InterMat Staff

Tony Ferguson and Jason Gaethje were supposed to headline UFC 249, which has now been postponed UFC 249 -- featuring a main event featuring two former wrestlers, Tony Ferguson and Jason Gaethje -- has been postponed, the mixed martial arts organization has announced. Here is the text of the announcement at the official MMA website: "While the organization was fully prepared to proceed with UFC 249, ESPN has requested the postponement of the event and subsequent bouts until further notice in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. UFC looks forward to resuming the full live events schedule as soon as possible." The event had originally scheduled as a pay-per-view for ESPN for Saturday, April 18. The location had not been announced. Since the Ferguson-Gaethje headline bout for the interim lightweight (155-pound) title was announced Monday, there's been much speculation as to how the event could take place during the present coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, where sporting events are being canceled or postponed, including the 2020 NCAA wrestling championships, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The UFC was forced to postpone three events, on March 21, March 28 and April 11, because of the coronavirus, according to ESPN.com. "All of my fighters that are under contract with me, I want them to feel safe, take time with your families and enjoy this time," UFC president Dana White said Thursday. "Don't worry about the financial part of this. You're gonna get the fights in your contract, and I'm gonna make things right with the people who were willing to step up and fight next weekend on April 18. "And I'm gonna take care of as many people as I possibly can and do whatever it takes to make these guys all feel comfortable."

Thomas Gilman warming up for the Pan American Olympic Qualifier (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Thomas Gilman has found a new home to chase his Olympic dreams. Gilman, one of the nation's top 57-kilogram freestyle wrestlers, announced Friday on Twitter that he is leaving Iowa City and heading to State College to join the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. Gilman arrived at Iowa in 2012. He went on to become a three-time All-American for the Hawkeyes before embarking on his international wrestling career. After finishing second at the 2017 World Championships in Paris, Gilman placed fifth in the world the following year in Budapest. Last year, Gilman fell short of making the U.S. team when he lost to Daton Fix at Final X. Gilman has had a strong year on the mat. In January, he won gold at the Matteo Pellicone, a United World Wrestling rankings event in Rome, Italy. Two months later, Gilman qualified the United States for the Tokyo Olympics at 57 kilograms by winning the Pan American Qualifier in Ottawa, Canada.

Old Dominion's wrestling room (Photo/Old Dominion Athletics) Old Dominion announced last Thursday night that they would be eliminating wrestling as a varsity sport, effective immediately. Initial justification for the cut was focused on expected budget shortfall due to COVID-19, but later documentation also showed the school had hired consultants who pointed to the sport's "decreasing" national reach as further justification. If you want to follow the daily updates on the elimination, the school's abysmal rollout/response, and insight into what could be done to find reinstatement you should follow Jason Bryant on Twitter. He's a graduate of the school and has long been one of their most vocal cheerleaders. He's prepared to bring the heat. At the macro level there is a lot to discuss about Old Dominion's choice to eliminate wrestling that might instruct what may happen over the next few months. Right now, we know that the economy at-large will be depressed for the next 6-12 months. Total jobless claims are roughly 16.5 million with an expected undercount of several million because of closed offices, backup in open offices, and undocumented workers who cannot file. The effective unemployment is something like 11% and even with a $1200 check and some weekly unemployment boosts it's likely that spending will be down for a while due to fear of the virus. Even if you're bullish on the market whipsawing back into place as testing increases and people return to work, the process will take a while and it will cost a lot of jobs. How does this all affect wrestling? First, there will be less money donated to each individual NCAA program. With salary reductions the amount of disposable income will decrease significantly. Second, the kick-off from endowments will be down significantly, some even returning 0%. Third, there will be less institutional support due to a lack of money from TV deals lost to the virus in March/April, and the likely elimination of football revenue (TV, tickets, merchandise). In all the elimination of the ODU program may prove to be a death knell event for non-revenue NCAA sports at the Division I level. And when you look at wrestling itself, the damage could be multiplied by a decrease in long term interest due to a "proximity bias" likely to evolve from this crisis. Social distancing will become more than a buzzword -- it will absolutely guide everything from the capacity of restaurants to corporations, and the sports world won't be spared. In the new normal, parents are going to be discouraged from allowing their children to wrestle given the higher likelihood of viral transmission between practice partners and competitors. We've all been at tournaments, or on teams, where herpes and impetigo have spread rapidly and uncontrolled. With a virus as deadly as COVID-19 the risk to the athlete (and the parents) will need to be totally mitigated before there is a total elimination of doubt. Even then, I'm doubtful there will be a full and immediate embrace of close contact sports at the scholastic level. There will be more losses at all levels. The growth we've experienced at the Division II, III, NAIA and junior college level will be somewhat insulated since they are enrollment-based schools able to make money off the programs they hire. However, the Division I level will be affected, sometimes in very visible ways like the elimination of programs, some in less visible ways like budget cuts, and finally in obscure ways like when an administration thinking of adding a team has to scuttle that notion because of the pandemic. I want to save Old Dominion and I want to see the at-risk programs preserved. So far my wife and I are still employed and are still scheduled for normal donations, but I'd be lying if I told you that there weren't fears of how this will all end up. Nobody knows. The stock market is all treasury money and speculation, the jobless numbers are awful but could completely rebound, the federal government has stopped supported testing (but states haven't). There is just no clear vision of what tomorrow will bring, much less October and the start of the collegiate season. The best we can do is keep these programs in our mind and dispatch to as many alumni as we can that the time to support is now. The time to write a nice letter to the AD is now. The time to make any gesture you can in support of a collegiate program or at-risk program is now. Also, the time to innovate is now. You might not be able to create a vaccine, but in this time you can come up with solutions to issues in our community around any number of topics regarding the sport's vulnerabilities. Improved approaches to funding, increasing attendance, decreasing liabilities … literally anything and everything. Send me an email or leave a comment below, I think a community brainstorming session can bring out some ideas that have a chance for top-level implementation and a real chance to positively impact the direction of our sport during this crisis. Multimedia Stay Strong, Stay Home Stay Strong, Stay Home 2 An interview with Abdulrashid Sadulaev Awesome throwback match

Frank Molinaro at the 2019 U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State head wrestling coach Zeke Jones announced the addition of former four-time All-American and 2016 Olympian Frank Molinaro to the coaching staff on Thursday. "Frank Molinaro is an outstanding addition to our staff and will now leave his mark by adding to the history and tradition of Sun Devil Wrestling," Head coach Zeke Jones said. "As an NCAA, Pan Am, and World Cup Champion, and one who also represented his country on the 2016 US Olympic team - he has competed at the highest level and will share those experiences. He also has a considerable track record as an assistant coach. We look forward to watching him guide our team." Most recently, Molinaro trained with Oklahoma RTC to prepare for a chance at making it back on Team USA's roster for the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo before the Olympic Committee announced postponement of the games to 2021. Now, he hangs up his wrestling shoes and will make his way back into coaching with the Sun Devils after previously working as an assistant coach with Virginia Tech in 2017-2018. In Rio, he would wrestle his way to the quarterfinals where he would fall to eventual silver medalist Toghrul Asgarov of Azerbaijan. He finished his Olympic run winning five of six matches to claim fifth place at 65 kilograms for Team USA's men's freestyle team. During his collegiate wrestling career at Penn State, he won an NCAA Championship at 149 lbs. in his final season with the Nittany Lions, capping off a perfect 33-0 record. He ended his college wrestling career as a four-time NCAA Division l All-American, a two-time NCAA finalist, and a two-time Big Ten Champion. He became just the fifth four-time All-American in Penn State's history. Molinaro graduated from Penn State with a degree in criminal justice while also minoring in kinesiology and business. He and his wife, Kera have three sons, Kason, Frank Jr., and Weston. Both of his wife's parents graduated from ASU, including her father, Kerry Bolen, who most notably wrestled under Hall of Fame head coach Bobby Douglas. "This has always been my dream job since I was a kid. If someday I can pick a place where I can live and settle down to coach wrestling, it's Arizona State. I'm chomping at the bit to get to work and make some progress."

MANHEIM, Pa. -- The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced the 2020 Division II All-American teams. Each year the NWCA recognizes the outstanding work of the DII Student-athletes by naming the All-Americans based on their achievements in the national championship, however, this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic the championships were canceled. All-American honors were based on each wrestler's overall body of work through the super-regional tournaments and up to the national championships. Division II All-Americans "With the cancellation of the national tournament the NWCA Division II leadership group thought it was still very appropriate to name All-Americans this year. The leadership group did a great job of weighing different options and polling the membership. We are happy that we can make the most out of an incredibly unfortunate situation. Although this is not the same as having a national tournament, these individuals should be recognized for their amazing season results and super-regional tournaments. Congratulations to the 2020 All-Americans and National Qualifiers. " -- Jason Warthan, NWCA Division II President & University of Indianapolis Head Coach ABOUT THE NWCA  The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, Student-Athlete Welfare, and the Promotion of Wrestling.

A group of women's college wrestling coaches and administrators from two-year universities held a historic meeting with members of the USA Wrestling staff on Wednesday, Feb. 26, to begin planning to launch a Community College Women's Wrestling National Championships in 2021. With the rapid growth of women's college wrestling, as well as the development of specific national tournaments for NCAA and NAIA women's programs, these leaders have agreed to organize a women's national championships in freestyle wrestling for community college teams and athletes next year. They asked USA Wrestling to organize a conference call to being work on this project. The plan which was developed in the meeting is to finalize a date and location for this first national competition, tentatively targeted for February 2021. Teams and individual athletes from any community college will be invited to participate, regardless of what national or regional sports organization oversees their school's sports program. Those teams invited will include community college programs affiliated with the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC), the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA), the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) and others, as well as wrestling-related college organizations including the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA). In addition to organized teams, community college women student-athletes who wrestle on a men's college team or club will also be invited to participate and challenge themselves against other community college women wrestlers. The group is committed to hosting this event in freestyle wrestling, which is the style that has been approved and is being contested by the NCAA and the NAIA teams. Freestyle wrestling has been the style used in women's college wrestling since its creation in the 1990's. By competing in the same style as the major four-year colleges conduct their women's wrestling program, this will provide even better opportunities for the community college student-athletes to attend a four-year institution after their career is over at the community college level. The participants in the group would like to see multi-organizational competitions, such as the current WCWA Nationals, continue to provide opportunities for their teams and athletes. However, the creation of a specific community college national tournament is important for the improvement of the current programs, a year-end national competition for them to focus on as well as a way to showcase women's wrestling and encourage other community colleges to start teams. Additional meetings will be scheduled, and others who wish to be part of the organization process are welcome. Any community college administrator, coach or athlete who is interested in participating in this championships or wish more information on creating a community college women's wrestling program can contact Craig Jackson, Director of Athletics at Umpqua CC at craig.jackson@umpqua.edu Media inquiries on this project should come to Gary Abbott of USA Wrestling at gabbott@usawrestling.org

With no wrestling, Episode 52 features Chad Dennis and his assistant coaches from Harrison High School in Ohio will chat some wrestling. Join Dennis and Chris Baird and Eric Meyer as they talk all things wrestling in the current climate. 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

Luke Pletcher wrestling against Northwestern's Alec McKenna on Feb. 9 (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) PITTSBURGH -- University of Pittsburgh head wrestling coach Keith Gavin announced the addition of two-time All-American Luke Pletcher to the staff as the volunteer assistant coach. "We couldn't be more excited about Luke joining our staff," Gavin said. "He is obviously a very skilled and accomplished wrestler, but on top of that, I have always respected him for his approach to the sport, the way he competes and his character. Luke is from Western Pennsylvania and is a great overall fit for us. He will have an immediate impact here." Pletcher will join the staff following his graduation from the Ohio State University this spring. "I'm really excited to join the team and start working with the guys," Pletcher said. "Getting a chance to come back home to chase my Olympic dreams and help the guys on the team attain their goals was something that I couldn't pass up." A native of Latrobe, Pa., Pletcher spent four seasons as a Buckeye, reaching All-American status in 2018 and 2019 and was a four-time NCAA qualifier. The 141-pounder earned his first Big Ten title this season after reaching the finals as a sophomore and junior. Pletcher was hoping to earn All-America status one last time this season, as he would've been the No. 1 seed at 141 pounds at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. He finished his senior campaign with a 26-1 record and leaves Ohio State with a 108-21 career record. During his time at Greater Latrobe High School, Pletcher was a three-time PIAA state champion, consensus top-10 ranked recruit and two-time Super 32 champion. Beyond his role as the volunteer assistant, Pletcher will join the Pittsburgh Wrestling Club Training Center while preparing for Olympic and World goals.

Tom Brands coaching Alex Marinelli in Iowa's dual against Ohio State (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The National Wrestling Coaches Association announced Wednesday that University of Iowa head wrestling coach Tom Brands has been named 2020 NWCA National Coach of the Year. The NWCA coaching honor is the second of Brands' career. He first won the award in 2008 following Iowa's national championship. The 2020 Hawkeyes were favored to win their fourth NCAA title under Brands. Iowa entered the 2020 NCAA Championships with three top seeds, including Hodge Trophy winner Spencer Lee, nine wrestlers seeded eighth or better, and another seeded 11th. A team title would have been the 24th in program history. The Hawkeyes were ranked at the top of every national poll this season, posting a 13-0 dual record and 9-0 Big Ten Conference record. The Hawkeyes won the 2020 Big Ten Championships, crowing three individual champions and scoring 157.5 points, its highest total since 1995. Brands was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, and Lee was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year. The NWCA honor is Brands' second coach of the year award this season. He was also named 2020 InterMat Coach of the Year.

It is with great sadness that the Edinboro University Athletic Department sends its condolences to the family of Shaun Shapert. A former wrestler at Edinboro, Shapert's body was found on a hillside in Shaler Township, Pa., a suburb of Pittsburgh, on Monday night. He had turned 42 on Jan. 1. Shapert was originally a native of Glenshaw, Pa. and attended Shaler Area High School. He would join the Edinboro wrestling program in 1997 along with twin brother Ryan. Shaun would go on to post a 60-28 career record and was a two-time national qualifier, in 1999 and 2000, while competing at 157 pounds. The highlight of his career came in the 1999-2000 season, as he finished third at the EWL Championships at 157 pounds to earn a berth in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. He went on to earn All-American honors with a seventh-place finish, upsetting third-seeded Bryan Snyder of Nebraska along the way.

Eighteen months after first setting foot at the WWE Performance Training Center in Florida, Denzel Dejournette, 2017 NCAA All-American at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, made his first appearance in the ring at WWE Raw on Monday. Denzel DejournetteIn Dejournatte's WWE Raw debut, Seth Rollins made short work of the former App State heavyweight, in a bout that was over in about a minute-and-a-half. "NXT's Denzel Dejournette certainly has a vibrant future," according to The Union Journal. "However on Raw, he was merely a sacrificial lamb for a livid Seth Rollins, who was fuming after his WrestleMania humiliation [the previous weekend] by the hands of Kevin Owens and certainly seeking to reclaim a few of his messianic mystique within the wake of two WrestleMania losses in a single evening." H "Dejournette, then, was toast earlier than this event started, and Rollins confirmed no mercy towards him, beating Dejournette throughout the ring and dispatching him with the Stomp." The next day, both Dejournette and his college wrestling program offered a mostly upbeat assessment for Monday's WWE Raw match on Twitter. On Tuesday, here's what DeJournette tweeted online: Prior to signing with the WWE in the summer of 2018, Dejournette made a name for himself in amateur wrestling. The native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina graduated from R.J. Reynolds High School where he was a state runner-up as a senior and state fourth-place finisher as a junior. He then enrolled at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. where he tallied a 113-35 collegiate mark. The 6'2", 262-pound Dejournette was a three-time NCAA Division I Championships qualifier for the Mountaineers, placing eighth in the heavyweight bracket at the 2017 NCAAs. DeJournette joins a long list of amateur wrestliers who have entered pro wrestling after college. Some examples: Oklahoma State heavyweight champ of the 1920s, Earl McCready... 1940s NCAA champs Verne Gagne of Minnesota, and Oklahoma State;s Dick Hutton... Dan Hodge, 1950s Oklahoma Sooner superstar... OSU Cowboy champ of the mid 1960s, Jack Brisco… and of course, Olympic gold medalist and NCAA champ for Clarion, Kurt Angle,

MANHEIM, Pa. -- The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced the 2020 Division III All-American teams. Each year the NWCA recognizes the outstanding work of the DIII Student-athletes by naming the All-Americans based on their achievements in the national championship, however, this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic the championships were canceled. All-American honors were based on each wrestler's overall body of work through the regional tournaments and up to the national championships. First Team All-Americans Second Team All-Americans Third Team All-Americans "These athletes deserve to be recognized for their outstanding body of work during the 2019-2020 season.  I'm proud of the NWCA Division III leadership group working so diligently to review the candidates and for developing a meaningful process for recognizing this elite group of young men. " -- Lonnie Morris, NWCA Division III President & Johnson & Wales Head Coach ABOUT THE NWCA The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, Student-Athlete Welfare, and the Promotion of Wrestling.

Action from the 2017 World Championships in Paris (Photo/Tony Rotundo) CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY -- The United World Wrestling bureau has voted to preserve the dates and host cities for the remaining qualification events of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The Bureau also passed a a series of technical adjustments to clarify athletes' Olympic eligibility and announce the 2020 Ordinary Congress. The remaining Continental qualifiers will remain in the month of March and take place in their original host cities. The "Last Chance" qualifier will be held at the end of April in Sofia, Bulgaria. "We want to plan our calendar in alignment with the IOC and the new dates for Tokyo 2020," said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. "We also find it vital to continue our work with host cities and concerned national federations." After consultation with the concerned organizers, the Technical Commission and the Sports Department, the UWW Bureau also voted to postpone all UWW Championships planned before June 30, 2020. All international tournaments in this time frame are also cancelled. UWW has also suggested that all National Federations cancel their national events during the time to ensure the health of all athletes and participants in protected. The rest of the 2020 calendar will be adjusted to allow for consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic, and will take into account any financial challenges faced by organizers and national federations. For athletes who meet the minimum age requirement in 2021 will be eligible to compete during Olympic qualification and the Games, however no new nationality changes will be allowed prior to the new Olympic Games date of 2021. As stated previously by the IOC and UWW, no existing allocations of Olympic licenses will be changed. In keeping with good governance, the UWW Ordinary Congress is still scheduled for September 6 on the eve of the Junior World Championship in Belgrade. However, as the championship may be postponed it was still agreed to convene to the Congress -- and the call for candidacies -- as though the Congress will proceed as planned.

Andrew Sparks defeated Cael Valencia to win the state title at 160 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) California state champion Andrew Sparks will be heading to the University of Minnesota. The Calvary Chapel (Calif) senior announced his commitment to Minnesota Monday night on Instagram. Sparks knocked off previous No. 2 Cael Valencia (St. John Bosco) to win a state championship at 160 pounds. He won a title at Battle for the Belt and placed third at the Doc Buchanan. Sparks finished the season ranked No. 11 nationally at 160 pounds.

Justin Gaethje will fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 Two former amateur wrestlers -- Tony Ferguson and Jason Gaethje -- will face each other for the interim UFC lightweight (155-pound) title at the main event at UFC 249, a pay-per-view scheduled for Saturday, April 18, as announced by UFC president Dana White Monday. White revealed the main event participants on Twitter: While Dana White's tweet named the combatants, the date, and where it could be viewed, it hinted at the fact that UFC 249 is still an event without a home ... no laughing matter, in this time of coronavirus COVID-19 which has canceled or postponed just about every major sporting event around the world, including the cancelation of the 2020 NCAA Wrestling Championships and the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Ariel Helwani of ESPN reported Sunday night that the UFC is considering a facility located on the West Coast for UFC 249 ... likely in front of no fans. Originally, UFC 249 was to feature the promotion's lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was scheduled to defend his title against challenger Tony Ferguson. However, Nurmagomedov was replaced by Justin Gaethje. Both headliners bring impressive mixed martial arts credentials to UFC 249. Tony Ferguson sports a 25-3 pro MMA record, with a 12-bout win streak going back to 2012. Justin Gaethje has a 21-2 overall record. In addition, Ferguson and Gaethje brought strong amateur wrestling backgrounds to MMA. Born in California but raised in Michigan, Ferguson won the 152-pound crown at the state tournament in 2002. He then continued his mat career at Central Michigan University, then Grand Valley State, where he claimed the 2006 National Collegiate Wrestling Association national title in 2006 at 165 pounds. Gaethje launched his wrestling career at age 4. At Safford High School in Arizona, Gaethje won two state titles ... then continued his mat career at University of Northern Colorado, where he was a two-time NCAA All-American. While Ferguson-Gaethje is the only match to have been announced for UFC 249, the complete bout order is expected to be announced in the coming days, according to BloodyElbow.com.

MANHEIM, Pa. -- On Tuesday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced the Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award winner.  This award was scheduled to be presented at the NWCA 2020 Jim Koch Division II Hall of Fame Banquet on the eve of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. However, the event was canceled along with the Division II Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence award is presented annually to an outstanding coach who epitomizes the qualities and characteristics of a role model and mentor for developing young student-athletes. Shawn NelsonThe recipient of this year's NWCA Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award is Shawn Nelson of the University of Findlay. Coach Nelson is in his 23rd year as head coach was inducted into the NCAA Division II Jim Koch Hall of Fame in 2019. He has coached 11 national champions during his tenure and has won multiple coach of the year awards at the conference, region, and national levels. “It's an honor to announce Coach Shawn Nelson as the 2020 recipient of the Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award. Shawn has built a model program at the University of Findlay and his dedication to the sport and his student-athletes is evident.” The NWCA will recognize Coach Nelson during the NWCA National Convention awards luncheon. This year's convention, presented by Cliff Keen, Defense Soap, and Resilite will be hosted on July 31 – August 2 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino located in Hollywood, FL. ABOUT THE NWCA The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, Student-Athlete Welfare, and the Promotion of Wrestling.

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland -- The stars of United World Wrestling took to social media in massive numbers this week to encourage fellow wrestlers and their fans to "Stay Strong and Stay at Home!" More than 70 of the world's most successful wrestlers, including Olympic champions Jordan BURROUGHS (USA), Hassan YAZDANICHARATI (IRI), Saori YOSHIDA (JPN), and Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM) sent in their messages to United World Wrestling, who has shared their video via Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. "We have seen an outpouring of support from our stars," said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. "I'm very humbled to know that we have such strong and responsive leadership from our athletes. They are the core of who we are and I'm encouraged by their passion to help in this difficult time." Lalovic also shared a short video message of his own asking the community to understand that "courage today means wisdom and responsibility" and that we will all get through this soon. Offline, the wrestling community has also included several athletes who've been on the front lines fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. In Iran, Olympic champions Rasoul KHADEM and Komeil GHASEMI helped deliver medical equipment to highly affected areas of their home nation, while several doctors associated with the sport have been supporting their city's responses.

Russia's Abdulrashid Sadulaev after winning his fourth world title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) This past weekend was supposed to bring one of USA Wrestling's most anticipated matchups of all time: Kyle Snyder vs. J'den Cox, both multiple-time world champions and Olympic medalists, for the 97-kilogram spot on the 2020 U.S. Olympic freestyle team. However, with the spread of COVID-19, the 2020 Olympic Team Trials, as well as the Tokyo Olympics, were postponed until 2021. Now wrestling fans will have to wait a year for a Snyder-Cox showdown at 97 kilograms. Russia's Abdulrashid Sadulaev, a 2016 Olympic champion and four-time world champion, has faced Snyder twice at the World Championships. In 2017, Snyder knocked off Sadulaev 6-5 in Paris, France. The following year, Sadulaev earned a first-period fall over Snyder in the finals of the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Sadulaev, who secured the No. 1 seed at 97 kilograms for the Tokyo Olympics, recently shared some thoughts on both Snyder and Cox in a soon-to-be released film on the Russian wrestling star produced by United World Wrestling. "I think J'den Cox has a specific wrestling style," Sadulaev said in a video clip released by UWW. "However, Snyder will not be easy to beat. He is a current Olympic champion. And he's a lot bigger than Cox. As it is said, we will see what happens on the mat. I'm interested in seeing them wrestling against each other. "I don't really know how the match between me and Cox will go because we've never wrestled ... We ended up in different brackets. I changed my weight category but he stayed at the same one. We have never met on the mat." Cox, who is moving up from 92 kilograms to 97 kilograms, responded to Sadulaev's comments on Twitter: "You Sadulaev and @Snyder_man45 are two of the greatest, and I have all the respect in the world for you both," tweeted Cox, a two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist. "I just want to put my best out there. The tests, fights, and push that I desire to have are coming soon." United World Wrestling's full interview with Sadulaev will be released Wednesday at 7 a.m.

MANHEIM, Pa. -- For the third year in a row, the Saints of Maryville University posted the top team GPA in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division II Scholar All-America ranking for the 2019-20 year, released Tuesday. Maryville bested its own record GPA with a 3.695 in this year's edition of the annual ranking. The University of Indianapolis was this year's runner-up with a GPA of 3.513, with Colorado School of Mines coming in third with a GPA of 3.384. Western Colorado (3.343) and Augustana (3.336) rounded out the 2019-20 top five. "We try to treat this on the same level as an All-American in our program. We are proud of our guys for their work on the academic side. The culture that we have is what allows us to keep this going; we are so thankful and grateful. I sincerely thank the NWCA for honoring the academic side of our sport, Jim Koch for starting this and to the current committee for their work to continue these honors." -- Mike Denney, Maryville head wrestling coach Link: Top 10 Scholar All-American Teams Link: Individual Scholar All-Americans A total of 273 student-athletes from 50 institutions were honored individually. Half of the national qualifiers to the 2020 NCAA Division II National Championships were among those honored, with 92 of the 273 Scholar All-American wrestlers also being 2020 National Qualifiers. Maryville led all institutions with 16 individual honorees, while Colorado School of Mines had 14 wrestlers named All-Academic. Upper Iowa had 12 honorees, with Nebraska-Kearney, Indianapolis, Lake Erie and St. Cloud State all putting nine on the Scholar All-American team. Super Region 5 led with 56 total honorees, while Super Region 4 and Super Region 6 each had 50 wrestlers honored. In order for a student-athlete to be nominated to the Division II Scholar All-American Team, he must have a minimum 3.4 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale, with that benchmark at 3.2 for those who qualified for the 2020 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. The athlete must also have competed in a minimum of five dates of competition. Eleven student-athletes earned Scholar All-American honors for the fourth time in their career: Brandon Ball (Fort Hays State University), Brody Conner (University of Indianapolis), Jamie Gehlin (Upper Iowa University), Logan Grass (Mercyhurst University), Tyler Harrington (Maryville University), Walker Johnson (University of Nebraska at Kearney), Tyler Makosy (University of North Carolina at Pembroke), JD Rader (University of Nebraska at Kearney), Bret Romanzak (Ashland University), Jason Slaughter (Western Colorado University), and Alex Waggoner (Maryville University). Twelve student-athletes honored posted a perfect 4.0 GPA: Owen Balas (Gannon University), Alex Dilagge (Limestone College), Keaton Fogler (Lindenwood University), Jamie Gehling (Upper Iowa University), Fred Green (Colorado Mesa), Tyler Harrington (Maryville University), Tyler Makosy (University of North Carolina at Pembroke), Brock Schlough (St. Cloud State University), Mac Spotts (Upper Iowa University), Austin Stofer (Lindenwood University), Conrad Vajnar (Fort Hays State University), and Jordan Will (Minot State University). The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, Student-Athlete Welfare, and the Promotion of Wrestling.

Tate Orndorff qualified for the NCAAs twice while at Utah Valley (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Tate Orndorff, a two-time NCAA qualifier, is transferring from Utah Valley to Ohio State. The Washington native recently entered the NCAA transfer portal. He made the announcement of his transfer to Ohio State Friday on Instagram. Orndorff compiled a record of 18-4 this past season. He was ranked No. 11 at heavyweight in InterMat's final rankings of the 2019-20 season. He represented the United States at the U23 World Championships in 2019, finishing with a 1-1 record.

MANHEIM, Pa. -- On Thursday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) announced the NAIA Women's Wrestling National Coach of the Year Award and Campbellsville's Lee Miracle earned the honor. Lee Miracle (Photo/Campbellsville Athletics)Coach Miracle is in his seventh year as head coach and his squad took home a runner-up trophy from the NWCA National Dual Championships while capturing their second Mid-South Conference and WCWA National Championships. "The NWCA is proud to honor Coach Miracle, and for the amazing job he has done at Campbellsville. He has built the CU Tiger program into a national powerhouse," said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. Presented annually, this honor goes to a coach who has demonstrated outstanding effort in developing and elevating their program on campus and in the community. The coach of the year awards program is presented by Defense Soap, the official Hygiene partner of the NWCA. Miracle has led the Lady Tigers to two WCWA National Championships and now has 14 WCWA Individual National Champions in just seven seasons. In 2019-20, the Lady Tigers won their second WCWA National Championship including three individual national titles - Mariah Harris, Abby Nette, and Alexandra Castillo. Campbellsville ran away with the national title by over 130+ points over Life University, which finished runner-up. CU set a new WCWA record with 13 All-Americans as well. Miracle delivered the program's first team national championship in 2018 after the Lady Tigers earned 196.5 points to win the team title by just five points. He coached his daughter, Kayla Miracle, to her fourth-straight WCWA National Championship and she became just the fourth individual to do so. Grace Bullen also was a national champion during her freshman campaign at Campbellsville. The 2018-19 season saw more individual accomplishments for the Lady Tigers with four Mid-South Conference Champions, an NAIA National Champion, and the Mid-South Conference Wrestler of the Year. McKayla Campbell won the MSC Women's Wrestler of the Year, Andribeth Rivera was an NAIA National Champion in the Inaugural NAIA Championship event for women's wrestling and the four conference champions included Rivera, Koral Sugiyama, Mariah Harris, and Alexandra Castillo. This award was scheduled to be presented on the eve of the NAIA Women's Wrestling Championships at the University of Jamestown. Unfortunately, the championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NWCA will recognize the 2020 national winners during the NWCA National Convention awards luncheon. This year's convention, presented by Cliff Keen, Defense Soap, and Resilite will be hosted on July 31 - August 2 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino located in Hollywood, Fla.

Steve Costanzo (Photo/SCSU Athletics) The National Wrestling Coaches Association has selected St. Cloud State University's Steve Costanzo as the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year Award winner for 2019-20. Presented annually, this honor goes to a coach who has demonstrated outstanding effort in developing and elevating their program on campus and in the community. The coach of the year awards program is presented by Defense Soap, the official Hygiene partner of the NWCA. This award was scheduled to be presented at the NWCA 2020 Jim Koch Division II Hall of Fame Banquet on the eve of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. Unfortunately, the event was canceled along with the Division II Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Costanzo is in his fourteenth year as head coach and his 2020 squad captured its fourth consecutive NWCA Division II National Duals championship and his teams have won four of the past five NCAA Division II National Titles. The Huskies finished the season with a 16-0, 8-0 NSIC record and claimed its ninth consecutive NSIC championship in 2019-20. SCSU won the NCAA Division II Super Region 5 title in 2019-20 and saw seven Huskies win individual region titles and nine individuals qualify for the 2020 NCAA DII championships - the most of any team in the nation. SCSU broke its own NCAA record this season and currently has won 64 consecutive dual matches dating back to 2017. The Huskies finished the season as the nation's number one ranked team in the Division II poll and nine SCSU wrestlers were individually ranked in the final NCAA DII poll. Costanzo has also earned NWCA DII Coach of the Year honors in 2016 and 2011 along with NAIA Coach of the Year honors at Dana College in 2006. He was selected as the 2020 NCAA DII Super Region 5 coach of the year and the 2019-20 NSIC Coach of the Year. "Coach Costanzo has had a long track record of success having coached multiple National Championship teams at the NCAA and NAIA levels. We are proud to honor him as the 2020 NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. The NWCA will recognize the 2020 national winners during the NWCA National Convention awards luncheon. This year's convention, presented by Cliff Keen, Defense Soap, and Resilite will be hosted on July 31 - August 2 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino located in Hollywood, FL. The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, Student-Athlete Welfare, and the Promotion of Wrestling. 2020 NCAA DIVISION II COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD FINALISTS SUPER REGION 1 Pat Pecora - University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown SUPER REGION 2 Derrick Nelson - Coker University SUPER REGION 3 Joey Simcoe - Tiffin University SUPER REGION 4 Todd Steidley - University of Central Oklahoma SUPER REGION 5 Steve Costanzo - St. Cloud State. University SUPER REGION 6 Austin Devoe - Colorado School of Mines

Seth Gross at the 2020 Big Ten Championships (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) After finishing a storied collegiate wrestling career, two-time NCAA finalist and 2018 NCAA champion, Seth Gross will be joining the Wisconsin Regional Training Center as a resident athlete. "I am excited to officially be a part of the Wisconsin Regional Training Center and I am pumped about the opportunity it gives me to continue to chase my goal of becoming an Olympic champion," said Gross. Gross has already qualified for the 2020 Olympic Team Trials, which has now been postponed. Gross said, "fully focusing my time on freestyle and working with coaches that have been on World and Olympic teams, I truly believe that I can reach every single one of my goals." With Gross staying in Wisconsin, he will be able to make an impact in the sport of Wrestling as he will hold a coaching position with the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation. Gross will also be instrumental in helping UW wrestlers progress and reach their goal.

Penn State's Mark Hall and Iowa's Michael Kemerer shake hands before a dual meet (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) The Big Ten Network will air a wrestling marathon today with consecutive wrestling programs airing from Friday morning until Saturday morning. The wrestling marathon includes five major Big Ten dual meets, highlighted by Iowa hosting Penn State at 6 p.m. In addition, the wrestling marathon includes segments of BTN Wrestling in 60 and On The Mat. Note: All times ET.

Johnny Sebastian, a New Jersey native who recently wrapped up his career at the University of Wisconsin joins Chad Dennis on Episode 51 of The MatBoss Podcast. Sebastian was from the wrestling powerhouse at Bergen Catholic and started his career at Northwestern. After graduating, Sebastian was granted an additional year of eligibility and used it to stay in the Big Ten and wrestle at 184 pounds. Sebastian talks about his wild ride in college wrestling and what's next. 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