InterMat Staff

TDR's studios will be on the move again this week as we come to you LIVE from the UNI Dome on the campus of the Panthers of the University of Northern Iowa for the 2009 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. We have recently completed our partnership with LiveSportsVideo.com for our video and audio streaming. Visit them for the play by play and visuals of all but the finals. We will audio stream the finals for those of you with no cable or Sat. TV. Wrestling Fans Make sure you have signed up for your free account at Livesportsvideo.com in advance. 2009 Confirmed Teams Division I: Boise State, Buffalo, Cornell, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Wyoming. Division II: Carson-Newman (TN), Central Oklahoma, Chadron State (NE), Findlay (OH), Limestone (SC), Mercyhurst (PA), Minnesota State-Mankato, Minnesota State-Moorhead, Nebraska-Kearney, Nebraska-Omaha, Newberry (SC), Pitt-Johnstown, St. Cloud State (MN.), Upper Iowa, Western State (CO.), Wisconsin-Parkside. Division III: Augsburg (MN), Buena Vista (IA), Coe (IA), Concordia (MN), Cornell College (IA), Delaware Valley (PA), Dubuque (IA), Heidelberg (OH), Johnson & Wales (RI), Luther (IA), Ohio Northern, Olivet (MI), St. John's (MN), Wartburg (IA), Wabash (IN) Wisconsin-La Crosse. NAIA: Briar Cliff (IA), Campbellsville (KY), Cumberlands (TN), Dana College (NE), Dickinson State (ND), Great Falls (MT), Lindenwood (MO), McKendree (IL), Missouri Valley, Montana State-Northern, Morningside (IA), Northwestern Colle (IA), Notre Dame College (OH), Oklahoma City, Southern Oregon, University of the Cumberlands (KY). NJCAA: Colby Community College (Kan.), Ellsworth Community College (Iowa), Harper College (Ill.), Iowa Central Community College, Labette Community College (Kan.), Neosho County Community College (Kan.), North Iowa Area Community College, St. Louis- Meremec Community College . Women: Jamestown College, Lindenwood, Menlo, Missouri Valley, Northern Michigan, Oklahoma City, Pacific, University of the Cumberlands Broadcast Schedule: Saturday 9:00 AM CST to Completion Sunday 9:00 AM CST Championships between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM CST

Wrestling 411 Radio will offer special weeklong coverage of the NWCA National Wrestling Duals from Cedar Falls, Iowa. The National Duals, held at the UNI Dome on the campus of Northern Iowa, will feature teams from Divisions I, II, III, NAIA, junior college, and women. Wrestling 411's coverage begins on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m., and concludes with a special post-finals highlight show at 5 p.m. on Sunday, January 10. There are 14 shows scheduled throughout the week. Jason Bryant and Kyle Klingman host the show. On January 6, 7, and 8, Wrestling 411 Radio will provide three live preview shows. Guests for these shows include Wyoming Head Coach Mark Branch, Coe College Head Coach Jon Oostendorp, and former two-time NCAA champion and 1980 Olympian Chuck Yagla. On Friday, January 9, Wrestling 411 Radio will broadcast live from the grand reopening of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum. The museum was destroyed by a flood this past summer and will be open to the public for the first time since June of 2008. Wrestling 411 Radio will provide live updates every two hours on January 10-11. Special guests will appear on the program both Saturday and Sunday. Visit www.intermatwrestle.com for live updates throughout the National Duals. For a complete schedule and a list of all teams competing, visit www.nationalduals.com. Fans can also visit www.livesportsvideo.com and www.collegewrestlingnetwork.com for additional coverage. Wrestling 411 Radio can be heard by visiting www.wrestling411.tv and clicking on the "Listen Live" link. All shows are archived on the site. Broadcast schedule: Tuesday, January 6, 2009 7 p.m. – National Duals Preview Show – Division I & II Guest – Mark Branch, University of Wyoming Head Wrestling Coach Wednesday, January 7, 2009 7 p.m. – National Duals Preview Show – Division III, NAIA, JUCO, Women Guest: Jon Oostendorp, Coe College Head Wrestling Coach Thursday, January 8, 2009 7 p.m. – Live from the Cedar Falls, Iowa Guest: Chuck Yagla, former two-time NCAA champion for the University of Iowa and this year's recipient of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Lifetime Achievement for Officials award. Friday, January 9, 2009 3 p.m. – Live from the grand reopening of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. Scheduled to appear at the grand opening are six Olympic wrestling champions, including Bill Smith (1952), Doug Blubaugh (1960), Dan Gable (1972), Ben Peterson (1972), Ed Banach (1984), and Randy Lewis (1984). Ben Askren, 2008 Olympian and two-time NCAA champion for Missouri, Jim Raschke, pro wrestling legend and 1963 world bronze medalist, and Chuck Yagla are also scheduled to appear. Saturday, January 10, 2009 Live highlight shows at 10:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 2:45 p.m., 4:45 p.m., 6:45 p.m., and 8:45 p.m. Sunday, January 11, 2009 Live highlight shows at 10:30 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 2:35 p.m., and 5 p.m.

NEW YORK -- The Beat the Streets Wrestling Program hosted a holiday training camp for New York City high school wrestlers on December 29-31, 2008 and January 2, 2009 at the Beat the Streets Manhattan Training Center. Students had the opportunity to train over the holiday week and learn new technical skills, as well as take part in basic cardiovascular conditioning, drilling, and live wrestling. The intensive camp was free for New York City high school wrestlers currently participating in Beat the Streets. The four-day training camp featured prestigious guest clinicians who designed and led the workouts to help students hone their technique. The guest clinicians included Greg Strobel, two-time NCAA Champ for Oregon State, former coach at Lehigh University, 1996 Olympic Coach, and USA Wrestling National Teams Director; Bobby Pennotti, NCAA All American for Montclair State; Yero Washington, two-time All American at Fresno State and Assistant Coach at Columbia University; and Joe DeMeo, three-time World Team Coach who has coached over 300 national champions and is a Former Coach at Albany State. "The holiday training camp provides New York City high school wrestlers access to some of the most recognized wrestlers and coaches from across the country," said Brian Giffin, President and Executive Director of Beat the Streets. "This camp is one of the many opportunities Beat the Streets offers its students that exposes them to different aspects of wrestling. We are proud to see that many of our students dedicate their free time to learn more about the sport of wrestling. Beat the Streets will continue to do its part to provide them with the best tools to enable them to succeed." Founded in 2004, Beat the Streets' mission is to expand wrestling in the New York City Metropolitan area from beginner to the Olympic level. Approximately 3,500 boys and girls from New York City schools currently participate in Beat the Streets after-school programs. Beat the Streets recently helped raise more than $2 million, the largest contribution to any school sport in the history of New York City's public schools. The organization works closely with a wide range of partners including coaches, school administrators, and current and former professional athletes to provide opportunities for children of diverse backgrounds to participate in opportunities beyond its own programs, including wrestling clinics, tournaments and summer camps. Please visit www.beat-the-streets.org for more information on the Beat the Streets Wrestling Program.

Dylan Ness is a different cat. That's the way Gordy Morgan, a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman Team who has known Dylan since he was a little boy, describes him with a chuckle. Dylan Ness won USA Wrestling's Triple Crown in 2008 (Photo/The Guillotine)Dylan's wrestling coach at Bloomington Kennedy High School, Chuck Vavrosky, describes him as a happy-go-lucky kid until it's time to wrestle. Then the other side of Dylan comes out. The side that makes him one of the most feared high school wrestlers in the country. In 2008, Dylan claimed USA Wrestling's Triple Crown in the cadet division by winning a national title in all three styles of wrestling (folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman), a feat that has only been accomplished five times ever in the cadet division. He crushed the competition at the prestigious Cadet Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota in July, going a combined 17-0 in the Greco-Roman and freestyle competition with 10 technical falls and four pins. Dylan was also Triple Crown winner as a schoolboy in 2006. Between 2007 and 2008, Dylan won a combined five national titles (two in folkstyle, two in Greco-Roman, and one in freestyle) as a cadet. Growing up a Ness It's not hard to figure out why Dylan Ness took an immediate liking to the sport of wrestling. By the time he started wrestling with the Bloomington Athletic Association, when he was in kindergarten, wrestling had already become a way of life for the Ness family. Dylan's older brother by five years, Jayson, now a two-time All-American and NCAA runner-up at the University of Minnesota, was racking up trophies at state and national events. Dylan's father, Jay, grew up a hockey player in Minneapolis. His mother, Sally, grew up in Plymouth. The couple moved to Bloomington because of the reputation of the hockey programs in the city. In Bloomington, kids aren't allowed to start playing organized hockey until second grade. During the summer, when Jayson was young, Sally would take him to the park regularly. In the winter, she would bring him to the McDonald's indoor playground. But that wasn't enough. She felt that Jayson needed more activity. Sally noticed that when Jayson would play tag with the other kids, he always needed breaks because he would be out of breath (He was initially diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, although it was later determined that he was misdiagnosed and had asthma.) "I'm like, 'Jay, we can't wait until second grade," recalled Sally Ness. "He needs to get some exercise.'" Sally soon found out that in Bloomington kids could start wrestling in kindergarten. So instead of waiting until second grade to start playing organized hockey, she signed Jayson up for wrestling. After all, it was only $25 to join, plus Bloomington had a strong wrestling tradition. Bloomington Kennedy High School was a wrestling powerhouse in the late 70s and early 80s. The Eagles qualified for the state team tournament from 1978 to 1986, winning state titles in 1980 and 1984, and produced standout wrestler likes the Morgan brothers (John, Gordy, and Marty), and Joel Sharratt. Once Jayson signed up for wrestling, Jay took the attitude of, "OK, if my son is going to be a wrestler, I'm going to do everything I can to help him be successful." So Jay Ness, who had never seen a wrestling match until Jayson started wrestling, literally became a sponge. He soaked up as much information as he could about wrestling by reading books, going to practices, and picking the brains of great wrestling minds throughout Minnesota, people like the Morgan brothers, Brandon Paulson, John Thorn, Pat Zilverberg, and Pat Bigboy. Gordy Morgan (Photo/The Guillotine)"I could tell their family loved wrestling," said Gordy Morgan, who has served as the head freestyle coach of the Minnesota Storm Wrestling Club since 2001. "They would ask me a bunch of questions. Before we knew it, we were friends." Jay picked up a wrestling mat to put in the basement so the Ness boys and their friends could practice at home. Gordy, who lived nearby, would come over to their house and work on technique with Jayson, while Jay took notes, and Dylan and Gordy's son, Ben, played together. "I would show Jayson stuff, and then when I would get done, I would say, 'OK, Jayson, I'm showing you this stuff now, but I want you to be able to show Dylan and Ben this stuff someday,'" recalled Gordy. Jay and Sally Ness were supportive wrestling parents to the core. They were not only there for their own kids, but also for other kids. When other parents weren't able to take their kids to the wrestling tournaments, Jay and Sally would take care of it. They fed the kids dinner, let them practice on the wrestling mat in their basement, let them stay overnight, and took them to the tournaments. You name it, they did it. Jay took Dylan and Jayson to wrestling tournaments and camps all over the country. Dylan was successful from the get go. And he loved every minute of it. He won his first national title, in Greco-Roman, as a novice (12 and under). Dylan was winning and creating a unique wrestling style in the process. "Dylan was a scrapper," recalled Brad Pike, a two-time All-American for the University of Minnesota, who started coaching Dylan in the Bloomington Wrestling Club in 1998. "He was unpredictable. You didn't know what his next move would be or the next thing he was going to try. He wasn't just a basic wrestler. He did the moves his own way. He was successful wrestling that style, but in a way, it was sometimes harder to coach him because he had his own take on how to do the moves. He didn't do the moves the way someone would traditionally do the moves. He always liked to use a little more funk." Dylan's matches were wild and high scoring. Points would be flying around everywhere. Gordy would often times say to Jay, as the two sat in Dylan's corner, "You watch the scoreboard. I'll coach the match." The stories of young Dylan Ness are comical. Like the first time he went to Tulsa Nationals as a kindergartner, got pinned in 20 seconds, threw a fit and refused to get off the mat, and then told Olympic silver medalist Brandon Paulson, who was coaching him at the time, that he's the worst coach ever and doesn't know anything about wrestling. (The two are now friends.) Or the time he showed up at the kids state tournament with a blue Mohawk given to him by Josh Holiday, and when he wrestled his matches, the blue dye from his hair would get on his opponents' singlets. Or the time he tried to impress Marty Morgan, when Jayson was being recruited to the University of Minnesota, by putting his national championship trophy and straight-A report card on the table for the then-Gopher head assistant coach to see. Or the other time he tried to impress Marty Morgan, while Jayson was being recruited, by flexing his 12-year-old muscles and shouting, "Hey Marty, recruit this!" A short time later, after Dylan asked for his dad's help to get a pickle jar open, Marty looked over at Dylan and said, "Hey Dylan, when you can beat the pickle jar, we'll start recruiting you." Wrestling at Bloomington Kennedy Dylan broke into the varsity lineup at Bloomington Kennedy as an eighth-grader weighing only 90 pounds. He posted a 23-13 record as an undersized 103-pounder, placed third in the section tournament, and missed qualifying the state tournament by one match. The next season, as a freshman, Dylan went 39-3 and placed third at the state tournament at 103 pounds. Last season, Dylan compiled a 40-2 record and once again placed third again at the state tournament, this time at 119 pounds. Dylan's only loss at the state tournament came to Apple Valley phenom Destin McCauley, a sophomore who is on track to become Minnesota's first six-time state champion. Dylan Ness lost in the state semifinals last season to Apple Valley phenom Destin McCauley, but came back to place third (Photo/The Guillotine)Against McCauley, Dylan went for the big move at the beginning of the match, a throw, and it backfired. He quickly found himself down 5-0. A five-point deficit against a wrestler as skilled and savvy as McCauley is virtually impossible to come back from. McCauley, who won a Cadet Nationals title in Fargo last summer, cruised to a 15-4 victory. "I think Dylan learned a lot from that match," said Jayson, who was in Dylan's corner coaching him in that match. "He has learned to slow things down. He comes out with a lot more confidence in his matches now. He is just a lot better at attacking. In that match, Dylan came out slow and a little bit scared. He went for the homerun move and he didn't need it. He learned there is a time to use the big moves, or junk, and there is a time to wrestle solid and stay in good position." Vavrosky, who has been the head wrestling coach at Bloomington Kennedy since 1986, also questioned Dylan's match strategy against McCauley. Recalled Vavrosky, "I asked Dylan, ‘Did you think you had to have a big move to beat Destin? Or did you just think that big move was there?' Because in order to beat someone of Destin's caliber, you have to be very sound technically with your basic stuff. That's how you're going to beat him. A big move will not beat a wrestler of his caliber on most occasions." Off-season success Those close to Dylan believe that loss to McCauley at the state tournament helped fuel him in the spring and summer tournaments. Dylan admits it himself. "That loss helped me a lot because I knew that I wrestled really bad," said Dylan. "I had to come back. I knew that I could do a lot better than that and felt that I could prove it in the spring and summer." Dylan Ness (Photo/The Guillotine)Last April, Dylan went out to Cedar Falls and won USA Wrestling's Folkstyle Nationals with a pin in the championship match. In June, he went 6-0 at the Cadet National Duals (Greco-Roman) in Kansas City, and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Then, in July, Dylan capped off the Cadet Triple Crown by winning Cadet Nationals in freestyle and Greco-Roman in Fargo. "Watching Dylan wrestle in Fargo last summer was incredible," said Jay. "That's the most confidence I've ever seen him show on the mat. I think he matured. He really felt that he could do what he set out to do. It was a lot of fun watching him." Brotherly love Dylan and Jayson are each other's biggest supporters. They grew up always doing things together. The sport of wrestling has only brought the two brothers closer together. In some families, there is rivalry between siblings. That is not the case with Dylan and Jayson. There is only love, support, and friendship. The two brothers have remained close despite the five-year difference in age. "It's great to see Dylan accomplish some of the things I could never do," said Jayson. "It goes to show that all the hard work he has put in, and all the time he has spent following me around, is paying off. It shows that he has actually been paying attention and learning things." Jayson has passed on a lot of what he has learned in the sport to Dylan, just like Gordy asked him to do over a decade ago. Unfortunately for Gordy, his signature half nelson series he showed Jayson when he was a little guy … Well, Jayson passed it on to Dylan, who used it to pin Gordy's son, Ben, a state champion for Forest Lake High School, two years in a row in the finals of the St. Francis Invitational. Not only has Jayson passed on wrestling skills to Dylan, but also things off the mat. "Jayson would always fold his clothes when he would go out to wrestle," said Sally. "It was about respecting everything around you. So Jayson told Dylan that. And now Dylan folds other people's clothes when they wrestle. It's just a respect thing. It's not from me. It was passed on from Jayson to Dylan." Jayson has wowed crowds at wrestling events for many years because of his on-the-mat exploits. Last season, he pinned 20 opponents, tying Marty Morgan's single-season pin record at the University of Minnesota, using Gordy's signature half nelson series for many of the pins. Jayson, because of his humility and pinning prowess, has become a fan favorite not only for Minnesota wrestling fans, but also wrestling fans throughout the country. Jayson often times acknowledges his hometown fans after he gives them what they came to see. Last season, Jayson Ness tied Marty Morgan's single season pin record at the University of Minnesota (Photo/University of Minnesota Sports Information)"It might appear like Jayson likes the spotlight, but I don't think he does," said Sally. "I think Jayson noticed that when other people didn't acknowledge somebody, it didn't look right. The crowd came to see you, so you should acknowledge them. They are there for you, so don't shy away. And then Jayson told Dylan that. So Dylan has picked it up at an earlier age, to respect the people out there who come to see you." Even though Jayson has passed on many things he has learned to Dylan, the two brothers are much different in many respects both on and off the mat. Dylan is a free spirit who just goes with the flow, while Jayson is much more organized and prefers structure. Dylan's wrestling style is wide open with a lot of flair. Jayson's wrestling style is controlled with virtually no flair. "I think they're very different," said Vavrosky. "Jayson comes at you with a total work ethic. He's all business, whereas Dylan is a happy-go-lucky kid. He's having a good time in the wrestling room, but yet he's working at becoming a better wrestler all the time." Gordy also sees those differences in the two brothers. "If you wanted to pick a kid who is a textbook, straight-and-narrow wrestler, by the book, no frills, that's Jayson," said Gordy. "He just works hard and doesn't ever really go out of the box. If you look at Dylan, he's out of the box. He thinks out of the box, so the stuff he does is out of the box. But he makes sure it will work for him." Now and the future Dylan moved up four weight classes from last season when he competed at 119 pounds. He's now competing at 140 pounds in his junior season. On December 20, Dylan won the Minnesota Christmas Tournament in Rochester, which is Minnesota's premier midseason individual tournament. In the finals, Dylan won 11-4 over Hofstra recruit Luke Vaith of Hastings High School. "I tell you what … It's unbelievable how his mentality has changed this season," said Pike, who has been an assistant coach at Bloomington Kennedy since 2001. "He has grown up a lot. He has filled into his body. And he's very focused." Dylan, who is ranked as the eighth best high school junior in the U.S. across all weight classes by RevWrestling.com, is still looking for that elusive state title after losing in the state semifinals the past two seasons. Dylan Ness has given a verbal commitment to wrestle at the University of Minnesota (Photo/The Guillotine) "It's really important to me to win the state title," said Dylan. "I have finished third the last two years. I just want to get to the top of the podium and prove that I can win state. I've done the national stuff. Now I have to get the state title." Although Dylan is still only a junior in high school, he has verbally committed to wrestle at the University of Minnesota after high school. "I just wanted to get done with it early," said Dylan of his verbal commitment. "I don't want to have to deal it with next year as a senior. I don't have to look at other schools. I can just worry about wrestling and having fun. The U is close to home. My brother is there. I know all the coaches and the guys. So it's just nice." So what are Dylan's wrestling aspirations after high school? "I want to win an NCAA title and hopefully make it to the Olympics and do well there." Please Note: This story also appears in the January 2 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering amateur wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote amateur wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. For information on how to subscribe, click HERE.

Three Huskers posted six bonus-point victories to propel the No. 3 Nebraska wrestling team to dual wins over No. 15 Michigan (22-13) and Northern Colorado (39-3) in front of more than 960 fans at the NU Coliseum on Sunday. Jordan Burroughs, Stephen Dwyer and Craig Brester collected four major decisions and two technical falls between them to move Nebraska to a perfect 6-0 in duals this season. The Wolverines and Bears dropped to 3-3 and 1-5-1, respectively. Wrestling at 157 pounds, Burroughs opened with five takedowns in the first period against Michigan's Aaron Hynes en route to a 24-8 technical fall over the Wolverine and posted a 19-8 major decision over Northern Colorado's Justin Gaethje in his second match of the day. Gaethje wrestled the junior from Sicklerville, N.J., close until Burroughs exploded for six takedowns in the final period to take a commanding lead. Burroughs is now 14-0 on the season and is second on the team with seven major decisions. Dwyer accomplished the same feat at 165 pounds, collecting a major decision and technical fall to improve to a 14-1 record. The junior racked up more than two minutes of riding time against UM's Just Zeerip for a 9-1 major decision and recorded three nearfalls to earn a 23-6 technical fall over Northern Colorado's Tanner Weiks. Dwyer leads the Huskers with three technical falls and has five major decisions. Brester continued thrashing opponents at 197 pounds by adding two more major decisions to his 15-0 record. The junior from Howells, Neb., downed Michigan's Erich Smith 15-4 courtesy of a six-point first period and notched four takedowns in the first period against UNC's Patrick Carey en route to a 19-6 victory. Brester has posted bonus-point victories in 14 of his 15 matches this season and is tied for the team lead with seven major decisions. Redshirt freshman Tucker Lane won a 4-1 decision over UM's Chad Bleske before pinning Justin Tuell of Northern Colorado in 4:15 at heavyweight, while Patrick Aleksanyan (133) and Robert Sanders (149) also posted perfect 2-0 records on the day to help solidify NU's lower weights. Freshman Jon Burns made his career debut against Michigan, but lost an 8-0 major decision to fourth-ranked Kellen Russell at 141 pounds. Burns bounced back by pinning Northern Colorado's Lance Gallegos in 2:53. Vince Jones and Brandon Browne also lost one match on the day to a ranked opponent. Top ranked Steve Luke of Michigan defeated Browne 6-2, while No. 11 Anthony Biondo earned a 9-6 decision over Jones. Both Huskers earned victories over Northern Colorado opponents in their second matches of the day. Nebraska returns to action next weekend at the NWCA National Duals at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Wrestling begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The No. 6 Ohio State wrestling team opened the New Year with a 20-15 win over Kent State Sunday night in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes came back from a 13-15 score going into the final two matches to hold off the Golden Flashes. The Buckeyes began their rally at 149 when fourth-ranked Lance Palmer defeated Clint Sponseller, Ohio State's Colt Sponseller's brother, in a 9-0 major decision and gave the Buckeye a 17-15 lead going into the final match. In the first period, Palmer took down Sponseller at 2:05 to get the early 2-0 lead. Palmer went on to take down Sponseller again in the third period with 59 seconds remaining to seal the victory. Palmer holds a 10-2 record this season. The final match, Ohio State's No. 15 Jason Johnstone and Ross Tice battled at 157 for the outright team victory. Tice opened the match with a take down, but Johnstone took the lead after an escape and a take down to give him a 2-1 lead to end the first period. The second period ended with a 6-2 score in Ohio State's favor. The match ended with a total of three take downs for Johnstone in a 9-3 victory and sealed the win for the Buckeyes. In the first two matches, two members of the Buckeye squad won in major decisions and gave Ohio State an early lead. In 165, Colt Sponseller defeated Obie Simpson and posted five take downs to finish with a final 12-4 score. In 184, top-ranked Mike Pucillo held off No. 6 Dustin Kilgore with a 6-1 win to extend Ohio State's lead to 10-0. Pucillo recorded two take downs and an escape. Kent State, however, battled back into the match with three upsets against the Buckeyes. In heavyweight, No. 14 Corey Morrison of Ohio State was upset by Jermail Porter in a 4-3 decision. Morrison was ahead after two periods, 3-1, but Porter was able to take down Morrison with 15 seconds remaining and claimed 1:15 in riding time to close the match. Morrison moved to 12-5 this season. With a 5-2 final, Ohio State's No. 18 Nikko Triggas was upset by Nic Bedelyon. Triggas was taken down in the final minute to claim the victory for Bedelyon. Triggas is 13-6 on the season. The Golden Flashes took the lead after No. 12 J Jaggers was pinned by Kent State's Drew Lashaway to make the score 15-13 in Kent State's favor. Ohio State continues its win streak with a 4-0 record, while Kent State fell to 3-2 record. The Buckeyes will travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa for the National Duals Jan. 10-11.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas -- The No. 11th-ranked Oklahoma wrestling team breezed through the Lonestar Duals in Grand Prairie, Texas, Saturday, easily defeating North Carolina (27-3), Nebraska-Kearney (32-7), Appalachian State (43-3) and Stanford (35-3) to improve to 11-0 on the year. Winning 35 of 40 possible matches, Oklahoma outscored its opponents by a 137-16 margin, or an average of 34-4. All individually-ranked Sooners went unbeaten at the Texas tournament, including four wins each for No. 9-ranked Jeff James (174 pounds) and No. 19 Nathan Fernandez (285). Picking up three wins were No. 13 Joey Fio (125 pounds), No. 14 Kyle Terry (149), No. 13 Eric Lapotsky (197) and No. 19 Flynn (184). Oklahoma flexed its depth, as 17 Sooners took the mat on the day, including three-time All-American Will Rowe, J.R. Roman, Seth Vernon, Kyle Bergstedt, Chad Terry, Brian Shelton and Josh Hinton. The reserves went 8-3 on the day. The 11 wins so far this season marks the 14th consecutive campaign the Sooners have posted 10 or more wins under head coach Jack Spates. The team is off to its best start since 1985, when Stan Abel's squad began the year 12-0. The Sooners will look to remain unbeaten on the season when it hits the road to Chattanooga, Tenn., next Sunday, Jan. 11, at 1 p.m.

DICKINSON, N.D. -- Claiming six champions and co-champions to go along with 18 placewinners, the Augsburg College wrestling team claimed victory at the Dickinson State University Blue Hawk Classic on Saturday at Dickinson State. Augsburg, ranked No. 7 in the latest NCAA Division III national rankings, collected 149.5 team points to win the title, ahead of second-place Dickinson State (N.D.), the No. 4-ranked team in the latest NAIA national rankings, with 76.5 points. Chadron State (Neb.), ranked No. 11 in the latest NCAA Division II national rankings, was third with 70.0 points, and the University of Great Falls (Mont.), ranked No. 3 in the NAIA, was fourthy with 65.5 points. Concordia-Moorhead, ranked No. 21 in Division III, was fifth with 60.0 points. Augsburg's Travis Lang (SR, Bismarck, N.D.), the top-ranked wrestler in Division III at 133 pounds, continued his dominant start to the season with two first-period pins to share the title at 133 with teammate Alex Johnson (FY, Foxhome, Minn./Breckenridge HS). Lang, now 20-0 on the season, has recorded 18 bonus-point triumphs -- 14 pins, two major decisions and two technical falls. Andy Witzel (JR, Fulda, Minn.), ranked No. 3 at heavyweight, improved to 19-1 on the season with three wins, including two pins, to share his weight class title with teammate Tyson Barrett (JR, Excelsior, Minn./Minnetonka HS). Jason Adams (JR, Coon Rapids, Minn.), ranked No. 9 nationally at 157, collected three wins, including a 15-0, technical-fall win in his opening match and a 57-second pin in the finals, to win his weight class crown. Zach Molitor scored the 174-pound title for the Auggies with three wins, including a 5-0 win over Chadron State's Brett Hunter, currently ranked No. 5 in Division II, in the finals. Brandon Bahr (FY, Bemidji, Minn.) placed second for the Auggies at 165, while three Auggies placed third in their weight classes -- Zach Hansen (JR, Albert Lea, Minn.) at 149, Orlando Ponce at 157 and Beau Hansen (SO, Albert Lea, Minn.) at 165. Placing fourth for Augsburg were Tony Valek (FY, Belle Plaine, Minn./Scott West) at 141, Brett Landrum (SO, Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS) at 165, Matt Curtis (JR, Coon Rapids, Minn.) at 174 and Brad Baus (FY, Mukwonago, Wis.) at 184. Placing fifth for Augsburg were Garrett Long (JR, Cedar, Minn./St. Francis HS) at 184 and Andy Peterson (JR, Grand Marais, Minn./Milaca HS) at 197, and Freddie Vigil (JR, Bakersfield, Calif./South HS) placed sixth at 125, as did Trenton Larrieu (FY, Spring Valley, Wis.) at 174. Augsburg returns to action next Saturday and Sunday (1/10-11) at the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III National Duals at the University of Northern Iowa's UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Central Michigan won eight of 10 individual bouts en route to a 29-6 nonconference dual win at Michigan State on Saturday. The win was CMU's eighth straight over the Spartans. The Chippewas (5-1), ranked 12th in the most recent NWCA/InterMat poll, have won 13 of their last 14 duals dating back to last season. Freshman Scotti Sentes put CMU in front for good with a major decision at 125 pounds. Sentes scored a takedown and three-point nearfall in both the first and third periods in an 11-0 shutout of Eric Olanowski. Sentes improved to 11-3 on the year with the win. Franklin Gomez, the nation's top-ranked 133 pounder, scored an 11-4 decision over CMU's Conor Beebe. From there, however, the Chippewas won seven of the match's final eight bouts to win going away. Tony D'Alie stretched CMU's lead to 10-3 by pinning Colin Dozier at 141 pounds. D'Alie was leading, 11-5, when he stuck Dozier with 44 seconds remaining in the third period. Steve Brown and Tyler Grayson then scored decisions at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively. Grayson forced overtime with an escape late in the third period, then won the match with a takedown and two-point nearfall in sudden victory. A trio of third-period takedowns led to an 11-3 major decision at 165 pounds for Trevor Stewart over Rex Kendle. Mike Miller then used a second-period escape and riding time to grind out a 2-0 decision against Ian Hinton at 174 pounds. Michigan State's only other victory came at 184 pounds, where Nick Palmieri posted an 8-6 decision against Vince DiDona. Palmieri scored two takedowns in the first period and another in the third. Eric Simaz and Jarod Trice delivered decisions at 197 pounds and heavyweight for CMU. Simaz used a second-period reversal and riding time to claim his 3-1 victory, while a takedown in the final minute helped Trice secure his 4-1 decision at heavyweight. CMU is back in action next weekend, competing in the Virginia Duals. The two-day tournament begins Friday, Jan. 9.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The University of Northern Iowa wrestling squad picked up a pair of dual wins on Saturday with triumphs over Buffalo (28-6) and Cleveland State (32-10) to run its current dual win streak to four in a row. Head coach Brad Penrith said he was pleased with his team's effort in earning the two victories. "We performed well and it was a good challenge to have back-to-back duals," Penrith said. "It was nice to get some new guys in there and get those guys some wins." A couple of the 'new' guys Penrith referred to really aren't new to the Panther program as both senior Alex Dolly (184 lbs.) and junior Brett Robbins (149 lbs.) returned to the mat for the first time this season. Dolly was wrestling for the first time since earning a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA, while Robbins was wrestling for the first time in nearly two years after elbow surgery and a knee injury sidelined him. Dolly picked up a pair of dual wins as he scored a 7-2 victory over Buffalo's Mickey Moran and a then notched a 22-6 technical fall over Cleveland State's Derek Cummins. Robbins' win came at 149 pounds against Cleveland State when he secured a 7-1 victory over the Vikings' Antonio Nicholson. Robbins was impressive in his debut as the only point he allowed was a third period escape after he had already steadied himself with a 6-0 lead. UNI senior Moza Fay recorded a pair of falls on the day at 165 pounds to improve to 16-1 on the season. Fay scored a first-period fall over Buffalo's Ron Majerus at the 1:48 mark. Fay then came back with a second-period pin of Cleveland State's Rob Michaels at the 4:52 mark of the second dual. Sophomore Caleb Flores (125 lbs.) also tallied two wins on the day but he had to work a little longer than Fay for his victories. Flores scored a 6-3 win over Buffalo's Dan Bishop, but then had to rally late against Cleveland State's Jordan Keller. Keller led 1-0 in the final seconds before Flores was able to score a takedown and claim the 2-1 win. Sophomore Trevor Kittleson (157 lbs.) earned two dual wins. Kittleson scored a 15-2 major decision over Buffalo's John-Martin Cannon and followed it up with a 10-5 decision over Cleveland State's Carey Carlo. The Panthers were also scheduled to take on Gardner-Webb in their third dual of the day. However, Gardner-Webb could not make the trip to Cleveland because of inclement weather in North Carolina. The Panthers improved to 4-2 on the season. UNI will be in action Jan. 10-11 as it hosts the 2009 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals presented by Hibiclens.

PHOENIX -- The Arizona State University wrestling team won nine of 10 bouts and scored bonus points in seven of those bouts to easily hand host Grand Canyon a 41-6 defeat in dual conducted inside Antelope Gym on the GCU campus in Phoenix. The Sun Devils, wrestling as the visiting team on an in-state opponents mats for the fist time since 1993, improved to 4-2 overall on the year while the host 'Lopes slipped to 0-6. The last time the Sun Devils were the guests of another Arizona institution was on December 17, 1993, when ASU traveled to Phoenix College and handed its hosts a 40-0 blanking. The victory today improves the Sun Devils to 2-0-0 all-time in the series with the 'Lopes and gives ASU an all-time record of 60-9-0 against teams from the state of Arizona. The win at GCU also marked the 40th in a row over an Arizona school and the 18th in a row on the road. The dual opened at 157 pounds where Michael Swigart scored a 12-1 major decision to stake the visitors to an early 4-0 lead. At 165 pounds, Kyle DeBerry secured a major decision victory of his own as he downed Jack Porter, 11-0. Leading 8-0 in the team race, Eric Starks took a 7-0 decision at 174, putting ASU on top, 11-0. At 184 pounds, Jake Meredith recorded an early takedown and worked for back points before flipping his opponent, Adam Barnett, onto his back for the win by fall in 1:44. Jake Cranford, who recently moved up in weight to 197, picked-up the Sun Devils' third major decision win of the day, taking care of Brian Cooper, 10-2. Leading 21-0 in the team standings, the Sun Devils put the team victory out of reach as the ‘Lopes gave forfeit victories to Imanibom Etukeren at heavyweight and No. 8 Anthony Robles at 125. Those two wins, both worth six teams points, pushed the visitor's advantage to 33-0. Clinging to a shut-out victory in the team race, ASU was tested at 133 pounds where Angel Alegre and former Sun Devil Alex Contreras battled. Contreras scored a two-point reversal in the second period before Alegre escaped and then added his second escape to the start the third to tie the score at 2-2. In the overtime period, both men looked for the win when Contreras shot in. Alegre sprawled and eventually gained control to move behind for the takedown and a 4-2 victory. No. 5 Chris Drouin followed that ASU victory with a technical fall win of his own, downing his opponent, 16-1, in 5:24. With one bout remaining, ASU was looking for its second shut out of the year, but a scramble on the mat put Josh Calteux into a tough position where he was caught for the pin fall at 2:19, giving GCU's Bryan Scambler the win and bringing the final team score to 41-6. ASU will wrestled again on Sunday evening when Pac-10 rival CS Bakersfield (3-3, 2-0 Pac-10) invades Wells Fargo Arena for a 6 p.m. dual.

The University of Minnesota wrestling team went 3-0 in dual meet action at the Lone Star Duals on Saturday in Dallas, Texas. The Gophers defeated Army (26-15), Air Force (41-3) and Harvard (28-20) to improve their dual meet record to 6-2 this season. Zach Sanders and Jayson Ness each posted 3-0 records on the day to pace the Gophers. Chris McPhail recorded pins on both of his matches at 197 pounds and Ben Berhow (Hwt.) was also unbeaten, notching major decision wins in both of his matches. Sanders, ranked seventh in the most recent NWCA/InterMat poll at 125 pounds, improved his record to 20-1 with his three wins on Saturday. Sanders' pin in his match with Air Force's Andrew Zwirlein was his fourth of the season. His 20 wins this season leads the team. Two of Ness' three wins on the day came via pin. The two-time All-American boosted his 2008-09 record to 19-1 with 13 pins. Ness pinned Army's Whitt Dunning in just 1:43 and Air Force's Derek Gillespie in 2:32. The Bloomington, Minn. native needs just seven more pins this season to match his school record 20 pins he set last season. Minnesota opened their day with a 26-15 win over Army. Sanders got things started for the Gophers with a 20-8 major decision victory over Army's Travis Coffey and Ness followed with his first pin of the day over Dunning to push the Gopher lead to 10-0 through two matches. The Gophers also got a pin from Matt Everson at 165 pounds, a major decision win by Safratowich at 157 pounds, and decision wins from Mike Thorn (141 pounds) and Sonny Yohn (184 pounds) to secure the dual win over the Black Knights. Against Air Force, the Gophers parlayed pins from Sanders, Ness and Chris McPhail (197 pounds) to cruise to a 41-3 win. A technical fall win from Safratowich at 157 pounds and major decision victories from Thorn (141 pounds), Brent Eidenschink (184 pounds) and Ben Berhow (Hwt.) helped the Gophers rack up their second-highest dual meet team point total of the season against the Falcons. The Gophers required a comeback to defeat Harvard 28-20 in their final dual of the day. Minnesota opened up a 9-0 lead on the strength of a forfeit win by Zach Sanders at 125 pounds and an 8-2 decision victory by Ness over Harvard's Thomas Picarsic at 133. The Crimson bounced back with a pin by second-ranked Corey Jantzen over Thorn at 141 pounds, a technical fall win by Walter Peppelman over Brian Peterson at 149 pounds and a narrow 3-2 decision victory by No. 3 J.P. O'Connor over Safratowich at 157 pounds to vault to a 14-9 lead. The Gophers responded with wins in four of the last five matches, including a pin by Chris McPhail in just 2:35 over Sean Murphy at 197 pounds and a 18-7 major decision win by Berhow in the heavyweight bout to seal the victory. Minnesota returns to action next weekend at the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Gophers' next home dual is set from Jan. 25 against Michigan State at the Sports Pavilion. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-U-GOPHER or by contacting the Gopher Ticket Office at 612-624-8080.

PHILADELPHIA -- No. 23 Penn put on quite a display in The Palestra on Saturday, scoring 129 points over three duals en route to a perfect 3-0 day at the Penn Duals. The Quakers opened the day with a 42-9 win over Delaware State, then followed that with a 49-0 shutout of Franklin & Marshall and ended the day with a 38-7 victory over East Stroudsburg. 19 matches ended with bonus points for the Red and Blue, including all five victories from the Rappo brothers. Older brother Rick picked up a forfeit victory in the dual with F&M and then added a pin of ESU's Matthew Rizzo at the 3:44 mark of their match. Younger brother Mark did Rick one better, scoring bonus points in all three of his bouts. He started the day with a pin at 4:19 over Delaware State's Wilson Williams. In his second bout, he scored a 17-2 technical fall win over F&M's Stephen Sabreen at the 5:23 mark. He capped his remarkable day with his second pinfall, needing just 3:23 to capture ESU's David Luthy on the mat. Matt Dragon continued his impressive 2008-09 season, picking up two tech fall wins in his two matches. Dan Zander went 2-1 on the day with two pinfall wins. Penn ups its dual record to 4-1 heading into next weekend's Virginia Duals.

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. -- Lehigh opened up the 2009 portion of its schedule in impressive fashion, winning the first nine bouts of the evening in a 35-3 rout of West Virginia Friday night at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountain Hawks enjoyed four bonus wins, including falls from freshman Zach Rey and junior Seth Ciasulli and major decisions from freshmen Sean Bilodeau and Joe Kennedy to win their eleventh straight dual meet to start the season. "I didn't think we'd be in a position where we'd be 35-0," said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. "There were a handful of matches that were very close, low scoring and could have gone either way. We'll need to do a better job of going out and scoring more points, but we're getting there in terms of going out and getting better." On a night when scoring was hard to come by Bilodeau had three of Lehigh's eight takedowns on the night in an 8-0 victory over Ryan Goodman at 157. West Virginia expected to have several of its starters back in the lineup, including Donnie Jones at 165, but Mike Galante was able to continue Lehigh's early momentum with a 4-1 victory. Sophomore Alex Caruso and junior David Craig followed with wins by decision to run the Lehigh lead to 13-0. At 197, Kennedy rolled to an 8-0 major decision over Kyle Rooney without the benefit of a takedown. Leading 1-0 at the start of the third period, Kennedy tilted Rooney for three early in the period and added another three-point near fall in the final seconds. Riding time advantage accounted for the final points. Rey picked up his second pin of the season, decking 17th-ranked Dustin Rogers in the third period. Tied 1-1 in the final period Rey converted a single leg takedown and when Rogers tried to scramble out Rey caught Rogers on his back, securing the fall in 5:58. Lehigh took the next two bouts by decision, as sophomore Mitch Berger, filling in for freshman John McDonald, held off Kyle Turnbull 2-1 at 125 and Matt Fisk mustered a 2-0 win over Tyler Oravec at 133. At 141 Ciasulli broke a string of seven straight scoreless first periods with a first period takedown of Colin Johnston. Ciasulli eventually worked Johnston over with a half-nelson and earned his second fall of the season in 2:33. The final bout of the night was the much anticipated battle between seniors Trevor Chinn and David Jauregui. Chinn scored the opening takedown and led 3-2 in the final seconds before he was penalized for stalling. The match went into the tiebreakers where each grappler mustered an escape, but Jauregui converted a takedown, the Mountaineers' only takedown of the match in the final seconds to win 6-4. The Mountain Hawks will return to the mats on Sunday when they travel to State College, Pa. for the 97th meeting in one of eastern wrestling's oldest and most intense rivalries as Lehigh faces off against No. 16 Penn State. The match gets underway at 1 p.m. and it can be seen live on Service Electric 2 Sports, Fox College Sports Pacific and online at Lehighsports.com.

TDR returns to our Brute Adidas home studios this week after 5 days on the road at The Midlands. the championships did not disappoint with its myriad of twists and turns, ups and downs. It was incredible. We witnessed the "Old Man- Chris Bono" pull one out with a championship title, we saw Brent Metcalf of Iowa and Jake Herbert of Northwestern perform like well oiled machines. Congratulations to the Hawkeyes for their 3 point advantage win. Yes it was that close. The 46 th Midlands will go down as one of the most entertaining events in my career. Special thanks to Tim Cysewski, Drew Pariano, Scott Hammer and Mr/DR. Ken Kraft and their staff for helping us through out the week. That's the way a tournament should be done. Good job by all. this week on TDR: In studio Guests- Jeff Murphy and Spartan Strength Owner Nick Rouse Our guests include the National Hall of Fame Honoree's- Ed Eichelberger- When signing an autograph, Edward Baxter Eichelberger always adds "Galatians 6:14" after his signature. It reads: But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. He was coached by a legend in high school – Billy Martin at Granby High School in Norfolk, Va. – and by another legend in college – Gerald Leeman at Lehigh. Eichelberger was undefeated his final three years of high school, winning three state titles in Virginia. His career at Lehigh included two NCAA championships and a 55-3-1 record with 37 pins. One of his losses came in the 1954 NCAA finals to Myron Roderick of Oklahoma A&M. He was named the EIWA Tournament's Outstanding Wrestler in 1955 and 1956 and the NCAA Tournament's OW in 1955. Employed by IBM since 1956, Eichelberger earned his Masters and Ph.D. from Princeton. Dennis Koslowski- A two-time Division III national champion at Minnesota-Morris, Koslowski began the transition to Greco-Roman soon after graduating in 1982. One year later, in 1983, Koslowski would win the first of his 7 USAW Greco-Roman titles. In 1987 at the World Championships in France, Koslowski earned a silver medal at 220 pounds. At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, the Minneapolis resident would bring home a bronze medal, and four years later at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, the 220-pounder would earn a silver medal. He was the first to win two Greco-Roman Olympic medals for the USA, an achievement only matched by Rulon Gardner. While at Minnesota-Morris, he was also a three-time All-Conference guard on the football team and is currently the owner of Koslowski Chiropractic, Inc., in the Minneapolis area. Les Gutches- Gutches was the first athlete to win USA Wrestling national titles in all five age group levels – Cadet, Junior, Espoir, University and Senior. At South Medford High School in Oregon, Gutches won three state titles. He was also a district champion in the 400 meters for the track team. He was a two-time NCAA champion while at Oregon State, compiling a 134-10 career record. He earned the Outstanding Wrestler award at the 1996 NCAA Championships and the Dan Hodge Trophy that same season. Over his final two collegiate seasons he allowed opponents just one takedown. Gutches quickly made his mark in freestyle, winning the first of his 5 U.S. Nationals titles in 1996 and also the Olympic Trials title at 180.5 pounds. In Atlanta, he would finish seventh. However, a year later at the 1997 World Championships in Russia, Gutches would earn a gold medal at 187.25 pounds. He would also earn a bronze medal at the 1999 World Championships. Larry Gibson- The 2009 Medal of Courage honoree, Gibson has battled adversity since the age of 12 when he was hit by a drunk driver. After almost two years in the hospital and 13 surgeries his leg was amputated seven inches below the knee. He participated in both football and wrestling in high school and college, earning four letters and serving as team captain for two years at George Fox College in Oregon. A life-changing plane crash sent Gibson back to school where he received his teaching degree. He taught history and served as wrestling coach at Omak High School for 16 years. A club coach since 1972, Gibson was voted Washington's Coach of the Year in 1991. He was inducted into the Washington State Chapter of the NWHOF in 1995 and received his USA Wrestling Gold Level Coaches Certificate in 1997. Gibson has been a nationally-known motivational speaker since 1988. Arno Niemand-Niemand- the Order of Merit honoree, received the FILA Gold Star in 2008 and has provided leadership gifts for new training facilities at his high school and collegiate alma maters. He has contributed major resources to several elite national and local youth clubs around the country. He was the pioneer sponsor of USA Wrestling's Women s National freestyle team through his company, Body Bar Systems. Niemand has also support the National Wrestling Coaches Association's educational program Building Leaders for Life and the College Sports Council's advocacy against the consequences of Title IX interpretations on the sport of wrestling. He is currently writing and publishing the book Miracle on the Mat detailing Cornell College's road to the 1947 NCAA championship. Niemand is a graduate of the University of Cornell (Ithaca, N.Y.) and has been a CEO, President and Chairman of Niemand Industries and Body Bar Systems since the 1960s. Steve Silver-The founder and owner of the Steve Silver Company, an import furniture business in Dallas which employs 500 worldwide in five nations, the 2009 Outstanding American honoree has been involved in wrestling throughout his life. Silver wrestled for Spencerport High School in New York and at the University of Alabama for three years under coach Pat Milkovich. Six of Silver's seven children, including two daughters, have participated in wrestling. He founded and coached a youth wrestling club in Forney, Texas, hiring 1988 Olympic gold medalist Kenny Monday to coach the club, now known as Team Monday. Silver is also a big supporter of Bishop Lynch High, a nationally-known program. Silver has served as Team Leader for the last four U.S. Freestyle Teams including the 2008 Olympics in China where he's done business for a number of years. He was named USA Wrestling's Man of the Year in 2006 for his contributions to the sport. Chuck Yagla- A two-time NCAA champion for the University of Iowa, Yagla has been an official for 24 years. Also a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, Yagla will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement for Officials. From 1996-07, Yagla worked the NCAA Tournament and was selected as a championship finals official five times. He's also officiated six NCAA Division II Championships along with Big Ten (1995-07) and Pac-10 (1997-07) tournaments. Yagla has worked 12 National Dual Championships and has been officiating college matches and tournaments since 1983. He was appointed Coordinator of Wrestling Officials for the Big Ten and Big 12 Conferences in July of 2008. We will also remember Peter Blair- As a senior at Granby High School in Norfolk, Va., Blair stood just 5-foot-6 and did no t wrestle on the varsity. He enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 16, and during his recruit training grew an amazing 6 inches. By the time his two years at Bainbridge Prep Academy were done that total was 7.5 inches. Blair competed at 177 pounds as a freshman and sophomore at the United States Naval Academy and moved up to 191 pounds his final two collegiate seasons where he would win back-to-back NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956. His career record was 57-5 with no losses over his final two seasons for legendary head coach Ray Swartz. Soon after beating Kenneth Leuer in the 1956 NCAA finals, Blair pinned five opponents in winning a National AAU title. Two weeks later he was the Olympic Trials champion at 192 pounds and would be elected team captain by his freestyle teammates. In Melbourne, Australia, at the 1956 Olympics, Blair would earn a bronze medal. An officer in the Navy from 1955 until his retirement in 1974, Blair served on ships and submarines and taught at the Academy. Blair died on June 29, 1994, after a brief but concentrated bout with cancer. So tune in to America's Wrestling Radio program each week on Saturday's from 9 AM to 11 AM cst. Now streaming at no cost to our listeners via our friends at Livesportsvideo.com. Visit Takedownradio.com and after you click on listen live you will be directed to register at no charge at LSV. Looking forward to hearing from you throughout the year. Email me at svideoman@aol.com

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- A pin from Clayton Foster, major decisions from Brandon Mason and Luke Silver and upset victories from Jamal Parks and Neil Erisman pushed No. 13 Oklahoma State to a 23-13 dual match win over No. 7 Minnesota at the Sports Pavilion Thursday. The Cowboys (7-2 overall) won six of the 10 bouts to seal their most impressive dual victory of the season. "I enjoyed the effort, not from top to bottom, but I enjoyed the effort and the points our team put up today," Coach John Smith said. "It was definitely a good win knowing that we've had a rocky season by our standard. It was pleasing to see us get some wins in some of the swing matches." Though Foster's pin and Mason's major decision gave the Cowboys important breathing room, it was Parks' 10-7 upset win over No. 6 Mike Thorn and unranked Neil Erisman's 6-4 win over No. 19 Tyler Safratowich that pushed OSU to its 11th dual match win in 13 tries over the Gophers in Minneapolis. With the dual starting at 157 pounds, Erisman's win over Safratowich – his first ever over a ranked opponent – was particularly important. As for Parks, his win over Thorn was his fourth victory in his last five bouts against ranked opposition. The Cowboys return to action when they host UC Davis at 2 p.m. Sunday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Former stars from major league baseball, the NFL, the NBA, professional wrestling and the Olympic Games will be on hand for a special autograph event when the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum holds its Grand Re-Opening on Friday, Jan. 9. The museum, located at 303 Jefferson St. in the center of Waterloo, was virtually destroyed by the historic flood of June 10. It has been closed for six months; work on the rebuilding began in October after FEMA announced it was obligating funds for the museum, a not-for-profit business, to get back on its feet. Scheduled to appear at the autograph session from 3-5 p.m. are Cal Eldred, who played 16 years of major league baseball (Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals), Bobby Hansen who played nine years in the NBA (Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings) and Marv Cook, who played seven seasons in the NFL (New England Patriots, Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams). All three were stars at the University of Iowa, where Gable coached the wrestling team to 15 NCAA team titles in his 21 seasons as head coach. Gable is currently an associate athletic director at Iowa. Baron Von Raschke, one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling in the 1960s and ‘70s, will also be at the event. Prior to entering pro wrestling, Jim Raschke was a standout amateur wrestler at the University of Nebraska. He also won a bronze medal at the amateur World Championships in 1963. He is a member of the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, located in the museum. Gable, 1972 Olympic champion, will be at the autograph event, as will former Olympic champions Bill Smith (1952), Doug Blubaugh (1960), Ben Peterson (1972), Ed Banach (1984) and Randy Lewis (1984). Other wrestling stars scheduled to appear are Ben Askren, 2008 Olympian and two-time NCAA champion from the University of Missouri (and a two-time winner of the Dan Hodge Trophy as the top college wrestler in the country) and Chuck Yagla, a two-time NCAA champion at Iowa and 1980 Olympian. "This is probably one of the biggest lineups of sports stars ever in the Cedar Valley area," said Kent Sesker, marketing director of the museum. "Marv, Cal and Bobby wanted to come out of respect for Coach Gable and all he has meant to sports in this state. "We are encouraging all area sports fans to come and meet these legends. We will have a special commemorative poster with photos of all these athletes on it for fans to buy and have signed, plus various sports cards and items." There will also be a silent auction at the museum, lasting all day Friday and Saturday, with items from the world of sports up for sale. The museum will open at 9 a.m. and stay open until 10 p.m. The autograph session with the stars will be from 3-5 p.m. in the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa. Admission to the museum is $6 for adults and $3 for students. The event is being co-sponsored by 1650 TheFan radio station, which carries the museum's weekly live wrestling show "On the Mat" (Wednesdays at 5 p.m.), and by MATMAN, one of the nation's leading manufacturers of wrestling attire and equipment. "This is a great event that we are bringing to the Cedar Valley, to celebrate the grand re-opening and to show our appreciation to the many groups and volunteers that helped us fight back from this natural disaster," said Mike Chapman, the museum's executive director. "The flood nearly wiped us out. It destroyed our entire gift shop inventory stored in the basement, along with much of the museum's archival information and lots of memorabilia. It also took out every wall in the display area up to the four-foot mark, and all of our carpeting and office furniture and equipment. "It's been a long, difficult fight to get back to where we were, but we will be about 90 percent back when we re-open on Jan. 9." The event is scheduled to coincide with the National Duals wrestling tournament, which is being hosted by UNI at the UNI-Dome on Jan. 10-11. 80 of the nation's top college wrestling teams will be competing in the Duals all day Saturday and Sunday. The museum will also be open on Saturday and Sunday (January 10 & 11) from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

It was a tough night. Iowa State began the championship round of the Midlands Championships with five finalists. All five were defeated, two in overtime and overall by a combined total of six points. Iowa won the team title with 156 1/2 points. Iowa State finished second with 153 1/2 points. "We learned a lot of lessons from this tournament," Iowa State head coach Cael Sanderson said. We are disapointed but we are working our way toward March. As anyone will tell you, that is when it counts." In the 197-pound final, Wisconsin's Dallas Herbst avenged a defeat from earlier this season, beating Jake Varner with a third-period reversal with 32 seconds left in the match for a 3-2 decision. The 165-pound title match between Iowa State's Jon Reader and Iowa's Ryan Morningstar was controversial. Reader had a 4-1 lead but ultimately the match came down to an official's call. The call in question was made when referee Mike Allen awarded Reader a takedown and apparent victory with just seconds left in overtime. But the call was overruled by the outside official, sending the match further into the sudden victory process. Morningstar escaped from Reader with four seconds left in the next tie-breaker period to give the Hawk a 5-4 victory. Second-seeded Brandon Precin of Northwestern scored a third-period takedown to edge ISU's fourth seeded Tyler Clark, 3-2 in the 125-pound match. Iowa's Daniel Dennis used a second-period takedown and an escape after a third-period reversal scored by Cyclone Nick Fanthorpe and prevailed 4-3 in the 133-pound title match. In the 157-pound title match, former Iowa State assistant coach Chris Bono, currently the head coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga, got a takedown in overtime to beat Cyler Sanderson, 4-2. Iowa State's Nick Gallick claimed third place by medical forfeit at 141 pounds. Cyclone Dalton Jensen was pinned in his fifth-place match at 141 after a strong tournament performance. Jordan Blanton of Illinois got a takedown late in the third period to beat Iowa State's Jerome Ward, 3-2 in the fifth-place match at 184 pounds. At heavyweight, Cyclone Dave Zabriskie gained revenge for his only tournament loss by beating Dom Bradley of Missouri, 5-2 for third place. The scoring system for the Midlands is different than the NCAA Tournament. At Midlands this season, schools designated 10 individuals who would be "scorers" for the team. Teams were allowed to designate two wrestlers from one weight class and not count another weight class toward its point total. In addition, post-collegiate competitors, such as Bono are allowed to compete. Iowa State is off until the National Duals, Jan. 10-11 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Junior heavyweight Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) helped the fifth-ranked Missouri wrestling team to a third place finish (121.5 points) at the 46th annual Midlands Tournament held at the Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. One of eight Tiger grapplers to place among the top eight of their respective weight class, Ellis was the sole Missouri wrestler to compete in the championship finals, finishing the two-day tournament with a 5-0 record. Iowa captured the Midlands team title with 156.5 points, while Iowa State took second with 153.5 points. One of 11 ranked squads competing in the annual event, the Tigers were assisted in the team standings with a third place finish from senior 157 pound grappler Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) as well as fourth place showings from senior Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) at 174 pounds, junior Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) at 197 pounds and redshirt freshman Dominique Bradley (Blue Springs, Mo.) at heavyweight. Ellis advanced through the heavyweight championship bracket and battled with sixth-ranked Zach Sheaffer of Pitt in the finals. Ranked third by InterMat, Ellis held off his opponent, 2-1, to capture the title. The win was Ellis' 20th of the season and moves him to 57-24 on his career. Chandler, who finished the competition with a 6-1 mark, was forced to the consolation bracket after suffering a loss to Iowa State's fifth-ranked Cyler Sanderson. The Tiger co-captain, ranked seventh in the nation, battled back to take third at 157 pounds. Missouri's 165 pound competitor, junior Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) took sixth in his weight class while teammates Todd Schavrien (Poway, Calif.) and Marcus Hoehn (Farmington, Mo.) took seventh at 133 and 141 pounds, respectively. Hoehn wrestled the most matches of his Tiger teammates, managing a 6-2 record that included a 15-7 win by major decision over Joel Trombly of Michigan State as well as a 5-2 win by decision over Indiana's Scott Kelly in the seventh place match. Askren, who notched his 70th career victory by way of a 11-6 decision over Old Dominion's Jessie Strawn, aided Missouri's team standing with three bonus point victories. As a team, the Tigers combined for 13 bonus point wins. Up next for Missouri, the Tigers will travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa for the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals beginning Saturday, Jan. 10.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- On a night where plenty of hardware was passed out at Welsh-Ryan Arena, three Wildcats had career nights as junior Brandon Precin (125) and senior Jake Herbert (184) captured Midlands crowns, their first and third, respectively, while freshman Jason Welch (157) finished in fifth place in his first Midlands as a collegiate wrestler. Herbert was a unanimous selection for the Dan Gable Outstanding Wrestler Award following his third Midlands championship. Eighth-seeded Zach Tanelli of Wisconsin emerged as the champion at 141 lbs., arguably the most competitive weight division at this year's tournament, and was presented the Art Kraft Champion of Champions award—voted on by his peers—after his upset win against Iowa's second-seeded Alex Tsirtsis in the finals. Hudson Taylor, Maryland's talented 197-pounder, recorded the most falls in this year's tournament (5), while Iowa's Brent Metcalf notched the most team points by any individual wrestler. Iowa led all teams with three champions—Daniel Dennis (133), Brent Metcalf (149) and Ryan Morningstar (165)—, enough to edge Iowa State in the team standings by a 156.5-153.5 margin. Missouri checked in at third with 121.5 points, followed by Wisconsin (98.5) and Northwestern (88.5). Precin took center stage in the first championship bout of the night against Tyler Clark of Iowa State. It was a low-scoring affair typical of Clark's wrestling style, with the score tied at one in the second period. But with 35 seconds remaining in the match Precin notched a reversal to jump out to a 3-1 lead and seize control of the match. The gap closed to one on a stalling point with 10 seconds left but Precin hung on for his first Midlands championship after a second-place finish in 2007. Welch, ranked No. 16 nationally, improved on his sixth-place finish as a high school senior in 2007 with a fifth-place finish in his impressive freshman campaign. His opponent in the 157-pound fifth-place match, Anthony Jones of Michigan State, forfeited the contest as Welch wrapped up this year's Midlands with a 4-2 mark. Welch's defeat in the semifinals was at the hands of the eventual champion, 34-year old Chris Bono, the current head coach of Tennessee-Chattanooga who took home his fourth Midlands championship and his first since 2000. One of the most thrilling matches came in the 174-pound championship bout between fifth-seeded Mike Miller of Central Michigan and third-seeded Mike Cannon of American. With Cannon leading 4-3, Miller appeared to have scored the winning takedown just as time ran out for the win, but the referees determined that it came after the whistle. Cannon held on to join the ranks of Midlands champions. The stage was then set for Herbert to make history by adding a third Midlands title to his already stellar wrestling resume. Taking on the nation's third-ranked 184-pounder in Iowa's Phil Keddy, Herbert opened the scoring in the first period with a takedown and three back points to build a 5-0 lead. It proved to be more than enough for Herbert, who ran his lead to 11-0 before a takedown in the third period lifted the count to 13-0. When all was said and done, Herbert's win was in the books as a 15-1 major decision. The upcoming competition doesn't get any easier for Northwestern, with the heralded Cliff Keen National Duals on tap beginning Jan. 10 followed by the start of the Big Ten season with Michigan State at home on Jan. 23.

Darrion Caldwell and Joe Caramanica were NC State wrestling's 1-2 punch a year ago. Based on their dual championship at the 2008 Southern Scuffle, they will have that role once again in 2008-09. Caramanica, who made his season debut Monday at the Scuffle while recovering from a knee injury, took a 4-2 decision over Kent State's Drew Lashaway Tuesday, giving Caramanica a 5-0 start to his season and the championship at 141 pounds in this year's Southern Scuffle. Caramanica is now 78-25 for his career. Moments later, Caldwell, a 2008 All-American and the nation's third-ranked 149-pounder, pinned Navy's Bryce Saddoris, at 2:05, to improve to 20-0 in 2008-09 and win the Scuffle championshop at 149. Caldwell also was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler. The pin of Saddoris was Caldwell's third of the tournament, his ninth of the season, and the 42nd of his career. Saddoris entered the tournament ranked No. 5 nationally, and Caldwell now has won all four of his bouts this season against wrestlers in the top 10, two of them by first-period pin. Caldwell's career record now stands at 76-11, an .874 winning percentage, which ranks fourth in school history. Earlier Tuesday, Kody Hamrah finished fifth at 157 pounds, and that, combined with the wins by Caramanica and Caldwell, gave NC State a 10th-place finish at the Southern Scuffle. The Wolfpack wrestling team will return to action Saturday at the NC State Duals, which will begin at noon at Reynolds Coliseum. Admission is free.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Redshirt freshman Dustin Kilgore at 184 and fifth-year senior Jermail Porter at 285 both won their second tournament championships of the year while Kent State finished third as a team with 126 points at the 2008 Southern Scuffle. Cornell won the team championship with 139 points while Edinboro finished second with a tally of 134. After the second day, head coach Jim Andrassy was pleased with how well the team fought the whole tournament. "We wrestled pretty well the second day. We still need to work on certain positions that we are not doing the best with. They did a good job and took third behind the third-ranked team in the country with Cornell and a top-20 team in Edinboro." Kilgore won his second tournament of the season with a 6-0 record at 184. During the tournament run, he recorded a tech fall, two pins in under a minute and three decisions. On Tuesday, he wrestled to a 17-2 tech fall win over Joe Budi of Old Dominion and pinned Shawn Fendone of Edinboro in 49 seconds to reach the finals. In the championship match, Kilgore defeated third-seed Josh Patterson of Binghamton 10-4. Notching his 100th win of the season Monday, Porter was not done making Golden Flashes history Tuesday. In the quarters, Porter defeated Tyler Moyer of Navy 7-1 and overpowered 11th-ranked Konrad Dudziak of Duke 8-4 in the semifinals. In the finals, Porter won by medical forfeit to claim his second consecutive tournament title. "Both of them pretty much dominated the tournament. They are both ranked in the top-10 and didn't have a close match all tournament. They are both doing the right things. Jermail is getting better and better. The additions on our coaching staff of bringing in Andrew Wolf has helped Kilgore out a lot," said Andrassy. Fifth-year senior Drew Lashaway finished second at 141. In the quarters, he claimed a 4-2 victory over Nick Nelson of Virginia. In the semis, Lashaway won a thriller over Vincent Ramirez of North Carolina 3-1 in sudden victory before dropping a 4-1 decision to Joe Caramanica of NC State in the finals. Sophomore Nic Bedelyon took third in the 125-pound weight class with a 6-1 record. His only loss came in the semifinals against Paul Donahoe by a final 9-3, the only win by the former national champion not by fall in the tournament. "Bedelyon is wrestling as good as he has ever wrestled. He had a rough start and we had to work through some things. He is wrestling very good and that was a pretty loaded weight class. He has beaten Kyle Fluke of Edinboro (4-3 at the Oklahoma Gold) who took second. He gave the returning national champion at 125 the best match of the tournament. The match was a lot closer than the score shows. He is on the right track and I am excited for him," said Andrassy. After starting the tournament 3-0, redshirt junior Danny Mitcheff finished 1-2 to claim fourth place at 133. He lost in the semis in a close bout with 10th-ranked Lou Ruggirello 3-2 before rebounding with a 3-2 win in the consolation semis. In the third-place match, Mitcheff lost another heartbreaker 7-6 to Mike Grey from Cornell. Redshirt junior Obie Simpson finished sixth at 165 pounds, also losing a one-point match in the quarterfinals. Simpson fell to Keegan Mueller of North Carolina 6-5. However, he fought to a sixth-place finish with a pair of thrilling one-point victories, the last being 1-0 over Willy Mello of Duke. After a tough loss yesterday, redshirt freshman Brendan Barlow rebounded to place seventh. He defeated Tyler Moyer of Navy 6-1 before falling to David Marone of Virginia Tech 3-1. In the seventh-place match, he defeated Zach Hammond of Cornell 3-1 in sudden victory. "Barlow beat the tenth-ranked wrestler in the country (Zach Hammond of Cornell) at this tournament and had the 7th-ranked wrestler (Mitch Monteiro) on the ropes," said Andrassy. "He gets better every time he wrestles. We are not going to miss a beat with him after Jermail Porter graduates." Kent State returns to the mats Sunday when it travels to Ohio State for their annual battle with the Buckeyes. Catch all the action on KentStateSports.com beginning at 5 p.m. with Ty Linder calling the action from Columbus.

GREENSBORO, NC -- The Edinboro wrestling team turned in an outstanding showing in the 2008 Southern Scuffle but had to settle for second place in the two-day event. Cornell, tied for third in the latest USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Division I Top 25, finished with 139 points to take home the team title. The Big Red had a pair of champions. Edinboro, ranked 17th, had three champions and a total of nine placewinners to finish with 134 points. Kent State was third (126 points), with Virginia Tech fourth (107.5) and North Carolina fifth (104). A total of 31 teams participated in the Southern Scuffle. Edinboro's champions included Paul Donahoe (below right) at 125 lbs., Ricky Deubel (left) at 133 lbs., and Gregor Gillespie (below left) at 157 lbs. Kyle Fluke finished second at 125 lbs., with Jarrod King second at 165 lbs. Eric Morrill, who is redshirting this year, was fourth at 125 lbs. Shawn Fendone was fourth at 184 lbs., while teammate Chris Honeycutt was sixth. Torsten Gillespie placed seventh at 149 lbs. Donahoe and Fluke squared off in the finals at 125 lbs. Donahoe, a transfer from Nebraska who was a two-time All-American and a national champion in 2007, was making his debut as a Fighting Scot. He improved to 17-0 with a technical fall over Fluke, winning 21-5. Fluke continued his recent resurgence after a slow start and is now 17-9 with the second place finish. Deubel may have been the biggest surprise of the tournament, and may have turned in the best wrestling of his career. The senior was the fifth seed, and won all five of his matches, with a pair of big upsets on Tuesday. He used a third period takedown for a 2-1 win over tenth-ranked and third-seeded Lou Ruggirello of Hofstra. In the semifinals he upset the top seed, Mike Grey of Cornell, 6-4. Deubel is now 16-8 and has a 90-46 career record. Gregor Gillespie met a familiar foe in Bloomsburg's Matt Moley. Gillespie came in as the top-ranked wrestler at 157 lbs., while Moley is ranked ninth. The two had met in the PSAC Championships earlier this month, with Gillespie prevailing 3-0. The three-time All-American captured his first Southern Scuffle title with a 5-1 decision. Gillespie is now 23-0, moving him to 134-10 for his career. He moved past Matt King and Shawn Bunch into fourth place in career wins, and is now just 12 wins shy of breaking the school record. Jarrod King just missed joining this trio as a champion and also posting one of the big upsets of the tournament. He led Cornell's Mack Lewnes, the top ranked wrestler at 165 lbs., late in the match, but Lewnes registered a late takedown for a 3-2 win. King came in ranked sixth. He defeated 19th-ranked Keegan Mueller of North Carolina, 7-4, in the semifinals. He is now 21-2 on the season. Edinboro had a pair of competitors reach the semifinals at 184 lbs. in Chris Honeycutt and Shawn Fendone. A year ago Honeycutt, a true freshman, turned in a memorable showing as he took home third place after coming in as the backup. This year's Southern Scuffle could prove memorable, but for all the wrong reasons. In his consolation semifinal he lost by injury default at 3:30 to 17th-ranked Justin Kerber of Cornell. He then gave up a medical forfeit to Tommy Spellman of Virginia Tech in the fifth place match. A long-term injury could prove very costly for the Fighting Scots with regulars Phil Moricone (174 lbs.) and Pat Bradshaw (197 lbs.) already out. Honeycutt, who came in ranked tenth, falls to 17-4. Fendone stepped up for the second time this year after previously finishing second at the Oklahoma Gold Classic. The sophomore took home fourth place, suffering a 7-2 loss to Kerber in the third place match. The match before that he handed Spellman a 12-0 defeat. Fendone is now 7-3. Morrill and Torsten Gillespie completed the group of placewinners. Morrill dropped the third place match to Kent State's Nic Bedelyon, 4-2. Gillespie placed seventh thanks to a 10-2 major decision over Frankie Gayeski of Liberty. Ranked 15th at 149 lbs., Gillespie finished 5-2 to boost his season record to 20-8. Joey Fendone failed to place while competing in a loaded heavyweight field. The senior picked up a pair of wins on Monday, but lost both of his matches on Tuesday. Ranked eighth, he dropped a 5-3 decision to 12th-ranked Scott Steele of Navy in the quarterfinals, then lost by fall in 40 seconds to Cornell's Zach Hammond, ranked 12th. Fendone is 16-3.

EVANSTON, IL -- The University of Iowa wrestling team won its 20th Midlands title in school history and crowned three individual champions at the 2008 tournament in Evanston, IL, Tuesday night. The Hawkeyes tallied 156.5 points over the two-day tournament, edging out runner-up Iowa State by three points for the team title. Hawkeye juniors Daniel Dennis (133), Brent Metcalf (149) and Ryan Morningstar (165) each won individual titles, and Iowa went 7-2 in Tuesday night's final round. Metcalf received the tournament's Highest Point Total Award for scoring 27 team points during the competition, which was the most of any competitor. Dennis picked up Iowa's first title of the night and his first career Midlands title, upsetting Iowa State's Nick Fanthorpe, 4-3, at 133. Dennis, the #4 seed, scored an escape and takedown in the second period to build a 3-0 lead over the second-seeded Cyclone. Fanthorpe scored an escape and reversal to tie the score at 3-3, but Dennis scored a third period escape to secure the win. Dennis improved to 12-1 on the season with the victory. Top-seeded Metcalf won his second straight Midlands title with a 14-5 major decision over #3 Kyle Ruschell of Wisconsin in the 149-pound final. The Hawkeye junior picked up his 50th career win with the victory and won his 47th straight match. He remains undefeated at 15-0 on the season. Morningstar, the third seed at 165, scored an escape with four seconds left in the first tiebreak period to beat #4 Jon Reader of Iowa State, 5-4. Reader led the match 4-2 late in the third period, but Morningstar scored a takedown with three seconds left in regulation to force the match to overtime. Morningstar picked up his first Midlands title with the win and improved to 14-1 on the season. Senior Alex Tsirtsis (141) and junior Phillip Keddy (184) were both the second seeds at their respective weight classes, and both lost their first matches of the season in the finals. Tsirtsis dropped a 10-3 decision to #8 Zach Tanelli of Wisconsin, while Keddy lost a 15-1 major decision to #1 seed Jake Herbert of Northwestern. Tsirtsis held a 3-2 lead early in the third period of his match, but took a brief injury timeout after colliding with Tanelli during an offensive flurry. After the timeout, Tanelli scored a takedown, rolled off two three-point nearfalls and secured the riding time point to win 10-3. Tsirtsis is now 11-1 this season, while Keddy is 13-1. The Hawkeyes went 4-0 in the consolation bracket Tuesday night. Junior top-seed Jay Borschel placed third at 174 with a 4-1 win over #2 Raymond Jordan of Missouri. Junior Dan Erekson (Hwt.), sophomore Jake Kerr (165) and redshirt freshman Montell Marion (133) each placed fifth for Iowa. Kerr, who was unseeded, scored a 7-3 upset over #2 seed Nick Marable of Missouri. Eighth-seeded Erekson also upset #6 Rashawn Goff, 7-3, in the fifth place match. Iowa's next competition will be Jan. 10-11 at the 2009 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. The Hawkeyes are the defending Division I team champion, and will be making their 16th appearance at the two-day annual tournament. The 2009 tournament will feature 16 teams from NCAA Division I, 12 from Division II, 15 from Division III and NAIA, eight NJCAA teams, seven NCWA teams and five women's wrestling teams.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Big Red wrestling team captured its first team title at the Southern Scuffle on Tuesday night with 139 total points. Cornell was in third after day one, but individual titles by Mack Lewnes (165) and Steve Anceravage (174) led the Big Red past second place Edinboro. Also placing for Cornell were Mike Grey (Third, 133), Corey Manson (Seventh, 141), Justin Kerber (Third, 184), Cam Simaz (Fourth, 197) and Zach Hammond (Eighth, HWT). No. 1 ranked Lewnes opened his day by pinning North Carolina's Kyle Kiss in 2:55 in the quarterfinals. The sophomore earned more bonus points for the Big Red with a 13-5 major decision over Virginia Tech's Matt Epperly to advance to the finals. Lewnes won his second Southern Scuffle title in as many years with a 3-2 decision over Edinboro's Jarrod King. The Big Red was in first place heading into the finals, but the Fighting Scotts grabbed the lead after Edinboro wrestlers captured the titles at 125, 133 and 157 pounds. After Lewnes' win, the Big Red trailed by one point. No. 5 Anceravage was deadlocked with No. 11 Chris Henrich of Virginia at four points a piece after regulation in the final at 174 pounds. In overtime, each wrestler had a leg before scrambling looking for the winning takedown. Anceravage moved Henrich on to his back and the referee called a quick pin at the 7:30 mark. With his first individual title, Anceravage helped the Big Red to move back into first place and win the team title. At 133 pounds, Grey defeated Ohio's Quentin Keys by a 6-5 margin in the quarterfinals, but was edged out 6-4 SD by Ricky Deubel in the semifinals. Grey quickly bounced back to pin Will Livingston of Virginia Tech in 2:08. The Big Red sophomore captured third place with a 7-6 decision over Kent State's Danny Mitcher. At 141 pounds, sophomore Corey Manson won his seventh place match, 5-3 SD over Navy's John Majka. Sophomore DJ Meagher dropped his 149 pound quarterfinal match to the eventual champion NC State's Darrion Caldwell, and was eliminated with a 7-4 loss to Binghamton's Donnie Vinson. At 184 pounds, Kerber lost a 6-2 decision to Edinboro's Shawn Fendone in the quarterfinals to move the wrestlebacks. Kerber defeated Lock Haven's Tom Kocher by a 12-2 major decision before pinning UNC-Greensboro's Mikal McKee in 3:09. The sophomore won by injury default in 3:30 over Edinboro's Chris Honeycutt, and placed third after avenging his quarterfinal loss with a 7-2 win over Fendone. Simaz won his first match of the day in the wrestlebacks by an 11-2 major decision and followed with a 5-4 win over Duke's Dan Tulley. The freshman won a 4-3 decision over Hofstra's Joe Fagiano to advance to the third place match. Simaz took fourth after being edged out by a 3-2 decision by North Carolina's Dennis Drury. Also at 197 pounds, Josh Arnone lost in the quarterfinals before medical forfeiting out of the tournament. At heavyweight, Hammond defeated North Carolina's Ziad Haddad in 5-1 before pinning Edinboro's Joe Fendone in 0:40. The senior lost 4-1 to Garderner-Webb's Justin Porter, and finished in eighth after losing 3-1 SD to Kent State's Brendan Barlow. Cornell will return to action Jan. 10-11 when it will wrestle at the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.