InterMat Staff

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- The brackets have been released for the Midlands Championships, which take place Friday and Saturday at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman States, Ill. Link: Brackets

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- Current Illinois wrestling head coach Jim Heffernan and former Illini head coach Mark Johnson will be inducted into the Ken Kraft Midlands Hall of Fame on Saturday, December 30, prior to the finals of the 55th annual tournament. The first two Illini to ever be inducted into the exclusive club, Coach Heffernan and Coach Johnson have combined to coach all four of Illinois' Midlands team titles and 11 of the 12 individual champions. The first with Illini ties to enter the Hall of Fame, Coach Heffernan and Coach Johnson are the 52nd and 53rd members of the Midlands Hall of Fame. A part of six team and five individual Midlands titles as an athlete or a coach, Jim Heffernan boasts continued success at the midseason holiday tournament. As a four-time All-American wrestler at Iowa, Heffernan won the 150-pound Midlands title three times to go along with Iowa team titles in 1983 and 1985. In his last of the three individual crowns, Heffernan was named the 1986 Art Kraft Champion of Champions which goes to the top overall wrestler at each Midlands tournament. Since joining the Illinois coaching staff as an assistant in 1992 under fellow inductee Mark Johnson, Heffernan has been a part of four more team Midlands titles, a three-peat from 2003 to 2005 and fourth team title in 2012 after taking over for Coach Johnson as head coach in 2009. In 2014 and 2016, Heffernan has guided two-time NCAA champion Isaiah Martinez to Midlands titles at 157 pounds and 165 pounds, respectively. The Midlands induction will mark the third Hall of Fame induction for Jim Heffernan, adding to his 2006 National Wrestling Hall of Fame and 2015 Iowa Hall of Fame inductions. Former Illini head coach Mark Johnson joins Heffernan in the 2017 Hall of Fame Class after leading the Illini to three straight Midlands team titles from 2003 to 2005 and eight individual Midlands champions. Of the eight Midlands titles, seven came during an eight-year span from 2002 to 2009 with one in every year except 2008. A two-time NCAA Finalist at the University of Michigan, Johnson placed three times at the Midlands tournament, finishing runner-up in 1976 and 1979. Coaching 17 seasons at the helm of the Illini, Johnson left the program with the most wins, NCAA Champions, All-Americans and NCAA qualifiers of any coach in Illini history. In 2005, Johnson broke Illinois' 53-year Big Ten title drought and won a pair of Big Ten dual titles in 2005 and 2006. In 2001, Johnson led the program to its highest finish at NCAA Championships with a fifth-place finish behind NCAA Champions Adam Tirapelle and John Lockhart. Johnson was named the 1995 National Coach of the Year and a two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (2001, 2005). For complete coverage of Fighting Illini wrestling, go to FIGHTINILLINI.com and follow @IlliniWrestling on Twitter and Instagram.

Andrew Long won a Midlands title in 2015 One of the charms of the Midlands Championships has always been its openness. In the past, wrestlers from divisions outside of NCAA Division I have been able to compete and have success. This year, NAIA No. 1 Grand View did not receive any bids for the tournament. With this lack of potential so-called "Cinderella stories" InterMat has decided to take a look back at some of the top non-Division I performances at the Midlands over the last five seasons. The article excludes post-graduate wrestlers such as David Taylor. 2016: Lucas Malmberg (Messiah), sixth at 125 Last year Malmberg defeated a pair of Division I competitors, Paul Bianchi (North Dakota State) and Christian Moody (Oklahoma), and ended up finishing sixth. He did suffer three losses in the tournament, but those turned out to be his only losses of the season. Malmberg went undefeated for the rest of the year and took home his second NCAA Division III title and fourth All-American season. 2015: Andrew Long (Grand View), champion at 141 After a troublesome end to his career at both Iowa State and Penn State, Long tried to revive his career at Grand View. Things got off to a good start on the mat with an impressive performance at the Midlands. He won all five of his matches via bonus points including a technical fall over Steve Bleise (Northern Illinois/Minnesota). However, this turned out to be the high point for Long at Grand View. The following March he was dismissed from the team and school following another off-the-mat incident. 2014: Brandon Wright (Grand View), seventh at 141 Wright defeated multiple Division I wrestlers including Todd Preston (Harvard), Topher Carton (Iowa) and Alex Kocer (South Dakota State) to finish seventh at the 2014 edition of the tournament. His only losses came against All-Americans Josh Dziewa (Iowa) and Joseph McKenna (Stanford/Ohio State). Wright finished the season with his second NAIA national title and currently serves as an assistant coach for the Vikings. 2014: Brock Gutches (Southern Oregon), sixth at 174 Gutches began his collegiate wrestling career at Boise State before transferring to Southern Oregon. He won four NAIA national titles and placed twice at the Midlands Tournament. In 2014, he reached the semifinals with a victory over Nate Jackson (Indiana) in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he dropped a decision against multiple-time All-American Mike Evans (Iowa) and defaulted out of the tournament. 2013: Brock Gutches (Southern Oregon), fourth at 174 During the previous season, Gutches actually finished a bit higher. He defeated Ricky McDonald (Brown), Collin Zeerip (Michigan), Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State) and Scott Liegel (Wisconsin). However, he dropped a rematch against Zillmer in overtime in the third-place match. 2013: Chad Lowman (Grand View), eighth at 165 During the 2013 tournament, Lowman knocked off a pair Division I competitors, Ben Cox (Wisconsin) and Jud Ziegler (Princeton), to finish eighth. He finished his career at Grand View with a pair of NAIA national titles. 2012: Matt Meuleners (Northern State) seventh at 285/Eric Thompson (Grand View), eighth at 285 Meuleners won a pair of NCAA Division II titles for Northern State. Also during his time there, he took home a seventh-place finish at the Midlands. He reached the quarterfinals with a victory over Ben Appland (Michigan) but lost in the next round. In the seventh-place match, he defeated Thompson. The Grand View wrestler ended up being a three-time NAIA champion and was the 2012 NAIA Wrestler of the Year.

An extremely talented field will convene for the 57th annual Brecksville Invitational Holiday Tournament come Friday and Saturday just south of Cleveland, Ohio. Nineteen wrestlers currently nationally ranked are expected to compete, including at least one ranked wrestler in twelve of the fourteen weight classes. Three nationally ranked teams are also present - No. 9 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.), No. 23 Brecksville, and No. 32 Lowell (Mich.). Additional notable teams to watch among the 47 in attendance are the three other out of state teams - Avon (Ind.), Dundee (Mich.), and Portage (Ind.); along with in-state teams such as three-time individual state runners-up Elyria, two-time dual team runners-up Wauseon, two-time individual state runners-up Canfield, plus a pair of teams that ended the 2016-17 season nationally ranked in Cincinnati Elder and Olentangy Liberty. The tournament is headlined by a pair of weight classes that feature three nationally ranked wrestlers, including the 106 pound weight class, which is led by No. 1 Jacob Decatur (CVCA). Additional ranked wrestlers are No. 13 Jacob Moon (Oregon Clay) and No. 19 Jacob Moran (Portage, Ind.). Also here are returning state Collin Yinger (Nelsonville-York) and Jacob Kuhlins (Tuslaw) along with Cadet freestyle All-American Kyle Rowan (Perry) and Beast of the East placer Jack Stanley (Brecksville). Also featuring three nationally ranked wrestlers is the 152 pound weight class, which is led by No. 7 Connor Brady (Olentangy Liberty) plus also features No. 16 Jake Marsh (Marysville) and No. 20 Cameron Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.). Other contenders include returning state champion Zach Bellaire (Dundee, Mich.), two-time state runner-up Sandro Ramirez (Wauseon), 2016 state runner-up Donnell Washington (Portage, Ind.), state placer Nathan Conley (Avon, Ind.), and David Cumberledge (Ashtabula St. John). Three other weight classes feature a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers, including the pair of state champions present at 120 pounds in No. 5 Julian Tagg (Brecksville) and No. 9 Ben Kamali (Detroit Catholic Central, Ind.). They are joined eight other state placers from last year, plus a ninth wrestler that placed at state two years ago. Notables among that group are three-time state placer Matthew Cardello (CVCA); two-time state placer Hunter Ryan (Lake Catholic); Jordan Rosselli (Olentangy Liberty), Brock Peele (Portage, Ind.), Jonathan White (Dundee, Mich.), and Dylan Burns (Milan Edison) who all placed third or fourth last year; along with 2016 state placer Jake Canitano (Solon). The 113 pound weight class features No. 13 Zach Shupp (Fairfield) and No. 16 Dylan Shawver (Elyria); Shupp placed at Flo Nationals, while Shawver is a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American. Also in the field are additional returning state medalists Brandon Lucas (Western Brown), Devon Johnsen (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), and Ray Adams (Milan Edison). The 170 pound weight class features a pair of Super 32 placers in No. 6 Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty) and No. 16 Ashton Eyler (Claymont); Kharchla placed third at 160, while Eyler was seventh at 182 in that tournament. Other notables in the field include state champion Jacob Lagoa (Ashtabula St. John) along with returning state medalists Anthony D'Alesio (Canfield) and Tyler Speelman (Nelsonville-York). No. 9 Jordan Decatur (CVCA) is the anchor of what is by far the tournament's deepest weight class, as eight additional returning state placers are present in the 126 pound weight class, plus another that placed at state in 2016 but not last year. Prime among that group of nine are 2016 state champion Asa Garcia (Avon, Ind.), a Super32 placer this fall, and returning state runner-up Gio DiSabato (Hilliard Davidson). Others include Cadet freestyle All-American Mick Burnett (Elyria), NHSCA Junior Nationals placer Colin Poynter (Portage, Ind.), and two-time state placer Connor McCrone (Lake Catholic). Another pretty deep weight class is the one at 132 pounds, where No. 16 Gabriel Tagg (Brecksville) is the lone ranked wrestler. He is a three-time placer at the Walsh Ironman and two-time placer at the Beast of the East. Eight others in the field were on their state tournament podium last year, including two-time state medalists Avry Mutschler (Lowell, Mich.) and Niko Chilson (Rootstown). No. 6 (at 145) Kevon Davenport (Detroit Catholic, Mich.) is dropping down to the 138 pound weight class for this event. Joining him in this weight class are three other returning state placers: two-time medalist Kris Rumph (Portage, Ind.), Marco Regalbuto (Brecksville), and Hunter Yackee (Wauseon). Others to watch are 2016 Cadet freestyle All-American Andrew Garr (Aurora) and impact freshman Stoney Buell (Dundee, Mich.). The 145 pound weight class will now be led by No. 11 Kasper McIntosh (Portage, Ind.), a placer at the Flo Nationals and Super 32 Challenge. Others to watch include state champion Austin Boone (Lowell, Mich.), Cadet freestyle All-American and Flo Nationals placer Victor Voinovich (Brecksville), as well as state placers Walker Heard (Marysville) and Dakota Bunting (Claymont). Two-time state champion Kevon Freeman (Lake Catholic), ranked No. 18 nationally, headlines a 160 pound weight class that does feature another state champion in Tyler Orrison (Dundee, Mich.). Additional returning state placers in the field include Colt Yinger (Nelsonville-York), Nevan Snodgrass (Kettering Fairmont), and Tyler Bates (Marysville), while Austin Murphy (Cincinnati Elder) was a state placer in 2016. Featured in the 182 pound weight class is state champion David Crawford (Canfield) as well as No. 12 Trevor Lawson (Olentangy Liberty). Four other state medalists in this field are David Kruse (Lowell, Mich.), Sam Stoll (Milan Edison), Charles Sanders (Cincinnati Elder), and Chris Langguth (Rootstown). The last of the ranked wrestlers in this tournament is No. 3 Brandon Whitman (Dundee, Mich.) at 220 pounds. Other contenders include Junior freestyle All-American Antonio McCloud (Cincinnati Elder); state placers Ryan Boyle (Rootstown), Josh Bever (Ashland), Connor Nugent (Lowell, Mich.), and Zach D'Anna (Brecksville); as well as Flo Nationals placer Tyler Stein (Canfield). Two weight classes in this tournament do not have a nationally ranked wrestler, 195 and 285 pounds. The 195 pound class feature just one returning state medalist, Dalton Hoover (Martins Ferry) with six additional state qualifiers, including Freakshow champion Keigan Yuhas (Lowell, Mich.). At 285 pounds, there are two returning state placers, Alec Moore-Nash (Cincinnati Elder) and Brayden Phillips (Tuslaw); while four additional state qualifiers are present, including Walsh Ironman placer Tyler Connolly (Marysville).

In its 51st year, the Powerade Wrestling Tournament has positioned itself as the best tournament held between Christmas and New Year's Day, and among the five (or so) best regular season tournaments across the country. The field is primarily centered upon the wrestling hotbed that is the WPIAL, and more broadly Pennsylvania as a whole. There are also teams from eight other states in the 52-school field. Leading the way is a pair of top ten ranked teams in the country, No. 5 Wyoming Seminary and No. 7 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.). Three other nationally ranked teams are in the field, No. 37 Parkersburg South (W.Va.), No. 41 St. Paul's (Md.), and No. 50 Kiski Area; while other notable teams include Reynolds, Erie Cathedral Prep, and Canon-McMillan. Three weight classes will feature the wrestler ranked first in the country, Kurt McHenry (St. Paul's, Md.) at 113 pounds, Joey Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) at 132, and Gavin Hoffman (Montoursville) at 195. No additional nationally ranked wrestler is present to challenge McHenry at 113 pounds, though there are two returning state champions, Beau Bayless (Reynolds) and Nic Bouzakis (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.). Other returning state placers include Ryan Sullivan (Shaler), Frank Bonura (Moon Township), and Christian Fisher (Mifflin County). Also in this weight class is Nic Botello (Wyoming Seminary). Joining Silva at 132 will be another nationally ranked wrestler in No. 6 Carson Manville (Wyoming Seminary), a Cadet National double champion this summer. However, being a freshman means that Manville will be an unseeded wrestler; the tournament as a rule seeds eight wrestlers per weight class, with freshmen not being eligible for seeding. Others to watch include two-time state placer Lucas Revano (Camden Catholic, N.J.); state placers Jordan Ward (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio) and Bodee Tolbert (Bishop McDevitt); along with state qualifiers Caleb Morris (Waynesburg), Colton Camacho (Franklin Regional), and Nick Coy (Penn Trafford). A pair of additional nationally ranked wrestlers join Hoffman at 195, No. 8 Ryan Reyes (Clovis West, Calif.) and No. 16 Austin Cooley (Wyoming Seminary). Also in this weight class are state runner-up Jake Thompson (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio) and state placer Xavier Molnar (Brookville). There are also a pair of wrestlers ranked second in the country in the tournament field – Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson Morgan) is ranked No. 2 at 132 pounds, but competing down at 126, while Trent Hidlay (Mifflin County) anchors the 182 weight class. Teasdale – yet to lose a high school match – is in a rather robust weight class, featuring two other ranked wrestlers in No. 6 Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary) and No. 11 Sam Hillegas (North Hills). Others include state champion Liam Lusher (Independence, W.Va.), state runners-up Colt Rhone (Benton) and Brayden Roberts (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), state medalist Ed Scott (DuBois), and state qualifier Patrick Noon (Stroudsburg). Hidlay's weight class features the most ranked wrestlers of any in this tournament, with three other ranked wrestlers joining him. No. 6 Cody Mulligan (Saegertown) is a fellow state champion, and lost 3-2 to Hidlay in the King of the Mountain final already this season, while No. 19 Jack Parr (St. Paul's, Md.) and Darrien Roberts (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) are both returning National Prep placers. Also in the field are returning state placers Tim Wallace (Albert Gallatin) and Luigi Yates (Erie Cathedral Prep). Another trio of weight classes feature three nationally ranked wrestlers. Returning Powerade champion Cody Matthews (Reynolds) is ranked No. 9 at 138, and is joined by No. 11 Jack Davis (Wyoming Seminary) as well as No. 12 Jackson Henson (Waynesburg) in this field. Also in the weight class are multiple-time state champions Luke Martin (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), Noah Castillo (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), and River Curtis (Battlefield, Va.) as well as two-time state placer Noah Levett (Kiski Area) and National Prep placer Irman Heard (St. Paul's, Md.) Three-time state champion Frankie Gissendanner (Penfield, N.Y.) is ranked No. 6 at 152 pounds, but competing in this tournament at 145. Also present are No. 15 Ricky Cabanillas (DePaul Catholic, N.J.) and No. 16 Ryan Vulakh (Pope John II). Others in the field are state champion Max Hammond (St. Paul's, Md.), 2016 state runner-up Alex Hart (Independence, W.Va.), two-time state placer Luke Kemerer (Hempfield Area), state placer Kai Bele (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), and 2016 state medalist Job Chishko (Penn Trafford). Cadet National double champion Carter Starocci (Erie Cathedral Prep) is ranked No. 8 at 160 pounds. Also in the field are a pair of Ironman placers, No. 12 Erich Byelick (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) and No. 16 Jake Hendricks (Wyoming Seminary); Byelick is a two-time Super 32 placer, while Hendricks was on the Cadet Greco world team this summer. Also in the field are state runners-up Ronald Miller (Battlefield, Va.) and Zane Hinzman (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), state medalist Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan), and two-time former state placer Zach Hartman (Belle Vernon). Two other weight classes feature a pair of ranked wrestlers, 152 and 220 pounds. No. 9 Justin McCoy (Chestnut Ridge) and No. 17 Josh Humphreys (Parkersburg South, W.Va) head the field at 152, while No. 5 Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) and No. 12 Ben Goldin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) are at 220. Other contenders at 152 include state champions Zach Feight (Battlefield, Va.) and Haegan Harvey (Independence, W.Va.), multi-time National Prep placer Benny Baker (Wyoming Seminary), multi-time state placer Caleb Hetrick (Brookville), and state medalist Brock Godzin (Belle Vernon). Additional wrestlers at 220 include state runner-up Ian Edenfield (Laurel Highlands), state medalists Dominic Deluca (Derry Area) and Tyler Cook (Brookville), along with 2015 National Prep placer John Urban (St. Paul's, Md.) Leading the pack at 106 pounds is No. 18 Will Guida (St. Paul's, Md.), while Jake Wohltman (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) and Kurtis Phipps (Norwin) are the only other returning state medalists. Additional wrestlers to watch include Junior freestyle All-American Tim Levine (Wyoming Seminary), state qualifier Trenton Donahue (DuBois), and freshman Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Seneca Valley) The lone ranked wrestler at 120 is Ryan Chauvin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), who is No. 17 down at 113. Additional contenders include state champions Doug Zapf (Downington West) and Brandon Wittenberg (Battlefield, Va.); mutli-time state placers Louis Newell (Seneca Valley), Logan Macri (Canon-McMillan), and Chase Shields (Bishop McDevitt); and state medalist Darren Miller (Kiski Area). Impact freshmen are Cadet freestyle champion Zeke Escalera (Wyoming Seminary) and Wyatt Henson (Waynesburg). Josiah Jones (Bishop McCort), ranked No. 6 at 220 pounds, is up in the 285 weight class and the lone ranked wrestler present. Others contenders include two-time state runner-up Louden Haga (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), two-time state medalist Kavaun DeBoe (Erie Cathedral Prep), state placer Curtis Ruff (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), and state qualifier Antonio Cutrie (Wyoming Seminary). The lone weight class without a nationally ranked wrestler is 170 pounds. Notable contenders include two-time state placer Jared McGill (Chestnut Ridge), two-time state qualifier Kyle Homet (Waynesburg), state placer Jason Montgomery (Bethel Park), and state runner-up Max Cosmides (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.)

Gable Steveson gets a takedown on Anoka's Dom Cruz at The Clash (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Clash XVI is upon us this week, Friday and Saturday at the RCTC Regional Sports Center in Rochester, Minn. In its 16th year, The Clash serves as a showcase for excellent high school wrestling teams to prove themselves in a dual meet format. While the ultimate goal is to determine a winning team, the event's format enables every school to compete against equal caliber of competition in the majority of its dual meets. On the first day, the 32 teams (this year 30) are split up into four brackets featuring eight teams each. Winners in the opening round compete in a semifinal and final for first through fourth place, while opening round losers compete in semifinal and final dual meets for fifth through eighth place. Then on Day 2, the four teams finishing in each placement spot on Day 1 compete in round-robin competition. Each day is split into two sessions: Morning/Afternoon: dual meets at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. Central Time (Brackets A & B on the first day, pools fifth through eighth on the second day) Afternoon/Evening: dual meet at 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 8 p.m. (Brackets C & D on the first day, championship pool through fourth pool on the second day) This year's event features six Fab 50 squads. No. 8 St. Edward (Ohio) and No. 26 Apple Valley (Minn.) are the top seeds in Brackets A & B respectively, while No. 6 Montini Catholic (Ill.) and No. 13 Park Hill (Mo.) are top seeds in Brackets C & D; No. 30 Simley (Minn.) is second seeded to Montini in Bracket C, while No. 33 Anoka (Minn.) is the second seed in Bracket D. Given the presence of nationally elite teams, and other teams that view themselves as contenders for such positions, there are going to be nationally ranked individuals. Though the dual meet format can in some cases de-emphasize the individual matchups, there are some that happen during the course of the event. Below are the nationally ranked individuals in the field. 106: No. 10 Jacob Rundell (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), though he is likely to compete at 113 in some duals meets 113: No. 6 Dylan Ragusin (Montini Catholic, Ill.) 120: No. 2 Joey Melendez (Montini Catholic, Ill.), No. 16 Sam Latona (Thompson, Ala.) 126: No. 5 Patrick McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), No. 13 Ridge Lovett (Post Falls, Idaho), No. 20 Weston DiBlasi (Park Hill, Mo.); Ryan Sokol (Simley, Minn.) is also in the weight class, but not listed on his team's lineup in Track Wrestling 132: No. 3 Real Woods (Montini Catholic, Ill.), No. 20 Matt Kazimir (St. Edward, Ohio); Anthony Madrigal (Oak Park River Forest, Ill) is also in the weight class, but not listed on his team's lineup in Track Wrestling 138: No. 20 Fidel Mayora (Montini Catholic, Ill.) 145: No. 2 Alex Lloyd (Shakopee, Minn.), No. 14 Sam Dover (St. Edward, Ohio) 152: No. 5 Will Lewan (Montini Catholic, Ill.), No. 15 Tyler Eischens (Anoka, Minn.) 160: No. 4 Peyton Robb (Owatonna, Minn.) 182: No. 18 Devin Winston (Park Hill, Mo.) 195: No. 9 Cody Howard (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 11 Ashton Sharp (Park Hill, Mo.) 220: No. 2 Daniel Kerkvliet (Simley, Minn.), No. 9 Jace Punke (Washington, Ill.) 285: No. 1 Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 9 Jake Levengood (Vacaville, Calif.), No. 17 Keaton Kluever (Kaukauna, Wis.) A breakdown for each of the Day 1 brackets is provided below. Bracket A: Anything other than St. Edward winning would come as a total shock. The Eagles are an extremely deep team featuring the three nationally ranked wrestlers plus three returning state medalists in Angelo Rini (120), Bryce Hepner (126), and Bryce Andonian (138) along with elite freshman Padraic Gallagher (152). Ten St. Edward wrestlers either placed (four) or were one match from placing at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman earlier this month. The Eagles open with a bye before facing the winner of a dual meet between Owatonna (Minn.) and Kearney (Mo.). Owatonna is anchored by nationally ranked Peyton Robb and returning state runner-up Cade King (182), while Kearney is led by three-time state champion Clayton Singh (120) and state runner-up Caden Green (126). The lower bracket semifinal is likely to be a showdown between Shakopee (Minn.) and Oak Park River Forest (Ill.) Shakopee is off an excellent Minnesota Christmas Tournament, and the Sabres have a very strong top end of the roster, but their balance is a bit lacking. Alex Lloyd anchors the Shakopee roster, while he is complimented by Paxton Creese (106) along with state placers Max Crowe (120) and Sam Webster (152). Oak Park River Forest will likely be absent their best wrestler in Anthony Madrigal, but are led by nationally ranked Jacob Rundell (106/113) as well as state qualifiers Nico (120/126) and Eddie (126/132) Bolivar. Bracket B: Apple Valley is the most susceptible of the top-seeded teams to get upset based on their lineup. However, the pairings do not put a true direct challenger in their midst. The Eagles are led by Gable Steveson, who needs no introduction. Other key wrestlers include returning/previous state placers Regan Schrempp (113), Adam Mickelson (120), Sebas Swiggum (132), Brady Gross (138), and Nate Larson (152). Apple Valley is looking at a likely semifinal against Wasatch (Utah), who faces Vacaville (Calif.) in the opening round. Vacaville features a nationally ranked wrestler in Jake Levengood along with state medalist Lawrence Saenz (145). However, Wasatch counters with a trio of state champions in Stockton O'Brien (132), Zak Kohler (138), and D.J. Cohen (195) along with two other returning/previous state finalists in Sammy Heywood (126) and Seth Gardner (182). The lower bracket semifinal is most likely to place St. Michael-Albertville (Minn.) against Washington (Ill.). STMA is led by Patrick McKee as well as two other wrestlers currently ranked in the top ten of Minnesota Class AAA by The Guillotine, returning state qualifiers Brandon Psyk (120) and Nolan Schmitz (195). Washington is anchored by nationally ranked Jace Punke, while also featuring state medalists in Christian Goin (120), Tyler Delaware (132), Blaize Punke (145), and Dalton Jensen (152). Commerce (Ga.) could provide STMA with a significant challenge in the opening round as their back half of the lineup is excellent with four wrestlers that have won state titles previously, most notably Chase Forrester (170) and Cade Ridley (285). Bracket C: Montini Catholic is on-paper the best team in the event this year, as the Broncos carry the lineup breadth of St. Edward but with a higher quality from their top end wrestlers. They feature five nationally ranked wrestlers, four of whom reside in the top six of their weight class nationally. Additional wrestlers in the lineup include 2016 state medalist Dylan Burnoski (126), state medalist Matt Ortiz (170), state qualifiers Trevor Swier (182) and Peter Christensen (195), and solid freshman Nain Vasquez (106). After an opening round bye, Montini is looking at a semifinal bout against most likely Post Falls (Idaho), who draws Prior Lake (Minn.) in the opening round. Prior Lake is led by three state medalists in Zach Smith (138), Curits LeMair (145), and Calvin Sund (195) as well as state champion Kenny O'Neil (170). Post Falls counters with a pair of state champions in nationally ranked Ridge Lovett as well as Matt McLeod (132) plus four others that finished top three last year in Jordan Grimm (120), A.J. De La Rosa (138), Mathias De La Rosa (145), and Bryadon Huber (160). The lower bracket is likely to yield a semifinal placing Marmion Academy (Ill.) against Simley (Minn.). While the Spartans are likely to be without Cadet freestyle champion Ryan Sokol, they are anchored by Cadet world freestyle champion Daniel Kerkvliet and two-time state champion Jake Gliva (132). Additional key wrestlers include state medalist Cael Berg (120) and state qualifier Luke Zaiser (285). Marmion has been short of full strength all season, and at present are anchored by freshman Diego Sotelo (106), state placer Trevor Chumbley (132), and two-time state placer Nate Jimenez (170); the Cadets are hopeful for the return of state medalists Brad Gross (160) and Peter Ferraro (182/195) at some point this season. Bracket D: Last year a youthful Park Hill team emerged on the scene at this event with an upset of Oak Park River Forest to win their Day 1 bracket before a Day 2 upset over Buchanan served as a total shock to the collective scholastic wrestling psyche. However, a championship pool run for the Trojans would be an expected event this year. In addition to their three nationally ranked wrestlers, Park Hill has four other returning/previous state medalists: Trey Crawford (113), Austin Kolvek (132), Josh Steele (145), and Blake Hopson (170). Complimenting that group are a pair of impact freshmen in Ethan Miller (120) and Grayston DiBlasi (138) as well as two other state qualifiers. Their path to the finals is very manageable, a first round match against Farmington (Minn.) before a semifinal dual against either Zumbota-Mazeppa (Minn.) or Providence Catholic (Ill.) Farmington has two-time state medalist Trayton Anderson (126) in the lineup; Zumbrota-Mazeppa has three excellent upper-weights in state champion Caden Steffen (182) along with state runners-up Jacob Bennett (195) and Jarrett Haglund (220); while Providence Catholic features state runner-up Cole Smith (160), state qualifiers Dominick Ambrose (138) and Juan Bazaldua (152), along with the currently injured returning state champion Jacob Lindsey (113/120). Nationally ranked Anoka is a clear favorite in the lower bracket, led by their core of middle-weights in two-time state placers Dylan Droegemueller (132) and Colby Njos (138), two-time state qualifier Scott Springer (145), and nationally ranked Tyler Eischens. State runner-up Brandon Frankfurth (285) is also key to the Tornadoes effort. They draw Thompson (Ala.) in the opening round, who is led by nationally ranked light-weight Sam Latona and Cadet freestyle All-American Gabe Hixenbaugh (132). The other opening round bout in the lower bracket placers Kaukauna (Wis.) vs. Glenbard North (Ill.). The Ghosts from Wisconsin feature nationally ranked Keaton Kluever, state medalists Brandon Micksh (132) and Bryson Alsteen (182), as well as 2016 state placer Zach Lee (160); while Glenbard North is led by two-time Cadet double All-American Abe Assad (170).

Rasoul Khadem coaching Hassan Yazdani Cherati at the Olympics (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The head of the Iran Wrestling Federation weighed in on the possibility of his nation's wrestling program being suspended from international competition for an incident last month where an Iranian wrestler allegedly threw a match rather than face an Israeli in the next round. The IWF's Rasoul Khadem told Iran's Mehr News Agency, "Suspension of Iran wrestling is a very serious matter." "Everybody in the country's sport community knows that the international wrestling governing body is under the influence of big political powers and powerful economic enterprises, so that they can impose their will on it," referring to United World Wrestling, the governing body for the sport in international competition. Khadem also revealed that the Iran Wrestling Federation has been in "constant contact" with the UWW, and, in fact had traveled to the UWW's headquarters in Switzerland to make a case for the organization not to suspend the Iranian wrestling program. Khadem pointed out that if there had not been for Iran Wrestling Federation's efforts, Iranian wrestling would have been suspended 20 days ago, when United World Wrestling announced it would be investigating "irregularities" in a freestyle match at the 2017 U-23 World Championships in Poland. As InterMat reported in late November, Iran's Ali Reza Karimi-Machiani allegedly intentionally lost his first-round match with Russia's Alikhan Zhabrailov at the instruction of his coaches when they realized their wrestler would have to face an opponent from Israel in the next match. Iran does not recognize the state of Israel and forbids its athletes from competing against Israelis at international sports events. Khadem admitted that the Iran Wrestling Federation does not have great influence on United World Wrestling, so it would have to use its connections in the International Olympic Committee, saying there are member countries within the IOC which have supported Iran over the years. "It has been for their support that they (Iran Wrestling Federation) have not been suspended so far," according to Khadem.

Wrestling coaches Duane Watson and Lonnie Morris will be guests "On the Mat" this Wednesday December 27. Lonnie MorrisWatson is the head wrestling coach at Allendale High School in Michigan, while Morris coaches the NCAA Division III program at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa this Wednesday at 5 p.m. Central on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show is available on mattalkonline.com. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments.

Imagine seeing Dan Gable, Dan Hodge, Doug Blubaugh or Yojiro Uetake wrestle ... right before your eyes. Now you can. No time travel involved. All you have to do is make tracks to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. Dan Gable watching video at the Hall of FameThe Hall is home to more than 500 videos of NCAA Wrestling Championships finals matches, including bouts featuring the all-time greats mentioned above. The NWHOF collection encompasses matches going back 80 years (starting with the 1937 NCAAs) ... right up to the title bouts from the 2017 Nationals. (The list of videos just grew to include all ten finals matches from the 1965 NCAAs which were recently added to the Hall of Fame's collection.) How does it work? Simply go up to one of two kiosks inside the Hall of Fame. You can type in a particular year you'd like to see, then click on the available match-ups. Or you can type in the name of a school or an individual wrestler, and on the kiosk screen you'll see a list of the pertinent matches. The matches you select will automatically appear on the large overhead screen. The Hall of Fame's system makes it easy for visitors to watch some of the all-time greats in action for themselves. (For instance, the newly-added '65 Nationals lets you see Distinguished Members of the Hall such as Mike Caruso of Lehigh, and Oklahoma State's Bill Harlow and Yojiro Uetake Obata on the mat in their prime.) It's your chance to witness some of the true legends, including Bill Koll, Myron Roderick, Dan Hodge, Gray Simons, Wade Schalles, Lee Kemp ... along with members of some of the first families of wrestling (the Peerys, the Schultzes, the Smiths, the Brands, the Steiners) ... the most-talked-about matches, including the biggest upsets (for instance, Dan Gable vs. Larry Owings at the 1970 NCAAs) ... and college matches of eventual Olympic gold medalists, including Terry McCann, Doug Blubaugh, and Shelby Wilson of the 1960 Rome Olympics. Want to settle an argument between friends about who's the all-time best college wrestler from a particular school or era ... or even compare wrestlers from different eras? It's easy, thanks to the Hall's wrestling video library. What's more, you can call up videos from various eras to compare wrestling techniques, uniforms, rules, whatever. If 500 college championship matches weren't enough, the Hall of Fame expects to someday offer videos with an international flair. "In the future, we plan to add videos from international events beginning with the Olympics," Jack Carnefix, Operations Director for the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, told InterMat. "We will have medal matches and eventually plan to add all matches involving Americans."

For a third straight year, No. 24 Brownsburg won the Class 3A (big-school) championship at the IHSWCA State Duals in Fort Wayne, Ind. The Bulldogs, also defending individual state tournament champions, opened competition on Saturday with a pair of dominant wins; 66-7 over Center Grove and 46-18 over Roncalli, going 23-5 across those two dual meets. However, life would get much tougher in the semifinal dual meet against Portage, a team that started the season ranked nationally before being out-pointed in a tournament by No. 49 Perry Meridian and losing a dual meet No. 38 Indianapolis Cathedral. A now full-strength Indians squad would split the matches seven apiece but lose the dual 32-28 to Brownsburg. The Bulldogs were propelled by two pins, a forfeit, and a technical fall during the dual meet. The match-opening pin came at 182 pounds by two-time state placer Nathan Walton against state qualifier Jeremy Torres. Portage would respond with a 10-4 decision at 195. At 220 pounds, Lawson Aiken of Brownsburg earned a second period pin over Chester Swopes in a key swing match; Aiken failed to get out of the regional last year, while Swopes made it to the semi-state level. Reily Peterson extended the Bulldogs lead to 18-3 with a forfeit at 285. A pin from No. 19 Jacob Moran at 106 would cut the Portage deficit to 18-9 before a string of five tight bouts, three of which were won by the Bulldogs to extend the lead to 27-15 with four bouts remaining. Freshman Kysen Montgomery pushed the Bulldogs' lead to 21-9 with a 2-1 victory over Ricky Hegedus at 113. A battle of state medalists at 120 saw Brock Peele of Portage win 3-1 in overtime over Drake Campbell. Another matchup of state medalist at 126 saw Colin Poynter rally from a 5-0 early hole against two-time state runner-up Ty Mills to earn an 11-7 victory via a late five point move. Brownsburg junior Drew Kreitzer would beat senior Alec Luna 4-1 at 132 pounds to set up the dual meet's inflection point. The 138 pound match placed a pair of returning state runners-up at two-time state placers against one another. Which ever team won this match would be favored to win the dual meet based on the following four matchups. An overtime takedown for Brownsburg's Blake Mullkey yielded him a 3-1 victory over Kris Rumph. No. 11 Kasper McIntosh and Donnell Washington would follow up with a major decision and pin for the Indians at 145 and 152 respectively. However, moving up one weight class, No. 2 Brayton Lee scored a 24-9 technical fall at 160 pounds to clinch the dual meet with one match remaining. In that last match, Drake Guerrero scored a 9-3 victory for Portage at 170 to create the final margin. In the other semifinal match, Perry Meridian jumped out to 7-0, 16-6, and 19-10 leads against Evansville Mater Dei before consecutive pins from Clay Egli (126) and Eli Dickens (132) gave Mater Dei a 22-19 lead with five matches remaining. Returning state placer Matt Lee used two third period takedowns to upend senior Blaize Lowery 6-5 at 138 pounds to give the Wildcats a 25-19 lead despite the teams splitting the first ten matches at five-apiece. The Falcons would close the dual meet with four consecutive victories to to win the dual meet 34-25, with two-time state placer Noah Warren securing the winner take most pin in 56 seconds at 170 pounds. In the subsequent consolation match, fourth seed Portage would dominate third seed Mater Dei to the tune of a 37-13 victory in which the Indians won ten of the fourteen bouts. Consolation wrestling for fifth place saw Avon beat Columbus East 33-26, as the teams split the fourteen matches seven-apiece. In preliminary pool competition, Portage beat Avon 34-17 (9-5 matches), while Evansville Mater Dei beat Columbus East 35-24 (7-7 matches). The championship dual meet between the pair of nationally ranked teams did not disappoint. The second-seeded Falcons jumped out to a 9-0 lead after a 4-3 decision for Austin Lane at 195 and a 38 second pin by Frank Hammond at 220. The teams would alternate victories in the next four matches, as the top-seeded Bulldogs cut the deficit to 17-9. Notably, Reily Peterson got Brownsburg on the board with a pin at 285, freshman Alex Cottey scored a 24-7 technical fall at 106 for Perry Meridian, and Perry Meridian's Sam Fair beat Drake Campbell 8-4 at 120 in a match that pitted past state placers against one another. Three successive bonus point victories for Brownsburg would turn that deficit into a 25-17 advantage with five bouts remaining. Three-time state placer Mills started with a pin at 126, Kreitzer continued the rally with another pin at 132, before Mullkey's 12-4 major decision finalized the run. A pair of decision victories for Perry Meridian cut the deficit to 25-23 with three matches remaining. Those coming 5-0 for Jack Servies at 145 and 3-1 for Austin Rainbolt at 152. Brayton Lee answered with a 16-8 major decision for the Bulldogs at 160 to extend the advantage back out to 29-23. A 5-0 decision for Brooks Davis at 170 was the seventh match victory for Perry Meridian, which created a winner take all showdown at 182 between a pair of two-time state placers. For the Falcons, Noah Warren bumped up to face Nathan Walton; it was Walton who won the match 8-5 with takedowns in each period to secure the 32-26 title match victory. From an individual perspective, the performance of the day had to be from 2016 state champion Asa Garcia (Avon), who beat two state champions and a third state medalist on the day. Garcia beat Poynter of Portage 3-2 before using a takedown late in regulation and in overtime to beat state champion Alec Viduya (Roncalli) 7-5, and then in his last match of the day it was a 3-1 victory over state champion Cayden Rooks (Columbus East).

Just like last year, No. 2 Buchanan (Calif.) emerged as champions at the Zinkin Classic, an event that they hosted Friday and Saturday just outside of Fresno. Even without a pair of returning state medalists in the lineup - Tyler Deen (132) and No. 16 Matthew Olguin (138) - and having No. 15 Joel Romero (160) default out of the tournament from the semifinals on to place sixth, the Bears put 12 starters on the podium to score 244.5 points in the tournament. Three Buchanan wrestlers emerged as champions, No. 12 (at 126) Ethan Leake (132), No. 10 Anthony Montalvo (182), and Trevor Ervin (220); runner-up finishes came from No. 13 Brett Villarreal (145) and Chris Gaxiola (152). Villarreal suffered a 3-1 defeat in the championship match against two-time state medalist Peyton Omania (De La Salle, Calif.) No. 28 Selma finished as tournament runners-up with 176 points on the strength of eight starters earning podium finishes. Championships were won by No. 4 Richard Figueroa (106), Jace Luchau (152), and Christian Rodriguez (170), while Tristan Lujan (113) finished as runner-up. Two-time state medalist Tony Mendoza (145) advanced to the semifinal round before defaulting out of the tournament to place sixth. No. 12 Clovis finished in third place with 166.5 points. The Cougars were without two state qualifiers in the middle-to-upper weights, while two lower-weight state medalists each competed up a weight class on the weekend. Winning titles were Jacob Good (195) and No. 2 Seth Nevills (285), while lower weight state medalists Giano Petrucelli (120) and Brandon Paulson (126) placed third and fourth respectively. Two other starting wrestlers placed third and eighth respectively. The other team with multiple weight class champions was Clovis North, who had No. 20 Devin Murphy (120) and Ryan Franco (126) win titles. Rounding out the champions were Aaron Nagao (Esperanza) at 113 pounds, Mike Mello (Oak Ridge) at 138, and Noah Blake (Del Oro) at 160; Mello pinned returning state medalist Dawson Sihavong (Bullard) in his championship bout.

The 35-team Al Dvorak Invitational field proved to be no test for No. 11 Cincinnati (Ohio) LaSalle over the course of Friday and Saturday's tournament held just to the northwest of Chicago. The Lancers dominated through a field of talented individuals and some pretty good programs from multiple states to the tune of 242 team points, which was over 90 points more than the tournament runners-up. Eleven LaSalle wrestlers entered the tournament, all eleven ended up on the podium led by a trio of weight class champions: freshman Dustin Norris (106) as well as sophomores Antoine Allen (120) and No. 9 Elan Heard (138). On the way to his title, Heard had two pins followed by three decisive wins over returning state medalists; a 9-1 major decision over two-time state champion We Rachal (Chicago Washington, Ill.) in the quarterfinal, a 5-0 semifinal decision against Caleb Ziebell (Slinger, Wis.), and finally a 3-0 victory over Jacob Dado (Marist, Ill.) in the final. Finishing as runners-up were junior Michael Baker (195) and No. 7 Lucas Byrd (113). Byrd was upended by fellow junior Noah Surtin (Edwardsville, Ill.), who is ranked No. 4 nationally at the weight class. Surtin won 12-4, turning a match that was tied 3-all after two periods into a rout during the third period. Four other LaSalle wrestlers were in the consolation final, freshman Darnai Heard (132) and junior Garrett Bledsoe (220) placed third, while junior Trey Sizemore (160) and senior Blake Wilson (182) finished fourth. An unexpected runner-up finish was mustered by defending tournament champions Mason, Ohio. The Comets scored 148 points on the strength of three tournament finalists and two other placers. Chris Donathan (152) was the lone champion, while Sam Glassco (132) and Eric Vermillion (170) finished second; for Vermillion, he is now a two-time runner-up in this tournament. A surprise in the other direction was that No. 37 Mt. Carmel, Ill. finished in fourth place with 138.5 points, and only able to place four wrestlers. Leading the Caravan's effort was No. 8 Kendall Coleman, a champion at 145; also placing were Colton Drousias (106) and Rehan Uribe (120) in third and Noah Mis (113) in fifth. Leading the way in impact from an individual standpoint was Jack Jessen (Willowbrook, Ill.), the champion at 182 pounds. The No. 3 ranked wrestler nationally in the weight class knocked off No. 8 Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.) 3-2 in the semifinal before beating No. 14 (at 170) Zac Braunagel (Althoff Catholic, Ill.) 6-4 in the championship match. Another notable individual performance during the course of the tournament was had by 160 pound runner-up Allen Swanson (Oswego, Ill.). The senior qualified for state last year at 145 pounds going two-and-out downstate; however, this weekend he beat returning state medalist David Ferrante (Huntley, Ill.) by 16-7 major decision in the quarterfinal, before upsetting No. 7 Nelson Brands (Iowa City West, Iowa) 10-6 in the semifinal. However, it was not to be in the final as state champion Danny Braunagel (Althoff Catholic, Ill.) beat Swanson by a major decision, the score was 15-2. Most dominant during the course of the tournament was No. 4 Anthony Cassioppi (Hononegah, Ill.), the champion at 285 pounds. The Iowa signee opened his tournament run with a bye and then two first period pins before a 15-0 technical fall and then a 22-7 technical fall to earn gold. Additional weight class champions included Jamie Suarez (Wheaton North, Ill.) at 126 pounds, Danny Pucino (Libertyville, Ill.) at 132, Abe Assad (Glenbard North, Ill.) at 170, Nick Stemmet (Yorkville, Ill.) at 195, and Maverick McPeek (Dakota, Ill.) at 220.

BLACKSBURG -- No. 10 Virginia Tech took eight of the 10 matches against West Virginia including four bonus point wins as the Hokies topped the Mountaineers, 30-6, in front 2,392 at Carillion Clinic Court on Friday night. Three-straight wins from redshirt sophomore David McFadden at 165 pounds to redshirt junior Zack Zavatsky at 184 went for bonus points for the Hokies (5-1). McFadden moved to 18-0 on the season with a major decision while freshman Hunter Bolen picked up his first win by fall at 174 pounds. With the Hokies only leading by one through four weight classes, 7-6, redshirt freshman B.C. LaPrade knocked off his second ranked opponent of the season with a convincing 8-2 decision over No. 18 Zachary Moore. LaPrade's win sparked five-consecutive wins for Tech. After McFadden's team-best 10th bonus point win of the season, Bolen registered his first pin as a Hokie at 4:48 in the bout over redshirt senior Parker VonEgidy. The match was clinched after Zavatsky gave the Hokies its third-consecutive bonus point win with a workman-like 14-2 major decision with riding time over Brenden McRill. The top five bout of the night between third-ranked Jared Haught and fifth-ranked Jake Smith saw Haught take 2-1 decision on a stall and an escape. Redshirt freshman Andrew Dunn closed out the night with a 2-1 decision in the second tiebreaker period. The Hokies will return to action in 2018 at the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Virginia from Jan. 12-13. Results: 125: #19 Zeke Moisey dec. Kyle Norstrem (VT), 10-3 133: #14 Dennis Gustafson dec. (VT) Matthew Schmitt, 7-1 141: Brent Moore (VT) MD Christian Monserrat , 13-4 149: Kyler Rea dec. Andrew Mehrholz (VT), 5-0 157: B.C. LaPrade (VT) dec. No. 18 Zachary Moore, 8-2 165: #4 David McFadden (VT) MD Nick Kiussis, 15-6 174: Hunter Bolen (VT) fall Parker VonEgidy, 4:48 184: #7 Zack Zavatsky (VT) MD Brenden McRill, 14-2 197: #3 Jared Haught (VT) dec. #5 Jake Smith, 2-1 285: #17 Andrew Dunn (VT) dec. Brandon Ngati, 2-1 (TB-2)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Queens University of Charlotte head wrestling coach Ken Chertow has announced his coaching staff for the Royals' inaugural season of competition. Chertow welcomes Rob Tate, Frank Arado, Tom Trieloff, and Alex Ventura. Rob TateTate, who joined Queens in the spring of 2017 shortly after the program was launched, most recently served as an assistant coach at Charlotte Country Day School for two years. During that time he helped to coach one National Prep Tournament qualifier, one state champion, and three additional state place-winners. Prior to his work with Country Day, Tate returned to his alma-mater Gardner-Webb University where he worked from 2012-2014 and helped two athletes qualify for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. From 2009-2011, Tate worked with East Gaston High School as an assistant coach helping the warriors produce two state champions and three additional placers. He also oversaw the team at Stanly Middle School as the head coach during the 2011 season. In his collegiate career at Gardner-Webb, Tate was an NCAA Division I Tournament qualifier, East Regional Champion and two-time finalist, and East Region Wrestler of the Week on several occasions. He was also named the Outstanding Wrestler of the Pembroke Classic in 2007. At East Gaston High School, Tate was a two-time All-American at Junior Nationals where he placed fourth in Greco-Roman and sixth in Freestyle. He was also a state placer his sophomore year, a state champion as a junior, and the state runner-up his senior year. Throughout high school he was on three state tournament championship teams, two state dual runner-up teams, and one state tournament runner-up team. Tate's overall high school record of 211-28 still ranks him in the top 10 of career victories in the state of North Carolina. "When Queens hired me, Coach Tate was one of the first people to reach out to me offering to assist with our program," said Chertow. "Coach Tate has worked hard along with me to lay the foundation for our program. He loves to wrestle and his two decades of commitment to our sport enable him to share a wide variety of valuable techniques with our student-athletes. In addition to folkstyle technique, Coach Tate coaches and officiates Olympic Style Wrestling in the spring and summer, helping athletes excel in freestyle and Greco." Arado was an All-American wrestler at the University of Chicago where he graduated with an MBA. He also holds a law degree from the University of Illinois. Arado currently coaches at CORE Wrestling, a local youth program; is a practicing attorney, and is on the Board of Advisors at the McColl School of Business. Trieloff was an Academic All-American at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. After graduation, Trieloff served as a medic in the United States Army, coached for three years at his alma mater, and served as a long time-counselor at Chertow's camps. He is also a successful local businessman and serves on the Board of Directors for the Charlotte chapter of the Wrestlers in Business Network. Ventura was a two-time Colorado state place-winner and in college a Gardner Webb University Scholar-Athlete. Ventura is now a Vice President of a major banking corporation. "One of the keys to success is surrounding yourself and your students with good people and quality training partners, so we have rounded out our coaching staff with Frank Arado, Alex Ventura, and Tom Trieloff," said Chertow. "We have five coaches that range in size from lightweight to heavyweight, providing all of our students with consistent, high-quality personalized instruction." The Royals have opened their first season of competition with victories in three dual meets. Queens returns to the mat on Thursday, Jan. 11, in a tri-meet versus the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and Spartanburg Methodist College, in Pembroke, North Carolina. The Department of Athletics at Queens University of Charlotte is a leading NCAA Division II program in the United States distinguished by its commitment to transforming the lives of its students, and consistently competing at the highest possible levels. Housing 29 varsity level sports, the Royals are a member of the South Atlantic Conference with the men's and women's swimming teams competing in the Bluegrass Mountain Conference. Queens University of Charlotte is a master's-level university with a commitment to both liberal arts and professional studies. Located in the heart of Charlotte, Queens offers undergraduate, graduate and online degrees such as a highly regarded MBA program, a top-10 Low-Residency MFA program, and an online MSN-Clinical Nurse Leader degree. The university serves approximately 2,250 students through its College of Arts and Sciences, McColl School of Business, Wayland H. Cato, Jr. School of Education, James L. Knight School of Communication, Hayworth School of Graduate and Continuing Studies and Andrew Blair College of Health which features the Presbyterian School of Nursing.

Aaron Pico (Photo/Juan Garcia) A trio of former amateur wrestlers -- Aaron Pico, Chael Sonnen and Michael Chandler -- have been announced as main-event fighters at Bellator 192 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. in suburban Los Angeles on Jan. 20, 2018. Pico, who passed on a promising collegiate wrestling career by signing with Bellator MMA at age 18, will be facing Shane Krutchen in a 145-pound featherweight feature. A Marine Corps veteran, Krutchen will be making his promotion debut at Bellator's first event of the new year, but is hardly a newbie, having compiled a 12-3-0 career record… while Pico is 1-1-0 in his young pro MMA career. Pico, a former high school state wrestling champ who made it to the finals at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials (falling to former Penn State NCAA champ Frank Molinaro), made one of the most-anticipated, most-hyped pro MMA debuts in New York City in June. However, it was a colossal fail for Pico, as he was submitted with a guillotine choke in just 24 seconds by veteran Zack Freeman. In September, Pico more than made up for that stunning loss with a first-round knockout at Bellator 183 in San Jose, Calif. Chandler, a University of Missouri mat alum who earned NCAA All-American honors as a Mizzou Tiger, will face Goiti Yamaguchi in a main-event lightweight feature bout at 155 pounds. Yamaguchi brings a 23-3-0 record, while Chandler has a 16-4 mark in his pro MMA career. Sonnen, a 40-year-old veteran of MMA, will take on "Rampage" Jackson in the first round of Bellator's Heavyweight Grand Prix. Sonnen, who once competed for the now-defunct University of Oregon wrestling program, has a 29-15-1 record in his long pro career while Jackson is 37-12-0. In addition to these main-event bouts featuring former amateur wrestlers, Bellator 192's top-of-the-card event features Bellator welterweight champ Douglas Lima (29-6-0) defending his 170-pound title vs. Rory MacDonald (19-4-0).

Oklahoma State and Wyoming locked up this week for one of the most compelling and dramatic dual meets of the past few years. Highlighting the dual meet was Bryce Meredith's 2-1 upset over two-time defending NCAA champion Dean Heil, which paves the way for a new top seed in Cleveland. Wyoming picked up a series of upsets throughout the competition, though they ultimately lost the home dual 20-15. Beyond Wyoming's continued progress on the mats one note made by many observers was that elevation in Cheyenne might have played a significant role in the match. While that shouldn't detract from Wyoming's gains, a lack of conditioning did seem to imperil many Cowboy starters, including Dean Heil. Nothing can, or should, be done about that advantage, but it is worth baking the elevation factor into any assessments of how Heil will perform in a rematch against Meredith in Cleveland -- a sea-level city. To your questions … Myles Martin won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational title at 184 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Some wrestling fans seem to be surprised in the jump made by Myles Martin of Ohio State, but not me. The kid wrestled as true freshman and won it, placed fifth as a sophomore in what many thought was the toughest weight class in the country. Not having the benefit of a redshirt and then moving up a class is not the easiest route to take. So what are your thoughts on what you see from Myles this season? -- Coach J. Foley: You make an excellent point. Moving up a weight class in your sophomore season as a defending NCAA champion is rarely a formula for success. Reading too much into Myles' fifth-place performance as a sophomore would detract from his incredible freshman campaign and a junior season that puts him in the discussion for another NCAA title. From what I've seen from Myles there is a noticeable size increase, improved composure and better technical wrestling on the edge of the mat. I think that he's scoring more in difficult spots whereas before too many of his attacks or funky exchanges were going without points. I also think that you can't discount the impact of being a vital member of an Ohio State squad that seems determined to win their second NCAA team title. Q: A few high school dream matches (below) and your winners? -- Jared W. Foley: Gable Steveson vs. Steve Mocco: Wow. Initially I wrote that Mocco could control Steveson with little issue, but then I remembered that I was thinking of college Mocco. While I still think that weight might be an issue for Steveson, I think that his savviness and match control would ultimately give him the advantage against the heavier Mocco. Daton Fix vs. Cary Kolat: Cary Kolat may be the greatest high school wrestler ever. No matter how incredible Fix is, or will be, I gotta give the edge to Kolat. Spencer Lee vs. Eric Guerrero: I don't know that I've seen a lot of Guerrero in high school, but from what I've gathered his speed and agility were something never really seen from high schoolers of the time. I'm a true believer in Spencer Lee and think his mental toughness is second to none. I'd give Lee the nod, but in the tightest match from this whole list. Joe Williams vs. Chance Marsteller: Joe Williams is a monster. Nobody beats Joe Williams. Mark Hall vs. Pat Smith: Again, I didn't see a lot of Pat Smith in high school, but I think that Mark Hall's positioning and ability to launch effective counters with minimal risk is the best in the country. Too strong, too smart and too tough. Hall has an easy time of it. David Taylor vs. Zack Esposito: While Taylor continues to grow as a wrestler (in both the physical and technical sense), I think Zack Esposito was too technically sound in high school. Many of the positions that made Taylor dominant in high school, college and even internationally (defending low singles and crack downs) are where Esposito excels. I'd take Esposito in one match, but Taylor in a best-of-three series since he does seem to learn from his mistakes and make the technical improvements necessary to win. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Snyder's Technique Tuesday Q: Any guesses on who Mark Cody might hire on his coaching staff at Presbyterian College? Obviously, he has a lot of connections in wrestling. -- Mike C. Foley: The first three names that came to mind (not knowing their personal circumstances) were Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov, Steve Fittery and Ganbayar Sanjaa. All three have incredible loyalty to Coach Cody and all three can still get on the mats and improve the technique of incoming wrestlers. I think Cody will also need a strong deputy, someone who is willing to dive into a lot of work for little initial return. A leader with a track record of creating a fan base, recruiting wrestlers and overseeing budgets are all going to play a huge part in Presbyterian's success in 5-10 years. Q: What do you think about the boy who forfeited to a girl at the high school tournament in Tennessee? -- Bill M. Foley: I have absolutely zero patience with this kind of patronizing act by a wrestling coach or his school. While I don't know if his glib response was handed to him by a school administrator, or was of his own concoction, but we are well past the point where we dictate to women and girls what they can and cannot do. Kailiena Allen knows the risks of wrestling and has chosen our sport as her life's passion. How dare someone else attempt to make her feel less-than because she was born a woman. And for those of you out there who were repulsed by Iran's decision to not wrestle an Israeli wrestler at the U23 World Championships last month, this is the exact same thing. A crappy policy handed down by people who want us all to live in a backwards pastime. It's unacceptable there and it's definitely unacceptable at home. Delaware Christian and its coaching staff should be ashamed of themselves to not have challenged whoever, or whatever, helped hand down this decision. That they allowed this forfeit to proceed is disgraceful and tarnishes the reputation of our sport. But hey, maybe the real reason they forfeited was because they DID see the larger picture, the one that showed their wrestler getting his ass kicked by a girl.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- The National Wrestling Hall of Fame announced on Thursday that Michael Martinez will be honored as the organization's Medal of Courage recipient in 2018. The Medal of Courage is presented each year to a wrestler or former wrestler who has overcome what appear to be insurmountable challenges and provides inspiration to others. "Michael epitomizes our Medal of Courage," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. "He is a young man who has used his background in wrestling to overcome adversity on multiple occasions. Like those of our previous Medal of Courage recipients, Michael's story is truly inspirational, and we are so happy to share it." Martinez will be honored with Distinguished Members Stephen Abas, Lee Allen, Henry Cejudo and Kristie Davis, Meritorious Official Gary Kessel, Order of Merit recipient Nancy Schultz Vitangeli, and Outstanding American Randy Couture at the 42nd Annual Honors Weekend on June 1-2, 2018, in Stillwater, Okla. For more information on Honors Weekend, please telephone (405) 377-5243. James McCloughan, who was originally announced as the 2018 Medal of Courage recipient, informed the Hall of Fame that because of his grandson's graduation, he would be unable to attend Honors Weekend. McCloughan will be eligible to receive the Medal of Courage again in the future. Michael MartinezMartinez, who received the Medal of Courage from the Hall of Fame's Colorado Chapter in 2016, was a 2003 and 2004 Colorado state champion for Pagosa Springs High School. He won his first state title as a junior despite wrestling an abbreviated schedule due to a compound ankle fracture. In December of his senior year, the Martinez family's home burned to the ground; yet he won another state championship. After enrolling at the University of Wyoming in 2008, Martinez posted a record of 116-43, won three Western Wrestling Conference championships and qualified for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships four times. Earning a degree in range ecology and watershed management, he also wrestled in the 2012 Olympic Trials, losing to eventual Olympic team member Sam Hazewinkel. On April 2, 2013, while working on his family's 236-acre ranch, located outside Pagosa Springs, Colorado, Martinez chose to stay in a motor home on the property, eliminating a 40-minute drive and giving him an opportunity to begin work early the next day. During the night as he lit a match, the propane stove burst into a fireball that covered his body. Martinez drove to the home of his uncle, who called 911, but due to the home's location and the roads, the ambulance took 30 minutes to arrive. Because second- and third-degree burns covered over 80 percent of Martinez' body, however, the EMTs summoned a medical helicopter to fly their patient 45 minutes to the University of New Mexico Hospital burn unit in Albuquerque. Martinez' parents, Barbara and Jody, were told that he could be in the hospital for up to three months, as patients typically stay one day for each percent of their body that was burned. Martinez underwent surgery to graft skin onto his hands while beginning to achieve benchmarks on his way to recovery. Two weeks after the accident, Martinez's high school coach, Dan Janowsky, visited the hospital. Janowsky recounted that he didn't see the usual spark that was always present in Martinez's eyes, so he showed Martinez a video of Janowsky's son wrestling, and Martinez's eyes lit up. Following the coach's visit, Martinez seemed revived and continued his rehabilitation, surprising medical professionals when he left the hospital to return home after only 21 days. Martinez stayed at his parents' house, and after needing 24/7 assistance for the first few weeks, he became more self-sufficient. Doctors said that he would need physical therapy, particularly for his hands and fingers. Martinez had no health insurance, so he became his own physical therapist and began playing his guitar. Six weeks later at a follow-up visit, the doctor commended him on his recovery. Once given clearance, he began light exercise and resumed running. His body continued to heal, and by the summer of 2013, Martinez was surveying land and working again on the family's ranch. Janowsky invited Martinez to help him with the wrestling team at his alma mater, and Martinez soon was working on the mat and began holding open mat workouts at 6 a.m., attended by most of the wrestlers. In the spring of 2014, Pagosa Springs had its first individual state champion since 2009. Martinez got married in February of 2017, and he and his wife, Kathleen, have four children - Ethan (14), Chandler (12), Olivia (11) and Hudson (9). He continues to work for Davis Engineering as well as helping on the family ranch and assisting with the high school wrestling team. National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum America's shrine to the sport of wrestling, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum was founded as a nonprofit organization in 1976 to honor the sport of wrestling, preserve its history, recognize extraordinary individual achievements, and inspire future generations. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has museums in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Waterloo, Iowa. The Stillwater, Oklahoma, location reopened in June 2016 following a $3.8 million renovation and now features interactive exhibits and electronic kiosks, as well as the opportunity to watch NCAA Championship matches from the 1930s to present day. It also has the John T. Vaughan Hall of Honors where the greatest names in wrestling are recognized, including iconic granite plaques presented to Distinguished Members since the Hall of Fame opened in 1976. The museum has the largest collection of wrestling artifacts and memorabilia in the world, including the most collegiate and Olympic wrestling uniforms. Wrestling truly is for everyone and the diversity and accessibility of the sport continues to be highlighted through exhibits featuring females, African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Latino Americans. There is also a library featuring historical documents, including NCAA guides and results, as well as books on all aspects of the sport. For more information about the Hall of Fame, please visit www.NWHOF.org.

ADRIAN, Mich. -- Adrian College athletics director Michael Duffy has announced that Cliff Cushard has been promoted to head coach for the women's wrestling program, after serving as an assistant for both the women's and men's programs for the Bulldogs since 2015. Cliff Cushard"Coach Cushard is very knowledgeable of the unique sport of women's wrestling and more specifically, our program here at Adrian College," said Duffy. "With that experience, coupled with his strong recruiting ties within club, academy and state circuits, I look forward to seeing him take our program to new heights. "I would also like to express our gratitude to the MYWAy/NUWAY for providing a monetary grant to help make this move possible of having separate head coaches for our men's and women's wrestling programs. This is a win-win situation for our institution and more importantly for our student-athletes." At the beginning of this season, Cushard stepped away from his day-to-day duties with his architecture firm that he founded 20 years ago to assume leadership of the Adrian women's program by conducting daily practices and overseeing recruiting, compliance, eligibility, scheduling, administrative duties, tournaments, camps, clinics and travel. Cushard has helped build the culture and success of both Bulldogs programs for the past three seasons since the men's team was revived for the first time since the 1984 season and the women's side was introduced as a new varsity sport in 2015. He developed and coached the first Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association All-American in school history in its very first season. "Architecture design is my job, but coaching the sport of wresting is my labor of love," Cushard stated. "I have been involved with women's wrestling since 2002. This long experience has developed connections with many of the organizations and people involved in the women's wrestling world in this country. I have good working relationships with many of the state directors, club coaches, school coaches, elite academy leaders, WCWA coaches, National Wrestling Coaches Association leadership, USA Wrestling leadership and USA National Team coaches…. "We have the facilities and a strong academic curriculum to compete at a high level. And I look forward to helping us achieve our goals for success at the regional and national level," he concluded. Before Adrian, Cushard served as an assistant and then head coach at Grass Lake High School from 2010 to 2016. In 2017, Cushard was elevated to Michigan USA Wrestling Women's Director in a statewide vote after being the organization's national team state coach since 2010. He coached the team to numerous tournaments throughout the year, including regional and national championships; supervised travel activities; led training camps, camps and clinics; developed over 20 wrestlers who competed at the college level and/or represented the USA in international competitions; and coached several All-Americans who have won national titles. "On behalf of the NWCA Board of Directors, I want to congratulate the Adrian College administration for their extraordinary hire of Coach Cushard as their full-time women's wrestling coach," said Mike Moyer, who is the NWCA Executive Director. "Coach Cushard has been a strong advocate for women's wrestling for many years. He is a graduate of the NWCA CEO Leadership Academy and he represents the gold standard in coaching." Dave Dean, MYWAY President, added: "On behalf of the MYWAY/NUWAY organization, I want to congratulate the Adrian College administration for having the vision to create a full-time position for women's wrestling. Their pioneering efforts to establish the first women's intercollegiate wrestling program in Michigan will bring tremendous service to future generations of young women who want to pursue their academic and wrestling careers in college." An experienced clinician, Cushard also has coached at the club and middle school levels. Cushard received a bachelor of architecture degree from the University of Detroit in 1992, graduating magna cum laude.

Gabe Tudor, former St. Cloud State University wrestler, was killed in a car crash in western Illinois last week, but the Rochester, Minn. resident was only identified this week. Gabe TudorThe ex-Huskies heavyweight who wrestled for the Minnesota-based NCAA Division II school was 24. Tudor, a native of Peoria, Ill., was headed eastbound on I-74 between the Quad Cities and Galesburg, Ill. The Galesburg Register-Mail reported that Tudor's Toyota Corolla crossed over the grass median and struck a Chevrolet sport utility vehicle driving west near Woodhull, Ill. at about 11:30 p.m. last Thursday, Dec. 14. Tudor got out of his car to talk to the driver of the SUV, then, according to Illinois State Police, "attempted to cross westbound traffic when he was struck and killed by a Ford F-750 traveling westbound." Time of death was reported to be 1:22 a.m. Friday, Dec. 15. Gabriel Jude Kolbe Tudor was born in Peoria on Oct. 11, 1993 to Michelle (Vinson) and Dr. Gregory Tudor. Gabe Tudor was a multi-sport athlete at Peoria Notre Dame High School where he earned a total of 11 letters in wrestling, football and track and field. The 6'0" Tudor, who wrestled at 285 pounds, compiled a 116-42 career record with 82 pins. A two-time wrestling team captain, Tudor led his team to three consecutive conference titles, and placed third at the Illinois state championships as a junior. After graduating from Notre Dame in 2012, Tudor headed northwest to St. Cloud State, where he was on the Huskies wrestling squad for two seasons, taking a redshirt his first year. Most recently, Tudor had been working as a research at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. According to his obituary in the Rochester Post-Bulletin, Tudor "was an avid CrossFit (participant) and enjoyed volunteering for the Special Olympics." Gabe Tudor is survived by his parents, brothers and sisters, and grandparents. He was preceded in death by a brother, and his mother. A funeral Mass will be held at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 22, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Peoria. Fr. Dominic Faure will officiate. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, at the church, with an additional visitation thirty minutes prior to mass. Burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Women's Care Center, 7319 N University Peoria, IL 61614, or the Catholic community of Verbum Spei.

No. 11 Cincinnati La Salle headlines a strong field at the Al Dvorak Invitational While the field of the Al Dvorak Invitational has been down the last few years from its previous heights, it still has a strong field with power programs in Illinois plus teams from a few other states. The 35-team field features a pair of Fab 50 schools, No. 11 Cincinnati La Salle (Ohio) and No. 37 Chicago Mt. Carmel. Eleven nationally ranked wrestlers in nine weight classes are featured in this field. In addition to the nationally ranked teams, Luxemburg-Casco (Wis.) is ranked first in its classification; Crystal Lake Central and Althoff Catholic are ranked second in their classifications; Slinger (Wis.), Glenbard North, and Huntley are ranked within the top ten of their classification; while Libertyville should be ranked after winning the Moore-Prettyman Tournament the opening weekend. Two weight classes feature a pair of top ten ranked wrestlers, No. 4 Noah Surtin (Edwardsville) and No. 7 Lucas Byrd (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) at 113 pounds, as well as No. 3 Jack Jessen (Willowbrook) and No. 8 Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.) at 182. Also in the field at 113 pounds are state medalist Hans van Rabeneau (Iowa City West, Iowa), state qualifier Sammy Spencer (Huntley), and Noah Mis (Chicago Mt. Carmel). Also in the field at 182 pounds are state medalist Blake Wilson (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) as well as state qualifiers Danny Benoit (Chicago Mt. Carmel) and Liam O'Donnell (Crystal Lake Central). Four additional wrestlers in this field are ranked nationally within the top ten. Walsh Ironman runner-up Kendall Coleman (Chicago Mt. Carmel) is ranked No. 8 at 145 pounds, two-time state champ Nelson Brands (Iowa City West, Iowa) is No. 7 at 160, two-time Junior freestyle All-American Francis Duggan (Iowa City West, Iowa) is No. 7 at 220, while Junior National double champion Anthony Cassioppi (Hononegah) is No. 4 at 285. Joining Coleman in the 145 pound weight class is state placer Baan Rachal (Chicago Washington) and two-time state qualifier Gannon Hughes (Oswego). Challengers to Brands at 160 include Flo Nationals and Super 32 placer Danny Braunagel (Althof Catholic), state medalists David Ferrante (Huntley) and Devan Vandenbush (Luxemburg-Casco, Wis.), along with state qualifiers Trey Sizemore (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) and Allen Swanson (Oswego). State champion Aric Bohn (Mukwonago, Wis.) is the primary challenger to Duggan at 220 pounds. Others in the weight class include state placers Garrett Bledsoe (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), Nate Lloyd (Luxemburg-Casco, Wis.), and Maverick Peek (Dakota); along with state qualifiers Josh Carter (Machesney Park Harlem) and Quintin Terry (Glenbard North). Those at 285 along with all pin, all the time Cassioppi include state qualifier Guy Snow (Iowa City West, Iowa) along with Keenan Ness (Yorkville) and Charlie Schmidt (Libertyville). Remaining ranked wrestlers in the field are No. 20 Aaron Schulist (Mukwonago, Wis.) at 132 pounds, No. 9 Elan Heard (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) at 138, and No. 14 Zac Braunagel (Althof Catholic) at 170. Contenders at 132 along with Junior freestyle All-American and Super 32 placer Schulist include state qualifier Danny Pucino (Libertyville) and 2016 state qualifier Sam Glassco (Mason, Ohio). Coming off a third place finish at the Walsh Ironman, Flo Nationals placer Heard will be challenged at 138 pounds by a field that includes two-time state champion We Rachal (Chicago Washington), two-time state placer Max Kristoff (Althoff Catholic), state medalists Jacob Dado (Marist) and Caleb Ziebell (Slinger, Wis.), along with state qualifier Michael Gunther (Libertyville). Those in the running at 170 pounds along with Junior National double All-American Braunagel include Cadet National double All-American Abe Assad (Glenbard North), state medalist Major Dedmond (Freeport), as well as state qualifiers Juan Quiroz (Huntley) and Eric Vermillion (Mason, Ohio); Vermillion is a returning runner-up at the Dvorak. Walsh Ironman placer Colton Drousias (Chicago Mt. Carmel), also a Cadet folkstyle champion this spring, leads a solid field at 106 pounds. Others include Cadet freestyle All-American Dustin Norris (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), former Junior Greco All-American Michael Leveille (Marist), state placer Luke Joniaux (Luxemburg-Casco, Wis.), state qualifier Pacey Nasdusak (Mason, Ohio), and Matthew Minick (Althof Catholic). The 120 pound weight class features state placer Tommy Russell (Chicago St. Rita), state qualifier Antoine Allen (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), and Reihan Uribe (Chicago Mt. Carmel). Uribe has an early season 5-4 upset victory over nationally ranked Travis Ford-Melton. Headlining the 126 pound weight class is a pair of two-time state champions in Chase Bittle (Althof Catholic) and Bryce Bosman (Luxemburg-Casco, Wis.). Other contenders include three-time state qualifier Zach Spencer (Huntley), state medalist Luke Odom (Edwardsville), impact freshman Connor Gaynor (Chicago Mt. Carmel), along with Dylan Waugh (Mason, Ohio). It's a rather thin field at 152 pounds, led by Cadet freestyle All-American Chris Donathan (Mason, Ohio), who qualified for state last year as a freshman. Also here is three-time state qualifier and 2016 state medalist Cameron White (Chicago Bowen). The 195 pound weight class is led by two-time state qualifier Michael Baker (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), champion at the Preseason Nationals this fall and a Walsh Ironman placer. Others include state medalists Seamus O'Donnell (Crystal Lake Central), state medalist Jake Trautman (Waterford, Wis.), and Nick Stemmet (Yorkville).

After a second place finish at the Reno Tournament of Champions, despite the absence of three nationally ranked wrestlers from the varsity "A" lineup, No. 2 Buchanan will wrap up the December portion of their schedule as they host the Zinkin Classic on Friday and Saturday. Over 70 teams will assemble outside of Fresno for this event, including another pair of nationally ranked teams in No. 12 Clovis and No. 28 Selma. Nine of the wrestlers in this field are nationally ranked, each is in a different weight class. Three of the Golden State's more talented freshmen could feature in the 106 pound weight class, including No. 4 Richard Figueroa (Selma). He'll be joined by Ironman placer Carlos Negrete (Clovis North) and Reno TOC champion Max Renteria (Buchanan). Arguably the strongest weight class of the tournament could emerge at 145 pounds, where No. 13 Brett Villarreal (Buchanan) will be joined by three returning state medalists in Tony Mendoza (Selma), Peyton Omania (De La Salle), and Joe Romero (Lemoore). Also possible in this field is returning state qualifier J.T. Stinson (Del Oro). Two-time state placer, returning state runner-up, Joel Romero (Buchanan) is ranked No. 15 nationally at 160 pounds. Also in this weight class is expected to be fellow two-time state placer Noah Blake (Del Oro) and returning state medalist Oscar Diaz (Selma). Another deep weight comes at 126 pounds, anchored by No. 12 Ethan Leake (Buchanan), a 2016 state champion. Others in the field include state champion Jacob Ruiz (Spanish Springs, Nev.) and Cadet freestyle runner-up Ryan Franco (Clovis North, Calif.), an impact freshman. Though lacking a nationally ranked wrestler, the 132 pound field is deep with a pair of state medalists in Tyler Deen (Buchanan) and Dawson Sihavong (Bullard); Deen was a Junior freestyle All-American this past summer, while Sihavong won the Cadet folkstyle title after the 2016-17 scholastic season ended. Also in this weight are 2016 state medalist Eric Rivera (Clovis North) and state qualifier Aaron Perez (James Logan). Two other weight classes will feature a pair of California state placers, 113 and 120 pounds. Aaron Nagao (Esperanza) and Gianni Petrucelli (Clovis) are joined by state qualifier Tristan Lujan (Selma) in the 113 pound field, while No. 20 Devin Murphy (Clovis North) and Brandon Paulson (Clovis) are joined by state qualifier Brendan Johnson (Del Oro) at 120. Four other nationally ranked wrestlers feature in the field: No. 16 Matthew Olguin (Buchanan) at 138 pounds, No. 10 Anthony Montalvo (Buchanan) at 182, No. 9 Ryan Reyes (Clovis West) at 195, and No. 2 Seth Nevills (Clovis) at 285. Two other state medalists in the field are Christian Rodriguez (Selma) and Trevor Ervin (Buchanan) at 170 and 220 pounds respectively. The lone weight class without a state medalist would be at 152 pounds, which does feature a couple of notable state qualifiers in Tristan Zamilpa (Buchanan) and Jace Luchau (Selma).

By any measure, R. Wayne Baughman has a wrestling resume that's hard to beat. NCAA champ for the University of Oklahoma. Three-time Olympian. Long-time Air Force head coach. Wayne BaughmanNow Baughman can add "member of the inaugural class for a new sports hall of fame in Oklahoma City" to his list of accomplishments. Baughman is one of fourteen honorees -- and the only amateur wrestler -- to be named as a member of the brand-new Oklahoma City Public Schools Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2018. Inductees will be welcomed in a ceremony on May 15, 2018. Here's how sports columnist Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman -- the daily newspaper for Oklahoma City -- described the new hall, designed to honor great athletes and coaches from Oklahoma City's public high schools: "Spearheaded by district alum and now district athletic director Keith Sinor, the hall of fame strives to honor and celebrate the district's rich history and excellence." Members of the community were invited to submit names of athletes, coaches, supporters and other individuals they believed to be worthy of consideration for achieving greatness in their sport, as well as ethical conduct and moral character, by November 1. (The only other stipulation: athlete nominees had to have graduated at least ten years ago.) A selection committee winnowed the list of candidates submitted by the community down to the fourteen in the inaugural class, including Wayne Baughman. Baughman, a 1959 graduate of Oklahoma City's John Marshall High School, became a wrestler because his football coach wanted his athletes to participate in a second sport. Getting booted from the basketball team, Baughman went out for wrestling… and despite his mat coach's statement that he was "too slow" -- and placed no higher than third at the Oklahoma state wrestling championships as a senior -- he made a favorable impression on University of Oklahoma wrestling coaches Tommy Evans and Port Robertson, who offered him a scholarship. It was as an Oklahoma Sooner where the nation first saw Baughman's greatness as a wrestler. He was a two-time Big 8 conference champ and three-time NCAA All-American, winning the 191-pound title at the 1962 NCAAs by defeating Oklahoma State muscleman Joe James in his home gym in the finals. (Immediately out of college, the lean-muscled Baughman posed for an Air Force statue which has stood in downtown Oklahoma City for more than 50 years.) Baughman continued his on-the-mat career beyond college. He wrestled on three U.S. Olympic Teams (1964, 1968 and 1972), eight World Championship teams and a Pan American squad. If that weren't enough, Baughman is the only wrestler to win national championships in four different wrestling styles (freestyle, Greco-Roman, collegiate and sombo). Baughman later shared that international mat experience as a U.S. Olympic wrestling coach in 1976. He also mentored five World Championship teams and a Pan American team. Baughman is also noted for being the head wrestling coach at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs for 27 seasons, retiring in 2007. Among the other members of the inaugural class of inductees for the Oklahoma City Public Schools Athletics Hall of Fame include Henry Iba, legendary Oklahoma State basketball coach (whose name, along with that of wrestling coach Ed Gallagher, graces the school's Gallagher-Iba Arena) … early 1980s world lightweight boxing champ Sean O'Grady ... and Bobby Murcer, long-time outfielder and announcer for the New York Yankees.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- The third-ranked Oklahoma State wrestling team overcame a nine-point deficit to open Tuesday's dual against Big 12 foe Wyoming to come away with the 20-15 win and remain undefeated on the season. OSU (5-0, 3-0 Big 12) took the win at a raucous Storey Gym despite upsets of Geo Martinez, Chandler Rogers, Kaid Brock and Dean Heil, and thanks especially to bonus point wins from Preston Weigel, Derek White and Nick Piccininni. Heil's loss to No. 3 Bryce Meredith ended the two-time defending national champion's win streak at 55 wins. "It probably wasn't the best showing, but I had a feeling it was going to be tougher than we thought," head coach John Smith said. "We tried to get them ready for it telling them that it was going to be tough and they were going to have to grind it out. You may be able to beat the other guy at Big 12's by six, seven or eight points, but you might have to win by one tonight. We didn't want to do that, not at those first three weights anyways…It wasn't pretty, but it was good to see guys battle us back into the match." "In the end, dual meets are always different," Smith said. "You look at the outcome and see we won those two important matches at 174 and 184. You never know. When your team needs you, you step out. Then, when we secured the win, we might not have had that fight at 133 and 141. I thought Dean wrestled hard and wrestled well. He was tired, and we expect that coming to Wyoming. We knew they were going to fill (the gym) in a big-time match. There's no shame there. We took it on the chin with a win, but we could have gotten out of here without the win." Wyoming opened the dual with three-straight wins, beginning with a Sam Turner 4-3 decision over OSU's Geo Martinez at 149. At 157, Jonce Blaylock couldn't come up with a win over No. 17 Archie Colgan, coming up short, 3-1. Wyoming then ran the score to 9-0 at 165, as Rogers was bested by No. 15 Branson Ashworth in a 6-2 decision. Jacobe Smith got OSU on the board at 174 with a decision over Kyle Pope. Trailing 4-3 after two periods, Smith was able to escape quickly to tie the match up at the beginning of the third. Pope would answer with a takedown, but Smith answered with an escape and takedown to take a 7-6 lead. Pope was able to tie it back up on an escape, but Smith claimed the 8-7 decision on riding time. Keegan Moore and Chaz Polson had another wild battle at 184 pounds. The two wrestlers each registered a takedown in the opening two periods, but Polson's two escaped put him ahead, 4-2, going into the third. Moore wouldn't back down, however, and hung tough in the third, tallying a reversal to open the frame followed by another two takedowns to gut out an 8-7 decision and pull OSU within three. Preston Weigel took back the lead for good in a 15-0 shutout tech fall at 197 over Cody Vigoren. After a scoreless first period, Weigel registered three four-point nearfalls in the second and capped off the victory with a takedown in the third to lock up the seven-minute tech. After his first two duals this season, Weigel has outscored his opponents 22-0. Heavyweight Derek White followed up Weigel's tech with one of his own over Hunter Mullins in the seventh match of the night. Mullins had no answer for the redshirt junior, who racked up five takedowns and three nearfalls on his way to finishing off the 17-2 win in 5:23. At 125 pounds, redshirt sophomore Nick Piccininni came up just a point short of a third-straight tech fall for the Pokes, but settled instead for a 15-1 major over Drake Foster. Piccininni scored three takedowns and a pair of nearfalls to overwhelm Foster and put OSU up, 20-9. Brock couldn't overcome an early 6-0 deficit the redshirt sophomore suffered when opponent Montorie Bridges scored a quick takedown and nearfall in the opening seconds of the match. Brock would answer with four takedowns of his own throughout the remainder of the bout while denying Bridges' attacks, but would ultimately come up short, 11-10. Heil suffered his first loss since February of 2016 Tuesday in a tightly-contested battle with rival Bryce Meredith. After the wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third frames to head to sudden victory tied at one apiece despite numerous scrambles. The two scrambled again for an extended period in the opening frame of sudden victory to head to the first tiebreaker. Meredith rode out the first 30 seconds against Heil, and then escaped early in the second. Heil responded and nearly scored a takedown in the final seconds; however, no points were awarded and Meredith walked away with the 2-1 win. The Cowboys will be back in action Jan. 5 when they travel overseas to Naples, Italy for a showdown with No. 6 NC State. Results: 149: Sam Turner (WYO) dec. Geo Martinez (OSU), 4-3 157: Archie Colgan (WYO) dec. Jonce Blaylock (OSU), 3-1 165: Branson Ashworth (WYO) dec. Chandler Rogers (OSU), 5-2 174: Jacobe Smith (OSU) dec. Kyle Pope (WYO) 8-7 184: Keegan Moore (OSU) dec. Chaz Polson (WYO), 8-7 197: Preston Weigel (OSU) tech. fall Cody Vigoren(WYO), 15-0 285: Derek White (OSU) tech. fall Hunter Mullins (WYO), 17-2 (5:22) 125: Nick Piccininni (OSU) major dec. Drake Foster (WYO), 14-1 133: Montorie Bridges (WYO) dec. Kaid Brock (OSU), 11-10 141: Bryce Meredith (WYO) dec. Dean Heil (OSU) in OT, 2-1

NORFOLK, Va. -- A pin in the final bout by 285-pound Ali Wahab secured the Old Dominion (2-3, 1-1 MAC) victory over Northern Illinois (0-4, 0-2 MAC) 21-12. The Monarchs won six out of 10 bouts in the dual at the Ted Constant Center in front of over 270 fans. “It meant a lot, especially for the team. Last dual, we lost in the final bout, which was my match. It basically cost our dual meet. I was never going to let that happen again,” explained Wahab. The Huskies won the first three bouts of the night over the Monarchs. No. 21 Michael McGee dropped a match to No. 20 Brock Hudkins, 4-3 in the first bout of the night. Following three straight losses, Kenan Carter won his match over Zack Velasquez, 10-4. “We were down three in a hole so we really needed a win. I've been working on it a lot so today was a big jump for that. I think that (win) really helped get the momentum going for our team and it worked out well,” said Kenan Carter. “I thought Carter wrestled well, he missed out on his bonus there at the end but overall he had a lot of good attacks, he got off on the bottom, and rode well on top,” said head coach Steve Martin. At 157, Larry Early topped Caden McWhirter, 4-1 to extend the Monarch winning streak. “Larry had a lot of attacks that he probably could've finished on but he rode out the guy. That was good for him to ride it out until the end and get his riding time point,” Martin said. Luke Drugac followed Early with a 4-1 decision over Andrew Scott to tie the match for the Monarchs. At 174, Seldon Wright was one point short of securing bonus points, yet defeated his opponent, 15-8 to give the Monarchs the lead going into the 184 bout. In ODU's fifth win of the night, Antonio Agee defeated Michael Aldrich by decision, 6-2. In a match that went into two tie breakers, NIU's Max Ihry defeated John D'Agostino, 4-1. Entering the final bout, the Monarchs still led the Huskies, 15-12. Highlighting the night, Ali Wahab pinned Caleb Gossett to lock a Monarch victory, including bonus points for the Monarchs. A photo of Wahab's family propped on the media table by Coach Mike Dixon motivated the wrestler to win the bout for himself and his team. “It came down to the heavyweight match and I think it came down to the other guy being more tired than us. It allowed us to put him on his back and secure the victory. We did not want it to come down to criteria,” explained Martin. Results: 125: No. 20 Brock Hudkins (NIU) dec. over No. 21 Michael McGee (ODU), 4-3 133: Alijah Jeffery (NIU) dec. over Caleb Richardson (ODU), 4-1 141: Anthony Rubino (NIU) dec. over Mason Wohltman (ODU), 5-2 149: Kenan Carter (ODU) dec. over Zack Velasquez (NIU), 10-4 157: Larry Early (ODU) dec. over Caden McWhirter (NIU), 4-1 165: Luke Drugac (ODU) dec. over Andrew Scott (NIU), 4-1 174: Seldon Wright (ODU) dec. over Quinton Rosser (NIU), 15-8 184: Antonio Agee (ODU) dec. over Michael Aldrich (NIU), 6-2 197: Max Ihry (NIU) dec. over John D'Agostino (ODU), TB-2 4-1 285: Ali Wahab (ODU) pin Caleb Gossett (NIU) (6:14) Up Next The Monarchs travel to the Midlands Tournament and the Lock Haven Classic on Dec. 29-30. The lower weights will travel to Midlands and the upper weights to Lock Haven.

Two-time Super 32 Challenge placer Connor McGonagle (Timberlane, N.H.) verbally committed to Lehigh University on Tuesday afternoon. The projected 141/149 is ranked No. 19 overall in the Class of 2019, and is currently No. 15 in the national rankings at 132 pounds. This past weekend, he placed third at the Beast of the East in that weight class. During the previous two seasons, he was a New England regional runner-up and NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion in 2015-16 before winning the New England regional but finishing runner-up at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals in 2016-17.