Marcus LeVesseur went where no other Division III college wrestler has ever gone before. From 2002-2007, the Minneapolis native compiled a perfect 155-0 record at Augsburg College and won four NCAA Division III titles, which had never been accomplished. In addition to starring on the mat for Augsburg, LeVesseur also excelled on the gridiron. He was a first-time All-MIAC quarterback for the Auggies.

Marcus LeVesseur

Following his college career, LeVesseur, a four-time Minnesota state champion, jumped into mixed martial arts (MMA). He is now one of the rising stars in the sport. On Friday night, LeVesseur will be featured on an MMA/boxing fight card put on by Seconds Out Promotions called St. Valentine’s Day Massacre at Epic in Minneapolis. For information on the event or to purchase tickets, click HERE.

RevWrestling.com recently talked to LeVesseur about his record-setting college wrestling career, his MMA career, whether he plans to ever wrestle again, and much more.

While you were at Augsburg, you went undefeated (155-0) and won four NCAA titles. When you reflect on that amazing accomplishment, how much does it mean to you?

Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association

Five new members will be inducted into the EIWA Hall of Fame in a ceremony before the final round of the EIWA Championships on March 8 at the University of Pennsylvania.

The announcement was made by Larry Sheridan, chairman of the EIWA Hall of Fame Committee.

The new inductees are former Penn coach Roger Reina, Olympic champion and former Penn wrestler Brandon Slay, NCAA champion Travis Lee of Cornell, NCAA champion John Harkness of Harvard, and three-time EIWA champion Gerry Franzen of Navy.

Bios for each of the inductees follow:

No one has played a more significant role in the storied tradition of Penn Wrestling than Roger Reina. After serving as team captain his senior year in 1984, Reina served two years as Larry Lauchle’s assistant coach and in 1986, Roger was named the youngest Division I head coach in the nation. Nineteen years later, he retired with a record of 205-106-6, more than twice the next best figure at Penn. Three of his teams placed Top 12 at Nationals, with a high of 9th in 2000 — the school’s 3rd-highest ever finish.

The 2009 World Team Trials, presented by the U.S. Marines, will be hosted at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, May 30-31.

This event will determine the athletes who will represent the United States at the 2009 World Wrestling Championships in Herning, Denmark, Sept. 21-27. Competition will be held in the three Olympic styles of the sport: Greco-Roman, men’s freestyle and women’s freestyle.

The Local Organizing Committee is the Council Bluffs Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“We are very pleased that USA Wrestling is bringing the World Team Trials to Council Bluffs. We believe that this is one of a series of events that will put Council Bluffs on the national map,” said Bob Mundt, President and CEO of the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce. “Wrestling is very popular in this area, and many World-class wrestlers come out of this region. We take great pride in our wrestling tradition.”

The nation’s best Olympic-caliber wrestlers will be on display, including numerous past Olympic and World medalists, as well as collegiate national champions and All-Americans.

Ticket prices have been established, including a number of discount programs for current USA Wrestling members.

Former Olympian and two-time NCAA Division I national wrestling champion Ben Askren’s first professional MMA fight was a quick one.

Askren (1-0), a former University of Missouri wrestler, scored a first-round TKO of Josh Flowers (0-3) at the Holiday Inn Expo Center in Columbia, Mo., at the debut Headhunters Fight League event.

Askren, the head wrestling instructor at American Top Team of Missouri, scored an early takedown and forced an 84-second stoppage after a subsequent ground-and-pound assault.

Askren, a four-time All-American, finished his collegiate wrestling career with a stellar 153-8 record with 91 pins. He went undefeated his junior and senior years with an 87-0 record.

Prior to competing in this year’s Beijing Olympics, where he was knocked out of medal contention by eventual bronze medalist Cuba’s Ivan Fundora, Askren announced his intentions of going pro in MMA.

As he recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), Askren knows his past accomplishments don’t necessarily mean success in MMA.

“The thing in MMA is there’s such a large skill set,” Askren said. “I wrestled 17 years fulltime, so I picked up a lot of skills, some I can use still. I know how to get in shape. I know some good ways to work out.

Mixed Martial Arts Videos on Purefight

170 Lbs Ben Askren Vs Josh Flowers

STILLWATER, Okla. — In 1949, two years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, Harold Henson became the first African American athlete to compete in the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Six years earlier, however, he proved his toughness in the military, joining the U.S. Army.

In commemoration of Black History Month and it’s new exhibit “Glory Beyond the Sport: Wrestling and the Military,” the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum is spotlighting Harold Henson in recognition of his achievements both in wrestling and in service to our country.

Henson, who learned to wrestle at San Diego High School in California, entered the Army in March of 1943, at the height of World War II, and was sent to Germany. There he met and married his wife of 62 years, Illse. At the time, military regulations required that Army personnel who married Germans leave the country.

Harold Henson

He left the Army in 1947 and returned to his native state to attend San Diego State University where he earned a spot on the wrestling team and an education degree. His ground-breaking participation in the NCAA Championships was at Ft. Collins, Colorado in 1949. He graduated from San Diego State in 1950.

Hello Wrestling Fans,

I am currently working with the NWCA to improve the sustainability of college wrestling and its programs. We are in the process of assessing the college wrestling schedule and we would love to get your opinion on a variety of related issues. In order to do this, we hope that you will take 5 minutes of your time to fill out our online survey (link below). Thanks so much for your time!

Coyte Cooper

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=U2BF295PU2XY

University of Nebraska Sports Information

LINCOLN — Jordan Burroughs and Vince Jones notched major decisions against No. 15 Oklahoma State to help the fourth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team claim a historic 17-16 dual victory over the Cowboys in front of more than 2,800 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Thursday. The win was NU’s first home victory over OSU since the 1921-22 season, and gave the Huskers back-to-back dual wins over the Cowboys for the first time ever. Nebraska improved to 14-2-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12, while Oklahoma State dropped to 12-6 and 0-3 in the conference.

The contest came down to bonus points, as each team claimed five bouts on the night, and Burroughs and Jones, both natives of Sicklerville, N.J., scraped NU by with their two wins. In one of three matches featuring two wrestlers ranked in the top 10, third-ranked Burroughs used 10 takedowns, including four in the final period, to post a 21-9 major decision over No. 10 Neil Erisman of OSU at 157 pounds. The win was the junior’s seventh of the year against top-10 opponents, and kept his perfect season alive at 24-0 and 15-0 in duals.

Andrew Hipps, Senior Writer
andrew@revwrestling.com

Seriously … It’s impossible not to like David Taylor.

In an era where it’s become commonplace for athletes and teams to dodge competition, the high school senior from St. Paris Graham (Ohio), who maintains a 4.0 grade point average, seeks out competition.

In a battle of two of Ohio’s best ever, David Taylor moved up from 135 to 140 and beat Collin Palmer (Photo/Kevin Schlosser)

This past Saturday afternoon, in front of a packed gymnasium at St. Paris Graham High School, David Taylor, a three-time state champion, bumped up a weight class from 135 to 140 to face another three-time state champion, Collin Palmer of St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio.

The Iowa State-bound Taylor and Ohio State-bound Palmer did not disappoint. Palmer struck first with a beautiful duckunder. Palmer looked to be in control of the match after he picked up a reversal in the second period to go up 4-1. But Taylor battled back, picking up a reversal of his own to cut the deficit to one point, 4-3, going into the third period. In the final period, he picked up a quick escape and then added a takedown to go up 6-4. Taylor was then able to tilt Palmer for a two-point nearfall, which all but sealed the deal as Taylor won 8-5.

Here’s an article from the latest issue of WIN (Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine)…

John E du Pont, who was sentenced in 1997 in the shooting death of Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz, has been denied parole and will remain behind bars, according to his attorney. Taras Wochuk, du Pon’ts long-time counsel, said that his client, who sought release at the end of his 13-year minimum sentence, will not be getting out of jail this January.

du Pont, 69, was sentenced to 13 to 30 years in jail in May 1997 for the January 1996 shooting death of Schultz. The victim was then a wrestling coach and living with his family at du Pont’s Newtown estate, which has since been sold.

Delaware County Assistant District Attorney William R Toal, III, who is handling the appeals for his office, said a letter was written opposing du Pont’s parole.

“In general it has to do with his failure to take responsibility for the crimes he committed. He acknowledged the act but has not accepted responsibility,” Toal said. (end of WIN article)

To read more about John E du Pont and the murder of Dave Schultz:
http://revwrestling.com/articles/909