InterMat Staff

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. –- The Pitt wrestling team traveled to Rider University for its season opener this evening. The Panthers (1-0) won six of ten bouts tonight against the Broncs (1-1) to earn their first dual win of the year, 21-13. The Panthers started off strong as true freshman Jimmy Conroy (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) won a 10-3 decision over Rider's Thomas Lorenzo to give Pitt a three-point lead. Next, redshirt junior Drew Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) returned to the mat after a redshirt season to win by a fall. He pinned Rider's Matt Bradley at the 6:24 mark to put the Panthers up, 9-0. Rider then went on to win the next two bouts as Don Fisch won a 4-2 decision over Pitt's Joe Ciampoli (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) and Mike Kessler defeated Pitt freshman Mark Generalovich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Thomas Jefferson). The Panthers were ahead, 9-6, going into the 157-pound bout. Redshirt junior Matt Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) won an 8-2 decision over Rider's Dave Miller to put Pitt ahead by six. Redshirt sophomore Sean Richmond (Emmaus, Pa./Easton) kept Pitt's momentum going, winning a 6-3 decision over Rider's Rob Morrison, and redshirt junior Keith Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) won an 8-6 decision over Rider's Doug Umbehauer to put the Panthers up, 18-6. The Broncs won the next two matches as Rider's Mike Miller won a 6-3 decision over Pitt senior Mike Heist (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) and T.J. Morrison won a 10-2 major decision over Eric Cassidy (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny). The Panthers will still in the lead, 18-13, going into the final bout. Redshirt sophomore Zach Sheaffer (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) won a 7-2 decision over Rider's Nick Ciufo to give Pitt the 21-13 win. The Panthers will head to the Cornell Body Bar this weekend and return to Pittsburgh next week for their home opener. They'll face EWL opponent Bloomsburg on Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m.

CORVALLIS, Ore. -– Oregon State got pins from 125-pounder Jake Gonzales, 141-pounder Kyle Larson, 165-pounder Brett Arand, 184-pounder Kyle Bressler and heavyweight Ty Watterson as the Beavers beat Portland State 48-3 in Pacific-10 wrestling Tuesday night at Gill Coliseum. OSU also got a technical fall from 174-pounder Jeremy Larson as it wrestled its first meet under new head coach Jim Zalesky. "We got a lot of back points and a lot of falls, and we had guys working for falls," Zalesky said. "We were aggressive in most situations … that first time out, you're working some bugs out and I thought that overall it was a good job." Tuesday night was the first time Oregon State managed at least five pins in a meet since Dec. 14, 1998, when the Beavers recorded six in a 42-9 win over Cal Poly at Gill Coliseum. The win was OSU's eighth straight over two seasons, the Beavers' longest streak since they won 13 in a row over the 1993 and 1994 seasons. Gonzales and Watterson – who had been high school teammates at Enumclaw, Wash. – bookended the meet with their pins, Gonzales stopping PSU's Westley Moniz in 2 minutes, 49 seconds, and Watterson finishing Steve Fittinger in 2:46. "I had to match him," Watterson grinned after the match. "In high school, he was always the small guy and we had a competitive team, we'd try to outdo everybody else. Now that I think back, that's how I'd have to look at our matches." Watterson, a senior ranked seventh in the nation by the National Wrestling Coaches Association and eighth in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News in the preseason, got the 17th pin of his career to move into a tie for 35th place on OSU's list of all-time leaders. "These coaches are telling us what to do, they're pointing us in the right direction," Watterson said of Zalesky and his staff. "We know the expectations, and I think everybody is trying to step up their match a little bit. Guys are buying into it, and they know it will pay off at the end." OSU 174-pounder Jeremy Larson, ranked No. 20 by the NWCA and No. 12 by AWN, started his season with a technical fall over Tony Contreras in 6:44 by a 26-11 score. Larson reeled off 10 takedowns and a reversal in the match. After Gonzales started the night with his pin, the Beavers got a major decision from Bobby Pfennigs at 133 pounds and then Kyle Larson – ranked No. 20 by AWN – earned the fastest fall of the night, taking 53 seconds to beat C.J. Grandjean. Derek Kipperberg tacked on a decision to put the Beavers in front 19-3, then the Vikings (0-3 overall, 0-2 Pacific-10) got their only win of the night as 157-pounder Brady Garner outlasted OSU's Andy Hall 13-11. Brett Arand started the second half of the evening in dramatic fashion, as he trailed PSU's Dale Seley 5-4 late in the first period before scoring a takedown and then the pin in 2:46. Jeremy Larson scored his technical fall, then teammate Kyle Bressler beat the clock to score his pin of Keena Washington in 6:54. At 197, the Beavers' Travis Gardner earned a forfeit before Watterson wrapped things up with his first-period pin. "This was really big," Gonzales said of OSU's dual win. "It shows Coach Zalesky is doing the right things and his staff is doing the right things. The things the coaches are doing are preparing us." It was OSU's widest margin of victory and highest score since a 49-0 win over PSU in 2004. OSU now goes to the Jack Hancock Dual Invitational at Colorado School of Mines on Saturday.

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. -- Elizabethtown College won its home opener and first dual match of the 2006-07 season 26-12 over Johns Hopkins University Tuesday night. It is the first time Elizabethtown, which used a lineup of one junior and nine first-year students, has begun a season 1-0 in dual matches since 1999-00. Johns Hopkins dropped to 0-1 in dual matches with the loss. Junior 125-pounder Peter Achilles (Geneva, NY/Geneva) began the match with a victory on a pin for Elizabethtown in 6:28. At 133 pounds, Eric Rhoads (Manheim, PA/Manheim Central) followed with a pin in 2:04 to give Elizabethtown a 12-0 lead. Johns Hopkins won a 9-2 decision at 141 pounds to cut the gap to 12-3. Elizabethtown's Bud Croswell (Newark, DE/Sanford) won a technical fall in 2:31 at 149 pounds to boost the lead to 17-3. Hopkins followed with a 10-3 win at 157 pounds, and Keith Staulters (Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa) won a 5-4 decision at 165 pounds for Elizabethtown to make the score 20-6. Hopkins began to mount a comeback, winning a 2-1 decision at 174 pounds and a 4-2 decision at 184 pounds to cut Elizabethtown's lead down to 20-12. Elizabethtown clinched the match victory when Deron Sharp (Millville, NJ/Millville) won an 8-4 decision at 197 pounds to put the host Blue Jays up 23-12. At heavyweight, Tim Katzaman (Wyomissing, PA/Wyomissing Area) won 7-2 for Elizabethtown to complete the team scoring. Elizabethtown will return to action at the Ursinus College Fall Brawl Saturday, November 18 at 9:30 a.m.

STATEN ISLAND, New York -- Five Hofstra wrestlers recorded falls, and two others tallied tech falls to make new Coach Tom Shifflet's debut a successful one with a 56-0 Colonial Athletic Association victory at Wagner College (0-5, 0-1) at the Spiro Sports Center Tuesday night. The 11th-ranked Pride (1-0, 1-0) extended their conference dual match undefeated streak to 48 (47-0-1) matches including 45 consecutive victories. In a match that lasted just 42 minutes with two Wagner forfeits, only two bouts went past the first period as the Pride rolled by the Seahawks. Freshman Lou Ruggirello posted the quickest of the five falls, pinning Wagner freshman Joe Cipriano in 41 seconds at 133 pounds. Junior Charles Griffin, ranked 14th at 141 pounds, pinned junior Joe Eurell in 1:02. Senior James Strouse, ranked 12th at 157 pounds, pinned freshman Chris Parish in 1:24. Senior Matt Pollock, a transfer from Cornell University, pinned junior John Graeffe in 2:06 at heavyweight. Returning All-American, senior Chris Weidman, ranked sixth in the country, recorded a fall at 197 pounds over Robert Rivera in 2:07 seconds. Senior Mike Patrovich, ranked third at 165 pounds, posted a tech fall over sophomore Sean Quinn in 2:41 by a score of 15-0. Junior Dave Tomasette, ranked 20th at 125 pounds, cruised to a tech fall win over Nick Keshecki in 5:00 by a 17-2 count. Senior Mike Parziale tallied the only decision that went the distance with a 14-5 major decision over senior Justin Ensign. Sophomore Alton Lucas, at 174 pounds, and junior Joe Rovelli, at 184 pounds, posted victories by forfeit. Shifflet and the Pride will make their home debut at the David S. Mack Sports Complex (formerly Hofstra Arena) Wednesday night (Nov. 15) when they host the Black Knights of Army. Match time is 7 p.m.

Austin Scarset of Augustana has been named the North Central Conference Co-Wrestler of the Week for his performance at the Dakota Wesleyan Open on Saturday. He shared the award with J.D. Naig of Nebraska-Omaha. Scarset, a senior from Westbrook, Minn., won the 157-pound class at the Dakota Wesleyan Open by dominating his competition. He received a first-round bye before pinning Spencer Novotny of Dakota Wesleyan in 1:34. In the third round he racked up a major decision with a 22-8 win over unattached Russel Lumley before having a techical fall (18-3) over Frankie Schoonover of Dickinson State in the semifinals. He continued to roll as he got a major decision over Morningside's Matt Gustafson, 20-8, to win the tournament.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Big Red wrestling team will open its season Saturday when it will host the Body Bar Invitational in Newman Arena in Bartels Hall. Cornell returns two-time All-American Jerry Rinaldi and returning national runner-up Troy Nickerson. Ranked eighth by W.I.N. magazine's pre-season poll, the Big Red also returns NCAA qualifiers Keith Dickey, Jordan Leen, Steve Anceravage, and Joey Hooker. 125: At the 125 weight class, the Big Red returns 2006 NCAA Runner-Up Nickerson. Last season, Nickerson had a tremendous rookie campaign earning the Ivy League Wrestler of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors. Winning the first 18 matches of his collegiate career, he took titles at the Body Bar Invitational, Las Vegas Invitational, Southern Scuffle, and EIWA Championships. He concluded his freshman season going an impressive 36-2. Nickerson will wrestle at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 20 in Dallas, Texas. Backing up Nickerson at 125, will be Mike Rodriguez who took fifth at the New York State Championships last season. His sophomore campaign, Rodriguez went 8-6 for the year. The Kammakian, Wash. Native was a two-time high school state champion and Junior Greco-Roman National Champion adding outstanding depth at 125. 133: The Body Bar Invitational results could determine who will start at 133. In contention for the spot will be Nick Bridge, Adam Frey, and Corey Hamabata. As a sophomore, Bridge saw action at both 133 and 141 pounds. Going 7-7 for the season, he took sixth at the New York State Championships. Also competing at 133, will be Blair Academy standout, Adam Frey. He won three national prep championships as well as a high school national championships. In Fargo, N.D., he won a double Junior National title. With his talent on the mat, Frey could become Cornells next freshman All-American. Another contender for the starting spot will be Walnut, Calif. native Corey Hamabata. The junior college transfer won a California Junior College title and will work to continue his success at the Division I level. 141: In order to add more depth to the Big Red lineup, NCAA qualifier Dickey has dropped a weight class for his capstone year wearing the Cornell singlet. His junior season, he wrestled in 11 of Cornell's 14 dual matches going 10-9 overall. Dickey went 3-0 at the Southern Scuffle, and as the No. 7 seed at the EIWA Championships, he finished in fourth place. At the NCAA Championships, Dickey picked up two wins. Also returning at 141, will be senior Matt Easter. He will be returning after a season ending injury that he suffered late last season. Easter competed in nine dual meets for the Big Red last season picking up wins over opponents from Lock Haven, Columbia, and Brown. Other competitors at 141 will be junior Evan Schiedel and freshmen Corey Manson and Brian Alves. Manson won two Tennessee state championships, and Alves is a two-time California state place winner. 149: At 149, Leen will be looking to once again wrestle in the starting spot for the Big Red. The 2005 NCAA qualifier will wrestle up a weight class after making the All-Ivy First Team and Ivy League Rookie of the Year during his freshman campaign. He posted a 25-16 overall record and also placed third at the EIWA tournament. Against Ancient Eight wrestlers, Leen went undefeated. Sophomore Tim Ironman and freshmen, Josh Basting and Josh Knecht, will be competing with Leen for the start in the Cornell lineup. Basting was a North Dakota state champion and three time finalist. Knect placed fourth and seventh at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Championships. 157: Four time All-American Dustin Manottis vacancy at the 157 spot will create an opportunity for a battle for the starting spot in the lineup. Possibly the deepest weight class in the Big Red wrestling room which includes contenders, senior David Post, junior Charlie Agozzino, and sophomores Drake Hovis and Curtis Roddy. Post has seen starting time in each of his seasons at Cornell and will drop a weight class for his final year. The Big Red will hope to use his veteran experience throughout the year. For his junior campaign, Post went 7-4 for the year at 165. At last years Body Bar, Post took fifth place and also finished third at the New York State Championships. Agozzino will look to earn a place in the starting lineup after being out last season due to injuries. His sophomore season he went 4-1 at the Southern Scuffle to take second place. Agozzino also competed in three dual matches for the Big Red. After taking a year off of school, Hovis will look to make a run at the 157 position. Hovis won three Missouri state titles and achieved All-American status in the freestyle Junior National Tournament. 165: After finishing last season an impressive 25-8, NCAA qualifier Steve Anceravage will work keep the starting spot at 165. His sophomore campaign saw him take second at the Body Bar Invitational, third at the Las Vegas Invitational, and second at the Southern Scuffle and EIWA Championships. Anceravage will look to earn his first All-American honor this season. Junior Mike Mackie will challenge Anceravage for the starting spot after dropping two weight classes. At 184 last season, Mackie finished fifth at the New York State Championships. At 174, Mackie went 3-3 which included a win for the Big Red in a dual meet against Princeton. Freshman Justin Kerber will also look to battle his way into the 165 weight class. A high school All-American, Kerber was a two-time Iowa state champion. He will look to grow into a powerful upper-weight for the Big Red. 174: There should be an intense battle for the starting spot at 174 between junior Joey Hooker and senior Luke Hogle. Last season, then senior, Dan Miracola went to the NCAAs at this weight and Hooker and Hogle will hope to follow in his footsteps. Hooker took third in the 165 weight class at the Body Bar Invitational last season and will move up a weight class for his junior campaign. In 2005, Hooker took fourth at the EIWA Championships to earn his way to the NCAAs. Going 24-14 for his sophomore campaign, Hooker earned a spot on the All-Ivy Second Team. Hogle will look to return to the Big Red lineup after suffering a season ending injury last season. He expects to be back 100 percent by the Body Bar Invitational. Very dangerous from all positions, Hogle went 19-6 during his sophomore campaign. He took third at the Body Bar Invitational and won the crown at the New York State Championships. 184: The contenders for the 184 position in the lineup will look to continue the Big Reds past success in this weight class. In 2005, now coach, Tyler Baier was the runner-up at the NCAA Championships earning All-American status. Last season, then senior, Joe Mazzurco took sixth place at the NCAAs. After taking third place at the Body Bar Invitational last season, Josh Arnone's freshman career was cut short due to injury. Largely untested at the collegiate level, Arnone will look to earn a chance to compete at the national level. Freshmen Nate Holley and Matt Panasevich will look to challenge Arnone for the 184 spot. Holley is a two-time state place winner from Illinois, and Panasevich placed twice at the Pennsylvania State Championships as well as placing fifth at the high school national championships. 197: The Big Red will return senior All-American Jerry Rinaldi at the 197 weight class. During his junior campaign, Rinaldi took first place at the Body Bar Invitational and Southern Scuffle. He also took second at the EIWA Championships and fourth place at the NCAAs to go 28-3 for the season. Rinaldi will join Nickerson and wrestle at the NWCA All-Star Classic next week. Freshman Carl Landers will back up Rinaldi at 197. Landers placed third at the Virginia State Championships in 2006 and will join the Big red at the conclusion of the Cornell Football season. 285: Three Cornell upper classmen will contend for the starting spot at 285. The Big Red returns last years starter Zach Hammond. Despite missing most of the season due to injuries, Hammond placed fifth at the EIWA tournament and went 8-8 for the year. Senior Jason Manross will hope to challenge Hammond for the starting role. Manross wrestled at the Body Bar Invitational and Southern Scuffle for the Big Red last season. Also looking to stake his claim on the 285 spot is junior Doug Weidner. Weidner, a 2003 state runner-up in Pennsylvania, will use his strength and agility to contend for the starting role as he moves up from the 197 weight class. The Big Red will open its season Saturday as it hosts the Body Bar Invitational held in Newman Arena in Bartels Hall.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Thirty-four members of Penn State's No. 8 wrestling team took to the mats for the 2006 version of Nittany Lion Wrestle-Offs today in Rec Hall. Head coach Troy Sunderland and 2,000 fans watched as one of the nation's top teams was showcased in the annual intra-squad tournament. 125: Junior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 11 at 125, pinned red-shirt freshman Eric Caschera (South Williamsport, Pa.) at 3:00 as the first period ended to pen up his return to action after transferring last year from Buffalo. Since McKnight and Caschera were the only 125-pounders wrestling, the twosome met one more time with McKnight bolting out to a 14-3 lead after one period and 23-5 tech fall at 5:52. 133: Junior Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) got things started early at 133 with an impressive 11-4 win over freshman Chris Robbins (Frederica, Del.). The win gave Haas a shot at No. 8 Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) in the winners bracket finals. Strayer opened with an early takedown in that match and rolled to an impressive 10-1 win over Haas. The coaching staff decided to stop action at 133 pounds after Strayer's impressive win, so no consolations took place. 141: Senior Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.) opened up action at 141 with a solid win over freshman Mike Eagan (Wharton, N.J.). Heller broke open a tight match early by outscoring Eagan 4-0 in the second period on his way to a 12-1 major decision. Freshman Christian Harr (Hollidaysburg, Pa.) notched a takedown as time expired to post a 5-4 win over Ben Mandelbraut (Sharon, Mass.). In the winners bracket finals, Heller downed Harr 10-2 to await the winner of wrestle-backs. Eagan got a medical forfeit over Mandelbraut in wrestle-backs to earn a match-up with Harr. Harr scored a takedown with under ten seconds left to grab a thrilling 5-4 win over Eagan in the consolation finals, earning a rematch with Heller. Heller would claim the crown at 141 with a hard-fought 8-5 win over Harr in the final bout. 149: In an anticipated battle at 149, red-shirt freshman Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) met true freshman Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.). Jenkins opened up a 2-1 lead after one period, but Vallimont tied things at 2-2 after two. Jenkins chose down to begin the third period and escaped to a 3-2 lead. Vallimont countered with two late shots and, on the last one, scored a decisive takedown with just two seconds left to post a 4-3 win. Since the duo were the only two wrestlers at 149, they met again over an hour later, with Vallimont opening up an early lead with an impressive takedown on the outer circle to lead 2-0 after one. Jenkins chose down to start the second and tied the match with a reversal. Vallimont reclaimed a 3-2 lead after an escape and held that lead through the middle period. Vallimont chose down to begin the final stanza and escaped to a 4-2 lead. The two-time New Jersey state champion who did not lose as a junior or senior in high school stretched his lead to 6-2 and posted an impressive 8-3 win over the talented Jenkins. 157: A key bout at 157 took place early with senior Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.), ranked No. 11 nationally, took the mat against true freshman Josh Rohler (Akron, Ohio). The twosome wrestled to a scoreless tie after one period. Rohler led 1-0 after two with an escape from a chosen down position. Galloway chose down to begin the third but could not escape and Rohler grabbed a 2-0 win. Sophomore Jason Lapham (West Chazy, N.Y.) grabbed a tough 4-3 win over sophomore Jon Clemens (McVeytown, Pa.) in another opening round bout. In the winners bracket final, Rohler and Lapham wrestled to a 0-0 tie after one period. Rohler chose down to begin the second, but Lapham rode him for the entire period, building up a 2:00 riding time edge and getting a 1-0 lead due to a Rohler stall point. Lapham chose neutral to begin the final period and held off each Rohler scoring attempt to post the impressive 2-0 win and await the consolation bracket winner. Wrestle-backs began with Galloway tangling with Clemens. The duo was tied at 1-1 after regulation and went into sudden victory time. Galloway nearly notched a takedown as the period wound down but Clemens fought off the move. Clemens chose down in the first overtime period and escaped to a 2-1 lead. Galloway chose down and got a point when Clemens locked his hands while on top. With :12 left, Galloway needed an escape for the win but could not get the point. A second sudden victory period was also scoreless, setting up two more overtime periods. Galloway chose down to begin his period and gave up two back-points. Clemens, leading 4-2 in his overtime period, chose down to begin the :30 period and escaped to post a 5-2 win. Clemens moved on to face Rohler in the next bout at 157 and continued his impressive run with a solid 5-3 win, earning a rematch with Jason Lapham in the finals. Lapham scored two early takedowns to take a 4-1 lead into the second period. He chose down to begin the second and escaped to a 5-1 lead, which he would carry into the final period. Lapham gave up only one point in the third to take a 5- 2 win in the final bout at 157. 165: Sophomore Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) got a hot start at 165 with a quick pin of Michael Lorenzo (Bellefonte, Pa.) in 2:07. True freshman Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) gave early notice to his prowess by bolting out to an early 6-2 lead over Zach Snyder (Mt. Pleasant, Pa.) and rolling to an 11-4 win. In the winners bracket final, Friend opened up with a 2-1 lead over Rella after one period. Friend added another takedown in the second period and led 4-1 after two. Friend would go on to post an impressive 6-1 win to await the winner of consolations. Lorenzo was leading 5-2 over Snyder when Snyder suffered an injury and could not continue, giving Lorenzo the win and a shot at Rella in the consolation finals. Rella proved too much for the Bellefonte native, posting an impressive 19-7 win. Rella's victory earned him a chance to wrestle Friend again. Friend got out to an early 5-1 lead but Rella closed the gap to 5-3 with a takedown late in the second. But Friend would counter a late Rella shot to post a convincing 7-3 win in the finals. 174: Senior All-American James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.), who's training has been altered by his student teaching duties, did get a shot to wrestle-off today as Sunderland felt that he needed the mat time heading into the Pa. Duals and his appearance in the NWCA Classic in Dallas. Yonushonis, ranked No. 3 nationally, opened up with a solid 6-0 win over talented sophomore Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.). The only two wrestlers at 174, Yonushonis and Decker met again over an hour later with Yonushonis claiming a 6-3 win. 184: In a wide open weight class, sophomore Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) inched his way out to a 4-2 lead over senior vBrian Cantalupi (Carlisle, Pa.) after two periods and held on for a hard-fought 6-3 win. In the brackets other opening round match, red-shirt freshman Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio) scored a takedown early in extra time for a 4-2 overtime win over senior A.J. Cummings (Lititz, Pa.). In the winners bracket final, Bomberger and Ward found themselves locked in a battle that went into sudden victory time tied 1-1. Bomberger shot quickly out of the opening whistle and nearly scored a winning takedown, but Ward managed to fight off the attempt for a stalemate. In the first overtime period, Ward chose down but could not escape in 30 seconds. Bomberger chose down and quickly escaped to a 2-1 lead that he would hold on to for the win. Cantalupi got a 4-2 win over Cummins in the first consolation bout to move on, facing Ward in the conso finals, where he posted a 2-1 overtime win. Bomberger and Cantalupi met again in the finals and Bomberger opened up a 6-2 lead early, but Cantalupi cut the lead to 6-4 before the first period ended. Bomberger led 9-5 in the second when Cantalupi bowed out with an injury, giving Bomberger the injury default win in the finals. 197: Defending Big Ten champion Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 197 pounds, was given the day off by Sunderland as he continues to train for the NWCA Classic in Dallas. Action began with red-shirt freshman Eric Burnett (Uniondale, N.Y.) posting a 4-1 win over sophomore David Klug (Pennington, N.J.). Burnett's win moved him into the winners bracket final against junior Chad Unger (Perry, Ohio). Unger scored a takedown in the first to lead 2-0 after one and added a quick second in the middle stanza to open up a 4-0 lead. He would cement the win with a pin at 4:09. In consolations, Burnett downed Klug 4-3 to earn another shot at Unger in the finals. But the results were the same as Unger pinned Burnett again, this time in 1:00. HWT: Heavyweight began with freshman Brendan Herlihy (Fairfield, Conn.) handing classmate Nathan Andrews (Spring Mills, Pa.) a 9-5 win. In the winners bracket semis, senior Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.) posted an impressive 23-7 tech fall over Herlihy at 5:03. Transfer John Laboranti (Scranton, Pa.) grabbed a 4-2 win over Joe Farina (Denville, N.J.) in the other heavyweight semifinal bout. In the winners bracket final, Anspach, unranked in the coaches poll but ranked as high as No. 18 in others, led 2-1 after one period in his bout with transfer Laboranti. Anspach opened his lead up to 3-1 after two periods. After and escape, Laboranti tied the match at 4-4 with a takedown, only to be taken down shortly thereafter. Anspach would hold on for a hard fought 6-5 win to await the winner of wrestle-backs. In consolations, Herlihy again downed Andrews, this time with a 14-5 major. Herlihy then matched up with Farina in wrestle-backs but fell as Farina posted a solid 4-1 win, getting another chance to tangle with Laboranti. Farina took advantage and posted a 5-2 win, moving into the finals against Anspach. Anspach dominated the HWT finals bout, bolting out to a 4-1 lead after one period and rolling to a 15-2 major decision. The Nittany Lions will open up the regular season at the Pennsylvania Duals on Saturday, Nov. 19. Penn State faces Clarion at 10 a.m., Pitt-Johnstown at 12 p.m. and No. 13 Edinboro at 2 p.m. Day-long passes cost $15 and can be ordered by calling the LHU Athletics Department at 570-893-2102. Penn State's home season begins with a Dec. 8 dual vs. Lehigh. This year's season ticket prices are $24 for adults and $18 for students. Single dual prices are $5 per event for adults and $3 per event for youth. Contact the Penn State ticket office at 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 for more information or visit GoPSUsports.com.

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

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

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