InterMat Staff

John Meyers (left) with longtime Poway wrestling coach Wayne Branstetter (Photo/Rollin Swan) John Meyers, assistant wrestling coach at Poway High School since 2002, has been named head coach of the storied San Diego area prep program ranked No. 10 in the nation by InterMat. Meyers, 49, is replacing longtime coach Wayne Branstetter, who retired at the end of the California state championship in March after a 45-year coaching career, where he spent the last four decades at Poway. Meyers came to Poway 16 years ago to become an assistant coach of the Titans, and for a full-time position as an English teacher. Meyers made his way to sunny southern California by way of Connecticut -- where he was a four-time state champ at Hall High School in West Hartford -- and the University of Minnesota, where he was on the roster for legendary Gophers head coach J Robinson at 134 pounds, often serving as training partner to three-time NCAA All-American David Zuniga. (Meyers' greatest on-the mat success was not in college, but in freestyle and Greco-Roman competition, where he earned several national championships including a Cadet National Freestyle title and a silver medal at the Cadet Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia. Later, he would compete for the U.S. University World team and travel to China, Mongolia and Finland.) "Coach Robinson did wrestling camps in San Diego every year and he asked me to come out one year," Meyers told the San Diego Union Tribune. "I'd never been to San Diego before." Meyers worked at one of J Rob's wrestling camps while coaching at Southern Connecticut University and vowed someday to return. In 1998, Meyers packed up his Honda and headed west, launching his prep coaching career at the two schools J Robinson had recommended: first at Valhalla High, then joining the staff at Poway after his future boss, Wayne Branstetter, urged him to apply for opening as an assistant. That was a decade-and-a-half ago. The former Golden Gopher never had designs on replacing Branstetter. "I was never pressuring Wayne to retire," Meyers told the Union Tribune. "I would have been happy if he said he wanted to stay a few more years. "I just liked being at Poway. It was so easy to work for Wayne because he always coached the program with my input. I don't fish. I don't have any hobbies. Wrestling is it." When asked what the future holds for one of the nation's top prep programs with a new coach in charge, Meyers basically says, "more of the same." "I want to continue what Wayne started," Meyers said. "I don't see any need to put my fingerprint on this program. It doesn't need that."

Brayton Lee after winning his third state title (Photo/Paul Tincher, IndianaMat.com) Brayton Lee, a senior at Brownsburg (Ind.) High School, is one of the nation's top wrestlers in the Class of 2018. Lee finished his high school career as a three-time state champion with a career record of 164-1. He signed with the University of Minnesota in the fall and is part of a 2018 recruiting class that includes Gable Steveson, Patrick McKee and Ryan Thomas, among others. InterMat caught up with the Gopher signee to talk about his career, decision to attend Minnesota, wrestling goals and much more. You capped off your high school wrestling career with your third state championship in February. Did you take some time off from wrestling after the state tournament? Lee: After my senior season I took 2-3 weeks off the mat. I tried to let my body heal up some and train a little differently, but I'm always doing something. I just lived like a kid, went on runs, lifted and tried some CrossFit. You dominated your competition within the state of Indiana. Was it difficult staying motivated against Indiana competition you were far superior to? Lee: Staying motivated this year wasn't really difficult for me because I'm super passionate about this sport and have lots of emotions so there is a lot that keeps me running. I always want to give my best as well. You attended your first NCAAs in Cleveland as a spectator. What was that experience like for you? Lee: Everything about my first experience being at the tournament was amazing. It was by far the most electric wrestling environment I've ever been in. Being such a fan of wrestling, it was very fun being in a city and in arena with a bunch of people like you and being able to chat about all the matches and see what they think. The NCAA tournament was super inspiring. How can you not want to be on that stage? It's what us wrestlers dream about. Your close friend Chad Red became an All-American as a freshman at Nebraska. What was it like seeing him become an All-American in his first NCAA tournament? Lee: I was so proud seeing one of my best friends reach one of his goals, and the way it happened was thrilling. Being with him his family after the moment was super emotional. I'll remember that moment for the rest of my life. What excites you most about getting to Minnesota? Lee: I'm just super excited about being there and living out there while being able to wrestle and grow as a wrestler and man. In what area of your wrestling do you feel like you need to make the biggest gains in order to successfully transition to Division I wrestling? Lee: I definitely think I need to make my biggest improvements on bottom. There are so many great to wrestlers in college that can ride, turn you, and really slow down a match. I have always loved wrestling on my feet so much and winning matches through neutral so I need to make sure I really work on bottom to be able to handle the transition. You're coming in with Gable Steveson, the nation's top recruit. Obviously, he competed in Indiana before moving to Minnesota. What's your relationship like with Gable? Lee: I'm super excited to become teammates with Gable. We are pretty close. It's always fun getting around Gable and having fun. Have there been discussions with the Gopher coaching staff on whether you will redshirt or compete for a starting spot next season? Do you have a preference? Lee: We haven't had much discussion about redshirting or wrestling. I trust in the coaches and think either decision will be solid. I don't really have a preference. I think both routes could be beneficial. I'll be ready either way. Brayton Lee compiled a career record of 164-1 in high school (Photo/Paul Tincher, IndianaMat.com) Where do you expect to compete weight class-wise in college? Lee: I'll most likely be wrestling 149 pounds or 157 pounds. What can Gopher wrestling fans expect from you when you compete? Lee: I think Gopher fans can expect a wrestler trying to score as many points as possible and letting it fly always, a very high pace, aggressiveness and lots of energy. What are your long-term goals in wrestling? Lee: Ever since I've been young I've dreamed of being a four-time state champ, four-time national champ and Olympic champ. But most importantly, I want to reach my full potential and use wrestling as a platform for God. This story also appears in the April 13 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.

New Concordia coach Levi Calhoun (left) and departing coach Andrew Nicola Hours after Andrew Nicola posted on Facebook that he had been let go as head wrestling coach at Concordia University, the Nebraska-based school issued an official statement Wednesday, naming former assistant coach Levi Calhoun to head up the program. Nicola, who had taken the helm at Concordia in November 2016, wrote: "It is with a heavy heart that I am informing everyone I have been fired as the head wrestling coach at Concordia University. "I don't have much to say except that I wish my great friend Coach Calhoun continued success as he takes on this role and I trust he will do an incredible job. He loves these young men just as I do." Calhoun brings seven seasons of experience as an assistant coach at the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) level, including three at Concordia, to his new position as head coach. Calhoun has collaborated on some of Concordia's most successful seasons since the program was reinstated in 2009. The 2015-16 team won GPAC/NAIA North Qualifier championships and recorded an eighth-place national championships finish, the highest ever for the program. Over his three seasons with the Bulldogs, Calhoun has coached six All-Americans, including 2016 national champion Andrew Schulte and 2017 national runner up Ceron Francisco. Giovanni Castillo became the program's latest All-American this past March. Furthermore, the 2015-16 and 2016-17 squads that Calhoun assisted on went a combined 14-0 in GPAC duals. "In the three seasons that Coach Calhoun has spent with us at Concordia, he has shown considerable growth both personally and professionally," said Athletics Director Devin Smith. "He has learned from unique settings and a variety of coaches. He has the knowledge of and passion for the sport, the drive to succeed and the value systems that we look for in our head coaches. We are confident that Levi will represent our athletic department and university in a Christ-like manner and move our championship wrestling program forward as we embody the core values of the Concordia Athletic Department." Prior to being hired by former Concordia head coach Dana Vote in 2015, Calhoun spent the previous four seasons as assistant wrestling coach at Baker University, his collegiate alma mater. During his time as an assistant at Baker, Calhoun coached 11 All-Americans, three national finalists and a national champion. As a student-athlete at the Baldwin City, Kan. school, Calhoun became the school's first NAIA All-American wrestler, and was also on the defensive line for the football team. Calhoun expressed his appreciation for the promotion. "I'd first like to thank President (Brian) Friedrich, Devin Smith and Angela Muller for this incredible opportunity," Calhoun said. "Thanks must also go out to my wife, Hollie, and my parents who have supported me throughout my athletic and coaching careers. I am beyond excited to take over this program and continue to be a part of the Bulldog Family. I have been blessed to have been mentored by some great leaders in my time as an assistant coach. Each has played a role in preparing me to be a head coach. We have an incredible group of young men returning as well as a promising recruiting class that we will continue to build throughout the coming months. Our current and future student-athletes will strive to achieve academic excellence, competitive greatness, as well as live their lives on and off the mat as men of Christian character." Located in Seward, Nebraska, Concordia University is a four-year, private school affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Concordia has an enrollment of approximately 2,700 students.

Joey Dance (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Davidson head coach Andy Lausier welcomes Joey Dance to the Wildcat wrestling staff, announced Wednesday. Dance, a 2017 graduate of Virginia Tech, was a two-time All-American at 125 pounds for the Hokies. The Christiansburg, Va., native was a three-time Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Champion and qualified for the NCAA Championship all four years in Blacksburg. He posted a career mark of 114-20 with 13 pins and lost just one ACC bout in four seasons (20-1). "The hiring of Joey is a tremendous move forward for Davidson Wrestling," said Lausier. "His collegiate experience as one of the nation's top wrestlers at one of the nation's top programs will be an invaluable asset for our team. He brings great energy and ambition to our program and we are all excited to see his impact on Davidson Wrestling." Since his graduation, Dance has competed at the Chicago Regional Training Center (CRTC) in national and international competitions. He also helped instruct fellow CRTC athletes by demonstrating technique and prepping them for competition. Dance started Push Wrestling to help organize and market clinics for local elementary, middle and high school-aged kids. "I'm really excited to begin this new chapter with the Davidson Wildcats as the new assistant wrestling coach," said Dance. "I can't wait to push the program to their new heights and produce champions on and off the mat. Andy and I have big plans for the future of the program!" Dance will begin his tenure at Davidson on Wednesday, Apr. 18.

College-age student-athletes -- male and female -- in Idaho and eastern Oregon who want to continue their on-the-mat careers now have a new option, as Treasure Valley Community College-Caldwell Center is launching a wrestling club for both men and women, the school announced Tuesday. TVCC-Caldwell is located in Caldwell, Idaho, just outside Boise, which had been the home to a NCAA Division I wrestling program until Boise State eliminated it at the end of the 2016-17 season. The college wrestling club will be the product of a new partnership with a local gym owned and operated by Alex Gunoe, a former teacher and wrestling coach. His facility is located across the street from Treasure Valley Community College's Caldwell Center in downtown Caldwell. Wrestling club team members must be enrolled full-time at TVCC during the 2018-19 academic year, with at least nine credits taken at the TVCC Caldwell Center. Both men and women are invited to participate. While the final schedule has not been set, the club members will likely compete against teams from Eastern Oregon University, Brigham Young University -- Idaho, and other local college and universities. "We are still finalizing some of the logistics, but the initial response has taken hold faster than we imagined," said Kaitlin Brookshire, TVCC Caldwell Center Director. "But we are really excited to offer another local option to compete at the collegiate level and support the incredible wrestling legacy Caldwell has built." "With such a strong wrestling community in the Treasure Valley, we're already seeing business and community support for these athletes," Brookshire added. Tryouts and information sessions for the TVCC Caldwell Center wrestling club are scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 21 and Saturday, May 19 at Sergeant's Fitness Gym, 523 Main Street, in Caldwell. For more information, contact Kaitlin Brookshire at kbrookshire@tvcc.cc. TVCC Caldwell Center is affiliated with Treasure Valley Community College, a two-year school with its main campus located in Ontario in eastern Oregon.

Rochester College Athletic Director Klint Pleasant is pleased to announce the addition of wrestling to the athletic department's list of sports and that Paul Holdren will be the first head coach. After graduating from Albion Senior High School, Holdren attended Albion College where he lettered four years on the wrestling team. During his time on the team, Holdren was named captain twice, MVP twice, had an overall record of 49-7-1 and holds 11 Albion College wrestling records. In 2013 Coach Holdren was inducted into the Albion College Athletic Hall of Fame. After finishing his wrestling career at Albion College, Holdren started his coaching career at Albion High School. He then took on the job at Marlette High School. After one year there, Holdren became the varsity head coach at Flint Northwestern High School. Holdren took on the same position at Bentley High School in 1996. In 2002, Holdren established a nationally recognized wrestling program at Mott Community College. During his time at Mott CC, Holdren coached one national champion, 15 All-Americans and 44 national qualifiers. Pleasant is excited about the new wrestling program and to have Coach Holdren on board. "Our athletic department is growing and we look forward to watching wrestling grow as a college sport. High school wrestling in this area has been very strong over the years and there are not many college options. We look forward to interacting with new student-athletes and introducing them to our school's culture and mission. Coach Holdren has come highly recommended and we also look forward to watching him mentor our student-athletes." Coach Holdren's High School coaching achievements:​ Total Record 88-21-1 Three-time District Champ Two-time Top Ten State Finish Coached 21 All-State Wrestlers Nominated Michigan Coach of the Year three times Rochester College is a four-year private school located in Rochester Hills, Mich. just outside Detroit. It has a student enrollment of approximately 1,100. Its sports programs -- including the new wrestling program -- compete in NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics).

Jordon Bakley Jordon Bakley has been named head coach of the wrestling program at Lincoln College, the Illinois-based school announced Tuesday. Bakley, a graduate of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, has been the head wrestling coach at Central District 301 High School in Burlington, Ill. which serves several Kane County communities in northeast Illinois outside Chicago, since 2015. In addition to being at the helm of Central High School's wrestling program, Bakley has taught math in the central school district over the past 3 years. He has also been an assistant coach for Top Dawgs Team Illinois All Stars club wrestling and was a technique instructor for Old School Wrestling Training Center in Huntley. "Coaching wrestling at Lincoln College, with its longstanding record of excellence in the sport, is a humbling but very exciting opportunity," Bakley said of the school which placed fourth in the team standings at the 2018 NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) wrestling championships. "Lincoln College built an outstanding reputation as a wrestling powerhouse among two-year schools, now I want to build on that tradition and make us one of the top four-year programs." In addition to announcing Bakley as head wrestling coach, the school also named Boyd Nowicki of Petersburg, Ill. as head coach of the women's softball program. "I'm very pleased that we have been able find two highly qualified and enthusiastic coaches for these important programs," said Lincoln College Athletic Director Mark Purdue. "Lincoln College has a strong tradition in both of these sports and Jordon and Boyd are excited to help us build on those traditions as we transition to four-year athletics." Founded in 1865, Lincoln College is located in the town of Lincoln in central Illinois, about halfway between Peoria and the state capital of Springfield. Both the school and the community are named in honor of Abraham Lincoln, president of the U.S. from 1861-65, who wrestled as a young man. The school, which offers both two- and four-year programs, has a student enrollment of approximately 1,100 students.

Jared Franek will compete at 160 pounds for Team USA (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) The 2018 Cliff Keen Dream Team Wrestling Classic will take place this Saturday evening at 6 p.m. in Brownsburg, which is located just outside of Indianapolis. Wrestling USA Magazine has partnered with IndianaMat.com to conduct this mostly annual senior all-star event pitting some of the top wrestlers in the country against those from a select state, this year Indiana. There will be a live web broadcast of the event available through FloWrestling. Below are the matchups slated for the event as of the moment, rankings are from the most recent update, which was on March 21. This event is the last one of the 2017-18 ranking season as final rankings will be published early next week. 113: Jose Diaz (Wheeler) vs. No. 9 Cevion Severado (Christian Brothers College, Mo.) Diaz has placed eighth each of the last two years in this weight class in single-class Indiana, while Severado won his first state title this year after placing the previous two years at 106 pounds. Severado was also runner-up at the Walsh Ironman earlier in the 2017-18 season and was a Junior World silver medalist in Greco-Roman this past summer. 120: Colin Poynter (Portage) vs. No. 7 Joey Melendez (Montini Catholic, Ill.) Poynter qualified for state this year at 126 but lost his opening round match, which means not placing in the single-elimination Indiana state tournament; however, he did place fourth in the 120-pound weight class as a junior. Melendez won state each of the previous two years before placing fourth this season, while navigating his way through an injury; this past summer he was a Junior National freestyle runner-up. 126: Ty Mills (Brownsburg) vs. No. 4 Malik Johnson (Christian Brothers College, Mo.) Mills is a four-time state placer, state finalist as a freshman and junior with third place finishes as a sophomore and senior. The Duke signee also placed sixth at the FloNationals this past weekend. Four-time state champion Johnson has signed with Missouri, was on the Cadet world team in Greco-Roman this past summer, and won the Walsh Ironman earlier this season. 132: Graham Rooks (Columbus East) vs. No. 3 Real Woods (Montini Catholic, Ill.) Four-time state placer Rooks, an Indiana signee, broke through with state gold this season after losing in the state semifinal round each of the previous three seasons. Stanford signee Woods is a three-time state champion, four-time state finalist, and a finalist at the Preseason Nationals each of the last two years. 138: Kris Rumph (Portage) vs. No. 10 Cole Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) Three-time state medalist Rumph earned a state title this season. Last weekend he placed third at the FloNationals down at 132 pounds one week after failing to place at the NHSCA Senior Nationals. Four-time state placer Matthews bookended his career with state titles, and the Pitt signee upset national No. 1 Quinn Kinner at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic 2-1/2 weeks ago. 145: Christian Hunt (Yorktown) vs. No. 9 (at 152) Alex Lloyd (Shakopee, Minn.) State runner-up the last two years, Hunt is also a four-time state qualifier, adding a sixth place finish his freshman year to the resume. South Dakota State signee Lloyd is a three-time state champion, placed third at the Super 32 this fall, is a two-time Junior National folkstyle champion, and a two-time Junior National freestyle All-American 152: No. 3 Brayton Lee (Brownsburg) vs. No. 2 Jacori Teemer (Long Beach, N.Y.) This is the clear showcase match of the event, taking place in Brayton Lee's home gym. The University of Minnesota signee is a three-time state champion losing one match in his career, it coming in the semi-state quarterfinal as a freshman, which in Indiana means not making it to the state tournament. Additonally the resume features two Super 32 placements, along with third place finishes in Junior freestyle (this past summer), UWW Cadet freestyle, and Cadet freestyle. Five-time state champion Teemer is an Arizona State signee, was a 2017 FloNationals champion, has won NHSCA grade-level titles the last two years, and was a bronze medalist in freestyle at the Cadet World Championships this past summer. 160: Gleason Mappes (Center Grove) vs. No. 6 Jared Franek (West Fargo, N.D.) Mappes earned state runner-up honors this season after placing fourth the previous two seasons, and also placed fifth at the FloNationals in 2017. Four-time state champion Franek was runner-up at both the FloNationals and in Junior freestyle during the spring/summer 2017 interval. 170: Noah Warren (Perry Meridian) vs. No. 1 Travis Wittlake (Marshfield, Ore.) Three-time state placer Warren capped off an impressive career winning a state title in his senior season. Four-time state champion Wittlake was a Cadet World bronze medalist in 2016, and won the UWW Cadet national title in freestyle this year before injury made him unable to compete at the world championships; the runner-up at the national tournament went on to win world gold in his weight class (76 kilos). 182: Conner Graber (Northridge) vs. No. 6 Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.) Graber placed seventh at state as a junior before earning gold this season with a mild upset in the state finals match against four-time state placer Nathan Walton. Four-time state placer Krattiger made his first state final this season and secured his first state title before winning a FloNationals title last weekend; additionally the Wisconsin signee was third at the Super 32 this past fall. 195: No. 4 Lucas Davison (Chesterton) vs. Tanner Sloan (Alburnett, Iowa) Due to a late scratch, what was going to be a high profile match ends up being less of one. The two-time state finalist Davison was an undefeated state champion this season after finishing as runner-up at the Super 32 in the preseason. In addition, the Northwestern signee was a Junior National double All-American during this past summer. The South Dakota State commit Sloan earned state titles this season and as a sophomore 220: No. 1 Mason Parris (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) vs. No. 3 (at 195) Brandon Whitman (Dundee, Mich.) If Lee vs. Teemer is the main event, this is either a joint main event or right behind it. This match features two of the nation's most talented upper weight wrestlers going at it. The University of Michigan signee Parris has one career loss, it coming in the state semifinals his freshman year; since then he has won the consolation final to finish third and then sailed to three straight undefeated state titles. Parris is also now a two-time FloNationals champion. Four-time state champion Whitman is a North Carolina signee; his resume includes a 2016 FloNationals runner-up finish, a 2016 Super 32 placement, double third and double fifth at Junior Nationals the last two summers, and a spot on the 2016 Cadet world team in Greco-Roman. 285: Brandon Streck (Merrillville) vs. No. 15 Jake Levengood (Vacaville, Calif.) Both wrestlers in this match were state runners-up to all-time type figures in their state; Streck losing the 220 pound final to Parris, one year after placing sixth at 285, with Levengood faling to Seth Nevills after also placing at state the previous two seasons. Streck will be attending Indiana, and is the younger brother of Shawn Streck, who qualified for the NCAA tournament for Purdue this season; while Levengood signed with Oregon State to play on the offensive line.

Tim Flynn coaching at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia University Director of Athletics and Associate Vice President Shane Lyons has named Tim Flynn as the school's ninth wrestling coach. Flynn comes to West Virginia from Edinboro, where he spent the past 21 years building the Fighting Scots into a wrestling powerhouse. He compiled a 223-95-5 career record at Edinboro to become the school's all-time winningest coach and a member of its Hall of Fame. His accomplishments at Edinboro totaled 150 national qualifiers, 38 All-Americans, 64 EWL champions and 97 PSAC champions. He led the Fighting Scots to five top-10 finishes at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, 14 top-20 finishes and 18 top-25 finishes. Flynn engineered in recent years two of the best seasons in Edinboro wrestling history. His 2013-14 squad recorded a fifth-place finish at the national tournament with three All-Americans. The Fighting Scots ended the year with an 11-3 record, winning 10 of their last 11 duals including a 17-16 win over No. 6 Pitt. He received NWCA NCAA Division I Coach of the Year honors, shared InterMat Coach of the Year honors with Minnesota's J Robinson and also was selected as WIN's Dan Gable Coach of the Year. He followed in 2014-15 with four All-Americans and a third-place national finish - the school's highest ever. He was the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Coach of the Year seven times and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Coach of the Year 13 times. Flynn also coached three national champions (John Koscheck at 174 in 2001, Gregor Gillespie at 149 in 2007 and Jarrod King at 165 in 2009) and eight NCAA runners-up. Under the former Penn State All-American, Edinboro dominated eastern wrestling circles, winning the EWL Championship in 15 of the last 21 years, including eight straight years at one point, along with the PSAC tournament title 17 times in his 21 campaigns. At one point, Edinboro won 34 of 35 EWL dual matches, which included a 29-match winning streak. "Tim brings to West Virginia a wealth of head coaching experience, success and veteran leadership," Lyons said. "He is a proven winner and one of the most respected coaches in the sport. His years of success and consistency speak volumes, and I know he will be a great fit for our department and wrestling program." Before taking over the head coaching duties, Flynn was an assistant at Edinboro under legendary coach and Olympian Bruce Baumgartner from 1992-97. Flynn assisted Baumgartner to a 56-21 record, including a 14-0 dual match mark and a sixth-place finish at Nationals in 1996. "I'm excited, this is a blessing for me," Flynn said. "It came at a great time. West Virginia is a sleeping giant located in a great spot for wrestling as well as a great conference. I'm excited and ready to get started." Following three standout seasons at Vista High in Vista, California, Flynn moved east to finish his prep career at Annapolis Senior High in Annapolis, Maryland. He went on to enjoy a stellar career at Penn State, captaining the 1986-87 squad while earning All-American honors at 134 pounds. He went 30-10-1 as a senior, winning the EWL title and finishing seventh at Nationals. The Nittany Lions enjoyed one of their greatest seasons ever with an 18-1-1 record and a third-place finish at the NCAA Tournament. Flynn finished with a 105-32-2 collegiate wrestling record, still ranking among the all-time career leaders in victories for Penn State. He also won the EWL title as a junior in 1986 while competing at 126 pounds, finishing with a 30-7-1 mark. He qualified for Nationals as a sophomore as well after finishing second at the EWL Championships. He was a four-time Midlands Championships place winner, a two-time Mat-Town USA champion and was an Espoir National freestyle runner-up in 1984. Flynn, who is currently a member of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NWCA) Leadership Group, graduated from Penn State in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in business management. He later earned his master's degree in business administration from Penn State with a concentration in finance in 1990. He and his wife, Tanya, have two children - Logan and Riley.

Iowa averaged 9,000 fans for dual meets this season (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling program led the nation in attendance for the 12th consecutive season according to the Division I attendance report released Tuesday by The Open Mat and Mat Talk Online. Iowa averaged 8,996 fans and led the country in total attendance with 71,966 fans attending eight home dates. The Hawkeyes averaged at least 8,000 fans for the 10th consecutive season. Iowa was involved in the three highest attended duals this year; at Penn State (15,998), at Ohio State (15,117) and at home against Oklahoma State (13,485). The Hawkeyes have led the nation in attendance in each of head coach Tom Brands' 12 seasons. NCAA Division I Wrestling Attendance Top 10 for 2017-18: Rank School Avg. 1. IOWA 8996 2. Penn State 7693 3. Ohio State 6681 4. Rutgers 4680 5. Fresno State 4566 6. Iowa State 3361 7. Oklahoma St. 3152 8. Lehigh 2705 9. Michigan 2615 10. Minnesota 2185

Bergen Catholic coach David Bell coaching at the Doc Buchanan Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The wrestling program at Bergen Catholic High School in New Jersey -- ranked No. 2 in the nation by InterMat at the end of the 2017-18 season -- has been hit with a lawsuit alleging sexual and verbal abuse of some student-athletes, and subsequent cover-up and failure to punish staff members reportedly involved in the alleged behavior. The 29-page, 12-count lawsuit, filed in state Superior Court in Bergen County on behalf of a former Bergen Catholic wrestler, accuses school officials of conspiring to cover up sharing of pornographic images, coaches watching wrestlers strip naked, and sending inappropriate text messages to student-athletes. In addition, the lawsuit alleges that officials at Bergen Catholic High and the Newark Archdiocese tried to protect the wrestling coaches from "criminal detection" in a "conspiracy to endanger children." Accusations The civil suit was filed in late March by the parents of a former Bergen Catholic wrestler who was dismissed by the team this past season. It was only made public Monday as those named in the lawsuit were officially notified, and was first reported by The Record and other outlets that are a part of NorthJersey.com, the website for New Jersey Media Group, a division of the Gannett Corp. which also published a story in its USA Today national newspaper. The suit alleges the school's head wrestling coach, David Bell, made inappropriate comments to the wrestler, telling him he was "shredded," an apparent reference to his muscular build, and "texted and emailed Plaintiff that he loved him, as well as other highly inappropriate and sexual predatory behavior on a minor child." In addition, coach Bell was accused of "inappropriately undressed with minors and watched wrestlers, including Plaintiff, change in the locker room, which they were completely nude or partially nude." This past December, an assistant coach, Dominick "Donnie" Spataro, showed "pornographic and nude photographs of himself and others on his mobile phone to Plaintiff and other minor wrestlers," according to the suit. What's more, some Bergen Catholic wrestlers allegedly told administrators in January that a former assistant Bergen Catholic wrestling coach who had been "let go for bullying and other violations" more than a year ago was allowed back in the wrestling room. Alleged cover-up The former wrestler and his parents who filed the suit allege that the school's president, Brother Brian Walsh, threw him off the team after he complained of abuse during this past wrestling season, according to the suit. The complaint goes on to allege that members of the Bergen Catholic administration, including the school's president, Brother Brian Walsh, principal Timothy McElhinney and athletic director Jack McGovern "knew or should have known about the harassment, abuse, intimidation and bullying of Plaintiff, especially after Plaintiff's parents raised these concerns, which were expressed both verbally and in writing, on numerous occasions." The complaint alleges that the school did only a cursory investigation and never contacted authorities. Response Newark Archdiocese spokesman Jim Goodness told NorthJersey.com on Monday that Bergen Catholic officials notified the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, but did not say when the notification was made. Brother Brian Walsh, Bergen Catholic High School president, issued a statement through a school spokesman, Steve Mangione, denying any wrongdoing. "Let's be very clear that the administration has zero tolerance for the actions alleged in this complaint -- and consistent with our zero-tolerance policy and protocols, despite not having been served the complaint until today, the administration reported these allegations to the Archdiocese of Newark and the Bergen County prosecutor's office when it first learned of them," Walsh said. An attorney for coach Bell had originally threatened legal action against The Record and New Jersey.com until served with papers Monday, but then told the media group that the lawsuit was baseless, that it made allegations that were "demonstrably false" and had been filed on behalf of a student-athlete who fell short of expectations as a wrestler. "When people fall short far too often rather than taking accountability for their own shortcomings, they look to strike a blow at anyone they perceive is the reason for their failure," attorney Sean Pena wrote to The Record on behalf of his client. "This is not the first time Coach Bell has been baselessly attacked and regrettably it's unlikely to be the last." An attorney for Spataro, Patrick Jennings, also initially threatened legal action against The Record and NorthJersey.com and said the allegations are "false, defamatory and made for an improper purpose." On Monday, he issued a brief statement denying that his client did anything wrong. "Mr. Spataro did not engage in any improper behavior whatsoever," Jennings said in the statement. "The allegations against him are denied." A couple Bergen Catholic mat alums weighed in with their opinions on the program and coach Bell. People can say what they want to say about Coach Bell, but in the end, everyone knows how great of a man he is," senior captain Carmen Ferrante, a three-time state medalist who will continue his career at the University of Pennsylvania, told NJ.com. "He's a man of great character. I love him to death, and I don't see this ruining him. The whole Bergen Catholic community is going to be able to move past this. We have his back. We love him." Johnny Sebastian, a 2014 Bergen Catholic grad who is now a redshirt sophomore wrestler at Northwestern, told NorthJersey.com, "I've never heard of any type of story like this. I got the blessing to be on Coach Bell's team." The program Bergen Catholic's wrestling program is one of the nation's best prep programs. The Crusaders finished the year ranked No. 2 in the country by InterMat, as well as several other wrestling publications and websites. The program claimed its seventh straight NJSIAA team title, and had three of its wrestlers win titles at the individual state championships in Atlantic City earlier this year.

True freshman Spencer Lee topped Nick Suriano in the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) University of Iowa national champion Spencer Lee will be recognized by the Iowa Legislature on Wednesday at the state capitol in Des Moines. A resolution congratulating Lee for winning the 125-pound NCAA wrestling title will be read by the House of Representatives at 8:30 a.m. (CT). A recognition on the Senate floor will follow at 10 a.m. A live video feed is available at www.legis.iowa.gov.

Damion Hahn was announced as the new head wrestling coach at South Dakota State on Monday. Hahn, who spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach at Cornell, will have three paid assistant coaching positions to fill at South Dakota State. Who will Hahn bring to Brookings, South Dakota? It's mostly speculation at this point, but let's examine potential candidates to join the SDSU coaching staff. Damion Hahn hugs Cam Simaz after winning a national title in 2012 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) Cam Simaz: Simaz thrived under the tutelage of Hahn at Cornell. He was a four-time All-American and 2012 NCAA champion at 197 pounds. After his college wrestling career he coached at the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club and worked with Cornell wrestlers like Gabe Dean, Brian Realbuto, Dylan Palacio, Mark Grey, among others. Before this past season, Simaz was hired last year as the head coach of West Point Wrestling Club and Regional Training Center (RTC). Dustin Schlatter: Schlatter is the third assistant at Minnesota behind head coach Brandon Eggum and head assistant Luke Becker. A three-time All-American and 2006 NCAA champion, Schlatter competed for the Gophers after Hahn graduated. However, like Hahn, Schlatter was a top recruit from the East Coast who came to Minnesota and became a national champion. Schlatter also become a multiple-time U.S. World Team member in freestyle. He's still young, has name recognition and can be a huge asset in the room. Damion Hahn and Gabe Dean coaching at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) Gabe Dean: It's no secret that Hahn and Dean have a close relationship. Hahn played a key role in developing Dean into a two-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American for the Big Red. "Personalities attract one another," Hahn said of Dean on a wrestling radio show called 'On The Mat' last year. "From the day we recruited Gabe we just kind of hit it off. We have a lot of the same visions." Dean was a volunteer assistant for his alma mater this past season. He helped coach his brother Max to an eighth-place finish at the NCAAs as a freshman 184-pounder. Would Dean leave Ithaca to join Hahn's staff at SDSU? It remains to be seen. Cory Cooperman: The New Jersey native Cooperman said he initially attended the University of Minnesota because of Damion Hahn, a high school wrestling legend in the Garden State. Cooperman eventually transferred to Lehigh and became a three-time All-American for the Mountain Hawks. After his college wrestling career, Cooperman spent time as an assistant coach with Hahn on the Cornell coaching staff. He's very respected as a technician and played a key role in the development of several highly accomplished wrestlers, including NCAA champions Jordan Leen and Troy Nickerson, along with multiple-time Cadet world champion Kurt McHenry. Last year he was named head coach of the New York RTC at Cornell, so it's unlikely he would leave that position so quickly, but he's someone to keep an eye on because of his past history with Hahn. Jason Ness (right) coaching with Luke Becker at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) Jayson Ness: Ness, like Hahn, is a former Gopher wrestling great. He was a volunteer assistant coach for the Gophers after his college career, but stepped away from the position to focus on his own competitive wrestling career. Ness is well-liked in the wrestling community, has strong relationships within the state of Minnesota and would be a strong asset to the SDSU program, especially working with lightweights like NCAA champion Seth Gross (133) and NCAA qualifier Connor Brown (125). It remains to be seen if Hahn would hire someone still competing. If so, Ness might be a perfect fit. Nate Carr Jr. played a key role in getting Ronnie Perry to the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) Nate Carr Jr.: Carr, who wrestled collegiately at Iowa State, has ties to Hahn during his time in Ithaca where he was an athlete and coach for the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club after spending time on the coaching staffs at Maryland and Virginia. Carr has been an assistant coach at Lock Haven for the past two seasons where he has played a key role in the program's reemergence. Zach Sanders: Sanders is currently a volunteer assistant coach at Minnesota. Like Ness, he is former Gopher four-time All-American who would be a strong asset to the program, especially working with the lightweights. Jordan Leen: Hahn coached Leen at Cornell, where he was a three-time All-American and 2008 NCAA champion. Leen, a Tennessee native, has been climbing the coaching ranks since leaving Ithaca. He spent time on the coaching staffs at Duke and Virginia before taking an assistant coaching position at Pitt with first-year head coach Keith Gavin. He is very personable and a strong recruiter. Leen has been an associate head coach already in a major conference, so it seems like his next move would have to be a head coaching position. Jared Lawrence: Lawrence, a former teammate of Hahn's at Minnesota, is a co-owner (with Olympic silver medalist Brandon Paulson) at the PINnacle School of Wrestling in Minnesota, one of nation's top wrestling clubs. The Idaho native and 2002 NCAA champion is a well-respected wrestling mind with great connections, especially in Minnesota, a bordering state to South Dakota. In 2011, Sean Bormet left his club, Overtime School of Wrestling, to become an assistant coach at Michigan. Would Lawrence leave his club to become a head assistant coach with his former teammate? It might be a long shot, but it might be worth a call at the very least. Cody Caldwell: Caldwell, a former Northern Iowa wrestler, was an assistant coach this past season for South Dakota State, and unlike Jon Reader, did not follow Chris Bono to Wisconsin. He's the only coach currently listed on SDSU's wrestling website. He has relationships with wrestlers on the team, which makes him an asset.

Rob Tate It's official: Rob Tate has been named head wrestling coach at Queens University, the Charlotte-based school announced Monday. Tate had been hired as an assistant coach of the program launched in the 2017-18 season under head coach Ken Chertow, who left the program in February 2018. Tate had been named interim coach upon Chertow's departure; now the word "interim" has been removed from his title. "Coach Tate made an immediate impact on our program during his interim time as head coach," said Queens director of athletics Cherie Swarthout. "He has proven his ability to lead, mentor, and hold our student-athletes to the highest level of expectations. They have made significant improvements during his short tenure both academically and athletically." "Coach Tate has embraced the Queens culture since arriving as an assistant and recognizes what is needed to lead a successful wrestling program," Swarthout added. Under Tate's leadership, the Royals picked up wins over Clemson, East Carolina, and South Carolina's club teams. In addition, ten wrestlers qualified to compete at the NCWA (National College Wrestling Association) National Championships, with two Royals - Noah Curreri and Devinaire Hayes - bringing home individual titles, and three others earning All-American honors. The team finished fifth out of 79 teams competing. Prior to joining the Royals, Tate was an assistant coach at Charlotte Country Day for two seasons. He also spent two years as a volunteer assistant wrestling coach at Gardner Webb University. Rob Tate received his bachelor's degree from Gardner Webb in 2011 after completing his wrestling career. He was a three-year starter for the Bulldogs compiling a record of 71-26. In 2007, Tate was an NCAA Division I National Championship Qualifier after being an Eastern Regional Champion. "I'm thankful to Cherie for the opportunity to lead and help grow these young men and feel blessed to be surrounded by such great colleagues trying to achieve the same things in their respective sports," Tate said. "I'm excited about the challenge and look forward to contributing to the excellence this department has become accustomed to." Founded in 1857, Queens University is a private, four-year university located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,900 students. The Royals wrestling program will be competing in NCAA Division II this fall.

Jon Reader and Matt McDonough have joined the Wisconsin coaching staff (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin wrestling program added two NCAA champions to its staff on Monday, as head coach Chris Bono announced the hiring of Jon Reader and Matt McDonough as assistant coaches. Reader, an assistant coach at South Dakota State since 2014, follows Bono to Madison after a successful stint in Brookings that included coaching 20 national qualifiers, five All-Americans and a national champion in Seth Gross. "First and foremost, Jon is a great person. He's well respected within the whole wrestling world," Bono said. "He treats people the way they're supposed to be treated and that's going to be the basis of this program, bringing in good people who treat people the way they're supposed to be treated. Number two, he's a tireless worker. His work ethic in all areas of his life is just off the charts. His relationships around the country with coaches and kids are just unbelievable, so recruiting is just his forte and he loves to do it. Then, you let him get inside the room with the kids and he works out every single day and he can work with them every single day. He's a great technician. Overall, he's probably the hottest assistant coach in the country right now." Reader played an integral role in helping SDSU qualify seven wrestlers for the 2017-18 NCAA Championships, the most in school history. Of those seven NCAA qualifiers, three became All-Americans and one claimed the program's first national championship. "Our mentalities are the exact same and he became family right away," Bono added of Reader. "He hit it out of the ballpark as an assistant coach at SDSU. When we got our opportunity to come here to Wisconsin, he could have stayed and been the guy at SDSU, but he jumped with me and took a leap of faith and said this is the best thing for all of us. We're so excited that he came with me." Reader earned 124 career victories during his collegiate career at Iowa State, where he became a three-time All-American and 2011 NCAA Champion at 174 pounds. Reader will not be the only national champion on staff. McDonough will also coach the Badgers as an assistant after winning two NCAA titles of his own at 125 pounds as a freshman and junior at Iowa. "When I first got the job at SDSU, I tried to hire him six years ago when he was fresh out of college and winning national championships at Iowa," Bono said of McDonough. "It's the mentality of the work ethic and how he's thinking. We're on the same page for how we should train athletes and how the recruiting goes. "Everything about Matt is what I think about in a wrestling program, so it was a no-brainer to go after him. He comes very highly recommended by a lot of people and I'm excited to get him here." McDonough was a three-time All-American for the Hawkeyes and ended his illustrious career with 122 wins. He also won back-to-back Big Ten titles as a sophomore and junior. In international competition, he earned a bronze medal for Team USA in Hungary. "We're all on the same page already. I know the work ethic of those two guys and I know my work ethic and I know our philosophy," Bono said. "They know how I think, they know what kind of a guy I am and it's almost like getting together with family. Everything just clicks."

Damion Hahn coaching at the NCAAs in Cleveland (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) Damion Hahn, who helped build Cornell into a national power over the past decade, was hired Monday to lead the South Dakota State University wrestling program. "Damion represents everything we are looking for in being able to take our wrestling program to the next level," said SDSU Director of Athletics Justin Sell in announcing the hire. "His success both as a collegiate wrestler and coach, along with his ability to recruit high-achieving student-athletes on and off the mat, made him the ideal candidate. He is a tremendous ambassador for the sport who will work tirelessly to ensure wrestling thrives both on our campus and across the country." Hahn spent 12 years as an assistant coach and later the associate head coach at Cornell in Ithaca, New York. During his tenure, the Big Red recorded 11 top-10 team finishes at the NCAA Championships, including consecutive runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2011. He mentored 50 All-Americans, 12 of whom were individual NCAA champions. Cornell also won 12 straight Ivy League dual championships and 11 consecutive Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association team titles. In accepting his first head coaching position, Hahn will make a return to the Midwest. As a collegiate wrestler at Minnesota, Hahn won NCAA individual national titles as a junior and senior. A four-time All-American, he also was a three-time Big 10 individual champion and was named the Jesse Owens Big 10 Male Athlete of the Year in 2004. The Golden Gophers won team NCAA championships during both his freshman and sophomore seasons. "I am truly honored to be named the next head coach of wrestling at South Dakota State University and am thrilled for the opportunity to lead a program that has such incredible support from the university and the community," Hahn said. "I would like to thank Justin Sell and everyone on the search committee for giving me this opportunity. I am excited for the future of Jackrabbit Wrestling." At SDSU, Hahn takes over a Jackrabbit program that has risen in the ranks of Division I wrestling in recent years. SDSU has been nationally ranked each of the past three seasons and wrapped up its most successful season in March with a 12th-place showing at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships -- best among Big 12 Conference programs. Seth Gross won an individual national title at 133 pounds, while David Kocer (seventh at 174 pounds) and Luke Zilverberg (eighth at 157 pounds) also earned All-America honors. The Jackrabbits also finished the 2017-18 dual season with a 14-2 overall record, including an 8-0 mark against Big 12 opponents. SDSU won its final 14 duals to set a program record. Hahn will begin his duties at SDSU on April 16.

USA captured its first Freestyle World Cup title since 2003 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) IOWA CITY -- Six-time defending champion Iran wasn't here. Neither was perennial powerhouse Russia or traditional stronghold Turkey. But that wasn't going to stop Jordan Burroughs and his American teammates from celebrating their country's first World Cup title in 15 years. The U.S. earned a hard-fought 6-4 win over Azerbaijan to clinch the team title at the UWW Senior Men's Freestyle Wrestling World Cup Sunday before 6,378 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Burroughs, an Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion, is now 27-0 in the World Cup. He sent the raucous crowd into a frenzy when he pinned Azerbaijan's Gasjimurad Omarov. "Some people were saying it's not a World Cup because Iran and Russia isn't here, but Azerbaijan is a really good team" Burroughs said. "If Russia and Iran wanted to win a World Cup, they should've been here. We flew 15 hours to Iran last year for the World Cup. They should've been here this year. We have a really good team and I know our team can beat anybody in the world right now." 2016 world champion Logan Stieber turned in a huge win when he defeated three-time world champion Haji Aliyev 6-3 at 65 kg. Stieber spun behind Aliyev for a late takedown and then pumped his right fist as time expired while the crowd cheered. "It's really special competing here," Stieber said. "It's a great crowd with a lot of passionate fans. It was a great environment to wrestle in." Kyle Dake knocked off Olympic and world medalist Jabrayil Hasanov (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) Kyle Dake capped a superb weekend in his first World Cup by knocking off Olympic and world medalist Jabrayil Hasanov 5-3 at 79 kg. David Taylor followed by winning by technical superiority at 86 kg to give his team a 5-3 lead in the dual. Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion Kyle Snyder capped the win by powering past Roman Bakirov 14-3. That clinched the victory for the American squad and gave them their first World Cup crown since 2003. Kendric Maple also delivered a key early win against Azerbaijan at 61 kg after dropping two earlier matches in this event. "I was excited for this match," Maple said. "I didn't wrestle like I felt I should've in my first two matches. I was a little upset with that and I came back and tried to give us a spark. I'm glad Coach Zadick gave me a chance to redeem myself." The U.S. won the World Cup, an event that started in 1973, for the 14th time. "This is a great team and they performed really well this weekend," U.S. National Coach Bill Zadick said. "It was really exciting to win a heated finals match against a very good team from Azerbaijan." Hometown hero Thomas Gilman turned in a valiant effort before his comeback came up short in an 8-7 loss to European champion Giorgi Edisherashvili of Azerbaijan at 57 kg. The U.S. advanced to the finals after going 3-0 in pool play, capped by Sunday morning's 8-2 win over Georgia. Burroughs, Snyder, Logan Stieber, Kyle Dake and David Taylor won by technical superiority in the Georgia dual. "It's really meaningful to me to win this," Burroughs said. "I'm undefeated in the World Cup, but I had never brought home the big Cup. It took a lot of years, but it's finally paying off." "We're the best team in the world. We're the reigning world champions." And now the reigning World Cup champions. Japan won an entertaining dual with Cuba in the bronze-medal dual, prevailing 6-4 after heavyweight Taiko Yamamoto pulled out a last-second victory. Georgia topped Mongolia 6-4 in the fifth-place match. USA 6, AZERBAIJAN 4 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Giorgi Edisherashvili (Azerbaijan) dec. Thomas Gilman (USA), 8-7 61 kg/134 lbs. - Kendric Maple (USA) vs. Afghan Khashalov (Azerbaijan), 6-2 65 kg/143 lbs. - Logan Stieber (USA) vs. Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan), 6-3 70 kg/154 lbs. - Joshgun Azimov (Azerbaijan) dec. James Green (USA), 4-4 criteria 74 kg/163 lbs. - Jordan Burroughs (USA) pinned Gasjimurad Omarov (Azerbaijan), 3:15 79 kg/174 lbs. - Kyle Dake (USA) dec. Jabrayil Hasanov (Azerbaijan), 5-3 86 kg/189 lbs. - David Taylor (USA) vs. Aleksander Gostiev (Azerbaijan), 12-2 92 kg/202.5 lbs. - Aslanbek Alborov (Azerbaijan) dec. J'den Cox (USA), 4-4 criteria 97 kg/213 lbs. - Kyle Snyder (USA) tech. fall Roman Bakirov (Azerbaijan), 14-3 125 kg/275 lbs. - Jamaladdin Magomedov (Azerbaijan) dec. Nick Gwiazdowski (USA), 4-3 USA 8, GEORGIA 2 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Thomas Gilman (USA) dec. Teimuraz Vanishvili (Georgia), 6-4 61 kg/134 lbs. - Lasha Lomtadze (Georgia) dec. Kendric Maple (USA), 4-3 65 kg/143 lbs. - Logan Stieber (USA) tech. fall Magomed Saidovi (Georgia), 10-0 70 kg/154 lbs. - James Green (USA) dec. Levan Kelekhsashvili (Georgia), 8-0 74 kg/163 lbs. - Jordan Burroughs (USA) tech. fall Tarzan Maisuradze (Georgia), 10-0 79 kg/174 lbs. - Kyle Dake (USA) tech. fall Tariel Gaphrindashvili (Georgia), 10-0 86 kg/189 lbs. - David Taylor (USA) tech. fall David Khutsishvili (Georgia), 11-1 92 kg/202.5 lbs. - Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia) dec. J'den Cox (USA), 3-0 97 kg/213 lbs. - Kyle Snyder (USA) tech. fall Zviadi Metreveli (Georgia), 10-0 125 kg/275 lbs. - Nick Gwiazdowski (USA) dec. Giorgi Meshvildishvili (Georgia), 7-0 Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

INDIANA, Pa. -- Fourteen wrestlers were crowned as champions of FloNationals on Saturday evening at the Kovalchick Center at the campus of the Indiana Univeristy of Pennsylvania. Among that group, No. 1 (at 220) Mason Parris (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) was the lone wrestler to earn a repeat title, doing so in the 285 pound class; Parris did so with a pair of technical falls and a pair of first period pins in four matches during the tournament. Also of note among the champions was Jakob Camacho (Danbury, Ct.), who won the 126 pound title after earning runner-up honors at the event last year. While the North Carolina State signee missed all of the 2017-18 high school season season, there was zero rust shown as he picked up four major decisions and a pin in five matches during the tournament. Additional nationally ranked wrestlers to win titles were No. 4 Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) at 106 pounds, No. 12 (at 126) Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.) at 120, No. 20 James Whitaker (St. Johns, Mich.) at 138, No. 17 Michael North (Wadsworth, Ohio) at 145, No. 13 (at 160) Peyton Mocco (West Allis Nathan Hale, Wis.) at 152, No. 11 Tyler Barnes (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) at 170, No. 6 Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.) at 182, and No. 14 Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) at 195. Also winning titles were Brock McMillen (Glendale, Pa.) at 113, Mosha Schwartz (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) at 132, Colt Yinger (Nelsonville-York, Oho) at 160, and Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees, N.J.) at 220. McMillen beat a nationally ranked opponent in the final, while Fernandes upended one in the semifinal round. Below are the results of the championship bouts: 106: No. 4 Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) dec. Joey Cruz (Clovis North, Calif. - 8th grade) 3-2 TB 113: Brock McMillen (Glendale, Pa.) dec. No. 14 (at 120) Kai Orine (Seckman, Mo.) 6-2 120: No. 12 (at 126) Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.) dec. Sean Pierson (Nazareth, Pa.) 9-5 126: Jakob Camacho (Danbury, Ct.) major dec. Anthony Martinoni (Folsom, Calif.) 11-3 132: Mosha Schwartz (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) dec. Manzona Bryant (Culver Academy, Ind.) 8-5 TB 138: No. 20 James Whitaker (St. Johns, Mich.) dec. No. 5 Marshall Keller (Christiansburg, Va.) 7-2 145: No. 17 Michael North (Wadsworth, Ohio) dec. Kolby Ho (DuBois, Pa.) 7-6 152: No. 13 (at 160) Peyton Mocco (West Allis Nathan Hale, Wis.) dec. No. 15 Justin McCoy (Chestnut Ridge, Pa.) 8-3 160: Colt Yinger (Nelsonville-York, Ohio) dec. Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) 7-5 170: No. 11 Tyler Barnes (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) dec. Jared McGill (Chestnut Ridge, Pa.) 10-9 182: No. 6 Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.) dec. No. 14 Josh Stillings (Pennridge, Pa.) 7-2 195: No. 14 Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) dec. Beau Yineman (Neenah, Wis.) 7-4 220: Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees, N.J.) dec. Aric Bohn (Mukwanogo, Wis.) 8-2 285: No. 1 (at 220) Mason Parris (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) pinned Michael Wolfgram (Central York, Pa.) 1:52 The following were the results of the consolation medal matches at each weight class. 106: 3rd: Dustin Norris (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) dec. No. 12 Ryan Miller (Blair Academy, N.J.) 5-4 5th: Peyton Kellar (Vincent Warren, Ohio) dec. No. 20 Kurtis Phipps (Norwin, Pa.) 3-0 7th: Logan Ashford (Buford, Ga.) dec. Jordan Titus (Center Moriches, N.Y.) 7-3 113: 3rd: Jesse Mendez (Mt. Carmel, Ill. - 8th grade) dec. Dylan Cedeno (Fair Lawn, N.J.) 4-3 5th: Vance VomBaur (Windsor, Colo.) dec. Cagen Wallace (Wayne County, Ky.) 5-2 7th: Beau Bayless (Reynolds, Pa.) dec. Cole Wilson (Northeastern, Pa.) 2-1 120: 3rd: Asa Garcia (Avon, Ind.) dec. No. 19 (at 126) Cleveland Belton (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 5th: No. 19 Devin Murphy (Clovis North, Calif.) over Brock Whorton (East Fairmont, W.Va.) by medical forfeit 7th: Jordan Hamdan (Hudson, Mich.) dec. Anthony Sciotto (Rocky Point, N.Y.) 7-5 126: 3rd: Patrick Noonan (Stroudsburg, Pa.) dec. Justin Rivera (Fort Myers, Fla.) 5-0 5th: Cole Rhone (Benton, Pa.) dec. Ty Mills (Brownsburg, Ind.) 2-0 7th: Breyden Palmer (Beech, Tenn.) dec. Val Park (Heritage Hall, Okla.) 4-2 132: 3rd: Kris Rumph (Portage, Ind.) dec. Dawson Combest (Columbus East, Ind.) 9-5 5th: Caleb Rea (Weir, W.Va.) dec. Peyton Hall (Oak Glen, W.Va.) 5-3 SV 7th: Colton Camacho (Franklin Regional, Pa.) dec. Aidan Medora (St. John's Military Academy, Wis.) 6-2 138: 3rd: Devin Schwartzkopf (Francis Howell Central, Mo.) dec. Trent Johnson (John Hardin, Ky.) 6-0 5th: No. 6 (at 145) Jason Kraisser (Centennial, Md.) dec. Trevor Jeffries (Thunder Basin, Wyo.) 4-1 7th: Leno Ciotti (Erie McDowell, Pa.) dec. Avry Mustchler (Lowell, Mich.) 6-1 145: 3rd: No. 7 Kendall Coleman (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) dec. Clayton Ulrey (Lower Dauphin, Pa.) 5-3 SV 5th: Peter Enos (Francis Howell, Mo.) dec. Matthew Grippi (Fox Lane, N.Y.) 17-15 SV 7th: Kiernan Shanahan (Shenendehowa, N.Y.) dec. Micah Hoffman (Northern York, Pa.) 5-2 152: 3rd: Thayer Lawrence (Frazier, Pa.) major dec. Derrick Smallwood (North Hardin, Ky.) 11-3 5th: Ian Carlos (North Salem, Ore.) dec. Max Maylor (Iowa-Grant/Highland, Wis.) 6-3 7th: Trey Kibe (Mifflin County, Pa.) dec. Donnell Washington (Portage, Ind.) 3-1, overtime 160: 3rd: Hunter Cruz (Moses Lake, Wis.) dec. Sean Harman (West Linn, Ore.) 8-5 5th: Colton Denney (Heritage Hall, Okla.) over Austin Murphy (Cincinnati Elder, Ohio) by medical forfeit 7th: Nick Giantonio (Christiansburg, Va.) pinned Quentin Milliken (Trinity Camp Hill, Pa.) 2:2 170: 3rd: Carson Brewer (Avon, Ind.) dec. Ryan Ringler (Cedar Springs, Mich.) 3-1, overtime 5th: Trey Sizemore (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) over Scott Joll (Belle Vernon Area, Pa.) by medical forfeit 7th: Brandon Green (Paulsboro, N.J.) dec. Christian Murphy (Howell, N.J.) 7-2 182: 3rd: No. 11 Victor Marcelli (Massillon Jackson, Ohio) dec. No. 12 (at 195) Cole Urbas (State College, Pa.) 4-2, overtime 5th: Christian Knop (Alexandria, Ala.) over Jackson Moomau (Petersburg, W.Va.) 4-2 7th: Blake Barrick (Big Spring, Pa.) dec. Christian Sequete (Butler, Pa.) 6-3 195: 3rd: Tyler Houghton (Weddington, N.C.) dec. Terren Swartz (Thunder Basin, Wyo.) 9-3 5th: Cole Maddox (Marianna, Fla.) dec. Johnny Santos (Fox Lane, N.Y.) 11-4 7th: No. 19 Tony Wuest (Smyrna, Del.) pinned Ty Kwak (Christiansburg, Va.) 0:48 220: 3rd: No. 18 Victor Jacquez (Bellarmine, Calif.) dec. Jacob Slinger (Upper St. Clair, Pa.) 6-3 5th: Colton McKiernan (Richmond, Mich.) dec. Anthony Smith (Christiansburg, Va.) 7-0 7th: Khalil Messai (Jamestown, Pa.) pinned Jake Ryan (Mount Union, Pa.) 4:42 285: 3rd: Jack DelGarbino (Girard, Ohio) dec. Michael Burchell (Daniel Hand, Ct.) 3-1 5th: Kawaun DeBoe (Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa.) dec. Bishop McCoy (South Side Beaver, Pa.) 1-0 7th: Jacob Cover (Hilliard Darby, Ohio) dec. Nicholas Martino (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) 5-3

Ed Ruth (Photo/Bellator) Former Penn State wrestling champ Ed Ruth tallied his fifth consecutive win in his professional mixed martial arts career -- but he had to go the distance for the first time -- at Bellator 196 in Budapest, Hungary Friday night. Ruth, 27, earned a unanimous decision over 35-year-old Ion Pascu of Romania, 29-28, 30-27, 30-27, in a three-round catchweight bout at 175 pounds shown on tape-delay on the Paramount Network. Prior to Friday night's fight, Ruth's previous matches never went beyond the second round, ending with a knockout or TKO. "Ruth showcased an improved striking acumen in the fight, getting the better part of the stand-up over the course of the first two rounds before sealing the deal with his grappling in the third," according to MMAFighting.com. "Ruth came out pressing forward, appearing a lot leaner than we have seen in the past," noted BloodyElbow.com, as the former Nittany Lion had been fighting as a middleweight at 185 pounds until this match on way down to the crowded welterweight (170) class. "Pascu cracked early with a mean liver kick that slowed up the forward momentum of his opponent, but Ruth regained his composure and continued to march behind his strikes. It took about three whole minutes before the NCAA All American secured his first takedown, but Pascu was able to return to his feet rather quickly. In an unexpected turn of events, Pascu found a takedown of his own, but was unable to establish any sort of top control before the round ended." Here's how Cageside Press described the final round: "It was Ion Pascu opening the third with a takedown; from there, they worked their way up and as Ruth looked to shoot, Pascu was able to catch him in a guillotine attempt. Ruth defended well, however, and was eventually able to free himself. From there, he was able to control his opponent from the top, and it felt like the affair was going to the scorecards. Which it did, with Ruth earning a clear decision." After the fight, Ruth tweeted: "Still undefeated, but I still have far to go and much to learn, I have to give it up to Ion Pascu @pascuion1 , I have much more respect for vets of this sport, thanks for the awesome fight!! #EZway #bellator196 #Budapest" Ruth, who launched his pro MMA career with Bellator in November 2016, is now 5-0. Pascu drops to 17-8 in a pro career he started in October 2006. Ruth is one of the most decorated wrestlers to come out of Penn State wrestling program. The Harrisburg, Pa. native was a four-time NCAA All-American, becoming the first three-time NCAA champ for the Nittany Lions in the program's more than a century of existence, winning the 174-pound title in 2012, and back-to-back championships at 184 in 2013 and 2014.

Jordan Burroughs was dominant in picking up two victories on Saturday (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com) IOWA CITY -- When Jordan Burroughs sees an opening his eyes light up. And so does the scoreboard. Burroughs powered the U.S. to wins over India and Japan as the UWW Senior Men's Freestyle Wrestling World Cup kicked off Saturday before 6,388 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Americans opened with a 10-0 win over India on Saturday afternoon before rallying to defeat a strong squad from Japan 7-3 on Saturday afternoon. The U.S. dropped the first three bouts against Japan before winning the remaining bouts. "The World Cup is a major event and it's been a while since we've won this," U.S. National Coach Bill Zadick said. "Obviously, we want to change that. We have a good group of guys and they're wrestling well right now." The U.S. is scheduled to face Georgia at 10 a.m. Sunday. A win there would clinch the Americans a berth in the gold-medal dual is set for 4 p.m. The U.S. is seeking its first team title at the World Cup since 2003. The annual international dual meet competition features eight of the best teams in the world. "I've wrestled in a lot of World Cups, but I've never been a part of a team that's won it," Burroughs said. "I really want to win this thing. Our team is competing at a high level. It's our time. I don't think there is anybody in the world that can compete with what we've got going on right now." Burroughs opened with a decisive 11-1 technical fall over India's Vunod Kumar at 74 kg. He finished the win with a double leg into a leg lace. He led just 1-0 at the break against the defensive-minded Kumar before opening it up in the second period. "It's frustrating wrestling a guy like that," Burroughs said. "You just have to keep your composure and keep battling." Burroughs followed by downing Japan's Ken Hosaka 7-1. Dake countered, lifted and launched world silver medalist Sohsuke Takatani of Japan twice for five points to score a stunning 10-0 win by technical superiority. "This is the best atmosphere in the world to wrestle in," Dake said. "The crowd is incredible and the fans are really into it. It's a blast wrestling in here." Burroughs, an Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion, is now 25-0 in the World Cup. Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion Kyle Snyder rolled to a pair of wins at 97 kg. Snyder is now 9-1 in the World Cup World silver medalist Thomas Gilman dropped a 4-1 decision to 2017 world champion Yuki Takahashi of Japan. Gilman led 1-0 and was in prime position to score on a number of single-leg attacks, but Takahashi twice countered for takedowns in the second period. Takahashi beat Gilman 6-0 in the world finals at 57 kg. last year in Paris. Gilman, a three-time All-American for Iowa, was competing in the arena where he wrestled in college at the World Cup. Two-time NCAA champion David Taylor also rolled to a pair of wins Saturday. "It's nice to wrestle in Carver-Hawkeye and have the fans cheering for me," said Taylor, who wrestled collegiately for Penn State. "It's an awesome atmosphere and we're excited to put on a show for them." In the win over India, American Joe Colon rallied from an early deficit to down Sandeep Tomar 6-4 at 61 kg. Colon scored a takedown and gut wrench in the second period to prevail. World champion Logan Stieber fired in on early leg attack en route to a decisive 12-2 technical fall win over India''s Sharvan. Stieber finished off the bout with a succession of gut wrenches to win at 65 kg. James Green relied on his explosive double-leg attack to roll by Arun Kumar 10-0 at 70 kg. The World Cup started in 1973 and the U.S. has won the event 13 times. The U.S. has hosted the World Cup 30 times, most recently in Los Angeles from 2014-16. Iran has won this event the past six years. The Iranians were invited to this year's World Cup, but elected not to attend. Burroughs also is still undefeated at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. He won the Olympic Trials here in 2012 and 2016. "This is an incredible venue for wrestling with all of the tradition and history," Burroughs said. "I love competing here. It's a mecca for wrestling - I love it. You can't beat it." USA 7, JAPAN 3 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Yuki Takahashi (Japan) dec. Thomas Gilman (USA), 4-1 61 kg/134 lbs. - Kazuya Koyanagi (Japan) dec. Kendric Maple (USA), 2-2 criteria 65 kg/143 lbs. - Daichi Takatani (Japan) dec. Logan Stieber (USA), 10-5 70 kg/154 lbs. - James Green (USA) dec. Keisuke Otoguro (Japan), 8-5 74 kg/163 lbs. - Jordan Burroughs (USA) dec. Ken Hosaka (Japan), 7-1 79 kg/174 lbs. - Kyle Dake (USA) tech. fall over Sohsuke Takatani (Japan), 10-0 86 kg/189 lbs. - David Taylor (USA) tech. fall Shota Shirai (Japan), 12-2 92 kg/202.5 lbs. - J'den Cox (USA) tech. fall Takashi Ishiguro (Japan), 11-0 97 kg/213 lbs. - Kyle Snyder (USA) tech. fall Takeshi Yamaguchi (Japan), 10-0 125 kg/275 lbs. - Nick Gwiazdowski (USA) tech. fall Nobuyoshi Arakida (Japan), 10-0 USA 10, INDIA 0 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Thomas Gilman (USA) won by forfeit 61 kg/134 lbs. - Joe Colon (USA) dec. Sandeep Tomar (India), 6-4 65 kg/143 lbs. - Logan Stieber (USA) tech. fall over Sharvan (India), 12-2 70 kg/154 lbs. - James Green (USA) tech. fall over Arun Kumar (India), 10-0 74 kg/163 lbs. - Jordan Burroughs (USA) tech. fall over Vinod Kumar Omprakash (India), 11-1 79 kg/174 lbs. - Kyle Dake (USA) tech. fall over Sachin Giri (India), 11-0 86 kg/189 lbs. - David Taylor (USA) tech. fall over Pawan Kumar (India), 10-0 92 kg/202.5 lbs. - Hayden Zillmer (USA) dec. Deepak Punia (India), 7-0 97 kg/213 lbs. - Kyle Snyder (USA) tech. fall over Viky (India), 10-0 125 kg/275 lbs. - Dom Bradley (USA) tech. fall over Pushpender Singh (India), 10-0 Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

Ohio State University is investigating recently-revealed allegations of sexual misconduct regarding a former wrestling team physician, the Columbus-based Big Ten school announced in a statement issued Thursday. Dr. Richard Strauss, who served as team physician from the mid-1970s through the late 1990s, has been accused of sexual misconduct with Ohio State student-athletes including Buckeye wrestlers, along with other alleged acts of inappropriate conduct. Strauss died in 2005. The Lantern -- the official Ohio State student newspaper -- reported Friday that the allegations stem from "one individual who alleges that the misconduct affected more than one person," according to a school spokesperson. In addition, The Lantern reported that Strauss also was a member of the medical commission of the International Olympic Committee who attended the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles to drug test athletes. To investigate alleged incidents from 20-45 years ago which have only been recently brought to light, Ohio State has notified appropriate law enforcement agencies, and enlisted the help of the Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, and the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation. In addition, the school has hired an independent investigator. As part of Ohio State's investigation of allegations against Strauss, the school is reaching out to former student-athletes, coaches and others who may have been affected or may have had knowledge of these alleged incidents. Individuals who believe they experienced any form of sexual misconduct at the hands of an Ohio State student or employee while enrolled at the school are encouraged to report the incident to the Office of University Compliance and Integrity, or to Ohio State's Ethicspoint secure, anonymous reporting service, or directly to law enforcement. According to the statement issued by the school, "Ohio State actively promotes a safe and healthy campus climate for students, faculty, staff and visitors. The university does not tolerate sexual misconduct and is committed to advancing a culture of civility and respect." "Ohio State will report the outcome of the investigation publicly upon its completion."

Wrestling action on Friday at the FloNationals saw the field in each weight class pared down to sixteen, those in the quarterfinals and eight others in consolation. Action will continue at the Kovalchick Center on the campus of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania at 10:00 tomorrow morning with medal matches slated for 6:30 p.m. Below are the quarterfinal pairings for each weight class 106 pounds: No. 4 Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) vs. Nick Fea (Wyoming Seminary, Pa. - 8th grade) Dustin Norris (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) vs. No. 20 Kurtis Phipps (Norwin, Pa.) No. 12 Ryan Miller (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Carlos Negrete (Clovis North, Calif.) Joey Cruz (Selma, Calif. - 8th grade) vs. No. 17 Jacob Moran (Portage, Ind.) 113: No. 14 (at 120) Kai Orine (Seckman, Mo.) vs. Jesse Ybarra (Sunnyside, Ariz.) Jesse Mendez (Mt. Carmel, Ill. - 8th grade) vs. Beau Bayless (Reynolds, Pa.) Dylan Cedeno (Fair Lawn, N.J.) vs. T.J. Daugherty (Walled Lake Central, Mich.) Logan Sciotto (Rocky Point, N.Y.) vs. Brock McMillen (Glendale, Pa.) 120: No. 12 (at 126) Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.) vs. No. 19 Devin Murphy (Clovis North, Calif.) Asa Garcia (Avon, Ind.) vs. No. 6 (at 113) Sammy Alvarez (St. Joseph Montvale, N.J.) Brock Whorton (East Fairmont, W.Va.) vs. Sean Pierson (Nazareth, Pa.) Anthony Sciotto (Rocky Point, N.Y.) vs. No. 19 (at 126) Cleveland Belton (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 126: Jakob Camacho (Danbury, Ct.) vs. Chris Rivera (Fort Myers, Fla.) Fabian Santillan (Grandview, Colo.) vs. Ty Mills (Brownsburg, Ind.) Angelo Martinoni (Folsom, Calif.) vs. Val Park (Heritage Hall, Okla.) Justin Rivera (Fort Myers, Fla.) vs. Patrick Noonan (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 132: Aidan Medora (St. John's Military Academy, Wis.) vs. Mosha Schwartz (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Dawson Combest (Columbus East, Ind.) vs. Peyton Hall (Oak Glen, W.Va) Kris Rumph (Portage, Ind.) vs. Zaryen Terukina (Campbell, Hawaii) Manzona Bryant (Culver Academy, Ind.) vs. Caleb Rea (Weir, W.Va.) 138: No. 5 Marshall Keller (Christiansburg, Va.) vs. Trent Johnson (John Hardin, Ky.) Trevor Jeffries (Thunder Basin, Wyo.) vs. T.T. Elhajj (Lower Dauphin, Pa.) Alec Cook (Madonna, W.Va.) vs. No. 20 James Whitaker (St. Johns, Mich.) Devin Schwartzkopf (Francis Howell Central, Mo.) vs. No. 6 (at 145) Jason Kraisser (Centennial, Md.) 145: No. 7 Kendall Coleman (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) vs. Micah Hoffman (Northern York, Pa.) Clayton Ulrey (Lower Dauphin, Pa.) vs. Kolby Ho (DuBois, Pa.) Joshua Otto (Arrowhead, Wis.) vs. No. 17 Michael North (Wadsworth, Ohio) Kiernan Shanahan (Shenendehowa, N.Y.) vs. Peter Enos (Francis Howell, Mo.) 152: No. 15 Justin McCoy (Chestnut Ridge, Pa.) vs. Zack Lawrence (Duanesburg, N.Y.) Cole Rees (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Ian Carlos (North Salem, Ore.) Derrick Smallwood (North Hardin, Ky.) vs. Max Maylor (Iowa-Grant/Highland, Wis.) Gabriel Dinette (Lakewood, Colo.) vs. No. 13 (at 160) Peyton Mocco (West Allis Nathan Hale, Wis.) 160: Colt Yinger (Nelsonville-York, Ohio) vs. Hunter Cruz (Moses Lake, Wis.) Sean Harman (West Linn, Ore.) vs. Nick Giantonio (Christiansburg, Va.) Austin Murphy (Cincinnati Elder, Ohio) vs. Colton Denney (Heritage Hall, Okla.) Zach Lee (Kaukauna, Wis.) vs. Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) 170: No. 11 Tyler Barnes (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) vs. Brandon Green (Paulsboro, N.J.) Ryan Ringler (Cedar Springs, Mich.) vs. Trey Sizemore (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) Jared McGill (Chestnut Ridge, Pa.) vs. Bryce Alsteen (Kaukauna, Wis.) Carson Brewer (Avon, Ind.) vs. No. 18 Dalton Group (Susquenita, Pa.) 182: No. 14 Josh Stillings (Pennridge, Pa.) vs. Christian Sequete (Butler, Pa.) No. 12 (at 195) Cole Urbas (State College, Pa.) vs. Niccolo Colucci (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) No. 6 Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.) vs. Christian Knop (Alexandria, Ala.) Blake Barrick (Big Spring, Pa.) vs. No. 11 Victor Marcelli (Massillon Jackson, Ohio) 195: No. 14 Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) vs. Tyler Houghton (Weddington, N.C.) Johnny Santos (Fox Lane, N.Y.) vs. No. 19 Tony Wuest (Smyrna, Del>) Kyle Richards (Folsom, Calif.) vs. Cole Maddox (Marianna, Fla.) Brent Booth (Midland Dow, Mich.) vs. Beau Yineman (Neenah, Wis.) 220: L. Fernandes (Voorhees, N.J.) vs. Jacob Slinger (Upper St. Clair, Pa.) Jake Ryan (Mount Union, Pa.) vs. No. 18 Victor Jacquez (Bellarmine, Calif.) Colton McKiernan (Richmond, Mich.) vs. Anthony Smith (Christiansburg, Va.) Khalil Messai (Jamestown, Pa.) vs. Aric Bohn (Mukwanago, Wis.) 285: No. 1 (at 220) Mason Parris (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) vs. Nicholas Martino (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Bishop McCoy (South Side Beaver, Pa.) vs. Kawaun DeBoe (Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa.) Jack DelGarbino (Girard, Ohio) vs. Jacob Cover (Hilliard Darby, Ohio) Michael Wolfgram (Central York, Pa.) vs. Michael Burchell (Daniel Hand, Ct.)

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Tickets to the 2018 UWW World Cup at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday and Sunday are still available at hawkeyesports.com, over the phone at 800-IA-HAWKS, or in person at the UI Athletics Ticket office inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets for the World Cup include standard all-session tickets ($75/$50), single-day tickets ($40/$25), and a “The Eastern Iowa Airport Family Four Pack” ($100). Admission to “Gable's Garden” is free with any World Cup ticket. GABLE'S GARDEN 7G Distributing headlines an outdoor “Gable's Garden” that includes non-alcoholic beverages, beer, wine, and food from local vendors. “Gable's Garden” is open Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. outside the North Entrance of Carver-Hawkeye Arena, near the Dan Gable statue. Fans will be able to purchase food and beverages at “Gable's Garden” and take those items into the arena.

MOUNT VERNON, Ga. -- Brewton-Parker College Athletic Director Daniel Prevett is excited to announce the hiring of Arelys Valles as women's wrestling head coach. She started wrestling at 13 years old on an all-boys team in Clewiston, FL. Arelys had a very successful high school career where she was a three-time Florida girl's state placer (two-time runner-up) and the first girl in 10 years to qualify for FHSAA Boy's State Final in 2013. She has also been a volunteer coach for multiple clubs for the past six years. Arelys VallesArelys received her Bachelor of Science in Exercise & Sport Science and Public Health from the University of the Cumberlands in 2017. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Science in Coaching from UC, which she will receive in August 2018. Coach Valles is a two-time WCWA All-American for the University of the Cumberlands. This March she won the 2018 Bill Farrell International Open at 53 kilograms and qualified for World Team Trials. She has also competed at multiple senior level events: US Open, Dave Schultz Memorial International, Bill Farrell, and the Nordhagen Classic (Canada). "I am looking forward to working at BPC to give the next generation of female wrestlers the opportunity to earn a college education while wrestling. I am looking forward to watching each of my athletes grow and develop into well rounded student athletes while helping them follow the path that God has provided for them," exclaims Coach Valles. Athletic Director Daniel Prevett is excited about the future as well. "The opportunity to bring in a young coach who has had success on the mat at a national level and comes from one of the top programs in our conference is very exciting." "Women's wrestling is a rapidly growing sport," states Arelys. "It is important to get the word out that girls now have the opportunity to get a college education while they compete in the sport they love. Since women's wrestling isn't well known, I'd like to educate others about our sport and get as involved with the BPC community as possible." Coach Valles is looking forward to working in a Christian atmosphere. "I am excited to build a closer relationship with God. There is a reason why He put me on the path He did and I'm looking forward to seeing what else He has in store for me." "I love being able to give back to others and give them the opportunities that I have been given. I enjoy watching athletes grow, develop and reach their goals just as I have," says Arelys.

Anthony Ashnault wrestling in the NCAA semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Redshirt senior Anthony Ashnault has been granted a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA, it was announced today. The three-time All-American will be immediately eligible for the 2018-19 season to compete for Rutgers Wrestling. "We're extremely happy for Anthony because he really deserved it," said head coach Scott Goodale. "He's been the face of our program for the past four years and now he gets one more legit chance to accomplish his goal of winning a national title." Ashnault, who missed the entire 2017-18 season due to injury, owns 91 career wins during his career as a Scarlet Knight. The South Plainfield, New Jersey, native is a two-time national semifinalist and the only three-time All-American in program history, securing his spot on the podium at Nationals from 2015-17. A two-time Big Ten champion, Ashnault finished his last collegiate season in 2016-17 with a 30-6 record, which included his second consecutive Big Ten individual title, a national semifinal appearance and a sixth-place finish at the 2017 NCAA Championships at 141 pounds. Ashnault is also a three-time Bauer Male Athlete of the Year, bestowed to the best male student-athlete at the University. Wrestling produced its best team finish at the NCAA Championships in 2018, finishing 11th with 42.5 points. The historic result also included the program's first national finalist in Nick Suriano as well as a sixth-place finisher in Scott DelVecchio, as the Scarlet Knights earned multiple All-Americans for the third consecutive year under Goodale.