InterMat Staff

The team race in folkstyle wrestling tournaments is an exciting and important aspect of the sport. While the competition within each weight class is thrilling by itself, one wrestler alone can't win a team title (at least I've never heard of that happening). A school must do as best they can in as many weights as they can to bring home the championship. A tournament team race begins as a slow-moving monster. The early rounds are long and points are added in small bits at a time. As the rounds get shorter, the points start coming faster and increase in amount. The totals can be difficult to follow. Most of the time, fans, wrestlers, and coaches wait for the announcers inform them of the scores. Point structures for college wrestling tournaments have not been devised without great thought. Rule-makers have meditated deeply and changes in points over the years have been sound: both in promoting excitement and striving for fairness. This is not something that folkstyle wrestling fans should take for granted. To see how sensible the NCAA race is, one must merely study the team point scoring system employed by FILA for the Worlds, which seems to get increasingly silly with each subsequent change. If there's a problem with folkstyle team races it's that it's not uncommon for a champion to be determined well before the conclusion (or start) of the finals. Unlike other sports where the championship team has to win in every single round, a strong performance by a school early on can sew things up mathematically even before the last day of the tournament. Indeed, despite the competitive nature of NCAA wrestling, some teams distance themselves from the pack and dominate the field. By demolishing all contemporaneous challengers so soundly, such performances cause one to wonder how a certain winning teams compare with those of other years. The debate is strictly theoretical, since the field a team faces changes each year and the wrestlers from one year (or era) can't wrestle each other. However, one can compare team point totals. The team that scored the most points is the best, right? Not so fast. It's not as easy as that. As mentioned previously, the point scoring system in college wrestling has witnessed change. So how can one rate one team's total with another when points were scored differently? Rescore the champion teams using the same system! I believe this is fair exercise to a certain extent. The trend in point changes has been one of inflation and I have difficulty imagining this changing the way a wrestler of the past wrestled any particular match. I just can't picture Dan Gable telling one of his athletes not to go for a pin because it was only worth one team point, or a wrestler not fighting as hard as he can in a placement match because of its particular point value. But this isn't to say that rescoring brackets and then comparing point totals is problem-free. While I applaud rule-makers for not making any drastic scoring changes in any particular year, incrementally, the differences add up the further you go back and things become more speculative and unclear. I felt it unsound to even look at the brackets of any championship team before 1979 since that's when All American honors for seventh and eighth place were introduced. I therefore simply studied the teams since 1979 and rescored the top five under the current rules (as best I could). Not surprisingly all five teams were Dan Gable-coached Iowa squads. While last year's Oklahoma State team cracked the top five before rescoring, they were eclipsed by earlier teams that didn't have the luxury of current point values. There have been two main scoring changes during the era under consideration. The most recent came in 2001, when placement points were increased for third through eighth place. The placement point system used to be 16-12-9-7-5-3-2-1 and then went to 16-12-10-9-7-6-4-3. These increases were controversial. The argument was (or is) that it placed too much emphasis on team balance and removed the dynamic of a team with a few studs being able to perform well. Personally, I prefer the new point structure. I felt that the old system put too much value on the semifinals. A wrestler in the semis had earned only three team points (since they'd assured themselves of a finish no worse than sixth) and a semis win would instantly give them nine more. Too often, tourneys would be won or lost in the semis and the semis alone. With the new placement points, more rounds became exciting for team race followers. The quarters, the All-American round and all the placement matches are now much more important to the team race and therefore more exciting 1999 Iowa HawkeyesIt should be noted that this change alone has a great impact on results. In 1999, Iowa edged out Minnesota for the team title 100.5 to 98.5. Iowa had five All Americans -- X 3-1-1-8-X-X-2-X. Minnesota had six -- 5-X-X-7-5-X-X-2-1-2. Using the increased placement points of 2001, Iowa would get an additional point for their third place finisher (Eric Juergens) and an additional two points for their eighth place finisher (Jamie Heidt). Their point total under the new rules would be 103.5. Minnesota would get two more points for each of their two fifth place finishers (LeRoy Vega and Chad Kraft) and an additional two points for their seventh place finisher (Troy Marr). So their point total under the new rules would be 104.5 and they would win the title! The other significant rule change occurred in 1996 when bonus points were doubled. Up to that time, they were one point for a pin, default, forfeit or disqualification, .75 points for a technical fall with back-points and 0.5 point for a major decision or tech fall in which no back-points were scored. This change was less controversial since few people have difficulty rewarding domination. It raised score totals overall, but more importantly for this exercise, changes what's currently in the history books. The Results... 1997 Iowa Dan Gable's swan song team is currently in the record books for scoring the most NCAA points at a whopping 170. They had five champions (Jessie Whitmer, Mark Ironside, Lincoln McIlravy, Joe Williams and Lee Fullhart). The team had a second place finisher in Mike Mena, a fifth place finisher in Mike Uker and a sixth place finisher in Kasey Gilliss. Would Dan Gable's final Iowa Hawkeye team (1997), which produced five NCAA champions, have been remembered in quite the same light if the current scoring system would have been in place?So how do they stack up under current rules? Rescoring this team is relatively easy. Bonus points were worth then what they are today, but Uker would earn and additional two placement points and Gilliss would earn an additional three. ALL AMERICAN PLACES = 1-2-1-6-1-1-5-X-1-X ORIGINAL POINT TOTAL = 170 ADDITIONAL PLACEMENT POINTS = 5 ADDITIONAL BONUS POINTS = 0 NEW TOTAL = 175 1991 Iowa After not winning an NCAA title for four years, Dan Gable's Hawkeyes came back with a vengeance. Six Hawks made the finals with Tom Brands and Mark Reiland winning titles and Chad Zaputil, Terry Brands, Troy Steiner and Tom Ryan taking second. Other All Americans were Terry Steiner and Bart Chelsvig who both took third and Travis Fiser who finished sixth. What was possibly most impressive was that this killer lineup featured not a single senior. Today, this team would get an additional placement point from Chelsvig and Terry Stiener, plus an additional three placement points from Travis Fiser. This team's total was tallied before the change in bonus points, so they've got more coming in that department as well. The 91 Hawks scored five pins and six technical falls. This is where rescoring gets tricky. The pins and majors are easy enough to figure out, but when you only have the final score from each match, it's impossible to tell if a particular tech fall had backpoints or not. For this exercise, I'm going to score each and every tech fall as if backpoints were indeed earned, although that could very well not be the case. Since the results are so close this lack of information could incorrectly place one year's team ahead of another. With that in mind, this squad would currently receive an additional 5 points for the pins, 4.5 points for the tech falls and 4.5 points for the majors for a total of 14 additional placement points. ALL AMERICAN PLACES = 2-2-1-2-3-2-1-3-6-X = 5 more placement points ORIGINAL POINT TOTAL = 157 ADDITIONAL PLACEMENT POINTS = 5 ADDITIONAL BONUS POINTS = 14 NEW TOTAL 176 1992 Iowa The powerful lineup from the previous year stormed back the following March and did not disappoint. Terry Brands, Tom Brands and Troy Steiner all stood at the top of the podium. Chad Zaputil took second, Tom Ryan and Bart Chelsvig took third and Travis Fiser and John Oostendorp finished fifth. Shockingly, the only Hawkeye not to earn AA honors that year was defending champ Mark Reiland, who went 2-2. The 1992 Hawks piled up the bonus points, amassing six pins, one DFT, ten tech falls and eleven majors, which would give them an even greater boost today. This performance would earn eight more placement points (two for Terry Steiner, one for Ryan, one for Chelsvig, two for Fiser and two for Oostendorp) and would score twenty more bonus points (7 for the pins and DFT, 7.5 for the tech falls and 5.5 for the majors.) ALL AMERICAN PLACES = 2-1-1-1-5-3-X-3-5-5 ORIGINAL TOTAL = 149 ADDITIONAL PLACEMENT POINTS = 8 ADDITIONAL BONUS POINTS = 20 NEW TOTAL = 177 1986 Iowa This team was in the record books as the highest point scoring finish in NCAA history until 1997. But how does it stack up when the points are counted equally? Well, it's difficult to tell. 1986 was a long time ago and besides the aforementioned placement and bonus point changes, a number of other factors make fair comparisons more difficult. This Iowa team had all eight of its NCAA qualifiers earn AA status, but the Big Ten only sent the top four place finishers back then (currently the top seven finishers plus two wildcards at the Big Ten tourney qualify for the NCAAs). With such modern era NCAA performances as Brandon Paulson in 1998 (seventh in Big Ten, seventh at NCAAs) and, even better, Alex Tirapelle in 2003 (seventh at Big Tens second at NCAAs) it's difficult not to speculate if the 86 Hawks could have picked up a few more points with two more guys. The 1986 Hawkeyes had a record tying five champions -- Brad Penrith, Kevin Dresser, Jim Heffernan, Marty Kistler and Duane Goldman. Greg Randall finished second, Rico Chiapparelli finished fourth and Royce Alger finished fifth. Today, they'd get two more points each from Chaipparelli and Alger. 1986 was a year that had slightly different bonus point system. Both a pin AND a tech fall (with or without back-points) was worth one point, a superior decision (12-14 point advantage) was worth .75 points and a major was worth .5 points. The 86 Hawks scored seven pins, one MFF, three tech falls, four superiors and five majors. If my calculations are right, that comes out to 13 additional bonus points (eight for the pins and MFF, 1.5 for the tech falls, one for the superiors and 2.5 for the majors. ALL AMERICAN PLACES = X-1-2-1-1-5-1-4-1-X ORIGINAL TOTAL = 158 ADDITIONAL PLACEMENT POINTS = 4 ADDITIONAL BONUS POINTS = 13 NEW TOTAL = 175 1983 Iowa Although their stats are slightly lower than those of other years, the 1983 Hawks are the favorite team of many wrestling fans. Many consider it to be Gable's best lineup, filled with hard-nosed wrestlers who were truly emblematic of the Iowa style. The 83 Hawks had four champs in Barry Davis, Jim Zalesky, Ed Bannach and Lou Banach. Duane Goldman finished second, Harlan Kistler took third, Jim Heffernan took fourth and Tim Riley and Jeff Kerber both took fifth. It should be noted that even though qualifying in the Big Ten was more difficult, unlike the 86 Hawks, this team managed to get all ten wrestlers through. Rico Chiaparelli was the only Iowa wrestler not to place, but he did win two matches. This lineup rolled through the tournament with 10 pins, one tech fall (counted as a superior at the time) five superiors and seven majors. So although their stats have technically made them take a back seat to the Iowa 86, 91 and 1997 teams, how does the sentimental favorite measure up under current scoring? Well, Kerber, Riley and Heffernan would get them two more placement points each today and Kistler's third place would tack on another point for a total of seven. They'd get 10 more points for their pins, .75 for the tech fall, 1.25 for the superiors and 3.5 for the majors. That comes out to fifteen and a half more bonus points. So lets add it all up. ALL AMERICAN PLACES = 5-1-5-3-4-1-X-2-1-1 ORIGINAL POINTS = 155 ADDITIONAL PLACEMENT POINTS = 7 ADDITIONAL BONUS POINTS = 15.5 NEW TOTAL = 177.5 So there you have it. Apples to apples, the 1983 Hawkeyes win out in a squeaker against all of Dan Gable's other squads and deserves more abstract consideration as the best of all time. Like any good math student, I've tried to "show all work" whenever possible. I've done this not merely to try and support the new totals I'm presenting, but also to allow readers to spot mistakes. The difference between all five teams is obviously very close, so even the smallest of errors could change the standings. To look over brackets yourself, be sure to visit the amazing Web site WrestlingStats.com

USA Wrestling has made its choice for the World Team Coaches for the World Championships in Guangzhou, China, Sept. 26 – Oct. 1. MEN'S FREESTYLE Selected to join USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson of Colorado Springs, Colo. as World Team Coaches in freestyle wrestling are: · Mike Duroe of Iowa City, Iowa · Lou Rosselli of Edinboro, Pa. For press release, including biographies and quotes on the Freestyle coaches, visit: http://www.themat.com/pressbox/pressdetail.asp?aid=13870 WOMEN'S FREESTYLE Selected to join USA Wrestling National Women's Coach Terry Steiner of Colorado Springs, Colo. as World Team Coaches in women's freestyle wrestling are: · Joe Corso of Metarie, La. · Bill Scherr of Glenview, Ill. For press release, including biographies and quotes on the Women's coaches, visit: http://www.themat.com/pressbox/pressdetail.asp?aid=13884 MEN'S GRECO-ROMAN Selected to join USA Wrestling National Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser of Colorado Springs, Colo. as World Team Coaches in Greco-Roman wrestling are: · Andy Seras of Sandy Hook, Conn. · Shawn Sheldon of West Palm Beach, Fla. For press release, including biographies and quotes on the Greco-Roman coaches, visit: http://www.themat.com/pressbox/pressdetail.asp?aid=13897 These coaches, as well as all of the coaching assignments in all three styles for the year, were made by the Coach Selection Committee in each style and approved by USA Wrestling's Executive Committee. For information, contact Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling, on his cell phone at 719-659-9637

HEAD COACH: Lars Jensen is entering his 23nd season as the head coach of the Gators' wrestling team. SF State is 105-232-5 under Jensen's guidance in dual meets. He has coached 9 National Champions, 50 All-Americans, 87 National Qualifiers, 3 Division I Qualifiers, and 28 All-Academic Team Members. GATORS: The Gators are currently 0-3 in dual meets this season losing to Stanford, Western State (CO), and UC Davis. SF State also has participated in two invitationals in the Best of the West/Southern Oregon Open and the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. The Best of the West was a non-scoring invite while the Gators finished tied for 49th at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite. LAST YEAR AT MIDLANDS: SF State finished in 21st place with 20.5 points at last year's Midlands in thanks to now assistant coach, Donald Lockett. Lockett finished in third place at 141 by going 5-1 including 4-1 against Division I institutions. 7 GOING TO CHI-TOWN: Coach Jensen will be bringing with home seven wrestlers to compete in the 43rd Annual Midlands Championships. These seven Gators are Virgil Lockett (133), Eric Fitzpatrick (141), Pacifico Garcia (149), Kirk Fitzpatrick (157), Danny Dahl (174), Richard Escobar (184), and Sandeep Singh (285). GATORS LAST ACTION: SF State lost 24-12 on December 9 in Davis to the Aggies of UC Davis. SF State won four matches by decisions: Richard Escobar (8-3 at 184), Sandeep Singh (5-3 at 285), Kirk Fitzpatrick (9-4 at 157), and Alek Butler (9-3 at 141). LUCKY 7: Three Gators are tied for the team lead with 7 victories. Sandeep Singh and Virgil Lockett each are 7-4 while Danny Dahl is 7-7. Two Gators have recorded six victories this season in Kirk Fitzpatrick (6-3) and Richard Escobar (6-5). STILL NUMBER ONE: Pacifico Garcia is still ranked number one in the nation in the 149-pound weight class according to the 2005-06 NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Rankings. As a team, the Gators dropped out of the top 20 but were still receiving votes. The next rankings will be released on January 11, 2006. IN THE NEW YEAR: The Gators' next meet after Midlands will be on January 8 in Portland, Oregon, when they participate in the Portland State Open. SF State will return to dual meet action on Friday, January 13 in Fresno, California, at the Save Mart Center on Fresno State University's campus. The Gators will face the University of Illinois at 4pm and then Fresno State at 5:30 pm.

BOISE, Idaho -- Oklahoma State's wrestling Dual against Boise State scheduled for tonight has been canceled due to travel complications. The Cowboys flight out of Reno was canceled and the team was rerouted to Phoenix in hopes of catching another connection. OSU was unable to find a plane with enough seats to carry the team to Boise in time for the scheduled 8 p.m. (CDT) dual. The two teams hope to reschedule the dual at some point during the season. The Cowboys return to action on Jan. 5 when it faces Army, coached by former OSU wrestler Chuck Barbee, and Northern Iowa in a double dual inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- Senior No. 13 Joshua Medina (Las Vegas/Pima C.C.) was named Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Dec. 18, the league office announced today (Dec.20). It is the first honor for Medina and second for the Lock Haven University wrestling team (3-5). Medina went 3-0 at the Clarion Duals, one of two LHU grapplers to do so. He began the day with a 14-2 win over Kent State University's Kyle Chonko. The 149-pounder then topped Drexel University's Chris Renninger 9-3 and beat Mazen Kholi of the University of Pitt-Johnstown 9-4 for the hat trick. The three victories improve Medina to 9-2 on the young season, and give him 38 victories overall in an LHU singlet. Medina and the rest of the Bald Eagles are back in action Dec. 29-30 at the Southern Scuffle, hosted by the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio State wrestling match vs. Michigan will be televised by College Sports Television (CSTV) on tape delay at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2006. The dual meet between the Buckeyes and the Wolverines will take place at 2 p.m. Feb. 12 at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio. CSTV also will broadcast the 2006 Big Ten Championships March 4-5 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. The championships will air on tape delay at 9 p.m. Monday, March 6.

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Mike Patrovich of Hofstra University, and Adam Wright of Old Dominion University, have been named the Colonial Athletic Association Wrestlers of the Week, and Steve Mytych of Drexel University is the CAA Rookie of the Week, for all competition December 6-19. Patrovich, a senior 174 from Bohemia, NY (Islip), won both of his bouts by fall, including a pin against the sixth ranked wrestler in the nation, Matt Palmer of Columbia. Currently ranked fourth in the nation by InterMat and fifth by Amateur Wrestling News, Patrovich pinned Harvard's Wesley Walker in 6:20 and Palmer in 6:46 to improve to 4-0 in duals and 13-1 on the season. Wright, a senior 197 from Dayton, VA (Turner Ashby), won both of his bouts, including a 7-3 decision over the 21st ranked wrestler in the nation from Northern Iowa. Wright improved to 10-3 on the season and is a perfect 5-0 in duals. Mytych, a freshman 125 from Northampton, PA (Northampton), defeated wrestlers from Penn and Clarion last week to improve to 13-3, while losing 9-3 to the 13th ranked wrestler in the nation from Lock Haven. Mytych is currently ranked 18th in the nation.

Pittsburgh, Penn. -- The No. 13 Missouri wrestling squad earned a big victory in the first dual of their road trip to the Eastern Wrestling League, beating the Pittsburgh Panthers 29-9 Dec. 19. The Tigers lost just two matches to the Panthers, establishing early leads in nearly every match and finishing strong to improve to 3-0 on the season. Competing at 141 pounds, senior Chris McCormick (Leawood, Kan., No. 19) upset No. 11 Ron Tarquinio 8-1. Wrestling to a 5-0 lead after the first two periods, Tarquinio was able to escape McCormick's hold for his only point of the match, but a takedown by McCormick and one point for riding time earned the senior his first victory over a ranked opponent this season. McCormick's performance followed strong outings by senior Austin DeVoe (Columbus, Kan.) and sophomore Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.), who both entered the dual ranked No. 15 in the nation. DeVoe set the tone for Missouri's performance by scoring quickly to post a 12-2 major decision over Brad Gentzle at 125 pounds, and McCormick finished his bout with Mike Ciotti strong, stretching a 3-0 lead into a 7-0 lead during the third period. Competing in the night's marquee matchup of ranked wrestlers, junior Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.), ranked No. 4 in the nation, defeating No. 9 Justin Nestor in a close match that entered the final period with Pell holding a 3-1 advantage. True to the Tiger's form on the night, Pell finished strong by recording a nearfall over his opponent to stretch the Missouri advantage to 19-3. Wrestling a weight class above his normal slot in the lineup, No.1 junior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) proved that his dominance isn't limited to the 174-pound bracket, pinning 184-pound opponent Kyle Deliere in 1:28 to record his 14th pin of the season. Also moving up a weight class, redshirt freshman Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) won by major decision over Mike Heist at 197 pounds, 12-3. University of Missouri Photos "Coming off of a fifteen-hour bus trip, I was really pleased with the way the team wrestled tonight," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "The coaching staff has stressed the importance of wrestling the full seven minutes, and tonight our guys fought hard to the end of each match." The Tigers wrestle again Tuesday, Dec. 20, in Morgantown, W.V., facing off against the West Virginia Mountaineers in their last action before Christmas. Results 125: Austin DeVoe (MU) maj. Dec. Brad Gentzle (Pitt), 12-2 133: Tyler McCormick (MU) dec. Mike Ciotti (Pitt), 7-0 141: Chris McCormick (MU) dec. Ron Tarquinio (Pitt), 8- 149: Josh Wagner (MU) dec. Brandon Smith (Pitt), 5-1 157: Michael Chandler (MU) dec. Sean Richmond (Pitt), 8-2 165: Matt Pell (MU) dec. Justin Nestor (Pitt), 6-1 174: Nick Padezan (Pitt) dec. Joey Garrity (MU), 7-1 184: Ben Askren (MU) WBF Kyle Deliere (Pitt), 1:28 197: Raymond Jordan (MU) maj. dec. Mike Heist (Pitt), 12-3 HWT: Lou Thomas (Pitt) WBF Sean Connole (MU), 1:42

The nation's toughest tournament, the Beast of the East, never fails to deliver stunning results. Emerging through its 64-man bracket can be as much of a test of stamina as wrestling skill. This year's tournament reaffirmed more than ever the old coaches' adage "they don't wrestle the matches on paper." Particularly shocking were New Jersey legend Mike Grey of Delbarton getting knocked off in the semifinals by a virtually unknown competitor in Michael Robinson, and supposedly rebuilding Blair Academy absolutely dominating the field. The following is recap of the highlights in each weight: David Taylor (photo by Jon Malinowski)103 -- In a battle of two very scrappy, yet undersized 103-pound wrestlers, freshman phenom David Taylor scored two reversals to prevail against Fred Santaite, the last coming in the final ten seconds to seal a 4-2 win. Taylor's romp to the finals included four falls (three of them in the first period) and a forfeit win over the No. 1 seeded Nico Cortese, who injury-defaulted out of the tournament after reaching the semi-finals. Santaite established himself as one of the best 103's in the nation, scoring a wild 11-10 win over schoolboy legend Riley Adamson in the semifinals, and a 9-0 blanking of eventual third place finisher Andrew Williams in the quarterfinals. Taylor has now claimed Ironman and Beast of the East titles in back-to-back weekends. 112 -- Perhaps after his disappointing loss in the Ironman finals, RevWrestling.com's No. 1 freshman, Colin Palmer, felt he needed to redeem himself. Something must have gotten this young wrestler's "inner-fire" going as he waltzed through six matches without allowing an offensive point. While he did have one close match, a 2-1 win over a very tough Bobby Ward, Palmer won his semifinals match by a score of 11-0 over eventual third place finisher Fred Rodgers to set up a rematch with two-time Cadet National Freestyle champion Anthony Valles -- whom he had beaten by a shocking score of 10-1 at the Ironman. Perhaps the one thing no one expected was a more lopsided result in their second meeting. Yet that is exactly what transpired -- as Palmer scored an early takedown, threw the legs in and turned Valles with a power-half that must made older brother Lance proud. The second period was more of the same, as Palmer first took Valles down with a beautiful inside trip, and then turned him again for a 10-0 lead. Palmer closed out the scoring with another takedown in the third to win 12-0. The No. 1 seed at this weight, Eric Olanowski, failed to place. Ward eliminated him in the placement round by a score of 3-1 and went on to take fourth. 119 -- Though not the flashiest, Ben Ashmore was clearly one of the top five wrestlers in this tournament. For the second straight year, Ashmore dominated the field, not yielding an offensive point -- in fact, he yielded only one escape the entire tournament. The great thing about Ashmore is, while he may not pile up points like some of the nation's elite, he is always in control and virtually impossible to score on or escape from -- truly great in all phases. His final against the surprising John Trumbetti (who emerged from his No. 6 seed by defeating Junior Nationals finalist Aaron Hart, 5-0) was not nearly as close as the 6-0 score. All three periods began with Ashmore either immediately taking down or reversing Trumbetti, and then riding him out for the remainder of the period with ease. No one can say that Oklahoma State Coach John Smith didn't know what he was doing when he recruited this kid! Hart came back to place third. Kellen Russell (photo by Jon Malinowski)125 -- The final was a chess match won by Kellen Russell -- who rode out Lewistown, Pennsylvania's Michael Robinson for the title, after each managed only an escape in regulation. However, the real fireworks of the weight class, and indeed the tournament, came in the semis, where Robinson stunned the wrestling world by defeating three-time state champion, Cadet and Junior National Freestyle champion Mike Grey of New Jersey by a score of 6-4. Let's put this upset in perspective: Grey had over 130 career wins and only one loss in his career, to since-graduated multiple-time national champion Franklin Gomez, and moreover, just defeated Jeremy Mendoza of Arizona State (ranked No. 10 in the RevWrestling.com All-Division Collegiate Rankings). Robinson, by contrast, has yet to place at state in Pennsylvania, and failed to even qualify in 2005. It seemed like it would be no contest. And it was, only it was Robinson who inexplicably dominated, scoring three takedowns versus four escapes for Grey in a 6-4 win. His finals opponent, Kellen Russell, epitomizes the term "workman-like." His scores for the tournament included the double-overtime final, a 1-0 semi-final, a solid 7-4 quarterfinal win over Dak Adamson of Bishop Lynch, and qualifying round wins by scores of 2-0 and 3-1. Russell is very persistent and always in good position. Jordan Frishkorn (photo by Jon Malinowski)130 -- While Jordan Frishkorn claimed his first Beast of the East title, his finals opponent, Luke Silver, was the real story here. Silver, a junior from Bishop Lynch, emerged from his No. 6 seed to make the finals, where he pushed the much more heralded Frishkorn to the wire. Frishkorn claimed the winning takedown in the closing seconds of the bout. Look for great things from Silver in the next two seasons. 135 -- At the start of the season, this writer claimed that Junior Zack Kemmerer of Upper Perkiomen, Pennsylvania, was one of the best juniors in the nation despite not having placed higher than fifth in his own state tournament -- perhaps leading some to question my sanity. However, Kemmerer has backed up my confidence in his abilities with wins now at the Ironman and the Beast of the East, one of only four wrestlers to win both. Kemmerer is nearly impossible to take down or ride, and gets the key takedowns when he needs them. His finals win was against Junior Nationals All-American Max Shanaman of Blair Academy by a score of 6-3. Two third-period takedowns were the key to Kemmerer's victory. 140 -- Like his younger brother Collin, Lance Palmer flat-out came to wrestle at the Beast of the East. On the heels of a surprising loss to Matt Dunn of Reynoldsburg in last weekend's Ironman final, Palmer defeated Cadet National Freestyle champion Mario Mason by a score of 11-4 in the semifinals to face another Cadet Nationals champion, Luke Ashmore of Bishop Lynch, in his finals. It appeared that Ashmore (a junior who is Ben's younger brother) might have posed a legitimate challenge to Palmer's supremacy after he knocked off Pennsylvania state champion Ashtin Primus, 11-4, in his own semifinal. However, Palmer dominated the bout from start to finish, blowing through Ashmore with two powerful double-leg takedowns and riding him relentlessly throughout the match. Palmer finally cranked Ashmore over with his lethal power-half to score a fall late in the third period. Primus defeated Mason in a close bout for third place. 145 -- In the toughest weight in the tournament, No. 3 seed Bubba Jenkins defeated all comers and established himself as one of the nation's elite seniors. Jenkins defeated Tim Darling of Pennsylvania, the No. 6 junior in RevWrestling's.com Power Rankings, by a score of 10-7 in the semifinals. Meanwhile, the other semifinal saw Blair Academy's Travis Blasco reverse his Ironman loss to Sean Nemec of Lakewood St. Edward's with a 6-4 win. Blasco now leads their series 2-1. Blasco was simply no match for the slick, yet solid Jenkins, however, as Jenkins notched three takedowns and yielded just three escapes in a convincing 7-3 finals win. Matt Dunn rebounded from an early loss by fall to Quentin Wright to place fourth, falling to Darling for third. Dunn now has two nice feathers in his cap courtesy of St. Edward's, as he defeated Nemec by a scoring of 8-2. Nemec finished fifth. 152 -- Eric Medina of Blair Academy showed for the second straight week why he is rated by ReWrestling.com as the No. 1 junior in the nation by adding a Beast crown to last week's Ironman title. Simply put, Medina is the total package. He combines an explosive offense with superb counter-wrestling, and is devastating from the top position. His finals opponent, Phil Black, was simply outmatched in a 9-3 final that wasn't as close as the score. Medina has the look of a future NCAA champion in this writer's opinion. 160 -- Dave Rella avenged his Ironman loss to Mac Lewnes with a 3-1 final win. A first period takedown was the key to Rella victory, as the two rivals traded escapes thereafter. Rella and Lewnes have very similar styles, and probably the only thing that has been decided between their two matches this season is that they are about even. Unseeded and unheralded Chris Heinrich was brilliant here, placing third with wins over three-time state champion Matt Epperly of Christiansburg, Virginia, and highly regarded Brent Fiorito of Upper Perkiomen for third. Heinrich also gave Rella his only remotely close bout heading into the finals, falling 7-4 in the quarterfinals. Landis Wright, who had one of the finest pre-season's of any high school wrestler in the nation (placing fourth at the Penn State Open among other accomplishments), had an inexplicably disastrous weekend, getting tech falled by Epperly before being eliminated, 7-1, by Fiorito. Fiorito also eliminated Cadet Nationals champion Luke Rebertus of Maryland. 171 -- Pennsylvania state champion and No. 1 seed Mike Letts scored a workman-like 3-2 win over the No. 2 seed, Kyle Kiss, in the finals. Letts was much more impressive in scoring a technical fall in the semifinals against eventual third place finisher Nathan Murin. Freshman Zach Benzio may be the best freshman upper-weight in the nation, scoring five straight consolation falls and six straight wins to rebound from a first period loss. Benzio may have just run out of gas as he then fell to eighth place. You will hear his name a lot in the future. 189 -- Jamelle Jones scored four takedowns in his 8-4 finals win over No. 3 seeded Matt Edmondson. Only a junior, Jones has as slick counter-offense as you will see in a high school upper-weight. Unseeded Jamey Srock of Akron St. Vincent rebounded from a second round loss to Jones (14-7) to score eight straight consolation round wins and place third against a tough field. 215 -- Junior Cody Gardner is simply the best 215 in the nation. Gardner's quickness and mobility are outstanding for a big man to say the least. Slick on his feet, Gardner can also wrestle on the mat -- which he showed in scoring a late fall against No. 2 seed Joey Lindamood in the finals to add a Beast title to his Ironman crown last weekend. Hwt -- Looking more like a 215 than a heavyweight, Mike Ragone of Camden, New Jersey established himself as the class of this weight, taking a 3-0 win in the finals over Charlie Weber after registering a 15-3 semifinals win. No. 1 seed Brandon Kendzierski failed to place at this weight. Team Race -- Blair Academy's dominance had to be the second most surprising story of the tourney (after Grey going down, of course). Blair outdistanced second place St. Edward's 255 to 178. St. Edwards was hampered by an injury to 171 Brian Roddy, but nonetheless, Blair made a statement. Christiansburg, Virginia, is laying claim to being the best public school program in the nation, as they finished in third place with 162 points.

RENO, Nev. -- Oklahoma State's top-ranked wrestling team won its fourth consecutive title at the Reno Tournament of Champions by crowning three individual champions at the Reno Livestock Events Center on Sunday evening. The Cowboys claimed the title with 194.5 points, 71.5 points more than runner-up Central Michigan. OSU paraded nine wrestlers into the finals, but only won three titles. Coleman Scott started the OSU parade with a loss to Arizona State's Jeremy Mendoza at 125. Nathan Morgan advanced to the finals at 133 only to lose to Chattanooga's Matt Keller. Daniel Frishkorn was OSU's first champion at 141 with a victory over Penn's DeWitt Driscoll. Zack Esposito followed a title at 149 with a close victory over Central Michigan's Mark Disalvo. Kevin Ward, Johny Hendricks and Brandon Mason all suffered finals defeats as well. Ward lost a tight 3-2 decision to Arizona State's Brian Stith, while Hendricks and Mason both got pinned. Hendricks went down in the first period to Oregon's Joey Bracamonte, while Mason lost to Northwestern's Jake Herbert. Jake Rosholt did not fare much better at 197. Rosholt was on the short end of a 5-1 decision to Central Michigan's Wynn Michalak. Steve Mocco closed the tournament on a winning note for the Cowboys winning 5-3 over ASU's Cain Velasquez. OSU will return to action on Tuesday when it takes the mat against Boise State in Boise, Idaho. The dual will take place at Taco Bell Arena. Championships 125- Jeremy Mendoza (ASU) Dec. Coleman Scott (OSU), 1-0 133- Matt Keller (UTC) Dec. Nathan Morgan (OSU), 8-6 141- Daniel Frishkorn (OSU) Dec. Dewiit Driscoll (Penn), 6-4 149- Zack Esposito (OSU) Dec. Mark DiSalvo (CMU), 7-6 157- Brian Stith (ASU) Dec. Kevin Ward (OSU), 3-2 165- Joey Bracamonte (UO) Fall Johny Hendricks (OSU), 1:19 174- Jake Herbert (NW) Fall Brandon Mason (OSU), 2:05 197- Wynn Michalak (CMU) Dec. Jake Rosholt (OSU), 5-1 285- Steve Mocco (OSU) Dec. Cain Velasquez (ASU), 5-3 Fifth-place Rusty Blackmon (OSU) Fall Greg Gifford (FSU), 4:29

The NAIA No. 3-ranked Dana College Vikings faced some stiff Division I competition on Saturday at the annual Nebraska Duals held at the NU Coliseum on the University of Nebraska campus. The Vikings faced NCAA No. 23-ranked Cal Poly (1st in PAC 10) in the first dual and then followed up with a showdown with Oregon State, who is currently No. 3 in the PAC-10 standings behind Cal Poly and Arizona State. Cal Poly was too much for the Vikings, defeating Dana by a score of 41-3, with the lone victory coming from senior Ben Henderson (Federal Way, Wash.), winning a decision at 157 over Ryan Williams, 8-6. Cal Poly followed the defeat over Dana, by pulling an upset over the No. 11 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers, 21-19. Dana Head Coach Steve Costanzo regrouped the Vikings in order to put up a good showing against the Beavers of Oregon State. Oregon State was 2-0 coming into Saturday with dual wins over Hofstra (ranked No. 22) and in-state rival, Oregon. Dana College has never defeated a Division I opponent in dual competition. The Vikings won five of ten matches and managed a 20-20 tie with the Beavers. Junior George Roath (Kansas City, KS) started out the dual at 149. Roath dropped a major decision to Orlando Perez, 13-2. Senior Ben Henderson (Federal Way, Wash.) would get the Vikings back on track by receiving a forfeit from the Beavers at 157. Senior Trent Leichleiter (Harvard, Neb.) kept the streak alive with an 8-4 decision over Anthony Weber. Senior Marshall Marquardt (Altoona, Iowa), who was undefeated in dual competition this year, lost his second match of the day to Jeremy Larson by major decision. Senior Willie Parks (Garden Grove, Calif.) bounced back from a loss against Cal Poly to rack up a 13-5 major decision over Neal Beaudry. Senior Blair Alderman (Spokane, Wash.) faced two tough opponents on the day, facing the No. 9 ranked Montero from Cal Poly and then No. 20 ranked Dan Pitsch from Oregon State. Pitsch claimed an 8-3 decision over Alderman. At heavyweight, No. 18 ranked Ty Watterson won by fall over Armando Montoya (Las Vegas, N.M.). At 125, junior Craig Trampe (Ord, Neb.) scored in the final seconds of the match against Eric Stevenson to avoid the major decision and only giving up three team points, losing 11-4. Freshman Sonny Silva (Kimberly, Idaho) would make his varsity debut at 133 and made a lasting impression. Silva was winning his bout 5-0, but needed to score a major decision to give the Vikings another bonus point to help win the dual. In the final seconds of the match, the freshman managed to turn his opponent and receive three near fall points and the 8-0 major decision. The win by Silva put the Vikings within three, 20-17, with one match to go. The dual depended on senior and two-time All-American, Jason Lozier (Omaha, Neb). In an exciting match, Lozier was losing 2-1 with about two seconds remaining and managed a reversal with no time on the clock to pull out a 3-2 victory over Kyle Larson and the 20-20 tie! The Vikings will be in action on Jan. 6 at home against Dakota Wesleyan and then will host the Dana Open on Saturday. Jan. 7.

State College, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the guidance of head coach Troy Sunderland, headed west for the 2005 Reno Tournament of Champions knowing that it would be missing two starters and wrestling only nine scoring grapplers. Still a force to be reckoned with, four Penn State wrestlers advanced to the semifinals with senior 141-pounder DeWitt Driscoll (Connellsville, Pa.) advancing to the finals. Seniors Eric Bradley (Plaistow, N.H.) at 184 and James Woodall (St. Dupont, Pa.) did not make the trip, forcing Sunderland to wrestle a reserve at 149 for Woodall and not submit an entry at 184. So while the remainder of the field got scoring from ten wrestlers, Penn State got scoring from nine. Showcasing its outstanding depth from top to bottom in the line-up, four of Penn State's nine scoring entrants advanced to the semifinals in a tournament field featuring Oklahoma State, Northwestern, Central Michigan and Oregon. Driscoll zipped out to a 3-0 start and advanced to the semifinals at 141 with a pin (1:45) of Fresno State's Garrett Spooner. Driscoll also had a decision and a technical fall in the preliminaries. He then earned a spot in the finals with a 7-2 win over Northwestern's Ryan Lang. Driscoll dropped a hard-fought 6-4 decision to Dan Friskhorn of Oklahoma State in the title bout. Driscoll ended his outstanding run with a 4-1 mark. Freshman Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) continued his hot run, bolting out of the gates 3-0 and advancing to the semifinals at 133 with a 2-0 win over Oregon's Justin Pearch. Strayer began the tournament with a pin and a technical fall. In the semifinals, he fell 6-4 to Nathan Morgan of Oklahoma State but bounced back to take third place with a 4-1 win over Jason Borrelli of Central Michigan. Strayer went 5-1 at the tournament Junior Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.) made a thrilling entry into the semifinals at 157 with a 5-3 win over Oklahoma State's Newly McSpadden. Galloway, 3-0 to begin the tournament, had two other decisions to begin the tournament. Galloway dropped an 8-2 decision to Brian Stith of Arizona State in the semifinals but wrestled-back well and placed fourth, going 4-2 overall. While that foursome advanced to the semifinals, four other Nittany Lions made it to the quarterfinals before falling into the wrestle-backs. Junior James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) suffered his first loss of the season in the quarters. After a 2-0 start to the tourney, he had his undefeated run to begin the season ended with a heart-breaking 2-1 loss to Oklahoma State's Brandon Mason in the quarterfinals. Yonushonis would go 2-1 in wrestle-backs and take fifth place with a 5-2 mark and a 10-7 win over Brandon Sinnott of Central Michigan. Senior HWT Joel Edwards (Upper Darby, Pa.) also advanced to the quarterfinals before losing 8-3 to Cain Valesquez of Arizona State. Edwards was strong in consolations, however, winning four straight and claiming third place. Edwards went 5-1. Sophomore All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) stormed out to a 3-0 start, advancing to the semifinals at 197 with a 7-2 win over Princeton's Jake Butler. Davis also had a fall and a technical fall in the preliminary rounds. Davis was downed 6-2 by Central Michigan's Wynn Michalak in the semis and went on to place sixth after forfeiting his fifth place match. Sophomore Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) also began the tournament 2-0, but fell 6-2 to Arizona State's Jeremy Mendozza in the quarters. Haas went on to go 2-2 in wrestle-backs and took sixth place with a 4-3 overall mark. True freshman David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) continued to impress in his first season, beginning the tournament 2-0 before dropping a heard-fought 5-3 decision to No. 1 seed Johnny Hendricks of Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals. Erwin went 3-2 in the tournament. Freshman Jason Lapham (West Chazy, N.Y.) started at 149 for Penn State and went 0-2. While the above nine were Penn State's scoring wrestlers, four other Nittany Lions made the trip and participated, albeit in a non-team scoring mode. Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) was 2-2 at 125. Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.) had an outstanding tournament at 141. He went 2-0 in prelims before falling into consos. But in wrestle-backs, Heller posted five wins and earned fifth place, going 7-2 overall. Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) went 0-2 at 165. Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.) had an outstanding tournament, going 5-1 overall and finishing fourth. Anspach forfeited the third place match to teammate Edwards, thus not taking a loss in the bout. Even with just nine scoring wrestlers, the Nittany Lions still finished a strong fourth place in the tournament. No. 1 ranked Oklahoma State won the tourney with 194.5 team points, nine finalists including three champions. No. 9 Central Michigan was second with 123, No. 13 Northwestern was third with 118.5 while No. 12 Penn State was close behind in fourth with 97. Oregon finished fifth with 83.5. The Nittany Lions, 5-2 in duals and ranked No. 12 in the country, return to action on Jan. 6 in a much-anticipated dual match at No. 9 Lehigh at 7 p.m. Two days later on Jan. 8, Penn State hosts No. 8 Cornell in Rec Hall for a 1 p.m. dual. Single match tickets can be purchased by visiting the BJC Ticket Center of by calling 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336. Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and senior citizens.

RENO, Nev. -- Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) and Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) earned back-to-back individual titles at 174 lbs. and 184 lbs., leading Northwestern to a third-place finish at the 2005 Reno Tournament of Champions. At the end of the day, seven Wildcats placed at the tournament, with every wrestler winning at least one match. Herbert entered the tournament as the top seed at 174 lbs. and wasted little time proving he deserved the ranking, recording two falls and a technical fall in his first three matches. Herbert started his day by pinning Princeton's Mathew DeNichilo at 3:42. He followed that performance by recording a technical fall over Stanford's Luke Feist, taking the match 23-4. After pinning Upper Iowa University's C.J. MacNaught in 3:15 to advance to the semifinals, Herbert notched a 15-10 decision over Ken Cook of UC Davis to move into the final round. Herbert dominated in the title bout, pinning Oklahoma State's 16th-ranked Brandon Mason at 2:05 to take home is second individual tournament title of the year. Not to be outdone by his classmate, Tamillow displayed an equally impressive performance at 184 lbs. After earning the second seed, Tamillow began his day with an 8-0 major decision over Embry-Riddle's Joffre Lander in the first round. In the second round Tamillow pinned Lassen's Mike Calderon at 1:18, then recorded a 6-2 decision over Boise State's K.C. Walsh to advance to the semifinals. In the semifinal round, Tamillow slapped a 12-3 major-decision victory on Fresno State's Greg Gifford. In the final round, No. 15 Tamillow faced Oregon's ninth-ranked Shane Webster. Tamillow came through with a big one, edging Webster 2-0 in a tight title bout. With their performances in Reno, Herbert and Tamillow improved their respective records to 11-0 this season. Senior John Velez (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings) went 3-1, while senior Matt Delguyd (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) went 5-2 as the two finished fourth in their respective weight classes for the 'Cats. At 125 lbs., the second-seeded Velez moved to the second round after a first-round bye. In his first match of the day, Velez recorded a 14-2 major-decision victory over Upper Iowa University's Tyler Mumbulo. Velez fell to Arizona State's ninth-ranked Jeremy Mendoza in the quarterfinals, but notched a major-decision win of his own over Stanford's Tanner Gardner in the consolation semifinal. Velez then dropped a 3-1 decision in overtime to Central Michigan's Luke Smith to take fourth place. The fourth-seeded Delguyd started the tournament by recording consecutive major-decision wins. Delguyd topped Southern Oregon University's Abe Ewing 15-2 before recording a 13-4 win over Northern State University's Todd Naasz. After being edged 4-2 by Boise State's Casey Phelps in the third round, Delguyd rallied with three-consecutive wins in the consolation bracket. Delguyd first beat Wyoming's Malcom Havens 17-5, then slipped past Cal State Fullerton's Chris Chambers, 5-4. In the consolation final, Delguyd met the man who bumped him into the consolation bracket, Boise State's Casey Phelps. Phelps once again got the best of Delguyd in the rematch, taking the match 7-2. At 165 lbs., Will Durkee went 5-2 on the day en route to a fifth-place finish. After a first-round bye, Durkee pinned Embry-Riddle's Morgan Scott at 1:52. He then tallied his second fall in as many matches by pinning Northern State University's Matt Englund at 2:39. Oregon's seventh-ranked Joey Bracemonte edged Durkee 9-6 in the fourth round, but Durkee responded by rattling off a 6-1 decision over Central Michigan's Justin Petrone and a 9-0 major decision over Tennessee's Daniel Peterson. After falling to UC Davis' Frank Richmond, Durkee finished the day with a 4-1 decision over Southern Oregon University's Jimmy Grochowsky, to claim fifth place. Sophomore Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed at 285 lbs. In his first-round match, Fox made easy work of Stanford's Jared Boyer, notching an 18-6 major-decision victory. Fox then won two more--with an 8-2 decision over Tennessee's Zach Tramel and a default from Wyoming's Dusty Hoffschneider--to find himself in the semifinals against Arizona State's fourth-ranked Cain Velasquez. There, Fox fell to Velasquez, 11-1, to move into the consolation bracket. In his first consolation match, Fox fell to Aaron Anspach of Penn, 10-4. Fox rallied against Central Michigan's Bubba Gritter, however, and won fifth place with a 7-3 win. At 141 lbs., sophomore Ryan Lang entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed. Lang started off hot, ripping off four-consecutive victories in his first four matches, winning two by fall and two by major decision. Lang made quick work of Cal State Fullerton's Teddy Astorga in the first round, pinning Astorga in 1:15. In his next match, Lang recorded a 17-5 major-decision victory over Cal State Bakersfield's Jeremy Doyle. Lang then topped Central Michigan's Brandon Carter, 12-3, and pinned Oregon's Skyler Woods in 1:54 to advance to the quarterfinals. Lang fell to Penn's DeWitt Driscoll 7-2 in the quarterfinals, then faced Carter again in his first consolation match. Lang wasn't as fortunate against Carter the second time around, and fell to move on to the fifth-place match. Lang then forfeited the last match, earning him sixth place on the day. In the team race, defending national champion Oklahoma State led all day and finished with nine wrestlers in the finals. The Cowboys took first with a 194.5 team points. While the Wildcats were in second for most of the tournament, Central Michigan snuck in a few late points to finish second with 123 points, while the Wildcats finished in third place with 118.5 points. Penn State finished fourth with 97 team points, while Oregon rounded out the top five with 83.5 points. Northwestern returns to action on Thursday, Dec. 29 for the 43rd annual Midlands Wrestling Championships.

RENO, Nev. -- Three members of the Arizona State University wrestling team advanced to the finals of the Reno Tournament of Champions Sunday in Reno, Nev., with a pair of Sun Devils claiming individual championships to pace the team. ASU's final team place and point total were not available. Oklahoma State won the team title for the ninth time in 10 years with 194.5 points while Central Michigan (123), Northwestern (118.5), Penn State (97) and Oregon (83.5) rounded out the Top 5 teams. Jeremy Mendoza, seeded third at 125 pounds, went 6-0 on his way to winning the crown at the lightest weight class. After opening the day with a pin, Mendoza added two major decisions and two decisions to reach the finals. After scoring an 11-0 major decision over No. 2 seed John Valez of Northwestern in the semifinals, Mendoza met up with No. 1 seed Coleman Scott of OSU in what would become a non-scoring affair. Although neither recorded a point in the bout, Mendoza did accumulate enough riding time to earn the point and win, 1-0. Also claiming a crown for the Sun Devils was returning All-American Brian Stith at 157 pounds. The top seed in his weight class, Stith cruised into the quarterfinals with one fall and two major decisions before winning a pair of decisions to reach the finals. In the championship bout, Stith took on OSU's Kevin Ward, the third seed, and scored a takedown with 30 seconds remaining on the clock to take a 3-2 victory. Overall on the day, Stith faced three Pac-10 foes, winning one each by fall, major decision and decision. The third Sun Devil individual to reach the finals was heavyweight Cain Velasquez, the second seed in the event. Velasquez opened the day with an 18-1 technical fall before pinning his second round foe in 2:44. After two more victories, including an 11-1 major decision over the third seeded Dustin Fox of Northwestern, Velasquez met two-time defending national champion Steve Mocco of OSU in the finals. In the championship bout, Mocco picked up two takedowns to record a 5-3 decision and handing Velasquez just his second loss of the season in 20 matches. Also competing for the Sun Devils on the day were Adam Hickey (0-2 at 133), Jason Robbins (1-2 at 141), Brandon Schad (1-2 at 149), Mark LeBeau (0-2 at 149), Kevin Gaughan (1-2 at 157), Alex Pavlenko (1-2 at 174) and Jamie Robbins (0-2 at 174). Patrick Pitsch (165) and Chris Remsen (174) were slated to compete, but did not take part in the tournament as they both forfeited a pair of bouts. Following the holiday break, the Sun Devils will once again take to the road as they return to dual competition when they travel to Minneapolis, Minn., to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Jan. 4. ASU also will place host to UC Davis and Iowa State on Jan. 8 inside Wells Fargo Arena for the Sun Devil Duals.

PARK FORREST, Ill. -- The Indiana wrestling team swept the competition at the FITE Duals in Park Forrest, Ill., on Dec. 18 to remain perfect on the season at 5-0. IU opened the event at Rich East High School with a 37-12 defeat of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville before dismantling No. 21 Northern Illinois and Wisconsin-Whitewater by scores of 28-9 and 45-4, respectively. "It was a great event with a lot of intense matches," head coach Duane Goldman said. "We competed hard and came out with a winning attitude. Our guys are working hard and they are continuing to progress well. It was a good thing to get through the first part of our season healthy and now we are ready to face the rest of our remaining schedule." The Hoosiers posted 11 pins, one technical fall, three major decisions and a forfeit to take more than half of its scheduled bouts by bonus points. Defending national champion Joe Dubuque took care of business in his first two bouts, dismissing Sean Mead (SIUE) and Pat Castillo (NIU). Top-rated Dubuque posted a technical fall, 17-0, against Mead before pinning Castillo at the 5:39 mark. Redshirt freshman Jose Escobedo finished the sweep at 125 pounds, defeating UW-W's Joe Van Wetering 8-2. Andrae Hernandez went 3-0 on the day, posting two falls against SIUE's Chuck Patten (4:17) and UW-W's Kyle Hazelwood (4:48) to get the event rolling. Against Northern Illinois, Hernandez took the match 5-3 in sudden victory against Andy Hiatt to give the Hoosiers the early 9-0 lead against NIU. The Hoosiers mixed-up the lineup at 141 pounds with freshman Scott Kelley making two starts to go 1-1 on the day, while senior Nick Spatola lost a hard-fought match to No. 9 Josh Wooton of Northern Illinois. Wooton posted the Huskies first points against the Hoosiers, but Spatola did well to keep one of the top wrestlers in the nation from bonus points in the 5-0 decision. Kelley dropped his first bout to Tyler Swearingen (SIUE), 8-4, before defeating Wisconsin-Whitewater's Nate Closen, 7-5. Juniors Isaac Knable and Matt Cooper shared the load at 149 pounds, with Knable tallying a pin and decision to go 2-0. Cooper had his hands full against No. 8 Mike Grimes (NIU), taking the bout into sudden victory. Cooper looked poised to make his first big statement against a top-10 opponent, but Grimes used a late takedown to sneak away with the 3-2 decision. All-American Brandon Becker took care of business at 157 pounds pinning all three of his opponents. After pinning Northern Illinois' Kalen Knull at the 2:18 mark, third-ranked Becker gave the Hoosiers a 15-6 lead over the Huskies in his most impressive showing of the day. Sophomore Max Dean collected a major decision over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville's John Ficht to open the competition, following the victory with a 3-1 decision over NIU's Alex Nelson. Freshman Hunter Hughes made his first start of the dual season pinning Shannon Bohleman of Wisconsin-Whitewater at 6:02 to wrap up the IU sweep at 165. Sophomore Marc Bennett swept the competition at 174 pounds in commanding fashion, dismissing by fall SIUE's Chris Midgett (2:30) and UW-W's Scott Moe (3:32). Against NIU's 19th-ranked Danny Burke, Bennett needed extra periods before using a takedown to defeat Burke 9-7 in the first overtime period. Freshman Louis Gouletas made his first start for the Hoosiers at both 184 and 197 pounds, going 0-2 in his first dual outings. Two-time NCAA qualifier Brady Richardson cleaned house at 197 pounds, dropping only five points across two matches. After opening the event with a 10-1 major decision over SIUE's Sean Tyus, eighth-ranked Richardson took a 10-4 decision over Dave Herrera (NIU). Dave Herman closed out the IU effort going 3-0. Herman met a forfeit win against Southern Illinois before taking the mat against 20th-ranked Joe Sapp of NIU. Sapp looked beat as Herman forced the sudden victory; however, Sapp used a reversal late in the third period to steal the 3-2 victory. Herman rebounded to post a decision over Derrick Johnson of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 9-2. The Hoosiers will take the next two weeks off before traveling to Evanston, Ill., to compete at the Midlands Invitational on Dec. 29-30. Hosted by Northwestern University, the competition will be a Big Ten preview for the Hoosiers who could meet conference powerhouses Iowa, Illinois and Michigan in a pre-conference showdown.

CLARION, Pa. -- Despite a number of injuries up and down its lineup, the University of North Carolina wrestling team improved its dual match record to 6-0 on the young season with wins over Drexel, Clarion and Kent State at the Clarion Duals Sunday at W.S. Tippin Gymnasium. Carolina opened with a 26-9 win over Drexel, followed with a 34-9 victory over Clarion and closed out the afternoon with a 23-10 win over Kent State. Four Tar Heels posted perfect 3-0 records on the afternoon, including senior Garrett Atkinson at 165 pounds, junior Bobby Shaw at 125, sophomore Chris Ramos at 149 and redshirt freshman Vincent Ramirez at 141. Juniors Brian Baglio and Deon Barrett also combined for a 3-0 record at 157. Atkinson, now 7-3 this season, opened with a 6-1 win over Scott Hunter of Drexel. He then pinned Clarion's Logan Downes in 2:53 and followed with a 5-3 decision over Kent State's Jason McKee. Shaw posted pins over Drexel's Steve Mytych (3:58) and Kent State's Chad Sportelli (6:10) and picked up a win via forfeit versus Clarion. Shaw is now 11-5. Wrestling in the leadoff spot all afternoon, Ramos was the third Tar Heel to go 3-0. He opened with an overtime win over Drexel's Chris Renninger (8-6), then notched a pin of Clarion's Robert Hermo in just 58 seconds and closed out the day with an 11-4 win over Kent State's Kyle Chonko. Ramos improved to 7-4 on the season. Ramirez pushed his season record to 19-4 Sunday. He won via technical fall over Drexel's Ed Giosa (16-0) and followed with a 7-2 decision over Clarion's Derrick Smith and a 10-1 major decision over Kent State's Drew Lashaway (10-1). Carolina heavyweight Spencer Nadolsky won Twice Sunday to improve his team-best record to 21-2 and 5-0 in duals. He sat out the Clarion match. The Tar Heels return to action Dec. 29-30 at UNC Greensboro's Southern Scuffle. NORTH CAROLINA 26 DREXEL 9 149- Chris Ramos (NC) dec. Chris Renninger (D) 8-6 ot 157- Brian Baglio (NC) dec. Ryan Hluschak (D) 7-6 165- Garrett Atkinson (NC) dec. Scott Hunter (D) 6-1 174- Nick Kozar (D) dec. Alex Maciag (NC) 7-3 184- Justin Dobies (NC) dec. Justin Terhune (D) 2-1 197- Jon Oplinger (D) dec. David Dashiell (NC) 8-5 HWT- Spencer Nodolsky (NC) dec. Chris Cowen (D) 3-2 125- Bobby Shaw (NC) pinned Steve Mytych (D) 3:58 133- Zach Makovsky (D) maj. dec. Dan Carleton (NC) 10-2 141- Vincent Ramirez (NC) t.fall Ed Giosa (D) 16-0; 6:21 Drexel 1 Team Point Deducted NORTH CAROLINA 34 CLARION 9 149- Chris Ramos (NC) pinned Robert Hermo (CL) :58 157- Deon Barrett (NC) maj. dec. Lucas Christopher (CL) 17-6 165- Garrett Atkinson (NC) pinned Logan Downes (CL) 2:53 174- Alex Maciag (NC) dec. Dave Gardner (CL) 9-6 184- Justin Dobies (NC) dec. Dominic Ross (CL) 7-2 197- David Dashiell (NC) dec. Matt Wilcox (CL) 11-5 HWT- A.J. Brooks (CL) forfeit 125- Bobby Shaw (NC) forfeit 133- Robert LaBrake (CL) dec. Dan Carleton (NC) 1-0 141- Vincent Ramirez (NC) dec. Derrick Smith (CL) 7-2 NORTH CAROLINA 23 KENT STATE 10 149- Chris Ramos (NC) dec. Kyle Chonko (K) 11-4 157- Brian Baglio (NC) dec. Kurt Gross (K) 11-5 165- Garrett Atkinson (NC) dec. Jason McGee (K) 5-3 174- Aaron Miller (K) dec. Alex Maciag (NC) 7-6 184- Alex Camargo (K) dec. Justin Dobies (NC) 3-1 ot 197- David Dashiell (NC) dec. Ardian Ramadani (K) 6-1 HWT- Spencer Nodolsky (NC) dec. Willie Leonard (K) 4-3 125- Bobby Shaw (NC) pinned Chad Sportelli (K) 6:10 133- Drew Opfer (K) maj. dec. Dan Carleton (NC) 13-0 141- Vincent Ramirez (NC) maj. dec. Drew Lashaway (K)

AMES, Iowa -- All-American Kurt Backes's pin at the 3:43 mark pushed the seventh-ranked Iowa State wrestlers (4-2, 0-0 Big 12) past Cal-Poly (2-1, 2-0 Pac-10), 26-18, on Sunday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones won six matches, recording a pin and two major decisions en route to the victory. "Cal Poly is a good team, they came in with a good game plan," head coach Bobby Douglas said. "I am happy with our performance; it was good, but we obviously have work to do." Backes, rated fifth at 184 pounds, began the second period from the defensive position against sixth-ranked Ryan Halsey. During a flurry which saw both wrestlers on their back, Backes was able to free himself from Halsey and score a reversal at the 1:22 mark. After the reversal, Halsey's back was exposed to the mat. Five seconds later Backes registered the pin, giving ISU a commanding 16-3 lead. Backes' fall capped off four straight victories for the Cyclones. At 157 pounds, fourth-ranked Trent Paulson earned a 16-6 major decision over Ryan Williams. Travis Paulson (165) and David Bertolino (174) followed with 6-1 and 10-5 decisions, respectively. Jesse Sundell won by forfeit at 133 pounds. To close out the dual, ISU's second-ranked All-American Nate Gallick notched a major decision over Steve Esparza, 16-7. The Cyclones will next be travelling to the 43rd Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill., Dec. 29-30. Gallick will be defending his 2004 title at 141 pounds. Backes (184) and Travis Paulson (165) finished second in their respective weight classes last season, while Trent Paulson claimed a third-place finish at 157 pounds. Wrestling action will return to Ames on Jan. 5, when Iowa State will play host to the Hokies of Virginia Tech at 7 p.m.

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team improved to 2-3 on the season with a 37-7 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies on Sunday afternoon. UNI used three forfeit victories to roll to the dual win. UNI's forfeit wins came from Moza Fay (157 lbs.), Curt Zinnel (174 lbs.) and Dan Dunning (184 lbs.) The Panthers got the dual rolling with two early wins from Seth Wright (125 lbs.) and Chris Helgeson (133 lbs.). The two wins gave UNI a 6-0 lead after only two matches. Ryan Osgood (141 lbs.) suffered a 15-6 loss, but then the Panthers rolled off six straight wins to take control. Included in the six wins were the three forfeits. Nick Baima (165 lbs.) tallied an easy 23-8 technical fall and Jeff Knoll (197 lbs.) closed out the Panther win with a 5-4 decision. The Panthers will next be in action at the Midlands on Dec. 29-30. UNI 37, Virginia Tech 7 125 Seth Wright (UNI) dec. Justin Stayler (VT), 14-8 133 Chris Helgeson (UNI) dec. Christian Smith (VT), 10-5 141 David Hoffman (VT) maj. dec. Ryan Osgood (UNI), 15-6 149 Colby Geotsch (UNI) tech. fall Joe Thompson (VT), 15-0 157 Moza Fay (UNI) wins by fft. 165 Nick Baima (UNI) tech. fall Mark Czarny (VT), 23-8 174 Curt Zinnel (UNI) wins by fft. 184 Dan Dunning (UNI) wins by fft. 197 Jeff Knoll (UNI) dec. John Laboranti, 5-4 285 Mike Faust (VT) dec. Tyler Rhodes (UNI), 3-2

EVANSTON, Ill. -- With the 43rd-annual Midlands Wrestling Championships less than two weeks away, Northwestern has released the early 2005 weight by weight rankings. 125 lbs. 1. Nick Simmons, Michigan State 2. Luke Eustice, Hawkeye Training Club 3. John Velez, Northwestern 4. Luke Magnani, Iowa 5. Tanner Gardner, Stanford 6. Luke Smith, Central Michigan 7. Pat Castillo, Northern Illinois 8. Rob McCabe, Adams State 133 lbs. 1. Jason Borrelli, Central Michigan 2. Matt Valenti, Penn 3. Robbie Preston, Harvard 4. Scott Jorgenson, Boise State 5. Sam Hiatt, Northern Illinois 6. Seth Lisa, West Virginia 7. Andrae Hernandez, Indiana 8. Erkin Tadzhimeov, Utah Valley State 141 lbs. 1. Nate Gallick, Iowa State 2. Andy Simmons, Michigan State 3. Ryan Lang, Northwestern 4. Max Meltzer, Harvard 5. Alex Tsirtsis, Iowa 6. Josh Wooton, Northern Illinois 7. Casey Pero, Illinois 8. Brandon Rader, West Virginia 149 lbs. 1. Ty Eustice, Iowa 2. Cliff Moore, Hawkeye Training Club 3. Mark DiSalvo, Central Michiga 4. Mike Grimes, Northern Illinois 5. Doug Withstandley, Purdue 6. Ryan Hurley, Cleveland State 7. Darren McKnight, Michigan State 8. Anthony Baza, Cal State Bakersfield 157 lbs. 1. Alex Tirapelle, Illinois 2. Trent Paulson, Iowa State 3. Joe Johnston, Iowa 4. Matt Lebe, West Virginia 5. Jeremiah Jarvis, UNA 6. Brandon Becker, Indiana 7. Ben Cherrington, Boise State 8. Eric Neil, Central Michigan 165 lbs. 1. Travis Paulson, Iowa State 2. Jared Frayer, UNA 3. Nick Baima, Northern Iowa 4. Donny Reynolds, Illinois 5. Zac Fryling, UNA 6. Will Durkee, Northwestern 7. Garrett South, Luther 8. Evan Copeland, Adams State 9. J.D. Naig, Nebraska-Omaha 174 lbs. 1. Jake Herbert, Northwestern 2. Mark Perry, Iowa 3. Matt Palmer, Columbia 4. R.J. Boudro, Michigan State 5. Ken Robertson, Eastern Illinois 6. Brandon Sinnott, Central Michigan 7. Christian Arellano, Cal State Bakersfield 8. Danny Burk, Northern Illinois 184 lbs. 1. Paul Bradley, Iowa 2. Kurt Backes, Iowa State 3. Ben Wissel, Purdue 4. Pete Freidl, Illinois 5. Josh Glenn, American 6. Mike Tamillow, Northwestern 7. Ryan Halsey, Cal Poly 8. Rudy Medini, Rutgers 197 lbs. 1. Wynn Michalak, Central Michigan 2. Matt Delguyd, Northwestern 3. Tyrone Byrd, Illinois 4. Brady Richardson, Indiana 5. Casey Phelps, Boise State 6. Joe Dennis, Cleveland State 7. Nathan Moore, Purdue 8. Corey Jacoby, Shippensburg 285 lbs. 1. Bode Ogunwole, Harvard 2. Dustin Fox, Northwestern 3. Matt Fields, Iowa 4. Les Sigman, Nebraska-Omaha 5. Ryan Allen, Wisconsin-La Crosse 6. Adam LoPiccolo, American 7. Joe Sapp, Northern Illinois 8. Payam Zarrinpour, Sacred Heart 2005 Midlands Late Notes • Cliff Moore, of the Hawkeye Training Club, has entered at 149 lbs. and has the opportunity to join the "20 in 4" club. He would be the 18th member to win 20 matches in his first four Midlands Championships. Moore currently has 17 Midlands wins after three tournaments. • The 2005 Midlands book signing will take place at 10:30 a.m. Friday, December 30 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The three authors on hand to do the signing are Kyle Maynard, Dan Gable and Mike Chapman. Maynard will be on hand to sign his book, "No Excuses." Maynard is a nationally known personality who has overcome congenial amputation to accomplish many feats both on and off the mat. Maynard will also serve as Grand Marshall for the Parade of Champions prior to the final session. Gable, a legendary wrestler and coach, will sign his book "Coaching Wrestling Successfully." Gable was a gold medalist at the 1972 Olympics and went on to coach numerous NCAA team and individual champions at the University of Iowa. Chapman is a noted author in the wrestling world and will be signing his latest book, "Wrestling Tough."

FARGO, N.D. -- North Dakota State came up short in its opening dual match of the 2005-06 season, falling to North Carolina State 22-14 in front of a crowd of 733 at the Bison Sports Arena, Friday, December 16. The Wolfpack avenged their loss from last season as the Bison defeated the Wolfpack 19-13 last January. The loss also snapped NDSU's five-match opening-dual winning streak. North Carolina State (3-0, 0-0 ACC) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead when 125-pounder Jeremy Hartrum defeated North Dakota State's Mike Meger 10-5. The Bison responded quickly in their next two bouts as 133-pounder Eric Sanders and 141-pounder David Cunningham were able to pickup victories, giving NDSU a 7-3 lead. Sanders' win snapped a personal five-match losing streak and Cunningham's win was his first career dual victory. The Wolfpack struck back when Joe Caramanica defeated Gabe Mooney 6-2 at 149 pounds. At 157 pounds, reigning ACC Freshman of the Year Kody Hamrah gave the Wolfpack the lead for good at 12-7 when he pinned Adam Aho. It was Hamrah's first match and victory of the year as he came back from an injury. Zach Molitor made his North Dakota State debut tonight but came up short to Obie Simpson 6-5 at 165 pounds. Simpson scored a takedown with 36 seconds left in the match to secure the win. NDSU team captain Matt Hermann retaliated with a 6-4 decision over Rick Brownlee at 174 pounds. This was Hermann's first match back after suffering a shoulder injury at the Bison Open November 12. Matt Wetterling inched the Bison closer, picking up his team-leading 17th win of the season for North Dakota State at 184 pounds when he defeated Jeremy Colbert 13-2, narrowing the team score to 15-14. At 197 pounds, NC State's Ryan Goodman responded with a four-point victory of his own, defeating Jacob Bryce 9-1. Goodman is ranked nationally in the top 20 in multiple polls. The match concluded with the Wolfpack's Jainor Palma defeating Dustin Benz 7-3 at heavyweight. Benz, a senior, graduated earlier in the day and came back for one final match. North Dakota State (0-1) takes an extended break and travels to Hampton, Va. to compete at the Virginia Duals January 13-14. FINAL RESULTS North Carolina State 22, North Dakota State 14 125--Jeremy Hartrum (NCST) dec. Mike Meger 10-5 133--Eric Sanders (NDSU) dec. Jeff Breese 7-3 141--David Cunningham (NDSU) maj. dec. Jalil Dozier 12-4 149--Joe Caramanica (NCST) dec. Gabe Mooney 6-2 157--Kody Hamrah (NCST) pin Adam Aho, 4:11 165--Obie Simpson (NCST) dec. Zach Molitor 6-5 174--Matt Hermann (NDSU) dec. Rick Brownlee 6-4 184--Matt Wetterling (NDSU) maj. dec. Jeremy Colbert 13-2 197--Ryan Goodman (NCST) maj. dec. Jacob Bryce 9-1 Hwt.--Jainor Palma (NCST) dec. Dustin Benz 7-3

Happy Holidays wrestling fans! This is Ryan Allen from UW-La Crosse, and my present to you is this blog (yeah … so I am cheap!). I hope you are enjoying the start of this year's wrestling season. Schools are finishing up for the semester and soon we will be heading into the meat of the season. I would like to take some time and attempt to enlighten you on my thoughts and give you an inside look into my last year of competition and also on the UW-L team as a whole. First of all, here's a little background for you. In my previous three years of college competition, I have wrestled in three national finals matches -- two of which I was victorious. Last year, I was voted the outstanding wrestler of the national tournament. I have been part of three Wisconsin Conference championship teams while capturing three individual conference titles myself. I have been voted the most valuable wrestler of our team twice. On paper, the road to the conclusion of my collegiate career seems to be paved with golden bricks. Ryan Allen (photo by Johnnie Johnson)As many of you may know, the road I have been traveling on so far this year is far from golden. I have been defeated three times already, twice by a Division III foe. I began the season with a 6-3 mark. According to some people, I am no longer the man to beat in division III at heavyweight. I once heard that when you reach the top of a mountain, there is only one way to go -- and that is down. I have recently stepped off the peak of this wrestling mountain, but my footprints remain embedded at the top. There is a point in every athlete's career when they realize that they need to work harder to accomplish their goals. This is when true character is defined and the elite athletes are separated from the good ones. There are people who are satisfied with what they have and there are people who decide to go after what others never thought was possible. I have reached this point in my wrestling career and have since been planning a route for myself back up to the top of that mountain. I do not plan on making the trip up alone, however. Recently our team has been recognized as the team to beat in Division III. Our wrestling room is filled with talented individuals who are ready to make the sacrifices needed in our difficult sport. Every team goes through hardships and ours is no different. Our team in La Crosse has recently been facing the possibility of losing All-American Jordan Kolinski for the season due to a shoulder injury. In the face of this we are sticking together strong to accomplish our goals and to finish what we set out to do. When talented individuals get together, stick together, and work together only successful outcomes will occur. The UW-La Crosse team is a strong team. We have been through a great deal and still have found success. Late last season, UW-L hired Nate Skaar as an interim coach due to an unexpected resignation. We then went the season without one of our captains in two-time All-American Jason Lulloff. Last season, we managed to bring home seven All-American plaques from the national tournament despite all of this. This year we dealt with a messed up hiring process that again lead to another late rehiring of Coach Skaar. Even with this confusion, and now the apparent loss of Kolinski for the year, Coach Skaar, Coach Billy Huebner, and Coach Corey Ruff have kept this team focused and as close as a family. The waves that went through the program have settled now and we are all here staring at the top of that mountain. Ryan Allen (photo by Johnnie Johnson)Right now, the team is gearing up for our next tournament that is arguably the toughest collegiate tournament out there: The Midlands Championships (December 29 and 30). It has traditionally been a tournament packed with the best wrestlers in the country and this year it looks to be a great event again. I was lucky enough to be selected to wrestle there last year, and this year nine other members from our team have received invites as well. I wrestled fairly well there last year placing fifth and going 6-2. I was quite happy with that finish. However, my goal is to place higher this year. Being one of the few Division III teams there, scoring points as a team will be tough. Nevertheless, I am confident that with our team's talent and desire to win, we will do fine. So, in wrapping things up, I will ask you to stay tuned and catch the results of that tournament to see how the team did at this prestigious tournament. But first and foremost have a safe and happy holiday season. Don't forget to eat a lot at Christmas dinner. I know I will (after all, I am a heavyweight). Yours in wrestling, Merry Christmas -- Ryan Allen Past UW-La Crosse Entries: Entry 5 (12/1/05) Entry 4 (11/16/05) Entry 3 (11/3/05) Entry 2 (10/19/05) Entry 1 (10/10/05)

Plain and simple, Missouri's Ben Askren, a two-time NCAA runner-up, is the most dominating collegiate wrestler in the country. The junior 174-pounder is 17-0 with 13 pins, two technical falls, one injury default, and one major decision. His closest match this season came in the finals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, which he won by 11 points over No. 8 Mike Patrovich of Hofstra. Askren, who is already the record-holder for falls in a season, set another Missouri record two weeks ago at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. He broke J.P. Reese's career pin record of 47 by recording three pins on his way to the title at 174 pounds. After last Sunday's 39-second pin over Charlie Clark of Ohio State, Askren now sits at 50 career pins. RevWrestling.com's Andrew Hipps recently went one-on-one with Askren to talk about why he skipped the NWCA All-Star Classic, his rivalry with Chris Pendleton, his thoughts on a potential match-up with Iowa's Mark Perry, and his future in freestyle. You wrestled in the NWCA All-Star Classic last season, but opted not to wrestle in it this season. Why not? Askren: Last year, I really wanted to get a shot at Chris Pendleton again. With him, the more shots, the better. I skipped the Missouri Open last year. I wrestled in it this year. Plus, I mean, I didn't think it was necessary for me to wrestle Perry or Herbert because … I didn't think it was anything extraordinary to wrestle them. Whereas, Pendleton, I felt, was a level above and someone I needed to get a shot at. You obviously have a unique, unconventional style of wrestling. Have you always enjoyed scrambling? Askren: Yeah, I've always scrambled. It was sort of necessity because I'm not the quickest or strongest guy, so I had to do whatever I had to do to win. You're 17-0 and have dominated everyone you've wrestled this season. What is the biggest difference in your wrestling from last season to this season? Askren: I don't think there's a huge difference. I mean, I dominated a lot last year too. If anything, I worked on my penetration a lot. Better shots. I worked on stance and motion a lot because I think that's what Pendleton beat me with last year. Those are the main things I've worked on. Other than that, everything is either the same or has gotten more refined or better. You're the career record holder for pins at Missouri … and recently recorded your 50th. Do you go out every match with the mindset that you want to pin your opponent? Or is it just something that kind of comes with your wrestling? Askren: I try to go out there and pin him every time. I just try to get on top very fast and then lock up a cradle or a hammerlock, lock something really tight, and then go for the pin. Is winning the Schalles Award (given annually to the nation's best pinner) important to you? Askren: Yeah, I think I was a finalist my freshman year. Last year, I didn't even get nominated. I'm not sure why. It's not like I want to pin everyone so I can win that award. I want to pin everyone because I want to pin everyone. If I win that, then it's positive also. Chris Pendleton and Ben AskrenYou have had some great battles over the years with Chris Pendleton. Do you think he has helped elevate your wrestling? Askren: Yeah, definitely. Last year, more than any other year, it was like, I want to win to win a national title, and if I'm going to win it, I'm going to have beat Pendleton because I knew no one else was going to beat him. He was a level or two above everyone else. It was definitely my focus. Another thing that he did that really helped me, and it's also John Smith, after every match, he made a new game plan. So we would wrestle one match, and I'd look at what I did wrong. And then I'd be like, I have to work on this. And then next match, he would do something different. I think I sort of helped him out, too, because I think I made him stay on his toes. In turn, that made him better as well. I think it made us both better. It made the rivalry really good. A lot has been made of a potential match-up with Iowa's Mark Perry this season. You both have wide open styles and love to scramble. Here's a quote from Perry, "I'm not afraid to scramble with (Askren) if he wants to scramble. I feel that I'm a better scrambler than anybody. But I think we'll enjoy wrestling each other." Is that a match-up that you're looking forward to? Askren: Yeah, if he's half as good as his talk is, he'll probably be in the national finals with me. Your younger brother, Max, is off to a great start at Missouri. He won the Central Missouri State Open this season, which included a win over All-American Joel Flaggert of Oklahoma. What are your thoughts on the way he's wrestling so far in his redshirt season? Askren: He's wrestling awesome. I'm really proud of how he's wrestling. It makes me happy when he does well because I know how hard he works. He deserves it. He's definitely helped me in the room too. He's a scrambler also. He gives me someone to scramble against. Against a lot of people, I can just do one thing in a scramble and win it. But he makes me go further than I have to. In turn, I make up new scrambles from that. He learns all of my scrambles and how to beat them, and then I have to learn how to beat that. So he helps me elevate my wrestling. He's my favorite person to drill with. I like to wrestle live with him too. Ben AskrenYou and Matt Pell are both Wisconsin natives who came to Missouri the same year. How far do you guys go back? Askren: I think I met him when I was a sophomore or junior in high school. He moved in and trained with me for quite a while during the summer of our senior year of high school. And then, of course, we have spent all of the time here together. It's our fourth year now. He's a good workout partner for me too. The state of Wisconsin has produced a number of collegiate standouts in recent years. How would you rate the talent coming out of Wisconsin compared to other states at this point? Askren: I think it came on right before I graduated from high school. I think it's tailing off right now. But I do camps there, and there's a really good middle school group right now that's going to be really, really tough when they get older. Coming out of high school, in addition to being Wisconsin's top wrestler, you also had great national credentials. What schools showed the most interest? And how did you eventually decide on Missouri? Askren: I took visits to Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, Edinboro, Northern Iowa, and Arizona State. I put it all down on a piece of paper. Between the school, the wrestling, the wrestlers, coaches, and facilities, I liked Missouri the best. I knew that it was a place where I could spend the next five years of my life and be happy. Brian SmithYour coach, Brian Smith, took over a struggling Missouri program in 1998, and has since taken it to new heights. What makes him such a successful coach? Askren: I think he just knows what he wants. He wants to be good. That's pretty much the start of everything, knowing what you want. He's done a really good job of that here. I don't think we're done getting better yet. I think we still have a lot of good years ahead of us. Last season, Missouri finished 11th at the NCAA Championships. How well do you think this year's team can perform at the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City? Askren: I think really well. I think we have big point scorers between me and Matt (Pell), which is a necessity at the NCAA Championships. We have two extra qualifiers this year, which is really going to help because we've had guys who were good enough to place being left home the last two years. So the extra qualifiers will really help us. In freestyle, you have had a lot of success on the senior level. You won a Pan American Games gold medal last May. What are your short term freestyle goals? And what are your long term freestyle goals? Askren: My short term and long term and long term goals are somewhat the same, being that the Olympics is only three years away now. That's really not that far away for me, I don't think. I would like to make the World Team. My goals are a world gold medal in 2007 and an Olympic gold medal in 2008. Do you plan to compete quite a bit after the collegiate season ends? Askren: I usually wrestle in like four or five competitions, but I think this year I'm probably only going to make it to the U.S. Open and the World Team Trials. And then the year after that, I'm probably going to drop to 163 most likely. I get sort of fat during the summer because I eat whatever I want … and I'm not training as hard. I was training with the World Team this year. Guys like Mo Lawal are 210 and solid muscle. And I'm 195 and not very muscular. During the college season, I'm roughly around 180. Not much more, not much less. I don't think it's going to be that tough to eventually get down to 163. Do you have aspirations of getting into coaching when your competitive career is over? Askren: I know that I'm going to stick around and coach here until Max gets done. I know that I can push him. I know that he needs someone to push him daily in the room. Plus, I mean, I'd like to help out all of the guys on team. I also really like running camps. I do that in the summer. I think I'll definitely do that. I would like to get a job somewhere coaching in Division I.

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Oregon State signed a pair of Oregon high school state champions to wrestling letters of intent during the early signing period, OSU head coach Joe Wells has announced. Marty Eng (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS), a two-time winner at 103 pounds and the Greco-Roman national champion in 2005, and Keegan Davis (Salem, Ore./Sprague HS), the 2004 champ at 145 pounds, will join the Beavers next fall for the 2006-07 season. "We're real excited about these two guys joining our team," Wells said. Eng has a career record of 67-6, all at 103 pounds for Newberg. In addition to winning state titles as a sophomore and junior, he also won league championships both years, going 24-1 as a junior and 22-2 as a sophomore; his only loss as a junior came when he was wrestling up a weight. As a freshman, Eng placed ninth at state and third in the league at 103, going 21-3. In addition to his national Greco-Roman title, Eng has also placed third in the nation in both Greco-Roman and Freestyle and won the Las Vegas Invitational. He has won six straight state titles in Greco-Roman and Freestyle. "Marty is a pocket Hercules," Wells said of Eng, who is wrestling at 112 pounds this winter. "He's a very accomplished athlete for a high school senior. He's a good student and a great kid, and he's done a fabulous job on the mat. He's competed all over the country and demonstrated why he's nationally ranked. He's real physical and a strong kid for his weight class." Davis, a three-time league champion, has a 116-12 career record for Sprague. He placed second in the state last season after moving up a weight to 152 pounds, going 41-2. As a sophomore, he was 38-3 in his state championship season at 145 pounds and as a freshman he was 37-7 en route to a fifth-place state finish at 145 pounds. As a freshman, Davis also placed eighth in a national tournament and last summer he was a member of the Oregon national team. "Keegan is an outstanding athlete, a very skilled high school wrestler," Wells said of Davis, who is wrestling at 160 pounds this winter. "He's very good on his feet. He's a good competitor and a well-rounded kid, very mature for his age. He's going to be a great addition for our team, he'll be a lot of fun." OREGON STATE WRESTLING - FALL, 2005 LETTER OF INTENT SIGNINGS Keegan Davis (Salem, Ore./Sprague HS) As a junior at 152, second in state, league champion, 41-2 record As a sophomore at 145, state champion, league champion, 38-3 record As a freshman at 145, fifth in state, league champion, 37-7 record Marty Eng (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS) As a junior at 103, state champion, league champion, 24-1 record As a sophomore at 103, state champion, league champion, 22-2 record As a freshman at 103, ninth in state, third in league, 21-3 record

AMES, Iowa -- The seventh-ranked Iowa State (3-2, 0-0) wrestling team will return to action Sunday at 2 p.m. against No. 23 Cal-Poly (2-0, 2-0) in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones last met the Mustangs in the during the 2003-04 season, with ISU winning, 18-16. Iowa State leads the all-time series, 10-2. Former Iowa State NCAA champion and four-time All-American, Joe Heskett (1998-2002), is an assistant coach for Cal-Poly. The Cyclones are looking to snap a two-dual losing streak after suffering losses to both Iowa, 20-15, and Minnesota, 21-13. ISU was upended by the Golden Gophers last week in Minneapolis, but got wins from second-ranked Nate Gallick (141), No. 6 Travis Paulson (165), No. 5 Kurt Backes (184) and true freshman, Joe Curran (197). Gallick (10-0) and Paulson (14-0) remain undefeated, while Curran improved to 4-0 in dual action. Cal-Poly defeated Portland State, 39-6, Wednesday to improve to 2-0 in both dual and Pac-10 action. The Mustangs have five ranked wrestlers, Chad Mendes (125), All-American Darrell Vasquez (133), Jeff Owens (149), NCAA qualifier Ryan Halsey (184) and Matt Monteiro (197). ISU will compete at the 43rd Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill. Dec. 29-30.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 14 Northwestern kicked off its home-dual season by going 2-0 in its double-dual match against the University of Chicago and the University of Indianapolis Thursday. Northwestern defeated Chicago 32-12 before rolling by Indianapolis 38-12. John Velez (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings), Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward), Greg Hagel (Linwood, N.J./Blair Academy), Matt Delguyd (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) and Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) all went 2-0 on the day, while head coach Tim Cysewski moved into second place on NU wrestling's career-wins list. Seventh-ranked Velez started the 'Cats out on the right foot by earning a 14-1 major decision victory over Chicago's Zachary Matayoshi. Velez got on the board first when he shot and hit a single-leg takedown at the mat's edge. Velez was in control the throughout the remainder of the match, scoring on a series of takedowns and near falls. With the Wildcats open at 133 lbs., the two teams moved on to the 141-pound weight class. Lang took the mat for the Wildcats and immediately went to work, scoring on four takedowns in the first period versus Chicago's Andrew Bribriesco. Entering the second period with an 8-3 lead, Lang quickly notched two more points on a takedown before recording a fall at 2:34. With Northwestern leading 10-6, freshman Brandon Lozdoski (Mechesney Park, Ill/Harlem) faced Jeff Harman at 149 lbs. After the two battled to a 1-1 tie entering the third period, Lozdoski was awarded one point for riding time at the end, and walked off with a 2-1 win. Hagel took the mat for Northwestern at 157 lbs. and started off hot, tallying three points for a near fall on Chicago's Spencer Burns with 2:05 remaining. Hagel quickly finished what he started, pinning Burns at 1:15 to give the Wildcats a 19-6 lead. Will Durkee (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) then took the mat for the Wildcats, facing Chicago's Mike Bishof at 165 lbs. Durkee scored first on a reversal with 1:48 remaining in the first period. After Bishof notched an escape, Durkee responded by hitting on a takedown to finish out the first period with a 4-1 lead. Bishof responded by scoring three-straight points on an escape and takedown to start the second period. With the score 4-4 entering the third period, Durkee quickly notched a takedown and went up 6-4. Durkee held on for the remainder of the match, and improved to 5-1 on the year with the win. With Northwestern leading 22-12, seventh-ranked Delguyd faced Chicago's Jeffrey Marriott at 184 lbs. Delguyd scored first, hitting on a takedown just before the end of the first period. Delguyd then tallied one point for an escape to the start the second period, and hit on a series of takedowns to take a 9-2 lead into the third period. Delguyd continued his dominance in the third period and went on to a 16-5 major decision win. Fox took the mat for Northwestern at 285 lbs. looking to extend the Wildcats' lead. He did just that at 4:59 by notching his first pin of the year, giving Northwestern the 32-12 win over Chicago. With one win already out of the way, the Wildcats strapped the headgear back on and looked to go a perfect 2-0 on the day. Indianapolis was open at 125 lbs. and Northwestern was open at 133 lbs., so the two teams went right to the 141-pound weight class to begin the dual. Lang's second match of the day went much like his first. After scoring a takedown against Indianapolis' Danny Norman, Lang notched his fifth fall of the year, pinning Norman at 1:10, while improving his record to 7-0 this season. At 149 lbs., Jimmy Kim (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria Community) made his first appearance of the year. Kim got up early on the Greyhounds' Wes Hall and never looked back. After scoring on an escape and a takedown in the second period, Kim went on to the 6-0 victory. With Northwestern up 15-6, Hagel took the mat for his second match of the day, this time to face Indianapolis' Bill Pippens. After taking a 4-0 lead into the second period, Hagel scored on an escape to extend his lead to 5-0 heading into the final period. With a third-period takedown and the point for riding time, Hagel took the match, 8-0. No. 2 Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) faced the Greyhounds' Mike Jackson at 174 lbs. and showed why he is ranked the second-best 174-pound wrestler in the country. Against Jackson--who is the second-ranked Division II wrestler at 174 lbs.--Herbert shot early, got control and recorded the fall just 35 seconds into the match. No. 15 Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) followed Herbert's lead and pinned Indianapolis' Chris Owens in 1:20, extending the Wildcats' lead to 31-12. Delguyd then took the mat for the second time at 197 lbs. After taking down Alex Williams just before the end of the first period, Delguyd scored on an escape to start the second period. Williams roared back with two takedowns of his own, but Delguyd entered third period with a 6-5 lead. After a three-point near fall to start the period, Delguyd picked up his intensity the rest of the way and recorded a 12-6 win. In his second match of the day, Fox dominated Indianapolis' Lynn Panko. Fox scored six in the first period, three in the second and four in the third, walking off with the 13-4 major decision win. The Wildcats stand at 3-0 this season following Thursday's performance. "I thought it went really well," head coach Tim Cysewski said. "After being off for two weeks, I'm pleased with the way we came out and handled our business." After recording wins No. 111 and 112 Thursday, Cysewski passed Tom Jarmon for second place on Northwestern wrestling's all-time wins list. Northwestern returns to action this weekend when it travels to Reno, Nev. to participate in the Reno Tournament of Champions Sunday, Dec. 18. AGATE NU 32, Chicago 12 125-Velez (NU) def. Zach Matayoshi (UC) (MD 14-1) 133- Brandon Tillman (UC) (forfeit) 141- Ryan Lang (NU) def. Andrew Bribriesco (UC) (F 2:34) 149- Brandon Lozdoski (NU) def. Jeff Harman (UC) (D 2-1) 157- Greg Hagel (NU) def. Spencer Burns (UC) (F 1:15) 165- Will Durkee (NU) def. Mike Bishof (UC) (D 6-4) 174- Phil Kruzel (UC) def. Mark Graves (NU) (D 7-4) 184- Ben Barnes (UC) def. Joseph Gulotta (NU) (D 10-6) 197- Matt Delguyd (NU) def. Jeffrey Marriott (UC) (MD 16-5) 285- Dustin Fox (NU) def. Tom Nero (UC) (F 4:59) NU 38, Indianapolis 12 125- Velez (NU) (forfeit) 133- Shane Perkey (UI) (forfeit) 141- Ryan Lang (NU) def. Danny Norman (UI) (F 1:10) 149- Jimmy Kim (NU) def. Wes Hall (UI) (D 6-0) 157- Greg Hagel (NU) def. Bill Pippens (UI) (MD 8-0) 165- Dave Burns (UI) (forfeit) 174- Jake Herbert (NU) def. Mike Jackson (UI) (F :35) 184- Mike Tamillow (NU) def. Chris Owens (UI) (F 1:20) 197- Matt Delguyd (NU) def. Alex Williams (UI) (dec. 12-6) 285- Dustin Fox (NU) def. Lynn Panko (UI) (M.D. 13-4) 125- Alejandro Figueroa (UC) (forfeit) 133- Shane Perkey (UI) def. Brandon Tillman (UC) (MD 14-5) 141- Andrew Bribriesco (UC) def. Danny Norman (UI) (D 5-0) 149- Jeff Harman (UC) def. Wes Hall (UI) (MD 10-1) 157- Spencer Burns (UC) def. Bill Pippens (UI) (D 5-4) 165- Mike Bishof (UC) def. Dave Burns (UI) (F 6:42) 174- Mike Jackson (UI) def. Phil Kruzel (UC) (MD 15-4) 184- Ben Barnes (UC) def. Chris Owens (UI) (TF 16-0) 197- Jeffrey Marriott (UC) def. Alex Williams (UI) (D 8-5) 285- Lynn Panko (UI) def. Thomas Nero (UC) (D 11-4)