Welcome to Season 4! You already know how we start things off here. Eric really doesn’t need much of an introduction. He was an AA for Nebraska and has been competing for the Nebraska Wrestling Training Center over the past couple years. Eric qualified for the Olympic Trials and finished 4th at 97 kg. He lives in Lincoln with his wife Clare and newborn baby girl, Scarlett. Eric is also an Assistant Coach at Nebraska Wesleyan. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Eric...

Zack is from Omaha, NE and went to Omaha South High School. Zack was a state qualifier as a junior before wrestling at the University of Nebraska-Omaha for Head Coach Mike Denney. However, as we all know, UNO dropped wrestling in 2011, a move that still cuts deep with Zack to this day. Zack did follow Coach Denney to Maryville University, where he finished out his career. Zack competed and coached greco upon graduation, leading the U20 greco team at the Pan-Ams in Mexico in 2022. Zack is also...

The Premier National League is a league consisting of some of the top wrestling clubs across the country. The purpose of PNL is to elevate wrestling by providing great experiences and elite competition with high standards for coaches, referees and athletes. This weekend, November 1st-3rd, they are hosting their Fall Championships in Kansas City, MO at Hy-Vee Arena. In this episode, I sit down with Executive Director Zack Wilcox and head coach of MWC Zac Dominguez to discuss how PNL came to...

Madison is from Warren, PA, where her love for wrestling began. She started keeping stats for her middle school wrestling team. She attended Edinboro University, where she became known as the “Everything Girl” because she was literally doing everything behind the scenes for the wrestling program. Madison has also done some freelance work for InterMat and I have linked a couple of her articles in the show notes. Madison has that underdog mentality, so there’s a lot of tenacity in this episode....

Ben is from Gilbert, IA and was a star athlete, participating in football, wrestling, soccer and track and field. Ben ultimately chose to play football at the University of Wyoming and, after graduating in 4 years, Ben transferred to Iowa State for his final year of eligibility. But as Ben’s mom, Jinjer, said about wrestling, “Once it’s in the blood, it’s in the blood forever.” With that, Ben revived his wrestling career. He started training and competing on the world level, placing at...

John is from Parkersburg, IA and was an all-around athlete for the Falcons. He was 2x all-state in football and was a 4-year letterwinner in soccer. He had the most success on the mat, where he was a 3x state placewinner on some tough A-P teams (shoutout Dirty Bird Wrestling Club!). John would go on to wrestle at UNI for 3 years and even competed in jiu-jitsu and MMA. Nowadays, John lives in Waterloo and coaches the running backs at Union High School. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy,...

LJ is from Bismarck, ND, where he was a 5x state champion for Bismarck High School. Almost a year ago to the day, LJ stamped his name among the top wrestlers at his weight when he won a Super 32 title at 165 lbs. and earned MOW in the HS division’s upper weight. Over the summer, LJ competed for Brazil at U20’s and won a bronze medal, the countries first men’s medal in freestyle wrestling at the world level. LJ is now gearing up for his freshman season at the University of Nebraska. So please,...

A graduate of St. Edmond High School in Fort Dodge, IA, Joel has quite the wrestling story. He wrestled collegiately at Loras College. Along the way, Joel partnered with Steve Farrell and created the Iron Sharpens Iron Team Camps, the biggest K-12 wrestling camp in the country. Joel began his coaching career as an assistant at Northeast Goose Lake before taking over for Joe Kane at Dubuque Wahlert. He led the boys to a team state title in 2018 and his girls team to a third place finish in...

Kale is from Rockwell, IA and began his career at West Fork High School. He placed 6th as a freshman before winning a state title as a sophomore. That’s when he and his family made the tough decision to allow him to move 2 hours south and live with his club coach, T.J. Sebolt. Kale finished his career at Greene County High School and won 2 more state titles. Kale is now an Iowa Hawkeye and will be a redshirt freshman this upcoming season. He has his eyes set on big things this year. So...

Kaid is from Stillwater, OK and was a 3x state champ for Stillwater High. It was no surprise when Kaid chose to be a Cowboy and wrestle for Oklahoma State. He announced his presence immediately when he was pulled out of redshirt and pinned the returning national champion Cody Brewer in his first collegiate match. Kaid would finish his career as a 2x AA for the Cowboys, as injuries unfortunately took a toll on his body. Nowadays, Kaid lives to hunt and just returned from a big elk hunt him and...

Courtney is from Dinsdale, Iowa and was a state champion for North Tama. He wrestled one year at Utah State before enlisting in the United States Air Force. Courtney spent 40+ years in the military, instructing SERE training and para rescue. Courtney also is big into coon hunting, something else we get into. Throughout it all, wrestling remained a key part of his life and still is to this day. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Courtney Risk! Euphoria Coffee website:...

Alex moved around a bit as a kid, so wrestling became the one constant in his life. He finally settled in Missouri, where he became a 3x Missouri state champion. At the college level, Alex was a 4x NCAA qualifier for Edinboro, ending his career with a 4th place finish. After coaching stints at Virginia and Missouri, Alex has planted his flag in College Park, Maryland as head coach of the Terrapins. Entering his 6th season, Coach Clemsen has high hopes for the program, both this year and...

Max is from La Porte City, IA, where he became the 24th 4x state champion. He finished his illustrious career with a 210-1 record while also helping the Knights claim their 2nd-ever dual team state title in 2015. Max wrestled for the UNI Panthers and was an AA for Coach Doug Schwab. Max is living back in his hometown of La Porte City with his wife and daughter. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Max Thomsen! Euphoria Coffee website: https://www.drinkeuphoriacoffee2go.com/ Let's Talk...

Cruse is from Cedar Rapids, IA, where he was a 2x state placewinner for CR Kennedy. It all culminated his senior year, when Cruse won a 3A state title at 103 lbs. and became the #1 ranked 103 pounder in the nation. He chose to attend UNI, where he cracked the lineup as a senior. Cruse is now the head coach at Immortal Athletics Wrestling Club where he not only wants to prepare kids to win on the mat, but he also prepares them to win in life. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Cruse...

Cole is a native of Parkersburg, IA and placed 3 times at the state tournament for the Falcons, finishing 4th, 3rd and 8th. Cole found his home after high school at Ellsworth CC, where he became an AA. He would then go on to compete at Northwestern College, an NAIA school in Iowa, and qualify for nationals 2 more times. After his competitive career came to an end, Cole found himself in the corner. He became Head Coach of his alma mater Ellsworth CC in 2011 and brought them back to national...

Connor is from New Hampton, IA and was a part of the rich wrestling tradition that is Chickasaw wrestling. Connor was a 3x NEIC champion, which is an accomplishment in itself. He was also a 2x state placewinner, finishing 2nd as a sophomore and 3rd as a senior. Connor continued his wrestling career at Wartburg, where he competed his entire collegiate career. Connor now lives in Kasson, MN with his wife and his son, Anders. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Connor Cleveland! Euphoria...

Max is from Dyersville, Iowa and was a 4x state placewinner for Western Dubuque. He finished 4th and 2nd before winning back-to-back titles for the Bobcats. Max went to Purdue University and was a 4x NCAA qualifier for the Boilermakers, ending his career with a run to the round of 12. Max is now hanging around West Lafayette with his wife and baby boy. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy, Max Lyon! Euphoria Coffee website: https://www.drinkeuphoriacoffee2go.com/ Let's Talk Wrestling...

A.J. is from Tyrone, Pennsylvania. He was a 4x placewinner for Tyrone Area HS, capping it off with a state title as a senior. A.J. chose to attend Edinboro University and wrestled for the Fighting Scots. While there, A.J. became a 3x AA and helped lead Edinboro to two top-5 finishes at the NCAA tournament, including their highest finish ever at the 2015 NCAA championships when they finished 3rd behind only Ohio State and Iowa. After spending the last 6 seasons as an assistant coach at Purdue,...

Zach is from Centerville, Iowa and wrestled for the Big Red. After high school, Zach started creating content while also attending barber school. Alas, StaleMates was born. StaleMates is a wrestling media company that rolls out high level wrestling content. Zach has become a well-respected member of the wrestling media, even if you don’t always agree with what he says. He’s unapologetically himself, which I think we can all appreciate. His linktr.ee can be found below so you can subscribe to...

Hunter is from Monroeville, Ohio, where the population in 2022 was 1,282. Despite the small size, Hunter did big things. He was a 4x Ohio state champion, ending his career 193-2. Hunter traveled 2 hours south and went to THE Ohio State University. While there, he became a 2x AA, finishing 3rd and 6th. Although injuries derailed his final two years of college, Hunter was still a member of the 2015 national title team, the first in Buckeye history. Nowadays, Hunter is living his best life in...

A native of Harrisburg, PA, Edmond was a 3x finalist and 2x state champ for Susquehanna Township. Edmond lost 15 times as a freshman, but only once his final 3 years. He wrestled his redshirt year at Lehigh before making the transfer to the University of Illinois in part due to their highly esteemed film program. Edmond also made gains on the wrestling mat, as he won his first Big Ten title this past season and earned his first AA status with a 7th place finish. So please, sit back, relax and...

Micky is from Derry, PA and wrestled at Derry Area High School. He was a 4x state placewinner and 3x state champion. Straight out of high school, Micky went to the University of Virginia and wrestled his redshirt season there. Following his freshman season, Micky transferred to the University of Pittsburgh and quickly became a fan favorite for the Panthers. Micky won 2 ACC titles and was a 4x NCAA qualifier for Head Coach Keith Gavin. Micky now is the Director of Operations for the Brown...

Anthony is from Decorah, Iowa and he kicked my butt more than a few times back in the day. He started wrestling in 4th grade and eventually made his way over to the CVMC wrestling club. Anthony became a 2x state qualifier for the Vikings, placing 5th as a junior. He started his college career at UW-La Crosse before transferring to Upper Iowa, where he finished his career. Anthony now lives in New Hampton and runs the Chickasaw Elite Wrestling Club. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy,...

Jordan is from New Hampton, Iowa and placed 7th and 3rd for the Chickasaws. Jordan stayed in-state and wrestled for Upper Iowa and Head Coach Heath Grimm. Jordan was a 4-year starter for the Peacocks at 141 lbs. and qualified for the DII national tournament twice. After competing, he spent 3 years as an assistant at Upper Iowa followed by 2 years at Indian Hills Community College. Jordan has since returned to Fayette and will be heading into his third season as an assistant for the Peacocks....