InterMat Staff

Omaha, NE -- When freshman DaVaughn Perkins came to NIACC, he was one of the nation's top recruits winning three Nebraska state titles and going undefeated in high school with an impressive 86-0 career record. Perkins accomplished all of that competing for Omaha North High School. The NIACC Trojans traveled to the Kaufman-Brand Open hosted by the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Perkins shined once again in front of his home crowd. Perkins won five straight matches to complete his day at home 5-0 and the Kaufman-Brand Open championship at 157 pounds. En route to the title, Perkins defeated several four year school opponents along the way. The first round Perkins beat Bo Petit of Hastings College (NAIA) 7-6. He followed that up with a couple of victories over NCAA Division I opponents in Nick Herboldt of South Dakota State University 10-8 and Joe Grygelko of the University of Minnesota 7-3. In the semi-finals, Perkins faced the tournament's number one seed in Iowa Central Community College's Carrington Banks. Perkins advanced to the finals with a 7-6 victory. In the finals, Perkins downed NCAA Division II Nebraska-Kearney's Ross Brunkhardt 3-2 in a tie-breaker to claim gold. Perkins is now 13-4 on the season heading into Thanksgiving break. Following Perkins, was another freshman Cody Hogan. Hogan also made the semi-finals, but eventually settled for a fifth place finish at 125 pounds. Hogan is now 8-4 on the season with two top five finishes out of two tournaments. The Trojans will be back in action on December 2nd at the UNI Open in Cedar Falls, IA.

Columbia, Mo. -- Nineteen Missouri wrestlers finished among the top six of their respective weight class, with six earning tournament titles at the eighth annual Missouri Open held in the Fieldhouse on the campus of the University of Missouri. Junior Raymond Jordan collected his third consecutive Missouri Open title at 184 pounds, while sophomore Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) defended his title for the second straight year at 197 pounds. Wrestling unattached, true feshman Patrick Wright (Grand Ledge, Mich.) wrestled his way to Missouri's only title in the Freshman/Sophomore Division, doing so in the 165 pound weight class. Junior 157 pounder Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) captured Missouri's first title of the day, finishing with a 4-0 record that included two wins by major decision. Chandler, now 5-0 on the season, is one of three Tigers on this years' squad to keep his perfect record in tact. Pinning eighth-ranked Roger Smith Bergsrud of Illinois in 46 seconds, 12th-ranked sophomore Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) earned his first Missouri Open title at 165 pounds. Marable began his run through the championship bracket with a win by technical fall, 20-4, in 6:02 over Jon Forbes (McKendree) and went on to earn a 21-8 victory over Matt Bailes of Central Michigan. Marable is 6-0 on the season and owns a 32-8 career record. Jordan won four bouts in the all-day tournament, pinning two of his 184 pound opponents, the fastest clocked at 4:09 in his opening round match. Besting third-seeded Jesse Strawn of Old Dominion, 7-4, Jordan's Missouri Open title is the third of his career. Recording back-to-back falls in his first two matches of the morning, Askren went on to win the 197 pound weight class with a 4-2 decision over No. 1 seeded Eric Lapotsky (Oklahoma). Missouri totaled 16 wins by fall in the Open Division of the tournament. Ellis improved to 6-0 on the season, having won four of his six bouts by extra point victories. Ellis began his season with a fall and technical fall against his Rider and Hofstra opponents respectively, and opened today's tournament with a fall in 55 seconds over Indianapolis' Alex Williams. Following with a 16-4 win by major decision and 4-3 win by decision, Ellis held off second-seeded John Wise of Illinois, 6-5, to earn his first Missouri Open title. Wright, who wrestled at 165 pounds, opened the tournament with a bye and went on to finish 4-0 outscoring his opponents 18-6, and winning his first Freshman Sophomore Division title with a 3-1 sudden victory decision. The Tigers will have two weeks to prepare for the 26th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 in Las Vegas, Nev. Missouri looks to defend its 2006 title, while Askren will make his second run at a title at 197 pounds.

PHILADELPHIA -- The 13th-ranked Chattanooga wrestling team earned five weight class titles Sunday and claimed the team championship at the Keystone Classic hosted by the University of Pennsylvania. Led by the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler, Seth Garvin, the Mocs wrestled to titles at 133 pounds, 141, 157, 174 and 197. Garvin recorded three major decisions in four matches, including a 13-3 victory over Rider's Rob Morrison in the 157-pound finals. UTC edged host team the University of Pennsylvania, 140.5 team points to 125.5. Southern Conference member Appalachian State finished third with 80.5 points. UTC's Steve Hromada pulled off perhaps the surprise of the tournament. Hromada entered the event as the seventh seed, rolled through his bracket, then defeated Penn's Rick Rappo in the finals, 7-5 in overtime. Cody Cleveland scored a 21-10 major over Arizona State's Chris Drouin in the 141 title match, Lloyd Rogers defeated Penn's Jeff Zannetti, 7-4 for the title at 174 and Matt Koz dispatched Arizona State's Jason Trulson, 3-2 to win the 197 weight class. Also helping the Mocs' team finish were third-place finishes from Javier Maldonado (125) and Matt Lettner (185), fourth-place finishes from Nick Davis (165) and Josh Edmondson (184) and a fifth-place finish by Joey Knox (149). The Mocs return to action this Saturday hosting Campbellsville, Cumberland College and Newberry at 1 p.m. at Maclellan Gym.

Eugene, Ore. -- Nebraska junior Paul Donahoe scored a takedown and near fall in the third period against No. 4 Jayson Ness of Minnesota to earn a 5-2 decision at the NWCA All-Star Classic in Eugene, Ore., on Monday. Donahoe, ranked first in the nation at 125 pounds, won the hard-fought battle after entering the third period down 1-0. Donahoe scored a takedown and a near fall in the final frame to earn the win. Donahoe claims the victory after losing twice to Ness last season. Ness beat Donahoe in an 11-5 decision at the Kaufman-Brand Open and was on the winning end of an 8-6 decision in the Huskers' dual with Minnesota on Feb. 11. "In the past when we have lost to Jayson Ness, we have beaten ourselves," Head Coach Mark Manning said. "By wrestling well in all three areas tonight, Paul showed how much he has improved in a year." The match was tied at zero after one period and Ness scored an escape in the second to take a 1-0 lead into the third. Donahoe earned an escape himself to tie the match at one midway through the third. The win moves Donahoe to 3-0 on the season, with two of his wins coming by pins in under two minutes. Donahoe now rejoins the Huskers in their preparations for the Las Vegas Invitational on Nov. 30 in Las Vegas.

EUGENE, Ore. -– Iowa State's All-American Jake Varner defeated Roger Kish of Minnesota 2-0 Monday night at the NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the U.S. Marine Corps in McArthur Court on the campus of the University of Oregon. The National Wrestling Coaches Association lists Varner as the top-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds, followed by Kish. After three minutes in the opening period the match remained scoreless. Kish began the second period from the down position, but was unable to get free from Varner as the Cyclone built up valuable riding time. Varner put a point on the board with an escape at the 1:44 mark in the third period. The riding time that Varner accumulated in the second period added another point and gave the sophomore a 2-0 victory. A native of Bakersfield, Calif., Varner became the 62nd ISU grappler to participate in the elite competition since its inauguration in 1967. This year marks the third consecutive year that Iowa State has sent a wrestler to the event. With Monday's win, Varner has evened his career slate at 2-2 against Kish. The two will again collide on the mat Dec. 2 in Minneapolis, Minn. when the No. 2 Cyclone wrestling team takes on defending NCAA team champion and top-ranked Minnesota.

EUGENE, Ore. -- Third-ranked junior All-American Mike Poeta earned a fall on Wisconsin's No. 2 All-American Craig Henning at the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic. It is Poeta's fifth career win over a higher-ranked opponent and improves his record to 4-0. "It's a terrific win for Mike," Illinois coach Mark Johnson said. "It's a big win against a top conference rival for him to start the season." With the bout scoreless and 1:15 remaining in the first period, Poeta got deep on a double, forcing Henning to scramble. Poeta then stacked up Henning and the Badger tried to tie up Poeta's head. But the Illini captain sat up, earning the fall in 2:22. Up Next: The Illini take a week off from competition for Thanksgiving before returning to action at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Nov. 30-Dec. 1.

ANNAPOLIS, MD -- The Bloomsburg University wrestling team took first place on Saturday at the Navy Classic in Annapolis, Maryland. The Huskies finished with 161.5 points, while the host, U.S. Naval Academy, was second with 140 points. Bucknell was third with 132. Bloomsburg took first in three weight classes at the event and also had three, second place finishes. In all, the Huskies had 10 wrestlers place in the event. Earning first place finishes were 125 pounder Mike Sees (Northumberland/Shikellamy); 149 pounder Dennnis Bermudez (Saugerties, NY/Saugerties) and 157-pounder Matt Moley (Phoenixville/Spring-Ford). Sees was dominant in winning his weight class picking up four of his five wins by technical fall. Bermudez also dominated his weight with two wins by fall and a major decision, while Moley had two pins and a technical fall on his way to the title. At 125 pounds, Ian Moser (Dover, DE/Cesar Rodney) finished third, while at 133 pounds Jason Guffey (Muncy/Warrior Run) was sixth. George Hickman (Castle Hayne, NC/Riverside) was second at 141 pounds as was Ricky Schmeylyun (New Oxford/Bermudian Springs) in the 165 pound weight class. At 184 pounds, Jesse Hasseman (Franklin, IN/Frankilin) was second as was P.J. DiStefano (Whitehall/Whitehall-Coplay) at 197 pounds. At heavyweight, Mike Spaid (Perkiomenville/Boyertown) was third. The Huskies wrestle at the Northeast Duals on Saturday in Albany, NY.

Senior Tanner Gardner (11-0) claimed his second consecutive 125-pound title, and five Cardinal wrestlers placed at the Fullerton Open at Titan Gym in Fullerton, Calif. today. Twelve Stanford wrestlers won matches, combining for 36 Cardinal wins. Gardner went a flawless 5-0 for the second straight week and earned his sixth pin of the season. The Berryton, Kans. native defeated Cal State Bakersfield's Brandon Zoetaway, 6-4, in the championship bout and remains undefeated at 11-0 on the year. Freshman Max Rosefigura (7-2) pinned his first two opponents and posted a 4-2 record on the day. The Anchorage, Alaska native placed for the first time of his collegiate career, taking fourth at 141 pounds. The Cardinal boasted two of the four placers at 157 pounds, as senior Josh Zupancic (10-1) and freshman Nick Amuchastegui (7-2) took second and fourth place, respectively. N0. 6 Zupancic won his first four matches, but was upset by Cal Poly's No. 17 Chase Pami, 5-2, in the championship bout. At the 2006 Fullerton Open, Zupancic defeated Pami to take home the title. Amuchastegui placed for the first time in his collegiate career, going 4-2 and winning three bouts in the consolation bracket to take fourth place. Senior heavyweight Phillip Doerner (11-4) posted a team-best six wins on the day, and took fourth place. After losing his second match, Doerner strung together five consecutive wins in the consolation bracket to earn fourth place. Redshirt freshman Justin Paulsen (11-4) also went 4-2 on the day, and reached the consolation semifinals at 133 pounds. Stanford will wrestle in its second dual of the season Wednesday night, taking on the San Francisco State Gators in San Francisco. .g {text-indent:3px;padding-right:3px;overflow:hidden;white-space:nowrap;letter-spacing:0;word-spacing:0;background-color:#FFFFFF; z-index:1;border-top:0px none;border-left:0px none;border-bottom:1px solid #CCC;border-right:1px solid #CCC;} .dn{display:none} .chip{background-image:url('http://www.google.com/images/spreadsheets/chip.gif'); background-repeat:no-repeat; background-position:top right;} .s1{background-color:#ff0000;font-family:Arial;font-size:80.0%;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;color:#ffff00;text-decoration:none;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom;white-space:normal;overflow:hidden;text-indent:0px;padding-left:3px;border-right:1px solid #CCC;border-bottom:1px solid #CCC;} .s2{background-color:#800000;font-family:Arial;font-size:80.0%;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;color:#ffff00;text-decoration:none;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom;white-space:normal;overflow:hidden;text-indent:0px;padding-left:3px;border-right:1px solid #CCC;border-bottom:1px solid #CCC;} .s0{background-color:#c0c0c0;font-family:Arial;font-size:80.0%;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;color:#000000;text-decoration:none;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom;white-space:normal;overflow:hidden;text-indent:0px;padding-left:3px;border-right:1px solid #CCC;border-bottom:1px solid #CCC;} .s6{background-color:white;font-family:Arial;font-size:80.0%;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:bottom;white-space:normal;overflow:hidden;text-indent:0px;padding-left:3px;border-right:1px solid #CCC;border-bottom:1px solid #CCC;} .s5{background-color:white;font-family:Arial;font-size:80.0%;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;color:#000000;text-decoration:none;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom;white-space:normal;overflow:hidden;text-indent:0px;padding-left:3px;border-right:1px solid #CCC;border-bottom:1px solid #CCC;} .s4{background-color:white;font-family:Arial;font-size:80.0%;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;color:#000000;text-decoration:none;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom;white-space:normal;overflow:hidden;text-indent:0px;padding-left:3px;border-right:1px solid #CCC;border-bottom:1px solid #CCC;} .s3{background-color:#c0c0c0;font-family:Arial;font-size:80.0%;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;color:#000000;text-decoration:none;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom;white-space:normal;overflow:hidden;text-indent:0px;padding-left:3px;border-right:1px solid #CCC;border-bottom:1px solid #CCC;} Weight ClassIowa StateMinnesotaPredictionOutcome125Ben HanischJayson NessNess, Major DecisionMinnesota + 4133Nick FanthorpeMack ReiterReiter, Decision Minnesota +3141Nick GallickManny RiveraGallick, Decision Iowa State +3149Mitch MuellerDustin SchlaterSchlatter, Decision Minnesota +3157Cyler SandersonCP SchlatterSchlatter, Decision Minnesota +3165Jon ReaderScott GlasserReader, Decision Iowa State +3174Scott ArtistGabe DretschDretsch, DecisionMinnesota +3184Jake VarnerRoger KishVarner, Decision Iowa State +3197David BertolinoYura MalamuraBertolino, Major DecisionIowa State +4HwtDavid ZabriskieJoe NordZabriskie, DecisionIowa State +3Final Score Prediction:Iowa State 16 Minnesota 16

NORFOLK, Va. -- Old Dominion University wrestling coach Steve Martin announced the signing of four recruits to national letters of intent today. Joe Budi (Kaukauna, Wisc.), Chase Ennis (Yorktown, Va.), Jared King (Chesapeake, Va.) and Craig Wilson (Farmington, Mo.) all signed NLI's to attend ODU in the fall. "This is probably the best class for the early signing period that we have produced," said ODU head coach Steve Martin. "The incoming recruiting class fills definite needs for us at the 149, 157, 184 & 197 weight classes. All four of these student-athletes are serious about winning national titles as well as succeeding in the classroom." Craig Wilson is a standout from Missouri, ranked second in the nation by Wrestling USA and third by W.I.N. Magazine. He is a two-time state champion, three-time placewinner in Missouri and has only lost three bouts in his career. He takes his career 151-3 record into his senior season looking for his third consecutive state title. Wilson also was the 2005 Cadet National Freestyle runner-up as well as a placewinner at the 2006 FILA Cadet National Freestyle Tournament and the 2007 Jr. Freestyle Nationals. Wilson was also being recruited by 2007 National Champion Minnesota, as well as national contenders Missouri, Nebraska and Northern Iowa. MARTIN ON WILSON: "We look to Craig Wilson to be the future prototype of our program. He has goals of being a multiple NCAA champion and he has the credentials and work ethic to back it up. This was a huge pickup for us and it shocked a lot of people. Wilson is very aggressive and wrestles the `Iowa' style of wrestling." Joe Budi finished his junior campaign ranked 7th nationally after a 50-0 campaign including 23 pins. He was the state champion a year ago, is a two-time placewinner at the Wisconsin state championship and is ranked 9th by W.I.N. Magazine heading into his senior year. Also a Brute/adidas National Folkstyle Champion and two-time USA National Folkstyle Champion, he chose ODU over three nationally ranked contenders in Minnesota, Nebraska and Penn. His 118-20 career record will provide depth at a projected weight of 184 or 197. MARTIN ON BUDI: "Joe Budi will be an impact wrestler for us right off the bat. He has a very aggressive style for an upper weight. He competes very hard which will allow for a smooth transition into the collegiate wrestling world. He too wrestles the `Iowa' style and has goals of becoming a national champion and All-American." Jared King wrestles at Virginia state powerhouse Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Virginia. King is ranked 10th by Wrestling USA as a two-time state runner-up at Virginia's AAA state tournament. He is a two-time district and two-time regional champion and will add depth to a projected weight of 149 or 157 in college. He chose to wrestle for ODU over in-state rival Virginia Tech. MARTIN ON KING: "Jared King has been around wrestling his whole life and has a natural feel for the sport. He has the ability to pin anyone at any time. We expect him to step in and contribute right away. Jared is a very scrappy wrestler that has a `go-get-him' style. When the whistle blows, he's going forward across the mat to try and pin his opponent." The fourth recruit is a local product from Grafton High school in Yorktown. Chase Ennis is a three-time Bay Rivers District Champion as well as a two-time regional champion. He was the state runner-up last season and heading into his senior season he has a career record of 133-20. A two-time placewinner at the Virginia AA tournament, he's also a two-time Virginia Freestyle State Champion. Ennis was also considering Princeton and UT Chattanooga. MARTIN ON ENNIS: "We consider Ennis the best big guy in the state of Virginia, as well as a diamond in the rough. He is a big, strong kid that has great athletic ability as well as being a very hard worker. We expect Ennis to make an impact in our program." The four grapplers will continue to add depth to Martin's program, which has improved dramatically each year. This season, the Monarchs are receiving the most votes of those outside the Top 25 in the Intermat national rankings.

The Dana College wrestling team gave first-year head coach Beau Vest his first career dual win on Friday night. Dana handed NCAA Division III power Buena Vista University a resounding 34-10 loss. Aaron Wilcox (FR, Pittsgrove, N.J.) got the Vikings off to a quick start with a pin in 3:24 at 125 pounds. Senior Burke Barnes (Lake Stevens, Wash.) gave the Vikings their second consecutive pin at 133 pounds. Barnes took down and pinned Kyle Donlan in 1:29. Adam Manz (SO, Council Bluffs, Iowa) earned a 14-2 decision over Kody Kersten at 141 pounds. Jason Bilinski (SR, Pittsgrove, N.J.) gave Dana their fourth straight win with a pin over Semir Duric in 2:31 at 149 pounds. The Beavers finally got on the board at 157 pounds. Joey Verschoor earned a 10-4 decision over Dan Pray (SR, St. George, Kan.). Ryan Tuzon (SO, Maui, Hawaii) gave Dana its fifth win in six matches at 165 pounds. Tuzon came away with a 10-6 decision over Julian Mancha. Buena Vista won the next two matches at 174 and 184 pounds. Kody Koster defeated Tony Ponce (SR, Derby, Kan.) 16-4 at 174. Josh Murray then defeated Jon Wilbourne (SO, Lake Stevens, Wash.) 13-6 at 184. Ross Milam (JR, Omaha, Neb.) stopped the Beaver run by pinning Scott Modder in 5:32 at 197 pounds. Wade Jordan (SR, Coulee City, Wash.) ended the night with a 2-0 win over Jacob Combs at heavyweight. The Vikings wrestling team traveled to Omaha, Neb., on Saturday to take part in the Kaufman/Brand Tournament at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. This tournament is one of the largest single-day tournaments in the nation. The tournament is divided into two classifications: Amateur and Elite. The Vikings had wrestlers participating in both classes. Hunter Samuels (JR, Tonganoxie, Kan.) won his opening match at 133 pounds with a 7-6 decision over Devon Pureifoy of King College. Samuels lost by technical fall 20-4 to Jamal Parks of Oklahoma State in the second round. Samuels then lost a close 7-3 decision to unattached wrestler Keaton Taylor. Torey Seminara (JR, Pearl City, Hawaii) and Ty Costa (FR, Turlock, Calif.) competed at the 141-pound weight class. Seminara lost his opening match to David Greenwald of Iowa Central in the opening round. He then defeated Alex Polzin 5-3 in the wrestle backs. Seminara was then eliminated from the tournament by Brett Swover of Nebraska-Kearney 9-2. Costa also dropped his opening match. Sim Bribieseca of UNO earned a 7-0 decision over Costa. He then rallied to win his next two matches in the wrestle backs via pin. Costa was knocked out by UNK's Nate High, 10-2. Josh Ghobadpoor (SO, Dahlonega, Ga.) won two matches at 174 pounds before being knocked out of the tournament by injury. John Schmalz (SO, Kansas City, Kan.) was pinned by Mitch Brown of UNO in the second round of the 184-weight class. Schmalz rebounded with a 3-1 win over Alex Driggers of King College. Schmalz was then eliminated by Iowa Central's Nate Willard, 11-2. Ross Milam (JR, Omaha, Neb.) knocked off Lance Peters of Augustana 5-2 in the opening round of the 197-pound weight class. Brodie Ambrose of Iowa then defeated Milam 4-2 in the quarterfinals. Milam was defeated in the wrestle backs by Jordan Taghvai. Dana also had several wrestlers compete in the elite division of the tournament. Kevin Gray (SR, Topeka, Kan.) brought home sixth place at 125 pounds. Gray defeated Cody Grant of Wyoming in his opening match 8-5. Gray then posted a 7-6 decision over Air Force's Zach Valdez. He was pinned in the semi-finals by an unattached wrestler from the University of Iowa. Gray then lost an 11-4 decision to Nick Smith of Mankato. He lost his final match to Ben Hanisch of Iowa State 10-4. Burke Barnes (SR, Lake Stevens, Wash.) earned a major decision over an unattached wrestler from the University of Minnesota, 13-3, in the opening round of the 133-pound weight class. Barnes then defeated another unattached wrestler from Northern Iowa, 6-3. He scored the upset of the tournament in the semifinals. Barnes defeated top seeded Tom Magnani of the University of Iowa, 10-5. Barnes then dropped a 6-1 decision to Cory VomBaur of Wyoming 6-1. He had to forfeit his last two matches due to injury and finished sixth. Dan Pray (SR, St. George, Kan.) earned an opening round win over UNO's Marcus Hilario 3-1 at the 157 pound weight class. Pray then lost by technical fall, 19-2, to Adam Aho of North Dakota State. He lost a 6-1 decision in the wrestle backs to Ryan Freeman of Oklahoma State. The Vikings are 1-0 in duals this year and are off until November 29 when they travel to Morningside College in Sioux City for a 7 p.m. dual. The Vikings will also be taking place at the Simpson Invite on Dec. 1 in Indianola, Iowa.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Guided by the winning ways of Mark Kist (125), Nick Fanthorpe (133), Jon Reader (165) and David Zabriskie (HWT), No. 2 Iowa State wrestling defeated three opponents at the Binghamton Duals Sunday to move to 5-0 on the season. The Cyclones shut out Clarion, 40-0, and denied Binghamton 30-15 and West Virginia 24-9. “Today was a tough day with the way this tournament was set up,” associate head wrestling coach Cody Sanderson said. “Wrestling three back-to-back-to-back matches forced our wrestlers to go hard each time and they responded well. Aron Scott and Chris Pursel did a great job for us at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively. Aron saw his first action of the season and he fought hard.” ISU took on Clarion in the first of three duals and cruised to a 40-0 victory over the Golden Eagles. All 10 Cyclone grapplers won their bouts. Highlighting the dual were quick fist period pins by Kist, who pinned Andrew Smith in 1:26, and David Bertolino's stick of Dixon Jordan in 1:56 at 197 pounds. Reader, ranked ninth nationally, tallied a 19-7 major decision of David Cox and No. 6 Zabriskie outscored Roman Husam 11-2. Fanthorpe recorded a 24-8 technical fall in 6:50 over Robert LaBrake. “I was much more comfortable today than I was Friday night,” Kist said. “I’m not nervous anymore. Getting the pin in the opening bout against Clarion was a good way to start the dual. I think it set the tone. It was a lot of fun to get my first varsity pin.“ At 157 pounds, No. 11 Cyler Sanderson took a knee off his cheek as he went in for a single-leg shot on Clarion's Travis Uncapher. Although he finished the match with 9-6 decision, Sanderson’s injury sidelined him for the Binghamton dual and forced Iowa State to forfeit at 157 pounds for the Binghamton match. Despite Sanderson’s departure from the lineup against the Bearcats, the Cyclones were able to oust Binghamton 30-15. Again providing bonus points for ISU were Kist and Zabriskie with major decisions. Fanthorpe earned his second technical fall of the day and Bertolino got one of his own. Reader picked up his second pin of his redshirt freshman season, a 1:27 stick of Gaetjens Lexiz. Aron Scott sealed a 6-1 decision over Brett Nelson at 174 pounds by registering a takedown with 22 seconds remaining on the clock. Chris Pursel followed with a key 3-2 decision over Anthony Esposito at 184 pounds. “Getting bonus points during the Binghamton dual was big,” Sanderson said. “We tell our guys not to get hung up on a one or two-point lead. We want them to get points and to take risks.” The final dual of the day pitted Iowa State against a relentless West Virginia squad, but the Cyclones proved to be too much, winning the first six matches and the dual by a score of 24-9. No. 16 Nick Gallick (141) and No. 14 Mitch Mueller (149) each bounced back from losses in the Binghamton dual, winning via a 4-0 and 7-4 decision, respectively. Sanderson returned to the mat at 157 pounds and won his match, 3-2, over No. 15 Zac Fryling. “We knew that West Virginia was going to be tough," Sanderson said. "Mueller did a great job coming back and generating offense in the West Virginia match and Cyler had guts going out there the way he did after the injury he suffered in that first match.” At the end of the day the Cyclones won 12 matches that resulted in bonus points – five major decisions, four technical falls and three pins. Six of the grapplers in action Sunay maintain spotless records (Kist, Fanthorpe, Sanderson, Reader and Zabriskie) and the lineup used in Sunday's matches carry a 71-8 combined career mark. Through five duals, ISU has bested opponents 167-28 and has registered two shutouts. “It felt good to get those big wins today,” Fanthorpe said. “I have just been listening to the coaches and I go out there and perform. They [the coaches] keep telling us to build on a lead by getting points. My conditioning is really good and it shows in the second and third periods. This weekend was good experience for us because we got to see different guys, teams and competition. We will learn from what we did this weekend and go back to prepare for Minnesota.” Head coach Cael Sanderson and 184-pounder Jake Varner were absent from Sunday’s event. The two departed for Eugene, Ore., Saturday as Varner will participate at the NWCA All-Star Match Monday night. Varner, a 2007 NCAA runner-up, is slated to go up against Roger Kish of Minnesota. Iowa State will trek north on Interstate 35 Dec. 2, to take on defending NCAA champion Minnesota at 2 p.m. in Minneapolis. Wrestling action returns to Hilton Coliseum Dec. 9, as the Cyclones play host to intrastate rival Iowa at 2 p.m.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -– Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 in the nation at 197 pounds, posted a 6-2 decision over No. 3 Mike Tamillow of Northwestern in the 2007 NWCA All-Star Classic, held at the University of Oregon. Davis and head coach Troy Sunderland attended the exhibition event in Eugene, Ore. Davis found himself on the defensive early as Tamillow nearly scored on three different occasions in the first period. But Davis' maneuverability on top allowed him to escape each Tamillow scoring threat and keep the bout scoreless after one period. Davis chooses down to begin the second period and quickly turns his choice into not a one point escape, but a two point reversal. The three-time Nittany Lion All-American built up some solid riding time before Tamillow managed to scramble out for an escape. Still, Davis led 2-1 with 1:00 left in the middle stanza. Tamillow once again got in on Davis' ankle after the restart halfway through the second, but Davis keeps Tamillow at a distance and his other leg free to avoid giving up any points and taking the 2-1 lead into the third. The Wildcat 197-pounder chooses down to begin the third period and begins to work into Davis' riding time edge. But Davis, always dangerous on top, locks Tamillow into a cradle. Davis gets three near fall points with the move and clinches the riding time point. The Lion senior would maintain control of Tamillow until the Wildcat grappler escaped to a 5-2 deficit with just :20 left. Davis tacked on the riding time bonus point at the end to post a convincing 6-2 victory over third-ranked Tamillow. The victory, being in an exhibition, does not count towards Davis' season record. However, in the span of nine days, Davis has begun his 2007-08 season with wins over the eighth, sixth and third ranked wrestlers in the country by a combined score of 35-5. Davis is 2-0 on the year with wins over No. 8 Hudson Taylor of Maryland (a 17-2 tech. fall) and No. 6 Joe Rovelli of Hofstra (a 12-1 major). Penn State will return to action next Sunday, Dec. 2, when it competes in the Nittany Lion Open in Rec Hall. Action for that event begins at 8:30 a.m. The Nittany Lion Open is not part of Penn State's regular season ticket package. NLO tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for students, $2 as part of a group package and free to Nittany Lion Wrestling Club members, Penn State students with ID and season ticket holders. Penn State will return to action on Friday and Sunday, Dec. 7 and 9, when it visits Lehigh and Oklahoma State, respectively. Penn State's next home dual will be on Jan. 4, when Cornell visits Rec Hall for a 7 p.m. dual.

EUGENE, Ore. -- Fifth-year senior captains Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) of the University of Michigan wrestling team split their pair of matches at the 2007 NWCA All-Star Classic on Monday evening (Nov. 19) at the University of Oregon's McArthur Court. Churella suffered a close 3-2 defeat at 149 pounds, while Tannenbaum earned a 4-0 shutout two weight classes later at 165 pounds. Churella's bout against Minnesota's top-ranked Dustin Schlatter proved quite typical to the series between the two Big Ten rivals and featured a lot of hand fighting and very little scoring. Churella, ranked No. 2 in the nation at 149 pounds, dominated the shots in the first period, but it was Schlatter that emerged with the advantage after he countered a Wolverine shot to score on a single-leg attempt of his own. Churella picked up a quick escape and another early in the second period to knot the score at 2-2. The U-M captain's first shot in the middle frame drew a warning call on Schlatter, but Churella was hit with a warning himself early in the third after hanging onto the Gopher wrestler and failing to return him to the mat. Churella continued to ride tough in the third, but Schlatter earned his escape just shy of the one-minute riding time mark to secure a 3-2 decision victory. Tannenbaum, also ranked No. 2 in the nation at 165 pounds, earned his second All-Star Classic victory in as many appearances at the event, shutting out Arizona State's third-ranked Patrick Pitsch 4-0. Pitsch took the first shot of match -- a quick single-leg attempt -- but Tannenbaum proved the aggressor for the remainder of the frame, attempting several single legs and a late leg sweep but failing to score. Starting down in the second, Tannenbaum gained the only lead he would need with a quick escape and padded his advantage with a takedown late in the period off an errant Pitsch shot. With the Sun Devil wrestler out of position, Tannenbaum snapped him down and spun around top for two points. The Wolverine added a final point at match's end after riding out Pitsch for the entirety of the third period, using a deep legride and a couple of lifts and hard returns to keep the ASU wrestler on the mat. Churella and Tannenbaum are the 30th and 31st Wolverine wrestlers to participate in the NWCA All-Star, and it marks the 10th time in program history that Michigan has boasted multiple wrestlers in the all-star lineup. Tannenbaum is the seventh Wolverine to earn repeat selection to the annual event, adding to his 2005 appearance at which he upset top-ranked, defending NCAA champion Zack Esposito 7-3 in the 149-pound match. Tannenbaum, Churella and the rest of the Wolverines will kick off the season on Saturday (Nov. 24) at the Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals in Troy, N.Y. Michigan will square off against Bucknell, Maryland, Bloomsburg and Virginia at the dual-meet event.

PITTSBURGH—Pitt's Keith Gavin, the nation's top ranked wrestler in the 174 class, toppled No. 2 ranked Matt Stolpinski of the United States Naval Academy in an 8-4 decision tonight at McArthur Court in Eugene, Ore. The No. 1 versus No. 2 match up was one of twelve bouts that took place on the campus of the University of Oregon as part of the 42nd annual NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps. Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) controlled the bout early with a two-on-one grip and took down the Midshipman for a 2-0 lead. Stolpinski answered with an escape in the first, but not before Gavin had run up 1:22 of riding time. Stolpinksi chose down to start the second and registered another escape, tying the bout at two. The Navy grappler then tried for a half-shot, but Gavin countered and gained control, taking down Stolpinski and stretching his lead back to two. Before Gavin could close out the period, however, the Midshipman broke free once more and sliced the deficit to just one. Gavin, last year's national runner up at 174, started down in the third and immediately regained his two-point lead with an escape. The Factoryville, Pa., native then added to his cushion with a small flurry and another takedown, making the count 7-3. He cut Stolpinski loose with 0:15 left in the bout and added a point for riding time to set the final at 8-4. The win marked Gavin's third of the year, with the other two coming in Pitt's dual matches against Lehigh and Bloomsburg. The Panthers will return to action on Friday, Nov. 30, when they travel to Las Vegas, Nev., for the Las Vegas Invitational.

A special screening of the new wrestling movie "7 Minutes" will be presented at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum on Friday, November 30 at 7 p.m. Admission is $5. Former Northern Iowa wrestlers Jeff Harrison and Steve Ertl play lead roles in this film about a Division I wrestling program that is on the verge of being dropped. All of the actors who portray wrestlers in the film competed at the collegiate level. "Wrestling is without a doubt the most misunderstood sport out there," said J.D. Oliva, producer and director of the film. "There are all types of stereotypes, and people don't realize that the sport requires an incredible amount of hard work and sacrifice." "Mainstream America could use some education. Wrestling is growing at every level except in the NCAA, where more than 300 wrestling programs have been cut since 1972." "7 Minutes" was shot primarily in Illinois and Wisconsin. The Chicago Sun Times published a story on the project in May and the web site for the movie (www.7minutes-movie.com) has received tens of thousands of hits. For more information contact the wrestling museum at (319) 233-0745.

In 2006, the National Wrestling Coaches Association's signature event, the All-Star Classic, was held in an area to help promote wrestling and kickstart more interest. In 2007, the All-Star Classic again had a vision in promoting wrestling, this time as an effort to showcase the sport at the University of Oregon and give support the movement to save the Oregon wrestling program which is set to be discontinued following the 2007-08 season. The verdict: 4,380 wrestling fans came to barn-like McArthur Court to see 20 of the nation's elite wrestlers in one of the sport's premier events. Leading the performances on Monday night at the 42nd annual event presented by the United States Marine Corps were 133 and 141-pound winners Lou Ruggirello and Charles Griffin of Hofstra, 197-pound winner Phil Davis of Penn State and heavyweight winner Tervel Dlagnev of Nebraska-Kearney. The dual started with a solid match between returning NCAA champion Paul Donahoe of Nebraska and fourth-ranked Jayson Ness of Minnesota at 125 pounds. The two wrestled a very similar style of offense, both riding tough on top, looking for turns with tight rides and half-nelsons, but Donahoe came up the winner, scoring two and two from a late third-period scramble for a 5-2 victory. Ruggirello followed with the first of Hofstra's two victories and gave the top-ranked Golden Gophers two losses in the first two bouts. A late replacement for top-ranked Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State, Ruggirello continued his torrid pace this season by picking up a 6-0 victory over two-time All-American Mack Reiter of Minnesota. Ruggirello scored with a passby in the first period and rode Reiter for much of the match, building over three minutes of riding time and adding a third-period takedown to take the 133-pound match 6-0. While the match is unofficial and won't count for individual ranking purposes or NCAA seeding down the line, Ruggirello has now defeated two wrestlers ranked #2 this season. In the Pride's opening dual, the New York native pinned Missouri's Tyler McCormick on November 10 and on Monday, topped Reiter. "I've been practicing with the best guys in the nation every day," said Ruggirello. "So it's just like going out there and wrestling one of them." Unlike last season, where Ruggirello, then a true freshman, dropped a few matches early in the season before he caught fire en route to the first of likely more Colonial Athletic Association titles. "It's a lot more mental. I'm a lot more confident," said Ruggirello. "I'm staying with my offense instead of trying to wrestle defensively. It helps me out. He's a real tough kid and it helps me out a lot mentally." Griffin defeated Oklahoma State's Nathan Morgan 9-4 with five third-period points and an additional point for riding time. Morgan controlled the tempo for much of the match, getting in deep on Griffin several times and scoring on a pair of single-leg takedowns. Trailing 4-3 in the third, Griffin planted Morgan hard to the mat for the takedown and held Morgan on his back for a three-count and two nearfall points. Griffin then locked up a Mason tilt, rolled through and scored three more nearfall points to win going away. "It was kind of instinct," said Griffin. "I didn't expect what I did to happen. I knew I was down, so I had to do something. When I picked him up, I knew he was exposed, so I just tried to hold him down." It gets Griffin back on track after his 6-1 loss to Penn State's Jake Strayer this past Saturday. "I'm having a hard time making weight this year and I'm starting to get it under control and feeling good and wanting to wrestle," said Griffin. "(This win) just gives me more confidence and more to want to come out here and wrestle." Dustin Schlatter gave Minnesota its first individual win on the night and his second straight All-Star Classic victory. Schlatter topped returning NCAA runner-up Josh Churella 3-2 at 149 pounds, scoring the only takedown of the match in the first period. Schlatter beat Oklahoma's Matt Storniolo last year in Dallas. Illinois' Mike Poeta upended returning NCAA runner-up Craig Henning with a first-period fall that originated from a deep Poeta double which Henning countered with a waist lock and tried to create a scramble to keep from being taken down. Poeta came through the back door, gained control briefly while stacking Henning and scored the fall. Michigan would pick up one victory on the night as Eric Tannenbaum topped Patrick Pitsch of Arizona State 4-0. Tannenbaum scored the bout's only takedown with a snap-and-spin in the second period and added an escape and a riding time point for the final margin. Keith Gavin of Pittsburgh was solid in an 8-4 victory over Navy's Matt Stolpinski at 174 pounds. Gavin was adept at scoring this slide-bys and controlled Stolpinski on the mat for much of the bout. In what's becoming a budding rivalry, Jake Varner picked up his second straight victory over Minnesota's Roger Kish, putting the Gophers at 1-3 on the night, with a 2-0 victory at 184 pounds. Varner scored a second period escape and rode out Kish in the third period for a riding time point. It was the only matchup of the night involving wrestlers from the #1 and #2-ranked teams in the nation. At 197, Davis, ready to make amends to wrestling fans for not making weight at last year's event, was pressured much of the match by Northwestern's Mike Tamillow, but it was Davis' unconventional style and trademark cradle that gave him the 6-2 win, nearly pinning Tamillow in the second period. "I wasn't able to wrestle the quality of match that I wrestled against the last two guys," said Davis. As far as the cradle, Davis said: "I did kind of pull that out of nowhere, but it worked and I'm glad about that." Davis fought off relentless attacks from an offensive-minded Tamillow, who was in deep on numerous single leg attacks, only to come up empty. In his first main event All-Star Classic match, Dlagnev bested Cal State-Fullerton's Wade Sauer at heavyweight in the highest scoring match of the evening. Dlagnev and Sauer are two of the most mobile heavyweights in the nation and Dlagnev's offense proved to be a tad too much for Cal State-Fullerton's first-ever entry into the event. "It felt great, I'm glad I got the opportunity to wrestle in it. It was fun to get invited, I was pretty excited," said Dlagnev. The match was a 180 from last year's overtime match between Bode Ogunwole of Harvard and Spencer Nadolsky of North Carolina. "I like putting up points," said Dlagnev, worn out from cross-country travel. "This whole weekend was kind of a haze for me. I went to Omaha and wrestled a couple of matches, then I came here. I just felt kind of weird. I didn't wrestle the way I wanted, but I'm glad I got to do it." Sauer lost to Dlagnev last year 12-0 at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas and came in ready, despite the short notice. "He's a tough guy, he's strong," said Dlagnev of Sauer. "He was prepared, he was keeping his hands down. He knew I shot. It was a fun match. I just have to re-adjust and really work on my stuff for the rest of the season." Dlagnev was grateful for his invitation. "I'm just thankful for the opportunity," he said. Dlagnev was the first non-Division I wrestler to compete in the main event since 2004 when Montana State-Northern's Emmett Willson wrestled at 197 pounds en route to an NAIA title that year and an eventual Dan Hodge Trophy. The event typically attracts the #1 and #2-ranked wrestlers in Division I, but bids, while rare, do go out to accomplished wrestlers from the smaller divisions in the NCAA and NAIA. Non-Division I wrestlers have frequented exhibition bouts. Three Oregon colleges were represented in two collegiate exhibition bouts prior to the main event. Oregon State's Jake Gonzales scored a 10-2 major decision over the top-ranked 125-pounder in the NAIA, Southern Oregon University's Trevor Lofstedt. Oregon's Ron Lee defeated Stanford's Luke Feist in a 174-pound exhibition bout. Oregon assistant coach Rick Stewart felt the Oregon community did make a statement on Monday, as nearly 2,800 tickets were sold in advance. "I was pleased with the turnout, I think the final count ended up being 4,380 and we had good support from the surrounding area," said Stewart. "The high schools brought busloads of kids. (Southwestern) brought out 100-200 t-shirts and started throwing them around, letting people have those Save Oregon Wrestling t-shirts." Southwest Oregon Community College showed up with several boxes of bright yellow t-shirts that read "Oregon Wrestling" in big letters with the words "Just Keep It" in between, a play on the Nike slogan of "Just Do it." "Wrestling is not a dying sport in the state of Oregon," said Stewart. "It's always been very supportive of wrestling. With wrestling, in general everywhere, we have a problem, our events occur, you have tournaments all over the state at the same time and it conflicts with us at the University. We have shown at this point, if we can offset those dates we can get some good crowds and people want to come and watch the sport." McArthur Court, nicknamed "The Pit," provided a very fan-friendly and intimate atmosphere for Monday's All-Star Classic. "Mac Court's a great venue for wrestling," said Stewart. "The acoustics go hand-and-hand for the sport. As it turns out, it's great." Monday's event was devoid of any senior athletic administration due to Oregon's Cross Country teams competing at the NCAA Championships in Indiana, where the men won the NCAA title and the women's team finished second. Stewart offered up his congratulations to his fellow coaches, but acknowledged the plight of Oregon wrestling is not going to go down quietly. "The University is supportive of athletics, we just want to get back into the fold," said Stewart. "I think it's a situation where we have some obstacles to overcome, but I think we're going to get that opportunity. We can't run away from it. We have four months and we're going to keep fighting until it's over." Results: 125: No. 1 Paul Donahoe (Nebraska) dec. No. 4 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) 5-2 133: No. 4 Lou Ruggirello (Hofstra) dec. No. 2 Mack Reiter (Minnesota) 6-0 141: No. 2 Charles Griffin (Hofstra) dec. No. 3 Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State) 9-4 149: No. 1 Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) dec. No. 2 Josh Churella (Michigan) 3-2 157: No. 3 Mike Poeta (Illinois) pin No. 2 Craig Henning (Wisconsin) 2:22 165: No. 2 Eric Tannenbaum (Michigan) dec. No. 3 Patrick Pitsch (Arizona State) 4-0 174: No. 1 Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh) dec. No. 2 Matt Stolpinski (Navy) 8-4 184: No. 1 Jake Varner (Iowa State) dec. No. 2 Roger Kish (Minnesota) 2-0 197: No. 2 Phil Davis (Penn State) dec. No. 3 Mike Tamillow (Northwestern) 6-2 285: No. 1-D2 Tervel Dlagnev (Nebraska-Kearney) dec. No. 3 Wade Sauer (Cal State-Fullerton) 11-7. Exhibitions: 125: Jake Gonzales (Oregon State) maj. dec. Trevor Lofstedt (Southern Oregon) 10-2 174: Ron Lee (Oregon) dec. Luke Feist (Stanford) 5-2.

While the finals of college wrestling tournaments often yield defensive, chess-match-type bouts, high-drama offense was the norm in the championship round at this year's Fullerton Open. Perhaps it was because that no riding time was being kept, perhaps it was because there's less at stake in early-season competitions or perhaps it was that the event was being held on a Sunday instead of the usual Saturday and people just wanted to get home. Whatever the reason, the points were fast and furious -- from the opening whistle through the last. With finals matches being held on two mats, it was often difficult for fans at the mostly-full Titan Gym to keep up. The wrestlers themselves didn't make it easier by lighting up the scoreboard. In terms of the move with the greatest amplitude, the winner might be unattached Brandon Halsey, who launched John Drake of Cal State Fullerton with a socks-drying headlock and scored the fall in 30 seconds of the 197-pound final. However, his pin wasn't the fastest of the tourney -- or the finals. That honor went to 174-pound Calvin DeVault of Embry-Riddle who got his hand raised after just 24 seconds of action against Cal-Bakersfield's Daniel Atondo. Despite moving up two weight classes for this season, 2006 All-American Chad Mendes of Cal Poly did not look small at 141 and appeared quite capable of power moves at the new weight. In the middle of a wild scramble in the opening period, Mendes showed shades of (two-time NCAA champ) Johnny Thompson by bulling Cal State Fullerton's Teddy Astorga over for five points with a "snake." However Mendes tweaked his ankle later in the period and had to hold on for a 7-3 win, giving up a stalling point from the bottom position late in the third. Two-time All-American Tanner Gardner of Stanford may appear to be one of the more measured-type champions in the tourney -- winning 3-1 in the semis and 6-4 in the finals. However, his shots seem to inspire opponents to attempt unorthodox, funky counters, which result in both athletes rolling around in fascinating, drawn-out battles for control. Gardner was completely comfortable in these positions and would come out on top of most of the time. He never trailed on the scoreboard. At 149, defending California Open champ Morgan Atkinson looked to be cruising to an easy victory over Cal Poly's Eric Maldonado, building an 8-3 lead in the second period. But Maldonado came storming back to tie the bout 8-8 and then made Atkinson settle for a 12-9 win on his home mat. After the match, Atkinson stressed the importance of simply winning for his fans. "It's definitely important to win at home. This is my last year -- my friends and family are here. We're really the only team in Southern California so the only tournament they get to see me is this one." Likewise, fellow Cal State Fullerton wrestler Ian Murphy had difficulty in the finals against Riley Orozco of Bakersfield in the 184 lb. final. With the match tied at 4, Murphy scored a takedown in the final period, only to see Orozco escape and give Murphy the 1-point victory. Murphy admitted being frustrated in the bout by Orozco's height. "He's a long guy," said the Titan senior. "He could keep me away pretty good. I had trouble getting to his legs and when I did get to his legs, I couldn't finish as easily as I could with a short guy … Now I know what I need to work on and get some tall guys as workout partners in the room. Work on finishing." Not all late surges were in vain, however, as a determined, never-say-die attitude saw 133-pound Norman Richmond of Sierra overcome a 7-6 deficit late in the third period with a wild five-point move to defeat Cal-Poly's Filip Novachkov 11-7. The upset of the finals came at 157 pounds, where Cal Poly's Chase Pami scored a single-leg takedown in the very last second of sudden-victory overtime to defeat Stanford All-American Josh Zupanic 4-2. Pami had snatched the single with about ten seconds left and Zupanic tried hard to fight it off. However, the Cal-Poly sophomore dived for the far leg and gained control at the edge of the mat just before time expired. Videos 125-Pound Finals: 141-Pound Finals:

Omaha, Neb. -- Junior Brandon Browne and freshman Tucker Lane earned individual titles at the Kaufman-Brand Open on Saturday as the Husker wrestling team placed seven wrestlers in the top five at the Sapp Fieldhouse in Omaha. Both Browne and Lane went 4-0 on the day to capture first. Browne, competing in the 174-pound class of the elite division, started the day with two technical-fall wins, followed that with an 11-7 decision and capped the day with a 6-2 decision over Alex Dolly of Northern Iowa to take the title. Browne has now won 10 consecutive matches to start the season. Lane competed in the heavyweight class of the amateur division, but was just as impressive. Lane pinned Brady Punt of South Dakota State in 3:03 to begin the tournament and notched three straight decisions, including a 3-2 win over Christian Brantley in the final. Lane is 11-1 in open tournaments this season. Nebraska, wrestling on one night's rest after a dual with Lehigh on Friday night, placed four wrestlers in the elite division besides Browne. Sophomore Jordan Burroughs claimed second at 149, with his only loss coming to Brent Metcalf in the finals. Junior Chris Oliver, wrestling in his hometown, worked his way through the consolation bracket to finish third. He had several impressive matches, including an opening-round pin of Northern Iowa's Tyson Reiner in 1:38 and a 16-6 major-decision victory in the consolation finals. Sophomore Stephen Dwyer finished third at 165, but exacted revenge for his one loss on the day. Dwyer lost to Minnesota's Scott Glasser, who was competing unattached, early in the day, but Dwyer worked his way through the consolation bracket for another chance at Glasser. Dwyer won a 3-2 decision in the third tie-breaker to make it to the consolation finals, where he won a 5-5 match over Glasser in the fourth tie-breaker to take third. Senior Jon May rounded out the Husker placers in the elite division with his fifth-place finish in the heavyweight class. The open was May's first tournament action of the season after returning from off-season surgery. Not to be outdone by Lane, fellow freshman Chris Hacker finished second at 149 pounds in the amateur division. Hacker's day included a pin of Nick Leclere, competing unattached, in 26 seconds. Hacker has started the season 8-2 in open tournaments. The Huskers get some time off to nurse injuries before heading to the Las Vegas Invitational on Nov. 30.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Big Red wrestling team took first place at the Body Bar Invitational on Saturday with a total of 139 points. Six Cornell wrestlers advanced to the finals where four won individual titles including Jordan Leen (157), Mack Lewnes (165), Steve Anceravage (174) and Zach Hammond (HWT). At 133 pounds, Mike Grey faced Kent State's Dan Mitcheff in the finals. Grey took second after being edged out in a 9-7 decision. Grey opened the invitational with two pins over Joe Wilson (Buffalo), and Billy Martin (Drexel). In the semifinals, Grey avenged his Friday night loss to Zach Tanelli by defeating the Wisconsin grappler by a 9-4 decision. Freshman D.J. Meagher placed third at 149 pounds winning a 4-2 decision over Pitt's Joey Ecklof. Meagher opened the day by pinning Ithaca's Blaine Woszczak before losing a 5-2 decision to Maryland's Eric Medina. Meagher picked up four-straight wins in the consolation bracket to finish out the day. Leen found success at 157 pounds winning four-straight matches to take the title. In the finals, Leen defeated the No. 1 seed Drexel's Ryan Hlushak, 6-4 in the first sudden victory. Leen opened the day pinning Sacred Heart's Michael Powers in 2:39, then went on to win his next two matches by 12-3 major decisions. Freshman Mack Lewnes dominated the 165 pound weight class adding team bonus points in all of his matches. Lewnes pinned Dave Woodall (Drexel) in 2:40, before pinning Maryland's Mike McGill in 3:27 in the semi-finals. In his championship bout, the rookie defeated Wisconsin's Jake Donar, in a 17-5 major decision. At 174 pounds, Steve Anceravage took the title after Binghamton's Josh Patterson did not wrestle and was a medical forfeit. Anceravage defeated Buffalo's Patrick Daddino 20-6 before pinning his teammate Colin McDonald in 4:25. He picked up another win by fall in the semifinals against Buffalo's Mike Ragusa in 2:00. After falling to Anceravage, McDonald went on to take fourth place in his weight class. The freshman defeated Wisconsin's Matt Maciag, 8-6, before winning a major decision over Army's Dean Gaier, 18-6. Kent State's Chris Estep was leading his match over McDonald before the Big Red grappler caught hold and turning him to his back, won by fall in 6:21. McDonald lost 4-2 to Ragusa in the third place bout. At 184 pounds, freshman Nate Holley advanced to the finals before falling to Josh Haines of Maryland in 2:41. As the No. 4 seed, he opened with an 8-2 win over Anthony Esposito (Binghamton) before pinning Jason Brown (Buffalo) in 3:31. Holley avenged his Friday night loss to Wisconsin's Trevor Brandvold, by pinning the Wisconsin grappler in 1:08 in the semi-finals. Matt Panasevich wrestled at 197 pounds for Cornell. Panasevich lost 3-2 in his opening bout to Kent State's Michael Blackwell before finding success in the consolation bracket. The sophomore went 2-3 for the day to take sixth place. At heavyweight, the Big Red's Zach Hammond defeated Pitt's Ryan Tomei in the quarterfinals to open his day. Hammond defeated the No. 2 seed Zach Sheaffer, 2-1 in the second tie breaker to advance to the finals where he faced the No. 1 seed Jermail Porter (Kent State). Hammond, the No. 3 seed, handed Porter a 2-0 loss to take the heavyweight title. Cornell will wrestle at the Penn State Open on Sunday, Dec. 2.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –- The Virginia wrestling team posted two historic wins Saturday, knocking off Purdue (16-15) and Michigan State (29-10) at the ACC/Big Ten Clash at Eddie Smith Field House in Chapel Hill, N.C. The wins mark the Cavaliers' first-ever over a Big Ten wrestling program. "It was a big day for our program," Virginia head coach Steve Garland said. "I told our guys afterwards that they did something special. It's amazing how young we are to do something like that. I've been involved with Virginia wrestling for several years - first as a player then as a coach - and I've never seen a string of dual meets like we had today. For years we've heard that we are an up-and-coming program, but today we showed that we're here." Virginia (5-0) opened the day with a narrow 16-15 victory over the Boilermakers. The match went back-and-forth and was ultimately decided on a major-decision win by 11th-ranked Eric Albright (Jr., York, Pa.) over Matt Hemry (9-1). The other nine matches were decided by decisions. Each team won five matches total. In the second match, Virginia romped, 29-10, over Michigan State. The Cavaliers won seven of the 10 bouts against the Spartans, highlighted by falls by Rocco Caponi (Jr., Uniontown, Ohio) and Danny Gonsor (Fr., Cleveland, Ohio). Caponi, the ACC's reigning Wrestler of the Week and ranked as high as No. 9 nationally, won both of his matches at 184 pounds to improve to 8-0 this year. He defeated A.J. Kissel (4-3) of Purdue and pinned Michigan State's Nick Palmierie. "We competed so hard and with so much energy," Garland said. "It's only one day and we have a long way to go, but I want our guys to be happy with what they pulled off. But it's great that we have high standards and aren't satisfied yet." The two leagues split the six matches. Last year the Big Ten swept nine matches in the ACC/Big Ten Clash. Virginia heads to Troy, N.Y., next Saturday to compete in the Northeast Duals. The Cavaliers once again will be challenged, taking on Lehigh at 10 a.m., No. 8 Cornell at 2:30 p.m. and No. 5 Michigan at 4:30 p.m.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 10 in the nation, put together another dominating performance and crushed No. 12 Hofstra 28-11 in a key Eastern Wrestling dual meet. Head coach Troy Sunderland watched three of his charges take down three top ten wrestlers and got two pins on its way to winning seven of ten bouts. Senior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) got things started in the dual's first bout with a major decision over the sixth-ranked 197-pounder in Hofstra's Joe Rovelli; classmate Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) downed the seventh-ranked 125-pounder in Dave Tomasette and junior Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) dominated the nation's second-ranked 141-pounder in Charles Griffin. Add to that a pin form heavyweight Stefan Tighe (Erie, Pa.) in the dual's second bout and junior 184-pounder Phil Bomberger in the final match-up and Penn State rode to a lop-sided win. Davis got things started right away with another dominant performance over a top ten wrestler. This time, an 11-2 major of No. 6 Rovelli gave Penn State a lead it would never relinquish. By the time McKnight posted his decision over No. 7 Tomasette and Strayer nearly pinned No. 2 Griffin on his way to a decision, the Lions owned a 16-5 lead. Tighe and Bomberger added pins and sophomores Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) notched decisions in the victory. Penn State posted seven bonus points to Hofstra's two. Penn State improves to 2-0 with the win while Hofstra falls to 0-2. Davis will take part in the NWCA All-Star Classic on Monday night in Eugene, Ore. The event begins at 10 p.m. Eastern and Davis will meet No. 3 Mike Tamillow of Northwestern in the exhibition. The Nittany Lions will return to action in two weeks when it takes part in the 2007 Nittany Lion Open in Rec Hall. Action for that event begins at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 2. The Nittany Lion Open is not part of Penn State's regular season ticket package. NLO?tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for students, $2 as part of a group package and free to Nittany Lion Wrestling Club members, Penn State students with ID?and season ticket holders. Penn State will return to action on Friday and Sunday, Dec. 7 and 9, when it visits Lehigh and Oklahoma State, respectively. Penn State's next home dual will be on Jan. 4, when Cornell visits Rec Hall for a 7 p.m. dual. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 197: The bout began with a marquee match-up of top ten men. Penn State's Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) put his No. 2 national tag on the line against No. 6 Joe Rovelli of Hofstra at 197. Rovelli quickly gained control of Davis' right ankle but Davis deftly fought off the move and forced a reset with 2:30 to wrestle in the first period. Davis got the bout's first takedown with a strong move, wrapping Rovelli up mid-chest and taking him down for a 2-0 lead. Rovelli worked for a reversal twice but Davis' used his athletic ability to fight the moves off and carry that lead into the second period. Davis chose down to start the middle stanza and quickly reversed Rovelli, nearly pinning the sixth-ranked Pride wrestler. A dangerous hold forced a reset and Rovelli escaped to a 6-1 deficit. Davis continued to pour on the offense, getting another takedown and a three-point near fall as the second period ended, carrying an 11-1 lead with well over a minute's worth of riding time into the final stanza. Rovelli chose down to start the final period, but Davis maintained strong control for the entire period, dominating Rovelli for the full two minutes. The riding time point gave Davis a convincing 12-1 major decision and put Penn State up 4-0 after one bout. In Davis' first two bouts, the three-time All-American posted a 17-2 technical fall over the No. 8 wrestler in the country and a 12-1 major over No. 6 Rovelli. HWT: Penn State sophomore Stefan Tighe (Erie, Pa.) took on Hofstra's James Guerin at heavyweight. Tighe got out to an early 2-0 lead with a hard-working takedown at the :47 mark but Guerin managed an escape as the period ended. Leading 2-1, Tighe chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. Tighe nearly scored a double-leg takedown midway through the second, but Guerin managed to back off the mat and force a reset (he did get a stall warning in the process). A single leg trip led to another Tighe takedown with just :04 left and the Nittany Lion sophomore held a 5-1 lead entering the final period. Guerin chose down to start the final period and Tighe allowed him up to immediately begin working for bonus points. Tighe quickly grabbed Guerin around the shoulders, smartly tossed him to his back and scored a thrilling pin at the 5:19 mark, sending the Nittany Lion faithful into a frenzy. The pin put Penn State up 10-0 after two bouts. 125: Two of the nation's best met at 125 where Penn State senior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 10, met No. 7 Dave Tomasette of Hofstra. The talented senior duo battled tooth-and-nail through the first half of the first period, trading shots without either wrestler giving an inch. McKnight continued to roll through each Tomasette shot, countering with his own near takedowns but after three minutes, the bout was tied 0-0. McKnight chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. He then turned into Tomasette and scored the bout's first takedown with a solid double-leg to take a 3-0 lead at the 1:43 mark. Tomasette got his escape after a reset, cutting the lead to 3-1. McKnight kept the pressure on Tomasette for the rest of the second and carried that lead into the final two minutes. Tomasette chose down to start the final period and escaped to a 3-2 deficit. McKnight continued to be the aggressor, looking for openings as time ticked away. Tomasette nearly turned a McKnight shot into a takedown with :40 left, but McKnight fought off the move and forced a reset in the center of the mat. The Nittany Lion senior continued to work for a clinching takedown and nearly got it as the third period ended. Tomasette managed to fight the move off, but the aggression by McKnight allowed the Lion senior to kill the clock and post an important 3-2 win. The victory put Penn State up 13-0 after three bouts. 133: With senior Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) sidelined by a sore knee, freshman Mike Eagen (Wharton, N.J.) took to the mat against No. 4 Lou Ruggirello of Hofstra. Ruggirello quickly gained control of the match with a two point takedown and a three-point near fall, leading 5-0 after just :30. Ruggirello added two more back points after a reset and three more within the same move and carried a 10-0 lead into the second period. Eagen chose neutral to being the second period but Ruggirello quickly took the Lion freshman down to lead 12-0. Ruggirello added another three-point near fall to post a 15-0 technical fall at the 4:04 mark, cutting the Penn State lead to 13-5. 141: In another match-up between top ten grapplers, No. 7 Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) met No. 2 Charles Griffin of Hofstra. Following McKnight's lead, Strayer acted as the aggressor early on. Getting in on Griffin's left ankle, McKnight pulled the Pride grappler back onto the mat as he tried to slide off and got the bout's first takedown at the 1:21 mark. After a reset, Strayer finished a cradle and turned Griffin to his back, nearly pinning the No. 2 ranked grappler but not getting the call. Still, the three-point near fall sent the bout to the middle stanza with Strayer up 5-0. Griffin chose down to start the second period but Strayer would not give up an early escape. The Lion All-American worked Griffin's right arm from on top, building up a point-clinching 3:20 edge in riding time while riding Griffin out. Leading 5-0 after two periods, Strayer chose down to begin the final period. Strayer gave up a stall point while working to escape. While Griffin did ride Strayer out, Strayer posted a stunning 6-1 win with his riding time point. The thrilling decision gave the Lions a 16-5 lead heading into intermission. 149: Nittany Lion sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) put his No. 7 national ranking on the line against Hofstra's Mitch Smith at 149. Jenkins wasted no time in getting up early on Smith, picking both Smith's ankles to lead 2-1 early on. Another ankle pick on the edge of the mat put Jenkins up 4-1 with :47 left. The Nittany Lion sophomore rode the Pride wrestler out to carry the 4-1 lead into the second period (with 1:09 in riding time as well). Smith chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 4-2 deficit. Looking for more points, Jenkins continued to apply the pressure, nearly nabbing another takedown with a flurry of moves midway through the period. But with Smith playing defense, Jenkins settled for a 4-2 lead after two periods. Jenkins chose down to star the final period and escaped to a 5-2 lead. But Smith did manage to work away Jenkins' riding time edge. Smith then took his first real shot of the bout at the 1:00 mark, getting in high on Jenkins' leg, but the Nittany Lion sophomore fought the move off and forced a reset with :55 left to wrestle. Jenkins got in low on Smith's left leg and nearly got two more points, but Smith stepped over Jenkins and forced a stalemate with just :20 left. Jenkins's solid first period was enough to post a sound 5-2 win and put Penn State up 19-5. 157: Penn State's Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 12 at 157, met Jonny Bonilla-Bowman of Hofstra in the next bout. Vallimont wasted no time in opening up a lead, scoring a takedown just :35 into the bout. The Lion sophomore then worked Bonilla-Bowman from the top and built up a 2:35 edge in riding time while riding the Hofstra sophomore out. Down 2-0 after one period, Bonilla-Bowman chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 2-1 deficit. Vallimont used a solid single-leg at th3 :35 mark to up his lead to 4-1 and then his Hofstra foe out to carry that lead into the final period. Vallimont chose down to start the third and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. Sidestepping a quick Bonilla-Bowman shot, Vallimont countered with a high shot of his own, but Bonilla-Bowman worked away from the Nittany Lion. Bonilla-Bowman got his first takedown with just :05 left, but the offense was too little too late and, with a riding time point, Vallimont posted a 6-3 win. The victory gave Penn State a 22-5 lead. 165: Sophomore Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), ranked No. 16 nationally, met Hofstra freshman Ryan Patrovich at 165. Neither wrestler broke through offensively over the first half. With :40 left, Rella worked in high on Patrovich's right thigh, but the red-shirt freshman fought off Rella long enough to force a reset. Scoreless after the first three minutes of wrestling, Patrovich chose down to start the middle period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. A strong double-leg in the middle of the mat nearly resulted in the bout's first takedown, but Patrovich deftly stepped back and out of the situation to maintain his slim lead. Down 1-0, Rella chose down to start the final period. Rella got his bout tying escape after a furious :48 seconds. Another double-leg shot was fought off by Patrovich, who countered the move for a takedown of his own at the :12 mark. The move was enough for the Hofstra grappler to post a 3-1 upset over Rella. The win cut Penn State's lead to 22-8. 174: With starter Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) out of the line-up for Penn State with a skin disorder, sophomore David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) took to the mats to meet Hofstra's Alton Lucas at 174. Erwin, who was ranked No. 11 nationally earlier in the season but dropped out of the rankings after faltering in wrestle-offs, found himself down 2-0 early as Lucas bolted out of the gates with a quick takedown just :07 into the bout. Lucas put together a strong ride and built up a 1:53 edge in riding time before Erwin escaped. Lucas added another strong takedown and rode Erwin out to lead 4-1 with 2:04 in riding time after one period. Erwin chose down to begin the middle stanza and quickly escaped to a 4-2 deficit. Breaking open his offense, Erwin got his first takedown right in front of the scorers table to tie the bout at 4-4. Needing more than one takedown, he let Lucas up, giving the Pride wrestler a 5-4 lead after two periods. Griffin chose down to start the third. Erwin cut him loose to a 6-4 deficit and quickly shot low but Griffin countered the move to score two points of his own. Erwin notched a reversal and once again cut Griffin loose but after 1:10 in the third period, Griffin held a 9-06 edge. The Hofstra junior added another takedown at the :40 mark to move out to an 11-7 lead after an Erwin escape. A riding time point gave Lucas a 12-7 win and cut Penn State's lead to 22-11. 184: Nittany Lion junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.), ranked No. 20 at 184, met Hofstra freshman Jeff Siciliano. Showcasing his offense quickly, Bomberger had an early takedown waved off just :15. Not needing much more time than that, Bomberger caught Siciliano in an upper body hold and tossed the Pride rookie to his back, sticking him for a pin at 1:52 to put an exclamation point on a dominating team performance. The six points gave Penn State a 28-11 win.

OMAHA, NE -- The University of Iowa wrestling team crowned five individual champions at the 25th annual Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, NE, Saturday. All of Iowa's champions and all but two placewinners were competing unattached. Seniors Mark Perry (165) and Matt Fields (Hwt.), junior Charlie Falck (125) and sophomores Joe Slaton (133), Brent Metcalf (149) and Phillip Keddy (184) each won titles in the tournament's elite division. It was Metcalf's second straight individual title at the meet, while the other five won their first career Kaufman-Brand Open title. Iowa's six individual titles was the most recorded by any team. Tournament host University of Nebraska-Omaha crowned four individual champions. Also placing for the Hawkeyes in the elite division were juniors Dan Erekson (Hwt.-3rd) and Rick Loera (184-3rd), and sophomores Dan LeClere (141-3rd), Jay Borschel (174-5th) and Chad Beatty (174-6th). Placing for Iowa in the amateur division were redshirt freshman Matt Ballweg (149-3rd) and true freshmen J.J. Krutsinger (125-3rd), Blake Rasing (Hwt.-3rd), Jordan Johnson (197-4th), Montell Marion (133-5th) and Brodie Ambrose (197-5th). Iowa will open the 2007-08 dual season Nov. 24 at the St. Edward Duals in Lakewood, OH. The Hawkeyes will face the University of Findlay at 9 a.m., Iowa Central Community College at 10:30 a.m., Old Dominion University at 1:30 p.m. and North Carolina State University at 3 p.m. All times are central and all matches will be held at the St. Edward High School Gymnasium.

Please Note: RevWrestling.com is dedicated to covering and promoting amateur wrestling on all levels. However, on occasion, RevWrestling.com will look at mixed martial arts (MMA) as it relates to amateur wrestling. Event: UFC 78: Validation Date: November 17, 2007 Location: Newark, New Jersey (Prudential Center) In what many are calling a rare lame UFC card with few big-name fighters, tonight's mixed martial card still has some very intriguing matchups to solve. One of the most interesting fights on the card is unbeaten and four-time Clarion NCAA qualifier Frankie "The Answer" EDGAR (7-0) taking on the hard-hitting and very experienced Spencer "The King" FISHER (20-3). Spencer has 11 KOs out of his 20 wins and may be the hardest puncher in the welterweight ranks. But Edgar has been perfect and is the only fighter to have defeated Tyson Griffin, and he will be fighting in front of hometown folks tonight in New Jersey. Despite being favored by 81% of UFC website voters, Fisher opened as only a �115 pick against Edgar. And strangely, the betting public has pounded Edgar and he is now the �145 favorite. I had hoped for underdog odds on "the Answer", but still will take my chances with Edgar's skills. Fisher should push the pace and stalk Frank around the cage in his stand-up game, but I see the wrestling skills of Edgar controlling Fisher's body on the ground, which will lead to a narrow decision over the more-seasoned veteran. Nobody has been able to submit Fisher. Maybe tonight? Take EDGAR �145 over Fisher by narrow decision. Ed "Short Fuse" HERMAN (13-5) is a product of the Ultimate Fighter show. He takes on journeyman, Canadian fighter Joe DOERKSEN (39-10), who has been fighting MMA for almost a decade. Doerksen's losses have been to studs like Matt Hughes, Matt Lindland, Eugene Jackson, David Loiseau, Nate Marquardt, and Paulo Filho. Not bad, huh? Herman's has been vulnerable to getting caught by submission, and this is where Doerksen shines. An amazing 31 of his 39 victories is by submission. And, tonight he is an underdog at +120! I'll take the bait. I like DOERKSEN by 2nd round submission with rear-naked choke. Karo "the Heat" PARISYAN (17-5) is known for his relentless aggression on the mat , tumbling from one move to another using his judo and ground skills to become a truly entertaining fighter. His sights are on the elterweight crown as he fights to survive against Ryo "Piranha" CHONAN (14-7). Chonan's whole career has been spent fighting some of the best of Pride in Japan, while Parisyan's mark includes wins over UFC fighters like reigning champ Matt Serra, Chris Lytle, Nick Thompson, Josh Burkman, Drew Fickett, and Nick Diaz. That's pretty impressive. Yet Karo has never had a KO win. Will tonight be the night? I doubt it. But, I see an easy victory for the heavily favored Parisyan (who ranges from �345 to �450). Take PARISYAN and lay the juice. He wins by 1st round armbar submission. Houston ALEXANDER (8-1) has come stomping onto the UFC with back-to-back demolishing TKO wins over Alessio Sakara and Keith Jardine, who recently beat legendary Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell. His opponent is unbeaten Thiago SILVA (11-0), who has 9 KOs out of his 11 wins. Somebody's gonna get knocked senseless tonight in this fight. These two aggressive sluggers will go toe-to-toe from the "get-go" in this one! It should be electrifying and over in a heartbeat. When the dust settles, I hope my man is still standing. Ride the hot horse, take ALEXANDER �155 by 1st round KO. In the featured match, former Michigan State wrestler Rashad EVANS (10-0-1) takes on undefeated British light-heavyweight Michael "The Count" BISPING (14-0). Despite both being undefeated, they are both coming off "losses of sort". Evans got the daylights kicked out of him by a much larger and more experienced Tito Ortiz, yet managed to get a draw out of the contest thanks to Tito losing a penalty point. Bisping was schooled by a better Matt Hamill, who got screwed by British judges who gave the split decision to the hometown boy. Dana White should be ashamed. Evans looks small for his weight class, but his wrestling skills are impeccable and he is faster than most he faces. Bisping will be going for a KO and would prefer to stand and fight. That won't happen. When Evans gets Bisping to his back, you will see some impressive ground-and-pound that will pick up where Tito left off. Take EVANS �305 to stay unbeaten. On the undercard: Thiago "Pitbull" ALVES (12-3) -170 beats Chris "lights out" LYTLE (24-14-5) by split decision. Both fighters are capable of a win here. Joe "J-Lau" LAUSON (15-3) �550 beats undefeated Jason REINHARDT (18-0) by 1st round triangle choke submission. Lauson is a psycho freak with cage experience going against a fighter who hasn't lost, but also hasn't fought at this level of competition. Marcus "Maximus" AURELLO (14-5) �450 beats Luke CAUDILLO (13-8) by 2nd round armbar submission. Why is this fight on the card? …….and veteran MMA fighter, Akihiro GONO (27-12-7) -225 wins a decision over the undefeated youngster, Tamden "the barn cat" McCRORY (8-0). Gono's been fighting for over 13 years, while McCrory has been at it for just over a year! How does a fighter get 7 "draws" on his record? I'll take the experience here. That's it for now. Enjoy the fights. I'll see you at the winner's window!

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma scored 30 unanswered points after trailing early to dominate the North Carolina State Wolfpack by a score of 30-9 in Norman. The Sooners trailed 9-0 after losing the first three matches of the evening. Taylor Cummings won in a 6-4 decision over Greg Cannon at 125 pounds, followed by 133-pound J.R. Roman falling to Ryan Tice by a 13-10 decision. The Wolfpack extended their lead 9-0 after a 5-0 decision by Joe Caramanica over Zack Bailey at 141 pounds. Will Rowe at 149 pounds started the Sooner comeback with a dramatic fall over returning ACC Wrestler of the Year Darrion Caldwell. "Will showed his character and got a big fall for us that really turned the tide of the match," head coach Jack Spates said. The Sooners would not look back, with Chad Terry scoring a 9-2 decision over Ray Ward in the 157-pound match to tie the team score at nine. Max Dean won in dominant fashion over Jalil Dozier in a 15-3 major decision at 165 pounds. Jeff James extended the OU lead to 16-9 by edging Randy Goodman 3-2 at 174 pounds. Joshua Weitzel scored a win at 184 pounds by forfeit. Joel Flaggert scored the only technical fall of the night in a 24-8 win over Mark Jahad at 197 pounds, followed by the final victory by Nathan Fernandez, scoring a 11-6 decision over Bobby Isola in the heavyweight division. "I feel good about this team," Spates said. "We are young so we are continuing to learn, but I like the direction we are headed." Oklahoma wrestlers will next be in action at the Oklahoma Classic, held in Norman at the Lloyd Noble Center on Nov. 24.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan wrestling team set its 2007-08 starting rotation at the annual Maize and Blue Intrasquad on Friday (Nov. 16) in front of 813 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 six different weight classes. First-time starters emerged from three different weight classes as freshman Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy), sophomore/freshman Anthony Biondo (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley HS) and sophomore/freshman Matt Guhn (Clyde, Ohio/Clyde HS) swept the series 141 and 197 pounds and heavyweight. The final bouts were all decided by two points or less. Russell will be the second true freshman to earn an immediate starting role in as many years for the Wolverines after defeating junior/sophomore Justin Chrzanowski (Metamora, Mich./Lapeer West HS) by a narrow 3-1 margin. Russell started the second period down following a scoreless first and quickly scrambled for a reversal to secure the only points he would need. Chrzanowski picked up a quick escape in the third to pull within one, but Russell used his 1:14 in riding-time advantage to pad the lead at match's end. The bouts at 197 pounds and heavyweight proved even closer affairs. Biondo trailed by a point late in his match against sophomore/freshman Eddie Phillips (Woodland, Mich./Lakewood HS) but scored a slide-by takedown with just 33 seconds remaining in the bout and held Phillips to the mat to win 4-3. Guhn did just the opposite in the subsequent contest, using a first-period takedown on the edge to defeat sophomore/freshman Chad Bleske (Washington, Mich./Romeo HS) 3-2. Junior Michael Watts (Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS) and sophomore Chris Diehl (Burton, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) kicked off the intrasquad competition with major-decision victories at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively. Watts scored a pair of first-period takedowns and added five back points to beat freshman Zach Jones (Brighton, Mich./Hartland HS) by an 11-1 margin. Watts will wrestle freshman Jason Lara (Midway City, Calif./Calvary Chapel HS) in the final round of wrestle-offs at 125 pounds in the coming weeks. Diehl used a front headlock to earn a quick takedown against sophomore/freshman Mike Sears (Grand Blanc, Mich./Flint Powers Catholic HS) and locked up a cradle to secure a three-point near fall late in the frame. Diehl converted on double-leg attempts to score two more takedowns and added 4:38 in riding time to win 11-0. Fifth-year senior Jeff Marsh (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) used a first-period double leg to pick up a close 3-2 decision over sophomore/freshman Aaron Hynes (Mt. Morris, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS), while senior/junior Cody Waters (Adrian, Mich./Adrian HS) converted a late third-period single leg to beat sophomore/freshman Ryan Selley (Linden, Mich./Linden HS) 3-1 in an equally close bout at 184 pounds. Waters will soon face senior/junior captain Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) for the final 184-pound wrestle-off. Senior/junior Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) reclaimed his starting spot at 174 pounds with a 15-2 major decision against junior/sophomore Jordan Sherrod (Portage, Mich./Central HS). Luke built up a sizeable advantage in the first period after using a fireman's carry to take Sherrod directly to his back and tack on three back points. He added another takedown in each of the remaining frames and two more back points to earn the decisive victory. The intrasquad featured three exhibition contests, including two starring the Wolverines' fifth-year senior captains Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS), who will be competing in the NWCA All-Star Classic on Monday (Nov. 19) at 149 and 165 pounds, respectively. Churella earned a 18-1 technical fall over sophomore/freshman Mark Beaudry (Pueblo, Colo./South HS), using three takedowns and 11 back points to end the match at the five-minute mark. Tannenbaum beat freshman Dave Johnson (Jenison, Mich./Jenison HS) from his feat, scoring five takedowns before adding a late two-point near fall and 4:36 in riding time to claim a 14-3 major decision. Freshman Justin Zeerip (Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) earned a 10-0 major decision over senior/junior Dario Mainella (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson HS) in the third exhibition match. Zeerip took an early lead on a quick single leg and used a leg turk to score three back points and a five-point advantage after the first period. The U-M rookie countered a late second-period shot to add another takedown and rode out Mainella in the third to accumulate 3:41 in riding time. The Wolverines will officially kick off the 2007-08 season next Saturday (Nov. 24) at the Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals in Troy, N.Y. Michigan square off against Bucknell, Maryland, Bloomsburg and Virginia at the dual-meet event.