InterMat Staff

As the result of a concerted effort to accommodate the growing number of female wrestlers, the 2020-21 high school wrestling rules changes are headlined by significant adjustments to weigh-in protocol and appropriate hair length requirements. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee met April 5-6 and recommended 11 rules changes to take effect next school year. In accordance with current health safety guidelines, the rules meeting was held in an online format. All rules revisions recommended by the Wrestling Rules Committee were approved by the NFHS Board of Directors. "These rule changes are some of the most prolific modifications in the history of high school wrestling," said Elliot Hopkins, NFHS director of sports and student services and liaison to the Wrestling Rules Committee. "The rules committee made necessary, drastic changes to attract more young people to our sport without sacrificing the health and safety of the participants." The weigh-in procedure was altered through a combination of changes to Rule 4, Section 5 (Weighing-In) of the Wrestling Rule Book. Following an amendment to the legal uniform laid out in Rule 4-1-1c, which now permits female wrestlers to wear a form-fitted compression shirt that completely covers their breasts in addition to a one-piece singlet and a suitable undergarment, Rule 4-5-7 was rewritten to require that a legal uniform be worn during weigh-in and that no additional weight allowance be granted. An additional clause prohibiting shoes and ear guards during weigh-in was also written into 4-5-7. Weighing-in with a legal uniform allowed the Committee to break down more gender barriers with subsequent changes to Rules 4-5-1, 4-5-2 and 4-5-4. Previously, weigh-ins consisted of shoulder-to-shoulder lineups of each contestant that: were separated by gender (4-5-2), took place a maximum of one hour prior to competition (4-5-1) and required supervision by a referee of each respective gender (4-5-4). With the institution of the legal uniform (one-piece singlet or two-piece), male and female wrestlers are now able to weigh-in together in the same lineup, allowing gender-specific language to be removed from all three rules. Additionally, the form-fitted compression shirt offers females a more suitable uniform for post-weigh-in skin checks, which are typically done by male officials. "The change to the weighing-in process is remarkably timely, as schools have struggled in the past to identify adult females to weigh-in the female wrestlers," Hopkins said. "This action accommodates transgender children as well; it respects their rights and dignity and addresses any modesty concerns for any affected children. We anticipate that the entire weigh-in process will be expedited and more efficient." Significant changes to the hair length rule (Rule 4-2-1) were also linked to the committee's focus on inclusion. Previously, a wrestler's hair could not "extend below the top of an ordinary shirt collar" in the back, below earlobe level on the sides or below the eyebrows in the front. Those confinements, along with the requirement that a hair cover be used for hair that exceeded said limitations, were deleted. Considerable support for this rule change from coaches and officials was generated by an initiative of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, which successfully experimented with relaxed hair restrictions this past winter. "Removing the hair-length rule is a monumental change," Hopkins said. "It is important to embrace the current culture of young boys and girls who are expressing themselves through their appearance, making this the perfect opportunity to extend wrestling to young people who otherwise would not be attracted to our sport. While the hair-length restriction has been removed, the requirement that hair control devices/treatment items cannot be hard, abrasive or sharp remains. If a hair cover is used, it shall be attached to the ear guards. Additionally, the barring of oils, or greasy substances on or in the hair is still in effect." Another modification to the wrestling uniform came through Rule 4-1-3. In order to curtail participants from intentionally lacing their shoes too loosely to cause a stoppage in the action and potentially thwart an opponent's scoring opportunity, a technical violation will be assessed in any instance where a shoe comes off, and the injury clock will be started to correct the situation. This change is made under the assumption that a wrestler is, in fact, properly equipped to wrestle when the match begins, as a wrestling shoe that is properly laced and secured will not typically come off. Technical violations were the subject of change in Rule 7-3-1 as well. To avoid penalizing a participant twice for the same sequence of events, wording was added to 7-3-1 declaring that points will not be awarded to a wrestler whose opponent has fled the mat if that wrestler has already scored for a near-fall or takedown. Under Rule 8-1-4, a match will now automatically be stopped and restarted in the event a wrestler commits a fourth stalling violation. Previously, if the offender was called for a fourth stall of the match while in the defensive or neutral position, there was no guarantee his or her opponent would be awarded choice of position through a restart if the violation occurred during the third period. "This rule remedies that if the fourth stall occurs in the third period there might not be an opportunity to restart before the end of the match," Hopkins said. "This rule change assures that the offending wrestler is held accountable and subsequent points are awarded to the opponent." Based on the hair-length changes, Rule 5-29-1, which addresses unnecessary roughness, was edited to include "pulling an opponent's hair" as an additional example of the offense. Finally, a new article was added to Rule 8-2 dealing with participant injuries. Rule 8-2-9 has been designed to discourage wrestlers from requesting injury time from the official as an attempt to stop an opponent from scoring. If the referee determines a wrestler would have scored had the injury time-out not taken place, the injured contestant will be charged an injury time-out and applicable points will be awarded to the non-injured party. According to the 2018-19 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, wrestling is the seventh-most popular sport for boys with 247,441 participants in 10,843 schools. In addition, the number of female wrestlers increased by almost 5,000 participants in 2018-19, as 21,124 girls competed in 2,890 schools.

The Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) Executive Board unanimously voted to make girls wrestling an official team sport, removing its "emerging sport" status. The organization responsible for high school sports in the state of Arizona has further refined its state championships for girls wrestling to include team titles, not just individual champions. The AIA will award state tournament-qualifying section championship plaques for girls in each of its eight sections as well as state championship winners and second-place trophies. With these AIA-approved changes -- to be implemented for the 2020-21 season -- girls' wrestling competition will bear a stronger resemblance to the way boys' competition works. AIA Sports Administrator Dean Visser told the Arizona Republic that the AIA's intent for these changes is to continue combining its four boys wrestling divisions and the girls' division to occur during the same weekend and at the same location. The boys' and girls' wrestling state tournaments are headed to Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix next season, moving from its usual venue at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott. Despite these changes, some things will remain the same. Girls wrestling teams will continue to compete in one division, with ten weight classes. "The AIA is excited to continue promoting the sport of girls wrestling and we look forward to seeing our young female athletes participate in the great sport of wrestling," Visser told the Arizona Republic.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Barry Hart, a successful coach with the Beat The Streets wrestling organization in New York City, has been named as an assistant women's wrestling coach at New Jersey City University, head coach Elena Pirozhkova has announced. Hart is the second member of the first-ever women's wrestling staff in NJCU history, which launches as a varsity program in Fall, 2020. Barry HartHart, 25, has been a wrestling coach at Beat The Streets Wrestling -- a grassroots organization that has transformed the landscape and culture of wrestling in New York City, developing the athletic potential of urban youth and strengthening the wrestling culture within the city and beyond. Hart has coached with BTS since 2013 and has served as a program associate with the organization since 2016. He was honored as the 2019 Beat the Streets Assistant Coach of the Year. "Barry is the perfect addition to the program because he really knows wrestling in this area," Pirozhkova said. "His perspective of working with inner city kids is so valuable. Additionally, his ability to connect with the kids and recruit is going to be key moving our program forward.". In addition to Beat The Streets, Hart has also served as a high school assistant coach at the Wingate Educational Campus in Brooklyn, N.Y., helping the program to a 40-21 overall record, the 2019 Blended 2 Division Champions and the 2017 Girls Brooklyn Division championship. Hart, a 2017 graduate of Hunter College with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, wrestled collegiately for four years. He competed for the Hawks at 149 pounds from 2014-16 for coaches Chris Mazzatta and Carlos Dolmo. He began his collegiate career at Niagara County Community College, where he was an NJCAA All-Academic Team selection, competing from 2012-14 for coach Keith Maute. Hart is a 2012 alum of Wingate Educational Campus where he was a four-year wrestler for the Generals (2008-12) for coach Steven Flanagan. A 2012 New York Greco all-state selection, Hart was a two-time PSAL finalist (2011 and 2012). He was crowned the 2012 NYC Mayor's Cup champion and captured the 2012 Brooklyn Borough championship. He was a two-year team captain as a junior and senior (2011-12). He resides in New York City.

ASHLAND -- Southern Oregon University Director of Athletics Matt Sayre is staying in-house to pick Mike Ritchey's successor, at least for now. Sayre announced Monday that Joel Gibson, who completed his first season as the Raiders' head women's wrestling coach in 2019-20, will additionally oversee the men's program in 2020-21. A national search to replace Ritchey, SOU's head men's coach of 25 years, had been in progress before the COVID-19 disruption prompted SOU to enact a hiring freeze. The search will be revisited next year. Joel GibsonIn a pair of coinciding moves, Bob Bergen will be elevated to head women's assistant coach and Tucker Van Matre to head men's assistant. Both served on Gibson's women's staff this season. "We're experiencing strange times right now and have had to make adjustments to our normal process," Sayre said. "Fortunately, we have a strong leader like Joel to take our wrestling programs through this challenging period. He's a dynamic coach who knows the strong tradition of our men's wrestling program. He's an alum, a great recruiter, and team builder. The men's team will definitely benefit from his experience and the women's team will continue to grow and compete at the high level they expect." Gibson guided his first SOU women's team to an 8-2 dual record. The Raiders were No. 3 in the NAIA coaches' poll and boasted eight individuals with top-10 rankings going into the NAIA Invitational Tournament, which was canceled the day before it was scheduled to begin. Gibson finished his collegiate wrestling career with the Raiders in 2006-07 and was an All-American at 165 pounds. From 2007-19, he was on Ritchey's staff for a total of eight seasons - during which time the Raiders produced 10 individual national championships and 31 All-America performances - and between stints was Phoenix High School's head coach from 2014-17. "I'm excited to have the challenge and opportunity to lead both programs next year," Gibson said. "We had a great group of young women who brought the program to national title contention and will no doubt be in contention again next year, and the men's program has a talented young core that's ready to get back to national prominence. We have a lot of hungry, motivated wrestlers and we're continuing to put together an already talented coaching staff that will get the most out of them." In addition to Bergen - who was an assistant under Bob Riehm for 10 years, and has been back at SOU coaching in a volunteer capacity since retiring from Eagle Point High in 2007 - and Van Matre, who was a three-time national qualifier at SOU from 2010-14, the staffs will be stacked with standout alums. Miguel Baltazar and Derek Rottenberg will remain in place and be joined by four-time national champion Brock Gutches from the men's side, and Olivia Pizano and Anesia Ramirez will be back from the women's side after recently completing their senior seasons. The Raider men went 5-8 in dual action in 2019-20. They were limited to one point at the national tournament, though they've posted 11 top-five finishes in the last 20 years.

Cash Wilcke wrestling Minnesota's Owen Webster in a dual meet (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) ESTHERVILLE, Iowa -- Iowa Lakes head wrestling coach Cody Alesch announced the addition of three-time NCAA qualifier Cash Wilcke to the staff as a graduate-assistant coach. "We couldn't be more excited about Cash joining our staff," Alesch said. "He had a great career at the University of Iowa and was a very accomplished Iowa high school wrestler. He will bring a great skill set to our room, be a great mentor for our guys and will have an immediate impact on our program. I have always enjoyed the way he competes and there is no doubt his character will be influential around Iowa Lakes. The graduate assistants here are my assistants so they get to be hands on in every aspect of the program." "I'm really excited to be part of the Iowa Lakes wrestling organization and start working with the guys," Wilcke said. "Looking forward to build off the strong season they had last year and put our athletes in the best possible position for success." A native of Ida Grove, Iowa, Wilcke spent five seasons as a Hawkeye, reaching the NCAAs in 2017, 2018 and 2019. In 2017 and 2018 Cash competed at 197 pounds. His redshirt freshman season ended with a 7-6 loss in the blood-round and earned Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie second team. As a sophomore Cash won the Midlands title while posting a 21-8 overall record that started with a 13-match win streak. He took sixth at the Big Tens earning his second trip to the NCAA tournament before again losing in the blood round. His junior season he dropped down to 184 pounds where he won a career high 23 matches, placed fifth in the Big Tens and was 2-2 at the NCAAs. The 184-pounder reached as high as No. 10 in the national rankings. During his time at OA-BCIG High School, Wilcke was a two-time Iowa state champion, four-time state placer and four-time conference champion.

Josh Hokit was ranked No. 10 at 285 pounds in the final rankings of the season (Photo/Fresno State Athletics) Josh Hokit, Fresno State heavyweight wrestler and running back, will continue his football career after signing an undrafted free agent agreement with the San Francisco 49ers. The former Bulldog walk-on agreed to his UDFA deal shortly after Saturday's NFL Draft. Here's what Hokit posted on his Twitter account this weekend: "The Bulldog career of Josh Hokit is one the most successful and unique paths that Fresno State has seen," the website 247sports.com reported this weekend. "The local prospect from Clovis High School walked onto the football team in 2016 after turning down wrestling scholarships elsewhere. His freshman year began at linebacker, but by the season's final two games he had moved into a starting running back role." "It meant everything," Hokit said. "Coming out of high school, I didn't think I was going to be here. I was going to go back East. My gut was telling me to stay here and play in front of my friends and family and it was the best decision I ever made." In addition to his success on the gridiron at Fresno State, Hokit managed to make a name for himself on the mat for the Bulldogs, earning NCAA All-American honors as a junior (placing fifth in the 197-pound weight class at the 2019 NCAAs), then named an All-American as a senior in the 285-pound weight class for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. (Hokit had been the No. 12 seed for the NCAAs, which were canceled prior to the event because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.) Prior to arriving at Fresno State, Hokit had wrestled at Clovis High where he earned the 182-lb. state title in 2016, and was three-time CIF State Medalist. He was ranked as high as number three in the nation as a senior.

Noah Adams after picking up a win in the semifinals of the Southern Scuffle (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Noah Adams, 197-pound redshirt sophomore wrestler at West Virginia University, has been named winner of the annual Hardman Award for West Virginia's amateur athlete of the year, as selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association. In the 86-year history of the award, Adams is only the second WVU grappler to receive the honor, which is named after the late A. L. (Shorty) Hardman, longtime Charleston Gazette newspaper sports editor/columnist. Prior to Adams, Mountaineer multi-time mat champ Greg Jones earned back-to-back Hardman honors in 2004 and 2005. Adams, a Coal City, West Virginia, native, became WVU's first Big 12 Wrestler of the Year on April 1, and was named a finalist for the 2020 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy, presented by ASICS, on March 20. He finished the 2019-20 campaign with a 32-0 record, marking the third time a WVU grappler ended a season undefeated. Adams became the second wrestler in program history to win a Big 12 Conference title on March 8, earning a 5-1 decision over South Dakota State's Tanner Sloan at 197 pounds. He completed the season with a 13-0 record against conference opponents and was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 31 and Jan 21. Although Adams was announced as the No. 2 seed at 197 pounds at the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, the Nationals were canceled by the NCAA because of the coronavirus pandemic. "His success is certainly deserved," WVU head coach Tim Flynn told West Virginia Metro News. "While some people look at his record and his ranking and are shocked, but, believe me, if you saw what he did all summer, the amount of work he put in, how hard he trains, you wouldn't have that reaction at all." Adams echoed his coach's comments, saying, "My work effort has gone up and I've stepped it up in practice. I took my offseason work seriously and really worked on my conditioning. Those have been the big things I really wanted to work on heading into the season." In this year's voting, Adams' hard work helped him edge out three other athletes from the state of West Virginia, including InterMat No. 1 recruit Braxton Amos, a 220-pound wrestler at Parkersburg South High with three state titles and an unbeaten record. Amos has signed with University of Wisconsin.

Quincy Monday wrestling Rider's Jesse Dellavecchia (Photo/Beverly Schaefer, Princeton Athletics) NCAA wrestling may be over prematurely, but the lives of the student-athletes go on. COVID-19 put a halt to the NCAA wrestling season right before the national tournament was to start, ending the careers of many seniors, and the season for all. The NWCA announced its selections for All-America honors regardless. On that list was Princeton sophomore Quincy Monday. Monday wrestled to a 24-4 record and was one of three Princeton wrestlers selected by the NWCA for All-America honors. While the honor is nice, Monday says it's a bitter-sweet moment for him, wishing he could have had the opportunity to wrestle in the NCAAs this season. Regardless, he's thankful to be thought of for this award. "It feels good," Monday said. "In the sport of wrestling, everything comes down to that that last tournament in March. So to kind of have that taken away, it's kind of weird to still be named All-American." Outside of wrestling, Quincy Monday is still a student. He just declared his major and looks to continue his education. "I just declared my major, actually," said Monday. "I'm going to be majoring in medical anthropology. "I'm a pre-med student. So I'm interested in going to med school. I've been focused on that, trying to get those science classes out of the way." Quincy Monday's Olympic influence Monday's dad, of course, is Kenny Monday. He was an Olympic gold medalist and a huge part of Quincy's start in wrestling. Kenny won gold at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988 and earned an Olympic silver in 1992. He also competed in the 1996 Olympics. Quincy credits his dad for his early love in wrestling. It was the natural son looking up to a father that got him involved early on. "My dad ran a kids club and a teen club back in Texas," said Quincy. "When I was too young to wrestle, I still liked to go on to the practices and watch them. I couldn't wait to get on the mat. When I was old enough, about like 5 or 6, I started attending the practices. And so I've just been wrestling ever since." Quincy says his father was his inspiration. He was fortunate enough to be coached by someone who has succeeded at the highest levels of the sport and knew exactly how to make sure Quincy stayed healthy. "He's been like this coach since day one," said Quincy. "He's always been in my corner. He's always been the one to push me, get me to go the extra mile. I'm putting in the work. But also he also makes sure I keep a love for the sport because a lot of kids burn out when they start wrestling so young. So he's done a good job of keeping my love for the sport going. I'm grateful for that." Quincy Monday says there's a shadow he stands in of his father and what he's accomplished in the sport. But he is quick to point out how the pressure from being his father's son is not always a bad thing. "I would say it does bring some pressure, but you don't have to look at pressure negatively," said Monday. "I think it's kind of like an opportunity. My dad was a three-time Olympian. That's the pinnacle of our sport. So I think it would be amazing if I were able to someday reach that and kind of achieve what he achieved. He has kind of like set the goal for me. He was a trailblazer for me. I look up to him a lot. I'm just I'm thankful that I even have the opportunity to try to achieve what he has." With COVID-19 putting a halt to the season, Monday has taken it upon himself to keep in shape and continue training. He says the entire situation has been wild, but he has the tools to continue getting better. "It's kind of surreal," said Quincy. "Just like every other university, I was sent off campus. I'm back home now in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I kind of took I took some time off a little bit. Now I've just kind of been running on my own. I go in and wrestle with my dad. And then just trying to hang out with my brother. So it's really just kind of slowly getting back into it. I'm doing what we can under the circumstances." When asked about who wins the father-son matches, Quincy admits his dad has still got it. But he says his father's time is coming. "He's got me in the past, but I'm just getting faster and stronger at this point. He's getting a little old. I'll give them about one more year." Monday knows his dad won't go away quietly. "It's coming soon," said Quincy. "My dad, he's going to want to get me back. He's not going to want to go out on a loss." As for the future in college wrestling, Monday has one goal in mind: NCAA champion. He is continuing to work to become that dominant force he dreams of being. "I want to be the best that I can be, so of course national champion is the clear goal," said Quincy. "I want to reach a level in my wrestling where I'm just dominant. I'm just kind of like blowing everyone out of the water. So I think eventually I've got to aim for like the Hodge Trophy because that goes to the most dominant wrestler. If I am aiming for that, my training and wrestling will continue to grow." Quincy Monday also has Olympic goals. He plans to finish med school and keep training in the meantime. "I think I probably wait one or two years before applying to med school and keep training," said Quincy. "I want to make a team in those couple years. That's definitely the goal." Don't expect Monday to make the jump to mixed martial arts just because his father coached at Blackzilians. Monday isn't a fan of being punched in the face and would like to keep it that way. However, his brother Kennedy Monday is making the jump. "I really don't look forward to getting punched in the face, so I don't think that's the path for me. My brother actually talks a lot about going into MMA. But whenever we fight, he can't handle getting hit, so I don't know how that's going to work out," Monday said in brotherly jest. While this past season was cut short, Quincy Monday will make a run at the tournament next year as a junior at Princeton. Make sure to follow Quincy Monday's wrestling journey on Twitter and Instagram.

It's not every day that a school can add two women's intercollegiate sports programs in one day -- and welcome aboard a head coach for one of those new women's programs. Nick SotoYet that's what just happened at St. Andrews University in North Carolina, which announced Friday the addition of women's wrestling ... and along with hiring Nick Soto as the head coach for that new program. (St. Andrews also added beach volleyball to its roster of sports for female sports.) Thanks to explosive growth at the high school level in recent years, college-age women are finding more and more opportunities to compete in the "oldest and greatest sport." Soto is eager to guide women wrestlers to new competitive opportunities at St. Andrews. "We are extremely excited about the start of our women's wrestling program," according to Soto. "It's great to see more and more women competing in the sport and we are grateful to be able to provide an opportunity where these student-athletes can earn a quality education and compete at a high level. Laurinburg is a great place with a tight-knit, friendly community and we're eager to get going!" Athletic Director Elizabeth Burris weighed in with her support for these new competitive opportunities for female student-athletes, saying, "this is really good for our institution and something we've wanted to do for a long time." Burris added that these are the third and fourth sports that have been added to St. Andrews athletics in the last two years. St. Andrews University, a branch of Webber International University, is a private, Presbyterian, liberal arts college in Laurinburg, North Carolina. The University describes its mission is to offer students an array of business, liberal arts and sciences, and pre-professional programs of study that create a life-transforming educational opportunity which is practical in its application, global in its scope, and multi-disciplinary in its general education core. Students will acquire depth of knowledge and expertise in their chosen field of study, balanced by breadth of knowledge across various disciplines, while pursuing a degree at associate, bachelor, or master level. Special emphasis is placed on enhancing oral and written communication, and critical thinking skills. The international quality of the student body enriches personal experience and promotes understanding of international cultures and influences. Through an atmosphere in which self-discipline, creativity and cultivation of ethical standards are enhanced, the University is dedicated to teaching its students the "how to learn, how to think, and how to apply method" to each new challenge.

WHEELING, W.Va. -- Wheeling University has appointed August Wesley as Head Coach of the wrestling program, with the anticipation to be back on the mat for this upcoming season. August WesleyWesley joins Wheeling after a successful four-year stint running the Iowa State University club wrestling program. During his time in Ames, Wesley tutored 27 national qualifiers, four All-Americans, six Academic All-Americans, and guided the Cyclones to a fifth place in the 2018 NCWA National Championships. "I would like to thank Wheeling University President Ginny Favede, Carrie Hanna and the hiring committee for the opportunity to take the helm of this decorated program," Wesley said. "I feel confident that with the continued support from the administration and fans, we will foster a championship environment displaying continued growth on the mat and in the classroom. Together we will reignite the wrestling flame here in our community and showcase our fighting spirit." President Ginny R. Favede said, "Wheeling University is excited to rebuild its wrestling program and I am confident that in August Wesley we have found a superb coach who will lead our wrestlers with professionalism, technical knowledge, ambition and confidence along with the manner in which he exudes the enthusiasm to continue Wheeling University's history of success." "There are high expectations on this campus stemming from a strong culture with a history of success," Wesley added. "People from the region have already started reaching out to me and they can't wait to see our lineup plus watch us compete. They love wrestling here in the Northern Panhandle and are hungry for a national championship team and that inspires me to get the job done!" Prior to his time at Iowa State, Wesley spent four years as the head coach at California State University-Sacramento from 2011-15. He helped tutor six national qualifiers, one academic All-American and was named the NCWA Conference Coach of the Year. Wesley has led 14 United States teams in international competitions during his coaching career. His coaching efforts have taken him to 24 different countries on five continents. He has been honored twice with the Outstanding Coach's Award at competitions in Australia and Austria. As an athlete, Wesley had top-10 finishes in the 2012 and 2015 World Championships and competed in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Trials. He represented the U.S. on multiple international teams and was a six-time medalist throughout his wrestling career. Wesley has strong ties to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, having resided at the center during several trainings and competitions. "We can't sneak up on anyone because it's not a secret that the program has tallied 10 All-Americans, including three NCAA National Champions," he continued. "We will aim to build on that tradition, coupled with discipline, commitment and a challenging schedule. These are all vital in building a lasting program." "I am excited to continue building relationships with our alumni, boosters and wrestling family within West Virginia. My plan is to recruit nationally to bring in the best student athletes that will fit into our program goals and team mindset, so they can have a superior collegiate experience here at Wheeling University. We will to hit the ground running with a mix of young hungry Cardinals and seasoned grapplers. This 2020-21 brand of wrestling will be to stalk and attack our opponents, which will make for exciting matches. This is the most competitive region in the country so every dual or tournament is always meaningful."

Iowa attracted 14,905 fans against Penn State (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) In the previous 13 years, the University of Iowa's wrestling program led the nation in home attendance. One thing it hadn't done, though, was put over 10,000 fans into Carver-Hawkeye Arena for every dual in a season. That changed in 2019-20 as the Hawkeyes averaged a record 12,568.4 with seven home dates for a total of 87,979. It's not the largest total Iowa's ever produced, but the 87,979 is the largest total attendance for events solely at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The top crowd in Carver-Hawkeye was the 14,905 against Penn State. Penn State, which has sold out 55 straight duals in Rec Hall and 61 of the last 63 duals including its action in the Bryce Jordan Center, comes in second for the 10th straight season. With the 15,995 at the Bryce Jordan Center against Ohio State, Penn State's average came in at 7,604.1, approximately 1,200 more than what the capacity is at Rec Hall. Iowa State checked in third with an average of 4,794.6, which jumped the Cyclones to its highest attendance ranking since 2010 when they Cyclones averaged just north of 4,500 a dual. The 2019-20 home schedule was anchored by the CyHawk dual with Iowa, which drew 11,238, the 10th largest dual in Hilton Coliseum history. Rutgers set a school record for the number of wrestling season tickets sold this season and their home attendance showed through. The Scarlet Knights finished fourth, with an average of 4,155.9 fans in seven home dates. The opening of the Covelli Center gave Ohio State an engaging and intimate home mat experience. The Buckeyes averaged 4,117.5 fans in eight home dates. It's the sixth straight year Tom Ryan's squad has been ranked in the top five. Oklahoma State, Minnesota, Arizona State, Fresno State and Lehigh rounded out the Top 10. The 2019-20 numbers tied a record for most schools reporting an average of 1,000 fans per match, tying last year's mark of 24. There were 14 more schools that exceeded averages of 700 per dual, where last year, there were just seven. Of the Top 25 teams, 15 saw increases in average attendance from last season. The largest average increase was Iowa, which jumped 4,042.1, while Iowa State improved by 1,224.9 and Arizona State, which grew 1,161.5. Princeton and North Carolina also tracked attendance for the first time this year. Notes: The NCAA Division I wrestling attendance figures have been tracked by several members of the media since 2002. Denny Diehl of Roby Publishing started the process, while Alex Steen of The Open Mat and Jason Bryant of Mat Talk Online have also taken hold of the project. The numbers are collected in various ways, including official ticket counts. Some schools have less home dates reported as they held events that were not ticketed. Of the 79 Division I institutions in 2019-20, 59 reported numbers. Davidson was unable to complete its reporting, while Clarion's information was incomplete. There were 18 schools that did not track wrestling home attendance this year. By comparison, last season noted 17 schools not tracking attendance and five more schools that did not respond to attendance inquiries.

MT. PLEASANT, Iowa -- Shawn Contos will take the reigns of both the men's and women's wrestling programs at Iowa Wesleyan University beginning May 1, 2020. This announcement is made as Coach Robert Powell submits his resignation to pursue other professional opportunities. "I am pleased to announce Coach Contos as our head wrestling coach. His wealth of knowledge in freestyle and folkstyle wrestling, combined with his high energy and professionalism, make him an ideal candidate to lead both men's and wrestling programs", said Director of Athletics Derek Zander. Shawn ContosContos brings with him over 20 years of experience as a wrestling coach. He has coached and competed alongside many notable wrestlers throughout his years. Contos coached at Iowa State with Cael Sanderson and at Penn State with both Cody Sanderson and Casey Cunningham. While at PSU, Contos helped lead the team to four NCAA National Championship Titles. At ISU, he was with the team when they won the Big 12 Conference Championship, were third in the NCAA, and as they produced a USA NCAA National Champion. Contos is also familiar with club wrestling as he founded Mat Rat Wrestling in Ohio. He took a small group of wrestlers and grew the club in numbers every year. The club teaches young wrestlers proper nutrition, weight management, strength training, and conditioning, and allows the young wrestlers to grow in a healthy and competitive nature. In 2012, Contos qualified for the US Olympic Trials. In 2013, he was ranked 9th in the USA. He has titles as the Junior National Champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman and was a four-time USA All-American wrestler. Contos was also honored to be chosen as the Head Coach for the Ohio Junior National Wrestling Team by USA Wrestling, Ohio, in 2008. Tiger Athletics: Iowa Wesleyan University strives to provide its student-athletes the opportunity to be successful in life and sports. Engaged in the SLIAC and UMAC Conferences, Tiger athletics is a proud member of NCAA Division III.

It's a story that spans the decades, bringing together the winner of the 2020 Hodge Trophy ... and the mat legend whose name is on the award known as the "Heisman Trophy of amateur wrestling." Here's the Cliffs Notes version: Dan Hodge, three-time NCAA champ for the University of Oklahoma in the mid-1950s, inscribed the cover of the April 1, 1957 Sports Illustrated (the only issue of SI to ever feature an amateur wrestler on the front), to be presented to University of Iowa superstar Spencer Lee, who was named recipient of the 2020 Hodge Trophy, the annual award for the top college wrestler of the year by WIN Magazine. The story begins on April Fools' Day this year (no joking), with an email from Barb McReynolds to Andrew Hipps, InterMat co-owner and senior editor. "On April 1, I noticed a Facebook post from Mark Palmer about the 1957 Sports Illustrated cover that featured Dan Hodge. "I have a very unusual request that I don't know if you can help me with or not. My husband collected a few of these magazines. Before he died, he had always thought Spencer Lee would one day win the Hodge trophy and of course, now he has. "I am trying to find out if you know an address for Dan Hodge. Ideally, I'd love to mail a copy to him to have him autograph this magazine so that my family could give it to Spencer in honor of this great Dan Hodge legacy award." Spencer Lee won the 2020 Hodge Trophy (Photo/Iowa Athletics) Ask and ye shall receive ... It so happens that one of my Facebook friends is Dan Hodge's granddaughter, Stacy Ewy Wilson. I contacted Stacy, and, in what seemed to be less time than it took for Hodge to pin an opponent (the Sooner fall guy pinned 36 of his 46 opponents, for a 78% pin rate), Stacy said yes ... providing her grandparents' mailing address to share with Barb McReynolds. Fast-forward to this past week. Barb let us know that she had already received the Hodge-autographed copy of her April 1, 1957 Sports Illustrated magazine by return mail, inscribed to the recipient of the 2020 Hodge Trophy with this message on its cover: "To Spencer Lee/God Bless You/Danny Hodge." Barb McReynolds then mailed the signed magazine to Spencer Lee and his family, along with a letter explaining "the rest of the story" that makes this story all the more heartwarming ... and meaningful. Here's a portion of her letter: "Rob and I have been Iowa wrestling fans since our first date in February 1980 when we attended an Iowa versus Iowa State meet. I have so many fond memories of the great Iowa program and the time that we spent together talking about wrestling. "I feel Dan is an absolute legend and I know how hard the Hodge Trophy is to win," Barb said. "Spencer Lee is an incredible individual, on top of his wrestling skills. And, my husband was an amazing man." Barb's late husband also had an amazing career as a high school wrestling coach. At the time of Rob McReynolds' passing, a local newspaper tribute said, "The highlight of Rob's coaching career included a three-year winning streak between 1993 and 1995 where his squad had a combined record of 107 wins with zero losses, and he coached Colorado state's Wrestler of the Year." The tribute also mentions that "He attended 34 NCAA wrestling tournaments, was a member of the National Wrestling Coaches Association for 25 years, and was a University of Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling Club board member." Rob and Barb McReynolds"For several years, Rob collected copies of this Sports Illustrated magazine with Dan Hodge on the cover. Rob was both inspired and in awe of the great Dan Hodge and the elite trophy associated with his name. A few years ago, Dan attended an event at the University of Iowa and Rob had him sign copies for Brent Metcalf and Mark Ironside since they had previously won the Hodge Trophy. "Last year, a few days before Rob died, he told me that he wanted me to still go back to Iowa meets without him. He also said that he honestly believed that Spencer would win this (Hodge) award and he asked me to try to get a copy of the magazine autographed for him if that was ever possible. That probably sounds like a strange conversation for end of life, but it demonstrated Rob's true passion for Iowa and his recognition of Spencer's talents ..." In her letter to Spencer Lee and his family (which accompanied the 1957 Sports Illustrated issue signed by Dan Hodge), Barb McReynolds wrote, "Tom Brands called to thank me for doing this for Spencer. I told him those three men were the important individuals. I was just the 'signature broker' in the deal." Barb continued, "I'm proud to call myself a fan of Iowa wrestling and I'm honored to give you these autographed magazines. Spencer, congratulations on this incredible accomplishment! You truly deserve the accolades. I also know Rob would be happy that I have completed his wish. Thank you for everything you do and the success you bring to the Iowa program." In past years, the Hodge Trophy is usually presented to the wrestler in person at a public event in the fall, such as a home football game at the wrestler's college.

The nomadic UFC 249 mixed martial arts event may have found a place to take place. In Jacksonville, the second-largest city in the state of Florida. In terms of when and where UFC 249 was to be held, the mixed martial arts event's date and location have been something of a moving target, originally to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on April 9. A week or so ago, there was talk that of UFC 249 might take place at a casino on an Indian reservation in California ... or even on a island just off the coast, with the thought those locations might be legal in this era of "shelter in place" requirements and "safe distancing." VyStar Veterans Memorial ArenaMultiple media reports Thursday indicated that UFC 249 would be held at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, a 15,000-seat facility in downtown Jacksonville. Wrestling Observer Radio reported Thursday that the UFC promotion had found a venue that would be available on May 9. "It looks like it's going to be the [VyStar] Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville," said Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. He went on to say that UFC had actually told fighters that they would be flying into Jacksonville ... but there are people in Jacksonville that have to book a building. "That's where it looks like it's going to be," said Meltzer. Meltzer's analysis doesn't sync with a public statement issued by ASM Global, the company that manages seven venues in the northeast Florida city, including VyStar Arena, and owner of venues that usually (non-COVID-19 virus) host multiple sporting events such as baseball and arena football." So ... how can Jacksonville host UFC 249 in this era of quarantine and strict attendance limits? For starters, just this week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an order declaring sporting events "essential services" as long as the event is closed to the general public. (A prime example: WWE events filmed in empty arenas and WWE-owned training facilities.) Some news stories addressing the possibility of relocating UFC 249 to the Sunshine State also mention a newly-added match to the card. Forbes reported that 2008 Olympic gold-medal-winning freestyle wrestler Henry Cejudo is expected to put his UFC bantamweight title on the line against former two-time UFC 135-pound champion Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. The Cejudo-Cruz bout would be in addition to the previously announced match between two former amateur wrestlers: Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje.

When should wrestling resume? While the national and international styles aren't being asked to start anytime soon there is an increasing itchiness for individuals to get back on the mats and reconnect with the sport they love. I understand the feeling. For me jiu-jitsu replaced my need to be on the wrestling mat, but many of the benefits I found on the wrestling mats I've since found in jiu-jitsu. My poor wife has just about had enough of my Berimbolo attempts. In the best rooms there is a shared purpose, driven forward by strong leadership. We like to be inspired, and in wrestling we've been able to look across the room and see our teammates pushing harder than normal, or a coach taking extra time to be with an athlete. We recognize it, but hardly appreciate it how we should. If you're like me then you are missing those simple moments we took for granted, not to mention the obvious indulgence of working out until your body cramps up and you have to fight for a deep breath. No matter what else happens in your day, a wrestling room workout can make it feel accomplished. When you've trained hard and the endorphins are pumping through your bloodstream everything else fades away. More stress and less inspiration can cause incredible frustration, not to mention we are all weighed down with cramped living situations, reduced incomes, and some having to home school their children. These are incredibly tough times and the outlet we've always used is simply not available. That's why I was impressed by Cliff Fretwell's recent decision to keep his gym closed even as the Governor of Georgia begins opening the state on Friday. Cliff is a true believer in the power of wrestling, and I know this wasn't an easy decision, but it's the one that protects his athletes and allows for more time to pass before making a very cautious return to the mats. (For an example of how careful some sports are being, look at what Spanish soccer league La Liga is undertaking for their maybe-just-maybe return in June.) Congrats to Cliff and the rest of our wrestling family who is facing this pandemic with a clear head and a deep reserve of patience -- something the wrestling community has rarely been accused of having. To your questions … Q: I know you are a great fan of Cary Kolat. Me too. But Yianni has an insane career as well high school/college/international. Who do you take in the following Yianni vs Kolat battles? High school seniors NCAA seniors Olympic team rivals -- Gabe W. Foley: Cary Kolat placed at Midlands while still wrestling in high school. His development at that age and the strength he showed would probably be a little much for Yianni. I'll take high school Cary. While we will need to see how Yianni's college career finishes, the thought of a senior Yianni is impressive. He's been constantly improving over the past few seasons, and though we missed him in 2019-2020 I think that it's obvious that his style, knack for winning, and match management will only improve as he matures physically. Cary was also a monster in college, but I think that the scrambling in college wrestling would benefit Yianni and allow him to score in positions where Cary might not be as prepared. I'll take Yianni. The senior level question is the toughest. While Yianni has shown the ability to beat top-level opponents and win world titles, he is yet to crack into the starting lineup. In my opinion, he's one of the best 65-kilogram wrestler in the world (best lawyers, too … am I right?!) with massive, massive potential. It might be a little early to judge his ability, but that will all change next April when he will likely be tapped to go to Sofia, Bulgaria, and win the Olympic spot for the United States. If he can do that, under the massive pressure he'll face, then he'll become the USA's long-term solution for 65 kilograms. I think Cary was one of the best to ever compete and was already bronze and silver in two world championships before his controversial exit from the Sydney Games. Should he have won that title he would have stayed around and we might be having a different discussion. So right now, Cary for the senior level, but I really like Yianni's future. Q: In an article, "A Group of Five athletic director said as much as he hates to admit it, he predicts that men's soccer and wrestling programs will soon be on the 'extinct list.' And it could get even worse without a football season." Thoughts? -- Mike C. Foley: I wonder if it's the same AD who was anonymously quoted as saying "There's too much money at stake, it impacts too many people," a Power Five AD said. "If there's no football, we will have bigger issues. This will be worse than the Great Depression and make the 1930s look like a cakewalk." What's he comparing here? The lack of college football will induce a Great Depression? Or that it would indicate economic times were worse than the Great Depression? Overall, a dumb, dumb quote. There were some optimistic quotes, too. "I'm not thinking of eliminating some of my Olympic sports," a Group of Five AD said, "but I'm definitely thinking about suspending seasons. If football revenue is drastically cut, it may be inevitable." I wrote about this last week and in summary the decisions being made need to focus on the overall health of the school and what we want out of sports in general. If a one season hiccup in the payment of television contracts is enough to end the athletic pursuits for many of the nation's Olympic sports athletes, then it is indicative of a much larger problem. What bothers me about this discussion is that nobody has thought to cut the necessary scholarships to from 85 to 70. Everyone could take a haircut in year one and by year two you'd be seeing massive cost savings. If you could bake that into your five-year model it would mean the ability to save the programs at your own school. Still, in the short term the programs will first look for the easy decisions. They can trim salaries, furlough employees, implement their PPP draws, eliminate all non-essential travel, and take on other cost-cutting measures. There are also a number of savings that are part of a school and program shutting down that might help the overall numbers to be somewhere more in line with a budget that can be carried across a football-less year. I hope, pray, wish for there to be a college football season and a college basketball season. At the moment, I'm not able to see how that happens, but agree that without a coherent national policy on testing and our path forward the wrestling community is facing a bleak existence in 2021. Q: With non-revenue sports in possible fatal financial straits at schools throughout the U.S. due to the COVID-19 epidemic, do you think it's time to move wrestling to an exclusively club sport and take it out of colleges, high school and junior high schools, like the model we see in Europe, Russia, and much of the rest of the world? -- Ken B. Foley: So that is the other direction this takes. Wrestling could become disassociated from the schools and moved into privately held clubs and camps, which would allow for better adaptation and independence. There would be drawbacks, like a massive reduction in the number of overall wrestlers and programs, but there would be an increased focus on making better rules and providing real opportunity to wrestlers who couldn't afford school or qualify for entry at their chosen program. Fundamentally it would mean a total and complete shift in thought about how (and why) we run athletics. Essentially, we'd recognize that the schools and their funding aren't enough to keep us afloat as a sport. Right now, I think we have more programs because they are supported by the schools, but with a 20-program cut we'd be getting close to a level of collegiate participation that would be seen as inefficient in supporting the sport in a meaningful way. Would USA Wrestling run that organization? Probably not as it would be for-profit. Also, it's very difficult to wrap my head around the idea that wrestling could be completely independent of the NCAA oversight. Imagine a council being able to decide and change the rules of folkstyle? Or better still, would this change to a club system invite freestyle into our youth levels? I think it's all very forward thinking and worth considering as an adaptation to sever cuts, but at the moment I think it would be unwise to lose the current funding we receive in the academic model, not to mention I think wrestling (and wrestlers) adds to campus life and a positive educational experience. Q: With the NFL holding its draft, it got me thinking about a draft for wrestling. Who would be the top five picks (in order) in a draft for a pro wrestling league? College wrestlers only. Can include 2020 seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen. -- Mike C. Foley: 1. Spencer Lee 2. Gable Steveson 3. Mark Hall 4. Ryan Deakin 5. Kollin Moore Q: Are you surprised Alex Dieringer is leaving Stillwater to train in Ann Arbor? What percentage chance do you give him at beating David Taylor and making the U.S. Olympic team? -- Mike C. Foley: Ann Arbor is a great location right now. Sergei Beloglazov is a master technician and the RTC has produced two Olympic qualifiers this year in Myles Amine and Stevan Micic. That's quite the accomplishment. While John Smith is certainly an incredible coach there is some added value in being inside a room with like-minded individuals. The lack of a college wrestling season may also have affected Dieringer's decision. Without that commitment to season-long training, and the lack of international partners, Dieringer would have struggled to find the workouts he needed in Stillwater. In Ann Arbor they are in the room daily and able to help him achieve and improve. While it's certainly possible that Dieringer could beat Taylor in the Olympic Trials, I'd find it tough to believe he has more than a 25% chance. The one HUGE advantage was the delay of one year as it will allow Dieringer more time to grow into the weight. The same was true with Taylor, but once he was able to oxygenate the weight the flashes of Taylor's brilliance came into a full and constant view. The physical growth, training situation, and the extra time to game plan improve Dieringer's chances at a competitive match. However, I just don't' see the matchup working in his favor. 75-25 Taylor.

Next year will likely see the start of SDHSAA-sanctioned girls' wrestling in South Dakota schools according to the the Rapid City Journal. The first reading approving the new sport was taken Tuesday by the South Dakota High School Activities Association's board of directors which governs school extracurricular activities like sports. Last year, without a separate girls' division, nearly 40 females competed in SDHSAA-sanctioned wrestling meets. About another 100 girls competed in club-only events.

The podium for All-Americans at the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) What does it mean to be a 2020 NCAA All-American? What should it mean? Those are two of the many questions being asked in college wrestling after the most unprecedented finish to the season in the sport's history. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone and the timing unfortunately couldn't have been much worse for the 2019-20 college wrestling season. As many of you know, the spread of the virus forced the cancellation the NCAA Division I Championships just a week before it was supposed to kick off in Minneapolis. The NCAA Division II and III tournaments were canceled less than 24 hours before they were scheduled to begin. It's been over a month now, but the loss of the national tournaments still stings. A lot. Especially for those coaches and wrestlers who sacrificed and dedicated so much to this season. One of the first questions asked was if these athletes would be permitted another season of eligibility. They missed out on the national tournament and potential accolades that go with it. The NCAA eventually decided to give spring sports athletes another year, but said no to winter athletes. That's still the wrong call, in my eyes. You are denying one of the best college wrestlers we've ever seen, Iowa's Spencer Lee, a chance to become a four-time national champion. And so many other athletes missed out on golden opportunities as well. In the immediate aftermath, coaches like Ohio State's Tom Ryan and Iowa's Tom Brands also were lobbying for athletes and teams to receive some sort of recognition for what they achieved during the season. The National Wrestling Coaches Association really stepped up by naming All-Americans for the NCAA Division I, II and III levels. It was important to recognize these athletes and being named an All-American should carry a great deal of significance. One prime example of that is Northern Iowa senior Taylor Lujan, who was the No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament at 184. Lujan had never been an All-American, twice reaching the round of 12. Lujan still missed out on becoming a national champion, but he does take away some recognition by being named an All-American. It was an honor that he earned and is well-deserved for the outstanding season he had as a senior. Wartburg College seniors Max Forsyth and Martine Sandoval were in a similar situation. Both wrestlers had qualified for DIII nationals for the first time, but were unable to compete. They will end their careers as All-Americans for the first time after having superb senior seasons. The end of the college season was especially tough on those teams favored to win national championships. Iowa won the Big Ten title and had 10 wrestlers earn All-America honors by the NWCA (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The Iowa Hawkeyes were heavily favored to win their first national title in 10 years after winning Big Tens and qualifying a loaded 10-man squad for NCAAs. All 10 Hawkeye wrestlers were awarded All-America honors by the NWCA, including nine on the first team. The honors were well-deserved. Those athletes wrestled a tough schedule and performed at a high level. Iowa coach Tom Brands agreed. He told the Des Moines Register that those 10 wrestlers will have their names added to the All-American wall in the Iowa wrestling room. "We will do it that way, and I'm not even torn about it," Brands said. "I am convinced that is the way to do it. There is no other team that had as many dominant individuals." St. Cloud State coach Steve Costanzo was already in Sioux Falls, S.D., last month as his team made final preparations for DII nationals. Costanzo's team was the favorite to win a national title before the event was canceled. His squad ended up with eight All-Americans. "I think it's a very positive outcome for such a heart-wrenching outcome," Costanzo said. "I appreciate those individuals who stepped up and honored these deserving student-athletes." The cancellation of the NCAA DIII tournament hit the Loras College program hard. Coach T.J. Miller's team had put together a historic season and had ascended to the No. 1 ranking going into nationals. Loras had eight wrestlers earn All-America honors in 2020. "I think the athletes should be recognized in some way -- this wasn't how we expected it to happen but it's the right thing to do under the circumstances," Miller said. "We would have loved the opportunity to compete at the NCAA tournament. In wrestling, competing for an individual championship is the peak experience for any college athlete. That just wasn't in the cards for 2020." Obviously, there was no ideal way to award the All-America honors. The All-American recognition fell in line with where athletes were seeded going into their respective national tournaments. Those seeds were based on their body of work during the season. To me, that's the fairest and best way to determine the All-Americans. One of the beauties of the NCAA tournaments are the upsets that occur and the compelling stories that unfold during these pressure-packed events. It wouldn't be much fun if everyone just wrestled to their seeds. Kudos to the NWCA for what they did. I applaud the way the All-Americans were determined. One tweak I may have had was by just awarding eight All-Americans per weight class in each division. And split those eight into a first team and a second team. But it's over and done with. Hopefully, we never have to worry about picking All-American teams again in college wrestling. It's still difficult to think about all of the compelling storylines that might have played out. It's tough to imagine Spencer Lee missing out on becoming a four-timer, Penn State's Vincenzo Joseph and Mark Hall not becoming four-time finalists, No. 1 seeds Kollin Moore and Luke Pletcher of Ohio State not ending their careers with titles, and Iowa State freshman David Carr not making a run at his first title. Joseph and Hall were able to finish their careers as four-time All-Americans with Lee, Carr and other top athletes still in line to do the same thing. Naming All-Americans doesn't erase the sting of what happened, but as Ryan said, "It wasn't perfect, but it is better than nothing." There are numerous other athletes who were hitting their peak that missed out on a chance to wrestle in the 2020 NCAA Championships. The 2019-20 college wrestling season is one we will always remember, and in some ways it's one we would like to forget. The NCAA should've found a way to give these athletes at least another semester to wrestle in the national tournament they missed out on. The athletes who earned All-America honors certainly deserve to receive recognition for what they accomplished. They should be remembered as the best in their sport for the 2019-20 wrestling season. That means a lot. And it should. 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.

Wynn Michalak served as an assistant coach at Michigan State since 2016 BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- Former Central Michigan All-American and U.S. Senior Nationals champion Wynn Michalak has been named associate head wrestling coach by first-year Campbell head coach Scotti Sentes. "Wynn Michalak fits into the Campbell Wrestling culture and embodies what the program is all about," said Sentes. "He is driven by his faith, family, and relentless will to win. He enters the program as a decorated competitor with 10 plus years of coaching experience and has left a lasting impression on every program he has been a part of. I expect Wynn to have an immediate impact on the team, particularly with the upper weights." "I'm excited to join the Campbell family," said Michalak. "We are in a great position to make waves and be force to be reckoned with immediately. I can't wait to get started and contribute to developing our current team and continue to build for the future." Michalak comes to Campbell from Michigan State, where he has served as an assistant coach since 2016, coaching 14 NCAA qualifiers, including 2020 All-American Cameron Caffey and 2019 All-American Rayvon Foley. The Spartans qualified seven for the NCAA Championships in 2020 after placing 33rd in the 2019 team standings. During the 2019-20 campaign, Michigan State also registered dual wins over No. 4 Wisconsin and No. 20 Oklahoma. His coaching experience also includes four seasons as a volunteer assistant at Illinois (2012-16), where he helped train two-time NCAA Champion Isaiah Martinez, and two seasons (2009-10) as a graduate assistant at CMU. One of the most successful wrestlers in Central Michigan history, Michalak was a four-time Mid-American Conference Champion (2005-08), three-time MAC Wrestler of the Year (2006-08), and a three-time NCAA All-American (2005, 2006, 2008), including a runner-up finish at 197 pounds in 2008. He won the 2015 U.S. Senior Nationals title at 97 kg/213 pounds on Dec. 19, 2015, in Las Vegas, and competed in the past two U.S. Olympic wrestling trials. Michalak ranks second all-time at Central Michigan in winning percentage (.842, 128-24 record), third in pins (50) and fourth in victories (128). The two-time team MVP (2006, 2008) was named the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2005 and MAC Wrestler of the Year three times (2006-08). The first Chippewa to win four MAC Championships, all at 197 pounds, Michalak was also a three-time All-American, placing sixth at the NCAA Championships in 2005, eighth in 2006 and second in 2008. He also helped lead the Chippewas to team conference championships all four of his seasons in Mount Pleasant. Michalak owns two of the best seasons (winning percentage) in CMU history, going 30-2 (.938) in 2007-08 and 33-4 (.892) in 2005-06, and also has two of the Top 10 single-season pin totals (15 in 2005-06 is tied for fifth; 13 in 2007-08 is tied for ninth). Not only was Michalak successful on the mat at CMU, he was a four-time Academic All-MAC and NWCA All-Academic team selection and earned Academic All-America honors in 2008. He received both the NCAA post-graduate scholarship and Bob James Memorial Scholarship in 2008. Michalak graduated with a 3.8 grade-point average and earned a bachelor's degree in secondary mathematics education and physical education from Central Michigan in 2008. He is currently pursuing a master's degree in sports administration from CMU. Post collegiately, Michalak was the 2010 Hargobind International champion and was runner-up at the 2011 Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Open and Sunkist Kids International Open. Wrestling for the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, Michalak won the 2015 U.S. Senior Nationals title at 97 kg/213 pounds over Scott Schiller in the finals, 12-4, on Dec. 19 in Las Vegas. Michalak was a two-time state champion, three-time all-state honoree, and four-time conference champion at Caro (Mich.) High School. He helped lead his team to the Division III state title in senior season and finished his career with a 232-8 record. He lettered four times in wrestling and three in football, and received all-state honors twice as a quarterback. Michalak married Jessica Davis on Jan. 1, 2016.

Urbana University, a private school in central Ohio that had announced back in 2018 it had added an intercollegiate wrestling program with the hope of increasing its student enrollment, will close after this semester due to ongoing financial challenges which have worsened because of the current coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the Columbus Dispatchreported Tuesday, April 21. Based in Columbus, Franklin University purchased Urbana University in 2014. Located in the community of Urbana, Ohio - about one hour northwest of Columbus, and straight west of the nationally-ranked wrestling program Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio what had been Urbana University had an enrollment of 1,254 students, according to the news release issued by Franklin University. The news of a small college which had recently added an intercollegiate wrestling program only to announce it would be closing because of ongoing financial issues made worse by the coronavirus pandemic comes on the heels of similar news from central Illinois. MacMurray College -- first opened in 1846, and 120 years later, had announced the reinstatement of its wrestling program in 2016 -- revealed it would be closing its doors forever in March.

Army West Point head wrestling coach Kevin Ward returns to the MatBoss Podcast to talk about the situation at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, on Episode 54. Host Chad Dennis talks about the ins and outs of what the global pandemic means on college coaching, the recruiting aspects of it as well as the topics in college wrestling. Dennis also talks with Ward about the hiring of Cary Kolat at rival Navy. 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

Mizzou Athletics got some sad news Tuesday as one of its most endeared and longtime supporters, Ed "Doc" Lampitt, passed away at 1:30 a.m. on April 21. He was surrounded by his family at the time of his passing. Lampitt is a Mizzou Athletics Hall of Fame (class of 1998) and National Wrestling Hall of Fame member and his contributions to Mizzou and the wrestling program are innumerable. Ed LampittThe program's first-ever placer at a Big Eight Tournament, Lampitt was one of the program's most successful wrestlers during its early years. While his performance on the mat alone was enough to rank him among the program's all-time greats, it is what he did following his graduation from Mizzou that cemented his status as a recipient of the Wrestling Medal of Courage from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges. Lampitt came to Mizzou in the fall of 1965. After growing up in Western Illinois, Lampitt and his family moved to St. Charles, Mo., for his final two years of high school. Lampitt had a scholarship wrestling offer from Illinois, but the draw of Mizzou was too much for him to pass up. So, he walked onto the wrestling team during his first year on campus. It took one year for Coach Hap Whitney to realize how important Lampitt was to the team. As a sophomore, he was put on scholarship, a moment of pride for the St. Charles native. The rest was history for the four-year letterwinner who captained Mizzou's 1968 team that put together the first undefeated season in program history. He set school records that stood for years and was the program's first Big Eight champion and the first ever wrestler to qualify for the NCAA Championships. He chose not to go to the meet - because he didn't want to participate without his teammates. Lampitt graduated from Mizzou with his degree in civil engineering in 1969 and married the love of his life, Katie, on July 4 the following year. But his journey was just getting started. As many men his age did during the 1970s, Lampitt joined the United States Navy and served in the Vietnam War - first in flight training and then in Navy's Civil Engineering Crop after hearing loss forced him out of flight school. He still learned to fly, a skill he carried with him until about five years ago when he stopped flying. Following his time in the service, Lampitt began to practice dentistry, a skill he first started practicing with the Navy before then opening his own practice. Married, out of the war and now running his own dentistry practice, Lampitt seemingly was settling into the next chapter of his life nicely. That was until his life got turned upside down by news that no one expects to hear; he had an acoustic neuroma. A brain tumor. Lampitt was 32 years old with so many years ahead of him. He had three young children, all under the age of seven. He had a life he had always imagined. Then came a life-altering diagnosis - he had a brain tumor growing aggressively, one that would require emergency surgery to remove. The brain tumor was discovered in 1979 while Lampitt was in the Navy as a dentist. The tumor took two 14-hour surgeries to remove and while doctors were able to remove the tumor, the surgery had rendered him completely paralyzed, unable to speak, and blind in one eye. With three young children, a promising dentistry career and years of competing as a high-level athlete, Lampitt's life as he knew it had changed forever. But instead of letting his situation define him and settle for the hand that life dealt him, Lampitt attacked his predicament with some of the same lessons he learned as a student-athlete at Mizzou. At first, progress was slow, but he kept working on his rehabilitation. He refused to accept his circumstances. He began to move and speak. Moving and speaking turned into walking and talking. Walking and talking helped him get back to practicing dentistry. Practicing dentistry led to him learning how to fly again - he even earned his private pilot's license. His hard work and dedication had paid off. Over the course of 24 months he had gone from someone who may never walk again, to living much of his life the way he had prior to the tumor. He still was paralyzed in his left arm, and blind in his left eye, but he did not let the tumor define him. It took two years of recovery before he received a medical discharge from the Navy, returned to Missouri and opened his own dental practice in Piedmont, Mo. In 2003, Lampitt was honored by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame with the organization's most prestigious award: Wrestling's Medal of Courage. The award is given annually to a wrestler or former wrestler who has overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges. For Lampitt - the Total Tiger himself - no challenge was insurmountable. Dr. Lampitt went on to work for a dental pharmaceutical company and as a motivational speaker, dealing with topics such as how to treat the handicapped, to dealing with life crises, to achieving success in athletics. He had his own dental practice in his hometown of Perryville, Mo. He appeared on television talk shows as well as live call-in radio shows. He entertained audiences from coast to coast with his wonderful wit and positive perspective. Truly a Total Tiger. All during his life, Lampitt stayed connected with Mizzou. He helped raise the money for wrestling's new fourth-floor Hearnes training facility. The cardio stations in the facility don his name. Lampitt and his wife Katie are lifelong Mizzou fans, even after moving to California where they played the fight song so their kids could learn the traditions. All three of Ed and Katie's children attended Mizzou -- including their two daughters who participated on the swim team. He was active in the Mizzou Letterwinner's Club as a member of the Board of Directors and was a fixture at so many great events over the years. When Ed and Katie moved back to Missouri, he became very involved with the wrestling program. His Total Tiger Award at the year-end banquet was his way of inspiring those around him, those following in his footsteps in the wrestling program. So every year, when a wrestler walks across the podium to accept the award, it is easy to see why the award is held in such high regard by the recipients. It personifies what made Lampitt so great: determination, perseverance, reverence, and pride. Those are characteristics of a Total Tiger. Those are traits of those who are #MizzouMade. The thoughts and prayers from the entire Mizzou Athletics family are with the Lampitt family today. Below is a statement from head wrestling coach Brian Smith: "During this past summer in mid-June, I was fortunate to have some close friends and impactful people in my life with me at the Don Faurot award ceremony. I remember speaking and reading a quote from a book called The Last Arrow: 'We do not help the world by choosing to be less or do less; we help the world by choosing to be more and give more.' I remember looking at the people who were there for me that day and many times throughout my career and life. One person who I was so grateful to have there was Ed Lampitt. Ed was very sick that May and was sent home to be put in hospice care. Six weeks later he found a way to come be with me at this event. It meant the world to me and most of my talk that day was about living and the people you choose to do it with. When you find your people; the people who lift you up and believe in you, you will never walk alone. Ed Lampitt has been that for me in my time at Mizzou. From breakfast time each month with him and Coach Whitney, to inspiring my team at practice each year. He was at every one of our year-end banquets and loved to get up and present his award. Just yesterday, I sent him the graphic and bio of the young man who would receive his award, not knowing this morning he would pass. It breaks my heart and my prayers go out to all of his amazing family. Ed's spirit and the way he lived his life will always be a part of this great program. Ed chose to be more and give more."

Alex Dieringer at the Pan Am Championships with coaches Bill Zadick and Joe Russell (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Alex Dieringer will chase Olympic gold in a new training environment. After spending almost a decade (2011-2020) in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Dieringer announced Tuesday that he will be leaving Oklahoma State and training at the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club in Ann Arbor, Mich. He cited his girlfriend's schooling and being closer to her family as factors in the decision, along with the training partners and coaches at the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club. "It feels right," Dieringer said on Flo Radio Live. "They've got a great RTC program. Pretty much three guys around my weight and they are all studs." Dieringer said it was tough leaving Stillwater and telling John Smith that he was leaving. "I've been here in Stillwater for nine years," said Dieringer. "It feels like home. It literally is like my second home. I love this place more than anything. It was definitely not an easy phone call." In 2019, Dieringer reached Final X before losing to Kyle Dake in a Special Wrestle-off in August. He has built a strong international wrestling resume, winning gold medals at the Yasar Dogu, Dan Kolov International and Bill Farrell Memorial International. This year Dieringer moved up from the non-Olympic weight class of 79 kilograms to the Olympic weight class of 86 kilograms. He earned a silver at the Matteo Pellicone in January, losing to Zahid Valencia in the finals. In March, Dieringer competed at Pan American Championships, winning a bronze medal. Dieringer, a Wisconsin native, was a three-time NCAA champion and 2016 Dan Hodge Trophy winner at Oklahoma State.

Nico Megaludis wrestling at the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) All through college, father and son spoke on the phone every night at nine. "The first thing in my mind was, 'How was practice? You didn't get injured?'" Dan Megaludis said. "You just have those worries as a parent." For the younger Megaludis, calling home was his way of "catching up." Some calls were about wrestling, others were not. Sometimes a call was mere minutes while others were hours. In March 2016, after placing second behind Ohio State's Nathan Tomasello at the Big Ten Championships, the nightly communications, predictable like clockwork, ceased without warning. "After that Big Ten final something clicked between him and I. It was the strangest thing in the world. During that whole two-week period between Big Ten's and NCAAs we didn't talk once," Dan said. "It was almost like God's telling me 'OK, look, it's his time to become an adult. He's gotta own this. You can't win the match for him. There's nothing you can do. You gotta separate yourself right now." For Nico, the silence was simple. It was about achieving his goal. "I focused on what I wanted [those two weeks]," Nico said. "The only people I talked to were teammates and coaches." Nico Megaludis gets in on a shot on Thomas Gilman in the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The next time Dan had a conversation with his son, it was at Madison Square Garden on March 19, 2016, a little after 8 p.m. Nico had just been crowned the 2016 NCAA Champion at 125 pounds, winning the last match of his Nittany Lion career -- a dominant 6-3 decision over Iowa's Thomas Gilman. "I don't know, it's not even celebration, it's just relief," Nico said to reporters following his match. "I knew I was going to be the champion. It was a done deal a year ago when I had signs everywhere -- my room, Penn State, my room at home, my bathroom at home, my wrestling room at home, my car steering wheel: I am [the] 2016 national champion." For Dan, the post-match emotions mirrored Nico's -- pure relief that Nico "got that monkey off his back" and ended his career on top. Nico Megaludis found his parents in the crowd after winning the NCAA title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) "We didn't see him [or even] talk to him until he came up and he hugged us [in the stands] after he won," Dan said. "He told the ESPN guys, 'I just want to go see my parents. It was the most emotional thing and I was like, 'Wow, he still loves us.'" Often sports can create a close bond between father and son. Wrestling did that for Dan and his only son Nico. Today, though, wrestling isn't the only passion that unites a bond between father and son -- it was just the first. At 5 years old, Nico, went out for the wrestling team -- his first foray into organized wrestling with his dad, a former high school wrestler, as his coach. By his sixth match, one thing became abundantly clear: Nico hated to lose -- a mentality that also carried over into his professional life. Jody Strittmatter, co-founder of Young Guns, a premier Pennsylvania youth wrestling club, who also coached Nico during his youth, says Megaludis hated to lose even more than he enjoyed winning. "Even home Scrabble games or Monopoly, whatever it was, we were playing at the house trying to have fun. He'd lose the game and throw the board, run out of the room and say we were cheating," Dan said with a laugh. Ironically enough, for a wrestler with hundreds of wins on his resume, three individual PIAA championships, one individual NCAA championship and four NCAA team championships, and a smattering of international accolades to his credit, his earliest wrestling memory was a loss -- the first of his career. "When I was 5, I was 6-0 in wrestling, and I thought I could never lose. I lost in overtime. And, it was like the end of the world. My Dad thought he was gonna have to take me to a hospital [I was so upset]," Nico recalled, with a chuckle. By age 7 or 8, it became clear he had a future in the sport as he saw continued success in national tournaments. "I think it's huge to be surrounded by good people in this sport especially growing up," Nico said. "If kids want to be successful in this sport they have to challenge themselves, take themselves to the biggest tournaments and biggest arenas." Knowing Nico had the most important trait any successful wrestler needed: A disdain for losing, Dan strived to be a better steward of the sport himself. "What I learned from wrestling in high school [myself] was nothing compared to what I learned from the people I surrounded myself with: Cary Kolat, Sunny Abe, Jeff Jordan, Brent Metcalf and Jody and John Strittmatter," Dan said. "I just became a sponge and I would take it back and teach Nico and the other kids." With natural talent, elite coaching and a strong support system in place, Nico was poised to begin his prep career at Franklin Regional High School in 2008. Megaludis' prep career started with a bang. The freshman rattled off 35 straight wins, before losing his first high school match to Mark Rappo of Council Rock South. Rappo, one of the nation's top recruits at 112 pounds, dropped down to 103 pounds for the state tournament. He was able to ride Megaludis out for the entire third period, winning by the narrowest of margins, 1-0, en route to the 103-pound crown, while Megaludis fought to a third-place finish. To this day, Megaludis wouldn't change a thing. "[The match] made me the person I am today," Nico said. "There's certain losses that sting more than others. As far as regrets, heck no, I don't believe in that." It's possible the reason that match is still memorable for the former Franklin Regional star is because it was the only loss of his entire high school career. "He was self-disciplined. He took care of everything. It's never like we had to force him to do anything," former Franklin Regional head wrestling coach Eric Mausser said. "The morning of his semifinal match, his only high school loss, he's up at 5 a.m. drilling. That's the level of intensity he has." A self-prescribed Type-A personality, Megaludis would sometimes obsess over what might look insignificant to others, but it's paramount to him. "I remember he [Nico] beat a kid 14-0 but the kid rode him out for two minutes in the third period and Nico was just furious with himself," Mausser said. "For the next week, after practice, that's all he was doing, working on escaping from bottom. He obsessed over the details." Nico Megaludis won three state titles and compiled a career record of 170-1 (Photo/PA Wrestling Newsmagazine) That obsessive nature and intensity paid off. Nico became Pennsylvania's 47th three-time state champion. He finished his career with an overall record of 170-1, including a 135-match winning-streak to close out his career with the Panthers. "If you have pressure, it's a good thing because it means you care," Megaludis said. "But I never let it affect me. I mean, I'd get nervous sometimes before a match -- but I like the big matches. I didn't care what other people thought [about my win streak]. I want them to respect the type of person that I am." For Nico, the fashion in which he won that final state title was more important than the act of winning itself. Megaludis started his prep career with a bang, and he finished that career the same way. A 16-4 trouncing of Boyertown's Jeremy Minich earned Nico his third PIAA gold medal, ending one of the best prep careers the state has ever seen. "Everybody called and everybody wanted information on Nico," Mausser said. "But some people knew he was going to a big school, so a lot of the local schools didn't even try." For Megaludis, it came down to two schools: Iowa and Penn State, just two hours from his hometown. Nico Megaludis after winning claiming a state championship as a sophomore (Photo/PA Wrestling Newsmagazine) Megaludis visited Iowa, and he liked what he saw. He explored Iowa City, met Iowa head coach and associate head coach Tom and Terry Brands and watched Brent Metcalf train. In 2009, though, right in the middle of Megaludis' recruitment, Penn State wrestling sent shockwaves around the college wrestling world when they fired head coach Troy Sunderland in April. Numerous names swirled around the wrestling sphere as to who the heir to the Nittany Lion wrestling thrown would be. One name not in the early discussion was Cael Sanderson, who experienced great success as head coach at his alma mater, Iowa State. Over his three seasons coaching in Ames, Sanderson led the Cyclones squad to NCAA Division I national placements of second, fifth, and third. He also coached his wrestlers to two individual NCAA titles. However, on April 17, 2009, he became the head coach at Penn State, and with that, Megaludis' mind was made up: he'd become a Nittany Lion. The chance to be trained by a four-time NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist was too good to pass up. "It was actually relatively easy," Megaludis said of his commitment decision. "They [the coaching staff] all came the end of my sophomore year. Before my junior season, I took an unofficial visit, practiced up there, and loved it. I went up [for a second unofficial visit] a month later and committed. It just made sense… [they had] some of the best coaches, I was two hours from home, and it's a great school." Just as Megaludis burst on to the scene with an impressive run in the state tournament as a high school freshman, he did the same as a true freshman at Penn State in the national tournament. After placing fifth at the 2009 Big Ten Championships, he put together a stunning run at the NCAAs just two weeks later, losing in the NCAA finals despite being seeded No. 10. Nico Megaludis defeated Cornell's Frank Perrelli in the NCAA semifinals in 2012 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) His 4-1 record at the NCAAs was highlighted by redemptive wins. First, he avenged two regular season losses with 7-4 decision over Zach Sanders of Minnesota in quarterfinals. Then Megaludis followed with a thrilling 3-2 double-overtime win over Frank Perrelli of Cornell in national semifinals, again, avenging two earlier regular season losses to Perrelli. Ultimately, he dropped a tough 4-1 bout to Matt McDonough of Iowa in the NCAA finals, but became Penn State's first true freshman All-American since Quentin Wright was sixth at 174 in 2009. Now it wasn't just Megaludis that expected him to win a national title -- the entirety of the college wrestling world anticipated he'd win one too. As a sophomore and a junior, Megaludis came close, but was unable to get it done. He was once again a runner-up in his second season as a collegiate -- losing to Jesse Delgado at both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships. As a junior he finished third at NCAAs. "I'm not gonna say I took those losses well [at NCAAs]," Megaludis said. "Bu I kinda sulked a little bit, let it soak in and grieved. But there comes a point where you have to say, 'Alright, there's a reason and a purpose for this. Now I have to move forward.'" In 2015, without injury, Megaludis took a redshirt season, a year where he could focus on the technical aspects of his craft in the practice room. "Cael never had a conversation with me [about redshirting]. But he knew I was going to redshirt," Megaludis said. "I needed to take a step back and get out of the rat race [of college wrestling] and get better technically." Nico Megaludis celebrates after winning the NCAA title at 125 pounds as a senior (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) In 2016, Megaludis' last as a Nittany Lion, he left everything he had on the mat, and finished his collegiate career on top in the world's most famous arena -- Madison Square Garden -- as an NCAA champion. "Just finally getting it done, wrestling well and taking a little bit of relief off my shoulders," Megaludis said. "You can't beat going out on top with the type of career that I had, being so close multiple times." With three high school state titles and one NCAA national title to his credit, the only honor left on Megaludis' wrestling bucket list: an Olympic gold medal. Megaludis visualized wrestling and winning on the international circuit when he was 7 or 8 years old. In high school he put pen to paper and wrote that goal of an Olympic medal down on a goal sheet his high school coaches asked him to make. "When I was cleaning out my classroom, I found Nico's goal sheet from probably when he was a freshman," Mausser said. "It said undefeated state champion and NCAA champion and Olympic champion. They were always his goals. [He wrote them down in], the worst chicken-scratch you've ever seen." As a 2016 NCAA champ, Megaludis automatically qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials in Iowa City, Iowa. When asked post-match he didn't tiptoe around his Olympic aspirations. "Heck yeah, I'll wrestle man," Megaludis said with an ear-to-ear grin. "That was the plan a year ago. This was the first step obviously. I wanted this [title], but Olympic Trials, Olympic champion -- that was what I was thinking about after this." Megaludis failed to qualify in freestyle for the U.S. Olympic team in 2016 -- at the age of 23 -- but wasn't ready to hang up his wrestling shoes. Toyko 2020 would be his year. Off the mat, Megaludis would take his business administration and finance degree to his day job as a financial planner at Megaludis Financial, which specializes in estate planning, financial planning, employee and executive benefit planning, and investment strategies. Nico is a partner alongside his father Dan. Growing up Nico would occasionally go with his dad to a meeting at Megaludis Financial. At the time, he wasn't exactly sure what was occurring in these meetings, but he was intrigued enough to take a deeper dive into the financial sector at Penn State. "In the back of our minds, we'd always talk about how he was going to be in the firm," Dan said. "I think he always assumed he was going to be, but the back of my mind I thought, 'Is he going to like it?'" The short answer: yes, Nico loves being a financial advisor, helping individuals and their families to gain financial security. Their first four years together at Megaludis Financial have been a success, largely because that same dedication and drive to be the best on the mat has carried over into his financial advising efforts. "When I was wrestling, he knew I had to do what I had to do. I was always disciplined. He never pushed me to the extent of a 'crazy wrestling dad.'" Nico said. "The same thing is true with work; he knows I'm just as disciplined in that. If I have to schedule x-number of meetings, I'm going to do it." "He is very good at not letting distractions affect [him]," Dan said of his son. If he's going to get on the phone to call 20 new referrals, he will lock himself in a room and do it. Whenever he puts his mind to it, he is incredibly focused at that time." Nico is also well aware that he still has a lot to learn. As such, just like he turned to his dad to teach him wrestling, he turns to him for financial tutelage too. "Obviously, he teaches me, I ask questions [all the time]. I'm always learning," Nico said. "We work very well together because I'm very good at things in the business that maybe he wasn't taught." Still, just as it did in the wrestling room, that competitive nature has followed Nico to the board room too. Although the transition from collegiate standout to financial services has been a smooth and successful one, balancing work in Pennsylvania, training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and traveling overseas for competition can be a balancing act. "I'm not going to lie, it's not easy and I've had to figure this out," Nico said. "[With my business], there's no ceiling, you can do all these things to get better. If I'm sitting at home, I can call 50 or 100 people or learn financial strategies and efficiencies that make me better. But I also have to realize this is my downtime to not think about wrestling or work and just enjoy." Nico Megaludis, with Cael Sanderson, before wrestling in the NCAA semifinals in 2016 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The pursuit of Olympic gold amidst a blossoming financial career at times feels daunting for the 27-year-old, but the experiences he's had along the way have been priceless. "Just being around some of the best guys in the world, soaking that in, watching their technique and how they train," Megaludis said. "And, also the cultures overseas, just taking bits and pieces of how they live is pretty cool [to experience]." Despite the balancing act of managing an international athletic career and a professional career in finance, Megaludis has done it superbly, earning a spot on the national team twice, inching closer to earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Ask anyone close to him and they'll say it's his unwavering drive to be the best coupled with an unmatchable pace on the mat that has allowed his collegiate success to translate to the international scene. Adversity through injury had been foreign territory for the Olympic hopeful over his wrestling career which now spans over two decades. Nico Megaludis gets in on a shot against Tyler Graff at the 2018 U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) But, seven months ago, in July of 2019 that changed as injury struck. He tore the ACL in his left knee, requiring surgery. The ACL tear didn't end his shot at Olympic gold in Tokyo, but it certainly made it more challenging. In the time since, Nico has rehabbed fiercely. He found his way back to the mat for light drilling in December of 2019. By January 2020, he ramped up the intensity, less than three months away from the Olympic Trials at his alma mater, Penn State. On Feb. 13, injury struck again -- the same left knee, the same left ACL was torn again for the second time in less than eight months. "God has a plan for me and the 2020 Olympics is not in the plan. I accept his plan as it is way bigger than mine. I know there will be good to come out of this for whatever is next," Nico said in an Instagram post five days after sustaining the injury. As for the next steps in his wrestling career, the now 27-year-old Megaludis is still weighing his options, but the COVID-19 pandemic, which has delayed the 2020 Olympic Games nearly a full calendar year, has opened the door for Nico to try to qualify and compete in Tokyo if he chooses. But wrestling aside, Nico has a plan and a purpose far beyond the wrestling mat. "You have to enjoy every single second of your life, because you're there for a purpose, whether it's wrestling or work or family time," Nico said. "Make the most out of everything. At the end of the day, I'm not a wrestler, that's not who I am. But I'll always be competitive even when I'm done wrestling. That's never going to leave."

Two months after conducting a first-ever exhibition state wrestling tournament for girls, the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association -- the organization that governs high school sports in the Sooner State -- made it official, approving the addition of a girls wrestling division at the 2021 state championships, the OSSAA announced Monday. Although state champions weren't crowned at that exhibition event held during the last week in February, winners at each weight received medals and were honored on the podium, according to The Oklahoman, the daily newspaper of Oklahoma City. Todd Goolsby, assistant director of the OSSAA, said the response to the exhibition was overwhelming… which made it easy for the organization to officially sanction girls wrestling in Oklahoma, one of the nation's true hotbeds for the sport. With Oklahoma deciding to sanction girls wrestling, nearly half of the states now have official competitions for high-school-age girls. As recently as the beginning of 2018, just six states had separate state wrestling championships for girls: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Tennessee, Texas and Washington State.

Minnesota's Colby Njos throws Joseph Roberts of Illinois in the Greco-Roman Junior National Duals finals (Photo/David Peterson) Due to the nature of what it would entail to host a national or regional USA Wrestling competition, with the first priority being the health and safety of all participants involved, USA Wrestling has extended the postponement of its national and regional events through July 1. In addition to the 10 national and regional events that USA Wrestling previously postponed through May 10, there are 10 additional events which have now been postponed: Western Regional Championships, Farmington, UT, May 14-16 Northern Plains Regional Championships, Rochester, MN, May 15-17 Central Regional Championships, Fort Wayne, IN, May 15-17 Southeast Regional Championships, Wilmington, NC, May 22-24 UWW U23 & Junior World Team Trials, Geneva, OH, May 29-31 Southern Plains Regional Championships, Dodge City, KS, June 5-7 16U National Duals, Loves Park, IL, June 9-13 14U National Duals, Franklin, IN, June 10-14 Junior National Duals, Tulsa, OK, June 16-20 USA Wrestling Kids Nationals, Wisconsin Dells, WI, June 25-27 Working with its COVID-19 Advisory Committee and relying on current advice from health and government agencies, USA Wrestling is currently formulating the specific safety measures that must be put in place in order for the resumption of club practice and local or state competitions. 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. As this situation regarding this pandemic remains fluid and ever-evolving, USA Wrestling will continue to monitor its policies regarding National and Regional events, sanctioned events and club practices, and additional changes to these policies are possible.