InterMat Staff

CMU's Drew Hildebrandt earned the Medal of Excellent Award (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Twenty-four Mid-American Conference (MAC) student-athletes - including two who wrestled for MAC mat programs -- were named as Medal of Excellence Award winners for the 2019-20 academic season. Each of the dozen schools within the MAC conference has one male student-athlete honoree and one female student-honoree. The two wrestlers to earn these honors within the conference: Drew Hildebrandt of Central Michigan ... and Tim Rooney of Kent State. Central Michigan wrestler Drew Hildebrandt Hildebrandt, a junior from Granger, Ind., led the Chippewas with 31 victories (against three losses) in 2019-20, winning the MAC conference title at 125 pounds and then earning First Team All-American honors from the National Wrestling Coaches Association. He finished the season ranked eighth nationally and was seeded sixth for the NCAA Championships, which were cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. A finance major who carries a 3.64 GPA, Hildebrandt is a three-time Academic All-MAC honoree and was named in 2020 at MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete. In addition to Hildebrandt, Medal of Excellence Award student-athlete honoree for the Central Michigan Chippewas for the 2019-20 school year is female student-athlete Alexandria Robinson, a member of the school's women's track-and-field team. Kent State wrestler Tim Rooney A senior from Columbus, Ohio, Tim Rooney concluded a successful mat career for the Kent State Golden Flashes with the 2020 MAC Championship at 133 pounds ... and was a two-time NCAA Division I championships qualifier. He was the No. 12 seed at 133 at the 2020 NCAAs. He was a four-time Academic All-MAC member. Rooney served three seasons as a SAAC representative. Having completed his education at Kent State (where he was an exercise science major), Rooney now plans on attending Baldwin-Wallace College outside Cleveland for physician's assistant school. In addition to Rooney, Kent State Golden Flash Medal of Excellence Award student-athlete honoree for the 2019-20 school year is female student-athlete Maria Cegledy, who played softball.

Mike Kosoy, a former North Carolina State wrestler earlier in this decade, has been named to the new-look Oregon State wrestling program as a volunteer assistant coach, Beavers head coach Chris Pendleton announced Wednesday. Mike KosoyKosoy joins Pendleton's staff in its first year heading up the wrestling program at Oregon State, joining assistant coaches Nate Engel and Isaiah Martinez. A letterwinner from 2013-17 at NC State, Kosoy has spent the past two seasons at the Regional Training Center at Arizona State. The heavyweight won 79 career matches at NC State, which is tied for 19th all-time. A native of Boca Raton, Fla., he was an NCAA qualifier in 2017. "I'm very pleased to be adding Mike to my staff," Pendleton said upon announcing Kosoy's hiring. "His first year at NC State, as a freshman, he had a brand-new head-coach, Pat Popolizio, come in and restart the program. He has first-hand knowledge of what building a sustainable culture looks like. When I was going through the hiring process here at OSU I would find myself asking him a lot of questions about what that process was like for student-athletes." "Mike has shown that he's invaluable part of a program, and as our relationship has grown over the past couple years at ASU I knew he was exactly what I was looking for in a coaching staff member. I can't wait to watch him grow as a coach."

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Phil Sullivan, Cal Poly's first NCAA Division II national wrestling champion, passed away early Saturday morning, May 24, 2020, in Visalia, Calif. Sullivan was 76. A two-time letterman in wrestling at Tulare Western High School, Sullivan earned a pair of CIF-Central Section titles. There was no state meet at the time Sullivan competed in wrestling. Sullivan graduated from Tulare Western in 1962. He competed on Cal Poly's freshman wrestling team in 1963 and was a redshirt in 1964. As a redshirt sophomore for the 1964-65 season, Sullivan went undefeated en route to the NCAA Division II national championship at 177 pounds. In the finals at Golden, Colo., he won by referee's decision after battling Mel Schmidt of Northern Illinois to a 3-3 draw in regulation and 0-0 in overtime. Named the team's most outstanding varsity wrestler, Sullivan led the Mustangs to a second-place finish, three points behind Mankato State. After leaving Cal Poly, Sullivan worked primarily as a handyman and also served as a wrestling coach for the Hillside Wrestling Club as well as at Wasco High School for many years. Among his inventions was the HIEXS (High-Intensity Exercise System) for training wrestlers and other athletes. Sullivan was born in Arizona on March 31, 1944. Preceded in death by his wife, Jeanette, in 2001, Phil is survived by a son, Phillip Jr. Another son, Andrew, died in an automobile accident. A graveside service will be held Monday, June 29, 2020, at 10 a.m. at North Tulare Cemetery. A Celebration of Life will follow the service. Peers-Lorentzen Funeral Service in Tulare is handling arrangements.

Helen Maroulis and Adeline Gray with their gold medals at the 2015 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) It's hard to believe it has been more than three decades since Afsoon Roshanzamir became the first American woman to medal at the World Championships. The early pioneers like Roshanzamir, Marie Ziegler and Tricia Saunders were among the first U.S. women's freestyle wrestlers to excel on the world stage. The sport has made a steady ascent since then and teams from the United States continue to excel at the sport's top level. The U.S. crowned three world champions in 2019 with Adeline Gray, Tamyra Mensah-Stock and Jacarra Winchester all earning gold. This wasn't an easy list to compile with so many top American women having excelled now, but we thought it would be interesting to recognize these deserving athletes. Feel free to agree or disagree with the list that I compiled. Here is my list of the top women's wrestlers in U.S. history: Adeline Gray raises her arms in triumph after winning at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 1. Adeline Gray Gray captured an American record fifth world championship in 2019. She has excelled in numerous weight classes in her storied career. Gray earned world titles in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019. She also has won two world bronze medals along with winning world titles at the Junior and University levels. The 2016 Olympian is considered the favorite in her weight class to capture an Olympic gold medal next year in Tokyo. 2 (tie). Tricia Saunders The first real star in the American women's freestyle program, Saunders captured four world titles. She won gold in 1992, 1996, 1998 and 1999. She also was a world silver medalist in 1993. Saunders was a coach on the first U.S. Olympic women's team in 2004 and is a member of the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame. Kristie Davis gets in on a shot against Iris Smith at the 2008 Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 2 (tie). Kristie Davis Known by Kristie Marano for much of her Hall of Fame career, she had a phenomenal run of sustained excellence. Davis won an American record nine World medals during her remarkable career, including two gold, five silver and two bronze. She qualified for a record 10 U.S. World Teams and made a record seven trips to the world finals. She also won a Junior world title and was on the only American women's squad to win a team title at the World Championships. Helen Maroulis gets her hand raised after beating Saori Yoshida in the Olympic finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 4. Helen Maroulis If there was a Mount Rushmore of the four best women's wrestlers in U.S. history, Maroulis would join Gray, Saunders and Davis in that elite group. Maroulis became the first American woman to capture an Olympic gold medal in wrestling after knocking off three-time Olympic champion Saori Yoshida of Japan in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Maroulis also has captured two world championships along with world silver and bronze medals in her brilliant career. She returned to competition in 2020 and was looking to make a run at the Tokyo Olympics. Sara McMann won an Olympic silver and three world medals during her wrestling career (Photo/Larry Slater) 5. Sara McMann McMann nearly became the first Olympic gold medalist in U.S. women's wrestling history in 2004 before dropping a close bout in the finals to Japan's Kaori Icho, who went on to win four Olympic titles. McMann also won a world silver medal and two world bronze medals in her career. She went on to became highly successful in mixed martial arts. 6. Elena Pirozhkova The 2012 world champion was a fixture on numerous U.S. World Teams during her superb career. She also earned two world silver medals and a bronze medal for the United States while making two Olympic teams. She placed fifth at the 2016 Olympic Games and also won a University World title for Team USA. 7. Patricia Miranda Miranda became the first Olympic medalist in U.S. history, capturing a bronze medal in the first Olympics for women's wrestling in 2004 in Athens, Greece. She also won two world silver medals and a bronze medal during her illustrious career. Clarissa Chun wrestling at the 2012 Olympics (Photo/Larry Slater) 8. Clarissa Chun Chun made a U.S. World Team early in her career before her persistence paid off years later. She advanced to the Olympic semifinals in 2008 before winning a world title later that year in Tokyo, Japan. She came back in 2012 to earn a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in London. She made five U.S. World Teams and had two top-five finishes at the Olympics. She's now on the Team USA coaching staff. 9. Tamyra Mensah-Stock Mensah is a rising star and multi-talented wrestler who captured a world title in 2019 after collecting world bronze the year before. She also has won a University World silver medal. She is one of the favorites to capture Olympic gold in Tokyo. 10. Sandra Bacher Bacher was another one of the first American women's wrestlers who made a significant impact in the sport. She captured gold, silver and bronze medals at the World Championships in the late 1990s. She also had a fourth-place world finish. Bacher also competed in judo for the U.S. at the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. 11. Toccara Montgomery Montgomery excelled at the Senior level at a very young age. She collected world silver medals in 2001 and 2003. She made the first U.S. women's Olympic wrestling team in 2004 and placed seventh in Athens, Greece. She was a Junior world silver medalist who competed only a short time on the Senior level, but still made the world finals twice. 12. Afsoon Roshanzamir The first women's wrestling medalist in U.S. history, she won a bronze medal at the 1989 World Championships and followed with a world silver medal a year later. She also finished fifth in the world in 1992 while fighting through many obstacles during the challenging early days of women's wrestling. She made five U.S. World Teams and was an Olympic coach for the American squad in 2016. Honorable mention Iris Smith Smith won a world title in 2005 and made three U.S. World Teams in a long and storied career where she made numerous national teams at heavyweight. She also won gold and bronze medals at the World Military Championships. Shannon Williams Another one of the early pioneers for USA Wrestling, Williams captured four world silver medals as one of the top lightweight wrestlers in the world. She made the world finals four times from 1991-97. Tina George George captured a pair of world silver medals for the United States. She reached the finals of the World Championships in 2002 and 2003. She made two more world teams in 2005 and 2006. Jacarra Winchester Winchester captured a world title in 2019 after placing fifth in the world in 2018. She also won a University World bronze medal. She is considered among the top medal contenders for the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Randi Miller Miller had never made a U.S. World or Olympic Team before delivering by earning a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. She is one of just five American women's wrestlers to medal in the Olympics. She came back to make a U.S. World Team in 2014. Alli Ragan Ragan has been a fixture as one of the top American wrestlers for close to a decade. She has reached the finals of the World Championships twice. The two-time world silver medalist also has placed fifth at the World Championships. Marie Ziegler A member of the first U.S. World Team for women's wrestling in 1989, Ziegler captured world silver medals for the United States in 1990 and 1991. She later won a Veteran's world title for the U.S. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

Six weeks ago, Kurt Angle -- two-time NCAA heavyweight champ and 1996 Olympic freestyle gold medalist -- was among dozens released from his WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) contract after decades in pro wrestling. Kurt AngleWhat has the former amateur wrestling star been doing since those WWE budget cuts? Paul Davis, who covers pro wrestling for WrestlingNews.co, provided an update to readers Tuesday, "Last week, I exclusively reported that Kurt Angle would be offered a new contract to return to WWE after being released in April during the budget cuts." "During an interview with CBR.com, Angle confirmed that he was offered a deal but it was for a role as Matt Riddle's manager." "Angle said, "WWE has offered me a job to manage him. Unfortunately, I turned it down due to a few different reasons, but I would have loved to manage him. It just wasn't the right time." In other words, Angle may not have found exactly the right assignment within WWE just yet… but does not appear to be about to walk away from the pro wrestling organization that has provided him with fame and fortune for decades. As Paul Davis goes on to state, Angle is under a non-compete until July. Davis added that "some other furloughed producers are expected to be brought back in the next few weeks." Angle has been retired from in-ring competition since WrestleMania 35 one year ago. He has made sporadic appearances on WWE television programs since. Prior to launching his pro wrestling career, Kurt Steven Angle crafted a highly successful career in amateur wrestling, as a high school, college and international champion. A native of the Pittsburgh area, Angle was a three-time PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) state tournament qualifier, placing third in the state championships as a junior, and winning the state title as a senior in 1987. Angle continued his folkstyle wrestling career in-state at Clarion University, where he was a three-time NCAA Division I All-American, winning heavyweight (285-pound) titles in 1990 and 1992, placing second in 1991. After college, Angle focused on his freestyle wrestling career, winning a gold medal in the 100-kilogram (220-pound) weight class at the 1995 World Championships in Atlanta. One year later, in the same city, Angle earned gold in the same weight class at the 1996 Olympics. Angle was welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. as a Distinguished Member for his amateur wrestling accomplishments in 2001.

Tzeno Tzenov Tzeno Tzenov, major figure in international wrestling as a long-time Bureau member and European Council, died at the age of 80, United World Wrestling has confirmed. Born in Markovo Village in 1939, Tzenov graduated from the "Kliment Ohridski" of Sofia University with a Master of Arts in History and Archeology. He experienced a long and varied career sharing his knowledge and experience in wrestling. Tzenov became a member of the European Council in 1978 and was elected President in 1995. The Bulgarian official was first elected to the UWW Bureau in 2002, before being re-elected in 2008 and 2014. Tzenov was named as UWW Bureau vice-president in 2016. "As a long-time serving executive in sports, and as a historian, Mr. Tzenov had a great knowledge of wrestling's culture and heritage, in particular in the European context," Nenad Lalovic, UWW President, said. "Combined with his experience gained in the sport's highest instances in Bulgaria and in the International Federation, he had a pivotal role in leading wrestling towards modernity while safeguarding the core values of our sport. Tzenov served as secretary of the Bulgarian Wrestling Federation during the 1980s, and briefly served as vice-president before leading the organization from 1987 to 1989. He was the executive director of the Bulgarian Sport charity foundation since 2004. Tzenov served as secretary general of the Bulgarian Union for Physical Culture and Sport from 1989 to 1993, while he was a member of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee from 1992. "He will be dearly missed by everyone in the wrestling community and our deepest condolences to his wife, friends and colleagues."

Tyron Woodley As the United States (and the rest of the world) soldiers on amidst some extremely tumultuous, unpredictable, unprecedented times, I have to say that it was kind of nice to sit down and watch a solid night of UFC fights on Saturday night. However controversial or even ill-advised as it may be, somehow the Ultimate Fighting Championship continues to deliver even under much-less-than-ideal circumstances. Especially for us wrestling fans who don't have any actual wrestling to watch, a UFC card featuring several high-quality wrestlers may be the next best thing. This most recent card was just that. The takeaways? Tyron Woodley What we learned: The former UFC welterweight champ may have lost "the fire" a bit at this point in his career. Did he look particularly "bad" on Saturday night? No. Did he appear disinterested, bored, and/or uninspired? Perhaps. He was very clearly missing something as he got thoroughly beat up for five rounds in the night's main event. Throughout his MMA career, Woodley has always been a bit reserved in his overall level of aggression and offensive output. Calculated and measured, at times even bordering on timid, his unmatched physical ability and hunger to win picked up the slack and propelled him to the very top. At least one of those attributes was significantly diminished in his most recent outing. Most likely, the latter. Assuming this is the case, what is the cause? It's a very familiar story really. In Woodley we have an extremely talented individual who has worked hard over a lifetime spent competing in combat sports. The man won a Missouri high school state title, became a Big 12 champ and two-time All-American in Division I wrestling, and on top of all that went on the capture and defend the UFC's 170-pound title while earning his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Toss in the fact that he is now a successful gym owner, with a beautiful home, a beautiful family, a growing presence in the entertainment industry, and a good degree of fame and relative fortune. T-Wood is a bonafide success any way you slice it. Once a fighter reaches this level of attainment, it can be quite difficult to find the motivation and hunger to put in the kind of training needed to step into a cage with a young savage like Gilbert Burns and come out victorious. Regardless, it's clear that Woodley still has the physical tools and abilities needed to win at this level. The power in his right hand, his core and hip strength, and his conditioning were all present on Saturday night, but unless coupled with a greater degree of hunger, drive, aggression, etc., it is possible that the former champ's best days are behind him. Tim Elliott What we learned: Tim Elliott is a ton of fun to watch, but his MMA game is still in need of refinement and direction. Skills honed over the course of a successful wrestling career continue to serve as the backbone of his fighting style. The Kansas high school state champ, JUCO national champ, and NCAA Division II national finalist has continuously sought out the best coaching, facilities, and training partners available in pursuit of UFC gold, and now, he is a highly experienced veteran. Yet despite these factors, Elliott's struggle to find consistency continues. Saturday night we saw Elliott employ his usual hyperactive style. Constantly attacking with a varied repertoire of takedowns bolstered by incredible positional awareness, super-funky scrambling ability, and an approach to striking that fits in perfectly with the positional exchanges created by his wrestling. He was aggressive, sharp, and in control for most of the fight, but ultimately Elliott was choked out by a short notice UFC debutant and now has lost four of his last five fights. The problem, as I see it, is that unless he executes flawlessly, Elliott's's attributes can easily become liabilities. If not controlled, hyperactive wrestling and slick scrambling ability turn into reversal and submission opportunities for an opponent. Tim Elliot learned this lesson the hard way on Saturday night. Casey Kenney What we learned: Rebounding nicely after a tough loss, Casey Kenney is definitely a fighter to watch for in the 135-pound division. A two-time All-State high school wrestler who showed real promise at the NCAA Division II level, Kenney left three years of eligibility on the mat at the University of Indianapolis to pursue MMA full-time. The Indiana native now fighting out of Arizona put in a brilliant performance on Saturday night, thoroughly outclassing a more experienced foe before snatching up a nasty guillotine choke in the first round. Not only did he showcase stellar kickboxing and an ability to quickly seize an opportune submission, he showed a real comfort in the cage and made the most of every position and every exchange. Having a three-dimensional skill set, i.e. striking, takedowns, and grappling, can take you very far in MMA, but having a firm grasp on the finer points of the sport is indicative of next-level potential. Vince Morales What we learned: The 2009 Oregon high school state champion wrestler has one heck of a poker face. Ouch! A TKO via low kicks is not exactly a common occurrence in MMA, but when it does happen, it's brutal. Vince Morales became the 10th fighter in UFC history to suffer this fate on Saturday. Having said that, the gritty wrestler never once winced or grimaced and even managed to mount his own offense despite being woefully unable to defend those kicks. The ability to take a beating can be a gift, or a curse for combat athletes. If Morales can sharpen his already solid boxing and use his wrestling to bail him out of bad positions I see definite potential in the up-and-comer. This is the same guy who lost every single match his freshman season of high school wrestling. He's not the type to be easily deterred.

USA Wrestling, the national governing body for the sport of wrestling in the United States, released a statement on social justice. Social injustice is wrong and contrary to the inclusive nature of wrestling. USA Wrestling's mission is to provide quality opportunities for its members to achieve their full athletic and human potential. Recent tragedies in our nation compel us to do more and do it better. We stand with our African American and black communities and all of the diverse people who are part of our sport. We will focus our actions on how we can drive change against unjust treatment, police brutality, and systematic racism that is plaguing our nation and world. We need to come together now and use our voice, platform, and actions to help create the kind of society that reflects our values. By its nature, wrestling can be the most inclusive sport on earth. Anyone can wrestle and everyone is welcome. When we hit the mat, we are all part of one wrestling family.

Mike Dessino BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- With a heavy heart, the Bloomsburg University Department of Athletics was saddened to learn of the passing of former Huskies' wrestling standout and current volunteer assistant coach, Mike Dessino '14. Dessino passed away from injuries sustained during a serious car accident over the weekend. He was 29. "We are devastated by the loss of Mike Dessino," Director of Athletics Dr. Michael McFarland said. "Mike embodied all the great elements of BU Husky Wrestling and has been a true leader for the program. This is a tremendous and tragic loss for his family, his wife Katrina, the BU wrestling family, and everyone who knew this young man of unbelievable character." Dessino wrestled for the Huskies from 2009-14 and served as a volunteer assistant coach during the 2016-17 and 2019-20 season. He was a three-time NCAA Division I national qualifier, a three-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) champion, and won the 2011 Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) title at 174 pounds. During his time in the maroon and gold, Dessino posted a 105-43 overall record and ranks second in program history in career pins with 45. His 105 victories are 15th on the school's all-time list, while his three PSAC championships made him one of only ten grapplers in the program's history to accomplish the feat. Mike Dessino The Middlesex, New Jersey, native burst onto the scene as a freshman for the Huskies during the 2009-10 season when he won 20 matches, including seven by fall. He followed that up with a 25-win season in 2010-11, which included the EWL title at 174 pounds. Dessino went on to win 30 matches in each of his final two seasons, with nearly half - 26 of his 60 total victories - coming by fall. He advanced to the NCAA Division I national championships in each of his final three seasons with the Huskies. Following his collegiate career, Dessino went on to have a brief stint as a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. He went 4-0 as an amateur, picking up three of his wins over a six-month span in 2015 and his last victory in September of 2017. Two of his wins came by submission in less than a minute. Before attending Bloomsburg, Dessino was a three-time district champion and a three-time state qualifier at Middlesex High School. He was a two-time state placewinner and finished his high school career with a record of 145-22 with 98 victories by fall. "It was an honor to be able to coach Mike for a year as a student-athlete and an even bigger privilege to coach beside him as he helped mold young men for the future," said Bloomsburg University head wrestling coach, Marcus Gordon. "Mike's passion for family and friends was one of a kind. As a man, friend, teammate, and coach, he was always ready to lend a helping hand. On and off the wrestling mat, his presence was one of great strength, and his loss will leave an unfillable void. Our hearts go out to his family, his wife Katrina, and their unborn son. Mike's wrestling family will miss him greatly." He and his wife, the former Katrina Conrad '13/'15(M), were married in August of 2019. The couple were expecting their first child later this year. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family during this difficult time. If you are able to help, please follow the link below: https://bit.ly/2TWmiWp #TeamDessino

James Green at the Final X press conference (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) BLACKSBURG, Va. -- With two Olympic hopefuls already part of the team in Mekhi Lewis and Ty Walz, the Southeast Regional Training Center bolsters its roster in a big way with the addition of James Green. Green is training for the Tokyo Olympic Games, attempting to represent the U.S. Olympic Team at 74 kilograms. Green's addition as a resident athlete brings another world class wrestler to Blacksburg. James has been competing internationally for the past five years at 70 kilograms, having much success for Team USA. Representing the U.S. for five straight years, he medaled at the 2017 and 2015 Senior World Championships, winning silver and bronze, respectively. Green is also a two-time Final X and Pan-Am Champion, as well as the 2017 U.S. Open champion. Collegiately, Green was a four-time All-American at Nebraska from 2012-2015, finishing third twice and seventh twice wrestling at 157 pounds. The 2014 Big Ten Champion is a member of Nebraska's 100-Win Club and has the fifth-most wins in school history with 129. Green will be moving to the area with his wife, Chandell, and daughter, Glory. The SERTC is a recognized U.S. Olympic Regional Training Center site. With this designation, the SERTC sponsors resident athletes to live and train in the Blacksburg area.

LIBERTY, MO -- William Jewell College is pleased to announce the addition of women's wrestling and the reinstatement of the men's wrestling program beginning in 2021-2022 which will bring Jewell's varsity sports to 24. "It feels great to be bringing wrestling back to The Hill," said Director of Athletics, Tom Eisenhauer. "The sport has a long tradition here and has seen a resurgence across the globe. The commitment and perseverance it takes to be a successful wrestler are the same traits it takes to be successful in the classroom. Wrestling complements our other sport offerings so it a natural fit on our campus. Women's wrestling will come to The Hill for the first time after receiving emerging sport status in January of this year following a vote at the NCAA Convention. Women's wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in the nation with the first collegiate varsity team created in 1993. Jewell will become the third Great Lakes Valley Conference institution to add the sport, joining McKendree and Lindenwood. The Cardinals will also be the seventh collegiate program in the state of Missouri but the first in the Kansas City metro. Additionally, the Missouri High School Activities Association (MSHAA) began offering a state championship in girls wrestling in 2019 with more than 25 local high schools now fielding teams. Kansas has also recently added the sport at the high school level with nearly 150 schools fielding varsity programs. "It's been exciting to witness the tremendous growth of girls wrestling at the high school level, especially here in the Kansas City region, and I'm thrilled that we can provide an opportunity for many of these young women to continue to compete at the NCAA Division II level, said Eisenhauer. The next step for the sport to move to NCAA Championship status will be reaching a minimum of 40 NCAA-affiliated varsity programs. Currently, five women's sports have done so including rowing, bowling, beach volleyball, water polo and ice hockey. Until the sport reaches NCAA Championship status, women will compete in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Women's National Championship. While the women's program will be a welcomed addition, the men's program will be returning after a 27-year hiatus. Men's wrestling was first added at William Jewell in the fall of 1950 and boasted the first national qualifier in 1954. Wrestling became a conference-sponsored sport for the Cardinals in the fall of 1961, as they won the Missouri Collegiate Athletic Union title in 1963. Over the next 30 years, Jewell totaled 14 individual conference champions and 20 national qualifiers. The Cardinal men will compete in the Great Lakes Valley Conference which began sponsoring the sport in 2016-2017 and includes full-time members McKendree, Lindenwood, Indianapolis, Maryville and Drury along with associate member Ouachita Baptist. McKendree has won three straight conference titles. Despite only recently adding the sport at the conference level, GLVC schools have a deep history in men's wrestling as 18 athletes from five different schools were named All-America in 2020. "William Jewell is delighted to be one of the first NCAA-II institutions in Missouri to add women's wrestling to our roster of sports and to return to offering men's wrestling, which has a storied history on The Hill," said William Jewell President Dr. Elizabeth MacLeod Walls. "By adding these programs, we are responding to growth trends across the region in both men's and women's wrestling. We are pleased to welcome these student-athletes to our campus beginning in the fall of 2021." Jewell has officially had 19 head coaches in men's wrestling, including hall of famers Fred Flook (1962-1972) and the late Darrel Gourley (1958-61, 1980-81); however, eight of those individuals were also student-athletes at the time. William Jewell plans to hire a head coach this summer before officially beginning competition in the winter of 2021. Individuals interested in applying for the head coaching position should visit here. Applications will be accepted through June 15.

Gilbert Burns defeated Tyron Woodley by unanimous decision (Photo/Getty Images) At least four former amateur wrestlers took to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night Las Vegas Saturday night. Sadly, for just two one-time participants in the oldest-and-greatest sport, only came out of the cage as winners … while, arguably, the contestant with the most impressive wrestling credentials -- Tyron Woodley, NCAA All-American for the University of Missouri -- suffered arguably the greatest upset of the evening. Burns scores unanimous decision over Woodley "The UFC has a newly minted welterweight contender," according to Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com. "Gilbert Burns defeated former champion Tyron Woodley via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-44) in a complete performance Saturday night in the main event of UFC Las Vegas. Burns nearly finished Woodley in the opening minutes and never let his foot off the gas pedal, winning every single round." Prior to launching his pro MMA career, Woodley had been a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler for the University of Missouri, the same collegiate program that also produced another mat-star-turned-MMA champ, Ben Askren. ESPN had Woodley ranked No. 5 among MMA welterweights coming in, while Burns was No. 9. Woodley had not fought since dropping the welterweight title to Kamaru Usman via unanimous decision at UFC 235 on March 2, 2019. Here's how Burns assessed his performance at UFC Fight Night Las Vegas vs his opponent: "That was a former champion right there -- you saw," Burns said. "And I had a dominant performance." Burns now owns a record of 19-3, including six wins in a row and four straight since moving up from lightweight to welterweight. Burns, 33, a Brazil native, who lives and trains in Florida, has just one loss going back to 2016. Woodley, 38, was unbeaten in seven consecutive fights before falling to Usman, but now has not won since 2018. Outcomes involving other ex-amateur wrestlers Casey Kenney (who once wrestled at University of Indianapolis) bounced back from a previous UFC loss "in style," (to use UFC.com's working), submitting Louis Smolka in the first round. "The two bantamweights got after it as expected, but in the midst of an exchange with a little over two minutes left in the opening round, Kenney clipped Smolka with a right hand that appeared to stun him. Smolka responded with a takedown attempt but got caught in a guillotine choke that forced him to tap out at 3:03 of the first round. Casey Kenney bounced back from a loss to Merab Dvalishvili in style, submitting Louis Smolka in the first round. The two bantamweights got after it as expected, but in the midst of an exchange with a little over two minutes left in the opening round, Kenney clipped Smolka with a right hand that appeared to stun him. Smolka responded with a takedown attempt but got caught in a guillotine choke that forced him to tap out at 3:03 of the first round. With the win, Kenney ups his record to 14-2-1. Smolka falls to 16-7. Brandon Royval submits Tim Elliott in a "bout of the night" Former FLA flyweight champ Brandon Royval beat a top-15 fighter (and former junior-college champ and NCAA Division II finalist Tim Elliott) in his first UFC fight on Saturday, turning the tables on one-time title challenger Tim Elliott to score an arm-triangle submission at 3:18 of the second round. Elliott had just moments earlier threatened with a guillotine choke, only to get reversed and quickly checkmated. Immediately after the submission win, Royval "trashed" his own performance, where former amateur wrestling superstar and UFC commentator was much more encouraging. "Brandon, I've got to be honest, man -- you're beating really hard on yourself," Cormier said. "You just won your UFC debut over one of the top 15 guys in the division. On Monday, you're going to have a ranking right next to your name. You cannot be that disappointed!" By contrast, Tim Elliott suffered his third consecutive loss in the Octagon. Yet, both Royval and Elliott took home "Fight of the Night" honors and $50,000 a piece from their preliminary flyweight bout. Finally, Brandon Royval and Tim Elliott took home "Fight of the Night" honors and $50,000 apiece for their preliminary flyweight clash. Elliott set a wicked pace in the opening round, but once he tired, Royval gradually gained momentum. After a scramble on the canvas, the former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion was able to bring an end to the contest with an arm-triangle choke at the 3:18 mark of Round 2. What's more, Chris Guitierez scored a second-round TKO by kicks of Vince Morales, 2009 Oregon high school state champion wrestler at UFC Las Vegas.

Earlier this week, Easton Area School Board unanimously approved the start of a girls wrestling program in the 2020-21 season during its virtual meeting ... becoming only the second public school in Pennsylvania to announce girls wrestling. (McCaskey High was the first.) On Friday, Easton High School announced it had opened up the head boys' coaching position… meaning JaMarr Billman no longer held that title. Billman confirmed that news Friday afternoon. "I did not resign," he wrote in a text message. "I only know that the job was opened. I was not told anything else." The varsity boys wrestling coach opening has been posted on the school district website. Billman, who had been head coach for the Easton Rovers for the past four seasons, may re-apply for the position. Here's Easton athletic director Jim Pokrivsak explained the coaching change: "Easton's boys wrestling program has a proud history and tradition as one of the finest wrestling programs in the state. Yet, from time to time as with any program, no matter how successful it has been in the past, it is necessary to take a fresh look at where the program has been and where it might be going in the future. As part of that re-examination there has been a collective decision to open the boys wrestling coach position with a view toward the continued improvement necessary to ensure that Easton's wrestling program will maintain its tradition of excellence well into the future." Easton is also seeking a varsity head girls wrestling coach. The boys and girls coaching positions are completely separate. Billman has a long history with Easton as a student-athlete, and, more recently, on the coaching staff. He was a two-time PIAA Class 3A champion for Easton in 1996 and 1997 when he was named The Express-Times Wrestler of the Year. He was a four-time state medalist. He wrestled at Penn State and Lock Haven, compiled a 117-13 record and was a three-time All-American, finishing fifth each time.

Tadaaki Hatta, a native of Japan and NCAA champion from Oklahoma State, joins The MatBoss Podcast to talk about the old days. Hatta is a teacher in Ohio and has been a longtime coach internationally and domestically in the international styles of wrestling. Hatta talks about the origins of wrestling in Japan and how his father was the architect for the sport there and dives into the wrestling back in the 1960s and more. Hatta also talks about why he came to the U.S. to compete on the college mats. Hatta also explained the rule changes the NCAA instituted where the first takedown was two points and each takedown afterwards was one point. 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

Anthony Cassar warming up at the 2019 NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWariors.com) Anthony Cassar, 2019 NCAA heavyweight champ for Penn State, has always let it be known he would like to make an eventual career move from wrestling into professional mixed arts. While his next goal is representing the U.S. Olympic men's freestyle team at 125 kilograms/275 pounds at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Cassar has just taken the next significant step toward realizing his MMA dream: Cassar's final season wrestling as Penn State heavyweight, winning the 2019 NCAA 285-pound title, the 2019 Big Ten crown, and the 2019 NWCA First-Team National All-American team, concluding with a 30-1 overall record, including 15 majors, two tech falls and five pins. Cassar had planned to wrestle at Penn State for the 2019-2020 season; however, on Jan. 7, 2020, the Nittany Lions announced that Cassar and 2018 NCAA All-American Kyle Conel (197) were out for the season due to injury . Cassar eventually hopes to join other former Penn State wrestling champs in pro MMA careers, including Phil Davis, Ed Ruth, and Bo Nickal. Collegiate mat champs transition to MMA titles InterMat's Richard Mann put together this chart of NCAA wrestling titlewinners who found title success in MMA …

Josh Roosa WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- A former local wrestling standout at Crestwood High School is returning home, as Associate Vice President and Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation Cheryl Ish announced the hiring of Josh Roosa as the new head coach of the King's wrestling program. Roosa becomes the college's first full-time head coach, and is just the third coach over the storied 51 years of King's Wrestling. "It's with great excitement that we welcome Josh Roosa to King's and back to NEPA," said Ish. "Josh's passion for the sport, this area and for building our program was evident during the search process. The search committee was impressed with his vision for the growth of the program and his understanding of the success and traditions enjoyed under legendary coach Ned McGinley. I am confident that Josh will take advantage of his familiarity with the high caliber Pennsylvania high school wrestling and quickly begin the process of recruiting quality student-athletes to King's." "Josh's experiences wrestling and coaching at high level will be an asset to developing a strong team culture and promoting individual success," said Ish. "Equally important, Josh's core values as a coach match perfectly with providing our student-athletes with a valuable education and great team environment." "I am beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to lead a program with such a rich tradition and history," said Roosa. "Being an NEPA native and Crestwood Graduate, I am very much aware of that tradition and I am looking forward to building on all that Ned McGinley and others have worked hard to build. I would like to thank Cheryl Ish and the entire search committee for granting me this wonderful opportunity." "Through the interview process, it became clear that King's College was an institution I wanted to be a part of," said Roosa. "The passion, excitement, and commitment everyone had for the King's College community was impressive. I have been very familiar with the program from a young age. I attended dual meets and looked up to wrestlers like Jim Morgan, Mitch Marks, Jason Reilly, and many others. To have an opportunity to take over a program that I looked up to as a kid is a dream come true." Josh RoosaRoosa returns to Northeast Pennsylvania after serving as an assistant coach and co-head assistant coach at Division I Appalachian State University. While at App State, Roosa was responsible for all on-campus recruiting, along with assisting with team and individual workouts, producing social media content, and assisting in fundraising. After two years as an assistant coach in Boone, Roosa was elevated to a role of co-head assistant coach before the 2017-18 season. In addition to the SoCon titles and NCAA qualifiers, he helped App State earn multiple top-25 national rankings, highlighted by a climb to No. 16 during the 2016-17 season. Following the fourth straight SoCon title in 2018-19, the 2019-20 team had a school-record six NCAA Championships qualifiers while posting a 9-3 dual meet record. A young team with new starters at six positions led Division I wrestling with four dual meet shutouts, was one of only three Division I teams with at least four conference champions and was one of only six Division I teams that had all 10 starters finish the season with a winning record. Off the mat, App State posted a school-record GPA of 3.45 in the spring of 2020, pushing the cumulative GPA to a program-best 3.11, and its number of community service hours recorded by the Helper Helper platform in 2019-20 ranked No. 4 among all Division I wrestling programs. A year earlier, the Mountaineers led all Division I wrestling programs in community service hours. "I intend to focus on building a roster full of committed student athletes who want to excel academically, athletically, and socially," said Roosa. "I am excited to get in the room and implement a system I know works at the highest level and I am confident will make a huge difference in our performance on the mat. I am also looking forward to connecting with the alumni and supporters of King's College wrestling and getting them all involved with the program." Prior to his time at App State, Roosa was an assistant coach at Division I University of Buffalo for one season. Roosa helped lead effective conditioning and technique practices, and assisted with recruiting while serving as the academic liaison to Athletic Academic Services. His coaching career came after a stellar career on the mat at Division I Bloomsburg University, where he was a five-year scholarship wrestler. An NCAA qualifier at 149 and University Nationals All-American, he was a team captain in 2012-13 when the Huskie squad finished ranked 14th in the country. Roosa graduated from Bloomsburg with a B.A. in communication studies. Before college, Roosa chalked up a 143-18 scholastic record on the mats at Crestwood High School in Mountaintop, PA. Roosa was a four-time PIAA District 2 champion, and had a record of 34-0 as a senior before breaking his hand and missing the state championships. He was sixth at the PIAA "AAA" Championships in 2007, and was the 2006 and 2007 National High School Coaches Association national champion at 145. Roosa will come to Wilkes-Barre with his wife Rachael, and their one son, Joseph. "I will bring tremendous energy and work ethic every day," said Roosa. "It has always been my goal to help all of my student-athletes reach their full potential on and off the mat. It may take some time but I plan to build King's College wrestling into one of the premier programs in the country." -- What They're Saying About Roosa "Although I hate to lose Josh I am extremely excited for him and his family. He has done a phenomenal job here supporting our program and and team culture, and hope these experiences will help him now lead King's College. I consider Josh not only a great coach but a personal friend and wish him tremendous luck as he starts this new journey." - JohnMark Bentley, Head Coach, Appalachian State University "I'm so excited for Josh and his family! Having recruited, coached and worked along side of Josh this is the next step in his journey. As an athlete and coach Josh was and is a tireless worker. The attitude and commitment that he will bring will help elevate King's College wrestling. I'm looking forward to watching King's wrestling grow in and out of the wrestling room." - John Stutzman, Head Coach, University at Buffalo

USA Wrestling has released the "Return to Events Guidelines" document, which are guidelines and recommendations for the wrestling community as it contemplates holding local- and state-level events, with extensive recommendations on event operations protocol in the current COVID-19 pandemic environment. The document includes specific chapters on Venue Selection, Government and Medical Expert Adherence, Event Groups, Medical Plan, Infection Mitigation Procedures, Communication, Operational Plan and an Appendix of additional resources. The Operational Plan is an extensive document that can be downloaded as a pdf, which includes a step-by-step checklist of specific actions that are recommended in a variety of event-related operations. USA Wrestling highly encourages potential event hosts to use both the Return to Events Guidelines and the downloadable Operation Plan during planning and when they are on-site at a wrestling competition. Link: USA Wrestling Return to Events Guidelines This is the second specific resource that USA Wrestling has provided to the wrestling community to assist in the process of the resumption of wrestling activity. Published on May 15 was the Return to Mat Guidelines, which are guidelines and recommendations to make decisions on a local level regarding when and how to safely resume wrestling practice and activity. Link: USA Wrestling Return to the Mat Guidelines Both of these documents were initially drafted by one of USA Wrestling's special committees created during the pandemic, the Return to Practice and Competition Committee, which includes medical experts and event operations professionals. Both have been reviewed by USA Wrestling's COVID-19 Advisory Committee, a group of experts who advise the organization on medical, scientific and government matters pertaining to the novel coronavirus. These documents include recommendations from the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and numerous other sources, including public health agencies and other sports organizations. As USA Wrestling has suggested since the pandemic began, all individuals should keep themselves updated with the most recent information from their state and local public health department, and follow those local regulations. Club leaders, coaches, parents and individuals must make their own assessments as to the safety of their situations in conjunction with these documents. USA Wrestling expects that these documents may be revised as the pandemic progresses and new or updated information becomes available. The wrestling community is asked to review this document from time to time to assess the guidelines and recommendations.

The world's largest youth wrestling tournament won't be happening this year. Junior Nationals and 16U Nationals held annually in Fargo has been canceled due to the outbreak of COVID-19. While the decision had long been expected, the cancellation of the event marks an important moment in wrestling's story during this crisis. We are now left to deal with a second major break to the normalcy of the wrestling calendar. The kids won't be able to win their titles and college coaches won't have a chance to recruit in-person. It's yet another in a series of minor setbacks that when added together signal a larger loss to the continuity and health of the community. For now, we are all isolated, and because of wrestling's tight quarters we can expect that to continue for some time. Mat time is coveted and for those who can achieve a safe workout operation might soon be some chances to get back to action. However, the large-scale intermingling of wrestlers, along with fans and coaches is far, far off. Several months in the best-case situation; a couple of years in the worst-case scenarios. There are a number of small ways we as a community can counterbalance that loss of kinship found on the mats, but we know that nothing can replace the act of wrestling. We are the world's oldest and greatest sport because we allow for the facade of toughness to be torn down through proximity and invite close friendship through shared struggle. Zoom calls won't replace the lessons of the mat and it's foolish to think it could. For now, we mourn the loss of our sport, but soon we will be back. Like many of you my heart goes out to the young wrestlers who are having these moments lost to the pandemic and poor response of our leaders. These young men and women deserve the opportunity to compete and form bonds with friends and teammates. To lose that is something that they can't replicate at home or recover in the future. To your questions … Mark Madsen with the Denmark flag after winning silver at the 2016 Olympics (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Mark Madsen is undefeated in MMA and fighting in the UFC. At 35 years old, do you think he could be a UFC champion someday? Or do you think his window has closed? -- Mike C. Foley: I was able to hire Madsen as a color commentator for the United World Wrestling World Championships in 2019 and because he was training for a fight we spent the breaks rolling jiu-jitsu. Though he's not a black belt in jiu-jitsu he has the perfect mentality for a wrestler fighting on the ground in MMA. He doesn't pause on his butt. He fires up to his feet and immediately tries to reverse control. Also, his neck is massive and he's basically impossible to submit because as a Greco-Roman wrestler he's used to not extending his arms. All this is to say that he does have a real chance of competing for a belt in the next 18 months. He's a foreign fighter, which makes it tough, but because he has the Olympic credentials, he could be used as a certifying win for another up-and-comer. Given that opportunity, I could see him winning that type of matchup and making his way into a title fight. Window is wide open. Q: I've heard that the NWCA is proposing to delay the start of the NCAA wrestling season to January? Do you have any insight or clarification on this? Is there any traction? -- Rich C. Foley: As of today the single-semester season has become the most popular logic among coaches and administrators. There are already myriad benefits to the single semester season, but in a year of uncertainty in public health and football (which controls the purse strings) the delay to a single season allows for preparation. Wrestling -- by virtue of the fact it's antithetical to "social distancing" -- won't be the first sport out of the gate. The best option, according to those who make these types of decisions, seems to be to delay and hope for the best. It's the right strategy. We have no idea of predicting what will happen in the summer and fall, much less the winter which we could guess would be prime for a re-emergence of COVID-19. Still, there is A LOT of jockeying that'll need to take place both by the NWCA and the NCAA, not to mention the various stakeholders for conference and national tournament hosts. To think of a shortened season gives me faith that there is a path forward. Even an 8-week spring seasons is preferable to what could become a 20-month break from the sport at the collegiate level. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Jordan Burroughs released a statement on the murder of George Floyd. Please read. Q: The United States has been producing some successful women's wrestlers. Sara McMann, Tatiana (Padilla) Suarez and a few others have done well. Do you think we will see any from the current crop transition to MMA after this Olympic cycle? Who do you think could do well in MMA? -- Mike C. Foley: The move to MMA is an obvious one for several male fighters, but for women the calculus has always been more complex. The age at which some women are finding success at the top-level is a little bit later than the male average, and those who do finish their careers don't have a tradition of running into the gym. Now, that could all change with the addition of an atomweight division and a larger number of overall women's wrestlers at the collegiate and international level. Wrestlers like Haley Augello and Victoria Anthony have a real chance of being superstars in MMA, with the latter having the potential for mega super stardom. Inside trips, great takedowns, seemingly unafraid of injury and a great personality that also translates online is a recipe for success in Bellator and the UFC. I'm not so familiar with the intentions of the women, but I do feel that almost all of the middleweights would have the potential to compete at the top level rather quickly. Helen Maroulis may avoid it due to her history of head injuries, but Mallory Velte is someone who could really find a path in the cage post-wrestling. Let's also not forget the international wrestling community. There is some thought that a number of the Russian women will transition to MMA, including Ektarina Bukina who though she is kind, has the look of someone you'd never want to fight. Q: Fargo was the last shoe to drop. The pandemic started right before a busy spring and summer competition calendar for USA Wrestling. I saw a tweet from someone at USA Wrestling last week that "Not a single person laid off or furloughed from @USAWrestling during this trying time." Any idea what the financial fallout will be for USA Wrestling? -- Mike C. Foley: That's remarkable nobody was furloughed or laid off. Really impressive. I don't know the fallout, but I'm sure they are girding for some hit to revenue based on fewer licenses and the lost income from Fargo.

Braxton Amos wrestling in the finals of the Super 32 Challenge (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) STILLWATER, Okla. -- The National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Thursday announced that Braxton Amos of Mineral Wells, West Virginia, is the 2020 national winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award (DSHSEA). "Being named the 2020 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner is an awesome ending to my high school wrestling career. My club coach, Miron Kharchilava, trained with Dave on several occasions. Hearing his stories about Dave and their training is inspiring," said Amos, who is the first national winner from West Virginia. "One of the posters that still hangs in Miron's room is Dave with a quote about the Japanese Samurai Musashi Miyamoto. I have walked by that poster thousands of times, it makes me appreciate the amount of time Dave put into chasing perfection and reminds me that people who didn't see the discipline will never understand his sacrifice. "It's an honor to join the list of past DSHSE winners," he added. "I'm proud to represent the University of Wisconsin, the State of West Virginia, and Parkersburg South High School." The DSHSEA was established in 1996 to honor Olympic and World champion Dave Schultz, whose career was cut short when he was murdered in January 1996. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1997 and as a member of the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016. The DSHSEA recognizes and celebrates the nation's most outstanding high school senior male wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service. The Hall of Fame also presents the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award, which recognizes and celebrates the nation's most outstanding high school senior female wrestlers. "We are excited to honor Braxton Amos as the national winner of the 2020 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award," said Executive Director Lee Roy Smith. "This award and honor represents the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's pride in a young man who has demonstrated a commitment to balancing his pursuit of excellence in the fields of academics, athletics and community service." The son of Tim and Anika Amos, he is a three-time West Virginia state champion, who did not surrender a takedown, near fall or reversal during his career for Parkersburg South High School. The top-ranked wrestler in the country at 220 pounds and the top-ranked wrestler pound-for-pound, Amos has signed a letter of intent to wrestle for the University of Wisconsin. Amos, who did not wrestle because of injury as a freshman, set school records for wins in an undefeated season, recording 48 victories twice; most wins in three seasons with 142; highest winning percentage with 100 percent; and most consecutive wins with 142. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the state tournament twice and is a two-time recipient of the Dutton Award, presented to West Virginia's Outstanding Wrestler for all classes. He also received the Hercules Award, presented for the most pins in the least amount of time. He won the USA Wrestling Freestyle Junior Nationals in 2019 after capturing both the freestyle and Greco-Roman titles at the USA Wrestling Cadet Nationals in 2016 and 2017. Competing with sprained ligaments in his knee, Amos reached the finals in Greco-Roman in 2019 before defaulting because of his injury. He did not compete in Fargo in 2018. Amos also has three Super 32 titles, three Ironman crowns and three Powerade championships. He was named Outstanding Wrestler in Greco-Roman at Fargo while also earning Outstanding Wrestler at Super 32 and the Most Pins award at Powerade. Amos, who was first team All-State in football, was president of the United Way Student Board and student council vice president while also organizing an annual community clean-up day. He was Academic All-State all three years that he competed and a member of the National Honor Society with a 4.05 GPA. Ohio has had the most national winners with five followed by Pennsylvania with three and California, Minnesota and Oklahoma with two winners each. Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin have each had one winner. Regional winners are selected from state winners, and the national winner is chosen from the regional winners. The state winners are evaluated and selected on the basis of three criteria: success and standout performances and sportsmanship in wrestling; review of GPA and class rank, academic honors and distinctions; and participation in activities that demonstrate commitment to character and community. The Hall of Fame accepts nominations for its high school excellence awards from state chapters and coaches. The nominations are reviewed by a committee, which selects state and regional winners. The committee then determines the national winners from the regional winners. National winners of the DSHSEA award have combined to win 19 NCAA Division I individual titles led by four-time champion Logan Stieber (2010), three-time winner Zain Retherford (2013) and two-time winners Steven Mocco (2001), David Taylor (2009) and Teyon Ware (2002). The 2016 winner of the DSHSEA Mark Hall won an NCAA title as a freshman in 2017 while 2015 winner Zahid Valencia won back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2019. All-Time National Winners of Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award 2020 - Braxton Amos, Parkersburg South High School, Mineral Wells, West Virginia 2019 - Cohlton Schultz, Ponderosa High School, Parker, Colorado (Greco-Roman Cadet World Champion) 2018 - David Carr, Perry High School, Massillon, Ohio (Junior World Champion) 2017 - Daton Fix, Charles Page High School, Sand Springs, Oklahoma (Junior World Champion) 2016 - Mark Hall II, Apple Valley High School, Apple Valley, Minnesota (NCAA Champion and 2X Junior World Champion) 2015 - Zahid Valencia, St. John Bosco High School, Bellflower, California (2X NCAA Champion and Junior World Silver Medalist) 2014 - Chance Marsteller, Kennard-Dale High School, Fawn Grove, Pennsylvania 2013 - Zain Retherford, Benton Area High School, Benton, Pennsylvania (3X NCAA Champion) 2012 - Taylor Massa, St. Johns High School, St. Johns, Michigan 2011 - Morgan McIntosh, Calvary Chapel High School, Santa Ana, California 2010 - Logan Stieber, Monroeville High School, Monroeville, Ohio (World Champion and 4X NCAA Champion) 2009 - David Taylor, Graham High School, St. Paris, Ohio (World Champion and 2X NCAA Champion) 2008 - Jason Chamberlain, Springville High School, Springville, Utah 2007 - Zachary Sanders, Wabasha-Kellogg High School, Wabasha, Minnesota 2006 - David Craig, Brandon High School, Brandon, Florida 2005 - Troy Nickerson, Chenango Forks High School, Chenango Forks, New York (NCAA Champion) 2004 - Coleman Scott, Waynesburg High School, Waynesburg, Pennsylvania (NCAA Champion and Olympic bronze medalist) 2003 - C.P. Schlatter, St. Paul Graham High School, Urbana, Ohio 2002 - Teyon Ware, Edmond North High School, Edmond, Oklahoma (2X NCAA Champion) 2001 - Steven Mocco, Blair Academy, Blairstown, New Jersey (2X NCAA Champion and Olympian) 2000 - Ben Connell, Lugoff-Elgin High School, Lugoff, South Carolina 1999 - Zach Roberson, Blue Valley North West High School, Overland Park, Kansas (NCAA Champion) 1998 - Garrett Lowney, Freedom High School, Appleton, Wisconsin (2X Olympian) and Justin Ruiz, Taylorsville High School, Salt Lake City, Utah (Olympian) 1997 - Jeff Knupp, Walsh Jesuit High School, Akron, Ohio 1996 - David Kjeldgaard, Lewis Central High School, Council Bluffs, Iowa 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.

Tyron Woodley finished as a two-time All-American at Missouri (Photo/Missouri Athletics) On Saturday, Tyron Woodley returns to the Octagon for the first time since losing his UFC welterweight title against Kamaru Usman. He will face off against multiple time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion Gilbert Burns. In order to get back in the title picture, Woodley will likely need to overcome a variety of obstacles and challenges. Challenges are nothing new for Woodley. Before ever stepping into an MMA gym, he went through the wringer that only wrestling can provide. He excelled on the high school mats of the Greater St. Louis area and made history at Missouri. Let's take a long look at the extensive wrestling career of the former UFC champion. High school Freshman season (1996-1997) Woodley first started making a name for himself as a freshman at McCluer High School in Florissant, Mo. He won the Class 4A District 4 tournament at 130 pounds with a 25-9 technical fall over Matt Davis of Hazelwood West in the finals. At the time, McCluer was a budding program in the area. In addition to Woodley, two of his teammates also claimed district titles including James Knowles. Knowles, who is currently the Mayor of Ferguson, Mo., pinned professional wrestling veteran Randy Orton in the 189-pound final. In an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Feb. 15, 1997, Woodley was described as McCluer's best hope among four freshmen starters to bring home a Section 2 tournament title. He nearly pulled it off as he made the finals before falling against Tim Blubaugh of DeSemt in a 13-9 decision. Woodley advanced to the Missouri Class 4A state tournament with a 14-5 record. However, he fell in the first round of the tournament when he was pinned by Corey Crandall of Ft. Osage in 2:46. Despite failing to place, Woodley was named an honorable mention to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro Area Wrestling Team. Sophomore season (1997-1998) Woodley famously told Conor McGregor, "I haven't weighed 145 since my sophomore year of high school." He actually started the season down at 140 and won the early season Kirkwood Invitational. He entered the District 4 tournament at 145 pounds and won his second straight title. In the finals he defeated Matt Martin of Riteour via a 15-7 score. The victory qualified Woodley for the Sectional 2 tournament. While he came up short as a freshman, he won his first sectional title as a sophomore. He dominated his way through the field and scored a 12-4 major decision over Kevin McGuire of Pattonville in the finals. With the victory, he was headed to the state tournament for the second time in two seasons. He won his first-round match with an 11-4 decision over Steve Baumgartner of Hickman. However, his momentum came to a halt in the second round. Woodley suffered a first-period fall against Patrick Byrne of Parkway South. Woodley later reflected upon that loss to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and he described it as one of the most deflating moments of his high school career. "I leaned too far back while attempting a cradle move and both my shoulder wound up parallel to the mat," he said. "I was pulling harder and harder and I was leading 5-0 in the match when suddenly, the referee slapped the mat to signal 'pin.' I jumped up because I thought I had won. He raised the other guy's arm in victory and I thought he had made a mistake until it was explained to me. The referee said it was a defensive pin." Junior season (1998-1999) By the time Woodley became a junior, he was one of the best wrestlers in the state. He competed at 152 pounds and brought an undefeated record into a dual meet between McCluer and Hazelwood East on Jan. 27. Curtis Bledsoe, who quickly became one of Woodley's biggest high school rivals, handed him his first loss of the season via an 8-6 score. Bledsoe was undefeated on the season and had won a state title in the previous season at 140 pounds. The two met again in the finals of the District 4 tournament. This time, Woodley got the better of the matchup and took home a 5-4 decision. He returned the favor against Bledsoe and handed him his first loss of the year. After the district tournament. Woodley spoke with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "It's pretty intense," he said. "Both of us are real good and when you do the same kind of stuff, it's hard to defend it." The rivalry would continue at the Section 2 tournament. They met in the finals once again. Woodley widened the gap and won the section title with a 6-1 score. He entered the Class 4A state tournament with a 37-1 record, and he was clearly the favorite at 152 pounds. Woodley looked the part early in the state tournament as he decked Steve Baumgartner of Hickman in 2:55 and defeated Andrew Elder of Park Hill 6-1. In the finals, on Feb. 21, he faced off against Bledsoe for the fourth time in 25 days. In the bout, Woodley got off to a strong start and held a solid lead. In the final period, he continued to push the pace and even earned a point via two stall warnings. However, with 10 seconds left in the match, Bledsoe came back and scored the fall. Bledsoe seemed as shocked as anyone when he spoke after the tournament with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I don't know what happened there," he said. "It came out of nowhere. Last week I kind of gave up at the end, so I knew I had to go and not stop." For the runner-up finish, Woodley earned second team honors for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro Area Wrestling Team. Senior season (1999-2000) After losing the final match of his junior year, Woodley moved up to 160 pounds and turned things around quickly as a senior. Early in the year, he defeated Dustin Wiles of Farmington, who was third the previous season in Class 3A. Woodley then won the Springfield Holiday Tournament and St. Charles Invitational, defeating David Downs of Troy in the finals of both events. By the time the calendars moved to February, Woodley held an undefeated record and was looking for yet another District 4A tournament title. He breezed through the field and defeated J.C. Russell of Hazelwood West in the finals with an 8-2 decision. He had a rematch with Russell one week later in the Section 2 tournament final to advance to the Class 4A tournament once again. In his final quest for a state title, Woodley was not going to be deterred. In the quarterfinals, he scored a dominant major decision victory over Chase Johnson of Oak Park. Woodley then picked up a second-period fall over Austin Alley of Jefferson City. His final was a close match, but he pulled out a 3-1 decision over Adam Stern of Oakville to become a state champion. Woodley finished the year with an undefeated 48-0 record. His 48 wins were the most among all of the Missouri state champions, and he was only the third state champion in McCluer history. Following the regular season, Woodley took part in both the NHSCA Senior Nationals as well as Junior Nationals in Fargo. He finished seventh at the NHSCA event and defeated future MMA competitor Justin Salas in the seventh-place match. At Fargo, he competed in freestyle and finished third. In the third-place match, he scored an 11-second fall over Zach Doll. Doll was a reigning National Prep champion and would go on to wrestle collegiately at Pittsburgh. As late as May 22, the plan was still for Woodley to attend Nebraska. An article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch mentioned that he was still committed to the Cornhuskers and also asked him about his future outside of wrestling. "I would like to give back to the community," he said. "I plan to accomplish this by teaching young children that there is someone for them to look up to. I will show them that they are loved and tell them how important they are to our future." Seven days later the same newspaper reported that Woodley had signed with Missouri. Head coach Brian Smith spoke with ESPN.com about recruiting Woodley for an article published last year. "Tyron was thinking about going to Nebraska," he said. "I remember driving down to do a home visit, and he grew up in Ferguson, Missouri. It was a rough area. I sat with his mom and just let her know that we are close enough to home. She was like, 'I want him to stay out there and be in Columbia and hang with his friends there.' His mom was happy for him to get away from the area and grow up here through college." College Redshirt season (2000-2001) Woodley redshirted his first season in Columbia and competed in a variety of open tournaments. He won the freshman/sophomore division at the Missouri Open and finished second at both the Lindenwood Open and Glen Brand Open. He led all Missouri redshirt freshmen in terms of wins. Freshman season (2001-2002) After his redshirt campaign, Woodley joined the starting lineup for the Tigers. He broke through early in the season with a runner-up performance at the Reno Tournament of Champions. He made the finals at 165 pounds before coming up short against Eugene Harris of Oregon in a 5-3 match. Not only did Woodley get off to a hot start individually, but the Tigers were rolling as well. They had won 11 straight dual matches and risen to No. 9 in the rankings when they welcomed No. 5 Oklahoma State to Columbia on Jan. 25. A then-record 1,138 fans came out to witness the match. Woodley dropped a 6-3 decision against Tyrone Lewis, and the Cowboys won the dual 26-7. Back in 2002, the top three finishers at each weight in the Big 12 earned a spot at the NCAA tournament. Woodley entered the conference tournament as the fourth seed. In the third-place match, he nearly upset Robbie Waller of Oklahoma but eventually dropped an 8-6 overtime match. Woodley clearly closed the gap as he surrendered a first-period fall less than a month before the match. Despite the fourth-place finish, Woodley was awarded one of the conference's wildcards and made his way to his first NCAA tournament. Woodley entered the field as an unseeded wrestler. He won his first-round match over Scott Roth of Cornell before falling against Mark Fee of Appalachian State. Once in the consolation bracket, Woodley defeated Bill Boeh (Duquesne) and Carl Fronhofer (Pittsburgh) to reach the round of 12 -- one match away from becoming an All-American. His match against Fronhofer was apparently quite a spectacle and came down to a last-minute exchange. Fronhofer spoke with The Post-Star (Glen Falls, N.Y.) following the bout. "I was down by one with five seconds left, and I went to throw the guy," Fronhofer explained. "The ref on the mat called two (points for a takedown), but the other ref said time was out. It was real crazy. Everybody in the gym thought I had two -- 13,000 people were yelling that I had two. We protested and they deliberated for about half an hour, but they denied our protest." Despite Fronhofer's objections, Woodley advanced to the next round. His match against Doc Vecchio of Penn State went to overtime, but in the end, Woodley was eliminated via a 10-8 score. He finished the season with a 21-12 record. After the season, he was awarded the Marshall Esteppe Award, which is given to Missouri's Most Outstanding Freshman. Sophomore season (2002-2003) Woodley began his sophomore season ranked eighth in the InterMat rankings. Early in the season, he won the Harold Nichols Open with a 3-2 victory over Iowa's Mark Mueller in the finals. Woodley then had an early run-in with the No.1 ranked Matt Lackey of Illinois in the finals of the Missouri Open and lost 6-4. In late January, Woodley scored a first-period fall over Wes Roberts, which was vital to the Tigers' victory over Oklahoma. However, the following week, he was upset via eventual UFC competitor Matt Veach, who was wrestling for Eastern Illinois at the time. Missouri hosted the 2003 Big 12 tournament and once again Woodley would need to fight his way through a tough field to qualify for the NCAA tournament. However, things broke in his favor early in the tournament. Iowa State's Nick Passolano knocked off returning All-American Tyrone Lewis (Oklahoma State) in a double-overtime semifinal match. Woodley had struggled against Lewis throughout his career, and he would now face a much more favorable matchup if he made it to the finals. In his own semifinal, he defeated Jacob Klein of Nebraska to set up the final against Passalano. Nate Carlisle summarized the bout for the March 9 edition of The Des Moines Register. "In [Passolano's] final against Missouri's Tyron Woodley, the score was tied, 1-1, with about 20 seconds remaining in the third period and the wrestlers neutral," he wrote. "Woodley then appeared to take down Passolano and put him on his back. The referee signaled a takedown, but then waved it off -- over screaming protests from the Missouri fans -- when Passolano quickly jumped to his feet and hoisted one of Woodley's legs into the air. The pair fell off the mat… The match went to overtime where Woodley scored a takedown and a two-point nearfall with 41 seconds remaining for a 5-1 win." With the victory, Woodley not only qualified for his second NCAA tournament, but he also became the first-ever Big 12 Conference champion in Missouri history. Woodley entered the 2003 NCAA tournament as the fifth seed. In his first-round match, he scored a 7-2 decision victory over Nick Nemeth (Kent State), who would go on to perform as Dolph Ziggler for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He then bested Central Michigan's Kevin Carr in the second round. In the quarterfinals, Woodley ran into Jacob Volkmann (Minnesota). Like the Missouri wrestler, Volkmann would also go on to have an extensive UFC career, and he defeated Woodley 4-0 to advance to the semifinals. Woodley found himself one match away from All-American status for the second straight season. This time he secured a 4-2 victory over Noel Thompson of Hofstra to become an All-American for the first time. The eighth-place finish as well as a runner-up performance from teammate Scott Barker at 184 pounds led the Tigers to their highest finish in 11 years. Tyron Woodley compiled a record of 110-38 as a four-year starter at Missouri (Photo/Missouri Athletics) Junior season (2003-2004) InterMat ranked Woodley seventh at 165 pounds to start his junior season. The Tigers were ranked 12th as a team, and they had an early season meeting with No. 1 Oklahoma State. The match took place at Hazelwood Central High School, which is only a 15-minute drive from Woodley's high school alma mater. He would drop another decision against rival Tyrone Lewis, but the Tigers pulled off the upset in front of their home-state fans. Woodley spoke succinctly with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch following the dual. "I wasn't as quick as I needed to be. That disappointed me, but tonight was big for us." Despite the early season struggle, Woodley headed into the new year with momentum. In late December, he won the Southern Scuffle. In the semifinals, he avenged a previous defeat with a 5-4 decision win over Volkmann and then iced the tournament over Virginia Tech's Chris Stith in the finals. The returning Big 12 champion brought a 21-8 record into the 2004 edition of the tournament. Woodley suffered an upset in his first match and dropped a one-point decision against Charles Jones (Oklahoma). The early loss set up a rematch of the previous year's final with a bid to the NCAA tournament on the line. This time Iowa State's Passolano had his number and took the bout via a 3-1 score. Unlike his freshman season, a wildcard berth did not materialize. Woodley missed his first NCAA tournament as a starter at Missouri. Senior season (2004-2005) Prior to the start of Woodley's senior season, Missouri head coach Brian Smith spoke with the Tigers athletics website. "Tyron has tremendous talent and technique entering his senior year," he said. "Tyron and the coaching staff have only one goal for this season and it's a goal we all think Tyron can attain to cap off his successful Missouri campaign." Woodley spent the entire season ranked in the top 10 and entered a stacked Big 12 tournament. The five-person field included Woodley, who was ranked fifth, No. 3 Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State), No. 6 Travis Paulson (Iowa State) and No. 8 Jacob Klein (Nebraska). In the semifinals, Woodley knocked off Paulson in a close 2-1 match, while Hendricks needed overtime to pull out a 6-4 win over Klein. Those results set up a final between two eventual UFC champions. The two were scheduled to fight many years later, but the bout fell through at the last minute. Woodley discussed his frustration with this finals match after their fight left him without a shot at redemption. Hendricks took a 4-1 decision and the Big 12 title. Woodley still qualified for his third NCAA tournament. His accomplishments were enough to earn him the fifth seed, and he won his first two matches over Donny Reynold (Illinois) and Mike Patrovich (Hofstra). Woodley then fell out of the championship hunt with a 3-0 decision loss against Mark Perry (Iowa). Woodley found himself in the round of 12 for the third time in his collegiate career. He faltered in his freshman season and pulled through as a sophomore. As a senior, he became an All-American with a dominant 11-0 decision over Justin Nestor of Pittsburgh. Woodley ended up finishing seventh and concluded his collegiate career as a two-time All-American and Big 12 champion. After finishing his career at Missouri, Woodley hung around the freestyle circuit for a few years, and he even made the finals of the 2006 University Nationals. In 2009, he made his professional MMA debut and a little over seven years after that he claimed the UFC title with a victory over Robbie Lawler. Even after a long professional career, Woodley still echoes the same sentiments he expressed as a high school senior. During his title reign he spoke with Sports Illustrated. "Why can't I be somebody that kids look up to?" he said. "When you come to the realization that you can be that person, then you can be." Match and tournament results as well as biographical information sourced from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Daily Journal (Flat River), Springfield News-Leader, The Courier (Waterloo, Iowa), The Dispatch (Moline, Illinois), Des Moines Register, The Oklahoman and the Journal Gazette (Mattoon, Illinois) unless otherwise noted.

Penn State's Nick Lee gets his hand raised after beating Ohio State's Luke Pletcher (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa -- Penn State senior student-athlete Nick Lee was among the 28 honorees named Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2019-20 academic year. He was chosen from a group of 350 students honored throughout the academic year who had displayed positive sportsmanship. One member of each varsity sports team on every campus was chosen by his or her institution as a Sportsmanship Award honoree, and two Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners were then selected from each institution. All of the Sportsmanship Award winners have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, these honorees must be in good academic standing and must have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Lee, who was to be the No. 2 seed at this year's NCAA Championship before the event was canceled by the NCAA, has been a leader on the Nittany Lions on and off the mat for three seasons. From the middle of his true freshman year when he had his redshirt pulled and went on to earn All-America honors, Lee has been the consummate teammate for head coach Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions. An outstanding leader both on the mat and in the classroom, Lee leads by example and is cited by the Lion coaching staff as one of Penn State's most disciplined wrestlers. Lee is a three-time National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National All-Academic honoree and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten pick.

Moments before the finals of the 2019 Junior National freestyle finals (Photo/David Peterson, Minnesota/USA Wrestling) USA Wrestling has announced that the 2020 U.S. Marine Corps Junior and 16U National Championships at the Fargodome on the campus of North Dakota State in Fargo, N.D. has been canceled. The competition, recognized as the largest wrestling tournament in the world, had been scheduled for July 17-24. With input from its state leadership as well as its COVID-19 Special Committees, USA Wrestling believes that this is the responsible thing to do in order to maintain the long term viability of the sport. As has been the case since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the health and safety of USA Wrestling members and the entire wrestling community remains the No. 1 priority for the organization. Based upon information currently available, it was not feasible or prudent to host a major national championship in July, where participants will come from all different areas in the nation, many of which have vastly different local situations concerning COVID-19. High-performance experts indicate that it takes up to eight weeks to prepare for high-level competition, a factor which also went into the decision. This year would have marked the 50th year that the Junior Nationals (high school) portion of the event had been held, with the first Junior Nationals hosted in Iowa City, Iowa in 1971. USA Wrestling has either postponed or canceled 21 national or regional events since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. USA Wrestling has consistently stated that the expected progression of wrestling activity will likely begin locally, based upon health and government regulations, then move on to state, regional and national activity. With that in mind, USA Wrestling will focus on the working with its state association leadership to consider local, state and regional competitions in the upcoming months. Any such activity will only be possible when held under the guidelines set by local and state health authorities and in compliance with the safety measures being developed for the sport. On May 14, USA Wrestling published its "Return to the Mat Guidelines" document, which are guidelines and recommendations for the wrestling community as it makes decisions on a local level regarding when and how to safely resume wrestling activity. USA Wrestling is expecting to release its Return to Competition Guidelines document in the coming week.

Gino Frank GETTYSBURG, Pa. -- Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation Mike Mattia has announced long-time Gettysburg College wrestling assistant coach Gino Frank has been named the interim head coach for the 2020-21 campaign. Frank becomes the 18th head coach since the storied program began in 1930. He follows in the footsteps of former colleague Andy Vogel, who is poised to lead the reemergence of the wrestling program at Hiram College. Frank and Vogel worked side-by-side for 13 years guiding the Bullets on the wrestling mat. "I want to thank Gino for taking on this extra responsibility during these uncertain times," said Mattia. "He has been a part of our wrestling program for over a decade, and has played an integral role in building and maintaining a successful program that competes on a national level. I know no one is more dedicated or will work harder than Gino when it comes to providing a great experience for our wrestlers and preparing them for success on the mat." "I am extremely excited for this opportunity that Gettysburg has given to me," said Frank. "For the past 13 years, I've had a tremendous amount of pride in working as an assistant wrestling coach at Gettysburg College. The reputation of Gettysburg College academics combined with the strength of our athletic department and the student-athletes that I've had an opportunity to work with over the years has created the source of this great pride. As I work to continue the development of our Bullet wrestlers, I will greatly miss working with coaches Andy Vogel and Pankil Chander. I've learned a lot from them and wish them the best with their new coaching jobs." Since Frank arrived in 2007, Gettysburg has produced 10 NCAA Division III qualifiers, three All-Americans, eight Centennial Conference champions, and 19 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-Americans. He has coached six of the seven Bullets to win over 100 career matches. Frank coached Andrew Goldstein '08 when he became the first Gettysburg grappler to attain All-America status in a decade with an eighth-place finish at 157 pounds in 2008. He also mentored Zach Thomson who finished third at 174 in 2013 and Paul Triandafilou '19 who was the first-ever Gettysburg All-American at heavyweight with a fifth-place showing in 2016. Overall, the Bullets competed on the national stage eight times over the last 13 seasons. As a team, Gettysburg recorded four-straight winning seasons from 2014-15 to 2017-18, marking its longest streak since the 1970s. The Bullets finished as high as third twice at the CC Championships and placed eighth at the NCAA Division III East Regional in 2017. Frank brings an impressive resume as a coach away from Gettysburg. A USA Wrestling Silver Certified Coach, he is the founder and head coach of the Modern Day Gladiators Club in Central Pennsylvania. Modern Day Gladiators has produced 44 Greco-Roman, Freestyle, and Women's Freestyle All-Americans, 59 Northeast Regional Medalists, five Greco-Roman World Team Trials qualifiers, five Olympic Training Center invitees, and three Pan-Am Games gold medalists since 2009. Prior to establishing the Modern Day Gladiator Club, Frank coached with the Icebreakers Wrestling club, producing seven All-Americans and 11 Northeast Regional medalists. From 2006 to 2008, Frank led the Pennsylvania National Greco-Roman Team and helped the team win back-to-back national championships. He also served as a coach with the Minnesota Storm Junior National Greco-Roman Team (2009-12) and the New York National Greco-Roman Team (2013-2018). During his tenure with Team New York, they recorded a fourth-place finish with three national champions at the 2014 USA Wrestling National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota. Frank made his return to the Pennsylvania National Team in 2019 as the head Junior Greco-Roman coach. In his first year back, the team climbed 14 places from its finish the previous year to place fourth on the strength of nine All-Americans. Frank is a 1995 graduate of Bucknell University where he double-majored in history and geography. Prior to being sidelined due to injury early his career, Frank won silver medals at both the Greco-Roman and Freestyle Pennsylvania Open Championships. He later earned a varsity letter as a student assistant coach for Bucknell. An accomplished wrestler, Frank won a silver medal at the U.S. Master's Greco-Roman National Championships in Las Vegas. He pinned each of his three opponents en route to earning Master's Division All-American status. Frank also competed at the NYAC International Greco-Roman Tournament and was inducted into the Mid-Western Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 2006. Frank is an educator away from the wrestling mat and has over 20 years of service teaching social studies at Mechanicsburg Middle School. His previous teaching stops include Immaculate High School in Danbury, Conn., and Warren County High School in Front Royal, Va. Despite the loss of the team's top competitor in regional place-winner Colin Devlin '20, Gettysburg is poised to return 23 wrestlers from a very young squad. The Bullets started at least six freshmen in the majority of dual matches during 2019-20. Frank will continue to develop the younger wrestlers while looking for potential impact recruits to push Gettysburg into the mix for its first Centennial crown in the years ahead. His previous relationships with the current roster proved a key factor in determining the direction of the program following Vogel's announcement last month. "The relationships he has built with our wrestlers and the leadership he provides," noted Mattia, "will be vital during what is sure to be a very unconventional academic and athletic year." "One of my main goals is to add 10-to-15 quality student-athletes to our roster with each incoming class," said Frank. "I also want to help each wrestler develop their full potential both on the mat and in the classroom. Finally, as we strive to build conference and regional place-winners as well as All-Americans, I would like to guide a team that raises Gettysburg College's first-ever Centennial Conference wrestling championship banner in Bream Gymnasium."

Floyd "Shorty" Hitchcock. Some of you might have known him. Shorty was an NCAA champion at Bloomsburg University and the head wrestling coach at Millersville University. Shorty also coached Ricky and Rocky Bonomo at Lake Lehman High School. Shorty was an anomaly. He passed way too soon from pancreatic cancer in 2002 at the age of 50. Many people probably knew him better than me. My time with him was only a few short years. I wrestled for him from 1994-1997 at Millersville University. After finishing my eligibility, I was one of his assistant coaches during the 1998-99 season. I also worked at his wrestling camps and the pool he managed during the summer. In my adult life, I wish I would have had the opportunity to know him longer. I was a young coach when he passed. My memories of him still make me smile when I think about him. Shorty was full of energy. A jokester who could make practically anyone laugh and feel at ease when you were around him. Honestly, he was one of the most enjoyable people I've ever met. He was a big burly guy who could almost literally lift a house. However, he had a soft side that when you needed someone to talk to, he was there. Shorty was a special and unique individual. Almost a character amongst himself. A mythical person even while he was alive. We would refer to Shorty's antics as "Shorty Stories." And there were quite a few. I know from experience many that were true. Others were urban legends fabricated or embellished to make his stories more interesting. Thinking about it now, I do not believe I have met anyone like Shorty. I am confident in my lifetime that I will not meet anyone like him again. He had something about him that made him larger than life. Floyd "Shorty" HitchcockI once watched Shorty lift a stack of weights on an old universal weight machine with one arm. To some, that may not seem impressive or extraordinary. But when you understand that our entire team of college wrestlers could not budge the stack with two arms, it was unworldly. He walked up with a look of comical disgust. Shorty couldn't understand why none of us -- including our bigger guys -- could lift the weights even an inch. To this day, I am not sure how much it was. It was the entire stack of weights pinned at the bottom on a chest-high military press. We were a bunch of young kids doing a needless challenge at the end of a workout. Shorty looked at the weights. Put one arm on the bar and pressed it straight up, not once, but three times. He then put the weights down as we looked on with amazement. He turned to us and giggled. The infamous Shorty Hitchcock giggle. The devious laugh that we all knew him for. Eyes squinted and the big grin on his face. "Rambo" was the once a season conditioning activity where we would run in the woods for hours with the sole objective to not get caught by Shorty. It was the last man standing type of thing. How long could you make it without being found and taken out of the game? I laugh thinking about it now. Twenty-five or so 18-22-year-old young men trying to not be seen by a 40-something-year-old wrestling coach. The exercise was equally adrenaline-filled as it was entertaining. You never knew where he would surprise you. He had a knack for finding you when you least suspected. From a distance, you would hear, "Run, there he is," followed by leaves rustling and branches cracking and the sound of the infamous giggle. When Shorty found you, you were in trouble. He attacked you quickly in stealth fashion. You were out of the challenge before you had time to react. More funny, though, was after he caught you, he disappeared without a trace. Shorty wasn't a small guy in any respect. Teammates would ask where he went. We had no idea. Forward rolls down the bleachers. Shorty found ways to make workouts, practice, or regular events unnormal and unique. It was more fun for him that way. It was more fun for us as well. You never knew what to expect. One preseason workout, we ran sprints and did bleacher running, and buddy carries, wheelbarrows, and jumping up and down the steps. After we finished our set, Shorty would tell us what to do next. I still remember vividly, "Forward rolls." I looked at my teammate Matt, and said, "What did he just say?" We did forward rolls down the bleachers. Shorty didn't tell you how. He told us to start at the top and make it down. We had to figure out the rest. Jungle gym and pull-up bar competitions. Head-to-head singe pull-up bar tournaments and WWF battle royal free-for-alls on the jungle gym. Who could stay on the pull-up bar the longest? No rules. Do what you could to stay on and do what you needed to get your teammates off the bar. You can use your imagination. The long runs on backcountry roads of Amish Country Pennsylvania. Eight to ten-mile runs. No time limit. Shorty would give hand-drawn maps and tell you to make it back to campus. Periodically, Shorty would drive by, stop, and ask us how we were doing. Then giggle, and drive away. We would wait until everyone was back. Teammates would return back to the gym from all different directions laughing at the events from the run. The cows, wrong turns, and weird looks from people who drove by on the empty cornfield laced roads miles from campus. Puke Hill. An overgrown steep uphill trail behind Pucillo Gymnasium. Up and down over and over again. You'd finish exhausted and dirty with cuts and scrapes all over you from the brush. To this day, one of the toughest things I have ever done. I remember laying on the ground on a crisp fall day, praying that we were done after tenth time up the hill. Shorty Games. Full contact indoor soccer, a manhunt in the wrestling room, and any other creative ways to make our days less mundane. As I said, you never knew what to expect when you were with Shorty. Two on one wrestling matches against him. You and a teammate went live matches against him. If you were wondering, Shorty always won. Never-ending push-up workouts, close grip, wide grip, and whatever he could think of. Sandbag tossing workouts. If he could think about it, we did it. There are many more stories I could tell about Shorty on bus trips, or during wrestling camps. It was always an adventure. Shorty was a different person. He did things how he wanted to do them. Many loved him, but some others didn't. He was a controversial figure. I loved him and recognized the extreme workouts, and off-the-wall, games were ways to make us more hardened and calloused to prepare us for a demanding wrestling season. To me, I am grateful that I had the opportunity to know him. I think about the stuff we did and the things he used to say. I remember the times when he would duck in mid-conversation like something was falling from above. Only to see your worried reaction. Or when he would ask if you ever saw a "dog jaw? "Dog jaw?" you questioned back. "Yes," he would say "like cauliflower ear but on your jaw." Then as you reached for his chin to see what he meant, he would abruptly bark like he was going to bite your hand. You nervously would pull your hand away. Then, he would giggle. The infamous Shorty Hitchcock giggle.

Lincoln Christian School has added a wrestling program, naming A.B. Stokes as the new mat program's first head coach, the Tulsa World reported Tuesday. Jerry Ricke, Lincoln Christian's athletic director, said the school has been looking to add a wrestling program for some time. Stokes, a 2002 graduate of Austin High School in Chicago, has served as a wrestling coach on both the high school and collegiate level. Stokes has 15 years of experience coaching high school wrestling. He has coached seven individual state champions, eight state finalists and 43 state qualifiers. Stokes spent the past two years as associate head football coach at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas, and was an assistant wrestling coach the past three years at Newton High School. Prior to Newton, Stokes was head football and track coach and wrestling assistant at Larned (Kansas) for six years (2012-17). Lincoln Christian School is a highly-rated, private, Christian school located in Tulsa, Okla. It has 1,000 students in grades PK, K-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 12 to 1. After graduation, 71% of students from this school go on to attend a 4-year college.