InterMat Staff

Tickets are now available for the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials, set for the Las Vegas Convention Center, June 9-10. All tickets are available starting at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Monday, December 4. Fans are encouraged to place their order to secure the best seats for the competition. The U.S. World Team Trials features the best Olympic-level wrestlers in the nation battling for coveted positions on the U.S. team. A variety of ticket options have been developed and can immediately be ordered online or via the telephone. Tickets can be purchased by calling 866-388-FANS or online at: www.USAWrestlingLasVegas.com This event will determine the 2007 U.S. World Team that will compete at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan in all three Olympic wrestling styles: men's freestyle, men's Greco-Roman and women's freestyle. Numerous past World and Olympic medalists will be on display during the competition. Tickets for the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials can be purchased in three ways. There will be an All-Event price, which covers every session during the two days of action. There is a single-day All-Session price, for fans to attend every session on a specific day. There is also a Single Session ticket price. These options allow spectators to find the best ticket plan to fit their needs and budget. There are three seat location options, Gold, Silver and Bronze, with the Gold seats considered the most desirable. Those who purchase the Gold seats must purchase an All-Event ticket. Those ordering seats in the Silver and Bronze sections may select from all three ticket package plans. ALL-EVENT PRICING Gold - $150 Silver - $75 Bronze - $40 SINGLE DAY ALL-SESSION PRICING Silver - $40 Bronze - $25 SINGLE SESSION PRICING Silver - $25 Bronze - $15 "The U.S. World Team Trials is among the most exciting spectator events in the sports community,"said USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender. "Every sports fan should make plans to attend this outstanding showcase competition. Combined with the amazing variety of entertainment options that Las Vegas offers, this is a can't-miss wrestling weekend." The local organizing committee for the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials is Las Vegas Events, which has successfully hosted numerous major sports events in the city. "We're pleased to announce that tickets for the 2007 World Team Trials will be on sale," said Pat Christenson, president of Las Vegas Events. "This event is the first step in our partnership with USA Wrestling, and we look forward to hosting all of the athletes, coaches, fans and members of the media next June. Las Vegas has proven in the past to be an ideal event destination, and we think the 2007 World Team Trials will provide another great opportunity to showcase everything our city has to offer." In addition to the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials, Las Vegas Events is partnering with USA Wrestling to host the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling at the Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, June 13-15, 2008. Each year, Las Vegas plays host to numerous major sports events including the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, NASCAR Nextel Cup and Craftsman Truck Series events, NHRA Drag Racing, USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team Training and Exhibition, the Las Vegas Bowl, PBR World Finals, Vegoose Music Festival and the signature New Year's Eve production, America‘s Party. Among the major wrestling events held in Las Vegas has been the U.S. National Wrestling Championships, which has been held in the city 18 of the last 20 years. Included in the event has been the U.S. Senior Nationals, plus the Veterans Nationals, the FILA Junior Nationals and the Western Junior Regionals. With the announcement of the ticket prices today, Las Vegas Events has launched an aggressive marketing campaign to encourage the wrestling community and the general public to attend the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials and enjoy the many entertainment and cultural activities available in Las Vegas. As the host city, Las Vegas is a world-class travel destination. Las Vegas offers spectacular shopping, dining, entertainment, and non-stop excitement 24 hours a day. With approximately 133,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas alone, more than 38.7 million visitors are expected to make the city their convention and tourist destination this year. For the best seating, plan ahead and order your tickets for the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials today!!!! For regular updates on the 2007 U.S. World Team Trials and the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling, please go to www.USAWrestlingLasVegas.com About USA Wrestling USA Wrestling is the National Governing Body for amateur wrestling in the United States, and as such, is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and the international wrestling federation FILA. USA Wrestling coordinates grassroots and elite wrestling programs across the country, and works to create interest and participation in these programs. USA Wrestling's 145,000-strong membership includes athletes of all ages, plus officials, coaches, parents, volunteers and fans. www.TheMat.com About Las Vegas Events Founded in 1983, Las Vegas Events, Inc. has grown with Las Vegas as the city has emerged as one of the world's top special event and resort destinations. A private, not-for-profit organization, LVE is funded by hotel room tax and serves as the exclusive major special events agency for the city. Since 1991, Las Vegas Events has produced, presented or supported more than 300 events, which have driven more than 2.8 million visitors to the area, resulting in an economic impact of more than $1.6 billion. www.lasvegasevents.com

State College, Pa. –– Four Nittany Lions advanced to the finals of the 2006 Nittany Lion Open as nine of head coach Troy Sunderland's grapplers advanced to the finals of the event. Over 600 wrestlers from around the nation filled Rec Hall to take part in one of the biggest Open tournaments on the East Coast. Junior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) won the crown at 125 and was named tournament Outstanding Wrestler. The first two Nittany Lions to claim crowns were two of its captains. Junior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 197, went a perfect 6-0 to claim the title at 197 pounds. Davis posted two majors and a pin in the process, including a 12-4 major over North Carolina's Dennis Drury in the finals. Senior James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 174, was also 6-0 with two pins. He downed No. 20 Matt Stolpinski of Navy, 3-1, in the title tilt. Senior Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.) went 6-0 at 141 to claim the championship at 141 pounds. Heller downed Maryland's Alex Krom 8-3 in the finals. In perhaps the most exciting finals match-up, McKnight got a takedown early in extra time to post a 5-3 sudden victory decision over Michigan State's Franklin Gomez in the finals at 125. McKnight entered the bout ranked No. 7 nationally while Gomez was ranked No. 5. McKnight went 5-0 with two majors on the day. Sophomore Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), ranked No. 7 nationally, advanced to the finals, dropping a scintillating 4-3 decision to No. 1 Nick Simmons of Michigan State in the finals. Strayer had two pins and a technical fall on his way to a runner-up finish. True freshman Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), wrestling unattached for Penn State, lost 4-1 to Penn's Brock Wittmeyer in the finals at 165. Rella went 5-1on the day. Senior Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.) lost a heart-breaking 2-0 decision to No. 17 Seth Martin of Lock Haven in the finals at 157. Galloway had an outstanding tournament, going 6-1 with two pins and a technical fall. Freshman Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) dropped a 10-5 decision in the finals at 149 to VMI's Sam Alvarenga. Vallimont went 5-1 with a major. In addition to Penn State's nine finalists, three other Nittany Lions earned places in the tournament. Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), wrestling unattached went 5-1 at 125 to place third. His only loss was to No. 5 Gomez of MSU and he posted three pins and a major. David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), also unattached, posted a third place finish at 184 with a 6-1 mark. Chad Unger (Perry, Ohio) went 2-2 at 197 and took home fourth place while Other Penn State wrestlers participating attached included Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.), 2-2 at 184; Brian Cantalupi (Carlisle, Pa.), 2-2 at 184; Jon Clemens (McVeytown, Pa.), 1-1 at 157; Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.), 0-1 at 174; Joe Farina (Denville, N.J.), 0-1 at HWT; Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.), 2-2 at 165; Brendan Herlihy (Fairfield, Conn.), 1-2 at HWT; David Klug (Pennington, N.J.), 0-1 at 184; Ben Mandelbraut (Sharon, Mass.), 0-1 at 141; Chris Robbins (Federica, Del.), 1-2 at 133; and Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio), 2-2 at 184. Senior heavyweight Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.), ranked No. 11 nationally, did not wrestle but will wrestle this coming weekend. Unattached wrestlers who also took part were Nathan Andrews (Spring Mills, Pa.), 1-2 at HWT; Eric Caschera (South Williamsport, Pa.), 0-1 at 125; Mike Eagan (Wharton, N.J.), 0-1 at 141; Christian Harr (Hollidaysburg, Pa.), 0-1 at 149; Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), 3-1 at 157; Michael Lorenzo (Bellefonte, Pa.), 0-1 at 165; and Josh Rohler (Akron, Ohio), 5-2 at 157. Penn State advanced 10 of the 29 wrestlers it had competing into the semifinals and was a perfect 10-0 in the quarterfinals. Virginia Tech's Steve Ratley won the award for most pins in the least amount of time with six falls in 12:21. Penn State's next dual will be a home battle with No. 24 Lehigh on Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions will then head to Hempstead, N.Y., to face No. 5 Hofstra on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both duals can be heard live on WBLF 970 AM and on GoPSUsports.com. Season tickets are on sale now. This year's season ticket prices are $24 for adults and $18 for students. Single dual prices are $5 per event for adults and $3 per event for youth. Contact the Penn State ticket office at 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 for more information or visit GoPSUsports.com.

NORMAN, Okla. -– Oklahoma State's Jared Rosholt recorded a decision over Brad Farmer in the final match of the dual to lift the top-ranked Cowboys to a 17-15 victory over Bedlam rival Oklahoma at the McCasland Fieldhouse in Norman, Okla. OSU extended its Bedlam winning streak to 17 consecutive matches and improved to 3-0 on the season. OU dropped to 3-1 on the year. The Cowboys and Sooners traded victories following OU's victory at 157 by Will Rowe, which gave the Sooners a 9-8 lead in the dual. Johny Hendricks gave OSU the lead back with a decision, but OU's Josh Weitzel upset Brandon Mason in sudden victory to put the Sooners in a position for their first Bedlam victory since the 1995-96 season. Hendricks victory was the 100th of his career. The swing match came down to 184 where Jack Jensen met Josh Hinton. OU had fifth-ranked Joel Flaggert waiting at 197 where he could put the dual out of reach for the Cowboys. Jensen took control of the match with a first period takedown and a second period rideout. Jensen held on for a 5-3 decision to give the Cowboys a 14-12 lead in the dual. "Coming in you have to perform for the team," Jensen said. "It was my job to get the win whether it is a decision or major decision or whatever. I need to win to help my team. In that situation it was pivotal." "It was nice to see him step out there and create some action," head coach John Smith said. "He put on a tough ride and that is what it takes to win tough matches. He did a fine job of it." Flaggert gave the Sooners the lead once again, but OSU's Shelton did his job by limiting Flaggert to just a decision. That set the stage for Rosholt who was strong from the top position and rode OU's Brad Farmer for over three minutes. Rosholt got a third period takedown to seal the dual for the Cowboys. "It took a little of the nervousness off," heavyweight Jared Rosholt said about receiving a penalty point in the first period. "You are able to relax a little more because you are up by a point. Just be smart and wrestle well from that point on. It felt good to lock up the win." The difference in the score was the two major decisions that the Cowboys got from Coleman Scott and Nathan Morgan as the two teams each won five matches. All five of OU's victories were by decision. The Cowboys will return to action on Wednesday in Minneapolis as they tangle with third-ranked Minnesota at 7 p.m. The match can be heard live on 93.7 FM with Rex Holt and Roger Moore providing the commentary.

IOWA CITY, IA -- The University of Iowa wrestling team won eight of 10 matches, including six by two points or less, to defeat intrastate rival Iowa State, 24-6, Sunday afternoon in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. A crowd of 13,732, which is the fifth-largest for a dual wrestling meet in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and the 11th-largest in school history, turned out for the meet. Iowa improves to 3-0 on the season and bumped the Hawkeyes to a 7-4 lead in the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series with the win. Iowa State falls to 2-1. "I'm going to give our guys credit," said Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands. "Mark Perry, Dan Erekson and Ryan Morningstar had some big wins for us. There is still a lot of wrestling to do this year, but we are taking small steps in the right direction." Perry, who is ranked second in the nation at 165, scored a takedown in sudden victory to beat fourth-ranked Travis Paulson, 6-4. Erekson, an unranked sophomore, upset ninth-ranked Kurt Backes, 11-9 at 197. In the final match of the dual, redshirt freshman and #15 Morningstar upset top-ranked Trent Paulson, 3-2 at 157. Senior Eric Luedke (174-30th) and juniors Alex Tsirtsis (141-50th) and Matt Fields (Hwt.-45th) each picked up career milestone victories. The Hawkeyes also recorded eight placewinners at Sunday's UNI Open in Cedar Falls. Redshirt freshmen Brent Metcalf (149) and Jay Borschel (174), and freshman Billy Murphy (133) each won individual titles, while sophomore Daniel Dennis (133) and redshirt freshman Dan LeClere (141) placed second. Iowa's other placewinners were senior Luke Magnani (125-4th), redshirt freshman Joe Slaton (133-4th), and freshman Jake Kerr (165-6th). Iowa (3-0) will host Coe (5-0) at 6 p.m. and North Carolina State (2-3) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Iowa City. Match Results: 165 -- Mark Perry (I) dec. Travis Paulson (ISU), 6-4 SV1 174 -- Eric Luedke (I) dec. David Bertolino (ISU), 6-4 184 -- Jake Varner (ISU) dec. Phillip Keddy (I), 6-2 197 -- Dan Erekson (I) dec. Kurt Backes (ISU), 11-9 Hwt. -- Matt Fields (I) dec. David Zabriskie (ISU), 6-5 125 -- Charlie Falck (I) dec. Nick Fanthorpe (ISU), 6-5 133 -- Mario Galanakis (I) dec. Nick Gallick (ISU), 6-1 141 -- Alex Tsirtsis (I) dec. Mitch Mueller (ISU), 4-1 149 -- Cyler Sanderson (ISU) dec. Alex Grunder (I), 9-8 157 -- Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Trent Paulson (ISU), 3-2

Primm, Nev. -- The No. 2 Missouri wrestling team earned its first-ever Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Title tallying 157 points to finish ahead of runner-up No. 8 Michigan (109) and No. 15 Pennsylvania (100.5). Askren brothers Ben and Maxwell (Hartland, Wis.) each claimed individual crowns in their respective weight class (174 and 197 pounds) with Ben earning Most Outstanding Wrestler and Gorrarian honors for his work on the mat. Senior All-American Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) finished second at 165 pounds bringing Missouri's total of top-eight finishers to eight, the most ever for a Missouri wrestling program. A perfect 5-0 throughout the two-day tournament, senior defending National Champion Ben Askren breezed through the championship bracket pinning all five of his opponents including runner-up and fourth-ranked Matt Harrington of Pennsylvania in 46 seconds. With his title, Askren claimed Most Outstanding Wrestler as well as the Gorrarian honors for most pins in the tournament. Askren has collected 75 falls in his four year career with the Tigers. The tournament win by Askren is his third consecutive at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. With the five wins, Askren has extended the nation's longest win streak to 60 victories. Younger brother and 197 pound grappler Maxwell Askren finished first in his first appearance at the 25th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Askren won his semi-final bout by default and notched a 4-3 decision victory over second-ranked Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell in the title round. To date, No. 3 Askren has knocked off three of the nation's top-five ranked wrestlers. Pell, a 2005 All-American tied his career high finish at the Invitational finishing second to No. 5 Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan. Prior to the championship finals, Pell bested Indiana's 13th-ranked Max Dean 9-6, but suffered a 5-3 loss in the final hard-fought bout. Redshirt freshman John Olanowski (Virginia Beach, Va.) finished seventh at 125 pounds after taking a win by forfeit over Tennessee Chattanooga's Javier Maldonado. Fellow redshirt freshman Mark Ellis, a heavyweight from Peculiar, Mo., took sixth. Junior All-American Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) grappled his way to a fourth place finish at 133 pounds with sophomores Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) and Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) landing sixth-place finishes at 157 and 184 pounds, respectively. Missouri will travel to the state of Michigan for a pair of duals beginning Saturday, Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. (CT) against Central Michigan followed by a Sunday, Dec. 10 dual against Michigan State at 1 p.m. (CT).

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- With wins in 18 of 20 bouts on Saturday in Davis Gym, the Bucknell wrestling squad celebrated a festive day that began with the dedication of the William A. Graham IV Varsity Wrestling Room by collecting victories over Princeton and Binghamton by the scores of 46-0 and 27-8, respectively. The Bison, who have won three-straight duals, level their record at 5-5, 1-1 EIWA. The Tigers are now 0-6 (0-1 EIWA) and the Bearcats sit at 1-1 on the year. The Orange and Blue opened up by blanking Princeton, 46-0, marking the first time the Bison have shut out an opponent since posting a 46-0 triumph over Boston College on Jan. 18, 1998. Bucknell collected five pins in the match and Eric Lapotsky's (Mount Carmel, Pa./Mount Carmel Area) win by fall over Zach Morse 1:35 into the 197 bout upped his season total to seven pins, a team best. Against the Bearcats, Bucknell trailed 4-0 after a 9-1 major decision by 149-pounder Nate Patterson over Michael Guttilla (Ingamer, Pa./Blair Academy) in the first bout. Brantley Hooks (Spartansburg, S.C./James F. Byrnes) then responded by defeating Kyle Fried, 5-4 in overtime of the 157 matchup, bringing the Bison to within a point. Andy Rendos (Brockway, Pa./Brockway Area) followed and gave the Orange and Blue a 6-4 advantage with his 12th victory of the year, 7-0, over Chris Klucka at 165, but Josh Patterson put Binghamton back out in front with his 11-3 major decision over George Mann (Orange, Ohio/Orange) at 174. However, that would be the final points of the night for the Bearcats as Shane Riccio (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) regained the lead for Bucknell with his 10-8 win over Sam Sirota at 184. The Bison then swept the next five bouts, clinching the victory with a 17-5 major decision by 133-pounder David Marble (Harpursville, N.Y./Harpursville Area) against Kareem Naguib. The day began with several dozen Bucknell wrestling alumni and other dignitaries, including President Brian C. Mitchell, celebrating the dedication of the wrestling practice facility in a ceremony in the McGee Room in Sojka Pavilion prior to the Bucknell versus Northern Iowa men's basketball game. Bill Graham played a pivotal role in bringing back Bison wrestling as his generous donation helped Bucknell return the program to varsity status in addition to providing funding for Bison women's athletics. The Bison will next travel to Lancaster, Pa., where the team will take on Franklin & Marshall in an EIWA matchup on Tuesday, Dec. 5, beginning at 8 p.m.

Northampton, Pa. -- Drexel defeated East Stroudsburg, 30-13, in a non-conference dual match hosted by Northampton High School. The match was the first for the Warriors this season while Drexel improved its record to 3-2. Former Northampton High School stars Steve Mytych (Wyoming, Pa./Northampton), Billy Haydt (Bath, Pa./Northampton), Jon Oplinger (Bath, Pa./Northampton) all won in their homecoming matches. Mytych upped his record to 9-1 this season with a pin of East Stroudsburg's Steve Gambino at 4:59. Billy Haydt earned a 7-2 decision over Leif Ruschmeyer while Oplinger won 11-6 over David Williams. Ryan Hluschak (Slatington, Pa./Northern Lehigh) remained perfect on the season as he earned a major decision win at 157 pounds. Chris Cowen (Mexico, N.Y./Mexico) also earned bonus points when he pinned East Stroudsburg's Matt Rosner at 2:27. Drexel's next match will be a road dual with Colonial Athletic Association opponent Binghamton on Dec. 8. The first match will begin at 7:00 p.m.

JEFFERSON CITY, TN -- The 22nd-ranked Newberry College wrestling team set a school record by defeating two ranked opponents on the same day as the Indians won all three matches at the Carson-Newman Quad Meet on Saturday afternoon. The Indians (10-2-1) faced off first against 12th-ranked West Liberty State College and earned a hard fought 19-18 victory. Brandon Kelly recorded a fall in the 165-pound division to pace Newberry to the victory. In their second match of the day, Newberry avenged an early-season loss to Carson-Newman, defeating the 18th-ranked Eagles 21-13. Kelly Anundson highlighted the match, winning by major decision 11-4 in the 197-pound division. In their final match of the afternoon, the Indians earned a 22-17 victory over UNC Pembroke. Cy Wainwright won by fall in the 285-pound division to lead Newberry to the victory. Newberry will participate in the Reno Tournament of Champions in Reno, NV on December 20. Match times and opponents will be announced in the following weeks.

Wrestler Matt Keller edged University of Pennsylvania's Matt Valenti 9-7 in overtime Saturday to claim first-place honors in the 133-pound bracket at the prestigious Las Vegas Invitational. Keller, an All-America in 2006, went undefeated in five matches on the weekend. He defeated Buffalo's Mark Budd 6-4 in the semifinals to advance to the title match. Keller's title enabled the Mocs to post an eighth-place finish with 65.5 team points, one-half point behind seventh-place Harvard. Missouri captured team honors with 147 points, and Michigan was second with 101 points. "Matt did what he had to do to put himself in contention for a national title," UTC Head Coach Chris Bono said. He has helped put Chattanooga on the map. Overall, I though our team performed real well. But what counts is March. We still have a lot we can improve on, but I am pleased with our performance." Also helping the Mocs' cause were four other wrestlers who placed in the tournament. Javier Maldonado picked up an eighth-place finish at 125 pounds, Michael Keefe was fifth overall at 141, Aaron Martin took home sixth place at 149 and Seth Garvin was seventh at 165. Martin won six consolation matches to advance, and Keefe defeated UNC Greensboro's Chris Bencivenga in the fifth-place match after Bencivenga had beaten Keefe in the quarterfinals. Jake Yost (157), Mike Marable (184), Nick Lorenzano (197) and Eric Rogers (285) also competed for the Mocs.

PRIMM, NEV. -- Led by junior Brandon Becker and redshirt freshman Angel Escobedo, the 17th-ranked Indiana wrestling team posted a sixth-place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 2. IU finished with 89.5 points, as Escobedo finished second at 125 pounds and Becker finished as the runner-up at 157. Missouri, ranked second by the NWCA/Intermat, ran away with the team title, scoring 157 points and beating second-place Michigan by 48. Becker and Escobedo each advanced to their respective championship matches by knocking off their first four opponents. Matt Coughlin (149), Max Dean (165) and Marc Bennett also placed at the tournament, with Coughlin taking third place. Bennett finished fifth, while Dean finished sixth. Escobedo beat a pair of ranked wrestlers to move to the 125-pound finals. After winning his first two matches, the Griffith, Ind., native topped 19th-ranked Patrick Castillo of Northern Illinois in a 6-4 decision. He then faced fourth-ranked Tanner Gardner of Stanford by beating the junior 4-1 in double overtime. He faced 11th-ranked Paul Donahoe in the finals but was topped 2-0 for just his second defeat of the season. Becker topped a trio of opponents to face Wisconsin's Craig Henning, ranked third in the country, in the semifinal. Becker took a 4-2 decision over Henning to earn a spot in the title bout against second-ranked Brian Stith of Arizona State, but Stith took a hard-fought, 2-1 decision to grab the title. The two-time All-American is now 14-2 on the year at 157. Coughlin won his first three matches, including one of the bigger upsets at the tourney, taking a 2-1 overtime decision over Wisconsin's Tyler Turner, the fourth-ranked wrestler in the country at his class. Coughlin was stopped short of the championship bout by Harvard's J.P. O'Connor, but rebounded with a 4-2 overtime victory over Eastern Michigan's Jermaine Thompson to earn a spot in the third-place match. There he faced Chattanooga's 10th-ranked Aaron Martin, and pinned the senior 49 seconds into overtime. Bennett, who entered the tournament 10-0 on the season, was defeated in his first match, falling 5-4 to Cal Poly's Yuri Kalika. After that, Bennett won six straight matches to face seventh-ranked Joe Rovelli of Hofstra, but Rovelli ended Bennett's string with a 7-6 decision. Bennett moved to the fifth-place match against Raymond Jordan of Missouri, taking a 4-3 decision to improve to 17-2 on the year. After winning his first three matches, Dean faced seventh-ranked Matt Pell of Missouri with a trip to the championship match on the line. Pell took a 9-6 decision to send Dean to the wrestleback bracket. Dean faced Zach Shanaman for a spot in the third-place bout, but was bested 3-1 in overtime. The Westchester, Ohio, native moved on to a match for fifth place, where he faced Arizona State's Patrick Pitsch, but Pitsch took sixth with a 6-4 decision. True freshman Nathan Everhart (197) had a solid debut for the Hoosiers, winning his first match by a 9-1 major decision. He followed that by facing the fourth-ranked wrestler in the nation, Max Askren, but Askren escaped with a 5-4 decision. Everhart won his first match in the wrestleback, but was topped 4-2 by Buffalo's Ricky Scott to end his run at a place. Maurice Gunn (HWT) opened his weekend with a 5-3 decision over Wisconsin's Jordan Hein in the opening round. In round two, though, Gunn met up with sixth-seeded Zack Hammond, who took a 3-1 decision. Gunn pinned his first opponent, George Mason's Ryan Kittrick, in 33 seconds, but ended his day 2-2 after a 6-3 loss to The Citadel's John Buck. At 133 pounds, Andrae Hernandez received a first-round bye and followed that up by pinning Eli Huizar of Dickinson State in the second round. Unfortunately, Hernandez followed that with a 7-3 loss in the round of 16 to Pitt's Drew Headlee and a 5-3 loss in the wrestleback to Marques Bravo of Western State. Trevor Perry (174) opened his tournament with a 5-4, opening-round win over Buffalo's Nate Rock. However, Perry was defeated in his next two matches, 10-2 to Nick Hernandez of Cal Poly and 8-3 to Dan Hospodka of Nebraska-Kearney, to end his run. After a first round bye, Nick Walpole (141) drew a tough assignment, going up against seventh-ranked Dominick Moyer of Nebraska, who topped the true freshman with an 8-0 major decision. Walpole moved on to the wrestleback, where he faced Derek Francavilla of Columbia University. Walpole kept the match close, but was topped by a 5-3 score. Indiana (5-0-0) is in action next on Sunday, Dec. 17, when it travels to Park Forrest, Ill., for the FITE Duals.

Ohio State wrestling redshirt-freshman Mike Pucillo won the 184-pound weight class in the 25th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in Primm, Nev., Saturday to pace the 13th-ranked Buckeyes to 66 team points for a 10th-place finish. Chris Vondruska finished third at 165 pounds in the event that was held at the Star of the Desert Arena. Missouri won the invitational with 157 points. Michigan finished second (109), while Penn (100.5) rounded out the Top 3. As the No. 2 seed, Pucillo (Cuyahoga, Ohio/Hofstra) entered the second day of competition with a 3-0 record that included two major decisions and a fall. On day two, Pucillo recorded a win over Missouri's Raymond Jordan, 3-1, in the semifinals to advance to the finals where he beat Tyrel Todd of Michigan, 12-6. In the round of 32, Pucillo defeated Jake Devlin of Air Force, 11-3, while in the round of 16, Pucillo knocked off Levi Wofford of Nebraska, 12-0. In quarterfinals action, Pucillo dropped Justin Barent of Columbia in 1:38. After losing his lone match of the invitational to Matt Pell of Missouri in the quarterfinals, Vondruska (Gr., Lakewood, Ohio/Hofstra), an eighth seed, answered with four consecutive wins, including a 2-1 overtime decision over Zachary Lee of Western State in the sixth wrestleback. Vondruska concluded the evening with a 3-2 decision against Zach Shanaman of Penn in the third-place match-up. On day one, Vondruska won a 7-5 decision against Taylor May (Nebraska-Kearney), 7-5, in the pigtails round before pinning Casey Barnum (Western Wyoming) in 4:04 in the round of 32. In the next sessions, Vondruska downed Brian Perry (Stanford), 2-0, before his quarterfinal match-up against Pell. At 149 pounds, true freshman Lance Palmer (Lakewood, Ohio/St. Edwards) finished seventh after posting a 3-1 record on day one as a 10th seed. In the fifth wrestleback, Palmer pinned Brandon Doyle of Cal State-Bakersfield in 3:57, but went on to drop a close 4-3 decision to Jermaine Thompson of Eastern Michigan in the sixth wrestleback. Competing in the seventh-place match-up, Palmer was victorious over Drew DiPasquale of Virginia, 7-2. On the first day of competition, Palmer recorded three consecutive wins, including a technical fall over Chris Cartella of George Mason, 15-0, in the pigtails round and a 12-1 major decision over Jeff Ecklof of Pittsburgh in the round of 16, before losing a close 2-0 overtime decision to Jordan Leen of Cornell in the quarterfinals. J Jaggers (So., Northfield, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel) and Corey Morrison (So., Shaker Heights, Ohio/Shaker Heights) were eliminated in the fifth wrestleback at 141 and 285 pounds, respectively. Jaggers dropped an 8-6 overtime decision to Kyle Larson of Oregon State, while Morrison lost to Joe Sheffield of UNC-Greensboro, 1-0. Nearly 50 Division I, II, NAIA and junior colleges and universities participated in the invitational, which was not an open tournament. Each institution was limited to one eligible wrestler per weight class. The Buckeyes are back in action at 2 p.m. Dec. 17 when they host Tennessee-Chattanooga in St. John Arena.

PRIMM, Nev. -– The 25th Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational came to a close Saturday night at the Star of the Desert in Primm, Nev., with Brian Stith, the No. 2 ranked wrestler in the nation at 157 pounds, winning his weight class and capturing his first crown at the prestigious event. Team scores for the tournament were not available. Stith, the top-seed in the tournament, opened the day with a close 4-2 decision in overtime against No. 5 seed and national No. 9 Matt Kocher of Pittsburgh. Trailing most of the match, Stith scored a takedown in the final minute of regulation to send the bout to overtime, tied at 2-2, where he then scored the winning takedown to reach the final. In the championship bout, Stith again prevailed in a close match, this time scoring a 2-1 decision over the third-seeded and seventh-ranked Brandon Becker of Indiana. In his career, Stith now stands 96-30 overall and needs four victories to become the 22nd Sun Devil in the history of the program to reach 100 career wins. Stith could reach that total at his next event, the Reno Tournament of Champions. One other Sun Devil placed in the tough tournament as Patrick Pitsch, the third-seeded and eighth-ranked competitor at 165 pounds, rebounded from two losses early in the day to score a 6-4 decision over fourth-seeded and 13th-ranked Max Dean of Indiana to finish fifth in the tournament. The Sun Devils will take time off from competition for final exams before returning to the mats on December 20 as they take part in the Reno Tournament of Champions.

The Augustana wrestling team crowned three champions and had a total of five wrestlers place in the top six at the MSU Dragon Open Saturday in Moorhead, Minn. Jordan Burmeister and Mike Long tied for fifth place in the 141-pound Red Division with 3-1 records. Each wrestler won his first-round match before losing in the second round. They both won two matches in the consolation round to make it to the fifth-place match. Mike Wubbena won the title in the 157-pound White Division. He pinned Dietrich Moren in 1:20 in the first round before earning an 11-7 major decision over Chad Stenson. In the semifinals, he edged Jeff Sellman 5-2 before defeating Zach Juusola 7-4 in the championship. In the 165-pound White Division, Kyle Svendson claimed the title with a 3-0 record. After receiving a first-round bye, Svendson pinned Jon Brown in 3:06. He then pinned Walter Kenneback in 3:14 in the semifinals. In the finals, Svendson earned a medical forfeit win over Jake Grygelko. Mitch Lunning placed sixth in the 174-pound Red Division. He won his first-round match. He then lost in the second round. He finished the day with a 2-3 record. Augustana dominated the 184-pound Red Division as Tom Nesseth defeated fellow Viking Beau Severtson 3-1 in the finals. Nesseth, who went 4-0 on the day, pinned Ted Saatzer in 1:06 in his opening match before defeating Matt Nelson of Minnesota State-Moorhead 3-1 in the second round. Nesseth then pinned Garret Long of Augsburg in 3:05 in the semifinals to advance to the championship. Severtson finished 3-1 in the Open. He shut out Matt Siems 2-0 and defeated George Lynaugh of Augsburg 8-6 in the second round. In the semifinals, he downed Matt Michaelson of Dakota State 3-2. Augustana returns to the mat on Wednesday when the Vikings host the University of Sioux Falls. The dual is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in the Elmen Center.

Brandon Kelly, the nation's top ranked Division III wrestler at 197 pounds, claimed an individual title and helped lead Wilkes University to the team title at Saturday's Rochester Institute of Technology Tournament in New York. The Colonels, ranked 17th in Division III, had ten wrestlers place in the top four of their respective weight classes on their way to amassing 138.5 points. Johnson & Wales, ranked 10th, finished second with 117 points. 13th-ranked Cortland State was third with 113 points, while 27th-ranked John Carroll was fourth with 109.5 points among the 15 teams competing. Kelly, who had not wrestled since the Colonels season-opening win over York College on November 4th due to an injury, won all four of his matches to claim the 197-pound crown. He pinned Bobby Vanditto from Rhode Island College in 3:59 and scored a 17-0 win by technical fall over John Gottfried from Wesleyan to advance to the semi-finals. After earning an 8-5 win over Diego Crespo from Johnson & Wales in the semi's, Kelly won the title with an 8-3 victory over Cortland's Phil Archer. Felipe Queiroz, ranked seventh nationally, and Shaun Farnham placed third and fourth at 125 pounds. Both wrestlers advanced to the semi-finals before losing for the first time. Queiroz suffered a 7-5 loss to Mike McInnally from R.I.T. in the semi's, while Farnham dropped a 10-6 decision to Brandon McDonough from Johnson & Wales. Queiroz topped Elie Naoum from John Carroll, 8-4, and Farnham posted a 16-0 technical fall over Thiel's Josh Testa to set up a meeting between the two teammates in the third-place bout. Queiroz would prevail in the matchup with his teammate, 8-4 to finish third. Josh Pauling won his first two matches at 133 pounds to move into the semi-finals. There, he lost a tough 4-2 decision to Matt McDiarmid from John Carroll. Pauling rebound with a win by medical forfeit over Cortland's Eddie Ortiz and then stopped Brian Bucher from Baldwin Wallace, 4-0, to finish third. At 141 pounds Adam Penberthy posted a fifth-place finish for Wilkes. Penberthy lost in the semi-finals to Paul LeBlanc from Cortland, 5-3. After dropping an 8-4 verdict to Luke Baum from R.I.T. in the consolation semi-finals, Penberthy bounced back to notch a 7-2 win over Damian Rose from Thiel in the fifth-place match. Erik Smith copped third-place honors at 149 pounds. Smith was also a semi-finalist, falling to Case Western's Drew Gardella, 7-2. He rebounded with a 4-3 win over Mohammed Salem from Baldwin Wallace to earn a spot in the third-place match. Smith then scored a 5-1 win over Brian Radik from the Coast Guard Academy. Frank Heffernan advanced to the championship match at 157 pounds. Heffernan was a 3-2 winner over Kevin Keough from John Carroll in the semi-finals. In the title match he fell to Corey Barber from Cortland by a score of 4-2. At 165 pounds Justin Barowski lost to Cortland's Zach Bogardus, 10-5, in the semi-finals. Barowski would get off the mat to knock off Mike Sanchez from Case Western 7-4 in the consolation semi-finals. He then notched a 4-2 win over Steve Bagnowski from John Carroll to claim third-place. D.J. Giancola had one of the toughest routes to follow on his way to placing fourth. Giancola lost his opening round match before stringing together four straight victories. In the consolation semi-finals Giancola topped Baldin Wallace's Jeremy Feador, 8-4, before suffering an 8-2 loss to Bryan Gomez from Morrisville in the third-place bout. Josh Ballan finished fourth for the Colonels at 184 pounds. Ballan, who dropped an 8-0 decision to Bryan Lenhardt from Johnson & Wales in the semi-finals, fought back to claim a 6-3 victory over Brian Haines from Baldwin Wallace in the consolation semi-finals. In the third-place match Ballan was pinned by Johnson & Wales' Will Esposito in 5:40.

PRIMM, Nev. -- Senior/junior captains Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) captured individual titles at 149 and 165 pounds, respectively, to pace the No. 8-ranked University of Michigan to second place (109 points) at the 25th annual Cliff Keen Invitational, which concluded Saturday (Dec. 2) at the Star of the Desert Arena. The Wolverines had six total placewinners and drew scoring performances from every member of the 10-man squad. Churella claimed his second straight Cliff Keen Invitational crown -- adding to his 141-pound trophy from last season's event -- with a 5-3 decision over Harvard's J.P. O'Conner. After several failed single-leg shots through the first half of the match, Churella shifted his strategy and used an explosive double to put himself in control late in the middle period. The Wolverine capain added another double-leg takedown after a restart midway through the third frame and, despite being reversed in the closing seconds of the match, held on to remain perfect for the weekend. In the semifinals, Churella avenged his only loss of the season, decisively beating Cornell's second-seeded Jordan Leen 6-2. After a scoreless opening period, the Wolverine captain took control with a single-leg takedown early in the second and a double in the third while accumulating 2:27 in riding time. Improving his season record to a perfect 9-0, Tannenbaum controlled the action throughout his 165-pound championship bout against Missouri's top-seeded Matt Pell, using a pair of low single-leg takedowns to claim a 5-3 decision. The Wolverine struck first about a minute into the opening period and again early in the second frame and allowed Pell just three escapes in the contest. Tannenbaum had difficulty getting to his feet in the third as the Missouri wrestler whittled away his previous riding-time advantage, but Tannenbaum picked up the escape in the closing seconds to seal his first career Cliff Keen Invitational title. Tannenbaum cruised through his semifinal bout against Arizona State's third-seeded Patrick Pitsch, scoring a takedown in each period en route to a 8-3 decision. Junior/sophomore Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) joined the U-M captains in the championship round but suffered a 12-6 defeat to Ohio State's second-seeded Michael Pucillo. The Buckeye wrestler built an early and significant advantage with takedowns in the first and second periods and a pair of back points. Todd rallied in the final frame, scoring on two quick single legs, but could not overcome the early deficit. Pucillo converted on another takedown at the final buzzer and added just over a minute of riding-time advantage. In the morning semifinal round, Todd dominated Hofstra's fourth-seeded Joe Rovelli with three takedowns and a pair of first-period back points. Fifth-year senior Mark Moos (Lorain, Ohio/St. Edward HS) registered a 3-1 mark in today's wrestleback competition to take fifth place at 125 pounds. Squaring off against Northern Illinois' fourth-seeded Pat Castillo in the fifth-place match, Moos scored a pair of first-period takedowns to build up a strong advantage before using a duck early in the second to take Castillo straight to his back and earn the fall at 3:33. The Wolverine senior, seeded 10th, kicked off the day in equally dominant fashion with a 16-0 technical fall against Wisconsin's eighth-seeded Collin Cudd. Using his knack for scrambling, coupled with a bar and half, to score 12 back points, Moos ended the contest late in the second frame. Fifth-year senior Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS), seeded seventh at 197 pounds, built up a 6-1 advantage in the first period of his semifinal bout against Missouri's third-seeded Max Askren, but in the subsequent frame, the Wolverine suffered a knee injury that required him to injury default. Roy put the Tiger wrestler on the mat about a minute into the match and immediately locked up a cradle to force two back points. After Askren kicked free, Roy wasted little time before shooting in on another single leg and collecting the takedown out of the ensuing scramble. Roy needed to use his injury time early in the second after trying to fight off a Missouri takedown and needed it again just minutes later at the end of an Askren pinning situation. He could not continue the match and defaulted out to place sixth. Junior/sophomore Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) used a second-period takedown to pick up a 3-1 decision over Cal Poly's Nick Hernandez in his first 174-pound wrestleback match after last night's disappointing quarterfinal loss. However, struggling with a nagging injury from the previous day, he defaulted out to take eighth place. The Wolverines will kick off the home portion of their 2006-07 schedule on Friday (Dec. 8) with a non-conference contest against intrastate rival Central Michigan. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. start at Cliff Keen Arena.

The No. 5 Heidelberg College wrestling team grabbed the overall team title at the Messiah Petrofes Invitational in Grantham, Pa today. The berg recorded 173 points, outdistancing runner-up No. 7 SUNY Brockport with a score of 144. Heidelberg had 14 top eight finishers including four individual championships. 197 pound sophomore Ryan Fogliano (Maple Heights, Ohio / Maple Heights) posted a 4-0 record including a pin in the championship match just 2:40 into the match to stay unbeaten at 10-0 on the season. Fogliano entered the weekend ranked seventh at 197 pounds. Also grabbing individual championships was 157 pound sophomore Ian Rammel (St. Mary's, Ohio / Spencerville) going 4-0 including a 6-4 dec. against SUNY Brockport's Andrew Grillo in the finals, 174 pound Dan Jonhenry (Berea, Ohio / Berea) also posting a 4-0 record and 285 pound junior Ryan Bowers (Lima, Ohio / Elida). Bowers was perfect at 4-0, including a semifinal win against the fifth ranked wrestler in the nation, Trevor Hiffa. Bowers pinned Hiffa in 3:56 on his way to the championship. Also finishing in the top eight was 184 pound freshman Kyle Rooney (Cincinnati, Ohio / Anderson) who finished third by going, while fellow classmate Matt LaFollette (Raymond, Ohio / Marysville) finished fifth at 184 pounds. LaFollette finished with a 5-2 record including a pin against DJ Lombardo of UC 4:40 into the match and a major decision against Bryan Kopesky of Lycoming, 13-1. In the 165 pound weight class, sophomore Aaron Jonhenry (Berea, Ohio / Berea) and freshman James Delong (Perrysville, Ohio / Hillsdale) finished fourth and sixth respectively. Jonhenry finished the day 5-2 with three major decisions; while Delong finished 4-3 with one pin against Tyree Johnson of Mount Union 2:27 into the mach. In the 149 pound weight class, freshman Zack Mizer (Canton, Ohio / Perry) and freshman Josh Levy (West Liberty, Ohio / West Liberty Salem) finished fourth and seventh respectively. Sophomore Clemens Artmann (Hillsboro, Ohio / Hillsboro) finished fourth at 125 pounds with one pin coming against Peppy Cabera of Brockport 5:52 in the match and finishing seventh at 141 pounds was junior Nick Sanchez (Lima, Ohio / Bath). In the heavyweight division, junior Robbie Brubeck (Findlay, Ohio / Findlay) beat out fellow team member junior Tony Carothers (Bloomingdale, Ohio / Harrison Central) for second place. According to head coach Jason Miller "I am very pleased where we are at. It was nice to come in and perform well against fellow ranked opponents. This weekend has been good preparation for our dual match with Ohio Northern University on Tuesday." The Berg will be back in action this Tuesday at Ohio Northern for an OAC dual match. Starting time is set for 7:30 p.m.

125 lbs. -- Nick Simmons of Michigan State, the two time defending champ at 125 lbs., will be the overwhelming favorite, depending on which weight class he competes in: 125 or 133 lbs. His overall Midlands record is 16-1 and he could reach two elite categories in this year's event, the "20 in 4" club and the three straight individual championships group. He is currently ranked No. 1 at 133 lbs. Others who could challenge for the title include: 2005 runner-up and 19th-ranked Pat Castillo of Northern Illinois and Central Michigan's Luke Smith, who is ranked 13th and finished third in last year's Midlands. Gabe Flores of Illinois ranked No. 5, Michigan State's sixth-ranked Franklin Gomez, Charlie Falck of Iowa, Indiana's 16th-ranked Angel Escobedo; 17th-ranked Kyle Anson of Northern Iowa and Mark Moos of Michigan will also look to make some noise. 133 lbs. – Nick Simmons, if he wrestles at 133, will be the favorite, and following him the field is wide open. Iowa's eighth-ranked Mario Galanakis and Central Michigan alum Jason Borrelli, who finished third last year, will be the top contenders. Indiana's Andrae Hernandez, Cameron Doggett of Purdue and Robbie Preston of Harvard are ranked grapplers in the hunt. Rider's Zack Cunliffe, Eastern Michigan's Sean Clair, Iowa State's Nick Gallick, and David Armstrong from Cleveland State will also look to contend for this year's title. 141 lbs. -- This will be a highly competitive weight class including many nationally-ranked wrestlers. Northwestern's Ryan Lang is the favorite, who is ranked No.1 in the country. However, he will have plenty of competition in No. 2 Brandon Rader of West Virginia, fifth-ranked Andy Simmons from Michigan State, ninth-ranked Max Meltzer of Harvard, No. 11 C.J. Ettelson of Northern Iowa, No. 12 Alex Tsirtsis of Iowa, No. 17 Mitch Mueller of Iowa State, No. 18 Don Fisch of Rider and Cassio Pero of Illinois at No. 19. Brandon Carter of Central Michigan will also be in the hunt. 149 lbs. – With a group of highly talented wrestlers, this weight class will provide much excitement. Leading the pack is sixth-ranked Josh Churella representing the University of Michigan. He is closely followed by eighth-ranked David Jauregui of West Virginia, Illinois' 11th-ranked Troy Tirapelle, Matt Coughlin of Indiana at No. 12, 14th-ranked Ryan Hurley of Cleveland State and Cyler Sanderson of Iowa State at No. 15. Damion Swietlik of American, Central Michigan's Andy Keller and Mike Grimes of Northern Illinois will also contend. 157 lbs. -- Top-ranked Trent Paulson of Iowa State is the favorite coming in at 157 lbs. and will be challenged by many highly-ranked opponents. Fifth-ranked Mike Poeta of Illinois finished second at 165 lbs. in the 2005 Midlands and seventh-ranked Brandon Becker from Indiana finished fourth last year. Fourth-ranked Andrew Flanagan of Harvard, Iowa's Ryan Morningstar, Central Michigan's Eric Neil, West Virginia's Zac Fyling and Dave Miller from Rider will look to make their respective marks on the tournament as well. 165 lbs. -- Like the 157-pound class, this division has a deep level of nationally-ranked competitors. No. 2 Mark Perry of Iowa who finished first in 2004 and second in 2005 at 174 lbs. will head the field. Defending champion Nick Balma of Northern Iowa, fourth-ranked Travis Paulson from Iowa State and No. 5 Eric Tannebaum from Michigan will follow closely. Additional contenders include: Northern Illinois' Johnny Galloway, Larry Hall from West Virginia, Max Dean of Indiana, Roger Smith-Bergsrud of Illinois and Dan Bedoy representing Purdue. 174 lbs. -- Second-ranked James Yonushonis of Penn State headlines this talented group. Matt Palmer, No. 4 from Columbia, will follow him along with seventh-ranked Ken Robertson of Eastern Illinois, Michigan's eighth-ranked Steve Luke, Iowa's ninth-ranked Eric Luedke, No. 10 Brandon Sinnott of Central Michigan, No. 12 Doug Umbehauer from Rider, No. 14 Donny Reynolds of Illinois and 16th-ranked Kurt Brenner of West Virginia. Others looking to claim awards include Josh Chelf of Wisconsin-LaCrosse and David Bertolino from Iowa State. 184 lbs. – This year Northwestern's Jake Herbert is going for his third straight Midlands title. He captured first place in 2004 and 2005 at 174 lbs. The top-challenger could be Ben Wissel, a Purdue graduate who recently finished second in a Real Pro Wrestling event and was a 2005 Midlands runner-up. The challengers are many and those ranked within the nation's top 20 include: Tyrel Todd from Michigan, Iowa State's Jake Varner, Christian Sinnott of Central Michigan, Marc Bennett of Indiana, Louis Caputo from Harvard, Columbia's Justin Barent, Duke Burk from Northern Illinois, Phil Keddy from Iowa and Michigan State's Joe Williams. Contenders Mike Corcetti of Pitt-Johnstown and Gerald Harris, who lost to Wissel in the Real Pro event, could also be factors in the final standings. 197 lbs. -- Defending champion Wynn Michalak of Central Michigan returns to try to win two-straight championships. Currently he is ranked No. 8. Top challengers include: American's Josh Glenn who finished third at 184 lbs. in 2005, Kurt Backes of Iowa State, Purdue's Nathan Moore, Northwestern's Mike Tamillow, Casey White of Michigan, Jared Villers of West Virginia, Rider's ranked T.J. Morrison, Northern Iowa's Andy Anderson and Patrick Bond wrestling for Illinois. 285 lbs. -- This appears to be another weight class where many wrestlers have a chance at winning a title. Veteran Brian Keck, a four-time place winner, returns to battle for his first championship title. Harvard's Bode Ogunwole, ranked No. 2, and third-ranked Dustin Fox of Northwestern are both in this year's field. Others looking to take home the trophy include: Iowa's Matt Fields, Central Michigan's Bubba Gritter, Payam Zarrinpour of Sacred Heart, Adam LoPiccolo from American, Indiana's Dave Herman and Nebraska-Kearney's Tervel Diagnev.

Erie, Pa. -- Mercyhurst wrestling coach Tony Cipollone earned his 100th career win as his Lakers took care of cross-town rival Gannon 32-6 in the War at the Shore at the Erie Civic Center Friday night. Mercyhurst, ranked No. 11 in NCAA Division II, took control early by winning the first seven matches. Payne Lint got it started for the Lakers in the 125 bout, defeating Gannon's Scott Baron via technical fall in the third period. Braxdon Scaletta followed up with a 12-1 decision over Ed Marshall at 133. All-American J.J. Zanetta then won a decision at 141 over the Knights' Brian Yoder, to give the Lakers a 13-0 lead. The Lakers Brian Pogel, Andy Lamancusa and Hudson Harrison also won by decision in their respective weight classes to give the Lakers the lead for good. All-American Zack Schafer scored the only fall of the night when he pinned Jamie Shearer in the 174 match. Kenny Bluska finished off the evening with a 2-0 decision in the heavyweight bout. The match carried more weight as the team's battled for the Oar, a trophy that signifies the yearly winner in the series. A year ago, Gannon defeated Mercyhurst by one point in the War at the Shore to win the first match in which the Oar was presented. The Lakers, now 1-4 on the year, will be back in action December 9, when they travel to the Ohio Northern Invite.

After exchanging the lead with Shippensburg University through the first five matches, Head Coach Pat Pecora's #5 Mountain Cat wrestlers got things rolling and improved to 3-2 with 22-12 win over their East Region rival in Friday's 2006-07 home opener in the Sports Center. Pitt Johnstown's Mike Corcetti (Export, Pa.), the top-ranked wrestler in the country at 184 lbs. and a returning National Runner-Up, highlighted the Mountain Cats' victory with a convincing, 6-1, win over #2-ranked Mark Murphy. Pitt Johnstown jumped out to a 3-0 lead with Derrek Bosso's (Pequea, Pa.), 11-4, win over Andrew Jones at 125 lbs., but Shippensburg evened the score when Steve Fittery upset #4-ranked Brandon Reasy (New Enterprise, Pa.), 6-1, in overtime in the 133-lb. bout. The Mountain Cats regained the lead with a 14-6 major decision by Shane Valko (Windber, Pa.) at 141 lbs. until the Red Raiders took the lead back, 9-7, when 2006 National Qualifier Dan Nauman pinned Pitt Johnstown's Mazen Kholi (Allentown, Pa.) at 2:39. However, that was the last time Shippensburg would hold the lead, as the Mountain Cat went on to win five of the last six matches to seal the victory. National Qualifier Joe Strittmatter (157 lbs.) (Ebensburg, Pa.), #3-ranked Albert Miles (165-lbs.) (Canonsburg, Pa.), All-American Eli Garshnick (174 lbs.) (Armagh, Pa.), Corcetti and #4-ranked Mike Fowler (197 lbs.) (Carrolltown, Pa.) all won by decision to help Pitt Johnstown. Sophomore Jon Neese (Chambersville, Pa.) suffered a 4-3 loss to Jason Groller in the Heavyweight bout to set the final score at 22-12 in favor of the Mountain Cats. With the loss, Shippensburg dropped to 0-1 on the year. The Mountain Cats travel to the Penn State Open on Sunday and to the Clarion University Duals on December 17, where they will wrestle Division I opponents Lock Haven University, Kent State (OH) University and Clarion. Pitt Johnstown will host its next home event on January 19-20 when it hosts the 2007 East Coast Duals in the Sports Center.

St. Cloud, Minn. -- St. Cloud State University will host the 2006 Husky Open wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 9, in the University's Halenbeck Hall. The tournament kicks off at 9 a.m. that day and it will feature many of the nation's top collegiate wrestling programs. Tickets for this event are $6 for adults and $3 for youth (ages 2 to 12th grade). As always, SCSU students with a validated student I.D. card will be admitted free to this event. Teams scheduled to compete in this "open" format tournament include St. Cloud State, UW-LaCrosse, South Dakota State, Minnesota State-Moorhead, UW-Parkside, Concordia College, Rochester Community College, Augsburg, Minnesota, Minnesota State-Mankato, Itasca Community College and Ridgewater Community College.

ANNAPOLIS, MD. -- The Navy wrestling team (2-2) won all 10 weight classes to earn its second dual meet win of the season, as the Mids defeated Rutgers (0-1), 42-0, Friday night at Halsey Field House. Navy improved to 19-2 in dual meets against the Scarlet Knights and turned in the first shutout by either team in the 21-match history. "The guys really wrestled well," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "I was happy with their aggressiveness and our conditioning was pretty good. Some of the guys started a little slow, but finished strong. I'm really pleased for the guys that all of their hard work is paying off. It was a pretty impressive win for our team. "The competition gets a little stiffer on Sunday with so many different teams wrestling at the Nittany Lion Open, but we are anxious to meet the challenge." The Mids earned decisions in their first two matches, including the opener at 165 pounds where Navy junior Robert Johnston (Satellite Beach, Fla.) got things started with a 4-1 decision over Rutgers sophomore Matt Pletcher. Senior Antonio Miranda (Eugene, Ore.), ranked 19th at 184 pounds, extended the Mids' lead to 11-0 after posting a technical fall (6:24) over Keith Dobish. Four of the last six matches were major decisions by the Mids, while the remaining two were falls. Twentieth-ranked Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.) picked up his first major decision of 2006-07 with a 12-3 win over Mike D'Amico. Junior Branden Beasley (Alexandria, Va.) returned to the mat after battling an injury early in the year to pick up his fifth win of the season with an 18-7 major decision over Dan Hilt. Seniors Brad Canterbury (Blue Bell, Pa.) (141) and team captain John Jarred (Kansas City, Mo.) (157) also earned major decisions Friday night. Senior Alex Usztics (Dauphin, Pa.) produced his fourth win by fall this winter and 15th of his career when he sent Andrew DelGuercio packing at 125 pounds at the 3:32 mark. Senior John Cox (Grand Haven, Mich.), ranked No. 7 at 149 pounds, took sole possession of 10th on Navy's career wins list (3) Friday night after pinning Rutgers sophomore Jack Barrett at 2:00. It marked Also earning victories on the night were junior Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) at 174 pounds, who is now 13-1 on the year, and sophomore 197-pounder Tyler Moyer (Bremerton, Wash.) who earned a 10-8 decision over Karim Mohmoud to earn his first dual win of the 2006-07 season. Navy will have little time to enjoy its win as it will travel to Pennsylvania to take part in the 2006 Nittany Lion Open on Sunday beginning at 8:30 am.

Simpson (1-1) defeated Williams College 26-16 in a non-conference wrestling dual Dec. 1 in Indianola, Iowa. Ethan Cohen put the Ephs up 4-0 with an 11-0 victory over Tony Hager in the opening 125 pound match. Matt Koch broke the seal for the Storm by defeating Mike Penza 8-2 at 133. The Storm took its first lead of the night when Curtis Barber defeated Dylan Rittenburg 4-2 in the 141 pound match. Williams took a 7-6 lead at 149 when Nick Miragliuolo charted a 12-9 victory over Wade Dowling. Kellen Delaney put Simpson back into the lead, 9-7, when he defeated Carl Breitenstein 8-2 at 157 pounds. The Ephs led for what proved to be the final time of the night at 165 as Doug Washington used riding time to defeat Ben Hektoen 8-7. Tom Koch put the Storm up for good with a technical fall over Paul Fraulo (16-1 at 4:30) in the 174 pound matchup. Garrett Kiley pinned Max Pinto 2:09 into the 184 pound match to give the Storm a 20-10 lead. Nathan Shippe pulled the Ephs to within four, 20-16, when he pinned Sam Collora at 197. Chris Downing secured the victory for the Storm when he pinned Kyle Ayer at the 3:52 mark of the heavyweight match. The victory marked the 10th straight time that Simpson has defeated Williams in dual competition. Next up for both teams is the 2006 Simpson Invitational Saturday in Indianola. 18 teams are scheduled to compete beginning at 9 a.m. (CST).

LEXINGTON, Va. -- The Maryland wrestling team dominated VMI, 30-9, on December 1 at the Thunderdome. The Terrapins took seven of the 10 matches during the evening with senior Jason Kiessling and sophomore James Knox winning their matches by technical fall. Kiessling earned his 10th win of the season with a 23-7 win at 165 pounds. Senior Charlie Pinto continued his hot start to the season with his 10th win in his first 11 matches as he won at 141 by major decision. Freshman Mike Letts also won by major decision to get his team-leading 11th win. Maryland started the dual by winning the first five matches en route to the win. VMI gave the Terps a 6-0 lead as it did not have an entry at 197. Senior Jerry Afari slipped by Scott Buhman at heavyweight with a 4-3 decision to put the Terrapins up 9-0. Knox dominated his opponent Lance Long at 125 by scoring a 26-8 technical fall in 6:05. Freshman Jon Kohler added to the momentum with a 3-1 decision against Tyler Anthony and then Pinto scored his major decision to give Maryland a 21-0 cushion. After the Keydets took the next two matches by decision, KIessling tallied his technical fall to push the lead up to 26-6 and then Letts added to the lead with another major decision. The Terps are back in action next weekend for the last time before taking a break for the holiday. On December 9, Maryland takes on Rider and Rutgers and then the Terps wrestle Princeton on December 10.

Oskaloosa -- The Statesmen wrestling team won all nine of the night's contested matches as it dropped Northwestern in Penn Gymnasium Friday, 40-6. Penn (3-0) lost just once on the night, giving up a forfeit at 149 pounds. Shamar Haynes (Jr., Cedar Rapids, Ellsworth CC) began the night at 125 pounds by pinning his opponent in 4:19. 133-pounder Nick Cucciniello (Fr., Saint James, N.Y., Smithtown HS) then rallied from a first-period deficit to claim victory via decision, 13-8. Earl Robinson (Jr., Davenport, Davenport Central HS) matched Haynes with a fall in 3:24 at 141 pounds. After the forfeit loss at 149, Brandon Graham (Jr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) used a pair of takedowns to hold off his Raider opponent at 157 pounds, 5-3. Marty Usman (Fr., Arlington, Texas, Bowie HS) also won by decision at 165 pounds, 11-6, while Nate Stirgus (Sr., Muskegon, Mich., Muskegon CC) followed that performance with an 18-8 major decision win at 174 pounds. Spenser Sharp (Fr., Hoquiam, Wash., Hoquiam HS) provided the most excitement of the night at 184 pounds, rallying for a huge 11-9 win over Enock Francois, who was ranked #7 at 174 pounds in the NAIA's preseason rating. The freshman was dominated early, allowing four takedowns in the first period, eventually trailing 9-3 in the early part of the second period. Sharp then pulled off a five-point move with a takedown and three-point near fall to cut the lead to 9-8. He added another three-point near fall in the final period and rode Francois out for the win. Logan Frescoln (Fr., Batavia, Cardinal HS), in 3:49 at 197 pounds, and Chauncey Coleman (Sr., Fresno, Calif., McLane HS), in 6:40 at 285 pounds, both won by fall to close out the meet. Next: Penn travels to two tournaments this weekend, going to Indianola to compete in the Simpson Invitational, Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. Several Statesmen will also go north to Cedar Falls to grapple at the UNI Open Sunday, also beginning at 9 a.m.

Competing in its first dual meet as a Division I team, Northern Colorado was no match for the third-ranked Golden Gophers. Minnesota won all 10 matches, with three Gophers recording pins, two registering technical falls and two others posting major decisions on the way to a 45-0 victory. The win was the first shutout in a dual meet for Minnesota since January 27, 2002. No. 9 Jayson Ness got things started for the Gophers with a 21-6 tech fall over Tony Mustari. The redshirt freshman from Bloomington is off to a 4-1 dual meet start with two major decisions and one tech fall to his credit. True freshman Mike Thorn gave Minnesota an 8-0 lead with his decision over Kyle Kaiser at 133 pounds, and No. 6 Manuel Rivera defeated Kenny Hashimoto, 8-6, to extend the lead to 11-0. Top-ranked Dustin Schlatter recorded his first shutout of the season with a 15-0 tech fall over Richard Lohr to remain perfect at 9-0 on the season. Schlatter now won his last 39 matches, tying him with Head Assistant Coach Marty Morgan for the third longest streak in school history. Tyler Safratowich kept the Gophers rolling with a 5-4 decision over Luke Salazar at 157 pounds to give Minnesota a 19-0 lead. Jeremy Larson followed with a pin of Devan Lewis in 4:40 to push the lead to put the match away. The pin was Larson's second of the season and ninth of his career. Gabriel Dretsch earned an 18-4 major decision over Ryan Johnson, and Roger Kish followed with a pin of Alex Joseph to extend Minnesota's lead to 35-0. Junior college transfer Yura Malamura improved to 3-1 in a Golden Gopher uniform with his third straight win. Malamura recorded his first major decision with a 20-8 victory over Calen Nicholl. In the only match of the night featuring two ranked wrestlers, top-ranked Cole Konrad finished off the Bears with a pin of No. 15 Reece Hopkin in 2:55. With the win, Konrad continued to inch his way up the school's career record charts. He won his 45th consecutive match to move within 13 victories of the longest streak in school history. He is also now tied for fourth all-time with 40 pins in his career. The Golden Gophers will now gear up to face top-ranked Oklahoma State at the Sports Pavilion on Wednesday, Dec. 6. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.