InterMat Staff

Kyle Dake defeated David Taylor in the 2013 NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Do you want to re-live Kyle Dake making history by becoming the first wrestler to win four NCAA titles in four different weight classes? Now you can. ESPN will be re-airing the 2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships finals on Sunday at noon ET as part of an 11-hour marathon of wrestling content. 2013 NCAA finals results: 125: Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec. Nico Megaludis (Penn State), 7-4 133: Logan Stieber (Ohio State) dec. Tony Ramos (Iowa), 7-4 141: Kendric Maple (Oklahoma) dec. Mitchell Port (Edinboro), 4-3 149: Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) dec. Jason Chamberlain (Boise State), 3-2 157: Derek St. John (Iowa) dec. Jason Welch (Northwestern), 3-2 165: Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec. David Taylor (Penn State), 5-4 174: Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) dec. Matt Brown (Penn State), 2-1 TB 184: Ed Ruth (Penn State) maj. dec. Robert Hamlin (Lehigh), 12-4 197: Quentin Wright (Penn State) dec. Dustin Kilgore (Kent State), 8-6 285: Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. Mike McMullan (Northwestern), 6-2

Aurora University, an NCAA Division III institution, announced the return men's wrestling and addition of women's wrestling to the varsity sport offerings at AU. The Spartan wrestling program's will begin in the 2021-2022 season and become AU's 23rd and 24th collegiate sport. "We are thrilled that women's and men's wrestling will be the newest programs at AU," said Assistant Vice President / Director of Athletics Jim Hamad. "It is exciting to be a part of both the rapid growth of women's wrestling and the steady resurgence of men's wrestling. We have been able to start new programs that quickly find success in recent years and we are confident that our wrestling programs will follow a similar timeline. Our goal is to become successful in the competitive national wrestling landscape." AU will see men's wrestling return to campus after a 35 year hiatus, becoming an official NCAA Division III program and according to the NCAA, in the 2020-2021 season a total of 116 men's wrestling programs will compete in NCAA Division III. Men's and women's wrestling is currently classified as a winter sport, with competition beginning in October and running through February with the men having a NCAA Division III Championship in March. The Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) governs women's wrestling and has overseen the national championships since 2008. A total of 59 collegiate institutions will field varsity women's wrestling teams in 2019-2020. Women's wrestling was recently approved as an emerging sport by the NCAA committee on women's athletics and will be added to the NCAA emerging sports lineup on August 1, 2020, a huge step toward evolving into an NCAA Championship-Level sport in the future. Currently, intercollegiate women's programs compete in National Collegiate Championship in March. Aurora University is a member of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC), Northern Collegiate Hockey Association and Central Intercollegiate Bowling Conference. The NACC began its first season of competition in the fall of 2006 and consists of 12 colleges and universities from the shared-border states of Illinois and Wisconsin. Member schools include: Alverno College, Aurora University, Benedictine University, Concordia University Chicago, Concordia University Wisconsin, Dominican University, Edgewood College, Lakeland College, Marian University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Rockford University and Wisconsin Lutheran College with St. Norbert College joining for the 2021-2022 year. Aurora University currently sponsors 22 sports; 19 of the 21 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference sponsored sports as well as men's and women's hockey and women's bowling. Men's teams in the NACC include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field and volleyball. Women's NACC squads are fielded in basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, and volleyball. AU will begin the process of hiring a head coach for each the men's and women's wrestling program in the coming weeks with information on the highly competitive position to be made available on the Aurora University website. Aurora University is located in Aurora, Illinois -- the second largest city in the state -- about 40 miles west of downtown Chicago.

Iowa coach Tom Brands guided Iowa to a No. 1 ranking heading into the NCAAs (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Iowa head wrestling coach Tom Brands has been named 2020 InterMat Coach of the Year, the amateur wrestling website announced Friday. This award, presented each year since 2006 to the best college wrestling coach in all divisions for his/her college wrestling coaching performance during the 2019-2020 season, is based exclusively on the balloting of writers at InterMat. Each staff member is asked to select five coaches and rank them from first to fifth. Point values are assigned to each placement, ranging from one point to a wrestling coach listed fifth on a voter's ballot, up to nine points for a first-place vote. Iowa's Tom Brands received a total of 84 points -- including eight out of ten first-place votes from the InterMat staff -- to propel him to the top of the balloting for the 2019-20 season. The only other college wrestling coach to get any first-place votes was Chris Ayres, head coach of the Princeton University mat program. Two InterMat writers voted Ayres as their choice for the nation's top collegiate coach, for a total of 39 points, placing him second in the rankings for this season. Tom Brands has long been associated with the Iowa Hawkeye mat program, first as a wrestler who was three-time national champion (1989-92) and four-time NCAA All-American, earning Outstanding Wrestler honors at the 1992 NCAA Championships. He was also a three-time Big Ten champion, and won 95 percent of his matches at Iowa, compiling an overall mark of 158-7-2 as a Hawkeye wrestler. Tom Brands later became a coach at his college alma mater; he just completed his 14th season as Iowa's head coach. In his time at the helm, Brands has guided the Hawkeyes to three NCAA team titles, four Big Ten championships, and a dual meet record of 229-23-1 (.908). What's more, during that time frame, Iowa has crowned 12 NCAA individual champions and earned 72 All-America honors since 2007. This season, Tom Brands and his mat stars built a perfect 14-0 dual-meet record ... capped off with a successful performance earlier this month at the 2020 Big Ten Championships. Brands led his Hawkeyes to the conference crown with three individual champions -- Spencer Lee at 125 pounds, Pat Lugo at 149, and Alex Marinelli at 165 -- along with runner-up Michael Kemerer at 174 pounds. For that successful performance at the conference championships, Tom Brands was named Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career (having also been so honored in 2008, 2009 and 2010) ... while Spencer Lee was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year. Prior to the NCAAs being canceled because of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, many college wrestling analysts and fans considered Tom Brands' Hawkeyes to be the favorites to claim the team title at the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. It's been quite a year for Tom Brands. One more bit of good news: Tom Brands -- along with assistant coaches Terry Brands and Ryan Morningstar -- were granted contract extensions through 2026 by the University of Iowa. InterMat's 2020 Coach of the Year award is the latest good news for the Iowa coach. 2020 InterMat Coach of the Year Voting Results 1st-5th-Place Votes: 9-7-5-3-1 Total Votes/(First-Place Votes) 1. Tom Brands, Iowa 84 (8) 2. Chris Ayres, Princeton 39 (2) 3. Mark Manning, Nebraska 29 4. Pat Popolizio, NC State 21 5. Tony Ersland, Purdue 17 6. Coleman Scott, North Carolina 11 7. Cary Kolat, Campbell 8 T8. Nick Mitchell, Grand View 7 T8. Cael Sanderson, Penn State 7 T8. Kevin Ward, Army West Point 7 T11. T.J. Miller, Loras 5 T11. Matt Storniolo, Northwestern 5 T13. Keith Gavin, Pitt 3 T13. Pat Santoro, Lehigh 3 T15. Steve Costanzo, St. Cloud State 1 T15. Kevin Dresser, Iowa State 1 T15. Zeke Jones, Arizona State 1 T15. Sam Schmitz, McKendree 1 InterMat Coach of the Year Past Winners 2019: Cael Sanderson, Penn State 2018: Cael Sanderson, Penn State 2017: Cael Sanderson, Penn State 2016: Cael Sanderson, Penn State 2015: Tom Ryan, Ohio State 2014: Tim Flynn, Edinboro and J Robinson, Minnesota 2013: John Smith, Oklahoma State 2012: Cael Sanderson, Penn State 2011: Mike Denney, Nebraska-Omaha 2010: Rob Koll, Cornell 2009: Tom Ryan, Ohio State 2008: Tom Ryan, Ohio State 2007: Cael Sanderson, Iowa State 2006: John Smith, Oklahoma State

The International Olympic Committee and the government of Japan agreed Tuesday to delay the start of the 2020 Tokyo Games until no later than the Summer of 2021. The announcement comes after a massive worldwide lockdown in response to the global spread of COVID-19. Athletes, National Olympic Committees, and international federations had all expressed concern about the Tokyo Games scheduled July start and most believed that their athletes would be ill-prepared for the Games, and/or they'd be unable to qualify athletes in a fair manner. With the outcome clear the IOC made the historic decision to delay the Games. Ultimately, the decision means the Olympics will take place sometime in 2021, but it's unclear the effect that it will have on the qualification process for wrestling and other sports. Guidance on the process should come out this week, or early next week, though it could be delayed given the range and scope of concerns from stakeholders. For wrestling the process is hopefully/probably/maybe straightforward. If the IOC doesn't create an overarching stipulation that all sports must start from scratch, then wrestling is just in an extended qualification pause. The remaining continental qualifiers would be rescheduled for later in 2020, or early 2021, and the "Last Chance" World qualifier would be a few weeks later. Come spring/summer 2021 all the wrestlers would have been qualified normally and Bob's your uncle. There would still be the issue of when to schedule final Ranking Series event, the manner in which the tournaments would be operated regarding the health of the athletes, finding suitable locations, adjusting costs to local organizers in addition to about a million other concerns. If you wonder why there are delays, think about the organizational effort it will take for wrestling to reorganize these events and then multiply it by 30 -- that's what the international sports community is facing over the next 18 months. The construction of the international qualification calendar is also important for the national federations, like the United States, who have yet to complete their national trials. The USA could technically finish those trials until just before United World Wrestling is required to send the names of the athletes to the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee. However, USA has yet to qualify two weight classes in Greco-Roman and one in freestyle, a tournament for which I'm assuming they'd prefer to send their top athletes. They would also need to reschedule and rebook the facilities, line up sponsors, and do in only a few weeks what initially required months. This is all to say that the next 12 months will be incredibly fluid in the world of wrestling. The moratorium on competitions is likely to last several more months and even as athletes find their ways into more credible training situations the time for high level competition will be even further down the road. The real goal remains the same. It's time to stay inside, to keep distance from those vulnerable to the disease, and to help each other as we can. Sport is an amazing gift and wrestling is its premier offering, but it is vital that for the foreseeable future that we each do our part to get past this plague. To your questions … Cary Kolat coaching at the Midlands Championships (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Q: Were you surprised Cary Kolat took the Navy head coaching position? Other than his ties to Maryland, what do you think attracted him to the job? -- Mike C. Foley: The Navy job has typically gone to men who either have a service background, understand service, or look like they could be in Special ops. The only reason that Cary Kolat seemed like a surprise hire was that he is known to be a bit of a contrarian -- to think outside the normal parameters and push the boundaries. Those aren't military-first instincts. However, I think that he was unquestionably the best available coach in the nation and Navy did an incredible job to attract him to campus. It will be interesting to see how long it will take for him to be successful, but Navy has every opportunity to be a big-time program. Huge numbers of disciplined, easy-to-coach athletes can always lend itself to positive outcomes. Q: Maybe use rankings, coaches polls and NCAA seeds to award All-Americans to the top 12 wrestlers (top 12 allows for error/upsets)? No great way to solve this but All-Americans should be awarded. -- Rich H. Foley: I agree. There should be a vote. These are unprecedented times and some type of acknowledgment of these athletes and their seasons is overdue. Though there would be intense controversy over any number of factors, I think that it will reward those athletes who had long productive seasons and were lining up for All-American honors. I think the makeup should be media (30%), coaches (30%), seeds (30%), and fan vote (10%). Q: Every year since 2014, at least one freshman has won an NCAA title. An unprecedented streak. 2014: Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern), J'Den Cox (Missouri) 2015: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois), Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) 2016: Myles Martin (Ohio State) 2017: Mark Hall, Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) 2018: Spencer Lee (Iowa), Yiani Diakomihalis (Cornell) 2019: Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech). Who do predict (if any) would have been the freshman champ in 2020? Real Woods (Stanford), Sammy Sasso (Ohio State), David Carr (Iowa State), Shane Griffith (Stanford), Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State), Trent Hidlay (NC State), Aaron Brooks (Penn State), Tony Cassioppi (Iowa), or someone I missed? -- D.B. Foley: Good list. Foley: Off the top I think Tony Cassioppi, Real Woods, David Carr, Travis Wittlake, and Trent Hidlay are longer shots at winning the whole thing. I'm guessing the smart money is on Sammy Sasso, but how do you overlook an undefeated 165-pound wrestler with several wins against top ten opponents? Alex While Marinelli and Vincenzo Joseph have an ever-entertaining rivalry, they aren't leaps better than the rest of the 165-pound class. Assuming Griffith got Joseph in the semifinals I'd have him favored. With Marinelli in the finals it would depend on how both were wrestling. A lot of the reason he doesn't get more respect is that Stanford is on the West Coast and sometimes overlooked in both hype and accurate assessments. It's too bad he wasn't able to show what he could do at the NCAAs. Q: What do you suspect will happen with the Olympic Team Trials? Could you see a scenario in which they were held with no fans or at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs? -- Mike C. Foley: I discussed this a bit at the top, but I'm guessing they attempt to go with the Bryce Jordan Center at a time later in the year when public gatherings are once again allowable. If that isn't available, or the timeline is too crunched or filled with conflicts, then the OTC is always an option. Ultimately, it would be an unlikely scenario that USA Wrestling would voluntarily push for something closed off since the event draws a lot of funding for the federation's operating costs. Yet, that might be the necessary pivot if there is a lack of available options, or those willing to pay to host because they'd fear not recouping their money. One benefit to a closed-off event would be the ability to create a dynamic and clean broadcast while also limiting the exposure of the athletes to anyone who might have COVID-19. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Parental post game Q: Do you think the NCAA will give winter athletes additional eligibility? Just seems like it would be too messy and difficult. -- Mike C. Foley: Given the NCAAs more recent player-first approach there is a fair chance that some athletes would be granted an additional year. I don't think that every athlete would receive additional eligibility, but just those who qualified for the NCAAs. Also, I'm not certain that the NCAA's decision on the start time of the 2020 season will come in time to keep the best wrestlers "on-campus" for another several months. Not to mention that there are certain to be several seniors who see this as a good time to get out and leave school. Imagine that most haven't worked out at all in the past several weeks and they won't again for several more. Q: Any thoughts about the UFC trying to hold events? -- Ben W. Foley: Yeah, Dana White is a stone-cold nincompoop who puts the profits of the company above the safety of any individual. He's a total suck-up to certain powerful people and will do anything to "show" the world that the COVID-19 outbreak is an overblown media circus. While I don't disagree that in a bubble the idea of a closed event would be pretty cool, there are several factors that he's ignoring -- primarily how will any of his athletes prepare for the fight with limited or no access to their gym? Let's say he gets a few to sign up for the fight (they are underpaid and probably struggling) then there is no guarantee that a fight commission would allow the fights to take place. Also, no matter how small a card you'll need so much support staff that it'll be impossible to successfully screen each individual for COVID-19, especially since getting tested with accurate results is exceedingly difficult. White is a blowhard who puts his interests and the monied concern of his bosses above all else. Q: Jon Jones can't seem to get out of his own way. Do you even include him in the conversation for greatest fighter ever? He has tested positive for steroids and has had other outside-the-cage incidents. -- Mike C. Foley: I never have. He's a proven drug cheat and repeat offender with an incredible lack of imagination. Look at Daniel Cormier. He's trailblazing as a fighter and high school wrestling coach who is also arguably one of the best commentators in the sport. Beloved by all. That's an original man with an original story to tell and something to give back to the world around him. Jones is a bad, tired cliché of the gifted fighter who contributed nothing to the world and only complains about how he's been wronged. He deserves to be behind bars. No more second chances, no more of the MMA community heaping praises on him because he hit a few spinning back elbows in fights seven years ago Bye, Jon.

Joe Heskett (Photo/Mark Aikman) A GoFundMe page has been set up Thursday, March 26 for former wrestler/coach Joe Heskett who suffered a stroke earlier this month. Here's how the GoFundMe page, sponsored by Evelyn Heskett, described Joe Heskett's present situation: "On Thursday, March 12, 2020 Joe had a massive stroke. "He is currently in Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus Ohio which specializes in neurological medical conditions. Fortunately, he is resting and in stable condition at this time and the staff is working on helping him to understand what has happened. "The next phase is to transfer him to a rehabilitation facility for extensive therapy. Unfortunately, the insurance that he has will not cover the rehabilitation facility for his therapy and any financial assistance will be much appreciated. "I am remarkably blessed to be alive," Heskett said. "This situation, although unfortunate, is the will of our great Lord and I turn over every fiber of faith to his plan. I don't have time to ask why and ponder. I will get healthy and I look forward to the next chapter of my life. I do not hang up my shoes easily, but the reality of the situation leaves me with one option and that is to stay optimistic and begin to excel in other areas of my life that I have been extremely blessed to possess." As the write-up states, Joe Heskett's stroke earlier this month isn't the first medical challenge Heskett has faced. "Five days after placing 5th at the 2007 World Championships Joe went into sudden cardiac arrest and his wrestling career unexpectedly ended due to a rare congenital heart condition." However, Joe's story of survival in 2007 is just a part of his awe-inspiring journey. Prior to his retirement from competitive wrestling in 2007, Heskett was training as a 2008 U.S. Olympic Team hopeful. In June 2007, he earned a spot on the U.S. World Team roster and won a silver medal at 163 pounds at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the World Wrestling championships in 2007, Heskett was one of five wrestlers to qualify his weight class for the 2008 Olympics after winning a silver medal." Joe Heskett has long been an inspiring individual in wrestling in so many ways. A native of northeast Ohio, Heskett was a three-time state champion wrestler at Walsh-Jesuit High School who, after graduation, headed west to Iowa State, where he was a three-time Big 8 champ, four-time NCAA All-American, and NCAA 165-pound champ for the Cyclones in 2002. (And a teammate of future Olympic gold medalist and eventual Penn State head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson.) Heskett then directed his attention on freestyle wrestling, becoming a Cadet World Championships bronze medalist, Pan Am Games silver medalist, and fifth-place finisher at the World Championships before going into sudden cardiac arrest five days after the Worlds. Heskett focused on coaching ... first, as an assistant coach and chief recruiter at Cal Poly, then Ohio State, then taking the helm of the wrestling program at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for four years before accepting the position as Associate Athletics Director for Sports Performance at West Virginia University July 2014. Three years later, Heskett left WVU to focus on his h Leadership consultancy to help young athletes develop their leadership skills and make smart choices regarding their educational and athletic goals… and find success beyond school and their sporting careers. To contribute to the GoFundMe for Joe Heskett, click here.

Scott Sentes (Photo/Bennett Scarborough) BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- After helping Campbell's wrestling program to unprecedented heights, Scotti Sentes has been named head coach, announced today by director of athletics Omar Banks. Since arriving at Campbell, Sentes has helped the Camels to three Southern Conference tournament championships, as well as back to back dual titles over the last four seasons, the program's first NCAA Division I championships. "I am thankful to Omar Banks, Wanda Watkins, and Hannah Bazemore and the entire CU athletic department for affording me this incredible opportunity," said Sentes. "I would also like to thank Cary Kolat and the CU alumni who encouraged and recommended me for this position. Campbell is a special place and I will do everything I can to continue making this program proud." "The Campbell community is very pleased to have Coach Sentes as our next head wrestling coach," Banks said. "As interest began to escalate, we knew we wanted someone who could fit the culture that was developed within the program and continue the upward trajectory that has been established. Having served under one of the best coaches in the sport of wrestling for the last four years, he presented and articulated a vision for the future of the program, which let us know that we had our coach. We are very excited for the future of Campbell wrestling under Coach Sentes' leadership." Sentes replaces former head coach Cary Kolat, who took the same position at Navy after six seasons at Campbell. The Ft. Myers, Fla. native has coached 19 total NCAA qualifiers, 13 All-SoCon performers and 12 conference champions over the last four seasons in Buies Creek, in addition to the 2020 SoCon Wrestler of the Year, Noah Gonser, and the program's first All-American in 2017, Nathan Kraisser. Sentes has also coached two SoCon Freshman of the Year honorees, with Austin Kraisser in 2017 and Korbin Meink in 2018. The Camels enjoyed their best season in program history in 2019-20, taking their second straight SoCon tournament and dual titles behind six NCAA qualifiers, matching a school record. Five Camels earned SoCon championships, another school record, while five were named All-SoCon. Going 11-2 overall and a perfect 7-0 in SoCon competition, Campbell was ranked as high as No. 12 (InterMat) in the national rankings. Sentes was elevated to associate head coach following the 2018-19 season that saw the Camels sweep the SoCon's tournament and regular season championships for the first time in program history, going 5-1 in the league and 7-1 overall. CU also sent six to the NCAA Championships, earning its first ever top-25 national ranking. The Camels also fashioned a 10th place finish at the prestigious Midlands Championships, an all-time best for the program. Additionally, Campbell took National Wresting Coaches Association Division I Academic Team honors for the third-straight year in 2019. The Camels finished 13th nationally in the standings with an outstanding 3.28 team GPA, posting a top-25 academic finish for the fifth time in program history. Campbell took ninth in 2017-18 after finishing No. 21 in 2016-17. In 2017-18, CU sent two more qualifiers to the NCAA Championships, also earning four spots on the All-SoCon team. Campbell finished third at the SoCon Championships, going 8-8 overall and 5-2 in the regular season. In his first season at Campbell, Sentes helped guide the Camels to their first conference championship, with seven medalists and a pair of individual champions at the 2017 SoCon tournament. A then-school record five Camels traveled to the NCAA Championships, including All-American Nathan Kraisser. Sentes came to Campbell after spending three years as the head assistant coach at Cal Poly under Coach Brendan Buckley. He helped push the team to raise its GPA from a 2.39 in 2012 to a 2.77 cumulative average in 2015-16 as well as sending three grapplers to the NCAA Championships. Sentes initiated Cal Poly's first outdoor wrestling match in 2013 which started a nationwide trend for programs to hold their own outdoor wrestling matches. He bolstered the Mustangs' social media footprint, increasing the program's likes by 330 percent on Facebook, doubling the followers on Twitter and gained nearly 1,750 followers on Instagram after only a year after the page's establishment. A two-time All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier as a wrestler at Central Michigan, Sentes placed fourth in the NCAA finals at 133 pounds as a junior in 2011 and seventh at 125 as a freshman in 2009. He won Mid-American conference titles in 2009 and 2011 while claiming third in 2010 and 2013. Sentes amassed a 108-33 career record at Central Michigan, going 55-12 in duals and 17-1 against MAC competition. While wrestling at Central Michigan, Sentes was active in helping as a clinician for wrestling clinics and camps. He founded and was the head coach of Team Anaconda Blood and was a coach for National Team Florida, which prepared wrestlers for national competition during the high school offseason. He was also an instructor for the Riverdale Wrestling Club while still wrestling in high school. Sentes was a four-time Florida state high school champion while attending Riverdale High School, compiling a 213-3 career prep record and winning his last 140 matches. He also finished runner-up in the state finals at 103 pounds while competing with the varsity as an eight-grader in 2004. He was 51-0 with 36 falls as a senior. Sentes also won a senior nationals title in 2008. Sentes joined the Cal Poly coaching ranks after graduating from Central Michigan in 2013, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in English.

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. -- Dan Willis has been named the new Head Coach of the University of Mount Olive Wrestling team, it was announced by Vice President for Athletics Jeff Eisen. "Dan brings a wealth of coaching experience and is a fixture in North Carolina wrestling, which combined with his energy and passion will help move our program forward," said Eisen. Willis joins Mount Olive after spending the last 17 years as the founder and head coach of the Port City Pirates Wrestling Organization as well as the last 11 years as the owner and operator of Port City Sports Performance LLC, both located in Wilmington, N.C. While at PCPW Willis helped coached the Pirates to two North Carolina Youth State Championships and one third-place finish. On the individual side, Willis saw over 20 athletes become high-school state champions and over 50 become state-placers. Prior to his time at Port City Willis spent time as the head coach at E.A. Laney High School (2006-09/2014-17) and John T. Hoggard High School (1995-2004). At E.A Laney Willis claimed five Mid-Eastern Conference Championships along with being the NCHSAA 4A State runner-up. Willis coached John T. Hoggard to six Mid-Eastern Conference Championships, a 4A Region championship, and three regional runner-ups. Academically, Willis' teams have earned Scholar-Athlete Team awards four times throughout his high school coaching career. Willis wrestled collegiately at UNC Pembroke and was a two-time team captain for the Braves. He was an NCAA Division II All-American for the Braves posting a 102-31 career record at the 142 weight class. He also was a two-time South Region Champion and named the Braves Most Outstanding Wrestler his senior year. Willis received his Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Health & Physical Education with a teaching certification from UNC Pembroke. He also holds a USA Wrestling Bronze Coaching Certification. Willis was also an assistant coach on the North Carolina National Team.

Dick DiBatista, legendary wrestler, coach and referee, passed away at Riddle Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania on Feb. 29, 2020 ... though his death was not widely reported until Wednesday, March 25, 2020. He was 99 years old. Born in Palombaro, Italy in October 1920, Richard "Dick" DiBatista and his family moved to Ardmore, Pa. when he was a young boy. DiBatista graduated from Lower Merion High School in 1938, then attended Franklin & Marshall Academy before arriving at University of Pennsylvania, where he received a B.S. in Education in 1943 and an M.S. in Education in 1946. Dick DiBatista"Dick was a distinguished athlete in football, track and wrestling," according to Tom Elling, Pennsylvania wrestling writer and historian, who shared his tribute to DiBatista on his Tom's Wrestling Page on Facebook . "Certainly, wrestling was his best sport, as he never lost a wrestling match, posting a remarkable undefeated 137-0 career record that included high school, prep school, college and amateur competition. He became the first Pennsylvania State Wrestling Champion in 1938 and National Prep School Champion in 1939. As a Penn wrestler, Dick or "DiBi", as he was known, was arguably the most accomplished wrestler in Quaker history. With an undefeated record, he won the EIWA Championship in 1941, 1942, and 1943 and captured the NCAA Championship in 1941 and 1942. Dick was on the 1940 and 1944 Olympic teams, although the Games were not held because of World War II. During the War, Dick served as 2nd Lieutenant in the Marines and was stationed in the South Pacific." In his adult life, DiBatista enjoyed a 37-year career as a teacher and coach at Lower Merion High School. He continued to officiate wrestling events at the collegiate level and also served as the Director of Lower Merion summer recreation programs. DiBatista earned a number of honors over the course of his long life and career, including creating the Dick DiBatista Wrestling Facility at Lower Merion School District which was named in his honor in 2005. He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1974, the District One Hall of Fame in 1990, the National Officials Hall of Fame in 1996, and the Delaware County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and the EIWA (Easter Intercollegiate Wrestling Assocation) Officials organization. DiBatista was also welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1995. "On behalf of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, I want to extend our condolences to the family and friends of a beloved man who graced the sport of wrestling for many decades," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla., in a statement issued on Wednesday, March 25. "It's hard to find the words that could even compare to what Dick DiBatista actually achieved in his lifetime as a student, wrestler, football player, teacher, wrestling coach and official, and Marine Veteran. He is one of the greatest upper-weight wrestlers in United States history and is considered a pillar in the great wrestling heritage in Pennsylvania, as a state high school, national prep and NCAA champion for the University of Pennsylvania." Penn wrestling greats Dick DiBatista and Brandon SlayThe Philadelphia-based school paid tribute to its legendary mat alum in a statement issued March 25. legendary alum. "A member of the Inaugural Class inducted into the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996, DiBatista remains arguably the greatest wrestler in program history," according to its statement. "He ended his Penn career as a two-time NCAA champion -- only Matt Valenti shares that honor among Quaker grapplers -- and likely it was only World War II that kept DiBatista from becoming a three-time NCAA champion. He also won three Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) championship in his weight class, from 1941-43. (The NCAA canceled its Championships from 1943-45.) "Dick DiBatista was one of the greatest wrestlers of all time," said Penn's current head wrestling coach and fellow Penn Athletics Hall of Famer Roger Reina. "Dick was a champion, an educator, a veteran, a loyal Penn alumnus, and a revered community member. He was a stalwart of Coach Austin Bishop's incredible, undefeated Penn teams. Dick will be missed by our community, and his legacy will always be honored at Penn." Funeral services for DiBatista have already taken place.

Sammy Sasso compiled a record of 24-3 as a freshman (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Sammy Sasso, Ohio State redshirt freshman originally from Pennsylvania, has been named 2020 InterMat Freshman of the Year, the amateur wrestling website announced on Thursday. This award, presented each year since 2006 to the best college freshman wrestler in all divisions for his/her college wrestling performance during the 2019-2020 season, is based exclusively on the balloting of writers at InterMat. Each writer is asked to select five freshman 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. Sasso received four first-place votes (out of ten) from the InterMat staff, for a total of 60 points to put him No. 1 in this year's InterMat Freshman of the Year voting. In second place was Shane Griffith of Stanford, who was the top choice among three InterMat staffers, earning a total of 53 points. Two other freshmen who earned at least one first-place vote: David Carr of Iowa State, taking fourth place with 45 points, including two first-place votes ... while Stanford's Real Woods received one first-place vote, for a total of 25 points. During his shortened 2019-20 season, Sasso built an impressive overall record of 24-3. In the win category, Sasso notched 13 regular-season victories and a 9-0 record in Big Ten competition. The Buckeye 149-pounder scored five pins, four wins by major decision, and four technical fall victories. He defeated Iowa's Pat Lugo on Jan. 24 in a dual meet, giving the Hawkeye All-American his only loss of the season. .As for Sasso's losses ... two were during the regular season (to Minnesota's Brayton Lee by decision and Virginia Tech's Brent Moore by fall) with the third loss coming in the 2020 Big Ten finals to Lugo, 2-1. Thanks to his performance as a redshirt freshman during 2019-20 season, Sasso found himself in the upper reaches of the InterMat college rankings at 149 pounds for much of the season, most recently residing in the top spot for a number of weeks, then concluding the shortened season ranked No. 3 immediately after the 2020 Big Ten Championships. Prior to coming to Ohio State, the native of Nazareth, Pa was a two-time Pennsylvania AAA state champion for the Nazareth Blue Eagles, placing within the top three all four seasons. Sasso compiled an overall prep record of 180-11. In the 15-year history of InterMat Freshman of the Year balloting, Sammy Sasso is the second Ohio State wrestler to have earned the honor, joining Buckeye mat great Logan Stieber, who received the award in 2012. 2020 InterMat Freshman of the Year Voting Results 1st-5th Place Votes: 9-7-5-3-1 Total Votes/(First-Place Votes) 1. Sammy Sasso, Ohio State 60 (4) 2. Shane Griffith, Stanford 53 (3) 3. Aaron Brooks, Penn State 48 4. David Carr, Iowa State 45 (2) 5. Real Woods, Stanford 25 (1) 6. Tony Cassioppi, Iowa 14 7. Travis Wittlake, Oklahoma State 3 8. Brayton Lee, Minnesota 2 InterMat Freshman of the Year Past Winners 2019: Mekhi Lewis, Virginia Tech 2018: Spencer Lee, Iowa 2017: Mark Hall, Penn State 2016: Jason Nolf, Penn State 2015: Isaiah Martinez, Illinois 2014: Jason Tsirtsis, Northwestern 2013: Alex Dieringer, Oklahoma State 2012: Logan Stieber, Ohio State 2011: David Taylor, Penn State 2010: Kyle Dake, Cornell 2009: Andrew Howe, Wisconsin 2008: Mike Grey, Cornell 2007: Jake Varner, Iowa State 2006: Dustin Schlatter, Minnesota

Larry Owings stunned Dan Gable in the 1970 NCAA finals Wrestling fans love a great upset -- unless it's their wrestler who is the one who comes out on the losing end. Fifty years ago this week, arguably the biggest upset in NCAA Wrestling Championships finals history took place at the 1970 NCAAs when Larry Owings handed Dan Gable his first loss in his combined high school/college career. The late wrestling historian Jairus "Jay" Hammond -- author of "The History of Collegiate Wrestling" book -- once shared with this writer his choices for the three greatest upsets in NCAA finals. At the top of his list was Gable-Owings ... followed by 2009's Darrion Caldwell vs. Brent Metcalf in second place ... and 1962's Jack Flasche vs. Phil Kinyon ranked third. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of that great collegiate mat upset, InterMat thought the time was right to take a look back at Hammond's trio of top NCAA finals upsets. No. 3: Jack Flasche upsets Phil Kinyon, 1962 NCAAs Before the start of the 1962 NCAA Wrestling Championships at Oklahoma State's Gallagher Hall on March 23-24, few would have guessed that the 157-pound title match would have seemed to be mismatch. There was Jack Flasche, unseeded wrestler from what was then called Colorado State College (now University of Northern Colorado), a sophomore making his first appearance at the NCAAs. Flasche was to face off against Phil Kinyon, the top seed and defending champ at 157, who had yet to lose a match as an Oklahoma State Cowboy. Kinyon was the prohibitive favorite. A two-time Oklahoma state champ at Stillwater High, after graduation Kinyon entered the U.S. Navy where he served for nearly a decade, continuing his wrestling career in freestyle. After a brief time on the wrestling roster at UCLA, Kinyon returned to his hometown to wrestle for the Cowboys, winning the 157-pound crown at the 1961 NCAAs, and compiling an overall record of 26-1-3 right up to the '62 NCAA finals. There were two other factors that made Kinyon "the sure bet" to win a second NCAA title in his home gym. He had just missed making the U.S. freestyle wrestling team for the 1960 Rome Olympics, losing the final match in a bruising series of a dozen bouts to former Oklahoma State champ Doug Blubaugh, eventual gold medal winner. He was also known for his physical strength and intimidating musculature. Even in high school, Kinyon was voted "Best Physique" twice. A fellow college wrestler of the early 1960s described Kinyon as "hairy as a bear and built like a brick sh**house." As for Flasche ... Colorado wrestling historian Ray Coca wrote, "Pound-for-pound, Jack Flasche was considered one of the greatest amateur wrestlers to come out of the Western Slope." While at Fruita High, Flasche won back-to-back Colorado state titles. After his senior year, he placed second in the National AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) tournament. Here's what Hammond wrote in his recap about the Flasche-Kinyon bout of the 1962 NCAA finals for his "History of Collegiate Wrestling" book: "The 157-pound final followed a similar script [to Army's Mike Natvig's upset of Kirk Pendleton of Lehigh at 147] -- an unseeded wrestler Jack Flasche of Northern Colorado, shocked the number one seed, Phil Kinyon of Oklahoma State, with strong mat wrestling. "Flasche stunned the OSU fans by riding the powerful Cowboy for the entire third period on the way to a 5-2 victory." Looking back at the 1962 NCAAs, Ray Coca wrote, "When Flasche beat the number-one seed Kinyon 5-2, it was considered one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history. Flasche, who was unseeded and unknown, beat the number two and six-seeded wrestlers before upending the heavily favored Kinyon at OSU's Gallagher Hall." "Jim Rogers, a member of both the 1962 Colorado/Oklahoma International Wrestling Team and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, said (in 2010), 'I could not believe Jack Flasche came down here to Oklahoma and proceeded to take our national champion (Kinyon) apart." Coca went to write, "Many young wrestlers attempted to emulate Flasche's style of wrestling 'from his knees' instead of the more conventional style of 'on both feet.' However, fans outside wrestling circles were unaware of the fact that Flasche had a permanent injury to his knee. The injury caused him so much pain it forced him to wrestle from his knees." Sadly, Jack Flasche, his wife Lois, and a family friend -- along with two occupants of another vehicle -- were killed in a head-on crash in Montana a decade ago this week. It was only after I wrote a tribute to Flasche for a now-defunct online news website ten years ago that Jay Hammond shared with me his assessment that Flasche's seemingly out-of-the-blue title win at the 1962 NCAAs ranked as the No. 3 upset in NCAA finals history, behind Owings-Gable and Caldwell-Metcalf. No. 2: Darrion Caldwell defeats Brent Metcalf, 2009 NCAAs Just over a decade ago -- March 21, 2009, within the memory of most in the amateur wrestling community today -- a North Carolina State Wolfpack wrestler toppled the defending 149-pound champ from the storied Iowa Hawkeye mat program. Here's how the N.C. State sports information office described what now ranks as the No. 2 upset in NCAA finals history immediately after conclusion of the 2009 NCAA Division I finals: "The consensus heading into the championship round of the NCAA Wrestling Championships was that Iowa's Brent Metcalf was just plain unbeatable, that no one could stop him in his quest to repeat as champion at 149 pounds. "N.C. State's Darrion Caldwell apparently didn't get the memo." Meet Metcalf: Brent Metcalf, a native of Michigan who won four consecutive state titles, had a flawless prep career record of 228-0. He originally committed to Virginia Tech to wrestle for then head coach Tom Brands. However, when Brands took the helm at University of Iowa, Metcalf sought to follow him ... but Virginia Tech refused to release him, forcing Metcalf to sit out the entire 2006-07 season. In his first season at Iowa in 2007-08, Metcalf -- now officially a sophomore -- claimed both the 2008 Big Ten and NCAA championships at 149 pounds. Caldwell the challenger: Darrion Caldwell was a three-time state wrestling champ in his native New Jersey, compiling an impressive 146-4 mat record in high school. (He also competed in football and baseball.) Heading south to North Carolina State, Caldwell got a 20-6 record as a true freshman, just missing earning NCAA All-American honors by one match. The following season -- 2007-08 -- Caldwell went 36-5, placing fifth at the 2008 NCAAs to become an All-American. Setting the stage for the 2009 Nationals: The 2009 NCAAs were held in St. Louis March 19-21 in the downtown arena then called Scottrade Center (which is now Enterprise Center.) Brent Metcalf was the top seed at 149 pounds. The Iowa Hawkeye pinned his first two opponents in the bracket; in the quarterfinals, Metcalf defeated No. 9 seed Terry Kyle of Oklahoma State, 14-5 ... then, in the semifinals, beat Ohio State's Lance Palmer (seeded fourth), 6-2, to propel Metcalf to the finals to defend his 2008 title. No. 3 seed Darrion Caldwell also won his first-round bout by fall ... then, in the second round, beat SUNY-Buffalo's unseeded Desmond Green, 10-2. In the quarterfinals, Caldwell topped No. 6 seed Jake Patacsil of Purdue, 10-1 ... while, in the semis, Caldwell defeated Navy's No. 7 seed Bryce Saddoris, 13-2, to put the Wolfpack wrestler in the title bout. The 2009 NCAA finals recap in "The History of Collegiate Wrestling" hinted at a bit of history between the two wrestlers. "The 149-pound final was one of the most entertaining and controversial in many years. Top seeded Brent Metcalf of Iowa was a heavy favorite against Darrion Caldwell of North Carolina State who had lost by technical fall to Metcalf in the All-Star Classic. Tonight was a different story as Caldwell was on the attack from the start and used two takedowns from scrambles to lead 4-2. As the match came to an end, Caldwell began a premature celebration that included a full back flip. Metcalf pushed Caldwell mid-flip and after a review by the officials, Iowa was penalized a team point. Caldwell won the match 11-6, snapped Metcalf's 69-match winning streak, and was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament." Immediately after the 2009 Nationals, the NCAA Wrestling Committee reprimanded Metcalf, publicly issuing a news release that it "strongly believes the championships should not be tarnished by such acts." The Iowa wrestler soon issued an apology: "I would like to extend an apology to Darrion Caldwell, his family, the NCAA and the wrestling community for my actions in the NCAA title match. I certainly had no malicious intent. With five seconds left in the match, I was attempting to finish to the end, as I've always been trained to do. In a split second after the whistle, my momentum carried me into Darrion's celebratory back flip. My reaction was a result of self-defense and partly, frustration. I want to extend my congratulations to Darrion for his championship." One year later, Metcalf won his second NCAA title, beating Lance Palmer 3-2 in the 149 finals ... and finishing his collegiate career with a record of 108-3. After winning the 2009 NCAA championship, Caldwell wrestled in freestyle events ... but suffered a series of shoulder injuries, which required surgery and forced him to redshirt the 2009-2010 season. Caldwell returned to action midway through his senior season (2010-2011) and was undefeated in 15 matches. Caldwell was the number one seed for the 2011 NCAAs, but suffered yet another shoulder injury in his second-round match, which ended his college career with a 109-13 record. In 2012, Caldwell launched his pro MMA career, where he has compiled a 15-3 record, and was once a Bellator MMA bantamweight champion. No. 1: Larry Owings upsets Dan Gable, 1970 NCAAs Fifty years ago this week -- Saturday, March 28, 1970 -- the most momentous upset in college wrestling took place. Now known as Owings-Gable -- or Gable-Owings -- the 142-pound finals featuring Iowa State's Dan Gable vs. Larry Owings of the University of Washington has been named "Best Match" by wrestling historians and fans in online balloting for the 75th anniversary of NCAA wrestling championships in 2005. A half-century after the two met on the mat at the 1970 NCAA finals at what was then called McGaw Hall at Northwestern University outside Chicago is still a topic of discussion among wrestling fans a half-century ago. Get to know Dan Gable: Born in Waterloo, Iowa in Oct. 1948, Dan Mack Gable was a multi-sport athlete as a kid, competing in swimming and baseball before eventually focusing on wrestling. At Waterloo West High -- within sight of his family home -- Gable wrestled for the legendary head coach Bob Siddens. At West, Gable compiled a perfect 64-0 record and three state titles (95 pounds in 1964, 103 lbs. in 1965, and 112 lbs. in 1966; note: freshman were not allowed to wrestle varsity). With all this on-the-mat success in Waterloo, Gable faced tragedy. On Memorial Day holiday weekend 1964, 15-year-old Dan and his parents had traveled to a cabin on the Mississippi River, to be joined later by his 19-year-old sister Diane. When Diane failed to show up to join the rest of her family, her father Mack called a neighbor to check on his daughter. The neighbor found Diane dead on the living room floor in a pool of blood; a neighbor boy was later found guilty of her murder. After graduating from Waterloo West, Dan Gable headed west to Ames to Iowa State, to wrestle for yet another legendary Iowa-born coach, Harold Nichols. As a Cyclone, Gable scored three Big Eight titles (1968-1970) and was a two-time NCAA champ as a sophomore and junior. (Again, freshmen could not compete varsity per NCAA rules at the time.) During his college career, Gable pinned 83 of 118 opponents, for an impressive 70.3% pinning percentage. Meet Larry Owings: Born in Oregon City, Ore. in June 1950 and raised on a farm, Owings was introduced to wrestling by brothers already involved in the sport. Owings had a not-so-successful start; nicknamed Porky, Owings lost all eight of his matches in his first year in junior varsity competition at Canby High, wrestling for coach Larry Wright. However, Owings turned things around, becoming a two-time Oregon high school state champ, winning the 136-pound crown as a junior in 1967, and the 138 title in 1968 (pinning all his opponents at state). As a senior, he earned a place on Wrestling USA magazine's 1967-68 High School All-American team. Larry Owings' high school mat accomplishments -- including more than 200 victories -- got the attention of a number of college wrestling programs, including Oklahoma State, and, reportedly, Iowa State. However, Owings' love of the Pacific Northwest -- and desire to go to a school with a good architecture program, his intended major -- Owings chose the University of Washington (which has since eliminated its Husky wrestling program). Owings meets Gable for the first time, 1968: Just after graduating from high school, Larry Owings traveled to Ames, Iowa to compete in the 1968 U.S. Olympic Trials. While there, he faced off against Iowa State sophomore Dan Gable, and lost to the Iowa State mat star, 13-5. Owings vs. Gable, 1970 NCAAs: Dan Gable was the top seed in the 142-pound bracket, while Larry Owings was seeded second in the same weight class, having cut weight ... all with the expressed purpose to avenging his 1968 Olympic Trials loss to Gable, as the Washington wrestler told anyone in the media covering the Nationals at Northwestern. Both wrestlers had pinned their way to the finals. Senior Dan Gable scored falls (in order) in his pigtail match, vs. Central Michigan's Larry Hulbert at 3:11 ... then in the first round vs. Indiana State's unseeded Steve Welter at 5:28 ... then unseeded Gary Pelei of Minnesota at 4:29 of Round 2. The Cyclone kept up the pin parade into the quarterfinals by putting the shoulders of Bill Beakley, Oklahoma's No. 6 seed, at 2:27 ... followed by a 6:33 fall vs. No. 4 seed Wayne Bright at Old Dominion in the semifinals. Meanwhile, second-seeded sophomore Larry Owings pinned (in order) three unseeded wrestlers: Virginia Tech's Russell Reid at 5:12, Michigan's Mark King at 1:30, then Dan Silbaugh of Wyoming at 6:02. In the semifinals, Owings faced No. 3 seed Keith Lowrance of Michigan State, securing the fall at 3:29 to set up a Gable-Owings title match. Here's how Jay Hammond described the epic upset in his recap of the title matches in his "History of Collegiate Wrestling" book: "The next final bout saw the greatest upset in the history of the NCAA tournament. Larry Owings did the impossible -- he beat Dan Gable in the last match of his collegiate career, thus spoiling his 96-0 perfect record. Owings, who was probably the only person in the building who thought he could win, surrendered an early takedown before scoring seven straight points to lead 7-2. However, Gable rallied and knotted the score at 8-8 with a reversal early in the third period. Owings escaped then took Gable down, briefly exposing his shoulders. Referee Pascal Perri awarded two back points to give Owings a 13-8 lead. Gable escaped and had two points for time advantage, but Owings, the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler, was a 13-11 victor." At the 1970 NCAAs, Gable earned the Gorriaran Award for scoring the most falls in the least amount of time for the second year in a row. However, he left McGaw Hall with his first loss in his combined high school and college mat career, which added up to a record of 182-1. In the team title race, Iowa State had little trouble in winning its second straight NCAA championship by piling up 99 points (despite Gable's defeat). Michigan State scored 84 points to place second in the 1970 team title race. Aftermath: Larry Owings made it to the finals of the next two NCAAs. As a junior, Owings lost Oklahoma State's Darrell Keller, 16-12, at the 1971 NCAAs ... then, the following year, Owings fell to Michigan State's Tom Milkovich, 8-4, as a senior. Owings completed his college career with an 87-4 overall record and a 52-1 mark in dual meets. For Dan Gable, the 1970 NCAA finals was the conclusion of his college mat career. However, after graduating from Iowa State, Gable focused on his freestyle career, ultimately winning the gold medal at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Even before he competed at the Summer Games, Gable was recruited by University of Iowa head wrestling coach Gary Kurdelmeier to join his coaching staff. A few years after Gable came to Iowa City, Kurdelmeier moved up within the Hawkeye organization to become an assistant athletic director ... promoting Gable from assistant coach to head coach. In four years as an assistant coach and 21 as head coach, Gable made the Hawkeyes THE collegiate wrestling program of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s (record) Owings and Gable meet again ... and again: Larry Owings and Dan Gable crossed paths more than once in the years after their epic meeting on the mat 1970 NCAA finals. The two had yet another match, at the 1972 Olympic Trials in Minnesota, in the 149.5-pound weight class. Gable defeated Owings,7-1, to represent the U.S. at the Munich Olympics ... and bring home a gold medal. Gable and Owings did not meet again in person in more than 30 years, until 2006. According to Mike Finn's 2007 story for WIN magazine, the two talked in person in the stands of Ford Center (now Chesapeake Energy Center) in Oklahoma City at the 2006 NCAA Division I Championships. "I saw Dan Gable sitting in the same section that we were," Owings told Finn. "I went down and said hi to him. It was a little bit later in the tournament that he actually came up with his daughter and introduced her to me. He sat down and talked to me for a while. We just sat down and talked like two old wrestlers. I don't hate Dan Gable. I never have. I think he is a tremendous coach and a tremendous competitor. He's deserved everything that he's earned." More recently, Larry Owings and Dan Gable met again in person, taking the stage at a discussion of the 1970 NCAAs at NCAA Fan Fest in 2018. Hungry to learn more about the Owings-Gable 1970 NCAAs? Check out this in-depth (8,000-word) analysis of that epic upset -- including more detailed coverage of the actual match, along with comments from Dan Gable and Larry Owings -- posted at InterMat in 2010.

SALEM, Va.-- Roanoke College Director of Athletics Scott Allison has announced the hiring of Nate Yetzer to serve as the college's first head wrestling coach. Allison announced in January the addition of wrestling as the College's 22nd NCAA Division III sponsored athletic program. The Maroons will begin competition in the Fall of 2021. "We're fortunate to have Nate Yetzer lead our wrestling program," said Allison. "His ability to build a program is proven. The energy he brings to the table is off the charts. We know he'll fit in well with his colleagues on our hallway!" Yetzer joined the Ferrum coaching staff in July 2012 as Head Wrestling Coach. In the last eight years at the helm of the new Panther mat program, Yetzer has sent 13 individuals to the NCAA Div. III Wrestling National Championships. Four wrestlers have earned All-America honors under Yetzer, Logan Meister in 2016 and Zach Beckner in 2017, with Beckner being the College's first-ever NCAA finalist in any sport. Levi Englman and Mario Vasquez became the third and fourth All-Americans in 2019. Yetzer's 2017 team won the NCAA East Regional and he was named NCAA East Region Coach of the Year. Yetzer came to Ferrum from Blacksburg, Virginia, where he served six years as an assistant coach for the Virginia Tech wrestling program. Yetzer worked under Head Coach Kevin Dresser, helping to coordinate daily training sessions and assisting with office administration. He helped the Hokies to a #11 finish at the 2012 NCAA Division I Tournament. The Hokies had two All-Americans, six NCAA qualifiers and three ACC champions in 2012. Yetzer also assisted with recruitment and visitations of potential Virginia Tech student-athletes, fundraising activities, travel coordination and monitoring academic progress of student-athletes. "I'm very excited about the opportunity to start another program here at Roanoke College," said Yetzer. "It is easy to see why RC is consistently among the top teams in the ODAC across all sports. It is great to see Roanoke is going to be invested in this program with expectations to be successful in the classroom and on the mat. I want to thank Mr. Scott Allison, Mr. Aaron Fetrow and President Maxey for their confidence in me to fulfill those expectations." Prior to joining the Hokies' staff, Yetzer served as assistant coach one year at Binghamton University in Vestal, New York. In that role, he helped with all facets of the Bearcats' NCAA Division I wrestling program. Yetzer served four years (2000-04) as a clinician at the Bruce Baumgartner World-Class Wrestling Camps in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. He also served as an assistant wrestling coach four years (2002-04, 2006) for the Ohio Junior National Team. Yetzer wrestled for NCAA Division I Edinboro University from 2001-05. He won Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference titles in 2004 and 2005, and earned the Eastern Wrestling League title in 2004. Yetzer was a four-time NCAA Division I Tournament qualifier, and capped his 2004 season with an All-American finish when he placed 8th in the 174-pound weight class. A Madison High School graduate, Yetzer was an Ohio High School Athletic Association state finalist in 1999 and 2000, winning a state title in 2000. He went on to a National High School Coaches Association (NHCAA) national runner-up finish in 2000, and earned five Freestyle and Greco-Roman All-America finishes. Yetzer earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Edinboro in 2005. He earned his Master of Arts degree in Health Promotions from Virginia Tech in 2012. Yetzer and his wife, the former Leah Scott, have four boys. 10 year old twins Jack and Nick, six year old Ethan and four year old Harrison. While wrestling is not currently a sponsored sport by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, Roanoke joins Emory & Henry (2020), Ferrum, Shenandoah (2020) and Washington and Lee as ODAC schools that sponsor the sport.

Jesse Vasquez celebrates after winning his fourth state championship (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) InterMat closed its books for the 2019-20 scholastic season last week with the publication of the final national high school weight class rankings. While the decisions are final on who is the No. 1 wrestler at each of the 14 weight classes, that does not mean there wasn't debate on who should have been crowned as the No. 1 wrestler. Below are some of the weight classes where there was debate about who should have been ranked first, and/or a hypothetical matchup between the top two individuals would have been interesting to see happen. 106: No. 1 Andre Gonzales (Poway, Calif.) and No. 2 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Blair Academy, N.J.) McGowan entered his freshman season already a high school state champion in Florida as an eighth-grader and a Cadet world champion in freestyle at 42 kilograms. He started the season ranked first nationally and validated that position when he won the Walsh Jesuit Ironman. However, the next week at the Beast of the East, McGowan was upset 1-0 in the semifinals by Tyler Vazquez (Delbarton, N.J.). After earning titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the Junior Nationals in Fargo during the summer, Gonzales was the preseason No. 2 to McGowan at 106 pounds. He then spent the first portion of the season up at 113 pounds. Upon dropping to 106 in mid-January, he ascended to the No. 1 position. Gonzales would go on to win a state title in a season where his only blemish came up at 113 to national No. 3 Joey Cruz (Clovis North, Calif.) in the finals of the Reno Tournament of Champions. Due to California state association bylaws, there was no way an in-season match could have happened between the two wrestlers. 120: No. 1 Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) and No. 2 Drake Ayala (Fort Dodge, Iowa) This is a matchup that probably would have happened during the offseason except for Diakomihalis having off-season surgery that kept him out until early January. A clash between the two wrestlers would have most likely occurred between the Cadet World Team Trials, Junior Nationals in Fargo, Super 32 Challenge, and one of the preseason exhibitions. Diakomihalis capped off a career in which he won five state titles, going undefeated in his ninth through 12th grade seasons. The junior Ayala recently committed to Iowa and won a second state title this past season. He is on an 86-match win streak going back to his state final loss to Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa) as a freshman. This offseason Ayala was a Junior Nationals champion in folkstyle and freestyle, along with placing fourth in the Cadet World Team Trials. 145: No. 1 Lachlan McNeil (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) and No. 2 Jesse Vasquez (Excelsior Charter, Calif.) McNeil had a nine-month period in which he showed clear growth as a wrestler after placing second at National Preps in the 120-pound weight class. He showed clear talent, consistency, and dominance as he transitioned from a lightweight to a middleweight. McNeil placed third in Junior freestyle at 138 pounds, then won the Super 32 Challenge in that weight class; during the high school season he went undefeated with notable titles at the Walsh Ironman, Powerade, Eastern States Classic, and National Preps. Vasquez caps his career as just the fourth wrestler to win four California state titles. However, his last 12 months have been short of appearances in major tournaments for both the in-season and offseason. The one "major" for him outside the state tournament series came at the Who's Number One event in October when he was pinned by Victor Voinovich (Brecksville, Ohio), a wrestler who McNeil beat in the Walsh Ironman final. Nonetheless, this is a match that "wrestling nation" would have liked to see happen in some platform, though it could not happen in-season due to California state association bylaws. 195: No. 1 Rocky Elam (Staley, Mo.) and No. 2 Gaige Garcia (Southern Columbia, Pa.) This hypothetical No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown would represent an interesting foil between an "all wrestling all the time" type in Elam against a "multi-sport" type in Garcia. Elam, a Missouri signee, has spent significant time over the last year at the Olympic Training Center, while Garcia is going to Michigan as both a fullback in football and a wrestler. Elam is 143-4 over the last three seasons, including an 83-1 mark on the way to winning state titles as a junior and senior; the lone loss in that stretch was at the 2018 Kansas City Stampede by a 2-1 decision to Devin Winston in the tiebreaker. He is a three-time Fargo freestyle All-American, placing fourth at 182 last summer at the Junior level after winning a Cadet title in 2018; Elam also was a Junior National folkstyle champion last spring. Garcia is a four-time state placer, including undefeated state titles each of the last two years in this weight class; he is on a 98-match win streak going back to a 3-1 overtime loss in the state semifinal his sophomore year to Julian Gorring. On the football field, he set a Pennsylvania state record with 138 rushing touchdowns along with 159 overall touchdowns. 285: No. 1 Nash Hutmacher (Chamberlain, S.D.) and No. 2 Hunter Catka (Sun Valley, Pa.) This is another football/wrestling foil scenario, though Hutmacher has a much more robust out-of-season wrestling track record than did Garcia. Hutmacher will be playing football in college at the University of Nebraska as a defensive lineman. While on the wrestling mat this season, Hutmacher went 42-0 with 40 first-period pins; the other two matches were a forfeit and a third-period pin. He finished his four state championship seasons with a 165-0 record, most recently losing a varsity match in the consolation semifinal round as an eighth-grader. Hutmacher is a two-time Junior National folkstyle finalist, winning last spring, and has finished top three in both styles at Fargo each of the previous three seasons (2018 and 2019 at the Junior level). Virginia Tech signee Catka is 100-2 over the last three seasons in which he has won two state titles sandwiched around a third-place finish during an injury-disrupted junior season. This past season, Catka went 42-0 with 26 pins, including a title at the Beast of the East. This past offseason, Catka was champion at the Super 32 Challenge and qualified for the Cadet World Team in freestyle. Surprising for an upperweight, Catka never played football in high school.

FERRUM, Va. -- Director of Athletics John Sutyak has announced the resignation of Nate Yetzer as the head men's wrestling coach at Ferrum College. Yetzer is leaving to accept the same position at Roanoke College, which recently announced that it would be starting a new mat program. Nate YetzerYetzer has served as the head coach at Ferrum since the inception of the program in July of 2012. The Panthers competed as a club program during the 2012-13 season, then began varsity competition the following season. Yetzer quickly established the program on the national stage, leading the program to an NCAA regional championship in 2017, a runner-up performance in 2019, five consecutive top-5 finishes at the NCAA regionals from 2016-20 and five consecutive Southeast Wrestling Conference (SEWC) championships. Individually, one of his wrestlers, Logan Meister '17, qualified for the NCAA Div. III Tournament in March 2014. Meister would go on to qualify two more times and became the program's first All-American in 2016. Yetzer's career coaching record through seven season stands at 66-32, with 14 NCAA individual tournament qualifiers, five individual NCAA Regional champions and four All-Americans. Yetzer coached one NCAA finalist, Zack Beckner, who was runner-up at 125 pounds at the 2017 NCAA Tournament. "Certainly, the news of Coach Yetzer leaving to start the wrestling program at Roanoke College is met with mixed emotions," said Sutyak. "We are happy for him and his family with the new challenges they will embark on, but sad that he will be leaving the Ferrum men's wrestling program that he started. The work Nate did to build this program into a regional power and a national program at the Division III level was impressive. He has molded hundreds of young men here at Ferrum and we are forever grateful to him and his years of service." Yetzer by the Numbers 2013-14: 6-3 record, 1 NCAA qualifier 2014-15: 8-10 record 2015-16: 12-4 record, SEWC Champions, 2 NCAA qualifiers, 1 All-American 2016-17: 13-6 record, NCAA Southeast Regional Champions, SEWC Champions, 3 NCAA qualifiers, 1 All-American 2017-18: 10-4 record, SEWC Champions, 3 NCAA qualifiers 2018-19: 11-2 record, NCAA Southeast Regional Runner-Up, SEWC Champions, 3 NCAA qualifiers, 2 All-Americans, Ferrum hosted NCAA Tournament 2019-20: 6-3 record, SEWC Champions, 2 NCAA qualifiers During Yetzer's tenure, the Panthers have had 42 NCAA regional place-winners, 41 Academic All-Conference selections, 11 All-State selections and three Outstanding Wrestler Award winners. The Panthers have had 71 individual tournament champions and 11 team championships, including five consecutive Southeast Wrestling Conference Tournament titles. Under Yetzer's leadership, Ferrum hosted NCAA Regional Tournaments in 2015 (East Region), 2017 (Southeast Region) and 2018 (Southeast Region). The Panthers then hosted the 2019 NCAA Division III Wrestling National Championship at the Berglund Center in Roanoke last March, where two of Yetzer's wrestlers earned All-America. "I am so thankful that Ferrum took a chance on me eight years ago to lead this program," said Yetzer, "The people I have met along the way are lifelong friends. Ferrum will always hold a special place in my heart and I believe that I am leaving this program in a great position. I always stress to my guys the importance of getting outside their comfort zone in order to grow as a person. I believe I need to do the same. "I want to thank everyone who supported us and all of the great men I had the privilege to coach. Thank you also to Ryan Riggs, Logan Meister, Brandon Bradley, Collin Saunders, Blake Rosenbaum and Tyrique Nolen for all their tireless work throughout the years as coaches. Thank you to Dr. David Johns, Dr. Jennifer Braatan, John Sutyak, and Abe Naff for their support of our program. A very special thank you to Harry and Natalie Norris, and Gary Holden for all the advice and support." Yetzer came to Ferrum from Blacksburg, Virginia, where he served the past six years as an assistant coach for the Virginia Tech wrestling program. He worked under head coach Kevin Dresser, who is now head coach at Iowa State University. Yetzer helped the Hokies to a 11th place finish at the 2012 NCAA Division I Tournament. The Hokies had two All-Americans, six NCAA qualifiers and three ACC champions in 2012. Prior to joining the Hokies' staff, Yetzer served as assistant coach one year at NCAA Div. I Binghamton University in Vestal, New York. Yetzer wrestled for NCAA Division I Edinboro University from 2001-05. He won Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference titles in 2004 and 2005, and earned the Eastern Wrestling League title in 2004. Yetzer was a four-time NCAA Division I Tournament qualifier, and capped his 2004 season with an All-American finish when he placed 8th in the 174-pound weight class. Yetzer earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Edinboro in 2005 and his Master of Arts degree in Health Promotions from Virginia Tech in 2012. Yetzer and his wife, the former Leah Scott, have four sons: twins Jack and Nick, Ethan and Brock.

Andy Vogel has been named head coach for the reinstatement of the Hiram College men's wrestling program -- as well as the Director of Wrestling Operations -- the Ohio-based college announced Monday. Vogel comes to Hiram from Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., where he served as the head wrestling coach and assistant director of athletics for the past 13 years. Andy VogelIn his official statement, Hiram Athletic Director Todd W. Hibbs said, ""We had a strong candidate pool for this position. Still, our search committee was in agreement that his Northeast Ohio ties -- combined with his NCAA Division III experience and reputation as a passionate leader in the national wrestling community -- made Andy Vogel a clear choice." "I am thrilled to begin this journey with Hiram College Athletics," Vogel said. "I am looking forward to working with Athletic Director Todd Hibbs to restart the men's wrestling program, and to help launch a women's program in the next year. Building a men's team that will compete in the fall of 2020 is an exciting challenge, and I am eager to get started. I am thankful for the opportunity to lead the team and for the alumni, community, and administrative support that has made restarting the team possible." In his 13 years at Gettysburg, Vogel coached three NCAA All-Americans, ten NCAA qualifiers, eight Centennial Conference champions, 44 conference place winners, 18 regional place winners and 19 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-Americans. Vogel also coached the Centennial Conference Wrestler of the Year in 2009 and 2012, and the Rookie of the Year in 2016. What's more, with Vogel as head coach, the Gettysburg Bullets finished in the NCAA Top 20 in 2013, as well as Top 25 in the NCAA in Team GPA in 2010, 2013 and 2018. Prior to coaching at Gettysburg, Vogel began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant wrestling coach at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. in suburban Chicago. He also served as the program director for Strider Wrestling in Wheaton during his two years with the Thunder, developing and conducting free youth wrestling programs for elementary students. Vogel earned his bachelor's degree in engineering from Messiah College in May 2003, and his master's degree from Northeastern University in Boston, Mass. in May 2016. A native of Northeast Ohio, Vogel was a two-time Ohio High School Athletic Association state finalist and the 1999 state champion at 145 lbs. for Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (CVCA). In 2006, Vogel was inducted to the CVCA Athletic Hall of Fame. Hiram announced its plans to reinstate its men's wrestling program, which will return to the mats this fall, as well as launch a brand-new women's program, which will launch in the fall of 2021. A search for a coach for the women's program is underway. Andy Vogel's hiring by Hiram College is something of a return of a return to the area where he grew up. Hiram College is a four-year, private college located in the town of Hiram in northeast Ohio, southwest of Cleveland and not far from his high school alma mater, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy. Founded in 1850, Hiram College has an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students. Hiram's intercollegiate sports -- including wrestling -- compete in NCAA Division III.

It's official: The International Olympic Committee announced Tuesday that the 2020 Olympics, originally scheduled to take place in Tokyo starting on July 24, will be postponed until 2021, due to the worldwide coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach agreed to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by about one year. A new timetable has yet to be announced. Despite the postponement, the Summer Olympics -- when they eventually happen -- will still be called the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. This is the first time in the 124-year history of the modern Olympics that the event has been postponed, according to USA Today. The 1916, 1940 and 1944 Olympics were canceled because of world wars. The just-announced IOC decision to postpone the 2020 Olympics came less than 48 hours after the IOC said it was giving itself four weeks to make a decision about the Olympics. Pressure from nations and athletes alike mounted in recent days. On Monday, both Canada and Australia had said they would not send athletes to the 2020 Olympics as originally scheduled. ESPN.com reported Tuesday, "The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee sent a survey over the weekend to more than 4,000 American Olympics hopefuls, and nearly seven in 10 respondents said they didn't think the Games would be fair if held in July. Germany and Poland had also called for the Games to be delayed." Official statement of the IOC and Japan regarding postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Here is the text of the official statement issued jointly by international Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinso Abe on Tuesday, March 24, 2020: https://www.olympic.org/news/joint-statement-from-the-international-olympic-committee-and-the-tokyo-2020-organising-committee "President Bach and Prime Minister Abe expressed their shared concern about the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and what it is doing to people's lives and the significant impact it is having on global athletes' preparations for the Games. "In a very friendly and constructive meeting, the two leaders praised the work of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and noted the great progress being made in Japan to fight against COVID-19. The unprecedented and unpredictable spread of the outbreak has seen the situation in the rest of the world deteriorating. Yesterday, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the COVID-19 pandemic is "accelerating". There are more than 375,000 cases now recorded worldwide and in nearly every country, and their number is growing by the hour. "In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community. "The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020."

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Elmira College Associate Vice President of Athletics Renee Carlineo is pleased to introduce Cody Griswold as the first head coach of the new EC women's wrestling team. Griswold will be tasked with building the women's wrestling program from the ground up, as the Soaring Eagles prepare for their inaugural season in 2020-21. "I am thrilled to add Cody Griswold to our staff as the inaugural head women's wrestling coach at Elmira College," Carlineo said. "Cody has hit the ground running by recruiting the first women's wrestling student-athletes in EC history. Cody's work ethic, style, and personality will be a fantastic fit for our team." A former Division III student-athlete and Connecticut high school state champion, Griswold will join the Soaring Eagles after spending five seasons as the head wrestling coach at Williamstown High School in Williamstown, Vermont. During his tenure, Griswold transformed Williamstown from a small club into a formidable varsity program sanctioned under the auspices of the Vermont Principals' Association. "It's an incredible honor to be named the first women's head coach in Elmira College history," Griswold exclaimed. "Women's wrestling is the fastest-growing sport in the world and I can't wait to help grow it here at Elmira. "We offer a beautiful campus and I can't wait to get these student-athletes here. The opportunity to add women's wrestling to a storied college with deep traditions like Elmira is amazing." Under Griswold's tutelage, Williamstown has finished among the top 11 teams in the state on three occasions, placing as high as ninth at the 2017 state championships. In total, nine Blue Devils have placed at the state tournament, and the team has represented Vermont at the New England Championships three times. Last season, one Blue Devil finished fifth at the state tournament and two more took sixth. In addition to the success the Williamstown boys have found over the past five seasons, Griswold has spent the last two winters coaching the program's first-ever female wrestler, who recently earned a podium finish at an all-girls tournament in Vermont. Before mentoring the team at Williamstown, Griswold spent one season as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Norwich University, in Northfield, Vermont. Among his responsibilities with the Cadets were the implementation and coordination of their strength and conditioning program, organizing and executing practice plans, and assisting in the team's recruiting efforts. Not only did Griswold spend his undergraduate years as a member of the Norwich wrestling team, he received a military-style education while enrolled in the Norwich University Corps of Cadets and Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). A 2014 graduate, Griswold received a Bachelor's of Science in Physical Education with a concentration in Coaching from NU. During his prep career, Griswold was a dominant force on the mats in the Nutmeg State. A standout wrestler and three-time team captain at New Milford High School in New Milford, Connecticut, he posted a stellar four-year record of 144 wins with 38 losses. As a senior, he captured a Class L state title at 171 pounds. During his junior campaign, Griswold earned a runner-up finish in the 160-pound weight class, while his Green Wave team placed second in the Class LL bracket. Already busy on the recruiting trail, Griswold is working diligently to build the program's inaugural roster. Stay tuned to the latest regarding the women's wrestling program by following the Soaring Eagles on Instagram @EC_WomensWrestling.

Iowa's Spencer Lee won the award for most dominant wrestler (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has released the winners and final standings for the 2020 NCAA wrestling awards in Divisions I, II and III. The three awards, given in each division, honor the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes who have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular season, conference tournaments and NCAA super regionals. Leading the way as the Most Dominant Wrestler in each division are Spencer Lee of Iowa in Division I, Jared Campbell of Notre Dame (Ohio) in Division II and Troy Stanich of Stevens in Division III. The award for most falls went to Jacob Schwarm of the University of Northern Iowa with 16 in Division I, Hayden Bronne of Tiffin in Division II with 20 and Marvin Cunningham of Johnson & Wales University (Providence) with 24. The most tech falls award was earned by Alex Madrigal of George Mason with 14 in Division I, Ryan Vasbinder of McKendree with 10 in Division II and Stephen Maloney of Messiah with 16 in Division III. Iowa's Lee went 18-0 in Division I matches at 125 pounds for an average of 5.00 team points per match to edge out Mark Hall of Penn State (4.70) and Pat Glory of Princeton (4.54) for most dominant in Division I. The two-time NCAA champion had nine tech falls and four falls, while only having one match all season where he did not accumulate bonus points for the Hawkeyes. Heavyweight Campbell compiled Mountain East Conference and NCAA super regional III championships on his way to a 19-0 Division II record and most dominant wrestler award joining Joey Davis (2014) as the second Falcon to win the award. Campbell's season was highlighted by 10 falls among his 14 bonus-point wins to finish with an average of 4.95 team points per match. Chris Eddins Jr., of Pittsburgh-Johnstown (4.64) and McKendree's Vasbinder (4.54) rounded out the top three in the division. A close race in Division III saw Stanich edge out Bradan Birt of Millikin by 0.15 points (5.35 to 5.20) to join AJ Kowal (2016-most falls) as the second Duck to earn an NCAA wrestling award. Stanich went 23-0 in Division III matches with 20 bonus point victories, including 13 falls, as he claimed Middle Atlantic Conferences and NCAA southeast regional championships at 141 pounds. The Most Dominant Wrestler standings are calculated by dividing the total number of team points awarded through match results by the total number of matches wrestled. Wrestlers need a minimum of 17 matches to be ranked and must have qualified for and been eligible to compete in the national championships in their division. Points per match are awarded as follows: Fall, forfeit, injury default or DQ = 6 points (-6 points for a loss) Tech falls = 5 points (-5 points for a loss) Major decision = 4 points (-4 points for a loss) Decision = 3 points (-3 points for a loss) A competitive race for most falls in Division I ended with University of Northern Iowa's Schwarm's 16 falls putting him two ahead of 2019 winner Matt Stencel of Central Michigan as well as Ben Darmstadt of Cornell. The Big 12 Championships proved critical for 125-pounder Schwarm as his falls over Jace Koelzer of Northern Colorado and Joey Thomas of West Virginia proved to be the difference as Schwarm becomes the lightest-weight wrestler to win the award in Division I. Division II featured a repeat winner as Tiffin 174-pounder Bronne becomes the first winner in non-consecutive years after winning in 2018. In fact, this year is the fourth consecutive year that the Dragons have taken home the award for most falls (Garrett Gray-2017, Bronne-2018, Nicholas Mason-2019). Bronne also set a record as his 20 falls are the most in Division II history as he finished six ahead of AJ Cooper of Fort Hays State in second with 14. Like Tiffin, Johnson & Wales has started a streak of its own in Division III as Cunningham keeps the most falls award in house after Da'mani Burns took the crown in 2019. Cunningham's 24 falls at 149 pounds was just enough to edge out New England College 149-pounder Evan Fidelibus and Cunningham's teammate Michael DiNardo with 23. George Mason's Madrigal compiled 14 tech falls to win in Division I with a cushion of five over the 125-pound trio of Lee, Glory and Nicholas Piccininni of Oklahoma State. A 2019 All-American, McKendree's Vasbinder takes home his first NCAA wrestling award with 10 tech falls at 197 pounds in Division II. The Bearcat also had a comfortable lead with three more tech falls than Nebraska-Kearney 184-pounder Anthony Mancini, UIndy 157-pounder Dawson Combest, Lindenwood (Missouri) 125-pounder Carlos Jacquez and East Stroudsburg 174-pounder Michael Raccioppi. The closest race for any award came in Division III tech falls as the aggregate time tiebreaker was necessary to separate 157-pounder Maloney and 141-pounder Ahken Chu of SUNY Oneonta with 16 tech falls apiece. A margin of 53 seconds (62:23 to 63:16) was enough for Maloney to repeat as the award winner in Division III. Roger Williams 149-pound Tyler Gazaway was also in the running falling one short with 15. For falls and tech falls to be counted for the awards they must come against opponents in the same division (i.e., Division II vs. Division II). Ties in the two categories are broken based on the aggregate time.

Purdue's Dylan Lydy finished the season ranked No. 4 at 174 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) After every NCAA season, questions begin to swirl about what is next for the graduating seniors. This year ended with perhaps the most anticlimactic finish possible. It remains to be seen if the NCAA will grant extra years of eligibility due to the canceled NCAAs, but at some point many of the seniors will need to move on. Each year many collegiate wrestlers decide to pursue a career in MMA. There is a great deal of crossover in skill sets between the two sports, and many of the best fighters are former wrestlers. The following looks at the following seniors who are most likely to pursue MMA and have success. 125: Jacob Schwarm (Northern Iowa) Schwarm had a pretty unique senior season for the Panthers. He led all Division I wrestlers with 17 falls despite having only 21 wins on the year. Schwarm went 3-2 at the Big 12 Championships to qualify for the NCAAs. There is a commonly-held theory that wrestlers who are able to rack up pins on the collegiate mats transition better to the MMA ground game. If that theory holds, Schwarm would appear to be a natural fit to catch submissions in fights. MMA is likely not foreign for the Bettendorf, Iowa native. The town was once home to Miletich Fighting Systems, which was one of the original MMA super teams and key to development of the sport in the U.S. 133: Cam Sykora (North Dakota State) Sykora finished his senior season by becoming NDSU's first Big 12 champion. He went 17-4 during the year and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the fourth time. Unfortunately, he never earned a final shot at becoming an All-American. Sykora's length and ability to ride would likely translate well in the MMA cage. On top of that, he has already gotten some training in with American Top Team. 197: Jordan Pagano (Rutgers) Pagano was granted a sixth year after missing what would have been his senior season in 2018-2019. In his return season he went 22-8 and qualified for the NCAA tournament through the Big Ten. He previously qualified as a sophomore. During the year he picked up signature wins over Jake Woodley (Oklahoma), Ethan Laird (Rider) and Patrick Brucki (Princeton). There seem to be several connections between the Rutgers program and the MMA world. Pagano in particular is close with the Longo and Weidman MMA team and Phumi Nkuta who recently made his MMA debut under the Bellator banner. 285: Anthony Cassar (Penn State) Even though his season was cut short due to injury, Cassar seems intent on pursuing a career in MMA. Following his NCAA title season he spoke to ESPN. He was clearly determined to fight. "I grew up watching Fedor Emelianenko and Vitor Belfort as a kid," Cassar said.. "It's one of my goals, and I'm going to immerse myself in it someday." Despite the continual shoulder injuries, he may still be able to make it in MMA. Fellow former NCAA champion Darrion Caldwell ended his wrestling career due to a rash of shoulder injuries. He then went on to have a very successful MMA career including a run as Bellator bantamweight champion.

Fan voting has begun for the 2020 Dan Hodge Trophy. Links: Fan Vote | Hodge Finalists 2020 Highlight Video Despite the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Wrestling Championships, it is once again time to select the top wrestler in the collegiate ranks as voting will soon begin for the 2020 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy. Eight Division I wrestlers, who finished the season undefeated going into the NCAAs, have been named as finalists for the award, which is presented each year by ASICS and called by many the "Heisman Trophy of wrestling". This year's finalists are (alphabetically) West Virginia sophomore Noah Adams (197), Northwestern junior Ryan Deakin (157), Princeton sophomore Pat Glory (125), Stanford freshman Shane Griffith (165), Iowa junior Spencer Lee (125), Ohio State senior Kollin Moore (197), Minnesota sophomore Gable Steveson (Hwt) and Cornell senior Charles Tucker (133). Official ballots for the Hodge Trophy Voting Committee made up of past all past Hodge winners, a retired college coach from each region, and national media members will begin on Monday, March 23. The ballot will include a breakdown of each wrestler's record from this past season. In addition, the official Fan Vote for the 2020 Hodge kicked off Monday at noon. The Fan Vote winner will receive an additional two first-place votes. In past years, voting has swelled to as many as 140,000 unique votes in a given year as it is a public way to celebrate the dominant seasons of college wrestling's top individuals. The award is named after the great Dan Hodge, who was a three-time NCAA champ (1955-57) at the University of Oklahoma. Hodge was 46-0 with 36 pins and never allowed a takedown in his college career. Primary criteria for the award are a wrestler's record, number of pins, dominance and quality of competition. Past credentials, sportsmanship/citizenship and heart are used as secondary criteria in years where two finalists stats are nearly equal. The 2020 Hodge winner will be announced at 12 pm CST on Monday, March 30. For a complete list of past winners and the award stories, click here.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are expected to be postponed, most likely to 2021, with details to be worked out in the next four weeks, long-time International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told USA Today Monday afternoon. "On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided," Pound, a Canadian, told the national newspaper in a phone interview. "The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know." Pound, described as "one of the most influential members of the IOC for decades," said he believes the IOC will announce its next steps soon. "It will come in stages," he said. "We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense." The 2020 Olympics in flux Pound's pronouncement is the latest news in a rapidly-changing situation regarding whether the 2020 Games would get underway in four months because of concerns about the spread of coronavirus COVID-19. Over the weekend, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board announced it would be considering the possibility of delaying the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, while Team Canada and the Australian Olympic Committee have revealed they won't be sending any of its athletes -- including wrestlers -- to this year's Games, which are slated to open four months from now. The IOC statement said, in part, "To safeguard the health of all involved and to contribute to the containment of COVID-19 coronavirus, the Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced the IOC will step up its scenario-planning for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020." Before Pound's statement, the Olympic committees of two major nations -- Canada, and Australia -- both reported they would not be participating in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. According to a a statement issued Sunday, March 22, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), backed by their Athletes' Commissions, National Sports Organizations and the Government of Canada, announced that they "have made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020." The statement goes on to say, "What's more, the COC and CPC urgently call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to postpone the Games for one year and we offer them our full support in helping navigate all the complexities that rescheduling the Games will bring. While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community." The Team Canada announcement meant that wrestlers from Canada would not be competing at the 2020 Tokyo Games, per an announcement issued by Wrestling Canada Lutte Monday. "Wrestling Canada Lutte supports the decision made by the Canadian Olympic Committee to not send athletes to the Olympic Games in summer 2020 due to COVID-19 risks. The safety of our athletes and wrestling community is our top priority. We have discussed the implications of this decision with our Olympic Trials winners and coaches, and our Board of Directors. Hours after Canada had revealed its plans to pull out of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Australia announced similar intentions, as the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) said it had told its athletes to prepare for a Tokyo Games taking place in 2021, CNBC reported Monday. "The AOC (Executive Board) unanimously agreed that an Australian team could not be assembled in the changing circumstances at home and abroad," read the statement. "The AOC believes our athletes now need to prioritize their own health and of those around them, and to be able to return to the families, in discussion with their national federations." Australian team chef de Mission Ian Chesterman added his voice to the discussion: "It's clear the Games can't be held in July." "Our athletes have been magnificent in their positive attitude to training and preparing but the stress and uncertainty has been extremely challenging."

The Wrestling Changed My Life Podcast has released a two-part documentary series on legendary wrestler and coach Dan Gable. The series features original interviews from Dan Gable, Barry Davis, Lincoln McIlravy, Tom Brands, Jim Gibbons, Alan Fried, Tom Ryan and many others. Part one details Gable's match with Larry Owings, 1972 Olympic run and the creation of the Iowa Wrestling Dynasty, culminating with the 1987 NCAA's. Part two covers the years 1987-1993 and focuses on Gable's rebuild of the Iowa Dynasty, featuring never before heard footage on Tom Ryan's arrival at Iowa, Tom Brands' rivalry with Alan Fried, and the infamous Steiner Shuffle. You can listen to the documentary now on the Wrestling Changed My Life website, as well as all major podcast applications (Apple, Spotify, etc). You can also text the words DanGable to 555-888 to receive the podcast. About the Wrestling Changed My Life Podcast Hosted by Ryan Warner, the Wrestling Changed My Life Podcast features in-depth interviews with wrestlers and coaches to learn how the sport shaped and molded their lives. By stitching together stories of sacrifice, triumph, defeat and perseverance, the Podcast takes the listener deep inside the world's oldest sport. To subscribe to the podcast, listeners can visit WrestlingChangedMy Life.com or text "Wrestle" to 555-888.

Spencer Lee at the 2020 Big Ten Championships (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa junior Spencer Lee has been named one of 10 finalist for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award, presented annually since 1930 to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. Lee's 2019 season included a NCAA wrestling championship and a United States Senior Nationals tournament title. He was a 2019 Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a member of the NWCA Academic All-America team. Fans can vote for finalists by visiting aausports.org. The public voting portal is open from Monday, March 23 at 11 a.m. (CT) through Monday, March 30 at 11 p.m. Fans can vote once per day. During the final round, hashtag voting will also count. Tweets and RTs using #VoteForSpencer and #AAUSullivanAward will count in the final tally. The winner is determined by public vote, media vote, and committee vote. The 10 finalists include Lee, Evita Griskenas (USA Rhythmic Gymnastics, Grant Holloway (Florida track & field), Markus Howard (Marquette basketball), Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon basketball), Trevor Lawrence (Clemson football), Dana Rettke (Wisconsin volleyball), Kyla Ross (UCLA gymnastics), Megan Taylor (Maryland Lacrosse), and Abby Weitzeil (Cal swimming & diving). Representatives from the AAU created the AAU James E. Sullivan Award with the intent to recognize amateur contributions and achievements from non-professional athletes across the country. The AAU Sullivan Award is presented to the athlete who has demonstrated the most athletic success, as well as leadership, character and sportsmanship in the past year. World renowned golfer Robert "Bobby" Jones received the inaugural award in 1930 and swimmer Anne Curtis became the first female to accept the award in 1944. Other notable athletes to win the award include famed Olympians Carl Lewis (1981), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1986), Michael Phelps (2003) and Shawn Johnson (2008), former UCLA basketball star Bill Walton (1973) and University of Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning (1997). Most recently, ESPNW Player of the Year and NCAA Volleyball National Champion Kathryn Plummer was crowned the 89th AAU James E. Sullivan Award winner for her accomplishments in 2018.

We all say, "I need to be reading more." Now you can do something about that. With the abrupt ending of the college wrestling season, picking up a good book about our favorite sport makes sense right now. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has put together a quick list of great books you'll want to read: The History of Collegiate Wrestling: A Century of Wrestling Excellence is a "must have" for every college wrestling fan that allows readers to experience and relive the glory of college wrestling through stunning photographs and timeless stories. To order, click here. Family Ties: An American Wrestling Tradition documents 138 families that meet an established criterion: immediate family members who were NCAA Division I All-Americans, Senior World Team members, or Olympic Team members. Each chapter provides insight into wrestling as it relates to family and some of the most familiar names in our sport are featured, including Brands, Carr, Cuestas, Peery, Peterson, Sanderson and Smith. To order, click here. The Wrestling Presidents from Pins to Patriots features 13 United States Presidents - Washington, John Adams, Jackson, Taylor, Pierce, Lincoln, Garfield, Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Coolidge, and Eisenhower - who wrestled. Learn how wrestling played a role in each of their lives, with a special focus on their great or not so great grappling exploits. To order, click here. The Wrestling Techniques Handbook by Tadaaki Hatta illustrates moves for wrestlers and coaches. To order, click here. Brisco: The Life and Times of National Collegiate and World Heavyweight Champion Jack Brisco as told to William Murdock tells the life story of Jack Brisco, three-time Oklahoma high school state wrestling champ who then continued his amateur wrestling career at Oklahoma State (becoming an NCAA champ) before making a name for himself as a professional wrestler. To order, click here.

David Taylor gets his hand raised after win at thew Pan American Olympic Qualifier (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) They call him the Magic Man. And something still magical happens whenever the dynamic 29-year-old steps onto a wrestling mat. Even after a 10-month layoff. David Taylor is back on the mat and looking every bit like an Olympic gold medal contender. The 2018 world champion turned in a dominant performance in capturing a freestyle title at the Pan American Olympic Qualifier March 15 in Ottawa, Canada. Taylor qualified Team USA in his weight class of 86 kilograms for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. He also earned the No. 1 seed for the challenge tournament at the U.S. Olympic Trials. "I felt great," Taylor said. "To not be able to compete for as long as I did, it was encouraging to have those kinds of results. I felt as strong and as fast as I've ever felt. It was awesome to be back and I'm excited to be competing again." David Taylor with a Pan American Olympic Qualifier gold medal (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Taylor's wide-open, attacking style was on full display in Canada. He rolled past Pedro Ceballos of Venezuela 10-0 before downing Cuba's Yuri Torreblanca 8-0 in the semifinals. He won by injury default over Peru's Pool Ambrocio in the finals. Taylor made his first U.S. Senior World Team two years ago and cashed in by earning a gold medal at the 2018 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Taylor was ranked No. 1 in the world when he suffered a major knee injury in May 2019 at the Beat the Streets event in New York City. "Last year was really challenging," Taylor said. "I was the reigning world champion, and I had every belief and intention of doing that again. To miss out on that opportunity, it was very challenging. I just had to stay focused. I had a good team of people around me to keep me on track. It was a long road back, but it's great to be back wrestling again." Taylor targeted the Pan Am Qualifier as the tournament he wanted to return for. "I met the criteria to be the guy to compete for the U.S. in that event and that was the tournament I was shooting for," he said. "I knew I could control my own destiny and qualify the weight class for the Olympics." Taylor was expected to compete in front of his home fans at the U.S. Olympic Trials next month at Penn State, but the event was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. "We are all in the same boat," he said. "We have to control what we can. My viewpoint is to keep preparing and be ready to go. There is obviously some uncertainty involved. I just have to make the most of my opportunities and stay focused." Taylor said it was difficult seeing the cancellation of the NCAA Championships. He was a four-time finalist and two-time champion at that event. "It's obviously sad to see it not being held," he said. "The NCAA tournament is such a big event and this year it was going to be the biggest in history. I feel bad for all of the wrestlers who have worked hard to prepare for that tournament. It's unfortunate and it's tough." During his long road back after his injury, Taylor became bigger and stronger. That was evident with the physical style he wrestled with during his matches at the Pan Am event. "I have a great strength and conditioning program that I follow," he said. "I'm definitely stronger than I've ever been. I'm as prepared as I possibly can be now to compete in this weight class. I'm a solid 86 kilos. I believe in what I can bring for six minutes." David Taylor battles Drew Foster at Beat The Streets (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Taylor, a two-time Hodge Trophy winner for Penn State, doesn't have to look far to find quality competition in practice. "I have great training partners at the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club," he said. "I believe I had the greatest training environment in the world before (2016 Olympic champion) Kyle Snyder came here. I am constantly challenged with a lot of different guys. It's an ideal situation for me to train in." Taylor also stays busy running a successful wrestling club for athletes in the State College area. "Our club is doing really well -- I'm excited to see it growing," he said. "It's our third year and our young guys are making great progress. The wrestlers have a great environment to train in and we have great coaches for them to work with. It's really enjoyable for me to be a part of it. I remember what it was like to be in their shoes. It's awesome to be able to help them achieve their goals." Taylor has his own goals he has been dreaming about since he was a kid. "I started thinking about the Olympics when I was 8 years old," he said. "My dad asked me to write my goals down back then and one of them was to win the Olympics. I didn't really know what that meant at the time, but I knew it was something important." Taylor competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Trials, but fell short of the finals both times. He placed third in 2016. This time, he enters as the favorite in his weight class at the 2020 Olympic Trials. "I'm really looking forward to it," he said. "The Olympics are what drives me and motivates me. I'm looking forward to fulfilling that lifelong dream and becoming an Olympic champion." 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.

Dylan Cottrell (Photo/Glenville State Athletics) GLENVILLE, W.Va. -- The Glenville State College Athletic Department is pleased to announce the addition of wrestling to the list of Pioneer athletic teams, as well as the hiring of Dylan Cottrell as the head coach for the new team. Cottrell comes to GSC after serving as an assistant coach at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island from 2017 - 2018. He also served as head coach of the Brown Wrestling Club. He was the first Big 12 Champion at West Virginia University in wrestling, an Academic All-Big 12 team member in 2016 - 17, a two-time Dean's List honoree, a two-time wrestling team captain, and a three-time NCAA qualifier. Cottrell graduated from WVU with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications Studies and is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Healthcare Administration from Marshall University. While earning his Masters, Cottrell has served as a coach for Cabell Midland High School. The GSC wrestling program is set to begin competition during the 2020 - 2021 athletic season as a member of NCAA Division II and the Mountain East Conference. "I am excited about the opportunity to bring back wrestling to Glenville State College and build a strong team culture from the ground up! I am looking forward to getting to work on the first recruiting class for the Pioneers and bringing future national champions to Glenville," said Cottrell. "This personally is an amazing opportunity for me to get closer to my hometown of Spencer, West Virginia - and in the process build Glenville State College wrestling into a powerhouse program. Go Pioneers!" "We are extremely excited about Dylan leading our wrestling program," said GSC Athletic Director Jesse Skiles. "I truly believe we found the right coach and mentor to re-start and lead this program. Dylan has a great background in wrestling, from being the first Big 12 Champion for WVU to helping to coach at Brown University. We are happy and excited to have this Mountaineer joining our Pioneer Family." Wrestling will return to GSC for the first time since 1974. It becomes the 20th varsity sport available to student-athletes at the institution. The Mountain East Conference hosted the first-ever conference championship in wrestling during the 2019-20 athletic season. Glenville State College is a four-year, public school in Glenville in north-central West Virginia, north of Charleston and southeast of Parkersburg. Founded in 1872, GSC has an enrollment of approximately 1,800 students.