InterMat Staff

The West Virginia University wrestling team got off to a good start in their two-day California road swing by defeating Cal State Fullerton,27-12, in a dual meet on Wednesday, January 2, in Fullerton, Calif. The Mountaineers (2-1) scored an impressive victory over the Titans (3-3) after winning seven of 10 bouts, including two pin falls. WVU received an immediate boost as two-time All-American Brandon Rader (141) returned to the starting lineup after battling a knee injury and pinned Fullerton's Teddy Astorga in 1:30. Senior Zac Fryling (157) also pinned Devin Velasquez of the Titans in 3:25 to cap a dominant victory. Junior Jared Garvin (133) went the distance in his first start of the season, defeating Armando Gonzalez in a 2-1 decision that lasted two overtimes. In the lightweight division, Kyle Turnbull (125) improved to 2-1 on the season with a 4-2 decision over Andre Gonzalez. At 184 pounds, Kurt Brenner earned an impressive win over No. 14-ranked Ian Murphy. Brenner scored a 3-2 decision to continue his fast start. Senior Jared Villers (197), who leads the team with seven wins, followed with an 8-3 decision over John Drake. Chance Litton (174) also contributed with a 6-0 decision over the Titans' Todd Noel. Cal State Fullerton followed its first dual loss with a victory over Oregon, 22-17, in the second meet of the night. The Mountaineers return to action on Thursday, January 3, as they face the Cal Poly Mustangs in San Luis Obispo, Calif., at 1 p.m. PT

THIS WEEK The top-ranked Iowa wrestling team (7-0) will host Oklahoma State (5-1) Saturday at 7 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Cowboys are ranked sixth in the USA Today/Intermat/NWCA Coaches poll and ninth in the W.I.N. Magazine dual team rankings. The match has been designated as a "Be Bold, Wear Gold" event, where fans are encouraged to wear gold attire to the meet. The UI Athletics Ticket Office has already sold over 8,000 tickets for the meet and encourages fans to purchase tickets in advance. Tickets purchased in advance are $8 for adults and $4 for youth. Prices increase to $10 and $5 on match night. Tickets can be purchased online at www.hawkeyesports.com, over the telephone at 1-800 IA-HAWKS, and at the ticket office in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. ON THE AIR Radio - Steven Grace and two-time Hawkeye NCAA champion and four-time all-American Mark Ironside will call the action live on AM-800, KXIC. All dual meets will be broadcast live, as will action from the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. Live audio broadcasts from all competitions will be available online at www.hawkeyesports.com. To listen online, go to the wrestling schedule, click on the event and click on the Listen link. Broadcasts are available using the Hawkeye All-Access subscription ($9.95 per month or $79.95 per year) or the CSTV XXL Premium subscription ($119.95 per year). Internet - Press releases, meet results and audio broadcasts are available on the University of Iowa's website, www.hawkeyesports.com. To access live dual scoring, go to the wrestling schedule page, select the event and click on the Livestats link. Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com. JOHNSON COUNTY I-CLUB LUNCHEON The annual Johnson County I-Club wrestling luncheon will be held Friday at 11:45 a.m. at the First Avenue Club in Iowa City. Tickets are $13 and must be purchased in advance. To purchase tickets, make a check payable to the Johnson County I-Club and mail to:Iowa Wrestling, ATTN: Luncheon, 223 Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, IA 52242. OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS Oklahoma State is 5-1 with wins over Binghamton (47-3), Clarion (38-6), Hofstra (20-16) and American (42-0), and a loss to Oklahoma (21-9). The Cowboys finished second at the Reno Tournament of Champions, crowning two individual champs. Head Coach John Smith is 255-33-2 in 17 years at Oklahoma State. Smith, who is the all-time winningest coach in school history, was a two-time NCAA champion (1987-88) for the Cowboys and a two-time Olympic gold medalist (1988, 1992). He is assisted by Mark Branch and Eric Guerrero, who wrestled for Smith at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys return three all-Americans in seniors Coleman Scott (133) and Nathan Morgan (141), and junior Brandon Mason (174). Scott is ranked first in the nation and is 14-2. Morgan is ranked first, fourth and sixth in the nation by three different polls and is 16-2. Mason, a native of Shenandoah, IA, is ranked between fourth and sixth, and is 13-2. HAWKEYE SOPHOMORES TO BE PUT TO THE TEST Hawkeye sophomores Joe Slaton (133), Dan LeClere (141), Ryan Morningstar (157) and Jay Borschel (174) are all set to have matches against higher or similar-ranked opponents Saturday. Slaton, who is ranked in the top three, will face top-ranked senior Coleman Scott at 133. Scott placed second at the 2007 NCAA Championships and is 14-2 this season. It will be the first meeting between the two. LeClere will wrestle senior two-time all-American Nathan Morgan, who is ranked in the top six at 141. The two were set to meet at the 2006 Northern Iowa Open where LeClere was competing unattached. Morgan was forced to medically forfeit the match. Morningstar and his opponent - junior Newly McSpadden - are both ranked between 14-20 at 157. Morningstar holds a 2-1 advantage against McSpadden, winning the first two meetings last season by decisions (5-3, 2-1 TB-2), but losing the last meeting at the dual in Stillwater (2-0). McSpadden is 16-3 this season. Borschel will face Shenandoah native Brandon Mason, who is ranked in the top six at 174. Mason is a returning all-American and holds a 13-2 record this season. Mason won the only collegiate meeting between the two - a 4-2 decision at the 2006 Kaufman-Brand Open while Borschel was competing unattached. LAST MEETING Iowa fell to 9-2 with a 21-11 loss at Stillwater on Jan. 19. The Cowboys improved to 10-3 with the win, and extended their winning streak in the series to eight matches. It was also Iowa's second loss to Oklahoma State in seven days. The Cowboys scored a 22-13 win on Jan. 13 at the N.W.C.A./Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, IA. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a solid start behind decisions from sophomore Charlie Falck (125) and senior Alex Grunder (149), as both avenged early season losses to their respective Cowboy opponents. Falck narrowly missed a major decision with a 9-2 win over redshirt freshman Tyler Shinn in the opening match. Grunder defeated freshman Dakotah Simpson, 5-2. The Cowboys picked up wins at 133 and 141, making the team score 6-6 after the first four matches. That score put Iowa in a much better position than the 15-0 deficit it was in at the same point at National Duals. Oklahoma State picked up wins at 157 and 165, including two-time defending NCAA Champion Johny Hendricks' sixth career win over Iowa junior Mark Perry at 165. Hawkeye senior Eric Luedke scored a last second reversal to defeat Brandon Mason, 2-1 at 174, making the team score 12-9 in Oklahoma State's favor. But Iowa could not keep the momentum as Cowboy Jack Jensen scored a 3-2 decision over redshirt freshman Phillip Keddy at 184 and a team point was deducted from Iowa for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving Oklahoma State a 15-8 lead. Hawkeye sophomore 197-pounder Dan Erekson suffered a separated shoulder in his match with Jared Shelton and was forced to injury default, putting the team win out of reach for Iowa. Hawkeye junior Matt Fields ended the dual with a 6-4 decision in sudden victory over Jared Rosholt at heavyweight. Oklahoma State 21, Iowa 11 125 - Charlie Falck (I) dec. Tyler Shinn (OSU), 9-2 133 - Coleman Scott (OSU) dec. Mario Galanakis (I), 5-2 141 - Nathan Morgan (OSU) dec. Alex Tsirtsis (I), 6-2 149 - Alex Grunder (I) dec. Dakotah Simpson (OSU), 5-2 157 - Newly McSpadden (OSU) dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 2-0 165 - Johny Hendricks (OSU) dec. Mark Perry (I), 4-3 174 - Eric Luedke (I) dec. Brandon Mason (OSU), 2-1 184 - Jack Jensen (OSU) dec. Phillip Keddy (I), 3-2 197 - Jared Shelton (OSU) won by injury default over Dan Erekson (I) Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) dec. Jared Rosholt (OSU), 6-4 SV-1 HAVEN'T WE MET? Following are results for potential Iowa-Oklahoma State match-ups: 141 - Dan LeClere (I) vs. Nathan Morgan (OSU) - 1-0 LeClere won by medical forfeit, 2006 Northern Iowa Open* 141 - Alex Tsirtsis (I) vs. Nathan Morgan (OSU) - 0-2 Morgan dec. Tsirtsis, 4-2, at 2007 National Duals Morgan dec. Tsirtsis, 6-2, at 2007 dual 157 - Ryan Morningstar (I) vs. Newly McSpadden (OSU) - 2-1 Morningstar dec. McSpadden, 5-3, at 2006 Kaufman-Brand Open Morningstar dec. McSpadden, 2-1 TB-2, at 2007 National Duals McSpadden dec. Morningstar, 2-0, at 2007 dual 174 - Jay Borschel (I) vs. Brandon Mason (OSU) - 0-1 Mason dec. Borschel, 4-2, at 2006 Kaufman-Brand Open* 184 - Rick Loera (I) vs. Cody Hill (OSU) - 0-1 Hill maj. dec. Loera, 9-1, at 2006 Kaufman-Brand Open Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) vs. Jared Rosholt (OSU) - 1-1 Rosholt dec. Fields, 2-1, at 2007 National Duals Fields dec. Rosholt, 6-4 SV-1, at 2007 dual PERSONNEL NOTES Hawkeye senior 165-pounder Mark Perry is the nephew of Oklahoma State Head Coach John Smith. Perry's father, Mark Perry, Sr., was a two-time Big 12 Conference champion (1984-85) at 118 pounds and a three-year letterwinner (1983-85) for the Cowboys. He also served as an assistant coach on the Oklahoma State wrestling staff for eight seasons (1992-99). THE SERIES Oklahoma State leads the series, 24-16-1, and has won the last eight meetings. Iowa's last win in the series was 20-14, in Iowa City in 2000. Iowa holds a 9-8 advantage in matches wrestled in Iowa City. HAWKEYES WIN MIDLANDS TITLE, CROWN FOUR CHAMPIONS The Hawkeyes crowned four individual champions en route to winning the 2007 Midlands team title Sunday night in Evanston, IL. Iowa won its 19th team title in school history and its first since 2002. Iowa scored 185 points to win the 45th annual tournament. Defending team champion Iowa State placed second with 139. Iowa went four-for-five in the finals with junior Mark Perry (165) and sophomores Joe Slaton (133), Dan LeClere (141) and Brent Metcalf (149) each winning individual titles. It was Perry's second career title and his fourth appearance in the finals. It was the first title for Slaton, LeClere and Metcalf. Slaton set the tone for Iowa in the finals with a 6-2 upset over top seed Franklin Gomez of Indiana to remain undefeated at 12-0. LeClere followed with a narrow 5-4 upset over second seed Zack Bailey of Oklahoma. Metcalf won Iowa's third straight title, racking up third-period points to beat fifth seed Jake Patascil of Purdue by an 18-5 major decision. Perry made Iowa four-for-four in the finals with his 8-0 major decision over fifth seed Jonathan Reader of Iowa State. Sophomore Jay Borschel wrestled above his sixth seed, but could not pull the upset over top seed Keith Gavin of Pittsburgh and lost Iowa's final championship match, 13-4. For his efforts, Perry was named the Art Kraft Champion of Champions and the Dan Gable Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. He scored the most team points (30) of any competitor in the tournament, and recorded the most falls in the fastest time (four in 8:10). Also placing for the Hawkeyes were seniors Alex Tsirtsis (141-3rd) and Matt Fields (Hwt.-8th), junior Charlie Falck (125-3rd), and sophomores Phillip Keddy (184-4th) and Ryan Morningstar (157-5th). Tsirtsis was wrestling unattached. BIG TEN NETWORK SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED The Big Ten Network has released its 2007-08 wrestling schedule. Nine duals and the finals of the 2007 Midlands Championships and 2008 Big Ten Championships are scheduled to be aired on the network. Iowa will have two televised duals on the network. The Iowa-Ohio State dual on Jan. 18 in Columbus will air same-day tape-delayed at 8:30 p.m. (CT) and the Iowa-Minnesota dual on Feb. 1 in Minneapolis will air live at 7 p.m. (CT). The Iowa-Oklahoma State dual on Jan. 5 was originally scheduled for a tape-delayed broadcast, but will not be aired due to the addition of the Iowa-Minnesota dual. CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home of Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes are 158-17 (.903) 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. IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 816-214-30 (.784) in 96 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles and 31 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 48 NCAA champions have won a total of 74 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 13 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 100 Big Ten champions have won a total of 181 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 130 all-Americans have earned all-America status 266 times, including 16 four-time, 28 three-time and 32 two-time honorees. NEXT COMPETITION Top-ranked Iowa (7-0) will compete at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Jan. 12-13 at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. The two-day annual tournament features 16 teams from NCAA Division I, 12 from NCAA Division II, 15 from NCAA Division III and NAIA, eight NJCAA teams, seven NCWA teams and five women's wrestling teams.

On Friday January 25, USA Wrestling CT will be hosting a copper level certification clinic from 6:30 to 9:30 at Trinity College in Hartford CT. Registration will begin at 6pm. The cost of the clinic is $30, USA Wrestling card required. All participants are invited to the Trinity College wrestling room prior to the clinic to view the Bantam's practice from 4:15-6:15.

Greeley, Colo. -- Husker head wrestling coach Mark Manning collected his 100th dual win at Nebraska as the Huskers rolled to a 38-6 dual victory over Northern Colorado on Wednesday night. NU collected six bonus-point victories in the dual as they improved to 5-1 on the year. Manning continues to cement his place as one of the winningest coaches in Husker history. He is now 100-40-2 since coming to Lincoln in 2000, while his 100 dual victories trail only Tim Neumann (199) in NU history. Manning was 8-9 in his first season, but has collected more than 10 wins every year since. Nebraska started the match with a forfeit at 133 pounds, but it was all Huskers after that as NU won the final nine matches of the night, including six bonus-point wins. Leading the way for the Huskers was junior Brandon Browne, who pinned Ryan Johnson in 3:49 at 174 pounds and collected his team-leading 19th win of the season. Sophomores Jordan Burroughs and Craig Brester collected technical-fall victories as Burroughs notched a 21-6 win at 149 pounds and Brester improved to a perfect 5-0 in duals this season with a 21-5 victory at 197. Junior Paul Donahoe also stayed perfect on the year at 125 pounds with a 17-6 major decision over Tony Mustari, while sophomore Stephen Dwyer and junior Vince Jones also collected major decisions at 165 and 184, respectively. Patrick Aleksanyan notched his second dual win of the season at 141 pounds with a 6-1 decision, while Chris Oliver returned to action at 157 with a 5-0 decision over Justin Gaethje. Senior Jon May captured the lone win of the night over a ranked opponent as he defeated No. 20 Reece Hopkin, 7-6, in the heavyweight class. The Huskers continue their road trip with a Friday night dual against Oregon State at 9 p.m. CT at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore.

Last month, wrestling fans were treated to two exciting weekends of wrestling in a row at the Walsh Ironman and the Beast of the East. The Falcons of St. Paris Graham defeated perennial powerhouse Blair Academy to win the Ironman. Blair bounced back to win the Beast over quickly rising Central Dauphin. RevWrestling.com looks back and recaps the two most prestigious regular season high school events in the country. 103 Pounds: Hunter Stieber of Monroeville (Ohio) and Sean Boylan of St. Marks (Delaware) showed why they are two of the best in the nation at this weight class. Stieber showed poised and dominated from the neutral position in winning the Ironman. His semifinal win over Gus Sako of St. Edwards (Ohio) was a classic battle. Boylan meanwhile scored the majority of his points from the top position in winning the Beast. Despite falling behind early, he rallied in the quart-finals to defeat Evan Silver of Blair Academy (New Jersey). A match-up between these two is not expected, but who wouldn't love to these two go at it. 112 Pounds: David Taylor proved why he is the best in the nation at this weight and why this writer will never pick against him. At all positions Taylor is just smooth, and always looking to score. His 7-1 win in the finals over Jamie Clark of St. Edwards (Ohio) was not as close as it looks. Meanwhile, Sean Boyle of Blair Academy (New Jersey) improved on his third place finish at the Ironman by winning the Beast. Boyle was really not tested throughout the tournament, and should give Taylor a match when Blair and Graham meet in February. 119 Pounds: Logan Stieber, another member of that dynamic Monroeville (Ohio) squad picked up his first Ironman title. Stieber like his younger brother dominated from the neutral position and just was unbelievable when on top. Michael Garafalo of Colonial Forge (Virginia) rebounded from last weeks 4th place at the Ironman by defeating Nick Schenk of McDonogh (Maryland) in the finals. Garafalo was able to score a couple late takedowns to give Schenk his first high school loss. 125 Pounds: Let me just say up front, Chris Villalonga of Blair Academy (New Jersey) is highly underrated. Two weeks in a row we picked him to finish runner-up and he proved us wrong both times. Villalonga won both tournaments by dominating from the top position and scoring when possible. He defeated two Junior National All-Americans at the Beast, Patrick Hunter of St. Benedicts (New Jersey) and Joe Trause of Bergen Catholic (New Jersey). Villalonga belongs with the elite at 125. 130 Pounds: Brad Squire of Wadsworth (Ohio), an Ohio State Champion as a freshman last year has officially broke onto the national scene. Squire was very physical and just wrestled at a higher pace than anyone in that weight class at Ironman. This wrestler has a bright future. Andrew Grabfelder of Germantown Academy (Pennsylvania) rebounded from the previous week finish at Ironman to upset Anthony Valles of Blair Academy (New Jersey). Valles scored a late takedown in the third period looking to send the match into overtime, when Grabfelder hit a Peterson roll to win the match. One of the more entertaining matches at the Beast. 135 Pounds: What else can you say about Collin Palmer? He is incredibly tough on top with the powerhalf, which helped him to finally secure his first Ironman title. Hats off to freshman Austin Ormsbee who wrestled Palmer 2-1 in the second round of the tournament. Also, it was rewarding to see the hometown kid Chase Skonieczny of Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) score one of the bigger upsets of the tournament in defeating No. 1 ranked Collin Johnston of Canon-McMillan (Pennsylvania). Winning the Beast was Ken Courts of Central Dauphin (Pennsylvania). For those who have not seen this kid, it is a close resemblance to watching Teyon Ware. Courts has incredible speed and is relentless on top with Central Dauphin's trademark hazard tilt series. Courts sustained a knee injury in the finals of the Beast but should be back before the season's over. 140 Pounds: Pennsylvania state champion Jordan Shields of Burrell (Pennsylvania) came from the No. 4 seed to win the Ironman. Shields displayed solid fundamental skills and was tough to score on from all positions. Marshall Peppelman, another member of Central Dauphin (Pennsylvania) used their trademark hazard tilt series to dismantle the competition. NJ State place-winner Anthony Baldasarro of Delsea Regional (New Jersey) had a solid tournament, but just could not stop the younger Peppleman once he got on top. 145 Pounds: Jon Burns of Cardinal Gibbons (North Carolina) scored the upset of the tournament when he defeated No. 1- ranked Mario Mason of Blair Academy (New Jersey). Mason, competing with an injury did his best but hats off to Burns who then defeated two-time Ohio state champ Ben Jordan of St. Paris Graham (Ohio) in the finals. Peter Yates of Salem (Georgia) ended Central Dauphin's hopes of a team championship when he defeated Walter Peppleman of Central Dauphin (Pennsylvania). After a scoreless first, Peppleman chose top, yes that's right top only to have Yates reverse him. Yates added another takedown late to seal the victory and move himself up in the rankings. 152 Pounds: Alex Meade in winning both the Ironman and Beast showed fans that he is a complete wrestler. He showed mat savvy and grit in defeating Coby Boyd of St. Paris Graham (Ohio) in an overtime thriller to win the Ironman. He then showed total dominance from the neutral position. He scored numerous takedowns in his semifinal bout at the Beast over Brandon Rolnick of Lawrenceville (New Jersey) before defeating Ocean Township's Nick Menditto in the final. 160 Pounds: Josh Condon of Harrison (Georgia) scored another huge upset at Ironman defeating Eric Cubberly of Pemberville Eastwood (Ohio) in the semifinals. He then defeated Alex Munoz of Bishop Lynch (TX) who upset several nationally ranked wrestlers on his way to the finals. Winning the Beast was Scott Winston of Jackson Memorial (New Jersey). Winston is unbelievable from the neutral position. He posses tremendous speed and ability. It is very rare to find an upper weight wrestler who wrestles like a light-weight. 171 Pounds: Chris Phillips and Quentin Wright were the winners at Ironman and Beast. Phillips the freshman out of Monroeville (Ohio) was entertaining to watch. Not since Damion Hahn has their been a freshman upper-weight with this talent. Phillips has a funky style that enables him to score at will from neutral. His final win over Brian Roddy of St. Edwards (Ohio) was arguably the best final match at Ironman. Quentin Wright of Bald Eagle Area (Pennsylvania) is just on another level. Wright dominated the competition at Beast. His final win over Corey Peltier of Blair Academy (New Jersey) was expected, but Peltier a defending Beast champ could not match up to Wright. Penn State has a future star on their hands. 189 Pounds: Joe Budi of Kuakuana (Wisconsin) came into Ironman a relative unknown to fans but left a fan favorite after his major decision win in the finals over Cody Magrum of Oak Harbor (Ohio). Budi had wins by fall and 2 wins by major decision. Erich Schmidtke of Aberdeen (Washington) made to the trip to the Beast looking to make a name for himself, and that he did. A state champion in Washington, Schmidtke proved himself to be among the elite at 189 by way of his 3-2 victory over New Jersey state champion Mac Mancuso of Holy Spirit (New Jersey). 215 Pounds: Matt Fisher of Sandusky Perkins (Ohio) and Glen Carson of Southern Regional (New Jersey) were the champions at Ironman and Beast. Fisher dominated the field early in the tournament eventually defeated Matt Lindamood of Parkersburg (West Virginia) 3-2 in the finals. Glen Carson meanwhile continues to rise in the national rankings. Carson, a state runner-up from New Jersey dominated from the neutral position to win. Carson and Fisher are not your usual 215 pound wrestlers. 285 Pounds: Garrett Goebel of Montini Catholic (Illinois) is going the football route next year, but this year it is all business on the mat. Goebel used a series of throws to pin thru the early rounds. Hats off James Meder who came from the No. 7 to make the final before losing to Goebel 3-1. Nick Cook of Fauquier (Virginia) rebounded from a third- place finish at the Ironman to win the Beast. Cook defeated nationally ranked John Hiles of S. Francis DeSales (Ohio) in sudden victory to win the championship.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" will feature Andy Hamilton and Tom Borrelli "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. Borrelli is the current head wrestling coach at Central Michigan University. His Chippewa squad is currently ranked sixth by Intermat. In 1998, when his team placed fifth in the nation, W.I.N. Magazine and the National Wrestling Coaches Association named Borrelli its coach of the year. Hamilton currently covers wrestling for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. His articles have appeared in a variety of prominent wrestling publications including ESPN.com. Considered one of the best wrestling journalists in the nation, Hamilton was selected by the National Wrestling Media Association as their journalist of the year in 2003. "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.

Minnesota wrestling's Jayson Ness has been named the Big Ten's Wrestler of the Week, the conference office announced today. Ness earned the honor after pinning his way to a 125-pound individual title in six matches at last weekend's Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C. The sophomore led the defending national champions to a lopsided 50-point team victory at the annual tournament, the program's second Southern Scuffle team win in three years. Ranked third in the nation at 125 pounds, Ness' eye-popping weekend performance continued what has been an outstanding season for the Bloomington, Minn. native. Ness notched three of his six pins in less than two minutes before winning the championship bout over No. 13 Mike Sees of Bloomsburg University with a fall at the 5:58 mark. Ness currently boasts a perfect 19-0 record (already the 21st-longest win streak in Gopher history) and has collected 15 of those wins by way of fall. He is well on his way to establishing a new Minnesota single-season record for pins, and has already tied his career high set last year. Ness' current pin tally is already the seventh-highest total in program history, and he is on pace to shatter the all-time mark of 20 (set by current Gopher head assistant coach Marty Morgan in 1989-90). This is the third Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honor for Ness during his short career, as he earned the award twice last season en route to his first All-American finish at the 2007 NCAA Championships. The sophomore currently has a career record of 59-5, with 30 of those wins coming by way of fall – the 11th-highest total in Minnesota history. This is the first weekly honor for the defending national champions during the 2007-08 season. The Gophers will resume competition Jan. 12-13 as they look to defend their 2007 National Duals title in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The 2007 Southern Scuffle concluded this weekend with the University of Minnesota running away with the team championship. The Golden Gophers crowned four champions (Jayson Ness at 125, Mack Reiter at 133, Manny Rivera at 141, and C.P. Schlatter at 157). This season's Scuffle provided fans with plenty of entertainment and upsets. RevWrestling.com was in Greensboro and provides a list of 10 things wrestling fans can take away from the 2007 Southern Scuffle. 10. The ACC Conference is for real Yes, that's right you heard me, the Atlantic Coastal Conference that used to be viewed as one of the weaker conference in the nation has now become one of the strongest. Thanks to Steve Garland and Pat Santoro, the University of Virginia and the University of Maryland combined had five finalists at the Scuffle and several more place-winners. Combined with Maryland's upset victory over the University of Michigan at the Journeymen/Northeast Duals, and the ACC has two legitimate top 15 teams. Schools like UNC, NC State and Virginia Tech only make this conference stronger. Look for the ACC's number of allocated NCAA entries to increase in the next couple years. 9. Cornell is a mystery to the wrestling world Despite having four All-Americans last year and two finalists this year, the Big Red has all the talent in the world, but seems to continually come up short. This is a team that when healthy could compete with any team in the nation, but the keyword is when healthy. The Big Red had their freshmen sensation duo of Mack Lewnes (165) and Mike Grey (133) reach the finals, only to have three starters pull out of the tournament with injuries. Only time will tell whether the Big Red is a pretender or a contender for an NCAA crown. 8. Redshirting is not for everyone The trend toward letting true freshmen in the lineup is alive and well. In the past, only certain programs would let a wrestler right out of a high school compete for a starting spot. However, many high school seniors are competing and doing well in college opens, which begs the question, if a wrestler is good enough as a freshman, why red-shirt them? Look no further than the two finalists at the Scuffle, Kirk Smith of Boise State and Michael Chaires of Virginia. Chaires lost to fellow freshman Mack Lewnes in the finals, while Smith won the title at 184, defeating several nationally-ranked wrestlers. Although Smith competed unattached, it is rumored Boise State may put him into the lineup in the second part of the season, and why not … he is more than ready. 7. Jayson Ness is a pinner It was amazing to see the Golden Gopher dominate his weight class at the Scuffle. Ness had six falls with four of them coming in the first period. Ness was awarded the Most Falls Award and would have been a logical choice for Outstanding Wrestler if his teammate, Dustin Schlatter, were not upset in the finals. Ness has such leverage when riding and his half nelson is something fans have not seen since the days of Gene Mills. Although it is early, Ness will be one of the favorites at 125 pounds come March. 6. The Navy dilemma Ed Prendergast (Photo/Tech-Fall)Some universities have problems filling and training a quality heavyweight. The weight class is such a premium at the college level that teams will do anything they can to get one. Navy is the envy of every college program in that they have two heavyweights who could compete for a national crown in March. Who gets the spot? In yesterdays final, senior Ed Pendergast picked up the fall over junior Scott Steele in triple-overtime. Steele had won the first wrestle-off over Pendergast. The two have also flip-flopped in tournament placements at Reno. One thing is for sure, Navy coach Bruce Burnett has a problem every university wishes it had. 5. Mack Lewnes is the best freshman in the nation Lewnes is 22-1 on the season, and has won Reno and Scuffle, but what makes this freshman so tough is his ability to find ways to win. During the Scuffle, Lewnes was able to adapt his style for each of his matches. In the semi's against Jared King, Lewnes used great counter-offense, while in the finals against Michael Chaires of Virginia. Lewnes scored on a late flurry to win the title. Lewnes has yet to match up with anyone in the top 5, but National Duals will hopefully give this freshman a chance to prove doubters wrong. 4. Minnesota will finish the year No. 1 Despite falling early, the Golden Gophers are the best tournament team in the nation, and that's all that matters in March. The Gophers should have run away with the title last year, but stumbled in the later rounds. Even with "King Cole" Konrad gone, the Gophers can rely on the Schlatter brothers, Mack Reiter, Jayson Ness and Roger Kish to bring home Coach Robinson another NCAA title. Minnesota won the team title by 52 points over second-place finisher Edinboro … and that was without the help of two-time All-American Roger Kish, who would have definitely been a favorite at 184 pounds. The Gophers are a senior-led team and while their grasp on the national title may end in the future, it will not happen this season. 3. Most underrated wrestler at the Scuffle: Hudson Taylor The sophomore redshirt from Maryland dominated his weight class at the 2007 Scuffle after finishing third and fourth in the previous two trips to the Scuffle. Despite being ranked 10th, Taylor is highly underrated. He has tremendous quickness and is powerful with the legs. Taylor has some early-season losses, but with solid workout partners in the room, he should run through the ACC schedule and compete for a high All-American spot in March. 2. UNC Greensboro runs a first-class event Without getting into whether the Southern Scuffle is better than the Midlands, let me just applaud all the individuals who helped in making this tournament possible. Plenty of fan seating, easy to move around and see bouts, and the racecar parked next to the elevated mat was a nice touch as well. The Scuffle does not have the history that the Midlands does, but make no mistake … it definitely has the competition. In many weight classes, the Scuffle had the tougher bracket. If the Scuffle could draw another big school to its tournament, it could very well be on its way to surpassing the Midlands as the premier holiday college tournament. 1. Mike Roberts will contend for All-American status this season Roberts came into the tournament unseeded but still an accomplished wrestler. He won a Junior National championship in Fargo and was a conference champion last season, but now he can add something to his resume. Roberts wrestled a brilliant match against No. 2 Darrion Caldwell of NC State, slowing down the entertaining Caldwell and eventually converting a late double-leg shot into a fall to shock the crowd early Saturday morning. Roberts then won three straight hard fought bouts to reach the finals against Dustin Schlatter. Roberts went right after and attacked Schlatter scoring the bout's only takedown. The Boston University wrestler was then able to get out from Schlatter, something that does not occur often. He then was able to prevent Schlatter from scoring late in the third period to gain the tournament title and Most Outstanding Wrestler Award. Roberts does not deserve the No. 1 ranking at 149, because he has some losses that make you scratch your head, but he should appear on the radar screen now and look for him to carry this momentum into the later part of the season.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Senior heavyweight Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.) was one of five Midshipmen to place at the 2007 Southern Scuffle, while the No. 21 Navy wrestling team captured ninth place at the two-day, 28-team tournament held at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center in Greensboro, N.C. Led by four individual title winners, fourth-ranked Minnesota claimed the team title with 182 points. Fourteenth-ranked Edinboro was a distant second with 130.5 points, followed by Hofstra, who jumped from 10th to third in the final standings with 121 points. Cornell, meanwhile, just edged out Maryland for fourth place, 94-93.5. The Mids, who were tied for eighth heading into the final day of competition, finished the tournament with 79.5 points, five points behind eighth-place Boise State and five points in front of 10th-place Old Dominion, who plummeted from fourth after the opening day of action. "I think we could have done better in the tournament, but the reality of it is that it's a tough tournament and though we had some good performances, we need to be able to win a few of those close matches," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "We had that little holiday break in there and some of the guys weren't quite in the condition they should have been in this weekend. Additionally, we didn't have our full complement of of wrestlers. Joel Ahern (157 pounds) and Tyler Moyer (197 pounds) both made the trip, but were unable to compete because of the flu. But in this sport, there are no excuses. "We use these tournaments as practice for what we will face in March at the conference and national tournaments. I'm anxious to get back into the wrestling room and work out the kinks." Navy sent six wrestlers into the championship bracket on Sunday and five of them came away place-winners. An additional three Mids, Casey Caldwell (Liberty, Ind.), Matt DeMichiel (Whitesboro, N.Y.) and Glenn Shober (Reading, Pa.), were just one match away from finishing among the top eight in their respective weight classes. For the third time this season, the heavyweight title bout matched up Navy's Prendergast and junior Scott Steele (Baltimore, Md.). Steele took the titles at Eastern Michigan and the Navy Classic, but it was Prendergast who got the best of Steele at the Scuffle. Prendergast defeated eighth-seeded Justin Dobies of North Carolina in the quarters before pinning 17th-ranked Joey Fendone of Edinboro in the semis. Meanwhile, Steele edged 16th-ranked Mike Spaid of Bloomsburg, 3-2, and cruised to a 19-1 victory over No. 9 Zach Hammond of Cornell to set up the finals match. Prendergast earned his second tournament title of the year by pinning Steele at 8:19. For Steele, it was just his third loss of the year. "Ed has really stepped it up as of late," said Burnett. "He and Scott (Steele) are really wrestling well for us right now and pushing one another to get better." A pair of Midshipmen, 133-pounder Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) and 174-pounder Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.), earned fourth in their respective weight classes. Baker made his way to the semifinals after earning a one-point victory over Boise State's Andrew Hochstrasser in the opening match of the day. Baker, though, suffered a 6-2 setback against seventh-ranked Mack Reiter of Minnesota, cutting short his hopes of winning the title. While Reiter went on to win the championship bout, Baker regrouped and made another run in the consolation bracket. He defeated Kent State's Dan Mitcheff, seeded fourth, 8-5, but was tripped up by Hochstrasser in the rematch, 9-8. Stolpinski, meanwhile, followed the same pattern as Baker. Navy's team captain earned a 4-2 win over 18th-ranked Eric Decker of Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals, but was unable to get past 14th-ranked Alton Lucas of Hofstra in the semifinals. Lucas took the bout, 7-4, and went on to beat eighth-ranked Mike Letts from Maryland in the championship match. Stolpinski dropped to the consolation bracket where he earned a 7-5 win over Edinboro's Philip Moricone, ranked No. 12. However, 11th-ranked Steve Anceravage from Cornell kept Stolpinski out of the top three by defeating him, 5-3. Rookie 149-pounder Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) was the final Navy wrestler to place on the afternoon, taking home seventh-place honors. Saddoris opened the tournament with a 3-0 record, but had much to think about when his head hit the pillow Saturday night. He knew he would have his hands full with his quarterfinals opponent, No. 1-ranked Dustin Schlatter from Minnesota. Schlatter took the match, 9-2, sending Saddoris to the consolation bracket, where he wrestled his way back into place-winner status. After defeating Ohio's Matt Reedy, 6-0, he dropped an 8-2 decision to Hofstra's Mitch Smith. Saddoris, though, went on to defeat Jeremy Doyle of Cal State Bakersfield, 10-5. Saddoris has now placed in four of the five tournaments in which he has competed, including three top-three finishes. The Midshipmen will be back in action next Saturday when they travel to Texas to take part in the Lone Star Duals. Navy opens the competition against No. 19 Oklahoma at 12:00 pm Central, followed by Columbia at 2:00 pm and No. 13 Wisconsin at 8:00 pm

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The No. 22 Maryland wrestling finished in fifth place at the 2007 UNCG Southern Scuffle this weekend at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center. The Terrapins were led by redshirt sophomore Hudson Taylor who won the individual title at 197 pounds while sophomore Mike Letts finished second at 174. Redshirt junior Josh Haines also placed, finishing eighth at 184 pounds. No. 1 Minnesota won the team title with 182 points while No. 14 Edinboro placed second with 130.5. No. 15 Hofstra (121) and No. 17 Cornell (94) also finished ahead of the Terps who accumulated 93.5 points in the tournament. Taylor advanced to the quarterfinals at 197 pounds on Saturday with three wins. On Sunday, he dominated his opposition. He advanced to the semifinals with a pin in the first period against Dennis Drury of North Carolina and won by major decision, 15-4, against Greensboro's Daren Burns, ranked No. 12 in the country in the weight class. In the final, Taylor faced Virginia's Brent Jones who he pinned with nine seconds left in the second to win the title. Letts easily got by his two opponents to advance to the quarterfinals at 174 pounds yesterday. His first win came on a 14-6 major decision and then he pinned his second opponent 40 seconds into the second period for the win. Letts started where he left off on Sunday, shutting out Tom Kocher of Lock Haven, 12-0, to advance to the semifinals. Letts then faced Cornell's Steve Anceravage, ranked No. 11 in the nation, and defeated him 5-1 to get to the finals. He then had to square off against No. 14 Alton Lucas of Hofstra and fell just short, losing 6-3 for the second place finish. Haines dominated his opposition in two matches on Saturday by a combined 13-1 to earn a spot in the quarterfinals at 184 pounds. He lost his first bout on Sunday against Kirk Smith of Boise State, 6-0, but bounced back in his first wrestleback by pinning Curtis Moore of VMI in the second period. Haines lost in the quarterfinals of the wrestlebacks and was unable to compete in seventh place match to finish eighth. Maryland, which is 7-3 in duals this season, returns to action on January 10 when it travels to the state capital to face No. 21 Navy in Annapolis.

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- Boise State University placed three wrestlers in the top four of their respective weight classes, and the team finished eighth among 29 teams, at the 2007 Southern Scuffle. Adam Hall and Tyler Sherfey each finished third at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively, while Kurt Swartz placed fourth in the 165 pound weight class. Nate Lee also placed at the two-day tournament on the University of North Carolina, Greensboro campus finishing eighth at 174 pounds. The Broncos scored 84.5 points to finish just one and one-half points behind seventh placed Bloomsburg. Defending NCAA national champion University of Minnesota won the annual event with 182 points. Hall lost his semifinal match on Sunday (Dec. 30) morning to Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota, 7-3, to fall into the consolation bracket. The freshman then defeated Scott Ervin of Applachian State, 4-3, and Kaylen Baxter of Old Dominion, 6-5, to place third. Sherfey was also knocked out of the championship bracket on Sunday in the semifinal round when Gregor Gillespie of Edinboro won by a major decision, 17-2. Sherfey earned his third place finish when he handed Trevor Hall of Cal State Bakersfield a major decision defeat with an 11-2 scored, and then pinned Kody Hamray of North Carolina at the 1:45 mark of the match. Like Hall and Sherfey, Swartz also lost his semifinal match when Michael Chaires posted a 5-2 decision. Swartz won his first consolation match with a 12-3 major decision over Tyler Safratowich of Minnesota, before losing by fall to Jarrod King of Edinboro at the 1:11 mark to finish fourth. Lee, who was making his first appearance of the season due to an injury, won three straight consolation matches before dropping his final two matches to place eighth. In other Boise State wrestling news on Sunday, Bronco true freshman Kirk Smith, who was competing unattached, won the 184-pound weight class. Unseeded in the tournament, Smith won five straight matches including two against nationally ranked opponents. He handed 18th ranked Josh Haines of the University of Maryland a 6-0 defeat in the semifinals, and then posted a 1-0 decision over seventh ranked Rocco Caponi of the University of Virginia in the championship match. The Broncos are off from competition until Jan. 11 (Friday) when they begin a five-match road trip at Cal State Fullerton. The next home match for Boise State is Jan. 25 (Friday) against the University of Oregon.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Junior Mike Roberts upset the top and third-ranked wrestlers in the country at 149 pounds to claim the title at the Southern Scuffle - one of the nation's premier tournaments - on Sunday at UNC-Greensboro. In the championship match, Roberts posted a 3-2 victory over previously undefeated and top-ranked Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota and went on to earn the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler award. Roberts, who opened his run with a 17-6 major decision against William Powell (App. St.) followed that up by pinning No. 3 Darrion Caldwell (N.C. State) in the closing seconds of their match on Saturday to advance to the round of 16. He reached the quarterfinals with a 9-3 triumph over Matthew Fittery (Lock Haven) before qualifying for the semifinals by posting a 5-3 victory against Joey Metzler of Old Dominion. Sixth-seeded Kaylen Baxter (Old Dominion) was the only wrestler in the way of a spot in the championship match, but Roberts came out on top, 9-6. In the title bout, Roberts earned a takedown against Schlatter in the opening minute of action. After cutting Schlatter free, Roberts continued to be aggressive but settled for the 2-1 lead after one. Each wrestler opened the next two periods (Roberts in the 2nd, Schlatter in the 3rd) with an escape and that would be the end of the scoring, as Roberts capped his unseeded run to the title. Other highlights for the Terriers, who finished in 19th place among the 29 participating teams, included three wins by senior Joey Whitaker in the 141-pound wrestlebacks and victories by freshman Alex Cournoyer (141) and junior Carlo Ferrandino (157). The Terriers will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 12, when they travel to Fairfield, Conn., for a 2 p.m dual against Sacred Heart.

GOhioCasts's Zeb Miller asks InterMat high school analyst Josh Lowe to break down all three divisions of the 2011 Ohio state tournament, which takes place Thursday through Saturday at the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. Division I (Part 1) Division I (Part 2) Division II Division III (Part 1) Division III (Part 2)

Greensboro, N.C. -- The Big Red wrestling team finished in fourth place with 94 points at the 2007 Southern Scuffle this weekend. Freshman Mack Lewnes won an individual title at 165 pounds while his classmate, Mike Grey finished in second at 133. Juniors Steve Anceravage (174) and Zach Hammond (HWT) finished in third and fourth, respectively. At 125 pounds, senior Mike Rodriguez started the day in the wrestlebacks where he lost, 5-4 to Lockhaven's John Trumbetti. Freshman Frank Perrelli began Sunday in the wrestlebacks as well, winning his first bout, 6-2, over UNC-Greensboro's Mitchell Johnson. He then faced Trumbetti, dropping a 5-3 decision. At 133, Grey defeated the No. 4 seed, Dan Mitcheff (Kent State), 5-3, in the quarterfinals. In his semifinal match, he met the No. 1 seed, Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra), who is ranked second nationally. Grey advanced to the finals winning a 3-1 decision. In the championship bout, he lost a close, 5-4, decision to the No. 2 seed Minnesota's Mack Reiter. In the quarterfinals at 141 pounds, sophomore Adam Frey was pinned by Kent State's Drew Lashaway. In the wrestlebacks, he met Edinboro's Gregor Gillespie, where he lost a 10-2 major decision ending his tournament. Drake Hovis won his first wrestleback match of the day, against Conover of Bloomsburg, 17-3, at 157 pounds. He then faced Lock Haven's Lanno, where he lost an 8-2 decision. At 165 pounds, Lewnes defeated Minnesota's Tyler Safratowich by a 10-5 decision in the quarterfinals. He advanced to the finals after winning, 5-2, against Edinboro's Jarrod King. Lewnes won the title by getting past Virginia's Michael Chaires, 3-2. Anceravage lost his quarterfinal match, 5-1, to Maryland's Mike Letts at 174 pounds. In the wrestlebacks, he defeated Minnesota's Gabe Dretsch, 7-4, before defeating the No. 1 seed, Matthew Stolpinski (Navy), 5-3, to capture third. At heavyweight, Hammond won his quarterfinal match against Ryan Hsu (UNC-Greensboro), 2-1, before losing in the semis to Navy's Scott Steele. In the wrestlebacks, he defeated Jamail Porter (Kent State), 3-2, but lost his third place match to Bloomsburg's Spaid. Also at heavyweight, Maciej Jochym lost in the wrestlebacks to Porter, 9-4. Cornell will next wrestle at Penn State in a dual match on Friday, Jan. 4, 2008. The match begins at 7 p.m.

EVANSTON, Ill.-- Senior Dustin Fox won a marathon final bout in the heavyweight division, which cemented ninth-ranked Northwestern's fifth-place finish at Midlands "45" in Welsh-Ryan Arena. Fox battled with Mike Faust from Hawk WC in the 285 lb. finals. The final match took two tiebreak sessions before the All-American took the title, 5-3, on a reversal. Fox beat out Iowa State's Dave Zabriskie 4-3 in the semifinals at 285 lbs. Sophomore Brandon Precin advanced to the final round by defeating Nick Simmons of Sunkist 1-0. Simmons was 24-1 all-time at the Midlands going into the match and had won three-consecutive championships. Precin's point came in the third period on a stall while he was riding Simmons. In the quarterfinals, Precin won with a pin at 2:30 over Akif Eren of Purdue. Precin finished with two pins on the tournament, which put him in a tie for third place for the most pins, his fasted coming in the quarters. The loss was the first of the year for the sophomore. Fellow NU All-American Mike Tamillow followed suit reaching the final round for the second-consecutive year, but was dispatched by American University's Josh Glenn. Tamillow faced Central Michigan's third seeded Wynn Michalak in the semifinals of the 197 lb. weight class. The senior defeated him by an 8-6 decision. At the 2006 Midlands, Fox finished second, while Tamillow took the title. Iowa won the Midlands with a team score of 185, beating out Iowa State, Central Michigan and Illinois. Just behind Northwestern was Pittsburgh, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Indiana, Purdue and Northern Illinois rounding out the top 10. Marty Gould took seventh place in the 149-lb. weight class after winning three matches in the wrestlebacks. Junior Dominic Marella got a medical forfeit for fifth place over Trevor Stewart in the evening session at 165 lbs. Marella fell in the semifinals to Mark Perry of Iowa in the championship round. Senior Nick Hayes also placed for the Wildcats at 174 lbs., as he fell to Lloyd Rogers of Tennessee-Chattanooga in the seventh place match, 9-8. NU freshman Mike Benefiel made it to the round of 16 at 174 lbs. and won two matches in the wrestlebacks before falling to Mike Miller of Central Michigan on Sunday. Seventh seeded Eric Metzler overcame multiple cuts to his face and head throughout the tournament to collect two wins, reaching the round of 16 at 133 lbs. Redshirt freshman Keith Sulzer also won two matches by decision to reach the round of 16 where he lost a lengthy double-tiebreaker match to second seeeded Zach Bailey of Oklahoma in the 141-lb. weight class. Top-ranked NU senior Ryan Lang bowed out of the tournament early in day one due to illness. The Wildcats next matches come at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on Jan. 12-13 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Midlands Notes: Iowa's Mark Perry won the Ark Kraft Champion of Champions Award in the 165- lb. division on the strength of a pin in the semifinals against Marella and an 8-0 major decision over Iowa State's Jon Reader in the finals. Perry also took the Dan Gable Most Outstanding Wrestler Award, while earning 30 points for his team, which was an individual high for the tournament. Jesse Linczmaier of Northern Illinois earned the fastest fall of the tournament with a pin in 30 seconds against James Nakashima of Lincoln College in the 165-lb. wrestlebacks. Mark Perry earned hte most falls of the tournament with four in a total time of 8:10. His fastest came in just 42 seconds against Marella. Nick Simmons' loss to Precin was only the second of his career at Midlands after piling up 24 wins. He was a three-time defending champion coming into the 2007 tournament. New York Athletic Club's Jake Herbert took a loss in the finals at 184 lbs., which was his first ever Midlands loss in three years. Herbert won the title in both 2004 and in 2005. Iowa's victory placed the Midlands trophy back in the hands of the Big Ten for the 13th time in 14 years. Iowa State won last year, which was the first non-Big Ten victory since Arizona State's in 1989. Iowa has now won the Midlands Championships eight times since 1990. Of the 10 No. 1 seeds coming into the tournament, only four ended up living up to their seed and winning the championship. Illinois Mike Poeta (157 lbs.), Pittsburgh's Keith Gavin (174 lbs.), American's Josh Glenn (197 lbs.) and Northwestern's Dustin Fox (285 lbs.) all pulled off the feat.

Evanston, Ill. -- Keith Gavin added another plaudit to his already accomplished wrestling resume today as the Pitt Panthers wrestling team capped a weekend of record-breaking performances. The nation's No. 1-ranked wrestler at 174 pounds captured the Midlands Wrestling Championship crown tonight after earning a major decision over Iowa's Jay Borschel by a score of 13-4. The victory helped the Panthers to a sixth-place finish; the program's first top-10 and best team showing ever at the prestigious tournament. Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail), who registered his 100th career victory earlier in the tournament, became Pitt's first Midlands champion since two-time NCAA champion Pat Santoro claimed back-to-back tournament titles in 1987 and 1988. Gavin now owns a perfect 17-0 record on the season, including an 11-0 mark in tournament competition. Matt Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) also made his way to the championship finals and picked up a second-place finish to help the Panthers in the team standings. The returning All-American gave No. 1-ranked Mike Poeta of Illinois all he could ask for in the championship bout of the 157-pound bracket. Kocher, the No. 3 seed, battled Poeta throughout the match, mustering two escapes in a very low scoring affair. The Illini grappler coupled a takedown with an escape of his own, however, and held on in the third period to secure the title by a count of 3-2. Along with his runner-up finish, Kocher grabbed his 100th career-tournament victory in yesterday's preliminary rounds, making him the first wrestler in Pitt history to accomplish the feat. Zach Sheaffer (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley), who entered the tournament as the No. 7-seeded heavyweight, met up with Central Michigan's Bubba Gritter in a showdown for fifth-place. Pitt's redshirt junior battled Gritter to a 2-2 deadlock after two periods before the Chippewa heavyweight used an escape and two takedowns to pull away in the final frame. For his efforts, Sheaffer garnered a sixth-place honor and continues to lead the team in victories this season with 23. Ryan Bosso (Pequea, Pa./Penn Manor) was the Panthers' fourth placewinner, taking seventh in the 125-pound bracket. He bested Tyler Mumbulo of the Peacock Wrestling Club by a count of 9-2 in the first session of today's action. It marked Bosso's best tournament finish as a collegian and raised his win total for the year to 15, which is fourth best on the team. The Panthers next match will come when they return home to Fitzgerald Field House on Friday, Jan. 6, to take on Duquesne and Franklin and Marshall in a three-team affair at noon.

EVANSTON, ILL. -- Junior All-American Mike Poeta won his second-straight 157-pound Midlands title Sunday night at the 45th Midlands Wrestling Championships. The top-ranked and seeded grappler posted a 3-2 decision over third-seeded Matt Kocher (Pitt) to move to 15-0 on the season. Poeta has been to the Midlands finals in each of his three years at Illinois. He also becomes the first Illini wrestler in the Mark Johnson era to win back-to-back Midlands titles. As a team, the Illini finished in fourth place with 100.0 points. Flores (Madera, Calif.) became the first Illini placewinner of the evening when top-seeded Nick Simmons (Sunkist) medically forfeited out of the tournament. The win gave the Illini senior his second trip to the medal stand in his career. He finished seventh as a redshirt-freshman. Kennedy (Ingleside, Ill.) also made his second trip to the medal stand with a fourth-place finish. Last year's runner-up at 133 fell to Nick Fanthorpe (Iowa St.), 4-1. At 157, after a scoreless first period, Poeta (Highwood, Ill.) took a 1-0 lead with an escape. Then, moments later, extended his advantage with a takedown. Kocher cut into the lead with an escape as the period came to a close. In the third, Kocher added another escape but Poeta fought him off to defend his title. "I'm not happy with how close the match was." Poeta said. "I wanted to come out there and dominate but Kocher's a good wrestler and he wasn't going to let me do that. I can't change my focus, though. I have to come out and dictate the flow of every match." At 174, sophomore John Dergo (Morris, Ill.) finished in sixth place after he dropped a 3-1 decision to Mike Miller (CMU). Earlier in the day, Roger Smith-Bergsrud (165) and John Wise (HWT) each won their seventh place matches. "This is a great accomplishment for Mike." Said head coach Mark Johnson. "To win this tournament two years in-a-row is a very hard thing to do. However, it is only another step in the ladder towards the NCAA tournament championship." The Illini are back in action on January 11, 2008 when they compete in the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- In a battle of the Jakes, it was Iowa State's Jake Varner who avenged his 2007 NCAA Championship loss to former Northwestern NCAA 184-pound champion Jake Herbert with a 3-1 sudden victory win Sunday at the Midlands Championships in Welsh-Ryan Arena. Cyclone Jon Reader finished as the 165-pound runner-up. Placing third for the Cyclones were Nick Fanthorpe and Cyler Sanderson at 133 and 157 pounds, respectively. Iowa State finished second in the team race with 139 points. Iowa took home the team trophy with 185 points. Central Michigan was third was 117.5 points and Illinois fourth with 100 points. "I thought overall we had a good tournament," Iowa State head coach Cael Sanderson said. "We won some big matches and lost some close ones. The important thing is we know what we have to do to get better and we will be working on those things." In the 184-pound battle, both wrestlers exploded from the first whistle with Herbert getting in the first shot. Varner fended it off and both wrestlers moved back to the center of the mat where the pair went at it head-to-head exchanging offensive blows. Herbert again took a shot, but Varner's countered and slammed Herbert to the mat, nearly pinning him. The move happened so fast, however, no points were scored. Both wrestlers recorded escapes to start the second and third periods, evening the score at 1-1. They remained locked in the center as regulation time expired. In sudden victory, a 30-second period of action, Varner wasted no time going hard into Herbert as he was heading towards the edge of the mat and got the takedown with only his toes in bounds for the win. "He is fun to wrestle," Varner said. "We have wrestled five times and he is strong and has good technique. I wasn't thinking about the NCAA match from last season. A win like this gives you confidence for the future. In overtime, he tried a hip toss and I countered it." Varner, who placed third at the Midlands tournament a year ago, becomes the 38th ISU grappler to earn a Midlands title. During the course of the tournament, the All-American tallied three victories by pin, pushing his tally for the season to four. He carries a spotless 11-0 record this season. The fifth-seeded Reader and second-seeded Mark Perry tangled for the first time, squaring off for the 165-pound title, with Perry scoring an 8-0 major decision over Reader. The Iowa wrestler struck with a takedown within the bout's first period for a 2-0 lead. Bypassing the opportunity to get on the board with an escape, Reader chose to start the second period from neutral, only to be taken down and have Perry find a way to score back points. Reader's redshirt freshman record stands at 15-2. The fourth-seeded Fanthorpe placed third at 133 pounds with a 4-1 decision over second-seeded Jim Kennedy of Illinois. Neither wrestler was able to get a shot in on the other during the opening three minutes of action. Starting the second stanza from the down position, Kennedy scored first with an escape for a 1-0 advantage. In the third period, Fanthorpe was able to get an escape of his own and quickly struck with a single leg and wrapped it up for a takedown and a 3-1 lead. The sophomore hailing from nearby Naperville, Ill., rode Kennedy hard throughout the rest of the period to give him an added point. Fanthorpe pushes his season mark to 16-2. "I would have liked to have been in the title match," Fanthorpe said. "This tournament gives you great experience. I wrestled some tough guys here and I will see some of them again this season. If I am able to take what I learned here and profit from it, it was all worth it." Sanderson, the second-seeded grappler at 157 pounds, surged throughout the third-place bout against fourth-seeded Brian Cobb (Roadrunner WC) with an 8-6 decision. The Cyclone took less than 10 seconds to score the first takedown and took Cobb down again in the final minute of the opening period for a 4-2 lead going into the second period. Cobb took the lead on a takedown at the five-second mark in the second stanza. Ranked fourth nationally, Sanderson escaped and notched his third takedown and held on for riding time to clinch the win. "I didn't wrestle as well as I wanted to, particularly in one match," Sanderson said. "I just want to get better. A loss shakes you up. Overall, it was an OK tournament." Heavyweight David Zabriskie placed fourth for Iowa State, David Bertolino finished fifth at 197 pounds and Mitch Mueller notched a sixth-place finish at 149 pounds. Iowa State will continue to compete on the road, traveling to Cedar Falls, Iowa, Jan. 12-13 to participate at the NWCA National Duals in the UNI-Dome. Wrestling action returns to Ames and Hilton Coliseum Jan. 18 as the Cyclones play host to Big 10 foe, Wisconsin at 7 p.m.

Iowa wins 19th Midlands title University of Iowa Sports Information The University of Iowa wrestling team crowned four individual champions en route to winning the 2007 Midlands team title Sunday night in Evanston, IL. The Hawkeyes won their 19th team title in school history and their first since 2002. Iowa scored 185 points to win the 45th annual tournament. Defending team champion Iowa State placed second with 139. The Hawkeyes went four-for-five in the finals with junior Mark Perry (165) and sophomores Joe Slaton (133), Dan LeClere (141) and Brent Metcalf (149) each winning individual titles. It was Perry's second career title and his fourth appearance in the finals. It was the first title for Slaton, LeClere and Metcalf. Slaton set the tone for Iowa in the finals with a 6-2 upset over top seed Franklin Gomez of Indiana to remain undefeated at 12-0. LeClere followed with a narrow 5-4 upset over second seed Zack Bailey of Oklahoma. Metcalf won Iowa's third straight title, racking up third-period points to beat fifth seed Jake Patascil of Purdue by an 18-5 major decision. Perry made Iowa four-for-four in the finals with his 8-0 major decision over fifth seed Jonathan Reader of Iowa State. Perry led the tournament field with four pins in a total time of 8:10. Sophomore Jay Borschel wrestled above his sixth seed, but could not pull the upset over top seed Keith Gavin of Pittsburgh and lost Iowa's final championship match, 13-4. Also placing for the Hawkeyes were seniors Alex Tsirtsis (141-3rd) and Matt Fields (Hwt.-8th), junior Charlie Falck (125-3rd), and sophomores Phillip Keddy (184-4th) and Ryan Morningstar (157-5th). Tsirtsis was wrestling as an unattached Hawkeye. Top-ranked Iowa (7-0) will return to Iowa City to host fifth-ranked Oklahoma State (5-1) Saturday at 7 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The UI Athletics Ticket Office has already sold almost 7,000 tickets for the dual meet and encourages fans to purchase tickets in advance. Tickets purchased in advance are $8 for adults and $4 for youth. Prices increase to $10 for adults and $5 for youth on match night. Tickets can be purchased online at www.hawkeyesports.com, over the telephone at 1-800 IA-HAWKS, and at the UI Athletics Ticket Office in Carver-Hawkeye. The ticket office is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, but will be closed on New Year's Day. Minnesota wins Southern Scuffle with four champions University of Minnesota Sports Information The defending national champion Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling team lived up to its billing Sunday at the 2007 Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C. The Gophers ran away with the team title, topping runner-up Edinboro by over 50 points and crowned four individual champions: Jayson Ness, Mack Reiter, Manuel Rivera and C.P. Schlatter all finished first in their respective weight classes. The Gophers' main highlights on the event's second day easily belonged to third-ranked Ness (125 pounds) and Schlatter, currently ranked 10th at 157 pounds. Ness recorded pins in all six of his matches during the tournament, bumping his season total to 15. He appears on pace to shatter the Gophers' single season pin record of 20, set by current head assistant coach Marty Morgan in 1989-90. Ness has pinned all 12 opponents he has faced in tournament competition so far this season. C.P. Schlatter earned a form of family redemption in the 157-pound championship match on Sunday, defeating second-ranked Gregor Gillespie of Edinboro by a 5-2 decision. Gillespie was the national champion at 149 pounds last season and ended Dustin Schlatter's 65-match winning streak in the NCAA semifinals. Reiter cruised to a victory in the 133-pound bracket with a perfect 5-0 tournament record, including a hard-fought 5-4 win over Cornell's Mike Grey in the final. The senior picked up bonus points in three of five matches and won his first-ever Southern Scuffle title. Reiter missed the 2006 tournament due to an injury and finished second in 2005. Rivera, another Gopher senior enjoying a stellar season, entered the final 30 seconds of his championship match with third-ranked Charles Griffin of Hofstra down 3-2, but scored a reversal with just 10 seconds remaining to emerge with a dramatic 5-3 win. Rivera recorded three pins and a tech fall in six matches during the two-day tournament, improving his season record to 19-1 while picking up his second straight Southern Scuffle title. Top-ranked 149-pounder Dustin Schlatter was upset in the championship match by unranked Mike Roberts of Boston University, who went on to win the tournament's most outstanding wrestler award. Gophers Gabe Dretsch (fifth place at 174 pounds), Tyler Safratowich (fifth place at 165 pounds) and Yura Malamura (sixth at 197 pounds) also placed for the Gophers. Malamura won four straight matches after dropping down to the consolation bracket before losing to nationally-ranked Joseph Rovelli of Hofstra and Patrick Bradshaw of Edinboro to end his run. The Southern Scuffle marks the end of Minnesota's regular season tournament schedule, as the team enters the bulk of its dual meet slate with the 2008 NWCA National Duals Jan. 12-13. The Gophers won the event last year with a perfect 4-0 record, including a victory over then-No. 1 Missouri for the championship. The University of Northern Iowa will once again host the 2008 National Duals in Cedar Falls.

GREENSBORO, NC -- Pre-seeds for the 2007 Southern Scuffle were announced on Thursday evening. The tournament gets underway Saturday. Live results and pay-per-view video streaming will be available at SouthernScuffle.com. The pre-seeds are as follows: 125 1. Jayson Ness - Minnesota 2. David Tomasette - Hofstra 3. Mike Sees - Bloomsburg 4. Eric Morrill - Edinboro 5. Nicholas Bedelyon - Kent State 6. James Nicholson - Old Dominion 7. Justin Staylor - Virginia Tech 8. Drew Forshey - North Carolina 133 1. Lou Ruggirello - Hofstra 2. Mack Reiter - Minnesota 3. Eric Albright - Virginia 4. Dan Mitcheff - Kent State 5. Mike Grey - Cornell 6. Joe Baker - Navy 7. Jeff Hedges - UNCG 8. Ricky Deubel - Edinboro 9. Kyle Hutter - ODU 141 1. Charles Griffin - Hofstra 2. Manuel Rivera - Minnesota 3. Joe Caramanica - N. C. State 4. Adam Frey - Cornell 5. Drew Lashaway - Kent State 6. Ryan Williams - Old Dominion 7. Levi Jones - Boise State 8. Christopher Bencivenga - UNCG 9. Alex Krom - Maryland 149 1. Dustin Schlatter - Minnesota 2. Darrion Caldwell - N. C. State 3. Scott Ervin - Appalachian State 4. Eric Medina - Maryland 5. Kyle Fried - Binghamton 6. Adam Hall - Boise State 7. Kaylen Baxter - Old Dominion 8. Clint Sponseller - Kent State 9. Vincent Ramirez - North Carolina 10. Bryce Saddoris - Navy 157 1. Gregor Gillespie - Edinboro 2. Jordan Leen - Cornell 3. CP Schlatter - Minnesota 4. Tyler Sherfey - Boise State 5. Matt Moley - Bloomsburg 6. Kurt Gross - Kent State 7. Jon Bonilla-Bowman - Hofstra 8. Ben Fiacoo - North Carolina 165 1. Mack Lewnes - Cornell 2. Scott Glasser - Minnesota 3. Chris Brown - Old Dominion 4. Keegan Mueller - North Carolina 5. Jarrod King - Edinboro 6. Kur Swartz – Boise State 7. Michael Chaires - Virginia 8. Ryan Patrovich – Hofstra 174 1. Matthew Stolpinski - Navy 2. Mike Letts - Maryland 3. Steve Anceravage - Cornell 4. Gabe Dretsch - Minnesota 5. Alton Lucas - Hofstra 6. Philip Moricone - Edinboro 7. Josh Patterson - Binghamton 8. Eric Decker - Virginia Tech 9. Neal Martin - Appalachian State 184 1. Roger Kish - Minnesota 2. Rocco Caponi - Virginia 3. Josh Haines - Maryland 4. Ryan Goodman – NC State 5. Jesse Strawn - Old Dominion 6. Eric Chine - Kent State 7. Michael Moore - Cornell 8. Matt Parsons - Navy 197 1. Joseph Rovella - Hofstra 2. Hudson Taylor - Maryland 3. Daren Burns - UNCG 4. David Mendoza - Old Dominion 5. Brent Jones - Virginia 6. Patrick Bradshaw - Edinboro 7. Dennis Drury - North Carolina 285 1. Ed Prendergast - Navy 2. Zach Hammond - Cornell 3. Mike Spaid - Bloomsburg 4. Joey Fendone - Edinboro 5. Jermail Porter - Kent State 6. Scott Steele - Navy 7. Nick Smith – Boise State 8. Justin Dobies - North Carolina

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State University wrestling team will play host to the ASU Alumni Golf Outing on Saturday, January 5, as part of alumni weekend. The outing, which will be held at ASU's Karsten Golf Course, will take place one day prior to the Sun Devil Duals inside Wells Fargo Arena on Sunday, January 6, at noon. The inaugural golf outing, which is open the public to compete, will begin with a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. and will conclude with a fajita dinner served on the Sun Devil Patio at Karsten. The price for the event is $100.89 and includes greens fees, a golf cart, practice balls prior to the start of the event, an ASU Sparky Club Crest (bag tag) and dinner. To register for the four-person scramble, checks made payable to SUN ANGEL FOUNDATION (WRESTLING) can be sent to: ASU Wrestling Attn: Thom Ortiz PO Box 872505 Tempe, AZ 85287-2505 The next day, ASU will play host to Army, Grand Canyon and Penn in the Sun Devil Duals. The Sun Devils and Black Knights will meet at noon before a battle of Arizona takes place at 1:30 p.m. as ASU and the `Lopes of GCU meet on the mats for the first time. The day concludes at 3 p.m. with the Sun Devils facing the Quakers of Penn, led by former Sun Devil All-American Zeke Jones. Prior to the start of the duals, all wrestling alumni in attendance will be recognized at the center of the mats as part of Alumni Weekend. Head Coach Thom Ortiz and Penn's Jones will also join their fellow teammates and former coach Bobby Douglas on the mats later in the day as the program will honor the 20th anniversary of the 1988 NCAA Championship won by the Sun Devils. All members of that winning team are scheduled to be on hand for the celebration of the only team wrestling title won by a school west of Oklahoma in NCAA Division I history.

NORFOLK, Va. -- The 24th ranked ODU wrestling team returns to the mat a final time in 2007 to the annual Southern Scuffle tournament at UNC Greensboro this weekend. ODU has not wrestled since the first of December where they had two placewinners at the Las Vegas Invitational. The tournament boasts seven nationally ranked teams of the 24 attending, including the defending national champion Golden Gophers of Minnesota. The tournament will take place Saturday and Sunday in Greensboro, N.C. with weigh-ins beginning at 8:00 am. Nationally ranked teams in the 2007 Southern Scuffle field include #4 Minnesota, #14 Edinboro, #15 Hofstra, #17 Cornell, #21 Navy, #23 Maryland, and #24 Old Dominion. ODU will look for solid appearances from #11-ranked 141-pounder Ryan Williams (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) and #17-ranked 165-pounder Chris Brown (Chesapeake, Va.). Williams has placed in all three tournaments he's been in this season. Brown toppled the top wrestler in the nation earlier this season and will look to place in his third tournament. The Monarchs will also look to #20 Kaylen Baxter (149), David Mendoza (197) and Jesse Strawn (184) to make runs at the title in their respective weight classes. Baxter leads the team in wins with 16, Mendoza leads the team in technical falls with three and Strawn is tied for the team lead in major decisions with Brown with six. For more information on the tournament, go to www.uncgspartans.com. Fans can sign up for Spartan All-Access to watch all the action live from the tournament. Also, live stat updates are available throughout the tournament at www.SouthernScuffle.com.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern University is set to host the 2007 Midlands Wrestling Championships, Dec. 29-30 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. This year marks the 45th installment of one of the most prestigious events in collegiate wrestling. The annual tournament attracts hundreds of the most talented wrestlers from around the country in a two-day, four-session double-elimination tournament. Founded by Northwestern's Ken Kraft, the Midlands Championships are held every December in Welsh-Ryan Arena. The tournament has historically brought together the very best in amateur wrestling, and has provided the springboard for 92 Olympic wrestlers. Last year's champion, Iowa State, returns to the site of its victory for another shot at the title. The Big Ten had previously dominated the tournament as Illinois won the previous three Midlands Championships, while Iowa and Minnesota combined to win the nine before that, dating back to 1990. Four top-10 teams are competing in Midlands "45," headlined by No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 Iowa State, No. 6 Central Michigan and No. 9 Northwestern, according to the latest release of rankings by the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll Individually, the Midlands host a plethora of individual talents searching for an NCAA Championship at season's end, including defending Midlands Champions: Angel Escobedo (Indiana) at 125 lbs., Nick Simmons (Michigan State) at 133 lbs., Ryan Lang (Northwestern) at 149 lbs., Mike Poeta (Illinois) at 157 lbs., Jake Herbert at 184 lbs., Mike Tamillow (Northwestern) at 197 lbs. and Tervel Dlagnev (Nebraska-Kearney) at heavyweight. "Midlands is one of the best events in college wrestling," Northwestern head wrestling coach Tim Cysewski said. "A Midlands championship, a Big Ten championship and an NCAA championship, that's the triple crown of college wrestling."

Over the years, the Midlands wrestling tournament has become a much-anticipated after-Christmas present for amateur wrestling fans. However, when the wraps were taken off the very first Midlands in suburban Chicago the last week of December 1963, the nation can be forgiven if it didn't immediately sit up and take notice. After all, the country was still reeling from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy one month earlier. The sports pages were dominated by coverage of the NFL national title game between the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants. (The first Super Bowl didn't take place until January 1967.) With all that was going on at the time, the 1963 Midlands got very little media attention. And it's hard to imagine that any of the participants, fans in the stands, or even the organizers could have dreamed that this Christmastime classic would become one of the longest-running and most prestigious events on the college wrestling calendar forty-five years later. The driving force behind a great idea Midlands founders from left to right: Bert Kraus, Jack Heiner, Dick Coldren, and Ken KraftThe idea of the Midlands was born on a long road trip in late December 1962. Ken Kraft, the head wrestling coach at Northwestern University at the time, was driving his team home from the annual Wilkes tournament. Somewhere on the road between Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and Evanston, Illinois, the idea struck coach Kraft: Why not have an end-of-year wrestling tournament closer to home, in the Chicago area? The Christmastime tradition now known as the Midlands first hit the mats in December 1963 at the YMCA in LaGrange, Illinois outside Chicago. The tournament was an immediate success by any measure, with a 132-man field in the first year, including seven individual national champions, and post-collegiate wrestlers preparing for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. In fact, the first event was so popular, it outgrew the Y that first year, finding a home at the nearby Lyons High School in LaGrange for the next eight years. In 1972, the Midlands moved to the Northwestern campus in Evanston, where it has been held every year since -- with one exception: in 1982, when the university's arena was being completely rebuilt, Harper College in suburban Palatine, Illinois hosted the tournament. Despite these various venues, the Midlands has remained a uniquely Chicago area institution for nearly a half-century. One of the original champs remembers Dennis McCabe remembers that first tournament as if it were yesterday. Denny, who wrestled at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, made history by being crowned the 190-pound champ at the very first Midlands in 1963. "First of all, it wasn't called the Midlands in the first year," recalls Denny in a 2002 interview with this writer for an article for the Amateur Wrestling Photos.com website. "It was called the West Suburban YMCA Open, and it truly was an 'open' where anyone could show up and compete. By contrast, I'd describe today's Midlands as being an 'open invited.'" "They had no idea how many wrestlers would show up that first year," according to Denny. "The gym at the Y wasn't much bigger than your typical high school gym, and, with three mats on the floor, there wasn't much room left over for the wrestlers and the spectators. It was wall-to-wall people. There really wasn't any room to work out or warm up. In fact, I remember having to almost fight my way through the crowd to get to my matches." When asked why the event was so popular in its first year, Denny McCabe says, "There had never been a holiday wrestling tournament in our part of the country." Denny McCabe with Dan Gable"The timing was great. For those of us from Illinois, it was a chance to compete while we were home for the holidays," according to the graduate of Maine East High School, which is not too far from the YMCA hosting that 1963 tournament. Yet another reason for the event's success right from the start: The University of Michigan's long-time, legendary coach Cliff Keen (yes, the same guy whose name is on the wrestling gear supplier) brought his Big Ten champion Wolverines to the inaugural event. The first Midlands champs To claim his 190-pound title at the 1963 Midlands, Denny McCabe wrestled four matches in that crowded Y gym … culminating with his 7-2 victory over Michigan's Joe Arcure in the finals. (Sadly, that Midlands title would be the highlight of Denny's 1963-64 college season. A knee injury prevented the SIU-Carbondale 190-pounder from competing at the 1964 NCAAs. However, after serving in Vietnam, Denny McCabe won the inter-service championship in 1967.) Larry Kristoff (left) won four consecutive Midlands titles In addition to Denny McCabe, SIU claimed three other champions at the 1963 Midlands: Terry Finn, who won the 126-pound crown by defeating Northwestern's Dave Kreider in the finals… Don Schneider, who beat Michigan's Bill Johanaeson in the 134-pound finals … and heavyweight Larry Kristoff, who claimed his first of four consecutive Midlands individual titles with his referee's decision over Moorhead State's Bob Billberg in the finals. (Kristoff went on to wrestle freestyle for the U.S. at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics.) The University of Michigan brought three individual titles back to Ann Arbor: Mike Palmisano defeated Stan Korona of Northern Illinois University to take the 118-pound crown … Cal Jenkins got the win over Lee Grubbs in the 142-pound finals … and team captain Rick Bay beat Northwestern's Stu Marshall in the 167-pound title bout. 1963 Midlands championsThe Big Ten conference could claim two more 1963 Midlands champs. In the 150-pound finals, Jerry Torrence of Northwestern defeated Dick Smith… while, at 158, Purdue's Dave Gibson earned the title with a win over Sam Ward. In the 177-pound finals, 30-year-old Roy Conrad of the Irving Park YMCA -- a graduate of Northern Illinois University, and 1960 NCAA champ at 177 -- got the victory over SIU's Don Millard. (Don't feel bad for Millard; he came back to win the 1964 NCAA title at 167 lbs.) Taking home team titles Despite SIU-Carbondale having four individual champs to Michigan's three, the Wolverines claimed the inaugural team title at the 1963 Midlands … and earned that honor again in 1964. The Midlands grew in stature and significance as additional colleges made it part of their schedules. Michigan State participated in its first Midlands in 1965, followed by the Iowa State Cyclones in 1966. By 1970, the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, and the Oklahoma State Cowboys had joined in on the action. From 1965 to 1973, two schools battled back and forth for the Midlands team title: Michigan State and Iowa State. In 1973, Oklahoma State rode off with the team championship. Starting in 1974, Iowa pretty much locked up the team title through the rest of the 70s and into the early 1980s. For the rest of the 80s, team championship honors went to Sunkist Kids, Arizona State and North Carolina various years. For a time in the early 1990s, there were no team titles awarded…but, once the team championship was resumed, the Hawkeyes laid claim to the honor for the rest of the decade. In the new millennium, team honors have gone to Iowa State, Minnesota, Illinois (with three straight from 2003-2005), and, most recently, Iowa in 2007. Midlands matmen with the "mostest" In all the years of the Midlands tournament, over 8,000 wrestlers have competed… yet only 295 have won individual titles. Some participants deserve special recognition: The "20 in 4 Club": One measure of elite status at the Midlands is for an individual wrestler to earn twenty wins in the first four years of competition at the event. Of the thousands of wrestlers who've stepped onto the mats at the Midlands, only sixteen have accomplished this feat. Dan Gable was the first, getting 20 wins at the 1966-1969 Midlands. Other members of the "20 in 4 Club" include John Bowlsby, Barry Davis, Andy Schwab, Cary Kolat, Joe Williams, Charlie Branch, Mark Ironside, Wes Hand, Jody Strittmatter, Doug Schwab, Yoshi Nakamura, Mitch Clark, Cael Sanderson, Joe Heskett, and Tommy Rowlands. At the 2007 Midlands, Iowa's Mark Perry came close to joining the "20 in 4 Club." The four-time finalist has tallied a total of eighteen wins. However, the 2007 Midlands was a special year for Perry; the Hawkeye 165-pounder won the Outstanding Wrestler award and all other individual honors except for Fastest Fall. No average Joe: In addition to being a member of the "20 in 4 Club", former Iowa Hawkeye wrestler and Chicago area native Joe Williams can also claim some other Midlands "mosts." He has the most wins of any Midlands competitor, with 55. Williams also has the most consecutive victories, with 51. What's more, he also has the most individual championships, with ten. Most outstanding: Each year since the 1964 Midlands, tournament referees and members of the media have declared one competitor to be the Outstanding Wrestler of that particular year. Among those who have won the award more than once: two-time winners Masaaki Hatta, Wade Schalles, Bruce Baumgartner, Cary Kolat and Joe Williams. However, one man earned OW honors an incredible five times in six appearances as a wrestler. His name is Dan Gable, and now the award bears his name. Most "durable": You can count on the fingers of two hands all the men who've wrestled at the Midlands over the course of three separate, consecutive decades. Competing at the Midlands in the 1960s, 70s and 80s: Russ Hellickson, Verlyn Strellner, Tom Minkel and Leo Kocher. Stepping onto the Midlands mats in the 70s, 80s and 90s: Fred McGaver, and Jim Zalesky… while Phil Rembert, John Fisher, and Kevin Vogel wrestled in the tournament in the 1980s, 90s and the new millennium: Roy Conrad (left) was the 177-pound champ at the very first MidlandsHigh school highs: Over the years, most of the competitors at the Midlands have been college wrestlers … with a few post-collegiate veterans sprinkled among the field. In the 45 years of the Midlands, only four high school mat stars have been invited to compete: Jimmy Carr and Cary Kolat (both Pennsylvania preps), Alex Tsirtsis (who wrestled at Griffith HS in Indiana), and, after considerable battles with the governing body of New York State high school athletics, Corey Jantzen of Shoreham-Wading River HS on Long Island who wrestled at the 2006 Midlands. At the other end of the age spectrum … At the 2002 Midlands -- the fortieth anniversary edition -- Randy Conrad took to the mats at age 42 … making him the eldest wrestler to compete in the history of the tournament. Interestingly, Randy is the nephew of Roy Conrad, the 177-pound champ at the very first Midlands. Pinning down some impressive honors: Like many tournaments, the Midlands maintains meticulous records on just about everything that can take place during an amateur wrestling event… especially pins. There's the Gorriaran Memorial Trophy that, each year, honors the one wrestler who gets the most pins in the least amount of time. Among the men who've earned this trophy twice: Dan Gable, Wade Schalles, Mike Lingenfelter, Tom Erikson, Royce Alger, and Stephen Neal. The Midlands record books also list the competitors with the most pins in their appearances over the years at the tournament. Mike Schmidlin takes the prize as the top fall guy, with 25 pins in all his Midlands appearances. Dan Gable got 22 pins, while Tom Erikson had 19. Erikson also claims the honor of getting the fastest fall in the history of the tournament. In 1991, he pinned an opponent in just eight seconds! From Midlands to the Olympics The Midlands was held at Harper College before finding its long-time home at Welsh-Ryan Arena (pictured)During the Midlands 45 -- held December 29-30, 2007 -- Midlands veterans who also competed in the Olympics were honored at a special banquet and presentation ceremony before the finals on Sunday evening the 30th. In the 45-year history of the Midlands, an incredible 92 individuals who had competed at the Christmastime classic went on to wrestle at the Olympics, representing five different nations. Of these, eighteen earned Olympic gold medals for the U.S.: Dan Gable, Ben Peterson, John Peterson, Randy Lewis, Bobby Weaver, Ed Banach, Lou Banach, Bruce Baumgartner, Steve Fraser, Dave Schultz, Mark Schultz, Kenny Monday, Kendall Cross, Tom Brands, Kevin Jackson, Rulon Gardner, Brandon Slay, and Cael Sanderson. In addition the gracious assistance of Denny McCabe and Ken Kraft, source material for this InterMat Rewind historical profile came from an article in the 2002 Midlands program, "1963: It Was A Very Good Year" by Tom Tomashek (as well as statistical charts in the 2002 and 2004 Midlands programs) … and from Mike Chapman's book "From Gotch to Gable: A History of Wrestling In Iowa."

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), who red-shirted last season and will seek an Olympic red-shirt this year, continues to build upon his freestyle successes. A starter for Penn State during the 2005-06 season as a true freshman, Pataky has been focused solely on class and freestyle wrestling over the course of the last two years. During the 2006-07 academic year, Pataky competed in five freestyle events. He went 5-2 at the prestigious Sunkist Open, garnering three pins along the way. He followed that up with a third place finish at the Guelph Open in Canada and then winning the Brockport Open in New York. The talented Clearfield native then went 3-1 at the Dave Schultz Memorial in February of 2007, getting all three wins with pins. In June of this past summer, Pataky competed at the World Team Trials and went 1-1. This year, Pataky has competed in two events, the Sunkist Open and the NYAC Open this past November. Pataky placed sixth at the Sunkist Open, competing at 55 kg (121 pounds). He followed that performance up with an outstanding fourth place finish at the NYAC Open. Pataky went 4-2 on his way to the consolation finals where he lost a close bout to former Penn State stand-out Adam Smith. Pataky's only other loss was a close 1-0, 1-0 decision to former Arizona State All-American Danny Felix. Along the way, Pataky grabbed a superb 4-3, 8-6 win over 2006 NCAA National Champion Joe Dubuque of Indiana. Pataky went 15-8 in 2005-06 as a true freshman, including a 6-2 mark in duals and a 2-1 record in Big Ten action.