InterMat Staff

Golden Gopher Matt Nagel will join fellow All-Americans Mack Reiter and Cole Konrad at the 40th annual Marines All-Star Classic on Monday, Nov. 21, in Stillwater, Okla. Nagel will face top-ranked Johny Hendricks of Oklahoma State after Michigan's Ryan Churella withdrew from the event. The event attempts to pit the top two ranked wrestlers at each weight class in a dual meet format. College Sports Television will air the event tape- delayed on Wednesday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m. Nagel is ranked fourth in the nation entering his senior season and got off to a strong start with a title at the Bison Open last Saturday. Nagel pinned his first three opponents in a total of 3:04 and then defeated former Golden Gopher Nate Baker of Minnesota State- Moorhead in the finals. The defending NCAA Champion, Hendricks narrowly defeated Nagel, 5-3, in overtime in the teams' dual meet a year ago. Reiter was originally scheduled to face Wisconsin's Tom Clum, but will now face Cal Poly's Darrell Vasquez of Cal Poly. Konrad will meet two-time NCAA Champion Steve Mocco of Oklahoma State.

ATHENS, Ohio -- Three high school state champions have signed National Letters of Intent to join the Ohio wrestling program during its early signing period. The Bobcats inked Anthony Ciraky (Westerville, Ohio), Shane Friery (North Royalton, Ohio) and Ben Llanes (Lucky, Ohio), announced head coach Joel Greenlee on Wednesday. "This gives us a great start to our recruiting," said Greenlee. "With last year's class in addition to this year's, I think in another year that gives us a team full of studs. We need to bring in a couple of upper-weight guys but other than that, I can definitely say this is the best we've ever done in early recruiting." Ciraky won the 152-pound state Division I title for Westerville South High School last February after finishing as the 140-pound runner-up in 2004. As a 160-pounder this season, he is ranked fifth in the nation by InterMat.com and 10th in the country by Wrestling USA magazine. "This guy is tough," Greenlee said about Ciraky. "We think he is going to be a super talent at 165 pounds. His best wrestling is still ahead of him." Friery claimed the 130-pound Division II state crown following a 37-6 junior campaign. He also placed fourth at 125 pounds as a sophomore, capping a 35-7 season at Padua Franciscan High School. This year, he is ranked 10th in the nation at 135 pounds by Wrestling USA magazine. "Friery is a just hammer, a lot like Jake Percival in that he takes you down, gets on top and just grinds on you," said Greenlee. "He's good on his feet but he likes to just wear people out and grind on them on top. We're hoping he builds up into a 149-pounder for us because he's got a lot of potential." Llanes helped his Eastwood High School team to a state Division II runner-up finish by winning the 112-pound championship in February. He completed his junior season with a 52-2 record following a 50-4 sophomore campaign that ended with a third-place finish. He is currently the eighth-ranked 119-pounder in the country, according to Wrestling USA magazine. "Llanes will be a super-tough 125-pounder for us," Greenlee said. "He doesn't wrestle a lot in the summer and offseason but he beat the Junior Nationals runner-up twice last year. He will come in and redshirt behind Caleb Metcalf and then have the opportunity to take the spot over after that."

BLOOMSBURG -- Mike Spaid (Perkiomenville/Boyertown) got a 2-0 win at heavyweight in the final bout of the night to lift the Huskies to a 17-16 victory over 20th-ranked University of Pittsburgh. The win gives the Huskies a 1-0 record on the year, including a 1-0 mark in the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL). "It's great for our guys; they believe they can beat anybody and I preach that to them everyday," said head coach John Stutzman after the win. "I honestly believe they're in the best condition in the country. I believed in them the whole time." Stutzman knew the team matched up well in certain spots against Pittsburgh, but had no idea how tight the match would end up. "I thought they had a big-time advantage at a couple of weights, but we had some guys come up big for us," he said. "I knew we were right there with them, but I didn't know how close it was going to be." The Huskies were without 2005 NCAA qualifier Jim Bertulis (Aston/Garnett Valley) who was sidelined with an injury. "Without Jim, Jason Crawford went in there and wrestled gutsy, not giving up a pin or a tech fall and Ricky Donald didn't give up any bonus points," Stutzman said. "Nate Shirk and George Hickman got us two big overtime wins and wrestled really gutsy at those spots." 125- Mike Sees (Northumberland/Shikellamy) got the Huskies off to an early 5-0 lead with a 18-2 technical fall win over Pittsburgh's Brad Gentzle. After a Gentzle takedown, Sees rattled off an escape, a takedown and six backpoints to take a 9-2 lead after the first period. In the second, Sees got a quick escape after selecting the defensive position. Sees scored a takedown, five backpoints and earned a point on riding time to get the technical fall at the end of the second period. 133- Mike Ciotti put Pittsburgh on the board with a 7-2 decision over the Huskies' Ricky Donald (Milton/Bloomsburg). Donald got the early lead on a takedown in the first period, but Ciotti jumped back on top with four backpoints in the second period after Donald selected the defensive position. In the third, Ciotti, choosing to remain on offense, scored on two backpoints and also earned a point for riding time to cut the Huskies' lead to 5-3. 141- Despite a late escape with less than 20 seconds remaining in the bout, Brad Forbes (Downingtown/Downingtown) fell to the Panthers' Ron Tarquinio in a 2-1 decision. After a scoreless first period, Tarquinio got a quick escape in the second after choosing the down position. Tarquinio won the match after tallying 1:33 of riding time in the third period. 149- In the night's most exciting match, George Hickman (Wilmington, NC/Riverside) won in a 7-5 decision in overtime. With four seconds remaining in the overtime period, Hickman got a takedown against Pittsburgh's Joey Ecklof. Going into the third period, Hickman built a 5-4 lead on a takedown, a reversal and an escape. After choosing the defensive position, Ecklof got an escape to tie the bout and send it into overtime. 157- Aric Fuhrman (Spring Grove/Delone Catholic) got a tight 3-2 win over the Panthers' Sean Richmond to give the Huskies an 11-6 lead. In the first period, Fuhrman got a takedown, owning a 2-1 lead after the first. Richmond evened the score at 2-2 in the second on an escape, tying the score going into the final period. Fuhrman, after selecting the defensive position, scored on an escape to win the match for the Huskies in the final period. 165- 16th-ranked Justin Nestor cut the Huskies' lead to 11-10 with a 10-2 major decision win over Bloomsburg's Jason Crawford (New Albany/Wyalusing Valley). Nestor took a 3-2 lead going into the second period where he scored two points from the offensive position. In the third, Nestor scored four points on an escape from the defensive position and a takedown. His final point came on riding time. 174- Francis Iorfido used a first-period takedown to get a 2-1 win over Bloomsburg's Frank Beasley (Oden, IL/Centralia). Beasley chose the offensive position in the third period, but was unable to score, earning his lone point on riding time. 184- Nate Shirk (Middleburg/Middleburg) got another exiting overtime win for the Huskies, defeating Kyle Deliere, 4-2 in overtime. All the scoring came in the second period. Deliere scored first on an escape from the defensive position. Shirk came back with a takedown, which Deliere responded to with another escape. In the third, Shirk and Deliere wrestled even after Shirk selected the neutral position. In overtime, Shirk got a takedown 18 seconds into the overtime period to give the Huskies a 14-13 lead in the match. 197- A takedown with 11 seconds remaining gave Lou Thomas a 5-2 win over Bloomsburg's Jesse Hasseman (Franklin, IN/Franklin). Thomas took a 3-0 lead going into the third period, where Hasseman got two points on an escape and a point against Thomas for stalling. HWT- Spaid gave the Huskies the win with a 2-0 win over Pittsburgh's Mike Heist. Spaid got an escape in the second period to take a 1-0 lead and was awarded one point on Heist's unnecessary roughness penalty. The Huskies will travel to New York this weekend for the Buffalo Duals. Matches are slated to being at 4:00 p.m.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern University is set to host the 2005 Midlands Wrestling Championships, Dec. 29-30. This year marks the 43rd installment of one of the most prestigious events in collegiate wrestling. The annual tournament attracts hundreds of the most talented wrestlers from around the country in a two-day, four-session double-elimination tournament. Founded by Northwestern's Ken Kraft, the Midlands Championships are held every December in Welsh-Ryan Arena. The tournament has historically brought together the very best in amateur wrestling, and has provided the springboard for 81 Olympic wrestlers. In the Midlands team race, Illinois enters as the two-time defending champion. In the 42-year history of Midlands, only two teams--Iowa and Iowa State--have garnered three-straight team titles. "We look forward to going to Midlands every year because it's one of the premier college tournaments of the season. We're proud to have won it the past two years," Illinois head wrestling coach Mark Johnson said. Based on W.I.N. Magazine's latest team rankings, this year's Midlands team race could be one of the closest in recent history. No. 3 Iowa, No. 4 Illinois, No. 7 Iowa State, No. 11 Indiana, No. 13 Northwestern, No. 15 Central Michigan, No. 17 Michigan State and No. 20 Penn all have a legitimate shot at winning the team race. This year's event features a plethora of talented wrestlers who could compete for national titles at the end of the season. The 125-pound weight class could be the tournament's deepest weight, with 10 of the nation's top-20 ranked wrestlers expected to compete--including Indiana's Joe Dubuque, the early favorite to win the national title. Also competing is Michigan State's Nick Simmons, ranked No. 5 nationally, who won his first Midlands individual title in 2004. The 157-pound class should also be strong, with the four of the nation's top five wrestlers expected to compete. Illinois' Alex Tirapelle returns to Midlands after winning the 157-pound title in 2004. Iowa's third-ranked Mark Perry also returns for a shot to win his second Midlands title, only this year he eyes up the 174-pound title. Last year, Perry won five-straight matches to win the 165-pound weight class as the No. 3 seed. Perry has his work cut out for him, as he will have to deal with Northwestern's second-ranked Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny). Herbert, a sophomore, took home the 174-pound crown in 2004. The nation's second- through fifth-ranked wrestlers at 184 lbs. are expected to compete in 2005 as well, setting the stage for exciting competition from the bottom to the top weight classes. "Midlands is one of the best events in college wrestling," Northwestern head wrestling coach Tim Cysewski said. "A Midlands championship, a Big Ten championship and an NCAA championship, that's the triple crown of college wrestling."

Freshman Sean Clair led three Eastern Michigan placers in the Michigan State Open in East Lansing Saturday and Sunday, November 12-13. Clair took 5th in the 125 pound weight class with a 5-2 comeback victory over Jim Shutich of Michigan. The true freshman from Plum, Pennsylvania won his first two matches with technical falls of 15-0 and 17-1. He lost in the semifinals for the second straight week to freshman Franklin Gomez of Michigan State before battling back to the 5th place finish over Shutich. Charlie WalkerSenior Captain Charlie Walker started his season with a 6th place finish at 285 pounds. Wearing a mask as a result of a nose injury in practice, Walker had wins over Ohio State's Steve Dumas and Michigan State's Alan O'Donnell. Sophomore Tony Lyssiotis also had a good outing at the Open and placed 7th at 197 pounds. He was 3-2 on the day with two of his wins coming by falls. After losing a controversial 5-3 overtime match against Corey Morrison of Ohio State, Lyssiotis pinned Justin Tazzi of Findlay in 2:54 to claim 7th place. Although some starters did not go to the tournament, several other Eagles competed. Although they did not place, coaches singled out junior Ahmad Joumma (3-2 at 141) and freshman Chris Jenkins (2-2 at 133) for good performances.

ALAMOSA, Colo. -- After becoming a 4-time Colorado High School State Champion last winter, Adams State College freshman wrestler Torben Walters was named as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's Preseason Freshman of the Year on Tuesday. The Olney Springs, Colo. native and Crowley County High School graduate posted a 163-3 record during his prep career and became just the 13th Colorado prep wrestler to win four state titles. He was also named as the 2005 High School Wrestler of the Year by the Colorado Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. The Grizzly team also received some preseason praise as coach Jason Ramstetter's squad was picked second in the conference's annual preseason poll that was also announced by RMAC officials on Tuesday. ASC received two first place votes in the balloting of the league's eight coaches and finished second behind 4-time defending RMAC Champion Nebraska-Kearney in the poll with 15 points. The Lopers received five first place votes and had nine points. The preseason predictions are nothing new for the Grizzlies. ASC was also picked to finish second in both 2003 and 2004 and finished in that spot at last year's RMAC/NCAA West Regional Championships. Fort Hays State finished third in the poll with 19 points while Western State picked up the last first place vote and finished fourth overall with 25 points. RMAC affiliate member San Francisco State, led by RMAC Preseason Wrestler of the Year Pacifico Garcia, the defending national champion at 149 pounds, finished fifth with 27 points. Chadron State (39 points), Colorado Mines (41 points) and New Mexico Highlands (49 points), which will restart its program in 2005-06, rounded out the poll. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or wrestlers. The Grizzlies return eight of their 10 NCAA Division II National Championship qualifiers to the 2005-06 squad. They also return two other former national championship qualifiers and five total All-Americans. ASC had been picked ninth, one spot behind Nebraska-Kearney, in the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Poll that was released earlier this month. Fort Hays State and San Francisco State were picked 10th and 18th, respectively, in that poll while Colorado Mines and Western State each received votes. ASC's three returning 2005 All-Americans were also ranked individually in that poll. Senior Rob McCabe (Nucla, Colo.) and sophomore Evan Copeland (Las Cruces, N.M.) were picked second at 125 and 165 pounds, respectively, while sophomore Raymond Dunning (Nashville, Tenn.) was picked fifth at 133 pounds. All three wrestlers and the Grizzlies as a team fared well at Sunday's season-opening Wyoming Cowboy Open in Laramie, Wyo. The Grizzlies had nine wrestlers place in the top four of their respective brackets and crowned four champions, more than any of the other 20-plus schools at the tournament. ASC was the only one of five RMAC schools at the competition to come home with an individual championship. McCabe and Copeland were amongst the group of victors. Ramstetter will split his squad between open tournaments at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and the University of Northern Colorado this Saturday.

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- Senior Patrick Simpson secured a technical fall in the final bout of the night as Army's wrestling team began its 86th season of intercollegiate competition by coming from eight points behind to tie No. 16 Hofstra 19-19 Tuesday evening at West Point's Christl Arena. The Black Knights (0-0-1) rallied from a 16-8 deficit after seven bouts to obtain the tie. With Army trailing 19-14 going into the final bout, Simpson came out strong in the 149-pound skirmish. The Nashville, Tenn., native tried furiously to pin Michael Martini, but the Hofstra freshman would not submit and Simpson came away with a technical fall in 6 minutes, 52 seconds. "I approached the match just like any other match," remarked Simpson. "I just wanted to go out there and score points. I was hoping I'd catch him on his back and stick him. In the third period I knew I had to rack up points to secure the technical fall, but during the last 30 seconds I really wanted the pin." Junior 133-pounder Frank Baughan made Simpson's match relevant when he pinned Robbie Deibert in just 44 seconds. Baughan's win by fall, which trimmed Hofstra's lead to two points (16-14) put Army in position to steal the match, despite the fact Hofstra's John Manarte defeated Tony Severo, 8-3, at 141 pounds. Army head coach Chuck Barbee was pleased with the way his team wrestled throughout the evening. "It was a good effort to tie a good team like Hofstra," commented Barbee. "As a coach, you're never completely satisfied with a tie, though, because the victory was right there." Hofstra (0-0-1) grabbed a 3-0 lead after the first bout as James Strouse picked up a 4-1 decision against Army sophomore Brandon Benson at 157 pounds. Strouse scored a takedown early in the first period and he made it stand up. In the next bout, Black Knight senior Jon Anderson put Army on top, 4-3, with a 19-7 major decision against the Pride's Chris Vondruska in the 165-pound match. Anderson garnered his first of six takedowns late in the first period to seize a 3-2 lead that he never relinquished. The seesaw contest began to tilt in favor of the visitors as Hofstra wrestlers took the next three bouts as the Pride grabbed a 13-4 lead after five bouts. Mike Patrovich, who is ranked sixth in the nation at 174 pounds, began Hofstra's run when he scored a 10-1 major decision versus Army's Scott Ferguson. In a matchup of nationally-ranked grapplers, No. 14 Joe Rovelli kept the Pride's momentum going with a hard-fought 6-1 decision over No. 15 Luke Calvert at 184 pounds. Hofstra's Chris Weidman continued the run as he used an 8-3 decision to defeat Connor Sanders at 197 pounds. The match was tied, 2-2, entering the third and final period, but Weidman earned the winning point on an escape to open the final stanza and added a pair of takedowns to close the scoring. Army freshman Michael Sprigg halted Hofstra's run and put the Black Knights squarely back into contention with a rousing 11-1 decision over Jon Andriac in the heavyweight contest. The match, which featured four takedowns for Sprigg, had the Army partisans whipped up into a frenzy. Any momentum that Army might have generated from Sprigg's triumph was stolen right back by Hofstra's Dave Tomasette as the 17th-ranked lightweight in the nation captured a 10-7 decision versus Black Knight freshman William Simpson in a heated match at 125 pounds. The Hofstra victory gave the Pride a 16-8 advantage with only three bouts remaining and set the stage for Patrick Simpson's dramatics. The tie, which was Army's first since a 16-16 stalemate versus Navy on Feb. 19, 2000, snaps a five-match winless streak versus Hofstra. The Pride now lead the all-time series 8-5-1. "I was encouraged by the way we wrestled," added Barbee. "We continue to get better every week. Patrick Simpson put us in position to tie the match versus a good team, and hopefully the next time out we'll be in a position to win. "This is a great starting point for us. The guys have been training hard during the preseason. We have a ton of tough matches coming up this season so there isn't any time to sit around and rest on a good match. I'm pleased with tonight and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season." The Black Knights will look to build on tonight's performance when they return to the tournament circuit this Saturday (Nov. 19) at the Body Bar Systems Invitational in Ithaca, N.Y.

Brute-Adidas/National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Rankings Team Rankings: Team Record Last 1. Augsburg 1 2. Wis.-La Crosse 2 3. Wartburg 3 4. Brockport State 4 5. Luther 5 6. College of New Jersey 1-0 6 7. Loras 8 8. Springfield (Mass.) 9 9. York (Pa.) 2-2 18 10. Wis.-Stevens Point 11 11. John Carroll 13 12. Lycoming 14 13. Cortland State 16 14. Oswego State 1-0 28 15. Thiel 3-0 22 16. Cornell College 1-0 NR 17. Norwich 19 18. Ithaca 7 19. Wilkes 0-1 NR 20. St. John's (Minn.) 17 21. Coe 20 22. McDaniel 3-2 25 23. Elmhurst 21 24. Augustana (Ill.) 23 25. Delaware Valley 0-1 10 26. SIMPSON 0-1 12 27. Buena Vista 26 28. Dubuque NR 29. Ohio Northern 24 30. North Central 30 Individual Rankings 125 lbs. 1. Terry Morgan Sr. Loras 2. Brian Dempsey Jr. College of New Jersey 3. Ty Klofta Sr. Ohio Northern 4. Brandon McDonough So. Johnson & Wales 5. Nate Hansen Jr. Luther 6. Kyle Kemmerer Jr. Ithaca 7. Chris Heilman Sr. Cornell College 8. David Bowers So. Wilmington 133 lbs. 1. Tony D'Ambra Sr. Brockport State 2. Mike Lopez Sr. Luther 3. Justin Hulegaard So. Buena Vista 4. Matt Smith Fr. Johnson&Wales 5. Joe Jewett Fr. Oswego State 6. Sean Cullen Jr. Lycoming 7. Derek Goduto Sr. Montclair State 8. Jordan Kolinsky So. Wis.-La Crosse 141 lbs. 1. Dustin Hinschberger Sr. Wartburg 2. Mike Gaeta Jr. Springfield 3. David Silva Sr. Elmhurst 4. Mike Rohewetz So. Wis.-La Crosse 5. Joel Burdick Sr. Wis.-Stevens Point 6. Dan Hall Jr. Delaware Valley 7. Mike Conklin Sr. Norwich 8. Paul LeBlanc Fr. Cortland State 149 lbs. 1. Matt Pyle Jr. Luther 2. Jason Rousch Jr. Mount St. Joseph 3. Jacob Naig So. Wartburg 4. Jared Evans Jr. Augsburg 5. Mike Kemble Sr. Thiel 6. Dan Song Sr. USMMA 7. Kyle Forness Fr. Buena Vista 8. Mark DeCiccio Jr. Springfield (Mass.) 157 lbs. 1. Joe Gallante Jr. College of N.J. 2. Shaheim Bradshaw So. Brockport State 3. Carl Amerine Sr. Wilmington 4. Ross Needham Jr. Wis.-La Crosse 5. Jake Tyler So. Springfield 6. Tyler Ludwig Sr. Elmhurst 7. Mike Kerr Jr. Augustana (Ill.) 8. Brad Bishop Sr. Loras 165 lbs. 1. Ryan Valek Sr. Augsburg 2. Derek Sikora Jr. Wis.-Eau Claire 3. Tony Howard Sr. McDaniel 4. John Dolan Jr. Williams 5. Corey Murphy Jr. Thiel 6. Steve Martell So. Johnson&Wales 7. Cole Williams Sr. Dubuque 8. Dustin Blevin Sr. Wartburg 174 lbs. 1. Stephon Sair Jr. Cortland State 2. Josh Chelf So. Wis.-La Crosse 3. Matthias Keib Sr. Ithaca 4. Ryan Hagerty Sr. Loras 5. Jeff Harrington So. College of N.J. 6. Jake Beitz Sr. Montclair State 7. Cody Downing Sr. Simpson 8. Andrew Winfield Fr. McDaniel 184 lbs. 1. Duane Bastress Sr. York (Pa.) 2. Ryan Summers Jr. John Carroll 3. Brad Tupa Sr. Augsburg 4. Jason Lulloff Sr. Wis.-La Crosse 5. Akeem Carter Sr. Wartburg 6. Mike Troutman Sr. Ursinus 7. Mitch Hager Sr. Loras 8. Ben Dictus Sr. Lawrence 197 lbs. 1. Willie Weiss Sr. Brockport State 2. Matt Loesch Jr. Muhlenberg 3. Justin Sorrenson Sr. Augsburg 4. Devin Carmen Sr. Baldwin Wallace 5. Dan Fiecke Sr. St. John's (Minn.) 6. Nick Calandrino Jr. Ithaca 7. Ryan Phillips Jr. Wartburg 8. Jason Reilly Jr. Kings College 285 lbs. 1. Ryan Allen Sr. Wis.-La Crosse 2. Blake Gillis Jr. Wartburg 3. Mike Blair Sr. Trinity (Conn.) 4. Mike Hayes Sr. Wis.-Stevens Point 5. Brett Christensen Sr. Simpson College 6. Tommy Snyder Sr. Lycoming College 7. Pat Bennett Sr. Brockport State 8. Derek Ankney Sr. John Carroll

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- November 14, 2005 - The No. 12 Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team will feature two fan give-aways at its home dual match vs. No. 15 Wisconsin on Sunday, Nov. 20. Free schedule magnets will be given to the first 2,500 fans showing up for the 1 p.m. match with the Badgers, courtesy of the Penn State Wrestling Booster Club. Also, Penn State Wrestling T-Shirts will be given to the first 1,000 fans, courtesy of Penn State Athletics. The Nittany Lions enter their first Big Ten dual of the season with a 3-0 mark after Sunday's thrilling 18-17 win over No. 8 Lehigh in the title match of the 2005 Pennsylvania State Dual Championships. Wisconsin, who visit Lock Haven on Saturday before battling Penn State, is 1-0. Single match tickets can be purchased by visiting the BJC Ticket Center or by calling 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336. Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and senior citizens. Tickets will also be available at the door beginning one hour prior to match time.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State University wrestling team (3-0, 1-0 Pac-10) returns to the road this week for a Top 10 dual battle as the Sun Devils are set to face No. 8 Lehigh (3-1, 0-0 EIWA) Thursday evening in Bethlehem, Pa., at 7 p.m. Following their meeting with the Mountain Hawks, the Sun Devils will travel to the East Stroudsburg Open which is set for Saturday morning. Several members of the team not making the trip to Pennsylvania will travel to Fullerton, Calif., on Saturday morning for the Fullerton Open. STRONG START - PART I Arizona State opened its 2005-06 season last weekend at the Portland State Duals where its took on three opponents in dual action and won all three in convincing fashion. The Sun Devils opened the day with a 38-6 defeat of Pacific (Ore.) before taking down Southern Oregon, 28-9. In the final dual of the day, the Sun Devils won their Pac-10 opener as it handed the host Vikings a 43-6 setback. STRONG START - PART II Not only did the team start strong, but also its individual wrestlers. In all, 11 different Sun Devils took to the mat on Saturday with seven going undefeated on the day, six of which went 3-0. Those triple winners included Jeremy Mendoza (125), Jason Robbins (141), Pat Payne (149), Patrick Pitsch (165), Ryan Bader (197) and Cain Velasquez (285) while Kevin Gaughan (157) went undefeated in his two appearances. In all, ASU wrestlers combined to go 25-5 on the on day with a 9-0 mark against Pac-10 foes (ASU forfeited at 157). DYNAMIC DEBUTS Five wrestlers made their debut for the Sun Devils over the weekend, combining to go 9-1 on the day. True freshman Jason Robbins (141) posted a 3-0 record, including a win by major decision while redshirt freshman Alex Pavlenko (174) went 1-1 in a pair of bouts decided by decision. Pat Payne (149), who is in his third year with ASU, wrestled his first matches as a Sun Devil following a redshirt season and an injury season last year to go 3-0 with one major decision and one technical fall. A pair of transfers also made their way into the lineups with Kevin Gaughan (157), a transfer from James Madison, going 2-0 while Chris Remsen (174), who came to Tempe from NC State, was forced to retire from his match after sustaining an injury in the second period. THE FALL GUY Last year, Patrick Pitsch went 24-15 in his first season of action for the Sun Devils. In those 39 bouts, Pitsch did not pin an opponent while also not allowing an opponent to pin him. In his first match of the 2005-06 season, Pitsch collected his first collegiate pin as he defeated Marshall Cook with the fall at 5:42. His pin was one of five recorded by ASU wrestlers on the weekend. START OF THE END Three of the Sun Devils' five seniors saw mat action over the weekend with all three posting 3-0 records to open their final seasons of competition for the maroon and gold. Jeremy Mendoza (125), Ryan Bader (197) and Cain Velasquez (285) each swept their opponents and combined to record three major decisions, one technical fall and four pins. RAISING CAIN The Sun Devils' big man, Cain Velasquez, has been very dominating since coming to Tempe as he has won 29 of his 63 career matches by either major decision, technical fall or fall, including all three of his bouts this season. For his career, the 2005 All-American (fifth place) has won 16 bouts by major decision, seven by technical fall and six by fall. He currently stands 53-10 in his career and is the defending Pac-10 champion at heavyweight. LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD Of the 30 bouts contested over the weekend, 17 victories recorded by ASU wrestlers earned bonus points in the team race. Combined, the Sun Devils won five bouts by fall (six points), three by technical fall (five points), seven by major decision (four points) and two by injury default or forfeit (six points). TOUGH TIME After easily defeating three teams at the Portland State Duals, the Sun Devils will have a much tougher task on their hands this week as the face the No. 8 team in the nation, Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks are the first nationally ranked team ASU will face this year, but it certainly will not be the last as duals with No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 5 Iowa, No. 6 Minnesota, No. 7 Iowa State and No. 21 Cal Poly are all on the slate. The next dual ASU enters also will be its next "tough" dual as it plays host to the No. 5 Hawkeyes at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe. TOURNAMENT ACTION The Sun Devils are set to send wrestlers to two different tournaments this weekend with a majority of the team staying in Pennsylvania this weekend for the East Stroudsburg Open while two Sun Devils, Brian Stith and Quinton Pruett, will compete in the Fullerton Open on Saturday morning. At the ESU Open, ASU will face opponents from schools like Bloomsburg, Columbia, Harvard, Hofstra, Army, James Madison and Lock Haven. SCOUTING - LEHIGH The Mountain Hawks, who have won 33 EIWA Championships in their history, are 3-1 overall on the year following a 2-1 record at the recent Pennsylvania State Dual Championship tournament in which they placed second. So far in 2005, Lehigh has defeated Rider, Williamson and Lock Haven and lost to No. 12 Penn State. Individually, five Mountain Hawks hold Top 20 national rankings, including No. 2 Troy Letters (165), No. 3 Cory Cooperman (141), No. 7 Travis Frick (174), No. 12 Derek Zinck (157) and No. 20 Matt Ciasulli (149). Head Coach Greg Strobel is in his 11th season at Lehigh and holds a record of 153-56. IN THE SERIES: ASU vs. LU The Sun Devils and Mountain Hawks have met three previous times with ASU holding a 2-1-0 lead. In the last meeting, the Sun Devils and Mountain Hawks tied, 21-21, at the 2002 NWCA National Duals in Columbus, Ohio, with ASU taking the win on criteria. ASU also won the other neutral site meeting in a 22-15 decision in 1998. LU won in Tempe, 26-9, during the 1999 season for the only meeting at one of the schools' home facilities. PROBABLES: ASU vs. LU Here are the probable starters for the ASU at Lehigh dual Thursday night (ASU then LU): 125 • #9 Jeremy Mendoza (3-0) vs. Mike Fisk (1-0) 133 • Adam Hickey (2-1) vs. John Stout (1-2) 141 • Jason Robbins (3-0) vs. #3 Cory Cooperman (3-0) 149 • Pat Payne (3-0) vs. #20 Matt Ciasulli (2-1) 157 • Kevin Gaughan (2-0) vs. #12 Derek Zinck (3-0) 165 • #11 Patrick Pitsch (3-0) vs. #2 Troy Letters (5-0) 174 • Alex Pavlenko (1-1) or Jamie Robbins (0-0) vs. #7 Travis Frick (2-1) 184 • Jason Trulson (2-1) vs. David Helfrich (3-0) 197 • #10 Ryan Bader (3-0) vs. Matt Cassidy (4-2) or Paul Weibel (1-1) 285 • #4 Cain Velasquez (3-0) vs. Tom Curl (0-1) or Dan Murrer (1-1) HIGHLY TOUTED Several wrestling publications recently released their preseason rankings with the Sun Devils earning placement in the Top 20 as both a team and individually. In the team rankings, Arizona State will open the season as the No. 10 team in the nation according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and USA Today. In their individual rankings, six Sun Devils have earned rankings with Cain Velasquez (285) leading the way at No. 4. Also receiving rankings were No. 6 Brian Stith (157), No. 9 Jeremy Mendoza (125), No. 10 C.B. Dollaway (184), No. 10 Ryan Bader (197) and No. 11 Patrick Pitsch (165). DEFENDING CHAMPS Arizona State won the 2005 Pac-10 Wrestling Championships to not only capture its second crown in three years, but also the 15th in the history of the program. Brian Stith (157) upset Matt Gentry of Stanford, the defending Pac-10 and NCAA champion, to win his weight class and earn Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships. Cain Velasquez (heavyweight) also secured a title, the first of his career, before being named as the Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year. C.B. Dollaway (184) and Ryan Bader (197) each advanced to the finals of their respective weight classes before placing second. At the conference level, seven Sun Devils are ranked in the Top 5 according to the preseason poll released by Stanford, the host of the 2006 event. Jeremy Mendoza (125), Stith, Bader and Velasquez are each ranked No. 1 while Patrick Pitsch (165) and Dollaway are both No. 2. John Espinoza (133) also is ranked, coming in at No. 4. RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS Arizona State has three All-Americans returning to its lineup this season, including a pair of first-time honorees from a year ago. Last year, Brian Stith earned his first national accolade by placing sixth at 157 pounds while Cain Velasquez took fifth in the heavyweight division to earn his first honor. Ryan Bader is the Sun Devils' third All-American returning after earning the acclaim in his sophomore campaign of 2003-04. AND THE AWARD GOES TO: Three members of the Sun Devils earned post-season awards from the Pac-10 last year, including two wrestlers and one coach. At the conference tournament, Brian Stith was voted by the league coaches as the Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships following his title at 157 pounds. After the completion of the NCAA Championships, another vote was taken by the conference coaches with Cain Velasquez (285) receiving Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year while Head Coach Thom Ortiz was chosen as the Pac-10 Coach of the Year for the second time in his four years at the helm of the ASU program. AT THE HELM Thom Ortiz returns for his fifth season as the head coach of the Sun Devils and has compiled a 46-26-1 overall record at Arizona State and stands 26-2-0 in Pac-10 duals. The 2003 and 2005 Pac-10 Coach of the Year will be assisted by Aaron Simpson and Eric Larkin. Simpson is starting his eighth season while Larkin is set to begin his second. All three members of the staff also wrestled for the Sun Devils at one time with Ortiz competing on the 1988 NCAA Championship team and Larkin winning the 2003 NCAA 149 championship. Combined, the trio accounted for nine All-America honors and nine Pac-10 individual crowns. WELLS FARGO ARENA Wells Fargo Arena, which opened in 1974, is a 14,198-seat facility that plays host to Sun Devil wrestling and other ASU varsity teams, including men's and women's basketball, gymnastics and volleyball. In the time the wrestling program has called WFA home, the team has captured one national title, two runner-up finishes and 16 conference crowns, including 15 as members of the Pac-10. Individually, five Sun Devils earned national titles while 55 different athletes captured 103 conference crowns and 66 individuals combined to secure 94 All-America honors. LAST TIME OUT The Sun Devils opened the 2005-06 season in dominating fashion over the weekend as they swept a trio of opponents at the Portland State Duals. Arizona State opened the day with nine wrestlers winning their bouts to pace the team to a 38-6 defeat of Pacific (Ore.). In the next dual, ASU downed Southern Oregon, 28-9, as the Sun Devils were victorious in seven of the 10 contested bouts. The finale was the Pac-10 opener for both ASU and Portland State as the Sun Devils again dominated with a nine-win performance to take a 43-6 decision from the host Vikings. In all, seven Sun Devils went undefeated on the day to pace the team. NEXT TIME OUT Another tough foe awaits the Sun Devils as ASU will open its home schedule Saturday, Nov. 26, with a 6 p.m. dual against national powerhouse and fifth-ranked Iowa.

My thanks to all of our guests from last weekends show. Especially Patricia Miranda who chose to come on our show and announce her return to active competition. Good Luck to Her! Other guests included- Cael Sanderson, Steve Foster, Bob Backlund, Don Taber, Scott Kluever, Tony Robie, Kelly Rundle, Patricia Miranda This week join us for a Special Presentation of the UNO Open- Brought to you by: the University of Nebraska - Omaha and Coach Mike Denney, Asics, Body Bar and 7 Flags. Join Steve Foster, Nick Passolano and Scott Casber and a bevy of great guests as they bring you news, interviews and results and yes some play by play of key match ups through out the event. This program is scheduled to begin at 10:05 CST and will conclude at the end of the day around 9 PM or so that night. Thanks to all of our coaches who do their job with the basic understanding of the real reason they are in the job that they are in, To impart knowledge to the young men in their charge. For you to lead by example is the best possible gift you can share with these young men and with the rest of the wrestling family. Thank you!

Columbia, Mo. -- Head Coach Brian Smith announced today that the Missouri wrestling program has signed six wrestlers for the 2006-07 class. The number represents the largest amount of athletes to commit during the early signing period in Smith's seven years at the head of the Missouri program. "Not only is this the biggest early signing class, but it's also one of the best we've had in terms of quality," Smith said. "We were able to sign wrestlers who will compete at seven different weights. We also brought in our first two recruits from the state of Ohio and brought in another talented wrestler from Pennsylvania in Ashtin Primus." Primus, who will wrestle at 141 pounds for the Tigers, is the fourth Tiger grappler to hail from Pennsylvania in three years, joining redshirt freshman Andrew Sherry, freshman Sean Connole and 2005 graduate Brad Cieleski. One of the top recruits in the nation, Primus has compiled a 132-19 record in three years and won the state championship as a junior in 2005. The native of South Connelsville, Penn., also helped the Connelsville High School wrestling team to a state title in 2005. One of two recruits from Ohio, Willie Saxton took third place at 125 pounds during the Ohio State Championships in 2005. A three-time state qualifier, the native of Rayland, Ohio, has made his mark at the national level as well, finishing second at the 2003 Cadet Freestyle Nationals and eighth in 2005. Saxton will compete at 133 pounds for the Tigers. A native of St. Clairesville, Ohio, Zach Schuller is a two-time state qualifier and recorded his highest finish, a third-place showing in 2005. A strong freestyle grappler, Schuller took seventh place at the 2004 Cadet Freestyle Nationals and earned a spot on the Cadet National dual team. Schuller continued his success in 2005 and became an American Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympic Freestyle Champion. Schuller is expected to compete at 149 pounds for the Tigers. The only member of the early signing class to have wrestled against collegiate competition, Emanuel Brooks crosses the Illinois-Missouri state line to grapple at 157 pounds for the Tigers. A talented wrestler who compiled a 109-22 record in four years at Cahokia High School in Illinois, Brooks took third place at the Illinois High School State Championships in 2004. Wrestling for Lincoln College as a freshman in 2005, Brooks won the National Junior College Athletic Association championship at 149 pounds, helping Lincoln College to a third-place finish. Rounding out the class are two wrestlers from Hannibal High School in Hannibal, Mo. A three-time state qualifier, Andrew Wood became a Missouri state champion at 152 pounds in 2005. In addition to compiling a 104-19 record on the mat, Wood is an outstanding student, ranked in the top 15 of his class with a 4.0 grade-point average. Wood plans to wrestle at 165 pounds for the Tigers. Joining Wood in the Tiger wrestling room is teammate Tyler Perry, a heavyweight prospect who earned a Missouri state championship at 275 pounds in 2005. Perry is currently ranked the No. 12 prospect in the nation at 275 pounds by Wrestling USA Magazine. A two-sport standout, Perry was also a valuable member of the offensive line for the Hannibal Pirates football team.

November 15, 2005 -- The University of Minnesota wrestling program has announced the signing of eight student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Brent Eidenschink, Scott Glasser, Jordan Kolbow, Yura Malamura, Jake Mellmer, Joe Nord, Brandon Sitch and Michael Thorn will wrestle for the Golden Gophers beginning in the fall of 2006. "We're excited to add these eight student-athletes to our program," head coach J Robinson said. "We have added talent and depth throughout our lineup. They bring impressive credentials both on and off the mat. Their outstanding talent coupled with their work ethic will be a great fit for Minnesota wrestling." Eidenschink is a two-time state placewinner out of Detroit Lake High School. Last year as a junior, he overcame the flu to secure third place at 215 pounds at the Minnesota State Wrestling Tournament. Eidenschink finished third at the 2005 National Junior Greco- Roman Championships. He is ranked third in the nation at 215 pounds by Intermat. Eidenschink is projected to wrestle at 197 pounds for the Golden Gophers. Glasser is a four-time North Dakota state champion out of Bismarck High School. He will pursue a school-record fifth straight title this season after claiming championships at 103, 119, 135 and 145 pounds. He is ranked fourth in the nation at 152 pounds by Intermat. Glasser is projected to wrestle at 157 or 165 pounds for the Golden Gophers. Hailing from Forest Lake, Minn., Kolbow earned a runner-up finish at the Minnesota state tournament last year. He dropped a narrow decision at 145 pounds against current Golden Gopher freshman Mitch Millner. Kolbow earned second-place at the 2004 Cadet National Freestyle Championships at 135 pounds. He is projected to wrestle at 157 pounds for the Golden Gophers. Malamura is entering his second season at Highline Community College in Des Moines, Wash., after capturing the 2005 Junior College National Championship at 197 pounds. He was named Region 18's Most Outstanding Wrestler. Malamura is a graduate of Spanaway High School in Auburn, Wash. He is projected to wrestle at 197 pounds for the Golden Gophers. Mellmer is a three-time North Dakota state champion out of Dickinson High School. He won the 103-pound title as a freshman, 112 as a sophomore and 130 last season as a junior. Mellmer quarterbacked his high school to the North Dakota state championship earlier this month. He is the younger brother of current Golden Gopher redshirt freshman Marc Mellmer. Mellmer is projected to wrestle at 141 pounds. A native of Waconia, Minn., Nord is ranked second in the nation at 215 pounds by Intermat. He won the state championship last year as a junior with a 38-3 record. Nord was also a Junior National Freestyle All-American. He is projected to wrestle at heavyweight for the Golden Gophers. Sitch is a three-time Washington state champion out of Kelso High School. Kelso's assistant coach is former Golden Gopher All-American Pat Connors. Sitch currently has a career record of 104-4. He was a 2005 Junior National Greco-Roman runner-up and a double champion at the 2004 Cadet National Championships. Sitch is ranked second in the nation at 152 pounds by Intermat. He is projected to wrestle at 165 pounds for the Golden Gophers. Thorn is a two-time Minnesota state champion out of St. Michael-Albertville. He won the 112-pound title as a sophomore and claimed the 119-pound championship last year as a junior. Thorn claimed fifth place at the Junior National championships in freestyle this past July. He is ranked eighth in the nation at 125 pounds by Intermat. Thorn is projected to wrestle at 133 pounds for the Golden Gophers.

Four Viking wrestlers won individual places at the Central Missouri State Wrestling Open Sunday in Warrensburg, Mo. Willie Parks (Garden Grove, Calif.) finished in second place at 184 pounds. Parks lost a tie-breaker by one point in the championship round. Park's opponent in the championship match was the No. 3 ranked wrestler in NCAA Div. I, the University of Illinois's Pete Friedl. At 157 pounds, Ben Henderson (Federal Way, Wash.) won four straight matches and finished in second place. Henderson lost his championship match to 2003 national runner-up Alex Tirapelle, also from the University of Illinois. At 141 pounds, Jimmy Rollins (Woodbury, N.J.) won 6 of 8 matches including 2 pins en route to a fourth place finish. Terrence Almond (Pelham, Ga.) also finished in fourth place. Almond went 6-2 at 149 pounds. Three Viking wrestlers were one match away from placing: Jacob Marquardt (285, Altoona, Iowa), Nick Wilkes (184, Onamia, Minn.) and Blair Alderman (197, Spokane, Wash.). "This is one of the tougher open tournaments we attend. The CMSU features many of the nation's top wrestlers and more importantly some of the top NAIA teams- Lindenwood and Missouri Valley," said Assistant Wrestling Coach Richard Fergola. "Our guys wrestled very well Sunday, but we still have a lot of work to do." Dana wrestling will host their first home dual of the season Friday night at 6 p.m. versus Bacone College. Viking Results 125 - James Hicks (Belle Glade, Fla.), 0-2 125 - Craig Trampe (Ord, Neb.). 1-2 133 - Sonny Silva (Kimberly, Idaho), 2-2 133 - Shawn Tsutsumi (Kaneohe, Hawaii), 2-2 133 - Brett Brandl (Madison, Neb.), 3-2 141 - Mike Santone (Omaha, Neb.), 1-2 141 - Clinton Dale (Las Vegas, N.M.), 0-2 141 - Jimmy Rollins (Woodbury, N.J.), 6-2, 4th Place 149 - Terrence Almond (Pelham, Ga.), 4-2, 4th Place 157 - Ben Henderson (Federal Way, Wash.), 4-1, 2nd Place 165 - Trent Leichleiter (Harvard, Neb.), 3-2 165 - Ryan Tuzon (Wailuku, Hawaii), 2- 2 165 - Wade Danielson (Roanoke, Texas), 1- 2 174 - Kyle Frawley (Buckley, Wash.), 0- 2 184 - Chris Egan (Omaha, Neb.), 2- 2 184 - Nick Wilkes (Onamia, Minn.), 3- 2 184 - Willie Parks (Garden Grove, Calif.), 3- 1, 2nd Place 197 - Blair Alderman (Spokane, Wash.), 2- 2 285 - Jacob Marquardt (Altoona, Iowa), 2- 2 285 - Armando Montoya (Las Vegas, N.M.), 1- 2

THIS WEEK Iowa will compete at the 2005 Kaufman-Brand Open Saturday in Omaha, NE. Competition is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at Sapp Field House on the University of Nebraska-Omaha campus. 2004 KAUFMAN-BRAND OPEN REVIEW Hawkeyes Joe Johnston (157) and Alex Tsirtsis (141) each won their open division weight classes at the 2004 Ryan Kaufman-Glen Brand Open. Johnston recorded two pins, two major decision and a decision en route to the finals, where he defeated Nebraska's B.J. Wright, 12-5. Tsirtsis recorded two decisions, a pin and a medical forfeit before defeating Northern Iowa's C.J. Ettelson, 3-2, in the finals. Also placing for the Hawkeyes in the open division were Lucas Magnani (125-2nd), Gabe Ruhkala (133-3rd), Ty Eustice (149-3rd), Mark Perry (165-3rd) and Matt Fields (Hwt.-3rd). 2005 NWCA All-STAR CLASSIC Three Hawkeye have been invited to compete at the 40th annual NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps. The event will be held November 21 at 7 p.m. (CT) at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, OK. Iowa seniors Joe Johnston (157) and Paul Bradley (184) and sophomore Mark Perry (174) will compete in the event. All three are scheduled to face Big Ten opponents. Johnston will wrestle Illinois' Alex Tirapelle, Perry will wrestle Northwestern's Jake Herbert and Bradley will face Illinois' Pete Friedl. Johnston has a 2-3 career mark against Tirapelle, scoring his most recent win (6-5) in the quarterfinals of the 2005 NCAA Championships. It will be the first meeting between Perry and Herbert, as Perry wrestled at 165 last season. It will also be the first meeting between Bradley and Friedl, as Friedl is moving up from 174. It will be Bradley's second appearance at the event, and Johnston and Perry's first. Bradley lost a 3-2 decision to West Virginia's Greg Jones last year. 2005 NWCA All-Star Classic Tenative Lineup 125 - Sam Hazewinkel (Oklahoma) vs. Nick Simmons (Michigan St.) 133 - Darrell Vasquez (Cal Poly) vs. Mack Reiter (Minnesota) 141 - Teyon Ware (Oklahoma) vs. Nate Gallick (Iowa St.) 149 - Zack Esposito (Oklahom St.) vs. Jon Masa (Hofstra) 157 - Joe Johnston (Iowa) vs. Alex Tirapelle (Illinois) 165 - Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma St.) vs. Ryan Churella (Michigan) 174 - Mark Perry (Iowa) vs. Jake Herbert (Northwestern) 184 - Paul Bradley (Iowa) vs. Pete Friedl (Northwestern) 197 - Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma St.) vs. Joel Flaggert (Oklahoma) Hwt. - Steven Mocco (Oklahoma St.) vs. Cole Konrad (Minnesota) LAST WEEK The Hawkeyes won seven weight classes in their 2005-06 season opener at the Spartan Open in Dubuque, IA. Winning titles for the Hawkeyes were seniors Joe Johnston (157), Cole Pape (165) and Paul Bradley (184), junior Lucas Magnani (125), sophomore Matt Fields (Hwt.), and freshmen Thomas Magnani (125), Daniel Dennis (133) and Dan Erekson (197). The Magnani brothers shared the 125-pound title. Dennis, Johnston and Fields had impressive season debuts. Dennis recorded two pins, a technical fall, a major decision and a decision en route to his 133-pound title. Johnston scored a pin, two major decisions and two decisions on his way to first place at 157. Fields scored three pins and a major decision before winning a 3-1 decision in the first sudden victory period over teammate Ryan Fuller in the heavyweight finals. Also placing for the Hawkeyes were seniors Trent Goodale (3rd-125) and Gabe Ruhkala (5th-133), juniors Brett Stedman (3rd-149), Eric Luedke (3rd-165), Joe Uker (6th-165), Ben Stedman (2nd-174) and Ryan Fuller (2nd-Hwt.), sophomore Dane Pape (4th-184), redshirt freshman Michael Bucklin (3rd-Hwt.), and freshmen Christopher Johnson (6th-133), Ryan Morningstar (3rd-157) and Rick Loera (7th-174). Johnson pinned five opponents to lead the tournament field. HEAD COACH JIM ZALESKY Jim Zalesky is in his ninth season as head coach at the University of Iowa. He has a school and career record of 116-27 (.811). Named National Coach of the Year in 1998 and 1999, and Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2004, he has led the Hawkeyes to three NCAA (1998-00) and three Big Ten titles (1998, 2000, 2004). Zalesky has coached 10 NCAA Champions, 20 Big Ten Champions and 40 all-Americans at Iowa. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in June 2004, the University of Iowa Letterman's Club Hall of Fame and the Iowa High School Athletic Association Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002, and the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1994. A three-time national champion and one of Iowa's 15 four-time all-Americans, Zalesky was an assistant coach and head recruiter at Iowa under Dan Gable for seven seasons (1991-97). He was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the N.W.C.A. in 1992 and 1997. Undefeated as a junior and senior, Zalesky ended his career on an 89-match winning streak. HAWK TALK WITH JIM ZALESKY KXIC Radio (AM-800) will air the Hawk Talk with Jim Zalesky radio show this season. The show will be live from LaCasa Mexican Restaurant in Iowa City from 6-7 p.m. Here are the show dates: November 16 February 15, 28 December 7 March 7 January 3, 17, 31 IOWA WRESTLING HISTORY Iowa's overall dual meet record is 784-202-30 (.786) in 93 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won 20 national titles, including nine of the last 15, and 31 Big Ten titles. Iowa's 47 NCAA Champions have won a total of 73 NCAA individual titles, crowning six three-time and 13 two-time champions. The Hawkeyes' 99 Big Ten Champions have won a total of 180 conference individual titles. There have been seven four-time, 18 three-time and 24 two-time Iowa winners. Iowa's 127 all-Americans have earned all-America status 258 times, including 16 four-time, 27 three-time and 29 two-time honorees. IOWA TICKET INFORMATION Season tickets and single meet tickets for Iowa's seven home duals are on sale at the University of Iowa Athletic Ticket Office. University of Iowa students will be admitted free of charge for all duals except Oklahoma State on January 7. Season Tickets $56 - General Public; $49 - University Faculty & Staff Single-Match Tickets (Purchased in Advance)* $8 - Adults; $4 - Youth * - Iowa vs. Oklahoma State tickets are $10 each. Single-Match Tickets (Purchased at the Door)* $10 - Adults; $5 - Youth * - Iowa vs. Oklahoma State tickets are $10 each. Group Rates* $4 - Per person with a group of 15 or more * -- The group rate for the Iowa vs. Oklahoma State dual is $5 per person. PACK THE PLACE - BREAK THE RECORD The Hawkeyes will try to regain the dual meet national attendance record when they host defending NCAA champion and top-ranked Oklahoma State on January 7. Match time is set for 7:30 p.m. The current national attendance record of 15,646 was set February 1, 2002, when Iowa wrestled at Minnesota. CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been the home for Iowa wrestling since 1983. The Hawkeyes have a record of 146-12 (.924) in the arena, which includes a record 10 victories during the 1986 season. Iowa has recorded 16 undefeated seasons in the arena, with the most recent (8-0) occurring in 2002-03. The dual wrestling attendance record for Carver-Hawkeye Arena is 15,291, set when Iowa defeated Iowa State on February 22, 1992. The arena seats 15,500 for a dual wrestling meet. CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE The Hawkeye wrestling staff of Jim Zalesky, Troy Steiner, Tim Hartung, Luke Eustice and Mike Zadick earned a total of six NCAA titles, 10 Big Ten titles and 15 all-America honors. Their combined college career wrestling record is 596-90-1 (.881), including four undefeated seasons. HAWKEYES LEAD NATION IN ATTENDANCE Iowa wrestling fans love their Hawkeyes, and have no problem coming out to show it. Iowa led the nation in home dual meet attendance last season, posting a season average of 5,073 fans per home dual. Oklahoma State was second (4,542) and Lehigh third (2,488). The Hawkeye's ability to draw crowds on the road has helped 10 schools set dual attendance records. In 2004-05, Cal Davis (5,150) and Illinois (3,573) set records when they hosted the Hawkeyes. The other eight schools are Minnesota (15,646 - 2002), Iowa State (14,507 - 1982), Penn State (11,245 - 1996), Northern Iowa (10,200 - 1976), North Dakota State (6,307 - 1992), Pennsylvania (5,109 - 2002), Wisconsin (4,800 - 1978) and Cleveland State (3,620 - 1987). Iowa has been a part of the 35 largest recorded dual meet crowds, helping to set the national attendance record 10 times. The current attendance record of 15,646 was set February 1, 2002, when Iowa wrestled at Minnesota. Thirty-two of the top 35 matchups were with intra-state rival Iowa State. The Hawkeyes have also wrestled in front of 44 of the 47 recorded dual crowds over 10,000. In 2004-05, Iowa competed in 11 of the top 20 reported dual crowds, hosting six (Iowa State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Indiana and Arizona State) and visiting for five (Oklahoma State, Cal-Davis, Illinois, Penn State and Northern Iowa). OH BROTHER There are four sets of brothers on the 2005-06 University of Iowa wrestling roster. Lucas and Thomas Magnani from Long Island, NY, Jacob and Justin Neuzil from Riverside and Ainsworth, IA, Cole and Dane Pape from Maquoketa, IA, and Ben and Brett Stedman from Sioux City, IA. The Stedmans are the fifth set of twins to wrestle for the University of Iowa. Ed and Lou Banach, Tom and Terry Brands, Troy and Terry Steiner and Randy and Ryan Fulsaas are the other four.

Assembling a list of the best active freestyle wrestlers on the planet is no easy task. Debates over who's truly better than who remain mostly unsettled for a number of reasons. Freestyle wrestling is such a dynamic sport that it's difficult to beat the top wrestlers in the world on any kind of regular basis. Coming out on top of a wild scramble can win you a match, but it in no way assures that one will be able to duplicate the success a second time. World level bouts are won and lost on the tiniest of breaks and the tiniest of mistakes. • Styles make matches. International wrestling sees countless examples of A beats B, B beats C, and C beats A. Freestyle technique and strategy can vary greatly from country to country and it's difficult to be equally prepared for all of them. • Unlike other athletic disciplines, international wrestling occurs at irregular intervals. This affords athletes with much time to incorporate new moves into their arsenals. In college wrestling, by the time the NCAA Tournament comes along, everyone pretty much knows what to expect technique-wise from everyone else. In international wrestling, it's quite natural for one to encounter unexpected takedowns and turns from an opponent, even if they faced that wrestler the year before. • Related to the above, video analysis of matches occurs at a very refined level and the ability of World-level wrestlers to make adjustments is huge. Mavlet Batriov of Russia lost to Stephen Abas of the U.S. in the opening round of the 2003 Worlds. By the time they met again in the Olympic finals the following year, Batriov had effectively dissected Abas' technique and came out a big winner. • Wrestlers can wake up inspired on a particular day and have a fantastic string of matches that they don't repeat. Great, one-shot performances no matter how impressive, shouldn't place a wrestler on the "best" list. Mourat Umakanov put together an amazing gold-medal run in 2000, whipping 1995 and 1999 World champ Elbrus Tedeev of Ukraine, 1996 and 1999 silver medalist Jae Sung Jang of Korea and 1998 World champ Serafim Barzakov of Bulgaria. With such an amazing string of victories, you'd have to think Umakanov would be one of the best around or that this was the start of a brilliant career. That was his only world medal. He placed 10th at 60 kilos in Athens. • The 2002 reduction and realignment in weight classes has had a severe impact on lists such as this. It's difficult not to speculate what additional medals such great athletes as Alireza Dabir of Iran and Daniel Igali of Canada would possess had they not been stuck between the new weights. I have to think that this contributed to their retirement. Likewise, it would seem that 2005 74-kilo bronze medalist Nicolai Paslar might be on the list if the 69-kilo weight class (where he won the worlds in 2001) hadn't gone away. • FILA's constant changing of a system of advancement has been quite unforgiving. Scrutinizing a wrestler's placement in the worlds from year to year often doesn't paint an accurate picture of their true abilities. In Athens last year, Eldar Kurtanidze, who had won two straight World titles, didn't advance out of his pool when he lost to longtime rival Alireza Heydari of Iran in his opening match. Upon such a loss, should we conclude that Kurtandize had "lost a step" and was no longer one of the very top wrestlers in the world? Considering he split matches with Olympic champ Gatsalov this year, I'd say not. As you can see, there are lot of elements to factor in with this list. In considering the various athletes and their credentials, I had three main philosophies. 1. You've got to win when it counts. Just like folkstyle wrestlers focus on peaking in the last tournament of the season, senior level freestyle wrestlers need to win at the Worlds and Olympics. 2. I place more stock in long-term consistency than the most recent results. 3. I give more weight to younger wrestlers winning their first medals than older wrestlers who finally "break through." This is simply because I believe the younger wrestler has a better chance of beginning a long medal run than the older wrestler. Honorable Mention: Cael Sanderson (USA, 84 kilos) I need to officially hear that Cael Sanderson has not retired before placing him on this list. Reports have said that international wrestling was quite stressful for Cael and that he really loves coaching at his alma mater. If Cael returns to competition, he'd probably take Romero's spot on the list. Cael's probably not the best "freestyler" but rather is such a good folkstyler that he forces international success. He doesn't get a lot of turns, but from his feet, everyone knows the ankle pick is coming and simply can't stop it. Sajid SajidovSajid Sajidov (Russia, 84 kilos) In 2003, Sajidov seemed like the best around. Now, after two disappointing World-level tourneys, the shine is off the apple. He was placed on this year's world team after not winning the Russian Nationals (he injury defaulted in the finals) and after this year's performance, I expect no such automatic placement on the team. Revaz Midorashivili (Georgia, 84 kilos) Midorashivili had an amazing tourney in Budapest, beating Sajidov and Romero. However, only subsequent results will illustrate if his 2005 performance was unusual, or merely representative of a new level of ability. Aydin Poltaci (Turkey, 120 kilos) Polatci could be at the beginning of a long medal run, but I'd like to see it extend at least one more year before being convinced he's in the top ten. Makhach Murtazaliev (Russia, 66 kilos) This is probably the omission that will get me into the most trouble. Murtazaliev is a young, crafty wrestler with wins over Tedeev, Barzakov and fellow countryman and 2003 World champ Farniev. In America, he's probably best known for his upset loss to Jamill Kelly in the semi finals of the Olympics. In all honesty, I'm probably personally turned off by Murtazaliev's style. He doesn't seem to be above gamesmanship and simply does whatever it takes to win. I also thought he got some calls this year against Barzakov. That said, I would hardly be surprised if Murtazaliev remained at the top of the podium for quite some time. If he wins again next year, he's definitely on the list. Alan Dudaev (Russia, 60 kilos) The young Dudaev had a great tourney in Budapest, but placed seventh at the 2005 European Championships. Only more competition will reveal how good he is. The List 10. Yoel Romero (Cuba, 84 kilos, 1 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze) He's not the best in the world on top, but on his feet Romero is an explosive, powerful, flexible wrestler and has won a good number of medals over the years. He only has one gold, but I think the match-deciding overtime call against him in the World finals of 2002 was the wrong one. It sure looked to me like he took Adam Saitiev down. Born 4-30-77. 9. Alexis Rodriguez (Cuba, 120 kilos, 1 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze) Another Cuban who hasn't won gold in a while, but has been earning World medals with regularity. Rodriguez has been beatable at various tournaments throughout the year, but seems to peak when it matters. That said, he was quite impressive in winning the 2003 FILA absolute championship where he beat David Moussoulbes, Steven Mocco and Georgi Gogchelidze. It's possible that Rodriguez has lost a step, but not much of one. His finals loss to Aydin Polatci in Budapest did go three periods. Born 7-7-78. 8. Yandro Miguel Quintana (Cuba, 60 kilos, 1 gold, 2 silver) Yandro Miguel QuintanaI'm putting Quintana ahead of his two teammates because I think he's currently closer to being at the top of his game. Quintana has looked awesome the last few years and only gave up one point in the tournament in Athens. He is very strong and has an amazing knee pick. Born 11-30-80. 7. Serafim Barzakov (Bulgaria, 66 kilos, 2 gold, 3 silver) He's been around a while, but Barzakov still looked sharp to me in Hungary. In the semifinals, he got revenge from his loss in the Olympics with an impressive pin over Spiridonov. In the finals, he got some bad breaks against Murtazaliev and lost. Barzakov is a funky wrestler who's able to turn many positions to his advantage. His long term rivalry with Elbrus Tedeev of Ukraine has been one of the most entertaining. It's my understanding that fellow Bulgarian and World champ Nicolai Paslar can also make 66 kilos, but can't beat out Barzakov. Born 7-22-75 6. Dilshod Mansurov (Uzbekistan, 55 kilos, 2 gold) Mansurov benefited this year from none of the three standing medalists competing in Hungary (Batriov and Abas have moved up in weight and Tanabe appears to have retired). Mansurov himself also competed at 60 kilos at the 2005 World Cup, so perhaps the weight is a struggle for him as well. If Mansurov can stay at 55 kilos it's difficult not to see the young talent from Uzbekistan winning more gold. He's VERY fast and his technique is certainly solid. Born 12-12-83. 5. Khadshimourad Gatsalov (Russia, 96 kilos, 2 gold) What's possibly most impressive about Gatsalov is just how much he improved once he moved up to 96 kilos from 84 kilos. In watching the way he steamrolls massive opponents with his double leg takedowns, you'd never guess he came from the lighter weight. Moreover the success was instantaneous. He made the switch between 2003 and 2004 and pummeled his way through a pretty deep field in Athens. Born 12-11-82. 4. Eldar Kurtanidze (Georgia, 96 kilos, 2 gold, 2 sliver, 3 bronze) Eldar KurtanidzeKurtanidze beat Gatsalov at this year's European Championships but lost to him in the finals of the Worlds in Hungary. I'm putting him ahead of Gatsalov because of his (very) long-term consistency. This short, powerful wrestler has one of the best defenses in the world and certainly has the most Popeye-like forearms. He's the oldest wrestler on this list but appears to show no signs of slowing down. Born 4-16-72. 3. Artur Taimazov (Uzbekistan, 120 kilos, 2 gold, 2 silver) I'm willing to give Taimazov the benefit of the doubt that he was not 100 percent in Budapest. The four medals he's won since debuting in 2000 suggest that something wasn't right in his second round loss this year. Taimazov is a big, athletic Heavyweight and has numerous wins over Kuramagomedov of Russia, Rodriquez of Cuba, and McCoy of the U.S., not to mention a solid 3-1 win over this year's World champ, Polatci of Turkey, in the semis of the 2004 Olympics. Born 7-20-79. 2. Elbrus Tedeev (Ukraine, 66 kilos, 4 gold, 1 bronze) To the best of my knowledge, Tedeev hasn't officially retired. Tedeev looked as good as he's ever been in Athens and has been at this game a long time. He's got amazing technique both on his feet and on the mat. Tedeev did lose to Murtazaliev in the finals of the 2004 European Championships, but it's my understanding that he had a lot of distractions during that period of his life. Tedeev has five world medals and rarely seems to have an out and out "bad" year as he often places very high. Born 12-5-74. 1. Buvaisar Saitiev (Russia, 76 kilos, 8 gold) Quite frankly, not enough has been written about the greatest active freestyle wrestler on the planet. It's difficult to imagine another wrestler coming around like the great Buvaisar Saitiev. Perhaps someone will match his medal tally, but I can't fathom someone doing it the way he wrestles. Saitiev has an uncanny ability to make last-second adjustments. He's able to turn positions that would be deadly to anyone else into points on the scoreboard. His offense is completely unconventional and he constantly does things that no one else can do. This is different than say, Sergei Beloglazov (another all time great), who's success stemmed from technique so classical that he'd have moves perfected down to the quarter-inch. And in the never-been-tougher world of international wrestling, the risks Saitiev takes are truly risks. His only Olympic loss came when American Brandon Slay merely waited for Saitiev to stand up out of position and then blasted a power double in overtime. Two years later, Saitiev had a 2-0 lead in the finals of the Russian Nationals but then got thrown for three from the clinch. These two blemishes say more to me about the toughness of the sport than of any chinks in Saitiev's armor. As far as how great Saitiev is against the successes wrestlers before him, if he wins another gold medal, he'll have one more than countrymen Beloglazov and Arsen Fadzaev (who won eight each). If he wins through Beijing, he'll have 11 gold medals, which will put him one ahead of Alexander Medved (who has 10). Buvaisar Saitiev is 30 years old now and it will certainly be interesting to see how long he can continue his dominance. Born 11-3-1975.

Fort Dodge, Iowa -- Nate Gallick (141), Jason Knipp (149), Trent Paulson (157) and Travis Paulson (165) claimed titles at the annual Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open Saturday at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge. Trent captured his third career title while Gallick, Knipp and Travis Pauslon claimed their first. The seventh-ranked Cyclones (3-0, 0-0) defeated Utah Valley State, 33-9, Friday afternoon in their home opener. "This tournament gets better all the time. If you look at the scores of the matches, there are a lot of matches that are pretty close," head coach Bobby Douglas said. "We lost some matches on mistakes, but it is the time to make the mistakes. Overall, we wrestled exceptionally well." Trent Paulson, who captured titles in 2004 and 2005 at 157 pounds and a crown in 2002 at 149 pounds, topped Jonathan Reader of Sunkist Kids, 10-6. Paulson, ranked fourth in the nation, improved his season record to 7-0. Travis met Nick Baima of UNI in the 165 pound finals, winning by a 3-1 decision. At 149 pounds, Knipp cruised to the title outscoring his four opponents, 31-8. Knipp is 6-0 on the season. Gallick, a two-time All-American, ripped through the 141 pound bracket and topped Wartburg's top-ranked defending NCAA Div. III champion Dusty Hinchberger, who garnered his 100th career win earlier in the tournament. Amateur Wrestling News high school All-Americans Nick Fanthorpe, Nick Gallick, Mitch Mueller and David Zabriskie saw their first action in their Cyclone careers wrestling unattached. Mueller finished third at 141 pounds, while Fanthorpe and Gallick placed fourth at 125 and 133 pounds. The freshmen foursome all scored bonus points in their first collegiate match. Fanthorpe registered a technical fall in 3:35, Mueller and Zabriskie scored major decisions and Gallick had a pin in 0:59. Zabriskie was lodged in a heavyweight class that included two-time Div. III national champion Ryan Allen from Wisconsin-La Crosse and Div. II national champion Les Sigman of Nebraska-Omaha. Sophomores Ben Hanisch (125) and David Bertolino (174) registered third and fourth place finishes. Mike Somsky scored a fall in 0:46 in his opening match at 165 pounds. Top-ranked defending NCAA Div. II champion Nebraska-Omaha had three champions and Utah Valley State, Nebraska and Wisconsin-La Crosse each had one. Third-ranked Div. III Wartburg had four runner-ups. Iowa State will be hosting in-state rival Iowa, Dec. 2 at Hilton Coliseum to continue the 2005-06 Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk series. The Cyclones are seeking their third straight victory over the Hawkeyes.

AMES, Iowa -- ISU wrestling head coach Bobby Douglas was a recipient of the 2005 Iowa State University Alumni Association Impact Award. The Impact Award was established in 2002 by the Iowa State University Alumni Association Board of Directors to recognize an individual, business, an organization, or unit for achievements that expand the scope and reach of; increase the involvement of ISU alumni, students, and/or friends in the life and work of; create positive publicity and recognition for; and bring honor to ISU during the year prior to being nominated, have increased the involvement and visibility of alumni, students, and friends in the life and work of Iowa State University and the Alumni Association during the current academic year. Douglas' passion for the sport of wrestling is perhaps best exemplified by the amount of attention he is able to bring to it through his leadership, ability, and advocacy. His outstanding successes as Iowa State University's head wrestling coach have brought honor and respect to ISU, helping the university remain among wrestling's elite programs and bringing worldwide recognition to ISU, the state of Iowa and the sport he loves. This year, he was part of a dedicated group of advocates who worked to help ensure that Des Moines would win its recent bid to host the NCAA Wrestling Championships in 2008-2011, bringing further recognition to the tradition of wrestling excellence in the state. Douglas' resume speaks for itself. He is one of only four Division I wrestling coaches to amass 400 career wins. His best-known pupil is Cael Sanderson (fine arts '01), whom Douglas coached to a 159-0 college career at Iowa State before also serving on the 2004 Olympic coaching staff that saw Sanderson win gold in Athens. Douglas has produced six national champions in his 13 years as ISU's head coach. He has coached at various world championships and is a six-time Olympic coach, including a stint as head coach of the U.S. Olympic team in 1992. Douglas also coaches the Sunkist Kids, the most successful wrestling club in the country. In 2004, Douglas was honored for the second time (1992, 2004) as USA Wrestling Freestyle Coach of the Year. In addition, Douglas was named USA Wrestling Coach of the Year, which included all wrestling styles, in 1988 and 1992. He has been named conference coach of the year a total of 12 times--nine at Arizona State University, where he built the wrestling program from 1975 to 1992, and three at Iowa State. He was the USA Wrestling's Man of the Year in 1992 and the National Wrestling Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2000. Douglas is a lifetime member of the ISU Alumni Association.

Competing against a field that included varsity wrestlers from the University of Iowa, Purdue and Wisconsin, the Upper Iowa University wrestling team more than held its own at the 2005 Dubuque Spartan Open. The Peacocks crowned two champions and had eight other place winners. After winning all 10 weight classes last year, the fifth-ranked University of Iowa won seven individual titles this year. Besides Iowa and Wisconsin (ranked 15th in Division I), the tournament also included representatives from eighth-ranked Division III Loras College and 23rd-ranked Augustana College. Sophomore Kyle Burkle (Coggon, Iowa/North Linn HS) at 141 pounds and senior C.J. MacNaught (Walton, N.Y./Walton HS) at 174 pounds captured individual championships for the Peacocks. Burkle was a perfect 4-0, including a 5-3 overtime win over Wisconsin starter Tony Turner. MacNaught won all three of his matches. He defeated Loras College's Ryan Hagerty, an NCAA Division III National qualifier last year, in the semifinals before picking up a 13-4 major decision over Iowa's Ben Stedman in the finals. Senior Ralph Acosta (Orlando, Fla./University HS) had a third-place showing at 133 pounds. Acosta's only loss was an 8-3 decision to Daniel Dennis, Iowa's probable starter this year. Three Peacocks earned fifth-place: red-shirt freshman Cory Schmitz (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville HS) at 149 pounds, sophomore Brady Hakeman (La Porte City, Iowa/Union HS) at 165 pounds and junior Tyson Brown (Gladbrook, Iowa/Gladbrook-Reinbeck HS) at heavyweight. Schmitz and Hakeman each finished 5-2 in their respective draws. Hakeman defeated National qualifier Brian Daly from Augustana 4-3 and took fifth-place by claiming a 13-4 major decision over Iowa's Joe Uker. Brown compiled a 4-2 record with one of his losses coming at the hands of Ryan Fuller, a National qualifier from the University of Iowa. Red-shirt freshman Tyler Mumbulo (Bainbridge, N.Y./Bainbridge-Guilford HS) went 3-1 to place sixth at 125 pounds. His only loss came to Purdue's Brandon Tucker, a Division I National qualifier from a year ago. Red-shirt freshman Tony Gehling (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville HS) and sophomore Matt Norton (Waverly, Iowa/Nashua-Plainfield HS) shared seventh-place at 184 pounds. Sophomore 197-pounder Daniel Goodson (Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) was another seventh-place finisher for the Peacocks. Several other Peacocks had solid showings despite not placing at the event. Junior Bruce Bearman (Nashua, Iowa/Nashua-Plainfield HS) finished 1-2 at 125 pounds. Included was a 6-4 loss to Loras College's Terry Morgan, the top-ranked Division III wrestler at 125 pounds. Red-shirt freshman Jacob Pedersen (Hudson, Iowa/Hudson HS) compiled a 2-2 record at 133 pounds. His first loss was a 4-2 decision to Wisconsin starter Josh Crass. Sophomore Jacob Elsbernd (Calmar, Iowa/South Winneshiek HS) picked up a win at 141 pounds. Sophomore Monterrious Adams (Bessemer, Ala./Vestavia Hills HS) and senior Mark Anson (Milaca, Minn./Milaca HS) competed at 149 pounds for the Peacocks. Adams finished 2-2 while Anson was 1-2. At 157 pounds, sophomore Scott Fisher (Villa Park, Ill./Willowbrook HS) compiled a 2-2 mark. Freshman Jase Clark (La Porte City, Iowa/Union HS) rounded-out the UIU entrants with a 1-2 record at 184 pounds. The Upper Iowa wrestling team returns to the mat Wednesday, Nov. 23, at Southern Illinois University. The dual meet in Edwardsville, Ill., begins at 7 p.m. Upper Iowa University, located in Fayette, is the only NCAA Division II institution in the state of Iowa.

LARAMIE, Wyoming -- Utah Valley State wrestler Rodney Sager rolled through his competition on Sunday, winning the 20 & Under division of the Cowboy Open at 133 lbs. Sager, who is redshirting this year, wrestled unattached and went 5-0 on the day, beating Nick Mammeliz of Western Wyoming 7-to-5 in the final. The win by Sager shows the depth the Wolverines have at 133 lbs. after Senior Erkin Tadzhimetov won the Cyclone Open in Fort Dodge, Iowa on Saturday. Three other Wolverines also competed unattached in the event. Sophomore Devin Siddoway went 2-2 in the open division while freshmen Kyle Burnett and Nick Swenson went 1-2 and 0-1, respectively. Both Burnett and Swenson wrestled in the 20 & under division. Utah Valley State will travel to Greeley, Colorado for the Old Chicago/Northern Colorado Open this Saturday. Their first home dual of the season will be December 10th against Western State.

FORT DODGE, IOWA/STEVENS POINT, WIS. -- Senior two-time defending NCAA Division III 141-pound national champion Dustin Hinschberger of Belle Plaine added to his sparkling Wartburg College wrestling career Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Harold Nichols Open, hosted by Iowa State University, at Iowa Central Community College. His first victory of the afternoon, a technical fall over ISU's Erik Johansen, moved him to the century mark for career wins. It was part of a runner-up finish for the two-time All-American in the multi-division field as he battled NCAA Division I All-American Nate Gallick of Iowa State to a thrilling, double-overtime contest in the championship, falling on criteria. Hinschberger's runner-up effort at the Harold Nichols meet was one of four runner-up marks for No. 3-ranked Wartburg. Two-time All-American heavyweight Blake Gillis of Spencer upset UW-La Crosse's Ryan Allen, the two-time defending NCAA Division III national champion, 1-0 in the semifinals before University of Nebraska-Omaha's Les Sigman , a three-time NCAA Division II national champion, stopped him in the final. Senior 184-pounder Akeem Carter of Waterloo, a two-time national champion at 197 pounds, rolled into the finals before UW-La Crosse's Jason Lulloff, ranked No. 4 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association/Brute-Adidas preseason Division III poll, upended him, while junior 197-pounder Ryan Phillips of Burlington was also a runner-up. Wartburg also sent a large contingent to the UW-Stevens Point Pointer Open Nov. 12. The freshman trio of 133-pounder Zach McKray of Iowa City and 174-pounders Jordan Graham of Mason City and Dan Schulte of LaCrescent, Minn., were champions. Matt Schrupp of Watertown, Minn., a freshman 157-pounder, garnered a fourth-place finish, while freshman 184-pounder Nick Christensen of Ellendale, Minn., was fifth and freshman 141-pounder Kody Blazek of Marion took sixth. The Knights kick off the 2005-06 dual campaign at the Olivet College (Mich.) Comet Duals Saturday, Nov. 20. A second group of individuals will also compete at the Augsburg College of Minneapolis, Minn., Auggie Brute-Adidas Open Saturday.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Northwestern's wrestling team finished its first action of the season by placing eight wrestlers at the 2005 Michigan State Open Sunday. Ryan Lang (North Royalton, Ohio/Lakewood St. Edward), Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) and Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) each earned titles for the Wildcats this weekend. Lang won his semifinal match by pinning Findlay's Von Graham in 2:49. In the final round, Lang topped Michigan State's Nick Simmons in a tight title bout, 6-5. The first-seeded Herbert opened his second day of competition by rolling past Central Michigan's Brandon Sinnott, 7-1. Herbert was then crowned champion at 174 lbs. when he beat the Spartans' R.J. Boudro 9-1 in the final round. Herbert defeated his opponents by a total of 36-7 this weekend, adding a pin in the third round. Tamillow became the third Wildcat to go undefeated on the weekend when he recorded back-to-back wins Sunday. He recorded a semifinal-round victory over Central Michigan's Christian Sinnott, then topped Ben Kelto--also of Central Michigan--in a 7-0 title bout rout at 184 lbs. Matt Delguyd (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) won his semifinal-round match, a 3-2 decision over Michigan's Casey White. Delguyd fell in the championship round, earning him a second-place finish at 184 lbs.

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DUBUQUE, IA -- The University of Iowa wrestling team won seven weight classes in their 2005-06 season opener at the Spartan Open in Dubuque, IA, on Sunday. Winning event titles for the Hawkeyes were seniors Joe Johnston (157), Cole Pape (165) and Paul Bradley (184), junior Lucas Magnani (125), sophomore Matt Fields (Hwt.), and freshmen Thomas Magnani (125), Daniel Dennis (133) and Dan Erekson (197). The Magnani brothers shared the 125-pound title. Dennis, Johnston and Fields had impressive season debuts. Dennis recorded two pins, a technical fall, a major decision and a decision en route to his 133-pound title. Johnston scored a pin, two major decisions and two decisions on his way to first place at 157. Fields scored three pins and a major decision before winning a 3-1 decision in the first sudden victory period over teammate Ryan Fuller in the heavyweight finals. Also placing for the Hawkeyes were seniors Trent Goodale (3rd-125) and Gabe Ruhkala (5th-133), juniors Brett Stedman (3rd-149), Eric Luedke (3rd-165), Joe Uker (6th-165), Ben Stedman (2nd-174) and Ryan Fuller (2nd-Hwt.), sophomore Dane Pape (4th-184), redshirt freshman Michael Bucklin (3rd-Hwt.), and freshmen Christopher Johnson (6th-133), Ryan Morningstar (3rd-157) and Rick Loera (7th-174), and Johnson pinned five opponents to lead the tournament field. The Hawkeyes will compete at the annual Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, NE, on Saturday. Competition is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at Sapp Field House on the University of Nebraska-Omaha campus.

Warrensburg, Mo. -- Six Cardinal wrestlers placed at the Central Missouri State Open, including a trio of first-place finishes from Tanner Gardner, Josh Zupancic and Ray Blake. Stanford recorded 14 pins and amassed 48 wins from 14 different wrestlers, as every Cardinal entrant won at least one bout on the day. At 165 pounds, Blake finished in first place, pinning his first three opponents en route to a 5-0 outing. Junior Brian Perry also placed at 165 pounds, scoring fifth place with six wins on the day. Gardner opened the tournament with two pins and a tech fall en route to a 5-0 mark and a title at 125 pounds, while Zupancic opened with one pin before finishing in first place at 149 pounds with a 5-0 record. True freshman Tyler Parker was the fourth Cardinal wrestler to advance to the championship match, as he notched a second-place finish at 141 pounds, posting five-straight wins before losing a one-point decision in the finals. At 197 pounds, junior Ian Bork dropped his opening match, but battled back with two-straight pins to advance to a placing round. The, in the fifth-place match, Bork closed out the tournament by recording his third fall of the day. Stanford will be back on the mat at the California Open next Saturday in Fullerton.