This past winter and spring, many wrestlers throughout the Rocky Mountain region put in extra time on the mat with Team Excel Junior Olympic Program sites. Team Excel, now surpassing 10 years of wrestling in the Rocky Mountains, has several locations within the region. All total, 132 wrestlers participate in weekly training with Team Excel's Elite level Junior Olympic Program staff in Wyoming and Colorado.    This year is no exception to the success these wrestlers have achieved, proving the extra time on the mat does pay off. In Colorado, 44 high school wrestlers participated weekly with 26 of those wrestlers qualifying this year for the Colorado High School State Championships. Of those 26 athletes, 15 were state place finishers, nine were state finalists and four became Colorado High School State Champions. Overall in nine seasons, wrestlers participating in the Team Excel winter program have won 60 Colorado HS State Championships.    In Wyoming, the Team Excel Junior Olympic Program in Cheyenne also saw great success this winter. Overall, 25 wrestlers participated in this year's program with 13 high school wrestlers and a dozen junior wrestlers. Of the 13 high school wrestlers, 11 of them qualified for the state tournament, 10 were place finishers, six reached the state finals and three were crowned Wyoming High School State Champions.    Since the high school season has ended, success for several Excel wrestlers has continued.     Team Excel saw one of their former high school wrestlers honored at the 2005 NCAA Division I Championships in St. Louis, Mo. this past March.  Tommy Clum, competing for the University of Wisconsin placed 3rd at the 2005 NCAA Championships at 125lbs.  More recently, Clum earned bronze for the US at the 2005 Pan American Championships held in Guatemala City, Guatemala in April.  He is the second Division I wrestler who participated in the Team Excel program in Colorado to be crowned All American. The first was Scott Frohardt, who placed 8th at the 2001 NCAA Championships at 149lbs. for the Air Force Academy.       Just recently, three current Team Excel wrestlers had outstanding performances at both the USAW Western Regional Championships in Las Vegas, Nev. and the Northern Plains Championships held in Waterloo, Iowa     Tony Mustari of Greeley, CO, who signed a national letter of intent with the University of Northern Colorado recently, won the Junior division competition at 119lbs., and also received the Most Outstanding award.  Tyler Graff of Loveland, another Colorado state champion and last year's Fargo finalist at 105lbs. as a Cadet won the 112lbs. division of the Western Regionals.  Brad Neitenbach of Broomfield, CO who plans to attend Oklahoma State University was second in Greco Roman at 135lbs. and fifth in freestyle at the same weight division.     At the Northern Plains division, Mustari competed at 125lbs. placing 2nd and 3rd respectively in freestyle and Greco Roman as did Neitenbach at 135lbs.     On the Junior level for Team Excel in Colorado this year, 48 wrestlers participate weekly with Team Excel and of those wrestlers, 28 were place finishers at the Colorado Youth State Championships this past January. Of those 28 place finishers, 15 reached the finals with six becoming Colorado Youth State Champions.    "We appreciate the strong relationships our organization has been fortunate to develop over the years with so many high school coaches and club programs in the Rocky Mountain region. Thank you to those coaches and club directors.  We have sure enjoyed the opportunity to work with so many wrestlers in the Rocky Mountains and look forward to the years ahead," said Head Coach Steve Knight.    This will officially be Knight's last year running Excel Wrestling in a full time capacity as he has accepted a position with his alma mater, Iowa State University as Cyclone Club Coach and Executive Director.     Knight will do his best to remain involved with Excel Wrestling. Filling his shoes as Executive Director will be Angelo LaRosa.      LaRosa wrestled for the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse and is just completing his Master's degree in Sports Administration at the University of Northern Colorado. LaRosa will become the Interim Director for Excel Wrestling officially as of June 1, 2005.       Excel Wrestling is  an official USA Wrestling Junior Olympic Program in Colorado and Wyoming.