InterMat Staff

Brandon Kelly, the nation's top ranked Division III wrestler at 197 pounds, claimed an individual title and helped lead Wilkes University to the team title at Saturday's Rochester Institute of Technology Tournament in New York. The Colonels, ranked 17th in Division III, had ten wrestlers place in the top four of their respective weight classes on their way to amassing 138.5 points. Johnson & Wales, ranked 10th, finished second with 117 points. 13th-ranked Cortland State was third with 113 points, while 27th-ranked John Carroll was fourth with 109.5 points among the 15 teams competing. Kelly, who had not wrestled since the Colonels season-opening win over York College on November 4th due to an injury, won all four of his matches to claim the 197-pound crown. He pinned Bobby Vanditto from Rhode Island College in 3:59 and scored a 17-0 win by technical fall over John Gottfried from Wesleyan to advance to the semi-finals. After earning an 8-5 win over Diego Crespo from Johnson & Wales in the semi's, Kelly won the title with an 8-3 victory over Cortland's Phil Archer. Felipe Queiroz, ranked seventh nationally, and Shaun Farnham placed third and fourth at 125 pounds. Both wrestlers advanced to the semi-finals before losing for the first time. Queiroz suffered a 7-5 loss to Mike McInnally from R.I.T. in the semi's, while Farnham dropped a 10-6 decision to Brandon McDonough from Johnson & Wales. Queiroz topped Elie Naoum from John Carroll, 8-4, and Farnham posted a 16-0 technical fall over Thiel's Josh Testa to set up a meeting between the two teammates in the third-place bout. Queiroz would prevail in the matchup with his teammate, 8-4 to finish third. Josh Pauling won his first two matches at 133 pounds to move into the semi-finals. There, he lost a tough 4-2 decision to Matt McDiarmid from John Carroll. Pauling rebound with a win by medical forfeit over Cortland's Eddie Ortiz and then stopped Brian Bucher from Baldwin Wallace, 4-0, to finish third. At 141 pounds Adam Penberthy posted a fifth-place finish for Wilkes. Penberthy lost in the semi-finals to Paul LeBlanc from Cortland, 5-3. After dropping an 8-4 verdict to Luke Baum from R.I.T. in the consolation semi-finals, Penberthy bounced back to notch a 7-2 win over Damian Rose from Thiel in the fifth-place match. Erik Smith copped third-place honors at 149 pounds. Smith was also a semi-finalist, falling to Case Western's Drew Gardella, 7-2. He rebounded with a 4-3 win over Mohammed Salem from Baldwin Wallace to earn a spot in the third-place match. Smith then scored a 5-1 win over Brian Radik from the Coast Guard Academy. Frank Heffernan advanced to the championship match at 157 pounds. Heffernan was a 3-2 winner over Kevin Keough from John Carroll in the semi-finals. In the title match he fell to Corey Barber from Cortland by a score of 4-2. At 165 pounds Justin Barowski lost to Cortland's Zach Bogardus, 10-5, in the semi-finals. Barowski would get off the mat to knock off Mike Sanchez from Case Western 7-4 in the consolation semi-finals. He then notched a 4-2 win over Steve Bagnowski from John Carroll to claim third-place. D.J. Giancola had one of the toughest routes to follow on his way to placing fourth. Giancola lost his opening round match before stringing together four straight victories. In the consolation semi-finals Giancola topped Baldin Wallace's Jeremy Feador, 8-4, before suffering an 8-2 loss to Bryan Gomez from Morrisville in the third-place bout. Josh Ballan finished fourth for the Colonels at 184 pounds. Ballan, who dropped an 8-0 decision to Bryan Lenhardt from Johnson & Wales in the semi-finals, fought back to claim a 6-3 victory over Brian Haines from Baldwin Wallace in the consolation semi-finals. In the third-place match Ballan was pinned by Johnson & Wales' Will Esposito in 5:40.

PRIMM, Nev. -- Senior/junior captains Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) captured individual titles at 149 and 165 pounds, respectively, to pace the No. 8-ranked University of Michigan to second place (109 points) at the 25th annual Cliff Keen Invitational, which concluded Saturday (Dec. 2) at the Star of the Desert Arena. The Wolverines had six total placewinners and drew scoring performances from every member of the 10-man squad. Churella claimed his second straight Cliff Keen Invitational crown -- adding to his 141-pound trophy from last season's event -- with a 5-3 decision over Harvard's J.P. O'Conner. After several failed single-leg shots through the first half of the match, Churella shifted his strategy and used an explosive double to put himself in control late in the middle period. The Wolverine capain added another double-leg takedown after a restart midway through the third frame and, despite being reversed in the closing seconds of the match, held on to remain perfect for the weekend. In the semifinals, Churella avenged his only loss of the season, decisively beating Cornell's second-seeded Jordan Leen 6-2. After a scoreless opening period, the Wolverine captain took control with a single-leg takedown early in the second and a double in the third while accumulating 2:27 in riding time. Improving his season record to a perfect 9-0, Tannenbaum controlled the action throughout his 165-pound championship bout against Missouri's top-seeded Matt Pell, using a pair of low single-leg takedowns to claim a 5-3 decision. The Wolverine struck first about a minute into the opening period and again early in the second frame and allowed Pell just three escapes in the contest. Tannenbaum had difficulty getting to his feet in the third as the Missouri wrestler whittled away his previous riding-time advantage, but Tannenbaum picked up the escape in the closing seconds to seal his first career Cliff Keen Invitational title. Tannenbaum cruised through his semifinal bout against Arizona State's third-seeded Patrick Pitsch, scoring a takedown in each period en route to a 8-3 decision. Junior/sophomore Tyrel Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman HS) joined the U-M captains in the championship round but suffered a 12-6 defeat to Ohio State's second-seeded Michael Pucillo. The Buckeye wrestler built an early and significant advantage with takedowns in the first and second periods and a pair of back points. Todd rallied in the final frame, scoring on two quick single legs, but could not overcome the early deficit. Pucillo converted on another takedown at the final buzzer and added just over a minute of riding-time advantage. In the morning semifinal round, Todd dominated Hofstra's fourth-seeded Joe Rovelli with three takedowns and a pair of first-period back points. Fifth-year senior Mark Moos (Lorain, Ohio/St. Edward HS) registered a 3-1 mark in today's wrestleback competition to take fifth place at 125 pounds. Squaring off against Northern Illinois' fourth-seeded Pat Castillo in the fifth-place match, Moos scored a pair of first-period takedowns to build up a strong advantage before using a duck early in the second to take Castillo straight to his back and earn the fall at 3:33. The Wolverine senior, seeded 10th, kicked off the day in equally dominant fashion with a 16-0 technical fall against Wisconsin's eighth-seeded Collin Cudd. Using his knack for scrambling, coupled with a bar and half, to score 12 back points, Moos ended the contest late in the second frame. Fifth-year senior Nick Roy (Wall, N.J./Wall HS), seeded seventh at 197 pounds, built up a 6-1 advantage in the first period of his semifinal bout against Missouri's third-seeded Max Askren, but in the subsequent frame, the Wolverine suffered a knee injury that required him to injury default. Roy put the Tiger wrestler on the mat about a minute into the match and immediately locked up a cradle to force two back points. After Askren kicked free, Roy wasted little time before shooting in on another single leg and collecting the takedown out of the ensuing scramble. Roy needed to use his injury time early in the second after trying to fight off a Missouri takedown and needed it again just minutes later at the end of an Askren pinning situation. He could not continue the match and defaulted out to place sixth. Junior/sophomore Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS) used a second-period takedown to pick up a 3-1 decision over Cal Poly's Nick Hernandez in his first 174-pound wrestleback match after last night's disappointing quarterfinal loss. However, struggling with a nagging injury from the previous day, he defaulted out to take eighth place. The Wolverines will kick off the home portion of their 2006-07 schedule on Friday (Dec. 8) with a non-conference contest against intrastate rival Central Michigan. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. start at Cliff Keen Arena.

The No. 5 Heidelberg College wrestling team grabbed the overall team title at the Messiah Petrofes Invitational in Grantham, Pa today. The berg recorded 173 points, outdistancing runner-up No. 7 SUNY Brockport with a score of 144. Heidelberg had 14 top eight finishers including four individual championships. 197 pound sophomore Ryan Fogliano (Maple Heights, Ohio / Maple Heights) posted a 4-0 record including a pin in the championship match just 2:40 into the match to stay unbeaten at 10-0 on the season. Fogliano entered the weekend ranked seventh at 197 pounds. Also grabbing individual championships was 157 pound sophomore Ian Rammel (St. Mary's, Ohio / Spencerville) going 4-0 including a 6-4 dec. against SUNY Brockport's Andrew Grillo in the finals, 174 pound Dan Jonhenry (Berea, Ohio / Berea) also posting a 4-0 record and 285 pound junior Ryan Bowers (Lima, Ohio / Elida). Bowers was perfect at 4-0, including a semifinal win against the fifth ranked wrestler in the nation, Trevor Hiffa. Bowers pinned Hiffa in 3:56 on his way to the championship. Also finishing in the top eight was 184 pound freshman Kyle Rooney (Cincinnati, Ohio / Anderson) who finished third by going, while fellow classmate Matt LaFollette (Raymond, Ohio / Marysville) finished fifth at 184 pounds. LaFollette finished with a 5-2 record including a pin against DJ Lombardo of UC 4:40 into the match and a major decision against Bryan Kopesky of Lycoming, 13-1. In the 165 pound weight class, sophomore Aaron Jonhenry (Berea, Ohio / Berea) and freshman James Delong (Perrysville, Ohio / Hillsdale) finished fourth and sixth respectively. Jonhenry finished the day 5-2 with three major decisions; while Delong finished 4-3 with one pin against Tyree Johnson of Mount Union 2:27 into the mach. In the 149 pound weight class, freshman Zack Mizer (Canton, Ohio / Perry) and freshman Josh Levy (West Liberty, Ohio / West Liberty Salem) finished fourth and seventh respectively. Sophomore Clemens Artmann (Hillsboro, Ohio / Hillsboro) finished fourth at 125 pounds with one pin coming against Peppy Cabera of Brockport 5:52 in the match and finishing seventh at 141 pounds was junior Nick Sanchez (Lima, Ohio / Bath). In the heavyweight division, junior Robbie Brubeck (Findlay, Ohio / Findlay) beat out fellow team member junior Tony Carothers (Bloomingdale, Ohio / Harrison Central) for second place. According to head coach Jason Miller "I am very pleased where we are at. It was nice to come in and perform well against fellow ranked opponents. This weekend has been good preparation for our dual match with Ohio Northern University on Tuesday." The Berg will be back in action this Tuesday at Ohio Northern for an OAC dual match. Starting time is set for 7:30 p.m.

125 lbs. -- Nick Simmons of Michigan State, the two time defending champ at 125 lbs., will be the overwhelming favorite, depending on which weight class he competes in: 125 or 133 lbs. His overall Midlands record is 16-1 and he could reach two elite categories in this year's event, the "20 in 4" club and the three straight individual championships group. He is currently ranked No. 1 at 133 lbs. Others who could challenge for the title include: 2005 runner-up and 19th-ranked Pat Castillo of Northern Illinois and Central Michigan's Luke Smith, who is ranked 13th and finished third in last year's Midlands. Gabe Flores of Illinois ranked No. 5, Michigan State's sixth-ranked Franklin Gomez, Charlie Falck of Iowa, Indiana's 16th-ranked Angel Escobedo; 17th-ranked Kyle Anson of Northern Iowa and Mark Moos of Michigan will also look to make some noise. 133 lbs. – Nick Simmons, if he wrestles at 133, will be the favorite, and following him the field is wide open. Iowa's eighth-ranked Mario Galanakis and Central Michigan alum Jason Borrelli, who finished third last year, will be the top contenders. Indiana's Andrae Hernandez, Cameron Doggett of Purdue and Robbie Preston of Harvard are ranked grapplers in the hunt. Rider's Zack Cunliffe, Eastern Michigan's Sean Clair, Iowa State's Nick Gallick, and David Armstrong from Cleveland State will also look to contend for this year's title. 141 lbs. -- This will be a highly competitive weight class including many nationally-ranked wrestlers. Northwestern's Ryan Lang is the favorite, who is ranked No.1 in the country. However, he will have plenty of competition in No. 2 Brandon Rader of West Virginia, fifth-ranked Andy Simmons from Michigan State, ninth-ranked Max Meltzer of Harvard, No. 11 C.J. Ettelson of Northern Iowa, No. 12 Alex Tsirtsis of Iowa, No. 17 Mitch Mueller of Iowa State, No. 18 Don Fisch of Rider and Cassio Pero of Illinois at No. 19. Brandon Carter of Central Michigan will also be in the hunt. 149 lbs. – With a group of highly talented wrestlers, this weight class will provide much excitement. Leading the pack is sixth-ranked Josh Churella representing the University of Michigan. He is closely followed by eighth-ranked David Jauregui of West Virginia, Illinois' 11th-ranked Troy Tirapelle, Matt Coughlin of Indiana at No. 12, 14th-ranked Ryan Hurley of Cleveland State and Cyler Sanderson of Iowa State at No. 15. Damion Swietlik of American, Central Michigan's Andy Keller and Mike Grimes of Northern Illinois will also contend. 157 lbs. -- Top-ranked Trent Paulson of Iowa State is the favorite coming in at 157 lbs. and will be challenged by many highly-ranked opponents. Fifth-ranked Mike Poeta of Illinois finished second at 165 lbs. in the 2005 Midlands and seventh-ranked Brandon Becker from Indiana finished fourth last year. Fourth-ranked Andrew Flanagan of Harvard, Iowa's Ryan Morningstar, Central Michigan's Eric Neil, West Virginia's Zac Fyling and Dave Miller from Rider will look to make their respective marks on the tournament as well. 165 lbs. -- Like the 157-pound class, this division has a deep level of nationally-ranked competitors. No. 2 Mark Perry of Iowa who finished first in 2004 and second in 2005 at 174 lbs. will head the field. Defending champion Nick Balma of Northern Iowa, fourth-ranked Travis Paulson from Iowa State and No. 5 Eric Tannebaum from Michigan will follow closely. Additional contenders include: Northern Illinois' Johnny Galloway, Larry Hall from West Virginia, Max Dean of Indiana, Roger Smith-Bergsrud of Illinois and Dan Bedoy representing Purdue. 174 lbs. -- Second-ranked James Yonushonis of Penn State headlines this talented group. Matt Palmer, No. 4 from Columbia, will follow him along with seventh-ranked Ken Robertson of Eastern Illinois, Michigan's eighth-ranked Steve Luke, Iowa's ninth-ranked Eric Luedke, No. 10 Brandon Sinnott of Central Michigan, No. 12 Doug Umbehauer from Rider, No. 14 Donny Reynolds of Illinois and 16th-ranked Kurt Brenner of West Virginia. Others looking to claim awards include Josh Chelf of Wisconsin-LaCrosse and David Bertolino from Iowa State. 184 lbs. – This year Northwestern's Jake Herbert is going for his third straight Midlands title. He captured first place in 2004 and 2005 at 174 lbs. The top-challenger could be Ben Wissel, a Purdue graduate who recently finished second in a Real Pro Wrestling event and was a 2005 Midlands runner-up. The challengers are many and those ranked within the nation's top 20 include: Tyrel Todd from Michigan, Iowa State's Jake Varner, Christian Sinnott of Central Michigan, Marc Bennett of Indiana, Louis Caputo from Harvard, Columbia's Justin Barent, Duke Burk from Northern Illinois, Phil Keddy from Iowa and Michigan State's Joe Williams. Contenders Mike Corcetti of Pitt-Johnstown and Gerald Harris, who lost to Wissel in the Real Pro event, could also be factors in the final standings. 197 lbs. -- Defending champion Wynn Michalak of Central Michigan returns to try to win two-straight championships. Currently he is ranked No. 8. Top challengers include: American's Josh Glenn who finished third at 184 lbs. in 2005, Kurt Backes of Iowa State, Purdue's Nathan Moore, Northwestern's Mike Tamillow, Casey White of Michigan, Jared Villers of West Virginia, Rider's ranked T.J. Morrison, Northern Iowa's Andy Anderson and Patrick Bond wrestling for Illinois. 285 lbs. -- This appears to be another weight class where many wrestlers have a chance at winning a title. Veteran Brian Keck, a four-time place winner, returns to battle for his first championship title. Harvard's Bode Ogunwole, ranked No. 2, and third-ranked Dustin Fox of Northwestern are both in this year's field. Others looking to take home the trophy include: Iowa's Matt Fields, Central Michigan's Bubba Gritter, Payam Zarrinpour of Sacred Heart, Adam LoPiccolo from American, Indiana's Dave Herman and Nebraska-Kearney's Tervel Diagnev.

Erie, Pa. -- Mercyhurst wrestling coach Tony Cipollone earned his 100th career win as his Lakers took care of cross-town rival Gannon 32-6 in the War at the Shore at the Erie Civic Center Friday night. Mercyhurst, ranked No. 11 in NCAA Division II, took control early by winning the first seven matches. Payne Lint got it started for the Lakers in the 125 bout, defeating Gannon's Scott Baron via technical fall in the third period. Braxdon Scaletta followed up with a 12-1 decision over Ed Marshall at 133. All-American J.J. Zanetta then won a decision at 141 over the Knights' Brian Yoder, to give the Lakers a 13-0 lead. The Lakers Brian Pogel, Andy Lamancusa and Hudson Harrison also won by decision in their respective weight classes to give the Lakers the lead for good. All-American Zack Schafer scored the only fall of the night when he pinned Jamie Shearer in the 174 match. Kenny Bluska finished off the evening with a 2-0 decision in the heavyweight bout. The match carried more weight as the team's battled for the Oar, a trophy that signifies the yearly winner in the series. A year ago, Gannon defeated Mercyhurst by one point in the War at the Shore to win the first match in which the Oar was presented. The Lakers, now 1-4 on the year, will be back in action December 9, when they travel to the Ohio Northern Invite.

After exchanging the lead with Shippensburg University through the first five matches, Head Coach Pat Pecora's #5 Mountain Cat wrestlers got things rolling and improved to 3-2 with 22-12 win over their East Region rival in Friday's 2006-07 home opener in the Sports Center. Pitt Johnstown's Mike Corcetti (Export, Pa.), the top-ranked wrestler in the country at 184 lbs. and a returning National Runner-Up, highlighted the Mountain Cats' victory with a convincing, 6-1, win over #2-ranked Mark Murphy. Pitt Johnstown jumped out to a 3-0 lead with Derrek Bosso's (Pequea, Pa.), 11-4, win over Andrew Jones at 125 lbs., but Shippensburg evened the score when Steve Fittery upset #4-ranked Brandon Reasy (New Enterprise, Pa.), 6-1, in overtime in the 133-lb. bout. The Mountain Cats regained the lead with a 14-6 major decision by Shane Valko (Windber, Pa.) at 141 lbs. until the Red Raiders took the lead back, 9-7, when 2006 National Qualifier Dan Nauman pinned Pitt Johnstown's Mazen Kholi (Allentown, Pa.) at 2:39. However, that was the last time Shippensburg would hold the lead, as the Mountain Cat went on to win five of the last six matches to seal the victory. National Qualifier Joe Strittmatter (157 lbs.) (Ebensburg, Pa.), #3-ranked Albert Miles (165-lbs.) (Canonsburg, Pa.), All-American Eli Garshnick (174 lbs.) (Armagh, Pa.), Corcetti and #4-ranked Mike Fowler (197 lbs.) (Carrolltown, Pa.) all won by decision to help Pitt Johnstown. Sophomore Jon Neese (Chambersville, Pa.) suffered a 4-3 loss to Jason Groller in the Heavyweight bout to set the final score at 22-12 in favor of the Mountain Cats. With the loss, Shippensburg dropped to 0-1 on the year. The Mountain Cats travel to the Penn State Open on Sunday and to the Clarion University Duals on December 17, where they will wrestle Division I opponents Lock Haven University, Kent State (OH) University and Clarion. Pitt Johnstown will host its next home event on January 19-20 when it hosts the 2007 East Coast Duals in the Sports Center.

St. Cloud, Minn. -- St. Cloud State University will host the 2006 Husky Open wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 9, in the University's Halenbeck Hall. The tournament kicks off at 9 a.m. that day and it will feature many of the nation's top collegiate wrestling programs. Tickets for this event are $6 for adults and $3 for youth (ages 2 to 12th grade). As always, SCSU students with a validated student I.D. card will be admitted free to this event. Teams scheduled to compete in this "open" format tournament include St. Cloud State, UW-LaCrosse, South Dakota State, Minnesota State-Moorhead, UW-Parkside, Concordia College, Rochester Community College, Augsburg, Minnesota, Minnesota State-Mankato, Itasca Community College and Ridgewater Community College.

ANNAPOLIS, MD. -- The Navy wrestling team (2-2) won all 10 weight classes to earn its second dual meet win of the season, as the Mids defeated Rutgers (0-1), 42-0, Friday night at Halsey Field House. Navy improved to 19-2 in dual meets against the Scarlet Knights and turned in the first shutout by either team in the 21-match history. "The guys really wrestled well," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "I was happy with their aggressiveness and our conditioning was pretty good. Some of the guys started a little slow, but finished strong. I'm really pleased for the guys that all of their hard work is paying off. It was a pretty impressive win for our team. "The competition gets a little stiffer on Sunday with so many different teams wrestling at the Nittany Lion Open, but we are anxious to meet the challenge." The Mids earned decisions in their first two matches, including the opener at 165 pounds where Navy junior Robert Johnston (Satellite Beach, Fla.) got things started with a 4-1 decision over Rutgers sophomore Matt Pletcher. Senior Antonio Miranda (Eugene, Ore.), ranked 19th at 184 pounds, extended the Mids' lead to 11-0 after posting a technical fall (6:24) over Keith Dobish. Four of the last six matches were major decisions by the Mids, while the remaining two were falls. Twentieth-ranked Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.) picked up his first major decision of 2006-07 with a 12-3 win over Mike D'Amico. Junior Branden Beasley (Alexandria, Va.) returned to the mat after battling an injury early in the year to pick up his fifth win of the season with an 18-7 major decision over Dan Hilt. Seniors Brad Canterbury (Blue Bell, Pa.) (141) and team captain John Jarred (Kansas City, Mo.) (157) also earned major decisions Friday night. Senior Alex Usztics (Dauphin, Pa.) produced his fourth win by fall this winter and 15th of his career when he sent Andrew DelGuercio packing at 125 pounds at the 3:32 mark. Senior John Cox (Grand Haven, Mich.), ranked No. 7 at 149 pounds, took sole possession of 10th on Navy's career wins list (3) Friday night after pinning Rutgers sophomore Jack Barrett at 2:00. It marked Also earning victories on the night were junior Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) at 174 pounds, who is now 13-1 on the year, and sophomore 197-pounder Tyler Moyer (Bremerton, Wash.) who earned a 10-8 decision over Karim Mohmoud to earn his first dual win of the 2006-07 season. Navy will have little time to enjoy its win as it will travel to Pennsylvania to take part in the 2006 Nittany Lion Open on Sunday beginning at 8:30 am.

Simpson (1-1) defeated Williams College 26-16 in a non-conference wrestling dual Dec. 1 in Indianola, Iowa. Ethan Cohen put the Ephs up 4-0 with an 11-0 victory over Tony Hager in the opening 125 pound match. Matt Koch broke the seal for the Storm by defeating Mike Penza 8-2 at 133. The Storm took its first lead of the night when Curtis Barber defeated Dylan Rittenburg 4-2 in the 141 pound match. Williams took a 7-6 lead at 149 when Nick Miragliuolo charted a 12-9 victory over Wade Dowling. Kellen Delaney put Simpson back into the lead, 9-7, when he defeated Carl Breitenstein 8-2 at 157 pounds. The Ephs led for what proved to be the final time of the night at 165 as Doug Washington used riding time to defeat Ben Hektoen 8-7. Tom Koch put the Storm up for good with a technical fall over Paul Fraulo (16-1 at 4:30) in the 174 pound matchup. Garrett Kiley pinned Max Pinto 2:09 into the 184 pound match to give the Storm a 20-10 lead. Nathan Shippe pulled the Ephs to within four, 20-16, when he pinned Sam Collora at 197. Chris Downing secured the victory for the Storm when he pinned Kyle Ayer at the 3:52 mark of the heavyweight match. The victory marked the 10th straight time that Simpson has defeated Williams in dual competition. Next up for both teams is the 2006 Simpson Invitational Saturday in Indianola. 18 teams are scheduled to compete beginning at 9 a.m. (CST).

LEXINGTON, Va. -- The Maryland wrestling team dominated VMI, 30-9, on December 1 at the Thunderdome. The Terrapins took seven of the 10 matches during the evening with senior Jason Kiessling and sophomore James Knox winning their matches by technical fall. Kiessling earned his 10th win of the season with a 23-7 win at 165 pounds. Senior Charlie Pinto continued his hot start to the season with his 10th win in his first 11 matches as he won at 141 by major decision. Freshman Mike Letts also won by major decision to get his team-leading 11th win. Maryland started the dual by winning the first five matches en route to the win. VMI gave the Terps a 6-0 lead as it did not have an entry at 197. Senior Jerry Afari slipped by Scott Buhman at heavyweight with a 4-3 decision to put the Terrapins up 9-0. Knox dominated his opponent Lance Long at 125 by scoring a 26-8 technical fall in 6:05. Freshman Jon Kohler added to the momentum with a 3-1 decision against Tyler Anthony and then Pinto scored his major decision to give Maryland a 21-0 cushion. After the Keydets took the next two matches by decision, KIessling tallied his technical fall to push the lead up to 26-6 and then Letts added to the lead with another major decision. The Terps are back in action next weekend for the last time before taking a break for the holiday. On December 9, Maryland takes on Rider and Rutgers and then the Terps wrestle Princeton on December 10.

Oskaloosa -- The Statesmen wrestling team won all nine of the night's contested matches as it dropped Northwestern in Penn Gymnasium Friday, 40-6. Penn (3-0) lost just once on the night, giving up a forfeit at 149 pounds. Shamar Haynes (Jr., Cedar Rapids, Ellsworth CC) began the night at 125 pounds by pinning his opponent in 4:19. 133-pounder Nick Cucciniello (Fr., Saint James, N.Y., Smithtown HS) then rallied from a first-period deficit to claim victory via decision, 13-8. Earl Robinson (Jr., Davenport, Davenport Central HS) matched Haynes with a fall in 3:24 at 141 pounds. After the forfeit loss at 149, Brandon Graham (Jr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) used a pair of takedowns to hold off his Raider opponent at 157 pounds, 5-3. Marty Usman (Fr., Arlington, Texas, Bowie HS) also won by decision at 165 pounds, 11-6, while Nate Stirgus (Sr., Muskegon, Mich., Muskegon CC) followed that performance with an 18-8 major decision win at 174 pounds. Spenser Sharp (Fr., Hoquiam, Wash., Hoquiam HS) provided the most excitement of the night at 184 pounds, rallying for a huge 11-9 win over Enock Francois, who was ranked #7 at 174 pounds in the NAIA's preseason rating. The freshman was dominated early, allowing four takedowns in the first period, eventually trailing 9-3 in the early part of the second period. Sharp then pulled off a five-point move with a takedown and three-point near fall to cut the lead to 9-8. He added another three-point near fall in the final period and rode Francois out for the win. Logan Frescoln (Fr., Batavia, Cardinal HS), in 3:49 at 197 pounds, and Chauncey Coleman (Sr., Fresno, Calif., McLane HS), in 6:40 at 285 pounds, both won by fall to close out the meet. Next: Penn travels to two tournaments this weekend, going to Indianola to compete in the Simpson Invitational, Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. Several Statesmen will also go north to Cedar Falls to grapple at the UNI Open Sunday, also beginning at 9 a.m.

Competing in its first dual meet as a Division I team, Northern Colorado was no match for the third-ranked Golden Gophers. Minnesota won all 10 matches, with three Gophers recording pins, two registering technical falls and two others posting major decisions on the way to a 45-0 victory. The win was the first shutout in a dual meet for Minnesota since January 27, 2002. No. 9 Jayson Ness got things started for the Gophers with a 21-6 tech fall over Tony Mustari. The redshirt freshman from Bloomington is off to a 4-1 dual meet start with two major decisions and one tech fall to his credit. True freshman Mike Thorn gave Minnesota an 8-0 lead with his decision over Kyle Kaiser at 133 pounds, and No. 6 Manuel Rivera defeated Kenny Hashimoto, 8-6, to extend the lead to 11-0. Top-ranked Dustin Schlatter recorded his first shutout of the season with a 15-0 tech fall over Richard Lohr to remain perfect at 9-0 on the season. Schlatter now won his last 39 matches, tying him with Head Assistant Coach Marty Morgan for the third longest streak in school history. Tyler Safratowich kept the Gophers rolling with a 5-4 decision over Luke Salazar at 157 pounds to give Minnesota a 19-0 lead. Jeremy Larson followed with a pin of Devan Lewis in 4:40 to push the lead to put the match away. The pin was Larson's second of the season and ninth of his career. Gabriel Dretsch earned an 18-4 major decision over Ryan Johnson, and Roger Kish followed with a pin of Alex Joseph to extend Minnesota's lead to 35-0. Junior college transfer Yura Malamura improved to 3-1 in a Golden Gopher uniform with his third straight win. Malamura recorded his first major decision with a 20-8 victory over Calen Nicholl. In the only match of the night featuring two ranked wrestlers, top-ranked Cole Konrad finished off the Bears with a pin of No. 15 Reece Hopkin in 2:55. With the win, Konrad continued to inch his way up the school's career record charts. He won his 45th consecutive match to move within 13 victories of the longest streak in school history. He is also now tied for fourth all-time with 40 pins in his career. The Golden Gophers will now gear up to face top-ranked Oklahoma State at the Sports Pavilion on Wednesday, Dec. 6. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 5/9 Oklahoma Sooners (3-0, 0-0) look to knock off No. 1/2 Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-0, 0-0) on Sunday at 3 p.m., when the two collide at the Howard McCasland Field House in Norman for the first installment of the Bedlam Series, presented by Bank of Oklahoma and your local Ford Dealers. The dual will be televised by Cox Cable statewide. Cox Ch. 7 in the Oklahoma City/metro, Cox Ch. 3 in Tulsa, cable channel 5 in Lawton and KOMI in Woodward. "We're very excited about the opportunity to wrestle a great program this weekend," said OU head coach Jack Spates. "This is going to be a great match with some excellent competition and the field house is going to see a great atmosphere." Last time the Sooners and Cowboys met OSU defeated OU 21-12 in Norman. The Sooners are coming off of a close dual with Central Oklahoma on Wednesday night. OU squeaked out the win as they defeated UCO 20-18. Next up for the Sooners is a trip to San Luis, Calif. to wrestle No. 19/20 Cal-Poly on Saturday, Dec. 9.

On Sunday at 4 p.m. (CST), No. 3 Iowa State (2-0) will travel to Iowa City to take on No. 11 Iowa (2-0) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in what will mark the 72nd meeting between these two collegiate wrestling powers. It will pit two Olympic champions, who are now head coaches, against one another, Cael Sanderson for Iowa State, Tom Brands for Iowa. Last season, Iowa defeated Iowa State, 20-15, on Dec. 2 at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. This season's dual should be tight. Here's how I see it playing out … 125: Nick Fanthorpe (Iowa State) vs. Charlie Falck (Iowa) Fanthorpe, one of six freshmen in Iowa State's lineup, is 10-2 this season. He was runner-up at the Harold Nichols Open and placed third at the Fullerton Open. Falck, a four-time Minnesota state champion, redshirted last season as he recovered from a motorcycle accident. As a true freshman in 2004-05, Falck posted a record of 18-12. He has only wrestled two matches this season, going 1-1. Both Fanthorpe and Falck share a common opponent loss, by similar scores, to Kyle Anson of Northern Iowa. Prediction: Falck decision over Fanthorpe 133: No. 13 Nick Gallick (Iowa State) vs. No. 10 Mario Gallanakis (Iowa) Gallick, the younger brother of Iowa State NCAA champion Nate Gallick, was one of the most sought-after recruits in the country two years ago after winning four Arizona state titles. Like Fanthorpe, Gallick was runner-up at the Harold Nichols Open and placed third at the Fullerton Open. One of his losses was to Gallanakis' teammate, Joey Slaton, a transfer from Virginia Tech who is competing unattached this season. Gallanakis, who sat out last season, has wrestled like a man on a mission this season. He defeated Slaton, 10-3, in a preseason wrestle-off. In competition this season, Gallanakis is 6-1, with his only loss coming at the hands of two-time All-American Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State, 2-1, at the Kaufman-Brand Open. Prediction: Galanakis decision over Gallick 141: No. 7 Mitch Mueller (Iowa State) vs. No. 11 Alex Tsirtsis (Iowa) This could be the match that determines the outcome of the dual. Mueller, a freshman phenom, is 10-1 this season. He was a Harold Nichols Open champion and runner-up at the Fullerton Open. The lone blemish on Mueller's record this season is a one-point loss (1-0) to No. 2 Derek Moore of UC-Davis. Tsirtsis, a returning All-American, has battled injuries throughout his career at Iowa. He's also bit of a Jekyll & Hyde. It will be interesting to see which Tsirstis shows up on Sunday. Will it be the one who beat Josh Churella and wrestled one-point matches with Teyon Ware and Nate Gallick? Or the one who lost a preseason wrestle-off? Prediction: Mueller decision over Tsirtsis 149: No. 10 Cyler Sanderson (Iowa State) vs. Alex Grunder (Iowa) Cyler Sanderson (Photo/Johnnie Johnson)Sanderson, the youngest of the Sanderson clan, has the talent, work ethic, and heart to do some great things in a Cyclone singlet. He possesses an aggressive, attacking style that is exciting to watch. He comes into the dual against Iowa with a 10-2 mark. Grunder, a senior has paid his dues at Iowa City, backing up NCAA runner-up Ty Eustice. He has posted an overall career record of 18-10 … with a 4-3 mark this season. Grunder may not have the accolades of many of his teammates, but he has certainly proven to be a solid, consistent performer throughout his career. Last season, Grunder notched a victory over Big Ten runner-up Troy Tirapelle of Illinois. Prediction: Sanderson decision over Grunder 157: No. 1 Trent Paulson (Iowa State) vs. No. 10 Ryan Morningstar Paulson has gotten off to a great start in his senior campaign. The two-time All-American is 8-0 … with six of those wins coming by major decision, technical fall, or fall. He has two victories this season over NCAA runner-up Brian Stith of Arizona State, one coming at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 20 and one in a dual last Sunday. Morningstar, a freshman, is expected to deliver big things for the Hawkeyes. After posting a 14-1 record as a redshirt last season, he has begun his freshman season 5-3. His only losses have come to Chris Oliver of Nebraska (twice) and Stith (3-1 SV). Paulson should win this match (probably by 3-5 points), but Cyclone fans shouldn't expect bonus points against a tough and talented freshman. Prediction: Paulson decision over Morningstar 165: No. 4 Travis Paulson (Iowa State) vs. No. 2 Mark Perry (Iowa) Mark Perry (Photo/John Sachs)Travis, like Trent, has begun his senior season undefeated. His current record stands at 9-0, which includes two close victories over Pac-10 champion Pat Pitsch of Arizona State. He also scored a 6-2 win over Midlands champion Nick Baima of Northern Iowa. Perry, a two-time All-American who has moved down from 174 pounds, remains on of the most exciting and unorthodox wrestlers in the country. Perry is 5-1 this season, with his only loss coming to two-time NCAA champion Johny Hendricks of Oklahoma State at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 20, 3-1. He also has a victory over Baima this season. Perry is 2-0 against Paulson for his career. In 2004-05, Perry won their first meeting in a December dual meet, 5-2, and then later that month notched a 6-4 decision over Paulson in the finals of the 2004 Midlands Championships. Prediction: Perry decision over Paulson 174: David Bertolino (Iowa State) vs. No. 14 Eric Luedke (Iowa) Bertolino, a two-time Ohio state champion, posted a .500 record (15-15) last season as a sophomore. He has started his junior season 7-3, but has no notable victories. Luedke, a returning All-American at 165 pounds, has made the move up to 174 pounds. He is comes into this match with a 10-1 record, which includes a victory over NCAA Division II champion JD Naig of Nebraska-Omaha. Prediction: Luedke decision over Bertolino 184: No. 8 Jake Varner (Iowa State) vs. Phillip Keddy (Iowa) Varner has emerged as one of the nation's top freshmen this season. He is not only winning his matches, but winning in impressive fashion. He is a perfect 9-0 with six of his wins coming by fall. Keddy, also a freshman, is 4-2 this season. Keddy's biggest victory this season came against NCAA qualifier Steve Borja of Virginia Tech, 4-3, at the Kaufman-Brand Open. Last season, the two faced off at the Northern Iowa Open, where Keddy headbutted Varner and was subsequently disqualified. Prediction: Varner major decision over Keddy 197: No. 8 Kurt Backes (Iowa State) vs. Dan Erekson (Iowa) Kurt Backes (Photo/Johnnie Johnson)Backes came to Iowa State from Blair Academy in 2001 with great expectations. As a freshman, he became an All-American, placing seventh. However, the past two seasons have ended on sour notes for Backes as he has yet to get back to the All-American podium. He has added weight to his frame (comes in around 210 pounds) and says that he feels comfortable and confident in his new weight class. He is undefeated at 9-0, but hasn't really been tested to this point. His only notable win this season came against NCAA qualifier Matt Monteiro of Cal Poly in the finals of the Fullerton Open. Erekson took some lumps last season wrestling as a true freshman for the Hawkeyes, posting a 19-19 record. He won the amateur division at the Kaufman-Brand Open, but has yet to beat a quality Division I opponent this season. Prediction: Backes major decision over Erekson Hwt: David Zabriskie (Iowa State) vs. No. 6 Matt Fields (Iowa) Zabriskie is a freshman for the Cyclones who is a bit undersized at 230 pounds. He has competed well in the early part of the season, finishing runner-up at the Harold Nichols Open and placing third at the Fullerton Open. Fields is a big, strong heavyweight who was on track to become an All-American last season before a season-ending injury against Minnesota's Cole Konrad. Fields is 5-1 this season, with his only loss coming in the finals of the Kaufman-Brand Open to Division II runner-up Tervel Dlagnev of Nebraska Kearney. Zabriskie should be able to keep the match close, but will have a hard time winning the bigger, stronger Fields. Prediction: Fields decision over Zabriskie ***Final Score Prediction: Iowa State 17, Iowa 15***

USA Wrestling has announced that the ASICS University National Championships and FILA Cadet National Championships for men will be held in Akron, Ohio, April 20-22. The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the competition is the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC). Located in downtown Cleveland, the GCSC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to measurably enhance the economy, image and quality of life in the Greater Cleveland community by attracting and creating significant sporting events and activities. (www.clevelandsports.org) The event is hosted by The University of Akron in its state-of-the-art intercollegiate Athletics Field House. The event will be sponsored by the Kent State University wrestling program, along with USA Wrestling/Ohio. "USA Wrestling is excited to announce Akron, Ohio as the host city of the 2007 ASICS FILA Cadet & University National Championships," said Pete Isais, USA Wrestling Director of National Events. "With a great tradition of wrestling in this region of the country, we feel northeast Ohio is the perfect location for one of USA Wrestling's premier National Championship events. With the help of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, USA Wrestling-Ohio, Kent State University wrestling, and the University of Akron, we look forward to building on the continuing success of this event." Competition will be held in the Olympic styles of freestyle and Greco-Roman in both age divisions. The University Nationals features many of the nation's top college-age wrestlers, both from college wrestling programs and the U.S. military teams. The FILA Cadet Nationals showcases many of the best high school wrestlers in the United States. University-age athletes are 18-24 years old (Born 1983-89) and the athlete must have graduated from high school. FILA Cadets are 15-17 years old (Born 1990-91, and 1992 with a medical certificate). This tournament has been hosted by the wrestling team at Northwestern Univ. and held in the Chicago area since 1992. The University Nationals has only had one other site during its history, at Penn State Univ. in 1990 and 1991. Finalists in the University Nationals in both styles qualify to participate in the U.S. Senior World Team Trials in Las Vegas, Nev., June 8-10. The top three place winners at the FILA Cadet Nationals qualify for their state's Cadet Nationals team above the state limit (and must adhere to all state policies). FILA Cadet and University qualifiers will receive information regarding an international tour opportunity from USA Wrestling's National Developmental coaches upon completion of the event. "The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission is thrilled at being awarded the 2007 University and FILA Cadet National Championships and looks forward to continuing Northeast Ohio's strong partnership with USA Wrestling," said David Gilbert, President, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. Ohio is considered one of the nation's hotbeds for wrestling. There are numerous college wrestling programs in Ohio and the surrounding states. High school wrestling in Ohio is nationally respected, and the state has more high school wrestlers each year than any state except for California. "The University of Akron is pleased to be working with the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and excited to host the 2007 USA Wrestling University Nationals / FILA Cadet Nationals event in the Athletics Field House. We look forward to providing a positive experience for all contestants and their families while visiting our beautiful campus," said Paul Hammond, the Assistant Athletics Director for Facilities and Operations for The University of Akron. The Athletics Field House at the University of Akron opened in August, 2004, and has 120,000 square feet of activity space. It has hosted numerous major competitions, including the Big East Conference Men and Women Track and Field Championships, the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches Indoor State Championship Meet and the Akron Road Runner Marathon Registration and Expo.

The Peacock Wrestling Team took their #8 national ranking on the road and visited the Rangers of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, who are ranked 13th in the nation. Upper Iowa won the dual 24-18 fueled by three major decisions by John Gamble, Andy Norton, and Ryan Phillips. The dual began at the 165 lb. weight class with Mitch Norton, redshirt freshmen, facing off against Kyle Becker. The match was tied 5-5 after the first two periods, but Norton could not keep up with Becker in the third period and lost the decision 12-6. "Mitch wrestled a good match, but his lack of experience caught up to him in the third period," said head coach Heath Grimm. In the 174 lb. weight class, Brady Hakeman, junior, lined up against Corey Van Groll and won by decision 10-4. "Brady looked extremely strong tonight. He jumped out to a 7-1 lead before locking up the win," said Grimm. The 184 lb. match set Phil Bruschuk, senior, against Luke Haag. Haag won by decision 7-6 over the Peacock senior. "Phil was leading 6-5 as the match wound down, but gave up a late takedown in the last 15 seconds and lost 7-6," said Grimm. Ryan Phillips earned a major decision with an 8-0 victory over Jon Tremi at 197 lbs. "Ryan wrestled well tonight and earned the bonus point for the team," said Grimm. In the heavyweight match up, Brian Black was leading 5-0, but was pinned by Joe Dhein. "Black took the Parkside wrestler down and put him on his back, but was reversed in a scramble, got caught on his back and was pinned. The result in this match was very unexpected," said Grimm. The 125 lb. match featured Tyler Mumbulo, sophomore, and Matt Lentz. Mumbulo earned the victory with a 6-4 decision. "Tyler came out and scored six points in the third period to get the win," said Grimm. In the 133 lb. weight class, Nate Naumann, senior, was pinned by Craig DeGreef. "Nate was ahead 2-1 and had earned quite a bit of riding time, but was reversed, got caught on his back, and we gave up a fall." After this match, Parkside was holding an 18-10 lead over Upper Iowa. John Gamble, senior, took it upon himself to begin the Peacock comeback. He faced off against Craig Becker, who is #6 in the nation at 141 lbs. He earned the win and four points for the visitors with a 13-3 major decision. "John scored six points in period one and five more in period three on his way to a major decision. It was an awesome match," added Grimm. With Upper Iowa trailing 18-14, fifth-year senior, Andy Norton hit the mat for his dual debut at 149 lbs. with the team's win on the line. Norton dominated the match verse Sal Scotto-DiVetta, 14-4, and earned a major decision and tied the match at 18-18. "Andy closed the deal for us tonight. He handled the pressure of the match and wrestled great," Grimm said proudly. The Peacocks earned the victory 24-18 when Brett Hakeman, redshirt freshman, earned the final six Peacock points due to a Ranger forfeit. Upper Iowa's Wrestling Team will be back on the mat this weekend at the University of Northern Iowa Open on Sunday, December 3rd. The UNI Open begins at 9 a.m. in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -– The Rutgers wrestling team will travel to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. to open its dual-match slate against the Midshipmen on Friday, Dec. 1, at 7:00 p.m. at Lejeune Hall. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a sixth-place performance at the Navy Classic on Nov. 18. Dan Hilt (Manalapan, N.J.) and Jack Barrett (Metuchen, N.J.) highlighted Rutgers' performance, as both posted fourth-place finishes. Hilt took fourth at 133 pounds, while Barrett was the fourth-place finisher at 149 pounds. Chris Norrell (Phillipsburg, N.J.) also placed for the Scarlet Knights, taking sixth at 157 pounds. In last season's match-up on Dec. 3, then ranked 21st Navy posted a 21-12 victory, despite Scarlet Knight wins by Ryan Jablonski (Norristown, Pa.), Steve Adamcsik (Chester, N.J.) , and Mike Whalen (Lake Hiawatha, N.J.). At 125 pounds, Jablonski won a 5-4 decision over Mike Kohler, while Adamcsik also won by decision, 9-5, over Navy's Spencer Manley. At 174 pounds, Whalen recorded an 8-3 win over the Midshipmen's Jesse Feinsod. The Midshipmen lead the all-time series, 18-2. The last time the Scarlet Knights beat Navy was during the 2000-2001 campaign when they posted a 21-15 win. Following Friday's dual match, the Scarlet Knights will compete in the Penn State Open in State College, Pa., on Sunday, Dec. 3, with action slated to start at 8:00 a.m.

Ewing, NJ -- The College of New Jersey wrestling team remained perfect in dual meet action on the young season as the Lions defeated visiting King's College by the score of 26-15 on Wednesday at Packer Hall. The win was also the 450th for veteran TCNJ head coach David Icenhower, Sr. Icenhower, who is in his 31st season at the helm of the Lion program, has an impressive dual meet record of 450-76-3. The team is currently 3-0 on the year and ranked ninth in the latest NWCA Brute – Adidas Division III poll. The Monarchs (0-2) opened the scoring as Jeff Mazurek (West Orange, NJ/West Orange) earned a decision at 125 pounds and then increased the lead to 6-0 as David Morgan (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) knocked off TCNJ's Ray Sarinelli (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Hills), 6-5. Morgan entered the match ranked third at 133, while Sarinelli is seventh. The Lions turned things around at 141 as freshman Tyler Branham (Newtown, NJ/Kittantiny) won by a major decision, while junior Lenny Goduto (Stanhope, NJ/Waldwick) put TCNJ in front for good at 149 pounds as he held off King's Christopher Poleto (Stafford, VA/Colonial Forge) by the score of 20-9. Senior Joey Galante (Ocean City, NJ/Ocean City), who is ranked fifth at 157, made it three straight wins for the Lions as he posted 10-5 victory and senior Mike Guenther (Ewing, NJ/Brick Memorial) made it a 17-6 TCNJ lead after receiving a forfeit at 165. Sophomore Greg Osgoodby (Waldwick, NJ/Waldwick) then won by fall at 174 and Jim Tomczuk (Delran, NJ/Delran) made it five straight wins for the Lions with a 4-3 decision at 184. King's Jason Reilly (Mountaintop, PA/Crestwood) ended TCNJ's string of victories at 197 pounds as the Monarch senior won by fall in 1:57. Jim Bishop (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream) ended the dual meet with a 2-1 decision at heavyweight for King's cutting TCNJ's final margin of victory to 24-15. The Lions will be back on the mat this weekend participating in the Spartan Invitational hosted by York College (PA).

Storm Lake, Iowa -- The Buena Vista University wrestling team began the home portion of its schedule with a solid 30-10 victory over Morningside College on Wednesday. The Beavers came away with eight victories on the night. After forfeiting at 125, Buena Vista was in a 10-0 hole when TJ Frien dropped a major decision at 133 to Morningside's Chris Utesch. Luke Satern started the Beaver winning streak by pinning Jared Pickett, who is ranked seventh in the nation in the NAIA. Fellow freshman Calvin Barber then won a decision at 149. Kyle Forness, who moved up a weight class this season, avoided being taken down in the final seconds to pull off an 8-7 victory in the 157 pound weight class. Tyler Winkleman followed that up with a 6-4 triumph over fifth-ranked Erin Hume. Julian Mancha recorded a victory at 174. Austin Hayes was awarded the win at 184 after his opponent was injured. The 197 pound match featured Buena Vista's Ben Strandberg, ranked fourth in NCAA III, and Brad Dodge, who is ranked seventh. The match started slowly, but Strandberg ultimately pulled off a 6-3 decision. In his first match of the year, Wade Hammen recorded an 8-4 victory to close out the evening. Buena Vista, ranked 11th in NCAA III, improves to 1-1 on the year. Morningside, ranked 13th in the NAIA, dips to 2-2. Buena Vista will next wrestle on Sunday at the UNI Open.

Oklahoma State's wrestling team is set for the first Bedlam matchup of the year on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the McCasland Fieldhouse in Norman. The Cowboys have owned the all-time series against the rival Sooners holding a 121-24-9 record. The Cowboys have won the last 16 meetings in the series dating back to a tie on Nov. 30, 1999. OSU is unbeaten in the last 24 duals, with Oklahoma's last victory coming in the 1995-96 season. The Cowboys are 2-0 on the season following wins over California-Davis and Michigan State. OSU ascended to the top of the polls this week with its undefeated record. The match will be broadcast live on 93.7 FM with Rex Holt and Roger Moore providing the commentary. The match will be televised live on Cox Cable. Last Time Out Oklahoma State had a strong showing from veterans Nathan Morgan and Johny Hendricks to lead the Cowboys to a 22-8 victory over Michigan State. Morgan upset second-ranked Andy Simmons, while Hendricks won convincingly after a close match against UC-Davis. Ryan Freeman stepped in for the injured B.J. Jackson and won his first career varsity match. The Cowboys also got victories from Newly McSpadden, Brandon Mason, Jared Shelton and Jared Rosholt. Scouting the Sooners The Sooners boast a balanced lineup with five wrestlers ranked, including three ranked in the top five. Sam Hazewinkel is ranked No. 1 at 125, while Matt Storniolo is second at 149 and Joel Flaggert is ranked fifth at 197. All three are capable of winning a national championship in March and will carry the ninth-ranked Sooners throughout the season. OU has a pair of national qualifiers in Will Rowe at 157 and Shane Seibert at 165. Seibert transferred in from Fresno State during the offseason. The rest of the Sooner lineup is young and inexperienced. Last time vs. Oklahoma Oklahoma State extended its dual winning streak over Bedlam rival Oklahoma to 16 consecutive matches with a 21-12 victory at the McCasland Fieldhouse in Norman. The Cowboys had solid outings from their All-Americans. Zack Esposito defeated fourth-ranked Matt Storniolo, Jake Rosholt defeated fourth-ranked Joel Flaggert and Steve Mocco defeated No. 6 Jake Hager. Attendance: 1,846 125- #2 Sam Hazewinkel (OU) Dec. #6 Coleman Scott (OSU), 2-0 133- #3 Nathan Morgan (OSU) Dec. Trey Blakely (OU), 9-2 141- #2 Teyon Ware (OU) TF5 Ethan Kyle (OSU), 19-4; 6:06 149- #3 Zack Esposito (OSU) Dec. #4 Matt Storniolo (OU), 4-0 157- #15 Kevin Ward (OSU) Dec. Will Rowe (OU), 6-5 165- #1 Johny Hendricks (OSU) Dec. Jarrod King (OU), 12-5 174- #10 Brandon Mason (OSU) Dec. #19 Wes Roberts (OU), 3-0 184- #15 Justin Dyer (OU) MD Rusty Blackmon (OSU), 13-4 197- #3 Jake Rosholt (OSU) Dec. #4 Joel Flaggert (OU), 4-1 285- #2 Steve Mocco (OSU) Dec. #6 Jake Hager (OU), 8-1 Hendricks Shooting for Century Mark Senior Johny Hendricks is 99-12 in his three plus years wearing the orange singlet. He is looking to join the exclusive 100-win club at Oklahoma State, which currently has 25 members. Jake Rosholt and Zack Esposito both joined the club last season. Hendricks is scheduled to meet Shane Seibert who he has defeated twice in his career when Seibert was at Fresno State. Hendricks won both matches convincingly pinning him once and winning by a major decision the second time. Ryan Freeman Making the Most of the Opportunity Oklahoma State fans have been spoiled watching Zack Esposito at 149. Following Esposito's graduation, The Cowboys were set with junior B.J. Jackson, but fellow junior Ryan Freeman eyed an opening and dropped down to 149 to contend for the spot. After Jackson suffered a knee injury in his opening bout against California-Davis, Freeman was inserted into the lineup. He took advantage as he won his first match against Michigan State by an easy score of 10-4. Freeman has a big week ahead of him as he is getting ready to wrestle the top two wrestlers in his weight class in Oklahoma's Matt Storniolo and Monnesota's Dustin Schlatter.

State College, Pa. –– The 2006 Nittany Lion Open is set for Sunday, Dec. 3, in Rec Hall with action beginning at 8:30 a.m. Tickets prices for the event have been set and GoPSUsports.com will feature both live bracket updates and a webcast of the finals. Tickets to the Nittany Lion Open can be purchased at the door: $5 for adults, $3 for students, $2 group rate (10 or more), FREE for season ticket holders and FREE for Penn State students with an ID. In addition, the tournament, which is run by the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, will feature the outstanding tournament direction of Gary Brownell of GimpSoftware, the national leader in wrestling tournament and statistical software. Bracket updates, in both .pdf and .html form, will be available periodically either by visiting GoPSUsports.com and following the links or by linking directly to http://www.gimpsoftware.com and clicking on Results Page on the left nav bar. Jeff Byers, longtime voice of Penn State wrestling, will once again call the finals. The action can be heard locally on WBLF 970 AM and will be streamed free on the web at GoPSUsports.com. The start time for finals is approximately 6 p.m., but that time could vary based on tournament flow, so check GoPSUsports.com often. Penn State will be sending nearly its entire roster into action, including the starting wrestlers and key reserves. The tournament will crown ten individual champions, an outstanding wrestler and award the grappler with the most falls in the least amount of time. No team scores are kept as it is an ‘open' tournament.

For information on the Trident Challenge, visit http://www.tridentchallenge.com In conjunction with Minnesota's wrestling match against defending national champion Oklahoma State on Wednesday, Dec. 6, the United States Navy SEALs will launch a focused recruiting program to appeal specifically to the wrestling community. This unique event will offer participants the opportunity to see how they stack up against America's elite operations team. The SEALs will conduct a Trident Challenge on Sunday, Dec. 10 at the University Aquatic Center and Field House. The Trident Challenge mirrors the initial physical screening test given to anyone who desires to become a Navy SEAL. The event consists of swimming, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups and running. It is a max effort series of physical fitness events challenging athletes to maximize their performance in individual tests of strength and endurance. Representatives from the Navy SEALs will be at the Minnesota-Oklahoma State wrestling match on Dec. 6 to kick off the event. "What we're attempting to do is get the SEALs and the wrestling community together to benefit each other," Head Coach J Robinson stated. "We always talk about wanting to market our sport. This is a unique opportunity to promote our sport and the opportunities it affords." The idea of the Navy SEALs coming to Minnesota originated last spring at the national high school wrestling tournament when Robinson ran into a group of SEAL recruiters. In discussing the type of person needed to carry out special operations, the high rate of failure among soldiers training to be SEALs arose. Navy SEALs are, by nature, held to much higher standards than that of regular soldiers. However, the SEALs were having a difficult time finding people with the right type skill sets. Based on his own experience as a college coach, Robinson presented the idea of focused recruiting. Citing the skills and characteristics required in wrestling, he particularly pushed the idea of recruiting wrestlers. "I've always thought wrestlers would make ideal special operations soldiers because they already have a lot of the skill sets required," he said. "Wrestlers pride themselves on discipline, sacrifice and dedication, hard work and the ability to function under duress. These values are all directly transferable to special operations." Over the last nine months, Robinson has worked closely with the SEALs to devise a strategy that would benefit both the Navy SEALs and the wrestling community across the nation. With final approval passed just last week, the plan will come to fruition next week with the SEALs coming to the University of Minnesota. "They're bringing the Trident Challenge to Minnesota because they want to kick it off in conjunction with the match between two of the top teams in the country," Robinson said. "They are interested in the wrestling community in Minnesota and offering kids the opportunity to show they have what it takes to become a SEAL. Not many opportunities like this come along in life. This is one the wrestling community needs to take notice of and embrace." Describing it as an honor to have the U.S. Navy SEALs coming to Minnesota and specifically seeking out the wrestling community, Robinson said the only thing left is for the wrestling community to step up to the challenge. "Some kids say they can become a SEAL," Robinson said. "This event offers them the opportunity to prove it. We want the wrestling community to participate and see how they can do." If successful, Robinson realizes the impact the event could have on promoting the sport of wrestling as a vehicle for accomplishing bigger goals. "Young kids out there who dream of being a Navy SEAL will want to go into wrestling. If you spend 10 years in wrestling with the objective of that helping you become a SEAL, then it fulfills a life-long goal." While the inaugural event to be held next Sunday is significant for both the wrestling community and the Navy SEALs, Robinson sees it as just the beginning of something that has the potential to become much bigger. He envisions a day when the Trident Challenge will be a national event that will attract the best high school wrestlers from across the country. "In the entire wrestling community in the United States, 75,000 kids graduate a year. If we can produce just 200-300 SEALs a year, it would mean everything to the SEALs and it would mean everything to our sport. It could change the face of wrestling."

The Upper Iowa Wrestling Team's dual meet with Southern Illinois-Edwardsville has been rescheduled for Friday, December 15 at 8:00 p.m. in Dorman Gym. The meet was originally scheduled for November 10, but was postponed at the request of Southern Illinois.

The Augustana wrestling team picked up a pair of dual victories over Minnesota West Community College and Northwestern Wednesday night in Orange City, Iowa. The Vikings downed Minnesota West 36-15 and Northwestern 33-15. With the wins, Augustana improved to 2-0 in duals. Against Northwestern, the Vikings used a pair of pins and two forfeits to defeat the host Red Raiders. Brandon Kruger (149) earned the first fall by pinning David Bray in 1:01. Beau Severtson (184) picked up the other pin by putting Matt Leither on his back in 2:43. Chris Trampe (125) and Nate Buys (197) earned forfeit wins. Three other Vikings registered wins. Jeremie Degen defeated DeAlonzio Jackson 9-4 at 141 pounds, while Aaron Haddorff was an 11-7 winner over Lamar Reed at 157 pounds. Ray O'Connor capped the dual with a 6-4 win over Sam Zylstra. Augustana used 2 pins and 3 forfeits to defeat Minnesota West. Cody Henriksen (174) pinned Dominick Oliver in 2:22, while O'Connor (Hwt.) pinned Maxie Berrian in 1:27. Trampe, Severtson and Buys again eared forfeit wins. Degen and Kruger picked up their second wins by earning decision victories. Degen shut out Jacob Butrous 5-0, while Kruger edged Wade Granger 4-3. The Vikings return to the mat on Saturday when they compete in the Minnesota State-Moorhead Open.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The University of Oklahoma wrestling team defeated the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos 20-18, Wednesday night at the Howard McCasland Field House. Oklahoma scored two technical falls and a major decision to help them secure their 12th consecutive victory over the Bronchos. Sam Hazewinkel got the Sooners off to a fast start as he recorded a technical fall on Tyler Zuckerman of Central Oklahoma in their 125-pound match. Hazewinkel scored two near falls in the first period than added two takedowns and a near fall in the second period on his way to a 16-1 final. The Bronchos got back-to-back wins at 133 and 141-pounds to take a 9-5 advantage. Matt Storniolo earned a big win for the Sooners as he defeated Shea Timothy at 149-pounds. Storniolo won by a decision of 2-0, after a takedown in the second period that ended up being the only points scored in the match. Storniolo's win brought the Sooners within one point of the lead as UCO still led 9-8. Will Rowe put the Sooners up 11-9 going into intermission as he defeated Jason Leavitt at 157-pounds. Rowe used two take takedowns and an escape in the third period to come from behind to win by a decision of 9-6. Central Oklahoma took the lead back at 12-11 after winning at 165-pounds. Joshua Weitzel gave the lead back to Oklahoma for good by defeating Daniel Morrison by a technical fall at 174-pounds. Weitzel scored six points in the second and eight points in the third to notch the shutout, 16-0. Joel Flaggert put OU up by five points heading into the heavyweight match as he scored a major decision over Heath Jolley of Central Oklahoma. Flaggert scored four takedowns and added a single point due to riding time to take the 197-pound match 11-2. The season's first edition of Bedlam will take place on Sunday, Dec. 3, as the Sooners host the Oklahoma State Cowboys at 3 p.m., in the Howard McCasland Field House.