Athletor Podcast with Mike Mal
by The Athletor Podcast with Mike Mal
Latest episode
194 -- Kai Orine
194 -- Kai Orine
About this podcast
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.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 195 episodes
- 194 -- Kai Orine · 58 min · Season 1 Episode 194Kai Orine was a two-time All-American at NC State. Now, one year into coaching at Little Rock, he says coaching is less stressful than competing. Mike goes through the Athletor…
- Ep 193 -- Antrell Taylor · 44 min · Season 1 Episode 193Two straight NCAA tournaments without giving up a takedown. Antrell Taylor, the Omaha kid who won the 2025 NCAA title for Nebraska, talks with Mike about the loss he still…
- Ep 192 - Master Phill Ross · 52 min · Season 1 Episode 192Phil Ross broke his back at 16, got told he was done, and came back to take 2nd in Greco at Eastern Nationals that summer. Fifty years later, surgeons send him their patients. He…
- 191 -- Bo Basset · 54 min · Season 1 Episode 191Bo Bassett is chasing three world titles in one year, and he says he doesn't feel any pressure doing it. Mike goes through his Final X series against Real Woods with him, asks…
- Why Alex Marinelli Thinks Iowa Is One Takedown From A Title | Athletor Podcast Ep 190 · 51 min · Season 1 Episode 190Alex Marinelli is back, this time to talk Iowa. Mike runs him through the numbers behind the Hawkeyes' No. 6 preseason ranking, and Alex explains why he thinks the gap to a team…
- Ep 189 - Sebastian Rivera · 45 min · Season 1 Episode 189Sebastian Rivera won an Olympic bronze medal and a World silver, and then walked away from his coaching job at Columbia to go back to being a full-time athlete. In this episode…
- Ep 188 - Jason Borrelli · 54 min · Season 1 Episode 188American head coach Jason Borrelli sees his program's AthletorIQ development score for the first time, and he's not satisfied being #4. We dig into what the data says about who's…
- Ep 187 - TJ Sebolt · 51 min · Season 1 Episode 187J 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…
- Ep. 186 — Jeff Buxton · 1 h 3 min · Season 1 Episode 186Jeff 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…
- Ep. 185 – Matt Ciampa · 56 min · Season 1 Episode 185Mike 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…
- Ep 184 - Nelson Brands · 57 min · Season 1 Episode 184Nelson 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…
- Ep 183 — Coleman Scott · 59 min · Season 1 Episode 183Coleman 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…
- Ep 182 - Barry Davis · 47 min · Season 1 Episode 182Barry 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…
- Ep. 181 - Doug Schwab · 1 h 3 min · Season 1 Episode 181We 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…
- Ep 180 - Scott Green · 58 min · Season 1 Episode 180Scott 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…
- Why Wrestling's #1 Recruiting Pipeline Refuses NIL Deals | Athletor Podcast Ep 179 · 39 min · Season 1 Episode 179Wyoming 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…
- "I Care About the 22,000 Kids, Not the 141 D1 Recruits" | Athletor Podcast Ep 178 · 1 h 18 min · Season 1 Episode 179Shane 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…
- "It's just a fist fight for 7 minutes": Tommy Gantt on Wrestling to the UFC · 33 min · Season 1 Episode 177NC 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…
- Navy's Blaize Cabell on Camps, Coaching Feel, and the Rise of Danny Wass | Athletor Podcast Ep 176 · 44 min · Season 1 Episode 176Navy 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…
- Stop Cutting Weight: Damion Hahn's Case for Wrestling Up | Athletor Podcast Ep 175 · 1 h 6 min · Season 1 Episode 175Damion 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…
