Louis will host the 2008 and 2009 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, the National Collegiate Athletic Association said Thursday.

The championship will be held at the Savvis Center, hosted by the St. Louis Sports Commission and the University of Missouri-Columbia, March 20-22, 2008, and March 19-21, 2009.

St. Louis hosted the Division I Wrestling Championships in 2000, 2004 and 2005, and set an attendance record in 2000 at 96,944 fans. The 2005 championships were expected to bring in 15,000 visitors and generate $10 million into the local economy. The commission reported about 95,000 attendees for the three-day event.

Tom Bold, previous chair of the NCAA Wrestling Committee who presided over the site selections, said the committee has been impressed with the dedication of the staff from Missouri, the Savvis Center and the St. Louis Sports Commission to the event.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will host the 2010 championships at the Qwest Center in Omaha, and Rider University and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will host the 2011 event at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

R.B. FALLSTROM

Associated Press

ST. LOUIS - Organizers seeking to make St. Louis the permanent site of the NCAA wrestling tournament got half of their wish on Thursday.

The city was awarded the event in 2008 and 2009, making it five tournaments in this decade. St. Louis previously hosted the championships in 2000, ‘04 and ‘05 and is the only site to get the event in consecutive years.

“This is a huge win for the St. Louis region,” said St. Louis Sports Commission vice president Chris Roseman, who led the bid process. “Getting multiple years is rare and sets St. Louis apart.”

Roseman also said the NCAA looks at St. Louis, which has the two largest attendance totals in event history, “as a model to all others” when it comes to holding a wrestling tournament. The three-day event drew 96,994 fans in 2000 and 95,459 this March.

Fred Corsi of the Savvis Center, site of the meet and a partner in the bidding committee along with the University of Missouri, called it “wrestling’s home away from home.” The event is expected to have an economic impact of $10 million each year.

Smith, Cowboys face tough schedule to achieve program’s 34th NCAA National Championship

Ben Elder
Sports Editor

Victory reigned from the East Coast to the West Coast and was completed under the shadows of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Mo.

Oklahoma State head wrestling coach John Smith had no problem taking his team to the most hostile wrestling territories in the United States this past year.

The result was an unblemished record that propelled his squad to its 33rd NCAA National Championship.

Now, the Cowboys have begun practice for their 34th.

“What we did last year and the past several years is in the books and on the walls of our wrestling room,” Smith said. “This is a new year and we are going to have to earn everything we do and it starts now and doesn’t end until the third weekend in March.”

A new year it is.

The Cowboys still boast one of the nation’s toughest schedules, hosting nationally-ranked opponents such as Lehigh, Hofstra, Iowa State and Nebraska.

The retired Greco-Roman wrestler was in studio to talk to sports anchor Susie Wargin about life after wrestling and his new book “Never Stop Pushing”. However, business reporter Gregg Moss (who must have read the book) asked Rulon if he could stick around after the interview and lift some concrete picture frames for his gadgets segment. Being the polite Wyoming farm boy that he is, Rulon obliged.

Whether he was penning his book, giving motivational speeches or endorsing one of his many clients, Rulon has stayed plenty busy since he left his shoes on the mat at the Summer Games in Athens.

No matter how hectic life gets, though, he never forgets his roots and life building experiences. In 2002, Rulon was stranded in below freezing temperatures after a snowmobile accident and spent the night trying to survive. He did, but the severe frostbite he suffered on his feet resulted in the loss of one toe. Rulon details his night of survival along with the rest of his feats in life in his new book.

- Throughout the season, IUHOOSIERS.com will take wrestling fans back in time into the rich past of IU Wrestling. Since the beginning of the program in 1909, the Hoosiers have produced one National Championship (1931), 10 NCAA Champions (Last: Joe Dubuque, 125 lb., 2005), 66 All-Americans (Last: Joe Dubuque (125 lb.), Brandon Becker (157 lb.), Pat DeGain (HWT)) and 52 Big Ten Champions (Last: Roger Chandler, ‘97, 142 lb.). Throughout the season, a different year will be highlighted with a brief overview of that year’s events. This week, fans are taken back to 1932.

Indiana Wrestling, 1932

Head coach Billy Thom’s name is almost synonymous with Indiana wrestling. While directing the Hoosiers, Thom led an NCAA Championship squad (1932), six individual champions and 26 individual Big Ten champions. Under his direction, Thom, who also served as the coach of the 1936 U.S. Olympic team, led IU to a 110-21-3 record.

The 1932 season was a special one for Indiana wrestling. After cruising through the dual meet season undefeated, Thom and his Hoosiers headed to the fifth annual National Intercollegiate Wrestling Tournament with their sights set on dethroning a powerful Oklahoma A&M squad, who had won the national championship the past four years.

BULAGRIAN-born wrestler Kotooshu, with looks compared to David Beckham, has brought sex appeal to sumo wrestling.

And now the 22 year-old is on course to become the first European to win a sumo tournament in Japan.

Not only is he a novelty because of his origin, but Kotooshu is tall and unusually lean, using his physique as an asset against famously plump sumo wrestlers.

Kotooshu, real name Mahlyanov Kaloyan Stefanov, is the only undfefeated grappler in the 15-bout autumn grand sumo tournament, one of six annual championships, which ends on Sunday.

Foreigners have in recent years rapidly integrated into the 2000-year-old Japanese sport, with 59 overseas-born wrestlers now registered with the Japan Sumo Association.

But 35 of them come from Mongolia and of the 10 Europeans, Kotooshu is the only one from Bulgaria.

The best-selling Yomiuri Shimbun has dubbed him Bulgaria’s best-known export after yoghurt.

With his model-like grin and dash of chest hair, Kotooshu has been described by the Japanese media as the David Beckham of sumo, a reference to the glam boy of British football.

While Kotooshu is yet to enjoy a fan following anywhere near Beckham’s, his every bout is now being watched with close attention by the Japanese media.

Steve Meehan/Long Island Wrestling Association

Senior Ryan Patrovich of Islip High School in New York, last year’s State Champion for Suffolk County, has given his verbal commitment to wrestle at Hofstra University. Ryan will be the third member of the Patrovich family to wrestle at Hofstra.

Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling

Note: To nominate a wrestler for TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week, send the athlete’s name, accomplishments for the week and career accomplishments to John Fuller at jfuller@usawrestling.org

John G. Roberts (Washington, D.C.) has been named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for the week of September 13-19.

Each week, TheMat.com will select an Athlete of the Week, based upon performance within wrestling for that week. The selection committee will consider any level of wrestling, from youth programs through the Senior level. The announcement will be made each week on Wednesday.

Roberts was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, to fill the vacancy left by the death of Chief Justice William Renquist. Roberts participated in confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee this past week, providing information on a variety of topics that were of interest to Senators in both parties.

Roberts was a successful high school wrestler at La Lumiere prep school in Northern Indiana. He competed at the 132-pound weight class at the school.

John Fuller/USA Wrestling

Kyle Maynard of Georgia, an inspiring young wrestler who has overcome a challenging physical disorder and has received considerable national recognition, will appear on ABC’s 20/20 news program on Friday, September 23 and also on Oprah on Monday, October 3. Maynard is also scheduled to appear on ABC’s Good Morning America, with the date still to be finalized.

Maynard will be speaking of his ability to overcome his physical disorder as well as promoting his book No Excuses, which will be available in bookstores nationwide on Friday, September 23.

Kyle was born on March 24, 1986 with a rare disorder called “Congenital Amputation,” leaving him with three joints, a neck and two shoulders. He has no elbows or knees. He measures just over two feet tall, and weighs approximately 103 pounds.

Despite these physical challenges, Maynard has become a successful amateur wrestler, and has inspired thousands of people across the nation with his courage and spirit for living.

On the mats, Maynard became a successful high school wrestler in Georgia, posting a 35-16 record and competing in the 2004 Georgia High School Championships, where he had an impressive 3-2 record. He competed at the NHSCA National Wrestling Championships, and had a tremendous performance, falling just short of All-American status.

Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling

Under the new rules of international wrestling, each weight division is completed in one day. The World Wrestling Championships will be held in Budapest, Hungary from September 27 – October 2, with different divisions each day. Below is the schedule for each U.S. wrestler, as well as the day-by-day schedule of the Americans competing.

U.S. ATHLETES AND DAY OF COMPETITION

Men’s Freestyle Team

55 kg/121 lbs. – Sammie Henson, Flintstone, Ga. (Sunkist Kids) – Monday, Sept. 26

60 kg/132 lbs. – Michael Lightner, Norman, Okla. (Sunkist Kids) – Monday, Sept. 26

66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Chris Bono, Gilbert, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) – Monday, Sept. 26

74 kg/163 lbs. – Joe Williams, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) – Tuesday, Sept. 27

84 kg/185 lbs. – Mo Lawal, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC) – Tuesday, Sept. 27

96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Daniel Cormier, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC) – Tuesday, Sept. 27

120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Tolly Thompson, Cedar Falls, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) – Wednesday, Sept. 28

Women’s Freestyle Team

48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Jenny Wong, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) – Wednesday, Sept. 28