High School News

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Alex Dolly Ranked 19th in World Freestyle Rankings
Mishawaka native Alex Dolly remains in the latest FILA Freestyle rankings. He dropped from 17th to 19th in the World. Currently he wrestles for Ireland due to having dual citizenship in both the USA and Ireland.
 
Russians Crowd Men's Freestyle Rankings After Successful Ali Aliev Tourney
by William May
 
CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (June 3) – Russian wrestlers won seven of the eight gold medals on offer at the Ali Aliev wrestling tournament and crowded onto the FILA World Rankings after a quiet month for senior-level competition following the continental championships.
 
Russian representatives won 18 of the 32 medals awarded in the capital of the Dagestan Republic, Makhachkala, with 10 wrestlers making their way into the top 20 at their respective weights.
 
Artyom GEBEKOV (RUS) took his second Ali Aliev crown, this time at 57kg, and was joined by world bronze medalist Nariman ISRAPILOV (RUS) as they led the Russian assault on the rankings.
 
World and Olympic team veterans Albert SARITOV (RUS) and Anzor URISHEV (RUS) pushed their way up the rankings at 86kg behind European champion Abdul Rashid SADULAEV (RUS) and ahead of 2013 world team member Shamil KUDIYAMAGOMEDOV (RUS).
 
Four of the eight weight categories now feature four wrestlers from Russia in their ranks with a total of 26 wrestlers from Russia named in this month’s rankings.
 
Despite the rush of Russians onto the rankings, diversity reigns on top as six countries – Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, the United States, and Turkey -- can boast top-ranked wrestlers with only Russia and Iran having two each.
 
Veteran Ali ISAEV (AZE), who hails from Dagestan but wrestles for neighboring Azerbaijan, was the only wrestler not representing Russia to win a title Ali Aliev as he defeated junior world runner-up Abdollah GHOMI AVILI (IRI) at 125kg.
 
The only casualty at the top of the rankings was Asia champion Rasul KALIEV (KAZ), who slipped from No.1 after finishing in seventh place at 57kg. European champion and London 2012 silver medalist Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) became the new bantamweight leader.
 
Entries in the rankings are listed by name, country code, most recent or most significant result in the last 12 months, and ranking the previous month.
 
Click Here for FILA Ranking Criteria
 
57kg – Artyom GEBEKOV (RUS) won his second title at the Ali Aliev tournament while Universiade gold medalist Nariman ISRAPILOV (RUS) bagged his third bronze medal since winning last summer’s University Games to join the rankings at No.8 and No.9, respectively.
 
1. Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO) – Europe No.1 (2)
 
2. Rasul KALIEV (KAZ) – Asia No.1 (1)
 
3. DAMDINBAZAR Tsogtbaatar (MGL) – Asia No.2 (3)
 
4. Fumitaka MORISHITA (JPN) – Asia No.3 (4)
 
5. Samat NADYRBEK UULU (KGZ) – Asia No.3 (5)
 
6. Viktor LEBEDEV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.5 (6)
 
7. Hassan RAHIMI (IRI) – World Cup No.1 (7)
 
8. Artyom GEBEKOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (not ranked)
 
9. Nariman ISRAPILOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)
 
10. BATBOLD Nomin (MGL) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (10)
 
11. Amit KUMAR (IND) – Schultz Memorial No.2 (9)
 
12. Rustam AMPAR (RUS) – Yarygin No.1 (8)
 
13. Ghenadi TULBEA (MON) – Europe No.2 (11)
 
14. Garik BARSEGHYAN (ARM) – Europe No.3 (12)
 
15. Zoheir EL QUARRAQE (FRA) – Europe No.3 (13)
 
16. JIN Jong-Hak (PRK) – Takhti Cup No.1 (14)
 
17. Sezer AKGUL (TUR) – Yasar Dogu No.3 (15)
 
18. Andrei DUKOV (ROU) – Dan Kolov No.3 (16)
 
19. Vladislav ANDREEV (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.3 (17)
 
20. Mehrab REZAZADEH (IRI) – Asia No.5 (18)
 
61kg – Murshid MUTALIMOV (RUS) defeated two-time world champion Victor LEBEDEV (RUS), who was wrestling up one category, in the semifinals and went on to win the Ali Aliev crown and earn No.7 in the rankings.
 
Junior world champion Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE), a bronze medal winner at Yasar Dogu in February like Mutalimov, held steady at No.8 after a bronze medal in Makhachkala.
 
1. Haji ALIEV (AZE) – Europe No.1 (1)
 
2. Dyamal OTARSULTANOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (2)
 
3. Bekhan GOYGEREEV (RUS) – Europe No.2 (3)
 
4. Masoud ESMAILPOUR (IRI) – Asia No.1 (4)
 
5. Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ) – Asia No.3 (5)
 
6. Bajneesh BAJRANG (IND) – Asia No.2 (6)
 
7. Murshid MURTALIMOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
 
8. Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE) – Ali Aliev No.3 (8)
 
9. ENKHSAIKHAN Nyam-Ochir (MGL) – Yasar Dogu No.2 (7)
 
10. Behnam EHSANPOUR (IRI) – Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)
 
11. LHAMGARMAA Nazmandakh (MGL) – Asia No.3 (9)
 
12. Vasyl SHUPTAR (UKR) – Europe No.3 (10)
 
13. Andrei PERPELITA (MDA) – Europe No.3 (11)
 
14. Krzysztof BIENKOWSKI (POL) – Europe No.5 (13)
 
15. Vladimir DUBOV (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.3 (7)
 
16. James KENNEDY (USA) – Yasar Dogu No.1 (9)
 
17. Bazar BAZARGURUEV (KGZ) – Mongolian Open No.2 (15)
 
18. Vasyl FEDORISHIN (UKR) – Takhti Cup No.2 (16)
 
19. Noriyuki TAKATSUKA (JPN) – Takhti Cup No.3 (17)
 
20. Sayatpek OKASOV (KAZ) – Medved Prizes No.1 (nr)
 
65kg – Yarygin Grand Prix bronze medalist Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) won his second tourney of 2014 at Ali Aliev and leapt into the rankings at No.7. It was Chakaev’s third international triumph in Russia over the last seven months.
 
Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA), a world bronze medalist at 55kg for Cuba in 2010, stood on the medals podium for a third straight tourney with a bronze medal at Ali Aliev to climb to No.12 in the rankings.
 
1. Magomed KURBANALIEV (RUS) – Europe No.1 (1)
 
2. Franklin GOMEZ MATOS (PUR) – CAC Games No.1 (2)
 
3. Servet COSKUN (TUR) – Europe No.2 (3)
 
4. Borislav NOVACHKOV (BUL) – Europe No.3 (4)
 
5. Konstantin KHABALASHVILI (GEO) – Europe No.3 (5)
 
6. Sayed Ahmad MOHAMMADI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (6)
 
7. Akhmed CHAKAEV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
 
8. Mustafa KAYA (TUR) – Yasar Dogu No.3 (7)
 
9. KANG Jin-Hyeok (PRK) – Asia No.2 (8)
 
10. GANZORIG Mandakhnaran (MGL) – Mongolian Open No.1 (9)
 
11. Daichi TAKATANI (JPN) – Takhti Cup No.5 (10)
 
12. Frank CHAMIZO MARQUEZ (ITA) – Ali Aliev No.3 (18)
 
13. BATMAGNAI Batchuluun (MGL) – Asia No.3 (11)
 
14. Furkat FARMANOV (UZB) – Asia No.3 (12)
 
15. Andrey KVIATKOVSKI (UKR) – Ali Aliev No.2 (13)
 
16. Magomed MUSLIMOV (AZE) – Yasar Dogu No.2 (14)
 
17. Azamat NURIKOV (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.1 (15)
 
18. Dauren ZHUMAGAZIEV (KAZ) – Takhti Cup No.3 (16)
 
19. Alibeggadzhi EMEEV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.2 (17)
 
20. Hernan GUZMAN IPUZ (COL) – CAC Games No.2 (20)
 
70kg – Dshamaluddin KURBANALIEV (RUS), the Ali Aliev runner-up one year ago. defeated London Olympian Andrey KVIATKOVSKI (UKR) in this year’s final to rebound from a lackluster showing at the Medved Prizes in March and grab No. 10 in the rankings.
 
Ramazan SHAMSHUTDINOV (RUS), an early rankings leader at 70kg after a runner-up finish at the Yarygin Grand Prix in January, finished with a bronze medal at Ali Aliev to regain No.11 in the rankings after a lackluster winter and spring.
 
1. Moustafa HOSSEINKHANI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (1)
 
2. Ruslan DIBIRGADZHIYEV (AZE) – Europe No.1 (2)
 
3. Yakup GOR (TUR) – Europe No.3 (3)
 
4. Peyman YARAHMADI (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.2 (4)
 
5. Grigor GRIGORYAN (ARM) – Europe No.2 (5)
 
6. Israil KASUMOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.1 (6)
 
7. Khetag TSABOLOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.3 (7)
 
8. Miroslav KIROV (BUL) – Europe No.3 (8)
 
9. Somirshoh VOKHIDOV (TJK) – Asia No.2 (9)
 
10. Dshamaluddin KURBANALIEV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
 
11. Ramazan SHAMSHUTDINOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)
 
12. Ken HOSAKA (JPN) – Asia No.3 (10)
 
13. Ibrahim NURIDDINOV (UZB) – Asia No.3 (11)
 
14. LING Haiwei (CHN) – Asia No.5 (12)
 
15. Amit Dhankar KUMAR (IND) – Asia No.5 (13)
 
16. Zhombor GULYAS (HUN) – Europe No.5 (14)
 
17. Adrian Ionut MOISE (ROU) – Europe No.5 (15)
 
18. Geandry GARZON CABALLERO (CUB) – Granma Cup No.1 (16)
 
19. BUYANJAV Batzorig (MGL) – Buryatia Cup No.1 (19)
 
20. Zaur EFENDIEV (SRB) – Paris GGP No.1 (11)
 
74kg – Kamal MALIKOV (RUS), a bronze medal winner in 2013, took the Ali Aliev crown after ninth-place finishes at the Golden Grand Prix Final in November and the Yarygin Grand Prix in January to enter the rankings at No.9.
 
Ali Aliev runner-up Magomed ZUBAIROV (RUS), who bounces back-and-forth between 74kg and 86kg, comes in at No.10.
 
1. Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) – World No.1 (1)
 
2. Aniuar GEDUEV (RUS) – Europe No.1 (2)
 
3. Reza AFZALI PAEMAMI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (3)
 
4. Yabrail HASANOV (AZE) – Europe No.2 (8)
 
5. Ali SHABANOV (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.1 (6)
 
6. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR) – Europe No.3 (4)
 
7. Krystian BRZOZOWSKI (POL) – Europe No.3 (5)
 
8. Akhmed GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.2 (7)
 
9. Kamal MALIKOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
 
10. Magomed ZUBAIROV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.2 (nr)
 
11. PUREVJAV Unurbat (MGL) – Asia No.2 (9)
 
12. Innokenti INNOKENTYEV (KGZ) – Asia No.3 (12)
 
13. Hamid Reza REZAEI (IRI) – Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)
 
14. Leonid BAZAN (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.1 (11)
 
15. Ryoichi YAMANAKA (JPN) – Asia No.3 (13)
 
16. Essadollah AKBARI (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.3 (14)
 
17. Kiril TERZIEV (BUL) – Europe No.7 (15)
 
18. Yakob MAKARASHVILI (GEO) – Europe No.9 (16)
 
19. Parveen RANA (IND) – Schultz Memorial No.1 (17)
 
20. Akzhurek TANATAROV (KAZ) – Int’l Kunaev No.1 (18)
 
86kg – 2011 world bronze medalist Albert SARITOV (RUS) added the Ali Aliev crown to earlier wins in the Mongolian Open and Buryatia Cup and climbed to No.6 in the rankings.
 
Two-time former European champion and London Olympian Anzor URISHEV (RUS) narrowly missed a chance to meet Saritov in the Ali Aliev final, but takes a bronze medal for No.7 in the rankings.
 
1. Abdul Rashid SADULAEV (RUS) – Europe No.1 (1)
 
2. Murad GAIDAROV (BLR) – Europe No.2 (2)
 
3. Meisam MOSTAFA JOUKAR (IRI) – Asia No.1 (3)
 
4. Rashid KURBANOV (UZB) – Asia No.3 (4)
 
5. Azlan KAKHIDZE (KAZ) – Asia No.2 (5)
 
6. Albert SARITOV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (14)
 
7. Anzor URISHEV (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)
 
8. Ibragim ALDATOV (UKR) – World No.1 (6)
 
9. Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB) – Granma Cup No.1 (7)
 
10. Ehsan LASHGARI (IRI) – World No.3 (8)
 
11. Istvan VEREB (HUN) – Europe No.3 (9)
 
12. Gamzat OSMANOV (AZE) – Dan Kolov No.1 (10)
 
13. Shamil KUDIYAMAGOMEDOV (RUS) – Yarygin GP No.2 (11)
 
14. Dato MARSAGISHVILI (GEO) – Europe No.5 (12)
 
15. Musa MURTAZALIEV (ARM) – Europe No.3 (13)
 
16. Clayton FOSTER (USA) – Yasar Dogu No.5 (16)
 
17. Uitumen ORGODOL (MGL) – Asia No.3 (15)
 
18. Pedro CEBALLAS FUENTES (VEN) – CAC Games No.1 (19)
 
19. Alexander DOLLY (IRL) – Europe No.5 (17)
 
20. Taymuraz FRIEV NASKIDEAVA (ESP) – Paris GGP No.1 (18)
 
97kg – Yuri BELONOVSKI, eighth place at the Yarygin Grand Prix, defeated London 2012 gold medalist Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE), 5-2, to go from unranked to No.5 with his triumph at Ali Aliev.
 
Sharifov, who won the gold medal in London at 84kg, won the Dan Kolov crown in February as he battles for a place in the Azerbaijani line-up between promising newcomer at 86kg Gamzat OSMANOV (AZE) and veteran Khetag GAZUMOV (AZE), 96kg silver medalist at the 2013 world meet.
 
1. Reza YAZDANI (IRI) – World No.1 (1)
 
2. Abdusalam GADISOV (RUS) – Europe No.1 (2)
 
3. Khetag GAZUMOV (AZE) – Europe No.2 (3)
 
4. Ivan YANKOUSKI (BLR) – Europe No.3 (4)
 
5. Yuri BELONOVSKI (RUS) – Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
 
6. Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) – Ali Aliev No.2 (5)
 
7. Pavlo OLEYNIK (UKR) – Europe No.5 (6)
 
8. Nicolae CEBAN (MDA) – Europe No.3 (7)
 
9. William HARTH (GER) – Europe No.5 (8)
 
10. Lyuben ILIEV (BUL) – Dan Kolov No.3 (9)
 
11. Riza YILDIRIM (TUR) – Medved Prizes No.1 (10)
 
12. DORJKHAND Khuderbulga (MGL) – Asia No.1 (11)
 
13. Magomed MUSAEV (KGZ) – Asia No.2 (12)
 
14. Satyavart KADIAN (IND) – Asia No.3 (13)
 
15. Rustam ISKANDARI (TJK) – Asia No.3 (14)
 
16. Ibrahim BOLUKBASI (TUR) – Dan Kolov No.3 (15)
 
17. Dato KERASHVILI (GEO) – Takhti Cup No.3 (16)
 
18. Radoslaw BARAN (POL) – Ali Aliev No.3 (nr)
 
19. Hamed TALEBIZARRINKAMAR (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.1 (18)
 
20. Yusup JALILOV (BLR) – Medved Prizes No.2 (19)
 
125kg – Former European champion and Beijing 2008 Olympic team member Ali ISAEV (AZE) defeated 2010 Asia junior champion Abdollah GHOMI AVILI (IRI) in the only Ali Aliev final without at least one Russian representative in the final.
 
World silver medalist Alen ZASEEV (UKR) slipped a notch to No.8 after a bronze medal in Makhachkala. European bronze medalist Aleksander KHOTSIANIVSKI (UKR) held steady at No.5 with the second bronze medal at Ali Aliev.
 
1. Taha AKGUL (TUR) – Europe No.1 (1)
 
2. Komeil GHASEMI (IRI) – Asia No.1 (2)
 
3. Alan KHUGAEV (RUS) – Europe No.2 (3)
 
4. Khadshimourad GATSALOV (RUS) – World No.1 (4)
 
5. Aleksander KHOTSIANIVSKI (UKR) – Europe No.3 (5)
 
6. Ali ISAEV (AZE) – Ali Aliev No.1 (nr)
 
7. Jamalladin MAGOMEDOV (AZE) – Dan Kolov No.1 (6)
 
8. Alen ZASEEV (UKR) – Ali Aliev No.3 (7)
 
9. Parviz HADI (IRI) – Takhti Cup No.1 (8)
 
10. Daulet SHABANBAY (KAZ) – Asia No.3 (10)
 
11. Abdollah GHOMI AVITI (IRI) – Ali Aliev No.2 (nr)
 
12. Daniel LIGETI (HUN) – Europe No.3 (9)
 
13. NATSAGSUREN Zolboo (MGL) – Asia No.2 (11)
 
14. Andranik GALSTYAN (ARM) – Dan Kolov No.3 (12)
 
15. JARGALSAIKHAN Chuluunbat (MGL) – Mongolian Open No.2 (14)
 
16. Tervel DLAGNEV (USA) – World No.5 (15)
 
17. Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) – Asia No.5 (13)
 
18. David MODZMANASHVILI (GEO) – Europe No.5 (16)
 
19. Kurban KURBANOV (UZB) – Asia No.7 (17)
 
20. Luis VIVENES URBANESA (VEN) – CAC Games No.2 (19)

2013
Stevan Micic and Gelen Robinson highlight Asics All-America Team
By Rob Sherrill
 
Junior Zahid Valencia (132) of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco and seniors Stevan Micic (126) of Cedar Lake (Ind.) Hanover and Chance Marsteller (170) of Fawn Grove (Pa.) Kennard Dale were selected to the First Team for the second time as the 29th annual Asics All-America Wrestling Team was announced.
 
The First Team has combined for 38 state or National Prep championships. Joining Marsteller as a four-time champion was Micah Jordan (145) of St. Paris (Ohio) Graham, along with seven three-time champions.
 
The Asics All-America Team, selected by a nationwide panel of wrestling experts, is the only national all-star team for which wrestlers enrolled in all four high-school grades are eligible. Asics is a title sponsor of the Asics Vaughan USA Wrestling Fargo Junior National Championships and is a major benefactor of the sport at all levels.
 
“This team represents the best of the best in our schools today,” said Neil Duncan of Asics and TW Promotions, Inc. “We are proud to have these young men, with their talent and work ethic, representing us. They are clearly the World and Olympic champions of the future.”
 
Members of the First Team, as well as the Asics Wrestler of the Year, will be honored prior to the finals of the Asics Vaughan USA Wrestling Junior National Freestyle Championships in July at Fargo, N.D.
 
The Asics All-America Team includes eight wrestlers at each of the 14 high school weight classes – the First, Second, and Third Teams and five Honorable Mention selections. To be considered, a wrestler must have competed during the scholastic season, and all team members were selected at the weight class at which they competed, or would have competed, in their state tournament or the National Prep Championships this year.
 
Two of the three repeat First Team selections are back after being selected for the elite group two years ago. Valencia earned First Team honors at 106 in 2012, while Marsteller was selected to the First Team at 160 the same year. Both earned Second Team honors last year. Micic was named to the First Team at 113 last year.
 
Two years after Valencia made history by becoming the first freshman ever to earn First Team honors, Spencer Lee (113) of Murrysville (Pa.) Franklin Regional made it three straight years a freshman earned a First Team selection. Lee’s teammate, junior Devin Brown (106), made Franklin Regional the only school with two First Team selections in 2014. Three-time champions Nick Piccinnini (120) of East Setauket (N.Y.) Ward Melville and Lance Benick (195) of Fridley (Minn.) Totino Grace, both juniors, brought the number of First Team underclassmen to five.
 
In addition to their 39 scholastic titles, the 14 First Team members also combined to post four Junior National and 15 Cadet National titles. The Second Team edged the First Team with 41 state titles, including five four-time champions, to go with two Junior National and three Cadet National titles. The Third Team (32 titles) boasts two four-time champions, along with three Junior National and eight Cadet National crowns.
 
One of three states with multiple First Team selections, Pennsylvania led all states with four. Joining Brown, Lee and Marsteller was two-time champion Garrett Peppelman (160) of Harrisburg Central Dauphin. California and New Jersey each had two. Three-time champion Nick Nevills (285) of Clovis was California’s other selection. Three-time National Prep champion Joey McKenna (138) of Blairstown Township (N.J.) Blair Academy and three-time state champion Johnny Sebastian (182) of Oradell Bergen Catholic were New Jersey’s selections. Completing the First Team: three-time Illinois champion Bryce Brill (152) of Chicago Mount Carmel and two-time Utah champion Roy Nash (220) of Murray Taylorsville.
 
Twelve high schools had multiple wrestlers selected. Blair Academy had four overall selections, and St. Johns (Mich.) had three. Bergen Catholic, Clovis, Franklin Regional, St. John Bosco, Apple Valley (Minn.), Blue Springs (Mo.), Canonsburg (Pa.) Canon-McMillan, Greater Latrobe (Pa.), Stillwater (Okla.) and Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill each had two selections.
 
Pennsylvania placed 17 wrestlers on the squad and New Jersey 13 to lead all states. Pennsylvania placed 10 on the top three teams, with New Jersey claiming six. California had nine overall selections, followed by Illinois (eight), Minnesota and New York (six) and Oklahoma (five). The 112 wrestlers selected come from 32 states, the most since 2001.
 
2014 Asics All-America Team
 
First Team
106 – Devin Brown, Jr, Franklin Regional HS, Murrysville, PA
113 – Spencer Lee, Fr, Franklin Regional HS, Murrysville, PA
120 – Nick Piccinnini, Jr, Ward Melville HS, East Setauket, NY
126 – Stevan Micic*, Sr, Hanover Central HS, Cedar Lake, IN
132 – Zahid Valencia*, Jr, St. John Bosco HS, Bellflower, CA
138 – Joey McKenna, Sr, Blair Academy, Blairstown Township, NJ
145 – Micah Jordan, Sr, Graham HS, St. Paris, OH
152 – Bryce Brill, Sr, Mount Carmel HS, Chicago, IL
160 – Garrett Peppelman, Sr, Central Dauphin HS, Harrisburg, PA
170 – Chance Marsteller*, Sr, Kennard Dale HS, Fawn Grove, PA
182 – Johnny Sebastian, Sr, Bergen Catholic HS, Oradell, NJ
195 – Lance Benick, Jr, Totino Grace HS, Fridley, MN
220 – Roy Nash, Sr, Taylorsville HS, Murray, UT
285 – Nick Nevills, Sr, Clovis HS, Clovis, CA
 
* – denotes repeat selection
 
Second Team
106 – Yianni Diakomihalis, Fr, Hilton HS, Hilton, NY
113 – Nick Suriano, So, Bergen Catholic HS, Oradell, NJ
120 – Luke Pletcher, So, Greater Latrobe HS, Latrobe, PA
126 – Ke-Shawn Hayes, Jr, Park Hill HS, Kansas City, MO
132 – Josh Alber, Sr, Dakota HS, Dakota, IL
138 – Zac Hall, Sr, St. Johns HS, St. Johns, MI
145 – Jason Nolf, Sr, Kittanning HS, Kittanning, PA
152 – Jacob Danishek, Sr, Dayton Christian HS, Miamisburg, OH
160 – Ryan Blees, Sr, Bismarck HS, Bismarck, ND
170 – Bo Nickal , Sr, Allen HS, Allen, TX
182 – Ryan Christensen, Sr, Woodinville HS, Woodinville, WA
195 – Derek White, Sr, Edmond North HS, Edmond, OK
220 – Jeremy Sweany, Sr, Vacaville HS, Vacaville, CA
285 – Thomas Haines, Sr, Solanco HS, Quarryville, PA
 
Third Team
106 – Ty Agaisse, So, Delbarton HS, Morristown, NJ
113 – Daton Fix, Fr, Charles Page HS, Sand Springs, OK
120 – Nathan Boston, Sr, Woodford County HS, Versailles, KY
126 – Tommy Thorn, Sr, St. Michael-Albertville HS, Albertville, MN
132 – Fredy Stroker, Jr, Bettendorf HS, Bettendorf, IA
138 – Vincenzo Joseph, Jr, Central Catholic HS, Pittsburgh, PA
145 – Solomon Chishko, Sr, Canon-McMillan HS, Canonsburg, PA
152 – Logan Massa, Jr, St. Johns HS, St. Johns, MI
160 – Dylan Milonas, Sr, Blair Academy, Blairstown Township, NJ
170 – Chandler Rogers, Sr, Stillwater HS, Stillwater, OK
182 – Zack Zavatsky, Sr, Greater Latrobe HS, Latrobe, PA
195 – Michael Pixley, Sr, Blue Springs HS, Blue Springs, MO
220 – Bryan Dobzanski, Sr, Delsea HS , Franklinville, NJ
285 – Sam Stoll , Sr, Kasson-Mantorville HS, Kasson, MN
 
Honorable Mention (listed in alphabetical order)
 
106: Justin Mejia, Fr, Clovis HS, Clovis, CA; Jabari Moody, Jr, Rich Central HS, Olympia Fields, IL; Austin O’Connor, Fr, St. Rita HS, Chicago, IL; Danny Vega, So, Ironwood Ridge HS, Oro Valley, AZ; Tyler Warner, So, Claymont HS, Uhrichsville, OH.
 
113: Vito Arujau, Fr, Syosset HS, Syosset, NY; Hunter Marko, So, Amery HS, Amery, WI; Jack Mueller, So, Trinity Christian Academy, Dallas TX; Kyle Norstrem, Jr, Brandon HS, Brandon, FL; Brian Rossi, Sr, Lockport HS, Lockport, IL.
 
120: Brent Fleetwood Sr, Smyrna HS, Smyrna, DE; Ethan Lizak, Sr, Parkland HS, Orefield, PA; Elijah Oliver, Jr, Christian Brothers HS, Memphis, TN; Scott Parker, Sr, Pennridge HS, Perkasie, PA; Sean Russell, Sr, Collins Hill HS, Suwanee, GA.
 
126: Matthew Kolodzik, Jr, Blair Academy, Blairstown Township, NJ; Dalton Macri, Sr, Canon-McMillan HS, Canonsburg, PA; Ryan Millhof, Sr, Collins Hill HS, Suwanee, GA; Zeke Moisey, Sr, Bethlehem Catholic HS, Bethlehem, PA; Jared Prince, Jr, University HS, Palm Harbor, FL.
 
132: Jered Cortez, Sr, Glenbard North HS, Carol Stream, IL; Brock Ervin, Jr, Union County HS, Morganfield, KY; Anthony Giraldo, Sr, North Bergen HS, North Bergen, NJ; Coy Ozias, Sr, Christiansburg HS, Christiansburg, VA; Joshua Terao, Sr, Mid-Pacific Institute, Honolulu, HI.
 
138: Ronnie Gentile, Jr, Paulsboro HS, Paulsboro, NJ; Seth Gross, Sr, Apple Valley HS, Apple Valley, MN; Gary Wayne Harding, Sr, Collinsville HS, Collinsville, OK; Emilio Saavedra, Sr, Modesto HS, Modesto, CA; Cole Weaver, Sr, Hudson HS, Hudson, MI.
 
145: Colton Adams, Sr, Scottsbluff HS, Scottsbluff, NE; Alfred Bannister, Sr, Bishop McNamara HS, Forestville, MD; Joe Smith, Jr. Stillwater HS, Stillwater, OK; Hayden Tuma, Sr, Centennial HS, Boise, ID; Nikko Villarreal, Sr, Gilroy HS, Gilroy, CA.
 
152: Tyler Berger, Sr, Crook County HS, Prineville, OR; Jack Clark, Sr, St. Augustine Preparatory, Richland, NJ; Louis Hernandez, Sr, Mepham HS, North Bellmore, NY; Mason Manville, So, Blair Academy, Blairstown Township, NJ; T.C. Warner, Sr, Cumberland Valley HS, Mechanicsburg, PA.
 
160: Fox Baldwin, Jr, Osceola HS, Kissimmee, FL; Daniel Lewis, Sr, Blue Springs HS, Blue Springs, MO; Shakur Rasheed, Sr, Longwood HS, Middle Island, NY; Jonathan Schleifer, Sr, East Brunswick HS, East Brunswick, NJ; Brandon Womack, Sr, Scottsboro HS, Scottsboro, AL.
 
170: Dillon Artigliere, Sr, Roxbury HS, Succasunna, NJ; Kimball Bastian, Sr, Maple Mountain HS, Spanish Fork, UT; Mark Hall, So, Apple Valley HS, Apple Valley, MN; Myles Martin, Jr, McDonogh School, Owings Mills, MD; Anthony Valencia, Jr, St. John Bosco HS, Bellflower, CA.
 
182: Angus Arthur, Jr, St. Johns HS, St. Johns, MI; Nick Fiegener, Sr, Folsom HS, Folsom, CA; Corey Griego, Sr, Sultana HS, Hesperia, CA; JaVaughn Perkins, Sr, Omaha North HS, Omaha, NE; Dylan Wisman, Jr, Millbrook HS, Winchester, VA.
 
195: Marcus Harrington, Sr, Waterloo West HS, Waterloo, IA; Chip Ness, Sr, Buford HS, Buford, GA; Nathan Rose, Sr, Sibley East HS, Arlington, MN; Samuel Shields-Colbray, So, Hermiston HS, Hermiston, OR; Preston Weigel, Sr, Hays HS, Hays, KS.
 
220: Michael Boykin, Sr, Coatesville HS, Coatesville, PA; Kenneth Brinson, Jr, Marist School, Atlanta, GA; Austin Myers, Jr, Campbell County HS, Alexandria, KY; Gelen Robinson, Sr, Lake Central HS, St. John, IN; Jordan Wood, So, Boyertown HS, Boyertown, PA.
 
285: Tanner Farmer, Sr, Highland HS, Highland, IL; Adarios Jones, Sr, Moline HS, Moline, IL; James O’Hagan, Sr, Seaford HS, Seaford, NY; Harrison Phillips, Sr, Millard West HS, Omaha, NE; Jesse Webb, Sr. Mount Anthony HS, Bennington, VT.

819
Class of 2014 College Signings
This is the section where you will find out where Indiana high school seniors will be going to college next year to wrestle. Good luck to these seniors as they take their skills to the next level.
 
[table id=25 /]

508
Weekend Recap
This past weekend saw many wrestlers participating and doing well at national level events.
 
NHSCA National Duals
 
The exact details are sketchy, but Indiana took three teams to Virginia Beach this weekend and did quite well. The Indiana Elite made the quarter-finals before dropping a tough match with Team Griffin Select. They posted dominant wins in seven of their eight victories throughout the tournament. The High Rollers were rolling with four of a kind on their way to finishing 9th in the field of over 120 teams from across the country.
 
In the middle school division Indiana had a team make the fifth place match and also had an elementary team place 7th.
 
FILA Cadet Nationals
 
The Indiana contingent was small, but might at the FILA Cadet Nationals in Akron, Ohio this weekend. On the Greco-roman side Dylan Lydy finished 4th in a tough weight class. Also Blake Schjoll finished 6th in Greco-roman.
 
Only four competitors took the mat in the freestyle portion of the tournament. Nick Lee lead the way with a runner-up finish for the second straight year. He dominated his opponents with six tech falls in his eight wins. He beat several nationally ranked wrestlers during his run. Nick’s younger brother, Joe, went 1-2 with a tough draw. He drew eventual champion Daton Fix in his second match. Then he had another tough opponent in Ohio state champion Jose Rodriguez. Lee took a 4-0 lead into the second period, but was unable to finish with the victory. Dylan Lydy started with a victory, but had to pull out due to injury or he would have likely made a deep run. Also, Danville’s Elliot Molloy won his first match, then dropped his next two.
 
University Nationals
 
There were numerous wrestlers with Indiana ties wrestling in the University division over the weekend. Leading the way was Indiana University’s Lucas Sheridan who finished second. He had a big win over this year’s national champion at 197lbs J’Den Cox in the semi-finals. Sheridan pinned Cox in just 53 seconds. The only other placers with Indiana ties were a couple region wrestlers. Jason Tsirtsis finished 5th after dropping a tough semi-final bout and Paul Petrov finished 7th in a tough weight class.
 
On the Greco-roman side, Sheridan also placed 3rd for the Hoosiers. Also placing was Garret Goldman, who brought in a 7th place finish.

707
Tony Ersland Named Purdue Head Wrestling Coach
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue athletics director Morgan Burke has announced the hiring of Tony Ersland as head wrestling coach. Ersland takes the helm of the Boilermaker program with extensive Division I coaching experience and success in the Big Ten, Big 12 and Mid-American conferences.
 


" data-width="466"> Post by Purdue Wrestling. "We had many qualified candidates, but in the end it was clear that Tony had emerged as our No. 1 choice," Burke said. "He presented a comprehensive plan for moving our wrestling program forward both in the Big Ten and nationally. His resume as a coach and as a student-athlete is impressive, and it is clear he knows the look and feel of a championship-caliber program. I congratulate our search team, led by Calvin Williams, for selecting an outstanding head coach."
 
"I'd like to thank Calvin Williams, Morgan Burke and the entire search committee that I dealt with during hiring process," Ersland said. "Being named head wrestling coach at Purdue means a lot to me. I've been coaching for 17 years, and I got into this business to lead young men. I know the path I have taken to get to this point and the individuals that I have worked with have prepared me to create an elite program at Purdue. I'm thankful Purdue has put its trust in me to lead the wrestling program."
 
Ersland comes to Purdue after serving as an assistant coach at Nebraska for the past eight seasons. While on staff, the Huskers have tallied a 102-41-2 dual record, seven top-20 team finishes at the NCAA Championships and grapplers have earned 17 All-America honors. Ersland, who primarily worked with the upper weights, coached three-time All-American, two-time NCAA finalist and 2009 Big 12 champion and Outstanding Wrestler of the Meet Craig Brester at 197 pounds. He also coached four-time qualifiers in Josh Ihnen (184) and Tucker Lane (285).
 
During his 17 years, Ersland has played an integral role in developing student-athletes that are accomplished on the mat and nationally recognized. He has had 86 wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships, with 28 earning All-America honors and four finishing at the top of the podium. Two of his pupils, Jordan Burroughs and Jake Herbert, earned the highest honor a collegiate grappler can receive in the Dan Hodge Award. Ersland continued to develop Burroughs on the international stage as he claimed the 2011 and 2013 World titles at 74 kg. In 2012, Burroughs claimed Olympic gold in London.
 
"Tony has been associated with winning programs and has significant experience in the Big Ten Conference," associate athletics director Calvin Williams said. "He brings a level of maturity and focus that will be conducive to taking our wrestling program to the next level. We believe very strongly that he is the right choice for Purdue University."
 
Prior to his post at Nebraska, Ersland coached the Cyclone Wrestling Club in Ames, Iowa. Ersland worked with Iowa State NCAA champions Trent Paulson (157) and David Zabriskie (285) among other multiple NCAA qualifiers and All-Americans.
 
His familiarity with the Big Ten extends beyond his time at Nebraska. From 2000-2005, Ersland was the head assistant wrestling coach at Northwestern, and he also served as a coach and board member for the Wildcat Wrestling Club.
 
He was the head assistant wrestling coach at Northern Illinois in 1999 and 2000 after getting his start as a graduate assistant at Central Michigan from 1997 to 1999.
 
On the mat, Ersland wrestled for the University of Iowa under legendary coach Dan Gable and was a part of three-straight NCAA team championships (1995-97) and four Big Ten Championships (1994-97). During his senior season in 1997, Ersland finished one match shy of All-America honors at 177 pounds.
 
The Humboldt, Iowa, native excelled in the classroom as a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and Board of Control Athletics Award winner, and was bestowed with Iowa wrestling's J. Donald McPike Award, given to the senior on the team with the highest grade-point average.
 
Ersland earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Iowa (1997) and a Master of Arts in athletic administration from Central Michigan (1999).
 
Ersland and his wife, Carolyn, have twin sons, Mason and Jaxon.

585
Wabash Wrestling Makes Solid Service Finalist List
Brent Harris
5/20/2014 3:03:00 PM
 
The National Wrestling Coaches Association and Elite Level Sports Marketing announced six finalists for the Best of Brand "Solid Service" Award, which included the Wabash College wrestling program.
 
The Little Giants made the finals list along with Indiana Tech, Johns Hopkins, North Carolina, Ouachita Baptist, and Wayland Baptist. The "Solid Service" Award recognizes wrestling programs which created videos that highlight community service outreach during the season.
 
"I am excited for Wabash wrestling to be named a finalist for this 'Solid Service' Award because it will help bring more attention to JDRF (formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), which was one of our overall goals for the 2013-14 season," said Little Giant head coach Brian Anderson.
 
"Our guys put forth tremendous effort in raising money and awareness for JDRF," assistant coach and social media coordinator Danny Irwin added. "We hope through our video helps get that message out and strengthens the impact we have as a program with JDRF."
 
Wabash has participated in JDRF walks the past two season, working as "Team Kelsey." Anderson's daughter, Kelsey was diagnosed with diabetes over two years ago. Wabash wrestler Conner Lefever, a 2014 Midwest Regional champion and NCAA Division III national qualifier at 174 pounds, is also a diabetic. The wrestling team provided additional support for JDRF by creating an Outdoor Takedown Tournament in the fall of 2013. The team moved wrestling mats on the Mud Hollow Stadium soccer and lacrosse field and raised money through donations throughout the tournament held prior to a home Wabash football game.
 
Criteria for determining the "Solid Service" Award recipient includes a panel of judges assessing video performance (70 percent) and an online voting competition (30 percent). The online voting component will include 15 percent allocated to the actual vote totals and 15 percent to the creativity of the campaign during the Battle Round voting. The quarterfinal round of voting begins at noon on June 9 and runs until 9 p.m. (EDT). Voting information can be found at http://www.nwcaonline.com/nwcawebsite/best-of-brand-battle-rounds.

2331
U.S. World Team Trials women’s freestyle preview at 58 kg
By Gary Abbott
 
This weight class could draw athletes from the two non-Olympic divisions of 55 kg and 60 kg, making it possible that the World Team Trials will be stronger than the U.S. Open field. Regardless if anybody switches into this class, the talent at the U.S. Open here was considerable by itself.
 
The U.S. Open champion for the second straight year is Alli Ragan, who completed her college career this year with a WCWA national title. Ragan competed at the 2013 Senior World Championships and is a two-time Junior World medalist. By sitting out until the finals series, Ragan is looking to be fresh while her finals opponent could be tired from earlier bouts.
 
2012 Olympian Kelsey Campbell, who placed as high as fifth at the World Championships, becomes a top challenger in Madison. Campbell won a silver medal at this weight at the Grand Prix of Paris this winter, but also dropped to 55 kg to wrestle in the World Cup. After taking last year off, Campbell should be rounding into top form for the World Team Trials.
 
With the best performance of her career, Trinity Plessinger Griffin claimed the silver medal at the U.S. Open this year. A veteran who has struggled with injuries in the past, Griffin looked strong in Las Vegas until the finals, where she was pinned by Ragan. This could be the year that Griffin puts it all together when it counts.
 
Placing third at the U.S. Open was talented Michaela Hutchison. She was a three-time WCWA college national champion and has many high placements at the Senior level in the past. Now a college coach, Hutchison is capable of reaching the finals with a good run in Madison.
 
Othella Feroleto, a past U.S. Open runner-up, took fourth in Las Vegas, and won the Minnesota Storm Cup at this weight class. An Army teammate of Feroleto’s and making a comeback after many years off the mat is two-time World bronze medalist Sally Roberts. Roberts finished fifth at the U.S. Open, and if she can reclaim the abilities she had prior to her retirement, she will be a major force at this division.
 
The U.S. Open finalists at 60 kg were champion Jennifer Page and runner-up Jenna Burkert are eligible to drop here for the Trials. Of the two, Burkert, a three-time Junior World Team member, is more likely to drop to 58 kg and make a run. The University Nationals champion at 58 kg was Jacarra Winchester, who had a solid college career and is showing strong freestyle abilities.
 
The finalists at 55 kg at the U.S. Open were champion Helen Maroulis and runner-up Sarah Hildebrandt. If either chooses to enter at the Phase I Trials, it is most likely that it will be Hildebrandt at this weight class. A WCWA college champion with extensive international experience, Hildebrandt could surprise people if she moves up to wrestle.
 
High school star Kayla Miracle entered her first Senior Open this year and placed an impressive sixth. A past Cadet World medalist and Junior World Team member, Miracle has a bright future ahead at both the college and Senior levels. Earning a spot in the field with her seventh place finish at the Open is 2012 Open runner-up Melissa Apodaca, who joined the U.S. Marines this season.
 
Read more on TheMat.com U.S. World Team Trials women’s freestyle preview at 58 kg

536
Quiroga Receives Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award
Boilermaker will be recognized at the N4A National Convention in Orlando, Fla., on June 7.
 
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Cashé Quiroga has been named a 2014 recipient of the prestigious National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics (N4A) Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award, honoring the Boilermaker for overcoming great personal, academic and/or emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics. Quiroga, who recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in Organizational Leadership and Supervision, will be recognized at the N4A National Convention in Orlando, Fla., on June 7.
 
Quiroga is the fourth Purdue student-athlete to receive the N4A Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award, joining fellow wrestler Akif Eren (2011), Kevin Hough (1993, men's golf) and John Reeves (1998, football) as recipients.
 
The four-year letterwinner has experienced the highs and lows of being a student-athlete. As an unseeded true freshman, Quiroga earned All-America honors at 125 pounds, a feat only five other Boilermaker grapplers had ever accomplished. He qualified for a second NCAA appearance as a redshirt sophomore, but didn't get on the podium. The next year he didn't even qualify.
 
Quiroga met some of the nation's toughest competition in the middle of the mat on a weekly basis, but it was the trials and tribulations off the mat that loomed the heaviest in the opposing corner.
 
For years, Quiroga has dealt with the horrors of drug abuse amongst his immediate family. Not only was he balancing an academic workload along with high wrestling goals, but he was learning how to cope with a wide-range of emotions. He knew that at any moment his phone could ring and he had to be ready for what he was about to hear.
 
One would think being 65 miles from home would allow Quiroga to mentally escape from the daily nightmare the drug abuse was exerting on him, but it wasn't. His four younger siblings were immersed right in the middle of it. They saw their big brother as their rock and when he'd make the drive home to Indianapolis, they didn't want to see him go.
 
The internal struggle Quiroga fought, "Do I stay at Purdue or do I go home, but if I go home, what sort of an example am I setting?" only added to the emotions he had to cope with. It was hard and wrestling was his release.
 
"There was a lot of pent up anger with stuff that was going on," Quiroga said. "Some days I would go in [to practice] and the coaches would tell me that I had to calm down. It definitely was a good release to be able to go in there and go hard and get it all out."
 
Early in the summer between his redshirt sophomore and junior seasons while attending a wrestling camp, Quiroga felt a few pains in his hip. He didn't think much of it until he woke up the next morning drenched in sweat, unable to move. Everything the doctors tested him for came back negative and he was sent home. One day of gut-wrenching pain turned into two, then three. Finally, the hospital admitted him and two days later it was discovered he had a severe staph infection in his blood stream.
 
The infection was so severe that the prognosis delivered by the doctors was bleak; "We hope that he will be able to recover and walk."
 
"When the doctor first said that stuff to me, it was...my stomach dropped, my heart dropped," Quiroga said. "In the back of my head, I knew I'd be fine. I knew it wasn't the end for me."
 
Quiroga spent the rest of the summer recovering at home learning how to walk while warding off future infections with heavy-duty antibiotics. Not to mention, he was doing all of this amongst the multitude of stresses exerted on the family by way of drug abuse. The end of summer couldn't come fast enough.
 
Five months after contracting staph, Quiroga was finally able to get back out on the mat, but it wasn't the same. He was plagued by injury after injury, proving that his body was not as resilient as it once was. Quiroga was in a dark place and there didn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel.
 
It's when all seems lost that things take a turn for the better.
 
As his final season at Purdue got underway, the demons Quiroga had fought for years were by no means gone, but they subsided enough to allow him to obtain what had always been the ultimate goal.
 
Knowing that the 2013-14 season was going to be his last, a fire was ignited. Quiroga went from unranked to one of the nation's top-10 133-pounders. He was relentless offensively with 10 victories resulting in bonus points. Along the way to an 18-8 record, he upended eight nationally ranked opponents, placed third at the Big Ten Championships and finished just one match shy of earning his second All-America honor.
 
A wrestler isn't satisfied with his performance unless he comes home with a title. Did the season end the way Quiroga wanted it to? He'll tell you no, of course not, but two months after the NCAA Championships he finally had the opportunity to bask in the personal satisfaction of all that he has conquered. Thanks to the unconditional support from his family, coaches and teammates, Quiroga achieved his greatest accomplishment: college graduate.
 
 
 
About the N4A Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award: The N4A Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award is intended to honor student-athletes who have overcome great personal, academic, and/or emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics. These young men and women may not be the best athletes or students, and therefore may not have been recognized by other organizations or awards. Nonetheless, they have persevered and made significant personal strides toward success. These are the students who benefit most from academic athletic advisement programs and represent our motivation and sense of satisfaction. We recognize them for their achievements with the N4A Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award. The common thread for all the recipients of this award is motivation or drive to succeed and the work ethic that overcomes difficult situations. To read the Wilma Glodean Rudolph story, please click here.

2830
World Team Trials preview in freestyle at 74 kg
By Craig Sesker
 
Jordan Burroughs has been the king of the wrestling world at 74 kg/163 lbs. over the past three seasons.
 
Burroughs has won an Olympic gold medal and two World titles in that span, but just making another American freestyle team will be a challenge again this year.
 
Burroughs rallied for a wild 7-6 win over two-time Hodge Trophy winner David Taylor in an epic U.S. Open final in April in Las Vegas. Burroughs scored two takedowns in the last 30 seconds to prevail.
 
Burroughs’ U.S. Open victory clinched him a spot in the final-round series for the U.S. World Team Trials, set for May 31-June 1 in Madison, Wis. He will face the winner of the Challenge Tournament in the best-of-3 match finals.
 
The champion at the Trials will advance to September’s World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
 
Burroughs, now 82-1 in his remarkable career, is coming off an impressive pin over Russia’s Atsamaz Sanakoev in the Beat the Streets Dual in New York City.
 
Taylor will have to win the Challenge Tournament to earn another shot at Burroughs in the final-round series. Taylor won a bronze medal at the 2013 World University Games. Taylor looked strong in defeating two-time World bronze medalist Yabrail Hasanov of Azerbaijan 6-0 in New York.
 
Tyler Caldwell, second to Taylor at the 2014 NCAAs, is another top wrestler in this class. Caldwell finished third at the U.S. Open.
 
Quinton Godley turned in a strong showing at the Open, placing fourth in Vegas.
 
Top young college star Taylor Massa, a dominant performer coming up through the USA Wrestling age-group ranks, placed fifth at the Open.
 
Thomas Gantt was sixth and Jesse Stafford seventh in Las Vegas.
 
Past NCAA champion Andrew Howe also has excelled in this division, but he may bump up a class for the Trials. Howe was second at the 2012
 
Read more on TheMat.com World Team Trials preview in freestyle at 74 kg

561
@INTechWrestling in Best of Brand "Solid Service" Video Finals
Aubree Reichel
 
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- For the second year in a row, Indiana Tech wrestling is one of the six finalists in the Elite Level Sports Marketing (ELSM) and National Wrestling Coaches Association's (NWCA) Best of Brand "Solid Service" category the groups announced on Tuesday. The category highlights programs' community service outreach during the season. The Warriors won the award last year.
 
Other finalists include Johns Hopkins, North Carolina, Ouachita Baptist, Wabash and Wayland Baptist.
 
This year, the wrestling team participated in The Women's Bureau's Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, Down Syndrome Association of Northeast Indiana's Buddy Walk and hosted the Warrior Elite Wrestling Camp.
 
The winner will be determined through judges assessing video performance (70%) and an online voting competition (30%). The online voting is split into two parts, as well, with half of the 30% allocated to the actual vote totals and the other half to the creativity of the campaign during the "Battle Round" voting.
 
The Battle Round will be in bracket format and will begin on Monday, June 9 at noon and can be found here.
 
Indiana Tech is "seeded" in the #2 spot behind Wayland Baptist and will, therefore, receive a bye to the semifinal round beginning at noon Tuesday, June 10 with the final starting at noon Wednesday, June 11. Voting concludes at 9 p.m. during each round.
 
The winner will be announced at the 2014 NWCA Convention in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on August 1.
 
Last year's video and current polls can be found here.

1000
IHSWCA Team State Location and Date Finalized
The third installment of the IHSWCA Team State Finals has a finalized date and location for the upcoming 2014/2015 season. This year’s event will feature the top 12 teams in three classes on January 3rd, 2015. This year’s event will be moved from Westfield High School to the campus of Ball State University. The IHSWCA has secured the Field Sports Building and the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. They also have the possibility of adding Worthen Arena depending on the winter sports schedules.
 
With the addition of four teams in each class this year’s format will be different than in the past. Look for the announcement on the format change to come soon.
 
Date: January 3, 2015
Location: Campus of Ball State University
 
Teams included in this year’s event
 
3A (LARGE)
Penn
Evansville Mater Dei
Avon
Cathedral
Warren Central
Perry Meridian
Carmel
Carroll(Fort Wayne)
Bloomington South
Franklin
New Palestine
Westfield
 
2A (MEDIUM)
Yorktown
Evansville Memorial
Mount Vernon (Posey)
Bellmont
Gibson Southern
Southmont
Lebanon
Leo
South Bend St. Joe
Franklin County
Columbia City
Rochester
 
1A (SMALL)
Churubusco
Union County
Bremen
Tecumseh
West Central
Monrovia
Central Noble
Milan
Westview
Triton Central
Prairie Heights
Adams Central

2228
Leathers named Outstanding Wrestler at Body Bar FILA Junior Nationals in Texas
IRVING, Texas – High school star Becka Leathers of Oklahoma won a loaded 55 kg/121 lbs. division and was named Outstanding Wrestler at the Body Bar FILA Junior Nationals on Sunday.
 
Leathers, a 2013 Cadet World Team member, defeated past Junior World Team member and Cadet World champion Haley Augello, who competes for the New York AC and King College in two straight matches in the championship series. Leathers won the first bout 10-1 and the second bout 6-2.
 
Leathers was seventh at the 2013 FILA Cadet World Championships, which was her first international event.
 
Champions in the eightWorld Championships weights earn a spot on the U.S. FILA Junior World Team, which will compete in the FILA Junior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, August 5-10.
 
All nine of the championship best-of three series were finished in two straight matches.
 
Qualifying for the U.S. Junior World Team for the second straight year was Cody Pfau of the Gator Women’s RTC, the champion at 48 kg/105.75 lbs. Pfau, who was fifth at the FILA Junior World Championships last year, won in the finals in two straight bouts over Amy Hou of the USOTC. In bout one, Pfau won a wild 11-10 decision, but came back in bout two to score a pin in 1:17. Pfau attends Oklahoma City University.
 
It was a rematch of last year’s Junior Nationals finals, also won by Pfau.
 
Qualifying for her second U.S. age-group World Team of the year was Amy Fearnside of the Titan Mercury WC, the college star from Jamestown University at 51 kg / 112.25 lbs. Fearnside scored a pair of technical falls in the finals, stopping New Jersey’s Sierra Blasone in the finals 10-0 and 12-2. Fearnside also earned a spot on the 2014 U.S. University World Team with a victory at the University Nationals earlier this spring.
 
In addition to Leathers, there were two other members of the 2013 FILA Cadet World Team members who made this year’s FILA Junior World Team, Marina Doi of California at 44 kg / 97 lbs. and Alexis Porter of New York at 63 kg / 138.75 lbs.
 
Doi defeated her twin sister Regina Doi of California in the championship finals in two straight bouts, 7-0 in bout one and by injury default in bout two. Marina Doi was third at the 2013 Cadet World Championships and was a 2012 Cadet World champion.
 
Porter defeated Olivia Seppinni of California in the championship series, 5-2 and 11-4. Porter, who competes for the New York AC, was a 2012 and 2013 Junior Nationals champion, while Seppinni placed fourth at the 2014 U.S. Senior Open.
 
Perhaps the most dominant performance of the day came from 2012 Cadet World silver medalist Kayla Miracle of the Sunkist Kids, a high school star from Indiana, who defeated Gabrielle Weyhrich of Nebraska in the championship series, with a pin in 3:56 and an 11-0 technical fall.
 
Continue reading on TheMat.com Leathers named Outstanding Wrestler at Body Bar FILA Junior Nationals in Texas

1901
World Team Trials preview in freestyle at 65 kg
By Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
 
Brent Metcalf is ready for a breakthrough.
 
The two-time World Team member is ready to win a World medal this season for the United States.
 
Metcalf looks well on his way after shutting out all four of his opponents en route to winning the U.S. Open freestyle title at 65 kg/143 lbs. He outscored his four Open foes a combined 39-0.
 
Metcalf’s U.S. Open victory clinched him a spot in the final-round series for the U.S. World Team Trials, set for May 31-June 1 in Madison, Wis. He will face the winner of the Challenge Tournament in the best-of-3 match finals.
 
Champions at the Trials advance to September’s World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
 
Metcalf also went 5-0 at the World Cup this year and is coming off an 11-8 win over World No. 1 Magomed Kurbanaliev of Russia at the Beat the Streets Dual in New York City.
 
Metcalf is in a strong weight class with plenty of firepower.
 
Two-time NCAA champion Kellen Russell was second to Metcalf at the 2013 Trials and 2014 Open.
 
Past Junior World medalists Logan Stieber and Jordan Oliver also can’t be counted out. Stieber will look to win his fourth NCAA title next season and Oliver has beaten a number of top foreign opponents, including Kubanaliev.
 
Past NCAA champion Frank Molinaro has turned in a strong season. He was fourth at the Open.
 
Two-time World Team member Reece Humphrey took fifth at the Open while wrestling up a weight class.
 
Continue reading on TheMat.com World Team Trials preview in freestyle at 65 kg

837
World Team Trials preview in men
By Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
 
2012 Olympian Sam Hazewinkel turned in a strong performance at the U.S. Open in the new freestyle weight class of 57 kg/125.5 lbs.
 
Hazewinkel won the U.S. Open to clinch a spot in the final-round series for the U.S. World Team Trials, set for May 31-June 1 in Madison, Wis. He will face the winner of the Challenge Tournament in the best-of-3 match finals.
 
Champions at the Trials advance to September’s World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
 
Hazewinkel defeated Andrew Hochstrasser by technical fall in April’s U.S. Open finals in Las Vegas.
 
Veteran Danny Mitcheff was third at the Open after downing NCAA runner-up Tyler Graff. Past University World silver medalist Zach Sanders was fifth in the Open.
 
Ryan Mango, second in the 2013 World Team Trials in Greco-Roman, is expected to compete in freestyle in this class. He was sixth at the 2014 Open. Mark McKnight placed seventh at the Open.
 
Angel Escobedo, fifth in the World in 2013, could be in the mix if he is able to return to competition. Escobedo suffered a leg injury at the Open.
 
Continue reading on TheMat.com: World Team Trials preview in men's freestyle at 57 kg

1025
Nine Indiana Wrestlers Ranked via FloWrestling
Click here to view the rankings
 
As with the prom and graduation season comes a new fresh look on national rankings. Today FloWrestling released their updated rankings taking out the class of 2014 wrestlers. Indiana has nine wrestlers starting the “new” season ranked in the top 20. Leading the way are two super sophomores in Chad Red and Shawn Streck, both coming in at #4 in the nation. Other Indiana wrestlers ranked in the top ten are Nick Lee, Tommy Forte and Blake Rypel.
 
Garrett Pepple is ranked 20th at 113lbs after his second consecutive runner-up finish. This spring he placed 3rd at USAW Folkstyle Nationals along with going 5-2 at the Scholastic Duals. At the Scholastic Duals he had a huge win over Illinois state champion and FloNationals runner-up Rudy Yates.
 
Chad Red made a huge jump to #4 in the nation at 120lbs. He has yet to lose on Indiana soil in the past two years. This spring he placed 4th at FloNationals and was undefeated and a co-MOW at the Scholastic Duals.
 
Mater Dei’s Nick Lee also made a huge leap after a fantastic one loss freshman campaign. He has seen limited action this spring, but did win a double title for the USA at the Cadet Pan Am Championships.
 
Brandon James has had an outstanding spring to date that helped him earn the 9th spot in the rankings at 132lbs. He placed 3rd at FloNationals at 120lbs and has won an ISWA Triple Crown. He defeated 138lbs state champion Tommy Cash at ISWA Folkstyle State and defeated 120lbs state champion Chad Red at FloNationals.
 
At 138lbs state Champion Tommy Cash comes in at 14th in the nation. After his first state title he placed 5th at FloNationals at 132lbs.
 
Indiana has two representatives at 145lbs with Tommy Forte coming in at 8th, while the pride of Lowell Drew Hughes is ranked 13th. Forte finished 7th at USAW Folkstyle Nationals after losing two close matches to two of the top wrestlers in the weight. Hughes has had a busy off-season to say the least. He captured an ISWA Triple Crown along with leading the Gorillas with an undefeated record at the Scholastic Duals. Along the way he defeated Illinois state champ JJ Wolfe and pinned FloNationals champion Brent Moore. Adding to those results he was also runner-up at USAW Folkstyle Nationals.
 
Jumping to 182lbs, super sophomore Blake Rypel comes in at 8th. He has been everywhere and anywhere this offseason after a runner-up finish in the scholastic season. He won NHSWCA Sophomore Nationals and USAW Folkstyle Nationals in back to back weeks. On top of that he went 5-2 at the Scholastic Duals only losing to two wrestlers ranked ahead of him.
 
Lastly, big Shawn Streck of Merrillville jumps in to #4 at heavyweight. After a sensational sophomore season where he placed 3rd in the state Streck went on to place 3rd at USAW Folkstyle Nationals and go undefeated at the Scholastic Duals.

652
Indianpolis Wrestling fourth-best DII team as All-Academic Teams named
COMPLETE 2013-14 NCAA DII ALL-ACADEMIC TEAMS
 
INDIANAPOLIS- The 2014 NCAA Super Regional #2 champion Greyhound wrestling team placed seven on the 2013-14 NCAA Division II All-Academic wrestling teams, and placed fourth in the academic rankings as a team.
 
The fourth place team ranking, with a team GPA of 3.333 for the season, is calculated by averaging the cumulative grade point averages of 10 wrestlers from each team, of which eight of those wrestlers must have competed in their teams Super Regional tournament. California Baptist won this year's Academic team title, with a GPA of 3.375.
 
UIndy placed four grapplers on the All-Academic First Team, with Alex Johns (3.32; Exercise Science), Josh Kieffer (3.24; Criminal Justice), Justin Kieffer (3.14; Nursing) and Jeff Weiss (3.13; Nursing) all making the first team. The Greyhounds, along with Western State, placed the most on the first team, which is made up of 47 wrestlers.
 
On the second team, Taylor Scott (3.52; Criminal Justice), represented the Greyhounds, while Weston Davis (3.76; Education) and Shelby Mappes (3.07; Nursing) each were named Honorable Mention All-Academic.
 
A total of 181 student-athletes from 38 institutions were honored as All-Academic. In order for a student-athlete to be nominated to the Division II All-Academic Team, he needs a minimum 3.00 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale. He must also be in at least his second full year at his institution, be a varsity team member or key reserve, demonstrate a degree of skill and have a minimum of two letters of recommendation submitted on his behalf.

732
Beyond the Mat: Wrestling a Lifetime Passion for Tsirtsis
By Mike Zoller, NUSports.com
 
EVANSTON, Ill. — In the Tsirtsis family you’re born with wrestling headgear. Northwestern wrestler Jason Tsirtsis added onto his family’s wrestling legacy by not only winning an NCAA Championship this year, but also becoming the first freshman Wildcat to win a title.
 
With a family full of decorated wrestlers, Tsirtsis followed suit winning four straight Indiana high school championships at Crown Point High School and was named the 2012 InterMat High School Wrestler of the Year.
 
Tsirtsis had the benefit of being guided by his older brother Alex, who himself had been a four-time high school state champion never losing once in those four years compiling a record of 236-0.
 
“He’s been an influence ever since I began wrestling,” Tsirtsis said. “But I’d say the biggest time frame of him helping was after his career in college. He came home after college and he was involved all the time with me. He knows my wrestling better than anyone. He’s able to watch me and critique me better than anyone.”
With the Tsirtsis name and a laundry list of awards and championships the recruiting process was intense. It came down to Oklahoma State and Northwestern. Tsirtsis saw pros and cons to both programs but in the end he chose Northwestern not only because it was closer to home, but he saw the program on the rise and wanted to be part of something special.
 
“Oklahoma State has the richest wrestling history ever in the NCAA,” Tsirtsis said. “But Oklahoma State is 14 hours away and NU is only an hour. Having that hometown support is really crucial. Big Ten wrestling is the best in the country and we’re an up-and-coming program. We’re not a powerhouse or the best yet but we’re on our way.”
 
Head coach Drew Pariano called his recruiting battle with Oklahoma State the toughest he had ever faced.
 
“They (Oklahoma State) won 34 team national titles,” he said. “It’s a compliment that we were recruiting against them. The best guys are going to choose wrestling powers and it’s an added bonus that we have a great academic program here.”
 
Tsirtsis wrestled unattached during his first year in Evanston, which allowed him to develop without burning a year of eligibility.
 
During that first year Tsirtsis wrestled most of the time in the 141 lbs. weight class but felt more comfortable at 149 lbs. and made the decision to keep the weight rather than constantly battle to lose it.
 
“I could have made 141 if I reshaped my body and dieted,” he said. “At that point you’re not focused on wrestling, you’re focused on cutting weight. You’re not in the right mindset. That unattached year made me realize I had to move up a weight class and get a little bit bigger.”
 
By any measure Tsirtsis had a successful and productive year wrestling unattached. He went 18-3 and won three tournaments, while placing eighth at the 50th annual Midlands Championships. He also wrestled at the Junior World Team Trials and represented the U.S. at the Junior World Championships in Bulgaria.
 
Coming back to Evanston to begin his first real season of collegiate wrestling Pariano knew Tsirtsis could be capable of big things.
 
“Before he even started I was telling people he was going to be a four-time national champ,” Pariano said. “I don’t do that too much – if ever. I don’t know if I’ve ever done that. If I say something like that it probably comes from pretty deep within.”
 
Junior heavyweight Mike McMullan noticed Tsirtsis’ talent from the start. As a team leader he watched over the freshman but didn’t mentor him in the traditional way.
 
“Jason’s a unique kid,” McMullan said. “He doesn’t need the same guidance that other younger kids need. He knows what he is capable of. Being someone who shares similar aspirations, we can relate to one another and talk about our goals and our vision for how matches should go.”
 
It wasn’t a smooth start for Tsirtsis. After some early success he suffered three losses in a span of two weeks. He turned those losses into positives, and they would wind up as his only three losses of the entire 2013-14 season
 
“We watched and evaluated those matches,” assistant coach Jay Borschel said. “We saw some things where he didn’t control the match. He didn’t control the hand fighting. The other guy pushed him around and controlled him.”
 
“He needed to change his workout regimen and probably get a little better sleep,” Pariano said. “I don’t think it was necessarily a wake-up call but it was definitely a message that, ‘Hey if I want to win a national title I need to do ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’’ and he did.”
 
It’s not uncommon for a young wrestler to stumble during the middle of the year. McMullan said one of the hardest things to adjust to is the full grind of how long the NCAA season lasts.
 
“The one thing a lot of people find out from that redshirt year is that they don’t realize the length of the season,” McMullan said. “When you’re actually in the lineup you’re competing week in and week out. He made the adjustments and remembered his capabilities. He had a little hiccup in the middle and ended on a pretty long win streak.”
 
Tsirtsis wouldn’t lose again. He notched individual victories over wrestlers from No. 1 Penn State and No. 2 Iowa earning him a No. 3 seed in the 2014 Big Ten Tournament. On the way to the Big Ten Championship, Tsirtsis knocked off the two wrestlers seeded above him, and following the tournament he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
 
Despite being the Big Ten Champion at 149lbs, Tsirtsis entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed. Something that didn’t sit right with Pariano.
 
“I was not happy with the draw,” Pariano said. “To win the Big Ten Tournament you have to be an absolute stud. But he (Tsirtsis) had a really good perspective on it saying ‘I have to beat everyone anyways so I might as well beat them early.’”
 
In the quarterfinals Tsirtsis defeated the reigning NCAA champion at 141 lbs. only to follow that up with a victory over the No. 1 seed in the semifinals. In the semis Tsirtsis had just nine seconds to escape his opponent’s hold – he got out with one second remaining.
 
“It was an intensity-filled nine seconds,” he said. “Probably the most intense nine seconds I’ve had in my life.”
 
It was also the match that would provide the timeless image of the tournament as Pariano hoisted a bloodied Tsirtsis up into the air just after his victory.
 
“I didn’t know he was bleeding,” Pariano said. “Back in the hall I was like, ‘You’re bleeding?’ They stitched him up right there – three stitches.”
 
After notching All-American status with a win in the semifinal match, Tsirtsis went into the final match and, true to his “Cardiac Cat” style tournament, took down the No. 11 seed in overtime to become the NCAA Champion.
 
“After I won it was like I hadn’t even won” Tsirtsis said. “It was overwhelming. As a kid you want to be an NCAA champ. To finally have the opportunity to reach that goal and succeed so quickly in my career is pretty surreal and hard to explain.”
 
Alex embraced Tsirtsis after the match. While he had been a highly touted recruit out of high school, he had never finished better than seventh at the NCAA Championships.
 
“I saw him after I got my award and gave him a big hug,” Jason said. “It was real emotional. It was a great moment.”
 
Tsirtsis is now focused on the offseason where he will wrestle in a few tournaments before returning to Evanston for the 2014-15 season. As the returning champ he’s preparing to be the wrestler to beat.
 
“People are going to come after him harder now than ever before,” Pariano said. “In wrestling its such a one-on-one sport that he’s going to have to be ready for every single match. The Big Ten isn’t going to get any easier. The (149 lbs.) weight class is going to remain one of the best in the country.”
 
Besides being the champion, Tsirtsis will also be looked to as a leader when the season starts. The Wildcats boast the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation and they will look to him for guidance.
 
“I’m more of a vocal guy than most,” Tsirtsis said. “I like to express what I think and see. I’ll make sure I’m on those guys. I want to make sure I’m encouraging them too. I need to make sure they are training hard and are on the right track. I also need to make sure I lead by example.”
 
For next year the goal is simple for Tsirtsis – repeat. But he’s going to make sure he enjoys his time as well.
 
“I just need to keep getting better, but also having fun. That’s going to make the goal (of repeating) a little less stressful and a little more entertaining and enjoyable.”
 
Via http://www.nusports.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/050514aaa.html

1246
U.S team set for FILA Cadet Pan American Championships in Recife, Brazil, May 2-4
Evansville Mater Dei freshman Nick Lee and Jeffersonville head coach Danny Struck will both represent the USA at this event. Last year Lee won this event at 58kg in the freestyle division. This year he will be wrestling in both styles at 58kg.
 
By Chris Casper
USA Wrestling
 
The U.S. will send a competitive team in the three Olympic styles to compete at the FILA Cadet Pan American Championships in Recife, Brazil, May 2-4. FILA Cadets are athletes who are 15-17 years old.
 
Athletes in the men’s team will compete in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the competition.
 
The men’s team will feature 2013 Cadet World Greco-Roman bronze medalist Cade Olivas of California at 46 kg. Another 2013 Cadet World Team member, Taylor LaMont of Utah, will compete at 63 kg. He also was a Cadet National freestyle champion last summer.
 
Also competing at 69 kg is Mason Manville of New Jersey, a 2014 FILA Junior Nationals Greco-Roman champion and a 2013 Cadet Nationals double champion.
 
Kaden Gfeller of Oklahoma, who is wrestling at 50 kg, was a 2013 FILA Cadet Pan American champion in Greco-Roman and a 2013 Cadet Nationals freestyle champion. Another Oklahoma star, Daton Fix at 54 kg, was a double champion at the 2013 FILA Cadet Pan American Championships and was a 2013 Cadet Triple Crown winner.
 
Continue Reading at TheMat.com U.S team set for FILA Cadet Pan American Championships in Recife, Brazil, May 2-4

557
LeBlanc, Lappan Win Big Ten Medal of Honor
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana University Vice President and Director of Athletics Fred Glass presented seniors Ryan LeBlanc (Wrestling) and Meghan Lappan (Water Polo) with the 2014 Big Ten Medal of Honor tonight at the Spirit of Indiana Showcase at the IU Auditorium.
 
The Big Ten Conference is currently celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Big Ten Medal of Honor award. The conference's most exclusive award was the first of its kind in intercollegiate athletics to recognize academic and athletic excellence. The Big Ten Medal of Honor was first awarded in 1915 to one student-athlete from the graduating class of each university who had "attained the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work." Big Ten schools currently feature more than 8,200 student-athletes, but only 24 earn this prestigious award on an annual basis. In the 99 years of the Medal of Honor, more than 1,300 student-athletes have earned this distinction.
 
Lappan has been named Academic All-Big Ten and a member of the Collegiate Water Polo Association All-Academic Team for the past three years. The senior has started all but seven matches since she became a Hoosier in 2011. Known for her defensive powers, Lappan has career totals of 142 steals, 66 goals, and 90 assists.
 
A member of one of the best team's in IU water polo history, Lappan helped the 2012 squad to a 28-9 record, setting a program record for wins in a season and finished the year ranked No. 14 in the country. In her freshman season Lappan and the team made the trip to the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in school history. She also helped this year's squad repeat as back-to-back Western Division Champions, a feat that had never been done at IU.
 
Just this past weekend Lappan and her teammates won the CWPA championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Lappan was also presented with a Scholastic Achievement Award, Hoosier HERO award and Aline Robinson Mental Attitude Award at tonight's ceremony.
 
The North Vancouver, B.C., Canada native will graduate this May with her degree in sociology. Lappan plans on moving back to Vancouver upon graduation with the goal of working with children and teaching water polo.
 
A redshirt senior, LeBlanc racked up 103 wins in his career, more than double his amount of losses (51). He also accumulated 25 major decisions, nine technical falls and 11 pins en route.
 
The three-time NCAA Qualifier advanced to the round of the 12 at the 2014 NCAA Championships, coming up just one win shy of becoming an All-American. LeBlanc earned Academic All-America laurels from the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 2013. His excellence in the classroom was recognized by the conference office as well as a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
 
Off the mat LeBlanc served as the 2013-14 president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

494
Greyhound wrestling adds seven for 2014-15
INDIANAPOLIS- Head Coach Jason Warthan will add seven new Greyhounds to his 2014-2015 roster, signing the new UIndy student-athletes as a part of National Signing Day April 16.
 
Joining the Hounds will be Kyle Keller, Brendon Kelley, Heath Lange, Tyler Scott, DJ Smith, Brian Wagner and JD Waters. The seven new Greyhounds boast placing at their state meets a total of 16 times, including four state championships. The group contains three grapplers who hold their prep career wins records, and a total record of 1,034-213 with a .829 win percentage, while the group went to the state meet a total of 19 times in their careers.
 
"We are obviously very excited and proud to add these student-athletes to the Greyhound wrestling family," Warthan said. "They are all character guys that take academics seriously and will all bring a unique set of skills to our team."
 
Keller, who will come in as a 133-pounder for the Hounds, is a Delta, Ohio product, earning four letters for the Panthers. He is a four-time state qualifier, and placed three times at the Ohio State Championships in his career. He boasts a runner-up finish this past season, along with a fourth place finish as a junior and a fifth place finish as a sophomore. Keller closed out his prep career with a record of 178-28, along with 96 career pins. He helped Delta to two state dual championships, and was a four-time league and sectional champion. His 178 wins are a Delta career record, while off the mat he was a four-year honor roll student and a 2014 Academic All-Ohio selection.
 
Kelley is an Indiana native, coming to the Hounds from Evansville Central High School. The three-time IHSAA state placer holds the Bears' record for career wins, posting a record of 169-18 in high school. Kelley went 50-0 with 37 pins en route to the 152-pound Indiana State title, pinning his opponent in 2:24 in the state championship bout. He will come in as a 149 for UIndy, after placing fourth as a junior and fifth as a sophomore. Kelley tallied a total of 121 pins and tech falls during his career, and was a three-time Regional champion a two-time sectional champion and a two-time Souther Indiana Athletics Conference champion.
 
Lange will also make the trip West to UIndy from Ohio. The Huntsville native earned four letters on the mat for Indian Lake High School, posting a career record of 147-36 as a two-time Ohio state placer. Lange, who will come into the UIndy room as a 157, is a three-time state qualifier, taking fourth as a junior and third as a senior. The honor roll student is a four-time All-Area selection, a three-time Conference champion, a two-time sectional champion and Indian Lake's career wins leader.
 
Scott will come in as a 197 for the Greyhounds, from Cedar Lake, Ind.'s Hanover Central High School. The high honor roll student went 139-40 as a prep, placing fourth at the IHSAA state championships as a senior. He is a two-time Regional and Sectional champion, adding a semistate and conference title to his resume as a senior as well. The two-time Academic All-State honoree was also a four-time semistate qualifier during his career for the Wildcats.
 
Smith, from nearby Franklin, Ind., will come into the UIndy room as a 125-pounder. The 2014 Indiana state champion at 113 pounds, Smith is a three-time Midstate, Johnson County and sectional champion. He was a three-time state qualifier and two-time state placer, also taking third as a junior. He boasts a career record of 111-14 with 494 career takedowns as a Grizzly Cub, and is also an Honor Roll student and National Honors Society member.
 
Wagner is also a Central Indiana product, from UIndy alum Chad Red's New Palestine program. Wagner earned nine total letters at New Pal, and will come to UIndy as a 197-pounder. He is a two-time state placer, taking third at 182 in 2013 and second at 195 this past year. He also earned a semistate champion as a senior, and was the sectional and regional runner-up this past year. He leaves New Pal with a career record of 131-29, and is a four-year member of the Academic "A" Team, as well as a member of the National Honors Society.
 
Waters rounds out the class, coming to UIndy as a 149 from Hudson, Mich. The two-time state champion and three-time state placer went 159-48 as a prep, and also was a three-time All-County selection, along with a three-time District and Regional champ. He also was a two-time League and county champion, and was honored as the LCAA Wrestling Scholar Athlete three times. He was also Academic All-State as a senior, and is a National Honors Society member.
 
The Greyhounds lost seven of their 10 starters from this year's eighth-place finishing team at the NCAA Division II National Championships to graduation or exhaustion of elgibility.

491
Lefever Named D3wrestle.com Freshman of the Year
Brent Harris
 
Riley Lefever continues to add accolades to his resume, earning Freshman of the Year honors for 2014 from d3wrestle.com.
 
Lefever was named to the website's All-Freshman team at 184 pounds. He was the only first year to win a national title — the first national champion in the history of the Wabash wrestling program. He scored a takedown in the closing seconds of overtime to defeat 2013 national runner-up Brian Broderick from The College of New Jersey in the championship round to earn the title. In addition, Lefever finished the season with a spotless 41-0 record.
 
Lefever also finished tied for eighth in the InterMat Freshman of the Year voting. The award is presented to the best college freshman among NCAA Divisions I, II, and III based upon balloting by ten writers and executives of InterMatWrestle.com. Lefever joined ten other rookie wrestlers who received at least one vote on the ballot.
 
Jason Tsirtsis, a Crown Point, Indiana native and 149-pounder for Northwestern University, was named the website's top overall freshman. Tsirtsis finished the year with an overall record of 32-3 while capturing NCAA Division I and Big Ten championship titles in his first season. He received five of the ten available first-place votes.
 
Lefever was the only Division III freshman to receive votes in InterMatWrestle.com balloting.
 
"It's an awesome honor to get recognized by d3wrestle.com and InterMatWrestle.com," Lefever said. "Being recognized with fellow Indiana native and NCAA Division I national champion Jason Tsirtsis is a tremendous accomplishment. He was one of the wrestlers I looked up to while I was competing in high school. To be on the same list makes me feel like I'm heading in the right direction as a student-athlete."
 
"This is icing on the cake for Riley to not only be named the Division III Freshman of the Year, but to be recognized as one of the best freshmen wrestlers across all divisions," Wabash head coach Brian Anderson said. "The way in which Riley approached all phases of his life the entire year definitely enabled him to enjoy the success he did and achieve such high accolades."
 
Lefever was part of a school-record six national qualifiers at the DIII Wrestling Championships for Wabash. The Little Giant team earned a ninth-place finish for its best effort in 19 trips to nationals. Reece Lefever, Riley's older brother, added his second All-America award in as many years with a fourth-place finish at 157 pounds. Reece finished seventh as a sophomore in 2013.
 
2014 d3wrestle.com Freshman of the Year/All-Freshmen Team
 
InterMatWrestle.com Freshman of the Year

757
Stevan Micic Wrestling at the Dapper Dan Classic
Stevan Micic will become the sixth wrestler from Indiana to wrestle at the prestigious Dapper Dan Classic this weekend. Micic will face off against Zeke Moisey of Bethlehem Catholic who is ranked 3rd via FloWrestling and Intermat along with 4th by TheOpenMat. Micic is ranked 1st by FloWrestling and Intermat, while he is ranked 3rd by TheOpenMat.
 
Moisely is a one time champion in Pennsylvania in their AA division, which is the biggest schools in Pennsylvania. He had a career record of 141-14 along with placements of 3rd, 4th and 7th in the state tournament.  Moisely is a three-time Super 32 placer, placing 4th the past year. He placed second at the Beast of the East in both 2009 and 2010. Lastly, he won a FloNationals title in 2012 and finished in 4th last year.
 
Of the five wrestlers from Indiana that have participated in the Dapper Dan, none have lost a match. Steven Bradley was the first participant in 1998, while Alex Tsirtsis and Blake Maurer participated in 2004. In 2012 both Jarred Brooks and Jason Tsirtsis both participated in the event. Former Indiana state champion Nathan Boston will also be wrestling at 120lbs against Nathan Boston. Also, two time IndianaMat Hoosier Preseason Open champion Josh Alber of Illinois will wrestle at 132lbs against Ian Brown.
 
You can watch the action live on FloWrestling Saturday via their paid subscription.
 
Dapper Dan Past Participants
1998
130-Steven Bradley, Beech Grove, IN, dec. Mark Conley, Dningtn, 5-3.
2004
140 Alex Tsirtsis Griffith IN dec Isaiah Britton Loyalsock 6-4
171 Blake Maurer Mater Dei IN dec Kurt Brenner Freedom 8-6 ro
2012
113 Jarred Brooks Warsaw Indiana DEC Billy Rappo Council Rock South 8-5
145 Jason Tsirtsis Crn Point Indiana MD Zach Beitz Juniata 13-4
2014
126 - Stevan Micic Indiana vs Zeke Moisey Bethlehem Catholic

427
2014 Pick'ems Results
Here they are fellas!
 
Scoring:
 
10 points for a wrestler placing(top 4 or 8)
-1 point for each placement they are off
 
Example:Your picks
1. Joe Caprino
2. Chad Hollenbaugh
3. Eric McGill
4. Mike Reiser
 
Outcome
1. Joe Caprino- 10 points
2. Stevan Micic- 0 points
3. Mike Reiser- 9 points
4. Chad Hollenbaugh- 8 points
 
If you have any disputes you know where to go
 
Click on the header of each category to sort by that column
 
[table id=56 /]

1229
2014 State Finals: Expert Picks
[table id=55 /]

960
2014 State Finals: Team Race Breakdown
by Chad Hollenbaugh
 
A year ago the IHSAA went old school and awarded the team championship the old fashioned way, by tournament scoring. Most would agree that this is not the ideal way to determine the best “team," but it should certainly add some excitement to the weekend. The team race will clearly have much more excitement than last year, when Perry Meridian nearly lapped the field and defeated runner up Yorktown by forty points. No team this year will be that dominant and there may be as many as six to eight squads who will be fighting it out for state hardware.
 
THE PROCEDURE
 
I projected every match this weekend to get placers and scored the placers: 16,12,9,7,5,3,2,1. I then went back and looked at individual draws and projected a best case scenario for each of the qualifiers. The first number is what my projections have each team scoring and the second number is their best case team score. Remember these are just one person's thoughts on how the weekend will go. Not trying to offend anyone. Note a * is for a qualifier that is not projected to place.





Total
106
113
120
126
132
138
145
152
160
170
182
195
220
285


Penn
38
2
*
X
7
X
X
X
*
9
12
5
3
*
X


61
5
0
12
0
9
16
5
9
5


Cath
57
5
3
X
X
*
X
5
X
16
X
12
X
X
16


63
5
5
0
5
16
16
16


YT
31
X
X
X
3
1
X
X
12
5
7
3
X
X
X


52
5
5
16
12
9
5


Merr
41
X
12
X
5
X
5
3
7
X
X
X
X
X
9


50
12
5
12
5
7
9


Fran
57
X
16
X
X
X
16
X
X
X
16
*
X
9
X


69
16
16
16
9
12


Mish
39
X
X
12
X
2
X
16
9
X
X
X
X
X
X


50
16
2
16
16


PM
26
*
2
*
*
12
X
12
X
X
*
*
X
X
X


52
0
5
5
5
16
16
0
5


MD
16
3
X
*
12
*
1
*
X
*
*
X
X
X
X


52
12
7
16
0
5
0
5
7


Penn 38/61
Cathedral 57/63
Yorktown 31/52
Merrillville 41/50
Franklin 57/69
Mishawaka – 39/50
Perry Meridian – 26/52
Mater Dei – 16/52
 
 
 
THE PRETENDERS
 
Mater Dei – The Wildcats are close but they are not quite yet back to the juggernaut of a decade ago. Coach Schaeffer's crew did qualify seven for the Big Show but the combination of tough draws and only two “sure thing” placers will make a run for the big trophy highly unlikely this year. Fear not west side whackos, MD is young and on the rise.
 
Mishawaka – The Cavemen only qualified four to state this year but what a foursome. Three of the four have a legitimate shot at wrestling under the lights. It would probably take all three winning along with some other help to put Mishawaka in serious contention.
 
CONTENDERS
 
Perry Meridian – The three time defending champs will know after Friday night if they will stay in the contenders status or be banished to the pretenders. Eight Falcons will make the effort at the title defense, led by hammers Cody LeCount and Brandon James. For the Perry to make a run, the other six boys in blue must get in the win column on Friday night despite many 50/50 draws. Upon reflection, I probably have PM losing too many of those 50/50 draw in my picks.
 
Yorktown – Last year's runner up would need to put together a nice weekend to be in contention for a trophy but it is definitely doable. All of the Tiger qualifiers stand a good shot of scoring points and the three headed monster of Chandler Carroll, Rhett Hiestand and Dillon Jackson all could score serious points.
 
Merrillville – Much like Yorktown, the Pirate's entire crew has a great chance to score points this weekend. Coach Maldonado's club just lacks a couple more studs that could be depended on to score some big points. All three of these teams in the contenders category have a long history of maximizing their opportunities and I would expect to hear all three schools on the PA system.
 
THE FRONT RUNNERS
 
Penn – Penn will travel down US 31 with near three quarters of their starting line up in an effort to not only earn medals but also make a run at a team state title that eluded them at the team duals back in January. The difference between them being champs or just contenders will come down to how a couple of their boys perform. The Kingsmen have a chance to pick up some big points at 195 and 220 that would keep them in contention.
 
Franklin – Veteran Grizzly Cub mentor Bob Hasseman might just have his strongest club ever in 2014. They won the coaches association team dual title in exciting fashion back in January and they currently hold national rankings in some polls. Franklin did themselves no favors by “only” qualifying five studs to the big show. The blue ring might just come down to a Friday night match between veteran Mike Petrole and Kankakee Valley's Timothy Schoonveld. I would project the winner of this matchup as a favorite to get to the semifinals and if Petrole were to make it, it would mean good things for Franklin.
 
Cathedral – Will it finally be the Year of the Irish? It appears that the stars might be aligned for Coach McGinley in 2014. Four legitimate title contenders (Bernard, Rypel, Corsaro, Bailey) and another big point producer in Ben Harvey make Indianapolis Cathedral the team to beat. Other squads have qualified more to Indy, but few will have as many standing high on the medal stand. I for one hope that fans of Indiana wrestling will keep it classy and give the Irish their due. In all my years of watching them under Coach McGinley, their kids have been great representatives of the sport and they deserve the appreciation of all the wrestling fans.
 
HOW IT ALL SHAKES OUT
 
Photo Finish? To close to call? My projections have Franklin and Cathedral in a dead heat for the crown. Looking deeper, I like Cathedral's “sure things” better than Franklin's and would give the slight edge to Fighting Irish. The great thing for fans is that an upset here or there might dump the entire apple cart and allows for other teams to make a run. And on a personal note, this will be the first time in four years that I am not helping coach a qualifier so I plan to sit back, relax and enjoy the show. See you Friday!!