Bobby Steveson came into the University of Minnesota from nearby Apple Valley High School as the top-ranked 195-pounder in the country. A champion at the USA Wrestling Junior Nationals, Steveson looked to be one of the anchors for the upper weights for the Gophers. 

But injuries took their toll and even though Steveson made one trip to the NCAA Division I Championships, his high school accolades and expectations didn’t match up. Now with his college career over, Steveson talks about what’s...

A trip to Totino-Grace High School in Fridley had one goal in mind, profile the private Catholic school and its accomplished wrestling program. What happened was what makes sports great - kids doing great things to create great results. Totino-Grace wouldn’t hoist the Section 5AA trophy on Saturday, it’s be a group of kids from Orono who came into the sectional tournament with a 6-12 dual record. Coach Joe McPherson’s Orono Spartans upended Totino-Grace to reach the team state tournament...

The snow couldn't prevent Augsburg from winning the first women's dual in school history on Sunday, January 19 at Si Melby Hall. Originally scheduled for Saturday night, Augsburg beat UW-Stevens Point 30-12 in the lone home dual of the year. The win ushered in a new era of women's wrestling in the midwest and in Minnesota. Episode 65 of The Guillotine Grapevine talks with Augsburg women's head wrestling coach Max Mejia and Athletic Director Jeff Swenson on their reaction on the outcome and...

The 18th Clash National High School Wrestling Duals got going on January 3 at Rochester Community & Technical College's Regional Sports Center. Today on The Guillotine Grapevine, we get an insight into the relevance of the tournament, its impact on Minnesota and the Rochester area as well as get insight from sponsors, visiting coaches and locals familiar with the event. Today's show features Al Venz, a parent from Farmington and the host of the Al and Josh Show podcast, Punahou School...

Leading the Fish House Parade in Aitkin is coach Larry Liljenquist and his Aitkin Gobblers. This episode of The Guillotine Grapevine stumbles across the Aitkin Fish House Parade the day after Thanksgiving. The Grand Marshal for this year's parade, that ran right through the center of town and right down U.S. 169 was the Aitkin wrestling program. While up in Aitkin with my family, I had a chance to interview coach Liljenquist about the town's tradition and how Aitkin loves its wrestling....

The fitting representation of the Axe of St. Olaf What’s the most notable sports story that’s involved St. Olaf in the past 18 months outside of its announcement to drop wrestling? The answer, known to the entire sporting world, is the school’s place in the fight to kick out Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference juggernaut St. Thomas out of the conference. The story wasn’t just prominent in the Star Tribune here in Minnesota, but it made the AP and even ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt noted...

What level of a responsibility should a college have to take care of its students? That’s the question Florida’s Melissa McGlynn has for the entire St. Olaf College administration. By now, the Minnesota wrestling community knows that St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota announced it would discontinue wrestling at the end of the 2019-20 season. This announcement was released after business hours on Friday, October 18. I’m Hall of Fame wrestling writer and broadcaster Jason Bryant,...

Minnesota USA Wrestling head Greco-Roman coach Dan Chandler talks about the performances of the 16U team in Greco-Roman and some of the challenges that the style presents when coaching at all levels. All three 16U champions, Caleb Thoennes, Jore Volk and Gavin Nelson, all join the show. They also verify or dispel rumors of coach Justin Lavalle's fashion and driving ability. SUBSCRIBE TO THE GUILLOTINE GRAPEVINE Apple Podcasts:...

Minnesota USA Wrestling head freestyle coach Jayson Ness talks about the performances of the team in freestyle. We'll also talk with Junior freestyle national champion Patrick Kennedy. SUBSCRIBE TO THE GUILLOTINE GRAPEVINE Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/guillotine-grapevine-podcast/id1032548516?at=11ly5X Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/mat-talk-podcast-network/the-guillotine-grapevine-mat-talk-podcast-network?refid=stpr Spreaker:...

A national event has a distinctly Upper Midwest presence as the 2019 USA Wrestling Junior & 16U Nationals will come to the Fargodome just across the Red River in Fargo, North Dakota from July 13-19. On this episode of The Guillotine Grapevine, we visit with Steve Saxlund, a Pipestone, Minnesota, native who was a four-time All-American and three-time NCAA Division II champion at North Dakota State. Saxlund is part-owner in a NDSU-themed bar and grill called Herd & Horns, which rolls...

Another Storm roundtable edition, this time coming from Insight Brewing in Minneapolis. Join host Jason Bryant along with World Teamer Pat Smith, past World Teamer Jordan Holm, Canada's Joe Dashou and Norway's Hans Martin Male as they talk about the recent happenings in wrestling and how it relates to Minnesota and the Minnesota Storm. SUBSCRIBE TO THE GUILLOTINE GRAPEVINE Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spreaker | Spotify | Google Podcasts | RSS SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to SUPPORT THE...

Brandon Paulson is set to be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame this weekend in Stillwater, Oklahoma. But even though Paulson has that important moment forthcoming, he's had a number of moments with the PINnacle School of Wrestling this summer. Paulson comes by the studio to give his perspective on the Gopher wrestling season, the season of freestyle and Greco and how well represented the club is on the USA world teams. SUBSCRIBE TO THE GUILLOTINE GRAPEVINE Apple Podcasts |...

NCAA Division I Gopher Wrestling Preview from the floor of the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with Minnesota head wrestling coach Brandon Eggum. SUBSCRIBE TO THE GUILLOTINE GRAPEVINE Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/guillotine-grapevine-podcast/id1032548516?at=11ly5X Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/mat-talk-podcast-network/the-guillotine-grapevine-mat-talk-podcast-network?refid=stpr Spreaker:...

With over 30 years of coaching experience, the last 26 at Minnesota State in Mankato, it was inevitable Jim Makovsky would reach 300 victories. Now standing at 302 career coaching victories, with 279 of them in Mankato, Makovsky talks about what led him to a career in coaching from his time at Valley City State, how he quit his job, proposed to his wife and pulled all his money out of the bank - on the same day. A music aficionado, the interview almost got derailed early talking about...

Team videographer Cole Schrupp joins The Guillotine Grapevine to talk about his career in the sport, coming from Watertown and what his life's been like around Gopher wrestling. Schrupp started out his college years at Minnesota State before transferring to Northern Michigan and working closely with the school's Greco-Roman program and Minnesotans Andy Bisek and Chas Betts, among others. SUBSCRIBE TO THE GUILLOTINE GRAPEVINE Apple Podcasts:...

Episode 52 of The Guillotine Grapevine recaps Sunday's Golden Gopher win over Rutgers at Maturi Pavilion. The eighth-ranked Gophers beat their visitors from New Jersey 22-15 and after the dual, I talk with Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale, Minnesota 157-pounder Steve Bleise, Gopher head wrestling coach Brandon Eggum and Big Ten Network broadcaster Shane Sparks. Do we have more questions than answers at 133 pounds? Listen in to find out. SUBSCRIBE TO THE GUILLOTINE GRAPEVINE Apple Podcasts:...

Heading into November 25th's dual at Maturi Pavilion, The Guillotine Grapevine catches up with new South Dakota State head coach Damion Hahn. A four-time All-American and two-time NCAA Division I champion for Minnesota, Hahn left Cornell after 12 seasons as an assistant coach and came back to the midwest. Hahn talks about his foundations in wrestling, how he dealt with being the best guy on a losing high school team and how he chose Minnesota and how the team component was a big part of...

We'll recap Oklahoma State's 23-9 win over Minnesota on Episode 50 of The Guillotine Grapevine. Among guests on this episode are Oklahoma State's Daton Fix, Gopher head coach Brandon Eggum and Gopher wrestlers Gable Steveson and Mitch McKee. SUBSCRIBE TO THE GUILLOTINE GRAPEVINE Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/guillotine-grapevine-podcast/id1032548516?at=11ly5X Stitcher:...

We're going to #BurnTheBoats with University of Mary head wrestling coach Adam Aho on the latest edition of The Guillotine Grapevine. Aho is a Frazee native who wrestled at North Dakota State before venturing to coach high school for a couple of seasons. He had an opportunity to coach with Jim Makovsky down in Mankato before the Mary gig opened up. We'll talk about his time in Frazee and what it's like wrestling with that program, his relationship with Bucky Maughan and what it's been like...

Coming off homecoming, the Gopher wrestling program looks to some important upcoming dates to not just engage the community, but develop programs to fund the future of Gopher wrestling. On Episode 48 of The Guillotine Grapevine, we visit the wrestling offices at Bierman to talk to head coach Brandon Eggum about the upcoming opening of the new wrestling room, the Wrestling Gala featuring Tony Dungy and the home-opener coming in November against Oklahoma State. Coach Eggum also talks about the...

We head over to Bierman on the campus of the University of Minnesota to talk with 2009 U.S. World Teamer and Minnesota Storm freestyle coach Dustin Schlatter. A three-time All-American, Schlatter moved off the Gopher coaching staff to take over as the main RTC freestyle coach. We'll talk to Schlatter about his transition, why he and older brother C.P. chose Minnesota, coaching Gable Steveson at the Junior World Championships and the dynamic that brothers on the same team can create, both...

As Team USA heads to the Junior World Championships, we've got a number of Minnesota tie-ins to discuss and we'll do that on Episode 46 of The Guillotine Grapevine with Pinnacle's Jared Lawrence. Lawrence looks back on his own experience at the 1999 and 2000 Junior World Championships and talks about his prospects on how the Minnesota natives will fare in Slovakia. We'll also ask Lawrence some Gopher-related questions from his time in the lineup pitched to us by Minnesotan Chris Willaert, who...

The Guillotine Grapevine goes on the road to Daytona Beach, Florida to check in with All-American Golden Gopher Manny Rivera. The California native is entering his second year as the head wrestling coach at CSU Bakersfield. Rivera talks about his time in Minnesota, getting recruited to Minnesota, interactions with J Robinson and Joe Russell and finally punching through to place as a senior. SUBSCRIBE TO THE GUILLOTINE GRAPEVINE Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spreaker | Spotify | Google...

Taking a visit over to the home of a few members of the Minnesota Storm to talk about some wrestling topics on Episode 44 of The Guillotine Grapevine. Join host Jason Bryant as he moderates the roundtable with Joe Rau, Donny Longendyke, Zach Sanders and Pat Smith. Among the topics are Final X, wrestling terminology, how the greats would compete in today's wrestling scene and what the better wrestling state is. It's a backyard discussion that's just like you arguing with your friends. ...