ABBOTT BLOG: The top 10 wrestling stories of 2015

It has become a tradition that when the holiday season comes, we take a look back at the year just completed. For me, that means it is time select the Top 10 wrestling stories of the year. The holidays are always a good time for reflection, when we all take a little break to spend time with family and friends and hopefully things quiet down for a bit.

Part of the fun of looking back is that it then gives you some context as you look ahead when the New Year arrives and it is time to get back to serious wrestling business. It is fair to say that 2015 was a very active time in American wrestling, and has set the tone for the 2016 Olympic year ahead.

I always encourage everybody to make their own Top 10 list. Everybody has their own perspective on what is big news in wrestling, and I enjoy the debate that this allows us to have about the sport that we love. Here is my Top 10 of 2015:

1. Jordan Burroughs wins Worlds again, and is named USOC Olympic Athlete of the Year – As the amazing Jordan Burroughs continues his Olympic wrestling career, it becomes more apparent that he may be more than the defining wrestler of this generation. He could become America’s Greatest of All Time, which is one of his lofty goals. In 2015, Burroughs dominated the 74 kg weight class once again, winning his third World gold medal to go along with his 2012 Olympic gold medal. His performance at the World Championships in Las Vegas was not only inspiring to wrestling fans, but also has caught the attention of the rest of the sporting world. Only two American wrestlers have won more World and Olympic golds, John Smith with six and Bruce Baumgartner with five. No American with any longevity can match his sparkling 114-2 record. The cool thing is that the rest of the sports world has also noticed. Burroughs was elected 2015 USOC Male Olympic Athlete of the Year, ahead of top stars from more prominent sports on the Olympic program. Only two previous wrestlers have won this prestigious honor, John Smith (1990) and Rulon Gardner (2000). Burroughs goes into an Olympic year as the top Male Olympian, something guaranteed to bring additional attention to the sport that he loves. We also must recognize that he has been a fantastic role model for young people, and has represented our sport with honor and integrity. Up next is his second quest for an Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro. He has said he plans to continue competing through the 2020 Olympics in Japan. There is much more to this story coming ahead.

2. Adeline Gray wins third World title and builds her legacy in women’s wrestling – USA Wrestling has another World champion who has dominated the field in recent years and is also making our sport more visible and respected. Women’s freestyle star Adeline Gray won her third career World title, and second in a row, when she slammed the field at the World Championships in Las Vegas. Gray is on a 32-match winning streak (including her seven wins in the India Pro Wrestling League), and goes into the quest for Rio as one of the top gold-medal hopefuls for the United States in any sport. Her third World title puts her at No. 2 in USA history among women, behind only Tricia Saunders with four. Her fifth World medal ties her with Saunders, and puts her at No. 2 behind Kristie Davis with nine. Like Burroughs, she is getting noticed outside of wrestling, including becoming a finalist for the USOC Female Olympic Athlete of the Year, and being named to the Top 15 Team USA Women list by TeamUSA.org. Gray wrestles with skill and confidence. She has also excelled off the mat, as a fantastic media interview, a leader on the Women’s team, and as a hero to many young women wrestlers. From the press clippings coming from India in December, she is also one of the top favorites of the fans in their Pro Wrestling League. She is bringing more attention to women’s wrestling, which will help the sport to continue to grow and thrive.

3. Grapple on the Gridiron puts 42,000-plus fans into stadium to see college wrestling – The idea seemed like it could be something fun and interesting, when the University of Iowa announced that it would wrestle top rival Oklahoma State in a dual meet on November 14 in Kinnick Stadium, where the Hawkeye football team. The idea was to break the NCAA attendance record, set by rival Penn State when it started to host duals in Bryce Jordan Arena. Wrestling outside is not a new idea, considering the success of the Beat the Streets Gala events. But taking a risk on wrestling on a football game day on a date which could have cold temperatures and even snow took some great courage and vision. Once tickets went on sale, it became apparent that the attendance record would get beaten easily. When the day came, everything fell into place. The weather held up and fans poured in, not just from around Iowa City but from all across the region. The dual meet was a great showdown, with No. 1 OSU vs. No. 4 Iowa, a match won by the host Hawkeyes. But the fans were the big story, the 42,287 people who came out to support the event. Standing next to the mat, that massive crowd was awesome to see, filling up the endzone and all the way down both sides of the stadium. Kudos to both teams and their coaches, led by Tom Brands of Iowa and John Smith of Oklahoma State, for agreeing to take on this project. There were numerous people behind the scenes at the University of Iowa who stepped up big for this event, with a special shout out to Director of Wrestling Operations Luke Eustice. Most of all, we applaud the fans who took a chance and created a very special day for the sport of wrestling. Here’s hoping that other big universities step up and try to top this amazing promotion with an outdoor match of their own. Iowa has set a high bar, once again, for the sport.

4. Kyle Snyder becomes youngest American Senior World champion at age 19 – There are only a handful of athletes in the history of international wrestling to win a Senior World title as a teenager. This is a remarkable feat, very rare and very special. Now, the United States has one to brag on. Kyle Snyder, a freshman at Ohio State and a 2014 Junior World champion, had a truly special season and made American wrestling history. Snyder sets high goals for himself, and was disappointed when he placed second in the NCAA Championships, losing by fall to Iowa State’s Kyven Gadson in St. Louis. But just a few short days later, he was back on the mats at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, working on his freestyle and getting right back to work. Snyder made big news at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas in April when he beat 2012 Olympic champion Jake Varner in the 97 kg finals. He proved that he was truly for real when he beat Varner again, two straight times, at the World Team Trials in Madison. In July, he added a Pan American Games gold medal to his trophy case, in preparation for the World Championships. Going in, U.S. fans hoped that Snyder would make a name for himself. He won his first match with a 2-1 win over past World medalist Pavlo Oliinyk of Ukraine, then got on a roll. He defeated opponents from Poland and Venezuela to reach the semifinals, where he faced rugged Abbas Tahan of Iran. Snyder beat Tahan 6-3, and celebrated earning a spot in the finals. But he was not done. The opponent was defending World champion Abdusalam Gadisov of Russia, a physical monster with great talent. Snyder was behind in the second period but just kept coming, and a late leg attack takedown tied up the match at 5-5, and Snyder won on criteria. We all joined in the joy when Snyder celebrated his amazing achievement. It is hard to believe he was just 19 years old, with the mature way he wrestles and handles himself in all aspects of his life. And it makes you excited to see what he might do at age 20 during an Olympic year.

5. Logan Stieber becomes the fourth four-time NCAA Div. I champion – Pat Smith of Oklahoma State. Undefeated Cael Sanderson of Iowa State. Cornell’s Kyle Dake. All earned the right to be wrestling legends by achieving one of the most difficult tasks in American wrestling, winning four NCAA Div. I titles. We added another name to the list this year, Logan Stieber of Ohio State. Logie Bear got things rolling as a freshman when he won the 133-pound title, and he just kept working and improving. A second title at 133 was followed by his first at 141 pounds, and he earned the right to feel the special pressure felt by somebody going for title number four. Stieber handled the challenge with style, seemingly unfazed by the task at hand. He was dominant all season, and was the clear leader of a talented Buckeye team. It looked like Stieber was enjoying the experience, rather than letting it define him. At the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Stieber steamrolled the field to reach his fourth straight finals. The opponent, talented Mitchell Port, gave him his best effort, but the finals went to Stieber by a commanding 11-5 score. Stieber had the unique opportunity to raise four fingers in victory after a fantastic college career. To add to the joy, his Buckeyes also got to raise the NCAA trophy as the new team champions, but that we will talk about that in the next story. The next challenge is winning World and Olympic medals for the United States. Stay tuned.

6. Ohio State captures its first NCAA Div. I team title – We continue a Buckeye theme with the performance of Ohio State, as Tom Ryan’s talented team put it all together to win its first NCAA team title in St. Louis. When Ohio State brought in Coach Ryan, the idea was to build a national champion team in wrestling, a task which only a few college programs have ever achieved. Ryan brought in big-time recruits, built a fantastic coaching staff and helped develop the Ohio Regional Training Center to prepare Olympic wrestlers. Twice, Ohio State placed second in the NCAA team race. In his ninth year in Columbus, Ryan’s Buckeyes had both the talent and the depth to challenge for it all. That journey had some major challenges. The team dropped some dual meets. Past All-American Hunter Stieber got injured, somebody who was counted on for big points at the NCAAs. Heavyweight Kosta Karageorge, who had also joined the football team, was found dead after being reported missing, something that weighed heavily on the team’s hearts. At the Big Ten Championships, the Buckeyes broke through with its first Big Ten team title in 64 years, but had to share it with Iowa when the teams tied in the standings. Yet, everything came together correctly at the NCAAs. Logan Stieber won his fourth NCAA crown at 141, and freshman Nathan Tomasello won his first NCAA title at 125. Freshman Kyle Snyder placed second at 197, freshman Bo Jordan was third at 165 and junior Kenny Courts was fifth at 184. Hunter Stieber wrestled in spite of his injuries and inspired his teammates with his toughness and heart. The Buckeyes finished 18 points ahead of runner-up Iowa, and the team was able to celebrate a great achievement.

7. Helen Maroulis wins her first World title and third World medal – The world has known for a while that American women’s wrestling star Helen Maroulis has great talent and style on the mat. A Senior World team member at the age of 17, we have watched Maroulis grow up at the highest levels of the sport. Maroulis won three Junior World medals. She and her friend Vickie Anthony made history as the first four-time WCWA women’s college champions. A few months after her heartbreaking loss in the 2012 Olympic Trials, she made the World Championships team and won a World silver medal up in Canada. In 2014, she added a World bronze medal to her collection. Her 2015 season featured some big wins at international events in Russia, France, the United States, Cuba and Mongolia, plus a 4-0 record at the World Cup. Coming into the World Championships in Las Vegas, Maroulis held a No. 1 UWW ranking at 55 kg. Still, Maroulis had to cash in the chips when she competed in Vegas, something she did with confidence and skill. She opened with a tech. fall over Fernandez of Mexico and a pin over Nikolova of Bulgaria, then beat China’s Pang in the semifinals, 5-0. In the final, she faced World medalist Irina Olgonova of Russia, who she took apart in an 11-0 win. Maroulis’ World gold medal effort was shortly followed by Gray’s gold medal, and the U.S. fans had a chance to celebrate two gifted women World champions on the same night. Only eight U.S. women have won World titles, and the newest one is the pride of Maryland, Helen Maroulis.

8. USA Wrestling hosts highly successful World Championships in Las Vegas – It only happens every dozen years or so that the international wrestling federation agrees to host the Senior World Wrestling Championships in the United States. The 2015 World Championships were awarded to the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. in September. It was only the sixth time the USA had this chance, along with Toledo, Ohio (1962, 1966), San Diego, Calif. (1979), Atlanta, Ga. (1995) and New York, N.Y. (2003). It was the first time all three of the Olympic styles were showcased at a Worlds held here. USA Wrestling set an organizational goal to host the best World Championships ever. It is not my place as one of those involved to say we met this goal, but the feedback from around the world has indicated that we were very successful. The Orleans was a great venue for wrestling, with wonderful viewing for all fans. A year-long marketing effort helped attract large and appreciative crowds for all six days of action. Special attention was put into the design and presentation of the competition. It sure didn’t hurt the atmosphere that the host USA won four gold medals and seven total medals. I have been to the last three Worlds held in the USA, and I believe the U.S. wrestling community should take great pride in how we presented our sport. We have set a standard which we hope other nations will strive to match when they host future World events.

9. Five age-group World champions from USA shows great promise for future – A major part of USA Wrestling’s mission is to provide opportunities for young people to pursue their dreams within the sport, and to build a pipeline which will produce future World and Olympic champions. The age-group World Championships host by UWW is a perfect showcase of the best young athletes from around the world, and an opportunity for American youth to get needed experience in their Olympic quest. This year, Team USA had some amazing championship performances at the age-group Worlds. At the Junior level (ages 17-20), Pennsylvania’s Spencer Lee tore through the field at 50 kg in freestyle at the Junior Worlds in Salvador, Brazil. In a battle of past Cadet World champions, Lee scored a tech fall over Iran’s Ali Reza Goudarzi in the finals. The 2015 Cadet World Championships were held in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzogovina, and Team USA came ready to wrestle. In men’s freestyle, the USA won three gold medals, with Yianni Diakomihalis of New York (54 kg), Jarod Verkleeren of Pennsylvania (63 kg) and Gable Steveson of Minnesota (100 kg) winning gold medals. In women’s freestyle, Ronna Heaton of South Dakota had a sizzling performance to win the gold at 49 kg. These young Americans were talented, motivated and confident, and shows that in spite of the tradition of folkstyle wrestling in the USA, we are producing some great young stars in the international styles.

10. Andy Bisek wins Greco-Roman World bronze for second straight year – In 2014, Andy Bisek startled international Greco-Roman when he beat Olympic champion Roman Vlasov of Russia, then went on to win a World bronze medal at 75 kg. He was dubbed as ‘The Cowboy’ by the international community because of his big mustache and his exciting style of wrestling. Back here in the USA, we know him as “The Stache,” and understand that he is a leader of our Greco-Roman program. This year at the Worlds in Las Vegas, Bisek made sure that nobody would think his 2014 performance was a fluke. He won his first two matches over athletes from Venezuela and India, before losing to four-time World silver medalist Mark Madsen of Denmark. When Madsen reached the final, Bisek went into repechage, beating two past World champions in a row, Yavor Yanakiev of Bulgaria and Saeid Morad Abdvali of Iran. Bisek has shown he can beat the world’s best under pressure at the World level and is a proven medal winner. He heads into the Olympic year as our top Greco hopeful for gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Every year, there are many other important stories and achievements that were important, but did not quite make my Top 10 list. Some people might include these in their own personal Top 10. I list some of the other major stories from 2015 in my opinion, in no particular order:

Emily Webster wins fourth WCWA women’s national title – Winning four NCAA titles is a big deal in men’s college wrestling and something we celebrate as a major achievement. On the women’s college scene, claiming four WCWA national titles is equally rare, and an achievement worth promoting and respecting. Coming into this year, only two four-timers existed, Simon Fraser stars and close friends Victoria Anthony and Helen Maroulis. This year, we added one more, Oklahoma City star Emily Webster, who went unbeaten in her career in the lightest weight claas, 97 pounds. Webster combined hard work and skill with a passion for the sport and a confidence that only true champions possess.

India Professional Wrestling League a big boost for sport – Starting a professional league for Olympic wrestling is not a new idea, as there have been leagues in countries such as Iran and Germany before. These leagues offered chances for some athletes from other nations to participate. This December, the Indian Wrestling Federation partnered with a promotions firm to develop India’s Professional Wrestling League (PWL). The format included six franchise teams, in which each team would have five men and four women, and also five Indian athletes and four foreign wrestlers. An auction was held and wrestlers were selected in a draft-type format to fill the teams. The difference for this league was the $3 million which was raised for salaries of the athletes, plus three different broadcast deals to make the league accessible to fans in India. There was one dual meet held every night, with a regular season which fed into a post-season. Two American women stars were drafted, Adeline Gray and Alyssa Lampe, both spending three weeks in India to participate. It’s too early to tell if this league will make it, but if it does, there will be more opportunity in the future for more Americans.

Dieringer, Gwiazdowski repeat as NCAA champions, and return looking for No. 3 – Oklahoma State junior Alex Dieringer had a great season, powering to his second career NCAA title with a strong performance at 165 pounds at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis. His 14-7 win over Indiana’s Taylor Walsh in the NCAA finals was his 100th career victory. At heavyweight, junior Nick Gwiazdowski, often called The Gwizz, also became a two-timer with a 7-6 win over talented Adam Coon of Michigan in his final. Both returned this fall as seniors in the hunt for their third titles, which if successful, puts them in some rare company.

Isaiah Martinez has undefeated freshman year to win his first NCAA crown – It is very rare for a freshman to win an NCAA Div. I title. It is even more rare for a freshman to go undefeated and win an NCAA crown. Illinois star freshman Isaiah Martinez was able to do just that, going 34-0 for the season, with a win over Cornell’s Brian Realbuto in the 157-pound NCAA finals. Fans are already talking about him trying to match Cael Sanderson’s feat of winning four and going undefeated. Competing in the middle weights, there is tremendous depth in the field, so it is truly against the odds for Martinez to achieve this. But is sure gives fans something interesting to talk about.

James Green steps up big with World bronze medal in his first appearance – Everybody knows that James Green is a talented wrestler, but he seemed a bit snake-bitten in his college career in Nebraska. A four-time All-American, Green never made the NCAA finals. He was third at the NCAA Tournament in St. Louis on his final try. Green jumped right into freestyle wrestling, going for a spot at the non-Olympic 70 kg weight. After a great World Team Trials victory, Green still needed to win a Special Wrestle-off against U.S. Open champion Nick Marable to secure his spot at the Worlds in Las Vegas. Competing on the same day as his friend and training partner Jordan Burroughs in Vegas, Green went on a tear in his first World meet. He powered to the semifinals, where he lost a tough bout, then fired up the crowd with a pin over a Bulgarian opponent to secure a World bronze medal. He showed not only skill but also a fearless approach on his first trip to the big stage.

Leigh Jaynes Provisor shows that persistence and hard work can lead to a World medal – There are reasons why some wrestlers never give up on their dreams, in spite of falling short of their goals. For some special athletes, sticking with it and having faith in themselves can pay off at the end. Consider 34-year-old Leigh Jaynes Provisor, who has been a national-calibre wrestler for more than a decade. She made two World teams and fell short of the medals. Early in this Olympic cycle, she missed a few seasons for the birth of her daughter Evelyn. Yet, Leigh, along with husband Ben Provisor, have a shared Olympic dream. She beat talented Jennifer Page in the finals of the World Team Trials at 60 kg to make her third World Team. Under the bright lights in Las Vegas, she had the best performance of her international career, winning the tough matches and coming home with a bronze medal. Can a 34-year old mother win a World medal in a tough combat sport like wrestling? They can if they have faith in themselves and are willing to pay the price. Just ask Leigh Jaynes Provisor if anything is possible.

Yoshida, Icho continue march towards historic greatness – The amazing journey of Japanese women wrestlers Saori Yoshida and Kaori Icho continued this year, as both won World gold medals in Las Vegas in September. The record books continue to be changed. Both are three-time Olympic champions. Yoshida has 13 World gold medals, all in a row, while Icho has 10 World titles. Yoshida had a close finals in Las Vegas, beating Sweden star Sofia Mattsson 2-1 in the 53 kg finals. Icho won her gold by tech. fall over Petra Olli of Finland at 58 kg. Both will try to become the first four-time Olympic champions in wrestling in Rio in 2016. Absolutely amazing, both of these champions!!!

Eight Americans win Pan American Games gold medals – The Pan American Games come around every four years, a multi-sport event featuring the nations of North, Central and South America. It is an important event for the U.S. Olympic Committee, and USA Wrestling chooses to bring its best wrestlers to compete there. This year, it prepared many of our World Team members as a strong test prior to the World Championships. This year’s Pan Am Games were in Toronto, Canada, and the USA wrestlers stepped up with a strong effort, winning eight gold medals. Champions in men’s freestyle were Brent Metcalf, Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Snyder and Zach Rey. In Greco-Roman, Jon Anderson and Andy Bisek won golds, as did women freestylers Whitney Conder and Adeline Gray.

King wins second straight WCWA women’s college team title – It took a number of years for King University coach Jason Moorman to craft a championship women’s college team, something which paid off with a WCWA team title in 2014. Repeating is another challenge. National champion Haley Augello, Sarah Hildebrandt and Julia Salata defended their titles, and Amanda Hendey won her first crown this year. Three Tornado wrestlers won silver medals, Marina Doi, Hanna Grisewood and Jessi Kee. The result was second straight title in dominant fashion, with a 73 point lead over runner-up Campbellsville. King goes for a three-peat this season.

Foxcatcher movie retells the Schultz tragedy and brings sport to new audience – For about a decade, award-winning director Bennett Miller researched the story about Dave and Mark Schultz, and the tragic story of Dave’s murder by his sponsor John E duPont. This year, Miller was able to bring the story to big screen with the major motion picture Foxcatcher. Miller wanted to portray the sport of wrestling correctly, and went to extra lengths to bring in wrestling people on the production side like John Giura and Jesse Jantzen. He cast a number of actual wrestlers, coaches and leaders in roles in the movie. Whether you like how the movie was done or not, Miller’s attention to detail made the actual wrestling segments seem realistic, something most Hollywood types have failed to do in the past. Foxcatcher was nominated for a number of awards. The film brought wrestling to a new audience and allowed many of us from that era to remember our friend Dave Schultz, one of the sport’s great champions and personalities.

Olympic wrestlers Cormier, Cejudo, McMann, Askren carry the sport’s banner in MMA – Since the beginning of the Mixed Martial Arts craze, wrestlers have dominated the sport and continue to make a huge impact. You can go up and down the rankings in the UFC, Bellator and other promotions and find successful former wrestlers in the sport. Guys with an Olympic and international wrestling background such as Dan Henderson, Randy Couture, Mark Coleman and others were among the trailblazers. Right now, there are three past Olympic wrestlers who are prominent in the UFC. Freestyle Olympian Daniel Cormier is the current Light Heavyweight champion. Olympic freestyle champion Henry Cejudo is still undefeated and a title contender at Flyweight. Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann lost a title fight with Ronda Rousey, but remains a top star at Bantamweight. Olympian Ben Askren is the star of the One FC promotion. Add in all the other MMA stars with college and high school backgrounds, and you understand that the success of MMA does a great service in promoting the sport of wrestling to the general public.

St. Cloud State wins first Div. II national title – After a number of near misses, Steve Costanza’s St. Cloud Huskies won its first NCAA Div. II national team title this year. The team was second three straight years from 2011-2013, and was able to break through this year. Winning an individual title was 125-pounder Tim Prescott, who was third in the regional tournament coming in but won some big matches to reach the top of the podium. St. Cloud State had just six wrestlers in the meet, and they truly performed as a team with all reaching All-American status. Heavyweight Austin Georgen was second and two others placed third, Clint Poster at 157 and Gabe Fogarty at 165. St. Cloud State finished eight points ahead of runner-up Nebraska-Kearney, bringing home the first national championship to the school in any sport.

Dake, Taylor jump to 86 kg and reach finals at December U.S. Open – Going up in weight is nothing new for Kyle Dake, who won four NCAA titles in four different weight classes. It should have been no surprise that Dake made a decision to bounce up to 86 kg this year for his Olympic quest. Another popular 74 kg star, David Taylor, made the same choice for this year. With Jordan Burroughs at their previous weight class, it makes some sense to test the waters at the next one up. Both went overseas to compete at the new weight this fall. They entered the deep field at 86 kg at the U.S. Nationals/Trials Qualifier in Las Vegas in December. Seeded No. 7 (Dake) and No. 8 (Taylor), they both knocked off higher seeds to make the finals, where Dake defeated Taylor once again in their continuing series of rivalry matches. This gives them momentum going into the Olympic Trials in April, where 2012 Olympian Jake Herbert is the returning World Team members, and that deep field gets another shot at Dake and Taylor.

Mosha Schwartz of Colorado wins Cadet Triple Crown – It is difficult to win an age-group Triple Crown these days, especially on the Cadet and Junior levels, where the competition is very fierce and there are some athletes who choose to specialize in one of the Olympic styles. This year proved to be even more difficult in Fargo than other years. Only one athlete, Colorado’s lightweight Mosha Schwartz on the Cadet level, was able to bag the elephant and come home with USA Wrestling national titles in folkstyle, Greco-Roman and freestyle.

Here’s to a joyous holiday season and a Happy New Year to all in wrestling. Thanks for your involvement in our sport. We look forward to another year filled with excitement in 2016.