InterMat Staff

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. -- The St. Andrews Presbyterian College and Anderson University wrestling teams split the 10 matches in Wednesday's East Region dual match at neutral Pinecrest High School but the Knights improved to 2-1 on the season with the only pin of the night. Anderson fell to 2-6. "It is exciting get our first win last week and then beat a team in our region," said second year head coach Joe Baranik. St. Andrews, only in its second season of NCAA Division II wrestling, picked up the programs first win a week earlier with a 24-16 victory over the Apprentice School "This was the first time we did not forfeit a weight since I have been there. We got the win with nine freshmen and one senior in the lineup. We still have a lot of work to but I am proud of the team because they work so hard. We have some correctable mistakes that can be easily fixed but we will keep moving forward." Freshman lightweight Eric Brown (Norfolk, Va.) gave St. Andrews a quick 6-0 lead with a first-period pin over Trojan freshman Nick Moreira (Miami, Fla.). Brown disposed of Moreira with his fastest pin fall of the year just one minute and six seconds into the match. Brown has three pins on the season. Freshman Casey Gashaw (Laurinburg, N.C.) increased the Knights lead to 9-0 with a 7-4 decision over sophomore Chris Francis (Columbia, S.C.) at the 133-pound ranks. Gashaw's win was his first collegiate dual match win and fourth overall. "Brown's pin was huge because it gave us momentum for the rest of the match as Gashaw won the next match and it continued down the line," expressed Baranik. "The early wins took the wind out of Anderson's sails as I don not think they thought would go down 9-0." Anderson fought back and tied the match at 9-9 after the DiCarlo brothers from Covington, Ga., won the next two bouts. Sophomore Anthony DiCarlo posted a 23-6 technical fall at 141-pounds while freshman Nick DiCarlo registered a 13-4 major decision at 149-lbs. Senior T.J. Selke (Irmo, S.C.) won the third straight contest for the Trojans with a 6-2 decision over freshman Greg Todd (Gloucester, Va.). Selke's win at 157-pounds gave AU a 12-9 team lead at the halfway point. Freshman 165-pounder Trevor Sanford (Sebastian, Fla.) increased the Trojan lead to 16-9 with a 21-8 major decision over Knights freshman Rickey Flood (Martinville, Va.). Freshman Eric Fulmer (Glenshaw, Pa.) pulled St. Andrews to within two, 16-14, with his third straight technical fall victory in dual matches to start his collegiate career. Fulmer posted the 16-1 tech fall after receiving riding time as he improved to 3-0 on the season at 174-lbs. "I got a little nervous after Todd lost, even though it was a close match against a tough opponent, being he is a state champion and his teammates look up to him and thought the losses could continue to snowball," stated Baranik. However, Fulmer came out and got us back in the match with a big win. Fulmer's match started off slow and I thought it was going to end up a close decision but he opened it up. Fulmer was pretty intimidating after he brought the Anderson wrestler up off the mat and then used a double-leg takedown to take control." St. Andrews catapulted back into the lead, 19-16, with its second straight technical fall. Freshman Will Hess (Lexington, N.C.) stopped the 184-pound showdown just 3:14 into the bout by building an 18-3 lead. Hess' tech fall was his first collegiate dual match victory. "I did not know how it was going to go in Hess' match being a true freshman but he got us another big win," remarked Baranik. "He came out aggressive and on fire. I see these things in practice but it is another thing to do it in a match. Hess finally did it on the match and I am waiting for the same thing to happen with Flood as they both show talent in practice." Senior Charles Richardson (Virginia Beach Va.), the only upperclassman in the St. Andrews starting lineup, doubled the Knights lead to 22-16 with his first victory of the season. Richardson gutted out a 7-2 decision over freshman Logan Watson (Lyons, Ga.) for SAPC to give the designated visitors a six-point lead heading into the heavyweight battle. "Charles is a special kid who is one of the few wrestlers who is still on the team that helped started the program and have been with the program since its foundation," complimented Baranik. "He stuck around and is hardest worker on the team. It was nice to see him fight back to get back into the starting lineup and then get the win." In the finale, senior Justin Smith (Valdosta, Ga.) edged freshman Andre Ellerbe (Laurinburg, N.C.) with a 6-2 decision to pull the margin of defeat to only three, 22-19. "Ellerbe did what he had to do to get us the win for the second straight dual match," added Baranik. "It was a good team match with great team effort and it is nice getting different wrestlers to come through in our two wins. It helps unite the team when everyone contributes. We now have a two week break that we can use to get healed and then start fresh. Timing was good for these wins," concluded Baranik. St. Andrews will return to the mat after the holiday break and will compete in the Sunshine Open in Lakeland, Florida on Friday and Saturday, December 28-29.

WATERLOO -- Randy Lewis, 1984 Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Champion, will be putting on a three hour clinic at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, on Thursday, December 27 from 10:00AM until 1:00PM. The cost of the clinic is only $20 and is limited to the first 40 entries. Randy Lewis was a three-time prep state champion in South Dakota where he compiled a record of 89-0 with 83 falls his final three years. At the University of Iowa, Lewis won two NCAA titles and was a four-time All-American. Lewis was one of the most exciting and colorful wrestlers to ever take the mat. His international career included 24 victories over Olympic and World Champions. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn from one of the greatest wrestlers in American history! Please call the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum at 319-233-0745 to reserve your spot for the clinic.

This week LIVE from our Brute Adidas Studios in Des Moines we'll deliver a brand new episode of Takedown Radio. Takedown Radio is now broadcast on the following internet outlets: Takedownradio.com, KXNO.com, Matchannel.com, Mat-magazine.com. Please be sure to join our regular live broadcasts every Saturday as we talk to the worlds greatest athletes each Saturday AM from 9AM to 11:00AM CST. TDR is available LIVE, Archived and Pod Cast. Visit Takedownradio.com for more details. Watch last weeks episode of TDR on Matchannel.com FREE of charge. TDR scheduled guests include: Jose Serrato-wrestler/athlete. this 20 year old is coached by Vince Silva at Santa Ana College (JC), wrestler of the week for TDR/the Mat.com. His record is: 33-3. This is a good kid and student/athlete. Lee Roy Smith- Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, we'll discuss NWHF's New project "Honoring African American National Champions and Olympians in conjunction with Black History Month". Kevin Dresser- Head Coach of the Hokies of Virginia Tech. We'll discuss Cody Gardner, Heart no longer in wrestling? 6 AND 1 this year. Dealing with school and rules. What does the balance of the season look like for Dresser's Hokies? Randy Couture- retires the Heavy Weight Title in the UFC. What does he have to say about the UFC and Dana White? What are his plans for the future? Extreme Couture Vegas has become a Mecca for wrestlers turned MMA talent. What does the future hold? Ken Kraft- Founder of the 45th Annual Midlands Tournament joins us to discuss the tournament and its history. This is a milestone year for the tournament and the founder. How has the tournament evolved and what changes are in store for the fans this year? Rashad Evans- Set for the biggest match up of his career. Rashad returned home recently to assist. Tom Minkel in the room at Mich. State. also to ground himself to his roots in wrestling. Drew Pariano- Assist. Coach at Northwestern. The 45th Annual Midlands Tournament is around the corner, we'll be broadcasting it. What will listeners hear? Who will be wrestling, what teams etc. Takedownradio.com, KXNO.com, Matchannel.com, Mat-magazine.com are our web partners. Wrestlers and MMA competitors join us each and every week. You should too! TDR is available LIVE, Archived and Pod Cast as well. Visit Takedownradio.com for more details. Thanks for listening! HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM ALL OF US AT TAKEDOWN RADIO!

Team Ranking 1. Cornell 2. Penn 3. Navy 4. Army 5. Harvard 6. Columbia 7. Bucknell 8. Lehigh Individual Rankings 125_ 1. Rollie Peterkin, Penn 2. Fernando Martinez, Army 3. Brandon Kinney, Columbia 4. Greg Hart, Bucknell 5. Jasen Borshoff, American 6. Tony Communale, Princeton 133_ 1. Robbie Preston, Harvard 2. David Marble, Bucknell 3. Mike Grey, Cornell 4. Joe Baker, Navy 5. Whitt Dunning, Army 6. Rick Rappo, Penn 141_ 1. Matt Kyler, Army 2. Steve Adamcsik, Rutgers 3. Kyle Borshoff, American 4. Corey Jantzen, Harvard 5. Sean Carr, East Stroudsburg 6. Sal Tirico, Columbia 149_ 1. JP O'Connor, Harvard 2. Cesar Grajales, Penn 3. Trevor Chinn, Lehigh 4. Bryce Saddoris, Navy 5. Adam Frey, Cornell 6. Kevin LeValley, Bucknell 157_ 1. Jordan Leen, Cornell 2. Christian Snook, Army 3. David Nakasone, Lehigh 4. Derek Sickles, Columbia 5. Joel Ahern, Navy 6. Thomas Timothy, Penn 165_ 1. Mike Cannon, American 2. Mack Lewnes, Cornell 3. Andy Rendos, Bucknell 4. Zach Shanaman, Penn 5. Andrew Flanagan, Harvard 6. Mike Galante, Lehigh 174_ 1. Matt Stolpinski, Navy 2. Steve Anceravage, Cornell 3. Justin Herbert, Franklin & Marshall 4. Alex Caruso, Lehigh 5. Jeff Zannetti, Penn 6. Shane Riccio, Bucknell 184_ 1. Louis Caputo, Harvard 2. David Craig, Lehigh 3. Lior Zamir, Penn 4. Matt Parsons, Navy 5. Scott Ferguson, Army 6. David Thompson, Bucknell 197_ 1. Josh Glenn, American 2. Richard Starks, Army 3. Nick Sommerfield, Columbia 4. Dan Zander, Penn 5. Tyler Moyer, Navy 6. Lamar Brown, Rutgers 285_ 1. Scott Steele, Navy 2. Zach Hammond, Cornell 3. Nathan Thobaben, Army 4. Levon Mock, Brown 5. George Hingson, Bucknell 6. Nico Somers, Franklin & Marshall

THIS WEEK The top-ranked Iowa wrestling team (5-0) will host its 2007-08 home opener Thursday evening at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa will face Northern Iowa (0-0-1) at 6:30 p.m. and Cornell (3-1) at 8 p.m. WELCOME BACK Iowa's No. 1 ranking in the USA Today/NWCA/Intermat coaches poll and by W.I.N. Magazine marks the first time the Hawkeyes have been ranked in the nation's top spot since the 2003-04 season. W.I.N. Magazine ranked Iowa in the top spot on Dec. 3, 2003. The last time Iowa was ranked No. 1 by Amateur Wrestling News was Nov. 13, 2000, and by InterMat on Nov. 29, 2000. IOWA TICKET INFORMATION Season tickets and single meet tickets for Iowa's seven home duals are on sale at the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office or at 1-800-464-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com. University of Iowa students will be admitted free to all matches with a student ID. Following are the ticket prices: Season Tickets $48 - General Public, $42 University Faculty & Staff Single-Match Tickets $8 - Adults, $4 - Youth (Purchased in Advance) $10 - Adults, $5 - Youth (Purchased at the Event) ON THE AIR Radio - Steven Grace and two-time Hawkeye NCAA champion and four-time all-American Mark Ironside will call the action live on AM-800, KXIC. All dual meets will be broadcast live, as will action from the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. Live audio broadcasts from all competitions will be available online at www.hawkeyesports.com. To listen online, go to the wrestling schedule, click on the event and click on the Listen link. Broadcasts are available using the Hawkeye All-Access subscription ($9.95 per month or $79.95 per year) or the CSTV XXL Premium subscription ($119.95 per year). Internet - Press releases, meet results and audio broadcasts are available on the University of Iowa's website, www.hawkeyesports.com. To access live dual scoring, go to the wrestling schedule page, select the event and click on the Livestats link. Current staff and student-athlete head shots can be found at pics.hawkeyesports.com. SCOUTING NORTHERN IOWA Northern Iowa is 0-0-1, tying Wisconsin (16-16) last weekend in Cedar Falls. Head Coach Brad Penrith is 63-52-4 in eight seasons with the Panthers. Penrith was an NCAA champion and three-time NCAA finalist, all-American and Big Ten champion at Iowa from 1986-88. He is assisted by Nebraska alums Jose DeAnda and Tolly Thompson, and Northern Iowa alums Randy Pugh and Sean Stender. The Panthers return four NCAA qualifiers in seniors C.J. Ettleson (141) and Alex Dolly (174), and juniors Moza Fay (165), and Andrew Anderson (197) from the 2006-07 squad that went 4-0 in the Western Conference and won the regional. Fay (8-1), Anderson (7-1) and Dolly (6-1) each have one loss this season. SCOUTING CORNELL COLLEGE Cornell is 3-1 and is ranked tenth nationally in the most recent Brute-Adidas NWCA Division III rankings. The Rams opened the season with a 31-13 loss at Wisconsin-LaCrosse but have won their last three duals (St. John's - 20-15, Loras - 27-12 and William Penn - 3-12). Head Coach Mike Duroe is 32-18-1 in three seasons at Cornell, and has a 114-45-1 career record in eight seasons as a college head coach. Duroe served as head coach for the University of Iowa's Hawkeye Wrestling Club from 2003-05. He is assisted by Mike Elliott and former Hawkeye two-time all-American Joe Johnston. Cornell is led by seniors Chris Heilman (125) and Pat McAuley (157). Heilman is 15-1 and ranked second in the nation, while McAuley is 14-5 and ranked fourth. THE SERIES Northern Iowa - Iowa leads the series, 39-8-2 and has won the last 31 meetings between the two teams. The Hawkeyes hold a 19-3-1 advantage in matches wrestled in Iowa City. Iowa's last win in the series was 18-15 last season, while Northern Iowa's last win was 17-15 in Cedar Falls during the 1973-74 season. Cornell - Cornell leads the series, 3-1. This will be the first time the teams wrestle in Iowa City, and the first meeting between the two teams in 38 years. Iowa won the last meeting, 22-11 in Mount Vernon during the 1969-70 season. Cornell's last win in the series was 17-11 in Mount Vernon in 1932-33. LAST MEETING - IOWA 18, NORTHERN IOWA 15 In a night of firsts, Iowa edged out Northern Iowa, 18-15, in Cedar Falls. It was Head Coach Tom Brands' first dual victory at the Hawkeye helm and Northern Iowa's first dual meet at its new McLeod Center. A crowd of 5,831 watched Iowa extend its winning streak in the series to 31. The Hawkeyes got wins from senior Mario Galanakis (133), redshirt freshman Ryan Morningstar (157), junior Mark Perry (165), senior Eric Luedke (174) and junior Matt Fields (Hwt.). Galanakis scored the only bonus points of the night, pinning redshirt freshman Brett Robbins in 2:50. Morningstar scored a takedown in sudden victory to defeat sophomore Moza Fay, 5-3, and tie the team score at 9-9 at the intermission. Perry, who wrestled in the NWCA All-Star Dual in Dallas, TX, earlier in the week, scored a 3-0 win and accumulated 3:24 of riding time against senior Nick Baima. Luedke gave Iowa a 15-9 lead - its largest of the night - with his 7-4 decision against Alex Dolly. With the scored tied 15-15 going into the heavyweight match, Fields picked up his fourth career win over senior Tyler Rhodes and sealed the team win with a 5-0 decision. Iowa 18, Northern Iowa 15 125 - Kyle Anson (UNI) dec. Charlie Falck (I), 9-4 133 - Mario Galanakis (I) pinned Brett Robbins (UNI), 2:50 141 - C.J. Ettleson (UNI) dec. Alex Tsirtsis (I), 5-2 149 - Charlie Ettelson (UNI) dec. Alex Grunder (I), 3-2 157 - Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Moza Fay (UNI), 5-3 SV-1 165 - Mark Perry (I) dec. Nick Baima (UNI), 3-0 174 - Eric Luedke (I) dec. Alex Dolly (UNI), 7-4 184 - Danny Dunning (UNI) dec. Phillip Keddy (I), 6-4 197 - Andrew Anderson (UNI) dec. Dan Erekson (I), 7-5 Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) dec. Tyler Rhodes (UNI), 5-0 HAVEN'T WE MET? Following are series results for possible Iowa-Northern Iowa matchups: 141 - Dan LeClere (I) is 1-0 vs. C.J. Ettleson (UNI) LeClere dec. Ettleson, 7-6, at 2006 Nichols Open* 165 - Mark Perry (I) is 1-0 vs. Moza Fay (UNI) Perry pinned Fay in 5:51 at 2007 Kaufman-Brand Open* 174 - Jay Borschel (I) is 1-0 vs. Alex Dolly (UNI) Borschel dec. Dolly, 4-2, at 2006 UNI Open* 184 - Phillip Keddy (I) is 0-1 vs. Danny Dunning (UNI) Dunning dec. Keddy, 6-4, at 2006-07 dual 184 - Rick Loera (I) is 1-0 vs. Andy O'Loughlin (UNI) Loera maj. dec. O'Loughlin, 15-5, at 2007 Kaufman-Brand Open * - Hawkeye wrestler was competing unattached PERSONNEL NOTES • Iowa sophomore Joe Slaton (133) and Northern Iowa redshirt freshman Jarion Beets (157) and true freshman Cruse Aarhus (125) all attended Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School. • Hawkeyes Dan (141) and Nick LeClere (149), and Cornell freshman Ryan Mulnix (141) are Coggon, IA, natives and wrestled at North-Linn high school. Dan LeClere and Mulnix are scheduled to meet in Thursday night's dual. • Hawkeye sophomore Ryan Morningstar (157) and Cornell freshman Zach Campion (125) were high school teammates at Lisbon. • Iowa freshman J.J. Krutsinger and Cornell freshman Mitchell Forness both wrestled at Waterloo Columbus high school. MORNINGSTAR, PERRY LOOK FOR CAREER MILESTONES Sophomore Ryan Morningstar (157) and senior Mark Perry (165) will each be looking for a career victory milestone this week. Morningstar will be going after his 30th victory, while Perry will be looking for his 80th. CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home of Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes are 156-17 (.902) in the arena, which includes a record 10 victories during the 1986 season. Iowa has recorded 16 undefeated seasons in the arena, with the most recent (8-0) occurring in 2002-03. The dual wrestling attendance record for Carver-Hawkeye Arena is 15,291, set when Iowa defeated Iowa State on February 22, 1992. The arena seats 15,500 for a dual wrestling meet. HAWKEYES KNOCK OFF TOP-RANKED IOWA STATE, 20-13 Iowa knocked off top-ranked Iowa State, 20-13, Sunday afternoon at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. A sold-out crowd of 8,988 saw Iowa improve to 5-0 and hand Iowa State (6-1) its first loss of the season. Iowa scored two points in the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series with the win to make the series score 16-5. Iowa jumped out to a 13-0 lead with wins at the first four weights. Hawkeye junior Charlie Falck scored an 8-4 decision over Cyclone redshirt freshman Mark Kist at 125 to open the dual. Iowa sophomore Joe Slaton handed Iowa State's Nick Fanthorpe his first loss of the season with a 6-5 win at 133. Sophomore Dan LeClere followed with a 3-1 win over Nick Gallick at 141 to give Iowa a 9-0 lead, and sophomore Brent Metcalf scored the first bonus points of the dual with a 14-4 major decision over Iowa City native Mitch Mueller at 149. Iowa State put its first team points on the board when sophomore Cyler Sanderson scored a 10-5 major decision over sophomore Ryan Morningstar at 157. Sanderson took Morningstar to his back with over one minute remaining in the third period, but Morningstar held on to avoid the pin. Iowa State struck first after the intermission when redshirt freshman Jon Reader scored a 7-3 decision over Iowa redshirt freshman Jake Kerr at 165. Kerr was wrestling for Hawkeye starter Mark Perry, who was serving a one-meet suspension after being disqualified for misconduct during Iowa's Nov. 24 dual with Old Dominion. Hawkeye sophomore Jay Borschel scored crucial team points with an 18-7 win over Aron Scott at 174. The Cyclones rallied with wins at 184 and 197 to make the score 17-13. Hawkeye senior Matt Fields sealed the team win with a 6-3 decision over sophomore David Zabriskie at heavyweight. Following are the match results: Iowa 20, Iowa State 13 125 - Charlie Falck (I) dec. Mark Kist (ISU), 8-4 133 - Joe Slaton (I) dec. Nick Fanthorpe (ISU), 6-5 141 - Dan LeClere (I) dec. Nick Gallick (ISU), 3-1 149 - Brent Metcalf (I) maj. dec. Mitch Mueller (ISU), 14-4 157 - Cyler Sanderson (ISU) dec. Ryan Morningstar (I), 10-5 165 - Jon Reader (ISU) dec. Jake Kerr (I), 7-3 174 - Jay Borschel (I) maj. dec. Aron Scott (ISU), 18-7 184 - Jake Varner (ISU) dec. Phillip Keddy (I), 4-1 197 - David Bertolino (ISU) maj. dec. Chad Beatty (I), 16-5 Hwt. - Matt Fields (I) dec. David Zabriskie (ISU), 6-3 AMBROSE, EREKSON WIN TITLES AT JIM FOX OPEN University of Iowa junior Dan Erekson (Hwt.) and freshman Brodie Ambrose (197) won individual titles while competing unattached at the Jim Fox Open Saturday in Dubuque, IA. Iowa recorded a total of 13 placewinners at the tournament - eight of whom were competing unattached. Placing at the event were Hawkeye junior Michael Fahrer (165-4th), sophomores Luke Lofthouse (197-3rd) and Derek Coorough (141-5th), redshirt freshmen Matt Ballweg (149-2nd), Brooks Kopsa (157-2nd) and Aaron Janssen (165-3rd), and true freshmen Montell Marion (133-2nd), Vinnie Wagner (184-2nd), Blake Rasing (Hwt. - 2nd), Jordan Johnson (197-5th) and Tyler Halverson (133-6th). BIG TEN NETWORK SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED The Big Ten Network has released its 2007-08 wrestling schedule. Nine dual matches and the finals of the 2007 Midlands Championships and 2008 Big Ten Championships are scheduled to be aired on the network. Iowa will have two televised duals. The Iowa-Oklahoma State dual on Jan. 5 in Iowa City will air Jan. 6 at 5 p.m. (CT), and the Iowa-Ohio State dual on Jan. 18 in Columbus will air live at 5 p.m. (CT). CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Tom Brands, Wes Hand, Doug Schwab and Mike Zadick earned a total of one Olympic gold medal, four NCAA titles, six conference titles and 12 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 487-83-2 (.853). IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 814-214-30 (.783) in 96 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles and 31 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 48 NCAA champions have won a total of 74 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 13 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 100 Big Ten champions have won a total of 181 conference titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 130 all-Americans have earned all-America status 266 times, including 16 four-time, 28 three-time and 32 two-time honorees. FAMILY FOUR PACK AVAILABLE The University of Iowa is offering a Family Four Pack ticket package for the Iowa vs. Indiana dual on Feb. 15. The package includes four tickets, four hot dogs and four drinks for $30. Orders can be placed through the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office or at 1-800-464-2957, 319-335-9327 or pics.hawkeyesports.com. JOHNSON COUNTY I-CLUB WRESTLING LUNCHEON The annual Johnson County I-Club wrestling luncheon will be held Jan. 4, 2008 at 11:45 a.m. at the First Avenue Club in Iowa City. Tickets for the event are $13 and must be purchased in advance. To purchase tickets, make a check payable to the Johnson County I-Club and mail to: Iowa Wrestling ATTN: Luncheon 223 Carver-Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, IA 52242 NEXT COMPETITION Iowa (5-0) will compete at the 45th annual Midlands Championships Dec. 29-30 in Evanston, IL. All matches will be held at Welsh-Ryan Arena on the Northwestern University campus. Session times are as follows: Session I - Dec. 29 at 9:30 a.m. Session II - Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. Session III - Dec. 30 at Noon Final Session - Dec. 30 at 7 p.m.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - North Dakota State 141-pounder Gabriel Mooney has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials. NDSU's Mooney (Greenbush, Minn./Greenbush-Middle River HS) continued his impressive start to the season by earning a pair of victories at the Northwestern Duals on Saturday, Dec. 8. The junior won a 9-5 decision over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville's Nicholas Shumate, followed by a pin 2:22 into his match with ninth-ranked Northwestern's James Kohlberg. Mooney improved to 14-4 on the season, 4-1 in dual meets with 2 pins. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley State and Wyoming. Others nominated: Northern Colorado - Tony Mustari UNI - Andrew Anderson South Dakota State - Ryan Meyer

Tickets on Sale for ESPNU Wrestling Invitational Presented by Phillips 66, Set to Feature Four Top-25 Teams, Two Top-Ranked Wrestlers Tickets for the 2007 ESPNU Wrestling Invitational Presented by Phillips 66 featuring four top-25 teams are now on sale at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. On Sunday, Jan. 20, at 6 p.m. CT, ESPNU will televise two matchups: Oklahoma vs. Wisconsin and Oklahoma State vs. Nebraska. The USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Div. I Coaches Poll released Nov. 26 ranks Oklahoma State at No. 3; Wisconsin is No. 9; Nebraska is No. 14; and Oklahoma is No. 21. "This is a great event to be a part of," Oklahoma coach Jack Spates said. "We are competing against a talented team in Wisconsin, inside a great venue in Oklahoma City at the Ford Center. It is going to be a fantastic event and a fan's delight." The Nebraska Cornhuskers feature junior Paul Donahoe, the nation's No. 1 individual wrestler in the 125-pound class. Oklahoma State boasts the No. 1 at 133 pounds, Cowboys senior Coleman Scott. Twenty-four other wrestlers from among the four schools are ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes. "This is a great opportunity for the schools involved and also for college wrestling as a whole," said Dave Martin, associate athletics director at Oklahoma State. "Everything about this event is first-class and we are proud to be part of what is sure to be an exciting day of wrestling." Oklahoma State coach John Smith agreed. "With ESPNU televising the event, it's a great opportunity for exposure for the sport of wrestling," he said. "We look forward to this event and it's something we have enjoyed being a part of." Tickets are available at the Ford Center box office, by phone at (405) 235-8288 and at all Ticketmaster locations. This is the second ESPNU Invitational doubleheader with the Oklahoma and Oklahoma State wrestling teams. The first was in January 2006, when Oklahoma faced off against Hofstra and Oklahoma State met Minnesota. Phillips 66 is the title sponsor of the event, and All Sports Association in Oklahoma City is a partner in the event.

PARK RIDGE, IL -- Iowa wrestler Joe Slaton has been named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week. Ranked #20 last week, the Cedar Rapids, IA, native was honored for upsetting fourth-ranked Nick Fanthorpe of Iowa State, 6-5, at 133 pounds Sunday in Ames. Slaton's win helped propel the Hawkeyes to a victory over top-ranked Iowa State, 20-13. Iowa moved into the nation's top spot yesterday for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Slaton is undefeated at 5-0 this season, and is the first Hawkeye to earn the weekly conference honor since Mark Perry in 2005. Iowa (5-0) will host its first home duals of the 2007-08 season Thursday night in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes will face Northern Iowa (0-0-1) at 6:30 p.m. and Cornell College (3-1) at 8 p.m.

The heart and fiery character of former Lehigh wrestler Jon Trenge are captured in Veritas, a feature-length documentary written and directed by Howie Miller. The film takes the audience through an emotionally-filled ride through Trenge's senior season (2005) as he trains to win the NCAA title at 197 pounds. Miller does an excellent job of building the character of Jon Trenge through interviews with family members, coaches, teammates, and opponents. The shear force and skill of Trenge are dynamically captured through live match footage, practice drills and weight sessions. His life events are strung together as if scripted for Hollywood. Jon Trenge (Photo/Jeffrey Nolan)Despite common knowledge, there is still a sense of hope as the movie begins: Trenge skipping rope alone in the Lehigh Wrestling room wearing nothing but biker shorts and 200 pounds of shredded muscle. A progression through his first three seasons sets the stage for his final season at Lehigh University. Included along the way are painful flashbacks to his NCAA finals losses to Cael Sanderson of Iowa State (2002) and Damion Hahn of Minnesota (2003). The movie climaxes nicely at the NCAA Championships, where Trenge finishes a disappointing third place after an upset loss to Sean Stender of Northern Iowa in the semifinals. The season-ending banquet and college graduation remind the audience that there is more to life than wrestling. The word Veritas means Righteousness, Truth, and Integrity. While these virtues are the theme of the movie, it is Trenge's ongoing vision problems that consume the plotline. Therefore, the director is forced to use a rollercoaster ride of highs (two epic wins over three-time NCAA champion Jake Rosholt of Oklahoma State) and lows (match disqualification for unsportsmanlike conduct and suspension) as the landscape for this film. Despite the creative restrictions inherent in documentaries, Miller is able to artfully convey the beauty and emotion behind the sport of wrestling. High shutter speed cinematography (the same effect used in Gladiator and Saving Private Ryan) captures the explosiveness of Trenge as he pins an early season opponent. There are instances in the movie in which the camera loses focus as Trenge removes his glasses, giving the audience a sneak-peak at what if feels like to wrestle blindly. As quick and strong as Cael?Reflecting on the movie and Trenge's career, the following thoughts come to mind: � The lopsided loss to Cael Sanderson was a reminder of Cael's dominance and an introduction to Trenge's naivete ("I don't think he was quicker than me, or any stronger than me"). Nevertheless, both wrestlers still had lifelong dreams to pursue -- Sanderson as an Olympic champion and Trenge as an NCAA champion. � Damion Hahn's win over Trenge in the NCAA finals was the turning point in his career and provided a longer lasting effect to Trenge due to the very nature of the defeat. Losing 4-3 in the third period, Hahn threw a lateral drop with only eight seconds left to steal the win and NCAA championship. The highlights brought back painful memories of Gerry Abas's meltdown against Lincoln McIlravy in the 1993 NCAA finals. For Trenge, the loss marked the beginning of long road ahead, which began with the "worst two months of (his) life". Meanwhile, the win for Damion Hahn transformed him from an underachieving bust to a Minnesota celebrity overnight, and gave him the confidence to succeed on both the college and international stage. � The director chose not to include the 2003-2004 season as part of Trenge's journey. That season, Trenge took a redshirt in order to train for the Sidney Olympics (he placed fifth at the 2004 Olympic Team Trials). Trenge removed his shoes and placed them in the center of the mat (Photo/Danielle Hobeika)� I couldn't help but feel empathy for Jon Trenge, who is faced to deal with circumstances outside of his control. The adversity he faces on and off the mat has molded him into a man driven to succeed but grounded in humility. He continues to serve as a role model to young wrestlers in the blue-collar community of the Lehigh Valley. This type of character development should be branded as part of the wrestling experience, and advertised using more real-life documentaries. � Following his third-place match, Trenge removed his wrestling shoes and placed them in the center of the mat. This gesture, common for athletes on the world and Olympic level, signifies the end of a wrestler's competitive career. For Jon Trenge, it marked his place in history as one of the best wrestlers never to win an NCAA championship. Vertitas is a very entertaining and inspiring movie that would make a great stocking-stuffer for any wrestling fan. Note to the amateur wrestling community: real-life stories of guys like Jon Trenge are the best way to gain more publicity for the sport. If you would like more information on Veritas and/or information on ordering the film, visit www.veritas-movie.com.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams, the 13th-ranked Ohio State wrestling team outlasted No. 10 Wisconsin, 23-13, in front of a crowd of 801 Monday night in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes improve to 5-1 overall and handed the Badgers their first loss of the season (4-1; 0-1 Big Ten). The win also marks the Buckeyes' first victory over Wisconsin since a 28-17 win in Madison Feb. 23, 2003. Ohio State won six of 10 matches, including a win by freshman Colt Sponseller, the 2007 National High School Senior Athlete of the Year. Sponseller, whose wrestling status was a match time decision, saw his first action as a Buckeye at 165 pounds and posted a 3-1 win over Jake Donar. The match ended on a dramatic note, with five lead changes and Ohio State up only four points heading into the final bout at heavyweight. However, senior and Oak Harbor, Ohio, native J.D. Bergman kept his perfect record in tact (11-0) by pinning 11th-ranked Kyle Massey 2:32 into the first period. Nikko Triggas earned his eighth win of the season, opening the match with a 16-0 technical fall over Drew Hammen at 125 pounds. A native of Campolindo, Calif., Triggas held an 11-0 advantage at the end of the first period. After scoring a two-point nearfall with 40 seconds remaining in the second, Triggas recorded another two-point nearfall with just one second left on the clock in the second period to end the bout, helping the Buckeyes jump out to a 5-0 lead. With the Buckeyes down 6-5 going into the 149-pound match, Columbia Station, Ohio, native Lance Palmer put Ohio State back on top (8-6) after notching an 8-2 win over Kendall Vogel. With a slim 2-0 lead on a takedown after the first period, the eighth-ranked Palmer increased his advantage after scoring an escape and a takedown in the second stanza. Vogel took the down position in the third and managed to escape to avoid the shutout, but Palmer answered with a takedown with 54 seconds left. Another escape by Vogel could not overcome Palmer's lead, which included an extra point for a 4:13 riding time advantage. Sponseller, a Millersburg, Ohio, native recorded the next OSU win and opened with a strong start, scoring an early takedown. Donar notched an escape with 35 seconds left in the first period to cut Sponseller's lead to one (2-1). However, an unsportsmanlike conduct call on Donar gave Sponseller an extra point and that 3-1 lead held for the remainder of the match. At 174 pounds, Alex Picazo improved to 7-3 after defeating Justin Peterson, 12-7. The local product out of Grandview Heights, Ohio, owned a 7-4 lead after the second period and two escapes, a takedown and a riding time of 1:40 in the third period was sufficient enough to overcome Peterson's escape and takedown. Fifth-ranked Mike Pucillo decisioned No. 12 Trevor Brandvold, 5-4, to move to 9-1 on the year at 184 pounds. It was a scoreless bout going into the third period, but an escape by Pucillo, a Strongsville, Ohio, native at the 1:48 mark ended the scoring drought. However, Brandvold answered with a takedown 19 seconds later (1:29). Continuing the back and forth affair, Pucillo recorded a reversal to go up 3-2. Brandvold scored a reversal of his own to regain the lead at 4-3, but Pucillo would not be denied the escape with two seconds left and the riding time advantage of 2:28. Jason Johnstone, a native of Massillon, Ohio, lost a hard-fought 1-0 contest to third-ranked Craig Henning at 157 pounds. A lone escape by Henning in the second period was enough for the Badger to earn the win. Reece Humphrey (133) and J Jaggers (141) could not hold on to their first-period leads in their respective weight classes. Fifteenth-ranked Humphrey had a slim 5-4 lead before dropping a 7-5 decision, while No. 7 Jaggers owned a 2-0 lead before losing 10-4. John Weakley lost a 12-2 major decision to fourth-ranked Dallas Herbst at 197 pounds. Ohio State hits the road for three consecutive matches, beginning with an all-day affair at the Ohio Duals Sunday in Athens, Ohio.

WAVERLY -– Albert White finished second at 149 pounds and T.J. Moen and DaVaughn Perkins placed third at 141 and 157 pounds respectively as North Iowa Area Community College finished eighth of 15 teams in the 35th annual Dick Walker Wrestling Invitational at Wartburg College Saturday. White won three straight matches en route to the finals, losing a closely-contested 7-6 decision to Wartburg's Jacob Naig in the 149-pound championship bout. He pinned Dugan O'Connor of Knox College (IL) in 39 seconds to start his day and won his other matches by scores of 7-1 and 10-6. Moen won five of six matches to earn third place in his weight class. He beat Alex Rizzo of Augustana College (IL) 14-3, defeated Tyler Faust of Augsburg University (MN) 14-4 and edged Niles Mercer of Coe College 4-2 before losing to eventual champion David Greenwood of Iowa Central Community College 10-5 in the semifinals. He regrouped and beat Wartburg's Kalen Lenz 3-1 and nipped Mercer 3-2 in the third-place bout. Perkins lost to Pat McAuley of Cornell College 11-6 but wrestled back to pin Cowan Brown of North Central College (IL) in 2:48 and beat Iowa Central's Carrington Banks 4-3 for third. He's now 19-5 on the season, the best record of any NIACC wrestler. NIACC competes next at 6 p.m. Friday in a home dual meet against Ellsworth Community College.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa wrestling squad got the home season underway in promising fashion on Saturday night with a 16-16 tie against the No. 10-ranked Wisconsin Badgers in the McLeod Center. The Panthers and Badgers each won five matches in the dual. UNI moved to 0-0-1 on the season, while Wisconsin's record went to 4-0-1. UNI head coach Brad Penrith said he was happy with the result of Saturday's dual against the highly-ranked Badgers. "We had our opportunities against a top-rated Wisconsin team that is well-coached," head coach Brad Penrith said. "We made some mistakes in our first dual meet that we need to improve on, but we also took a lot of positives away from this too. Sometimes in the first dual meet you have a lot of jitters and nerves. But the team came out and wrestled well. We'll learn from our mistakes. This shows we could have a good team by the end of the season." Senior Alex Dolly got the dual underway with a 7-3 win over Wisconsin's Justin Peterson at 174 pounds. Dolly secured the victory with a takedown in the final 30 seconds of the third period. Dolly said the difference in the match came down to scoring on the edge of the mat. "All three of my takedowns came at the edge of the line," Dolly said. (Peterson) always wanted to try and get out of bounds real quick but I was able to hold him in and get the takedown. I started getting down and getting under him. After the first takedown I knew I wouldn't have any trouble taking him down especially after he got tired." The Badgers' Trevor Brandvold notched a 6-4 win over UNI's Andy O'Loughlin in the 184-pound match. Brandvold jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but had to hang on in the final minute for the two-point victory. UNI's Andrew Anderson scored the night's biggest upset with a thrilling 4-3 victory over No. 3-ranked Dallas Herbst at 197 pounds. The match was knotted at 2-2 in the third period when Herbst was whistled for locking hands and a point was awarded to Anderson. Herbst still had a riding time point in tow, before Anderson netted an escape with only eight seconds left in the match. "I knew (Herbst) was going to be tough on top and he had me tied up real good," Anderson said. "I was working the whole time and at one point he let up a little. I took advantage of his mistake and snuck out for the win. It was a pretty big match and the highest ranked wrestler I've ever wrestled. I had a good feeling about it coming in because I've wrestled him before. I knew it was going to be close." Penrith pointed to Anderson's effort as a key to the Panthers' total team effort. "Andrew hadn't beaten his opponent (No. 4-ranked Dallas Herbst) and toward the end it didn't look promising but Andrew exploded and he kept wrestling," Penrith said. "Andrew really earned his win." Wisconsin's Kyle Massey secured the Badgers' only bonus point of the night with a 12-0 major decision over UNI's Dustin Bauman in the heavyweight match. Massey led 5-0 after the first and increased his lead to 9-0 at the end of two periods. At 125 pounds, the Badgers' Drew Hammen scored a takedown with only three seconds left in the match to earn a 6-5 win over UNI's Caleb Flores. Flores led 5-2 entering the third period, but Hammen rallied for the victory with an escape, takedown and riding time point. "Flores went for the offensive shot, made a mistake and showed his youth," Penrith said. "But he'll continue to grow and get better." UNI freshman Trent Washington tallied a big win for the Panthers at 133 pounds with a triumph over Wisconsin's No. 18-ranked Zach Tanelli. Washington wasted little time in setting the tone for the match as he secured a takedown only three seconds into the match. Washington eventually scored five takedowns in the match before hanging on for a 14-11 win. Washington said his approach was to score early and often against the junior Tanelli. "That's the kind of wrestler I am," Washington said. "I want them to know right away that I will wrestle, especially since I was a freshman and he was a junior in this match. I wanted him to know that I was here to wrestle and was not going to be intimidated." At 141 pounds, Wisconsin's Kyle Ruschell scored a last-second victory over UNI's C.J. Ettelson. The two were battling to what appeared to be a 4-4 tie and overtime would have to settle this match. However, Ruschell used a takedown with only one second left to earn the win. "It was a tough loss for C.J., but we'll learn from it and get it fixed for the next dual," Penrith said. UNI's Charlie Ettelson saw his brother lose in the closing seconds before he took the match and knew he had to turn the momentum back to the Panthers' side. Ettelson did not disappoint as he racked up the Panthers' lone bonus point with a 13-0 major decision over Wisconsin's Kendall Vogel at 149 pounds. "Whenever I wrestle after my brother, I try and use what he did to motivate me," Charlie said. "When he loses, I want to go out there and make up for the loss. I want to get our there and make things happen - it helps motivate me." Ettelson's major decision tied the dual at 13-13 with two matches left. Wisconsin's No. 3-ranked Craig Henning was able to tally the Badgers' final win of the night - a 4-0 victory over the Panthers' Jarion Beets at 157 pounds. Henning was a national runner-up last season at 157 pounds but led only 1-0 entering the final period. Henning was able to notch a takedown at the 1:38 mark of the third period and added a riding time point to close out the 4-0 win. UNI's Moza Fay then closed out the dual with a 9-5 win over the Badgers' Jake Donar. Fay looked like he might end the match early with a four-point move in the first period, but Donar battled back and almost pinned Fay in the second period with a five-point move of his own. But Fay settled down in the third period and rode out Donar for the victory. "I wasn't happy with the way I wrestled," Fay said. "I wrestled well but I wasn't happy with the throw he got on me. But tying the 10th-ranked team in the nation is saying something about how good this team can be." The Panthers will be in action again Thursday in Iowa City against the Iowa Hawkeyes at 6:30 p.m. UNI's next home meet will come next Sunday in the McLeod Center against the No. 1-ranked Iowa State Cyclones. The UNI-Iowa State dual will begin at 2 p.m.

Hempstead, NY -- The Pride won seven of the 10 matches including a tech fall victory by Lou Ruggirello as 14th-ranked Hofstra downed 25th-ranked Harvard, 25-12, before 1,045 fans at the David S. Mack Sports Complex Sunday. The Pride improved to 3-3 on the season while Harvard is 0-1 in dual matches. Starting the match at 125 pounds, Hofstra's ninth-ranked senior Dave Tomasette jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the first period on the way to a 13-1 major decision over unranked Crimson freshman Dan Kelly. Tomasette improved to 10-3 on the season. At 133, sophomore Lou Ruggirello, the Pride's second-ranked wrestler, improved to 13-2 on the season with a 17-2 tech fall victory over Harvard junior Thomas Picarsic. Hofstra senior Charles Griffin, ranked fifth in the country at 141 pounds, recorded the 100th victory of his Pride career with a 10-2 major decision over Crimson freshman Shay Warren. Griffin improved to 11-2 this season to boost the Hofstra lead in the match to 13-0. Harvard got on the board at 149 pounds as the Crimson's third-ranked sophomore J.P. O'Connor earned a hard-fought 4-2 decision over Hofstra sophomore Mitch Smith (0-6). O'Connor (10-1), who scored all of his points in the second period to take a 3-1 lead. Smith posted an escape in the third and had O'Connor's ankle in the waning seconds of the match but could not take him down to tie the match with O'Connor adding the riding time point. Hofstra boosted its lead to 16-3 at 157 pounds as sophomore Jonny Bonilla-Bowman evened his record at 4-4 on the season with a 12-7 decision over Harvard senior Bobby Latessa (4-4). It was Bonilla-Bowman's fourth victory in his last six matches. Pride freshman Ryan Patrovich improved to 7-5 on the year with a 6-0 blanking of Harvard senior Matt Button (5-4) at 165. Junior Alton Lucas, ranked 13th in the country at 174 pounds, remained undefeated on the season with an 8-3 victory over Harvard sophomore Frankie Colletta for a 22-3 advantage in the match. The Crimson captured the next two matches as eighth-ranked junior Louis Caputo (5-2) pinned Hofstra freshman Justin Danz (5-7) in 4:26 at 184 pounds to close the deficit to 22-9. Senior Billy Colgan (2-1) rallied in the final minute to record a 10-7 victory over Hofstra junior Richard Vitale (1-3) to close to 22-12. The final match of the afternoon was the closest, if not the most exciting as Hofstra junior James Guerin (1-5) defeated Harvard sophomore Andrew Knapp (3-4), 6-4 in the second sudden victory period. Guerin tied the match at 3-3 in the third period with an escape. Each wrestler had an escape in the first overtime period before Guerin tallied a takedown with nine seconds remaining in the second sudden victory period. Hofstra is now off for semester finals before they return for the 28-team Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, North Carolina on December 29-30.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 5 nationally, used bonus points to post a stunning 21-18 win at No. 3 Oklahoma State. As Stillwater and the state of Oklahoma was hit with an ice storm, the Nittany Lions of veteran head coach Troy Sunderland chilled the crowd inside OSU's Iba Arena, utilizing five wins and pins from sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) to win the battle of bonus points. The win was Penn State's first victory over Oklahoma State since a 38-7 win on Jan. 30, 1993, here in Stillwater. The Nittany Lions and Cowboys each won five bouts, but in the end a 6-3 edge in riding time secured the victory. Nittany Lion senior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 6 nationally, got things started with a thrilling last-second takedown to post a 4-3 win at 125. Top-ranked Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State looked for bonus points of his own at 133, but feisty Penn State freshman Mike Eagen (Wharton, N.J.) held firm and only gave up a three-point decision. Tied 3-3, Penn State sent true freshman Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.) to the mat against No. 6 Nathan Morgan of OSU. Morgan gave OSU a 6-3 lead with a 6-3 win, but the edge was short-lived. Penn State sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), ranked No. 4 at 149, silenced the rowdy OSU crowd by pinning Mike Bizzle at the 6:42 mark, putting Penn State back on top 9-6. Sophomore Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) added to Penn State's lead with a critical 5-4 win at 157. Vallimont, ranked No. 10, downed No. 20 Newly McSpadden in the only bout that featured two ranked wrestlers. But the Cowboys would not go quietly as OSU got major decisions out of its 12th-ranked 165 pounder and fourth-ranked 174 pounder to retake the lead, 14-12, heading into the dual's final three bouts. Junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) was once again impressive, downing talented Oklahoma State freshman 8-5 to give Penn State a 15-14 lead. Bomberger, ranked No. 19, posted a win that Penn State would not relinquish. Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) shook off the ghosts of a sluggish start to pin OSU's Clayton Foster at the 5:50 mark to clinch the dual match victory. OSU's Jared Rosholt, ranked No. 8 at HWT, posted a major decision in the dual's final match-up but Penn State had already secured the win and the Lions left Iba Arena with a 21-18 win. Penn State is off until Jan. 4 when No. 16 Cornell comes to Rec Hall for a 7 p.m. dual. All Penn State duals can be heard locally on WBLF AM (970) and WKVA (920 AM). Tickets for all regular season duals are on sale now at the athletic department ticket office in the Bryce Jordan Center. Single-dual tickets are $5 for adults and seniors and $3 for students 18 and under. Penn State students with a proper student ID are admitted free! Fans can call 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 to order single-dual tickets. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: Nittany Lion senior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 6 nationally, took on Oklahoma State's talented freshman Ben Ashmore at 125. McKnight got in on Ashmore's left leg and finished off the takedown for a 2-1 lead at the 1:25 mark. Each wrestler had slight scoring opportunities over the next minute, but it was McKnight who had the best shot, nearly getting a second takedown as the first period ended. But Ashmore strongly fought the move off and McKnight led by one after one. The Lion senior chose down to start the second period. Ashmore put together a strong ride, keeping his control over McKnight for the full two minutes. Each wrestler was called for stalling once in the process. Down by one, Ashmore chose down to start the third and escaped to a 2-2 tie, but Ashmore's riding time advantage put the Cowboy in charge. While McKnight needed the takedown, it was Ashmore who got in on the Lion's left thigh and nearly took the Nittany Lion senior down for a takedown. While McKnight did manage to fight off the move, Ashmore ate up all but four seconds of the bout and, having the riding time point clinched, had the match won. But the Nittany Lion senior scored a stunning takedown after the reset with just one second left and posted an amazing 4-3 win. McKnight's low shot, leading to a solid takedown at Ashmore's waist came quickly and quieted a raucous Cowboy crowd that was sensing an early upset at 125. The last-second victory gave the Nittany Lions an early 3-0 lead. 133: Penn State freshman Mike Eagen (Wharton, N.J.), continuing to fill in for injured starter Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.), took to the mats against the nation's top-ranked 133-pounder, Coleman Scott of OSU. Scott got the bout's first takedown at the 1:50 mark, getting Eagen to the mat at the 1:50 mark. Scott worked hard on top, looking to turn the Nittany Lion freshman to his back, but Eagen fought off the top-ranked Cowboy's efforts for the entire period and trailed only 2-0 after the first period. Scott, who had nearly two minutes of riding time in his favor, chose down to begin the second period and escaped to a 3-0 lead at the 1:46 mark. Scott added a second takedown at the :58 mark to up his lead to 5-0. Scott rode Eagen for the remainder of the period and led 5-0 after one period. Eagen chose down to begin the final period and was cut loose by Scott to a 5-1 deficit. Scott got in deep on Eagen's left ankle and added another takedown to lead 7-2 after cutting Eagen loose again. Scott also had a guaranteed riding time point. The Cowboy senior, needing one more takedown for bonus points, could not brake through Eagen's defense for the critical takedown and walked away with only an 8-2 decision. The victory tied the bout at 3-3. 141: True freshman Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.) made his Penn State dual match debut, filling in for starter Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), the third-ranked 141-pounder in the nation. Scott met No. 6 Nathan Morgan of Oklahoma State and quickly announced his presence with a near takedown at the 2:20 mark. Morgan managed to step outside of the move to keep the bout scoreless. Morgan then got in on both of Scott's ankles for his first real scoring chance, finishing off the move for a 2-0 lead at the 1:24 mark. Scott escaped with :42 left, cutting the OSU lead to 2-1, a lead he would carry into the second period. Morgan chose down to begin the second stanza and escaped to a 3-1 lead with 1:33 left in the middle period. Morgan added a second takedown at the 1:05 mark to up his lead to 5-2 lead after a quick Scott escape. The Nittany Lion freshman began pressuring the Cowboy senior, but Morgan's strong defense kept Scott from getting a takedown. Down 5-2, Scott chose down to begin the third period and was looking to escape before Morgan to up his riding time edge to a minute. Scott did escape, but not until Morgan built up a total of 1:30 in time. The escape cut Morgan's lead to 5-3, but Scott essentially needed two takedowns or back points to secure a win. While the Nittany Lion freshman worked for a score, Morgan kept up his defense and ate away at the clock. Morgan countered a late Scott shot and nearly added another takedown, but regardless, the move allowed Morgan to get the decision, a 6-3 win that put Oklahoma State up 6-3 in the dual. 149: Fourth-ranked sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) met Mike Bizzle of Oklahoma State at 149. Jenkins was the early aggressor and used a cement mixer to take Bizzle to his back for an early 5-0 lead. The Lion sophomore nearly got the pin, but Bizzle did a nice job of keeping his shoulders off the mat. Jenkins proceeded to put together a very strong ride, building up 1:33 in riding time as he rode Bizzle out to lead 5-0 after one period. Bizzle chose down to begin the second period and was allowed up by Jenkins as the Nittany Lion sophomore began looking for important bonus points. Jenkins upped his lead to 7-1 with a quick ankle pick on the edge of the mat just ten seconds into the period. Jenkins allowed Bizzle up and quickly hit another cement mixer, sending Bizzle quickly to his back for another two point takedown and two more back points. Jenkins led 11-3 after letting Bizzle up. But Bizzle answered with a takedown of his own to cut Jenkins' lead to 11-5. With just :04 left, Jenkins managed a quick escape at a reset to lead 12-5 heading into the final period. The Nittany Lion sophomore chose down to begin the third period and escaped to a 13-5 lead with 1:49 in riding time to boot. Bizzle once again got in on Jenkins' right leg, looking to get a critical takedown to avoid any bonus points. The duo scrambled for nearly a minute before Jenkins fought off Bizzle's single leg, quickly turned the Cowboy to his back and got a critical pin at the 6:42 mark. The six point victory put Penn State up 9-6 and set up the dual's marquee match-up. 157: Nittany Lion sophomore Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 10 nationally, met No. 20 Newly McSpadden at 157 in the lone match-up of ranked grapplers in the dual. Vallimont quickly gained control of McSpadden's right leg, getting in deep on the Cowboy junior and nearly getting an early takedown. But McSpadden managed to work his way off the mat to force a neutral reset. McSpadden took his turn with a solid offensive shot and forcing a scramble in the center of the mat. McSpadden got the early 2-0 lead. But Vallimont quickly tied the match by scoring a reversal off a reset with just :25 left in the period. Vallimont rode McSpadden out for the opening stanza's final seconds to keep the score tied at 2-2 heading into the second period. McSpadden chose down to begin the period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. Vallimont took numerous shots, but McSpadden managed to step back, out of trouble each time. The Cowboy's defensive style allowed him to keep a 3-2 lead heading to the final period. Vallimont chose down to begin the final period and quickly escaped to tie the bout. A head-outside single by Vallimont gave the Nittany Lion sophomore another solid scoring chance and this time, he finished the chance with a takedown at the 1:10 mark to lead 5-3. McSpadden managed to escape with :38 left, cutting Vallimont's lead to 5-4. McSpadden quickly got in low on Vallimont's left, but the Lion sophomore managed to force a stalemate with just :11 left. Vallimont held off McSpadden's final offensive shots to post a critical 5-4 win and move Penn State out to a 12-6 lead. 165: Penn State's Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) met No. 12 Jake Dieffenbach in the next bout. Dieffenbach used a nice ankle pick to take an early 2-1 lead at the 2:05 mark. Rella began to work the Cowboy's shoulders and head, looking for an offensive opening. But neither wrestler could mount another real offensive charge and Dieffenbach took the 2-1 lead into the second period. The Cowboy senior chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. Rella, a true sophomore, continued to look for offensive openings but Dieffenbach countered a Rella shot and managed to get a takedown call on the edge of the mat. The move put Dieffenbach up 5-1 with :48 left in the period. Rella escaped to a 5-2 deficit but Dieffenbach managed to trip Rella to the mat and his back for an outstanding five-point move and led 10-2 heading into the third period. Rella chose down to start the final period and quickly escaped to a 10-3 deficit with 1:40 left. Riding time, at this point, was not a factor. Dieffenbach looked to secure bonus points with another takedown at the :38 mark and then rode Rella long enough to secure a 1:00 riding time edge before Rella escaped to a 12-4 deficit. But the Cowboy senior held on for a 13-4 major decision, cutting Penn State's lead to 12-10. 174: Yet another Nittany Lion sophomore, 174-pounder David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) met No. 4 Brandon Mason of Oklahoma State. Erwin took the bout's first shot but Mason countered and quickly finished a cradle, getting the takedown but not managing to turn Erwin to his back. The Nittany Lion sophomore did a fine job of fighting off the pin and avoiding the big scoring move. Still, the talented Cowboy junior built up over two minutes of riding time before finally getting the three-point near fall. Mason rode Erwin out and led 5-0 after one. Mason then chose the top to start the second period and continued to add to his two-plus minutes of riding time. Mason, an All-American last year, continued to work for back points but Erwin fought off his efforts for the entire period. Mason, however, kept his 5-0 lead and had a secured riding time point (4:43) heading into the final period. Erwin chose neutral to begin to final period and looked to keep Mason from posting a major decision and nearly got a takedown of his own. But Mason kept Erwin from completing a takedown and forced a reset with 1:10 left. Mason, however, got the critical takedown with :55 left to up his lead to 7-0. Erwin needed an escape to avoid the major decision. But Mason finished off the bout with a strong ride and posted an 8-0 major decision to allow the Cowboys to retake the lead, 14-12. 184: With the lead on the line in, Penn State junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.), ranked No. 19 nationally at 184, squared off against Cowboy Cody Hill. Bomberger had the first real shot at a takedown, getting in on Hill's ankles twice early in the first. But the Cowboy freshman fought off each move to keep the bout scoreless. While Bomberger put forth the most offensive pressure in the opening three minutes, Hill's defense was solid enough to keep the bout scoreless after one period. Hill chose down to begin the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. After a double stall was called on both wrestlers, Hill got a close takedown call with :35 left to up his lead to 3-0. Bomberger, however, reversed the Cowboy grappler and nearly pinned him, picking up two near fall points to lead 4-3 after the second period. Bomberger then chose down to start the third and escaped to a 5-3 lead. But Hill took the Lion junior down to tie the bout with 1:41 left to tie the bout. Hill let Bomberger up to a 6-5 lead and took Hill down on the edge of the mat but was not awarded a takedown. But the Nittany Lion junior was not to be denied with a textbook takedown with :38 left to take an 8-5 lead. Bomberger then rode Hill out to post a critical 8-5 win and give Penn State a slim 15-14 lead. 197: Needing a win to increase Penn State's but a pin to clinch the dual, Nittany Lion senior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 1 nationally at 197, met OSU's Clayton Foster. The three time All-American gave up the first points, however, as Foster went up 2-0 with a takedown at the :45 mark. Davis escaped to a 2-1 deficit. Davis took a 3-2 lead with a takedown at the 1:10 mark and forced a reset with :54 left in the opening period. Davis began looking working for a far-side cradle, but Foster managed to keep the Lion senior from turning him to his back. Davis, leading 3-2 with :25 in riding time, chose down to begin the second stanza and was taken to his back for two near-fall points. Davis escaped to tie the bout at 4-4 and then quickly took foster down for a 6-4 lead at the 1:15 mark. The Harrisburg native continued to work for back points, but Foster was strong enough to keep Davis from increasing his lead. Foster, down 6-4, chose neutral to begin the third period but Davis was relentless, getting another takedown to increase his lead to 8-4 at the 1:40 mark. Davis then turned Foster to his back and fought his way to a thrilling dual-clinching pin at the 5:50 mark. The six points put Penn State up 21-14 and meant that the Nittany Lions would leave Stillwater with a thrilling road win over the third-ranked Cowboys. HWT: A fifth Penn State sophomore, heavyweight Stefan Tighe (Erie, Pa.) met Oklahoma State sophomore Jared Rosholt at HWT. Rosholt entered the bout ranked No. 8 nationally. Rosholt managed to grab Tighe's left ankle and after a scramble, got an early takedown to lead 2-0 at the 2:15 mark. Rosholt then put together a very strong ride, building up a 2:14 riding time edge, turning Tighe briefly as the period ended, to lead 4-0 after one. Rosholt chose down to start the second stanza and escaped to a 5-0 lead. Tighe shot low on Rosholt midway through the second, nearly getting the Cowboy's ankles, but the eighth-ranked grappler managed to move back and keep his lead at 5-0. Tighe chose neutral to start the bout's final period and began working for a takedown of his own. The Nittany Lion sophomore was the offensive aggressor early in the third and nearly got a takedown with 1:20 left, but as the grapplers moved down to the mat, Rosholt managed to step behind Tighe and get a takedown of his own to lead 7-0 (with a guaranteed riding time point. Tighe also gave up a riding time point and Rosholt ended up with a solid 9-0 major decision. The four-points made the final score Penn State 21, Oklahoma State 18.

AMES, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling team knocked off top-ranked Iowa State, 20-13, Sunday afternoon at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. A sold-out crowd of 8,988 saw Iowa improve to 5-0 and hand Iowa State (6-1) its first loss of the season. Iowa scored two points in the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series with the win to make the series score 16-5. Iowa State clinched the 2007-08 series title earlier this week. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 13-0 lead with wins at the first four weights. Hawkeye junior Charlie Falck scored an 8-4 decision over Cyclone redshirt freshman Mark Kist at 125 to open the dual. Iowa sophomore Joe Slaton handed Iowa State's Nick Fanthorpe his first loss of the season with a 6-5 win at 133. Sophomore Dan LeClere followed with a 3-1 win over Nick Gallick at 141 to give Iowa a 9-0 advantage, and sophomore Brent Metcalf scored the first bonus points of the dual with a 14-4 major decision over Iowa City native Mitch Mueller at 149. Iowa State put its first team points on the board when sophomore Cyler Sanderson scored a 10-5 major decision over sophomore Ryan Morningstar at 157. Sanderson took Morningstar to his back with over one minute remaining in the third period, but the Morningstar held on to avoid the pin. Iowa State struck first after the intermission when redshirt freshman Jon Reader scored a 7-3 decision over Iowa redshirt freshman Jake Kerr at 165. Kerr was wrestling for Hawkeye starter Mark Perry, who was serving a one-meet suspension after being disqualified for misconduct during Iowa's Nov. 24 dual with Old Dominion. Hawkeye sophomore Jay Borschel scored crucial team points with an 18-7 win over Aron Scott at 174. The Cyclones rallied with wins at 184 and 197 to make the score 17-13. Iowa State sophomore Jake Varner improved his undefeated mark to 6-0 with a 4-1 win over Hawkeye sophomore Phillip Keddy at 184, and senior David Bertolino scored a 16-5 major decision over sophomore Chad Beatty at 197. Hawkeye senior Matt Fields sealed the team win with a 6-3 decision over sophomore David Zabriskie at heavyweight. Iowa (5-0) will host its first duals of the 2007-08 season Thursday in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes will face Northern Iowa (0-0-1) at 6:30 p.m. and Cornell (3-1) at 8:00 p.m.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The No. 23 Maryland wrestling team dominated its competition on December 8, beating Rider,42-6, before handling Rutgers, 39-4, at Comcast Pavilion. The Terrapins won 18 of the 20 matches in the two duals with freshman Eric Medina and redshirt junior Josh Haines taking down a pair of Rider wrestlers ranked in the top 15 in their respective weight classes. Medina, ranked No. 17 in the nation at 149 pounds, pinned No. 14 Don Fisch of Rider, a senior All-American, in the second period. He won his second match of the day by major decision. Haines, ranked No. 20 at 184 pounds, toppled his second top 10 opponent this season in Rider's Doug Umbhauer with a 2-1 decision. Redshirt sophomore Brendan Byrne won both of his matches, one by fall and the other by major decision, while classmate Steven Bell won both of his bouts with major decisions. Both sophomores Mike Letts and Hudson Taylor competed in the match against Rutgers and earned a pin in their respective contests. The Terps won nine of their 10 matches against the Broncs en route to their first win of the day. Byrne got things going for Maryland at 125 with a pin in the third period over Mitch Fenton. Bell then earned a 16-4 major decision at 133, recording six takedowns and a near fall in the match. Medina pulled off his huge win when he pinned Fisch in the 149 pound match. In the first period, Medina held off a pair of takedown attempts by Fisch and the two went scoreless into the second. Fisch chose to start down and Medina rode him for most of the way. Fisch then tried to escape, but Medina caught him and eventually scored the pin with eight seconds remaining. Redshirt sophomore Mike McGill won by technical fall at 165 pounds, 19-3, in the third period. He recorded four near falls, three takedowns, and a reversal for the win. Haines earned his third win this season against a ranked opponent and second against a top 10 foe at 184 pounds, this time against No. 10 Doug Umbehauer. After a scoreless first period, Umbehauer chose down to start the second and Haines rode him out to accumulate 2:00 of riding time. Haines chose down in the final period and escaped in 10 seconds to take a 1-0 lead. A penalty evened the score at 1-1, but Haines' bonus point for riding time gave him the 2-1 victory. In the Terps' win against the Scarlet Knights, Byrne and Bell gave Maryland an 8-0 lead when they both won by major decision. After a major decision win for Rutgers at 141, Medina got the four points back with a major decision of his own to make it 12-4. Freshman Brian Letters recorded a 7-5 decision win in overtime against Chris Norell at 157 pounds. Letters scored an early takedown and rode Norell out the rest of the first period, accumulating over two minutes of riding time. He then chose down to start the second and reversed the hold to give him a 4-0 lead. Before the end of the period though, Norell countered with a reversal of his own and a two-point near fall to tie the match, 4-4. Norell started down to start the third and escaped to give himself a 5-4 lead, but he did it with just 52 seconds left which gave Letters the bonus point to send it into overtime. In the first overtime, Letters scored the winning takedown just 19 seconds in for the win. Maryland recorded three-straight falls from 174 pounds to 197. Letts notched his second pin of the season just 1:14 into his match at 174 and then redshirt freshman Bradley Nielson scored one of his own with just 15 seconds left in the third. It was his first dual win of the season at 184 pounds. Taylor recorded his ninth pin this year, beating Lamar Brown in the third period for his fifth-straight fall. The Terps (7-3) are off for final exams but resume action on December 20 and 30 at the prestigious Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C.

Eugene, Ore. -- Senior Kyle Larson (Hermiston, Ore.) earned his first pin of the season over Cody Moulton in 4:12, as Oregon State earned a dominant 80th win over Oregon 23-14 in the Civil War, presented by the Northwest Dodge Dealers, in front of a crowd of 930. Oregon State improves its record to 3-0, 2-0 Pac-10, while Oregon drops to 7-3, 0-1 Pac-10. The meet marked the last time the two teams would meet in a dual at McArthur Court. "It was emotional for both teams in that it's a good rivalry but also being that it will be the last year these two teams will wrestle," Oregon State head coach Jim Zalesky said. "I thought some weights were where we want them to be and matches like at 141 pounds were hard fought." Junior Jake Gonzales (Enumclaw, Wash.) started the meet off with an 8-2 decision over Beau Malia at 125 pounds with three takedowns and two escapes. But Oregon took over the lead on a technical fall at 133 pounds, giving the Ducks a two-point edge going into 141 pounds. In one of the most exciting matches of the night, junior Heinrich Barnes (Pretoria, South Africa) held a 4-2 edge over Brett Gray through most of the match until a takedown tied things up with a couple seconds remaining in the third round. Barnes earned the takedown in overtime to win his fifth match-up of the season. After over two minutes of scoreless wrestling at 157 pounds, sophomore Dan Brascetta (Aurora, Colo.) took a quick 5-0 lead nearly pinning Jeremy McLaughlin with time expiring in the first period. Brascetta continued to dominate in the round two earning six more points and opening the gap up to 10. Brascetta secured his fifth major decision of the season, boosting his overall record to 6-2, 3-0 in duals. In his first match of the season, sophomore Keegan Davis (Salem, Ore.) showed he hadn't lost anything from his rookie season as he added to Oregon State's lead to open the gap up to 15 with a major decision over Zack Frazier with riding time 14-4. Sophomore Brice Arand (Springfield, Ore.) continued to meet success in his first Civil War. At 197 pounds, he earned a 6-3 decision over Shaun Dee, boosting his overall record to 6-2, 3-0 in duals. Oregon State hosts Southern Oregon in its home opener on Sunday, Dec. 9, at 2:00 p.m. in legendary Gill Coliseum. Tickets are still available for the meet by clicking here, and the first 500 fans will receive a free 2007-08 Oregon State wrestling poster.

It wasn't always easy, but the defending national champion Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling team emerged with two dual meet victories late Saturday night in San Luis Obispo, Calf. After cruising to a 32-9 win over Cal State Fullerton, the Gophers won the final five matches of the nightcap with Cal Poly to win 23-12 and improve their overall dual meet record to 6-1. Both of Saturday's meets took place at Cal Poly's Mott Gymnasium. In the early West Coast match-up, the Gophers squared off with the Titans of Cal State Fullerton for the first time since 1991. Even without the nationally-ranked brother duo of Dustin and C.P. Schlatter, the Gophers were able to win seven of 10 matches and collected two pins and three tech falls en route to the comfortable 21-point victory. Third-ranked sophomore Jayson Ness continued his impressive run this season by pinning the Titans' Sean Roman-Marin in just 2:30 to start the early meet. Mack Reiter successfully followed up on his dramatic victory over Nebraska's Kenny Jordan Thursday night with an 18-2 technical fall against No. 14 T.J. Dillashaw at 133 pounds, and Manny Rivera gave the Gophers a 17-0 lead by pinning Teddy Astorga in 3:48 in the 141-pound match. After freshman Luke Mellmer lost 8-1 while filling in for Dustin Schlatter at 149 pounds, Tyler Safratowich earned his second dual meet victory of the season as a replacement for the elder Schlatter (C.P.) at 157 pounds, needing just 6:17 to emerge with a 16-1 tech fall win over Devin Velasquez. Scott Glasser rebounded from two straight dual meet losses with a 13-2 major decision over Bryan Tice at 165 pounds, and Gabe Drestch followed that up with a 16-1 tech fall of his own. Second-ranked Roger Kish squeaked out a 3-2 win over No. 14 Ian Murphy before the Gophers lost the final two matches of the meet at 197 pounds and heavyweight. In a meet that did not get underway until after 9 p.m. Central time, the second half of Minnesota's doubleheader did not go as smoothly as the first. It was not until Justin Bronson's tight 3-2 decision over Arturo Basulto at 197 pounds that the Gophers guaranteed themselves a victory over the Mustangs of Cal Poly. Ness, Reiter, Glasser, Kish, Bronson and Ben Berhow won their individual matches as the Gophers were able to overcome surprising losses by Rivera and C.P. Schlatter to win their third dual meet in a row. Ness pushed his record to a perfect 13-0 on the season by starting the Cal Poly meet off with a 10-1 major decision. The returning All-American sophomore has now scored bonus points in six of seven dual meets this year, including two pins and three major decisions. After Reiter picked up his third straight dual meet victory with a 6-3 decision over No. 16 Filip Novachkov, eighth-ranked Chad Mendes was able to pin second-ranked Rivera in just 1:34. It was Rivera's first loss of the 2007-08 season in 13 matches and marked the first time he had been pinned since Jan. 29, 2006 (by then-No. 8 DeWitt Driscoll of Penn State). Rivera has been pinned just two times in 124 official collegiate matches. After Luke Mellmer lost 11-6 at 149 pounds, the Mustangs' second upset of the meet came at the expense of No. 7 C.P. Schlatter. Cal Poly's No. 18 Chase Pami was able to gain a 4-2 win that gave the home school a 12-7 lead in the dual. But the Gophers rebounded with three straight wins – a Dretsch 13-1 major decision (174 pounds) sandwiched by decision victories from Glasser (6-4 at 165 pounds) and Kish (7-2 at 184 pounds) – to regain the lead at 17-12. The Gophers needed a win from either Bronson (197 pounds) or Berhow (heavyweight) to avoid the upset, and Bronson quickly delivered with a hard-fought 3-2 decision over the Mustangs' Basulto. A second period escape and two warning points allowed the senior to eek out the close victory and guarantee Minnesota the team win. Berhow rounded out the meet with a 6-3 win over Jim Powers that saw him score five points in the final stanza. An announced crowd of 1,227 came out to watch the defending national champions. The Gophers now enjoy a three-week break from competition until they travel to Greensboro, N.C. Dec. 29-30 for the Southern Scuffle, an annual 32-team invitational tournament. This will be the third straight year the Gophers have competed in the event, as they were runners-up a year ago and finished first in 2005. Minnesota's next dual meet action will occur Jan. 12-13 as they seek to defend their 2007 National Duals title in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Minnesota's next home competition will take place Jan. 20 against South Dakota State at the Sports Pavilion.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The University of Central Oklahoma took OU down to the wire in last year's match in Norman on Nov. 29, 2006. The Sooners eventually prevailed only by a small margin, 20-18. No. 20 Oklahoma (5-1) needed no such late heroics Friday night at Hamilton Field House in Edmond, soundly beating the defending Division II national champions, 27-6. "This was really a nice effort against a great UCO team tonight," head coach Jack Spates said. "I was pleased with the way our guys bounced back after a loss." True freshman Joey Fio put points on the board first for the Sooners with an 11-5 decision over Tyler Zukerman at 125 pounds. Brian Shelton at 133-pounds also scored a 6-1 decision over Trey Branscum to make the team score 6-0. No. 11 Zack Bailey took care of Kyle Evans in the 141-pound bout with an 8-7 decision, and No. 9 Will Rowe won in a 12-5 decision at 149 pounds over Colby Robinson. Shane Vernon was defeated in a 2-1 decision by Jason Leavitt in the 157-pound dual, and No. 13 Max Dean posted the only pin of the day over Cody Rowell at 165 pounds. The Sooners lead after the first six matches, 18-3 Jeff James topped Tommy McCarty at 174 pounds by a 4-1 decision, and No. 9 Joshua Weitzel made the team score 24-3 with a 6-0 decision over Heath Jolley. No. 5 Joel Flaggert won in a 6-1 decision over Jarrett Edison at 197 pounds, and heavyweight Nathan Fernandez, ranked No. 18, was defeated by UCO's Dustin Finn by a 2-1 decision. "We still have plenty of room for improvement," Spates said. "This was a great way to go into the holiday break, but we still have a lot of work to do." The Sooners take a break for the holidays before resuming competition at the Lonestar Duals on Jan. 5 in Arlington, Texas.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan wrestling registered bonus points in five matches to rally back from an early deficit and claim a 26-14 victory over Kent State on Friday evening (Dec. 7) in front of 651 fans at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines dropped the opening two weight classes but earned three technical falls and a pair of major decisions to win in their final appearance before the holiday break. Fifth-year senior captains Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) and sophomore/freshman Anthony Biondo (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley HS) each tacked five points onto the U-M team score with dominant performances at 149, 165 and 197 pounds, respectively. Churella, ranked seventh in the latest NWCA/InterMat poll, put Michigan ahead for good with a 16-1 win over the Golden Flashes' Jake Kyle, rebounding from a disappointing finish at last weekend's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational to end the bout late in the second period. Churella built up an early advantage with two double legs in the first and a two-point near fall at the buzzer. Starting down in the second, the Wolverine captain used a Peterson roll four points midway through the frame and added six more back points on a pair of high-leg turks. Tannenbaum, the nation's top-ranked 165-pounder, found similar success against Kent State's John Pycraft two matches later, rolling to a 17-2 victory to claim his second technical fall of the season after riding time. Tannenbaum scored on three single legs in the first period and reversed the Golden Flash wrestler early in the second before going to work on top, adding eight back points to improve his season record to 10-0. Biondo, in his varsity debut at Cliff Keen Arena, demonstrated his knack for scrambling in the 197-pound contest, scoring three takedowns and 11 back points to defeat Michael Blackwell by an 18-3 margin and end the match at the 6:23 mark. He scored on a single leg just three seconds in the opening frame and used a combination of cradles and tilts to ice the Wolverine victory. Michigan also earned bonus points from fifth-year senior Jeff Marsh (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) and senior/junior Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS), who claimed major decisions at 157 and 174 pounds, respectively. Marsh, ranked 18th, fought for a double leg in the early in the first period against Sli Bostelman and added three more takedowns in the final two periods, including one in the final seconds of the match to secure the 11-3 major decision. Luke, ranked second, similarly scored late in the 174-pound contest to lock up his bonus win over Chris Estep after riding time. The Wolverine, still displaying the after effects of a bloody match championship match at last weekend's Cliff Keen Invitational, used a bevy of single and double legs to register five takedowns in the bouts, including two each in the first and third periods, and accumulated 2:55 in riding time advantage to pick up his third major decision of the season. With the Wolverines down by seven points after the opening two matches, freshman Kellen Russell (High Bridge, N.J/Blair Academy) keyed the U-M comeback with a decisive 7-2 victory over the Golden Flashes' 15th-ranked Drew Lashaway. Russell, ranked fourth, scrambled out of a deep single-leg shot in the opening seconds of the match and struck immediately on the restart, using a single leg to establish his control. After picking up an escape early in the second, the U-M rookie countered a pair of Lashaway shots late in the third to pad his advantage and secure his fourth win over a ranked opponent in just a week's time and remain undefeated in his collegiate career at 12-0. Freshman Jason Lara (Midway City, Calif./Calvary Chapel HS) made his varsity debut in the evening's first contest at 125 pounds but never had an opportunity to get his offense going after giving up a quick takedown to the Golden Flashes' 20th-ranked Nic Bedelyon. Lara scored on a duck under in the third but, after allowing seven back points, including a four-point near fall at the end of the second, it would not prove enough in a 14-3 loss. Sophomore Chris Diehl (Burton, Mich./Flint Kearsley HS) struck first on a opening-period single leg against 11th-ranked Dan Mitcheff at 133 pounds but could not hold his advantage as Mitcheff scored takedowns in the second and third period to win 7-3. Kent State also claimed victories at 184 pounds and heavyweight to narrow the final gap as Eric Chine and 19th-ranked Jermail Porter combined for seven points with a decision and a major. Chine scored three takedowns and a reversal against junior/sophomore Jordan Sherrod (Portage, Mich./Central HS), who was weighed in at 174 pounds, en route to a 9-4 win, while Porter used a takedown in each period and three back points to defeat sophomore/freshman Matt Guhn (Clyde, Ohio/Clyde HS) by a 10-1 margin. The Wolverines will take a three-week hiatus before returning to the mat to host the Wolverine Quad on Sunday, Dec. 30, at Cliff Keen Arena. U-M will face Buffalo (noon), Eastern Michigan (2 p.m.) and Lehigh (4 p.m.).

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 5 nationally, put together a dominating performance in shutting out home standing Lehigh 33-0 in its first road dual of the year. The Lions, under the guidance of veteran head coach Troy Sunderland, silenced a superb Stabler Arena crowd, winning all ten bouts. Penn State junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royale, Pa.), ranked No. 19 at 184, posted the dual's marquee win with a 9-5 win over No. 17 David Craig of Lehigh. The bout utilized an NWCA promoted shuffled bout order that was chosen alternately by each head coach with fan input. All six of Penn State's ranked wrestlers won, sparked by Bomberger's victory at 184. No. 6 Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) got things started with a major decision at 125 and the Nittany Lions never looked back. Heavyweight John Laboranti (Pittston, Pa.) got his first dual match win as a Nittany Lion with a 12-5 victory at HWT and freshman Mike Eagen (Wharton, N.J.) got his first Penn State dual match victory with a come-from behind 4-3 win at 133. No. 1 Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) posted a technical fall at 197 for Penn State's most lop-sided victory. The Nittany Lions won the battle of takedowns by a whopping 26-4 margin and got the bouts only three bonus points (McKnight's major and Davis' tech fall). The victory is Penn State's first shut-out since posting a 41-0 win over Rider in last year's Virginia Duals. The shut-out of intra-state rival Lehigh is the second in the long history of this Eastern wrestling rivalry. Penn State also shut out the Mountain Hawks 39-0 on Feb. 13, 1993, in a dual also wrestled in Bethlehem. The Nittany Lions are off to a 3-0 start by a combined score of 95-14 and have won 26 of the 30 bouts wrestled. Things will get markedly tougher for Penn State (3-0) as the Nittany Lions will trek to Stillwater, Okla., to face No. 3 Oklahoma State on Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern (2 p.m. Central). This weekend's action can be heard live locally on WBLF AM (970) and WKVA (920 AM). The Nittany Lions' next home dual is Jan. 4 when Penn State welcomes No. 16 Cornell to Rec Hall for a 7 p.m. dual. Tickets for all regular season duals are on sale now at the athletic department ticket office in the Bryce Jordan Center. Single-dual tickets are $5 for adults and seniors and $3 for students 18 and under. Penn State students with a proper student ID are admitted free! Fans can call 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 to order single-dual tickets. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: Nittany Lion senior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) took on Lehigh's Mitch Berger in the dual's first bout. McKnight, ranked No. 6 nationally, got on top early, lifting Berger on the edge of the mat and putting him to his back for a two-point takedown and two back points just under a minute into the bout. Berger escaped at the 1:30 mark to cut McKnight's lead to 4-1. McKnight countered a Berger shot at the :30 mark and turned it into a 6-1 lead. A strong ride out to end the period sent McKnight into the second stanza with a 6-1 lead and 1:25 in riding time. McKnight chose bottom to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 7-1 lead. The senior added a third takedown to up his lead to 9-1. Berger would escape for a point before the period ended. Trailing 9-2, Berger chose down to begin third period and was allowed up to a 9-3 deficit. Looking for bonus points, McKnight quickly took Berger down to up his lead to 11-3. After nearly taking Berger to his back, McKnight allowed his foe up after a restart and then added a fifth takedown to open up a 13-4 lead with just :35 left. The Lion senior cut Berger loose again and quickly nearly added a sixth takedown. Still, the riding time point gave McKnight a 14-5 win and a major decision to give Penn State an early 4-0 lead. 174: Penn State's David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) carried a 15-1 overall record into his bout with Lehigh freshman Alex Caruso in the dual's second bout. Caruso got in on Erwin's left leg right out of the blocks, but the Nittany Lion sophomore fought the move off and forced a reset thirty seconds into the bout. Caruso was the aggressor early on and forced Erwin into an early stall warning. Still, the Mountain Hawk freshman continued to get in low on Erwin, but each time the Lion sophomore fought through the moves and sent the bout to the second period in a scoreless tie. Caruso chose down to start the middle stanza and escaped after a :30 Erwin ride. Caruso got the first takedown with :20 left in the period but Erwin reversed the Mountain Hawk just before the buzzer sounded to cut the Lehigh lead to 3-2 heading into the third. Erwin chose down to begin the final period and escaped to a 3-3 tie. Erwin picked his offense up in the third period, taking a number of shots but not managing to finish on any of them. Still, his pressure forced the bout into a sudden victory period. Erwin nearly stuck the Mountain Hawk :30 into the extra period but Caruso scrambled out. Still, Erwin continued through the scramble to get winning takedown midway through the extra period. The 5-3 (sv) win put Penn State up 7-0. HWT: Nittany Lion head coach Troy Sunderland chose heavyweight as the next weight, allowing junior John Laboranti (Pittston, Pa.) to make his Nittany Lion dual match debut, meeting Lehigh's Justin Allen. Laboranti got his first dual takedown with a solid double-leg takedown at the 1:21 mark, taking an early 2-1 lead. The Nittany Lion junior added a second takedown to up his lead to 4-1 with :40 left to wrestle. Laboranti rode Allen out to take a 4-1 lead into the second period. Allen chose down to begin the middle period and quickly escaped to a 4-2 deficit. Laboranti used a nice lower single to get his third takedown and let the Mountain Hawk big man up as he began working for a major decision or more. Allen managed to fight off numerous Laboranti shots to keep the score close, 6-3, heading into the third period. Laboranti chose down to begin the third period and escaped to a 7-3 lead. Forcing Allen back to the edge of the mat, Allen got hit with a stall warning and Laboranti finished a fine double leg to take a 9-4 lead (after an Allen escape) with :45 left. Laboranti added one more takedown for a 12-5 win, putting Penn State up 10-0 and giving Laboranti his first Nittany Lion dual match win. 149: Lehigh head coach Greg Stroebel chose the next weight, sending Penn State sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), ranked No. 4 nationally, to the mat against Mountain Hawk senior Trevor Chinn at 149. Jenkins wasted no time, getting a double-leg take down just ten seconds in to take an early 2-1 lead. The Nittany Lion true sophomore set the offensive tone throughout the first period, keeping the Mountain Hawk junior on his heels throughout the first three minutes. Chinn's defense kept the bout close early, with Jenkins leading 2-1 after one period. Chinn chose down to begin the second period and escaped to a 2-2 tie. But Jenkins quickly took the lead again with a swift ankle pick on the edge of the mat with 1:24 left, leading 4-3 after the Chinn escape. While Chinn kept things close with his solid defense, the Mountain Hawk had no scoring opportunities and Jenkins carried that one point lead into the final period. Jenkins chose down to start the final stanza and quickly escaped to a 5-3 lead. Chinn got in on Jenkins' right knee for his first real scoring shot, but Jenkins fought off the Lehigh junior to keep his two point lead. Neither wrestler broke through for any scoring as the bout's final seconds ticked away. Jenkins did give up a stall point but the sophomore hung on for a 5-4 win, giving Penn State a 13-0 lead after four bouts. 197: Penn State senior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), now carrying a No. 1 national ranking at 197, met Lehigh's Alex Iacocca. The three-time All-American quickly opened up a 2-0 lead just :30 into the bout and began looking for an early pin. Davis turned Iacocca for two back points, allowed him back to his stomach and began working to turn him again. Up 4-0 with 1:00 left, Davis finished his cradle and turned Iacocca for a three-point near fall and led 7-0 with :38 left. Davis added two more near fall points as the first period ended and led 9-0 after the first stanza. Davis chose down to begin the second and quickly escaped to a 10-0 lead. The Harrisburg-native finished a solid double leg on the edge of the mat to lead 12-0. Davis got two near fall points, was surprisingly reserved by Iacocca but then reversed the Mountain Hawk wrestlers again to lead 16-2. Iacocca chose down to begin the final period. Another cradle led to back points that nearly led to a pin but did lead to three back points and a 19-2 technical fall at the 6:19 mark. The five team points gave the Nittany Lions an 18-0 lead. 165: Penn State sophomore Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) met Lehigh's Mike Galante in the next bout as each coach continued to choose the order in the unusual format. Rella got the match-ups first takedown a minute in and took an early 2-1 lead on Galante used a nice hip toss as the period ended, taking a 3-2 lead into the middle stanza. Rella actually did well to avoid giving up any back points and kept the Mountain Hawk within striking distance. Galante chose bottom to start the second period and escaped to a 4-2 lead. After a reset with :50 left, Rella finished off a solid takedown to tie the bout at 4-4. Galante escaped to lead 5-4 with :20 left and carried that one point lead into the final period. Rella chose down to begin the final period. Galante put together a strong ride, however, and ate away all of Rella's riding time edge. Rella escaped to tie the bout at 5-5 with 1:10 left to wrestle and began looking for the winning takedown. The third period ended with no further scoring, sending a second bout to a sudden victory period. Galante tried another throw, only this time Rella was ready for the move and the Nittany Lion sophomore tossed the Mountain Hawk to his back for a five point move (two point takedown and three near fall points). The swift offensive flurry gave Rella a thrilling 10-5 (sv) win and put Penn State up 21-0. 141: Junior All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) carried a No. 3 national ranking into his bout with Lehigh's Jeff Santo. Strayer quickly opened up a 2-0 lead with a takedown at the 2:44 mark and built up a 1:58 riding time advantage before Santo escaped. Trailing by one, Santo chose down to begin the second period. Continuing his dominance on top, Strayer turned Santo to his back and picked up a two-point near fall to up his lead to 4-1. Santo, however, reversed Strayer before the period ended, nearly picking up back points in the process. The move cut Strayer's lead to 4-3 heading into the final period, although Strayer had over 3:00 in riding time to guarantee the extra point. The Lion All-American chose down to begin the third period and Strayer escaped to a 5-3 lead and quickly took the Lehigh senior down to up his lead to 7-4 (after cutting Santo loose). Santo got his first takedown to cut into the Nittany Lion's lead but that would be all the scoring the bout would see as Strayer posted an 8-6 win. The victory put Penn State up 24-0 and clinched the dual meet victory. 184: In the only bout featuring two ranked wrestlers, Penn State junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) put his No. 19 ranking to the test against No. 17 David Craig of Lehigh at 184. The two ranked grapplers spent the first half of the first period looking for openings. Craig took a shot with :10 left, but Bomberger countered and threw the ranked Lehigh grappler to his back for a five point move, nearly pinning Craig in the process. Leading 5-0, Bomberger chose down to begin the second stanza. A scramble as Bomberger looked to escaped resulted in a locked hand call on Craig. Bomberger then escaped after the reset and led 7-0 with 1:05 left in the second period. Not looking to rest on the lead, Bomberger shot quick off a reset and nearly got another takedown, but a Craig fought off the effort and forced a reset. Down by seven, Craig chose down to start the final period. Bomberger tried to turn Craig right off the whistle, but the Lehigh grappler reversed the Nittany Lion to cut Bomberger's lead to 7-2. Bomberger got called for two stall warnings, giving up a point but still leading 7-3. Craig, however, locked up a riding time point with his strong work on top. Another Bomberger stall cut the lead 7-4 but as time expired, the Nittany Lion junior put the exclamation point on a superb win over No. 17 Craig with a reversal. Craig's riding time point made the final 9-5, but the decision for Bomberger put Penn State up 27-0. 133: Penn State freshman Mike Eagen (Wharton, N.J.) took on Lehigh's Kevin Vinh at 133. Eagen and Vinh traded scoring opportunities throughout the first period, with neither wrestler breaking through. Eagen had a takedown waved off at the :40 mark, nearly taking a lead on the Lehigh junior. Tied 0-0, Eagen chose bottom to start the second period. Vinh was called for an illegal hold, giving Eagen a brief one point lead. But Vinh turned Eagen to his back for a two-point near fall, however Eagen nearly pinned Vinh in the process. Vinh rode Eagen out for the entire period and carried a 2-1 lead with 2:00 in riding time into the final period. Vinh chose top to start the final period and put forth another strong ride. Eagen got his escape with :55 left to tie the bout at 2-2, but Vinh had clinched the riding time point. Eagen took Vinh down to take a 4-2 lead with :40 seconds left, however and nearly turned Vinh to his back for near fall points. Still, Eagen remained strong on top to close out the period and grab a 4-3 victory, keeping Penn State's shut-out hopes intact and upping the PSU lead to 30-0. 157: Tenth-ranked Nittany Lion Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) took on Lehigh senior Dave Nakasone at 157 in the dual's final bout. Vallimont got on top early with a quick takedown and added a second at the 1:22 mark to move up 4-1. The Nittany Lion sophomore was strong on top, riding Nakasone out to carry that lead and 1:26 in riding time into the final period. Nakasone chose down to start the second and escaped to a 4-2 deficit. Nakasone got in on Vallimont's left knee but could not finish the move as the Nittany Lion sophomore deftly fought off the attempt. Vallimont then answered with his own shot and turned it into a 6-2 lead with the solid takedown. Up 6-2, Vallimont chose down to start the dual's final period and quickly escaped to a 7-2 lead. Nakasone got a takedown with :52 left to cut into Vallimont's lead. But a quick escape moved Vallimont up 8-4 and a swift takedown following that escape gave the Lion sophomore a 10-4 lead (with a guaranteed riding time point). Vallimont would ride Nakasone out and post a convincing 11-4 decision, giving Penn State the 33-0 shut-out.

It's not about how you start, but how you finish. The Golden Gopher wrestling team (4-1, 0-0) proved this to be true Thursday night as they dropped the first two matches only to come back and win six of the remaining eight matches to defeat Nebraska (2-1, 0-0) 25-13 at the Sports Pavilion. This marks to second season in a row where Minnesota has dropped its first dual of the year, only to bounce back and win the next. Minnesota has not lost back-to-back home duals since January 28-30, 2005. In a dual where many matches were decided in the last 30 seconds, Minnesota found a way to prevail out a match-up of two nationally-ranked squads. The turning point of the dual was fifth-ranked Mack Reiter's last-second win over Nebraska's No. 12 Kenny Jordan, giving Minnesota its first lead of the night at the 133 pound match (the meet began at 197 pounds). After losing two matches early, including an early heartbreaker for redshirt freshman heavyweight Ben Berhow, Minnesota pulled away for the comfortable victory. Minnesota is now 46-17-0 against the Cornhuskers all-time. After Craig Brester defeated Justin Bronson 11-1 at 197 pounds to open the meet, Minnesota found themselves in an early 4-0 hole. Unfortunately, Berhow was turned away in the final seconds to fall by one point to the No. 14 Jon May, a Hutchinson, Minn. native, to put Nebraska ahead 7-0. The night's most highly-anticipated match never took place. Defending national champion and top-ranked Paul Donahue did not make the trip north for Nebraska due to an injury suffered last week. Minnesota's No. 3 Jayson Ness earned six team points for the victory by forfeit. At 133 pounds, Jordan started things off quick for Nebraska, taking down Reiter within the first nine seconds. Despite being shaken up by the initial impact, both wrestlers continued their aggressive style as Reiter struggled to escape from the ride of Nebraska's Jordan. For all but the first nine seconds of the first period, Reiter found himself failing to break out of Jordan's grasp as the Cornhusker accumulated 2:51 riding time. While Reiter was able to wipe out a minute of riding time in the second period, the gap increased as Jordan earned an escape to push the score to 3-0. This didn't last in the third, however, as Reiter was able to take down Jordan 15 seconds into the period, bringing the score to 3-2 and eating away at Jordan's riding time. After a Jordan escape, the two locked up again, continuing to struggle for position, but it was a stalling call against Jordan that swung momentum in Reiter's favor. A Reiter takedown with just three seconds remaining in the match brought the crowd to its feet, giving Reiter the edge 5-4 and Minnesota the lead in the dual at 9-7. Other highlights on the night for Minnesota were the performances of No. 2 Manny Rivera and top-ranked Dustin Schlatter, as each picked up wins to add to their undefeated seasons. Rivera's performance was an offensive showcase, as he came out fighting with a takedown on Nebraska's Robert Sanders halfway through the first period to give him the early lead. A late escape for Sanders cut into Rivera's advantage, but that wouldn't last as Rivera reversed the Nebraska ride and gained another three points on a nearfall that he would sustain through the final 30 seconds of the period. The third period belonged to Rivera, as he thwarted Jordan's escape attempt with a quick takedown and proceeded to cruise from there, with another takedown and nearfall to ultimately give him the 15-3 major decision. Schlatter's match, on the other hand, was a gritty battle with No. 6 Jordan Burroughs. Despite a lockup to start the match, Schlatter found himself in control from the beginning. After an early second period escape gave him a 1-0 lead, Schlatter came out in the third period looking to pull ahead. As the stalemate continued, Burroughs finally put a point on the board with an escape with slightly over a minute left in the third. Despite a last-minute effort by Burroughs to take down the elusive Schlatter, riding time advantage gave Minnesota the win, 2-1, and make the final score 25-13 in favor of the Gophers. Minnesota travels to the West Coast Saturday for two dual meets. They will take on Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo beginning at 7 p.m. CST (5 p.m. Pacific). After several weeks off for the holiday break, Minnesota will return to action at the National Duals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Jan 12-13. The Gophers come back home on January 20 when they host South Dakota State at 2:00 pm in the Sport Pavilion.

The #5-ranked Mountain Cat wrestlers improved to 2-0 on the season and secured their top ranking in the East Region with an impressive, 25-9, victory at Shippensburg University, Wednesday night. Pitt Johnstown fell behind, 9-6, after five bouts, but rallied to win then next five matches and secure the victory. Pitt Johnstown opened the match with decision wins by #5 Derrek Bosso (125 lbs.) (Pequea, Pa.) and #3 Brandon Reasy (133 lbs.) (New Enterprise, Pa.). Shippensburg battled back with three consecutive decisions, including a 9-4 victory by #2 Steve Fittery over Mountain Cat #7-ranked Shane Valko (Windber, Pa.) at 141 lbs. Trailing 9-6 after the 157-lb bout, Pitt Johnstown came roaring back. Kyle Keane (Clearfield, Pa.) got things started with a 9-3 win over Jake Wilson at 165 lbs., and #7 Albert Miles (Canonsburg, Pa.) followed with a 4-2 double overtime victory over Chirs Barrick at 174 lbs. to give the Mountain Cats a 12-9 lead. Three-time All-American and #3-ranked Mike Corcetti (184 lbs.) (Export, Pa.) scored a 15-3 major decision to increase the lead to 16-9, before red-shirt freshman Patrick Walsh (197 lbs.) (Leesport, Pa.) pinned Peter Grodziak at 4:13. Pitt Johnstown then finished the match with a 2-1 overtime win by Nathan Tomporoski (Natrona Heights, Pa.) at heavyweight. With the loss, the Red Raiders fell to 1-1 on the season. The Mountain Cats travel to the Lock Haven University Duals on December 16 and to the Wilkes University Open on December 29. Pitt Johnstown's next home match will take place on Saturday, January 5, at 1:00 p.m. when East Region rival Kutztown University visits the Sports Center.

America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show travels back to our Home based Brute Adidas studios in Des Moines for a much needed catch up program. We've been on the road at America's college wrestling programs the past many weeks and return in time for this weekend's Sold Out Iowa V. Iowa State meet. Joining me in studio: Jeff Murphy, Steve Foster and Matt Kaldenberg. There's a lot going on in wrestling along side this monster event that we must talk about. Listen 9 AM to 11 AM CST Saturdays at Takedownradio.com Special Programming note This program will be filmed and will air on Thematchannel.com and Mat-Magazine.com for the first time. Our scheduled guests on the show include: Cael Sanderson- Head Coach Iowa State University. Sanderson is his second year as the head wrestling coach at Iowa State University. As an athlete, Sanderson won four NCAA titles for Iowa State University and compiled a career record of 159-0. He is the only Division I wrestler to win four NCAA titles and complete his college career undefeated. Sanderson also won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Iowa and Iowa State will face each other in a dual meet on December 9th at 2 p.m. in Ames. Jarad Swint-Head Coach of Cumberland University of Tenn. Swint enters his fifth season as the head coach of the Bulldog wrestling program. Since being at Cumberland, he has produced five All-Americans, one National Champion and nine Daktronics NAIA Scholar Athletes. In 2004, the Bulldogs led the nation in Daktronics NAIA Scholar Athletes with four. The 2006 recruiting class was ranked 12th by USA Wrestling among non-Division I recruiting classes. At the 2006, NCAA I Nationals, Swint was awarded the NWCA Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award for qualities and characteristics as a role model and mentor for developing young student athletes. In December 2006, Cumberland University broke ground on a $154,000, 4,800-square-foot building for which Swint established the foundation through his diligent fundraising work. Dale Bonsall- A 1957 graduate, of Collingswood where he compiled a modest 39-16-2 record and finished third in South Jersey his senior year under Hall of Famer Sam Coursen, Bonsall went to West Chester University where he was 38-14-1 and fourth in the Pennsylvania State College Conference championships his senior year. Bonsall, who was co-captain of his senior teams in high school and college, has been involved in wrestling for over 40 years. Following graduation from WCU in ‘61, Bonsall coached seven years in the Haverford (PA) School District, with five of those seven teams undefeated. He was an assistant coach at West Chester University for 17 years, helping produce one All-American and three East Coast Conference championships. He was head coach at West Chester in 1987 before the university dropped the sport. Loves wooden Boats. Coached at Fox Catcher. William K. Bauer- Author of Wrestling: A Boy's First Book, available through Amazon.com joins us to discuss this great little book. It's perfect for the first time reader and adult reading to a little wrestler. Jamie Moffatt- Author of Wrestler's at the Trials, available through WrestlersAtTheTrials.com. This great historical look at the trials is a must have for all wrestling fans and historians. Wrestler in Pa as a kid and then at Cornell University in College. Jay Hammond- Author of the History of Collegiate Wrestling, possibly the most comprehensive compilation of collegiate statistics and facts since the beginning of collegiate wrestling in 1903. Available at WrestlingHallOfFame.org Takedownradio.com, KXNO.com, Matchannel.com, Mat-magazine.com are our web partners. Wrestlers and MMA competitors join us each and every week. You should too! TDR is available LIVE, Archived and Pod Cast as well. Visit Takedownradio.com for more details. Thanks for listening!

EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. -- Army senior captain Fernando Martinez registered one of eight Black Knight victories en route to a 30-6 dual meet win at East Stroudsburg, Tuesday night, in Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) action. Ranked 15th in the latest NWCA poll at 125 pounds, Martinez notched an 8-0 major victory over Matthew Benedetti to improve to 18-1 this season, including a flawless 6-0 mark in dual meet competition. It was one of three major decisions captured by Army (4-2, 3-0 EIWA) on the evening as a pair of freshmen also scored bonus points for the Black Knights. Casey Thome defeated Alex Bimes, 10-1, at 149, while Dean Gaier picked up a 17-9 win over Shane Mallory in the 174-pound bout. Thome's upped his season record to 14-5, while Gaier improved to 9-8. "I was especially impressed with the way Dean competed tonight," said Army head coach Chuck Barbee. "He wrestled with a lot of poise and determination and took it to a pretty tough kid in the third period to earn the victory." Junior Whitt Dunning ran his record to 14-7 this season with a 7-4 decision over Matt Swallow at 133, while sophomore Chris Grill also picked up a decision with a 10-6 victory over Kyle Heselpoth at 157. Junior John Drew took down Joe Schick in overtime to pick up a 4-2 victory at 165, while Scott Ferguson defeated Dave Williams, 8-3, at 184 to seal the Black Knight victory in their final competition of 2007. Drew's record stands at 2-7, while Ferguson improved to 8-2. The only two Army setbacks on the evening were sophomore Matt Kyler, who lost to Sean Carr, 7-4, at 141 pounds, and senior heavyweight Nathan Thobaban, who dropped a 5-3 decision. Kyler's season record is 18-5, while Thobaben is the owner of a 16-8 mark this year. "Overall, I thought it was a good ending to a solid first semester for us," continued Barbee. "Wednesday night meets on the road are always a bit tougher, especially after a long weekend of competition like we had on Sunday at Penn State. Throw school work and being on the road again into the mix and it makes things even a little more challenging. I thought the guys responded well and took care of business." After a month break for final exams and the holidays, Army will return to action on Sunday, January 6, at the Sun Devil Duals in Tempe, Ariz.