InterMat Staff

A dozen years ago, Brock Lesnar burst onto the Division I college wrestling scene as a junior at the University of Minnesota. In just two short seasons, Lesnar became a two-time Big Ten heavyweight champ and two-time NCAA finalist, winning the national title his senior year at the 2000 NCAAs. In the decade since, the former Golden Gopher has made a name for himself beyond amateur wrestling, first in professional wrestling in the WWE, and now, in mixed martial arts (MMA), as a former UFC heavyweight champ who hopes to win back the title. Now a new book -- Brock Lesnar: The Making of a Hard-Core Legend by Joel Rippel -- covers all these aspects of Lesnar's life and career, and more. The right book, right on time If anyone were destined to write Lesnar's life story, it would be Joel Rippel. He is a long-time writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and has authored four books on Minnesota sports history. And, just like Lesnar, Rippel is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. The timing for a book on Brock Lesnar couldn't be better. More than a decade after first appearing on the radar screens of college wrestling fans, Lesnar continues to make headlines. This month, it was announced the former UFC heavyweight champ would return to the Octagon to face Junior dos Santos at UFC 131 in Vancouver, British Columbia in June. (The two UFC big men have been serving as opposing team coaches on the latest installment of the popular reality TV series The Ultimate Fighter.) Lesnar's name also popped up in numerous stories this month about his college rival Stephen Neal announcing his retirement from the New England Patriots after ten seasons as right guard. Neal defeated Lesnar in the 1999 NCAA Division I heavyweight championship match to win his second national title. First, a bit about Brock For millions of folks, mention the name Brock Lesnar and they immediately think of his meteoric career in Ultimate Fighting Championships, winning the UFC heavyweight title from Randy Couture after less than a handful of MMA matches. For others, Lesnar was "The Next Big Thing" in professional wrestling, becoming the youngest-ever WWE champ at age 25. Some of us are old enough to remember when Brock Edward Lesnar was the "next big thing" in college wrestling. In January 1999, Lesnar was recruited to wrestle at the University of Minnesota after head coach J Robinson saw the Bismarck State College heavyweight -- and 1998 national junior college champ -- demolish the competition at the Bison Open. Within days of coming to Minnesota, Lesnar became THE talk of the amateur wrestling community. The South Dakota native was the subject of numerous threads on wrestling discussion forums. Even Dan Gable weighed in. As a commentator on Iowa Public TV's College Wrestling series, the legendary wrestler and coach said this about the new Golden Gopher heavyweight: "When he strips out of his warm-ups, Brock Lesnar turns more heads than Cindy Crawford in a thong." In a weight class where a number of the competitors looked like the Pillsbury Doughboy, Lesnar's physique was something else. The 6'3", 265-pound Minnesota heavyweight appeared to be carved from granite. (The school's wrestling program capitalized on this fact by issuing a "Brockfast of Champions" poster, featuring Lesnar in his Minnesota singlet, complete with call-outs that provided a "tale of the tape" as to the measurements of his 20" neck, 52" chest, and more.) Lesnar's musculature wasn't the only thing that generated buzz in the college wrestling world. Right from the start, his on-the-mat performance got people talking. Within a couple weeks of becoming a Gopher, Lesnar pinned his way through four matches at the 1999 National Duals. Among his early pin victims: Iowa's Wes Hand, who became arguably Lesnar's top college rival. During the 1999 season -- his first in Division I -- Lesnar compiled a 24-2 record, including a 21-match win streak, and nabbed the Big Ten title. His two losses: to Iowa State's Trent Hynek early in the season, and, to defending heavyweight champ Stephen Neal in the finals at the 1999 NCAAs at Penn State. The following year, Lesnar lost only one match -- to Wes Hand -- but got revenge by defeating the Hawkeye big guy in the Big Ten and NCAA title bouts. Brock's real wrestling career, by the book ... Some biographies of former college wrestling champs who go on to find fame in pro wrestling give short shrift to their subjects' amateur mat careers, either by glossing over their real wrestling accomplishments in a few pages, or, in the case of one bio that comes to mind, being filled with glaring inaccuracies and misrepresentations. In his book, Joel Rippel manages to present a surprisingly complete presentation of the 33-year-old Lesnar's life that includes his growing-up years, and high school and college wrestling careers, as well as time in the WWE and UFC. As Rippel points out, Brock Lesnar grew up on a farm outside Webster, South Dakota. The book is rich with details on Lesnar's early wrestling career, starting in seventh grade ... and his on-the-mat accomplishments at Webster High School. Brock Lesnar: The Making of a Hard-Core Legend then takes the reader to college (with a surprising-to-most-readers side trip), first to Bismarck State College in North Dakota, where Lesnar was a two-time NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) All-American and 1998 NJCAA heavyweight champ. Then the book goes on to provide a look at Lesnar's two years at Minnesota, highlighting some of his most important matches as a Golden Gopher. After winning the heavyweight title at the 2000 NCAAs in a thrilling overtime match with Wes Hand, Lesnar's life was at something of a crossroads. As Rippel states in the book, Lesnar considered many options, including staying at Minnesota to play football for the Gophers, or try to earn a spot on the U.S. freestyle team to compete at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Instead, he threw his hat into the ring ... the pro wrestling ring. ... then to the squared circle and Octagon The book then presents Brock Lesnar's pro wrestling career, first in the Louisville-based Ohio Valley Wrestling, a developmental league for Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment. As was the case with his Division I college mat career, Lesnar's career in the squared circle was meteoric, becoming the youngest-ever WWE champ at age 25, and a superstar recognized around the world. However, as Rippel points out, all that fame -- not to mention the rigors of travel and performing in the ring -- took its toll on the former college champ, and he left the WWE after about five years. Brock Lesnar (Photo/Sherdog.com)Again, Lesnar wasn't sure what to do next. After trying out for the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL, he found a new career in mixed martial arts, and, as in his previous personal combat endeavors, shot to the top of the UFC, the big-leagues of MMA, wresting the heavyweight title from another former college mat champ, Randy Couture, at UFC 91 in November 2008. Not everyone in the world of MMA was happy with Lesnar's fast ascent to the title. Rippel shares this quote from UFC rival Frank Mir that has a strong undertone of resentment: "If Brock Lesnar was never in the WWE, he would have never have gotten a title shot. And he knows that. But that's how people get paid. The bottom line is it's not always about who's a better fighter. All I remember from last time is him whimpering and wincing as I was tapping him ..." [Lesnar lost to Mir at UFC 91, February 2008 ... but avenged that loss at UFC 100 in July 2009.] Brock Lesnar: The Making of a Hard-Core Legend provides interesting, behind-the-scenes detail of what many would say was Lesnar's toughest fight: his serious battle for his health that took him out of action for nearly a year, and nearly cost him his life. The book concludes with Lesnar's triumphant return to the Octagon in defeating former NCAA Division II heavyweight champ Shane Carwin at UFC 116 in July 2010; it does not mention his losing the UFC title to Cain Velasquez, an NCAA All-American for Arizona State, at UFC 121 last October. Joel Rippel presents an even-handed biography of Brock Lesnar that strikes an appropriate balance among the various careers of the champ's life, including his amateur wrestling career. It is chock-full of quotes from those who know Lesnar, including former coaches and rivals. The one thing that astute readers may notice: all the quotes from Lesnar himself are from previous interviews, not direct one-on-one conversations between Rippel and Lesnar himself, which gives the book a bit of an "unauthorized biography" feel. (Don't worry; there aren't any salacious details.) Brock Lesnar: The Making of a Hard-Core Legend is available for purchase online from a number of sources, including Amazon. Brock Lesnar is one of four former University of Minnesota wrestlers to win an NCAA heavyweight title. (Only Oklahoma State has more heavyweight champs.) To learn more about Lesnar and his fellow Gopher big men titlewinners, check out Mark Palmer's InterMat Rewind article from May 2007. For photos and more info on Brock Lesnar and other NCAA Division I heavyweight champs from 1928-2000, visit NCAA Heavyweight Champs Yahoo group.

Sioux Falls, SD -- The 1-0 Dana College Vikings put a damper on the home opener for the University of Sioux Falls on Friday December 8th, as the No. 8 ranked Dana Vikings defeated Sioux Falls 46-3. Sioux Falls forfeited at 133 and 149 and the Vikings claimed seven of eight weight classes wrestled on the evening. Starting the Vikings off was 2006 All-American Craig Trampe (Ord, NE) at 125 defeating Chris Strand 11-4. At 133, the Vikings received a forfeit. At 141, freshman sensation Brian Graham (Kansas City, MO) won 14-7 over Eric Engberg. Sioux Falls forfeited again at 149 to Clinton Dale of Dana. Junior Jason Bilinski (Pittsgrove, NJ) recorded the first fall of the evening at 157 over Koln Fink. Red-shirt freshman Bulla Tuzon won by injury default over Brett Jarman at 165 pounds. Tuzon was winning the bout by one point and starting in the down position in the third period when the official called the match. At 174, freshman Josh Ghobadpoor (Dahlonega, GA) dropped a 2-0 decision to Sioux Falls's Derrick Pomranky. Recording two more falls for the Vikings were juniors Webster Farris (Nebraska City, NE) and Wade Jordan (Coulee City, WA) at 184 and 197. Farris won by fall over Brock Nelson, while Jordan pinned Chris McKinney. Finishing out the dual was heavyweight Jesse Boggs getting a major decision over Clint Whitley. The Dana Vikings were also in action in Kearney, NE at the annual Kearney Open. Highlighting the day for the Vikings was senior Terrence Almond (Pelham, GA). Almond, a three-time All-American won the 141 pound division with three falls and a major decision in the finals. Almond defeated former UNK standout Adam Keiswetter in the finals 14-7. The Vikings will be in action this weekend for back to back home duals on Friday December 15th and Saturday December 16th before heading into the Christmas Break. The Vikings will host the Chargers of Briar Cliff on Friday for "Prep Night" where all local wrestling clubs, middle and high school wrestling programs are welcome to attend the dual for free. The dual with Briar Cliff is slated for a 7:00 pm start. On Saturday December 16th, the Vikings will host Morningside College at 1:00 pm.

EDINBORO, PA –- The Edinboro University wrestling team opened up Eastern Wrestling League action in impressive fashion on Sunday, defeating visiting Lock Haven a 45-0 defeat. The Fighting Scots, ranked 12th in the USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Top 25, won for the second time in two days and improved to 8-1 and 1-0 in the EWL. Lock Haven is now 2-2 and 0-1. The shutout was the first for Edinboro since a 41-0 win over Slippery Rock in the opening match a year ago, and the margin of victory was the largest since a 48-3 win over Loras in 1987-88, Edinboro's second season on the Division I level. The Fighting Scots have now won five straight matches against the Bald Eagles. Edinboro received bonus points in five matches, including three falls, and picked up a win by forfeit. That came at 125 lbs., where freshman Eric Morrill (Sandown, NH/Timberlane Regional) improved to 5-6. Ricky Deubel (Chagrin Falls, OH/Kenston) boosted the lead to 10-0 with a 9-0 major decision over Danny Lopes at 133 lbs. Deubel, ranked 15th by InterMat and 16th by Amateur Wrestling News, jumped out to an 7-0 lead after one period and coasted the rest of the way. The sophomore recorded a takedown just over thirty seconds into the match, and then was awarded a total of five back points in the opening period. He is now 9-5, while Lopes falls to 17-5. Daryl Cocozzo (River Edge, NJ/River Dell Regional), the second true freshman in Edinboro's lineup, moved to 2-7 with a win by fall at 4:23 over Brad Marquardt. Cocozzo grabbed a 10-0 lead after one period, and a second period reversal led to the fall. Gregor Gillespie (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) improved to 14-0 overall and 54-4 for his career with a 15-0 technical fall over Donnie Ament at 149 lbs., the end coming at 5:30. The sophomore, ranked third in both polls, gained an 8-0 lead with a takedown and two three-point nearfall moves in the first period. In the feature match of the day, Matt Hill (Freedom, PA/Freedom), ranked seventh by InterMat and eighth by Amateur Wrestling News, defeated Seth Martin, 6-1, at 157 lbs. Martin came in ranked 11th by Amateur Wrestling News and 15th by InterMat. Hill, a senior who had lost three times to Martin a year ago, fell behind 1-0 following a second period escape. He grabbed the lead with a takedown with 1:25 left in the period, leading to three near fall points with 30 seconds left, as Hill nearly pinned Martin. Hill added a point for riding time to improve to 14-0 for the season and 87-35 for his career. Deonte Penn (Solon, OH/Solon) barely heard the whistle to start the 165 pound match when he grabbed a leg and took Landis Wright down. The senior worked Landis, a freshman, on his back before picking up his 39th career fall 59 seconds into the match. Penn is three falls shy of the school record, and improved to 89-41 for his career. He is 12-2 this season and ranked eighth in both polls. At 174 lbs., Phil Moricone (Derry, NH/Pinkerton) improved to 12-3 with a 2-1 win over Derrick Morgan. An advantage of 1:07 in riding time proved the difference, as Moricome had an escape in the second period and Morgan one later in the third. Alex Clemsen (Moberly, MO/Moberle) rode a strong finish to a 6-2 decision over Tom Kocher at 184 lbs. A senior, Clemsen found himself behind 1-0 after a Kocher escape in the second period. Clemsen escaped to start the third period to tie the match, then grabbed a 3-1 lead with a takedown at 1:27. Kocher closed to 3-2 with an escape, but with five seconds left Clemsen recorded a takedown, also putting him over the minute for riding time. With the win, Clemsen, ranked tenth by Amateur Wrestling News and 11th by InterMat, improves to 13-1 and now has a 97-32 career ledger. Jim Gibson (Hermitage, PA/Kennedy Christian) gained a 7-4 decision over Jeremie Cook at 197 lbs. The junior is 11-4 thanks to a pair of takedowns and a reversal. Edinboro picked up its third win by fall at heavyweight, as Joe Fendone (Salem, NH/Central Catholic (MASS)) ended his match with Mike Cook just 1:10 into it. Cook was a Pennsylvania state champion a year ago. Fendone boosted his record to 12-2 and 41-11 for his career. The Fighting Scots, winners of 21 of their last 22 dual meets, will break for finals and Christmas before competing in the Southern Scuffle on December 29-30.

Portland, Ore. -- Down a weight class due to injury, Utah Valley State beat Portland State, 26-19 in the Wolverines first non-tournament dual. The Wolverines, now 3-2 in duals this season, won six of the nine matches in which they participated. "As a team we saw some improvements in specific areas we have been working on," Utah Valley head coach Greg Williams said. "It is encouraging to get the win and see improvement." In the lighter weights, Portland State got a quick lead as the Wolverines forfeited the 125 weight class. The Vikings' Greg Einerson pinned Alex Smith (3:27). UV came back, winning the next three weight classes. Justin Morrill (141) pinned CJ Grandjean, Clayton Wolf won a 5-3 decision in the 149 weight class before Justin Rawle, wrestling up a weight, won a 5-0 decision. "Justin is our team leader," Williams said. "He wrestled up and got us a big win. Marc Fenwick has been huge for us all year. He got a big fall for us tonight." After Fenwick pinned Tony Contreras (3:39), the Wolverines clinched the dual with back-to-back major decision victories. In 184, Brock Jardine beat Jake Schneider, 11-3 before Eric McAllister picked up a 16-4 victory over Keena Washington. Next up for Utah Valley is the Reno Tournament of Champions Dec. 20.

MADISON, Wis. -- The No. 23 Wisconsin wrestling team earned its tenth dual victory of the season Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center, defeating Northern Illinois. The Badgers fell in the opening two matches but responded with six consecutive wins in rout to a 26-9 victory. The Huskies lead 3-0 after No. 10 Johnny Galloway defeated Jake Donar (Cuba City, Wis.) 5-3 at 165 lbs. At 174 lbs., NIU notched another victory as Danny Burk posted a 5-1 win over Mike Felling (Hutchinson, Minn.) to increase the Huskies lead to 6-0. However, the momentum soon changed as freshman Trevor Bandvold (River Falls, Wis.) improved to 6-3 with a 4-0 win over No. 18 Duke Burk at 184 lbs. No. 10 Dallas Herbst (Winneconne, Wis.) added a win of his own, taking down Nick McClone 8-2 to even the team score at 6-6. Nevertheless, it was heavyweight Kyle Massey's pin at 4:50 that put the Badgers up 12-6. Massey, a sophomore out of Champlin, Minn., is now 6-1 overall with two wins by fall. Badger junior Collin Cudd (River Falls, Wis.) extended the lead to 15-6, as he took down No. 18 Pat Castillo 5-2 at 125 lbs. The win is Cudd's second upset of the weekend as he defeated No. 17 Kyle Anson of UNI, Friday at the UW Field House. Zach Tanelli (Millburn, N.J.) faced Chad Vandiver at 133 lbs. The match was tied 2-2 late in the third period before Tanelli notched a takedown in the final seconds to win 5-2 and give UW an 18-6 lead. The Badgers won their sixth straight bout as No. 17 Kyle Ruschell (Crittenden, Kent.) posted a 10-1 victory over Dan Ruettiger at 141 lbs. Trailing 22-6, the Huskies managed a win at 149 lbs. as No. 17 Mike Grimes defeated Jordan Crass (Medford, Wis.) 12-5. However, the Badgers would end on a victory with No. 4 Craig Henning (Chippewa Falls,Wis.) notching a 12-0 major decision over Kalen Knull. The Badgers will take their winter break before returning to action on Jan. 6 at the Lonestar Duals in Dallas, Texas. Check uwbadgers.com for the latest updates and scores.

PRINCETON, N.J. -- The Maryland wrestling team capped off a 3-0 trip to New Jersey with a victory against Princeton, 42-3, on December 10 at Dillon Gym. The Terrapins have won four straight contests and seven of their last eight duals to improve to 8-3 this season. Maryland won nine of the 10 matches against the Tigers and three wrestlers won by fall on the day. Freshman Jon Kohler, sophomore Alex Krom, and freshman John Price all won by way of pin against Princeton. Kohler's pin was the first of his career, Krom earned his second of the season, and Price's fall was his third. The Terps won the first eight matches of the dual, starting with junior Jeff Oldham at 125 pounds who won by technical fall in 6:01. Oldham controlled the match early with multiple first period takedowns and sealed the win with a near fall late in the third. Both Kohler and Krom ended their matches in the first period with falls to build the Maryland lead to 17-0. Junior Andrew Schlaffer continued the run with an 18-6 major decision at 149 pounds. Schlaffer used a series of takedowns in the third to pull away for the triumph. Sophomore Spencer Hollerith saw his first dual action of the season and turned it into a 10-5 decision to push the lead to 24-0 at 157 pounds. Senior Jason Kiessling continued his winning streak with a 16-5 major decision at 165 and freshman Mike Letts did the same at 174, 18-5. Sophomore Josh Haines won his second match of the season by technical fall. He shutout his opponent 16-0 in just 2:47. Princeton's (0-2) lone win came by decision at 197 pounds before Price finished the day for Maryland with a pin at 285 in 6:08. The Terps will take a couple of weeks off for the holiday before returning to action on December 29-30 at the Southern Scuffle hosted by UNC Greensboro. Six nationally ranked teams and 67 ranked wrestlers will compete at the tournament held at the Greensboro Coliseum Events Center. Tickets for the 2006 UNCG Southern Scuffle can be purchased through the Greensboro Coliseum Box Office. Adult tickets are $10, student tickets are $8 and children under age 5 are free. Fans can also sign up for a live webcast of the event at www.southernscuffle.com. Various matchups on three mats will be featured throughout the tournament for a price of $9.95. All information regarding the Southern Scuffle can be found at the website provided above.

WASHINGTON -- The American University wrestling team rode bonus point victories from Jasen Borshoff, Jordan Lipp and Josh Glenn to a 26-13 victory over EIWA rival and No. 22-ranked Harvard, Sunday afternoon in Bender Arena. The Eagles won six of 10 matches on the day, kicked off by wins from Borshoff and Lipp. The elder of the brothers, Jasen, dominated the Crimson's Ryan Fitzgerald, scoring a takedown and three near falls in the first. He kept the pressure on in the second and scored another takedown and near fall for the 16-0 technical fall victory. Lipp matched his intensity, scrambling from the whistle to four takedowns in the first three minutes. The true sophomore, two-year starter for AU finally broke Brent Kakesako for the win by fall at the 4:37 mark of the second period. In perhaps the match of the day, Kyle Borshoff squared off against No. 13 Max Meltzer at 141. Borshoff, the unranked true freshman battled the entire way with the 2006 EIWA runner-up at 141 from Harvard. Borshoff almost scored in the first as he got in on a single leg that was successfully defended into a stalemate. The pair traded escapes to start the second and third period and were tied going into the last minute of the match. Borshoff shot in at the edge of the mat and was inches away from scoring a takedown, but Meltzer wiggled out of the position and caught the AU wrestler off balance for a takedown with 22 seconds left for the 3-1 lead. Borshoff would escape with 10 seconds to go, but was unsuccessful in his shot attempts. Harvard closed the team gap to 11-7 at 149 with an 8-0 win from No. 9 J.P. O'Connor over AU true freshman Adam Kriwinsky. The Eagles regained control, however, winning the next three matches to take a commanding 20-7 lead with three to go. Christopher Stout, in return from a shoulder injury, showed little signs of rust, scoring two takedowns and an escape plus riding time advantage in a 6-2 win. No. 17 Mike Cannon fell behind in the second period 4-3, but scored a takedown and rode out his opponent for the remainder of the match for the 6-4 win. Sophomore Rudy Rueda led his entire match at 174, scoring a takedown and a nearfall in the first period and two more takedowns plus riding time for the 10-4 win. The visitors would need big performances from its last three wrestlers to challenge for the win, but were unable to score any wins by bonus points the remainder of the match. Instead, after Anthony Fuschino battled No. 9 Louis Caputo to a 6-0 loss, Glenn made his season debut at 197. The 2006 All-American who totaled 21 pins last year, scored a takedown and then slapped a cradle on John Butler just 20 seconds into the match for the pin victory and match clincher. Even though the team match was technically over, there was more than just pride on the line in the day's heavyweight match between No. 8 Adam LoPiccolo and No. 2 Bode Ogunwole, the 2006 EIWA Champion. The pair have faced off twice in the past year with Ogunwole scoring narrow decision victories both times. That trend continued as Ogunwole was able to score a takedown on LoPiccolo in an action heavy first period. The AU junior and two-time NCAA qualifier would escape, but not before Ogunwole established a riding time advantage. Each scored an escape to start the second and third periods and LoPiccolo was unable to score a takedown in the last minute in the 4-2 loss. The With the win American moves to 2-4 on the year and 1-1 in the EIWA. The Eagles' wrestling squad will next be in action over the Christmas Break at the Midlands Tournament hosted by Northwestern. American will be sending a full squad for the first time in program history to the prestigious competition.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners (4-1, 0-1) defeated the No. 20/21 Cal Poly Mustangs (0-1) to close out the 2006 portion of their schedule. Oklahoma has won the last 10 meetings in the series dating back to a tie in 1997. OU is unbeaten in the last 16 duals, with Cal Poly's last victory coming in the 1991-92 season. Head coach Jack Spates is 13-0-1 all-time versus the Mustangs. Eight Sooners recorded victories for Oklahoma, with OU scoring two falls. At 165-pounds Jarrod King defeated Evan Barbre by a pin at the 3:15 mark. Heavyweight Brad Framer recorded his fall over Cody Parker at the :52 mark. Kyle Terry recorded a major decision over Blake Gaughran, 12-2 at 141-pounds. Recording decisions for the Sooners were Sam Hazewinkel at 125-pounds over Chad Mendes, 4-1, Matt Storniolo at 149-pounds defeating Eric Maldonado, 4-2, Will Rowe defeated Chase Pami, 4-2 at 157-pounds, Joshua Weitzel defeated Nicholas Herenandez, 6-2 at 174-pounds and Josh Hinton defeated Yuri Kalika, 4-3 at 184-pounds. Joel Flaggert lost for only the second time this season as Matt Monteiro defeated Flaggert at 197-pounds, 7-5. The Sooners will begin a streak of consecutive road appearances with the dual on Saturday. After the trip to California OU will travel to Forth Worth, Texas for the Lone Star duals on Jan. 7, Oklahoma will travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa to compete in the NWCA National Duals. OU returns home for the first time in the new semester when it hosts Oregon on Jan. 20.

Team Placement: 1 Fresno 2 Sierra 3 Santa Ana 4 Cerritos 5 Palomar 6 Santa Rosa 7 Bakersfield 8 Rio Hondo 9 Mt. SAC 10 Sacramento City 11 Modesto 12 Lassen 13 West Hills 14 Chabot 15 Moorpark 16 Cuesta 17 S J Delta 18 Victor Valley 19 East LA 20 Shasta 21 West Valley Outstanding Wrestler –- Kyle Griffin, Santa Rosa JC, 174 Individual Results: 125: 1--Ivan Sanchez (Santa Ana S1) 125: 2--Jason Carrillo (Cerritos S2) 125: 3--Taylor McCorriston (Santa Rosa N2) 125: 4--Chauncey Philipps (Sierra N1) 125: 5--Rick Bernal (Rio Hondo S5) 125: 6--Kyle Crouch (Fresno N3) 125: 7--Carl Riding (Victor Valley S3) 125: 8--Sammy Saunders (East LA S4) 133: 1--Carlos Alaniz (Cerritos S1) 133: 2--Gabriel Aguilar (Santa Ana S2) 133: 3--Ethan Hall (Palomar S3) 133: 4--Cody Gibson (Bakersfield S4) 133: 5--Mike Righi (Fresno N3) 133: 6--Armando Martinez (S J Delta N6) 133: 7--Claudio Seanez (Mt San Antonio S6) 133: 8--Daymond Bland (Sacramento City N2) 141: 1--Leland Gridley (Sierra N1) 141: 2--Joseph Serrato (Santa Ana S1) 141: 3--Jordan Keckler (Modesto N3) 141: 4--Andrew Holmes (Cerritos S3) 141: 5--Tyson Knierim (Palomar S4) 141: 6--Jonathan Ronny (Chabot N4) 141: 7--Edgar Mercado (Fresno N2) 141: 8--Bruce Wasserman (Bakersfield S2) 149: 1--Alfonso Sanchez (Fresno N1) 149: 2--Henry Kofa (Lassen N2) 149: 3--Ian Millan (Rio Hondo S5) 149: 4--Travis Wood (Sierra N3) 149: 5--Joe Barajas (Palomar S2) 149: 6--Orlando Barragan (Santa Ana S1) 149: 7--Tony Ruiz (Cerritos S3) 149: 8--Eric Timson (Bakersfield S4) 157: 1--Devin Velasquez (Santa Ana S1) 157: 2--Sinai Pezzat (Fresno N1) 157: 3--Matt Giffin (Sierra N3) 157: 4--Stuart Cole (Palomar S4) 157: 5--Zach Johnson (Bakersfield S5) 157: 6--Steve Saenz (Rio Hondo S2) 157: 7--Jake Bridges (Shasta N2) 157: 8--Shawn Schantin (Chabot N5) 165: 1--Glenn Shaw (Palomar S1) 165: 2--Nick Bardsley (Fresno N1) 165: 3--Michael Williams (Cuesta S4) 165: 4--Dan Barraza (Sierra N3) 165: 5--Daniel Garay (Mt San Antonio S3) 165: 6--Eddie Sanchez (SA S7) 165: 7--Jack Porter (Cerritos S2) 165: 8--Tony Moser (Lassen N2) 174: 1--Kyle Griffin (Santa Rosa N1) 174: 2--Tom Eaton (Santa Ana S1) 174: 3--Shaun Ceremello (Fresno N2) 174: 4--Caleb Smith (Palomar S2) 174: 5--Ryan Sughrue (Modesto N4) 174: 6--Eric Sanchez (Rio Hondo S6) 174: 7--Matt Livley (Lassen N6) 174: 8--Eric Gonzales (Moorpark S3) 184: 1--Tim Hawkins (Mt San Antonio S1) 184: 2--Jason Carrasco (Bakersfield S2) 184: 3--Mike Leslie (Sierra N3) 184: 4--Cory Compton (Sacramento City N4) 184: 5--Steven Urquizo (Fresno N1) 184: 6--Louie Audelo (Cerritos S3) 184: 7--Marques Gales (Santa Rosa N2) 184: 8--Shane Miller (Lassen N5) 197: 1--Jerred Dixon (Sacramento City N2) 197: 2--Jayson Collard (Santa Rosa N1) 197: 3--Norman Nail (West Hills N5) 197: 4--Tyler Blair (Fresno N4) 197: 5--Ryan Silvera (Mt San Antonio S1) 197: 6--Todd Moleworth (Moorpark S2) 197: 7--Joseph Ramirez (Modesto N3) 197: 8--Al Kinslow (Cerritos S4) 285: 1--Erik Nye (Sierra N1) 285: 2--Brandon Doran (Cerritos S1) 285: 3--Josh Marquez (Bakersfield S2) 285: 4--Victor Leyva (Fresno N3) 285: 5--Tyler Porras (Santa Ana S3) 285: 6--Steve Franklin (Santa Rosa N2) 285: 7--Matt Klimek (Palomar S4) 285: 8--Alex Arellano (Rio Hondo S7) FINALS 1st and 2nd Results 125: 1st/2nd--Jason Carrillo (Cerritos S2) Major 12-4, Ivan Sanchez (Santa Ana S1) 133: 1st/2nd--Carlos Alaniz (Cerritos S1) Dec 14-7, Gabriel Aguilar (Santa Ana S2) 141: 1st/2nd--Leland Gridley (Sierra N1) Dec 4-2, Joseph Serrato (Santa Ana S1) 149: 1st/2nd--Alfonso Sanchez (Fresno N1) Dec 3-1, Henry Kofa (Lassen N2) 157: 1st/2nd--Devin Velasquez (Santa Ana S1) Dec 2-1, Sinai Pezzat (Fresno N1) 165: 1st/2nd--Glenn Shaw (Palomar S1) Dec 9-7, Nick Bardsley (Fresno N1) 174: 1st/2nd--Kyle Griffin (Santa Rosa N1) Fall, Tom Eaton (Santa Ana S1) 184: 1st/2nd--Tim Hawkins (Mt San Antonio S1) Dec 8-6, Jason Carrasco (Bakersfield S2) 197: 1st/2nd--Jerred Dixon (Sacramento City N2) Fall, Jayson Collard (Santa Rosa N1) 285: 1st/2nd--Erik Nye (Sierra N1) Fall, Brandon Doran (Cerritos S1) PLACE RESULTS 125: 3rd/4th--Taylor McCorriston (Santa Rosa N2) Dec 2-1, Chauncey Philipps (Sierra N1) 125: 5th/6th--Rick Bernal (Rio Hondo S5) Major 12-1, Kyle Crouch (Fresno N3) 125: 7th/8th--Carl Riding (Victor Valley S3) Dec 19-18, Sammy Saunders (East LA S4) 133: 3rd/4th--Ethan Hall (Palomar S3) Major 13-5, Cody Gibson (Bakersfield S4) 133: 5th/6th--Mike Righi (Fresno N3) Def, Armando Martinez (S J Delta N6) 133: 7th/8th--Claudio Seanez (Mt San Antonio S6) Dec 8-4, Daymond Bland (Sacramento City N2) 141: 3rd/4th--Jordan Keckler (Modesto N3) Major 11-1, Andrew Holmes (Cerritos S3) 141: 5th/6th--Tyson Knierim (Palomar S4) Inj Def, Jonathan Ronny (Chabot N4) 141: 7th/8th--Edgar Mercado (Fresno N2) Dec 6-2, Bruce Wasserman (Bakersfield S2) 149: 3rd/4th--Ian Millan (Rio Hondo S5) Dec 10-8, Travis Wood (Sierra N3) 149: 5th/6th--Joe Barajas (Palomar S2) Dec 7-6, Orlando Barragan (Santa Ana S1) 149: 7th/8th--Tony Ruiz (Cerritos S3) Fall, Eric Timson (Bakersfield S4) 157: 3rd/4th--Matt Giffin (Sierra N3) Fall, Stuart Cole (Palomar S4) 157: 5th/6th--Zach Johnson (Bakersfield S5) Def, Steve Saenz (Rio Hondo S2) 157: 7th/8th--Jake Bridges (Shasta N2) Dec 3-1, Shawn Schantin (Chabot N5) 165: 3rd/4th--Michael Williams (Cuesta S4) Dec 9-5, Dan Barraza (Sierra N3) 165: 5th/6th--Daniel Garay (Mt San Antonio S3) Dec 6-1, Eddie Sanchez (SA S7) 165: 7th/8th--Jack Porter (Cerritos S2) Major 13-3, Tony Moser (Lassen N2) 174: 3rd/4th--Shaun Ceremello (Fresno N2) Dec 4-0, Caleb Smith (Palomar S2) 174: 5th/6th--Ryan Sughrue (Modesto N4) Fall, Eric Sanchez (Rio Hondo S6) 174: 7th/8th--Matt Livley (Lassen N6) Dec 7-6, Eric Gonzales (Moorpark S3) 184: 3rd/4th--Mike Leslie (Sierra N3) Fall, Cory Compton (Sacramento City N4) 184: 5th/6th--Steven Urquizo (Fresno N1) Dec 4-0, Louie Audelo (Cerritos S3) 184: 7th/8th--Marques Gales (Santa Rosa N2) Fall, Shane Miller (Lassen N5) 197: 3rd/4th--Norman Nail (West Hills N5) Fall, Tyler Blair (Fresno N4) 197: 5th/6th--Ryan Silvera (Mt San Antonio S1) Def, Todd Moleworth (Moorpark S2) 197: 7th/8th--Joseph Ramirez (Modesto N3) Dec 8-3, Al Kinslow (Cerritos S4) 285: 3rd/4th--Josh Marquez (Bakersfield S2) Fall, Victor Leyva (Fresno N3) 285: 5th/6th--Tyler Porras (Santa Ana S3) Fall, Steve Franklin (Santa Rosa N2) 285: 7th/8th--Matt Klimek (Palomar S4) Fall, Alex Arellano (Rio Hondo S7) SEMI FINAL RESULTS: 125: Semi--Jason Carrillo (Cerritos S2) Dec 10-5, Chauncey Philipps (Sierra N1) 125: Semi--Ivan Sanchez (Santa Ana S1) Major 11-2, Taylor McCorriston (Santa Rosa N2) 133: Semi--Carlos Alaniz (Cerritos S1) Dec 12-11, Armando Martinez (S J Delta N6) 133: Semi--Gabriel Aguilar (Santa Ana S2) Dec 5-0, Cody Gibson (Bakersfield S4) 141: Semi--Leland Gridley (Sierra N1) Dec 7-3, Jonathan Ronny (Chabot N4) 141: Semi--Joseph Serrato (Santa Ana S1) Dec 12-8, Tyson Knierim (Palomar S4) 149: Semi--Henry Kofa (Lassen N2) Dec 13-8, Orlando Barragan (Santa Ana S1) 149: Semi--Alfonso Sanchez (Fresno N1) Dec 6-1, Joe Barajas (Palomar S2) 157: Semi--Sinai Pezzat (Fresno N1) Inj Def, Steve Saenz (Rio Hondo S2) 157: Semi--Devin Velasquez (Santa Ana S1) Fall, Stuart Cole (Palomar S4) 165: Semi--Glenn Shaw (Palomar S1) Dec 5-4, Daniel Garay (Mt San Antonio S3) 165: Semi--Nick Bardsley (Fresno N1) Fall, Dan Barraza (Sierra N3) 174: Semi--Kyle Griffin (Santa Rosa N1) Dec 11-6, Caleb Smith (Palomar S2) 174: Semi--Tom Eaton (Santa Ana S1) Dec 7-0, Shaun Ceremello (Fresno N2) 184: Semi--Tim Hawkins (Mt San Antonio S1) Tech 16-0, Louie Audelo (Cerritos S3) 184: Semi--Jason Carrasco (Bakersfield S2) Dec 8-7, Steven Urquizo (Fresno N1) 197: Semi--Jayson Collard (Santa Rosa N1) Dec 6-1, Todd Moleworth (Moorpark S2) 197: Semi--Jerred Dixon (Sacramento City N2) Dec 10-3, Ryan Silvera (Mt San Antonio S1) 285: Semi--Brandon Doran (Cerritos S1) Dec 7-4, Steve Franklin (Santa Rosa N2) 285: Semi--Erik Nye (Sierra N1) Fall, Josh Marquez (Bakersfield S2) QUARTER FINAL RESULTS: 125: Qtr--Chauncey Philipps (Sierra N1) Fall, Carl Riding (Victor Valley S3) 125: Qtr--Jason Carrillo (Cerritos S2) Dec 10-9, Rick Bernal (Rio Hondo S5) 125: Qtr--Ivan Sanchez (Santa Ana S1) Dec 4-1, Kyle Crouch (Fresno N3) 125: Qtr--Taylor McCorriston (Santa Rosa N2) Dec 8-2, Sammy Saunders (East LA S4) 133: Qtr--Carlos Alaniz (Cerritos S1) Fall, Marcelo Lopez (Rio Hondo S5) 133: Qtr--Armando Martinez (S J Delta N6) Dec 10-6, Daymond Bland (Sacramento City N2) 133: Qtr--Cody Gibson (Bakersfield S4) Dec 11-6, Eddy Ngo (West Valley N1) 133: Qtr--Gabriel Aguilar (Santa Ana S2) Tech 15-0, Claudio Seanez (Mt San Antonio S6) 141: Qtr--Leland Gridley (Sierra N1) Fall, Andrew Holmes (Cerritos S3) 141: Qtr--Jonathan Ronny (Chabot N4) Dec 3-1, Bruce Wasserman (Bakersfield S2) 141: Qtr--Joseph Serrato (Santa Ana S1) Dec 6-4, Jordan Keckler (Modesto N3) 141: Qtr--Tyson Knierim (Palomar S4) Dec 3-2, Edgar Mercado (Fresno N2) 149: Qtr--Orlando Barragan (Santa Ana S1) Dec 11-9, Ian Millan (Rio Hondo S5) 149: Qtr--Henry Kofa (Lassen N2) Major 12-2, Tony Ruiz (Cerritos S3) 149: Qtr--Alfonso Sanchez (Fresno N1) Major 13-5, Eric Timson (Bakersfield S4) 149: Qtr--Joe Barajas (Palomar S2) Dec 7-4, Travis Wood (Sierra N3) 157: Qtr--Sinai Pezzat (Fresno N1) Dec 10-4, Emilio Rojas-Chavez (Cerritos S3) 157: Qtr--Steve Saenz (Rio Hondo S2) Dec 5-0, Zach Johnson (Bakersfield S5) 157: Qtr--Devin Velasquez (Santa Ana S1) Tech 16-0, Matt Giffin (Sierra N3) 157: Qtr--Stuart Cole (Palomar S6) Dec 13-8, Jake Bridges (Shasta N3) 165: Qtr--Glenn Shaw (Palomar S1) Major 11-1, Chris Reifstahl (Moorpark S5) 165: Qtr--Daniel Garay (Mt San Antonio S3) Tech 15-0, Tony Moser (Lassen N2) 165: Qtr--Nick Bardsley (Fresno N1) Major 8-0, Michael Williams (Cuesta S4) 165: Qtr--Dan Barraza (Sierra N3) Dec 2-0, Jack Porter (Cerritos S2) 174: Qtr--Kyle Griffin (Santa Rosa N1) Major 16-3, Eric Gonzales (Moorpark S3) 174: Qtr--Caleb Smith (Palomar S2) Dec 8-3, Ryan Sughrue (Modesto N4) 174: Qtr--Tom Eaton (Santa Ana S1) Major 14-2, Marcus Garcia (West Hills N3) 174: Qtr--Shaun Ceremello (Fresno N2) Dec 7-3, Carlos Ordonez (S J Delta N5) 184: Qtr--Tim Hawkins (Mt San Antonio S1) Tech 20-4, Cory Compton (Sacramento City N4) 184: Qtr--Louie Audelo (Cerritos S3) Dec 9-8, Marques Gales (Santa Rosa N2) 184: Qtr--Steven Urquizo (Fresno N1) Dec 10-4, Shane Miller (Lassen N5) 184: Qtr--Jason Carrasco (Bakersfield S2) Fall, Mike Leslie (Sierra N3) 197: Qtr--Jayson Collard (Santa Rosa N1) Dec 5-4, Tim Wallace (Shasta N6) 197: Qtr--Todd Moleworth (Moorpark S2) Dec 9-4, Tyler Blair (Fresno N4) 197: Qtr--Ryan Silvera (Mt San Antonio S1) Fall, Joseph Ramirez (Modesto N3) 197: Qtr--Jerred Dixon (Sacramento City N2) Dec 8-1, Norman Nail (West Hills N5) 285: Qtr--Brandon Doran (Cerritos S1) Fall, Nick Thompson (Sacramento City N4) 285: Qtr--Steve Franklin (Santa Rosa N2) Fall, Tyler Porras (Santa Ana S3) 285: Qtr--Erik Nye (Sierra N1) Fall, Matt Klimek (Palomar S4) 285: Qtr--Josh Marquez (Bakersfield S2) Fall, Victor Leyva (Fresno N3) ROUND 1 125: C1--Carl Riding (Victor Valley S3) Fall, Jesus Felix (Modesto N6) 125: C1--Rick Bernal (Rio Hondo S5) Fall, Albert Tapia (Sacramento City N4) 125: C1--Kyle Crouch (Fresno N3) Major 16-7, George Silva (Bakersfield S7) 125: C1--Sammy Saunders (East LA S4) Major 12-3, Patrick Domenguez (Lassen N5) 133: C1--Marcelo Lopez (Rio Hondo S5) Dec 11-7, Aaron McCrea (Chabot N4) 133: C1--Armando Martinez (S J Delta N6) Dec 8-5, Ethan Hall (Palomar S3) 133: C1--Cody Gibson (Bakersfield S4) Dec 5-3, Mitch Schroder (Lassen N5) 133: C1--Claudio Seanez (Mt San Antonio S6) Dec 5-4, Mike Righi (Fresno N3) 141: C1--Andrew Holmes (Cerritos S3) Fall, Caleb Mack (S J Delta N6) 141: C1--Jonathan Ronny (Chabot N4) Fall, Brandon Drucker (Cuesta S5) 141: C1--Jordan Keckler (Modesto N3) Tech 17-1, Eric Fehrs (Mt San Antonio S6) 141: C1--Tyson Knierim (Palomar S4) Fall, Richie Nole (West Valley N5) 149: C1--Ian Millan (Rio Hondo S5) Dec 6-0, John Daly (Sacramento City N4) 149: C1--Tony Ruiz (Cerritos S3) Major 10-2, Bayardo Sanchez (West Valley N6) 149: C1--Eric Timson (Bakersfield S4) Dec 8-2, Will Matulich (Santa Rosa N5) 149: C1--Travis Wood (Sierra N3) Fall, Nevin Kamakaala (Cuesta S6) 157: C1--Emilio Rojas-Chavez (Cerritos S3) Dec 4-2, Mathew Coit (Santa Rosa N6) 157: C1--Zach Johnson (Bakersfield S5) Dec 6-2, JD Thrall (Sacramento City N4) 157: C1--Matt Giffin (Sierra N3) Major 15-2, Richard Orewyler (Mt San Antonio S6) 157: C1--Stuart Cole (Palomar S4) Dec 4-2, Shawn Schantin (Chabot N5) 165: C1--Chris Reifstahl (Moorpark S5) Dec 8-2, Zac Wicht (West Valley N4) 165: C1--Daniel Garay (Mt San Antonio S3) Dec 4-1, Martin Beeler (Modesto N6) 165: C1--Michael Williams (Cuesta S4) Dec 7-2, Josh Dixon (Sacramento City N5) 165: C1--Dan Barraza (Sierra N3) Dec 8-6, Eddie Sanchez (SA S7) 174: C1--Eric Gonzales (Moorpark S3) Dec 7-5, Matt Livley (Lassen N6) 174: C1--Ryan Sughrue (Modesto N4) Major 10-1, Gabriel Lemus (East LA S5) 174: C1--Marcus Garcia (West Hills N3) Fall, Charlton Thayn (VV S7) 174: C1--Carlos Ordonez (S J Delta N5) Dec 12-7, Gene Choi (Cerritos S4) 184: C1--Cory Compton (Sacramento City N4) Dec 8-1, Travis Tielens (Palomar S6) 184: C1--Louie Audelo (Cerritos S3) Major 15-3, Matt McGarry (Shasta N6) 184: C1--Shane Miller (Lassen N5) Dec 7-2, Hugo Guzman (Santa Ana S5) 184: C1--Mike Leslie (Sierra N3) Fall, Armando Melendez (RIO S7) 197: C1--Tim Wallace (Shasta N6) Major 13-5, Kellen Desmond (Palomar S3) 197: C1--Tyler Blair (Fresno N4) Dec 3-2, Ramon Perez (Bakersfield S6) 197: C1--Joseph Ramirez (Modesto N3) Fall, Travis Abeyta (RIO S7) 197: C1--Norman Nail (West Hills N5) Fall, Al Kinslow (Cerritos S4) 285: C1--Nick Thompson (Sacramento City N4) Dec 5-2, Brad Chavez (Moorpark S5) 285: C1--Tyler Porras (Santa Ana S3) Major 14-4, Nolan Verga (West Valley N6) 285: C1--Matt Klimek (Palomar S4) Dec 4-1, Robbie Roman-Marin (West Hills N5) 285: C1--Victor Leyva (Fresno N3) Fall, Alex Arellano (Rio Hondo S7)

Hempstead, NY -- The fifth-ranked Pride won the first five matches of the contest, including victories by Chris Weidman and Alton Lucas over the number one and two-ranked wrestlers in their class, respectively, as Hofstra posted a 24-10 victory over #8 Penn State at the Mack Sports Complex Sunday. The victory keeps the Pride perfect in dual matches with a 7-0 mark, while the Nittany Lions lost their first dual of the year and fall to 4-1. Starting the match at 157 pounds, Hofstra's eighth-ranked senior James Strouse (17-2) bounced back from a 5-3 first period deficit to post a 10-6 victory over PSU senior Nathan Galloway. Pride senior All-American Mike Patrovich (7-0), ranked third, overwhelmed sophomore Jason Lapham by tech fall, 18-2, at 165 pounds for a 8-0 lead. At 174 pounds, Hofstra sophomore Alton Lucas, who cracked the top 20 rankings for the first time this week with a number 17 placement, posted a takedown with 53 seconds remaining in the third period to break a 1-1 tie and give him a 3-2 victory over second-ranked senior James Yonushonis. Lucas improved to 11-2 on the season. Pride junior Joe Rovelli, ranked seventh at 184, kept the momentum going with a 13-6 victory over sophomore Phil Bomberger. Rovelli (15-3) was down 5-0 to open the match but rallied to close the deficit to 5-4 at the end of the first period and then posted two near-falls in the second to build an 11-4 lead. Hofstra senior All-American Chris Weidman, ranked sixth at 197 pounds, posted his second victory over a number one ranked wrestler in nine months with a 5-4 victory over junior Phil Davis on the riding time point. Weidman (13-1) entered the third period down 3-2 but posted a reversal to take a 4-3 lead. Davis picked up a point on a stall call after the Pride senior pulled Davis out of bounds. But Weidman had accumulated 2:14 in riding time for the win and a 17-0 lead at halftime. Following the break, Penn State came back to post three straight victories to climb back into the match. Penn State's 12th-ranked senior Aaron Anspach posted a major decision over Pride graduate student Matt Pollock (8-9) 17-6 at 285. In a battle of top 10-ranked juniors, PSU's #3 Mark McKnight edged #8 Dave Tomasette (3-2), 5-2, at 125 pounds, and #7 Jake Strayer blanked Hofstra's 20th-ranked freshman Lou Ruggirello (14-4), 6-0 at 133, to close the gap to 17-10. But Hofstra's 19th-ranked junior Charles Griffin (12-3) slammed the door on the Nittany Lions, bouncing back from a 5-3 deficit entering the third period, to post a 9-5 victory over junior Bryan Heller. Pride red-shirt freshman Mitch Smith (6-1) sealed the deal at 149 with a 16-5 major decision over freshman Dan Vallimont. Hofstra, which defeated Penn State for the first time in five attempts, will take some time off for semester examinations before returning to action to prepare for a January 6th match at Michigan.

East Lansing, Mich. -- The second-ranked Missouri wrestling team came from behind to beat No. 14 Michigan State, 29-14, in today's dual held in Jenison Field House of East Lansing, Mich. The win was Missouri's second straight in the state of Michigan this weekend, as they bested No. 11 Central Michigan, 31-9, in Saturday night's dual. Overall, the Tiger squad is 3-0 on the season, with all three wins coming against top-15 ranked opponents. Suffering disappointing losses at 125, 133 and 141 pounds, junior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) came up with the Tiger's first win of the afternoon. One of five extra point victories on the day for Missouri, Wagner recorded a major decision shutout over Eddie Skowneski, 12-0, putting the Tigers on the board for the first time of the day. The 12 point win marked Wagner's first victory by major decision this season. Sophomore Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) helped the Tiger's to within six points of the Spartans, when he recorded a win by major decision over Tony Greathouse, 9-1. Chanlder is ranked as high as No. 7 in the nation at 157 pounds. Making his first appearance in the Tiger lineup, redshirt freshman Nick Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) competed at 165 pounds and earned a 9-6 decision over Rocky Cozart. Marable is now 16-3 on the season. Defending National Champion and No. 1 ranked Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) collected his 10th straight win by fall. Pinning John Murphy in 1:18, Askren now owns 128 career victories and is four shy of setting a new Missouri career wins mark. Currently, 2006 Hall of Fame Inductee and All-American Wes Roper holds the record with 131 wins. Sophomore Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) continued Missouri's win streak with a 12-3 major decision over 12th ranked Joe Williams. With the win, the Tigers added to the team lead, 21-14, while Jordan moved to 10-4 on the season. Wrestling at 197 pounds, redshirt freshman and No. 2 ranked Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) shutout Nick Palmieri, 17-0, in 4:54 for a technical fall victory while fellow newcomer Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) claimed the final win of the day at heavyweight with an 11-4 decision over Alan O'Donnell. "I was pleased with how our team competed this weekend," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "We took on two very talented teams and were able to come away with two wins. To be down 14-0 is never a good thing, but we were able to overcome the score and win today. Right now, we're all excited to get back to Columbia and prepare for our first home dual of the season, Dec. 21." Up next for the Tigers, Missouri will take on No. 20 Pittsburgh Thursday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. (CT) in the Hearnes Center.

NORFOLK, VA -- The Monarchs made a statement to the rest of the CAA tonight by upending George Mason University. ODU tallied four pins and a technical fall in the dual against the Patriots and won 38-12. David Mendoza pinned the 15th ranked grappler in the nation at 197 lbs with one second remaining in the second period and Nick Pullano battled with 17th ranked Tyler Tisdell (165) for the full seven minutes before winning 7-3. Mendoza looked as if he was going to struggle against Harry Zander, the ranked Patriot, as he went down 0-2 early. However, those two would be the only points he'd relinquish to Zander as he battled to what would have been a major decision had he not succeeded in pinning the 197 pounder. "Zander was the 15th ranked kid in the country coming off a 4th place finish at the Vegas tournament. Vegas is a super tough tournament," said assistant coach Lee Pritts. "But [Mendoza] didn't just beat him. He had what, a 10-2, maybe even a 12-2 point lead at one point; he dominated him." Mendoza's fleet footed skills against one of the Patriot's top wrestlers included a significant lead in riding time. With the bout in hand, Mendoza did not expect to get a chance at the pin when Zander gave him his opportunity. The referee pounded the mat at the 4:59 mark. "As soon as I saw that opportunity, I knew I had him. I didn't even know how much time I had left, but I knew I had him," said Mendoza. "Ranks are just numbers. You still have to go out and get it done. It doesn't matter who's across the mat." In the 165-pound class Nick Pullano also pulled another upset for the Monarchs. Winning 7-3 over the 17th ranked wrestler Tyler Tisdell, Pullano's decision sealed the team victory for the Monarchs. The Monarchs tallied four pins: Adam Koballa over Will Powars (133) in 1:10, Ryan Williams over David Emison (141) in 1:56, Kaylen Baxter over Chris Cartella (149) in 1:59, and Mendoza's last second victory. The Monarchs nationally ranked grapplers continued to dominate this season as Chris Brown grabbed a technical fall, 18-2, in 5:30 over Dan Cook. Brown is ranked 17th by Amateur Wrestling News and was named the CAA's Co-Rookie of the Week for performance up to December 4th. Williams is ranked 24th by wrestlingreport.com and added another pin to his season total now at three. Mendoza earned his first national ranking of the year on Tuesday when wrestlingreport.com listed him as the 27th best 197 pounder. "It's a stepping stone. We're not where we want to be yet, but it's a stepping stone," said Pritts. The Monarchs came into the dual with a pre-season CAA ranking of 5th with Mason slotted at 4th. Pritts decided that was motivation enough for his guys: "I told the team before the match, 'look, we took second in the conference last year and we get no respect.' We wanted to make a statement," said Pritts. "I told the guys, 'let's go make a statement.' The lopsided victory brings ODU's season record to 1-1 with a 1-0 record in the conference and Mason falls to 2-2 with an 0-1 record in conference. The Monarchs head back on the road and return to action next Saturday, December 16th, as they face off against The Citadel and N.C. State. ODU returns home January 6th as they host the Virginia States at Granby High School.

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. -- The VMI wrestling team evened their record at 1-1 with a 22-20 dual victory over Gardner-Webb on Friday night in non-conference action at Paul Porter Arena. After the Bulldogs took the first two matches to take an 8-0 lead, the Keydets rallied back with three consecutive wins, two by pin, to take a 15-8 lead at the halfway point. But a GWU pin in the next bout and a decision to follow it up gave the Bulldogs 17-15 advantage with three matches to go, before VMI claimed two of the final three to clinch the victory. �It was a wild, back-and-forth kind of match,� said VMI head coach John Trudgeon. �By no means did we wrestle up to our potential, but a win�s a win, and it�s good to get one under our belt. We had a couple of huge pins by Sam (Alvarenga) and Tommy (Cunningham), and Corry�s (Murray) major decision at 184 turned out to be big. It was a good way to wrap up the first semester, but we need to keep getting better and better and build from this.� With the match beginning at 125, GWU�s Cortney Roberts used a strong third period to post an 18-2 technical fall over VMI�s Jeremy Adams. At 133, VMI�s Tyler Anthony scored an early two points on GWU�s Rob Tate, but Tate pulled an escape move in the closing seconds of the first period to trail just 2-1 entering the second period. Starting the second period in the down position, Tate used an escape move to tie the match with 1:25 left in the period. A two-point near fall with 1:10 remaining in the match gave Tate a 4-2 lead he would not relinquish, and GWU moved ahead 8-0. The momentum shifted for the Keydets In the 141 lb. weight class, as VMI�s Brandon Franklin did battle with Charles Franz. Franklin scored two consecutive two-point near falls as time expired in the first period, while Franz recorded an escape in the second to make it 4-1. But Franklin countered with a two-point reversal for a 6-1 lead. Franz again scored an escape with 35 seconds left in the second to make it 6-2 in favor of Franklin. The Keydet tacked on a point in the third with an escape for the 7-2 win, putting the Keydets� first points on the board to cut the margin to 8-3. The Keydets moved ahead with pins at 149 and 157. Keydet senior Sam Alvarenga, ranked 18th nationally by Intermat at 149, pinned GWU freshman Garmonyou Neplo at the 2:30 mark to give VMI a 9-8 advantage, extending his match winning streak to 13 and his overall record to 18-2. Tommy Cunningham needed only 1:38 to do the same to David Pelsang and Tommy Cunningham giving the Keydets a 15-8 lead. But the tide turned at 165, where Matthias Piasecki pinned VMI senior John Burton only 1:34 in, cutting the margin to a single point. The 174-pound match then matched GWU�s Chad Davis and VMI�s Dustin McCabe. Davis jumped out to a 2-0 advantage a minute into the dual thanks to a takedown. McCabe tallied a point with an escape to make it 2-1 at the end of the first period. Davis garnered another point due to a hand violation on McCabe. He made the score 4-1 with an escape with just over a minute remaining in the second period. The two battled to a stalemate in the final period as Davis won 5-1 after riding time was factored in, handing the lead back over to the hosts at 17-15. But VMI senior Corry Murray stopped the bleeding with his major decision at 184. Facing off with Brandon Beach, Murray recorded the first two points of the match as the seconds wound down in the first period, taking a 2-0 lead into the second. He added on two more for a 4-0 advantage 13 seconds into the second frame. Beach got on the board with an escape, trimming the deficit to three at 4-1. Murray gained a 5-1 lead due to a technical violation on Beach and went up 6-1 seconds into the third with an escape. Murray, who held a 9-2 lead with eight seconds remaining, scored two points in the closing seconds to gain a major decision victory, 11-2. In the 197-pound match, GWU�s Dustin Porter saw the Keydets send out Kyle Elgert, normally a competitor at 174. Porter gained a 2-0 lead only to see Elgert score a point with an escape. However, Porter recorded two more points in the first for a 4-1 lead heading into the second frame. Starting in the down position, Porter made the score 5-1 with an escape of his own. Porter tacked on two more points with 10 seconds remaining in the second to hold a 7-1 lead going into the final period. A late escape by Elgert made the final score 8-2 in favor of Porter due to riding time, as Elgert, wrestling up two weight classes, held the Bulldogs to only a three-point victory, making the score 20-19 in favor of the hosts. In the final bout of the night, GWU�s Nick Roehrick took on VMI senior Scott Buhman at heavyweight. An escape by Buhman to start the third period and two more points gave him a 3-0 cushion with just 49 seconds remaining. Roehrick cut the deficit to 3-1 with an escape, but only 32 seconds remained in the match. Roehrick could not overcome the deficit and with riding time factored in, fell 5-1. The Keydets will now break for exams before returning to the mats for the Southern Scuffle, to be held Dec. 29 & 30 Greensboro, N.C.

San Francisco, Calif. -- Tyler Bernacchi, Eliot Kelly and Marcos Orozco each scored falls in their respective weight classes, and Ken Cook and Omar Gaitan earned major decisions to lead the No. 13 Aggies to a 35-6 victory over San Francisco State on Friday night during the Gator's home-opener at the Main Gymnasium. The win bumps the Aggies dual record to 1-1 this season while the Gators fall to 0-5 in duals. San Francisco jumped out to an early 3-0 lead behind a victory from Ken Packard in the opening 157-pound bout, but the Aggies rebounded with impressive performances across the board as they won eight of the next nine bouts to outscore the Gators 35-3. After Kyle Dubs' first victory of the season evened the score at 3-3, the Aggies went on a dominant run in which they won five of the next six matches by fall or major decision. Cook began the impressive run as he earned an 11-3 major decision at 174 before Bernacchi and Kelly earned back-to-back fall victories at 185 and 197, respectively. Orozco earned a third fall victory one match later at 125 and Gaitan secured a major decision (17-5) at 133 to cap the impressive run. Broc Maffia at 285 and Derek Moore at 141 were the other two Aggies to claim victories on the day. Moore is now a perfect 12-0 on the season. UC Davis takes the next week off to train before competing in the Reno Tournament of Champions on December 20.

CORVALLIS, Ore. –- Oregon State got pins from 141-pounder Kyle Larson, 157-pounder Keegan Davis and heavyweight Jamie Rakevich as the Beavers beat Oregon 33-6 in Pacific-10 wrestling Friday night at Gill Coliseum. For OSU (6-0 overall, 2-0 Pac-10), it was the 13th straight dual meet win over two seasons, Oregon State's longest streak since a 13-meet streak over the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons. OSU 174-pounder Jeremy Larson, ranked No. 15 nationally in the National Wrestling Coaches Association poll and No. 7 by Amateur Wrestling News, took an 8-1 win over Oregon's Ron Lee. Beaver heavyweight Ty Watterson, ranked No. 5 by the NWCA and No. 4 by AWN, got the evening off as Rakevich stepped in to get the pin. It was the eighth straight win for OSU in the wrestling Civil War, presented by Northwest Dodge Dealers, and the Beavers now own a 104-24-4 advantage in an all-time series dating back to 1915. The victory in front of a crowd of 1,382 evened the all-sports series for 2006-07 between the schools at four points each. OSU next wrestles Dec. 20 at the Reno Tournament of Champions. On Friday, Oregon State and Oregon (4-3, 0-1) split the first two matches, but Larson broke the tie by pinning Elliott Tracy in 2 minutes, 9 seconds; that started a run of three straight victories that put the Beavers up 18-3 at the meet's midway point. "The pin at 141 really started us off, then Derek Kipperberg almost got a major decision at 149 and we got the pin by Keegan Davis going into halftime and that really sparked us back the right way," said OSU head coach Jim Zalesky, who got his first taste of the Civil War. "The in-state rivalries are fun; it brings out the best in guys a lot of times. The crowd got into it, and that's the atmosphere we want here. I want the crowd all the way up the sides and no seats left, standing room only." Larson's pin was his fourth of the season – including first-period pins in both of OSU's home meets – and it improved his record to 9-3 this season. His momentum-starter came just after teammate Bobby Pfennigs, ranked second in the Pac-10 at 133 pounds, had been upset 4-1 by Oregon's Joey Lucas; OSU 125-pounder Jake Gonzales had opened the meet with a 3-1 decision over Beau Malia. "Whatever happens in front of me, I just go out and do the same thing," said Larson, who broke into the AWN rankings at No. 19 this week. "I'm just trying to get the bonus points for my team. I'm just going out and doing the same thing every time … It's awesome to get that ball rolling. The first two matches weren't necessarily getting things rolling, but pins always get things going, and I love to be the one to do it." Kipperberg just missed a major decision over Oregon's Jeremy McLaughlin at 149 pounds when McLaughlin recorded a takedown with six seconds remaining, Next up was Davis, a true freshman making his home debut, and he earned his first career pin in 4:36 over the Ducks' Bryan Cantrell. Oregon stopped the Beaver run at three straight wins when Kyle Bounds edged OSU's Brett Arand 3-1 at 165 pounds, then Jeremy Larson took his victory over Lee at 174. Larson improved to 11-2 this season with the win. At 184 pounds, OSU's Kyle Bressler beat Brysen French 3-1 to improve to 6-3 this season; that surpasses Bressler's win total from last season. Beaver 197-pounder Travis Gardner outlasted Chris Robertson 5-2 in a match in which all the points – other than Gardner's for riding time – were scored on reversals. Finally, Rakevich got the nod at heavyweight and pinned Oregon's Chris Dearmon in 2:28. Rakevich, who missed all of last season due to injury, hadn't wrestled a varsity match since Feb. 13, 2005 when he scored a late takedown to win his match and hand OSU a Civil War dual victory in Eugene. "Ty Watterson's back has been a little bit sore and he's been banged up a little bit, and we've got two good heavyweights – there's not much dropoff there," Zalesky said. "We have that luxury to rest Watterson and let Rakevich wrestle, and I like the way Rakevich wrestled. It was great. He's getting back in match shape; he just needs competition. When you end up with your heavyweight getting a pin, that's exciting. You feel good about the meet." OSU's 27-point margin of victory over Oregon was the Beavers' widest over the Ducks since a 41-9 victory in the second meeting of the 1984-85 season.

CEDAR FALLS -– The venue changed, but the result was the same for No. 2-ranked Wartburg Saturday, Dec. 9, as the Knights' wrestling squad won its 12th consecutive Dick Walker Invitational team title. Head coach Jim Miller's squad, paced by five champions, compiled 140.5 points to gain its 19th team title in the 34-year history of the event. Iowa Central Community College of Fort Dodge took second with 129.5 points, while Coe, ranked No. 12 in the second National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III top 30, pieced together a strong run as well, taking third with 123.5 points. Freshman 157-pounder Aaron Wernimont of Pocahontas, increasing his current win string to 15 matches, was tabbed the tourney's Outstanding Wrestler. The nation's No. 7-ranked wrestler rolled through his class with three major decisions and a technical fall win over ICCC's Nate Carr, Jr., in the championship match in 6:22. Junior 133-pounder Jake Helvey of Mitchellville (133), junior Justin Hanson of Humboldt and senior Dustin Cooper of Urbandale (165), senior Jason Zastrow of Coon Rapids, Minn., and junior Dan Schulte of La Crescent, Minn., (174) and seniors Blake Gillis of Spencer and Brian Borchers of Holstein (heavyweight) also claimed individual titles for Wartburg.

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. -- Backed by six victories, the Air Force wrestling defeated Colorado School of Mines, 29-16, on Saturday, Dec. 9. The Falcons even the dual meet season at 1-1, in their first home meet of the year. CSM opened the meet with an early 6-0 lead, when Geoff Meng won the 125-pound match with a fall over freshman Samuel Sheppard (Ramstein AB, Germany). The Orediggers increased their lead following Garrett Eller's 9-2 decision over freshman Stephen Makuka (Columbus, N.J.) at 133 pounds. Air Force earned its first victory of the night at 141 pounds, as junior Jake Kriegbaum (Abilene, Kan.) earned a tech fall of the Orediggers' Cody Weitzel. The Falcons took the lead with the ensuing match, as junior Chris Szabolcs earned a victory by fall over Rob Rineer at 149 pounds. Junior Anthony Doward (Seattle, Wash.) took a commanding points lead over Mines' Ryan Corbett, before winning the 157-pound match by fall. Freshman Justin Shadrix (Bremen, Ga.) used a last-second 13-11 decision over Eric Brennan at 165 pounds to extend the Falcons' lead to 11. School of Mines took two of the next three decisions to pull closer to the Falcons, winning both the 174- and 197-pound contests. Zac Cornett took a decision from freshman Tyler French (Malta, Mont.) at 174 pounds, while Brennan Knerr earned a major decision over senior Peter Bozynski (Birmingham, Mich.) at 197 pounds. In between those contests, junior Jacob Devlin (Livingston, N.J.) decisioned Patrick Ryan at 184 pounds. Junior Tony Stegeman (Cincinnati, Ohio) closed out the night with a heavyweight victory (by fall) over the Orediggers' Brian Stansbury. The Falcons return to action on Dec. 29-30, when they travel to the Midlands Invitational in Evanston, Ill.

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- The Maryland wrestling team used six major decisions and a fall to defeat Rutgers, 36-4, on Saturday at College Avenue Gym. The Terrapins won both of their duals on the day, beating Rider 25-16 earlier. The Terps improve their dual record to 7-3 this season. Sophomore James Knox, juniors Charlie Pinto and Andrew Schlaffer, freshman Mike Letts, and seniors Jason Kiessling and Jerry Afari all won by major decision for Maryland. Redshirt freshman Hudson Taylor won by fall in just 1:17. Knox, Pinto, Letts, Kiessling, and Afari all won both of their matches today. Knox improved his overall record to 7-6. Pinto has won 12 of his first 13 matches this season and Letts owns a team-high 13 wins. Co-ACC Wrestler of the Week Kiessling is now 12-3. Taylor has a team-best five pins this season and is 10-4 while Afari is now 7-5. The win against the Scarlet Knights (0-2) was the second victory of the day for the Terps. Maryland beat Rider (1-2), 26-15, earlier in the day. The Broncs had wrestled a pair of ranked teams at home before taking on the Terrapins. Rider beat No. 21 Lehigh 24-14 on November 10 and then lost to No. 25 Pittsburgh, 21-13. For a complete recap and results for the win against Rider click here. The Terps will travel to nearby Princeton (0-6) to take on the Tigers on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at Dillon Gym.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. –- Lehigh bounced back from Friday night's loss to Penn State, winning eight of ten bouts in a 29-10 triumph over No. 20 Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon at Fitzgerald Field House. Among the Mountain Hawks' victories were a win by fall for senior captain Paul Weibel and major decisions for seniors Matt Ciasulli and Dave Nakasone. Lehigh wraps up the opening part of its dual season at 4-4 while the Panthers fall to 2-1. "We came out with a lot more hustle this afternoon," said Lehigh head coach Greg Strobel. "Last night we were lacking in terms of hustle, but we came back and went after it this afternoon. Pittsburgh is a good team, but to win eight bouts against them is good for us." The dual started at heavyweight, with Weibel giving the Mountain Hawks the early advantage, connecting on one of his patented throws to earn a first period fall over Zach Sheaffer. Pitt tied the dual when Brad Gentzle locked in a cradle to pin senior Patrick Berger in 31 seconds, before Lehigh went on a roll winning five straight bouts to take control of the dual. Freshman Seth Ciasulli started the run, scoring a second period reversal-three point near fall combination to upset eighth ranked Drew Headlee 7-4. After Matt Ciasulli won a 10-2 major decision at 141, Trevor Chinn was able to get back on the winning track, hitting a four point move in the final seconds to defeat Joey Ecklof at 149. Nakasone put forth a workmanlike effort, racking up seven takedowns in a 17-5 win over Dave Kapetanovich. Freshman Mike Galante closed the run with a 7-2 win over Sean Richmond. The Panthers picked up their only other win at 174 with fourth ranked Keith Gavin earning a 10-1 major decision over David Helfrich, but Lehigh freshman David Craig and senior Matt Cassidy secured wins by decision to pull Lehigh back to .500 heading into the holiday break. The Mountain Hawks will take the next couple of weeks off for final exams and will return to the mats on Friday, December 29 when Lehigh travels to Greensboro, N.C. to compete in the two-day Southern Scuffle, hosted by UNC-Greensboro at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern continued its perfect dual season with a convincing 38-12 victory over Eastern Illinois Saturday at Patten Gymnasium. The 'Cats won eight of 10 matches with five coming by pin, technical fall or major decision. Juniors Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) and Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward) remain undefeated and the win moves the 10th-ranked Wildcats to 8-0 on the season. True freshman Brandon Precin (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg), coming off an impressive victory in Friday night's dual against Northern Illinois, started things off for the Wildcats at 125 lbs. against EIU's A.J. Cicarelli. Just as Precin's introduction concluded, he scored an immediate takedown and near-fall to rack up four quick points. The freshman notched three more three-point near-falls to take a 13-0 lead into the first break. Precin scored with a two-point reversal early in the second to take a 15-0 technical fall and improve his record to 12-3. Eric Metzler (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco) wrestled for NU at 133 lbs. against the Panthers' Lenny Grodoski with the 'Cats leading 5-0 after one match. The freshman scored four points on two takedowns in the first period and led 4-1 heading into the second stanza. Metzler took a commanding 6-1 lead with a two-point reversal early in the second period, and after a swift takedown to go up 8-1, Metzler pinned Grodoski at 6:31 to put NU up 11-0 after two matches. Top-ranked Lang took to the mat next at 141 lbs. against Casey Carrino. Lang notched a fall at :59 after scoring two takedowns. The junior improved to 13-0 on the year and increased the Wildcat lead to 17-0. Vincent Colletti (Naperville, Ill./Montini Catholic) was next at 149 lbs. against the Panthers' Tommy Reamer. The freshman scored an early takedown in the first period, but an escape by Reamer made the score 2-1 heading into the second frame. The freshman took a 4-1 lead heading to the third period with a two-point reversal. NU extended its lead to 20-0 with the 5-1 decision by Colletti. Sophomore Brandon Lozdoski (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) took on EIU's Kile O'Toole in the 157-pound match. Lozdoski threw his opponent to the ground in the opening minute to take an early 2-0 lead. An EIU escape made the score 2-1 heading into the second frame. After cruising through the first three matches, the Wildcats headed to the third period for the second straight bout with Lozdoski leading 5-2 and holding a heavy riding time advantage. The sophomore gave up an escape in the first minute, but widened his lead to 7-3 with a swift two-point takedown. Lozdoski won the 13-5 major decision following another takedown and additional points for over three minutes of riding time. Junior Greg Hagel (Linwood, N.J./Blair Academy) battled next for Northwestern at 165 lbs. against EIU's Billy Gallo. Hagel notched a takedown, a two-point near-fall and a three-point near-fall in the first period to lead 7-0. The junior kept the pressure on in the second period, scoring a takedown and a two-point near-fall to go up 11-0. After two more near-falls, Hagel won the 17-0 technical fall. Nick Hayes (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Lewis Central) took to the mat at 174 lbs. with the 'Cats leading 29-0 against the Panthers' Kenny Robertson. Hayes trailed 3-0 in the second period, but cut his deficit to 3-2 with a late takedown in the final minute. The senior scored an early escape to tie the match at 3-3 in the third and notched a takedown in the final minute to go up 5-3. Robertson was charged with an unsportsmanlike conduct point to give Hayes the 6-3 lead. The senior had to grind out the final 30 seconds, but held on for the 6-4 victory and the 'Cats led 32-0 with three matches remaining. At 184 lbs., Mark Graves (Evansville, Ind./Reitz Memorial) wrestled against Greg Perz of EIU. Perz notched the fall at 1:45, but Northwestern maintained a healthy 32-6 lead going into the 197-pound match. No. 10 Tamillow dueled Jason Sherko at 197 and took an early 8-0 lead with a takedown and two near-falls. Tamillow finally notched the pin at 2:35 to give NU a 38-6 lead. Carl Howe (Three Rivers, Mich./Three Rivers) wrestled at heavyweight against Joe Trinka. Trinka pinned the sophomore at 4:20, but Northwestern won the intra-state dual by a 38-12 score. The Wildcats will head to Reno, Nevada for the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 20 before returning to Evanston for the 44th annual Midlands Championships held at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Dec. 29-30.

Mount Pleasant, Mich. -- The second-ranked Missouri wrestling team improved to 2-0 on the season after topping No. 11 Central Michigan, 31-9, in Rose Arena. With the victory, Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith collected his 100th career win since taking the helm of the program in 1998 and now owns a 100-53-1 mark and .653 winning percentage. Opening the night at 125 pounds, redshirt freshman John Olanowski (Virginia Beach, Va.) suffered a 6-1 loss to No. 13 Luke Smith. Ranked No. 24 in the nation at 125 pounds, Olanowski is now 8-3 on the season. Missouri's first of three wins by fall came from All-American junior Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) at 133 pounds. Ranked 10th in the nation, McCormick paired with Conor Beebe and dropped the Chippewa's shoulders in 4:52 to help Missouri take the team lead, 6-3. True freshman Ashtin Primus (South Connelsville, Penn.) made his collegiate debut when he battled with Eric Kruger at 141 pounds. Wrestling a solid seven minutes, Primus fell, 9-2, allowing Central Michigan to regain the lead for the second and last time of the dual. The Tigers rolled off six straight wins including three extra point victories between 149 and 197 pounds. Junior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) pinned Andy Keller in 5:45 while No. 1 ranked Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) pinned his ninth straight opponent of the season when he dropped No. 6 Brandon Sinnott in 2:56. The win is Askren's 16th of the season, 61st consecutive victory and 127th career win. "The team wrestled very aggressively tonight." Smith said. "We beat a quality team and put people on their back in almost every match. That's something we work on every day in practice so it's good to see the hard work crossing over into competition." After jumping to No. 2 in the national polls at 197 pounds, redshirt freshman Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) wrestled with his fourth top-10 ranked opponent and held off No. 8 Wynn Michalak, 10-2. The Tigers will take on No. 14 Michigan State tomorrow beginning at 1 p.m. (CT).

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- In its final match before the holiday break, the Navy wrestling team (3-2) turned in a 31-9 victory over American (1-4) in EIWA action Friday night at Halsey Field House in Annapolis. The Mids claimed wins in seven of the 10 weight classes, including an impressive performance by 18th-ranked Antonio Miranda (Eugene, Ore.) at 184 pounds. "In reality, this was not our best performance," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "For our program, we want to win the battle of the mind, the body and the heart and I don't feel we did that as a team. Yeah, we won some matches, but I'm not sure we won those three battles that I constantly talk to the guys about. It really was an average performance, but we got the win and now the guys can focus on finals and then we will turn our attention to the Southern Scuffle." Ironically, the featured match-up of the evening was what kicked off Friday's dual meet with No. 8 Adam LoPiccolo squaring off against Navy's ninth-ranked Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.). LoPiccolo took control of the match early with a takedown, followed by a three-point near fall. Prendergast, however, mustered a takedown with 21 seconds left in the opening period to narrow AU's lead to 5-2. LoPiccolo earned a three-point near fall in the second period to take control of the match and eventually the 11-4 win. The AU win gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead in the match, but it would be their last lead of the bout. Navy senior Alex Usztics (Dauphin, Pa.) jumped out to a 7-2 lead over AU freshman Jasen Borshoff through the opening period and extended his lead to 13-2 after the second. Usztics claimed the match at 125 pounds with a 16-6 major decision over Borshoff to give the Mids the go-ahead point, 4-3. After missing a month with a leg injury, 13th-ranked Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) was back on the mat for the Mids at 133 pounds, however his AU opponent failed to make weight and Baker earned the win via forfeit. Baker did face-off against American's Jordan Lipp in an exhibition match with Baker earning an 8-2 decision. AU inched its way back into the match with a 7-2 win at 141 pounds by Kyle Borshoff. Borshoff and Navy's Brad Canterbury (Blue Bell, Pa.) were tied at two apiece entering the third period, but Borshoff took control of the match with an escape in the middle of the period and secured the win with a takedown and near fall with two ticks remaining on the clock. Navy tacked on six more points to its lead as American forfeited the 149-pound weight class, giving Navy senior John Cox (Grand Haven, Mich.) the win and the Mids a 16-6 lead. Team captain John Jarred (Kansas City, Mo.) opened up a 4-1 lead with a pair of takedowns in the opening period against 157-pounder Jimmy Pepper, extending it to 7-1 with 1:15 remaining in period 2. Jarred was good for three more takedowns by the end of the match to ring up a major decision (14-3). The Midshipmen won the final three matches of the evening, including an exciting battle at 174 between No. 9 Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) of Navy and unranked Rudy Rueda. Stolpinski scored a takedown with 10 seconds left in the opening period and the score held at 2-0 until the final three minutes. Choosing the down position to start the final period, Rueda was able to escape and narrow the lead to just one with riding time in his favor. Stolpinski, however, was able to get around Rueda at the edge of the mat to earn the two points he needed with only four seconds left in the bout. Stolpinski earned a hard-fought 4-2 win to stay undefeated in dual meet action. Miranda took the lead 30 seconds into his match against 185-pounder Anthony Fuschino and never looked back. All told, Miranda scored nine takedowns and a near fall en route to sheer domination over Fuschino in a 23-8 decision. Miranda earned the technical fall with riding time. In the final bout of the night, Navy's Tyler Moyer (Bremerton, Wash.) was expecting to face-off against fourth-ranked Josh Glenn who was an All-American last year at 184 pounds. Glenn, who has yet to wrestle this season due to injury, remained sidelined and was replaced by senior Dwayne Hash. After the first period, the match was tied at three apiece. Moyer scored the go-ahead takedown with 1:47 remaining in the second, but Hash kept challenging. It wasn't until Moyer's takedown late in the final period that the sophomore was able to shake Hash and earn the 12-7 win.

The 23rd ranked Wisconsin wrestling team won seven of ten matches in route to a 24-10 win over No. 24 Northern Iowa Friday at the UW Field House. The Badgers remain a perfect 9-0-0 in dual competition, the teams' best start since 1983. The action started out at 125 lbs., where Collin Cudd (River Falls, Wis.) battled No. 17 Kyle Anson of UNI. With the scored tied at 4-4 in the second period, Cudd earned an escape followed by a take down and a three-point near fall to jump out to a commanding 9-6 lead. The Badgers earned another escape in the third period to upset Anson and win 10-6. Sophomore Zach Tanelli (Millburn, N.J.) added to the Badger lead with a 7-4 win over the Panther's Brett Robbins at 133 lbs. Tanelli is now 9-2 overall and unbeaten in dual action. The panthers got on the board at 141 lbs., as No. 9 C.J. Ettelson defeated No. 18 Kyle Ruschell. Both grapplers battled tough in the first period, with Ruschell trailing 3-2 at the end of one. However, Ettelson earned a takedown in the second and an escape in the third, while Ruschell could only manage an escape, giving Ettelson the 6-3 win. The Badgers answered with wins in the next two bouts. Senior Tyler Turner (Spring Valley, Wis.) kept his undefeated dual record with a 6-1 win over Charlie Ettelson at 149 lbs. At 157 lbs., Craig Henning (Chippewa Falls, Wis.) improved to 12-2 with a 4:58 tech fall win over the Panthers Moza Fay. The Panthers fought back, winning the next two matches. No. 6 Nick Baima defeated Jake Donar (Cuba City, Wis.) at 165 lbs. Baima only led 2-0 after the first period, but in the second he earned a reversal and five near fall points to lead 9-0. The Panther extended his lead in the third to win 14-3 after riding time. The match at 174 lbs. was much of the same as Matt Maciag (Sussex, N.J.) battled Alex Dolly close in the first period, but eventually fell 5-2. With the two wins the Panthers tightened the team score to 14-10 with only three matches remaining. Freshman Trevor Brandvold earned an impressive win at 184 lbs. The River Falls, Wis., native registered a 13-3 major decision against Danny Dunning, who came with a 10-6 overall record. Dunning opened the match with a takedown and an escape, but Brandvold responded with an escape and two takedowns of his own, to lead 5-3. Dunning would not score again while Brandvold continued to roll with a reversal and five near fall points to win 13-3 after riding time. The final two wins for the Badgers came thanks to riding time as No. 10 Dallas Herbst held off No. 20 Andrew Anderson 4-3 at 197 lbs., while heavyweight Kyle Massey (Champlin, Minn.) defeated Tyler Rhodes 3-2. Wisconsin returns to action this Sunday at 2 p.m. as it travels to DeKalb, Ill., to face Northern Illinois. Check uwbadgers.com for the latest updates and scores.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -– Central Michigan University claimed wins in four of the first five bouts, then received victories from a pair of veterans late in the match to secure a 21-12 win over ninth-ranked Michigan (1-1 overall) on Friday night. With the scored tied at 12-12, CMU's Wynn Michalak posted a 4-1 decision over Nick Roy in the 197-pound match. Bubba Gritter followed with a pin of Omar Maktabi at heavyweight to secure the win for the No. 11 Chippewas (4-1 overall). Luke Smith (125), Conor Beebe (133), Eric Kruger (141) and Eric Neil (157) all won by decision to stake the Chippewas to a 12-3 lead midway through the match. Three straight UM victories, however, including a 4-2 double-overtime decision by No. 7 Steve Luke over No. 6 Brandon Sinnott at 174 pounds, evened the score entering the final two bouts. Smith rallied from an early 4-0 deficit for his 8-5 decision at 125. He evened the score with a two-point near fall in the second period, then scored a reversal and collected the riding time point in the third period. Beebe tallied two takedowns and two escapes in his victory at 133, while Kruger scored a trio of takedowns in his win at 141. A takedown late in the third period and riding time were the difference for Michalak in his victory over Roy at 197. Gritter, meanwhile, was tied 3-3 with Maktabi before pinning the Wolverine with just 22 seconds remaining in the third period. CMU makes its Rose Arena debut Saturday night, hosting No. 2 Missouri at 7:30 p.m.

State College, Pa. –– No. 8 Penn State won six bouts and got five bonus points as it downed visiting Lehigh 23-12 in a key Eastern wrestling dual. Head coach Troy Sunderland and the Nittany Lions got a thrilling upset win at 149 from a talented red-shirt freshman as three thousand fans filled Rec Hall for the rousing dual match. Action began at 125 where junior Nittany Lion Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 3 nationally, took on Lehigh's Patrick Berger. McKnight got the first takedown of the bout just :20 in and led 2-1 after a quick Berger escape. The Nittany Lion junior added another takedown to lead 4-2 halfway through the period and went on to post a commanding 8-3 lead after one period with over a minute of riding time. McKnight chose down to begin the second and escaped to a 9-3 lead. McKnight used a stellar throw to record another takedown and nearly pin Berger in the process, getting three back points to lead 14-3. He rode Berger out for the remainder of the period to hold that lead heading into the third. Berger chose down to start the third and was allowed up by McKnight. In total command throughout, McKnight began a series of takedowns and cuts. With just :30 left, McKnight took Berger down and rode him out for the remainder of the period, getting the 21-6 technical fall at 7:00 with the riding time point. The dominating win gave Penn State an early 5-0 lead. At 133, Penn State's Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), ranked No. 7 nationally, took on Mountain Hawk Seth Ciasulli. Ciasulli got the first takedown of the match just over a minute in and led 2-1 after a Strayer escape. Strayer was the aggressor for the period, but was held off by Ciasulli's solid defense. The Mountain Hawk freshman led 2-1 after one period. Strayer chose down to begin the middle period, escaped to tie the match and immediately took Ciasulli down to lead 4-2 with 1:30 left in the period. After riding him for a while Strayer cut Ciasulli loose and continued to attack the Lehigh grappler. Ciasulli was hit with a stall warning at the :30 mark and Strayer held a slim 4-3 lead after two periods. Ciasulli chose down to begin the third but could not manage any movement on the bottom and was hit with a second stall call, giving Strayer a 5-3 lead. Strayer maintained his top position for the rest of the match and grabbed a 6-3 win. The decision gave Penn State an 8-0 lead. Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.), Penn State's senior 141-pounder, met another Ciasulli, senior Mountain Hawk Matt. Heller took the first shot of the bout and nearly scored, but the senior Ciasulli countered to get the first takedown and lead 2-0 early. Ciasulli rode Heller for 1:09 before the Nittany Lion escaped to cut the lead to 2-1 with 1:30 to wrestle in the first period. Ciasulli notched another takedown with :40 left and rode Heller out to lead 4-1 with 1:45 in riding time after one. Ciasulli chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. Heller once again nearly scored a takedown only to be countered by Ciasulli, who turned the Heller offensive move into two points of his own. Ciasulli was strong on top for the rest of the period and carried that 7-1 lead into the third period, amassing 2:34 in riding time. Heller chose down to begin the third period and escaped to a 7-2 deficit. Heller got his takedown at the 1:10 mark, cutting the lead to 8-4 after a Ciasulli escape. The Nittany Lion senior continued to push the tempo, but could not overcome the deficit and dropped an 11-4 decision. The LU win cut the Penn State lead to 8-3. Red-shirt freshman Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) met Lehigh's Trevor Chinn at 149. Chinn entered the match ranked No. 8 nationally. The duo battled evenly throughout much of the first three minutes, trading shots and counters. Ciasulli got the in on a solid single led with :45 seconds left, only to be fought off by Vallimont's outstanding defense. The bout went to the second period scoreless and Chinn chose down to begin the middle stanza. The Lehigh sophomore escaped to a 1-0 lead and sparring ensued in earnest once again. Mirroring the first period, Chinn once again took a shot only to be countered by Vallimont. This time, rather than simply play defense, Vallimont turned his counter into the bout's first takedown on the edge of the mat. The move gave the red-shirt freshman a 2-1 lead with :55 left in the second period. Vallimont held Chinn down for the final :55 and led 2-1 after two with 0:58 in riding time to his advantage. The Nittany Lion chose down to begin the third and escaped to a 3-1 lead. Chinn was called for his first stalling with :30 left and Vallimont continued to pressure him for the remainder of the period, forcing the Lehigh sophomore to the edge of the mat continuously and going on to post a thrilling 3-1 win over the ranked Mountain Hawk. The decision gave Penn State an 11-3 lead. At 157, Nittany Lion senior Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.) took on Lehigh's David Nakasone. Galloway and Nakasone sparred evenly throughout most of the first period, with Galloway getting the best chance for points with a near-takedown at the :40 mark. Nakasone fought off the offensive effort, however, to push the match into the second period with a 0-0 score. Galloway chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. With Galloway forcing the tempo, the Lion senior got the match's first takedown at the :30 mark to lead 3-0. Nakasone, however, quickly posted a nifty reversal to cut the Galloway lead to 3-2 before the period ended. Nakasone, down 3-2, chose down to begin the third. The Lehigh senior quickly escaped to tie the bout at 3-3. Each wrestler was hit with a second stall, giving each wrestler a point. But the penalties decided nothing as the score moved to 4-4 and the dual entered a sudden victory period all tied up. Galloway quickly moved in on Nakasone and nearly got the winning takedown as time expired but Nakasone fought the move off. Galloway chose down in the first of two :30 tie-breaker periods and escaped with :12 left to lead 5-4. The escape meant Galloway needed to hold Nakasone down for the next :30 tiebreaker period to secure the win. The Nittany Lion senior nearly pulled off the win, but Nakasone notched a stunning reversal as time expired to grab a 6-5 win. The decision cut Penn State's lead to 11-6. Penn State sent sophomore Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) to the mat against Lehigh freshman Mike Galante at 165. Galante got the first takedown to lead 2-1 early after a Friend escape. Galante added another takedown and upped his lead to 4-2 with a 1:31 riding time edge. Galante, leading 4-2 after one, chose down to begin the second and reversed Friend to lead 6-2. Friend escaped, cutting the lead to 6-3 after two periods. Friend chose down to begin the third period and escaped to cut the lead to 6-4. Galante, however, was not to be denied as he added another takedown to take a commanding 8-4 lead with a guaranteed riding time point. Galante added another takedown to post a convincing 11-5 win, cutting Penn State's lead to 11-9. Returning All-American James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 nationally for Penn State, met Lehigh's David Helfrich at 174. The steady Yonushonis was the aggressor throughout the first period but could not break through Helfrich's defense for any scoring through three minutes. Yonushonis chose down to begin the second period and escaped in four seconds to lead 1-0. Continuing to pressure Helfrich and finally broke through on a solid single leg that he nearly turned into a takedown, but Helfrich countered the move to get a takedown of his own to lead 2-1 after two. Helfrich chose down to begin the third and was allowed to escape to a 3-1 lead. Yonushonis quickly took Helfrich down to tie the match and then cut him loose. Trailing 4-3 with 1:30 left, the Nittany Lion All-American got another takedown to lead 5-4. But a locked hands call tied the bout at 5-5. Yonushonis let Helfrich escape again to trail 6-5 but posted his third takedown in less than ninety-seconds to take a 7-6 lead. He proceeded to ride Helfrich for the bout's final :30 to post the exciting 7-6 win. The much-needed victory kept Yonushonis undefeated on the year and upped Penn State's lead to 14-9. At 184, Nittany Lion sophomore Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) met Lehigh's David Craig. Craig got the first takedown of the dual :40 in and led 2-1 after a Bomberger escape. Bomberger was firm throughout the remainder of the period, trading shots with Craig and trailing 2-1 after one. Bomberger chose down to begin the second and, after nearly turning Craig with a reversal, escaped to tie the bout 2-2 with 1:36 to wrestle. Craig would muscle his way to another takedown with :45 left in the second to push his lead to 4-2. Craig rode Bomberger out for the rest of the period to carry that 4-2 lead (with 1:16 in riding time) into the third. Craig chose down to begin the third and escaped to a 5-2 lead. The Lehigh freshman added another takedown and nearly turned it into backpoints, but Bomberger did a nice job of rolling through the move to keep the score 7-2. Craig rode the Lion sophomore out and, with riding time, posted an 8-2 win. The decision made the team score Penn State 14, Lehigh 12. Nittany Lion junior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 1 in the country at 197, met Lehigh's Matt Cassidy, who entered the dual ranked No. 16. Cassidy got hit with an unsportsmanlike penalty, giving Davis an early 1-0 lead before any takedowns occurred. Davis then added a takedown to lead 3-1 after a Cassidy escape. A second Davis escape with :35 left in the first upped his lead to 5-1. With time running out in the period and Cassidy trying to work his way off the mat, Davis pulled the Lehigh senior back on and Cassidy was hit with a second stall call, giving Davis another point and a 6-1 lead after one period. Cassidy chose neutral to begin the second. Davis added another takedown at the 1:32 mark and led 8-2 after a quick Cassidy escape. Looking for possible bonus points against the 16th-ranked wrestler at his weight class, Davis continued his offensive show. Another takedown and a strong ride led to a 10-2 lead before Cassidy was forced to default. The Davis win kept the Lion junior undefeated and clinched the dual meet as Penn State led 20-12. Penn State's senior heavyweight Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.) met Lehigh's Paul Weibel in the evening's final bout. Anspach was ranked No. 12 while Weibel was No. 14. Anspach nearly got the bout's first takedown, but Weibel rolled out to a neutral position. Anspach took numerous shots in the first, only to have Weibel fight each one off with solid defense. Still, as the aggressor, Anspach forced Weibel into his first stall warning and continued to add the pressure throughout the period. Tied 0-0 after one, Anspach chose down to begin the second period. He quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead and continued his offensive pressure. A single leg shot was turned into the first takedown for Anspach, giving the Lion a 3-0 lead at the 1:25 mark. Weibel escaped to a 3-1 deficit, but Anspach would not let up, continuing to force the tempo and pace. Weibel got in on a solid shot around Anspach's waste, but the Penn State senior used his own defense to fight off the attempt, securing a 3-1 lead after two periods. Weibel chose down to begin the final period. Anspach nearly turned Weibel to his back while building up enough riding time to get a 1:16 advantage. Weibel escaped with 1:00 to wrestle to cut the lead to 3-2. A Weibel shot attempt was countered by Anspach, who turned it into this town takedown and a 5-2 lead with :46 left to wrestle. Anspach would continue his dominance and post a 6-3 win, giving Penn State a convincing 23-12 team win. Penn State will return to action on Sunday when it treks to No. 5 Hofstra for a 1 p.m. dual. Its next home action is set for next week when it hosts Lock Haven on Friday, Dec. 15. Action in Rec Hall begins at 7 p.m. All Penn State duals will be heard live on WBLF AM and WKVA AM as well as streamed for free at GoPSUsports.com. Season and single-match tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the Penn State ticket office at 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 for more information. Fans can also get tickets at GoPSUsports.com. This year's season ticket prices are $24 for adults and $18 for students. Single dual prices are $5 per event for adults and $3 per event for youth. All of Penn State's matches can be heard locally on WBLF 970 AM and at GoPSUsports.com.