InterMat Staff

Five top 100 recruits: Arizona State: No. 1 Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) No. 5 Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) No. 11 Josh Shields (Franklin Regional, Pa.) No. 12 Lance Benick (Totino-Grace, Minn.) No. 29 Josh Maruca (Franklin Regional, Pa.) Four top 100 recruits: Oklahoma State: No. 9 Nick Piccininni (Ward Melville, N.Y.) No. 33 Kaid Brock (Stillwater, Okla.) No. 46 Boo Lewallen (Yukon, Okla.) No. 62 Lincoln Olson (Davison, Mich.) Three top 100 recruits: Minnesota: No. 10 Bobby Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.) No. 15 Fredy Stroker (Bettendorf, Iowa) No. 34 Larry Early (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) Missouri: No. 38 Jaydin Clayton (Father Tolton Catholic, Mo.) No. 41 Dylan Wisman (Millbrook, Va.) No. 58 Will Roark (Seneca, Mo.) Northern Iowa: No. 19 Taylor Lujan (Carrollton, Ga.) No. 40 Max Thomsen (Union, Iowa) No. 45 Bryce Steiert (Waverly-Shell Rock, Iowa) Virginia: No. 6 Fox Baldwin (Osceola, Fla.) No. 26 Sam Krivus (Hempfield Area, Pa.) No. 42 Cameron Harrell (McDonogh, Md.) West Virginia: No. 25 Keegan Moore (Putnam City, Okla.) No. 36 Patrick Duggan (Cumberland Valley, Pa.) No. 96 Devin Brown (Franklin Regional, Pa.) Two top 100 recruits: Iowa: No. 16 Michael Kemerer (Franklin Regional, Pa.) No. 93 Cash Wilcke (OA-BCIG, Iowa) Iowa State: No. 66 Markus Simmons (Broken Arrow, Okla.) No. 85 Colston DiBlasi (Park Hill, Mo.) Michigan: No. 2 Logan Massa (St. Johns, Mich.) No. 32 Austin Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) Ohio State: No. 3 Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.) No. 4 Keshawn Hayes (Park Hill, Mo.) Old Dominion: No. 67 Brandon James (Perry Meridian, Ind.) No. 97 Ben Schram (Bellbrook, Ohio) One top 100 recruit: Buffalo: No. 21 Tommy Forte (Mishawaka, Ind.) Grand Canyon: No. 53 Ralphy Tovar (Poway, Calif.) Harvard: No. 71 L.J. Barlow (The Haverford School, Pa.) Illinois: No. 27 Xavier Montalvo (Montini Catholic, Ill.) Indiana: No. 65 Devin Skatzka (Richmond, Mich.) Lehigh: No. 73 Jordan Kutler (Blair Academy, N.J.) Maryland: No. 37 Josh Ugalde (Bound Brook, N.J.) Nebraska: No. 94 Jordan Shearer (West Fargo, N.D.) North Carolina: No. 23 A.C. Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa.) North Carolina State: No. 44 Tyler Johnson (Lockport, Ill.) North Dakota State: No. 84 Andrew Fogarty (Scott West, Minn.) Ohio: No. 55 Cameron Kelly (Bellbrook, Ohio) Oregon State: No. 77 Bryce Parson (Lewiston, Idaho) Oklahoma: No. 50 Davion Jeffries (Broken Arrow, Okla.) Penn State: No. 89 Kellan Stout (Mt. Lebanon, Pa.) Princeton: No. 87 Mike D'Angelo (Commack, N.Y.) Purdue: No. 31 Nate Limmex (Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Mich.) Rutgers: No. 28 Ronnie Gentile (Paulsboro, N.J.) Virginia Tech: No. 18 David McFadden (DePaul Catholic, N.J.) Wisconsin: No. 86 Eli Stickley (St. Paris Graham, Ohio)

Brian Smith

Jordan Burroughs (Photo/Larry Slater) POMPTON LAKES, N.J. -- FlipsWrestling -- the company that offers innovative headphones/speakers and limited swag to the toughest competitors on the planet -- today announced the resigning of World and Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs as its lead sponsored athlete. The company also announced the launch of JB's new limited edition "All I See Is Gold" XB Flips -- aptly named the "JB 2.0's." "We couldn't be happier that Jordan agreed to come back on board for year 2, and help us design his JB 2.0 “All I See Is Gold” XB Flips," said FlipsWrestling's Don Beshada. “He's one of the classiest people not just in this sport, but in all of sports, and has a good eye and feel for what his fans want. That allows us to do things a little differently, and have a lot of fun in the process," continued Beshada. "We feel awesome about the upcoming season, our new JB 2.0 XB headphones, and the continuation of this relationship. So, we only see good things ahead." Burroughs commented: "I'm glad to be back with FlipsWrestling for another year, and am excited about the new signature JB 2.0 XB headphones. The guys at FlipsWrestling have been great to work and brainstorm with, and I appreciate what they bring to the greatest sport in the world. I've been using the XB headphones for a few months now, and I'm proud to put my name on these limited editions." The JB 2.0's are a truly limited edition, as only 625 pair of each will be available for sale. They have new added features such as a detachable cord, extra bass, and an in-line microphone. Like last year, FlipsWrestling plans to run a contest in conjunction with the launch, with the winner being able to "Share his/her Attitude" with JB himself. Details will be announced in a few weeks at FlipsWrestling.com. About FlipsWrestling FlipsWrestling is a lifestyle brand company that markets and distributes innovative headphones/ speakers and limited apparel to wrestlers - the toughest competitors on the planet! FlipsWrestling headphones are the official audio headphone of USA Wrestling. The FlipsWrestling family - led by 2-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs - boasts 8 four-time NCAA All Americans, and 17 individual NCAA championships. Learn more about FlipsWrestling, its support of THE community, and the FlipsWrestling athletes at www.flipswrestling.com. FlipsWrestling is on Twitter and Instagram at @flipswrestling. #BeHeard

After months of hype and lofty expectations for Tashkent, the USA men's freestyle program came away with an underwhelming two bronze medals. For a team expected by most in America to win several golds, the performance is surprising, if not disheartening. Yet, if fans were to look at the year's results and international rankings (which held up well) they could have guessed that the Stars and Stripes were in a downturn. So why did the American wrestling community have such outsized expectations? For starters Americans have a habit of shorting the talents of other countries. We are the nation that created football to eschew rugby and also gave birth to basketball and baseball, from which, until recently, few other countries excelled. We believe that our dominance in these sports is exemplary of our elevated sporting greatness. To further the point each of the professional championships in the coordinating leagues is called "World Championships," which, of course, they are not. To quote a Dutch speed skating coach ... Wrestling fans, largely due to the growth of scholastic style and re-doubled focus on the talents of our team members, have missed witnessing the development of individual talents and teams around the world. We've been so busy looking in the mirror to fix our hair that we forget to look out the window to see if it's raining. The wrestling media in America has been focused on Aaron Pico, Kyle Snyder, Jordan Burroughs and the NCAA. Meanwhile Abdulrashid Sadulaev runs roughshod over the world and hardly gets a nod. Tervel Dlagnev earned his second bronze medal of his career, and was one of two medalists for Team USA in men's freestyle at the World Championships (Photo/Larry Slater)The totality of the world's talent will only become more evident in coming years. United World Wrestling has changed national transfer policies to be in line with that of the International Olympic Committee. That means an athlete can transfer anytime (only once) and compete immediately, though a country is allowed to accept three athletes (one in each style) each year. There are no transfer fees and no two-year waiting period. American wrestlers and their fans will need to start looking overseas for more competition. They need to see their opponents with more consistency and be ready to acknowledge that the current training methods might be inadequate. We are a diverse nation of talented wrestlers, financial resources and willpower, but to go forward we will need to be modest about what is and is not possible and set expectations that are more rational with what is possible. If not, then the failures of 2014 will be repeated in Las Vegas, if not in medal count then at least in aggregate disappointment. Q: At the World Championships in men's freestyle, Russia took home five golds (65, 70, 74, 86, 97) and one bronze (125). Talk about death row! The only two weights they didn't medal, they had No. 2 Lebedev (knocked out by No. 5 Rahimi who took third) and No. 3 Bogomoev (knocked out by Bonne who took third). Absolutely incredible team from top to bottom. Is this the best team performance at a World Championship? If not, what team/year would you put ahead of them? -- J. Kreisel Foley: The 2007 Russian team won a whopping six gold medals at the World Championships held that year in Baku. The only non-champion was Irbek Farniev at 66 kilos, who took home the bronze. The Russians have a better system by which to prepare their wrestlers to compete at the World Championships and Olympic Games. We know that their dominance isn't just driven by money, or some Dagestani bloodline that makes them more creative and powerful. That would be a convenient excuse, but the overwhelming evidence points to a superior training system -- everywhere their system has traveled nations have been successful (Cuba). We can complain about their dominance, or sit back and appreciate their effort, either way the simple truth remains that the American system is inferior to the Russian system. While I think that our system is excellent for the promotion of collegiate wrestling, it's not the best formula for creating World and Olympic champions. Q: What's your prediction on number of World titles Abdulrashid Sadulaev wins before he retires? My prediction is six. -- Mike C. Foley: Ten. Hell, maybe one hundred. Sadulaev is an athletic and brutal technician who scores in bunches. In every match I've watched he's hunted for the fall, worked to extend his lead and took moderate risks to ensure dominance. In summation, as a wrestler Sadulaev is competing on a different planet. What's even more troubling for 86-kilo wrestlers around the world is that he's modest and humble -- characteristics sure to have a positive effect on his dominance. Sadulaev will win next year's World title and he will win the 2016 Olympic gold medal. Of this, I'm one-hundred percent convinced. After Rio he will receive a big payout from the Russian government. For some Olympic youngsters, like Asgarov of Azerbaijan, the money can satiate the desire to compete and to win. Assuming that Sadulaev is driven by a desire to be the best wrestler on the planet, I see him able to extend his World title streak to seven in Tokyo. Still, I am hopeful that a wrestler emerges who can test Sadulaev's seemingly unavoidable dominance. I'd be thrilled if that wrestler was Ed Ruth. Q: Do you think there is any chance Helen Maroulis or Adeline Gray become MMA fighters? I know Randi Miller dabbled in MMA, but it would be fun to see either Maroulis or Gray in the UFC someday. -- Mike C. Foley: Nah. Yes, there is always a chance that our athletes will pursue MMA, but I don't have any reason to suspect that Helen or Adeline would be the most likely of targets. Lineage and looks matter in a promotion-based sport like MMA, which is likely why you chose attractive World medalists for your options, but the appeal of MMA is fading for men, and for women has remained somewhat subdued. If the UFC and others were interested in talent they'd have sought out our female wrestlers years ago. The UFC is only interested in making money off Ronda Rousey armbars -- not actual competition. Until I hear about one of our athletes dabbling in jiu-jitsu or taking striking classes, I'm confident that their athletic careers will be made on the mat and not in the cage. Q: Why didn't the ref stop and review the dispute when Brands threw the brick during the Ramos match? Brands threw it, the ref picked it up and threw it back into the corner, then Brands threw it back in, more so to make a point (which I thought was pretty cool and going crazy the entire time to get the score fixed) but Ramos was definitely screwed on that second exposure, clear two points, granted still not enough to win. -- Frank C. Foley: Tough call. Remember that in freestyle wrestling you get one set of points for one technique. There was either an initial exposure or a takedown. Were it the former then it should have been just two, the latter and it was two and two. The failure might have been the referee's, but you can see in the video that Coach Brands waited too long to challenge the call. In fact, he waited almost 20 seconds into the restart to throw the challenge brick. At that point you are no longer allowed to challenge the call on the mat, which is why the brick was returned ... twice. Multimedia Halftime Link: Big gift to F&M How to NOT get thrown to your back ... Post by Mix 98.3. Link: Every gold-medal match from Tashkent! Q: You often speak about distaste for singlets dampening interest in the sport and how we should replace singlets with fight shorts and compression T-shirts. Well what about cauliflower ear? I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't a lot of uninformed parents who avoid the sport altogether due to fear of getting cauliflower ear. Should we be advocating headgear use at the highest levels of the sport rather than continually referring to cauliflower ear as a badge of honor? Advocating the use of proper protective equipment to prevent injury seems like a no-brainer to me if we want to continue to drive the popularity of the sport rather than continue to be a niche. -- Bryan R. Foley: The kids in youth programs are forced to wear headgear and if donned correctly that prevents a large portion of cauliflower ear. Though many mothers are known to shed a tear in seeing the cartilage of their son or daughter's ears ravaged by wrestling, it's a scar of commitment and not vanity. In a world of distraction and flighty behavior, a young man or woman with cauliflower ear is sure to have shown resilience and commitment. That's refreshing. In my opinion the ear is a sign of commitment and toughness, and in a world where those character traits are being supplanted by lives of ease and compromise, a knotty ear remains something akin to honor. Q: Granted it's Worlds, and with a such a deep talent pool it's very difficult to predict who walks away on top, but I was a little surprised by Jake Varner's performance. I know he wrestled a spectacular day in London back in 2012, but in his competitions leading up to Tashkent I thought he looked the best he ever had. Physical, agile and aggressive. Is he a little undersized for 97 kilos? Have we seen the last of Jake Varner, or do you think he'll make a run for Rio 2016? -- Ethan S. Foley: Varner, like many of the American freestyle wrestlers, didn't have a big international season. Just making the American team can be difficult, but with only three tournament appearances outside of the USA in 2014, there was little reason to think Varner would come away with a gold. What Varner had in 2012 was a real knack for winning that he'd carried over from his collegiate days. Life, distractions, time off, changed values: all of these things factor into the outlook and performance of a top athlete, even someone as talented as Varner. What happened in Tashkent may only be a glitch, or, as you suspect, the end. To be fair, it's also worth noting that 97 kilos was a weight class filled with talent and making the podium surrounded by those entries was never going to be an easy task. Q: Safe to say that we can stick a fork in wrestling latest pro organization Agon WC? -- @RobbiBobbi Foley: Gone. Even if the series was re-imagined and re-promoted the idea of a consistent matchup organization is dead. The rules, while interesting, were never going to interest enough people. We already have collegiate and Olympic rules. A third set was never going to attract a larger audience. If you take a look at some of the world's most popular traditional wrestling styles: Lutte Senegalese, Sumo and Mongolian Bokh you see that each is simple to understand and has massive followings across gender lines. I'll start to pay closer attention when America gets their first takedown-only league. Q: I thought it was interesting to go over the entry list by country for Tashkent. It's interesting to see some countries send more women than men (especially African teams), northern Europe having full Greco squads while few to zero freestyle wrestlers, and some surprising teams not filling out the weights in general. You would think these countries would want wrestlers getting experience for future Worlds and Olympics. I also think United World Wrestling would want full teams and more competitors. Your thoughts? -- Tom B. Foley: United World Wrestling wants the weight classes to all be filled. However, the realistic vision is that many teams can, at best, average fifty percent of the allotted positions. That might seem low, but to achieve fifty percent the country must send the same number of athletes to the continental championships. If you send five wrestlers to the Asian Championships, you get five wrestlers at the World Championships. Both require licenses, entry fees and lodging, not to mention referees and coaches. Those costs add up quickly. For some countries, especially those in Africa and resource-challenged areas of the globe, sending a full team is not financially possible and instead they choose the athletes they believe have the best chance to medal and bring acclaim to their nation. You won't believe this, but some nations in Europe don't even bother having freestyle teams. Greco-Roman is the preferred style in many countries and that won't change anytime soon! Comment of the Week By Danny C. Is anyone going to discuss the lackluster performance of the U.S. men's teams at Worlds? Or are we just going to sweep that under the rug, pretend it never happened and look forward to Vegas? (Sidenote: Great Job to the women taking third and bringing home multiple medals.) Seriously, I feel like men's freestyle was the most hyped team in recent memory and everyone underperformed. Sure it wasn't as bad as 2010 when we walked away with zero medals (freestyle and Greco), but Varner, Kennedy and Metcalf were expected to medal, Ruth had medal potential, and 0-1 out of Ramos was a little disappointing. (I thought he'd get a win or two.) I won't even harp on Burroughs because Tsargush is a three-time World champ, JB was injured, you can't win every time and he still pinned for bronze. About the only highlight was Tervel getting over the fifth-place hump and getting back to bronze. I'm headed out to Vegas next year and I want to see our boys dominate! Not trying to disrespect our athletes or staff. I just know how freaking good our team is and I believe they are better than their performance.

STANFORD, Calif. -- Jamill Kelly, a 2004 Olympic silver medalist, has joined the Stanford wrestling staff as an associate head coach, Jason Borrelli announced today. “As a coach, Jamill's track record for developing elite student-athletes speaks for itself,” said Borrelli, now in his seventh season as the head coach of the Cardinal. Kelly comes to The Farm after serving two years as an assistant at North Carolina State (2012-14). In 2014, NC State produced its sixth individual national champion as 285-pounder Nick Gwiazdowski knocked off the tournament’s No. 1 seed for the title. Additionally with the assistance of Kelly, the Wolfpack has posted back-to-back nationally-ranked recruiting classes in 2013 and 2014. Kelly, originally from Atwater, Calif., has also spent time at Cal Poly and Harvard as an assistant coach. While at Cal Poly, four Mustang wrestlers qualified for the NCAA championships with two garnering All-America honors. "North Carolina State and Cal Poly had wrestlers in the NCAA finals while Jamill was on staff, and Harvard also produced All-Americans during his tenure." added Borrelli. “Additionally, adding an Olympic silver medalist to our program places Stanford in rare company among the collegiate wrestling teams.” Kelly, who was a two-year starter and team captain at Oklahoma State, travelled to the 2012 Olympics in London as part of the support staff for USA Wrestling. He also coached the U.S. Junior World Freestyle Team in 2007 and on the U.S. Freestyle Tour Team in 2006. “Even more impressive than Jamill's coaching and competitive resume is his integrity, work ethic and charisma,” said Borrelli. “Jamill is the epitome of perseverance and excellence and will make an immediate connection with our student-athletes. We are thrilled to bring him on board!” Following the 2013 season, Kelly was named the Social Media Assistant Coach of the Year by Elite Level Sports Marketing and the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Cardinal assistant coach Ray Blake took home the honor after the 2014 campaign.

It might sound so obvious it's not worth saying, but the World Championships of freestyle wrestling is one tough tournament. And it seems to get tougher every year. Much has been said about Russian wrestlers emigrating and competing for one of the former Soviet Republics -- making those teams even stronger. At the Worlds, teams now face a bunch of Russians instead of just one. Looking at how former Russian wrestlers dominate the medal count, it's a difficult point to argue against. Russia's Denis Tsargush defeated Jordan Burroughs 9-2 en route to winning his third World title (Photo/Martin Gabor)On top of that, the rest of the world is also improving. At the World Cup in March, Mongolia split 4-4 in matches with Russia and lost on criteria. It was not Russia's top team, but still it was telling of of Mongolia's improvement. That they had three wrestlers reach the bronze-medal match at the World Championships shows that they have athletes that are in the mix with the best in the world. And Mongolia is not alone in the strides they have made. In the United States we might be focusing on Jordan Burroughs not taking home his fourth gold medal, but it's worth noting that 2013 World champs Hassan Rahimi of Iran, David Safaryan of Armenia, Reza Yazdani of Iran and Khadshimourad Gatsalov of Russia all failed to repeat in 2014. With such a logjam of talent and determination at every weight class it's truly remarkable that Russia was able to dominate the competition. Other countries may field a number of Russian wrestlers, but there is only one Russian national freestyle wrestling team. This year they had five freestyle World champions, a bronze medalist and two ninth-place finishers. It seems almost impossible. And it therefore seems very worthwhile to look at Team Russia and mull over what makes them so good right now. Coaching transition period is over Russia finished second at the 2013 World Championships and although they had the unofficial highest team point total at the 2012 Olympics, only earned one gold medal and they left disappointed. During these two years, much was said about the loss of head coach Dzambolat Tedeev -- that without him Russia had lost a step in his replacement Mahomed Guseynov. Regime changes aren't always smooth and it can take time to get a system in place. With Russia back to old form in separating themselves from the field, it's difficult to imagine any criticism of Guseynov seeming valid. Eight weight classes instead of seven Russia obviously has the deepest pool of freestyle wrestling talent in the world. When the weights were reduced to only seven classes, it gave other countries a shot at catching Russia. When a favored wrestler is upset, the smaller field makes it more difficult to make up the points. Last year Iran won when there were seven weight classes. Although Russia dominated Iran this year 62 to 45 in points, if the added weight class (70 kilos) was not around, the score would have been 52-45 -- within striking distance if Iran had a slightly better tournament. But Khetik Tsabolov showed up for Russia in this new weight class and obliterated the field. He's been around, but that Russia could pull him out of thin air and have him peak like that speaks volumes of their stable. Diversity of attacks Watching a highlight reel of the Russian National freestyle tournament is very different than watching a highlight reel of the NCAA tournament -- or any major folkstyle tournament for that matter. One of the main differences is the scrambles. Funk has really evolved in folkstyle wrestling over the past few decades and many of the wild scrambles you see are of the 'I'm going to stop-you from scoring even though you're nine-tenths of the way to getting a takedown' variety in which wrestlers dive for ankles and drag them across their chests while rolling on their backs. The scrambles in a Russian highlight video -- as action-packed as they may be -- always are conscious of back exposure. Moreover, there is always this wonderful tension that someone could be launched into the air even if it's not a traditional throwing position. That throws are seemingly part of the default arsenal of a Russian wrestler aids them greatly and makes them far more complete than the non-throwing wrestler. And it allows Russians to narrow their plan of defense to simply leg attacks. Precision Part of the reason Russians excel at throws is that their wrestling is so precise. If you mess up a throw you can wind up on your own back and give up big points. That's why Russians stress hitting throws (and all moves for that matter) with extreme precision. This precision is stressed at a very young age so that it is second nature by the time an athlete reaches the senior level. Russia's Khadshimourad Gatsalov throws Ukraine's Alen Zaseev in the gold-medal match at 120 kilos in 2013 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Wrestlers from the U.S. -- even at the senior level -- are more about shock and awe. Jordan Burroughs doesn't "pick his spots." He doesn't need to perfectly set up every shot and score off all of them. It's just difficult to stop his fifth shot after fending off the first four. Ditto with Cael Sanderson's ankle pick. Stephen Neal was countered for two points off of his first double leg attempt in the gold-medal match of the 1999 Worlds. He then got foot-swept to go down 3-0, but his doubles were so relentless that eventually he scored off them and won. This isn't to say all U.S. wrestlers don't throw or aren't precise. Kendall Cross, Les Gutches, Reece Humphrey ... all gifted with amazing back arches. But high-amplitude throws are often not only not rewarded in folkstyle, but penalized (see Reece Humphrey vs. Lou Ruggirello in 2009) and it makes it difficult for us to catch up in freestyle. In Russia, throws seem to be part of life. When Khadshimourad Gatsalov went from 96 kilos to 120 kilos in 2013 he was still able to throw larger opponents with relative ease. Tactics and strategy For the purpose of this article I'm defining "tactics" as decisions made during a match and "strategy" as decisions made before a match begins. Obviously, senior level wrestlers need both against top competition, but wrestlers tend to fall into one category or the other. Jordan Burroughs, while certainly aware of the strengths of his opponents, has said he almost prefers to go into a match blind. Indeed, many of his choices are tactical based on the landscape of the match at that moment. Someone like Brandon Slay was a true student of video and had very specific and customized strategies based on who he was facing. Russian wrestlers are skilled at both. Make no mistake, against any sort of serious opponent, Russian wrestlers are supremely coached on what they need to do to win. Obviously, strategy comes more into play with rematches. In the 2003 Worlds, Stephen Abas beat Mavlet Batirov in pool competition. They met again in the 2004 Olympic gold-medal match and Batirov and his coaches had completely broken down Abas' technique. (Interestingly, in the semis of the 2006 Worlds, Mike Zadick seemed supremely aware of Batriov's arsenal and executed a brilliant game plan for the win.) Strategy and tactics are seemingly essential to winning at this level and Russia clearly gets this. No free looks/know when to peak As I have stated above, rematches are huge at the senior level. The adjustments that an athlete can make from wrestling someone are very significant. This is often apparent at the World Team Trials or Olympic Team Trials, where an athlete can make changes after a lopsided loss within a few hours (like Jordan Burroughs vs. Kyle Dake in 2013). Russia seems to intentionally not send their A team to many events. Although the timing of the 2014 World Cup had a bit of a conflict with the European Championships, Russia traditionally doesn't send their best lineup there. One Russian wrestler who did wind up going to the World Cup and was selected as the World team member was Viktor Lebedev. At the World Cup he had the match of the event, beating 2013 World champion Hassan Rahimi of Iran in a match where he used great tactics. But Lebedev and Rahimi met again in the quarters of the Worlds and Rahimi made strategical adjustments and got revenge. This scenario is typically what Russia tries to avoid ... and most often does. Russia's lineup in 2014 was very decorated -- not filled with new faces -- but their starters had appeared sparingly at tournaments and sometimes they didn't bring their A game. The Khetik Tsabolov that got beat 9-0 at the World Cup didn't seem to be the same guy who won the gold medal at the Worlds 10-0 last week. Even with both the World Cup and the World Championships in the U.S. in 2015, I wouldn't be surprised if Russia sent a team of mostly non-starters to the World Cup in April. It's become their MO. Moreover, Russia is showing up at the Worlds with surprise moves. I certainly didn't expect to see Russia with that many fireman's carries this year. And for all the opponents who got hit with them, it's now too late to do anything about it. And next year it will be something different. Much of the above is nothing new. But it's worth breaking down and repeating. I find it important to stress that despite this year's results I do believe USA Wrestling is going in the right direction. The two injuries that happened to U.S. freestyle wrestlers at the Worlds seemed significant and result-changers. And the less-than-hoped-for finish at the Worlds doesn't erase the amazing finishes by Team USA's Cadet, Junior and University World teams this summer. American high school wrestling is better than ever and it is producing more freestyle stars at a younger age. In 2008, Henry Cejudo was really the only name in the conversation. Now there's a handful. Nothing is going to happen overnight, but because of how high Russia has set the bar, it's a thrilling challenge.

Come see the world's best from more than 100 countries at the 2015 Wrestling World Championships! For the first time since 2003, the Wrestling World Championships are being hosted in the United States, and the competition will take place September 7-12, 2015 at The Orleans Arena! This is a tremendously important event in international wrestling, as it serves as the first qualifying event for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as the event in which the largest number of athletes earn a spot at the Olympics. “We very excited to play host to the wrestling world’s largest event outside the Olympics,” said USA Wrestling’s Executive Director Rich Bender. “It is an historic event not just for USA Wrestling but also for our 174-member nations. It also serves as an Olympic qualifier which makes it special. Las Vegas and the Orleans Arena present a tremendous opportunity to mix our sport into the world’s best entertainment city.” Competition in all three Olympic styles of international wrestling will be held: men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman. The 2015 World Wrestling Championships will be presented by United World Wrestling, USA Wrestling, the United States Olympic Committee and Las Vegas Events. This showcase event will be here before you know it and tickets will sellout quickly. Reserve yours today! There are currently two options to buy tickets: Hotel and All-Session Ticket Packages | Best value and best experience! Stay close to the athletes and see all the action. The Orleans Hotel & Casino | Room & Ticket Packages Gold Coast Hotel & Casino | Room & Ticket Packages All-Session Ticket Packages | Ticket Packages Only Schedule and Details Monday, September 7 Men’s Greco-Roman 66 kilos, 75 kilos, and 98 kilos Session # 1: Preliminaries, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 Finals and Repechage..... 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Opening Ceremonies.......................................................................... 6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Session # 2: Bronze and Gold Medal Matches................................. 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 8 Men’s Greco-Roman 59 kilos, 71 kilos, 80 kilos and 130 kilos Session # 1: Preliminaries, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 Finals and Repechage..... 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Session # 2: Bronze and Gold Medal Matches................................. 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 9 Men’s Greco-Roman 85 kilos /Women’s Freestyle 48 kilos, 53 kilos and 69 kilos Session # 1: Preliminaries, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 Finals and Repechage..... 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Session # 2: Bronze and Gold Medal Matches................................. 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Thursday, September 10 Women’s Freestyle 55 kilos, 58 kilos, 63 kilos and 75 kilos/ Men’s Freestyle 65 kilos Session # 1: Preliminaries, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 Finals and Repechage..... 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Session # 2: Bronze and Gold Medal Matches................................. 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Friday, September 11 Women’s Freestyle 60 kilos/ Men’s Freestyle 61K, 86 kilos and 97 kilos Session # 1: Preliminaries, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 Finals and Repechage..... 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Session # 2: Bronze and Gold Medal Matches................................. 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. ? Saturday, September 12 Men’s Freestyle 57 kilos, 70 kilos, 74 kilos and 125 kilos Session # 1: Preliminaries, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 Finals and Repechage..... 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Session # 2: Bronze and Gold Medal Matches................................. 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- Spenser Mango's quest for a World bronze medal fell one win short for the second straight year. Spenser Mango finished fifth (Photo/Larry Slater)Mango dropped a 1-0 decision to two-time Olympian Stig Andre Berge of Norway in the bronze-medal match at the World Championships on Sunday night at the Gymnastics Palace Mango was called for passivity and Berge awarded what proved to be the match's only point midway through the second period in Greco-Roman wrestling at 59 kilos. Mango fought valiantly to score in the match's final minute, but the officials would not call passivity on Berge. "I'm going home with no medal again -- and that's rough," Mango said. "I still have things to work on. I'm one of the smaller guys in the weight and I need to keep adjusting to that." Mango, a two-time Olympian, placed fifth at the Worlds for the second straight year. here Team USA Results (Sunday) Spenser Mango (59 kilos): Round of 32: Won by dec. over Fatih Ucuncu (Turkey), 2-2 Round of 16: Won by dec. over Peter Modos (Hungary), 4-0 Quarterfinals: Won by tech. fall over Kazuma Kuramoto (Japan), 10-0 Semifinals: Lost by dec. to Mingiyan Semenov (Russia), 9-1 Bronze-medal match: Lost by dec. to Stig Andre Berge (Norway), 1-0 Justin Lester (71 kilos): Round of 32: Won by dec. over Mindia Tursumia (Georgia), 5-0 Round of 16: Lost by dec. to Rasul Chunayev (Azerbaijan), 9-7 Caylor Williams (98 kilos): Round of 16: Lost by dec. to Marthin Nielsen, 3-0 Medalists (Sunday) 59 kilos: Gold: Hamid Soryan (Iran) Silver: Mingiyan Semenov (Russia) Bronze: Stig Andre Berge (Norway) Bronze: Elmurat Tasmuradov (Uzbekistan) 71 kilos: Gold: Chingiz Labazanov (Russia) Silver: Yunus Oezel (Turkey) Bronze: Afshim Byabangard (Iran) Bronze: Rasul Chunayev (Azerbaijan) 98 kilos: Gold: Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) Silver: Oliver Hassler (Germany) Bronze: Ghasem Rezaei (Iran) Bronze: Cenk Ildem (Turkey)

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- American Greco-Roman wrestlers Robby Smith, Bryce Saddoris and Joe Rau fell short of the medal round at the World Championships on Saturday at the Gymnastics Palace. Smith used his lethal front headlock to down Korea's Jon Won Hwang 8-2 in his first bout at 130 kilos. Smith then lost by a 9-0 technical fall to World No. 7 Lyubomir Dimitrov of Bulgaria in the quarterfinals. Smith was put down in par terre for passivity and Dmitrov used a succession of turns to go up 7-0 at the break. Smith, fifth at the 2013 Worlds, was eliminated when Dimitrov lost to World champion Riza Kayaalp of Turkey in the semifinals. "I didn't wrestle my best at all," Smith said. "I felt sluggish. It's all on me -- I lost. I got caught in a gut wrench and I couldn't stop him. I wasn't on my game today." Read full story ... Team USA Results (Saturday) Bryce Saddoris (66 kilos): Round of 64: Won by pin over Loiqi Amirkhanzode (Tajikistan), 1:26 Round of 32: Lost by dec. to Revaz Lashkhi (Georgia), 1-0 Joe Rau (80 kilos): Round of 32: Lost by pin to Jonas Bossert (Switzerland), 4:11 Robby Smith (130 kilos): Round of 16: Won by dec. over Jon Won Hwang (Korea), 8-2 Quarterfinals: Lost by tech. fall to Lyubomir Dimitrov (Bulgaria), 9-0

59 kilos: Gold: Hamid Soryan (Iran) Silver: Mingiyan Semenov (Russia) Bronze: Stig Andre Berge (Norway) Bronze: Elmurat Tasmuradov (Uzbekistan) 66 kilos: Gold: Davor Stefanek (Serbia) Silver: Omid Noroozi (Iran) Bronze: Tamas Lorincz (Hungary) Bronze: Edgaras Venckaitis (Lithuania) 71 kilos: Gold: Chingiz Labazanov (Russia) Silver: Yunus Oezel (Turkey) Bronze: Afshim Byabangard (Iran) Bronze: Rasul Chunayev (Azerbaijan) 75 kilos: Gold: Arsen Julfalakyan (Armenia) Silver: Neven Zugaj (Croatia) Bronze: Andy Bisek (USA) Bronze: Elvin Mursaliyev (Azerbaijan) 80 kilos: Gold: Peter Bacsi (Hungary) Silver: Evgeni Saleev (Russia) Bronze: Selcub Cebi (Turkey) Bronze: Jim Pettersson (Sweden) 85 kilos: Gold: Melonin Noumonvi (France) Silver: Saman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan) Bronze: Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) Bronze: Viktor Lorincz (Hungary) 98 kilos: Gold: Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) Silver: Oliver Hassler (Germany) Bronze: Ghasem Rezaei (Iran) Bronze: Cenk Ildem (Turkey) 130 kilos: Gold: Mijain Lopez (Cuba) Silver: Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) Bronze: Heiki Nabi (Estonia) Bronze: Beylal Makhov (Russia)

Elena Pirozhkova won silver (Photo/Larry Slater)TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- Elena Pirozkhova captured a silver medal and Andy Bisek earned a bronze medal for the U.S. at the World Championships on Friday night at the Gymnastics Palace. Pirozhkova turned in a strong performance on the day to finish with a silver medal. She dropped a 4-2 decision to Ukraine's Yulia Tkach in the gold-medal match in women's freestyle wrestling at 63 kilos. Bisek, who delivered a stunning second-round upset victory over Olympic and World champion Roman Vlasov of Russia, rolled past Japan's Hiroyuki Shimzu by an 8-0 technical fall in the Greco-Roman bronze bout at 75 kilos. Bisek's win gave the U.S. its first World medal in Greco since 2009. Read full story ... Team USA Results (Friday) Andy Bisek (75 kilos) Round of 32: Won by dec. over Petros Maoulidis (Greece), 5-0 Round of 16: Won by dec. over Ramon Vlasov (Russia), 6-6 Quarterfinals: Lost by dec. to Neven Zugaj (Croatia), 1-0 Repechage: Won by dec. over Veli-Karri Suominen (Finland), 6-5 Bronze-medal match: Won by tech. fall over Hiroyuki Shimizu (Japan), 8-0 Jordan Holm (85 kilos) Round of 64: Lost by dec. to Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan), 5-0 Day 5 (Friday): Women's freestyle Elena Pirozhkova (63 kilos) Round of 32: Won by dec. over Anastasia Grigorjeva (Latvia), 5-4 Round of 16: Won by dec. over Battsetseg Soronzonbold (Mongolia), 6-4 Quarterfinals: Won by dec. over Danielle Lappage (Canada), 2-1 Semifinals: Won by dec. over Monika Michalik (Poland), 3-0 Gold-medal match: Lost by dec. to Yulia Tkach (Ukraine), 4-2 Medalists (Day 5) 75 kilos: Gold: Arsen Julfalakyan (Armenia) Silver: Neven Zugaj (Croatia) Bronze: Andy Bisek (USA) Bronze: Elvin Mursaliyev (Azerbaijan) 85 kilos: Gold: Melonin Noumonvi (France) Silver: Saman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan) Bronze: Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) Bronze: Viktor Lorincz (Hungary) 63 kilos: Gold: Yulia Tkach (Ukraine) Silver: Elena Pirozhkova (USA) Bronze: Valeria Lazinskaya (Russia) Bronze: Anastasia Grigorjeva (Latvia)

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- Army wrestling head coach Kevin Ward announced the addition of Bryan Pearsall to the Black Knights’ staff on Thursday. Pearsall, who was a part of three national championship teams as a wrestler at Penn State, spent the last year working with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and will be Army’s volunteer assistant coach. “Bryan brings championship level experience to our program, which I think is important,” explained Ward. “Being a member of three NCAA Championship teams is a unique experience that not many people have, and I know he can use those experiences to better our program. He is excited to be at West Point and is eager to make a positive impact on this program and the lives of our athletes.” Working directly with Rutgers varsity wrestlers during the 2013-14 season, Pearsall coached at the Scarlet Knight Wrestling Club, which is the regional training center at Rutgers University. The Rutgers wrestling team went 11-5 in dual matches and finished third at the EIWA Championships last season. Rutgers also had four NCAA qualifiers and its first All-American since 2002. “I am very excited to be joining the Army wrestling staff,” said Pearsall. “I want to thank Coach Ward and everyone at the West Point Wrestling Club. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be associated with a team with such prestigious tradition as Army.” Pearsall was a four-year starter on Penn State’s wrestling team. During his time in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions won three-straight NCAA National Championships and Big Ten conference titles. A two-time place winner at the Big Ten Championships, Pearsall finished seventh as a junior and took fifth during his senior campaign. The Lititz, Pa., product placed at the 2013 Southern Scuffle and qualified for the 2013 NCAA Championships as a senior. “I couldn't imagine a more beautiful place to come to work every day,” continued Pearsall. “I can't wait to get to West Point and get to work.” Pearsall graduated from Penn State in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation and human services. He will reside in Highland Falls, N.Y.

Jarrod Garnett BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro has announced the addition of Jarrod Garnett to the Mountain Hawks' coaching staff. A three-time ACC Champion and 2013 All-American for Virginia Tech, Garnett will serve as Lehigh's volunteer assistant while also training with the Lehigh Valley Athletic Club. He will work primarily with Lehigh's lightweights, including returning All-Americans Darian Cruz and Mason Beckman. "Lehigh is a place that has a rich tradition and history in wrestling," Garnett said. "I competed there as an athlete in Grace Hall, and coached there just this past year. It's a great environment and a great atmosphere. The coaching staff has done and will continue to do a lot of great things with the program." Garnett spent the 2013-14 season as an assistant coach at Bucknell where he coached NCAA qualifier Paul Petrov at 125 pounds. "We're excited to bring Jarrod in to help develop our lightweights," Santoro said. "Having someone of his stature on our staff will continue to help our program. He will also have an opportunity to compete, which is something he still wants to do." A career 125-pounder at Virginia Tech, Garnett posted three 30-win seasons, and amassed a 126-29 career record, with the 126 wins tying for third most in program history. The 2009 ACC Freshman of the Year, Garnett won ACC titles in 2010, 2011 and 2013 and was the Outstanding Wrestler at the 2013 ACC Tournament. In his senior season, Garnett earned All-America honors with a sixth place finish at 125, rallying from a first round upset loss to win five straight matches. A four-time NCAA qualifier, Garnett posted 63 dual meet victories, 61 career bonus wins, and 24 wins by fall during his time in Blacksburg. He reached the finals at the prestigious Midlands Championships in each of the last three seasons, winning a title as a senior in December 2012 and finishing second in 2011 and 2013. Last year, Garnett competed as a post-graduate. "One of the things that sold me was not just the vision for the program and the direction that its heading in, but also the opportunity to continue competing in the near future with the LVAC." Garnett's freestyle credentials include being a two-time University Nationals All-American, highlighted by a second place finish in 2012. He has also competed at the US Open and the University World Team Trials. A Newark, Del., native, Garnett earned a bachelor's degree in apparel, housing and resource management, with a focus on consumer studies, from Virginia Tech. He was twice a Dean's List member. Garnett replaces Drew Headlee, who accepted a coaching position at his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh, in August.

When Kaori Icho won her ninth World championship Thursday night in Tashkent absent were the backflips, tears and group hugs of previous champions. The Japanese champion fulfilled her requirement to wave the Japanese flag, but otherwise bowed off the mat, shook hands with the referees and walked off the stage. Icho's unaffected reaction to winning a World title might be attributed to her three Olympic gold medals and eight previous World championships. All told, the Japanese great has won a total of 12 World titles, leaving her second all-time in female wrestling behind teammate Saori Yoshida who has 15 World titles on her resume. Those numbers make Icho and Yoshida inarguably the two greatest female wrestlers to ever walk the planet. Despite the heady assertions and a 172-match winning streak, Icho is not interested in penning history or acquiring titles. She doesn't want another gold medal for her bedroom or sponsorship money for her bank account. What Icho wants and why she still wrestles can't be counted or written down. It has to be seen. Kaori Icho headed into the 2008 Olympic Games a woman under pressure. She was the defending 2004 champion and hadn't lost a match since 2003. The media burden in Japan was growing and she felt a growing dissatisfaction with the sport and all its offerings. Icho's solution was to discuss retirement. Warm and thoughtful, Icho knew that female wrestling was still in its infancy and she could step off the mat as a two-time Olympic champion at the age of 24. Icho was young enough to conquer something new, maybe a sport, maybe a job. Her older sister, Chiharu, an eventual two-time Olympic silver medalist, would also be competing in the Beijing Games and had already announced her retirement -- a declaration that gave Icho the opening she needed to slough off the stress and unwanted attention of her wrestling career, should she choose to follow her sister. In addition to her sister, Icho was sharing her Olympic journey with teammate and friend Saori Yoshida, who'd also won an Olympic gold in 2004 and was mentored by her father and national team coach, Eikatsu Yoshida. "I know that the gold medals mean a lot to Saori," says Icho. "This is what motivates her and what motivates many wrestlers. I was like this, too, but it wasn't right for me. Something wasn't working." Kaori Icho dominated Russia's Valeria Koblova in the gold-medal match (Photo/Martin Gabor)Icho floated the idea of retirement and, in a country cued into the plans of their most dominant Olympians, the rumors reached the press. "I never made the decision to retire, but I did need a change. I very much needed a change." Icho had been training at the same club near Nagoya for much of her life. When she finally took a moment to look up from the mats at age 24 she wanted change. "I had the same training partners and the same coach," explains Icho. " Nothing was wrong with them, I just couldn't get stronger without something new. If I was going to stay in wrestling I needed to find a new path." Of course, Icho would win in Beijing. And, after her title was announced, she threw her arms in the air and beamed a smile. But that wasn't from an appreciation of her achievement as much as an alleviation of the stress. Icho sat out the 2008 World Championships -- the model for other world meets for women run concurrently in Olympic years until 2016. Yoshida wrestled, and as she always seems to do, she won. Icho chose not to retire, but she did decide to leave Japan. She hadn't left wrestling, but she'd left Japan and moved to Canada. "I wanted to experience life overseas and see how foreigners trained," says Icho. "The biggest difference that I saw was how well the athletes and coaches communicated." In Japan the athlete-coach relationship is simple: coaches give instructions and wrestlers listen. In Canada, the coaches and the athletes had relationships; they enjoyed each other's company on a personal level. Kaori Icho on the awards stand (Photo/Martin Gabor)"I envied their relationships," says Icho. Icho traveled home to Japan, on occasion, but spent the majority of the next eight months training in Canada. She learned English, sat out the 2009 World Championships and, in the time away from battling in competition, rediscovered what she loved about the sport -- and it wasn't winning gold medals. In addition to envying the close coach-athlete connection she saw in Canada, Icho saw that training methods varied from country to country. Sheltered and cared for in Nagoya, she'd never seen training that didn't include running (which she dislikes) and was able to use more power lifts in her strength training (which she likes). When Icho returned to Japan she chose to spend much of her time at the national training center for male wrestlers and looked for college programs and coaches she liked. She spent weeks absorbing new techniques, and also new attitudes -- how one school trained varied from another, and from that she cobbled together a loose emotional and physical sketch of what it would take for her to get back on the mats for competition. Icho became more focused on the techniques and chess match of wrestling than on the aggression so often used as a skill. She discovered that passion could always be defeated by pressure or circumstance, but technical acumen was unbeatable, and its acquisition is, in and of itself, fulfilling. Kaori Icho with teammates (Photo/Sachiko Hotaka)That Icho is uniquely talented cannot be questioned. Her speed and athleticism are evident to even the most casual wrestling observer, but that she's more spry, more active and more technical runs counterintuitive to the sport's natural maturation. Thirty-something wrestlers slow down; they are more often injured and often eschew finer movements in favor of fewer movements. Icho, who turns 30 in June, says that her ongoing improvements are a result of training with men who focus her on better techniques and tougher training regiments. With harder work in tougher scenarios, Icho believes her body will more often retain new techniques. "Men are more profound in their detail and the moves are more complicated and that makes learning them a serious process." Icho refuses to put an expiration date on her career. If she were as poetic in her career path as she is on the mat she might decide to wrestle until the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Should she win every championship from now until then, she'd end her career with 18 world titles including five Olympic gold medals. But the titles have never mattered, and she won't start creating storylines for herself. Kaori Icho raises her gold medal (Photo/Martin Gabor)"I'm not sure when the end will come for me, but I will be wrestling all my life," says Icho. "I am a wrestler, but I will know when my time as competitor must give way to my time as a coach." For now, Icho wrestles one match at a time. Always wondering if she can achieve perfection in her lifetime, knowing that her own expectations become loftier with each technique mastered. "My goal, my only goal, is to get to closer to the image in my head of what wrestling can be," says Icho. "Competition is important and it will enrich your life." "I'm only now seeing that improvement is what gives me satisfaction and puts a smile on my face."

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- The second time was even sweeter for Adeline Gray. Adeline Gray on the awards stand (Photo/Larry Slater)The 23-year-old Gray capped a memorable performance with a 2-1 win over Brazil's Aline da Silva to capture a gold medal at the World Championships on Thursday night at the Gymnastics Palace. Gray turned in a superb tournament by scoring five wins in a tough road to the title in women's freestyle at 75 kilos. Gray won her second World title after also striking World gold in 2012. "I don't know if women get the same credit for winning the 2012 World championship," Gray said. "It's the same year as the Olympics and some countries don't come. In my heart, I consider it a World championship. I definitely earned the World championship this year. I'm the best girl in the World and that's an amazing feeling." Gray scored what proved to be the winning points against da Silva by shooting in on a single-leg attack and finishing for a takedown midway through the first period. Gray was put on the shot clock for passivity late in the match even though da Silva was wrestling defensively the entire time. The Brazil wrestler was awarded a point after Gray failed to score in 30 seconds, but Gray held her off in the final 20 seconds to prevail 2-1. Adeline Gray carries the flag (Photo/Larry Slater)Gray had beaten da Silva, ranked 10th in the World, 7-0 in the New York AC tournament in November. "She's always dangerous," Gray said. "I tried to play it a little more safe this time. But a win's a win. I got that gold medal and that's what matters." Gray, who also won World bronze medals in 2011 and 2013, becomes just the fourth American woman to win at least four medals at the World Championships. She joins Kristie Marano, Trish Saunders and Shannon Williams in that exclusive group. Marano won nine World medals while Saunders and Williams won four each. Gray joins Saunders and Marano as the only Americans to win two World titles in women's freestyle. Saunders won four World titles and Marano two. American Alli Ragan finished fifth after falling to Anastassia Huchok of Belarus in the bronze-medal bout at 58 kilos. Ragan trailed 4-1 before gaining a shot-clock point and then scoring two points late in the match. The match ended in a 4-4 deadlock, but Huchok won the match by virtue of scoring with a pair of two-point moves. The U.S. is now in third place in the team standings with 32 points. Japan leads with 55 points and Russia is second with 40. Mongolia is fourth with 22 points with one weight class left to be contested on Friday. The U.S. will send World champion Elena Pirozhkova to the mat on Friday at 63 kilos. Gray opened by pulling out an improbable 11-10 win over Zhou Qian of China in the first round. Gray trailed 9-2 late in the match before scoring a takedown and a succession of leg laces to tie the match 9-9. Zhou came back with a pushout to lead 10-9 before Gray countered a shot and exposed Zhou's back to the mat with six seconds left for two points to earn a dramatic win. "I just had to keep fighting," Gray said. "I gave everything I had and put it all into that match. My experience paid off. I was behind 9-2, but I was still just a few laces away. I knew I still had time to come back." Gray trailed 6-5 early in the second period before breaking and pinning 2013 World fifth-place finisher Yasemin Adar of Turkey in the second round. Gray took Adar down and drove her weary opponent to her back with a fall at the 4:42 mark. Gray, ranked fourth in the World, held off World No. 2 Hiroe Suzuki of Japan 2-1 in the quarterfinals. Suzuki beat Gray twice this season. Gray capped her amazing four-win first session with a 5-1 semifinal victory over World University silver medalist Epp Mae of Estonia in the women's freestyle semifinals. Ragan rallied from a 4-0 deficit to storm past Aisylyy Tynbekova of Kyrgyzstan 7-6 in the first round. Ragan then fell by technical fall to three-time Olympian champion and eight-time World champion Kaori Icho of Japan in the quarterfinals Ragan advanced to the bronze-medal bout with a 10-0 technical fall over Uzbekistan's Asem Seydametova in the repechage round. American Whitney Conder opened with a strong 6-0 win over France's Tatiana Debien at 53 kilos. Conder came back to rally for a dramatic win over 2013 World silver medalist Sumiya Erdenechimeg of Mongolia in the second round. Trailing 4-2 late in the bout, Conder scored a takedown to tie it 4-4. She won the match on criteria by virtue of scoring last. Conder then lost by fall to World champion Sofia Mattson of Sweden in the quarterfinals. Conder was eliminated after falling 8-2 to North Korea's Myong-Suk Jong in the repechage round. "It was definitely a challenging day," Conder said. "I fought as hard as I could. It's definitely not what I wanted, but I gave it everything I had." Champions also crowned on Thursday included Japan superstars Saori Yoshida at 53 kilos. and Kaori Icho at 58 kilos. Both have moved down to lower weight classes after United World Wrestling, formerly FILA, changed the weight classes this year. Yoshida, 31, won her record 12th World title. She is a three-time Olympic gold medalist. Icho, 30, won her ninth World title. She is also a three-time Olympic gold medalist. Team USA Results (Thursday) Whitney Conder (53 kilos) Round of 32: Won by dec. over Tatiana Debien (France), 6-0 Round of 16: Won by dec. over Sumiya Erdenechimeg (Mongolia), 4-4 Quarterfinals: Lost by pin to Sofia Mattson (Sweden), 1:40 Repechage: Lost by dec. to Myong-Suk Jong (North Korea), 8-2 Alli Ragan (58 kilos) Round of 16: Won by dec. over Aisylyy Tynbekova (Kyrgyzstan), 7-6 Quarterfinals: Lost by tech. fall to Kaori Icho (Japan), 10-0 Repechage: Won by tech. fall over Asem Seydametova (Uzbekistan), 10-0 Bronze-medal match: Lost by dec. to Anastassia Huchok (Belarus), 4-4 Adeline Gray (75 kilos) Round of 32: Won by dec. over Zhou Qian (China), 11-10 Round of 16: Won by pin over Yasemin Adar (Turkey), 4:43 Quarterfinals: Won by dec. over Hiroe Suzuki (Japan), 2-1 Semifinals: Won by dec. over Epp Mae (Estonia), 5-1 Gold-medal match: Won by dec. over Aline da Silva (Brazil), 2-1 Medalists (Thursday) 53 kilos: Gold: Saori Yoshida (Japan) Silver: Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) Bronze: Myong-Suk Jong (North Korea) Bronze: Jillian Gallays (Canada) 58 kilos: Gold: Kaori Icho (Japan) Silver: Valeria Koblova (Russia) Bronze: Elif Jale Yesilirmak (Turkey) Bronze: Anastassia Huchok (Belarus) 75 kilos: Gold: Adeline Gray (USA) Silver: Aline da Silva (Brazil) Bronze: Zhou Qian (China) Bronze: Burmaa Ochirbat (Mongolia)

UFC, World Series of Fighting, Bellator ... you have plenty of options for MMA viewing this weekend. And if you put all of the best fights together, they might even add up to one semi decent card. The fact that this weekend's UFC showing is anchored by a main event between Andrei Arlovski and Antonio Silva (ugh) doesn't stop Richard and John from analyzing all of the fights. And continuing to be thankful that they didn't buy Fight Pass. Let the countdown to UFC 178 begin. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

48 kilos: Gold: Eri Tosaka (Japan) Silver: Iwona Matkowska (Poland) Bronze: Mariya Stadnyk (Azerbaijan) Bronze: Hyon Gyong Kim (North Korea) 53 kilos: Gold: Saori Yoshida (Japan) Silver: Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) Bronze: Myong-Suk Jong (North Korea) Bronze: Jillian Gallays (Canada) 55 kilos: Gold: Chiho Hamada (Japan) Silver: Irina Ologonova (Russia) Bronze: Helen Maroulis (USA) Bronze: Iryna Khariv (Ukraine) 58 kilos: Gold: Kaori Icho (Japan) Silver: Valeria Koblova (Russia) Bronze: Elif Jale Yesilirmak (Turkey) Bronze: Anastassia Huchok (Belarus) 60 kilos: Gold: Tserenchimed Sukhee (Mongolia) Silver: Yuliya Ratkevich (Azerbaijan) Bronze: Natalia Golts (Russia) Bronze: Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria) 63 kilos: Gold: Yulia Tkach (Ukraine) Silver: Elena Pirozhkova (USA) Bronze: Valeria Lazinskaya (Russia) Bronze: Anastasia Grigorjeva (Latvia) 69 kilos: Gold: Aline Focken (Germany) Silver: Sara Dosho (Japan) Bronze: Laura Skujina (Latvia) Bronze: Natalia Vorobeva (Russia) 75 kilos: Gold: Adeline Gray (USA) Silver: Aline da Silva (Brazil) Bronze: Zhou Qian (China) Bronze: Burmaa Ochirbat (Mongolia)

57 kilos: Gold: Kyong-Il Yang (North Korea) Silver: Vladimir Khinchegashvili (Georgia) Bronze: Hassan Rahimi (Iran) Bronze: Vladislav Andreev (Belarus) 61 kilos: Gold: Haji Aliev (Azerbaijan) Silver: Masoud Esmailpoorjouybari (Iran) Bronze: Nyam-Ochir Enkhsaikhan (Mongolia) Bronze: Yowlys Rodriguez (Cuba) 65 kilos: Gold: Soslan Ramonov (Russia) Silver: Sayed Ahmad Mohammadi (Iran) Bronze: Mihail Sava (Moldova) Bronze: Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (Mongolia) 70 kilos: Gold: Khetik Tsabolov (Russia) Silver: Yakup Gor (Turkey) Bronze: Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Uzbekistan) Bronze: Ali Shabanov (Belarus) 74 kilos: Gold: Denis Tsargush (Russia) Silver: Sohsuke Takatani (Japan) Bronze: Jordan Burroughs (USA) Bronze: Livan Lopez (Cuba) 86 kilos: Gold: Abdul Rashid Sadulaev (Russia) Silver: Reineris Salas (Cuba) Bronze: Selim Yasar (Turkey) Bronze: Askari Mohammadian (Iran) 97 kilos: Gold: Abdusalam Gadisov (Russia) Silver: Khetag Gazyumov (Azerbaijan) Bronze: Valeri Andriitsev (Ukraine) Bronze: Samil Erogran (Turkey) 125 kilos: Gold: Taha Akgul (Turkey) Silver: Komeil Ghasemi (Iran) Bronze: Khadshimourad Gatsalov (Russia Bronze: Tervel Dlagnev (USA)

Helen Maroulis captured bronze (Photo/Larry Slater)TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- Helen Maroulis displayed the type of resiliency and determination that has established her as one of the best wrestlers on the planet. Maroulis shook off a tough semifinal setback and came back to capture a bronze medal at the World Championships on Wednesday night at the Gymnastics Palace. Maroulis charged out aggressively in rolling to a 10-0 technical fall over Poland's Katarzyna Krawczyk in the bronze-medal match in women's freestyle wrestling at 55 kilos. "I've been working on my mental game," Maroulis said. "I was really disappointed I lost in the semifinals, but I tried to come back strong in the bronze-medal match. It was important to win that medal and I went after it." Maroulis won her second career World medal. She captured a World silver medal in 2012. Read full story ... Team USA Results (Wednesday) Alyssa Lampe (48 kilos) Round of 32: Won by pin over Narangel Erdenesukh (Mongolia), 5:50 Round of 16: Won by pin over Hyun-Young Oh (Korea), 3:48 Quarterfinals: Lost by tech. fall to Eri Tosaka (Japan), 14-4 Repechage: Won by pin over Silvia Felice (Italy), 1:15 Bronze-medal match: Lost by dec. to Hyon Gyong Kim (North Korea), 4-4 Helen Maroulis (55 kilos) Round of 16: Won by pin over Elverine Jimenez (Nicaragua), 2:12 Quarterfinals: Won by pin over Battsetseg Altantsetseg (Mongolia), 2:21 Semifinals: Lost by dec. to Chiho Hamada (Japan), 6-2 Bronze-medal match: Won by tech. fall over Katarzyna Krawczyk, 10-0 Jenna Burkert (60 kilos) Round of 16: Lost by tech. fall to Katsuki Sakagami (Japan), 10-0 Randi Miller (69 kilos) Round of 32: Lost by pin to Agnieszka Wieszczek-Kordus (Poland), 2:27 Medalists (Wednesday) 48 kilos: Gold: Eri Tosaka (Japan) Silver: Iwona Matkowska (Poland) Bronze: Mariya Stadnyk (Azerbaijan) Bronze: Hyon Gyong Kim (North Korea) 55 kilos: Gold: Chiho Hamada (Japan) Silver: Irina Ologonova (Russia) Bronze: Helen Maroulis (USA) Bronze: Iryna Khariv (Ukraine) 60 kilos: Gold: Tserenchimed Sukhee (Mongolia) Silver: Yuliya Ratkevich (Azerbaijan) Bronze: Natalia Golts (Russia) Bronze: Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria) 69 kilos: Gold: Aline Focken (Germany) Silver: Sara Dosho (Japan) Bronze: Laura Skujina (Latvia) Bronze: Natalia Vorobeva (Russia)

Jordan Burroughs claimed bronze (Photo/Larry Slater)TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- Nobody is going to ever question the grit, moxie and heart that American star Jordan Burroughs displays whenever he steps on a wrestling mat. Competing with a heavily wrapped left knee, Burroughs capped a courageous performance by winning a bronze medal at the World Championships on Tuesday night at the Gymnastics Palace. Burroughs suffered a left knee injury in his first match of the day, but still managed to win four of five matches. The final win was a first-period pin over Ukraine's Rustam Dudaev in the bronze-medal freestyle bout at 74 kg/163 lbs. Burroughs, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist and two-time World champion, is now a remarkable 92-2 in his international career. Burroughs gave up the opening takedown against Dudaev before storming back with a strong attack to take a 7-2 lead. His final takedown put Dudaev on his back and Burroughs recorded a fall at the 2:48 mark of the first period. Read full story ... Team USA Results (Tuesday) Jimmy Kennedy (61 kilos) Round of 32: Won by tech. fall over Hamka (INA), 10-0 Round of 16: Lost by dec. to Andrei Perpelita (Moldova), 6-4 Brent Metcalf (65 kilos) Round of 32: Won by tech. fall over Park Seoungun (Korea), 11-0 Round of 16: Lost by dec. to Mustafa Kaya (Turkey), 7-4 Jordan Burroughs (74 kilos) Round of 32: Won by dec. over Augusto Midana (Guinea Bisau), 4-3 Round of 16: Won by tech. fall over Lee Yun-seok (Korea), 13-2 Quarterfinals: Won by dec. Rashid Kurbanov (Uzbekistan), 5-0 Semifinals: Lost by dec. to Denis Tsargush (Russia), 9-2 Bronze-medal match: Won by pin over Rustam Dudaiev (Ukraine) Jake Varner (97 kilos) Round of 32: Won by dec. over William Harth (Germany), 7-0 Round of 16: Lost by dec. to Valerii Andriitsev (Ukraine), 5-3 Medalists (Tuesday) 61 kilos: Gold: Haji Aliev (Azerbaijan) Silver: Masoud Esmailpoorjouybari (Iran) Bronze: Nyam-Ochir Enkhsaikhan (Mongolia) Bronze: Yowlys Rodriguez (Cuba) 65 kilos: Gold: Soslan Ramonov (Russia) Silver: Sayed Ahmad Mohammadi (Iran) Bronze: Mihail Sava (Moldova) Bronze: Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (Mongolia) 74 kilos: Gold: Denis Tsargush (Russia) Silver: Sohsuke Takatani (Japan) Bronze: Jordan Burroughs (USA) Bronze: Livan Lopez (Cuba) 97 kilos: Gold: Abdusalam Gadisov (Russia) Silver: Khetag Gazyumov (Azerbaijan) Bronze: Valeri Andriitsev (Ukraine) Bronze: Samil Erogran (Turkey)

Tervel Dlagnev (Photo/Larry Slater)TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- American Tervel Dlagnev was tired of taking fifth. Fifth at the 2011 and 2013 World Championships, and fifth in the 2012 Olympics, Dlagnev came through to capture a bronze medal at the 2014 World Championships on Monday night at the Gymnastics Palace. Dlagnev scored a first-period takedown en route to edging 2011 World champion Alexei Shemarov of Belarus 2-1 in the freestyle wrestling bronze bout at 125 kilos. Dlagnev won his second World bronze medal after placing third at the 2009 Worlds. "I knew I had to get out quickly, get my points and stay in the fight," Dlagnev said. "I was real fired up to have another shot at a medal. I obviously wanted to win a gold medal and that’s what I trained for, but I’m so pumped to win a bronze medal." Read full story ... Team USA Results (Monday) Tony Ramos (57 kilos) Round of 64: Lost by dec. to Bekhbayar Erdenebat (Mongolia), 7-4 Nick Marable (70 kilos) Round of 32: Won by dec. over Akzurek Tantarov (Kazakhstan), 2-1 Round of 16: Won by dec. over Grigor Grigoryan (Armenia), 4-2 Quarterfinals: Lost by dec. to Ali Shabanau (Belarus), 5-2 Ed Ruth (86 kilos) Round of 64: Won by tech. fall over Yusup Melejaev (Turkmenistan), 12-2 Round of 32: Lost by dec. to Mohammadhossein Mohammadian (Iran), 7-4 Tervel Dlagnev (125 kilos) Round of 32: Won by tech. fall over Aleksandr Romanov (Moldova), 11-1 Round of 16: Won by dec. over Soslan Gagloev (Slovakia), 5-0 Quarterfinals: Lost by dec. to Taha Akgul (Turkey), 4-2 Repechage: Won by dec. over Aslan Dzebisov (Azerbaijan), 3-1 Bronze-medal match: Tervel Dlagnev (USA) dec. Alexei Shemarov (Belarus), 2-1 Medalists (Monday) 57 kilos: Gold: Kyong-Il Yang (North Korea) Silver: Vladimir Khinchegashvili (Georgia) Bronze: Hassan Rahimi (Iran) Bronze: Vladislav Andreev (Belarus) 70 kilos: Gold: Khetik Tsabolov (Russia) Silver: Yakup Gor (Turkey) Bronze: Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Uzbekistan) Bronze: Ali Shabanov (Belarus) 86 kilos: Gold: Abdul Rashid Sadulaev (Russia) Silver: Reineris Salas (Cuba) Bronze: Selim Yasar (Turkey) Bronze: Askari Mohammadian (Iran) 125 kilos: Gold: Taha Akgul (Turkey) Silver: Komeil Ghasemi (Iran) Bronze: Khadshimourad Gatsalov (Russia Bronze: Tervel Dlagnev (USA)

Day 7 (Sunday): Greco-Roman Spenser Mango (59 kilos): Round of 32: Won by dec. over Fatih Ucuncu (Turkey), 2-2 Round of 16: Won by dec. over Peter Modos (Hungary), 4-0 Quarterfinals: Won by tech. fall over Kazuma Kuramoto (Japan), 10-0 Semifinals: Lost by dec. to Mingiyan Semenov (Russia), 9-1 Bronze-medal match: Lost by dec. to Stig Andre Berge (Norway), 1-0 Justin Lester (71 kilos): Round of 32: Won by dec. over Mindia Tursumia (Georgia), 5-0 Round of 16: Lost by dec. to Rasul Chunayev (Azerbaijan), 9-7 Caylor Williams (98 kilos): Round of 16: Lost by dec. to Marthin Nielsen, 3-0 Day 6 (Saturday): Greco-Roman Bryce Saddoris (66 kilos): Round of 64: Won by pin over Loiqi Amirkhanzode (Tajikistan), 1:26 Round of 32: Lost by dec. to Revaz Lashkhi (Georgia), 1-0 Joe Rau (80 kilos): Round of 32: Lost by pin to Jonas Bossert (Switzerland), 4:11 Robby Smith (130 kilos): Round of 16: Won by dec. over Jon Won Hwang (Korea), 8-2 Quarterfinals: Lost by tech. fall to Lyubomir Dimitrov (Bulgaria), 9-0 Day 5 (Friday): Greco-Roman Andy Bisek (75 kilos) Round of 32: Won by dec. over Petros Maoulidis (Greece), 5-0 Round of 16: Won by dec. over Ramon Vlasov (Russia), 6-6 Quarterfinals: Lost by dec. to Neven Zugaj (Croatia), 1-0 Repechage: Won by dec. over Veli-Karri Suominen (Finland), 6-5 Bronze-medal match: Won by tech. fall over Hiroyuki Shimizu (Japan), 8-0 Jordan Holm (85 kilos) Round of 64: Lost by dec. to Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan), 5-0 Day 5 (Friday): Women's freestyle Elena Pirozhkova (63 kilos) Round of 32: Won by dec. over Anastasia Grigorjeva (Latvia), 5-4 Round of 16: Won by dec. over Battsetseg Soronzonbold (Mongolia), 6-4 Quarterfinals: Won by dec. over Danielle Lappage (Canada), 2-1 Semifinals: Won by dec. over Monika Michalik (Poland), 3-0 Gold-medal match: Lost by dec. to Yulia Tkach (Ukraine), 4-2 Day 4 (Thursday): Women's freestyle Whitney Conder (53 kilos) Round of 32: Won by dec. over Tatiana Debien (France), 6-0 Round of 16: Won by dec. over Sumiya Erdenechimeg (Mongolia), 4-4 Quarterfinals: Lost by pin to Sofia Mattson (Sweden), 1:40 Repechage: Lost by dec. to Myong-Suk Jong (North Korea), 8-2 Alli Ragan (58 kilos) Round of 16: Won by dec. over Aisylyy Tynbekova (Kyrgyzstan), 7-6 Quarterfinals: Lost by tech. fall to Kaori Icho (Japan), 10-0 Repechage: Won by tech. fall over Asem Seydametova (Uzbekistan), 10-0 Bronze-medal match: Lost by dec. to Anastassia Huchok (Belarus), 4-4 Adeline Gray (75 kilos) Round of 32: Won by dec. over Zhou Qian (China), 11-10 Round of 16: Won by pin over Yasemin Adar (Turkey), 4:43 Quarterfinals: Won by dec. over Hiroe Suzuki (Japan), 2-1 Semifinals: Won by dec. over Epp Mae (Estonia), 5-1 Gold-medal match: Won by dec. over Aline da Silva (Brazil), 2-1 Day 3 (Wednesday): Women's freestyle Alyssa Lampe (48 kilos) Round of 32: Won by pin over Narangel Erdenesukh (Mongolia), 5:50 Round of 16: Won by pin over Hyun-Young Oh (Korea), 3:48 Quarterfinals: Lost by tech. fall to Eri Tosaka (Japan), 14-4 Repechage: Won by pin over Silvia Felice (Italy), 1:15 Bronze-medal match: Lost by dec. to Hyon Gyong Kim (North Korea), 4-4 Helen Maroulis (55 kilos) Round of 16: Won by pin over Elverine Jimenez (Nicaragua), 2:12 Quarterfinals: Won by pin over Battsetseg Altantsetseg (Mongolia), 2:21 Semifinals: Lost by dec. to Chiho Hamada (Japan), 6-2 Bronze-medal match: Won by tech. fall over Katarzyna Krawczyk, 10-0 Jenna Burkert (60 kilos) Round of 16: Lost by tech. fall to Katsuki Sakagami (Japan), 10-0 Randi Miller (69 kilos) Round of 32: Lost by pin to Agnieszka Wieszczek-Kordus (Poland), 2:27 Day 2 (Tuesday): Men's freestyle Jimmy Kennedy (61 kilos) Round of 32: Won by tech. fall over Hamka (INA), 10-0 Round of 16: Lost by dec. to Andrei Perpelita (Moldova), 6-4 Brent Metcalf (65 kilos) Round of 32: Won by tech. fall over Park Seoungun (Korea), 11-0 Round of 16: Lost by dec. to Mustafa Kaya (Turkey), 7-4 Jordan Burroughs (74 kilos) Round of 32: Won by dec. over Augusto Midana (Guinea Bisau), 4-3 Round of 16: Won by tech. fall over Lee Yun-seok (Korea), 13-2 Quarterfinals: Won by dec. Rashid Kurbanov (Uzbekistan), 5-0 Semifinals: Lost by dec. to Denis Tsargush (Russia), 9-2 Bronze-medal match: Won by pin over Rustam Dudaiev (Ukraine) Jake Varner (97 kilos) Round of 32: Won by dec. over William Harth (Germany), 7-0 Round of 16: Lost by dec. to Valerii Andriitsev (Ukraine), 5-3 Day 1 (Monday): Men's freestyle Tony Ramos (57 kilos) Round of 64: Lost by dec. to Bekhbayar Erdenebat (Mongolia), 7-4 Nick Marable (70 kilos) Round of 32: Won by dec. over Akzurek Tantarov (Kazakhstan), 2-1 Round of 16: Won by dec. over Grigor Grigoryan (Armenia), 4-2 Quarterfinals: Lost by dec. to Ali Shabanau (Belarus), 5-2 Ed Ruth (86 kilos) Round of 64: Won by tech. fall over Yusup Melejaev (Turkmenistan), 12-2 Round of 32: Lost by dec. to Mohammadhossein Mohammadian (Iran), 7-4 Tervel Dlagnev (125 kilos) Round of 32: Won by tech. fall over Aleksandr Romanov (Moldova), 11-1 Round of 16: Won by dec. over Soslan Gagloev (Slovakia), 5-0 Quarterfinals: Lost by dec. to Taha Akgul (Turkey), 4-2 Repechage: Won by dec. over Aslan Dzebisov (Azerbaijan), 3-1 Bronze-medal match: Tervel Dlagnev (USA) dec. Alexei Shemarov (Belarus), 2-1

Mat A Mat B Mat C