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1029Nine 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.
845World 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
1912World 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
2239Leathers 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
1006IHSWCA 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
572@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.
2840World 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
543Quiroga 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.
2342U.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
590Wabash 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.
713Tony 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.
514Weekend 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.
826Class 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.
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2029Stevan 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.â€
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.
4299Alex 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)
1473Gelen Robinson - A Man for All Seasons
By Chad Hollenbaugh
IndianaMat Senior Writer
Winter, spring, summer or fall.....it never mattered to Gelen Robinson, he competed through them all. The recently graduated Robinson, from Lake Central High School (St. John, IN) completed his storied high school career a few weeks back with a state championship in the discus and a third place finish in the shot put. A third place medal and a state title are impressive graduation presents and very few athletes ever get to end their high school athletic career on such a high note. For Robinson it was perhaps a little more, it was the capstone, the culmination of the greatest four year run of athletic achievement in the history of the state of Indiana.
FOOTBALL - THE FIRST LOVE
Physical by nature, Robinson had a stand out career as an outside linebacker for Lake Central. As a sophomore he was named the area's Defensive Player of the Year and was all state. His name quickly circulated in the recruiting game as he attended football camps during his summer "off-season." His junior year included another player of the year honor and multiple all state team selections.Scholarships offers from multiple B1G conference schools followed and Robinson chose Purdue University as his next stop. An outside linebacker who is equally comfortable playing with his hand on the ground or in space, Robinson is the highlight of Purdue's recruiting class and according to ESPN B1G conference guru, Brian Bennett. Robinson will compete from day one for playing time for the rebuilding Boilermakers.
Football might be the first love, but Robinson's name will go down in history because of his achievements he accumulated during the rest of his high school career.
WRESTLING - WHERE HARD WORK GETS REWARDED
I first became aware of Robinson five years ago after reading a small article about him winning a Middle School "state" title. Following a moderately successful freshman campaign which included over 30 wins and qualifying for semi-state, Robinson broke out as a state force in his sophomore year. Using a Greco based offensive attack, he was very exciting to watch as he would constantly attack from his feet and looked to toss his opponents. He finished his sophomore year with a 47-5 record and a third place finish in the state meet. It was at this state meet where many became impressed with Robinson's poise and maturity. During his semifinal match, he had several close calls not go his way and lost by decision to the eventual state champion. The stoic Robinson never batted an eye and continued to execute the game plan of attacking. It was an impressive display of maturity and class for a sophomore in high school.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Robinson spent what time he could in a local club to try to improve as an overall wrestler. This hard work paid off as major improvements could be noted between his sophomore and junior years. In addition to his upper body arsenal, Robinson had mastered a single leg takedown, a high crotch, and a devastating blast double. These were on display along with his amazing shot defense in his final two seasons where he was rarely challenged and ran off 101 straight victories and two state titles.
This spring, Robinson was named to the honorable mention list of the Asics All-American team. What would have happened if Gelen would have chosen wrestling over football in college? No one knows for sure but with his penchant for hard work combined with plenty of God given talent, the sky would be the limit in many experts estimation.
TRACK AND FIELD - ATTENTION TO DETAIL
Spring sports in general seem to get the short shrift in terms of media attention but for Gelen Robinson, it was another opportunity to keep the competitive juices flowing. In the discus and shot put rings, Robinson achieved marks that, on a national scale, outpaced his impressive resume on the football field and wrestling mat. As a frosh, Robinson qualified for state in the discus and had a season's best of nearly 160 feet. He also tossed the shot over the 50 foot mark.
The following three springs saw Robinson pick up six medals in the shot put and discus. A 1st in discus this spring along with two runner-up finishes, two third places, and a 7th his sophomore year. Medaling that many times in the state meet is very impressive but the distance in which he tossed the discus the past two seasons put Gelen in a nationally elite group. His tosses of over 200 feet in 2013 and slightly under 200 feet this spring both ranked as the 6th best prep efforts in the nation.
HISTORY - BEFORE OUR VERY EYES
In the late 1960s, Indianapolis Washington produced George McGinnis, who was all-state in both football and basketball. On the hardwood, he was LeBron, fifteen years before LeBron was even born. McGinnis was a do-it-all power forward who scored, rebounded (better) and dished the ball like the aforementioned King James.
The 1980s produced Rod Woodson, out of Fort Wayne. Woodson is, of course, a NFL Hall of Famer but in his high school and college days, he was also a state champion and All-American hurdler in track and field. As icing on the proverbial cake, Woodson played basketball in his junior and senior years of high school and was an all-conference performer.
Tim Bishop of Valparaiso was an All-State performer in football, basketball and baseball in 1993-94. Bishop was offered a full ride for football at Indiana University, led his team to a state runner-up in basketball and was drafted by the New York Mets. He was playing in their minor league system when his life was tragically cut short in an auto accident.
Valparaiso High School produced another of Indiana's all-time great high school athletes in Jeff Samardzija (2003 graduate). A multiple time all-state honoree in both football and baseball, the lanky Samardzija also played basketball in high school. He played both football and baseball for Notre Dame and was a two time All-American in football. Drafted by the Cubs, he is currently the ace of their staff and recently turned down a 5 year, $85 million dollar contract offer by the Cubbies.
How does Gelen Robinson stack up against those studs listed above? In terms of just high school accomplishments, I think Robinson stands atop the group. No matter what the future brings for the youngster, folks in Indiana will surely remember him as "A Man for All Seasons."
991Tyrel Todd Announced as Purdue Assistant Coach
Today new Purdue coach Tony Ersland announced that former Michigan Wolverine standout Tyrel Todd will be joining him on staff. Todd comes in with a wealth of success at the NCAA and Olympic levels. Todd was a two-time All-American at 197lbs including winning the B1G championship as a senior.
Click here for a link to Todd's bio on Purdue's website.
2964Miracle Repeats as Asics First Team All-American
This is Kayla Miracle's fourth selection to the first team.
2014 ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team named
The nation’s best girls high school wrestlers are being honored with the announcement of the 14th annual ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team.
The 2014 First Team members will be recognized at the ASICS/Vaughan Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D., July 18-26, where they will be presented with their trophies. At the same time, the ASICS High School Girls Wrestler of the Year will be announced.
There were seven members of the 2013 First Team who were selected as First Team members again in 2014: Teshya Alo of Kamehameha High School (Hawaii), Marina Doi of Kingsburg High School (Calif.), Alyssa LaFrancis of Poway High School (Calif.), Becka Leathers of Choctaw High School (Okla.), Anastasia Lobsinger of Northgate High School (Calif.), Kayla Miracle of Culver Academy (Ind.) and Alexis Porter of Shenedahowa High School (N.Y.)
Miracle is on the ASICS First Team for the fourth straight year. Doi and LaFrancis are on the team for the third straight year. Alo, Leathers, Lobsinger and Porter are First Teamers for the second time in a row.
The ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team is selected by a nationwide panel of wrestling experts. It is the only national all-star team for which female high school wrestlers competing on all four grade levels are eligible. Athletes from across the nation were considered for their achievements in high school wrestling, as well as the major post-season freestyle and folkstyle competitions.
ASICS is a national sponsor of USA Wrestling and a major supporter of wrestling at all levels. ASICS has sponsored the nationally respected ASICS High School All-American Team for boys wrestlers for 29 years.
“ASICS America Corporation is proud to be a sponsor of the All-American wrestling team for girls,†said Neil Duncan, Vice President of TW Promotions which represents ASICS. “Women’s wrestling is growing at all levels, with more opportunity on the college and Olympic levels. These are our future college national champions and Olympians in women’s wrestling.â€
California led the nation with five First Team members, including Marina Doi, Alyssa LaFrancis and Anastasia Lobsinger, plus Regina Doi of Kingsburg High School and Gabrielle Garcia of Valencia High School. No other state had more than one First Team member.
Miracle placed sixth in the 2014 U.S. Senior Open at 128 pounds, the top placement of a high school wrestler at the competition. Lobsinger placed seventh at the 2014 U.S. Open at 165 pounds.
Seven First Team members won USA Wrestling ASICS/Vaughan Junior National titles in the summer of 2014, including Alo, Leathers, Marina Doi, Regina Doi, Porter, plus Rachel Hale of Mount Anthony High School (Vermont) and Maya Nelson of Denver East High School (Colo.).
Six First Teamers won the 2014 USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle Nationals in Oklahoma: Marina Doi, Regina Doi, Miracle, Leathers plus Jasmine Bailey of Iowa City West High School (Iowa) and Kenya Spenser of Caro High School (Mich.)
Regina Doi won a Cadet World silver medal in the summer of 2013, while Marina Doi and Alo won Cadet World bronze medals.
Four First Teamers were also Cadet National Champions last summer, Alo, Nelson, Garcia and Spenser.
Four First Teamers won the 2014 Body Bar FILA Junior Nationals and will compete at the Junior World Championships this summer: Miracle, Leathers, Marina Doi and Porter. Alo and Garcia won the 2014 Body Bar FILA Cadet Nationals, and will compete at the Cadet World Championships this summer.
Rounding out the First Team was Jessika Rottier of North Pulaski High School (Wis.)
The First Team featured seven seniors, four juniors and three sophomores. In total, 10 states were represented on the First Team.
The Second Team was also star-studded, led by Junior Nationals freestyle champions Steffanie Hampton of Leslie High School (Mich.), Kiaya Van Scoyoc of Lakes High School (Wash.), Ryan Gibbons of Centralia High School (Wash.) and Autumn Rux of Lansing Eastern High School (Mich.), plus Cadet Nationals freestyle champions Angelica Llanes of Arvin High School (Calif.) and Taylor Rosario of Cinco Rancho High School (Texas). Junior Folkstyle National champion Maddy Tung of Santa Monica High School (Calif.) and FILA Cadet National Nationals freestyle champion Sariyah Jones of James E. Enoch High School (Calif.) were also Second Team.
The Third Team featured Junior Folkstyle National champions Theresa Rankin of Grass Valley High School (Mich.), Kendall Reusing of La Sierra High School (Calif.), Ronna Heaton of Brookings High School (S.D.), Dominique Parrish of Scotts Valley High School (Calif.) and Rachel Watters of Ballard High School (Iowa). Also on the Third Team was FILA Cadet freestyle champion Katerina Lobsinger of Northgate High School (Calif.)
As the National Federation of State High Schools has yet to determine specific weight classes for girls wrestling, the athletes were selected based solely on achievement and ability. The top 14 athletes were named to the First Team, the second 14 athletes were named to the Second Team and the third 14 athletes were selected to the Third Team. Thirty athletes were named as Honorable Mention. An effort was made to make a reasonable spread of weights on each team. If the National Federation sets specific girls weight classes in the future, the selection committee will consider using those weight classes for the selection criteria at that time.
For the TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team, athletes were identified in three weight ranges: Light (100-121 pounds); Middle (122-140 pounds); Upper (141 pounds and above).
In total, 72 wrestlers were selected to TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team.
California led all states with 20 selections, followed by Michigan and Texas with seven and Hawaii and Washington with four.
A total of 29 states were represented on the All-American Team. The team included 31 seniors, 27 juniors, 12 sophomores and two freshmen.
Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports among youth sports for women. It has been an Olympic sport for the last three Olympic Games, the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China and the 2012 Olympics in London, England. There are an estimated 11,000 girls competing on the high school level in the United States today, and the number has grown each year for the last dozen years. Colleges continue to add women’s wrestling on the varsity and club level across the nation.
2014 TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School All-American Team
First Team (alphabetically)
Teshya Alo, sophomore, Honolulu, Hawaii, Kamehameha High School, light
Jasmine Bailey, senior, Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City West High School, light
Marina Doi, senior, Kingsburg, Calif, Kingsburg High School, light
Regina Doi, senior, Kingsburg, Calif., Kingsburg High School, light
Gabrielle Garcia, sophomore, Anaheim, Calif., Valencia High School, light
Rachel Hale, senior, Bennington, Vermont, Mount Anthony High School, light
Alyssa LaFrancis, junior, Poway, Calif., Poway High School, upper
Becka Leathers, junior, Choctaw, Okla., Choctaw High School, middle
Anastasia Lobsinger, senior, Concord, Calif., Northgate High School, upper
Kayla Miracle, senior, Campbellsville, Ky., Culver Academy, light
Maya Nelson, junior, Denver, Colo., Denver East High Schook, middle
Alexis Porter, senior, Ballston Lake, N.Y., Shenendehowa High School, upper
Jessika Rottier, junior, Little Suamico, Wis., North Pulaski High School, middle
Kenya Spencer, sophomore, Caro, Mich., Caro High School, upper
Second Team (alphabetically)
Arian Carpio, junior, Federal Way, Wash., Beamer High School, middle
Ryan Gibbons, junior, Rochester, Wash., Centralia High School, upper
Steffanie Hampton, senior, Onondaga, Mich., Leslie High School, light
Cassidy Jasperson, senior, League City, Texas, Clear Springs High School, light
Sariyah Jones, sophomore, Modesto, Calif., James C. Enoch High School, light
Cadence Lee, senior, Los Altos Hill, Calif., Gunn High School, light
Angelica Llanes, junior, Lamont, Calif., Arvin High School, light
Jasmine Mendoza, senior, San Jose, Calif., Overfelt High School, middle
Maia Phanthadara, senior, Honolulu, Hawaii, Roosevelt High School, light
Taylor Rosario, sophomore, Katy, Texas, Cinco Rancho High School, upper
Autumn Rux, senior, Lansing, Mich., Lansing Eastern High School, upper
Maddy Tung, junior, Santa Monica, Calif., Santa Monica High School, middle
Kiaya Van Scoyoc, senior, Lakewood, Wash., Lakes High School, upper
Areana Villeascusa, senior, Rio Rico, Ariz., Rio Rico High School, middle
Third Team (alphabetically)
Alexis Bleau, sophomore, Schoharie, N.Y., Schoharie High School, light
Francesca Giorgio, senior, West Lawn, Pa., Wilson High School, middle
Hanna Gladden, senior, Gadsden, Ala., Ohatchee High School, upper
Skylar Grote, sophomore, Newton, N.J., Blair Academy, upper
Ronna Heaton, freshman, Brookings, S.D., Brookings High School, light
Kaitlyn Hill, junior, Constantine, Mich., Constantine High School, upper
Jessi Kee, senior, Laurinburg, N.C., Scottland High School, middle
Ricki Liang, junior, Vallejo, Calif., Jesse Bethel High School, middle
Katarina Lobsinger, junior, Concord, Calif., Northgate High School, upper
Dominique Parrish, junior, Scotts Valley, Calif., Scotts Valley High School, light
Emily Pinson, junior, Lizella, Ga., Rutland High School, light
Theresa Rankin, sophomore, Grass Lake, Mich.,Grass Lake High School, light
Kendall Reusing, junior, Riverside, Calif., La Sierra High School, upper
Rachel Watters, sophomore, Ankeny, Iowa, Ballard High School, upper
Honorable Mention (alphabetically)
Taylor Alva, senior, Cypress, Texas, Cy Woods High School, middle
McKenzie Bacich, sophomore, Stockton, Calif., Bear Creek High School, light
Brittany Bates, sophomore, Doyline, La., Doyline High School, light
Rachel Bates, senior, Spring, Texas, Oak Ridge High School, upper
Sierra Blasone, junior, Sussex, N.J., Sparta High School, light
Samantha Cushard, junior, Grass Lake, Mich., Grass Lake High School, upper
Jessica DeHart, junior, Hood River, Ore., Hood River Valley High School, light
Jenna Elmlinger, junior, Buffalo, Wyo., Buffalo High School, middle
Nadine Fiege, junior, Atlantic Beach, Fla., Centralia High School, upper
Abigail Flores, junior, Frisco, Texas, Frisco High School, upper
Cierra Foster, freshman, Post Falls, Idaho, Post Falls High School, light
Destane Garrick, senior, Brooklyn, N.Y., Wingate Campus High School, upper
Alyssa Gonzalez, senior, Vallejo, Calif., Benicia High School, middle
Alyssa Hernandez, junior, Hayward, Calif., James Logan High School, upper
Hanna Jewell, junior, Goodrich, Mich., Goodrich High School, light
Devyn Johnson, senior, Osakis, Minn., Osakis High School, light
Ilania Keju, junior, Spring, Texas, Klein Oak High School, upper
Julia Long, senior, Mountain View, Wyo., Mountain View High School, light
Genesis Patterson, junior, Irmo, S.C., Dutch Fork High School, light
Shannon Paaaina, senior, Ewa Beach, Hawaii, Mid-Pacific Institute, middle
Harmony Pacheco, Honolulu, Honolulu, Hawaii, Kamehameha High School, light
Stephanie Pantoja, senior, Orlando, Fla., Cypress Creek High School, upper
Harmony Roberts, junior, Ukiah, Calif., Ukiah High School, light
Cara Romeike, senior, Coppell, Texas, Coppell High School, middle
Andrea Sennett, sophomore, Wheeling, Ill., Wheeling High School, upper
Tatum Sparks, junior, Othello, Wash., Othello High School, middle
Koral Sugiyama, junior, Pocatello, Idaho, Pocatello High School, middle
Harriet Symington, senior, Bethesda, Md, Walt Whitman High School, light
Courteney Tompkins, senior, Santa Maria, Calif., Pioneer Valley High School, upper
Lakiyah Wagoner, senior, Van Nuys, Calif., Birmingham High School, upper
Light (100-121 pounds); Middle (122-140 pounds); Upper (141 pounds and above).
961Paul Young Named Acting Head Wrestling Coach at Army
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Army assistant coach Paul Young has been named acting head coach for the Army wrestling program, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Boo Corrigan announced today.
Young, who recently completed his third season at Army, will oversee the program while a national search for a head coach is conducted.
Joe Heskett has decided to leave Army West Point to pursue an administrative opportunity at West Virginia University.
"We want to thank coach Heskett for the past four years with us," said Corrigan. "With every change, comes a great opportunity to reinvigorate our program and find a new leader. We are deeply committed to our cadets and will find a great head coach."
1708June Wrestling Recap
As the old saying goes, Summer wrestling makes Winter champions and that was proven over the course of June. Four major events took place with many wrestlers from the state facing the toughest competition from around the country. Here is a recap of the major events and their top wrestlers.
Schoolboy Duals at Warren Central High School
The top wrestlers in the 6th-8th grades took on the best from around the country in their own backyard once again. Indiana entered two teams in both Greco and Freestyle and came away with many great wins over the course of the week. In Greco, Indiana Blue finished in 28th place out of 35 teams despite giving up four forfeits throughout the event. Indiana Gold finished in 16th place for the event. In the freestyle portion Indiana Blue once again had an uphill battle with forfeits to start each match. The team went 1-4 over the two days, but had some outstanding wrestlers. Indiana Gold earned team All-American honors with a 7th place finish. They won their initial pool going 3-0 and then went 1-3 in the final Gold championship pool. All-Tournament wrestlers for the event were Brayden Curtis, Devon Stikes, and Jacob Obst in freestyle and Tucker Coffman, Kyle COrnwell, and Manny Cheam in Greco-Roman.
Freestyle Results
Greco-Roman Results
Cadet Duals in Daytona Beach, Florida
The first trip to Florida this month proved to be very good for many Indiana wrestlers. Another extremely talented Cadet team took on the top teams in the nation. In the Greco portion Indiana finished 10th. They were one point from defeating the eventual runner-up in Ohio Red on the first day. In Freestyle, the team finished as All-American for the second straight year. After losing to Ohio Red in the initial pool, Indiana took 7th in the finals. All-Tournament honors went to Alec White in freestyle and Joe Lee and Kobe Woods in Greco-Roman.
Freestyle Results
Greco-Roman Results
Junior Duals in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
With 14 of the state’s top teams heading to Disney our Junior duals team had the deck stacked against them. The Greco team, with five forfeits, won one match, but was lead by feisty Super Charger Ben Cauffman going 6-1. On the Freestyle side, injuries throughout the first day made for a rough time past the first pool. On the second day was forfeiting up to six weights. The Warrior Brock Hudkins lead the way with a perfect mark and earned All-Tournament honors.
Freestyle Results
Greco-Roman Results
[table id=59 /]
Disney Duals in Orlando, Florida
[caption id=attachment_6698" align="alignleft" width="300] Community 2 Champions Yorktown[/caption]
Fourteen teams from the Hoosier state made the trek to see Mickey Mouse and get some great wrestling experience last week. Indiana had a great showing in the Community 1 division with Avon making the championship finals. Other top 8 teams included Perry Meridian 4th, Penn 6th, and Brownsburg 8th. All of those teams earned All-American status.
In the Community 2 division, Yorktown swept the field with ease for their 6th title in 7 years. They defeated Ohio’s Oak Harbor in the finals. Evansville Memorial made the championship bracket, but fell just short in the placing round. Terre Haute North was the lone representative in the Developmental division and placed in the top 12.
Lastly, Penn once again entered a team in the super tough All-Star division. This year’s team was filled with tough Penn kids and other top wrestlers from across the state. That team finished 15th out of 47. Leading the way was Drew Hughes going undefeated, while Drew Hildebrandt, Jose Champagne, Joey Mammoletti, Blake Rypel and Kobe Woods all had one loss.
Links to Results
Community 1
Community 2
Developmental
All-Star
[table id=58 /]
1129Ten More Added to 2014-15 Greyhound Wrestling Incoming Class
Jackie Paquette, Asst. AD for Student Support & Sports Information
INDIANAPOLIS- In a second wave of additions, UIndy Wrestling Head Coach Jason Warthan has announced another 10 new Greyhounds for the 2014-15 season. The 10 new grapplers bring the incoming class for next season to 17 members.
Joining the UIndy roster in the fall will be Keith Bachert, Taylor DeLong, Jeff Dixon, Dylan Faulkenberg, Johnnie Foster, Mitch Goldbach, Justin Halaska, Brandon Hannigan, Jake Rickenbaugh and Alex Riegel. Three of the newcomers will be transfers into the Greyhound program, with the remaining seven coming on as true freshmen in August.
Bachert, a Crete-Monee (Illinois) product, will come to UIndy as a 165. He earned eight total letters for the Warriors, in wrestling, baseball and cross country. Bachert was a three-time all-conference selection on the mat and was team MVP as a junior, while leading the team in wins as a senior.
DeLong is a transfer to the Greyhounds as a 184 from NAIA Indiana Tech. The Westfield, Ind. native was an NAIA National Qualifier at Indiana Tech, and placed eighth in the state of Indiana as a senior in high school. He was also a member of the Indiana/Illinois All-Star team as a senior, and set both Westfield HS and county records for most pins.
Dixon will come to UIndy from Fishers, Ind. and Hamilton Southeastern High School. The 197 or heavyweight earned four letters for the Royals on the mat, and was a two-time semi state qualifier as a prep.
Faulkenberg, a three-sport student-athlete at Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter, will wrestle heavyweight as a Greyhound. He placed fourth in the state as a senior, and went 47-1 as a junior. The 12-time letter winner also helped CRHS to a football state title as a junior and a runner-up finish as a senior.
Foster, the second of three incoming Illinois natives, will come to UIndy from Bloom Trail HS as a 184. He was a state placer in Illinois last year, taking sixth. He also played football for the Trailblazers, and was an honor roll student as a prep.
Goldbach, also a transfer to UIndy, will make the move from NC State to the Greyhounds. A four-time conference champion and state qualifier in North Carolina as a prep, Goldbach will wrestle 133 for UIndy. The Wake Forest, NC native placed twice in his prep career, taking second as a sophomore and fifth as a senior, en route to a 147-20 high school record.
Halaska is the third transfer to join the Greyhounds, coming from Heidelberg University. The 197 earned seven letters as a prep for Parma, Ohio HS, placing twice at state. He took eighth as both a junior and a senior, earning All-Conference accolades and All-Ohio honors both seasons.
Hannigan also comes to UIndy via Illinois' Crete-Monee HS. The 174 was a state qualifier as a senior, earning the Warriors' MVP award in his final season. He was also a two-time All-Conference selection, as well as a three-sport athlete during high school.
Rickenbaugh is a two-time state qualifier from Heritage Hills High School. The 174 took eighth in the state as a junior, and was a two-time Pocket Athletic Conference champion. He also won a pair of regional and sectional titles, en route to a 114-10 career record for the Patriots over three varsity seasons. Rickenbaugh set the Heritage Hills single-season record for pins with 37 as a senior as well.
Riegel rounds out the newcomers, hailing from Evansville Reitz, which also produced two-time UIndy All-American and current assistant coach Alex Johns. Riegel, who will come to UIndy as a 157, was a team captain of a senior and posted a career record of 89-32 in earning three letters in wrestling at Reitz.
Kyle Keller, Brendon Kelley, Heath Lange, Tyler Scott, D.J. Smith, Brian Wagner and J.D. Waters round out the newcomers for 2014-15, with their accomplishments archived in an earlier release, found here. The Greyhounds lost seven of their 10 starters from last year's eighth-place finishing team at the NCAA Division II National Championships to graduation or exhaustion of eligibility.
2081Camden Eppert Joins Wabash Wrestling Staff
Richard Paige Wabash Sports Information
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. –Wabash College Director of Athletics Joe Haklin announced Thursday that Camden Eppert has been hired as an assistant wrestling coach.
Eppert joins the Little Giant staff after spending the last four years as a member of the Purdue University wrestling team. During his career (2010-14), Eppert won 65 matches at 125 pounds, twice qualified for the NCAA Championships, and four times was named Academic All-Big Ten Conference.
"I am thrilled and fortunate to join the Wabash College wrestling program," said Eppert. "I am extremely excited to begin my career as a coach and help student-athletes reach their goals on and off the mat. I've had the opportunity to be coached and mentored by countless people who have shaped my approach and I cannot wait to get started."
[caption id=attachment_6735" align="alignright" width="150] Camden Eppert[/caption]
Eppert graduated from Purdue in 2014, earning a bachelor of science while majoring in Public Health Promotions. During his tenure in West Lafayette, IN, he was a three-time All-Academic honoree by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, a team captain as a junior and senior, and was named Outstanding Freshman in 2011.
As a senior in 2013-14, Eppert ranked fifth on the Boilermakers with 16 wins and was the 125-pound representative in 13 of 14 dual meets. As a junior, he posted a career-best 23 wins, including a 6-2 record in Big Ten dual meets. Over his last two seasons, Eppert was a combined 12 matches over .500 and won nearly 60 percent of his matches.
Eppert made his first NCAA Championship appearance as a freshman in 2011, following a fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. He followed up with another NCAA berth in 2012, knocking off a pair of nationally ranked opponents during the meet.
"We couldn't have found a better hire for the position," said Wabash head wrestling coach Brian Anderson. "Camden is a proven winner and excelled on the mats and in the classroom while competing in college. He has strong name recognition across the state and is going to be a great help with our lower weight classes."
In addition to his successes on the mat, Eppert was a member of the Boilermaker Athletic Council, the John R. Wooden Leadership Institute, and was granted membership in Mortar Board, the national college senior honor society.
Born in Noblesville, IN, Eppert graduated in 2009 from Highland High School in Anderson, IN, winning IHSAA state titles in 2007 (103 pounds) and 2009 (119 pounds) to go with a 155-13 (.923) career record.
Entering his 11th season as the Wabash head coach, Anderson guided the Little Giants to their best-ever finish at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships with a ninth-place finish in 2014. Riley Lefever became the first Little Giant to win a wrestling national championship, capturing the 184-pound weight class title. Wabash tied a school record by sending six competitors to the 2014 championship meet.
1721Indiana Tech Announces 2014-15 Recruiting Class
Zach Shore Indiana Tech Sports Information
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech wrestling team and Head Coach Mike Ester are proud to announce the 2014-15 recruiting class.
Of the 23 recruits, 12 are from the state of Indiana, including three local stars. The other 11 all hail from Michigan. The class has at least one athlete at each weight class with the most being four at 141-pounds while only one athlete is coming in at 174-pounds and 197-pounds.
?"We are excited about this group of young men coming into the Warrior wrestling family," exclaimed Ester. "This class not only is highly credentialed on a state and national level with their wrestling accomplishments, but is loaded with guys who are strong leaders. Many of them will make an immediate impact in our starting line-up as well as push the solid group of returning wrestlers we have to new heights. We are looking forward to these guys coming in to help us improve on our eighth-place finish at the NAIA national championships."
The 125-pound weight class features two athletes from Fort Wayne in Enrique Early and Logan Aldrich as well as a Traverse City, Michigan native, Zachary Shaub.
Early is a Snider High School graduate where he was a two-time team MVP, Fargo Junior Nationals Qualifier, Indiana/Illinois Senior All-Star Duals Team and two-time Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) state medalist, finishing fourth and eighth. He plans to major in Business Management.
Aldrich graduated from Northrop High School where he was a 2014 IHSAA State Finalist, Summit Athletic Conference Champion and sectional champion. He may see time at the 133-pound weight class too.
Schaub is a St. Francis High School grad who could see time at 133-pouds as well. He was a three-time Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) qualifier, including a third-place finish in 2014. He was a two-time nationals representative for NUWAY All-American and Brute. The freshman plans to major in Electrical Engineering.
The 133-pound weight class is represented by Allegan, Michigan native, Zane Corey, and Fort Wayne native, Robert Humphrey III. Both recruits could also see time at the 141-pound class.
Corey is an Allegan High School alum who was a four-time conference champion, three-time state qualifier and 2014 MHSAA runner-up at 130-pounds.
Humphrey III comes to Tech from Snider High School where he was a team captain and two-time semi-state qualifier.
The largest class is at 141-pounds with three Michigan natives, Matt Miller, Da'Vion Williams and Collin Busing and one Indiana native, Jake Gross.
Miller is a Davison native and was a four-time MHSAA state medalist for Davison High School finishing fifth, fourth, second and fourth in his career.
Williams, a Southfield native, was a MHSAA state qualifier for Southfield High School. He was a regional runner-up, two-time district runner-up, Oakland county fourth-place finish at 140 pounds and the freshman will major in Energy Engineering.
Busing comes to Fort Wayne from Bryon Center where he was an OK Green Conference champion for Byron Center High School. He was a two-time All-District performer, team captain and 2014 team state appearance. He graduates with 88 career high school wins.
Gross is a Lowell Senior High School grad in Lowell, Indiana where he was a three-time NCC Conference champion, two-time IHSAA sectional champion and semi-state qualifier while also being a regional champion.
At 149-pounds, Thomas Gary of Davison, Michigan and Seth Ferguson of Martinsville, Indiana have signed to join the Warriors next season.
Garty joins Davison teammate Miller at Tech after being a four-time MHSAA state qualifier including a third-place finish. He was a three-time district champion, two-time regional and Genessee County champion as well as earning Academic All-State at 149- and 157-pounds.
Ferguson is a Martinsville High School graduate where he was a two-time IHSAA state qualifier, Indianapolis Nationals champion and IHSAA Evansville semi-state runner-up. The freshman plans to major in Mechanical Engineering.
Two Michigan natives, Jared Elliott and Alonta Chapman along with Decatur, Indiana native, Logan Neher, make up the 157-pound class.
Elliott is a Birch Run native where he was a three-time captain at Birch Run High School. He was a four-time Saginaw County champion, two-time MHSAA state runner-up and 2014 Academic All-State. He intends to major in Mechanical Engineering and could see time at 165-pounds this season.
Chapman is a Jackson native where he was a two-time captain at Jackson Northwest High School. Chapman is a placer and runner-up at the EMU National Open as well as being a Michigan Monster Medal runner-up. He plans to major in Psychology.
Neher is a Decatur native who was a 2014 state qualifier for Bellmont High School. He was a two-time placer at the Mishawaka Al Smith Memorial Tournament as well as earning 2014 Academic All-State honors. He will be majoring in Computer Engineering.
At 165-pounds, Michigan Grappler's No. 23 rated senior class prospect, Jake Johnson, highlights the class. The Macomb, Michigan native was a four-time MHSAA state qualifier for Dakota High School and placed three times (4th, 4th, 3rd). He was a two-time Greco State champion, Freestyle state champion and two-time central regional Greco champion. He was also a 2013 Grappler Fall Classic All-American and plans to major in Computer Science.
Joining Johnson is Carson Whaley, a Grand Blanc, Michigan native who could also see time at 174-pounds. While at Lake Fenton High School he was a three-time MHSAA state qualifier taking sixth in 2013 and third in 2013. He was a league and regional champion while being named a three-time team captain. He graduates with 174 career wins and plans to major in Business Management – Marketing.
Andy Donaho is the lone recruit at 174-pounds. The Lake Fenton, Michigan native was a 2013 MHSAA state finalist and 2014 state champion for Lake Fenton High School. He was also named Tri-County Wrestler of the Year.
The 184-pound weight class features an IHSAA state champion, a team captain and a semi-state qualifier all from Indiana.
Damien Chambers of Ellettsville, Indiana headlines the group having won the IHSAA state title at 182-pounds in 2014. The Edgewood High School grad is a three-time Western Indiana Conference champion and 2014 IHSAA Evansville semi-state champion. He graduates as the record holder for most consecutive wins in a season with 44.
Stone Neese of Brownsburg, Indiana was a team captain and two-time semi-state qualifier for Brownsburg High School while also earning Disney Duals All-American honors. He will be majoring in Fashion Merchandising.
Griffith High School grad, Ryan Dunlap was a 2014 semi-state qualifier while also being runner-up at Lake County Conference and Sectional. The Griffith native plans to major in Criminal Justice.
Tieshawn Johnson is a two-time conference and IHSAA sectional champ while also being a semi-state champion and IHSAA fifth-place medalist for Elkhart Memorial High School. The Elkhart, Indiana native plans to major in Business and Marketing while competing at 197-pounds.
Andre Porter and Eric Ousley, both Indiana natives, round out the class in the heavyweight division.
Porter comes to Tech from Hamilton Heights High School in Cicero, Indiana where he was a team captain. He was a two-time USA Wrestling Iowa Nationals All-American and an ISWA Folkstyle state champion. He will major in Psychology.
Ousley is a Noblesville, Indiana native who is transferring from Harper Community College. He is a three-time ISWA Greco state champion, national duals and Fargo national team member while also being a two-time freestyle state placer at Hamilton Southeastern High School.
8042014 Fargo Coverage
Where: Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota
When: July 19th-26th
What: USAW Freestyle and Greco-Roman nationals for cadet, junior and women’s age groups and Phase II of the World Team Trials for non-Olympic weight classes
Schedule
FloWrestling Video Coverage
Follow IndianaMat’s Twitter for updates all week long
Follow @IndianaMat
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Daily Recaps
Cadet and Senior Women Start First Day at Fargo
Five Cadet Greco-Roman Wrestlers Survive First Day
Cavins and Woods Lead Team Indiana on Day 3
Miracle Makes One Last Fargo Podium Appearance
13 Cadets Alive After One Day of Freestyle
Fantastic Four Lead the Cadets on Day Six
Paul Konrath, Chad Red, and Nick Lee Finish on Top
Three All-Americans Lead Junior Freestyle
Previews
Women’s Freestyle
Cadet Greco-Roman
Cadet Freestyle
Junior Greco-Roman
Junior Freestyle
Results
Cadet Womens Freestyle July 19
Junior Womens Freestyle July 21-22
Cadet Greco-Roman July 20-21
Cadet Freestyle July 23-25
Junior Greco-Roman July 21-22
Junior Freestyle July 24-26
Senior World Team Trials
July 19th Women's 55kg and 60kg
Sarah Hildebrandt 55kg
Kayla Miracle 60kg
July 22nd Men's Greco-Roman 71kg and 80kg
July 24th Men's Freestyle 61kg and 70kg
Reece Humphrey 61kg
Jason Tsirtsis 70kg
Senior World Team Trials TrackWrestling link
Other Articles of Interest
Spencer repeats as women's freestyle champ in Fargo
Fargo Preview: Cadet Greco-Roman(Intermat Premium)
Fargo Preview: Junior Greco-Roman(Intermat Premium)
The Open Mat #Fargo2014 Coverage
All-Americans
Cadet Womens Freestyle
Mackenzie Turner 6th
Cadet Greco-Roman
Jacob Cavins 6th
Kobe Woods 7th
Junior Greco-Roman
None
Junior Womens Freestyle
Kayla Miracle 2nd
Cadet Freestyle
Paul Konrath 1st
Chad Red 1st
Nick Lee 1st
Kobe Woods 2nd
Evan Eldred 7th
Junior Freestyle
Drew Hildebrandt 2nd
Fletcher Miller 6th
Garrett Pepple 8th
8752014 Women's Freestyle Preview
Last 5 Years All-Americans
2009
Junior
109
4th
Sarah Hildebrandt
2009
Junior
139
6th
Demi Strub
2010
Junior
109
2nd
Sarah Hildebrandt
2010
Junior
139
2nd
Demi Strub
2011
Cadet
108
1st
Kayla Miracle
2011
Junior
112
8th
Gibby Paxton
2011
Junior
112
2nd
Kayla Miracle
2011
Junior
121
1st
Sarah Hildebrandt
2011
Junior
159
3rd
Demi Strub
2012
Cadet
124
3rd
Kayla Miracle
2012
Cadet
115
4th
Courtney Grey
2012
Cadet
101
7th
Brook Bunch
2012
Junior
121
1st
Kayla Miracle
2013
Cadet
101
4th
Lindsey Prozanski
2013
Cadet
124
4th
Courtney Grey
2013
Junior
139
2nd
Kayla Miracle
Women's wrestling in Indiana continues to be on the rise and this year is going to be no different at Fargo. Leading the way on this year's team is once again highly decorated Kayla Miracle. She will be performing double duty this weekend trying to earn a spot on the World Team and then later in the week wrestling in the junior championships. Her laundry list of accomplishments are too much to mention, just know that she is extremely talented and will continue to win at a high level. Two other Fargo All-Americans return in Lindsey Prozanski and Courtney Grey. Both were on the podium last year as Cadets and hope to repeat that performance as Juniors. Two other All-Americans in different events will make their Fargo debuts this week. The mighty Baron Susan Fozo will wrestle in the Junior division after placing 8th at Folkstyle Nationals this spring. Lastly, Mackenzie Turner will wrestle both Cadet and Junior divisions after a 3rd place finish at the FILA Cadet championships this spring.
Name
Division
Weight
Credentials
Mackenzie Turner
Cadet/Junior
198
2014 FILA Cadet Nationals 3rd
Susan Fozo
Junior
112
2014 Folkstyle Nationals 8th
Lindsey Prozanski
Junior
112
2013 Cadet 4th
Courtney Grey
Junior
125
2013 Cadet 4th
Makayla Bushman
Junior
130
Kayla Miracle
Junior
130
2014 Folkstyle Nationals 1st2014 Body Bar 1st
2014 World Team Trials 6th
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