Athletor Podcast with Mike Mal

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.

Athletor Podcast with Mike Mal is a sports podcast hosted by Mike Mal, with 190 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Mike Mal hosts Athletor Podcast with Mike Mal, a sports show with 190 episodes published.

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  Episode #190

  Why Alex Marinelli Thinks Iowa Is One Takedown From A Title | Athletor Podcast Ep 190

  Sep 30, 202651 minS1

  Alex 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 title comes down to one takedown at a time. He also shares what he's learned coaching 140 kids who all say they want to be elite. Guest: Alex Marinelli, Iowa four-time All-American and four-time Big Ten champion, founder and head coach of the Hawkeye Wrestling Academy Topics: Iowa's 2026-27 lineup, Ryder Block and Nasir Bailey, riding time and reversals, the jump from fourth to a team title, first-period aggression, motivating youth wrestlers, the Mount Rushmore of Iowa wrestling Iowa's full 2026-27 season preview: preview.athletorlive.com/teams/iowa Recruitable: Your step-by-step playbook for today's recruiting process: athletorlive.com/product/recruitable

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  Episode #189

  Ep 189 - Sebastian Rivera

  Sep 23, 202645 minS1

  Sebastian 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, he explains the "find peace in suffering" mindset that keeps him improving at 27, breaks down the front head and crackdown positions with Mike, and talks about what it took to bring Big Ten intensity to an Ivy League wrestling room. Guest: Sebastian Rivera, 2024 Olympic bronze medalist (65kg, Puerto Rico), 2023 World silver medalist, 5x NCAA All-American (Northwestern/Rutgers) Topics: stepping down from coaching to compete, find peace in suffering, Buxton and Pritzlaff as coaches, front head and crackdown technique, Columbia wrestling culture, folkstyle push-out rule Championship Fundraising Challenge - Raise your first $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

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  Episode #188

  Ep 188 - Jason Borrelli

  Sep 16, 202654 minS1

  American 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 really developing wrestlers, the 86% first-takedown win rate at NCAAs, and what Borrelli looks for in recruits that numbers can't capture. Guest : Jason Borrelli, Head Coach at American University, formerly Stanford's all-time winningest coach Topics : development scoring, data-driven recruiting, the 85-150 recruit band, overperformer mindset, first-takedown data, growing the sport Recruitable : Your step-by-step playbook for today's recruiting process, from first contact to signing day: athletorlive.com/product/recruitable

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  Episode #187

  Ep 187 - TJ Sebolt

  Sep 9, 202651 minS1

  J 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 two-mat room. He talks with Mike Mal about what it's really like coaching your own daughter at the international level, the moment he realized he'd pushed a kid too far, and why his wrestling room has world team boards but no state championship board. Guest: TJ Sebolt, 4x Iowa state champion, founder/head coach of Sebolt Wrestling Academy Topics: dad coaching, youth wrestling culture, building an elite club, state vs. national goals, discipline vs. fun, iron fist vs. velvet glove coaching Championship Fundraising Challenge - Raise your first $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

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  Episode #186

  Ep. 186 — Jeff Buxton

  Sep 2, 20261h 4mS1

  Jeff 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 Service award. Now coaching at Columbia under Donnie Pritzlaff, he talks about what it really takes to rebuild a program, why he split his own team to develop younger wrestlers, and what Bruce Burnett taught him about ankle laces. Guest: Jeff Buxton, Columbia University Assistant Wrestling Coach, Hall of Fame honoree, 30x National Prep Champion coach Topics: Columbia wrestling rebuild, Blair Academy dynasty, coaching philosophy, iron fist vs velvet glove, freestyle technical evolution, matside weigh-ins Championship Fundraising Challenge - Raise your first $500 in 2 weeks or your money back: athletorlive.com/product/championship-fundraising-challenge

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