InterMat Staff

UTC wrestler Michael Keefe was named Southern Conference Athlete of the Month for November, the league office announced Monday. Keefe, a junior, from Ringgold, Ga., went undefeated in November in seven matches with a technical fall and two major decisions. In the Mocs' season-opening tournament at the ACC/SoCon Mat Jam to open the 2005-06 season, Keefe posted wins over Duke (13-5 major), North Carolina (5-4) and conference rival Appalachian State (17-6 tech fall). Keefe, who entered the season ranked as high as No. 5 nationally, ended things in November ranked No. 4 in his weight class. He registered wins over Minnesota (10-5), Drexel (24-10 major) and Central Michigan (5-3) in the Northeast Duals. Athletes were honored from 12 sports including men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, football, offense and defense, men's and women's basketball, wrestling and men's and women's golf.

Pacifico Garcia, a senior at San Francisco State, is a national champion, but he isn't supposed to be. He was the kid who started high school and wasn't serious about anything. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do, where he wanted to go, or what he wanted to accomplish. He didn't win three California state titles like high school teammate Alex Tirapelle. In fact, he never won a state title (runner-up as a senior) and only placed once. He didn't wrestle freestyle or train year-round. Instead, he played baseball. He didn't get Division I offers from schools like Illinois, Fresno State, or Army, like his other high school teammates did. He and his coach had to seek out the colleges themselves. Pacifico GarciaThe Fresno, California native, who won the 149-pound NCAA title in Division II last March by defeating Minnesota State-Mankato's Jason Rhoten, has risen to the top of Division II wrestling through hard work, a love for the sport of wrestling, and a drive to be better than anyone else ever imagined. Garcia began wrestling when he was 10 years old. He went out for wrestling because at the time it was the only sport in which he could participate. He wasn't old enough to play football or other contact sports. Wrestling was his only option. "When I first started, I ended up beating a sixth grader, which really fired me up," recalled Garcia. "I was like, 'All right, let's do this.' I really enjoyed it, so I just kept on doing it." But if it wasn't for his high school wrestling coach, Steve Tirapelle, Garcia might not have accomplished as much as he has. The two entered Clovis High School the same year. Coach Tirapelle came to Clovis from its rival school, Buchanan, when Garcia was a freshman. "Pacifico told me a few years later, he said, 'Coach, we really didn't like you,' recalled Tirapelle. "I was like, no, no. He said, 'No, really, we hated you when you first came to Clovis.' And I was like, no, no, you didn't hate me. You just didn't know who I was. He said, 'No, you don't understand, we hated you. Our parents hated you. Everybody hated you.' I was kind of blown away by it." But soon, very soon, things changed. The wrestlers and parents bought into everything Tirapelle preached and coached. They loved him. When Garcia was competing in the lineup, Clovis dominated their section and placed in the top five at the state tournament three years in a row. The program became a factory for producing collegiate wrestlers. Most notably, though, were the coach's sons, Alex and Troy Tirapelle (the oldest brother, Adam, wrestled for Hiram Johnson and Buchanan), who both went on to wrestle at the University of Illinois. Garcia and Alex, who were the same year in school, became close friends on and off the mat. They wrestled together, ran together, and lifted weights together. "As far as Alex's leadership and his lifestyle, I tried to mimic it," said Garcia. "I knew that he was successful in school and in wrestling, so that's what I wanted. I wanted to be successful in both of those things too. Our relationship developed to the point where we became really good friends." Although Garcia wasn't one of the nation's top wrestlers (like Alex was), he still saw great success on the mat. As a junior, he qualified for the state tournament, but missed placing by one match. He was knocked out of the tournament after getting caught in a Peterson roll with 15 seconds left in the match, eventually losing in overtime. As a high school senior in 2001, Garcia entered the state tournament ranked seventh. He finished runner-up at 135 pounds in the one-class California State Tournament, losing in the state finals to Juan Mora, a wrestler he had previously beaten. "Before his finals match, I said, 'Whatever you do, don't let this kid inside leg trip you,'" recalled Tirapelle. "'That's his move. If he gets you there, you're in trouble.' Right away, in the beginning of the match, the kid inside leg tripped him and he got down by five, which really put him in a bad spot. I felt he was better than the kid. Not that the other kid wasn't good, he was a very good wrestler, but we had beaten him earlier in a close match. I think just walking out there in front of that many people, it kind of got to him a little bit. He got a little nervous. It's pretty hard to walk out there when you have never been on the victory stand before." Garcia, being a one-time state place winner, wasn't heavily recruited. "I got maybe a letter from Cal Poly and UC Davis because I showed some interest in them, so they showed some interest back," said Garcia. "But then it died out." It was a chance encounter at the Midlands Championships in Evanston, Illinois between San Francisco State head coach Lars Jensen and Tirapelle that would eventually bring Garcia to San Francisco State. Tirapelle thought that Garcia would be a perfect fit in the program. "Lars needed a guy," said Tirapelle. "I thought physically he would fit in there well. I thought he would have an impact right way. And I also thought he would have a good chance at succeeding in school." Pacifico GarciaSo Garcia made the three-hour drive to San Francisco State to visit the school. He liked the campus, liked the atmosphere, and made the decision to enroll in the fall of 2001. Garcia redshirted his first season at San Francisco State and wrestled two open tournaments at 141 pounds. He placed fourth at Southern Oregon and third at UC Davis. But according to Jensen, "He was going toe-to-toe with All-Americans in the practice room right off the bat." The next season as a redshirt freshman, Pacifico compiled a 20-20 record while wrestling at 141. It was a season of ups and downs. He would beat a good wrestler one week, then turn around and lose to a mediocre wrestler the next week. But he wrestled well when it mattered most and became an All-American by placing seventh at the NCAA Division II Championships. Garcia's sophomore year was marred by injuries and disappointments. "It was a long season," said Garcia of his sophomore campaign. "It was hard for me. I sprained my ankle pretty bad. Toward the end of the season, I was trying to keep my weight down. At 141, I was cutting a lot of weight. My ankle kept re-aggravating itself. It was a lot more than wrestling that was involved. As far as being one-hundred percent physically, mentally, and emotionally, I just wasn't there. And it showed." Garcia was shutout, 6-0, in the first round of the NCAA Division II Championships by defending national champion Merrick Meyer of Truman State. He then lost his first consolation match and was two and out. He made the decision to move up to wrestle 149 for his junior season. One of his teammates at the time, Donald Lockett, a two-time All-American (and now an assistant coach), moved up from 133 and took over at 141. Pacifico Garcia defeated Jason Rhoten of Minnesota State-Mankato to win the 149-pound NCAA title (photo by Johnnie Johnson) Garcia's national championship season wasn't perfect. In fact, it was far from it. He lost seven times. But he stayed injury free, always believed in his ability, and wrestled a great national tournament. He upset top-ranked Ryan King of Augustana, 9-4, in the semifinals, and then won narrowly over Rhoten in the finals, 2-1. He uses the words "boring" and "strategic" when describing his finals match, and believes he won the match because he "out-strategized" Rhoten. Now Garcia has his sights set on becoming only the second two-time NCAA champion at San Francisco State (Mauricio Wright won titles in 2002 and 2003). But a few setbacks have kept him off the mat so far this season. Earlier this season, he and one of his teammates clashed knees while wrestling in practice, which resulted in a contusion and kept him out of the Southern Oregon Open on Nov. 19. He made his season debut against Stanford on Nov. 22, but broke his nose in the first 30 seconds of the match. He is hoping to be back for the dual on Friday against UC Davis. One event in particular that he's looking forward to this season is the Midlands, which takes place in Evanston, Illinois on Dec. 29-30. It's considered one of the toughest collegiate tournaments in the country. For Garcia, it's a chance to test himself against top Division I wrestlers. Last season, he went 1-2 at the Midlands and failed to place. "I'm always thrilled to wrestle at the Midlands and see the best competition," said Garcia. "It's cool. The atmosphere is great. You get to wrestle the best guys in the country, so you get to push yourself and have the opportunity to be known, see where you stand, and figure what you need to work on. It really prepares us for the end of the year." Garcia is on track to graduate this spring with a degree in liberal studies. His immediate plans are to teach and coach wrestling at a school in California. His high school coach believes that he'll make a positive impact as a coach. "He'll be an excellent coach," said Tirapelle. "What a great kid he is. He has shown that if you have some desires and want to do things, you can do them. You can do a lot of things if you're willing to pay the price. He wasn't a student when he first started high school. He just didn't care for it that much. It wasn't that big of a deal. Other things were more important to him at the time. But he realized he could do certain things and still be good student. He'll have a tremendous impact. He's really good with kids. He's very conscientious and responsible. He'll be a great coach."

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- The No. 3-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team crowned four individual champions en route to its second straight team title at the Cliff Keen Invitational on Saturday (Dec. 3) at the Cashman Center. Combining for 145 points through the two-day competition, the Wolverine dominated the 50-team field at the annual tournament, beating runner-up Cornell by 29 points. Matching last season's championship-round performance, all four Wolverine finalists won their respective matches. Fifth-year senior captains Ryan Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS) repeated at 165 pounds and heavyweight, respectively, while junior/sophomore Josh Churella (Northville, Mich./Novi HS) and sophomore/freshman Steve Luke (Massilon, Ohio/Perry HS) each won in his first-ever Cliff Keen appearance, at 141 and 157 pounds, respectively. Scoring a fall in the closing seconds of the 141-pound final, Josh Churella, seeded third, kicked off Michigan's performance in the evening session with an explosive start. Churella trailed throughout the match as Cal-Davis' fourth-seeded Derek Moore scored the lone takedown of the first period and accumulated just over two minutes in riding time through the opening two frames. Churella scored a pair of reversals in the middle period, but Moore responded with a reversal of his own to lead 5-4 entering the final frame. After allowing Moore an escape with option start, Churella cut away at his advantage with a takedown midway through the period before giving up another escape on the restart. With about 20 seconds to go, Churella shot in deep on a single leg and got Moore wrapped up in a near-side cradle. The Wolverine wrestler rolled Moore to his back and, after a couple adjustments, got the pin to end the bout at 6:47. Luke went to the wire with Illinois' top-seeded Alex Tirapelle, also ranked No. 1 in the country at 157 pounds, needing 11 minutes to beat the two-time All-American on riding time after the second round of tiebreakers. With each wrestler earning his escape at the start of the second and third periods, the contest remained locked at 1-1 at the end of regulation. Luke and Tirapelle continued to match each other through the first round of tiebreakers and the second as the score bumped up to 2-2 and then 3-3. Luke's quick escape in the second tiebreaker proved crucial as an extra four seconds in riding time advantage became the deciding factor. Ryan Churella was named the tournament's outstanding wrestler after earning an 8-2 decision over Missouri's second-seeded Matt Pell to claim his second straight 165-pound title. The Wolverine captain controlled throughout the match, scoring a takedown in each frame and accumulating 3:15 in riding time while allowing Pell just a pair of escapes. During the morning session, Churella picked up a few extra points for the Wolverines with a fall, his second of the tournament, against Adams State's Evan Copeland in the semifinal round. Churella dominated from the opening whistle, scoring a pair of takedowns and three first-period back points before rolling Copeland up to end the bout at the 4:03 mark. Wagner capped the Wolverines' dominant final-round performance by edging out second-seeded Cain Velasquez of Arizona State 6-2 in the heavyweight final. Wagner earned takedowns in the first and second periods and added 1:23 in riding time to cruise to his second Cliff Keen individual crown. Like Churella, the U-M heavyweight added bonus points to Michigan's team score with a second-period fall against UNC Greensboro's fifth-seeded Tyler Shovlin in the semifinal round. In addition to the Maize and Blue's four finalists, junior/sophomore Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./North HS) claimed fourth at 149 pounds after suffering a pair of tough second-day losses. The Wolverine fell 4-3 to Wisconsin's second-seeded Tyler Turner in the third-place bout after giving up a late takedown in the third period. The Wolverines will kick off the home portion of their 2005-06 slate next weekend when they host Nebraska on Friday (Dec. 9) for a 7 p.m. non-conference dual at Cliff Keen Arena. Two days later, U-M will head to Mount Pleasant, Mich., for its final dual of the calendar year, squaring off against intrastate rival Central Michigan at 2 p.m. Top 10 Teams (Final) 1. MICHIGAN 145 2. Cornell 116 3. Missouri 102.5 4. Edinboro 101 5. Arizona State 92 6. Illinois 88.5 7. Cal Poly 76 8. West Virginia 74.5 9. Purdue 69.5 10. Penn 69

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Both senior R.J. Boudro and junior All-American Andy Simmons posted 5-0 records en route to tournament titles as the Michigan State wrestling team competed at the Nittany Lion Open Sunday, Dec. 4, at Penn State University. Boudro won his first tournament of the season in impressive fashion, tallying a fall and four major decisions at 174 pounds. The Richmond, Mich., native outscored his opponents 52-13 to improve to 9-1 on the season. In the finals, Boudro defeated Virginia Tech's Jay Borschel, 13-5. Borschel had notched four falls in five matches to reach the finals. 141-pounder Andy Simmons was not to be outdone by his fellow captain, scoring four major decisions in five matches to improve to 14-1 on the year. Simmons gave up a combined 13 points as well, scoring 55 on the day. He won his finals match over Hofstra's Charles Griffin 11-1, and now sits second on the team in victories 14. Eight other Spartans placed, led by freshman Franklin Gomez who was runner-up at 125 pounds. Gomez went 4-1 on the day, losing a thrilling finals match with Penn State's Mark McKnight, 6-4. Gomez is now 12-3 on the season. Jeff Clemens had his best outing of the season on Sunday, claiming fourth at 197 pounds, while Tim Hammer matched his MSU Open performance, finishing fifth at 141 pounds. Eddie Skowneski at 149 pounds, Tony Greathouse at 157 pounds, Justin Mora at 165 pounds, Jeremy Bloom at 174 pounds and Max Lossen at 285 pounds all came away with seventh-place finishes. The Spartan wrestling team competes in two dual meets this week, as they face intrastate rival Central Michigan on Wednesday, Dec. 7, and host Cleveland State on Saturday, Dec. 10.

Dec. 3, 2005 -- The Bulldog wrestling team claimed the team title with three individual champions at the Simpson College Invitational on Saturday in Iowa. Blake Peterson, Gregg Nurrenbern and Matt Craig were the individual champions, while Dan Keller took home a third place and Dustin Teeman finished in fifth in his weight class. Peterson was the number two seed in the 165 bracket and beat out top seed Brian Daly of Augustana by an 8-0 score for the title. Nurrenbern cruised to his championship at 184 with two falls and two major decisions, while Craig came through as the third seed for a 7-1 victory in the title bout over Josh Porter of Central College in the 197 weight class. The Bulldogs scored 98 team points with the top placers in the tournament. Truman's three individual champions were the most of the 14 schools at the invitational. The Bulldogs edged out St. John's of Minnesota by a point and a half and Coe College by four and a half points. Truman will next be on the mats in Pershing Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs will host Simpson College and the Northwest Missouri State Wrestling Club at 3:00 p.m. in a triangular meet.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- The Lock Haven University wrestling squad (3-2) continued it's success over Millersville University (0-1) tonight (Dec. 3) as the Bald Eagles topped MU 33-3 in Thomas Fieldhouse. LHU has won the last 19 meetings between the two, dating back to 1977. "We're still a ways from where we want to be," said LHU head coach Rocky Bonomo. "We had a pair of true freshmen in the lineup tonight, and they both impressed me with their effort. (197-pounder) Tom Kocher really wrestled smart tonight. It was also great to see Tim (Meyers) pin a guy he's never beaten before." One of the more exciting bouts was the last one, as senior heavyweight Tim Meyers (Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain) squared off with Mike Davidowich. Meyers had never beaten Davidowich, including a 5-1 loss in the MU dual last season. Meyers wasted no time taking the fight to the larger man, driving him straight to his back and finishing him off on his first good shot, just 1:26 seconds into the bout. "I knew I was in much better shape than I was last season," Meyers said. "That combined with a higher confidence level put me over the top. I knew this would be my last shot at beating him in a dual meet setup. This is sure to boost my confidence for the remainder of the season." The day started at 125, as sophomore No. 12 Obenson Blanc (Naples, Fla./Lely) amassed six takedowns, eventually getting the tech fall over Jeff Schell with two seconds left. Blanc stretched his team-leading wins out to eight with the victory. At 133, sophomore Casey Moore (Beech Creek, Pa./Central Mountain) needed a flurry of a comeback effort to top Dave Roberts 11-9. Down 6-2 after the first period and 7-4 after the second, Moore got three takedowns in the final period, the last one coming with 46 seconds left for the victory. Moore summoned every bit of energy he had left for that last takedown, as he skittered around Roberts' left side and took control for the two points. Wrestling in the first collegiate dual of his career, freshman Shane Hyman (Coalport, Pa./Glendale) battled well with the seasoned Cody Becker, but fell 8-4. Hyman did win the final stanza 2-0. No. 12 Joshua Medina (Las Vegas/Pima C.C.) picked up his sixth victory of the season, topping Jarrett Hostetter 9-5. Junior Seth Martin (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove) dominated Nick Foley for his second major decision of the year, a 13-2 tally. Martin picked up six back points during the course of the contest. Freshman Sobhan Namvar (Needham, Mass./Needham) followed at 165 with a 7-4 decision, picking up a takedown on Matt Veres in each of the three periods. One of LHU's five returning national qualifiers, junior Carlos Ponce (Hialeah, Fla./Hialeah Miami Lakes) earned a convincing 7-1 win over Mark Knock at 174, improving to 5-1 on the season. Down 5-3 to Tim Rice going into the third period, Joshua Fisk (Wyalusing, Pa./Drexel University) rallied with an escape and subsequent takedown with just 30 seconds left to get the 6-5 win at 184. Seeing action in his first dual, freshman Tom Kocher (Lancaster, Pa./ Manheim Township) topped MU's Steve Funk 10-7. The pivotal period was the second, where Kocher picked up a reversal and two back points in the final minute-and-a-half. Meyers then got the second pin of his career for the 33-3 team win. Bonomo, Kocher, Meyers, Blanc, Moore, Hyman, Medina, Martin, Namvar, Ponce, Fisk and the rest of the Bald Eagles are back in action tomorrow at the Nittany Lion Open, hosted by Penn State University.

State College, Pa. -- December 4, 2005 - Over 500 wrestlers packed Rec Hall for the 2005 Nittany Lion Open and in the end, ten talented individuals walked away with the coveted title of Nittany Lion Open Champion. Penn State claimed two individual titles in the tournament with two unattached Nittany Lions grabbing crowns at their respective weights. Head coach Troy Sunderland's squad posted over 40 wins in the tournament. Red-shirt junior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), wrestling unattached, won his first four matches at 125 to advance to the finals, where he downed Franklin Gomez of Michigan State (unattached), 6-4, to claim the crown. Freshman Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) lost in the quarterfinals, but wrestled back well enough to place sixth, going 5-2 on the day. At 133, Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.) won four straight before dropping a 9-6 decision to Penn's Matt Eveleth in the semifinals. Heller would claim third place in the tourney with a 4-2 record. Freshman Philip Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) won five straight, including a hard fought 3-1 OT win over unattached teammate Jeremy Hart (State College, Pa.), to set up an all Penn State title showdown at 165. True freshman David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), wrestling unattached, also won his first five, including a pin of Davidson's Trevor Clavette in the semis. The title bout saw Erwin down Bomberger with an 11-3 major to claim the championship. Erwin went 6-0, Bomberger went 5-1 and Hart would go on to place third (going 5-1), giving Penn State the top three spots at 165 with a combined record of 16-2. Going 1-2 on the day were two unattached Nittany Lions. Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) went 1-2 at 149 while Brendan Herlihy (Fairfield, Conn.) was 1-2 at HWT. Sophomore Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.), unattached at 165, went 3-2 with two pins. Sophomore Chad Unger (Perry, Ohio) advanced to the quarterfinals at 184 before dropping two straight and finishing 3-2, unattached. Freshman Joe Farina (Denville, N.J.) and junior Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.) both advanced to the quarterfinals at HWT before losing two straight. Farina, unattached, went 2-2 on the day as did Anspach, wrestling attached. Other Penn State wrestlers bowing out early included Brian Cantalupi (Carlisle, Pa.) at 165 and Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) at 157. Both were attached and went 1-0. Unattached grapplers who went 0-1 were Rohan Murphy (Long Island, N.Y.) at 125, Ben Mandelbraut (Sharon, Mass.) at 141, Odis Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa.) at 165, Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio) at 184, David Klug (Pennington, N.J.) at 184 and Andrew Haile (Crabtree, Pa.) at 184. Navy's Joe Baker, wrestling unattached at 133, won the 133-pound title with a 7-4 win over Penn's Eveleth. Baker was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler. Other title winners were Andy Simmons of Michigan State at 141, Brent Metcalf of Virginia Tech (unattached) at 149, Matt Kocher of Pitt (unattached) at 157, R.J. Boudro of Michigan State at 174, Rocco Caponi of Virginia at 184, Matt Cassidy of Lehigh at 197 and Spencer Nadolsky of North Carolina at HWT. Frances Baughan of Army won the Most Falls in Least Amount of Time award. The 133-pounder recorded four pins in 10:04. Penn State had six wrestlers attached in the event, with the sextet combining to go 17-8 overall, three of whom placed. All 20 of Penn State's grapplers (attached and unattached), combined to go 43-25, with two title winners and six total place winners (places were awarded through sixth). The Nittany Lions return to action this coming weekend with a two-dual road trip against two nationally ranked opponents. No. 13 Penn State will face No. 23 Navy on Friday at 7 p.m. and then tackle No. 25 Penn on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. The Nittany Lions are 3-2 overall in duals.

WASHINGTON -- Down 12-3 in team scoring with five matches left, the American University wrestling team won four of the last five matches in the dual meet to take a 23-15 victory on the road against the University of Maryland Sunday afternoon. No. 6 Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) and No. 8 Josh Glenn (Johnson City, N.Y./Johnson) remained undefeated on the season as Matt Morkel (Omaha, Neb./Skutt) returned to action from injury for the victorious Eagles. After sitting out the previous three weeks with a leg injury, Morkel returned in winning fashion, escaping with 1:02 left in the third for a 5-4 win. AU lost the next four matches of the dual to go down 12-3 in team scoring. Jordan Lipp (Beachwood, Oh./Beachwood) took an 8-4 loss. Lipp was down 7-3 going into the final period and escaped for a point, but that was all he could do as Maryland's Brendan Byrne tacked on another point from riding time to take the win. At 141 Daniel Lobsenz (Fairfield, Conn./Choate) wrestled for the first time for the Eagles and almost took the win in the final minute of the match, scoring an escape and a takedown to tie the match at 5. Maryland's Steve Fehnel escaped in the final 15 seconds and added a riding time point for the 7-5 win. Senior Tom Kniezewski (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) took a 2-1 lead into the final round, but a Maryland escape tied it at two. With 38 seconds left Kniezewski was taken down, which proved to be the difference in his 4-2 loss. Kniezewski is 6-3 on the year for the Eagles. Christopher Stout (Hackettstown, N.J./Blair Academy) fell to 5-6 at 157 on the year with his 13-6 loss. Abdurakhmanov helped AU gather some momentum with his pin of Mason Krumholtz at the 1:59 mark. Abdurakhmanov is 11-0 and ranked sixth in the country currently. Dwayne Hash-Barberis (Scotia, N.Y./Scotia Glenville) kept things going for the Eagles at 174 as he came from behind in the third period to take the match at 11-10. At 184 Anthony Fuschino (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) wrestled for the first time this year and took a 7-3 loss to Rob Parker. Glenn moved up to 197 for the Eagles and scored a 15-0 major decision victory over Jerry Afari. The five points he scored put AU in the lead for the dual victory, but snapped his nine consecutive match pin streak. Heavyweight No. 13 Adam LoPiccolo (Glen Rock, Pa./Glen Rock) sealed the deal for the Eagles with a pin of Bryan Reiss at 1:25 in the first. American has a few weeks off before the prestigious Midlands Tournament in Chicago, Ill. just after Christmas.

LAS VEGAS -- Adams State College's Evan Copeland finished sixth in the 165-pound bracket of the brutally-tough Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Saturday in the Cashman Center. The Las Cruces, N.M. native had defeated three seeded and nationally-ranked NCAA Division I wrestlers on Friday, the first day of the tournament, but dropped three matches, all to seeded Division I grapplers on day two. Copeland, a returning All-American, is just the second Grizzly in Jason Ramstetter's coaching tenure, now in year seven, to have placed at the tournament. The Grizzlies, currently ranked ninth in the nation, have finished in the top 10 at each of the past three NCAA Division II National Championships, a sign of how tough the tournament really is. The Grizzlies ended up 32nd amongst 52 teams with 21.5 points. The University of Michigan Wolverines, ranked third in Division I, crowned four individual champions and repeated upon their 2004 team tile with 145 points, 29 clear of runner-up Cornell. One of Michigan's individual winners was 2-time All-American Ryan Churella, who pinned Copeland at the 4:03 mark of their semifinal match on Saturday. Churella, the tournament's top seed, then defeated Missouri's Matt Pell by an 8-2 count in the finals. After suffering the setback to Churella, ranked third in Division I according to TheWrestlingMall.com, Copeland dropped into the consolation bracket to face Cornell's Steve Anceravage. Anceravage, the seventh seed, posted a 6-3 win over Copeland before Illinois' Mike Poeta, the sixth seed, scored a 9-6 tiebreaker win over Copeland in the fifth place match. Copeland, ranked second in the NCAA Division II preseason rankings, is now 6-5 on the year but has already faced nine NCAA Division I wrestlers, posting a 4-5 record in those matches. The other eight Grizzlies at the tournament had been eliminated on Friday. Now senior Kortney Lake (Craig, Colo.) had been the only other Grizzly to place at the tournament. He finished eighth in 2004 after finishing fourth in 2003. ASC finished higher than 12 NCAA Division I teams in the tournament. The Grizzlies are now off for most of the month before a handful of ASC's top grapplers compete at the just as tough Midlands Championships on Dec. 29-30 in Evanston, Ill.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Navy freshman Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) won his first individual title at 133 pounds to lead a strong Navy showing at the competitive Penn State Open on Sunday afternoon. Baker, wrestling as an open participant, was named the tournament's outstanding wrestler after knocking off several top wrestlers at 133 pounds en route to the title. Baker was wrestling in his first competition in over a year after suffering a shoulder injury last year. In all, 10 Navy wrestlers placed in the top eight of their respective weight classes. "Obviously, it was a great showing by Joe Baker, and we had some other strong performances," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "But we made some mistakes today and with the level of competition we were facing today, the opponents took advantage. A lot of the mistakes got us beat today." Baker, who is considered a freshman and will join the team during the second semester, steamrolled through the field at 133 pounds. Baker won his first match by a technical fall and his next match by a fall in 41 seconds. In the round of 16, Baker decisioned Jason Cuccolo of Sacred Heart, 11-4, then pulled off the upset of the tournament, defeating No. 5-ranked and 2005 All-American Evan Sola of North Carolina, 7-5. Baker defeated teammate Brad Canterbury (Blue Bell, Pa.), who finished fourth, in the semifinals, 10-5. Lastly, in the finals, Baker knocked off Penn's Matt Eveleth, 7-4. At heavyweight, sophomore Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.) placed second with a 5-1 record, falling to North Carolina's Spencer Nadolsky in the finals. Along the way, Prendergast defeated four of his opponents by decision and one by fall. Junior John Jarred (Kansas City, Mo.) continued his strong season, finishing third at 157 pounds. Jarred scored a huge victory in the round of 16 over Hofstra's Jon Masa, 17-14. Masa finished third at last year's NCAA Tournament at 149 pounds. Jarred was defeated by Heidelburg College's Joe Pflug, 10-6, in the semifinals, but rebounded with a victory over Jayson Layton of Nassau Community College, in the third-place match. Jarred's record stands at a sparkling 17-2. "Jarred has really performed well this year, now that he has gotten a chance," said Burnett. "He has had the opportunity to wrestle more matches and has really stepped up and wrestled well." Senior Chris Pogue (Chesapeake, Va.) secured Navy's other fourth-place showing, coming at 184 pounds. Pogue advanced to the semifinals with an impressive 5-4 victory over Penn State's Chad Unger in the quarterfinals. Earning fifth-place finishes were senior heavyweight Tanner Garrett (Tulsa, Okla.) and junior 149-pounder John Cox (Grand Haven, Mich.). Garrett fell in the second round to North Carolina's Dan Goetter by a fall with no time left. Garrett was leading 11-5 with 12 seconds left, and went in for a shot on Goetter, but got out of position and Goetter ended with the pin. Garrett, however, would go on to breeze through the consolation bracket, scoring a victory over No. 8-ranked Payam Zarrinpour of Sacred Heart, 5-2, in the fifth-place match. At 149 pounds, Cox advanced to the quarterfinals, where he lost to Penn's Matt Dragon. Cox would score a 3-2 victory over teammate Matt Gulosh in the fifth-place match. Gulosh wound up sixth. Other placewinners included freshman Caleb Levee (Mandeville, La.; 7th) and senior Andrew Adams (Dublin, Ohio) at 197 pounds. "We know that we are going to have to fix the mistakes we have been making or else we will continue to get beat by good wrestlers," said Burnett. "We have a chance to perform against a strong team on Friday and it will be a good challenge for us." Navy, ranked 21st in the country, will host 13th-ranked Penn State on Friday night at 7:00 p.m., in Halsey Field House. For ticket information, call 1-800-US4-NAVY.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Cornell freshman Troy Nickerson won his second tournament title of the year, taking the championship in the 125 pound bracket at the 2005 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nev. Overall, the Big Red placed second with 116 points. No. 3 (USA Today/NWCA Poll) Michigan placed first with 145 points. Cornell had six place-winners in all, including senior Mike Mormile (seventh, 133 pounds), senior Dustin Manotti (fifth, 157 pounds), sophomore Steve Anceravage (third, 165 pounds), Joe Mazzurco (third, 184 pounds) and junior Jerry Rinaldi (second, 197 pounds). Nickerson, the fourth seed at 125 pounds, breezed through his first three bouts of the tournament, pinning Penn's Andrew Gold in the pigtails and then beating Kellan McKeon (Duke) and Marcos Orozco (Cal-Davis), each by way of fall. He then beat Dave Tomasette of Hofstra 13-8 in the quarterfinals. In the semis, he faced the top seed, Cal-Poly's Chad Mendes. Nickerson upset Mendes, 9-4, earning a spot in the finals against the second seed, Arizona State's Jeremy Mendoza. The Cornell freshman completed his run through the 125 pound bracket with a 7-4 win, taking the title. Rinaldi got off to a fast start, winning by technical fall over Ohio State's Corey Morrison, 16-0. In the round of 16, he beat Casey Woodall of Adams State by major decision, 14-5, sending him to the quarterfinals, where he pulled out a 1-0 win over Illinois' Tyrone Byrd. Daren Burns (UNC-Greensboro) was up next for Rinaldi in the semis. The Cornell junior beat Burns 7-4, earning him a spot in the finals against second seed Kyle Cerminara of Buffalo. Cerminara edged Rinaldi 5-3 in the championship match, giving Rinaldi second-place. At 133, Mormile kicked off the tournament with a major decision over Nick Mamalis of Western Wyoming. He rattled off two more wins for a spot in the quarterfinals where he fell to Penn's Matt Valenti, 6-2. He went 2-1 in the wrestlebacks, taking seventh place. Manotti cruised into the quarterfinals, posting a major decision and a technical fall before beating Zach Lee (Western State) 8-3 to earn a spot in the round of eight. Manotti ground out a 3-2 win over James Strouse (Hofstra) in the quarters before falling to Michigan's Steve Luke 3-2 in the semis. He then fell to Craig Henning (Wisconsin) and beat Gene Zanetti (Penn) to take fifth place. Anceravage had a busy tournament, wrestling eight matches, en route to third place at 165 pounds. He started by pinning Dickinson State's Stanton Schlecht in 59 seconds and then won two more matches, reaching the quarterfinals. He dropped an 18-6 major decision to the second seed, Missouri's Matt Pell and went on to the wrestlebacks. Anceravage won three consecutive matches, putting him in the third-place match against Pat Pitsch (Arizona State), where he won 8-6. Staying in the 184 pound bracket where he saw his first action in the season-opening Body Bar Invitational, Mazzurco won his first three matches, before falling to second seed Ben Wissel (Purdue). It was a tight match that went into two overtimes, before Wissel could pull out the 3-1 win. Mazzurco then cruised past Joe Rovelli (Hofstra), 6-3 for a spot in the third-place match. He beat Harvard's Louis Caputo 7-2 for third. The Big Red will have a three-week layoff before heading to the campus of UNC-Greensboro, to participate in the Southern Scuffle on Dec. 29-30.

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 4 Oklahoma wrestling team grappled to a 18-18 tie with No. 6 ranked Lehigh Saturday night inside the Howard McCasland Field House. "We're obviously not happy with a tie and we knew coming in we were going to be handicapped with three starters out with injuries," said head coach Jack Spates. "The bottom line is I'm not real pleased with our performance tonight but I am pleased with the way we battled back" The Sooners were led by All-Americans Teyon Ware, Sam Hazewinkel and Joel Flaggert who all recorded major decisions on the night. Ware defeated No. 3 Cory Cooperman 13-2 in the 141-pound match. Hazewinkel defeated Matt Fisk 18-6 and Flaggert defeated Paul Weibel 14-5. Oklahoma also registered wins by Justin Dyer at 184-pounds against David Helfrich, 3-1, and Jake Hager, defeated Tom Curl 5-2 in the evenings heavyweight match. "Tonight was a tough match but I came out ready and prepared but now I have to move on and start to think about next week," said Teyon Ware. "Everything is going to have to go perfect next week (against Oklahoma State), all of the guys that are favored are going to need to win their matches by a major decision but we're really looking forward to the challenge." On Friday, Dec. 9, the Sooners will travel to Stillwater to take on No. 1 Oklahoma State in the first Bedlam match of the season at 7 p.m. inside Gallager-Iba Arena.

LAS VEGAS, NV -- University at Buffalo wrestling assistant coach Jeff Catrabone said he wanted senior Kyle Cerminara (Lewiston, NY/Lewiston-Porter) to dominate on the road to becoming Buffalo's first Las Vegas Invitational champion Saturday at the Cashman Center. That is exactly what the 197-pounder did, as he allowed Cornell's Jerry Rinaldi, ranked 10th in the NWCA/InterMat/NWMA poll, only three escapes while earning a 5-3 win in the championship. "Overall, he dominated. He only gave up three escapes, so the match wasn't as close as the score," Catrabone said. "Kyle showed a lot of leadership facing some of the top guys in the country." The win caps off a historic weekend for the 2004 All-American, as he also set a school-record with his 114th career win in the second round of the tournament against Cal. St. Fullerton's Chris Chambers on Friday night, passing Gary Cooper's mark of 113 career wins set from 1998-2003. The tournament title also stretches Cerminara's season-starting win streak to 19 matches, which is just five shy of John Stutzman's school-record of 24 straight wins, set in 1996-97. Cerminara, ranked fifth in the NWCA/InterMat/NWMA poll, earned a first period takedown before Rinaldi earned an escape. Rinaldi tied the score in the second period when he earned another escape after Cerminara started the period on top. In the third period, however, Cerminara got a reversal early in the period and accumulated enough riding time to earn his fifth point before Rinaldi got free. In the semifinals, Cerminara earned three takedowns to score a come-from-behind 8-6 win against North Carolina State's Ryan Goodman. Goodman earned the first takedown, but Cerminara stormed back to win. Cerminara's road to the title ran through three nationally-ranked wrestlers as he opened the tournament with a 5-3 win against WrestlingReport.com's 29th-ranked Mark Thompson of The Citadel. He followed his record-tying win with a dominating 9-0 performance against Chambers to earn the record, before beating the NWCA/InterMat/NWMA's 13th-ranked Jeff Foust of Missouri , 7-1, in the quarterfinals to conclude his action Friday. Buffalo finished with 48.5 points en route to a best-ever finish of 16th out of the 52-team field. Buffalo finished in front of Wisconsin, ranked eighth in the USA Today/NWCA/InterMat poll, after the Badgers tallied 43.5 points. Buffalo also finished well in front of its fellow Mid-American Conference schools at the event, as Ohio (37th-14.0) and Eastern Michigan (42nd-12.5) also competed. "Overall, we were disappointed in some matches," Catrabone said. "We felt we should have placed half our guys, but wrestling against some of the top guys in the nation showed us a lot. We know what we have to focus on. We have to keep our nose down and keep working hard to get better everyday." The road will not get easier for the Bulls either, as they travel to Erie, PA for the War at the Shore against the USA Today/NWCA/InterMat's 22nd-ranked Edinboro on Friday at 8:30 pm. Edinboro finished fourth at the Las Vegas Invitational with 101 points, just behind third-placed Missouri (102.5).

CEDAR FALLS, IA -- University of Iowa junior Eric Luedke won the 165-pound title at Sunday's UNI Open. Luedke, who defeated Hawkeye junior Joe Uker, 7-2, in the finals, was one of Iowa's seven placewinners and 20 competitors at the annual tournament in Cedar Falls. Luedke transferred from Colby College in Colby, KS, and is in his first season with the Hawkeyes. Northern Iowa officials estimated over 350 wrestlers competed in the one-day tournament in the UNI Dome. Also placing for Iowa were junior Alex Grunder (149-5th), sophomore Matt Fields (Hwt.-2nd), and freshmen Ryan Morningstar (157-6th), Chad Beatty (174-3rd) and Phillip Keddy (184-5th). Fields scored a major decision and three decisions, including one in sudden victory, before losing a 9-3 match in the finals to Les Sigmon, who was competing unattached. Morningstar, of Lisbon, IA, advanced to the quarterfinals before losing the last three matches of the day by medical forfeit. Beatty, from Wilton, IA, won six straight matches in the consolation bracket, including a 4:28 pin of Northern Iowa's Curt Zinnel in the finals, to place third. Iowa (2-0) will host Northern Iowa (0-1) Thursday at 7 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. It will be Iowa's first home dual of the 2005-06 season.

The fifth-ranked Golden Gopher wrestling team (5-0) overwhelmed host Northern Iowa (0 -1-0), 31-6, on Friday night. Minnesota won eight of 10 matches on the night. The Golden Gophers are off to their best start since the 2001-02 season. Minnesota extended its winning streak over the Panthers to 11 matches. The Panthers got off to a strong start as 11th-ranked Nick Baima upset No. 4 Matt Nagel, 6-3, at 165 pounds. Baima ended a three-match losing streak to Nagel. Leading 4-3 in the third period, Baima put the match away with a late takedown. From there, Minnesota responded with six straight wins. 14th-ranked Gabriel Dretsch tied the match with an 8-4 decision against 12th-ranked Alex Dolly, 8-4, at 174 pounds. Dolly took a 2-0 lead in the second period on a near fall, but Dretsch responded with a reversal and back points to take a 5-2 lead entering the third period. Sixth-ranked Roger Kish then followed with an 8-4 decision against Dan Dunning at 184 pounds. Sophomore Mitch Kuhlman (right) extended the lead to 9-3 with a 4-2 decision against Andrew Anderson at 197 pounds. Kuhlman entered the year at 174 pounds, but in the past week has gone 3-0 at 197 pounds. Second-ranked Cole Konrad gave Minnesota some breathing room at heavyweight. He won for the 40th time in his last 41 matches with a pin in just 2:56 against Tyler Rhodes. Konrad's victory gave the Golden Gophers a 15-3 lead. Junior Andrew Domingues continued the streak with a 10-6 decision against Seth Wright at 125 pounds. Wright led 6-2 after the first period, but Domingues rallied with a pair of near falls in the second to take a 7-6 lead. He added another takedown and was awarded a bonus point for riding time to take the victory. Sophomore All-American Mack Reiter gave Minnesota a 23-3 lead at 133 pounds with a 16-1 technical fall against 19th-ranked Chris Helgeson. Reiter ended the match with 36 seconds to go with a takedown and a near fall. Northern Iowa got its only other win in a wild match at 141 pounds. The Panthers' C.J. Ettelson held a 12-0 advantage over Manuel Rivera after two periods before Rivera staged a dramatic comeback. Rivera had seven takedowns and a near fall in the third period, but ran out of time in a narrow 19-16 loss. Minnesota closed out the match with back-to-back wins by brothers Dustin and C.P. Schlatter. A true freshman, Dustin improved to 14-1 on the year with an 18-1 technical fall in 5:36 against Colby Geotsch at 149 pounds. Schlatter was the Asics National High School Wrestler of the Year last season. Sophomore C.P. Schlatter followed with a 3-2 decision against 18th-ranked Chris Bitetto at 157 pounds. With the match tied at two, Schlatter scored a third-period escape to claim the victory and improve to 5-0 in the dual meet season. The Golden Gophers open the home portion of their schedule next weekend. Minnesota hosts No. 7 Iowa State at Williams Arena on Friday at 7 p.m. The Golden Gophers also host No. 19 Nebraska on Sunday at the Sports Pavilion on Sunday at 2 p.m.

LEXINGTON, Va. -- Daniel Elliott and Brent Blackwell each posted victories via pin fall as Gardner-Webb wore out VMI on Friday by a 27-13 margin. The win was the second in as many nights for GWU and its first-ever victory over the Keydets. VMI jumped out to a quick lead in front of a packed Cocke Hall, taking a 6-0 lead with decisions at 157 and 165 to open the match. The Bulldogs kept their poise and began to take control with victories in five of the next six contests to silence the home crowd. Chad Davis stemmed the tide by scoring a 10-6 win over Dustin McCabe in the 174-pound match and Brandon Beach brought Gardner-Webb even at 6-6 with an 8-4 decision at 184 pounds. The ‘Dogs took the lead for good on a first-period pin fall victory from Brent Blackwell as the 197-pound grappler stuck Niels Madsen just 1:22 into the contest to double up the Keydets by a 12-6 score. The lead shrunk to just three-points as VMI earned a decision in the heavyweight match but a forfeit victory at 125 pounds put Gardner-Webb up by an 18-9 spread with just three bouts remaining. Josh Pniewski added to the lead with a 7-2 decision over Brandon Stillo at 133 pounds. The 18th-ranked wrestler upped his season win total to seven with the victory. Daniel Elliott capped the night for the Bulldogs by pinning the 2004 Southern Conference Champion Sam Alvarenga 1:07 into the second frame. The victory improved 17th-ranked Elliott's record to 11-1 on the year and finished off the 27-13 win for Gardner-Webb. Gardner-Webb now stands at 3-5 over eight dual matches this season after scoring victories at James Madison and VMI on the Virginia roadswing. The Bulldogs will hit the mats again on Dec. 10 as they compete with Indiana, Eastern Michigan and Eastern Illinois at the IU Duals in Bloomington, Ind. Gardner-Webb Def. VMI, 27-13 125- (GWU) Cortney Roberts won by forfeit 133- (GWU) Josh Pniewski dec. Brandon Stillo, 7-2 141- (VMI) David Metzler maj. dec. A.J. Renteria, 13-5 149- (GWU) Daniel Elliott pin fall Sam Alvarenga, 4:07 157- (VMI) Tommy Cunningham dec. Adam Glaser, 3-2 165- (VMI) Chris Hardy dec. Paul Florio, 7-4 174- (GWU) Chad Davis dec. Dustin McCabe, 10-6 184- (GWU) Brandon Beach dec. Kyle Elgert, 8-4 197- (GWU) Brent Blackwell pin fall Niels Madsen, 1:22 285- (VMI) Scott Buhman dec. Brandon Schweitzer, 8-2

LAS VEGAS , NV -- Senior Kyle Cerminara (Lewiston, NY/Lewiston-Porter) has stretched his career-high winning streak to 16 matches, as the 197-pounder beat Cal. St.-Fulllerton's Chris Chambers, 9-0, to set the University at Buffalo 's career record for wins at the Las Vegas Invitational at the Cashman Center on Friday. He won both his opening round matches to surpass Gary Cooper, who won 113 matches from 1998-2003. Cerminara is the lone Buffalo wrestler to reach the quarterfinals at the 52-team event, but is one of five who is still wrestling, along with junior Mark Budd (Orrville, OH/Orrville) (133 pounds), junior Pat Lloyd (Middletown, NY/Valley Central) (149 pounds), sophomore Mickey Moran (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler Area) and senior Harold Sherrell (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) (285 pounds). Cerminara, seeded second in the field of 48 wrestlers, started his run towards the quarterfinals with a 5-3 win against WrestlingReport.com's 29 th -ranked Mark Thompson of The Citadel, the fourth ranked-wrestler that Cerminara has beaten this year. He followed his record-tying win with a dominating performance against Chambers to earn the record. Cerminara is now just eight wins shy of John Stutzman's school-record of 24 straight wins, set in 1996-97. Budd, Moran and Sherrell each advanced to the round of 16 before losing their first match and will continue to look to score team points in the consolation bracket. Before the round of 16, Buffalo was fourth in the field of 52 teams, as only USA Today/Intermat/NWCA 11th -ranked Cornell, third-ranked Michigan and 15th -ranked Missouri were ahead of the Bulls. Six ranked teams, including second-ranked Illinois and eighth-ranked Wisconsin were looking up in the standings at Buffalo . The action continues as Buffalo will look to stay near the top of the tournament standings, with the quarterfinals and wrestleback rounds three and four slated to start at 10:00 pm (EST).

At 125, Lucas Magnani of Iowa defeated Ben Hanisch of Iowa State by score of 11-3 (photo by Johnnie Johnson).AMES, IA -- The University of Iowa wrestling team improved to 2-0 on the season with its 20-15 win over Iowa State in Ames Friday night. A crowd of 6,682 saw the Hawkeyes record wins in six matches, including two by major decision, to hand Iowa State its first dual loss of the season. The Cyclones are now 3-1. The Hawkeyes jumped out to 10-0 lead on wins by juniors Ryan Fuller (Hwt.) and Lucas Magnani (125) and true freshman Daniel Dennis (133). Fuller scored a 4-2 win over junior Richard Schopf at heavyweight to open the dual. Magnani followed with an 11-3 major decision over Ben Hanisch at 125. Dennis improved to 6-2 on the season and 2-0 in dual competition with a 10-7 win over fifth-year senior Jesse Sundell at 133. At 141, Nate Gallick of Iowa State defeated Alex Tsirtis, 4-1 (photo by Johnnie Johnson).Iowa State got on the board with Nate Gallick's 4-1 win over sophomore Alex Tsirtsis at 141. Iowa senior Ty Eustice took Iowa into the intermission with a 6-3 win over Jason Knipp at 149. Eustice picked up his 90th career victory with the win, and improved to 7-0 on the season. The Cyclones picked up two wins after the intermission, with Trent Paulson's 8-3 decision over senior Joe Johnston at 157 and Travis Paulson's 8-4 win over senior Cole Pape at 165. Hawkeye sophomore Mark Perry gave Iowa boost with a 13-3 major decision at 174, and senior Paul Bradley sealed the Iowa win with an 8-5 victory over Kurt Backes at 184. Both wrestlers improve to 2-0 on the season, and Bradley is now 5-1 in his career against Backes. Cyclone true freshman Joe Curran won the last match of the night, pinning Iowa senior Adam Fellers in 6:14 at 197. Iowa's win also gave the Hawkeyes two points in the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series. Iowa State currently leads the series, 5-2, with wins in women's soccer and football. Iowa (2-0) will host Northern Iowa (0-1) Thursday night at 7 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. MEET RESULTS Iowa 20, Iowa State 15 Hwt -- Ryan Fuller (I) dec. Richard Schopf (ISU), 4-2 125 -- Lucas Magnani (I) maj. dec. Ben Hanisch (ISU), 11-3 133 -- Daniel Dennis (I) dec. Jesse Sundell (ISU), 10-7 141 -- Nate Gallick (ISU) dec. Alex Tsirtsis (I), 4-1 149 -- Ty Eustice (I) dec. Jason Knipp (ISU), 6-3 157 -- Trent Paulson (ISU) dec. Joe Johnston (I), 8-3 166 -- Travis Paulson (ISU) dec. Cole Pape (I), 8-4 174 -- Mark Perry (I) maj. dec. David Bertolino (ISU), 13-3 184 -- Paul Bradley (I) dec. Kurt Backes (ISU), 8-5 197 -- Joe Curran (ISU) pinned Adam Fellers (I), 6:14

Dover, DE --- Delaware State University Director of Athletics Chuck Bell has announced the appointment of First State native Dr. Earl E. Walker, Jr. as head coach of the university's wrestling team, effective in mid-December. Walker, 33, succeeds Darren Archangelo, who resigned this fall after two seasons. The Middletown, Delaware native is a prominent psychologist, former collegiate All-America, and state high school wrestling champion. "Delaware State University is very fortunate to hire a coach with the credentials of Dr. Earl Walker," Bell said. "His professional and athletics successes are proof of his commitment to excellence. I am certain he can lead our wrestling program to long-term success." Walker brings a wealth of experience as a wrestling coach and teacher to Delaware State. Presently, he is owner and director of Basics Plus Wrestling Camps in Newton, MA. His responsibilities include wrestling instruction to elementary, middle and high school students. Walker has served three stints as an assistant wrestling coach at Boston University, most recently from September 2000 to June 2004. He previously held the post on two occasions from 1995 to ‘98. From September 1996 to May '97, he was an assistant coach at the University of California-Davis. Walker also served as Assistant Director and Site Manager for Carl Adams World Class Wrestling School in Boston from 1992 to 2004. As a wrestler at Boston University, Walker was a 1994 NCAA Division I All-America in the 158-pound division. He earned the "Mickey" Cochran Memorial Award, presented to Boston University's top male athlete, for the 1993-94 school year. In 2002, Walker was inducted into the Boston University Athletics Hall of Fame. While at St. Andrews School near Middletown, Delaware, Walker was a two-time Delaware high school state champion, winning the 145-pound title as a junior and the 152-pound division during his senior year. He was inducted into the Delaware Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2004. Delaware State University Associate Director of Athletics Doug Dowdy led the search for the new wrestling coach. "Dr. Earl Walker is the highest caliber individual we could possibly find for the position," Dowdy said. "We are extremely fortunate that he has chosen to join us." Dowdy believes Walker's appointment marks the beginning of a bright new era for the Delaware State wrestling program. "We appreciate the patience of our wrestling team members, and are certain they will lead the way in support of coach Walker throughout the state," he added. "Walker's return to Delaware is a tremendous boost to the university, our student-athletes and the state wrestling community." Walker holds three degrees from Boston University. He earned a bachelor's in Clinical Exercise Physiology in 1995, a master's in Human Movement (Health and Wellness) in 1998, and a doctorate in Counseling Psychology in 2003. In addition, he has performed doctoral studies in Health psychology at Columbia University, Teachers College in New York. Walker is presently Executive Director and Sport Psychology Consultant for Self Realization (SR) Consulting, Inc. in Newton, MA.. In addition, he has served as a School Psychology Consultant for The Academy North in Reading, MA since September 2004, and The Psychological Centers in Middletown, RI since November 2004. "I'm grateful to Delaware State University for giving me the opportunity to return home and coach at the Division I level," Walker said. "The state of Delaware has a strong high school wrestling tradition, and I look forward to helping young men pursue their dreams at the collegiate level." He added, "I am excited about the university administration's commitment to the wrestling program, and its goal to make it one of the best in the nation."

Team 1. ASU 2. Cal Poly 3. Oregon 4. Stanford 5. Boise State 6. Oregon State 7. Cal State Bakersfield 8. Cal State Fullerton 9. UC Davis 10. Portland State Individual 125 Pounds 1. Jeremy Mendoza (Arizona State) 2. Tanner Gardner (Stanford) 3. Eric Stevenson (Oregon State) 4. Chad Mendes (Cal Poly) 5. Tommy Vargas (Cal State Bakersfield) 6. Marcos Orozco (UC Davis) 133 Pounds 1. Scott Jorgensen (Boise State) 2. Darrell Vasquez (Cal Poly) 3. Justin Pearch (Oregon) 4. John Espinoza (Arizona State) 5. Omar Gaitan (UC Davis) 6. TJ Dillashaw (Cal State Fullerton) 141 Pounds 1. Steve Esparza (Cal Poly) 2. Skyler Woods (Oregon) 3. Tommy Owen (Boise State) 4. Derek Moore/Jeff Bristol (UC Davis) 5. Matt Schumm /Jeremy Doyle (Cal State Bakersfield) 6. Teddy Astorga (Cal State Fullerton) 149 Pounds 1. Anthony Baza (Cal State Bakersfield) 2. Jeff Owens (Cal Poly) 3. Josh Zupancic (Stanford ) 4. Orlando Perez (Oregon State) 5. Tyler Sherfey (Boise State) 6. Morgan Atkinson (Cal State Fullerton) 157 Pounds 1. Brian Stith (Arizona State) 2. Tony Hook (Oregon State) 3. Ben Cherrington (Boise State) 4. Scott Loescher (Stanford) 5. Shawn Reilly (Cal State Fullerton) 6. Ryan Williams (Cal Poly) 165 Pounds 1. Joey Bracamonte (Oregon) 2. Pat Pitsch (Arizona State) 3. Brian Busby (Cal State Bakersfield) 4. Frank Richmond (UC Davis) 5. Ray Blake (Stanford) 6. Risto Marttinen (Cal State Fullerton) 174 Pounds 1. Imad Kharbush (Stanford) 2. Jeremy Larson (OSU) 3. Chet McBee (Oregon) 4. Christian Arellano (Cal State Bakersfield) 5. Ken Cook (UC Davis) 6. Craig Wilkerson/Ian Murphy/Ryan Budd (Cal State Fullerton) 184 Pounds 1. Shane Webster (Oregon) 2. CB Dollaway (Arizona State) 3. Ryan Halsey (Cal Poly) 4. KC Walsh (Boise State) 5. Ryan Hagen (Stanford) 6. Jesse Taylor (Cal State Fullerton) 197 Pounds 1. Ryan Bader (Arizona State) 2. Casey Phelps (Boise State) 3. Matt Monteiro (Cal Poly) 4. Ian Bork (Stanford ) 5. Dan Pitsch (OSU) 6. Chris Chambers (Cal State Fullerton) Heavyweight 1. Cain Velasquez (Arizona State) 2. Allen Kennett (PSU) 3. Ty Watterson (OSU) 4. Eric Parker (Cal State Bakersfield) 5. Arturo Basulto (Cal Poly) 6. Chris Dearmon (Oregon)

DEKALB, Ill. -- No. 14 Northwestern recorded seven victories, including two pins, to top 23rd-ranked Northern Illinois 28-10 Thursday at the Convocation Center. The 'Cats rattled off five-consecutive victories from 157 lbs. through 197 lbs. to win their fourth-straight season-opening dual meet. John Velez (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings) kicked things off for the Wildcats by facing Pat Castillo at 125 lbs. Velez scored first, notching two points on a takedown with just over 20 seconds to go in the first period. After Velez scored a point on an escape early in the second, he increased his lead to 5-0 after taking Castillo down with one minute remaining in the second. Castillo was awarded one point for a late escape and Velez went into the final period with a 5-1 lead. After Castillo tied the match midway through the final period, Velez scored a reversal to take a two-point lead. With under five seconds remaining, however, Castillo notched a takedown to send the match into overtime. In the overtime session, Velez shot and hit early, to take the match 9-7 and improve his record to 3-0 on the year. At 133 lbs. senior Daniel Quintela (St. Paul, Minn./Highland Park) fought hard against NIU's Andy Hiatt, but ultimately fell 5-3. In arguably Northwestern's most dominating match, No. 9 Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/St. Edward) pinned NIU's 13th-ranked Josh Wooten. Lang started off fast against Wooten, notching a takedown just 30 seconds into the match. Lang recorded a reversal with 1:40 remaining in the second period before recording a fall at 3:37, giving the Wildcats a 9-3 lead through three weight classes. "I felt Ryan Lang wrestled very well," head coach Tim Cysewski said. "He wrestled with maturity and confidence, and it was nice to see him perform like he did." Freshman Brandon Lozdoski (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) filled the 149-pound slot, and faced Northern Illinois' 10th-ranked Mike Grimes. Lozdoski only trailed 4-1 entering the third period, but Grimes scored on a series of late points to take the match 11-2. With the Wildcats holding onto a slim 9-7 lead, sophomore Greg Hagel came through huge for the Wildcats at 157 lbs., beating the Huskies' Aaron Owen 9-6. Owen struck first, hitting on a takedown with just over two minutes remaining in the first period. Hagel brought the match within one when he controlled a neutral position. After taking Owen down by his right leg for two points, Owen quickly responded with a reversal to regain the lead. Owen scored on another reversal early in the second, but Hagel responded with an escape to make the score 6-4. Hagel tied the match at 6-6 on a takedown, and went into the third tied at 6-6. Hagel tallied an escape early in the third, then went up by three when he took advantage of a missed shot by Owen and notched another takedown. With his win, Hagel gave the Wildcats a 12-7 lead heading into the heavier weights, where Cysewski expected to have success against the Huskies. No. 19 Will Durkee (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) extended Northwestern's lead, when he recorded NU's second pin of the night against the Huskies' Johnny Galloway. Durkee went right after Galloway, shooting for his right leg and recording a takedown just 20 seconds into the first period. After Galloway brought the score to 2-1 on an escape, Durkee weaved through a takedown attempt early in the second period to increase his lead to 4-1. Galloway again scored on an escape, but Durkee controlled the action for a majority of the second period and went into the final stanza with a 4-2 lead. Galloway brought the score to 4-3 on an escape midway through the period, but Durkee wouldn't be caught on any of his takedown attempts. On a Galloway shot attempt late in the third, Durkee spun, got a hold of his leg and notched a takedown. After getting position, Durkee recorded a fall at 6:58 to give Northwestern an 18-7 lead. In another bout of nationally ranked wrestlers, No. 2 Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) faced NIU's 18th-ranked Danny Burk at 174 lbs. Herbert was in control from beginning to end, taking a 2-0 lead after a takedown early in the first. After Burk scored on an escape in the second, Herbert responded with another takedown to take a 4-1 lead. Herbert thwarted a Burk attempt and scored on another takedown with 30 second left in the third. Burke scored three late points, but Herbert took the riding time point and took the match 8-4, improving his season record to 5-0. With a 21-7 lead, No. 14 Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) topped Nick McClone at 184 lbs. Tamillow got on the board first by recording a takedown with 30 second remaining in the first period. After entering the second stanza with a 2-0 lead, Tamillow scored on a reversal, taking a 4-0 lead. After another reversal in the third, Tamillow recorded three late points for a near fall and went on to win 10-0. After Tamillow's major decision win, Northwestern held a 25-7 lead heading into the last two weight classes. At 197 lbs, No. 7 Matt Delguyd (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) won in the third overtime session, beating Northern Illinois' Derick Hunsinger, 5-3. After the two battled to a stalemate for the first 5:50, Hunsinger was awarded a late stalling point and Delguyd entered the third period down 1-0. After another stalling point, Delguyd recorded an escape to bring the score to 2-1. Delguyd turned up his intensity with a minute left in the final period, shooting repeatedly for Hunsinger's legs, but just couldn't hit. With 20 second remaining, however, Delguyd was awarded a point for stalling and the two went into overtime. After a scoreless first overtime period, Hunsinger took the lead on an escape. Delguyd responded with an escape of his own, then notched a takedown for the 5-3 triple-overtime win. With the Wildcats up 28-7, No. 5 Dustin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) faced Joe Sapp at 184 lbs. Fox got on the board first when recorded an escape midway through the second period. After Sapp tallied an escape early in the third, he scored on a takedown with 10 seconds remaining, taking the match 3-1. Overall, Northwestern went 7-3 in the match and improved its record to 1-0 on the year. "I'm pleased with the win today. Everyone wrestled well, and I couldn't have asked for a better performance for our first dual," Cysewski said.

HARRISONBURG, Va. -- The Gardner-Webb wrestling team edged James Madison by a single point on Thursday night after the teams split the 10 matches. Daniel Elliott earned a tech fall victory and Brent Blackwell took a major decision win for the decisive extra points. The hotly contested match started with the 133-pound bout between No. 18 Josh Pniewski and James Madison's Rich Gebauer. Pniewski rolled to the 12-6 victory to stake Gardner-Webb to the early 3-0 advantage. Gardner-Webb's other nationally ranked grappler, No. 17 Daniel Elliott, then scored an 18-3 tech fall victory over Mitch Davey at 149 pounds to push the GWU lead to a five-point spread at 8-3. The lead grew to 11-3 as Adam Glaser secured Gardner-Webb's third victory in the opening four contests with a 6-2 decision at 157 pounds. After Mike Meagher scored a major decision for the Dukes at 165, Chad Davis earned a 5-1 decision at 174 to double up James Madison on the scoreboard, 14-7. JMU would narrow the gap with decisions in the 184, 285 and 125-pound bouts, but a Brent Blackwell major decision victory at 197 pounds gave Gardner-Webb all the points it would need to finish off the Dukes for an 18-17 road victory. Gardner-Webb improves to 2-5 in dual matches on the young season. The ‘Dogs will be right back on the mats on Friday night when they wrestle at VMI, starting at 7 pm.

Hey wrestling fans, this is Tim Winker chiming in from the Wisconsin-La Crosse team as I have been chosen as our next blogger. This is my third year here at UW-La Crosse. For most of my life, all I've known is sports, school, and farming. Having grown up on a family farm, I learned many useful traits, the most important of them being hard work. I'm very thankful for growing up in that environment as it has shaped the person that I am today. So perhaps it's pure coincidence that my coach asked me to write this the week after Thanksgiving when I recounted many of the things that I was thankful for. Of course, like most people, I am thankful for a loving family that is also able to help me through college. I am also very thankful for my health, which is nice to have in life, especially if you are going to be competing in collegiate athletics. Finally, I realize that I am thankful for one more thing that I had never thought of before … wrestling itself. Coming to La Crosse as a freshman was a very new experience for me. Being away from home, I seemed to have lost some of my hard-working mentality that I learned on the farm. For some reason, I thought that being a full-time student and wrestling would be too much for me, so I decided not to wrestle. However, by the end of my freshman year, I had lost my focus on what I was really in college for, and had started partying a little too much. Because of this, I decided that my sophomore year, I was going to wrestle to bring more structure back into my life. That summer, I got my first job off our family farm as a laborer pouring concrete. To my surprise, I had found a job that I loved and enjoyed going to every day. By the end of the summer, I was dreading going back to school because I was happy just being outside and working. However, my parents encouraged me to continue my education and at least give wrestling a shot. Having qualified for the state tournament three times in high school and placing twice, I thought that I would have no problem competing at the college level. Unfortunately, I had quite a rude awakening as I finished the season with a disappointing 8-12 record at 197 pounds. Throughout the year, I had lost several matches by only one or two points, which normally wouldn't bother me if I knew that my opponent was better than me. Unfortunately, this was not the case. I knew in my mind that I could have won every one of those close matches. I just had to figure out why I hadn't. I also gained something else from wrestling that year besides the experience. I found not only a group of great teammates, but also a group of great friends. I had never seen so many people from all different hometowns and childhoods that came together like a new family, helping me to not miss the one I left at home as much. Our coaches as well, like parents, were and still are sacrificing so much to help the team succeed. Because of this, I knew I wanted to stay in La Crosse to continue my education because of wrestling. Over the past summer, I spent a lot of time soul-searching and trying to figure out what was so different between high school and college wrestling. Over time, I think that I had realized part of the problem: attitude. In high school, I walked onto the mat knowing that I was going to win, and I didn't care who I was wrestling, how good he was, or how quick or strong that he was. However, in college, I found myself intimidating myself before my opponent even had the chance to. I had decided that this year I was going to go into my matches with the same attitude I had in high school. I was going to walk onto the mat not caring who I was wrestling. I would tell myself, "never back down, never quit." In my first tournament of the year, the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, Nebraska, I went out onto the mat with this attitude in mind. This time, I was winning the close matches. I won my first match, but lost my second. This meant that I would have to win four straight matches to be able to place. I didn't worry about this, though. I just kept my nose to the grindstone and kept wrestling with passion. In the match that I lost, I also managed to re-enflame a small case of cauliflower ear so much I thought it was going to pop. It was very painful to even wear my headgear, much less wrestle with it, but I used this as fuel. Each match I walked onto the mat with the right attitude, and each match I found a way to win. In my fifth match, I also got a nasty cut on my head from being accidentally bitten. This wound caused me to have my head wrapped in such a way that I looked like I had been in a war or something. But I just kept on going, winning that match and the next one, guaranteeing my placing at the tournament. Unfortunately, I ran into two tough opponents to end the day, and I ended up placing sixth. I wrestled my last six matches in a matter of only four hours, finally finishing at 10:30 p.m. with a record of 5-3 on the day. It had been a long hard day, but I had proven to myself that I could compete at the college level if I had the right attitude. Sitting here writing this, I realize that I could be a long way from here. I could be finishing up the work season pouring concrete and farming in the cold, nasty weather. Gratefully, the encouragements of my parents, my desire to make something of myself, and wrestling itself have led me to stay in school. I am proud to be doing what I am doing and I am glad that I have these things in my life which I am truly thankful for. Thanks for reading. Tim Winker Past UW-La Crosse Entries: Entry 4 (11/16/05) Entry 3 (11/3/05) Entry 2 (10/19/05) Entry 1 (10/10/05)

ELMHURST, Ill. -- The Elmhurst College wrestling team, made an impressive statement in their first dual meet of the season, pounding conference rival and 24th-ranked Augustana College 39-3. Elmhurst, who entered the dual ranked 23rd in the latest Division III poll, won nine of the 10 matches, including the first five matches of the dual before Augustana got on the scoreboard. Tom Gagan (New Lennox-Lincoln Way Central) kicked off the dual by panning Augustana's Leo Byrd in 2:50 at 125 pounds. Gagan improved to 5-0 with the win, with all five of his victories coming by pin fall. Jeff Kastel (Hinsdale-Hinsdale Central) earned a forfeit at 133 pounds. Returning All-American David Silva (Lake In The Hills/Dundee-Crown) scored a 5-1 decision over Ryan McMurray at 141 pounds while Kenny Thomas (Richmond, Mich.-H.S.) pinned Larry Amedio in 3:41 at 149 pounds. The 157-pound match featured a pair of the top wrestlers in the nation. Elmhurst's Tyler Ludwig (Wheaton-North) entered the match ranked sixth while Augustana's Mike Kerr came in ranked seventh. Ludwig controlled the match, scoring a 13-1 major decision. Augustana scored its only points at 165 pounds when Brian Daly defeated Keith Witalka (Peru/LaSalle-Peru) 6-1. Josh Rupprecht (Pontiac-H.S.) scored an 11-0 major decision over Dan Krcmar at 174 pounds while Nick Mason (Harvard-H.S.) earned an 11-6 victory over Jason Kral at 184 pounds. Nick Metcalf (Villa Park-Willowbrook) defeated Mike Kerr 12-8 at 197 pounds and Ward Brady (Bartlett-Glenbard North) finished the dual with an 11-0 major victory over John Parkhurst at 285 pounds. The Bluejays will wrestle on Saturday, December 3, at the Wisconsin Open.

Las Vegas, Nev. -- Head Coach Brian Smith will take his No. 16 Missouri wrestling team to Las Vegas, Nev., Dec 2-3, to compete in the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Billed as the "Elite Wrestling Kickoff," the two-day tournament features nearly 50 teams, nine of which are ranked in the top 25. The top 10 teams of the 2004 event are all among the field of competitors, with No. 3 Michigan looking to defend its 2004 title. Stepping into center circle during the two-day event will be nearly 500 wrestlers, 81 of which are ranked in the top 20 at their respective weight class. Three grapplers ranked No. 1 in the nation take to the mats, including Ben Askren (174), Shawn Bunch of Edinboro (133) and Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan (149). Looking to continue his success at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Askren, a junior, will defend his 2004 title when facing off against the toughest competition he has wrestled against to this point in the season. The 174-pound division includes eight wrestlers ranked in the top 20, Askren is one of two Missouri wrestlers still among the list of unbeaten grapplers, having compiled a 10-0 record to open the campaign. Along the way, Askren, one of three team captains, has pinned nine opponents and earned two tournament titles, the CMSU Open and the Missouri Open. Unbeaten Matt Pell, ranked No. 5 in the nation at 165 pounds, looks to improve on a 2004 outing in which he finished fifth at 184 pounds. Wrestling two weight classes lower as a junior, Pell enters the tournament as the top-ranked grappler in the 165-pound bracket. Several other Missouri wrestlers look to make an impact on the national stage, led by sophomore team captain Tyler McCormick at 133 pounds. McCormick enters the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational with a 3-1 record, his only loss coming in the championship bout of the Missouri Open, 9-4, to Bunch, the top wrestler in the nation at his weight class. Competing at 141 pounds, senior Chris McCormick finished seventh at the Invitational in 2004 and hopes to improve on that showing this weekend. Ranked No. 19 in the nation, McCormick has compiled a 13-1 record. Like every Tiger to shake hands in center circle this weekend, McCormick faces a tough bracket that features five grapplers among the top 20.