InterMat Staff

Clay FrenchSt. Laurence High School's wrestling program will be coached by two former college wrestlers who also have fought in mixed martial arts competition. The Catholic high school outside Chicago has hired Clay French, who wrestled at Eastern Illinois University, as its head wrestling coach, while Purdue University mat alum Carson Beebe will be assistant coach, the Beverly Review reported Tuesday. Born in the Chicago suburb of Villa Park, Ill., French, 34, graduated from Charleston High School in east-central Illinois, where he was a Class AA all-state wrestler. For college, French continued his education in the same town, wrestling at Eastern Illinois where he was coached by EIU alum and MMA legend Matt Hughes. After earning his bachelor's degree, French helped coach at EIU while working on his master's degree. (The EIU wrestling program was eliminated in 2007.) French brings coaching experience to his new position at St. Laurence, having coached six years at Willowbrook High School, and a year as the head coach at Mt. Carmel High School, both in Illinois. "Clay is very well respected in the wrestling community because of his work ethic and his ability to teach the technical aspects of wrestling," said St. Laurence Athletic Director Tim Chandler. "Additionally, I was impressed with Clay's high moral compass and passion for wrestling. I am confident he and his staff will deliver sustained success and stability within the program." "As the wrestling coach at St. Laurence, I will use the sport to develop the student-athletes' work ethic, confidence, integrity, self-discipline, humility, respect and a goal-setting mindset," said French. "It is an honor to be named the head coach at a school with such a strong wrestling tradition. I look forward to building the program back to a championship caliber." Carson BeebeFrench will be joined by Carson Beebe, 34, who also brings strong Midwest wrestling roots and an MMA background as the Vikings' assistant wrestling coach. Beebe was a two-time captain, two-time dual-team state champion and three-time state place winner for Montini Catholic High. He then continued his education and mat career to Purdue, where he was a starter for the Boilermakers. Both French and Beebe also bring MMA backgrounds to their new coaching positions. French has built an overall record of 20-7 over his decade-long professional career. He won the King of the Cage lightweight title and defended it three times. Beebe, who launched his pro MMA career in 2010, has compiled a 15-4 record as a professional. St. Laurence is an all-male high school for grades 9-12. The school, located in Burbank, Ill. southwest of downtown Chicago, was founded in 1961.

Less than a week after being introduced as North Carolina's head wrestling coach, Coleman Scott announced that he will compete at 57 kilos as he makes one last run at the Olympic Games in 2016. Scott, a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist in freestyle, competed at 61 kilos at the U.S. Open this year where he placed third. However, 61 kilos class is not one of the six Olympic weight classes. So instead of moving up four kilos to 65 kilos in 2016, he will drop four kilos. Coleman Scott competed for Team USA at the World Cup at 61 kilos (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"It's not going to be fun," Scott told Jason Bryant on the Short Time Time Wrestling Podcast. "I know that. It's going to be tough. But with it being 2015 and a year away ... Sort of my end plan has been (20)16 for a lot of years. It's hard to just say, 'I'm done right now.' I'm going to make sure nothing ever interferes with the team." Scott and his wife Jessica have two young children, Leighton and Stetson. "My family is the most important thing to me," Scott said on the podcast. "My wife, after this all happened, she was the first one to say, 'This is what we need to do to make sure you give yourself the best shot at being the best coach and making a run at the Olympic team. We're willing to sacrifice you being away in the office, in the room, for the next year so you can achieve that goal.'" Scott says he currently walks around close to 145 pounds. He has already started his descent to his new weight class. He's working with a company out of St. Louis called Metabolic Meals that is helping him with his meals each week. "It's never fun -- that part of it -- but it's the name of the game," Scott said of cutting weight. "Again, you just look at it and you don't complain about it. You just do it and make sure it gets done the right way."

Jim Aguiar, former head wrestling coach at New Hampshire's Plymouth State and Minnesota State University Moorhead, died after a two-battle with cancer on Thursday, Aug. 13. He was 68. Born in Biddeford, Maine, in December 1946, James D. Aguiar was a two-time state wrestling champion at 165 pounds at Biddeford High School, and the school's first all-state football player. Jim AguiarAfter graduating from Biddeford High in 1965, Aguiar attended Boston University on a football scholarship. His obituary credits Aguiar with helping to launch the Terrier wrestling program which was eliminated by BU at the end of the 2013-14 season. Aguiar earned his bachelor's degree from BU in 1969, then pursued a Master's degree at the University of Oregon while coaching football. In 1974, Aguiar was hired as an assistant professor of health education, assistant football coach, and head wrestling coach at Plymouth State University, an NCAA Division III school in the central New Hampshire city of Plymouth. At the helm of the Panther wrestling program from 1974-1985, Aguiar coached many All New England Wrestlers and the first NCAA Division II All-American wrestler at Plymouth State. He still owns the distinctions of being PSU's longest-serving wrestling coach (11 years) and still holds the record for most career dual meet victories, with a 109-90-1 record. After earning his doctorate in education from Boston University in 1986, Aguiar headed west to become an instructor and wrestling coach at Minnesota State University Moorhead, located in far western Minnesota as the twin city for Fargo, N.D. In two seasons at MSUM, Aguiar led the Dragons to an overall record of 10-23. In 1988, Aguiar moved to Ithaca College in upstate New York, where he spent the remainder of his career teaching health education and supervising student teachers. Aguiar retired from teaching at Ithaca in 2003, then returned to his former college home at Plymouth State, where he served as an assistant coach for the Panthers for the past dozen years, with a focus on recruitment and alumni relations. Recently, he it was announced he would be inducted into the Maine Wrestling Hall of Fame (in late August), the New England Wrestling Hall of Fame, and won the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance's Lifetime Achievement Award. In honor of his longstanding contributions, Plymouth State established the annual Jim Aguiar Wrestling Tournament. Upon his return to New Hampshire, Aguiar became active in local Democratic party politics. In 2005, Aguiar won the first of five elections to serve in the State House of Representatives. He was particularly proud of helping to pass the Marriage Equality Law and introducing local elementary students to government, according to his obituary. Beyond wrestling and politics, Aguiar had a number of other passions, including travel (visiting all seven continents and all 50 states), playing guitar at open mic nights and at the local farmer's market, and all forms of boating. Aguiar is survived by his wife Martha, daughters Gretchen and Jessica, his brother Daniel, and nieces, cousins and grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 22 at 10 a.m. at the Plymouth Congregational Church. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to: The Aguiar Family Award, c/o Treasurer, Biddeford High School, 20 Maplewood Avenue Biddeford, ME 04005. Or, Friends of Plymouth Wrestling c/o Coach Ryan Schieding, Plymouth State University P.E. Center, Plymouth NH, 03264.

A former Ohio high school wrestler died after performing a skydiving stunt for the Army's Golden Knights at the Chicago Air & Water show this weekend. Corey HoodCorey Hood, 32, who wrestled at Lakota West High School in suburban Cincinnati, was injured Saturday when he collided with a Navy Leap Frog parachute team member while performing a stunt known as a "bomb burst" on Saturday morning at the annual two-day event. While the Navy skydiver was able to land on a Lake Michigan beach with a broken leg, Hood apparently clipped the top of a building on Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood of high-rise apartment buildings along the lake, then fell, according to eyewitness accounts. Hood died Sunday afternoon from his injuries at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. "The Golden Knights are an important connection between the Army and the American people," Mark S. Davis, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Marketing, which oversees the USAPT, said. "Corey's loss is a loss for the Army team and every single person he has touched and inspired wherever and whenever he jumped." Army officials said they are still investigating the accident. Long-time friend and Lakota West classmate Austin Rhoades told WLWT-TV, the NBC affiliate in Cincinnati, "When we heard about the accident, a few of my friends just knew we had to be there for him because he would do the same for us, he was always there for us. We're so proud of him being a part of that elite sky diving unit, he was so proud of himself I know and really loved those guys." A 2001 graduate of Lakota West, Sgt. First Class Corey Hood was a decorated 14-year Army veteran who had been jumping since 2010, logging more than 200 free fall jumps and 75 military static line jumps. Before he became a parachutist, Hood served the country with five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was awarded two Bronze Stars, two Meritorious Service Medals, five Army Commendation Medals, five Army Achievement Medals, Master Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Air Assault Badge and the Combat Action Badge, according to an Army representative. Lakota West wrestling coach Scott Fetzer recalled a story that Hood told during a visit to his high school alma mater in 2006 about being trapped in a foxhole for two days during crossfire in Afghanistan. "Corey told our team what kept him going in that foxhole is if I can make it through wrestling practice, I can survive this," said Fetzer. "Now I'll tell you this: after he told our kids that story, it was probably the greatest practice my team has ever had." "He took that mental toughness and he lived it," Fetzer told Cincinnati ABC affiliate WCPO-TV. The coach went on to describe Hood as "a national hero" with "a lot of grit and a lot of determination." In a November 2014 profile of Hood for a Lakota West publication, coach Fetzer said, "Wrestling helps build mental and physical toughness and Corey has always displayed these characteristics. I'm so proud and honored to say, 'Corey Hood ... once a Lakota West Wrestling Hammer, always a Lakota West Wrestling Hammer!'" (In that same feature, Hood said he was proud to still wear his Lakota West "Drop the Hammer" T-shirt, saying, "I still drop the hammer in my everyday lifestyle.") That same article concluded with some advice from Corey Hood to Lakota West students. "Enjoy your time as these are the best days of your young adult life," said Hood. "Cherish your friendships and remember that decisions that you are making now can and could impact the rest of your life so think smart and remember tomorrow is another day." Hood is survived by his wife Lindsey.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana Wrestling head coach Duane Goldman announced the addition of Travis Pascoe to the coaching staff for the 2015-16 season on Monday morning. Pascoe comes to IU after spending one year as the assistant coach at Brown University. "We are excited to add Travis to our staff. He brings a very strong record of training with and producing All-Americans," Goldman said. "His background and goals will fit well with the tenets of IU Athletics. He will be a great addition to our staff and the team as a whole." In Pascoe's one-year stay at Brown, he assisted the Bears in qualifying Ophir Bernstein and Justin Staudenmayer for the NCAA tournament, and Billy Watterson as a First Team All-Ivy selection. In addition, his Brown squad posted the nation's fifth-best team GPA in the 2014-15 academic year. "I am very excited to join the IU Wrestling staff and would like to thank coach Goldman for the opportunity to work at a great institution," Pascoe said. "I hope we can help the Hoosiers move into the top tier of the Big Ten and the nation. I would also like thank my wife, Sara, for being wonderful while moving across the country to help young men reach their goals." Prior to joining Brown's coaching staff, Pascoe spent two seasons in a return to Oregon State, his sixth and seventh years overall with the Beavers. His seven years at Oregon State were split by a one-year stint at Arizona State during the 2011-12 season. Pascoe's first stretch with the Oregon State program spanned five seasons, beginning in the 2006-07 season and ending in the 2010-11 academic year. In that time, Pascoe helped coach six wrestlers to seven Pac-10 Conference titles, along with two team Pac-10 titles in 2007 and 2010. Pascoe also took part in molding two NCAA All-Americans in those five years. Pascoe continued his wrestling career at Oregon State, training for the world championships and the U.S. Olympic Trials. Pascoe's first post-graduate assistant coaching position came in the 2005-06 academic year, when he was an assistant at Fresno State. Pascoe coached one season for the Bulldogs before Fresno State discontinued their wrestling program. In that year, Pascoe coached Greg Gifford, the NCAA West Region Champion at 184 pounds. Before ascending to the coaching ranks, Pascoe was an accomplished wrestler at the University of Nebraska, where he wrestled at 184 pounds from 2000-2005. Pascoe redshirted his first season, but proceeded to start his remaining four years. Pascoe accumulated a career record of 100-36, which ranked as the 13th-most wins in Nebraska history. Pascoe was a four-time NCAA qualifier, reaching the semifinals and a sixth-place finish in 2005. Pascoe received All-American honors in 2005 for his outstanding season. Furthermore, Pascoe helped the Huskers to Top 20 finishes in all four seasons, including fifth in 2004 and eighth in 2002. In the Big 12 Championships, Pascoe posted third-place finishes in 2002 and 2003, a fourth-place finish in 2004, and a second-place finish in 2005. Prior to his collegiate career, Pascoe was a two-sport standout at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, Wash. A four-year member of both the wrestling and football squads, Pascoe was a three-time Washington State Champion at 189 pounds, and a High School All-America honoree in his senior year. Pascoe also achieved a fourth-place finish at the Cadet World Trials in 1997. The Rathdrum, Ida. native and his wife, Sara, have one daughter, Piper, and one son, Hudson.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Redshirt-sophomore Phillip Laux will join the Northwestern wrestling program in 2015-16 after transferring from the University of Iowa, head coach Drew Pariano announced Monday. Laux spent his first two collegiate seasons, including a redshirt year in 2013-14, at Iowa. While wrestling unattached during his first season in Iowa City Laux was 23-1 at 125 pounds, won three tournament titles and led the Hawkeyes with a .958 winning percentage. He placed fourth at University Nationals in 2015 at 57 kilos after a fifth-place finish in 2014. "Phillip will impact our lightweight dynamic in the room immediately," Pariano said. "He has been well-coached his entire career, beginning in high school at Iowa City West. Our entire staff and team are extremely excited to welcome Phillip to Evanston and the Northwestern community." Laux was a high school standout in Iowa. The Brighton native won two state titles at Iowa City West and was named an Asics first team All-American as a junior. He was the No. 8 ranked amateur wrestler in the country at 113 lbs. in 2012. "I am excited about the opportunity to receive a world-renowned education while pursuing my wrestling goals at Northwestern," Laux said. "I look forward to competing on the mat and in the classroom alongside teammates who value the Northwestern experience. I am excited to see what Jesus has in store for me as I begin this next chapter. "I want to thank my coaches, club members and teammates at Iowa. I enjoyed my time there and wish them nothing but the best." Laux will wrestle at either 125 or 133 pounds for the Wildcats and must complete one academic year of residency at Northwestern before he is eligible to compete.

Seven individuals with roots in wrestling in the state of Oklahoma -- including Mark Leen, Rex Edgar, and Mike Jones who have strong connections to the sport at the college level -- will be welcomed into the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame this October. Edgar, Jones and Leen -- along with Larry Wilkey, who coached at Stillwater and Jenks, and William E. "Butch" Jacobsen, high school coach who guided Geary to its only Oklahoma state title then coached Pat Smith at Del City High, and also served as a high school and college referee for 25 years -- will be honored with a Lifetime Service to Wrestling award, presented to coaches, officials and contributors who have given at least 20 years of service to the sport of wrestling. In addition, Larry Estep will receive the Medal of Courage award, given to an individual who has overcome insurmountable odds whether it be physical or mental, and Kelly Gregg will take home the Outstanding American award, given to an individual who has gone on to succeed in other walks of life but attribute part of their success to what they learned in wrestling. Born in Hayward, Okla. in 1935, Rex Edgar wrestled at powerhouse Perry High School, then at University of Oklahoma, where he was a Big Seven conference champ at 167 pounds, and an NCAA All-American in 1957. Wrestling for the legendary Port Robertson, one of Edgar's Sooner teammates was none other than Dan Hodge. In addition to careers in banking and in the Army, Edgar served as head wrestling coach at Perry High through most of the 1960s. Mike JonesMike Jones wrestled and served as a coach at Oklahoma State in the late 1970s and early 1980s. After graduating in 1982, Jones stayed in Stillwater, serving as a graduate assistant coach for the Cowboys in 1983. He then launched an enduring career as a junior high and high school wrestling coach at several Oklahoma high schools, including Broken Arrow, and at Bixby High School, as well as a mat official. Just last year, Jones was awarded the Gallagher Award, named in honor of the legendary Cowboy wrestling coach Ed Gallagher, presented annually to an Oklahoma State alumnus who, according to the press statement, "exemplifies the spirit and leadership eminent in the tradition of champions." Mark Leen enjoyed a long wrestling career which he launched as head coach at Shawnee High School in Oklahoma from 1979-86, then moving on to the collegiate ranks, first at Garden City Community College in Kansas for nine seasons, then at University of Tennessee-Chattanooga for six seasons, taking home three straight Southern Conference championships before entering private business in 2001. Mark Leen is the father of Jordan Leen, NCAA champ for Cornell University who is now coaching at the University of Virginia. The Class of 2015 honorees will be welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Oklahoma Chapter at the organization's annual ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 11 at the Jim Thorpe Museum in Oklahoma City.

SALVADOR, Brazil -- Three U.S. wrestlers won bronze medals in freestyle wrestling on the final day of the UWW Junior World Championships on Sunday. Stevan Micic (Cedar Lake, Ind. (Chicago RTC) won the bronze medal at 55 kilos/121 pounds with a strong 6-0 win over 2014 Asian Junior bronze medalist Zanzabar Zandanbud of Mongolia. Micic came out and got the first takedown, and was able to force Zandanbud to his back twice for tilts to lead 6-0 at the break. In the second period, Micic wrestled aggressively, held position and shut down the Mongolian's attack, as no other points were scored. Micic was much more in control than in his opening bout, when he lost an 8-2 lead to Ravi Kumar of India in the second period to lose 8-12. When Kumar reached the finals, pulling Micic back in, he took full advantage. He won his repechage match over Canada's Samuel Jagas, 10-0, then came out strong in the bronze-medal round. Micic is a past Cadet World Team member, but this is his first World medal. Read complete story ... Team USA Results (Sunday): 55 kilos/121 pounds -- Stevan Micic, Cedar Lake, Ind. (Chicago RTC), bronze medal LOSS Ravi Kumar (India), 8-12 WIN Samuel Jagas (Canada), 10-0 WIN Zanzabar Zandanbud (Mongolia), 6-0 66 kilos/145.5 pounds -- Aaron Pico, Whittier, Calif. (Titan Mercury WC), bronze medal WIN Kalman Balasz (Hungary), 11-0 WIN Ilyas Zhumay (Kazakhstan), 10-0 LOSS Teymur Mammadov (Azerbaijan), 7-7 WIN Enus Uslu (Turkey), 13-4 84 kilos/185 pounds -- Zahid Valencia, Pico Rivera, Calif. (Sunkist Kids), 10th WIN Benjamin Optiz (Germany), tech. fall, 10-0 LOSS Arsen Musalaliev (Russia), 7-4 120 kg/264.5 lbs. -- Nathan Butler, Leavenworth, Kan. (California RTC), bronze medal WIN Beka Kandelaki (Georgia), 6-2 LOSS Said Gamidov (Azerbaijan), 1-5 WIN Kamil Kosciulek (Poland), 2-1

As he looks to become just the second four-time, undefeated state champion in New Jersey history this upcoming season, Nick Suriano had a college choice to make. Sunday evening after a long recruiting process, the Bergen Catholic, N.J., senior verbally committed to Penn State over Iowa and Nebraska. The Suriano family gave me exclusivity among the national high school media to speak with Nick about his decision. When and how did you reach your final decision? Suriano: A few days back. I just stuck with my gut. Penn State gives me everything I need to succeed. (Head coach) Cael Sanderson is the greatest wrestler ever, in my opinion, and I want to associate myself with the greatest. I gave it a couple of days (to announce the commitment) so I could reach out to the coaches of the other schools that recruited me. I wanted to show them the respect they gave me. Nick Suriano defeated Jake Newhouse of Massillon Perry to claim his third Beast of the East title (Photo/Rob Preston)What were the key factors in deciding on Penn State? Suriano: Winning. I have aspirations to win World and Olympic championships. The education played a big part in it, as well. All the great partners in the wrestling room. The coaching staff is tremendous from Cael, Cody (Sanderson), Casey Cunningham, and Frank Molinaro. I will be three and a half hours away from home, so the distance was another big factor. How was the decision making process? Suriano: I stuck with my gut choice. Penn State wins on and off the mat. They (Penn State) have it all. It's what I am representing as a person and I have levels to go (in regards to being the best). What weight do you plan on wrestling? Suriano: I will be a 125-pounder my freshman year. It is all about proper communication with the coaches. I will probably end up at 133 after a few years. Who besides Cael Sanderson played a role in committing to Penn State? Suriano: (Associate head coach) Cody (Sanderson). He's legit as well. I have faith in him. He was a two-time NCAA finalist. That staff doesn't get enough credit. Nico Megaludis will be one of my partners every day. It is only going to benefit me having him around with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. It is filled with potential. Everything about Penn State is well done and classy. Did Jered Cortez's decision to transfer to Penn State play a role in your choice? Suriano: I probably told the Penn State coaches first (about committing). It is a great coincidence. I am looking forward to meeting Cortez and having him be workout partner of mine. Who would you like to thank for helping you throughout your life? Suriano: My family and all my coaches since I started wrestling. My brother, father, and mother are the ones I want to thank most. My brother Mike is my best friend and my biggest supporter. My dad (Bob): we traveled everywhere together growing up and he set it all in place for me. I wouldn't be at where I am today without my dad. I want to win for my family, the Penn State wrestlers, coaches and fans.

Three-time state champion Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), who is undefeated for his high school career, verbally committed to Penn State on Sunday afternoon. The nation's No. 2 ranked wrestler in the Class of 2016 projects to compete at 133 pounds in college, and joins No. 15 Mason Manville (South County, Va.) as impact commits for the Nittany Lions this early in the recruiting process. During his high school career, Suriano is a three-time Beast of the East champion, a two-time Super 32 Challenge finalist (champion in 2012), and was runner-up at the UWW Cadet freestyle nationals in 2014.

Dustin McKinney, who wrestled at George Mason University, will be featured on the NBC reality TV series "American Ninja Warrior" Monday evening, Aug. 17. The series, which will begin its seventh season this fall, puts athletes from various backgrounds through a supersized obstacle course with various tests of physical skill and endurance, with names such as the Warped Wall and the Salmon Ladder ... all under the series slogan "No greater test. No greater glory." "American Ninja Warrior" is based on the global hit "Sasuke" from Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, which is now in its 31st season in Japan. Dustin McKinneyThe 5'2" former wrestler, who will turn 29 three days after the broadcast, invited fans to a public watch party via a post on his Dustin McKinney American Ninja Warrior Facebook page: "IT IS OFFICIAL! Monday, Aug. 17 at 7:30 p.m. We are having another watch party at Buffalo Wild Wings. Like last time, if you mention the Navy Ball or The American Ninja Warrior Fundraiser 10% of your purchase will be donated to the CSRA Navy Ball! Even if you can't make the watch party you can buy food anytime that day and still participate in the fundraiser." McKinney, a lieutenant, junior grade, in the United States Navy, currently stationed in Georgia, has participated in earlier rounds of the special "American Ninja Warrior" competition for retired and active-duty military professionals. Last year, when he was just an ensign, he competed in the Miami, Fla., tryouts, in front of his wife, Tish, and his dog, Java. "I had seen the Japanese version years ago, and I thought that it looked like a lot of fun," McKinney, a four-time North Carolina high school state champ, told ColumbiaCountyMag.com. "On the American version, they did gymnastics and parkour. There were skateboarders and skiers. I thought 'I can do all that.' It looked like a big challenge, and I wanted to test myself." In a July 2015 interview with Patheos.com, McKinney said, "I told my wife, 'I'm scared of everything. But if I get to that last obstacle, there's no way I'm not going to finish.' The one I'm not scared of, I get to it, and that's the one I go out on. "Number one, never overlook an obstacle; always do the obstacle right in front of you. Number two is: shoes are very important." McKinney has a diverse on-the-mat background. Wrestling for East Gaston High School in Mt. Holly, N.C., McKinney became only the fourth four-time champ in North Carolina history in 2004, and was named Wrestler of the Year by both NCMat.com and the Charlotte Observer that year. He also earned two titles at the respected Super 32 prep tournament. McKinney then headed north to George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. in suburban Washington, D.C. where he wrestled at 125 pounds. According to ColumbiaCountyMag.com, McKinney competed in national wrestling tournaments as part of the All-Navy Wrestling Team five years ago. McKinney isn't the first former wrestler to have participated in a reality TV series. Earlier this year, Clint Arlis, who wrestled at the University of Illinois from 2005-2011, competed on the ABC series "The Bachelorette". Prior to that, in the most recent edition of "The Bachelor", Chris Soules had wrestled at Starmont High School in Iowa, according to his official website. One year ago, Bridgewater State University mat alum Andrew Frazer battled ogres, dragons and agents of a dark lord on the ABC-TV series "The Quest". More than a decade ago, CBS's "Survivor" featured Matthew Ertfelda, a vice-president for Marriott International, who brought along his high school wrestling jacket as his "luxury item." A few years later, "The Amazing Race" had a team with former University of Central Missouri wrestler and coach Gary Ervin and his 20-something daughter Mallory.

Spencer Lee (Photo/Martin Gabor) SALVADOR, Brazil -- 2014 UWW Cadet World champion Spencer Lee (Murraysville, Pa./Young Guns) added a new title to his expanding trophy case, UWW Junior World champion. Lee tore up the field on the way to the title at 50 kilos/110 pounds, including an impressive 10-0 technical fall in the gold medal finals over another 2014 Cadet World champion Ali Reza Goodarzi of Iran at the UWW Junior Worlds on Saturday night. Lee scored an early takedown then locked up his feared ankle lace, turning Goodarzi at least four times for two points, to get his 10 points and stop the match early in the first period. "I was surprised I had a leg lace. They told me to cinch it up, and I cinched it up and started rolling. I didn't stop until I heard the whistle," said Lee. Read complete story ... Team USA Results (Saturday): 50 kilos/110 pounds -- Spencer Lee, Murraysville, Pa. (Young Guns), gold medal WIN Roman Gutsalyak (Ukraine), tech. fall 10-0 WIN Darkhan Kalkenov (Kazakhstan), tech. fall 12-2 WIN Roberti Dingashvili (Georgia), tech. fall 10-0 WIN Bhart Datil (India), tech. fall 12-2 WIN Ali Reza Goodarzi (Iran), tech fall 10-0 74 kilos/163 pounds -- Mark Hall, Apple Valley, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 9th WIN Yayuro Yamasaki (Japan), 6-2 WIN Murad Suleymanov (Azerbaijan), pin 5:34 LOSS Peter Nagy (Hungary), 4-2 96 kilos/211.5 pounds -- Anthony Cassar, Bridgewater, N.J. (Nittany Lion WC), 8th WIN Kristoff Wittmann (Hungary), tech. fall 10-0 LOSS Roubel Singh (India), pin 1:33

Three wrestlers verbally committed to the University of Illinois on Friday afternoon, all of whom are ranked among the top 100 overall in the Class of 2016. No. 74 Mike Carr (South Fayette, Pa.) was the first to announce his commitment. The two-time state placer won a state title this past season, and projects to compete at 141/149 in college. Next to commit was No. 46 Dylan Duncan (Montini Catholic, Ill.). The two-time state champion was a Junior National freestyle All-American last month in Fargo, after winning a Cadet National freestyle title the previous summer. Duncan projects to compete as a 133 pound wrestler in college. Last of the three commits is No. 61 Travis Piotrowski (Prairie Ridge, Ill.). The projected 125 pound wrestler has twice placed third at his state tournament, and is now a three-time Fargo All-American in freestyle. Last month he placed third at the Junior level in the 120 pound weight class, after a pair of All-American finishes at the Cadet level the previous two summers.

Participation in high school wrestling and football was down for the 2014-15 season compared to the previous year, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations in a report issued Thursday. NFHS -- the organization which tracks high school sports participation on a nationwide and state-by-state basis, among other responsibilities -- reported there were 11,306 fewer participants in wrestling across the country last season, while 11-player football saw 9,617 fewer participants. In reporting these NFHS stats, USA Today offered its own reasons for declines in these sports, stating that football may be taking a hit over concerns about concussions, while claiming that wrestling "has seen a precipitous drop in college scholarships." (Over the past 40 years, there has been a significant decline in the overall number of NCAA Division I wrestling programs, resulting in fewer individual scholarships.) Because fewer male athletes took to the wrestling mat and football field this past season, the NFHS' overall participation numbers indicate 8,682 fewer boys participated in high school sports overall in 2014-15, while the number of girls athletes increased by 20,071. Looking at overall participation levels for boys and girls combined, more athletes than ever are participating in high school sports, with 7,807,047 high school athletes in the last school year across the U.S., an increase of 11,389 from the previous school year, according to the latest NHSF statistics. This year's reported drop in the overall number of high school wrestlers bucks a long-running trend of increasing numbers of participants in the sport over the years. Wrestling remains a popular high school sport, with a total of 269,704 boys and girls participating, and 12,403 schools offering the sport nationwide. In addition to providing overall numbers, the NHSF also breaks down statistics by sex. For boys, the sport ranks eighth in terms of the number of high schools, with 10,597 schools offering wrestling for boys ... and sixth in numbers of male participants, with 258,208. Every state in the nation has boys participating in high school wrestling ... even Mississippi, which is the one state that does not have a sanctioned state championship; however, according to the NHSF report, two schools in that state have a total of 25 wrestlers. In terms of the numbers of individual male participants, the top five states are California (26,374 male wrestlers), Illinois (15,036), New York (13,668), Texas (11,139) and Ohio (11,114). In counting the number of high schools that offer boys wrestling, the top five states are California (848 schools), Ohio (585), New York (497), Pennsylvania (493), and Michigan (445). According to the NFHS, a total of 11,496 girls wrestle at 1,806 schools in 38 states. In terms of number of individual participants, Texas is tops with 3,977 girl high school wrestlers, followed by California (2,747), Washington state (1,210), Michigan (593), and Hawaii (498). The states with the most high schools that have at least one female wrestler: California ranks No. 1 with 523 schools, followed by Texas (259), Washington state (197), Alaska (102), and Maryland (85). The NFHS report also provides a big-picture look at overall high school sports participation going back more than four decades. Overall participation among boys and girls has nearly doubled from 1971-72 (the first year of the survey) to today, with 3,960,932 student-athletes in 1972 vs. 7,807,047 participants this year. The number of male athletes has grown by 852,395 since 1972, while the number of girls participating in high school sports has grown more than ten times in that same timeframe.

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska Wesleyan University has named Brandon Bradley as its first head wrestling coach. It was announced in July 2015 that wrestling would be added as a varsity sport in the 2016-17 school year. Bradley comes to NWU from Ferrum College, a NCAA Division III institution in Virginia, where he has served as the Head Assistant Wrestling Coach the past two seasons. He assisted in starting Ferrum College's brand new DIII wrestling program. While at Ferrum, He coached one national qualifier, in two years had six wrestlers place in top six of the region and personally planned and organized the college's first open wrestling tournament. "It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that I announce the hiring of Brandon Bradley as our wrestling coach," NWU athletic director Ira Zeff said. "We are very fortunate to have someone with his experience to start our NCAA III wrestling program." Prior to coaching at Ferrum, Bradley was an assistant coach at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater from 2010-13. During his tenure, UWW placed third at the 2013 NCAA III Tournament qualifying wrestlers for nationals in eight of 10 weight classes, with six wrestlers earning All-America honors. The Warhawks also won the DIII Midwest Regional as well as the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the second straight year. "I am very excited and honored to be selected as NWU's first wrestling coach." Bradley said. "It is a great opportunity to start a brand new NCAA III wrestling program in the state of Nebraska and compete in one of the toughest conferences (IIAC) in the nation." Bradley wrestled four years at University of North Carolina at Pembroke, an NCAA Division II school, starting all four years for the Braves in the 149-pound weight class. He competed internationally in Bulgaria and Romania in the summer of 2012. He will begin at NWU immediately to start recruiting student-athletes as the Prairie Wolves will begin varsity competition in the 2016-17 athletic season.

MINNEAPOLIS -- MatBoss and Trackwrestling are partnering to integrate wrestling statistics and results captured within MatBoss directly into Trackwrestling, it was announced on Friday. The development of this integration is underway and will be available for the upcoming 2015-16 wrestling season. "Trackwrestling is the leading wrestling event management platform available on the market," said Jeremy Hipps, a partner with MatBoss. "Coaches that utilize the video and statistics management capabilities of MatBoss in conjunction with Trackwrestling's event management platform are giving themselves and their programs an advantage." Added Justin Tritz of Trackwrestling: "We are very excited about what MatBoss has to offer and look forward to integrating it with the Trackwrestling platform for the 2015-16 season. The iPad application they have created is a great compliment to our statistics program and the Trackcast tools we have and continue to develop." The MatBoss-Trackwrestling integration will streamline the process of reporting results, eliminating the need to manually enter statistics on Trackwrestling. Teams registered with MatBoss will receive a Trackwrestling statistics program. Users will have the ability to pull roster and events into the MatBoss application and push results data back into Trackwrestling. To learn more about MatBoss, visit the website, which provides additional product information and testimonials. For coaches who have additional questions or would like to request a demo, simply fill out this form. For more information on Trackwrestling, visit www.trackwrestling.com.

The Wrestling World Championships start Monday, September 7, in Las Vegas. With Olympic qualifications on the line and the ease of travel into Sin City, the 2015 championships could be the most well-attended and competitive championship in the sport's history. If you are thinking about going for a day, or two, or six then you need to get busy on buying airplane tickets, tournament tickets and reserving your hotel room for the event. Book your tickets now at www.vegasworlds2015.com. This is your assignment for the week. (No, I make no extra money if you attend.) Q: Zero medals for the U.S. at the Junior Worlds in Greco-Roman. The lack of success for the U.S. Greco-Roman program on the senior level in recent years is well documented. What needs to change to make the U.S. more competitive internationally in Greco-Roman? -- Mike C. Foley: The USA is a top 15 nation at the senior level in Greco-Roman, but junior-level success has been fleeting at best. There are efforts to develop all levels of the program. Matt Lindland is just outside of his first year and anything he is looking to implement -- from culture to technique -- will take time to mature. The larger question is what the expectations should be for the U.S. Greco-Roman team. Do we think they'll ever compete with the Iranians, Azerbaijanis, Russians, Hungarians and Georgians when there is no support at home? Those other nations wrestle Greco-Roman YEAR-ROUND from age 5. They compete in the club system within their country and travel to events in Europe 4-5 times a year and attend 1-2 training camps. Can the United States afford the ramp-up costs to compete? With attention and resources focused so heavily on folkstyle, freestyle and women's freestyle, there is significantly less available to the Greco-Roman team than in European countries. Everyone wants to be No. 1, but when it comes to Greco-Roman and the coming years there should be more attainable goals for Team USA, such as multiple medalists at this year's World Championships and to qualify all of the Olympic weight classes. Q: What do you think about the Virginia Tech hiring of Mike Zadick and Derek St. John? -- @takedow1 Foley: There is a lot of talent that comes from Iowa and I don't think it's surprising a few of their best guys end up coaching with fellow alums of the program. Virginia Tech has been powerful over the past five years and if Coach Dresser feels that this duo can pack an added punch, I tend to trust they will. Overall the ACC has been acquiring a lot of top talents. Remember that U.Va. has NCAA champions Jordan Leen and Keith Gavin on staff and Coleman Scott just signed on as UNC-Chapel Hill's new head coach. Good luck to the Iowa guys in Blacksburg. I'm sure they'll find the culture in that part of Virginia is similar to that what they enjoyed in Iowa. Isaiah Martinez celebrates after defeating James Green in the NCAA semifinals (Photo/Rob Preston)Q: Isaiah Martinez beat James Green multiple times during the college season. Should we look at Martinez in a more favorable light now that Green is on the World Team? -- Mike C. Foley: Who was looking at the undefeated freshman NCAA champion with any light other than favorable?! Imar is a generational talent and what you saw this year is just his opening act. Want a guy who can challenge Jordan Burroughs in 2017? Imar might be your MAN. Q: I really need the slip rule explained! I don't like it, but I also don't understand it so I need it clarified. -- @wrestlingnomad Foley: In order to promote action, wrestlers who attempt and miss a throw are not penalized. There are wrestlers who will be losing position (especially in Greco-Roman) who then try a bad throw in an attempt to draw a slip. That behavior is almost always caught and takedowns are awarded. It's a weird rule for sure, but without it there may never be a big throw attempt, and in Greco-Roman there needs to be as many incentives as possible in order to promote action. The rule is also present in men's freestyle and women's freestyle, though you see it much less frequently given the ability to attack legs. Q: What are your thoughts on David Habat representing Slovenia in wrestling? See others do it just so they can be an Olympian, World Team member.‬ -- @nathanjohn_319 Foley: "… just so they can be an Olympian." You miiiiight be underestimating how difficult it can be to make the Olympics. Remember that you must qualify from your continent or at a last-chance qualifier. Those are stacked tournaments with every country entering their very best athletes to each competition. If Habat qualifies then he deserves to be in the Olympics, regardless of what nation is on his singlet. David Habat (Photo/Rob Preston)Habat and others are well within their right to fight for a spot on the Olympic stage outside of the USA. Many of us have been watching too much NBC coverage of wave-flagging Star Spangled Olympic footage to see that wrestling, and many athletic events in the Games, are individual, not nationalistic. Does nation vs. nation drive viewership and interest? One-hundred percent. Does Habat owe his entire future to the fact that NBC sells beers and cars to millions of viewers based on national pride? No. Q: Who takes over as head coach of Team USA's men's freestyle program after 2016? -- Mike C. Foley: My top candidates: Cael Sanderson John Smith Tom Brands Brandon Slay Sean Bormet Q: How likely is it that we'll see Tervel Dlagnev on the mats again? -- @ShogunOfSonoma Foley: I don't know the extent of injury, but the answer is one-hundred percent. After Rio, or the qualifications? Zero percent Q: What are your thoughts on Coleman Scott becoming the new head wrestling coach at UNC? Does this mean he's done competing? Or is he still training for the 2016 Olympic Games? -- Mike C. Foley: From all accounts Coleman Scott is a talented coach. His success on the mat will play a large role in his recruitment of future athletes and with a stable of active alumni I think we'll see the program expand in several meaningful ways. I assume that this signals the end of his competitive career. Keeping up with Brent Metcalf, Logan Stieber and the rest of the stable at 65 kilos is not an easy task if you train year-round. It is significantly more difficult with an 80-90 hour-a-week job. If Scott wants to compete then he'll have blessings all around. If he chooses to spend his little bit of downtime with the family nobody will cast a doubt. If they do, I recommend he just hold up that Olympic bronze and shh' them from the room. Q: World Championship preparation. Few questions! 1. What countries will be represented in Vegas? 2. Does the U.S.'s entire squad get to wrestle? The guys didn't have to qualify, did they? 3. Who besides our guys should we be looking out for? I'm not familiar with the foreign wrestlers (much). Who do you think is really exciting to watch? -- John G. Foley: Answers below. 1. All. The only qualification for the World Championships is that you enter a wrestler at that weight class during the continental championships. The motivation for this year's bloated continental championships was that the top six finishers at the World Championships automatically qualify their weight class for the Olympic Games. For many countries that is their best shot to qualify for Rio. 2. Yes. All of 'em. 3. Men's freestyle: Every Russian is entertaining to watch, as are the Iranians. Each has their own style, but they are equally active and beautiful in their execution. Women's freestyle: Japan dominates, but also look out for Azerbaijan, China and some of South America's wrestlers. Sleepers are the Cuban women who are love-to-throw former judokas who compete at one-hundred percent for six minutes. Greco-Roman: Georgia is looking solid, but Russia and Iran are more likely to win matches with moves that get your blood going. However, the No. 1 most entertaining wrestler in the world right now is world No. 1 Rasul Chunayev (Azerbaijan) at 71 kilos -- a throw a minute. Incredible to watch. Q: Can you dive into the Corey Mock decision and how this affects C.D. Mock's future? Also, since there are many high school coaches and wrestlers that read your article, please address the issue that males will always be assumed guilty before innocent in issues of sexual assault. I think this is an issue we need to address with our athletes and the ramifications it can have on someone's life (ex. Corey Mock and Jordan Holm). -- Tim H. Foley: The decision of the court to rule that Corey Mock was denied due process has no bearing on C.D. Mock's choice to publish blog posts about the sexual assault crisis on college campuses. Corey may have been denied due process and the court overturned it, but that wasn't because of C.D.'s public relations campaign. It was because the judge saw the legal argument. Disparaging women is juvenile. Yes, they make mistakes and of course one-hundred percent of accusations are not true, but to use the court's ruling to buoy some knuckle-dragging theory that some tiny percentage of women are ACTUALLY sexually assaulted and that the rest lie is bogus. C.D. was fired because he wasn't protected by academic freedom to espouse any belief he wish. He was hired as a wrestling coach, not a sociology professor. He represented the university in his role as a coach and when he embarrassed them he was shown the door. He also wasn't winning enough matches. But again, to be clear, this ruling does NOT exonerate Corey or C.D., it simply says that the former was denied due process on a college campus, something that many advocates on both sides have pointed to as a weakness of prosecuting sex crimes on campus. Q: I have a question. How are you doing on this fine day? -- @maggiehendricks Foley: I woke up in Brazil, watched wrestling and got to write. Today was a great day! RANT OF THE WEEK By Jacob R. Aside from Flo's immature shenanigans and their extremely biased reporting of U.S. wrestlers, I would have to say the organization provides a good service. I usually only pay for Flo Pro when the U.S. Open and World Team Trials are underway. Doesn't really make sense to pay money to watch ESPN matches from the NCAAs that are dubbed over with their screaming. Anyways, I have noticed that a lot of the matches on their pay-per-view service involve a lot of our youth and amateur ranks. I am curious if the youngsters competing in Fargo, the Junior World Championships, and other events that are within the Flo Pro umbrella get any of the profits. I would assume no, which leads me to ask, "Shouldn't a high school athlete who competes in an event that is broadcast over a pay-wall network get something from her or his hard work?" Similar to college football and basketball, if it wasn't for the athletes and their abilities there really would be no need to broadcast an event and have people pay money to watch it. Now this leads me to ask if the senior level wrestlers get any money from Flowrestling covering their events. Obviously, Flo has some sort of deal with USA Wrestling and I think they even struck a deal with United World Wrestling to do coverage of Junior Worlds and the Senior Worlds. My question is shouldn't the senior level wrestlers get a cut instead of the governing body? It appears that wrestlers, both in the U.S. and worldwide and dare I say athletes in many of the non-professional uber popular ball sports are relegated to a weird limbo in which they are kinda sorta amateurs who will get paid if they win World or Olympic gold, but likely get very little from the revenues yielded from the broadcast of their triumphs. While I dig the confidence that is exhibited from Burroughs and the plethora of other senior level wrestlers in the U.S., it sure would be nice if they approached Flo with a "Show me the money!" attitude. I would probably be more inclined to pay for a full year's subscription to Flo Pro knowing that the wrestlers are actually benefiting from it.

The week of grade rankings updates reaches its conclusion with the top 15 junior high wrestlers updated for the happenings of the summer to date, most notably the Schoolboy Nationals held in Wisconsin during late June. These wrestlers will graduate from high school in the Class of 2020 or later. The top three spots in the rankings remain unchanged, with Joshua Saunders (Missouri) holding onto the No. 1 spot. Andrew Alirez enters the rankings at No. 4 (Photo/Xtreme Pro) The highest ranked newcomer is Andrew Alirez (Colorado), who jumps into the rankings all the way at No. 4 overall after finishing fifth at 113 pounds in last month's Cadet National freestyle tournament. The other newcomer to the rankings is No. 7 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma). Four Schoolboy Nationals freestyle champions are among the fifteen ranked junior high wrestlers: No. 3 Beau Bartlett (Pennsylvania), No. 5 Cullan Schreiver (Iowa), No. 8 Carson Manville (Virginia), and No. 14 Carter Young (Oklahoma). Two wrestlers each from Missouri, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Oklahoma populate the rankings, while seven other states have a single wrestler in the top 15. View Top 15 Junior High Wrestlers

A pair of past event champions were among the five teams added to The Clash XIV National High School Wrestling Duals to be held on January 1st and 2nd of 2016. Five-time tournament champions Apple Valley, Minn. most recently won the tournament in January 2014, and finished third overall in the event this past season. Also joining the field are St. Edward, Ohio, who won the tournament in December 2011. Both Apple Valley and St. Edward finished this past season ranked in The Fab50 National Team Rankings, the Eagles from Minnesota were ranked No. 17, while the Eagles from Ohio were No. 15 overall. Apple Valley won a tenth consecutive state title in Minnesota Class AAA, which is the big school division, and a 16th championship in the last 17 years. St. Edward won the individual state tournament in Ohio Division I, which is the big-school division, earning the title for the 16th time in the last 18 years. Also joining these perennial national powers in The Clash field are Carrington, N.D., Hastings, Minn., and Wasatch, Utah. Fifteen teams out of the 32 school field for this year's event have been unveiled. Carrington won both the individual bracket and dual meet state tournament in North Dakota Class B, which is that state's small-school division. The Cardinals return 11 wrestlers that competed in the state tournament last year, including nine that placed, and five that were in the state finals. Returning state champions include Walker Carr (145), Billy Holtan (152), and Riley Lura (182); while Bridger Anderson (170) and Bradee Schroeder (285) finished as state runners-up last year. It is a debut appearance in The Clash for Carrington. Hastings participated in The Clash last year, finishing third in their opening day bracket, but going 0-3 in the day two pool of third place teams. The Raiders were state dual meet semifinalists in Class AAA in 2014, but failed to make the final eight last year. They return five state qualifiers, but only Mark Vaith (182), who finished fourth, earned a state placement finish this past season. Wasatch also participated in The Clash last season, finishing seventh in their opening day bracket, then going 1-2 to finish third in the day two pool of seventh place teams. The Wasps were state champions in Utah Class 4A during the 2014-15 season. Nine state placers return for the upcoming season, including state champion Braiden Parker (113), along with five state runners-up. Circling back to Apple Valley and St. Edward, each squad features many high profile wrestlers. Leading the way is a pair of wrestlers ranked tops in their grade level that compete for Apple Valley, Mark Hall in the Class of 2016 and Gable Steveson in the Class of 2018. They are joined by three other returning state qualifiers, including Nate Larson (106) and Kyle Rathman (113) who each finished in third place. St. Edward has had a wrestler earn All-American honors at the Division I NCAA tournament in each of the last 25 years. This year's squad returns five state qualifiers, four of whom earned top three finishes at the state tournament. Allan Hart (113) was the lone state champion, Hunter Ladnier (132) and Jared Campbell (195) placed second, while Jack Conway (145) finished third. The field for the January 2016 edition of The Clash National High School Wrestling Duals now features seven teams that were members of the Fab50 National Team Rankings to end the 2014-15 season.

As the summer wrestling season came to its conclusion, the Schoolboy National freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments, along with the Cadet National freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments, were the major events for the ranking period. Happenings within these events had significant influence on the top 25 rankings for the incoming freshman Class of 2019. Two of the newly ranked wrestlers, No. 11 Carson Kharchlava (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio) and Aden Reeves (Albia, Iowa) had most excellent Fargo performances. Kharchlava placed fifth in a loaded 132-pound weight bracket at the Cadet Nationals, while Reeves earned All-American honors in both styles at 106 pounds (fifth in Greco-Roman, fourth in freestyle). In all, there are four new members in the top 25, as Kharchlava and Reeves are joined by No. 14 Chris Cannon (Blair Academy, N.J.) and No. 25 Adrian St. German (Vashon, Wash.). After St. Germain went undefeated across the Olympic styles at the Schoolboy National Duals in early June, he went on to win titles in both Greco-Roman and freestyle at 144 pounds at the national championships in late June. Leading the way in the top 25 with four ranked wrestlers each are the states of New Jersey and Ohio, while it's three from Colorado, and a pair each from Pennsylvania and Iowa. Jordan Decatur up from No. 19 to No. 8 after winning a Cadet freestyle title in Fargo (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)The top six wrestlers in the rankings remain unchanged, anchored by Cadet National champions No. 2 Cohlton Schultz (Ponderosa, Colo.), No. 3 Nick Raimo (Hanover Park, N.J.) and No. 5 Dylan D'Emilio (Genoa, Ohio); Schultz was champion in Greco-Roman and runner-up in freestyle at 220 pounds, Raimo won titles in both styles at 120, while D'Emilio won a title in freestyle at 106. Josh McKenzie (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) remains ranked in the top position for the Class of 2019. The biggest upward move within the national rankings came from Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio), the Cadet National freestyle champion at 106 pounds; he moved from No. 19 to No. 8 among incoming freshmen. Other Cadet National freestyle champions in the rankings are Raimo and D'Emilio; unranked incoming freshman Mosha Schwartz (Ponderosa, Colo.) was a Cadet National triple crown winner at 88 pounds. View Top 25 Freshmen

Lee Roper has joined the team as a volunteer coach. Roper is the co-founder of Compound Wrestling Facilities in McDonough, Georgia. Since its inception in 2008, the club has coached 13 wrestlers who advanced as Division I athletes, including former All-American for UNI Joey Lazor and current Panther Jake Hodges.11386 Lee RoperRoper was a four-year starter at Appalachian State University from 2001-06 and an NCAA qualifier in 2003. He earned all-conference honors in 2002 and 2003. As a prep athlete, Roper was an All-American and two-time state champion from Madison, Georgia. "How Lee goes about things is a fit for our program and how we are trying to raise men," said head coach Doug Schwab. "I saw how he related to his club wrestlers and built that up. We have very similar philosophies in our lives and how we want to build a program." In addition to Lazor and Hodges, Roper helped train in-coming freshman Taylor Lujan. Lujan is a four-time Georgia state champion. He lost just one match as a prep in Carrollton, Georgia. Lujan closed out his high school career ranked fourth in the nation by Intermat and is projected to wrestle at 174 pounds for the Panthers. "He adds some expertise in areas we don't have," said Schwab. "We have brought in a middle-weight guy to fill that role. He was highly sought after, but this is the place he wanted to be." Schwab said Roper's desire to be at UNI is apparent when he is talking to student-athletes. "I came to UNI, because I believe in the passion and vision the coaching staff and athletes have set in place," said Roper. "I wake up every day excited knowing national championships are possible at Northern Iowa."

Two-time NCAA All-American wrestler Sean Gray is among six individuals to be welcomed into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in September, the Blacksburg, Va. school announced this past weekend. Sean GrayEnrolling at Virginia Tech in 1997, Gray crafted a career of accomplishment on the mats for the Hokies. A four-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships qualifier, Gray earned back-to-back NCAA All-American honors at 141 pounds as a sophomore and junior in 2000 and 2001. In addition, the New Jersey native won the Colonial Athletic Association title at 134 pounds as a freshman, then followed up with three consecutive Eastern Wrestling League championships, earning a place in the EWL Hall of Fame in 2007. Gray completed his Virginia Tech mat career as the program's all-time leader in wins (133), winning percentage (.850), pins (45), and pins in a single season (15). Gray still ranks as the school's leader in career individual wins and pins and second in winning percentage (87.5), behind Devin Carter. Since graduating from Virginia Tech, Sean Gray has developed a successful collegiate coaching career, first at the now-defunct program at Boston University for seven seasons, then as an assistant coach for the past five seasons at Princeton University. In addition to Gray, other members of the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2015 include Roscoe Coles (football), Will Furrer (football), April Byrd Mosley (track), Bryan Randall (football), and Dr. Duane Lagan (team physician). The six new honorees will be inducted during a Hall of Fame dinner on the Virginia Tech campus on Friday, Sept. 11, the evening before the Hokies' home football game against Furman. The inductees will be introduced to fans at halftime of the football game. The Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, which is located at the south end of the Cassell Coliseum ambulatory, was established in 1982. The Class of 2015 inductees will bring the total number enshrined to 181. Gray is the ninth individual connected to the Virginia Tech wrestling program to be welcomed into the hall, joining eight former Hokie wrestlers, and one past coach (Frank Teske).

A familiar face is taking on a new role at Labette Community College, as the Kansas-based two-year college has hired Ben McKenzie as its new head wrestling coach. A native of Parsons, Kansas where Labette is located, McKenzie has spent much of his life and career at the school, having wrestled for the Cardinals in the late 1990s then served as head athletic trainer at Labette for a dozen years before becoming an instructor last year. The news was message posted at the Labette wrestling Facebook page on Wednesday afternoon: "We have our first team meeting scheduled for tomorrow, August 13th at 3:00. The new coaching staff is excited to meet all of the young men and ready to begin preparing them to become successful student athletes. For those that haven't heard, this year the Cardinals will be coached by '99 Cardinal wrestling alumnus and longtime LCC employee, Ben McKenzie. Coach McKenzie will be assisted by Kansas native and NJCAA National Champion, Jeff Vesta as well as former Cardinal wrestling alumnus John Hambleton. We are excited about the upcoming year and look forward to continuing the success of Labette Wrestling. We appreciate the ongoing support of the Cardinal family and look forward to seeing you in the stands this upcoming season." According to his coach's biography already posted at the Labette wrestling website, McKenzie graduated from Parsons High School in 1996, then stayed in town to attend Labette, where he wrestled for coach Jody Thompson. After earning his Associate in Arts degree in Athletic Training in 1999, McKenzie went on to wrestle at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D. while completing his degree in Athletic Training, graduating in 2001. After spending one year in Hays, Kan., McKenzie had the opportunity to return to Labette, where he served as Head Athletic Trainer for the Cardinals from 2002 until 2014. In 2014-15, McKenzie started the Exercise Science program at Labette, and will continue to serve as a faculty member as well as head wrestling coach. McKenzie replaces Ryan Phillips, who had headed up the Labette Community College wrestling program for the past two seasons. Phillips' first season as head coach was challenging; in 2013-14, the Cardinals compiled a 1-11 dual-meet record just two years after winning the team title at the 2012 NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Wrestling Championships. However, the following season, Phillips turned things around, sending eight wrestlers to the national championships, with four of them finishing as All-Americans, and the team just missing placing among the top ten in the overall standings. For his turnaround performance, in 2015 Phillips was named the NJCAA West Central District Coach of the Year.

CHAPEL HILL -- Coleman Scott has been named the head coach of the North Carolina wrestling team, Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham announced Wednesday. Scott, who came to UNC as an assistant in 2014 and has served as the interim head coach since June, becomes the sixth head coach in the history of the program. Coleman Scott (Photo/GoHeels.com)"I am pleased to announce Coleman Scott as our new head wrestling coach," Cunningham said. "His energy and enthusiasm for the job is contagious and will play a key role in returning the program to the level of success it has achieved in the past. Coleman will develop his student-athletes on a personal level and coach the whole student while providing them with the tools to succeed in life beyond athletics. In addition to his work with our current students, his focus will be to recruit outstanding young men to Carolina." "When I got into coaching I knew immediately I wanted to be a head coach one day," Scott said. "I am thankful for the opportunity that Bubba Cunningham and the University of North Carolina have given me. I had the opportunity to learn from the best under John Smith at Oklahoma State. He showed me what it takes to win on and off the mat and that's what we will do here at UNC." A native of Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, Scott was a four-time All-America performer at Oklahoma State and the 2008 NCAA champion at 133 pounds. In addition to his success at the collegiate level, Scott has also excelled at the international level as a four-time member of the United States National Team. His crowning achievement came at the 2012 London Olympics, where he won a bronze medal in freestyle wrestling at 60 kg. Prior to starring at Oklahoma State, Scott was a three-time Pennsylvania state champion at Waynesburg Central High School. Scott and his wife Jessica have two children: daughter Leighton Ann and son Stetson Lewis.