The wrestling program at Boston University has organized a big event to kick of the 2011-12 college wrestling season and to boost wrestling in New England.

BU will host a tri-meet with Iowa State and Army on Sunday, November 6 in Case Gym. Head Coach Carl Adams and his staff has worked hard to make this a special weekend for the wrestling community of the region.

Adams has named the day “New England’s Historical Wrestling Celebration.” It is his mission to draw the largest crowd to see a college wrestling match in the region. Adams hopes to sell out Case Center, where BU holds its matches regularly.

In addition to matches between three strong Div. I programs, there will be a high-quality wrestling clinic held early in the day featuring past NCAA champions and All-Americans affiliated with the teams.

“My goal is to make it a great day for wrestling in the New England community with both the clinic and the matches,” said Adams. “Iowa State is an attractive, high level program, and Army also has a national name brand. The coaches Kevin Jackson and Joe Heskett and their staffs are amazing. New England wrestling is not used to this type of competition onsite. We have been preparing for this for six months now. Coaches, wrestlers, parents and fans are very excited about it. This is a one-time opportunity that does not happen very often.”

The meet also brings together three Iowa State alumni serving as head coaches, all who have made a major impact on the sport.

Adams won two NCAA titles for the Cyclones in 1971 and 1972 and was a two-time national champion freestyle wrestler. Jackson was a NCAA runner-up for the Cyclones in 1987, then went on to win a 1992 Olympic freestyle gold medal and two World titles. Heskett was a 2001 NCAA champion and three-time finalist for Iowa State and was fifth in the 2007 World Championships in freestyle. They come from three different generations of Cyclone wrestling.

“I am excited about Kevin and Joe. I feel like the grandfather, since I have been around the longest. The fact that all three went to Iowa State is unique. They are such good people and good coaches. They are both winners. Hopefully, together we can help promote the sport this weekend,” said Adams.

In addition, all three of the head coaches are African-American, from the group of five Black head coaches in Div. I wrestling.

“My first instinct is that I hope people are color blind and just enjoy the wrestling,” said Adams. “I would be remiss if I didn’t’ recognize that from the standpoint of having three minority coaches, we can be seen by young kids who could see themselves in that role someday. I’d like them to know there are other sports than just basketball and football. Wrestling teaches so much. For minority kids to be involved and take advantage of these great lessons would be a great benefit. If we are doing something good in presenting role models, it’s a huge plus for the sport and for the kids who get involved.”

Jackson was excited to get involved when Adams talked to him about his ideas.

“It is special. We all have a great relationship with each other. We have the utmost respect for Carl Adams and everything he has done for the sport. There’s also the respect and consideration he has given me my whole life. He has been a long distance mentor. I am excited that Joe Heskett, another of our alumni, will also be part of this. And there are only five minority coaches within Div. I wrestling. It is a great way to start our season,” said Jackson.

Heskett is also aware of the significance of the weekend for the coaches involved.

“It is pretty neat. It’s not something we thought about when we put this all together,” said Heskett, in an interview with Scott Casber of Takedown Media. “It is good old competition. I am excited to face my alma mater with our Army team. Then we face a strong Carl Adams team. I have the utmost respect for both coaches and programs.”

The wrestling should also be of high quality, one of the highlights of the first weekend of college wrestling.

The competition begins at 3:00 p.m. with Iowa State against Army. Boston University starts its day at 5:00 p.m. against Army. The day concludes with the matchup between Boston University and Iowa State at 7:00 p.m.

Adams believes he has the best team he has put together at Boston, where he has coached since 1981. This Colonial Athletic Association team could make an impact on the national level. The team features three NCAA qualifiers returning in seniors John Hall (197) and Fred Santaite (133) and junior Hunter Meys (174). All are nationally ranked, with Meys ranked No. 5. BU is ranked No. 26 in the InterMat preseason rankings, and is tied with Iowa State at No. 27 in the W.I.N. preseason team ranking.

“How many times have you seen us and Iowa State tied at No. 27 on the same line? Never. In the latest W.I.N. Magazine, BU is ranked No. 1 in our conference. We have a good team. It appears to me that it is one of the hardest working groups since I’ve been here and one of the most motivated. They are excited about the attention they are getting this year. It is nice for the athletes to see that they are recognized,” said Adams.

Adams is not just looking to have a good performance. He is looking for two wins.

“Our goal is to win both matches. Our kids and our coaches believe we can do it. The crowd will be extremely helpful. Our kids need to block out the crowd and focus on the task. They can think about the crowd when it is all done,” said Adams.

AUDIO: Carl Adams interview with Scott Casber

Iowa State is looking to bring its program back into prominence, in its third year with Jackson at the helm. The team was No. 24 in the InterMat rankings, as well as tied with Boston in the W.I.N. rankings at No. 27. The top ranked Cyclone athlete is Andrew Sorenson at 165 pounds, who is in the top eight in a number of polls. Others with national rankings are Ryak Finch (125), Chris Spangler (174), Jerome Ward (184) and Kyven Gadson (197).

“We are looking for a breakout season,” said Jackson. “We have some strong pieces in place that will allow us to perform at a higher level than last year. For the first time since I have been here, the kids we recruited into the program will hit the mats. We will see Ryak Finch, Kyven Gadson, Joey Cozart and maybe a few true freshman. We have strong leadership in Andrew Sorenson. Chris Spangler is a guy who stepped up. He moved to 174 which will make us stronger in the middle weights.”

The Cyclones would like to make a statement in the opening weekend, to remind people about the tradition of the program as well as to introduce some of the new young talents on the team.

“We look forward to wrestling in Boston. We wrestle Army first, Joe Heskett’s team, then Boston, which is Carl Adams’ team. Hopefully we will start very strong and get a couple of wins to move into our season,” said Jackson. “We want to compete the way we have been training, to wrestle with a lot of intensity. We have a certain style we want to wrestle as Cyclones. We want to be aggressive with a high level of energy and to score a lot of points. We have some signature things we do technically that we want to use on the mat. The bottom line is that we look to win. That’s what we expect. If we wrestle to our ability, we will win.”

Besides getting involved in the promotional aspect of the day, Jackson believes the trip will benefit his program in other ways.

“We like to get to that part of the country. We don’t see a lot of East Coast teams during the year. Carl’s team was our first dual meet last year at Iowa State and we are doing a return trip. And having a match with Army is also good. To go that far and get two matches, that pushed us over the top,” said Jackson.

VIDEO: Kevin Jackson press conference

Heskett will be in his second year at the helm at West Point, looking to also make his own impact on that program. Heskett had four years experience as an assistant coach at Ohio State, including two years where the team placed second at the NCAA Championships. 

The Army team was ninth at the EIWA Championships last year with four placewinners and two NCAA qualifiers. One of the NCAA qualifiers, Jordan Thome at 133 pounds returns, along with a majority of last year’s team. Heskett also brought in a large and talented recruiting class.

“We are not short on toughness,” said Heskett. “We are building upon our toughness, work ethic and sacrifice. What we are building upon is bringing in talents along with this work ethic. This will be an exciting year to watch the Army team. They are greatly improved.”

AUDIO: Joe Heskett interview with Scott Casber

The day will start with the World Class Wrestling Clinic, at the Track and Tennis Center at Boston University located at 100 Ashford Street in Boston from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Adams, Heskett and Jackson will all provide instruction, along with NCAA champion Jon Reader, World Team member Travis Paulson, and national team member Yero Washington. Combined, the staff won 11 national wrestling titles, an Olympic Gold medal, two World titles, 16 NCAA All-American honors and 43 years of coaching at the Div. I level.

Coaches and wrestlers can pre-register for the clinic online at CarlAdams.com. The pre-registration fee for coaches is $45 ($50 at the door) and the fee for students is $40 ($45 at the door). Any team bringing 10 or more students will be charged a group rate of $35 per person.

“At the end of the day, and I mean this from the bottom of heart, it is about giving back,” said Heskett. “We are able to put this clinic on and showcase the teams before the young men and their families there. It will be special. It is not just about showing technique but also talking to them about character. We will help them to realize it will take sacrifice and discipline to do great things in their lives.”

Scott Casber will serve as the public address announcer for the meet, and broadcast his weekly Takedown Wrestling radio show from Boston. The BU athletic department will provide a live stream from the matches. USA Wrestling will film the clinic and the bouts which will be posted afterwards on TheMat.tv.

For Carl Adams, this could be one of the most special days of his 30 year career as coach with Boston University and a big boost to the sport in New England.

“We also want to show this to athletic directors, administrators and parents who might be interested in knowing more about the sport. I want to show what it could be like if more people supported wrestling. I also wanted to show the high level of interest in the sport at all levels,” said Adams.