InterMat Staff

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -– Junior Obenson Blanc (Naples, Fla./Lely) has been named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Wrestler of the Week for his efforts in the week ending Dec. 17. This is the first PSAC honor for Blanc and the third for the Lock Haven University wrestling squad (5-3, 1-1 EWL). Blanc had an impeccable week started off with the biggest upset of his career. The junior 125-pounder, ranked No. 6, topped No. 3 Mark McKnight 9-8 on a takedown with 13 seconds left. Blanc followed that up with three victories Sunday at the Clarion Duals, beating No. 20 Steve Mytych (Drexel) 7-4 and getting a pair of tech fall wins. Blanc got the mercy-rule victories over Scott Morgan (Pitt-Johnstown) 19-3 and Matt Benedetti (East Stroudsburg)18-3. The last win was the 70th of Blanc's career. Blanc and the rest of the Bald Eagles are back in action Friday, Dec. 29 at 10 a.m. when they travel to the Southern Scuffle.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- University of Wyoming junior wrestler Carter Downing has been named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. The junior 141-pounder from Woodruff, Utah won both of his matches this past weekend. Downing defeated Ryan Etherton of Nebraska-Kearney by major decision 10-2, then collected Wyoming's only win against the University of Nebraska by wrestling up a weight and defeating Rob Plambeck by major decision 13-4. Downing is now 13-5 on the year with five major decisions and two technical falls. He leads Wyoming in victories, major decisions and technical falls. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley State and Wyoming. Other nominees: North Dakota State: Eric Hoffman, 125, Jr., Davenport, Iowa (Davenport North HS/Iowa Central CC) Northern Iowa: C.J. Ettelson, 141, Jr., Hudson, Iowa (Hudson HS) South Dakota State: Tyler Sorenson, 184, R-Fr., Garretson, S.D. (Garretson HS) The WWC will select its next wrestler of the week the first week of January 2007.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Javier Maldonado of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga was named the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Month for November, the SoCon office announced this week. Maldonado, a junior from Kissimmee, Fla., forged an 8-1 record in November, and all but one of his victories was for extra points. He recorded three pins, three major decisions and a technical fall. Wrestling at 125 pounds, Maldonado placed second at the Missouri Open Nov. 19 with a 4-1 mark. In that tournament, he notched three consecutive pins, including one over Oklahoma's J.R. Roman. In the opening dual of the season on Nov. 11, Maldonado scored a tech fall over Davidson's Ben Altman as the Mocs won the SoCon opener. In a win over Virginia Tech, Maldonado earned a major decision. He ended the month with a major decision against Anderson University and Cumberland University and led the team to a 4-0 record in dual matches. Maldonado was the 2006 SoCon Champion at 125 pounds and an NCAA Qualifier.

In recent years, the University of Minnesota has earned a place as one of the top wrestling programs in Division I, winning NCAA team titles in 2001 and 2002, crowning a number of individual champions, and consistently placing among the top five in team rankings. Cole Konrad (Photo/Johnnie Johnson)That said, the Golden Gophers have an even longer legacy in terms of developing great college heavyweights. Only Oklahoma State can claim more NCAA heavyweight champs than Minnesota's four: Leonard Levy in 1941, Verne Gagne in 1949, Brock Lesnar in 2000 … and, the reigning NCAA heavyweight champ, Cole Konrad. The past decade or so, the Minnesota lineup has been anchored by a string of top-notch big men. In addition to Konrad and Lesnar, the Gophers' roster has included NCAA All-Americans Garrett Lowney, Shelton Benjamin and Billy Pierce. Minnesota is focused on continuing that heavyweight legacy with its next generation of big men, Ben Berhow and Joe Nord. While Cole Konrad campaigns for a second straight NCAA heavyweight title as a senior, these two freshmen who have become good friends gain valuable experience as the "heir apparents" to be the next great Gopher big man. Uncommon commonality Ben Berhow and Joe Nord share a number of common points beyond dreams of being the starting heavyweight for the University of Minnesota. Both men are from small communities within the state of Minnesota; Ben hails from Hayward, near the Iowa border, and wrestled for Albert Lea High School … while Joe is from Waconia, just outside the Twin Cities. Both are Minnesota high school state champs -- Ben in the heavyweight class, while Joe won his titles at 215. (The two never wrestled each other in high school.) Both participated in sports beyond wrestling in high school … which translates to a degree of athleticism not always seen in wrestlers who tip the scales at over 200 pounds. "When we train heavyweights, we expect them to do everything the lighter-weight guys do," according to Marty Morgan, assistant coach at Minnesota. "There's no slacking off, no cutback in the amount of running or weight work or practice matches. We want our heavyweights to go the full six minutes without slowing down." "Both of these guys are great athletes -- athletic, quick on their feet," adds Coach Morgan. Meet Ben Berhow Ben Berhow got his start in wrestling in kindergarten. "Lots of my friends were involved in the sport," says Ben. "Albert Lea has a good tradition as a strong program. As I got older, I started attending the varsity matches. That fueled my interest in the sport." Ben Berhow (Photo/The Guillotine)Ben started his career at Albert Lea High School as a 171-pound freshman … and started to grow his sophomore year, competing at 189, then moving up to 215 as a junior, and then competing as a heavyweight his senior year, but actually weighing "232 to 235", says the wrestler. "It took me a while to adjust to wrestling heavyweight. I've been working on my takedowns, getting in shots … I'm still learning." In his assessment of Ben Berhow, long-time Albert Lea High School head coach Larry Goodnature says, "He wrestles like a 150-pounder. Quick, great at takedowns, excellent balance for a big man … lots of strength." Coach Goodnature adds, "Ben is very aggressive. He led the team in takedowns -- the first time a heavyweight has led that category here. He also scored lots of pins." "He has a great work ethic," the coach continues. "He was definitely one of the leaders on the team." "We try to get good competition for our team, participating in top tournaments in the region. Ben wrestled the top competition with confidence." While at Albert Lea, Ben Berhow built a 101-19 record … concluding his high school career with a 47-2 record his senior year, and claiming the heavyweight title at the 2006 Minnesota state tournament after losing in the 215-pound finals the previous year. When asked if it helped to have that finals experience going into his title quest his last year in high school, Ben replied emphatically, "Absolutely! I had an idea of what to expect, and to realize that it's OK to be a bit nervous considering the circumstances. But it helped me to channel that nervousness into something positive and realize my long-time dream of being a state champ." Ben Berhow (Photo/The Guillotine)Ben was a three-sport athlete in high school; in addition to wrestling, he played football and baseball as well. "Up to my senior year, my goal was to play football in college," says Ben. "Once I made up my mind for wrestling, I figured, if I was going to wrestle, I'd want to do it as a Gopher." "When I was in high school, I would participate in Gopher clinics," according to Ben. "I'd get guys like Brandon Eggum and Shelton Benjamin to sign my posters. It's really an honor to be part of a program that I've always admired, and be where these guys I admired in school once wrestled." Albert Lea's Larry Goodnature concurs: "Minnesota has a great track record with heavyweights. If you're going to wrestle in the state of Minnesota, the Gophers are your team." When asked to talk about what made Ben Berhow attractive to the Golden Gophers, Coach Marty Morgan said, "He's very comfortable as a heavyweight. And, wrestling for Albert Lea, he understands what it means to compete for a top program and go up against the best competition … He's also strong academically." "I think of Ben as a great friend," adds his high school coach. "He's always willing to talk to the grade school and middle school wrestlers." Get to know Joe Nord Joe Nord's first introduction to wrestling was in second grade, at a small freestyle club started by his father John (who played football in the USFL, and was once professional wrestler Nord the Barbarian). Joe Nord (Photo/The Guillotine)When the Nords moved to Waconia, Joe was in fifth grade… and was introduced to folkstyle wrestling. It was then that Waconia High School head coach Kelly Wagener first saw Joe in action … and, as he recalls, "I remember saying 'This is a kid to watch. He could be a state champion more than once.'" Joe Nord fulfilled that prophecy … winning back-to-back 215-pound Minnesota high school state titles in his junior and senior year in 2005 and 2006. In seventh and eighth grade, Joe competed at 160 pounds. Over the next four years, Joe amassed a 117-22 record, with over half of those wins -- 62 to be exact -- achieved by pin. As a freshman, he experienced a growth spurt, and, as he describes it, "shared" the role as the starter in both the 189 and 215-pound weight classes with a senior. In his junior year, Joe assumed the sole starter role at 215, and earned third place honors in the Christmas Tournament in Rochester, Minnesota … and, at his first appearance at the Minnesota high school state tournament, took home his first state title. Senior year was even more successful. According to Coach Wagener, Joe was the only wrestler in the history of the Waconia program to go undefeated his senior year, with a perfect 36-0 record. Just as impressive, no opponent was able to score a takedown on Joe his final year in high school. The senior co-captain took first place at the Rochester Christmas Tournament … and won his second 215-pound title in the Minnesota state finals. Joe Nord (Photo/The Guillotine)When asked to describe Joe Nord, Coach Wagener says, "He's well put together. Trying to take him down is like tackling a tree trunk." "He moves like a 125-pounder." Coach Wagener adds, "Joe put 100% into every practice. He listened to everything we told him … In fact, he came back to the (wrestling) room over Thanksgiving, and talked to the kids, saying, �Listen to your coaches.'" "He's a really nice kid, very kind. He always helped out in the room, even working with the seventh graders." In addition to wrestling, Joe was a three-year starter for Waconia's football team, playing offensive guard and defensive line. He finished his senior year as team captain, and received an All-Conference Honorable Mention. While in high school, Joe got a first-hand look at the University of Minnesota wrestling program by participating in J Robinson's 28-Day Intensive Wrestling Camp the summer after his sophomore year. "I got to meet and work out with guys like Konrad, (Roger) Kish," says Joe. "I really like Minnesota's attitude. It's all about hard work, developing a good work ethic … J Rob and the coaches really seem focused on developing wrestlers more than as athletes, but as well-rounded individuals, too." When asked to weigh in Joe's qualities that caught the eye of the Golden Gophers, assistant coach Marty Morgan says, "He's tall for a heavyweight (6'4"), and will grow in weight in college. (Right now he's at 230 pounds.) He wrestles like a lighter-weight wrestler, very agile … He has a great work ethic, and trains hard. He's also strong academically." Experience is the best teacher Both Ben Berhow and Joe Nord are taking advantage of their redshirt freshman status, getting accustomed to the academic rigors of a major university … and the athletic demands of a top-tier wrestling program. Both men are gaining real-world collegiate wrestling experience in actual competition in open tournaments. Ben suffered a sprain at the Omaha Open, and was forced to forfeit a couple matches, resulting in a 5-2 record … but, as he points out, "I have not lost a match outright." Joe placed third at the same tournament. The two also participated in the North Dakota State Open, and after winning their way through the bracket (each getting a pin along the way), met in the heavyweight finals… where the two were declared co-champions. Ben and Joe are also gaining unbeatable experience working out in the Minnesota practice room. As Ben puts it, "You get to go up against Marty Morgan, Cole Konrad -- Brock Lesnar comes in sometimes, too … Great guys who have been up against tough competition, and became champions." Joe adds, "When you wrestle the best guys like Konrad and Lesnar, you get better." With their impressive mat credentials, winning attitude and strong work ethic, Joe Nord and Ben Berhow seem to be on their way to upholding the long-standing tradition of excellence among heavyweights at the University of Minnesota. Please Note: This story also appears in the Dec. 22 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 to The Guillotine, click HERE!

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. –- Junior Obenson Blanc (Naples, Fla./Lely) has been named Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Wrestler of the Week for his efforts in the week ending Dec. 17. This is the second EWL honor for Blanc and the third for the Lock Haven University wrestling squad (5-3, 1-1 EWL). Blanc had an impeccable week started off with the biggest upset of his career. The junior 125-pounder, ranked No. 6, topped No. 3 Mark McKnight 9-8 on a takedown with 13 seconds left. Blanc followed that up with three victories Sunday at the Clarion Duals, beating No. 20 Steve Mytych (Drexel) 7-4 and getting a pair of tech fall wins. Blanc got the mercy-rule victories over Scott Morgan (Pitt-Johnstown) 19-3 and Matt Benedetti (East Stroudsburg)18-3. The last win was the 70th of Blanc's career. Blanc and the rest of the Bald Eagles are back in action Friday, Dec. 29 at 10 a.m. when they travel to the Southern Scuffle.

PARK FORREST, Ill. -- The Indiana wrestling team upped its dual-meet record to 8-0-0 on the 2006-07 season by sweeping a trio of meets at the F.I.T.E. Duals on Sunday, Dec. 17, at Rich East High School. The Hoosiers dominated their three opponents, allowing each adversary to take just one of the 10 matches, as IU bested Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (45-3), Eastern Michigan (33-3) and Harper (49-6). Redshirt freshman Angel Escobedo continued his dominant season, pinning all three of his opponents in an average time of 3:58. Escobedo, ranked seventh in the most recent poll by RevWrestling.com, began his day with a pin of SIUE's Tommy Hill in 3:21, and Andrae Hernandez and Scott Kelly followed with pins of their own to vault the Hoosiers to an early 18-0 lead in the meet that they would not relinquish. The lone blemish for IU was a 7-5 loss by Ryan Pribble in his dual-meet debut. The Hoosiers followed by upending Harper by a count of 49-6, as four Hoosiers pinned their opponents and two others won by forfeit. Walpole posted his fifth pin of the season at 141, topping David Fear in 6:16. True freshman Nathan Everhart (197) registered his first career pin as well in the match, as Harper totaled just 11 points in the 10 matches. Seven of those came from Jesse Linczmaier, who pinned true freshman Nick Avery at the 4:01 mark to give Harper its only dual points of the day. Against Eastern Michigan, the Hoosiers were poised to post a shutout heading into the heavyweight bout, but a late two-point takedown in the third period gave Charlie Walker a 6-4 victory. Escobedo recorded the match's only pin, but Brandon Becker registered a 17-1 technical fall in the second period and Marc Bennett and Andrae Hernandez each recorded major decisions. Fifth-ranked Matt Coughlin posted his second win over 15th-ranked Jermain Thompson of the year, taking a 7-6, come-from-behind decision with four points in the third period. The Hoosiers will return to action on Friday, Dec. 29, for the 44th installment of the Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern. For more information on Midlands, go to www.NUsports.com.

Blair, Nebraska -- The defending NAIA wrestling National Champions and number eight-rated Dana College hosted two conference foes this weekend in the Gardner-Hawks Center. On Friday night, Dana dumped Briar Cliff, 41-0. The next afternoon, Dana defeated NAIA No. 20 Morningside, 42-10. Dana earned its first shut-out on the season against Briar Cliff. Craig Trampe (NAIA No. 6, SR, Ord, Neb.) defeated Jeff Miller 4-0. Burke Barnes (NAIA No. 3, JR, Lake Stevens, Wash.), at 133, and Terrence Almond (NAIA No. 3, SR, Pelham, Ga.), at 141, each pinned their Charger opponents. Clinton Dale (JR, Las Vegas, N.M.) picked up his second dual win by dispatching John Shrader 11-2. Jason Bilinksi (NAIA No. 7, Pittsgrove, N.J.) earned a decision over Corey Brown 19-9. Both teams were open at 165. Bulla Tuzon (FR, Wailuku, Hawaii) defeated Jason Coe 11-3 at 174 pounds. Webster Farris (JR, Nebraska City, Neb.) capped his memorable night by defeating Jason Kruse 15-5 at 184. Farris proposed to his fiancée between the 141 and 149 pound matches. Wade Jordan (NAIA No. 6, JR, Coulee City, Wash.) pinned Jordaryl Logan in 1:05 at 197 pounds. Jesse Boggs (FR, Deming, N.M.) closed the shut out with 12-5 win over Jon Carlson at 285 pounds. Dana did not have much time to recover as the 20th ranked Morningside Chargers came into the Vikings' lair less than 24 hours later. Dana Head Coach Richard Fergola had his grapplers ready for the challenge. Fergola juggled his roster to deal with some tired and injured wrestlers. The coaching moves allowed Dana to come away with a 42-10 win. Trampe dispatched Bradley Gustafson in quick fashion by pin in 3:07 at 125. Eric Graham (FR, Kansas City, Mo.) dropped a 15-2 decision to Chris Utesch at 133 pounds. This would be the only match the Vikings would lose on the weekend. Brian Graham (NAIA No. 6, FR, Kansas City, Mo.) righted the Viking ship at 141 pounds. Graham won a technical fall (15-0) over Sean Smalley. Dale needed extra time to come away with a win at 149. Dale defeated Mitch Peterson 7-5. Bilinski earned Dana's second tech fall at 157. Bilinski downed Erin Hume 17-1. Tuzon quickly pinned Bob Segar in 1:45 at 165. Morningside's only other points on the afternoon came at 174 pounds as Dana had an open weight spot. Farris continued his great weekend with a pin at 184 over Eric Hume. Jordan continued the tech fall theme by outscoring Cole Wilson 17-2. Boggs ended 2006 on a positive note. Boggs pinned Kiel Polen at 285 in 2:26. The Vikings dual record is now 4-0 and 3-0 in conference. Morningside drops to 3-3 and 1-1. Dana is off until Jan. 6 when they host the Dana Open. The meet usually features wrestlers from UNO, UNK, Nebraska, and several top teams in the area. The opening whistle is scheduled for 10 a.m.

San Luis Obispo, Calif -- The No. 22 Cal Poly wrestling team won it's opening Pac-10 dual of the 2006-07 season, 17-16, against Cal State Fullerton as part of a doubleheader held in Mott Gym Monday afternoon in front of a crowd of 963. The Mustangs also wrestled No.3 Oklahoma in a losing effort 25-12, however at one instance during the match the team score read 13-12 in favor of the Cowboys with three matches remaining. Mustang seniors Cody Parker, Matt Monterio, and redshirt freshman Chase Pami all won both decision. Mustang senior Matt Monterio, currently ranked No.10 nationally at 197 pounds, started off both matches with wins over Jared Shelton of Oklahoma State, 13-2 and John Drake of the Titans, 9-6. His record improves to 8-3. Heavyweight Cody Parker pulled of the upset of Cal State Fullerton's Wade Sauer, ranked No.16, in a 7-4 decision. Against Oklahoma State, Parker defeated jared Rosholt in a thrilling overtime victory by recording a takedown with :17 seconds remaining in the overtime period. Pami, a Las Vegas Nevada native, also recorded double victories, by defeating Oklahoma State's Newly McSpadden, 7-6 and Paul Tice of Cal State Fullerton, 8-2. No.6 Darrell Vasquez recorded a major decision, 15-5, over the Titan's T.J. Dillashaw. Vasquez did suffer a defeat to Oklahoma State's Coleman Scott, currently ranked No. 4, in a close 11-8 match. Cal Poly's Eric Maldonado had another impressive match by defeating OSU's Ryan Freeman in a sudden victory overtime match, 7-5. The Mustangs return to action Dec. 20 when they travel to take part in the Reno Tournament of Champions

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Coleman Scott sparked fourth-ranked Oklahoma State as the Cowboys defeated No. 20 Cal Poly, 25-12, in Mott Gymnasium on Wednesday afternoon. Scott scored six points in a wild first period against fifth-ranked Darrell Vasquez. Scott showed he was superior from the top position as he accumulated over three minutes of riding time and secured an 11-8 decision over Vasquez. OSU improved to 4-1 on the season, while Cal Poly dropped to 0-2 on the season. The Cowboys had a rough start to the dual as they dropped the first two matches at 197 and heavyweight. Tyler Shinn made up for it with a major decision at 125 before Scott gave the Pokes the lead in the dual with his decision. Ethan Kyle provided an additional spark with a fall at 141. Kyle had an 8-0 lead over Blake Gaughran heading into the third period. Kyle just rolled him over and pinned him 21 seconds into the period to give OSU a 13-6 lead in the dual. Cal Poly made it interesting with a pair of victories to cut the deficit to one at 13-12. The Cowboys were too strong as they out muscled the Mustangs in the final three weights. Johny Hendricks all but sealed the dual with a second period fall over Ernie Varela. Brandon Mason did seal the victory with a decision over Nick Hernandez at 174. Mason scored two takedowns and went on to win 8-3. Jack Jensen followed with a victory over Yuri Kalika to provide the final margin of 25-12. The Cowboys head to Reno, Nev., for the Reno Tournament of Champions on Wednesday. The Cowboys are looking for their fifth consecutive title at the RTOC.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Following a full week of rest, the ninth-ranked Wildcats will head west for the Reno Tournament of Champions. Competition in the full-day tournament begins Wednesday at the Reno Downtown Convention Center. This year's field features grapplers from several top programs including No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 10 Central Michigan. "The event allows us to evaluate the progress of certain individuals on the team," head coach Tim Cysewski said. "We use Reno as a measuring stick and it is a great segue into the Midlands Championships." Featured Wildcat entries include third-ranked heavyweight Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) and 11th-ranked Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) at 197 lbs. They will be joined by freshman Brandon Precin (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg), ranked 17th by W.I.N. Magazine at 125 lbs., and junior Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central), ranked 19th at 174 lbs. by W.I.N. Hayes and Precin went 2-0 in the 'Cats' last dual matches against Northern Illinois and Eastern Illinois with Hayes downing EIU's 12th-ranked Kenny Robertson. Eric Metzler (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco), James Kohlberg (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows), Marty Gould (Lincolnwood, Ill./Niles West), Vincent Colletti (Naperville, Ill./Montini Catholic), Dominic Marella (Roselle, Ill./Conant), Jim Friend (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville), Greg Hagel (Linwood, N.J./Blair Academy) and Carl Howe (Three Rivers, Mich./Three Rivers) will round out Northwestern's entires. Wednesday's college tournament is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. CT and end at approximately 9:30 p.m. For a complete schedule and a list of teams competing, visit the Reno Tournament of Champions Website.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- Riding momentum from Friday's near-win at No. 8 Penn State University, the Lock Haven University wrestling squad (5-3, 1-1 EWL) won all three matches at the Clarion Duals, topping Drexel University, University of Pitt-Johnstown and East Stroudsburg University at Clarion University's Tippin Gym. Going undefeated on the day were No. 6 Obenson Blanc (Naples, Fla./Lely) and freshman Danny Lopes (Oakhurst, N.J./Ocean Township) at 3-0 and freshman Ollie Cooperwood (Hartselle, Ala./Maple Heights (Ohio)) at 2-0. First up were the Drexel Dragons, a 16-15 victory. Blanc started a four-match win streak for the Bald Eagles with a 7-4 decision of No. 20 Steve Mytych at 125. Lopes beat Bill Martin 6-2 and Cooperwood topped James Thierren for his first collegiate dual win with a 3-2 overtime win. Rookie Donnie Ament (Acme, Pa./Mount Pleasant) topped Kyle Bub 6-4 at 149 before Drexel went on a run. No. 14 Ryan Hluchak beat No. 15 Seth Martin (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove) in overtime 3-1, and at 165, Billy Haydt edged freshman Landis Wright (Bellefonte, Pa./Bald Eagle) 11-10. Nick Kozar finished the three-match stretch for the Dragons with a 4-3 decision over senior Derrick Morgan (Media, Pa./Athens), making the team score 12-9 LHU. Sophomore Tom Kocher's (Lancaster, Pa./Manhiem Township) major decision 16-5 win over Justin Terhune at 184 would prove to be the difference in the match. Freshman Jeremie Cook (Venice, Fla./Venice) would drop a tight 6-3 decision to No. 17 Jon Oplinger and classmate Mike Cook (Bellefonte, Pa./Bald Eagle) lost to Chris Cowen 5-1, but Kocher's bonus points would provide the 16-15 team win. Next on the slate came UPJ, the No. 5 team in Division II. Blanc once again got the ball rolling with a 19-3 tech fall of Scott Morgan. Lopes decisioned Brandon Reasey 4-2, and Cooperwood beat DII No. 8 Shane Valko 4-2. Ament picked up his second win of the day with a 5-3 decision over Mazen Kholi, while Martin rebounded with a 9-0 major over Joe Strittmatter. DII No. 3 Albert Miles beat Wright at 165, but Morgan topped DII No. 3 Eli Garshnick 6-1 to extend the team lead to 21-3. The Division II No. 1 at 184 Mike Corcetti beat Kocher 15-6, while DII No. 5 Mike Fowler scored an early second-period pin over freshman Dustin Pine (Mercersburg, Pa./James Buchanan) while Jon Neese got a 7-1 decision over freshman Branden Bowden (Duncannon, Pa./Central Dauphin East) for a three-match win streak, but it wasn't enough, as LHU won 21-16. The Bald Eagles wrapped up the day with a 32-6 win over the Warriors of East Stroudsburg. Blanc picked up his second tech fall of the day with a 18-3 decision over Matt Benedetti to start the match. The win was the 70th of Blanc's career. Lopes picked up his team-high 20th win of the season in a 6-4 decision over Steve Gambino at 133, but sophomore Mark Armstrong (Sugar, Pa./Wyalusing) lost 13-9 to Sean Carr. Ament's 9-7 loss to Scott Heckman brought the team score to 8-6 LHU, but the Bald Eagles ran the table on the rest of the bouts to get the team win. Martin's pin of Kyle Heselpoth at 157 started the run, followed by Wright's 6-2 decision over Leif Ruschmeyer. Martin's victory tied him with Lopes for the team lead with 20. The pin was the 24th of his career, tying him with Mike Maney (2000-04) and Jeff Husick (1985-89) at sixth in school history. Next, senior Michael Metzger (Shillington, Pa./Governor Mifflin) beat Shane Mallory 5-3, and sophomore Ben Hepburn (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock) topped Dave Williams 6-2. Jeremie Cook picked up a forfeit win before Mike Cook won over Matt Rosner 3-2. The Bald Eagles are back in action Friday, Dec. 29 at the Southern Scuffle Tournament.

BLOOMSBURG -- The Bloomsburg University wrestling team picked up three wins on Sunday at the Bloomsburg University duals. The Huskies beat Delaware State, 52-0; Bucknell, 31-12; and Buffalo, 23-13. In the Huskies opening match of the day against Delaware State, Bloomsburg picked up four wins by forfeit, two by fall and one by technical fall on its way to a 52-0 win over the Hornets. Bloomsburg 165-pounder Rickey Schmelyun (New Oxford/Bermuda Springs) had the quickest pin of the match winning in just 1:27. Bloomsburg battled with Bucknell in match number two of the day and came away with a 31-12 win. The Huskies started the match with a fall by Mike Sees (Northumberland/Shikellamy) at 125 pounds in 6:24 and ended the match with a fall by heavyweight Mike Spaid (Perkiomenville/Boyertown) in just 1:20. Against Buffalo, the Huskies' Jason Guffey (Muncy/Warrior Run) started the match with a technical fall at 125 pounds, while Matt Moley (Oaks/Spring Ford) earned his second pin of the day at 149 pounds when he showed his opponent the lights in 3:52. Spaid closed out the match for the Huskies with a 7-0 win. Bloomsburg goes to 4-4 with the three victories.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The wrestling team won seven of 10 matches Sunday, including two pins and one major decision, to knock off No. 14 Ohio State 28-13 at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The Mocs, who improve to 5-0 in dual matches, jumped out to a 9-0 lead then took the lead for good, 15-13, on Matt Koz's decision over Corey Morrison in the 285-pound match. "This is a huge win for our program," UTC Head Coach Chris Bono said. "To come on the road and beat a ranked team in front of their home fans is a big accomplishment. We had contributions from everyone in the lineup, and I am extremely proud. "This win makes us even more hungry. We will take a little bit of time off but get back to work quickly to prepare for the remainder of the season, the conference and the NCAAs." Aaron Martin, ranked as high as No. 13 nationally, set the tempo for the Mocs in the opening match of the afternoon. Martin pinned Lance Palmer, ranked 19th for the Buckeyes, at 1:46 of the second period. Jake Yost followed with a 3-2 decision over Jason Johnstone at 157 as UTC pulled out to a 9-0 advantage. Eighteenth-ranked Chris Vondruska put OSU on the scoreboard with three points, defeating Seth Garvin, 8-3 at 165. The two teams traded wins at 174 and 184. Lloyd Rogers scored a 5-3 victory over Blake Maurer at 174, and third-ranked Mike Pucillo posted a 12-3 major over UTC's Josh Edmondson, leaving UTC's lead at 12-7. The Buckeyes, 1-2, grabbed their first and only lead of the match at 197. Sixth-ranked J.D. Bergman pinned Nick Lorenzano midway through the first period. Koz, a transfer from Minnesota, was making his UTC debut at Sunday's dual. He scored eight points in the third period to pull away from Morrison and hand the Mocs a 15-13 edge. Continuing their strong performances at the lighter weights, the Mocs dominated the final three matches of the day. No. 17 Javier Maldonado held off Will Livingston at 125, 6-4. All-America Matt Keller won his 10th straight match and remained undefeated on the year, pinning Owen Schaefer early in the third period. Michael Keefe, ranked 17th, completed the team victory with an impressive 24-10 major over Matt Fleming. UTC's last win over a ranked opponent came at last year's Lone Star Duals when the Mocs edged No. 18 Wisconsin, 19-18. The last time UTC defeated an opponent ranked as high as 14 was Jan. 14, 2005 when the Mocs beat No. 12 Missouri, 19-16 at the Virginia Duals. The Mocs return to action Dec. 29 and 30 at the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C.

PITTSBURGH -- The Panthers picked up another dual meet win today as they defeated Appalachian State, 31-9, in the first contest of a tri-meet hosted by Duquesne. Pitt (3-1, 1-0 EWL) only dropped three bouts against the Mountaineers (1-6) while three of the Panthers won their matches with falls. The wrestlers started at heavyweight as Pitt's Zach Sheaffer (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) took on Appalachian State's David Hazell. The two wrestlers were scoreless in the first period, and Sheaffer took a one point lead early in the second with an escape. Hazell came back with two takedowns to make the score 4-1, entering the final period. He then scored on an escape in the third period to win the bout, 5-1. The Mountaineers took a 3-0 lead. Pitt fought back at 125 pounds with true freshman Jimmy Conroy (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) facing Frank Celorrio of the Mountaineers. Conroy took a two point lead in the first period with a takedown. He scored three more in the second with an escape and takedown before pinning Celorrio at the 4:20 mark. Pitt took the lead, 6-3. At 133 pounds, Pitt's Zach Bowman (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) wrestled Appalachian State's Alex Brown. The first period was scoreless, and the two wrestlers tied it up at two in the second as Bowman had two escapes and Brown had a takedown. In the final period, Brown scored on a takedown and received a point for riding time to win a 5-2 decision. The contest was tied at six. Wrestling at 141 pounds, Joe Ciampoli (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) of the Panthers took on Clinton Swango of the Mountaineers. Ciampoli took a two point lead in the first period with a takedown and went on to match that in the second. He held Swango to only an escape in the final period while scoring on two takedowns and an escape. With a point for riding time, Ciampoli won the 10-1 major decision. The Panthers moved ahead, 10-6. Pitt's Joey Ecklof (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) wrestled Appalachian State's Zach Martin at 149 pounds. Ecklof picked up a big 7-1 lead in the first period with two takedowns and a near fall while Martin only scored on an escape. In the second period, Ecklof scored on two more takedowns and an escape. He then won with a fall at the 4:10 mark, moving the Panthers ahead 16-6. The 157-pound bout was between Pitt's Mark Generalovich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) and Edward Hutchinson of the Mountaineers. The two wrestlers were scoreless in the first period and tied it up at one in the second as they each received a point for the opponent stalling. In the third period, Hutchinston scored on an escape and takedown for the 4-1 decision. The Panthers still had the lead, 16-9. Pitt's Sean Richmond (Emmaus, Pa./Easton) wrestled a short bout at 165 pounds as he scored two on a takedown against Appalachian State's Tommy Hutchinson before pinning him in 28 seconds. The fall moved the Panthers ahead, 22-9. No. 2 Keith Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) of Pitt faced Neal Martin of the Mountaineers at 174 pounds. The first period was scoreless, but Gavin picked up a three point lead in the second with an escape and takedown. In the final period, he scored on a takedown and a point for Martin stalling. With riding time, Gavin won the 7-2 decision to move Pitt up, 25-9. At 184 pounds, Pitt's Mike Heist (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) took on Appalachian State's Daniel Carrasco, and the two were scoreless in the first period. Heist moved to a 3-0 lead in the second period, scoring on an escape and a takedown. In the final period, Carrasco received a penalty point, but Heist had riding time, giving him the 4-1 decision. The Panthers continued to hold the lead, 28-9. The final bout of was between Eric Cassidy (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) of the Panthers and Josh Carroll of the Mountaineers. The first period was scoreless, and Carroll took the lead by two points after a reversal in the second. Cassidy came back in the final period, scoring on an escape, takedown and near fall. With a point for riding time, he won a 7-2 decision to give Pitt the win, 31-9. The Panthers will now take on Duquesne in the final contest of the day, scheduled for 1 p.m. at the A.J. Palumbo Center. Pitt is undefeated against the Dukes with 10 wins. PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt wrestling team picked up its second dual win today when it defeated cross-town opponent Duquesne in a tri-meet. The Panthers (4-1, 1-0 EWL) won 38-6 against the Dukes (1-4) with three pins in a row from 165 pounds through 184 pounds. Pitt got started at heavyweight with Zach Sheaffer (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) taking on Duquesne's Joe D'Orsie. Sheaffer picked up a two point lead in the first period with a takedown. He moved up to six points in the second period with an escape, takedown and penalty point. With a point for riding time, Sheaffer won the bout, 7-0, putting the Panthers ahead, 3-0. At 125 pounds, Pitt's Brad Gentzle (Easton, Pa./Easton) faced Duquesne's Jon Bittinger. In the first period, Bittinger started with a takedown, and Gentzle scored on a reversal. An escape from Bittinger gave him a 3-2 lead going into the second period. Gentzle tied it up in the second with an escape. Two more takedowns gave him a 7-5 lead heading into the third period. A near fall early in the final period put Gentzle up by five at 10. Bittinger came back with an escape, but Gentzle scored on two more takedowns and had a point for riding time. He won a 15-7 major decision to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead. Pitt's Zach Bowman (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) wrestled Duquesne's Brad Cipriani at 133 pounds. Cipriani had a 2-0 lead in the first period after scoring on a takedown. He picked up a 5-0 lead after scoring on a takedown and an escape in the second period, and with a point for riding time in the third, won a 6-0 decision over Bowman. Pitt still maintained the lead, 7-3. The 141-pound bout was between Pitt's Joe Ciampoli (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) and Duquesne's Rob Stott. Ciampoli had a takedown in the first period to give him a two point lead. In the second, he scored five points on near falls, and in the final period, scored three more and had a point for riding time. His 10-0 decision moved the Panthers ahead, 11-3. At 149 pounds, Pitt's Joey Ecklof (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) took on Duquesne's Rick Minella. In the first period, Ecklof had a takedown, and Minella had an escape for a 2-1 score. Ecklof went on to score on an escape and takedown in the second, giving him a 5-1 lead. In the final period, Minella had several escapes but three takedowns and a point for riding time gave Ecklof the 12-4 major decision. Pitt remained in the lead, 15-3. Wrestling at 157 pounds, Mark Generalovich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) was up against Duquesne's Cody Midlam. The first two periods were scoreless, and Midlam had an escape early in the final period to get on the board. A point for riding time gave Midlam the 2-0 win. The Panthers kept a 15-6 lead. The next three matches moved quickly as each of the Pitt wrestlers won by a fall in the first period. At 165 pounds, Pitt's Sean Richmond (Emmaus, Pa./Easton) was up 6-2 over Duquesne's Ryan Sula when he pinned him at the 1:07 mark. Keith Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) had a takedown against Duquesne's Mike Buczkowski before winning with a fall at the 1:23 mark. And at 184 pounds, Kyle Deliere (Cecil, Pa./Canon-McMillan) had a takedown and a pin at the 0:57 mark against Duquesne's Jared Ricotta. The final bout of the day was between Pitt's Eric Cassidy (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) and Duquesne's Mike Bianco. In the first period, Cassidy had a takedown for the 2-0 lead. A reversal, takedown and near fall in the second period put him up, 9-0. Cassidy scored on two takedowns and a near fall in the final period and received a point for riding time. His 18-0 technical fall came at the 7:00 mark and gave Pitt the 38-6 win. Pitt's next dual contest will be on Friday, Dec. 21 at No. 1 Missouri. The Panthers are 0-2 in the series history against the Tigers.

AMES, Iowa –- The fifth-ranked Cyclones took nine of 10 matches and recorded bonus points in five bouts en route to defeating intrastate rival Northern Iowa, 38-3 Sunday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum. The 35-point margin of victory equals the ISU series best. Iowa State defeated Northern Iowa, 35-0, Jan. 21, 1966 in Ames. ISU's Nick Fanthorpe (125) and Nick Gallick (133) opened the dual with a statement, each recording pins. Cyclones Grant Turner (174) and Kurt Backes (197) each registered major decisions. The Cyclones have won four straight against UNI and now lead the series, 48-16. Iowa State improves to 3-2 in dual meet action, while UNI slips to 0-3. "We knew that Northern Iowa would have a good team, especially after they drew five-to-five with Iowa," ISU head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson said. "We're not going to get overly excited right now because winning and losing is a learning experience as we head toward March." Fanthorpe avenged an early-season loss to Kyle Anson by pinning him in the second period. After registering a takedown and a three-point nearfall in the first period, Fanthorpe was able to stick Anson at the 4L22 mark, midway through the second period. Fanthorpe tallied his third win by fall of the season and improved to 11-4 on the season. "I came out aggressive and went for the takedown," the Naperville, Ill.-native Fanthorpe said. "I got a quarter in on him and was able to take advantage of it. It was one of those things where I was in the right position to do the move." Following up with a pin of his own at 133-pounds was Gallick, who took down Brett Robbins within the opening seconds of the match. He was able to stick the Panther in 2:02. It was Gallick's fifth pin of the year. The Tuscon, Ariz. native is 11-4 overall. "Fanthorpe and Gallick came out being the aggressor," head coach Cael Sanderson said. "If you dictate the tempo of the match, good things will often happen to you." Familiar foes, Travis Paulson and Nick Baima collided on the mat at 165-pounds, with Paulson picking up his seventh career victory over Baima, a 7-4 decision. Paulson, a two-time All-American, began the second period from the down position and quickly escaped. Paulson was up 4-2 on Baima after two periods. Paulson tallied a second takedown in the third period and received a point courtesy of an illegal move by Baima. Adding 1:22 worth of riding time, Paulson emerged victorious by a final score of 7-4. "Cael has been on us to pick up the pace," Paulson said. "He wants us to be more on the offense throughout the match" Rebounding from a tough loss a week ago at 174-pounds, Grant Turner scored a 17-8 major decision over Alex Dolly. Deadlocked at 2-2 after the first period of action, Turner scored a takedown and a three-point nearfall to give him a 9-6 advantage going into the final period of action. The Johnston, Iowa, native maintained his momentum, scoring three more takedowns and accumulating 1:49 worth of riding time. At 184-pounds, Iowa State All-American Kurt Backes picked up his second victory by major decision as he defeated Andrew Anderson, 18-5. Backes took down Anderson five times throughout the match and also scored back points on two occasions. Backes is now 11-1. Iowa State wrestlers will return to action Dec. 29-30 as they will travel to Evanston, Ill. to compete in the Midlands Championship. The Cyclones will then trek to Cedar Falls, Iowa to take part in the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals Jan. 13-14. Wrestling action will come back to Ames Jan. 26 as the ISU will play host to Oklahoma at 7 p.m.

Lincoln -- The 18th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team rode 10 bonus-point victories in two duals to defeat Wyoming, 34-10, and Nebraska-Kearney, 30-18, in the 2006 Nebraska Duals at the NU Coliseum on Saturday. The Huskers' explosiveness has been on display throughout the early part of this season. Of Nebraska's 43 individual dual wins, 24 have been bonus-point triumphs. Against Wyoming, Nebraska built a 15-point lead after four matches, thanks in part to two bonus-point wins. It started with Paul Donahoe's 20-7 major decision victory over Nick Ramirez at 125 pounds. After Patrick Aleksanyan's 8-6 overtime victory over Cory VomBaur, Dominick Moyer gave NU its second bonus-point win with a 19-2 technical fall win over Brandon Gifford at 141 pounds. Robert Sanders made a strong bid for his own major decision victory, but fell just shy in a 14-7 win over Garrett Desmond. The Huskers would add another four-match winning streak after a setback at 157 pounds. Stephen Dwyer would get Nebraska back on the winning track in a big way with a pin of Kyle Morrow with 37 seconds remaining in their match at 165 pounds. Marc Harwood added a 9-3 win over Bryan Bernal at 174 pounds, then Nebraska put the dual out of reach with back-to-back bonus-point victories. It started with Levi Wofford's 14-4 major decision win over Preston Pavich at 184 pounds. Wofford took control of the match in the second period, when he notched four takedowns. At 197 pounds, Craig Brester pinned Chet Slavin 52 seconds into their match after an early takedown put Brester in the drivers' seat of the battle from the beginning. With the win, Mark Manning became just the third coach in school history with 90 dual wins. He needed only 123 duals to reach the milestone, eight fewer than Bob Fehrs, the first coach in Husker history to win 90, and nine fewer than Tim Neumann, who holds the school record in dual wins with 199. Donahoe gave Nebraska a strong start against the Lopers with a second-period win by fall over Trevor Charbonneau. Donahoe continues to be a force for Nebraska in dual matches, earning the Huskers bonus points in five of his six dual outings. After a loss at 133 pounds, Moyer defeated Jeff Rutledge 3-0 at 141 pounds. Moyer escaped 10 seconds into the second period to gain a one-point lead, then rode Rutledge the duration of the third period to earn the victory. Back-to-back losses at 149 and 157 pounds gave UNK a momentary 12-9 lead, but Nebraska answered with four straight bonus-point victories to earn the dual win. Dwyer put the Huskers back ahead for good with a 13-4 major decision win over Keenan McCurdy at 165 pounds. Dwyer posted six points in the last minute of the match to seal the win and give Nebraska a one-point edge with four matches remaining. At 174 pounds, Harwood followed with a win by fall over Taylor May in a hotly contested match that entered the third period with Harwood holding a 2-1 lead before Harwood escaped early in the period, then earned two takedowns in the last minute. Wofford continued the Husker hot streak with a third-period pin of Dan Hospodka at 184 pounds. Brester closed the dual for NU with a 22-4 win by technical fall over Preston Pavich. With the dual decided, Nebraska dropped the heavyweight match. The win completes Nebraska's first semester competition. For the fifth time in Manning's seven years at NU, the Huskers enter the holiday break undefeated. In fact, Nebraska is 42-3 under Manning in the months of November and December. The Huskers (6-0) are next in action on Saturday, Jan. 5 against Oregon State at 7 p.m. at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb.

CHARLESTON, SC -- Early this season the Monarch wrestling team has turned heads with performances at several tournaments. Now, in the thick of the dual season, ODU (2-1) continues to impress with a 30-12 victory over The Citadel (1-1). All four of ODU's nationally ranked monarchs took victories in South Carolina. Two of the four were not tested as David Mendoza and Chris Brown both took forfeit victories in their bouts. Adam Koballa, ranked for the first time in his young career, won a major decision for the Monarchs 19-6 in the 133-lb. division. On the other hand, sophomore, Ryan Williams, ranked 27th by wrestlingreport.com, fought hard for his victory. Williams, coming off a sub-two minute pin against George Mason last weekend tallied a 7-5 victory against Arias. Williams has placed in all three tournaments he participated and is undefeated in dual competition for the season at 3-0. The Monarchs were tested early in the 125-lb. weight class as freshman Kyle Hutter had his lead cut to one in the third period 5-4. Hutter grabbed two more points to pull ahead with a 3-point lead late in the bout. His opponent, freshman Tyler Sim, added a stalling point late in the third but Hutter hung on for the 7-5 victory. After Hutter came Koballa's major decision and Williams' decision. In the 149-lb. class Kaylen Baxter fell behind 5-0 in the second period. The freshman climbed back into it cutting the lead to three at 7-4. He was unable to topple the junior Levi Duyn going down 9-4. Baxter's battle was followed by the first of three forfeits on the day as Chris Brown earned 6 team points in the 157-lb. forfeit. Nick Pullano then took the mat in the 165-lb. class. Pullano looked fantastic for the Monarchs after knocking off nationally ranked Mason grappler last weekend. The junior didn't allow a point and ran away with a 15-0 technical fall all but sealing the match for the Monarchs. The team score ran to an unbeatable 21-3. Derek Coffey then fell 4-2 to Darius Caldwell in the 174-lb. division. In an exciting match Coffey went up two with a takedown in the second period. However, Caldwell fought back and won with a takedown with under thirty seconds to go. Strawn won the match for the Monarchs with his decision over John Dickerson 6-1. The 197-lb. and heavyweight bouts were forfeits with Mendoza taking a victory in the former and The Citadel's 285-pounder John Buck the latter. ODU improves to 2-1 with the win as they finish out the fall season. The Citadel evens their record at 1-1. They will head to the Southern Scuffle tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina on the last weekend of the year before heading home early in 2007.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -– The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 8 nationally, will head into the holiday break on a good note after a hard-fought 20-15 win over visiting Lock Haven. Head coach Troy Sunderland and his staff were without the services of two starters but still managed to win the battle thanks to bonus points and a superb effort from his reserve big man. Sophomore Joe Farina (Denville, N.J.) clinched the dual in the final bout. The dual began at with the evening's premier match-up. Junior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 3 at 125, took on No. 6 Obe Blanc of Lock Haven. McKnight got the bout's first takedown at the 2:21 mark to go up 2-1 after a Blanc escape. Looking to build a sizeable lead in the first period, the Nittany Lion went up 4-1 with another takedown at the :45 mark. Blanc escaped to a 4-2 deficit with under :30 left and proceeded to tie the bout with a takedown at the :05 mark. Tied 4-4, Blanc chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 5-4 lead. McKnight nearly took the lead with a takedown at the 1:00 mark but action moved off the mat, resetting the wrestlers at the inner-circle. McKnight got in on another single leg and finished the two point takedown at the :20 mark. McKnight managed to hold the Bald Eagle wrestler down for the remainder of the period to take a 6-5 lead (with 1:15 in riding time) into the final stanza. McKnight chose down to begin the third period and quickly escaped to a 7-5 lead while maintaining his riding time advantage. Blanc tied the bout at 7-7 with a takedown at the 1:08 mark. Needing to hold McKnight for nine seconds to eliminate the riding time point, Blanc was strong enough on top to turn the trick. As time wound down in the clash of two top ten wrestlers, McKnight fought hard to escape Blanc and avoid extra time. After a reset at the :26 mark, McKnight got his escape at the :18 mark to briefly go up 8-7. Blanc, however, quickly turned in on McKnight for a takedown and posted an impressive 9-8 upset win to put Lock Haven up 3-0. At 133, Nittany Lion Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) met Lock Haven's Danny Lopes. Strayer, ranked No. 7, got his first takedown at the 1:20 mark to lead 2-1 after allowing Lopes up. Working for bonus points, he added another takedown for a 4-1 lead after one period. He also amassed a 1:07 riding time advantage. Strayer chose down to begin the second period and escaped to a 5-1 lead. With Lopes working his way off the mat, Strayer pulled the Bald Eagle back on and notched a third takedown to lead 7-1 at the 1:08 mark. Strayer allowed Lopes up and took him down again within seconds to take a 9-2 lead. A second LHU stall put Strayer up 10-2. Strayer held Lopes down for the entire period and headed to the third stanza up 10-2 with a 1:58 time advantage. Lopes chose down to begin the third and allowed Lopes to escape. After another LHU stall put Strayer up 11-3, the Nittany Lion sophomore began working towards even more bonus points. Strayer notched a takedown, forced a two-point stall penalty and a final takedown to post an impressive 18-4 major decision. The win put Penn Sate up 4-3. Junior Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.) met Lock Haven's Mark Armstrong at 141. Quickly jumping out on the Bald Eagle grappler, Heller got his first takedown to lead 2-0 at the 2:44 mark. Heller was hit with an illegal hold penalty and, after an Armstrong escape, the score was tied at 2-2. Heller went up 4-2. Continuing the move and forcing Armstrong to his back, Heller pinned the Bald Eagle grappler with a furious combination at the 1:15 mark. The six team points gave Penn State a commanding 10-3 lead early. At 149, red-shirt freshman Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) met Lock Haven's Donnie Ament. Vallimont quickly began working on Ament, getting a takedown at the 2:25 mark. Strong on top, Vallimont rode Ament for the entire period to lead 2-0 with a 2:25 riding time edge. Ament chose down to start the second and escaped to a 2-1 deficit. Vallimont got his first takedown after a nice flurry mid-mat to lead briefly lead 3-2, but Vallimont countered with a reversal to retake the lead, 4-3, with 1:00 to wrestle in the second. Ament tied the bout with an escape at the :44 mark. The Nittany Lion red-shirt freshman got a takedown with under :10 left to carry a 6-4 lead (with 2:56 in riding time) into the third period. Vallimont chose down to start the final period and quickly turned a near-escape into a two-point reversal. After an Ament escape, Vallimont led 8-5. Looking to build upon his lead, Vallimont added clinching takedown at the :38 mark to go up 10-5 with an assured riding time point. Working hard on top, Vallimont rode Ament out to post an 11-5 win and push Penn State out to a 13-3 lead. Nittany Lion senior Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.) took on No. 15 Seth Martin at 157. Galloway, who dropped a heart-breaking 2-0 decision in the Nittany Lion Open final earlier this year, got the first takedown of the bout to go up 2-0 with 1:31 left in the first. Martin escaped to a 2-1 deficit with just over :30 left to wrestle in the first period. Galloway, leading 2-0 with :52 in riding time, chose neutral to begin the second period. The Nittany Lion senior nearly got a second takedown :30 into the middle period, but Martin forced the action of the mat. After a reset, Martin got in on a strong single-leg, looking to take the lead. After Galloway fought off the attempt for a while, Martin finished the move to go up 3-2. Needing an escape to tie the score, Galloway got the important point with :10 left in the second, sending action to the third tied 3-3. Martin chose down to start the third, looking for a go ahead point with an escape. The Nittany Loin senior got his go ahead point quickly, grabbing a 4-3 lead with 1:52 to wrestle. Martin increased his lead to 6-3 with another takedown with 1:20 to wrestle. Martin was strong on top and managed to get Galloway to his back for three near fall points. Martin finished on top to post a 9-3 win and cut the Penn State lead to 13-6. Penn State's Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) took to the mat at 165 against Bald Eagle Landis Wright. Wright went up early with a two-point takedown at the 1:45 mark. Friend tied the bout with a nice reversal and proceeded to ride the Lock Haven freshman for the remainder of the first period. Tied 2-2, Friend chose down to start the middle period and was allowed out by Wright for a 3-2 lead. Friend quickly got in on another single-leg and finished the move with a nice leg kick to lead 5-2. Wright, however, got his own reversal to tighten the match at 4-4 with 1:10 to wrestle in the second. Wright would ride Friend out for the remainder of the period. Friend held a 5-4 lead entering the final two minutes. Wright chose down to start the third and quickly reversed Friend again to go up 6-5 with 1:50 to wrestle. The Lock Haven grappler would not let Friend escape and, after fighting off a near reversal by the Nittany Lion, posted a hard-fought 7-5 win (with the riding time point). The victory made the team score Penn State 13, Lock haven 9. James Yonushonis (Phillipsburg, Pa.), ranked No. 3, took on Lock Haven senior Mike Metzger at 174. Coming off an upset loss at Hofstra, Yonushonis came out and quickly took Metzger down to lead 2-0 less than :30 in. Metzger escaped to a 2-1 deficit but not before Yonushonis built up a 1:23 riding time advantage. The Nittany Lion All-American upped his lead to 4-2 with another takedown and Metzger escape. Metzger got in on a late first-period single leg but Yonushonis fought the move off handily to take a 4-2 lead into the second. Metzger chose down to start the second and escaped to a 4-3 deficit with 1:35 to wrestle. Yonushonis added a third takedown to lead 6-4 after a Metzger escape with :46 to wrestle. Neither man would mount a serious threat for the remainder of the second, sending the bout to the final period with Yonushonis up 6-4 with 2:20 in riding time. Yonushonis chose down to start the third and quickly escaped to a 7-4 lead. Yonushonis turned a two-point takedown into a near pin with 1:10 left, getting a cradle on Metzger. The Bald Eagle fought pin off just enough to avoid the fall. However, three back points and the riding time point gave Yonushonis a 13-4 major decision. With Penn State short handed due to not having the services of its starting 197-pounder and heavyweight, the four-point major gave Penn State a solid 17-9 cushion. Sophomore Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) met Lock Haven's Tom Kocher at 184. Bomberger got the first takedown of the bout with 1:00 to wrestle and jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Kocher escaped to a 2-1 deficit and quickly got in on a deep single-leg as the first period wound down. Kocher finished the move to carry a 3-2 lead into the second period. Kocher chose down to start the second and Bomberger began working for back points. Kocher fought off each effort and escaped to a 4-2 lead. Another Kocher takedown and the Bald Eagle had a 6-2 lead with just over 1:00 to wrestle. Bomberger could not work out from Kocher's strong ride and found himself down 6-2 going into the third. Bomberger chose down to begin the third and quickly escaped to a 6-3 deficit. Looking to comeback, Bomberger got in on a single leg but could not finish the move. In the process, Kocher countered the Nittany Lion sophomore's effort to get his own takedown to push his lead to 8-3. Bomberger escaped to cut the lead to 8-4 but had only :50 to wrestle. Kocher fought off every Bomberger effort to post an 8-4 decision. Lock Haven led 17-12 heading into the dual's final two bouts, two bouts that would not feature the regular starters. At 197, Nittany Lion junior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 5 nationally, was out with the flu. Stepping in for Davis was talented junior Chad Unger (Perry, Ohio). Unger met Lock Haven's Jeremie Cook. Each wrestler traded offensive bursts through the first two minutes with neither man getting any points. The final minute of the first featured Unger working Cook's head to no avail and the bout went to the second period tied 0-0. Cook chose down to begin the second period reversed Unger. Cook added three back points to up his lead to 5-0 with :50 to wrestle in the second. Two more back points as the period wound down had Cook up 7-0 with only two minutes to wrestle. Needing to turn Cook to come back, Unger chose up to start the third period. Unger locked his hands while on top, giving Cook an 8-0 lead. The Nittany Lion junior could not create any solid pinning opportunities. While he did ride Cook for most of the third period, the Bald Eagle freshman fought off every effort to post an impressive 8-1 win. The victory closed the team gap to Penn State 17, Lock Haven 15. With that, the dual – and a potential upset – boiled down to the heavyweight bout where Penn State was without its starting man. Penn State senior heavyweight Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.), ranked No. 11 nationally, was held out of action due to a skin infection. Sophomore Joe Farina got the call to face Lock Haven's Mike Cook in the dual's deciding match-up. Farina got the first takedown at the 1:32 mark to take a 2-0 lead. Cook began working for a reversal and, after :20 of work, tied the bout. Farina escaped to a 3-2 lead with :05 left. Up 3-2 heading into the second, Farina chose down to start the middle period. After a first LHU stall warning and a reset, Farina escaped to a 4-2 lead with 1:15 to wrestle. With the dual in the balance, Farina added a second takedown at the :33 mark to lead 6-2. Farina rode Cook out to carry that 6-2 lead into the final period. Cook chose down to start the final period and Farina began working hard on top. Cook, however, countered Farina's first move and began working for a reversal. After a stalemate and reset, Farina let Cook up. With 1:25 to wrestle, the Nittany Lion sophomore led 6-3. He added insurance with another takedown at the 1:10 mark, bringing the nearly 3,000 fans to their feet. Farina rode Cook long enough to pick up a riding time edge and then maintained his position for the bout's final second. The thrilling 9-3 win clinched the dual, giving Penn State a 20-15 win. The Nittany Lions move to 5-1 while Lock Haven falls to 2-3. Missing two starters, Penn State split the bouts with LHU 5-5 but grabbed the win with five bonus points to none for Lock Haven. Penn State will return to action on Sunday, Jan. 7, when it treks to Ithaca for a battle with No. 13 Cornell. Its next home dual is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 28, when Ohio State comes to Rec Hall. All Penn State duals will be heard live on WBLF AM and WKVA AM as well as streamed for free at GoPSUsports.com. Season and single-match tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the Penn State ticket office at 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 for more information. Fans can also get tickets at GoPSUsports.com. This year's season ticket prices are $24 for adults and $18 for students. Single dual prices are $5 per event for adults and $3 per event for youth. All of Penn State's matches can be heard locally on WBLF 970 AM and at GoPSUsports.com.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State's wrestling team heads west to face the Cal Poly Mustangs on Monday at 3 p.m. (CST) at the Mott Gymnasium in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The Cowboys have never lost to Cal Poly in 23 meetings. OSU won the only meeting last year, 36-8, in Stillwater. The last time the two teams faced off in San Luis Obispo, OSU claimed the dual by a 32-9 score during the 2004-05 season. Oklahoma State comes in with a 3-1 record and ranked fourth nationally by the USA Today/Intermat/NWCA Coaches' poll. The Cowboys suffered their first loss of the season back on Dec. 6 at then third-ranked Minnesota. The match will be broadcast live on 93.7 FM with Rex Holt and Roger Moore providing the commentary. Last Time Out The Cowboys suffered their first loss of the season to third-ranked Minnesota, 21-15, at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis. The Cowboys recorded three major decisions, but Minnesota won six of the 10 bouts to take the dual. OSU got major decisions from Coleman Scott, Newly McSpadden and Johny Hendricks to keep the dual close. Jared Shelton gave the pokes the opportunity to tie at heavyweight with a decision at 197. Shelton lost a major decision in the closing seconds, but he still brought the Cowboys to within three points of the Gophers, with just the heavyweights remaining. Top-ranked Cole Konrad got the only takedown of the match, however, and the Gophers held on for a 21-15 victory. Scouting the Mustangs The Mustangs are 0-1 on the season after losing to Oklahoma, 31-7, in their season opener. Cal Poly got a major decision from fifth-ranked Darrell Vasquez at 133 and a decision from Matt Monteiro at 197. Monteiro might have the biggest individual upset of the young wrestling season with a decision over OU's fifth-ranked Joel Flaggert. Cal Poly has three individuals ranked in the latest individual polls with 125-pounder Chad Mendes leading the way ranked third. Mendes missed the early portion of the season and is 0-1 with his only loss coming to top-ranked Sam Hazewinkel. Vasquez is 12-1 and ranked fifth, while Monteiro jumped in the rankings after defeating Flaggert and is ranked 13th. Last time vs. Cal Poly Oklahoma State won handily over Cal Poly, 36-8, rebounding from a loss to Minnesota in the finals of the National Duals. The Cowboys won eight of the 10 bouts, with six of the wins coming by bonus points. The highlight of the dual was at 133 where high school teammates Nathan Morgan and Darrell Vasquez squared off. It was fourth-ranked Morgan coming up with a takedown in the sudden victory period to defeat third-ranked Vasquez. Coleman Scott and Brandon Mason each recorded technical falls, while Kevin Ward and Johny Hendricks both recorded major decisions. Zack Esposito had a fall, and heavyweight Steve Mocco closed out the dual with a pin. No. 1 Oklahoma State 36, No. 20 Cal Poly 8 Stillwater, Okla. • Gallagher-Iba Arena • Attendance: 3,367 125- #6 Coleman Scott (OSU) TF5 John Hanks (CP), 17-2; 6:00 133- #4 Nathan Morgan (OSU) Dec. #3 Darrell Vasquez (CP), 6-4 SV 141- David Roberts (CP) MD Ethan Kyle (OSU), 13-3 149- #3 Zack Esposito (OSU) Fall Jeff Owens (CP), 2:11 157- #15 Kevin Ward (OSU) MD Ryan Williams (CP), 15-5 165- #1 Johny Hendricks (OSU) MD Rob Maxwell (CP), 13-5 174- #13 Brandon Mason (OSU) TF5 Nick Hernandez (CP), 17-1, 3:59 184- #16 Ryan Halsey (CP) MD Rusty Blackmon (OSU), 12-4 197- Jack Jensen (OSU) Dec. Yuri Kalika (CP), 4-0 285- #2 Steve Mocco (OSU) Fall Arturo Basulto, 1:45 Cowboys FOURTH! Oklahoma State is ranked fourth in the latest USA Today/Intermat/NWCA Coaches' Poll. The last time the Cowboys were as low as fourth was when they finished the 2002 NCAA Championships fifth in Albany, N.Y. The Cowboys have never finished a season lower than seventh and have finished first or second in 45 of the 75 NCAA Championships in which they have competed. Missouri was ranked first in the poll becoming just the 11th school to earn the No. 1 ranking, replacing OSU after its loss to Minnesota on Dec. 6. Gopher Bitten Oklahoma State has claimed the last four NCAA team titles and three of the last four NWCA National Duals titles. Over that four year span, the Cowboys have compiled a 74-5 dual record. OSU has put together a 111-9 record since the 2000-01 season. Minnesota has been the one team that has been a thorn in the side for the Cowboys. Minnesota has handed OSU six of its nine losses since the 2000-01 season, and it has defeated the Cowboys four times during their current championship run, including twice last year. Minnesota has won each of the last three meetings between the two schools, including a 21-15 win this season. Hendricks Reaches the Century Mark Senior Johny Hendricks became the 26th member of the 100-win club when he defeated Oklahoma's Shane Seibert, 7-4, on Dec. 3, 2006. He is currently 8-0 on the season and boasts a career record of 101-12. He needs just seven victories to tie Kirk Mammen for 20th on the all-time wins list.

A total of nine returning national champions and top-ranked wrestlers head final line-up for the Collegiate All-Star Challenge in Sioux City, Iowa on Saturday, December 30, 2006. Athletes from across the country will represent their institutions in 13 matches between some of the finest wrestlers in NCAA Division II and Division III, the NAIA and the nation's Junior Colleges. Returning national champions scheduled to compete include: Mark Dickman (149) and Jake Dieffenbach (165) of Lindenwood University and Jesse Laber (197) of the University of Mary. Athletes who have earned a No. 1 ranking this season are: Andrew Lacroix (141) of Roger Williams University, Joe Soto (141) of Iowa Central, Mikel Delk (149) of Ft. Hays State, Hayden Harrison (157) of Embry-Riddle, Jasper Lockett (184) of Missouri Valley College and Sam Sand (285) of Jamestown. Also competing are four wrestlers ranked No. 2 in the country: Richard Byrd (2) of Embry-Riddle, Jestin Hulegaard (133) of Buena Vista, Joffre Lander (184) of Embry-Riddle and Nate Buys (197) of Augustana (SD). The inaugural Collegiate All-Star Challenge has also received the endorsement of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) for its efforts to promote the sport of wrestling. "This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our wrestling champions in an area that obviously has one of the best fan bases and wrestling traditions in this country," stated NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "Sioux City has a demonstrated history of support for amateur wrestling and we are forever grateful for their tireless effort on behalf of our college heroes." Wrestling gets underway at 7:00 p.m. at the Long Lines Center (adjacent to the Tyson Events Center) in Sioux City. Final match assignments (individual ranking in parentheses): 125 pounds: (2) Richard Byrd – Embry-Riddle vs. (6) Anthony Nicolicchia Roger Williams 133 pounds: (2) Jestin Hulegaard – Buena Vista vs. (3) Burke Barnes – Dana 141 pounds: (1) Andrew Lacroix – Roger Williams vs. (1) Joe Soto – Iowa Central 141 pounds: (3) Terrence Almond – Dana vs. (4) Chris Frejie – Western State 149 pounds: (1) Mark Dickman – Lindenwood vs. (1) Mikel Delk – Ft. Hays State 157 pounds: (1) Hayden Harrison – Embry-Riddle vs. (3) Austin Scarset - Augustana 165 pounds: (1) Jake Dieffenbach – Lindenwood vs. (6) Blake Peterson – Truman State 174 pounds: (5) Cody Henriksen – Augustanda vs. (7) Enoch Francois – Northwestern (IA) 184 pounds: (1) Jasper Lockett – Missouri Valley vs. (2) Joffre Lander – Embry-Riddle 184 pounds: (6) Mike Howell – Ft. Hays State vs. (8) Jay Figgins - Loras 197 pounds: (2) Nate Buys – Augustana vs. ('05 NAIA Champion) Jesse Laber – Mary 197 pounds: (4) Ben Strandberg – Buena Vista vs. (5) Andrew Lundgren – Northwestern (IA) 285 pounds: (1) Sam Sand – Jamestown vs. (3) Andrew Ubben – Ft. Hays State All tickets are general admission and will be available only at the door. Adult tickets are $10 and children under age 12 are $5.

A strong field makes up the fourth annual Wartburg Desert Duals Tuesday, Dec. 19, in the Flamingo Las Vegas. Action begins at 10 a.m. Central Standard Time in the ballrooms of the hotel. Joining the second-ranked Knights will be No. 9-ranked North Central College of Naperville, Ill., No. 10-ranked Coe College of Cedar Rapids, No. 17-ranked Loras College of Dubuque, No. 20-ranked Buena Vista University of Storm Lake, and No. 21-ranked Elmhurst College of Illinois as the top NCAA Division III squads entered and No. 9-ranked Great Falls University of Montana and No. 12-ranked Menlo College of California among the top National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' Division I schools entered. Complete information on the 2006 tourney, including a round-by-round schedule, is available at http://www.go-knights.net/wrestling/dduals/index.html. Fans can follow the site throughout the day Tuesday for round-by-round results, recaps, photos and more. KNIGHTS DESERT DUALS NOTES: The host school sports a 12-0 record at the Desert Duals. Wartburg's dominance at the tourney goes even farther as they've given up 10 points just three times, as Elmhurst has compiled the total in each of their previous meetings with the Orange and Black in Las Vegas and Menlo did so last year…Wartburg's closest call came against the Bluejays by a 26-13 count in the 2004 tournament…Head coach Jim Miller's crew, sporting a 29-dual win streak that dates back to the 2004-05 campaign, has six individuals ranked in the National Wrestling Coaches Division III poll, released Dec. 11. Senior heavyweight Blake Gillis of Spencer, at 9-0, is ranked number one, while junior 197-pounder T.J. Miller of Cedar Falls, with a 5-0 record, is ranked second as is sophomore 184-pounder Romeo Djoumessi of Waverly with a 10-1 record. Senior 174-pounder Jason Zastrow of Coon Rapids, Minn., with a 13-2 record, is ranked No. 4, while sophomore 157-pounder Aaron Wernimont of Pocahontas, sporting an 18-2 record and 14 consecutive victories, is ranked No. 6 along with junior 133-pounder Jake Helvey of Mitchellville who has a 13-3 record…Wernimont earned special mention for the second consecutive week in the Iowa Conference's Athlete of the Week announcement Dec. 11. He ran the table at his weight in the 34th Dick Walker Invitational last weekend, rolling up three majors and a technical fall en route to Outstanding Wrestler honors…Two other participating schools have strong Wartburg ties. Former All-American Kevin Bratland and his brother, Karl, both alums, are bringing their No. 9-ranked North Central College team to the tourney, while former three-time NCAA Division III national champion Dustin Hinschberger and former All-American Dustin Bliven are on the coaching staff at Coe. NEXT UP: Wartburg breaks from competition until January 5 and 6 when they split their squad for competition at the Cornell College of Mount Vernon Matman Invitational and Ursinus College of Collegeville, Penn.'s North-South Duals.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The 14th-ranked Ohio State wrestling team will host Chattanooga at 2 p.m. Sunday in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes (1-1-0; 0-0-0 Big Ten) return to dual action after competing in the 25th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 1-2 in Primm, Nev., where they finished 10th with 66 points. IT'S BEEN AWHILE The dual against Chattanooga is the Buckeyes' first home dual since they opened the season Nov. 16 against then-No. 3 Missouri. Since that time, Ohio State has traveled to Ithaca, N.Y., where it defeated then-No. 9 Cornell, 18-17, Nov. 26 and finished 10th in the Las Vegas Invitational in Primm, Nev., Dec. 1-2. LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL CHAMPION Redshirt-freshman Mike Pucillo won the 184-weight class at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 1-2 in Primm, Nev. Pucillo recorded two major decisions and a fall en route to the semifinal where he defeated No. 4 Raymond Jordan of Missouri, 3-1. In the championship bout against Michigan's and No. 3 Tyrel Todd, Pucillo notched a 12-6 victory for the title. Pucillo became the first Buckeye to win a title at the event since current assistant coach Tommy Rowlands won in 2003 at heavyweight. CONFERENCE LAURELS After his winning performance at 184 pounds in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Mike Pucillo was named the Big Ten Conference Wrestler of the Week for the week of Dec. 4. Pucillo recorded two major decisions and a fall en route to the semifinal where he defeated No. 4 Raymond Jordan of Missouri, 3-1. In the championship bout against Michigan's and No. 3 Tyrel Todd, Pucillo notched a 12-6 victory for the title. MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION Ohio State competed in the 25th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 1-2 and the Scarlet and Gray compiled 66 points for a 10th-place finish. It was the Buckeyes' first Top 10 finish at the invitational since 2003. Mike Pucillo was victorious in the 184-pound weight class, recording a pair of major decisions and a fall before defeating two Top 4 wrestlers in the semifinal (No. 4 Raymond Jordan) and final (No. 3 Tyrel Todd) for the title. Chris Vondruska recorded a third-place finish at 165 pounds, winning four consecutive matches after losing in the quarterfinals. In the third-place match-up, Vondruska defeated Zach Shanaman of Penn, 3-2. Lance Palmer was the final Buckeye to place, as he finished seventh at 149 pounds. After losing in the quarterfinals, Palmer rebounded with a win in the fifth wrestleback, but lost again in the sixth wrestleback, which dropped him to the seventh-place bout. In that final round, Palmer defeated Drew DiPasquale of Virginia, 7-2. INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Five Buckeyes are ranked in the Top 20 of their respective weight classes in the latest USA Today/InterMat/NWCA standings released Dec. 12. T.J. Enright moved up to No. 15 from No. 16 at 133 pounds. Lance Palmer remained ranked No. 19 at 149 pounds. Chris Vondruska improved one spot to No. 18 from 19th at 165 pounds. Mike Pucillo, who is the highest ranked Buckeye, jumped from fourth to third at 184 pounds. J.D. Bergman is sixth after spending last week ranked seventh. NOTING THE BUCKEYES So far, the Buckeyes have tallied 164 takedown points and have compiled 651 team points in two duals and two tournaments. Additionally, Ohio State has nine major decisions, four technical falls and 12 falls to its credit. ASSISTANT COACHES TAKE GOLD Ohio State wrestling assistant coaches Joe Heskett and Tommy Rowlands claimed titles at the Henri Deglane Challenge in Nice, France, and the American Airlines/New York AC Holiday International in New York, respectively, at the end of November. In his first season as the volunteer assistant coach for the Buckeyes, Heskett defeated 2000 Olympic silver medalist and 2006 Russian National Champion Arsen Gitinov in the championship match to win the gold medal at 74kg/163 pounds in the freestyle competition at the Nov. 24-25 tournament. For his efforts, Heskett was named TheMat.com Athlete of the Week for the week of Nov. 21. Rowlands defended his freestyle title at 120kg/264.5 pounds at the New York Athletic Club Nov. 18-19, winning all four of his bouts, including defeating Michael Irving, 4-1 and 6-0, in the final. SCOUTING CHATTANOOGA Like the Buckeyes, Chattanooga last competed at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in Primm, Nev. The Mocs put up an eighth-place finish with 69.5 points in the two-day event. Winning for Chattanooga at 133 pounds was Matt Keller. Keller defeated the 2006 141-pound NCAA Champion Matt Valenti of Penn, 9-7, in overtime. In dual action, the Mocs are 4-0 on the season, with all four wins coming in their home venue of Maclellan Gym. BUCKEYES VS. MOCS The Buckeyes own a 4-1-1 advantage over the Mocs, but dropped their last meeting 25-19 in 2004 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Ohio State vs. Chattanooga All-Time Series 2004 - UTC 25, OSU 19 2003 - Ohio State 32, UTC 8 2000 - Ohio State 27, UTC 9 1998 - Ohio State 33, UTC 3 1989 - Ohio State 31, UTC 9 1989 - Ohio State 18, UTC 18 VS. THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE Ohio State has faced only one other Southern Conference opponent. Ohio State met The Citadel during the Virginia Duals Jan. 13, 2006 and defeated the Bulldogs, 38-10. MAKE IT 110 OSU head coach Tom Ryan earned his 110th career victory with the Buckeyes' 18-17 win over Cornell Nov. 26. Ryan gathered his first win as the head coach of the Scarlet and Gray, while his other 109 wins came at Hofstra, where he was the head coach for 11 seasons. Ryan's career record is 110-84-1 (.567). MARK THIS DATE Buckeye head coach Tom Ryan compiled his first win as the OSU head coach against then-No. 9 Cornell Nov. 26. ONLY THE BEST Ohio State has competed or will compete against some of the toughest teams in the nation in 2006-07. Nine of the Buckeyes' opponents are ranked in the latest Top 25 of the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA poll. Four opponents - Missouri (1), Iowa (5), Penn State (8) and Northwestern (9) are in the Top 10. LIVE WEB STREAMING Live web streaming of Ohio State's match-ups against Indiana (Jan. 28) and Michigan State (Feb. 2) are available on ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Log on to the official web site of the Ohio State Department of Athletics for more information. EXPANDED COVERAGE The NCAA and ESPN announced in October expanded live television coverage of the 2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships March 15-17 in Auburn Hills, Mich. For the first time, in the 77-year history of the Division I Wrestling Championships, the Saturday morning medal round will be televised. Scheduled for 10 a.m. EST March 17 on ESPNU, the championships medal round determines the third through eighth place finishers who are honored as All-Americans. The 2007 championships are March 15-17 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. The University of Michigan and the Detroit Metro Sports Commission will serve as hosts. Tickets for the 2007 championships are available by visiting http://www.detroitsports.org/wrestling/tickets/index.html. UP NEXT The Buckeyes will travel to the Southern Scuffle Dec. 29-30 in Greensboro, N.C., while other members of the squad will head to the 44th Annual Midlands Championships, also Dec. 29-30, in Evanston, Ill.

RPW Co-founder and CEO Toby Willis announced (on Monday) that the Super Challenge, originally set for San Jose, CA on Jan. 7, will be moved to Nashville, TN to support TV schedules and better scheduling for the athletes. On the verge of RPW's first major TV deals, TV stations and networks have asked to push up the dates of the delivery of the shows in order to take advantage of sponsor and other marketing and promotional budgets. RPW General Manager Rick Korn stated that, "The response from top stations and regional sports networks has been incredible. This is the first time in my 27 years in television that I've gotten such an overwhelming positive response for a sports property. Virtually every station we went after we have gotten cleared on, in the time slots that we have asked for, and the day of the week we wanted. The hardest part of the TV business is to get your show on the air in top markets like New York, Chicago, LA, Dallas, etc. We are not only getting our shows on the air but we are getting on stations that are No. 1 in their markets. In Chicago, LA, Dallas, Tulsa, Miami, Detroit and many others." Willis and President Matt Case had to make some difficult adjustments in order to fit the needs of our TV partners but in the end it is what is best for our athletes and the league. We really wanted to do the tour, but it would have been impossible given the tight time schedules dictated to us by the stations, Korn stated." On the heals of a successful set of four regional qualifiers is the anticipated Super Challenge, which will mark the conclusion of qualification series. While the Super Challenge will still be held prior to Season 2, it will most likely be wrapped into the studio show weekend in Nashville sometime this spring. Working in conjunction with High Five Entertainment, Nashville is "the ideal location for our studio show" says RPW and High Five Entertainment producer Martin Fischer. "All of our staff is here, it's a central location and Nashville has some great facilities to support such an endeavor. We look forward to taking what we've learned (from Season 1) and producing the Super Challenge and Season 2 even better" concluded Fischer. Having produced Season 1 in a television studio in Los Angeles, the RPW executives are confident that the model will work. Willis parlayed, "we know how to position everything and maximize the look and feel and the talent. It's ideal for a TV show and that's the most efficient way to continue getting our sport out there." We'll cross the live event bridge once we've had a bit more experience working in these known quantities." When asked about the talent, namely the athletes, RPW President Matt Case noted that they are "really anticipating a great crop of new wrestlers to infuse into the league". Case exclaimed, "We saw some fur flying at the qualifiers. These guys want it bad. They know there's a chance and when you open a door for a hungry wrestler, look out. Guys like Tyron Woodley, Kyle Ceminara, Shawn Bunch, and Ben Wissel are exciting to watch and will keep the audience engaged. They're full of action." Case is not just excited about the possible talent coming into the ranks but for the ability to continue showcasing real wrestling to the public in a palatable way. The RPW President noted the success of the new combat leagues such as the UFC and IFL who are now getting mainstream attention and good TV ratings. According to Case, "RPW is in the same family. We're combat made safe for sport. There's a lot to like about all the combat leagues, especially seeing the wrestlers compete" said Case. "We have a slightly different nuance to our presentation and we believe that this will separate us." With the millions that both the UFC and IFL are now bringing in, it seems logical that the RPW has an opportunity to keep it in the family. Look for more information regarding dates for the Super Challenge and Season 2 production in Nashville, TN on www.realprowrestling.com

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Junior Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central) has been named BigElevenWrestling.net Big Ten Wrestler of the Week following No. 9 Northwestern's wins over Northern Illinois and Eastern Illinois. With an 8-0 record, the 'Cats are off to their best start since the 1985-86 season. Hayes earned two dual meet victories over the weekend to improve to 6-1. On Friday night, Hayes notched an overtime win over Northern Illinois' Danny Burk. He tied the score a 4-4 with a two-point takedown in the second period after trailing 4-2. The junior scored an escape in the third period to tie the score at 6-6 and send the match into overtime. Hayes scored a takedown in the extra period to take the 8-6 decision. The junior completed the week with a 6-4 win over 12th-ranked Kenny Robertson of Eastern Illinois. Hayes scored an early escape to tie the match at 3-3 in the third and notched a takedown in the final minute to go up 5-3. Hayes held on for the 6-4 decision. After redshirting last season, Hayes has shifted up in weight to 174 lbs. after two years competing at 165. "It is obvious that Nick used his redshirt year in a positive way," head coach Tim Cysewski said. "His wins over Burk and Robertson show us that Nick is on the right path and is poised to be an All-American this season." The Wildcats, who moved up to No. 9 in this week's USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Wrestling Coaches Poll, return to action Dec. 20 at the Reno Tournament of Champions before heading home to Evanston for the 44th annual Midlands Championships held at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Dec. 29-30. For information on the Midlands visit The 2006 Midlands Home page.

Ryan Phillips (SR/Burlington, IA) has been named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Wrestler of the Week. This honor is the fourth NSIC Player of the Week award earned by an Upper Iowa student-athlete this year. Phillips was the champion of the 197 pound weight class at the St. Cloud State Open, which was held on December 9th in St. Cloud, Minn. Phillips was the #2 seed in the tournament and defeated Ben Janike of Minnesota State (Mankato) to move on to the finals. Janike was the #3 seed in the North Central Region and a national qualifier last season. Phillips, who won four matches on the day, defeated #1 Jesse Laber of the University of Mary 3-2 in the championship match. Laber is a two-time NAIA All-American and the defending NAIA National Champion. Phillips and the #7 Peacock wrestling team will hit the mat again this Friday night in their first home dual of the season. Their opponent will be Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. The matches are scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. in Dorman Gymnasium.