NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Brandvold Wins Big 10 Championship for Wisconsin Badgers
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Ann Arbor, Michigan – River Falls wrestling alumni, junior Trevor Brandvold faced Sonny Yohn of Minnesota in the 197 lbs. championship. Brandvold scored the first points of the match with a reversal in the second period. After securing riding time, Brandvold allowed Yohn to escape. With a 3-1 decision, Brandvold joined teammate Andrew Howe (165 lbs) as Big Ten Champion and NCAA qualifier. All told, two Badgers finished third, another placed fourth and two finished fifth. The Badgers automatically qualified six wrestlers and will potentially have seven wrestlers at the NCAA tournament if redshirt freshman Cole Schmitt receives an at-large bid. |
|
WIAA State High School Individual Tournament - Kohl Center, Madison
Thursday through Saturday, February 25, 26 & 27, 2010
For fans and wrestlers alike, the state high school individual tournament, is the best-of-the best whether you are a participant or a fan. For division 1, holding the coveted championship 16-man bracket atop the 6-man podium - is a lofty goal for almost every kid from every town in every wrestling program throughout the state.
Logan Cudd takes third place!
Junior Logan Cudd avenged a semi-final loss to the eventual champion Justin Enderby (Pulaski 49-0) by winning against Josiah Bobier (Kaukauna - 43-7) in the consolation round by 4 to 1, and then Jared Kust (Shawano Community 44-6) in the third place match by a score of 8-5.
Senior Cam Loomis started by winning over Jorey Organ (Tomah 38-9) by a score of 11-5; however, a loss to the eventual champion junior Alex Dieringer (Port Washington 45-1) and a loss to Kevan Gennrich (Hortonville 40-7), ended the great run for the team captain.
Sophomore Tyson Bystrom lost to eventual third place senior Kyle Wey (Oak Creek 37-5) in the opening round. Then he lost a very close match to Mark VandenAvond (Green Bay Preble / East 41-9) by a score of 9-7.
In addition, many of the 59,517 in attendance noticed that our own youth director - David Black was one of the 15 individual referees selected to be part of the elite state officiating personnel for the tournament.
Tournament Information and Links
WIAA Press Release and Great Tournament Overview
High School Results Page for all Details and Information; more pictures coming soon
All six mats of the pre-finals matches will be streamed (audio & video) on WIAA.tv
WIAA State Tournament Information Page
Trackwrestling's individual tournament series
Badger State Wrestling Site
WIAA Division 1 Sectional A Tournament - Merrill High SchoolSaturday, February 20, 2010
Coaches Brady and Joe Cudd and the high school team advances three to the WIAA state tournament next week. Logan Cudd and Cam Loomis Champions; Tyson Bystrom runner-up.
Junior Logan Cudd (38-2) dominated his opponents at 119 lb with a 19-2 technical fall over Jake Schumacher (Wausau East), an 11-0 major over Matt Natzke (Merrill), then in the finals he won by a 13-3 major decision over Alex Parsons (DC Everest). Logan makes his third trip to the state tournament after taking 6th place last season and also qualifying his freshman year.
Senior Cameron Loomis (39-2) earned his 140 lb championship and his first trip to the state competition in Madison by winning with commanding decisions over Jacob Rusch (Wausau West) 7-2, Logan Keding (DC Everest) 9-6, and beating Jake Tatro (Antigo) 4-2 in the finals. Cam Loomis is highly ranked in division 1 and will make his first state trip to Madison.
Sophomore Tyson Bystrom (28-12) advanced at 189 lb with a first round 7-6 win over Robert Wille (Marshfield). In the semi-finals, he dropped to the eventual champion Noah Lassa (Merrill); however, with a 4-2 win over Richard Bryant (Menomonie) in the third place match, he was afforded the opportunity for a wrestle back against Luke Bowe (Chippewa Falls). Luke Bowe had previously beaten Bystrom soundly in two previous matches earlier in the year - including a dual meet in December (17-7) and the championship match at Regionals last week (9-4). Bystrom went on to beat Bowe 12-6 as a true underdog and earned a runner up position and his first trip to Madison. 
Senior Peter Wolff (29-12) had a similar road with a 14-1 victory over JD Popenhagen (Lakeland), a semi-final loss to the eventual champion Izzy Balsiger (Chippewa Falls) and a 3rd place 7-2 win over Nate Hettinga (Wausau West); however, he fell just short in the 2nd place wrestle back, with a loss to Gordon Johnson (Hudson). Peter earned the 3rd place position in the tournament.
High School Results Page for all Details and Information
Brandvold Named Big 10 Wrestler of the WeekTuesday, February 9, 2010 
Big Ten Names Wisconsin Badger - Trevor Brandvold Wrestler of the Week.
Former Wildcat Wrestler and River Falls native, Badger 197-pounder defeats two ranked opponents and has won seven matches in a row.
Brandvold wins his first Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honor after defeating a pair of ranked opponents over the weekend for the No. 13 Badgers. Against No. 24 Purdue on Friday, eighth-ranked Brandvold defeated 11th-ranked Logan Brown, 8-3, as part of a 27-11 Wisconsin victory. Two days later, the 197-pounder squared off against No. 14 Patrick Bond of Illinois in a match that went to tiebreakers. An escape by Brandvold was the deciding point as the junior earned a 2-1 victory to notch his seventh consecutive win in.
Northern Badger Wrestling Classic Tournament
River Falls places nine wrestlers in the two-day 38-team tournament hosted at the River Falls High School. Logan Cudd takes 1st Place at 125 lbs. Matt Linehan runner up at 215 lbs. Team takes 1st Place. Finals are now on the internet: go to www.BadgerStateWrestling.com to see the championship matches.
High School Results Page for all Details and Information
Badger State Wrestling link - Championship Matches and Interview with Brady Cudd
Wrestling Event Calendar Summaries 2009-10
Download the event schedule showing youth, middle school and high school on one page perfect for the refrigerator in an easy to read format. The conference sites are fantastic because you can sign up for notifications. In the event there is a schedule change, a school closing a change of venue, you will receive both reminders and notifications via email.
Event Calendar Summary (Updated 01/03/2010)
River Falls School District Calendar
Big Rivers Conference Site
Dunn-St. Croix Conference Site
Volunteers Needed
We need volunteers for our upcoming hosted events. Please contact us directly or go to the volunteer page for additional information and details.
Volunteer Page
Carlos Figi - cfigi@riverfallswrestling.org 
715.425.5939 
715.821.5941
Sport Overlap?
Kindergarten through 8th grade students also participating in ski & snowboard club, hockey, winter basketball, or any other activity are absolutely encouraged and allowed to overlap their schedules; just talk with a coach. We will not exclude any multi-activity students. Starting in 2008 - the middle school wrestling includes sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. Registration is open up to the first day of practice for Middle School (December 14) and Youth (January 5) .
RF WRESTLING CLOTHING & FAN WARE AVAILABLECustom "River Falls Wrestling" apparel is now available from Imaging World.
See different options, styles and monograms / naming on the items. Print out the form and bring it down to Imaging World or call Imaging World directly at 715.425.2864 for details and explanation.
RF Wrestling - Clothing Order Form
Spectator Bus to High School Sectional Tournament [Merrill, Wisconsin]
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Sectionals are in Merrill this year on Saturday, February 20, 2010. The River Falls Wrestling Booster Club charters a bus for the transportation to and from this event. This is a 3½-hour trip no matter how you slice it. Weather can always be a factor. Some years have had perfect weather; although, a lot of you know that we have also had 8” snow, -20°F below zero or a combination of each. Take the worry out of the trip and enjoy yourself. We start boarding at 5:30 AM but will leave at 6:00 AM sharp.
Charge is $25.00 per person total round trip. We understand that if you have a large family of four or five, this can be quite expensive – as compared to packing up the car and making the trip yourself. So, for families of four with at least two adults (and kids), the cost would be $65.00 per entire family of four and only $10 for the fifth family member and each family member thereafter. The above costs do not include any food, beverages or the nominal admission fee to the event.
Historically, these bus rides have allowed our group to get closer; the camaraderie is wonderful, riders share many stories and become acquainted with more and more fans, parents, relatives and others. In addition, the bus allows non-competing wrestlers and managers the opportunity to ride along to watch their sectional-qualifying teammates compete - without having to travel with the team and at odd hours.
The charters comfortably carry 57 passengers. Registration will be on a first come-first serve basis. Notify Carlos Figi on or before February 15, 2010. Advanced payment is not accepted. We will collect on the bus prior to departure.
All students must have the spectator permission form (below) signed and in-hand prior to getting on the bus. There will be no exceptions to this rule. We have strict liability concerns.
Carlos Figi - cfigi@riverfallswrestling.org 715.425.5939 715.821.5941
Sectional Bus Permission Form
State WIAA High School Tournament - Madison, Wisconsin
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, February 25-27, 2010
The 67th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Individual Wrestling Championships at the Kohl Center on the campus of the University of Wisconsin. Tickets are available on-line on the WIAA Web site through Feb. 25. Beginning Feb. 25, tickets are only available at the Kohl Center.
The River Falls Wrestling Booster Club charters a bus for the transportation to and from this event and packages are available for transportation, lodging and event tickets. We have student packages available and fan / parent packages available. Balance due by Friday, February 12, 2010.
Student Package:
Charge is $160.00 per person total round trip. Balance due by Friday, February 12, 2010. The above costs do not include any food, beverages but do include the admission fees for all sessions of the event.
Parent / Fan Options:
Contact Jack Cudd or Bill Loomis for options and details; whereas, you have further room options, nights stayed, etc.
- Bus is $50.00 per person round-trip.
- Hotel is $90.00 per each night stayed.
- Event Tickets are $40.00 per person.
The deposit dates still apply. Balance due by Friday, February 12, 2010.
Historically, these bus rides have allowed our group to get closer; the camaraderie is wonderful, riders share many stories and become acquainted with more and more fans, parents, relatives and others. In addition, the bus allows non-competing wrestlers and managers the opportunity to ride along to watch this very special event.
The charters comfortably carry 57 passengers. Registration will be on a first come-first serve basis. Advanced payment is required and balance must be paid in full by Balance due by Friday, February 12, 2010.
All students must have the spectator permission form (below) signed and submitted with payment. There will be no exceptions to this rule. We have strict liability concerns. Students also need to turn in a permission note signed by a parent or guardian to the school’s attendance secretary at least one week in advance. The secretary will then give each student the pre-absence form at the time when they turn in the permission note. To clarify, the form itself is a high school form (obtained in-person from the HS office) and needs to be given individually to each student as they physically turn in a note from their parents to the attendance secretary. The participating wrestlers (i.e. state qualifiers) are automatically excused after the coach sends a list to the office. The activities secretary will e-mail the entire list to teachers and administration; after this, they are excused from school for Thursday and Friday. The state qualifiers themselves do not need to do the pre-absence form. For questions for student absence and procedures, please contact Nancy Gunderson - Activities Secretary - 715-425-1830 ext. 1109.
Jack Cudd - jcudd@sbcglobal.net 715.425.7614
Bill Loomis - bloomis@travelers.com 715.426.9755
State Wrestling Tournament Permission Form
State Wrestling Tournament Itinerary
Notes:
Students must bring in a note from parents to the school activities office - no later than Tuesday AM (02/23/10). Students must be academically eligible to participate in this opportunity. School administrators will be contacted to validate that everyone is academically cleared to go.
Youth Director and Development & Outreach Director Named
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Carlos Figi, River Falls wrestling booster club president, announced that Dave Black is the new youth director and Kevin Black is the director of the new position – development and outreach.
Dave Black – Youth Director Dave fulfills this role of communications and youth-parent hand holder. Although we had to get him to step out of his shell, his primary purpose is to help educate, promote, inform and keep youth parents and kids – aware of what is happening, keep proper expectations and grow the program. Although he is not a coach per se, he will definitely work with the exciting youth coach, Tom “Butch” Cummings and has the full support of the new high school coaches. Dave expects to have various clinicians come into practices throughout the season and will highly encourage the kids to watch middle school and high school matches when they can. According to Figi, without even looking at his impeccable wrestling and leadership pedigree, he is the only individual who stepped up in our search this summer. This fact, coupled with his full-blooded passion for the sport, the passion for the program and his history in wrestling makes this an extremely easy but critical decision for the club. He and his wife Mary live in town. They have four children, Stephanie, Kevin, Tony and Amy. Dave’s social interest and passion has been his involvement with youth sports and activities in our community and state. He is currently the Chairman of the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation, a highly accredited wrestling referee, and a member of the Junior National Olympic Wrestling Committee. He also serves on the long range planning committee for USA Wrestling in Colorado Springs.
Kevin Black – Development and Outreach
According to Carlos Figi, the wrestling booster club needed to outreach in ways beyond wrestling. We knew that if you asked someone about River Falls wrestling, the name Kevin Black would likely come up in the conversation. We also needed a single person to look at the club from the 10,000-foot view in order to provide guidance, criticism and feedback for the club to improve according to its mission, its numbers and its effectiveness. He and his wife Liz and son Isaiah live in town. Kevin also is the owner & coach of Victory School of Wrestling. Black has coached USA Wrestling age-group women’s teams for the last two years. He has participated as a coach in a number of Women’s Team USA training camps in recent seasons. Kevin serves as the Women’s Director for the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation. He has coached the Wisconsin Junior Nationals Women’s team since 2006 and has coached Wisconsin athletes at the USGWA Nationals for the last two years. Kevin has started a new women’s wrestling club program at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He has coached and operated the Victory School of Wrestling here in River Falls. He served as an assistant coach for the University of Wisconsin (Barry Davis) from 2003-05, working with the Division 1 program there. He was a wrestling coach at Lodi High School from 2005-06. He has been the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation State Coach from 2004-06, and coached the state’s Cadet Freestyle National Team from 2002-06. He and his brother Tony Black conducted the Black Brothers Wrestling Camps from 2000-06. He was a NCAA Division 1 All-American for the University of Wisconsin, where he was a NCAA qualifier three times and served as the team captain three times. Black won four Wisconsin state titles for River Falls High School, with a 160-0 career record. He competed on the senior level in freestyle, competing in a number of major international tournaments. From UW Badgers.com - “Kevin brings some new energy to the team and to the program. He is very excited. Kevin is a wrestling junkie. He grew up with wrestling and loves wrestling people. He has been involved as an athlete, a coach and an administrator. He truly knows USA Wrestling, which is good for the organization. He has the right personality to coach our women. They can trust him immediately. The most important thing about Kevin as an athlete is he can find the good in every situation. He finds a way to learn from every experience and walk away with a smile. That attitude is contagious, and I think he will bring that to our program.”
High School Coaches Named
Friday, July 17, 2009
Brady Cudd and Joe Cudd named co-coaches at High School
Rollie Hall, River Falls High School assistant principal / activities director announced that Brady Cudd and Joe Cudd are the co-coaches for the River Falls High School Wrestling program. The two River Falls natives and cousins succeed the program most recently led by Jon Lantz and his predecessor David Brandvold.
Brady Cudd.
Brady is a 1997 graduate from River Falls High School. That same year he won a WIAA Individual State championship. Previously, he placed 3rd and 5th at the state tournament in 1996 and 1995, respectively. His senior year, he was captain of a team that finished 2nd place at the WIAA Team State Tournament. He also won three Big Rivers conference titles and was a member of the Wisconsin Cadet and Junior National teams. Following high school, Brady attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for three years, representing the Badgers in the Big Ten Championships in 2000. He transferred to UW-La Crosse and earned All-American honors twice, finishing in 2nd place as a senior. He reached the Dean's List every semester in his collegiate career and was an Academic All-American two times. Brady has been an assistant for two years under Jon Lantz and one year under Dave Brandvold; in addition, he assisted at the middle school prior to that and was a youth coach for the River Falls Wrestling club. Brady's brothers, Collin and Logan have multiple medals from the state tournament as well. Together, they have eight state tournament berths (the most in RFHS history by brothers) and seven medals. Brady is part of the family business, Cudd Brothers Construction, located in River Falls.
Joe Cudd.
Joe graduated from River Falls High School in 1998 and was a two-time state champion at 275 pounds in 1997 and 1998. A threetime state qualifier, he was also a member of three teams that earned berths to the WIAA Team State Tournament, including two 2nd place finishes. Joe joined the Wisconsin Badgers wrestling team in the fall of 1998 and started at 285 pounds before an injury ended his competitive career. Joe also earned All-State honors in football and played on the defensive line for the Badgers prior to his injury. He was a member of the National Honor Society in high school and RFHS's representative as the WIAA Scholar Athlete. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2003 with a Business degree. He started his own business in Fraser, Colorado before returning to River Falls in 2008. His father, Paul Cudd, was the first state champion from River Falls in 1971. In 2007, they became the second father-son state champions in state history. His brother, Josh, was a two-time conference champion and a state qualifier in 1992. Currently, Joe is attending UW-River Falls to earn his secondary education certification in mathematics.