By Andy Hamilton
Iowa City Press-Citizen

Sitting in his fourth-floor office overlooking Boone Pickens Stadium, Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith has a view that tops most in Stillwater.

From here, Smith can look to the west and watch the renovation of the football stadium named after the oil tycoon who donated $165 million last year to the Cowboy athletic department.

He can glance to the north and see where more Pickens money will help fund a multi-purpose facility that will clear out extra space for the Cowboy wrestling program in its current training site.

He can gaze at the wall across his desk where memorabilia hangs, symbolizing the view that Smith has enjoyed perhaps the most and the view other coaches covet — the one from high above the college wrestling world.

Oklahoma State towered above everyone else during the past four years, winning the NCAA title by an average spread of 47 points during that stretch. But the sport’s landscape is transforming around Smith and other traditional powerhouses.

Originally published January 19, 2007

It’s 30-years later, but Mark Scott, another wrestler touched by tragedy, still remembers the event that left him without his legs. It occurred to him when he heard about a similar accident that affected two young wrestlers in Berthoud.

Scott, 46, was wondering how he could help.

From his perch at the USA Wrestling complex in Colorado Springs, Scott’s sympathies and an e-mail were sent this week offering his assistance in the recovery of Berthoud High School students Tyler Carron and Nikko Landeros.

Scott, Carron and Landeros—all wrestlers—could have a lot to talk about, since they have so much in common.

Both the local teens have lost their legs in an automobile accident that occurred on Monday, January 15, when a car, driven by a 17-year-old female student also from Berthoud High School, slammed into Carron and Landeros as they prepared to change a flat tire. Both Carron and Landeros remain in critical condition at Denver Health Medical Center.

Scott knows what it is like. It took him over three months to even get back to his high school in Laramie, Wyo. But back to a regular life took even longer—his friends helping him along the way.

UC Davis supports an outstanding program in women’s sports.

UC Davis sponsors 14 women’s varsity sports, significantly more than the national average of 8.4 women’s sports per college or university, according to a national study.

Sports Illustrated for Women named UC Davis as the best Division II school for women athletes in 1999 and 2000, and UC Davis has produced three National Collegiate Athletic Association Women of the Year since that program began in 1991.

A total of 11 UC Davis women’s teams have participated in, or been represented at, 59 NCAA Division II championships and one NCAA Division I championship since 1995. Between 1995 and 2005, UC Davis female student-athletes received a total of 253 All-American awards.

UC Davis created a Title IX workgroup to address gender equity issues many years before other universities took steps to carry out the mandate of Title IX. Intercollegiate Athletics uses a Plan for Equity in Athletics to ensure fair distribution of resources and staffing.

The campus has demonstrated a history and continuing practice of expanding its women’s varsity sports program. In the past 12 years, the following five sports have been added: women’s indoor track and field (1994); rowing, lacrosse and water polo (1995); and golf (2005).

By Guy Cipriano

Nathan Galloway didn’t take long to determine his wrestling future.

Galloway, a three-time PIAA Class AAA champion at State College High School, said Thursday night that he plans on continuing his wrestling career at Rider.

Galloway arrived at the school’s Lawrenceville, N.J., campus Wednesday night. He joined the team Thursday and won two wrestle-offs to earn a starting spot.

The Broncs are scheduled to begin the two-day Colonial Athletic Association duals at 6 p.m. tonight against host George Mason.

Galloway, who spent 4 1/2 years at Penn State, said he expects to compete this weekend.

“It’s going to be awkward,” he said. “I haven’t had the opportunity to really prepare for this event. I like being here so far and I’m going to make the most of this opportunity. I think me, my coaches and my teammates are excited to see what happens when I step on the mat.

“I have been through a lot in the past week figuring out where I was going to go. Once I step on the mat, everything is going to be the same. When I step on the mat, I’m going to be wearing a Rider singlet and I’m going to be looking to win for Rider.”

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI
Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran — Great Falls native Mike Zadick and his teammates on the U.S. national wrestling team were welcomed to Iran on Tuesday with bouquets of pink and white flowers at a time of increasing tensions between the two countries, recalling the days before Tehran’s reformers were defeated by its current hard-line leadership.

The U.S. freestyle wrestling team due to participate in this week’s matches includes Zadick, the Great Falls High and University of Iowa graduate who earned a silver medal at the 2006 World Wrestling Championships, and 2005 U.S. world team member Andy Hrovat, who competed for the University of Michigan. Zadick is wrestling at 60 kg (132 pounds).

The U.S. team is made up of some members of the U.S. world team and the U.S. nationals champions. It is coached by Terry Brands, a two-time world champion and 2000 Olympic bronze medalist. The U.S. delegation is made up of 14 athletes and seven officials.
The tournament will bring together teams from Iran and several other nations, mostly from Central Asia.

The Americans, wearing jackets emblazoned with “USA Wrestling,” were given the warm greeting by young girls in traditional Iranian dresses at an airport in the southern city of Bandar Abbas.

By Michael Rand, Star Tribune

Tom Sweeney, Star Tribune
J Robinson loves quotations. He loves them so much that he has some of his favorites taped to the desk in his office, while others are scribbled on notes stuck to his computer. They are like little pieces of him, scattered everywhere. Robinson, the Gophers wrestling coach, believes strongly in a lot of things. But if any quotation defines him more than all others, it is the one he repeated early in a conversation this week: “Good is the enemy of great.” He believes success is a choice; indeed, he believes everything in life is a choice. His choice has been to take a program nobody thought could be a winner and turn it into one of the best in the country. He talked about that and other things with the Star Tribune.

Q When you came here in 1986, there had been some past individual success with the wrestling program, but it was by no means elite. I’m sure this answer could be a book, and not a paragraph, but what are some of the fundamentals you believe made Gophers wrestling an elite program?

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State Wrestling Booster Club is looking into obtaining a charter bus for the Pacific-10 Championships that will be held Feb. 24-25 at Cal State-Bakersfield. Fans should note that the dates for the meet have been moved up by one day from previous schedules.

The estimated cost for the bus is from $115-$125; tournament passes are $40 for chairback seating, $30 for bleacher seating and $20 for students. Estimated costs for rooms at the Hampton Inn are $95 plus tax per night.

The bus would leave on Friday, Feb. 23 and return after the conclusion of the competition on Sunday, Feb. 25. Those interested should contact OSU assistant coach Troy Steiner at 541-737-3252 or troy.steiner@oregonstate.edu by Thursday, Jan. 25.

Also, tickets for the 2007 NCAA Championships, which will be held March 15-17 in Detroit, Mich., are now on sale through the OSU athletic ticket office. Tickets are $120 and can be ordered by calling 1-800-GO BEAVS

Politics take a pin as Iran meet open

Pat Galbincea
Plain Dealer Reporter

There is political tension between the United States and Iran, but it didn’t apply to 14 U.S. wrestlers including St. Edward High graduate Andy Hrovat, who were warmly received Tuesday in the southern city of Bandar Abbas.
The U.S. wrestlers, wearing jackets emblazoned with “USA Wrestling,” were greeted at the airport by local officials and young girls in traditional Iranian dresses who handed them bouquets of white and pink flowers.

Hrovat, 26, who won two state titles at St. Edward (1997-98), will be competing Thursday and Friday in the Takhti Cup — also known as the Persian Gulf Cup — which is the top tournament in Iran. He will compete at 185 pounds.

The fact that wrestling is Iran’s national sport, and this is Hrovat’s second time in Iran, is a major reason he said he has no concern for his safety.

“Wrestling is not the same in the United States like it is in Iran,” said Hrovat, speaking through a link with USA Wrestling headquarters in Boulder Springs, Colo. “We’re treated here like NBA players or NFL players.
Wrestling is their No. 1 sport, and their people love wrestling and the competition.

Wrestler Lang forges his own identity at Brecksville

Pat Galbincea
Plain Dealer Reporter

Competing in a sport in which an older brother won four state titles at a fabled program is a tough task for a high school wrestler.

That challenge first confronted Brecksville sophomore Kyle Lang while he was in elementary school. His older brother, Ryan, became the state’s second Division I four-time state champ in 2001 while competing at St. Edward.

Would Kyle Lang attend St. Edward and try to duplicate his brother’s great feat? Or would he attend his neighborhood school and try to escape from Ryan’s shadow?

To the delight of Bees wrestling coach Todd Haverdill, the younger Lang chose Brecksville. Not only did Haverdill get a blue-chip wrestler who placed fourth in the state at 103 pounds last year as a freshman, but Lang also has helped turn a losing program into a winner.

“Let’s face it, we’re a public school with no open enrollment, and we have never got a transfer student in my six years here,” Haverdill said. “He’s a welcome addition, believe me. Kyle wrestles year-round, and with his extensive youth experience, he’s part of a blueprint of what you need to have a successful program.

By Guy Cipriano

UNIVERSITY PARK — Nathan Galloway’s wrestling career will not end at Penn State.

Galloway, a three-time PIAA Class AAA champion at State College High School, requested and received a release to pursue competition opportunities with other programs. Galloway, a 157-pounder, has just one semester of eligibility remaining.

Galloway’s father, Jack , said Nathan will publicly give his reason for seeking a transfer at a later date. Jack added that a “host of schools,” including two Big Ten programs, have expressed interest in adding Nathan for the spring semester.

“Nathan is excited about pursuing his career elsewhere,” Jack said Tuesday afternoon.

Penn State coach Troy Sunderland said he “didn’t want to get into much detail” about Galloway’s decision.

“We thank him and his family for everything they have done for the program,” Sunderland said. “We wish him well. I don’t want to speculate on anything.”

True freshman Bubba Jenkins will take over as the Nittany Lions’ starting 157-pounder. Jenkins, who started the season at 149 pounds, made his Penn State debut by going 3-1 at last weekend’s Virginia Duals.