InterMat Staff

New York, NY, -- Four-time NCAA national champion Kyle Dake will face off against 2011 NCAA national champion Bubba Jenkins in a much-anticipated freestyle wrestling main event on December 1 at the second annual Grapple at the Garden, presented by Suplay.com, MSG Sports announced today. In a unique senior level showcase match promoted in association with X-Cel Worldwide, Dake, the former Cornell standout who became the first wrestler in NCAA history to win the national championship in four different weight classes, will square off against Jenkins, the former NCAA wrestling national champion and a current mixed martial arts fighter. Tickets start at $20.00 and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, all Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.thegarden.com/grapple. "It is very exciting to once again compete on one of the greatest stages in the world, in one of the greatest cities in the world," said Dake. "Personally, I am also really excited to compete against Bubba Jenkins. As a two-time NCAA national finalist, all wrestling fans know he is a great competitor. This year's Grapple at the Garden event will be groundbreaking for the sport of wrestling, and promises to inspire thousands of young athletes as they chase their dreams." Jenkins added, "I am super excited about taking my wrestling talents to the biggest and baddest city in the world to showcase my skills under the bright lights of the illustrious Madison Square Garden. It is a tremendous honor to have been chosen to wrestle in the Grapple at the Garden event, and one which I take with immense pride and will never forget. As my fans and friends already know, I am a big match, big move athlete. Come December 1, while wrestling one of the greatest wrestlers our sport has ever seen, Kyle Dake, New York City sports fans will learn that about me as well. I am humbled to compete in this historic freestyle wrestling match in The World's Most Famous Arena." "X-Cel Worldwide is honored to be associated with the promotion of such a great event in the most famous arena in the world," said Nick Garone President, X-Cel Worldwide. "Kyle Dake vs. Bubba Jenkins is match-up certain to be filled with fireworks. The Grapple at the Garden will make history with the first ever Freestyle Wrestling main event in Madison Square Garden." Joining Army, Bloomsburg, Boston University, Cornell, Drexel, George Mason, Hofstra, Illinois, Maryland, Penn, Princeton and Rutgers will be four local wrestling programs including Stevens Institute of Technology and NYU in an NCAA Division III matchup, as well as a match between the men�s club teams from Stony Brook University and Westchester Community College. This will bring the total to an unprecedented 16 teams for the one-day dual-meet event. In addition to the action-packed collegiate matchups, the second annual Grapple at the Garden, presented by Suplay.com, will also feature the finals of the Beat The Streets PSAL Thanksgiving Dual Meet Invitational. All 16 participating high schools including Horace Mann, Monsignor Farrell, Brooklyn Tech, Poly Prep, Benjamin Cardoza, Martin Luther King, Eagle Academy, Fordham Prep, James Madison, New Utrecht, Petrides, Martin Luther, Mt. St. Michael, Wingate, Grand Street, and Curtis will compete in dual meets. Moreover, the finals of the inaugural Grapple at the Garden middle school championship, produced in association with the Metropolitan Wrestling Association, will take place prior to the high school matches. For all middle school wrestlers interested in registering to compete, please visit www.wrestlereg.com on or after October 1. Valid tournament registration includes two tickets to all Grapple at the Garden festivities. All competitors must have a current USA Wrestling card. The full day of wrestling on December 1 will include two dual meet sessions with the first starting at 10:00 a.m. with Maryland vs. Cornell, Rutgers vs. George Mason, Illinois vs. Bloomsburg, Hofstra vs. Army, Boston U. vs. Penn, Drexel vs. Princeton, and Stony Brook vs. West Chester CC. Session two will begin at 12:00 p.m. and will feature Cornell vs. Illinois, Rutgers vs. Maryland, Princeton vs. Army, Bloomsburg vs. Penn, George Mason vs. Drexel, Hofstra vs. Boston U, and NYU vs. Stevens. Suplay.com, the world renowned wrestling gear supplier, has once again signed on as presenting partner of the premier Grapple at the Garden wrestling event. Collegiate wrestling debuted at Madison Square Garden on December 16, 2012 with the inaugural Grapple at the Garden which featured 14 teams; six No. 1 ranked NCAA wrestlers; five returning National Champions and six of the top 10 teams in the country. You can now relive the historic event through INSIDE TRIP: GRAPPLE AT THE GARDEN. This special 30 minute DVD is now on sale via www.XCELONLINESTORE.com for $24.95, which includes an official event program from the live event. INSIDE TRIP is your exclusive all-access, behind-the-scenes pass to this historic first-ever event. See the big names that attended the event, hear from some of the greatest past and present wrestlers of all-time, and watch the greatest sport take place at The World�s Most Famous Arena with INSIDE TRIP: GRAPPLE AT THE GARDEN. INSIDE TRIP: GRAPPLE AT THE GARDEN was produced by X-CEL Worldwide in association with MSG Sports. COACHES QUOTES Army Head Coach, Joe Heskett: "Last year the Garden hosted one of the greatest collegiate events I have ever seen outside of the NCAA Championships. Our team is excited to compete and to win at MSG. This season's Grapple at the Garden will be another outstanding day of collegiate wrestling in the world�s greatest city." Bloomsburg Interim Head Coach, Danny Song: "After falling to then #7 Missouri in last year�s inaugural event, Bloomsburg is hungry to get back to the Garden. We look forward to competing with a very high-level opponent in Illinois, and also renewing our rivalry with Penn. The Garden is among the world�s most famous venues, and has proven to be ideal for an American wrestling showcase." Boston University Head Coach, Carl Adams: "The Boston University wrestling team is looking forward to the competition at the Garden. We feel very fortunate to be able to face two very tough teams in Hofstra and Penn. Competing at the Garden amongst some of the elite wrestling programs in the country will be exciting, and it provides us an opportunity to showcase what the Boston University wrestling program is all about." Cornell Head Coach, Rob Koll: "It was an incredible experience for our Cornell wrestlers to compete in the world�s most iconic arena in front of our NYC fans and alumni. The fans, wrestlers and I had a chance to be a part of history and for that, I am extremely grateful." Drexel Head Coach, Matt Azevedo: "Drexel University Wrestling is thrilled to be a part of the Grapple at the Garden once again this year. We have a lot of alumni that live and work in the NYC area. This will be a great opportunity for them to see our student-athletes compete in 'The World's Most Famous Arena' against two outstanding universities in Princeton and George Mason." George Mason Head Coach, Joe Russell: "We were able to participate in the Grapple at the Garden last year. Everyone on the team spoke of the event as a highlight of their season. I am elated to have the team compete at the event again on December 1, 2013. We will come prepared to put on an exciting show for the wrestling fans in New York City. Go Patriots." Hofstra Head Coach, Rob Anspach: "Last year was a great event and we were honored that we were a part of the first Grapple at the Garden. The team was able to wrestle in front of 10,000 people which was amazing and something they will remember for the rest of their lives. We look forward to being a part of many future events at Madison Square Garden." University of Illinois Head Coach, Jim Heffernan: "We are very fortunate to have the chance to participate in the Grapple at the Garden event. It will be a tremendous opportunity for our student-athletes to compete at Madison Square Garden, one of the greatest sport venues in the world. The environment and level of competition will certainly play a role in preparing us for the post season, and will be great exposure for our program. It is an honor for Illinois Wrestling to be chosen to showcase our great sport in New York City at this unique event." University of Illinois Associate Head Coach, Mark Perry: "This event truly is something our athletes and coaching staff will remember for many years to come. It is an honor to come into the Garden, and put on a great show for all the wrestling fans." Maryland Head Coach, Kerry McCoy: "I am very excited to return to the Grapple at the Garden. Last year�s event was so awesome; everyone connected with our program could not wait to get back. This year will be another exciting event and we look forward to participating again in what is quickly becoming one of our sports premiere marquee events. Special thanks to everyone who made it possible." NYU Head Coach: Bruce Haberli "It is an honor to have been invited to participate in the Grapple at the Garden event. Not only is it a great opportunity for our NYU wrestlers to compete against one of our biggest rivals, but it is also a special privilege to do so at one of America�s greatest and most storied venues, Madison Square Garden, right here in NYU�s own back yard! My wrestlers and I look forward to adding to the excitement and energy of this incredible wrestling event." Penn Head Coach, Rob Eiter: "This event is a great opportunity for Penn and we are excited to participate in the Grapple at the Garden. Madison Square Garden is known as �The World's Most Famous Arena�, and it will be an amazing experience for our team to be a part of this unique atmosphere. We have a very strong alumni base in New York City, and I know they will be excited to support Penn wrestling in a venue like MSG." Princeton Head Coach, Christopher Ayres: "To be included in such a fabulous event in such a historic athletic venue is an exciting opportunity for our program and athletes. We look forward to competing against and alongside some of the best programs in the country as we showcase the greatest sport in world in the greatest city in the world!!!" Rutgers Head Coach, Scott Goodale: "Rutgers University is very excited to be back wrestling in the Garden! The inaugural Grapple at the Garden event was a great experience last year. Our student-athletes loved the competition, our fans enjoyed the atmosphere and the event was perfect. Wrestling at MSG!!" Stevens Head Coach, Mike Clayton: "Our program is excited to be a part in such an exciting event. Madison Square Garden is one of the top performance venues in the world, and being part of the first Division III college wrestling match in the venue is truly an honor for Stevens Wrestling!" Stony Brook Head Coach, Shaun Lally: "Stony Brook University, our wrestlers and I are extremely thankful and appreciative of this amazing opportunity. Representing the University and the NCWA at the �World�s Most Famous Arena� is just incredible. I have been to Madison Square Garden for countless Big East games, Rangers vs. Islanders games, Knicks games and much more. To be on this hallowed floor with this team in front of Stony Brook fans and all wrestling fans is a dream come true. This event and venue creates winners out of our teams, fans, schools and most of all our beautiful sport, wrestling!" Westchester Community College Head Coach, Joe Regan: "As we continue to grow wrestling at Westchester, competing in Grapple at the Garden is a huge step for our program. We are honored to be part of such a unique event in The World�s Most famous Arena. Our wrestlers will have the experience of a lifetime, competing on the big stage in front of their family, friends, and fans." About The Madison Square Garden Company The Madison Square Garden Company is a fully-integrated sports, media and entertainment business. The Company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Media and MSG Entertainment, which are strategically aligned to work together to drive the Company's overall business, which is built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that the company creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports owns and operates the following sports franchises: the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). MSG Sports also features the presentation of a wide variety of live sporting events including professional boxing, college basketball, bull riding and tennis. MSG Media is a leader in production and content development for multiple distribution platforms, including content originating from the Company�s venues. MSG Media�s television networks consist of regional sports networks, MSG Network and MSG+, collectively referred to as MSG Networks; and Fuse, a national television network dedicated to music. MSG Networks also include high-definition channels, MSG HD and MSG+ HD, and Fuse includes its high-definition channel, Fuse HD. MSG Entertainment is one of the country's leaders in live entertainment. MSG Entertainment creates, produces and/or presents a variety of live productions, including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes. MSG Entertainment also presents or hosts other live entertainment events such as concerts, family shows and special events in the Company�s diverse collection of venues. These venues consist of Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre, the Forum in Inglewood, CA, The Chicago Theatre, and the Wang Theatre in Boston, MA. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com.

Guests: Eric Keller Luke Eustice Mike Juby Coyte Cooper Mark Branch Nate Hansen Hour 1 Hour 2

With UFC 165 in the rear view mirror, it's time to go over the biggest stories from the event. Perhaps no fight on the card had people more on the edge of their seats than..... Mike Ricci vs. Myles Jury? Yeah, not really. But where does it rank on the list of most boring fights ever? On the important happenings. Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustaffson obviously delivered. Richard and John break down what happened and what will happen next in the light heavyweight division now that the champion looks human. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives. If you took a quick glance at the results from last week's World Championships you might assume that Russia is currently throwing a ticker tape parade through the Red Square for their young heroes. You'd be wrong. While Mongolian government officials and television crews greeted their second-place women's team at the Chinngis Khan Airport in Ulannabaatar, the Russian team that took home a total of 11 medals last week in Budapest, including three gold medals, were all but ignored. Better still, if you read the blog post of Michael Mamiashvili the team has plenty of improvements to make, primarily to their training regiments and to not blaming the referees for their mistakes. No parade, no government envoy, just more work. Mamiashvili doesn't just go Khrushchev. He actually takes his space to blame the past ten years of bad rules under Raphael Martinetti for the Russian side's improper and ineffectual strategies. The rules were bogus, and Russians forgot how to wrestle with strategy. This from a side with 11 medals. Mamiashvili does believe that these failures of the Russian side will be cleared up once the coaches have time to work on proper techniques and develop strategies. The women's side in his opinion is woefully inadequate when compared to the "system of Asia." Natalia Vorobieva's loss to China's Zhang Fengliu, the rise of Mongolia and domination of Japan influencing the Olympic champion's must-improve outlook for 2014. In short, Mamiashvili is down on the Russian performance, and wondering where this leaves his countrymen going forward. He's confident, but by positing the question shows that he's unsure how the new rules and Russian dominance will play out. His is the type of institutional uncertainty that plays itself out in every country around the world in the weeks after the World Championships. It's silly, but it's wrestling. Wrestling is back in the Olympics, but that means business as usual: Everything is amazing and nobody is happy. To your questions ... Q: Is the new Foxcatcher movie good for wrestling? -- Rob H. A still from the movie FoxcatcherFoley: Steve Carell just won my Oscar vote for best performance in a movie trailer. The voice is hollow and monotone, the nose plays, and his pigeon-toed stance and triumphant self-aggrandizing posture tells you more about the character of John du Pont. Foxcatcher is a movie about a deranged heir to a billionaire estate influenced the lives of several wrestlers, including Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum), and ultimately committed a heinous murder. Like Win-Win wrestling is the backdrop for the plot, a familiar place for complex characters to take root and grow in front of the audience. The wrestling community has cause to be concerned. This was a dark period in the history of wrestling, and feelings are certain to be hurt. Some will be disgusted, others proud, but ultimately this is a dramatic interpretation of an event, not a judgment on the sport. Wrestling has been through its adjudication -- more public than anything in its past, or that could be imagined in the future. Villains were exposed; weaknesses in production value noted and some of the sport's dustiest skeletons found time to tan. And still, after six and a half months of mainstream media attention and hashtag-driven social media outcry, the modern world absolved wrestling of its sins -- the boredom, possible corruption and shiny spandex weren't enough to keep the people from supporting the sport. Foxcatcher is a movie meant to entertain by showing fans the sickness of one individual and the lengths he would go to find validation. Wrestling is apart from that completely, and it's time to feel grateful that Bennett Miller saw the beauty in our sport, and was able to tell a story, no matter how awful, from that existing foundation. Q: I'm a freshman here at Penn State, and I've been going through the process of walking on to the team here. There's four of us. One is a fifth-year senior coming in from some other college, another is a junior who did club wrestling his first two years. The other kid, another freshman, is around my weight, so we've been wrestling a bit in the intramural building every day in order to get ourselves ready for the "tryouts" next week. In comparison to the state, national and world-level wrestlers that Penn State recruits, we aren't much. I was a couple matches away from states, and he went 1-2 at states. My main question/comment for you: How do you judge two average kids trying to be a part of a dynasty? The energy inside the wrestling room is absolutely electric. 30-plus studs all trying to be national champions. Cael and his staff are focused on turning great into amazing, while we're trying to go from good to amazing. I've heard that our attempts are either short-sighted and futile, or ambitious and fruitful. Are we worthy of the time and effort necessary to be a part of the team, or are we a waste of space? -- Davon C. Foley: No wrestler is a waste of space, and every effort -- if made with sincerity and dedication -- is worthy of time and effort. Maybe you won't win a national title, or even start, but you can be a productive member of the team. Being part of a dynasty is self-serving. If you're hopping on to be part of a poster that will be shown in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for decades to come, then you're pursuing the sport for the wrong reasons. But if the sincerity of your email is mirrored in how hard you work on the mats and in the classroom, then you will earn your sport as a team member by helping those in front of you improve. And don't let anyone tell you what can and can't be done. These are long odds, but men have faced longer. Do your job and do it well. Be consistent, kind and dependable. Be a trustworthy teammate. Do all those things and it won't matter if you step onto the podium in March, because you'll have already earned your reward. Good luck and stay positive, I'm pulling for you. Q: How come they have never held the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Madison Square Garden or somewhere on the West Coast? -- Gregg Y. Foley: Word on Broadway is that New York City made a bid to host the 2015 NCAA Championships. Unclear how that bid will be received since profit and cost are at the center of the NCAA's decision-making tree and NYC is an expensive host city with limited green space for a fan zone. The West Coast doesn't have a population concentration sufficient enough to accommodate the driving population. The NCAA did a study a few years ago and basically said that our crowds are old to quite old and that keeping tournaments within their reach would be beneficial. Also, it would be counterproductive to move the tournament away from the vast majority of collegiate wrestling fans from the Midwest and mid-Atlantic region. However, I think that San Francisco is bidding for the 2024 Olympics and that could be a great place to hold an international sporting event, including wrestling. Q: A simple question. Why don't other countries use Resilite mats? When I watch international matches I see a mat system that the U.S. stopped using when I was in high school. -- Ken S. Foley: Too heavy, too expensive, and you can't change the cover of the mat without totally replacing it. The international mat is easy to make and easy to ship. Now with the proposed changed to the color of the mats (yellow is awful for photos and television) teams, countries and events can simply order a new cover rather than new mats. Q: I know you have been against this previously, but what are your thoughts about overtime now? Watching the Worlds this week I think we need it. The rules are still a bit confusing overall and FILA refs are painful, but most importantly how is the casual fan going to understand someone winning 8-8? Sudden-death overtime would be exciting and is easy to understand and explain. If a match goes too long we could do a shot clock after two minutes, or have a smaller circle on the mat that could be used for overtime so pushouts are more common. What do you think? Or any better ideas? -- Rob H. Foley: Still not into the idea of overtime, but there needs to be a more pronounced way of showing wrestlers, fans and coaches who is winning when the score is in fact tied. At the Worlds they used a small -- and I mean tiny -- triangle in the box of the winning wrestler. Not only was it very difficult to see but the clock workers had trouble putting the triangle in the right box. The worst instance of the triangle happened in the 66-kilo semifinals Mongolia's Mandrakhnaran had the triangle in his box for the final 30 seconds and cruised to the win over Cuba's Lopez. Unfortunately when the hands went to get raised it was Cuba who'd moved into the finals. It was bad. Overtime also isn't workable in a one-day format. Would Dake have been able to beat Burroughs if he hadn't endured that epic overtime match with Howe? Maybe. Maybe not. But that type of exhaustion is an issue. The other is that limitless overtimes are not welcome by television. Overall, if the fans immediately know who is winning while the score is tied, then the score isn't really tied and there is no problem. Q: When I think of dominant wrestling countries, India does not come to mind! What do you attribute their rise in freestyle wrestling to become a world wrestling power? Are they importing athletes or do they have a strong grassroots program that is developing top level talent? -- Les C. Foley: India has a long and rich wrestling tradition embedded into daily life. The recent increase was part the government's effort to become a more successful competitor in international competitions. There are millions of wrestlers in India, and now with more funding for training, travel and coaching they've had the opportunity to showcase their talents on the international stage. My guess? They'll win four medals in Rio. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Foxcatcher Trailer No. 1 ... I show this in Russian because it helps deliver the message of international inclusiveness. Q: I know there is some support in the U.S. and from you in particular for eliminating Greco-Roman from the Olympics in order to save freestyle. Coming from the U.S. it seems like a decent idea, but that's because not a lot of Americans compete in Greco and because we are not very good at it. But is this even a plausible idea internationally? And worldwide, does Greco approach (or even exceed) the popularity of freestyle? -- Daniel A. Foley: The crowds in Budapest loved Greco-Roman. As the days went along more people showed for the Greco days than the freestyle days. Partly based on the success of the home wrestlers, and partly due to the fact it was the weekend. They sold beer in the arena, too. Greco has moments of excitement, but can still be excruciatingly boring to watch. There are few international coaches and wrestling thinkers who deny that Greco is in trouble due to a lack of consistent action, tough to witness skills, and a mind-boggling set of rules including "appreciation points." Greco is safe, but with gender equality as a developing issue, I'd expect those that want to ensure its longevity and relevance will be looking to make changes that are both relevant and exciting. *Note: Canada recently voted to start a junior-level girls Greco-Roman competition. Q: Who do you think will start for Nebraska at 149? McCauley or Sueflohn? -- Andy H. Foley: McCauley. Both have redshirts, but McCauley needs the structure of the collegiate season to ensure that he ends buying into the system. I don't know if McCauley is prone to distraction, but the smart play would be to get him focused, and delay the head-to-head with Sueflohn for 2015. COMMENT OF THE WEEK By Nick D. After the extremely successful ratings on this year's NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, ESPN's newly announced expanded coverage of next year's event, and the IOC's decision to reinstate wrestling to the Olympics, don't you think now is the time to start pressuring major Division I school to pick up wrestling. For as long as I can remember all we talk about is wrestling programs getting cut, but with this new spotlight that has been put on wrestling isn't now a great time to strike while the iron is hot. Superstars like Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Dake have become larger than just wrestling stars they are becoming household names. This is a huge uphill battle but to at least get the conversation going can only be a positive. Of course there is a lot that goes into adding wrestling to a Division I school both financially and politically but it's hard to imaging schools like Texas, USC, or Oregon (bring the sport back) not having the funding to add wrestling as a Division I sport. These schools already have access to wrestling conferences and have the ability to promote the sport at premier sport institutions. I just feel now is a good time to start bring up expanding the sport instead of always having to fight for its survival.

WASHINGTON D.C. -- The 125-pound match at the 2013 NWCA All-Star Classic will feature Jarrod Patterson of the University of Oklahoma and Nahshon Garrett of Cornell University, a matchup between two highly ranked All-Americans. Despite redshirting during the 2012-2013 season, Patterson is a three-year starter and NCAA qualifier for the Sooners and no stranger to the NWCA All-Star Classic. Patterson began his collegiate career as a redshirt, but was quickly transitioned to the active list during a match against Oklahoma State. From his first match, where he recorded an upset win against Chris Notte, Patterson amassed 30 overall wins, the third highest on his team, a Big 12 Championship and a bid to the NCAA Championships, where he went 2-2. In his sophomore season Patterson built on the momentum from his freshman season recording 29 wins, the second highest number of wins on his team, finishing second at the Big 12 Championships and seventh at the NCAA Championships, subsequently earning him All-American honors. Patterson began his junior season with an appearance in the 2011 NWCA All-Star Classic, where he fell to Kent State’s Nic Bedelyon. During the remainder of the season, Patterson wrestled to 28 season victories, logging 53 takedowns in the process, a second place finish at the Big 12 Championships and earned a bid to the NCAA Championships where he narrowly missed earning All-American honors. To date Patterson has wrestled to an 84-26 overall career record. As a true freshman, Garrett broke team records and won numerous championships and opens en route to the NCAA Championships, and will look to use this momentum to defeat Patterson. Garrett began the 2012-2013 season with a 17 match win streak and championship titles at both the Binghamton Open and New York State Intercollegiates. Garrett’s success continued throughout the season as he logged 43 overall wins, breaking the record for most wins in a season, and an undefeated 5-0 record in Ivy League competition. During the post season, Garrett continued to log impressive victories including those that led him to earn the championship title at the EIWA Championships. At the NCAA Championships, Garrett earned the number six seed and upset both the number one and three seeds during his path to All-American honors and a third place finish. For his efforts during the season Garrett warned EIWA Freshman of the Year, Ivy League Rookie of the Year, an honor a Big Red wrestler had not won since Kyle Dake in 2010, and First Team All-Ivy honors. The All-Star Classic will take place on November 2nd at 7:15pm on the campus of George Mason University. To purchase tickets to the event, visit the Ticketmaster website. For more information on the All-Star Classic, visit the NWCA website and follow the NWCA on Facebook and Twitter. About the NWCA Founded in 1928, the NWCA strives to promote and provide leadership for the advancement of amateur wrestling, primarily at the scholastic and collegiate levels. The association is headquartered in Manheim Pa. The three core competencies are coaching development, student-wrestler welfare, and promotion/advocacy. The NWCA has 10,000 members and educational programs that serve 230,000 students each year. About George Mason University (GMU) Was established in 1957 and obtained university status in 1972. George Mason University is located in Fairfax Virginia has 32,000 students. The GMU wrestling program has a rich tradition as evidenced by having advanced 41 different wrestlers to the NCAA Division I Championships, two wrestlers achieved All American status one time and one wrestler achieved All American status two times. The head coach is Joe Russell and he is in his 2nd year. About Wrestlers in Business Network (WIBN) The WIBN-Washington DC Chapter consists of prominent business leaders in the Washington DC metropolitan region. The organization was originally formed in September 2012 under the name of the Greater Washington Wrestlers in Business Network and more recently merged with the Wrestlers in Business Network (headquartered in Cleveland OH) to form a national Wrestlers in Business Network. The purpose of this organization is to support amateur wrestling activities in major cities across America.

Jason Tsirtsis was the nation's No. 1 high school wrestling recruit in the Class of 2012. After redshirting last season at Northwestern, Tsirtsis is expected to step in the Wildcat lineup this season at 149 pounds and make an immediate impact. InterMat catches up with Tsirtsis and talks to him about his performance at the Junior Worlds, transitioning from freestyle to folkstyle, studying greats, goals, and much more. You competed at the Junior World Championships this summer. You won your first two matches before being eliminated by the wrestler from Iran. What did you take away from that experience at the Junior Worlds? Jason Tsirtsis defeated Zain Retherford to win the FILA Junior World Team Trials at 66 kilos in Stillwater, Okla. (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Tsirtsis: There was so much to look at and to analyze. But probably the biggest thing I took away from it is sticking to my strengths and training schedule throughout the whole training camp. This is no knock on Coach Zadick or Coach Bormet, but it wasn't what I was doing before and I didn't compete to what I should have on the mat. So the biggest thing I took out of it is to stay consistent with what I was working on and be somewhat selfish and make sure that I'm doing the right things every single day to make sure I'm prepared. It's really awesome going to the Worlds at the junior level. At the senior level you know the top guys in the world. But at the junior level everything is kind of unknown. I had Zadick in my ear just telling me to stay focused. I had no idea what to expect. That was kind of cool. I can't wait to compete on the world level again. You have had a lot of success in freestyle and I'm sure you have goals of wrestling on future World and Olympic teams. Describe your emotions when you heard the news that wrestling was voted back in the Olympic Games. Tsirtsis: As soon as I heard the news it was a great feeling. Obviously, the whole wrestling community all over the world was happy. But I think it's just the beginning, to be honest. It's great that we have two more Olympics after 2016. But I think we just have to keep improving our sport and making it the best sport in the world ... and there's no doubt we'll be here to stay in the Olympics. Now you're transitioning into the college wrestling season. Is it difficult transitioning from a freestyle mindset to a folkstyle mindset? Tsirtsis: Last year when I redshirted I did a lot of freestyle competitions even during the NCAA season. So I've been wrestling freestyle for a while. But I've been on the mat for probably three weeks now since the World Championships, and I'm right back to being very comfortable with folkstyle. I've done it my whole life. So it's not too big of a transition. If anything, freestyle helped me on my feet and helped me understand certain positions on my feet. So it's not too big of a transition. You competed at 141 pounds last season and 145.5 pounds in freestyle. Now you're going to be competing up a weight class at 149 pounds as a redshirt freshman in college. Do you feel comfortable in the weight class right now? Tsirtsis: I do feel comfortable in the weight class. The reason I'm doing it is because I really want to put all my attention toward getting better and being the best wrestler I can be. I think if I went 141 I would have to take away from that a little bit and foucs on cutting weight. I'm definitely big enough for the weight class. Jason Tsirtsis was a four-time state champion and the nation's No. 1 recruit (Photo/Paul Tincher, IndianaMat)You came in as the No. 1 recruit in the country and obviously expectations are high. Do you feel pressure going into your freshman year to perform at a high level? Tsirtsis: I really don't have any pressure right now. I think I'm an underdog. I'm not the No. 1 guy in the country. The pressure is on those types of guys. I'm just going to go out there and wrestle confidently and relaxed because I believe I can be the best in the country this year. No pressure, really ... Just trying to be confident. At the World Championships I felt maybe just a little pressure. I didn't perform as well as I should have in the match that I lost. I think I've learned a lot from that. I'm just relaxed and excited for the year. You defeated an NCAA champion, Darrion Caldwell, as a high school senior in 2012. What did that victory mean to you at the time? Tsirtsis: I think I was probably the only person in the UNI-Dome that thought I was going to win that match. I was training with my brother for a few months, and I believe my brother is one of the best wrestlers out there. Going into that match I was very confident actually, which people probably wouldn't think. That match wasn't the finals, and I ended up not making it to the Olympic Trials. But winning that match was cool. It was cool to know that I beat a top-level guy. I know he probably wasn't training as hard as he could have, but that wasn't my fault. It was a cool experience. That was probably one of my favorite tournaments because I was able to wrestle some older guys as a high schooler. You went 18-3 last year during your redshirt season, with all three of your losses coming at the Midlands. What did you learn from that tournament? Tsirtsis: I learned a lot from that tournament. I didn't cut my weight too well. I performed lower than where I expected myself to perform. The Midlands is almost like a little NCAA tournament. There are so many tough guys there. I just kind of realized that every match is going to be a grind. There are no easy matches. I just learned that I have to cut my weight right. It's not going to be easy to reach my goals, and I have to get tough. Jason Tsirtsis won a Junior National freestyle title in Fargo in the summer of 2011 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Your first loss came to Oklahoma's Kendric Maple, the eventual NCAA champion. Like you, Maple is moving up to 149 pounds this season. Is he someone you are looking forward to wrestling? Tsirtsis: Yeah, definitely. I'm not putting all my focus on him. I think there are going to be a lot of tough guys at 149 this year, and he's definitely one of them. When that time comes, and if I get the opportunity to wrestle him at the Midlands or wherever it may be, I'm definitely going to be excited to hopefully avenge that loss from last year. I have heard you say in the past that you watch online video of wrestlers. Who are some of the wrestlers you have studied? Tsirtsis: I watch a lot of John Smith. He's probably the most technical wrestler I've ever seen. So I picked up a lot from him. I watch a lot of Buvaisar Saitiev and Arsen Fadzayev ... I watch a lot of matches. I watch the Brands.' You get so much from different wrestlers. If you watch Tom and Terry Brands you see that they're just relentless and you see how mental toughness can win you matches. You watch John Smith and you see how slick and fast he is. You watch Fadzayev and he's just so consistent. I just try to be a student of the sport and realize what those successful people had, and why they were successful. Your brother Alex, who was an All-American at Iowa, is eight years older than you. Describe your relationship with him. Tsirtsis: He's probably the biggest reason I've gotten to this point in my wrestling career. He's just an unbelievable person to work with and look up to. I have always looked up to him my whole life. He's not only my coach, but also my brother, so we have a very close bond. We have a lot of the same interests, so we're always talking and communicating. I'm very grateful to have a close bond with him. Has your relationship with Alex changed at all since you started college? Tsirtsis: If anything, our relationship has gotten stronger. He wants me to succeed and do everything right. He has already been through it. He likes to stay on top of what I'm doing and that I'm making all the right choices and doing all the right things. So I think it has gotten stronger since I've gotten into college. Jason Tsirtsis won by technical fall over Connor Ryan in the finals of the FILA Junior National competition at 66 kilos (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)You were recruited by the nation's top college wrestling programs. Why did Northwestern win out? Tsirtsis: My final two choices were Northwestern and Oklahoma State. Northwestern just stood out to me. The academics were a big draw. It's basically like an Ivy League school in the Midwest. Being close to home was a very big draw ... with not only having Alex close to me, but my whole family, and having them be close to support me. I really like the coaching staff. I think each of our coaches is a little different, which is what I like about it ... with Storniolo, Timmy, Drew, and Borschel ... They all have different personalities and different styles. I like that variation. I like the guys on the team too. There are a lot of things that went into it. What are your goals for this coming season? Tsirtsis: My goal is to be an NCAA champion. If I set anything shorter than that I would be lying to myself. I'm just a very competitive person. I always want to win and be the best I can be. Setting my goals high is how I have to approach it. I honestly believe I can do it. I just have to make sure I do everything right from now until March, and I think I will have a very good shot to accomplish that. But nothing is going to be easy, that's for sure.

Manheim, Pa. -- Building off of last year's star studded line-up, the All-Star Classic will feature another anticipated "Dream Match-Up" to kick off the college wrestling season on Nov. 2 at the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University. Logan Stieber will face Kendric Maple at 149 pounds on Nov. 2 (Photos/WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Two of the biggest names in college wrestling, Logan Stieber of Ohio State and Kendric Maple of Oklahoma, have accepted invitations to participate in the event at 149 pounds and are slotted to match-up at the event. "You will only see this match up in the All-Star Classic as they won't be in the same weight class at the national tournament," said George Mason head coach Joe Russell. "My hat goes off to these two great competitors for agreeing to put it on the line at the NWCA All-Star Classic." Maple and Stieber are coming off of nearly identical seasons where both wrestlers were undefeated and capped perfect seasons with NCAA championships. Maple posted a 31-0 record at 141 pounds while Stieber posted a 27-0 record at 133 pounds. Steiber, who has a 60-2 career record, is a two-time NCAA champion who earned a spot on the U.S. National Team at 60 kilos this offseason after placing third at the World Team Trials. Maple enters his final season at Oklahoma as a two-time All-American with a career record of 102-18. In addition to an NCAA Championship this past year, Maple earned All-American honors in 2011-12 with a fourth-place finish at 141 pounds. "We believe wrestling fans deserve to see stars square off" said Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan. "Logan is a leader in the sport as is Maple. We are all looking forward to watching these two elite athletes wrestle in the All-Star meet. The new concept of out of weight class match-ups is expected to create excitement for wrestling fans across the nation to start the college wrestling season. "I appreciate the vision of Wade Schalles for originally pitching the idea of out of weight class matches, Tom Brands for helping push the idea forward, Tom Ryan and Mark Cody for encouraging and allowing their wrestlers to compete in a true All-Star bout," said Russell. "Nov. 2 will be an electric night in the Patriot Center." The All-Star Classic will take place on Nov. 2 at 7:15 p.m. on the campus of George Mason University. To purchase tickets to the event, visit the Ticketmaster website. For more information on the All-Star Classic, visit the NWCA website and follow the NWCA on Facebook and Twitter. About the NWCA Founded in 1928, the NWCA strives to promote and provide leadership for the advancement of amateur wrestling, primarily at the scholastic and collegiate levels. The association is headquartered in Manheim Pa. The three core competencies are coaching development, student-wrestler welfare, and promotion/advocacy. The NWCA has 10,000 members and educational programs that serve 230,000 students each year. About George Mason University (GMU) Was established in 1957 and obtained university status in 1972. George Mason University is located in Fairfax Virginia has 32,000 students. The GMU wrestling program has a rich tradition as evidenced by having advanced 41 different wrestlers to the NCAA Division I Championships, two wrestlers achieved All American status one time and one wrestler achieved All American status two times. The head coach is Joe Russell and he is in his 2nd year. About Wrestlers in Business Network (WIBN) The WIBN-Washington DC Chapter consists of prominent business leaders in the Washington DC metropolitan region. The organization was originally formed in September 2012 under the name of the Greater Washington Wrestlers in Business Network and more recently merged with the Wrestlers in Business Network (headquartered in Cleveland OH) to form a national Wrestlers in Business Network. The purpose of this organization is to support amateur wrestling activities in major cities across America.

WATERLOO, Iowa -- Two former NCAA wrestling champions, a four-time Iowa high school state wrestling champion, a standout heavyweight, and a legendary coach will be inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa on June 7, 2014. The Hall of Fame is located inside the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The Class of 2014 includes Pete Bush, Joel Greenlee, Al Nacin, Mack Reiter, and Finn Eriksen (posthumously). The Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa was established in 2002 to honor the people who have made an impact on the sport on a national level, or who have done extraordinary work in the State of Iowa. The hall recognizes native-born Iowans, and those who achieved their fame while wrestling or coaching for an Iowa school. Pete Bush was an NCAA champion for the University of Iowa in 1982 at 190 pounds. He was also a three-time Big Ten champion (1981, 1982, and 1984). Bush is currently the head wrestling coach at Davenport Assumption where he led his team to a traditional state title in 2011 and state dual team titles in 2011, 2012, and 2013. He won an individual Iowa high school state wrestling championship for Davenport Assumption in 1979. Joel Greenlee wrestled for the University of Northern Iowa from 1986-1989 where he was a two-time All-American. He never lost a collegiate dual meet, putting up a 58-0-3 record during his career as a Panther. Greenlee’s 127-16-4 career record gives him the best career winning percentage (minimum of 50 wins) in program history (.878). A state champion for Waverly-Shell Rock High School in 1985 at 185 pounds, Greenlee is the current head wrestling coach at Ohio University. Al Nacin was Iowa State’s first four-time All-American in wrestling. He placed second at the 1971 NCAA tournament as a freshman followed by finishes of fifth and third in 1973 and 1974. Nacin won the 190 pound weight class at the 1975 NCAA tournament as a senior. He was also a three-time Big Eight champion. A native of Burbank, Ill., Nacin won the 175-pound Illinois state prep title for Reavis High School in 1970. Mack Reiter wrestled for Gilbertville-Don Bosco and was the 13th person to win four Iowa high school state wrestling championships (2000-03). His career high school record was 182-3 with 135 pins. Reiter was a three-time All-American for the University of Minnesota, placing fourth at the NCAA wrestling tournament as a freshman and as a sophomore (2005-06), and fifth as a senior (2008). He also won an individual Big Ten title in 2005. Finn Eriksen wrestled for the University of Northern Iowa (then known as Iowa State Teachers College) before becoming one of the most successful high school wrestling coaches in the state of Iowa. He led New Hampton to a state team title in 1933 before accepting a teaching and coaching position at West Waterloo. Eriksen led the Wahawks to state team championships in 1942 and 1943. Eriksen died on August 8, 1992. Three other special awards will be given during the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa. The Gibbons family will receive the Family Legacy Award. Bill and Bea Gibbons had four sons—Jim, Joe, Jeff, and Tim—who wrestled. Their oldest son, Jim, was a three-time state wrestling champion for Ames High School (1975-77). He was a three-time All-American (1980-82) for Iowa State, which included an individual NCAA championship in 1981. Jim was the head wrestling coach at Iowa State from 1986 through 1992. He coached the Cyclones to an NCAA team title in 1987. Joe was a four-time Iowa high school state wrestling champion and an NCAA champion (1985) for Iowa State. He won two state championship for Waterloo Columbus (1978-79) and two for Ames (1980-81). Joe was also a four-time All-American (1982, 1984-86) for the Cyclones. Jim and Joe are members of the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa. Jeff was a state champion for Ames High School in 1983 and 1984, and a second place finisher in 1982. He was a two-time All-American for Iowa State, placing third at the 1987 NCAA tournament and sixth at the 1988 NCAA tournament. Tim was a state champion for Ames in 1976. He wrestled at Iowa State for one season before becoming an orthopedic surgeon. Chris Krueger will receive the Bob Siddens High School Coaching Excellence Award. The award is given to an Iowa high school wrestling coach who exhibits the high standards that Bob Siddens set during his legendary coaching career. Siddens coached West Waterloo to 11 state team titles and a 327-26 dual meet record. Krueger has been the head wrestling coach at Denver-Tripoli since 2000. He has led the Titans to 2A state championships in 2010 and 2012, and a state dual team title in 2010. His teams were runners-up at the traditional state tournament in 2009 and 2011. Over the past six seasons Denver-Tripoli has had 21 state finalists and 12 state champions. Included in that list are three four-time state finalists: Dylan Peters (2-1-1-1), Brandon Sorenson (1-1-1-1), and Levi Wolfensperger (2-2-1-1). Steve and Linda Wachal will receive the Russ Smith Community Impact Award. The award is given to individuals demonstrating exceptional local impact on wrestling within the state of Iowa. The Wachals are board members for the Iowa Wrestling Federation (USA Wrestling-Iowa) and were the editors of the Iowa Wrestling Federation Newsletter. They have also served as tournament directors for USA Wrestling regional and national events. In addition to their work as directors, Steve has served as a USA Wrestling official while Linda has been a pairer. A banquet honoring all inductees and award winners will be held at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo on Saturday, June 7. For more information contact the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum at (319) 233-0745 or dgmstaff@nwhof.org. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum is a not-for-profit organization based out of Waterloo, Iowa. The mission of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is to preserve history, recognize excellence, and inspire future generations.

Just two years after moving to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Southern Scuffle, presented by Defense Soap and Flips Wrestling, has grown into the top in-season collegiate tournament in the nation. Year three looks to be even better as the Mocs welcome 33 teams, the biggest field yet, to the Scenic City. Action takes place at McKenzie Arena on the UTC Campus on Jan. 1-2. The lineup includes four of the top five, and six of the top 10, finishers at the 2013 NCAA Championships. Defending NCAA Champion Penn State highlights the list as the Nittany Lions look to make it three straight team wins at the Scuffle. “This event continues to grow each year and we continue to attract the top teams in the nation” stated UTC head coach Heath Eslinger. “We are always going to try to put together a top-flight field that features some of the best wrestlers at the collegiate level.” Other top-5 teams joining Penn State include 2013 NCAA runner-up Oklahoma State, third-place Minnesota and fifth-place Cornell. No. 7 Missouri and No. 8 Oregon State also finished in the top-10 at last year’s NCAAs and will be in the Scuffle field in January. Four national champions and eight finalists are among the individuals who will be competing at the Scuffle. All totaled, 135 NCAA qualifiers and 34 All-Americans are scheduled to take the mat for the 2014 event. “The wrestling community in Chattanooga and throughout the region has really gotten behind what we are trying to do with the Scuffle. I think that support shows in the type of experience we are providing for the student-athletes and the spectators” added Eslinger. “It is our goal to continue to improve the Scuffle and make it bigger and better each year.” Tickets for the 2014 Southern Scuffle go on sale on Oct. 1. Daily admission is $15 for adults and $5 for youth. Tickets can be purchased online on GoMocs.com or by calling the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627). 2014 Southern Scuffle Participants (by finish at the 2013 NCAA Championships): 1. Penn State 2. Oklahoma State 3. Minnesota 5. Cornell 7. Missouri 8. Oregon State 11. Iowa State 15. Pittsburgh 18. Central Michigan 20. The Citadel 21. Virginia 22. North Carolina 24. Kent State 29. Ohio 35. Penn 38. Air Force 38. Stanford 41. Arizona State 46. Bucknell 46. Hoftstra 49. Navy 49. Appalachian State 51. American 55. Chattanooga 57. Drexel 60. Duke 60. Old Dominion 63. N.C. State 66. Army 66. Campbell 66. Cleveland State 66. South Dakota State Northern Colorado

Jason Bryant and Scott Siepker will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, Sept. 25. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM Central on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show is available on theopenmat.com. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments. Bryant is the editor for Amateur Wrestling News. He will provide a report on the 2013 World Championships that took place in Budapest, Hungary. Known as the Iowa Nice Guy, Siepker provides weekly football updates for ESPN. He made a video about wrestling’s inclusion in the Olympics called “Wrestling Nice” prior to the International Olympic Committee’s decision in August.

Guests: Kevin Jackson Bryan Hazard Geno Zannetti Jack Roller Brian Smith Jake Agnitsch Glen Lanham Hour 1 Hour 2

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- The United States fell short of the medal round on the final day of the World Wrestling Championships on Sunday at Papp Laszlo Sports Arena. U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers Ellis Coleman, Andy Bisek and Robbie Smith each fell short of the medal round on the final day of the seven-day event in Budapest. U.S. heavyweight Robbie Smith reached the quarterfinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Smith, appearing at his first Senior Worlds, dropped a 7-0 quarterfinal match to World champion Riza Kayaalp of Turkey in the quarterfinals. Kayaalp hit two quick arm throws to end the match in the first minute. Smith opened with a 3-1 win over Xiaoming Nie of China at 120 kilos/264.5 pounds. Smith pushed the pace and wore Nie down, putting it away with a second-period takedown. Smith was eliminated when Kayaalp was upset by Iran’s Amir Aliakbari in the semifinals. Kayaalp needed to reach the finals to pull Smith back in for the repechage. Smith charged out strong with an early three-point arm throw en route to defeating Iosif Chugoshvili of Belarus 5-0 in the second round. Chugoshvili was fifth in 2012 Olympics. Read complete story ...

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- The United States fell short of the medal round at the World Wrestling Championships on Saturday at Papp Laszlo Sports Arena. Jesse Thielke (Photo/Larry Slater)American Greco-Roman wrestlers Jesse Thielke, Jordan Holm and Caylor Williams suffered losses and were not pulled back in for the repechage. All three wrestlers were competing in their first Senior Worlds. Thielke overcame an early 3-0 deficit to roll to a 9-4 win over Greece's Christos Theodorakis in his opening match at 60 kilos/132 pounds. Thielke followed by building a 3-0 lead before headlocking and pinning India's Ravinder Singh in the second period of the second round. Thielke then dropped a 7-4 decision to Korea's Jae-Seung Woo in the quarterfinals. Thielke took a brief 4-3 lead with a gut wrench midway through the first period before Woo came back to regain the lead. Thielke tried two headlocks late in the match, but was unable to score. Read complete story ...

55 kilos: Gold: Won Choi Yun (North Korea) Silver: Gyu-Jin Choi (Korea) Bronze: Roman Amoyan (Armenia) Bronze: Peter Modos (Hungary) 5th: Spenser Mango (USA) 5th: Ivan Tatarinov (Russia) 60 kilos: Gold: Ivo Angelov (Bulgaria) Silver: Ivan Kuylakov (Russia) Bronze: Jae-Seung Woo (Korea) Bronze: Elmurat Tasmuradov (Uzbekistan) 5th: Edward Barsegjan (Poland) 5th: Almat Kepispayev (Kazakhstan) 66 kilos: Gold: Han Su-Ryu (Korea) Silver: Islam-Beka Albiev (Russia) Bronze: Tulsia Yadan Sandeep (India) Bronze: Frank Staebler (Germany) 5th: Aleksandar Maksimovic (Serbia) 5th: Hasan Aliyev (Azerbaijan) 74 kilos: Gold: Hyeon-Woo Kim (Korea) Silver: Roman Vlasov (Russia) Bronze: Arsen Julfalakayan (Armenia) Bronze: Emrah Kus (Turkey) 5th: Mark Madsen (Denmark) 5th: Veli-Karri Suominen (Finland) 84 kilos: Gold: Taleb Nematpour (Iran) Silver: Saman Ahman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan) Bronze: Javid Hamzatau (Belarus) Bronze: Viktor Lorincz (Hungary) 5th: Damian Janikowski (Poland) 5th: Rami Hietaniemi (Finland) 96 kilos: Gold: Nikita Melnikov (Russia) Silver: Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) Bronze: Balasz Kiss (Hungary) Bronze: Shalva Gadabadze (Azerbaijan) 5th: Mahdi Aliyarifeizabadi (Iran) 5th: Norikatsu Saikawa (Japan) 120 kilos: Gold: Amir Aliakbari (Iran) Silver: Heiki Nabi (Estonia) Bronze: Numakhan Tinaliyev (Kazakhstan) Bronze: Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) 5th: Mihaly Deak-Bardos (Hungary)

48 kilos: Gold: Eri Tosaka (Japan) Silver: Mayellis Castillo (Venezuela) Bronze: Alyssa Lampe (USA) Bronze: Cheng Xu (China) 5th: Anna Lukasiak (Poland) 5th: Melanie LeSaffre (France) 51 kilos: Gold: Yanan Sun (China) Silver: Erdennechimeg Sumiya (Mongolia) Bronze: Sim Hyang So (North Korea) Bronze: Jessica MacDonald (Canada) 5th: Victoria Anthony (USA) 5th: Yuliya Blahinya (Ukraine) 55 kilos: Gold: Saori Yoshida (Japan) Silver: Sofia Mattson (Sweden) Bronze: Emese Barka (Hungary) Bronze: Valeria Koblova (Russia) 5th: Maya Hristova (Bulgaria) 5th: Iryna Husyak (Ukraine) 59 kilos: Gold: Marianna Sastin (Hungary) Silver: Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria) Bronze: Muhktuya Tungalag (Mongolia) Bronze: Yuliya Ratkevich (Azerbaijan) 5th: Ayaka Ito (Japan) 5th: Tetyana Lavrenchuk (Ukraine) 63 kilos: Gold: Kaori Icho (Japan) Silver: Battsetseg Sornzobold (Mongolia) Bronze: Elena Pirozhkova (USA) Bronze: Yekaterina Larionova (Kazakhstan) 5th: Anastasia Bratchikova (Russia) 5th: Jackeline Renteria (Colombia) 67 kilos: Gold: Alina Stadnik (Ukraine) Silver: Stacie Anaka (Canada) Bronze: Nasanburmaa Ochirbat (Mongolia) Bronze: Sara Dosho (Japan) 5th: Zhangting Zhou (China) 5th: Aline Focken (Germany) 72 kilos: Gold: Fengliu Zhang (China) Silver: Natalia Vorobeva (Russia) Bronze: Adeline Gray (USA) Bronze: Burmaa Ochirbat (Mongolia) 5th: Yasemin Adar (Turkey) 5th: Svetlana Saenko (Moldova)

Related: Schedule STILLWATER -- John Smith and the Oklahoma State wrestling squad announced their opponents for the 2013-14 season, which is highlighted by visits to Penn State and the University of Iowa. “I believe, in every way, that this year’s schedule will help develop and prepare us for the best regular season and postseason that we can have,” Smith said. The Cowboys, coming off a 20-1 season and a second-place finish at NCAAs, will begin the season at home on Nov. 17 against Bucknell. The Pokes will make a trip to Norman to take on in-state rival Oklahoma on Dec. 1 before returning to Stillwater for a battle against Minnesota on Dec. 8. The 2013 Big 12 champions will be on the road from Dec. 14 through Jan. 19 to visit Wyoming, Northern Colorado, Iowa, West Virginia and Pittsburgh, respectively. During that time, the Pokes will make their second appearance at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Cowboys return to Gallagher-Iba Arena on Jan. 24, beginning a four-dual home stand, including duals against Iowa State, former Big 12 rival Missouri, Cal State-Bakersfield and Oklahoma. Traveling to State College, Pa., for the first time since 1996, the Cowboys will take on the Nittany Lions of Penn State led by Cael Sanderson on Feb. 16. They will also wrestle Clarion that same weekend. The Pokes will return home to finish the dual season in Stillwater with matchups against Arizona State on Feb. 21 and American University on March 2. For the postseason, the Cowboys will stay close to home as they compete for their 47th conference championship in Norman, Okla., and their 35th national title in Oklahoma City at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Three straight years, three straight medals. Adeline Gray earned a World bronze medal at 72 kilos (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)American Adeline Gray earned her third straight medal at the World Wrestling Championships, collecting a bronze medal on Friday night at Papp Laszlo Sports Arena. Gray registered a convincing 8-2 win over Turkey’s Yasemin Adar in her women’s freestyle bronze match at 72 kilos/158.5 pounds. "I really wanted to get that gold for my team," Gray said. "I feel a little disappointed. I'm definitely ready to go back to the drawing board and make sure this doesn't happen again." Gray won her third straight World medal after earning a gold medal in 2012 and a bronze in 2011. Read complete story ...

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives. Half-man, half-amazing. Many wrestling fans are searching for context to help them understand Jordan Burroughs' accomplishments on the mat. His winning streak of 65 straight matches is nowhere near that of Alexander Karelin's and is even short of still active wrestlers Kaori Icho and Saori Yoshida. Three straight titles is significant, but doesn't rank among the top 30. At home Jordan is still far from matching John Smith's six consecutive World titles ('87-'92). Through Burroughs isn't the most impressive among his peers in any single category, he does well to combine all these measurements in an overall packaging that feels more substantial. Burroughs is winning his matches at 74 kilos, which is one of freestyle wrestling's most competitive weight classes. In Budapest, Burroughs not only wrestled talented newcomers like Akbari of Iran, but also veterans like Jabrayil Hassanov of Azerbaijan who came up from 66 kilos where he was a two-time World bronze medalist. Being in the middle of the lineup, where some of the most-talented world-level wrestlers linger for years means that every time Burroughs steps on the mat, he's facing one of the best overall wrestlers in the tournament. For those who tend to watch a lot of wrestling, it's also obvious that Burroughs is at a higher athletic level than his opponents, able to find angles with an authority and speed that is almost unstoppable. His double legs attacks are often so fast, and so low, that it's become an accepted fact among some photographers that catching these moments of brilliance requires as much luck as skill. When it comes to defense perhaps no wrestler is more creative in providing a stingy reaction to aggressive moves. The streak, titles, weight class, and athletic ability are all significant factors for why Burroughs is so compelling, but they aren't what are propelling him into athletic stardom. Burroughs' career is being analyzed during a time of increased media attention on the sport of wrestling. Twitter, Facebook, live streams to the mainstream media that followed the #SaveOlympicWrestling campaign, have all contributed to more people watching and caring about the sport. Forget Karelin, John Smith, Jordanov, and Cael Sanderson, no wrestler in the history of the sport has had their name written/typed on more occasions. The ability to watch Burroughs' matches online, discuss his talents in an open forum and even follow his personal life on Twitter, makes him a star of the 21st Century, that makes his accomplishments feel bigger and brighter than all those that came before him. Burroughs' brand is hotter than ever. The monetization of his image and ability has led to a television commercial and various endorsement deals. He makes a fantastic living from his wrestling ability. He's charming. He's considerate. He's media-capable. And yet after what he did on Wednesday all those attributes and all those outside considerations will fade, because Burroughs now has what the true greats all possess -- his own legend. Like Curt Schilling, Burroughs has a bloody sock moment that will be chatted about for decades -- the World and Olympic champion wrestled with a broken foot. The athletic canonization of Burroughs and his accomplishments is underway. No matter what happens in 2014 and beyond, the story of Burroughs' career was written in Budapest. He's half man, half amazing. To your questions ... Q: First of all, disappointing first couple of days at the Worlds. I happened to tune in for the streaming of Tervel's quarterfinal match, and it was really exciting! My heart was racing, and then Gatsalov came out, did his thing in like 30 seconds, which put Tervel back on the mat only like 10 minutes. I still felt tired from watching Tervel in the quarters, and then he was back up; I can't imagine that for him, he wasn't still feeling that quarterfinal. Do you think fatigue played a factor in Tervel's semifinal? It just seems like the guy can't catch a break. Also (unrelated) what's your take on Flip wrestling and why should or shouldn't I buy a pair of their headphones? -- BJ Foley: The single-day format favors those that are in shape and can wrestle with some limitation on physical output. The problem facing scramble-first wrestlers is that the 15-minute rest window isn't enough to make a full recovery. That's even worse for wrestlers who weigh 260 lbs. Dlagnev forces funky situations and shoots plenty of low singles, which is exciting and fun, but can't be good for lung capacity late in the tournament. So, yes, I do think it played a factor. However I also think that Alen Zasieiev was the favorite to win the weight, and was the best heavyweight at the tournament. It bears mention that Gatsalov and Zasieiev have known each other for years as members of the same wrestling club. They have the same coach. As for the second part of your question: Yes, FLIPS Wrestling is marketing to the wrestling community and if you want to buy a set of headphones that go over your ear, you'd be doing the sport a favor by purchasing FLIPS Wrestling before Dre Beats, since the good Doctor isn't sponsoring Burroughs. Q: In this day and age of equality, FILA is essentially sticking its neck out for Greco Roman in the 6-6-6 format. While I hate to ruin anyone's dream, let's not potentially sacrifice the great sport of Olympic freestyle wrestling for the most boring & confusing version of our ancient sport. You should go 8 & 8 for weights for freestyle and then do the team format (both genders) of takedown only. Equality and casual fan growth is what the IOC needs to see from wrestling. -- Tom B. Foley: Plenty of Americans hate Greco-Roman, and many for a good reason: Lack of sction. The highlight films might be filled with big throws and fun action, but when it comes to consistent action, and perceivable advantages Greco-Roman is exceedingly difficult to follow both by the average fan and the newbie. I'm learning to like the sport more. Today at World's will be two women's weights and a Greco-Roman weight. There are some Swedes and Fins in attendance with matching shirts, but otherwise it's a fairly similar crowd to what we've seen the past several days. That written, I'd imagine that tonight's finals will have more fans due to it being Friday. Same for Saturday. In the eyes of the IOC membership Greco-Roman is at-risk because there is no offsetting style for women. It seems unlikely that FILA would start a Greco-Roman style for women, since men are so embattled. However, it's not implausible that women's wrestling could hit the beach. That would protect Greco-Roman in the future, but would require a lot of political maneuvering within the IOC, and that's not an easy task. On a related note, many of the FILA members have mentioned their love for Greco-Roman and there understanding that "we all want more weights and more medals." However, wrestling's partner is the IOC, and they have as much say in what happens in Olympic years as FILA. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Burroughs beats Akbari Sastin beats Yusein Byamba goes big Q: What are some of the longest undefeated streaks in international wrestling? Is Burroughs' one of the longest? -- Tim R. Foley: Alexander Karelin had 13 years of undefeated wrestling, and despite the renewed attention the Russian Wrestling Federation has been reluctant to produce any records on the length of his winning streak. As mentioned in the opening Yoshida and Icho each have winning streaks of more than 150 matches. There are also bound to be some other records by guys like Valentin Jordanov that have been preserved in the Bulgarian archives, but less reported by the American media. All that written, just focus on the fact that Burroughs currently owns the longest winning streak in men's wrestling. Q: I know you have been against this previously, but what are your thoughts about overtime now? Watching the Worlds this week I think we need it. The rules are still a bit confusing overall and FILA refs are painful, but most importantly how is the casual fan going to understand someone winning 8-8? Sudden death overtime would be exciting and is easy to understand and explain. If a match goes too long we could do a shot clock after two minutes, or have a smaller circle on the mat that could be used for overtime so pushouts are more common. What you think? Or any better ideas? -- Rob H. Foley: For me one of the most painful moments of the World Championships happened on Tuesday when 66-kilo wrestlers Lopez (Cuba) and Mandrakhnaran (Mongolia) had their match ended by criteria. My problem wasn't that the match ended on criteria, but that the scoreboard operator placed the small white triangle signifying the winner into the WRONG box. Mandrakhnaran and his coaches ended the match thinking they were headed to the finals, only to have a final review of the scorecard show that the last twenty seconds of action were built on the false premise that the Mongolian was winning. FILA took heat for the slip from none other than Asashoryu, who is the head of the Mongolian Wrestling Federation. They also got an earful from some fans and reporters who were just plain confused by the white triangle and what it meant. I'd expect an improved form of presentation, and a better check by the coaches as the rules become more consistent. I'm not sold on overtime. Criteria is kinda stupid because the score ends the same (I'm all for adding a point at the end to make it more clear to fans), but there are obvious advantages. First, in a one-day format an overtime match like you saw with Howe and Dake would have spelled defeat for the winner going forward -- with only 15 minutes of recovery time the chances of making a recovery are pretty slim. Also, with television you have to guarantee them the length of your event, and that becomes MUCH more difficult when there is a possibility of a-15 minute overtime. I know extra time feels like you're solving the issue of who is better, but at this point I prefer the flurry of action at the end of the match to the slow winding down of a match that is headed to unlimited overtime. They just need to fix the white triangle. Q: What are your top five college venues for watching a match and why? -- Mike C. Foley: I haven't been to that many college wrestling venues, so I'll make this list taking into account all that has been written about some of these venues and balance them against my personal experiences. 1. Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa) 2. Rec Hall (University Park, Pa.) 3. Friedman Center (Ithaca, N.Y.) 4. Grace Hall (Bethlehem, Pa.) 5. Gallagher-Iba Arena (Stillwater, Okla.) COMMENTS OF THE WEEK By @NHoughSnee I'm going to say it: unsurprisingly, the women's bouts have been as action-packed as the men's at the World Championships. Wrestling is only going to grow if people embrace that our women go harder than those in any other sport on earth. By Mike S. Not sure if you have ever seen or read this but I highly suggest you do. It's a blog from a man named Todd Tarpley. It follows his personal choice and subsequent struggle to define his life, and eventually reach his goal of being an All-American, by selling out, going for broke and moving to Iowa to wrestle for the HWC in the late 80s early 90s. The names thrown around are a who's who of wrestling greats: Brands, Steiner, Alger, Zaputil, Lewis and shows event cards with winners like Mark Coleman, Smith, Baumgartner, and is especially great to see the Foxcatcher Club with the upcoming movie and documentary. It reads as a blog and follows his daily progressions of getting physically and mentally beat ... until his dreams start to turn into reality. The man himself, from what I could find, has returned to New York and is extremely successful, including writing a few children's books I believe ... as if his wrestling and determination doesn't encapsulate you, maybe his writing will. It may take a while to read, so set aside some time, but it will be worth it. I promise. Link.

Now that the men's freestyle portion of the 2013 FILA Wrestling World Championships has ended, I'd like to provide a bit of perspective on Team USA's performance. We come home with only one medal, which is less than optimal, but we have plenty of positives to take away. As a team we managed fifth place, which is not quite where we want to be, but still far from a disaster. I think the best case scenario for this American team would have been third. Iran and Russia are too tough at the moment, so while things could be better, they could also be far worse. Below I have provided thoughts on each freestyle wrestler. As always, I write from the perspective of a fan with the highest level of respect for each athlete, so I strive to stay positive. 55 kilos: Angel Escobedo I'm sure he would like another crack at the Turk for the bronze, but all things considered, Escobedo acquitted himself well. I wonder if now that he has had some success on the highest level, if he will now have the necessary confidence boost to push himself to the top of the ladder domestically and stay there. 60 kilos: Reece Humphrey/Franklin Gomez I've included both because I view Gomez as a bonus American wrestler. Interestingly, both found themselves eliminated from the tournament in similar situations. Both received questionable calls from the ref, and both surrendered late takedowns to lose to tough competition. The Russian was far and away the best wrestler in this weight. I'm at peace with the fact that neither American would beat him, but with the way brackets were drawn up, either Humphrey or Franklin could have won a bronze. Leaving questionable scoring out of the discussion, both seemed to lose due to bad tactical choices in the second period. Sometimes, wrestling with the lead can be just as hard as wrestling from behind. Both will probably find themselves at another World championship, and both know they have what it takes to medal. (Gomez already has a medal.) They just need to polish up their match closing abilities. 66 kilos: Brent Metcalf Metcalf's style, which makes him successful in the new cumulative scoring format, ironically cost him a shot at a World medal. In his defeat to Iran's two-time World champion, Mehdi Taghavi, which was far more competitive than their last meeting, Metcalf tired out the Iranian so severely that he lost in the next round to an inferior opponent, thus eliminating Metcalf. I will make the bold prediction that Metcalf will win a World level medal before all is said and done. He just cannot lose before a semifinal, or better yet, not lose at all. 74 kilos: Jordan Burroughs With the news that Burroughs bad barely recovered from a broken leg and had spent most of last month's training on a stationary bike, it's hard to feel anything but awe at his performance. Jordan Burroughs (74 kilos) won a World gold medal, but was the lone medalist for Team USA in men's freestyle (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)I'm sure that Mark Manning and other Burroughs supporters had to do a good bit of arguing to prevent Burroughs from getting replaced on the American roster, but it looks like the right decision was made. In the past, Burroughs wrestling dazzled with its spectacular display of speed and power. The performance at this year's World Championships saw a slightly more understated performance from Burroughs, but no less impressive, largely due to his tactical mastery and truly clever wrestling in tight spots. Jordan has said he wants one more gold in a row than John Smith. He might be capable of it, but it this goal sits a long way off, and Burroughs finds himself beset on all sides by forces which can derail him. A single great opponent, injury, or questionable reffing decision can end his streak at any time. I just hope that, in the meantime, we really appreciate what he has accomplished already. Finally, I'll take this time to discuss a problem I've noticed with passivity warnings at this year's World Championships. A lack of scoring does not necessarily indicate passivity on either side, yet refs feel obligated to issue passivity cautions whenever the scoreboard stands still. Also, circling out of an underhook does not equate to passivity. If a wrestler underhooks, is the other wrestler obligated to stand there and wait for his opponent to work something off the hook? Wrestlers have a right to progress to a more advantageous position where they can initiate offense. 84 kilos: Keith Gavin Georgia's Dato Marashgavili seems to have the ability to beat, and to lose to anyone. Gavin ran into the best version of the Georgian, and this spelled the end to any medal hopes on Gavin's behalf. I like Gavin, and I hope he gets another bite at the apple on the world's highest level, but I fear he might not represent Team USA's future at 84kg. 96 kilos: J.D. Bergman J.D. Bergman wrestled well for most of a match, but he hung out in double unders for too long and found himself on his back. That is international-level wrestling in a nutshell -- one momentary lapse can rob you of your dreams. It's hard to wrestle with the lead in the current incarnation of freestyle. If you sit back on your heels, you possibly put yourself in a situation to Reece Humprey in his last match. If you stay aggressive, you can end up on your back like Bergman. The current rules seem to force a wrestler to continue to outwrestle his competition until the final whistle. There is a silver lining. While I do not yet think that Bergman is at a level with the two wrestlers we saw in the finals, I think on most days he has the skill to put himself in position to win a bronze medal in a World championship. 120 kilos: Tervel Dlagnev In the last three years Dlagnev has beaten both World champions and the Olympic champion, but in that time he has no world medals himself. Some years ago, probably after his 2009 World bronze, I predicted that he would go on to become the second greatest American heavyweight ever. Had a few matches gone the other way over the last few years, this prediction would have come true. Fortunately, Dlagnev is still young enough to make me correct. I'm a huge fan of every Team USA wrestler, but none more so than Dlagnev. It breaks my heart to see him keep falling short of his goals. I think that this year he suffered a serious adrenaline dump after finally beating Iran's Ghasemi in the quarters, and he never recovered. The happenstance of the World Championships format hurt him. I hope beyond all hopes that Dlagnev can obtain a gold medal or two (preferably one at Rio) before he leaves his shoes on the mat, though it does not appear things will get any easier. Turkey, Ukraine and Georgia possess young elite talent, Russia has a revitalized Gatsalov, and Azerbaijan and Iran still have great heavies in Magomedov and Ghasemi. Dlagnev has shown that he can beat anyone at any time. Now he needs to show he can beat everyone at one time.

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Elena Pirozhkova added a bronze to her impressive medal collection at the World Wrestling Championships. Elena Pirozhkova has now won World gold, silver, and bronze medals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Pirozhkova scored a first-period takedown and completely shut down Junior World champion Anastasia Bratchikova of Russia in a 2-0 win in the bronze match Thursday night at Papp Laszlo Sports Arena. "I'm just really happy I got a medal," Pirozhkova said. "I felt really good. I could've opened up a little more, but I got the job done. I wanted to win the gold, but I was happy to come back and win a bronze. I just need to keep building for the 2016 Olympics." Pirozhkova now owns World medals of every color. She captured a World silver medal in 2010 and a World gold medal in 2012 in women's freestyle wrestling at 63 kilos/138.75 pounds. "Elena looked really solid," U.S. Coach Terry Steiner said. "Her positioning was very good and she did a good job of pressuring her opponent." The U.S. women now have two bronze medals in this event after Alyssa Lampe won bronze on Wednesday. The U.S. is in third place in the team standings with 28 points. Japan leads with 38 points and Mongolia is in second with 31 points with two weight classes left to be contested on Friday. Americans Helen Maroulis and Alli Ragan fell short of the medal round on Thursday. Maroulis lost by first-period fall to Bulgaria's Maya Hristova in the repechage to come up one match short of the bronze-medal bout at 55 kilos/121 pounds. Ragan dropped a 3-2 decision to Japan's Ayaka Ito in the quarterfinals at 59 kilos/130 pounds. Ragan was eliminated when Ito was pinned by Hungary's Marianna Sastin in the semifinals. Champions crowned on Thursday were Japan's Saori Yoshida at 55 kilos/121 pounds, Japan's Kaori Icho at 63 kilos/138.75 pounds and Hungary's Marianna Sastin at 59 kilos/130 pounds. Yoshida captured her record 11th World title. She owns three Olympic gold medals. Icho won her eighth World title. She also has won three Olympic titles. Day 5 of the seven-day event is set for Friday in Budapest. World champion Adeline Gray and Junior World silver medalist Veronica Carlson are set to take the mat for the U.S. in women's freestyle along with two-time Olympian Spenser Mango in Greco-Roman.

UFC 165 is finally here, and light heavyweight champion Jon Jones faces a riveting matchup against ... another really tall guy! At least that is how the powers that be are hyping up his fight with contender Alexander Gustaffson. Yes, Jones will win. But you'd think they'd at least play up Gustaffson's striking ability, or maybe that one time Machida hit Jones and made the champion seem human. All of that aside, this weekend's pay per view card features a good lineup, with a co-main event with bantamweight interim champion Renan Barao against dangerous striker Eddie Wineland. Along with previewing the fight card, Richard and John make random inside jokes. Enjoy. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

Jordan Burroughs won his third straight World or Olympic title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)BUDAPEST, Hungary -- The legend of Jordan Burroughs continues to grow. Not only did the unflappable Burroughs continue his incredible run by winning a gold medal at the World Wrestling Championships. He did it on a left ankle that he broke less than a month ago. Burroughs kept his composure in earning a gritty 4-0 win over Iran’s Ezzatollah Akbarizarinkolaei in the men's freestyle finals at 74 kilos/163 pounds on Wednesday night at the Papp Laszlo Sports Arena. Burroughs captured his third straight gold medal after striking gold at the 2011 Worlds and the 2012 Olympics. Burroughs turned in an amazing performance considering he broke his ankle less than a month ago during a practice at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. He broke his ankle Aug. 22, had surgery the next day and said he didn’t resume live wrestling until arriving in Budapest less than a week ago. "The doctor put five screws in my left ankle," Burroughs said. "I’m like Iron Man now. I was running sprints at the OTC and tried to jump off the wall to stop my momentum and snapped it. The doctor made it extra stable for me to be able to compete. He said he could do the type of surgery that would guarantee I would be able to compete. I was on crutches and I couldn’t walk for a couple weeks. I rode the bike and lifted and stayed in great shape when I couldn’t wrestle. I have only wrestled live once in the last four weeks and that was here. "It's definetly the biggest win of my career. It's special, real special." Burroughs scored on pushouts in the first and second periods to build a 2-0 lead against his defensive-minded finals opponent from Iran. He then spun behind for a huge takedown with 40 seconds left for the final margin. He outscored his five opponents by a combined 34-3 total on Wednesday. "My ankle felt good," he said. "I don’t have the full range of motion. I was about 75-80 percent. I tried to compete hard and give my all. I believed I could do this. It’s a testament to my willpower. I knew I could compete at a high level." Burroughs beat the Iranian for the second time this year after defeating him in the 2013 World Cup in Tehran, Iran. Burroughs is now a perfect 65-0 on the Senior level since starting his international career in 2011. He beat another Iranian, Sadegh Goudarzi, in the 2011 World and 2012 Olympic finals. Burroughs becomes the first U.S. men’s freestyle wrestler to win back-to-back World titles since John Smith in 1990 and 1991. Burroughs becomes only the second U.S. men’s freestyle wrestler to win three straight World or Olympic titles. John Smith won six straight World or Olympic titles from 1987-92. The U.S. finished fifth in the men’s freestyle standings with 25 points. Iran edged Russia 46-44 for the team title. Alyssa Lampe captured a World bronze medal with a quick 46-second pin over Melanie LeSaffre of France in women’s freestyle at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. Lampe earns her second straight World bronze after taking third at the 2012 Worlds at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. "I knew I had to come back strong to win a medal," Lampe said. "I just had to keep focused and stay on my offense." Victoria Anthony dropped an 8-0 decision to Sim Hyang So of North Korea in her bronze-medal match in women’s freestyle at 51 kg/112.25 lbs. Anthony, a two-time Junior World champion, fell just short of a medal in her first trip to the Senior World Championships. Day 4 of the seven-day event is set for Thursday in Budapest. World champion Elena Pirozhkova, World silver medalist Helen Maroulis and World University silver medalist Alli Ragan are set to take the mat for the U.S.

Tervel Dlagnev (Photo/Larry Slater)BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Tervel Dlagnev's quest for a second World medal came up short. Dlagnev placed fifth at the World Wrestling Championships in freestyle wrestling at 120 kilos/264.5 pounds on Tuesday night at Papp Laszlo Sports Arena. Dlagnev was unable to generate any offense in a 3-0 loss to Taha Akgul of Turkey in the bronze-medal bout. Akgul, ranked No. 1 in the World, scored a first-period passivity point and a second-period takedown to prevail. "I just got to get better," Dlagnev said. "It's hard to put my finger on it. I felt like I was wrestling well, but I didn't have a lot in the tank in the semis and I don't know if it carried over." Dlagnev wrestled for a bronze medal at a World or Olympic competition for the fourth time in the past five years. He won a World bronze medal in 2009 before placing fifth in the 2011 Worlds and 2012 Olympics. Dlagnev won his first three matches Tuesday before falling to Ukraine's Alen Zaseev 6-2 in the semifinals. Zaseev led 1-0 before shooting in for a takedown early in the second period and gaining additional exposure points to take control. Dlagnev opened with a quick 9-0 technical fall over Antonie Jaoude of Brazil in the first round. He followed with an 8-0 technical fall over Nobuyoshi Arakida of Japan in the second round. Dlagnev turned in a huge quarterfinal win when he knocked off Iran's Komeil Ghasemi by a 7-0 technical fall. Ghasemi had beaten Dlagnev three straight times in the last 13 months, including the bronze-match at the 2012 Olympics. Reece Humphrey came out strong, but fell short in his quest to win a medal at 60 kilos/132 pounds. He finished eighth. Humphrey dropped a wild 9-8 decision to Iran's Masoud Esmailpourjouybari in the quarterfinals. Humphrey led 5-0 late in the first period before the Iranian stormed back. Down 8-7, Esmailpourjouybari shot in on a leg attack and finished for a takedown with four seconds left in the match to prevail. The Iranian won a gold medal at the 2013 World Cup. He was seventh in the 2012 Olympics. Humphrey was eliminated when the Iranian lost to Russia's Bekhan Goigereev in the semifinals. Esmailpourjouybari needed to reach the finals to pull Humphrey back into medal contention in the repechage. Humphrey opened by locking up Ukraine's Mykola Aivazian of Ukraine and throwing him to record a first-period fall in 1 minute, 37 seconds. Humphrey trailed 3-0 after being thrown to his back, but quickly regrouped to gain the dramatic fall. Humphrey followed with a 7-0 win over Erhan Bakir of Turkey. Bakir is a two-time Cadet World champion. Humphrey also reached the quarterfinal round of the World Championships in 2011. "When I got the draw, I knew it wasn't a great draw," Humphrey said. "To be the champion you've got to beat everybody. The Iranian had beaten me before and I knew it was a huge match for me. I was ready and I came out strong. We got into a crazy match. I was in position, but he kept pushing and it just didn't happen for me today." Keith Gavin went 1-1 in his first World Championships at 84 kilos/185 pounds. Gavin opened with a 9-2 win over Michael Tsotselashvili of Israel before falling to Georgia's Dato Marsagishvili 8-0 in the second round. Gavin was eliminated when Marsagishvili lost in the third round and fell short of the finals. Marsagishvili, ranked No. 1 in the World, is a past Olympic and World bronze medalist. "Obviously, it didn't go the way I wanted it to," Gavin said. "I tried to step over his gut wrench, but it didn't happen and that was the beginning of the end." Puerto Rico's Franklin Gomez, a member of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, won his first two matches before falling to Russia's Bekhan Goigereev 13-5 in the quarterfinals at 60 kilos/132 pounds. Gomez fell one match short of the bronze-medal match. He came back to win a match in the repechage before falling 6-4 to Armenia's Artur Arakelyan. Gomez, a 2009 NCAA champion for Michigan State, was second in the 2011 Worlds. Champions crowned on Tuesday were Russia's Bekhan Goigereev at 60 kilos/132 pounds, Ukraine's Ibragim Aldatov at 84 kilos/185 pounds. and Russia's Khadshimourad Gatsalov at 120 kilos/264.5 pounds. Gatsalov won his fifth World title and first at 120 after bumping up from 96 kilos/211.5 pounds. He also owns an Olympic gold medal. The U.S. is still looking for its first freestyle medal at the 2013 Worlds with just one weight class remaining in that style. Day 3 of the seven-day event is set for Wednesday in Budapest. Olympic and World champion Jordan Burroughs will take the mat in freestyle for Team USA along with World bronze medalist Alyssa Lampe and Junior World champion Victoria Anthony.