have canceled it the first semester are really just actuating the most feasible outcomes for their schools from a financial perspective. The idea of mass nationwide travel to attend college when this week the United States saw the single most cases in a single day does not compute. I feel sad for the wrestlers, but I don't see the sense in complaining. Parts of the country that didn't take this virus seriously -- and individuals who chose their "freedom" to not wear a mask over the needs of the common good -- have left us without the college season in the first semester. Q: Could you see a scenario in which some states have high school wrestling this season and some do not? -- Mike C. Foley: That absolutely will happen. You can be all but certain that California, New York, Texas, and other large states will cancel their high school wrestling season should the outbreak not be under control by September. Currently there is no indication that the outbreak will be contained. I'd be surprised if more than Iowa, Oklahoma, and a few other Midwestern states held seasons. It won't be responsible to do so under these conditions. Q: What do you think of the NJCAA's decision to move the season to one semester? -- Mike C. Foley: Harbinger. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Bekzod! Grace Bullen Q: What do you think of Boise State dropping swimming and baseball? They cut wrestling in part to fund baseball?! -- Joe V. Foley: The Boise State debacle is a test case in the positives (and negatives) of pinning the development of a college athletics' foundation around the success of football. The model has worked for Boise State. Long a regional player, they brought in Houston Nutt in the mid 1990's and moved up to Division I-A and joined a larger conference. Soon, Chris Peterson became their leader and Boise State was playing to packed stadiums and selling enough merchandise to keep the show going. Then in 2018, with their football cash quickly diminishing, the school looked to baseball to be their lifeline to more conference and national money. The West Coast baseball scene is extremely lucrative and their thinking was they could recoup dollars on the diamond. To summon the cas hflow and Title IX compliance they chose to cut wrestling. The story has been well covered by Andrew Spey at FloWrestling and here at InterMat. Today they announced that the baseball experiment was over. Too much money out with very little chance to recoup it in the COVID-19 era of no fans and football on the rocks. The opinion here is that Boise State is the absolute shining example of what terrible leadership and lack of imagination can lead to at a Division I institution. The athletic departments are run by pseudo executives applying quasi-business approaches to their schools du jour as a means to trade their way up the NCAA hierarchy. The politics and relationships that dole out these jobs is as corrupt as any in the international business world, with seemingly no consequence. The best run athletic programs are the ones that have prioritized the welfare of the student-athletes and the students. The worst, like Boise State, prioritize the idea that executives can find addition through subtraction. Their lack of ingenuity and spine have been exposed through COVID-19 and they should feel the shame that they've worked so hard to avoid. Q: Do you think we will see a sportsbook pick up betting on Olympic level and/or college wrestling? Looks like BetDSI does not do it anymore. -- John M. Foley: I do. There have been some awesome odds in the past, but without new events it's impossible to predict their commitment level.

Josh Moore, head coach at Cleveland State University, joins Chad Dennis on the latest episode of The MatBoss Podcast. Coach Moore, who spent time at Kent State before moving over to Cleveland State, talks about the dynamic of building a foundation in Northeast Ohio by recruiting the state and recruiting the region. Moore will also talk about his recruiting philosophy, selling the school, the growth of the team as well as the overall growth of the school. He'll also touch on coaching in the same conference as his twin brother Scott, who coaches at Lock Haven. The MatBoss Podcast is also sponsored by Barbarian Apparel. About MatBoss: Created by coaches for coaches, MatBoss for iPad® integrates wrestling stats directly into the video you record for each match, completely replacing the need for labor-intensive pencil and paper scoring systems. It's the wrestling stats app our sport has been waiting for. Focus on coaching, not busy work Improve through video analysis Make data an advantage Eliminate scoring errors Increase exposure Become a digital coach For more information, visit MatBossApp.com. Follow MatBoss on Twitter and subscribe to the show @MatBossApp | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Spreaker | Google Podcasts | RSS

Dan Dennis at a team practice a week before competing in the 2016 Olympics (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Dan Dennis walks into Hi Fi Clyde's, an eclectic bar adorned with 1980's and '90's Americana situated on the south side of Chattanooga. It's late January and he's wearing a blue Columbia jacket and hat. Aside from his cauliflower ears you wouldn't recognize him as a wrestler. In fact, aside from the author, not a single person in the bar knows that he was an Olympian. He greets me with a combination of a hand slap followed by a bro' hug. The short exchange is enough to feel his compact strength. His back is broad, and his forearms are like Popeye. We both place our drink orders and begin an exchange that starts with Dennis' short, rapid-fire questions and ends with my even-shorter responses. "Have you been climbing recently?" Dennis asks. Dan introduced me to the sport of rock climbing a few months earlier and is checking on my progress. I report that some things have come up and I haven't been to the rock-climbing gym in a few days. You know? Life. "Where are you at this week?" This is Dennis' way of asking from which office I will be working this week. Being employed by the world's largest candy company spreads my attention across many factories in the southeastern United States. It has also enabled me to become Dan Dennis' de facto Altoids® dealer. He pops them as often as Lincoln McIlravy popped boot scoots. "Did you watch the Iowa-Ohio State dual meet? How good is Spencer Lee!?" he asks. Given Lee's dominance of the 125-pound division over the past two seasons I assume the question is rhetorical. So I don't bother answering it all. Dan Dennis will know soon enough. He's returning to Iowa City to coach Lee and other top-level athletes as the head coach of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. The move comes with mixed emotions for Dennis, who will be leaving Chattanooga after three years in which he spent time running the Southeast Regional Training Center (CERTC) and serving as a volunteer assistant at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). He originally moved to Chattanooga because he liked the area. "I did a camp here [in Chattanooga] three years ago and got my wallet stolen at a sports bar. It was an adventure (laughs). But it is a beautiful area. I like the [rock] climbing scene. I like smaller cities. It just made sense at the time." During his three years in Chattanooga, Dennis became ubiquitous in the broader wrestling community. Besides his tireless work with the Southeast Regional Training Center and UTC, he also served as a mentor and coach to some of the area's top high school wrestling talent. Trae McDaniel, with Dan Dennis, after becoming an All-American in Fargo Trae McDaniel is one local wrestler who benefited from Dennis' presence. He met Dennis in the summer of 2018 while training for Fargo at the "The Barn," a 5,000 square foot training facility in Cleveland, Tennessee, owned by Shane Chittum (father of Cody Chittum of Blair Academy, ranked No. 11 nationally by InterMat at 138 pounds). When asked about his first encounter with Dennis, McDaniel said, "Dan is crazy! But he ran a perfect practice. He knows what he's doing." In Fargo that year, McDaniel lost his opening match at 100 pounds and faced a daunting task: Win eight straight matches to become an All-American. He found a source of inspiration in Dan Dennis, who promised he would compete at next year's U.S. Open if McDaniel became an All-American. The rest, as they say, is history. McDaniel rattled off eight straight wins to earn a seventh-place finish and become an All-American. "Dan was the biggest motivator for me," says McDaniel. "You can see him screaming and clapping. Having someone in your corner like Dan is the biggest motivation." Dennis honored his word and competed in the 2019 U.S. Open in the 132-pound weight class in the Greco Roman division. He went 1-1 before defaulting with an LCL injury but had fun with the whole experience. "I was just hoping not to bust my knee or get thrown on my head!" Dennis says looking back on the event with zero hubris. Dan Dennis defeated Franklin Gomez to reach the NCAA finals in 2010 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) In his return to Iowa City, Dennis has the opportunity to work out in the same wrestling environment where he trained while competing for the Iowa Hawkeyes from 2006 to 2010. In 2008, RevWrestling (the parent company of InterMat) interviewed Dennis after he won the 132-pound freestyle title at University Nationals. Asked to reflect on the interview 12 years later, Dennis says about his University Nationals title, "I said I knew I was going to win the tournament. I was full of shit. I was terrified. I was motivated to beat [Franklin] Gomez so I didn't have to wrestle [Alex] Tsirtsis. I was jacked up. I wanted to get off the mat as soon as possible. I looked good, but I just wanted to get off the mat. I was told if I lost in the finals, I had to wrestle a true-second type match against Tsirtsis and there is no way in hell I wanted to have an extra match against Tsirtsis. That was a big motivation. He was a freak in the wrestling room. I scored on him [only] four times. In five years [in the Iowa wrestling room]." Asked about the rest of the interview, Dennis says, "I was just trying to say what I think I should have said. If I was more mature, those comments would have been more sincere. But it was just rhetoric." Much has been made of Dennis' disappearance from competition from 2011 to 2014 while soul searching out west, and his meteoric rise from the figurative ashes to secure a spot on the 2016 U.S. Olympic freestyle team. This story and Dennis' wild man personality were portrayed in a 2018 documentary by FloWrestling. "I just wish [the FloWrestling documentary] didn't have me swearing so much. It was fun. I just wish they didn't depict me as appearing so reckless," Dennis said recently while reflecting on the film. The RevWrestling article from 2008 and subsequent documentaries following the 2016 Olympics paint very different pictures of Dan Dennis. Will the real Dan Dennis please stand up? The truth about Dan Dennis lies somewhere in the middle. Dennis is dedicated to his craft, but not a mindless Iowa wrestling robot. He is passionate about life, but not reckless. He may curse occasionally, but he is well spoken and well read. He passes out reading assignments like Robin Williams in "Dead Poet Society." "This book summarizes my philosophy on coaching," he says passing along a copy of "Season of Life" by Jeffery Marx. The book tells the true story of a football community in Baltimore characterized by excellence on the field, brotherhood, and love and support from the coaching staff. "You need to read this book," he says of the book "Mindset" by Carol Dweck. "[Future wife] Kirsti gave it to me. I read it during the time leading up to [the Olympics in] Rio." Dweck's book is an academic work of art in her field of psychology and the correlation between a growth-minded attitude, self-improvement and success. The first time I met Dan was through Bruce McDaniel, Trae's father. As our first conversation unfolded, glimpses of Dennis' personality emerged. For example, he struggles with the morality of charging equal rates for private coaching lessons to the son of a local billionaire businessman and the son of a single mom just trying to scrape by each month to make ends meet. "I just can't [charge the same amount of money]" he says, seemingly to himself, about the paradox of being consistent, earning a living, and doing what's morally right in his heart. I tell him I'm part owner of InterMat and would love the opportunity to tell his story. "I don't want it to be about me," he says, clarifying the terms of the potential story. "I would want it to be about the wrestling community in Chattanooga." Over the following two and half years, Dan becomes a bigger part of my personal and professional life. He accepts my invitation to be an inspirational guest speaker at my work and in exchange gets the privilege of taking a tour of a candy factory. As our interactions become more regular, I gain more insight into Dan's personal convictions and personality. Dan Dennis is extremely authentic. He has a warm smile and laughs genuinely deep from his gut. He is at the same time inclusive and intimate, which creates a paradox of feeling like you're just another fan and feeling like you just inadvertently befriended an Olympic wrestler. Dennis's transition from one hotbed for amateur wrestling (Chattanooga) to an even hotter bed (Iowa) can be characterized macroscopically through the first two laws of thermodynamics. The first law relates to the conservation of energy: Energy cannot be created or destroyed. And so it goes with Dan's energy, enthusiasm, and contributions to the respective wrestling communities impacted: what Chattanooga loses, Iowa gains. Shawn Cordell understands this give-and-take. He grew up the product of the Chattanooga wrestling community having won three individual state wrestling titles and five team titles while competing for Bradley Central High School (Cleveland, Tennessee). He would later go on to compete at Division I West Virginia and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga before injuries plagued his collegiate career. Today, Cordell remains dialed into to the Chattanooga wrestling community as an assistant coach at his high school alma matter and occasional guest technician at The Barn. That's where he met Dennis in the spring of 2018. "I met Dan because [Coach Josh] Bosken wanted me to come to The Barn. So I show up at The Barn and [Bosken] stops and asks me to show some knee pulls. I asked, 'Why are ya'll asking me to show knee pulls? You have Dan Dennis!' I started laughing. He liked it. And we started chatting. He's just a regular guy. His attitude is phenomenal." Cordell and Dennis developed a friendship rooted in their passion for wrestling and building up the sport in the Chattanooga area. When asked about Dennis' departure from Chattanooga he said, "We lose the buzz about Dan. Being an Olympian. Iowa wrestling. The guy would go anywhere anyone asked him [to run a practice]. I think that's what will be missed the most. The guy never asked for money one time. That's the crazy thing." The Iowa Hawkeye community that fostered Dennis' development in college and enabled his return to competition in 2015 will now benefit from his high-level coaching and passion for his athletes. "Dan Dennis ranks high as a coach," Iowa head wrestling coach Tom Brands said in a press release. "He ranks high as a Hawkeye. And he ranks high in our locker room. He is the best choice for a lot of reasons starting with his popularity among our HWC athletes. There is always excitement with a new hire and there is a little more pizazz with this one. Dan Dennis is coming back to Iowa and we are fired up." When asked about what excites him about taking the head coaching job with the Hawkeye wrestling program, Dennis says, "Absolutely everything! Looking forward to wrestling with [Spencer] Lee again. [Cory] Clark. [Austin] DeSanto. Wrestling these guys is a breath of fresh air. I'm looking forward to just sparring with the guys. Having fun." Dan Dennis locks up a gut wrench on Tony Ramos at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) This time around, Dennis also faces the challenge of learning a new role within the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. Besides coaching high-level athletes, he wants to grow the Inner Circle, the team's booster club that provides exclusive privileges such as HWC gear and inside access information in exchange for financial support. If the first law of thermodynamics describes the loss of one wrestling community and the gain of another, the second law explains the chaotic nature with which it is happening. Besides the global pandemic that has turned our world upside down, Dennis faces another life-changing event: becoming a father for the first time. Last month his wife, Kirsti, gave birth to their first child, Magnolia. Dan Dennis and Jon HippsIn his return to the Midwest, Dennis gets the opportunity to raise his daughter with the love and support of family. His mother, Jane, lives just three and a half hours away by car in Ingleside, Illinois, while Kirsti's parents and siblings live another 10 minutes away in Antioch, Illinois. Dennis conferred with me on his decision to accept the position with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. He wrestled with the arguments for and against leaving Chattanooga in favor of Iowa City. When he announced the decision he had made, I told him I was happy for him but sad to see a friend leave the Chattanooga area. He thanked me and asked if I would be willing to write a piece for InterMat. I told him it would be my honor. I think I inadvertently befriended an Olympic wrestler.

A lot has happened to the legendary high school wrestling program at Easton Area High School in Pennsylvania ... starting with the firing of JaMarr Billman, wrestling-alma mater-turned-head-coach-of-the-boys-program at the end of May this year ... and now ending the announced hiring of new head coaches for the legendary boys program ... and launch of a brand-new girls varsity program. Early this week, Jody Karam was announced to take the helm of the boys mat program ... while Jordan Kutler was named to be the head coach of the Easton girls wrestling program. (Easton had announced the intended launch of a new girls program but a coach had yet to be hired for that position until this week.) Karam is a 1983 Easton grad who had after moving Liberty's all-time leader in coaching victories. He was 362-150-1 in 26 seasons before stepping down in 2019. He is 409-161-3 overall including three years at Delaware Valley Regional (N.J.). Meet Jody Karam, Easton boys wrestling coach Jody Karam replaces JaMarr Billman, who had been head boys coach at Easton High School, compiling an overall won-loss record of 42-26 in his four seasons of the boys program. Northampton graduate Steve Mytych and Easton product Robbie Rizzolino were the other finalists for boys coaching position at Easton once was Billman had been let go. Karam is a 1983 Easton grad and Liberty's all-time leader in coaching victories. He was 362-150-1 in 26 seasons before stepping down in 2019. He is 409-161-3 overall including three years at Delaware Valley Regional (N.J.). The Hurricanes won their only EPC championship and were third in the District 11 Class 3A team duals in Karam's final season. Jordan Kutler wrestling against Mark Hall (Photo/Lehigh Athletics) Meet Jordan Kutler, Easton girls' coach Jordan Kutler, varsity wrestling graduate at Lehigh University, will be the first girls wrestling head coach in Easton Area High School history. Sources indicated at the start of this week that Kutler was the top choice to head up the new girls' program. Kutler went 87-13 at Lehigh on his career and was a three-time NCAA All-American. He was ranked No. 3 in the nation at 174 pounds in March after winning his third EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) before the collegiate wrestling season was ended by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kutler, a Sparta native, holds a degree from Lehigh in behavioral neuroscience. He is a graduate of Blair Academy, where he was a two-time National Prep champion. This new girls program at Easton is only the fourth girls program in the state of Pennsylvania: J.P. McCaskey in Lancaster, North Allegheny in suburban Pittsburgh and Executive Education Academy, according to the Morning Call. A legendary mat program Easton has one of the strongest wrestling programs in the country. The Red Rovers wrestling program was launched in 1947 by assistant football coach Gust Zamnas, a former All-American offensive lineman at Ohio State and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Dick Rutt was Easton's first state champion, winning the 105-pound weight class in 1949. From 1948 to 2015, Easton crowned at least one champion at the District 11 Tournament in every season, setting a Pennsylvania record known as The Streak Former Easton coaches John Maitland, Dave Crowell, and Steve Powell are all members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Easton is second in Pennsylvania history with 35 state champions, including 1984 Olympic gold medalist Bobby Weaver (1975, 1976, 1977), two-time NCAA champions Jack Cuvo (1983, 1984, 1985) and Jordan Oliver (2006, 2007, 2008), two-time NCAA Finalist and University of Nebraska associate head coach Bryan Snyder (1997), NCAA All-Americans Jamarr Billman (1996, 1997) and Mitchell Minotti (2011), and former NC State football coach Chuck Amato (1965). Easton has produced 185 District 11 champions, 116 Northeast Regional Champions, 127 PIAA state medalists, 55 PIAA state finalists and 35 PIAA state champions. At the collegiate level, Easton wrestlers have earned 21 NCAA Division I All-Americans honors, eight NCAA Finals appearances, and four NCAA Championships. The program was started in 1947 by assistant football coach Gust Zarnas, a former All-American offensive lineman at Ohio State and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Dick Rutt was Easton's first state champion, winning the 105-pound weight class in 1949. From 1948 to 2015, Easton crowned at least one champion at the District 11 Tournament in every season, setting a Pennsylvania record known as The Streak. Former Easton coaches John Maitland, Dave Crowell, and Steve Powell are all members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Powell retired in 2016 after 32 years as the head coach with a career record of 532-126-3, four state championships, and four state duals championships. He coached 19 individual state champions, third most of any coach in Pennsylvania history. His eight combined state titles are the most of any coach in Pennsylvania history. JaMarr Billman was head wrestling coach at Easton until the end of May. He had been the first African-American assistant coach at the high school level. Before assuming the helm, Billman was a two-time Pennsylvania state champ who then became a three-time NCAA All-American at Penn State and Lock Haven. Prior to the recent changeover regarding the Easton head wrestling coach JaMarr Billman, a two-time state champion for the Red Rovers and a three-time NCAA All-American at Penn State and Lock Haven. Billman will debut in the 2016-2017 season. Billman has been an assistant coach at Cornell University, Easton, and Wilson High School. Billman is also the first African-American head coach in Easton history in any boys sport. Since the PIAA began crowning a team champion at the state tournament 1976, Easton has won six state championships (1981, 1983, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002) and finished in the top five eighteen times. Pennsylvania added a State Dual tournament in 1999, which Easton won four years in a row from 2001 to 2004. Easton has been to the State Dual Finals eight times, a Pennsylvania record, and their four championships are tied for the most in the state. Since the advent of national rankings by publications such as Amateur Wrestling News and Wrestling USA, Easton has been a consistent presence in the national rankings. In 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2002, Easton was ranked the No. 1 public school wrestling team in the nation.

Justin Gaethje wrestling Harvard's at the 2010 NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Justin Gaethje will be inducted into the University of Northern Colorado Athletics Hall of Fame's 2020 class, the school announced. Gaethje is one of six new inductees. The ceremony for the inductees will take place in early 2021 with further details to be announced at a later date. Gaethje became the program's first NCAA All-American in 2010 since the program rejoined the Division I ranks. He was a three-time NCAA qualifier. Gaethje is currently the UFC interim lightweight champion.

Zane Richards gets interviewed by Jordan Blanton at Rumble on the Rooftop (Photo/Justin Hoch, jhoch.com) By almost all accounts Rumble on the Rooftop, a series of matches held on a Chicago rooftop and wrestling's first public event since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. in March, was a success with regard to the matches and the sport. But that's not the full story. The event was also being watched closely as an example of how wrestling could return while keeping athletes, coaches, fans and staff safe from coronavirus transmission. In that regard, even Bryan Medlin, the head coach of the Illinois Regional Training Center and a key player in organizing the wrestling component of the event, admitted there were problems. "There might have been some failures, but this is something to build on," said Medlin. "The organization made a noble effort to make sure the event was as safe as possible." FITE TV secured an outdoor venue in Chicago (Photo/FITE TV) That effort from FITE TV, the company that produced and streamed the event, included several precautions, according to Medlin. FITE TV secured an outdoor venue rather than an enclosed space such as a gym or arena. It limited the number of people at the location so the total number involved was capped at 50, as required by Chicago and Illinois under its phase four reopening rules. Prior to the event it placed seats and tables at a socially-distanced six feet apart. Mats were cleaned between each match. And staff asked everyone as they arrived to sign a waiver and to wear a mask. Wearing a face covering in public is also a requirement of the city and state's reopening. While some spectators and coaches wore masks, the vast majority did not (Photo/Justin Hoch, jhoch.com) But many of the planned precautions fell apart or were ignored once people arrived at the event. Coaches, announcers, referees and the vast majority of fans did not wear masks. Fans moved chairs and tables to be next to each other. And the plan for a handshake-free event except between the wrestlers fell victim to old habits for athletes, coaches, announcers and once or twice for the referees. Laurie Ouding, a registered nurse at Chicago's Rush Hospital where COVID-19 patients have been treated since the outbreak began, said good intentions aren't enough to keep people safe. Ouding watched part of the event and didn't mince words. "This could be an outbreak waiting to happen if one person is positive and doesn't know it," said Ouding. She noted the announce team specifically as a place where safety was compromised unnecessarily. Ouding said the three announcers, Ryan Warner, Mike Powell and Jordan Blanton, should have been socially distanced and should have worn masks to keep each other safe. She added that Blanton was at the highest risk because of his mat-side interviews where there were handshakes, no distancing and a microphone being held close to their mouths and going back and forth between Blanton and the winning wrestler. Powell, the executive director of Beat the Streets Chicago, which was a recipient of some of the proceeds from the event, described his role on the announce team as, "chiming in." Powell, who suffers from a muscle wasting disease called polymyositis, said he brought a mask for himself and many extras for those people who didn't have one. In regard to the safety of the announce team, he said he did have regrets, "I didn't speak up and probably should have." The wrestlers interviewed didn't have the same concerns. As Zane Richards of the ILRTC put it, "We're all adults and all taking care of ourselves." Nick Dardanes, who also wrestles at the ILRTC, echoed that. "I feel good, healthy and I'm trusting they're (his opponent) healthy too." But Ouding noted that it's not always the case that younger, healthier and even athletic people don't get the disease or only get a mild case. Even if they do carry the virus without symptoms, they put higher risk groups such as parents or grandparents in danger. Right now, cases of the virus are surging in many states such as Arizona, Texas and Florida. The U.S. has reported 2,496,628 cases and 125,318 deaths as of June 29, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because of that Ouding suggests testing for all athletes before any event. And she made other suggestions for wrestling going forward. They include: Strictly enforcing face coverings and social distancing among fans, coaches and referees. Having hand sanitizer readily available and prominently placed. Bryan Medlin coaching Joe Rau at Rumble on the Rooftop (Photo/Justin Hoch, jhoch.com) Medlin cited the difficulty of this, especially in regard to fans, but agreed more security and a stricter policy that is emphasized as soon as someone buys a ticket could help. Social distancing and mask wearing should also be mandatory for the announce team, as well as for the person doing mat-side interviews. Broadcasters use boom mics or long poles with their microphones attached to do socially-distanced interviews. Ouding said anyone conducting after-match interviews should do so as well. She also said mandatory meetings with athletes, coaches and refs to reiterate the precautions, to emphasize their strict enforcement and to make sure everyone involved is aware of the local and state requirements are necessary. Gary Abbott, Director of Communications for USA Wrestling, points to local COVID guidelines as the road map for all future wrestling events. He said that's been the consistent message from USA Wrestling -- to follow the guidelines. But Abbott also noted that wrestling is like no other sport when it comes to dealing with such challenges. "Wrestling is uniquely positioned to tackle this. We have medical checks, we've changed regarding weight management, science and medicine are already part of the sport." Now more than ever the wrestling community will have to follow the science and medicine to make sure the sport moves forward. If it doesn't there's much more at stake than the viability of wrestling. As Ouding said, "It's lives that are at risk."

Jason Nolf gets in on a shot against Jordan Oliver (Photo/Justin Hoch, jhoch.com) CHICAGO -- Wrestling is back. The sport made its triumphant return for the first time in over three months with the Rumble on the Rooftop being held Sunday night. The card featured a number of compelling bouts between some of the nation's top wrestlers. It was awesome to see actual live matches again. It marked the first time Senior-level American wrestlers had competed since March's Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Canada. Wrestling has joined sports in the U.S. and around the world who are starting to return to competition after having been shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. Olympic champion Kenny Monday coaching Jordan Oliver (Photo/Justin Hoch, jhoch.com) The Rumble on the Rooftop was streamed live as a pay-per-view via Fite.tv. The event featured a cool setup with the Chicago skyline in the background during the bouts. Top young women's prospect Mia Palumbo looked impressive in rolling to a win in her match Sunday night. She looked strong physically and technically. Palumbo is a wrestler to keep an eye on in the coming years on the Senior level. Here is a look at how the Senior-level bouts unfolded on Sunday night in Chicago: Nick Dardanes vs. Mitch McKee Wrestling returned with a competitive battle in the first match of the event. McKee, a past Junior World silver medalist, started quickly with a takedown and turn to lead 4-0 after the first period. Dardanes came back with a takedown in the second period, but McKee used a late counter to score a takedown. McKee prevailed 6-2 in a hard-fought opening bout between Minnesota Golden Gopher alumni. McKee is an impressive freestyle wrestler and it will be interesting to see how he fares as he transitions to the Senior level. Brett Pfarr vs. Zac Braunagel Braunagel, who wrestles for the University of Illinois, came out strong by hitting a slick single-leg attack and finished with a dump to take an early lead. The more experienced Pfarr finished a leg attack for a takedown to draw within 3-2 midway through the second period. Pfarr added another single-leg shot for a takedown to take a 4-3 edge with under a minute to go. The hard-charging Braunagel responded by converting on a leg attack in the closing seconds for the winning takedown to win 5-4. It was an action-packed and entertaining match with both guys firing in on numerous shots. Nazar Kulchytskyy vs. Danny Braunagel Kulchytskyy, a past NCAA DIII champion who became a force on the Senior level, came out strong with a textbook fireman's carry before hitting a series of turns. He earned a quick 10-0 win by technical superiority and executed a beautiful flip after his victory. It also was the final match of his superb career. Kulchytskyy took his shoes off to signify his retirement after having his hand raised. He also kissed the center of the mat after his win. He's been a great representative of the sport as an athlete and plans to continue his involvement in the sport as a coach. Nazar is one of the truly outstanding people in wrestling. Dylan Ness vs. Nestor Taffur Taffur came out on the attack against the dangerous Ness, scoring on a single-leg shot and following with a quick turn to grab an early 4-1 lead. Ness came back early in the second period, hitting a spectacular lift to strike for five points in a highlight-reel sequence. Ness continued to roll and earned an impressive 10-4 victory. It's rarely boring when Dylan Ness wrestlers and he put on another show after a slow start. It was a treat to watch him compete. Zane Richards vs. Zach Sanders Richards scored an early turn and followed with a takedown to build a 4-0 lead in a battle of veteran lightweight wrestlers. Sanders came back to win a scramble for a takedown to draw within 4-2. Richards led 7-4 after an entertaining, action-packed first period. Sanders trailed 9-5 before hitting back-to-back takedowns to tied the bout 9-9 midway through the second period. Richards regrouped with a takedown to lead 11-9 with under a minute left. Sanders answered with a takedown to tie it again, 11-11, with 30 seconds left. Richards then scored the winning takedown in the final seconds to prevail 13-11. The wrestlers hugged after putting on a great show. That was an entertaining bout to watch with non-stop action between two former Big Ten standouts. Pat Downey vs. Joe Rau This match featured an interesting format with Greco-Roman being contested in the first period and freestyle in the second period. Rau, a Chicago native, took command from the top position in his style of Greco. The powerful Rau built a 9-0 lead after the first period. Downey came back in his style of freestyle, with a quick takedown in the second period. Downey followed with another takedown to draw within 9-4 with a minute left, but his comeback bid fell short. Rau prevailed 9-4 in the battle of World Teamers in their respective styles. Pat Lugo shut out Luke Pletcher, 5-0 (Photo/Justin Hoch, jhoch.com) Luke Pletcher vs. Pat Lugo This was another bout many people were looking forward to. Both guys were seeded No. 1 for the NCAA tournament at their respective weight classes before the event was canceled. The co-main event between them Sunday featured a hard-fought battle between 2020 Big Ten champions. Lugo opened with two leg attacks and a pair of pushouts to take an early 2-0 edge. The bigger Lugo scored on another pushout and countered for a takedown to build a 5-0 lead early in the second period. Lugo looks like he could have a bright future on the Senior level. He looked strong offensively and defensively in an impressive 5-0 triumph over a tough competitor in Pletcher. Jason Nolf talks to his Nittany Lion WC coaches Cael Sanderson and Cody Sanderson (Photo/Justin Hoch, jhoch.com) Jordan Oliver vs. Jason Nolf The main event wasn't much of a match as neither wrestler committed to much offensively in a lackluster bout. The match was tied 1-1 as the wrestlers each scored shot clock points. Nolf was awarded a late point on a passivity call to win 2-1. It was unfortunate that these guys chose not to open it up in what promised to be an entertaining match. Too bad Richards and Sanders couldn't have wrestled in the last match. Final thoughts From a fan's perspective, it was great to finally have a chance to watch live wrestling competition again. It was an entertaining and compelling event with a good lineup of matches in an awesome setting on a rooftop in Chicago. Kudos to the guys who chose to compete even though they haven't been able to train and prepare like they normally do because of the pandemic. The main event was disappointing with virtually no action between Nolf and Oliver, but it obviously was still great to see live wrestling again. A big thank you goes to the folks in Chicago and to Fite.tv for putting on a solid event. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games, written 10 books and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) to cancel a total of eight sports seasons for the fall semester -- including wrestling -- the NCAA Division III public university located in Ewing, NJ announced Friday. Other sports which will not be competing this fall include football, men's soccer, women's soccer, field hockey, men's basketball, women's basketball, and rugby. "Regrettably but necessarily, and in alignment with our rationale and actions in instruction, residential education, and other operations, I have decided that for health and safety reasons, we will restrict the menu of in-person student activities this fall to low human-density and low in-person contact or proximity activities only," TCNJ President Kathryn A. Foster revealed in a community letter issued Friday. In addition to TCNJ, other NCAA Division III colleges which have canceled fall 2020 sports this past week include Bowdoin, Pratt Institute (N.Y.) and UMass-Boston.

Rico Hill has just been named new head wrestling coach at La Salle High School in Cincinnati, having coached at a number of respected wrestling programs in the area over the years. Rico HillMost recently, Hill had served as an assistant coach at La Salle High School. He also had previous coaching experiences at other schools in the southwest Ohio area, having also served at Lakota East High School and Liberty Junior High School. Coach Hill also served as an interim head wrestling coach at Mount Saint Joseph University. In the past couple years, Cincinnati La Salle had been a top-ranked wrestling program in this region. The school had been ranked No. 8 nationally by InterMat in 2019, and No. 16 in 2018. “I am very excited to lead the La Salle wrestling program and the future generation of Lancers,” Hill said. “The opportunity to grow and maintain the Lancer wrestling program as one of the elite programs in the state of Ohio and the nation is the ultimate goal.” “I am very excited to bring Rico back to our La Salle community as the new head wrestling coach,” Athletic Director Brian Meyer shared. “Coach Hill has valuable knowledge and experience that he can't wait to pass along to our current group of wrestlers, the large group of incoming freshmen and all future Lancer wrestlers. He has a great plan to continue the strong tradition of Lancer wrestling.” “Given the opportunity to be a part of a great learning environment and to continue the mission of having all students in the program reach their full potential in body, mind and spirit is a great intrinsic feeling,” Hill added. “I hope that my services as the head wrestling coach of La Salle High School can do just that.” “He has established himself as a great relationship builder with young men and families in the greater Cincinnati wrestling community,” Meyer continued. “I look forward to seeing him grow the program and building on the storied success of the Lancer wrestling.” Professionally, Coach Hill is a Physical Education and Health teacher at Liberty Junior High School in the Lakota Local School District. He currently resides on the west side of Cincinnati. La Salle High School is a Catholic, all-male, archdiocesan high school in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The school was opened September 6, 1960 and named in honor of Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, a French priest and educational reformer. The school was officially dedicated May 14, 1961.