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Athletor Podcast with Mike Mal

The Athletor Podcast with Mike Mal

Welcome to "The Athletor Podcast with Mike Mal" where we delve into the world of college and youth wrestling. Join Mike, the head coach of Poway RTC, as he sits down with guests from all levels of the sport, including high school, club, college, and senior-level coaches and athletes.

Each week, Mike will bring you insightful discussions on the latest in college and youth wrestling, including training techniques, strategy, and everything in between. You'll hear from some of the biggest names in the sport, who will share their stories and offer their unique perspectives.

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  • 22 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 54 min
  • English

Episodes 22

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  • S1 · E187
    Yesterday · 51 min

    Ep 187 - TJ Sebolt

    J Sebolt went 207-1 in high school, won four Iowa state titles, and then built one of the best youth wrestling programs in the country from scratch — starting with 4 kids in a two-mat room. He talks with Mike Mal about what it's really like coaching your own daughter at the international level, the moment he realized he'd pushed a kid too far, and why his wrestling room has world team boards but no state championship board. Guest: TJ Sebolt, 4x Iowa state champion, founder/head coach of Sebolt Wrestling Academy Topics: dad coaching, youth wrestling culture, building an elite club, state vs. national goals, discipline vs. fun, iron fist vs. velvet glove coaching 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge - Raise your first $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E186
    September 2 · 1 hr 3 min

    Ep. 186 — Jeff Buxton

    Jeff Buxton built Blair Academy into a 30-time consecutive National Prep champion, produced 10 NCAA individual champs, and earned the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Lifetime Service award. Now coaching at Columbia under Donnie Pritzlaff, he talks about what it really takes to rebuild a program, why he split his own team to develop younger wrestlers, and what Bruce Burnett taught him about ankle laces. Guest: Jeff Buxton, Columbia University Assistant Wrestling Coach, Hall of Fame honoree, 30x National Prep Champion coach Topics: Columbia wrestling rebuild, Blair Academy dynasty, coaching philosophy, iron fist vs velvet glove, freestyle technical evolution, matside weigh-ins 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge - Raise your first $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E185
    August 26 · 56 min

    Ep. 185 – Matt Ciampa

    Mike wears two hats, dad and coach. Matt Ciampa texted him to say that's wrong, and then came on to explain why. Thirty-five years into coaching, he's never found the seam between the two, and he'll tell you exactly what the one hat actually is. Guest: Matt Ciampa, head coach of Eclipse Wrestling Club (NJ), assistant men's wrestling coach at East Stroudsburg University, 2013 New Jersey Freestyle and Greco-Roman Coach of the Year Topics: coaching your own kid, the dad hat vs. coach hat debate, controlling behavior instead of feelings, wrestling as a sport of affluence, the disappearing middle-of-the-pack wrestler, the 0-4 heavyweight who became NCAA champ David Zabriskie, New Jersey's Mount Rushmore 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge - raise your first $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E184
    August 19 · 57 min

    Ep 184 - Nelson Brands

    Nelson Brands wrestled at Iowa for his dad and his uncle, and says neither coached him until college. Now on staff at Cal Poly, he makes a specific case that beginners should learn to hand fight before they ever take a penetration step. Guest: Nelson Brands, former Iowa Hawkeye, son of Terry Brands and nephew of Tom Brands, assistant coach at Cal Poly. Topics: hand fighting before the penetration step, wrestling as an infinite puzzle, being raised by the principles of wrestling, identity versus winning, wrestling parents, clubs that gatekeep, out-of-season contact rules, getting rid of headgear. 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge — Raise $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E183
    August 12 · 58 min

    Ep 183 — Coleman Scott

    Coleman Scott won an NCAA title, an Olympic medal, and ran a D1 program. He'd rather do what he's doing now. Inside the Farm in Stillwater, and a blunt read on what NIL money is doing to recruiting and development. Guest: Coleman Scott, 2008 NCAA champion at Oklahoma State, 2012 Olympic bronze medalist, former head coach at North Carolina, owner of the Farm in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Topics: running 77 straight days of camp, starting a state-accredited school, the three-pillar club model, what NIL did to development, chasing money versus chasing fit, the questions to ask a recruit, youth wrestling parents 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge — Raise $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E182
    August 5 · 47 min

    Ep 182 - Barry Davis

    Barry Davis has three NCAA titles, an Olympic silver, and 24 years as a Big Ten head coach. He just took a club job, and this is his case for why the RTC seat is the best one in wrestling. Head coach John Stutzman joins to explain the rebuild at Bloomsburg. Guest: Barry Davis, 3x NCAA champion at Iowa, 1984 Olympic silver medalist, head coach at Wisconsin 1993-2017, now RTC and club coach at Bloomsburg. With John Stutzman, head coach at Bloomsburg. Topics: the RTC role and the recruiting loophole, the April-of-junior-year contact rule, what to look for in a recruit and his family, fundraising a Division I program, building a town's wrestling culture, why the parents are the problem 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge — Raise $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E181
    July 29 · 1 hr 3 min

    Ep. 181 - Doug Schwab

    We brought Doug Schwab the data on his own program: 13 of UNI's 19 NCAA qualifiers since 2021 were completely unranked high school recruits, and Parker Keckeisen carried up to 66% of the team's national tournament points. His answer: "I don't think we're overachieving at all." Then he explains exactly how UNI develops kids nobody ranked, how he recruited his own son, and why verbal commitments mean nothing in 2026. Guest: Doug Schwab, head coach at the University of Northern Iowa, NCAA champion, 2008 U.S. Olympian Topics: recruiting your own kids, the extra year decision, home visit red flags, developing unranked recruits, the Parker Keckeisen effect, NIL and the transfer portal 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge — Raise $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E180
    July 22 · 57 min

    Ep 180 - Scott Green

    Scott Green built Wyoming Seminary into the most feared prep program in the country, then helped put Army wrestling back on the map. Now he's rebuilding New York Military Academy from the keel up, with a four-year clock on winning Prep Nationals. This one is a masterclass in program building: why buy-in beats technique, how to recruit 8th graders honestly, and what happens to wrestlers who have nothing but wrestling. Guest: Scott Green, two-time National Prep champion coach at Wyoming Seminary (208-9 in duals), former Army West Point associate head coach, now Chief of Staff at New York Military Academy and Executive Director of the West Point Wrestling Club Topics: prep school recruiting, program building, institutional buy-in, beating Blair, life after wrestling, the riding time debate 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge — Raise $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E179
    July 15 · 39 min

    Why Wrestling's #1 Recruiting Pipeline Refuses NIL Deals | Athletor Podcast Ep 179

    Wyoming Seminary sent 26 ranked recruits to D1 in six years and put 4.5% of this year's NCAA tournament field on the mat, all without handing out a single NIL deal. Head coach Will Weber explains how a Marine's standards, two wrestle-offs a season, and brutal honesty with blue-chip recruits built wrestling's best college prep pipeline. Guest: Will Weber, Head Coach at Wyoming Seminary; 12 years with the Blue Knights program, Marine Corps veteran Topics: D1 recruiting pipeline, wrestle-off culture, coaching entitled blue-chip recruits, program fundraising without NIL, building a club from scratch, Scott Green's legacy at Sem 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge Raise $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E179
    July 8 · 1 hr 18 min

    "I Care About the 22,000 Kids, Not the 141 D1 Recruits" | Athletor Podcast Ep 178

    Shane Sparks, the voice of Big Ten wrestling, joins Mike for the argument they've been having over drinks for years: should California's 22,000 wrestlers really compete for one state title? Shane's case is participation and community. Mike's case is data: every top recruit since 2020 mapped by state, and the budgets behind the programs that produce them. Two sides, real receipts, and a middle ground neither expected. Guest: Shane Sparks, play-by-play broadcaster for Big Ten Network, FloWrestling, ESPN, and the NCAA Championships Topics: the state championship debate, big board recruiting data, program budgets and fundraising, Final X and Kyle Dake, Spencer Lee before Worlds, 11 weight classes, Shane's Mount Rushmore 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge - Raise your first $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E177
    July 1 · 33 min

    "It's just a fist fight for 7 minutes": Tommy Gantt on Wrestling to the UFC

    NC State All-American Tommy Gantt left wrestling for one amateur fight and never looked back. Now an undefeated UFC lightweight training with Daniel Cormier, he breaks down what actually transfers from the mat to the cage, plus the Pat Popolizio speech that still drives him. Guest: Tommy Gantt, 2016 ACC champion and NCAA All-American at NC State, former Wolfpack assistant coach, undefeated UFC lightweight Topics: wrestling-to-MMA transition, the cardio and length edge, building fight IQ, why MMA coaching lags wrestling, Pat Popolizio and NC State's rise, the mindset switch Championship Fundraising Challenge - Raise your first $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E176
    June 24 · 43 min

    Navy's Blaize Cabell on Camps, Coaching Feel, and the Rise of Danny Wass | Athletor Podcast Ep 176

    Navy assistant coach Blaize Cabell breaks down how the Midshipmen train, from SEAL-run summer camps to teaching the "feel" that turns good scramblers into great ones, and why heavyweight All-American Danny Wass is about to surprise people. A former three-time NCAA qualifier at Northern Iowa, Cabell coaches the Naval Academy's upper weights.🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge - Raise your first $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: https://www.athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge🔗 Full Championship Fundraising Course: https://www.athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-course 📋 ABOUT THIS EPISODEBlaize Cabell is an assistant coach at the U.S. Naval Academy, working primarily with the 184, 197, and 285 lb wrestlers, and a former three-time NCAA qualifier at heavyweight for Northern Iowa. In this conversation with host Mike Malinconico, he digs into how Navy structures its summer camps, what Cary Kolat's teaching unlocked for him as a coach, the mental edge wrestlers steal from Navy SEAL training, and the rise of heavyweight All-American Danny Wass. He closes with a sharp take on fixing college wrestling's stalling rules.🎙️ ABOUT ATHLETOR PODCASTThe Athletor Podcast brings you conversations with the coaches, athletes, and minds shaping wrestling. Subscribe for new episodes weekly.🔗 CONNECTYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXjsj-4x50ZVLOvSjaUEM9AInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/athletor.live/X: https://x.com/athletorFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/athletor.live/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@athletor

  • S1 · E175
    June 17 · 1 hr 6 min

    Stop Cutting Weight: Damion Hahn's Case for Wrestling Up | Athletor Podcast Ep 175

    Damion Hahn helped pull five programs into a rebuilt Pac-12, and he is rebuilding South Dakota State at the same time. He sits down with Mike Malinconico to get into the conference move, developing wrestlers when you can't just plug in a transfer, and the case for building guys up in weight instead of cutting them down. He has the resume to back it: a worn-down 184-pounder who moved up and won two national titles at 197.Guest: Damion Hahn, head coach at South Dakota State, two-time NCAA champion, New Jersey wrestling legendTopics: SDSU's move to the Pac-12, rebuilding a program, wrestler development, going up a weight class vs cutting, leadership in the room, the one-semester college seasonChampionship Fundraising Challenge - Raise your first $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E174
    June 10 · 52 min

    How Air Force Builds NCAA All-Americans Without NIL or the Portal | Sam Barber | Athletor Podcast Ep 174

    Air Force wrestling doesn't buy transfers and doesn't play the NIL game — yet they're keeping pace with the top 5 programs in the country. Head coach Sam Barber sits down with Mike Malinconico to explain how. Guest: Sam Barber, head wrestling coach at the United States Air Force Academy (12th season), former head coach at Upper Iowa and part of three NCAA DIII title teams at Augsburg. Topics: building a developmental program, Carter Nogle's All-American run, the "Camp Bruiser" COVID experiment, the move to the Pac-12, NIL and the transfer portal, and why culture beats money in recruiting. 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge - Raise your first $1,000 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E173
    June 3 · 41 min

    "I Couldn't Ride for 30 Seconds to Win a Title. That Made Me Obsessed" | Athletor Podcast Ep 173

    Coach Bryan Snyder, associate head coach at Nebraska and the winningest wrestler in Husker history, joins Mike to go deep on the numbers behind Nebraska's riding game, how they evaluate recruits for top-game potential, and why their transfer portal picks keep turning into All-Americans. Guest: Bryan Snyder, Associate Head Coach, Nebraska Wrestling. 4x All-American, Big 12 Champion, .925 career winning percentage Topics: Nebraska's near-fall and riding time dominance, transfer portal recruiting strategy, Ridge Lovett's wrestling IQ, recruiting from non-traditional states, AthletorIQ data breakdowns, stall rule reform 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge - Raise your first $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E172
    May 27 · 52 min

    Half a Million or Olympic Dreams — That's the Choice These Kids Face" | Athletor Podcast Ep 172

    UPenn assistant coach Darian Cruz sits down with Mike to talk about what the data says about Ivy League wrestling at the NCAA tournament, why coaching at Penn means competing with Wall Street for your athletes' attention, and how a post-COVID conversation led him to represent Puerto Rico on the international stage. Guest: Darian Cruz — 2017 NCAA Champion (Lehigh), 2024 Paris Olympian (Puerto Rico), UPenn Assistant Coach Topics: Ivy League vs EIWA NCAA performance, conference scoring data, student-athlete culture at UPenn, competing for Puerto Rico, overtime rule changes, Japan training trip

  • S1 · E171
    May 20 · 1 hr

    "I Just Don't Care What Other Programs Are Doing" — Chris Ayres | Athletor Podcast Ep 171

    Stanford just had its best NCAA tournament ever — and then half the lineup walked into the transfer portal. Coach Chris Ayres breaks down how he kept his team together, what the data actually says about transfer performance, and why a Stanford degree might be the best NIL weapon in wrestling.Guest: Chris Ayres, Head Wrestling Coach at Stanford University (formerly 17 years at Princeton)Topics: NCAA tournament performance, transfer portal data and ROI, NIL in college wrestling, Stanford administration support, third-period finishing, recruiting at elite academic institutions🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge — Raise $10K in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E170
    May 13 · 57 min

    "Pressure Is Fabricated" — Mike Macchiavello on What Really Wins Matches | Athletor Podcast Ep 170

    Mike Macchiavello just took his second US Open title at 92kg and punched his ticket to Final X — but the 2018 NCAA champ says pressure on the mat is "purely fabricated." In this one, Mock breaks down the mental game that most wrestlers don't figure out until it's too late: what an "honest 100%" really looks like, why getting teched in practice might be the best thing for you, and how parents can sabotage their kid's confidence without saying a word. Guest: Mike Macchiavello, 2018 NCAA Champion (NC State), 2x US Open Champion (92kg), USA Wrestling Athlete Advisory & Executive Committee member Topics: mental toughness, pressure management, Final X prep, coaching young wrestlers, parent involvement, match strategy 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge — Raise $10k in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E170
    May 6 · 51 min

    What Brent Metcalf Told Iowa State's AD About One-Year Transfers | Athletor Podcast Ep 169

    Iowa State's new head coach Brent Metcalf joins the show just four days into the job. He lays out his vision for building the Cyclone program the right way — no shortcuts, no one-year portal rentals — and reflects on what nine years alongside Kevin Dresser taught him about running a program that lasts. Guest: Brent Metcalf, Head Coach – Iowa State Wrestling. Two-time NCAA champion, four-time U.S. World Team member. Topics: head coaching transition, transfer portal philosophy, beating Iowa after 23 years, teaching feel in wrestling, sports science in training, building team culture 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge — Raise $10k in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

  • S1 · E168
    April 29 · 1 hr 1 min

    Gabe Arnold On Making All-American At The Wrong Weight And Chasing A Title At 174 | Athletor Podcast Ep 168

    Iowa's Gabe Arnold made All-American at 197 — a weight class two above his natural size — after stepping up when a teammate went down. Now he's going back to 174 with one goal: a national championship. He breaks down the text he sent Tom Brands, what the AthletorIQ data says about winning at 174, and the scoring target he's building his offseason around. Guest: Gabe Arnold, 197-pound All-American at the University of Iowa, coached by Tom Brands Topics: Making All-American at the wrong weight, weight management, AthletorIQ data analysis, scoring targets, national championship mindset, NCAA officiating 🔗 Championship Fundraising Challenge Raise $5K in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

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