InterMat Staff

Frank Bettucci, an NCAA wrestling champ for Cornell University and member of the 1956 U.S. Olympic team, passed away in Kingsport, Tenn. on August 23. He was 87. Frank BettucciBorn in December 1930, Bettucci grew up in Ithaca, N.Y., the hometown of Cornell. He was a three-time Section 4 champion at Ithaca High under head coach Bill Layton. In addition to captaining the wrestling squad, Bettucci served as captain of the school's football and golf programs. After graduating from Ithaca in 1949, Bettucci enrolled at Cornell. Wrestling for head coach Erie "Jimmy" Miller, Bettucci was a three-time 147-pound EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) champion. He capped off his Big Red mat career by winning the 147-pound title at the 1953 NCAAs hosted by Penn State. Bettucci compiled a 48-3 record in three seasons at Cornell, including a 33-match winning streak to close his career. Bettucci continued his involvement in wrestling after graduation. He earned a place on the men's freestyle team for the 1956 U.S. Olympic wrestling team. Bettucci went to Melbourne, Australia, but a knee injury in practice just before the Games kept him from competing. "The mats were different, much thicker, and my moves were all pivotal so I twisted my ankle in maneuvers," Bettucci told the Southwest Virginia Today in an August 2016 interview. "It killed me just to sit down and watch, but that's the way life is. I'd love to go back and watch. I like to watch all the Olympics." Four years later, Bettucci set his sights on wrestling at the 1960 Rome Olympics. He reached the finals of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Trials, but lost a disputed decision to eventual gold medalist Shelby Wilson in the last round. Bettucci's participation in wrestling was extensive and long-lasting. He won national AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) championships in 1957 and 1960. Bettucci also served as an assistant coach at Cornell. Jamie Moffatt, noted wrestling writer and Cornell wrestling alum, has fond memories of Frank Bettucci. "He was one of my coaches during my freshman year (1961-62) on the Cornell wrestling team," Moffatt told InterMat. "I was quite close to Frank and admired him greatly." Beyond wrestling, Bettucci went on to serve with the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. He spent most of his post-college career serving overseas on various assignments with the Agency for International Development (USAID). Frank Bettucci earned a number of wrestling honors in his lifetime. He is a member of the New York State Wrestling Hall of Fame, Cornell University Athletic Hall of Fame, and Eastern Intercollegiate Hall of Fame. Bettucci was welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in June 2015. Sadly, because Bettucci suffered from neuropathy in his feet and was unable to walk, was not able to be present for the induction ceremony in Oklahoma. However, Bettucci was there in spirit. A group of friends -- including fellow Cornell great Dave Auble, current Big Red wrestling coach Rob Koll, and Jamie Moffatt -- traveled to the assisted living facility in Virginia where Bettucci lived at the time to be with the honoree and watch a live feed of the ceremony. Cornell coach Koll shared a personal recollection of Bettucci with InterMat. "My fondest memory of Frank was when he returned to the mats at 66 years old to wrestle in a Cornell alumni match. He attempted one of his infamous duck-unders and caught an elbow to the face. Although the trainers, coaches and everyone else in the gym wanted him to stop, as he was bleeding profusely, Frank shrugged it off and finished the match. He was just an incredibly tough customer!" Services have yet to be announced.

USA won the team title in freestyle at the World Championships in Paris (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) PARIS -- He raised his hands wild and motioned the crowd to cheer, and they screamed wildly. He beat on his chest. He was the world champion again. The team title came down to the last match of the tournament, Russia versus America, Abdulrahsid Sadulaev versus Kyle Snyder. They did not disappoint. This was no ordinary match, and these were no ordinary wrestlers. Olympic and world champ vs. Olympic and world champ. Both 21 years old. Both legends in the making. This one was for all the marbles. Snyder lives for this moment. He trains for it. Sadulaev scored the opening takedown and the crowd erupted. Snyder responded with a step out to make the score 2-1 in favor of Sadulaev. Sadulaev scored again to go up 3-1. Which enticed the Russians to chant loudly, but when Snyder responded with a go-behind to grab the lead on criteria at the end of the first period, chants of "USA, USA, USA," were deafening. Coming out of the break Sadulaev responded first with a takedown to go up 5-3. Snyder inched closer with a step out, making the score 5-4. But it was a wild scramble and a spin behind near the edge of the mat with 16 seconds remaining that gave Snyder the lead for good and the Americans the chance to cheer. Kyle Snyder celebrates after beating Abdulrashid Sadulaev of Russia (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Snyder's victory over the Russian Tank gave USA its third-ever world team title in freestyle, and first since 1995. It was Sadulaev's first loss in four years, and first-ever loss at the World Championships. "I'm happy with my performance," Snyder said. "I would have been happy with my performance even if I had lost. The only thing that would have made this better was if we were in Moscow in front of his crowd and in U.S. second." Jordan Burroughs captured his fourth world championship, to go along with an Olympic title he won in 2012. This time his world title came against a Russian opponent, the first time he wrestled a Russian in the world finals during his seven years of international competition. In a back-and-forth match against Khetik Tsabolov, Burroughs found himself down by one with less than two minutes to go in the match. But in Burroughs-like fashion, he hit a blast double leg shot to go up 7-6. He added two more points to win 9-6. Jordan Burroughs with the American flag after winning the world title in Paris (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Burroughs remains unbeaten in world championship finals matches. "It feels good to be back," Burroughs said. "Actually, I never left." Burroughs enjoys the feeling of being on top. "Nobody remembers the silvers," Burroughs said. "They only remember the golds. Gold never gets old." Burroughs, who failed to place at the 2016 Olympic Games last summer, credited his faith for helping him be successful. "I was put back in a position to be successful because of my faith," Burroughs said. Burroughs' and James Green's personal coach Mark Manning, who coached them at Nebraska, said it wasn't an accident for Burroughs and Green to reach the finals. "That was our plan," Manning said. "We're happy tonight if James wins. I'm blessed to be around these guys. They are zero maintenance and this is impressive. They're pros at what they do." James Green upgraded his world medal at 70 kilograms. He was a world bronze medalist in 2015, and this year he finished with a silver medal, losing in the finals to Olympic bronze medalist Frank Chamizo of Italy, who is now a two-time world champion. Green was unable to get his offense going. On one of Green's shot attempts, Chamizo hit a sprawl-like cartwheel where he seemed to almost hang in the air. While Green struggled offensively, Chamizo capitalized, countering for takedowns. Chamizo's athletic ability and experience proved to be too much for Green to handle. He cruised to an 8-0 shutout victory. Despite the loss to Chamizo in the finals, Green was happy with the team title. "It's awesome," Green said. "I kind of got out of my wheelhouse (in my match), but I keep getting better." USA freestyle coach Bill Zadick, a past world champion, was excited and remained calm, but said this title took a group effort. "So many things have to come together for something like this to be possible," Zadick said. "(Snyder's bout) was an epic battle. One guy scores the other guy scores and keeps raising the bar. Glory to God our guys came out on top."

The University of Pittsburgh wrestling program has received a $250,000 gift from the Vartabedian family to the Pitt Wrestling Championship Fund, the school announced Thursday. The Pitt Wrestling Championship Fund allows donors to invest in the school's wrestling program directly, to support strategic investments that move Pitt wrestling towards its championship goals, such as this year's renovation of the Fitzgerald Field House wrestling room. "We are extremely grateful for the Vartabedian family's generous gift," Director of Athletics Heather Lyke said. "Our wrestling team is working tirelessly to capture more championships, and by renovating their training and practice space, it will enhance our recruiting opportunities and overall student-athlete experience." A 1967 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Nish Vartabedian spent 25 years working for Fidelity Investment where he became an Executive Vice President prior to retiring in 2008. Vartabedian has served his alma mater in many ways, from participating on numerous academic committees, to offering support to various Pitt athletic programs, including the most recent gift to Panther wrestling. "It's an exciting time for the Pitt wrestling program and I couldn't be happier to help them reach new heights," Vartabedian said. "Keith Garvin and his staff have an incredible vision for their team and I am motivated by their competitiveness and others should be as well. I hope my gift will not only help transform the wrestling room, but also challenges other supporters to follow suit." "On behalf of my coaching staff and student-athletes, we are incredibly humbled by Nish's commitment," coach Gavin said. "I am more than thrilled to be back at my alma mater and to help these wrestlers reach their full potential on and off the mat. The support from not only former wrestlers, but Pitt alumni in general, has been non-stop since upon my arrival." Pitt's new wrestling facility The wrestling room at the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse is undergoing approximately $700,000 in renovations for the 2017-18 season. This will be the first major renovation to the facility in over a decade. Among the enhancements to Pitt wrestling facility includes new mats in the wrestling room, and a complete renovation of the cardio/strength training facility, including new workout equipment. The renovated Pitt wrestling facility will provide an optimal training environment for Panther wrestlers, as well as serve as a positive recruiting tool as coach Gavin and his staff seek to build a championship future for Pitt wrestling.

Former college wrestling stars Joey Davis and Chris Honeycutt came out as winners at Bellator 182: Koreshkov vs. Njokuani at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y. Friday night. Joey DavisDavis, four-time undefeated NCAA Division II champ for Notre Dame College of Ohio, scored a TKO over Justin Roswell at 1:35 in Round One of their catchweight match ... while Honeycutt, runner-up at 197 pounds for Edinboro University at the 2012 NCAA Division I championships, got a TKO at 2:06 in the second round over Kevin Casey in their middleweight (180 lb.) fight. At the beginning of their bout, Davis slammed Roswell on his back. The former wrestler then landed punches, opening up a big gash near Roswell's left eye that bled profusely, according to Sherdog.com's play-by-play coverage. The referee then stepped in and stopped the action. Joey Davis, who had his first Bellator bout almost exactly one year ago, is now 2-0 in his pro mixed martial arts career ... while Roswell is now 1-2-0 in his young career. As for Honeycutt ... CagesidePress.com reported, "The story early and often was Honeycutt's ability to get the fight to the mat, which he did in both the first and second rounds. Casey, stacked up against the fence, had little answer." In the second round, the former Fighting Scot All-American wrestler administered serious ground-and-pound on Casey before the referee called a halt. Honeycutt, who launched his pro MMA career in January 2013, is now 10-1. Casey now has a record of 9-6-2.

Jordan Burroughs defeated Bekzod Abdurahkmonov, avenging a loss from Rio (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) PARIS -- The American freestyle team advanced three wrestlers to gold-medal matches and leads the team race narrowly over Russia heading into tonight's final session at the World Championships in Paris. James Green (70 kilograms), Jordan Burroughs (74 kilograms), and Kyle Snyder (97 kilograms) all reached the finals on Saturday. Burroughs punched his ticket to the finals by avenging a loss in last summer's Olympic Games to Bekzod Abdurakhmonov of Uzbekistan. Down 3-2 at the break, Burroughs needed to make his move, and he did. A double leg takedown at the 5:06 giving him the lead he wouldn't surrender. He added a few more points to close out a 6-3 victory. Burroughs had high praise for Abdurakhmonov. "He's extremely tough," Burroughs said. "He's a world-class competitor. He beat me at the Olympic Games and it was a tech fall. So that was memorable for me. I really wanted to get this one. I'm happy to be back in the finals. This is the first time in seven years I'm in the finals against Russia." Burroughs gave the American fans a scare in his very first match, giving up an early takedown and facing a 2-0 deficit against Ali Shabanau of Belarus before getting a point on a step out to close the gap to 2-1. He trailed 5-2 at the break, but stormed back to even the score at 5-5, but still trailed on criteria. It was the blast double with 17 seconds left that helped seal the victory. In Burroughs' second match he fell behind 2-0, but after getting his head taped to cover a cut above his right eye, he went to work, scoring 12 unanswered points and winning by technical fall 12-2 over Sahsuki Takatani of Japan. Burroughs seemed more relaxed in his quarterfinals match winning by technical fall 13-2 over Zelimkhan Khadjiev of France who had the hometown fans behind him. James Green advanced to his first world finals at 70 kilograms (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Green, a 2015 world bronze medalist, advanced to the finals by beating Yuhi Fujinami of Japan. He was methodical with his scoring and fought off last second shot attempts by Fujinami, including a step out that the Japanese coaches challenged as a takedown. Green held on for a 5-3 victory. Green opened his tournament by dismantling another New Jersey native, Nestor Taffur (Colombia) 8-0, and then edged Zurabi Erbotsonashvili of Georgia 3-2 in the quarterfinals. Green said it's the preparation the team does that helps him win close matches. "At team camp that's what we train for," Green said. "We've been doing this so long we just have to come out there and wrestle." Kyle Snyder was dominant in Saturday's first session (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Snyder, the youngest American world champion and Olympic gold medalist, was dominant through the day, advancing to the finals at 97 kilograms. He will now face another Olympic champion, Russia's Abdulrashid Sadulaev, in the gold-medal match, which could potentially determine the team champion. In his semifinal match, Snyder led 7-0 before making a small mistake and allowing Aslanbek Alborov of Azerbaijan capitalize on a takedown. A takedown by Snyder after the break, finished the scoring at 9-2. Snyder started the day with a 10-0 technical fall against Mame Ibragimov of Kazakhstan, and continued his dominance in his next match against Naoya Akaguma of Japan, again winning 10-0. "I feel good," Snyder said. "Sometimes I think I was made for these situations against these types of guys." Zain Retherford won his first match of the day over David Habat, an Ohio native who wrestled collegiately at Edinboro. He is now representing Slovakia. Retherford used his constant pressure to overwhelm Habat with a series of takedowns. The single leg attacks by Retherford led him to a 10-0 technical fall. In his second match, Retherford found himself down 2-0 to Olympian Adam Batirov of Bahrain at the break. But Retherford found his single leg shot for a takedown to make the score 2-2 and give him the criteria lead. Shortly thereafter, Retherford was facing a 5-2 deficit with 5:28 left on the clock. Again, Retherford moved his opponent and earned a takedown closing the gap to 5-4. Retherford was close to scoring a takedown at the buzzer, which would have given him the win, but it was ruled that time expired. The call was challenged and upheld, giving Batirov the 6-4 victory. Retherford was eliminated when Batirov dropped his next match. Tonight's final session is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. local time, 1 p.m. ET.

Thomas Gilman won a silver medal at 57 kilograms (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) PARIS -- Thomas Gilman shined in his first World Championships, but fell short of gold on Friday night in Paris. Gilman was shut out 6-0 in the gold-medal match at 57 kilograms against a fearless Yuki Takahashi of Japan in the finals. Early in the match Takahashi drove Gilman out of bounds and Gilman was hit with a caution and two, giving Takahashi a 2-0 lead. Takahashi used a single leg takedown to build a 4-0 heading into the break. Coming out after the break, Gilman got in on a few shot attempts, but it was thwarted by Takahashi's defense. "When it comes down to it I have to be smarter," Gilman said. "I can only wrestle so hard against the best guys in the world, I have to wrestle smarter too." Gilman's coach Terry Brands was satisfied with Gilman's overall performance in Paris. "I think that he's put himself in the position to win the gold medal," Brands said. "You can't fault him for the way that he competes. I know he's not happy where he's at right now, but I know that this isn't going to deter him or derail him." J'den Cox defeated past world champion Mihail Ganev of Bulgaria to win bronze at 86 kilograms (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) J'den Cox captured a bronze medal at 86 kilograms, doing so in dominant fashion. After a setback in the semifinals earlier in the day, Cox seemed to have found new motivation for the medal match. Maybe it was the tweet from David Taylor that allowed him to perform better in his bronze-medal match than he did earlier in the day. Cox, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, scored his initial point when his opponent Mihail Ganev of Bulgaria, a world champion in 2010, was penalized on a shot clock violation. After that it was all Cox. He used his quickness and agile movement to connect on a few low single takedowns. He built a comfortable 6-0 lead for himself and iced the match with a lovely low single to close out the match 8-0. Cox was not happy with his overall performance throughout the day, but getting bronze is helpful and he's not making any excuses. "A big, special thank you to David Taylor," Cox said. "Because without your critique, I don't know if I would have been up to it. I'm bringing home the bronze." Nick Gwiazdowski with the other medalists at 125 kilograms (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Nick Gwiazdowski also rebounded from an earlier loss to bring home a bronze medal at 125 kilograms. In his bronze-medal match against Natsagsuren Zolboo of Mongolia. He went up 1-0 after his opponent failed to score while on the shot clock. Gwiazdowski then went to work with his own offense that was firing all day. He scored a beautiful low single to go up 3-0 after being warned for passivity. He capped the scoring with another low single to go up 5-0, and then pumped his fist after the victory. "It feels good leaving with something," Gwiazdowski said. "Good day on the mats, minus one match. I wanted to leave with something and obviously once that gold one is gone let's bring something back. Let's get a bronze." After the first day of freestyle competition, USA leads the team race by two points over Russia. USA freestyle coach Bill Zadick was pleased with the performance of the first four wrestlers competing in freestyle. "I'm happy for those guys," Zadick said. "They did a great job. They deserve those medals. I like to focus on the athletes. The rest of that stuff takes care of itself." The final day of the World Championships begins at 10 a.m. local time, 4 a.m. ET.

PARIS -- The bureau of United World Wrestling wrapped up its week of meetings Thursday night at the Pullman Hotel in Bercy, passing several recommendations including the designation for the ten new weight categories and the announcement of host cities for the 2018 season. The new weight categories were the most deliberated issues of the meetings. Last year, United World Wrestling president stated the intention for wrestling to move from 8 to 10 weight categories, prompting speculation on how those new weights would be distributed and if they would affect the six Olympic weight categories. In the end, the bureau chose an overall moderate approach, looking to impact as few existing weight categories as possible. Freestyle will keep all their current Olympic and non-Olympic weight categories and will simply add 79kg and 92kg. 57kg-61kg-65kg-70kg-74kg-79kg-86kg-92kg-97kg-125kg Women's wrestling will increase the lowest weight from 48kg to 50kg and slightly redistribute several weight categories, most by only one or two kilograms. 50kg-53kg-55kg-57kg-59kg-62kg-65kg-68kg-72kg-76kg Greco-Roman went through the largest shift in assignments, adjusting nearly all the weight categories. 55kg-60kg-63kg-67kg-72kg-77kg-82kg-87kg-97kg-130kg Junior-level and U-23 wrestlers will also compete at the senior-level weight categories. The bureau also announced an updated list of host cities for the 2018 season, highlighted by Nigeria taking on the Cadet, Junior and Senior African Championships. The Nigerian Wrestling Federation, led by 2000 Olympic gold medalist Daniel IGALI (Canada), is coming off their best-ever performance at the 2017 world championships and will host the event in Port Harcourt. Yigo (Guam) will host all three Oceania age-level events, while Bishkek (Krygzstan) takes the Asian Senior championships, Lima the Pan-Am Senior championships, and Kapiisk (Russia) the European Senior Championships. The U-23 World Championship have been awarded to Bucharest, Romania, with Trnava (Slovakia) hosting the Junior World Championships and the Cadet World Championships headed to Zagreb (Croatia). Additional Announcements The two-day competition format was approved for the 2018 season and will commence on January 1, 2018. A 2-kilo allowance for the second day will be granted for one year. On January 1, 2019 the allowance will no longer be available. The Olympic qualification system was approved, with the World Championships (6), Continental qualifiers (8) and a World Open (2) accounting for the 16 allotments. Continental championships will also be held. Cadet and Schoolboy weight categories have been approved. They will be released in the coming days. Four-year referee education plan was approved. The plan runs from 2017-2021 Scoreboards to count down from 6 minutes to 0. Cautions are now 1-point. A new rule book will be published shortly and placed on the website

Thomas Gilman advanced to the gold-meal match at 57 kilograms (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) PARIS -- Day 5 of the World Wrestling Championships in Paris and the opening day of the freestyle wrestling competition brought about high anticipation from the American team. There was great anticipation of how many medals this talented team could win. When the dust settled after Friday's first session, USA advanced three out of four wrestlers to medal matches. Thomas Gilman (57 kilograms) is going for a gold medal, while J'den Cox (86 kilograms) and Nick Gwiazdowski (125 kilograms) chase bronze medals. Gilman reached the gold-medal match by edging Hak Jin-Jong of North Korea 5-4 in a match that went down to the wire. In the quarterfinals, Gilman dominated, using a series of low singles and gut wrench turns to defeat Nodir Safarov of Uzbekistan 12-1. He opened with a 5-2 win over Andrey Yatsenko of Ukraine, and followed it up with a 3-0 win over Reza Atrinagharchi of Iran, which proved to be more of a chanting battle between the American fans and fans for Iran, as chants of "USA, USA, USA" and "IRAN, IRAN, IRAN," echoed throughout the arena. Gilman led the entire match against the Iranian, scoring on a pushout and shot clock violation. But it was the takedown awarded at the buzzer by the referee for Iran that got the crowd more involved. A takedown would have given Atrinagharchi a victory on criteria. But the judges overturned the call ruling no takedown and Gilman a 3-0 victor. Gilman, who is inspired by his grandfather for this competition, said things are in his favor. "I think this format favors me," Gilman said. "That was a big match (the semis) for me, my grandfather. I came here to win it." J'den Cox, an Olympic bronze medalist in Rio, reached the semifinals before losing to Boris Makoev of Slovakia. Cox fell behind 6-0 and was unable to come back. He cut the deficit to 6-3, which is how the match would end. His quarterfinal victory came over Zbigniew Baranowski of Poland, 3-2. Cox started his day with two come-from-behind victories. The first a 6-1 victory over Ahmed Dudarov of Germany. After trailing 1-0 at the break, Cox came out with three takedowns set the final score. It was Cox's second match that had the Americans holding their breath. Facing Ville Heino of Finland, who wrestles for Campbell University, , Cox found himself in an early 6-0 deficit before hitting a beautiful four-point move to cut the score to 6-4 heading into the break. He shot moments after the whistle to begin period two, tying the score with a double leg. Another takedown and a force out made the final score 9-6, followed by a flex and yell of excitement from Cox. He will wrestle Mihail Ganev (Bulgaria) for bronze. Nick Gwiazdowski won three matches in Friday's first session (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Nick Gwiazdowski (125 kilograms) started his day on fire. He won 10-0 over Andrei Romanov of Moldova. He then beat Daniel Ligeti of Hungary 10-1. The quarterfinal bout was closer for the American. He jumped out to a 5-0 lead on Iran's Yadolla Mohebi and held on for a 5-4 victory. In the semifinals, Gwiazdowski ran into Olympic champ and two-time world champion Taha Akgul of Turkey and was outmatched, losing 10-0. He faces Natsagsuren Zolboo (Mongolia) in the bronze-medal match. USA suffered an early setback when Logan Stieber lost to Gadzhimurad Rashidov of Russia 11-0 in the round of 16. Rashidov is a European champion wrestling for world wrestling power Russia, so it was expected that Stieber, a 2016 world champion, would be in for a tough bout. But few could have predicted the final score of the bout. Stieber, known for his offensive attacks, was unable to get his offense going. When Rashidov reached the finals, Stieber received a repechage match. In his first repachage match, he beat Molnar of Hungary 10-0. Stieber was able to get his offensive attacks going with a few takedowns and turns. He would face world and Olympic champion Vladimir Khinchegashvilli of Georgia in his next repechage match. Khinchegashvilli used his technique and strength to overpower Stieber to the tune of 10-0 shortly after the break. An obviously upset, Stieber said after the match he expected the weight class to be tough coming in. "It's disappointing, obviously," said Stieber. "I wanted to win a medal with my teammates. "The bracket was pretty stacked. I figured it would be tough, but not Russia, Georgia back-to-back." Tonight's finals start at 7 p.m. local time, 1 p.m. ET.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue head wrestling coach Tony Ersland has announced the addition of three-time All-American A.J. Schopp as an assistant coach. From his high-level experience as one of the nation's top 133-pounders throughout his career at Edinboro, to his time building a program as an assistant coach at South Dakota State, Schopp brings an exceptional skill set and high level of competitiveness to Purdue. “Coming from Edinboro and South Dakota State, A.J. understands what we are doing here at Purdue,” Ersland said. “He has been through the building process as a wrestler and a coach with the goal of moving a program forward and creating success. A.J. knows what it takes, he is not scared of the work and effort needed to push a program, he's excited about it.” Schopp's mentality encompasses results on the mat and the importance of the structure needed to get there. “The staff at Purdue likes to put in the work and that's what I am excited about,” Schopp said. “If you are willing to put in the work, and have the right support behind you, anything can be done. The administration is also top-notch, which plays a huge role in having success in wrestling programs. Together, a lot can be achieved.” Schopp joins the Boilermakers' staff after spending the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons as an assistant coach at South Dakota State. Numerous program firsts were established at SDSU with Schopp on staff, highlighted by the program's first-ever Big 12 Conference champion and Division I All-Americans in Seth Gross and Alex Kocer. Gross was the NCAA runner-up at 133 pounds in 2017, while Kocer placed eighth at 149 pounds. Schopp's influence on Gross extended into freestyle, coaching him to a UWW national championship and a spot on the U.S. junior world freestyle team in 2016. In two seasons with Schopp on staff, the Jackrabbits posted a 28-11 dual record, qualified 10 to the NCAA Championships, totaled 11 Academic All-Big 12 honors and totaled eight NWCA All-Academic distinctions. “I plan on putting everything I have into the program to help it succeed in the classroom, on the mat and socially,” Schopp said. “Creating all-around good people is something I have learned from the many individuals I have been around in my wrestling career and plan to instill that into the student-athletes at Purdue University. And of course, I plan to make the team tough on top!” Wrestling at 133 pounds at Edinboro (2012-15), Schopp was consistently ranked among the nation's elite. He was known for his ability to rack up bonus points and his dominance on top. “A.J. has a tremendous skill set on top that will benefit our program,” Ersland said. “He embodies toughness and an attitude in his wrestling that I want our wrestlers to be around.” Schopp was a four-time NCAA Championships qualifier, earning All-America honors three times, and was a three-time Eastern Wrestling League champion. He placed fourth at the 2013 and 2014 NCAA Championships and had his highest NCAA finish in his final campaign, taking third in 2015. After being upended in the first round, the No. 9 seed stormed through wrestlebacks, winning seven straight to place third. Schopp was bestowed with the Gorriaran Award for the most falls in the least amount of time, sticking four opponents in 11:53 during wrestlebacks. The Fighting Scots' third-place finish in the team standings marked the highest finish in program history at the Division I championships. Schopp is scattered throughout Edinboro's record book. With a career mark of 133-17, his .887 winning percentage ranks second and his 133 wins are tied for sixth. He tops the career falls list with 67 and he earned a spot on the Fighting Scots' top-20 season falls list in each of his four campaigns The Tyrone, Pennsylvania, native earned a bachelor's degree in business administration, along with a minor in economics, from Edinboro in May 2015. He and his wife Katie have a son Ryder.

United World Wrestling, the international wrestling federation, has notified USA Wrestling that the date for the 2018 Freestyle World Cup in Iowa City, Iowa, has been officially set for April 7-8. The event, which is the annual international freestyle dual meet championships, had originally been scheduled for April 21-22. The new date fit perfectly with USA Wrestling's international and national event schedule. It will provide a tremendous showcase for the world's best wrestlers just a few weeks after the conclusion of the U.S. college wrestling season. The competition will be held at the world-famous Carver-Hawkeye Arena on the campus of the University of Iowa. This venue hosted the record-setting 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for wrestling. It has been the site of many of the most important wrestling events in American wrestling history, and serves as the home venue for the University of Iowa wrestling team, which annually leads the NCAA in attendance for the sport. The World Cup will feature the top eight men's freestyle wrestling teams in the world. Those teams will be determined based upon the results of the men's freestyle competition at the 2017 World Wrestling Championships, which are being held in Paris, France over the next two days, August 25-26. As host, the United States will field one of the eight teams at the World Cup. Team USA has a strong team at the 2017 World Championships, including former Hawkeye wrestling star Thomas Gilman, who is the U.S. World Team member at 57 kg/125.5 lbs. This will be the 30th time the United States has hosted the event, the most of any nation. Iowa City will be the ninth U.S. city to host the Freestyle World Cup. The other U.S. cities which have hosted the World Cup include Toledo, Ohio (17 times); Los Angeles, Calif. (three times) Chattanooga, Tenn. (twice); Spokane, Wash.(twice); Stillwater, Okla. (twice); Baltimore, Md.; Fairfax, Va. and Boise, Idaho. The 2017 Freestyle World Cup was hosted in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 16-17, with Iran claiming the team title and the United States placing second. The local organizing committee will be the same group of leaders who hosted the highly-successful 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The local organizing committee is led by the University of Iowa and the Iowa City/Coralville Convention & Visitors Bureau and includes leaders from the City of Iowa City, City of Coralville and City of North Liberty. Ticket packages for the general public will be available Nov. 1. Tickets information is available at hawkeyesports.com. Event organizers are looking to set attendance records for the Freestyle World Cup, and intend to host the most successful World Cup hosted in the United States.

Fifty years ago, Michigan State wrestling claimed a team title at the 1967 NCAA Wrestling Championships, joining the rare club of just a dozen programs to earn a national title. Next month, Michigan State wrestling will honor the 1967 National Champions in a weekend-long celebration on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 29-30. The celebration starts at noon Friday, with the Varsity S Club Social, followed by a team and alumni social Friday evening from 6-9 p.m. at Reno's East. Saturday's festivities kick off with the Varsity S Club Tailgate & Recognition at Old College Field three hours before the MSU football game vs. Iowa, at which the 1967 national championship wrestling team will be honored. Michigan State's 1967 wrestling team"They're the standard for Michigan State wrestling," said current MSU head wrestling coach Roger Chandler. "Any time we can bring back and recognize any Spartan team or program that has achieved what we all strive to achieve, I think it's a great day in Spartan history." The 1967 Spartans, led by head coach Grady Peninger, were the first Big Ten team to win a national title in wrestling. Michigan State won the National Championship with 74 total points, 11 ahead of cross-state rival Michigan, which came in second. At the 1967 NCAAs at Kent State University in Ohio, four Spartans made it to the finals: Don Behm at 130 pounds, Dale Anderson at 137, George Radman at 167 and, at 177, Mike Bradley. Anderson and Radman each earned individual NCAA titles. "It's something that we can all point to for the current guys within the program to be around greatness, listen to their stories," said coach Chandler. "Every one of our student-athletes right now has visions and dreams of becoming NCAA Champions and All-Americans. When they're around these guys and they come in and speak to them, it will be an opportunity for them to listen to their stories and how they got there." Spartan wrestling alumni are encouraged to participate. To RSVP for the alumni weekend festivities, contact assistant coach Chris Williams at 517-927-6131 or willi756@ath.msu.edu. Wrestling fans who have no direct ties to the Michigan State wrestling program can travel back in time and get a taste of that Spartan championship season by reading "A Spartan Journey,""A Spartan Journey," Dale Anderson's 2016 book sharing his memories of that momentous year… and check out the special MSU wrestling page honoring that 1967 NCAA title-winning team with photos and info.

Just over two months ago, former wrestler and UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes was seriously injured in a truck/train collision. Initial reports said he was in a coma. A week ago, Hughes was shown going out for sushi with a long-time friend. This week, Hughes was on the mat, doing "light grappling" with that same friend, Tony Zucca. Matt HughesZucca posted a video on Instagram showing the 43-year-old former fighter in action, doing some guard drills while wearing the hospital band on his wrist. "I leave for only five days and come back to his ass wanting (and able) to roll," Zucca wrote on Instagram. "Unbelievable! Spare me the grappling lessons. The only things that are important: firing muscles that haven't been used in a long time...and having fun! So awesome to see that smile and hear that laugh again. If I posted a video from day one and compared it to today...and you still didn't believe in miracles...well, there's nothing that's ever going to change your mind." Former rival Frank Trigg saw the video… and was blown away. "I am so happy that he made it through," Trigg told MMAJunkie Radio. "And that his wife still has a husband. His twin brother still has a brother. His son still has a dad. It is huge. You can't say enough about this guy. And he's going to pull it together. Whether you believe in a higher power or not -- he always has. "He's always been that guy who always leans on Jesus Christ, always leans on God. Whatever his belief system is, it worked for him, because he survived this (expletive). If I was in that thing, I would have been dead. One hundred percent, I would not have survived that thing. And he made it through." Matt Hughes has come a long ways since his near-fatal accident. On June 16, Hughes was driving his pickup on a country road in central Illinois, not far from his hometown of Hillsboro, when the truck was struck by a train on the passenger side. The crossing had only a warning sign; it did not have flashing lights or gates. The critically-injured Hughes was airlifted to a trauma hospital in Springfield, the Illinois state capital. He reportedly suffered severe head injuries. Hughes held the UFC's welterweight championship at various points between 2001 and 2006. He is recognized as one of the greatest 170-pound fighters of all time, according to ESPN. Hughes launched his pro mixed martial arts career in 1998, and had not fought since 2011. He compiled a 45-9 record in MMA, and was welcomed into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2010. Prior to entering MMA competition, Matt Hughes was an accomplished wrestler. He was a two-time Illinois Class A state champion at 145 pounds for Hillsboro High School in 1991 and 1992. Hughes then started his college career at Southwestern Illinois College. After the school eliminated its wrestling program, Hughes transferred to Lincoln College (Illinois), where he placed third at the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) National Wrestling Championships. After graduating from Lincoln, Hughes continued wrestling at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, where he was a two-time NCAA Division I All-American, placing eighth in 1996 and fifth in 1997 at 158 pounds.

Alli Ragan with USA women's wrestling coach Terry Steiner (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) PARIS -- Alli Ragan fell in the gold-medal match and Victoria Anthony was defeated for bronze, but the USA women's wrestling team still tied for second in the team standings at the World Wrestling Championships in Paris, France. Ragan (60 kilograms) had her hands full with Olympic gold medalist Risako Kawai. Kawai was in attack mode early and often, preventing Ragan from getting her offense going. Kawai's double leg proved to be almost unstoppable to the tune of a 13-0 technical fall, with an added passivity point and few turns on Ragan. Japan's Risako Kawai won by technical fall over Alli Ragan (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) The Japanese women's wrestling team was well prepared for the competition, placing four wrestlers in Thursday's finals and winning three of those bouts. Japan ran away with the team title and had four gold medalists, as well as a silver and bronze medalist. "We started out strong and our wheels fell off a little bit," USA women's wrestling coach Terry Steiner said. "They competed hard, but we have some things to work on. We're just not there yet. It's always important to get a team trophy. We're not starting from scratch. We just need to get better at what we do." American wrestling legend John Smith, an assistant coach and helping the women's team for the first time, is excited about their accomplishments, but would like to see them grow in certain areas. "I won't accept the fact that (the Japanese team) can't be beat," Smith said. "If we create a better system for our women, like wrestling in college, we can close that gap." Victoria Anthony lost in the bronze-medal match to Son-Hyang Kim of North Korea (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Victoria Anthony (48 kilograms) lost in the bronze-medal match to a resilient opponent in Son-Hyang Kim of North Korea. Anthony tried everything she could to no avail. Snap downs, low shots and even inside trips, they were all rejected by the defense of Kim. It ended in an 11-1 defeat. Anthony spoke prior to the match and mentioned that she needed to keep her intensity high and work through every position in every minute of the match and she did just that. The guard of Kim was just too much for Anthony to get through. At the break, Anthony was facing a 3-0 deficit. But coming out in the second period she was unable to get on her offensive attack. Kim used her defensive strategy to counter Anthony's attacks and was able to mount an 11-1 technical fall. Constantly wiping tears from her eyes, Anthony spoke about her overall performance. "There is not much to say … I just need to get better," Anthony said. "It's not what we came here for." It was Anthony's second fifth-place finish at the World Championships. She was also fifth in 2013 after losing the bronze-medal match. "I think the Asian countries do a really good job of not reacting (to fakes) and being solid in their stance," Anthony said. "I end up having to pick and choose (on being offensive or defensive), as the match winds down and you're losing time when you pick and choose." Anthony knows she wants to improve on her performance as this is her second time losing in the bronze medal match, the other time coming in 2013. Overall, the American women's wrestling team had a strong performance in Paris, finishing with three medals, a gold, silver and bronze. Helen Maroulis turned in the most impressive performance, winning gold and outscoring her opponents 53-0. Coach Smith spoke about the potential of her tying his record of four world championships and two Olympic gold medals. "I'd like to see her beat me," Smith said. "You don't see a real difference between her practice and her competition she's pretty serious with everything she does. But let's let her win her championships one at a time."

Alli Ragan advanced to the gold-medal match at 60 kilograms (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) PARIS -- The momentum that Helen Maroulis and Becka Leathers used in winning gold and bronze on Wednesday was passed like a baton to the anchor leg, to the American competitors on Thursday. Almost as if mirroring the opening session on the first day of the women's wrestling competition, America has two women wrestlers going for medals. Alli Ragan goes for gold, while Victoria Anthony goes for bronze. USA has clinched a spot in the top three team race after the conclusion of the morning session. The outcome of the individual matches in the evening session will determine where Team USA goes on the medal stand. All four of the women on Team USA competing on Thursday reached the quarterfinals, going 6-0 in the first few rounds, with four technical falls and one pin. Alli Ragan (60 kilograms), rocking the pink headgear, was methodical on her way to a technical fall over Sleisz of Hungary in her first match, capitalizing on snap downs and go-behinds to win 10-0. Against Luisa Neimesch in the quarterfinals, she won a low scoring match using a single leg takedown to cap the scoring and win 4-0. Ragan's semifinal match was much more exciting. She found herself in a back-and-forth match tied at 2, then going down by one, right before she used a perfectly timed headlock to cement Anastasija Grigorjeva of Latvia in the second period. "I knew every match was going to be a fight," Ragan said. "I didn't wrestle up to my capability in the world finals last year. (To win the finals), just keep the pressure on, tie up and win the battle." Victoria Anthony gets her hand raised after a victory (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The other American going for a medal is 5-foot-1 mighty mouse, hence the nickname Vicki Mouse, Victoria Anthony (48 kilograms), who uses her strength and quickness to attack opponents, with concise leg attacks. She used an inside trip and gut wrench turn to defeat her first adversary Miran Cheon of Korea, 10-0. In her next match, she found herself behind 4-0 against India's Vinesh, but used a beautiful hip toss to secure a fall at the 5:09 mark. In the quarterfinals, Anthony lost to a tough competitor in three-time cadet world champion Yui Susaki of Japan 11-0. Anthony earned a repechage match when Susaki reached the finals. In her repechage match, she used a take down and a couple gut wrench turns to go up 7-0 on Julie Sabatie of France, before tossing Sabatie to her back and getting the fall, much to the dismay of the home crowd. To win the bronze match, Anthony said she must continue doing what she did to get here. "I need to keep the intensity high in every second, every minute, every position, keep finding points," Anthony said. "You want to medal at the World Championships even if it's not the color that I want." She will wrestle Sonhyang Kim of North Korea for bronze. At 53 kilograms, Haley Augello used a series of double leg takedowns and gut wrenches to beat Thi Vu of Vietnam by technical fall 10-0 in her initial match. She then won a gritty bout over Lannuan Luo of China, 3-0. In the quarterfinals, Augello suffered a tough loss to Polish veteran Roxana Zasina. She found herself down 6-0 and got on the scoreboard with a takedown to cut the deficit to 6-2, but Zasina would score again and close the bout 8-2. "I feel like I had fun out there my first two matches," Augello said. "But it's devastating when you work really hard and the outcome isn't what you expected. I'll get back out there and work really hard and come back stronger." Augello was eliminated when Zasina lost her next bout. Tamyra Mensah (69 kilograms) began her day with a 12-2 technical fall over Alla Belinska of Ukraine. She suffered a devastating 5-2 loss to Junior world silver medalist Yue Han of China. She didn't gain a repechage match when Han lost in the semifinals. Tonight's finals are scheduled for 7 p.m. local time, 1 p.m. ET.

Helen Maroulis with the American flag after winning gold in Paris (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) PARIS -- Few wrestling fans doubted that Helen Maroulis, the 2015 world champion and 2016 Olympic gold medalist, would win another world title this year. It was just a question of in what kind of fashion she would win. As it turned out, it was nothing short of dominant. Maroulis defended her title by outscoring her five opponents 53-0. In the finals against Tunisian Marwa Amri, it was a show from start to finish. Beginning with a ground shaking foot sweep, sending her opponent sprawling, much to the awe of the crowd for a gigantic four-point move. Maroulis followed that with two more takedowns before finishing the match with a turn to make the final score 11-0. Maroulis said she thought about not giving up points after the semifinals, but it wasn't her goal. She referenced a quote she likes, 'Discernment isn't knowing the difference between right and wrong, it's the difference between right and almost right.' "It's not a bad thing to want to go for a tech," Maroulis said. "But if (getting a tech) is the focus, I might miss out on some other things. If I have to wrestle smart to win a 1-0 match, I'm not going to get greedy or cocky to put another tech on the board I'm about glorifying God and in that process winning." Her coach Valentin Kalika joked about how great Maroulis is getting, saying it's hard to find her workout partners and at this point she almost has to train with the men. "She finished almost all her matches in the first period," Kalika said." She put up 53 points and she gave up zero points, so I'm happy." Maroulis says after this she is still training and focusing on taking it one day at a time, although she was dominant she can still find room for improvement. The goal for both she and Kalika was to be the best in the world, and for another year she owns that title. Becka Leathers won a bronze medal at 55 kilograms (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Like Maroulis, Becka Leathers has goals of being the best wrestler in the world at her weight class, but for now she takes her bronze medal with pride. In the bronze-medal match, Leathers scored a takedown on a counter attack, then used back points to increase her lead to 4-0 going into the break. That was as much scoring as Leathers would do for the entire match as she seemingly went into cruise coming out in the second period and fought off shot attempts to defeat Bilyana Dudova of Bulgaria 4-2. It was her mindset that helped her get the victory and claim the bronze medal. "Discipline, be stingy, take advantage when it's there," Leathers said. "I wasn't planning to not score anymore points (after the break), but that's the way it crumbled." Now that she has her hands on a bronze medal, she has the confidence and experience. She now must figure out how to reach the top of the podium. "I'm going to keep working hard and figure out how to beat those Japanese girls (she lost to eventual champion Haruna Okuno of Japan), and figure out how to beat everyone else." The women's wrestling competition continues on Thursday at 10 a.m. local time with the 48 kilograms, 53 kilograms, 60 kilograms and 69 kilograms being contested.

Helen Maroulis was unscored upon in the first session (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) PARIS -- The USA women's wrestling team is off to a marvelous start at the World Wrestling Championships in Paris. Helen Maroulis will wrestle for gold, while teammate Becka Leathers will go for bronze. Maroulis, who competes at 58 kilograms, is looking to capture her second world title. She won gold at 55 kilograms at the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas. Last summer, Maroulis won an Olympic gold medal in Rio by defeating Japanese wrestling legend Saori Yoshida, becoming the United States' first-ever Olympic champion in women's wrestling. After three straight technical falls, Maroulis defeated Michelle Fazzari of Canada 10-0 in the semifinals. In the finals, she will face Marwa Amri of Tunisia, who became the first-ever African women's wrestler to reach the finals at the World Championships. The most impressive stat by Maroulis, is that she hasn't surrendered a single point these championships, outscoring her four opponents 41-0. Maroulis has moved up two weight classes since last year, but said not much has changed. "I came in with the same mentality that I always come in, whether I'm 116 pounds or 127 I don't think [the weight class] should change that," Maroulis said. "I wrestle for God. I wrestle to honor him." Contrary to Maroulis dominant performance, Leathers (55 kilograms) had to take a detour to reach the medal round. She made the quarterfinals by pinning Ramona Galambos of Hungary. Leathers then lost 8-0 to Cadet world champion Haruna Okuna of Japan. Leathers gained a repechage match when Okuna reached the finals. In her repechage match, Leathers beat Carola Rainero of Italy by technical fall 13-2. She will wrestle Bilyana Dudova of Bulgaria for a bronze medal. The other two Americans to compete today were Mallory Velte (63 kilograms) and Victoria Francis (75 kilograms). Neither were successful in their first matches of the day. Velte faced Blessing Oborududu of Nigeria and started strong, earning the first points on the board with an early takedown. But her lead was short lived as Oborududu began an offensive attack of her own and eventually winning 10-2. Velte was eliminated from competition when Oborududu lost in the quarterfinals, making her ineligible for a repechage match. Holding back tears, Velte mentioned that she needs more experience moving forward. "There isn't much to say," Velte said. "I didn't show up as well as I could have. Adding some experience from this and watching the Olympics it's a lot of hard work and showing up on the day." Francis had to face a tough opponent in Gulmaral Yerkeybayeva in her opening match. She found herself in an 8-1 deficit, and cut the score to 8-3. But she would not get any closer as Yerkeybayeva would score again making the final score 10-3. Francis was no longer able to gain a repechage match when Yerkeybayeva lost her next match. Velte and Francis, both first-time member of the U.S. World Team, are 22 and 23 respectively. The finals begin at 7 p.m. local time, 1 p.m. ET.

A special edition DVD of the high school wrestling documentary "Stand Up" is now available for preorder, with deliveries to be made in September. "Stand Up" chronicles a year in the life of the wrestling program at Central Dauphin East High School in central Pennsylvania. In 2014, the program hadn't had a state qualifier in five years. However, that year, the team had two seniors -- both best friends and rivals -- whose whole wrestling careers had built up to a quest for state championship glory. In addition to providing an insider look at a high school wrestling room and the athletes inside, this new "Stand Up" special edition DVD includes several hours of bonus material not previously available on the original documentary, including a Director's Commentary interview with filmmaker (and Central Dauphin East wrestling alum) Abdullah Abu-Mahfouz ... the "Can't Keep Me Down" music video ... and an "After Stand Up" video, updating viewers as to where the participants of the documentary are now. In addition, the special edition DVD also includes features that provide special insights into coaching -- and wrestling -- as well as a workout training series by Lamont Stanley. Additional bonus features included with the purchase of the "Stand Up" special edition DVD: digital downloads of wrestling music ... a free digital version of the film to watch on any device, anywhere ... and lifetime access to future content from "Stand Up." "The goal of 'Stand Up' is to inspire wrestlers to dig deep and find success," Abduallah Abu-Mahfouz told InterMat in a November 2016 interview. "I've had wrestling coaches express grievances -- having trouble getting kids to go out for wrestling, keeping them in the program, keeping them motivated," the young filmmaker continued. "Hopefully, wrestlers and coaches can use this film to propel themselves to greatness." Note: Individuals who were "$25 and plus Seed&Spark Early Access" supporters of "Stand Up" automatically receive a free copy of the DVD as soon as orders are shipped. To preorder a special edition DVD of "Stand Up" for shipment in September for $19.99, visit the documentary's official website.

Tolly Thompson, 2005 World bronze medalist and NCAA heavyweight champ for University of Nebraska, is the one and only guest for "On The Mat" this Wednesday, August 23. "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.

Robby Smith (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) PARIS -- Different day, but similar results. On Day 2 of the World Wrestling Championships in Paris, France, USA's Greco-Roman team was still unable to place a wrestler in a medal match. Of the four wrestlers who competed on Tuesday, Ildar Hafizov (59 kilograms), Ellis Coleman (66 kilograms), Cheney Haight (80 kilograms), and Robby Smith (130 kilograms), only two were victorious, Coleman and Smith. Ellis Coleman opened the Worlds with a win (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Coleman came out aggressive in his first match against Diego Ribeiro of Brazi, using a series of step outs and takedowns on his way to a dominant 8-0 technical fall in the first period. In his second match against Mate Nemes of Serbia, Coleman was dinged two points for a caution, hitting his opponent in the face area, which forced him to change his game plan for the match. He fell 3-1. Disappointed, yet still optimistic, Coleman spoke about his performance. "The guys that aren't making those mistakes are the guys that are winning it," Coleman said. "I have to figure out my offense and be the one receiving those points [instead of being on the other end] of the sticks." Smith faced Tamas Soos of Slovakia in the opening round, and took an early 2-0 lead before using a beautiful four-point body lock lateral drop to cement his opponent at the 1:54 mark. In Smith's second match against Yasmani Acosta of Chile, he started slowly and trailed 2-0 at the break. Smith was able to muster a point in the second period, but by that time the score was 3-1 and he was almost looking at the double zeros on the clock. Obviously, upset about failing to place, Smith talked about how his performance. "I'd rather be talked to after I win a medal," Smith said. "It's not fun doing this right now honestly. We have to get back to the drawing board and figure something out." For Hafizov and Haight, they each had tough opponents in their first match that they could not overcome. Hafizov met Vazgen Khachatryan of Armenia and found himself down early, when Khachatryan used a throw to build a four-point lead. Hafizov would cut the deficit to 4-2, but Khachatryan built an 8-3 lead to close out the match. Hafizov was eliminated from the tournament when Khachatryan lost his next match in the round of 16. On the contrary, Haight could did get on the board first in his match, going up 2-0 on Laszlo Szabo of Hungary. But that would not last long as Szabo stormed to a 9-2 lead before pinning Haight at 5:37. Haight too was no longer eligible for repachage when Szabo was defeated in his next match. It was a disappointing performance for USA's Greco-Roman team in Paris as no wrestler came close to bringing home hardware. The last USA Greco-Roman wrestler to earn a medal at the World Championships was Andy Bisek, who obtained bronze in 2015 and 2014. Before him it was Dremiel Byers with a silver in 2009, and a bronze in 2007. USA Greco-Roman coach Matt Lindland, in a somber tone, said the young guys who are inexperienced fought hard on the first day, but on the second day the experienced guys must find the fight. "Today I didn't see the fight and I know we have really talented athletes," Lindland said. "I don't know what the answer is to fixing it right now. Maybe it is bringing up the juniors who have wrestled with these rules and let them matriculate into seniors."

BRADFORD, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will add wrestling to its NCAA Division III varsity sports beginning with the 2018-19 academic year. "We're certainly aware of the passion and enthusiasm students and parents in our region have for wrestling," said Dr. Livingston Alexander, Pitt-Bradford's president. "Accordingly, we've been planning and organizing the necessary resources to advance our wrestling program from club status to the NCAA intercollegiate level. The time has come to do so, and we're now poised to begin competition at the Division III level in fall 2018. We hope the wrestling enthusiasts in our area will no longer feel they have to leave the region to study and wrestle." The Pitt-Bradford wrestling team will compete in an independent schedule made up of a combination of duals and tournaments. The Panthers will join the 104 other programs in NCAA Division III wrestling, of which 31 compete independently. All Pitt-Bradford wrestlers will have the opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Division III National Wrestling Tournament, which has followed the Division I regional format since 2012. Wrestling came to Pitt-Bradford two years ago when a group of students wanted to compete beyond high school. Andrew McRandal, a biology major from Pittsburgh, spearheaded the club along with a group of his peers. They received additional support from Rich Kahle, facilities and fitness manager; and Kathy Moonan, manager of accounts payable. Moonan's son, Matthew, is studying business management and accounting at Pitt-Bradford and is an assistant coach for Bradford Junior Olympic Wrestling Club while filling in for the Pitt-Bradford wrestling club at times. A significant boost to the wrestling club came when Kevin and Cindy Keane of Bradford gave a generous gift to Pitt-Bradford that covered the cost of new practice and competition mats and other one-time gear, rent for practice space at neighboring St. Bernard Elementary School, association dues, tournament entry fees, and transportation and lodging for the club's meets. Last year's Pitt-Bradford wrestling club had 12 members, nine coming from the state of Pennsylvania, two of which local from Bradford and Coudersport. Two participants came from New Jersey while one each came from Ohio and New York. The club competed at the USCAA Wrestling Invitational in State College (Feb. 11), a dual match at Penn State Mont Alto (Feb. 12) and the NCWA Mid-East Conference Championship (Feb. 25). "I am very excited about our plans to start an NCAA Division III varsity wrestling program at Pitt-Bradford," said Bret Butler, director of athletics. "Wrestling is not only extremely popular in our region, but it is simply a fantastic sport. We expect interest in our program to be very high, and I personally cannot wait to be sitting in the KOA Arena on a winter evening, watching our team in a dual. This addition will be great not only for Pitt-Bradford, but also for the Bradford sports community." A national search for a head coach will begin in October. Pitt-Bradford officials hope the new coach will be on board in January. The addition of wrestling next fall increases Pitt-Bradford's men's sports teams to seven: baseball, basketball, golf, soccer, swimming and tennis. Pitt-Bradford also offers seven women's sports: basketball, bowling, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and volleyball. For further information about the new sports program, contact Butler at 814-362-5093 or bab15@pitt.edu.

There's nothing like the thrill of moving into a brand-new home. Now Central Baptist College wrestlers and coaches will have that feeling, as the mat program at the Arkansas-based school moves into its new home all its own. CBC Mustang wrestling fans will get to explore the new 3,750 square foot facility at a special open house on Friday, Sept. 15, sponsored by the Conway (Ark.) Chamber of Commerce. "Words alone cannot express how grateful and thankful I am about the new wrestling center," said Central Baptist head wrestling coach Ken Prophete. "Entering into my eighth season as the head wrestling coach at CBC, it has been a recruiting promise to my wrestlers that we will have a bigger and better (space) and this 2017-18 season we will fulfill that promise." "It is a blessing and I give all the glory to God for placing the right people to help make this dream a reality," Prophete continued. "We plan to make the best of our new opportunity this season in our new wrestling center." The main donor who made the CBC wrestling room a reality is Greg Hatcher of The Hatcher Agency, a major supporter of wrestling in the state of Arkansas and beyond. CBC's wrestling team will have the new building on a three-year lease. Prior to the new CBC wrestling facility, the Mustang mat stars practiced at Reddin Fieldhouse and other campus sports facilities. Founded in 1952, Central Baptist College is a four-year, private school affiliated with the Baptist Missionary Commission of Arkansas. The school, located in Conway, Ark., has approximately 900 students. Its sports teams, the Mustangs, compete in NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics).

Tracy Hancock reached repechage before losing to Seyedmosta Salehizadeh of Iran (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) PARIS -- It was a tough first day for Team USA Greco-Roman wrestlers at the World Championships in Paris, France. Three of the four wrestlers competing on Monday secured a victory, but of the four wrestlers who competed today, none reached a medal match. The wrestler with the best opportunity was Tracy Hancock (98 kilograms). He was the only American wrestler to receive a repechage match after Arthur Aleksanyan of Armenia, who beat Hancock, reached the finals, and eventually won the title. To his credit, Hancock is only 20 years old and Aleksanyan won the 2016 Olympic Gold medal and is now a three-time world champion. Hancock would go on to lose a close 3-1 match to Seyedmosta Salehizadeh of Iran in the repechage match, ending his bid for a medal. Hancock started the match strong, grabbing a 1-0 lead off a passivity. But Salehizadeh would storm back strong, scoring on a step out and multiple passivity points of his own. Hancock was a 2016 Junior world bronze medalist, but failed to earn a medal at this year's Junior World Championships in Tampere, Finland. The other U.S. wrestlers competing on Monday, Pat Smith (71 kilograms), Mason Manville (75 kilograms) and Ben Provisor (85 kilograms), did not receive repechage matches. Pat Smith opened with a victory (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Smith cruised to a 5-0 victory in his first match over Matous Morbitzer of the Czech Republic. He started strong, using a pushout to get on the board and then scored a takedown to build a 3-0 lead. Smith earned a point for passivity and another pushout to complete the final score. Smith would later suffer a devastating 8-2 defeat to Nurgazy Asangulov of Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyzstan wrestler led 4-2 at the end of the first period as Asangulov was able to capitalize on a Smith mistake for a four-point move, bringing the score to 8-2. Smith was eliminated when Asangulov lost in the quarterfinals. Mason Manville defeated defeated Manfred Edsberg of Sweden in his first match (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Manville also started the day on a positive note. He defeated Manfred Edsberg of Sweden in a close 4-2 bout. Manville would get on the board first with a point awarded from passivity. He would score again on passivity and a turn sequence. He would drop his second match to Mindia Tsulukidze of Georgia by a score of 4-2. The American scored the only offensive points of the match on a takedown and gave up three points on passivity. To add to the disappointment, Manville would appear to score a takedown as time expired. USA challenged the call, only to be denied. The 20-year-old Manville, a Cadet world champion in freestyle, was eliminated when Tsulukidze lost in the quarterfinals. Ben Provisor dropped his opening match to Oleksandr Shyshman of Ukraine (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Provisor, a two-time Olympian, had another particularly tough loss. He was beating Oleksandr Shyshman of Ukraine 2-2 on criteria with 12 seconds left before getting tossed in a four-point throw, which proved to be the difference in the match. Provisor's day ended when Shyshman fell prior to the finals. . The Greco-Roman competition continues on Tuesday as team USA will have wrestlers compete at 59 kilograms, 66 kilograms, 80 kilograms and 130 kilograms.

VESTAL, N.Y. - The Binghamton wrestling team has added a new member to its coaching staff for the 2017-18 season. Head coach Matt Dernlan has announced the hiring of Andrew Pariano, who previously coached at Northwestern University. Pariano will replace former assistant coach, Jasen Borshoff, who previously coached on the Bearcats staff for seven years. "We are thrilled to announce the addition of Drew to our staff," Dernlan said. "He has proven over the course of his career to be one of the best wrestling minds in the country. His ability to develop National Champions and All Americans at premier academic institutions, works in perfect tandem with the bar we have set for ourselves at Binghamton University. The work begins today and we're excited to attack the path that lies ahead of us." Pariano comes to Binghamton with 15 years of collegiate coaching and recruiting experience at the Division I level. During his collegiate career, he represented the Wildcats at three NCAA Championships. (1996-2000). After graduation, Pariano went on to receive a Master's Degree in Business Communication from John Carroll University and then became the head coach at Cornell College in 2003. Drew returned to NU as an assistant coach in 2005, and was elevated to associate head coach in 2008, before assuming the role as head coach in 2010. In 2011, Pariano was named the AWN Rookie Head Coach of the Year and was the NWCA Division I National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2008. In 2007, he was an assistant coach for the Wildcats as the team placed foruth at the NCAA Championships. During his tenure at NU, Pariano coached 57 NCAA Qualifiers, 24 NCAA All-Americans, 10 Individual Big Ten Champions, 8 NCAA Finalists, and 4 NCAA Champions. During his time at Northwestern, the Wildcats placed in the top 15 at the NCAA Championships in eight out of his 10 seasons. In the international styles of wrestling, Pariano coached at the senior level World Team and Olympic Trials from 2006-2015. His United States Cadet Pan Am team won the Freestyle and Greco Roman Titles in the summer of 2011. He served as the director for the 2006 FILA Cadet and University Nationals. Also in 2006, Drew was the coach for the Ohio Junior National Dual team that took third in the nation. He was instrumental in coaching 2012 Olympian, 2009 World Silver Medalist, 2009 Big Ten Athlete of the Year, and 2009 Hodge Trophy recipient: Jake Herbert. During his time in Illinois, Pariano had five wrestlers represent the United States at the Cadet, Junior, University, and Senior World Championships. On the recruiting trails, Pariano was instrumental in assembling several of the most highly-touted recruiting classes Northwestern has seen in the past two decades. 3X All-American Brandon Precin, 3X All-American Jason Welch, 4X All-American Mike McMullan, and NCAA Champion Jason Tsirtsis all signed with NU from 2006-2012. Both Welch and Tsirtis were named the top overall recruits in their classes while McMullan was ranked the top heavyweight recruit in the country. In 2014, Pariano signed the #1 nationally ranked recruiting class by WIN Magazine that included three No. 1 recruits.

Corey VanGroll, an NCAA All-American wrestler for the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in 2009, is returning to his alma mater as head coach, the Kenosha-area NCAA Division II program announced Friday. VanGroll takes over for former UW-Parkside wrestling coach Gregg Lewis, who announced his retirement at the end of June when the school made the coaching position full-time instead of part-time. Lewis had served as the Rangers head coach for the past six years. A native of Maribel, Wis., VanGroll earned All-American honors for UW-Parkside as a senior, placing fourth in the 165-pound bracket at the 2009 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. In addition to stepping into a new position with knowledge that only an alum can offer, VanGroll brings more than eight years of coaching experience at the NCAA Division III and NJCAA (National Junior College Athletics Association) levels. He launched his career at Iowa Lakes Community College in 2009, coaching the school's first national champion. In 2012, VanGroll accepted the head coaching position at Concordia University in Wisconsin, where he coached two national champs – including the school's first – and a total of nine All-Americans. He led Concordia to three consecutive conference championships in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and was named Northern Wrestling Association Coach of the Year. "We are thrilled to welcome Corey back to campus to lead our wrestling program and our student-athletes," said Andrew Gavin, UW-Parkside Director of Athletics. "His experiences and successful track record as a head coach are impressive and will be complimented by his knowledge of our University and wrestling program, connections to Ranger Alumni, and ties to the wrestling community in the area. Our storied program looks forward to a bright future with Corey at the helm." "I am honored and humbled to return to UW-Parkside and to carry on this program's rich tradition," VanGroll said in a statement released by the school. "I look forward to developing each and every athlete as we strive for athletic and academic prowess. I also look forward to connecting with old and new fans, friends, families and alumni."

The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) has added women's wrestling as its newest varsity sport this fall, the organization announced this week. The KCAC will have five member schools with women's wrestling for 2017-18. Two are full-fledged conference member schools -- Ottawa University and the University of Saint Mary -- while three associate member schools will also offer the sport: University of Jamestown in Jamestown, N.D., Midland University in Fremont, Neb., and Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo. With the addition of women's wrestling, the KCAC now has a total of 23 varsity sports -- 11 sports for men, and 12 sports for women. "Following our associate member sport model developed for men's and women's lacrosse, I am pleased to have the collaboration from these five programs coming together for the further development of women's wrestling," said KCAC Commissioner Dr. Scott Crawford. "This effort puts the KCAC and these five programs at the forefront of helping the NAIA take women's wrestling from an emerging sport to an eventual championship sport." KCAC member schools offering women's wrestling already see the value of providing increased competitive opportunities for more students. Ottawa University's Athletic Director, Arabie Conner, said, "Over the last two years, women's wrestling has been a great addition to our athletic department sports offerings at OU. We're very pleased to see the growth of the sport at the high school level and regionally with more and more collegiate opportunities for women. Having other regional institutions that sponsor women's wrestling join the KCAC in partnership to enhance the experience for the student-athletes is a great to see." "Missouri Valley is very excited to be joining the KCAC in its inaugural season of women's wrestling," said Carl Murphree, the school's head wrestling coach. "This is a big step in growing the sport of women's wrestling and we are thankful for the KCAC for taking that important first step." The KCAC is the second collegiate conference to welcome women's wrestling to its roster of available varsity sports, joining the Mid-South Conference, based in Kentucky, also includes member schools offering varsity women's wrestling, helping to grow the sport within NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics). The news from the KCAC is the latest positive development for the growth of women's collegiate wrestling. Just this past week, Nassau Community College on Long Island, New York and Schreiner University in Texas both announced the addition of women's wrestling programs. Earlier this month, a coalition of amateur wrestling organizations backed specific efforts to get the NCAA to declare women's wrestling as an emerging sport. At least eleven colleges lent their support to the effort, with University of Iowa head coach Tom Brands offering his endorsement.