InterMat Staff

ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio University wrestling program will host a wrestling clinic for area youth this Saturday at 9 a.m. in the Convocation Center. An intrasquad scrimmage will immediately follow the clinic at noon. The clinic is open to all skill levels from elementary school through high school. The cost is only $25 for those pre-registered and $30 at the door. Everyone who registers will receive an Ohio Wrestling T-shirt and poster. To pre-register, please contact Bobcat assistant coach Kyle Hansen at 593-1213 or hansen@ohio.edu. The free Green vs. White scrimmage at noon will feature the best two Ohio wrestlers who are healthy at each weight. The 10 matches will determine the Bobcat starting lineup for upcoming tournaments. Ohio opens its 2005-06 season Nov. 12 at the Oklahoma-Gold Brockport Classic in Brockport, N.Y. "Basically, we decided as a team that there are three things we want to hang out hat on this year in every wrestling match," said Bobcat head coach Joel Greenlee. "We want to be the first one back to the center of the mat, we want to set the pace of the match and we want to score first. We think if we do those three things every time we wrestle, we've got a great chance to win no matter who we wrestle so I want to see improvements in all those areas from our guys." Tentative match lineup for the Green vs. White scrimmage: 125 - Caleb Metcalf vs. Jake Kagey 133 - Albert Madsen vs. Matt Smith 141 - Jim Fowler vs. Alex Berger or Frank Brown 149 - Aaron Gomoll vs. Jesse Irwin 157 - Jake Frerichs vs. Alex Shiff 165 - Anthony Spooner vs. Mike Grandominco or Kent Smith 174 - Ryan Knapp vs. John Konyesni 184 - Brian Cesear vs. Adam Faires 197 - Nick Terbay vs. Larry Reichard HWT - Marcus Adelman vs. Dave Campbell

Tom BrandsBLACKSBURG -- Change is in the air in regard to Virginia Tech wrestling. Second-year head coach Tom Brands has brought a winning attitude to Blacksburg and it's spilling over to the athletes, administrators, fans and recruits. Several upgrades in the program highlight the 2005-06 campaign, but nowhere is this more evident than Tech's new practice room. For what seems like forever, the Hokies have been stuck in the bottom floor of Cassell Coliseum in a wrestling room too small and dangerous to build a championship program. Gone are the two concrete pillars in the middle of the room in which for years athletes have bounced off of like pinballs, causing trainer Jesse Donnenwerth hours of aggravation in the training room. What the Hokies have now is a room four times the size of their old room, with two full-sized competition mats, along with room for cardio equipment and weights. The Hokies have 5,264 square-feet of open wrestling space with padded walls and no objects interfering with practice. One mat has a 32-foot circle and one has a 42-foot circle, and several practice circles are spread around the two mats. "We envision being able to provide individual weights such as dumb bells on mats and exercise bikes, as well as a seating area for spectators and recruits," said Assistant A.D. Jon Jaudon. The team has been sharing the "back gym" for several weeks with the Hokie volleyball team. The wrestlers would have it for a few days, and then the volleyball team would take it for a few. With basketball under way, the rotation has become more frequent. Once Thanksgiving Break rolls around and the volleyball team can practice in the main gym on Nov. 18, the wrestling team will move in there permanently through the end of this season in March. "This will eventually become a full-time wrestling room, but when that happens depends on when we get the new field house and basketball facilities built," Jaudon said. Fans coming to Tech's home matches this year will also notice a new competition mat, with a 42-foot circle (the largest space allowed per NCAA rules) with a new design and logos. The Hokies are in the midst of preseason training and will open the season on Nov. 12 at the West Virginia Open in Morgantown, W.Va. For more on the Hokies, check out the team preview on hokiesports.com on Nov. 7.

Remember when you had to read a short story or novel for class, and discuss its major story themes? Just as any work of literature has story themes, so does a college wrestling season. Before cracking open the book on the 2005-2006 season, let's look at some of the anticipated major story themes we may still be discussing after wrestlers hang up their headgear next March. The story themes are listed in no particular order. Steve Mocco will be looking to join a very elite club of college big men who have won three NCAA titles.Will Steve Mocco win his third NCAA title? If the Oklahoma State Cowboy heavyweight takes the championship next March in Oklahoma City, he will join a very elite club of college big men who have won the NCAA crown three times: Earl McCready, Dick Hutton, Jimmy Jackson and Carlton Haselrig. Among recent heavyweight champs, not even Kurt Angle, Kerry McCoy, Stephen Neal or Tommy Rowlands were able to claim a third title. The wrestling world first became aware of Steve Mocco as a prep star at Blair Academy in New Jersey. After a year or more of intense speculation and anticipation among colleges and fans, Mocco chose the University of Iowa for his collegiate wrestling career. In his two years as the Hawkeye heavyweight, Mocco lost only three matches -- all as a freshman -- and was a two-time NCAA finalist, winning the title as a sophomore. After taking a redshirt year to try for the Olympics in the 2003-2004 season, Mocco transferred from Iowa to Oklahoma State, winning a second NCAA title in 2005 … the only heavyweight champ to have won a title for two different schools. Will Mocco be able to pin down that third title this year? Entering his senior season, Mocco has amassed a 108-3 collegiate record, with 41 of those matches ending in a fall. The general consensus is that the current heavyweights aren't giant killers. However, the one man most likely to stand in Mocco's way is Cole Konrad. The Minnesota heavyweight has given Mocco a real challenge, taking the Cowboy into overtime in three matches, including the 2005 NCAA finals … yet the Oklahoma State big man has always come out on top. Will the same be true in 2006? Can Marcus LeVesseur complete his college career undefeated? About to start his senior year at Augsburg, the 157-pound LeVesseur has a 124-match win streak that is second only to Cael Sanderson's. Can LeVesseur become Division III's first four-time champion, and leave the mat at the end of the year with a perfect record? As a junior, LeVesseur racked up the same exact stats that Sanderson compiled in his senior year: a 40-0 record with 24 pins. In fact, a majority of Augsburg superstar's opponents did not make it to the second period. A handful of collegiate wrestlers have ended their careers with perfect records, including Earl McCready of Oklahoma State in the 1920s, Bill Koll of Northern Iowa in the 1940s, and Dan Hodge in the 1950s. But the mats are also lined with greats whose otherwise perfect college careers have the blemish of a single loss: Ed Peery, Hugh Peery, Stanley Henson, Dick Hutton, Jim Nance, and, perhaps most famously, Dan Gable. The question is: is there a Larry Owings in Marcus LeVesseur's future? Sam Hazewinkel has finished third in the country at 125 pounds the last two seasons for the Sooners.Will the long-time Sooners vs. Cowboys "Bedlam Series" be a rivalry of equals again? Fans, wrestlers and coaches all feed off rivalries. One of the most enduring is the "Bedlam Series" between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys. In the past, the word "bedlam" was an appropriate description of the atmosphere in the facility hosting this cross-state match-up. Back in the days of Cowboys coach Ed Gallagher, fans would literally hang from the rafters of the old gym at the Stillwater campus to take in the action. In recent years, the rivalry may have lost some of its intensity as Oklahoma State became the dominant power in college wrestling while Oklahoma had some challenging years. Now, the team out of Norman is re-emerging as a major player, ranked second to the Cowboys in just about every pre-season forecast, thanks to top-rate talent such as Sam Hazewinkel at 125 lbs, Teyon Ware at 141, 149-pounder Matt Storniolo, and Joel Flaggert at 197. Of course the Cowboys are also talent-rich, with nine of last year's starters returning to the mats … four of those being defending NCAA champs: Zack Esposito at 149 lbs, 165-pounder Johny Hendricks, Jake Rosholt at 197, and heavyweight Steve Mocco. If you want to catch these two teams in action, be in Stillwater on December 9 … and get your ticket early, unless you want to be up in the rafters of Gallagher-Iba Arena! What impact will Kerry McCoy and his coaches have on Stanford? The Palo Alto-based school is celebrated for its sterling academic reputation (considered to be a west-coast Ivy League school) and famous graduates, including Condoleeza Rice and Chelsea Clinton. Now Stanford has the opportunity to be thought of as a wrestling power in the west, thanks to a new slate of coaches for the 2005-2006 season. Leading the Cardinals is Kerry McCoy, hired in early June as head coach. McCoy is a two-time Olympian, four-time World Cup champion, and two-time NCAA heavyweight titlist. He also brings coaching experience, having served as assistant at Lehigh for five years … and, before that, three years at his alma mater, Penn State. This summer, McCoy retained three-year Cardinal assistant coach Kevin Klemm, and brought on board John Clark, a two-time All-American at Ohio State, and Matt Gentry, Stanford's first NCAA champion (2004), who will be a volunteer assistant coach. While Stanford may not be listed among the top twenty five on any of the major pre-season polls, the impact of this new coaching staff may be further down the road, as blue-chip scholar-athletes from high schools in California and beyond see the value in wrestling for the Cardinals. Will Virginia Tech's recruiting create a national powerhouse? Amazing how the fortunes of a wrestling program can improve so quickly. Not that long ago, college wrestling fans would have been hard-pressed to tell you anything about Virginia Tech, let alone find it on a map. Now it seems that a number of top high school mat men know the way to Blacksburg, Virginia … thanks to a program that is emerging from the shadows as a potential mat power. Brent MetcalfTwo major wrestling media outlets (Intermat and W.I.N. magazine) declared Virginia Tech's recruiting class second only to Iowa State. Among the wrestlers committing to wrestle for the Hokies are early signees Brent Metcalf of Michigan, T.H. Leet of Georgia, and Iowans Joey Slaton, Jay Borschel and Daniel LeClere. All five men were named scholastic All-Americans by Wrestling USA magazine, and share seventeen state titles among them, with Metcalf, Borschel and LeClere being four-time state champs. If that wasn't enough to put Virginia Tech on the map, this summer the school added Jon Bonilla-Bowman of New York, Kevin O'Connor of Maryland, Mark Logan of Virginia, and Dave Kiley of New Jersey. It isn't just the scenery that brings top-shelf talent to Blacksburg. Head coach Tom Brands has brought his brand of intensity to the mountains of southwest Virginia… along with assistants Wes Hand and Doug Schwab, all trained the Iowa Hawkeye way by none other than Dan Gable. The long-range future looks bright for the Hokies, as does the upcoming season, with returning starters like David Hoffman at 133, 149-pounder Tyde Prater, Steve Borja at 184, and heavyweight Mike Faust. Is there any doubt that Oklahoma State will win a fourth straight NCAA team title? Don't bet the farm on it, but, barring any shocking surprises, the Cowboys will probably win the NCAA Division I team title at Oklahoma City next March. Head coach John Smith downplays it all, saying, "We have to earn it. We have to remind ourselves every day that championships are not given away -- they are earned each year." Last year, the team pretty much ran away with the title, with half of the ten individual titles being won by a grappler wearing the orange and black. Nine of last year's starters are returning; six of them are All-Americans, four of them defending champs. No wonder that, this year, Oklahoma State is ranked at the top of all the major wrestling team rankings. The same preseason polls also list a Cowboy among the top five in just about every weight class. That's got to have all the other wrestlers quaking in their boots. Is there a realignment in the Big Ten? A few years ago, the Big Ten seemed to be all about perennial national champion Iowa, with the other programs lumped together as also-rans in the minds of many wrestling fans. Iowa hasn't won the team title since 2000; Minnesota took the team championship twice in the new century, and Michigan and Illinois have emerged as top five programs. All four of these Big Ten programs find themselves in the top ten in preseason polls again this year. Perhaps the most interesting development in the Big Ten is the emergence of Northwestern and Indiana. In past years, the Wildcats and Hoosiers found themselves towards the bottom of the conference standings. However, according to the advance rankings in the wrestling media, these two programs are now listed among the top dozen or so teams. Northwestern is coming off a great year, with a Beast of the East team title and a win over Iowa, a fourteenth place finish at the NCAAs, and 174-pound freshman sensation Jake Herbert generating excitement in Evanston and beyond. Heavyweight Dustin Fox, John Valez at 125, Mat Delguyd (last year's 197-pound Big Ten champ), and Ryan Lang at 141 are also ranked in the top ten in preseason prognostications. To the south, fans in Bloomington are salivating at the prospects for their Hoosiers this season; in 2005, Indiana's Joe Dubuque claimed an NCAA individual title. The 125-pounder is back, as is All-American Brandon Becker at 157, to lead the Hoosiers for the 2005-06 season. Adding to the excitement, Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan State also find themselves among the top twenty in most early team rankings, making it a barnburner of a season for wrestling fans in the Midwest. What will Troy Nickerson and Adam Frey do for the fortunes of Cornell -- and the Ivy League? 2005 was a year to remember for Cornell University. The Ivy League school in upstate New York surprised a number of wrestling fans with a fourth-place team finish at the NCAAs -- its best performance in more than a half century. And they signed a recruiting class that ranks among the top five in the country, featuring two high school lightweights with heavyweight credentials: Troy Nickerson and Adam Frey. Adam Frey, who will wrestle at 141 pounds for Cornell, won two national prep titles for Blair Academy.Nickerson is the first-ever five-time New York state champion, a NHSCA Senior National champ at 125 pounds, and winner of the 2005 Junior Dan Hodge Trophy (awarded to the best high school wrestler in the nation by the AAU and W.I.N. magazine). Frey is a two-time national prep champ for Blair Academy -- and earned outstanding wrestler honors at the 2005 Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic. For those who value academic achievement along with mat prowess, it's heartening to see two of the best high school wrestlers in the U.S. now putting their brains and brawn to the test in the Ivy League. Following in the footsteps of 2000 Olympic gold medalist Brandon Slay (University of Pennsylvania) and 2004 NCAA champ and 2005 World University Games gold medalist Jesse Jantzen (Harvard), Nickerson and Frey might encourage more high school scholar-athletes to take the Ivy route. Can someone other than Augsburg or Wartburg win the NCAA Division III team title? When wrestling magazines and Web sites cover the Division III mat scene, they often focus on what they refer to "the 'burgs" -- Augsburg in Minneapolis, and Wartburg in Waverly, Iowa. This year, though, the wrestling world may have to cast its gaze a bit further. In his preseason analysis of the division for RevWrestling.com, staff writer Jeff Vanderwerf opened with this sentence: "For over a decade, this article might have been titled 'Augsburg or Wartburg? Division III Teams to Watch.' Not this season." Perhaps even more surprising, Vanderwerf predicted that neither 'burg would win it all, putting University of Wisconsin at La Crosse at the top of his predictions for the new season, with Augsburg placing second, and Wartburg third. UW-La Crosse placed fourth at the 2005 NCAAs, and has never won the national title. So why might they be viewed as potentially winning it all this year? The Eagles boast one of the most talented heavyweights in college wrestling today, Ryan Allen, who has given Division I big men Steve Mocco and Cole Konrad close matches. In addition, six other All-Americans will return for LaCrosse. For all these reasons, RevWrestling.com has placed LaCrosse in its top-25 team rankings of all college programs. The defending team champs, the Augsburg Auggies, lost five All-Americans to graduation … but they still have five left, including LeVesseur at 157, who will be looking to complete this season -- and his career -- with a perfect record and another title. The Wartburg Knights, second at last year's NCAAs, expect to come charging back this season, led by two-time NCAA champs Dustin Hinschberger at 141 and 197-pounder Akeem Carter. So the Division III championships promise to be especially exciting in 2006 … and open to the possibility of a team champ outside the ‘burgs. Will Tennessee-Chattanooga lose forward momentum with its coaching changes? In the past couple years, the Mocs generated a lot of talk -- and excitement -- beyond its southern fan base, thanks in part to head coach Terry Brands, and the team's boldness in scheduling tough opponents. This summer, Brands accepted a coaching position at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and UT-Chattanooga fans immediately feared their program would head south in terms of its standing in the wrestling world. After all, the Mocs had placed 21st at the 2005 NCAAs after winning the Southern Conference Championship. Joe Seay led Cal State-Bakersfield to seven NCAA Division II titles and Oklahoma State to two Division I titles.The future looks bright for the Mocs and their fans. The team is ranked in the top twenty-five by RevWrestling.com, The Wrestling Mall, and W.I.N. magazine. One strong reason may be its new yet seasoned coaching staff. Although new to Chattanooga, head coach Joe Seay is no stranger to the college wrestling world. Perhaps best known as an USA Wrestling staff member and freestyle coach (most recently coaching at the 2005 World Championships in Budapest), Seay directed Cal State-Bakersfield to seven NCAA Division II titles and Oklahoma State to two Division I team championships -- the only coach to win NCAA titles in both divisions. Joining Seay on the coaching staff are Chris Bono, long-time assistant at his alma mater Iowa State, along with Steve Hamilton, Sammie Henson, and Leonce Crump. The Mocs also welcome back wrestlers who are ranked among the top 20 in preseason polls, including All-American Michael Keefe (who placed fifth at the NCAAs at 141 pounds), his twin brother Josh at 133, and 184-pounder John Davis. Transferring from the Nebraska Cornhuskers is mat veteran Matt Keller. So, despite losing its head coach, UTC may not lose any forward momentum as it builds itself into a force to be reckoned with throughout the U.S.

Greg StrobelBETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Lehigh wrestling fans will catch their first public glimpse of the 2005-06 Mountain Hawks on Tuesday night as Lehigh will hold its annual season-opening wrestle-offs at Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. More than just a showcase for the fans, many of Tuesday night's bouts will be used to determine Lehigh's starting line-up when the Mountain Hawks, ranked eighth in the preseason by Intermat, open their regular season on Thursday, November 10 against Rider. "I'm really looking forward to them (the wrestle-offs)," said eleventh year Lehigh head coach Greg Strobel, Monday on the Lehigh Sports Magazine television show. "It's always a lot of fun because we know we are going to win. I get to visit with a lot of the fans at Grace Hall and take notes on how the team is wrestling." Tuesday night's event will feature 12 bouts, including three exhibition bouts. Several intriguing battles will be at least temporarily settled on Tuesday night, including a three-way race for the starting job at 149 pounds. In Tuesday's opening bout, sophomore Dave Nakasone will wrestle-off against deferred freshman Trevor Chinn, with the winner coming back later in the evening to wrestle junior Matt Ciasulli who has moved up two weight classes from last season. Another highly contested battle is at 125, where sophomore Patrick Berger will square off against true freshman Matt Fisk, who comes to Lehigh as Pennsylvania's career leader in wins at the high school level. A pair of juniors will collide at 197 for the right to replace former All-American Jon Trenge. Matt Cassidy was the starter in 2003-04, when Trenge took his Olympic deferral year. He will take on Paul Weibel, who competed as a heavyweight his first two seasons but will move down to his more natural weight. "The wrestle-offs provide a good chance for some of the kids to wrestle in front of our large home crowd," Strobel said. "We will have some very good matches." Here's a weight by weight breakdown of Tuesday night's probable match-ups: 125 Matt Fisk (Fr.) vs. Patrick Berger (So.) 141 Cory Cooperman (Sr.) vs. Frankie Gayeski (Fr.) 141 Matt Ennis (Jr.) vs. Phil Koehler (So.) Exhibition 149 Trevor Chinn (Fr.) vs. Dave Nakasone (So.) 149 Matt Ciasulli (Jr.) vs. Chinn-Nakasone winner 157 Derek Zinck (Sr.) vs. Matt Anderson (Jr.) 165 Troy Letters (Sr.) vs. Mike Galante (Fr.) 174 Manuel Schubert (Fr.) vs. Samir Soriano (Fr.) Exhibition 184 Dave Helfrich (Jr.) vs. Brian LaMay (Sr.) 184 Jon Bruno (Jr.) vs. Bryan Bernal (Jr.) Exhibition 197 Matt Cassidy (Jr.) vs. Paul Weibel (Jr.) 285 Tom Curl (Jr.) vs. Dan Murrer (So.)

This week enjoy 2 BIG Takedown Radio Broadcasts: First: Friday we'll broadcast LIVE from the Home of Coach Joe Seay at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Our broadcast will begin at 6 PM Eastern/ 5 PM Central This broadcast will take place during the wrestle offs at UTC. We'll enjoy conversations with Coaches Seay, Bono, Henson, Hamilton and Crump as well as may of their athletes and fans. This is sure to be a memorable show so please tune in. Second: Our normal studio show will be anything but normal as "The King" Kyle Klingman takes over my microphone. May of you have enjoyed Kyle writings, editorials and general muses on TheWrestlingMall.com over the past few years. Let me say this, "I respect no one more than this young man. He has Great integrity. I know you'll enjoy his version of TDR". Kyle is also the glue that holds together the efforts of our friends Mike and Bev Chapman, the founders of the International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Newton, Iowa. Tune in to this show with Kyle Klingman Joining Kyle will be: Joe McFarland- Head Coach of the Michigan Wolverines Bruce Burnett- Head Coach of Navy Pat Santoro- Head Coach of Maryland Frank Popolizio of the Journeymen Wrestling Club Marty Morgan- Assistant Head Coach University of Minnesota Jose Campo- Author of new wrestling book "Wisdom from the Corner" 2 Great Broadcasts in one big week. Thanks to our sponsors and you our listeners!

Colorado Springs, Colo. -- All seven members of the 2005 U.S. Men's Freestyle World Team will compete in the Super Cup, Nov. 12-14 in the Daghestan Republic of Russia. This tournament will be a similar format to the World Cup, with nations wrestling dual meets for numerous awards. The first-place team will be awarded $40,000 to split among the participants. The second-place team will be awarded $30,000 and the third-place team will earn $20,000. There are also other individual awards given out for "Best Technique," "The Will To Victory" and "Best Judge." Overall, 13 teams from 12 countries will compete in this competition. The 13th team is a team solely from the Daghestan Republic. Of the other 12 teams, the top four teams in the 2005 World Champions, Russia, Cuba, Georgia and Ukraine will send squads to this event. Seven of the other eight teams, including the United States which placed eighth, also placed in the top 20 overall at the World Championships this year – Azerbaijan (20th), Armenia (16th), Belarus (17th), Iran (6th), Turkey (13th) and Uzbekistan (12th). The other team competing is Romania. "This is a great event for our team to be able to compete in so soon after the World Championships," USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson stated. "Our team was pretty disappointed with our performance after the World Championships this year, and this will give us an opportunity to show that we are better than an eighth-place finish." Jackson also stated that with the amount of money being awarded and the countries competing, that he expects most of the top wrestlers to be in their respective nation's lineup. If all nations competing bring their top wrestlers, 19 of this year's 28 medalists from the World Championships would be present. The U.S. team will include former World champion Sammie Henson (Flintstone, Ga./Sunkist Kids) at 55 kg/121 lbs. Henson won a World title in 1998 and followed that with an Olympic silver medal in 2000. He also won silver medals in the 1998 and 1999 World Cup. Also competing are 2005 World bronze medalists Joe Williams (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 74 kg/163 lbs. and Tolly Thompson (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Williams, who also won a World bronze medal in 2001, has won four gold medals at a similar event, the World Cup. Thompson won a bronze medal at the 2005 World Cup. Daniel Cormier (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC), who placed fourth in the 2004 Olympic Games, will wrestle for the U.S. team at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Cormier also placed fifth in the 2003 World Championships. In 2003, he placed third in another high-profile event in Russia, the Ivan Yarygin Cup, which billed the winners of the 96 kg and 120 kg weight classes against each other in a best of the big men competition. Representing the U.S. at 84 kg/185 lbs. will be Mo Lawal (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC), who placed seventh at this year's World Championships after losing a controversial match to former World champion Sazhid Sazhidov of Russia. Rounding out the U.S. roster will be Michael Lightner (Norman, Okla./Sunkist Kids) at 60 kg/132 lbs. and Chris Bono (Ringgold, Ga./Sunkist Kids) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., both of whom competed in this year's World Championships. Lightner was a newcomer to this year's World Team after winning a U.S. Nationals title earlier in the season. Bono is a veteran of international competitions, winning a gold medal at the 2003 World Cup and also competing in the 2001 World Championships. The team will be coached by Kevin Jackson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and USA Wrestling Freestyle Resident Coach Terry Brands (Woodland Park, Colo.). The exact format of the Super Cup has not yet been determined and the final lineups of the other countries have not yet been released. TheMat.com will provide more information as it becomes available. U.S. Roster for Freestyle Super Cup at Daghestan Republic, Russia Nov. 12-14, 2005 55 kg/121 lbs. – Sammie Henson, Flintstone, Ga. (Sunkist Kids) 60 kg/132 lbs. – Michael Lightner, Norman, Okla. (Sunkist Kids) 66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Chris Bono, Ringgold, Ga. (Sunkist Kids) 74 kg/163 lbs. – Joe Williams, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) 84 kg/185 lbs. – Mo Lawal, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC) 96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Daniel Cormier, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC) 120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Tolly Thompson, Cedar Falls, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) Coaches: Terry Brands (Woodland Park, Colo.) and Kevin Jackson (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

The men's wrestling team at University of the Cumberlands was idle this past weekend but three of its members still competed on their own in the Lindenwood Open in Missouri. Co-Captain Todd Allen (Hodgenville, KY), senior Nate Jolly (Cincinnati, OH) and junior Matthew Reis (Alexandria, KY) made the ten-hour drive to Lindenwood College and competed at their respective weight class divisions. Todd Allen wrestled at the 174Ib weight class and did not do as well as he had expected to and commented, "I wrestled bad and lost to a guy I beat last year. I just didn't bring enough to the table." Although disappointed by the loss, Allen said, "It's okay because I got to see some of the competition and I'll be ready when it is time for the ‘big show'." Senior Nate Jolly went 1-2 at the 157Ib weight class wrestling some of his best matches by far according to Co-Captain Todd Allen. "Jolly only went 1-2 but wrestled smart and the match he won was the best I have ever seen him compete in. If he continues at this pace, he'll be ready come March," stated Allen. Junior Matthew Reis wrestled at the 165Ib weight class going 4-2. Reis was a take down away from going to the third and fourth place round. For Reis the competition was needed as he said," We are doing the right things in practice and I felt good out there on the mat. The weight lifting and the extra workouts are going to really pay off." The Patriots will return to the mat as a team as they host their annual Patriot Open on Saturday, November 5th.

Every season there are wrestlers that every fan looks forward to seeing in action. The 2005-2006 campaign isn't unique in this respect. The names are on the tip of the collective tongue. In Division I, you have names like Mocco, Dubuque, Askren, Bunch, Esposito, Rosholt … one could go on for ages. In Division II and NAIA, there are a host of others: Sigman, Jacoby, and Allibone in DII, and Miller and Parks in NAIA, to name but a few. Division III is no different. Some would say that D-III wrestlers are the epitome of the student-athlete, with no scholarships given out, and most of the wrestlers working their tails off (on the mat and in the classroom) with fewer accolades. In short -- they wrestle for the love of the sport. While all these grapplers are to be commended, there are a few who stand out for their prowess come game-time. Let's take a look at the top D-III wrestler at each weight class (and some of their top rivals). For D-III insiders, many of the names will be old-hat (six champs and two runners-up from last year return) -- for those who are not abreast of these fine wrestlers, take note, and catch them if you get the chance. 125: Terry Morgan, Loras College Morgan is the highest-placing returning competitor at what looks to be a relatively wide-open weight class. A three-time NCAA qualifier, Morgan had his best result last year, finishing third in a tough weight class which included seniors Matt Shankey (Augsburg) and Williams' Tom Prairie. As it stands, he is the preseason top-ranked 125-pounder. He has three other returning All-Americans to contend with, however, and, come March, Morgan has to wrestle his way out of one of the top D-III conferences in the country, the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC). Others to Watch (last year's NCAA finish): Brian Dempsey, College of New Jersey (fifth) Ty Klofta, Ohio Northern (sixth) Derek Goduto, Monclair (eighth) 133: Tony D'Ambra, SUNY-Brockport Last year's NCAA runner-up is glad to see the tail-lights of graduated Augsburg Auggie Mark Matzek, to whom he lost a tough 4-1 decision in the 2005 championship match. So clear sailing for the New Yorker? Not so fast. He has very tough hombres in Luther senior Mike Lopez and Buena Vista sophomore Jestin Hulegaard to consider. Should he under-perform at nationals, watch for these two to take advantage. Others to Watch: Mike Lopez, Luther (fourth) Jestin Hulegaard, Buena Vista (fifth) Sean Cullen, Lycoming (sixth) Jordan Kolinski, UW-LaCrosse (DNP) Dustin Hinschberger of Wartburg is the two-time defending NCAA champion at 141 pounds (photo courtesy of TheGuillotine.com).141: Dustin Hinschberger, Wartburg With Augsburg's Jamell Tidwell (the only D-III wrestler to seriously challenge Hinschberger the last two years, never beating him, and NCAA runner-up to Hinschberger twice) gone -- this weight seems to be his for the taking. The two-time defending champ has not lost a match to a D-III wrestler in the past two years, and is one of the most heralded wrestlers in D-III. Lurking behind the senior is Simpson's Dustin Brewer, Springfield's Mike Gaeta, and Elmhurst's David Silva -- all returning All-Americans. It seems highly likely they'll be battling for the runner-up spot on the podium, as none of them came within three points of Hinschberger last year. Others to Watch: Dustin Brewer, Simpson (fourth) Mike Gaeta, Springfield (seventh) David Silva, Elmhurst (eighth) 149: Matt Pyle, Luther Returning champ Pyle went on a tear last March at the NCAA Tournament with his closest match being a 10-7 victory over Mount St. Joseph's Jason Roush in the semifinals. He then defeated a tough and seasoned Clint Manny of Simpson in the finals, 8-1, to secure his title. Although a strong favorite to defend his title, he will have a battle from Roush, who returns. Wartburg's Jacob Naig and Jared Evans of Augsburg, both All-Americans in 2005, will also be back to try to challenge Pyle. Others to Watch: Jason Roush, Mount St. Joseph (third) Jacob Naig, Wartburg (sixth) Jared Evans, Augsburg (seventh) 157: Marcus LeVesseur, Augsburg Any wrestling fan who hasn't heard about Marcus LeVesseur has either been: A) Living in Papua New Guinea with no access to the Internet for the past three years or B) Blissfully ignoring the world of college wrestling, having put themselves on a decade-long hiatus after the glory of the Cael Sanderson days. Well, for those who don't know, the numbers tell all: three-time D-III NCAA champion, 124 victories, 0 losses, OW, 2004 USA Wrestling University Nationals champion …and so on. Oh, and he's also an all-conference quarterback on the Augsburg football team, too (LeVesseur led the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in total offense in yards per game in 2004). A major reason why UW-LaCrosse's Ross Needham is on the "Others to Watch" list is because he lost to LeVesseur by only a point in last year's NCAA Tournament (5-4). A hearty good luck to the other D-III 157-pounders this year. Others to Watch: Joe Gallante, College of New Jersey (fourth) Shaheim Bradshaw, SUNY-Brockport (fifth) Carl Amerine, Wilmington (eighth) Ross Needham, UW-LaCrosse (DNP) 165: Ryan Valek, Augsburg Valek, a two-time All-American, lost a tight 6-4 decision in last year's final to one of the top D-III wrestlers in recent years, Luther's Garrett South. With South gone to graduation, and only one other top-five finisher returning, UW-Eau Claire's Derek Sikora, Valek looks set to take the next step. There have been rumblings that Valek's teammate LeVesseur might move up to 165, which would put Valek at 174. But these rumors are thus far unsubstantiated and do not seem likely. If LeVesseur does stay at 157, however, Valek is a good bet to give Augsburg two champs in a row. Others to Watch: Derek Sikora, UW-Eau Claire (fifth) John Dolan, Williams (seventh) Corey Murphy, Thiel College (eighth) 174: Stephon Sair, Cortland This looks to be the most wide-open weight in D-III in 2005-2006. The top-three finishers from last year (Augsburg's Joe Moon, Wabash's Chris Healy, and Johnson and Wales' Tim Ruberg) have graduated, leaving a vacuum in the "favorites" department. This is not to say that there isn't talent at this weight -- there is. To wit: Sair was the fourth-place finisher last year, and McDaniel's Tony Howard and UW-Lacrosse's Josh Chelf fought for fifth and sixth place in 2005 (with Howard coming out on top, 6-1). Thus, Sair is the highest placer returning, but Howard might be a little hungrier -- as this is his senior season. Look for these two (along with Chelf, who actually defeated Sair in the first round at the 2005 NCAAs) to battle for the top spot. Others to Watch: Tony Howard, McDaniel (fifth) Josh Chelf, UW-LaCrosse (sixth) 184: Duane Bastress, York This is a true meat-grinder of a weight in 2005-2006. Returning champ and favorite Bastress will have a tough row to hoe if he is to retain his championship. Not only will Bastress have to contend with John Carroll's Ryan Summers, whom he beat 10-7 in last year's championship match, but Augsburg'sBrad Tupa, Wartburg's Scott Kauffman (who won't compete until second semester), and Ursinus' Mike Troutman, and two-time All-American Lacrosse's Jason Lulloff (who's coming off injury) lay in wait. Watch this bracket come March -- it should be a doozy. Others to Watch: Ryan Summers, John Carroll (runner-up) Brad Tupa, Augsburg (fourth) Scott Kauffman, Wartburg (fifth) Mike Troutman, Ursinus (eighth) Jason Lulloff, UW-LaCrosse (two-time All-American, DNQ in 2005 due to injury) 197: Akeem Carter, Wartburg To the untrained eye, 197, like 184, looks to be a seriously tough weight this season. After all, the top-four finishers from last year's NCAA Tournament are returning. As the adage goes, however, looks can be deceiving. This is because the returning champ is Akeem Carter -- and because Carter is a two-time national champion at this weight -- and because Carter has not lost to a DIII wrestler in the past two years. He is the prohibitive favorite. The battle for who gets to face Carter in the finals is going to be a tough as nails, though. Others to Watch: Jamall Johnson, Delaware Valley (runner-up) Will Weiss, SUNY-Brockport (third) Matt Loesch, Muhlenberg College (fourth) Justin Sorenson, Augsburg (sixth) Devin Carmen, Baldwin Wallace (eighth) Ryan AllenHwt: Ryan Allen, UW-LaCrosse Two-time defending NCAA champion Allen is seen by many college wrestling observers to be a top-eight heavyweight in any division. He has battled with the likes of Les Sigman (beating Sigman by forfeit in last year's Midlands -- Allen took fifth) and Bode Ogunwole (to whom he lost in those same Midlands, 7-3), and holds a career record of 120-9. One of his biggest rivals is waiting due southwest of LaCrosse in Waverly, Iowa. Blake Gillis of Wartburg is another excellent D-III heavyweight. Allen defeated Gillis 7-2 in last year's NCAA final -- and it's a safe bet that the two will fight it out for the championship again this year. Allen is the heavy favorite, however, and should become a three-time NCAA champion for the LaCrosse Eagles. Others to Watch: Blake Gillis, Wartburg (runner-up) Mike Blair, Trinity (third) Mike Hayes, UW-Stevens Point (fifth) Brett Christensen, Simpson (sixth) Tommy Snyder, Lycoming (seventh) Pat Bennett, SUNY-Brockport (eighth)

GREELEY, Colo. -- The University of Northern Colorado wrestling squad was on display for the public on Saturday night in the Blue & Gold scrimmage in the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. The Gold squad was able to tally a 29-25 win over the Blue team. The Bears will begin their season on Nov. 13 at the Wyoming Cowboy Open. Northern Colorado's first home action of the season comes on Nov. 19 at the Old Chicago Northern Colorado Open. 133 lbs. Adam Garcia (Blue) vs. Will Cusker (Gold) Cusker began the intra-squad dual with a 5-4 victory over Garcia. 157 lbs. Sean Coughlin (Blue) vs. Devan Lewis (Gold) Coughlin won 6-3 after a scoreless first period. Coughlin used a two-point nearfall in the second period to gain the advantage in the match. 184 lbs. Alex Joseph (Blue) vs. Shawn Hart (Gold) After a scoreless first period, Hart scored a takedown in the final minute of regulation to break a 2-2 tie and gained the win, 4-2. 125 lbs. Tony Mustari (Blue) vs. Beau Hessler (Gold) Mustari used a takedown and a 3-point nearfall to take control of the match in the first period. Mustari then pinned Hessler at the 4:37 mark of the match. 133 lbs. Kyle Kaiser (Blue) vs. Blayze Bahe (Gold) Bahe scored a takedown late in the first period to take a 2-0 lead en route to a 5-3 decision. 141/149 lbs. Kenny Hashimoto (Blue) vs. Tim Silengo (Gold) Hashimoto racked up six takedowns and three-plus minutes of riding time to a 14-4 major decision win. 141/149 lbs. Richard Lohr (Blue) vs. Paul Dack (Gold) Dack escaped with less than 10 seconds to go in the match to tally a 4-3 victory over Lohr. Lohr had tied the match just seconds earlier with a reversal. 141/149 lbs. Matt Aboussie (Blue) vs. Mark Hastings (Gold) Hastings rolled to a 13-3 win. Hastings tallied more than 3 ½ minutes of riding time in the win. 149/157 lbs. Kyle LeValley (Blue) vs. Luke Salazar (Gold) Salazar scored a pair of takedowns at the end of both the first and second periods to help him score a 5-1 victory. 149/157 lbs. Chase Walker (Blue) vs. Matt Stewart (Gold) Walker rolled to a 10-4 victory as he compiled five takedowns in the match. 165 lbs. Ryan Johnson (Blue) vs. Tito Rinaldis (Gold) Rinaldis built a 5-1 lead before hanging on for a 5-3 victory. 184/197 lbs. Reece Hopkin (Blue) vs. Tim Sexton (Gold) Hopkin notched a third period takedown to score a 3-1 win. 133 lbs. Derrick Salazar (Blue) vs. Will Cusker (Gold) Cusker scored a takedown with only two seconds left in the match to tally a 4-2 triumph. 157 lbs. Sean Coughlin (Blue) vs. Nathan Gerrard (Gold) Gerrard scored a five-point move in the first period and then rolled to a 10-1 victory. 174 lbs. Alex Joseph (Blue) vs. Caleb Van Vorst (Gold) Joseph opened up an early 5-1 lead and then scored a pin at the 3:56 mark in the second period. Blue & Gold Match-by-Match Results: 133 - Will Cusker (Gold) dec. Adam Garcia - 5-4 157 - Sean Coughlin (Blue) dec. Devan Lewis - 6-3 184 - Shawn Hart (Gold) dec. Alex Joseph - 4-2 125 - Tony Mustari (Blue) pinned Beau Hessler - 4:37 133 - Blayze Bahe (Gold) dec. Kyle Kaiser - 5-3 141/149 - Kenny Hashimoto (Blue) maj. dec. Tim Silengo - 14-4 141/149 - Paul Dack (Gold) dec. Richard Lohr - 4-3 141/149 - Mark Hastings (Gold) maj. dec. Matt Aboussie - 13-3 149/157 - Luke Salazar (Gold) dec. Kyle LeValley - 5-1 149/157 - Chase Walker (Blue) dec. Matt Stewart - 10-4 165 - Tito Rinaldis (Gold) dec. Ryan Johnson - 5-3 184/197 - Reece Hopkin (Blue) dec. Tim Sexton - 3-1 133 - Will Cusker (Gold) dec. Derrick Salazar - 4-2 157 - Nathan Gerrard (Gold) maj. dec. Sean Coughlin - 10-1 174 - Alex Joseph (Blue) pinned Caleb Van Vorst - 3:56

EIWA Preseason Rankings: Team Rankings: 1. Lehigh 2. Cornell 3. Penn 4. Navy 5. Columbia 6. Army 7. Harvard 8. American Individual Rankings: 125: 1. Jeff Sato, Columbia 2. Jeff Schell, Brown 3. Alex Usztics, Navy 4. Matt Morkel, American 5. Mike Silengo, Penn 6. Ricky Ringel, Rutgers 133: 1. Matt Valenti, Penn 2. Robbie Preston, Harvard 3. Mike Mormile, Cornell 4. Matt DeLorenzo, Columbia 5. Jeffrey Santo, Lehigh 6. Dan Appello, Brown 141: 1. Cory Cooperman, Lehigh 2. Max Meltzer, Harvard 3. Jordan Leen, Cornell 4. Stephen Sutton, Columbia 5. Tony Severo, Army 6. Spencer Manley, Navy 149: 1. John Cox, Navy 2. Matt Ciasulli, Lehigh 3. Ricky Turk, Columbia 4. Patrick Simpson, Army 5. Mark Smith, East Stroudsburg 6. Tom Kniezewski, American 157: 1. Dustin Manotti, Cornell 2. Derek Zinck, Lehigh 3. Gene Zannetti, Penn 4. Adam Brochetti, Navy 5. Mike Baria, Harvard 6. Joe Sacco, Rutgers 165: 1. Troy Letters, Lehigh 2. Muzzaffar Abdurakhmanov, American 3. Craig Dziewiatkowski, Navy 4. Joey Hooker, Cornell 5. Dustin Tillman, Columbia 6. Keith Smith, East Stroudsburg 174: 1. Travis Frick, Lehigh 2. Matt Palmer, Columbia 3. Dustin Wiles, Penn 4. Matt Stolpinski, Navy 5. Dan Miracola, Cornell 6. Scott Ferguson, Army 184: 1. Joe Mazzurco, Cornell 2. Josh Glenn, American 3. Rudy Medini, Rutgers 4. Brian LaMay, Lehigh 5. Luke Calvert, Army 6. Mike Pedro, Brown 197: 1. Jerry Rinaldi, Cornell 2. Paul Velekei, Penn 3. Jake Butler, Princeton 4. Todd Wisman, Army 5. Paul Weibel, Lehigh 6. Andy Adams, Navy Hwt: 1. Tanner Garrett, Navy 2. Bode Ogunwole, Harvard 3. Ramel Meekins, Rutgers 4. Adam LoPiccolo, American 5. Tom Curl, Lehigh 6. Jason Manross, Cornell

Team Rankings: 1 Lindenwood (Mo.) 2 Dana (Neb.) 3 Cumberlands (Ky.) 4 Dickinson State (N.D.) 5 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 6 Missouri Valley 7 Great Falls (Mont.) 7 Menlo (Calif.) 9 William Penn (Iowa) 10 Southern Oregon 11 Bacone (Okla.) 11 McKendree (Ill.) 13 Cumberland (Tenn.) 13 Waldorf (Iowa) 15 Jamestown (N.D.) 16 Morningside (Iowa) 17 Montana State-Northern 18 Campbellsville (Ky.) 19 Simon Fraser (B.C.) Individual Rankings: 125: 1 Delrico Choates, Jr., Cumberland (Ky.) 2 Nate Engle, Sr., Missouri Valley (Iowa) 3 Richard Byrd, Jr., Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 4 Josh Sampo, Jr., Lindenwood (Mo.) 5 Mark Johnston, Jr., Dickinson State (N.D.) 6 Craig Trampe, Jr., Dana (Neb.) 7 Bobby Howard, Sr., Lindenwood (Mo.) 8 Cory Johnston, So., Dickinson State (N.D.) 133: 1 Kyle Jahn, So., McKendree (Ill.) 2 Jimmy Rollins, Sr., Dana (Neb.) 3 Mike Miller, Jr., Bacone (Okla.) 4 Ben Watson, Jr., Cumberland (Tenn.) 5 Jason Moreno, Jr., Lindenwood (Mo.) 6 Alfonso Paez, Sr., Menlo (Calif.) 7 Shane Hase, Jr., Jamestown (N.D.) 8 Pablo Sanchez, Sr., Menlo (Calif.) 141: 1 Brad Stockton, Jr., Waldorf (Iowa) 2 Bryan Odle, Sr., Bacone (Okla.) 3 Chris Smith, Jr., Montana State-Northern 3 Jason Lozier, Sr., Dana (Neb.) 5 Brad Cooper, Jr., Cumberland (Tenn.) 6 Spencer Griffiths, So., Great Falls (Mont.) 7 Gordo Villaescusa, Jr., Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 8 Robert Dominquez, Jr., Lindenwood (Mo.) 149: 1 Darren Cotton, Jr.., William Penn (Iowa) 2 Tyler Moran, Sr., Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 3 Mark Dickman, Jr., Lindenwood (Mo.) 3 Terrence Almond, Jr.., Dana (Neb.) 5 Chris Seta, Jr., Campbellsville (Ky.) 6 Josh Blackburn, Jr., McKendree (Ill.) 7 Miguel Guiterez, Jr., Lindenwood (Mo.) 8 Jake Esser, Sr., Jamestown (N.D.) 157: 1 Mike Rio, Sr., Lindenwood (Mo.) 2 Darion Terry, Sr., Missouri Valley 3 Ben Henderson, Sr., Dana (Neb.) 3 Rocky Vercher, Jr., Lindenwood (Mo.) 5 Joe Casey, Sr., Great Falls (Mont.) 6 Kyle Bickford, Sr., Menlo (Calif.) 7 James Meland, Sr., Jamestown (N.D.) 7 Scott Taylor, Sr., Dana (Neb.) 165: 1 Tyson Springer, Sr., Dickinson State (N.D.) 2 Jimmy Grochowsky, Sr., Southern Oregon 3 Jake Dieffenbach, So., Lindenwood (Mo.) 4 Drew Dickerson, Sr., Missouri Valley 5 Ryan Smith, So., Great Falls (Mont.) 6 Trent Leichleiter, Sr., Dana (Neb.) 7 Calvin DeVault, So., Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 8 Earl Waller, Jr., Cumberlands (Ky.) 174: 1 Todd Allen, Sr., Cumberlands (Ky.) 2 Jake Stevenson, So., Morningside (Iowa) 3 Gabe Harry, Sr., Dickinson State (N.D.) 4 David O'Brien, Jr., Southern Oregon 5 Abel Trujillo, Jr., William Penn (Iowa) 6 Mike Kummer, So., Great Falls (Mont.) 7 Corey Johnson, Sr., Lindenwood (Mo.) 7 Marshall Marquardt, Sr., Dana (Neb.) 184: 1 Joffre Lander, Jr., Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 2 Matt Juncal, Jr., Cumberlands (Ky.) 3 Elijah Simburger, Sr., Dickinson State (N.D.) 4 Blair Alderman, Sr., Dana (Neb.) 5 Chris Wilkes, Jr., Cumberlands (Ky.) 6 Chris Lopez, Sr., Lindenwood (Mo.) 7 Joe Vincent, Sr., Jamestown (N.D.) 8 Rick Story, Jr., Southern Oregon 8 Ryan Mattingly, Sr., Montana State-Northern 197: 1 Eric Flinchum, Jr., Cumberlands (Ky.) 2 Justin Schlect, So., Dickinson State (N.D.) 3 Tyrell Blanche, Jr., Menlo (Calif.) 4 Robert Roszkiewicz, Sr., Lindenwood (Mo.) 5 Willie Parks, Sr., Dana (Neb.) 6 Jimmy Becerra, Jr., Lindenwood (Mo.) 7 Robert Charlton, Sr., Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 8 Stephen Westbeld, Sr., Cumberland (Tenn.) Hwt: 1 Chris Johnson, Sr., Missouri Valley 2 Alex Becerra, Jr., Lindenwood (Mo.) 3 Ben Flores, Sr., Menlo (Calif.) 4 Luke Roberts, Sr., Great Falls (Mont.) 5 Jacob Marquardt, So., Dana (Neb.) 6 Chase Gormley, Sr., Lindenwood (Mo.) 7 Arjan Bhullar, Fr., Simon Fraser (B.C.) 8 Clay Rogers, Jr., Dickinson State (N.D.)

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt wrestling team will prepare to open their 2005-06 season by having wrestle-offs on Sunday, November 6. The competition will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Fitzgerald Field House as the Panthers look to establish their starting line up. Drew HeadleeAt 125 pounds, the starting position is wide open with three tough true freshman battling returning starter Zach Bowman (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan). Bowman was an EWL placewinner for the Panthers last season, but the new freshman should keep it interesting. Senior Mike Ciotti (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) looks to be the early season favorite at 133 pounds as last year's starter Drew Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) is healing from a wrist injury. Redshirt senior Ronald Tarquinio (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) will try to maintain his starting position at 141 pounds, but he'll be faced with some tough competition from redshirt freshman Joe Ciampoli (Altoona, Pa./Altoona). Wrestling fans can expect to see some early season surprises from true freshman Joey Ecklof (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) as he battles for a starting position at 149 pounds. An NCAA qualifier last year, Matt Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) will face Sean Richmond (Emmaus, Pa./Easton) at 157 pounds. While Kocher will likely redshirt for the season, it should still be a tough match. At 165, redshirt senior Justin Nestor (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) is favored after three berths to the NCAA Championships. Redshirt junior Francis Iorfido (Johnsonburg, Pa/Johnsonburg) returns to dual meet action this year and will battle Nick Padezan (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford) for the starting position. With Keith Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) a probable redshirt for the coming year, it will be interesting to see how Kyle Deliere (Cecil, Pa/Canon-McMillan) steps up to the challenge at 184 pounds. Also look for Mike Heist (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) to make a push for the starting position. At 197 pounds, Lou Thomas (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg), a returning starter from last season, is the early favorite. There will not be a match at 285 pounds due to Zach Sheaffer's (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) knee injury. The Panthers are currently ranked in the top-25 of four of the nation's premier polls. The team has six returning NCAA qualifiers, two veteran EWL conference champions and an NCAA All-American. With that much talent, it's sure to be an exciting starting line up. The Panthers will officially start their season with an away dual meet on Tuesday, November 15 with a 7:30 p.m. against EWL rival Bloomsburg.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy wrestling team will hold its only exhibition match of the season on Saturday with the annual Blue-Gold Challenge Matches, being held at 1:00 p.m., in Halsey Field House. The Mids are coming off a 12-3 overall record and a third-place EIWA Tournament finish, and return six starters from last year's squad. Head Coach Bruce Burnett is very excited to get the season underway. "This is an important event for us," said Burnett, who enters his sixth season with 53-26 record at Navy. "It sets the stage for the entire year. The reality is that it is the first opportunity to step on a mat this year and compete in front of people. There should be several great matches and every weight will be competitive." Leading the Blue team will be 125-pounder Alex Usztics (Dauphin, Pa.), 149-pounder John Cox (Grand Haven, Mich.) and 165-pounder Craig Dziewiatkowski (Aurora, Ill.). Both Cox and Dziewiatkowski were NCAA Qualifiers a year ago. For the Gold team, heavyweight Tanner Garrett (Tulsa, Okla.), 174-pounder Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) and 184-pounder Jonny Kane (Portland, Maine) will lead the charge. Garrett is a two-time NCAA Qualifier and is ranked No. 8 in the preseason polls. "I'm sure it's a little nerve-wracking to be wrestling a teammate, but once the matches start, those nerves should go away," said Burnett. "It will be a good opportunity for our fans to see the progress we have made in the wrestling room. We are very excited to get going." Following this weekend's Blue-Gold matches, Navy will compete in the Eastern Michigan Open on Nov. 5, in Ypsilanti, Mich., for its season-opening tournament. BLUE-GOLD MATCHES: 125 Blue - Alex Usztics • Jr. • Dauphin, Pa. Gold - Caleb Levee • Fr. • Mandeville, La. 133 Blue - Branden Beasley • So. • Alexandria, Va. Gold - Brad Canterbury • Jr. • Blue Bell, Pa. 141 Blue - Spencer Manley • So. • Ooltewah, Tenn. Gold - Ricky Tippett • Fr. • White Marsh, Md. 149 Blue - John Cox • So. • Grand Haven, Mich. Gold - Matt Gulosh • Sr. • Stow, Ohio 157 Blue - Adam Brochetti • Sr. • Kittanning, Pa. Gold - Justin Jacobs • So. • LeRoy, Mich. 165 Blue - Craig Dziewiatkowski • Sr. • Aurora, Ill. Gold - Robert Johnston • So. • Satellite Beach, Fla. 174 Blue - Jesse Feinsod • Fr. • Colorado Springs, Colo. Gold - Matt Stolpinski • So. • Westfield, Mass. 184 Blue - Chris Pogue • Sr. • Chesapeake, Va. Gold - Jonny Kane • Sr. • Portland, Maine 197 Blue - Tyler Moyer • Fr. • Bremerton, Wash. Gold - Andrew Adams • Sr. • Dublin, Ohio HWT Blue - Ed Prendergast • So. • St. Louis, Mo. Gold - Tanner Garrett • Sr. • Tulsa, Okla

Sooners look toward season opener Nov. 12 NORMAN, Okla. -- The White team defeated the Red team in the annual Red/White Classic Thursday night, 22-15, inside the Howard McCasland Field House. The 10 matches were to determine the starters for the upcoming season. "I'm pleased overall with our performance tonight because we looked better than we have in the past, and I thought our conditioning was up a notch, said head coach Jack Spates. We need more combinations out on the mat, but I saw a lot of bright spots." "Kyle Terry, the young freshman, looked very tough tonight, Jarrod King looked super as well. Our two heavyweights battled hard tonight in an exciting match. Overall I was very pleased. It's early and we're not where we're going to be, but it's a good place to start," Spates said. Leading both squads on the evening were returning All-Americans Sam Hazewinkel and Joel Flaggert. At 125 pounds, Hazewinkel started the evening with a major decision, 14-4, over J.J. Anderson of the red team. Flaggert, at 197 pounds, registered a fall at the 2:47 mark to defeat true freshman Matt Cole. Also registering wins for the White team were Matt Storniolo (149), Jarrod King (165), Cody Hilbun (174), Justin Dyer (184) and Jake Hager (Hwt.) "We came out and wrestled tough tonight, said Senior Teyon Ware. This match lets us see where we are at this point in the season, but we're ready to get the season underway." "We're going to have a talented team this season and I think everyone is ready to start wrestling someone other than their teammate," said Ware. Ware was challenged in the 141 pound match by true freshman Kyle Terry, but was able to come away with a 6-2 decision. Posting wins for the Red team, along with Ware and Flaggert, were Joe Comparin (133) and Shane Vernon (157). The Sooners open the regular season Nov. 12, in Brockport, N.Y., for the Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic. Oklahoma opens their home portion of the schedule against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. Action takes place inside the Howard McCasland Field House. 125 pounds: Sam Hazewinkel (White) maj. dec. J.J. Anderson (Red), 14-4 133 pounds: Joe Comparin (Red) dec. Trey Blakely (White), 4-1 141 pounds: Teyon Ware (Red) dec. Kyle Terry (White), 6-2 149 pounds: Matt Storniolo (White) dec. Will Rowe (Red), 10-4 157 pounds: Shane Vernon (Red) dec. Jerome Featherstone (White), 3-1 165 pounds: Jarrod King (White) maj. dec. Jake Jackson (Red), 15-1 174 pounds: Cody Hilbun (White) maj. dec. Erik Ford (Red), 13-2 184 pounds: Justin Dyer (White) dec. Josh Hinton (Red), 10-2 197 pounds: Joel Flaggert (Red) fall Matt Cole (White), 2:47 Heavyweight: Jake Hager (White) dec. Austin David (Red), 2-1

Travis Lee is unbelievable. Entering last weekend, the 22-year-old Hawaiian had wrestled just one freestyle tournament since high school -- and had only been on the mat a month since winning his second NCAA title last March. He took the summer off because he had a hernia which required surgery. Nonetheless, we went on to defeat Olympic silver medalist Stephen Abas en route to his runner-up finish at the always-competitive Sunkist International Open in Tempe, Arizona. "After my freshman year of college, I went out to Colorado Springs (to the Olympic Training Center) for a week," said Lee, who wrestles at 60 kg. "I had a chance to wrestle with Stephen Abas, Eric Guerrero, and some other great wrestlers. Obviously, I was getting beaten up at the time, so I didn't really know what to expect when I went out to the Sunkist. I knew that I had developed over the course of my college career. But I guess that I was kind of shocked by how it went, especially since I hadn't wrestled freestyle in a long time. I didn't really feel too comfortable the entire tournament. It has been a slow process getting back into my freestyle game. I'm still making that transition from collegiate style to freestyle. I felt like I made some of mistakes out at Sunkist." Mistakes? What, beating an Olympic silver medalist? Travis Lee defeated Stephen Abas in the semifinals of the Sunkist International Open, but lost in the finals to Saeed Azarbayjani of Canada (photo by John Sachs).But make no mistake about it -- Lee's future in the international style appears to be extremely bright. Cornell head coach Rob Koll, who was named 2005 Division I Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), knows how great of a freestyler Lee can be. He also understands what international wrestling is all about. His freestyle wrestling career took him all over the world. Koll placed fifth at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo. He was also a two-time World Cup champion, two-time U.S. Nationals champion, World Grand Prix champion, Pan-American Games champion, and a 1992 U.S. Olympic alternate. So was Koll surprised by how Lee fared at the Sunkist? "Yeah, I was surprised," said Koll, who has coached Lee since 2001. "I thought he'd win it. I was disappointed that he didn't win it. And I'm not just saying that to be cute. I really thought he'd win it. I have a hard time seeing him do anything but win because I've seen him win so much." Last March, Lee captured his second NCAA title by defeating Edinboro's Shawn Bunch in the 133-pound NCAA finals. His first title came in 2003 at 125 pounds. Lee, who was also a four-time All-American, became just the third Ivy League wrestler to win two NCAA titles -- and the first since 1960. Travis Lee won the 2005 NCAA title at 133 pounds by defeating Shawn Bunch of Edinboro. "When I won my national titles, I had completely different feelings each time," recalled Lee. "I was ecstatic my sophomore year. I was just so pumped up. I was thinking that I could maybe win three national titles and that would be amazing. But I didn't really have the tournament I wanted to have my junior year. I just wasn't focused at nationals. But my senior year, when I won, it felt like more of a relief to me than anything else. There was just so much more pressure during my senior year, being that it was my last year and my last chance to win another national title. Maybe that's why I did better -- because that pressure was there." What makes Lee's achievements all the more impressive, though, is the fact that five years ago, not a single Division I college head coach would give him the time of day. In 2000, Lee and his mother, Lynette, spent hours going through videotapes (both high school and Junior Nationals matches), so they could put together a compilation tape of his wrestling. They made about 20 videotapes and sent them off to all of the top Division I wrestling programs in the country. Initially, only one coach was interested. "Oklahoma contacted me," recalled Lee, who won three state titles in Hawaii. "I think it was their assistant coach at the time, Chuck Barbee, who was interested. But he ended up moving from Oklahoma to Army. So that kind of screwed up that process. Oklahoma stopped recruiting me after he left." So Lee decided to send an e-mail to Koll. He knew that Cornell was an Ivy League school -- which piqued his interest. Recalls Koll: "I sent an e-mail back and said, 'Travis, please send me a video because I have absolutely no idea what being a state champion in Hawaii means.' I was being brutally honest. I wasn't trying to pat myself on the back. It was just kind of a backhand insult to the state of Hawaii. He sent me a video. So I watched it for a few minutes and then put it away. I put it away because it wasn't that impressive. He had good intensity, but it just wasn't all that impressive. He had all of his early matches on there, like from his sophomore year, but you couldn't tell from watching it. About a month goes by and I decide, just for the heck of it, to take out the video and look at it again because something struck me. It wasn't his technique, but it was his intensity. I thought, 'We'll give it a chance.' As I watched it more and more and more, I thought, 'Boy, this kid is really good.' So we committed to recruiting him." It would be a major understatement to say that Koll is glad he did recruit Lee. Not only has Lee accomplished more than any other wrestler in Ivy League history (no other Ivy League wrestler had ever been a four-time All-American), but he has also become a symbol for the rising Cornell program -- a program that finished fourth in the country last season. Lee is quick to give credit to his coaches and teammates for his success -- specifically Koll and Cornell assistant coach Steve Garland. Steve Garland and Rob Koll"Both Rob and Steve have been vital to my development as a wrestler," said Lee. "Having Rob there was great because he's been through that. He was a national champion and a four-time All-American. He just has great credentials. Having him there, not necessarily wrestling with me every day, but having him there to analyze videos and technique was so important. It was just nice having someone to talk to that has already been through the process and knows what it's like at the World level. I think that was a big part. With Steve, he was my training partner most of my career. When I first got to Cornell, he really took the initiative to really try to develop me and help me become a great Division I college wrestler. I owe a lot to him for that. There were other workout partners along the way that helped me, like Jamar (Billman) and a lot of my teammates." Lee graduated last spring with a bachelor's degree in biological engineering. He is now in graduate school at Cornell working on his master's degree in the same area of study -- and also serving as a volunteer assistant coach. This past year, Cornell inked one of the top recruiting classes in the country, led by five-time New York state champion, Troy Nickerson, who was the Asics High School Wrestler of the Year in 2005, and Adam Frey, a Junior Nationals double champion. Koll thinks having Lee in the program helped entice those recruits. "Having Travis around is obviously great for recruiting," said Koll. "But once you get the kids in the room, he inspires them by his work ethic and the fact that he's so technically sound. If you're wrestling him, and you make any mistakes, he's going to exploit those mistakes. So just by wrestling with him every day, they're going to make natural adjustments, above and beyond what he teaches them." Lee has enjoyed working out with both Nickerson and Frey since they have arrived on campus. Nickerson will wrestle at 125 pounds and Frey will wrestle at 141 pounds. "It has been great working out with them," said Lee. "It's good for me and it's good for them. I get new, fresh workout partners. And it's good for them because I can help them progress in their college careers. I really think they're going to make a big impact on the team really quickly. A lot of times, in the first few months, it's just about getting past those high school mistakes and really adapting to college wrestling. I think both of them have the ability to do that right away, assuming they stay injury-free." Lee is also a very accomplished Greco wrestler, having won a Junior Nationals Greco title after his senior year of high school. But right now, he has decided that his focus is going to be strictly on freestyle. "I definitely like Greco a lot," said Lee. "But since I started wrestling freestyle, I don't know. To train at this kind of level, you really have to choose between one or the other. I thought it would be an easier transition coming from collegiate to freestyle. I love both styles, but I really want to do well at freestyle first." Lee is planning to wrestle in as many freestyle tournaments as possible this season. Or as many as his busy schedule allows. He says, "The more matches I get, the more beneficial it's going to be." He has his sights set on the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. "After my master's program is done, I'm really thinking about concentrating and focusing the next two and a half to three years to train for 2008," said Lee. Lee also has aspirations of someday opening up his own wrestling club in Hawaii. "It's kind of funny, there are tons of judo clubs in Hawaii, but the number of wrestling clubs is really minimal," said Lee. "That is something I was thinking about starting down the road." Regardless of what the future holds for Lee, Koll believes he has already set a precedent for future generations. "He's doing exactly what we preached you could do," said Koll. "You can have a world-class education and prepare for your career at the highest level, but also train for the Olympics. In the past, people have had the Big Ten mentality, where you can't do it anywhere else. He is showing that simply is not true."

125: Junior Tony Hager became the starter a year ago and charted a 9-25 record and two pins. Of his 25 losses, eight were to national ranked wrestlers at either NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, or Division III. Hager finished seventh at the IIAC Championships. Hager is expected to be pushed by freshman Matt Koch. Koch finished fifth at the state meet as a senior for Indianola High School. A two-time conference champion, Koch won a district title as a senior. He ended his career with a 129-33 record. "Tony looks to improve upon a tough sophomore season," said Simpson head coach Ron Peterson. "He will be pushed hard by Matt for the varsity job." 133: Senior Dustin Brewer is expected to be the starter at 133. He will attempt to earn All-American honors for the third year in a row and at \ e on the national level," said Peterson. "He has beaten some of the better kids in the country. The key for Cole is to stay healthy." 149: Sophomore Geoff Murtha and freshman Ben Hektoen will battle it out to replace three-time All-American Clint Manny at 149. Murtha won the 149 pound Iowa Conference JV Tournament title last season. He went 8-6 with one pin in limited action a year ago. Hektoen is the only four-time state qualifier in Fairfield High School history. Hektoen placed third in the state meet as a junior, seventh as a senior, and eighth as a sophomore. A three-time conference and two-time district champion, he finished career with 111 wins. "Both Geoff and Ben will battle it out throughout season," Peterson said. "We need one of them to step up and take control." 157: Junior Kellen Delaney registered a 27-12 mark with seven pins after moving up from 141. He won the 157-pound title at the Citrus Open and was second at the Simpson Invitational at 157. Delaney finished fifth at the IIAC Championships at 157. "Kellen had an outstanding sophomore season, we feel that he should be an All-American this year. He has beaten some of the top kids in the country. 165: Three wrestlers; senior Bryan Llewellyn, junior Tom Koch, and freshman John Richman will vie for the starting position. Llewellyn transferred to Simpson from IIAC rival Central and went 6-9 in limited varsity action. He was third at the Iowa Conference JV Tournament at 165. Koch moves up from 157 where he won the Iowa Conference JV Tournament title. He charted a 19-11 record for the year. Richman graduated from Des Moines Roosevelt High School where he qualified for the state meet as a senior. Richman won the a district and conference championship as a senior. "Its going to be a dogfight at 165 for us. Bryan has proven to be competitive when he is healthy. Tom had a solid sophomore year and we look for him to be a factor. John comes from a great high school program and we hope he can add to our program." 174: Senior Cody Downing moves down from 184 to start at this weight. Downing led the Storm with 15 pins a year ago. He posted a 28-16 record and was fifth at the Iowa Conference Championships. He earned top five placings at three in season tournament last season. "Cody is one of our two captains," Peterson commented. "He's been on the verge of the making the national tournament and we expect him to make a run for nationals this season." 184: A trio comprised of three freshmen; Matt Jorgenson, Sean Miller, and Robert Zube will vie for the starter's position. Jorgenson was a three-time state meet qualifier for Pocahontas High School. He finished fourth at the state tournament as a senior and fifth as a junior. Miller won the 189 pound Missouri state wrestling championship as a senior for Park Hill High School. He finished fourth at the state meet as a junior at 189. Zube was named honorable mention All-Conference as a junior and senior for Viroqua (Wis.) High School. "This weight is going to be one that we look for someone to step up. Sean has performed very well in camp. He is going to be pushed by both Matt and Robert. 197: Sophomore Chris Downing should serve as the starter. The younger brother of Simpson's Cody Downing, Chris Downing transfers to Simpson from NAIA Morningside. He was finished third at the state tournament for Creston High School after going 49-6 with a school record 34 pins. He ended his career with 100 wins. "We are excited to have Chris in our program," said Peterson. "197 was our weakest weight class a year ago and Chris provides us with a solid starter who has a year of college experience under his belt." Hwt: Senior Brett Christensen earned All-American honors (sixth) for the first time as a junior. A three-time national tournament qualifier, Christensen charted a 29-15 mark with 10 pins. The 2005 Iowa Conference runner-up, seven of Christensen's losses were to opponents ranked in the Division III top eight. "Brett is our other senior captain," Peterson said. "He has been a great leader for us in the preseason. We believe that he can be in the top five in the nation this season."

Three seniors and a junior have been named as Captains of the 2005-06 Eastern Michigan University wrestling team. Coach John Lange announced that seniors Phillip Plowman, Chad Roush, and Charlie Walker, and junior Nick Conklin will lead the team this year. Plowman is a senior from Sunfield, Michigan and has started at 133 for the last two years. He had big conference wins last year over Kent State, Ohio and Central Michigan. Coach Lange said, "Phil was a member of our first recruiting class here 5 years ago and has done nothing but get better everyday. Phil is a quiet leader within the team, but his actions speak loud. His work ethic and determination will pay off come March." Roush is a senior from the powerhouse high school program in Davison, Michigan. He has been the starting 157 pounder for his entire time at EMU and has been on a number of awards stands in the MAC, the EMU Open and other tournaments. His big win against Buffalo last year led Eastern to a big dual meet victory. Lange said, "Chad came in 4 years ago and led the team in wins as a freshman and looks to do the same this year. I believe that Chad is now comfortable in the leadership role and it showed during the preseason training. He is ready to make that trip to nationals." Walker is a senior heavyweight from Romeo, Michigan who transferred to Eastern last year from Olivet College. He surprised a number of wrestlers with his intensity and finished 4th in the Mid American Conference last year. Of Walker, Lange said, "Charlie is new to the program only transferring in last year, but has made the complete transition quickly. His continued hard work in the spring and summer earned the team's, as well as the coaches', respect. Since placing in the MAC last season he has taken huge strides toward the top of the podium." Conklin is a junior from Milton, Wisconsin. After a late start last year, he placed 3rd in the MAC at 141 pounds, with big wins over Kent and Buffalo. Lange said, "Nick is the perfect example of what hard work can do. He is a nonstop wrestler and I feel it has rubbed off on the younger guys in the program. The greatest thing about Nick is that he backs up his words about working hard with his actions. He is going to make a great leader for our program."

Heading into the ninth year of National Collegiate Wrestling Association action, a few questions loom for the 2005-06 campaign: Can someone step up and stop Central Florida from a "three-peat"? Will the Apprentice School shed its bridesmaid label having four straight top four finishes at nationals? Will Grand Valley ride the emotion of wrestling at home to return to the NCWA championship stage? What unknown team will put it all together and make a run in March at nationals? Several tournaments throughout the year will be excellent tests for teams preparing themselves for a visit to Grand Rapids, Michigan in March for the 9th annual NCWA National Championships. Nov. 4-5: UCF Knight Brawl Duals and Central Florida Open The two-time defending national champions kickoff the 2005-06 season with a strong field for their Nov. 5 tournament. The Apprentice School will travel to Florida along with Marion Military Institute, Pensacola Christian College, Florida Atlantic, Florida, South Florida and Florida Gulf Coast, Central Florida and Sierra Community College from California for in the neighborhood of 120 participants in the Saturday event. Sierra is one of the top teams in California as they just finished second in the state dual meet championships in late October. The night before Central Florida will host the Knight Brawl Duals with Sierra Community College, Pensacola Christian and Apprentice School. UCF will take on Sierra at 6 p.m. and then a first-ever matchup with Apprentice School to follow. Apprentice will take on Sierra after that match. Nov. 11-12: UNCP Classic -- Pembroke, N.C. The NCAA Division II Braves have always been inviting top NCWA teams to their classic and this year is no exception. Central Florida, Mercer, Apprentice School, Pensacola Christian, Clemson University and the University of Florida join the field for a strong tournament. Nov. 19: SW Conference at UT-Dallas The Southwest Conference opens its slate with a pre-conference get together at UT-Dallas. Texas A&M, TCU, Texas Tech, Kansas, Kansas State, Colorado, Northwest Missouri State are among others slated to start the season with a pre-conference kickoff. Nov. 25-26: Rumble on the Hill at Chapel Hill, N.C. NCAA Division I North Carolina hosts a major tournament over Thanksgiving weekend that last year drew nearly 350 wrestlers from schools across the country. Mercer, Georgia, Southern Virginia, Clemson, Marion Military Institute and Central Florida will represent the NCWA at this prestigious tournament. Dec. 4: Maryville Duals -- Maryville, Tenn. The Fighting Scots are hosting a 12-team dual tournament the first weekend of December in the Great Smokey Mountains. The hosts finished second in the tournament last year and this year appears to be even stronger with the host Scots bringing in: Apprentice School, Mott Community College, Pensacola Christian, Southern Virginia, Marion Military Institute among others. Dec. 10: UT-Dallas Quad -- Dallas, Texas The previous hosts of the NCWA nationals have a quad match scheduled for December 10 with Texas A&M, TCU and Texas State coming to have a quad night. Holiday Season: Desert Duals, Lone Star Duals and Virginia Duals The NCWA will have a presence this year at three big NCAA dual tournaments. Apprentice School will travel to Las Vegas for the Desert Duals hosted by Wartburg College December 19. This tournament will have a lot of Division III teams including national powers Wartburg, Coe College and Luther College. On January 6-7, UT-Dallas and Central Florida will compete in the annual Lone Star Duals in Texas. This tournament is loaded with NCAA Division I teams like Army, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Purdue among others. The next weekend the Apprentice School will compete in the American College Division of the 26th annual Virginia Duals tournament. Other teams in this bracket include: Delaware State, Anderson College, SUNY Brockport, South Dakota State, Duquesne, Franklin & Marshall and Princeton. Jan. 15: NWCA National Duals This is the first year that the NCWA will have a presence at the National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals to be held this year at University of Northern Iowa. Central Florida, Grand Valley State, New Hampshire and a fourth team will participate in a four-team dual tournament during the second day of the NWCA National Duals. Jan. 22: Tropical Smoothie Classic -- Gainesville, Fla. The second annual Tropical Smoothie Classic appears to be headed into a powerhouse field. Central Florida won the event last year and returns to defend its title with a host of teams heading to sunny Florida. The field will possibly include: Pensacola Christian, Georgia Tech, Florida Atlantic, Georgia College, Univ. of Georgia, Florida A&M, Ohio State, Florida State, Mercer, South Florida, Auburn, Marion Military, Alabama, Yale University, Maryville College, Texas Tech, Bryant College, Texas A&M, Miami (OH), Florida Gulf Coast, Univ. of Texas at Dallas and Florida. Jan. 29: 26th annual Builder Invitational -- Newport News, Va. The Apprentice School hosts one of the stronger tournaments in the late stages of the season with a good mix of NCWA teams along with NCAA Division II and NAIA schools. This year's field should be no exception as defending champion UNC Pembroke is scheduled to return with: William & Mary, Maryland-Baltimore County, Clemson, Catawba, Washington & Lee, Newberry, Southern Virginia, VCU, NAIA new team King College, Williamson Trade School, Maryville, UNH, Middle Tennessee State and Belmont Abbey join the host Builders. Feb. 4-5: Doug Cherry Tournament -- Easton, Pa. This annual tournament hosted by Lafayette College shifts to Northampton Community College this year and is expanded to a two-day affair. A lot of NCWA teams will be participating including two-time defending champion Central Florida, runner-up Apprentice School and Northampton CC, Lafayette, Maryville, Ohio State Club, New Hampshire, Florida, Toledo, Lehigh club, UMass-Amherst, Valley Forge, Luzerne CC, USMA Prep, Army JV, Miami-Ohio, Northeastern, Delaware, Yale, Blair Academy, RPI, Williamson Trade, Frostburg State, Adirondack CC, Bryant, Mott CC and Florida State One good sign for the NCWA, and wrestling in general, is that the amount of new teams joining the association this year is increasing. New members as of October 26 include: Bowling Green State University, Dartmouth College, Darton College, East Georgia College, Florida Gulf Coast University, Northland Baptist Bible College, Northwest Missouri State University, Syracuse University, University of North Florida, University of Rio Grande and University of Southern Indiana. All of this leads into the weekend of Feb. 17-18 when the conference tournaments will be held and the weekend of March 3-4 with Grand Rapids, Michigan hosting the 9th annual NCWA Nationals.

There is no one in amateur wrestling quite like Scott Casber. Casber, who founded Takedown Wrestling Radio six years ago, remains one of wrestling's greatest promoters and most colorful personalities. He generously gives his time, money, and energy -- all for the betterment of the sport. He also has a huge heart when it comes to helping people who are less fortunate. In 2003, Casber was named Wrestling Broadcaster of the Year by The National Wrestling Media Association. Takedown Wrestling Radio can be heard every Saturday morning from 10:05-11:58 CST on AM 1460 KXNO (Iowa), 101.5 FM KRRW (Minnesota), Clear Channel Broadcasting, and Fox Sports Radio. It can also be heard live (or archived) on the Internet at takedownradio.com. RevWrestling.com recently went one-on-one with Casber to discuss the past, present, and future of Takedown Wrestling Radio. Talk about the history of Takedown Wrestling Radio. When did it start? And how did the idea come about? Casber: It started six years ago. Originally, Takedown Wrestling Radio was called Saturday Night Slam. It was on a different radio station called The Jock, here in Des Moines, and it was played 10 p.m. to midnight. I had a partner named Scott McLin who wanted to do a professional wrestling show. The only way that I would agree to it -- the only thing that it would give it any kid of legitimacy -- is if we have a section or element of amateur wrestling, which is exactly what we did. My favorite guys to talk to in the pro ranks were the guys with the amateur backgrounds. I fell in love with the sport back at Iowa -- when I went to school there in the early 80's. The fresh recounting of it really started when we had Dan Gable on the show. He suggested that maybe we should do a show that is all amateur and no pro. And that's exactly what we did. What is your background in broadcasting? Casber: I've always been in radio and television. I started my career in 1975 in television. I went to Brown Institute in Minneapolis, then did three years at Iowa, and finished up at Drake University with degrees in public relations, advertising, and marketing. So I understand that this sport needs to be marketed. I understand that this sport needs to be promoted. Sometimes the best kind of promotion is through the art of public relations. My mentor in PR was the father of PR -- and he died at 103 -- his name was Dr. Edward Bernays. One of my very first big projects, against the wishes of my professors at Drake, was to bring the father of PR to Des Moines. He coined the phrase, "Wheaties -- Breakfast of Champions." He made up Betty Crocker. He turned a little vacuum company into Standard Oil. He represented seven Presidents of the United States. I mean, this cat really set the table for American business and politics for the next 100 years. He did it old school -- and that's how I've done it. That's how I've always been a promoter. I'm very proud to be a part of this sport because it's growing again. Maybe it's not growing as quickly as we would like it to, but it's growing smartly and efficiently. What has been the biggest change in the six-year history of Takedown Wrestling Radio? Casber: I think mobility. The fact that the show is able to get out and cover the major events live. I think we have a better level of communication with our listeners to find out what they're interested in hearing. We've never been about play-by-play. We've never been about calling a match for the sake of calling a match. There are a few things that we do each year that would resemble a play-by-play effort. Primarily, we're about the people, the history of this sport, the people who have made the history, the current athletes, their stories, and the future. We are at a really neat period of time in the history of wrestling right now, where we have quite possibly more young coaches today than any time over the last 50 years. These young guys are so assertive and so battle friendly. In other words, they're ready to get in there and fight for their sport. I'm very proud of the way that this sport has grown, the fact that we have all these young coaches out here who are busting their humps -- desperately trying to make a difference. And I think they are. I really do. I think their making a huge difference out there. Guys like Tom and Terry Brands, Kerry McCoy, Shawn Charles, Chris Bono, Sammie Henson, Carter Jordan -- all these young guys. Sure they may have been there five years as an assistant, but now it's theirs. Now they get to put their stamp on it and honor the guys that came before them. I think they're very cognizant of the fact that the guys that came before them are very, very important to the success of any team and the sport in the future. If you sit down and talk with these cats about the past and about where the teams are now or the future, it's not always about an NCAA title, although that is looming and lurking. It's about how can we best represent. I think that's pretty cool. What do you enjoy most about doing the shows? Casber: It's several things. Interaction with the fans … because I'm a fan. I'm not an expert, never have been, never will be. The day I become an expert will probably be the day I sign off the show. The people who come on the show are the experts -- and I enjoy talking with them. I may ask a better question today than I did six years ago. I guarantee I do. But when it comes to giving expert analysis or breaking down the possibilities of the team, I'm going to the coach. I'm not going to second guess these guys. These guys are the pros. They know what they're doing. I'm a radio guy. My ideal is to get a show of five or six guests, let them say their piece, and insert a little humor when we can. As a sport, we often take ourselves a little too seriously. But I also believe that there is room for this sport to continue to invite in new guests, new fans, new participants, and new sponsors. We've been very closed off and very protective for a number of years. In some cases, rightfully so. But now I think it's time to throw our doors wide open and invite in the American public. We need to reintroduce them to wrestling, make it fun again for everybody. It might mean that we have to teach. Gosh, why did they just give that guy two points? Why is he holding up his right hand as opposed to his left? I think there are some very simple things that we can do. You have been involved with amateur wrestling for a number of years. Is there a specific show, event, or experience that sticks out more than the others? Casber: I think the one particular event sticks out more than the others is giving a motivational read prior to the NCAA Championships two years ago at Savvis Center in St. Louis. Right before we went live to ESPN, I had a United States Marine hold a clipboard as I stood amongst the masses in the stands with a remote microphone -- with the music of 2001: A Space Odyssey building in the background. It was my job to charge this crowd with passion. As their fever, as their temperament, as their excitement grew, mine did as well. Once I reached the crescendo or the pinnacle of both my speech and the music, I knew right then and there that I would never, ever find another sport that I would be able to call home. That may be one of my fondest memories. I've had coaches and athletes cry on my show, break down emotionally. And it's not because I've asked mean questions, or asked good questions in a mean-spirited way, it's because wrestling is an emotional sport. And for some, they have no other release. I find that very intriguing. I, too, have cried on broadcasts before. I've broken down and become emotional. In some instances, I think it's because I never did wrestle. It's because I've never been able to feel what these guys feel. It's because I know that they understand now that they have reached the end of their physical ability. They can do no more. This is as good as it gets. They understand that they must ask for help from a coach or from a higher power. They have to figure where to draw more strength from. You have worked side-by-side with Steve Foster for the last few years. What has it been like working with him? Casber: Working with Steve Foster has truly been a dream. He is somebody who understands that there is no money in what we do. He doesn't expect to be paid. As we've grown together, he expects to be a bigger part of the picture. But at the same time, he understands how the picture is being drawn. He knows that this is not about making money. This is about promoting the sport for the love of it. For the love and appreciation of the people in it. There's no greater moment than when I'm asked to MC or host an event where I get to salute guys who have done their best -- and have earned a gold medal or an NCAA title. Steve understands that. Steve has been with me the last three or three and a half years. Steve has been a lot of fun. He's willing to travel for the sport. He has an incredible memory. He has an incredible wealth of friends. And he has a huge, huge heart. He personally gives thousands of dollars to this sport every year -- with no expectations ever of getting anything back. He will never tell people that. He will only share that he loves the sport. He just likes to be a part of it. Steve has found salvation and calling, like I have, in this sport. With your show is based in central Iowa, near a lot of college campuses, is it tough trying to stay neutral -- not giving the Iowa schools more attention? Casber: No, not really. We do one show a year for each of the Division I schools in Iowa -- Iowa, Iowa State, and Northern Iowa. We're as interested in them as they are in us coming to see them. Other than that, I don't think we spend an inordinate amount of time with those coaches throughout the balance of the year -- whether we are live on location at an event or on the phone. We just don't. There are 86 or 87 Division I level coaches out there who desperately need attention -- all of them do. It's to the sport that I owe my program to, not an individual coach. And my coaches understand that. There are some out there who don't quite get what we do yet -- and that's okay. I don't think they look at us like we're a weekly news magazine, when in fact, we are. Just like print, you have to pay your bills for radio. We buy our time. So we're very unique in the world of broadcasting. It's almost like leasing a space in the mall. We have to pay our bills. When someone doesn't pay, it can kind of screw up the whole thing. But one day he'll pay. I truly believe he will. Scott CasberTakedown Wrestling Radio gets on the road and travels to various wrestling programs and events throughout the country? What event is your favorite one at which to broadcast? Casber: I think Vegas. The Cliff Keen is a good one because it really signifies the beginning of the year. I think midyear, one of my favorites to attend is the Midlands because of it's historic significance. Certainly there are other good tournaments happening at the same time, but Midlands has historic significance and history, which is very important to me and the sport. I think the National Duals can be a real good event if it's done in an appropriate building, an appropriate place. So I'm looking forward to the event happening up at the UNI Dome, where they will draw well. How about the NCAA Division I Championships? How many times have you broadcast there? Casber: We've done it four times. They can be expensive for us, though. We've had to pay airfare, hotel, phones lines, and computer lines. The average NCAA Tournament can cost us two, three, four grand. And for a little show like ours, that's quite pricey. What is your vision for the future of Takedown Wrestling Radio? Casber: I'd like to see us on more radio stations, reaching more of the general public. In other words, wrestling fans are going to find us. I want more people to tune into us, like they do throughout Iowa and southern Minnesota on radio. I would like to see more stations carry us. They can have our show for free. They can take out all of my local commercials and plug in their own stuff -- sell their own time. The bottom line is getting it out there for more people to hear it. That would be my ultimate goal -- get it out there to more radio stations in the hotbeds of Pennsylvania, Ohio, upstate New York, the Virginias. What about getting Takedown Wrestling Radio on XM Satellite Radio? Is that something you've thought about? Casber: Oh, absolutely. But trying to get through to them, trying to get a specialty product like this on is tough. They view wrestling as north of the Mason-Dixon line. They view wrestling as a seasonal sport. It's tough. I've turned down opportunities to broadcast our show on ESPN.com and CSTV.com. I don't know that I want to say turned down … better terms might be, 'We have not been able to come to an agreement.' And these people contacted us. I didn't contact them. The reason is because they want to charge for it. I feel that if we're going to do the sport justice, we have to make it available to anybody and everybody that we can, to constantly inform, educate, and entertain. Those are our three goals. But we also provide another service, we counsel young coaches that we have become friends with. Young assistants that are struggling to make decisions. Or even head coaches who want to make a move back to their alma mater -- and recently that happened. Sometimes just a sounding board is a good thing for these guys -- and we provide that. They are my friends. We are a very small family, this family of wrestling. Family means brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, parents. I hope we respect each other enough to be able to move forward. In June, you did the announcing for the World Team Trials in Ames, Iowa. Do you have plans to do the announcing for any major amateur wrestling events in the near future? Casber: Yeah, I'll be doing the NWCA National Duals in January with Sandy Stevens in Cedar Falls. I've been asked to do other events like the World Team Trials, Olympic Team Trials, things like that. Nothing is firm. I'm a professional announcer as it is. I announce professional boxing and mixed martial arts. I just love announcing. If that means putting together a broadcast team, I'll do it because I know that they're doing a good job. They have a passion for doing it. They love to sit and talk about what they see and do the interviews -- just like I do. Once in a while, a little break for me is not bad. Let's face it -- I don't take a Saturday off. I can tell you how many shows I've missed since we've been on the air -- and it's all on one hand. I think that's all I have for you. Is there anything else you would like to add? Casber: I can only ask that our sport continue to give thanks to all of the wonderful supporters we have out there. And also continue to remind our graduating seniors that your obligation to this sport is only beginning. Don't forget wrestling. Always come back. Wrestling will never abandon you, so don't abandon wrestling.

Brute-Adidas/NWCA Division III Rankings: Team: 1 Augsburg College (MN) 2 University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse 3 Wartburg College (IA) 4 State University of New York at Brockport 5 Luther College (IA) 6 College of New Jersey 7 Ithaca College (NY) 8 Loras College (IA) 9 Springfield College (MA) 10 Delaware Valley College (PA) 11 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point 12 Simpson College (IA) 13 John Carroll University (OH) 14 Lycoming College (PA) 15 Johnson & Wales University (RI) 16 Cortland State University of New York 17 St. John's University (MN) 18 York College (PA) 19 Norwich University (VT) 20 Coe College (IA) 21 Elmhurst College (IL) 22 Thiel College (PA) 23 Augustana College (IL) 24 Ohio Northern University 25 Mc Daniel College (MD) 26 Buena Vista University (IA) 27 Rhode Island College 28 Oswego State University of New York 29 Heidelberg College (OH) 30 North Central College (IL) Individual: 125 lbs. 1 Terry Morgan Sr. Loras College 2 Brian Dempsey Sr. College of New Jersey 3 Derek Goduto Sr. Montclair State 4 Ty Klofta Sr. Ohio Northern University 5 Brandon McDonough So. Johnson & Wales University 6 Nate Hansen Jr. Luther College 7 Kyle Kemmerer Jr. Ithaca College 8 Ian Gorham Sr. Stevens Institute of Technology 133 lbs. 1 Tony D'Ambra Sr. SUNY Brockport 2 Mike Lopez Sr. Luther College 3 Justin Hulegaard So. Buena Vista University 4 Sean Cullen Jr. Lycoming College 5 Jordan Kolinski So. UW La Crosse 6 Joe Jewett Fr. Oswego State 7 Jim Fracetta Sr. Millikin University 8 Brian Zane . Norwich University 141 lbs. 1 Dustin Hinschberger Sr. Wartburg College 2 Dustin Brewer Sr. Simpson College 3 Mike Gaeta Jr. Springfield College 4 David Silva Sr. Elmhurst College 5 Mike Rohewetz So. UW La Crosse 6 Joel Burdick Sr. UW Stevens Point 7 Dennis McSweeney Jr. Montclair State 8 Dan Hall Jr. Delaware Valley College 149 lbs. 1 Matt Pyle Jr. Luther College 2 Jason Rousch Jr. Mount St. Joseph College 3 Jacob Naig So. Wartburg College 4 Jared Evans Jr. Augsburg College 5 Mike Kembel Sr. Thiel College 6 Dan Song Sr. US Merchant Marine Academy 7 Pat Brady Jr. College of New Jersey 8 Steve Hult Sr. New York University 157 lbs. 1 Marcus LeVesseur Sr. Augsburg College 2 Joe Gallante Jr. College of New Jersey 3 Shaheim Bradshaw So. SUNY Brockport 4 Carl Amerine Sr. Wilmington College 5 Brad Bishop Sr. Loras College 6 Ross Needham Jr. UW LaCrosse 7 Jake Tyler So. Springfield College 8 Tyler Ludwig Sr. Elmhurst College 165 lbs. 1 Ryan Valek Sr. Augsburg College 2 Derek Sikora Jr. UW-Eau Claire 3 John Dolan Jr. Williams College 4 Corey Murphy Jr. Thiel College 5 Steve Martell So. Johnson & Wales University 6 Brian Daly Sr. Augustana College 7 Cole Williams Sr. University of Dubuque 8 Dustin Blevin Sr. Wartburg College 174 lbs. 1 Stephon Sair Jr. Cortland State 2 Tony Howard Sr. McDaniel College 3 Josh Chelf So. UW LaCrosse 4 Jeff Harrington So. College of New Jersey 5 Matthias Keib Sr. Ithaca College 6 Ryan Heagerty Sr. Loras College 7 Travis Birhanzl Sr. Augsburg College 8 Jake Beitz Sr. Montclair State 184 lbs. 1 Duane Bastress Sr. York College 2 Ryan Summers Jr. John Carroll University 3 Brad Tupa Sr. Augsburg College 4 Jason Lulloff Sr. UW LaCrosse 5 Mike Troutman Sr. Ursinus College 6 Mitch Hager Sr. Loras College 7 Ben Dictus Sr. Lawrence University 8 Robert Stubbs Sr. Ithaca College 197 lbs. 1 Akeem Carter Sr. Wartburg College 2 Jamall Johnson Sr. Delaware Valley College 3 Willie Weiss Sr. SUNY Brockport 4 Matt Loesch Jr. Muhlenberg College 5 Justin Sorrenson Sr. Augsburg College 6 Devin Carmen Sr. Baldwin Wallace College 7 Dan Fiecke Sr. St. John's University 8 Thomas Sanders Jr. Case Western Reserve 285 lbs. 1 Ryan Allen Sr. UW - LaCrosse 2 Blake Gillis Jr. Wartburg College 3 Mike Blair Sr. Trinity College 4 Mike Hayes Sr. UW Stevens Point 5 Brett Christensen Sr. Simpson College 6 Tommy Snyder Sr. Lycoming College 7 Pat Bennett Sr. SUNY Brockport 8 Derek Ankney Sr. John Carroll University

Well, it's been two weeks since I last wrote to everyone, and there has been much going on here at Dana. We had our preliminary wrestle-offs two weeks ago and there I was somewhat surprised at many of the matches. We do our wrestle-offs like the Olympic Team Trials, where there is a No. 1 guy designated at each weight, and everyone else at the weight is seeded into a bracket. The winner of the bracket then wrestles the No. 1 guy in our annual Black/Red Classic. This year it is set for Friday, Oct. 28. The last two weeks of practice have been very good. We have a somewhat different workout schedule than most, wrestling a designed practice on Tuesdays and Fridays, an open room practice on Mondays and Thursdays, and getting an alternative workout on Wednesday. Right now, we are lifting four days a week, which is hard to do. This is simply because it wears you out. If you lift before practice, you seem to have a little less energy when it comes time to get in the room, and if you lift after practice, it is hard to get everything out of your lift. Last Tuesday, we had our hardest workout to date, grinding out a 45-minute match. This can be a very fun experience or a mentally breaking one. The object of wrestling a grind-match is to break your opponent mentally. If you can do this, the rest of the match seems like a walk in the park, but if you are the one that gets broken, the last 20 minutes can seem like an eternity. One thing many of our guys try to do is pace themselves through this match. These are usually the guys that get broken, and then beat on for the second part of the match. The guys who are successful in grind matches are those who break their opponent in the first 10 to 15 minutes, then continue to destroy the guy for the remaining time. It seems like the guys who get tired are the guys who are broken, while the guys who break their opponent never get tired. I believe this is because they know they can do whatever they want to their opponent. The draw upon their opponent's weaknesses and capitalize, never thinking about their conditioning. Anyways, I am sure many of you have done these types of matches before, but if you haven't, you should try it -- as it is a great way to gain confidence in your abilities as a wrestler, deepen your wrestling conditioning, and strengthen your mental capabilities. Last weekend, we went on our annual team retreat. This year we loaded up into vans and headed out to Valentine, Nebraska, where a wrestler on the team (Chancy Hansen) lives. His parents own a ranch up there, and there are many things to do. We arrived late Friday night to the sight of a huge campfire burning. We ate hamburgers grilled by Chancy's parents -- and then sat down for a little motivational speech by Jason Kelber, a three-time All-American and national champion for Nebraska. It was very interesting, as he talked about team unity, as well as the decisions he made as a collegiate wrestler. He also talked about beating both the Brands brothers and other big wins in his career. We then headed off to bed around 12:30 a.m, sleeping in cabins, tents, or in a sleeping bag around the fire. Talk about roughing it, I just had to laugh when I saw these guys sleeping with no shelter in the 35-degree weather. A fire can only keep you so warm for so long. Anyway, Coach Costanzo kept his own tradition alive by putting on a "biker" mask and trying to scare the freshmen as they were going to sleep. Some were scared, while others went on the attack and began wrestling him. It was quite a site, seeing 4-5 scared freshmen trying to wrestle a three-time All-American coach who is still in good shape. I think they got the best of him, but he kept his dignity, not letting the mask fall off and revealing his true identity. The next morning, we woke up to blistering cold weather and went on what was supposed to be an easy three-mile nature jog led by Chancy's father on horseback. I think the run ended up being about five miles, but it was very interesting. We got to see one of the few places in the world where there are six different ecosystems that meet. We also got to see a fully operational trout farm. The worst part about the run was playing "dodge the cowpies", which just happened to be about everywhere. Marshall Marquardt helps Jimmy Rollins up a wall.After the run, we embarked on a much better task, an obstacle course. The course had been made throughout the week by Chancy's dad, Kelber, and a few others. It was awesome. It reminded me of the show "American Gladiators," but we didn't have the cool music. There was a 10-foot wall, wheelbarrow race, pull-up station, push-up station, and a tractor-tire flip. There was also a 60-foot rope strung between two poles we had to climb across, and a set of barricades we had to go under and over, including a 6-foot crossbar we had to get over. In total, there were about 15 stations we had to complete. We did this in teams of four, and it was one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed. Watching our heavyweights try to get over the six foot crossbar or climb the rope was great, as well as seeing out five foot tall 125-pound wrestlers trying to leap to the top of the ten-foot wall, hit the wall and be sent flying backwards. It has been a long time since I laughed that hard. After we completed the course as teams, there was a challenge made. (As there usually would be when dealing with competitive wrestlers.) Ben Henderson challenged Scott Taylor to a race on the course. Ben teamed up with Bryan Scrambler, while Scott teamed up with Terrance Almond. In the end, Scott and Terrence came out ahead, but it was fun to watch and jeer at our fellow teammates. However, the unofficial winner of the team race, according to Coach Costanzo, was my team of course, which included Willie Parks, Jimmy Rollins, Costanzo, and me. After the races and then a great Subway lunch, we headed to the Niobrara River for a canoe trip. The trip was a two-hour journey in the freezing cold river. I know it was freezing because as we (Rollins and I) were racing down it in a solid third place, we decided to cut to the inside corner around a bend to take over second place. We both started paddling on the same side and I guess we leaned a little too much. We ended up fully soaked in the river, our canoe half-full of water and sinking, and our clothes and shoes soaked. We were in the middle of the river by the time we got our feet under us and our things gathered up (our clothes and shoes tried to float away in the current). We made our way over to side to regroup, turned our canoe over to empty the water, and headed back down the river. Then we hooked up with another canoe paddled by Zach Loberg and Clinton Dale (mostly Loberg, though). We tied our boats together and tried to paddle as a team. After I realized we weren't in the hunt for the win, I proceeded to lay back and get some sun. It was a well-deserved break. Besides, Loberg wrestles 197 and really enjoyed paddling two canoes down river. We heard all kinds of falling in the water stories, but most of them came by way of someone tipping over someone else. Even Costanzo got tipped into the freezing cold water, and believe me, he was not happy about it. After the canoe trip was over, it was time to head back to Blair and continue on our quest for greatness. The weekend was a great time and an experience I will never forget. Its amazing how much better you get to know people when you spend the night with them outside in the freezing cold weather. Until next time, keep getting better. Marshall Marquardt Past Entries: Entry 2 (10/13/05) Entry 1 (10/1/05)

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- Army wrestling head coach Chuck Barbee will host the sixth annual Fall Wrestling Clinic for wrestlers and coaches Saturday, Nov. 5. The clinic will be conducted inside the sparkling new wrestling room at the newly-renovated Arvin Gymnasium at West Point. Barbee, a three time All-American during his college days at wrestling power Oklahoma State, will serve as one of the featured presenters. Barbee's staff, including assistant coaches, Mike Clayton and Bill Maldonado, will help with the training. The clinic will cover topics ranging from peaking and technique to nutrition, drilling and live situations. The cost of the clinic is $30 per coach or wrestler. It will begin at 9:30 a.m. and run until 5 p.m. Participants are encouraged to stick around following the event and watch the Army Black vs. Gold intra-squad dual meet, which is slated to begin at 6 p.m. Admission to the Black vs. Gold dual is free. Wrestlers and coaches interested in attending can fill out the registration form, which is included at the top of this release. Coaches may pre-register a team by calling Maldonado at 845-938-5028 or by emailing him at ww2373@usma.edu. Click here to download flyer Click here to register

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma wrestling team kicks off the 2005-06 season with its annual Red/White ranking match this Thursday Oct., 27, at 7 p.m., in the Howard McCasland Fieldhouse. The evening begins at 6 p.m., with an hour-long free wrestling clinic conducted by current Sooner coach and 2001 National Champion Michael Lightner. All participants in the clinic must wear wrestling shoes. At 7 p.m., the Sooners square off with one another in their annual Red/White ranking match to determine the starters at each weight for the 2005-06 season. The Sooners come into the season ranked No. 2 nationally. They return four All-Americans in Sam Hazewinkel, Teyon Ware, Matt Storniolo and Joel Flaggert. "This is a great oppurtunity for the fans to come and see the second-ranked Sooners open our season, said head coach Jack Spates. We have six wrestlers ranked in the top six in their weight division, and four returning All-Americans." "There are also a lot of Oklahoma boys on the roster which should excite the home crowd as well," Spates said. With a new season that also brings some new faces in the lineup highlighted by 2004 Junior National Champion Jarrod King. This should also be exciting for UCO as they have their intrasquad scrimmage right along side of us. It's going to be an exciting evening of wrestling." The Sooners open the regular season Nov. 12, in Brockport, N.Y., for the Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic. Oklahoma opens the dual portion of the schedule against the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m., in Edmond, Okla. The matchups for the scrimmage are as follows: 125 pounds, Sam Hazewinkel vs. J.J. Anderson, 133 pounds, Trey Blakely vs. Joe Comparin, 141 pounds, Teyon Ware vs. Kyle Terry, 149 pounds, Matt Storniolo vs. Will Rowe, 157 pounds, Jerome Featherstone vs. Shane Vernon, 165 pounds, Jarrod King vs. Jake Jackson, 174 pounds, Wes Roberts vs. Cody Hilbun, 184 pounds, Justin Dyer vs. Josh Hinton, 197 pounds, Joel Flaggert vs. Matt Cole, and Heavyweieght, Jake Hager vs. Austin David. Admission to the event is free. For more information on OU wrestling, visit www.soonersports.com.

State College, Pa. -- 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.

MADISON, Wis. -- The No. 15 Wisconsin wrestling team kicks off the 2005-06 season with intersquad wrestle-offs on Oct. 28 at the UW Field House. The event is set to start at 3:30 p.m. Five weight classes with more than one wrestler on the depth chart will be contested as the Badgers form their starting lineup. The action begins with Josh Crass (Medford, Wis.) taking on Dan Sneider (Northbrook, Ill.) at the 133 lbs. weight class. Both Badgers are freshmen looking to break into the line-up after redshirting the 2004-05 season. Vying for the spot at 141 lbs. are two fifth-year seniors, Ed Gutnik (Iselin, N.J.) and Tony Turner (Spring Valley, Wis.). Gutnik is a two-time NCAA qualifier at 149 lbs. and 133 lbs. and holds a 34-15 career record. Turner wrestled to a 6-5 record last season which contributed to his 27 career wins. Slated to wrestle in the 149 lbs. wrestle-off are Mike Metzger (Columbus, Wis.) and Tyler Turner (Spring Valley, Wis.). Metzger redshirted last season but wrestled unattached at a number of open events last season earning three pins. Turner is ranked ninth by Amateur Wrestling Magazine and 15th by InterMat in the 2005-06 preseason polls. A two-time team captain, Turner earned his second trip to the NCAA championship in 2005, posting a 23-11 overall record last season. Matt Maciag and Justin Peterson will wrestle for the 184 lbs. spot following the Metzger-Turner battle. "The only unproven weight class we have is 184," said head coach Barry Davis. Maciag, a Sussex, N.J., native, wrestled at both 184 lbs. and 197 lbs. last season, compiling a 9-9 record. Peterson is a redshirt freshman from Comstock, Wis., and is a two-time high school state-qualifier. Wrapping up the event will be Dallas Herbst and Lee Kraemer. Herbst, a redshirt freshman, was tabbed as one of the top recruits from Wisconsin in 2004. Kraemer, a senior who wrestled out of his natural weight at heavyweight last season, qualified for the NCAAs at 197 lbs. in 2003. Friday's wrestle-offs are free and open to the public. For those unable to attend check uwbadgers.com to follow the action with live stats. http://www.uwbadgers.com/live/wrst/snapshot.aspx )The Badgers begin their 2005-06 campaign on Nov. 4, traveling to Green Bay, Wis., to take on UW-Oshkosh.