InterMat Staff

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Six individuals placed in the top five of their respective weight classes as 10th-ranked Central Michigan University finished fourth at the 2006 Midlands Championships. The Chippewas finished in the top four for the third straight year. Iowa State won the team title with 154.5 points, while Iowa was second with 107. Northwestern (102), CMU (96.5) and Indiana (96) rounded out the top five in the 56-team field. Five Chippewas entered Saturday's action still alive in the championship bracket. All five, however, fell in the semifinals and ultimately placed either third or fourth in their classes. Brandon Sinnott posted CMU's best individual finish, claiming third at 174 pounds. Seeded second, Sinnott dropped his semifinal match to No. 3 Eric Luedke (Iowa), 7-5, before knocking off top-seeded James Yonushonis (Penn State), 5-3 in overtime, in the third-place match. Luke Smith (125 pounds), Christian Sinnott (184), Wynn Michalak (197) and Bubba Gritter (285) all finished fourth overall. The fifth-seeded Luke Smith was upset by Iowa State's Nick Fanthorpe in the semis, 4-2. He rebounded to defeat Northern Illinois' John Weinert in the consolation semis before falling, 6-2, to No. 1 seed Franklin Gomez (Michigan State). At 184, Christian Sinnott dropped his semifinal bout to No. 1 seed Ben Wissel (Independent), 4-1. He won a consolation semi before falling in the third-place match, 4-2, to No. 3 Jake Varner (Iowa State). Michalak's bid for back-to-back Midlands titles ended with a 7-3 loss to Northwestern's Mike Tamillow in the semis. Michalak, seeded third at 197, fell to top-seed Josh Glenn (American) in the third-place bout. Gritter, seeded fifth at heavyweight, fell to No. 1 seed Dustin Fox (Northwestern) in the semifinals. He won a consolation semifinal before falling in the third-place match to No. 8 seed Blake Gillis (Wartburg). Seventh-seeded Eric Kruger won three of four consolation bracket matches on Saturday, capping his day with a 4-2 overtime victory over No. 6 Mitch Mueller (Iowa State) in the fifth-place match at 141 pounds. Tyler Grayson, who was not included in CMU's team point total, placed eighth at 149 pounds. The Chippewas return to action Jan. 5, visiting No. 22 Michigan State at 7 p.m. CMU's next appearance in Rose Arena is Jan. 7, when No. 3 Hofstra visits at 2 p.m.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Top-ranked Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward) and eighth-ranked Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) won titles at the 44th Midlands Championships. Lang topped Iowa's Alex Tsirtis in the 141-pound final and Tamillow defeated Kurt Backes of Iowa State at 197 as the eigth-ranked Wildcats finished third overall at the 44th Midlands Championships held at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena. This is only the second time in school history Northwestern has produced multiple Midlands champions -- the Wildcats also had two in 1964. Lang, who cruised through the first day of competition, faced off against Harvard's fifth-seeded Max Meltzer in the semifinals. Lang dominated his opponent to the tune of a 16-6 major decision and moved on to the final match against Iowa's Tsirtsis. The top-ranked junior fell behind the second-seeded Hawkeye, but a pair of thunderous takedowns propelled Lang into the lead. He held on for the 8-5 decision to capture his first career Midlands title. Tamillow notched two major decisions on day one en route to his semifinal showdown against Central Michigan's Wynn Michalak. Tamillow defeated the familiar foe at last week's Reno Tournament of Champions. Tamillow, seeded second at 197, handled the third-seeded Michalak to record the 7-3 decision. He faced Iowa State's fifth-seeded Kurt Backes in Saturday night's final match. The junior trailed 1-0 early, but a late takedown enabled Tamillow to secure victory with a 3-1 decision. The win gave Tamillow his first career Midlands title. Third-ranked and top-seeded Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) took to the mat next at heavyweight against Nebraska-Kearney's Tervel Diagnev. Fox fell behind early and could not regain control of the match. He lost the 10-4 decision and settled for second place in the heavyweight bracket. Unseeded sophomore Eric Metzler (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco), who defeated Iowa's third-seeded Mario Galanakis in the quarterfinals, wrestled Saturday night for fifth place. He took on Indiana's Andrae Hernandez at 133 lbs. Metzler fought hard, but fell 3-0 to the fourth-seeded Hoosier to capture sixth place. Freshman Brandon Precin took eighth in the 125-pound division. He fell in the quarterfinals and took one match in the wrestleback bracket Saturday afternoon to ensure a top-eight finish. Iowa State took the team title with 154.5 points, its first since 1981. Coach Cael Sanderson, a legend in the wrestling world, become only the second rookie head coach to win a Midlands title. Another legend, Dan Gable, was the first to accomplish the feat with his 1976 Iowa squad. Northwestern finished third with 102 points, behind only the Cyclones and the Iowa Hawkeyes. The 'Cats improved on their 10th place finish in 2005. Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny), a two-time Midlands champion, did not wrestle for the Wildcats in this year's event. The Wildcats return to action January 14 at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals hosted by the University of Northern Iowa.

The Hawkeye wrestling team crowned one champion, two runners-up and four other placewinners at the 44th annual Midlands Championships in Evanston, IL, Saturday night. Iowa placed second in the team race, scoring 107 points. Iowa State won its first team title since 1981 with 154.5. Hawkeye senior 174-pounder Eric Luedke won his first Midlands title and picked up his 35th career victory, defeating Rider's Doug Umbehauer, 6-4, in the finals. Juniors Alex Tsirtsis and Mark Perry both placed second with second-seed Tsirtsis losing an 8-5 decision to top-seed Ryan Lang of Northwestern at 141 and top-seed Perry losing a 5-2 decision to second-seed Travis Paulson of Iowa State at 165. Also placing for the Hawkeyes were senior Mario Galanakis (8th-133), junior Matt Fields (6th-Hwt.), sophomore Charlie Falck (7th-125) and redshirt freshman Ryan Morningstar (7th-157). Iowa's next competition will be January 13-14 at the Cliff Keen/N.W.C.A. National Duals in Cedar Falls, IA. All matches will be held at the UNI-Dome on the University of Northern Iowa campus.

All four Golden Gopher wrestlers who entered the Southern Scuffle as No. 1 seeds claimed individual titles and remained undefeated on the season, but Minnesota was narrowly edged by top-ranked Missouri, 179.5-176, for the team title. Capturing individual titles for the Gophers were Manuel Rivera (141), Dustin Schlatter (149), Roger Kish (184) and Cole Konrad (Hwt). Konrad won his fourth consecutive title at the Southern Scuffle in the heavyweight division. Top-ranked nationally in his weight class, Konrad cruised through the tournament, grabbing three straight pins and a major decision. He then went on to claim the 6-2 victory over North Carolina's Spencer Nadolsky to become the first wrestler in tournament history to win four titles. As the championship round unfolded, it looked as though the senior from Freedom, Wis., may get a chance to be the hero as he has been so many times in his career with a victory in the final match of the night. However, he never got that chance, as a pin by Missouri's Max Askren in the 197-pound final sealed the title for the Tigers, putting them ahead by 7.5 points. The maximum points Konrad could have gotten with a pin in the final was six points. Kish's title at 184 pounds gave the Gophers reason to hope. Kish claimed his second consecutive Southern Scuffle title with a win by way of medical forfeit over No. 6 Raymond Jordan of Missouri. The victory brought Minnesota within 1.5 points of the lead before Askren's pin in the 197-pound final. Kish finished the tournament with a 5-0 record, including two pins and a tech fall. Rivera claimed the 141-pound title with a 6-0 record. He collected bonus points in each of his first five matches, including two pins and three major decisions. Rivera defeated Alex Krom of Maryland, 7-6, in the championship match. Top-ranked Dustin Schlatter extended his winning streak to 47 consecutive matches as he also defended his Southern Scuffle title from a year ago. He defeated No. 6 Jordan Leen of Cornell, 7-1, in the finals. Also placing for Minnesota were Jayon Ness (125), Gabriel Dretsch (174), Jeremy Larson (165) and Tyler Safratowich (157). Ness took home third place with a 6-1 record, posting three pins and a tech fall in the tournament. His only loss came to No. 2 Troy Nickerson of Cornell in the semifinals. Dretsch won his first four matches of the tournament and ended up placing fourth with a 5-2 record. After a third round loss to No. 13 Keegan Mueller on Friday, Larson fought his way through wrestle-backs and defeated No. 17 Jason Kiessling of Maryland, 5-2, in the seventh-place match. Safratowich pinned three opponents on his way to eighth place in the tournament. The Gophers will return home to host Arizona State on Tuesday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m., in a dual meet at the Sports Pavilion. It will be their final tune-up before the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Jan. 13-14.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Augsburg College claimed 10 individual titlists and 21 placewinners in action during the holiday break at the Sunshine Open wrestling tournament on Thursday and Friday at the Lakeland Civic Center. No team results were kept at the open meet, which featured three teams ranked in the top 10 in the latest NCAA Division III national rankings -- Augsburg, ranked No. 1 nationally; Heidelberg (Ohio), ranked No. 4; and the College of New Jersey, ranked No. 8. Division III squad Augustana (Ill.) and Division I program Central Florida were also among the teams at the open meet. Three-time national champion Marcus LeVesseur (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) claimed the Most Falls in Least Time award at the tournament, winning all three of his matches to claim the 165-pound crown. He won all three matches with first-period pins, in a total time of 5:05. LeVesseur, who won Division III national titles at 157 pounds three times (2003, 2004, 2005), extended his collegiate unbeaten streak to 127, the second-longest winning streak in college wrestling history, behind the 159 of Cael Sanderson at Iowa State (1998-2002). LeVesseur has yet to lose a college wrestling match. Defending national runner-up Jafari Vanier (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) shared the 133-pound title with teammate Paul Bjorkstrand (So., Burnsville, Minn.), currently ranked No. 8 nationally at 133. Both went 3-0 at the meet. At 149, Jared Evans (Sr., Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area HS), the No. 4-ranked wrestler nationally, went 4-0 to claim the weight-class title. Andrew Neumann (Sr., Somerset, Wis.), ranked No. 4 nationally at heavyweight, also went 4-0 to earn his weight-class championship. At 141, Quincy Osborn (Jr., Grand Rapids, Minn.), ranked No. 2 in Division III, went 3-0 and shared the title with teammate Jason Adams (Fr., Coon Rapids, Minn.), who went 2-0. George Lynaugh (Jr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) won the title at 184 pounds by going 4-0, while Seth Flodeen (So., Cannon Falls, Minn.) and Jaime Rocha (Jr., Santa Maria, Calif./Righetti HS) shared the crown at 125 pounds. Robbie Gotreau (Jr., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS), ranked No. 6 nationally at 184, moved down to 174 and went 4-1 in finishing second at the meet. Brandon Klukow (So., Albert Lea, Minn.) and Matt Curtis (Fr., Coon Rapids, Minn.) shared third-place honors at 165, while Josh Hansen (Sr., Albert Lea, Minn.) placed third at 157 and Kris Krier (Fr., Woodbury, Minn.) placed third at 184. Augsburg returns to action on Tuesday (Jan. 2) at 7 p.m., with a dual meet at Division II Augustana (S.D.).

Iowa State wins Midlands Iowa State University Sports Information EVANSTON, Ill. -- On the silver anniversary of its last Midland Championships team title, the Iowa State wrestling program turned a new page Saturday under first-year head coach Cael Sanderson. Travis Paulson claimed his first Midlands title at 165-pounds by defeating Iowa's Mark Perry and the Cyclones tallied 154.5 team points to win its first Midlands team championship since 1981. Iowa was second with second with107 points. Northwestern (102), Central Michigan (96.5) and Indiana (96) round out the top five. "We are getting better and the people who were here this weekend would back me up," Sanderson said. "Winning the team title is good for the program and I think it shows the progress we are making. Wrestling is an individual sport and as coaches that is how we look at what we have to do. Our job is to get 10 guys wrestling at their best and we are a solid team. We dictated the pace in almost every match in this tournament. We have to keep that going." Travis Paulson avenged an early December loss to Iowa's Mark Perry to take the 165-pound title with a 5-2 decision over the Hawkeye. The match remained scoreless until the third period until Perry scored on an escape, but was then called for stalling, tying the match at 1-1. Paulson got in deep on Perry several times but did not score after each ensuing scramble resulted in neither wrestler being in control, forcing a funky stalemate. With less than a minute to go, Paulson broke through, scoring a takedown with 50 seconds left, going up 3-1. Perry tacked on another escape, only to be taken back down onto the mat by the third-ranked Paulson with three seconds remaining to seal the Cyclone's victory. The senior claimed his first Midlands title in dramatic fashion and improves his season mark to 15-1. "You have to keep the pressure on against (Perry) because he is one of the best scramblers I have ever wrestled," Paulson said. "He likes space and I did my best to keep close and force the action. The other key is to not get frustrated when you get in on a good shot but end up with no points. (Perry) has long arms that help him in scramble situations, so I wanted to be the last one moving in the scramble and that is where I got my takedowns." Nick Fanthorpe was unable to overcome the overhooks and wiry frame of Indiana's third-seeded Angel Escebedo as he fell 3-1 in the 125-pound title match. The redshirt freshman had an auspicious performance in his hometown as the only unseeded wrestler to compete in the finals. Fanthorpe's record currently stands at 14-5. "I've always worked hard on technique conditioning," Fanthorpe said. "(Being runner-up) is a great confidence builder and it shows that there is a lot more to wrestling than being the biggest or the strongest. (Escebedo) has always been bigger than me but I hadn't wrestled him since we were eight years old." Trent Paulson had to come back from an 8-4 second-period deficit against third-seeded Mike Poeta of Illinois and suffered a 9-8 loss in the 157-pound championship bout. Paulson scored a reversal to close out the first period of action narrowing the score to 4-3. Paulson is 13-2 in his senior campaign. Kurt Backes took an early edge at 197 pounds against Northwestern's Mike Tamwillow in the second period with an escape during the 197-pound title match, but could not hold off a late shot by the Wildcat and was denied his first Midlands title, 3-1. The two wrestlers were tied up in the center of the mat looking for a good shot for nearly the entire match when Tamillow countered a Backes takedown attempt and scored the winning takedown with 13 seconds left. Backes is 14-2 in his senior season. Iowa State redshirt freshmen Jake Varner (184) Nick Gallick finished fourth and Mitch Mueller placed sixth at 133 and 141-pounds, respectively. At 157-pounds, Jason Knipp took fifth-place honors. The Cyclones will travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa, Jan. 13 – 14 to take part in the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Iowa State will return to Ames Jan. 26 to play host to Oklahoma at 7 p.m. Missouri earns second Southern Scuffle title University of Missouri Sports Information Greensboro, N.C. -- The top-ranked Missouri wrestling team earned its second Southern Scuffle title in four years today after collecting 179.5 points to pull ahead of second-ranked Minnesota with 176. Senior defending National Champion Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) claimed his second Southern Scuffle Most Outstanding Wrestler award after pinning all five of his opponents within the first period of action. Askren and brother Maxwell Askren, a redshirt freshman, claimed individual titles at 174 and 197 pounds, respectively. Eight Tiger wrestlers finished among the top four of their weight class, with sophomore Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) taking second at 184 pounds after being sidelined out by injury. Missouri's freshmen made a significant contribution to the Tiger's overall point total. Redshirt freshman John Olanowski (Virginia Beach, Va.) came up with a fourth place finish at 125 pounds after advancing through the consolation bracket while true freshman Ashtin Primus (South Connelsville, Penn.) took third at 141 pounds and finished the tournament with a 6-1 record that included four wins by fall. Teammate Nicholas Marable (Collerisville, Tenn.) also took third in his weight class, 165 pounds. Marable wrestled in 10 bouts throughout the two-day tournament and wrapped up the evening with three straight wins over top-20 ranked opponents. After losing to Keegan Mueller of UNC in a 5-4 sudden victory second round match, Marable advanced through the consolation bracket and took third place after holding off Mueller in a rematch, 3-2. No. 1 ranked Maxwell Askren capped off his time in the tournament by sticking sixth-ranked J.D. Bergman of Ohio State in 5:48 in the title bout at 197 pounds. The meeting between the two grapplers was the second of the season and marked Askren's second win over the All-American. Junior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) and sophomore Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) both finished fourth at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively. In his final match of the day, Wagner paired with third-ranked Gregor Gillespie of Edinboro and the two scored a combined 28 points through seven minutes of action. After exchanging shots and points, Gillespie came back for the 17-11 win, handing Wagner the fourth place finish. Ben Askren rewrote the Missouri record books earning his 134th career victory and surpassing the former career wins mark of 131 held by former Tiger standout Wes Roper (1978-82). Taking on No. 9 Matt Stolpinski of Navy in the title bout, Askren recorded his fifth win of the tournament by fall in a time of 1:14, his second fastest fall of the tournament. Askren, ranked No. 1 in the nation at 174 pounds, has won 68 consecutive matches dating back to the start of his junior campaign (23 this season) and has tallied 83 wins by fall during his four-year career. "Today's win was really a team effort," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "To be in fourth place entering the second day of the tournament and to be able to pull ahead of a strong Minnesota team in the final few matches of the day says a lot about the character and strength of our team. We had a lot of younger guys stepping up and making statements with their wins. It was fun to watch and I'm pleased with the effort of our team."

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Midlands Championships Committee has released the seeds for this year's tournament. The rankings are as follows: 125 lbs. 1. Franklin Gomez -- Michigan State 2. Gabe Flores -- Illinois 3. Angel Escobedo -- Indiana 4. Brandon Precin -- Northwestern 5. Luke Smith -- Central Michigan 6. Charlie Falck -- Iowa 7. Pat Castillo -- Northern Illinois 8. Cody Garcia -- Nebraska-Omaha 133 lbs. 1. Nick Simmons -- Michigan State 2. Robbie Preston -- Unattached 3. Mario Galanakis -- Iowa 4. Andrae Hernandez -- Indiana 5. Nick Gallick -- Iowa State 6. Jordan Lipp -- American 7. Jimmy Kennedy -- Illinos 8. Corey Jantzen -- Unattched 141 lbs. 1. Ryan Lang -- Northwestern 2. Andy Simmons -- Michigan State 3. Alex Tsirtsis -- Iowa 4. C.J. Ettelson -- Northern Iowa 5. Cassio Pero -- Illinois 6. Max Meltzer -- Harvard 7. Mitch Mueller -- Iowa State 8. Eric Kruger -- Central Michigan 149 lbs. 1. J.P. O'Connor -- Unattached 2. Matt Coughlin -- Indiana 3. David Jauregui -- West Virginia 4. Jermain Thompson -- Eastern Michigan 5. Cyler Sanderson -- Iowa State 6. Mike Grimes -- Northern Illinois 7. Troy Tirapelle -- Illinois 8. Jake Patacsil -- Purdue 157 lbs. 1. Trent Paulson -- Iowa State 2. Brandon Becker -- Indiana 3. Michael Poeta -- Illinois 4. Andrew Flannagan -- Harvard 5. Ryan Morningstar -- Iowa 6. Troy Greathouse -- Michigan State 7. Moza Fay -- Northern Iowa 8. Brian Cobb -- Road Runner WC 165 lbs. 1. Mark Perry -- Iowa 2. Travis Paulson -- Iowa State 3. Nick Baima -- Northern Iowa 4. Max Dean -- Indiana 5. Roger Smith Bergsrud -- Illinois 6. Mike Cannon -- American 7. Greg Hagel -- Northwestern 8. Ross Taplin -- Nebraska--Omaha 174 lbs. 1. James Yonushonis -- Penn State 2. Brandon Sinnott -- Central Michigan 3. Eric Luedke -- Iowa 4. Doug Umbehauer -- Rider 5. Kurt Brenner -- West Virginia 6. Nick Hayes -- Northwestern 7. Kenny Robertson -- Eastern Illinois 8. JD Naig -- Nebraksa -- Omaha 184 lbs. 1. Benjamin Wissel -- Unattached 2. Gerald Harris -- Unattached 3. Jake Varner -- Iowa State 4. Christian Sinnott -- Central Michigan 5. Louis Caputo -- Harvard 6. Marc Bennett -- Indiana 7. Joe Williams -- Michigan State 8. Jason Lulloff -- UW-La Crosse 197 lbs. 1. Josh Glenn -- American 2. Mike Tamillow -- Northwestern 3. Wynn Michalak-- Central Michigan 4. Nathan Moore -- Purdue 5. Kurt Backes -- Iowa State 6. Jared Villers -- West Virginia 7. T.J. Morrison -- Rider 8. Andrew Anderson -- Northern Iowa 285 lbs. 1. Dustin Fox -- Northwestern 2. Tervel Dlagnev -- Nebraksa-Kearney 3. Matt Fields -- Iowa 4. Brian Keck -- Wildcat WC 5. Bubbda Gritter -- Central Michigan 6. Adam Lopiccolo -- American 7. Payam Zarrinpour -- Sacred Heart 8. Blake Gillis -- Wartburg

Please Note: RevWrestling.com is dedicated to covering and promoting amateur wrestling on all levels. However, on occasion, RevWrestling.com will look at mixed martial arts (MMA) as it relates to amateur wrestling. UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz 2 MGM Grand, Las Vegas, December 30, 2006 In what is expected to be the most viewed UFC match in history, Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" ORTIZ (15-4) gets his chance at revenge against Chuck "The Iceman" LIDDELL (19-3). Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has recently passed boxing in terms of fan support and interest. It is an exciting sport on the rise with many accomplished wrestlers amongst its growing legion of fighters. Both Tito (Cal State Bakersfield) and Chuck (Cal Poly) have collegiate wrestling backgrounds. And, both have become legends in their MMA sport. This revenge rematch (Chuck won by TKO in the last fight) has been greatly anticipated. It should be a fight for the decades. Tito OrtizCan Tito explode in the first round and penetrate inside of Chuck's lethal punching power to get a rare takedown of the Iceman, and then use this controlling position for unleashing his wicked elbows in a ground-and-pound victory? I think he can. But, the bookmakers have Tito as a +230 underdog. NOBODY (but Randy Couture) takes Chuck to the mat. Chuck's takedown defense is awesome. But, Tito wants to bask in the glory of his sport with a belt around his waist, and there is no better way to do that than to melt the Iceman. I think Tito has just enough punching power to buy some time to work his magic. The adrenalin will flow when Tito finds himself on top. And the UFC finds it has a former Tank Abbott sparring partner as its new light heavyweight champion. Take ORTIZ +230 over Chuck LIDDELL. Tito wins by "ground-and-pound" TKO in the second round! Forrest GRIFFIN (13-3) has become one of the UFC's most popular fighters, best known for his toe-to-toe bloodbath fight with Stephan Bonnar. Forrest also won the rematch. He doesn't feel like he's in a fight until he tastes his own blood! His opponent tonight is an ex-bounty hunter, Keith "the dean of mean" JARDINE (11-3-1), who lost a close and controversial decision to Bonnar. Both fighters like to stand and "duke it out". If it goes to the mat, Griffin will win. I'm laying my money that GRIFFIN at -335 gets a judge's decision in this one. Andrei "The Bit Bull" ARLOVSKI (11-5) once dominated the heavyweight division, showing his abilities to win by both knockout and submission. His fights have been short. Tonight will be another. Marcio "Pa De Pano" CRUZ (2-1) is a skilled Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter whose pathetic punching style makes going to the mat a must if he is to have any chance of winning. He doesn't, and this one will end in minutes with ARLOVSKI at -500 getting a first round KO over the out-classed foe. Andrei wants his belt back. And, rumor has it that Mirko Cro-cop may have something to say about that, too … Michael BISBING (11-0) is a British heavyweight that is rolling through his opponents with early knockouts. He has even shown the ability to end fights through submission, a heavyweight rarity indeed. Eric SCHAFER (9-1-2) has choked out his last four opponents, so his plan is evident. He needs to get close enough to BISBING to get him vulnerable to submission in order to win. I don't see that happening. Michael is too big and too fast. This one ends with a second round KO and BISBING backers at -400 go to the winner's window again. Chris LEBEN (15-2) was rolling through the UFC destroying people until he met up with Anderson Silva and got a first hand lesson in muy-thai fighting. Anderson pummeled and controlled Leben, locking up his head and unloading vicious leg and knee strikes. Rich Franklin lost his middleweight belt to Silva in the same manner. Canadian Jason MACDONALD (17-7) is no muy-thai fighter. But, he may be quick enough to be able to get Leben to the mat and work a submission on him. Chris will want to stand up and punch or go to the "ground-and-pound," but MMA chat rooms are a buzz at the attractive odds on this 'dog. I'll bite and take MACDONALD at +190 to get a surprise second-round arm bar submission on the red-haired psycho, Chris LEBEN. In the undercard bouts, I see: Tony DOSOUZA (9-2) pulls a mild upset at +110 beating Thiago ALVES (15-4) with a third-round rear-naked choke submission. Yushin OKAMI (18-3) at �475 smothers Rory SINGER (10-6) with a second-round triangle choke submission. Christian WELLISCH (7-2) at �145 kicks his way to a TKO victory over Anthony PERROSH (5-2). … and in a heavyweight brawl, Gabriel GONZAGA (6-1) at �300 ends Carmelo MARRERO's (5-0) unbeaten streak with a first-round KO. Hopefully, this card will provide not only a night full of excitement, but, a little extra holiday spending money to boot! This upcoming year of 2007 promises to be the UFC�s most exciting season yet. Enjoy the fights! See you at the winner's window. The UFC Monster

Day 1 is now officially in the books for the Midlands Championships and the Southern Scuffle. So what were the major surprises on Day 1? Who turned in the most impressive performances? What are some key-match-ups that fans should expect to see on Day 2? RevWrestling.com recaps Day 1 and looks ahead to what should be an eventful Day 2. Midlands Championships (Evanston, Illinois) Team Race: After Day 1 (through the quarterfinals), the Cael Sanderson-led Iowa State Cyclones have a commanding lead in the team race with 91.5 points. Iowa State advanced six wrestlers into tomorrow's semifinals. Those wrestlers include Nick Fanthorpe, Mitch Mueller, Trent Paulson, Travis Paulson, Jake Varner, and Kurt Backes. Northwestern sits in second place with 68.5 points and four semifinalists. Central Michigan (67), Iowa (65.5), and Indiana (63) round out the top five teams after Day 1 at the Midlands. Day 1 Highlights: At 125, No. 2-seeded Gabe Flores of Illinois re-injured the LCL in his left knee in his 15-9 opening-round victory over Raymond Stephens of Waubonsee, which forced him to withdraw from the competition. In the quarterfinals, in a battle of freshmen, Nick Fanthorpe of Iowa State upset No. 1-seeded Franklin Gomez of Michigan State, 9-7, in a controversial overtime match. At 133, Nick Simmons of Michigan State, the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the country at 133, defeated New York high school phenom Corey Jantzen in the quarterfinals, 11-1. Jantzen is only the fourth high wrestler ever to compete at the Midlands. In the bottom bracket, both the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds failed to advance to the semifinals. Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois took out No. 2-seeded Robbie Preston of Harvard in sudden victory, 5-3. Unseeded Eric Metzler of Northwestern, a former Wisconsin two-time state champion, upset No. 3-seeded Mario Galanakis of Iowa, 3-2. At 141, No. 3-seeded Cassio Pero of Illinois, a former All-American, was pinned by unseeded Don Fisch of Rider. Fisch, however, dropped his quarterfinal match to Mitch Mueller of Iowa State, 2-1. At 149, No. 3-seeded David Jauregui of West Virginia and No. 4 seeded Jermain Thompson of Eastern Michigan failed to reach the quarterfinals, both losing to unseeded wrestlers. Jauregui lost to Tyler Grayson of Central Michigan, while Thompson lost to Matt Redmond of Purdue. The semifinals saw the No. 1 and No. 5 seeds fall to a pair of Purdue wrestlers. No. 1-seeded J.P. O'Connor of Harvard was upset by Jake Patacsil, 4-3, while No. 5-seeded Cyler Sanderson of Iowa State fell to Redmond, 5-4, in the tiebreaker period. At 157, No. 2-seeded Brandon Becker of Indiana, a two-time All-American, lost by injury default to No. 7-seeded Moza Fay of Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals. At 165, unseeded Jonathan Reader of Iowa State, a talented freshman who is redshirting this season for the Cyclones, scored a 2-1 decision over No. 4-seeded Max Dean of Indiana. However, in the quarterfinals, Reader was defeated by No. 5-seeded Roger Bergsrud of Illinois, 5-3. At 184, No. 2-seeded Gerald Harris, a former Cleveland State standout, was upset in the Round of 16 by unseeded John Dergo of Illinois, 6-4, in the second tiebreaker. At 197, No. 1-seeded Josh Glenn of American dominated on Day 1, recording three pins. Looking Ahead: At 141, Mitch Mueller of Iowa State will face Alex Tsirtsis of Iowa in the semifinals. Tsirtsis defeated Mueller, 4-1, on Dec. 3. At 157, Trent Paulson of Iowa State and Mike Poeta of Illinois are on a collision course to meet in the finals. Both wrestlers have looked very impressive in their matches leading up to the semifinals. At least year's Midlands, Poeta defeated Trent's older brother, Travis, to advance to the finals. At 165, No. 2-seeded Travis Paulson of Iowa State will face No. 3-seeded and defending Midlands champion Nick Baima of Northern Iowa in the semifinals. The winner will likely face No. 1-seeded Mark Perry of Iowa, a 2004 Midlands champion, in the finals. Midlands Championships Brackets Southern Scuffle (Greensboro, North Carolina) Team Race: No. 1-ranked Minnesota leads the team race at the Southern Scuffle after Day 1 with 59.5 points. The Gophers advanced seven wrestlers into tomorrow's quarterfinals. Edinboro sits in second place with 53.5 points. Cornell (52), Missouri (50.5), and Cal State Bakersfield (42.5) round out the top five teams after Day 1 at the Southern Scuffle. Day 1 Highlights: At 125, NCAA runner-up Troy Nickerson of Cornell made his season debut with a 33-second pin over Taylor Cumming of North Carolina State. Nickerson followed that up with a 16-6 major decision over Eric Morrill of Edinboro. At 141, No. 2-seeded J Jaggers of Ohio State scored a second-period pin in the opening round, but suffered an injury and withdrew from the competition. No. 3-seeded Vince Ramirez was pinned at 6:32 in the Round of 16 by Alex Krom of Maryland. At 174, Ben Askren of Missouri recorded two first-period pins … and now stands tied with former Tiger grappler Wes Roper in the Missouri career wins record book with 131. Askren is now 20-0 on the season with 18 of his victories coming by way of pin. Looking Ahead: The quarterfinal match-ups are now set for the Southern Scuffle … and there looks to be some very intriguing match-ups. At 133, No. 1-seeded Matt Keller of Tennessee Chattanooga will face talented first-year starter Adam Frey of Cornell. Frey is a former Blair Academy standout who is making his season debut at the Southern Scuffle. Frey has won by scores of 15-4 and 24-12 leading up to his quarterfinal match against Keller. At 149, it will be a battle of former Ohio high school stars when Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota, the defending NCAA champion, faces freshman Lance Palmer of Ohio State in the quarterfinals. However, the match-up that wrestling fans all across the country are talking about is the potential finals showdown between Schlatter and fellow sophomore Gregor Gillespie of Edinboro. Gillespie won his two matches on Friday by a combined score of 32-0 (two technical falls). At 165, No. 1-seeded Deonte Penn of Edinboro, a returning All-American, will face talented true freshman Scott Glasser of Minnesota, the No. 8 seed, in the quarterfinals. Glasser, a five-time North Dakota state champion, won his opening round match by a score of 14-1 and advanced to the quarterfinals after winning by injury default. At 184, No. 1-seeded Roger Kish of Minnesota will face freshman David Craig of Lehigh in the quarterfinals. Both are former No. 1 overall recruits. In high school, the two combined for 431 victories and eight state titles. At 197, No. 1-seeded Max Askren of Missouri will face Brent Jones of Virginia in the quarterfinals. Askren defeated Jones over the summer to win the FILA Junior World Team Trials in Colorado Springs. Hudson Taylor of Maryland will take on Ryan Goodman of North Carolina State in what should be another exciting quarterfinal match-up. Southern Scuffle Brackets

Founded by Northwestern's Ken Kraft, the Midlands Championships has historically brought together the very best amateur wrestling and has provided the springboard for 81 Olympic Athletes. The Midlands continues to feature many wrestlers who will compete for national titles. Programs and teams scheduled to compete include: Iowa, Iowa State, Illinois, Central Michigan, Michigan, Northern Iowa, Northwestern and many others. Who'll get the coveted team title? Tune in and find out. As the folks at Northwestern University ready themselves for the incoming athletes, coaches, friends, fans and family we too ready ourselves for this historic broadcast. We welcome back Our broadcast team: Steve Foster, Greg Zafros, Scott Casber and yes interviews with the top coaches and athletes. Our Midlands Broadcast schedule is below. We look forward to talking to you all. Thanks for tuning in. Takedownradio.com Day: Friday Date: Dec. 29, 2006 Location: Evanston, Ill. Time: 9 AM CST, breaks through the day will vary Web Bug from http://graphics.fansonly.com/ads/spacer.gif Day: Saturday Date: Dec. 30, 2006 Location: Evanston, Ill. Time: 9 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST Radio and Internet 12:00 Noon CST to 4 PM CST Internet Only 6:30 PM CST Finals and Ceremonies

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Junior Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) has been named BigElevenWrestling.net Big ten Wrestler of the Week following his performance at last weekend's Reno Tournament of Champions. Tamillow, ranked ninth at 197 lbs. heading into the weekend, knocked off eighth-ranked Wynn Michalak to improve his season record to 16-0 and capture the title. Tamillow stormed to the finals, pinning three of his opponents en route to the final match. The junior recorded falls against Thor Moen of Arizona State, Eric Hinebauch of Great Falls and Kelly Anundson of Newbury before cruising to an 8-1 decision over Cal Poly's 15th-ranked Matt Monteiro in the semifinals. Tamillow dominated the eighth-ranked Michalak 6-2 in the finals to capture the crown. Tamillow adds the Reno Tournament of Champions title to his prior win at the season-opening Eastern Michigan Open. The Wildcats finished sixth at the event with 70 team points and placed a total of four. Freshman Brandon Precin (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) finished third at 125 lbs. and notched a win over Oklahoma State's 18th-ranked Tyler Schinn, junior Greg Hagel (Linwood, N.J./Blair Academy) finished fourth at 165 lbs. and Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central) placed sixth at 174 lbs. This is Northwestern's second BigElevenWrestling Wrestler of the Week honor this season. Hayes was recognized for going 2-0 against Northern Illinois and Eastern Illinois on Dec. 13. The Wildcats, who currently sit eighth in the latest USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Coaches, return to action Dec. 29 when they host the 44th annual Midlands Championships at Welsh-Ryan Arena Dec. 29-30. For information on the Midlands visit The 2006 Midlands Homepage.

GREENSBORO, NC -- Fans may now sign-up for the live webcast that will be available for the 2006 Southern Scuffle through UNCGSpartans.com and SouthernScuffle.com. The 2006 Southern Scuffle will take place on December 29 and 30 at the Greensboro Coliseum's Special Events Center. Up to 10 mats will have action going on simultaneously. However, tournament committee members will be scheduling feature matches on three specific mats in order to accomodate the webcast coverage. (Because the schedule is done as the brackets develop, the exact schedule of matches to be shown is typically not available.) In-depth coverage of the 2006 Southern Scuffle will be provided both days from start to finish, highlighting numerous matches. In addition, several coaches and wrestlers will provide in-sight throughout the two days of action. Among the 32 teams participating in the 2006 edition of the tournament, there are six teams currently ranked in the Top 25. Missouri, the second-ranked team in the nation, captured the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational team title on Dec. 2 and is closely followed by Minnesota in the No. 3 spot. The Golden Gophers have won the Southern Scuffle team title each of the last two years. Other ranked teams slated for the Southern Scuffle this year are twelfth-ranked Edinboro, No. 13 Cornell, No. 14 Ohio State and No. 20 Pittsburgh. The rosters of those 32 teams also contain 67 individuals that are currently ranked. Three individuals hold the top spot in their respective weight classes. Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota at 149 lbs., Ben Askren of Missouri at 174 lbs., and Cole Konrad of Minnesota at 285 lbs are the top-ranked wrestler in their weight classes. Troy Nickerson of Cornell at 125 lbs., Matt Keller of Chattanooga at 133 lbs., Roger Kish of Minnesota at 184 lbs. and Max Askren of Missouri at 197 lbs. all sit in the No. 2 spot. SouthernScuffle.com will also be the sole source of up-to-the-minute results for all 10 weight classes throughout the two days of action. Fans can purchase the two days of webcast for $9.95 through either UNCGSpartans.com or its associate website, SouthernScuffle.com. To purchase, just click on the Spartan All Access logo on the right side of all web pages on the two websites.

GREENSBORO, NC -- The seeding for each weight class for the 2006 UNCG Southern Scuffle was announced on Wednedsay. The tournament will be held on December 29 and 30 at the Greensboro Coliseum's Special Events Center. 125 1 TROY NICKERSON CORNELL 2 TANNER GARDNER STANFORD 3 OBENSON BLANC LOCK HAVEN 4 JAYSON NESS MINNESOTA 5 CHAD SPORTELLI KENT STATE 6 JAVIER MALDONADO CHATTANOOGA 7 JUSTIN STAYLOR VIRGINIA TECH 8 JOHN OLANOWSKI MISSOURI 9 JEFF HEDGES UNCG 10 MATTHEW FISK LEHIGH 11 JAMES NICHOLSON OLD DOMINION 12 KYLE HUTTER OLD DOMINION 133 1 MATT KELLER CHATTANOOGA 2 TYLER MCCORMICK MISSOURI 3 EVAN SOLA NORTH CAROLINA 4 DREW HEADLEE PITTSBURGH 5 JOE BAKER NAVY 6 RICKY DEUBEL EDINBORO 7 TERREYL WILLIAMS APP STATE 8 ERIC ALBRIGHT U OF VIRGINIA 9 SETH CIASULLI LEHIGH 10 ADAM FREY CORNELL 11 ADAM KOBALLA OLD DOMINION 141 1 MANUEL RIVERA MINNESOTA 2 JEFF JAGGERS OHIO STATE 3 VINCENT RAMIREZ NORTH CAROLINA 4 CHARLIE PINTO MARYLAND 5 MIKEKEEFE CHATTANOOGA 6 CHRIS BENCIVENGA UNCG 7 RYAN WILLIAMS OLD DOMINION 8 REECE HUMPHREY OHIO STATE 9 MATTHEW CIASULLI LEHIGH 10 DARRION CALDWELL NC STATE 149 1 DUSTIN SCHLATTER MINNESOTA 2 GILLESPIE GREGOR EDINBORO 3 JORDAN LEEN CORNELL 4 AARON MARTIN CHATTANOOGA 5 JOHN COX NAVY 6 TREVOR CHINN LEHIGH 7 SCOTT ERVIN APP STATE 8 LANCE PALMER OHIO STATE 9 SAM ALVARENGA VMI 10 JONNY BONILLA-BOW VIRGINIA TECH 11 JOEY ECKLOF PITTSBURGH 157 1 MATT HILL EDINBORO 2 SETH MARTIN LOCK HAVEN 3 MIKE CHANDLER MISSOURI 4 TRAVIS PICCARD THE CITADEL 5 JOSH ZUPANCIC STANFORD 6 TYLER SHERFEY BOISE STATE 7 CHRIS BROWN OLD DOMINION 8 BYRON SIGMON UNCG 9 TOMMY CUNNINGHAM VMI 10 KURT GROSS KENT STATE 11 CHARLIE AGOZZINO CORNELL 12 KODY HAMRAH NC STATE 165 1 DEONTE PENN EDINBORO 2 STEVE ANCERAVAGE CORNELL 3 KEEGAN MUELLER NORTH CAROLINA 4 CHRIS VONDRUSKA OHIO STATE 5 JASON KIESSLING MARYLAND 6 BRIAN PERRY STANFORD 7 WILLIAM GARVIN CHATTANOOGA 8 SCOTT GLASSER MINNESOTA 174 1 BEN ASKREN MISSOURI 2 GABE DRETSCH MINNESOTA 3 MATT STOLPINSKI NAVY 4 MIKE LETTS MARYLAND 5 PHIL MORICONE EDINBORO 6 AARON MILLER KENT STATE 7 LUKE HOGLE CORNELL 8 NEAL MARTIN APP STATE 9 LLOYD ROGERS CHATTANOOGA 10 BLAKE MAURER OHIO STATE 11 ANTIONE LOVE OHIO UNIVERSIT 12 LUKE FEIST STANFORD 184 1 ROGER KISH MINNESOTA 2 MIKE PUCILLO OHIO STATE 3 RAYMOND JORDAN MISSOURI 4 ALEX CLEMSEN EDINBORO 5 ROCCO CAPONI U OF VIRGINIA 6 ERIC CHINE KENT STATE 7 ANTONIO MIRANDA NAVY 8 STEVE BORJA VIRGINIA TECH 9 DAVID CRAIG LEHIGH 197 1 MAX ASKREN MISSOURI 2 JERRY RINALDI CORNELL 3 JD BERGMAN OHIO STATE 4 HUDSON TAYLOR MARYLAND 5 RYAN GOODMAN NC STATE 6 HARRY ZANDER GEORGE MASON 7 MATTHEW CASSIDY LEHIGH 8 MARK THOMPSON THE CITADEL 285 1 COLE KONRAD MINNESOTA 2 ED PRENDERGAS NAVY 3 SPENCER NADOLSKY NORTH CAROLINA 4 JOE FENDONE EDINBORO 5 PAUL WEIBEL LEHIGH 6 ANDY PATRICK BOISE STATE 7 JANOIR PALMA NC STATE 8 JERMAIL PORTER KENT STATE 9 KOZ MATT CHATTANOOGA 10 ELLIS MARK MISSOURI 11 SHEFFIELD JOE UNCG 12 MORRISON COREY OHIO STATE 13 HAMMOND ZACH CORNELL 14 SHEAFFER ZACH PITTSBURGH

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestler Aaron Martin was named the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week, the SoCon Office announced Thursday. Martin defeated Ohio State's 19th-ranked Lance Palmer with a second-period pin in UTC's 28-13 victory at No. 14 Ohio State. His 149-pound match was the first one of the dual and gave the Mocs an early 6-0 lead over the Buckeyes. Martin, a senior from Pataskala, Ohio, moved from 18th to 14th in the individual national rankings. His match was the only one in the dual which featured ranked competitors facing each other. Martin's win allowed him to remain undefeated in five dual matches and improve his overall record to 13-4. He is the second UTC wrestler to earn the SoCon's weekly honor in the last three weeks. Senior Matt Keller was awarded the honor Dec. 6. The Mocs are back in action Dec. 29 and 30 at the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C.

The International Wrestling Institute and Museum, founded in 1997, has officially changed locations. The facility opened its doors on Sept. 18, 1998, in Newton, Iowa, and on Jan. 12, 2007, will re-open its doors in Waterloo, Iowa. The new facility will be renamed the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in honor of the state's greatest sporting legend. On January 13-14 the University of Northern Iowa will be hosting the National Duals at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls. The event brings over 70 collegiate teams an estimated 15,000 fans to the event. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum will open on Friday, January 12, in conjunction with the Duals. A Grand Opening is slated for some time in February, the exact date yet to be determined. "We're excited about having the wrestling museum in Waterloo," said Jeff Boyer of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. "Part of our marketing plan is to work closely with the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum for this event. We anticipate over 15,000 fans for the weekend and we hope that the majority of them will visit the new museum." The facility in Waterloo features 21,000 square feet, nearly tripling the size of the Newton museum. The added space has allowed the wrestling museum to grow and add exhibits that had been in the works for several years. Two of the areas that received significant improvements were the pro and amateur wings of the wrestling museum. The amateur area has an entirely new design and is much larger, while the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional wing received some considerable upgrades to their section in the museum. "The new facility is tremendous," said Mike Chapman, executive director and founder of the wrestling museum. "When we came up here to unload I was blown away with all the work that had been done. This museum has exceeded all of my expectations. This is a place is something the entire nation can take pride in." In addition to the amateur and pro wrestling exhibits, the new wrestling museum will house the Dan Gable Training Center, the Alan & Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Fame, the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa, as well as a new and improved gift shop, library, and video room. Fans will also be treated to a magnificent glass etching of Gable upon entering into the lobby area. "The etched glass with Dan Gable is one of the key features in the museum," said Kevin McConnell of Kirk Gross Company, the architect for the wrestling museum. "It's a unique etched piece of glass that represents what Dan Gable and the museum is all about. The guy who completed the project has etched glass for 30 years and he said it's the best piece he's ever done." There are already several new projects and events scheduled with the move to Waterloo. The latest development is a new radio program that will be broadcast live from the wrestling museum on Wednesday nights from 6 to 7 p.m. on 1650 AM. Kyle Klingman, associate director of the wrestling museum, will host the program. The broadcast area for the show includes most of northeast Iowa and can be heard nationwide on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com. The first show will air live on January 3, 2007. Kirk Gross Company, owned and operated by Bob Buckley, a former West Waterloo High School wrestler, donated over $50,000 in services to the project. MaGee Construction Company of Waterloo is the general contractor and also donated considerable time and effort. Maher Transfer Company of Cedar Rapids and Takin Brothers of Waterloo donated trucks and labor for the entire move. Twenty members of the West Waterloo wrestling team helped unload the truck. Buckley headed up the fundraising effort. The goal was $1.3 million and it was reached in November, said Buckley. Over $700,000 was allocated for the renovation of the building, which is state of the art. "This is great opportunity for the sport of wrestling to get behind this project and show their support," said Jed Brown, president of the board of directors for the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum. "This museum is something that the entire wrestling community can be proud of." Other board members are Jay Roberts of Waterloo; Frank Santana of Des Moines; Chris McGowan of Sioux City, IA; Brad Rheingans of Appleton, MN; Tom Drake of Cullman, AL; Ken Leuer of Midland, GA, Bill Murdock of Asheville, NC, Bev Chapman of Newton, IA, and Dan Gable of Iowa City, as well as Chapman and Buckley. The new museum is located at 303 Jefferson Street in downtown Waterloo. Anyone interested in updates on the museum may call (319) 233-0745 or visit www.wrestlingmuseum.org.

Final Pre-Seeds Released for 44th Annual Midlands Wrestling Championships 44th Midlands Wrestling Championships begin at 9:30 a.m. Friday, December 29 Dec. 21, 2006 EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Midlands Championships Committee has released the final pre-seeds for this year's tournament. The rankings are as follows: 125 1. Frank Gomez - Michigan State 2. Angel Escobedo - Indiana 3. Gabe Flores - Illinois 4. Brandon Precin - Northwestern 5. Luke Smith - C. Michigan 6. Charlie Falck - Iowa 7. Pat Castello - N. Illinois 8. Cody Garcia - Nebraska-Omaha 133 1. Nick Simmons - Michigan State 2. Mario Galanakis - Iowa 3. Cameron Doggett - Purdue 4. Andrae Hernandez - Indiana 5. Robbie Preston - unat. (Boston, Mass.) 6. Nick Gallick - Iowa State 7. Jordan Lipp - American Univ. 8. Corey Jantzen - unat. (Shoreham, NY) 141 1. Ryan Lang - Northwestern 2. Andy Simmons - Michigan State 3. Alex Tsirtsis - Iowa 4. C. J. Ettelson - Northern Iowa 5. Cassio Pero - Illinois 6. Brandon Rader - West Virginia 7. Max Meltzer - Harvard 8. Mitch Mueller - Iowa State 149 1. Matt Coughlin - Indiana 2. J. J. O'Connor - Harvard 3. David Jauregui - West Virginia 4. Jermain Thompson - Eastern Michigan 5. Cyler Sanderson - Iowa State 6. Mike Grimes - Northern Illinois 7. Todd Meneely - Nebraska-Omaha 8. Jake Patacsil - Purdue 157 1. Trent Paulson - Iowa State 2. Brandon Becker - Indiana 3. Mike Poeta - Illinois 4. Andrew Flanagan - Harvard 5. Ryan Morningstar - Iowa 6. Zac Fryling - West Virginia 7. Tony Greathouse - Michigan State 8. Dave Miller - Rider 165 1. Mark Perry - Iowa 2. Travis Paulson - Iowa State 3. Nick Baima - Northern Iowa 4. Johnny Galloway - Northern Illinois 5. Max Dean - Indiana 6. Roger Smith-Bergsrud - Illinos 7. Trever Stewart - Central Michigan 8. Mike Cannon - American Univ. 174 1. James Yonushonis - Penn State 2. Brandon Sinnott - Central Michigan 3. Eric Luedke - Iowa 4. Doug Umbehauer - Rider 5. Donny Reynolds - Illinois 6. Kurt Brenner - West Virginia 7. Nick Hayes - Northwestern 8. Ken Robertson - Eastern Illinois 184 1. Ben Wissel - Unat.(Lafayette, Ind) 2. Gerald Harris - Unat.(Tulsa, Ok.) 3. Jake Varner - Iowa State 4. Christian Sinnott - Central Michigan 5. Louis Caputo - Harvard 6. Marc Bennett - Indiana 7. Joe Williams - Michigan State 8. Jason Lulloff - Wisconsin-LaCrosse 197 1. Josh Glenn - American Univ. 2. Mike Tamillow - Northwestern 3. Wynn Michalak - Central Michigan 4. Nathan Moore - Purdue 5. Kurt Backes - Iowa State 6. Jared Villers - West Virginia 7. T. J. Morrison - Rider 8. Andy Anderson - Northern Iowa HWT 1. Brian Keck - Wildcat Wrestling Club 2. Dustin Fox - Northwestern 3. Matt Fields - Iowa 4. Bubba Gritter - Central Michigan 5. Tervel Dlagnev - Nebraska-Kearney 6. Adam LoPiccolo - American Univ. 7. Payam Zarrinpour - Sacred Heart University 8. Dustin Rogers - West Virginia

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The No. 1 ranked Missouri wrestling team opened the home portion of its schedule with a 35-9 win over No. 24 Pittsburgh in the Hearnes Center. A record-setting 2,494 fans were on hand to watch as the Tigers improved to 4-0 on the season for just the 10th time in the 62-year history of the program. The previous record for attendance was set at 2,128, Jan. 22, 2006 against Oklahoma State. Opening action at 125 pounds, redshirt freshman John Olanowski (Virginia Beach, Va.) scored first with seven seconds remaining in the first period. Olanowski took his shot, then took down Panther opponent Brad Gentzle, scoring an additional three points for a nearfall called at the buzzer. In the final five minutes of competition, Olanowski managed two escapes and a single takedown for the eventual 9-3 victory. Junior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) got the crowd excited after scoring back-to-back three-point nearfalls to end the first period and start the second. Wagner was one of nine Missouri wrestlers to finish the first period with the lead and one of eight to hold on for the win. Helping the Tigers back from a six point deficit, Wagner won his bout against Joey Ecklof with a 16-8 major decision, putting Missouri within two points of the Panthers (9-7). 2006 NCAA qualifier sophomore Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) took Missouri ahead of Pittsburgh after recording a 15-4 major decision against Mark Generalovich. On the way to his 30th career win, Chandler notched six takedowns, the second most of the night. All-American and co-captain Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) collected Missouri's first fall of the dual sticking Sean Richmond in 1:40. Pell was up 2-0 in the first period before pushing Richmond back from the edge of the mat and planting both shoulders down for the fall. The No. 1 and No. 2 wrestlers at 174 pounds met at center circle for the second time this season. Defending National Champion Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) battled with No. 2 Keith Gavin and for the 11th straight match, pinned his opponent. The fall in 2:34 was Askren's second over Gavin as he dropped the Panther in 2:16 at the 25th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 3 in the semi-finals. With the win, Askren improves to 129-8 on his career and is three victories shy of setting a new Missouri career falls record. To date, Askren has notched 63 consecutive wins dating back to the start of his junior campaign. Sophomore Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) came up with the most takedowns of the night, seven. Jordan recorded Missouri's fifth of seven extra point wins after outscoring Kyle Deliere, 17-4, at 184 pounds. Tallying 4:14 of riding time, redshirt freshman Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) improved to 13-0 on the season after winning a 14-2 major decision against Eric Cassidy at 197 pounds. Askren, currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, collected five of his 14 points through two nearfalls. The Askren brothers are the only two members of Missouri's starting lineup to retain perfect records. Competing in the final bout of the evening, redshirt freshman Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) gave the Tigers a 26 point lead with his 13-2 major decision over ach Sheaffer. In Missouri's only other dual of the evening between ranked opponents, junior All-American Tyler McCormick, currently No. 10 at 133 pounds, suffered a fall in 3:52 by eighth-ranked Drew Headlee. The loss was only McCormick's fourth of the season. The No. 1 Missouri wrestling team will travel to Greensboro, N.C. for the Southern Scuffle, Dec. 29-30. Missouri's next home dual will be Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. (CT) against Nebraska.

At least on paper, Hofstra's James Strouse had no business beating Minnesota's CP Schlatter at the Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals in Guilderland Center, NY on Nov. 25. James StrouseAfter all, Schlatter was heralded as one of the top high school recruits in the country a few years back, a four-time state champion with a 165-1 record in wrestling-rich Ohio, Cadet and Junior Nationals champion, and NHSCA Senior Nationals champion. Strouse, a senior, has never reached the All-American podium at the NCAA Championships. He was a one-time New York state champion (two-time state place-winner) who didn't start wrestling until he was in eighth grade. But thankfully for Strouse, wrestling matches aren't won and lost on paper … and the senior from Levittown, NY came through with a 4-2 (sudden victory) decision over Schlatter. "I would have to say that was the biggest win of my wrestling career," said Strouse. "He's an outstanding wrestler. I've watched him in the past. He's really good. I just tried to go out there, keep good position … and thankfully I came out on top. I was pretty happy with the win, but after the match we still had another three duals meets to go that day. And on top of that, its still early in the season, I can't go crazy over one win. I'm going to have so many more close matches and wrestling so many good guys." More importantly (according to Strouse) was the fact that Hofstra, who is now ranked No. 4 in the country by RevWrestling.com, came out on top in the dual against No. 1 Minnesota, 18-17. "Beating Minnesota showed that we're working hard and doing the right things," said Strouse. "We're like a big family. Everyone sticks together. We push ourselves the whole time. It makes us really happy to know that all the extra work we put in is paying off. That's why we work hard, so that we can get something in return. But Minnesota has a tough team. They have a bunch of tough guys. They work hard too. They deserve credit. I mean, it was a battle, a war. It was just an honor to be a part of dual meet against a high caliber team like Minnesota. The win boosted our morale a little bit." Tom ShiffletStrouse, who currently sports a 17-2 record this season, has already avenged three losses from last season, to Schlatter, Travis Piccard of The Citadel, and Nathan Galloway of Penn State. "It gives him some confidence to beat those guys," said Hofstra coach Tom Shifflet. "A lot of it has to do with James going out with a different mindset when he wrestles, where he's a little more offensive. In the past, once he got the lead, a lot of times he would shut down his wrestling. Now, we're trying to get him to wrestle the whole match, whether he has the lead or not. He seems to be doing really well with that philosophy." Coming out of high school, Strouse wasn't heavily recruited. He received some letters and calls from The Citadel, American, and a few other schools, but received no interest from any of the major Division I programs. At the urging of former Hofstra coach Tom Ryan, Strouse signed a gentleman's agreement at the midpoint of his senior season to wrestle for Hofstra. Ryan, who is now the head coach at Ohio State, initially offered Strouse a very small scholarship, but later upped it. "Tom Ryan was one of the biggest influences in wrestling for me," said Strouse. "I met him when I was in ninth grade. He was one of the reasons why I really wanted to do well in wrestling. I kind of idolized him and looked up to him. He was such a great wrestler … and such a nice guy. I always wanted to come to Hofstra. It was like a dream to wrestle for them. Once he offered me a good scholarship, I signed right away." As a redshirt in 2002-03, Strouse compiled a 5-3 record in open tournaments. The next season, as a freshman, he became Hofstra's starter at 149 pounds. He finished the season with a solid record of 23-12 and finished runner-up at the Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA) Championships, but went 1-2 at the NCAA Championships. As a sophomore, Strouse moved up from 149 pounds to 157 pounds, but posted similar numbers. He finished with a 22-12 record, reached the finals of the CAA Championships again, but this time won it over defending champion Dave Miller of Rider. He once again failed to place at the NCAA Championships, going 0-2. Last season, as a junior, it was more of the same: 23-12 record, CAA champion, 1-2 record at the NCAA Championships. Strouse has steadily climbed the 157-pound rankings this season. He began the season ranked in the 12-15 range by most ranking services. But after solid showings at the Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals and the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (where he placed fifth), Strouse is now ranked No. 8 in the country by RevWrestling.com. "Rankings don't really matter to me," said Strouse. "You could have a record of zero and a million going into the national tournament and still win it. It really means nothing. If you look at rankings too much, like, 'This guys is ahead of you, so you're supposed to lose. Therefore, it's OK for you to lose.' That's not a mentality you want to have. It's nice when people are giving you some respect, but you can't look at those things too much or you'll drive yourself crazy." James StrouseFor all the success James Strouse has had throughout his collegiate career at Hofstra, and all the expectations he's exceeded, the one thing that he's still missing is the elusive All-American medal at the NCAA Championships. "I would like to see myself on the podium this season, at least top four," said Strouse. "That would put a pretty big smile on my face. But making it to the NCAA finals and winning it, that would be great. I just have to take it one step at a time. I still have so much of a season ahead of me. I don't want to focus on the end right now. I want to focus on right now." Shifflet believes he possesses the attributes needed to accomplish his goals. "James is really driven," said Shifflet. "He has a great work ethic. He's willing to do what it takes to get it done. He's constantly working on his weaknesses. He listens and picks up on things. He's a senior and he wants to do the whole thing."

First let me say to each of you a very Happy Holiday Season! Thanks for your encouragement, friendship, support, kind words and wonderful ideas. Steve and I and our group of broadcast professionals around the country strive to do our best each and every show. Every wrestler and program is important to this sport and to us. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! After Reno and The University of Missouri its back to the studio for 2 days then off to Chicago for the Huge Midlands Broadcast. With Michigan pulling out for team health reasons the complexion of the event will certainly change as will some of the results. Please tune in. TDR this week will go from 9 AM to 11:30 AM. Joining me in the studio for this extended broadcast is the Asst. Coach of the US Military Academy at Westpoint Mike Clayton. Mike is well respected as a teacher and coach. We welcome him to our studios and to Takedown Radio. If you are coming to Des Moines or anywhere in Iowa and would like an opportunity to talk wrestling to thousands of fans nationwide Our guests include: Dan Wirnsberger -- Head Coach of the revived and running Bucknell Bison wrestling program. What's it like putting a team of true freshmen on the mat to compete? On Winning out of the box. Life as a new head coach. Greg Strobel -- Head Coach of Lehigh- Mountain Hawks and the brown and white have struggled early on the year. Plans for a strong second half? Changes? What's in the air on this beautiful campus where wrestling reigns supreme? David Craig and the future of this young squad. Themat.com/Takedown Radio Athlete of the Week brought to you by: Asics: Gabe Dretsch -- The 13th-ranked Dretsch earned a 3-1 win over No. 8 Brandon Mason to lift the No. 3 ranked Gophers to a 21-15 win over top-ranked and four-time defending NCAA champion Oklahoma State on Dec. 6 in Minneapolis. The team score was tied 12-12 before Dretsch, a junior, pulled off the pivotal win at 174 pounds. Dretsch scored a takedown late in the first period for what turned out to be the deciding factor in the match. Dretsch was 1-2 against Mason last season. Dretsch is a two-time NCAA qualifier and is 12-3 this season (12/14/06) Jim Zalesky -- This Beavers Head Coach is now in his first year. He has a tremendous staff to back his play in a conference well known for great athletes. What's the Pac like? How's it been Recruiting the Northwest. How's Family life after the move. Lets catch up with Jimmy Z. Rico Chiparelli -- Rico Chiparelli's Professional Submission League has made its public debut. This former Iowa Hawkeye is still coaching, teaching and competing? LA Sub X. He'll join us to discuss his venture and his place in wrestling history. Jack Spates -- Head Coach of the Sooners of Oklahoma. In the words of the late Marvin Gaye "What's goin on" Master Jack. This author, wrestler, coach, mentor, friend and father joins us to discuss Boomer Sooner! Themat.com/Takedown Radio Athlete of the Week brought to you by: Asics Travis Paulson -- 165 Pound Iowa State Senior. He beat No. 6 Nick Baima of UNI in their dual on Sunday. Paulson is ranked third in the nation. He finished fourth at the World Team Trials this summer.

RENO, Nev. –- Tenth-ranked Central Michigan University advanced five wrestlers to the finals en route to the team title at the Reno Tournament of Champions. The championship is CMU's first at the event. Oklahoma State had won the tournament four straight years and nine times in the 12 years it has been held. The Chippewas tallied 132.5 team points, while Oklahoma State was runner-up with 131. Oregon State was third with 96.5 team points. CMU held a commanding lead in the team standings entering the medal round, as five Chippewas advanced to the finals of their respective weight classes: No. 3 seed Trevor Stewart (165 pounds), No. 1 seed Brandon Sinnott (174), No. 1 seed Christian Sinnott (184), No. 1 seed Wynn Michalak (197) and No. 3 seed Bubba Gritter. All five finished runner-up, however, and a pair of Oklahoma State wrestlers claimed individual titles to nearly rally the Cowboys. An 8-0 major decision over eighth-seeded Brandon Kelly (Newberry) highlighted Trevor Stewart's run to the finals at 165. He won five straight to earn a date with defending national champ Johnny Hendricks (Oklahoma State) in the championship match, but Hendricks scored a 15-5 major decision in the final. Hendricks was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler. Brandon Sinnott claimed a 9-4 decision over No. 8 seed Nick Corpe (Purdue) and a 6-5 decision over No. 5 Nick Hayes (Northwestern) on his way to the finals at 174. He fell to No. 3 Ken Cook (UC Davis), 9-4, in the final. Christian Sinnott was dominating in the early rounds, claiming a pair of major decisions and a tech fall to advance to semis. He was a 9-4 winner over unseeded Greg Gifford (Arizona State) in the semifinals, but dropped a 5-1 decision to Ian Murphy (Cal State Fullerton) in the championship match. Michalak, the defending Reno champ at 197 pounds, posted falls in each of his first two matches, then claimed decisions over No. 8 seed Jason Trulson (Arizona State) and No. 4 seed Nate Moore (Purdue) to advance to the finals. In the final, however, second-seeded Mike Tamillow (Northwestern) scored a pair of takedowns in a 6-2 victory. At heavyweight, Gritter earned a 3-2 decision over No. 2 seed Ty Watterson (Oregon State) to earn a spot in the finals, where he fell to Cody Parker (Cal Poly), 10-3. Also placing in the top six for CMU were Luke Smith (fourth, 125 pounds), Brandon Carter (sixth, 149) and Eric Neil (sixth, 157). CMU returns to action at Midlands in Evanston, Ill. on Dec. 29-30.

RENO, Nev. -- Oklahoma State crowned two champions in the Reno Tournament of Champions, but finished second to Central Michigan, ending the Cowboys string of four consecutive titles at the Reno Convention Center on Wednesday night. Johny Hendricks was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament after a dominating performance in the 165-pound bracket. The senior from Edmond, Okla. recorded a fall and four major decisions on his way to the title. Coleman Scott recorded a late takedown to rally and defeat fifth-ranked Darrell Vasquez in a rematch from a dual on Monday. Central Michigan held a 40-point lead heading into the placing matches. CMU had five finalists, but lost all five allowing the Cowboys to close the gap. OSU finished with the two champions and six other place-winners. Brandon Mason, Jack Jensen and Jared Rosholt all took third-place. Mason defeated Boise State's Nate Lee, 2-0, while Rosholt upset fourth-ranked Ty Watterson for third. Kevin Wainscott was one of OSU's extra wrestlers and took fifth-place at 165. Wainscott advanced to the semifinals where he lost to Hendricks. It was just the second time in the 12-year history of the event that the Cowboys failed to claim the title. Missouri won the team title by a point in 2001. The Cowboys return to action at the Lone Star Duals in Grand Prairie, Texas on Jan. 6 against Air Force, Army and Navy.

RENO, Nev. -- Junior Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) captured the 197-pound championship Wednesday at the Reno Tournament of Champions held at the Downtown Reno Convention Center. Tamillow knocked off Central Michigan's eighth-ranked Wynn Michalak by a 6-2 decision to capture the crown. A total of four wrestlers placed for the eighth-ranked Wildcats at the full-day event. Freshman Brandon Precin (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) took third place at 125 lbs., junior Greg Hagel (Linwood, N.J./Blair Academy) captured fourth place at 165 lbs. and junior Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central) took sixth at 174 lbs. Northwestern placed 6th overall. Tamillow stormed to the finals, pinning three of his opponents en route to the final match. The junior recorded falls against Thor Moen of Arizona State, Eric Hinebauch of Great Falls and Kelly Anundson of Newbury before notching an 8-1 decision over Cal Poly's 15th-ranked Matt Monteiro in the semifinals. Tamillow dominated the eighth-ranked Michalak 6-2 in the finals to capture the crown at 197 pounds. Precin, who continues to impress in freshman season, advanced to the semifinals of the 125-pound bracket before falling to Cal Poly's sixth-ranked Chad Mendes, 10-5. The freshman defeated Wyoming's Cody Grant with a pin at 2:31 in his first match, pinned Mike Wilding of Western Wyoming CC at 4:09, pinned Tyler Sim of the Citadel at 5:40 and won a 4-3 decision over Oklahoma State's 18th-ranked Tyler Schinn in the quarterfinals. The freshman captured third place with an 8-3 decision over Central Michigan's 13th-ranked Luke Smith. At 165 lbs, Hagel advanced to the quarterfinals. He knocked off Oregon State's Brett Arand in an 8-3 decision in his first match before taking down Davidson's Kyle Dubs 7-2 to advance to the quarters. Hagel fell to Oklahoma State's Kevin Wainscott 9-2 in the round of eight. The junior topped Liberty's Chad Porter by a 7-2 score in his first consolation match and followed that up with wins over Jonny Nunes of Boise State and Brandon Kelly of Newbury to advance to the third-place match. Hagel ended his night with a loss to Scott Loescher of Stanford, but captured fourth place for the Wildcats. Hayes, who appears in the top-20 in several polls this week at 174 lbs., defeated Clarion's Scott Joseph in his first match by a 15-3 major decision. Hayes took down Arizona State's Ricky Renzi and Oklahoma State's Brandon Mason before falling to Central Michigan's seventh-ranked Brandon Sinnott in the quarterfinals, 6-5. Hayes recorded a win over Boise State's Nate Lee when Lee defaulted, but Hayes had to default in his fifth-place match to Jeremy Larson of Oregon State to take sixth in the tournament. At 133 lbs., Eric Metzler (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco) won his first match by forfeit over Liberty's Sam Walters. He fell to Oklahoma State's Coleman Scott in his round of 16 match by a 3-1 decision. Metzler won a match in the consolation bracket, knocking off Arizona State's Shawn Jones in a 9-3 decision before falling to Purdue's Sean Schmaltz. Marty Gould (Lincolnwood, Ill./Niles West) fell in his first match at 149 lbs. to Cal Poly's Eric Maldonado and dropped his match in the consolation bracket to Brandon Carter of Central Michigan. Vincent Colletti (Naperville, Ill./Montini Catholic), also wrestling at 149 lbs. for the 'Cats, lost to an opponent from Wyoming in the first round and fell to Arizona State's Chris Remsen by a 10-8 decision in the consolation bracket. Jim Friend (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) also wrestled at 165. Friend fell in his first match to a foe from Central Michigan but won two matches in the consolation draw. The junior defeated Fullerton's Scott Judd in a 6-0 decision after Arizona State's Pat Pitsch defaulted. Friend's tournament ended with a 9-2 loss to Dubs from Davidson. Carl Howe (Three Rivers, Mich./Three Rivers), also at 197 lbs., fell to Purdue's Nate Moore in his first match, but fell in his second consolation match to Travis Gardner of Oregon after an opponent from Duke defaulted. Third-ranked Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion), wrestling at heavyweight, won his first two matches before defaulting in the round of 16. Fox had topped Brandon Rupp of Western Wyoming CC by a 7-1 decision and Oregon Jamie Rakevich in 5-2 decision. The Wildcats return to action at the 44th annual Midlands Championships held at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena Dec. 29-30. For information on the Midlands visit The 2006 Midlands Homepage.

The second-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team will head to Greensboro, N.C., following the holiday break to compete in the 2006 Southern Scuffle on Dec. 29-30. Heading the tournament field is No. 1 Missouri, and while they will not be squaring off directly, the Gophers and Tigers will undoubtedly be battling for national supremacy. Fans can purchase a live video webcast for the entire Southern Scuffle through the UNC Greensboro website at www.uncgspartans.com or its associate website, www.southernscuffle.com, which will be the source for the most up-to-date results throughout the competition. NOTES TO KNOW Setting the Stage Set up in a similar format to the NCAA Tournament, the Southern Scuffle will offer the Gophers an opportunity to gauge themselves in a championship-type atmosphere. A total of 32 schools from across the nation will be on hand. Each team may enter up to 15 wrestlers in the tournament with its top finisher in each weight class counting towards the team score. Eight nationally-ranked teams and 67 individuals ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes are scheduled to compete in the Southern Scuffle. Top-ranked Missouri heads the list of teams traveling to Greensboro. The tournament will also feature four individuals who hold the top spot in their weight classes, two each from Minnesota and Missouri. Dustin Schlatter (149) and Cole Konrad (Hwt) represent the Gophers in that department, while brothers Ben and Max Askren, who wrestle at 174 and 197 pounds respectively, are the top-ranked Tigers. Battle for the Top Billing While they are not squaring off directly, Minnesota and Missouri will undoubtedly be battling for national supremacy in college wrestling. The Tigers currently claim the top spot in the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Coaches' poll, while the Gophers are ranked second. The roles are reversed in the W.I.N Magazine poll, where Minnesota is No. 1 and Missouri No. 2. The Best of the Rest In addition to No. 1 Missouri and No. 2 Minnesota, six other teams ranked in the top 25 nationally will be featured at the 2006 Southern Scuffle. Here are the nationally-ranked teams who will be competing: USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Top 25 1. Missouri 2. Minnesota 12. Edinboro 13. Cornell 18. Tennessee-Chattanooga 19. Ohio State 23. Lehigh 24. Pittsburgh Match-ups We'd Like to See With so many top teams and individuals competing, there are a number of marquee match-ups that could potentially occur. Here is a look at the most intriguing potential match-ups for the Golden Gophers: 125 -- #9 Jayson Ness vs. #7 Tanner Gardner (Stanford) This would be a rematch of the championship bout at the season--opening Bison Open, where Gardner narrowly defeated Ness, 1-0. Ness would also like to see either of the other two wrestlers in the tournament who are ranked above him to see where he stacks up at this early venture in his career. 141 -- #5 Manuel Rivera vs. #17 Michael Keefe (UT-Chattanooga) While Rivera is the favorite to win the 141--pound weight class, he is still not a household name on the national scene. A victory over Keefe would not only avenge a loss at last year's Northeast Duals, it would also signify the progression he has made. Rivera would also like to avenge a 2005 loss to Brad Canterbury of Navy. 149 -- #1 Dustin Schlatter vs. #3 Gregor Gillespie (Edinboro) Schlatter would like to send a statement that he is the top 149-pounder in the nation. While he defeated No. 2 Matt Storniolo at the NWCA All--Star Classic, the match did not count towards their official records. This would be Schlatter's stiffest regular season test so far this year. 157 -- Tyler Safratowich vs. #17 Josh Zupancic (Stanford) After battling top--ranked Trent Paulson of Iowa State in the Gophers' last dual, the road does not get any easier for Safratowich, as he has No. 2 Brian Stith of Arizona State to look forward to. Nothing would do more for his confidence than defeating Zupancic to avenge his only loss at the season-opening Bison Open, which came in the semifinals. 174 -- #8 Gabriel Dretsch vs. #1 Ben Askren (Missouri) Facing the top-ranked wrestler in the nation is always exciting. Askren is the defending national champion at 174 pounds and is the outright favorite to claim the title again this year. Dretsch has been wrestling very well as of late, providing a couple of clutch victories in Minnesota's last two dual meets. 184 -- #2 Roger Kish vs. #3 Mike Pucillo (Ohio State) While he lost to Northwestern's Jake Herbert at the NWCA All-Star Classic, Kish is still undefeated officially and would like to send a statement that he is still a top contender at 184 pounds. With both conference and national implications, this potential match-up could further influence a three--way rivalry among the big three in the Big Ten. Hwt -- #1 Cole Konrad vs. #8 Ed Prendergast (Navy) or #9 Spencer Nadolsky (UNC) A top 10 wrestler would be a welcome challenge for Konrad. While he has had a couple of close matches this year, it's safe to say we have yet to see his best performance, which he usually saves for the best competition. Looking Ahead Following the Southern Scuffle, the Golden Gophers will return home for the new year and will get right back into dual meet action on Jan. 2 by hosting Arizona State. The Gophers will then have nearly two weeks off before they travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa where they will look to defend their National Duals title from a year ago.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan wrestling team will not compete at the Midlands Championships, scheduled for Dec. 29-30, head coach Joe McFarland announced on Tuesday (Dec. 19). "After evaluating our first semester," said McFarland, "we just felt it was in our best interest to come back here and let a few of our guys heal up a little bit. We just felt we needed more time to adequately heal and get some good training to get ready for the second and most important part of our season." The Wolverines will return to the mats in the early in the new year when they square off against Hofstra on Saturday, Jan. 6. The non-conference dual is slated for a 7 p.m. start at Cliff Keen Arena.

Hempstead, NY -- For the second time this season Hofstra University senior Chris Weidman has been named the Colonial Athletic Association co-Wrestler of the Week for all competition from December 5-18. Weidman (Baldwin, NY), a senior 197-pounder, defeated the number one ranked wrestler in the nation, Phil Davis of Penn State, 5-4, to lead Hofstra to victory over the eighth ranked Nittany Lions on Sunday, December 10. Currently ranked fourth by InterMat, fifth by Amateur Wrestling News, and sixth by W.I.N. Magazine, Weidman, who was named the CAA co-Wrestler of the Week on December 5, has now knocked off two top-ranked wrestlers since last March, and is 13-1 overall and 7-0 in duals this year. Weidman shares the CAA Wrestler of the Week honor this week with Ryan Hluschak of Drexel University. Brian Wright of George Mason University was selected the CAA Rookie Wrestler of the Week.