InterMat Staff

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Clay Lautt and Joey Mazzara led the way with back-to-back pins as No. 17 North Carolina defeated Little Rock on the road Friday night, 35-6, in the Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans began the match with a pair of wins at 125 and 133, but Zach Sherman turned momentum in UNC's direction with the 141-pound match. His 9-4 decision over Conner Ward put UNC on the board to set up #1 Austin O'Connor's first dual meet appearance for Carolina this year. At 149 pounds, O'Connor collected bonus points for the Tar Heels. He took down Tyler Brennan twice in the first period and never looked back, winning with a 13-4 major decision. At 157, Josh McClure knocked off Little Rock's Jose Champagne, 4-0, in McClure's first dual meet appearance for the Tar Heels this season. He was followed by a major decision performance from Kennedy Monday, a 14-2 win over Will Edgar. At the next two weights, Carolina pinned to put the team score out of reach and secure the dual meet victory. Clay Lautt pinned Tristan Tadeo late in the third period with a cradle, while Joey Mazzara locked up his first pin of the season in the second period, extending UNC's lead to 26-6. Brandon Whitman's 7-3 win over Dylan Johnson was ultimately the final bout of the night, as Little Rock forfeited at heavyweight to send the Tar Heels home winners, 35-6. UNC returns to the mat next weekend at the Midlands Championships. Results: 125: Jayden Carson (LR) dec. Jeremiah Derby (UNC), 10-4 – Little Rock leads, 3-0 133: Paul Bianchi (LR) dec. Jaime Hernandez, 5-3 – Little Rock leads, 6-0 141: Zach Sherman (UNC) dec. Conner Ward, 9-4 – Little Rock leads, 6-3 149: Austin O'Connor (UNC) maj. dec. Tyler Brennan, 13-4 – UNC leads, 7-6 157: Josh McClure (UNC) dec. Jose Champagne (LR), 4-0 – UNC leads, 10-6 165: Kennedy Monday (UNC) maj. dec. Will Edgar (LR), 14-2 – UNC leads, 14-6 174: Clay Lautt (UNC) pinned Tristan Tadeo (LR), 6:34 – UNC leads, 20-6 184: Joey Mazzara (UNC) pinned Matthew Muller (LR), 3:31 – UNC leads, 26-6 197: Brandon Whitman (UNC) dec. Dylan Johnson (LR), 7-3 – UNC leads, 29-6 285: UNC wins via forfeit – UNC wins, 35-6

PARKERSBURG, W. Va. -- The Ohio wrestling team (2-3, 0-1 MAC) earned a 20-13 victory over regional rival West Virginia (0-5, 0-1 Big 12) this evening at Parkersburg High School. "We've been trying so hard to get a win, and I think our guys feel the pressure. I know I feel the pressure," said 23rd-year head coach Joel Greenlee. "Hopefully, that takes a little bit of that, and we just wrestle hard and have fun the rest of the year." West Virginia opened things up with a 3-0 lead at 125 pounds as redshirt sophomore Joey Thomas picked up a 4-2 win by decision. The Bobcats began to flip the script beginning at 133, though. Redshirt junior Mario Guillen (Perrysburg, Ohio) evened the match at three-all courtesy of a 10-4 win by decision over sophomore Lucas Seibert. Redshirt senior Shakur Laney (Canal Winchester, Ohio) gave Ohio a 7-3 advantage after notching a 19-7 major decision win at 141 over sophomore Caleb Rea. Laney finished the bout with nine takedowns. The Bobcats then picked up a pair of one-point wins by decision at both 149 and 157 to take a 13-3 lead into intermission. Redshirt sophomore Alec Hagan (Eureka, Mo.) edged redshirt junior Seth Hogue, 2-1, followed by redshirt senior Zac Carson (Akron, Ohio) defeating redshirt freshman Alex Hornfeck, 4-3. Carson's go-ahead takedown came with 1:14 left in the third period. "Mario's starting to get back to Mario. Shakur went out and dominated tonight. I think you'll really see him take off in the next couple months. Alec Hagan did a good job and Carson did a good job against a couple of tough guys to wrestle," said Greenlee. The Mountaineers earned a win out of the break when junior Nick Kiussis picked up a 9-1 major decision win at 165 to cut Ohio's lead to 13-7. Sophomore Logan Stanley (Fredericksburg, Ohio) gave Ohio a big lift courtesy of a hard-fought 17-13 win by decision over redshirt freshman Alex Hornfeck at 174. "It was a bit of a roller coaster," said Stanley of his victory. "I was hoping to keep piling it on, but obviously I had to keep my composure and not let that get in my head and stay with my offense and stay focused." Stanley got a four-point near fall with less than a minute left in the first period, then staved off a potential pin in the second and battled Hornfeck until finally prevailing with a four-point victory. "That's a dang barn burner. Fun match to watch, nightmare to coach," laughed Greenlee. "I looked back at our bench after the first period and said, 'Somebody's going to get pinned. I'm just not sure who.' It's hard to coach because you want to see them go out there and wrestle as hard as they can, but you want to see them stay in good, smart positions. He got a little overzealous and got thrown to his back. Could have been bad, but it wasn't." Greenlee praised the progression Stanley has made from his freshman year to his sophomore season. "Logan's worked so hard," said Greenlee. "If you want a guy who does the right things academically, does the right things in the weight room, wrestling room, everywhere. I can't say enough good things about him. He's gotten better and better. He's competing with national level guys. Senior Hunter Yeargan (Willard, Mo.) made it a 20-7 lead for the Bobcats after coming away with a 11-3 major decision win over sophomore Jackson Moomau at 184. West Virginia cut Ohio's lead to 10 points as redshirt sophomore Noah Adams recorded a 6-4 win by decision at 197. Senior Brandon Ngati picked up a 2-0 win by decision at 285 for West Virginia, but it wasn't enough as Ohio came away with a seven-point win over the Mountaineers. "It was awesome. It was a fun atmosphere to be in," said Stanley of wrestling a regional rival at a local high school. "A small gym with a lot of West Virginia fans for sure. It kind of felt like we were in enemy territory, but it was fun." Ohio will be back in action Dec. 29-30 at the Midlands Classic in Chicago. Results: 125: Joey Thomas (West Virginia) def. Giovanni DiSabato (Ohio), 4-2 dec. (0-3) 133: Mario Guillen (Ohio) def. Lucas Seibert (West Virginia), 10-4 dec. (3-3) 141: Shakur Laney (Ohio) def. Caleb Rea (West Virginia), 19-7 maj. dec. (7-3) 149: Alec Hagan (Ohio) def. Seth Hogue (West Virginia), 2-1 dec. (10-3) 157: Zac Carson (Ohio) def. Alex Hornfeck (West Virginia), 4-3 dec. (13-3) 165: Nick Kiussis (West Virginia) def. Joe Terry (Ohio), 9-1 maj. dec. (13-7) 174: Logan Stanley (Ohio) def. Scott Joll (West Virginia), 17-13 dec. (16-7) 184: Hunter Yeargan (Ohio) def. Jackson Moomau (West Virginia), 11-3 maj. dec. (20-7) 197: Noah Adams (West Virginia) def. Jake Walker (Ohio), 6-4 dec. (20-10) 285: Brandon Ngati (West Virginia) def. Jordan Earnest (Ohio), 2-0 dec. (20-13)

LINCOLN -- The No. 2 Nebraska wrestling team scored bonus points in five matches and won eight of nine bouts overall to defeat Oregon State (2-1, 0-0 Pac-12) 32-3 in front of 1,278 fans at the Devaney Center on Friday night. No. 6 Mikey Labriola (174) started the night off in dominant fashion, racking up six takedowns and eight near-fall points to defeat Colton Beisley by technical fall, 20-5. No. 5 Taylor Venz (184) picked up right where Labriola left off, picking up a 9-0 major decision over Colt Doyle. No. 10 Eric Schultz (197) gave the Huskers three consecutive bonus-point victories to start the evening when he replicated Labriola's 20-5 technical fall victory against the Beavers' J.J. Dixon. The night's most exciting match took place at heavyweight. No. 15 Christian Lance (HWT) led JaMarcus Grant 3-1 late in the third period when Grant earned a one-point escape and two-point takedown to seize a 4-3 lead. Lance responded with a takedown as time expired. An official's review confirmed the takedown, and Lance was victorious by decision, 5-4. Action then shifted to the lighter weights. A double forfeit was declared at 125 as NU's Alex Thomsen was too ill to wrestle and Oregon State's Brandon Kaylor suffered a concussion only days previously. Devan Turner used takedowns in the first and third periods to top No. 10 Ridge Lovett (133), 6-2. Returning All-American No. 6 Chad Red Jr. (141) earned a 6-2 decision of his own, topping Beaver grappler Grant Willits. No. 12 Collin Purinton (149) gave up a reversal after taking down Lane Stigall in the first period, but did not look back after that, earning an 8-4 decision. The final two bouts of the night saw the Big Red rack up more bonus points. No. 14 Peyton Robb (157) scored 10 points in the first period on his way to a technical fall victory over Logan Meek before returning All-American No. 4 Isaiah White (165) used riding time and six third-period points to earn a major decision victory over Aaron Olmos. Head Coach Mark Manning was pleased with his team's performance: "I wasn't surprised with how we wrestled [tonight]," Manning said. "We had some really good practices this week and our guys got really focused [even with it being finals week]. I was really proud with how they handled practice [this week], and that comes from the leadership of our team." NU (5-0, 0-0 Big Ten) will have a few weeks off from competition for the semester break before returning to action at No. 8 Wisconsin on Jan. 12. That dual meet will take place at the UW Field House in Madison, Wis., beginning at 2 p.m. Results: 174: #6 Mikey Labriola (NEB) tech. fall Colton Beisley (OSU) 20-5 (NEB 5, OSU 0) 184: #5 Taylor Venz (NEB) major dec. #20 Colt Doyle (OSU) 9-0 (NEB 9, OSU 0) 197: #10 Eric Schultz (NEB) tech. fall J.J. Dixson (OSU) 21-5 (NEB 14, OSU 0) HWT: #15 Christian Lance (NEB) dec. Jamarcus Grant (OSU) 5-4 (NEB 17, OSU 0) 125: Double Forfeit (NEB 17, OSU 0) 133: #30 Devan Turner (OSU) dec. #10 Ridge Lovett (NEB) 6-2 (NEB 17, OSU 3) 141: #6 Chad Red Jr. (NEB) dec. #17 Grant Willits (OSU) 6-2 (NEB 20, OSU 3) 149: #12 Collin Purinton (NEB) dec. Lane Stigall (OSU) 8-4 (NEB 23, OSU 3) 157: #14 Peyton Robb (NEB) tech. fall #32 Logan Meek (OSU) 16-1 (NEB 28, OSU 3) 165: #4 Isaiah White (NEB) major dec. Aaron Olmos (OSU) 10-2 (NEB 32, OSU 3)

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The 10th-ranked University of Pittsburgh wrestling team won seven bouts en route to its fifth win of the year over Maryland Friday night at the XFINITY Center. With the win, the Panthers finish 2019 5-1 overall, while the Terrapins drop to 1-4. Two Pitt wrestlers performances stood out in the team win in redshirt freshman Cole Matthews and redshirt junior Gregg Harvey. Matthews pinned his opponent in 6:53, while Harvey defeated No. 20 Philip Spadafora. "It was a good match to head into our holiday break with," said head coach Keith Gavin. "Maryland wrestled hard and our guys got tested in some of those bouts." Redshirt freshman Louis Newell got the Panthers on the board with a 7-2 decision at 125 pounds over Brandon Cray. After a scoreless opening frame, Newell started the second on bottom and scored an escape and takedown for the 3-0 lead. Moving to the third, Newell started on top and a Cray reversal would cut his lead to 3-2. However, Newel escaped and scored a takedown and added his final point with riding time en route to the win. At 133 pounds, redshirt sophomore Micky Phillippi quickly fell behind to King Sandoval 6-0 early in the first. The fifth-ranked wrestler then escaped and scored a takedown to finish the first period. In the second, Phillippi started the second on bottom and escaped and scored a takedown to tie the match, 6-6. Phillippi started the third on top and received his final two points via stalling and riding time. With the win, Phillippi improves to 10-0 on the year. Pitt jumped out to a 12-0 in the dual after Matthews pinned Hunter Baxter in 6:53 at 141 pounds. Matthews, who ranks 19th in the nation, led 2-1 at the end of the first and led 4-3 after two. In the third, Matthews started on bottom and escaped for a 5-3 lead. Baxter then scored a late takedown to tie it 5-5, but a reversal by Matthews would give him a 7-5 lead. Matthews then quickly got Baxter on his back to secure his second pin of the season. Maryland got on the board after recording wins at 149 and 157 pounds, bringing the team score to 12-6 through the first five bouts. Redshirt junior Jake Wentzel got things going for the Panthers again at 165 pounds after recording his fifth major decision of the year and 12 of his career. Wentzel, who ranks 12th in his weight class, jumped out to a 4-0 lead to open the first period after scoring a takedown and two nearfall. He started the second on bottom, where he escaped and earned a point off back-to-back stall warnings against Cochran. Wentzel picked up four nearfall points in the third and added his final point with riding time. The major decision boosted Pitt's lead to 16-6. Harvey earned his first win over a ranked opponent this season, after outlasting 20th-ranked Philip Spadafora at 174 pounds. Harvey struck first in the opening frame with a takedown, but Spadafora escaped. In the second, Spadafora took the lead after an escape and takedown. Harvey began the third on bottom where he escaped to cut Spadafora's lead to 4-3. With time expiring, Harvey scored a takedown for the win. Harvey's win gave the Panthers a 19-6 lead in the team race. At 184 pounds, redshirt sophomore Nino Bonaccorsi improved to 9-1 on the year after recording his fifth major decision of the year over Kyle Jasenski. Bonaccorsi led 6-2 at the end of the first and a reversal in the second would give him an 8-2 lead entering the final frame. The eighth-ranked 184-pounder started the third on top and Jasenski escaped. Bonaccorsi scored a final takedown in the third and added his final point with riding time to give the Panthers a 23-6 lead. The Terrapins won what would be their last bout of the night after redshirt senior Kellan Stout fell to Jaron Smith at 197 pounds. In the final bout of the night, senior Demetrius Thomas recorded his eighth win and third major decision of the year. The ninth-ranked heavyweight defeated Parker Robinson in a 10-1 major decision. Thomas opened the match with a quick takedown, and would remain in control for the remainder of the first period. He scored a takedown in the second, but added six points in the third to reach the major decision. The win boosted the final team score to 27-10. The Panthers resume action in the New Year at the Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Results: 125: Louis Newell (UP) dec. Brandon Cray (UM), 7-2 – Pitt leads 3-0 133: #5 Micky Phillippi (UP) dec. King Sandoval (UM), 8-6 – Pitt leads 6-0 141: #19 Cole Matthews (UP) pins Hunter Baxter (UM), 6:53 – Pitt leads 12-0 149: Michael Doetsch (UM) dec. Dallas Bulsak (UP), 2-0 – Pitt leads 12-3 157: Jahi Jones (UM) dec #11 Taleb Rahmani (UP), 3-2 – Pitt leads 12-6 165: #12 Jake Wentzel (UP) maj. dec. Kyle Cochran (UM), 11-0 – Pitt leads 16-6 174: Gregg Harvey (UP) dec. #20 Philip Spadafora (UM), 5-4 – Pitt leads 19-6 184: #8 Nino Bonaccorsi (UP) maj. dec. Kyle Jasenski (UM), 11-3 – Pitt leads 23-6 197: Jaron Smith (UM) maj. dec. Kellan Stout (UP), 9-0 – Pitt leads 23-10 285: #9 Demetrius Thomas (UP) maj. dec. Parker Robinson (UM), 10-1 – Pitt wins 27-10

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The Citadel wrestling team made quick of the Blue Hose of Presbyterian, posting a 37-8 victory, Friday afternoon in McAlister Field House. In the first-ever season of Presbyterian's wrestling team, the Bulldogs have taken a 1-0 lead over the Blue Hose. Dazjon Casto came away with the fastest victory for the Bulldogs, pinning Noah Hall in one minute and twenty seconds. Selwyn Porter toppled his opponent Bryton Goering in four minutes and twenty-nine seconds. The Bulldogs return to action on New Year's Day as they travel to the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn. Results: 125 – Jordie White (The Citadel) def. Jacob Brasseur (PC) Dec. 6-2 133 – Jake Rotunda (The Citadel) def. Parker Corwin (PC) MD 12-2 141 – Ethan Willis (The Citadel) def. Reid Stewart (PC) Dec. 11-5 149 – Selwyn Porter (The Citadel) def. Bryton Goering (PC) Fall 4:29 157 – Zachary Phillips (PC) def. Douglas Gudenburr (The Citadel) Dec. 8-6 165 – Dazjon Casto (The Citadel) def Noah Hall (PC) Fall 1:20 174 – Kyle Kretzer (The Citadel) def. by forfeit 184 – Austin Stith (PC) def. Robert Tywater (The Citadel) TF 23-7 197 – Martin Duane (The Citadel) def. by forfeit 285 – Michael McAleavey (The Citadel) def. Imani Heslop (PC) Dec. 4-2

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The Bucknell wrestling team rolled past LIU, 39-7, in its EIWA opener on Friday night at the Pratt Recreation Center. The Bison (2-2, 1-0 EIWA) used two pins, a technical fall and a major decision to down the Sharks (2-13, 0-2 EIWA) in a dual that lasted only an hour and 15 minutes. After LIU forfeited at 125 and 133 pounds, David Campbell (141) pinned Michael Blando in 3:22 to extend Bucknell's lead to 18-0. Campbell, a former EIWA placewinner at 133 pounds, was making his first dual start at 141 pounds. Jaden Fisher (157) picked up his first career dual victory, dispatching Dominick Demarco by a resounding 18-2 technical fall. Zach Hartman (165) scored his fifth pin of the 2019-20 campaign, bringing Nicholas Provenzano's shoulders to the mat in just 2:38. Hartman is currently ranked as high as 15th nationally. Mitch Hartman (174) won by a 5-1 decision while Kyle Inlander (184) emerged a 7-6 victor in the first sudden victory frame. Drew Phipps (197) stretched his dual winning streak to 16 bouts with a commanding 12-1 major decision over Mark Malico; Phipps was last defeated in dual action on Jan. 5, 2018 at Navy. LIU is the EIWA's newest member. The program was formed when Division I LIU Brooklyn and Division II LIU Post merged ahead of the 2019-20 campaign. The wrestling team, which competes on LIU Post's campus, was elevated to the Division I level with the merger. This was the first ever meeting between the Bison and Sharks. Bucknell next attends the prestigious Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Dec. 29-30. Results: 125: Brandon Seidman (BU) wins by forfeit 133: Darren Miller (BU) wins by forfeit 141: David Campbell (BU) fall over Michael Blando (LIU) 3:22 149: Rhise Royster (LIU) maj. dec. over Jacob Hubbard (BU) 11-2 157: Jaden Fisher (BU) tech fall over Dominick Demarco (LIU) 18-2 (4:46) 165: #15 Zach Hartman (BU) fall over Nicholas Provenzano (LIU) 2:38 174: Mitch Hartman (BU) dec. over James Langan (LIU) 5-1 184: Kyle Inlander (BU) dec. over Dan McClure (LIU) 7-6 (SV-1) 197: Drew Phipps (BU) maj. dec. over Mark Malico (LIU) 12-1 285: Lawrence Horl (LIU) dec. over Nate Feyrer (BU) 4-1

The Binghamton University wrestling team defeated Scared Heart by a score of 25-9 Friday afternoon in Vestal. The Bearcats won seven of 10 bouts, highlighted by Carson Sauriol's first career dual victory at 125 pounds and a major decision by heavyweight Joe Doyle to close things out. "We came away with a win, which was great, but we need to find a way to get more points on the board," said head coach Kyle Borshoff. "I'm expecting more from our guys - more major decisions, tech. falls and pins. We're going to need to score more in order to keep up with the likes of Lehigh and Virginia Tech. I'm happy with the win, but we have work to do." Highlights Sauriol kicked things off with an early takedown of Sacred Heart's Sean Faraon. He would add another entering the third period to lead 4-0. Faroan ended the bout with an escape and takedown, but Sauriol was able to come away with a 5-3 win. Following a decision loss at 133 pounds, Anthony Sparacio rebounded from a 2-0 hole against Gerard Daly and gutted out a 5-4 win to give the Bearcats a 6-3 edge. Despite another decision loss at 149 pounds, Christopher Barker came in on a mission, and took a quick 2-0 lead over TJ Calas. Calas would only manage one escape point throughout the matchup, and Barker picked up a 6-1 decision. Aidan Monteverdi stopped the match from being a back-and-forth affair with a 9-4 decision over Brandon Levesque. In his first action since the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open, Monteverdi set the tone early with two takedowns in the first period. Following a scoreless first period, Alex Melikian used a quick escape and takedown to vault ahead of Joe Accousti. Melikian was slowed for the remainder of the bout, but held on for a 3-2 decision. Sacred Heart forfeited at 184 pounds, giving No. 6 Lou DePrez a victory and six points. The win eliminated the Pioneers' hopes of a comeback, and the Bearcats went up 21-6. Another three points was added to Sacred Heart's total after the 197-pound matchup, but Joe Doyle finished with an impressive 16-5 major decision to close it out. Doyle got Connor Fredericks on his back twice over the final two periods to close in dominating style. Up Next The Bearcats will kick start 2020 at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Jan. 1-2. Results: 125 | Sauriol (BING) DEC Faraon (SHU), 5-3. Binghamton leads SHU 3-0. 133 | Petrillo (SHU) DEC Tomasso Frezza (BING), 6-2. Bout tied 3-3. 141 | Sparacio (BING) DEC Daly (SHU), 5-4. Binghamton leads SHU 6-3. 149 | Palumbo (SHU) DEC Matt Swanson, 6-4. Bout tied at six. 157 | Barker (BING) DEC Calas (SHU), 6-1. Binghamton leads SHU 9-6. 165 | Monteverdi (BING) DEC Levesque (SHU), 9-4. Binghamton leads SHU 12-6. 174 | Melikian (BING) DEC Accousti (SHU), 3-2. Binghamton leads SHU 15-6. 184 | No. 6 DePrez wins via forfeit. Binghamton leads SHU 21-6. 197 | Hetherman (SHU) DEC Nunzio Crowley (BING), 3-1. Binghamton leads SHU 21-9. 285 | Doyle (BING) MD Fredericks (SHU), 16-5. Binghamton defeats SHU 25-9.

The Cleveland State University wrestling team came from behind for a second straight dual as the Vikings fought back to claim a 22-14 victory over George Mason Friday evening in Woodling Gymnasium. Facing a Patriot squad that entered with a 6-1 mark, the Vikings found themselves trailing, 14-10, with three bouts remaining. However, CSU ended with a flourish as the Vikings shut out Mason down the stretch to pick up the win in the program's first-ever home MAC dual. True freshman Logan Heil got CSU off on the right foot with a dominating 18-5 victory at 125 pounds. He used six takedowns, two near-fall points, two stalling points, an escape and a riding time point to rack up points in bunches. George Mason never led in regulation at 133 pounds, but the Patriots used late scoring to send the match to sudden victory. Mason would get the winning takedown in the extra session to get on the team scoreboard. Facing a top-25 opponent at 141 pounds, redshirt senior Evan Cheek rode out a first-period takedown to hold a 2-0 lead after three minutes. He was able to hold onto that margin for the remainder of the match and notched a 4-2 victory for the Vikings. Each of the next three bouts provided a lead change in the team scoring. George Mason used wins at 149 and 165 pounds to move in front while redshirt junior Nico O'Dor had given CSU points with a 5-2 win at 157. O'Dor used a pair of third-period takedowns to claim the win after the bout was tied, 1-1, earlier in the frame. The Patriots increased their lead to 14-10 with a win via decision at 174 pounds. True freshman DeAndre Nassar started CSU's comeback with a dominating showing at 184 pounds, claiming a 17-4 win. After leading just 2-0 after one period, Nassar poured on points in bunches, posting four takedowns and four near-fall points in the final five minutes. Sophomore Ben Smith backed up Nassar's bonus-point win with another big margin for CSU. He tallied nine takedowns in his match and posted a 22-7 technical fall. For the second straight dual, redshirt sophomore John Kelbly sealed the victory at heavyweight for CSU. A first-period takedown for the Viking proved to be the difference as he held on for a 3-2 win over his Patriot opponent. With the win, Cleveland State started a season 4-0 for the first time in 16 years while the Vikings also improved to 2-0 in MAC action. Cheek notched his team-leading 19th win of the season while Smith registered his 10th bonus-point victory. Kelbly reached double digits in wins with his victory Friday while Nassar's win was his first dual victory as a collegian. Cleveland State will return to action on New Year's Day as it competes in the prestigious Southern Scuffle. QUICK HITS Cleveland State came from behind to top George Mason, 22-14 The Vikings won the final three bouts after having trailed, 14-10 Logan Heil, DeAndre Nassar and Ben Smith all won with bonus points Nassar's win marked his first dual victory as a collegian Cleveland State started a season 4-0 for the first time in 16 years The match was the first home MAC dual for CSU Results: 125: Logan Heil (CSU) over Talha Farooq (GMU) - 18-5 MD | CSU leads, 4-0 133: Josh Jones (GMU) over Justin Patrick (CSU) - 7-5 SV | CSU leads, 4-3 141: Evan Cheek (CSU) over Alex Madrigal (GMU) - 4-2 dec. | CSU leads, 7-3 149: Colston DiBlasi (GMU) over Gus Sutton (CSU) - 15-0 TF 7:00 | GMU leads, 8-7 157: Nico O'Dor (CSU) over Kolby Ho (GMU) - 5-2 dec. | CSU leads, 10-8 165: Neil Schuster (GMU) over Riley Smucker (CSU) - 6-2 dec. | GMU leads, 11-10 174: Anthony Lombardo (GMU) over Chase Archangelo (CSU) - 8-1 dec. | GMU leads, 14-10 184: DeAndre Nassar (CSU) over Ali Salem (GMU) - 17-4 MD | Tied, 14-14 197: Ben Smith (CSU) over Ramses Montalvo (GMU) - 22-7 TF 7:00 | CSU leads, 19-14 285: John Kelbly (CSU) over Jake Slinger (GMU) - 3-2 dec. | CSU wins, 22-14

Gable Steveson gets ready to wrestle at match at the NCAAs (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) University of Minnesota wrestlers Gable Steveson and Dylan Martinez will not be charged in a sexual assault investigation, according to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, who spoke at a news conference on Friday morning. Freeman cited "inadequate evidence" to prosecute the case. "There are often conflicting versions of what happened, and this case is no exception," said Freeman. "In the interest of justice, simply, there is inadequate evidence to fairly charge and prosecute this case." Evidence included police reports, interviews with participants, interviews with the victim, DNA and other forensics. Freeman also said there is little detail he can provide. "Here at the Hennepin County Attorney's Office we strongly believe in not revictimizing the victim, so there is little detail I can provide," said Freeman. "We appreciate her bravery in reporting this incident to the police. The police department and this office were able to help her obtain the resources to deal with the trauma from that evening." As InterMat reported June 18, 2019, Steveson and Martinez had been arrested for allegedly sexually penetrating a victim with an object on Saturday, June 15, according to the Minneapolis police. The reported victim received treatment at the hospital. The St. Paul Police Department released a transcript of the 911 call that came to them Saturday. A male caller told police that his female friend "seems to be sexually assaulted and is not OK. She left with a couple guys and she is absolutely bawling her eyes out and doesn't know what happened ..." During the 2018-19 season, Steveson compiled a 35-2 overall record for Minnesota as a freshman, and was 17-0 in dual-meet competition. He placed second at the 2019 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, then, two weeks later, became an All-American by placing third in the 285-pound bracket at the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Pittsburgh. For his first-year accomplishments, Gable Steveson was named the team's Most Outstanding Wrestler and Freshman of the Year, and earned Golden Goldy's Rookie of the Year honors. Prior to enrolling at Minnesota, Steveson was a four-time Minnesota high school state wrestling champion for Apple Valley High School. Martinez transferred to Minnesota from Fresno City College where he was a two-time California community college champion.

Blair Academy's Marc-Anthony McGowan is ranked No. 1 nationally at 106 pounds (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The 27th edition of the Beast of the East is Saturday and Sunday from the Bob Carpenter Center on the campus of the University of Delaware. Ranked annually as the second best in-season high school tournament in the country, this year's edition features 13 nationally ranked teams, including seven of the top 16 teams in this week's national rankings. The entered field includes seven wrestlers ranked either No. 1 (2) or No. 2 (5) in the country at their respective weight classes. Current national No. 2 Blair Academy (N.J.) is the favorite to win this tournament for the 24th time, even absent arguably their two best wrestlers: Trevor Mastrogiovanni (126) and Shayne Van Ness (132). Other nationally ranked teams in the field: No. 6 Bergen Catholic (N.J.), No. 8 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), No. 10 Malvern Prep (Pa.), No. 14 Brecksville (Ohio), No. 15 Elyria (Ohio), No. 16 Delbarton (N.J.), No. 31 Mount St. Joseph (Md.), No. 33 St. Joseph Montvale (N.J.), No. 35 Notre Dame-Green Pond (Pa.), No. 41 Nazareth (Pa.), No. 43 Waynesburg (Pa.), and No. 45 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) Preliminary seeds, subject to check-in and weigh-in, were released for the tournament on Thursday night. Based on those preliminary seeds, the following wrestlers that are currently ranked are not in the tournament field: Shayne Van Ness (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 1 at 132 pounds; Noah Castillo (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), No. 11 at 152; Isaac Righter (Mount St. Joseph, Md.), No. 3 at 285. Van Ness and Righter also did not compete in the Ironman last week. Since only some entrant information is available, the most consistent preview information is going to be to list the nationally ranked wrestlers and the respective preliminary seed position that they hold. 106: 1. No. 1 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Blair Academy, N.J.) 2. No. 6 Mac Church (Waynesburg, Pa.) 4. No. 19 Tyler Vazquez (Delbarton, N.J.) 113: 1. No. 2 Stevo Poulin (Shenendehowa, N.Y.) 2. No. 16 Erik Roggie (St. Christopher's, Va.) 3. No. 8 Brett Ungar (Notre Dame-Green Pond, Pa.) 120: 1. Nick Kayal (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) 2. No. 2 Dean Peterson (St. John Vianney, N.J.) 3. No. 6 Cooper Flynn (McDonogh, Md.) 4. No. 12 Ryan Miller (Blair Academy, N.J.) 6. No. 8 Alex Almeyda (St. Joseph Montvale, N.J.) 126: 1. No. 4 Eddie Ventresca (Pope John XXIII, N.J.) 2. No. 1 Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) 3. No. 3 Ryan Crookham (Notre Dame-Green Pond, Pa.) 4. No. 16 Chris Barnabae (Mount St. Joseph's, Md.) 5. No. 7 Dylan Shawver (Elyria, Ohio) 6. No. 13 Nico Nardone (Delbarton, N.J.) 9. No. 15 Rocco Welsh (Waynesburg, Pa.) 132: 1. Joey Olivieri (Hanover Park, N.J.) 2. Matt Vulakh (Pope John II, Pa.) 3. No. 19 Dylan Cedeno (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) 138: 1. No. 6 (at 132) Anthony Clark (Delbarton, N.J.) 2. No. 8 Mick Burnett (Elyria, Ohio) 3. No. 7 Kenny Herrmann (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) 4. No. 11 Wyatt Henson (Waynesburg, Pa.) 5. No. 14 (at 132) Chris Rivera (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) 145: 1. No. 2 Victor Voinovich (Brecksville, Ohio) 2. Jackson Dean (Caesar Rodney, Del.) 3. No. 17 Jagger Condomiti (Northampton, Pa.) 4. No. 12 Manzona Bryant (Hudson WRA, Ohio) 5. No. 10 (at 138) Justin Rivera (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) 6. No. 4 Bretli Reyna (South Dade, Fla.) 7. No. 20 Deshawn Farber (Nazareth, Pa.) 8. No. 8 Joseph Zargo (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) 152: 1. No. 4 Dalton Harkins (Malvern Prep, Pa.) 2. No. 2 Travis Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, N.J.) 160: 1. No. 7 Andrew Cerniglia (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) 2. No. 6 Clayton Ulrey (Lower Dauphin, Pa.) 3. Matthew Arciuolo (Saucon Valley, Pa.) 4. No. 15 Luke Nichter (Chambersburg, Pa.) 7. No. 12 Dylan Fishback (Aurora, Ohio) 8. No. 19 Thomas Stewart (Blair Academy, N.J.) 170: 1. No. 8 Domonic Mata (Blair Academy, N.J.) 2. Connor O'Neill (DePaul Catholic, N.J.) 3. No. 17 (at 160) Dylan Reinert (Gettysburg, Pa.) 4. No. 16 (at 182) Angel Garcia (Mariana Bracetti Academy, Pa.) 6. No. 15 Jaden Bullock (Oscar Smith, Va.) 182: 1. No. 3 John Poznanski (Colonia, N.J.) 2. No. 7 Rylan Rogers (Blair Academy, N.J.) 3. No. 14 Jake Evans (Elyria, Ohio) 5. No. 15 (at 195) Sam Fisher (Fauquier, Va.) 195: 1. No. 12 Nicholas Feldman (Malvern Prep, Pa.) 2. No. 14 Ben Vanadia (Brecksville, Ohio) 3. No. 9 Peyton Craft (Blair Academy, N.J.) 220: 1. No. 4 Ethan Hatcher (Brecksville, Ohio) 2. P.J. Casale (Delbarton, N.J.) 3. No. 12 Noah Pettigrew (Blair Academy, N.J.) 5. No. 18 (at 195) Kyle Jacob (Paramus, N.J.) 285: 1. No. 2 Hunter Catka (Sun Valley, Pa.)

Shortly before Colby Covington's jaw was shattered by the overhand right of Kumaru Usman, fans at UFC 245 had taken to chanting "USA! USA! USA!" in an apparent attempt to imply their fealty to Covington (a race-baiting misogynist with an affinity for Red Hats) while also implying that Usman, a Nigerian immigrant and citizen of the United States, was un-American. Of course, there is great joy in knowing that the fans watched the mauling of their bully-du-jour. There was catharsis in watching his head whipsaw back-and-forth as a mighty immigrant pounded it with 4-ounce gloves. There was more enjoyment in reading the comments of MAGA-Twitter disputing the facts of the fight as it happened in real time. Like their disaffection for all truths they typed angrily into the online portals of self-identity in the desperate hope that the maiming they paid $60 to watch wasn't happening and would soon be uncovered by Alex Jones to be yet another Deep State conspiracy! It wasn't. The beating, the shattered jaw, and the loss -- they were all as real as impeachment. They happened. Colby now eats through a straw. And something else remained unchanged -- that Usman is an immigrant and citizen of the United States. And while you may prefer other fighters there is no question that his view on the chants that night inspire something more than the normal cud you'd hear running from the mouth of MMA's crassest self-promoters. Usman spoke about ideals, values, and what built our country and highlighted for all to listen, namely that entitlement and privilege is, in fact, actually not what makes this country great. Take a watch. To your questions … Question of the Week (InterMat T-shirt winner): It seems we have a growing divide between those who support women's wrestling (both high school and college) and those who do not. Personally, I see women's wrestling being a big, if not the biggest, factor in the future of the sport. Many argue that it just isn't as exciting and compare it to women's basketball in terms of viewership. My question is how do we in America grow past this hurdle? We see that programs are popping up all over the country and many are vocal about their support. What does men's wrestling have that women's wrestling doesn't? -- Robert R. Foley: I think that many detractors simply haven't spent time watching the sport. The comparison to basketball isn't viable since the hoop is still ten feet, but in wrestling the competition is equalized. There is not much a man can do on a mat that a woman can't. It's really just a matter of acceptance. The changes are slow, but they are building. The key to future success of women's wrestling is the advocacy of men. They can convince those in position of power to accept the societal changes and implement them at the district, local, state, and national level. I think Tom Brands has been incredible at creating a positive output for women's wrestling. It's far from his main focus, but every time he's asked he makes a comment about underestimating them originally and how he thinks his program is stronger now with them in the room. That's Tom Brands, the head wrestling coach of the top-ranked men's program in the country advocating for women's wrestling. That creates impact. As the momentum builds and a larger number of coaches in a larger number of geographical areas begin their advocacy a tipping point will occur where we see it as normalized. I can agree that the viewership may never be 1-1, but certainly there is an opportunity to draw nearer to the boys as the women wrestlers of yesteryear become the moms and content consumers of tomorrow. Men have had wrestling matches promoted for more than 10,000 years. The women are in the 30-something year of international competition. Progress is slow, but it is happening! Kyle Dake with the American flag after winning a world title in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Kyle Dake posted a video on Instagram of him striking and wrote, "After #tokyo2020 we will see what happens." Any chance Dake transitions to MMA? If so, how do you think he would do? -- Mike C. Foley: I think he's stating that there is a likelihood after 2020, and I'd almost bet he takes that opportunity. I also think he's going to be very, very, very successful as long as he spends time learning to strike and grapple. The wrestling style he has is similar to Cormier in that his upper body strength and positioning would be a nightmare for most people in the clinch. Non-wrestlers have adapted to leg takedowns in a number of ways, but none have really learned to stop upper body clinches and mat returns from the fence. Oh, and he's an outrageously great competitor who is mentally tough and in it to battle. Let's see how Dake does this Olympic cycle. If he gets past Burroughs then maybe he sticks around. If he doesn't then maybe there is a stronger likelihood he hits the cage. Q: Who do you think will make the finals in each weight class at the Senior Nationals in freestyle? -- Mike C. Foley: 57 kilograms: Spencer Lee vs. Vito Arujau 65 kilograms: Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Jordan Oliver 74 kilograms: Chance Marsteller vs. Mekhi Lewis 86 kilograms: Alex Dieringer vs. Zahid Valencia 97 kilograms: Kyven Gadson vs. Ty Walz 125 kilograms: Tony Nelson vs. Anthony Cassar Q: I just saw the format change for the World Cup in wrestling. Sounds interesting. Six teams. Top five teams from previous World Championships and an All-Star team of wrestlers not on top five teams. Do you think this could work for the Division I National Duals? This year's field would be Penn State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Iowa and Michigan, and then a team made up of All-Stars (Jack Mueller, Seth Gross, etc.). Do you think this could work in Division I wrestling? If so, when would be the ideal time to hold the event? -- Mike C. Foley: I don't think it would work, based purely on the politics of NCAA wrestling and the difficulty you'd have of convincing stakeholders this was an idea that could grow the sport. One place it could work is the postseason. After the season you could give a generous weight allowance and invite the top teams and then the national champions and other top finishers to fill out a sixth team. There would be some major politicking for that team, but in the end the result might be another product that the NCAA could distribute Would be a fun event, but unfortunately I think there just isn't enough steam to make larger changes to the competition format.

MADISON, Wis. -- In their home debut, the Wisconsin Badgers were electric against the Kent State Golden Flashes. The Badgers beat up on the Flashes with a final score of 42-6, featuring four pins and two technical falls. At 125, Eric Barnett got the crowd going early and recorded a pin against Kent State's Tomas Gutierrez. In his first dual with the Badgers, the true freshman from Hortonville, Wis., got the fall in just 1:40. Drew Scharenbrock wrestled at 157 and was also impressive in his UW Field House debut. Coming off of two major hip surgeries last season, Scharenbrock showed no mercy against Kent State's Conan Becker, recording the fall in 4:51. In the 184-weight class, Johnny Sebastian was phenomenal for Wisconsin once again. He got the fall over Tyler Bates in 2:09. In his first appearance at the UW Field House, Sebastian gets a pin. Trent Hillger, Wisconsin's All-American heavyweight, ended the night with a fall of his own. He brought down Kent State's Spencer Berthold at the 1:30 mark and didn't look back, pinning him in just 1:46. Seth Gross, Tristan Moran, and Evan Wick all recorded technical falls. Gross ended his match in 5:55, outscoring No. 22 Tim Rooney 20-2. Moran got the tech in 5:29, beating Cory Simpson by 17-1. Evan Wick gave up no points to Kade Byland and beat him 15-0 in 6:05. Straight from the mat Freshman, Eric Barnett On the match: I mean yeah it was obviously important to score points. As coach preaches, we got a pace and we're just going to go. I didn't get a takedown on the first sequence, but I got right back up and got in his face and created a situation where I was able to capitalize. It's great here though. I wanted to pump up the crowd right away as a first match here. It was my first opportunity to hear the crowd go crazy cheering for me, so I got it done. On the team from here: The goal is a national title. The team is doing all the right things. We hustle. Every workout, everyone is putting in effort, 100 percent effort. So, the goal is a national title so let's get there. Head Coach, Chris Bono On Cole Martin: The key is a slow start. We've got to correct that. We've got a little stiffer competition, it's hard to come back from two, three takedowns down. But Cole's a competitor, fifth year senior, does all the right things, going to be in every match. His conditioning is unbelievable, and he did a great job at scoring in the last period. It's huge to score at the end of periods. He did everything we preached. I'm very proud of Cole and excited. On Drew and 157-pound competition: Drew did a great job. He came out and tried to run through the chairs. He didn't even want to go around the chairs. So, I knew he came out really fired up, and Drew is a competitor. First time wrestling in the field house. You could see there was a little bit of nervous energy, but Drew's a competitor. I'm very excited for Drew. We're bringing three guys at 157 to Midlands, so it's in their hands, so we're going to decide who that guy is after the tournament, but Drew did a great job tonight, very proud of him. On the battle at 197: Pete's going to have a great career. A lot of mistakes, but he's a true freshman. Again, we're going to look at Midlands, we're going to evaluate after Midlands. Taylor will get his chance, and Pete will get his chance. And then we have that second semester to see what we can do to get those guys ready to roll and make a decision. I'm not going to put a big judgement on one match. As a true freshman rolling out in front of that crowd -- a lot of nervous energy, and Pete's going to be just fine. Notables Eric Barnett, Drew Scharenbrock and Peter Christensen all made their Badger debuts. Wisconsin recorded its largest margin of victory since 2015, when they beat UW-Whitewater 43-0. During the sock toss, fans tossed 933 pairs of socks onto the mat to be donated to the Luccier Community Center. Evan Wick will be competing at Senior Nationals in Fort Worth this weekend for a chance to compete in the Olympic Trials in April. Results: 125 – Eric Barnett (UW) over Tomas Gutierrez (KSU) by fall, 1:40 133 – No. 2 Seth Gross (UW) over No. 22 Tim Rooney (KSU) by tech. fall 20-2 141 – No. 8 Tristan Moran (UW) over Cory Simpson (KSU) by tech. fall 17-1 149 – No. 14 Cole Martin (UW) over Kody Komara (KSU) by dec. 9-6 157 – Drew Scharenbrock (UW) over Conan Becker (KSU) by fall, 4:51 165 – No. 3 Evan Wick (UW) over Kade Byland (KSU) by tech. fall 15-0 174 – Andrew McNally (KSU) over Jared Krattiger (UW) by dec. 6-3 184 – Johnny Sebastian (UW) over Tyler Bates (KSU) by fall, 2:09 197 – Colin McCracken (KSU) over Peter Christensen (UW) by dec. 6-1 285 – No. 4 Trent Hillger (UW) over Spencer Berthold (KSU) by fall, 1:46

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- No. 21 Stanford Wrestling, competing for the first time since Nov. 24, defeated Drexel 26-11 on Thursday night in a neutral site dual. The Cardinal improves to 5-1 in duals and Thursday night's victory marked the 110th dual win in head coach Jason Borrelli's career. Seven Cardinal picked up wins on Thursday night: Jackson DiSario (125), #14 Real Woods (141), #16 Requir van der Merwe (149), Tyler Eischens (157), #7 Shane Griffith (165), Nick Addison (184) and #6 Nathan Traxler (197). Next up for the Cardinal is the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga. Results: 125 Jackson DiSario (STAN) dec. Antonio Mininno (DRE) 8-2 133 Chandler Olson (DRE) dec. Brandon Kier (STAN) 4-1 141 #14 Real Woods (STAN) fall Julian Flores (DRE) F2:42 149 #16 Requir van der Merwe (STAN) maj. dec. Jared Donahue (DRE) 16-5 157 Tyler Eischens (STAN) dec. Felix Belga (DRE) 9-2 165 #7 Shane Griffith (STAN) dec. Ebed Jarrell (DRE) 8-2 174 Michael O'Malley (DRE) tech. fall Jared Hill (STAN) 16-1 7:00 184 Nick Addison (STAN) dec. Anthony Walters (DRE) 9-5 197 #6 Nathan Traxler (STAN) maj. dec. Bryan McLaughlin (DRE) 12-4 285 Sean O'Malley (DRE) dec. Trevor Rasmussen (STAN) 2-0

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- The Purdue wrestling team finished off the first semester in solid fashion, taking eight-of-10 road matches in a 35-9 dual victory at Southern Illinois Edwardsville on Thursday. The Boilermakers posted bonus points in five of their eight wins, including three falls, and freshman Thomas Penola knocked off a ranked opponent at heavyweight as Purdue improved to 7-1 on the season. The Boilermakers raced out to a 12-0 lead behind falls from junior Devin Schroder and freshman Travis Ford-Melton at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively. Schroder quickly built an 8-0 lead at 125 with a takedown and six quick nearfall points before sticking his opponent in a tilt. Ford-Melton wasted zero time in the ensuing match, quickly launching his foe to his back and getting the fall in 12 seconds, marking Purdue's fastest since a 13 second fall at the 2019 Loras Open. Sophomore Parker Filius stretched the lead to 15-0 with a 7-1 decision before a wild match at 149 where junior Griffin Parriott came from behind to earn a 12-10 victory in a tie-breaker overtime. Trailing 4-0 out of the gate after a throw from SIUE's Tyshawn Williams, Parriott started chipping away with a reversal in the first, and then a 5-2 scoring advantage in the second period to make it 7-7. Williams got an escape in the third, and Parriott evened the count at the end of regulation with a riding-time point, heading to the extra sessions at 8-8. Neither wrestler scored in the sudden-victory frame, but that's when things got crazy. Williams took bottom to start the 30-second rideouts, and reversed Parriott 14 seconds into the period. The official inadvertently blew his whistle, stopping the action after the reversal and negating potential back points for the Cougars; a call which was confirmed after the SIUE staff challenged the ruling. After the restart, Williams was then called for his third caution of the match, awarding a point to Parriott, and then the Boilermaker junior escaped before the end of the period to tie the match at 10-10. Parriott took bottom in the second 30-second rideout, and was immediately released by Williams to give the Boilers an 11-10 edge. The lead grew to 12-10 as Williams went down with a severe cramp, and Parriott again chose bottom and got another escape point. In the dust of the zany contest was an 18-0 Boilermaker lead and Parriott improved to 11-2 on the season. Freshman Kendall Coleman put together a dominant performance at 157 pounds, rolling out a 14-2 major decision over SIUE's Justin Ruffin. Ruffin was coming off a huge, upset win over No. 4 Larry Early of Old Dominion on Wednesday, but Coleman left little doubt early, building a 2-1 lead in the first and exploding for a 10-2 lead after the second, taking Ruffin to his back for a six-point move. Coleman finished things up with another takedown in the third, notching his third major decision of the season. SIUE got on the board at 165 as a third-period locked-hands call was the difference in a 2-1 win for Chase Diehl over Elijah Davis, but Purdue senior Dylan Lydy quickly regained the momentum. The fourth-ranked Boilermaker senior scored five takedowns in a 12-4 major decision, his sixth of the season, remaining undefeated at 15-0 on the year. The Cougars picked up six points at 184 pounds as Purdue junior Max Lyon was forced to injury default after the first period, but Boilermaker senior Christian Brunner got those six right back, sticking his opponent 1:57 into the first period for his sixth fall of the season and 15th of his career. Penola put the exclamation point on the night, using a second-period reversal and two takedowns in the final frame to secure a 7-3 decision over No. 17 Colton McKiernan. After a scoreless first period, Penola worked off bottom for a reversal and 2-1 lead heading to the third. He kept the heat on McKiernan down the stretch, surrendering an escape to tie things at 2-2, but working for two takedowns in the final two minutes and finishing the match on top in his first ranked win at heavyweight. The Boilermakers will take a short break for the holidays, but return to action Dec. 29 and 30 at the Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Results: 125: No. 6 Devin Schroder (PUR) def. Gage Datlovsky (SIUE), Fall 1:45 133: Travis Ford-Melton (PUR) def. Jake Blaha (SIUE), Fall 0:12 141: Parker Filius (PUR) def. Saul Ervin (SIUE), D 7-1 149: No. 9 Griffin Parriott (PUR) def. Tyshawn Williams (SIUE), TB1 12-10 157: No. 9 Kendall Coleman (PUR) def. Justin Ruffin (SIUE), MD 14-2 165: Chase Diehl (SIUE) def. Elijah Davis (PUR), D 2-1 174: No. 4 Dylan Lydy (PUR) def. Kevin Gschwendtner (SIUE), MD 12-4 184: Ryan Yarnell (SIUE) def. Max Lyon (PUR), Injury Default (3:00) 197: No. 8 Christian Brunner (PUR) def. Jake McKiernan (SIUE), Fall 1:57 285: Thomas Penola (PUR) def. #17 Colton McKiernan (SIUE), D 7-3

In its final match of 2019, 12th-ranked Princeton defeated 25th-ranked Rider tonight at 7 in Dillon Gym, 32-9. The win follows Princeton's two-point win a year ago that was the program's first over Rider since the 1981-82 season that ended an 18-match Broncs streak in the series. Now, the Tigers have their first back-to-back wins over the Broncs since the 1980-81 and '81-'82 seasons, and it came by Princeton's largest margin of victory ever over the Broncs, surpassing an 11-point win in the 1979-80 season. More to come Results: 157: #7 Quincy Monday (Princeton) wins by decision over #6 Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider), 13-7 165: Grant Cuomo (Princeton) wins by fall over Joe Casey (Rider), 3:51 174: Kevin Parker (Princeton) wins by decision over Dean Sherry (Rider), 9-8 184: George Walton (Rider) wins by fall over #18 Travis Stefanik (Princeton), 5:45 197: #3 Patrick Brucki (Princeton) wins by decision over #17 Ethan Laird (Rider), 11-6 HWT: Aidan Conner (Princeton) wins by decision over Ryan Cloud (Rider), 6-3 125: #3 Patrick Glory (Princeton) wins by fall over Jonathan Tropea (Rider), 1:35 133: Anthony Cefolo (Rider) wins by decision over Ty Agaisse (Princeton), 3-2 141: Marshall Keller (Princeton) wins by technical fall over Chris Wright (Rider), 16-0 5:33 149: #14 Mike D'Angelo (Princeton) wins by decision over Gino Fluri (Rider), 8-1

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- DJ Fehlman (Warren, Pa./Warren) recorded his 100th career win, Brock Port (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte) picked up a pin and the Bald Eagles benefitted from bonus points as the Lock Haven University wrestling team cruised past arch-rival Bloomsburg University (0-3, 0-2 MAC East), 26-12, tonight in LHU's first ever Mid-American Conference (MAC) Eastern Division dual. The Bald Eagles won six of 10 bouts and extended their dual win streak to five matches, thanks to two tech falls, a pin and a major. With the win Lock Haven improved to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in MAC East action. Along with Fehlman (133) and Port (149), Lock Haven got wins from 18th ranked Kyle Shoop (Boiling Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs) at 141 pounds and 18th ranked Alex Klucker (Summerdale, Pa./East Pennsboro) at 157 pounds. Jared Siegrist (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) and Parker McClellan (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) added wins for Lock Haven. Fehlman's 100th win came in style as he majored Josh Mason 13-3 at 133. He became the 22nd member of LHU's 100-win club and the first since Shoop hit 100 wins last season. Shoop's victory tonight moved him to career win No. 114, the ninth most in school history. Fehlman has now won 11 straight bouts and hasn't dropped a match since the second round at the Navy Classic on November 23. Shoop (141) and Siegrist (174) both recorded tech falls tonight as four of LHU's six wins came in the form of bonus-point victories. McClellan (197) and Klucker (157) won by decision. Tonight's dual started at 197 pounds and McClellan quickly put Lock Haven up 3-0 after a hard-fought 2-0 decision over Kyle Murphy. Bloomsburg was quick to respond and back-to-back Huskie-wins at 285 and 125 put Bloom up 6-3. Fehlman's historic win and major at 133 put Lock Haven back on top, and marked the first of four straight Bald Eagle wins. Shoop, ranked No. 18 at 141, picked up his first tech fall of the season and it came in dominating fashion. After a quick takedown he rolled to a 16-0 first-period tech that took just 2:48. Port thrilled the crowd at 149, pinning Gavin Hale at the 2:25 mark. Klucker, ranked No. 18 at 157, grinded out a hard-fought victory and pushed the Lock Haven lead to 21-6. Bloomsburg got one back at 165, but Siegrist sealed the win with a dominating tech fall at 174. The Bald Eagles led 26-9. In the night's final bout, No. 15 Corey Hazel (Spring Mills, Pa./Penns Valley) and No. 13 Trevor Allard locked up a thrilling top-15 battle. The two were tied 0-0 after one. An Allard escape in the second helped the Huskie cling to a 1-0 lead after two, but the third period provided some fireworks. After Hazel started the third down and scored on an escape, a crazy takedown-reverse-takedown sequence put Hazel up 5-3. A late Hazel takedown extended his lead to 7-5, but Allard tied the match at the buzzer on a takedown. In sudden victory, nobody scored and Hazel escaped to go up 8-7 in tiebreak one. It looked as if the Bald Eagle had it won, but Allard was awarded a point at buzzer again, this time on a locked hands call on Hazel. In sudden victory two, Allard recorded a late takedown and won 10-8. Despite the loss in the final bout, the Bald Eagles secured the important win in front of the home fans. Tonight marked a historic night in Mat-Town U.S.A. Prior to the start of the dual with Bloomsburg, Dallis Dillon, a Howard, Pennsylvania native and Bald Eagle High School graduate, represented the newly formed women's wrestling program. The women's freestyle exhibition match marked the first competition for the women's program, which was announced last May. Less than 70 miles separate LHU and Bloomsburg's campuses, and the two central Pennsylvania wrestling powers met tonight for the 76th time, but for the first time in Mid-American Eastern Division action. Both schools were part of the historic expansion last spring that saw the MAC add the former members of the Eastern Wrestling League. LHU has now won six straight vs. Bloomsburg. Lock Haven will take on another familiar face on Saturday (Dec. 21) as the Bald Eagles make the trek west on I-80 to square off with Clarion University at 7 p.m. Results: 197: Parker McClellan (LHU) dec. Kyle Murphy (BLOOM) 2-0 / LHU 3-0 285: Jarrett Walters (BLOOM) dec. Trey Hartsock (LHU) 8-1 / TIED 3-3 125: Christian Gannone (BLOOM) dec. Matt Maloney (LHU) 7-4 / BLOOM 6-3 133: DJ Fehlman (LHU) major dec. Josh Mason (BLOOM) 13-3 / LHU 7-6 141: #18 Kyle Shoop (LHU) tech fall Marlon Argeuta-Diaz (BLOOM) 16-0 (2:48) / LHU 12-6 149: Brock Port (LHU) pinned Gavin Hale (BLOOM) 2:25 / LHU 18-6 157: #18 Alex Klucker (LHU) dec. Alex Carida (BLOOM) 5-2 / LHU 21-6 165: Nate Newberry (BLOOM) dec. Austin Bell (LHU) 4-1 / LHU 21-9 174: Jared Siegrist (LHU) tech fall Anthony Vetrano (BLOOM) 20-4 (7:00) / LHU 26-9 184: #15 Trevor Allard (BLOOM) dec. #13 Corey Hazel (LHU) 10-8 SV2 / FINAL, LHU 26-12

OSKALOOSA -- William Penn Athletics Director Nik Rule is proud to announce the hiring of Tucker Black as the University's first-ever head women's wrestling coach. Black, a May 2019 graduate of Upper Iowa University with a degree in Agricultural Business, was a two-year starter and team captain for the Peacocks. A strong scholar-athlete, he graduated Magna Cum Laude and was twice named an Academic All-American. "We are really excited to have Coach Black as our first women's wrestling coach," Rule said. "Through the interview process he showed an authenticity that was very refreshing and something we believe student-athletes looking to compete in the sport will be attracted to. His energy and commitment to the sport is contagious, while he also has a big picture perspective on the most valuable components of the student-athlete experience. He is going to be a great addition to our team." Prior to his time at UIU, Black was an All-American at North Iowa Area CC, placing seventh at the 2017 NJCAA national championships. He was a regional champion and named the team's outstanding student-athlete. Black, who started his collegiate career at the University of Northern Iowa, excelled at the prep level. A 2014 state champion at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont HS, he also placed fifth as a junior and qualified for the state tournament as a sophomore. "I am grateful for the opportunity William Penn University has given me," Black said. "Growing up around the women's side of the sport, I have seen the opportunities it has given my sisters and I am excited to help provide those same opportunities to other young women who are looking to become champions in this sport. I am ready to start building a first-class program with a championship mindset!" William Penn, which is the third school in Iowa to sponsor women's wrestling, will begin competing in the 2020-2021 school year. Black will immediately begin recruiting for the inaugural class.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown has disciplined two Allentown Central Catholic wrestling coaches for allowing a boy to wrestle a girl at a dual meet earlier this month, in violation of the diocese's stated policy against mixed-gender wrestling during the regular season. The diocese did not reveal the names of the two coaches, nor the nature of the discipline, according to the Allentown Morning Call. The newspaper identified the two Central Catholic mat coaches as head coach John Bolich, and assistant coach Dennis Udicious. At a Dec. 11 dual meet between Central Catholic and Allen high schools, Bolich -- in his second season as the Vikings' head coach -- sent freshman Josh Lynds to face freshman Rachelly Montas at 132 pounds. Lynds pinned Montas in 3 minutes, 27 seconds. The Morning Call went on to report that the match in question was Lynds' only one to date. It was Montas' first varsity match to that point. She since has wrestled two other times. Previously, Diocese spokesman Matt Kerr had confirmed the policy against boys wrestling girls is different during the individual postseason, when the schools and wrestlers have no control over who their opponents are. In that scenario, it is at the discretion of the competitor and his parents. Kerr went on to say that it is not a judgment on the right and wrong of the matter; rather, it is a decision on who makes the call based on the individual nature of postseason wrestling. Last season, there were two similar incidents involving male wrestlers from Bethlehem Catholic High School who had faced girls on the mat.

Just seven months after announcing it would be launching new men's and women's intercollegiate wrestling programs, Iowa Wesleyan University has received a $250,000 gift for a new wrestling training facility. The gift from Mark and Sandy Willis will be used to renovate an existing building to create a state-of-the-art wrestling training center, including a wrestling room, locker rooms, a weight room, and "other wrestling-specific amenities" along with space for offices and a film room for the wrestling program and other athletic staff, according to the school's official announcement made this week. To honor the donors, the newly renovated structure will be named the Willis Wrestling Facility. Mark Willis is a 1970 graduate of Iowa Wesleyan, and a 2017 inductee into the IW Tiger Athletics Hall of Fame. The building itself was a gift to Iowa Wesleyan made by the Randy and Karly Beavers Family in 2007. Mark and Sandy Willis made the quarter-million-dollar gift as a challenge to other alumni and wrestling fans to help grow a solid foundation for the program's future. Renovation is expected to begin in late spring following the completion of a successful fundraising effort for the new wrestling program. The facility should be completed by the fall of 2020. The new Iowa Wesleyan wrestling programs are slated to start competing in the 2020-21 school year in NCAA Division III. In fact, IW will have the first D3 women's program in the state of Iowa. "The impact of this gift from Mark and Sandy is significant for our community, from our athletics program to our enrollment management efforts," said Iowa Wesleyan President Chris Plunkett. "This facility will also have an immediate and positive impact on our recruiting efforts for future Tigers." "Thanks to the incredible support from Mark and Sandy Willis, men's and women's Tiger wrestling student-athletes will now enjoy the benefits of a new training facility," said Derek Zander, director of athletics. "The facility will house all of the day-to-day operations of our teams, coaches, and staff. It will greatly enhance the experience of our student-athletes and will assure potential recruits of our university's commitment to excellence to this new program." Iowa Wesleyan announced the addition of both men's and women's varsity wrestling programs back in May. In August, the school revealed that it had hired Robert Watson-Powell as head coach for the two new mat programs. Iowa Wesleyan University is a private, four-year liberal arts college in Mount Pleasant, Iowa about an hour south of Iowa City. Founded in 1842, IWU is not only Iowa's first co-educational institution of higher learning, but also the oldest of its type west of the Mississippi River. The school currently has an enrollment of approximately 600 students.

Tate Picklo is one of three nationally ranked wrestlers at 182 at the KC Stampede (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) With over 40 teams from eight states, the Kansas City Stampede is one of the premier wrestling competitions in the Midwest. Three Fab 50 teams are in the field: No. 9 Tuttle (Okla.), No. 29 Liberty (Mo.), and No. 39 Mustang (Okla.); it should however be noted that Tuttle will be without state champion Garrett Steidley (120) plus their two best wrestlers, Oklahoma State signees Luke Surber (170) and Dustin Plott (182) for this weekend's competition. Additional teams to watch include Baylor School (Tenn.), Collinsville (Okla.), Goddard (Kansas), Park Hill (Mo.), Staley (Mo.), and Whitfield (Mo.). Thirteen nationally ranked wrestlers from nine weight classes are featured in this tournament field. This includes three nationally ranked wrestlers at 182 pounds: No. 4 Greyden Penner (Liberty, Mo.), No. 5 Colton Hawks (Holt, Mo.), and No. 8 Tate Picklo (Mustang, Okla.). A pair of ranked wrestlers are projected to compete at 120 and 132 respectively: No. 4 Jeremiah Reno (Liberty, Mo.) and No. 9 Troy Spratley (Collinsville, Okla.) at 120, with No. 12 Ethen Miller (Park Hill, Mo.) and No. 20 Carter Young (Stillwater, Okla.) at 132. Additional notable contenders in the weight classes with multiple nationally ranked wrestlers: 120:Austin Wadlow (Farmington, Mo.), Jason Henschel (Goddard, Kansas), Eli Ashcroft (Kearney, Mo.), Tucker Owens (Mustang, Okla.), and Grant Treaster (Newton, Kansas) 132: Noah Horst (Baylor School, Tenn.), Caleb Tanner (Collinsville, Okla.), Matthew Bahl (Monett, Mo.), Ryan Smith (Perry, Okla.), and Preston Martin (Paola, Kansas) 182: Connor Duffy (Baylor School, Tenn.), Trevor Dopps (Goddard, Kansas), and Branson Britten (Canyon Randall, Texas) Below is a weight-by-weight listing of wrestlers to watch for the remaining weight class, nationally ranked wrestlers listed first and then by alphabetical order based on school. 106: No. 16 Cameron Steed (Collinsville, Okla.); Zain Fugitt (Nixa, Mo.), Cael Keck (Park Hill, Mo.), Christian Forbes (Sand Springs, Okla.), and Cael Hughes (Stillwater, Okla.) 113: Jackson Bond (Baylor School, Tenn.), Easton Hilton (Liberty, Mo.), and Evan Binder (Whitfield, Mo.) 126: No. 9 Jordan Williams (Collinsville, Okla.); Silas Pineda (Garden City, Kansas), Karter Brink (Monett, Mo.), Keegan Slyter (Olathe North, Kansas), Eli Rocha (Platte County, Mo.), Kyler Brewer (Staley, Mo.), and Logan Ferrero (Whitfield, Mo.) 138: No. 20 Trey Crawford (Park Hill, Mo.); Garrison Dendy (Baylor School, Tenn.), Rocky Stephens (Collinsville, Okla.), Joseph Semerad (Monett, Mo.), and Ryder Ramsey (Tuttle, Okla.) 145: No. 16 John Wiley (Mustang, Okla.); Garrett Bowers (Christian Brothers, Tenn.), Cason Lindsey (Derby, Kansas), Jacob Holt (Garden City, Kansas), Kayden Auch (Neosho, Mo.), Kal Miller (Park Hill, Mo.), and Bryce Dauphin (Tuttle, Okla.) 152: Gabe Johnson (Choctaw, Okla.), Jace Fisher (Goddard, Kansas), Dylan Avery (Perry, Okla.), David Brooks (Staley, Mo.), and Brady DeArmond (Tuttle, Okla.) 160: Drake Smith (Liberty, Mo.) and Aidan Johnson (Staley, Mo.) 170: Nolan Craine (Goddard, Kansas), Cody Aebersold (Kearney, Mo.), and Brodie Scott (Mill Valley, Kansas) 195: No. 1 Rocky Elam (Staley, Mo.); David Harper (Baylor School, Tenn.), Drayke Perry (Neosho, Mo.), and Harley Andrews (Tuttle, Okla.) 220: No. 19 Ashton Sharp (Park Hill, Mo.); Al Wooton (Christian Brothers, Tenn.), Ethan Kremer (Mill Valley, Kansas), Judson Rowland (Mustang, Okla.), Zane Persinger (Neosho, Mo.), and Keith Miley (Whitfield, Mo.) 285: Marquonn Journey (Choctaw, Okla.) and Rofugio Chairez (Gar

The weekend before Christmas will be upon us … boy 2019 has flown by! This marks the start of the New Jersey (NJSIAA) high school wrestling season; while for other states, this week will mark the last competitions before their Christmas/New Year's "shutdown." Below is the schedule of competitions for nationally ranked teams during the week of Dec. 18-24. No. 1 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. Hosts the Flo X-Calibur Classic on Friday and Saturday at Wilkes College No. 2 Blair Academy, N.J. Competes in the Beast of the East on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Delaware (Newark, Del.) No. 3 Buchanan, Calif. Hosts the Zinkin Classic on Friday and Saturday No. 4 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich. Competes in the Oakland County Championships on Friday and Saturday at Lake Orion (Mich.) No. 5 St. Edward, Ohio Hosts St. Ignatius (Ohio) for dual meet on Thursday, Travels to Erie Cathedral Prep (Pa.) for the Rambler Duals on Saturday (though that might actually be "Varsity B") No. 6 Bergen Catholic, N.J. Competes in the Beast of the East on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Delaware (Newark, Del.) No. 7 Montini Catholic, Ill. Competes in the Dvorak Memorial Tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Machesney Park (Ill.) Harlem No. 8 Lake Highland Prep, Fla. Competes in the Beast of the East on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Delaware (Newark, Del.) No. 9 Tuttle, Okla. Competes in the Kansas City (Mo.) Stampede on Friday and Saturday No. 10 Malvern Prep, Pa. Competes in the Beast of the East on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Delaware (Newark, Del.) No. 11 Poway, Calif. Competes in the Las Vegas (Nev.) Holiday Classic on Friday and Saturday No. 12 Allen, Texas Competes in the Zinkin Classic on Friday and Saturday at Buchanan, Calif. No. 13 Davison, Mich. Travels to No. 17 Brighton tonight for multiple dual meets No. 14 Brecksville, Ohio Competes in the Beast of the East on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Delaware (Newark, Del.) No. 15 Elyria, Ohio Travels to Euclid (Ohio) for dual meets against Solon (Ohio) and Brunswick (Ohio) on Thursday, Competes in the Beast of the East on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Delaware (Newark, Del.) No. 16 Delbarton, N.J. Competes in the Beast of the East on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Delaware (Newark, Del.) No. 17 Brighton Hosts No. 13 Davison (Mich.) as part of multiple dual meets tonight, Hosts the Manning Vieau Duals on Saturday No. 18 St. John Bosco, Calif. Competes in the Zinkin Classic on Friday and Saturday at Buchanan, Calif. No. 19 Gilroy, Calif. Competes in the Zinkin Classic on Friday and Saturday at Buchanan, Calif. No. 20 Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio Competes in the Dvorak Memorial Tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Machesney Park (Ill.) Harlem No. 21 Southeast Polk, Iowa Travels to No. 44 Fort Dodge (Iowa) for a dual meet on Thursday, Hosts the Red Owens Holiday Classic on Saturday No. 22 Shakopee, Minn. Competes in the Minnesota Christmas Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Rochester (Minn.) Community and Technical College No. 23 Chicago (Ill.) Mt. Carmel Competes in the Dvorak Memorial Tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Machesney Park (Ill.) Harlem No. 24 Southern Columbia, Pa. Hosts Warrior Run (Pa.) for a dual meet on Thursday No. 25 Crescent Valley, Ore. Hosts Corvallis (Ore.) for a dual meet on Thursday, Competes in the Northwest Duals on Friday and Saturday at Albany, Ore. No. 26 Stillwater, Minn. Competes in the Minnesota Christmas Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Rochester (Minn.) Community and Technical College No. 27 Broken Arrow, Okla. Hosts Bentonville (Ark.) for a dual meet on Thursday No. 28 Simley, Minn. Competes in the Minnesota Christmas Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Rochester (Minn.) Community and Technical College No. 29 Liberty, Mo. Competes in the Kansas City (Mo.) Stampede on Friday and Saturday No. 31 Mount St. Joseph's, Md. Competes in the Beast of the East on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Delaware (Newark, Del.) No. 32 Millard South, Neb. Competes in the Flatwater Fracas on Friday and Saturday at Grand Island, Neb. No. 33 St Joseph Montvale, N.J. Competes in the Beast of the East on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Delaware (Newark, Del.) No. 34 Clovis, Calif. Competes in the Zinkin Classic on Friday and Saturday at Buchanan, Calif. No. 35 Notre Dame (Green Pond), Pa. Hosts Palisades (Pa.) for a dual meet tonight, Competes in the Beast of the East on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Delaware (Newark, Del.) No. 36 Brownsburg, Ind. Competes in the Carnahan Memorial Invitational on Saturday at Crown Point, Ind. No. 37 Lowell, Mich. Competes in the Kent County Championships at Forest Hills (Mich.) Central on Saturday No. 38 Lisbon, Iowa Competes in quad meet at Ed-Co (Iowa) on Thursday, Competes in the Battle of Waterloo (Iowa) on Friday and Saturday at Young Arena No. 39 Mustang, Okla. Competes in the Kansas City (Mo.) Stampede on Friday and Saturday No. 40 Pomona, Colo. Travels to Lakewood (Colo.) for a dual meet on Thursday, Competes in the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Greeley, Colo. No. 41 Nazareth, Pa. Hosts East Stroudsburg (Pa.) South for a dual meet tonight, Hosts Allentown (Pa.) for a dual meet on Thursday, Competes in the Beast of the East on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Delaware (Newark, Del.) No. 42 Stoughton, Wis. Travels to Fort Atkinson (Wis.) for a dual meet on Thursday, Competes in the Badger State Invitational on Saturday at Alliant Energy Center (Madison, Wis.) No. 43 Waynesburg, Pa. Hosts Moon (Pa.) for a dual meet tonight, Competes in the Beast of the East on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Delaware (Newark, Del.) No. 44 Fort Dodge, Iowa. Hosts No. 21 Southeast Polk (Iowa) for a dual meet on Thursday, Hosts the Don Miller Invitational on Saturday No. 45 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. Hosts Pleasant Valley (Pa.) for a dual meet tonight, Travels to Pocono Mountain East (Pa.) for a dual meet on Thursday, Competes in the Beast of the East on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Delaware (Newark, Del.) No. 46 Clovis North, Calif. split squad between the Zinkin Classic on Friday and Saturday at Buchanan (Calif.) and the Kevin Harvick Duals on Saturday at Bakersfield (Calif.) No. 47 DeKalb, Ill. Travels to Waubonsie Valley (Ill.) for a dual meet on Thursday, Competes in the Dvorak Memorial Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Machesney Park (Ill.) Harlem No. 48 Christian Brothers College, Mo. Travels to Washington (Ill.) for a multi-time dual on Saturday No. 49 Dundee, Mich. Hosts Woodhaven (Mich.), Belleville (Mich.), and Oregon (Ohio) Clay for a quad meet tonight No. 50 Wadsworth, Ohio Competes in the North Canton (Ohio) Holiday Tournament on Friday and Saturday Off this week: No. 30 Selma (Calif.)

Anthony Cassar before his finals match at the 2019 NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) On Friday and Saturday the path to the 2020 U.S. Olympic team in wrestling will get a little bit clearer. The 2019 Senior Nationals will serve as an Olympic Team Trials Qualifier this year. The top five finishers in each weight class will qualify for the 2020 Olympic Team Trials in State College, Pa. Several college wrestlers, both active competitors and redshirts, will be in Fort Worth, Texas, looking to qualify. If they come up short, they will likely only have two more opportunities to make the Trials: win an NCAA title or finish in the top-two at the final qualifier in March. The following looks at 10 collegiate wrestlers who have the best shot of coming out of this weekend with a spot in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Active Spencer Lee, 57 kilograms Iowa's Lee is taking a hybrid approach to his junior season. The two-time NCAA champion competed in the Hawkeye's first three duals of the season before sitting out their last match against No. 12 Princeton. Lee has finished with bonus points in all three matches and outscored his opponents 49-7. Lee has been out of the freestyle world since entering the college ranks, but he is a former Cadet world champion and a two-time Junior world champion. He will likely receive tough tests from former collegiate rivals Nathan Tomasello and Nick Suriano as he tries to make his way through the bracket. Nick Lee 65 kilograms The Nittany Lion wrestler is currently the second-ranked 141-pound wrestler in the country and is a heavy favorite to make the NCAA finals this year. So far this season he has gone 8-0 with three falls and three technical falls. This weight class features multiple high-level wrestlers who are redshirting as well as perennial contenders such as Jordan Oliver and Frank Molinaro. It might be a struggle, but Lee may be able to pull off some upsets with his pace and snag a qualifying spot. Zahid Valencia 86 kilograms The two-time NCAA champion at 174 pounds has moved up this season to 184 pounds, and he has continued to have success. Valencia has already built a gaudy 13-0 record, which includes five falls. In his most recent competition at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, he scored a pair of major decision victories over No. 2 Trent Hidlay (North Carolina State) and No. 6 Lou DePrez (Binghamton). He has a pretty clear path to a qualification bout, but there is also a good chance his series against Alex Dieringer could continue. He had his number during the 2018 cycle, but this past year Dieringer was able to take it to him at the World Team Trials. 86 kilograms will be a stacked weight at the Trials, and we could certainly see Dieringer and Valencia again in April. Kollin Moore 97 kilograms The three-time All-American appears to be the current favorite to take home the NCAA title at 197 pounds this year. Outside of a sudden victory win over Jake Woodley (Oklahoma), Moore has been basically dominant all year long. The 2016 Junior world champion has taken some time off from freestyle, but there were times in the past when many pundits thought it was his better style. The 97-kilogram weight class is not particularly deep, so Moore should be poised to go on quite a run this weekend. Anthony Cassar 125 kilograms Cassar has been in and out of Penn State's lineup so far this year. The returning NCAA champion was also expected to compete at the recent Bill Farrell Memorial in freestyle but that never really developed. His emergence last season and his pair of victories over Gable Steveson could portend a successful freestyle career. If he is at his best, he should qualify. However, there will be some interesting tests in Fort Worth including some past and current teammates: Nick Nevills and Greg Kerkvliet. Other contenders: Dom Demas at 65 kilograms, Vincenzo Joseph at 74 kilograms, Anthony Valencia at 74 kilograms, Aaron Brooks at 86 kilograms and Tanner Hall at 125 kilograms Redshirts Yianni Diakomihalis 65 kilograms It was not long after winning his second NCAA title when Diakomihalis announced that he was taking an Olympic redshirt to prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games. The Cornell wrestler is probably one of the most accomplished international wrestlers with college eligibility in terms of wins. He has already defeated the likes of Bajrang Punia (India) and Sayatbek Okassov (Kazakhstan). As previously stated, the 65-kilogram field will be strong here and at the Trials. Diakomihalis got past Oliver last year, but it will likely be a close match if they end up meeting once again. Nick Suriano 57 kilograms After transferring from Penn State, Suriano became the first wrestler to win an NCAA title for Rutgers. He decided to take an Olympic redshirt this year, and he had a strong performance at the Bill Farrell. Despite the performance he came up short against fellow NCAA champion Seth Gross and will still need to qualify. The 57-kilogram bracket will not be easy to navigate, and many fans will likely want to see Suriano meet Lee in a rematch of the 2018 NCAA final at 125 pounds. Jaydin Eierman 65 kilograms Eierman announced his Olympic redshirt shortly after becoming a three-time All-American for the Missouri Tigers. When he returns to college next year, he will be wearing an iconic black singlet as he transferred to Iowa. Not only has Eierman been successful on the collegiate mats, but he has also been active on the freestyle scene as well. He finished second at the 2018 U.S. Open and represented the U.S. at the U23 World Championships. Mekhi Lewis 74 kilograms Lewis went on an incredible run at the NCAA tournament last year. He knocked off No. 3 Evan Wick (Wisconsin), No. 2 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) and No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) on his way to the title in his true freshman season. The Junior world champion is currently taking an Olympic redshirt and sitting out the season at Virginia Tech. At the Bill Farrell he dropped a freestyle rematch against Joseph in the quarterfinals but managed to wrestle his way back for a fourth-place finish. Greg Kerkvliet 125 kilograms Kerkvliet has not wrestled a college wrestling match, but there always seems to be a lot of news around him. After committing to Minnesota in high school as a top recruit, he switched his commitment to Oklahoma State before eventually signing with Ohio State. Kerkvliet then announced his intentions to transfer and eventually ended up at Penn State. He was a two-time world medalist at the Cadet level and recently represented the U.S. at the U23 World Championships and ended up finishing fifth. Other contenders: Vito Arujau at 57 kilograms and Logan Massa at 86 kilograms

DEKALB, Ill. -- The Northern Illinois University wrestling team used a fast start and strong finish to earn a 23-13 victory over Mid-American Conference rival Kent State in Victor E. Court Wednesday night. "We got a good start from Bryce West," said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. "He had a slow start getting his takedown, but then was able to create a scramble and found his way into a fall. Fantastic start from him. In dual meets, bonus points matter. "Anthony Gibson, for his debut at 141, had good energy. He really got to his attacks well. He put a zero on the board for the other guy and created a major decision." The Huskies' (5-3, 2-1) win over the Golden Flashes was their second straight over Kent State and first at home since Jan. 18, 2004. With the match tied, 13-13, with three more bouts left, Brit Wilson put the Huskies up, 17-13, when he scored a 10-2 maj. dec. win over Shane Mast at 184. Gage Braun sealed the victory for NIU when he posted a hard-fought 5-4 win over Colin McCracken at 197. NIU took a 20-13 into the final bout at 285, where Max Ihry turned in NIU's second shutout of the night with a 2-0 win over Spencer Berthold. "Brit Wilson was able to step up as a leader and put us in a situation for a bonus-point victory and really got us back in the game," Ludwig said. "Gage Braun, I don't think he wrestled well, but he wrestled tough. That's what we ask for, that you can control." NIU opened up a 10-3 lead through the first three matches. Bryce West started the match off with a first period pin over Tomas Gutierrez at 125, the first bout of the day. After a 3-1 setback in overtime, Anthony Gibson put the Huskies back in the win column, earning an 8-0 maj. dec. over Corey Simpson. The two schools traded decisions in the next two matches, with Kent State scoring a win at 149 and Mason Kauffman posting 7-3 win at 157. Kent State went on a bit of a run, winning the next two bouts, one by maj. dec., to tie the match up at 13-13. The Huskies return to the mat Sunday, Dec. 29 when NIU wrestlers compete in the prestigious Midlands Championships. The event will take place at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates. Results: 125: Bryce West (NIU) fall Tomas Gutierrez (KSU), 2:48 133: Tim Rooney (KSU) dec. Caleb Brooks (NIU), SV-1 3-1 141: Anthony Gibson (NIU) maj. dec. Cory Simpson (KSU), 8-0 149: Kody Komara (KSU) dec. McCoy Kent (NIU), SV-1 3-1 157: Mason Kauffman (NIU) dec. Brady Chrisman (KSU), 7-3 165: Kade Byland (KSU) dec. Izzak Olejnik (NIU), 10-6 174: Andrew McNally (KSU) maj. dec. Caden McWhirter (NIU), 13-2 184: Brit Wilson (NIU) maj. dec. Shane Mast (KSU), 10-2 197: Gage Braun (NIU) dec. Colin McCracken (KSU), 5-4 285: Max Ihry (NIU) dec. Spencer Berthhold (KSU), 2-0

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Four App State wrestlers picked up their first career dual wins, and the Mountaineers earned their first team win of the season with a 36-6 road victory against Little Rock on Wednesday night. App State (1-2) followed season-opening losses to two ranked ACC opponents with a dominant effort against the Trojans, a Division I newcomer. One of the Mountaineers' college newcomers, true freshman Julian Gorring, won by fall just 1 minute, 55 seconds into his match against Matthew Muller at 184 pounds. Redshirt freshman Will Formato opened the dual with a 12-2 major decision against Will Edgar at 165 pounds, first-year starter Paul Carson clamed an 8-4 decision against Dylan Johnson at 197 pounds and another first-year starter, Bradley Irwin, won an 8-0 major decision against Conner Ward at 141 pounds. That result pushed App State's lead to 33-0 against Little Rock (1-1). Thomas Flitz followed Formato's dual-opening win with a second straight major decision, as he won 15-5 against Cash Jones, and heavyweight Cary Miller's win by forfeit gave the Mountaineers a 23-0 lead heading into the halfway point intermission. After wrestling resumed, true freshman Sean Carter trailed 5-1 late in the second period of his 10-7 decision against Jayden Carson at 125 pounds. Tied in the final 30 seconds, Carter took the lead with an escape and quickly followed that up with a takedown. Codi Russell trailed 8-5 entering the third period against Paul Bianchi, who had reached the NCAA Championships earlier in his career as a North Dakota State freshman, but Russell erased the deficit with a dominant period and won a 12-8 decision. Little Rock posted a pin at 149 pounds, and App State's Matt Zovistoski wrapped up the dual with a 4-3 decision against Jose Champagne at 157 pounds. A late takedown from Champagne briefly tied the match, but Zovistoski responded with an escape to pull out the victory. App State's 2019-20 wrestling season is presented by Hungry Howies. The Mountaineers return to action at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Jan. 1-2. Results: 165: Will Formato (APP) def. Will Edgar (LR), 12-2 maj. dec. 174: Thomas Flitz (APP) def. Cash Jones (LR), 15-5 maj. dec. 184: Julian Gorring (APP) def. Matthew Muller (LR), fall, 1:55 197: Paul Carson (APP) def. Dylan Johnson (LR), 8-4 dec. HWT: Cary Miller (APP) wins by forfeit 125: Sean Carter (APP) def. Jayden Carson (LR), 10-7 dec. 133: Codi Russell (APP) def. Paul Bianchi (LR), 12-8 dec. 141: Bradley Irwin (APP) def. Conner Ward (LR), 8-0 maj. dec. 149: Tyler Brennan (LR) def. Jonathan Millner (APP), fall, 1:47 157: Matt Zovistoski (APP) def. Jose Champagne (LR), 4-3 dec.

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- The Old Dominion (1-1, 1-0 MAC) wrestling team won eight of 10 bouts in its dual against Mid-American Conference (MAC) foe SIUE (1-3, 0-1 MAC) to earn a commanding 33-9 victory on Wednesday night. "We had a good performance tonight," head coach Steve Martin said after the match. "We have a team that can make some special memories. We have five teams in our conference that have had top-25 performances, so we not only look forward to our non-conference schedule, but the MAC schedule as well." One of the more commanding victories came in the 125-pound match, where No. 10 Killian Cardinale earned a whopping 10 takedowns in his bout over Gage Datlovsky. Cardinale earned the technical fall win with a score of 24-9, one of two technical fall victories of the evening for ODU. The event started at 141 pounds, as No. 13 Sa'Derian Perry earned the first Monarch victory of the evening with an 8-3 win by decision over Saul Ervin. Senior Kenan Carter followed up Perry's victory with the only pin on the night for the Monarchs in the 149-pound match. Carter was able to pin SIUE's Max Kristoff early in the second round after three minutes and 27 seconds, giving the Monarchs an early 9-0 advantage after just two bouts. At 165, No. 20 Shane Jones earned the other technical fall victory for the Monarchs, beating Chase Deihl, 16-1. This victory started a streak of four consecutive bouts won by Monarch wrestlers. Kellen Ekern at 174 pounds earned a win by decision over Kevin Gschwendter, 8-5, followed by another win by decision for Antonio Agee over Ryan Yarnell, 8-6 at 184 pounds. Senior Tim Young capped off the streak with a major decision victory over Aric Bohn at 197 pounds, 12-3. Steven Simpson wrapped up the evening with an 11-0 win by major decision over Jake Blaha, giving the Monarchs a total of 33 points over SIUE's nine. The only two bouts the Cougars' managed to earn victories in were the two bouts that featured ranked wrestlers going against each other. At 157 pounds, No. 23 Justin Ruffin earned a 3-1 win by decision over No. 4 Larry Early in the first tie-breaker round. In the heavyweight bout, No. 17 Colton McKiernan of SIUE managed to pin No. 29 Will Hilliard in the first round for the Cougars' second win of the dual. In total, the Monarchs held a dominating advantage on takedowns, 27-4. ODU earned three wins by decision, two technical falls and two wins by major decision to go along with Carter's win by fall. "We look forward to the dual meet season as we are done with the tournament portion of our schedule," Martin added. "We are looking forward to wrestling three top-20 teams in Missouri, Minnesota and Wyoming in two weeks." Up Next The Monarchs will be heading to the Sunshine State to compete in the South Beach Duals in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ODU is scheduled to take on South Dakota State, No. 14 Wyoming, No. 15 Minnesota and No. 20 and reigning MAC Champion Missouri in the two-day event, which starts on December 29. Results: *141 - #13 Sa`Derian Perry (ODU) dec. over Saul Ervin (SIUE) 8-3 149 - Kenan Carter (ODU) fall over Max Kristoff (SIUE) (3:27) 157 - #23 Justin Ruffin (SIUE) dec. over #4 Larry Early (ODU) 3-1 (TB-1) 165 - #20 Shane Jones (ODU) TF over Chase Deihl (SIUE) 16-1 (7:00) 174 - Kellen Ekern (ODU) dec. over Kevin Gschwendtner (SIUE) 8-5 184 - Antonio Agee (ODU) dec. over Ryan Yarnell (SIUE) 8-6 197 - Timothy Young (ODU) MD over Aric Bohn (SIUE) 12-3 285 - #17 Colton McKiernan (SIUE) fall over #29 William Hilliard (ODU) (2:48) 125 - #10 Kilian Cardinale (ODU) TF over Gage Datlovsky (SIUE) 24-9 (7:00) 133 - Steven Simpson (ODU) MD over Jake Blaha (SIUE) 11-0