InterMat Staff

The Test Event for Tokyo 2020 is underway and while the action on the mat can be compelling, it's the broader understanding of next year's events which might be of better use to readers. The competition hall is Makuhari Messe, a very large convention hall similar to the ones used for USA Wrestling events held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The test event isn't meant to simulate the look of the Olympic Games, but it does help staff run through the specifics of the operation. It's a debugging process. The catch with Makuhari Messe is that its 18 miles (read: very, very far) from downtown Tokyo. A train this week from downtown to the event space took me two hours. The outbound was a little better at 90 minutes, but overall its far away from the postcard images of Tokyo many fans might be used to seeing. That's OK, but it also means that housing is extremely limited. The hotels and Airbnb's within walking distance are already booked, with those directly adjacent taken by the local organizing committee (no chance of opening up). The train station is close to the arena, so if you plan to attend I'd suggest looking for an Airbnb or hotel along the Kieyo Line in the direction of downtown Tokyo. However, be aware that those hotels are also close to Tokyo Disneyland and it'll be August. Need a bed? Availability is already looking grim and/or expensive. Overall, if you are planning a trip to Tokyo then the clock is ticking on finding a place to stay! Get busy booking or else be prepares to suffer extensive subway rides sweating in the hot conditions. To your questions … Kyle Dake coaching at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: It seems like Kyle Dake is passionate about coaching and will probably be a coveted coach after he's done competing. Do you think Dake is done competing at 2020? Or do you think he will go through another cycle and compete until the age of 33? Maybe he has already discussed it, but I guess I hadn't heard. -- Mike C. Foley: Dake is going to be 33 in 2024? Which means he's 28 now? Good gravy, I'm getting long in the tooth. Jordan Burroughs is a good example of what might be possible later in the career. He's won world championships, Olympic gold and still has horsepower at 31. But, he's Jordan. Will that be the same for Kyle? He was very injury prone earlier in his international career and while he seems to have reversed course a bit (minus heavyweights falling on his leg) there must be some concern that he'd lose a step with age. The real question is what will happen in 2020?! Will Burroughs and Dake both stay healthy? Will Dake be more injury prone after long weight cuts? Will Dake compete at 74 kilograms prior to the Trials? Will Burroughs go to a Ranking Series tournament? As for coaching, yes Dake is smart, tactical and will be a successful coach. Q: I was watching the World Track & Field Championships and saw the 4x400 mixed relay. It was exciting race and I noticed it's going to be an Olympic event in 2020. With the proper adjustments do you think wrestling could do an alternating dual meet format in freestyle where the men and women could alternate matches (men's match, women's match) and compete as one nation? Note: For reader those who might get triggered and think this is "liberal propaganda" this is not a proposal of men and women wrestling against each other competition. It's an idea to see men & women represent their countries in a dual format and compete in partnership for their respective countries. -- Marcus R. Foley: Judo does this too! There are a number of positives to a mixed gender dual meet team (NYC Public Schools does this too) but at the moment there are still some significant hurdles for wrestling. The most pressing is that the best men's wrestling nations don't consistently have top women's programs. Japan, USA, Ukraine and Russia would all field teams, but they would be a little challenged. Then there is the issue of packaging the matches. I'd guess that 12 weights would be a little much for fans. If not, it would also bring A LOT of attention to there not being a women's equivalent to Greco-Roman. United World Wrestling mostly treats the styles as three independent styles rather than draw attention to the issue of Greco-Roman equivalency. With Agenda 2020 focused on creating a total 50/50 gender equal Olympic Games it might be tough to do a mixed gender team without a solution for Greco-Roman. But yes, this is a wonderful idea and one that I hope to see in international wrestling very soon! Wrestling already has a number of new events coming to fans in the next few years and the addition of a mixed gender team should absolutely be considered. Q: Do you think Mark Hall will make a run at the 2020 Olympics? Great freestyle wrestler. If so, what weight class? Seems like he's kind of in between the Olympic weight classes. -- Mike C. Foley: Why not try out for the 2020 Olympic Team? I'm sure that he will have modest expectations, especially if he is struggling in the room against wrestlers on the ladder, but as you note he's a very good freestyle wrestler with a room full of trophies. The other option is to compete at the U23 World Championships or to look at a non-Olympic weight category should the World Championships for those categories find a host in 2020. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Behind the scenes look at 53 kilograms at the World Championships Q: You think the NWCA All-Star Classic is officially dead? Or is a one-year hiatus real? Usually not a good sign when these things happen. -- Don C. Foley: Bad sign, for sure. The issue the NWCA faced was creating a viable product using college athletes who had nothing real to gain but some notoriety but who could lose a mental edge on an opponent. Oddly, I think this is a combination of coaches eschewing the risk and the athletes recognizing that their participation has actual value and not wanting to hand it over to the NWCA. Kids today are smart. I'd be interested to hear what ideas they have for future events. Maybe they could continue to make it a blended event with women. However, it should be noted that the NWCA is looking to make women's wrestlers compete in folkstyle, which absolutely nobody wants and helps absolutely nobody. More on this in a future mailbag. Again, I'm skeptical that the event has enough of a tradition to drive a lot of investment in a similar but reimagined event. Would like to be proven wrong because they had a nice platform to reach a variety of fans, and I like the idea of a kickoff event for the sport of wrestling. Q: I see Pat Downey is taking on grappler Nick Rodriguez at Who's Number One in a match with revised freestyle rules. What do you make of this? Waste a of time? Interesting? Somewhere in between? -- Mike C. Foley: The success of the Askren-Burroughs match and the high visibility and marketability of Nicky-Downey a pretty easy sell inside FloSports. The goal is to get more eyeballs and this matchup will accomplish that goal. As for the competitiveness, I imagine Nicky can score a point or two, but I'm more concerned that the match will be professionalized -- as in WWE-comes-to-wrestling. In some ways this matchup is a digital media version of what happened in the early 20th century when promoters wanted to guarantee fans a good show. To do so they took the ethnicities and intricacies of wrestlers and put them in the marquee as nicknames. The next step was outfits and choreographed outcomes. The familiarity of the two and the desire to create a fan-friendly product leaves me somewhat cynical about what we will see on the mats. Maybe there won't be nicknames and capes, but with them being teammates and competing in an altered rule set sends off my alarm bells. By the way, Nicky is a good wrestler and is about 20 pounds heavier than Pat. Maybe that matters, maybe it's part of the schtick, but it at least evens out what would otherwise be a lopsided contest. I was going to even offer that they could add some submissions, but I realize now that I would be taking part in a history-repeats-itself moment and would essentially be proposing Catch-as-Catch-Can as an alternative to the more WWE stylings I'm worried we'll see. History always repeats itself.

Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena averaged 8,526 fans for dual meets this past season (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) College wrestling fans are passionate about the sport ... the athletes who step onto the mat ... and even the facilities where the action takes place. What's more, fans are more than willing to share their opinions about these issues online. Last week, NCAA.com asked fans to weigh in with their choices for best places to watch college wrestling. "Nearly 300 fans let us know their favorite places to watch the sport via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook last week," according to NCAA.com. "We read them all, tallied the votes and came to a conclusion. Based on voting through 10 p.m. on Sept. 29, here are the best places to watch college wrestling, according to the fans ..." It was a close, hard-fought battle for the top spot ... with just ten points separating the top vote-getter and the runner-up. The list includes five wrestling venues at schools that are well-known and well-respected across the nation. And there's a sixth facility that one program uses from time-to-time that really puts the oldest-and-greatest sport in the spotlight, so to speak. Then again, there's an emerging trend among many college programs hosting dual meets in seemingly unexpected places. As NCAA.com's Shannon Scovel wrote, "Duals have also occurred in Yankee Stadium, on football fields, on college quads and in theaters. Last year, North Carolina State and Oklahoma State competed in the first college wrestling dual in Italy when they battled at U.S. Navy base in Naples." To see the list of the five best places to watch college wrestling (according to wrestling fans) -- and read about these storied homes for collegiate wrestling programs -- be sure to visit NCAA.com.

Alexis Porter gets her hand raised after picking up a win at the NWCA All-Star Classic (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) The Wyoming Wrestling Regional Training Center (WWRTC) made history this week after adding Alexis Porter to its roster. Porter will become the first female resident of the WWRTC in its 11-year history. She is a 2020 Olympic hopeful. "I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the WWRTC and work alongside (University of Wyoming Coach and WWRTC Director) Mark Branch and all of the UW wrestling staff," says Porter, who hails from Clifton Park, N.Y. "It's a special thing to have the support from people whose vision aligns with your own. I think this move is going to help me jump levels, and I can't wait to continue working towards my goal of becoming a world and Olympic champion." Prior to the WWRTC, she attended McKendree University in Lebanon, Ill., and was a member of the women's wrestling team from 2014-19. She was a team captain, a university national champion and a four-time Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association All-America honoree. Porter comes to Laramie with a robust list of accolades in the freestyle discipline. Porter is a Junior World bronze medalist, two-time Junior World Team member, Junior Pan Am Champion and four-time Fargo High School national champion. She finished fifth in the 2016 Olympic Team Trials. Porter's father Jesse trained her from the age of 9, and Alexis grew up wrestling males as part of her regular training regimen. Her brother Jesse trains in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Northern Michigan University Olympic Training Site. She will train in freestyle against current Cowboy wrestlers, all of whom are members of the WWRTC. Branch jumped at the chance to add Porter to the WWRTC ranks. "This is such an exciting opportunity for the WWRTC. Women's wrestling is an emerging sport across the nation, and we are fortunate to be able to get a young, energetic contender here in Laramie," Branch says. "I am looking forward to seeing what this partnership means for wrestling in general, but more specifically, the WWRTC." Porter joins former Wyoming Wrestling standout Branson Ashworth on the WWRTC senior freestyle roster.

A.J. Ferrari with Oklahoma State coach John Smith A.J. Ferrari (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 overall in the Class of 2020, committed to Oklahoma State on Wednesday evening. His commitment gives the Cowboys six top-100 recruits in the senior class, including an astounding four of the top 20. Ferrari joins No. 3 Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla.), No. 12 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 20 Luke Surber (Tuttle, Okla.), No. 37 Jameson Burks (Omaha Burke, Neb.), and No. 55 Conner Doucet (Comanche, Okla.) in this Oklahoma State class. He was a Cadet world bronze medalist in the summer of 2018. He also considered Ohio State, Penn State, Nebraska and Rutgers. Ferrari's final official visit was to Oklahoma State this past weekend. He wrote the following on his Instagram account after the visit. "Had a fantastic final official visit this past weekend in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Oklahoma State University has a lot of history when it comes to Cowboy Wrestling. A huge thanks to the Oklahoma State University Wrestling Coaching Staff - John Smith, Chris Perry, Zack Esposito and Tyler Caldwell and to active Cowboy wrestlers Nick Piccininni, Wyatt Sheets and Mike Magaldo for showing me around, making this visit exceptional and giving me a great feel as to what it would be like to go to Oklahoma State University. Lastly, a huge thanks to all of the Oklahoma State University Athletics and to everyone who supports Cowboy Wrestling for the opportunity to compete in the Big 12." Ferrari is twice a Texas state high school (UIL) state champion, twice a Walsh Jesuit Ironman champion, and has titles at the Reno Tournament of Champions as well as the Beast of the East. He projects as a 197-pounder and/or heavyweight in college.

SALEM, Ore. -- Corban University director of athletics Twiggs Reed announced on Monday that Stryder Davis has been named the inaugural head coach of the Warrior women's wrestling program. Corban becomes just the fourth full-time member of the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) to add the sport, with the squad's first season of competition slated for 2020-21. "We are thrilled to introduce Stryder as the first-ever head coach of our women's wrestling team," said Reed. "Davis' knowledge of the sport and passion to mentor and train student-athletes is second to none, and he will be an outstanding person to kick-start this exciting new program at Corban University." Wrestling became the conference's eighth official women's sport back in May, with the Warriors on the frontline of the rapidly-growing intercollegiate offering. Full-time CCC members Eastern Oregon, Southern Oregon, and Warner Pacific currently possess women's wrestling squads, while associate members such as Menlo, Simpson, Life Pacific, and Providence compete in the sport, as well. Davis -- who also serves as an assistant men's wrestling coach alongside his brother Keegan Davis -- brings a wealth of experience to his new role at the helm of the women's program. A two-time NAIA National Champion (2004, 2005) as a wrestler at Montana State University-Northern, he was awarded Outstanding Wrestler honors at the 2005 national tournament. One of many awards from his own wrestling career, Davis was also a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American, and a second-place finisher at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. He spent time as a professional mixed martial artist, and possesses a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. As a coach, Davis spent 10 years instructing at the high school level, serving as the head wrestling coach at Silverton High School, South Salem High School, and assisting at Sprague High School. He also has experience coaching among the NCAA Division I ranks, coaching at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore. "I'm excited to lead young wrestlers to athletic and academic honors at Corban University," said Davis. "Through the sport of wrestling, I hope to make a difference by producing strong women who can be an example of Christ in their communities and families." A proud husband and a father of five, Davis is a personal trainer and owner of Grit Fitness, a local gym in Salem. He will begin his duties as head women's wrestling coach immediately.

Last week, InterMat shared the link to the Takedown Report blog's analysis of the NCAA Division I wrestling coaches who have tallied the most team titles. This week, Takedown Report shared the results of its research into the most successful coaches in NCAA Division II. As TDR's Martin Fleming points out, the D2 National Championships were first held in 1963 ... joining the existing NCAA Division I mat championships. Since that debut, 57 championship teams have been crowned ... with 15 different schools claiming at least one national team title. Vaughan Hitchcock with his 1969 championship teamWhich school and coach is the top of the Division II heap? Vaughan Hitchcock took California State Polytechnic University -- better known as Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo -- to eight championships. "Hitchcock first won at the fourth National Championship in 1966," Fleming wrote. "In 1968 Hitchcock coached his team to another championship which became the first of seven consecutive titles. This has been the longest streak of consecutive titles in Division II." (Note: Cal Poly wrestling now competes in NCAA Division I.) Three coaches are tied for second place in the rankings, with seven titles each: Joe Seay at California State University Bakersfield, David James at Central Oklahoma, and Mike Denney at Nebraska-Omaha. Of the top four coaches, only Denney is still active, now at Maryville University after UNO eliminated its wrestling program. Two other active coaches have led their programs to more than one Division II team championship: Steve Costanzo at St. Cloud State in Minnesota (with a string of four consecutive titles, 2015-19) ... and Pat Pecora at University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, with two D2 team titles. You'll find a more complete analysis of the coaches who have earned at least one NCAA Division II team crown -- and their schools -- at the Takedown Report website. Want to know about the coaches and colleges beyond NCAA Division II? Takedown Report already shared its analysis of Division I championship coaches. Down the road, TDR promises to also provide similar analysis of NCAA Div. III championship coaches, as well as those who head up NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) and NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) wrestling programs that have won national titles. Questions? Comments? Contact TDR editor Martin Fleming directly at martinkfleming@gmail.com.

Cade Lautt is the top senior wrestler in Kansas Kansas has become a destination state for college coaches to find their gems. The Sunflower State landed seven wrestlers on Division I rosters last year after having 11 in 2018.This class is special, with 17 returning All-Americans across all grades and nine in this senior class. Let's examine the top senior wrestlers in Kansas ... 1. Cade Lautt (St. James Academy) Projected high school weight class: 220 Projected college weight class: 197/285 Analysis: Cade Lautt has paid the price. His dedication to training and love for the sport have thrust him into the national rankings and landed him on the podium in Fargo. With a high school record of 124-29, he has grown meteorically from seeking out tough competition through a tough schedule. Much of that competition has come from one of our state's toughest weight classes. Lautt is a three-time state placer and recently finished third and fourth in Fargo in each style. He has verbally committed to the University of North Carolina to join his older brother Clay. It is also no surprise that he is an All-State linebacker. Words from the corner: "It's been a blessing to be able to watch Cade grow as a wrestler and a person during his high school career. Like his brother Clay, Cade believes you have to wrestle the best to be the best and has never run from competition. He's dedicated himself to wrestling during the offseason to prepare himself for his ultimate goal of continuing his career and education at a Division I school and I can't wait to watch Cade compete at UNC. Over the last three years he's grown into the leader of our program and has done a great job showing our underclassmen what it takes to have success in and out of the room." -- Coach Mike Medina 2. Duwayne Villalpando (Maize) Projected high school weight class: 170/182 Projected college weight class: 174 Analysis: Villalpando has a 92-7 career record, placing third as a freshman and winning the state title as a sophomore. An injury in the Fargo semifinals kept him out his entire junior year. He is a Cadet folkstyle national champion and recently finished third at the UWW Cadet Greco Nationals. He has verbally committed to wrestle at the University of Nebraska. Look out NCAA. Words from the corner: "Duwayne is one of the most gifted wrestlers I've ever coached. He has a great feel and is rarely out of position. Devin hurt his knee wrestling in the semifinal round of the national freestyle tournament ultimately losing by one point. Unable to continue he was still an All-American. That knee injury cost Duwayne his junior year of wrestling but he is nationally ranked and looking to repeat as champion this year. Look for him to make a mark in Division I wrestling." -- Coach Mike Schauer 3. Jason Henschel (Goddard) Projected high school weight class: 120/126 Projected college weight class: 125/133 Analysis: Henschel has a career record of 108-21 and two state titles. He was a 2017 USAW cadet Folkstyle All-American and a 2018 Junior folkstyle national champion! He has been dominating with his attack mentality and has been an elite member of many of our national dual teams. Any college coach would love having this kid on their roster. Words from the corner: "Jason Henschel is one of the quickest and toughest guys I have had the opportunity to coach. He wrestled the second half of the season last year with torn ligaments which required surgery that would have ended his season. Jason never considered not wrestling and finished the season with his second state title. He is chomping at the bit to get back after it this year." -- Coach Brett Means 4. Keegan Slyter (Olathe North) Projected high school weight class: 126/132 Projected college weight class: 133 Analysis: Where do I start with Keegan Slyter? He is a true warrior, technician, teammate and student. Coming from an awesome wrestling family, everyone knew that this kid was going to be special. Boy has he been. His career record is 126-13. With two state titles, he was one match away from winning all three years. He is a folkstyle All-American and a Fargo All-American. Slyter will look you straight in the eye, is a coaches' dream and keeps great position on the mat. College coaches, here is your next phenom. Words from the corner: "Keegan Slyter exemplifies all the traits you want to see in a young man. He works hard in the classroom and earns high grades. He leads by example in everything that he does. Keegan continues training year-round in the sport that he loves. However, once winter hits Keegan kicks into another gear. His work ethic in the wrestling room is second to none. Every drill and every live wrestling match is 110%. You cannot tell if he's ahead or behind in any match because he goes full speed all the time. Keegan is a kid that I will want my own kids to learn from and be like." -- Coach Josh Carroll 5. Grant Treaster (Newton) Projected high school weight class: 120 Projected college weight class: 125 Analysis: Treaster is 99-13 for his career, placing third his freshman year before going 65-6 on his way to two straight state titles. His hard work paid off this year with an All-America finish at Folkstyle Nationals and ultimately landing on the Fargo podium in July. As senior class president with a 4.21 GPA, Treaster is looking at the service academies while his brother Logan wrestles at the U.S. Naval Academy. How is that for a great American. Words from the corner: "Grant is a dedicated and determined student-athlete. He is a leader both on the mat and in the classroom. Grant is looking at competing at 120 pounds his senior year and to capture his third state title. After high school, Grant looks to continue wrestling at the next level. I'm excited to see what the year brings for Grant." -- Coach Tommy Edgmon 6. Devin Gomez (Maize) Projected high school weight class: 152 Projected college weight class: 149 Analysis: Gomez has a 138-12 career record, placing third as a freshman, second as a sophomore and ran the table last year with a 50-0 state title season. He is a Cadet folkstyle national champion. I remember having him on my middle school team and thinking this kid is going to make history. His intensity and athleticism have made him a crowd favorite. My advice would be to stay out of his way in his senior finish. Words from the corner: "Devin Gomez is an incredible wrestler who studies the sport and is a very hard worker. We have counted on him as a great team leader. Devin wants to wrestle in college and would like to become an athletic trainer and has a 3.7 GPA in high school." -- Coach Mike Schauer 7. Gavin Carter (Washburn Rural) Projected high school weight class: 182 Projected college weight class: 184 Analysis: This kid is a DOER! Gavin has an 87-16 record and is on pace to finish with school records in wins and takedowns, currently at 313. He is a three-time state placer, winning the title as a sophomore. On the national scene, Gavin has made a huge splash, finishing as a three-time Fargo All-American. A three-time USA Wrestling All-American and a three-time UWW All-American! He has a 3.38 GPA and has committed to wrestle at Division I Arkansas-Little Rock. Words from the corner: "Gavin has quite simply taken over our mat room. Like I told him at camp this summer, I'm in trouble when he graduates because I'm going to have to remember how to coach again. He's the most diverse wrestler I've ever had and can score a dozen ways from every position. Most importantly, he's mature beyond his years and is the greatest leader I've ever seen at this level. He's embracing the role and has put this team on his back." -- Coach Damon Parker 8. Zach Keal (Mill Valley) Projected high school weight class: 126/132 Projected college weight class: 133 Analysis: On the surface, Keal's 87-24 record goes unnoticed. Anyone familiar with him on the mat knows that he is an elite competitor. His last two years he has a second and third place state finish. On the national scene, Keal has shined as a two-time UWW All-American, folkstyle All-American and landing on the Fargo podium in July. Most importantly, his classroom dedication has him headed to West Point to wrestle for the Army. His future is so bright, he needs to wear shades! Words from the corner: "Zach is a student-athlete that works daily to improve in the classroom and on the mat. His hard work along with a positive attitude has allowed him to be successful at the state and national level. He leads by example, raises the bar for himself and others to make Mill Valley Jaguar Wrestling the best it can be." -- Coach Travis Keal T9. Preston Martin (Paola) Projected high school weight class: 132 Projected college weight class: 133 Analysis: Preston is a three-time state champion with a career 119-8 record. He capped off a stellar junior season with a Fargo Junior Greco placement. This kid is a warrior. He had huge wins for our national dual team and is an absolute crowd pleaser. His senior season is sure to resemble a freight train! Words from the corner: "Preston will be trying to become the only four-tijme state champ in Paola High School history. He has put more work into wrestling this summer than he has ever done in his life. The work has paid off so far by becoming a Greco All-American at Fargo this past summer. He is a very unique wrestler with a unique style. Preston is a true definition of a student-athlete, earning good grades and showing up to school every day. He has volunteered and helped with all wrestling fundraisers over the past three years to help the team. Preston is hoping to go to college and wrestle or pole vault and wouldn't mind doing both if he can." -- Coach Darvin Willard T9. Tony Caldwell (Valley Center) Projected high school weight class: 285 Projected college weight class: 285 Analysis: Every once in a while you have a wrestler on your traveling teams that has a rare character that seems immune to adversity. I will always remember Caldwell as one of those guys. He loves and lives the sport. With a 93-38 record, he is a two-time state finalist and a two-time Fargo All-American. As a teammate, you will not find a better one. Words from the corner: "Tony has worked very hard all offseason to get back to the finals again this year and end his high school career with a state title. Tony is a phenomenal leader in the wrestling room and outside the wrestling room. He plans to wrestle at the next level in college and wants to major in sports medicine." -- Coach Justin Schwartz 10. Jacob Holt (Garden City) Projected high school weight class: 138 Projected college weight class: 133/141 Analysis: Holt is a two-time state champion and three-time finalist with a career record of 113-25. His pure athleticism is a blast to watch and I've always appreciated his focused and respectful attitude. Holt has been a valuable team member on our national dual teams with many wins over ranked wrestlers. Words from the corner: "Jacob is a hard-nosed, in-your-face wrestler and is very hard to score on, keeping in great position on the mat. He is a tireless worker in the gym as well as the classroom. He plans on becoming an orthopedic surgeon." -- Coach Carlos Prieto Honorable Mention Brandon Madden (OP-Blue Valley Southwest) Wyatt Pedigo (Hoisington) Silas Pineda (Garden City)

Stevan Micic wrestling at the 2019 World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Graduate student Stevan Micic, fifth-year seniors Myles Amine and Logan Massa and senior/junior Kanen Storr of the University of Michigan wrestling team will take Olympic redshirts during the 2019-20 season, head coach Sean Bormet announced Tuesday (Oct. 1). Micic and Amine have already qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo after they earned fifth-place finishes at 57kg/125 pounds and 86kg/189 pounds, respectively, at the UWW World Championships last month in Kazakhstan. Massa and Storr will look to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, scheduled for April 4-5, 2020, in State College, Pennsylvania. None of the four are currently enrolled in classes this semester and will retain the year of NCAA eligibility through the athletics activity waiver. Micic, Massa and Amine will return in 2020-21 with one year of eligibility, while Storr has two years remaining. "Olympic gold is the pinnacle of our sport," said Bormet. "We already have two student-athletes qualified for the Olympic Games and believe we have others capable to doing the same. As a staff, we are committed to both the individual and the team component of our sport. We want to give our guys their best opportunity to train and prepare for success in Tokyo. I want to thank the administration at Michigan for valuing and supporting our philosophy in regards to these Olympic pursuits of our student-athletes." Micic and Amine are three-time NCAA All-Americans at 133 and 174 pounds, respectively, and have never finished below fourth. Micic was an NCAA finalist in 2018 -- the same year he captured a Big Ten title at 133 pounds -- while Amine has placed third each of the last two seasons. Both boast 93 wins in their collegiate careers; Micic owns a 93-14 career record, while Amine is 93-20. Massa also is an NCAA All-American, placing third in 2017, and a three-time NCAA qualifier at 165 pounds. Also a Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational champion and a Big Ten runner-up, he owns an 85-19 collegiate record. Storr posted a 26-8 record in his first season at Michigan last year and is 66-20 in his career. He qualified for the 2019 NCAA Championships with a fifth-place Big Ten finish. Michigan returns four additional starters, including two NCAA qualifiers, from last year's team that posted a 13-1 dual record and claimed fifth place at the NCAA Championships. Among the returners, sophomore heavyweight Mason Parris reached the NCAA Round of 12 and, more recently, captured a junior world gold medal in just the third major freestyle tournament of his career last August in Estonia. "We have a room full of young, talented wrestlers who have been working hard since they arrived in Ann Arbor," said Bormet. "They have a significant opportunity in front of them this season. I am confident they will embrace it and rise to meet the challenge. I'm excited for the season to get underway." The 2019-20 season kicks off with the annual Michigan State Open on Saturday, Nov. 2. The Wolverines will host North Carolina in its dual debut a week later, on Friday, Nov. 8, at Cliff Keen Arena. Season tickets are still available through the U-M Ticket Office.

Penn State coach Cael Sanderson lifts Bo Nickal at the NCAA Division I Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Imagine choosing the two top college wrestlers in each weight class to face off against each other, even if they competed in different eras. NCAA.com did just that ... by putting together a list of ten all-time dream matchups at each weight in a 4,000-word feature article posted at its website. "Picking ten dream matchups at each of the modern weight classes is a nearly impossible challenge given the enormous amount of talent that has passed through the NCAA tournament in the last eight decades," according to author Shannon Scovel. "But we decided to take on that challenge anyway." Scovel started with the four wrestlers who won four NCAA Division I individual titles: Cael Sanderson, Logan Stieber, Pat Smith and Kyle Dake ... then cast a wider net by also looking at three-time collegiate champs. Scovel set some basic ground rules, starting with not pitting actual teammates against each other ... and not setting up matches between wrestlers who've already faced each other on the mat. All that said, there are no rules against putting a coach against one of his former wrestlers. In fact, NCAA.com created at least two such matchups: former University of Iowa head coach Dan Gable vs. current Hawkeye coach (and Gable wrestler) Tom Brands at 133 pounds ... and current Penn State coach Cael Sanderson vs. one of his top wrestlers, Bo Nickal, at 184. There's one additional element of the NCAA.com Division I collegiate dream matchup article that this amateur wrestling historian appreciates: at least two of the wrestlers featured would be considered "old-school" mat greats. At 149 pounds, Zain Retherford -- recent three-time national champ for Penn State -- is put up against Bill Koll, thrice an NCAA champ for Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa) in the late 1940s (who later became head coach at Penn State). And, at 174 pounds, Ed Banach -- early 1980s Iowa star -- is matched with Dan Hodge, undefeated three-time champ for the Oklahoma Sooners in the mid-1950s. Bill KollA lot of thought went into creating -- and presenting -- these dream college matchups ... though, note, that Scovel did not pick any winners. It's up to you the reader to do that. With that in mind, NCAA.com welcomes your picks for dream matchups by email to NCAASupport@turner.com ... with the statement "we might feature your response in a future article." And, while you're at it, why not check out a couple other articles featuring compilations of great college wrestlers. In August, Amateur Wrestling News put together its All-Decade Team, 2010-2019. And, about 15 years ago, the NCAA asked wrestling fans to put together a 75th anniversary team with fifteen all-time great college wrestlers.

A GoFundMe page has been created for a Virginia youth wrestling coach to help him get surgery to deal with a dangerous, debilitating brain disease he describes as "a ticking time bomb." The parents of Richard Harrell, 24, are seeking $25,000 to fund surgery and travel expenses to the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix where he is scheduled to have surgery in mid-October. "A little over two years ago I was diagnosed with Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)," Harrell told WAVY-TV, the NBC affiliate in Portsmouth, Va. "The vessels in my brain that control blood are supposed to look like they're laced together. Mine looks like spaghetti or knots like knotted up rope." In October 2018, Harrell -- who is a coach at Raider Nation Wrestling Club, a youth wrestling club in Yorktown, Va. -- had emergency brain surgery to try to repair two ruptured brain aneurysms. However, it was a temporary solution. "So we're switching to cutting my head open now and actually removing the AVM, the mass from my head," Harrell explained. "We have to fly out and get hotel rooms and all that. We're already $5,000 into the surgery and we haven't even had it yet." When he's not coaching 50 kids at the wrestling club, Harrell is a full-time engineering student at Old Dominion University working towards his bachelor's degree ... and has a full-time job working for a contractor at NASA's Langley Research Center. "His wrestling family has been there for each hospital stay providing love, support, encouragement and food," wrote Harrell's mother Minda on the GoFundMe page she created. "A big thank you to them and to all his friends, co-workers and family that have been so supportive throughout."

How do you honor the memory of a wrestling coach who was murdered outside his home a dozen years ago? One winning way: a fundraising event to generate funds for a suburban Cincinnati high school wrestling program where he wrestled and coached. The John Harris "No Excuses" Memorial Fundraiser will take place Saturday, Oct. 19 from 6-10 p.m. at the Sharonville Convention Center, 11355 Chester Road, Sharonville, Ohio in the northern suburbs of Cincinnati. The convention center -- conveniently located just off I-75, a major north-south interstate linking Michigan and Florida -- is just up the street from Princeton High School where Harris wrestled for the Vikings, then later returned to the school to help coach the mat program. The event will feature music, motivational speakers and other activities. Admission is $10 per person; however, donations of any amount are welcome. All proceeds going to benefit the Princeton Viking wrestling program. The fundraiser is the product of efforts of Peggy Harris, John's mother. "My son, John Harris was murdered June 7, 2007 in Northside (a Cincinnati neighborhood)," Peggy Harris told InterMat. "His case remains unsolved." "My family and I wanted to focus on how Johnny lived. His life was full of positivity and promise. He is the father of three beautiful children. After graduating, he did an apprenticeship and became a licensed plumber. While attending Princeton High School his passion was wrestling. He would continue that by going back to the school to help coach the young wrestlers, even after a long day's work." To learn more about the Princeton High wrestling program and its John Harris "No Excuses" fundraiser, visit the Cincinnati Princeton Wrestling Facebook page.

The 2018 NWCA All-Star Classic was held in Denver (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) MANHEIM, Pa -- The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) has announced that the 2019 All-Star Classic will not take place. Fans might have to wait until 2020 for the 53rd classic. Typically serving as the kick-off to the collegiate season, The All-Star Classic has matched up numerous national champions and All-Americans through the years, including many No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups. Late last week, NWCA Executive Director, Mike Moyer sent the following email to Division I and women's intercollegiate head coaches: On behalf of the NWCA Board of Directors, I wanted to let you know that we have decided to suspend the NWCA All-Star Classic for the 2019/20 year. Over the past 6 months, we have received some terrific ideas and concepts from our constituents on how we can "revitalize" the All-Star Classic to meet the unique needs of our college wrestlers, coaches, and fans. Some of the proposed ideas and concepts required some extensive vetting which has made it impractical to still host the All-Star Classic this Fall. We will be sure to keep everyone informed with any progress we make over the next 6 months. In the meantime, we hope everyone has a terrific wrestling season. Sincerely, Mike

The InterMat Classic will take place at Edina High School in Edina, Minn., on Oct. 19 The 2019 InterMat Classic is less than three weeks away! The 10th edition of this premier preseason wrestling event will take place on Saturday, October 19, at Edina High School, 6754 Valley View Road, in Edina, Minnesota. The InterMat Classic is open to wrestlers in grades 7 through 12. Don't miss out on the money-saving, early-bird registration special. Register today (September 30) before midnight and save $10 on the entry fee! The price will increase on October 1. For more information and to register, visit the InterMat Classic website.

Ryan Budzek won a Division III national title this year (Photo/TCNJ) JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Ryan Budzek, a 2019 NCAA Division III national champion, has been named assistant men's wrestling coach at New Jersey City University, head coach Harry Turner has announced. Budzek is the third member of the first-ever wrestling staff in NJCU history. Budzek, a native of Point Pleasant, N.J., will be making his collegiate coaching debut after completing his career (2014-19) at in-state rival The College of New Jersey, culminating in his capturing of the 2019 NCAA Division III men's wrestling 149-pound national title -- the program's 23rd individual national champion. "Ryan gives us an immediate example of a wrestler who achieved the ultimate goal that we want our athletes chasing -- a national title," said Turner. "Having him involved in guiding our guys up the mountain that he's already climbed will have an enormous impact on a young team." A 2019 NCAA Division III All-American and two-time national qualifier (2016, 2019), he helped TCNJ finish eighth at the 2019 NCAA Championships. Budzek was the Lions' team captain as a senior in 2018-19. He produced a career record of 84-20 and was a four-time regional tournament place-winner. An excellent student, Budzek was a two-time All-Academic selection, named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Academic Team in 2015 and 2019. He graduated with a degree in Criminology and is currently attending Rutgers Law School in Newark. Budzek is a 2014 graduate of Point Pleasant Borough High School in Point Pleasant, N.J. There, he won 111 career matches as a four-year varsity letter-winner wrestling for the Panthers from 2010-14. A team captain, he is tied for seventh most wins in the illustrious history of the Point Borough program. He was a two-time Region 6 and two-time District 23 champion as a junior and senior in 2013 and 2014. He is a product of Triumph Wrestling Club.

EDINBORO, Pa. -- Edinboro University wrestling coach Matt Hill today announced the hiring of Sean Boyle as assistant coach. Boyle joins Ernest James on Hill's staff. Sean Boyle"Sean Boyle is exactly what we are looking for here at Edinboro," related Hill, a former standout now in his second season as the head coach. He's a blue collar, hard-working individual that values hard work and commitment. Sean will focus mostly on the lighter weights in the wrestling room but his vast knowledge of wrestling will benefit everyone who is around him. I'm excited to get to work with my staff and look forward to a great season of wrestling for Edinboro University. Boyle joins the Edinboro staff after serving as an assistant coach at the University at Buffalo in 2018-19. Among his duties, he was the recruiting coordinator and helped assemble a class of 24 recruits. The Bulls finished with a 12-5 record, then went on to finish second at the MAC Championships, with five wrestlers qualifying for the NCAA Division I National Championships, and two winning MAC titles. Troy Keller was the champion at 165 lbs. and Brett Perry at 197 lbs. Prior to joining the UB staff, Boyle spent the previous two seasons as an assistant at Cal State Bakersfield from 2016 to 2018. He helped lead CSU Bakersfield to third place finishes in the Pac-12 Conference in 2017 and 2018. The Roadrunners had five NCAA qualifiers in each of his two seasons with the team and Sean Nickell was the 2017 Pac-12 champion at 125 lbs. Boyle began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Tennessee-Chattanooga from 2015 to 2016. An NHSCA Senior National Champion for national powerhouse Blair Academy, Boyle wrestled at the University of Michigan from 2009-14. He was a two-time NCAA Division I qualifier and a two-time Big 10 place winner. He was awarded Michigan's Jeff Reese Most Improved Award (2011) and Michigan's Steve Fraser Mental Toughness Award (2013) during his time in Ann Arbor. At Blair Academy, he was a two-time National Prep champion (2008, '09) and captured the 119 lb. title at the 2009 Senior nationals. He had a prep record of 188-7 and was a two-time Massachusetts state champion (2006, '07), earning outstanding wrestler accolades twice. Boyle went 20-21 at Michigan as a freshman in 2009-10, and reached the Round of 12 at the NCAA's as a sophomore after finishing fourth at the Big Ten Championships while competing at 125 lbs. He ended the year with a 28-15 record. After redshirting in 2011-12, he again qualified for NCAA's in 2012-13, again finishing fourth at the Big Ten Championships. He finished with a 24-12 record. As a senior in 2013-14, he finished with a 17-5 record to end with an 89-53 record as a Wolverine. After being granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, Boyle enjoyed an outstanding season at Tennessee-Chattanooga. He would be named the SoCon Wrestler of the Year and won the league title at 125 lbs. He finished with a 32-7 record while making a third trip to Nationals. He went in as the number five seed and reached the Round of 12 for the second time in his career, finishing one win shy of All-American status. His combined collegiate wrestling record was 121-60. Boyle earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in the School of Kinesiology, Physical Education, and Health from Michigan in 2014, and was an NWCA All-Academic honoree for the Wolverines. He went on to earn his Master's Degree in Secondary Education, Physical Education & Health from UTC in 2016.

Randi Miller wrestling Tamyra Mensah-Stock at the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) GAFFNEY, S.C. -- The Limestone College Athletics Department and head coach Brandy Green have announced the addition of 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Randi Miller as an assistant coach for the women's wrestling program, effective immediately. Miller joins the Saints after spending time with the United States Army National Guard as a member of their World Class Athlete Program and as a Water Treatment Specialist. The WCAP is a program specifically designed to allow top-ranked Soldier-athletes to perform at the international level while also serving their country in the military. During her time with the WCAP, Miller served as an assistant wrestling coach at MacMurray College. While there she worked intensively with the athletes teaching various techniques and skills while giving them critical feedback. She also routinely sparred with the athletes to increase their abilities and skills. Perhaps the largest section of Miller's resume was devoted to her time as a professional athlete with U.S.A. Wrestling. In addition to her bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics, Miller was the 2008 and 2014 U.S. Senior National Champion at the 69 kg weight class. She was also the 2014 Military World Champion as well as a member of the U.S. World Team the same year. She was also a senior level American athlete for ten-years. Miller started her coaching career in 2010 when she was named the assistant wrestling coach at Missouri Baptist University. She is a 2019 graduate of Texas Southern University where she completed her degree in General Studies.

Mark O. Madsen, 2016 Olympic silver medalist for Denmark in Greco-Roman wrestling, made short work of his opponent in the Olympian's UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 160 at Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark Saturday night. "It took Mark O. Madsen just 18 months of training mixed martial arts full time to earn a UFC contract -- and it took him just 72 seconds to earn his first win in the promotion," according to ESPN.com. "Madsen easily took down Danilo Belluardo in the opening minute of their lightweight (155-pound) bout in the co-main event of Saturday's Fight Night in Copenhagen, Denmark. Madsen finished Belluardo with elbows moments later." "Mark Madsen made a statement in his octagon debut on Saturday when he utterly steamrolled Danilo Belluardo for a first-round TKO at UFC on ESPN+ 18," reported MMAJunkie.com. "The three-time Olympian in wrestling, who hails from Denmark, went straight to his bread and butter from the opening bell," MMAJunkie.com continued. "Madsen put Belluardo on his back early, and from there, the result was inevitable. He quickly opened up with a ruthless assault of ground-and-pound, and Belluardo did little to resist." Mark O. Madsen (Photo/Getty Images)The referee stopped the bout at 1:12 of the first round. With the win, Madsen -- who turned 35 just last week -- is now 9-0 in his professional mixed martial arts career launched almost exactly six years ago, and 1-0 in UFC competition. Belluardo, 25, falls to 12-5 in his five-year pro career, and is 0-2 in UFC action. Before officially retiring from amateur wrestling in March 2018 to concentrate on his MMA career, Madsen had made a name for himself in Greco-Roman competition on the world stage. He represented his native Denmark at three Olympics -- 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, and 2016 Rio de Janeiro -- winning a silver medal at the Rio Games at 75 kilograms/165 pounds. He also earned four silver medals in Greco at World championships.

Kyle Crutchmer Early this month, Bellator MMA announced that its new signee, Kyle Crutcher, had been scheduled to make his promotional debut at Bellator 233 in November. Now the former Oklahoma State All-American wrestler will be facing Sean Clements in a welterweight (170-pound) bout at Bellator 233 at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. on Friday, November 8. The Oklahoma State sports blog CowboysRideForFree.com shared this tweet from MMA reporter Ariel Helwani: The 35-year-old Clements brings a 3-1 pro MMA record to his match with Crutchmer. with all of his professional fights being determined by a judges' decision. Clements' pro debut was at Bellator 161 where he defeated David Ramirez by unanimous decision in Sept. 2016. His subsequent professional bouts were with other organizations. However, it has been two years since Clements has entered the cage. Crutchmer, 26, is a perfect 4-0 in his pro career he launched in June 2018. Until signing with Bellator MMA in July, all of the former Cowboy wrestler's MMA bouts had been with Xtreme Fighting League, with two wins by submission, one by technical knockout, and one unanimous decision. Prior to entering MMA, Crutchmer made a name for himself in amateur wrestling. Crutchmer was a two-time NCAA All-American for Oklahoma State, placing fifth at 174 pounds at the 2015 NCAAs, and seventh in this same weight class at the 2017 NCAAs. In addition, Crutchmer was twice a Big 12 conference champ.

Don Gooder, a founding member of the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 24. He was 86. Don GooderGooder was among the founders of the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame located in Cresco. He served as master of ceremonies for the inaugural banquet to welcome the first-ever induction class which took place in spring 1970. In fact, Gooder was the last surviving member of the group that established the Hall. "The Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame has a rich history of honoring native Iowans for their contributions to amateur wrestling," according to the statement issued by the Hall Wednesday. "When we concluded the 50th annual awards banquet this past spring, our roster of inductees included 133 outstanding individuals. Don Gooder had a say in that exclusive group, as he also served on the IWHOF selection committee." "For 50 years Don promoted amateur wrestling and the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame," the statement continued. "Wrestling and the IWHOF were among his passions. He will be missed by everyone involved in our organization, as well as the greater wrestling community." Donald Edward Gooder was born in Waterloo, Iowa on August 31, 1933. He graduated from Cresco High School in 1951, then served in the United States Marines. Gooder was a passionate, lifelong fan of amateur wrestling who made the annual trip to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. That pilgrimage began with following Cresco native Tom Peckham's mat career in the 1960s. In addition, Gooder was the father-in-law of Mike Duroe, long-time, legendary wrestling coach who mentored wrestlers at all levels -- including at the Olympics, and, most recently, as Cornell College head coach -- until his death in July 2018 at age 63. (A memorial service for Duroe will take place Saturday, Sept. 28 at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo.) Services for Don Gooder have already taken place.

ADRIAN, Mich. -- Siena Heights University is proud to announce the addition of men's wrestling that will begin competition in fall 2020 with a women's wrestling program scheduled to follow in 2021. "We are excited to bring wrestling back to the campus of Siena Heights University," said Interim Athletic Director Sue Syljebeck. "The addition of wrestling will be great for the university as well as the region as the sport has a great tradition in Lenawee County. This will propel the program at SHU to a tradition of long-term student success. SHU sponsored wrestling in the early 1970s for three seasons before putting the program on hiatus until the late 70s. The second stint of wrestling lasted until 1988 when it was ended indefinitely. During that time, the Saints had success as Jerry Frebes was crowned a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Regional Champion and competed in the 1985 NAIA Wrestling National Championships in Jamestown, N.D. Frebes is also the lone SHU wrestler inducted into the Siena Heights Athletics Hall of Fame (Class of 2013). Syljebeck will begin the search for a head coach immediately.

LINCOLN, Ill. -- Lincoln College announced the addition of a women's wrestling program. "It is a positive sign for the college that we continue to grow our enrollment through increasing athletic opportunities," said Mark Perdue, Lincoln College's athletic director, in a release from the school. "The addition of new programs was part of the charge I was given when hired as AD, and I look forward to seeing these new teams form and add to the Lincoln College tradition of athletic excellence." Lincoln College also added archery to bring the total number of intercollegiate sports and clubs offered by the school to 25. The program has already begun to recruit athletes under the direction of current men's wrestling coach Jordan Bakely and assistant coach Sam Recco. The search for a women's wrestling head coach has started with the goal of having someone in place by the spring of 2020.

The World Championships wrapped up this past weekend. Russia cruised to a team title in freestyle, while Team USA came away with a paltry two Olympic licenses. The same was true in women's wrestling where despite winning a record three gold medals (!) only two licenses were punched for Tokyo. Despite the lack of success for Team USA, the World Championships seemed to have been a hit for viewers and fans. Results, live-stream coverage, photo and other media was all well-received and the field of play was as professional as it's ever been. Wrestlers enjoyed good conditions, bad calls were fairly limited, and Greco-Roman was REALLY good. In all, it was a successful nine days of competition in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, but there is still plenty to cover this week, so let's dive in. To your questions ... Zain Retherford at the World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Why do you think Zain Retherford is not having any success at the senior level? Does he have a chance to medal next year? Also, since J'den Cox is such a stud and proving it at the top level, do you ever see Bo Nickal making the team? -- Mike Z. Foley: In two appearances at the World Championships, Zain has not performed to the best of his potential. I really believe that he can be a world and Olympic medalist, but I have to also remain skeptical until he actually makes something happen at the world stage. As for his chances to medal at the Olympic Games, there are several hurdles he'll need to clear first, namely qualifying the weight and making the team. I was under the impression that Bo was training to make the 2020 Olympic Team before transitioning to MMA. If that's his plan then the chances he makes a team are pretty slim. However, he will be on the U23 team, which will be exciting for fans of PSU and the USA. I think he's going to do awesome. Q: What are the chances we see Yui Susaki at the Olympics since Yuki Irie failed to qualify the weight for Japan? Doesn't Japan get one entrant per gender at a weight of their choosing, essentially qualifying all six women's weights for Tokyo? -- @wrestlingne1 Foley: The chances of seeing Yui Susaki are very, very good. The JWF altered their rules at the conclusion of the World Championships and have stated that no matter who wins the Emperor's Cup in December they have final say on who is chosen to qualify the weight and who ultimately goes to the Olympics. That's a signal to Yui that they want her in the driver's seat. The smart money is on Yui. She's been active internationally, destroyed every opponent she's faced outside of Japan, and is young enough to carry the weight a few cycles. Eri Tosaka could make her way into the lineup if she manages to beat both Yuki and Yui and then is super impressive at the qualifier. Unfortunately, it just seems like she's lost a step. Yui can handle her and the entire international field. She's as close to guaranteed gold as one gets in wrestling. Subtly one big thing to follow is how much say Kazuhito Sakae will have on the team. He's out for now, but after their Worlds performance rumors flew that the federation would bring him back. I'm doubtful, but I wouldn't be surprised to see some of his former athletes (Eri, Risako, Yukako) make their way to a new club of his. Though it's difficult, it's obvious his girls wrestle better when he's training them year-round. Ultimately, if I had to bet, it'll be Yui in Tokyo. She has the it factor and is objectively the best in that weight. Geno Petriashvili defeated Taha Akgul to win his third straight world title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Who was your Outstanding Wrestler in each of the three styles at the World Championships? -- Mike C. Foley: Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) in freestyle, Ismael Borrero Molina (Cuba) in Greco-Roman and Pak Yong-Mi (North Korea) in women's wrestling. Q: Why does the wrestling media continue to produce such poor post-match interviews? Time and time again the interviews are hosted in an area within earshot of the tournament PA announcements and it makes the whole process hard to hear. Many times one can't hear the person asking the questions as the interviewer is holding the microphone near the wrestler and not near the person asking the question. I see the same thing happen at press conferences hosted at some championship events or pre/post dual coaches' interviews where we only get to hear the response from those on the dais without hearing the question(s) asked. -- Jeff B. Foley: You are right ... and this is probably at least a little bit of my fault! The mixed zone for many events is directly off the mats in the hallway beneath the bleachers. The reason is that you need to balance how close you let the media get to the athlete's warm-up area against how far you make the athletes walk to be interviewed. In Nur-Sultan the mixed zone was only a few feet off the field of play. At the Olympic Games (where no televised post-match interviews can happen except for rights holders) there is a winding hallway that is protected from the stadium sound. The former being much less suitable to audio than the latter, but at least it can be on film. As a service to fans, I'll be in Tokyo next week for the test event and will double check the noise levels. As for not hearing the questions at press conferences, I'm not sure which event you're referring to. At the World Championships the questions were mic'd though there was some non-English being asked. That said, the person answering typically repeated the question back in English. Good notes! Q: Lots of countries have been impressive at the World Championships so far this year. One that stands out to me, both for the men and women, is India. It seems like they have had a lot more success in recent years and have done some good promotional things (i.e. their pro league). What are your thoughts on the growth of wrestling in India, and should we expect to see it field perennially competitive teams on the world level? -- Dave Foley: You should expect a lot from India in the coming years. They have financial support, governmental support, and a culture of wrestling that can sustain future generations. They took home five world medals, which is an insane number when you consider they've only taken home a total of eight medals in all previous World Championships since the 80's! India is more potent competitor to the USA than Iran. At the moment, that's just a fact. Gold-medal match highlights from Day 9 of the World Championships Kyle Dake after winning his second straight world title Kyle Snyder after winning bronze Q: Suppose J'den Cox goes looking for a new challenge post-Tokyo. Do you think that if he started training in 2021, he could be a Greco world champ by 2024? -- Irv O. Foley: I love the belief in J'den, but no, absolutely not. Greco-Roman is a different beast. Q: The United States only has four of the 18 weight classes qualified for the Olympics. How many do you think they will qualify? -- Mike C. Foley: Team USA entered the largest Olympic qualification tournament with an expectation of qualifying 4/6 in freestyle, 3/6 in women's wrestling, and 2/6 in Greco-Roman. From an expectation of nine licenses to the reality of receiving only four was a huge disappointment for Team USA and its fans. The outlook for qualifying more in Ottawa is a little bit better, but far from definitive. The entire Western Hemisphere looked awful at the World Championships, with the notable exception of Cuba's Greco-Roman squad. I'm guessing the freestyle team will pick up 86 kilograms in Canada, but Yurieski Torreblanca is competing and could easily be on the same side as the rep for the United States. The Venezuelan Pedro Ceballos is also pretty good. Who will be sent will determine the likelihood of Team USA qualifying. If it's Pat Downey then I just don't think it's very likely. Zain has already lost to Alejandro Valdes Tobier so you have to assume that his chances aren't bulletproof, though I do think he (or whoever reps USA) will have a good chance of qualifying. Daton Fix has made his way through the 57-kilogram bracket before and should be in good shape. Nick Gwiazdowski should have no problem at heavyweight, but he may have to contend with a highly motivated Oscar Pino. I'd predict USA's freestyle team gets three of the possible four in Ottawa. As for the women, Whitney Conder and Sarah Hildebrandt should have little problem winning their weights, but I worry about 62 kilograms where Kayla Miracle has to face a very tough crowd with Laís Nunes of Brazil and Jackeline Rentería Castillo of Colombia. We'll see who the USA sends at 57 kilograms (is Helen Maroulis coming back?) but as of now I don't see Jenna Burkert beating Lissette Antes of Ecuador. Prediction: Three of a possible four picked up by the women. Greco-Roman might be the toughest road. Adam Coon will qualify in the Mijaín López-less weight, but there is a much tougher path for the other five weights. Pat Smith, G'Angelo Hancock and Ildar Hafizov are all 50/50. Prediction: Four of the possible six. Overall: 4/18 will become 14/18 and leave four to be earned at the last chance qualifier. That's very optimistic, too. Q: Will there be a Non-Olympic World Championships in 2020? If so, any details you can share? -- Mike C. Foley: I don't know, but unless someone pops up and offers to host it in the next few months, I'd highly doubt it'll happen. Q: Will the Olympics use a blind draw for the brackets? -- Mike C. Foley: The top four athletes will be seeded and the rest will be drawn in randomly. You can see the full Olympic qualification and seeding process on the United World Wrestling website. Q: Why do so many wrestlers like to hunt? -- Robert G. Foley: I think many well-known wrestlers come from parts of the country where wrestling is culturally significant. More correlation than causation.

Jim Kalin presented Zahid Valencia with the Hammer Award Days after winning the 174-pound title at the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Zahid Valencia was named winner of Amateur Wrestling News' Hammer Award for winning the title in the most competitive weight class. Now, six months later, Valencia has been handed The Hammer on his home turf at Arizona State. Amateur Wrestling News, the oldest national wrestling publication, sent writer Jim Kalin to present the award to Valencia in front of 45,786 fans gathered at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe for the Arizona State-Colorado football game this past Saturday afternoon. Back in March, Valencia won the 174-pound title at the 2019 NCAAs in Pittsburgh, defeating 2017 NCAA champion Mark Hall of Penn State in the finals. The bracket was filled with mat talent: in addition to the two NCAA champs at the weight (Valencia and Hall), there was a total of eight returning All Americans. Valencia finished the season 31-2, with those two losses being to Hall and Missouri's Daniel Lewis. The Sun Devil avenged both at the NCAAs. "An award is only as prestigious as the quality of those who have previously won it," Kalin told InterMat. Past recipients of The Hammer include Logan Stieber of Ohio State, Oklahoma State's Alex Dieringer, Bo Nickal of Penn State, and Iowa's Spencer Lee.

The past decade of Penn State wrestling has been an incredible one. In April 2009, Cael Sanderson became head wrestling coach of the Nittany Lions ... and it was a complete reversal of fortune for the program that had just completed its first century. In his first decade at the helm (2009-2018), Sanderson led Penn State wrestling to seven NCAA team titles, 20 NCAA individual champions, 51 NCAA All-American honorees, and four Hodge Trophy winners. By multiple measures, the Nittany Lions have become the dominant Division I wrestling program of the past decade ... to the point where the word "dynasty" has been used well beyond Happy Valley to describe Penn State wrestling. Another way to commemorate that success: put it in a book. That's just what the Penn State Wrestling Club did, with its brand-new book, Dawn of a New Era: Penn State Wrestling 2009-2018. A sequel to a story one hundred years in the making Dawn of a New Era is the sequel -- and supplement -- to the first Penn State wrestling book, A Century of Penn State Wrestling to commemorate the first 100 years of the collegiate mat program located in the heart of Pennsylvania. Both are the products of the Penn State Wrestling Club. "When we wrote the Century book, it was meant to commemorate the historic milestone of 100 years as a Penn State sport," according to Connie Christiansen, the chair of the Penn State Wrestling Club's Historian Committee. "As the Sanderson era started to unfold, we thought it would be appropriate to write a supplement to the original. We never envisioned that the team would accumulate more team and individual championships in a decade than it had in the first 100 years of the program." "The purpose of this ten-year account was recognition of the work and effort that makes Penn State wrestling so special," Christiansen continued. "The 2008-09 Penn State wrestling year began the second century of wrestling." Dawn of a New Era: Penn State Wrestling 2009-2018 picks up where A Century of Penn State Wrestling book concludes ... but with a bit different format. The new book provides a chapter for each year in the decade, starting with the 2008-09 season, and concluding with the 2017-18 season. Each of these chapters includes an overview of the total team success that year, along with individual wrestler records and accomplishments. Interspersed between these "year in review" chapters are what Dawn of a New Era refers to as "special interest chapters" which address specific, overarching topics of significance to the program, such as a profile of Jeff Byers (the voice of Penn State wrestling), rule changes over the years, and the success of collegiate and alumni wrestlers competing on U.S. freestyle and Greco-Roman teams. A winning book for college wrestling's top program Dawn of a New Era: Penn State Wrestling 2009-2018 shares many of the attributes that made A Century of Penn State Wrestling such a success. Like its predecessor, Dawn of a New Era has tons of incredible photos that bring mat action and images of Nittany Lion mat stars to readers everywhere. What's more, the new book's text is well-written, providing a clear presentation of each season's highlights -- along with the special interest chapters -- in a way that makes for compelling reading. Or, in the words of Allen Smith, president of the Penn State Wrestling Club, "We feel that anyone who is a fan of Penn State wrestling, or college wrestling in general, would enjoy reading the information we have collected and written." How to add this new book to your library NCAA regulations prohibit direct sale of Dawn of a New Era: Penn State Wrestling 2009-2018. However, copies of this new 140-page book are complimentary with a donation of at least $50 to the Penn State Wrestling Club to help defray design, printing, publication and shipping expenses. Donations may be made via PayPal from the online store at the Penn State Wrestling Club website. Note: If donating from the PSWC website, you must first make your donation from the online store, then provide your shipping address by using the feedback window selected from the main menu. In that feedback window, please record the amount of your donation ... along with the shipping address where you want Dawn of a New Era to be sent. Another option: print out an order form and mail it -- along with your donation by check, made payable to "PSWC/Dawn of a New Era" -- to the address on the order form. If you'd like to purchase a copy of the original book A Century of Penn State Wrestling: A Century of Success (1909-2008), visit the Penn State Wrestling Club's online store and follow the same procedure outlined above. A Century of Penn State Wrestling is available for purchase for $28.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Jason Ecklof, a veteran Shore Area high school coach, has been named assistant men's wrestling coach at New Jersey City University, head coach Harry Turner announced on September 25. Ecklof is the second member of the first-ever wrestling staff in NJCU history. "Jay is a proven recruiter and a walking encyclopedia on current high school wrestlers and programs," said Turner. "He gives us the ability to cover twice as much ground in our search for the first full class of Gothic Knights, in addition to his years of experience coaching at the highest levels of NJSIAA wrestling." Jason EcklofEcklof, a Howell, N.J. native and current resident of Brick, N.J., has spent the last seven years coaching at both Saint John Vianney High School in Holmdel, N.J. and Howell High School in Howell. He was honored as the 2018 NJSIAA District 19 Assistant Coach of the Year. In five years at Saint John Vianney from 2014-19, he helped lead the Lancers to the 2018 NJSIAA District 19, Shore Conference Tournament and Shore Conference A-Central Division Championships. In 2019, SJV was ranked No. 20 in the state of New Jersey. On the mat, he coached 16 state qualifiers (2015, 1; 2016, 2; 2017, 5; 2018, 4; 2019, 4) and six state medalists, including the school's first-ever state champion (113-pound weight class) in 2019. In 2018, three Lancers finished in the top four in the state. Ecklof came to Saint John Vianney after a successful two-year run (2012-14) at Howell, where he was part of a coaching staff that led the Rebels to the No. 13 ranking in the state in 2013 and 10th in 2014. He helped Howell win the 2014 NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV Sectional and Shore Conference Tournament Championships and back-to-back NJSIAA District 21 and Shore Conference A-North Division crowns in 2013 and 2014. During his stint at Howell, he coached six state qualifiers (2013, 3; 2014, 3) and three state medalists. Ecklof wrestled collegiately at York College of Pennsylvania for two seasons (2008-10) at 157 pounds before turning home and concluding his career at The College of New Jersey in 2011-12. A native of Howell, N.J., Ecklof was a standout for Howell High School where he posted a stellar 101-37 career record for the Rebels. He won the District 21 championship as a sophomore in 2005-06. As a senior in 2007-08, he placed second in Region 6 and finished in the top 16 in the state of New Jersey. GOTHIC KNIGHTS on SOCIAL MEDIA: For the latest on NJCU men's and women's wrestling and #NJCUWrestling, follow the Gothic Knights on social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and SnapChat. We Are Jersey City's Team.