InterMat Staff

PITTSBURGH -- University of Pittsburgh head wrestling coach Rande Stottlemyer, one of the most accomplished and longest tenured coaches in the history of intercollegiate athletics at Pitt, has announced his retirement. Rande Stottlemyer is the winningest coach in Pitt wrestling history (Photo/Pitt Sports Information) Stottlemyer's name is synonymous with Pitt wrestling as his involvement with the program spans nearly four decades. He was a three-time All-American for the Panthers from 1974-78. Following his graduation from the University in 1978, Stottlemyer served Pitt as an assistant coach for one year before taking over as head coach in 1979. Leading the program the past 34 seasons, he compiled a 304-230-12 record and is the winningest coach in Pitt wrestling history. The past four seasons were among the Panthers' most impressive under Stottlemyer's watch. Since 2010, Pitt has won three Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) regular-season championships and three EWL Tournament titles. Pitt finished 15th nationally in 2012 and 2013. For his career, Stottlemyer produced 56 EWL individual champions, 33 All-Americans and three national champions. He also was selected the EWL Coach of the Year five times. “I would like to thank the University of Pittsburgh for the great opportunity they gave me as a young man, fresh out of college,” Stottlemyer said. “I have been blessed to have lived my passion for thirty-five years. I hope in that time I have been able to make a positive impact on a lot of young men's lives. It has been an honor to be their coach and to promote the great sport of wrestling. “I am deeply indebted to Chancellor Mark Nordenberg, Athletic Director Steve Pederson and Executive Associate Athletic Director Donna Sanft for their leadership and support. Thank you to all my co-workers, assistant coaches and wrestlers who over the years have given so much of themselves to make our success possible. Finally, I would like to thank my wife, daughters, family, and friends for always being there for me.” Although he is retiring from coaching, Stottlemyer will remain with the Pitt Athletic Department, serving in the position of Senior Advisor for Olympic Sports. In this capacity he will provide consultation and advice for each of the Panthers' 16 Olympic sports programs as they transition to competition in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013. “Very few coaches retire at the top of their game and yet Rande Stottlemyer is doing just that,” Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson said. “Not only has Rande led our wrestling program to the top of the Eastern Wrestling League but he is also held in the highest regard by everyone in our athletic department. It would be hard to sufficiently put into words what Rande has meant to Pitt and to each of us individually. I am pleased that he has agreed to assist me in our transition to the ACC as his experience and guidance will be invaluable. Rande also built a coaching staff that is ready to take this program into a new conference and continue its legacy of success.” Succeeding Stottlemyer as head coach will be Jason Peters, an assistant at Pitt the past 10 seasons who was designated the program's head coach-in-waiting last fall. Peters played a vital role in the Panthers' impressive run of success as a lead recruiter and trainer. A 1998 graduate of East Stroudsburg University, Peters will become the 10th head coach in Pitt wrestling history. Matt Kocher, a former Pitt All-America wrestler who has served as an assistant coach the past four seasons, will also continue on the staff. “Our program will continue to move forward under the guidance of Jason Peters and Matt Kocher,” Stottlemyer said. “They have both been exemplary in their work ethic and commitment during their time at Pitt.” “Rande and I had many conversations over the past few years about the future of this program,” Pederson said. “In Rande's opinion, as well as mine, we could not make a better choice than to elevate Jason Peters to the role of head wrestling coach at Pitt. The added bonus of Matt Kocher staying as the top assistant makes this a special time. We are all committed to helping Jason succeed and we are excited to watch his tenure as the leader of this program. As always, our staff will rally behind Jason, Matt and our student-athletes to make this a great transition.”

Doug Schwab

Related: Results CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- USA Wrestling crowned its Junior and Cadet National folkstyle champions on Saturday afternoon in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Those wrestlers winning titles in this event earned the first leg of the Triple Crown, which can be completed with double titles in Fargo during the month of July. Highlighting the Junior folkstyle champions were a pair of No. 1 wrestlers in the nation -- Aaron Pico (St. John Bosco, Calif.) and Adam Coon (Fowlerville, Mich.) at 138 and 285 pounds respectively. Most notable among the Cadet champions were Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) at 160 and Cade Olivas (California) at 88; Hall is ranked No. 2 in the Class of 2016, while Olivas is ranked No. 3 overall among junior high wrestlers. Junior Finals: 100: Michael Bannach (Wrightstown, Wis.) dec. Dalton Roberts (Fowlerville, Mich.), 6-0; True 2nd: Brendan Coughlin (Northern Calvert, Md.) maj. dec. Roberts, 17-9 106: Chris Lacayo (Santiago Corona, Calif.) dec. Jarrett Reisenbichler (Jackson, Mo.), 5-0; True 2nd: No. 9 Miguel Silva, Jr. (Plainfield South, Ill.) dec. Reisenbichler, 3-2 113: Brian Rossi (Lockport, Ill.) maj. dec. Joey Cisneros (Redwood, Calif.) 13-3; True 2nd: Doyle Trout (Centennial, Neb.) dec. Cisneros 5-4 120: No. 2 (at 113) Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) dec. No. 14 Ronnie Bresser (Henley, Ore.), 3-2 126: Trae Blackwell (Union County, Ky.) dec. Julian Flores (San Marino, Calif.), 6-1 132: No. 17 (at 138) Dalton Brady (Chandler, Ariz.) dec. Ali Naser (El Camino Real, Calif.), 3-2; True 2nd: No. 20 Seth Gross (Apple Valley, Minn.) dec. Naser, 6-3 138: No. 1 (at 132) Aaron Pico (St. John Bosco, Calif.) technical fall Logan Ryan (Bettendorf, Iowa), 26-11 145: Grant Lamont (Maple Mountain, Utah) pinned No. 20 Tommy Forte (Mishawaka, Ind.), 4:42 152: No. 15 Clayton Ream (Holt, Mo.) dec. No. 6 Brandon Sorensen (Denver-Tripoli, Iowa), 3-2 160: No. 18 Davonte Mahomes (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) dec. No. 7 Ryan Blees (Bismarck, N.D.), 3-2 170: No. 20 Jacob Morrissey (Oconto Falls, Wis.) maj. dec. Jacob Stilling (Elkhorn, Wis.), 16-6; True 2nd: Bryant Guillen (Topeka Guillen, Kans.) dec. Stilling, 4-1 182: No. 13 (at 170) Robert Steveson (Merrillville, Ind.) dec. Sohrab Mohavedi (Granada Hills, Calif.), 9-5 195: No. 9 Lance Benick (Totino Grace, Minn.) dec. Preston Weigel (Hays, Kans.), 2-1 220: Ben Andrew (Mesa, Ariz.) technical fall Kaleb Staack (Waverly-Shell Rock, Iowa), 15-0; True 2nd: Fletcher Miller (Kokomo, Ind.) dec. Staack 6-0 285: No. 1 Adam Coon (Fowlerville, Mich.) pinned Dean Broghammer (West Delaware Manchester, Iowa), 2:46; True 2nd: No. 6 Cole Johnson (DeSoto, Wis.) pinned Broghammer 2:50 Cadet Finals: 88: Cade Olivas (California - 7th) maj. dec. Alexander Crowe (Shakopee, Minn.), 16-8 94: Brent Jones (Shakopee, Minn.) dec. Louie Hayes (Carl Sandburg, Ill.), 4-2 100: Coltan Williams (Texas: 8th) maj. dec. Tucker Sjomeling (Delano, Minn.), 14-5; True 2nd: Danny Vega (Ironwood Ridge, Ariz.) dec. Smojeling 13-6 106: Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla.: 8th) pinned Paul Fitterer (Cannon Falls-Randolph, Minn.), 4:34; True 2nd: No. 19 Hunter Marko (Amery, Wis.) maj. dec. Fitterer 14-0 113: Taylor Lamont (Maple Mountain, Utah) dec. Mitch McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), 1-1 UTB; True 2nd: Chris Debien (Cleveland, Tenn.) dec. McKee, 5-1 120: Zander Wick (San Marino, Calif.) dec. Corey Shie (LaSalle, Ohio: 8th), 12-5 126: Armand Molina (Firebaugh, Calif.) pinned Shayne Oster (Lockport, Ill.), 1:34; True 2nd: Cole Martin (Lancaster, Wis.) maj. dec. Oster, 14-6 132: Hunter Washburn (Alburnett, Iowa) pinned Jeremy Thomas (Santiago Corona, Calif.), 1:53; True 2nd: Riley Beard (Illinois Valley Central, Ill.) dec. Thomas, 7-5 138: Larry Early (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) def. over Isaiah White (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) 145: Carver James (Dakota, Ill.) maj. dec. James Handwerk (Lutheran West, Ohio: 8th), 9-0; True 2nd: Robert Lee (Kaukauna, Wis.) pinned Handwerk, 1:40 152: Nick Reenan (Highland Park, Tex.) dec. Joey Gunther (Libertyville, Ill.), 3-2 160: No. 2 (at 152) Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) dec. Jacob Cooper (Springport, Mich.), 7-2; True 2nd: Beau Breske (Hartford Union, Wis.) dec. Cooper, 1-0 170: Keegan Moore (Jackson County Central, Minn.) dec. Anthony Capul (Kansas: 8th), 10-8; True 2nd: Bridger Baker (Corona del Sol, Ariz.) dec. Capul, 2-0 182: Cash Wilcke (OA-BCIG, Iowa) dec. Jack Harris (Urbana, Ohio), 5-3 195: Emilio Fowler (Gardner-Edgerton, Kans.) dec. Sage Eckman (Emporia, Kans.), 3-2 220: Gannon Gremmel (Hempstead Dubuque, Iowa) dec. Kyler Childers (Sand Springs, Okla.), 1-0 285: Jake Marnin (Southeast Polk, Iowa) pinned Dustin Brown (Friendswood, Iowa), 4:16

Related: Freshman Results | Sophomore Results | Junior Results VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Forty-two wrestlers were crowned as champions on Saturday at the NHSCA Nationals in Virginia Beach, as the freshman, sophomore, and junior divisions came to completion. Among the champions were seven nationally ranked wrestlers. The best of the finals came at 138 pounds in the Junior division, where No. 19 (at 1320 Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) upended No. 6 Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md.) 4-3 when he hit a "flying squirrel" in the last seconds of the match. Freshman Championship Matches: 106: Tyler Warner (Claymont, Oho) pinned Jose Tapia (Capital, N.M.), 5:45 113: Kyle Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.) dec. No. 15 (at 106) Trent Olson (Campbell County, Wyo.), 11-6 120: Jarrett Degen (Belgrade, Mont.) dec. Kellen Devlin (Amherst, N.Y.), 6-4 126: Kevin Budock (Good Counsel, Md.) dec. Max Pickett (Blair Academy, N.J.), 4-3 132: Christopher Mauriello (Hauppage, N.Y.) dec. Jimmy Saylor (Easton, Pa.), 9-4 138: Daniel Bullard (Archer, Ga.) dec. Ryan Peters (Timberlane, N.H.), 6-0 145: Thomas Bullard (Archer, Ga.) pinned Joey Nadotti (Palmetto Ridge, Fla.), 3:24 152: Jordan Torbitt (Whitney Point, N.Y.) maj. dec. Dean Drugac (Morris Knolls, N.J.), 10-0 160: Brandon Dallavia (Blair Academy, N.J.) maj. dec. John Jakobsen (Stroudsburg, Pa.), 12-2 170: Nick Svarda (Carlisle, Ohio) dec. Alan Clothier (Lawrence, Kan.), 11-8 182: Drew Phipps (Norwin, Pa.) pinned Christian Araneo (Ward Melville, N.Y.), 0:56 195: Matthew Correnti (Holy Cross, N.J.) dec. Kobe Woods (Mishawaka Penn, Ind.), 13-7 220: Kordell Chaney (Sandusky Perkins, Ohio) dec. Joe Hensley (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio), 8-7 285: Jake Beistel (Southmoreland, Pa.) dec. Edwin Rubio (John Glenn, N.Y.), 4-3 Sophomore Championship Matches: 106: No. 4 Jose Rodriguez (Massillon Perry, Ohio) dec. Jake Newhouse (Massillon Perry, Ohio), 5-3 113: No. 18 Jordan Allen (Huntington, W. Va.) maj. dec. Kris Williams (Harvey Thornton, Ill.), 9-0 120: Cameron Sykora (Border West, Minn.) dec. Marty Margolis (La Plata, Md.), 5-1 126: Jaydin Clayton (Father Tolton Catholic, Mo.) pinneds Dylan Lucas (Brandon, Fla.), 5:49 132: Zach Hertling (Ocean Township, N.J.) maj. dec. David Rump (Chambersburg, Pa.), 9-1 138: Neal Richards (Matoaca, Va.) dec. Jacob Trujillo (Grand Junction, Colo.), 5-4 OT 145: Corbin Allen (Hanover, Va.) dec. Cody Cordes (Wyoming Valley West, Pa.), 6-5 152: Cody Hughes (Marshwood, Me.) dec. Zach Carlson (KMS, Minn.), 3-2 160: Ben Schram (Bellbrook, Ohio) dec. Johnny Garcia (Danbury, Ct.), 5-2 170: Hunter Ritter (John Carroll, Md.) pinned Conor Ross (Springstead, Fla.), 3:46 182: Tevis Bartlett (Cheyenne East, Wyo.) dec. Christopher Favoroso (Jensen Beach, Fla.), 5-1 195: Kenneth Brinson (Marist, Ga.) dec. Dillon Card (Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale, Minn.), 10-3 220: Austin Myers (Campbell County, Ky.) dec. No. 13 Zach Chakonis (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.), 3-2 285: Gage Cervenka (Emerald, S.C.) pinned Adam Olsen (High Point Central, N.C.), 1:58 Junior Championship Matches: 106: Radley Gillis (Archbishop McCarthy, Fla.) dec. Thomas Genetin (Massillon Perry, Ohio), 7-1 113: No. 5 Sean Russell (Collins Hill, Ga.) dec. No. 3 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.), 8-3 120: No. 5 Ryan Millhof (Collins Hill, Ga.) dec. Cameron Timok (Hermitage, Va.), 9-3 126: No. 15 Brock Ervin (Union County, Ky.) dec. Anthony Tutolo (Lake Catholic, Ohio), 6-4 132: Clay Walker (Eastside, S.C.) dec. Tyler Ponte (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), 2-0 138: No. 19 (at 132) Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) dec. No. 6 Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara, Md.), 4-3 145: Casey Sparkman (Massillon Perry, Ohio) maj. dec. Dakota Head (Tuttle, Okla.), 16-5 152: Corey Rasheed (Longwood, N.Y.) dec. Brandon Womack (Scottsboro, Ala.), 9-6 160: Tony Dailey (Massillon Perry, Ohio) dec. Bobby Reece (Kingston, Wash.), 6-1 170: No. 16 (at 182) Will Schany (Blair, Neb.) dec. Nathan Marek (Southmoore, Okla.), 11-7 182: Ian Baker (La Costa Canyon, Calif.) dec. Malik McDonald (South View, N.C.), 9-2 195: Chance McClure (Commerce, Ga.) dec. Reggie Williams (Johnson City, N.Y.), 5-3 OT 220: Connor Tolley (Franklin, Ind.) pinned Trent Allen (South Brunswick, N.C.), 1:45 285: Harrison Phillips (Millard West, Neb.) dec. James O'Hagan (Wantagh, N.Y.), 6-1

Results: Results INDIANA, Pa. -- On the campus of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, champions were crowned and medalists determined at the 2013 FloNationals. All but one of the champions were nationally ranked, including four inside the top five at their weight class. Nine of the fourteen weight class finals featured a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers. Most notable of the championship bouts was a top five showdown at 120 pounds, where No. 4 Sam Krivus (Hempfield Area) upended No. 3 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic) 2-1 during the tiebreaker in a battle of Pennsylvania state champions. Below are the 2013 FloNationals placewinners. 106: 1st: No. 2 Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) dec. Spencer Lee (Saegertown, Pa. -- 8th), 3-1 3rd: Gage Curry (North Hills, Pa.) dec. Eric Hong (Pennsylvania -- 8th), 3-2 5th: Tyrone Klump (Nazareth, Pa.) dec. Shae Bloom (DuBois, Pa.), 6-2 7th: Ethan McCoy (Kiski Prep, Pa.) maj. dec. D.J. Loren (Buchanan, Calif.), 9-0 113: 1st: No. 13 Nathan Boston (Woodford County, Ky.) dec. No. 16 Nick Piccinnini (Ward Melville, N.Y.), 2-1 3rd: No. 15 Israel Saavedra (Modesto, Calif.) dec. Jake Gromacki (Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa.), 5-2 5th: Markus Simmons (Broken Arrow, Okla.) maj. dec. George Phillippi (Derry Area, Pa.), 11-2 7th: Kyle Akins (Sycamore, Ill.) dec. Justin Patrick (Ligonier Valley, Pa.), 5-0 120: 1st: No. 4 Sam Krivus (Hempfield Area, Pa.) dec. No. 3 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), 2-1 TB 3rd: No. 19 Jared Prince (Palm Harbor University, Fla.) pinned No. 9 Mason Pengilly (Porterville, Calif.), 0:58 5th: Zach Valley (Northampton, Pa.) dec. Kent Lane (Southern Columbia, Pa.), 6-3 7th: Jamel Morris (Cardinal Gibbons, Fla.) dec. Travis Passaro (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.), 5-1 126: 1st: Nate Limmex (Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Mich.) dec. Drew Walker (North Hills, Pa.), 8-3 3rd: No. 10 Mike Maglado (Watchung Hills, N.J.) inj. def. over No. 13 Zeke Moisey (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) 5th: Emilio Saavedra (Modesto, Calif.) dec. Joseph Velliquette (Nixa, Mo.), 4-2 OT 7th: Cody Burcher (Claymont, Ohio) dec. Jamal Morris (Cardinal Gibbons, Fla.), 6-1 132: 1st: No. 16 (at 138) Tyler Berger (Hermiston, Ore.) dec. No. 4 Jason Nolf (Kittanning, Pa.), 2-0 3rd: Justin Oliver (Davison, Mich.) dec. Nick Kelley (Shenendehowa, N.Y.), 7-6 5th: Paul Fox (Gilroy, Calif.) dec. Jesse Rodgers (North Allegheny, Pa.), 6-1 7th: Colton Orrino (Central Valley, Wash.) dec. Zac Carson (Uniontown Lake, Ohio), 4-2 138: 1st: No. 10 Tyson Dippery (Central Dauphin, Pa.) dec. Cole Landowski (Kiski Area, Pa.), 3-0 3rd: Brock Zacherl (Brookville, Pa.) dec. No. 12 Nikko Villarreal (Gilroy, Calif.), 6-3 5th: Martin Sandoval (Porterville, Calif.) inj. def. over Alec Pantaleo (Canton, Mich.) 7th: Tyler Zimmer (Clovis West, Calif.) dec. Jake Hodges (Oconee, Ga.), 7-2 145: 1st: No. 18 Christian Pagdilao (Santiago Corona, Calif.) dec. No. 12 Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.), 3-1 3rd: No. 20 Josh Shields (Franklin Regional, Pa.) dec. Kevin Cooper (Simon Kenton, Ky.), 6-4 OT 5th: No. 14 Grant Leeth (Kearney, Mo.) inj. def. over No. 13 (at 152) Fox Baldwin (Osceola, Fla.) 7th: Devin Skatzka (Richmond, Mich.) pinned Justin Lampe (Louisville St. Xavier, Ky.), 0:44 152: 1st: No. 16 (at 160) Javaughn Perkins (Omaha North, Neb.) dec. No. 14 Cody Law (Forest Hills, Pa.), 3-1 OT 3rd: Jon-Jay Chavez (Centennial, Idaho) dec. Ryan Preisch (Milton, Pa.), 3-2 5th: Vinny Corsaro (Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind.) dec. Chad Pyke (Woodward Academy, Ga.), 3-0 7th: Joe Mastro (Yorktown, N.Y.) inj. def. over Jordan Atienza (Livonia Franklin, Mich.) 160: 1st: No. 11 Jonathan Schleifer (East Brunswick, N.J.) dec. No. 8 Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.), 6-3 3rd: No. 13 Tyler Grimaldi (Half Hollow Hills West, N.Y.) dec. Dakota Jaurez (Grand Haven, Mich.), 3-1 5th: No. 8 (at 152) Austin Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) vs. No. 9 (at 170) Colin Holler (Carl Sandburg, Ill.), no contest 7th: Seth McLeod (Post Falls, Idaho) dec. Zaach Lowen (McCall-Donnelly, Idaho), 2-1 170: 1st: No. 5 Peter Renda (Brandywine Hts, Pa.) dec. No. 10 Ethan Ramos (Hawthorne, N.J.), 4-3 3rd: No. 15 (at 160) Zack Zavatsky (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) over Christian Dietrich (Greene, N.Y.) by forfeit 5th: Travis Linton (Rootstown, Ohio) dec. Tom Sleigh (DuBois, Pa.), 3-2 7th: Nick Elmer (Penns Grove, N.J.) maj. dec. Teddy Warren (Dundee, Mich.), 19-5 182: 1st: No. 8 Johnny Sebastian (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) dec. No. 17 Chip Ness (Buford, Ga.), 9-2 3rd: Michael Macchiavello (Sun Valley, N.C.) dec. Matt Williams (Sultana, Calif.), 6-3 5th: Jake McKiernan (Richmond, Mich.) inj. def. over Jhalen Flanders (Osceola, Fla.) 7th: Dakota Johnson (Post Falls, Idaho) dec. Liam Korbul (North Hunterdon, N.J.), 6-1 195: 1st: No. 8 Jake Hart (Hampton, Pa.) dec. No. 19 Jeramy Sweany (Vacaville, Calif.), 7-1 3rd: Tim McDonald (Columbia, Idaho) pinned Kyle Conel (Ashtabula Lakeside, Ohio), 2:34 5th: L.J. Barlow (Haverford School, Pa.) dec. Evan Ramos (Hawthorne, N.J.), 5-4 TB 7th: Nezar Haddad (Parkland, Pa.) dec. Bailey Faust (Lexington, Ohio), 4-0 220: 1st: No. 18 Derrick Jones (Bloomington, Calif.) dec. Jordan Wood (Boyertown, Pa.), 9-4 3rd: No. 20 Sean Medley (Wasco, Calif.) dec. No. 7 Dane Pestano (Kamehameha-Kapalama, Hawaii), 2-1 TB 5th: Jordan Brandon (John Glenn, Mich.) dec. Evan Rosborogh (Painesville Riverside, Ohio), 4-2, tiebreak 7th: Jordan Sepeda (Natomas, Calif.) dec. Franklyn Lantigua (Osceola, Fla.), 5-2 285: 1st: No. 4 Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) maj. dec. Evan Daley (Fort LeBoeuf, Pa.), 18-5 3rd: Wesley Bernard (Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind.) dec. Luke Fleck (Franklin Regional, Pa.), 5-3 5th: Andrew Welton (Erie Central Tech, Pa.) dec. Billy Miller (Perry, Ohio), 4-1 7th: Forrest Christmann (Slipper Rock, Pa.) dec. Ryan Prescott (Whitmore Prescott, Mich.), 2-1

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Championship matches for the NHSCA Senior Nationals will take place at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday in Virginia Beach, Va. 106: Darin Davis (Alaska) vs. Tommy Aloi (Forest Park, Va.) 113: No. 9 Aaron Assad (Brecksville, Ohio) vs. Zach D'Amico (Southmoore, Okla.) 120: Micah Perez (Central Union, Calif.) vs. Deshun Brown (West Mesa, N.M.) 126: T.J. Fabian (Shoreham-Wading River, N.Y.) vs. Kyle Krasavage (Wyoming Valley West, Pa.) 132: Javier Gasca (Kingsburg, Calif.) vs. No. 19 (at 138) Lawrence Otero (Volcano Vista, N.M.) 138: Mark Marchetti (Father Ryan, Tenn.) vs. Colt Cotten (Benton, Pa.) 145: Justin Arthur (Huntington, W.Va.) vs. No. 3 B.J. Clagon (Toms River South, N.J.) 152: No. 16 (at 145) Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.) vs. No. 18 Chad Walsh (Camden Catholic, N.J.) 160: Calvin Ochs (Hoxie, Kans.) vs. Kyle Perreault (Clovis East, Calif.) 170: No. 14 Jaeden Bernstein (Voorhees, N.J.) vs. No. 14 (at 182) Parker Vonegidy (Piedmont, N.C.) 182: No. 3 Brooks Climmons (Pope, Ga.) vs. No. 13 Jared Haught (Parkersburg, W.Va.) 195: Leonardo Trindade (Billerica, Mass.) vs. No. 5 Garrett Krohn (Arvada, Colo.) 220: No. 3 (at 285) J'Den Cox (Hickman, Mo.) vs. No. 3 Spencer Empey (Reed, Nev.) 285: Mike Hughes (Smithtown West, N.Y.) vs. Will Geary (Topeka, Kans.)

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. Boston University athletic director Mike Lynch announced Monday that the school had decided to discontinue the Terrier wrestling program following the 2013-2014 season. According to head wrestling coach Carl Adams the news came as a surprise to him as well -- only learning of the team's fate moments before the school made the announcement official on its website. It was a telling anecdote about a team and coach out of touch with the reality of college athletics. The elimination of any program causes concern within the wrestling community. We unite behind Facebook pages asking us to support the reinstatement of the team, and notable alumnus write letters in support of the program and admonish the administration. It's our therapy, our way to vent about the inequities of an amateur athletics culture that stresses anything but the ideals of amateurism. Social networking campaigns and letter writing initiatives feel productive, but are nothing more than twisting tight the cap to a bottle of spilt milk. Mike Lynch and I spoke on Tuesday about the university's decision to drop the program. He's a well-mannered administrator who lives inside the bubble of education and believes that his school chose to act in a way that would "increase visibility and competiveness in the region as well as nationally." He added that despite recently adding a men's lacrosse team, the school had not fallen out of Title IX compliance because they had "consistently added women's programs and met the needs of our female students." Cutting wrestling he said was a "tough decision," but only in the way a leader is supposed to say the words. There was no pain behind his voice. That's because when it came time for the board and the president to evaluate the wrestling team and the future viability of the program they were met with total institutional apathy. By Lynch's account wrestling had no notable alumni giving, negligible fan support, and limited nationwide success. Add-in that the school would be transferring conferences next season and the decision made itself. A sport on cruise control, running out of gas and with no plans to refuel. If Lynch wanted to create a scapegoat he could have cited any number of reasons, but when pressed it came blurting out: outside of the wrestlers and Adams, few people cared. Was he right? Play the devil's advocate and think about how many fans are going to miss the Boston program, a team with four All-Americans in 32 years? Those non-existent alumni, the negligible number of fans? You can agree or disagree with the outcome, but Lynch was right that the support and results weren't substantial enough to prevent the elimination of the program. By almost every metric available to the modern athletic director the Boston University wrestling was failing. No success, little support and poor fan interaction. What was the purpose of continuing to help a team that wouldn't help itself? Wrestling deserves to be a sponsored sport in higher education, but the wrestling community knows the score, and that includes Carl Adams. Our sport has learned that we can't expect handouts or to be immune from meeting financial obligations. The elimination of Boston wrestling, while enraging to fans and lifelong supporters, was the fault of the coaching staff and alumni, but the media and the wrestling community at-large also played a role. In terms of the democratic process, media is supposed to be a check on the powerful; in sports it's much the same. We are supposed to be outside the system of graft and corruption that brings down politicians, but in the wrestling community we've had our courage snipped by the tight working quarters of our assignments. We've become complicit in letting the coaches who are under-performing on at-risk campuses continue as though nothing is wrong, because we are afraid to hurt their feelings and lose access. I'm the worst offender, backing off an annual hot seat article after my initial list irritated some coaches. The awful part was that I knowingly, consciously refused to list the have-not's like Boston University because I figured that it would be in bad form. I was wrong. Football and basketball coaches get fired because the members of the media write articles about their win/loss record -- the wrestling media ignores the bad and promotes the good. Without a check from the media, coaches are allowed to sustain their inaction and eventually become the chicken with the longest neck. Adams, while widely respected as a great guy and a leader on campus, was simply not getting the job done. We all need to take responsibility for what happened, stop having hurt feelings over what is written or said, and start building powerful alumni and fan bases to keep this from happening in 2014. Wins and losses matter, but preserving your favorite collegiate wrestling program from elimination is actually more about fan and alumni support. You've heard the platitude about how some coaches "make it difficult to cut the program," well in this circumstance an alumni base like you see at Maryland or UT-Chattanooga would have made eliminating the program impossible. As it was there was nothing standing between the athletic director and a wrestling-less Boston University. Being a 21st Century coach is not easy. You need to understand everything from social media to low singles finishes. It's a huge task, but there is an army of young, intelligent assistant coaches willing to become CEO's of their programs. They have the tools to not only create All-Americans and conference champions, but to recruit an alumni base and curate a fan culture that will be their buffer against easily slung axes of athletic directors. Adams will be missed. He deserved better than to see the program he loved eliminated. He was a pioneer, a black head coach in a sport with only a handful at a time. He's beloved by his wrestlers and respected by his peers. He's a good man, and that should still mean something. But what happened in Boston should never have occurred. The wrestling community has the map to right these ships, which makes watching them run aground just an exercise in pride and stubbornness. We need to do more as alumni, fans and media. We need to push our coaches for results on and off the mat. Or as Ben Askren so eloquently stated this week, let's not be afraid to see some heads roll. To your questions ... Q: Why are the NHSCA High School Nationals and FloNationals held on the same weekend? These are two of the biggest high school tournaments in the country and they have to be the same weekend? This divides the talent. I want to see all of the elite wrestlers in the country all at one tournament. We can see who is the true national champion. So many tournaments now call themselves "nationals" that the title national champion does not mean as much anymore. I think I remember Flo having some issues with the NHSCA about the way they ran the tournament. Maybe it was cost or they were not giving Flo access to the tournament? Can't Flo and the NHSCA work things out and join efforts to create the best tournament in the country? If you were a coach of an elite high school wrestler, where would you send him? FloNationals or the NHSCA Nationals? I miss the days of seeing a weight class like this one at 2001 NHSCA Senior Nationals. 119: 1st: Joe Dubuque NJ 2nd: Ricky LaForge NJ 3rd: Nick Simmons MI 4th: Nate Gallick AZ 5th: Travis Lee HI 6th: Shawn Bunch KS 7th: Jacob Palomino CA 8th: Drew Opfer OH --Dave T Foley: That's an insane weight! I'm assuming you know this bracket because you were in attendance. I'll be scanning the brackets all night ... Flowrestling founder Martin Floreani talked to InterMat about FloNationals a few years ago and had this to say: We saw an opportunity where we feel like people weren't doing it right. They were trying to take advantage of the sport to really make money. I'm not a socialist by any means. I'm a thriving capitalist. But my philosophy is you better put out an awesome product and especially when I have one as emotionally attached to as I am with wrestling. You better treat wrestling right and then make money. You better have a foundation of putting out an amazing product and then if you can make money off that, then that's great. We live in a competitive world, and Flo isn't scared to mix it up with the established powers in the sport. The NHSCA Nationals are well run, but Flo's desire to create a better experience for the wrestlers and the fans, regardless of motivation, is admirable. The market will dictate whether or not they're doing a good job of meeting the demands of their participants, something undoubtedly assisted by their online presence and video streaming capabilities. What about a round-robin among the champions at each weight class? Could be a cool idea, but maybe we should let the high schoolers get a little break from the road. Let 'em rest, overeat and enjoy the social anxieties of being a teenager. Q: Looking to next season and the 174-pound class, with Andrew Howe projected to come back, Chris Perry coming back, and Matt Brown returning as a junior after a great season, this weight class is looking like the most competitive and fun to watch. Thoughts and predictions? -- Ken S. Foley: You're tempting me to choose Matt Brown, because you know I have an unabashed faith in his abilities. However, I'm playing it smart and going with Andrew Howe. Howe will be a sixth-year senior, and a full three seasons removed from his 2010 NCAA championship. (He finished third in 2011, Olympic redshirted in 2012 and medically redshirted in 2013). Brown and Perry are both low-scoring wrestlers, a game that Old Man Howe can play better than anyone. Were it not for an ACL surgery we'd be talking about Howe as one of the all-time greats. As is he can win a second title and end his career in elite company as a three-time finalist. Hopefully the media and fans will get as interested in the champ vs. champ matchup here, as they did for Dake and Taylor in 2013. Howe over Brown in the NCAA finals, 3-2. Q: Has anyone ever gone undefeated in a college season with bonus points in every victory? It seems like that would be a good goal for David Taylor. He will most likely go down in history as the best and most dominant two time NCAA champ, but maybe something a little extra to stamp his name in the history books. -- Seth H. Foley: Not in the modern era. Gable was close his senior season, right up until that match with Larry Owings. Should he defeat every opponent by major or better, Taylor would certainly put a stamp on his career. However it's just as likely that Ed Ruth would run the table as a senior and secure bonus points in every match. Q: Being a Wisconsin Badger follower, and a big time fan of Andrew Howe, I remember when he defeated Kyle Dake in a freestyle match two years ago. In my opinion Dake should think twice about believing that he will be replacing Burroughs after 2016 as the 165 champ, because he will never defeat Howe. The fly in the ointment is Howe's recovering from his ACL, which should not be a problem. Also, the Badgers will be a top six team at year end. -- Howard D. Foley: Of course Howe is wrestling for Oklahoma in 2014 so if you're adding him to the Badger roster you may want to stop before placing a big bet on Wisconsin. You're right. Dake would be a fool to overlook Howe, who has given Burroughs a match every time they've faced each other. Assuming that his ACL has been repaired and is functioning at one-hundred percent, then Dake will need to figure out how to create offense. As stated earlier, there just aren't a lot of ways to score on Howe, who like Dake has a tendency to win the close matches. Howe-ever, there is also the issue of age and sturdiness post-2016, to say nothing of the IOC's decision to eliminate wrestling. Dake will be three years Howe's junior and likely have suffered fewer catastrophic injuries. Q: I watched the Jason Welch-Derek St. John final and was surprised by the locked hands call. It looked like Welch's hands were locked when St. John stood up, but he released them immediately when they came down to the mat. Wondering if you saw it differently or if there is something in the rule I don' understand. -- Joe C. Foley: Wrestlers are given a moment of reaction time, but anything beyond a half-second would be considered a gift. The replay on ESPN shows that it took him more than a second and a half to unclench his hands. The locked hands were odd especially given Welch has made a career riding from the top position, but mistakes happen. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME European Championships Highlight Film We need MORE of this type of exposure. Will the IOC drama mean more original content? Or will we just be reading AP newswire stories? I vote for more cowbell. Iran's Sporting Dreamers This is a 45-minute documentary that is absolutely engrossing. A must-watch, must-share bit of exposure into a part of the world we hear about, but rarely see. Witness - Iran's Sporting Dreamers by aljazeeraenglish Q: I'm going to bet on David Taylor making his fourth final next year and winning his second national title (quite the risky bet, I know). That leads me to ask this question. In the eyes of history, who will be seen as the more dominant four-time finalist, two-time champ, David Taylor or Ben Askren? -- Daniel L. Foley: Ben Askren was a more dynamic public figure in college, and progressed the sport through a unique style and technical innovation. David Taylor is a rock star with an enormous amount of fan appeal. Choose your side wisely. Were it not for Chris Pendleton the decision would be easy, but given Askren's 1-7 record against the Okie State national champion it makes an open-shut case more difficult to argue. Also David Taylor has social media, which amplifies his popularity when compared to the then Twitter-less Askren. Much will come down to how DT does next year, and for the moment I think we can assume he'll win the NCAA title which would lead to a split popular vote. If the tiebreaker came down to my humble opinion, I'd choose Askren as the more dominant champion. The man barely broke a sweat in disposing of Jake Herbert, an eventual two-time NCAA champion and Olympian. Taylor beat Brandon Hatchett. Askren had to beat THIS LOOK. Jake Herbert Q: How good is N.C. State going to be next year? With everyone returning and Nick Gwiazdowski off redshirt, can they be legit top 10? Also, Cornell: Lots of good young wrestlers (Brian Realbuto, Dylan Palacio et al), joining a solid retuning cast. What is in their immediate future? -- TJ Hart Foley: N.C. State: Very, very good. Pat Popolizio is an incredible coach and leader. Though the team is going to suffer for a few years from a lack of depth and talent in the room, he has his guys competing at ACCs, with several over-performing on the weekend. If he can keep up the momentum with his existing guys, and get Gwiazdowski back on the podium, N.C. State has an outside chance of placing in the Top 25 at the NCAA tournament. Cornell: When won't they be good? They recruit studs and coach 'em up. They've reached the point where anything outside of the top ten is a massive disappointment, and in good years they feel like they should be in the top four with a chance to win the whole thing. *Re: Head coaches as CEOs: Coach Koll is exactly what the wrestling community should demand from their head coaches. He engages alumni better than any other head wrestling coach I've met and has a loyal fan base. Good things happen to your program when you work hard to bring people into the fold. Q: What is the story with Destin McCauley? Been Wisconsin, ISU and OTC? Any chance he finds himself at Iowa fitting into the 149 slot? -- Craig G. Foley: He is finalizing the paperwork with his chosen school and should be announcing next week. Stay tuned ... Q: After re-reading your post regarding Gable vs St. John I noticed for the first time the statement that this year's NCAA champs would beat a group of "old timer's in "9 of 10" matches. I was flabbergasted. I thought the math is right but probably the other way around, so I put together a team of pre-2000 wrestlers and I am sending them out for a mythical match. Quite frankly, I would not be surprised if the maligned group of decrepit old folks sweep. But, you take a look and tell me your opinion: 125: Yojiro Uetake 133: Dan Gable/John Smith 141: Cary Kolat/Dan Gable 149: Lee Kemp/Wade Schalles 157: Lee Kemp/Pat Smith/Wade Schalles 165: Dave Schultz/Mark Schultz 174: Mark Schultz/Les Gutches 184: Cael Sanderson/Ben Peterson 197: Cael Sanderson /Ed Banack 285: Bruce Baumgartner/ Lou Banach/Kerry McCoy -- TJ Hart Foley: You dog, you just dropped the best names from the last 50 years of wrestling! And still I tell you that they are at best going to split with today's wrestlers. That's right, ONLY SPLIT. You can't tell me that the technique and athleticism of a wrestler 40 years ago is on par with what we see today. Our wrestlers right now are the best we've ever seen, not because of their ability to dominate each other but their ability to understand and respond to more techniques. For example a fireman's carry was the iPhone of wrestling for more than two decades. You just don't see guy getting hit in a fireman's carry anymore! Why? Because the young guys learned how our opponents might set it up, which blocks it from being utilized. Next, if it is launched, this generation's wrestlers have adapted enough to figure out how best to avoid hitting the mat. And that's just one move. Think of wrestling like the advances in technology, as more becomes known and shared, the faster we adapt and innovate. With kids watching YouTube every night learning the most effective techniques they can skip out on learning too much about the fireman's carry, a low-percentage finish, and focus on an outside leg series with a higher rate of successful finishes. Even Jesse Jantzen's tilt series from the shallow half is starting to have less success in the college ranks, and that was NEW in 2002. Since then coaches and wrestlers have learned to prevent the position and defend it once attempted. However, I do think that the great champions of the past -- if put in a time machine and given the chance to brush up on techniques and athleticism, or given a chance to grow up and eventually wrestle in this decade -- would be as successful as they were in their time. Champion stock has nothing to do with technique, it's a mentality, and you picked wrestlers who had everything it takes to succeed at any task and in any decade. The debate continues ... --- Roger Ebert was a friend to some of the wrestlers I knew in Chicago. It's self-serving, but I liked Siskel & Ebert growing up and found this commentary on Star Wars and the power of watching "children's movies" to be immensely pleasurable. RIP Roger Ebert.

Kyle Dake, who made history two weeks ago by becoming a four-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion, capped off his brilliant career at Cornell University by being named InterMat Wrestler of the Year for 2013, the amateur wrestling website announced Thursday afternoon. Kyle Dake defeated David Taylor 5-4 in the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)This award, presented each year since 2006 to the best college wrestler in all divisions, is based on the balloting of writers and executives at InterMatWrestle.com. Dake received a total of 82 votes, including eight first-place ballots, to earn the honor. In second place was Penn State's Ed Ruth, 2012 InterMat Wrestler of the Year, who garnered 70 votes, including one first-place vote. Also getting a first-place vote -- and a total of 42 votes -- was Ohio State's Logan Stieber, who placed third in the ballotting. The senior from Ithaca, N.Y. completed his Cornell career with a raft of accomplishments, including a perfect 37-0 season. He won his third EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) title with a 20-5 technical fall victory over No. 7 seed Josh Houldsworth of Columbia, and garnered the Outstanding Wrestler, Fletcher (for most team points in a career) and Sheridan (most pins in the championship bracket) awards at the conference championships. At the 2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Des Moines, the top-seeded Dake was not scored upon in his first four matches on his way to the much-anticipated 165-pound title match with defending champ David Taylor of Penn State. Dake prevailed, 5-4, to become the third four-time NCAA D1 champ, and the first to do it at four different weights, and without taking a redshirt. 2013 InterMat Wrestler of the Year 1st-5th-Place Votes: 9-7-5-3-1 Total Votes/(First-Place Votes) 1. Kyle Dake, Cornell, 82 (8) 2. Ed Ruth, Penn St., 70 (1) 3. Logan Stieber, Ohio St., 42 (1) 4. Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma St., 21 5. Quentin Wright, Penn St., 19 6. David Taylor, Penn St., 7 7. Tony Ramos, Iowa, 5 8. Kendric Maple, Oklahoma, 4"No other wrestler this season, or perhaps in the history of college wrestling, was more earnest in accepting a challenge than Kyle Dake," said InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley. "By jumping a weight class to take on David Taylor, Dake proved that he not only loved to win, but enjoyed the challenge of competition. His fourth title is a tribute to the competitive spirit of wrestlers around the world." Past Winners: 2013: Kyle Dake, Cornell 2012: Ed Ruth, Penn State 2011: Jordan Burroughs, Nebraska 2010: Jayson Ness, Minnesota 2009: Jake Herbert, Northwestern 2008: Brent Metcalf, Iowa 2007: Ben Askren, Missouri 2006: Ben Askren, Missouri

VEVEY, SWITZERLAND -- FILA, the international federation for the sport of wrestling, has announced that World Wrestling Month will be held this May. The 177 countries that are members of the organization will feature activities which promote the sport of wrestling and its campaign to remain in the Olympic Games. In February, the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board voted to exclude wrestling from the 25 core sports on the program of the Olympic Games. "World Wrestling Month will feature a variety of activities for our athletes and national federations," said FILA’s Acting President Nenad Lalovic. He added, "The month will celebrate our storied past as well as our strong future. Many of the countries around the world will be announcing their celebrations and plans in the coming weeks. " "The Wrestling Federation of Russia and the European Committee of Associated Wrestling Styles totally support this effort by FILA to put a spotlight on the sport of Wrestling for the month of May," said Georgy Bryusov, First Vice-President of the Wrestling Federation of Russia. "We have an excellent chance to show our pride and passion for our sport and why we believe it belongs on the program of the Olympic Games. " "USA Wrestling looks forward to helping promote World Wrestling Month as part of our continued support for the Keep Olympic Wrestling effort," said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director. He added, "We have some very exciting plans for international competition in the United States in May to help celebrate this special month. USA Wrestling will also recognize World Wrestling Month at a variety of other wrestling events and activities at all levels during the month of May. Wrestling is truly a universal sport, and we take pride in doing our part to publicize the sport within our country." Events during the month will include international dual meets in cities around the world, sport demonstrations and youth events. Some of the competitions will involve proposed rule changes to the sport. Each National Federation will announce its own schedule of events in the coming weeks.

George Mason University will host the 48th annual All-Star Classic on November 2, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. The Classic will be held in the 10,000 seat Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. "This premier event will provide something for everyone. We will have a full day of events leading up to the All-Star Meet. Amongst other things, we will hold a wrestling clinic at the Field House and a VIP reception at the Patriot Center," said George Mason University head coach Joe Russell. The event will feature many of the nation's top Division I wrestlers who will participate in a dual meet format. The participants will be selected in October 2013 and each wrestler will be announced as they commit. "Fans can expect to see high paced, action packed wrestling matches that many times have been the precursor to the year-end NCAA finals bouts," said Russell. The All-Star Classic will be the largest wrestling event in history to be held in northern Virginia. National Wrestling Coaches Association President Coach Rob Koll hopes that the magnitude of the event in combination with Washington D.C. having one of the strongest wrestling spectator bases in America will result in filling up most if not all of the 10,000 seat Patriot Center. "Sports fans, the media, and the wrestling public will have to recognize the importance of amateur wrestling in the northern Virginia region," said Russell. "This event will change the perspective of wrestling for the northern Virginia area." The NWCA selected George Mason University, a historically successful wrestling program, as the location for the event due to its partnership with the Greater Washington Wrestling Business Network. The solid corporate support that existed within the relationship made George Mason University a solid choice, said Moyer. George Mason University looks to use the spectator and media attention their school will receive to show to the public and their student body the success that their wrestling program embodies. "My hopes are that the student body will see the excitement that wrestling can bring to sports fans," said Russell. "They will recognize the wrestling community's commitment to the sport when so many out of town sports fans arrive on our campus. This will continue to bolster our reputation as a nationally prominent program in the sport of wrestling." The George Mason University wrestling program has a very rich tradition in wrestling. Over the past twenty five years, they have advanced 41 different wrestlers to the NCAA Division I Championships and have had two All Americans and one two-time All American. Tickets will be on sale later in September 2013. For additional information on next year's event visit the NWCA website at: http://www.nwcaonline.com/NWCAWebSite/Events/nwcaallstarclassic.aspx More information on the All-Star Classic will also be released as the event gets closer. 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.

Starting this morning, and through the weekend, thousands of high school-aged wrestlers will be competing in national-level events across the country. The NHSCA grade-level national championships commence today and go through Sunday in Virginia Beach, Va. The freshman, sophomore, and junior championships conclude with finals matches on Saturday, while the seniors event starts on Friday and ends on Sunday. The tournament with the strongest fields is the FloNationals, an event that takes place on Friday and Saturday at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. This event has no divisions and is open to wrestlers in any grade, and the field features wrestlers from across the country. Five of the fourteen weight classes have five (or more in the case of 106 pounds) nationally ranked wrestlers in their field. The third of the national championship events is in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Friday and Saturday. USA Wrestling hosts its Folkstyle Nationals, which serve as the first leg of the Cadet and Junior Triple Crown; the other two legs are Greco-Roman and freestyle, which are conducted in Fargo come July. Below is a list of 10 storylines that merit attention during the coming weekend. Information about weight classes is based on pre-registration, and final field compositions will not be known until weigh-in/check-in processes conclude. 10. Cade Olivas competes in the Cadet folkstyle 88-pound weight class Only a seventh grader, this California phenom is ranked No. 3 overall among junior high wrestlers. If there is a major national level event out there, and Olivas has competed in it, he's won it in dominant fashion. Olivas has won many Ohio TOC titles, a pair of Super 32 Middle School titles, and many Roller World of Wrestling Triple Crowns. It is his debut at the Cadet level, and many already have him in the stratosphere of an Aaron Pico for his grade level. For those who are in Cedar Falls, and yet to see him wrestle, check him out. 9. FloNationals at 106 pounds -- eight nationally ranked wrestlers Out of all the weight classes to be held this weekend, the opening weight of the FloNationals features the most nationally ranked wrestlers. Based on registration, eight appear in the InterMat national rankings: No. 2 Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe, Pa.), No. 6 Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.), No. 7 Rudy Yates (Brother Rice, Ill.), No. 10 Adrian Camposano (Central, Calif.), No. 12 Gionn Peralta (Vacaville, Calif.), No. 13 Devin Brown (Saegertown, Pa.), No. 14 Ariel Dominguez (Osceola, Fla.), and No. 17 Nolan Hellickson (Southeast Polk, Iowa). In addition to these eight, two nationally elite junior high wrestlers are in the field at this weight class -- Spencer Lee (Saegertown, Pa.) and Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.). Lee is ranked No. 1 among junior high wrestlers, and was a runner-up at the high school Super 32 Challenge; while Diakomihalis is ranked No. 6 among junior high wrestlers, and was a state champion in New York at 99 pounds this year. To read the rest of this story, plus get access to all InterMat Platinum content, subscribe today. Already an InterMat Platinum subscriber? Read complete story.

Starting this morning, and through the weekend, thousands of high school-aged wrestlers will be competing in national-level events across the country. The NHSCA grade-level national championships commence today and go through Sunday in Virginia Beach, Va. The freshman, sophomore, and junior championships conclude with finals matches on Saturday, while the seniors event starts on Friday and ends on Sunday. The tournament with the strongest fields is the FloNationals, an event that takes place on Friday and Saturday at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. This event has no divisions and is open to wrestlers in any grade, and the field features wrestlers from across the country. Five of the fourteen weight classes have five (or more in the case of 106 pounds) nationally ranked wrestlers in their field. The third of the national championship events is in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Friday and Saturday. USA Wrestling hosts its Folkstyle Nationals, which serve as the first leg of the Cadet and Junior Triple Crown; the other two legs are Greco-Roman and freestyle, which are conducted in Fargo come July. Below is a list of 10 storylines that merit attention during the coming weekend. Information about weight classes is based on pre-registration, and final field compositions will not be known until weigh-in/check-in processes conclude. 10. Cade Olivas competes in the Cadet folkstyle 88-pound weight class Only a seventh grader, this California phenom is ranked No. 3 overall among junior high wrestlers. If there is a major national level event out there, and Olivas has competed in it, he's won it in dominant fashion. Olivas has won many Ohio TOC titles, a pair of Super 32 Middle School titles, and many Roller World of Wrestling Triple Crowns. It is his debut at the Cadet level, and many already have him in the stratosphere of an Aaron Pico for his grade level. For those who are in Cedar Falls, and yet to see him wrestle, check him out. 9. FloNationals at 106 pounds -- eight nationally ranked wrestlers Out of all the weight classes to be held this weekend, the opening weight of the FloNationals features the most nationally ranked wrestlers. Based on registration, eight appear in the InterMat national rankings: No. 2 Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe, Pa.), No. 6 Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.), No. 7 Rudy Yates (Brother Rice, Ill.), No. 10 Adrian Camposano (Central, Calif.), No. 12 Gionn Peralta (Vacaville, Calif.), No. 13 Devin Brown (Saegertown, Pa.), No. 14 Ariel Dominguez (Osceola, Fla.), and No. 17 Nolan Hellickson (Southeast Polk, Iowa). In addition to these eight, two nationally elite junior high wrestlers are in the field at this weight class -- Spencer Lee (Saegertown, Pa.) and Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.). Lee is ranked No. 1 among junior high wrestlers, and was a runner-up at the high school Super 32 Challenge; while Diakomihalis is ranked No. 6 among junior high wrestlers, and was a state champion in New York at 99 pounds this year. Fox Baldwin8. Fox Baldwin after repeat FloNationals title, this time at 145 pounds In 2012, coming off his freshman season, Fox Baldwin (Osceola, Fla.) won a FloNationals title in the 132-pound weight class. He would go on to represent the United States in the FILA Cadet Pan-American Championships during the summer, and win the Cadet National freestyle title at 145 pounds. During the fall he placed third at 138 pounds in the Super 32 Challenge, won a state title at 152 pounds, and is ranked No. 13 nationally in that weight class. Four nationally ranked wrestlers anchor the challenge pack of the 145-pound weight class at this year's FloNationals. Two-time National Prep champion Jack Clark (McDonogh, Md.) is ranked No. 12 nationally, Super 32 Challenge champion Grant Leeth (Kearney, Mo.) is ranked No. 15, state champion Christian Pagdilao (Santiago Corona, Calif.) is ranked No. 18, while Powerade champion Josh Shields (Franklin Regional, Pa.) is No. 20 in the rankings. Others meriting attention include returning FloNationals third placer Kevin Cooper (Simon Kenton, Ky.) and Junior freestyle All-American David Almavia (Shenendehowa, N.Y.). 7. NHSCA Senior Nationals, 195 pounds This weight class features a potential final of top five ranked wrestlers in the nation, No. 2 Frank Mattiace (Blair Academy, N.J.) and No. 5 Garrett Krohn (Arvada, Colo.). Mattiace is a two-time National Prep champion, two-time Ironman champion, and committed to Penn; while Krohn is a three-time state champion, NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up, Junior National freestyle All-American, and bound for Stanford. Also in this weight class is another NHSCA Juniors runner-up in Zach Roseberry (Brentsville, Va.), at least four other notable state champions, and state runner-up Anthony Messner (Franklin, N.J.). 6. FloNationals, 160 pounds Five wrestlers ranked in the top 13 of the nation at their respective weight class are in the field here. That group is led by Austin Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.), who entered the Dapper Dan ranked No. 8 at 152 pounds, but pulled off the 8-2 upset over national No. 1 Jake Short. National Prep champion Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.) is ranked No. 8 in this weight class, and was runner-up at the FloNationals and Cadet freestyle championships last calendar year. Colin Holler (Carl Sandburg, Ill.) was a four-time state placer, finally getting a state title this year up at 170 pounds, here he is ranked No. 9 nationally. Three-time state placer Jon Schleifer (East Brunswick, N.J.) is ranked No. 11 nationally and finished third at the Super 32 Challenge. Last among the ranked wrestlers is No. 13 Tyler Grimaldi (Half Hollow Hills West, N.Y.), a state champion this year after finishing sixth in Junior freestyle last summer. 5. Aaron Pico and friends, Junior folkstyle 132 pounds Aaron Pico (St. John Bosco, Calif.) is the nation's best overall freshman, ranked No. 1 at the 132-pound weight class nationally, and was twice a Cadet National double champion in Fargo. He is one of the most dominant figures in all of high school wrestling. This is his first competition at the USA Wrestling junior level. Though he is the clear favorite here, three additional nationally ranked wrestlers and some other highly credentialed figures will be on the prowl. Those nationally ranked wrestlers include No. 10 Colton Adams (Scottsbluff, Neb.), a defending Junior National folkstyle champion; four-time state champion Dalton Brady (Chandler, Ariz.), who is ranked No. 17 up at 138 pounds; and No. 20 Seth Gross (Apple Valley, Minn.), a two-time Cadet National freestyle champion. Other highly credentialed figures include two-time state placer Ali Naser (El Camino Real, Calif.), who won the NUWAY Vegas title this fall; four-time state placer Colby Knight (Urbandale, Iowa), a state champion in 2011; state champion Jacob Rubio (Canyon Randall, Tex.), a Cadet folkstyle runner-up last spring who finished fourth in both styles at Cadet Nationals in Fargo; fellow Cadet folkstyle runner-up Mark Voss (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), who is also a two-time state runner-up; and state champion Ryan Schuman (Tri-Valley, S.D.), a Cadet folkstyle champion last spring. Brent Fleetwood and Sean Russell (Photo/Rob Preston)4. NHSCA Junior Nationals, 113 pounds Two wrestlers in this weight class are among the top five in the nation, No. 3 Brent Fleetwood (Smyrna, Del.) and No. 5 Sean Russell (Collins Hill, Ga.). Both wrestlers are three-time state champions and two-time Super 32 Challenge placers, in fact it was Russell who upended Fleetwood 4-3 in the semis of the Super 32 this October on the way to a runner-up finish. Fleetwood was champion of the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals this spring, and won the Beast of the East during this past season; while Russell was runner-up at the Kansas City Stampede during the course of the season. Multiple other state placers reside in this weight class, including Zachary Davis (Mishawka Penn, Ind.), whose finals loss was 9-7 to No. 1 Stevan Micic (Hanover Central). 3. Depth abound at NHSCA Senior Nationals, 132 pounds Five weight class ranked wrestlers anchor the field in the 132-pound weight class at the NHSCA Senior Nationals, which is the most of any weight in that competition and tied for second most for any of the tournament weight classes this weekend across the nation. Highest ranked here is NHSCA Junior National runner-up Dennis Gustafson (Forest Park, Va.), who is ranked No. 9 in the country, and was fifth at the Super 32 Challenge this fall. Another three in this group finished third through fifth in last year's NHSCA Junior Nationals 132-pound weight class: Jed Mellen (Payson, Utah), ranked No. 15 up at 138 pounds; Jason Estevez (Livingston, N.J.), ranked No. 15 in this weight class; and Lawrence Otero (Volcano Vista, N.M.), ranked No. 19 at 138 pounds, where he placed seventh in the Super 32 Challenge. The other nationally ranked wrestler is Michael Pongracz (Delaware Valley Regional, N.J.); the three-time state placer is No. 16 down at 126 pounds. Other notables in this weight class include Javier Gasca (Kingsburg, Calif.), eighth at the Super 32 this year and twice finishing third in the state tournament; defending Junior folkstyle champion Gunner Laffoon (Tuttle, Okla.), as well as state champions Nosomy Pozo (Miami Southwest, Fla.) and Matt Leshinger (Sayville, N.Y.). 2. Trifecta in the top ten at FloNationals 120 pounds Three of the nation's top ten wrestlers in the 120-pound weight class anchor the field at the FloNationals in this bracket. No. 3 Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) won his second state title and also placed at the Super 32 Challenge for a second time this fall (third, after winning the tournament in 2010); No. 4 Sam Krivus (Hempfield Area, Pa.) won his first title as a sophomore, after winning the Super 32 Challenge in October; while No. 9 Mason Pengilly (Porterville, Calif.) won his first state title and seeks to improve upon a FloNationals runner-up finish last year. Two other wrestlers ranked No. 19 nationally are also in this weight: Jared Prince (Palm Harbor University, Fla.), a state champion who was fifth at the Super 32; and Domenic Forys (North Allegheny, Pa.) holds this postion at 113 pounds, where he became a two-time state placer. Other notables in this weight class include Pennsylvania state placers Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh Central Catholic), Zach Valley (Northampton), and Justin Patrick (Ligonier Valley); along with state runner-up Drew Hughes (Lowell, Ind.) 1. Will Coon face a challenge from a tough Junior folkstyle 285-pound field? The University of Michigan bound Adam Coon (Fowlerville, Mich.) is ranked No. 1 in the nation at 285 pounds and No. 2 overall in the Class of 2013. Last off-season, he was a USA Wrestling Junior Triple Crown winner. In order to win the first leg of this year's Triple Crown, he will have to navigate a field that features three other nationally ranked wrestlers and multiple other state champions. Those nationally ranked wrestlers are No. 6 Cole Johnson (DeSoto, Wis.), who was runner-up to Coon is last year's Junior folkstyle tournament; No. 10 Michael Johnson, Jr. (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), twice a National Prep runner-up to No. 2 Brooks Black; and No. 18 Newton Smerchek (Luxemburg-Casco, Wis.), a two-time state champion. Other state champions include Dean Broghammer (West Delaware Manchester, Iowa), Bailey Sutko (Oak Park Staley, Mo.), and Jesse Nelson (Stoughton, Wis.). Also meriting attention is state placer Adarios Jones (Moline, Ill.), who was runner-up at the Preseason

Amanda Stanec, a Ph.D in physical education, explains how she used a health-focused approach to help reinstate wrestling at a trio of at-risk high schools in the St. Louis area. This is a must-listen for anyone interested in stating compelling arguments for why we need amateur wrestling in our school systems. Check out our Tumblr page at backpoints.tumblr.com. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by searching "back points" and pushing SUBSCRIBE. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

Carl Adams

Jim Miller will go “On the Mat” this Wednesday, April 3. "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 www.kcnzam.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 www.theopenmat.com. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments about the show. Miller recently retired as the head wrestling coach at Wartburg College after 22 seasons. His teams won 21 consecutive Iowa Conference titles and 10 NCAA Division III championships. Miller was also a two-time NCAA Division II champion for the University of Northern Iowa as well as a two-time Division I All-American. The hour-long show will pay tribute to Miller’s time as a wrestler and as a coach.

John Smith and Jordan Oliver embrace at the 2013 NCAAs (Photo/Simon Jimenez, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)John Smith, who led his Oklahoma State wrestlers to within four points of denying Penn State its third straight NCAA Division I team title, has been chosen InterMat Coach of the Year for 2013. It's the second time the Cowboys' head coach has won the award, selected in a vote of writers and executives from InterMatWrestle.com. Smith took the website's inaugural Coach of the Year honor in 2006. In balloting for the award, Smith earned a total of 61 points, including four first-place votes. In second place was last year's winner, Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson, who garnered 43 points, and three first-place votes. Taking third in the balloting was The Citadel's Rob Hjerling, with 35 points, and two votes for first place. Also receiving a first-place vote was Kevin Jackson of Iowa State, who placed fifth in the overall voting. Smith guided Oklahoma State to an impressive 20-1 overall record this season (the one loss being to Minnesota at the 2013 National Duals finals). The Cowboys concluded the season with the Big 12 team title, grabbing eight of ten individual championships. 2013 InterMat Coach of the Year 1st-5th-Place Votes: 9-7-5-3-1 Total Votes/(First-Place Votes) 1. John Smith, Oklahoma St., 61 (4) 2. Cael Sanderson, Penn St., 43 (3) 3. Rob Hjerling, The Citadel, 35 (2) 4. J Robinson, Minnesota, 27 5. Kevin Jackson, Iowa St., 24 (1) 6. Brian Smith, Missouri, 22 7. Rob Koll, Cornell, 11 8. Jim Zalesky, Oregon St., 9 9. Doug Schwab, Northern Iowa, 8 10. Jim Heffernan, Illinois, 4 11. John Stutzman, Bloomsburg, 2 12. Tom Brands, Iowa, 1 12. Kevin Dresser, Virginia Tech, 1"At the beginning of the season John Smith was vocal in stating he did not see his starting lineup as a title contender. And yet, the Cowboys came shockingly close to winning a 35th NCAA title, finishing behind Penn State by only four points," said InterMat's Tom Franck. "John Smith's wrestlers were remarkably consistent throughout the season and yet still managed to peak when it counted the most. At the NCAAs he Cowboys not only demonstrated superb technique but stellar strategy and tactics which helped them win a high number of close matches in the later rounds. Without a doubt, a big part of their success up and down the lineup must be attributed to the legendary head coach of the program." Smith joins Cael Sanderson and Ohio State's Tom Ryan as second two-time InterMat Coach of the Year award winners. Other past honorees include Cornell's Rob Koll, and Mike Denney, former coach of the now-defunct University of Nebraska-Omaha mat program, and current coach of Maryville.

Alex Dieringer compiled a 35-3 record and placed third at 157 pounds (Photo/Simon Jimenez, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)In a close vote, Oklahoma State's Alex Dieringer has been selected 2013 InterMat Freshman of the Year. The award, presented each year to the top freshman college wrestler, is based on a vote of writers and executives at InterMatWrestle.com. Just two points separated Dieringer, 157-pound NCAA Division I All-American, from Cornell University 125-pounder Nahsohn Garrett, in the balloting. Both wrestlers, who placed third in their respective weight classes at nationals, each received five first-place votes ... but Dieringer received 80 total points to Garrett's 78. Dieringer, a two-time Wisconsin high school state champ, had a tremendous first year wrestling for the storied Oklahoma State Cowboy mat program. The Port Washington, Wis. native compiled a 35-3 record for the 2012-13 season, scoring 10 falls, two technical falls, and 13 major decisions. After winning the 2013 Big 12 conference crown at 157, Dieringer entered the 2013 NCAAs as the sixth seed ... but exceeded expectations by placing third at the nationals. 2013 InterMat Freshman of the Year 1st-5th-Place Votes: 9-7-5-3-1 Total Votes/(First-Place Votes) 1. Alex Dieringer, Oklahoma St., 80 (5) 2. Nahshon Garrett, Cornell, 78 (5) 3. Cody Brewer, Oklahoma, 42 4. Nathan Kraisser, North Carolina, 17 5. Taylor Massa, Michigan, 10 5. Connor Medbery, Wisconsin, 10 7. Jordan Conaway, Penn St., 6 7. Cody Walters, Ohio, 6 9. Chris Mecate, Old Dominion, 1"Alex Dieringer has won at every level throughout his wrestling career, so his success as a freshman at Oklahoma State shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone," said InterMat senior editor Andrew Hipps. "He has a lot of confidence in his abilities and believed that he could contend for an NCAA championship in his first season in the Cowboy lineup. He was an overtime loss away from reaching the NCAA finals. Dieringer is the type of wrestler who always seems to rise to the occasion in big events." As 2013 InterMat Freshman of the Year, Dieringer joins an impressive list of past honorees who have since gone on to earn NCAA titles, including 2010 winner Kyle Dake of Cornell, 2011 honoree David Taylor of Penn State, and last year's winner, Ohio State's Logan Stieber.

BOSTON -- Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics Mike Lynch announced today that at the conclusion of the 2013-14 season, Boston University will no longer sponsor wrestling at the varsity level. Consistent with University processes, the Department of Athletics, in conjunction with campus administrators and the Board of Trustees, thoroughly reviewed and evaluated Department priorities and determined that to bring the wrestling program to a championship-caliber level, an immense infusion of resources, including major facility enhancements and additional staffing, would be required. “This obviously been a very difficult decision to make,” said Lynch. “I understand the impact this will have on our staff and students. However, we have to strategically use our resources in the most efficient and effective manner, and the decision to move forward without wrestling, though difficult, is the right one for Boston University.” Senior Vice President Todd Klipp added that, “Like all University academic and administrative units, the Department of Athletics is constantly assessing its strategic priorities. That process can necessitate making difficult decisions like this one.” All student-athletes currently receiving wrestling scholarships will have those scholarships honored for the remainder of their undergraduate careers at BU. Should student-athletes seek to continue their wrestling careers at other institutions, they will be eligible immediately under NCAA guidelines and the University will provide assistance in the transfer process. The 2012-13 wrestling team includes 11 juniors among its 25-man roster. Therefore, the decision to sponsor wrestling for one more season will allow all members of the Class of 2014 to complete their collegiate careers and degrees at Boston University. “We want to be sensitive to the student-athletes impacted by this decision and allow them as much time as possible to consider their options,” said Lynch. Carl AdamsFor the past 32 seasons, Carl Adams has been at the helm of the Terrier program, guiding the team to 10 conference titles, most recently in 1994. Adams, a two-time NCAA champion at Iowa State, is a member of four different wrestling Halls of Fame (Massachusetts, Iowa State, Glen Brand of Iowa, Midlands) and ranks fourth among active coaches in career wins at the Division I level with 324, including 301 at BU. “I’d like to thank Carl for his remarkable coaching career and for his exemplary service to our student-athletes,” said Lynch. “We are grateful and fortunate to have had a legend in the sport guide our program for over 30 years. His dedication to BU and the sport is truly admirable.”

NCAA Division I champions (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Logan Stieber Kendric Maple Jesse Delgado Derek St. John Kyle Dake Quentin Wright Chris Perry Tony Nelson

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is proud to announce that the 2014 and 2015 NAIA Wrestling National Championships will be held in Topeka, Kan., and hosted by Visit Topeka Inc., Topeka Shawnee County Sports Council and the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC). The 2014 national championships are scheduled for March 7 –8, and the 2015 event will be March 6 –7. The venue is the Kansas Expocentre in the capital city of Kansas. The Expocentre offers 210,000 square feet of event space. This venue has served as the site for numerous national sporting competitions, including the 1988 US Olympic Trials, the USA Wrestling Kansas State Folkstyle Championships and the USA Wrestling Kids Folkstyle Nationals. Click here for facility map of the Expocentre. The Expocentre held its first event in 1987 with a sold-out concert featuring Kenny Rogers, T. Graham Brown and Ronnie Milsap. At times, there are six events hosted simultaneously in the facilities, and typically over 600 events are booked annually. Landon Arena is located inside the Expocentre and currently is home to the Topeka RoadRunners NAHL hockey team and the Kansas Koyotes APFL football team. Topeka will welcome the wrestling national championships for the first time in the 56-year history of the event. The city is listed with a population of nearly 123,000 and located approximately 60 miles from Kansas City, Mo. The state has hosted three previous NAIA Wrestling National Championships in the city of Hays in 1980, 1990 and 1992. “We are looking forward to having the NAIA Wrestling National Championships in Topeka for 2014 and 2015,” said Jim Carr, NAIA President and CEO. “The sport of wrestling has a strong presence in the state of Kansas. The city of Topeka has proven that they have hosted successful national events. The NAIA is excited to have this friendly community provide a wonderful experience for all NAIA student-athletes and teams.” The Kansas chapter of USA Wrestling, which is the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, ranks No. 1 in the nation in certified coaches and No. 4 in the nation in youth participation. Visit Topeka Inc., is a non-profit organization created to promote Topeka as a tourist destination and a great place to hold conventions, trade shows, tournaments and other sporting events. The city’s inception dates back to 1854 and is remembered for one significant piece of American history – the United States Supreme Court case between Brown v. Board of Education. The Topeka Shawnee County Sports Council is in existence to enhance the quality of life and the economy in the Topeka community by leading the effort to develop and promote youth, amateur and collegiate sporting events. “We are so very excited to work with the NAIA to welcome the NAIA Wrestling National Championships for 2014 and 2015 to Topeka,” said Jeffrey Alderman, Director of Sales at Visit Topeka Inc. “This outstanding competition will allow us to showcase our wonderful city to the many participants and thousands of spectators, and is a win-win for our community and the NAIA.” The Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) was founded in 1971 and is the governing body of 10 conference schools located in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Three schools have been members of the conference since its inception – Baker (Kan.), Graceland (Iowa) and Missouri Valley. Peru State (Neb.) became the newest school to join the storied conference as the Bobcats began full competition during the 2011-12 academic year. Baker, Benedictine (Kan.) and Missouri Valley sponsor the sport of wrestling in the HAAC. The national championships consist of 10 individual weight classes. Those competitions occur during four sessions with two each day. There are currently 41 NAIA Wrestling varsity programs for the 2013 season. For a complete list of wrestling schools, click here. Since 1937, the NAIA has administered programs and championships in proper balance with the overall educational experience. In 2000, the NAIA reaffirmed its purpose to enhance the character-building aspects of sport. Through Champions of Character, the NAIA seeks to create an environment in which every student-athlete, coach, official and spectator is committed to the true spirit of competition through five core values: integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.

NEWTON, Iowa -- Cornell senior Kyle Dake stepped off the NCAA's raised championship mat on Saturday night, March 23, and into the history books. He became only the third wrestler in history to win four NCAA titles, but the first to do it at four different weights. To cement his legacy on the sport, he moved up a weight class to 165 pounds to face the best collegiate wrestler in the country from 2012 and his friend David Taylor of Penn State. Kyle Dake received 41 of the 43 first-place votes (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)He defeated Taylor for the third time this year -- in the NCAA finals -- counting an unofficial All-Star meet at the beginning of the season. And now he has added college wrestling's most prestigious individual honor, the 2013 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy, presented by ASICS. Dake received 41 of 43 first-place votes from the Hodge Voting Committee. The committee is made up of all former Hodge Trophy winners, national wrestling media, retired college coaches from different regions of the country and a representative from a number of national wrestling organizations. Penn State junior Ed Ruth, now a two-time NCAA champ after his dominant run through the 184-pound class, grabbed the other two first-place votes and finished as the Hodge runner-up in total points as well. When notified of winning the Hodge, Dake's response showed his elite-level mentality and why he is considered one of the sport's greatest of all time. "It's pretty awesome," he said. "It's always been in the back of my mind where I'm the most dominant out there. I wanted to be a three-time Hodge winner with Cael (Sanderson). But it didn't work out. It came across my mind when I lost that dual meet (a January 2011 loss to Binghamton's Donnie Vinson) that all the other top guys would have to lose for me to win the Hodge. "But the rest of everything turned out pretty good." Sanderson, the Penn State coach who has led the Nittany Lions to three straight team titles, is one of only two multiple-time Hodge winners in the 19-year history of the award. He won three Hodges from 2000-02. The other multiple-time winner was Ben Askren of Missouri, winning in 2006 and 2007. Dake's "pretty good" four-year career started without even a redshirt season. The former two-time state champ from Lansing High School just down the road from the Ivy League, Ithaca, N.Y. campus, started at the 141-pound class and jumped up one weight each year, winning titles each March. The likely finals bout and rematch with Taylor was so highly anticipated that the NCAA made an unprecedented finals programming decision. The order of the finals was adjusted so the 165-pound match was the final bout and the main event of the night. And it lived up to its billing with Dake winning by a point, 5-4, on riding time. Dake's dominant senior season included 18 pins in his 37-win campaign. He was unscored upon in his four NCAA tournament matches leading up to the finals. Dake wins the 2013 Hodge from the most loaded individual field in the award's 19-year history. Three of Dake's peers had such dominant seasons themselves that they would have easily won the award considered the Heisman Trophy of wrestling by numerous media outlets any other college wrestling season. Ruth put up 12 pins in his 33-win season and finished second in the voting in total number of placement points. There were only six matches this season in which the talented junior didn't score bonus points. Two of those were to last year's champ, Steve Bosak of Cornell. He also put up an impressive 12-4 major decision over 2011 NCAA runner-up Robert Hamlin of Lehigh in this year's NCAA finals. For the first time, fans were invited to vote for the Hodge Trophy on WIN Magazine's website. Over 2,500 fans voted as of Thursday, March 28. Fans went a different direction from the rest of the Hodge Voting Committee, selecting Ruth the overall Hodge winner over Dake. With the composite fan vote resulting in two of the official 43 ballots, the fan vote pushed Ruth ahead of Oklahoma State's Jordan Oliver as the Hodge Trophy runner-up, 89-88, in final placement points. Four points were awarded for a first-place vote, three for second, two for third and a point for a fourth-place vote on each of the official ballots. Oklahoma State's two-time NCAA champ in Oliver was the 2011 Hodge runner-up to reigning Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs with his title that year at 133. He finished third in the Hodge standings this year after moving up two weight classes to win the title at 149. The Cowboy finished a spotless 38-0 season with 17 pins, only one less than Dake. Ohio State sophomore Logan Stieber finished fourth in the final voting. He won his second straight NCAA title in as many tries, beating No. 2 Tony Ramos of Iowa twice in the last two weeks of the season. Amazingly, opponents in only five of 27 bouts all year -- Ramos accounting for two of them -- were able to keep from getting pinned or teched by Stieber. Stieber actually recorded the highest pinning percentage of the Hodge finalists at 52 percent, pinning 14 foes. Dake now moves onto his freestyle career on the Senior level, competing for a spot on Team USA. That road will have to go through Burroughs, himself a Hodge winner for the University of Nebraska in 2011 before going on to win the World Championships that fall. Dake said he's ready for the challenge of having to beat Burroughs and others to make the U.S. team. "I want to win the World Championships this year, and win the next couple Worlds and then the Olympics. I want to stamp my name as the best in the world. If you're not trying to be the best at what you do, then you're wasting your time and you need to go find something else to go be mediocre at," he said. Dake said if he was going to win a World or Olympic title, he'd have to beat the best guys in the world anyway. With the current scenario of having to defeat Burroughs, the Big Red senior could line up against the top man in the world at 74 kilograms in only three months at this June's World Team Trials in Stillwater, Oklahoma. When Cornell coach Rob Koll was asked about what separates Dake from other elite-level wrestlers, he was quick to talk about Dake's laid-back personality and ability to be unaffected by big-match pressure. "Kyle gets excited for matches when others get nervous. It's a negative emotion vs. a positive one. The negative one makes you tired, the positive one gets you ready," Koll said. Koll, a former NCAA champion himself, said he and Dake were joking around up until 15 minutes before the NCAA finals match. But once the 15-minute mark came, Koll said he had to "stay out of his way. He's like a race horse getting ready for the Kentucky Derby." The award, founded by wrestling historian Mike Chapman of Culture House Books, has seven criteria. They are, in order of importance: season record, number of pins, dominance, quality of competition, previous credentials, sportsmanship/citizenship and heart. "I created the Hodge Trophy to bring greater recognition to the top college wrestlers in the nation each year, and Kyle Dake is the epitome of what the award stands for," said Chapman. "I have attended 44 NCAA tournaments and he is one of the finest competitors I have ever seen. This was one of the toughest years to win the Hodge Trophy, as there were a number of great contenders. Kyle Dake is the best of the best!" Dake will be publicly presented the award at the Cornell wrestling banquet in Ithaca, N.Y., on May 5. For more information on the Dan Hodge Trophy, visit www.WIN-magazine.com.

Fight Now TV Presents Takedown Wrestling in the Brute studios. Takedown Wrestling is proudly presented by Kemin, Inspired Molecular Solutions! This Saturday it's Takedown Wrestling Radio from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/10 a.m. to noon ET. Join Scott Casber, Steve Foster, Terry Cook, our own Jeff Murphy and Brad Johnson live from Des Moines, Iowa. This week's guests: 9:03 Jesse Delgado, Illinois wrestler 9:10 Logan Stieber, Ohio State wrestler 9:20 Kendric Maple, Oklahoma wrestler 9:30 Jordan Oliver, Oklahoma State wrestler 9:40 Derek St. John, Iowa wrestler 9:50 Tyler Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:00 Kyle Dake, Cornell wrestler 10:10 Chris Perry, Oklahoma State wrestler 10:20 Ed Ruth, Penn State wrestler 10:30 Quentin Wright, Penn State wrestler 10:40 Tony Nelson, Minnesota wrestler 10:50 Amy Ruble, Wildrose Casino and Resort Fans, athletes, coaches: This is your sport. Join in the conversation live. Ask questions. Call 866-333-5966 or 515-204-5966. Takedown Wrestling is available on radio on AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa, online at Livesportsvideo.com, or on your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app. (Click on KXNO under Sportsradio.)

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. Why was this weekend a success? Simplicity. Uncomplicated storytelling delivers rating. No distractions, just the pursuit of history. The story of Kyle Dake was simple enough for any sports fan to understand and appreciate. You can almost hear the dialogue in the TV room somewhere in North Carolina: "Honey, This wrestling kid is going for four titles in four years?!" "Wow. Is he wrestling now?" "Yeah. Guy just said he's wrestling against his friend and the defending champion?" "I'm in the kitchen. What channel?" That is how many of our 860,000 viewers tuned into this year's finals. We had a clear and simple story to sell, which also happened to have dramatic elements. With a concentrated effort we could do something more. Maybe we won't gain a ton of attention for a matchup of the Dake/Taylor hype, but we can do other things to make the event watchable. We can't sit back with our lead. We need more points, more scoring. We can't stall, we can't ride parallel. We need to take this momentum spawned by the IOC and maintained by Dake to create new avenues for growth and interest. We need to make large-scale changes to our operational mentality. That means embracing a less-physical, more technical style. Amending rules for simplicity, and making other changes that will make us much more marketable to the masses. We are finally running ahead of our peer sports, now is not the time to take a breather. Lets dig down and find a way to extend our lead into 2014 and beyond. To your questions ... Q: Do you think Kyle Dake would have beaten Darrion Caldwell in the semis of 2011 had Caldwell not had to drop out? What a match that would have been. -- Nate T. Foley: I respect where you are coming from with this question. One of the guiding principles of compelling journalism is to find stories that contradict an ongoing, popular narrative. What better example do we have, but to doubt Kyle Dake and his four years of dominance? Unfortunately it's impossible to project a loss on Dake, and to do so would only be inviting hate mail postmarked from Ithaca. Yet I agree with you that Darrion Caldwell would've been the type of wrestler who could've challenged Dake. Caldwell had shown the ability to beat top opponents at NCAAs and was a point-scoring wrestler. To win, Dake would've had to limit that scoring from neutral, escape from bottom and secure the riding time advantage, which he could have done. Caldwell would have needed the big move, which is tough to secure against a wrestler as explosive and squirrelly as Dake. Q: I'm wondering what you think/know about what's going on right now with Ben Askren and the UFC. He's been calling out GSP all over Twitter, and I'm having trouble figuring out what the deal is other than that Askren thinks he can beat GSP. I'm a huge Askren fan (as I'm sure most wrestling fans are), and I would LOVE to see him take on some of the UFC guys, especially GSP. So what's keeping him out? Maybe I'm just lacking a greater understanding of how professional fighting works, but any insight you've got would be appreciated. -- Brandon J. Foley: The professional mixed martial arts scene can be confusing. The UFC is the largest and most profitable organization, followed by Bellator MMA, Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) and World Series of Fighting (WSOF). All of these organizations have television distribution deals and make their money by promoting the best fighters they can afford. The UFC has limited roster spots, and with the recent absorption of Strikeforce and the addition of a flyweight and women's bantamweight class there is less room, and thus more cuts. That contraction has led to guys like Jon Fitch, a former top ten welterweight, ending up in the WSOF. That purchase gives the organization heft, but confuses fans about the degree to which fighters can be independent and osmotic between organizations. Askren can't fight in UFC because he's all-the-way committed to Bellator MMA. He has good reason. Viacom, the multi-billion dollar company backing Bellator, also owns SPIKE and has made the commitment to position themselves as competitors to the UFC. So for Askren to ever face GSP, several unlikely things would have to occur. First, Bellator would have to cut Askren or let his contract expire. If his contract expired and Askren chose to shop himself around, Bellator would still be able to offer up a matching contract should the UFC make him an offer. If he still made it to the UFC (Eddie Alvarez is caught at this step) then the UFC could put him on the roster, at which point he would take a fight with a current top ten contender and be another fight away from ever facing GSP. The point is that there is almost no way the fight will ever take place. The Twitter battle between Askren and Dana White revolves around Askren's smothering style of fighting. He's better than opponents on the mat, so he keeps them there. Fans might not like that he's not exchanging blows, but my gut tells me that his wife and kid are probably stoked that Daddy isn't brain dead. Work with what you got, and Askren is a blanket on top. Can't win if you can't get out. Q: As we watched the NCAA tournament my cousin Lars made the statement that Dan Gable would not be able to beat Derek St. John of Iowa. This caused a heated discussion. Gable was the ultimate competitor and was a mental juggernaut. St. John is no slouch. Who would win the legends of the past or the current stars. How would the legends all-star team do against the NCAA champions of 2013 in an all-star dual? -- Eric G. Foley: Lars' statement is ridiculous! Of course Gable would be able to beat St. John. They're wrestlers and last I checked this Gable character was a pretty fierce competitor. The better question might be how many times out of ten would Gable beat St. John if we created a time machine that took collegiate Gable and pitted him against collegiate St. John. My answer would be 2 for 10. St. John is a bad style matchup for Gable and the speed and athleticism of today's wrestlers is light years from what we saw in the 1970's -- to mention nothing of the growth in techniques. As for a yesteryear Dream Team pitted against this year's NCAA champions, I see the same type of results. Assuming you grabbed them from their decade and brought them into modern times with no ability to train or learn new moves, I believe that the modern wrestlers would win 9/10 matches. If you gave that historical team a year or two to train then it would become an issue of intangibles and I'd have to see the split as somewhere closer to 5/5. Great wrestlers are made of different stuff. They might lack the moves and the speed, but given access to the same training for a few years and they'd be on par with today's best. If you don't believe me I ask you to invent the time machine, but let me know first if you do because I'd like to place a small bet on the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals and that kid Kyle Dake. "But I don't got that time, I only have 'till morning." MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME You can listen to Mark Perry describe the photo on this week's Back Point podcast. Just be sure to SUBSCRIBE on iTunes, too. Just enter the term "Back Points" and we'll pop up. Photo by Andy Hamilton. My absolute favorite photo from the weekend came via Mike McCormick, whose son is a big fan of Logan Stieber and Tony Ramos. Here's how McCormick described the scene ... "Patrick wanted both of their autographs and was having Logan sign something when Ramos came by. I grabbed Ramos and asked for his autograph. They both just kind of stopped there when they realized who else was standing there. I asked if they minded if I took a picture with both of them and they both immediately said yes. I was so impressed by that ... Two guys that just battled it out in front of the whole world were nice enough to have their picture taken with a kid that admires them. Wrestlers are the greatest! Made my son's night for sure." Q: How long is Scoot Goodale going to last? Rutgers scored 7.5 points this NCAA tournament landing the team in 35th place. Notably, Scott Winston, who was previously considered one of New Jersey's best, graduates without ever reaching the podium. Mario Mason could not finish his senior year while he placed fifth in the Big Tens as a freshmen. That bracket included Brent Metcalf, Lance Palmer, and others (Kyle Ruschell?). William Smith, a favorite to win the EIWA, needed a wildcard to get to the tournament. I think Goodale has been a good stepping stone for Rutgers. He has changed the program, but as Rutgers enters the Big Ten, I think a change is needed. So how long will the disappointment last? Who do you think would be a good fit to elevate the program among the premier teams? -- Mark K. Foley: I doubt anyone is more aware of Rutgers' frustration than Scott Goodale. He's a well-respected leader in the New Jersey wrestling community and much-admired by his school and his wrestlers. Winning takes time, and though the amount of time that has passed seems incongruous with what might be a timeline for deciding failure, my instinct tells me that he's being left alone because he does many of the CEO tasks very well, including but not limited to: fundraising, friend-raising, and developing 18-year-old's into good people. Goodale is the coach at Rutgers through the 2106 season. He'll have Anthony Ashnault on campus next year and wrestling in the Big Ten will hopefully help him earn more qualifiers. It could even improve the quality of his wrestlers to have stiffer competition. I really, honestly, one-hundred percent believe he has multiple All-Americans by 2015. Wrestling has plenty of good guys who lose and a few questionable guys who win, but I don't see a problem with a moderately successful guy like Goodale keeping his job for a few more years when he's surrounded by good coaches and wrestlers. The program isn't tanking, and I've seen first-hand (when he didn't think the media was watching) just how passionate Goodale is about his program. It got a little dusty in the arena that night, and I like seeing that type of commitment and passion from a leader of young men. #TeamGoodale Q: The most pressing question from the NCAAs: I noticed some pretty creative uniform designs. Which team had the best singlet design and which the worst? All-time best and all-time worst? -- Boston Grappler Foley: This answer is about to go in a WHOLLY different direction than you expected, but let's start by answering your original prompt. Fashion is life. From what I gather from Twitter, it was the Edinboro singlets that ended up being the best-reviewed of the Big Show. I can't argue that they were pretty sweet, but my personal favorites were those from my alma mater Columbia. Absolutely loved the faded Lion's head in the back and the faded color of the singlet. It helped that the singlet was most often seen when Mc-Stud Steve Santos was flexing for the ESPN cameras and blowing kisses to his admirers. Worst singlet probably goes to Oklahoma State's black outfits. Just didn't work for me this time. The Cowboy on the side was too complicated to be so small, and call me a traditionalist but I think they have one of the most iconic singlets in the sport of college wrestling. Why waste your time with black or gray? Then again, they did almost win the tournament, so what the hell do I know? But when you talk about singlets, we inevitably have to redirect into the IOC decision and the mention of possibly uniform changes by FILA at the international level. Nothing has been decided, but in order to appease the Western Europeans FILA is likely going to replace singlets with rash guards and fight shorts. Partly to improve grip for throws and partly to make it more accessible and comfortable for fans who dislike spandex to watch. Maybe that's the right thing to do? Aren't we all a little sick and tired of the singlet conversation? It's a losing issue. We lose fans, we lose viewers, we lose on more participants, and we lose out on potential income. If we change to shorts and a long sleeve rash guard there is a massive upside. But before you freak out and send me hate mail, take a look at what Dan Gable was wearing in his collegiate wrestling days: Cotton shorts overtop a singlet and full-length spandex leggings. I'm on a mission to convince you, so also consider the potential revenue from fans being able to wear the outfits of their favorite wrestlers. Kids, adults, and aspiring high school wrestlers could all wear the actual "jersey" of their favorite team or athlete as they worked out. That will grow revenue and interest in the sport whose rules would stay completely unchanged, the only difference would be more throws, more turns and fewer inquiries from random people on the street about the sexuality attached to our sport. Are we proud of what wrestling is about emotionally and psychologically, or what we wear? What do we have to lose? Uniforms in wrestling have changed with consistency for the past 100 years, and if you look at other traditional styles they continue to change today. Kushti, the traditional wrestling style in India, has now allowed for a sturdier speedo-like uniform to be worn overtop the thin cotton underwear that have been used for more than 5,000 years. That's 50 centuries worth of unchanged tradition that was allowed to develop in order to attract more youth to the sport. Wrestling has to find ways to become more marketable. Look no further than the recent changes to the NCAA finals to see just what kind of positive impact change can have on our sport. We can continue to grow and become more marketable if we foster positive discussions about change, rather than shooting down any idea that is outside our perceived norms. We've seen in from the IOC's decision just how corrosive a lack of change can become. If FILA has listened and made even some of the changes asked of them, we wouldn't have the fight to keep wrestling in the Olympics. Let's learn the lesson and start making proactive and intelligent decisions about the future of our sport, starting with a new and improved uniform for our athletes. This man, Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu, wears long sleeve rash guards and fight shorts. How do you think he does with the ladies? Still think we're too cool? I've rolled with this man and though he's an absolute puppy dog off the mat, he's a crazed lunatic on it. Sleeves are good enough for him and they're good enough for you. Q: Every year it's the same story, the NCAA wrestling finals come at the same time of NCAA basketball tournament. Why don't wrestling move the dates up a week or so? This way we get to watch the most anticipated finals in sports (in my eye). I love wrestling and I watch it when I can all the way from Jerusalem. -- Raed K. Foley: Thanks for being a passionate fan. Not to outdo your commitment, but a friend of mine watched the finals from his trans-Pacific flight. Said he ordered three beers and started wrestling the Fijian in the middle seat during Stieber-Ramos. Gotta love wrestling fans. The NCAA Wrestling Committee has talked about asking for a move of dates, but so far nothing has stuck. We'll need to aim our dates to miss all types of other events, but given the resistance to wearing more clothes while we wrestle, I imagine that the wrestling fans would lose their minds were we to make any major changes the competition dates. If a move is made it'll likely have to come from ESPN and other television networks who think they can increase their profitability. The NCAA loves money and if they're told that they can have more for just shifting championships a few weeks, they might be receptive. Q: Is Matt McDonough the first three-time NCAA finalist to fail to gain AA status his senior year? -- Jake M. Foley: Yes, and it's heartbreaking. Q: Can we ditch the video review rule now? What a drag that was. It slowed the matches down and seemed more like a tactic to break a wrestler's momentum than an attempt to be fair. -- Wrestling Fan Number One Foley: These numbers (below) only tell us which reviews were made. The major frustration was that coaches were approaching the head table and the referee after every close call to see whether or not they could challenge. That ate up valuable clock. Only twenty percent of calls were overturned, which also lets us know that even in the coaches eyes there were only 10 calls made in three days that were wrong. That's phenomenal. 640 matches and there were only TEN bad calls made. TEN in three days ... think on it. Here are the raw numbers from the NCAA: CHALLENGES: 51 challenges were made by coaches 38 calls were upheld 10 calls were reversed 2 were inconclusive 1 was video error 16 were made by referees TIME: 59 minutes and 5 seconds were spent on reviewing challenges, 1:09 was the average time spent per review. The longest review was 3:52. REFEREES: There were 21 referees on site. Two referees were challenged a total of five times, but neither had their decision overturned. Three referees had two decision overturned, while four had one overturned.

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The 2013 NCAA Division I wrestling tournament was wrestled with aggression and technical proficiency. There were fewer stall calls than 2012 and the weekend felt action-packed with high-quality matchups and marketable storylines. On their feet, this year's wrestlers were focused on head-inside singles. Hi-crotches were seen much less even five years ago, largely because the popular crackdown series has been well-defended by hip-scoots and cradle threats. That defense, along with the crotch lock, was also seen when bottom wrestlers gave up escape position in a scramble and opted instead to look for two. One problem area was finishing outside singles, especially on the edge of the mat. Many wrestlers were still opting to dive for the backside ankle instead of controlling the leg they attacked, placing it on a shelf and looking for a low-slung backside double. In a rush to score many offensive wrestlers reached for the opposite side hip too soon causing a whizzer and eventually stalemate. Mat wrestling was fantastic this past weekend. Tilts, like the one used by Jesse Delgado in his semifinal comeback against Nathan Kraisser, are once again becoming popular among lightweights. Nahshon Garrett and Jon Morrison also used tilts to settle matches late and build their leads. From bottom there was much more activity than in past years, with fear of being turned prompting more explosive standups. Quality of Officiating Grade: B+ It's un-American to speak well of referees, but considering their task and the oversight of the review process, the referees were on their game this past weekend. Certain bad calls and non-calls come to mind, but if the referees managed to call 600 of the 640 matches perfectly, that would be a 93 percent -- good enough for a B+. Review Process Grade: D+ As close to a total failure as a review process can get without being stopped mid-use. Fans didn't know the rules. Coaches didn't know the rules. Media didn't know the rules. Even the NCAA Rules Committee didn't know the rules. All this not-knowing led to a massive slog of confused faces when it came time to discuss which calls were and were not challengeable. There were countless examples of coaches charging the table or the referees asking, "Am I allowed to challenge this?" … "Is this challengeable?" … "Why?" … "Why not?" In a non-review situation each of these approaches would be penalized, but with the review process and the inefficiencies, it became common practice -- a rip in the rules that was exploited by coaches. The review process helped clarify one or two matches, but there were many more matches where the flow of the action was disrupted and the hard work and conditioning of one athlete was negated by the continuous table approaches of the opposing coaches. Breathers are hard to come by in wrestling and the review process gave another avenue for the tired to find a rest. The Tony Ramos/Logan Stieber situation was a great example of the other problem with the review process -- creating false and misleading controversies. For as long as I've been wrestling, back points aren't called until the moment after the takedown or reversal has been signaled. How then could Ramos have been given back points if he only managed to get control from the scramble one second before Stieber cleared from his back? In slow motion or with a photograph it looks like Stieber was manhandled, when in live motion it's obvious that the position wasn't. However, it was challenged because it would have been imprudent of the Hawkeye coaching staff to not take a chance on gathering two more points. They're not to blame, but that call in particular, if reversed, would have prompted a deeper look at how we use the review system. As is, the right call was upheld. The final dork-up of the review process was that the fans didn't have access to what was being reviewed. Informing your audience of why the action was being stopped is essential. When you go to hockey game they show you the instant replay of the goal in question. Same with football. Same with basketball. This weekend we sat around and did little more than guess about what they may or may not be judging. It's a nice backstop to have a review process in place, but it'll take a major overhaul, and educating coaches about the process to make it a viable addition to the 2014 tournament. ESPN Coverage Grade: A The Worldwide Leader covered all six sessions and the production value was top-notch. There was smoke, boom cameras, and announcers who could adequately describe the action. There is room for improvement both because not all the matches were being filmed, and not all were being announced. Still, this weekend saw a lot of free wrestling and the power and professionalism that comes from a company like ESPN. Wells Fargo Arena and Des Moines Grade: D- The student-athlete warm-up area was a real step-up from previous years. The arena had cordoned off several private mats for the wrestlers and provided televisions for them to see the mat. The wrestlers were well-managed and well-attended to. Not that you care, but media row was a jungle gym. The rows were too narrow to walk down so instead of getting up and heading to the bathroom with ease, every journalist was forced to skip, scoot, squeeze and squirrel their way past no fewer than 100 filled seats. It's only a problem for you because the journos stuck in the middle weren't able to make mad dashes to the tunnels to capture quotes because they were too busy choosing between "butt or crotch?" Wouldn't you have loved to hear what Kraisser thought after his quarterfinal loss? But ultimately Wells Fargo Arena failed as an arena because under no circumstances can you let the lights go out in your building. You simply can't. We had a Super Bowl to figure that out. Maybe it's the fault of the city more than the arena, but the responsibility still falls on the people operating the championship. The city itself was a great place for foodies. There were excellent restaurants serving big city cuisine and a diversity of options. However, it was the bar scene where the event began to unravel. Many fans were arrested this past weekend. Des Moines police seemed to target the wrestling crowd. Police officers were aggressive with bar patrons, handing out drunk in-public citations as soon as people exited bars, ostensibly in an attempt to add money to the police coffers, or boost numbers for internal review. Resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer, interrupting an official police act were all the tip of nibbling and expensive charges levied against the crowd. These weren't arrests for fighting or vandalism, they were arrests made by police officers intentionally hostile to the public. Without question Des Moines was least hospitable of any city that has hosted an NCAA wrestling championship to date. The hotel situation was also dreary. The Quality Inn was like the Bates Motel and many fans were staying at the airport. The taxi situation was preposterous with 45-60 minute waits on cabs that consistently didn't show up. Shuttle busses were hit and miss. You couldn't send texts or make phone calls from the arena. The Internet was spotty. Iowa fans are some of the best in the country, making the treatment of the Des Moines police and the lack of infrastructure all the more disappointing. Overall Experience Grade: B-