Bonus Points - A USA Wrestling Podcast

Episode 96 of the USA Wrestling Bonus Points podcast features Grays Harbor College Women's Wrestling Head Coach Andy Cook. Cook was named head coach of the Grays Harbor College women's wrestling program in 2016. In the program's inaugural season, Cook guided the Lady Chokers to an 18th place finish in the WCWA and its first individual All-American, Kacie Moorehouse. He continues to be heavily involved with USA Wrestling. Cook was a U.S. coach for the Junior Pan American Championships and Cadet World Championships in 2017. He is widely regarded as one of the top women's wrestling coaches in the nation. Topics of discussion include building the Grays Harbor program from the ground up, the upcoming WCWA nationals, the benefits of women's wrestling, and much more. Follow USA Wrestling Bonus Points Ep. 96 guest Andy Cook on Twitter at @acbushido and follow show host Richard Immel on Twitter at @Richard_Immel. Listen to previous episodes of the show on the USA Wrestling Bonus Points Archives or by subscribing on your favorite podcast listening application.

Episode 95 of the USA Wrestling Bonus Points podcast previews the most anticipated college dual meet of the season, No. 1 Ohio State visitng No. 2 Penn State on February 3, 2018. The show begins with a quick chat with NCAA champion and two-time All-American Myles Martin of Ohio State. We discuss the upcoming dual meet, and his rivalry matchup with NCAA champion Bo Nickal of Penn State at 184 pounds. The second half of the episode takes a deep dive into the specific matchups, as show host Richard Immel and frequent guest commentator Jason Bryant give their thoughts on the dual. The Ohio State at Penn State dual meet is scheduled for 8 p.m. (ET) at Rec Hall in University Park, Pa. this Saturday. Big Ten Network will televise all the action live. Follow USA Wrestling Bonus Points Ep. 95 guest Myles Martin on Twitter at @MyMar184 and follow show host Richard Immel on Twitter at @Richard_Immel. Listen to previous episodes of the show on the USA Wrestling Bonus Points Archives or by subscribing on your favorite podcast listening application.

Episode 94 of the USA Wrestling Bonus Points podcast features Olympic and World silver medalist Brandon Paulson. Paulson is among the elite Greco-Roman athletes in U.S. history. He scored silver medals at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, and the 2001 World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. He qualified for three additional U.S. World Team's throughout his Senior-level career. As a Division I wrestler for the University of Minnesota, Paulson earned NCAA All-America status as a senior in 1998 by finishing in seventh place nationally at 118 pounds. Paulson now coaches alongside fellow Minnesota great Jared Lawrence at the PINnacle Wrestling School in Shoreview, Minnesota. He was a member of the 2008 Olympic coaching staff in Beijing, China. Paulson also coaches with the Minnesota Storm and Minnesota/USA Wrestling staff throughout the year. Topics of discussion include founding PINnacle, coaching philosophies and practices, his competitive career, the 1996 Olympic Games and much more. Follow USA Wrestling Bonus Points Ep. 94 guest Brandon Paulson on Twitter at @lovethefight and follow show host Richard Immel on Twitter at @Richard_Immel. Listen to previous episodes of the show on the USA Wrestling Bonus Points Archives or by subscribing on your favorite podcast listening application.

Episode 93 of the USA Wrestling Bonus Points podcast features Trackwrestling's media mogul Andy Hamilton. Hamilton orchestrates the Trackwrestling media coverage across the vast wrestling landscape. Since joining Trackwrestling in 2016, Hamilton has expanded his global wrestling depth of knowledge, covering four World Championships, plus countless college and high school events. Hamilton has been involved in the wrestling community for nearly two decades through stints as a journalist at the Iowa City Press-Citizen and The Des Moines Register. For many years his primary wrestling beat included covering the prestigious University of Iowa program. Topics of discussion include the development of Trackwrestling as a multimedia company, transitioning from the newspaper industry to a full-time wrestling media position, anecdotes of personal growth and much more. Follow USA Wrestling Bonus Points Ep. 93 guest Andy Hamilton on Twitter at @Andy_Hamilton and follow show host Richard Immel on Twitter at @Richard_Immel. Listen to previous episodes of the show on the USA Wrestling Bonus Points Archives or by subscribing on your favorite podcast listening application.

Episode 92 of the USA Wrestling Bonus Points podcast features U23 World champion and Rutgers senior Richie Lewis. Lewis won the 70 kg gold medal in men's freestyle wrestling at the U23 World Championships held in Bydgoszcz, Poland, November 21-26. He was one of three medalists at the event for the United States. Lewis is competing in his final season for Rutgers at 165 pounds. He was a NCAA qualifier for the Scarlet Knights in 2016. Prior to attending Rutgers, Lewis was a two-time NJCAA All-American for Iowa Central Community College. Topics of discussion include the U23 World Championships, the intense growth and success of the Rutgers program, personal discovery through injury and life experiences, and much more.

Episode 91 of the USA Wrestling Bonus Points features U23 World bronze medalist Ty Walz. Walz won the 97 kg bronze medal in men's freestyle wrestling at the U23 World Championships held in Bydgoszcz, Poland, November 21-16. He was one of three medalists at the event for the United States. Walz was a three-time NCAA All-American and ACC champion for Virginia Tech. He finished his collegiate career with 109 wins, the 10th most in program history. Topics of discussion include the U23 World Championships, experiencing international culture for the first time, wrestling for a rising Virginia Tech program and much more. Follow USA Wrestling Bonus Points Ep. 91 guest Ty Walz on Twitter at @T_wiggity_walz and follow show host Richard Immel on Twitter at @Richard_Immel. Listen to previous episodes of the show on the USA Wrestling Bonus Points Archives or by subscribing on your favorite podcast listening application.

Episode 90 of the USA Wrestling Bonus Points podcast takes a deep dive into the 2017-18 NCAA Division I wrestling season. Join show host Richard Immel and guest Jason Bryant as they give their thoughts on what could go down as one of the greatest NCAA seasons of all-time. Topics of discussion include four wrestlers going for their third individual titles, a team race of epic proportions, Hodge Trophy contenders, historical analysis and much more. Follow USA Wrestling Bonus Points Ep. 90 guest host Jason Bryant on Twitter at @jasonmbryant and follow show host Richard Immel on Twitter at @Richard_Immel. Listen to previous episodes of the show on the USA Wrestling Bonus Points Archives or by subscribing on your favorite podcast listening application.

Episode 89 of the USA Wrestling Bonus Points podcast features 2017 Junior World champion Kamal Bey. Bey blitzed the 74 kg/163 lbs. field with one spectacular throw after another to claim America’s first Greco-Roman gold medal at the Junior Worlds since Garrett Lowney did so in 1999. He rattled off a tournament high 61 total points throughout his five matches in Tampere, Finland. He followed up his Junior World title by earning a berth on the U.S. U23 World Team that will comepte in Bydgoszcz, Poland, Nov. 21-26. Bey has been on quite a run this season, picking up Senior-level gold medals at the Bill Farrell International and Dave Schultz Memorial International, on top of a bronze medal at the Grand Prix of Zagreb. He also secured gold at the Austria Open in the Junior division. Domestically, he finished as runner-up at the U.S. World Team Trials and was the U.S. Senior Nationals champion. He was a six-time All-American at the USA Wrestling Cadet and Junior Nationals held in Fargo, N.D., qualifying for the finals on five occasions, and winning the Junior Greco-Roman crown in 2015. Bey was an Illinois high school state champion for powerhouse program Oak Park-River Forest prior to making the move out the to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. to focus strictly on Greco-Roman. Topics of discussion include his marveouls Junior Worlds performance, the offensive Greco-Roman style, the future of U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling and much more. Follow USA Wrestling Bonus Points Ep. 89 guest Kamal Bey on Twitter at @ThatManChasin and follow show host Richard Immel on Twitter at @Richard_Immel. Listen to previous episodes of the show on the USA Wrestling Bonus Points Archives or by subscribing on your favorite podcast listening application.

Episode 88 of the USA Wrestling Bonus Points podcast features the U.S. men's freestyle national coaching staff Bill Zadick, Joe Russell and Kevin Jackson. Zadick just completed his first full year as the head coach of the men's freestyle program. He was instrumental in leading the U.S. to its third World title in men's freestyle. Zadick was a World champion in 2006 and a NCAA champion for Iowa in 1996. Russell joined USA Wrestling as the Manager of Freestyle Programs in May. He was a longtime assistant coach at the University of Minnesota before taking over as head coach at George Mason University for six seasons. Jackson returned to USA Wrestling in June as the National Freestyle Developmental Coach. He served as the U.S. National Freestyle Coach from 2000 to 2008 before taking the head coaching position at Iowa State University. Jackson was an Olympic champion in 1992 and a two-time World champion. Topics of discussion include a banner year for U.S. men's freestyle that included a Senor World championship, a Junior World championship and a second-place finish at the Cadet World Championships, plus talk on Regional Training Centers, grassroots development and much more. Listen to previous episodes of the show on the USA Wrestling Bonus Points Archives or by subscribing on your favorite podcast listening application.

Episode 87 of the USA Wrestling Bonus Points podcast features 2017 Junior World champion Maya Nelson. Nelson topped the 63 kg/139 lbs. weight class in women's freestyle at the 2017 Junior World Championships in Tampere, Finland. She won four matches, including a 6-0 shutout of Bulgaria's Yuliana Yaneva in the gold-medal match, to claim the title. Nelson is now a two-time Junior World medalist. She picked up a bronze in 2016 to go along with her recent gold. Thus far in 2017, Nelson has earned a third-place finish at the U.S. World Team Trials, in addition to second-place finishes at the U.S. Open, Dave Schultz Memorial International and University Nationals. Topics of discussion include a recent trip to India, her Junior Worlds run, growth as a women's wrestler and much more. Follow USA Wrestling Bonus Points Ep. 87 guest Maya Nelson on Twitter at @MayaNelson2015 and follow show host Richard Immel on Twitter at @Richard_Immel. Listen to previous episodes of the show on the USA Wrestling Bonus Points Archives or by subscribing on your favorite podcast listening application.