RUDIS Wrestling Podcast

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#67: Askren’s 2019 World Medalist Picks Jun 20, 2019

Show notes

Securing the Lineup
This episode, Ben Askren and Matt Dernlan talk NCAA Wrestling, World Team Trials Format, and who is most likely to medal at the World Championships. Askren starts by discussing the news 2018 All-American Shakur Rasheed announced he will be returning for another year of collegiate wrestling. This comes a few days after 2019 NCAA Champion Anthony Cassar announced his return. This secures Penn State’s lineup at the upper weights for this upcoming season. Dernlan says the lower weights are always hard to recruit and when you get interrupted by injuries and transfers it’s hard to rebuild. These announcements tip the scales in Penn State’s favor continue their dominance and win yet another team title. That being said, it will a tough task for the upper weights to carry especially losing bonus point machines in Bo Nickal and Jason Nolf.
Final X Format (17:54)
Askren talks about the benefit of having Final X added to the world team trials format. Dernlan discusses the much deserved raised exposure and visibility Final X brings to the senior level athletes. The access to watch these events and follow them on social media allows fans to really get into wrestling more than ever. Getting to know the athletes through their college careers is huge for growing a fan base that follows you after graduation. As women’s wrestling grows and schools start adding NCAA women’s teams their fan base will grow.
Most Likely to Medal at Worlds (24:49)
Askren and Dernlan give their predictions on the most likely U.S. team members to get a medal at the World Championships. Askren’s No. 1 is Kyle Snyder being that every world championship he’s been a part of he’s got a medal. Dernlan agrees and adds the improvements we got to see at Final X with Snyder’s parterre offense. Askren’s No. 2 is J’Den Cox who is also in the club of medaling every time at Worlds. Dernlan agrees and says in a list of most likely to medal you have to have Snyder and Cox tied for first. Dernlan’s No. 3 pick is Daton Fix. Fix has made 6 consecutive world championship teams. Askren’s No. 3 pick is the winner of Kyle Dake vs Alex Dieringer and Dernlan takes this as his No. 4. Askren’s No. 4 is Jordan Burroughs. Burroughs has had a lot of close matches recently but Askren still thinks he’ll likely medal. Dernlan agrees talks about the undeniability of Burroughs and his ability to win. No. 5 for Askren is Nick Gwiazdowski he sees the toughness at heavyweight and if he receives a hard seed it’ll be a tough path to the top. Dernlan’s No. 5 is our representative at 65 kg whether that is Yianni Diakomihalis or Zain Retherford.
No. 6 for Askren is Fix and he’s excited to watch him at the first Team USA international tournament. With a mix up in the numbers, Dernlan and Askren both take James Green at No. 7. No. 8 for Askren is either Diakomihalis or Retherford. Dernlan’s No. 9 is Tyler Graff and Askren agrees. Lastly, that leaves Pat Downey. Having Downey at the bottom of this list of world beaters is not a slight to Downey. Compared to the rest of the team he doesn’t have as much international experience. Askren and Dernlan wouldn’t be surprised if he goes and shocks the world as that has been his thing as of late.

#66: Final X Lincoln Recap Jun 18, 2019

Show notes

Final X Lincoln
During this episode, Ben Askren and Matt Dernlan recap Final X Lincoln and breakdown all the exciting moments. Askren talks about the excitement surrounding United States Wrestling and the level our team is at compared to previous years and the world. Dernlan gives some insight behind the four RUDIS athletes that competed at Final X Lincoln and the RUDIS + MARVEL singlets they were wearing.
Sarah Hildebrandt (5:08)
Hildebrandt didn't give up a single point in her two matches against a crafty veteran Katherine Shai winning 3-0 and 8-0. Speaking to how elite of a competitor Hildebrandt is, Dernlan talks about how Hildebrandt still sees the small mistakes she made even in the wake of not giving any points up.
Kayla Miracle (6:32)
Miracle wins by Tech Fall in her first match 12-2 and then allows zero offense from her opponent in her second win 4-0 over returning bronze medalist Mallory Velte. Miracle had been the alternate the previous two years and had been so close to making a senior world team at such a young age. Miracle said it best in her post-victory speech “About damn time, We’re from Iowa. We don’t get tired. We live for this two-out-of-three, but I wanted to make it two, make a statement, and create that separation.”
James Green vs Ryan Deakin (11:50)
Green came out with an 18-second tech fall in the first match. Deakin was able to slow Green down in the second match but ends up losing 4-3. Askren talks about how Green is one of the United State's best chances to medal.
Tyler Graff vs Joe Colon (13:54)
Colon took the first match but Graff dominated the next two. Dernlan talks about Graff's perseverance and determination. It was a great and heartwarming moment to see Graff earn his first world team membership. The New Jersey RTC has made a statement this year with multiple world team members on the senior level. Askren doesn't see NJRTC slowing down in the slightest.
Isaiah Martínez vs Jordan Burroughs (20:30)
Askren gives credit to how much Martínez closed the gap between him and Burroughs this year. When you look at their battles last year compared to this year it's incredible and Askren was impressed. Burroughs doesn't claim his weight cut impacted his performance. Stopping a weight cut and then having to get a sweat going again in 15 minutes is not easy. During their first match, Burroughs is down 3-4 and gets a takedown with 10 seconds left. Dernlan and Askren talk about how many times they've seen Burroughs do this. You can never count him out especially at the end of a match. Next year will be extremely exciting with elite wrestlers from three world weight classes filtering into the Olympic 74 kg weight class. Burroughs will have to fend off the likes of Kyle Dake, Isaiah Martínez, James Green and many more.
Daton Fix vs Thomas Gilman (34:57)
This series was one of the most exciting of the entire night. Fix dominates in the first match winning 9-1. Match 2 Gilman comes back and gets a second-period takedown to win 3-2 making adjustments from the first match. Fix then battled and got the 6-3 win in the third match. Fix beat the best version of Gilman we've seen. The level of scrambling in these matches was through the roof and always makes for some of the best wrestling you'll see anywhere. Fix has a great chance of medaling at worlds if not winning it all.

The Way #15 | A RUDIS Wrestling Podcast: Make Your Bed: Life’s Not Fair. Drive On. Jun 14, 2019

Show notes

Failure Is a Product of Long Term Success
This episode Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan discuss Ch. 4 "Life’s Not Fair. Drive On." from the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven. This chapter talks about the way you look at life and how you react to adversity and obstacles in your way. It's hard to be confronted with this so directly but it's a reality. Success is built up by a series of failure and struggle that you learn to overcome. This is why you need to learn to embrace failure and truly reflect on those times in order to improve.
Take a Risk (6:45)
Kolat has always advocated for self-sufficiency. You can't be fully dependent on another person or group and you can't blame them when something doesn't go right. When coaching, Kolat won't discipline a wrestler who is doing everything right by getting good grades and competing his hardest the same as one who is lacking in the classroom and not giving their all on the mat. Kolat talks about life not being fair and uses the example of the workplace rewarding the best. Being forced to take accountability you are going to fail but you'll reap the rewards of learning from those experiences. A good parent and coach have a balance between knowing when to hold someone's hand and when it's better for them to try themselves and learn.
Failure Is Giving Up (15:40)
Navigating his career, Kolat distinguishes the differences between a setback and a failure. If you give up, that's a failure but if you get up and try again or learn for the next time that's a setback. Kolat also discusses reality is everyone is clawing their way to the top and people don't have a problem stepping on you to get there. Where success becomes a real possibility is when you're comfortable being uncomfortable. If you learn how to truly lean into discomfort is when you open up opportunities for success. The last thing Kolat mentions is not giving up doesn't mean you endure discomfort for a week it means you dedicate months and years to the goal you're working towards.

#65: Exclusive Interview with Cornell Head Coach Rob Koll Jun 11, 2019

Show notes

Great Competitors, Controversial Call.
On this special episode, Matt Dernlan sits down with Ivy League’s all-time winningest wrestling coach, Cornell Head Coach Rob Koll. Along with being the Head Coach at Cornell he also coaches his wrestlers as they pursue Olympic and World Championship dreams in Freestyle wrestling. Koll was in Yianni Diakomihalis’ corner during the very controversial match between Diakomihalis and Zain Retherford at Final X Rutgers. Koll begins by talking about how great of a competitor Retherford is as well as how good of an overall person he is. Koll doesn’t believe Retherford or is coaches corner including Cael Sanderson did anything wrong by challenging the call.
After the first period and a series of exciting scrambles, Diakomihalis was up 8-6 at the end of the match. Retherford’s coach Cael Sanderson challenged the sequence that awarded Diakomihalis two exposure points with just under a minute left in the second. After a long review, they took away the points and awarded Retherford the win 6-6 with criteria.
Not Given a Chance (1:52)
Koll states that if they would have thrown the brick right after what they were challenging happened, Diakomihalis would have had a chance with those 50 seconds to wrestle and make up the points. Koll believes the head official should be sanctioned and not be able to be in a position to make these mistakes again in the future. After diving deep into the rule book and realizing all the mistakes that were made it is frustrating. It’s also frustrating when an official is rationalizing a call that contradicts another call.
Initial Reaction (5:08)
Dernlan attended Final X Rutgers and while watching his initial reaction was questioning why they didn’t stop the sequence and get a unanimous decision when the two side judges had a different score than the official on the mat. There shouldn’t be a need for a challenge from a corner when there is a score discrepancy between officials. Initially, they thought the challenge was looking at the exposure points at the very last seconds. Once they saw the officials going back 50 seconds is when they attempted to challenge the challenge. This was denied and they were told you are not allowed to do so.
USOC (11:30)
Koll asked who he can petition this call with and was told, Rick Tucci. The person that denied the protest on the mat and allowed a challenge to go back 50 seconds is who Koll was told to petition to and make his case to. Yesterday, Koll had a meeting with the United States Olympic Committee and is in the process of writing up his argument. At the end of the day, Koll is still unclear how far up he’ll have to go up through USA Wrestling, USA Olympic Committee, or UWW to get an official decision.
Life Changing (17:38)
Dernlan and Koll speak to the ramifications this has on an athletes life. It is a huge advantage to medal and sit out until the Olympic Trials next year. It is life changing to be a world medalist but even more so an Olympic Medalist. That comes with opportunities that wouldn’t present themselves otherwise so this is not a small decision without consequences on either side. They go on to discuss how much the rules change year to year. This is why it’s almost impossible to take years off and then jump into a high-level match and be expected to make the right calls.

#64: Final X Rutgers Recap Jun 11, 2019

Show notes

Elevating the Sport
On this episode, Ben Askren and Matt Dernlan talk about and recap all of the exciting stories revolving around Final X Rutgers. Dernlan attended Final X Rutgers at the Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC) and speaks about how phenomenal of an event it was. Dernlan’s opinion echos the online consensus of how much everyone enjoyed it. Wrestling is a winter sport which makes tailgating very difficult so having a huge wrestling event during summer is a welcomed change. Dernlan also gives kudos to the RAC for staging the event and making the environment spectacular.
Yianni vs Zain (4:19)
Wasting no time Askren jumps into the topic everyone is talking about the controversial official call during the second match of Yianni Diakomihalis vs Zain Retherford. After the first period and a series of exciting scrambles, Diakomihalis was up 8-6 at the end of the match. Retherford’s coach Cael Sanderson challenged the sequence that awarded Diakomihalis two exposure points with just under a minute left in the second. After a long review, they took away the points and awarded Retherford the win 6-6 with criteria. Askren’s first issue is that in the rule book although ambiguous clearly states you only have five seconds after the scoreboard changes to challenge it.
Controversy (8:40)
In Askren’s estimation, he sees the scramble as a 2-2 scenario. Dernlan talks about how the three officials all had different scores and from his understanding whenever that happens they should meet automatically and make a call. He also states that even if Sanderson would have thrown the challenge brick during the sequence they wouldn’t have stopped the wrestling until the sequence was over. In freestyle, they don’t restart the clock to the time of the challenge like they do in folkstyle. If that would have been the case, Diakomihalis would have had 45-50 seconds of time to wrestle with the knowledge he needs to score. This is why Dernlan says they should have stopped the sequence because they know they have to get the score right because they can’t restart the clock.
Technicalities (22:30)
Reading from the rule book Askren talks about the rule that states no challenge can be requested after the regular time of a period (In this case it was). It goes on to say, except when the points are added to the scoreboard after the referee’s whistle (ending the period). In this case, it was not because the points were added about 50 seconds before the end of the period. Overall, both Askren and Dernlan are on board for a third winner take all match and have the wrestlers decide and not leave it up to the officials.
Bo Nickal vs J’Den Cox (28:08)
Bo Nickal weighs in at 87.7 practically 10 kg underweight and extremely close to 86 kg weight class. This is surprising because it means he most likely could have made that weight and wrestled against Pat Downey instead of facing J’Den Cox. This is if he had a heads up from his close friend David Taylor when he knew he wasn’t going to be able to compete this year. Askren understands the concept and principal of not wrestling one of your best friends but if they’re the same weight class they may not have a choice in the future. All this being said, Cox didn’t win the matches because he was the heavier wrestler, he won because he was the better wrestler. Askren’s advice for Nickal would be to go wrestle-off for a spot on the U23 team at 86 kg and get some world experience.
Gwiz vs Steveson (38:18)
Askren gives credit to Dernlan for calling Nick Gwiazdowski’s ability to get second and third re-attack points in their Final X Technical Breakdowns. Askren was also extremely impressed with Gable Steveson and his athleticism.
Golden Era (40:55)
Askren speaks about how this is the first time in a long time the U.S. has second and third guys that could medal at Worlds. It’s hard to pinpoint a specific reason why the U.S. has the depth of talent we do right now but we are not taking it for granted.

The Way #14 | A RUDIS Wrestling Podcast: Make Your Bed: Only the Size of Your Heart Matters Jun 07, 2019

Show notes

Determination Over Talent
This episode Cary Kolat and Matt Dernlan continue onto Ch. 3 “Only the Size of Your Heart Matters” from the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven. This chapter speaks about the size of your heart being a direct correlation and causation to the level of success you achieve in wrestling, life, and business. What McRaven means by your heart is your determination, resolve, grit, and ambition. It’s not the person with the most talent or genetic gifts but the person who does the most with what they’ve been given.
Prove Yourself To Yourself (4:35)
Kolat talks about how many of his favorite athletes he’s coached were not the starters. You can’t go wrong surrounding your program with people who are willing to give you everything they got every day. While Kolat was competing he was the starter who got a lot of attention. He’s not sure if he was a backup for four years if he would have stuck it out. It takes a tough kid to show up every day and pour their heart into their training knowing they probably won’t start. SEAL training is about proving something every day to yourself and everyone around you. The best wrestlers understand this as well. They continue to set new limitations and expectations on themselves.
A Mindset for Life (15:46)
McRaven gives an example in the book of seeing a skinny gentleman in a waiting room and thinking to himself how hard of a time that gentleman will have in training. He later finds out he was a retired SEAL who had won a medal of honor. It’s a perfect lesson of not judging a book by its cover. Kolat says this is true within wrestling. You can’t judge your opponent or anyone by their body shape or looks. He also points out that some of the best wrestlers in the world are long and thin and use their leverage in their favor. Dernlan and Kolat discuss how all-encompassing being a coach is. They also speak on how as a coach if you instill within your athlete the mindset of going all in and being the hardest worker in the room. This mindset will not only help them win wrestling matches but they can carry it throughout their life and find success anywhere.

#63: Final X Technical Breakdown Jun 06, 2019

Show notes

On this special episode, Ben Askren and Matt Dernlan are in the wrestling room to breakdown the Final X matchups between Yianni Diakomihalis vs Zain Retherford, Gable Steveson vs Nick Gwiazdowski, Bo Nickal vs J'Den Cox, and the postponed match Kyle Dake vs Alex Dieringer.
Tune into our YouTube Channel: RUDIS or the Media Page on therudis.com to view the breakdown step by step and keys to victory.

#62: 2019 UWW Cadet & U23 Nationals Recap Jun 04, 2019

Show notes

Anthony Cassar
On this episode, Ben Askren is in the studio with Matt Dernlan as they discuss some recent events such as the UWW Cadet & U23 Nationals, collegiate wrestling news, and. They kick off by talking about big news for Penn State, Anthony Cassar was granted two years of eligibility by the NCAA if he so wishes to compete. Judging off the quotes from Cassar he doesn't sound unequivocal about a decision to utilize both of those years wrestling in college. Dernlan talks about how hard a college wrestling season is and it is sure to drain anyone. Cassar has also had about three major surgeries. Askren brings up the school aspect of the decision as well. Grad school will take a lot of dedication in of itself. That being said, when Cassar sits down with Cael Sanderson and they discuss Cassar coming back it will be a very convincing argument from Sanderson and Askren believes Cassar returns for one more year of college wrestling.
Transfers (13:30)
133 lbs Seth Gross officially transferred from South Dakota State to Wisconsin for his 6-year Senior season. Gross won the NCAA title in 2018 but missed last season due to a back injury. The 133 lbs division, especially in the BIG 10, was the most talked about, action-packed division. Adding Gross back into the mix will only make this division even crazier. They go on to discuss how difficult it is to win a team trophy and why it takes such strategizing to even put yourself in the conversation of possibly winning.
U23 Nationals (20:03)Askren talks about how for whatever reason the U23 team isn't as sought after as the UWW Juniors or UWW Cadets. Askren guesses that the reason might be due to the fact that the best 23 and under wrestlers are making the senior world team or in strong contention. For example, Yianni Diakomihalis, Daton Fix, Gable Steveson, Zahid Valencia, Mark Hall, Jason Nolf. In order to get the best representatives at U23, Askren suggests having a special wrestle-off for athletes that place at the U.S. Open or World Team Trials.
Heavyweight (29:43)Daniel Kerkvliet beats Lehigh's Jordan Wood in a best of three championship. Askren and Dernlan were impressed by Kerkvliet's tech fall 10-0 over Aj Nevills in the semifinals. He still has a lot to learn as you can tell by him throwing a body lock the wrong way in the first match of his round-robin with Wood causing a cut on his face as well as on Wood's chin. Overall, it's positive Ohio State has a young promising heavyweight.
61 kg (33:04)Charles Tucker doesn't allow Micky Phillippi to score any points in their two matches and gets the win. Askren found this interesting because Phillippi had a better season last year. Another exciting match from this bracket was the third place match between Josh Kramer and Louie Hayes with an outrageous score of 33-22 in Hayes favor.
65 kg (35:44)Jaydin Eierman beats Luke Pletcher in two of their three matches to get the win. Askren talks about how insane these matches were and how difficult they are to officiate.
74 kg (37:28)Brady Berge hammers through this division with a finals win over Philip Conigliaro.
79 kg (38:06)
Muhamed Mcbryde beats Anthony Mantanona in a close first match and a tech fall in the second.
86 kg (38:45)
Matt Dean beats Devin Skatzka in the finals in dominant fashion.
92 kg (39:32)
Oklahoma's Jakob Woodley beats Christian Brunner in the finals.
UWW Cadet (40:25)
Askren describes this as the toughest High School tournament. Dernlan talks about how interesting it is to see these athletes compete throughout the years because of the difference in maturation that happens. Dernlan also talks about the officiating at this level and what that means for coaches and athletes and how you navigate bad calls.
Cadet Results (46:00)
41 - 45 kg: Blair Academy's Marc-Anthony Mcgowan is really promising. Askren was really impressed with him. 48 kg: Stevo Poulin tech falled his way the entire tournament. 51 kg: Richard Figueroa ll has a good chance of being a world medalist. 55 kg: Robert Howard makes his third straight world team. 60 kg: Jesse Mendez gets the win over Anthony Ferrari. 65 kg: Ryan Sokol who has dealt with some injury dominates his bracket. 71 kg: Previous world medalist Alex Facundo makes his second world team in a row. 80 kg: Clayton Ulrey looks outstanding in this tough weight class. 92 kg: Kyle Haas gets the win 110 kg: Askren refers to Hunter Catka as an animal. He has a good chance to medal at worlds.

The Way #13 | A RUDIS Wrestling Podcast: Make Your Bed: You Can't Go It Alone May 31, 2019

Show notes

Team Work Makes the Dream Work
This episode Cary Kolat, and Matt Dernlan continue onto Ch. 2 "You Can't Go It Alone" from the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven. The name of this chapter says it all, you need people in life to help you through difficult times, motivate, and support you. Dernlan talks about how many people think they are capable of getting through and accomplishing their goals without anyone's help and that's just unrealistic. Kolat says he was very self-sufficient when it came to training and pushing himself when no one was around to do so. You can only do so much on your own, Kolat tells his team to find a partner on the team that can be their go-to guy for training.
Trust and Comradery (3:45)
From Kolat's first year at Penn State, Sanshiro Abe was his guy, they trained, worked out, motivated, and coached each other. After Abe retired Kolat struggled to find another deep connection with a training partner that could help him in the same way. This is when he realized how much he depended on the people around him. In the book, McRaven gives the example of a Navy Seal training tactic where they make trainees all carry a rubber boat. They know someone will either get hurt or sick and they want to see if the team turns on them or helps them and carry his load. Kolat says this is exactly like a wrestling dual meet. Sometimes a guy the team usually relies on isn't performing and everyone else needs to step up and pick up the slack.
Coaching (11:45)
Kolat says a lesson he learned early on in his coaching career was that you have to let your assistant coaches, coach. You can't micromanage and allow them to create wins for the program but also make mistakes and learn. Another thing is keeping your number two guys in check. You never know when the starter will suffer an injury or get a skin infection day before the dual. The backups have to be ready to go and understand the starter needs someone behind them pushing and chasing them. Kolat builds unity and commitment through team bonding so when one person achieves something the whole team feels it.
Wrap-up (17:05)
If you're an athlete you need to find a like-minded partner. Kolat says sometimes you have to create that partner. Hold someone accountable and ask they do the same for you. Another key lesson from this chapter is understanding a team can't rely on a few key guys. It takes everyone's full effort. You never know what's going to happen.

#61: Exclusive Kayla Miracle Interview May 30, 2019

Show notes

A Family Business
On this special episode, Matt Dernlan sits down with 4x WCWA National Champion, 3x U.S. Open Champion, 2x Junior World Medalist and recently signed RUDIS athlete Kayla Miracle. Coming off a U23 World Team Trials win and a Senior World Team Trials win, Miracle is heading to Final X Lincoln to earn her spot on the senior world team. Dernlan grew up wrestling with Miracle's dad Lee Miracle who is currently the head coach at Campbellsville University. Kayla grew up going to her brother's practices while her dad coached and after some time, she asked if she could wrestle too.
Mark Perry (7:05)
Even with all the success she had up until and throughout college, Miracle says making the decision to train with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club was when she truly dedicated everything to the sport. Miracle talks about Hawkeye Wrestling Club Coach, Mark Perry and his ability to recall specific moves or outcomes from his vast memory of matches. Dernlan affirms this about Coach Perry as well and speaks about just how unique he is and how lucky the Hawkeye Wrestling Club is to have him.
Small Circles, Big Impacts (14:55)
Miracle speaks about her friendship with Sarah Hildebrandt. In a growing sport where your hometown may not have many women wrestlers especially at the caliber these two were at it you cherish the friendships you make. It's a testament to the common saying of surrounding yourself with like-minded, supportive, and motivated individuals.
HWC (17:55)
Dernlan asks Miracle about her beginnings with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. She was invited to train with Lauren Louive, Alli Ragan, Michaela Beck, and Forrest Molinari and after a training camp was proposed with joining as a full-time resident athlete. Miracle says out of all the things that she's improved upon after making that commitment the biggest is her mental game. She believes now looking back the only thing that potentially held her back in the past was having some self-doubt in herself at the senior level. You're always your biggest critic but Miracle has turned a new page this past year and seems more than ready to go out and show everyone she's the best in the world.
Outside Wrestling (31:55)
Miracle says the people in wrestling is what makes it the best sport in the world. One thing about wrestling at the level Miracle is on, you travel the world. These are business trips first and then if you have time you can explore the culture. Miracle says one of her favorite trips was Japan for last years World Cup. But, the best meal she ever had internationally was from a small restaurant in France.

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