Let's Talk Wrestling

Tyler is from Orion, Illinois and was a 3x state finalist for the Chargers, winning a state title as a sophomore. As a senior, Tyler moved to Bettendorf, Iowa and was a state runner-up for Head Coach Dan Knight. Tyler continued wrestling for Iowa State, where he was a 2x national qualifier. He then transferred to arch-rival Iowa and graduated as a Hawkeye. He was inducted into the Orion High School Hall of Fame in 2018. So, Tyler competed at both Illinois and Iowa High School state wrestling tournaments and wrestled for both Cael Sanderson and Tom Brands. Quite the interesting story lies ahead! So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Tyler Clark!

A couple weeks ago, the 2024 Olympic Trials took place in State College, Pennsylvania. There was a lot to unpack from all the action, both good and bad. So, I enlisted the help of my friend and former teammate Duane Richardson to come on the podcast and talk about it all.

Brett is from Manchester, Iowa and wrestled for West Delaware. Unfortunately, injuries cut his career short. But Brett just couldn’t get away from wrestling. He’s been involved at the coaching level, holding roles at Waterloo West, Waverly Shell-Rock and Loras, to name a few. Currently, Brett is the head coach at West Des Moines Valley and guided them to a 15th place finish at state this year, which included a state finalist. In the show notes you’ll see a link to Pay It FOREward Connolly, a non-profit organization that serves to financially aid persons with disabilities and their families. The organization was founded in memory of Andrew Connolly, a good friend of Brett Wheelan. Again, the link to the organization can be found in the show notes. If you know someone who could benefit from this amazing organization or if you simply want to know how you can help, all the information is found through that link. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Coach Brett Wheelan!

Leighton is from New Hampton, Iowa and wrestled for the Chickasaws. He was a 3x state placewinner, finishing 5th, 3rd and 3rd. After high school, Leighton wrestled for UNI and was in the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman. That same year, he won the Tim Ascherli Most Courageous Award. Leighton now resides in Kendallville, Iowa and helps out with the Northeast Iowa Wrestling Club in Decorah. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Leighton Gaul!

Naomi is from Decorah, Iowa and made history this past year by becoming the first girls 4x state champion in Iowa history. Naomi also was selected as Ms. Iowa Wrestler of the Year and won a Junior Fargo national title last July. She’s committed to wrestle for the University of Iowa. Naomi is also competing at Last Chance Qualifier this weekend in an attempt to make an Olympic team. This was awesome to get to know a little more about Naomi on a personal level and no doubt she’s going to look good in black and gold. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Naomi Simon!

Nate is from Tucson, Arizona and was a 2x state champion for Sunnyside High School. Nate went on to wrestle at Iowa State, where he was a 3x All-American and a national champion for the Cyclones. At the senior level, he was a U.S. Senior national champion, a 4x U.S. national team member and finished 3rd at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. After a couple of brief coaching stints, Nate now works at Wells Fargo and resides in Iowa. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Nate Gallick!

Jared is from Graettinger, Iowa and wrestled at Graettinger-Terrill. He was a 3x state placer, securing 3rd twice before becoming a state champion as a senior. After high school, Jared got into the world of weightlifting. He’s competed in both Strongman and Powerlifting competitions before picking up Olympic Weightlifting. In 2015, Jared switched to CrossFit full time and made the 2018 CrossFit Games. You can check him out on his instagram at jaredenderton where you can find seminars, more information about Invictus Weightlifting and to reach out for weightlifting programs. His instagram handle can be found below. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Jared Enderton!

Jared Enderton instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaredenderton/

Todd is from Gilbertville, Iowa and wrestled for the Don Bosco Dons. He was a 3x state qualifier and finished as a state champion as a senior. Todd started his college career at Iowa State before transferring to Wartburg, a place he now calls home, and ended up being a national qualifier for the Knights. Todd is now an assistant coach for Wartburg and his team is gearing up to make a run this weekend at DIII nationals in La Crosse, WI. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Todd Becker!

Dalton is from Charles City and was a 3x state qualifier for the Comets. As a senior, he broke through and finished 3rd at 189 lbs. Dalton was also a beast on the football field, earning 2nd team all-state honors his senior year and receiving an invite to the Shrine Bowl. Dalton attempted to both wrestle and play football at Grand View before transferring to Iowa Central to solely focus on football. After sustaining an injury, Dalton transferred back to Grand View, this time concentrating strictly on wrestling. Unfortunately, his body couldn’t hold up. Dalton is now active duty Army and is stationed in Fayetteville, North Carolina. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Dalton Schutjer!

Aaron is from Emmetsburg, Iowa and wrestled during the peak years of the Emmetsburg/Armstrong-Ringsted era. From 2000-2006, they won 6 traditional team titles and 2 dual team titles. As for Aaron, he also enjoyed some success. He finished as a 3x placer, finishing 2nd and 4th before winning it all as a senior. Aaron went on to wrestle at the University of Iowa, where he battled some adversity but never gave up. He finished his senior year with the most wins on the team and fell one win shy of becoming an All-American. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Aaron Janssen!

Levi’s story is one of great adversity and even greater success. He started wrestling like a lot of kids, competing in their local wrestling club. But in 6th grade, Levi was diagnosed with idiopathic transverse myelitis, a rare condition that occurs when there is inflammation of both sides of a section of the spinal cord. This left Levi paralyzed from the waist down. But after several months of physical therapy and countless trips to the chiropractor, Levi regained most of his ability to walk and eventually was able to participate in sports. Throughout all this, Levi’s goals never wavered: He wanted to be a state champion. I’ll let Levi tell you the rest of the story. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Levi Drueke!

Ryan, or Philly as he’s known to some, was Burlington High School’s first state champion when he finished on top in 2002 at 215 lbs. Ryan took his talents to Wartburg and spent 4 years there before transferring to Upper Iowa where he won a national title. He was subsequently inducted into the Upper Iowa Hall of Fame in 2018. Ryan has had coaching stints at Upper Iowa, Labette Community College, West Burlington-Notre Dame, Cedar Rapids Jefferson and now at Marion High School. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Ryan Phillips!

Christian is from Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was a 4x state placewinner, winning a state title his senior year. In college, he wrestled for Michigan State and Head Coach Tom Minkel. Nowadays, Christian is the owner and head coach of River City Wrestling, an up-and-coming club located in Richmond, Virginia. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Christian Olanowski!

Erin is currently an associate director with the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. She is a big reason why Iowa sanctioned girls wrestling. A native of Panora, Iowa, Erin graduated from Iowa State University before earning her masters at Oklahoma State. This is a very insightful episode of all the behind-the-scenes work Erin and her team puts in to make girls wrestling in Iowa as successful at it can be. It also entails where her passion for wrestling (and sports in general) all started. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Erin Gerlich!

Chris is from Westlake, Ohio and wrestled at St. Edward High School under legendary head coach Greg Urbas. Chris enlisted in the Air Force and wrestled at the United States Air Force Academy, earning team captain as a senior. Chris is now in the Air Force Reserve and flies for UPS. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Major Chris Szabolcs!

Brett was one of those guys I could never beat growing up. I don’t know how many times we wrestled, but he always found a way to come out on top. Anyway, Brett  was a 4x state qualifier for West Delaware and placed 4th as a senior. He went on to wrestle at Wartburg and qualified for the national tournament as a senior. Nowadays, Brett is an assistant coach at Waukee Northwest and a personal trainer at Life Time Athletic. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Brett Yonkovic!

Reese is from Reno, Nevada, but attended high school at Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania. She won a silver medal at the 15U World Combat Games in Budapest and also won both the 16U and U20 national championships. Reese currently wrestles 143 lbs. for the University of Iowa. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Reese Larramendy!

Mack is a four-time state champion for Don Bosco, the 13th in Iowa High School state history. For college, Mack went north and attended the University of Minnesota. As a Golden Gopher, he was a 3x All-American at 133 lbs. Between high school and college, Mack won a total of 294 matches. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Mack Reiter!

Tiffany grew up in Cumberland, Iowa and has been around the sport her entire life. She moved to New Mexico and got into coaching. Tiffany started as a youth coach before moving into the club scene. She then became the first female assistant coach in the state of New Mexico. After COVID, Tiffany moved back to southwest Iowa and is now the head coach of the Southwest Area Wrestling Team (or S.W.A.T. for short). So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Tiffany South!

Dale wrestled at Cedar Rapids Prairie for Coach Ron James. After high school, Dale wrestled at Northwest Missouri State, where he is the all-time wins leader. Dale became a teacher once he graduated and excelled in the educational field. He started in Nebraska before working his way back to Iowa, stopping at Akron-Westfield and Midland before finishing out as superintendent of both MFL MarMac and Eastern Allamakee Community School Districts. In listening to Dale you will find he intertwines a lot of what he learned on the mat with what he does off of it. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Dr. Dale Crozier!

Tony is the head coach of Augsburg University, a DIII powerhouse in Minneapolis, MN. He started as a grad assistant in 2012 before going the staff full-time in 2015. Tony became the co-head coach in 2019 and assumed solo duties in 2022. He’s helped lead the Auggies to 3 national titles over his time and is hoping to provide similar results this year. Tony is a graduate of Augsburg University and was a 3x All-American himself. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Coach Tony Valek!

Levi wrestled for the vaunted Cedar Valley Mat Club, one of the toughest clubs back in the day. He went on to become a 4x Iowa High School state finalist and 2x state champion for Denver-Tripoli while also leading them to a state dual and traditional state title in 2010. Levi went on to wrestle at UNI, becoming a 2x NCAA qualifier and made the bloodround in 2013. Unfortunately, injuries took a toll on the rest of his college career. Levi now lives back near Denver and works with his best buddy Blake Sorensen. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Levi Wolfensperger!

Steve is in his 18th season at the helm of St. Cloud State University. Since taking over the program in 2006, Steve has turned the Huskies into a DII powerhouse, winning 5 national team titles and finishing as runner-up another 4 times. He’s coached over 120 national qualifiers, including over 80 All-Americans and 8 national champions. As a wrestler, Steve was a 3x All-American at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Coach Steve Costanzo!

Madilynn is from Clinton, IA and graduated from Camanche High School, where she was all-state in 3 sports in high school: volleyball, basketball and softball. She chose to attend Coe College and compete in both volleyball and softball. Madilynn has excelled at both sports, helping both programs reach the postseason. She earned league MVP honors in volleyball and the softball team finished 3rd at the DIII National Championships last spring. Needless to say, Madilynn is one of the best athletes in the state. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Madilynn Parson!

Arelys is from Clewiston, FL, where she was a 3x state placewinner and 2x state runner-up. Arelys started her college career at Missouri Baptist University before finishing her career at the University of the Cumberlands as a 2x All-American. Aside from competing on the senior level circuit, Arelys has entered the coaching realm. She spent one year at Brewton-Parker College before landing as the Assistant Coach of the Grand View Women’s wrestling team. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Arelys Valles!

Jeremy is from Cascade, Iowa and wrestled for the Cougars. He went on to wrestle at Loras College just down the road in Dubuque. Jeremy didn’t quite achieve the accolades on the mat that he hoped. However, he didn’t let that hinder his passion for the sport. Jeremy landed as an Assistant Coach at Dubuque Wahlert and helped lead them to a state team title in 2018. His story is a lesson that your wrestling credentials don’t determine how successful of a coach you can be. Jeremy now hosts a podcast called Weighin’ in with Worm, an extension of the Dubuque Area Sports Podcast where he highlights wrestling in the Dubuque area. Jeremy does a phenomenal job and you can find a link to the show in the show notes! With that being said, please sit back, relax and enjoy, Jeremy Boffeli!

Dubuque Area Sports Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5cNLp0sdmCkMRaIq9gZeZf?si=d254cba8d6374dd8

Adam was a 2x California state champion in high school, competing for both Hiram Johnson High School and Buchanan High School. Adam went on to become an Illini legend. He was a 3x All-American for Head Coach Mark Johnson and was a national champion in 2001 while helping Illinois to a 5th place finish as a team. Adam was inducted into the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020. Now living back in Fresno, CA, Adam coaches at powerhouse Clovis High School with his dad, Stephen. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Adam Tirapelle!

Lenny is from Stroudsburg, PA and won a state title as a junior. Unfortunately, knee injuries derailed his senior year. Lenny chose to attend the University of Nebraska, where lingering knee issues kept him off the mat his redshirt year. But Lenny thrived last year in his first season in the lineup at 184, finishing 5th at Big Ten’s and qualifying for the NCAA tournament. I think Lenny is someone Husker coaches and fans are really excited about moving forward. I can’t wait to see what his future holds! So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Lenny Pinto!

Phillip is from Vernal, Utah and was a 2x state champion for Uintah High School. Phillip went on to wrestle at the University of Iowa and became a 3x All-American. He was also a part of 3 Big Ten and NCAA team champions. In my opinion, Phillip was the glue of those teams. He was tough, gritty and just someone you could always count on to get the job done. That’s why he was my favorite wrestler during that time. Phillip now lives back in his hometown of Vernal and is the head wrestling coach at his alma mater. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Phillip Keddy!

Bubba is from Manhattan, Kansas and won a Kansas state title in 2019. Bubba now wrestles 165 for the Huskers and was Redshirt of the Year during the 2019-2020 season after posting a 19-1 record. Heading into his junior year, Bubba has qualified twice for the NCAA tournament and is looking to take the next step this year for the Huskers. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Bubba Wilson!

Tim graduated from Morning Sun High School and went to Coe College. Tim just signed on for his 17th season with the Big Ten Network and will be his 38th season of broadcasting overall, which started back in 1986 with Iowa Public Television. Tim is also a big advocate for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a community working to see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes. A lot of positive energy and just an overall great conversation lies within this episode. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Tim Johnson!

Paul was the first wrestler I really looked up to at MFL MarMac. He was intense, a hard worker and one hell of a competitor. Paul was Chet’s first 4x Upper Iowa Conference Champion. He qualified for state 3 times and placed 8th as a senior. Paul also wrestled on the same team as his brothers Phil, Peter and Pat, which was a pretty special moment for the Fisk family. Paul now lives in Cresco and helps run the family business called Fisk Farm and Home in Decorah. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Paul Fisk!

As most everyone probably knows, James recently announced he’ll be returning to the mat once again. James was the man at 70kg for 6 years, capturing World silver and bronze along the way. Along with his return to competing, James is also an Assistant Coach on the Nebraska staff, where James himself was a 4x All-American. While James has all these accomplishments on the mat, we touch more on who James is as a person. It was a pleasure to peel back the layers and find out a little more about who James Green is. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, James Green!

Brock is heading into his sophomore season at the University of Nebraska after a successful freshman year that ended in a 6th place finish at NCAA’s. Before he gets his college season underway, Brock will be traveling to Albania to compete in the U23 World Championships at 65kg. Competition gets underway October 23, with Brock’s first match coming at 3:30am ET on Tuesday the 24th. Best of luck to Brock and all of Team USA as they look to bring home some hardware. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Brock Hardy!

Jason has been announcing or covering wrestling in some capacity since his high school days at Poquoson High School in Virginia. Jason’s accomplishments are too long to list, a testament to just how successful his career has been to this point. Even after everything he has achieved thus far, Jason still has a chip on his shoulder and strives to continuously improve his craft, something I think we all can admire. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Jason Bryant!

Blake was pretty much a stud from the get-go, winning 5 AAU state titles. During that time, he wrestled at one of the toughest clubs around, the Cedar Valley Mat Club. His success followed him into his high school days, as he became a 4x state placewinner for Denver-Tripoli. Blake chose to attend Upper Iowa University and was a national runner-up as a sophomore. Unfortunately, Blake battled knee injuries for most of his wrestling career, making his accolades that much more impressive. Blake now owns an acreage in Denver with his wife and two kids, who I bet are just as rowdy as he was. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Blake Sorensen!

Layne enters his 6th and final year at Michigan State. He’s from Macomb, MI and wrestled at Dakota High School. He was a 4x state placer, winning it all as a senior. As he prepares for one last ride as a Spartan, Layne has qualified every year for NCAA’s. He’s fallen short of All-American status each time and is no doubt looking to finish on the podium. He won’t be the only Michigan State wrestler looking to find the podium, as this Spartan team is looking to make some noise this year. You better get on the hype train now. Otherwise, you’re going to be left at the station! So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Layne Malczewski!

Boone is from Dubuque, IA and wrestled for Dubuque Wahlert. After having success on the youth circuit, Boone actually quit wrestling briefly during middle school. He went back out in high school and finished 3rd as a junior and 1st as a senior. Out of high school, Boone went to Iowa Central Community College and proceeded to dominate his way to a JUCO national title. Boone transferred to Rutgers University and quickly became a fan favorite. Heading into his final year of eligibility, Boone made the decision to transfer to Oregon State University and compete for the Beavers. No doubt he’ll become a fan favorite there, too! So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Boone McDermott!

Kelli grew up wrestling for Blue Earth Area High School in Minnesota, where she was the first varsity female wrestler. She was a Cadet/Junior Women’s national champion in 2003 and a runner-up in 2004. At one point, Kelli was the No. 2 ranked female high school wrestler. She went on to wrestle at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada, where she was a 2x All-Conference honoree. Kelli finished her college career at Winona State University that included 2 national titles and a runner-up finish. Kelli is now the Head Girls Wrestling Coach at Hopkins High School in Minnesota. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Kelli Metzger!

Brittani is a registered dietitian and owns her own business called Freedom Nutrition Academy. With Freedom Nutrition Academy, you can get 1-on-1 coaching and find a plan designed specifically for you to help you hit your goal weight. She also provides advice on how to better your mindset and create healthy, sustaining habits that will give you confidence in your daily life. Brittani also served in the Army and was an intern for the New York Jets. More information about Brittani, Freedom Nutrition Academy and how to get a hold of her can be found in the show notes. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Brittani DaSilva!

Tim was a 3 sport star in high school, playing both baseball and football at a high level along with wrestling. Tim ultimately chose to wrestle at the University of Minnesota and became a 3x All-American, finishing 3rd as a sophomore before winning 2 national titles. He was the first Golden Gopher to win back-to-back national titles in 51 years, a crazy stat when you consider the history of the program. After competing on the senior level, Tim got into coaching, with stints at Minnesota, Iowa and Iowa State. He now currently resides in Stillwater, Minnesota and enjoys time with his 3 kids. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Tim Hartung!

AJ is a graduate of Decorah High School, where he was a 2x state placewinner. AJ didn’t travel far for college, as he competed for Luther College. After graduating from Luther College, AJ attended the University of Western States in Portland, Oregon and became a chiropractor. Since then, AJ has helped train elite athletes, including an Ironman World Champion and World and Olympic track athletes. AJ now lives in Flagstaff, Arizona and has his own practice with his brother, Wes. More information about AJ’s practice, StrongStrides, along with all his credentials can be found in the show notes. With that being said, please sit back, relax and enjoy, Dr. AJ Gregg!