InterMat Staff

Jake RosholtDALLAS, Texas -- Jake Rosholt was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Month for November as it was announced by the conference office today. Rosholt, a senior from Sandpoint, Idaho, posted a 4-0 record during November. The top-ranked wrestler at 197 wrestled his way to the finals of the Kaufman/Brand Open before defaulting in the championship match. Rosholt went on to defeat Oklahoma's second-ranked Joel Flaggert in the NWCA All-Star Classic. He finished the month with a victory over Michigan State's Jeff Clemens. Rosholt will wrestle Lehigh's Matt Cassidy when the Cowboys battle the Mountain Hawks inside Gallagher-Iba Arena on Friday night at 7 p.m.

LAS VEGAS -- Ten members of the Ohio wrestling team will compete in the 24th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational this weekend. At the 51-team event, one Bobcat from each weight class will tangle with some of the top wrestlers in the country. Nationally ranked teams such as No. 2 Illinois, No. 3 Michigan, No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 11 Cornell, No. 15 Missouri, No. 18 Arizona State, No. 19 Hofstra, No. 22 Edinboro and No. 25 Penn will take part in the two-day tournament. Action begins Friday at 9 a.m., with weigh-ins starting at 7 a.m. in the Cashman Center. "This tournament allows us to wrestle against some people who we would never see otherwise," said Ohio head coach Joel Greenlee. "I think we really made some gains in the last week. I'm excited to see how our guys will do against national competition." Ohio will have its starter in all the weight divisions except two. True freshman Kent Smith will replace junior 165-pounder Vinny DiGiovanni, who is still recovering from a shoulder injury. At heavyweight, senior Dave Campbell will compete instead of junior Marcus Adelman, who injured his leg at the Northeast Duals last Saturday. America's Wrestling Radio will offer complete coverage, results and play-by-play of the event. Fans can tune in to the free broadcast at Takedownradio.com. Complete match-by-match results for each Bobcat wrestler will be posted on ohiobobcats.com as soon as they become available. Ohio's tentative lineup for this weekend: 125 - Caleb Metcalf 133 - Albert Madsen 141 - Frank Brown 149 - Aaron Gomoll 157 - Jake Frerichs 165 - Kent Smith 174 - Ryan Knapp 184 - Brian Cesear 197 - Nick Terbay HWT - Dave Campbell

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State University wrestling team, currently ranked No. 18 in the NWCA/USA Today National Rankings, heads to Las Vegas this weekend as it is set to compete in the 2005 Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational Friday and Saturday at the Cashman Center. The Sun Devils, who are coming off a pair of dual meet losses to Top 8 foes (No. 5 Iowa, No. 8 Lehigh), stand 3-2 overall on the season and are 1-0 in Pac-10 duals. THE INVITED The 2005 Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational will feature eight of the nation's Top 25 teams, including two Top 10 squads, as nearly 50 teams are set to compete this weekend at the Cashman Center. No. 3 Michigan and No. 9 Wisconsin lead the way as other ranked teams include No. 11 Cornell, No. 12 Nebraska, No. 15 Missouri, No. 18 Arizona State, No. 19 Hofstra and No. 22 Edinboro. Seven of the 10 teams that comprise the Pac-10 Conference also will be on hand, including ASU, Cal Poly, Boise State, CS Bakersfield, CS Fullerton, Oregon State and UC Davis (Stanford, Oregon and Portland State will not compete). TOUGH INDIVIDUALS Of the 200 wrestlers ranked in the Top 20 (according to the NWCA poll release Nov. 29), 86 are slated to compete this weekend at the Las Vegas Invitational, including 13 of the Top 20 wrestlers at 133 pounds. Two top-ranked wrestlers also are slated to compete, including No. 1 Shawn Bunch (133) of Edinboro and No. 1 Ben Askren (174) of Missouri. According to the same poll, five Sun Devils are among the highly ranked entrants with Cain Velasquez (4th at heavyweight) and Brian Stith (6th at 157) each coming in as the second-highest ranked wrestler in the meet. Jeremy Mendoza (14th at 125) is the third-highest and Patrick Pitsch (11th at 165) is the fourth-highest while Ryan Bader (14th at 197) is the sixth-highest. LOOKING BACK: VEGAS 2004 Last year in Las Vegas, the Sun Devils accumulated 103.5 points and finished fourth overall in the team standings while Michigan (148) won the meet with Nebraska (139.5) and Hofstra (108.5) rounding out the Top 3. Individually, seven Sun Devils placed among the Top 8 with both C.B. Dollaway (184) and Ryan Bader (197) finishing second in their respective weight classes. Cain Velasquez (285) was third, Brian Stith (157) was fifth, Patrick Williams (149) was sixth, Jeremy Mendoza (125) was seventh and Patrick Pitsch (165) was eighth. STRONG STARTS A pair of Sun Devils have opened the season with undefeated records while another is near perfect in 2005-06 following the team's dual with No. 5 Iowa last weekend. Cain Velasquez (285) stands 10-0 on the season while Jeremy Mendoza (125) holds a 7-0 mark against collegiate-eligible competition. Patrick Pitsch (165) is 9-1 with his lone loss coming at Lehigh. VELASQUEZ DOMINATING AGAIN Senior heavyweight Cain Velasquez has proved why he is a threat to win the NCAA title this season as he has opened his final collegiate campaign with a dominating 10-0 record. He has won five major decisions, one technical fall, two pin falls and one injury default. In his last two years, Velasquez has posted a combined record of 46-5 and has won 16 major decisions, five technical falls and five pin falls. All told, he has earned bonus points for the team 26-of-46 bouts over the last two seasons (56.5% of his bouts). TOUGH TIME For the second dual in a row, the Sun Devils took to the mats to face a Top 8 nationally ranked team and, unfortunately for ASU, dropped a dual decision, this time falling to No. 5 Iowa, 26-13. ASU, who also fell at No. 8 Lehigh, 29-7, will also face several other Top 25 teams this season, including No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 6 Minnesota, No. 7 Iowa State and No. 21 Cal Poly. Also, the Sun Devils have a chance to face other top ranked teams while competing in the NWCA National Duals. LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD Of the 30 bouts contested at the Portland State Duals, 17 victories recorded by ASU wrestlers earned bonus points in the team race. Combined, the Sun Devils won five bouts by fall (six points), three by technical fall (five points), seven by major decision (four points) and two by injury default or forfeit (six points). Conversely, only two bouts were won in a dual with No. 8 Lehigh with one victory ending in a major decision for Cain Velasquez. THE FALL GUY Last year, Patrick Pitsch went 24-15 in his first season of action for the Sun Devils. In those 39 bouts, Pitsch did not pin an opponent. In his first match of the 2005-06 season, Pitsch collected his first pin as he defeated Marshall Cook with the fall at 5:42. His pin was one of five recorded by ASU wrestlers at the PSU Duals the first weekend of the season. LAS VEGAS HISTORY The Sun Devils will be making their 21st appearance in the Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational this weekend and will be in search of their fourth team title. In all 20 appearances made so far, the Sun Devils lowest finish has been ninth (three times) while the team has finished in the Top 3 on nine occasions. The years of the titles won were 1992, 1989 and 1988. Over the past four tournaments, the Sun Devils have finished fourth on three occasions (2004, 2002, 2000). THE LINEUP Here are the Sun Devils that have entered into the 2005 Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational this weekend at the Cashman Center: No. 13 Jeremy Mendoza (125), Adam Hickey (133), Jason Robbins (141), Pat Payne (149), No. 6 Brian Stith (157), No. 11 Patrick Pitsch (165), Jamie Robbins (174), Jason Trulson (184), No. 14 Ryan Bader (197) and No. 4 Cain Velasquez (285). CHANGES Of the 10 starters the Sun Devils will enter into the Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational this weekend, only five return after competing in the meet one year ago. Those five returning wrestlers include Jeremy Mendoza (125), Brian Stith (157), Patrick Pitsch (165), Ryan Bader (197) and Cain Velasquez (285). HIGHLY TOUTED Several wrestling publications recently released their updated rankings with the Sun Devils earning placement in the Top 20 as both a team and individually. In the team rankings, Arizona State is No. 18 in the nation according to the NWCA and USA Today. In their individual rankings, five Sun Devils have earned rankings with Cain Velasquez (285) leading the way at No. 4. Also receiving rankings were No. 6 Brian Stith (157), No. 11 Patrick Pitsch (165), No. 13 Jeremy Mendoza (125) and No. 14 Ryan Bader (197). DEFENDING CHAMPS Arizona State won the 2005 Pac-10 Wrestling Championships to not only capture its second crown in three years, but also the 15th in the history of the program. Brian Stith (157) upset Matt Gentry of Stanford, the defending Pac-10 and NCAA champion, to win his weight class and earn Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships. Cain Velasquez (heavyweight) also secured a title, the first of his career, before being named as the Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year. C.B. Dollaway (184) and Ryan Bader (197) each advanced to the finals of their respective weight classes before placing second. At the conference level, seven Sun Devils are ranked in the Top 5 according to the preseason poll released by Stanford, the host of the 2006 event. Jeremy Mendoza (125), Stith, Bader and Velasquez are each ranked No. 1 while Patrick Pitsch (165) and Dollaway are both No. 2. John Espinoza (133) also is ranked, coming in at No. 4. RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS Arizona State has three All-Americans returning to its lineup this season, including a pair of first-time honorees from a year ago. Last year, Brian Stith earned his first national accolade by placing sixth at 157 pounds while Cain Velasquez took fifth in the heavyweight division to earn his first honor. Ryan Bader is the Sun Devils' third All-American returning after earning the acclaim in his sophomore campaign of 2003-04. AND THE AWARD GOES TO: Three members of the Sun Devils earned post-season awards from the Pac-10 last year, including two wrestlers and one coach. At the conference tournament, Brian Stith was voted by the league coaches as the Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships following his title at 157 pounds. After the completion of the NCAA Championships, another vote was taken by the conference coaches with Cain Velasquez (285) receiving Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year while Head Coach Thom Ortiz was chosen as the Pac-10 Coach of the Year for the second time in his four years at the helm of the ASU program. AT THE HELM Thom Ortiz returns for his fifth season as the head coach of the Sun Devils and has compiled a 46-28-1 overall record at Arizona State and stands 26-2-0 in Pac-10 duals. The 2003 and 2005 Pac-10 Coach of the Year will be assisted by Aaron Simpson and Eric Larkin. Simpson is starting his eighth season while Larkin is set to begin his second. All three members of the staff also wrestled for the Sun Devils at one time with Ortiz competing on the 1988 NCAA Championship team and Larkin winning the 2003 NCAA 149 championship. Combined, the trio won nine All-America honors and nine Pac-10 individual crowns. WELLS FARGO ARENA Wells Fargo Arena, which opened in 1974, is a 14,198-seat facility that plays host to Sun Devil wrestling and other ASU varsity teams, including men's and women's basketball, gymnastics and volleyball. In the time the wrestling program has called WFA home, the team has captured one national title, two runner-up finishes and 16 conference crowns, including 15 as members of the Pac-10. Individually, five Sun Devils earned national titles while 55 different athletes captured 103 conference crowns and 66 individuals combined to secure 94 All-America honors. LAST TIME OUT For the second week in a row, the Sun Devils found themselves on the mat with another Top 8 team, this time in the form of No. 5 Iowa, Saturday night inside Wells Fargo Arena. And, for the second time in a row, the Sun Devils came out on the low end of the team scoring, falling to the Hawkeyes, 26-13. Jeremy Mendoza (125), Patrick Pitsch (165), Ryan Bader (197) and Cain Velasquez (285) each secured victories on the day while Brian Stith (157) made his return to the starting lineup following off-season surgery and fell, 4-2, in a tough bout. NEXT TIME OUT Following a week off from competition and a week of finals, the Sun Devils will return to the state of Nevada, this time taking part in the Reno Tournament of Champions, slated for Dec. 18 in Reno, Nev. ASU does not compete in a dual meet until Jan. 4 when it travels to No. 6 Minnesota for a 7 p.m. dual with the Golden Gophers.

The #5/6 Golden Gopher wrestling team (4-0-0) continues its dual meet season on Friday night at Northern Iowa. The match at the West Gym will begin at 7 p.m. This will be the first dual meet for the Panthers. The Golden Gophers are 4-0 on the season after sweeping four matches at the Northeast Duals on Saturday in Albany, N.Y. Minnesota defeated Virginia Tech, 41-7, No. 25 Tennessee-Chattanooga, 36-6, No. 15 Central Michigan, 19-13, and American, 40-10. Overall, the Golden Gophers won 30 of the 40 individual matches. Three wrestlers finished unbeaten on the day. Third-ranked Mack Reiter (133), eighth-ranked C.P. Schlatter (157) and second-ranked Cole Konrad (HWT) all finished 4-0. Senior heavyweight Cole Konrad is 10-0 on the season and has won 39 of his last 40 matches dating back to last year. Konrad was defeated in the NCAA finals last March by Steve Mocco of Oklahoma State. Konrad avenged the loss last week with a 4-1 overtime decision at the NWCA/Marines All-Star Classic. The Golden Gophers' 4-0 start is its best since the 2001-02 squad finished a perfect 19-0-0. Last year's team got off to a 2-2 start. Minnesota's four-match winning streak is the longest since the Golden Gophers won its final five matches of the 2003-04 season (2/6-22). Minnesota eclipsed the 40-point mark in the 41-7 win against Virginia Tech on Saturday for the first time since Jan. 4, 2004, a span of 32 matches. On that day, the Golden Gophers defeated Portland State, 43-4, at the Sports Pavilion. Last year after four matches, the Golden Gophers were a combined 1-7 at 149 and 157 pounds. Minnesota had been outscored 34-3 at the two weights. This season, Dustin and C.P. Schlatter have combined to go 7-1 and outscore the opposition, 31-3. The Golden Gophers are 9-0-1 in their last 10 road openers. Minnesota's last loss in a season road opener came at Fresno State, 17-14, on Dec. 13, 1994. The Golden Gophers are ranked fifth in the nation by The Wrestling Mall and sixth by the NWCA. Three-time defending NCAA Champion Oklahoma State is ranked first, followed by Oklahoma and Michigan. Iowa is ranked fourth by The Wrestling Mall, while defending Big Ten Champion Illinois is sixth. In all, nine Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 25. Six of Minnesota's 10 wrestlers are currently ranked by The Wrestling Mall. Cole Konrad is ranked second in the nation at heavyweight, followed by No. 3 Mack Reiter (133), No. 4 Matt Nagel (165), No. 6 Roger Kish (184), No. 8 C.P. Schlatter (157) and No. 14 Gabriel Dretsch (174). True freshman Dustin Schlatter is expected to become the seventh wrestler to be ranked when the next ratings are released. Including all four major polls, nine of Minnesota's 10 wrestlers are ranked at least once (see page 3). Senior All-American Matt Nagel leads the Golden Gophers with six pins on the season. That already equals his entire total as a junior last season. Nagel entered the year with 14 career falls in his first three years. Mack Reiter, Dustin Schlatter and Cole Konrad rank second with four pins apiece.

The 2005-06 Iowa Conference dual campaign opens Thursday, Dec. 1, in Knights Gymnasium as Wartburg College hosts Loras College of Dubuque at 7 p.m. Wartburg also sends a contingent to the Simpson Storm Invitational Saturday, Dec. 3, with a 9 a.m. start at Cowles Fieldhouse in Indianola. The No. 3-ranked Knights bring a 96-dual win string against current IIAC competition into Thursday's meeting with the No. 7-ranked Duhawks, including a 38-7 decision at Loras Fieldhouse in the 2004 meeting. Wartburg hasn't dropped a league dual since the finale of the 1993-94 campaign against Buena Vista. * Knights rewind, notes: Thursday's dual is the first competition for the Orange and Black since the squad was split four ways for three opens and the Olivet (Mich.) Comet Duals Nov. 19. Wartburg suffered only 10 individual match losses on the day en route to four wins at the Comet Duals. The team rolled past Wabash (Ind.) 42-9, Mt. St. Joseph (Ohio) 37-12, Lycoming (Pa.) 29-12 and Ohio Northern 29-12. Lycoming came into the tournament with a No. 12 national ranking, while Ohio Northern was No. 29. The lower weights proved strong for head coach Jim Miller's squad. Senior Bob Kuennen of Fort Atkinson (149 pounds), freshman Zach McKray of Iowa City (133 pounds) and sophomore Willie Harris of Creston (141 pounds) each picked up four wins. Freshman Dan Schulte of La Crescent, Minn., and junior T.J. Miller of Cedar Falls, wrestling at 174 and 197, also went 4-0. The Knights were also successful at the three open meets. Freshman Ben McCorriston of Antioch, Cal., took a home a title in the Silver Division at 125 pounds at the Augsburg College Auggie Brute-Adidas Open, while senior Dustin Bliven of Columbus Junction and freshman Heath Sheeder of Guthrie Center shared the 165-pound title at the Coe College Thanksgiving Open. Junior heavyweight Blake Gillis of Spencer and senior 141-pounder Dustin Hinschberger of Belle Plaine highlighted the efforts at University of Nebraska-Omaha's Kauffman-Brand Open. Gillis placed third in the multi-divisional field, defeating two-time NCAA Division III national champion Ryan Allen of UW-La Crosse for the second straight weekend, while Hinschberger ended fourth, upsetting Oklahoma State's Daniel Frishkorn, ranked fourth individually in NCAA Division I, in the wrestleback, and battling No. 18-ranked Josh Wooton of Northern Illinois to a 6-2 final in the consolation final. * Gillis earned IIAC overall and wrestler of the week honors after his third-place finish at the Kauffman-Brand Open…Hinschberger became the newest member of the school's 100-win club after placing second at the Harold Nichols Open Nov. 12. He and Gillis are tied for the team win lead with eight each, and Hinschberger hasn't suffered a loss to a Division III wrestler since his sophomore campaign…McKray and Schulte are second on the win ladder, sporting 7-0 records, while four Knights, senior 125-pounder Paul Reedy of Emmetsburg, senior 141-pounder Willie Harris of Creston, sophomore 149-pounder Jake Naig of Emmetsburg and senior 184-pounder Akeem Carter of Waterloo, have six victories. Opponent outlook – Thursday's dual is the first for head coach Randy Steward's Duhawks. Loras garnered three top three efforts at Augsburg in their most recent action as No. 1-ranked 125-pounder Terry Morgan was an individual champion, while 157-pounder Brad Bishop, ranked No. 8, and 184-pounder Mitch Hager, ranked No. 7, each took second. Loras has four wrestlers, including Morgan, Bishop and Hager, ranked in the National Wrestling Coaches Association/Brute-Adidas Division III Nov. 15 poll. 174-pounder Ryan Hagerty is the other one with a No. 4 ranking. Next up – Wartburg hosts the 33rd annual Dick Walker Invitational Saturday, Dec. 10.

State College, Pa. -- The No. 12 Penn State Nittany Lions (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) will take part in the 2005 Nittany Lion Open on Sunday, Dec. 4, beginning at 8:30 a.m. The action runs throughout most of Sunday. WBLF radio will broadcast the finals of the prestigious tournament. Head coach Troy Sunderland will send six attached wrestlers into action and over 20 unattached grapplers as well. Penn State is coming off a near-upset of No. 3 Michigan on Saturday. The Lions roared out to a 12-3 lead in front of a season high 2,364 fans in an electric Rec Hall, but fell victim to Michigan's string of four ranked wrestlers down the stretch as the Wolverines fought off the upset bid and escaped with a hard-fought 23-15 win. Michigan won six of the four bouts and collected five bonus points off a pin and two majors. Penn State got three bonus points off a pin. Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) won at 197, Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) won at 125, Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) got a pin at 133 and James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) got his third straight win over a ranked opponent. Yonushonis and Davis lead Penn State with 5-0 marks while Strayer remains undefeated at 4-0. All three of those Nittany Lions have posted their undefeated seasons in dual matches. Haas is undefeated at 6-0, with five of those wins coming in his title run at the East Stroudsburg Open. Six Nittany Lions will be wrestling attached, including Brad Pataky at 125, Bryan Heller at 133, Mark Friend at 157, Philip Bomberger and Brian Cantalupi at 165 and Aaron Anspach at HWT. Over 20 other Nittany Lions will be wrestling unattached at the event. Penn State will return to action on Friday, Dec. 9, with a dual at Navy and Saturday, Dec. 10, at Penn. The Nittany Lions next home dual is set for Jan. 8 vs. Cornell. Single match tickets can be purchased by visiting the BJC Ticket Center or by calling 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336. Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and senior citizens. WRESTLING ATTACHED FOR PENN STATE... Wt. Name Yr. Hometown 2005-06 Rec. 125 Brad Pataky Fr. Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield 2-2 133 Bryan Heller So. Fair Haven, N.J./Rumson-Fair Haven 8-1 157 Mark Friend Fr. Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville 0-1 165 Philip Bomberger Fr. Port Royal, Pa./Juniata 0-2 165 Brian Cantalupi Jr. Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle 6-3 HWT Aaron Ansapch Jr. Columbia, Pa./Columbia 4-4 WRESTLING UNATTACHED FOR PENN STATE... Over 20 Nittany Lions will take part in the event unattached HEAD COACH TROY SUNDERLAND Troy Sunderland (Penn State, '93) is in his 8th year at the helm of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling program. Sunderland has coached two NCAA Champions, 15 All-Americans as a head coach (23 overall) and five Big Ten Champions. He was also the 2003 Big Ten Coach of the Year. Sunderland is 69-66 overall. As a wrestler at Penn State from 1988-93, Sunderland was a three-time All-American and a two-time NCAA Runner-Up. He earned both EWL and Big Ten Individual Championships during his days as a student-athlete and was a University and Espoir National Champion. Sunderland's accolades are as follows: EWL Champ at 150 (1992); Big Ten Champion at 150 (1993); NCAA Runner-Up at 150 (1992 and 1993) and 4th at 150 (1991); Career NCAA Tournament record of 13-4; Three-time All-American (1991, 1992 and 1993); 100 career victories (100-13-3 overall record). THE TROY SUNDERLAND SHOW The Troy Sunderland Show will debut on Wednesday, Nov. 2, on WBLF Radio (970 AM). Co-hosted by Jeff Byers, voice of Penn State wrestling, and Troy Sunderland, head wrestling coach, the thirty-minute call in show airs form 7 to 7:30 p.m. nearly every Wednesday night throughout the season. The show, which will feature in-depth interviews with Coach Sunderland and other guests throughout the season, will give Nittany Lion wrestling fans a chance to call in and ask the coach questions. Fans wishing to take part simply call 814-272-9700. "This show gives fans a chance to get some insight into our team's development throughout the year," Sunderland said. "I'm very pleased that we have the chance to give our fans something on a weekly basis that they can look forward to and get excited about." The weekly show will also be streamed live on www.GoPSUsports.com, the official website of Penn State Athletics. BROADCAST INFO (RADIO AND/OR TV) Local radio station WBLF 970 AM will broadcast the entire season of Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling. Continuing a long-standing tradition of full season coverage, each of Penn State's dual matches and four major tournaments will be carried by the station. Jeff Byers, long-time voice of Nittany Lion wrestling, will be at each event to call the action. In addition to the full schedule of duals, WBLF will air the finals of the Nittany Lion Open, the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 18, the Big Ten Championships on March 4-5 and the NCAA Championships on March 16-18. Nittany Lion wrestling fans have been treated to a full season of radio coverage for over 25 years. WBLF is owned by Magnum Broadcasting, which owns and operates four stations locally, including WPHB 1260 AM in Philipsburg. WPHB will also carry select wrestling events. The television schedule is still being finalized. SINGLE MATCH TICKETS AVAILABLE Single match tickets are still available for Penn State's three remaining home duals against Cornell on Sunday, Jan. 8, at 1 p.m.; Michigan State on Friday, Jan. 27, at 7;30 p.m.; and Minnesota on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 1 p.m. Tickets can only be purchased at the door for the Nittany Lion Open on Dec. 4. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting the BJC Ticket Center or by calling 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336. Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and senior citizens. YONUSHONIS MAKES IT THREE STRAIGHT VS. RANKED OPPONENTS Junior 174-pounder James Yonushonis downed No. 11 Nick Roy of Michigan, 3-1 (sv), in Penn State's dual vs. Michigan on 11/26, posting his third straight win vs. a ranked foe. Yonushonis beat No. 10 Kelly Flaherty of Wisconsin, 5-3, on 11/20 and No. 7 Travis Frick of Lehigh, 6-4 (sv), on 11/13. HAAS MAKES '05-06 DUAL DEBUT WITH WIN Sophomore Tim Haas made his 2005-06 dual match debut with a 6-4 win over Michigan's Jim Shutich on 11/26. Prior to that, Haas reeled off five wins to claim the 125 pound at the East Stroudsburg Open on 11/19. STRAYER GETS FIRST CAREER FALL Freshman 133-pounder Jake Strayer got his first career fall with a pin of Michigan's Brandon Elliott at the 5:34 mark. The pin was Strayer's fourth straight to begin the 2005-06 season. HART AND THREE OTHER FORMER LIONS IN 2006 CLASS OF PWCA HALL OF FAME Penn State assistant wrestling coach Dave Hart, a former All-American and Academic All-American for Penn State, as well as former Nittany Lion wrestlers Sean Finkbeiner and Steve Sefter, will be inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2006. The induction ceremonies will be held in conjunction with the PIAA State Wrestling Championships, to be held at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa., on March 9-11, 2006. The ceremonies will precede the championship finals on March 11 (further details will be announced at a later date). Hart is an '88 graduate of Juniata High School and a '93 Penn State grad. As a Nittany Lion, he won the 1992 Eastern Wrestling League Title and the 1993 Big Ten title at 167. He was a two-time All-American (placing third in 1993 and fourth in 1992) and team captain in 1993. During his Nittany Lion career, he collected an 89-17 record and was a three-time Academic All-American. Penn State won two NWCA Dual Meet National titles during his wrestling days and placed third and fourth at the NCAA Championships. He is now in his eighth year as an assistant coach at Penn State. Finkbeiner is an '84 graduate of Northampton High School and an '88 Penn State grad. As a Nittany Lion, he earned four letters and was the EWL Champion at 150 in 1987. Finkbeiner earned All-America laurels that year, placing sixth at 150. Sefter is a 1980 graduate of Cedar Cliff High School and an '84 Penn State graduate. Sefter was a four-year letterman at Penn State, earning letters in 1981, 82, 84 and 85. Sefter was a two-time EWL champion at HWT, claiming the titles in 1981 and 1982. He was a two-time All-American, finishing sixth in 1981 and fourth in 1985. PENN STATE MAINTAINS TOP TEN SPOT IN 11/29 W.I.N. RANKINGS The Penn State Nittany Lions are ranked No. 10 in the most recent issue (11/29) of W.I.N.'s NCAA wrestling rankings. The Nittany Lions stayed at No. 10 after battling Michigan (W.I.N.'s No. 5 team) tough in a 23-15 loss. Individually, eight Lions are ranked in the top 20 at their respective weight classes. Freshman Jake Strayer stayed at No. 14 at 133, Senior DeWitt Driscoll fell to No. 12 at 141, James Woodall moved up to No. 11 at 149, Nathan Galloway dropped to No. 19 at 157, 174-pounder James Yonushonis (unranked at the beginning of the year) moved into the top ten with a No. 9 ranking at 174, Eric Bradley maintained his No. 1 perch at 184, sophomore All-American Phil Davis remained at No. 5 at 197 and Joel Edwards maintained his No. 11 ranking at HWT. LIONS SPLIT BOUTS WITH BADGERS BUT BONUS POINTS GIVE UW UPSET The Penn State Nittany Lions, ranked No. 12 heading into its match with No. 15 Wisconsin, won the first three bouts of the Big Ten dual to bolt out to a 9-0 lead. Wisconsin answered with a pin and a major to take a 10-9 lead and post the bonus points that would ultimately decide the match. Penn State won five bouts as did Wisconsin, but the four points won in those two bouts were the difference in the dual as Wisconsin upset Penn State 19-15. HAAS WINS TITLE AT EAST STROUDSBURG OPEN AS FOUR LIONS PLACE Sophomore 125-pounder Tim Haas went 5-0 to claim the 125-pound title at the East Stroudsburg Open in action that went late into Saturday night. Haas was one of five attached Penn State wrestlers at the event, four of whom earned spots in the top eight. Haas claimed the title with an impressive 5-2 win over Jeffrey Sato of Columbia and now sports a perfect 5-0 mark on the year. Sophomore Bryan Heller won his first bout at 133, dropped his second, but reeled off six straight wins in the consolation bracket to place third. Heller is now 8-1. Junior Brian Cantalupi placed seventh at 165, going 5-2 on the day. Cantalupi improved to 6-3 on the year. Junior Aaron Anspach finished sixth at HWT, going 4-3. On route to his sixth place finish, Anspach downed Harvard's Bode Ogunwole, 3-2 TB, who entered the tournament ranked No. 12 in the nation. True freshman Jason Lapham was the other attached Lion grappler at the event, going 1-2 at 149. ROHAN MURPHY QUALIFIES FOR WORLD PARALYMPIC POWERLIFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Rohan Murphy (Long Island, N.Y.) has qualified for the fourth International Powerlifting Paralympic Championships in Buran, Korea. The 11-day event takes place April 1-12, 2006. Murphy, a bilateral amputee who is a member of the Nittany Lion wrestling team and head coach Troy Sunderland, posted a lift of 285-pounds, which sets a national record at 125-pounds for paralympians. The competition in Korea is the last international competition before the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Murphy is coming off a 1-2 weekend, wrestling unattached at the East Stroudsburg Open. The junior 125-pounder grabbed his first win of the season, posting an impressive 19-4 technical fall over an unattached grappler from Lehigh. DAVIS NAMED BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Phil Davis has been named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (11/13/05). The sophomore 197-pounder shares the honor with Northwestern 141-pounder Ryan Lang. Davis, a returning All-American, was a perfect 3-0 last Sunday, recording falls in each of his matches to help lead Penn State to the title at the 2005 Pennsylvania State Dual Championships. His pin of Lehigh's Paul Weibel in 3:30 to spark a Penn State rally and help the Lions to an 18-17 win over the No. 8 Mountain Hawks. The Harrisburg native was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler and won the Most Pins in the Fastest Time Award, getting three in 13:35. PENN STATE CLAIMS PA. STATE DUALS CROWN Trailing by eight with just two bouts left, Penn State thrilled the nearly 2,000 fans in Rec Hall to come from behind and defeat No. 8 Lehigh 18-17, grabbing the title in the second annual Pennsylvania State Dual Championships. Sophomore Phil Davis got a pin at 197 at the 3:20 mark to turn a 17-9 Lehigh lead into a two-point deficit for the Nittany Lions. Senior Joel Edwards followed that up with a thrilling 8-7 win at HWT to complete the comeback and give the Lions the crown, avenging a team loss in the event's finals last year. Edwards scored a takedown with :20 remaining to tie his bout at 7-7 and posted a plus-2:00 riding time edge to get the RT point and the victory. Penn State got to the finals by defeated Pitt-Johnstown 31-10 in the opening round and York 47-3 in the semifinals. Both Davis and Edwards went 3-0 in the tournament as did 174-pounder James Yonushonis. Complete team scores are as follows -- Opening Round: PENN STATE 31, Pitt-Johnstown 10; York 25, Clarion 15; Lehigh 50, Williamson 6; Lock Haven 25, Mercyhurst 17. Semifinals: PENN STATE 47, York 3; Lehigh 32, Lock Haven 3. CONSO SEMIS: Mercyhurst 48, Williamson 3; UPJ 26, Clarion 12. FINALS: PENN STATE 18, Lehigh 17; 3rd Place: Lock Haven 28, York 11; 5th Place: UPJ 30, Mercyhurst 7; 7th Place: Clarion 49, Williamson 0. DAVIS PINS THREE AT DUALS; GETS O.W. Sophomore All-American Phil Davis pinned his first three opponents of the year, going a perfect three for three in pins during the Pa. State Dual Championships on Nov. 13. Davis pinned his three foes in 13:35 to earn the Most Pins in Shortest Time Award. He was also named the event's Most Outstanding Wrestler. YONUSHONIS PERFECT IN PA. DUALS With a number of Lions seeing action in the Pennsylvania State Dual Championships on Nov. 13 and many going 2-0, only three went 3-0 in the event. Senior HWT Joel Edwards and sophomore Phil Davis turned the trick as did junior 174-pounder James Yonushonis. Yonushonis posted a big win over No. 7 Travis Frick of Lehigh in the tournament's title match, grabbing a 6-4 sudden victory decision. EDWARDS 3-0 IN PA. DUALS; CLINCHES TITLE Senior Joel Edwards posted an exciting 8-7 win over Lehigh's Tom Curl in the tournament championship deciding bout. With Penn State trailing 17-15, Edwards erased an early 5-0 deficit to post the win and give the Nittany Lions an 18-17 victory over No. 8 Lehigh and the 2005 Pa. Duals crown. Edwards scored a takedown with :20 left and got the win with a plus-2:00 riding time advantage. NITTANY LIONS SIGN THREE OF NATION'S TOP 15 RECRUITS TO NLI'S Penn State Nittany Lion head wrestling coach Troy Sunderland and his outstanding staff are seeing the fruits of their recruiting labors pay off as a trio of the nation's best high school wrestlers have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Penn State on day one of the signing period. Alphabetically, high school standouts Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), Josh Rohler (Akron, Ohio) and Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.) will attend Penn State in 2006-07 as members of one of the nation's top recruiting classes. "We are extremely pleased to get commitments from wrestlers and young men of this caliber," Sunderland said. "All three are ranked number one in their weights in at least one poll, so getting wrestlers ranked that high across the board adds to the credibility of this class being considered one of the best incoming classes in the nation." Rella, who projects at 165 for Penn State, is the defending Ohio State Champion heading into his senior season at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cleveland, Ohio. The 2005 Junior National Freestyle runner-up, he was a Junior National All-American. Rella was also runner-up at the FILA Junior National Freestyle Championships and is a two-time Powerade Champion and an Ironman Champion. Rohler, who projects at 157 at Penn State, is heading into his senior season at St. Vincent/St. Mary High School. The 2005 Ohio Division II third place finisher also placed third in the 2005 Beast of the East Championships. Rohler was the 2004 Ironman runner-up and an Ohio State runner-up in 2004. Rohler also is a two-time Cadet National All-American. Scott, who projects at 141 or 149 for the Nittany Lions, is a three-time defending Pennsylvania AA State Champion at Juniata Valley High School. He heads into his final season at JVHS looking to join an elite group of four-time champs. Scott was the 2005 FILA Junior National Freestyle eighth-place finisher and the 2004 Cadet National Greco runner-up. He won the Cadet Freestyle National title in 2002 and 2003 and was National Greco runner-up both those years as well. Penn State's incoming recruiting class, which is considered among the best in the nation by nearly every wrestling publication and outlet, follows closely on the heals of last year's 12-man recruiting class, which was ranked No. 5 by Intermat. Intermat is the official website and media outlet of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). NITTANY LIONS FACING ONE OF NATION'S TOUGHEST SCHEDULES The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 12 in the initial USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll, will face one of the nation's toughest schedules in 2005-06 as 11 of the Lions' 17 dual matches will be against teams ranked in the poll's top 25. The Nittany Lions are now 1-2 vs. ranked teams this year. Penn State downed No. 8 Lehigh 18-17 on Sunday, Nov. 13, but were upset, 19-15, by No. 15 Wisconsin on Nov. 20. Penn State lost to No. 3 Michigan, 23-15, on Nov. 26. Penn State will visit No. 25 Penn on December 10 before a trip to the Reno Tournament of Champions on December 18.The Lions will visit No. 8 Lehigh on Friday, Jan. 6 and then quickly turn around to host No. 9 Cornell on Sunday, Jan. 8. Four other Big Ten schools and a Big 12 powerhouse will also face off against Penn State. The Nittany Lions host No. 19 Michigan State on Friday, Jan. 27, and No. 6 Minnesota on Sunday, Jan. 29. Penn State then faces its toughest road stretch of the season, visiting No. 5 Iowa on Feb. 3, No. 7 Iowa State on Feb. 5, and No. 16 Indiana on Feb. 10. PENN STATE RANKED NO. 12 IN USA TODAY/NWCA PRE-SEASON POLL The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team will enter the 2005-06 season with a No. 12 national ranking in the USA Today/NWCA Pre-Season Ranking. The poll, voted on by the nation's wrestling coaches and maintained by Intermat, the NWCA's official website, also includes six Nittany Lions in the individual rankings Senior Eric Bradley made it a perfect four-for-four with his No. 1 ranking at 184. Bradley has been ranked No. 1 in each of the previous national polls to come out this fall. Sophomore Philip Davis comes in ranked No. 6 after finishing seventh at nationals in 2005 as a freshman. Senior James Woodall is ranked No. 14 at 149. The 2004 national qualifier is coming off a medical red-shirt year. Senior Joel Edwards is ranked No. 19 at Heavyweight. Junior Nathan Galloway is No. 10 at 157 and senior DeWitt Driscoll is No. 16 at 141. Oklahoma State carries the No. 1 team ranking and all 12 first place votes as it returns eight qualifiers from the national title squad last year. The Big Ten is well represented in the team rankings with nine teams in the top 25: Michigan (3), Illinois (4), Iowa (5), Minnesota (6), Northwestern (11), Penn State (12), Wisconsin (15), Indiana (16) and Michigan State (19) are all included in the poll. PENN STATE RANKED IN AWN'S PRE-SEASON TOURNAMENT RANKINGS The Penn State Nittany Lions are ranked No. 13 in Amateur Wrestling News' 2005 Pre-Season Top 20. The Nittany Lions are one of eight Big Ten teams ranked in the top 15 and one of nine in the top 20. Oklahoma State is No. 1 in the poll. Five Penn Staters earned pre-season individual rankings, led by Eric Bradley's No. 1 ranking at 184. The senior All-American is the top returning place-winner from the 2005 Championships. Sophomore Phil Davis is ranked No. 5 at 197 after earning All-American laurels as a freshman last year. Senior Joel Edwards is No. 11 at HWT, junior Nathan Galloway is No. 12 at 157 and sophomore Bryan Heller is No. 15 at 133. PENN STATE ALL-TIME VS. RANKED OPPONENTS If the first few pre-season rankings released are any indication, Penn State will once again face one of the nation's toughest dual match schedules this year. With nearly all the Big Ten teams being ranked and a tough non-conference schedule, the Nittany Lions will once again square off against the nation's best. The Nittany Lions are 1-2 vs. ranked teams this season. Penn State went 7-8 vs. ranked team's last year and 4-7 against ranked foes in 2002-03. Penn State is 37-62 under Head Coach Troy Sunderland against ranked teams, 5-39 against the Top 10 and 2-24 against the top five. WRESTLING ATTENDANCE CONTINUES TO SHINE ON A NATIONAL LEVEL Last season, Penn State wrestling drew an average of 2,209 fans per contest, which was fourth in the entire nation and second in the Big Ten. Iowa (5,073), Oklahoma State (4,542) and Lehigh (2,488) were the only teams that drew more fans per match than Penn State. This year, Penn State had over 1,500 fans for Wrestle-Offs, the most in recent memory. While that figure does not count towards the total, Nov. 13's 1,802 was a solid start to the 2005-06 season. The Lions drew 1,752 for a Sunday afternoon dual with Wisconsin on Nov. 20. A season-to-date-best of 2,364 packed Rec Hall for its dual with No. 3 Michigan on Nov. 26. Please join us in thanking these companies and organizations for helping to make your GoPSUsports Web site Possible. Pepsi Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board VisitPA.com Spirit Ready Penn State Alumni Association PA Pork Council Merrill Lynch Hersheys Infield MFG Aeropostale Rockvale Outlets

Pembroke, NC -- UNC Pembroke's men's wrestling team handed Limestone a 39-3 loss on Tuesday night at the Timken Center. The Braves had nine straight wins to score 39 team points. UNC Pembroke is ranked No. 19 in the NCAA Division II Coaches Association poll released on November 2. Saint freshman heavyweight Trey Moss recorded Limestone's lone win of the evening with a 3-2 decision over the Braves' James Dingle. This was also the first victory of the season for Moss. Limestone falls to 1-2 for the season while UNC Pembroke climbs to 2-1. The Saints travel to Anderson, S.C., to face Anderson and West Liberty, who travels to UNC Pembroke for a match on Friday, December 2 at 6:30 pm, on Saturday, December 3 at 11 a.m. UNCP 39, Limestone 3 125: Kevin Jones (UNCP) def. Cody Atkins (LC), 7-1 133: Devon Daniels (UNCP) def. Matt Ross (LC), 12-2 (maj. dec.) 141: Adam Dedmon (UNCP) def. Robbie Miskelly (LC), 8-7 149: Eddo Hojilla (UNCP) def. Joe Federspiel (LC), 8-1 157: Brandon Wallace (UNCP) fall Greg Satterfield (LC), 4:33 165: Cedric Turner (UNCP) fall Brandon Boggan (LC), 6:05 174: JJ Davis (UNCP) fall Dominic Moore (LC), 4:48 184: Derek Garris (UNCP) def. Miles Corey (LC), 9-12 (maj. dec.) 197: Mike Hall (UNCP) def. Corey Walsh (LC), 9-02 (maj. dec.) 285: Trey Moss (LC) def. James Dingles (UNCP), 3-2

CEDAR RAPIDS (AP) -- A Marion man is now known as "the biggest loser" -- and he's proud of it. Matt Hoover, 28, was awarded the title this week in Cedar Rapids during a live season finale of NBC's popular weight-loss series "The Biggest Loser." Hoover, who described himself as a top-notch athlete before ballooning to 340 pounds, lost 157 pounds on the show. It took several months of careful eating and training, but Hoover said the pain was well worth it. "Probably more important than the weight I lost was finding out who I was again and I didn't have to settle for the life I was leading, being lazy, stuck in a rut," he said. On his audition tape, Hoover said his big dream was to lose big and return to the form of his old days as a champion wrestler at the University of Iowa. "I haven't always been big," he said. "In college, I wrestled 177 and 190 pounds. I was an elite athlete. I once had potential, you know, possibly being an Olympian, and now I'm 340 pounds and could hardly walk up a set of stairs." Hoover said he got lazy. He quit working out, and started eating and drinking more than ever. Friends who gathered in Cedar Rapids to watch him compete in the season finale say the new Hoover looks "awesome" and has already motivated them into more active lifestyles.

Date: Friday, Dec. 2 Time: 7 p.m. CST Location: Stillwater, Oklahoma (Gallagher Iba Arena) On Friday night, Lehigh heads to Gallagher Iba Arena in Stillwater to battle Oklahoma State. Last season, the three-time defending national champion Cowboys defeated the Mountain Hawks twice during the regular season by scores of 20-16 (at National Duals) and 24-9. The Mountain Hawks are off to a 5-1 start this season -- with their lone loss coming narrowly to Penn State, 18-17, at the Penn State Duals on Nov. 13. They are coming off a 36-3 win over Rutgers on Nov. 27. Lehigh's biggest win this season, however, came against Arizona State, 29-7, on Nov. 17. The Cowboys are 1-0 after opening their dual season on Sunday with a 21-15 victory over Michigan State. Below is a match-by-match breakdown of Friday night's dual. 125: Matt Fisk (Lehigh, Freshman) vs. Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State, Sophomore) Coleman ScottThis will be a battle of two Pennsylvania products. Fisk, a true freshman, is 2-1 this season with his lone loss coming to Jeremy Mendoza of Arizona State. Scott, a true sophomore and a returning All-American, won the Kaufman-Brand Open, but was shutout, 6-0, against two-time All-American Nick Simmons on Sunday. Scott is the more experienced wrestler right now and should win this match, but don't expect bonus points here. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Scott decision over Fisk (Oklahoma State +3) 133: Jeff Santo (Lehigh, Sophomore) vs. Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State, Sophomore) Santo, who posted a 7-3 dual record last season, is off to a 2-0 start with two pins. He's not an All-American threat, but he's certainly a serviceable starter for Lehigh. Morgan, like Scott, is also a true sophomore. He won the Kaufman-Brand Open by defeating two-time junior college national champion Earl Jones of Central Oklahoma. Morgan, although not physically imposing, is a great technician who is very slick on his feet. Morgan will be looking for a major decision here … at the very least. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Morgan major decision over Santo (Oklahoma State +4) 141: Cory Cooperman (Lehigh, Senior) vs. Daniel Frishkorn (Oklahoma State, Sophomore) This will be a battle of two returning All-Americans and a rematch of the third place bout at the 2005 NCAA Tournament, which Cooperman won by a score of 10-1. Cooperman also dominated Frishkorn at the National Duals last season, 9-1. Frishkorn is a hot and cold wrestler. He's had a very disappointing season thus far. He placed fourth at the Kaufman-Brand and then lost 7-1 to All-American Andy Simmons of Michigan State in a dual. Cooperman is off to a 4-0 start this season. These two wrestlers seem to be going in opposite directions right now, which is why I expect Cooperman to dominate this match. RevWrestling Prediction: Cooperman major decision over Frishkorn (Lehigh +4) 149: Trevor Chinn (Lehigh) vs. Zack Esposito (Oklahoma State) Chin, a redshirt freshman, came to Lehigh as a highly touted two-time New York state champion. He posted an impressive 17-5 record while redshirting last season. He is 2-0 so far this season, although neither win came against a ranked opponent. Lehigh could also send out two-time NCAA qualifier Matt Ciasulli, who moved up from 133 pounds. Esposito, a returning NCAA champion, is one of the most complete wrestlers in the country, regardless of weight class. He was upset by a game Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan at the All-Star Classic. But Espo came back to score a technical fall over Darren McKnight of Michigan State on Sunday. Both Chinn and Ciasulli are solid wrestlers, but I would be very surprised if either one avoided bonus points here. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Esposito major decision over Chinn (Oklahoma State +4) 157: Derek Zinck (Lehigh, Senior) vs. Kevin Ward (Oklahoma State, Senior) For Lehigh to have a chance at pulling off the upset, they need to win this match. Zinck, now a senior, was an All-American as a freshman, but has battled injuries throughout his career and hasn't been able to get back to the All-American podium. He's off to a 4-0 start this season, which includes a tie-breaker win over returning NCAA qualifier Nathan Galloway of Penn State. Ward, who won the Big 12 title last season, placed third at the Kaufman-Brand Open, but then dropped a match to Michigan State's Tony Greathouse in a dual. These two wrestlers met three times last season, with Zinck coming way victorious in two of the matches. This match could go either way, but Zinck seems to wrestling a little better right now. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Zinck decision over Ward (Lehigh +3) 165: Troy Letters (Lehigh, Senior) vs. Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State, Junior) This is a match that wrestling fans across the country have been looking forward to since last March -- two NCAA champions who aren't particularly fond about one another. Letters won both head-to-head meetings last season (4-3 and 5-2), but Hendricks won the NCAA title. Letters is 7-0 this season and also picked up his 100th career win by pinning Ryan Cunningham of Rider on Nov. 10. Hendricks was a big sluggish in his overtime loss at the All-Star Classic to Matt Nagel of Minnesota, but bounced back nicely with a technical fall over Michigan State's Bryan Harney. This could be an early preview of an NCAA championship match. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Letters decision over Hendricks (Lehigh +3) 174: Travis Frick (Lehigh, Senior) vs. Brandon Mason (Oklahoma State, Freshman) Travis FrickMuch like the match at 157, Lehigh needs this one to have a shot in this dual. Frick was a 2004 All-American at 184, but dropped down to 174 last season and failed to place at the NCAA Tournament. He's 4-1 this season -- with his lone loss coming to Penn State's James Yonushonis. Mason, a redshirt freshman, placed third at the Kaufman-Brand Open, then lost a match to R.C. Boudro of Michigan State in a dual. Mason is a bit vulnerable on his feet, but he's an absolute beast on the mat. When it's all said and done, Mason's wrestling credentials will trump Frick's. But I'm going with experience over potential in this one. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Frick decision over Mason (Lehigh +3) 184: David Helfrich (Lehigh, Junior) vs. Jack Jensen (Oklahoma State, Sophomore) This match is a tossup. Helfrich is 8-1 this season, but that's a bit deceiving because he has hasn't wrestled tough competition yet. He's a serviceable starter for Lehigh, but not a legitimate All-American threat at this point in his career. Jensen is certainly the weak link for Oklahoma State, although most programs would take this sophomore in a heartbeat. After dropping his first match at the Kaufman-Brand Open, he battled back to place fourth. Jensen has shown glimpses of being a very good wrestler, but is still young and makes a lot of mistakes technically. Helfrich is wrestling well right now and seems to have quite bit of confidence, which is why I think he'll pull this one out. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Helfrich decision over Jensen (Lehigh +3) 197: Matt Cassidy (Lehigh, Junior) vs. Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State, Senior) Jake RosholtWith Jon Trenge lost to graduation, Cassidy assumes the 197-spot once again. He was the starter at 197 during the 2003-04 season when Trenge took an Olympic redshirt year, but then moved back down to 184 last season. Last season, Cassidy posted a 6-9 record, but suffered season ending leg injury in a February dual. He is 6-2 this season and coming off a big upset win over 2004 All-American Ryan Bader of Arizona State. Cassidy, though, will have his hands full against two-time NCAA champion Jake Rosholt. Rosholt reached the finals of the Kaufman-Brand Open, but defaulted in the championship to get ready for his match two days later at the All-Star Classic, where he defeated Joel Flaggert of Oklahoma. It will be interesting to see if Cassidy wrestles this match to win or wrestles just to keep it close. In any case, I see Rosholt winning this one by 4-6 points. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Rosholt decision over Cassidy (Oklahoma State +3) Hwt: Tom Curl (Lehigh, Junior) vs. Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State) This battle is a battle of two former New Jersey high school stars. Curl set the New Jersey state record for pins with 94, while Mocco won four National Prep titles for Blair Academy. Curl, who started his career at Buffalo, posted a 13-5 record last season as the backup at heavyweight, but is off to a disappointing 1-2 start this season. He lost a tight one-point match to Joel Edwards of Penn State, but then was throttled a few days later, 14-4, by All-American Cain Velasquez of Arizona State. Mocco, who will by vying for his third NCAA title this season, has not lost an official collegiate match since 2002 -- although he recently dropped an exhibition match to Cole Konrad of Minnesota at the All-Star Classic. Mocco will be wrestling for bonus points here -- and will more than likely get them. The question, though, is whether or not he will be able to put Curl on his back and score six for the Cowboys. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Mocco major decision over Curl (Oklahoma State +4) Final Dual Prediction: Oklahoma State 18, Lehigh 16

ALAMOSA, Colo. -- Be sure to check out the first ASC weekly wrestling release of the young 2005-06 season. Seasonal records/statistics & match-by-match results for all of ASC's wrestlers is included as are RMAC dual meet standings, conference schedules/results and news and notes from the Grizzly camp. Portions of the release can be found below... • This Week After returning from a Thanksgiving weekend break, the Adams State College Grizzlies, ranked ninth in NCAA Division II, return to action at this Friday and Saturday's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. The tournament is expected to draw approximately 50 teams, many of which are NCAA Division I squads. Action begins at 9 a.m. (PST) each day in the city's Cashman Center. For more information about the tournament, visit the official web site www.cklvwrestle.com. Throughout the tournament, fans can follow the tournament results online at TheWrestlingMall.com • Reviewing the 2004 Tournament Adams State College's Kortney Lake (Craig, Colo.) wrestled his way to a place at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational for the second straight year. Finishing eighth with a 4-3 record, Lake led the Grizzlies to a 34th place finish in the 23rd annual tournament. Lake had finished fourth in the 133-pound bracket of the 2003 tournament and went on to All-America honors with a sixth place finish at the 2004 NCAA Division II National Championships in Mankato, Minn. He is the only Grizzly in Jason Ramstetter's coaching tenure, now in its seventh year, to have placed in the tournament. The eight members of the Grizzly team that competed posted a combined 13 wins, 12 of which came against NCAA Division I foes. All but two of the eight posted at least one win and helped the Grizzlies score 16.5 team points as ASC finished ahead of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference rivals Western State (37th) and seven NCAA Division I schools in the 46-team tournament. Michigan, which had finished second to Nebraska in 2003, had four individual champions and scored 148 points to edge Nebraska, which had 139.5 points, for the overall team title. • ASC's Probable Lineup for Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 2-3) 125- #2 Rob McCabe, Sr. (3-2, 1 Fall) 133- #5 Raymond Dunning, So. (4-1, 3 Falls) 141- Brian Pitts, Jr. (3-4, 1 Fall) 149- Dan Intlekofer, Fr. (4-2, 2 Falls) 157- OPEN 165- #2 Evan Copeland, So. (3-2) 174- James Reynolds, Jr. (6-3) 184- Josh Vialpando, Sr. (2-4) 197- Casey Woodall, Jr. (4-1) HWT- Heath Soderstrom, Sr. (4-3, 1 Fall) #'s- Indicate National Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Rankings • Rankings nothing new for Grizzlies The Grizzlies have been ranked as a team in each of the last 30 sets of NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Polls dating back to the final 2000-01 season poll. They have been in the top 10 for the last five (dating back to 2004-05) and 11 of the last 15. They reached a Jason Ramstetter coaching era best fifth in the 2003-04 preseason poll.

HIPPENSBURG, Pa. -- On Thursday night, the Shippensburg University wrestling team will host a top-10 showdown when it welcomes the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown to Heiges Field House at 7:00 p.m. The Red Raiders will enter the match ranked No. 7 in the NCAA Division II national rankings while UPJ enters the match at No. 3. Thursday's match will be broadcast live by Shippensburg University student radio station WSYC 88.7 FM and will also be available on the internet at http://www.wsyc.org/webcast.html. The pre-match broadcast will begin at 6:55 p.m., with Bill Morgal handling the play-by-play. The matchup will not only feature two of the top teams in the nation, but also two of the best teams in the NCAA Division II East Region. At last year's East Region championship, Shippensburg finished third in the tournament with 94.5 points while Pitt-Johnstown won the event with 143.0 points. Mercyhurst College was second with 132 points. The two teams had a total of 11 wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships last season, including six from Shippensburg and five from Pittsburgh-Johnstown. All but three of those wrestlers are back this year with all eight of them scheduled to compete on Thursday night. Thursday's competition will also feature nine wrestlers who are currently ranked among the top-eight in their respective weight classes. Among the five individually-ranked wrestlers, two of them won national championships last year and another finished as the runner-up. Senior Corey Jacoby (Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic) won the Red Raiders' first national championship a year ago, capturing the title at 197 pounds. For UPJ, senior Thad Benton was the 2005 NCAA champion at 141 pounds while senior Ryon Mazzocco was the runner-up at 125 pounds. All three are ranked No. 1 in their weight class. In addition, Mountain Cat sophomore Mike Corcetti is ranked No. 1 at 184 pounds. In addition to Jacoby, Shippensburg has three other ranked wrestlers including senior Jamie Thomas (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) who is No. 3 at 125 pounds, junior Mark Murphy (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York) who is ranked No. 2 at 184 pounds and senior Jake Lininger (Camp Hill, Pa./Lower Dauphin) who is No. 7 at heavyweight. Other ranked wrestlers for Pittsburgh-Johnstown include junior Eli Garshnick and senior Zach Machocha who were each ranked No. 6 at 174 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. The highlighted matches of the evening are at 125 and 184 pounds, as well as heavyweight. At 125, Mazzocco and Thomas will both be looking to gain an advantage in their competitive rivalry after the two split their two meetings against each other last year. Thomas won the first meeting between the two in a dual meet on December 1, 6-4, before Mazzocco won the second meeting 3-2 on January 21 at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. Thomas earned All-America honors for the second-straight year last season at 125 pounds, finishing sixth at the NCAA championships after earning a fourth-place finish at the NCAA East Region championships. Mazzocco, the 2005 East Region champion at 125, finished second at the NCAA championships. Murphy will be trying to avenge one of just four losses he suffered at 184 pounds a year ago when he faces UPJ's Corcetti in a match-up of the top two wrestlers in Division II. On Feb. 26, 2005, Corcetti edged Murphy at the NCAA East Region championships, 6-5. Murphy placed fourth at the East Region championships a year ago and fifth at the NCAA championships. Meanwhile, Corcetti finsihed third and fourth at the East Region and NCAA championships, respectively. In a memorable season last year, Jacoby faced UPJ four times en route to his 197-pound national championship. He went 3-1 against the Mountain Cats, defeating Mike Fowler twice and Howard Bell once. Bell was able to hand Jacoby one of just three losses during a 34-3 record last year, defeating him 3-2 in the championship match at the East Region championship. With Bell lost to graduation, Jacoby will face Fowler, now a junior, who split time with Bell at 197 last year. Jacoby edged out a 1-0 decision on November 7 at the West Virginia University Open before taking an 8-4 victory on December 1 in the teams' dual meet. Fowler posted an overall record of 21-8 last year with 12 pins. Another key match on Thursday will be at heavyweight where Lininger will meet UPJ senior Zach Majocha. Majocha qualified for the NCAA championships last season, but an injury prevented him from wrestling. After spending the previous three seasons in Division I with the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Minnesota, Lininger placed second on November 19 at the East Stroudsburg University Open in his first competition with Shippensburg.

PROBABLE LINEUPS Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0 in Big Ten) 2005-06 Wt. Name Yr. Hometown (HS/Last School) Record 125 Trent Goodale Sr. Osage, IA (Osage) 0-1 OR Lucas Magnani Jr. Long Island, NY (St. Anthony's/Brown) 1-3 133 Daniel Dennis Fr. Ingleside, IL (Grant) 5-2 141 Alex Tsirtsis So. Griffith, IN (Griffith) 5-1 149 Ty Eustice Sr.. Blue Earth, MN (Blue Earth) 6-0 157 Joe Johnston Sr. Prairie Village, KS (Shawnee Mission E.) 5-2 165 Eric Luedke Jr. Colby, KS (Colby/Colby CC) 5-1 OR Cole Pape Sr. Maquoketa, IA (Maquoketa) 4-3 174 Mark Perry So. Stillwater, OK (Blair Academy, NJ) 1-0 184 Paul Bradley Sr. Tama, IA (South Tama) 1-0 197 Adam Fellers Sr. Fort Dodge, IA (Fort Dodge) 0-3 HWT Matt Fields So. Lowden, IA (North Cedar) 2-1 OR Ryan Fuller Jr. Lisbon, IA (Lisbon) 2-3 Iowa State Cyclones (3-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0 in Big 12) 2005-06 Wt. Name Yr. Hometown (Last School) Record 125 Ben Hanisch So. Waterloo, IA (Columbus) 8-3 133 Jesse Sundell Sr. Ogden, IA (Ogden) 5-5 141 Nate Gallick Sr. Tucson, AZ (Sunnyside) 8-0 149 Jason Knipp Jr. Waterloo, IA (Don Bosco) 8-2 OR Aron Scott So. Oskaloosa, IA (Oskaloosa) 7-2 157 Trent Paulson Jr. Council Bluffs, IA (Lewis Central) 12-0 165 Travis Paulson Jr. Council Bluffs, IA (Lewis Central) 12-0 174 David Bertolino So. Mt. Pleasant, OH (Buckeye Local) 7-3 OR Grant Turner Jr. Johnston, IA (Johnston) 4-2 184 Kurt Backes Jr. Neshanic Station, NJ (Blair Academy) 2-0 197 Joe Curran Fr. Elk Point, SD (Bishop Heelan) 3-4 HWT Richard Schopf Jr. Bondurant, IA (Bondurant-Farrar) 2-5 THIS WEEK Iowa (1-0) will face intra-state rival Iowa State (3-0) Friday night in Ames. The dual is set for 7 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum. Several members of the Hawkeye squad will also compete at the UNI Open Sunday in Cedar Falls. Those matches will be held in the UNI Dome. ON THE AIR Television - Iowa Public Television, in its 30th season of televising college wrestling, will air a live telecast of Friday's dual at Iowa State. Tim Johnson, Jim Gibbons and former Iowa Wrestling Coach Dan Gable will call the action. Radio - Morrie Adams and four-time Hawkeye all-American Mark Ironside will call this season's action live on AM-800 KXIC. To listen to the broadcast online, go to the wrestling schedule page on www.hawkeyesports.com. Broadcasts are available using the CSTV All-Access subscription, which can be purchased for $6.95 per month or $49.95 per year. IOWA STATE CYCLONES Iowa State is 3-0 with wins over Upper Iowa (31-9), Wisconsin-LaCrosse (31-9) and Utah Valley State (33-9). Head Coach Bobby Douglas has a 190-68-3 record in 14 seasons at Iowa State and is 419-161-9 in 33 seasons as a collegiate head coach. The Cyclones are led by returning all-Americans Nate Gallick (141), Trent Paulson (157), Travis Paulson (165) and Kurt Backes (184). THE SERIES Iowa leads the series with Iowa State, 52-16-2. The Hawkeyes hold a 20-11-1 advantage in Ames. Iowa State has won the last two meetings. Iowa's last win in the series was 34-7 in Iowa City in 2003. Iowa State's last win in the series was 19-16 last season in Iowa City. HAVEN'T WE MET? Here are past results of potential Iowa-Iowa State matchups: 125 Lucas Magnani (I) is 1-0 vs. Ben Hanisch (ISU) Magnani maj. dec. Hanisch, 11-1, at 2004 Midlands 141 Alex Tsirtsis (I) is 0-2 vs. Nate Gallick (ISU) Gallick dec. Tsirtsis, 2-1 TB-1, at 2004-05 dual Gallick dec. Tsirtsis, 3-2 TB-1, at 2004 Midlands 149 Ty Eustice (I) is 1-0 vs. Aron Scott (ISU) Eustice maj. dec. Scott, 15-6, at 2004-05 dual Eustice (I) is 1-0 vs. Jason Knipp (ISU) Eustice dec. Knipp, 10-8, at 2005 Kaufman-Brand Open 157 Joe Johnston (I) is 0-3 vs. Trent Paulson (ISU) Paulson dec. Johnston, 7-5, at 2002 UNI Open Paulson dec. Johnston, 10-8, at 2004-05 dual Paulson dec. Johnston, 4-0, at 2005 Kaufman-Brand Open 184 Paul Bradley (I) is 4-1 vs. Kurt Backes (ISU) Bradley pinned Backes, 3:30, at 2003 Kaufman-Brand Open Backes dec. Bradley, 4-3, at 2003-04 dual Bradley dec. Backes, 7-6, at 2004-05 dual Bradley dec. Backes, 4-2, at 2004 Midlands Championships Bradley dec. Backes, 3-1, at 2005 NCAA Championships Hwt. Ryan Fuller (I) is 1-0 vs. Richard Schopf (ISU) Fuller dec. Schopf, 10-5, at 2003-04 dual LAST MEETING The Hawkeyes lost a hard-fought match to intra-state rival Iowa State, 19-16, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The win marked Iowa State's first in the arena, which was built in 1983. Iowa fell to 1-1 with the loss, while Iowa State improved to 7-0. While each team won five matches, the difference maker was Grant Nakamura's 6:37 pin over Iowa's Lucas Magnani at 125 pounds. Iowa State jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Nick Passolano's 12-8 decision over Luke Lofthouse at 174, but Hawkeye junior Paul Bradley scored a takedown with 28 seconds left to defeat Kurt Backes, 7-6, and tie the team score at 3-3. Cyclone Trevor Smith fought back with a 9-1 major decision over Dane Pape at 197, but Hawkeye freshman Matt Fields answered with a 4-2 win over Scott Coleman at heavyweight. Nakamura's pin made the team score 13-6 in favor of the Cyclones heading into the intermission. Hawkeye junior Mario Galanakis scored a 6-3 win over Jesse Sundell at 133 to make the team score 13-9. Hawkeye freshman Alex Tsirtsis put up a good fight against top-ranked Nate Gallick at 141, taking the match to the first tiebreak period, but he could not escape and lost a 2-1 decision. It was Tsirtsis' first loss since entering high school, as he went undefeated (236-0) at Griffith High School and was 6-0 at Iowa. Hawkeye junior Ty Eustice pulled the team to within striking distance with his 15-6 major decision over Aron Scott at 149, improving to 6-1 on the season. Down 5-0 in the second period to Cyclone Trent Paulson at 157, Hawkeye junior Joe Johnston scored four takedowns in the last 2:37, but came up short in a 10-8 loss, and Iowa State jumped to a 19-13 lead. Hawkeye redshirt freshman Mark Perry scored a 5-2 win over Travis Paulson to end the dual at 165. His three team points was not enough for an Iowa win. Here are the match results: Iowa State 19, Iowa 16 174 N. Passolano (ISU) dec. Luke Lofthouse (I), 12-8 184 Paul Bradley (I) dec. Kurt Backes (ISU), 7-6 197 Trevor Smith (ISU) maj. dec. Dane Pape (I), 9-1 Hwt. Matt Fields (I) dec. Scott Coleman (ISU), 4-2 125 G. Nakamura (ISU) pinned Lucas Magnani (I), 6:37 133 Mario Galanakis (I) dec. Jesse Sundell (ISU), 6-3 141 Nate Gallick (ISU) dec. Alex Tsirtsis (I), 2-1 tb 149 Ty Eustice (I) maj. dec. Aron Scott (ISU), 15-6 157 Trent Paulson (ISU) dec. Joe Johnston (I), 10-8 165 Mark Perry (I) dec. Travis Paulson (ISU), 5-2 HY-VEE CY-HAWK SERIES Hy-Vee, Inc., in conjunction with Hawkeye Sports Properties, a division of Learfield Communications, and Cyclone Sports Marketing, a division of Clear Channel and ESPN Regional, is in its second year with Iowa State and Iowa to serve as the title sponsor for the schools' Cy-Hawk Series - the name given to the collection of regular season, head-to-head intercollegiate athletic events featuring Cyclone and Hawkeye teams. Iowa won the inaugural Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series (13-8) last season. A point system will track each institution's performance and will culminate in one institution winning the annual trophy for the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series. Intercollegiate athletic teams from Iowa and Iowa State will square off in head-to-head competition eight different times during the 2005-06 academic year. The competition this season is in men's basketball, women's basketball, football, women's gymnastics (2), women's soccer, softball and wrestling. An additional two points will be available for an institution if the student-athlete graduation rate for all student-athletes is greater than the national average for all student-athletes. Iowa State currently leads the series, 5-0. Here is the schedule and results for the 2005-06 series: Date Competition (Points) Result IA-ISU Sept. 7 Women's Soccer at Iowa (2) Iowa State 2, Iowa 1 0-2 Sept. 10 Football at Iowa State (3) Iowa State 23, Iowa 3 0-5 Dec. 2 Wrestling at Iowa State (2) Dec. 8 Women's Basketball at Iowa State (2) Dec. 9 Men's Basketball at Iowa State (2) Jan. 28 Women's Gymnastics at Iowa (2) Mar. 17 Women's Gymnastics at Iowa State (2) TBA Softball (2) HEAD COACH JIM ZALESKY Jim Zalesky is in his ninth season as head coach at the University of Iowa. He has a school and career record of 117-27 (.813). Named National Coach of the Year in 1998 and 1999, and Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2004, he has led the Hawkeyes to three NCAA (1998-00) and three Big Ten titles (1998, 2000, 2004). Zalesky has coached 10 NCAA Champions, 20 Big Ten Champions and 40 all-Americans at Iowa. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in June 2004, the University of Iowa Letterman's Club Hall of Fame and the Iowa High School Athletic Association Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002, and the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1994. A three-time national champion and one of Iowa's 15 four-time all-Americans, Zalesky was an assistant coach and head recruiter at Iowa under Dan Gable for seven seasons (1991-97). He was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the N.W.C.A. in 1992 and 1997. Undefeated as a junior and senior, Zalesky ended his career on an 89-match winning streak. LAST WEEK Iowa opened its 2005-06 dual season with a 26-13 win over Arizona State in Tempe, AZ, Saturday night. The Hawkeyes scored wins at six weights, picking up bonus-point victories in four matches. The Sun Devils fell to 3-2 on the season with the loss. Iowa got pins from true freshman Daniel Dennis (133) and sophomore Mark Perry (174), and major decisions from seniors Ty Eustice (149) and Paul Bradley (184). Senior Joe Johnston (157) and sophomore Alex Tsirtsis (141) picked up decisions for the Hawkeyes. Eustice improved to 6-0 with the win, while Perry and Bradley recorded wins in their first collegiate matches of the season. Johnston and Tsirtsis both improved to 5-1, while Dennis improved to 5-2. IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 785-202-30 (.787) in 94 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles, including nine of the last 15, and 31 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 47 NCAA Champions have won a total of 73 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 13 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 99 Big Ten Champions have won a total of 180 conference individual titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 127 all-Americans have earned all-America status 258 times, including 16 four-time, 27 three-time and 29 two-time honorees. PACK THE PLACE - BREAK THE RECORD The Hawkeyes will try to regain the dual meet national attendance record when they host defending NCAA champion and top-ranked Oklahoma State on January 7. Match time is set for 7:30 p.m. The current national attendance record of 15,646 was set February 1, 2002, when Iowa wrestled at Minnesota. IOWA TICKET INFORMATION Season tickets and single meet tickets for Iowa's seven home duals are on sale at the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-424-2957, 319-335-9327 or www.hawkeyesports.com. University of Iowa students will be admitted free of charge for all duals except Oklahoma State. Season Tickets - $56 - General Public; $49 - University Faculty & Staff Single-Match Tickets (Advance Purchase)* - $8 - Adults; $4 - Youth Single-Match Tickets (Gate Purchase)* - $10 - Adults; $5 - Youth Group Rates* - $4 - Per person with a group of 15 or more * Iowa vs. Oklahoma State tickets are $10 each. The group rate for the Iowa vs. Oklahoma State dual is $5 per person. CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Jim Zalesky, Troy Steiner, Tim Hartung, Luke Eustice and Mike Zadick earned a total of six NCAA titles, 10 Big Ten titles and 15 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 596-90-1 (.881), including four undefeated seasons.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- With one NCAA champion, four NCAA runners-up and a handful of All-Americans from last season returning to the nation's largest pre-nationals tournament, the 2005 Midlands Wrestling Championships looks to be one of the most exciting in recent history. The 43rd-annual Midlands, hosted by Northwestern University Dec. 29-30, displays some of the finest college wrestling has to offer in a two-day, four-session tournament. The following is an early look at each class. 125 lbs.-- Defending Midlands champion Nick Simmons of Michigan State appears to be the early favorite entering this year's tournament. Simmons doesn't have an easy road to a repeat, however, as defending NCAA champion Joe Dubuque of Indiana is also in the mix this year. No. 2 Kyle Ott of Illinois, Northwestern's sixth-ranked John Velez and Harvard's 10th-ranked (at 133 lbs.) Robbie Preston rounds out the nationally ranked wrestlers in this year's tournament, and have a legitimate chance of taking the 125-pound title as well. Returning 2004 Midlands placewinners--Iowa's Luke Magnani (4), Central Michigan's Luke Smith (5) and Adam State's Rob McCabe (8)--certainly could make a run in this year's tournament. 133 lbs.-- This weight class seems to be a wide-open affair, with a number of talented wrestlers in position to take home the gold. If 2004 Midlands runner up Matt Azevedo of Sunkist Kids returns, he could very well walk away with his first Midlands crown, as he has finished in the runner up spot the last two years. He will be challenged by a host of nationally ranked wrestlers, including Penn's ninth-ranked Matt Valenti, No. 14 Jason Borrelli of Central Michigan and No. 19 Matt Benza of Air Force. Add Iowa's Mario Galanakas, West Virginia's Seth Lisa and Air Force's Chris Helgeson into the pool, and this weight class could be one of the most exciting to follow. 141 lbs.--Second-ranked and 2004 Midlands champion Nate Gallick of Iowa State is the early favorite, but will be pressed by six returning placewinners from 2004. Six other nationally ranked wrestlers will also compete for the title, including No. 5 Andy Simmons of Michigan State, No. 7 Cassio Pero of Illinois, No. 10 Ryan Lang of Northwestern, Harvard's No. 13 Max Metzler, 14th-ranked Alex Tsirtsis of Iowa and No. 18 Josh Wooten of Northern Illinois. Cal State-Bakersfield's Jeremy Doyle, and Northern Iowa's C.J. Ettleson look to make their respective marks on this year's tournament as well. 149 lbs.--Another defending Midlands champion returns with hopes of a repeat as Iowa's fourth-ranked Ty Eustice enters the 2005 competition. Two 2004 Midlands placewinners--Central Michigan's Mark DiSalvo and Michigan State's Darren McKnight--look to seriously challenge for the 149-pound crown. There are also numerous ranked wrestlers primed to make a run at the title, including Northern Illinois' ninth-ranked Mike Grimes, Purdue's 10th-ranked Doug Withstandley, Cleveland State's 11th-ranked Ryan Hurley and No. 12 Anthony Baza of Cal State-Bakersfield. Donald Lockett, who finished third at 141 lbs. in 2004 while competing for San Francisco State, plans to compete unattached at 149 lbs. in 2005. 157 lbs.--This weight features a plethora of talented wrestlers and could very well be a preview of the NCAA Championships, as four of the top-5 ranked wrestlers plan to attend. Iowa's top-ranked Joe Johnston, Illinois' second-ranked Alex Tirapelle, Iowa State's fourth-ranked Trent Paulson--who won the 149-pound title in 2003--and No. 5 Brandon Becker of Indiana all look in great shape to run the table in 2005. With the addition of seventh-ranked Matt Lebe of West Virginia, No. 14 Eric Neil of Central Michigan, No. 16 Chris Bitetto of Northern Iowa, No. 20 Fendryk Sherwood of Sacred Heart and Sunkist Kids' Jermiah Jarvis, this weight class looks to be one of the deepest in 2005. 165 lbs.--This weight class is wide open after 2004 champion Mark Perry of Iowa moved up to 174 lbs. Last year's runner up Travis Paulson of Iowa State becomes the favorite entering the tournament, but the challengers are many. Tenth-ranked Nick Baima is the highest-ranked wrestler other than Paulson this year. Behind him are Michigan State's 12th-ranked R.J. Boudro, Indiana's 14th-ranked Max Dean and No. 18 Mike Poeta of Illinois. Northwestern's Will Durkee enters is first Midlands competition in 2005 and could surprise everyone by going deep into the bracket. Adams State's Evan Copeland, Northern Illinois' Johnny Galloway and West Virginia's Zac Fryling also have a serious chance of making a run at this weight. 174 lbs.--Northwestern's second-ranked Jake Herbert took home the 174-pound title in 2004 and enters the 2005 tournament as the favorite. He will be challenged by another 2004 Midlands champion, third-ranked Mark Perry of Iowa who moved up to 174 lbs. this year after competing at 165 lbs. in 2004. This weight class becomes even more interesting when you consider six other top-ranked wrestlers--No. 6 Imad Kharbush of Stanford, No. 8 Matt Palmer of Columbia, No. 13 Dustin Wiles of Penn, No. 14 Christian Arellano of Cal State-Bakersfield, No. 15 Brandon Sinnott of Central Michigan and No. 17 Ken Robertson of Eastern Illinois--are also in the 174-pound bracket. Add Illinois' Donny Reynolds--who finished fourth at 165 lbs. in 2004--and Michigan State's P.J. Boudro, and the 174-pound class could be one of the most competitive this year. 184 lbs.--This weight class could be the deepest, with the nation's second- through fifth-ranked wrestlers are expected to compete. Iowa's defending Midlands champion Paul Bradley comes into the 2005 as the man to beat at 184 lbs. The second-ranked Bradley has his work cut out for him, however, as he will compete against Illinois' third-ranked Pete Friedl, fourth-ranked Ben Wissel of Purdue and No. 5 Kurt Backes of Iowa State, who was runner up in 2004. Ninth-ranked Rudy Medini of Rutgers, Northwestern's 13th-ranked Mike Tamillow, No. 18 Ron Howard of Cleveland State and No. 20 Andy Rios of Indiana could all make runs at the title as well. With 2004 placewinner Joe Williams of Michigan State in the tournament as well, the 184-pound weight arguably boasts the most overall talent this year. 197 lbs.--With a group of very talented wrestlers, the 197-pound class is wide open and will be exciting to follow. While there is no clear-cut favorite entering the tournament, the highest ranked wrestler expected to compete is No. 4 Wynn Michalak of Central Michigan. No. 9 Matt Delguyd finished seventh in 2004 and has a good chance at placing higher in 2005. Indiana's 11th-ranked Brady Richardson, No. 12 Joe Dennis of Cleveland State, No. 14 Tyrone Byrd of Illinois and 20th-ranked Brendan McLean of Air Force also will shake things up, making this weight class perhaps the toughest to predict of the 2005 tournament. Purdue's Nathan Moore and Shippensburg's Corey Jacoby are set to compete in their first Midlands this season. 285 lbs.--Like the 197-pound weight class, the heavyweight division is another that will be too close to call. Northwestern's fifth-ranked Dustin Fox is the highest ranked wrestler entering the 2005 tournament, and will be a serious contender to take home the gold. Fox will need to deal with No. 7 Matt Fields of Iowa, who placed seventh in 2004. Pat Cummins of the New York Athletic Club could be a late entry in this class, and would receive the top seed if that were the case. No. 8 Payam Zarrinpour of Sacred Heart and 10th ranked Bode Ogunwole of Harvard--who took third in 2004--and Central Michigan's 13th-ranked Bubba Gritter will be right there in the end to compete for the title. With Nebraska's Len Sigman, Purdue's Jake O'Brien and UW-Lacrosse's Ryan Allen also expected to compete, the 285-pound crown could be taken home by just about anyone.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma wrestling team will travel to Edmond on Wednesday night to take on the University of Central Oklahoma in the Sooners' first dual of the season. "This a very exciting time as we get our dual season under way against a very tough and competitive Central Oklahoma team," said head coach Jack Spates. Last season the Sooners dominated Central Oklahoma, beating the Bronchos 34-3 in Norman. The Sooners recorded three falls and one major decision, while only losing one match. The Sooners are coming off the tournament and Open portion of the schedule when they wrestled at the SUNY-Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic, Missouri Open and hosted the 35th Annual Oklahoma Open. The Sooners captured the Brockport team title with a score of 171 points and captured five individual titles. At the Missouri Open the Sooners placed 11 wrestlers, and Jake Hager won the teams lone individual title at heavyweight. Oklahoma placed nine wrestlers and had seven individual champions last weekend at the Oklahoma Open. "Central Oklahoma is a perinial Division II national power and this dual should provide some very exciting matchups," continued Spates. The Sooners will return home this weekend to take on Lehigh in the first home dual of the season on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m.

University of the Cumberlands (formerly Cumberland College) senior Alaina Berube (Escanaba, MI) spent her Thanksgiving Holiday competing at the Henri Deglane Challenge in Nice, France. On November 26, 2005, Berube and several other top wrestlers in the United States captured a total of eight medals. Berube defeated four opponents to claim a medal at the tournament. She defeated 2005 University Games bronze medalist Myriam Selloum of France, 2-1, 3-0, in the finals to claim one of three gold medals earned by the United States.

Fresno, Calif. -- Head Coach Shawn Charles and the rest of the Bulldog wrestling staff have announced the signing of four wrestlers to letters of intent in the early signing period. "This class is a terrific one for us," said Charles. "They are great wrestlers, great students and role models in their community. We're very excited about this first recruiting cycle." As a winter sport, the team will also announce more recruits following the late signing period in April. The four signings reflect a complete recruiting strategy, bringing in two Californians, including a local recruit, as well as two national wrestlers from Florida and Illinois. "Our first goal is to make sure that the best wrestlers in California stay in California," said Charles. "However, when the opportunity opened to recruit some other high-level athletes from across the country, we made sure to take advantage of it." The class starts out with local prospect Josh Betancur from Buchanan High School in Clovis. A lightweight, Betancur is currently ranked No. 1 in the state, and should wrestler either 125 or 133 for the Bulldogs. "There is a lot of wrestling talent in the greater Fresno area, and Josh certainly fits into that mold," said Charles. "We need to keep that talent here, and Josh is a great wrestler to help continue that tradition." The Bulldogs brought in another California wrestler in Armando Gonzalez. A native of Gilroy, his father coaches for his high school and he has been brought up in a wrestling environment. "Armando is another talented wrestler that we are glad to be able to bring into Fresno State from inside California," said Charles. "As a result of his background, he really knows wrestling and loves the sport." Looking outside the state, the Bulldogs have brought in another state champion in Andre Johnson. Johnson projects to wrestler at either 133 or 141 pounds, and hails from Royal Palm Beach, Fla. "Andre is a great student and a hard worker, in addition to being a favorite to repeat as state champion," said Charles. "We did not want to lose our chance to recruit him just because he was an out-of-state athlete." The final signing of the early period is Brian Martin, a projected 149-pounder from Illinois wrestling power Montini High School. "Brian will be a three-time state champion from one of the top wrestling programs in the state of Illinois," said Charles. "We were very glad to get the opportunity to recruit Brian and have him join us here as a Bulldog."

Brian BlackUpper Iowa University junior Brian Black (Oviedo, Fla.) was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Wrestler of the Week today. Black pinned Dusty Garner of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in just 32 seconds at heavyweight last Wednesday to remain a perfect 2-0 on the season. His win capped a 23-13 UIU victory over SIU-Edwardsville. Early this season, Black posted a 7-4 decision over Iowa State University's Ben Dunkelberger. Upper Iowa is an affiliate member of the NSIC in wrestling this season and will be a full league member beginning in 2006-07. Upper Iowa (1-1) will host Waldorf College in a dual meet Thursday at 6 p.m. before competing at the Northern Iowa Open in Cedar Falls Sunday. Upper Iowa University, located in Fayette, is the only NCAA Division II Institution in the state of

UFC Stars Phil Baroni, Forest Griffin, Alex Karalexis, Joe Stevenson and others set to join America's Wrestling Radio as it will once again offer complete coverage, results and play by play of this historic event free of charge. Baroni, a former Chippawa of Central Michigan gives plenty of praise for his college coach Tom Borrelli. He's excited to be there with TDR in Vegas, said Scott Casber of TDR. Other UFC stars will join us as we start our broadcasts this Friday on Thewrestlingmall.com Our sponsors -- TheWrestlingMall.com, Asics, 7 Flags Athletics, the Body Bar, Terribles Casinos and the 76th Annual NCAA Championships of Collegiate Wrestling invite you to tune in to these free broadcasts at Takedownradio.com. Join TDR hosts Scott Casber, Steve Foster and 1973 World Freestyle and Greco Team member, 2 X Big 8 Conference Champion, Midlands Champion and National Greco Champion Jim Duschen and stars of the UFC for extended broadcast coverage as we come to you LIVE from the Cashman Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational is largely viewed as the first real test for many teams from across the country. Last years finals were exceptional with the previous years top 2 trading places. Michigan was 1st and Nebraska was 2nd. What will happen this year? Tune in to find out. Broadcast are set to go off: Friday 10:00am: Round 1, Round 2 & Consolation Pigtails 7:00 pm: Quarter Finals & Consolation Round 1 & 2 Saturday 9:00am: Consolation Round 3 10:00am: Semi-Finals & Consolation Round 4 11:30am: Consolation Semi-Finals 12:30pm: Consolation Finals 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th Places 5:00pm: Consolation Finals 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Places

BUFFALO, NY -- One win shy of UB's career record in wins and off to the best start of his career, senior Kyle Cerminara (Lewiston, NY/Lewiston-Porter) was named the Mid-American Conference Wrestler of the Week, the league office in Cleveland announced Tuesday. It is the third time in his career that Cerminara has won the honor, earning it for the weeks of Feb. 2, 2004 and Feb. 25, 2003. The two-time MAC Champion is also the second consecutive Buffalo grappler to earn the honor, as sophomore Mickey Moran (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler Area) (165 pounds) earned the honor last week. The 2004 All-American has already set the school's career dual meet takedown record (149-passing John Stutzman's (1995-98) mark of 135) this season as he has started off on a career-best 14-match winning streak, which is now 10 shy of Stutzman's school-record of 24 consecutive wins. Cerminara, with 112 career wins, is also just one win shy of tying the school-record for career wins set by Gary Cooper (1998-2003). Cerminara won the award on the strength of his dominating performance at the Mat Town USA Invitational at Lock Haven, PA on Saturday, where he wrapped up the Harris Lipez Most Outstanding Wrestler Award after beating two nationally-ranked grapplers. Cerminara faced his biggest test of the young season Saturday as the 197-pounder ran up against Indiana's NWMA/Intermat/NWCA eighth-ranked Brady Richardson in the finals. Cerminara passed the test with flying colors, as the fifth-ranked grappler posted a first period takedown, then added an escape and another takedown to take a commanding 5-0 lead. A third period escape proved too little, too late for Richardson, as Cerminara added a riding-time point to clinch the 6-1 win. Cerminara entered the finals after pinning Lock Haven's Troy Charles 75 seconds into his match and then earning a 9-8 decision against Rider's T.J. Morrison, ranked 30th by the WrestlingReport.com. Buffalo will head to the Las Vegas Invitational starting Friday for a true litmus test as it will compete with 50 NCAA Division I, II and III teams as well as junior colleges. The prestigous tournament includes three teams currently in the top 10 in USA Today/NWCA/Intermat's preseason poll in Michigan, Arizona State and Cornell.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- The Lock Haven University wrestling program and head coach Rocky Bonomo announced the cancellation of their dual meet with Binghamton University originally scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. The other meet that day with Millersville University, slotted for 5 p.m., will still take place. For further updates, visit the athletics' web site at www.havensports.com.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State head wrestling coach Tom Minkel has announced that former Spartan grappler Rashad Evans will join his staff as volunteer assistant coach for the 2005-06 campaign. "We are excited about Rashad joining our team for the season," Minkel said. "He is a marvelous athlete and we look forward to him bringing the same as an integral part of our coaching staff." Evans most recently competed in the Ultimate Fighting 2 competition, winning the heavyweight division of the tournament and earning a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championships. The Niagara Falls, N.Y., native came to State from Niagara Junior College in 2000 and wrestled for the Green and White unitil 2003, accumulating a 48-34 record. Evans, a two-time NCAA qualifier, took fourth place at the 2002 Big Ten Championship and claimed third at the 2003 Big Ten tournament.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Duke wrestling team posted eight top-ten finishes at the Carolina Open on Saturday, highlighted by second-place finishes from sophomores Aaron Glover and Dan Tulley. Sophomore Daniel Shvartsman added a third-place finish for the Blue Devils. Glover captured second place in the 165-pound weight class, falling to Belmont Abbey's Phil Bliss in the championship bout. Glover defeated Mike Lemieux of Central Florida and Virginia Tech's T.H. Leet to advance to the semifinals. In his semifinal bout, Glover pinned North Carolina's Garrett Atkinson, the defending ACC champion, in 5:25 to reach the championship match. Tulley took home second place at 184 pounds after falling to Virginia Tech's Steve Borja in the championship match. Tulley reached the final round by defeating Newberry's Kevin Ryan, Penn State's Mike Ward and Kane Smith from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Shvartsman finished third in the 149-pound weight class, defeating UNCG's Andrew Krieger in the consolation finals. Shvartsman opened the tournament by pinning his first two opponents before falling to eventual champion Brent Metcalf of Virginia Tech in the semifinals. Five other Blue Devil grapplers placed in the top-ten in their respective weight classes. Freshman Michael Degli Obizzi went 3-2 to place in the top-ten at 133 pounds while junior Philip Wightman went 4-2 on his way to a top-ten finish at 141 pounds. Junior Zach Weisberg and freshman Addison Nuding both finished in the top-ten at 157 pounds while freshman John Barone registered a top-ten finish at 174 pounds. The Blue Devils will be back in action next weekend, competing at the Las Vegas Open Dec. 2-3.

Senior Kyle Cerminara (Lewiston, NY/Lewiston-Porter) entered the season 15 wins shy of the career wins mark at Buffalo. The 197-pounder couldn't appear more determined to smash the record, as he has won his first 14 matches of the season. Cerminara will look to tie Gary Cooper (1998-2003) with his 113th career win in the first round of the Las Vegas Invitational on Friday at 9:00 am. Turning it Around at Mat Town After placing 11th out of 13 teams, while only three wrestlers placed at Lock Haven's Mat Town USA Invitational in 2004, the University at Buffalo had a significant turnaround in an eight-team field in 2005. This time the Bulls placed in a tie for second with Oregon, racking up 138.5 points and four individual championships. Eleven Bulls placed at the event. Beating the Best Buffalo wrestlers downed seven nationally-ranked wrestlers at the Mat Town USA Invitational, led by Cerminara, who beat two. Buffalo's 10 wrestlers to earn team points lost five matches to nationally-ranked opponents. Kudos for Kyle Cerminara earned the Mat Town USA Invitational's Harris Lipez Most Outstanding Wrestler award after he claimed the 197-pound title at the event. The 2004 All-American downed InterMat/NWCA/NWMA eighth-ranked Brady Richardson of Indiana, 6-1, in the finals of the tournament and also beat Wrestling Report.com's 30th-ranked T.J. Morrison of Rider, 9-8, in the semifinals. What Happens in Vegas... Buffalo will get a true litmus test this weekend as it travels to the prestigous Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. The event will feature 50 teams across the whole spectrum of collegiate wrestling, with Division I, II, III and junior college teams at the meet. Included in that mix are three of the top 10 teams in the USA Today/NWCA/InterMat poll (Michigan, third; Illinois, fourth; Cornell, ninth). Stringing Together Wins Cerminara is 10 wins shy of John Stutzman's school-record mark of 24 consecutive wins. The 197-pounder is currently on a career best 14-match winning streak, as he passed his former best mark of 13 straight wins set in 2004 from Jan. 10 to March 6, as Cerminara picked up a New York State and MAC Championship in the process. Budding Onto the National Scene Junior Mark Budd (Orrville, OH/Orrville) earned his first national ranking in the WrestlingReport.com's Nov. 16 poll, ranking 30th. Budd, who leads Buffalo with 15 wins this season, has won two tournament championships this season, winning the Slippery Rock Open and the Mat Town USA titles at 133 pounds. Budd also beat WrestlingReport.com's 13th-ranked Justin Perch of Oregon, 4-2, in the semifinals of the Mat Town tournament en route to the championship. Pinning Down a Title Senior Harold Sherrell (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) posted a pin in the finals of the Mat Town USA Tournament against W.I.N. Magazine's 19th-ranked Dave Herman of Indiana. The pin, posted on a leg split in the second period, helped Sherrell to his second tournament title of the year, as he also won the Slippery Rock Open on Nov. 5. Sherrell is 14-2 overall this season, his first as a starter at heavyweight. Can We Stay Here? Sherrell will take some very positive memories from Thomas Fieldhouse in Lock Haven. Besides winning the heavyweight title this year, Sherrell also posted a second place finish in 2004, as he beat eventual All-American Phil Davis of Penn State and Minnesota's nationally-ranked Matt Koz to make the championship match at 197 pounds. Gingerich Takes Down His First Title Sophomore Dana Gingerich (Spring Grove, PA/DeLone Catholic) won his first collegiate tournament on Saturday, as he posted a takedown in the sudden-victory overtime period against Oregon's Skyler Woods, ranked 27th in the nation by WrestlingReport.com. Gingerich has posted an 8-3 mark so far this season and has won his last seven bouts. The former Pennsylvania state champion also earned his 25th career win in the process. Taking the Fall In the past two years, Gingerich has recorded 11 wins by fall to lead the Bulls. Last season, he won seven of 17 matches by fall to lead the team and finish ninth in the nation at 141 pounds. He is tied for the team lead with four pins this season. Hicks and Stones Senior Garrett Hicks (Chautauqua, NY/Chautauqua Lake) lost his first match in seven bouts in the finals of Saturday's tournament as Oregon's Shane Webster, ranked 11th in the NWCA/Intermat/NWMA poll, earned a 29-11 technical fall. However, Hicks did still manage to run his season record to 8-3 and he also beat WrestlingReport.com's 28th-ranked Justin Curran of Indiana, 6-2, in the semifinals. Hicks is two wins shy of his 50th career victory. Double the Pleasure In just one month of the 2005-06 season, sophomore Mickey Moran (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler Area) has already doubled his win total from 2004-05. The 165-pounder has won 14 matches after going 7-23 as a freshman. He has also made two tournament finals, as he finished second at both the Oklahoma Gold Classic and the Mat Town USA Invitational. At Mat Town, Moran beat Indiana's Max Dean, ranked 15th in TheWrestlingMall.com's preseason rankings, 9-4, in the semifinals. MAC Daddy Mickey Sophomore Mickey Moran (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler Area) picked up his first conference accolade last Tuesday, as he earned the MAC Wrestler of the Week award. Moran went 3-0 at Buffalo's quad-meet on Nov. 19 to earn the award, as he won two matches by fall and also earned a major decision in the matches to lead Buffalo's three-win effort. The 165-Pound Dilemma Buffalo has gotten nothing but production out of its 165-pound wrestlers, as Moran and sophomore Mike Ragusa (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) have posted place finishes at all three tournaments the Bulls have entered in. Moran has led the way with a 14-3 record but Ragusa is right behind him with a 12-5 mark. Making matters more interesting is the presence of Jake Blowers (Johnstown, NY/Broadalbin-Perth), ranked second in the MAC's preseason rankings, who was hampered by an eye injury at the Oklahoma Gold, but managed to place at the Mat Town USA Invitational. Even with the injury, Blowers is still 6-5 overall with two pins to his credit. 50 is Not So Far Away Three Buffalo wrestlers enter the Las Vegas Invitational with a chance at winning their 50th career match. Junior Pat Lloyd (Middletown, NY/Valley Central) is closest to the mark as he enters the meet with 49 career wins. Hicks is not far behind with 48 and Budd also has a shot at reaching the four-bits mark as he stands at 45 career wins.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- Lock Haven University grappler Obe Blanc (Naples, Fla./Lely) has been named the Eastern Wrestling League Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Nov. 27. This is the first honor for Blanc and the wrestling squad. Blanc, a sophomore who competes for the Bald Eagles at 125 pounds, helped lead the Haven to a fourth place finish at the Mat-Town USA Tournament which was hosted by Lock Haven this past Saturday. After a first round fall and a 13-10 decision in the semi-finals, Blanc dropped his match in the final round to defending national champion and No. 3 Joe Dubuque from Indiana. Last season as a redshirt freshman Blanc placed third in the 2005 EWL Tournament and logged a record of 31-14. Blanc is aiming to win the EWL title and become an NCAA All-American in the 2006 NCAA event at Oklahoma City. Blanc and the rest of the Bald Eagle grapplers will hit the mat this Saturday, Dec. 3 against Millersville University. The event is slated to begin at 5 p.m. in the Thomas Field House.

Date: Friday, Dec. 2 Time: 7 p.m. CST Location: Ames, Iowa (Hilton Coliseum) On Friday night, the Iowa Hawkeyes travel to Ames to battle the Iowa State Cyclones in one of the most celebrated wrestling rivalries in NCAA history. The Hawkeyes have dominated the series in recent history -- winning all but two meetings over the past 18 years. Coincidentally, the Cyclones have beaten the Hawkeyes the past two seasons. Last season was the first time since 1977 the Cyclones left Iowa City with a victory -- and the first-ever win for the Cyclones in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Can the Cyclones extend their winning streak over their cross-state rivals to three straight? RevWrestling.com breaks down this year's dual. 125: Lucas Magnani (Iowa, Junior) vs. Ben Hanisch (Iowa State, Sophomore) Magnani, who transferred from Brown after the 2003 season, was thrust into the starting lineup after Charlie Falck broke his foot in a motorcycle accident. He's no world beater, but he certainly appears to be improving. Case in point: Last season, Magnani lost 14-0 to Jeremy Mendoza of Arizona State. This season, Magnani lost 8-2 to Mendoza. Hanisch, who was expected to be a backup this season to Grant Nakamura, is a scrappy wrestler who wrestles hard every time out, but lacks the talent to be competitive at the Division I level. The two met last season at the Midlands -- and Magnani won 11-1. Expect a similar result. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Magnani major decision over Hanisch (Iowa +4) 133: Daniel Dennis (Iowa, Freshman) vs. Jesse Sundell (Iowa State, Senior) Dennis, a true freshman, is hoping to provide some consistency at a weight class where the Hawkeyes have struggled since NCAA champion Cliff Moore graduated. Dennis placed fifth in the 20-and-under division at the Kaufman Brand Open -- and then picked up a pin on Saturday in a dual against Arizona State. He has an aggressive style that Iowa fans seem to love. Sundell, a four-time state champion in Iowa, was an NCAA qualifier last season. He's adequate on his feet, but great on the mat. Sundell is a pinner, though, and he certainly has the ability to score six for the Cyclones here, although I'm not ready to stick my neck out and make that prediction. But I don't see a true freshman beating a fifth-year senior in a dual of this magnitude. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Sundell decision over Dennis (Iowa State +3) 141: Alex Tsirtsis (Iowa, Sophomore) vs. Nate Gallick (Iowa State, Senior) Tsirtsis posted a 27-13 record last season as a true freshman, but seemed to wear down as the season went on. At the Kaufman-Brand Open this season, he reached the finals, but two of his wins were by one point -- and another by two points in overtime. He has always been tough to score against, but often times struggles with his offense. Gallick might be the most technically polished wrestler in the country. He never seems to get out of position. The biggest knock on Gallick, though has always been his lack of offense against quality opponents. He looked great in his victory over Teyon Ware at the NWCA All-Star Classic, and completely dominated the match, despite the 3-1 score. Tsirtsis lost by just a single point in each of his two meetings with Gallick last season, which should give him confidence into this match. For the Cyclones to have a shot at knocking off the Hawkeyes, they will need every bonus point they can get, so you can bet that Gallick will be thinking major decision or more this time around. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Gallick major decision over Tsirtsis (Iowa State +4) 149: Ty Eustice (Iowa, Senior) vs. Jason Knipp (Iowa State, Junior) Ty EusticeEustice, a returning All-American, has been impressive thus far. He won the Kaufman-Brand Open, which included a semifinal win over the highly touted Brent Metcalf of Virginia Tech, and also looked impressive in a dual meet victory against Arizona State. Eustice has always had great defense, but doesn't always open up offensively as much as he could or should. Knipp posted a 17-12 record last season -- and has been solid this season. He won matches against Wisconsin-La Crosse and Utah Valley State, then won the Cyclone/Harold Nichols Open, but failed to place at the Kaufman-Brand Open. There is also a chance that Iowa State could send out sophomore Aron Scott, who is 8-3 this season, with a win over Knipp at the Kaufman-Brand Open. One interesting thing to note, though, is that Knipp lost just 10-8 to Eustice in the quarterfinals of the Kaufman-Brand Open, which might make him the likely choice here for the Cyclones. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Eustice decision over Knipp or Scott (Iowa +3) 157: Joe Johnston (Iowa, Senior) vs. Trent Paulson (Iowa State, Junior) So far this season, Johnston hasn't wrestled like the same wrestler who reached the NCAA finals in March. He is at his best when he continuously attacks and keeps the pressure on his opponents while using conditioning to his advantage. Johnston was shutout by Paulson in the Kaufman-Brand Open finals, 4-0, and then lost a 4-2 match to Alex Tirapelle at the NWCA All-Star Classic. Paulson, who finished fourth at last year's NCAA Tournament, is off to a 12-0 start this season. In addition to beating Johnston in Omaha, he also defeated the Hawekeye, 10-8, last season at the dual in Iowa City. Expect another physical battle between two of the nation's top wrestlers in a match that will be huge in determining the final outcome of this dual. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Paulson decision over Johnston (Iowa State +3) 165: Cole Pape (Iowa, Senior) vs. Travis Paulson (Iowa State, Junior) Travis Paulson (photo by Johnnie Johnson)After much speculation, it appears that Pape will be the starter at 165 pounds and that two-time JUCO national champion Eric Luedke (who defeated Pape at the Kaufman-Brand Open) will redshirt. Pape was an NCAA qualifier in 2004, but was bumped out of the Iowa lineup last season by Mark Perry. Paulson, like his twin brother, is off to a 12-0 start, which includes winning the Kaufman-Brand Open. Pape lost a 5-1 decision to Paulson in the Kaufman-Brand Open finals. It will be interesting to see if Pape can keep it close again -- or if Paulson can widen the gap and possibly earn bonus points. The last time Pape wrestled at Hilton Coliseum, two years ago, he was pinned by Iowa State's Nick Passolano. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Paulson decision over Pape (Iowa State +3) 174: Mark Perry (Iowa, Sophomore) vs. David Bertolino (Iowa State, Sophomore) Perry, last season's NCAA runner-up at 165 pounds, opted to skip out on the NWCA All-Star Classic to rest and recover from a sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee. The sophomore sensation made his season debut on Saturday night with a second period pin over Alex Pavlenko of Arizona State. Perry has an exciting, go-for-broke style that has made him a fan favorite. He's a very confident and driven wrestler who expects to dominate every time he steps foot on the mat. Bertolino, a high school All-American from Ohio, is extremely talented, but doesn't always wrestle to his ability. He placed fourth at the Kaufman-Brand Open, which included splitting matches with talented freshman Brandon Mason from Oklahoma State. Bertolino certainly has the talent to keep this match competitive, but whether or not he does remains to be seen. There is also a chance that Iowa State could send out Grant Turner here. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Perry major decision over Bertolino (Iowa +4) 184: Paul Bradley (Iowa, Senior) vs. Kurt Backes (Iowa State, Junior) Bradley might be best known for his constant bleeding and bandaged head, but let's not forget that he's a two-time All-American (fourth in 2004, fifth in 2005) who can compete with anyone in the country. Technically, he's not great, but he more than makes up for it with his strength, tenacity, and aggressive style. Bradley was a bit flat in his loss to Pete Friedl at the NWCA All-Star Classic, a match he lost 4-2, but rebounded nicely with a 17-5 win over Jason Trulson of Arizona State. Backes was an All-American as a freshman in 2004, but failed to place in March as the No. 2 seed. He's very good technically. And with Olympic champion Cael Sanderson serving as his main training partner, he should continue to improve and excel. These two wrestlers have quite a history against one another. Two seasons ago, Backes came from behind to defeat Bradley, 4-3. Last season, Bradley won all three meetings with Backes -- all by two points or less. One of those wins came at the NCAA Tournament in St. Louis and knocked Backes out of the competition. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Backes decision over Bradley (Iowa State +3) 197: Adam Fellers (Iowa, Senior) vs. Joe Curran (Iowa State, Freshman) This might be the weakest weight class for both the Hawkeyes and Cyclones. Last season, Fellers split time in the Hawkeye lineup at 174 and 197 and posted a 4-14 record. Fellers, though, is an aggressive wrestler who is better than his record indicates. He just hasn't fully grown comfortable with the 197-pound weight class. There has been some lobbying by Iowa fans to start true freshman Dan Erekson, who placed third at the Kaufman-Brand Open in the 20-and-under division. But based on the fact that Fellers started against Arizona State, it appears that he will get the nod this season. Curran is a true freshman who might take his fair share of lumps this season, but should continue to improve with workout partners like Backes, Sanderson, and Zach Thompson. Curran won his opening match against Upper Iowa, but failed to place at the Cyclone/Harold Nichols and Kaufman-Brand Opens. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Fellers decision over Curran (Iowa +3) Hwt: Ryan Fuller (Iowa, Senior) vs. Richard Schopf (Iowa State, Junior) This weight class has been the hot button topic for Iowa fans all off-season … and now into the preseason. Last season, Fields was an NCAA qualifier as a true freshman, but spent the summer recovering from hip surgery. Fuller had an impressive fourth-place finish at the World Team Trials in Ames over the summer. The two wrestled in the finals of the Spartan Classic, which Fields won in overtime. With Fields still having the option of using a redshirt season (to fully recover from his injury), in might be in the best interest of the Hawkeyes to start Fuller this season, even though Fields has stated that he does not want to redshirt. Regardless of which wrestler starts in this dual, it will most likely be a Hawkeye victory -- and possibly bonus points. RevWrestling.com Prediction: Fuller major decision over Schopf (Iowa +4) Final Dual Prediction: Iowa 18, Iowa State 16