InterMat Staff

The University of Minnesota wrestling program has announced the signing of three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Zach Sanders, Sonny Yohn and Cody Marcicki will wrestle for the Golden Gophers beginning in the fall of 2007. Zach Sanders is the nation's top-ranked recruit at 119 pounds by a number of publications and is ranked 15th overall by InterMat. A native of Wabasha, Minn., he is a four-time Minnesota state champion and was the 2006 NHSCA Junior National Champion and USAW Junior National Freestyle Champion. Sanders finished last season with a perfect 46-0 record and enters his senior year with a 176-5 overall mark during his career. He is projected to wrestle at 125 pounds for the Golden Gophers. Sonny Yohn is the second-ranked wrestler in the nation at 189 pounds according to WIN Magazine and Amateur Wrestling News and is the nation's 11th-ranked recruit overall by InterMat. A native of Alamosa, Colo., Yohn is a two-time Colorado state champion. He was the 2006 NHSCA Junior National Champion and finished second at the USAW Junior National Freestyle competition. Yohn is projected to wrestle at 184 pounds for Minnesota. Cody Marcicki is ranked among the top 75 recruits in the nation by InterMat. A native of Metamora, Mich., he is the defending Michigan state champion at 119 pounds and also has two runner-up finishes in his career at Flint Powers Catholic High School. Also a FILA Cadet National Champion, Marcicki is projected to compete at 133 pounds for the Gophers. "We set out to fill 125 and 184 pounds, and we feel like we did that with Zach Sanders and Sonny Yohn," assistant coach Marty Morgan stated. "We tried to follow up by getting another guy in the 133-141 pound area, and Cody Marcicki fit in perfectly. All three of them wrestle with the style we like. They're very aggressive and have a lot of scoring potential, and we feel that they still have room to grow in college, which is important in order to get to that next level."

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Coming off an impressive showing at last weekend's Michigan State Open, the North Carolina wrestling team returns home to host the first annual ACC/Big Ten Clash Saturday at Carmichael Auditorium. The event kicks off at noon and features Carolina, NC State and Virginia of the ACC versus Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin of the Big Ten. Each team will wrestle the three schools from the opposing conference in a dual match format, and the league with the most victories will bring home the ACC/Big Ten Clash Cup. Fans will be able to watch simultaneous action on three mats. In addition to featuring the nation's 10th-ranked team in Northwestern, the event will showcase 19 wrestlers ranked in the InterMat/NWCA/NWMA Division I Preseason Individual Rankings. Five wrestlers ranked in the top five in their respective weight classes are also expected to be in action: North Carolina's Spencer Nadolsky (No. 4, heavyweight), Northwestern's Ryan Lang (No. 1, 141 pounds), Jake Herbert (No. 1, 184 pounds) and Dustin Fox (No. 5, heavyweight) and Wisconsin's Tyler Turner (No. 5, 149 pounds). The Big Ten is annually regarded as one of the top wrestling conferences in America, and Saturday will mark a rare chance for wrestling fans in the Southeast to be able to see three traditional powers square off against three up-and-coming teams from the ACC. Complete results of the event will be posted on TarHeelBlue.com following the final matches of the day. Last time out, the Tar Heels posted seven placewinnners at the Michigan State Open, including individual champions Nadolsky and Vincent Ramirez of Durham at 141 pounds. Keegan Mueller, a transfer from Ohio State, earned a second-place finish in his first action as a Tar Heel.

Columbia, Mo. -– Four days after inking six individuals to the 2007-08 Missouri wrestling class, Head Coach Brian Smith announced that local standout K.C. Pescaglia (Columbia, Mo.) of Hickman High School has also signed on to wrestle for the Tigers next fall. Younger brother to current Missouri freshman Tony Pescaglia, K.C. is ranked as high as seventh in the nation at 125 pounds by W.I.N. Magazine. Pescaglia owns a 121-14 record entering his senior year of competition with the Kewpies and has notched 81 falls in three years. Coached by J.D. Coffman, Pescaglia was the 2006 Missouri Class 4 State Champion, improving on his fourth place finish at states one year prior. With a 3.80 grade-point average, Pescaglia has earned numerous academic honors including 2005 and 2006 National High School Coaches Association Academic All-America awards. "K.C. is an outstanding young man who is successful on mat and in the classroom," Smith said. "We are all very excited to keep another one of the state's best wrestlers here at Mizzou." Tony and K.C. make the fifth brother tandem in seven years to wrestle at Missouri.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- North Carolina's Spencer Nadolsky was selected as the Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestler of the Week for the second time in his career after posting a 4-0 individual record this past weekend. Nadolsky captured his second career tournament title with a victory in the heavyweight division at the Michigan State Open. A member of the Spartans from 2002-04, Nadolsky allowed just two points in a return to his home state posting three victories by decisions including a major decision win in the finals of the heavyweight division. The senior from Holland, Mich., began the tournament with a 5-0 decision over Michigan State's Nick Anurak. He followed that performance with an 8-1 victory over David Wade of Eastern Michigan. Nadolsky remained perfect on the young season defeating Edinboro's Jon Fendone in the finals. Ranked fourth nationally by InterMat Wrestling, Nadolsky scored a 9-1 major decision victory over Fendone to claim his second career tournament title. Nadolsky, who was also named ACC Wrestler of the Week following a tournament victory at last season's Nittany Lion Open, and the Tar Heels are back in action this weekend as North Carolina plays host to the ACC/Big Ten Clash on Saturday, November 18.

SEASON OPENER Iowa will open the 2006-07 wrestling season Saturday at the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, NE. Competition starts at 9 a.m. at Lee & Helene Sapp Fieldhouse on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus. A total of 42 teams are expected and approximately 650 wrestlers will compete in the meet. It's easily the country's largest single-day collegiate meet. The tournament will be wrestled in two divisons - an open division and 20 & under division. FIVE HAWKEYES WIN TITLES UNATTACHED Five Hawkeyes won titles while competing unattached at the Spartan Classic in Dubuque and the Harold Nichols Open in Fort Dodge Saturday. Freshman Billy Murphy (133), juniors Mark Perry (165) and Matt Fields (Hwt.) and senior Eric Luedke (174) took home individual tournament titles from the Spartan Classic, while redshirt freshman Joe Slaton (133) won at the Harold Nichols Open. Perry recorded the quickest fall of the tournament in his first match, pinning Luke Karner of Knox College in 10 seconds. He totaled two pins, a technical fall and a major decision on the day. Luedke pinned his first three opponents and scored a major decision in the finals. Iowa's other placewinners at the Spartan Classic were freshmen Matt Ballweg (2nd-149), Brooks Kopsa (7th-149) and Jake Kerr (165-3rd), and sophomore Dan Erekson (3rd-197). Placing for the Hawkeyes at the Harold Nichols Open were redshirt freshmen Dan LeClere (2nd-141) and Jay Borschel (3rd-174). ON THE AIR Radio - Steven Grace and four-time Hawkeye all-American Mark Ironside will call this season's action live on AM-800, KXIC. All dual meets, not including the NWCA National Duals, will be broadcast live, as will action from the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. Audio broadcasts from all of the season's competition will be available online. To listen to the broadcast online, go to the wrestling schedule page on www.hawkeyesports.com. and click on the event. Broadcasts are available using the Hawkeye All-Access subscription, which can be purchased for $6.95 per month or $49.95 per year. The CSTV XXL Premium subscription is also available for $99.95 per year. Television - Six of Iowa's duals will be aired on television. The Iowa State (Dec. 3), Michigan State (Feb. 11) and Minnesota meets (Feb. 18) will be broadcast live on Iowa Public Television (IPTV), which is in its 31st year of televising college wrestling. Tim Johnson and Jim Gibbons will call the season's action for IPTV. Iowa's dual at Oklahoma State (Jan. 19) will be aired on ESPNU, the Hawkeyes' dual at Penn State (Feb. 4) will be shown on FOX Sports Pittsburgh and Iowa's dual against Ohio State (Feb. 16) will be aired on CSTV. The Internet - Livestats are available for all Hawkeye home duals on the University of Iowa's website, www.hawkeyesports.com. Go to the wrestling schedule page, select the event and click on the Livestats link. 2005 KAUFMAN-BRAND OPEN REVIEW Senior Ty Eustice (149) and freshman Ryan Morningstar (157) won titles at the 2005 Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, NE. Iowa sent 26 competitors to the tournament, which featured 650 wrestlers from 42 teams. Eustice scored a major decision and four decisions en route to his 149-pound open division title. Morningstar scored two pins, a technical fall and two decisions on his way to the 20-and-under title at 157. Also placing for Iowa in the open division were sophomore Alex Tsirtsis (141-2nd), senior Joe Johnston (157-2nd), junior Eric Luedke (165-3rd), senior Cole Pape (165-4th) and sophomore Matt Fields (Hwt.-2nd). Placing for the Hawkeyes in the 20-and-under division were freshmen Thomas Magnani (125-5th), Daniel Dennis (133-5th) and Dan Erekson (197-3rd), and redshirt freshmen Jacob Neuzil (174-5th) and Michael Bucklin (Hwt.-6th). IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 795-209-30 (.783) in 94 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles, including nine of the last 16, and 31 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 47 NCAA Champions have won a total of 73 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 13 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 99 Big Ten Champions have won a total of 180 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 129 all-Americans have earned all-America status 263 times, including 16 four-time, 27 three-time and 32 two-time honorees. IOWA TICKET INFORMATION Season tickets and single meet tickets for Iowa's eight home duals are on sale at the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-424-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com. University of Iowa students will be admitted free of charge for all matches with a student ID. Season tickets are $56 for the general public and $49 for University faculty and staff. Single match tickets purchased in advance are $8 for adults and $4 for youth/non-University of Iowa students. Single match tickets purchased at the door are $10 for adults and $5 for youth/non-University of Iowa students CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home of Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes are 150-15 (.909) in the arena, which includes a record 10 victories during the 1986 season. Iowa has recorded 16 undefeated seasons in the arena, with the most recent (8-0) occurring in 2002-03. The dual wrestling attendance record for Carver-Hawkeye Arena is 15,291, set when Iowa defeated Iowa State on February 22, 1992. The arena seats 15,500 for a dual wrestling meet. INTERNET INFORMATION Press releases, meet results and audio broadcasts of dual meets can be found at www.hawkeyesports.com. Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com. OH BROTHER Seniors Ben and Brett Stedman from Sioux City, IA, are the lone set of brothers on the 2006-07 Hawkeye roster. There have been 10 sets of brothers to wrestle together in the Hawkeye varsity lineup since the 1950s. They are Don and Tom Huff (1961), Mark and Scott Trizzino (1981), Lenny, Larry and Jim Zalesky (1981-82), Ed and Lou Banach (1981-83), Marty and Lindley Kistler (1984-85), Jim and John Heffernan (1987), Tom and Terry Brands (1989-92), Troy and Terry Steiner (1991-93), Ryan and Randy Fulsaas (2001) and Luke and Ty Eustice (2003-04). The Stedman's are also the fifth set of twins to wrestle at Iowa. Ed and Lou Banach, Tom and Terry Brands, Troy and Terry Steiner and Randy and Ryan Fulsaas are the other four. CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Tom Brands, Dan Gable, Wes Hand, Doug Schwab and Mike Zadick earned a total of two Olympic gold medals, seven NCAA titles, 10 conference titles and 15 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 605-84-2 (.877), including three undefeated seasons. NEXT COMPETITION Junior Mark Perry will represent the Hawkeyes at the 41st annual NWCA All-Star Dual presented by the United States Marine Corps. The dual will be held November 20 at the Dallas Convention Center and Arena in Dallas, TX. Start time is scheduled for 7 p.m. Perry, who is ranked second in the country, will face top-ranked Johny Hendricks of Oklahoma State at 165 pounds. Hendricks is a two-time NCAA champion and three-time all-American for the Cowboys. Perry is 0-3 against him, losing a 7-5 decision in sudden victory at the 2004 Kaufman-Brand Open, a 3-1 decision in the 2005 Iowa-Oklahoma State dual and a 5-2 decision in the 2005 NCAA Championship finals. The two did not meet last season because Perry wrestled at 174 pounds. The Hawkeyes will open the 2006-07 dual meet season November 21 at Northern Iowa. The meet will be held at 7 p.m. in the new McLeod Center in Cedar Falls. Iowa will host Arizona State in it's first dual of the season November 25. Match time is set for 1:30 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

CORVALLIS, Ore. -– Oregon State will open Jim Zalesky's first season as head wrestling coach when the Beavers greet Portland State for a Pacific-10 dual meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Gill Coliseum. Zalesky – whose teams won three national titles at Iowa – takes the reins of an OSU program that ranks third nationally in all-time dual meet wins, as OSU carries an 895-286-26 record into the season. The Beavers finished the 2005-06 season with a seven-meet winning streak, their longest since winning seven straight over the 2001 and 2002 seasons; OSU hasn't won eight in a row since putting together a 13-meet streak over the 1993 and 1994 seasons. OSU set its lineup after its annual Intrasquad Meet last week in Newberg, Ore. For the dual against Portland State and then the trip to the Jack Hancock Invitational at Colorado School of Mines, OSU will go with sophomore Jake Gonzales at 125 pounds, senior Bobby Pfennigs at 133 pounds, junior Kyle Larson at 141 pounds, senior Derek Kipperberg at 149 pounds, sophomore Andy Hall at 157 pounds, sophomore Brett Arand at 165 pounds, senior Jeremy Larson at 174 pounds, sophomore Kyle Bressler at 184 pounds, junior Travis Gardner at 197 pounds and senior Ty Watterson at heavyweight. There are five returning starters in that lineup – Pfennigs, Kyle Larson, Jeremy Larson, Bressler and Watterson. In the preseason national rankings, Watterson is ranked No. 7 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association and No. 8 by Amateur Wrestling News; Jeremy Larson is ranked No. 20 by the NWCA and No. 12 by AN; and Kyle Larson is ranked No. 20 by AWN. The Vikings (0-2, 0-1) began their season Sunday evening at the Arizona State Duals. PSU fell to Embry-Riddle 35-6 and was beaten by 23rd-ranked Arizona State 38-12. Portland State is in its first season under new head coach Mike Haluska, a PSU alum who spent the past seven years as head coach at Clackamas Community College. The Vikings return two starters – senior heavyweight Steve Fittinger and junior 184-pounder Jake Schneider. OSU's all-time series with Portland State dates back to 1948, and Oregon State owns a 76-11-4 advantage. The Beavers have a 10-meet winning streak and a 12-meet unbeaten streak going against the Vikings. The teams last met in 2005, with OSU taking a 33-12 win at the Oregon Wrestling Classic Duals in Redmond, Ore. For OSU's home meets in 2006-07, tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for youth (ages 2-18) and seniors (age 60 and over). Season tickets for admission to all seven of the Beavers' home meets are $30 for adults and $18 for youth and seniors. All seating will be general admission.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Four prep wrestlers have signed national letters of intent to attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and compete for the Mocs' wrestling program, Head Coach Chris Bono announced. Zack Coltek, Ben Johnson, Demetrius Johnson and Ethan Winel will join the program after the 2006-07 high school season, and all have the outstanding credentials and intangibles that Bono wants in his program. "We signed a few local guys, one from down the road in Atlanta and one from the Midwest," Bono said. "Each one is an excellent athlete with an incredible work ethic. Demetrius is a great student and one of the top wrestlers in the state at his weight. Big things are expected from Zack, Ethan is big and strong, and Ben could step in right away and compete for All-America honors. We will be expecting big things from all four." Coltek, from Pope High School in Marietta, Ga., is expected to compete at 197 pounds and at heavyweight after wrestling at 215 pounds in high school. Coltek compiled a 36-10 record last season and won a title at the Dixie Nationals. An injury kept him from competing at the state tournament. Demetrius Johnson, a 112-pounder from Brighton High School in Memphis, Tenn., is a two-time FILA Cadet National All-America. He was second in the Greco-Roman tournament this summer and placed fourth the previous year. Johnson won a state title in 2006 and was undefeated at 37-0. He will wrestle at 125 pounds. Ben Johnson, of Chattanooga's Baylor School, is a two-time Tennessee State Champion. He has compiled a 122-7 career record and was a state runner-up his freshman year. He is expected to wrestle at 141 yards. Johnson's father, Art, also wrestled at UTC. Winel, from Brookview, Ill., and Montini Catholic High School, has claimed five national championships, been national runner-up twice and won the Indiana State Freestyle Championship seven times. He sports a career record of 115-14 with 75 pins and has won Indiana's triple crown, picking up titles in freestyle, Greco-Roman and folkstyle. Winel was a native of Indiana before moving to Illinois. The Mocs are 21-time Southern Conference Champions.

Columbia, Mo. -– Wrestling unattached, two Missouri grapplers, senior returning National Champion Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) and redshirt freshman Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) took first at the Central Missouri State University (CMSU) Open Sunday evening at 174 and 157 pounds, respectively. With a perfect 6-0 mark, Marable was named the Open's Most Outstanding Wrestler. In addition to Askren and Marable, five Tigers finished among the top six of their weight class, with two, sophomores Joey Garrity (Orion, Ill.) and Emanuel Brooks (Cahokia, Ill.), earning runner-up finishes at 174 and 157 pounds, respectively. Three-time All-American Askren added five pins to his previous Missouri record-setting mark of 62. Securing six victories on the day with only one, a semifinal bout with Jeff James (Oklahoma-unattached) decided by major decision (17-7), Askren met with Garrity in title match to wrap up the tournament. Garrity advanced through his side of the 174-pound bracket tallying three decisions and a technical fall victory over Tom Edwards (McKendree College) in 5:33, before squaring off with Askren. In the end, Askren came out the victor (fall, 36 seconds), handing Garrity a runner-up finish. Wrestling at 157 pounds, Marable earned his first collegiate open title after besting teammate Brooks, 3-2, in the championship bout. Marable was a perfect 6-0 on the day notching five wins by decision and one by default. Brooks outscored his opponents 24-11 earning all five of his wins by decision. "It was a long day of wrestling but we saw a lot of good things in several of our matches," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "I was pleased that we were able to walk away with seven individuals having placed in their weight class. Now it's time to go back to practice and work on a few areas that need improvement." Two Tigers, freshmen Willie Saxton (Rayland, Ohio) and Ashtin Primus (South Connelsville, Penn.) finished third at 133 and 141 pounds, respectively. Primus, 6-1 on the day, tallied three of Missouri's 15 falls also recording a technical fall in 5:29 over Jesse Hulett of Missouri Valley College. Askren and Primus combined for four of Missouri's falls recorded in less than one minute. Askren recorded the fastest two for the Tigers at 36 and 39 seconds, with Primus clocking his falls in 46 and 51 seconds. Freshmen Nick Velliquette (Nixa, Mo.) finished the day with a sixth place finish at 125 pounds. After suffering an opening round loss, Velliquette came back with six straight wins before falling 5-0 and 4-3 in his final two bouts of the night. The third-ranked Missouri wrestling team will open its season this Thursday, Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m. (CT) against 10th-ranked Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.

The Eastern Regional Qualifier took place in Aston, Pennsylvania crowning seven champions that advance to the Super Challenge event in San Jose, California Sunday January 7. The field featured great competition and gave the champion at 121 pounds the second chance he needed to be just one step away from making one of the eight Season 2 teams. Erikin Tadzhimetov trains at Utah Valley State College and was unable to capture the Western Regional title when he narrowly lost to Cal Poly standout Vic Moreno in overtime. At the qualifier in Philadelphia Tadzhimetov powered past Brandon Flood and Adam Smith to face United States Air Force wrestler Anthony Brooker in the finals. Brooker, a nationally ranked Greco-Roman competitor was unable to develop his offense against Tadzhimetov losing to him by technical fall 15-0. While the Air Force lost the title at 121 pounds the United States Marine Corps captured the 185 pound title. Greco-Roman sensation and 2006 World Team member Jake Clark burned through his three matches with two pins and an impressive 18-4 victory. Clark as champion now is close to being one of the eight 184 pound wrestlers on the national television program in the spring of '07. Clark being from Minnesota, is looking to position himself for a spot on the Minnesota Freeze's roster. Other champions included Edinboro alum, Shawn Bunch who routed two time NCAA Champion Joe Dubuque 16-0 in the last match of the round robin using four throws including his signature twisting front headlock to gain the title. At 145 pounds Muzafar Abdurakhmanov, an All-American for American University, was barely tested in route his title. Ryan Churrella, an University of Michigan alum, grabbed the 163 pound class, while Antoni Walters, a West Virginia grad with a screeming throng of St. Anthony high school fans supporting him captured the 211 pound title. Finally, Mike Faust garnered the 264 pounds class fighting through a stiff field of competition that included 2x All-American, Patrick Bennett grad of SUNY/Brockport and Clarion grad John Testa. The last qualifier occurs Saturday, November 18 in Tulsa, Oklahoma in conjunction with the Cliff Keen Kickoff event for youth wrestlers. Athletes can still register to compete at all weight classes.

Fort Dodge, IA -- The Vikings competed in the prestigious Harold Nichols Open Saturday on the campus of Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, IA. The open consisted of four of the five national championship teams from 2006, Division II Nebraska-Omaha, Division III Wartburg, NAIA Dana College and host and NJCAA National Champions Iowa Central CC. Joining the field was Iowa State, Iowa, South Dakota State, William Penn University, Northern Iowa, Buena Vista, Nebraska, Ellsworth CC, and Kansas Newman. The tournament was action packed and the Vikings faired very well among some of the nation's top competition. Leading the way for the Vikings was senior Terrence Almond. Almond, coming off his first open championship last weekend at the Daktronics Open at South Dakota State University competed in a stacked 141 pound weight bracket. Almond received the No. 2 seed despite the presence of many highly ranked Division I wrestlers. Almond finished the day with a 5-1 record and a third place honor. En route, Almond defeated Jeff Slaughter from the University of Nebraska by fall. Earl Robinson of William Penn was Almonds next foe whom fell 11-4. Moving onto the quarter-finals Almond faced and defeated University of Nebraska-Omaha's Yasim Bribieseca 3-1 in overtime. In the semi-finals, Almond took on Mitch Mueller of Iowa State. Mueller is currently ranked No. 20 in Division I. Mueller narrowly defeated Almond by a score of 4-3. In the consolation rounds, Almond won by injury default over Zach McCray of Wartburg. In the consolation finals, Almond finished the day with a huge win over C.J. Ettelson of Northern Iowa 3-2. Ettleson was the No. 1 seed in the tournament and is currently ranked No. 8 in the country in Division I. Almond is now 10-1 on the year. The only other Dana Viking making the semi-finals was heavyweight Jesse Boggs. Boggs met up with Blake Gillis of Wartburg in the semi-finals. Boggs finished the day 3-2 and one match away from placing. Wade Jordan fell to eventual tournament champion and No. 8 ranked Kurt Backes of Iowa State in the quarter-finals 7-5. Jordan lost a close decision to Andrew Anderson of Northern Iowa 8-5 in the consolation semi-finals finishing one match from placing. Jordan did defeat a pair of former Nebraska prep stars along the way. In the consolation rounds, Jordan racked up victories over former Plattsmouth star and current Nebraska freshman Cameron Browne 11-5. Jordan also defeated for Omaha-Skutt state champion and current Nebraska freshman Nick Schaffer 4-1. The Vikings will continue action this Friday and Saturday. Friday the Vikings will open up their dual competition by hosting NAIA Oklahoma City University on November 17th at 7:00 pm in Gardner-Hawks Center. On Saturday November 18th, the Vikings will join the other four national championships teams from 2006 at the annual Kaufman-Brand Open at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Wrestling starts at 9:00 am.

TEMPE, Ariz. –- The 2006-07 season opened with a pair of victories for the two-time defending Pac-10 Champion Arizona State University wrestling program as the Sun Devils took down visiting Portland State (38-12) and Embry-Riddle (31-9) Sunday night inside Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe. Six different wrestlers competed in their first bouts for the Sun Devils with each recording at least one victory to pace the team to a 2-0-0 record on the year with a 1-0-0 mark in the Pac-10. After the Eagles of ERAU defeated the Vikings of PSU in the first dual of the evening, 35-6, the Sun Devils opened the defense of their 2006 Pac-10 Championship by facing conference foe Portland State. The dual opened at 125 pounds with the Vikings taking an early 6-0 lead after the Sun Devils forfeited. The deficit was cut to 6-3 following Angel Alegre's 4-3 victory at 133 before the team score was tied at six with Robert Galvan taking a 7-0 decision at 141 for the Sun Devils. Both competitors were competing in their first matches for the maroon and gold with Alegre being one of two true freshmen and one of five total freshmen to compete on the evening. After Chris Remsen won at 149 by forfeit for a 12-6 team lead, the Sun Devils did not look back as they won the next five bouts in row. No. 1 Brian Stith, the NCAA runner-up at 157 last year, scored a 17-2 technical fall in 5:08 before No. 9 Patrick Pitsch claimed an 8-6 decision at 165. Alex Pavlenko followed at 174 with a pin of Tony Contreras in 3:25 before No. 15 Greg Gifford pinned Keena Washington in the 184 bout in 1:26, giving the senior his first win at ASU after transferring into the program following the cutting of the Fresno State program over the summer. The Sun Devils' final win came in a Jake Cranford forfeit victory at 197 (his first as a Sun Devil) before Steve Fittinger of PSU won by forfeit at heavyweight to bring the final score to 38-12. The final dual of the night was a clash of the only remaining wrestling programs in the state of Arizona with the Eagles coming down from Prescott to take an early 6-0 lead on an ASU forfeit at 125. The fifth different newcomer to score a win for the Sun Devils put the hosts on the board as true freshman Shawn Jones picked up a 14-6 major decision at 133 to cut the deficit to 6-4. The Eagles added to their lead (9-4) as Gordo Villaescusa took a close 9-7 decision from Galvan. The Sun Devils struck back with wins in the final seven bouts of the evening, starting with Remsen scoring a 7-5 decision at 149 to cut the deficit to 9-7 before Stith's 8-3 decision at 157 put the hosts on top for good. Pitsch followed with an 8-4 victory at 165 with Pavlenko following that with his 4-1 decision at 174. Gifford, like Remsen, Stith, Pitsch and Pavlenko, picked up his second win of the night as he scored a 10-3 decision at 184. Jason Trulson gave the Sun Devils their third pin of the evening as he took his foe down in 1:40 before another newcomer, redshirt freshman Thor Moen, pinned his heavyweight opponent in 3:56. Next week, the Sun Devils head to Fullerton, Calif., and Titan Gym on the Cal State Fullerton campus for the Fullerton Open on Saturday, Nov. 18.

EAST LANSING, Mich. –- Senior Spencer Nadolsky and sophomore Vincent Ramirez each captured individual titles in their respective weight classes to lead the University of North Carolina wrestling team at Sunday's Michigan State Open at Jenison Field House. Nadolsky captured the heavyweight title, and Ramirez took first at 141 pounds, as seven Tar Heels posted top-eight finishes. Transfer Keegan Mueller was second at 165 in his first action as a Tar Heel, and redshirt freshman Dan Goetter was third at heavyweight. Junior Drew Forshey was sixth at 125 pounds, while newcomers Ben Fiacco (157) and Mike Rappo (141) each placed seventh. Seeded No. 1 in the tournament and ranked fourth nationally, Nadolsky allowed just two points en route to the title. After a first-round bye, he posted 5-0 and 8-1 victories before advancing past Goetter in the semifinals thanks to an injury default. Nadolsky, who transferred to Carolina from Michigan State, then posted a 9-1 major decision over Jon Fendone of Edinboro. Goetter, who went 5-1 on the day, took third place with an 8-5 win over Ohio State's Corey Morrison, who was seeded third, in the consolation final. At 141, Ramirez reached the semifinals without allowing a single point in three victories. There he notched a 4-3 win over Penn's Cesar Grajales, who is ranked 19th nationally, to move on to the final. Ramirez then picked up the title thanks to an injury default by Michigan State's Andy Simmons. Rappo, who went 5-2 Sunday, earned his seventh-place finish with an 18-7 major decision over sixth-seeded David Pienaar of Eastern Michigan. A former standout at Ohio State, Mueller won four bouts, including one by major decision and one by technical fall, to reach the semifinals, where he upset 14th-ranked Max Dean of Indiana, 6-3. Fourth-ranked Deonte Penn of Edinboro edged Mueller, 3-2, in the final to take the title. At 125, Forshey won his first two bouts en route to his sixth place finish. A transfer from Old Dominon, Fiacco was seventh at 157 in first action for Carolina. He went 5-2 on the day and topped Penn's Matt Dragon, 4-2, for seventh place. Dragon is ranked fourth nationally at 149. Other Tar Heels in action were (record in parentheses): Bobby Shaw (3-2) and Jared Royer (2-2) at 133, Nick Stabile (2-2) at 141, Keenan Duffie (1-2) at 149, Chris Ramos (2-1) at 157, Robert McCarthy (3-2) and Daniel Llamas (1-2) at 184 and Dennis Drury (0-2) at 197. Carolina is back in action at the inaugural ACC/Big Ten Clash set for Saturday at Carmichael Auditorium. The first set of duals will begin at noon.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Redshirt freshman Franklin Gomez and senior Nick Simmons won titles at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively, at the Michigan State Open held Sunday at Jenison Field House. Four other Spartans placed: senior Andy Simmons (second at 141), red-shirt freshman Rocky Cozart (fourth at 165), sophomore John Murphy (fourth at 174) and junior Joe Williams (sixth at 184). The unscored event featured over 360 wrestlers from 21 schools. Simmons was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler. Simmons, who has made the transition from 125 to 133 in the first two open meets this season, remained perfect at his new weight class with a thrilling upset over defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Matt Valenti of Penn. Simmons cruised to the finals, recording two technical falls and a pin in the first three rounds before defeating 18th-ranked T.J. Enright of Ohio State in the semifinals. In the title bout, Simmons and Valenti went scoreless after one period. In the second, Valenti could not escape from Simmons, and the match remained scoreless. In the third, Simmons pulled a reverse on Valenti with about 30 seconds remaining, and held him the remainder of the match for the 2-0 victory. Simmons, who won the Eastern Michigan Open last week, improves to 9-0 for the year. Gomez was equally as dominant in winning his second title of the young season. He won the first round by a technical fall in 2:30, then proceeded to win his next three matches by a combined score of 29-6. Gomez topped Obenson Black of Lock Haven, 5-1, in the championship match to move to 10-0 on the season. Andy Simmons, ranked No. 1 at 141 pounds by Amateur Wrestling News, advanced to the finals before bowing to North Carolina's Vincent Ramirez in the final match due to an injury default. Simmons recorded a fall in his first match, then won the next two bouts by a combined score of 21-0. He beat Ryan Williams of Old Dominion, 6-5, in the semifinals. Cozart -- the defending MSU Open champ at 165 pounds -- took fourth place after losing his first-round match. Cozart, seeded third, rattled off six straight victories in the consolation bracket before falling to Max Dean of Indiana in the third-place match, 3-2. At 174 pounds, sophomore John Murphy went 5-2 to capture fourth place. Junior Joe Williams took sixth at 184. He advanced to the semifinals, but lost to Marc Bennett of Indiana, 8-3. Williams then took an injury default for his final two matches to place sixth. The 17th-ranked Spartans open the dual meet season this Thursday, Nov. 16 against No. 2 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. –- Junior Matt Shank (Reedsville, Pa./Indian Valley) swept four bouts to earn the individual title at 149 pounds at the King's Monarch Invitational on Saturday. His crown helped Gettysburg to 50.0 team points and 11th place at the meet. Shank, who took third place in the season-opening Ithaca Invitational last weekend, was awarded a first-round bye. His first competition came in the second round, where he drew Morgan Hovan of Oneonta State. Shank won by fall in 3:47 and duplicated that feat in 4:47 against Muhlenberg's Joe Decampo in the quarterfinal. In the semifinal round, Shank earned an 8-1 decision over Devan Whitman of Oneonta State, and he finished off his run with a 3-1 decision against Derek Brownmiller of Wilkes in the championship. Sophomore Andrew Goldstein (Easton, Pa./Easton) also got a bye at 157 pounds before he defeated Morrisville's Matt Campion by a 5-3 decision in the second round. Goldstein then lost his quarterfinal and consolation bouts by default. The Bullets will be back in action next Saturday when they travel to the Doug Parker Invitational at Springfield. The tournament begins at 10 a.m.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Thirty-four members of Penn State's No. 8 wrestling team took to the mats for the 2006 version of Nittany Lion Wrestle-Offs today in Rec Hall. Head coach Troy Sunderland and 2,000 fans watched as one of the nation's top teams was showcased in the annual intra-squad tournament. 125: Junior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 11 at 125, pinned red-shirt freshman Eric Caschera (South Williamsport, Pa.) at 3:00 as the first period ended to pen up his return to action after transferring last year from Buffalo. Since McKnight and Caschera were the only 125-pounders wrestling, the twosome met one more time with McKnight bolting out to a 14-3 lead after one period and 23-5 tech fall at 5:52. 133: Junior Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) got things started early at 133 with an impressive 11-4 win over freshman Chris Robbins (Frederica, Del.). The win gave Haas a shot at No. 8 Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) in the winners bracket finals. Strayer opened with an early takedown in that match and rolled to an impressive 10-1 win over Haas. The coaching staff decided to stop action at 133 pounds after Strayer's impressive win, so no consolations took place. 141: Senior Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.) opened up action at 141 with a solid win over freshman Mike Eagan (Wharton, N.J.). Heller broke open a tight match early by outscoring Eagan 4-0 in the second period on his way to a 12-1 major decision. Freshman Christian Harr (Hollidaysburg, Pa.) notched a takedown as time expired to post a 5-4 win over Ben Mandelbraut (Sharon, Mass.). In the winners bracket finals, Heller downed Harr 10-2 to await the winner of wrestle-backs. Eagan got a medical forfeit over Mandelbraut in wrestle-backs to earn a match-up with Harr. Harr scored a takedown with under ten seconds left to grab a thrilling 5-4 win over Eagan in the consolation finals, earning a rematch with Heller. Heller would claim the crown at 141 with a hard-fought 8-5 win over Harr in the final bout. 149: In an anticipated battle at 149, red-shirt freshman Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) met true freshman Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.). Jenkins opened up a 2-1 lead after one period, but Vallimont tied things at 2-2 after two. Jenkins chose down to begin the third period and escaped to a 3-2 lead. Vallimont countered with two late shots and, on the last one, scored a decisive takedown with just two seconds left to post a 4-3 win. Since the duo were the only two wrestlers at 149, they met again over an hour later, with Vallimont opening up an early lead with an impressive takedown on the outer circle to lead 2-0 after one. Jenkins chose down to start the second and tied the match with a reversal. Vallimont reclaimed a 3-2 lead after an escape and held that lead through the middle period. Vallimont chose down to begin the final stanza and escaped to a 4-2 lead. The two-time New Jersey state champion who did not lose as a junior or senior in high school stretched his lead to 6-2 and posted an impressive 8-3 win over the talented Jenkins. 157: A key bout at 157 took place early with senior Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.), ranked No. 11 nationally, took the mat against true freshman Josh Rohler (Akron, Ohio). The twosome wrestled to a scoreless tie after one period. Rohler led 1-0 after two with an escape from a chosen down position. Galloway chose down to begin the third but could not escape and Rohler grabbed a 2-0 win. Sophomore Jason Lapham (West Chazy, N.Y.) grabbed a tough 4-3 win over sophomore Jon Clemens (McVeytown, Pa.) in another opening round bout. In the winners bracket final, Rohler and Lapham wrestled to a 0-0 tie after one period. Rohler chose down to begin the second, but Lapham rode him for the entire period, building up a 2:00 riding time edge and getting a 1-0 lead due to a Rohler stall point. Lapham chose neutral to begin the final period and held off each Rohler scoring attempt to post the impressive 2-0 win and await the consolation bracket winner. Wrestle-backs began with Galloway tangling with Clemens. The duo was tied at 1-1 after regulation and went into sudden victory time. Galloway nearly notched a takedown as the period wound down but Clemens fought off the move. Clemens chose down in the first overtime period and escaped to a 2-1 lead. Galloway chose down and got a point when Clemens locked his hands while on top. With :12 left, Galloway needed an escape for the win but could not get the point. A second sudden victory period was also scoreless, setting up two more overtime periods. Galloway chose down to begin his period and gave up two back-points. Clemens, leading 4-2 in his overtime period, chose down to begin the :30 period and escaped to post a 5-2 win. Clemens moved on to face Rohler in the next bout at 157 and continued his impressive run with a solid 5-3 win, earning a rematch with Jason Lapham in the finals. Lapham scored two early takedowns to take a 4-1 lead into the second period. He chose down to begin the second and escaped to a 5-1 lead, which he would carry into the final period. Lapham gave up only one point in the third to take a 5- 2 win in the final bout at 157. 165: Sophomore Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) got a hot start at 165 with a quick pin of Michael Lorenzo (Bellefonte, Pa.) in 2:07. True freshman Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) gave early notice to his prowess by bolting out to an early 6-2 lead over Zach Snyder (Mt. Pleasant, Pa.) and rolling to an 11-4 win. In the winners bracket final, Friend opened up with a 2-1 lead over Rella after one period. Friend added another takedown in the second period and led 4-1 after two. Friend would go on to post an impressive 6-1 win to await the winner of consolations. Lorenzo was leading 5-2 over Snyder when Snyder suffered an injury and could not continue, giving Lorenzo the win and a shot at Rella in the consolation finals. Rella proved too much for the Bellefonte native, posting an impressive 19-7 win. Rella's victory earned him a chance to wrestle Friend again. Friend got out to an early 5-1 lead but Rella closed the gap to 5-3 with a takedown late in the second. But Friend would counter a late Rella shot to post a convincing 7-3 win in the finals. 174: Senior All-American James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.), who's training has been altered by his student teaching duties, did get a shot to wrestle-off today as Sunderland felt that he needed the mat time heading into the Pa. Duals and his appearance in the NWCA Classic in Dallas. Yonushonis, ranked No. 3 nationally, opened up with a solid 6-0 win over talented sophomore Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.). The only two wrestlers at 174, Yonushonis and Decker met again over an hour later with Yonushonis claiming a 6-3 win. 184: In a wide open weight class, sophomore Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) inched his way out to a 4-2 lead over senior vBrian Cantalupi (Carlisle, Pa.) after two periods and held on for a hard-fought 6-3 win. In the brackets other opening round match, red-shirt freshman Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio) scored a takedown early in extra time for a 4-2 overtime win over senior A.J. Cummings (Lititz, Pa.). In the winners bracket final, Bomberger and Ward found themselves locked in a battle that went into sudden victory time tied 1-1. Bomberger shot quickly out of the opening whistle and nearly scored a winning takedown, but Ward managed to fight off the attempt for a stalemate. In the first overtime period, Ward chose down but could not escape in 30 seconds. Bomberger chose down and quickly escaped to a 2-1 lead that he would hold on to for the win. Cantalupi got a 4-2 win over Cummins in the first consolation bout to move on, facing Ward in the conso finals, where he posted a 2-1 overtime win. Bomberger and Cantalupi met again in the finals and Bomberger opened up a 6-2 lead early, but Cantalupi cut the lead to 6-4 before the first period ended. Bomberger led 9-5 in the second when Cantalupi bowed out with an injury, giving Bomberger the injury default win in the finals. 197: Defending Big Ten champion Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 197 pounds, was given the day off by Sunderland as he continues to train for the NWCA Classic in Dallas. Action began with red-shirt freshman Eric Burnett (Uniondale, N.Y.) posting a 4-1 win over sophomore David Klug (Pennington, N.J.). Burnett's win moved him into the winners bracket final against junior Chad Unger (Perry, Ohio). Unger scored a takedown in the first to lead 2-0 after one and added a quick second in the middle stanza to open up a 4-0 lead. He would cement the win with a pin at 4:09. In consolations, Burnett downed Klug 4-3 to earn another shot at Unger in the finals. But the results were the same as Unger pinned Burnett again, this time in 1:00. HWT: Heavyweight began with freshman Brendan Herlihy (Fairfield, Conn.) handing classmate Nathan Andrews (Spring Mills, Pa.) a 9-5 win. In the winners bracket semis, senior Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.) posted an impressive 23-7 tech fall over Herlihy at 5:03. Transfer John Laboranti (Scranton, Pa.) grabbed a 4-2 win over Joe Farina (Denville, N.J.) in the other heavyweight semifinal bout. In the winners bracket final, Anspach, unranked in the coaches poll but ranked as high as No. 18 in others, led 2-1 after one period in his bout with transfer Laboranti. Anspach opened his lead up to 3-1 after two periods. After and escape, Laboranti tied the match at 4-4 with a takedown, only to be taken down shortly thereafter. Anspach would hold on for a hard fought 6-5 win to await the winner of wrestle-backs. In consolations, Herlihy again downed Andrews, this time with a 14-5 major. Herlihy then matched up with Farina in wrestle-backs but fell as Farina posted a solid 4-1 win, getting another chance to tangle with Laboranti. Farina took advantage and posted a 5-2 win, moving into the finals against Anspach. Anspach dominated the HWT finals bout, bolting out to a 4-1 lead after one period and rolling to a 15-2 major decision. The Nittany Lions will open up the regular season at the Pennsylvania Duals on Saturday, Nov. 19. Penn State faces Clarion at 10 a.m., Pitt-Johnstown at 12 p.m. and No. 13 Edinboro at 2 p.m. Day-long passes cost $15 and can be ordered by calling the LHU Athletics Department at 570-893-2102. Penn State's home season begins with a Dec. 8 dual vs. Lehigh. 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. Contact the Penn State ticket office at 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 for more information or visit GoPSUsports.com.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern hosted the seven-team NU Duals Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena and posted a 3-0 record in their first duals of the season. The 'Cats notched wins over Chicago, Navy and Indianapolis with Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny), Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward) and Brandon Precin (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) all winning three matches. Precin opened things on the right note for Northwestern, pinning Chicago's Zach Matayoshi at the 3:38 mark. Precin entered the duals coming off an impressive performance at last week's Eastern Michigan. NU extended its lead to 10-0 when freshman Eric Metzler (Luxemburg, Wis./Luenmburg-Casco) earned a major decision over Ben Hart of the Maroons. Metzler had a strong second period, earning an escape and takedown for three points. Chicago left 141 lbs. open and reigning Big Ten Wrestler of the Week and top-ranked Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward) did not wrestle in the 'Cats first dual, but did pick up a victory by forfeit. Chicago inched closer at 16-6 when L.T. Switzer pinned Wildcat Marty Gould (Lincolnwood, Ill./Niles West), but the 'Cats took three more points on a 3-1 win by sophomore Brandon Lozdoski (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) over Troy Carlson. The sophomore earned his points on a takedown in the first period and an escape in the second to take the narrow win. Freshman Dominic Marella (Roselle, Ill/Conant) won a spiritied bout by a 4-3 decision over Phil Kruzel. Marella had his entire Wildcat squad on its feet as he earned a crucial escape in the third period to take the bout at 165 lbs. Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central) saw his first action of the year at 174 and earned a 3-1 decision over Mike Bishoff to extend the Wildcats' lead to 25-6. Top-ranked Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) followed and did not disappoint. He pinned his opponent, Justin Lucas, 1:15 into the match, but in those 75 seconds, Herbert recorded three takedowns. The fall extended the 'Cats' lead to 31-6. Highlighted by a near fall, Carl Howe (Three Rivers, Mich./Three Rivers) took down Drew Marriott 10-3. NU left 285 lbs. open and won their first dual of 2006, 34-12. The 'Cats' match against Navy turned out to be the most exciting of the four sessions, with both teams possessing nationally-ranked grapplers. NU trailed 16-9, but roared back to win, 20-16. Precin again started the dual off at 125 lbs. and scored an 11-6 decision. It was an impressive showing for the freshman against Alex Usztics as he scored three takedowns, an escape and a near-fall. Metzler was edged by Brandon Beasley 6-4, but top-ranked Lang scored his first pin of the day in his match at 141 lbs. Lang recorded the fall against Brad Canterbury at the 2:22 mark. He had already notched two takedowns and a near-fall before getting the pin. Navy took the lead in the dual by taking matches at 149, 157, 165 and 174 lbs, but even though the 'Cats trailed 16-9, Herbert was next at 184 lbs. The top-ranked junior scored a 13-5 major decision over Antonio Miranda to move the Wildcats within three points using five takedowns and 3:22 of riding time. Junior Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) put the 'Cats in front with a convincing 9-0 major decision over Matt Parons. With the 'Cats in front 17-16, the dual came down to the heavyweight match between junior Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio) and Navy's Ed Prendergast. Fox trailed 1-0 heading into the decisive third round, but scored six points to get the 6-3 decision and Northwestern took the match 20-16. Looking to cap off a perfect start to the dual season the Wildcats next took on the Indianapolis Greyhounds. Precin, wrestling his third match of the day at 125 lbs. recorded his second pin of the day at 1:51 over Indy's John Fleming. Sophomore James Kohlberg (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows) extended the lead to 9-0 in his first action of the day at 133 lbs. Lang scored his second pin of the afternoon at the 1:31 mark of his 141-pound match against Matt Irwin. The Greyhounds took matches at 149 and 157, but Marella, wrestling at 165, scored a 10-0 major decision to push the lead to 19-6. At 184 lbs., Jake Herbert scored his second pin at the 1:32 mark of his match against Rob LaGrange. Herbert scored two takedowns and a near-fall before finishing the match. Howe wrestled at 197 lbs. and took a 9-2 decision. Tamillow competed at heavyweight against Indy's Jose Navarro and won the match in an 8-2 decision. Northwestern moved to 3-0 in its first dual meet action of the season with the 31-11 win over Indianapolis. The 'Cats return to action Nov. 18 at the ACC/Big Ten Clash held in Chapel Hill, N.C. They return to Evanston Dec. 8 to host Northern Illinois.

Madison, Wis. -- The University of Wisconsin wrestling team remains undefeated on the season after going 3-0 at the Northwestern Duals on Sunday in Evanston, Ill. The Badgers (5-0-0) cruised past Division II Indianapolis 43-0, followed by a 29-7 victory over Navy and a win over Division II Cumberland 53-0. UW jumped out to an early lead over the Greyhounds, but the action truly began at 165 lbs. when No. 17 Jake Donar (Cuba City, Wis.) earned a pin over David Walpole at 2:20. The falls would continue as Mike Felling (Hutchinson, Minn.) made his season debut at 174 lbs. with a pin at 2:38 over Mike Jackson. Justin Peterson (Comstock, Wis.) and No. 10 Dallas Herbst (Winneconne, Wis.) followed suit with pins of their own at 184 lbs. and 197 lbs., respectively. At heavyweight, No. 16 Kyle Massey (Champlin, Minn.) competed in his first match for Wisconsin since January. He fell behind early to Jose Navarro, but battled back to win 3-2 to give the Badgers a 43-0 victory. The match against Navy featured exciting bouts at nearly all weight classes. Starting things out was No. 17 Collin Cudd (River Falls, Wis.) against Navy's Alex Usztics at 125 lbs. The match remained close through the first two periods with both grapplers earning 3-point near falls. However, Cudd pulled away in the third to win 16-9 after riding time. Sophomore Zach Tanelli (Milburn, N.J.) also found himself in a tight battle as he faced Brandon Beasley at 133 lbs. No. 17 Tanelli had a narrow one point lead to start the third period before Beasley earned an escape with a minute remaining to tie the score and send the match to overtime. However, Tanelli was aggressive in the overtime period, earning a takedown and three-point near fall to win 6-1. The match at 149 lbs. was highly anticipated as No. 4 Tyler Turner (Spring Valley, Wis.) faced No. 7 John Cox. Turner led 3-1 in to start the third before Cox managed a takedown and escape to lead 4-3, with a minute remaining. Turner quickly responded with an escape of his own to even the score. Then, with two seconds remaining the Badger notched a takedown to win 7-4 after riding time. No. 4 Craig Henning (Chippewa Falls, Wis.) and Donar kept the badgers rolling with victories at 157 lbs. and 165 lbs., respectively. Navy got on the board at 174 lbs. as Matt Stolpinski nabbed a major decision victory over Matt Maciag (Sussex, N.J.) 15-6. The Midshipmen would earn three more points at 184 lbs. with Peterson falling to Antonio Miranda 13-9. However, Wisconsin would end on a positive note after a pin by Herbst at 2:48 against Tyler Mayer at 197 lbs., and a 16-8 major decision victory for Massey at heavyweight. Following the Badgers 29-7 win over Navy, UW faced Cumberland University. Wisconsin bolted out to a 16-0 lead after Cudd earned a major decision victory, Tanelli nabbed a pin and the Bulldogs forfeited at 141 lbs. Sophomore Mike Metzger improved to 3-0 at 157 lbs. after pinning Cumberland's Mike Newberg at 2:21. From there Wisconsin continued to dominate, winning 53-0. Badger wrestling action continues next week as UW heads to Chapel Hill, N.C., for the first annual ACC/Big Ten clash on Nov. 18. Wisconsin will face North Carolina State, Virginia, and North Carolina in the three-dual competition. Check uwbadgers.com for the latest updates and scores.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State's wrestling team began its push for a fifth-straight NCAA Championship as they downed UC-Davis, 22-9, in Gallagher-Iba Arena in the 2006-07 season opener on Sunday. The Cowboys took seven of the ten matches and were dominant on top as they picked up the riding time point in all seven of the individual victories. The dual started at 149 where the Pokes got a solid performance out of junior B.J. Jackson. The Tuttle, Okla., native took control of the match early with three first-period takedowns against Shawn Harratini. Jackson suffered an injury in third period while riding Harratini but battled through the injury to win, 10-4. Next up was 157 where Cowboy Newly McSpadden picked up the lone bonus-point win of the day when he earned a major decision win over Jon Clark, 15-5. McSpadden had five takedowns in the match. Johny Hendricks, who will be looking for his third-straight national title this season, used his 1:06 of riding time to defeat Dustin Noak, 2-1, at 165. At 174, the match featured two wrestlers ranked in the top 10 as the sixth-ranked Brandon Mason took on fourth-ranked Ken Cook of UC-Davis. Mason used a stalling point, an escape and riding time to win, 3-0, and give the Cowboys a, 13-0, lead in the dual. The Aggies of UC-Davis got on the board at 184 when 15th-ranked Tyler Bernacchi defeated Jack Jensen, 7-1. The most exciting match of the night may have came at 197 where UC-Davis' Elliot Kelly defeated Jared Shelton, 4-3. The match entered the third period with Shelton holding a slim, 1-0, lead. Kelly chose down to start the third period and reversed Shelton with 1:16 left in the match. The Sand Spring, Okla., native countered with a a reversal of his own to take a 3-2 lead. The action was not over as Kelly picked up the third reversal of the period to win the match, 4-3. At heavyweight, Jared Rosholt won his first match as a Cowboy. The redshirt freshman defeated Broc Mafoa, 4-0. Rosholt compiled 1:56 of riding time in the match. The Cowboys got another impressive debut at 125 when Tyler Shinn defeated Marcos Orozco, 7-2. The redshirt freshman was also dominant on top as he picked up 2:01 in riding time. All-American Coleman Scott made his official debut at 133 and picked up a win over 19th-ranked Omar Gaitan, 8-2. Nathan Morgan's debut at 141 did not go as well as the All-American fell to eighth-ranked Derek Moore, 5-2. OSU will return to action on Thursday as they host Michigan State at 7 p.m. in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Imagine what it must feel like to accomplish something as a seventh-grader that has never been done in the 90-year history of the Minnesota State High School League. Imagine what it must feel like to go over five years (350 matches) without experiencing a single defeat. Imagine what it must feel like to win 24 national titles. Imagine what it must feel like to be named World of Wrestling Wrestler of the Year. Imagine what it must feel like to be on track to win a state-record six individual state high school championships. All before reaching high school. Meet Apple Valley eighth-grader Destin McCauley. Destin McCauley (Photo/The Guillotine)Last March, Destin became the first seventh-grader in Minnesota State High School League history to capture a state wrestling championship when he won the 103-pound Class AAA title. Destin was born on September 25, 1992 in Destin Beach, Florida, which is where the name Destin originated. "His name has nothing to do with destiny or anything like that," said Destin's father, Todd McCauley. "That's what we heard after he won the high school state title." Destin grew up in McCook Lake, South Dakota, a suburb of Sioux City, Iowa. He was a rambunctious and energetic young boy, so Todd and Brandy McCauley wanted to get their son involved in an activity. "There really wasn't anything a 5-year-old boy could do, other than maybe a little T-ball," recalled Todd. "A friend of ours had his boy wrestling, so we decided to sign him up and see how he liked it, and he was successful right away." Destin McCauley (Photo/The Guillotine)Saying he was merely successful right away might be a bit of understatement. In his first year out for the sport, Destin posted a 25-3 record. The next year, as a 6-year-old, he won the prestigious Tulsa Nationals. He quickly became one of the most dominant youth wrestlers in the country, rarely losing, and winning national title after national title. He competed for Team Chargers, a youth wrestling club started by Todd McCauley that trained at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City. As a youth wrestler, Destin captured 24 national titles. He dominated the prestigious Jack Roller World of Wrestling events, winning Tulsa Nationals four times and the Reno World Championships three times. In 2002, he was awarded the highly-respected Trinity Award. In order to win the Trinity Award, a wrestler must win the three toughest national youth wrestling events in the same season: Kickoff Classic, Tulsa Nationals, and Reno World Championships. In 2004, Destin was named World of Wrestling Wrestler of the Year, which is an award presented to the most outstanding wrestler on the World of Wrestling All-Star Team. Jack RollerRoller, who has been running his World of Wrestling events for four decades, has high praise for Destin. "Destin McCauley is a true champion," said Roller. "He has come out victorious in all of the nation's biggest events." Due to the fact that Destin was a South Dakota resident and wrestled in Iowa, he did not compete in the youth state tournaments, only the national events. When Destin was in fifth grade, his friend and club teammate, Eric Devos, moved to Apple Valley. At the time, Todd and Brandy McCauley were looking to move Destin and their high school-age daughter, Sierra, to another school district where the children could maximize their athletic and academic potential. In addition to his wrestling talents, Destin is also a youth state champion in track in the 200 and 400 meters, and a standout football player. Sierra, who is now a junior at Apple Valley, is one of the state's top runners. In 2003, Sierra captured the Class A state cross-country championship as an eighth-grader. Both Destin and Sierra are honor students. The school district in McCook Lake was small (consisting of 250 students K-12) and athletics were not much of a priority, especially not wrestling. "I remember Eric (Devos) telling me how great the wrestling program was at Apple Valley," recalled Destin. "So our family took a trip up there during our winter break and we attended one of the wrestling practices." In December of 2004, the McCauley family made the 340-mile trip from McCook Lake to Apple Valley. They watched wrestling practice and talked to Apple Valley's current head wrestling coach, Jim Jackson, and Apple Valley's former head wrestling coach, Bill Demaray. Demaray is the architect of Apple Valley's mat dominance. He started the wrestling program in 1976 and built it into the state's most successful wrestling program of the modern era. He guided the Eagles to six state team titles, coached 18 individual state champions, and compiled a dual meet mark of 407-70-4. In 1996, Demaray passed the torch to Jackson, who picked up right where Demaray left off. Since taking over as head coach, Jackson has guided Apple Valley to eight state team titles. Destin McCauleyThe McCauleys came away impressed with what they saw and heard while visiting Apple Valley. Still, they weighed their options and considered schools all over the Midwest, including Oak Park (Missouri), Iowa City West, and St. Paris Graham (Ohio). Eventually, they decided that Apple Valley was the best fit. "I think our deciding factor was the coaching staff," said Todd McCauley. "Apple Valley has coaches who wrestle with the kids at every weight. They have 15 coaches." Another key determinants in the McCauleys' decision to move to Apple Valley was the fact that the Minnesota State High School League is one of only three state high school associations that allows seventh and eighth-graders to compete in varsity athletics. Destin, who was entering seventh grade, knew that he ready for varsity competition. Apple Valley was a place where he could get top-flight coaching and an abundance of top-notch training partners. Destin earned a spot in Apple Valley's varsity lineup at 103 pounds through preseason wrestle-offs in November. By December, he was ranked among the top 10 wrestlers in his weight class by The Guillotine. On December 16-17, 2005, Destin competed at the annual Minnesota Christmas Tournament, which is considered to be the toughest individual high school wrestling tournament in Minnesota. The two weeks leading up to the tournament, Destin had been battling an illness, but decided to compete anyway. He entered the tournament undefeated and seeded No. 5 in his weight class, but was upset 6-5 in the first round by Mike Minske of Rochester Mayo. It was his first loss since 2001. Destin lost another one-point match in the consolation quarterfinals of the Christmas Tournament to Eagan's Matt Ashton, but came back to place seventh, avenging his first-round loss to Minske with a technical fall. Jim Jackson"The first time he lost, he kind of lost his composure a little bit," recalled Apple Valley coach Jim Jackson. "One of the big things we worked on was composure. You have to remember, he's not used to losing or being in tough matches." Another thing he wasn't used to was wrestling six-minute matches. In schoolboy competition, Destin's matches were four and a half minutes long, and most of those matches resulted in pins or technical falls. Conditioning was something Destin knew he had to work on if he wanted to achieve his goal of winning a state championship. "My conditioning was always pretty bad," admitted Destin. "During the season I would always stay after practice, doing sprints and doing stairs with my coaches. They just kept training me to get better." Added Jackson, "We made a concerted effort to do extra conditioning and get him to believe that he could wrestle six minutes." It paid off. Destin entered the Minnesota State High School Wrestling Championships last March with a 39-3 record and ranked No. 4 in Class AAA by The Guillotine, while weighing just a pinch over 100 pounds on full feed. He cruised to the state semifinals with a pin and a 14-4 major decision. In the semifinals, he faced No. 1-ranked Luke Vaith of Hastings, a wrestler who defeated him in January at the Kiffmeyer Duals in St. Cloud. This time Destin prevailed with a 5-1 victory. A day later, Destin defeated No. 2-ranked Kurt Ehrhorn of Grand Rapids, 7-5, in the state finals to become first seventh grader in state history to capture an individual state wrestling championship. Destin McCauley (Photo/The Guillotine)"It was probably the best I've ever felt," recalled Destin of his emotions after his finals victory. "It was a great feeling just knowing that I beat a lot of kids way older than me." Destin's father is quick to give credit to the Apple Valley coaching staff. "He just kept getting better and better as the season went on," said Todd McCauley. "He lost three matches, but we felt like it a lot of it had to do with conditioning and not managing his time. He avenged all three of those losses. The coaching staff got him ready and it showed at the end of the season." Jackson, who was named 2002 and 2003 National Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, believes there are several things that make Destin successful. "His athleticism, work ethic, commitment, and his parents' commitment are amazing," said Jackson. "Those are the things that I believe have made him what he is today. Plus, he excels in all three positions. He's tremendous on his feet and very offensive. He has great defense and is extremely hard to score on. He's quick. He turns people. And very few people have ridden him, especially late in the season." Destin plans to start this season wrestling at 112 pounds, but could eventually move back down to 103 pounds. He's still not sure what his plans are at this point. Whether it's fair or not, many wrestling fans in Minnesota are now putting the cart before the horse and speculating as to whether Destin McCauley can become the state's first six-time state champion. The pressure to win six state titles will most certainly increase with each consecutive state title he adds to his collection. So how will he handle that pressure? "I really believe he'll handle it very well," said Jackson. "I know it's a cliche, but I think he'll take it one match at a time and he'll take it one year at a time. He'll work to get better every day. I see that in him. He works hard. He has some goals set. We don't talk about him being a six-time state champion. We have never talked about it once. I try to avoid that. He knows it's there. We all do." This story also appears in the Nov. 17 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 more information on The Guillotine, click here.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan wrestling team set its 2006-07 starting rotation at the annual Maize and Blue Intrasquad on Friday (Nov. 10) in front of 616 fans at Cliff Keen Arena. After preliminary matches were held in practice throughout the preceding week, the intrasquad featured the final round of wrestleoffs at nine different weight classes. The 157-pound weight class provided the evening's closest battle as junior/sophomore Jeff Marsh (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) and fifth-year senior Rob Sulaver (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn HS) required a third match to decide the series victor. Marsh held the advantage entering the intrasquad meet after defeating Sulaver 5-4 at the Eastern Michigan Open last Saturday (Nov. 4), but Sulaver used a third-period takedown to claim a 4-3 decision in the second meeting and knot the series at one match apiece. The Wolverine pair retook the mat at the conclusion of the 10-match card, 45 minutes after their first match of the evening, and Marsh wasted little time before building a substantial lead, using a bear hug midway through the opening frame to take his opponent to his back for a five-point move. Sulaver fought off the pin and rallied with a takedown in each of the remaining periods, but could not overcome the early deficit as Marsh held on for a 8-5 decision. Two weight classes featured a pair of returning starters vying for a similar role this season. At 125 pounds, fifth-year senior Mark Moos (Lorian, Ohio/St. Edward HS), who wrestled one weight class higher in 2005-06, used four takedowns, including two in the first period, to post a 8-6 decision over last year's 125-pound starter, sophomore Michael Watts (Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS). Watts rallied late in the match, scoring a takedown with 20 seconds remaining, but Moos held on for the win. Junior/sophomore Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) retained his starting spot at 184 pounds, defeating fifth-year senior Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS), a three-year starter at 174 pounds, by a 4-0 margin. After a close and scoreless first period, Todd converted on a single leg to score the only points he would need in the closing seconds of the middle frame. By the end of the evening, four new faces had secured starting roles, including a pair of U-M rookies in freshmen Chris Diehl (Burton, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) and Matt Guhn (Clyde, Ohio/Clyde HS), who each swept his respective series at 133 pounds and heavyweight. Diehl used several combinations of headlocks, counters and go-behinds to convert on six takedowns against fellow freshman Mike Sears (Grand Blanc, Mich./Flint Powers Catholic). Three of those takedowns came in the final frame as Diehl racked up the points -- and 3:23 in riding time -- for a 14-4 major decision. Guhn brought a quick end to his contest against senior/junior Omar Maktabi (Iowa City, Iowa/West HS), using an outside trip to take Maktabi straight to his back and earn the fall at 0:59. Senior/junior Brad Cusumano (Utica, Mich./Utica HS) rounded out the newcomers to the starting lineup with a 10-6 decision over freshman Mark Beaudry (Pueblo, Colo./South HS). Cusamano picked up four takedowns, including three in the first period, and a pair of back points to claim the starting job. Senior/junior co-captains Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) and junior/sophomore Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS), all of whom bumped up one or two weight classes over the summer, cruised to victory in their respective wrestleoffs to claim starting roles at their new spots. In an exhibition contest at 149 pounds, Churella earned a 12-2 major decision over sophomore/freshman 157-pounder Braden L'Amoreaux (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston HS) on the strength of five takedowns and 3:24 in riding time. Tannenbaum and Luke won handily at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively, to resume starting roles two weight classes heavier. Tannenbaum scored five takedowns against sophomore/freshman Mike Milano (Rocky River, Ohio/Rocky River HS) and added 3:24 in riding time to earn a 12-2 major decision victory. Luke registered a pair of first-period takedowns and added another in the second en route to a 7-2 decision over freshman Scott Giffin (Berlin, N.J./Eastern Regional HS). Rounding out the evening's matches at 197 pounds, junior/sophomore Casey White (Commerce, Mich./Walled Lake Central HS) tallied a 9-3 decision against freshman Eddie Phillips (Woodland, Mich./Lakewood HS) behind four takedowns, two of which came in the first period, and 5:11 in riding time. The Wolverines will send a contingent of unattached competitors north to East Lansing, Mich., for the Michigan State Open on Sunday (Nov. 12). The tournament, Michigan's final pre-season tune-up, is slated to begin at 10 a.m. at Jenison Field House.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Two technical falls by University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestler Michael Keefe led the UTC wrestling team to a season-opening sweep of Davidson and Virginia Tech Saturday. The Mocs outscored Davidson 46-6 in a Southern Conference dual then defeated Virginia Tech 29-9 in the debut of UTC Head Coach Chris Bono. Against Davidson (0-1), the Mocs claimed all but one match. Sam O'Hair pinned Kyle McKee at 184 pounds for the Wildcats' lone points. Javier Maldonado scored a tech fall over Ben Altman at 125, and Josh Keefe registered an 18-5 major decision over Chris Panfili at 133. Michael Keefe's first tech fall came against Jim Avola at 5:32. Aaron Martin (149) and Nick Lorenzano (197) each pinned their respective opponents, and Seth Garvin (165) and Lloyd Rogers (174) added three team points apiece with decisions. Jake Yost (157) and Eric Rogers (285) each won their matches by forfeit. After dispatching Davidson, the Mocs handed Virginia Tech its first dual loss of the season. The Hokies entered the night with a perfect 4-0 mark. Other than Keefe's second tech fall of the evening, the Mocs (2-0) used major decisions from Maldonado, 2006 All-America Matt Keller (133) and Yost. Maldonado outpointed Sheridan Moran 14-3, Keller was a 15-2 winner over Matt Rosen and Yost recorded a 12-1 win over Matt Epperly. Martin, Garvin and Rogers won their second matches of the evening. Newcomer Mike Marable scored an 8-2 victory at 197 over Tim Miller for his first career win. Virginia Tech earned its nine team points at 184 and 285. Steve Borja pinned Kyle McKee at 184, and Jim Powers blanked Lorenzano 6-0 at heavyweight. The Mocs travel to Columbia, Mo., next Sunday to compete in the Missouri Open at the University of Missouri.

Fargo, ND -- Eleven Cardinal wrestlers picked up wins and seven placed at the 37th annual Bison Open hosted by North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND today. Facing some of the top competition in the nation, including wrestlers from top-ranked Minnesota, Stanford posted 35 total wins across 12 wrestlers. 187 wrestlers competed in the event, representing ten different schools from around the nation. Junior Tanner Gardner remained undefeated, earning four wins and a first place finish at 125 pounds. Gardner defeated Minnesota's Jayson Ness, 1-0, in the final to capture the title. At 157 pounds, junior Josh Zupancic finished in second place, posting four consecutive wins to advance to the final, before being defeated by fifth-ranked CP Schlatter of Minnesota, 3-0. At 165 pounds, two Cardinal wrestlers placed, with junior Scott Loescher finishing second and senior Brian Perry finishing third. Loescher picked up four-straight wins, including three by fall, to advance to the final, where he dropped a decision to Minnesota's Scott Glasser, 6-1. Perry won three-straight before meeting Glasser, but bounced back to win the consolation bracket with a 5-0 decision over Kyle Trout of MSU Moorhead. Sophomore Luke Feist placed third at 174 pounds, pinning Kenny Moenkedick of North Dakota State in 5:13 in the third place match. Freshman Zack Giesen finished the day with a 4-1 record, and took third place with a 3-0 decision over Travis Birhanzl of Southwest State at 184 pounds. Heavyweight Phillip Doerner rounded out the place-winners for the Cardinal, with a fifth-place finish. "I was happy with the overall team performance," said Head Coach Kerry McCoy. "We had some good wins and some tough losses. We got to see some guys that we wouldn't see until the NCAAs, so the trip was definitely worth it." Stanford (1-2) begins conference action on Friday, heading to Cal State Fullerton for its first Pac-10 dual.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The University of Oklahoma wrestling team won the seventh annual SUNY Brockport/Oklahoma Gold tournament for the seventh consecutive year. OU won by 32.5 points as it accumulated 143 team points. Kent State was the runner-up with 109.5 team points. The Sooners also claimed five individual titles. Oklahoma was led by Sam Hazewinkel as he won his fourth straight 125-pound championship. Hazewinkel defeated Mike Sees of Bloomsburg by a fall at the 5:55 mark. In addition to his individual title Hazewinkel also won the Outstanding Wrestler award for the tournament. "I was very pleased overall with the way our team wrestled today," head coach Jack Spates said. "We looked very sharp and saw a lot of good things that we will be able to build on." Shane Seibert won the 165-pound weight class as he defeated Shawn Kitchner of Brown by a major decision of 7-0. Joshua Weitzel claimed the 174-pound weight class title as he defeated Aaron Miller of Kent State by a decision of 5-0. Joel Flaggert earned his second 197-pound Brockport title as he defeated Conner Sanders of Army, by a fall at the 6:34 mark. Brad Farmer earned his first individual title as he defeated Michael Sprigg of Army by a decision of 7-3. Nolan Spring defeated Dan Hilt by a decision of 5-3 for fifth place. Kyle Terry lost in the finals of the 141-pound weight class by a decision of 4-3 to Tony Curto of Bloomsburg. Chad Terry defeated Brian Rowan of Army by a decision of 7-2 for fifth place at 149-pounds. Will Rowe was the runner-up at 157-pounds as he was defeated by Arie Fuhrman of Bloomsburg by a decision of 6-5. Josh Hinton claimed fifth place at 184 pounds as he defeated Tom LaRosa of Kent State by a major decision of 10-2. "Sam looked very dominant in his performance tonight, and I was very impressed with the way he wrestled," Spates continued. Oklahoma stays on the road following Brockport as it travels to the Missouri Open in Columbia, Mo., on Sunday, Nov. 19, for an all day event. The Sooners return home on Saturday, Nov. 25, when they host the Oklahoma Open and wrestle their next home dual on Wednesday, Nov. 29, when the University of Central Oklahoma travels to the Howard McCasland Field House.

Eight Minnesota wrestlers claimed titles today as the Golden Gopher wrestling team opened its season at the Bison Open in Fargo, N.D. Manuel Rivera, Dustin Schlatter, C.P. Schlatter, Gabe Dretsch and Roger Kish all successfully defended their titles from a year ago, while true freshman Scott Glasser earned first place at 165. Joe Nord and Ben Berhow were claimed co-champions in the heavyweight division. Seven other Minnesota wrestlers placed in the top-five in their respective weight classes. Redshirt freshman Jayson Ness, who appears to be the frontrunner to start at 125 pounds, turned in an impressive performance on his way to a runner-up finish. Ness pinned each of his first three opponents before being narrowly defeated, 1-0, by Tanner Gardner in the championship match. In the first round, Ness pinned Mogi Baatar in 1:48 before earning a fall against Brandon Rifa in just 55 seconds. Ness earned a spot in the finals with a pin of NDSU's Mike Meger in 4:55. True freshman Jake Mellmer was solid in his Golden Gopher debut, turning in a third-place finish at 133 pounds, winning each of his final four matches. He began the day with a 4-2 decision over Stanford's Cameron Teitelman before falling to Derek Bomstad of MSU-Mankato. Mellmer won his next match by default before earning consecutive decisions over Brady Schneeberger, Troy McFarland and Shane Hase to claim third place. Manuel Rivera cruised to the 141-pound title with two pins and one major decision. Rivera shut out Josiah Simburger on his way to a 15-0 tech fall in his first match. He then pinned Tyler Faust in 3:50 in the quarterfinals and earned a fall over Greg Skerik in 1:03 to make his way to the finals. Rivera defeated NDSU's Gabe Mooney, 5-1, in the championship match to successfully defend his title from a year ago. Defending national champion Dustin Schlatter picked up right where he left off last year as he dominated the 149-pound weight class. Schlatter gave up just one point on the day, pinning two opponents and earning tech falls in his other two matches. Schlatter began the day with a 16-1 tech fall over Tyler Parker of Stanford. He pinned his next two opponents and before capping his day with a 15-0 tech fall over MSU-Mankato's Johnathan Jimenez in the championship match. Senior Juan Martinez took third place at 149, winning four of five matches on the day. Martinez began with a pin of Johnathan Jimenez in 3:01 in his first match, then claimed an 11-5 decision over Shawn Sneva. After being defeated in the semifinals, Martinez pinned his next opponent in 1:33 and earned a 9-1 major decision over MSU-Mankato's Shane Walton to claim third place. C.P. Schlatter was equally impressive on his way to the 157-pound title. The elder Schlatter brother began his day with a 15-0 tech fall in just 2:41 over Jeremy Welter. He then posted back-to-back major decisions, a 9-1 victory over Ross Malikowski and a 15-3 win over NDSU's Adam Aho. Schlatter defeated Josh Zupancic of Stanford, 3-0, in the finals to earn his second straight title at the Bison Open. Sophomore Tyler Safratowich also turned in a solid showing at 157 pounds, earning a third-place finish. Safratowich posted consecutive 10-2 major decisions in his first two matches before being defeated by Stanford's Zupancic. He claimed a 15-3 major decision over Jacob Malone and then defeated NDSU's Aho in the third-place match. Wrestling unattached, true freshman Scott Glasser, a former five-time North Dakota state champion, was impressive in his debut, pinning three opponents and earning a major decision on his way to the 165-pound title. Glasser earned a fall over Jarret Hall in 1:37 in the first round. He followed it up with a pin of MSU-Mankato's Dustin Nagel in the second round, a 9-1 major decision over Zach Molitor and pin of Stanford's Brian Perry in the semis to earn his place in the finals. Glasser claimed the title with a 6-1 victory over another Stanford wrestler, Scott Loescher, in the finals. Gabe Dretsch successfully defended his 174-pound title at the Bison Open with a solid performance in the season opener. Dretsch defeated Cody Pahan 10-5 in the first round and then claimed a 17-2 tech fall over MSU-Mankato's Eric Roseen in the quarterfinals. He advanced to the finals with an 8-7 decision over Stanford's Luke Feist and then shut out NDSU's Matt Herman, 6-0, to claim the title. Roger Kish cruised to the 184-pound title with three pins and a major decision. Kish began his day with consecutive pins of Eric Wenzel and Tony Neumann in 2:50 and 4:59, respectively. Kish advanced to the finals with a 15-7 major decision over Zach Giesen and finished the day with a pin of NDSU's Matt Wetterling in the finals. Minnesota wrestlers claimed three of the top four spots in the 197-pound division. Wrestling unattached, true freshman Brent Eidenshink earned a runner-up finish in his debut. Eidenshink defeated teammate Justin Bronson in the semis to earn his place in the title match, and Bronson responded by defeating fellow Gopher Chris McPhail in the third-place match. Eidenshink finished the day with a 3-1 record, including one pin. Bronson went 4-1 with a pin, a technical fall and a major decision to his credit, and McPhail posted a 3-2 mark on the day. A pair of Golden Gopher freshman met in the championship match of the heavyweight division. Joe Nord pinned Jacob Evenson in 3:34 and earned a 5-2 decision over Stanford's Phil Doerner to earn his place in the finals where he met teammate Ben Berhow. Berhow advanced to the title match with a 6-1 decision over Joe Facchinni, a 5-2 decision over Evan Hacker and a pin of Jake Morgan in 1:53. Nord and Berhow were claimed co-champions.