Last night unranked Utah Valley University took on 8th in the nation Boise St. And won. UVU pulled ahead in the beginning and never looked back. It was a tough match with the end being the roughest I’ve seen. Casen Eldredge, who normally wrestles at 184 pounds, wrestled up two weight classes Boise State’s heavyweight Sam Zylstra. Going into the match, UVU was up by 5 points, 22-17. Eldredge managed to outlast and out work Zylstra for a bit, but then Zylstra caught him and held on for the win, 7-4. Even though Eldredge lost the match, it gave UVU the win 22-20.

If Eldredge delivered the win, then Freshman 174 lb. Josh Wood set it up. He defeated Levi Holt by decision, 13-8, in the second-to-last match of the dual to increase UVU’s advantage to the 22-17 that made the win possible.

Utah Valley’s Benjamin Kjar opened the dual on a good note for the Wolverines with a 13-4 major decision over Boise State’s Alan Bartelli, who beat Kjar 7-5 earlier in the season at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas invitational. Kjar, ranked 11th in the nation at 125, improved his overall record to 25-6 and his dual record to 9-1. The junior from Centerville, Utah, recorded a takedown and three-point near fall in the opening round to lead 5-1. In the final round he tallied two takedowns, a three-point near fall, an escape and earned one point for riding time en route to the major decision.

But the upset of all upsets in the night came from 174-pound Wolverine Brad Darrington, who recorded a takedown with less than 30 seconds left in the match against No. 11 Nate Lee to win 7-6 to increase UVU’s lead to 19-11.

“It was a great win for our program,” UVU head coach Greg Williams. “First and foremost our guys came in with the mentality to go out and wrestle the best they could. Anytime you go out and beat a team ranked as high as Boise is, it is a huge win for your program.”

UVU travels to Vernal in Eastern Utah today to face #1 ranked Iowa tonight, who is undefeated, at 6:00 pm MST. UVU looks forward to the match. “We will come out against Iowa and wrestle the very best we can,” Coach Williams said. “No matter the outcome, we want to feel like we battled and gave it everything we had.”

You can check out photos of the match in our Facebook page.

While coaching plays an integral role in a program that continually marches forward, those coaches can’t do it without a support system in place, such as administrative backing, maximum allowable recruiting numbers and financial support.

Iowa Wrestling Coach Tom Brands

Look at Tom Brands. A fiery wrestler and NCAA champ for Iowa, as well as an assistant coach there for 12 years, left for Virginia Tech in the 2004-05 season. The Hokies went 1-16 that year.

The next season they were 16-4 and won the ACC. But Brands had a chance to return as head coach at Iowa, the mecca of college wrestling, and did so after the conclusion of the 2005-06 season.

He also took three recruits back with him — Brent Metcalf, Dan LeClere and Jay Borschel. Ever heard of them? You should if you follow college wrestling.

Brands’ first year as head coach was a down year by Iowa standards, 14-5 and an NCAA finish of eighth as the aforementioned trio were forced to redshirt. That changed as the Hawkeyes went 21-1 in 2007-08 and 24-0 in 2008-09, winning the NCAA team title both seasons and currently on a winning streak of 38 straight dual meets.

Look to the east and you’ll see similar goings-on. Cornell has established itself as one of the top teams in the East with head coach Rob Koll, a 1984 PIAA champ from State College and 1988 NCAA champ from North Carolina.

He recruits Pennsylvania and New York and while he doesn’t always have the type of lineup to compete with the Iowas and Minnesotas, he has enough stars to ensure high finishes at the NCAA Championships.

Another program is emerging at Maryland. Led by Kerry McCoy, a two-time NCAA champ at Penn State, the Terps last week beat Cornell 18-17 by scoring nine points in the last two bouts for the win.

As a result, Maryland is ranked sixth and Cornell seventh this week by InterMat.
Insert Image of Cael

There’s another change taking place at Penn State. By no means are we comparing the Nittany Lions to any upstart program. State has been a solid program from the get-go, with periodically great teams in each decade.

All but the current decade in which the team hasn’t always lived up to the potential the recruits in the room automatically provided.

Iowa St Wrestling Cael Sanderson

When Olympic champion Cael Sanderson took over in April, he said his plan was to make Penn State into a perennial championship contender. What his followers have to realize is that a plan has to have a beginning, and the beginning of Sanderson’s plan is to redshirt a number of talented wrestlers this season.

Thus far — and it is early — that lineup has yielded four very good wrestlers, three wrestlers with nice potential but aren’t consistently going to win big matches, and three wrestlers who likely won’t be in next season’s lineup.

That said, it’s probably good enough to win 14 or 15 matches, perhaps crown one Big Ten champ and earn a good handful of All-America certificates.

Next season the bar will be raised, expectations will be higher, intensity surrounding the program should regain a feverish pitch, one that probably hasn’t been seen since the 1992-93 and 1997-98 seasons.

The program hasn’t been devoid of talent since then by any means, with six winning seasons, three national champs and some good showings in the Big Ten championships.

Sanderson’s plan can be reduced to simple terminology. Currently, when you think college wrestling, you think Iowa. His goal: when you think college wrestling, you’ll think Penn State.

The plan is in place; the first steps are under way. Plans take time. If this plan succeeds, fans in this wrestling-crazy state will have a good time.

COLLEGE NOTES: Rankings remain the barometer of any sport. It’s no surprise Iowa is ranked No. 1. The Hawkeyes are followed in the InterMat rankings by Iowa State, Ohio State, Minnesota and Oklahoma State. Lehigh is 12th, Penn State 13th, Edinboro 19th and Pitt 25th. In Division II, Pitt-Johnstown is 10th, Mercyhurst 11th, Gannon 17th and Kutztown 20th. In Division III, Wisconsin-LaCrosse is first while Delaware Valley is seventh, Wilkes 18th and Lycoming 22nd.

By Jeff Breese

Since April and the introduction of Cael Sanderson as Penn State’s head coach, Nittany Lion wrestling has been the hottest topics of conversation among the United States wrestling community.

The Sanderson story line has brought a heightened level of excitement to this season for fans, no matter their affiliation to Penn State.

The anticipation can clearly be felt, but the question is how can that anticipation be tangibly measured in State College and across the state of Pennsylvania.

The 29-year-old Sanderson doesn’t worry about the expectations that come with the enthusiasm of his arrival.

“I know there is a lot of excitement,” he said. “I have been fortunate to have been raised to have a mind set that I can focus on the process and what it takes to be successful and not worry about anything other than what I can control.

“Nobody is going to put more pressure on me to win, at least I am not going to feel it, than me.”

Sanderson has also spread that game plan to those closest to his dreams for Penn State. And in turn, they are happy to explain every element of these expectations.

Wrestling matters during football season

The first sign that this is a new era of Penn State Wrestling is that fans, students and professors are talking about wrestling in October.

Frank Molinaro, a New Jersey native and 141-pound All-American for the Nittany Lions a season ago, is enlightening his professors about the program.

“I go to half my classes and my teachers are asking me about Cael, how the new coach is, how the programs going. It seems like everyone is really looking forward to wrestling season this year,” Molinaro said.

Penn State Associate Head Wrestling Coach Cody Sanderson, who followed younger brother Cael to Happy Valley, has experienced a new phenomenon.

“It doesn’t matter where I go or who I talk to. People have heard about Cael coming in and they’re excited to see what he can do. That’s everybody from the lawn maintenance guys to the nurses at the hospital.

“Everywhere I’ve been people want to talk about wrestling, being at Penn State during football season that’s quite an accomplishment.”

Packing into Rec Hall

The Nittany Lions will have only five home duals this season and only one home dual prior to January. That should leave a vastly growing fan base chomping at the bit to see the product that the new coaching staff is putting on the mat.

Half a season of anticipation combined with season ticket numbers that have almost doubled will make Rec Hall a raucous and thrilling venue to compete in.

“We’re seeing the students energized,” said Penn State wrestling sports information director Pat Donghia. “We’re seeing a public that’s constantly saying how excited they are that Cael’s here.

“Everyone loved (former coach) Troy (Sunderland), but there’s an excitement now with Cael coming in, people are starting to attach themselves not just to this year, but what they see happening in years down the road.

“I think there is a tangible vibe you can put your thumb on. People are ready for this program to do something very special. You can look at how our season ticket sales are going and people want to get in on the ground floor of that.”

Last season, Penn State roughly had a 1,000 season ticket holders. Since April there have been 700 new season ticket applicants and that list continues to grow. Rec Hall will also feature 40 premium floor seats for every home dual. The premium mat-side seating was announced on September 3 and each seat sold for $100 to $125 for the season. Nearly all those seats were sold by October.

Recruiting

The impact of the Sanderson hiring in State College is clear based on ticket sales and the buzz floating around the campus. The bigger impact can be measured through the recruiting success Penn State has had in the last seven months.

Sanderson’s recruiting impact actually started many months before his move to Pennsylvania. The nation’s top recruit, David Taylor from Ohio, and three-time Arizona state champion Luke Macchiaroli were Iowa State recruits who followed Sanderson to Penn State. Also, 2008 All-American Cyler Sanderson made the decision to transfer from ISU so that he could compete one more season for his brothers.

However, it did not take long for Sanderson to find success recruiting in Pennsylvania. Four days after he was hired, Andrew and Dylan Alton, highly-ranked recruits in the country, gave verbal commitments to the Nittany Lions. That was followed up by verbals from two more Pennsylvania stand-outs, Sam Sherlock and Dirk Cowburn.

“On a state level, people have always talked about what Penn State could be if we could harness the program and get everybody excited about coming into the state or staying in the state,” said Matt Dernlan, Penn State’s Director of Wrestling Operations.

“It’s never going to be easy because we’ve got the best kids in the country so everybody is going to be fighting for them. Hopefully, as soon as these kids start wrestling in the baby programs they start dreaming about wearing the blue and white, wrestling for Cael and Penn State.”

Quentin Wright, a 2009 All-American at 174 pounds for Penn State gave his take on why the Nittany Lion Wrestling program is garnering such big commitments.

“Penn State’s becoming the premier program in the country, that’s what we’re developing into right now,” said Wright, a sophomore who will redshirt this season. “All these kids in the states around here understand wrestling and they know you need to go where your best competition is. When the best competition in the world is in your room that makes a big difference in recruiting.

“Cael coming to Penn State has given Pennsylvania a whole other spark. A reason to put your guts and soul into the sport and try to wrestle for Penn State.”

These were posted by Chris Detrick on his site. It’s of Utah’s 5A wrestling tournament in 2007. Hope you like ‘em!

Brighton's K.C. Nate wrestles Weber's Logan Hubbard during the 145 lb bout during the 5A State Wrestling Championships. Nate won the match.

Brighton's K.C. Nate pins Weber's Logan Hubbard during the 145 lb bout during the 5A State Wrestling Championships. Nate won the match.

DATE: 5/12/2008 9:58:00 AM
Bethlehem, PA
Lehigh Sports Information

Four former Lehigh greats have been elected to the Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame. Formal induction took place on Lehigh’s Packer Campus on Saturday, May 10, 2008. Basketball standout Greg Falkenbach ‘72, four-time EIWA Champion Colin Kilrain ’82, cross country/track and field star Tim Steele ‘73, and two-way football standout Pete Williams ’58 are the newest members. Falkenbach and Kilrain comprise the class of 2007, while Steele and Williams make up the class of 2008. Formal induction for the Class of 2007 was held off for one year because Commander Kilrain was out of the country serving his duties as Captain of Special Forces for the Navy Seals.

One of only eight four-time champions in the 103-year history of the EIWA, Colin J. Kilrain ‘82 is one of just three wrestlers to win a championship at three different weight classes (167, 177, 190). A two-time captain and three-time third place NCAA finisher, Kilrain won over 90 percent (87-8) of his matches while at Lehigh, which ranks in the top-ten in school annals. During the last three years of his career in the Brown and White, Kilrain compiled an astounding 70-4 record with 23 wins-by-fall and 26 bonus wins. Four of those wins came versus NCAA Champions.

“It’s an honor to be inducted into the Lehigh Hall of Fame,” Kilrain said. “There were a number of folks who came before me that served as role models and sterling examples of what a Hall of Famer should be and I’m proud to be among this high caliber group.”

During Kilrain’s sophomore season, he pushed three time NCAA Champion Ed Banach of Iowa to the brink of elimination before suffering an injury and losing by just a single point. The next year, Kilrain exacted revenge on Banach, defeating him 9-5 at Stabler Arena in front of a raucous crowd of over 4,500 people. Kilrain was ranked first in the nation at 190 pounds as a junior, and later went onto earn the number-one seed for that year’s national tournament at 177 pounds.

Two time NCAA Champion Mark Lieberman ’79 was a teammate of Kilrain’s during one of the program’s most successful eras. “Colin was so gifted and so powerful and explosive. His technique was excellent and we really went after one another inside the wrestling room. There were very few matches where we faced better competition than we faced every day from one another.”

He continued, “Colin worked very hard to become the best wrestler he could. He had great technique and was really a student of the game.”

As a senior, Kilrain defeated eventual NCAA Champion Pete Bush of Iowa by major decision in their regular season dual in Iowa City by a score of 11-1. He again earned the country’s top seed for NCAAs, this time at 190 pounds, and finished his final season on the mat with a record of 23-1.

“Colin was an outstanding wrestler and a really good guy; he was one of the most popular guys on the team” Lehigh Hall of Famer and Kilrain’s coach Thad Turner said. “He was a good athlete, particularly for someone as big as he is and a great competitor. This is one of the most justifiable things we’ve done by electing Colin into the Hall of Fame.”

Kilrain’s accomplishments post-graduation have been even more impressive than his work on the mats. He currently serves as Captain of Special Forces for the Navy Seals, having completed countless assignments globally, including in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“The sport itself taught me a lot about how to set goals and accountability,” Kilrain said. “I had an unbelievably positive experience wrestling at Lehigh. Everything about the program including the tradition to the support from the University, student body and surrounding community all contributed to the whole cultural experience.”

He added, “We were all privileged to wrestle for Lehigh University, but also for Thad Turner. His efforts to build the complete individual for life after graduation speaks volumes on the type of people that Lehigh and its wrestling program develops.”

“I’m not surprised one bit at what Colin has accomplished since he’s left Lehigh,” Turner added. “I always knew he would be successful no matter what he chose to do.”

Kilrain and his wife Susan have four children: Quinn Marie, Sean Joseph, Liam Porter and Maura Ann.

The annual Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame induction is sponsored by the Lehigh Athletics Partnership.

What are the chances of getting a full ride scholarship if you wrestle? Check out the following image that compares the different sports and what the chances are of getting a full ride scholarship.  (Click on the image to get the big picture.)

So the chances of getting a full ride scholarship if you wrestle are pretty slim. The first thing I thought when I saw that was “Why?” Answer? Money. We all know that football brings in the most money for a college or university, so they are going to want willing be able to pour more money into that sport than others. Wrestling is at the bottom of the list for the same reason. Unless you are in wrestling state, wrestling just isn’t that big of a sport.

So what are some things that everyone can do to change that? Jim Brown has a blog that is awesome. If you haven’t checked it out, you have no reason not to. He has a ton of posts about what we can do as fans to build the sport. Some that I remember reading off the top of my head are to actually going to the meets. Get butts into the seats and stands. Bring a friend. When you’re there, make noise. And lots of it. Explain to the friend that you brought the techiniques that are being used and why different points are being scored.

Some may complain that there isn’t enough coverage of the sport. While this may be true, there are plenty of places to go to check it out. Again, Jim comes to the rescue with this awesome post about getting more college wrestling coverage. If you don’t listen to the podcasts that are out there, start now. Wrestling411.tv and TakeDownRadio.com both have AWESOME podcasts and they provide amazing coverage of the sport.

Support the print magazines that talk solely about wrestling. Three of the biggest ones are WIN magazine, Amateur Wrestling News and Wrestling USA. Get one or get all three! Help support those that are covering the sport. More importantly though, make it to as many meets as possible to support the actual wrestlers.

Thanks to Mat Siltala for letting me know about this image and steelathlete.com for the actual image.

Zach Rohr (Minnesota) over Victor Pereira (California)

As much California pride as I have, I saw this picture and it jumped out at me. It’s Zach Rohr from Minnesota over Victor Pereira from California in the 2009 Fargo Cadet Freestyles.

Athletic Director Dr. Greg Feris officially announced at a press conference Tuesday that Wayland Baptist University will add men’s and women’s wrestling as intercollegiate sports . “Intercollegiate wrestling is a win-win situation for the university.  It will generate additional students while providing an additional competitive sport for the university community.”

The WBU wrestling program will compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) beginning with the 2010-11 school year.  Thirty-seven NAIA schools currently sponsor wrestling for men, ten for women.

There are currently no intercollegiate wrestling programs in the state of Texas, despite recent statistics that show an excess of 245 high school boys’ wrestling teams and 198 girls’ teams in the state.

“The sport is growing and is very popular in many regions of the country,” added Feris.  “Wayland is fortunate to be located in an area where several communities have embraced the sport at the high school level.  I think we are going to fill a void in the area for fans of the sport.  In addition, we are excited to be able to offer these young student-athletes a new opportunity to continue to participate in a sport that they love while at the same time obtaining an outstanding education in a Christian environment.”

In the Texas Panhandle area, there are approximately 375 boys and more than 125 girls participating in the sport (again - that’s in the panhandle ONLY).  The boy’s team from Randall High School and the girl’s team from Caprock High - both local teams - have recently won state championships.

Among those who spoke at the press conference were Dr. Claude Lusk, WBU Vice President of Enrollment Management; Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association; and former Olympic gold medalists Brandon Slay and Dan Gable.  Slay, a graduate of Amarillo’s Tascosa High School (TX) who is currently the resident freestyle coach for USA Wrestling at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Col. won the gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney.  Gable, who did not give up a single point on his way to the gold at the 1972 games in Munich, won two individual NCAA titles as a student-athlete at Iowa State University and 15 NCAA team titles as head coach at the University of Iowa.

The new WBU two teams will practice in the James P. and Nelda Laney Student Activities Center.  Duel or tournament events will be held in Hutcherson Center.  The addition of the wrestling programs brings Wayland’s athletic offering to a total of 14.  Search for a new coach will begin right away.  Feris says he hopes to have someone in place sometime after the first of the new year.

I found this really cool sports directory the other day at pediro.com. It’s got everything from swimwear to football to yours truly - WrestleFattie! If you are looking for gear for your kid this season, you’ll want to check this site out. While your there, be sure to check out our listing for wrestling shoes, wrestling equipment and wrestling saftey gear.

If you are looking for gear for any other gear, be sure to check it out. Looks like they got it all!

The Famous Push in the 2009 NCAA wrestling championships

After winning the 2009 NCAA wrestling championship at 149 pounds, Darrion Caldwell earned a spot on the U.S. National Team this past summer. He traveled to many places all over the world and had the opportunity to wrestle with world champions. On Friday it was announced that due to a shoulder injury, Caldwell will have to undergo surgery on Oct. 5 and will miss the upcoming season. Recovery time is between four and six months.

Caldwell said that the shoulder injury happened last Labor Day weekend. “Basically I was goofing off with my girlfriend and rollerblading and I ended up falling. It was actually pretty funny — like a blooper or something,” he said.

Caldwell still has one year of eligibility left at N.C. State and will be wrestling for the Wolfpack again during the 2010-2011 season. Technician Deputy Sports Editor Jen Hankin had the opportunity to talk with defending champion Caldwell about his injury and future plans.

In the year that he is going to take off, you had better believe that he is not going to be very far from the wrestling room. “I can take this time and then get back on the road and get back on the cycle for 2012. I did get hurt though and I know that’s just a stepping stone. I feel like this is just getting me more mentally ready. With this break it’s just going to make me want it even more.”

Caldwell also shared that he would like to coach, “something I’ve always dreamed of doing,” he said.

Technician: What are your plans for the upcoming year and what do you think your first break from wrestling in such a long time will be like?

Caldwell: I have taken some steps back from wrestling and basically been getting my academics together. Last semester, during the national championship, my grades fell off a little bit. I feel with this here, I’m going to concentrate on my grades. I also feel grateful to be able to act more as a coach, which is something I’ve always dreamed of doing.” Caldwell also says that “now instead of going to practice to wrestle, I’ll be going to practice to actually help them improve. I’m basically playing a coach’s role. I really feel like it will be beneficial for the team, since I’ve seen most of the competition that they are going to face. This is modern day wrestling, it’s different from 10 to 15 years ago when the coaches were wrestling. I feel like I can help them with the little small things.”