InterMat Staff

Penn State redshirt freshman Jason Nolf caps off a stellar season by being voted 2016 InterMat Freshman of the Year, the amateur wrestling website announced on Thursday. Jason Nolf finished his freshman season with a record of 33-2 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)This award, presented each year since 2006 to best college freshman wrestler in all divisions, is based exclusively on the balloting of writers and executives at InterMat prior to the announcement of other national wrestling awards. Each staff member is asked to select five freshman wrestlers and rank them from first to fifth. Point values are assigned to each placement, ranging from one point to a wrestler listed fifth on a voter's ballot, up to nine points for a first-place vote. Nolf was the top vote-getter on a total of seven ballots out of ten, for a total of 82 votes. Although Nittany Lion teammate Bo Nickal did not receive any first-place nominations, he placed second in the overall vote totals, with 56. Ohio State's Myles Martin was listed at the top of the remaining three InterMat staff members' ballots, earning a total of 45 votes. When Jason Nolf committed to wrestle at Penn State in the summer of 2013, one media report at the time described the three-time Pennsylvania state champ from Kittanning High as being a "baby-faced assassin" who will "get his hand raised often at Rec Hall [home gym for the Nittany Lion wrestling program]." Coming off a redshirt freshman year where he lost only one match (the finals at the Southern Scuffle), Nolf made a major impact this season, compiling a 33-2 record in 2015-16, including 15 pins, 11 tech falls, and five major decisions. He made headlines in January by pinning defending 157-pound champ Isaiah Martinez of Illinois in a regular-season bout, snapping Imar's 61-match win streak. Nolf's only two losses the entire season were to the Fighting Illini Martinez (last year's InterMat Freshman of the Year) in the 2016 Big Ten Wrestling Championships finals, and in the title bout at the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. "Though he came up short in the NCAA finals, Jason Nolf captivated wrestling fans this year by not only pinning previously undefeated Imar, but dominating all other opponents," according to InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley. "He is special and the next three years are sure to be exciting." On Wednesday, InterMat revealed it had selected Nolf's teammate Zain Retherford as its 2016 Wrestler of the Year. The website will announce its choice for Coach of the Year in the coming days. 2016 InterMat Freshman of the Year Voting Results 1st-5th Place Votes: 9-7-5-3-1 Total Votes/(First-Place Votes) 1. Jason Nolf (Penn State) 82 (7) 2. Bo Nickal (Penn State) 56 3. Myles Martin (Ohio State) 45 (3) 4. Joey McKenna (Stanford) 29 5. Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech) 17 6. Daniel Lewis (Missouri) 10 7. Joe Smith (Oklahoma State) 7 8. David McFadden (Virginia Tech) 3 9. Brett Velasquez (St. Cloud State) 1 Past Winners -- InterMat Freshman of the Year 2015: Isaiah Martinez, Illinois 2014: Jason Tsirtsis, Northwestern 2013: Alex Dieringer, Oklahoma State 2012: Logan Stieber, Ohio State 2011: David Taylor, Penn State 2010: Kyle Dake, Cornell 2009: Andrew Howe, Wisconsin 2008: Mike Grey, Cornell 2007: Jake Varner, Iowa State 2006: Dustin Schlatter, Minnesota  

Garrett Hammond, who was a reserve wrestler this year for Penn State at 165 pounds, will be transferring to Drexel University for the 2016-17 season. He will have two years remaining of eligibility to compete for the Dragons, where he projects to either the 157 or 165 pound weight classes. Coming out of high school in 2013, Hammond was the No. 70 overall recruit per InterMat. He went 29-7 as an unattached wrestler in 2013-14, which was his redshirt year for the Nittany Lions. In the 2014-15 season, he was the starter at 165 pounds, going 23-12. Hammond missed out on an at-large berth for the NCAA tournament after failing to place in the Big Ten tournament, even though his ranking position was such that he likely earned a qualifying spot for the conference. This past season, he went 19-3 competing in open tournaments as a backup, also at 165 pounds.

WATERLOO, Iowa -- The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum is hosting a special autograph signing with Dan Gable at the UNI-Dome on Friday, April 1 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. The signing will take place during USA Wrestling's Folkstyle Nationals. "USA Wrestling always puts on great events, and I'm proud to be part of this one," said museum namesake Dan Gable. "I always enjoy coming back to Cedar Falls." Gable is arguably the greatest athlete and coach ever. In 1972 won a gold medal at the Munich Olympics without surrendering a point. As the head coach at the University of Iowa he led the Hawkeyes to 15 NCAA team titles in 21 years, compiling a 355-21-5 dual meet record. The UNI-Dome has been an excellent facility for wrestling competitions. The UNI-Dome was also where Dan Gable won his final NCAA tournament as the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes in 1997, setting the record for most points scored at 170. That National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum is located at 303 Jefferson St. in Waterloo. All are welcome to attend this special autograph signing at the UNI-Dome. For more information call (319) 233-0745 or e-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org.

The final stage of U.S. Olympic Team Trials qualification is set for this weekend as the Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier will be held in conjunction with the Cliff Keen/USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, April 1-3. Over 175 wrestlers will compete between all three international styles for one final spot at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials to be held on April 9-10 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Only the champion in each weight class will qualify to compete in Iowa City. Greco-Roman will compete on Friday, men's freestyle will take the mat on Saturday and women's freestyle will round out the competition on Sunday. This is the last of the #Road2IowaCity U.S. Olympic Team Trials qualifying tournaments. Several top national and local names are registered to compete at the Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier this weekend. In Greco-Roman, 2006 World champion and former Bellator Bantamweight and Featherweight champion Joe Warren will take his shot at the 59 kg field. Two-time NCAA Div. II champions for Nebraska-Kearney, Daniel Deshazer and and Romero Cotton, will try their hands at Greco-Roman in Cedar Falls. Past Junior Nationals champions Taylor LaMont and Hayden Tuma are among the younger entrants in the Greco-Roman field. The men's freestyle field is littered with talent led by past U.S. World Team member Obe Blanc, Junior World bronze medalist Stevan Micic and past NCAA champions Robert Hamlin and David Zabriskie. NCAA runners-up currently included in the field are Andrew Hochstrasser, Montell Marion, Joshua Kindig, Chase Pami and Bo Nickal. Zabriskie was a NCAA champion for Iowa State in 2010 and Marion finished as NCAA runner-up for Iowa in 2012. Additional local stars that will be wrestling in the men's freestyle competition include two-time NCAA All-American for Iowa State Earl Hall, Cyclone WC athlete Deron Winn, past NCAA qualifier for Iowa State and current Panther WC athlete Andrew Sorensen and Northern Iowa standouts Max Thompsen and Blaize Cabell. Veteran Trinity Griffin headlines the women's freestyle competition that will feature many young stars on the women's scene. The Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier field is expected to grow deeper with additional athletes able to register on site. The Cliff Keen/ USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals will wrestle side-by-side with the U.S. Olympic Team Trials hopefuls with Bantam, Intermediate, Novice, Schoolboy, Cadet, Junior and Veterans divisions being contested over three days. Over 1,500 wrestlers from across the U.S. are registered for Folkstyle Nationals. Fans can watch both the Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier and Cliff Keen/USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals live, in its entirety, on Flowrestling.com. LAST CHANCE OLYMPIC TRIALS QUALIFIER April 1-3 at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa Event Schedule Friday, April 1 10:00 a.m. -- Greco-Roman Session I (Preliminaries through Semifinals, Consolations) 4:30 p.m. -- Greco-Roman Session II (Consolations, 3rd Place) 5:30 p.m. -- Greco-Roman Session III (Championship Finals) Saturday, April 2 8:30 a.m. -- Men's Freestyle Session I (Preliminaries through Semifinals, Consolations) 2:30 p.m. -- Men's Freestyle Session II (Consolations, 3rd Place) 4:00 p.m. -- Men's Freestyle Session III (Championship Finals) Sunday, April 3 9:00 a.m. -- Greco-Roman Session I (Preliminaries through Championship Finals) CLIFF KEEN/USA WRESTLING FOLKSTYLE NATIONALS April 1-3 at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa Event Schedule Friday, April 1 10:30 a.m. -- Junior and Cadet Session I 4:30 p.m. -- Junior and Cadet Session II Saturday, April 2 8:30 a.m. -- Junior and Cadet Session II (Semifinals, 3rd, 5th, 7th) 12:00 p.m. -- Junior and Cadet Session IV (Championship Finals) 2:30 p.m. -- Bantam, Intermediate, Novice and Schoolboy Session I Sunday, April 3 9:00 a.m. -- Bantam, Intermediate, Novice and Schoolboy Session II, Veterans Competition

Zain Retherford runs out onto the mat for his NCAA finals match (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Zain Retherford, 2016 NCAA Division I champ at 149 pounds for Penn State who earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler honors during the entire season, has been voted 2016 InterMat Wrestler of the Year, the amateur wrestling website announced on Wednesday. Presented each year since 2006 to the best collegiate wrestler in all divisions, the award is based exclusively on the balloting of wrestlers and executives at InterMat prior to the announcement of other college wrestling awards. Each staff member is asked to select five wrestlers and rank them from first to fifth. Point values are assigned to each placement, ranging from one point to a wrestler listed fifth on a voter's ballot, up to nine points for a first-place vote. Retherford received five of the ten first-place ballots for a total of 70 votes, edging out Oklahoma State three-time champ Alex Dieringer, who was listed at the top of four InterMat staffers' ballots, for a total of 68 votes. The other wrestler to be listed at the top of a staffer ballot was four-time, undefeated NCAA Division II champ Joey Davis of Notre Dame College in Ohio, who received nine votes. A native of Benton, Pa., Retherford was a two-time Pennsylvania high school state champ who had been the No. 3 ranked recruit in the nation overall by InterMat in 2013. He immediately suited up his first year for Penn State, compiling a 33-3 overall record during the 2013-14 season. He was runner-up at 141 the 2014 Big Ten conference championships, and earned All-American honors by placing fifth at the 2014 NCAAs. After taking a redshirt season in 2014-15 where he did not compete in any open tournaments, Retherford came roaring back this season, posting a perfect 33-0 record (including 15 pins). He not only grabbed the 149-pound crown at the 2016 Big Ten championships, but also ran away with Big Ten Wrestler of the Year honors. Zain Retherford rides Michigan's Alec Pantaleo in the NCAA semifinals (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)In keeping with his No. 1 seed status at the 2016 NCAAs, Retherford dominated at 149, putting 28.5 team points on the board for the Nittany Lions -- the most of any wrestler at the NCAAs at Madison Square Garden -- by scoring a major decision (10-1 over Iowa's Brandon Sorensen in the finals), a technical fall and three pins. Retherford's run at the 2016 NCAAs was arguably a key ingredient in Penn State being declared team title winner before Saturday night's finals. "Zain Retherford was the nation's most dominant wrestler on the nation's most dominant team this season," said Andrew Hipps, InterMat owner. "He separated himself from his competition as evidenced by earning bonus points in all five of his matches at the NCAAs. Retherford was never seriously threatened this season. His leadership also cannot be overstated and was a big reason the Nittany Lions won their fifth NCAA title in six seasons." In the coming days, InterMat will announce winners of its annual Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year honors. 2016 InterMat Wrestler of the Year Voting Results 1st-5th Place Votes: 9, 7, 5, 3, 1 Total Votes/(First-Place Votes) 1. Zain Retherford (Penn State) 70 (5) 2. Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) 68 (4) 3. Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) 46 4. Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) 29 5. Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) 20 6. Joey Davis (Notre Dame College) 9 (1) 7. Nick Gwiazdowski (N.C. State) 5 8. J'den Cox (Missouri) 2 9. Gabe Dean (Cornell) 1 Past Winners – InterMat Wrestler of the Year 2015: Logan Stieber, Ohio State 2014: David Taylor, Penn State 2013: Kyle Dake, Cornell 2012: Ed Ruth, Penn State 2011: Jordan Burroughs, Nebraska 2010: Jayson Ness, Minnesota 2009: Jake Herbert, Northwestern 2008: Brent Metcalf, Iowa 2007: Ben Askren, Missouri 2006: Ben Askren, Missouri

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- NC State redshirt-senior Nick Gwiazdowski has been named the 2016 ACC Wrestler of the Year, the third consecutive season he has won the conference's top award. He becomes only the second wrestler in ACC history to be named Wrestler of the Year three straight times, having also been voted the award after the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Only NC State's Sylvester Terkay, another heavyweight, had previously won ACC Wrestler of the Year three times (1991-92-93). The ACC award was determined by a vote of the league's six wrestling head coaches. Gwiazdowski, who this year claimed his third ACC title at 285 pounds, finished as the NCAA runner-up after winning the national title in 2014 and 2015. He also became the second ACC wrestler to reach the NCAA Championship finals for three consecutive years, joining only North Carolina's T.J. Jaworsky, a three-time NCAA champion (1993-94-95). Gwiazdowski, who had won an ACC-record 88 consecutive matches until dropping a sudden-victory, 7-5 overtime loss in this year's NCAA Championship finals, completed his career with a 34-1 record this past year, posting a perfect 5-0 record in the ACC and winning his third straight ACC title. He is one of just two ACC wrestlers in history to have won back-to-back national titles. His last loss prior to the overtime loss in the NCAA finals to Kyle Snyder of Ohio State was on January 2, 2014. A four-time NCAA All-American, who also finished eighth nationally while a freshman at Binghamton, Gwiazdowski was named the Most Valuable Wrestler at this year's ACC Wrestling Championship in leading NC State to its first team title since 2007. In his three-year NC State career, was 28-0 against all ACC competition, with 23 bonus point wins. In all three of his seasons, he led the conference with the most individual dual points in conference action, going a perfect 16-0 in ACC duals. "Nick being honored as the ACC Wrestler of the Year is a great recognition and coming from one of the best conferences in the nation, it is truly an honor," said NC State head coach Pat Popolizio. "For him to win this award three straight seasons is an impressive accomplishment and shows you how instrumental he has meant to our success. "He has helped to brand NC State to what it is today and he has helped elevate the academic and competitive nature of our program and the entire ACC overall. We look forward to his future wrestling endeavors, and he will truly be missed." Gwiazdowski will next travel to Iowa City, Iowa, and compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team at the 2016 USA Wrestling Olympic Trials April 9-10.

Most of us don't give any thought to the weigh-in process in college wrestling. The only time fans and wrestling media care is when an athlete fails to make weight and is unable to compete. After all, the actual weigh-ins are conducted out-of-sight of the public and the press ... so our ideas of what goes on when wrestlers step onto the scale are based on what we've seen in movies or heard anecdotally. However, the subject of weigh-ins has been on my mind lately, in light of the first-ever weigh-ins/finals preview held at the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday afternoon, March 19, before the ten title bouts. I had written about the event for InterMat in advance, so the wrestling community could plan to attend if interested. I had been curious as to how it went ... but didn't see much in the way of comment about it online. That changed after reading fellow InterMat writer T.R. Foley's "Grading 2016 NCAAs at NYC" article which appeared at this website on Thursday, March 24. He provided an analysis of various aspects of the just-concluded NCAAs, including the weigh-ins/finals preview event which took place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Here's what Foley wrote: "The one major dud of the event seemed to be the weigh-ins at the theater. While these weigh-ins are meant to draw attention to the sport they seemed to be less about the athletes and more about those in charge of showcasing the event. Wrestling doesn't just need promotion, it needs intelligent promotion." As someone who's very interested in the positive promotion of college wrestling -- as well as its history -- I thought it was time to provide some insight of my own into the weigh-in process overall, which tends to be shrouded in mystery and folklore. Wrestling weigh-ins: Out of sight, out of mind The weigh-in at NCAA college wrestling championships, dual meets and tournaments is as much a part of the sport as the mat or singlet. You can't wrestle without weighing in ... yet, unlike the wrestling surface or the standard uniform which we all can see, stepping onto the scale is a process that's conducted behind-the-scenes. Weigh-ins are closed to the public and the press. Even the exact weights are not made public (with one exception this writer remembers from covering the 2010 NCAAs, when the organization shared actual first-day weights of the 33 heavyweights). Yet, even sports fans who don't know a takedown from a touchdown have an idea of what goes on behind the closed doors of a weigh-in, thanks to Hollywood movies such as "Vision Quest" and "Foxcatcher" -- as well as documentaries like "Wrestling With Iowa" -- that shape our notions of the process and what it looks like: a bunch of guys in briefs, lined up to step onto a scale, sometimes forced to strip off their underwear to lose that critical last few ounces to make weight. As for real-life weigh-ins ... nowadays, rules require wrestlers to wear "suitable undergarments" -- meaning briefs/shorts for all athletes, and, for women, something to cover their breasts. This is to prevent photos and videos of naked young athletes to be disseminated online. Yet this happened at least once in an era long before cameras on smartphones, as evidenced when someone left a video camera running in an open locker, lens pointed the shower room, at a major college wrestling tournament nearly two decades ago. Tapes were sold online. At one time, it appears that the press was allowed into a college weigh-in -- at least twice. In an early edition of Amateur Wrestling News, its coverage of the 1957 NCAA championships at the University of Pittsburgh included an entire page of images from that historic event ... including a photo of the backside of a naked, unidentified wrestler while an official fiddled with the sliding weights on the scale, and at least two others (presumably coaches) look on intently. In another example without any photos -- yet paints a word picture nevertheless -- "The Cowboys Ride Again!" -- the classic book chronicling the history of Oklahoma State wrestling by Bob and Doris Dellinger -- includes an account from the Daily O'Collegian (the Oklahoma State student newspaper) of a February 1935 weigh-in between the men of Stillwater vs. their cross-state rivals from Norman, the Oklahoma Sooners. Here's just a sample: A naked blond dwarf with a red splotch of Mercurochrome on his neck stepped onto the scales. He was Rex Peery, Aggie national collegiate champion at 118 pounds. Forty pairs of eyes focused on the dancing needle that finally came to rest at 117 1/2 pounds. "Check!" said Coach Keen [Paul Keen, Oklahoma head coach, and brother of Cliff Keen, legendary Michigan coach.] "Get 'em on quick!" said Coach Gallagher [Ed Gallagher, who headed up the Cowboy mat program from World War I to World War II.] and Peery hustled into a pair of blue and white striped undershorts. With rare exceptions such as these, college weigh-ins are out-of-sight of the media, not to be shared in photos or videos or write-ups. By contrast, weigh-ins for professional mixed martial arts events are media spectacles, captured on camera, and in the words of MMA writers. We see athletes -- many of them former college mat stars -- step onto the scale in their underwear, then stepping off to do fighter face-offs that sometimes degrade into trash talk, shoving and punches being thrown. Nahshon Garrett flexes after stepping on the scale at the weigh-in ceremony (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)2016 finals weigh-in ceremony The 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Madison Square Garden in New York City featured something of a hybrid event the Saturday afternoon before the finals seemingly intended to bring a bit of MMA showmanship into college wrestling. Held the iconic arena's Theater, the first-of-its-kind event was billed as a finals preview/weigh-in ceremony. It opened with the weigh-ins, incorporating the actual scale used for the 1971 "Fight of the Century" between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in the Garden. One by one, each of the 20 of the finalists stepped onto that historic scale, in pairs, starting with the 125-pounders, and going in ascending order to conclude with the heavyweights. This public weigh-in show (available for viewing online) could be described as a G-rated version of a MMA weigh-in. There were no scantily clad ring girls ... or athletes in briefs; all of the 2016 NCAA finalists were fully clothed in school warm-ups. Some did some muscle-flexing, but that was the extent of the theatrics. Likewise, there were no fireworks in the face-offs of the two finalists in each weight class; in fact, most appeared to merely look -- not stare -- at each other, without any threatening gestures or pushing or shoving or thrown punches. After a few seconds of standing face-to-face posing for cameras, most of the finalist pairs shook hands and parted ways. (Despite use of an actual scale, the weights that were called out were those of the weight classes in contention -- 125 pounds, 133, etc. -- not the actual "here's exactly how much Alex Dieringer weighs." Those actual weights were recorded earlier Saturday, in a traditional weigh-in out of sight of fans and media, as they have been for years.) MMA flavor in amateur weigh-ins In recent years, MMA-style weigh-ins have crept into some unique amateur wrestling events. Some of the various attempts at paid amateur wrestling such as Agon Wrestling had weigh-ins that had many of the elements of an MMA event, complete with ring girls, and with some of the wrestlers wearing nothing but briefs and a double-bicep pose ... along with a few intense stare-downs where the two wrestlers got chest-to-chest. But no fisticuffs that I remember. Arguably the most intense weigh-in between two former college mat champs at an amateur wrestling event took place a couple years ago at Grapple at the Garden 2 at Madison Square Garden. In addition to the dual-meet tournament featuring a number of colleges from across the country, there was a special wrestling match between Bubba Jenkins and Frank Molinaro, who had been teammates at Penn State until Jenkins was dismissed from the team and transferred to Arizona State. Molinaro posted some images from the weigh-in showing two guys standing chest-to-chest wearing briefs and fierce glares ... and in comments from Jenkins on his Twitter account, including "I hate that they put me and Frank the skank in the same sentence. I don't even like 2 see his name next to mine. #karmacoming4yoass." Amateur wrestling has come a long way in terms of trying to make the sport more fan-friendly and appealing to non-fans as well. In recent years, ESPN's NCAA broadcasts have featured a bit more theatrics, with more dramatic lighting as the wrestlers each enter the arena, smoke plumes coming out from matside as the wrestlers step onto the mat and as matches end, providing mics for some of the referees, and more sophisticated camerawork that brings viewers closer to the action. All that said, it's hard to imagine the powers-that-be in college wrestling wanting to add too much dramatic flair to a sport that is based on honest competition. (There's always the looming concern of avoiding any imagery that seems too much like WWE.) It'll be fun to see if the 2016 NCAA weigh-in ceremony was a one-time thing ... or becomes a staple of future championships. Only time will tell.

NEWTON, Iowa -- Oklahoma State's Alex Dieringer, fresh off winning a third NCAA championship, has been selected as the winner of the 2016 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy, presented by ASICS. The 165-pound Dieringer earned 27 of the 45 first-place votes to becomes the second Oklahoma State wrestler -- joining former Cowboy Steve Mocco (2005) -- to win the award that was created by WIN founder Mike Chapman in 1995. Alex Dieringer gets in on a shot against Isaac Jordan in the NCAA finals (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)The Dan Hodge Trophy is named after the former University of Oklahoma wrestler who won three NCAA championships (1955-57) and never allowed a takedown in his college career and pinned 36 of 46 victims. Criteria for the award includes a wrestler's record, number of pins, dominance on the mat, past credentials, quality of competition, sportsmanship/citizenship and heart. "This is the best group of Hodge Trophy finalists we've ever had for the award," said WIN Publisher Bryan Van Kley. "We're extremely proud to announce Alex as this year's winner. He obviously won the award over a group of finalists who all were extremely dominant and who could have been worthy Hodge winners on any given year. Wrestling was just blessed this year with several student-athletes who were going were going for the pin every match and looking to dominate every time they stepped on the mat." Dieringer, a native of Port Washington, Wisc., ended his Cowboy career on an 82-match winning streak, including 33-0 with 12 pins, seven technical falls and eight major decisions this past season, which ended with Dieringer's 6-2 victory over Wisconsin's Isaac Jordan at the 2016 NCAA Championships in New York City, March 19. Overall, Dieringer finished 133-4 and 19-1 at the NCAAs over four years as the Cowboy earned All-American honors each season. His only NCAA loss came in the semifinals of the 2013 NCAA Championships, where Dieringer claimed third place at 157 pounds. One year later, Dieringer scored a 13-4 major decision against Minnesota's Dylan Ness for the 157-pound championship. In 2015, Dieringer moved up to 165 pounds and defeated Indiana's Taylor Walsh for his second national title. Dieringer became the 16th all-time Oklahoma State wrestler to win three national championships and 14th Cowboy to earned four All-American honors. "The award went to the right guy," an excited Oklahoma State coach John Smith told WIN when notified of Dieringer winning the "Heisman Trophy" of wrestling. "This has been his No. 1 goal all year." Dieringer will receive the actual 2016 Dan Hodge Trophy on Thursday, April 21, at the Oklahoma State wrestling banquet in Stillwater, Okla. Finishing second to Dieringer was Penn State sophomore Zain Retherford, a two-time All-American, who claimed his first national championship at 149 pounds with a 10-1 major decision against Iowa's Brandon Sorensen in the New York City. Retherford won the on-line fan vote, which accounted for two of the 45 votes. A total of 149,592 votes were cast March 22-25 with Retherford collecting 41,221 compared to 38,716 for Dieringer. The remaining voters were each former Hodge Trophy winner, select national wrestling media representatives, retired college coaches from each region of the country and a representative of each national wrestling organization. There were two other finalists for the award: Ohio State sophomore Kyle Snyder, who defeated two-time NCAA champion Nick Gwiazdowski for the heavyweight championship; and Cornell senior Nahshon Garrett, a four-time All-American, who defeated Iowa's Cory Clark for the 133-pound championship at the recent NCAAs.

EDMOND, Okla. -- A foursome of national champions who had a combined 117-6 record in 2015-16 have been selected as finalists for the NCAA Division II Wrestler of the Year award as determined by the Division II Wrestling Coaches Association. Notre Dame 184-pounder Joey Davis, Wisconsin-Parkside 174-pounder Nick Becker, Lindenwood 157-pounder Terrel Wilbourn and California Baptist heavyweight Joe Fagiano were selected to represent their respective regions on the national ballot. The ninth winner of the NCAA Division II Wrestler of the Year award will be announced Monday, April 4. East Region Wrestler of the Year Davis won his fourth consecutive national title this season to cap a 21-0 season that including six major decisions, five technical falls and one fall. Davis finished his career with a perfect 131-0 record in becoming just the fourth four-time Division II national champion. He won at 165 as a freshman, then at 174 as a sophomore and junior before moving up to 184 this season. Becker was selected Midwest Region Wrestler of the Year after ending a dominating 41-0 sophomore campaign with the national title. Becker had 11 technical falls, 10 falls and 10 major decisions this season. He scored 517 match points and had a 109-7 advantage in takedowns. Wilbourn went 26-0 with 10 bonus-point wins as a senior this season en route to taking the 157-pound crown and earning Central Region Wrestler of the Year honors. Wilbourn was a two-time All-American at 149 and the national runner-up last year before moving up a weight this season. West Region Wrestler of the Year Fagiano won two of his four national tournament matches by fall en route to becoming CBU's first Division II national champion and ending a 29-6 season that included 10 falls, three major decisions and a technical fall. The senior beat four Division I national qualifiers this season and five of his six losses were to Division I opponents. Fagiano placed in two of the most prestigious Division I tournaments in the country, taking seventh at the Las Vegas Cliff Keen Invitational and eighth at the Midlands Championships.

Alex Dieringer, who just completed his Oklahoma State wrestling career with his third NCAA title and fourth All-American honor, has been named the 2016 Pound-for-Pound award winner by Amateur Wrestling News, the magazine announced Thursday. The annual award, now in its second year, is a product of Amateur Wrestling News' ongoing feature where the magazine's staff lists the nation's top ten wrestlers each issue, regardless of weight or collegiate division. As the magazine's press release stated, "The concept isn't new -- boxing's premier spotlight Ring Magazine has been doing it for decades." Dieringer won his third title at the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in New York just last weekend, joining an exclusive club of only 15 other Cowboy wrestlers with a trio of titles in the 86-year history of the NCAA championships. The product of Port Washington, Wisconsin wrapped up his career with a 133-4 overall record for a 97 winning percentage, on top of an 82-match win streak. Dieringer has held the No. 1 ranking in all national polls at 165 pounds for the 2015-16, and has occupied AWN's Pound For Pound top slot the entire season. Isaiah Martinez, back-to-back NCAA 157-pound champ for Illinois, was runner-up in the Pound for Pound contest, while J'den Cox, twice titlist for Missouri at 197, placed third. Other wrestlers included in the AWN feature throughout the 2015-16 season include Nick Gwiazdowski of N.C. State; Cody Brewer of Oklahoma; Ohio State's Nathan Tomasello, Bo Jordan and Kyle Snyder; Gabe Dean, Nahshon Garrett, and Brian Realbuto of Cornell; Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern; Penn State's Morgan McIntosh, Zain Retherford, and Jason Nolf; and Dean Heil of Oklahoma State. Joey Davis, Notre Dame College standout who won his fourth NCAA title this month and was never defeated, was the only Division II wrestler included in this feature. Instead of being presented with a trophy or plaque, Dieringer will receive The Hammer, symbolic for the idea behind the Pound for Pound award, according to Amateur Wrestling News. Dieringer is the second collegiate wrestler to receive the Pound for Pound award. Last year's award was presented to four-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber of Ohio State.

Despite a valliant effort from the Pennsylvania seniors, the United States won its fifth straight Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic dual meet on Saturday evening in a match that did not disappoint. After the opening match, the lead changed hands five times, four of those coming between the eighth match and the twelfth match (second to last) of the program. The proceedings opened with the first of four upsets based on the national rankings, as No. 17 Greg Bulsak (South Park) upended No. 5 Keegan Moore (Jackson County Central, Minn.) 13-6 at 182 pounds. Four consecutive wins for the United States followed that opening bout loss. It started with a 6-4 victory at 195 pounds for No. 3 Samuel Colbray (Hermiston, Ore.), who upended No. 10 John Jakobsen (Stroudsburg). Next was the 8-5 victory for No. 2 Matt Stencel (Oregon Clay, Ohio) over No. 9 Jacob Robb (Armstrong) at 220. Another second-ranked wrestler in Shawn Streck (Merrilville, Ind.) continued the streak with an 8-4 victory over No. 10 Jake Beistel (Southmoreland) at 285, and closing the string out was No. 4 Danny Vega (Ironwood Ridge, Ariz.) with a 16-5 major decision over No. 9 Gage Curry (North Hills). Faced with a 13-3 deficit, three consecutive victories for the Keystone State seniors would turn that into a 14-13 advantage after the eighth match of the program. It started with a 10-6 victory at 120 pounds for No. 8 (at 126) Tyshawn White (Central Dauphin) over No. 12 Tyler Warner (Claymont, Ohio). Next to the mat was No. 3 Luke Karam (Bethlehem Catholic) at 126 pounds, who upended No. 7 Kyle Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.) 5-0. With No. 1 Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.) unable to wrestle, No. 2 (at 138) Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe) absolutely torched state placer Owen Doster (New Haven, Ind.) by 23-8 technical fall at 132. Consecutive rankings-based upsets saw the teams trade victories, but the United States regain the lead 19-17 with three bouts remaining. At 138 pounds, it was No. 5 Mitch McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) with a pin at the 3:46 mark over No. 3 George Phillippi (Derry Area). No. 10 Mike Carr (South Fayette) countered with a 1-0 victory over No. 7 (at 138) Hunter Marko (Amery, Wis.) at 145 pounds. In the next match, Pennsylvania regained the lead for the last time on the evening when No. 2 Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County) avenged a consolation finals match loss to No. 3 Griffin Parriott (New Prague, Minn.) at the Super 32 Challenge. On this occasion, Hidlay won 5-1 in overtime to give his team a 20-19 lead with two bouts remaining. The last of four rankings upsets came at 160 pounds, and provided the United States the lead for good. In a battle of top 50 senior prospects, No. 6 (at 170) Drew Hughes (Lowell, Ind.) beat No. 4 Jake Wentzel (South Park) 6-0. A takedown and near fall in the first period for Hughes provided the needed margin, though Hughes added a takedown in the second period as well. In the final bout of the program, No. 1 Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) rallied from an early deficit to upend No. 10 Austin Bell (Belle Vernon Area) 8-4 at 170 pounds. United States 25 Pennsylvania 20 182: No. 17 Greg Bulsak (South Park) decision No. 5 Keegan Moore (Jackson County Central, Minn.) 13-6 195: No. 3 Samuel Colbray (Hermiston, Ore.) decision No. 10 John Jakobsen (Stroudsburg) 6-4 220: No. 2 Matt Stencel (Oregon Clay, Ohio) decision No. 9 Jacob Robb (Armstrong) 8-5 285: No. 2 Shawn Streck (Merrillville, Ind.) decision No. 10 Jake Beistel (Southmoreland) 8-4 113: No. 4 Danny Vega (Ironwood Ridge, Ariz.) major decision No. 9 Gage Curry (North Hills) 16-5 120: No. 8 (at 126) Tyshawn White (Central Dauphin) decision No. 12 Tyler Warner (Claymont, Ohio) 10-6 126: No. 3 Luke Karam (Bethlehem Catholic) decision No. 7 Kyle Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.) 5-0 132: No. 2 (at 138) Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe) technical fall Owen Doster (New Haven, Ind.) 23-8 138: No. 5 Mitchell McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) pin No. 3 George Phillippi (Derry Area) 3:46 145: No. 10 Mike Carr (South Fayette) decision No. 7 (at 138) Hunter Marko (Amery, Wis.) 1-0 152: No. 2 Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County) decision No. 3 Griffin Parriott (New Prague, Minn.) 5-1, overtime 160: No. 6 (at 170) Drew Hughes (Lowell, Ind.) decision No. 4 Jake Wentzel (South Park) 6-0 170: No. 1 Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) decision No. 10 Austin Bell (Belle Vernon Area) 8-4

The undercard of the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic on Saturday afternoon, the host WPIAL squad came through with a 27-18 victory over Indiana. The match featured top senior wrestlers from each area competing against one another. The WPIAL all-stars, from the Pittsburgh area, were absent nine wrestlers that were selected for the main event; while the Indiana team had two wrestlers called into the main event, and two others have to scratch due to injury during the week. If it was a close match, it almost assuredly went the way of the hosts. That trend started in the dual meet's opening bout, where 2015 state qualifier Mike Heinl (Shaler) upended state placer Owen Doster (New Haven, Ind.) 6-4 at 132 pounds. In the second match of the dual meet, No. 6 Drew Hughes (Lowell, Ind.) pinned two-time state placer Anthony Welsh (Beth-Center) in the first minute at 170. That pin gave the Hoosier State seniors a 6-3 lead, the only lead of the evening. Matches at 132 and 170 went first as Doster and Hughes were called in to do "double duty". Each also wrestled in the main event due to unavailability of the previously selected United States wrestler: No. 1 Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.) and No. 3 (at 170) Thomas Bullard (Arhcer, Ga.) Next came five consecutive wins for the host squad, which established an 18-6 lead for the WPIAL that was sustained through the last six bouts of the dual meet. It started with a 2-0 overtime decision for three-time state placer Aaron Burkett (Chestnut Ridge) at 113 pounds; the in-season 106 pound wrestler beat two-time state placer Geoffrey Davis (Fort Wayne Wayne, Ind.). Next up was three-time state/National Prep placer Ethan McCoy (Greater Latrobe) with a win over state champion and four-time state placer Drew Hildebrandt (Penn, Ind.), 7-4 at 120 pounds; McCoy competed during the season at 126 pounds. Then at 126 pounds, it was state placer Chris Eddins (Greensburg Salem) with a 6-3 win over two-time state runner-up, and three-time state placer, Gaige Torres (Portage, Ind.). The 138 pound match saw state placer Shawn Wilson (Waynesburg) upend two-time state placer Evan Eldred (Westfield, Ind.) 8-3. The barrage ended with a 5-4 victory for Damon Greenwald (Burrell), state champion at 152 pounds this season, over two-time state placer Jordan Vaughn (Franklin Central, Ind.) The WPIAL momentum was put to a stark halt in the 152 pound match, as two-time state runner-up (also 3x placer) Steven Lawrence (Portage, Ind.) pinned state placer Derek Verkleeren (Belle Vernon Area) at the 4:29 mark. The Indiana deficit was cut to 18-12. However, the next bout saw Verkleeren's high school teammate Mitch Hartman come through with a key victory. It was a 2-1 victory for the state qualifier at 160 pounds over three-time state placer Cael McCormick (Yorktown, Ind.); McCormick was called into the squad late, and competed this season at 152. Nationally ranked star Blake Rypel (Indanapolis Cathedral, Ind.), No. 2 in the nation, pushed out to a 10-0 lead at 182 pounds before holding onto a 10-5 victory over state runner-up Milton Kobaly (Belle Vernon Area). The lone bona fide upset of the undercard dual meet came in the next match, which saw Indiana cut the deficit to 21-18 with two matches remaining; state champion Jake Kleimola (Lake Central, Ind.) beat No. 11 Drew Phipps (Norwin) 4-3 on a very late reversal at 195. The WPIAL squad clinched the dual meet victory with a 2-1 win at 220 pounds from state runner-up Michael McAleavy (Peters Township), who beat 195 pound state placer Nick Fox (Carmel, Ind.); Fox was an injury replacement for his teammate, a two-time state placer at 220. In the last match of the dual meet, it was a summary of the afternoon's program, as Hayden Rice (Norwin, Pa.) - a state qualifier this season - upended Sean Galligar (Columbus East, Ind.), third at state, by a 2-1 score. WPIAL 27 Indiana 18 132: Mike Heinl (Shaler) decision Owen Doster (New Haven, Ind.) 6-4 170: No. 6 Drew Hughes (Lowell, Ind.) pin Anthony Walsh (Bethlehem Center) 1st minute 113: Aaron Burkett (Chestnut Ridge) decision Geoffrey Davis (Fort Wayne Wayne, Ind.) 2-0, overtime 120: Ethan McCoy (Greater Latrobe) decision Drew Hildebrandt (Penn, Ind.) 7-4 126: Chris Eddins (Greensburg Salem) decision Gaige Torres (Portage, Ind.) 6-3 138: Shawn Wilson (Waynesburg) decision Evan Eldred (Westfield, Ind.) 8-3 145: Damon Greenwald (Burrell) decision Jordan Vaughn (Franklin Central, Ind.) 5-4 152: Steven Lawrence (Portage, Ind.) pin Derek Verkleeren (Belle Vernon Area) 4:29 160: Mitch Hartman (Belle Vernon Area) decision Cael McCormick (Yorktown, Ind.) 2-1 182: No. 2 Blake Rypel (Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind.) decision Milton Kobaly (Belle Vernon Area) 10-5 195: Jake Kleimola (Lake Central, Ind.) decision No. 11 Drew Phipps (Norwin) 4-3 220: Michael McAleavy (Peters Township) decision Nick Fox (Carmel, Ind.) 2-1 285: Hayden Rice (Norwin) decision Sean Galligar (Columbus East, Ind.) 2-1

After a 40-year absence, the wrestling program at SUNY Ulster is returning, with Justin Signorelli named head coach, the community college located in Stone Ridge, New York announced this week. Signorelli, 25, was a three-time New York Section 9 champion at Highland High School who later went on to be a four-year letter-winning wrestler and team captain at SUNY Cortland. During the 2013-14 season, Signorelli served as an assistant coach at Highland, and as a volunteer assistant the past two seasons. In addition to Signorelli, SUNY Ulster's wrestling coaching staff will include Phil Brown, a former head coach at Kingston High, and Rich Parete, a three-time Section 9 champ in the mid-1980s at Rondout Valley, as assistant coaches. "They have both been coaching for 25-plus years," Signorelli told Sal Interdanato of the Times Herald-Record . "Coach Brown has international experience (wrestling for the Army). They both have a tremendous amount of connections in the community and wrestling. What I lack in maybe experience, they will be able to pick up the slack there." Late last week, SUNY Ulster Athletic Director Matt Brennie revealed in a press statement that men's wrestling would be returning to campus this winter after the program folded after the 1976-77 season, the Daily Freeman reported. The idea of wrestling returning to SUNY Ulster sprang from a suggestion made by Brennie last fall during a planning meeting for the Section 9 Division II championships that the school hosted last month. Brennie watched the Section 9 tournament and was impressed with the sport's following. "It was a really intense environment and it was really supportive," Brennie told the Times Herald-Record. "There were people passionate about the sport of wrestling. When we were looking to expand our athletic department and offer new and exciting ideas to potential student-athletes, this was one of the sports that resonated. Its popularity in the Hudson Valley made it a no-brainer." As for the decision to hire Signorelli, Brennie -- a former athlete himself at Wake Forest University in North Carolina -- saw some of himself in the future SUNY Ulster mat coach. "The one thing I like about Justin is that he's hungry to be a head coach," Brennie said. "He wants the opportunity to show what he's learned as a wrestler and take that and translate that into teaching college athletes what it's like to be a college wrestler. "I saw a lot of me in Justin. I saw a young guy that wants to make a name for himself in college athletics." While some two-year colleges in the Hudson Valley have struggled to maintain wrestling programs, SUNY Ulster and Signorelli appear to be up for the challenge. "It's tough to forecast at this point, but I don't see why we can't have 20-25 guys and be a competitive junior college team even though it's going to be our first year," Signorelli said. SUNY Ulster -- also known as Ulster County Community College -- is a public two-year college supported by Ulster County, New York, and the State University of New York, with a main campus located in Ulster, N.Y. The school has a total enrollment of approximately 3,800 students.

The 2016 edition of the FloNationals came to its conclusion on Friday evening at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Dakota Geer (Franklin, Pa.) and Dan Perry (Lapeer, Mich.) each beat a pair of ranked wrestlers on the way to their championships. It marked a repeat FloNationals title for Geer, while for Perry he improved one position on the podium after last year's runner-up finish. Seven other wrestlers beat nationally ranked opposition to win FloNationals titles, six of which were head-on matches involving ranked wrestlers facing one another. Below are the results of the medal matches in each weight class. 106 pounds 1st: Jaret Lane (Southern Columbia, Pa.) decision Benyamin Kamali (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) 8-2 3rd: T.J. Hicks (Bradley Central, Tenn.) decision Carson Manville (Virginia) 8-7 5th: Ronald Stewart (Maplewood, Mo.) over Brandon Betancourt (Clovis, Calif.) by forfeit 7th: Malyke Hines (Osceola, Fla.) major decision Gable Fox (Don Bosco, Iowa) 11-2 113 pounds 1st: Ian Timmins (Wooster, Nev.) decision Michael Millage (Crestwood, Iowa) 5-1 3rd: Jaxon Cole (South Summit, Utah) decision Hunter Lucas (Lima Central Catholic, Ohio) 4-0 5th: Esco Walker (Hopewell, N.C.) decision Dominic Lajoie (Gaylord, Mich.) 9-4 7th: Lukus Stricker (Akron Hoban, Ohio) dec. Ryan Moore (Walton Verona, Ky.) 2-0 120 pounds 1st: No. 17 (at 126) Brian Courtney (Athens, Pa.) major decision No. 2 Justin Mejia (Clovis, Calif.) 14-6 3rd: Paul Konrath (Connections Academy, Ind.) decision Josiah Kline (Ironwood Ridge, Ariz.) 6-0 5th: Keaton Geerts (New Hampton, Iowa) decision K.J. Fenstermacher (Bethlehem Liberty, Pa.) 6-4 7th: Jet Taylor (Sallisaw, Okla.) decision Tanner Cox (Maple Mountain, Utah) 9-3 126 pounds 1st: No. 6 (at 138) Taylor LaMont (Maple Mountain, Utah) decision No. 10 (at 132) Durbin Lloren (Buchanan, Calif.) 4-0 3rd: Zack Donathan (Mason, Ohio) decision Quinn Kinner (Kingsway Regional, N.J.) 5-4 5th: Knox Fuller (Bradley Central, Tenn.) decision No. 14 Jacori Teemer (Long Beach, N.Y.) 4-2 7th: Wilfredo Gil (Ramapo, N.J.) decision Jacob Mariakis (Ridgeland, Ga.) 132 pounds 1st: Dresden Simon (Dansville, Mich.) pin No. 12 Ben Freeman (Walled Lake Central, Mich.) 3:49 3rd: Denton Spencer (Camden County, Ga.) decision Jake Hinkson (North Allegheny, Pa.) 7-5, overtime 5th: Jarrett Jacques (Owensville, Mo.) decision Cole Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) 7-2 7th: Corey Shie (LaSalle, Ohio) pin Marshall Keller (Christiansburg, Va.) 2:08 138 pounds 1st: No. 8 Sammy Sasso (Nazareth, Pa.) decision No. 6 (at 145) Kanen Storr (Leslie, Mich.) 4-3 3rd: No. 10 Hunter Ladnier (St. Edward, Ohio) decision Lane Stigall (North Marion, Ore.) 9-8 5th: Brock Wilson (Nazareth, Pa.) decision Dakota Goff (Steubenville, Ohio) 9-4 7th: Matthew Grippi (Fox Lane, N.Y.) decision Nicholas Santos (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.) 4-3 145 pounds 1st: Jarod Verkleeren (Belle Vernon Area, Pa.) decision Tyler Megonigal (James Madison, Va.) 3-2 3rd: Dillon Ulrey (North Medford, Ore.) pin Jake Douglas (Lake Stevens, Wash.) 4:46 5th: No. 7 (at 152) Devin Bahr (West Salem, Wis.) decision Sean Sterling (Dundee, Mich.) 2-1 7th: Hunter Richard (Holland Patent, N.Y.) decision Rian Burris (White Knoll, S.C.) 152 pounds 1st: No. 15 Travis Stefanik (Nazareth, Pa.) decision No. 15 (at 160) Hunter Bolen (Christiansburg, Va.) 2-0 3rd: Ethan Smith (Aberdeen, Md.) decision No. 7 Layne van Anrooy (Roseburg, Ore.) 3-1 5th: No. 6 Wyatt Sheets (Stilwell, Okla.) decision Aaron Olmos (Mater Dei, Calif.) 4-0 7th: Bryce Rogers (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) decision Dale Tiongson (St. Paul's, Md.) 7-3 160 pounds 1st: No. 14 (at 170) Anthony Mantanona (Palm Desert, Calif.) decision No. 18 Trent Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.) 16-10 3rd: Casey Cornett (Simon Kenton, Ky.) decision Deirrien Perkins (Warren Lincoln, Mich.) 10-3 5th: Nate Vandermeer (Clarkston, Mich.) decision Brit Wilson (Mexico, Mo.) 1-0 7th: Dalton Group (Susquenita, Pa.) major decision Gavin Wilkerson (Greenville, Pa.) 14-6 170 pounds 1st: No. 9 Nino Bonaccorsi (Bethel Park, Pa.) decision No. 6 Jelani Embree (Warren Lincoln, Mich.) 6-3 3rd: No. 13 (at 182) Kevin Parker (Shenendehowa, N.Y.) decision Jared Krattiger (Waterford, Wis.) 4-2 5th: Jake Shaffer (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) decision Andrew Berreyesa (Reno, Nev.) 7-3 7th: Jacob Hart (Independence, W.Va.) decision Luke McGonigal (Clearfield, Pa.) 5-2 182 pounds 1st: No. 6 Dakota Geer (Franklin, Pa.) decision No. 14 (at 195) Brandon Whitman (Dundee, Mich.) 9-2 3rd: No. 19 Antonio Agee (Hayfield, Va.) decision Jake Woodley (North Allegheny, Pa.) 3-1 5th: John Borst (Sherando, Va.) decision Alex Melikian (Lakeland/Panas, N.Y.) 8-6 7th: Bob Coleman (Hermiston, Ore.) over Anthony Walters (Westmont-Hilltop, Pa.) by forfeit 195 pounds 1st: Noah Adams (Independence, W.Va.) decision Jay Aiello (Westfield, Va.) 9-4 3rd: Gavin Hoffman (Montoursville, Pa.) decision Francis Duggan (North Allegheny, Pa.) 3-1 5th: No. 15 Jacob Raschka (Pewaukee, Wis.) decision Ian Malesiewski (Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa.) 3-2 7th: Ryan Vasbinder (Byron Central, Mich.) decision Haydn Maley (Roseburg, Ore.) 10-4 220 pounds 1st: No. 8 Jared Campbell (St. Edward, Ohio) pin Alex Daniels (Independence, W.Va.) 0:21 3rd: Ben Goldin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) decision Evan Ellis (Eastern, Ind.) 3-2, ultimate tiebreaker 5th: Derek Berberick (Greensburg Salem, Pa.) decision Josiah Jones (Westmont-Hilltop, Pa.) 5-2 7th: Floyd Rogers (Green, Ohio) decision Eric Keosseian (Howell, N.J.) 5-2 285 pounds 1st: No. 13 Dan Perry (Lapeer, Mich.) decision No. 3 Carter Isley (Albia, Iowa) 3-2 3rd: Gabriel Beyer (Leon, Fla.) decision No. 18 Andrew Gunning (Bethlehem Liberty, Pa.) 3-2 5th: No. 16 Sammy Evans (Alcoa, Tenn.) decision Nick Jenkins (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) 4-0 7th: Brendan Furman (Canon-McMillan, Pa.) decision Thomas Helton (Elmhurst York, Ill.) 8-2

Michael Johnson (Jr.), last year's No. 1 ranked 285 pound wrestler, has committed to enroll at Duke University for the 2016-17 school year. The news was confirmed via e-mail from Johnson, Jr. to InterMat High School Analyst Josh Lowe on Friday evening. He was ranked as the No. 19 overall prospect for the Class of 2015. Johnson had originally planned on enrolling at Yale University to play football after attending Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut for a post-grad year. However, regret over missing the sport of wrestling and Yale's desire to convert him into a defensive lineman (as opposed to offensive line), made Johnson change his mind and choose wrestling. "I have been blessed with an opportunity to continue to pursue my wrestling and academic goals at Duke University. I believe that Glen Lanham, Will Rowe, and Ben Wissel are among the best coaching staffs in the country and I'm very excited for the opportunity to work with them," commented Johnson, Jr. via e-mail on Friday evening.

The Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic, formerly known as the Dapper Dan, will be held on Saturday at the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. As per normal, the main event features seniors from Pennsylvania against those from the United States. This year's undercard features senior wrestlers from the WPIAL against those from Indiana. For the undercard this is the first time that the state of Indiana will be participating. The guest team has won six of the last ten undercard events, and is seeking a third straight victory. Wrestlers from Indiana have a 6-0 all-time record in the main event of the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic, most recently Stevan Micic (Hanover Central) won his match in 2014. Other wrestlers to win in the main event include Jared Brooks (Warsaw) and Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point) in 2012, Alex Tsirtsis (Griffith) and Blake Maurer (Evansville Mater Dei) in 2004, and Steven Bradley (Beech Grove) in 1998. In terms of the undercard matchups, two wrestlers from Indiana are competing in the main event, while nine from the WPIAL are in the Pennsylvania vs. United States showdown. Undercard matches take place at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday; the format of which is two periods of 2:30 in length, both starting in the neutral position. For the main event, the United States has won four consecutive Wrestling Classic dual meets. They have also won five of the last six, and 13 of the last 15. This match takes place at 6 p.m. The following is an analysis of the Pennsylvania vs. United States main event matches. 113: No. 9 Gage Curry (North Hills) vs. No. 4 Danny Vega (Ironwood Ridge, Ariz.) The American University bound Curry is one of nine participants from the WPIAL in the Wrestling Classic main event. A four-time state placer, he was runner-up last year and third place this year after fourth and sixth place finishes his first two seasons. He is also a two-time Super 32 Challenge placer, and a three-time Flo Nationals placer. Vega was committed to Grand Canyon before that program was disbanded. The three-time state champion is a two-time Junior National folkstyle champion, two-time Junior National double All-American (champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman in 2014), and a Cadet National freestyle champion in 2013. 120: No. 8 (at 126) Tyshawn White (Central Dauphin) vs. No. 12 Tyler Warner (Claymont, Ohio) White is a recent commit to Lock Haven, and a four-time state placer, finishing second this year after third place finishes the previous two years. He placed fourth in the Super 32 Challenge this fall. Warner, who will be attending Division II Wheeling Jesuit, won state titles his first three years of high school before losing in the state semifinal this month. He is also a three-time Super 32 Challenge placer, taking seventh this year, including a 5-4 consolation quarterfinal loss to White. 126: No. 3 Luke Karam (Bethlehem Catholic) vs. No. 7 Kyle Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.) Karam is a three-time state champion, who will be attending Lehigh in the fall. He was runner-up in the Super 32 Challenge this fall, and also placed sixth in the event as a sophomore. The Virginia Tech bound Norstrem is a five-time state champion and two-time Super 32 Challenge placer, to go with titles at the NHSCA Freshman and Sophomore Nationals. 132: No. 2 (at 138) Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe) vs. No. 1 Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.) This pair of wrestlers met in the final of last year's Flo Nationals, a match that the Nebraska bound Red emerged with the victory. Red was undefeated for his high school career, one in which he won four state titles. His off-season success also includes a 2014 Super 32 Challenge title and a 2014 Cadet National freestyle title. The Ohio State bound Pletcher, was a four-time state finalist; winning titles as a freshman, sophomore, and senior. He also was a Flo Nationals champion in 2013 before runner-up finishes the following two seasons, along with Super 32 Challenge titles in 2013 and 2014. 138: No. 3 George Phillippi (Derry Area) vs. No. 5 Mitchell McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) The Virginia-bound Phillippi is a three-time state champion, winning titles as a freshman and the last two seasons. His off-season success includes a pair of placement finishes at the Flo Nationals and Super 32 Challenge. McKee, the Minnesota recruit, is a three-time state champion who six Fargo finals appearances; that includes Cadet Greco-Roman titles in 2012 and 2013, a Junior freestyle title in 2014, and a Junior Greco-Roman title in 2014. He is also a two-time Super 32 Challenge placer. 145: No. 10 Mike Carr (South Fayette) vs. No. 7 (at 138) Hunter Marko (Amery, Wis.) Carr is a two-time state champion, who has committed to wrestle for the University of Illinois. Four-time state champion Marko will join McKee as a future Golden Gopher, and is a three-time Junior National freestyle All-American, including his title in 2013. 152: No. 2 Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County) vs. No. 3 Griffin Parriott (New Prague, Minn.) Hidlay won state this past year after placing third and sixth the previous two years. The future North Carolina State wrestler has a robust off-season resume, including a pair of Super 32 Challenge placement finishes, a Flo Nationals title last year, and five All-American finishes in Fargo (including a Junior Greco-Roman title this past summer). The Purdue bound Parriott is a five-time state placer and four-time state champion, also placing twice in the Super 32 Challenge, and placing fifth in Junior freestyle this past summer (Hidlay was third in the same weight class). Parriott beat Hidlay by 3-1 overtime decision in the third place match at the Super 32 this fall. 160: No. 4 Jake Wentzel (South Park) vs. No. 3 (at 170) Thomas Bullard (Archer, Ga.) Wentzel will be wrestling in the same facility that he will call home for the next four or five years. The four-time state placer won state titles the last two seasons. During his junior year, he placed third at the Super 32 Challenge and runner-up at the Flo Nationals. Bullard joins Hidlay as a future Wolfpack wrestler, and is a four-time state champion. He was a finalist at the Super 32 Challenge the last two years, winning the title his junior season, and was champion at the NHSCA Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior Nationals. 170: No. 10 Austin Bell (Belle Vernon Area) vs. No. 1 Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) Like Wentzel, Bell is a future Pitt Panther. He has third place finishes the last two years at the state tournament. This season's Walsh Jesuit Ironman champion, he placed third at the Super 32 Challenge and Flo Nationals during his junior season. The Penn State bound Hall is the best overall wrestler in this year's senior class, a six-time state champion, a Junior World Team member in freestyle last summer, and has an absurdly long winning streak to end his scholastic career. 182: No. 17 Greg Bulsak (South Park) vs. No. 5 Keegan Moore (Jackson County Central, Minn.) Two-time state champion Bulsak is committed to enroll at Clarion University in the fall. He is also a two-time Super 32 Challenge placer. Three-time state champion Moore is an Oklahoma State commit, and was runner-up at the UWW Cadet Nationals last spring in freestyle; he also was a Junior National folkstyle last spring, and a Cadet National Triple Crown winner in 2014. 195: No. 10 John Jakobsen (Stroudsburg) vs. No. 3 Samuel Colbray (Hermiston, Ore.) The Lehigh-bound Jakobsen has appearances in the state final each of the last two seasons, including the state title earlier this month. Four-time state champion Colbray is an Iowa State commit, and was a Junior National runner-up in both Greco-Roman and freestyle last summer after winning a NHSCA Junior nationals title. The previous three summers, he was a Greco-Roman national champion in Fargo. 220: No. 9 Jacob Robb (Armstrong) vs. No. 2 Matt Stencel (Oregon Clay) Robb, who will be attending Division II Mercyhurst, was state champion in Class AAA this year after second and fifth place finishes the previous two years in Class AA; his previous school (Kittanning) was involved in a consolidation before the 2015-16 school year. He also placed fourth at the Flo Nationals last spring. The Central Michigan bound Stencel has been in the state final each of the last three years, winning state titles the last two. Prior to the season, he was runner-up at the Super 32 Challenge, and during this past summer was a Junior National double All-American. 285: No. 10 Jake Beistel (Southmoreland) vs. No. 2 Shawn Streck (Merrillville, Ind.) Beistel won an elusive state title this year after placing second and fifth the previous two years. This will be a last wrestling competition for Beistel, as he will be playing football in college for St. Francis University in the FCS. He was fourth at the Flo Nationals and third at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. A four-time state placer, all at 285 pounds, the Purdue bound Streck won state titles each of the last two seasons. Below is a summary for the Indiana vs. WPIAL matchups. 113: Geoffrey Davis (Fort Wayne Wayne) vs. Aaron Burkett (Chestnut Ridge) **2x state 4th vs. 3x state placer (6th/2nd/3rd); Burkett at 106 this year 120: Drew Hildebrandt (Penn) vs. Ethan McCoy (Greater Latrobe) **4x state placer, 2x finalist (8th/6th/2nd/1st) vs. 3x medalist (NP 2nd/INJ/3rd/7th); McCoy at 126 this year 126: Gaige Torres (Portage) vs. Chris Eddins (Greensburg Salem) **3x state placer, 2x finalist (7th/DNQ/2nd/2nd) vs. state 6th 132: Owen Doster (New Haven) vs. Mike Heinl (Shaler) **state 5th vs. 2015 state qualifier 138: Evan Eldred (Westfield) vs. Shaun Wilson (Waynesburg) **2x state placer (6th/3rd) vs. state 5th 145: Jordan Vaughn (Franklin Central) vs. Damon Greenwald (Burrell) **2x state placer, 2015 finalist (2nd/4th) vs. 2x state placer, state champ (7th/1st); Greenwald at 152 this year 152: Steven Lawrence (Portage) vs. Derek Verkleeren (Belle Vernon) **3x state placer, 2x finalist (7th/2nd/2nd) vs. state 4th 160: Cael McCormick (Yorktown) vs. Mitch Hartman (Belle Vernon) **3x state placer (4th/6th/SQ/5th) vs. state qualifier; McCormick at 152 this year 170: No. 6 Drew Hughes (Lowell) vs. Anthony Welsh (Beth-Center) **4x state placer, 3x finalist (2nd/5th/1st/1st) vs. 2x state placer (5th/3rd) 182: No. 4 Blake Rypel (Indianapolis Cathedral) vs. Milton Kobaly (Belle Vernon) **4x state placer, 3x finalist (7th/2nd/1st/1st) vs. state runner-up 195: Jake Kleimola (Lake Central) vs. No. 10 Drew Phipps (Norwin) **state champion vs. 3x state placer, state finalist (4th/3rd/2nd) 220: Nick Fox (Carmel) vs. Mike McAleavey (Peters Township) **state 5th place (at 195) vs. state runner-up 285: Sean Galligar (Columbus East) vs. Hayden Rice (Norwin) **state 3rd vs. state qualifier

Justin "Harry" Lester, 2012 Olympic wrestler, has been named head wrestling coach at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, the school located in Akron, Ohio announced Wednesday. Justin Lester (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)A former Akron resident, Lester is a four-time Ohio state champion from 1998-2001 while attending Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Lester was a member of the U.S. Greco-Roman team which competed at the 2012 Olympics in London. In addition, Lester is a two-time World bronze medalist (2006, 2007), an eight-time U.S. World Team member, a six-time U.S. Open champion, a 2007 Pan American Games champion, a 2005 World University Games bronze medalist and a 1999 Cadet World champion. Lester currently resides in Colorado Springs, where he is training with the U.S. Army WCAP (World Class Athlete Program) for the Olympics. A ten-year member of Team USA, he is currently ranked No. 1 at 71 kilos/156 pounds. Lester has provided personal training for NCAA All-Americans and champions, and has coached at several youth clubs over the years, according to STVM athletic director Willie McGee. "The entire St. Vincent-St. Mary High School community is excited about Harry Lester joining its family," McGee said in a prepared statement. "He will not only be a great coach for Irish wrestlers but will also take the sport of wrestling to a new level for young athletes in our area." "It has always been my passion to give back to wrestling," Lester said in a prepared statement. "I feel it is my responsibility to give every bit of knowledge of the sport back to any athlete who wants to learn." St. Vincent-St. Mary High School is a co-educational Catholic high school located in the city of Akron in northeast Ohio. It has a current enrollment of approximately 700 students. STVM is the prep alma mater of NBA superstar LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Augsburg College wrestling alumni Scott Whirley and Henry Gerten were inducted into the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Hall of Fame in a ceremony prior to this year's NCAA Division III Wrestling National Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Scott Whirley and Henry GertenThe NWCA Division III Wrestling Hall of Fame has honored NCAA Division III wrestlers, coaches and contributors since 1989. To be considered for Hall of Fame induction, wrestlers must be three-time All-Americans or two-time national champions. A 1982 graduate of Augsburg, Whirley was a three-time NCAA All-American wrestler who then served his alma mater for 22 seasons (1982-84, 1986-2005, 2006-07) as an assistant coach under head coach Jeff Swenson. During that time, the Auggies won 10 NCAA Division III wrestling national titles in a 17-year span. Augsburg had 145 All-Americans and 39 individual national champions (one NAIA, 38 NCAA-III) in Whirley's coaching career. With Whirley as an assistant coach, Augsburg won Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament titles 18 times and MIAC Team Duals titles 14 times, along with winning the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional title four times. As an Augsburg wrestler, Whirley, claimed the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) national championship at 126 pounds in 1979 and earned NAIA All-American honors three times, finishing first, second and fourth nationally. (During Whirley's college career, Augsburg competed in the NAIA; the school switched to NCAA Division III in 1983.) He won MIAC titles in 1978 (126), 1981 (134) and 1982 (134) and earned the MIAC tourney MVP award in his senior year. In 2002, Whirley was inducted into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame. A 1998 Augsburg grad, Henry Gerten won two individual national titles for the Auggies, winning titles at 118 pounds in both 1997 and 1998. Gerten was a three-time All-American for Augsburg, adding a fourth-place finish in 1996 to his two national crowns. In addition, Gerten was a three-time Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion, winning titles at 118 pounds in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Gerten finished his three-year Augsburg career (transferring from the University of Wisconsin after his freshman year) with a record of 104-7 -- at the time, the best all-time wrestling winning percentage (.937) in school history. In 1996-97, Gerten went 44-0 -- the first Augsburg wrestler ever to go through a season unbeaten -- and had a then-school-record 64-match winning streak during his career. Gerten was a three-time Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion, winning titles at 118 pounds in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Since graduating from Augsburg, Gerten had served as an assistant coach at Augsburg, as a coach for the Minnesota Storm, as head coach at Dakota County Technical College, and as an assistant coach at Rosemount (Minn.) High School. He is currently the co-head coach, along with fellow Augsburg alum Chad Olson, of the Farmington (Minn.) High School wrestling team. He is a social studies teacher at Rosemount Middle School. Whirley and Gerten are the ninth and 10th Auggies to be inducted into the NWCA Division III Hall of Fame.

The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships ended last Saturday and by unanimous agreement the evening's final match -- which pitted two-time defending champion Nick Gwiazdowski against 2015 World champion Kyle Snyder -- was the single greatest heavyweight final in the sport's history. Kyle Snyder and Nick Gwiazdowski battle in the NCAA finals at heavyweight (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)I always enjoy writing curmudgeonly gin-soaked rebuttals to universally accepted facts, but in the case of Snyder and Gwiazdowski I've fallen victim to effusive hyperbole when describing the match to a generous ear. No matter how you analyze the action, theirs was the greatest heavyweight match in collegiate wrestling history. Beyond the technical action and on-the-mat heroics, there was additional satisfaction in seeing a season-long storyline play out to expectations. Not a lot of dressing was needed to make the match appealing to a diehard or a newcomer. Wrestling talks a lot about promotion, and while there are areas for improvement, the Snyder-Gwiazdowski match should remind us that that sport attaches itself to our soul with more vigor than spectacle ever will. Sporting purity is the righteousness by which all wrestlers hang their credentials. There aren't PR-manufactured rivalries, or the lingering scent of predetermined outcomes. Sport, and wrestling in particular, are immune to these nefarious traps of profit-based sporting organizations, based simply on their tournament and advancement-based competitive structuring. So if there is something to take away from Saturday outside of awe and respect, it's this: Wrestling is perfect just the way it is. We need ring girls and public weigh-ins like a beach sunset needs monster truck rally. What we have is simple, beautiful and forever. What we have is ours. Now let's give those big guys one more round of applause, because they not only showed new fans what our sport can be, but it restored in old fans the focus to see what always was. To your questions … David Terao is a blue belt in jiu-jitsuQ: Which wrestler did you enjoy watching the most in NYC? I had two: David Terao and Dylan Palacio. -- Mike C. Foley: Terao received two standing ovations! There is a lot of passion behind his wrestling, but what fans seem to respond to was Terao's creativity on the mat. There were plenty of fans who told me that his performance was one of their favorite moments of any NCAA championship. Maybe it's unrelated, but I saw on Facebook that Terao is a blue belt in jiu-jitsu. There is a good chance that some of what we saw came from training with Ryan Hall at 50/50 … Q: Have you heard anything about the Northwestern coaching situation? -- Mike C. Foley: Not directly from the administration, but I did hear from alumni that they don't see Coach Storniolo as at fault for a subpar season. Having a coach fired, suffering a number of season-ending injuries and dealing with off-the-mat all affected the outcome of the season. From what I saw in person Storniolo isn't just a good mat coach, but he's the type of leader that the guys wanted to see in the room. (After writing the above paragraph, it was announced that Storniolo has been named the permanent head wrestling coach. Congrats, Coach!) Q: Which of the NCAA champions have the best chance to make an impact at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City? -- Mike C. Foley: Um … Kyle Snyder? After the defending World champion I'm thinking that Nahshon Garrett may have something to add to the discussion at 57 kilos. There is also a chance that Nick Gwiazdowski could take a run at Tervel, but that's hasn't been a good matchup for him in the past. Q: Now that the opening for the U.S. national freestyle coaching position has been posted, are you hearing any rumblings? Who do you expect to apply? -- Mike C. Foley: The rumblings remain that same. I know that like any college staff the assistants (Brandon Slay and Bill Zadick) would like the opportunity to lead the program. I also assume that stakeholders in the USA program will at least have conversations with Cael Sanderson, John Smith, Terry Brands, Tom Brands, Mark Manning and others. Who ends up on top? At this point in the process I don't think there is a strong direction. Q: Handing out Foleys every year and make up your own criteria. 1) doesn't mush, 2) hugs after matches‬ -- @_Homme‬ Foley: Done. 2016 Foley Award Winner: Bernardo Faria, Alliance (see video below) (Actual answer: Kyle Snyder, Ohio State) MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Bernardo! Link: Faces of college wrestling Gabe Dean reads letter Q: Do you know if the U.S. Olympic Team Trials will be streaming live on the Internet? -- Mike T. Foley: The Saturday night finals will be carried live on NBCSN and on brief tape delay at 10:30 p.m. ET Sunday. All matches will be streamed online at NBC Sports. Q: Can you comment on how important a program's assistant, associate, and volunteer coaches are to success? It seems that the programs that are at the top and rising have this key ingredient. Casey Cunningham, Mike Zadick, Mark Perry, Donny Pritzlaff. -- Mr. J Foley: I think that you pointed to several great examples of a powerful assistant coach impacting their wrestling programs. There are some on that list that will become head coaches at some point, but there are some that do very well in the role they occupy. Americans tend to put a lot of value on bettering their position: to be rewarded with hard work and success by earning the next position. Onward and upward mentality at its finest. However, as much I may agree that we should always challenge ourselves, I'm beginning to think, nay realize, that being an assistant is likely a better fit for many, many coaches. Some are too shy for the CEO-type leadership of a Division I program, or maybe some lack the fundraising duties. Others still may excel on the mat, a place they might not spend much time after taking over a head position. No matter the reason, there are coaches whose skill sets are better suited to being an assistant coach, and to me that's pretty honorable. Q: What do you think of Jason Nolf's punk move kicking at Imar's head? -- Wes F. Foley: At the end of the second period Nolf had his ankle caught and kept kicking on the back of Martinez's head before the stalemate. I don't know that it was malicious as it looked much more situational, but no matter it was illegal and Nolf should have been warned for unsportsmanlike conduct. A proper way would have been to keep the foot in place on the head and push, but bringing it upwards made it into a kick. Q: Tell us more about Joey Davis. I don't know much about Division II, but I figure anyone who stays healthy and goes undefeated through four years of collegiate competition has to be legit. I know he got blown out by Alex Dieringer at BTS but I imagine he wasn't in tip top condition. Does he have a future in freestyle? Do you think he'd be on the podium this weekend if he was in Division I? -- Bryan R. Foley: Uber-talented Joey Davis seems to be fast-tracking to MMA. I don't know that to be 100 percent true, but his online presence seems to insinuate he will give the Trials a year and then move onward. Google some of Davis' highlights. He is an impressive talent. Q: Do you see Jason Tsirtsis getting back to the top of the podium? Possibly bigger issues on the horizon? -- @Robbybobbi Foley: He had a terrible personal tragedy in the beginning of the season. While I don't think he will win in 2017 (the rule changes affected him greatly), I do think he will find his way to becoming an All-American. Tough kid. Q: What do you think about J'den Cox going to 86 kilos at the Olympic Team Trials? How are our chances to qualify remaining weights in last two qualifiers? -- @fitzstrength275 Foley: It's too soon to know who will win the Trials at 86 kilos, but I'm 99.9995 certain it won't be J'den Cox. Not that he can't win in the future, but the tactics and experience of many in that weight class probably excludes him from being a realistic contender in 2016. That said, I'm ready to see what the young man can bring to the weight class. The winner of the 65-kilo and 86-kilo Olympic Trials will head out to Mongolia to try and qualify their respective weights. There are three spots up for grabs and I think that the USA has a very solid chance to qualify both based on numbers and the extra match required benefits guys like Brent Metcalf. (By the way, I think Brent is often a great representative of Iowa wrestling on the international stage. Go HAWKEYES!)

La Plume, Pa. -- Keystone College is returning to its proud athletic roots by reintroducing wrestling as its newest intercollegiate sport, college officials announced today. In the 1960s through the 1980s, Keystone was known for being one of the best small college wrestling programs in the nation. Known at the time as Keystone Junior College, the program produced some of the top wrestlers in the country under legendary head coach the late Larry Fornicola. Now a four-year baccalaureate and master's degree college, Keystone will compete in collegiate wrestling as an independent in NCAA Division III beginning in the 2016-2017 season. Wrestling will be Keystone's 20th varsity sport. The college has hired Steven Mytych, a former Drexel University wrestling standout who had been serving as assistant wrestling coach at both Bloomsburg University and Wyoming Seminary Preparatory School in Kingston. "We are absolutely delighted to reintroduce collegiate wrestling at Keystone," said Athletic Director Dr. Matthew Grimaldi. "As many area sports fans remember, Keystone wrestling was respected as one of the nation's best programs thanks to the tremendous efforts of Larry Fornicola and his excellent teams. Now, it's time to bring wrestling back to campus for a new generation of student-athletes. We can't wait to get started." As a Division III independent, Keystone will be eligible to schedule a wide-variety of opponents, including the possibility of competition with other regional Division III schools such as Wilkes University and King's College. Wrestling was discontinued at Keystone following the 1990-91 season due to a lack of similarly sized colleges competing in the sport at the time. Coach Fornicola led Keystone wrestling from 1965 through 1990 and was inducted into the National Junior College Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1980. Among many other accomplishments, he was a Lifetime Service to Wrestling Honoree, recognizing his years of dedication to the sport. He is a member of the Keystone College Hall of Fame. Under his guidance, Keystone produced such outstanding student athletes as National Junior College Athletic Association national champions Dick Keefe (1967), Neil Duncan (1970) and Bill Kmetz (1973). "I am so thrilled that wrestling is back at Keystone," said Mrs. Bernie Fornicola, a Keystone graduate and wife of the late Coach Fornicola. "I have such wonderful memories of the past and now many more young people will have the opportunity to find out just how great it is to be a student and wrestler at Keystone College." Keystone offers more than 40 undergraduate and graduate degree options in liberal arts and science based programs in business, communications, education, fine arts, natural science, environmental resource management, geology and social sciences. Located 15 minutes from Scranton, Pa. and two hours from New York City and Philadelphia, Keystone is known for small class sizes and individual attention focused on student success through internships, research, and community involvement.

Grays Harbor College has added Women's Wrestling to the athletic department's lineup of programs. The program will start the fall quarter of the 2016-2017 school year. Grays Harbor is the only community college in the state of Washington to offer a women's wrestling team and is the 2nd junior college to offer it in the entire nation, the other, Southwestern Oregon College in Coos Bay Oregon. The Chokers will compete in both the WCWA (Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association) and the NWCA (National Collegiate Wrestling Association). The WCWA is the current governing body for all the collegiate wrestling programs at NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA institutions. The WCWA competes in freestyle Olympic Wrestling. the weight classes included are 101, 109, 116, 123, 130, 136, 143, 155, 170, and 191. According to the NWCA website, there are 9 NCAA DII or DIII schools in the country, 14 DI-DIII club teams, and 18 NAIA schools with a women's program. Washington is one of only 6 states in the US with a womens high school state championship tournament. The Chokers have tapped veteran coach Andrew Cook as its interim head coach. Andy is the director/head coach of the Vandit Wrestling Academy. This past season Andy was the head wrestling coach at Mt Vernon High School. As an athlete, Andrew is a three time high school state champion and two time All American, making the ASICS All American Team in 1996. In freestyle and Greco roman wrestling he was a fifteen time state champion. He attended the University of Tennessee Chattanooga and North Idaho College achieving All Conference Honors in 1997 at 126 lbs. With his career being cut short due to injury, he started his coaching career in 1999. In Andrew's fifteen years of coaching he has produced one four time high school state champion, 9 three time high school state champions, and over 30 one time state champs. In freestyle and Greco roman he has coached over 26 national champions and over 50 All Americans. Over the past few years Andrew has accumulated recognition from USA Wrestling as the Western Developmental Coach of the Year and finalist for National Coach of the Year. In 2014 he earned a spot as apprentice coach for the United States World Wrestling Team taking him to Uzbekistan. His academy is currently the reigning state champion in folkstyle and Greco roman with a runner up finish in freestyle. Andrew is excited about the possibilities with this program. "As the new head coach for the brand new GHC women's wrestling program, I am going to set some lofty goals! I feel that we can immediately compete for a National Championship and set the tone for future Lady Chokers. With the opportunity for our women to compete in the international style, I feel we will immediately be in the mix for placing our athletes on future US World amd Olympic Teams. This ground breaking program will be in the fore front of women's college wrestling in the USA.." "I know GHC is a community college, but with the school adding a couple of 4 year programs as well, I see this an opportunity for some of our student-athletes to complete all 4 years of their collegiate career right here." The Athletic Department is fortunate to have Andrew on board to help jumpstart this program. If you have questions about the program feel free to email Andrew at vanditwa@gmail.com or email Athletics@ghc.edu.

Matt StornioloEVANSTON, Ill. -- Matt Storniolo has been named head coach of Northwestern Wrestling, Vice President for Athletics & Recreation Jim Phillips announced Thursday. "Matt is the right person to lead this program and provide our student-athletes the best opportunity to excel academically, socially and athletically," said Phillips. "Over seven years at Northwestern he has been a tremendous mentor for our young men, and we're excited to watch him continue to build this program in the nation's premier wrestling conference." Storniolo served as the interim head coach of the Wildcats last season after six years on the staff as an assistant coach, a seven-year tenure that has included 12 All-America nods and a pair of national Top-10 finishes for Northwestern. As an undergraduate the Pennsylvania native was honored as the 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year at Penn State and, after transferring to the University of Oklahoma, earned two All-America honors and a Big Twelve conference championship as a Sooner.

The New York State Assembly voted Tuesday to lift a nearly 20-year ban on professional mixed martial arts competition, ending the Empire State's status as the last state to outlaw MMA. Legislators voted 113 to 25 to overturn a ban on pro MMA events which had been implemented in 1997. (Amateur MMA events had remained legal in New York; in 2015, 71 such events were held throughout the state.) Once Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs the bill and forwards it to the New York State Athletic Commission to establish rules, promotions will be free to host events as early as fall of this year, according to Forbes, which cited a 2013 study commissioned by Ultimate Fighting Championships that MMA events would generate an economic impact of $135 million in the state each year. Two of the largest MMA promotions are already staking out venues within New York City to host their events. UFC is talking to midtown Manhattan landmark Madison Square Garden, long-time site for boxing and professional wrestling events, and recent host for the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships ... while Bellator MMA is in negotiations with Barclays Center in Brooklyn. "The New York Assembly's vote to legalize MMA is a watershed moment for this incredible sport," said Bellator MMA's Scott Coker. "As someone who has been promoting combat sports for more than 30 years, this is a very exciting time for mixed martial arts. We at Bellator MMA are very much looking forward to hosting an event in the 'Crown Jewel of America,' New York." "This is an exciting and historic day for our great sport," said World Series of Fighting CEO Carlos Silva. "Those who have been lobbying for the legalization of MMA in NY State, including World Series of Fighting's new COO Michael Mersch [a former UFC exec], should be commended for their persistence and commitment to seeing through the passage of legislation that will finally allow fans to watch live MMA in the Empire State, and fighters to compete there. We recently opened an office in Manhattan so, along with our television partner, NBC, we are looking forward to bringing our brand of professional MMA to New York very soon." A number of states passed bans on MMA in the 1990s, responding to allegations that the sport was essentially no holds barred fighting. Back then, Sen. John McCain -- himself a wrestler at a Washington, D.C. prep school and at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, M.D., described MMA as "human cockfighting." In subsequent years, states that had outlawed the sport lifted those sanctions one by one ... with the exception of New York, until this week. MMA promotions had been working for nearly a decade to overturn the ban in the Empire State. A long-time roadblock was removed in 2015 when Sheldon Silver, the speaker of the state assembly and opponent of UFC who blocked all legislative efforts to repeal the ban, was forced to resign his post on corruption charges. In addition, there were a number of New York legislators who publicly expressed their opposition to allowing pro MMA bouts. Daniel O'Donnell, an openly gay Assemblyman (and brother of Rosie O'Donnell), said on the floor of the legislature, "I should really like it. You have two nearly naked hot men rolling around on top of one another trying to dominate each other. And just in case, that's gay porn with a different ending, okay? I won't describe the ending for you, but as I've gotten older the endings are less important." He also raised concerns about increased violence on public streets. On the other side, a number of MMA stars with New York roots -- including former Hofstra University All-American Chris Weidman -- had lobbied legislators to eliminate the restrictions on MMA events. Jeff Blatnick -- 1984 Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling and NCAA Division II heavyweight champ at Springfield College -- had worked to change laws in his native New York before his death in 2012. Blatnick, a popular commentator for UFC events until 2001, was also was instrumental in helping to establish rules for the sport, and, in fact, was licensed as an MMA judge and referee in New Jersey.

Whether you loved or hated the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships at Madison Square Garden in New York City, chances are you have a strong opinion. Fans cheer during the finals of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)From convenient transportation to pricey hotel rooms, joyous atmosphere to cantankerous denizens, the weekend was filled with almost direct contradictions, leaving the individual to often decide which to value and which to ignore. There is little denying that the 2016 NCAA Championships were a showcase of talent. The wrestlers who qualified seemed to perform well in the big city, with no noticeable impact coming from the multitude of distractions available to them outside their hotel door. Arrests in NYC seemed down as compared to Des Moines in 2013, a sign that the wrestling community was likely not the only rowdy ticket in town. All factors combined it would be tough to say that the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships were anything but an overall success. Some areas of the competition were stronger than others and responses to the lifestyle surrounding the event depends almost primarily on one's appetite for expensive drinks and food. Here are some grades from a variety of aspects of the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships: Venue The Garden is one of the nation's most iconic buildings, a fact that wasn't lost on event organizers. Although the venue was recently refurbished there was limited space on the arena floor. That might not have been an issue, but the 3x2 configuration for the blood round as opposed to the 2-1-1-2 format seemed to take away from the grandeur of the semifinals. Also, whoever was working the scoreboard for MSG promoted the mats 1-4 and 5-8 left to right and top to bottom on the screen. Meanwhile, the mats were 1-3-5-7 and 2-4-6-8, which made following the scoring action extremely difficult. The workers at MSG were not charming, but entry to the event was orderly and fast. Exiting seemed congested. Grade: B- Transportation The NYC Subway is one of the largest and most sophisticated transportation system in the world, but that in no way makes it easy for a newcomer to understand. However, assuming a solid Google Maps and a little initiative the NYC Subway was a great outlet for fans to transport themselves to various parts of the city. For anecdotal evidence of success, I saw a wrestling fan from California at my favorite dim sum place in Chinatown on Sunday! On the other side wrestling has the oldest fan base in the country and walking even three city blocks can be a challenge for many -- a fact that was relayed several times by fans. This isn't too different from St. Louis, but I suppose that it's all relative to the comfort one feels in their surroundings. The airport options were also plentiful, but construction on the ACE line of the subway caused some to miss their flights on Sunday morning. Cabs to and from the airport ranged from $40-$60, which probably seemed like a heavy additional cost when already covering $250-$400/night hotel rooms. The big redeeming quality of NYC was that it was accessible by rails and cars for many of the East Coast's wrestling fans. A personal anecdote, but I saw more friends at this NCAA Championships than I have in the last five combined. However, I can only imagine the opposite is true for those who live in the Midwest. Grade: B Media Coverage I don't know that I read too many additional stories this year. In past seasons there may have been more marketable stars and matchups, but that seems disingenuous since Kyle Snyder is an easy bottom-of-the-fold piece. One huge rub of the event was the treatment of the media. Almost nobody seemed to have a positive interaction with the NCAA during the accreditation process, and the media seating for 90 percent of the journalists in attendance was in the rafters above the highest seats. While that might seem like no issue to fans, the lack of accessibility to the field of play and the mixed zone meant that journalists who wanted a post-match quote were essentially out-of-luck. Accessibility is a huge contributor to a reduction in media coverage. The NCAA generated nice short films each day for social media, which certainly helped the online presence of the sport. A lot of the feedback I've received from those on the fringes of wrestling is that they were excited to see the finals on ESPN and were happy that they were able to tune-in or DVR without going online. Grade: B Nightlife View from media workroom (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)While there is no question that NYC offered wrestling fans their most diverse offering of after-wrestling activities in recent years, there were a few negative points that could use some hashing out -- particularly the $9 beer. The $9 beer is not a real thing. Beers in NYC can certainly cost this much, but most are $6-$7 and that's typically for non-Bud Light. I can see that many in the community would prefer the simplicity of the Bud Light and that those can be markedly more expensive (still not $9), and again when added together with the other costs for the weekend a refreshing beer can feel like a dagger to the wallet. The real heavy costs came down on schools looking to host alumni events. Most bars, especially those in/around MSG will charge a room rental fee usually above and beyond the cost of booze and food. For example, a three-hour party for 150 people would range between $3,000 and $10,000 depending on the space. The lesser schools would certainly have trouble affording these types of get-togethers, and those that could were limited on options. Still, for many NYC was a once-in-a-lifetime trip that wrestling forced them to make. The city remains one of the world's most influential centers for arts, culture and nightlife, making the experience of the wrestling fan here truly unique. Grade: A- Overall Experience There are plenty of experiences and insights that don't fit comfortably into a gradable headline. One of the brightest spots of the tournament was the first-year announcing job performed by Jason Bryant and Bryan Hazard. While we celebrated Sandy Stevens' career, it would be remiss of me not to point out how many compliments Bryant and Hazard received. They were an important part of the fan experience and did an outstanding job for the sport. Bryant, who has been calling these events for years, will also be at work in Rio de Janeiro at the 2016 Olympic Games, an honor befitting his skill and a note on how fortunate we were to hear him on the call in NYC. The finals weigh-in/face off took place on Saturday before the finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The one major dud of the event seemed to be the weigh-ins at the theater. While these weigh-ins are meant to draw attention to the sport they seemed to be less about the athletes and more about those in charge of showcasing the event. Wrestling doesn't just need promotion, it needs intelligent promotion. However awkward and disappointing the "weigh-ins" seem to be, the finals themselves were among the best in history. The heavyweight bout is already being named the greatest of all-time, a distinction it would be difficult for any wrestling fan to counter. Upsets, Cinderellas, and a shifting team standings all contributed to the drama of the event's final moment. There is no question that NYC was a unique host for the NCAA Championships, providing fans a new experience far away from home. Though not the highest-attended event, the Garden did crack the top five. Though it's yet to be known how much the NCAA made from the event and what the viewership numbers were at home, there is confidence among many that both numbers will be extremely positive. Final Grade: B+