Simmons took an Olympic redshirt during the 2002-2004 school year, winning the Pan American Championships. In 2005, Simmons competed in the University World Games, finishing in 5th place after losing in the bronze medal match. Simmons continued to make U.S. national teams(top 3 at the World Team Trials) for most of the next decade, including making the World Team in 2011. At the 2011 World Wrestling Championships, Simmons took 5th place, going 4-2 with losses to eventual silver medalist Radoslav Velikov and bronze medalist Hassan Rahimi.