Short Time Wrestling Podcast

In 2024, Coleman Scott seemed primed to become the next coach at Oklahoma State. He was about to be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame after a stellar career as a four-time All-American, an NCAA champion, and an Olympic bronze medalist. Then things took a quick turn. Instead of being the heir to John Smith’s program in Stillwater, uncertainty was present. A quick reset and a chance...

The path to a senior world title is entirely black and white. There is no grey area on an elevated mat inside the Prudential Center—only a best-of-three series that ends with one athlete holding a plane ticket to the World Championships and another left behind in the wrestling room. For decades, the senior level was defined by a specific geography: farm boys from the grain elevators of the Midwest...

Show Notes: Short Time NCAA Athlete Press Conference with Levi Haines, Jesse Mendez, Yonger Bastida, and Sal Perrine. Save $10 on the D1 Preview Guide at mattalkonline.com/guide by using the discount code “podcast” at checkout.   Want an ad-free version of the show AND the best in wrestling news from around the world? Sign up for the Daily Wrestling Newsletter presented by Resilite on Substack at...

NCAA Division I Press Conference with Ohio State's Tom Ryan, Oklahoma State's David Taylor, Oregon State's Chris Pendleton and Kent State's Josh Moore.  Save $10 on the D1 Preview Guide at mattalkonline.com/guide by using the discount code “podcast” at checkout.   Want an ad-free version of the show AND the best in wrestling news from around the world? Sign up for the Daily Wrestling Newsletter pr...

It’s another trip to Wichita for the 2026 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships. Short Time Wrestling Podcast host Jason Bryant serves as one of the tournament announcers and will be looking through the brackets talking about names to watch, returning All-Americans and fielding your questions in the chat. Want an ad-free version of the show AND the best in wrestling news from around the worl...

The NCAA will crown its first women’s wrestling champions March 6–7, 2026 at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, marking a historic step for the sport’s rapid growth at the collegiate level. NCAA Director of Championships and Alliances Ryan Tressel explains how the organization built the championship structure from the ground up—leaning on Division II and III templates, collaborating with coaches an...

California Baptist wrestling sits at the center of a growing fight over opportunity, access, and the future of Olympic sports. Nolan Kistler, a multiple-time All-American and CBU alumnus, breaks down why the program matters—not just to Southern California wrestlers, but to first-generation college students, faith-based education, and a region with tens of thousands of high school athletes and only...

Mark Manning and the University of Nebraska host North Carolina and Oklahoma State this coming weekend. Let’s hear what Coach Manning has to say in the run-up to the dual, the potential future series with the Cowboys, his relationship with UNC head coach Rob Koll as well as the best Christmas present he ever received.   Save $20 on an annual BTN+ subscription! Sign up by going to mattalkonline.com...

A night after Johnson & Wales met fellow Division III powerhouse Augsburg in a dual meet in Minneapolis, coach Lonnie Morris and his squad was back in action at the Auggie Invitational.  In this quick eight-minute interview, we'll catch up with Coach Morris to see what things have been like in Providence since JWU won the school's first national title last March.  Want an ad-free version of th...

The annual App State wrestling media day came and went on Tuesday, October 27. Featured with this year’s Mountaineer squad is head coach JohnMark Bentley and wrestlers Tomas Brooker, Jerry Price, Kaden Keiser and Stephan Monchery.   We’ll chat with each as they look forward to another season of SoCon wrestling with some starters to replace and some new goals to reach.   Save $20 on an annual BTN+...

Filmmaker Tony Melanson joins Jason Bryant to discuss his new documentary Iron Maidens: Wrestling for Glory , now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.  The film chronicles the rise of girls’ high-school wrestling in Pennsylvania through the stories of North Allegheny’s Leyna Rumpler and Hickory’s Avry Ryhal, two pioneers whose friendship and rivalry unfolded as the state sanctioned girls’ wrestling fo...

Join host Jason Bryant as he talks with 2024 National Wrestling Media Association Journalist of the Year Kyle Klingman on the latest episode of the Short Time Wrestling Podcast. On the run-up to the 2025 World Championships, we revisit the early years recording podcasts in Minnesota basements with Wrestling 411, dive into a shared love of historical deep dives and unearth some interesting facts ab...

2000 Division III National Champion Nick Slack is one of the good guys in wrestling. A personable friend and coach, Slack was a three-time Division III finalist at Augsburg and won the 2000 NCAA Division III championship. Setbacks in the finals in 2001 and 2002 didn't define him. He overcame. Just over two years ago, Slack had a brain tumor removed that seemed to resolve his decades-long battle wi...

Some might remember Vinny Barber wrestling in New York for coach Duane Ritter at Oneonta State. Others may remember him as a boisterous figure at Flowrestling. However you may remember the old Vinny Barber, things are a lot different now. After returning to college, finishing his degree and joining the coaching staff at the University of the Ozarks, Barber found himself leading the Division III Ar...

Clete Hanson, newly appointed head coach at Simon Fraser University, talks about his return to the program that shaped much of his wrestling and coaching career. A Washington native and former nationally ranked high school wrestler, Hanson chose SFU for its unique blend of high-level international freestyle influence, academic excellence, and its rare status as a Canadian institution competing in...

Division I men’s wrestling only has one current HBCU wrestling program and it’s at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Central Michigan alum and three-time All-American Jarod Trice is on staff with head coach Kenny Monday and Trice talks about the growth of himself as a coach under Monday, the growth of the program and the unique place Morgan State holds in wrestling. Want an ad-free v...

Nathaneal Rankin was a nationally ranked wrestler and NCAA Division III qualifier in cross country while an athlete at the University of the Ozarks. After his competitive career ended, Rankin served as an assistant coach and this summer, was named the new head coach at the Clarksville, Arkansas school. Check out what led Rankin to Ozarks in the first place, what it was like competing in two sports...

Twenty years ago, Jim Beichner served as the host for the 2005 NWCA Convention in Buffalo, New York. The then-UB head coach helped coordinate the event and oversaw numerous logistical things with the annual NWCA gathering. Following his run as the head coach at Buffalo, Beichner went to work in the racing world. He’s recently returned to the sport as the Director of Coaching Development for the NW...

Dylan Wanagiel is no stranger to wrestling events. As the current Vice President of Sports Properties and Special Events for the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Wanagiel is again bringing a major wrestling event to the tri-state area. Previously, Wanagiel was one of the driving forces into bringing the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships to Madison Square Garden in New York City, the...

We’ll get a chance to talk with new Army West Point Head Coach Troy Nickerson on Episode 786 of the Short Time Wrestling Podcast. First up, host Jason Bryant discusses the Hall of Fame Honors Weekend 2025, highlighting the induction of Terry Davis and the 40th anniversary of "Vision Quest." He recounts his experiences in Stillwater, Oklahoma, including interactions with wrestling legends and the l...

Jason Bryant looks through the brackets and highlights wrestlers to watch from the 2025 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships coming up March 6-8 in Park City, Kansas. Cheat Sheet Brackets: https://www.mattalkonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/highlight-2025NAIA.pdf   Want an ad-free version of the show AND the best in wrestling news from around the world? Sign up for the Daily Wrestling...

Jason Bryant hosts the Short Time Wrestling Podcast, featuring Dr. Bill Welker, a longtime wrestling coach, referee, and journalist. They discuss Welker's career, including his early wrestling days in Pennsylvania, his move to West Virginia, and his contributions to the sport. Welker shares insights on wrestling's evolution, particularly regarding dieting and the growth of girls' wrestling. He als...

Ron Lang, author of "Mat Return," discusses his book's focus on the transformative power of wrestling across the United States. He highlights the sport's resurgence, emphasizing its benefits in personal growth and athletic development. Lang, a former football and wrestling coach, shares his passion for wrestling, which he believes is the most transformative sport. He recounts his journey in starti...

For the past 20-something years that I’ve covered the world of college wrestling, one system has always been extremely unique and interesting to me, the California Community College Athletic Association. Now branded as the 3C2A, the organization has sponsored a men’s wrestling collegiate championship since 1959. In 1982, the strangest thing about the league came into being - it became a fall sport...

One of the dynamics of small college wrestling is finding mat time for your large rostered teams. At Augsburg University, the Auggies host the Auggie Invitational, which has multiple divisions to help larger programs get mat time and keep their starters and non-starters engaged in their respective programs.   On Saturday, November 16, Jason Bryant of Mat Talk Online skipped over to Si Melby Hall o...