InterMat Staff

Cal State Fullerton senior wrestlers Ian Murphy and Morgan Atkinson have not yet attained their goal of All-American honors. Both look toward their last college wrestling season anxiously to in order to finally gain the success they've sought at the national tournament. Murphy was 20-4 last season at 184 pounds, but an academic issue forced the business finance major to depart from the team mid-season. He had won the Reno Tournament of Champions just a few weeks earlier, impressively beating Central Michigan's Christian Sinnott 5-1 in the finals. Morgan Atkinson was having a strong season as well when he had to take time off in February due to injury. He returned to the mat for the Pac-10 tournament, which he won, but then finished with a disappointing 1-2 record at the NCAAs. Even so, he concluded the season at 28-5. RevWrestling.com's Tom Franck caught up with both wrestlers after each won their respective weight classes at the Fullerton Open. The Titan seniors were eager to talk about upcoming competitions and postseason goals as well as offering thoughts on Internet scouting and their looming matchups with two highly-regarded Golden Gophers. Ian Murphy How do you think winning a tournament early on in the season gets you going, confidence-wise? Murphy: My confidence is great. It's a good stepping stone for Vegas (The Cliff Keen Invitational) in a couple of weeks, you know. Get a (tournament) win under your belt and get a good seed there, hopefully. There's obviously a lot of tough guys at your weight at Vegas. With the Internet, scouting has never been easier. Do you do any of that -- viewing video matches of potential opponents before the tournament? Murphy: Yeah. I'll check out the top-seeded guys there. I'm not going to search all 34 guys that are supposed to be there. I'll look at anyone ranked ahead of me. Well, anyone ranked in the top 20, I'll be watching -- see what they do and what I can do to beat them. So you don't run into a situation like you did today? (Murphy won a close 6-5 decision over Riley Orozco from Cal State Bakersfield) Murphy: Exactly. I hadn't seen that kid before. I didn't know what he did. I didn't do a good job of watching him earlier today. He put together a pretty good win against (Cal Poly's) Kalika, which surprised me. I was preparing to wrestle either Kalika or (Stanford's) Geison in the finals. And Geison pulled out with an injury that kid upset Kalika so … I know you've got a dual meet with Minnesota on December 8 and you'll get a shot at No. 2-ranked Roger Kish. Murphy: Yeah. Is that the sort of thing that excites you? Getting an early-season, "free look" at someone. How much do you look forward to a matchup like that? Murphy: I'm really looking forward to that dual. I've been looking forward to that dual since I heard they were coming to California to dual us. I wrestled Varner here last year and he took second in the nation. So it's good to get an early season look at a guy of Kish's caliber. Ian Murphy (Photo/John Sachs)I remember last year in the All-Star dual, (Oklahoma's) Matt Storniolo was trailing (Minnesota's) Dustin Schlatter and, in the third period, he chose top. It seemed like he was doing it just to try it out. To get a feel for a position with someone when it doesn't really matter. When you face someone like Kish early on … Murphy: It's not a big deal. It helps a lot for seeding and that's about it. That win would be great, but March is when it matters. A dual win in December is very small compared to March. So I'd rather learn as much as I can from that dual meet and take it to March when it really matters. It seems like 184 has a lot of tough guys, especially in the Big Ten. It also seems pretty wide open too. Murphy: Yeah. Anyone in the top ten has a shot at it, I think. Just get in a good tournament. Obviously a factor here is (defending 184-pound NCAA champ) Jake Herbert taking a (redshirt) year off to try for the Olympic team. He's obviously an incredible wrestler. I'm curious how competitors feel when they learn things like that. Does it make you happy or would you rather have him in the mix to make the field tougher? Murphy: Herbert's a great wrestler. I've watched him a lot. I've never wrestled him. I was looking forward to wrestling him this year. I want to be the best. If I'm going to win a national title, I'd like to beat the best along the way, you know. So is it a letdown? Murphy: It's not really a letdown, it just makes it feel like the national tournament isn't as tough as it could be this year. With him there, that would make nationals much tougher. He would have bumped everyone's seed down at least one. This is an Olympic year. Will you give a go at freestyle after the season is over? Murphy: Yeah. I'll do freestyle nationals. Keep my training up all the way through the open and through the trials. How much of a detriment do you think it is to concentrate on folkstyle? Murphy: I think I can make the transition pretty easily. I did it last year and had decent success. I hadn't done much freestyle in the past, but last year at the open I made it to the second day. I wrestled (Lee) Fullhart and some of those other guys and got a good look at them. It will be a busy, busy month in the room working on technique and stuff, but my shape will already be there. Best of luck. Murphy: Thank you. Morgan Atkinson Morgan Atkinson won the Cal Open, beating Cal Poly's Eric Maldonado in the finals. He had an 8-3 lead in the second period, but had to hold on for a 12-9 win and wasn't happy with his performance. How do you feel, recognizing that you didn't wrestle at your best, that you have a chance to correct some things before Vegas? Atkinson: Ever since NCAAs last year, I've just been trying to improve every aspect of my game. I mean doing well there is just my ultimate goal and what I'm looking forward to. I know you've got Minnesota on December 8, where you'll get a shot at Dustin Schlatter. How do you view that as an opportunity? Atkinson: Yeah. It's awesome. I think it's an awesome opportunity. At Cal Fullerton I've never been given the opportunity to wrestle the number one guy yet. This is my first chance actually. I'm looking forward to it. It seems like you did have a lot of success last year, making the finals in Reno and winning the Pac Ten tourney, but there were a lot of guys out there that you weren't getting a shot at. Atkinson: I think that's part of the reason why I didn't do that good at NCAAs was my lack of competition. My schedule was weak. I mean I had a great record last year. Got a good seed at NCAAs, but when I showed up I wasn't ready to wrestle those guys and I think wrestling those guys this year will help me . A lot of those guys will be at Vegas this season. Atkinson: Yeah, and Reno will be tougher this year for me. A little more competition this year. One caliber opponent that you did get a shot at last year was Harvard's JP O'Connor. You lost a close match to him at Vegas. Atkinson: I partially tore my ACL in that match. It was the third period, I tore it and then he got around and got two reversal and then we went into the very last overtime. And at NCAAs I had to watch from the stands and I watched him All-American and mean, I was leading him for most of our match so it was very painful. What do you think you have to do, other than facing better competition, to break through and finally be an All-American? Atkinson: Well, last year one of the reasons I didn't do as well as could have is because I have a concussion problem and I got a concussion toward the end of the season and had to sit out for about a month. No running or anything. My conditioning was terrible at NCAAs. I think if I can stay healthy and have confidence in my conditioning, I'll be okay. Morgan Atkinson (Photo/John Sachs) I think Iowa's Lincoln McIllravy had a similar problem as a senior. Atkinson: Did he? When I was in high school my last year I had to wear this box mask when I wrestled. Do you think you'll have to wear it again? Atkinson: I hope not. Me and my family talked by my doctors and I'm on the last bit of my wrestling. My doctors wanted me to quit after my last concussion, but I'm not quitting. It's an Olympic year. Will you try freestyle and go to the U.S. Nationals? Atkinson: Yeah, I don't see why not. If I didn't, I'd regret it for the rest of my life. You've got the returning NCAA champion moving up a weight (Edinboro's Gregor Gillespie) and guys like Iowa State's Cyler Sanderson moving up as well. So maybe the weight class isn't as stacked as people thought it was going to be. Is that the sort of thing that gives you a bit of relief? Do you feel like you have a bit more breathing room? Or does it disappoint you? Did you want a shot at Gillespie? MA: I don't think I'm disappointed. Yeah, you lose those guys but then you add a guy like (Iowa's) Brent Metcalf. You lose a guy like (Cornell's) Jordan Leen, but then you've got Will Rowe of Oklahoma coming down. I think it's going to be hard. How much time do you spend scouting these guys? It seems like there's more footage available than ever on the Internet. With YouTube and all that. Atkinson: I go to YouTube, Flowrestling. I watch the matches on there as much as I can. Not so much for my Pac-10 opponents. Schlatter's obviously got lots of matches there, so yeah, I watch what I can. It's definitely an advantage. Is that the sort of thing you work on with your coach? Atkinson: No. My coach, we watch our own video, but we don't watch other people's videos. That's something I do independently. Do you worry about people scouting you that way? Atkinson: I think I might have like one match on YouTube so I'm really scared about that. But it's a possibility, I suppose. Do you think that might have hurt Schlatter last year in terms of all his close matches? Atkinson: It could be a factor. Well, he only did lose one match. But he had a good number of closer matches. Atkinson: I don't know if people figured him out from video, but I think it was closer because people figured him out and they tried to keep it closer. One of the more anticipated matchups this season is Schlatter vs. Metcalf. Do you even think about matchups in your weight that you're not a part of? Atkinson: Not really. I haven't wrestled Schlatter and I wrestled Metcalf like four years ago in Junior FILA Nationals. I don't really have an opinion. I hope to be one of those guys. Not look up to one of those guys, you know. Well best of luck in your final season. Atkinson: Thank you.

Sunday afternoon's dual wrestling meet between No. 1 Minnesota and No. 2 Iowa State will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, network officials announced today. The meet will be held in Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus and will begin at 2 p.m. It was previously scheduled to air via tape delay on Dec. 7. "It doesn't get any bigger than No. 1 vs. No. 2," Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman said, "and we're honored to bring a live telecast of this event to national audience of more than 30 million people." The Cyclones (5-0) were runners-up behind the Golden Gophers (3-0) at last year's NCAA Championships, finishing with 88.5 team points to Minnesota's 98. J Robinson's Gophers also got the better of Iowa State in two regular season dual meets, winning 19-13 in Ames last Dec. 8 and 24-11 at the National Duals in January of 2007. The Gophers are 17-33-2 all-time in meetings with the Cyclones but have won the last three dual meets between the two schools. Both schools are defending champions of their respective conferences (Big Ten and Big 12). Minnesota enters the match with a perfect dual meet record following convincing victories Saturday against Northern Illinois, Northern Colorado and North Dakota State at the Northern Quad in Rochester, Minn. The Gophers have now won 23 consecutive dual meets dating back to Nov. 25 of last year. Tim Johnson, a veteran of over 150 college wrestling dual meet broadcasts for Iowa Public Television (IPTV), the Fighting Illini Wrestling Network, ESPN and Real Pro Wrestling, will be providing play-by-play. Jim Gibbons is a former All-American and national champion wrestler and coach at Iowa State and will be providing color commentary for the telecast. This event marks the first of 10 wrestling meets to air on the Big Ten Network this season. The full schedule will be announced once dates and times are finalized. Stay tuned to bigtennetwork.com and gophersports.com for more information. The Big Ten Network is dedicated to covering the Big Ten Conference and its 11 member institutions and is currently available in Minnesota on Dish Network (channel 439) and DirecTV (channel 220). The BTN is also tentatively scheduled to broadcast the finals of the 2008 Big Ten Championships, to be held in Minneapolis at Williams Arena March 8-9, 2008.

WATERLOO -- Fifteen wrestlers who won national titles while wrestling for the University of Northern Iowa will be the stars of a very special celebration at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum. The event, called the UNI Night of Wrestling Champions, will be held on December 16 following the UNI versus Iowa State wrestling meet at the McLeod Center. The meet is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. with the celebration to follow at 5 p.m. at the museum. All 15 NCAA champions will be recognized at halftime of the dual. "This is a great way to honor the greatest athletic tradition in Northern Iowa history," said Kyle Klingman, associate director of the wrestling museum. "As far as we know, nothing like this has ever been done to honor past UNI wrestling champions. Since the museum is all about history we felt this was a great way to recognize some of the sport's greatest champions. We can't stress enough that this event is open to the public." The event is co-sponsored by the UNI Panther Wrestling Booster Club and DGIWIM. "I am really excited and honored that we are able to have this many champions come back and participate in our champions night," said Ty Kimble, president of the UNI Wrestling Booster Club. "I've had the fortune of seeing all these national champions since 1966 and it's going to be exciting to see the majority of these guys who were national champions for UNI. It should be a fantastic night for fans, wrestlers, and obviously myself." The celebration will recognize athletes who participated at Iowa State Teachers College, State College of Iowa, and the University of Northern Iowa. The school was known as ISTC from 1909 through 1961, was changed to SCI in 1961 and finally to UNI in 1967. In the long history of the school there have been 13 division I national champions who have won 21 titles and 14 division II national champions who have won 22 titles. Twenty-two former NCAA champions are still living and to date 15 have replied that they will attend both the meet and the reunion. "What a unique and great opportunity to get these great champions back all at once," said Northern Iowa head wrestling coach Brad Penrith. "These are the men who shaped and formed our institution and our wrestling program. It's something that's long overdue and with the help of the Dan Gable Wrestling Museum and their staff's continued efforts to preserve the history of wrestling, these great champions will not be forgotten." Gerry Leeman won the national title in 1946 and is the senior member of the group. A longtime coach at Lehigh University, he currently resides in Cedar Falls. "I think what the museum is doing is extremely important," said Leeman. "This is great publicity for the program. I think it's noteworthy that this new facility is being used to honor past champions and to improve local wrestling." The division I national champions who are attending are Leeman, Bill Nelson (titles in 1947, 1948, and 1949), Bill Smith (1949 and 1950), Keith Young (1949, 1950, and 1951), Gene Lybbert (1952), and Jim Harmon (1953). The division II national champions who are attending are Jim Sanford (1963), Don Parker (1966 and 1967), Clint Young (1971), Jim Miller (1974 and 1975), Ken Snyder (1974 and 1975), Randy Omvig (1975), Gary Bentrim (1976, 1977, and 1978), Keith Poolman (1978), and Ken Gallagher (1980). Julie McCready will represent her late husband Mike at the event. Mike McCready was a division II NCAA champion in 1972 who won a total of 15 national titles in freestyle, Greco-Roman, and college. While regular admission to the museum is $5, this event is free and open to the public. The museum gift shop will have several special items on sale for this event, including a poster and commemorative shirt. Anyone wanting more information about the event should contact the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum at (319) 233-0745.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Chris Bono and Chris Jericho. Bono is currently the head wrestling coach the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, a position he has held since last year. His team is currently 3-0 in dual meets and ranked 12th in the nation by Intermat. As a wrestler, Bono was a three-time All-American and an NCAA champion for Iowa State. Bono continues to wrestle internationally, winning three U.S. Open Nationals titles and making World Teams in 2001, 2002, and 2005. Jericho recently made a comeback to professional wrestling and is one of the biggest superstars in the industry. His new book – "A Lions Tale: Around the World in Spandex" – was released on October 25. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. This week's broadcast can be heard live from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, hosts the show. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with questions or comments about the show.

Columbia, Mo. -- Missouri wrestling Head Coach Brian Smith announced today that three student-athletes, Brent Haynes (Oak Park, Mo.), Nick Hucke (Arrowhead, Wis.) and Nathan McCormick (Leawood, Kan.)have signed a National Letter of Intent to compete with the Tiger squad beginning in the fall of 2008. "Our staff is very pleased with the group of wrestlers we've signed," Smith said. "Each athlete brings something different to the mat and I think that these three individuals will work in nicely to our TigerStyle program over the next few years." A two-time Wisconsin state champion and first team all-state honoree, Hucke attends Arrowhead High School, the same high school as Tiger standouts Ben and Maxwell Askren, and enters his senior season with a 121-28 career record. Among Hucke's 121 victories are the 50 consecutive wins he strung together throughout his perfect junior campaign. Hucke earned All-America honors after taking fifth at Nationals in Fargo, N.D. and is expected to wrestle at 141 pounds for the Tigers. Haynes, expected to wrestle at 184 pounds in college, attends Oak Park High School. Ranked second in the nation at 189 pounds by Wrestling USA and fourth by W.I.N. Magazine, Haynes finished first in the state of Missouri his junior season, collecting a second place finish as a sophomore and third place medal as a freshman. Haynes is a 2004 cadet national Greco runner-up, 2005 cadet Greco third-place finisher and fourth place freestyler. In 2006, Haynes' junior season, he earned fifth place honors in Greco competition. As a junior in 2007, Haynes finished sixth in junior Greco and fourth in freestyle while competing in Fargo, N.D. The third McCormick set to wrestle under Smith, Nathan was crowned the 2007 Kansas 6A State Champion at 119 pounds his junior campaign, capturing the Regional title on his way to states. A member of the Blue Valley North wrestling squad, McCormick recorded back-to-back 37-win seasons his sophomore and junior campaigns and was named to the East Kansas League (EKL) and All-Sun country first team as a junior (2007). McCormick received FILA Cadet All-America honors after placing fifth in the Freestyle Competition in Akron, Ohio, April 21, 2007, and is an eight-time Freestyle and Greco Kansas State Champion. "With the talent we currently have in our room are need for a large recruiting class wasn't the focus," Smith said. "Instead, the focus was on bringing in a high quality student-athlete and we feel like we

Lincoln -- Nebraska head coach Mark Manning has announced the signing of five recruits that will join the Husker wrestling squad in the 2008-09 academic year. The five signees, Riley Essay of Alliance, Neb., Jon Burns of Railegh, N.C., Romero Cotton of Hutchinson, Kan., Tyler Koehn of Pittsburg, Kan., and Josh Ihnen of Sheldon, Iowa, will add look to add depth to a talent-filled Nebraska squad, according to recruiting coordinator and assistant coach Tony Ersland. "The important thing is these kids bring the work ethic and attitude that we want in our kids," Ersland said. "We feel all these guys are on the same page and we can hit the ground running. They have talent, but more importantly they have the correct attitude and work ethic." Burns joins the Huskers after a standout career at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, N.C. In his freshman year at Cary High School, Burns finished third at the state tournament, and took home the 140-pound title in the Jim King/Orange Invitational. Burns sat out his sophomore year after transferring, but rebounded with a phenomenal junior campaign. Burns completed a 65-0 season and won the state championship. He capped his year by winning the 140-pound title at the National High School Coaches Association Junior National Wrestling Championships in Virginia Beach, Va. Ranked as the ninth-best junior in the nation last year, Burns will compete at 141 pounds for the Huskers. "He is an accomplished athlete that has a lot of untapped potential," Ersland said. "We see his upside as tremendous. Hopefully he will continue to grow and be a top kid for us." The Huskers again signed one of the top recruits in the state with Essay, who will look to cap his high school career with a fourth consecutive top-five finish at the state tournament this season. Essay earned a fourth-place finish his freshman year at 103 pounds and finished fifth at 112 his sophomore year. Last season saw Essay claim third at 125. Essay is projected to wrestle at 133 for NU. "He is going to fit in well because he is a hard working, dedicated kid," Ersland said. "We know he has a lot of desire and will bring his great work habits to our room." NU adds two more talented athletes with Kansas natives Cotton and Koehn. Wrestling at 152 pounds, Koehn captured a state championship last season for Pittsburg High School. He earned All-American honors last summer in the freestyle division at the USA Wrestling Nationals. Koehn works hard off the mat also, earning a 3.8 GPA at his high school. Koehn will wrestle at 174 for NU. "Koehn is another fundamentally-sound wrestler who knows how to win," Ersland said. Cotton also has his share of state championships. He will attempt to become a four-time state champion this winter, after winning titles in 2004 at 145, in 2006 at 160 and in 2007 at 171. One of the top recruits in the nation at 189 pounds, Cotton's athleticism has transferred to other sports as well. A running back for the three-time defending state champion Hutchinson High School, Cotton rushed for 1,398 yards and 22 touchdowns his junior season. Cotton is expected to wrestle 184 pounds in college. "Kansas as a state has done an excellent job with their kids," Ersland said. "Their organization has provided their kids an opportunity to wrestle at all sorts of levels." Rounding out the early signings is Ihnen. After a runner-up finish at 171 pounds at the state tournament last season, Ihnen competed this summer at the USA Wrestling nationals, where he earned All-America honors in the freestyle division. Ihnen has shown abilities in the classroom also, touting a 3.99 GPA and a 30 ACT score. Ihnen will wrestle at 197 pounds for the Huskers. "He is a smart wrestler who has been around our program a lot," Ersland said. "He has been to our camps and we have seen him wrestle quit a bit. He will fit in well with our philosophy as a team."

Want to relive the excitement of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships held this past March at the Palace of Auburn Hills? Eager to see Cael Sanderson capture his four NCAA titles? Curious to catch Kurt Angle in action as a college heavyweight champ years before his gold medal performance at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics … or his turn as a professional wrestler? Wondering what college wrestling looked like back in the 1950s, 60s, 70s or 80s? Now you can … thanks to a new service, NCAA On Demand, which now sells DVDs of men's and women's NCAA sports championships, including wrestling, via the Web site www.NCAAOnDemand.com. From this website -- which describes itself as "the online store for NCAA championship DVDs" -- college wrestling fans can now purchase DVDs of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship finals as well as a limited number of other events right online. In-stock titles include the NCAA championship finals from 2007 back to 1990 (except for the 1994 and 1997 NCAA finals). According to Matt Winninger, Senior Marketing Manager for Thought Equity Motion, the company that has partnered with the NCAA to make these DVDs available, "The DVD titles are copies of the television broadcasts, without commercials… For titles that are in stock, the discs are shipped within 48 hours, and delivered within 2-8 days." Wrestling fans can see Iowa State legend Cael Sanderson (pictured) win his four collegiate titles by purchasing the 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 NCAA DVDs. Sanderson defeated Lehigh's Jon Trenge to win his fourth title in Albany, N.Y.Thanks to NCAA On Demand, wrestling fans can now own DVDs of some of the most exciting collegiate wrestling championship events of the past two decades. For example, they can see Cael Sanderson win his four collegiate titles by purchasing the 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 NCAA DVDs… or catch Kurt Angle as Clarion's heavyweight with the DVDs of the 1990, 1991 and 1992 NCAA finals. Oklahoma State fans can relive the excitement of the 2005 NCAAs, the year the Cowboys claimed five of the individual titles (and the team championships)… while Minnesota fans can thrill again to their recent team titles with the 2007, 2002 and 2001 NCAA DVDs. Iowa Hawkeye fans can experience the glory days of the Dan Gable era, and see all-time greats like Tom and Terry Brands, Joe Williams and Lincoln McIlravy in action on the mat once more. The user-friendly NCAA On Demand website features a brief description of each of the in-stock items (including names of some of the individual champions), along with a videoclip from that event to provide fans with a "sneak peek" before purchasing. For wrestling fans and historians who want to travel even further back in time, the NCAA On Demand collection also includes selected "old-school" NCAA wrestling championships of the 1980s, 1970s, 1960s and even the 1950s. These older events are sometimes on silent film, and their condition can vary. "We attempt to restore each championship for fans who request them," says Matt Winninger. "When you request an event, we will begin the restoration process and notify you if and when the title becomes available. There is no charge for requesting a title that hasn't been manufactured yet." To see a complete list of NCAA wrestling events available for purchase online, visit www.ncaaondemand.com/search?schools=&year=&sport=wrestling&x=20&y=9 For more information on NCAA On Demand � and to see what other collegiate sports events are available on DVD � visit their home page at www.NCAAOnDemand.com.

Oklahoma State swept four duals Saturday at the Journeyman/Brute Northeast Duals, including a 20-16 victory over No. 12 Hofstra. The Cowboys cruised to victories over Binghamton (47-3), Clarion (38-6), and American (42-0) at the all-day event in Troy, N.Y. The Cowboys opened things up with a lopsided 47-3 win over Binghamton. Oklahoma State recorded four pins, two tech falls and received a forfeit at heavyweight. Ben Ashmore, Coleman Scott, Newly McSpadden and Brandon Mason all recorded falls, while Nathan Morgan and Jared Shelton picked up five team points with tech falls. The Cowboys followed things up with a dominating 38-6 win over Clarion. Scott, McSpadden and Cody Hill picked up falls in the win, and Jared Rosholt earned a 15-0 tech fall. In the marquee match of the duals, the Cowboys overcame losses from their three big guns Scott, Morgan, and Mason, en route to a hard-fought 20-16 victory. The two teams split the 10 weights, but the Cowboys picked up a fall from Jake Dieffenbach at 165-pounds that was the difference in the dual. For the second time in a week the fifth-ranked Charles Griffin upset second-ranked Morgan, this time 7-5. Last Sunday at the NWCA All-Star duals, Griffin recorded a 9-4 decision. Scott may have lost his spot atop the 133-pound weight class, falling to Lou Ruggirello, who replaced him at the All-Star duals and cruised to a 6-0 victory over Mack Reiter. Oklahoma State wrapped things up with a dominating 42-0 sweep of American. The Cowboys picked up falls from Hill, Quinten Fuentes and Clayton Foster.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Claiming wins in its first seven bouts and eight of 10 matches overall, Augsburg College scored a 38-10 victory over Augustana College (S.D.) in a wrestling dual meet on Wednesday night at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall. It was the first dual meet for both teams this season. Augsburg, defending NCAA Division III national champions, is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division III national poll (National Wrestling Coaches Association). Augsburg leads the all-time series with Augustana 8-1, in a series that dates to the 1999-2000 season. Augustana finished ninth at last season's NCAA Division II national championships. Against teams from Divisions II and III, Augsburg is now 219-17 since the 1989-90 season, losing just 12 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season. Augsburg has won 10 Division III national titles in the last 17 seasons. The dual-meet victory was the first for new Augsburg head coach Sam Barber, the eighth head coach in the history of the Auggie wrestling program. Barber, who served as head coach at his alma mater, Upper Iowa University, in the 1999-2000 season, served as an Augsburg assistant coach for six seasons before being named head coach this year. Augsburg scored four bonus-point victories -- a pin, technical fall and two major decisions -- along with a forfeit among its eight bout victories in Wednesday's dual meet. Willy Holst (SO, Prescott, Wis.), ranked No. 3 nationally at 149 pounds, moved up a weight class and scored a 2:33 pin of Augustana's Gavin Nelson (FY, Missouri Valley, Iowa). Holst is now 5-0 on the season. In his first dual meet for the Auggies after transferring from the University of Minnesota, Travis Lang (JR, Bismarck, N.D.) improved to 4-1 on the season with a 16-1, technical-fall victory over Chism Fink (FY, Harrisburg, S.D.) at 133. Lang dominated the match, with three takedowns and three 3-point near-falls, while accumulating 6:06 of riding time. Lucas Murray (FY, Anoka, Minn.) and Jason Adams (SO, Coon Rapids, Minn.) both remained unbeaten at 4-0 with major-decision wins -- Murray with a 14-3 win over Jay Sherer (FY, Columbus, Neb.) at 141 and Adams with a 10-2 triumph over Mike Wubbena (FY, Fairmont, Minn.). Robbie Gotreau (SR, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS), ranked No. 2 nationally at 184, built 3:19 of riding time to score a 4-1 victory over Beau Severtson (SR, Flandreau, S.D.). Tyson Barrett (SO, Excelsior, Minn./Minnetonka HS) opened the match with a 5-1 win over Lance Peters (FY, LeRoy, Minn.) at heavyweight. Matt Curtis (SO, Coon Rapids, Minn.) scored the go-ahead point with an escape with 1:19 remaining and a crucial takedown with three seconds left in the third period to claim a 6-3 win over Kyle Svendsen (FY, Omaha, Neb.) at 165. Augustana's Andrew Sorenson (SR, Garretson, S.D.) improved to 8-3 on the season with a second-period, 3:28 pin of Augsburg's Brandon Klukow (JR, Albert Lea, Minn.) at 174 pounds. In the final match of the evening, Ty Copsey (FY, Glenwood, Iowa) improved to 11-2 on the season with a 9-1, major-decision win over Augsburg's Andy Robinson (SO, Cedar, Minn./St. Francis HS), taking advantage of three takedowns and a 3:09 riding-time advantage. Both teams return to action after the Thanksgiving break on Dec. 1 at 9 a.m. at the Minnesota State Moorhead Dragon Open.

The defending national champion Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling program announced its fall signing class today, a group that includes six of the nation's top recruits. Jake Deitchler, Atticus Disney, Ryland Geiger, Mario Mason, Matt Mincey and Cody Yohn have all signed National Letters of Intent and will wrestle for the Gophers beginning in the fall of 2008. Jake Deitchler, a native of Anoka, Minn. is a two-time Minnesota state champion and is the nation's top recruit in his weight class according to Amateur Wrestling News. The 2007 NHSCA Junior National Champion at 145 pounds, Deitchler represented the United States at the 2007 Junior World Championships in Beijing along with current Gopher Brandon Sitch. Deitchler also was named the Junior Greco-Roman "Wrestler of the Year" for 2007. Currently ranked 10th overall amongst recruits nationwide by RevWrestling, Deitchler is expected to wrestle at 157 pounds for the Golden Gophers. Heavyweight Atticus Disney is another highly-touted recruit that has committed to Minnesota and hails from Topeka, Kan. This two-time state high school champ was a double champion at this year's FILA Cadet Nationals, winning both the Freestyle and Greco-Roman events. Disney was also the runner-up at the '07 NHSCA Junior Nationals and earned Junior National All-American status. He enters his final prep season as a top-five heavyweight recruit nationally according to Amateur Wrestling News. Ryland Geiger is the 2007 Oregon state high school champion hails from Scappoose, Ore. Expected to compete at 197 pounds when he reaches Minnesota next fall, Geiger was a NHSCA Junior National Champion this past year and was also the '07 Junior National Greco-Roman Champion. He was a double champion (Freestyle and Greco-Roman) at the 2006 Cadet Nationals. Geiger is a top-50 national recruit according to Intermat. Mario Mason currently attends renowned Blair Academy in Blair, N.J., home to one of the finest prep wrestling programs in the country. A two-time National Prep Champion, Mason is currently the nation's number one high school wrestler in the RevWrestling power rankings. This 2007 USA Wrestling Junior National Champion was also a NHSCA Junior National Champion this past year and figures to wrestle at 149 pounds when he arrives in Minnesota next season. Matt Mincey is another homegrown Minnesota recruit and attends Apple Valley High School, winners of back-to-back state wrestling championships and 15 overall since 1983. Mincey was a two-time state individual champion at 125 pounds and also took third at the 2007 NHSCA Junior Nationals. Intermat has ranked Mincey as the 34th-best recruit in the nation, and he is expected to compete at 133 pounds for the Gophers. Cody Yohn is the younger sibling of current Gopher freshman Sonny Yohn (184 pounds) and boasts a list of accomplishments that rivals those of his brother. Cody Yohn hails from Alamosa, Col. and is a two-time Colorado state champion, pairing up with his brother to lead the Mean Moose to back-to-back team titles as well. Yohn is a top-15 national recruit (RevWrestling) and ranks first in his weight class (Amateur Wrestling News). He will compete at 174 pounds for Minnesota next year. Yohn also finished second in the freestyle competition at the 2007 Junior National Championships and was a 2006 Cadet Freestyle All-American. "We're very excited about this recruiting class," said Minnesota head coach J Robinson. "We believe this group will help us continue the standard of excellence we've established here at Minnesota, and will allow us to remain one of the nation's top programs for years to come."

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan wrestling head coach Joe McFarland announced Wednesday (Nov. 21) that three student-athletes, Coby Boyd (West Liberty, Ohio/St. Paris Graham HS), Hunter Collins (Gilroy, Calif./Gilroy HS) and Mark Weber (Goodrich, Mich./Goodrich HS), have signed National Letters of Intent during the early signing period to attend and compete in wrestling at the University next fall. "We couldn't be more excited about having these three guys join our program," said McFarland. "We were able to fill a lot of our team's needs with this class, and I think they will all fit into our program quite well. They're good workers, and they fit the aggressive style of wrestling that we're always looking for at Michigan. I know people will be reading about all three of them in the future, because they are the type of guys that can step up at the collegiate level and compete well nationally. They will certainly help ensure a continued tradition of success for Michigan wrestling in the years to come." Boyd enters his senior season ranked as the No. 5 high school 152-pound wrestler in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News. Named the 2007 Greater Miami Valley Wrestler of the Year, Boyd captured the 145-pound title at last season's Ohio state championships and is a three-time placewinner, taking third place as a sophomore and sixth as a freshman. He carries a 125-15 career record into his senior season and already ranks as St. Paris Graham's career pin leader with 88 during his three seasons. In freestyle competition, he captured the 2005 Cadet National title at 58 kg/127.75 pounds. Boyd is projected to compete at 149/157 pounds at Michigan. "Coby really wanted to come to Michigan," said McFarland. "He and his family felt that this was the kind of program that they wanted to be a part of. So, that's exciting. You certainly want those types in your program -- the guys that really want to be here. Coby is a pinner. He's physical, and he really gets after it when he wrestlesHe's one of those guys that will have an opportunity to step into the lineup right away and have immediate success." Heading into his senior season, Collins holds the No. 3 ranking at 189 pounds by Amateur Wrestling News. He captured the 2007 NHSCA Junior National title at 171 pounds and is a three-time California state placewinner, placing third as a junior (2007), second as a sophomore (2006) and eighth as a freshman (2005). Boasting a 124-16 career prep record, Collins twice placed at the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions, winning the 171-pound title at last season's event. He is a two-time national freestyle All-American, claiming fifth place in the junior division (2007) and second in the Cadet division (2006). Collins will likely wrestle at 184 or 197 pounds for Michigan. "I think Hunter might have slid under the radar a little bit," said McFarland, "but he has a big, big upside to him. He had some big wins as a junior. He won the Reno Tournmanet of Champions, beating a top national recruit, Kirk Smith, in the finals. He's got a big tank on him. He wrestles hard and just goes and goes. I like his wrestling. I like him on his feet, but I think he's going to be equally good on top. He's another guys that loves to train and loves to work out, so we're really excited about having him." Weber enters his senior season ranked as the No. 2 high school 130-pound wrestler in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News. He is a three-time Michigan state champion at Goodrich High School, where he boasts a career mark of 163-4 and has re-established the school's single-season standards for wins and falls in each of his three years. In freestyle competition, he was a 130-pound finalist at the 2007 Junior National Championships and a 105-pound finalist at the 2005 Cadet National Championships. He also placed fourth in the 119-pound division at the 2006 FILA Cadet Nationals. Weber is projected to compete at 141 or 149 pounds at Michigan. "Mark has done very well nationally," said McFarland, "and he'll be going for his fourth state title this year. I like his style of wrestling. He's got great fundamentals; he's solid in all three areas and always stays in good position. He's been a runner-up at the Cadet and Junior National tournaments, so I think that speaks volumes about the type of competitor he is. He's a Michigan guy, and he's really excited about becoming a Wolverine." Michigan kicks off its 2007-08 season on Saturday (Nov. 24) at the Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals in Troy, N.Y. Michigan will square off against Bucknell, Maryland, Bloomsburg and Virginia at the dual-meet event.

San Francisco, Calif. -- The Stanford wrestling team picked up its second dual win of the year tonight, earning a 37-10 victory over San Francisco State at The Swamp in San Francisco. Tanner Gardner, Zack Giesen and Jake Johnson paced the squad with pins as eight of the ten Cardinal wrestlers won bouts. The night began at 125 pounds, with Gardner pinning his seventh opponent of the season. Gardner won in 4:40, and gave Stanford a quick 6-0 lead. San Francisco State responded with a pin of its own at 133 pounds, but Matt Kim put the Cardinal back in front with a 9-4 decision over San Francisco State's Randy Aguirre at 141 pounds. Redshirt freshman Lucas Espericueta won his second collegiate dual match, handling the Gators' Josh Nolan by major decision, 14-4, and increasing the Cardinal lead to 13-6. At 157 pounds, senior Josh Zupancic recorded 12 points in the third period, and dominated the Gators' Josh Gonzalez for a 21-5 technical fall. At 165 pounds, sophomore Peter Miller added four more Cardinal points, earning a 16-4 major decision over Zach Sesar of San Francisco State. San Francisco State trimmed the Stanford lead to 22-10 with a major decision at 174 pounds, but Giesen responded with a decisive first period pin to clinch the win for the Cardinal. Giesen put Marcus DeAnda on his back in 2:24 to give Stanford a 28-10 lead. Johnson added an exclamation point to the win, pinning his fourth opponent of the year at 197 pounds. With a 9-0 lead and time expiring in the third period, the sophomore pinned the Gators' Arman Ostadsharif with just one second remaining on the clock (6:59) and gave Stanford a commanding 34-10 lead. Senior Phillip Doerner finished off the night, earning a 7-3 decision over Steve Frankin at heavyweight to cap the 37-10 Cardinal win. Stanford returns to the mats Nov. 30 - Dec. 1 at the Las Vegas Invitational.

The wrestling team improved to 21-1 in dual matches under second-year Head Coach Chris Bono Saturday with a pair of dual-match victories over lower-division teams. The Mocs, ranked as high as No. 12 in the latest NCAA Division I national polls, defeated Newberry College 27-13 and scored a 41-6 victory over Campbellsville. "We did a lot better in the second match," UTC Head Coach Chris Bono said. "I was disappointed in the opening match but was pleased with the effort when we came back against Campbellsville. We can't just come out here and show up and win. I hope that is the lesson we take from today. We certainly can't do that against Missouri (Dec. 16). "I guarantee you that we will make these corrections in our upcoming practices. We will get to take some time off but also have a good few weeks to get ready for Missouri." Newberry, 1-1 and ranked No. 13 in NCAA Division II, notched a 29-7 win over Campbellsville, now 2-2, in the second match of the day. The Tigers entered the duals ranked No. 1 in the NAIA polls. Matt Koz led the way for the Mocs (5-0) with two pins in his two matches at 197 pounds. UTC gave up six points in both matches as eighth-ranked Javier Maldonado had to forfeit his 125-pound matches because of an injury. Koz's pin over Kelly Anundson gave the Mocs a 9-0 lead. A win at heavyweight and the forfeit tied the score. Steve Hromada and Cody Cleveland picked up back-to-back wins at 133 and 141 respectively for a 15-9 lead, and UTC closed out the win in the last three matches. Seth Garvin registered a 12-4 major decision over Christian Johnson at 157, Nick Davis notched a 10-8 overtime win over Alonso Azumendi at 165 and Lloyd Rogers recorded a tech fall at 174 over Bryant Blanton for the 27-13 final. In the victory over Campbellsville, the Mocs used three tech falls, two pins and two major decisions to enter the upcoming exam period on a five-match winning streak. Recording tech falls for UTC in the win over the Tigers were Josh Edmondson at 184, Hromada at 133 and Cleveland at 141. Koz and Joey Knox (149) won by fall, and Davis and Rogers registered major decisions at 165 and 174 respectively. The Mocs are off several weeks for semester exams but return Dec. 16 to host No. 7 Missouri. The dual match at Maclellan Gym begins at 1 p.m.

TROY, NY -- Sophomore Lou Ruggirello led five Pride wrestlers with perfect 3-0 records, including a victory over the top-ranked grappler in the country, as #13 Hofstra captured two of three matches at the Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals at Hudson Valley Community College Saturday. The Pride defeated #25 Bloomsburg, 30-12, and Bucknell, 24-15, around a 20-16 loss to #3 Oklahoma State. Hofstra, which recorded its first dual match victories of the year, is now 2-3 on the young season. Ruggirello, who entered the 14-team Northeast Duals, ranked fourth in the country at 133 pounds, posted two victories by fall, pinning Bloomsburg's Jason Guffey in 1:26, and Bucknell's 14th-ranked David Marble in 2:02, and edged #1 Coleman Scott from Oklahoma State, 3-2. Ruggirello (5-0) could be looking at the number one ranking in the country next week. Hofstra seniors Dave Tomasette (4-1), at 125, Joe Rovelli (4-1), at 197, and junior Alton Lucas (5-0), at 174, joined Ruggirello with 3-0 marks with two major decisions each. Tomasette ranked eighth in the nation recorded majors over Bloomsburg's 12th-ranked Mike Sees, 13-3, and Bucknell's Jose Matos, 11-3. Rovelli posted major decisions over Oklahoma State's Jared Shelton, 15-4, and Bucknell's Sean LoCurto. Lucas, who is undefeated this season and ranked 16th in the nation, defeated OSU's third-ranked Brandon Mason, 5-3 in sudden victory with a takedown just eight seconds into the overtime. Lucas also posted major decisions over Bloomsburg's Nathan Graham, 15-4, and Bucknell's Rob Waltko, 11-2. Griffin, ranked fourth in the nation at 141, also went 3-0 in the Duals and posted a 7-5 decision over Oklahoma State's second-ranked Nathan Morgan, to go with a 15-3 major win over Bloomsburg's George Hickman. Hofstra's sole returning All-American is 4-1 on the season. Hofstra Head Wrestling Coach Tom Shifflet shook up the line-up a bit for the Duals, replacing sophomore transfer Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (0-2) with junior Anthony Tortora at 157 pounds, and freshman Jeff Siciliano (0-2) with classmate Justin Danz at 184. Tortora went 1-2 in the three matches with a 4-3 victory over Bucknell's Ryan Ochalek, as did Danz with a 4-0 win over Bloomsburg's Jesse Hasseman. Freshman Ryan Patrovich (2-3) also went 1-2 in the Duals with a win by fall over Bloomsburg's Rickey Schmelyan in 2:57. The Pride will head to Nevada next weekend for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Friday and Saturday, November 30 and December 1.

The defending national champion Golden Gopher wrestling team completed a three-meet sweep Saturday, beating Northern Illinois, Northern Colorado and North Dakota State at the first-ever Northern Quad event at the UCR Regional Sports Center in Rochester, Minn. Minnesota outscored its opponents 109-21 and lost just four matches all day. They will enter next Sunday's Williams Arena showdown with Iowa State a perfect 3-0 in dual meet competition. Jayson Ness, Manuel Rivera, C.P. Schlatter, Dustin Schlatter and Gabe Dretsch all went a perfect 3-0 on the day, while Mack Reiter, Scott Glasser and Justin Bronson each won both of their matches. Tyler Safratowich, Brandon Sitch and Ben Berhow also earned single victories on the day. An estimated crowd of well over 1,500 people traveled to the Rochester Community Technical College campus to watch the all-day event. In the 10 a.m. opener against the Huskies of Northern Illinois, the Gophers won the first seven matches before eventually prevailing by a score of 35-12. Third-ranked Ness started things off with a pin of T.J. Wunnicke (4:43) in the 125 pound match, while Mack Reiter (currently ranked second at 133 pounds) followed that with a well-earned 4-3 decision over 10th-ranked Pat Castillo. It was Reiter's first non-exhibition match of the season – he also participated in last Monday's NWCA All-Star Classic. Rivera and the Schlatter brothers won the next three matches, with Dustin picking up a tech fall (16-1) and C.P. his first pin of the season (in 2:42 over Michael Smith). Scott Glasser then won his collegiate dual meet debut, a 4-2 decision over Bryan Deutsch. Sixth-ranked Gabe Dretsch won a hard-fought 3-2 match with No. 12 Duke Burk in a battle of ranked opponents at 174 pounds. After forfeiting the 184 pound match to Roger Kish, the Huskies picked up two straight pins to end the match – one over 197 pound former junior college national champ Yura Malamura and another over heavyweight Joe Nord. It was Minnesota's first loss at heavyweight in over two years – two-time national champion Cole Konrad (who ended his career on a 76-match winning streak) graduated last spring. The second meet of the day for Minnesota came against Northern Colorado and got underway at 12 p.m., with the Gophers pulling out a 29-9 win. Minnesota improved to 5-0 all-time against the Bears with the win, as the Gophers won eight of ten weight classes. Ness got things started once again with an 8-3 decision to remain perfect on the season. Redshirt freshman Jake Mellmer received his first dual meet start at 133 pounds in relief of Mack Reiter but lost a hard-fought 4-2 match to Blayze Bahe. After Rivera (10-4 win), and the Schlatters (major decisions of 14-3 and 14-2 for Dustin and C.P., respectively) earned victories, 2006-07 NCAA qualifier Tyler Safratowich was able to defeat Devan Lewis by a score of 8-5. Redshirt freshman Brandon Sitch got the call at 174 pounds in place of Gabe Dretsch and responded with an impressive 7-2 win over Ryan Johnson. Roger Kish utterly dominated Vince Mendez before pinning him at the 5:29 mark, setting the stage for senior Justin Bronson. Bronson, contending for a starting spot at 197 pounds, delivered with an 8-1 decision over Patrick Carey. Nord was pinned for the second time on the day to round out the meet, this one coming at the hands of No. 17 Reece Hopkins. The third and final match of the day was between the Gophers and Bison, with Minnesota romping to a 45-0 win. The Gophers are now 14-1 all-time vs. NDSU, including two consecutive shutouts (the last one coming in 2000). Ness began the meet with his eighth fall in nine matches so far this year, making quick work (2:03) of Andy Hackenmueller. Reiter was next with a 14-4 major decision at 133 pounds, and Rivera improved to 10-0 on the season with an 8-3 win over Gabe Mooney. Dustin Schlatter rounded out a day in which he outscored his opponents a whopping 49-6 by tech falling Andrey Patselov 18-3. C.P. Schlatter sent the crowd into a frenzy when he earned his second pin of the afternoon, this one coming in 4:47 over Adam Aho. Schlatter entered the day with just five pins in three previous seasons but picked up two at the Northern Quad. Glasser, Dretsch (now 9-1 this season) and Kish followed with major decision victories before Bronson took to the mat once more at 197 pounds. The senior established himself even further by defeating 2006-07 NCAA qualifier Jake Bryce 4-0. Haywood, Minn. native Ben Berhow completed the sweep at heavyweight by pinning NDSU's Justin LaGosh in 3:55. It was the redshirt freshman's first-ever collegiate dual meet appearance. The Gophers have now won 23 consecutive dual meets, dating back to Nov. 25 of last season. They are still ranked first in every national wrestling poll. Minnesota will now prepare for their Dec. 2 meet with Iowa State, which will get underway at 2 p.m. in Williams Arena a week from Sunday. The Cyclones were the runners-up at last season's NCAA Championships and have already won five dual meets this season (5-0). The meet will be televised either live or via tape delay by the Big Ten Network. Stay tuned to gophersports.com for more updates.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University wrestling team went 5-0 in dual matches on Saturday at the 2007 Hoosier Duals, picking up wins over Duke, Liberty, Ohio, Oregon and the University of the Cumberlands. The Cream and Crimson improved to 6-0 on the season. Six different Hoosiers also won all five matches individually while two others combined for a 5-0 mark at the 149-pound weight class. Overall, Indiana went 42-8 during the Hoosier Duals, outscoring the opposition by a total score of 187-30. No team reached double-digits against the Hoosiers. Head Coach Duane Goldman's team tallied numerous bonus points with 12 pins, five tech falls and six major decisions in total. Matt Coughlin (165-lb.), ranked fourth in the country, continued his flawless start to the '07-08 campaign by winning five matches on Saturday and improving his season mark to 11-0. He was not flashy, but effective in his victories, earning five decisions. Kurt Kinser made the most out of his three opportunities in the 149-pound weight class by pinning all three opponents and earning IU the maximum of 18 points. Trevor Perry increased his team-high pin total to six, sticking three adversaries Saturday en route to a 5-0 day. No. 2 Angel Escobedo picked up bonus points in all five of his victories, recording two pins, a tech fall, a major decision and a forfeit. His cousin, Andrae Hernandez, did his part in compiling bonus points as well in the process of notching his five wins. Hernandez had a pair of tech falls and a major decisions. Two-time All-American Brandon Becker (No. 9) was yet another Hoosier to post an unblemished 5-0 mark, and one of those wins came against nationally-ranked Jacob Frerichs (No. 19) from Ohio in the form of a 3-0 decision in his final bout of the competition. True freshman Joe Fagiano impressed the Hoosier faithful in his first home event, seizing the "W" in all five of his matches. Nick Walpole rounded out the pool of Hoosiers that went undefeated, picking up victories in both of his contests. No. 8 Marc Bennett won in a variety of ways, grabbing a pin, a tech fall, a major decision and a 9-3 decision in his four wins. Fagiano was not the only true freshman in action Saturday as Alex Warren was responsible for seven points, winning two of his three bouts. Justin Kuhn recorded a win as well, capping off the Hoosiers' 50-0 shutout victory over the University of the Cumberlands with a pin in the heavyweight match.

LAKEWOOD, OH -- The University of Iowa wrestling team opened the 2007-08 dual season with four wins at the St. Edward duals in Lakewood, OH, Saturday. The Hawkeyes beat Findlay (40-3), Iowa Central (50-0), Old Dominion (28-13) and North Carolina State (37-9) to start the season at 4-0. Five Hawkeyes went undefeated on the day. Sophomores Joe Slaton (133) and Jay Borschel (174/184) each recorded two technical falls, one pins and one major decision, while senior Matt Fields (Hwt.) and junior Charlie Falck (125) each scored one pin, one technical fall, one major decision and one decision. Sophomore Phillip Keddy (184/197) scored four decisions at the event. Iowa's next competition will be Dec. 2 at the UNI Open. Wrestling is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, IA.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Old Dominion wrestling team went 2-1 with wins against nationally ranked D-II Findlay University and the top JuCo in the nation, Iowa Central, on Saturday at the St. Edward Duals in Ohio. The team dropped the dual decision to No. 3 Iowa University, but redshirt sophomore Chris Brown notched one of the most impressive victories in Monarch wrestling history. He was ahead 13-1 over three-time All-American, defending national champion and current number one ranked 165-pounder Mark Perry of Iowa before winning the bout by disqualification in the final seconds. "This was by far the biggest individual victory in the history of the program," said head coach Steve Martin. "Brown beat a guy who's defending a national championship, ranked number one by everyone and a three-time All-American." Brown would win the bout by disqualification, after storming ahead of Perry 13-1 in the third period. Perry was disqualified during a blood timeout for flagrant misconduct, giving Brown the win he had all but locked up anyway with the 12-point lead in the final seconds. Brown's ranked teammates David Mendoza and Ryan Williams both tallied wins in the Iowa dual for a final score of 13-28. Mendoza dropped Rick Loera by an 8-0 shutout major decision at 197 lbs. and Williams dropped Dan LeClere in a 6-2 decision at 141 lbs. James Nicholson took a two-point loss at the hands of one of the best 125-pounders in the nation and Jesse Strawn was ahead in a one-point match until the final seconds when 17th ranked Phillip Keddy scored a takedown. "This match could have easily been a 5-5 split," said Martin. "The kids represented themselves well and earned the respect of the gym with the way they wrestled." ODU started the day with a 34-5 victory over the University of Findlay. Findlay is one of the top-ranked teams in Division II, but the Monarchs were too strong, winning eight of the ten bouts. It was the same story against Iowa Central, one of the top schools in the NJCAA, as ODU toppled the team 42-3.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The University of Oklahoma came out on top in eight of ten weight classes at the 37th Oklahoma Open held at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman. Sophomore Kyle Terry was the first of eight straight Sooners to claim titles with a defeat of Luke Ashmore of Oklahoma State at 141 pounds. Seth Vernon continued the Sooner success with a win over Willy Pendleton of Labette to take first at 149 pounds. Chad Terry won over teammate Shane Vernon and Max Dean over Kyle Griffin of Oklahoma State to claim the 157 and 165-pound titles, respectively. Jeff James defeated teammate Chris DeVilbiss at 174 pounds to take the title and Joshua Weitzel won the 184-pound bout over Jack Jensen of OSU. There were co-champions at 197 pounds between Sooners Joel Flaggert and Eric Lapotsky, and Nathan Fernandez topped teammate Luis Hernandez in the heavyweight division. Oklahoma also placed three out of the top four in the 125-pound class. Freshman Joey Fio placed second for the Sooners, followed by Greg Cannon and John Starzky. Oklahoma State's Jamal Parks, who claimed the 133-pound title, was named the Open's Most Outstanding Wrestler. The Sooners will begin the Big 12 conference slate next Sunday, Dec. 2, at 2 p.m. versus in-state rival Oklahoma State. Junior high and high school results at the Oklahoma Open are listed on SoonerSports.com.

TROY, N.Y -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team kicked off its 2007-08 campaign with a 3-1 performance at the fifth annual Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals Saturday (Nov. 24) at Hudson Valley Community College. The Wolverines defeated Bucknell (33-6), Bloomsburg (27-12) and Virginia (25-10), while U-M narrowly fell to Maryland (16-18) in its second contest of the day. Four U-M wrestlers, freshman Kellen Russell (High Brdige, N.J./Blair Academy), fifth-year senior Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS), fifth-year senior Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) and senior/junior Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS), registered flawless 4-0 individual records to lead the Wolverines at the Northeast Duals. Churella and Tannenbaum each recorded major decisions in three appearances, while Luke tallied a major decision and a first-period pin. Fifth-year senior Jeff Marsh (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) and sophomore/freshman Anthony Biondo (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley HS) were also impressive in the Wolverines' first competition of the season with near-perfect 3-1 records. Marsh outscored his opposition 19-5 with two shutout performances, while Biondo -- in the first varsity event of his collegiate career -- registered a pair of falls. The Wolverines opened the competition with a dominant victory against Bucknell in the morning session. U-M won nine consecutive matches, including four with bonus points, and Michigan appeared on track to claim a shutout victory until it gave up a pin in the final match. Sophomore Chris Diehl (Burton, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS), Russell and Biondo each secured the first dual-meet victory of their collegiate careers to highlight the Wolverine performance. Diehl earned an upset decision against the Bisons' 16th-ranked David Marable at 133 pounds, rallying from an early deficit to score a takedown in each of the final two periods and claim the 6-3 final advantage. Russell cruised to a 6-2 decision over Bucknell's Eric Harris in the subsequent match at 141 pounds, scoring a pair of first-period takedowns and building 2:54 in riding time advantage in Russell's varsity debut. After five more victories at the middleweights, including major decisions from Churella, Tannenbaum and Luke, Biondo capped the Wolverines' team scoring with a first-period fall against Sean Locurto at 197 pounds. The U-M freshman took the Bison wrestler to his back midway through the frame and earned an immediate pin, ending the bout at the 1:59 mark. Maryland started strong and ended strong in the second-round contest to deal U-M its first loss of the season. Each squad earned five wins, but a Terrapin pin at 197 pounds and a subsequent decision at heavyweight made the difference as Maryland completed the late comeback and upset victory. After the Terps took the early advantage with back-to-back wins at 125 and 133 pounds, Michigan won five straight matches to steal away the lead, including a 9-5 decision at 174 pounds by Steve Luke, who claimed the day's marquee match over the Terps' seventh-ranked Mike Letts at 174 pounds. The Wolverine junior registered three takedowns in the opening frame and despite being taken down himself in the third, added 1:12 in riding time to earn the decisive victory. The momentum shifted one match later at 184 pounds when Josh Haines pulled off a 4-1 upset against third-ranked senior/junior Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) to key the Maryland comeback. After a scoreless first, Haines rode out the Wolverine wrestler in the second frame and used a scramble in the third to secure the winning takedown. The Terps' 11th-ranked Hudson Taylor pinned Biondo at 2:41 to bring an end a wild first period at 197 pounds and pull the dual score within just one point, and heavyweight Pat Gilmore iced his team's upset victory with a 17-11 decision over sophomore/freshman Matt Guhn (Clyde, Ohio/Clyde HS) in the final bout. The heavyweight pair combined for eight takedowns and traded the lead throughout the first and second periods until Gilmore used a takedown in waning moments of the middle frame to put Guhn in a near-fall situation and take the lead for good. The Wolverines cruised past Bloomsburg and Virginia in their latter two meets of the day, winning seven of 10 bouts in each competition to wrap up the season-opening event with a 3-1 record. Russell, Churella, Tannenbaum and Luke tallied bonus points to lead the Wolverines over Bloomsburg. With the score tied at three points a piece, Russell and Churella recorded back-to-back major decisions at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively, to put Michigan ahead for good in the dual. Russell recorded five takedowns, two reversals and a two-point near fall to win 22-9 over George Hickman, while Churella rolled past Darren Kern 10-2 with four takedowns and 4:43 in riding time. Tannenbaum added another major decision at 165 pounds, using an equal number of takedowns and three-point near falls to beat Ryan Schmelyun 12-2, while Luke pinned Brian Shaw at the 1:30 mark to net his first fall of the season. After sacrificing the opening two matches against Virginia, the Wolverines recorded five straight wins at the middleweights and claimed seven of the final eight -- including two with bonus points -- to run away with the team victory. Russell started the rally and perfected his season record to 6-0 with a narrow tiebreaker win over Kellon Balum at 141 pounds. With the score still deadlocked at 2-2 after eight minutes of wrestling, Russell earned his escape in the first set of tiebreakers and rode out Balum to end the match. Churella added bonus points in the next match, scoring five takedowns to defeat Eugene Riley 13-4. Biondo also earned big points for the Wolverines with a second-period fall against Brent Jones for his second pin of the afternoon. The U-M wrestler trailed the bout midway through the middle frame after giving up a pair of takedowns, but rallied back and used a takedown of his own to gain the advantage position, throw a leg in and roll Jones up with a spladle, ending the bout at 4:14. Sophomore/freshman Eddie Phillips (Woodland, Mich./Lakewood HS) capped the dual meet with another Wolverine win at heavyweight with a 4-0 decision against Virginia's Calvin Cardillo. Phillips, who was weighed in at 197 pounds, earned a first-period takedown and rode out the Cavalier wrestler in the second to claim his first varsity win. The Wolverines will continue early-season action next week at the 26th annual Cliff Keen Invitational Friday and Saturday (Nov. 30-Dec. 1) in Las Vegas, Nev. Competition is slated to begin with pigtail rounds on Friday at 9 a.m. PST in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The 2007 Journeymen/Brute Northeast Collegiate Duals, which takes place in Troy, New York on Nov. 24, is without question the premier early-season collegiate wrestling event in the country. This year, the five-year-old event organized by Journeymen Wrestling founder and coach Frank Popolizio has expanded its field of teams from eight to 14. The expansion has forced the event to move from Guilderland High School to the McDonough Sports Complex, a state-of-the-art facility located on the campus of Hudson Valley Community College. The school is nestled in the heart of the Capital Region, where there is not a single collegiate wrestling program within a 65-mile radius. This year's field includes five programs that finished in the top 20 at the 2007 NCAA Championships in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Those programs are Oklahoma State (fifth), Michigan (sixth), Hofstra (seventh), Central Michigan (15th), and American (17th). The remaining programs that make up this year's field include American International, Appalachian State, Binghamton, Bloomsburg, Bucknell, Clarion, Lehigh, Maryland, and Virginia. RevWrestling.com has provided a wrestling fan's guide to this year's event by looking at 20 premier wrestlers, five impact freshmen, and five Journeymen Club wrestlers at this year's event. Collegiate Stars (20 Premier Wrestlers): 1. Josh Glenn (American, 197 Pounds, Senior) Glenn became American's first NCAA champion in any sport in 40 years and the wrestling program's first-ever NCAA champion. *Glenn could possibly miss the 2007 Journeymen/BRUTE Northeast Collegiate Duals since he is still recovering from the knee injury he suffered in the 2007 NCAA finals. 2. Josh Churella (Michigan, 149 Pounds, Senior) Churella was an NCAA runner-up and comes from outstanding wrestling family. His father, Mark, was a three-time NCAA champion and his brother, Ryan, was an NCAA runner-up. 3. Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State, 133 Pounds, Senior) Scott, an NCAA runner-up and three-time All-American, enters the season as the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the country at 133 pounds. 4. Eric Tannenbaum (Michigan, 165 Pounds, Senior) In addition to excelling on the mat (three-time All-American), Tannenbaum, a neuroscience major, also excels in the classroom. 5. Charles Griffin (Hofstra, 141 Pounds, Senior) Griffin was the No. 11 seed at the NCAA Championships, but registered wins over the No. 10, No. 6, and No. 3 seeds en route to a third-place NCAA finish. 6. Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State, 141 Pounds, Senior) Morgan, a three-time Big 12 champion and a two-time All-American, is one of the most technically sound wrestlers in the entire country. 7. Tyrel Todd (Michigan, 184 Pounds, Junior) Todd is a returning All-American (fifth place) who notched a victory last spring at U.S. Nationals over NCAA champion Jake Herbert of Northwestern in freestyle. 8. Bubba Gritter (Central Michigan, 285 Pounds, Senior) Gritter became Central Michigan's second All-American heavyweight ever with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. 9. Brandon Mason (Oklahoma State, 174 Pounds, Junior) Mason, a three-time Iowa state champion with a 195-2 record, reached the NCAA semifinals and earned All-American honors after entering the NCAA Championships unseeded. 10. Steve Luke (Michigan, 174 Pounds, Junior) Luke showed resilience at the NCAA Championships coming back from a first-round defeat (to Brandon Mason of Oklahoma State) to place sixth and earn All-American honors. 11. Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra, 133 Pounds, Sophomore) Ruggirello, who posted a 31-9 record and was CAA Rookie of the Year, pinned All-American Tyler McCormick of Missouri on Nov. 10. 12. Wynn Michalak (Central Michigan, 197 Pounds, Senior) Michalak is a two-time All-American and three-time MAC champion. He was recently named the recipient of the first Dick Enberg Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. 13. Brandon Sinnott (Central Michigan, 174 Pounds, Senior) Sinnott, an All-American (seventh place) posted a 35-7 record, which tied for the 11th-most wins in a single season at Central Michigan. 14. Scott Ervin (Appalachian State, 149 Pounds, Senior) Ervin was a SoCon champion who posted a record of 27-5. He eliminated No. 2-seeded Matt Storniolo of Oklahoma at the NCAA Championships, but came one match shy of earning All-American honors. 15. Joe Rovelli (Hofstra, 197 Pounds, Senior) Rovelli, a three-time CAA champion at 184 pounds, moves up to 197 pounds for his senior campaign. He notched a win over the highly-regarded Max Askren of Missouri on Nov. 10. 16. Dave Tomasette (Hofstra, 125 Pounds, Senior) Tomasette is a three-time NCAA qualifier and two-time CAA champion. 17. Mike Letts (Maryland, 174 Pounds, Sophomore) Letts posted a 30-7 record and became the first true freshman at Maryland to qualify for the NCAA Championships since 1990. 18. Hudson Taylor (Maryland, 197 Pounds, Sophomore) Taylor, a former Blair Academy standout, finished his freshman season with a 29-9 record. 19. Christian Sinnott (Central Michigan, 184 Pounds, Senior) Sinnott, a MAC champion, lost in the NCAA quarterfinals to NCAA champion Jake Herbert of Northwestern. 20. Mike Spaid (Bloomsburg, 285 Pounds, Senior) Spaid earned All-American honors with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Super Frosh (Five Impact Freshmen): 1. Ryan Patrovich (Hofstra, 165 Pounds) Patrovich is a two-time New York state champion and the younger brother of former Hofstra two-time All-American Mike Patrovich. 2. Ben Ashmore (Oklahoma State, 125 Pounds) Ashmore, a four-time Texas state champion and four-time national prep champion, reached the finals of the Central Missouri Open on Nov. 11, where he lost 4-0 to All-American Tanner Gardner of Stanford. 3. Matt Guhn (Michigan, 285 Pounds) Expectations are high in Ann Arbor for Guhn, an Ohio state champion with a record of 175-15. 4. Michael Chaires (Virginia, 165 Pounds) Chaires started his collegiate career with three straight pins. 5. Erin Medina (Maryland, 149 Pounds) Medina, a former Blair Academy standout, was a three-time national prep champion and Cadet Nationals champion. Local Ties (Five Journeymen Wrestlers): * Journeymen founder and coach Frank Popolizio comments on his former wrestlers. 1. Dennis Bermudez (Bloomsburg, 157 Pounds, Sophomore) Bermudez finished sixth at the EWL Championships. He also scored a victory last season over Lock Haven's Seth Martin, which earned him both PSAC and EWL Wrestler of the Week honors. Popolizio on Bermudez: "Dennis used to drive over an hour and a half to our Journeymen practices. He's from Saugerties, New York, which isn't in Section 2 (Albany Area), so he was ultra-committed to reach excellence. He fell short of his high school goals, but found a good fit in Bloomsburg. They've been working hard with him and he's been working hard for them. He's doing very well. I think he's an All American in the making." 2. Michael Chaires (Virginia, 165 Pounds, Freshman) Chaires, who won two New York state titles and posted a record of 221-19, is a phenomenal athlete with an extremely bright future. Popolizio on Chaires: "Mike's potential is deep. He is a tremendous athlete. He is a two-time New York state champion. His athleticism is accentuated by his speed and slickness. I am excited to see him wrestle at home. I can't help but to believe he'll be a tremendous collegiate wrestler under Coach (Steve) Garland's tutelage." 3. Nate Graham (Bloomsburg, 174 Pounds, Freshman) Graham compiled a 148-30 record at Ravena High School and was a 2007 New York state champion in Division II at 171 pounds. Popolizio on Graham: "Last year at the New York State Championships, Nate realized exactly how good he was. He's always had solid work ethic, but when he found the next level of confidence, it catapulted him to the top. I'm sure that confidence will come through loud and clear in his freshman year. Graham can and will scrap with the best of them." 4. Neal Martin (Appalachian State, 174 Pounds, Senior) Martin, who hails from Cobleskill, New York, was an NCAA qualifier and compiled a 28-14 record. Popolizio on Martin: "Neal used to work with me back at TNT Wrestling Club. As I left to begin Journeymen Wrestling Club, Neal moved onto Appalachian State. He was a tenacious leg rider and top wrestler. He was one of the first guys to buy into our club idea or philosophy. It is only fitting he's being showcased in his hometown during his senior year." 5. Kareem Naguib (Binghamton, 141 Pounds, Redshirt) Naguib, who was a state runner-up for Shenendehowa High School, posted a record of 8-8 last season. He is redshirting this season. Popolizio on Naguib: "Kareem moved into New York State from Michigan in his senior year of high school. Although we inherited Kareem late in his high school career, I had the luxury of working with him on our high school team and at Journeymen Wrestling. He's another prime example of a kid that spontaneously came to life with confidence and believed he belonged at the upper level. He awoke at the New York State Championships and was an absolute dark horse. In the end, Kareem surprised a lot of people, earning a runner up-title. Now he's with my brother, Pat, at Binghamton and he's steadily growing and developing."

The 26th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center (Hall N-2) on November 30 & December 1, 2007 and Takedown Wrestling Radio will be there. Takedown Wrestling Radio and its crew head to Las Vegas for its 5th year of coverage of The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. This monster event will be hosted by Scott Casber, Steve Foster, Guest hosts Randy Couture, Matt Lindland, Gray Maynard and many others. Join us November 30 & December 1, 2007 for complete coverage LIVE from the Las Vegas Convention Center (Hall N-2). A big thank you to the Churella Family for the hard work they put in to making this event possible for our wrestlers. They have truly earned the praise.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's wrestling team has signed what is arguably its best class in school history. Coach Tim Cysewski and the Wildcats inked three incoming freshmen, including Jason Welch (Walnut Creek, Calif./Las Lomas), the number one prospect in the nation, Brian Roddy (Highland Heights, Ohio/St. Edward), the top-ranked prep wrestler nationally at 171 lbs. and Eric Galka (Hobart, Ind./Hobart), nationally the third-ranked wrestler at 130 lbs. "This recruiting class is a testament to our current team," assistant coach Drew Pariano said. "We obviously work very hard on the recruiting end but our recent success has a big role in this incoming class." Welch, the nation's top 160-lb. wrestler by W.I.N. Wrestling Magazine, Intermat Wrestling and Amateur Wrestling News, was named to the first-team of ASICS High School All-American Wrestling Team this season. He also voted honorable mention his sophomore year to the same team at 152 lbs. Following a junior campaign that netted a record of 50-0, Sports Focus honored him as being a top prep athlete of the Bay Area. "Jason Welch is not only a great wrestler, he is a leader and a true student-athlete," Pariano said. "His talents really showed when he competed at the senior level as a junior during the U.S. Open and made it through to the top 16 despite wrestling against older competition." In 2006, Welch earned a plethora of recognition as he finished first in the state at 160 lbs., first at the Ironman, first in Reno and was voted Most Outstanding Wrestler on five separate occasions. During his sophomore year, Welch compiled a record of 52-2 as he won the state title at 152 lbs., earned the top stop at the Junior Freestyle state tournament, first place at Junior FILA state titles, first in his high school section at NCS, third at the Ironman competition and first in Reno for the first of two-straight times. He was also name Most Outstanding Wrestler four times. "Welch is an outstanding wrestler and his accomplishments speak for themselves," head coach Tim Cysewski said. Roddy joins the team as the fifth member of the team recently recruited from St. Edward High School, and joins the corps as yet another highly-touted recruit as the top-ranked wrestler in the state of Ohio. As last year's 171-lb. state champion, Roddy accumulated a record of 38-1 along the way to earning Academic All-Ohio honors, a third-place finish at the Ironman, a Medina tournament championship and was a member of the Ohio Division I State Championship team and the 2007 High School National Championship team. During his freshman and sophomore campaigns, Roddy had a record of 58-16, while earning two Academic All-State selections, a sectional and district championship his junior year and a place among the Junior National Freestyle All-Americans and the Cadet Freestyle All-American teams. The third member of the 2007 recruiting class, Galka has already experienced two undefeated high school seasons with two state championships to his credit. As both a freshman and junior, Galka finished the season with perfect records of 47-0 and 48-0, respectively. Both seasons ended with state championships. "Eric Galka is a seasoned veteran at the age of 18," Pariano said. "He trained at the Overtime School of Wrestling during his prep career and that shows us that he is committed to our sport." His outstanding freshman season also earned him a junior freestyle state championship, Cadet Freestyle state championship and the Central Regional championship in freestyle. A year later, Galka was named Cadet National All-American at 130 lbs. and followed that up the next year with, a selection among the Junior National All-Americans at 130 and was ranked the No. 2 recruit in the state of Indiana by Intermat Wrestling. "This class has the makings to be one of the best classes in the country. The talent level of this recruiting class is through the roof," Cysewski said. Jason Welch High School: Through junior year has compiled a career record of 147-7... Ranked the No. 1 recruit in the nation... Voted all three years as one of the top five high school male athletes in the East Bay, finished second his junior year... Twice wrestled to a state title in 2006-07, second place in 2005... Ironman title, Reno title his junior year... Named Most Outstanding Wrestler in five different tournaments... First-team ASICS High School All American Wrestling Team in 2007, honorable mention in 2006... Sports Focus top prep athlete of the Bay Area in 2007... First place in state in junior freestyle... Four Most Outstanding Wrestler titles sophomore year, five in 2005...Captain of first-ever undefeated football team, all-league ... Voted Outstanding Defensive Lineman of the Year... All-league and NCS Champion in soccer. Personal: Son of Barb and John Welch... Chose Northwestern over University of Michigan, Iowa State, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Cal Poly and Arizona State. Brian Roddy, Jr. High School: 96-17 career high school record through junior season... Ranked No. 1 in the preseason at 171 lbs. going into 2007... 38-1 record as a junior... Won state title and Medina Tournament... Academic All-Ohio in 2005-06... Third place at the Ironman... Member of 2007 High School National Championship team... Second in state, Ironman as a sophomore at 171 lbs... Member of Ohio Division I Championships team from 2005-06... Junior National Freestyle All-American... Sixth in state as a freshman... National Honor Society member... Lettered twice in football. Personal: Born Brian Robert Roddy Jr. on 7/7/89. Son of Monica and Brian Roddy, Sr... Chose Northwestern over Ohio State, Michigan, Stanford, and Oklahoma State Eric Galka High School: Third-ranked wrestler in the country coming into senior year at 130 lbs... 116-5 career record through junior year... Two undefeated seasons... 48-0 as a junior, won state title... Junior National All-American... State qualifier as a sophomore... Cadet National All-American... Cadet and Junior Regional place winner... 47-0 as a freshman... Won state title at 103 lbs... Junior Freestyle, Cadet Freestyle state champion... Central Region Freestyle champion... National Honor Society member... Two-time National Youth Champion. Personal: Son of Maria and Mark Galka, Choose Northwestern over Cornell University, Indiana, Columbia, and Purdue.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Mike Finn and Ryan Hockensmith. Finn is currently the editor of Wrestling Illustrated Newsmagazine, a position he has held for over four years. Considered one the nation's top wrestling journalists, Finn was named the National Wrestling Media Association's Print Journalist of the Year earlier this year. He also co-authored the book "Hawkeye Legends, Lists and Lore." Finn, who will appear on a bi-weekly basis throughout the college wrestling season, will discuss several of the tournaments and dual meets that have taken place thus far. Hockensmith is currently an associate editor at ESPN The Magazine. He writes regularly on wrestling, boxing, and mixed martial arts for ESPN.com and for ESPN The Magazine. His recent article in Real Fighter magazine examines how the mixed martial arts world is affecting amateur wrestling in the United States. The article features comments from Cael Sanderson, Troy Sunderland, Kevin Jackson, Rich Bender, and Randy Couture. It also discusses Johny Hendricks' decision enter MMA competitions instead of pursuing World and Olympic teams. "On the Mat" is a weekly wrestling radio program that airs every Wednesday night. This week's broadcast can be heard live from 6-7 p.m. Central Standard Time. The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, hosts the show. "On the Mat" can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa on 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with questions or comments about the show.

Before 4,380 wrestling fans at the University of Oregon's MacArthur Court Monday night, Minnesota Golden Gopher All-Americans Jayson Ness, Mack Reiter, Dustin Schlatter and Roger Kish competed in the 42nd annual NWCA All-Star Classic, one of the nation's premier wrestling events. Despite a number of hard-fought matches, only Schlatter was able to emerge with a victory – his second straight All-Star Classic win came over NCAA runner-up Josh Churella of Michigan by a score of 3-2. After beating Oklahoma's Matt Storniolo in last year's event, Schlatter notched his third career victory over Churella Monday by scoring the only takedown of the match in the first period and holding on for the win. Schlatter now owns a 3-0 career record against Churella, with the other two victories coming last season. Schlatter also defeated Churella 3-2 for the 2007 Big Ten Championship. Currently ranked fourth in the nation at 125 pounds, Ness competed in his first All-Star event and took on returning NCAA champion Paul Donahoe of Nebraska. Despite defeating Donahue twice last season, the sophomore was done in by two third-period takedowns and lost a 5-2 decision. Reiter also entered the event ranked highly in his weight class (second at 133 pounds), but was toppled in a masterful performance by Lou Ruggirello of Hofstra. Ruggirello picked up a 6-0 victory over the two-time All-American in the first-ever match-up between the two wrestlers. Reiter was competing in his second All-Star Classic, earning his third invitation to the event (he did not participate last season due to injury). In an epic battle at 184 pounds, returning two-time All-American Kish was taken down by Iowa State's Josh Varner in a match between two familiar opponents. Varner scored a second period escape and rode out Kish in the third period for a riding time point. It was the only matchup of the night involving wrestlers from the first and second-ranked teams in the nation, and Varner and Kish are also currently the top two in the weight class. It was Varner's second straight victory over the Minnesota senior (including last year's NCAA Championships) after Kish had defeated Varner twice earlier last season. The two are scheduled to face off again Dec. 2 when the Gophers take on the Cyclones in their home opener at Williams Arena. A full broadcast of the All-Star Classic can be seen on CSTV Wednesday night, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The All-Star Classic was held in Oregon to support the University's soon-to-be-defunct wrestling program, which was cut this summer. Their early-season tournament slate now completed, Minnesota opens dual meet competition this Saturday, Nov. 24 in Rochester, Minn. at the first-ever Northern Quad invitational. Minnesota will square off with Northern Colorado, Northern Illinois and NDSU at the UCR Regional Sports Center. The Gophers will return home to square off with defending NCAA runner-up Iowa State on Dec. 2.