InterMat Staff

This weekend we take our mobile Brute Adidas Studios on the road for 2 brand new episodes of Takedown Radio as we come to LIVE from Ames, Iowa Saturday November 10th. 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 live broadcast every Saturday as we talk to the worlds greatest athletes. TDR is available LIVE, Archived and Pod Cast. Visit Takedownradio.com for more details. We'll start this broadcast at 9:05 AM 11:00 AM Saturday. Our Guests will Include: Cyclone Wrestling Club President Jeff Murphy, Cyclone Head Coach Cael Sanderson, Cody Sanderson, Tim Hartung and Dylan Long, Paulson Brothers, Kurt Backes. Wrestlers and other folks will join us throughout the day. Our 2nd broadcast will begin 12 NOON CST to completion of the event. Join us for this special broadcast LIVE from Ames, Iowa at Takedownradio.com, KXNO.com, Matchannel.com, Mat-magazine.com. 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!

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue junior tri-captain Jake Patacsil earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors from the conference office on Wednesday after winning the 149-pound championship at the Eastern Michigan Open on Saturday. Ranked eighth at 149 pounds in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) polls, Patacsil was nothing short of dominant at the Boilermakers' season-opening tournament. He shut out all of his opponents on the day, earning 16-0 technical-fall victories in his first three matches and pinning his fourth foe in 1:59. His 28 total back points on the day increased his career total to 312, and vaulted him from fourth to second on the Boilermakers' all-time records list. He's now just 79 back points short of the career record at Purdue, currently held by Boilermaker Head Coach Scott Hinkel at 391. Patacsil also holds spots on the career lists for reversals and falls, ranking 15th with 25 career reversals and 16th with 16 career falls. His 2007 campaign was one for the record books as well as he hit marks on four of the Purdue single-season record lists. He set the highest single-season back point total at 190, tied for seventh with 11 falls, tied for 14th with 34 wins and tied for 16th with 14 reversals. He capped all of this with his first career trip to the NCAA Tournament, making him the third member of his family to represent the Boilermakers at the national tournament. His grandfather, Joe Patacsil, won the 1950 128-Pound Championship, while his father, Frank Patacsil, qualified for the NCAA Championships in 1981 and 1983. Patacsil plans to skip this weekend's Michigan State Open and should return to action on Saturday, Nov. 16, at the ACC/Big Ten Clash in Chapel Hill, N.C.

IOWA CITY -- The preseason wrestling rankings have been posted and second-year University of Iowa coach Tom Brands already sees things he wants edited. "We need to be a lot better than where we're ranked right now," Brands said Wednesday at his media day press conference in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "If we're third in one poll (W.I.N. Magazine), we need to be two spots higher. If we're fourth in the other poll (USA Today/NWCA/Intermat) we need to be three spots higher. That's the mindset of the program." The Hawkeyes finished eighth at the NCAA Championship last season and return 13 letterwinners, six national qualifiers and three All-Americans in junior Charlie Falk (eighth at 125 pounds), senior Alex Tsirtsis (seventh at 141 in 2006) and senior Mark Perry (defending national champion at 165). Iowa will hold its annual team wrestle-offs to determine the starting lineup over a three-day period from Nov. 8-10. A partial squad will compete at the Harold Nichols Open on Saturday, Nov. 10, beginning at 10 a.m., in Hilton Coliseum in Ames. Brands said that he thinks the program is heading in the right direction in 2007-08, which was not the case a year ago. He said the team lacked the consistency it needed to excel during the entire season. "My expectations were certainly better than up and down," Brands said. "We have to be competing for titles across the weight class spectrum. Then we'll be competing for a title as a team." The Hawkeyes will not be lacking depth. Five transfers from Virginia Tech -- Joe Slaton (133), Dan LeClere (141), Brent Metcalf (149), T.H. Leet (165) and Jay Borschel (174) -- are all eligible. Add to the room 12 true freshmen and there will undoubtedly be vicious competition for every varsity spot. "We're getting some pretty good kids in the our room, that's what we're doing," Brands said. "The best guys will find their way into the lineup. What's hard is when you have one option and he's not coming around. Easy is letting the best guy go out there at whip some tail." Iowa was 14-5 overall last season, 5-3 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes were 3-3 in their final six duals and placed third in the conference tournament with one champion (Perry). There are nine league teams ranked in the top 17 of both preseason polls. "We're getting some pretty good kids in the our room, that's what we're doing. The best guys will find their way into the lineup. What's hard is when you have one option and he's not coming around. Easy is letting the best guy go out there at whip some tail." UI Coach Tom Brands "It's no different," Brands said. "The challenge is the same every year. The battle is in-state. The battle is Big Ten and regional. The battle is national. The battle is planet Earth. If they find life out there, then the battle will be universal." Brands said that a majority of the Hawkeye wrestlers believe they can win a national championship this season. That number has increased from what Brands viewed as a minority a year ago. "You see a lot more scraps on the mat," Brands said. "They're walking with that `I own the mat mentality' and when they're walking like that, they're feeling pretty good about being the next national champion at their weight class." One key off-season personnel move was the hiring of Doug Schwab as interim assistant coach. Schwab, a three-time All-American and Big Ten champions for the Hawkeyes from 1998-2001, is also an integral gauge for Brands. If practice begins and Schwab is a busy man, then Brands is smiling. If not, there's still work to do. "Schwab is still waiting for more guys to go up to him and say, `I'm going with you today,'" Brands said. "So we're not quite there yet. When Schwab has a line up behind him of guys wanting to wrestle him, then we're where we want to be. Right now he's got Metcalf and Perry." Returning starters for Iowa are Falk at 125, Tsirtsis at 141, sophomore Ryan Morningstar at 157, Perry at 165, sophomore Phillip Keddy at 184, junior Dan Erekson at 197 and senior Matt Fields at 285. Last season Perry was a Big Ten champion, Falk was runner-up, Tsirtsis was third, Fields was fourth, Morningstar was fifth and Keddy was seventh.

IOWA CITY, IA -- WRESTLE-OFFS ANNOUNCED Iowa will hold its annual team wrestle-offs, to determine the 2007-08 lineup, over a three-day period this week. All matches will be held at the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and are open to the public. Admission is free. The quarterfinal matches will be held Thursday at 3:30 p.m., semifinals will be Friday at 3:30 p.m. and finals will be Saturday at 9 a.m. Following are the scheduled matchups: Thursday's Quarterfinals 133 - Tyler Halverson vs. Tom Magnani 165 - Ryan Kurovski vs. Weston Marling Friday's Semifinals 133 - Daniel Dennis vs. Winner Halverson/Magnani 133 - Montel Marion vs. Joe Slaton 141 - Alex Tsirtsis vs. Ethan Sebert 141 - Derek Coorough vs. Dan LeClere 149 - Brent Metcalf vs. Stew Gillmor 149 - Nick LeClere vs. Matt Ballweg 157 - T.H. Leet vs. Brooks Kopsa 165 - Mark Perry vs. Winner Kurovski/Marling 165 - Michael Fahrer vs. Jake Kerr 184 - Vinnie Wagner vs. Rick Loera Hwt. - Blake Rasing vs. Jordan Johnson Saturday's Finals 125 - Charlie Falck vs. J.J. Krutsinger 133 - Winner Dennis/Halverson/Magnani vs. Winner Marion/Slaton 141 - Winner Tsirtsis/Sebert vs. Winner Coorough/ D. LeClere 149 - Winner Metcalf/Gillmor vs. Winner N. LeClere/Ballweg 157 - Ryan Morningstar vs. Winner Leet/Kopsa 165 - Winner Perry/Kurovski/Marling vs. Winner Fahrer/Kerr 184 - Phillip Keddy vs. Winner Wagner/Loera 197 - Derrick Mehmen vs. Brodie Ambrose Hwt. - Matt Fields vs. Winner Rasing/Johnson 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 Purchased in Advance - $8 - Adults, $4 - Youth Single-Match Tickets Purchased at the Door - $10 - Adults, $5 - Youth SEASON OPENER The Hawkeyes will send a partial team to the Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open in Ames, IA. Competition is scheduled to start Saturday at 10 a.m. in Hilton Coliseum. 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 also 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, audio broadcasts and dual livestats 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. 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. IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 809-214-30 (.783) in 95 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. 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). GABLE STEPS DOWN, SCHWAB PROMOTED Dan Gable, arguably the state of Iowa's most successful student-athlete and coach and the architect of one of college athletics' longest running dynasties, stepped down from from the position of assistant wrestling coach. He returned to his role as special assistant to the director of athletic on Oct. 1. Three-time all-American and former Hawkeye wrestler Doug Schwab was promoted from volunteer assistant to interim assistant in his place. Gable remains fully engaged in the day-to-day operations of Iowa's wrestling program, but without the title or on-the-mat responsibilities that come with the title of assistant coach. "Dan has been my coach and my mentor," said Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands. "What's important to me is that he's going to remain involved in the Hawkeye wrestling program and will continue to play a significant role as we continue to make progress toward the goal of domination." "My assistant coach's role was always temporary and I'm not going anywhere," explained Gable. "I'll be directly involved in our wrestling program as much as NCAA rules allow me to be. I'm very excited for everyone who loves the sport of wrestling and cares about wrestling at the University of Iowa and worldwide. I feel good about the direction of our program, the leadership and the young men who are involved. What isn't temporary, and what will never be temporary, is the respect and appreciation I have for Tom, his drive and determination, and the love he has for wrestling. We're in very, very good hands and there is absolutely no doubt we're headed in the right direction." Schwab served as Iowa's volunteer assistant coach last season and spent two seasons (2005-06) as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech University under Brands. "We got the best young coach in the country whose role will now expand into off campus recruiting," said Brands. "He has been very valuable to the structure of this program. He kows how to make our student-athletes better people and better wrestlers." Schwab was a three-time all-American and Big Ten champion for the Hawkeyes, lettering from 1998-2001. He won the 1999 NCAA title at 141 pounds and finished his collegiate career with 130 wins, which ranks 10th-best in school history. The Osage, IA, native has remained active in international competition. He won the 2007 U.S. Senior Freestyle title, earned a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and placed fifth at the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Schwab's other post-college national wrestling accomplishments include winning the 145.5-pound title at the 2003 Sunkist Kids International Open and earning Outstanding Wrestler honors in the freestyle event. In 2005, Schwab won the 145-pound division of Real Pro Wrestling, earning Outstanding Wrestler honors as part of the champion Iowa Stalkers team. WHAT I DID THIS SUMMER University of Iowa assistant wrestling coaches Doug Schwab and Mike Zadick, and Hawkeye redshirt freshman Jake Kerr all competed internationally last summer. Schwab and Zadick earned spots on the 2007 United States World Freestyle Team and competed at the World Championships, September 17-23 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Both won titles at the Senior Freestyle World Team Trials in Las Vegas, NV, in June. Zadick had to post a win over 2007 U.S. National Champion Nate Gallick in a special best-of-three wrestle-off in Colorado Springs, CO, to earn his world team spot. Zadick, won a silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, while Schwab picked up a bonze medal. At the world team trials, Schwab was the No. 6 seed at 66 kg entering the tournament, while Zadick was the top seed at 60 kg. Schwab upset the top three seeds during the challenge tournament, and beat defending U.S. National freestyle champion Chris Bono in the finals. He was named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week for his performance. Zadick beat Zach Roberson of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club in the finals. Kerr, who wrestles at 165 pounds for the Hawkeyes, represented the United States at the FILA Junior World Championships in Beijing, China. NEXT COMPETITION The Hawkeyes will compete at the annual Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, NE, Nov. 17. Competition starts at 9 a.m. at Lee & Helene Sapp Fieldhouse on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus. A total of 42 teams and approximately 650 wrestlers will compete at the meet. It's easily the country's largest single-day collegiate meet. The tournament will be wrestled in two age-based divisions - an open division and a 20-and-under division.

The UFC announced this week that 2000 NCAA champion Brock Lesnar will make his debut at UFC 81 on Feb. 2 (Super Bowl weekend) against Frank Mir at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Brock LesnarLesnar, a former WWE pro wrestling star who tried out for the Minnesota Vikings in 2004, is currently 1-0 in mixed martial arts. His lone fight came against Min Soo-Kim on June 2, 2007 on the K-1 Dynamite!! USA show at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. "Obviously, I don't think I'm ready for a title shot right away," Lesnar recently told the UFC, "but I will be there, and I'm not gonna turn down any opponent because I'm here to prove myself. I'm not here to pick and choose my fights. I'll fight whomever they want. I don't make the fights. That's not my job. I've got one job to do and that's to fight." Mir, who is known as a submission specialist, is a formidable opponent and a well-known fighter in the UFC. He is a former UFC heavyweight champion with a professional record of 10-3. Included on his resume is a victory in 2004 over former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia. In September of 2004, Mir was in a serious accident that put him out of competition for nearly 20 months. In his last fight, Mir defeated Antoni Hardonk at UFC 74 with a Kimura in 1:17 of the first round.

COLUMBUS, Ohio –- With eight wins, including three pins to its credit, the eighth-ranked Ohio State wrestling team posted a 36-6 victory over Notre Dame College in its season opener Sunday at the Wylie Athletic Center in Maple Heights, Ohio. The Buckeyes now are 1-0, while the Falcons fall to 0-1. The four All-Americans from last spring – J Jaggers, Lance Palmer, Mike Pucillo and J.D. Bergman - came out strong, recording three pins and a technical fall. The sixth-ranked Jaggers, who wrestled at 141 pounds, downed Brett Freeman in 2:03. At 184 pounds, No. 4 Pucillo completed his match in 2:36 after pinning Cory Braden. Up a weight class to heavyweight this season, Bergman dropped No. 6 Nick Terifaj in 1:27. Third-ranked Lance Palmer scored 18 points against No. 6 Nate Spencer to win by a technical fall. "Our four All-Americans dominated like we expected them to," Tom Ryan, head coach, said. "But I give credit to Frank Romano for approaching our program and asking us to compete. Notre Dame College will win some titles in the NAIA if they keep grabbing some of the top players in the state of Ohio." The wrestling program at Notre Dame College is a member of the American Mideast Conference and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). It is in its second year of existence and former Buckeye Frank Romano (1968-1970) serves as head coach. At 125 pounds, freshman Nikko Triggas earned a 5-2 victory against Tyler Savage to give the Buckeyes their first three points of the day. Sophomore Reece Humphrey followed with an 8-3 decision over Dante Rini at 133 pounds to extend the lead to 6-0. After missing last season because of injury, senior Alex Picazo returned to action at 174 pounds and posted a 9-2 decision over Paul Kordich. Sophomore Zack Weinrich garnered the final win for Ohio State when he beat Matt Kuti, 14-3, for the major decision. "This was a good event," Ryan said. "The crowd was great and it is proof why Northeast Ohio has some of the greatest wrestling in the country. As a team, it is a great start, but we still have plenty to work on." Freshman Robel Campbell wrestled at 165 pounds and lost, 6-4, to Mike Mahon and at 157 pounds, Jason Johnstone dropped a close 8-7 decision against Victor Crenshaw. Ohio State will travel to Chattanooga, Tenn., for the Chattanooga Duals Nov. 10 at Maclellan Gym. The event will begin at 1 p.m. Other teams scheduled to compete are Anderson and Cumberland Universities. The Buckeyes' first home dual is at 7 p.m. Nov. 26 vs. Rutgers in St. John Arena. Tickets are $8 for the general public and $5 for students.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Nearly 1,800 fans filled Rec Hall as the 2007-08 wrestling season had its table set with Penn State's annual Wrestle-Offs. Twenty five Nittany Lion grapplers took to the mats to stake their claims on the Penn State depth chart this season. Head coach Troy Sunderland's two returning All-Americans, Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) at 197 and Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) at 141, did not wrestle in the event. Davis, ranked No. 2 nationally at 197, was the only wrestler entered at his weight while Strayer, ranked No. 7 at 141, did not compete due to a slight injury. At 125, No. 11 Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) went 2-0 on the day, downing true freshman Desmond Moore (Easton, Pa.) with a pin at the 4:01 mark in the finals. The senior posted a technical fall over red-shirt freshman Eric Caschera (South Williamsport, Pa.) in his first bout. Senior Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) went 2-0 on the day to claim the title at 133. He downed freshman Mike Eagan (Wharton, N.J.) twice, with an 11-3 major and a 9-3 decision in the finals. With Strayer not competing at 141, rookie Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) took the title with two wins over sophomore Adam Lynch (Mifflinburg, Pa.). The true freshman from New Jersey posted a 10-6 win in the first round and an 8-3 victory in the finals. At 149, sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) claimed the crown. Jenkins, ranked No. 7 nationally, posted two major decisions over freshman Shane Everett (Saylorsburg, Pa.). Jenkins posted a 12-4 major to open up action at 149 and a 14-5 major in the finals. The 157-pound weight class featured two outstanding meetings between sophomore Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 12 nationally, and true freshman Tim Darling (Nazareth, Pa.). Darling won his first round bout to set up the first meeting, with Vallimont claiming a 5-2 decision. After another Darling win in consolations set up another meeting in the finals. Vallimont, who was one win shy of being an All-American at 149 last season, claimed an 8-1 decision to take the title. Sophomore Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), ranked No. 16 in the country, went 3-0 on the day and capped off his title with a pin of freshman Micah Bollinger (Mifflinburg, Pa.) in the finals (5:33). At 174, juniors Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) and Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.) met in the finals. Friend claimed a 7-1 decision to win wrestle-offs for the second straight season. No. 11 David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), coming off a red-shirt season, went 0-2 on the day, dropping a 4-3 decision to Friend and a 2-0 bout to Decker. The 184-pound weight class entered the day as one of two wide open spots. Junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) and sophomore Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio) split time at the weight last season and once again faced each other for the starting spot this year. Bomberger used a third period takedown in the first meeting of the afternoon and claim the first bout between the two, 4-1. Bomberger then used a 2-1 edge in the finals to secure the wrestle-offs spot. With No. 2 Davis the only entrant at 197, no action took place at this weight. The 285-pound weight class also featured a battle for the title. With the starting spot up for grabs, sophomore transfers Stefan Tighe (Erie, Pa.) and John Laboranti (Scranton, Pa.) each won their first round bouts and faced each other in the winners bracket final. Tighe scored a takedown midway through the first period and fought off Laboranti long enough to post an early 3-2 win. True freshman Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) stopped any thoughts of a rematch, however, with a solid 7-3 win over Laboranti in consolations, setting up a meeting with Tighe in the finals. Tighe then downed Wade 7-3 in the finals to secure the HWT title. Penn State will open up the 2007-08 season by hosting ACC foe Maryland on Sunday, Nov. 11, in a 1 p.m. dual in Rec Hall. Admission to wrestle-offs is free. 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 to wrestling events for free! Season tickets are $28 for adults and seniors, youth 18 and under season tickets are $21. Fans can call 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 to order tickets. All home duals will be streamed live at gopsusports.com and over the air on WBLF 970 AM and WKVA 920 AM. Nearly 1,800 fans filled Rec Hall as the 2007-08 wrestling season had its table set with Penn State's annual Wrestle-Offs. Twenty five Nittany Lion grapplers took to the mats to stake their claims on the Penn State depth chart this season. Head coach Troy Sunderland's two returning All-Americans, Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) at 197 and Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) at 141, did not wrestle in the event. Davis, ranked No. 2 nationally at 197, was the only wrestler entered at his weight while Strayer, ranked No. 7 at 141, did not compete due to a slight injury. At 125, No. 11 Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) went 2-0 on the day, downing true freshman Desmond Moore (Easton, Pa.) with a pin at the 4:01 mark in the finals. The senior posted a technical fall over red-shirt freshman Eric Caschera (South Williamsport, Pa.) in his first bout. Senior Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) went 2-0 on the day to claim the title at 133. He downed freshman Mike Eagan (Wharton, N.J.) twice, with an 11-3 major and a 9-3 decision in the finals. With Strayer not competing at 141, rookie Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) took the title with two wins over sophomore Adam Lynch (Mifflinburg, Pa.). The true freshman from New Jersey posted a 10-6 win in the first round and an 8-3 victory in the finals. At 149, sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) claimed the crown. Jenkins, ranked No. 7 nationally, posted two major decisions over freshman Shane Everett (Saylorsburg, Pa.). Jenkins posted a 12-4 major to open up action at 149 and a 14-5 major in the finals. The 157-pound weight class featured two outstanding meetings between sophomore Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 12 nationally, and true freshman Tim Darling (Nazareth, Pa.). Darling won his first round bout to set up the first meeting, with Vallimont claiming a 5-2 decision. After another Darling win in consolations set up another meeting in the finals. Vallimont, who was one win shy of being an All-American at 149 last season, claimed an 8-1 decision to take the title. Sophomore Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), ranked No. 16 in the country, went 3-0 on the day and capped off his title with a pin of freshman Micah Bollinger (Mifflinburg, Pa.) in the finals (5:33). At 174, juniors Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) and Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.) met in the finals. Friend claimed a 7-1 decision to win wrestle-offs for the second straight season. No. 11 David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), coming off a red-shirt season, went 0-2 on the day, dropping a 4-3 decision to Friend and a 2-0 bout to Decker. The 184-pound weight class entered the day as one of two wide open spots. Junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) and sophomore Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio) split time at the weight last season and once again faced each other for the starting spot this year. Bomberger used a third period takedown in the first meeting of the afternoon and claim the first bout between the two, 4-1. Bomberger then used a 2-1 edge in the finals to secure the wrestle-offs spot. With No. 2 Davis the only entrant at 197, no action took place at this weight. The 285-pound weight class also featured a battle for the title. With the starting spot up for grabs, sophomore transfers Stefan Tighe (Erie, Pa.) and John Laboranti (Scranton, Pa.) each won their first round bouts and faced each other in the winners bracket final. Tighe scored a takedown midway through the first period and fought off Laboranti long enough to post an early 3-2 win. True freshman Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) stopped any thoughts of a rematch, however, with a solid 7-3 win over Laboranti in consolations, setting up a meeting with Tighe in the finals. Tighe then downed Wade 7-3 in the finals to secure the HWT title. Penn State will open up the 2007-08 season by hosting ACC foe Maryland on Sunday, Nov. 11, in a 1 p.m. dual in Rec Hall. Admission to wrestle-offs is free. 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 to wrestling events for free! Season tickets are $28 for adults and seniors, youth 18 and under season tickets are $21. Fans can call 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 to order tickets. All home duals will be streamed live at gopsusports.com and over the air on WBLF 970 AM and WKVA 920 AM.

Menlo Park, Calif. -- The Stanford wrestling team got an early start to its season today, with 19 team members competing at the Menlo Open at Haynes Prim Pavilion on the Menlo College campus. Nine Cardinal wrestlers went undefeated in the pool tournament to get a successful head start on the season. The tournament was structured in pools of three, four or five wrestlers. Four Stanford freshmen, Nick Amuchastegui, Max Rosefigura, Murdoch Miller and Matt Winterbourne, went undefeated on their first day of collegiate action. Redshirt freshmen Justin Paulsen and Lucas Espericueta also went undefeated, as did sophomores Jake Johnson and Peter Miller. Senior captain Phillip Doerner also completed the day with a perfect record. "I was excited to have us get some competition outside the wrestling room," said Head Coach Kerry McCoy. "Our freshmen got an opportunity to see their strengths and weaknesses and we got a good chance to see what we need to work on. This gives us some great momentum going into next week." The team will head to Tecumseh, Kans. next week for its first dual, meeting Fort Hays State on Friday.

Several Viking individual wrestlers turned in strong performances Saturday at the 2007 Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open in Brookings, S.D. The Vikings tallied one individual championship, four runner-up finishes and three third-place efforts. At 197 pounds, Ty Copsey finished with a 3-0 record to win the individual crown. Copsey pinned Myran Andrews of Iowa Central in 2:58, defeated Richard Kokesh of Iowa Lakes, 7-1, and won by injury default over teammate Lance Peters in the championship match. Peters finished the day 2-1. At 125, Al Meger was the runner-up with a 2-1 tournament record, losing the championship to Zach Sanders by 1 point. At 141, Jay Sherer finished third with a tournament record of 3-1. At 165, Aaron Haddorff finished 2-1, losing the championship match to Brad Lower of Iowa Central. At 174, Andrew Sorenson finished 4-1, finishing third with a 14-2 major decision over Ahmad Motley of Iowa Central. Sorenson concluded the day tied for the most wins by fall with three. At 184, Nick Henning went 3-1 to finish third, and Beau Severtson took runner-up honors with a 3-1 record.

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The Purdue wrestling team opened its season with an outstanding performance at the Eastern Michigan Open on Saturday, highlighted by championship performances by junior tri-captain Jake Patacsil and sophomore Nick Bertucci. Patacsil had a dominating performance at 149-pounds, posting a trio of technical falls and a first-round pin on his way to the title, while Bertucci rolled to the 157-pound crown with a first-period fall and a 17-2 technical fall. Several other Boilermakers claimed spots on the podium as juniors Nick Corpe (174) and Jake Murphy (157), and freshman Logan Brown (197) all captured third-place finishes and sophomore Sam Patacsil (157) grabbed sixth. Corpe, Murphy and Brown all reached the semifinals of their respective brackets before suffering their first loss of the day, but all rebounded to grab the bronze. Sam Patacsil battled back from a loss to start the day to roll all the way to the final match of the day, where he settled for sixth. "It was a great day for the team," said Purdue Head Coach Scott Hinkel. "Jake (Patacsil) and Nick (Bertucci) were incredible, and there really wasn't a guy that we weren't proud of today. Today sets a great tone for the rest of our season." The Boilermaker grapplers return to action next weekend at the Michigan State Open.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The Virginia wrestling team opened its 2007-08 season Saturday in dominating fashion with wins over Wagner (52-0), Anderson (45-3) and VMI (42-3) at Memorial Gymnasium. The Cavaliers lost just two of their 30 matches on the day en route to the big wins. Freshman Michael Chaires (Scotia, N.Y.) had a sensational college debut, recording pins in all three of his matches at 165 pounds. Brent Jones (So., Burke, Va.) also recorded two pins and a forfeit win at 197. Ten of the Cavaliers' win came by pin, including five against Wagner. The Cavaliers' 52 points against Wagner were the third-most in program history, falling six points shy of the record of 58, set vs. Howard in 1998. Ross Gitomer (So., Flemington, N.J.) and Anthony Burke (Poquoson, Va.) each recorded three wins on the day at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively. Virginia hits the road next Saturday for the first time this season, traveling to the Binghamton Open. The action starts at 9 a.m.

NORMAN, Okla. -- Sooner wrestlers began the season in dominant fashion, winning Sunday over Missouri Valley, Oklahoma City and Neosho Community College on the campus of OCU. The Sooners won 29 out of 30 matches on the day and outscored opponents 141-3 in team points. "Overall, I was very pleased with today's matches," head coach Jack Spates said. "I think we made improvements from our ranking match last Thursday in our aggressiveness and our conditioning on the mat." In the opening dual against Missouri Valley, Joey Fio at 125 pounds put OU on the board first by recording a 21-6 technical fall over Bill Exline. The Sooners would not look back after the initial win. Brian Shelton followed with a decision over Jon Garland in the 133-pound match, as did Zach Bailey with a major decision over Brandon Nice at 141 pounds. The next two Sooners in the lineup scored falls with Will Rowe over Brian Graham at 149 pounds and Chad Terry over Juan Alvarez at 157 pounds to extend OU's team score to 24-0. The closest match of the dual paired Max Dean and Chris Jones in the 165-pound bout. Dean recorded a 7-6 decision over Jones with the help of a riding time point to end the match. Jeff James then won his match at 174 pounds by a forfeit. Joshua Weitzel at 184 pounds and Joel Flaggert at 197 pounds both recorded major decisions. Heavyweight Nathan Fernandez sealed the shutout with a fall over Travis Ewart to give the Sooners a 47-0 win over Missouri Valley. It was another dominant performance in match number two against Oklahoma City, with the Sooners prevailing 44-0 over the Stars. The following Sooners recorded major decisions: Fio over Adam Delong 16-5, Bailey over Jeremy Garner 13-1, James over John Wilcox 10-2 and Fernandez over Jeremy Johnson 12-2 in the heavyweight bout. Shelton won his second match of the day in a 9-2 decision over Justin Blumer, as did Rowe scoring a technical fall over Nik Turner by a score of 22-7. Terry continued with a 2-0 decision over Brandon Benson. Dean and Weitzel both recorded falls in their matches against Trevor Adkisson and Mitchell Eichenauer, respectively. Two-time All-American Joel Flaggert won his second match of the day in a technical fall over Corey Johnson, 21-6. Sooners continued to impress in the third dual against Neosho Community College to end the day. Greg Cannon was awarded a win in the first match by forfeit, and John Starzyk put the Sooners up 12-0 with a pin at the 2:40 mark over Ian Seaton. Kyle Terry in his first match of the day at 141 pounds won by a medical forfeit to give the Sooners an 18-0 advantage and Matt Sansone was defeated in a decision by Ty Jaquess in the 149-pound match. Shane Vernon won his only match of the day by a forfeit. Dean and James followed up with major decisions to put OU up 32-3 over the Black Cats. Josh Hinton, Pat Flynn and Brad Farmer all recorded pins within the first period in the 184, 197 and heavyweight matches to give the Sooners a 50-3 victory in its last match. "This has been another great evaluation on where we are strong and also where this team can improve," Spates continued. "This is a very young team and today was a step in the right direction." The Sooners travel to Brockport, N.Y., next weekend for the annual Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic.

Head Wrestling Coach Chris Bono was pleased with what he saw Thursday at the Mocs' annual Blue-Gold wrestle-offs. Six upperclassmen and three underclassmen secured starting positions in the varsity lineup for the upcoming season. Senior Matt Koz recorded the only fall on the night, pinning freshman Ethan Winel at 4:08 to win the 197-pound match. Koz was the SoCon heavyweight champion and an NCAA Qualifer a year ago. "Koz told me that he felt really good after his match," Bono said. "It is good to have him wrestling at his natural weight. There were no surprises. I really liked the way our young guys competed. (True freshmen) Johnson, Lettner, Waddell, Felix; they are our future." Seniors Seth Garvin, Lloyd Rogers and Josh Edmondson joined Koz in the winner's categories. Garvin defeated freshman Dan Waddell, 8-1 at 157 pounds, Rogers scored an 11-4 victory over junior Kyle McKee at 174, and Edmondson recorded a 12-3 major decision over freshman Tyler Roberson at 184. Senior Javier Maldonado, a back-to-back Southern Conference champion and NCAA Qualifier, did not compete but has a lock on his 125-pound position. "Lloyd Rogers and Josh Edmondson looked good," Bono said. "Lloyd out hustled everyone. He showed a lot of focus. We had Josh change some things up. He showed a little variety, and he can pull that off because he is such a great athlete." Junior Steve Hromada's 19-8 major over sophomore T.J. Hannah ensured his spot at 133 pounds and junior Nick Davis edged redshirt freshman Mark Rogers, 3-2 in the 165-pound match. Matt Lettner was the lone freshman to nail down a lineup spot, registering a 5-1 victory over Ben O'Neill in the heavyweight class. Three wrestlers competed for the positions at 141 and 149. Freshman Ben Johnson shut out Mark Nicely at 141, 2-0 then fell to sophomore Cody Cleveland by major decision, 9-1. Freshman Kelly Felix defeated redshirt freshman Carlos Baron 6-3 at 149 before suffering a 17-2 technical fall to sophomore Joey Knox. UTC opens the season next Saturday hosting three teams including No. 5-ranked Ohio State. The Mocs take on Anderson University at 1 p.m., Cumberland University at 3 p.m. and the Buckeyes at 6 p.m.

MASON CITY -– Albert White (Chicago, IL/St. Rita) won four straight matches, including the 149-pound championship bout, and captured Most Outstanding Wrestler honors as North Iowa Area Community College hosted its first wrestling meet, the Kaye Young NIACC Open on Saturday. The meet was the first hosted by NIACC since the program was disbanded in 1976. The program was officially reinstated last November and the initial meet honored the previous coach at NIACC, Kaye Young, who guided the Trojans to a National Junior College Athletic Association team title in 1973. NIACC head coach Richard Fergola had recruited a freshman class heavy with state champions and a few of them had solid performances in their collegiate debuts. White, who finished 199-4 in high school and won four straight state titles, defeated T.J. Hepburn of Colby Community College (KS) 9-5 in the 149 final, taking a 5-2 lead in the second period and using his superior quickness to stay out of trouble in the third period. He advanced to the finals by pinning Buena Vista College (IA) wrestler Cody Schultz at 4:30. He had started the day by pinning Triton College (IL) competitor Ed Williams at 5:04 and beating Ivan Ramirez of Dana College (NE) 15-4. T.J. Moen had the next highest finish among Trojans wrestlers, placing fourth at 141 pounds after winning four of six matches. He collected the first NIACC victory of the day (and first for a NIACC wrestler in 32 years) by defeating Isaiah Harris of Ellsworth Community College (IA) 10-3. Moen was a state champion wrestler for Saydel High and was nationally ranked in his weight class in high school. Four NIACC wrestlers finished in fifth place: Cody Hogan (125), DaVaughn Perkins (157), Jordan Graham (184) and Luke Stika (197). Hogan – who came to NIACC after winning a state title in his weight division at Richmond High School in Richmond, MO, opened with pins in his initial two matches and earned fifth by defeating Taylor Louie (unattached) by technical fall in 47 seconds. Perkins won four of six matches and needed a 12-10 overtime victory against Dana's Kendall Burke to wrestle back to fifth place. Perkins was 86-0 at North High School in Omaha, NE before becoming a Trojan. Graham won by technical fall at 4:57 against Triton's Justin Cunningham to take his first match and got a forfeit against William Penn University of Iowa's Royce Thomas for fifth. Stika edged Ross Milam of Dana 4-1 in his fifth-place match to finish 3-2 on the day. He had edged Jacob Elhorst of the Dubuque University (IA) 6-2 in his opener and won by fall at 3:39 over Scott Moder of Buena Vista in round two before losing a 2-1 nail biter to St. Olaf College (MN) competitor Steven Wood in the third round. Along with White at 149 pounds, here are the listing of champions and their weight classes: At 125, Aaron Wilcox of Dana College defeated Dana teammate (wrestling unattached) Kevin Gray by forfeit. At 133, Josh Malott of William Penn defeated Justin Dixon of Ellsworth 6-2. At 141, Lyugo Kumbarov of Colby Community College (KS) defeated Dalton Jensen (wrestling unattached) of Iowa State 5-1. At 157, Dan Pray of Dana College defeated Joey Verschoor of Buena Vista 4-3. At 165, Bulla Tuzon of Dana College defeated Andrew Sorensen (unattached) of Iowa State by fall at 3:45. At 174, Joshua Murray of Buena Vista defeated Josh Ghobadpoor of Dana College 15-8. At 184, Chris Kern of Colby (KS) defeated Cole Spree of Northwestern College (IA) 4-1. At 197, Matt Wonderlin of Dubuque (IA) defeated Steven Wood (unattached) of St. Olaf College (MN) 5-3. At 285, Wade Jordan of Dana College defeated Tucker Lane (unattached) of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln 2-0. More about the Kaye Young NIACC Open and NIACC's reinstated wrestling program can be found by checking the NIACC website at www.niacc.edu and clicking the athletics icon on the bottom left of the main page.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team opened the 2007-08 season in the McLeod Center Saturday taking to the mat to show off this season's talented roster with its annual intra-squad wrestle-offs. UNI head coach Brad Penrith was pleased with the way his wrestlers performed today and came out ready to compete. "Overall, we wrestled extremely well and the older wrestlers' experience really showed through," Penrith said. "There were a couple tactical mistakes that need to be corrected and some weight management issues that also need to be worked on." Redshirt freshman Andy O'Loughlin (Independence, Iowa) scored two wins over sophomore Scott Hazen (Underwood, Iowa) in the 184-pound match, notching scores of 2-1 and 4-3. "I wanted to re-wrestle the 184 match," Penrith said. "There were no takedowns in the first match - I wanted some action." Freshman Jamal Lawrence (Merrillville, Ind.) topped freshman Blake Hilmer (Denver, Iowa) 7-4 and won by fall over redshirt freshman Cole Zempel (LaPorte City, Iowa) at 149 pounds. Junior Moza Fay (Anamosa, Iowa) won by fall in the 165-pound match over fellow junior Drew Kreman (Tipton, Iowa). Redshirt freshman Seth Pugh (Columbus Junction, Iowa) cruised to an 18-5 major decision over freshman Micah Casper (Kalona, Iowa) in the 157-pound match. At 133 pounds, freshman Trent Washington (Omaha, Neb.) won by fall over junior Mike Whisler (Centerville, Iowa). The Panthers open the season Nov. 10 at the Loras Open in Dubuque, Iowa. UNI will begin the home season Dec. 2 in the UNI-Dome with the UNI Open.

ITHACA, N.Y. –- Junior Andrew Goldstein (Easton, Pa./Easton) opened the 2007-08 wrestling with a dominating effort for Gettysburg College at the Ithaca College Invitational on Nov. 3-4, winning all six of his bouts and capturing the 157-pound championship. Goldstein was one of three Bullets to reach the semifinals of their respective weight classes, helping the Orange & Blue to a 12th-place finish in the 15-team field. Gettysburg finished with 67.5 points thanks to the efforts of Goldstein, senior Matt Shank (Reedsville, Pa./Indian Valley), and freshman Bobby Christopher (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons). Shank finished second at 149 pounds, while Christopher put together an impressive collegiate debut with a fourth-place showing in the heavyweight division. After posting four victories on the opening day of the invite, including a pair of falls and a major decision, Goldstein began Sunday with a win over New York University's Takafumi Hashimoto via medical forfeit in the semifinals. He faced his toughest test of the tournament in the finals against Dan DiColo of The College of New Jersey, but the Bullet junior and defending Centennial Conference champion at 157 came up with a 7-5 decision to take the title. Shank won all three of his opening matches handily on Saturday to set up a semifinal showdown with the eighth-ranked wrestler in NCAA Division III, New York's Stephen Hult. Ranked ninth in the nation, Shank got the better of his opponent with a 12-9 victory to advance to the finals against another nationally-ranked foe, New Jersey's Tyler Branham. The Bullet senior gave the sixth-ranked Branham all he could handle and forced overtime with a last-second takedown, but the Lion All-American rebounded for an 8-6 decision. Christopher started his first career event with three victories on the opening day, but the Gettysburg first-year was halted in the semifinals by Oswego State University's Jake Taylor, who went on to win the event, with a fall at five minutes. Knocked down to the consolation bracket, Christopher picked up a 7-5 decision over New York's James Layman, before getting stopped in the third-place match by Sean DeDeyn by a narrow 3-2 margin. Goldstein, Shank, and Christopher may have had the highest finishes for Gettysburg, but sophomore Pat Doherty (Garden City, N.Y./Chaminade) put in the most work, wrestling in seven matches at 157 over the two days. After winning his opening two matches before losing to DiColo in the main bracket, Doherty notched 6-5 and 7-3 decisions in his first two consolation matches. Following a medical forfeit victory, the Bullet sophomore had his weekend put to an end with a 7-3 loss to Joe Biango of New Jersey. Freshman Ben Cutrell (Marion, Mass./Governors Academy) put together a productive opening weekend with victories in the main and consolation brackets of the heavyweight division. Cutrell picked up a 7-2 victory in his first bout on Saturday, and then added a pin at 2:45 over Conor Quinlan in his opening consolation match. First-year Ben Swanson (Wilmington, Del./James Hubert Blake) was the only other Bullet to earn a victory on the weekend, picking up a forfeit win in the consolation bracket of 174 pounds. Gettysburg continues its season at the King's College Monarch Invitational on Saturday, Nov. 10. Opening matches are slated to begin at 10:30 a.m.

The No. 12 Wisconsin wrestling team competed in the Hall of Fame Duals Friday at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay to open the 2007-08 season. The Badgers faced three Division III opponents and dominated all three duals with just nine points scored on them all day. Wisconsin kicked off the season with a 58-0 shutout of Dubuque (Iowa), a 45-9 win over Tri-State University (Indiana) and another 53-0 shutout of UW-Oshkosh. Wisconsin recorded 20 pins on the day and five Badger grapplers won by pins in each of their three matches. Seniors Collin Cudd (125 lbs.) Jake Donar (165 lbs.) and Craig Henning (157 lbs.), junior Kyle Massey (Hwt.) and sophomore Kyle Ruschell (141 lbs.) had three pins each. Junior Dallas Herbst had the fastest fall of the day, after he pinned Dubuque's Matt Wonderlin in 28 seconds during the 197 lbs. bout. Herbst, Wisconsin's leader in pins in 2006-07, had two pins and won his third dual by forfeit. Some new faces also stepped into the lineup Friday. Redshirt freshman Eric Bugenhagen competed at 184 lbs. against Louis Posa from Tri-State and captured a close 7-5 overtime victory. Junior Mike Metzger wrestled at 149 lbs. for the Badgers and tried to continue the success of last year's starter, All-American Tyler Turner. Metzger went 2-1 on the day, winning by a forfeit against Dubuque and a 7-0 score over Oshkosh's Derek Koenig. With the win over Dubuque, Wisconsin improves to 14-0 overall under head coach Barry Davis in season opening duals. The Badgers take a weekend off from competition but will resume the 2007-08 campaign with tough competition out east in Ithaca, N.Y. Wisconsin will face No. 8 Cornell in a dual, Friday, Nov. 16 and then compete in the Body Bar Invite, Saturday, Nov. 17. Stay tuned to uwbadgers.com for updates and scores throughout the season.

Minnesota Gopher wrestlers Jayson Ness, Dustin Schlatter and Roger Kish will compete in the 2007 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Star Classic, the premier one-day collegiate wrestling event in the country. The 43-year old competition will take place on Monday, Nov. 19 at the University of Oregon's McArthur Court in Eugene, Ore. Including the defending national champion Gophers' three participants, the field will welcome six top-ranked wrestlers, eight second-ranked seeds and four third-ranked selections from the recent Intermat / USA Today preseason national rankings. It will also include 18 All-Americans from the 2006 NCAA Championships, which includes all three of Minnesota's representatives. The University of Oregon announced this July that the wrestling program would be eliminated after the 2007-08 season to revive the baseball team and to satisfy Title IX compliance issues. Ness, an All-American sophomore out of Bloomington, Minn., will take on defending national champion Paul Donahue of Nebraska in the opening match of the event at 125 pounds. Ness sports a 2-0 career record against the junior, earning an 11-5 decision at the Kaufman-Brand Open 11/11/06 and an 8-6 dual meet win Feb. 11 of last season. Donahue upset Sam Hazewinkel of Oklahoma to win the 2007 national championship at 125 pounds. Ness is No. 4 in the Intermat preseason poll, while Donahue claims the No. 1 spot. Dustin Schlatter is a two-time All-American and ranked No. 1 at 149 pounds in the current Intermat / USA Today preseason poll. After winning the national championship as a freshman in 2006, Schlatter had a 65-match winning streak snapped in the quarterfinals of last season's NCAA Championships and finished in third place for the eventual national champion Gophers. His opponent, Josh Churella of Michigan, is a two-time All-American and was the runner-up at last year's national championships. Schlatter owns a 2-0 career record against Churella, with both of those victories coming last season. Schlatter defeated Churella 3-2 for the 2007 Big Ten Championship. The match-up at 184 pounds will be a fierce one between the Gophers' Kish and Jake Varner of Iowa State. Kish and Varner have met three times in their careers, with all three matches coming last season. Kish earned a 7-2 dual meet win over Varner Dec. 8 of last season and followed that with a 5-2 decision at the 2007 National Duals, before falling 4-2 in the 2007 NCAA national semifinals. Varner fell to Northwestern's Jake Herbert in the national title match, while Kish earned his second All-American certificate with a third-place finish. Varner and Kish are No. 1 and 2 in the recent Intermat preseason rankings. In the 2006 NWCA All-Star Classic, held in Dallas, Texas, Schlatter defeated Matt Storniolo (Oklahoma) and Kish was topped by Northwestern's Hebert. Previous Gopher participants 43rd annual event in the include Cole Konrad (2005), Brock Lesnar (2000), Leroy Vega (2000) and current Gopher assistant coaches Brandon Eggum (2000) and Marty Morgan (1990).

Team Ranking (by vote of all EIWA Head Coaches) 1. Cornell 2. Navy 3. Harvard 4. Penn T5. American T5. Lehigh T7. Army T7. Columbia Individual Ranking (by vote of EIWA Ranking Committee) 125_ 1. Troy Nickerson, Cornell Jr 2. Brandon Kinney, Columbia Sr 3. Fernando Martinez, Army Sr 4. Jasen Borschoff, American So 5. Rollie Peterkin, Penn So 6. Greg Hart, Bucknell So 133_ 1. Robbie Preston, Harvard Sr 2. Seth Ciasulli, Lehigh So 3. Joe Baker, Navy Jr 4. David Marble, Bucknell So 5. William Simpson, Army Jr 6. Jeff Schell, Brown Sr 141_ 1. Matt Kyler, Army So 2. Adam Frey, Cornell So 3. Kyle Borshoff, American So 4. Sal Tirico, Columbia Jr 5. Steve Adamcsik, Rutgers Sr 6. Mark Savino, Brown Sr 149_ 1. Jordan Leen, Cornell Sr 2. JP O'Connor, Harvard So 3. Matt Dunn, Columbia So 4. Trevor Chinn, Lehigh Jr 5. Cesar Grajales, Penn Jr 6. Scott Heckman, East Stroudsburg Sr 157_ 1. Dave Nakesone, Lehigh Sr 2. Christian Snook, Army Sr 3. Bobby Latessa, Harvard Sr 4. Derek Sickles, Columbia Jr 5. Brantley Hooks, Bucknell So 6. Drake Hovis, Cornell Jr 165_ 1. Mike Cannon, American So 2. Andrew Flanagan Harvard Jr 3. Andy Rendos, Bucknell So 4. Joey Hooker, Cornell Sr 5. Zach Shanaman, Penn Jr 6. Brian Rowan, Army Jr 174_ 1. Matt Stolpinski, Navy Sr 2. Steve Anceravage, Cornell Sr 3. Michael Whalen, Rutgers Jr 4. Shane Riccio, Bucknell So 5. Jeff Zannetti, Penn Sr 6. Justin Herbert, Franklin & Marshall Jr 184_ 1. Louis Caputo, Harvard Jr 2. David Craig, Lehigh So 3. Lior Zamir, Penn Sr 4. Matt Parsons, Navy Sr 5. Scott Ferguson, Army Sr 6. Michael Moore, Cornell So 197_ 1. Josh Glenn, American Sr 2. Josh Arnone, Cornell Jr 3. Nick Sommerfield, Columbia Sr 4. Tyler Moyer, Navy Jr 5. Thomas Shovlin, Penn So 6. Lamar Brown, Rutgers Jr 285_ 1. Ed Prendergast, Navy Sr 2. Zack Hammond, Cornell Sr 3. Nathan Thobaben, Army Sr 4. Levon Mock, Brown Sr 5. Kevin Kester, Columbia So 6. Nico Somers, Franklin & Marshall Jr

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The 19th-ranked University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team will give fans a sneak peak Thursday night at the annual Blue-Gold wrestle-offs. The event will begin at 6 p.m. at Maclellan Gym. Admission is free. Head Coach Chris Bono and his wrestlers will host 11 matches to see how the Mocs' lineup will take shape in the early part of the season. "Our guys have worked hard in the preseason and are ready to compete in front of a big crowd," Bono said. "We have many positions open this season after losing an All-America and several starters from a year ago. I am looking forward to watching who is ready to step up for our program." The wrestle-offs include several intriguing challenges including a three-way battle at both 141 pounds and 149. Competing at 141 will be Ben Johnson and Mark Nicely with the winner facing Cody Cleveland. The 149-pound division will see Carlos Baron taking on Kelly Felix while the winner will meet Joey Knox. Southern Conference heavyweight champion Matt Koz is dropping down to 197 pounds in 2007-08 and will face freshman Ethan Winel. Other true freshmen set to compete include Dan Waddell at 157, Tyler Roberson at 184 and Matt Lettner at 285. Tentative lineup: 125: no match 133: Shawn Cordell vs. Steve Hromada 141: Ben Johnson vs. Mark Nicely / winner vs. Cody Cleveland 149: Carlos Baron vs. Kelly Felix / winner vs. Joey Knox 157: Seth Garvin vs. Dan Waddell 165: Nick Davis vs. Mark Rogers 174: Kyle McKee vs. Lloyd Rogers 184: Josh Edmondson vs. Tyler Roberson 197: Matt Koz vs. Ethan Winel 285: Matt Letner vs. Ben O'Neill

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Sooner wrestling team will kick off the 2007-08 season by hosting the annual Red/White ranking match this Thursday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. at the Howard McCasland Fieldhouse. OU will pit the top-two wrestlers in each weight class against one another to help determine starters for the upcoming season. The Sooners have been recently ranked at No. 19 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and return five NCAA qualifiers in Kyle Terry, Will Rowe, Max Dean, Joshua Weitzel and Joel Flaggert. "This will unquestionably be one the most competitive and the most exciting ranking matches we have had in my tenure," said Coach Jack Spates. The athletic department has also scheduled events prior to the ranking match, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Former Sooner wrestlers Teyon Ware, a two-time national champion, and Sam Hazewinkel, a four-time All-American, will address those in attendance on what it takes to be successful at the collegiate level and participate in a question and answer session. Immediately following will be the ranking match at 7 p.m. Oklahoma will once again be wrestling alongside 2007 Division II national champion Central Oklahoma. "This should be a great night for fans to come out and enjoy all of the extremely competitive matches we have scheduled," Spates said. "We are excited to see our guys under the lights and how they perform." Doors will open at 6 p.m. for the event, admission is free to the public. Oklahoma officially opens the season on Sunday, Nov. 4, when it travels to Oklahoma City to compete in a triple-dual against Missouri Valley, Oklahoma City and Neosho Community College. The matchups for the Red/White ranking match are listed below: 125 Pounds Greg Cannon (RFr., Two-time Oklahoma state champion) vs. Joey Fio (Fr., Two-time Idaho state champion) 133 Pounds Brian Shelton (So., Two-time Oklahoma state champion) vs. John Starzyk (Fr., Three-time Illinois state champion) 141 Pounds Kyle Terry (So., Oklahoma state champion and NCAA qualifier) vs. Zach Bailey (RFr., Four-time Missouri state champion) 149 Pounds Seth Vernon (Fr., Three-time Oklahoma state champion) vs. Will Rowe (Jr., Two-time Texas state champion and two-time NCAA qualifier) 157 Pounds Shane Vernon (So., Three-time Oklahoma state champion) vs. Chad Terry (So., Oklahoma state champion) 165 Pounds Ryan Smith (Fr., Three-time Oregon state champion) vs. Max Dean (Sr., Three-time NCAA qualifier) 174 Pounds Jeff James (RFr., Two-time Oklahoma state champion) vs. Chris DeVilbiss (Jr., Maryland state champion) OR Cody Lowe (RFr., North Carolina state runner-up) 184 Pounds Josh Hinton (So., Oklahoma state champion) vs. Joshua Weitzel (Sr., Two-time NCAA qualifier) 197 Pounds Joel Flaggert (Sr., Two-time All-American and Oklahoma state champion) vs. Eric Lapotsky (So., NCAA Qualifier) Heavyweight Nathan Fernandez (RFr., Three-time Oklahoma state champion) vs. Brad Farmer (Jr., Washington state champion)

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Several Chattanooga wrestlers competed at the Kennesaw State Open this month in the Atlanta area, and seven Mocs came home with weight titles. The Mocs claimed open division titles at 125 pounds, as well as 133, 141, 149, 157, 235 and 285. True freshmen Demetrius Johnson (125), Ben Johnson (141), Kelly Felix (149), Dan Waddell (157) and Matt Lettner (285) won their respective weight classes. Senior Steve Hromada claimed the 133-pound title, and sophomore Ben O'Neill was the winner at the 235-pound class. The Mocs open the 2007-08 season Nov. 1 with the annual Blue-Gold Wrestling match at 6 p.m. at Maclellan Gym.

In our continuing efforts to join the wrestling and mixed martial arts worlds we take our mobile Brute Adidas Studios on the road for 2 new episodes of Takedown Radio as we come to LIVE from Hoffman Estates, Illinois Saturday November 3rd. 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 live broadcast each and every Saturday as we talk to the worlds greatest athletes. TDR is available LIVE, Archived and Pod Cast. Visit Takedownradio.com for more details. NEW YORK, October 29, 2007 – The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world's number one team-based professional mixed martial arts league, will hit the Chicago area hard with a week of partner activations and media activity, all leading up to Saturday night's live broadcast on MyNetworkTV at the Sears Centre in suburban Hoffman Estates, Ill., the first-ever live Mixed Martial Arts event on primetime broadcast television. The IFL "World Grand Prix," which will air on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET/PT, 8 p.m. CT, will feature the light heavyweight title fight between Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko and Alex Schoenauer, and a highly-anticipated rematch between undefeated lightweight Chris "The Polish Hammer" Horodecki and local favorite Bart "Bartimus" Palaszewski among the nine bouts. "This will be a big week, not just for the IFL, its coaches and athletes but also for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts," said Gareb Shamus, IFL co-founder and CEO. "Whether it is a lengthy national feature on a legend like Pat Miletich and his athletes on ESPN, our live broadcast on MyNetworkTV, or the activation of sponsorships with partners like the USO, Warner Home Video and Muscle Milk, we are continuing to show that in just over a year the sport and the IFL brand continues to make solid strides into the mainstream." All this will lead to Saturday's card at the Sears Centre, which will showcase the best of the IFL's nine-event regular season in each of five weight classes. For a look at some of the top matchups on Saturday, go to http://www.ifl.tv/Multimedia.html. Join us for this special broadcast Saturday from 9:05 AM to 11:00 AM at Takedownradio.com, KXNO.com, Matchannel.com, Mat-magazine.com. 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!

DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke wrestling team held the intrasquad Blue-White Rankings on Saturday in Card Gymnasium. Nine matches were held across seven weight classes during the afternoon. Starting off the afternoon at 141 pounds was freshman A.J. Guardado competing against sophomore Spencer Jasper. Jasper scored early in the match, securing a takedown in the first period and an escape in the second. Guardado pushed hard near the end, closing the gap to 3-2 with a reversal, but ran out of time in his comeback attempt. The 149-pound match consisted of freshmen Colby Johnson and Mike Bell. A takedown and an escape gave Johnson a 3-1 lead after the second period, but an escape in the opening moments of the third closed the gap to 3-2 for Bell. Showcasing his flexibility, Johnson was able to hold onto his lead in evading a near takedown to claim the victory. Redshirt sophomore Michael Degli Obizzi (149 pounds) gained control of his match with sophomore Danny Torres (157 pounds) near the end of the first period and was able to finish it early. At the 157-pound class, last year's most successful freshman, Voris Tejada, was able to hold on to a three-point lead and win it 3-1 over sophomore Jared Sernoffsky. Tejada secured a critical stalemate in the third period to prevent a potentially-tying takedown with a hold of Sernoffsky's ankle. In the 165-pound match, freshman Willy Mello challenged Addison Nuding, the junior captain, as he completed a successful takedown in the second period to reduce the deficit to three points. However, Nuding's experience prevailed as he prevented Mello's shot at a defensive no-control pin. That widened his lead, and he eventually won, 7-2. There were two matches at 174 pounds, as redshirt sophomore Ben Wales took on sophomore Mat Koelling and redshirt junior Turner Rooney squared off against sophomore Chase Macer. Wales was aggressive throughout the match, securing two takedowns and gaining over one-minute of time advantage. Koelling fought well, successfully completing a two-leg takedown and a reversal late in the third period. Rooney was able win control early in his match with a victory over Macer. Redshirt junior Dan Fox and sophomore Jack Richards faced off at 197 pounds. Fox acquired an early lead with a takedown in the first period and that set the tone for the rest of the match. Richards was able to even the score at the end of the first with a five-second near fall. Fox regrouped and controlled the rest of the match, showing his quickness in escaping Richards' attempts to grab his leg and swing around back for an easy takedown. The meet rounded out with the heavyweight match between redshirt sophomores Wade "Tickles" Van Sickle and Mike Tunick, with Van Sickle capturing the victory, 3-1. "The meet was a great opportunity to get in the competitive mindset and to get an idea of what we want to do this season," said Wales. "It was a good experience for the freshmen to figure out what college wrestling entails. It's their first taste of that so it's good to see them perform as well as they did." Coach Clar Anderson was pleased with the intensity of all of the wrestlers and excited at the prospects for this year's team. "There were a lot of competitive matches, which I had expected, said Anderson. "The meet gave our guys a great opportunity to compete in a match-type situation in front of friends and other students. The matches were very competitive, as each athlete was vying for a starting position." Not wrestling in the event were senior Kellan McKeon (125 pounds), redshirt senior Bryan Gibson (133 pounds) and redshirt sophomore John Barone (184 pounds). All three are starters and captains and did not compete due to a lack of good matchups in their respective classes. The freshmen and sophomores will compete on Saturday, Nov. 3 in The Citadel Open in Charleston, S.C., at 10 a.m. The entire team will come together for the UNC Pembroke Open on Nov. 9 and 10 in Pembroke, N.C.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.; October 30, 2007 – Penn State Nittany Lion Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) has been selected to participate in the 2007 National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic. Ranked No. 2 at 197 pounds, the Nittany Lion senior will face No. 3 Mike Tamillow of Northwestern on Monday, Nov. 19 The 42nd edition of the NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps heads to the Pacific Northwest for the first time in 17 years as Eugene, Ore., will host the annual wrestling spectacle. This year's lineup features six top-ranked wrestlers in Division I, one top-ranked wrestler in Division II, eight second-ranked wrestlers from Division I along with four #3's and one #4. In all, 14 different schools will be represented and will comprise athletes from the Big Ten, Big 12, Colonial, EIWA, EWL, Pac 10 and Division II. Davis was selected to wrestle in the event last year along with teammate James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.), but did not make weight. Yonushonis won his bout at 174. Davis is a three-time All-American with a 90-19 career record. He has placed seventh, second and fifth at nationals and was the 2006 Big Ten Champion. Davis downed Tamillow 8-2 in his only meeting against him last year. Tamillow, however, went on to win the Big Ten title.