The University of Iowa wrestling team will hold open practice today at 8 a.m. at the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Fans are welcome to stop by and get a sneak peak at the 2007-08 Hawkeyes.

The Hawkeyes will also hold their annual coaches clinic October 26-27 at the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex. Registration will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Friday, October 26 outside the wrestling room. The clinic fee will be $45 per coach and will run from 6:30-9 p.m. Friday. The Hawkeyes will hold a team practice Saturday in the practice room. The practice time is dependent on the start time of the Iowa vs. Michigan State football game. The first 100 coaches to register will be given free admission to the football game.

Clinic speakers will be Bucknell University Assistant Coach Dave Hoffman and former Hawkeye wrestler John Oostendorp, who is the head wrestling coach at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. For more information, contact the Iowa wrestling office at 319/335-9405.

Iowa opens the 2007-08 college wrestling season November 10 at the Harold Nichols Open in Ames.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 1:46 PM | Permalink

Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
09/27/2007

Jim Gruenwald admits that maybe he has watched one too many Rocky movies.

The 37-year-old hasn’t wrestled a competitive match in 2½ years, but his competitive fire is still burning.

And that’s why the two-time U.S. Olympian in Greco-Roman wrestling announced Thursday that he is making a comeback.

Gruenwald, an assistant coach at the U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan University, has started preparations for making a run at a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team at 60 kg/132 lbs. He said he plans to compete at the Sunkist Kids International Open late next month in Chandler, Ariz.

“I see a need for the U.S. in that weight class,� Gruenwald said Thursday. “And ever since I retired in 2005, I’ve been struggling with the decision to stop wrestling. When Joe Warren won his medal in 2006 I took that as a sign I had made the right decision.

“But I’ve always stayed in shape since 2005 because I was still torn about whether I wanted to come back and wrestle again. In the back of my mind, I had this fire where I thought I could compete again.�

American Joe Betterman, one of the wrestlers Gruenwald coaches at the USOEC, failed to place in the top eight at the 2007 World Championships earlier this month in Baku, Azerbaijan. The top eight finishers in each weight class qualified their country for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

Betterman was a late replacement for 2006 World champion Joe Warren on the U.S. team at 132 pounds.

The U.S. now has three events left to qualify that weight class for the Olympics. The first qualifier is the Pan American Championships on Feb. 29-March 2 in Colorado Springs, with the other two qualifiers set for May in Tunisia and Serbia.

Gruenwald, who will continue to serve as an assistant coach for the USOEC program, calls his comeback “a win-win situation for USA Wrestling.�

“If I compete and do well, then we’ve got a seasoned guy coming back at that weight class,� Gruenwald said. “If the younger generation beats me, then they at least have a young man who has beaten an older, seasoned wrestler who has gotten the job done in the past.�

Ivan Ivanov, the head coach for the USOEC Greco-Roman program, has encouraged Gruenwald to make a comeback.

“Jim’s still very competitive and I’m excited to see him coming back to wrestle,� Ivanov said. “He’s been tremendous as an assistant coach at the USOEC and that will continue. I think this is a positive situation and we have nothing to lose from this. Now we have more competition at this weight class and that’s definitely a good thing.�

Gruenwald also said his comeback will be a healthy situation in the USOEC room at Northern Michigan.

“We will have a number of top guys in that weight class in our room,� he said. “We had a similar situation to that when I was at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. It will create a very competitive situation. I’m still their coach and I’m also going to be competitive with them when I wrestle them. I told the guys, ‘If you ask me, I will coach you how to beat me.’ I'm excited to see what happens.�

Gruenwald placed sixth in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia and finished 10th in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. His last competition was in late January of 2005.

“I don’t have any regrets in my career, but I am a little bit disappointed I didn’t medal at the Olympics,� he said. “To some degree, I would like some hardware from the Big Show. That’s the one event that separates the good wrestlers from the great wrestlers, and I would like another shot at that.�

Gruenwald also will be adjusting to a different set of rules that were implemented in 2005, shortly after he stopped competing.

“Matches can still be won on your feet as guys like Brad Vering, Harry Lester and Joe Warren have proven,� Gruenwald said. “Obviously, there’s a huge par terre element down on the mat now. I like the new rules. I’m not much of a reverse lift guy, but I’ve learned a lot about the reverse lift and front headlock in the last 2½ years. I can still be aggressive on the feet and I still have a par terre threat where I can turn guys and defend.�

Gruenwald and his wife, Rachel, have a 6-year-old son and three daughters under the age of 3.

“My wife told me, ‘As long as you enjoy the journey, I support you 100 percent,’� Gruenwald said. “I couldn’t do this without her support.�

Jim is putting his wrestling shoes on, and givin' it another go.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 11:44 PM | Permalink

Running is an integral part of wrestling in terms of conditioning, to increase endurance and as a weight management technique. Many high school wrestlers run frequently on masonry or terrazzo flooring typically found in schools. Running in wrestling shoes without support on these floors can create foot, ankle and even knee pain and a variety of conditions requiring medical evaluation.

Wrestlers who run in wrestling sneakers commonly complain of heel and arch pain. Wrestling shoes have no arch support or shock absorption capabilities. Running along the bottom of the foot, connected to the heel bone and inserting into the toe ball portion of the foot is a ligament called the plantar fascia. This cord like ligament is one of the support systems of the arch and is very easily inflamed with overuse, which occurs when engaged in activities such as running in wrestling shoes. This is known as “Plantar Fascitiis�. Symptoms typically include pain upon first getting out of bed in the morning and with weight bearing. Pain is usually alleviated during activity, but is then more pronounced after activity. Treatment should include ice, oral anti-inflammatory and some sort of heel, arch support or orthotic. Physical therapy in more severe cases can be very helpful.

Toe ball pain itself is a common complaint of wrestlers who run in improper footwear. This is the result of repetitive trauma to the toe ball area while running in a wrestling shoe which has no force absorbing abilities. Symptoms include severe sharp pain localized in the toe ball area or pain radiating out to the toes. This is commonly referred to as “Metatarsalgia� or “Capsulitis�. The treatment is also ice, oral anti-inflammatory and possibly injection therapy. Rest is often indicated. A variant of toe ball pain is a “Neuroma� which is the inflammation of a nerve that runs out to the toes. This is inflammation and scarring of a nerve which runs from the toe ball area out to the toes. Treatment includes ice and injection therapy, a period of rest and often time wider shoes. In rare instance where pain is sharp and unremitting and accompanied by swelling, the possibility of a stress fracture exists. This would necessitate a visit to a physician for X-Ray evaluation and treatment.

If you develop foot pain, evaluate your training practices and your footwear. Talk to your schools athletic trainer and have your foot looked at. In the early stages, most foot problems can be managed quite easily with little or no lost training time. When foot pain persists, see a podiatric specialist and get it taken care of right away.

Running is a fundamental part of every wrestlers overall training regime. Wrestling sneakers are designed for one purpose, wrestling and not running. Combining poor footwear with hard, unyielding surfaces found in school hallways can provide the ideal scenario for creating unwanted foot problems. Foot problems are avoidable by simply wearing a cross training or running shoe when running indoors. Save your wrestling sneakers for the mats and save your feet at the same time.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 1:24 AM | Permalink

Watching the series between Mike Zadick and Nate Gallick Thursday afternoon for the 132-pound spot on the U.S. World Team got me thinking about a few issues about the state of freestyle wrestling.

First of all, the current set of rules were implemented by FILA in 2005 with the idea that they would encourage more action and help bring freestyle wrestling closer to the mainstream. But it's seemingly becoming more and more clear each year that just the opposite is happening. Zadick and Gallick wrestled six periods Thursday and four wound up decided by the leg-clinch after two minutes ticked away without a point.

Far too often now with the current rules, wrestlers score a point early in a period and get defensive. The push-out rule designed to keep wrestlers in the middle of the mat has eliminated some finishing holds because it's simpler to shove a guy out of bounds for a point. And the scoring system in freestyle is just too confusing for casual fans.

FILA needs to take a look at the Zadick-Gallick series to see what's right and wrong with the sport now. The final 25 seconds of the third period in first match was filled with incredible action, drama and the kind of stuff that will catch the attention of fringe fans. In fact, there was more scoring and action in those 25 seconds than the other 11:35 combined prior to the leg-clinches. It's time for FILA to rewrite the rule book again.

It's also time for USA Wrestling to do away with allowing the reigning U.S. National champ to push back the best-of-three series like Gallick did. Nothing against Gallick and his decision to ask for an extension after suffering a foot injury prior to the World Team Trials in June. But it would've been better exposure for the sport to have the U.S. Open champion wrestling the 2006 World silver medalist in front of bigger crowds in Las Vegas when ESPN's cameras were filming than in front of a couple hundred people at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Besides, the defending NCAA champion can't push the NCAA meet back if he's hurt. The BCS championship game isn't going to get delayed if the No. 1 team in the country's quarterback gets hurt in the final regular season game. And the World Series won't get pushed back if the ace of one team comes up with a sore arm.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 1:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Shane Olivea
Alex Stepanovich
Nick Leckey - TX State Champ
Gregory Walker - State Finalist
Jonathan Condo
Zachary Wilson
Chris Laskowski
Luis Castillo, DT, San Diego Chargers (First Round Pick)
Lincoln "Drew" Hodgdon, C, Houston Texans - CA State Champ
Nick Hardwick
Fred Weary, C, Houston Texans - AL State Champ
Coy Wire, SS, Buffalo Bills - PA State Champ
Kevin Breedlove - SC State Finalist
Kevin Sampson - NJ State Champ
Benjamin Claxton - GA State Finalist
Trevor Johnson
Clinton "C.J." Brooks, Jr.
Tai Tupai
Leon Robinson - GA State Runner-Up
Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons - 2x SC State Champ (First Round Pick)
Eric Ghiaciuc, C, Cincinatti Bengals - MI State Champ
Joey Hildbold
Adam Seward, ILB, Carolina Panthers - NV State Champ
Cody Johnson
Rodney Michael
Marques Harris - CO State Champ
Larry Turner
Andrew "Tyler" Lenda - District Champ
Tim Anderson - OH State Champ
Tony Pape
Matt Roth - IA State Champ
Mike Patterson, DT, Philadelphia Eagles (First Round Pick)
David Pollack
Tim Burrough - OK State Champ
Antoineo Harris - IL State Champ
Claude Harriott
Scott Wells - TN State Champ
Alex Lewis - District Champ
Ronnie Brown, RB, Miami Dolphins (#2 Pick)
Rodney Leisle
Nick Newton
Sean Tufts
Brian Save
Kevin Atkins
Josh Minkins - District Runner-up
Tim Euhus
Andrew Tidwell-Neal - MN State Champ
Renaldo Works
Patrick "Bucky" Babcock - IL State Champ
Morgan Pears
Art Baker, RB, Buffalo Bills
Rhonde Barber, SS, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tiki Barber, RB, New York Giants
Walter Barnes, DL, Washington Redskins - SEC Champ
Eric Bateman, OL, New York Jets
Harris Benton
Brad Benson, New York Giants – PA State Champ
Greg Boone, RB, Oakland Raiders
Jeff Bostic*, C, Washington Redskins – SC State Champ
Tedy Bruschi*, ILB, New England Patriots
Bob Bruenig*, LB, Dallas Cowboys
Phil Bryant, Philadelphia Eagles – 2x National Prep Champ
Ralph Cindrich, Houston Oilers – PA State Runner-Up
Jonathan Condo, LS, Dallas Cowboys - PA State Champ, Dapper Dan Champ
Tom Cousineau*, LB, Cleveland Browns – 3rd State
Tom Covert*, OT, Chicago Bears
Chris Cooley, WR, Washington Redskins
Roger Craig*, RB, San Francisco 49’ers
Damien Covington, LB, Buffalo Bills
Curley Culp*, DL, Kansas City Chiefs – NCAA Champ
Larry Czonka**, RB, Miami Dolphins
Rob Davis, ST, Green Bay Packers
Dan Dierdorff**, OT, St. Louis Cardinals
Donnie Edwards, OLB, San Diego Chargers
Carl Edwards, San Diego Chargers – 3x MD State Champ
Rob Essink, Seattle Seahawks – NCAA DII Champ
Jim Everett, QB, New Orleans Saints
DeMarco Farr, St. Louis Rams
Patrick Flannery, OL, Houston Oilers
Ed Flanagan, C, Detroit Lions
Terrell Fletcher, RB, San Diego Chargers
Bill Fralic*, G, Atlanta Falcons
Doug France*, LT, Los Angeles Rams – OH State Runner-Up
Frank Garcia, C, St. Louis Rams – 2x AZ State Champ
William George, Chicago Bears – 2x PA State Champ
Charlie Getty, RG, Kansas City Chiefs – 2x NCAA All-American
John Gilmore, TE, Chicago Bears
Kevin Glover*, C, Detroit Lions
La’Roi Glover*, DE, Dallas Cowboys
Mike Goff, G, Cincinnati Bengals
Bob Golic*, DT, Cleveland Browns – OH State Champ
Mike Golic, DE, Philadelphia Eagles
Darien Gordon, PR/CB, Denver Broncos
Scottie Graham, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Tim Green, DE, Atlanta Falcons
Kelly Gregg, NT, Baltimore Ravens, 3x KS State Champ
Morlon Greenwood, OLB, Miami Dolphins
Archie Griffin, HB, Cincinnati Bengals
Nick Griesen, LB, New York Giants
Randy Grossman, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers
John Hannah**, G, New England Patriots
John Hartunian
Carlton Haselrig*, Pittsburgh Steelers, 3x NCAA Champ
Ron Heller, TE, Seattle Seahawks
Chad Hennings, DT, Dallas Cowboys – IA State Champ
Jay Hilgenberg*, C, Chicago Bears – IA State Runner-Up
Orlando Huff, MLB, Seattle Seahawks
Corey Hulsy, G, Oakland Raiders
Bo Jackson*, RB, Oakland Raiders
Mario Johnson, DT, New England Patriots
Dahanie Jones, LB, New York Giants
Henry Jordan**, DT, Green Bay Packers
Dave Joyner, OL, Green Bay Packers
John Jurkovich*, DT, Cleveland Browns
Alex Karras, Detroit Lions
Tim Krumrie*, DL, Cincinnati Bengals – WI State Champ
Ernie Ladd, DL, Kansas City Chiefs
Nick Lecky, C, - KS State Champ (in 2004 NFL Draft)
Jess Lewis, LB, Houston Oilers
Ray Lewis*, Baltimore Ravens – 2x FL State Champ
Ronnie Lott**, DB, San Francisco 49’ers
Kirk Lowdermilk*, OL, Minnesota Vikings
Sean Mahan, G, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Malczyk, LS, New York Giants
Joel Mackavicka, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Steve Martin, DT, Houston Texans
Mickey Marvin, RG, Oakland Raiders
Napolean McCallum, RB, Oakland Raiders
Randle McDaniel*, G, Minnesota Vikings
Mark McDonald, SS, Arizona Cardinals
Chris McIntosh, T, Seattle Seahawks
Bryant McKinnie, T. Minnesota Vikings
Greg Meisner, DL, Los Angeles Rams
Matt Millen*, LB, Oakland Raiders
Ronald Moore, RB, Cleveland Browns
James Mungro, HB, Indianapolis Colts
Jim Nance, FB, New England Patriots – NCAA Champ
Lorenzo Neal, FB, Tennessee Titans - NCAA Champ
Stephen Neal, OL, New England Patriots – NCAA Champ
Jeremy Newberry, C, San Francisco 49’ers
Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh Steelers – PA State Champ
Leo Nomellini*, T, San Francisco 49’ers – Big 10 Champ
Jonathan Ogden*, OT, Baltimore Ravens
Irv Pankey, Los Angeles Rams – 2x MD State Champ
David Patten, WR, New England Patriots
Scott Peters, G, New York Giants
Bob Pickens, OL, Chicago Bears
Jim Plunkett*, QB, Oakland Raiders
Dave Porter, T, Green Bay Packers
Mike Pyle, C, Chicago Bears – IA State Champ
Rocky Rasley, G, Detroit Lions
Mike Reid, Cincinnati Bengals
Eric Rhett, RB, Cleveland Browns – FL State Champ
Willie Roaf*, OT, New Orleans Saints
Warren Sapp*, DT Tampa Bay Buccaneers – FL State Champ
Mark Schlereth*, OL, Washington Redskins - Alaska State Champ
Cory Schlesinger, LB, Detroit Lions - NE State Champ
Steve Sefter, DT, Philadelphia Eagles, 2x PA State Champ & NCAA All-American
Tony Siragusa*, DT, Baltimore Ravens – NJ State Champ
Fred Smerlas*, Buffalo Bills - MA State Champ
Bruce Smith**, DE, Washington Redskins
Brad St. Louis, TE, Cincinnati Bengals
Matt Suhey, RB, Chicago Bears
Bill Szott, OL, Washington Redskins – NJ State Champ
Dave Szott, Kansas City Chiefs – NJ State Champ
Woody Thompson, RB, Atlanta Falcons – PA State Champ
Jim Thorpe**, HB, New York Giants
Mike Trgovac, DC, Carolina Panthers – OH State Champ
Kyle Turley*, T, St. Louis Rams
Ryan Turnbull, RB, Cleveland Browns
Tommy Vardell, RB, San Francisco 49’ers
Adam Vinatieri*, K, New England Patriots
John Ward, OL, New York Jets – NCAA All-American
Fred Weary, DB, St. Louis Rams
Charles White*, HB, Los Angeles Rams
Randy White*, DT, Dallas Cowboys
Cory Widmer, LB, New York Giants
Leo Wisniewski, NT, Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts - PA State Champ
Steve Wisniewski, G, Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders - CA State Champ
Ricky Williams*, RB, Miami Dolphins
Coy Wire, LB, Buffalo Bills – PA State Runner-Up
Greg Wojochowski, St. Louis Rams

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 4:09 PM | Permalink

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Kevin Jackson and Jason Townsend.

Jackson is one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers the United States has ever produced. During his international career, Jackson won World Championships in 1991 and 1995 and an Olympic gold medal in 1992. He is one of only six American wrestlers to win three or more World gold medals.

Jackson currently serves as the full-time head coach for the national freestyle wrestling program in Colorado Springs. He also works to develop freestyle coaches and programs in the United States.

Since taking over as the freestyle national teams head coach in 2001, the United States has placed in the top three twice and recently placed fourth at the 2007 freestyle World Championships.

Townsend was the head coach of the first United States World Grappling team that won the team championship earlier this month. He is also the author of the rulebook that was adopted by FILA (the international wrestling federation) and is a member of the FILA World Grappling Committee.

Townsend is a Wrestling/Grappling coach at Xtreme Couture MMA in Las Vegas, Nevada. He serves as Head Wrestling Coach at Marc Laimon's Cobra Kai jiu-jitsu, also located in Las Vegas.

As a wrestler, Townsend served as an assistant wrestling coach at Cal-State Fullerton from 2000-2005. He competed in college at both Syracuse and Hofstra following two Maryland state title.

"On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. This week's broadcast can be heard live from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, hosts the show.

"On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 5:43 AM | Permalink

The athletic department's decision to discontinue wrestling and reinstate its baseball team after a more than 25-year hiatus has caused considerable controversy among sports fans. Another part of the decision has received less press coverage, but has ramifications just as long lasting for the University. To comply with Title IX requirements, meant to ensure parity between men's and women's sports, the athletic department will add women's competitive cheer to its roster of intercollegiate sports.

The controversy stemming from the decision raises the question of what a sport is, and what should count as a sport for the purpose of Title IX.

Few would claim that cheerleading is not physically demanding, or that it does not demand a high level of athleticism from participants. Indeed, the considerable gymnastic ability required for competitive cheerleading would seem to make it a good choice for a sport.

Nevertheless, competitive cheer, as athletic as it is, is still more on par with competitive dance than it is with other sports. Although competitive cheer does include gymnastic elements, it is not gymnastics. It is similar to synchronized swimming in that both are team sports, but are designed for entertainment, unlike their counterparts, gymnastics and swimming, which are purely athletic in origin.

Because the goal of Title IX is equality for women in sports, the athletic department should have chosen a sport equal in athleticism to baseball. Picking competitive cheer fulfills the letter - not the spirit - of the law.

Beyond the athletic element, competitive cheer is a bad deal for student athletes. The purpose of intercollegiate athletics is to allow students to compete with their peers from other schools, but the University of Maryland is the only other university in the nation that treats cheerleading as a varsity sport. The extremely limited nature of cheerleading as an intercollegiate sport will result in the team needing to spend much more on travel than it for a sport that could be played closer to home, and in the women participating needing to miss more school in order to travel to far-away events.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 7:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Another Long plans to be on the Iowa State campus next fall.

Two-time state wrestling champion Andrew Long of Creston verbally committed to the Iowa State coaching staff during an official visit to Ames last weekend.

Andrew’s brother, Dylan, is also a two-time state champion for Creston and is an assistant coach for Cael Sanderson at Iowa State. Dylan, 27, wrestled at Northern Iowa, where he was a national runner-up.

Andrew can sign a national letter-of-intent in November to formally accept Iowa State’s scholarship offer.

“At times he (Dylan) played a big role, but at other times he didn’t,� Andrew said. “It was brother to brother. He never told me where I should go. He just gave me background on schools, and what he liked. There was no pressure on me.�

Dual roles

Dylan said he tried to separate the roles of brother and ISU coach during Andrew’s decision process.

“I always think of him first as family,� Dylan said. “I would not want him to make any choice that he really wouldn’t want to, or that wasn’t right for him. I told him it was totally up to him. Whatever he wanted to do was fine with me. But, I honestly couldn’t see a better place for him, from what I’ve seen in this program since I’ve been here. It’s a great atmosphere, and we are going to be so good here in the next couple years.�

Iowa State finished second in the NCAA Tournament last spring in Sanderson’s first year as coach, with six freshmen in the lineup. Four seniors have to be replaced, including twins Trent and Travis Paulsen of Lewis Central. Trent Paulsen was the NCAA champion at 157 pounds. Another senior was 197-pound national runner-up Kurt Backes.

Long said he enjoyed last weekend’s visit, including being a guest of the wrestling team at the Cyclones’ 15-13 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes at Jack Trice Stadium.

“I was very comfortable there and they showed me a great time,� Andrew said. ‘The football game kind of put a cherry on top of it.�

Andrew informed the coaches of his decision before returning to Creston.

“Cael Sanderson asked me if I liked it there, and if I had a good future in mind there,� Andrew said. “I said, ‘yeah, most likely.’ Then later (assistant) Tim Hartung said it feels great to be a Cyclone, doesn’t it? I said, ‘it sure does!’ I watched them practice, and I met with the wrestling academic counselor.�

Academic plans

Long plans on majoring in civil engineering, which was another factor in favor of choosing ISU, an institution known for its strength in the engineering field.

“Actually being in athletics can sometimes help your academics,� Dylan said of the challenging schedule awaiting Andrew. “So much of your time is scheduled, and there’s (mandatory) study table and academic counselors available.�

Having placed eighth and first twice at the state tournament, Andrew will be seeking his third state title as a senior. The past two seasons he has gone 48-1 and 47-1, losing only to out-of-state wrestlers in a holiday Kansas City tournament, and he ranks 10th on the school’s all-time winning chart with a 129-13 record.

Dylan stands seventh on the list at 135-13, so Andrew has that mark in his sights early in the 2007-08 campaign. The all-time leaders are 2007 senior Caleb Brus and Boone Hayes from the class of 2004, both with 156 wins.

National title

Long is coming off a successful summer campaign. He earned his second national title in Greco-Roman style — no leg attacks allowed — and had a 4-2 mark in the Junior Nationals in freestyle at Fargo, N.D. He competed at 105 pounds. Two years ago he won National Cadet titles in both Greco and freestyle at 84 pounds.

Long was eighth and first at 103 pounds in his first two state tournaments, and sailed to the 112-pound title last year over Blake Sorensen of Denver/Tripoli, 21-7. He also won by a technical fall in the 2006 finals, 20-5, over Cory Olson of Denver.

Andrew said he is projected as a wrestler at 133 or 141 as a Cyclone. That would likely match him up in the wrestling room with the likes of associate head coach Cody Sanderson or .... Dylan Long.

Dylan, a member of the Cyclone Wrestling Club who had to take most of the summer off from competition due to bulging disks in his neck, looks forward to working with his brother.

“It will be fun. I’ll be kicking his butt every day!� he said, laughing. “Actually, he’ll have a lot of really good guys to work with. The way the coaches here coach, it’s just a real positive situation.�

Cael Sanderson was a four-time national champion at Iowa State with a 159-0 record, and went on to earn an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling. He was the featured speaker at last winter’s postseason banquet for the Creston/O-M state championship team.

“I kind of anticipated that he would make that decision,� said Creston/O-M coach Darrell Frain, “but I thought he might spend a little time looking at other places first. He liked Iowa State even before Dylan went there, so that just added to it.�

Lehigh University was one of the few Division I schools to actively recruit Long. Frain said others possibly thought Iowa State’s inside track to Andrew through Dylan’s presence might have swayed them from more vigorous recruiting.

“I think everybody kind of talked to him, but maybe didn’t pursue it a lot because of that,� Frain said.

Dalton Jensen of Missouri Valley, who joined Long as a national Greco-Roman champion at Fargo at 130 pounds, is also an Iowa State recruit.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 7:46 AM | Permalink

This is the breakdown of each weight classes top wrestler.

125: Cornell junior Troy Nickerson heads up the 125 rankings to start off the year after a third place finish last year. Nickerson was a finalist as a true freshman, and was favored to return last year before being upset by Nebraska's Paul Donahoe who would go on to win the National Championship.

133: Minnesota senior Mack Reiter heads up the 133 rankings to start off the year. Reiter is a two time All American, however he missed most of last year's dual season due to a torn ACL, and was eliminated in the Round of 12 at NCAA's.

141: Northwestern senior Ryan Lang heads up the 141 rankings to start the year off. Lang is a two time All American, and was a finalist at this weight last year where he was beaten badly by Cal-Poly's Derek Moore.

149: Minnesota junior Dustin Schlatter heads up arguably the toughest weight in the country to start the year off. Schlatter who was an NCAA champion as a true freshman, was like Nickerson expected to return to the finals, but was upset by Edinboro's Gregor Gillespie. Schlatter would go on to finish third.

157: Minnesota senior CP Schlatter heads up the 157 rankings to start off the year. Schlatter broke through last year finishing sixth at Nationals, for the first All American finish of his career.

165: Iowa senior, and returning National Champion Mark Perry heads up the 165 rankings going into the season. Perry who upset Oklahoma State's Johny Hendricks last year in the finals was the leading vote getter in the poll

174: Pittsburgh senior Keith Gavin heads up the 174 rankings as the season starts. Gavin is a returning finalist, and gave Missouri's Ben Askren one of his toughest matches of the year before falling.

184: Iowa State sophomore Jake Varner sits atop the 184 rankings as the season begins. Varner had lost twice to Minnesota's Roger Kish last year before upsetting him to make the finals against Jake Herbert. Herbert wound up winning the match, and has gone on to take an Olympic redshirt this season

197: American senior Josh Glenn the returning National Champion at this weight sits atop the rankings coming into the season. Glenn is a two time All American finishing 4th at 184 two years ago, before winning his title last year.

285: Northwestern senior Dustin Fox heads up the heavyweights heading into the season. Fox became an All American for the first time last season when he finished 3rd. Not shown by these rankings is the recent revelation that Big 10 rivals J.D. Bergman, and Phil Davis are likely moving up from 197. Both will provide depth in what was shaping up to be a very thin weight class.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 11:38 PM | Permalink

The defending national champion Golden Gopher wrestling team enjoyed an eventful day in Washington, D.C. Friday, as they commemorated their NCAA victory with stops at the Capitol Building, Pentagon and a ceremony at the White House with President George W. Bush.

The 2006-07 championship squad, along with several athletics administration and team staff members, were treated to tours of some our nation’s most important landmarks before ending their day by commemorating their third NCAA championship on the lawn outside the White House.

The team’s day began at 8 a.m. sharp, as they received a tour of the Capitol Building as guests of former House Speaker (and current Illinois state representative) Dennis Hastert. Hastert, a former high school wrestling coach, was also instrumental in arranging the team’s previous visit to the White House in 2001. The Gophers visited Hastert’s office as well as the House chamber until about 11 a.m.

One of the day’s highlights was a police escort that shuttled the Gopher delegation between their stops at the Pentagon and White House, allowing them to circumvent the normally heavy D.C. traffic. After a brief Pentagon tour, the group headed to the White House at approximately 12:30 p.m. for that afternoon’s ceremony. Seven other NCAA champion squads were also present at the commemoration, including the two-time College World Series champion Oregon State baseball team and the defending NCAA champion Tennessee Lady Vol basketball team.

At the White House, the Minnesota delegation toured several of the structure’s most noted rooms, including the Blue Room, Library and State Dining Room. After team members posed for a photo with President Bush, the entire crowd was brought to the South Lawn for that afternoon’s presentation. The championship teams entered the lawn and were introduced as the President’s Band played each school’s fight song.

Two-time NCAA champion Cole Konrad and the other team champion captains were allowed a personal 20-minute audience with the President before the ceremony began. The team captains also walked onto the podium with the President himself, standing next to the country’s chief executive during his speech.

“I’m honored to be among the nation’s finest student-athletes,� said President Bush during his roughly 10-minute address. “These people set high standards both on and off the field, and work hard to achieve the goals they set for themselves.�

After the President’s remarks ended their White House stay, the team made stops at the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial before their late Friday evening flight to Minneapolis.

The Gopher wrestling team has now visited the White House and President Bush on two separate occasions, the other following the program’s first national championship in 2001.

The 2007-08 Gopher wrestling season opens on Nov. 10 when Minnesota partakes in the 2007 Bison Open, hosted by North Dakota State. The defending national champions return to Williams Arena for their home opener Dec. 2.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 5:59 PM | Permalink

If Baku has one weakness it would be its food selection. Everyday in the Press little room they bring in the same parsley sandwiches. The first day they were kinda strange but good by the 8th day I cant even look at those wretched things.

The Greco and Freestyle teams have left and Im sitting here following the women's team. The problem is that the women are in a totally different hotel way across the city. So im alone in Baku for my last full night in town. What should I do? I think Im going to go out and really explore Baku without the shackles of Pat Cummin & Andy Hrovat's over bearing inhibitions. Time to get crazy in Baku and really find out if this city can handle me.

The Russians no doubt had the most dominating performance of any World Championships for Freestyle. They won 6 out of 7 weight classes and took a bronze in the 7th weight class. That is truly unheard of and have made history.

Im going to look to survive, get a video up and have fun tonight....got to get going!

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 3:26 PM | Permalink

Former Oklahoma State All-America wrestler Daniel Cormier became the first American to win a freestyle medal at the 2007 FILA World Wrestling Championships when he claimed the bronze at 96kg Friday after picking up a 1-0, 0-1, 1-0 win over Kyrgyzstan’s Alexey Krupnyakov in the bronze medal match. With the win, Cormier claimed the first international-level medal of his career.

“We were really dedicated in our training for this,� Cormier said Friday. “I came home last week and every day there was someone there to train with. Some of the time it was with Coach Smith, other times with Eric Guerrero and other times with Zack Esposito. Having that kind of support was very helpful to me. I talked to Coach Smith last night and he told me that I need to just go out and wrestle. He said that I have trained hard for this all year and now it is just time to go out and do it.�

Making the win more significant is the fact that Cormier’s victory avenged an earlier loss to Krupnyakov at the 2005 FILA World Championships.

“It was tough,� Cormier said. “It was a scrap. I had to come out and wrestle. This was the same guy who beat me a couple years ago at the World Championships so it was good to exact a little revenge this time around.�

Cormier’s route to the bronze medal started with a first-round bye, then he stormed past Australia’s Ian Wardell, 6-0, 6-0 in his opening match. Cormier followed that dominating performance by rallying to knock off Belarus’ Ruslan Sheykhov in his second match. Sheykhov took the first period, 1-0, but Cormier responded by winning the second period, 1-0 and the decisive third period by a 4-0 margin.

The 2001 NCAA runner-up while at OSU, Cormier sustained his only setback of the World Championships when he lost a 5-0, 2-1 decision to Iran’s Saeid Abrahimi. Abrahimi figured to be stiff competition for Cormier, as Abrahimi won the gold medal at the 2005 Asian Championships.

Following his loss to Abrahimi, Cormier was moved into the wrestleback, where he handed Japan’s Kiyotaka Kodaira a 3-0, 6-0 beating in his first match before picking up his medal-winning victory over Krupnyakov.

“Daniel has worked very hard for this moment and it has paid off in a big way,� Oklahoma State Head Coach John Smith said. “This will give him great motivation going into this coming Olympic year.�

“It was nice to pick up this medal, but it is not the end goal,� Cormier said. “I want a gold next time.�

Oklahoma State’s Daniel Cormier At The 2007 FILA Senior World Championships
First Round – Bye
Second Round – Defeated Ian Wardell (AUS): 6-0, 6-0
Third Round – Defeated Ruslan Sheykhov (BEL): 0-1, 1-0. 4-0
Quarterfinal Round – Lost to Saeid Abrahimi (IRN): 0-5, 1-2
Wrestleback Semifinal – Defeated Kiyotaka Kodaira (JPN): 3-0, 6-0
Bronze Medal Match – Defeated Alexey Krupnyakov (KGZ): 1-0, 0-1, 1-0

Daniel Cormier Wrestling Highlights
2007 World Championships - Bronze Medal
2007 Pan America Games - Bronze Medal
2004 Olympic Games – Fourth Place
2003 World Championships – Fifth Place
2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 – U.S. Nationals Champion
2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 – U.S. World Team Member
2003 – Pan American Games – Gold Medal
2001 NCAA Championships – Runner-up while at Oklahoma State

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 10:08 PM | Permalink

1. Minnesota
2. Iowa
3. Oklahoma State
4. Iowa State
5. Missouri
6. Ohio State
7. Cornell
8. Northwestern
9. Penn State
10. Michigan
11. Central Michigan
12. Nebraska
13. Oklahoma
14. Hofstra
15. Wisconsin
16. Illinois
17. Indiana
18. American
19. Arizona State
20. Pittsburg

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It’s rare for collegians to compete in the World Championships – at least it’s rare if you’re wrestling in the United States.

While 20-year-old Henry Cejudo would be a college freshman if he decided to go that route, there’s one college student in the United States that’s doing both the freestyle thing and the folkstyle thing.

It’s South African Heinrich Barnes.

Barnes is competing at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships at the Heydar Aliyev Sport and Exhibition Complex in Baku, Azerbaijan for his home nation but as soon as the event finishes up, he’ll be nestled in a classroom in Corvallis, Ore., and wrestling for Jim Zalesky and the Beavers of Oregon State.

Last year, Barnes won the NJCAA championship at 141 pounds for North Idaho, beating Iowa Central’s Joe Soto 13-11 in the finals.

Now, he’ll slide in at 141 pounds after wrestling at 66kg (145.5 pounds) in Baku – and he’s looking forward to it.

“I’m really excited and I think it’s an opportunity to improve my wrestling and I’m very excited,� said Barnes prior to the start of the tournament.

Hailing from Pretoria across the Atlantic, Barnes said the adjustment from freestyle to American folkstyle has had its challenges.

“The sport’s not as big as it is in the states,� explained Barnes. “We don’t have any schools or university, but we have clubs. I think the competition in the states is way higher.�

“The toughest thing was not to lock hands and on bottom,� said Barnes. “I had to wrestle my way out.�

While versed in freestyle, this is Barnes first senior World Team, but he says collegiate wrestling has improved his freestyle game.

“I think it’s good and gets you more active on the mat, your stamina is way better and keeping in mind that you never stop wrestling,� he said. “We practice every day and keep on wrestling and focusing on the collegiate will help me in freestyle.�

A two-time placewinner at the Junior World Championships, eighth in 2005 and fifth in 2006, Barnes opened with a victory in the first round in Baku over Columbia’s Ivan Duque before being eliminated by Armenian Zhikayr Hovnannisyan.

Taking to America has been getting easier for Barnes, who finished 40-3 last season after starting his career at North Idaho with a 21-9 record as a freshman.

Luckily, he’s not missing any school work, but he’s already been on the mat as practice will start next month for most Division I programs.

“I think it’s a lot better so I can be ready to go right when I get there,� said Barnes.

Barnes also believes his focus in the classroom and on the mat has expanded his wrestling abilities.

“English is my second language, so my concentration is better in class,� said Barnes. “School luckily hasn’t started yet. It starts the Monday after I get back.�

Barnes first language is Afrikaans, which is derived from Dutch and is classified Low Franconian Germanic. It’s one of eleven official languages of the country, which is spoken predominantly on the Southwestern half of the country. So Barnes definitely had his options.

Prior to traveling to Baku, Barnes already moved to Corvallis and began training with Zalesky and assistant coaches Troy Steiner and Kevin Roberts and is ready to hit the mats in Division I this season.

“That’s helped me a lot,� said Barnes. “They’re so knowledgeable about wrestling. The little things they just help me to get better with. They’re very nice and they teach me the amount they know.�

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 2:35 PM | Permalink

Five weights, five medals, four golds.

That’s been the rundown for the Russian Federation’s competitors at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships as they claimed three more medals on Thursday at the Heydar Aliyev Sport and Exhibition Complex in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The results couldn’t be matched for the U.S. contingent, although all three wrestlers at 66kg, 74kg, and 84kg placed in the top six and qualified the weight for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, none came away medals.

Ramazan Shahin of Turkey, bolstered by a raucous crowd, hit a beautiful three-point arm throw in the third period to top Cuban Geandry Garzon 1-0, 0-3, 3-2.

Shahin scored the first period victory with a takedown on a go-behind countering Garzon’s bad positioning. From there on out, it would appear that Garzon would topple the Turk as he scored three quick takedowns on low singles to win the second period. In the third, Garzon relaxed momentarily and Shahin tossed Garzon to the mat amidst a chorus of cheers from the crowd on hand.

Garzon rallied, scoring two more takedowns in the third, but couldn’t get the tying point and go-ahead score he needed to claim the title.

American Doug Schwab, wrestling on his first U.S. World Team, fell to Garzon in the quarterfinals and won his repechage match to reach the bronze medal match, but was beaten in two periods by last year’s runner-up, Otar Tushishvili of Georgia.

Russia won its third medal of the week as Irbek Farinev topped 2006 bronze medalist Andriy Stadnik of Ukraine also at 66kg for the second bronze.

The two remaining finals saw gold medals three and four for the Russians, as Mahach Murtazaliev beat Ukraine’s 2006 World Champion Ibragim Aldotov 1-0, 2-2 at 74kg.

Murtazaliev scored the final takedown and the final point to take the second period in an impressive tournament.

American Joe Heskett reached the semis and took Murtazaliev to the wire and finished fifth after falling to Azerbaijan’s Chamsulvara Chamsulvarayev 2-0, 3-1. Heskett appeared drained but wrestled into the semis and also qualified the weight.

Cuban Ivan Fundora took the other bronze at 74, topping Romanian Stefan Gheorghita 3-0, 3-0 with an impressive display from the neutral position.

The most impressive tournament was by Russian Georgy Ketoev at 84kg. A first-time World Teamer, Ketoev notched his first senior level championship with a 2-0, 1-0 victory over Tajikistan’s Jousop Abdusalomov.

Ketoev won the spot on the Russian team over past World Champions Sajid Sajidov and Adam Saitiev. Ketoev is the next rising star in Russia as he won the Junior World Championship in 2005 and has only one finish below first in world-level competition, which was a second-place finish in 2005 at the World Cup.

One of Ketoev’s wins came in the quarterfinals against American Joe Williams, who like Heskett and Schwab, fell in the bronze medal match.

Williams dropped the first period 1-0 and then found himself fighting off his back in an exotic “Boston crab� type of situation against Iran’s Reza Yazdani. The move is something you might see from a Vince McMahon outfit.

Williams was in a scramble situation, and gave up an exposure and Yazdani quickly hopped to his feet, laced up Williams legs and held him in danger for over 90 seconds as Williams grimaced fighting off any fall possibility.

While some might see Williams’ fifth-place finish as a disappointment, it’s coming less than three months after surgery to repair a torn bicep.

The three fifth-place finishes gives the U.S. 18 points and they’re in the thick of the team race for second place. The Russian contingent already has the team championship wrapped up with 48 points – four golds and a bronze.

Action kicks up at 8 a.m. Baku time on Friday with the final two weights of freestyle – 96kg and 120kg – and the first weight in women’s freestyle – 48kg.

Daniel Cormier and first-time World Teamer Tommy Rowlands will take to the mats for the men, while veteran Stephanie Murata will step on the mats for the start of the women’s competition.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 2:33 PM | Permalink

The biggest adventure you are going to take in Baku might be in the Cab. These guys race the streets like mad men in a race to no where. Dodging pedestrians, animals, and buildings is simply a way of life.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 2:30 PM | Permalink

That beat was in my head as I went to sleep last night. It wouldnt stop as all day all we heard from the crowd was this: "doo ta hooot -IRAN." Guys dancing and waving the flags and beating on the drums and tooting their horns. It was incredible and loud and brain draining.
It was cool when Heskett faced the Iranian right next to the Iranian section. He quieted them nicely when he beat him though...which was cool.

Anyways up until this point it has been all Russians and I'm going to try and get an interview with those slick dudes today...They got 4 gold medals and one bronze with the completion of 5 weight classes. They are a little more difficult to get a beat on than the Iranians but I will try.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 2:26 PM | Permalink

Joe Heskett and Joe Williams had their title hopes halted by a pair of powerful Russians, and Doug Schwab was stopped by a talented Cuban.

But the American trio each still has an opportunity to take home some hardware at the World Championships.

First-time World Team member Heskett stands one win away from a World bronze medal in freestyle at 74 kg/163 lbs. Williams will need two more wins at 84 kg/185 lbs. to capture his third career World bronze medal. And Schwab also is two wins away from a bronze medal at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. in his first trip to the Worlds.

Even with each wrestler falling, the U.S. still has an opportunity to put up some big team points Thursday night and make a run at a team trophy here. Russia is running away from everybody in the team race after winning both weight classes yesterday, placing two more guys in the finals Thursday afternoon and having another wrestler with a chance to win a bronze medal. The last two weight classes will be decided on Friday. The U.S. went 0-2 in the first two weight classes Wednesday.

"We knew after the first two weight classes that we still had five weight classes left ," USA Wrestling National Coach Kevin Jackson said. "We see what Greco did and they lost a couple guys on the way to a World team title. Our expectations and our thoughts are still positive as far as what we can accomplish at the World Championships. We're about winning medals and qualifying weight classes for the Olympic Games. We're encouraged with the way these guys have wrestled, but we still have a lot of work to do."

Both Joes looked strong during the Thursday morning session at Heydar Aliyev Sport and Exhibition Complex.

Heskett rattled off four straight wins before dropping a hard-fought, three-period semifinal decision to past World champion Makhach Murtazaliev of Russia. Heskett (Columbus, Ohio/Gator WC) led late in the decisive period before Mutazaliev shot in on a leg attack and then drove Heskett out of bounds for an additional point after the American had popped to his feet.

Williams (Belvidere, Ill./Sunkist Kids) was swept 4-0, 4-0 by talented young, 21-year-old Russian Georgy Ketoev in the quarterfinals. Russia will look to add another gold medal at 84 kilos after Sajid Sajidov won the World title in 2006. Ketoev was a Junior World champion in 2005.

Schwab (Iowa City, Iowa/Gator WC) won his first two bouts before falling to past World bronze medalist Geandy Garzon of Cuba in the quarterfinals. The slick, athletic Garzon, who beat Schwab in July’s Pan American Games, scored a 2-0, 4-1 decision.

Two past Iowa Hawkeye standouts in Williams and Schwab, and a past Iowa State standout in Heskett, each have a chance to collect some hardware in Thursday’s late session in Baku.

The men’s freestyle competition concludes Friday with the final two Americans set to compete. Taking the mat will be Daniel Cormier (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) and Tommy Rowlands (Columbus, Ohio/Sunkist Kids). Cormier competes at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. and Rowlands at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Cormier is making his fourth straight World Championships appearance. Rowlands is competing in his first World Championships.

The women’s freestyle competition kicks off with the wrestling at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. Stephanie Murata (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) is scheduled to compete Friday for the U.S. Murata is a past World silver medalist.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 9:05 PM | Permalink

Henry Cejudo (55Kg) and Mike Zadick (60Kg) come out flat for the first match at the World Championships. The pace was slow with as little action as it took for their opponents to win both rounds. Years of preparation and months of intensity just didnt carry over on the mat today in Baku. Only the 55 and 60 Kg weight classes wrestled on this first day of freestyle. In World Championship competition if you lose you only make it to the consolation rounds if the opponent you lost to goes to the finals.

Henry Cejudo lost to the Iranian in a clear cut match. His first round he got taken down at the end of the first minute. In the second minute Cejudo simply wasnt able to get in on the legs of the Iranian. Going into the second period The idea was to pick up the aggressiveness. Americans are typically in better shape and it is usually in their best interest to have a high tempo and intense match to challenge the conditioning of their opponents. You can hear Kevin Jackson calling out "Its got to be a war" from mat side as opposed to a chess match.

In the second period Cejudo did pick up the intensity taking more shots and making more fakes and trying to move his opponents. However he took a one armed shot and the iranian caught his arm and took him down. Cejudo was forced to open up with only about 40 seconds remaining and the iranian capitalized on a double leg from his knees.

All in all it was a short premier for Cejudo as he was knocked out of the tournament when the Iranian lost in the next round.

Mike Zadick came in with something to prove against an Albanian (Sait Prizreni) who has trained at the New York Athletic club. Right away Zadick scored the first point when he pushed his opponent out of bounds. IT was all down hill from there. Mike Zadick didnt continue with the pressure and instead played into his opponents hands by waiting around for the end of the period by trading position battles. Prizreni with time running out in the first period ducked under Zadicks right shoulder and reappeared behind Zadicks left arm- almost like a magician - and scooted behind for the takedown. By scoring the last point in the period the 1-1 tie for that period went to Prizreni.

In the second period Zadick picked up the intensity a bit. but it was to no avail. The period went to the clinch and the coin ended up flipping in the Albanian's favor. Prizreni capped the upset by barely taking Zadick down in the clinch.

Zadick now must await his fate with the performance of Sait Prizreni in the following rounds.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 3:45 PM | Permalink

Seven home duals, and eight match-ups against top 20 finishers from last year’s NCAA Championships highlight Lehigh’s 2007-08 wrestling schedule, announced by head coach Greg Strobel. The Mountain Hawks will face another challenging schedule that features a return to the Virginia Duals for the first time in four seasons, as well as a return trip to Nebraska, and an appearance in the increasingly popular Journeyman Duals.

“Overall this is a very aggressive schedule that will be a good test for our young but talented team,� said Strobel, a four-time EIWA Coach of the Year, who enters his 13th season. “We tried to spread the events out more this year to allow for more training and recovery. Half of our events are before January so we were successful in that particular element.�

Strobel concludes, “We’re excited about going to the Virginia Duals, and we’re excited to compete in some new events against some new teams that we haven’t faced in a few years.�

Fans will get their first look at the 2007-08 team, which features five returning NCAA qualifiers and one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, on Tuesday, October 30 with the annual wrestle-offs. The regular season will also begin at home, with in-state rival Pittsburgh visiting on Sunday, November 11.

The next two weekends will see Lehigh take to the road. The Mountain Hawks will head to Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers on Friday, November 16. The dual is a return trip for Lehigh, after the Cornhuskers visited Leeman-Turner Arena for the 2007 Sheridan Dual in February. After the dual in Lincoln on Friday night, Lehigh will head to Omaha on Saturday where a contingent of Mountain Hawks will compete in the Kaufman-Brand Open, hosted by Nebraska-Omaha.

Upon returning from Nebraska, Lehigh will head to Albany, N.Y. on Thanksgiving weekend, to take part in the Journeyman Duals. The Mountain Hawks will wrestle four duals on Saturday, November 24, taking on Mid-American Conference champion Central Michigan, plus Virginia, Clarion and Binghamton.

The Mountain Hawks will return home on Friday, November 30, to open EIWA competition against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Two days later, Lehigh will head to Maryland for a pair of duals. First, the Mountain Hawks will visit former assistant coach Pat Santoro and the Maryland Terrapins, and then later that day it’s on to Washington, D.C. for an EIWA showdown against American.

On Friday, December 7, longtime rival Penn State visits Stabler Arena for the 96th meeting between the two schools. Lehigh will be looking to snap a three match losing streak against the Nittany Lions.

Lehigh will wrap up 2007 on Sunday December 30 at the Wolverine Quad in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Mountain Hawks will face Buffalo and Eastern Michigan, before tackling the host Wolverines.

The 2008 portion of the schedule kicks off on Friday, January 4 as former volunteer assistant coach Kerry McCoy brings his Stanford Cardinal to Grace Hall for the first time. Lehigh took part in the Stanford Duals last season, earning wins over the Cardinal and UC Davis.

The following week, Lehigh will trek to Hampton, Virginia to take part in the 28th annual Virginia Duals. Lehigh last took part in the duals in 2004, finishing second to Nebraska. The year before, the Mountain Hawks defeated the Cornhuskers 34-7 to win their only Virginia Duals title.

Three conference duals wrap up the month of January, with Navy visiting Bethlehem on January 19. The Mountain Hawks will be looking to avenge a 26-12 loss in Annapolis last year, which snapped Lehigh’s string of ten straight wins over Navy. The following week, Lehigh heads to New England to take on Ivy foes Harvard and Brown.

Lehigh opens February with its final two home duals. Hofstra will be the opponent for the 2008 Sheridan Dual, with the Pride visiting on February 8. The following Thursday, Rider visits Bethlehem in the final home dual of the season. The Mountain Hawks will wrap-up the dual season at Army on February 17, and then it’s on to Philadelphia to face Penn and Drexel on February 24.

The postseason begins on March 7, with the 104th EIWA Championships, this year being hosted by Franklin & Marshall in Lancaster, Pa.

The NCAA Championships will return to St. Louis for the first time since 2005, and will take place March 20-22 at Scottrade Center.

Lehigh returns 13 letter winners from last season’s team, including six starters and five NCAA qualifiers.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 3:38 PM | Permalink

Brad Vering, a former Northern Iowa assistant wrestling coach, won a silver medal at 185 pounds in Greco-Roman competition at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Tuesday.

In the final round, Vering lost a 4-0, 4-0 match to Aleksey Mishin of Russia, who won a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics.

Monday, former Iowa State wrestler Harry Lester earned a Greco-Roman bronze medal at 145.5 pounds.

Today, Mike Zadick of Solon wrestles at 132 pounds in freestyle. Zadick was second in the world last year.

Thursday, Iowa assistant coach Doug Schwab wrestles at 145.5, Iowa State national champion Joe Heskett competes at 163 and Iowa national champion Joe Williams wrestles at 185.

Sara McMann competes on Sunday.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 3:36 PM | Permalink

They’re some of the nation’s best, if not the world’s best. They battle hard, they push their teammates, they listen to their coaches and they stay in great shape.

But there’s one not-so-subtle difference that separates them from the athletes competing at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships in Baku.

They’re not competing.

The United States is one of few countries that have athletes bring their training/workout partners on international trips like the World Championships and the Olympics.

Two of this year’s workout partners that have made the trip to Baku to help improve their Greco-Roman teammates are Spenser Mango and Jake Fisher.

Mango’s here working with 60kg (132 pounds) world team member Joe Betterman, while Fisher is on his second trip working with 66kg (145.5 pounds) Harry Lester.

All four came through the U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan University. Lester, a recent graduate, still trains there while Betterman, Fisher and Mango are still in school.

Mango’s still learning the ropes as a training partner.

“This is my first time going to get to watch,� he said. It’s a new experience for me.�

The details of his job aren’t outlined on a requirements page. There is no application, resumes aren’t needed.

But Mango and Fisher know what’s to be done, even without being told.

“It’s to do whatever I can to help them make weight, work out with them, make sure they’re ready to go,� said Mango. “A lot of these guys I’ve wrestled or seen wrestle before, so the more tips I can give them the better.�

Fisher, fourth on the ladder in Greco-Roman at 74kg, is making his second trip to the World Championships with Lester and it’s easier the second time around.

“I know exactly what to do with him,� said Fisher. “I have experience from last year. He’s one of my good friends, so I know what he needs … and I get it. Whether it’s carrying his bags or getting him drinks.�

Both know the importance of getting into a groove with their training partners and identifying the situation that each locale presents, especially with making weight.

“When you come over to another country, you never know what you’re going to have to workout with,� said Mango. “It’s always good to leave within a reasonable amount.�

“The food’s different to, so you have to take that into account. But it’s the same as over in the states, run, bike, sauna, get it down one pound at a time,� he said.

The athletes at Northern Michigan are also competing with each other year-round in Greco-Roman, so the friendships there might be deeper than those that come together just a few times a year and train.

“We’ve got a bond,� said Fisher. “It makes them more comfortable. Comfort’s a big issue here. That’s our main job, whatever they need.�

Lester is very high on Fisher as a workout partner and acknowledges the importance of having someone around that’s so close.

“All summer long, he’s trained me, and been wrestling,� said Lester. “I’ve lived with him for the summer. Everything like that. Food-wise, he’s been there. He’s been my trainer.�

“Last year I took him to China and it was a perfect mix,� Lester explained. “He goes well, we mesh well when we wrestle. On our feet, he helps me a lot in par terre. I couldn’t ask for anything more.�

Moral, physical and emotional support is crucial for providing the right environment for training and competing at the world level.

“They know what they’re going to do; we can give them tips and whatnot, but whatever they want to do is what we’re there for,� said Fisher. “We have plans and (Lester) has his plan. And I make sure we stick to his plan. We’re there for support.�

Mango is also in a groove with Betterman, despite finding out he would be going to Baku in mid-August.

“It’s been a great experience,� said Mango. “His weight is usually really really good for 60-kilos, so the weight wasn’t a big issue this time. We worked out, did what he needed to do so we’re ready to go.�

The abbreviated time-frame didn’t affect the two and their respective training regimens.

“We train pretty much year round anyway,� said Mango.

Mango and Fisher are knocking on the door to potential World Team berths in the future, both are in their 20’s – Mango just turned 21 in July and Fisher just turned 23 in February.

Lester’s already thinking about the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and should Lester continue his presence on the U.S. World Team at the weight, Fisher will be there one way or another.

“If he (Fisher) doesn’t make the team, which I think he’s got a good shot at making it, but if he doesn’t make the team next year, he’ll be my partner again,� said Lester. “Hopefully he’ll make the team and we’ll not have to bring partners, we’ll train with each other.�

With the increased focus on training at Northern Michigan with coaches Ivan Ivanov and Jim Gruenwald, Greco-Roman medals could be more realistic in the future of U.S. Wrestling and the camaraderie that goes along with the athletes at the USOEC is going to be a big reason why.

“We’re like a family,� said Lester. “We’re close, we joke around, we talk mama jokes, girlfriend jokes. When you’re cutting weight and you’re so focused, it’s good to have someone around you can joke around with to take the edge off, but at the same time, they know when to get you focused, they know when to push you, they know when not to push you. To have a guy that you click on and click off with right away, what else could you ask for in an environment like this?�

Men's Greco-Roman
Weight: World Teamer - Workout Partner
55kg: Lindsey Durlacher - Willie Madison
60kg: Joe Betterman - Spenser Mango
66kg: Harry Lester - Jake Fisher
74kg: T.C. Dantzler - Peter Hicks
84kg: Brad Vering - Brian Piasecki*
96kg: Justin Ruiz - Adam Wheeler
120kg: Dremiel Byers - Phil Johnston
*- Piasecki didn't make the trip due to injury.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 7:27 PM | Permalink

This is a video I posted from Flo at The Wrestling forums. Its an early morning workout in Baku, Azerbaijan. I've trained over in Russia before and it is not an excellent atmosphere. The wrestling team is doing fairly well, they've brought home a couple medals, but nothing gold yet..

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 5:03 PM | Permalink

Harry Lester clapped his hands three times, nodded and waved to the crowd.

He came up short of his gold-medal goal, but Lester still had a look of satisfaction on his face after turning in a very strong performance in capturing his second straight World bronze medal.

Lester rebounded from a controversial semifinal loss to 2004 Olympic champion Farid Mansurov of Azerbaijan to sweep Hungary’s Tamas Lorincz and win a bronze medal at the World Championships on Monday night at the Heydar Aliyev Sport and Exhibition Complex.

Lester earned a 3-1, 2-1 win over Lorincz in the Greco-Roman bronze-medal match at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. by employing his aggressive, attacking and entertaining style to control the match from start to finish. Lester showed an abundance of resiliency and grit by coming back from a tough semifinal loss where three questionable calls by the officials went against him.

“I came out and wrestled every match as hard as I can,� Lester said. “One match didn’t go my way, but I wasn’t going to let it spoil my chances to win a medal. I just didn’t get the job done in the semifinals, but I knew I had to bounce back and at least get a medal.�

The U.S. stands in second place in the team standings with 14 points after three of the seven weight classes completed. Korea leads with 17 points. 10 points are awarded for first place, 9 for second, 8 for third and so on through the top 10.

Lester (Akron, Ohio/Gator WC) went 5-1 on the day and looked very dominant in each of his wins. Ivan Ivanov, Lester’s coach at the U.S. Olympic Education Center, praised his star pupil’s effort.

“Harry proved to all of the people here that he deserved a gold medal,� Ivanov said. “I’m really happy with his performance. Wrestling against the guy (Mansurov) in his home country is always tough and I think some things went against Harry that shouldn’t have. But knowing he should have won that match will make him even hungrier to win that Olympic gold. He has grown so much and made so much progress. He definitely deserved the gold medal – I believe he was the best guy here at 66 kilos.�

Lester now takes aim at winning a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics.

“I came out here and I felt I was the best guy in this weight class, and I know I’ll feel the same way again next year,� Lester said. “If I train hard, I’m not going to doubt myself. I definitely think I can win the Olympics next year. I’ve got two medals now and I know I’m capable of being the best in the World. I have to build on what I’m done these last two years and put it all together for the Olympics next year.�

American Lindsey Durlacher (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) showed amazing heart and resolve in coming back to place fifth at 55 kg/121 lbs. He qualified the U.S. for the 2008 Olympic Games at 55 kilos by finishing in the top eight in his weight class.

“It’s hard to come so close to winning a medal and walk away empty-handed,� Durlacher said. “At the same time, a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders by qualifying this weight for the Olympic Games. It’s a huge honor to qualify this weight for the Olympics. I can just train straight through and concentrate on making our Olympic Team and not have to go through any of those qualifying tournaments.�

Durlacher rebounded from a third-round loss to eventual champion Hamid Sourian of Iran and won back-to-back matches in a span of about 15 minutes to advance to the bronze-medal match.

Durlacher then fell to Serbia’s Kristijan Fris in the bronze-medal match. It was Durlacher’s third match in about half an hour. Fris, meanwhile, was well-rested. He lost to Sourian in the semifinals and only had to wrestle once in the second session. He sat and waited while Durlacher battled through two matches to reach the bronze-medal bout.

“It was extremely difficult to come back with all those matches in a short period of time,� Durlacher said. “You have to keep a level hand and keep thinking positive thoughts. It’s definitely an advantage making the semifinals and only have the one match after you lose. Wrestling back-to-back-to-back in three straight matches, I was extremely exhausted by the bronze-medal match.�

Durlacher ran into a tough foe in Sourian, who won his third straight World title. Sourian beat Durlacher in the semifinals of the 2006 Worlds. Durlacher came back to win a bronze medal after that setback.

“The Iranian is a tough kid,� Durlacher said. “He has a lot of leverage on me. He’s about 6 feet tall and he’s hard to wrestle. He’s really on top of his game right now and I need to go back and see what I did last year against him. I wrestled him a lot closer last year.�

First-time World Team member Joe Betterman of the U.S. dropped his first-round match to 2007 European Championships runner-up Stig Andre Berge of Norway at 60 kg/132 lbs. Betterman fell 3-2, 1-1. Betterman was eliminated when Berge lost his next match.

The 23-year-old Betterman (Chicago, Ill./USOEC/New York AC) was a late replacement on the U.S. team for 2006 World champion Joe Warren. Betterman was unable to finish in the top eight and did not qualify the weight class for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. The U.S. still has three other tournaments, including the Pan American Championships in Colorado Springs, where it can qualify the 60 kilo class for the Olympics.

Greco-Roman action continues tomorrow as Americans T.C. Dantzler (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC), Brad Vering (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) and Justin Ruiz (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) take the mat. Dantzler wrestles at 74 kg/163 lbs., Vering competes at 84 kg/185 lbs. while Ruiz is at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Ruiz is a past World bronze medalist while Dantzler and Vering have each taken fifth at the Worlds.

Dantzler drew returning World champion Volodimir Shatskykh of the Ukraine in the first round.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 4:36 PM | Permalink

Sitting on the edge of match side for my first world championships and Im stunned by the absurdity of it all. Maybe you want to call it culture shock, but it doesnt feel like it. It just feels like im watching these matches like I am Alice in Wonderland.

I look down and see an electronics advertisement with two kids in their underwear, one giving a thumbs up and the other eating an ice cream cone. How does two kids in their underwear have anything to do with electronics? Does kids in their underwear produce the same result as hot women in beer commercials. If so Im truly in a weird and probably dangerous place.

I look up and see TC Dantzler wrestling and his coaches coaching. They have the same type of look on their face that I might have. I have a hard time believing my eyes as the referees take the match away from the guy. One mistake after another makes me feel like it isnt a mistake. I truly feel like im Alice. The American in me wants to do something, say something. I begin to shout and Jason Bryant warns me that if I shout they will expel me. Im dumb founded. This is a wrestling match not a lecture hall or one of the Azerbaijan's president's political conferences.

The reality is, is that there is no reality here and I am Alice and this is a wonderland. It doesnt make sense and dont try to make sense of it. Fila simply goes by a whole set of rules and standards that waiver, bend and break with the weather.

What I feel like must be a hundreth of the feeling that Harry Lester must be feeling. A guy who works for years to have a chance at being a World Champion gets that chance stolen in the semi final match against an Azerbaijanian. Does the fact that the dictator of Azerbaijan happened to be at the event have anything to do with it? Stupid question..Irrelavant question..there are no facts, no objectivity in this country and in this sport.

The only way your going to win as an American is the way Brad Vering (84 Kg Greco) won in his second round match. Brute force and power, a decision so decisive even a referee looking to steal it couldn't possibly find a way. He walks off the mat like he just ran through a brick wall and didnt even feel it.

Moral of the story:
If your an American you better not leave anything up to the Queen in this Baku Wonderland.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 3:08 PM | Permalink

Wrestling fans could argue endlessly as to who the greatest high school wrestler of all-time is. To compare the high school wrestlers of all eras is more of a challenge than this writer would take on. However, this article is the first of a two-part series which will settle, once and for all (tongue firmly in cheek), the debate as to who is the best high school wrestler over the past 20 years. In fact, it will list the top 20 over the past 20 years.

The starting point for making such a list is to ask how does one determine the best? For instance, how does one compare a dominant heavyweight to a dominant 119-pound wrestler? In this writer's view, the criteria has to be this: If you took the best 10-20 guys from a weight class and had them wrestle 10 mythical matches against each other, who would emerge with the best record? In other words, who was the best relative to the other top competitors in their weight?

Furthermore, it is important to note that for these purposes, how good a wrestler was at the pinnacle of his high school career (i.e. his junior and senior seasons) is the key factor. In other words, having a relatively unaccomplished freshman and even sophomore year would not disqualify one from this list if they were dominant at a national level their last two seasons.

One final note: This list will go above and beyond simply listing who has the best overall accomplishments of the last 20 years. Such a list would be unimaginative, and in my view, not worth reading. Rather, who a competitor beat to win titles and how dominating they were will be considered over sheer titles won.

Starting with No. 20 -- in descending order:

20. Ray Brinzer (Pennsylvania)

More known for his colorful antics than for his wrestling, Brinzer was as dynamic an upperweight as has ever taken the mat in high school wrestling. Hailing from powerhouse North Allegheny High, Brinzer accomplished the extremely rare feat of winning three Pennsylvania "AAA" state crowns in the middle-to-upperweights. Even more impressive, he won back-to-back Junior National Freestyle crowns and a Junior National Greco-Roman title.

Brinzer had a unique philosophy on the sport to say the least. Viewing wrestling as a martial art, he refused to warm-up before his matches -- under the theory that if in a fight, he would not have a chance to warm-up. His trademark was bringing a Gumby doll to every match for good luck. Perhaps he was on to something -- since Blair Academy's Adam Frey brought a similar doll to Junior Nationals in 2005 and also won both styles.

Brinzer would go on to finish third in the NCAA's twice for the University of Iowa, after transferring from their arch-rival, Oklahoma State.

19. Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma)

Hendricks dominated in Fargo like few have before or since. Consider: In 2001, his junior year in high school, he scored technical falls over now NCAA champion Troy Letters and current two-time NCAA runner-up Ben Askren -- just to win his pool. In the finals, he registered a first period technical fall over highly regarded Matt Herrington. The following year, Hendricks again crushed all opponents in his pool before registering a solid 3-0 win over the outstanding Mark Perry in the finals. Ironically, Hendricks won his first NCAA title in 2005 with a win over Perry in the finals as well. Hendricks also tallied three Oklahoma state titles after a runner-up finish his freshman year. Wrestling with a fire in his eye that made many compare him to a young John Smith, Hendricks was particularly unstoppable in freestyle with his gut wrench.

Less than a year removed from wrestling at Junior Nationals in Fargo, Teyon Ware won an NCAA title at 141 pounds as a true freshman for Oklahoma.

18. Teyon Ware (Oklahoma)

Although Ware rarely dominated against elite competition, there was a familiar theme to his matches -- his arm getting raised at the end. In fact, Ware never tasted defeat while winning four Oklahoma state titles. He had very little freestyle experience going into the freestyle season after his sophomore year in high school, yet managed to win the Junior Nationals title in freestyle at 132 pounds that summer, defeating a Senior Nationals champion along the way. Ware then repeated as Junior Nationals champion his junior year in high school. A one-point upset loss to Todd Meneely his senior year in the finals of Junior Nationals was perhaps his only significant blemish. Ware has since captured two NCAA titles, including as a true freshman.

17. Zack Esposito (New Jersey)

"Espo" won everything there was to win his senior year in high school -- and usually in dramatic fashion: Ironman, Beast of the East, Prep Nationals, Dapper Dan, High School Nationals, and Junior Nationals. Few have been as exciting to watch as this highly aggressive competitor. Perhaps most impressive about Esposito's dominance that year is that he was essentially wrestling up a weight for the team, as Blair Academy had another great 145 -- Mark Perry. In fact, although he wrestled 152 his senior season, he was actually at 141 the next year as a freshman in college.

16. Jeff McGinness (Iowa)

Very few wrestlers have ever been as technically polished in high school as this competitor from Iowa City. While McGinness is part of the mega-exclusive undefeated four-time state champions club, he also had very impressive accomplishments in freestyle, including being Cadet and Junior Nationals champion as a sophomore in high school, and finishing a lofty third place at the Junior Worlds. He culminated his career by winning the Outstanding Wrestler award at High School Nationals his senior year.

Before Eric Guerrero won three NCAA titles at Oklahoma State and represented the U.S. in the Olympic Games, he was a three-time state champion in California.

15. Eric Guerrero (California)

Guerrero joined the very small list of three-time California state champions by winning 225 of the 229 matches he wrestled. After finishing second, third, and third his first three years at Junior Nationals in freestyle, Guerrero climbed to the top spot on the podium by defeating defending champion Scott Schatzman his senior season. Perhaps his most impressive feat was at High School Nationals, where he captured Outstanding Wrestler honors. Those in attendance were heard to use the analogy that his opponents appeared so helpless it looked as though Guerrero was merely drilling.

14. Dan Knight (Iowa)

Another of the rare four-time undefeated state champions from 1983-1986, Knight may have been the most highly regarded of his era. An Iowa product, he captured three Junior Nationals titles in four finals appearances -- including winning a double title his senior year with little difficulty. He would go on to be a two-time All-American at Iowa State.

13. Ty Moore (Pennsylvania)

His collegiate career was a disappointment. He is certainly overshadowed today by his younger brother, NCAA champ Teague Moore. However, Ty Moore was as tough as they come in high school. A rare four-time Pennsylvania "AAA" state champion, Moore hailed from the vaunted North Allegheny wrestling team -- which at the time, was co-best program in the nation along with Lakewood St. Edward. Perhaps the best phrase to characterize Moore's style would be "just plain mean". Physical and relentless, his greatness is probably best demonstrated by his match in the Dapper Dan following his senior season. In that match, he scored a fall in less than a minute -- against Junior Nationals champion and future three-time NCAA champion T.J. Jaworsky.

In college, Moore seemed to simply burn out. As a true freshman, he was a one point loss away from All-American status. He was destined to never improve upon that finish for the remainder of his career.

12. Jacob Newby (Oklahoma)

Slick and quick, Newby's only place in Fargo was at the top of the podium. Although he won Cadet Nationals after his freshman year, it was his big upset of defending champion Chad Renner in the finals of Junior Nationals after his junior year that really vaulted him to stardom. The following year, Newby not only repeated in dominating fashion as Junior Nationals champion at 154 pounds, but also won FILA Junior Nationals (20-and-under age group), defeating Marcus Mollica, who would go on to win NCAA's the following spring.

After finishing fourth in the NCAA's as a redshirt freshman, Newby gave up wrestling to pursue a music career.

11. David Kjeldgaard (Iowa)

The winner of the inaugural Dave Schultz award for high school excellence in 1996 was the kid from Iowa with the funny name. There was nothing funny about his accomplishments, however -- as Kjeldgaard finished 173-4 en route to winning three Iowa state titles, and much more impressively, a still-unsurpassed (although it has been tied) record of six Junior Nationals titles. A true scholar-athlete, Kjeldgaard graduated valedictorian of his class with a 4.0 GPA.

Kjeldgaard's collegiate career was solid but unspectacular due to being slowed by a variety of severe knee injuries. However, to assess just how good he was in high school, it is perhaps useful to look at who he beat to win his Junior Nationals crowns in freestyle. His junior year, he defeated TJ Williams, who would go on to win two NCAA titles while posting a record of 98-1 at the University of Iowa. His senior year, he defeated future NCAA champ and four-time top-three finisher Joe Heskett just to reach the finals -- where he triumphed over a kid from Utah by the name of Cael Sanderson.

The first installment of this two-part series looked at numbers 20-11 of the top 20 high school wrestlers of the past 20 years. This article will count down the top 10. Note that only wrestlers who graduated in 1986-2005 are eligible for this list.

First, the special mentions (40-31) and honorable mentions (30-21) in no particular order:

10. Lincoln McIlravy (South Dakota)

While his skills truly blossomed in college under the tutelage of Dan Gable, "Mac" was pretty tough in high school too. Not only was McIlravy a five-time state champion -- he captured Cadet and Junior Nationals titles as well, going through Chris Bono, John and Russ Hughes, Tony Pariano, and Mark Smith, among others, to capture his titles.

Mac next won NCAA's as a true freshman with one of the most electrifying comebacks in NCAA history.

Troy Nickerson won a record five New York state titles and compiled a record of 214-6.

9. Troy Nickerson (New York)

Simply put, Nickerson won everything there was to win, generally by a large margin. While he won a record five New York state titles, his greatest achievements were in Fargo. An upset loss to Matt Fisk as a freshman (subsequently avenged numerous times) was the lone blemish on Nickerson's Fargo credentials -- as he captured five titles in six tries.

The pinnacle for Nickerson probably came his junior year at Fargo. That year, he moved up from his previous double Cadet National title to winning both styles at Junior Nationals, never going the distance in the process. Nickerson capped off his career by winning Senior Nationals in impressive fashion.

8. Pat Smith (Oklahoma)

The first four-time NCAA Champion, Smith was possibly more dominant in high school than college. Winner of back-to-back Junior Nationals in dominant fashion, he actually scored a technical fall over Sean Bormet to win his senior year. Ironically, it was Bormet he would face to win his fourth NCAA title -- winning this time by a slim 5-3 margin.

Smith was also part of an illustrious group who won NCAA's as a true freshman. Only three wrestlers were able to do this in the past 20 years: Smith, McIlravy, and Teyon Ware.

7. Brent Metcalf (Michigan)

Never before did middleweights stand out as the best in the nation from their sophomore year on as Metcalf and his archrival Dustin Schlatter did. Metcalf vaulted to superstar status following his sophomore year, when he not only won both styles at Junior Nationals, he only went the distance once in approximately 20 matches -- scoring a quick technical fall in the freestyle finals.

His junior year, it was more of the same. Metcalf dominated the much-heralded Alex Tsirtsis of Indiana, 5-0, to repeat as Junior Nationals champion. He had previously knocked off former champion and two-time finalist Craig Henning just to make the finals. All other opponents he either pinned or tech falled on his way to winning both styles.

In Metcalf's senior year, he wrestled two epic bouts with the great Dustin Schlatter (No. 6 below). While many observers thought Schlatter beat the buzzer with the winning takedown in regulation (including this writer), Metcalf showed himself to be made of pure steel in riding out Schlatter in double overtime to maintain his undefeated high school career. At the Dapper Dan classic that year, wrestling a very tough opponent (Matt Dragon) who was a weight class bigger, Metcalf uncharacteristically found himself in a quick 4-0 hole. Again, he showed that he had ice water in his veins as he methodically fought back to an 8-7 lead -- and then showed incredible presence of mind in fending off the match-winning takedown attempt by Dragon. In Fargo, Metcalf made it six straight titles by dominating and pinning Dragon, after Dragon dropped to 145 to gallantly take one more shot at Metcalf.

Metcalf's spring also included repeating as FILA Junior Nationals champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Among his wins that spring were a shellacking of 2005 Junior Hodge winner Jeff Jaggers of Ohio -- and a huge win over NCAA fourth-placer finisher Eric Tannenbaum (although Tannenbaum did win the series two matches to one).

6. Dustin Schlatter (Ohio)

Although he was already a four-time Cadet Nationals champion and a returning state champion, Dustin Schlatter's sophomore season started inauspiciously as he tasted defeat for the first time -- losing twice at the Ironman. Much as Gable's loss to Larry Owings seemed to drive him to new levels, so it was with Schlatter. After crushing the competition at state that year -- Schlatter had probably the finest postseason of any sophomore who ever took the mat. In that season, he faced a gauntlet of top junior and senior opponents, who seemingly all gravitated to the 135-pound weight class in the high school wrestling equivalent of the movie Highlander. While pundits were debating which upperclassmen superstar would emerge as the best out of Ryan Lang of Ohio, Dan Frishkorn of Virginia, Alex Tsirtsis of Indiana, Josh Churella of Michigan, and Charles Lloyd of Illinois, young Schlatter had other ideas and beat every single one of them. Only Ryan Lang was even close, as Schlatter beat this Senior Nationals champion, 6-4. At the time, Tsirtsis was coming off very impressive showings against collegiate competition and considered virtually untouchable. Schlatter dismantled him -- giving up only a takedown in the closing seconds of a 5-1 win. Schlatter also shut down Frishkorn, 3-0, at Fargo that year. For good measure, Schlatter scored technical fall victories that spring over the runner-up and third-place finishers at Fargo at 140 -- CJ Ettelson and Carter Downing.

Schlatter junior season just added to his legacy, as he beat 2005 NCAA All-American Michael Keefe, 3-1, and top-12 finisher Frank Edgar, 7-4, at the West Virginia Open. At the Beast of the East that year, he faced a great opponent in three-time California state champion Troy Tirapelle of California, the brother of NCAA champion Adam Tirapelle and NCAA runner-up Alex Tirapelle. Schlatter showed himself to be on another level once again, winning by a score of 14-6. The match was worse than the score, with Schlatter scoring seven takedowns and letting Tirapelle up six times.

While a showdown with Metcalf didn't materialize in Fargo that summer due to Schlatter breaking his wrist -- Schlatter avenged his controversial loss by winning a 4-3 decision over Metcalf for the Senior National title. Prior to that -- his closest bout in this loaded weight was 17-4. Perhaps most impressive was that as Schlatter closed his senior season, he had wrestled against five NCAA All-Americans (Frishkorn, Keefe, Churella, Drew Headlee, and Coleman Scott) and beaten all of them, as well as four wrestlers who had reached the All-American round of NCAA's (Ryan Lang, Frank Edgar, Rob Preston, and Mark McKnight) and beaten all of them as well.

Joe Williams was a four-time state champion in Illinois who tasted defeat only once (photo by John Sachs).

5. Joe Williams (Illinois)

An aura of invincibility surrounded Joe Williams in high school. A four-time state champion, Williams tasted defeat just once -- when he was disqualified for an illegal slam. Williams also won a Junior Nationals title his senior year -- and dominated at the Dapper Dan Classic.

Perhaps his most notable victory, however, came following his junior year in high school. At the Junior World Team Trials that spring, he won claimed an 8-5 victory over a graduating senior who would go on to be his teammate at the University of Iowa, Lincoln McIlravy.

4. Steve Mocco (New Jersey)

If one wrestler personified the word intimidation, it is the top high school heavyweight of all time -- Steve Mocco. Relentlessly intense and punishing, Mocco was on an entirely different level than any heavyweight who every competed on the high school level. After dominating three years in Fargo -- Mocco won a Senior Nationals title as well. He tasted defeat just once in his career, a fluke pin when he was going for a lateral drop.

Mocco was able to step in as a freshman and easily defeat NCAA All-Americans right off the bat. Only being inexplicably ridden out in double overtime in the finals by Tommy Rowlands kept him from winning as a true freshman (and being on his way to four titles). Clearly, Mocco was good enough to be an NCAA All-American at least since his senior year in high school, if not sooner.

Damion Hahn of New Jersey was said to be a "man among boys" in high school -- before going on to capture two NCAA titles for Minnesota.

3. Damion Hahn (New Jersey)

A "man among boys" might be the best way to describe Damion Hahn in high school wrestling. The winner of three state titles in single-division New Jersey, Hahn also won three junior national freestyle titles, dominating almost all of his opposition. After his sophomore season, Hahn even defeated Cael Sanderson, who had just completed his senior year.

It was his performances against older competition that really distinguished Hahn, however. After his junior year in high school he entered the U.S. Open -- and very nearly placed. Most impressively, though, Hahn unthinkably crushed two-time NCAA champion Mark Branch by a score of 10-5.

As a freshman on redshirt, Hahn very nearly gave Cael Sanderson his only collegiate loss (a 4-3 loss). So good was Hahn coming out of high school that many considered his collegiate career -- two-time NCAA champion, four-time All-American -- to be a disappointment.

2. Alan Fried (Ohio)

If Mocco personified the word intimidation, Fried personified the word intensity. The first four-time Junior Nationals Freestyle champion, Fried's opponents appeared to be stuck in slow motion while he was in fast forward.

Fried's most impressive victory may have been defeating NCAA champion Clar Anderson after his junior year in high school. Fried competed in the Olympic Trials that summer, where he would face his future coach, John Smith. Those who were there report that young Fried actually scored the first takedown against America's greatest freestyle wrestler ever.

Perhaps most interesting was that on the way to winning Junior Nationals as a sophomore, he actually scored a technical fall over a senior from Iowa by the name of Tom Brands -- his future nemesis in college. Even as a redshirting freshman at Oklahoma State University, Fried defeated Brands at an open tournament. Brands would go on to win his first NCAA title -- and repeat the following two years with victories over Fried in the finals.

1. Cary Kolat (Pennsylvania)

While picking the top 20 among so many worthy contenders was difficult, picking No. 1 was actually quite easy. None have excelled so early as Cary Kolat. First, there is the fact that Kolat racked up a 137-0 ledger on his way to four state titles in wrestling-rich Pennsylvania. Moreover, Kolat placed at the Midlands as a sophomore and as a junior, back when that tournament was as tough as the NCAA's. Among his great achievements in that tournament were pinning NCAA All-American Shawn Charles -- and actually wrestling a 1-0 bout with Olympian Ken Chertow his junior year. Chertow, ironically enough, had a much easier time with NCAA champion Terry Brands in the finals that year than he did with the junior in high school from Rices Landing, Pennsylvania.

Kolat even showed he could compete at the very highest level by placing at the U.S. Open. Beating top senior level competition in high school was almost commonplace for Kolat. For example, as a junior in high school, in an open tournament, Kolat won easily over NCAA champion Sean O'Day.

Kolat had a mystique about him in high school that made it inconceivable that he would ever lose. Even other great wrestlers seemed to say his name with what might be described as reverence. Like Hahn, Kolat was so good coming out of high school that many would consider collegiate career -- two-time NCAA Champion, four-time top-three finisher, and his international career -- Olympian, two time World medalist -- a disappointment. He was two upset losses away from being a four-time NCAA champion, and an entire article could be written about how he was robbed by FILA out of being a multiple time World and Olympic champion. Clearly, however, in measuring the high school careers of all wrestlers, Kolat is my pick for best of the past 20 years.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 2:22 PM | Permalink

2007 Returning High School Wrestling State Placers & Qualifiers (does not reflect weight for 2007-’08 season):

Name (School, Section place, grade '08)

103-Returning state placers:
Gilberto Camacho (Washington Union-Fresno, C1, 12), State Champion
AJ Valles (Selma, C3, 10), 2nd State
Jesse Delgado (Gilroy, CC1, 10), 3rd State
Estevan Cabanas (Canyon Springs-Moreno Valley, S7, 11), 5th State
Jake Briggs (Bella Vista-Fair Oaks, SJ1, 10), 6th State
Chad Thornack (San Jacinto, S4, 11), 7th State
Vincent Perez (Pitman-Turlock, SJ2, 11), 8th State

Returning state qualifiers:
Al Quenga (Overfelt, CC2, 11)
Steve Elizalde (Brawley, SD2, 12)
Charles Chavez (El Dorado, S6, 10)
Erik Reyes (Temecula Valley, S3, 12)
Zach Zimmer (Clovis West, C7, 10)
Bryan Grubbs (La Costa Canyon, SD1, 10)
Randy Tinoco (Centennial-Corona, S5, 12)
Edgar Paez (Livingston, SJ3, 12)
Zach McClanahan (Granite Hills, SD4, 11)
Michael Vargas (Buena Par, S8, 10)
Tyler Johnson (Vacaville, SJ4, 10)
Nick Mazza (Riordan, CC4, 11)
Marc Collier (East Bakersfield, C6, 11)
Steven Salinas (Northview, S1, 11)
Anthony Rodriquez (Escalon, SJ7, 12)
Jake Henrich (Foothill-Palo Cedro, N2, 10)
Theo Phan (San Marin, NC3, 12)
Truong Nguyen (Newark Memorial, NC4, 12)
Nathan Nguyen (Saratoga, CC3, 11)
Cody Pack (Quincy, N1, 10)
Matt Welsh (Poway, SD3, 12)
Cody Billings (Del Oro, SJ5, 12)
Chris Martinez (Firebaugh, C4, 10)
Eddie Flores (Downey-Modesto, SJ6, 12)
Paul Gomez (Liberty-Brentwood, NC1, 10)

112-Returning state placers:
Thomas Williams (South Hills-West Covina, S1, 12), State Champion, 2nd ‘06
Conner Morgan (Del Oro-Loomis, SJ1, 11), 4th State
David Klingsheim (Liberty-Brentwood, NC1, 11), 5th State, 8th State ‘06
Henry Yorba (Poway, SD1, 11), 6th State
Sophan Mey (Elk Grove, SJ3, 12), 8th State

Returning state qualifiers:
Tyler Naman (Harbor-Santa Cruz, CC4, 12)
Steven Fitzgerald (Clovis East, C5, 12)
Tanner Herman (Portola, N1, 11)
Dillon Barrales (Temecula Valley, S2, 11)
AJ Jaramillo (Lemoore, C4, 12)
Nathan Roberts (Buchanan-Clovis, C6, 10)
Junior Davilla (San Benito-Hollister, CC3, 10)
Ryan Giovenco (North Torrance, S3, 12)
Diego Quintana (Selma, C1, 11)
Chris Kirk (Ramona, SD2, 12)
Steven Espindola (Bishop Amat, S5, 11)
Randall Pagenkopp (Oroville, N2, 11)
Alfonso Osuna (Brawley, SD4, 11)
Rey Mendoza (Watsonville, CC2, 12)
Peter Gonzalez (East Bakersfield, C2, 11)
Cesar Miranda (La Sierra, S8, 12)
Markjay Acosta (San Leandro, NC3, 12)

119-Returning state placers:
Angel Garcia (San Dimas, S2, 12), 3rd State
Marcus Orona (Santa Fe-Santa Fe Springs, S1, 12), 5th State
Mike Hernandez (Poway, SD1, 12), 6th State
Martin Gonzalez (Gilroy, CC2, 11), 7th State, 5th ‘06

Returning state qualifiers:
Corey Johnson (Del Oro, SJ5, 11)
Marcus Orona (Santa Fe, S1, 12)
Jose Mendoza (Selma, C3, 11)
Brandon Rocha (Lemoore, C4, 11)
Aaron Westphal (Alhambra-Martinez, NC4, 12)
Luis Tomayo (Arvin, C6, 11)
Chase Aura (Foothill-Pleasanton, NC2, 11)
Eli Ramirez (Downey-Modesto, SJ7, 12)
Richard Alarcon (Mayfair, S5, 12)
Justin Locking (Rio Linda, SJ2, 12)
Anthony Waters (Buchanan-Clovis, C7, 11)
Chris Escobar (Vista, SD4, 12)
Ryan Meniketti (Ponderosa-Shingle Springs, SJ3, 12)
Andrew Ortega (Bishop Amat, S8, 12)
Roger Hutchison (Liberty-Brentwood, NC3, 12)

125-Returning state placers:
Kody Klaus (Vacaville, SJ2, 12), 4th State
Caleb Valloton (Foothill-Palo Cedro, N1, 12), 6th State
Justin Arredondo (Buchanan-Clovis, C2, 12), 7th State, 3rd ‘06
Trevor Machado-Ching (Oakdale, SJ2, 12), State champion ’05, 4th ‘06
Tim Boone (Poway, SD1, 12), 8th State ‘06
Steve Weimer (Clovis, C2, 12), 6th State ‘06

Returning state qualifiers:
Erik Chavez (Wilson, S8, 12)
Robert Patino (Exeter, C6, 11)
Tyler Iwamura (Santa Fe Christian, SD3, 12)
Jon Lawson (Palm Desert, S7, 12)
Michael Rodriguez (Independence-San Jose, CC4, 12)
Nick Fisher (Clovis West, C1, 12)
Mario Decaro (Temecula Valley, S4, 12)
Morgan Flaharty (Terra Linda, NC4, 12)
Julian Perez (Lemoore, C7, 12)

130-Returning state placers:
Kyle West (Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills, SJ2, 11), 4th State
Cameron Kelly (Clovis, C3, 11), 8th State

Returning state qualifier:
Scott Chene (Irvine, S4, 12)
Derek Dixson (Vista, SD3, 12)
Dane Stevens (Scotts Valley, CC1, 12)
Matt Manuel (Nevada Union-Grass Valley, SJ5, 12)
Nick Hernandez (Granada-Livermore, NC4, 12)
Mitch Newcomer (Laguna Hills, S7, 11)
Taylor Hodel (Vacaville, SJ4, 11)
Alberto Arreola (Washington Union-Fresno, C6, 12)
Seth Hicks (Centennial-Bakersfield, C5, 11)
Daniel Gudino (Hesperia, S6, 12)
Ben Mandell (Casa Roble, SJ3, 11)
Laqunitin Cathey (Fremont-Sunnyvale, CC4, 12)
Alfonso Hernandez (Cajon, S8, 12)
Isidro Gutierrez (Buchanan-Clovis, C4, 12)
Tim Navarette (Shasta, N1, 12)

135-Returning state placers:
Jonah Cruz (Bakersfield, C5, 11), 3rd State
David Watts (El Diamante-Visalia, C3, 12), 4th State
Vinny Pisani (El Modena-Orange, S1, 12), 5th State
Jerin Miller (Natomas-Sacramento, SJ3, 12), 8th State
Alex Rodriguez (Clovis East, C2, 12), 8th State ‘05

Returning state qualifiers:
Billy Jackson (Magnolia, S7, 12)
Jason Hail (Tehachapi, C7, 12)
Cody Fitzgerald (Oakmont, SJ2, 11)
Drew Hylton (Vacaville, SJ4, 12)
Dominic Kastl (Saint Francis, CC1, 10)
Travis Gallegos (Foothill-Palo Cedro, N2, 10)
Tyler Sheridan (De La Salle, NC3, 11)
David Rios (Liberty-Brentwood, NC4, 11)
Cody Rodebaugh (San Lorenzo Valley, CC3, 10)
John Mossy (Santa Fe Christian, SD3, 12
Justin Bolton (Folsom, SJ5, 12)

140-Returning state placers:
Chris Urquizo (Merced, SJ3, 11), 2nd State
Scott Sakaguchi (Clovis, C1, 11), 5th State
Geoff Doss (Las Gatos, CC1, 12), 6th State
Randall Watts (El Diamante-Visalia, C3, 12), 8th State

Returning state qualifiers:
Andrew Tsarnas (Healdsburg, NC3, 12)
Brandon Roell (Laguna Hills, S6, 12)
Cody Bollinger (Sultana, S2, 11)
Josh Hotta (Vista, SD3, 11)
Archie Tovar (Selma, C4, 12)
Eric Tilbury (Del Mar, CC4, 11)
Andrew Collins (Hesperia, S4, 12)
Joe Heffelmire (College Park-Pleasant Hill, NC4, 12)
Nick Waldrop (Freedom-Oakley, NC2, 11)
Brad Robinson (Poway, SD1, 12)
Vincent Rubio (Lemoore, C2, 11)
Nikko Cataline (Roosevelt, S3, 12)
Travis Sakamoto (Gilroy, CC3, 12)

145-Returning state placers:
Anthony Meza (Vista, SD1, 11), State Champion, 6th ‘06
Travis Rasmussen (Bakersfield, C2, 12), 3rd State

Returning state qualifiers:
Javier Martinez (Hilltop, SD3, 12)
Adam Gottlieb (Will C. Wood-Vacaville, SJ6, 12)
Cesar Padilla (Pitman, SJ5, 11)
John Banke (Granada-Livermore, NC4, 12)
Nic Giaccia (Gunn, CC2, 12)
John Urango (Hueneme, S7, 11)
Cody Fanning (Rancho BV, SD4, 12)
Dustin Reid (Red Bluff, N2, 12)
Stephen West (Buchanan-Clovis, C3, 11)
Jake Dupras (Clovis West, C6, 12)
Jarrod Brooksher (Sultana, S1, 12)
Dalton Endes (Centennial-Bakersfield, C7, 11)

152-Returning state placers:
Vinny Maraj (Yucca Valley, S2, 12), 2nd State, 8th ‘06
Anthony Almanza (Poway, SD1, 12), 4th State
James Cook (Clovis West, C2, 10), 7th State
Michael Kent (Vacaville, SJ2, 12), 8th State

Returning state qualifiers:
Steve Vasquez (Central Catholic-Modesto, SJ4, 12)
Eric Sotelo (Yosemite, C6, 11)
Gerson Nkunku (College Park-Pleasant Hill, NC3, 12)
Gian Traverso (St. Helena, NC2, 12)
Josh Esparza (Clovis, C4, 12)
Vinnie Guerrero (Righetti-Santa Maria, S7, 12)
Matt Moralez (Tulare Union, C5, 12)
Isaiah Jimenez (Palma, CC4, 12)
Andrew Balch (Buchanan-Clovis, C1, 12)
Bryan Eskew (Kingsburg, C7, 12)

160-Returning state placers:
Jason Welch (Las Lomas-Walnut Creek, NC1, 12), 2x State Champ, 2nd ‘05
Brad Pace (Ponderosa-Shingle Springs, SJ2, 12), 7th State

Returning state qualifiers:
Daniel Montelongo (Madera, C1, 12)
Ian Daube (Poway, SD2, 11)
Paul Bracamonte (Central-Fresno, C5, 12)
Max Panziera (Palma, CC3, 12)
Justin Orozco (Salinas, CC2, 12)

171-Returning state placers:
Louis Bland (Central Catholic-Modesto, SJ2, 12), 2x State Champ, 2nd ‘07
Hunter Collins (Gilroy, CC1, 12), 8th, 2nd, 3rd State
Tito Pica (De La Salle, NC1, 12), 5th State
Jake Meredith (Temecula Valley, S1, 12), 7th State

Returning state qualifiers:
Dominick Reyes (Hesperia, S7, 12)
Sergio Villasenor (Monache-Poterville, C7, 12)
Ryan Loder (Granite Bay, SJ4, 11)
Brad Carls (Bakersfield, C3, 12)
Drew Meulman (Saint Francis, CC4, 10)
Stephen Hampton (Red Bluff, N2, 12)
Nick Pappas (Sonoma, NC4, 12)
Alex Kellogg (San Lorenzo Valley, CC3, 12)
Zach Shaver (Clovis, C4, 12)
Jordan Williams (El Dorado, SJ6, 11)
Tyler Hack (Tehachapi, C5, 12)

189-Returning state placers:
Rudi Burtschi (Oakdale, SJ1, 12), State Champion, 5th ‘06
Matt Gibson (Jesse Bethel-Vallejo, SJ6, 12), 4th State
Brett Sanchez (Clovis, C1, 12), 7th State

Returning state qualifiers:
Caleb Gerl (Calvary Chapel-Downey, S6, 12)
David Travis (Foothill-Bakersfield, C3, 12)
Jacob Jones (Southwest-El Centro, SD4, 12)
Nick Pica (De La Salle, NC1, 11)
Joey Avila (Exeter, C5, 12)
Cameron McNeer (Imperial, SD2, 12)
Able Ruiz (Selma, C7, 12)
Freddy Duerr (Montgomery, NC4, 12)
Marcus Abarquez (Tehachapi, C6, 12)
Josh Pearson (South Hills, S7, 12)
James Chandless (Marysville, SJ4, 11)

215-Returning state placers:
Julian Zuniga (Schurr-Montebello, S5, 12), 7th State

Returning state qualifiers:
Andrew Vander Poel (Los Banos, SJ6, 12)
Robert Alcantar (Northview, S6, 12)
Roger McCovey (Del North, NC1, 11)
Angel Romero (Central Union, SD3, 12)
Dovydas Kasradze (Mission Viejo, S7, 12)
Nick Kalpin (Los Gatos, CC4, 12)
Dominic Demarco (Ponderosa-Shingle Springs, SJ3, 12)
Julian Zuniga (Schurr, S5, 12)
Jesse Rogers (Gilroy, CC2, 12)
Evan McBride (Tehachapi, C6, 12)

275-Returning state placers:
Jonathan Zamora (Clovis, C1, 12), 2nd State
Kasey Cowan (Vista, SD2, 12), 7th State

Returning state qualifiers:
Andrew Benjamin (Jesuit, SJ3, 12)
Loren Baize (Lemoore, C5, 11)
Sam Cervantes (Imperial, SD3, 12)
Alex Pinto (Wheatland, N2, 12)
Willie Hernandez (Norte Vista, S6, 12
Trent Smith (Rancho BV, SD1, 12)
Jacob Celedon (Selma, C7, 12)
Dominic Galas (Central Catholic-Modesto, SJ2, 12)

Cadet & Junior All-Americans
David Klingsheim-Liberty-Brentwood (NC), Cadet AA (FS/GR), Junior AA (GR)
Zach Zimmer-Clovis West (C), Cadet AA (FS/GR)
Thomas Williams-South Hills (S), Cadet AA (FS), Junior AA (GR)
Hunter Collins-Gilroy (CC), Cadet AA (FS), Junior AA (FS)
Tito Pica-De La Salle (NC), Cadet AA (FS/2X GR)
Nick Pica-De La Salle (NC), Cadet AA (GR)
Josh Boger-Coalinga (C), Cadet AA (FS/GR)
Mario DeCaro-Temecula Valley (S), Cadet AA (GR)
Nick Waldrup-Freedom-Oakley (NC), Cadet AA (GR)
Roger McCovey-Del Norte (NC), Cadet AA (GR)
Tyler Johnson-Vacaville (SJ), Cadet AA (GR)
Tyler Sheridan-De La Salle (NC), Cadet AA (FS/GR)
Jesse Hellinger-Winters (N), Cadet AA (GR)
Ryan Loder-Granite Bay (SJ), Cadet AA (FS)
John Meulman-Saint Francis (CC), Cadet AA (FS)
Brian Schoene-Bakersfield (C), Cadet AA (FS)
Antonio Hernandez-East Bakersfield (C), Cadet AA (FS)
Ian Daube-Cadet AA (FS/GR)
Cody Rodebaugh-San Lorenzo Valley (CC), Cadet AA (GR)
Stephen Pugh-Redwood (C), Junior AA (GR)
Cody Pack-Quincy (N), Junior AA (FS/GR)
Randall Watts-El Diamonte (C), Junior AA (FS/GR)
Stephen Hampton-Red Bluff (N), Junior AA (GR)
Trent Smith-Rancho BV (SD), Junior AA (GR)
Jesse Delgado-Gilroy (CC), Cadet AA (FS)
Jason Welch-Las Lomas (NC), Cadet AA (FS), Junior AA (FS)
Vince Moita-De La Salle (NC), Junior AA (FS)
Caleb Valloton-Foothill-Palo Cedro (N), Junior AA (FS)

NHSCA All-Americans

2007 Juniors
Gilberto Camacho-Washington Union-Fresno (C): 2nd Place
Steven Fitzgerald-Clovis East (C): 4th Place
Caleb Vallotton-Foothill-Palo Cedro (N): 6th Place
Tim Boone-Poway (SD): 5th Place
Hunter Collins-Gilroy (CC): National Champion

2007 Sophomores
Estevan Cabanas-Canyon Springs-Moreno Valley (S): 5th Place
Steven Salinas-Northview-Covina (S): 6th Place
Brandon Rocha-Lemoore (C): 8th Place
Henry Yorba-Poway (SD): 6th Place
Nick Waldrop-Freedom-Oakley (NC): 5th Place
Ryan Loder-Granite Bay (SJ): 3rd Place
Lloren Baize-Lemoore (C): 6th Place

2006 Sophomores
Travis Rasmussen-Bakersfield (C): 6th Place
Vinny Maraj-Yucca Valley (S): 3rd Place
Brad Pace-Ponderosa-Shingle Springs (SJ): 4th Place

2007 Freshman
Nathan Roberts-Buchanan-Clovis (C): 7th Place
Adam DeLaGarza-Vacaville (SJ): National Champion
Roman Flores-Bakersfield (C): 2nd Place
Nick Sierra-Lemoore (C): 3rd Place
Lyndell Scarr-Ponderosa-Shingle Springs (SJ): 4th Place
Kyle Papendorf-Buchanan-Clovis (C): 3rd Place
Chase Eskam-El Camino-Oceanside (SD): 6th Place

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 1:55 PM | Permalink

The U.S. Greco-Roman team ended the first day of competition in Baku, Azerbaijan in second place with 14 team points, three points behind current leader Korea with 17 team points.

The U.S. team earned eight team points from 66 KG Bronze medalist Harry Lester and six team points from 55 KG fifth place finisher Lindsey Durlacher. Korea had a strong performance in the lightest weight categories, taking home a silver at 55 KG and a bronze at 60 KG.

The 2007 World Championships are a qualifying event for the 2008 Olympic Games and as such, special matches will be wrestled to determine seventh and eighth place if multiple wrestlers are tied in classification points. Although the U.S. team’s second place standing is secure after day one because both Lester and Durlacher wrestled in a medal match, the standings may change for other teams as they still have wrestlers that will need to compete for seventh and eighth place.

With four weight categories still left in the Greco-Roman competition, the U.S. team will need strong performances today and tomorrow to remain in contention for the team title.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 1:54 PM | Permalink

College wrestling superstore TheWrestlingTalk.com just released their 2007-2008 College Wrestling Schedules... here they are:

NCAA College Wrestling Schedules & High School Wrestling Schedules
Air Force Academy Wrestling Schedule
Arizona State University Wrestling Schedule
Army Wrestling Schedule
Binghampton Wrestling Schedule
Bloomsburg Wrestling Schedule
Boise State Wrestling Schedule
Bucknell Wrestling Schedule
Buffalo Wrestling Schedule
Cal-state Fullerton Wrestling Schedule
Clarion Wrestling Schedule
Cleveland State Wrestling Schedule
Columbia Wrestling Schedule
Cornell Wrestling Schedule
Eastern Michigan Wrestling Schedule
Edinboro Wrestling Schedule
Gardner-Webb Wrestling Schedule
Geroge Mason Wrestling Schedule
Harvard Wrestling Schedule
Hofstra Wrestling Schedule
Illinois Wrestling Schedule
Indiana Wrestling Schedule
Iowa Wrestling Schedule
Iowa State Wrestling Schedule
Lehigh Wrestling Schedule
Liberty Wrestling Schedule
Lock Haven Wrestling Schedule
Maryland Wrestling Schedule
Michigan Wrestling Schedule
Michigan State Wrestling Schedule
Minnesota Wrestling Schedule
Navy Wrestling Schedule
Nebraska Wrestling Schedule
North Carolina Wrestling Schedule
UNC-Greensboro Wrestling Schedule
North Dakota State Wrestling Schedule
Northern Illinois Wrestling Schedule
Northern Iowa Wrestling Schedule
Ohio State Wrestling Schedule
Old Dominion Wrestling Schedule
Oregon Wrestling Schedule
Oregon Sate Wrestling Schedule
Penn Sate Wrestling Schedule
Pennsylvania Wrestling Schedule
Pittsburgh Wrestling Schedule
Purdue Wrestling Schedule
Rider Wrestling Schedule
Rutgers Wrestling Schedule
Stanford Wrestling Schedule
Tennessee- Chattanooga Wrestling Schedule
Virginia Wrestling Schedule
Virginia Tech Wrestling Schedule
VMI Wrestling Schedule
West Virginia Wrestling Schedule
Wisconsin Wrestling Schedule

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 6:26 AM | Permalink

An official send-off gathering for the 2007 National Champion Golden Gopher wrestling team has been planned for Thursday, Sept. 20 at 2:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Bierman Athletic Building on the University of Minnesota campus. The Gophers will be departing for Washington, D.C. at 3:00 p.m. Thursday for their Friday stops at the Capitol, Pentagon and White House. Friday afternoon, the team will meet with President George W. Bush to officially commemorate the team’s third national title in the past seven seasons.

Every member of the 2007 championship squad and coaching staff will be available for comment and interviews. Head coach J Robinson is a two-time national coach of the year and one of the winningest coaches in collegiate wrestling history. Since 1997, Robinson has led Minnesota to more top-three NCAA finishes (nine) than any other program in the country.

In addition, the 2007 Gophers also boast five All-Americans – Jayson Ness (125 lbs.), Dustin Schlatter (149), C.P. Schlatter (157), Roger Kish (184) and Cole Konrad (Hwt). Konrad, the only Gopher All-American to graduate last spring, cemented his place alongside Golden Gopher legends Verne Gagne, Tim Hartung and Damion Hahn by winning his second straight national championship in 2007. He finished his career with 76 wins in a row and a 154-13-0-career record, just five wins behind the all-time mark of 159. Konrad also became Minnesota's fifth four-time All-American, joining Chad Kraft, Luke Becker, Jared Lawrence and Hahn.

Friday morning, the team will enjoy tours of both the Capitol and Pentagon buildings before their afternoon appointment at the White House with the President. In 2001, the then-national champion Gophers became the first collegiate wrestling team to ever visit the White House, spending 25 minutes with President Bush and receiving a personal tour of the Oval Office from the country’s chief executive.

The 2007-08 Gopher wrestling season opens on Nov. 10 when Minnesota partakes in the 2007 Bison Open, hosted by North Dakota State. The defending national champions return to Williams Arena for their home opener Dec. 2.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 4:48 AM | Permalink

The 2007 World Championships of Wrestling started recently and the US Team does have Harry Lester already competing for a bronze.

Delayed
The first session of the FILA World Wrestling Championships blew the whistle on Mat D at 9:19 a.m. local time. There was no scoring in the first minute between Duque DeJesus of Columbia and Dishod Aripov of Uzbekistan. Apriov scores the first point of the tournament as DeJesus could not turn Apriov in the top position during his first period lock.

Applause
Not too many fans here in the arena this morning, but the first two three-point throws netted applause and the blowing of horns from the stands. On Mat A, Lithuanian Oleg Luvruvjanec picked up a three pointer against Canadian Promise Mwenga and picked up a two-period victory to advance at 55kg.

The Baku Press?
There is zero press seating here in Baku. There’s a media center on the second floor, roughly 100 yards from the entrance to the floor. Some of the media have varying degrees of passes. Travis Shives of USA Wrestling has “Press,� Craig Sesker at USA Wrestling has “Photographer,� and yours truly, Jason Bryant of InterMat has “TV.�

There’s a power strip on the edge of Mat A and luckily, there is minimal security actually inside the competition area, but once you get past them, you’re pretty much open here on the floor.

It’s about 90 degrees in here and some of us are already sweating profusely. The Danes brought a spirited group and their 55kg wrestler Anders Nyblom just won his opening round bout against V. Venkov of Bulgaria.

Dur-La-Shay?
It wasn’t the first time American Lindsey Durlacher has probably had his name mispronounced, but he’ll take it, French announcer and all. Durlacher advanced in his first round match over Norway’s Thomas Ronningen 4-1, 1-1, 5-0 and will face Italy’s Roberto Pira, a 3-5, 4-3, 4-3 victory over Belarus’ Maksim Kazharski.

Short lived
The wireless dropped out of the arena, forcing the American press back to the Press Center. On the bright side, the hard-lined internet works and there are screens with all four mats in here, so I’ll have a view of what’s going on, but I’ll still have to go back through the maze of non-English speaking security guards that have “No� as the first word out of their mouths.

Lester impressive
Harry Lester opened up with a crowd-pleasing 7-0, 6-0 win over Finland’s Juha Hiltunen. Lester planted Hultunen in the first but did not get the fall and proceeded to put it to the Fin. In the second, Lester worked from double overhooks and threw Hultunen for three points and cruised into the next round.

Betterman to play waiting game
The first World Championships experience for Joe Betterman might not last too long. Betterman lost 3-1, 1-1 to Norway’s Stiga Berge to open the tournament. Berge was the European runner-up and now Betterman must hope for Berge to reach the finals before he can come through the repechage in hopes to place top eight.

No more Tens
FILA also announced (sometime) before the tournament that only the top eight places at the World Championships would qualify the weight for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Instead of doing something most American fans might understand – a consolation bracket or wrestle-back – FILA will decide the 7th and 8th placers by classification points – which might be a plus for the U.S. wrestlers that drew first round opponents.

Mansurov pleases the public
Former Olympic Gold Medalist Farid Mansurov started out the tournament impressing the folks of his native Baku. Mansurov dominated Venezuela’s Endrix Arteaga 6-0, 5-0 including a fabulous back-arch suplay for five points to end the second period. The victory gave the small, but vocal crowd in Baku something to cheer for and the fans of this country are very passionate about their nation’s athletes.

… and so does Bayramov
Rovshan Bayramov of Azerbaijan picked up a huge early win, sending the locals into a frenzy with his three-period victory over 2006 European Champion Roman Amyoan of Armenia. Bayramov scored the final point to work out a 1-3, 2-1, 3-3 victory at 55 kg. The locals in the press room also got loud.

Lester and Durlacher move to 2-0
Harry Lester and Lindsey Durlacher advanced to the third round after each scored two-period victories over their opponents. Durlacher wasn’t pressured in a dominant win over Italy’s Roberto Pira, while Lester had a bit of trouble with scrappy Turk Seref Eroglu, he prevailed 3-2, 3-0. Lester nearly pinned Eroglu in the first round, countering a throw attempt, popping his hips and landing on top of Eroglu. Durlacher will now face reigning World Champion Hamid Soryan of Iran.

Betterman officially eliminated
There will be no repechage for Joe Betterman. After falling in his opening round bout, he needed Norway’s Stiga Berge to advance to the finals in a large bracket to get new life. Well, that did’t happen as Berge was knocked out of finals contention with a loss to Davor Stefanek of Serbia 4-0, 2-1, 4-1.

Notable to keep an eye out for
There’s still plenty of time for this to happen, but Israel’s Mechman Alaev is on the same side of the bracket at 55kg as Iran’s Hamid Soryan. They both have to win twice to reach the semifinals, but due to Iran’s political stance and refusal to recognize Israel as a sovereign nation, the two would likely not meet. It’s happened before. While the Iran-Israel issue isn’t a religious one, note that Soryan’s next opponent – Durlacher – is Jewish.

Top quarter
The “blind draw� at the World Championships can often lead to some very weak draws and some very tough draws. At 55kg, a tough draw would be considered a quarterfinal that puts last year’s silver and bronze medalists in the same match. Azerbaijan’s Rovshan Bayramov will face Korea’s Eun-Choi Park in the top quarterfinal, with the winner potentially facing last year’s fifth place finisher – Tibor Olah of Hungary in the semifinals.
Three top five placers are in the top bracket, while two top three finishers are at the bottom.

Lester into quarters
Harry Lester continued his run through Monday’s morning session, winning his third straight match, a 1-1, 3-0 victory over Cuban Mailan Consuegra. Lester will face Romania’s Ionel Puscasu in the quarterfinals. Puscasu defeated North Korea’s Su in Pak.

Park tops Bayramov
Last year’s world bronze medalist Eun-Choi Park of Korea moved into the semifinals with a two-period victory over world silver medalist Rovshan Bayramov of host Azerbaijan. Park needed a score in the second period from his lock to prevent a third period and it was a trapped-arm gutwrench for two points that pushed his lead to 3-0 in the second period and deflated the host crowd. Just seconds after Farid Mansurov topped Jimmy Samuelsson of Sweden at 66 kilos, the boisterous crowd was hushed with Park’s victory.

Durlacher stopped by World Champ
American Lindsey Durlacher will have to root for Iranian world champion Hamid Soryan after Soryan topped Durlacher 3-0, 1-0 to move into quarters where he’ll face Romania’s Virgil Munteanu. The Romanian defeated Cuba’s Yangiel Hernandez in the Round of 16 to advance.

Lester dominant in quarterfinal win
Harry Lester hasn’t look out of control all day here in Baku. The recent Northern Michigan University graduate looked strong in his quarterfinal victory over Ionel Puscasu of Romania with a 6-0, 3-1 victory. In the first period, Lester scored two exposure points on front-headlock rolls to build a 4-0 lead. A reversal for one and a point for not giving up a point in the locks gave him the 6-0 period. In the second, a counter exposure on a throw attempt by Puscasu gave him two points before the two traded points in the locks.

Semifinals
55kg
Eun-Choi Park (Korea) dec. Ildar Hafizof (Uzbekistan) 3-1, 7-0

Hamid Soryan (Iran) dec. Kristijan Fris (Serbia) 1-1, 1-1
Soryan makes the finals and pulls American Lindsey Durlacher into the repachage with a chance to qualify the U.S. for the weight in the 2008 Olympics.

60kg
Makoto Sasamoto (Japan) dec. Ji-Hyun Jung (Korea) 1-2, 2-1, 1-1
Sasamoto advanced to the World Finals with a three-period victory over Jung. That will eliminate Azerbaijan’s Romvash Bayramov from placement contention. Other wrestlers eliminated are: China’s Jiang Sheng and Iran’s Ali Aghbolah.

David Bedinadze (Georgia) dec. Eusebiu Buisson (Romania) 3-3, 4-2
The returning World silver medalist had problems early with the Romanian, but recovered and took a two-period win to reach his second final in as many years. He’s a decided favorite against Sasamoto.

66kg
Steeve Guenot (France) dec. Arman Adikayan (Armenia) 0-3, 1-1, 3-1
After losing the first period, Steeve Guenot rallied to take the last two periods to give France a finalist with a 0-3, 1-1, 2-1 victory over Armenian Arman Adikyan.

Farid Mansurov (Azerbaijan) dec. Harry Lester (USA) 6-3, 4-1
Baku native Farid Mansurov made his country proud and the arena loud with a two-period victory over American Harry Lester in the semifinals at 66kg. Lester had Mansurov on his back and nearly pinned before a whistle blew to mark the end of the 1:00 neutral session. There were questions about why the whistle was blown when Mansurov was in danger and much to the shagrin of the U.S. Coaching staff, Mansurov not only got a free pass off his back, but then started on top with the re-start when it should have been Lester's first lock. Mansurov scored three points late in the first on a back-arch, elevating on Lester's front-headlock and exposing his back to the mat. In the second, Mansurov scored on a slick passby, then scored a point on a pushout, then with time winding down during his lock period, Mansurov hit a quick two-point gut-wrench to build a 4-0 lead going into Lester's lock. Lester's lone point was with a pushout with 10 seconds to go. Lester will still place in the top six and qualify the weight for the 2008 Olympics. The best he can get now is a bronze medal.

SECOND SESSION

Durlacher stays alive
American Lindsey Durlacher stayed alive and kept the hopes of the U.S. for a qualification into the 2008 Olympic Games in positive motion with a two-period victory over Denmark's Anders Nyblom, a past World placer. Durlacher now has to face Romania's Virgil Munteanu to reach the Bronze Medal match.

Most common sight on FILA site
When looking for results from this tournament in the Press Center, the most common sight is this graphic from the FILA web site.

Any updates on Monday's weigh-ins are delayed, mainly because the site went down ... again. In case you are wondering, FILA isn't to be confused with the shoe company with the same moniker. FILA, the international governing body for wrestling means: "Fédération Internationale des Luttes Associées"

Durlacher, Lester will wrestle for Bronze
Lindsey Durlacher knocked off Romanian Virgil Munteanu in three periods to advance to the Bronze Medal match at 55kg. He and Harry Lester's opponents have been determined, but due to the lack of being able to get results from FILA and the lack of brackets available to follow who's wrestling who, we're just throwing darts at the board right now.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 4:08 PM | Permalink

The basement brawlers have graduated to the main stage at Target Center, which tonight hosts the largest mixed martial arts championship card ever held in Minnesota.

MMA fuses boxing, wrestling, kickboxing and jujitsu disciplines in steel cage fights unparalleled in their primitiveness and soaring in popularity among young males.

Fueled by testosterone and disposable income among the coveted 18-to-34-year-old demographic, revenues for pay-per-view bouts of Ultimate Fighting Championship, MMA's flagship venture, dwarf those of professional boxing and wrestling.

The glittery UFC produces a reality television show on Spike TV, stages marquee cards in Las Vegas and Great Britain and promotes its star fighters with million-dollar contracts.

By contrast, tonight's 12-bout card in Minneapolis, dubbed the "Downtown Throwdown," is being staged under the banner of Twin Cities-based World Fighting Championship.

The grass-roots enterprise is among hundreds of fledgling farm leagues around the country where wrestling champions, martial arts amateurs and street fighters flock to earn a UFC contract and hope to become the next Chuck Liddell or Randy Couture, UFC's reigning icons.

"Their goal is to get to the UFC, and this is where it all starts," WFC promoter Carey Thul said Friday.

Headlining this homegrown card is wrestling dynamo Marcus LeVesseur, 25, of Minneapolis. The four-time Minnesota high school wrestling and four-time NCAA Division III champion with Augsburg College is undefeated in seven matches in the Octagon.

LeVesseur will fight in the 155-pound lightweight class against Justin Wilcox, a professional bodybuilder and former collegiate wrestler from Pennsylvania.

Thul said this is a key bout for LeVesseur in his pursuit of a UFC contract.

His credentials include a 155-0 college wrestling record and a 46-0 mark as a senior at Bloomington Kennedy High School. With his unblemished MMA record, LeVesseur has not lost a competitive wrestling or fighting match since his junior year in high school in 1999-2000.

"Every sport that I attempt, I have a goal to master it so I can be untouchable," LeVesseur said. "I want to be the best and hold a UFC belt one day. I know it can't last forever, but I want to know how many more years I can last undefeated."

LeVesseur started training in mixed martial arts in 2003 to stay in shape while he transferred from the University of Minnesota to Augsburg. Brushes with the law, coupled with rehabilitation stints for alcohol and drug abuse, almost derailed his wrestling career in 2005, when he dropped out of school.

But he turned around his troubled personal life and rebounded on the mat. In March, he became the first four-time Division III national champion and joined Iowa State legend Cael Sanderson as the only wrestlers to finish their careers undefeated.

LeVesseur started fighting competitively before his senior year at Augsburg, where he plans to complete his health and physical education degree next year. His goal to wrestle in the 2008 Olympics also is shelved while he pursues a UFC career.

Typical of most wrestlers, LeVesseur possesses a potent ground attack aimed at putting and keeping opponents on their back. He also used to spar in junior high. But he had to learn how to kick box and master the martial art of Muay Thai.

"I feel comfortable on my feet. I can kick hard," LeVesseur said. "The biggest problem for a wrestler is you don't know how to throw punches and be open to taking hits. Your instinct is to grab."

Low-level fighters like LeVesseur typically earn about $3,000 per fight. Thul, who managed smaller MMA fight cards at the Myth nightclub in Maplewood, said tonight's purse totals $50,000. He said about 2,000 tickets had been sold as of Friday morning.

MMA broke the mainstream media seal in May when Sports Illustrated published a 4,500-word cover story that pictured fighter Roger Huerta, who trains in Maple Grove. It detailed the sport's evolution in the past decade from an unregulated barnyard freak show to a violent, fully sanctioned cash cow.

According to the magazine, UFC's pay-per-view revenues last year totaled $223 million, compared with boxing on HBO ($177 million) and WWE wrestling ($200 million).

The Target Center card is the largest of several sanctioned this year by the Minnesota Boxing Commission, which started regulating MMA fighting in July.

The commission is responsible for enforcing UFC rules, hiring referees, conducting physical examinations of fighters and arranging for on-site medical professionals. Rochester is hosting an MMA card tonight and Brainerd, Minn., has one scheduled Sept. 29.

Scott LeDoux, the commission's executive director, hopes state oversight will convince cities such as Red Wing and Willmar, which have banned MMA fighting, to reconsider hosting events.

"There were about 40 shows last year with no oversight, and several people from the state were talking about closing it down," LeDoux said. "I wanted a level playing field. MMA is a very exciting sport that has zoomed past boxing in the United States. I think they've done a great job of marketing to young people in their 20s."

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 10:37 PM | Permalink

The School of Champions announces Cole Konrad as the Director for 2007. Konrad, the two-time NCAA National Champion and three-time Big Ten Champion for the University of Minnesota takes over the supplemental training program in its fifth year.

In addition, several University of Minnesota wrestlers will take part in the instruction of training sessions. The School of Champions begins September 16th with evening sessions available to ages 6-18 concluding November 22nd.

The School of Champions is prior to the regular wrestling season. Sessions will consist of intense pre-season training once or twice a week so you will be in shape and ready to go when your wrestling season begins. Training sessions consist of running, technique, hard wrestling and weight training. The School of Champions will increase your physical capabilities, develop your timing, teach you proper weight management techniques, video critiquing, mental training and goal setting for the upcoming season.

Youth
Dates: Thursday nights September 20th-November 15th
Time: 6:30-7:30 pm
Location: University of Minnesota Wrestling Room
Ages: 6-12 years of age
Cost: $100
Description: Structured for development of technical aspects of wrestling for elementary age athletes.

Jr. High/High School
Dates: Tuesday nights September 18th-November 12th
Time: 6:30-7:30 pm
Location: University of Minnesota Wrestling Room
Ages: 12-18 years of age (Must be enrolled in HS)
Cost: $170
Description: Structured for development of technical aspects of wrestling for jr. high and high school athletes.

Select Dates: Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday nights September 16th-November 15th
Time: 7:30-9 pm
Location: University of Minnesota Wrestling Room
Ages: all ages considered
Cost: $340

Description: Structured for the development of year round wrestlers. Sessions will focus on live wrestling, hard drilling, conditioning and technique.

For more informatiom: 888.333.6585 or wrestling@jrobinsoncamps.com

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 5:09 PM | Permalink

The 2007 National Champion University of Minnesota wrestling team will visit Washington, D.C. on Friday, Sept. 21 to commemorate their third NCAA title in the past six years. Head coach J Robinson, University athletic director Joel Maturi, Minnesota's championship squad and several team staff and administration members will be making stops at the Capital, Pentagon and the White House, where they will meet President George W. Bush.

Friday morning, the team will enjoy tours at both the Capitol and Pentagon buildings before their afternoon appointment at the White House with the President. In 2001, the then-national champion Gophers became the first collegiate wrestling team to ever visit the White House, spending 25 minutes with President Bush and receiving a personal tour of the Oval Office from our country's chief executive.

During Coach Robinson's tenure at Minnesota, the Gophers wrestling team has become one of the most successful programs in collegiate athletic history. The Gophers have captured three national championships since 2001, boast 10 NCAA individual champions since 1998, 62 All-Americans in the last decade and six Big Ten titles in nine years.

Minnesota stormed through the 2006-2007 season, going 20-1 in dual meets and gaining team titles at the National Duals and Big Ten Championships before taking home their third NCAA Championship on March 18. Five Gophers – Jayson Ness (125 lbs.), Dustin Schlatter (149), C.P. Schlatter (157), Roger Kish (184) and Cole Konrad (Hwt.) – finished in the top eight at nationals and earned All-American status.

The Gophers' second Washington visit also marks the return of 2007 national heavyweight champion Konrad, the only Gopher All-American to graduate last spring. Konrad cemented his place alongside Golden Gopher legends Verne Gagne, Tim Hartung and Damion Hahn by winning his second straight national championship in 2007. Konrad finished his career with 76 wins in a row and a 154-13-0 career record, just five wins behind the all-time mark of 159 held by Ed Giese. He also had 50 pins, which rank second in school history.

Cole Konrad also became Minnesota's fifth four-time All-American, joining Chad Kraft, Luke Becker, Jared Lawrence and Hahn.

The 2007-08 Gopher wrestling season opens on Nov. 10 when Minnesota partakes in the 2007 Bison Open, hosted by North Dakota State. The defending national champions return to Williams Arena for their home opener Dec. 2.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 7:23 AM | Permalink

Greg Sesker in BAKU, Azerbaijan - Greetings from Baku.

After a long stretch of traveling, we're finally in Azerbaijan as the 2007 World Championships are just a little over 48 hours away from starting.

The trip got off to a slow start, but the two long flights - from Denver to Frankfurt, Germany, and from Frankfurt to Baku, Azerbaijan - couldn't have gone any more smoothly.

We touched down at around 9:30 p.m. Friday night and USA Wrestling National Teams Director Mitch Hull was in the airport to greet us. After a short bus ride to the hotel, USA Wrestling National Events Manager Travis Shives and I were able to check in right away. Mitch did a great job hooking us up with rooms and everything else we need on the trip.

We now have a couple of days to become acclimated and prepare for the big seven-day event.

Ran into InterMat Jack-of-All-Trades Jason Bryant in the lobby of our hotel. He arrived the day before we did. This is his first overseas trip and he's already been to one of our freestyle practices near the hotel. The Wireless Internet wasn't working in the hotel and Jason walked over to reset the Wireless Router at the front desk.

Also bumped into young Greco-Roman phenom Spenser Mango in the lobby. Mango, second at the U.S. World Team Trials, is here serving as a training partner to World Team member Joe Betterman. He is nowhere near 55 kilos right now after just finishing a BLT and a chicken basket. But he doesn't have to make weight again until Sunkist in late October.

USA Greco-Roman training partner Jake Fisher, who along with Mango trains at the U.S. Olympic Education Center, is busy in the lobby working on a test over the Internet in psychological statistics. He is majoring in sports science. Spenser isn't working on his homework however.

Betterman (60 kg/132 lbs.), Lindsey Durlacher (55 kg/121 lbs.) and Harry Lester (66 kg/145.5 lbs.) will weigh in Sunday and compete on the first day of the tournament Monday.

Durlacher and Lester both won bronze medals at the 2006 World Championships. Lester looked very good in winning the 2007 Pan American Games.

I've been up now for about 36 straight hours. Time to get some sleep.

Friday, Sept. 14

FRANKFURT, Germany - Greetings from Europe.

5,025 miles and 8 1/2 hours after leaving Denver on Lufthansa Airlines, USA Wrestling Manager of National Events Travis Shives and I have landed in Frankfurt, Germany, before we catch a connecting flight to Baku, Azerbaijan, for the 2007 World Championships.

The flight went very smoothly on the massive jet and the flight crew did a great job taking care of us.

We were a little disappointed in the movie selection on the flight. "Mr. Bean's Holiday" was shown and I gave up on it after about 20 minutes. It was one of the worst starts to a movie I have ever seen with this guy who looks like a European Pee Wee Herman trying to be funny, but failing miserably in my opinion. "Ocean's 13" was being shown on some other Lufthansa flights, but unfortunately not on ours.

Walking through the massive terminal to our gate, we saw our fair share of people who are also heading to Baku for the World Championships. We saw wrestlers from Tunisia, Bolivia, Peru, Canada and Denmark who are going to be on our flight. A number of mat officials are here, including Dave and Zach Errett, and Tom Clark from the U.S.

Mike Juby, the state chairman from Kansas, also is in our terminal. He was selected by USA Wrestling as a reward for his work and also to expose a grass-roots leader to a major international event like the World Championships.

It's 12:22 in the afternoon (4:22 a.m. in Colorado) so we are starting to hit the wall after the long flight as we operate on very minimal sleep.

Time to get on the plane to Baku.

Thursday, Sept. 13

DENVER - Anybody who knows me is fully aware I'm not one to voice my opinion or complain a whole lot. Well, that's not really true at all, but we've had an interesting start to our journey.

Travis Shives, USA Wrestling's Manager of National Events, and I called to confirm Thursday morning that we had aisle seats for our flight from Denver to Germany. But after driving up to Denver from Colorado Springs and checking in with Lufthansa Airlines, we discovered Travis had a middle seat and I didn't have a seat assigned to me yet.

Travis, who has a master's degree in speech communications, put those skills to use as he adeptly negotiated his way into an aisle seat. We're sitting here eating right now and I was just told I have a seat on the plane, but they're not sure which seat yet.

We spent about a half hour, at least, trying to check in and then stood in line for another 45 minutes before going through security. For some reason, they only had about half the lines open for security as a long line formed in the Denver airport.

We were offered 700 Euros (about $900 U.S.) apiece by the airline to give up our seats on the overbooked flight. Maybe we should have thought a little more about that.

I sure hope this is not an indication of what lies ahead, but I know we could have a lot bigger problems with this. We had a good laugh about it.

This is the third overseas trip for both me and Travis. He just traveled to Greece in June and I was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July for the Pan American Games. It feels like I just got back from there.

I have to be careful what I say about Travis because his mom just called him and said she was reading about him in this journal.

Anyway, we're finishing off a late lunch and preparing for the nine-hour flight tonight to Frankfurt, Germany. After about a three-hour layover, we'll head to Baku, Azerbaijan on about a five-hour flight.

Hopefully, it will go smoothly. And hopefully I will have a place to sit during the several-thousand-mile flight.

The wrestling starts in four days and I'm like a little kid waiting for Christmas. The excitement continues to build the closer we get to the competition.

Wednesday, Sept. 12

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Everyone was in full scramble mode at USA Wrestling World Headquarters on Wednesday morning.

All 21 of our U.S. World Team members in men’s and women’s freestyle, and Greco-Roman wrestling have already departed for the 2007 World Championships, set for Sept. 17-23 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The Greco boys left six days ago, the freestyle team left Sunday and the women took off Monday.

The freestyle and Greco teams, along with their training partners, coaches and trainers, are already in Baku training and going through final preparations for the event. The women are in Austria taking part in an acclimation camp before heading to Azerbaijan.

Even though the teams are already gone, the World Team warm-ups didn’t arrive in Colorado Springs until Tuesday. That added to the last-minute push to make sure everything was packed and ready to go. Hopefully, nobody forgets anything.

In addition to everything else we are taking to Baku – clothes, computers, media guides, notebooks, passports, cameras, video equipment, etc. - a final group of five of us will each take a huge bag with the Team USA warm-ups in them. Hopefully, the airline will get them to Baku.

USA Wrestling Director of Broadcasting Dave “Doc� Bennett, Director of National Teams Mitch Hull and Director of National Events Pete Isais are scheduled to fly out of Denver this afternoon en route to Baku. It’s funny seeing Doc scramble around, all out of breath, trying to make sure he doesn’t forget anything. He’s been on more of these trips than any of us, by a large number, but you would never know it when you see him frantically trying to get ready.

As I found out at last year's Worlds in China, there is never a dull moment when you travel with Doc. He's also our Freestyle Developmental Coach and he is kind of our Jack-of-All-Trades here in the Springs. Even though he is in his mid-60s, he rode his Harley-Davidson motorcycle from here to Las Vegas and back this year for the World Team Trials. He's a guy with a million stories. And he's the guy who always seems to find the best buys when shopping on these overseas trips.

I am scheduled to catch a flight out of Denver tomorrow afternoon with Travis Shives, USA Wrestling’s Manager of National Events. We are scheduled to fly about nine hours to Frankfurt, Germany, and then take around a five-hour flight to Azerbaijan. Two planes doesn’t sound too bad to me after it took us four planes to get from the Springs to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July for the Pan American Games.

Travis will be assisting me in our coverage of the event on TheMat.com. He has a strong communications background. He worked in public relations for the Minnesota Vikings and he helped cover the 2005 Worlds in Budapest, Hungary, for USA Wrestling and TheMat.com, so I’m looking forward to working with Travis in Baku.

Travis is a great guy who is one of the bright young people in our organization. He is very passionate about wrestling and very knowledgeable. Even though he wrestled for Minnesota State-Mankato, where he was an All-American, he still turned out pretty well. (I covered Nebraska-Omaha wrestling, one of Mankato's rivals, from 2000-06.) All kidding aside, it will be fun to have him along on this trip. I’m putting him in charge of making sure we don’t get into any trouble over there.

Putting together a trip like this with a large travel party is a major undertaking as Mitch and USA Wrestling National Teams Manager Jaimie McNab can attest. Among their many roles are trying to line up flights, hotels and ground transportation for everyone in the travel party, obtain Visas so everybody can gain entry into Azerbaijan, line up workout facilities for the teams, and transport everything to a country that is 11 time zones ahead of us here in Colorado.

As you can tell, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work and preparation that goes into making a trip like this possible.

I can’t wait to get over there and see the competition. Last year was my first World Championships and I never want to miss another one. The competition was awesome, plus the opportunity to visit another country and see how another culture lives is always intriguing.

Seeing Joe Warren and Bill Zadick win World titles last year in Guangzhou, China, was something I will never forget. Anyone who has wrestled at any level has some appreciation for what those guys did. There is no sport more grueling or demanding, both mentally and physically, and to reach the pinnacle is an incredible accomplishment.

I’m guessing the crowds will be very good in Baku. Wrestling is very big over there and with wrestling-mad Iran bordering Azerbaijan to the south I imagine there will be a lot of fans watching the action. Azerbaijan has some very good wrestlers – several of whom have a shot at winning gold medals. Seeing some fans would be a big improvement over China, where the crowds were very sparse.

I think our teams are ready for a strong performance. We have veteran Greco-Roman and women’s teams, plus we have some newcomers to the World stage in freestyle who have been working their whole life for this opportunity.

This is a huge tournament, with it being a qualifier for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The top eight finishers in each weight class qualify their countries for the Olympics, so that makes the stakes even higher than usual for a World event.

Who is going to be this year's Bill Zadick or Joe Warren for Team USA? Can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 7:17 AM | Permalink

Minnesota here's my top 5

1. Marcus LeVesseur- 4x class 3A champ, won titles at 130,140,145 and 152. A 6x placer in the large school division.

2. Zach Sanders- 5x class A champ. Won titles at 103,103,112,112 and 119. Senior and Junior nationals champion. going to the gophers.

3. Matt Nagel- first 5x state champion. Won titles at 103,125,135,152 and 152. All american for the gophers.

4. Steve Carr- only the 2nd 4x state champion, won at 112,119,126 and 132.

5. Luke Becker- 3x class 3A state champ, won at 135,145 and 152. 4x all american and national champion for Minnesota.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 2:18 AM | Permalink

Arizona - Eric Larkin 4,3,2,1 OW in college. He didn't get to wrestle varsity at 103 his freshman year, he was behind a 3-time state champ who had been an AA at Fargo. Took 3rd in state his sophomore losing to a 2-time champ in the semis. Undefeated in his high school varsity career except for that match. 3rd in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic freestyle trials.

2nd Place - Eddie Urbano, only wrestled two years on varsity in high school was stuck behind a 3-time state champ. AA and Champ for ASU at 150

3rd Place - Curly Culp, NCAA champ at hwt. for ASU

That is the only home-grown champs in Arizona.

Kansas where I'm originally from would be between these two

Myron Roderick - 3-time champ for OSU, 4th in 64 Olympics, legendary coach at OSU.

Melvin Douglas 3-time champ in H.S., 2-time champ at 177 for OU and world champion in freestyle at 198 in 1993.

Pete Mehringer who was way before my time was a gold medalist in 1932 Olympics, I think at hwt.

Oklahoma - This is too tough to even think about arguing.

Probably comes down to John Smith then Danny Hodge, but Jack Van Bebber was a 3-time champ for OSU and gold medalist in 1932. Hodge and Van Bebber are both from Perry, OK a town of about 2,000.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 2:09 AM | Permalink

This was a question recently brought up on a wrestling forum I visit frequently. Here is an excerpt...

" OK....I have been holding back but, now its time to start the "fire". Some of the BEST Wrestlers have come and gone and if you follow tendency , enrollment, and just plain ole numbers.....Some areas in the USA have had their best come and go. It is as simple as a Bell Curve in figuring out the most competitive time in your area...and generally it correlates with the most engaged in doing something. While truth be told every era has had "stars"....and truth has it sometimes it doesnt adequately support the amount of times a wrestler has won a State Title...and or a National College title. The BEST way to articulate this discussion is usually breaking it down to weight class.

In New York......I would put Jesse Jantzen and Troy Nickerson somewhere in the bottom 10 of my Top 30. I would put wrestlers such a Frank De Angelis, Bob Bury, Troy Bousakis and others in the Top 10.....but, by weight ONE of the Best wrestlers less then 110 lbs would be Jeff Thomas/Iacovelli/Rabin/Penrith .....above 120 lbs would be Bousakis/Payne/Antonacci/ ....above 135 would be De Angelis and so on. How about Steve Hunt, Carl Adams, Pete Galea?????"

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 2:06 AM | Permalink

Boise State 2007-2008 Schedule

November 10-Cowboy Open @ Wyoming

November 17-Best of the West Tournament @ Central Point, OR

November 30/December 1-Cliff Keen Invitational @ Las Vegas, Nevada

December 8-Wyoming @ Home

December 29/30-Southern Scuffle @ Greensboro, North Carolina

January 11-Cal-State Fullerton @ Cal-State Fullerton

January 12-Cal-State Bakersfield @ Cal-State Bakersfield

January 13-Cal Poly @ Cal Poly

January 18-Stanford @ Davis, California

January 19-UC Davis @ UC Davis

January 25-Oregon @ Home

January 27-Oregon State @ Home

February 1-Portland State @ Home

February 8-Montana State-Northern @ Home

February 10-Iowa @ Home

February 18-Great Falls-Montana @ Home

March 2/3-PAC 10 Championships @ Oregon

March 20-22 NCAA Wrestling Tournament @ St. Louis, Missouri

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 12:04 AM | Permalink

Winston to wrestle for Rutgers
Undefeated Jackson star (101-0) to join his former coach Goodale

New Jersey's top scholastic wrestler, Scott Winston of Jackson, has given a verbal commitment to Rutgers -- where he will be reunited with his former coach.

The official first day recruits can sign with colleges is Nov. 1.

Winston will be the center of the attention in the state's wrestling community this winter when he attempts to win a third straight NJSIAA tournament championship and finish his career undefeated.

Winston, who owns a remarkable 101-0 record in his high school career, informed new Rutgers coach Scott Goodale on Sunday that he has chosen Rutgers over such wrestling powerhouses as Iowa, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Illinois and Nebraska.

Goodale coached Jackson to the past two NJSIAA Group 4 team titles and The Star-Ledger Top 20 Trophy in each of those seasons. He posted a 155-16 record in his seven years at Jackson. Goodale was hired on July 31 to replace John Sacchi, who retired in May after a 17-year career at Rutgers.

Winston said a few factors weighed heavily in his decision.

"I don't think I'd be looking at Rutgers if it wasn't for Coach Goodale," Winston said. "With Goodale there, more good wrestlers will choose Rutgers. I wouldn't go there if the team didn't have a chance to win.

"He is also one of the men, besides my dad, I have a lot of trust in."

The only other school Winston visited was Illinois, and the three-day stay in Champaign, Ill., revealed to Winston something else he hadn't expected.

"I was home sick," he said. "I've been away from home before, but, for some reason, being away this time didn't feel right. I'm very close with my family."

Winston was 22-0 as a freshman but broke his wrist and missed the postseason tournaments. He was not a favorite to win the state title as a freshman in 2005 at 140 pounds. Dan Vallimont of Jefferson, now at Penn State, won the 2005 state title at 140 pounds, his second NJSIAA championship.

Winston then won the state championship at 145 pounds in 2006 and the state title at 152 pounds last March. His biggest hurdle in completing his career undefeated will likely come at the Beast of the East tournament in December. The event, which is held in Delaware, kicks off the season and draws many of the nation's top wrestlers.

Winston gained a national reputation as Jackson traveled outside of New Jersey to take on powerful programs from other states. But the lure of some of the nation's top wrestling programs could not sway Winston away from the coach he trusts the most.

"I was going to commit early no matter what," Winston said. "Maybe not this early. When coach Goodale got the Rutgers job, everything changed. It is a decision I am 100 percent positive about."

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 11:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Dan Gable senses a different attitude when he walks around the Iowa wrestling room.

The longtime Hawkeyes coach and second-year assistant to coach Tom Brands believes Iowa is positioned to “make a pretty good jump’’ this year nationally.

“I’m seeing signs, all summer I’ve seen them, that things are beginning to turn,’’ Gable said Monday during an appearance at the Davenport Grid Club.

He said he didn’t see those signs much of last season.

During a season of transition after Brands’ arrival from Virginia Tech, Iowa was 14-5 overall and 5-3 in Big Ten duals last year.

The effort preceded a third-place finish in the Big Ten meet and an eighth-place showing at the NCAA Championships, where 165-pounder Mark Perry became Iowa’s first NCAA titlist since 2004.

“It took nearly the whole year for the mindset to begin to change. It took five or six months before I saw anything that even remotely resembled change, and honestly I was really concerned,’’ Gable said.

“I didn’t know if it was going to happen, but late in the season I started to see signs, and they have continued.’’

Gable views Perry’s national title as a significant achievement.

“It’s a start. It’s something that indicates that at least one wrestler in that room got it, that the message was starting to sink in,’’ Gable said.

The signs have continued.

Returning Hawkeyes Ryan Morningstar and Matt Fields won championships at the University National Championships last April. Redshirt freshman Jake Kerr won his weight class at the FILA Junior World Team Trials in May, and former Hawkeyes Mike Zadick, Doug Schwab and Joe Williams earned spots on the U.S. freestyle team that will compete in the World Championships beginning next week in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Zadick and Schwab train in Iowa City and work as a strength training coach and volunteer assistant, respectively, with the Hawkeyes program.

“Those are all signs that things are getting back to normal around our program,’’ said Gable, who coached the Hawkeyes to 21 Big Ten titles and 15 NCAA championships during a head coaching career that ran from 1977 to 1997.

“And, I think as long as coach Brands is here, and coach (Cael) Sanderson is at Iowa State, the sport is going to stay strong in this state for quite a few years.’’

Gable said Brands taught the Hawkeyes to listen, believe and apply last season, elements that can equate to success, wins and domination when implemented.

“Right now, we’re starting to get into the success part and starting to have some wins. The domination will follow, but that can only happen as the wrestlers buy into what is being taught and dedicate themselves to making that happen,’’ Gable said.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 11:20 PM | Permalink

This first blog post is about College Wrestling , and where you can find results for NCAA Wrestling matches. TheWrestlingTalk Amateur Wrestling forum has created a unique community of wrestling fans who are very willing to assist wrestling fans looking for the latest collegiate wrestling results.

TheWrestlingTalk.com provides users with personal wrestlingTalk web pages, college wrestling rankings, results, college wrestling news, recruiting information, and video feeds. TheWrestlingTalk provides the only one stop resource for all types of media. College wrestling videos, Takedown Radio, and other multimedia are available at every users fingertips.

TheWrestlingTalk.com also provides a great resource for High School Wrestling. From wrestling rankings to results from "The Beast", TWT really develops well in season.

Posted by Wrestling Fan at 8:36 AM | Permalink