Seven Minutes with Matt Lindland presented by College Wrestler Recruiting
Seven Minutes is a series of interviews with top wrestling coaches and athletes. Most of the question-and-answer sessions last roughly seven minutes. Hence the name. Matt Lindland won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics and is the head Greco-Roman National Team Coach at USA Wrestling. You can listen to the entire interview above or read the transcript below.
If you could take what you know now and have a conversation with yourself at the age of 15, what advice would you give yourself?
Have more fun and relax. Don’t put so much stress on yourself. That was the biggest thing that held me back from performing at my highest potential was the fact that I wanted it so bad and it stressed me out. I didn’t focus on all the little things it takes to perform at that level.
Let’s go back to recruiting when you were in high school. What do you remember about the process and what were your top three schools? You’re unique in that you went to Clackamas and then Nebraska. Take us through that journey.
I didn’t really get recruited. I wasn’t one of the blue chip guys so that’s why I really went to Clackamas. I won a national title there and got recruited by a few colleges and at that time I wanted to get out of the West Coast and get into a Big 10 or a Big Eight kind of conference at that time.
Let’s say wrestling has one governing body and you are the president. What would you want to change?
More funding. Rest of the interview story at
https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPlayer.jsp?TIM=1567827061076&twSessionId=bpjpylwwoj&videoId=1682524132&mc_cid=85d9df8e78&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
U.S. Men’s Freestyle National Team Coach Bill Zadick – OTM583
Bill Zadick, an NCAA champion from Iowa, a 2006 men’s freestyle world champion and world championship coach for the U.S. men’s freestyle team goes ON THE MAT. We’re getting ready for Nur-Sultan and the 2019 World Championships Join Andy Hamilton and Kyle Klingman as they talk to our guest and topics related to the recent happenings in and around wrestling. Listen in to the podcast at
http://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/trackwrestling/on-the-mat/u-s-mens-freestyle-national-team-coach-bill-zadick-otm583/?mc_cid=85d9df8e78&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
SMC Athletics Hires Juan Stimpson to Lead Wrestling Program
Spartanburg, SC – SMC athletic director Megan Aiello is pleased to announce that Juan Stimpson will be the new men’s wrestling coach. Stimpson replaces Matt Oliver, who left SMC in June to join the coaching staff at Huntingdon College. Stimpson comes to Spartanburg Methodist College from UNC Pembroke, where he spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach. During his time with the Braves, he assisted in coaching 12 NCAA National Qualifiers and 4 NCAA All Americans. An accomplished college athlete in his own right, Stimpson was a NJCAA All-American for Rend Lake College in 2013 and a NCAA Super Regional Champion and DII National Qualifier for UNC Pembroke in 2015. Rest of the story at
https://www.gosmcpioneers.com/sports/wrest/2019-20/releases/20190723fomncj
Husker Wrestling Announces Schedule
The Nebraska wrestling team will face a challenging schedule which features duals against four of the top-five team finishers from last year’s NCAA Championships, and eight of the top-25 finishers overall, Head Coach Mark Manning announced on Thursday. The Huskers kick off the season with their annual Coaches Clinic followed by the Nebraska Duals on Nov. 7 before heading to the Northeast Duals in Troy, N.Y. on Nov. 10 to compete in a round-robin format with different teams. The Huskers then participate in the Daktronics Open in Brookings, S.D. on Nov. 17.
Wyoming comes to Lincoln on Nov. 22 looking to avenge a 22-12 loss to the Huskers last season. The Big Red then hit the road to take on Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Nov. 24. The Panthers are coming off a 13th-place finish at the 2019 NCAA Championships. After NU competes in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev., Dec. 6-7, the Huskers return to Lincoln on Dec. 20 to face Oregon State, who finished in the top 20 at the 2019 NCAA Championships. Big Ten dual action kicks off after the holiday break on Jan. 12 when Nebraska travels to Madison, Wisc., to take on the Wisconsin Badgers. The Huskers will be back on the road less than a week later to face the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City, Iowa, on Jan. 18. Iowa took fourth at the 2019 NCAA Championships. NU then has three consecutive home matches against Big Ten competition. Rest of the story at https://huskers.com/news/2019/9/5/husker-wrestling-announces-schedule.aspx?mc_cid=41b415c641&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Tickets on sale for 4th Annual Wrestle Like A Girl Gala in Washington, D.C., October 30
The 2019 4th Annual Wrestle Like A Girl Gala season is in full swing! “The Art of Wrestling” will be held Wednesday, October 30 at the National Museum for Women in the Arts, at 1250 New York Avenue NW, Washington DC 20005. The event will be held from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Click here for tickets to the event
The evening features dinner, entertainment, and a live & silent auction. A special guest will receive the Afsoon Johnston Courage Award and esteemed D.C. painter Maggie O’Neill’s iconic custom piece ‘Wrestler Girl’ will be on display and auctioned off. There will be more exciting announcements in coming days about the Gala, so please stay tuned! Proceeds from the WLAG Gala benefit Wrestle Like A Girl’s initiatives such as High School State Sanctioning, the NCAA Championship Status Initiative, Empowerment Camps and more. Female wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in middle school and high school, yet the current NCAA structure does not recognize women’s wrestling as an official sport. Rest of the story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/September/05/WLAG-Gala-in-DC-on-October-30?mc_cid=41b415c641&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
InterMat Reads: A Wrestler’s Curse
Dr. Bill Welker has plenty to share with the amateur wrestling community.
The former wrestler/coach/official has been generous in sharing his knowledge and experience about the sport over the decades. Welker produced the classic instructional DVD titled The Pancake Takedown Series … and continues to share his insights into wrestling in ongoing ways, as co-host with his son on The Rick Welker Show radio broadcast, and in his own “Mat Talk” column which appears in every issue of Wrestling USA magazine.
If that weren’t enough, Welker has found time to write books about the oldest and greatest sport. authored The Wrestling Drill Book , the classic instructional which earlier this summer earned an award at the 2019 Independent Press Awards Program. Just two years ago, Welker shared his life story on and off the mat in his 2017 memoir, A Sparrow’s Spirit, which was declared winner in the sports category by the Beverly Hills Book Awards judges.
Now Welker shares his passion for wrestling with a brand-new novel, A Wrestler’s Curse, now available from RoseDog Books.
Meet Bill Welker
Welker — widely known in the wrestling community as Billy — was born in Shamokin, Pennsylvania — coal country — where he was introduced to wrestling in third grade. He won a PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) state title in 1963, following in the footsteps of his older brother Floyd (1959 champ) and a cousin Harold who won his PIAA crown at the Keystone State’s very first state championship in 1938. Welker went on to be a teacher for 40 years, as well as serve as a wrestling coach and wrestling official, and was involved in crafting the rules for the sport.
For all his contributions to wrestling, Welker has been welcomed into a number of wrestling Halls of Fame, including the Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame, and National Wrestling Hall of Fame, West Virginia Chapter.
Meet Jacob Christian, star student-athlete
A Wrestlers Curse tells the story of Jacob Christian, a high-achieving young man in the classroom and in wrestling. On top of that, Jacob was “raised right” by loving, supportive parents who have instilled in him a strong moral compass, a well-developed spiritual sense, and sincere empathy for others. Rest of the story by Mark Palmer at
http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/22306?mc_cid=1788af9e74&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Meet the New Women’s Collegiate Programs for 2019-20
With Labor Day having come and gone, we inch closer and closer to the beginning of the college season. For women’s wrestling, this should be a banner year. 14 schools are set to offer women’s wrestling for the first time, two states will get their first women’s collegiate programs (South Carolina, and West Virginia), while Minnesota gets an active program (Minnesota-Morris offered women’s wrestling from 1993-2003). As good as those numbers sound, expect them to grow in 2020-21 as eight colleges have already pledged to start women’s team’s during that school years. But before we get ahead of ourselves and worry about next season, let’s take a look at the women’s programs that will hit the mat for the first time in just a few short months.
Alderson Broaddus Battlers – Phillipi, West Virginia (DII)
Head Coach: Sam Gardner
The plan for Alderson Broaddus in 2019-20 is to bring in a small class and wrestle and abbreviated schedule. Next year, with two recruiting classes enrolled, the Battlers will wrestle a full schedule.
Staff: Sam Gardner will handle coaching the women’s team along with the men’s squad. The 2019-20 season will be his fifth leading the wrestling program. Under his direction, two wrestlers have combined to qualify for the DII national tournament on three occasions. Gardner is a Maryland native, so he may turn back to his hometown roots when looking to recruit for the women’s team. He’ll be in luck, as Maryland will sanction a girl’s state tournament for the first time in 2019-20.
Augsburg Auggies – Minneapolis, Minnesota (DIII)
Head Coach: Max Mejia
Key Contributors:
Emily Shilson (109)
Vayle Baker (116/123)
Gabby Skidmore (123)
Kaylee Moore (130/136)
Melissa Jacobs (143)
Marlynne Deede (155)
Faith Tuttle (170/191)
There’s a lot to be excited about surrounding the first year of the Augsburg women’s wrestling program. Augsburg has a storied history with their men’s team, so there’s no doubt that the school, administration, and the community will support the women’s program, as well. Augsburg becomes the only school in the state of Minnesota that offers women’s wrestling. Rest of the story and details at https://news.theopenmat.com/womens-wrestling/meet-the-new-womens-collegiate-programs-for-2019-20/74332?mc_cid=0c4ed16935&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Vote for Jordan Burroughs as Team USA Athlete of the Month!
BY TAYLOR MILLER, USA WRESTLING | SEPT. 04, 2019,
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today announced the finalists for the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of August, which recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes from last month. 2012 Olympic champion and four-time World champion Jordan Burroughs was selected as a finalist after a standout performance at the Pan American Games, where he won his third Pan Am Games title. Fans are invited to vote for their favorite athletes and teams at TeamUSA.org/Awards through midnight Monday, Sept. 9. Fans may vote as many times as they wish, so remember to vote now and vote often, then share the link with the rest of the wrestling community.
Click here to vote for Jordan Burroughs for USOPC Male Athlete of the Month
Burroughs navigated a tough 74 kg men’s freestyle bracket, defeating two past World medalists en route to a gold medal. In his first match, Burroughs defeated Abel Pastor of host country Peru, 10-0. In the semifinals, Burroughs took down four-time World medalist Geandry Garzon of Cuba with a dominant 15-4 performance. For gold, the 2012 Olympic champion outlasted 2011 World silver medalist Franklin Gomez from Puerto Rico with a methodical 4-1 decision. The feat came on the seven-year anniversary of Burroughs winning his Olympic title at the 2012 London Games. Rest of the details and story at
https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/September/04/Burroughs-selected-as-finalist-for-USOPC-Athlete-of-the-Month?mc_cid=0c4ed16935&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Who is Neil Erisman?
If you’re the athletics director at a Division I institution and you’re looking to hire a head coach to start your team from scratch, what are some of the credentials you look for?
If you’re starting a basketball team, are you going to look at someone like a legendary coach like Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski or UConn’s Geno Auriemma? Would you go with a legendary athlete like a Michael Jordan or a LeBron James? In football, are you looking for the Joe Montana-type or are you looking for someone who’s built a career on coaching despite not having lavish athletic credentials like New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick? Are you looking for a person to groom the culture and create a community and family or are you looking for someone who wants to win at any cost. The one thing about college sports is all of those types of coaches get jobs at some point or another.
In wrestling, Division I head coaching jobs are rare. As we enter the 2019-20 college wrestling season, there are 78 Division I wrestling teams. In Division I basketball, there are 347 teams. Wrestling teams are often classified as non-revenue sports, meaning the school isn’t taking in a lot of money on gate receipts. At the Division I level, basketball and football are revenue sports, where schools sometimes rely on the attendance and success of those programs to help finance the other sports in the department. Whether or not those teams bring in positive cashflow doesn’t change their distinction. So the pressure to win and put butts in the seats isn’t as imperative on a wrestling coach, although in the competitive climate of athletics with rising costs, coaches are now being charged to make their programs more valuable in the eyes of a department. If you’re a team with low graduation rates, poor grades, disciplinary problems and a culture of trouble, you’re going to be at risk, especially if you’re a non-revenue sport.
With all that being considered, wrestling fans typically get stars in their eyes about the latest up-and-coming coach, usually someone who’s got tremendous credentials on the mat. It’s almost a let down for some fans when they hire a coach who isn’t a national champion. I don’t have anything statistically to justify this claim, but the impression I get is wrestling believes more than other sports that you have to have achieved at the highest level to be a successful coach. If it’s not a “name” hire, then the administration failed the fans and the alumni. Read and hear the rest of the story at http://rockedup.libsyn.com/who-is-neil-erisman?mc_cid=1788af9e74&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Corey’s Stories: Odds-beating Russell has never been an average Joe
Joe Russell was 17 — an age when carefree living and the here and now are the mind’s primary tenants. He was headed to a wrestling practice on the back of a motorcycle for what was supposed to be a two-block ride from his home to his high school. He wasn’t wearing a helmet. It was a ride that changed his life forever. Russell’s brother, Dan, had been following behind in a car. He witnessed everything that August day in 1985 in Gresham, Ore. A truck pulled out in front of the motorcycle. The bike flipped and Joe went with it. Dan ran to his younger brother’s slumped body lying across the wreckage, He removed Joe’s limp, searing arm from the bike’s exhaust pipe and then cradled his younger brother’s head to keep it in one piece.
Surgeons picked shards of Joe’s shattered skull from his brain. They fused his skull back together. Now, 34 years later, Russell is a medical marvel, an odds-beater and USA Wrestling’s manager of freestyle programs. He coaches, scouts opponents and works closely with national team coach Bill Zadick on the immediate and long-term needs of the USA men’s freestyle team, which will compete later this month at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
Russell left the head coaching post at George Mason two years ago to take his current position. Prior to that, he was a longtime assistant coach at Minnesota and part of J Robinson’s staff for all three of the Gophers’ NCAA titles. Robinson and Russell shared a connection that went back to the Joe’s pre-accident days when he and his brother were two of the nation’s most dominant prep wrestlers. Dan went undefeated on his way to four state titles. He attended Portland State University, where he won four Division II national titles for the Vikings. Joe captured two state championships and posted a 90-1 high school record. Rest of the story at
https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1567546405849&twSessionId=xwdtxldtzt&postId=1682295132&mc_cid=1788af9e74&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
Takedown Report
