Aug 31
Harvard is one of the nation’s most elite and respected academic institutions. Jay Weiss is also one of the most respected wrestling coaches in the country. The F&M graduate starts his 16th year at the helm and talks with Wrestling 411’s Kyle Klingman and Jason Bryant about the past, present and future of Harvard wrestling.
What can Weiss look forward to this season with J.P. O’Connor and Louis Caputo leading the way? What true freshmen will make an impact in this year’s line-up?
Kerry McCoy inherited a strong team at the University of Maryland and the first-year coach produced three All-Americans last season, leading the Terps to a 10th place finish at the 2009 NCAA Division I championships. 
Dennis Hall, a 1995 World Champion and 1996 Olympic Silver Medalist, has been named the new head coach at the U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan. Hall, a stalwart on the Greco-Roman scene through the 1990s, will lead the Greco-Roman athletes in a post vacated earlier this year by Ivan Ivanov. 
Joe Pantaleo was a two-time Big Ten and NCAA finalist while competing for the University of Michigan back in the 1980s. After several stints as an assistant and a jump into the “private sector,” Pantaleo joined the coaching staff at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. 
Until 2009, Binghamton wrestling had never had a wrestler achieve All-American status at the Division I level. The school had produced over two dozen as a Division III school and one during its short stay in Division II, the last coming in 1999. 
Shawn Charles took a long and winding road to end up back in his home state. The Tuscon, Ariz., native and four-time All-American at Arizona State is settling in to his new job as the head coach of his alma mater. He’s retained Brian Stith and brought in Bryan Snyder, Ben Askren, Raymond Jordan and Brandon Halsey to the coaching staff and looks to get things moving. 
When Wrestling 411 set up this interview with Barry Davis, we were expecting to get some comments about the discussion at the NWCA Convention focusing on the potential shift in seasons. What we got was a very spirited discussion about some issues Davis found important for building the image of wrestlers, wrestling and coaches. 
After returning to the U.S. after helping lead the Junior World Team, Wrestling 411’s Kyle Klingman and Jason Bryant talk with Oklahoma State assistant coach Eric Guerrero. 
The National Wrestling Coaches Association wrapped up its annual convention in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., last weekend and Executive Director Mike Moyer was pleased with the turn out. Among the issues discussed were approaches coaches can market and promote their programs by becoming a CEO rather than “just” a wrestling coach. 
Lee Pritts returned from Ankara, Turkey after watching his young Missouri Tiger heavyweight win the 2009 Junior World Championships. Pritts, while not on the USA staff, helped the squad and his athlete and gives an interesting insight to the happenings in Turkey. 
The Citadel wrestling pair of Michael Arias and Travis Piccard have steadily made their mark on the Grand Rapids, Mich., music scene. With their latest release, Sinergy, a collaborative effort with another hip-hop outfit, Fireproof, TP & Esco eye an August 14 show where they’ll be on the bill with Sean Kingston and Flo-Rida. 
Indiana native Mike Dixon was a two-sport athlete during his days wrestling for Duane Goldman and the Indiana Hoosiers. Dixon joined Wrestling 411 to talk about his tenure at Old Dominion, where he’ll enter his fifth season as Steve Martin’s assistant coach. 
