InterMat Staff

Jacarra Winchester with the American flag after winning a world title at 55 kilograms (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan -- Last year, Jacarra Winchester left the World Championships heartbroken after having match-winning takedown overturned in the semifinals. She called it a "painful but necessary" moment in her life. On Wednesday, she showed why. Winchester defeated Japan's Nanami Irie, 5-3, to capture the gold medal at the 2019 World Championships at 55 kilograms, becoming America's first gold medalist in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. "I'm just excited because I've worked to hard for so many years," said Winchester. "It all just paid off." Jacarra Winchester with her medal and championship belt (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) The 26-year-old American scored the first points of the match off a takedown with a minute remaining in the first period and took a 2-0 lead into the break. Irie came out strong in the second period, shooting a double leg thirty seconds into the period and scoring a takedown, which was initially called a four-point takedown before being changed to two. Irie then scored with a step out to go up 3-2. Winchester battled back, scoring a takedown off a single leg midway through the period to retake the lead, 4-3. Irie continued to press forward, but Winchester fended her off and won by two after a late failed challenge by Japan. Victoria Francis finished fifth at 72 kilograms after losing in the bronze-medal match to China's Paliha, 2-1. Francis scored the first point of the match off the activity clock, but Paliha came back in the second period, scoring first off the shot clock before getting a step out. Adeline Gray gets her hand raised after winning in the semifinals at the World Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Gray to wrestle for fifth world title, Molinari edged in semifinals Adeline Gray will wrestle for her fifth world title after notching a 5-2 victory over Germany's Aline Focken, a 2014 world champion, in the semifinals at 76 kilograms. Gray trailed 1-0 at the break after surrendering a point off the activity clock. In the second period, Gray scored her own point off the activity clock to take the lead on criteria. With just under a minute remaining, Focken fired off a shot, which Gray countered and scored two points to go up 3-1. She extended her lead with an exposure before Focken came behind for a late reversal. Gray would hold on to win by three. The 28-year-old reigning world champion will face Japan's Hiroe Suzuki for the gold medal on Thursday. Gray was untested before the semifinals picking up three 10-0 technical superiorities. She opened her day by first beating Italy's Elani Pjollai, then Kazakhstan's Elmira Syzdykova (Kazakhstan) and Chinese Taipei's Hui Tsz Chang in the quarterfinals. Forrest Molinari attempts to counter a shot from Ukraine's Iryna Koliadenko in the semifinals (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Forrest Molinari, a fifth-place finisher at last year's World Championships, reached the semifinals before losing to Ukraine's Iryna Koliadenko, 6-5. She will wrestle for bronze. Molinari scored the first point of her semifinal match off the activity clock and led 1-0 after the opening period. In the second period, Koliadenko got in on a single leg and drove Molinari out of bounds for a step out. Molinari responded with a takedown and then added a point off a caution to go up 4-1. The Ukrainian came back with a takedown to cut the deficit to 4-3, and then nearly had a step out, but the call was challenged and upheld, giving Molinari a 5-3 lead. With just over 30 seconds remaining in the match, Koliadenko took a shot and caught Molinari's ankle before a scramble ensued. Koliadenko was able to expose Molinari with just under 15 seconds left in the match and hang on for the win. Earlier in the day, Molinari shut out two-time world bronze medalist Johanna Mattsson of Sweden, 3-0, in the quarterfinals. Molinari scored a point in the first period off the activity clock before adding a takedown in the second period. She started her day by getting a fall over Thi Vinh Nguyen of Vietnam. Jenna Burkert and Alli Ragan, were eliminated in Wednesday's first session. Jenna Burkert after getting a win in her first match (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Burkert opened her tournament at 57 kilograms by shutting out Lenka Martinakova of Czechia, 8-0. She then lost by fall to Russia's Marina Simonyan in her second match. Simonyan led 7-2 after the first period. In the second period, Simonyan countered a shot from Burkert and drove her to her back and secured the fall. Simonyan was defeated by world champion Ningning Rong of China in her next match, eliminating Burkert from the tournament. Alli Ragan locks up with Anzhelina Lysak of Ukraine (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Ragan, a two-time world silver medalist, lost by fall in her first match at 59 kilograms to Anzhelina Lysak of Ukraine. The 27-year-old American scored a takedown off a single leg 30 seconds into the match to go up 2-0. Midway through the period, Lysak threw Ragan to her back and picked up a fall. Sarah Hildebrandt gets in on a shot against Vinesh in a repechage match at 53 kilograms (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Hildebrandt defeated in repechage A day after losing to Japan's Mayu Mukaida in the quarterfinals, world silver medalist Sarah Hildebrandt dropped her first repechage match at 53 kilograms to India's Vinesh Phogat, 8-2. Vinesh, a gold medalist at the Asian Games, controlled the match from start to finish, scoring two first-period takedowns and adding two more in the second period before Hildebrandt scored a takedown in the closing moments of the match. It marks the second time Vinesh has defeated Hildebrandt this year. The first victory came by fall in February at the Dan Kolov in Bulgaria. Four U.S. wrestlers will begin their tournaments on Thursday. Kayla Miracle (62 kilograms) and Tamyra Mensah-Stock (68 kilograms) will compete in women's wrestling, while Daton Fix (57 kilograms) and Zain Retherford (65 kilograms) will wrestle on the first day of freestyle competition.

Kyle Conel celebrates after pinning Kollin Moore in the NCAA quarterfinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Penn State graduate transfer Kyle Conel has been cleared by the NCAA and is ready to wrestle for the Nittany Lions in the 2019-20 season, a wrestling spokesperson confirmed to the Centre Daily Times Tuesday. Back in March, Conel had announced his plans to transfer from Kent State to Penn State to earn a master's degree, with hopes to continue his collegiate wrestling career. The Ashtabula, Ohio native had earned All-American honors for the Golden Flashes by placing third at 197 pounds at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. However, an injury limited Conel's college mat time last season. Conel is enrolled in Penn State's management and organizational leadership program, an accelerated graduate degree in the Smeal College of Business, according to the Centre Daily Times. OnwardState.com reported that Conel will be vying for the starting position at 197 against Michael Beard to replace three-time national champion Bo Nickal who concluded his collegiate career last spring with a number of honors, including the 2019 Hodge Trophy, and InterMat Wrestler of the Year. The 2019-20 season will be Conel's last for collegiate eligibility.

Jacarra Winchester celebrates after winning in the semifinals at the World Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan -- The United States has its first finalist at the 2019 World Championships. Jacarra Winchester, a fifth-place finisher at last year's World Championships, advanced to the finals at 55 kilograms on the first day of the women's wrestling competition in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. She defeated Turkey's Bediha Gun, 6-4, in the semifinals. Two other Americans, Sarah Hildebrandt (53 kilograms) and Victoria Francis (72 kilograms), lost in the quarterfinals. Both will compete in repechage on Wednesday. Winchester, who entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed, found herself in a 2-0 hole in the semifinals after giving up two-point exposure when Gun was on the activity clock. The 26-year-old American came back with a takedown off a leg attack late in the first period to grab the lead on criteria. In the second period, Winchester scored another takedown in just under a minute into the period to go up 4-2. A short time later, Gun was in a leg attack and drove Winchester out of bounds for a step out to make the score 4-3. Winchester responded with another takedown in the final minute to extend her lead to 6-3. Gun would add a late point off a caution, but Winchester would hold on to win by two. She will face Japan's Nanami Irie for the gold medal on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Winchester cruised to a 13-2 technical superiority over Bolortuya Bat Ochir of Mongolia in the quarterfinals. She scored two two-point takedowns and a step out before getting a four-point takedown late in the first period and nearly securing the fall before the period ended. In the second period, the Mongolian scored her first points off an arm spin before Winchester turned the tables, getting four points to close the match. Winchester started her day with a 10-0 technical superiority over Madina Nadirova of Kyrgyzstan. After getting a takedown, Winchester blew the match open with a four-point throw to go up 6-0. She added a turn and another takedown a short time later to end the match. Sarah Hildebrandt fell in the quarterfinals to Japan's Mayu Mukaida (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Returning world silver medalist Sarah Hildebrandt reached the quarterfinals at 53 kilograms before losing to two-time world champion Mayu Mukaida of Japan, 12-1. After a scoreless first period, Mukaida scored a takedown off a go-behind to take a 2-0 lead. The Japanese star scored a second takedown midway through the first period off a single leg to extend her lead to 4-0. Late in the first period, Mukaida scored a third takedown and followed it up with a gut wrench before Hildebrandt came behind for a reversal, making the score 8-1 in favor of Mukaida at the break. In the second period, Mukaida picked up another takedown and closed out the technical superiority with a gut wrench. Hildebrandt dominated her first opponent, Thi Dao Bui of Vietnam, getting a first-period technical superiority. She scored a takedown before locking up a lace and getting four turns to end the match in just over a minute. The 25-year-old Hildebrandt will have a chance to wrestle back for a bronze medal after Mukaida reached the finals. She will face the winner of a match between Vinesh of India and Yuliia Khavaldzhy Blahinya of Ukraine. If Hildebrandt win that match, she will wrestle for the bronze medal and also qualify the weight class for the United States at the Olympic Games. Victoria Francis, like Hildebrandt, reached the quarterfinals before losing. She was shut out by Ukraine's Alina Stadnik Makhynia, 4-0. Makhynia, a 2013 world champion, threw Francis in a headlock in the first period, nearly securing a fall before settling for a 4-0 lead. The headlock would prove to the difference in the match as neither wrestler scored the rest of the way. Victoria Francis gets her hand raised after beating Dejah Slater of Canada in her first match (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Francis started her tournament with a first-period fall over 2019 Pan American champion Dejah Slater of Canada. She scored with a step out and takedown to go up 3-0 before driving Slater to her back and securing the fall with 30 seconds remaining in the period. Whitney Conder walks off the mat after losing her first match to Son-Hyang Kim of North Korea (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Whitney Conder dropped her first match at 50 kilograms to Son-Hyang Kim of North Korea, 6-0. It was the second straight year that Conder drew Kim in the first round at the World Championships. Kim scored two takedowns in the first periods and added another one in the second period while shutting down Conder's offense. Conder was eliminated from the tournament when Kim lost her next match to 2013 world champion Yanan Sun of China. Four more American women will begin their tournaments on Wednesday: Jenna Burkert (57 kilograms), Alli Ragan (59 kilograms) Forrest Molinari (65 kilograms), and Adeline Gray (72 kilograms).

On Sept. 11, 1976, the now-familiar facility to honor the oldest and greatest sport first opened its doors to the public. On that date 43 years ago, the iconic National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Stillwater, Okla. was officially dedicated and opened to the public for the first time, welcoming its first class of Distinguished Members. Amateur Wrestling News, the nation's oldest magazine covering the sport, reported on that historic day with an article in its Oct. 9, 1976 issue posted at the official Hall of Fame website this past week. Here's how AWN opened its coverage of opening day: "The sport of wrestling has reached a long-awaited milestone with the opening of its hall of fame and museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma." "Dedication and formal opening of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame were conducted Saturday, September 11, 1976 by the United States Wrestling Federation (now USA Wrestling). The weekend's activities were highlighted by induction of the charter class of 14 Distinguished Members during the first annual Honors Banquet." Meet the first group of inductees: Dr. Raymond G. Clapp, University of Nebraska coach, 1911-1926 Fendley A. Collins, Michigan State coach, 1930-1962 Jay T. "Tommy" Evans, early 1950s University of Oklahoma wrestler Edward Clark Gallagher, Oklahoma State University coach between World War I and World War II Art Griffith, Oklahoma State University coach in the 1940s and 50s Dan Hodge, mid 1950s University of Oklahoma wrestling superstar Cliff Keen, University of Michigan coach from 1925-1970 David McCuskey, head coach at University of Northern Iowa then University of Iowa, 1930-1972 George Mehnert, two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist in men's freestyle, 1904 St. Louis and 1908 London Games Hugo Otopalik, Iowa State University coach, 1920-1953 Rex Peery, 1930s Oklahoma State champion wrestler and legendary coach for three decades at the high school and collegiate level, concluding at University of Pittsburgh Myron Roderick, Oklahoma State University wrestler and coach in the 1950s and 60s William "Billy" Sheridan, Lehigh University head coach for 41 years beginning in 1911 Jack VanBebber, Oklahoma State University wrestling champion and 1932 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle Master of ceremonies for the grand opening festivities: Frank Gifford, "voice" of ABC-TV's coverage of wrestling at the 1972 Munich and 1976 Montreal Olympics (as well as a member of the broadcast team for ABC's Monday Night Football telecasts). The original National Wrestling Hall of Fame featured 11,000 square feet of display space, at a total construction cost of $550,000, according to the 1976 Amateur Wrestling News article. Just over three years ago -- in June 2016 -- the Stillwater Hall of Fame reopened after undergoing a complete renovation and update of its facilities and displays at a cost of $3.8 million. Included in the upgrades: interactive displays and electronic kiosks, along with the opportunity to watch NCAA championship matches from the 1930s to the present day.

The Olympic Team Trials will be held at Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State University in University Park, Pa. has been selected to host the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for wrestling on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5. Penn State University is serving as the local organizing committee. The champions from the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wrestling will become eligible to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, August 2-8. The competition will be held in the 18 Olympic weight classes in wrestling, which includes six weight classes in men's freestyle (57 kg, 65 kg, 74 kg, 86 kg, 97 kg, 125 kg), women's wrestling (50 kg, 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg, 68 kg, 76 kg) and Greco-Roman (60 kg, 67 kg, 77 kg, 87 kg, 97 kg, 130 kg). Tickets for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for wrestling will become available to the general public this Friday, September 20. Click here to purchase tickets. Tickets start at $49 for an all-session ticket. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets right away, as this event is expected to be sold out. In the two-day format, Saturday, April 4 will include start of the Challenge Tournament in all 18 weight classes. Included in Saturday's action will be the Challenge Tournament finals, which will determine one athlete in each weight class who advances to the Final X Championship Series on Sunday. On Sunday, April 5, all 18 best-of-three Final X Championship Series will be held, which determines the U.S. Olympic Team Trials champions in each weight class. This series will feature the top seed and the Challenge Tournament champion, as determined by the 2020 Olympic Games Team Selection Procedures. In addition, the completion of the consolation rounds of the Challenge Tournament will be held on Sunday. Click here for the 2020 Olympic Games team selection procedures. The Bryce Jordan Center has already established itself as a historic wrestling venue. It served as the site of the 1999 NCAA Championships, which ironically featured current Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson's first of four NCAA titles and Penn State assistant coach Casey Cunningham's 157 pound crown. The Bryce Jordan Center was also the site of the 1998 and 2009 Big Ten Championships and will serve as the host site in March of 2021. The top four (and six of the top 10) all-time NCAA wrestling dual meet attendance records indoors have taken place at the Bryce Jordan Center, including the all-time indoor record of 15,998 who saw Penn State down Iowa 28-13 on Feb. 10, 2018. That record crowd is the largest crowd to ever witness a Penn State Athletics event not held in Beaver Stadium, Penn State's 100,000-plus capacity football stadium. University Park becomes only the 10th U.S. city to host a U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wrestling since USA Wrestling became national governing body for wrestling in the United States in 1983. The only previous time it was held in Pennsylvania was in 1992, when the U.S. Freestyle Olympic Team Trials were hosted in Pittsburgh. This will be the fifth straight U.S. Olympic Team Trials in which all three Olympic wrestling teams were determined at the same time, with men's freestyle, women's freestyle and Greco-Roman all featured in the event. The previous U.S. Olympic Team Trials with all three teams determined were in Indianapolis (2004), Las Vegas (2008) and Iowa City (2012, 2016). Host Penn State is one of college wrestling's most successful teams in history, boasting nine NCAA Div. I national team titles. Included are eight of the last nine NCAA Div. I national team titles, under head coach Cael Sanderson, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling. U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS - Freestyle 1984 - Allendale, Mich. 1988 - Pensacola, Fla. 1992 - Pittsburgh, Pa. 1996 - Spokane, Wash. 2000 - Dallas, Texas 2004 - Indianapolis, Ind. 2008 - Las Vegas, Nev. 2012 - Iowa City, Iowa 2016 - Iowa City, Iowa 2020 - University Park, Pa. U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS - Greco-Roman 1984 - Allendale, Mich. 1988 - Pensacola, Fla. 1992 - Concord, Calif. 1996 - Concord, Calif. 2000 - Dallas, Texas 2004 - Indianapolis, Ind. 2008 - Las Vegas, Nev. 2012 - Iowa City, Iowa 2016 - Iowa City, Iowa 2020 - University Park, Pa. U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS - Women's Freestyle 2004 - Indianapolis, Ind. 2008 - Las Vegas, Nev. 2012 - Iowa City, Iowa 2016 - Iowa City, Iowa 2020 - University Park, Pa.

Ildar Hafizov lifts Germany's Etienne Kisinger in his first mach at the World Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan -- The United States Greco-Roman team posted a 1-3 record on Monday at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, failing to advance a wrestler beyond the round of 16. Ildar Hafizov (60 kilograms) picked up a win, while both Pat Smith (77 kilograms) and Adam Coon (130 kilograms) lost their first match. Hafizov, a 2008 Olympian for Uzbekistan, rolled to a 6-1 victory in his first match at 60 kilograms against Germany's Etienne Kisinger. The first point was scored by Kisinger off a passivity, but Hafizov dominated the rest of the way. He used a pair of throws to build his lead to 4-1 at the break. Hafizov added a takedown in the final 30 seconds of the match to win by five. In the round of 16, Hafizov met returning world bronze medalist Lenur Temirov of Ukraine, and fell 8-2. Hafizov led 2-1 with two minutes remaining before Temirov turned it up. The Ukrainian countered a throw attempt by Hafizov and earned a reversal before following it up with a gut wrench to go up 4-2. Hafizov continued to press forward and look for opportunities to score, but the Ukrainian would use a body lock to score four points in the closing seconds to seal the victory. Hafizov was eliminated from the tournament when Temirov lost by technical superiority in the quarterfinals to world champion Sergey Emelin. Pat Smith walks out with coaches for his first match at the World Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Smith dropped his first match at 77 kilograms to Germany's Roland Schwarz, 5-3. The 28-year-old American was in control for most of the match. He led 2-0 at the break. In the second period, Schwarz scored off a passivity to cut the deficit to 2-1. With just over a minute remaining in the match, the German then lifted Smith and scored with a four-point throw to go up 5-2. Smith would score a step out with 40 seconds left, but ultimately fall short. Schwarz dropped his next match to Paulius Galkinas of Lithuania, eliminating Smith from the tournament. Adam Coon looks to score with gut wrench against China's Lingzhe Meng (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Coon, a returning world silver medalist, was defeated in his opening match at 130 kilograms by China's Lingzhe Meng, 3-1. Meng was hit for passivity eighty seconds into the match, giving Coon a 1-0 lead and a chance in par terre. Coon attempted a gut wrench, which Meng countered and picked up a reversal in the process. Meng then scored with a gut wrench to go up 3-1. Ultimately, the scoring sequence would decide the match as no more points were scored in the final four minutes. Coon's tournament officially came to a close when Meng was defeated in his next match by Turkey's Rıza Kayaalp, a three-time world champion and two-time Olympic medalist. The United States Greco-Roman team failed to win a medal at the World Championships and compiled a combined record of 8-12. Max Nowry (55 kilograms) was the highest American finisher in Greco-Roman, placing fifth. Women's wrestling gets underway on Tuesday at the World Championships. Whitney Conder (50 kilograms), Sarah Hildebrandt (53 kilograms), Jacarra Winchester (55 kilograms) and Victoria Francis (72 kilograms) will compete for the United States.

Justin Gaethje scored a first-round knockout of Donald Cerrone in a top-of-the-card lightweight (155-pound) bout at UFC Fight Night 158 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia on Saturday night. "Justin Gaethje put an absolute beating on Donald Cerrone," according to MMAmania.com. "From the literal first strike of the night -- a searing low kick that dug deep into Cerrone's thigh with an unpleasant THWACK -- Gaethje was ahead of his opponent," MMAmania.com continued. "For all of Cerrone's creative offense, Gaethje seemed to have him figured out almost immediately." Justin GaethjeHere's how Sherdog.com described the fight: "Gaethje disposed of his longtime friend with a chopping counter right hand and follow-up punches." "The 30-year-old Gaethje met straight punches and front kicks to the body from 'Cowboy' with heavy uppercuts and hooks, as the two men fought to a virtual standstill for roughly four minutes," Sherdog.com continued. "Late in the first round, he caught Cerrone coming forward with his hands low and connected with a devastating right hand to the side of the head. Gaethje engaged his loopy counterpart at close range, cut loose with right uppercuts and dropped him to his knees with another right hook ..." The fight ended at 4:18 of Round 1. After the bout, Gaethje -- know as "The Highlight" -- offered his assessment. "I'm always surprised," said Gaethje, ranked No. 5 in the world. "I go in there and I'm not sure I'm good enough. Gaethje, a two-time Arizona high school state wrestling champ who earned NCAA Division I All-American honors for University of Northern Colorado at 157 pounds at the 2010 Nationals, is now 21-2 in his pro MMA career going back to August 2011 ... while Cerrone, 36, is now 36-12 overall in his 13-year pro career, and 23-10 in UFC.

Joe Rau went 1-1 Sunday at the World Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan -- It was a day of disappointment for the U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling team at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Ellis Coleman (67 kilograms), Joe Rau (87 kilograms) and G'Angelo Hancock (97 kilograms) competed on Sunday, and all three failed to advance past the round of 16. The three Greco-Roman wrestlers eliminated from the tournament in the opening session. Coleman got off to a strong start at 67 kilograms, beating returning world bronze medalist Meirzhan Shermakhanbet of Kazakhstan in his first match by technical superiority, 10-2. Coleman used a four-point throw in the first minute of the match to go up 4-0. Later in the period, an exchange saw the Kazakhstan wrestler get two points before Coleman turned the tables, getting four points and nearly securing the fall. With just under minutes remaining in the match, Coleman scored a takedown to close out the match. Ellis Coleman won his first match before losing to Bulgaria's Devyid Dimitrov (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) In his second match, Coleman faced Bulgaria's Devyid Dimitrov. The Bulgarian went up 4-0 in the first 20 seconds of the match after scoring four points off an arm spin. Dimitrov would add another point off a step out and shut down Coleman's offense on his way to a 5-0 victory. Coleman was eliminated from the tournament when Dimitrov lost his next match to Fredrik Bjerrehuus of Denmark, 6-0. Rau opened his tournament at 87 kilograms with a 6-0 shutout over Asian silver medalist Kumar Sunil of India. The American scored with a couple step outs before getting a takedown late in the first period, which he followed up with a gut wrench to go up 6-0 at the break. There would be no scoring in the final period and Rau would move on with a six-point victory. He met Nikolai Stadub of Belarus in the round of 16. Rau scored a point off a passivity in the first period and led 1-0 at the break. A minute into the second period, Rau was called for passivity and the Belarusian had his chance in par terre. He took advantage of it, scoring with four turns with a gut wrench to earn a 9-1 technical superiority. Rau's tournament ended when Stadub was defeated by Olympic silver medalist Zhan Beleniuk in the quarterfinals. G'Angelo Hancock opened his tournament with a win over Nikolai Krysov of Ukraine (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Hancock, competing at 97 kilograms, cruised to a 6-0 victory in his first match against Nikolai Krysov of Ukraine. He led 3-0 at the break after scoring with a passivity and gut wrench. In the second period, Hancock added a step out and late caution and two. Next up for Hancock was a meeting with 2014 world champion Melonin Noumonvi of France in the round of 16. Hancock took a 1-0 lead into the break. The American led 2-1 into the final minute of the match before the 36-year-old Noumonvi used a five-point throw to go up 6-2, and then held on for the final 45 seconds. Noumonvi was defeated by Giorgi Melia of Georgia in his next match, eliminating Hancock from the tournament. Max Nowry placed fifth at 55 kilograms (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Nowry places fifth Max Nowry finished in fifth place at 55 kilograms. He won his first repechage match by technical superiority over Algeria's Abdelkarim Fergat, 11-3. Nowry was then dominated by returning world champion Eldaniz Azizli of Azerbaijan, 8-0, in the bronze-medal match. John Stefanowicz competed in repechage at 82 kilograms, falling to China's Haitao Qian, 9-0. The final three American Greco-Roman wrestlers will compete on Monday. Those wrestlers are Ildar Hafizov (60 kilograms), Pat Smith (77 kilograms) and Adam Coon (130 kilograms).

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan -- The United World Wrestling bureau passed a series of decisions yesterday during a meeting before the start of the 2019 Senior Wrestling World Championships at the Barys Arena in Nur-Sultan. Topping the outcomes was the selection of Krasnoyarsk as host of the 2022 Senior Wrestling World Championships. The Russian city is well known to wrestling fans as host city of the prestigious Ivan Yaryiguin Invitational held each January in memory of the two-time Olympic champion. The 2022 championships will be Krasnoyarsk's first time hosting the combined world championships and the first world championships since the Siberian city welcomed men's freestyle in 1997. The bureau also named several cities as hosts for the 2021 season, highlighted by Guatemala City (Pan-Am) and Katowice (Europe) each set to be senior-level hosts of the continental championships. The Russian city of Ufa was also named the host of the Junior World Championships and Belgrade as host the U23 World Championships. The full and updated calendar of events can be found at www.unitedworldwrestling.org/events. In a move meant to better align with established Olympic norms Bureau members approved limiting the age of Bureau members to 75 years old and the term of president to two (2) six-year terms. For consistency across the organization, the bureau also approved a limitation on the term of continental presidents, who may now serve no more than three terms of four years each. Changes to the UWW constitution require the affirmation of the Congress which will take place in fall of 2020. In addition to host city allocations and self-governance the bureau also approved the nominees for the 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony in Tokyo. Three-time Olympic gold medalist Saori YOSHIDA (JPN) will be added to the Hall of Fame in 2020 under the "Legend" category. (Photo: Gabor Martin) Saori YOSHIDA (JPN) a three-time Olympic champion, Olympic silver medalist and 13-time world champion was nominated to the Hall of Fame in the "Legend" category. She will be joined by former teammate, Olympic champion and eight-time World Champion Hitomi OBARA SAKAMOTO (JPN) who looks to enter the Hall of Fame as a member of women's wrestling. The men's freestyle nominations included twin brothers John PETERSON (USA) and Ben PETERSON (USA). The Peterson's each won Olympic gold, Olympic silver, world silver and world bronze. In Greco-Roman, Gheorghe BERCEANU (ROU) - who won Olympic gold, Olympic silver and was a two-time world champion - was nominated alongside Olympic and world gold medalist Pertti UKKOLA (FIN). Mr. MOLINA (CUB) was nominated as a referee and Yuri SHAKHMURADOV (RUS) as a coach. Mr. Shakhmuradov was also added to the Women and Sport commission. The 2019 Senior Wrestling World Championships begin at 11am local with action in four Greco-Roman weight categories. Semifinals will begin at 6pm local.

Max Nowry gets his hand raised after winning his first match at the World Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan -- The United States Greco-Roman team picked up three wins in the opening session of the 2019 World Championships but failed to advance a wrestler past the quarterfinals on Saturday in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. However, two wrestlers who competed on Saturday remain alive in the competition. Max Nowry (55 kilograms) and John Stefanowicz (82 kilograms) will wrestle in repechage, while Ryan Mango (63 kilograms) and Raymond Bunker (72 kilograms) were eliminated from the competition. The four Greco-Roman weight classes contested on the opening day are non-Olympic weight classes. Nowry started his tournament at 55 kilograms with a 10-1 technical superiority over 2019 European bronze medalist Fabian Schmitt of Germany. Schmitt led 1-0 at the break after scoring off a passivity. Nowry turned it up in the second period. He used a four-point throw to go up 4-1. A short time later, Nowry secured a takedown off a snap down and then scored with two trap-arm gut wrenches to close out the match. In the quarterfinals, Nowry met crowd favorite Khorlan Zhakansha of Kazakhstan, a bronze medalist at the Asian Championships. Nowry struck first, scoring two points off a counter. He would take a 2-0 lead into the break. In the second period, Nowry was called for passivity, giving Zhakansha his first point. Trailing 2-1, Zhakansha scored with a gut wrench to go up 3-2 and held on for the win. Nowry remained alive in the competition after Zhakansha knocked off returning world champion Eldaniz Azizli of Azerbaijan, 11-5. John Stefanowicz went 1-1 in the opening session of the World Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Stefanowicz, competing at 82 kilograms, was shut out in his opening match by Georgia's Lasha Gobadze, 7-0. Gobadze scored first off a passivity and then extended his lead to 3-0 late in the first period off an arm throw. In the second period, the Georgian once again earned a point off passivity to go up 4-0 and then scored two points off a caution. The call was challenged by the United States and upheld, giving Gobadze a seven-point lead. Stefanowicz was unable to score and Gobadze advanced. Stefanowicz still has a chance to wrestle back for a bronze medal after Gobadze earned a 3-1 win in the semifinals over Nurbek Khashimbekov of Uzbekistan. Ryan Mango lifts Rahman Bilici of Turkey (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Mango cruised to a technical superiority in his opening match over Portugal's Julinnho Corriea Diu, 11-0. After scoring off a passivity midway through the opening period, Mango used a gut wrench to turn the Portugal wrestler five times and end the match in the first period. Next up for Mango was world bronze medalist Rahman Bilici of Turkey. Bilici scored the first point of the match off a passivity before Mango turned the tables, scoring with a four-point move to go up 4-1. Bilici then reversed Mango and scored two points before getting another two points off an exposure to grab a 5-4 lead. Bilici would add a takedown in the second period and win by three. Bilici was beaten by Kazakhstan's Almat Kebispayev 7-4 in his next match, ending Mango's tournament. Raymond Bunker talks with U.S. Greco-Roman coaches Matt Lindland and Brandon Paulson (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Bunker opened his tournament at 72 kilograms by edging India's Yogesh, 6-5. The American used a strong first period to grab a 4-0 lead at the break. In the second period, after a scoreless first minute, Bunker was called for passivity, giving Yogesh a point and the top position in par terre. Yogesh then locked up a gut wrench and scored two turns before Bunker came behind for a reversal, making the score 5-5 with the India wrestler leading on criteria. Bunker wasted little time, retaking the lead, 6-5, off a step out. He then held on for the victory. In his second match, Bunker faced returning world bronze medalist Aik Mnatsakanian of Bulgaria. Bunker went up 2-0 in the first period off the strength of a passivity and a step out. The Bulgarian came back in the second period, scoring his first point off a step out before getting a passivity point to give him the criteria lead with two minutes remaining. Mnatsakanian was given an opportunity in par terre after the passivity call and took advantage of it. He scored with a gut wrench and then a lift for another two points to grab a 6-2 lead, which would close out the scoring in the match. Bunker's tournament came to close when Mnatsakanian was defeated by Uzbekistan's Aram Vardanyan 4-1 in the semifinals. Three more American Greco-Roman wrestlers will begin their tournaments on Sunday: Ellis Coleman (67 kilograms), Joe Rau (87 kilograms) and G'Angelo Hancock (97 kilograms).

Braxton Amos (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Ranked No. 2 overall in the Class of 2020, Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin on Friday evening. After missing his freshman season of high school due to injury, Amos is undefeated in two seasons over high school competition, in which he has been completely dominant; he has earned titles at the Walsh Ironman and Powerade tournaments during each season before going on to win the state tournament. Outside the high school season, Amos has won titles at the Super 32 Challenge each of the previous two years in October. He was a Cadet (now 16U) Nationals double champion in Fargo during the summer of 2016 and 2017. This summer Amos was a Junior National champion in freestyle, and advanced to the finals of Greco-Roman, both coming at 220 pounds. He projects most likely as a 285 in college, and will join No. 95 Aidan Medora (Brookfield Academy, Wis.) as an early commit to the Badgers for their 2020 class.

Funeral arrangements have been announced for Ben Knaub, former Colorado high school and college wrestler who served as a high school coach for nearly a quarter-century, and as a mat official for a dozen years. Ben KnaubKnaub passed away in Greeley, Colo. on Monday, Sept. 2 at age 92. The funeral for Knaub, a student-athlete at Greeley High School and Colorado State Teachers College will take place Monday, Sept. 16 at 10 a.m. at the Allnutt Macy Chapel, 6521 West 20th Street, Greeley. Burial will take place following the funeral at City of Evans Cemetery. At Greeley High School, Knaub was a two-time Colorado state wrestling championships placer. Two days after his high school graduation in 1944, Knaub was drafted by the U.S. Army to serve in the last year of U.S. involvement in World War II. After concluding his military service, Knaub enrolled at Colorado State Teachers (now the University of Northern Colorado) and later earned his Master's degree at University of Denver. While in college, Knaub was a two-time NCAA championships qualifier. At the 1949 NCAAs, Knaub wrestled in the 121-pound bracket, where he lost to eventual champ Arnold Plaza of Indiana's Purdue University, 13-11. The following year, Knaub moved up to 128 pounds, but was knocked out of title contention by Walter Romanowski of Cornell College of Iowa, 6-2, in the quarterfinals. (The eventual champ in that weight class was Purdue's Joe Patacsil.) Knaub served as a public school teacher for 35 years ... 31 of those years in the Denver Public Schools. A major portion of his career in education -- over two decades -- was at John F. Kennedy High School in Denver. According to his obituary, Knaub started the wrestling program at Kennedy "from scratch and built it into a conference powerhouse" where his wrestlers won 14 conference championships over the span of 20 years before retiring in 1986. He also served as a high school and wrestling official for 12 seasons. "I remember watching my dad referee the college match when UNC (University of Northern Colorado) upset Oklahoma State," said son Rob. "I even recall watching him on Wide World of Sports, refereeing individual NCAA finals matches." Beyond wrestling, Knaub also participated in slow-pitch softball until age 85, and ran races barefoot. In 2017, Ben Knaub was inducted into the Colorado Wrestling Hall of Fame, as well as being welcomed into the National Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Knaub is survived by his wife of 69 years, Joanne; three children; eight grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren.

A look at the venue for the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) The 2019 Senior Wrestling World Championships start this week in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The competition starts with Greco-Roman, moves to women's wrestling, and ends with freestyle wrestling, and likely Snyderlaev III. The hype for the World Championships has been plenty discussed. The season saw a number of stars arise and capture the attention of the worldwide wrestling community. In freestyle that was Bajrang Punia, who wrestled in six international events in 2018 and won over a hostile crowd in Dagestan. The victory gave Bajrang a cult following in Russia. His performance 48 hours later against Yianni in NYC also won him fans stateside. For the women this year has seen considerable improvement from Team USA but headlined by a Team Japan that's been completely overhauled. Yoshida is long retired, but Icho's comeback at 57 kilograms pushed teammate Risako Kawai into a third and decisive wrestle-off. Kawai won and then so did her sister. A fact that was made more remarkable by Yuki Irie who upended two-time defending world champion Yui Susaki to take the 50-kilogram starting spot. She too will be joined by her sister Nanami in Nur-Sultan, who is competing at 55 kilograms. The Japanese team brings back 2016 Olympic champions Sara Dosho at 68 kilograms, but overall has five faces in their lineup this year that weren't there in 2018. As for Greco-Roman, the story will be who can catch the Russian side. They dominated the field in 2018 en route to winning six of 10 gold medals. Add in a healthy two-time Olympic champion in Roman Vlasov and there is high likelihood that the Russian team could capture at least five gold medals in Nur-Sultan. The competition starts in just 24 hours, with the first draws starting Friday at 4 p.m. local time. Here is the schedule in ET. Date Preliminary Rds Gold, Bronze Finals Saturday, September 14: GR: 55-63-72-82 kilograms Sunday, September 15: GR: GR: 67-87-97 kilograms // GR: 55-63-72-82 kilograms Monday, September 16: GR: 60-77-130 kilograms // GR: 67-87-97 kilograms Tuesday, September 17: WW: 50-53-55-72 kilograms // GR: 60-77-130 kilograms Wednesday, September 18: WW: 57-59-65-76 kilograms // WW: 50-53-55-72 kilograms Thursday, September 19: WW: 62-68/FS: 57-65 // WW: 57-59-65-76 kilograms Friday, September 20: FS: 70-74-92-125 kilograms // FS: 57-65 kilograms /WW: 62-68 kilograms Saturday, September 21: FS: 61-79-86-97 kilograms // FS: 70-74-92-125 kilograms Sunday, September 22: FS: 61-79-86-97 kilograms Prelims start daily 1 a.m. ET Day 1 and Day 2 semifinals will start at 8 a.m. Day 2 finals start at 9 a.m. Days 3 semifinals will start at 7 a.m., finals at 8 a.m. Days 4-8 semifinals will be 6:45 a.m., finals at 8 a.m. Day 9 finals 8 a.m. To your questions … Q: We need your picks, Timothy. -- William S. Foley: See below. Freestyle: 57 kilograms: Zaur Uguev (Russia) 61 kilograms: Yowls Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba) 65 kilograms: Bajrang Punia (India) 70 kilograms: Zurabi Iakobishvili (Georgia) 74 kilograms: Jordan Burroughs (USA) 79 kilograms: Kyle Dake (USA) 86 kilograms: Hassan Yazdanicharati (Iran) 92 kilograms: J'den Cox (USA) 97 kilograms: Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia) 130 kilograms: Taha Akgul (Turkey) Women's wrestling: 50 kilograms: Yanan Sun (China) 53 kilograms: Vinesh Vinesh (India) 55 kilograms: Nanami Irie (Japan) 57 kilograms: Risako Kawai (Japan) 59 kilograms: Xinru Pei (China) 62 kilograms: Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria) 65 kilograms: Forrest Molinari (USA) 68 kilograms: Sara Dosho (Japan) 72 kilograms: Alina Berezhna Stadnik (Ukraine) 76 kilograms: Adeline Gray (USA) Greco-Roman: 55 kilograms: Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan) 60 kilograms: Victor Ciobanu (Moldova) 63 kilograms: Stepan Maryanyan (Russia) 67 kilograms: Artem Surkov (Russia) 72 kilograms: Balint Korpsi (Hungary) 77 kilograms: Roman Vlasov (Russia) 82 kilograms: Aleksandr Komarov (Russia) 87 kilograms: Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) 97 kilograms: Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) 130 kilograms: Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) For a full guide to the World Championships you can/should scan the 70-page Media and Fan Guide. The guide has several helpful features for fans looking to learn more about the championships, including the tournament schedule, links to prior results, downloadable event photos, graphics, entry lists, seeding, and a glimpse at all the anticipated matchups across the 30 championship weight categories. There will be some updates over the next few days so look for a new version on the UWW event site. Q: With so many NCAA All-Americans taking Olympic redshirts, do you think this college wrestling season will be less exciting than previous seasons? -- Mike C. Foley: There are many Olympic redshirts this cycle. The increase has as much to do with opportunity for improved training as it does the belief they could actually qualify for the team. That's not to dismiss the opportunity of the Olympics or the talent of the athletes, but some of the names aren't synonymous with an Olympic medal. To their credit, the training opportunity in an Olympic year is incredible. Team USA camps and the number of like-minded collegiate athletes making the rounds will certainly mean that individual athletes will improve dramatically. In addition, the ability to see international competition should also mean improved an competitive outlook and overseas training camps. While the lack of the biggest stars might depress the appeal of the NCAA, it will also mean that we have a number of athletes improving out of site. It's a trade-off, but one that most of us can agree is worth the burn. Q: What do you view as the deepest weight class at the World Championships across all three styles? -- Mike C. Foley: The 65-kilogram freestyle category has 51 entries! While not a printable fact, in some discussions with members of the staff and press it was mentioned that 48 might be the most entries ever in a weight category. It's a full half of all nations with athletes entered at the championships. When you look at the athletes it's even more impressive. Bajrang Punia (India), Takuto Otoguro (Japan), Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia), Gazimuradov Rashidov (Russia), Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan), and third seed Selahattin Kilicsallayan (Turkey). And oh by the way, Zain Retherford (USA). Greco-Roman at 67 kilograms has 44 entries with a massive number of world and Olympic champions in Rasul Chunayev (Azerbaijan), Frank Staebler (Germany) Ismael Borrero (Cuba), Hansu Ryu (Korea), and Artem Surkov (Russia). Women's wrestling is dominated by 57 kilograms which is loaded with the next generation of superstars (plus Olympic champion Risako Kawai) and the top weight, 76 kilograms. The latter has five world and Olympic champions: Adeline Gray (USA), Erica Wiebe (Canada), Aline Focken (Germany), Qiian Zhou (China), and Yasmin Adar (Turkey). World Championships required viewing Bajrang: India's next golden grappler Russia vs. USA

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Nicholas Gravina, a former four-year standout on the mat at Division I Rutgers University, has been named the first-ever assistant men's wrestling coach in New Jersey City University history, head coach Harry Turner announced on September 12. Gravina, a native of Allendale, N.J., was a four-time national qualifier for the Scarlet Knights from 2016-19, and the first four-time Academic All-Big Ten student-athlete in Rutgers history, graduating as a five-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient. He will be making his coaching debut at NJCU. "Nick embodies everything I'm looking for in our team members, not just as an athlete but as a person," said Turner. "His toughness, willingness to put the team ahead of himself, and commitment to community make him an ideal role model for our guys to look up to." Nick GravinaJust the sixth four-time national qualifier in program history, Gravina collected 77 career varsity victories during his collegiate career. He began his career in the 165-pound weight class before finishing at 184 pounds. Along the way, he earned an appearance in the 2017 NCAA 'Round of 12' and was a two-time Big Ten Championships placewinner, placing fourth in 2016 and sixth in 2019. Gravina was a three-time Midlands Championships placewinner (sixth-2017, sixth-2016, eighth-2015) and claimed the 2016 East Stroudsburg Open Championship. He had a final collegiate mark of 77-35. His career culminated with being honored by the Big Ten Conference as Rutgers University's Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winner. Two Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners are selected annually from each institution among student-athletes who distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. Off the mat, he was a Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative of the men's wrestling program for five years (2014-19). He completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2017 with an impressive 3.73 grade point average and completed his eligibility while earning a Masters of Education in Counseling Psychology. A 2013 graduate of Northern Highlands Regional High School, Gravina was a two-time NHSCA All-American during his freshman and junior seasons and chalked up an astounding career record of 148-12. He was a four-time District V, Region II and Bergen County champion for the Highlanders while wrestling at the 103, 125, 145 and 152 weight classes. Turner will continue to announce additional members of his inaugural coaching staff throughout the month of September.

It's no secret wrestlers are tough, hardworking, and resilient. Kevin AhernKevin Ahern was all of those and more as a student-athlete, wrestler, and football player at Simley High School in Inver Grove Heights in the late 1980s. After high school, Ahern went on to become an All-American wrestler at the University of St. Thomas, and for these accomplishments, and more, he is being inducted into the Simley High School Hall of Fame Friday, September 13 at halftime of the Simley football game against North Saint Paul. Ahern -- the 1988 Simley High School Male Athlete of the Year, finished in the top 10 in his class, was a three-time state qualifier, two-time state placewinner, 1988 state runner-up, and key member of Simley's 1987 and 1988 state championship wrestling teams -- the first in school history. He also earned Academic All-State honors in wrestling and finished his career with a record of 102-28-2. "It was a great experience to be a part of Simley wrestling, and on the teams that won the first state titles in school history," said Ahern. "What I remember is, we wanted to win, not just for the wrestling team, but for the school, and our families. We all rooted for each other individually, and really came together as a team." Simley wrestling: A look back The Simley wrestling program has won 12 state championships, is consistently ranked among the top high school programs in the country, and year-after-year, turns out some of the best wrestlers in the state. But back in 1987, when Ahern was a junior, he and fellow Spartan wrestlers, led by now Hall of Fame coach Jim Short, were trying to win the school's first state championship in any sport. Simley was not yet the traditional wrestling powerhouse that it is now -- but it at all came together in March of 1987 at the St. Paul Civic Center. The Spartans sent nine wrestlers to the state individual tournament that year and had two state champions -- Derek Jones at 138 and Chris Short at 185. Dan Harrison finished third at 145 and Ahern fourth at 155. In the team portion of the tournament, Simley defeated Grand Rapids 30-17 in the state finals to win the Class AA state title. Back then there were only two classes and Class AA was home to the state's bigger schools. In 1988, seven Spartans qualified for the individual state tournament, including Kevin's younger brother Michael Ahern, then a sophomore 98-pounder. Will Short (138) and Dan Harrison (155) won state titles, Kevin Ahern (145) was a runner-up, and Brady Harrison (167) placed fourth. In the team portion, the Spartans were ranked No. 1 in the state the entire season, and defeated Apple Valley 31-14 in the Class AA finals to win the school's second straight state title. In that championship match against Apple Valley, the Spartans trailed 12-6 early. But a Will Short pin at 138 tied the match at 12-12, and Ahern's 10-0 decision over Bobby Green put the Spartans up 16-12 -- and gave them a lead they would never relinquish. Simley would go on to win the state title again in 1989 to make it a three-peat. Mark Madigan has been an assistant coach with the Simley wrestling program for over 30 years. He's been a part of all 12 state championships and has fond memories of every state championship team -- including those in 1987 and 1988. "Every team is different, every kid is different, every road to a state championship is different, that's what makes each one so special," said Madigan. "There were some really good kids in that room back on those teams. I think they fed off of each other and just wanted to compete." That's what drove Ahern, said Madigan -- he would compete against anyone, he always wanted to get better, and would take on any challenge if it meant he could improve. "He was just such a hard worker," said Madigan. "He kept working and improving all the time. He was in excellent shape and would always finish matches strong. He won a lot of matches because of his conditioning and the fact he was just mentally tough." Will Short, current Simley head coach, was a two-time state champion for the Spartans (1988 and 1989) and spent countless hours drilling with Ahern in the Simley wrestling room. "Kevin was a wrestler that just wore you down over the course of a match," said Short. "He would grind out takedowns and score a bunch of points late in matches. Kevin was an extremely hard worker throughout his career. His work ethic was his strength through high school and college. Kevin was a role model to me. He was a person who made every day and every practice an opportunity to improve his skills. That made an impact on me in wrestling and in life." Ahern was also a state qualifier as a sophomore in 1986 at 138. In 1987 Ahern opened the 155-pound Class AA state tournament with a 7-1 win over Chad Propyl of Monticello. He then defeated Dan Swanson of Little Falls 9-2, before losing to eventual state champion Tom Kirpach of Saint Francis, 6-4. Ahern then defeated Dave Wroblewski of Northfield 6-4 before losing to Troy Wondrasch of Winona 6-4 in the third-place match. In a Wednesday, March 2, 1988 Star Tribune article -- where Ahern was named to the Star Tribune All-Metro wrestling team -- Simley coach Jim Short talked about Kevin. "His greatest strength is his intelligence on the mat," Jim Short said. "He knows where he is at all times and doesn't get out of position. He just doesn't make many mistakes." Ahern entered the 1988 state tournament with a record of 29-1-1. He earned a 9-1 win over Todd Musterteiger of Buffalo, and then pinned Leif Simonson of Blake/Breck. In the semi-finals, Ahern defeated Stacey Nelson of St. Francis 6-2, before losing to Jones -- who went back to Minneapolis Roosevelt after competing at Simley in 1987, 14-8 in the state finals. Ahern said defeating Nelson to make it to the state finals was one of the best moments of his wrestling career -- not because he made it to the state finals, but because his older brother Patrick Ahern, then an assistant coach with the Spartans, was in his corner during that match. "To have my brother on the mat coaching me when I made it to the state finals my senior year is something I will never forget," said Ahern. Chris Boys, a 1991 Simley graduate, was a three-time state placewinner (6th, 4th, 4th) and member of three Simley state championship teams (1987, 1988, 1989), a 4th place team (1990) and a second place team (1991). He went on to wrestle at St. John's University where he was a four-time MIAC All-Conference selection and NCAA Academic All-American. Boys vividly remembers being a wide-eyed eighth-grader when he stepped into that Simley wrestling room, looking up to guys like Kevin Ahern, Dan Harrison, Will Short, Chris Short, and the many others who are now legends in the Simley wrestling family. "I was an eighth-grader in 1987 when Simley wrestling really came to life," said Boys. "As a middle-school student at the time, I can remember having a sense that what we were doing was important and that attitude was directed by Kevin and the upperclassmen. It was clear that those guys, driven by Mr. Short, had goals, and we younger guys did not want to let them down. I truly believe that they were the foundation for the winning that Simley wrestling has experienced over the years. I can recall wanting to always practice hard and not mess around so as to not let the older wrestlers down. Whether it was at a practice midway through the season or morning runs before school as we prepared for the state tournament, I always wanted to go hard. That legacy allowed us to win two more consecutive state titles after Kevin graduated, plus a fourth place and second place finish. I was fortunate enough to go on to wrestle in college and was in the same conference as Kevin. I can recall him approaching me at tournaments and still giving me guidance and encouragement, even when our schools were competing directly against each other. He truly never stopped caring and taught me a lot about life without even maybe realizing it." The College Years: St. Thomas After high school, Ahern went on to find success at the University of St. Thomas. He originally wrestled for Coach Dan Chandler and finished his career competing for head coach Joe Gribben, becoming an All-American at 158, finishing third his senior year in 1991. Kevin Ahern had a successful career at St. Thomas"Kevin was so coachable, he understood good positioning, and he was so mentally tough in the tight matches," said Gribben. "He wouldn't panic. I would say he is the best third-period wrestler that I have ever coached. When the match came down to who could deal with the pain of being tired, I would put a lot of money on Kevin. He was just a grinder." In 1991, St. Thomas finished third at the NCAA Division III national tournament. What's remarkable about that season is the Tommies did it with only three wrestlers -- Ahern, Jason O'Brien (Waseca) and Rich Elliott (Forest Lake). One of the Tommies' key wrestlers -- and close friend to all -- Todd English, ended up in the hospital with a collapsed lung the day before the NCAA qualifier. He was expected to compete for All-American honors that year, so it was a tough blow for the team. "The 1991 season, and in particular the national tournament, was by far the most rewarding thing in my career as an athlete or a coach," said Gribben. "We had three wrestlers in that tournament. Jason O'Brien was the champ at 118, Rich Elliott was 2nd at 134, and Kevin was 3rd at 158. It was an amazing run that those three had. Kevin lost his first match and then went on to beat several returning All Americans on his way to third. Of course, he just wore them out and won the matches in the third period. I think those three were 13-2 for the tournament." O'Brien said two words come to mind when looking back at Ahern on the mat: Relentless and consistent. "Kevin's MO was constant pressure," said O'Brien. "He never stopped wrestling and was always moving forward, always trying to score points. He won a lot of matches on pure will as his opponents couldn't keep up with that pace. He was also very consistent. For the most part you knew exactly what you were going to get when he went out there. He didn't have the letdowns most wrestlers suffer during the course of a long season. I was always impressed by that -- both from a physical and mental perspective." Kevin lost his first match in the 1991 NCAA tournament -- which can quickly lead to an early exit for any wrestler with just one more loss. Not Kevin. "Kevin lost his first match which would set up one of the most incredible run of wins I had ever witnessed," recalled O'Brien. "In Kevin's second wrestleback match I remember him getting caught in a funky position and going down 5-0 to a pretty tough wrestler. True to form he kept battling, putting the guy to his back in the next period and going on to win 8-6. In all, he would win five matches in a row coming from behind in at least two of them and pinning a three-time finalist and defending champ in the 3rd place match with one second left on the clock." Just like in high school, Ahern motivated his college teammates by actions, not words. "If you know him at all, you are well aware that half time speeches are not his thing," said O'Brien. "Kevin's wrestling partner on most days was Gordy Morgan (who in 1990 was a member of the USA World Team and was a 1996 Olympian). If you needed a little motivation all you had to do was look to that end of the room and see him butting heads with Gordy; his shirt soaked through in sweat, of course. There were days I felt bad for him, but he never stopped competing." While not one to speak loudly, Ahern was one many could count on to speak with, when needed. "Early on in that 1990-91 season was tough for me as I struggled with balancing school, job interviews, and wrestling," said O'Brien -- then a senior. "The team struggled early as well. I remember conversations with a lot of my teammates and coaches on how to right the ship. Kevin was always a participant in these conversations. He was as solid as they come, always in your corner in good times and in bad." The family behind it all When told he was selected to the Simley Hall of Fame, Ahern was honored, humble, but quickly thought of others and their accomplishments, including his younger brother, Michael Ahern -- Simley's 1990 Male Athlete of the Year. In addition to being a member of Simley's 1988 state championship team, Michael Ahern finished 6th in state in the Class AA 125 pound weight class in 1990, was also a standout cross country runner, competed in track and field, and went on to compete in rugby and boxing while graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Finance. "Having my brother on the team meant we had another person that was dedicated and driven," said Ahern. "And then to have another brother as a coach, that combination is about as good as it gets." Kevin also has three sisters (Shawn, Shannon, Erin) and grew up in a house that emphasized academics and faith before athletics. Parents Walter "Jay" Ahern and Patricia Ahern were supportive and encouraging when it came to athletics, but academics and doing things the right way always came first. "One of the reasons I believe I had a successful career in wrestling was because of how great my mother and father were," said Kevin. "They taught me the value of hard work and respect." Ahern was also a two-time letter winner and 1987 All-Conference honorable mention selection as a linebacker for the Spartans football team. He also earned Academic All-State Football honors (1987) and was named the 1988 Steichen's Scholarship Award winner as the Twin Cities Outstanding Male Student-Athlete. He also earned a Master's degree in Education from St. Mary's University and went on to partner with his dad in the family business and eventually take over as his own company, St. Paul Plastic. A dedicated volunteer, Ahern has also volunteered more than 1,000 hours at Feed My Starving Children in Eagan. "The same discipline and work ethic that Kevin had in wrestling, he had in other areas of life," said Gribben. "They do go hand in hand. You have to give that credit to Mr. and Mrs. Ahern. They are a close, supporting family and Kevin's work ethic was learned long before he stepped foot on campus." That's what stands out most to Gribben. "I'm just glad he was at St. Thomas when I was there because I got the honor of coaching him, to call him my friend and to get to know the Ahern family," said Gribben. O'Brien shared the same experience. "He is a true friend, as loyal as they come," said O'Brien. "He is the type of friend that is there when you need him and cares enough to tell you when you're wrong or out of line. He is generous and spends a lot of his time giving back to others. I was fortunate to have worked with Jay, Kevin, and Michael for a while when I graduated from college. The lessons I learned at the company and hanging around the Ahern family are lessons I've carried with me and passed down to my kids. Kevin is representative of them all; smart, hardworking, fair, and caring. No doubt he and the rest of the family deserve this honor." Madigan said the same. Over the years he and Kevin's brother Patrick have remained close friends. "His family was the first to take me in and welcome me when I came to Simley," said Madigan. "He comes from a great family. And more so than anything he did on the mat or football field, he's just an awesome person, and I am lucky to have the opportunity to coach him and be a part of his life." Matt Krumrie is an Inver Grove Heights-based freelance writer and contributor to The Guillotine, USA Wrestling, and MatBoss. He can be reached at mattkrum@yahoo.com.

A GoFundMe page has been established for Mark Kerr, a champion wrestler in high school, college and national freestyle competition who went on to find success in a mixed martial arts career where he was known as "The Smashing Machine" and "The Specimen." Kerr, 50, has been battling peripheral neuropathy for the last 3 years, according to the text at the GoFundMe page, which goes on to state that, over the last 6 months, the disease has made it almost impossible to work. The fund is intended to help pay medical expenses not covered by insurance. Born in Toledo in December 1968, Mark Kerr launched his amateur wrestling career as a freshman at Bettendorf High School in Iowa. His family returned to Ohio, where Kerr won an Ohio state wrestling title for Toledo Waite High School. Mark Kerr battles Randy CoutureKerr then headed east to Syracuse University in upstate New York, which had an intercollegiate wrestling program at the time. Kerr won the 190-pound title at the 1992 NCAA Division I Championships, defeating fellow future MMA star Randy Couture who wrestled at Oklahoma State in the finals. In 1994, Kerr was crowned USA Senior Freestyle Champion at 220 pounds. In January 1997, Kerr had his first pro MMA fight. He tallied eleven straight wins, with all but two of those ending in the first round. His last fight was a decade ago -- a first-round knockout loss at the hands of Muhammed Lawal, a former wrestler at Oklahoma State. Kerr was the subject of a 2003 HBO documentary, The Smashing Machine.

Japan has been the dominant force in women's wrestling since the sport was introduced. Last year, Japan claimed seven of the 10 gold medals in Budapest and won the team title by 37 points. This year, Japan will be without world champions Yui Susaki and Haurna Okuno, but bring a loaded lineup to Nur-Sultan that includes returning world champions Risako Kawai and Mayu Mukaida. However, there are many talented women's wrestlers outside of the Japanese team. Adeline Gray of the United States is a multiple-time world champion, while Canada's Erica Wiebe and Russia's Natalia Vorobeva are Olympic champions. Let's examine the five most likely champions in women's wrestling at this year's World Championships in Nur-Sultan. Risako Kawai after winning a gold medal at the 2018 World Championships (Photo/Gabor Martin, United World Wrestling) 1. Risako Kawai (Japan, 57 kilograms) Kawai was one of four gold medalists for the Japanese women's wrestling team at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Since then, Kawaii has added a pair of world titles. Last year, Kawai's world title came at 59 kilograms where she completely dominated the competition. In the finals, Kawai won 8-0 over Elif Yeşilırmak of Turkey. She moved down a weight class to 57 kilograms and earned her spot by beating out four-time Olympian champion and 10-time world champion Kaori Icho. Kawai is the biggest lock to win gold in the women's wrestling field this year. Mayu Mukaida wrestling at the 2018 World Championships (Photo/Gabor Martin, United World Wrestling) 2. Mayu Mukaida (Japan, 53 kilograms) Mukaida enters Nur-Sultan in search of her third world title. The 22-year-old Japanese star won her first world title in 2016. After getting upset in the finals of the 2017 World Championships in a match in which she went up 6-0, Mukaida bounced back in a big way in 2018, torching the field at 55 kilograms, outscoring her opposition 44-7. Her toughest match came in the quarterfinals, where she beat Sweden's Sofia Mattsson, 6-4. Mukaida took a surprising loss in the finals of the Asian Championships, where she gave up a takedown in the closing seconds to lose 4-3 to Pak Yongmi of North Korea. She looks to be in top form entering this year's World Championships after beating out two-time returning world champion Haruna Okuno for the spot on the Japanese team. 3. Sara Dosho (Japan, 72 kilograms) Dosho won an Olympic gold medal in 2016 and added a world title in 2017. In 2018, Dosho was recovering from a shoulder injury and missed the World Championships. She returned this year and won her fourth Asian championship in April, beating 2018 world bronze medalist Zhou Feng of China. In addition to her Olympic and world titles, Dosho has three other world medals. She has not been defeated since the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas. Adeline Gray after getting a fall at Beat the Streets in Los Angeles (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 4. Adeline Gray (USA, 76 kilograms) Gray, a four-time world champion and the reigning world champion, enters the World Championships as the No. 2 seed behind 2017 world champion Yasemin Adar of Turkey, who won gold medals at the Dan Kolov and European Championships. Also in the weight class is 2016 Olympic champion Erica Wiebe of Canada, who will be seeded No. 4. The top four seeded wrestlers combine for six world and Olympic titles. Still, despite the talent in the weight class, Gray has to be considered a solid favorite. She beat Adar by technical superiority in last year's finals. In addition, Gray beat Wiebe 3-1 in the semifinals of last year's World Championships before getting a 10-0 technical superiority over the Canadian Olympic champ at the Pan American Championships this year. 5. Yuki Irie (Japan 50 kilograms) Irie made the Japanese team at the lightest weight class by knocking off reigning two-time world champion Yui Susaki, 6-1, in their special wrestle-off in July. She is a past Junior world champion and earned a gold medal at the Asian Championships in April. Japan has dominated this weight class, winning six straight world or Olympic gold medals. Before Susaki burst on the scene and won two straight gold medals, Eri Tosaka had a stranglehold on the weight class worldwide, winning four straight world or Olympic titles.

Tervel Dlagnev after a victory in the finals of the Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Tervel Dlagnev, 2012 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time NCAA Division II wrestling champ who is now on the coaching staff at Ohio State, is one of four former student-athletes and a coach who will be inducted into the University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK) Athletic Hall of Fame during the school's Homecoming weekend on Oct. 4-5, 2019. Born in Bulgaria, Dlagnev was introduced to wrestling as a high school student in Texas. As a walk-on for the UNK wrestling program, Dlagnev became arguably one of the school's all-time great wrestlers. Dlagnev was a two-time NCAA Division II heavyweight champ (winning back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008) and four-time All-American. As a senior, Dlagnev didn't allow a single offensive point that season, helping UNK win its' first-ever team national team title. In addition to demonstrating his prowess on the mat, Dlagnev was a four-time NCAA Academic All-American. After graduating from UNK in 2008, Dlagnev took his outstanding wrestling skills to the world beyond Nebraska. Arguably at the top of his international mat accomplishments: a two-time U.S. Olympic team qualifier, earning a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games, then placing fifth at the 2016 Rio Olympics ... making is UNK's only Olympic medal winner. In addition, Dlagnev qualified for eight national teams and twice earned the bronze medal at the World Wrestling Championships. Now an assistant coach at Ohio State, Dlagnev joined the Buckeye coaching staff just prior to the 2016-17 wrestling season. In addition to Dlagnev, other honorees for the Class of 2019 of the University of Nebraska at Kearney Athletics Hall of Fame include baseball player Neal Arnold, track athlete Lesley (Crutcher) Hulett, football player Roger Suelter, and women's track and cross country coach Mary Iten. The UNK Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet begins at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, in the Ponderosa Room with a social hour. A dinner follows at 6:30 p.m. with the class being inducted into the UNK Athletic Hall of Fame. To purchase a ticket for the Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet, visit unkalumni.org/homecoming. Tickets are $35 per person ($40 starting Sept. 27). On Saturday, Oct. 5, the class will be recognized at half time of the homecoming football game vs. Northeastern State. That contest kicks off at 2 p.m.

The 2019 World Championships get underway on Saturday in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Predicting world champions can prove to be a difficult task. Many weight classes are filled with past world and Olympic medalists, along with young, rising stars looking to break through at the Senior World Championships. There are always surprise performances that are difficult to predict. Last year in Budapest, many wrestling fans were anticipating world champions Jordan Burroughs (USA) and Frank Chamizo (Italy) to battle it out for the top spot at 74 kilograms. Russia's Zaurbek Sidakov had other ideas. Sidakov defeated both Burroughs and Chamizo en route to winning his first world title. Sidakov, Burroughs and Chamizo all return at 74 kilograms, helping to make it one of the strongest freestyle weight classes in the world. So who are the five most likely world champions in freestyle at this year's World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan? Here are my thoughts ... Note: This is merely this writer's opinion. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Kyle Dake with the American flag after winning a world title in Budapest (Photo/Gabor Martin, United World Wrestling) 1. Kyle Dake (USA, 79 kilograms) Dake is the reigning world champion at the non-Olympic weight class of 79 kilograms. The 28-year-old American did not surrender a single point at last year's World Championships in Budapest, outscoring his opposition 37-0. Aside from Dake, the only returning world medalist in the weight class is Jabrayil Hasanov of Azerbaijan, a wrestler Dake has defeated three times, including in the finals of the World Championships. He defeated one of the world's top wrestlers in Alex Dieringer in two straight matches just to make the USA team. Dake is currently the heaviest favorite to win a world title according to the online sportsbook LiveBet.com, which lists him at -500 (risk $500 to win $100). 2. Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia, 97 kilograms) Sadulaev has only suffered one defeat in five world-level events. After winning world titles in 2014 and 2015, Sadulaev became the Olympic champion in 2016 at 86 kilograms. In 2017, Sadulaev moved up to 97 kilograms and reached the finals of the World Championships in Paris where he lost narrowly to fellow Olympic champion Kyle Snyder, 6-5. The Russian Tank came back to avenge the loss by earning a first-period fall in the finals of last year's World Championships. Many are anticipating a third meeting between the Rio Olympic champions in Nur-Sultan. Hassan Yazdanicharati after winning a world title in 2017 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 3. Hassan Yazdanicharati (Iran, 86 kilograms) Yazdanicharati, the 2016 Olympic champion and 2017 world champion, fell in the opening round of last year's World Championships to American David Taylor, 11-6. He came back to win bronze. With Taylor not competing due to injury, Yazdanicharati is the prohibitive favorite to win gold this year at 86 kilograms. The Iranian star has competed only once since last year's Worlds, earning a gold medal at the Dan Kolov, where he outscored his opposition 69-6. While there are some very tough opponents in the weight class, like Russia's Artur Naifonov and Turkey's Fatih Erdin, Yazdanicharati is the class of the field and one of the world's best pound-for-pound freestyle wrestlers. 4. Taha Akgul (Turkey, 125 kilograms) Some would argue that the Rio Olympic champion Akgul is not even the favorite at 125 kilograms after failing to earn a medal at last year's World Championships. The two-time defending world champion and top seed is Georgia's Geno Petriashvili. While Akgul has not won a world or Olympic gold since 2016, he appears to have solidified himself as the man to beat once again at 125 kilograms. He dominated Petriashvili (7-0) en route to winning a European title in April. In July, Akgul blitzed the field at the Yasar Dogu, which included a 5-1 victory in the finals over two-time returning world bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski of the United States. David Baev (Photo/Gabor Martin, United World Wrestling) 5. David Baev (Russia, 70 kilograms) Baev is competing at the Senior World Championships for the first time in his career. He has won gold medals at the Cadet World Championships and Junior World Championships, along with a silver at the U23 World Championships. He earned the spot for Russia at 70 kilograms after two-time world champion Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov moved up to 74 kilograms. While it might seem strange to see a wrestler competing in his first Worlds on a list of the most likely world champions, it has more to do with the composition of the 70-kilogram field. With it being a non-Olympic weight class, it lacks the talent and depth of the Olympic weight classes. Baev's toughest competition may come from two-time world medalist James Green, a wrestler he has beaten twice, with the most recent win coming at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix, 10-2.

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Elmira College Director of Athletics Renee Carlineo announced on Wednesday morning the addition of men's and women's wrestling as intercollegiate programs that will begin competition during the 2020-21 academic year. The teams expand Elmira's varsity sports offerings to 20 intercollegiate programs. "I am incredibly excited for the addition of two wrestling teams to our athletic department and the student-athletes to our community," said Carlineo. "Wrestlers are gritty, resilient, and will add a new dimension to our already well-rounded student body. We have a perfect geographic location for this sport and possess unique academic offerings to attract competitive wrestlers that are academically strong." As part of a larger department-wide initiative, adding men's and women's wrestling will impact current athletic facilities in a positive way. The College will begin to explore recreating existing space for locker rooms, not only for the two new athletic programs, but also for Elmira's current athletic varsity teams. "The addition of men's and women's wrestling comes at a particularly exciting time for the College," stated Elmira College President Dr. Chuck Lindsay. "We have the opportunity to provide a unique co-curricular experience for a new wave of student-athletes, while adding to our already robust athletics programs and the vibrant culture within our current student body." Wrestling has become an emerging sport in NCAA Division III for both men and women. However, Elmira will become somewhat of a pioneer in the world of women's wrestling in the region, as the Soaring Eagles will sponsor the first NCAA Division III women's wrestling program in New York. Additionally, Elmira's implementation of men's wrestling will be the 12th Division III program in the state. "The National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NWCA) would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the extraordinary leaders at Elmira College for recognizing the educational value that men's and women's wrestling will bring to their campus," added Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the NWCA. "We are thrilled to have been able to facilitate a substantial startup grant from regional benefactors to insure the successful launching of the men's program along with the first-ever intercollegiate women's team at a four-year college in New York." The popularity of wrestling in the region, as well as across the country, will provide Elmira with a new pool of student-athletes from which to recruit. In the New York region alone, there are 11,461 high school boys wrestling programs and 584 high school programs for girls. When Pennsylvania is included, those numbers increase to 21,181 and 786 for high school boys and girls, respectively. Nationally, the high school participation rate for boys and girls wrestling has increased over the last 15 years. The popularity of scholastic girls wrestling has led to the implementation of 18 high school athletic associations that sponsor a state championship. This growth has sparked the addition of 226 new collegiate wrestling programs since 1999. On June, 2019, the NCAA put forth a press release announcing "the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics recommended that all three divisions of the NCAA governance structure add two sports -- acrobatics and tumbling and women's wrestling -- to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program." "The committee identifies sports to be added to the Emerging Sports for Women program, which is a pipeline supporting the advancement of women's sports to NCAA championship status. The program also provides athletics opportunities for women and sport-sponsorship options for colleges and universities. Schools also may use an emerging sport to help meet membership minimum sports-sponsorship requirements and financial aid requirements." Elmira College briefly sponsored men's wrestling as a collegiate sport during the 1970s, but the sport was later discontinued. With the reinstatement of the men's program, and the addition of women's wrestling, the College will implement a national search immediately for a head coach for both teams.

Joey Palmer wrestling in the semifinals of the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) AMES, Iowa -- Today, Cyclone Regional Training Center Director, Kevin Dresser, announced another addition to the C-RTC. Former three-time NCAA Qualifier Joey Palmer will join up with the C-RTC in Ames. "It is exciting to add another elite level guy to our program," Dresser said. "Joey has had a great 2019 and has already defeated top level guys this year. He is very serious about his training and his opportunities moving forward. He is a young guy with great focus and we are excited for our athletes to get a chance to train with another guy who is striving to be the best in the world. I think his best days are ahead of him. Joey will join us immediately." The program that Dresser and company are building in Ames is ultimately what lured Palmer into making the decision to come to Ames. "You look at everywhere Dresser has been, he's had success," Palmer said. "Now he's in Ames with Metcalf, St. John and all the talent they have in that room, and it's really exciting to see what those guys have done. The state of Iowa and Ames is a great place for me to train and to learn from these coaches." Palmer burst on to the Senior Level scene this past April at the US Open in Las Vegas. There, Palmer finished third place at 61 kg, defeating current World Team Member Tyler Graff and former World Team member Tony Ramos. "I've always had a dream to make the Olympics and to be a World Champ," Palmer said. "I hadn't been competing when I was teaching and going to school for my masters. When I stepped out on to the mat again (at the US Open), all of those dreams and emotions hit me. I hadn't lost sight of what my dreams and goals were, but I think I just wanted it more." Palmer has spent the last two season coaching, one year at his alma mater of Oregon State, and one at his high school in Tahoma, Washington. Earlier this summer, Dresser announced that NCAA Champion Jesse Delgado would be joining the C-RTC. With the addition of Palmer, the lighter weights are beginning to take shape, joining Kyven Gadson, who is a National Team Member at 97 kg.

Sean Fausz gets his hand raised after a win at the U23 World Championships (Photo/Gabor Martin, United World Wrestling) SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly head wrestling coach Jon Sioredas has added a top young talent to his staff as Sean Fausz has joined the program as an assistant coach. Fausz, a third-place finisher at the 2019 Senior Freestyle World Team Trials, will begin his coaching career at Cal Poly after a successful wrestling career at North Carolina State, where he compiled a 54-22 career record with eight falls. "This move is insurmountable for our program," said fourth-year Mustang head coach Jon Sioredas. "Sean will not only bring a wealth of wrestling experience to our lightweights, but the fact that he was a four-time Academic All-American while pursuing an engineering degree is a testament to his work ethic and will carry a lot weight at Cal Poly. "Sean's mentorship will provide our guys with first-hand experience on how to accomplish extraordinary goals, both on the mat and in the classroom," Sioredas added. Fausz captured a world silver medal in the 2018 U23 World Championships, held at Bucharest, Romania. He was also a four-time Atlantic Coast Conference finalist and captured an ACC championship in 2018 while competing for the Wolfpack. Fausz also qualified for the NCAA Division I National Championships four times. At Campbell County High School in Alexandria, Kentucky, Fausz was a two-time Kentucky state champion, NHSCA Senior National runner-up, and posted a high school record of 234-24 with 115 pins. He posted a 62-0 record en route to the state title as a junior and placed third in the state finals as a sophomore and second as a freshman. Fausz also was a Fargo Junior Freestyle All-American, FILA Cadet national champion and FILA Cadet World Team member. Fausz earned his bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering in May 2019 from North Carolina State with a minor in science, technology and society. He was a four-time NWCA Academic All-American, a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and a three-time team captain with the Wolfpack. Sean Fausz File Third Place at 2019 World Team Trials at 61 KG Second Place at 2018 U23 World Championships at 61 KG Four-time NCAA Qualifier Four-time Academic All-American Three-Year Team Captain Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering Two-time Kentucky state champion Three-time NHSCA All-American Fargo Junior Freestyle All-American FILA Cadet National Champion FILA Cadet World Team Member

Nick Suriano gets is hand raised after winning in the NCAA semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Nick Suriano, 133-pound titlewinner at the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships for Rutgers University, is planning to take an Olympic redshirt for the 2019-20 season, with an eye to training for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in April, according to multiple media reports. A member of Suriano's family told NorthJersey.com that he was taking this action to pursue his Olympic dream. The same website reported that a second source confirmed the story Monday night. NJ.com reports that Suriano is not enrolled at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, for the Fall 2019 semester, according to the university student directory. This gives the New Jersey native some flexibility. He could opt to sit out the entire 2019-20 season as he pursues a place on Team USA for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Or the senior could choose to re-enroll after the fall semester, rejoin the Scarlet Knights wrestling team, and seek a second NCAA title in the second half of the season, which would exhaust his final year of collegiate eligibility. Rutgers has not yet commented officially on Suriano's status for the 2019-20 school year. The 2020 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials will be held April 4-5 at Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State. Wrestling at the 2020 Olympics will get underway on August 3, the second week of the Games. There are six weight classes in men's freestyle competition at the 2020 Olympics. Suriano, having wrestled in college at 125 and 133 pounds, would most likely seek to wrestle for the U.S. at 57 kilograms/125 pounds, a drop from 133, the weight class where he won his 2019 NCAA title, becoming the first Rutgers wrestler to win the national title in the program's long history. As the website OnTheBanks.com pointed out, despite taking an Olympic redshirt, Suriano would still be able to work out at the New Jersey Regional Training Center (NJRTC) which is housed at Rutgers and Princeton, and still utilize Rutgers own facilities even if he is not officially enrolled at the school. A native of Paramus, N.J., Suriano was a four-time New Jersey state wrestling champion at Bergen Catholic, with a perfect 159-0 prep record. He started his collegiate career at Penn State, compiling a 16-3 record as a freshman during the 2016-17 season, but injuries kept him from competing at the Big Ten and NCAA championships. Suriano then transferred to Rutgers, where he was a two-time NCAA All-American, winning the 133-pound title at the 2019 NCAAs in Pittsburgh, just two weeks after claiming a Big Ten conference crown.

A 47-year-old unsolved murder of a former Pennsylvania wrestler appears to be closer to being a "closed case." An Ohio prison inmate has been charged in the 1972 shooting death of a wrestler who once competed at an Allentown high school then at Lycoming College, the Allentown Morning Call reported this weekend. The inmate, Larry Joseph Via, 75, has been charged with homicide and robbery in the death of Morgan Peters whose body was found on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Sept. 1972. The charges are the result of a grand jury investigation that began two years ago. The apparent tip-off: Via had written of the crime in biker magazines, according to Ohio authorities. Via is currently an inmate at Marion Correctional Institution in north-central Ohio, on a life sentence for another murder which apparently occurred about the same time as Peters' death. Morgan PetersA 1960 graduate of what is now Allen High School, Peters was a star wrestler who won a 1960 district championship for the Allentown-based school. He then continued his athletic and academic career at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa., where he was a 1961 Middle Atlantic Conference champ. Fast-forward a decade, to the fall of 1972. Peters, then 29, worked for a wrestling mat manufacturer, and was on his way to an installation in Latrobe, Pa. Two motorists found Peters' body behind bushes at a pulloff near the Willow Hill exit near Chambersburg, according to the Morning Call. Peters' truck was found nearly 20 miles down the Turnpike. In 2017, a woman who claimed to have ridden with Via on the Turnpike back in 1972 told police that they pulled over pretending to have car trouble. Peters reportedly pulled in behind them, the Franklin County Free Press reported Saturday. Via got out, disappeared for a time, then came running back, telling her "We gotta go!" Via reportedly drove the vehicle he picked up behind the woman's car for a distance, then returned to her vehicle, abandoning the other vehicle. The crime which put Via in an Ohio prison took place in northeast Ohio, and bears some resemblance to what may have happened to Morgan Peters back in 1972. What's more, Via's ex-wives told police that he had written poems and short stories for Easy Rider magazine in the 1980s which resemble some of the crimes for which he is currently incarcerated.

Adam Wheeler at the 2008 Olympic Games (Photo/Larry Slater) The wrestling community loves an "overcoming adversity" story. Adam Wheeler's life is the very definition of that term, growing up in a single-parent home with serious economic struggles -- not to mention a couple major medical challenges -- to become an Olympic bronze medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling at 96 kilograms/211 pounds at the 2008 Beijing Games who has since served as a police officer, then as a firefighter. Now Wheeler shares his inspirational real-life story in his new book, Believe and Achieve: Overcoming Obstacles to Excel, written along with respected wrestling writer Craig Sesker. The early years: A life of struggle on and off the mat Adam Wheeler was born and raised in Lancaster, California about an hour north of Los Angeles. "To say my childhood was tumultuous would be an understatement," the future Olympian wrote in the opening chapter of Believe and Achieve. "I overcame more than my share of challenges and obstacles while growing up in Southern California." Wheeler's father left the family when his son was three. Adam, his mom, brother and sister struggled with life, having to move frequently. In seventh grade, Wheeler recalls not having any Christmas presents. In addition to being raised by a single mom, Wheeler faced a life-threatening situation: he nearly died at eleven months from a rare blood disease, Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. Wheeler made a full recovery, going out for baseball as a youngster. He first took up wrestling as a high school freshman. "My only exposure to the sport was Saved By The Bell," according to Wheeler. At first, Wheeler struggled in the sport; the future Olympian was 1-15 in first year of high school. Wheeler had other struggles off the mat, skipping classes and eventually getting booted from school. However, thanks to the support of his high school coach, Wheeler attended another school and was able to make up for lost time and classes ... and earn his way back onto the wrestling team at his original school. By his junior year, Wheeler was 37-7 ... and received a grant to participate in J Robinson's Intensive Camp. After graduation, he was signed up for the U.S. Coast Guard, and was able to advance his mat career to higher levels, eventually earning a place on the U.S. Greco-Roman Olympic team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and, ultimately, a bronze medal. How the book came together "Right after the Olympics, a guy in California said, 'I think you've got a great story. We should do a screenplay,'" Wheeler told InterMat. "More recently, people -- friends, family -- have told me, 'You need to write a book.'" Later, as Wheeler got on with his life beyond wrestling -- first as a SWAT team member in Colorado Springs, then, serving as a Denver firefighter -- he was approached by yet another writer about writing a book ... but went another direction. "I thought of Craig Sesker and he thought my story was worth telling," said Wheeler. Sesker gathered info by interviewing Wheeler by phone, "starting from the beginning," as the former wrestler put it. "He'd write a chapter, send it, and I'd read it and comment on it." "Craig added so much to the telling of my story," Wheeler said. "For example, he added a lot of historical information by researching the Olympics." "I had been nervous about doing a book," Wheeler disclosed. "A friend who is a big-time MMA coach said something like, 'If you can make a positive difference to inspire them to overcome challenges, then it's definitely worth it." A compelling real-life story, well told Adam Wheeler's life story would make a great novel, only it's his actual life. Believe and Achieve is full of incredible twists and turns, and moments of great suspense on and off the wrestling mat. One of the most riveting sections is Wheeler's account of his involvement as a SWAT officer in a November 2015 mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs which left three dead (including one police officer) and nine injured (including five officers). Another particularly strong point is Wheeler's account of the 2008 Beijing Olympics that goes beyond providing a clinical move-by-move analysis of what happened on the mat. Believe and Achieve takes readers deep inside the Games, serving up a powerful you-are-there perspective of the Games that normally only an Olympic athlete would experience. Believe and Achieve is highly readable, thanks in large part to its conversational writing style. It offers an inspirational, uplifting presentation that is appropriate for all ages ... and, in fact, would be a powerfully motivating read for an entire wrestling team. "I wanted to make a book to show how I applied what I learned from wrestling which has been so important in building mental toughness and grit necessary for jobs like being on a SWAT team or a major city fire department," Wheeler told InterMat. He succeeded spectacularly. Adam Wheeler's Believe and Achieve: Overcoming Obstacles to Excel is available for purchase from Amazon. To request a signed copy -- or to purchase multiple copies for schools and wrestling teams -- contact Adam Wheeler directly at adamwheelerfitness@gmail.com.