InterMat Staff

On Sunday I received a call from a nurse at the Sentara Medical Clinic in Norfolk informing me that I'd tested positive for COVID-19. By the time the call arrives I was confident that my results would come back positive, but how I'd gotten to that point (and the signs that I'd missed) made me realize that others -- especially those outside the hot zone of New York City -- might also overlook signs they were carrying the virus. My timeline starts sometime between March 4 and March 11. I'd gone to the Pan American Championships, leaving on Friday, March 6 and returned on the morning of March 9. On the ground, my days were packed with work, but I'd found time for dinner and trip to the local casino. When I returned to the office on Tuesday, March 10, I felt totally fine. On Wednesday, March 11, I was informed that an upcoming trip to Japan would be canceled and that Tom Hanks had tested positive. He was among the first celebrity and a new barometer for how many people might have been impacted by the disease. The number of positive cases and deaths in New York City were also ticking up on March 11, but it still felt distant. There was no real clarity on what this virus was or was not to be handled. While some state-level leaders were ringing the bell there was a lot at the national level who weren't. Overall, a lack of knowing led me to wonder aloud to my wife just what we should do to prepare. On Thursday, March 12, it became clear (to me) through the actions on Wall Street, the rumors being flung around online about lockdowns, and the sense of dread in the air that New York City was not going to fare well in the coming weeks and months. With a 19-month-old and a 900-square-foot apartment I knew it was important to get to more space and a location my daughter could access reliable non-COVID health care options. That afternoon I purchased a one-way rental car from my West Village Hertz and took the 6.5-hour drive to Ocean View, Norfolk, where my parents have a home on the Chesapeake Bay. Space for the baby, space to work, and some help watching the baby should I need some during the work week. The drive was mostly miserable as my daughter thought it was a great adventure and stayed awake until 10:45 p.m. When she did sleep I was too nervous to listen to music or call friends and mostly sat in silence as I passed through the forgotten towns on the Eastern Shore. I arrived at 1:30 a.m. and headed to bed with my daughter. When she woke up at 630 a.m. on Friday, March 1m feeling I felt like I'd been double legged by Stephen Neal. The stress of the quick-pack, long drive, and little sleep seemed to be affecting me, I thought. "Toughen up," was my constant thought as I limped through a series of chores to get her well-situated in her new environment. On Saturday and Sunday the feeling got worse, but I fought it off and explained it away as a mixture of allergies (to be fair, pollen is caked on the deck furniture) and exhaustion from watching my kid all day. I was out-of-my-head, sleeping a full 9-10 hours at night and napping alongside my daughter for three hours during the day and yet never feeling rested. No matter how long I slept, I never felt energized enough to type text messages, hold decent conversations, or live my everyday life. March 16 was my parents 46th (!!) wedding anniversary and they had a nice Irish whiskey to finish the meal. I'd thought the food we ate that night was simply bland, but I knew that the whiskey had a nice flavor profile. I swirled., smelled, sipped and swished. Nothing. I could sense none of it. The morning of March 17 I couldn't smell my daughter's dirty diaper, couldn't taste the bacon I cooked for breakfast, or sense the garlic in that evening's dinner. I was totally nose deaf and tasteless. I called my sister-in-law, a pediatrician in Oakland, and asked her what it could be. She thought it was highly odd but that the rundown feeling could be allergies or a deeper sinus infection. I used a Neti Pot to try and clear my sinuses (I could breathe fine), but that and nasal spray had no effect. Then on March 22 my other sister-in-law texted a link to the New York Times story about the peculiar case of losing smell and taste when contracting coronavirus. Reading that article was the first time I'd even considered my symptoms to be COVID-19. It didn't seem real. On Monday, March 23, I went to the yard and tried to overcome my nose deafness through exercise and finished 50 burpees. As a consequence I felt as close to death as I will ever feel --coughing uncontrollably, unable to open my eyes, and laid motionless for an hour before going to bed. (I realize this is dumb behavior, but I really thought I was just being 'weak.') On Tuesday, March 24, I drove to a Sentara Medical drive through and was tested. In a too-stupid-for-a-novel twist, the car I was driving broke down as soon as the line started moving. Fortunately, because I was so out of it I'd also forgotten my wallet and my father had just delivered it to me in the car. He headed back and we quickly switched cars, allowing me to get the test. The New York residency, fatigue, absence of smell, and cough were all symptoms enough to determine a test. While I could tell that I wasn't going to be one of the lucky ones to not get deathly ill from COVID-19 (at least in the short term) it was imperative I know for the sake of my wife, daughter, and my parents. Knowing I was sick allows us to better adjust our routines, clean up with more determination and attention to detail, and to create timelines for when they will be clear of the virus. I received my results on Sunday and we discussed with the nurses what to do next. Fortunately, we'd been practicing distancing and some amount of quarantining and separation, like using my own bathroom, towels, and the rest. We were also hyper vigilant about wiping down surfaces. Maybe the best example of our efforts is that I've yet to hug my parents in the three weeks I've been here. My daughter is currently fine. Her major concern seems to be how often we go to the beach to see the waves and how often I will draw her an Elmo. Between the diaper changes, sticking her hands in my mouth, and co-sleeping it's unlikely she avoided the virus, which if she's asymptomatic is certainly a blessing. There is still some fear. I fear for my wife, my parents, and if I somehow affected someone else unknowingly. My parents are heathy, but they are in their 60's and this virus is unpredictable in who it chooses for its most ferocious attacks. Coming to Virginia was a decision we all came to, but I worry it will somehow backfire. In all, that's my story from start to finish. I hope that if nothing else it can provide a little more clarity into any of your situations that you're now facing or may face. These are uncertain times, but we will get through it together. Our worlds will feel different. We will interact in new ways and make adjustments for all types of new technology in our life. We will lose friends and loved ones, but at some point this too will have passed. For now, I'm signing up for plasma donation in New York and investigating the same here in Virginia. Once I'm 14 days post-test I'll also be heading out more to grab groceries and essentials for my family members and any friends who feel they are immuno-compromised. If wrestling needs me to travel somewhere, I'll do that, too. In the meantime, please be sure to keep watching your hands and watch out for each other. To your questions … Chris Pendleton with Zahid Valencia at the 2019 Senior Nationals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: What do you think of the Chris Pendleton hiring at Oregon State? -- Mike C. Foley: I'm ashamed to say that I hadn't considered Pendleton in a lot of recent hiring opportunities. Part of that is because he's been an assistant in the Pac-12 and I -- like most readers -- has a bias for East Coast programs and individuals. However, if you look at the accomplishments he can claim as an assistant it would have been surprising for them to NOT hire Pendleton. Guy is a two-time NCAA champion, recruited and coached Zahid Valencia to two titles, has been a top assistant as Arizona State grew to become a top-five program. Check out the release. I think it's well-written and covers all the highlights. Congrats and good luck to Coach Pendleton. Q: Frank Molinaro chose to retire this week after the Olympics were postponed a year. Do you think we will see some other wrestlers do the same? -- Mike C. Foley: Frank Molinaro will be the highest profile athlete to retire. He's an Olympian in his 30's who had a slim chance of capturing the starting spot this year under perfect conditions. No shame in him seeing the end of his career during the pandemic. I've heard he's a good coach and should he choose that route I think the sport would welcome his expertise and motivation. To mention nothing of that hair. I do think we might see a few overseas guys retire. When you can't work out for long enough you both have time for injuries to heal and to spend time with your family, eat donuts, and think about a post-wrestling life. Bound to be a few guys who that more directly impacts. Q: It seems like a lot of summer sporting events are getting canceled. Wimbledon and the British Open are the latest. Do you think USA Wrestling will cancel the Junior Nationals in Fargo this summer? -- Mike C. Foley: Yes, it's really just a matter of seeing how the next month goes on the ground. As the virus spreads to new locations and the death toll rises it will be difficult to imagine wrestling will take place in the summer. The fallout from these canceled events could be immediate and severe. We have not taken enough time (yet) as a community to focus on how the economic impact most directly impacts sports of lower socio-economic status, and how there could be a negative connotation connected with the close contact involved with wrestling. The perception of disease could be a major PR battle we'll need to tackle as a community. Assume, for example, that parents are out of work for several months. The discretionary income that might once have gone to a USA Wrestling membership, club signup, shoes, and gear will now be used for the rent and groceries. That money is what allows large tournaments to go forward, but it's also vital for the local wrestling communities. Now add in concerned mothers -- will they quickly embrace the idea that their son or daughter should step on a mat with 40-plus random strangers? I'm in love with jiu-jitsu and trained 4-5 times a week before the outbreak and I can't imagine heading back into the gym unless there was a vaccine and new increased standards for cleanliness. Wrestling has a powerful story to tell in terms of protecting the health of its athletes with skin and medical checks already commonplace, but we will need to be a leader in addressing the new normal. Parents and athletes will need to feel protected or they won't show up on the mats. That will require ingenuity and broad buy-in and implementation. The other issue is what will happen to many collegiate programs who are run with the assistance of their for-profit brethren. Does the NCAA college wrestling season happen if there is no football season? Will the lost revenue directly and negatively affect the winter sports season? There is no answer to the hypothetical, but we need to start considering ways to backstop that type of situation. We can't allow this become the trigger for widespread elimination of the sport at the NCAA level, and I fear that without a comprehensive plan to explain the sport's relative value to the individual organization's stability could become an issue.

Old Dominion University as seen on March 12, 2020 (Photo/Stephen M. Katz) NORFOLK, Va. -- Old Dominion University Athletics announced it will discontinue the sport of wrestling effective immediately. Currently enrolled students will retain their scholarships through the completion of their fourth academic year if they remain at ODU. Per NCAA rules, the students can be immediately eligible if they transfer to another institution under these circumstances. The students that signed National Letters of Intent for the 2020-21 year will retain scholarships for the upcoming year if they enroll at ODU. Members of the athletics staff have reached out to each of the students impacted and will help with the transition. There are 32 students in the program currently, seven of which are seniors. "We are saddened to have to make this decision, but it's one that was made with the long-term best interest of the athletics program in mind," said director of athletics Dr. Camden Wood Selig. "No one wants to reduce opportunities for young men to compete and represent Old Dominion, but we are required to be responsible with departmental resources. Our decision became even more clear during this coronavirus crisis, which we know will have significant impact on future athletics budgets. This decision will better allow the remaining sports to compete at a national level." The decision in part developed from the findings of a six-month study of the athletics program by an outside consultant. The comprehensive report reviewed the national college sports landscape, identified current and future financial challenges and evaluated Title IX compliance, which led to the recommendation to discontinue a varsity sport. Once completely implemented, it is estimated that athletics will have an expense savings of approximately $1 million. Steve Martin, who was an ultra-successful high school coach at Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake before taking over the ODU program, has been the head coach of the Monarchs for the past 16 seasons. He has agreed to remain on staff to assist the currently enrolled and signed recruits with the transition. "I would like to thank President Broderick and Wood Selig for the support of the wrestling program over my 16-year career at ODU," said Martin. "I understand these are challenging times for everyone, not only in athletics, but in every walk of life. "I care a great deal about the student-athletes and coaches in the wrestling program at ODU, and I'm committed to work with each one of them to assist them during this transition," Martin continued. "I'm proud of what we were able to accomplish over my tenure in the wrestling program, on the mat, but more importantly, off the mat as we were able to use the sport of wrestling to propel many young men into distinguished professional careers." Martin recorded 172 dual meet victories as the head coach at Old Dominion, matching the record set by Peter Robinson, the program's first head coach. The last competition for the Monarch wrestling team was the 2020 Mid-American Conference championships on March 7-8 in Illinois. On March 12, the NCAA canceled winter sport championships, including the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Four ODU wrestlers had advanced to the NCAA Championships. ODU has sponsored wrestling since the 1957-58 season. The program has a proud history of producing outstanding alumni, including 23 men who earned All-America honors over the history of the program. Wrestling has participated in the Mid-American Conference since the athletics program left the Colonial Athletic Association in 2013. No other Conference USA members sponsor the sport. In the most recent NCAA report, 70 of the 351 NCAA Division I members (19.9%) sponsored the sport of wrestling in 2018-19. There are also five non-Division I institutions that sponsor NCAA Division I wrestling. The sport sponsorship for wrestling has been on a downward trend since the 1981-82 year when there were 146 of the 276 Division I members (52.9%) sponsoring the sport. With the change, ODU will sponsor 16 NCAA sports, nine for women and seven for men, in addition to the non-NCAA sport of women's and coed sailing. This includes women's volleyball, which will begin its first season at ODU in the fall. NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision programs are required to sponsor at least 16 sports.

Cuba's Ismael Borrero recently won a gold medal at the Pan American Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Ismael Borrero, 2016 Olympic gold medalist for Cuba, is one of five Cuban athletes who has tested positive for COVID-19 as announced Thursday by the Cuban Ministry of Public Health and confirmed by the National Sports Institute (Inder) of Cuba. Borrero, 28, won the gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at 59 kilograms at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Borrero was crowned champ at 67 kilograms at the 2019 World Championships. Just last month, Borrero won the title at 67 kilograms at the 2020 Pan American Championships in Ottawa, Canada in early March. After Borrero returned to Havana on March 17, he began to show symptoms of the infection. On March 28 during an investigation, Borrero was identified as a suspicious case, for which he was hospitalized.

These days, with kids at home from school due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, there's no better time to introduce youngsters to all that's great about wrestling. With the pandemic, there's a smart, safe way to introduce them to the oldest and greatest sport … without leaving home: Simply download a proven book that's already in use in thousands of homes ... instantly ... at absolutely NO cost to you. The book: "Wrestling: A Boy's First Book" now available for downloading for free here. "Wrestling: A Boy's First Book" by William "Doc" Bauer is unique. It's NOT a traditional "how-to-wrestle" instructional ... nor is it an old-fashioned storybook designed for kids to read on their own. Rather, "Wrestling: A Boy's First Book" is aimed at young boys and girls ages 7-9 who might be interested in the sport ... but intended to be read to the child by a parent, grandparent or other caring adult. First published in 2009, thousands of copies of the published version of "Wrestling: A Boy's First Book" were sold. Once the printed books were sold out, Bauer decided to take a new direction… and make the book available online, ready to print at home. No waiting… no shopping… and no charge! "Wrestling: A Boy's First Book" provides an introduction that any boy or girl can relate to immediately. It opens with two seven-year-old friends -- Christopher and Michael -- watching professional wrestling on TV. Christopher's older brother Kevin -- himself a high school wrestler -- tells the boys, "Those guys aren't wrestlers." It's an introduction anyone can immediately relate to… especially kids who hear the word "wrestling" and instantly think of pro rasslin.' Bauer -- a former wrestler and educator -- told InterMat in 2009 (at the time the original book was published), "The idea (behind the book) was to have the parent and child bond by reading, and, yes, by pushing the furniture aside and doing some hands-on demonstrations." In fact, "Wrestling: A Boy's First Book" encourages an interactive experience between parent and child by encouraging the adult to go beyond merely reading the text, but also become an active part of the learning process by talking about what's in the book, practicing some of the moves, and even visiting a wrestling room and a high school dual meet, just like the boys in the book … without leaving home. To download your free copy of "Wrestling: A Boy's First Book", simply click here ... and in seconds you'll have a copy of your book to print out and/or share on the screen of your computer or other device.

Missouri's Max Askren defeated Boise State's Kirk Smith in the NCAA finals in 2010 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Want to catch some NCAA wrestling on TV while in quarantine? ESPNU will be airing five years of NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Saturday, April 4, from noon until 9 p.m. Saturday, April 4 on ESPNU Noon 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships 2 p.m. 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships 4 p.m. 2013 NCAA Wrestling Championships 6 p.m. 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships 9 p.m. 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships

Yet another major amateur wrestling event is doing a major calendar shift. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has rescheduled its 2020 Honors Weekend from June 5-6 of this year to exactly one year later ... to June 5-6, 2021. The annual event -- which welcomes honorees to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in an induction ceremony the first weekend of June -- has been rescheduled this year out of health concerns associated with the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. "The rescheduling of 2020 Honors Weekend was not an easy decision for us to make. It is our signature event and has been held every year but one since the Hall of Fame opened in 1976," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the Hall of Fame. "The safety and health of our honorees and attendees is of the utmost importance to us and we believe this is the best decision to ensure that we do not put anyone at risk. "We look forward to June 2021 when we will celebrate the Class of 2020 that will now become our Class of 2021." The National Wrestling Hall of Fame announced in October 2019 that the Class of 2020 inductees are Distinguished Members Bruce Burnett, Dremiel Byers, Mark Lieberman and Bill Zadick ... Meritorious Official Tim Shiels ... Order of Merit recipient Gary Abbott ... Medal of Courage recipient Gary Chopp and Outstanding American Carl Eschenbach. (For more information on the 2020 honorees, check out the original announcement from last fall.) "This group has accomplished and done so much for wrestling and they continue to give back to our great sport," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. "We are proud to honor these remarkable individuals as our Class of 2020."

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- Augustana will add women's wrestling to its varsity athletic lineup beginning with the 2021-22 school year, it was announced today by director of athletics Mike Zapolski. The addition of women is wrestling pushes to 26 the number of intercollegiate varsity sports offered by Augustana. This will give the Vikings 13 women's sports and 13 men's sports. "Wrestling is becoming an increasingly popular sport for girls nationwide, and our goal is that Augustana will become the small college destination for young women who want to excel at a high level academically and continue to compete," said Zapolski. "We are perfectly situated geographically to attract quality women's wrestlers from Illinois, neighboring Midwest states plus other locations such as California and Texas." This will be the seventh varsity sport added since Zapolski became the director of athletics in June of 2008. Women's lacrosse and men's lacrosse were announced in 2010 and added in 2012 while men's volleyball and women's bowling started competition in 2018 after the decision was made in 2016 to add them. In February of 2019, Augustana unveiled plans to add women's water polo and then men's water polo, both of which will begin play in 2021-22. Tony Willaert, who recently completed his third season as the head coach of the men's program, has been tabbed to start the women's program. "Augustana has been discussing the idea of adding women's wrestling for some time, and, institutionally, we believe the program will attract new students to the College," said Zapolski. "Coach Willaert has done a solid job rebuilding our men's wrestling program the last three years, and is eager to be engaged with the launch of a women's team. Similar to our other recent programmatic additions, Tony will have the next 15 months to recruit in advance of our first competitive season in 2021-22." Willaert, who took over for Eric Juergens as the head coach prior to the 2017-18 season, came to Augustana after a stint as the head coach at his alma mater St. John's (Minnesota). He is excited about the opportunity to lead the fledgling women's wrestling program. "I'm really excited to get to work recruiting for our new women's program. Our local area has seen a lot of growth with girls wrestling so this will give us a great base for our recruiting efforts," said Willaert, whose first two Viking teams finished 30th and 20th in the NCAA Division III National Championships, respectively. "I know we can develop a solid base over the next couple years and compete on the national level right away." Women's wrestling will compete in the winter with the same time-frame as the men. Official practice will begin on October 10 each year with the competitive season going from November through March. The NCAA considers it an "emerging sport". The Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) governs women's wrestling and has overseen the national championships since 2008. Augustana is at the front end of a growing trend across the nation with the addition of women's wrestling. "The National Wrestling Coaches Association would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the Augustana College administration for its extraordinary leadership in establishing our 37th new NCAA affiliated women's wrestling program in the nation," said Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. "Intercollegiate wrestling has a very high percentage of first generation college bound students so this new program will provide an opportunity for countless young aspiring female student-wrestlers to obtain a college degree who otherwise might not otherwise attend college." Moyer acknowledges that Augustana's announcement helps the sport move closer to an NCAA championship meet. "Further, this announcement moves us one program closer to reaching 40 NCAA member schools that sponsor women's intercollegiate wrestling programs which is the minimum cut point to qualify for an NCAA sanctioned championship," said Moyer. The 2020 WCWA conducted its national championship on March 6-7 of this year at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan. Similar to the men's program, the women will have a total of 10 weight classes: 101, 109, 116, 123, 130, 136, 143, 155, 170 and 191. Terry Steiner is the head coach of the United States women's national team and he had this to say about the announcement. "Wrestling is a great teacher of life skills. Augustana has always been an institution that has given young adults a great opportunity to succeed in life well beyond their college years," he remarked. "Augustana adding a women's wrestling program is only going to enhance the overall college experience. It will give those student-athletes first-hand knowledge of overcoming obstacles, dealing with adversity, and finding a way to succeed. Women's wrestling is growing at unprecedented rates across the United States. We are excited to welcome Augustana to the wrestling family." Currently, the list of regional NCAA Division III schools that sponsor or are planning to sponsor women's wrestling include Adrian, Augsburg, Aurora, Carthage, Fontbonne, Iowa Wesleyan, Lakeland, North Central, UW-Stevens Point and Westminster. Augustana, and Willaert, will get a preview of what is to come in the women's wrestling world this summer when the College is scheduled to host Team Illinois Women's Wrestling. That will be in late July prior to Team Illinois heading to the national championships in Fargo, North Dakota. "Thanks to Mike and our administration at Augustana for giving me this opportunity," said Willaert. "It's going to be a lot of fun coaching Freestyle again! When I was in Minnesota, I was heavily involved with Minnesota/USA Wrestling by owning a club and regional training center as well as coaching on the national team staff in Fargo. Last summer, I coached with Team Illinois for Freestyle. It'll be great to be involved with the girl's team too." Lee Roy Smith, the Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, pointed out that female wrestlers are now benefitting across the country from the life-lessons learned by their male counterparts for nearly 100 years. "We are thrilled that Augustana has committed to a women's wrestling collegiate program so that young women will have the opportunity to experience the tremendous benefits that men have received for over a century," he said. "The many values derived from the sport of wrestling equip participants with a work ethic and spirit of resilience that female athletes can depend on for a lifetime." The men's wrestling program at Augustana has been a traditional power in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin and the Vikings have won 37 league titles.

Rich Bender serves as USA Wrestling's executive director (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The decision to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympic Games came down quickly. The International Olympic Committee went from saying postponement was a possibility on March 24 to the historic decision to suspend the Games until 2021 the very next day. And now it seems like new information is coming out daily. The Games will be held July 23-Aug. 8, 2021. The spots countries have already qualified will remain so. The U.S. Olympic Team Trials will be postponed until 2021 and the latest news is that USA Wrestling has suspended all sanctioned and national events through May 10. But in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic there are important things we don't know yet. Here are five questions that should be near the top of the priority list for USA Wrestling. When will the Olympic Team Trials be held? We now know where they'll take place; the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State. We know the ticket situation; ticket holders will be able to use their tickets for the postponed event or get a refund if they can't attend. But we don't know when. USA Wrestling has said it will be next year, but no date is set yet. Odds are the date will mirror dates from 2020 just as the date of the Olympics did, so look for early April. By the way, the deadline for ticket refunds is June 1, 2020. Will NBC still carry both days, or any, of the Olympic Team Trials? A very important question for wrestling fans not lucky enough to have a ticket. Clearly this can't be answered until there's an answer to the first question of when the tournament will be held, but Trackwrestling and NBCSN had been slated to air the full two-day event. Fingers crossed that its new date won't conflict with something important, like, oh say, American Ninja Warrior. It shouldn't be lost in the conversation how important that coverage is to the sport. It's key to drawing in new fans and through that, contributing to the viability and longevity of the sport. How about the Olympic Team Trials field, is it set? USA Wrestling held all of the qualifying events slated for the 2020 Olympic Team Trials except for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and the Last Chance Qualifier. The Last Chance Qualifier qualifies 32 spots (the top two placewinners) between the three styles for the Olympic Team Trials. Hopefully the chances are good that the Last Chance Qualifier gets rescheduled. If it does, it should take place after the 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships so athletes can participate in both. Fun fact: Hawkeye Wrestling Club's Thomas Gilman was the last wrestler to make a world team after qualifying at the Last Chance Qualifier. Should the field be expanded to accommodate wrestlers from 2020 NCAA Championships who had yet to qualify and wrestlers from 2021 NCAA Championships? NCAA champions automatically qualify for the Olympic Team Trials, but with no NCAA tournament in 2020 any wrestler who graduated from the collegiate level and who would have been a champion, lost out on an automatic bid. An argument could be made to expand the field to at least one more wrestler at each weight class and give automatic bids to the winners from the 2021 NCAAs and the No. 1 seeds from the 2020s. Of course, this only works if the Trials are held after the 2021 NCAAs and it could open USA Wrestling up to legal action. A better solution would be to use the Dave Schultz Memorial International as a qualifier or to give one more allocation at each weight class to the Last Chance Qualifier. Will results from the 2019 World Championships be used for bracketing an Olympic Team Trials in 2021? As of March 27 the headline on the USA Wrestling selection procedures for the 2020 Olympic Games (now held in 2021) says "under review for amendments due to the postponement of the Games." But when it comes to seeding the Olympic Team Trials in 2021, it should be a no-brainer -- the 2019 Worlds will be the most recent championships leading into the Games. Usually the brackets are determined this way; A 2019 World Championship team member who qualifies the weight class for the Olympic Games will automatically receive the No. 1 seed at the same weight category in which he or she qualified. That wrestler will compete on the second day of the Olympic Team Trials in a best-of-three series with the winner of a day one tournament. The winner of that best-of-three series will be the U.S. representative at that weight in the Games. Seeding for the first day is determined by a seeding committee made up of one representative of each of the USA Wrestling clubs represented by athletes wrestling in the Olympic Team Trials as well as two or more athlete representatives. The seeding for the opening day follows a couple of criteria such as head-to-head matches and must have a majority vote of the seeding committee members in a meeting. No need for full details here, suffice it to say the easiest and maybe fairest thing for USA Wrestling would be to keep criteria and seeding as it was, regardless of the postponement.

Grapple at the Garden made a highly successful debut at the Hulu Theater (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) NEW YORK -- Beat The Streets, the largest grassroots inner-city wrestling program in the United States, today announced that "Grapple At The Garden," its annual fundraiser which was to be held on Thursday, May 28, has been postponed due to the current COVID-19 outbreak. The organization is entertaining several dates and formats for a rescheduled event later in the summer. "Our primary focus is the health and safety of all involved, especially our supporters, our athletes and staff, and in order to be properly prepared for what is always a celebratory first class event for all, we have decided to postpone our late May date," said Brendan Buckley, Beat the Streets Executive Director. "We are working with our partners at Madison Square Garden and all our stakeholders to find the most effective date in the coming months." "Grapple at the Garden" made a highly successful, sold-out debut at the Hulu Theater in 2019 following nearly a decade at various other iconic New York City venues. About Beat the Streets The mission of Beat the Streets is to develop the full potential of the urban youth and to strengthen the culture of New York City wrestling. BTS works directly with the New York City Department of Education in a public-private partnership to bring the life-changing sport of wrestling to over 3,000 New York City student-athletes to help them achieve their personal and athletic goals. Through the operation of wrestling programs in middle and high schools in the five boroughs, BTS and the DOE provide a safe, positive atmosphere in which disadvantaged and at-risk youth can learn the essential life lessons of grit, personal responsibility and teamwork, physical fitness and nutrition, and life-long learning. The goal of fostering strong, well-rounded student-athletes is delivered through coaching, after-school programs, life skills workshops, and summer camps. More information can be found at www.btsny.org.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact of each of us in unique ways. For families with youngsters, that can mean mandatory home schooling with mom and dad looking for activities that are educational yet fun. And "social distancing" and "shelter in place" have turned things upside down for youth wrestling clubs. With all that in mind … are you looking for appealing, new at-home school options … or a way to keep your club's wrestlers engaged? The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has a winning option for parents and wrestling coaches. It's fun … delivered fast … and it's free! The Hall of Fame is offering complimentary copies of our "Lessons In Wrestling" curriculum. It was originally developed by educators (headed up by Dr. Timothy Baghurst, Oklahoma State University) for 5th-grade students ... but it's fun and educational for ANY age. The "Lessons In Wrestling" curriculum utilizes wrestling in arts, geography, health, language arts, math, music, physical education, science, social studies and technology. Here's just a sample of some of the activities included in this program: Geography -- NCAA Wrestling Champs Choose My Plate -- Favorite Healthy Foods Wrestling Spelling and Vocabulary Words Wrestling in Mathematics -- Word Problems Physical Ed and Wrestling Social Studies -- Presidents Who Wrestled The lesson materials are colorful and appealing… the activities are educational and engaging. And all materials are online, delivered to you fast! Click here to receive your PDF copy of "Lessons In Wrestling."

Vincenzo Joseph was a Fargo champion before he went on to win two NCAA titles at Penn State (Photos/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) Every year after the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, InterMat looks back at the redshirt senior class to see which wrestlers from the high school senior class of five years ago had the best collegiate careers. This year, the group to be discussed is the Class of 2015. With the NCAAs being canceled, the discussion is certainly incomplete, as the seeding for the tournament is an imperfect replica of what the tournament was going to be. However, below is this year's attempt at ranking the top 25 collegiate careers for wrestlers from the high school Class of 2015. 1. Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State/Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa.) Rank in 2015: No. 7 Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA finalist, two-time NCAA champion; was seeded No. 2 in the 2020 NCAA tournament 2. Zahid Valencia (Arizona State/St. John Bosco, Calif.) Rank in 2015: No. 3 Accomplishments: Two-time NCAA champion, three-time All-American, was suspended prior to the Pac-12 Championships, but was clear No. 1 at 184 pounds at the time of suspension 3. Myles Martin (Ohio State/McDonogh, Md.) Rank in 2015: No. 4 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA All-American, two-time NCAA finalist, 2015 NCAA champion; no redshirt year 4. Kollin Moore (Ohio State/Norwayne, Ohio) Rank in 2015: No. 32 Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA All-American, 2019 NCAA runner-up; was seeded No. 1 in the 2020 NCAA tournament 5. Myles Amine (Michigan/Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) Rank in 2015: No. 40 Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA All-American; Olympic redshirt in 2019-20 after qualifying for the Olympics at the 2019 World Championships competing for San Marino 6. Jaydin Eierman (Missouri/Father Tolton Catholic, Mo.) Rank in 2015: No. 52 Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA All-American; was on Olympic redshirt this year, along with transferring to Iowa to complete collegiate career in 2020-21 7. Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton/Blair Academy, N.J.) Rank in 2015: No. 9 Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA All-American; was seeded No. 6 in the 2020 NCAA tournament 8. David McFadden (Virginia Tech/DePaul Catholic, N.J.) Rank in 2015: No. 12 Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA All-American (including as true freshman in 2016); was seeded No. 7 in the 2020 NCAA tournament 9. Michael Kemerer (Iowa/Franklin Regional, Pa.) Rank in 2015: No. 11 Accomplishments: Two-time NCAA All-American (medical redshirt in 2018-19); was seeded No. 2 in the 2020 NCAA tournament 10. Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State/Ward Melville, N.Y.) Rank in 2015: No. 25 Accomplishments: Two-time NCAA All-American, additional round of 12 appearance in 2018; was seeded No. 3 in the 2020 NCAA tournament 11. Jordan Kutler (Lehigh/Blair Academy, N.J.) Rank in 2015: No. 21 Accomplishments: Two-time NCAA All-American; was seeded No. 3 in the 2020 NCAA tournament 12. Josh Shields (Arizona State/Franklin Regional, Pa.) Rank in 2015: No. 29 Accomplishments: Two-time NCAA All-American, additional tournament appearance in 2017; was seeded No. 6 in the 2020 NCAA tournament 13. Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State/Stillwater, Okla.) Rank in 2015: No. 23 Accomplishments: Two-time NCAA All-American, additional round of 12 appearance 14. Patricio Lugo (Iowa via Edinboro/South Dade, Fla.) Rank in 2015: No. 7 Accomplishments: 2020 NCAA All-American, additional tournament appearances in 2016 and 2017 (including round of 12 as a true freshman); was seeded No. 1 in the 2020 NCAA tournament 15. Joe Smith (Oklahoma State/Stillwater, Okla.) Rank in 2015: No. 16 Accomplishments: Two-time NCAA All-American (as true freshman and sophomore), additional tournament appearance in 2019; was seeded No. 12 in the 2020 NCAA tournament 16. Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa/Carrollton, Ga.) Rank in 2015: No. 17 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, round of 12 appearances in 2018 and 2019, also qualified in 2017; was seeded No. 1 in the 2020 NCAA tournament 17. Youssif Hemida (Maryland/Mamaroneck, N.Y.) Rank in 2015: Weight class ranked only Accomplishments: Two-time NCAA All-American, additional round of 12 appearance; no redshirt year 18. Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock, Iowa) Rank in 2015: No. 27 Accomplishments: 2019 NCAA All-American, additional tournament appearances in 2016 and (round of 12) 2017; was seeded No. 5 in the 2020 NCAA tournament 19. Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa/Union, Iowa) Rank in 2015: No. 14 Accomplishments: 2017 NCAA All-American, round of 12 each of the following two years; was seeded No. 13 in the 2020 NCAA tournament 20. Logan Massa (Michigan/St. Johns, Mich.) Rank in 2015: No. 2 Accomplishments: 2017 NCAA All-American, qualified in 2018, round of 12 in 2019; Olympic redshirt in 2019-20 21. Te'Shan Campbell (Ohio State via Pittsburgh/Penn Hills, Pa.) Rank in 2015: No. 6 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, round of 12 in 2019; no redshirt year 22. Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State/Yukon, Okla.) Rank in 2015: No. 38 Accomplishments: 2019 NCAA All-American; was seeded No. 5 in the 2020 NCAA tournament 23. Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven/Boiling Springs, Pa.) Rank in 2015: Not ranked Accomplishments: 2019 NCAA All-American, also qualified for 2017 and 2018 tournaments; was seeded No. 20 in the 2020 NCAA tournament 24. Davion Jeffries (Oklahoma/Collinsville, Okla.) Rank in 2015: No. 20 Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier; no redshirt year 25. Dylan Lydy (Purdue/Benjamin Davis, Ind.) Rank in 2015: Not ranked Accomplishments: Round of 12 in the 2018 and 2019 NCAA tournaments; was seeded No. 4 in the 2020 NCAA tournament Wrestlers with notable success outside of NCAA Division I Lance Benick (Totino-Grace, Minn.) high school rank: No. 5 Accomplishments: 2019 NCAA Division III champion at Augsburg Andrew Dunn (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) high school rank: 51st Accomplishments: 2019 NCAA Division II champion at Kutztown, also qualified for 2018 NCAA Division I tournament at Virginia Tech Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Pery, Ohio via Wantagh, N.Y.) high school rank: 54th Accomplishments: 2019 NCAA Division II champion at Notre Dame College, also qualified for 2017 NCAA Division I tournament at Ohio State Angus Arthur (St. Johns, Mich.) high school rank: 94th Accomplishments: competing at the senior level in freestyle for Jamaica, just won a Pan-American Games title in early March High profile seniors with notable success on the football field Kenneth Brinson (Marist, Ga.) Rank in 2015: 24th Accomplishments: Four-year starter at linebacker for Army West Point; is enrolled at Stanford University in a combined graduate MD/Ph.D. program Jacob Marnin (Southeast Polk, Iowa) Rank in 2015: 47th Accomplishments: Four-year starter on the offensive line for Southern Illinois, two-time FCS Academic All-American Gage Cervenka (Emerald, S.C.) Rank in 2015: 53rd Accomplishments: Second team all-ACC in 2019 as an offensive lineman at Clemson, part-time starter on the 2018 national title-winning Clemson team as an offensive lineman Jan Johnson (Governor Mifflin, Pa.) Rank in 2015: 88th Accomplishments: Two-year starter at linebacker for Penn State, went from walk-on to scholarship player, and was a team captain in 2019 InterMat Class of 2015 Rankings 1. Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif./Arizona State) 2. Logan Massa (St. Johns, Mich./Michigan) 3. Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif./Arizona State) 4. Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md./Ohio State) 5. Lance Benick (Totino-Grace, Minn./Augsburg via Arizona State) 6. Fox Baldwin (Osceola, Fla./Virginia) 7. Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa./Penn State) 8. Bobby Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn./Minnesota) 9. Matthew Kolodzik (Blair Academy, N.J./Princeton) 10. Sam Krivus (Hempfield Area, Pa./Virginia) 11. Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional, Pa./Iowa) 12. David McFadden (DePaul Catholic, N.J./Virginia Tech) 13. Ke-Shawn Hayes (Park Hill, Mo./Ohio State) 14. Max Thomsen (Union, Iowa/Northern Iowa) 15. Fredy Stroker (Bettendorf, Iowa/Cornell via Minnesota) 16. Joe Smith (Stillwater, Okla./Oklahoma State) 17. Taylor Lujan (Carrollton, Ga./Northern Iowa) 18. Keegan Moore (Putnam City, Okla./West Virignia) 19. Michael Johnson, Jr. (Montini Catholic, Ill./Duke via Yale football) 20. Davion Jeffries (Collinsville, Okla./Oklahoma) 21. Jordan Kutler (Blair Academy, N.J./Lehigh) 22. Austin Myers (Campbell County, Ky./Missouri via West Virginia) 23. Kaid Brock (Stillwater, Okla./Oklahoma) 24. Kenneth Brinson (Marist, Ga./Army West Point football) 25. Nick Piccininni (Ward Melville, N.Y./Oklahoma State)

Ryan Riggs FERRUM, Va. -- Director of Athletics John Sutyak has announced the hiring of Ryan Riggs as head men's wrestling coach at Ferrum College. Riggs has been with the Panther wrestling program the past four seasons and recently completed his second year as associate head coach. "We are extremely pleased that Ryan Riggs has agreed to be the next head men's wrestling coach at Ferrum College," said Sutyak. "Ryan has been instrumental in helping to build Ferrum into a national program and regional power within the NCAA. Having an accomplished coach already on staff allows us to continue the upward trajectory of Ferrum men's wrestling on the national level. In having the opportunity to work with him and observe him as a coach the last few months, I have full confidence in Ryan and how we will work together to keep Ferrum men's wrestling strong." Riggs was promoted to associate head coach at Ferrum in July 2018. In doing so, he took on more day-to-day operations of the program, including recruiting, fundraising, practice development and coordinating Ferrum men's wrestling social media presence. He was instrumental in helping Ferrum host the 2019 NCAA Division III Wrestling National Championships at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, Virginia. Riggs also helped the Panthers host the NCAA Southeast Regional tournaments in 2017 and 2018. He has served as tournament director for the Star City Classic, Southeast Duals and Panther Open, all tournaments hosted by Ferrum. Hired as the assistant men's wrestling coach in July 2016, he immediately stepped in and served as the head women's wrestling coach that season as well. The next fall, Ferrum's head cross country coach position was vacant and Riggs once again stepped in to fill the void. In Riggs' first season at Ferrum, the Panther men won the 2017 NCAA Div. III Southeast Regional, with Riggs earning Regional Assistant Coach of the Year honors. Ferrum sent three wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament that season, including Logan Meister, who was a three-time NCAA qualifier, and Zack Beckner, who became the program's first National Finalist and NCAA runner-up. Ferrum won Southeast Wrestling Conference Tournament (SWEC) titles all four years during Riggs' tenure as assistant and associate head coach, and he was named SEWC Assistant Coach of the Year in 2019. The Panthers posted top-10 finishes at a number of prestigious events, most notably the Pete Willson Invitational (2nd in 2017), the NWCA National Duals (8th in 2017) and the Citrus Open (2nd in 2019). "I want to thank our Director of Athletics John Sutyak, Associate Athletic Director Gary Holden and President Dr. David Johns for believing in me as the next head wrestling coach at Ferrum College. I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to lead this program and amazing student athletes. I am ready to build on the success of this last season and have very high expectations for the future of Ferrum wrestling." A native of Perry Township, Ohio, Riggs prepped at Massillon Perry High School, where he was a double All-American at the Asics Greco-Roman and Freestyle Fargo National Championships. Massillon Perry achieved its first top-10 national ranking (#8) by Amateur Wrestling News during Riggs' sophomore year in 2000-01. He qualified three times for the Ohio State Tournament, was a two-time Ironman Tournament place winner and a Beast of the East Tournament finalist. Riggs was ranked nationally by USA Wrestling and Amateur Wrestling News before continuing his career at Cleveland State University as a scholarship wrestler under Coach Jack Effner. He placed 5th at the Eastern Wrestling League Tournament in 2007 and was ranked as high as #3 in the league. Riggs becomes only the second head men's wrestling coach in the seven-year history of the program. He succeeds Nate Yetzer, who stepped down last week to accept the head wrestling coach position at Roanoke College. Riggs takes over a program that finished 6-3 in 2019-20 and sent two wrestlers to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Panthers are expected to graduate three wrestlers this May, with over 30 eligible to return for the 2020-21 season.

With unanimous support of the USA Wrestling COVID-19 Advisory Committee, USA Wrestling has suspended all sanctioned events and national events through May 10. This is an extension of a previous suspension of activities announced on March 16, which discontinued sanctioned events through April 6 and postponed or canceled national events through April 20. For USA Wrestling, our number one priority is always the safety of our athletes and their families, all our members, our national staff and the entire U.S. wrestling community. This decision aligns USA Wrestling with the U.S. Center for Disease Control's guidance from March 16 that no gatherings of 50 or more people take place for the following eight weeks. The USA Wrestling COVID-19 Advisory Committee includes Dr. Tom Price, a physician who is past U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and past member of Congress; Dr. Bernard Feldman, UWW Medical Commission member and Hall of Fame wrestling physician; and John Bardis, past U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services, and a longtime USA Wrestling leader who has a successful career in the medical industry. Also included on the COVID-19 Advisory Committee calls are USA Wrestling President Bruce Baumgartner, Executive Director Rich Bender and all of USA Wrestling's staff directors, so they can communicate directly to their constituent groups. In addition to the seven USA Wrestling National and Regional events postponed in March and April, three additional events have been postponed: Northeast Regional Championships, Manalapan, N.J. - May 1-3, 2020 USA Wrestling Women's National Championships, Irving, Texas - May 8-10, 2020 U.S. Beach and Belt National Championships, Carolina Beach, N.C.- May 8-9, 2020 There are many things that USA Wrestling members can do in the short term. USA Wrestling has launched TheMat.tv, an expanded video portal, as well as a COVID-19 section on its website TheMat.com with other resources. Many state associations and clubs are having online practices. Many of USA Wrestling's partner organizations are also providing programs and materials. In-home training, cross training and running are also great ideas as allowed by local government and health authorities. USA Wrestling is monitoring this situation daily. Please understand that this situation is fluid, and there may be further changes to this and other USA Wrestling policies based on national and local government regulations and advice from medical experts, including the Center for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization, and USA Wrestling's COVID-19 Advisory Committee. Additionally, USA Wrestling advises all of its members to refer to their state and local health agencies for guidance about the COVID-19 situation in their area. USA Wrestling has been, and will continue to meet regularly with state leaders, National Team athletes and others to inform and support them, as well as receive their input. USA Wrestling has pledged to increase its direct communication with its members moving forward, including opportunities to receive information directly from members of the COVID-19 Advisory Committee. USA Wrestling is updating a page on its website solely devoted to COVID-19 at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/March/14/COVID-19-Special-Section. This page includes links to resources for the wrestling community, as well as lists of statements, press releases and articles that will update and educate all members about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Frank Molinaro wrestling Bryce Meredith at the U.S. Senior Nationals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Frank Molinaro, U.S. freestyle wrestler at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2013 NCAA champ for Penn State, has symbolically placed his shoes on the mat, so to speak, by announcing that he will be retiring from wrestling competition, days after the International Olympic Committee had postponed the start of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics one year, to begin July 23, 2021. Molinaro made the announcement Tuesday morning during an interview on FloWrestling Radio Live. The 31-year-old said that, in recent days, he had time to think about his future, thanks to the coronavirus COVD-19 pandemic shutdown. "The biggest thing I felt that rest in my soul -- that I was ready to do it," Molinaro, a native of New Jersey, told the Asbury Park Press Tuesday morning. "I waited a few days. It just felt good. I'm excited and relieved today to make the announcement and move on with my life and move on to the next chapter.'' Molinaro went on to say, at age 31, it was a "stretch'' to make the Olympics had the Games taken place in late 2020 as originally scheduled."I was stretching my body, stretching my weight cut,'' Molinaro said. "A whole another year -- it's just not for me. I need to find a good situation for my family. They've sacrificed a lot," the Penn State standout told the Ashbury Park Press. "I've got three kids now (three sons ages 5, 3 and 2). They're getting older and older and they're getting ready to start pre-school and Kindergarten. I just want to get my family settled in. My wife is a huge part of the retirement, too. I've driven her across the country the last 8-10 years. It's just a matter of finding my next obsession.'' Molinaro said that hopes that "obsession'' will involve coaching wrestling ... and make the move to a full-time collegiate coaching, having served . He wants to move into the collegiate coaching ranks full-time. He had previously been an assistant coach, first at Rutgers University, then Virginia Tech. "Right now, I'm entering the job search and applying for some jobs,'' Molinaro said. "I've got to figure out what the next step is for me." Molinaro's on-the-mat career has been impressive at every level. Wrestling at Southern Regional High School, Molinaro was a three-time New Jersey state champion, and placed second at the High School Nationals. He then wrestled at Penn State for head coach Cael Sanderson, where he was a two-time Big Ten conference champ, and a four-time NCAA Division I All-American, completing his collegiate career by winning the 149-pound crown at the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Molinaro represented the U.S. in men's freestyle competition at 65 kilograms/143 pounds, finishing in fifth place at the conclusion of the 2016 Games.

USA Wrestling, Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics, the Bryce Jordan Center and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee have collectively decided to postpone the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wrestling, scheduled for April 4- 5, 2020 at the Bryce Jordan Center. The International Olympic Committee has set the new dates for the Olympic Games in 2021. At this time, organizers are working closely with local officials and health experts in hopes of rescheduling the event at the Bryce Jordan Center in 2021. Updated event information will be shared as soon as it is available. After a new date is determined, tickets will be updated to reflect the rescheduled dates/time Previously purchased physical tickets will be reissued to the original purchaser. Previously purchased mobile tickets will be automatically updated. For fans who are unable to attend future dates, refunds are available by request to the original purchaser now through June 1, 2020. Deadline to request a refund: June 1, 2020. An email was sent to original purchasers notifying them of the postponement in early March. Stay tuned for additional information via email regarding rescheduling. REFUND DETAILS BY PURCHASE TYPE ONLINE PURCHASERS • To request a refund, the original purchaser must contact the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office by e-mail or phone. • A full refund will be processed on the credit card used for purchase (including processing fees). IN-PERSON CREDIT CARD PURCHASERS • To request a refund, the original purchaser must contact the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office by e-mail or phone. • A full refund will be processed on the credit card used for purchase (including processing fees). IN-PERSON CASH or CHECK PURCHASERS • To request a refund, the original purchaser must contact the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office by e-mail or phone. • A full refund will be issued by mail (including processing fees) to the original purchaser by Penn State check. Please allow up 30 days of notice of the cancellation for checks to be received. IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION E-mail: bjcticketcenter@psu.edu Phone: 814-865-5555 (M-F / 9am - 4:30pm) Please direct all other inquiries related to the event to jordancenter@psu.edu

Hayden Hidlay was selected ACC Wrestler of the Year (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Led by a historic first by brothers Hayden and Trent Hidlay, Atlantic Coast Conference champion NC State has swept the league's season honors for 2019-20. Hayden Hidlay (157 pounds) was selected the ACC Wrestler of the Year in a vote by the league's head coaches, while Trent Hidlay (184) earned ACC Freshman of the Year honors. In addition, the Wolfpack's Pat Popolizio was chosen by his peers as the ACC Coach of the Year. Hayden and Trent Hidlay are the first pair of brothers to claim both ACC major season wrestling awards (in the same year or otherwise). It marks the 10th time that an NC State student-athlete has been voted the ACC Wrestler of the Year and the fourth time a Wolfpack wrestler has been named the ACC Freshman of the Year. Three NC State coaches have earned ACC Coach of the Year honors a total of nine times. Popolizio was recognized for the second time after guiding the Wolfpack to its 17th ACC title, tying for the most among current league schools. NC State's unbeaten dual season (15-0) was the first in the 91-year history of the program, and the Wolfpack ended the year ranked No. 3 nationally. Hayden Hidlay, who earned a No. 2 NCAA seeding, finished the year 28-1 overall, including a 12-0 record in dual matches. The redshirt junior from Lewistown, Pennsylvania, claimed his third conference crown at 157 pounds and has never lost to an ACC opponent in a dual or tournament match. He was 10-1 versus fellow ranked opponents in 2019-20. Hidlay became the 11th wrestler in NC State program history to earn three ACC titles and was a three-time ACC Wrestler of the Week in 2019-20. NC State has claimed five of the last seven ACC Wrestler of the Year honors. Wrestling in the competitive 184-pound weight class that featured three conference wrestlers ranked among the nation's top six, Trent Hidlay earned All-ACC honors with a second-place finish at the ACC Championship and was seeded No. 5 nationally by the NCAA. The redshirt freshman, who was ranked among the nation's top three at 184 much of the year, finished 23-4 on the season, including a 14-1 dual record and six wins over fellow ranked opponents. Popolizio's three league titles are the most among active ACC coaches. Hayden and Trent Hidlay were among eight NC State wrestlers that were NCAA qualifiers under his watch in 2019-20, four of which ranked among the top 10 and six of which were top-15 seeds.

Stephen V. DeAugustino, pioneering wrestler and coach in Pennsylvania, died Friday, March 27, 2020 after a brief illness. Steve DeAugustino was 95. DeAugustino was born in Pine Twp., Mercer County on Nov. 9, 1924 to Leonard and Mary (Puntureri) DeAugustino DeAugustino was a graduate of Grove City High School in Pennsylvania, where he was a two-time PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) state mat champ, winning state titles at 95 pounds in 1940 and 120 pounds in 1942. After high school, DeAugustino headed east to Lock Haven State Teachers College (now Lock Haven University) where he was a four-time PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Association) champ. Stephen DeAugustinoAfter graduating from Lock Haven, Stephen DeAugustino then launched his long, successful teaching coaching career. He taught and coached for forty years at Munhall, Grove City, and West Mifflin School Districts. During that time, his teams tallied over three hundred victories and was the first to coach at 500 dual meets in the state of Pennsylvania. DeAugustino also served as a mat official during his time as a high school teaching and coaching career. Stephen V. DeAugustino also earned numerous honors over the years. He has been inducted into the Pennsylvania Coaches Wrestling Association Hall of Fame, the Lock Haven University Hall of Fame, The Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and the Mercer County Hall of Fame. What's more, DeAugustino was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Pennsylvania Chapter in 2005. "Steve was not only a fine wrestler but he was also a fine coach and family man," Tom Elling, the dean of wrestling writers and historians, told InterMat. "He also flashed a ready smile. His son George was a wrestler at Lock Haven State. His grandson Michael DeAugustino currently wrestles for Northwestern at 125." A memorial mass with military honors will be held at a later date yet to be released at The Church of The Beloved Disciple, his home church, located in Grove City, Pa. Online condolences may be offered online at the website conducting the funeral.

Trophies from the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) We knew the news was coming. And it didn't come as a huge surprise. But that hardly lessens the impact. The news wrestlers had been waiting nearly three weeks for finally arrived late Monday afternoon. The NCAA decided not to grant winter sports athletes an extra year of eligibility after the national tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. My first thoughts were with studs like Iowa's Spencer Lee, Ohio State's Kollin Moore and Luke Pletcher, and Northern Iowa's Taylor Lujan. The guys that were among the No. 1 seeds who lost out on a chance for milestone achievements. It's so sad to think that an incredible wrestler like Spencer Lee is going to miss out on becoming Iowa's first four-time NCAA champion. Just four wrestlers have been four-timers and now Lee's opportunity is being taken away. Iowa State's David Carr will not have the opportunity to become a four-time NCAA champion (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) It wasn't just Lee. Talented freshmen like Iowa State's David Carr and Ohio State's Sammy Sasso also will miss out on a chance to be four-time champions. Lee could've taken an Olympic redshirt this season, but he chose not to as he tried to lead Iowa to its first national championship since 2010. Cornell's Yianni Diakomihalis, like Lee who was halfway to four titles, took an Olympic redshirt. Yianni still has a chance to win four and now Lee doesn't. That seems grossly unfair. It's not right. Moore and Pletcher were Buckeye seniors who were each favored to cap their careers with their first NCAA titles. Now they won't have that chance. Taylor Lujan was seeded No. 1 heading into the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Lujan's story is just heartbreaking. Here is a senior who had never been an All-American. He fell one win short of the medal podium the last two years. He was having an outstanding season and was the top seed at nationals. But now he won't even be an All-American. There are so many other deserving guys who missed out on golden opportunities. Look at Penn State seniors Vinceno Joseph and Mark Hall. Joseph, a two-time national champion, and Hall, who won it as a freshman, could have finished their career as four-time NCAA finalists. That's a rare and impressive achievement. But Joseph and Hall won't have that opportunity now. The decision on winter sports also included basketball and that likely worked against wrestling. Wrestling's case is much different than basketball's because all of the elite wrestlers compete under one roof at the NCAA wrestling tournament. And that's where the All-American finishers are determined. In competition. And on the mat. The All-Americans in wrestling are not voted on like they are in basketball. The NCAA should consider letting wrestlers who haven't taken a redshirt an opportunity to use one to reclaim the end of the season that was lost. Wrestlers like Lee, Iowa's Abe Assad and Michigan's Mason Parris all fall into that category. And then there is the case of three-time All-American Matt Kolodzik of Princeton. He came out of an Olympic redshirt late in the season to help his team. If he hadn't chosen to do that, Kolodzik would have another season left. Now his college career is over. If this was about money, why not figure out a way to work around it? How about allow these athletes an extra semester without a scholarship so they can compete in the NCAA tournament they missed out on? At least give them the option. I understand all of the issues with logistics, numbers and scholarships. My response to that is the NCAA is granting spring athletes another year, so why can't they do it for the winter athletes who missed out on their championship? This NCAA season was a week from being completed. But that's misleading. Everything these athletes work for -- the national tournament -- was taken away. The rest of the season is important, but the national tournament is what really matters. That's what everyone remembers. Penn State sophomore Roman Bravo-Young, one of the national title contenders at 133, jumped on Twitter shortly after the news broke Monday. "What a joke," Bravo-Young tweeted. "We just gave a free year of labor to the NCAA." The argument that most of the season was already completed rings hollow. The last week of the season carries tremendous value in a sport like wrestling. Everything the athletes do during the season -- all of the training, the sacrifice and the competitions -- are all geared toward the NCAA Championships. "Everyone remembers you for what you did at the national tournament." That was the second tweet that Bravo-Young posted Monday. His words couldn't have been more accurate for a sport than it is for wrestling. There is no doubt that these are unprecedented times. There is a worldwide pandemic going on and people's health is greatly at risk. That far outweighs any athletic competition. It made perfect sense to cancel all of these events. But there is still no reason why those athletes had to have an NCAA tournament taken away from them. The NCAA had an opportunity to make this right and chose not to. It's sad and unfortunate. And, quite frankly, it really stinks. 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.

NCAA wrestlers who had their seasons cut short due to the spread of coronavirus will not be granted additional eligibility, the NCAA announced Monday. The NCAA's Division I Council voted to allow schools to provide student-athletes participating in spring sports an additional season of competition and an extension of their period of eligibility. Athletes in winter sports, like wrestling, were not included in the decision. "Council members declined to extend eligibility for student-athletes in sports where all or much of their regular seasons were completed," the NCAA said in a press release.

Spencer Lee finished the season with a perfect 18-0 record (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) NEWTON, Iowa -- Iowa junior Spencer Lee has won the 2020 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy, presented by ASICS. Known for his ability to turn opponents from the top position and quickly pile up points, the two-time national champion outscored opponents by a whopping 234-18 margin. Lee only gave up four offensive points all season. Fabian Gutierrez of UT-Chattanooga got a takedown against him in the first match of the year and No. 4 Nick Piccininni of Oklahoma State got a late February takedown against the Hawkeye. Lee went on to major decision Gutierrez 16-5 and Piccininni 12-3. Lee's bonus-point percentage for the season was over 94 percent as only one opponent all year kept the three-time Pennsylvania state champ from bonus points. Michigan's Jack Medley lost to Lee 8-1 in their Big Ten dual in Ann Arbor on February 8. Lee then dominated Medley with a 19-3 technical fall at the 3:23 mark at the Big Tens in early March. Of Lee's other 17 wins, he had four pins, all in the first period, nine technical falls, three major decisions and a forfeit. "A lot of times dominant wrestlers play with their opponent like a cat plays with a mouse," Iowa coach Tom Brands said. "Spencer is not that way. He's a ferocious competitor. He wants to get off the mat in as efficient, quick and lopsided of way as possible. The thing that has made him better this year is he is willing to get outside his comfort zone, like finding openings off takedowns into turns to blow matches open." Similar to his domination on the mat, Lee dominated the voting as well. He got 52 of the 57 first-place votes from the Hodge Trophy Voting Committee, the most in the history of the award given to the most dominant college wrestler. Ohio State senior Kollin Moore (197) finished second in the Hodge race with three first-place votes, Northwestern junior Ryan Deakin (157) and Stanford freshman Shane Griffith (165) each had one vote apiece. Deakin officially finished third ahead of Griffith with more points for second- and third-place votes from the Hodge Committee. Each former winner of the Hodge is on the committee with multiple-year winners getting a vote for each award won. There have been four multiple-time recipients of the award: Cael Sanderson, Ben Askren, David Taylor and Zain Retherford. In addition, the committee is made up of a retired college coach from each region of the country, national wrestling media members and the leader of each national wrestling organization. The final two official ballots come from the fan vote conducted on WIN's website. Lee also handily won the fan voting on WIN's website. Of the 26,709 fan votes from March 23 to March 27, Lee got 58 percent of overall votes of the eight undefeated finalists with 15,567 votes. West Virginia sophomore Noah Adams finished second in the fan voting with 3,865 votes, Moore was third with 2,747 votes and Princeton sophomore Pat Glory had 1,503 votes. The other finalists were Cornell senior Chas Tucker (133) and Minnesota sophomore Gable Steveson (285). Three other wrestlers received non-first place votes from the committee: Penn State's two-time champion Vincenzo Joseph (165), three-time finalist and 2017 champ Mark Hall (174) and Arizona State's two-time champ Zahid Valencia (184). Iowa associate head coach Terry Brands, who works with Lee closely, said Lee's ability to honestly self evaluate and to continue to work to get better is what helps him dominate. "He's honest about his mentality and his matches," Terry Brands said. "It makes him the best judge of himself. He's very hard on himself in that realm. A lot of top wrestlers are that way. But, I've never met one like him to this degree. He's always talking about something he can add to get himself more dominant and he wants to learn how to pin more." Primary criteria for the award include a wrestler's record, number of pins, dominance, and quality of competition. Past credentials, sportsmanship/citizenship and heart are secondary criteria used when two finalists have similar stats. The Hodge Trophy is named after legendary University of Oklahoma wrestler Dan Hodge. Still the only wrestler ever to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Hodge won three straight NCAA titles between 1955-1957. He was 46-0 in his three college seasons, pinned 36 opponents and was never taken down collegiately. "When I came up with the idea of a 'Heisman Trophy-type' award for wrestling, the goal was to bring more attention to the sport and to reward the terrific young wrestlers who go all out to excel at the college level," said Culture House's Mike Chapman. "Spencer Lee stands tall in the fine tradition of those who have preceded him and is a superb addition to the list. He has brought a great deal of pride and excitement to the fabled Iowa program." Lee is the third University of Iowa wrestler to win the Hodge, joining Mark Ironside (1998) and Brent Metcalf (2008). The Hodge is typically awarded at the respective team's end-of-the-season wrestling banquet and then in front of the school's the general sports community at a fall football game. Details will be announced in the future on when Lee will be presented the 2020 Hodge. For more information on the Dan Hodge Trophy, go to WIN-magazine.com. First-place Hodge votes: 1) Spencer Lee, 52 2) Kollin Moore, 3 3) Ryan Deakin, 1 4) Shane Griffith, 1

Chris Pendleton coaching at the Pac-12 Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Corvallis -- Chris Pendleton, one of the most successful collegiate wrestlers in the history of the sport, has been selected to lead the Oregon State program, Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Barnes announced Monday. His appointment is contingent on the completion of all university hiring processes. Coach Pendleton arrives at Oregon State after spending the last six seasons as an assistant coach at Arizona State. The Sun Devils have won three of the last four Pac-12 titles, including scoring 141.5 points (most by ASU since 1993) on its way to the conference crown earlier this month. ASU finished the shortened season ranked No. 6 in the country and defeated seven top 20 teams, including snapping No. 1 Penn State's 60-match win streak. "The interest in this position was incredibly high, but as the process moved forward Coach Pendleton quickly rose to the top," Barnes said. "Coach Pendleton's focus on the development of student-athletes on and off the mat aligns with the Oregon State culture. "He is an exceptional leader, teacher, and tactician. His pedigree as a high-level recruiter will benefit this storied program going forward, and we are excited to welcome him to the Oregon State community." During Coach Pendleton's tenure at Arizona State, Sun Devil wrestlers accounted for two national championships, seven All-America honors, and 25 league titles. The 2019-20 team was one of three in the country to have six wrestlers nationally seeded for the canceled NCAA Tournament. ASU also won 15 dual meets last season, the most for the Sun Devils in 31 years, and set a program record for attendance averaging 2,862 fans per meet. "When I started on my path in wrestling I had no idea where this journey would take me; I am beyond grateful that it has led me to become the head coach at Oregon State University," Pendleton said. "This program and the state of Oregon has a rich wrestling history that I'm excited to a part of. "I would like to thank Scott Barnes, Dan Bartholomae, and the rest of the search committee for giving me this incredible opportunity to mentor and develop student-athletes' lives. I'm looking forward to helping build The Dam!" InterMat Magazine named Pendleton one of the top 10 wrestlers of the 2000s after compiling a record of 118-12 in his four years (2001-05) at Oklahoma State. He was a two-time NCAA champion and earned three All-American honors at 174 pounds. The Cowboys won three NCAA Championships during his competitive career. "Coach Pendleton's experience goes beyond the college scene as he is an impactful presence with Team USA," Barnes said. "He is a three-time Team USA member as a competitor and has served as a coach with the men's and women's wrestling teams. His wealth of experience will be extremely beneficial to the aspirations of the student-athletes in our program." He began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Oklahoma State following his senior year. Wrestlers accounted for 19 All-America honors in his five seasons and the 2006 NCAA title. He left Oklahoma State for an assistant coach position at Wyoming, where he helped the program win multiple league titles and wrestlers earned six All-America titles between 2011-15. Coach Pendleton was the California prep champion at 145 pounds at Lemoore High School. He is a 2006 graduate of Oklahoma State with a bachelor's degree in sociology. "I want to thank chairperson Senior Associate Athletic Director Jacque Bruns, Executive Deputy Athletic Director Dan Bartholomae, and the entire search committee for their professionalism in making this outstanding hire," Barnes added. ABOUT OREGON STATE WRESTLING First Season: 1909 Head Coaches: 17 NCAA All-American Honors: 93 NCAA Top-10 Finishes: 19 Dual Meet Record: 1,053-359-28 Conference Team Championships: 51 What They Are Saying About Chris Pendleton "It's exciting to see Chris move forward in his career to become a head coach. OSU has hired one of the best young coaches in the country, and in doing so has made all of our jobs tougher on the West Coast." Oklahoma State five-time NCAA Championship Head Coach John Smith "I would like to wish Chris good luck as the new head wrestling coach at OSU. I'm personally going to miss his passion and knowledge for the sport of wrestling. OSU is getting a great coach, but a better young man." Scottie Graham, Arizona State University Associate Athletic Director "I'm extremely happy for the opportunities that lie ahead for Chris. I had the privilege of being his teammate at Oklahoma State. There is no doubt in my mind, after following his successes since then, that he can make Oregon State into a national contender. He has all of the attributes needed to make a great coach. He has a proven track record that speaks for itself while coaching at Arizona State. I look forward to seeing his success in the future." Pat Popolizio, North Carolina State head coach and National Wrestling Coaches Association President "I was really impressed with his interview and background. I think Chris is going to be a great coach at Oregon State. He had been a winner every place he has been and I have no doubts he will be a winner at OSU. I'm looking forward to coming back to Corvallis and watching a competitive team bringing a lot of excitement to the matches." Greg Strobel, a two-time Oregon State NCAA champion and National Wrestling Hall of Fame member

Mark your calendars: the next Summer Olympics have been rescheduled to begin July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, the International Olympic Committee and Japan announced Monday morning. With the new schedule, the Tokyo Olympics will have its Opening Ceremonies on July 23, 2021 ... with the Closing Ceremonies taking place on August 8, 2021. (Despite being held in 2021, the event will maintain the original name of 2020 Tokyo Olympics.) Just last week, the International Olympic Committee had announced it was postponing the 2020 Tokyo Olympics until 2021 because of concerns about the coronavirus COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee president, told sports federations on a conference call a short while before the announcement that "the date was picked to give organizers the maximum time to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus. When he called for a show of support on the call, it was unanimous," the New York Times reported Monday morning. "The postponement has set off an array of complex planning decisions for the I.O.C. and the Tokyo organizers," the Times continued. "The changes must take into account an array of stakeholders who needs differ wildly, including athletes desperate to know how and when to resume training, and broadcast and commercial partners who will recast their own campaigns." Holding the Summer Olympics at pretty much the same dates as originally planned - almost exactly one year later - satisfy at least two major challenges. For starters, the new Olympic schedule will avoid clashing with most major sporting events and sports leagues in the United States and Europe year in, year out. What's more, the new dates most likely will be appealing to U.S. Olympics broadcaster NBCUniversal, whose rights fees make up more of the IOC's income than any other single entity. In a statement issued Monday by the International Olympic Committee, the IOC listed these reasons for delaying the 2020 Tokyo Olympics: 1. To protect the health of the athletes and everyone involved, and to support the containment of the COVID-19 virus. 2. To safeguard the interests of the athletes and of Olympic sport. 3. The global international sports calendar.

Iowa's Spencer Lee rides PSU's Brandon Meredith in a dual meet on Jan. 31 (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Spencer Lee -- University of Iowa junior who was crowned 2020 Big Ten champion at 125 pounds (and named 2020 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year at the conference championships) -- has been named the 2020 InterMat Wrestler of the Year, the amateur wrestling website announced Monday. Presented each year since 2006 to the best collegiate wrestler in all divisions, the award is based exclusively on the balloting of writers at InterMat. Each writer is asked to select five wrestlers and rank them from first to fifth. Point values are assigned to each placement, ranging from one point to a wrestler listed fifth on a voter's ballot, up to nine points for a first-place vote. Spencer Lee received all ten first-place votes from InterMat writers, to garner a total of 90 points to run away with 2020 InterMat Wrestler of the Year honors. Lee just completed his third season wrestling for the Iowa Hawkeyes, where he tallied a perfect 18-0 record. As impressive as that statistic is, it doesn't reveal all its dimensions behind it. Lee outscored his 18 opponents by a mind-blowing 234-18, putting an NCAA best 5.0 average team points in each match. He earned bonus points in all but two of his matches, racking up four pins (all in the first period) … nine technical falls (four of those in the first period)… and a team-high 58 dual points for the season. For all these accomplishments, Spencer Lee found himself ranked as the No. 1 wrestler in the 125-pound weight class the entire season. In his first two seasons at Iowa, Spencer Lee managed to make his presence felt in collegiate wrestling. He won back-to-back 125-pound titles at the 2018 and 2019 NCAAs ... and, at the Big Ten Championships, placed second in 2019, and third in 2018. Prior to arriving in Iowa City, Lee, a product of Franklin Regional High School in Pennsylvania, was a three-time state champ, and four-time state finalist. He was the nation's No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2017 by InterMat. Spencer Lee is the second University of Iowa wrestler to be named InterMat Wrestler of the Year in the 15-year history of the award. Brent Metcalf earned the honor at the end of the 2008 season. What's more, Lee is the second individual from the Hawkeyes to earn an InterMat award this year. Last week, head coach Tom Brands was named 2020 InterMat Coach of the Year. 2020 InterMat Wrestler of the Year Voting Results 1st-5th Place Votes: 9, 7, 5, 3, 1 Total Votes/(First-Place Votes) 1. Spencer Lee, Iowa 90 (10) 2. Kollin Moore, Ohio State 40 3. Mark Hall, Penn State 26 4. Gable Steveson, Minnesota 25 5. Zahid Valencia, Arizona State 22 6. Ryan Deakin, Northwestern 20 7. Luke Pletcher, Ohio State 8 T8. Patrick Glory, Princeton 5 T8. Nick Lee, Penn State 5 10. Alex Marinelli, Iowa 4 11. Noah Adams, West Virginia 3 12. Sebastian Rivera, Northwestern 2 InterMat Wrestler of the Year Past Winners 2019: Bo Nickal, Penn State 2018: Zain Retherford, Penn State 2017: Zain Retherford, Penn State 2016: Zain Retherford, Penn State 2015: Logan Stieber, Ohio State 2014: David Taylor, Penn State 2013: Kyle Dake, Cornell 2012: Ed Ruth, Penn State 2011: Jordan Burroughs, Nebraska 2010: Jayson Ness, Minnesota 2009: Jake Herbert, Northwestern 2008: Brent Metcalf, Iowa 2007: Ben Askren, Missouri 2006: Ben Askren, Missouri

The Board of Trustees of MacMurray College in Illinois has announced the small private college will be closing down after 174 years ... along with its men's and women's intercollegiate wrestling programs, which were added to their sports roster less than four years ago. As InterMat reported in January of 2016, the school had announced it was bringing back its men's wrestling program which had been eliminated decades earlier, and was introducing a new women's intercollegiate program. Both took to the mats in fall 2017. The men's roster listed ten team members, about evenly split between wrestlers from Illinois and Missouri, and the rest from as far away as Maryland and Texas. By contrast, the 14-member women's wrestling roster had only one Illinois native; Texas and California each can claim five women wrestlers. MacMurray wrestling has three coaches: head coach Graham Karwath, and assistant coaches Jeff Haley and Conner Linehan. MacMurray College sports programs competed in NCAA Division III. 3More on the MacMurray College closing Here's how the State Journal News of nearby Springfield opened its news story on the closure: "After years of financial struggles, MacMurray College will close its doors at the end of the spring semester, the college announced Friday." The newspaper went on to say that MacMurray had battled financial challenges for a number of years. In a statement posted at the official MacMurray College website, "Board of Trustees Chair Charles O'Connell '69 said that despite the generosity of alumni giving and after extensive analysis and consideration, the Board determined MacMurray had no viable financial path forward amid declining enrollments, rising competitive costs and a small endowment. Mr. O'Connell expressed deep thanks and the full support of the Board to MacMurray President Dr. Beverly Rodgers for her stewardship since being appointed to the position in 2019." The statement went on to state that the school has gone "the extra mile' in transferring all classes to online and remote-learning formats, and has signed transfer agreements with seven other colleges in the region so that MacMurray students can complete their degrees. The school made clear that the recent coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and the disruption it has caused were not the specific reason for the school's closure, but were factors in the decision. MacMurray College is located in Jacksonville, in west-central Illinois, approximately halfway between the state capital of Springfield, and Hannibal, Missouri. Founded in 1846 as a women's college (becoming co-ed in 1969), MacMurray College currently has 527 full-time students and 101 faculty and staff, according to the State Journal News.

Want to get a conversation going -- or start a fight -- among wrestlers, coaches and fans? Cael SandersonPut together any kind of ranking of wrestlers or wrestling programs. Some examples: InterMat's feature on top college wrestlers of all time or feature providing details of late historian Jay Hammond's three biggest upsets in NCAA Division I finals ... and, 2005, InterMat's analysis of the NCAA 75th Anniversary Team of the fifteen top college wrestlers of all time, commemorating the first NCAA wrestling championships seventy-five years earlier, in 1928. NCAA Wrestling recently shared a brief video on its Twitter page, titled "The Best of the Best! These are the top 5 NCAA wrestlers of all time." Weighing in at just over 90 seconds, the video shows action footage (with narration) of NCAA Wrestling's choices for the five greatest college wrestlers in history, starting with their No. 5 selection, Cornell's Kyle Dake ... and concluding with Iowa State's Cael Sanderson as their choice for top wrestler of all time. Here, presented as on the video in descending order, are the wrestlers selected by NCAA Wrestling: 5. Kyle Dake, Cornell A native of Ithaca, N.Y., Dake joined an elite group of NCAA Division I wrestlers to have won four national titles ... but earned a one-of-a-kind place in history by becoming the first to win four national titles in four different weight classes: 141 pounds in 2010 ... 149 in 2011 ... 157 in 2012 ... and 165 pounds in 2013. Dake also tallied three EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) titles in 2010, 2012 and 2013, earning the conference's Wrestler of the Year award those same years. He capped his collegiate career by winning the 2013 Hodge Trophy as the Wrestler of the Year. 4. Dan Gable, Iowa State Dan Mack Gable was a three-time, undefeated Iowa high school state champ who then continued his mat career with similar success at Iowa State, where he was a three-time Big Eight champ ((1968-1970) and was a two-time NCAA champ as a sophomore and junior (1968, 1969). As a Cyclone, Gable pinned 83 of 118 opponents, for a 70.3% pin rate. He suffered one loss -- his final match in college, falling to University of Washington sophomore Larry Owings in the 142-pound title match at the 1970 NCAAs, 13-11 ... considered to be the greatest upset in college wrestling. 3. Yojiro Uetake, Oklahoma State A native of Japan, Yojiro Uetake Obata was a three-time NCAA champion and won a like number of Big Eight titlewinner for the Cowboys at 130 pounds in 1964-1966. He earned Outstanding Wrestler honors at the NCAAs twice, in his junior and senior seaons. Uetake completed his collegiate career with a perfect 57-0 record. 2. Dan Hodge, Oklahoma Dan Allen Hodge was born in May 1932 on a farm outside Perry, Oklahoma. He wrestled at Perry High School, where he won an Oklahoma state title in 1951. Hodge continued his mat career with the Oklahoma Sooners as the 177-pound starter in the mid-1950s, compiling a perfect 46-0 record; 36 of those wins were by 36 were by fall, for a pinning percentage of 78%. He tallied three Big Seven conference crowns in 1955-1957, and three NCAA titles those same years. Hodge also earned Outstanding Wrestler honors at the '56 and '57 Nationals. The Hodge Trophy, presented each year to the nation's best college wrestler, is named in his honor. 1. Cael Sanderson, Iowa State A four-time state champ from Utah, Cael Norman Sanderson came to the Midwest to continue his wrestling career at Iowa State, crafting a flawless 159-0 record. In addition, Sanderson racked up four Big Eight conference titles, four NCAA crowns, and four NCAA Outstanding Wrestler Awards in 1999-2002. Sanderson became the first freshman to earn Outstanding Wrestler honors at the NCAAs ... then was presented with the Hodge Trophy, college wrestling's version of the Heisman Trophy, in each of his final three seasons. Now that you've seen NCAA Wrestling's choices for the five best NCAA wrestlers of all time, let the arguing begin!