InterMat Staff

Dom Demas battles Minnesota's Mitch McKee in Las Vegas (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) On Sunday, No. 11 Oklahoma State travels to Oklahoma for the first round of this season's Bedlam series. The two rivals will also meet in Stillwater on Feb. 16. The Cowboys have long dominated the series, but Oklahoma is starting to show signs of development under coach Lou Rosselli. The following is a weight-by-weight breakdown of the dual meet. 125: Tommy Hoskins (Oklahoma) vs. No.4 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) For the last few seasons, Christian Moody had been starting for Oklahoma. So far this season that role has belonged to Hoskins. The redshirt freshman was one of Lou Rosselli's first commits after he took the job at Oklahoma, and he was a top-50 recruit in his class. Despite all that, it has been tough sledding so far this season. He has wrestled his way to a 6-7 record, and he is only 3-7 against Division I competition. Piccininni had an undefeated regular season last year that included a victory over No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa), and he appeared to be getting off to yet another strong start this year. He won his first six matches and put up bonus points in five. However, last weekend he ran into fellow All-American No. 3 Patrick Glory (Princeton) and dropped a 9-4 decision. Even with the setback last weekend, Piccininni remains one of the top 125-pound wrestlers on the planet. Hoskins signed with hype, but he has yet to show it on the collegiate mats. Oklahoma would be happy to not give up bonus points here, but it is hard to see that happening. Prediction: Piccininni (Oklahoma State) technical fall over Hoskins (Oklahoma) 133: No. 18 Anthony Madrigal (Oklahoma) vs. Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State) Madrigal is another top-50 recruit brought to Oklahoma by Rosselli. He was pressed into action last year and went 16-15 as a true freshman. Things have gone better so far this season as he has gone 12-5. In his last outing he went 5-2 at the Cliff Keen Invitational and ended up finishing seventh. Witcraft was a top-25 recruit coming out of high school, and he has been forced into action as a true freshman. After winning the Oklahoma City Open he dropped his first dual match of the season against Chandler Olson (Drexel). Since then he has picked up back-to-back wins over Brent Jones (Minnesota) and Sean Pierson (Princeton). This is a match that Oklahoma absolutely has to have in order to be competitive in the dual. However, it will certainly be a tough one. When Witcraft has been able to get to his offense, he has been very hard to beat. Madrigal has shown flashes, but he has never really been able to break through for wins at this level. After recently entering the InterMat rankings, this is his time to shine. Prediction: Madrigal (Oklahoma) decision over Witcraft (Oklahoma State) 141: No. 4 Dom Demas (Oklahoma) vs. No. 11 Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) This is the match will dominate the headlines coming out of this dual and perhaps the entire weekend. After beginning the season as the No. 1 wrestler at this weight, Demas has since dropped matches against No. 1 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) and No. 3 Mitch McKee (Minnesota). However, he has also picked up multiple signatures wins. On the other hand, Gfeller has not yet made his season debut. Last year the Cowboy was an unexpected starter at 149 pounds. He went 28-6 on the season and qualified for the NCAA tournament. The tournament did not go his way, but during the regular season he picked up wins over the likes of Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa), Mitch Finesilver (Duke) and Jarod Verkleeren (Penn State). Demas' domination in the series over Kaid Brock last year has been one of the few bright spots for the Sooners in this rivalry recently. If Gfeller does make his season debut here look for this match to continue that trend. Gfeller has some strong scrambling skill, but Demas' offense does not exactly play into that game. It should be a strong performance from Demas. Prediction: Demas (Oklahoma) decision over Gfeller (Oklahoma State) 149: Jacob Butler (Oklahoma) vs. No. 4 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) Butler was a three-time Oklahoma state champion during his high school days. He has been the guy at 149 pounds for the Sooners this year after sitting out as a redshirt year last season. He has gone 7-5 on the season with his best showing coming at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic where he went 3-0 on the day. Butler also picked up a sudden victory win over Kody Komara (Kent State) earlier this year. After finishing as an All-American in 2018, Lewallen missed most of last season with injuries. He has returned to the lineup this year and looked great so far. He has won all eight of his matches. Lewallen recently knocked off ranked wrestlers in back-to-back matches. First he dispatched No. 5 Brayton Lee (Minnesota) in a five-point match. He then returned and knocked off No. 14 Mike D'Angelo (Princeton) by three. Lewallen has been consistent and dominant so far this season. Outside of the one match he won by fall, he is allowing his opponents only an average of 2.41 points per match. Butler has not shown the type of offense to compete with defense at that level. Prediction: Lewallen (Oklahoma State) major decision over Butler (Oklahoma) 157: No. 17 Justin Thomas (Oklahoma) vs. Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) Thomas was an NCAA qualifier last year. He ended up finishing one win short of becoming an All-American as he fell in the round of 12. He has been extremely active so far this season with 16 matches already on his record. He dropped a one-point match against No. 3 David Carr (Iowa State) and picked up victories over No. 18 Jake Tucker (Michigan State) and Jacori Teemer (Arizona State). Sheets ended up as a starter for the second half of last season. He picked up some big wins over the likes of No. 12 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) and No. 11 Taleb Rahmani (Pittsburgh). However, at the end of the season, he failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament through the Big 12 Championships. Sheets has been the starter throughout for the Cowboys so far this year, and he has gone 4-2. In his last match, he dropped a 3-2 decision against No. 7 Quincy Monday (Princeton). These two wrestled for the first and only time back in the 2017 season. In that match at the Oklahoma City Open, Sheets took home a 1-0 decision victory. This should be another close match. Thomas currently holds the higher ranking, but Sheets has defeated higher level wrestlers in the past. The Cowboy's ability to ride will likely be the difference in the match. Thomas has a chance if he can get away on the bottom, but that will be tough Prediction: Sheets (Oklahoma State) decision over Thomas (Oklahoma) 165: Jose Lao Cooper (Oklahoma) vs. No. 14 Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) Oklahoma currently has two 165-pound freshmen from powerhouse high school programs on the roster: Jake Stiles from Montini Catholic and Sam Dover from St. Edward. The plan, at least so far, must be to redshirt the pair, because Cooper has been holding down the spot for the Sooners this year. His record officially stands at 1-9, but that one victory was a forfeit at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. Wittlake was the No. 3 recruit when he committed to Oklahoma State. After redshirting last season, he joined the starting lineup this year at 165 pounds. He has gone a perfect 8-0 on the year. However, the competition has not been particularly tough. Wittlake has faced only one ranked wrestler, but he did defeat No. 20 Ebed Jarrell (Drexel) via a 5-1 score. This one could get out of hand relatively quickly. Wittlake has not been a bonus-point machine, but he should be able to get that done against Cooper. Prediction: Wittlake (Oklahoma State) technical fall over Cooper (Oklahoma) 174: Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) vs. No. 7 Joseph Smith/Andrew Shomers (Oklahoma State) After a promising redshirt year that saw him go 17-2, Mantanona was a bit of a disappointment last year. He finished 15-16 and went 2-2 at the Big 12 tournament and failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Mantanona has gotten off to a solid start this year. He has built a 10-4 record that includes victories over Rocky Jordan (Ohio State) and No. 13 Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley). Smith competed extensively at 174 pounds last year before dropping down to 165 pounds for tournament time. This year the plan seems to be to stick it out at 174 pounds. However, he reportedly was still on his way down early in the year. In his absence, Shomers has held down the spot. The former Edinboro wrestler had never taken the mat above 165 before he was pressed into action this year. He has gone 3-4 with his lone 165-pound victory coming over Michael O'Malley (Drexel). Smith is likely to be the starter at this weight, but there is still a question about when. If he goes here, he should be able to handle Mantanona. The two met back in the 2018 season, and Smith took home a commanding 14-7 decision victory. The Shomers match would favor Mantanona, but it would still be a tough out. Prediction: Smith (Oklahoma State) decision over Mantanona (Oklahoma) 184: Darrien Roberts (Oklahoma) vs. Anthony Montalvo (Oklahoma State) Roberts is a true freshman out of Wyoming Seminary. He has started the whole way so far for the Sooners. He has a 6-3 record, but all three of his losses have come against tough competition. Roberts has lost to Cameron Caffey (Michigan State), No. 6 Louie DePrez (Binghamton) and No. 7 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell). Montalvo took a few head-scratching losses during his redshirt campaign a year ago. However, he got off to a solid start this season. He put up bonus points over both of his opponents at the Oklahoma City Open. Montalvo then scored a come-from-behind fall over Lehigh's Chris Weiler. Since then, he has hit a bit of a rough patch. The Cowboy dropped a one-point match against Owen Webstar (Minnesota) and an overtime match against No. 18 Travis Stefanik (Princeton). Before he hit his recent skid, it looked like Montalvo was going to plow his way through the competition on the way to becoming an All-American. That road looks a little tougher now, but he should still be the favorite here. Roberts has looked solid for a true freshman so far, but Montalvo will likely have too much offense for him here. Prediction: Montalvo (Oklahoma State) decision over Roberts (Oklahoma) 197: No. 9 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma) vs. No. 5 Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) Woodley is back after qualifying for the NCAA tournament in his first season in the lineup. So far this year, he has gone 11-4 and picked up some impressive victories. The two-time Pennsylvania state champion holds wins this year over No. 10 Eric Schutlz (Nebraska) and No. 14 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State). Woodley also went to overtime with No. 1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State). Geer had an undefeated record going this year until he ran into No. 3 Patrick Brucki (Princeton) last weekend. He dropped that match via a 12-6 score, but he still holds a top-five ranking based on his seventh-place finish at last year's NCAA tournament. He also holds a dominant 15-5 major decision victory over No. 19 Jake Jakobsen (Lehigh). If the marquee match between Demas and Gfeller fails to materialize, this will likely be the top match of the dual. Woodley has been a consistent performer over the last two years, and he is looking to take another step forward. A victory over Geer would certainly do that, but he will likely struggle to score on the feet. If he can slow the pace and make this a close match, he has a chance, but Geer is the rightful favorite in this contest. Prediction: Geer (Oklahoma State) decision over Woodley (Oklahoma) 285: Josiah Jones (Oklahoma) vs. Austin Harris (Oklahoma State) It has been a tough freshman season so far for Jones. He has gone 5-7 on the year, but the schedule has been relatively busy. Of his seven losses, four have come against ranked competition. Harris started his Oklahoma State career at 184 pounds, but he has since moved all the way up to heavyweight. As you might expect, he has had trouble competing against the large opposition. However, he did break through last weekend and pick up his first heavyweight victory against Division I competition. His 5-2 decision over Aidan Conner was the difference in the Cowboys' 18-15 victory over No. 12 Princeton. Jones is a legitimate heavyweight in terms of size, but Harris will have the experience edge. It is hard to see Harris competing in a traditional heavyweight style match. He will need to generate some separation in the neutral position, which might turn out to be difficult. Prediction: Jones (Oklahoma) decision over Harris (Oklahoma State) Dual Meet Predicted Score: Oklahoma State 26, Oklahoma 9

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced this week that Russia and the Russian Olympic Committee will serve a four-year international competition ban for their continued malfeasance and cover-up of doping. While there was suspicion that WADA may come down hard on the Russian Federation, the response seemed to surprise many in the Olympic community with the severity and length of the punishment. Russia can no longer host major tournaments, nor can its government officials travel to, or be hosted by, such events. In short, no Vladimir Putin at the Olympic Games in Tokyo (извинения, Trump!). The effect on the wrestling community is somewhat unknown at the moment. The International Testing Agency (ITA) has only one wrestler on its roster of manipulated data (which could include belt wrestlers, grapplers, etc.) and is likely not of major concern to the Olympic-caliber athletes from Russia. The already-qualified wrestlers are almost certainly OK, but that determination is in the hands of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the interpretation of the Court for Arbitration in Sport (CAS). However, the IOC is legally bound to WADA's interpretation and CAS is very lenient to the athletes and seeks to ensure they have pathways to participate in Olympic Games. The broader question is what we want to see out of sports. There are those that bemoan the constant testing and point to cases where trace elements are found, and sentences levied are too harsh. Like any rule and any bureaucracy there are moments where the rules probably do go too far, but the opposite then is also true. Look at the sport of jiu-jitsu. Many fans saw this past week that Bo Nickal tried to compete in a catch match with no-gi jiu-jitsu fighter Gordon Ryan. As expected, Nickal was submitted and probably would have been by 94 percent of black belts in and around his weight category. What makes Ryan a little different is that he tells the world he is the best ever given his victories at ADCC and No-Gi Worlds. I don't feel like counting his gold medals ... but just google a video of him and I'm sure he'll be talking about it anyway. But he doesn't ever mention that he's been pumping steroids into his body for much of the past four years. There are a lot of steroids in jiu-jitsu, but few have had such immediate increases in their muscle gain and on-the-mat results as Ryan. Thing is, jiu-jitsu is horrible at testing athletes and only one tournament a year (World Championships) even deigns to try by testing only the finalists. (Athletes have been known to lose in the semifinals if they know they are going to pop.) Doping in jiu-jitsu isn't just beneficial because you're most explosive, stronger, and have better stamina -- you can also accomplish twice the amount of training of someone who is clean. The reps matter. It's a joke to call yourself the best ever in something if you are essentially a walking pharmacy. You're not the best at jiu-jitsu -- you're the best at taking drugs. In 2020 the wrestling world is more-or-less free of those demons. Wrestlers get caught and when they do, they are suspended for four years. (World champion Orkhon Purvedorj of Mongolia tested positive at the 2018 Asian Games and is done until 2022.) The penalties are so severe -- and the testing so year-round -- that fewer and fewer athletes are risking being caught. What's the impact? Think to yourself, is the sport better today, or in 2012? Leveling the playing field through strict testing is necessary to incentivize athletes from all socio-economic statuses to participate in the sport. Nothing does more to dissuade an individual or nation from participation than knowing their competitors are doped to the gills adversely affecting their chance to succeed on the mat. The sport isn't meant for only those individuals willing to risk their health for modest financial gains. It should be level for all athletes who want to participate and free of the pressures to dope. The blatant cheating is one reason my old keister isn't competing in jiu-jitsu. It's nice to train for a tournament and have a larger focus to the daily training session -- and I love to compete -- but facing men of questionable moral character in a sport where limbs and the ability to breathe are at risk doesn't mix well with emotionally destabilizing hormones and toxins. Would I be MUCH keener to participate if I had at least some guarantee that the muscles of my opponent weren't induced by Turnibol? Probably. I can't say for sure. Life is busy and maybe I'd find some other excuse, but when I look out at these Men-With-Abnormally-Large-Domes I don't see a situation that welcomes fair competition. The weirdest thing is I actually think Gordon Ryan would've been a top-flight competitor with plenty of gold in his cupboard. He seems to work hard, has an outstanding coach, and is surrounded by partners who can push him to the edge. But we'll never know. He's another athlete whose defining achievements will always be accompanied by an asterisk -- or even worse, his own insecurity in knowing that they are as much accomplishments of pharmacology as they are of strategy, effort, and willpower. For wrestling the space is clear and I hope to see all clean athletes, Russian and otherwise, with the ability to compete for Olympic glory -- even if it can't be under the flag of their home nation. To your questions … Question of the Week (InterMat T-shirt winner): Thoughts on Penn State pulling Aaron Brooks' redshirt and inserting him into the lineup at 184 pounds? Do you think he can finish in the top four? Where does this leave Shakur Rasheed? Will he move up to 197 pounds when he comes back and replace Kyle Conel? -- Mike C. Foley: The calculus is pretty clear. The X factor was always Kyle Conel's performance in the starting lineup. As he's faltering, the coaching staff must be sensing vulnerability especially when they turn their eyes westward and see Iowa strengthening by the moment. For them the shift has a higher likelihood of earning the team points in March. Shakur Rasheed up at 197 pounds would mean a potential for bonus points, but it's not a home run top-four solution for the Nittany Lions. Shakur is an All-American candidate at 197 pounds (seventh-place finisher in 2018), but he went 2-2 last year at 184 pounds. With Brooks there will always be uncertainty about a freshman entering the lineup, especially in a weight class like 184 pounds where there are some man muscles up-and-down the top-ranked national wrestlers. The question to consider is the Shakur/Conel point tally versus that of Brooks/Shakur. The latter is more likely to end with two All-Americans, but I think Shakur had a higher ceiling at 184 pounds and is more exposed to not placing at 197 pounds. Brent Metcalf won the NCAA title in 2008 at 149 pounds in one of the toughest weight classes ever (Photo/Juan Garcia) Q: In the history of the NCAA wrestling tournament, has there ever been a tougher weight/bracket than 149 pounds in 2008? I believe that six of the top eight finishers were or became NCAA champs and the other two were NCAA runners-up. The top eight finishers were Brent Metcalf, Bubba Jenkins, Jordan Burroughs, Josh Churella, Darrion Caldwell, J.P. O'Connor, Dustin Schlatter and Lance Palmer. -- Zach H. Foley: This question pops up almost every year and I have yet to see a comment that points to a more accomplished bracket. The meatier question might be, "What was the toughest bracket in the year it was competed?" Meaning that if you set aside future accomplishments, who came into the bracket with the most All-Americans and national champions. But damn, that bracket was crazy. Might still be 149 pounds in 2008! MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Top Ten Takedowns from 2019 Top Five Scrambles from 2019 Top Ten Throws from 2019 Q: Should the NCAA review the circumstances of Greg Kerkvliet's transfer to Penn State to determine if Cael Sanderson tampered and committed an NCAA violation? -- Tim D. Foley: Maybe they should take a cursory glance, but I'm confident that it won't tender interesting results. Also, the NCAA is not willing to burn its goodwill on a wrestling transfer that seems to make logical sense. The athlete went because part of the experience included competing with an Olympic champion. That athlete is now elsewhere, which inspired the change. Now, maybe that isn't the reason but, it's hard to see how it's something the NCAA should challenge. With the RTC and the flexible Transfer Portal, I think we will start to see considerably more incidents of these last-minute transfers. As some have said online, the ability for a new coach to quickly build a team is now viable. Northwestern coaches Tim Cysewski and Matt Storniolo in Las Vegas (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: I find it interesting that Tim Cysewski chose to move from a head wrestling coaching position at Northwestern to an assistant coaching position in the same program. I understand he probably had reasons for not wanting to be the head coach anymore. But do you know of any other examples of head coaches switching seats in the same program? -- Mike C. Foley: Let's start with the fact that Northwestern is top ten in the country with very few roster spots and limited access to funds! After the first month of the season Matt Storniolo is looking to be a Coach of the Year candidate, which says a lot given the number of obituaries that have been written about the program in the past three years. Excellent early season results. As for Timmy, yes it's odd, but it started in the mid-aughties when Drew Pariano came on as an assistant coach and the program finished in the top four in the nation. Timmy stepped aside and let Drew take the helm, which was interesting, but effective. Coach Storniolo was already in the program as another assistant and was a good fit to take over. Timmy loves Northwestern, the school loves him, and the wrestlers have always responded well to his leadership. On a personal note, I've always found him exceedingly warm and a good leader. I have no other examples! Q: Freshmen Brayton Lee, Sammy Sasso, David Carr, Kendall Coleman and Trent Hidlay all placed in the top four in Las Vegas and are ranked in the top 10. Plus, there are other talented freshmen like Shane Griffith, Aaron Brooks, Nelson Brands and Tony Casssioppi who didn't compete in Las Vegas. Who are your top five freshmen in order at this point in the season? -- Mike C. Foley: 1. Brayton Lee 2. Sammy Sasso 3. David Carr 4. Nelson Brands 5. Tony Cassioppi/Aaron Brooks Colby Covington (Photo/Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Q: Former wrestlers Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington face off on Saturday night at UFC 245. Who you do think wins? And how? -- Mike C. Foley: I'm agnostic about Kamaru Usman, but I loathe Colby Covington and his racist, misogynistic, too-dumb-to-care MAGA shtick. Covington is the symptom of everything wrong with our current fighting culture. A loudmouth with mediocre talent who won boring fights and has been kept around by Dana White in an effort to validate the bogus values of the sport's far-right fringe. In short, Colby is a crappy person and I hope he gets beat up.

Braxton Amos will look to capture his third straight Walsh Jesuit Ironman title (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The Walsh Jesuit Ironman, perennially the nation's premier regular season high school wrestling tournament, celebrates its 26th edition this Friday and Saturday. The event is held annually just southeast of Cleveland, Ohio and yet again features the nation's top two teams (Blair Academy, N.J. and Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) along with a plethora of other highly ranked teams and individuals. Based on preliminary registration, there are 70 ranked wrestlers, including 41 within the top ten of their respective weight classes. The field features three wrestlers ranked No. 1 nationally: Marc-Anthony McGowan (Blair Academy, N.J.) at 106 pounds, Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) at 138, and Victor Voinovich (Brecksville, Ohio) at 145. Another five wrestlers are ranked second in the country, and are also the top seed in their weight class: Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, N.J.) at 126, Travis Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, N.J.) at 152, Padraic Gallgher (St. Edward, Ohio) at 160, Nevan Snodgrass (Kettering Fairmont, Ohio) at 170, and Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) at 220. From a team perspective, No. 4 St. Edward (Ohio), No. 7 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), and No. 8 Montini Catholic (Ill.) join Blair Academy and Wyoming Seminary as top ten ranked teams in the field; also among the high end ranked teams are No. 11 Cincinnati LaSalle (Ohio) and No. 15 Elyria (Ohio). Rounding out the group of fifteen ranked teams are No. 21 Chicago (Ill.) Mt. Carmel, No. 22 Brecksville (Ohio), No. 27 Malvern Prep (Pa.), No. 29 Mount St. Joseph (Md.), No. 32 Wadsworth (Ohio), No. 39 Broken Arrow (Okla.), No. 44 Christian Brothers College (Mo.), and No. 48 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.). Of massive implication in the team title race, Blair Academy will be absent arguably their two best wrestlers: Trevor Mastrogiovanni, who is ranked No. 2 nationally at 126, and Shayne Van Ness, who is ranked No. 1 at 132 pounds; while Wyoming Seminary will be absent Jacob Kaminski, who is ranked No. 3 at 285. Among teams on the outside looking in, look for Notre Dame-Green Pond (Pa.) to make a ton of noise in the event with their three wrestlers that are ranked in the top ten nationally. An event of this structure significantly favors their type of roster, and a performance at expectation should see them in the Fab 50 next week. Park Hill (Mo.) is a perennially ranked team with some talent, though the Trojans are absent two nationally ranked wrestlers this week that will be returning for the Kansas City Stampede; Waynesburg (Pa.) features a pair of wrestlers ranked in the top ten nationally; while Louisville (Ohio) returns a pair of state champions, but their roster balance is more likely to thrive in a tournament of slightly lesser caliber. Wrestling will start at 10 a.m. ET on Friday morning, and the quarterfinals will occur before the end of the session on Friday. Saturday's competition will begin at 10 a.m. with at least one round of consolation before the semifinals are scheduled for approximately 12 Noon. Matches for the championship, third, and fifth place are slated for 4:45 p.m. Bracketing and web coverage of the tournament is available on Trackwrestling, while streaming of the bouts will occur through FloWrestling. Below is a weight-by-weight overview of the field. Note: Entrants subject to change. 106: Marc-Anthony McGowan (Blair Academy, N.J.) is the tournament's top seed and the clear favorite; ranked No. 1 in the country at his weight class, and overall in the Class of 2023, he was a Cadet World champion in freestyle this past summer. Two other nationally ranked wrestlers feature in the weight class: No. 6 Daniel Sheen (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) and No. 9 Mac Church (Waynesburg, Pa.); Sheen was a Junior National freestyle champion this summer, while Church was runner-up to McGowan at the UWW Cadet Nationals this spring. Others to note in this weight class include 2019 Fargo freestyle All-Americans in Codie Cuerbo (Aurora, Ohio), Joe Fernau (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Cael Keck (Park Hill, Mo.), and Kolby Warren (Christian Brothers College, Mo.); returning state champion Gabe Giampietro (Smyrna, Del.); notable freshmen Christopher Earnest (Wadsworth, Ohio), Brock Herman (Lake Catholic, Ohio), Dominic Hoffarth (Louisville, Ohio), and Thomas Link (Malvern Prep, Pa.); along with state tournament participants Pacey Najdusak (Mason, Ohio) and Noel Rosales (Chicago Mt. Carmel, Ill.). 113: Five nationally ranked wrestlers feature in this weight class, though there is no super-elite wrestler or for that matter true favorite. The tournament's top seed is No. 9 Brett Ungar (Notre Dame-Green Pond, Pa.), who was a state champion last year when competing in New Jersey for Hunterdon Central; while the highest ranked wrestler is No. 8 Diego Sotelo (Marmion Academy, Ill.), a state champion who placed fourth at 106 in this tournament last year. Other nationally ranked wrestlers include No. 10 Gary Steen (Reynolds, Pa.), a 2018 state champion who was third in this tournament last year; No. 15 Erik Roggie (St. Christopher's, Va.), a Super 32 placer and National prep runner-up; and No. 18 Jacob Moon (Oregon Clay, Ohio), a returning state placer and 2017 Walsh Ironman semifinalist. Additional wrestlers to watch include state champions Brennen Cernus (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), Peyton Fenton (Elyria, Ohio), Paul Garcia (Scottsbluff, Neb.), and Richard Treanor (Hough, N.C.); returning state runners-up Kenneth Crosby (Akron SVSM, Ohio) and Nick Gonzalez (Montini Catholic, Ill.); along with notable freshmen Nasir Bailey (Thornton Fractional North, Ill.), Sergio Lemley (Chicago Mt. Carmel, Ill.), David McClelland (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), and Santino Robinson (Christian Brothers College, Pa.). 120: Very similar to the weight below, five nationally ranked wrestlers without a super-elite wrestler or clear favorite. The top seed is No. 9 Jordan Titus (Center Moriches, N.Y.), a state champion and NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion who placed fourth at the Super 32 two months ago; while the highest ranked wrestler is No. 7 Cooper Flynn (McDonogh, Md.), a three-time Fargo freestyle All-American and champion at the NHSCA freshman and sophomore nationals. Other nationally ranked wrestlers include No. 14 Ryan Miller (Blair Academy, N.J.), a two-time National Prep champion and 2017 Walsh Ironman runner-up; No. 15 Dustin Norris (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), a state champion and two-time Fargo freestyle All-American; and No. 20 Kyle Rowan (Perry, Ohio), a state champion and last year's 106 pound champion in this tournament. Other wrestlers to watch include state champions Brandon Crowder (Christiansburg, Va.), Colton Drousias (Chicago Mt. Carmel, Ill.), and Gregor McNeil (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.); state and/or National Prep runners-up Dylan Chappell (Seneca Valley, Pa.), Bryce Cockrell (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Dayton Delviscio (Malvern Prep, Pa.), Brennan Van Hoecke (Palmetto Ridge, Fla.), and Cael Woods (West Holmes, Ohio); along with freshmen Boede Campbell (Legacy Christian Academy, Ohio), Weston Dalton (Pueblo East, Colo.), Ethan Mojena (Tampa Prep, Fla.), and Vincent Robinson (Marian Catholic, Ill.). Meriting significant attention are two other wrestlers that had major upset wins last weekend in Chris Kim (Germantown Academy, Pa.) and Nain Vazquez (Montini Catholic): Kim, a two-time fourth place finisher at National Preps pinned Ryan Miller; while two-time state fourth place finisher Vazquez beat Drousias in overtime. 126: Even without Trevor Mastrogiovanni, last year's champion at 120 pounds, this is a loaded weight class with seven ranked wrestlers. That total is tied with 138 for second most in the tournament, 152 pounds has eight. The battle for the crown will likely be waged between the top two overall Class of 2022 wrestlers in the country, Ryan Crookham (Notre Dame-Green Pond, Pa.) and Nic Bouzakis (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), who are ranked 3rd and 4th in this weight class nationally. Additional nationally ranked wrestlers include No. 6 Dylan Ragusin (Montini Catholic, Ill.), a Junior world team member in Greco-Roman and two-time placer in this tournament; No. 12 Dylan Shawver (Elyria, Ohio), a three-time state placer and returning placer at this tournament; No. 16 Chris Barnabae (Mount St. Joseph, Md.), a three-time National prep placer; No. 19 Jackson Cockrell (Broken Arrow, Okla.), third in Junior freestyle this summer; and No. 20 Vince Cornella (Monarch, Colo.), a two-time state champion. Other notables in the field include returning Ironman placers Richard Fedalen (McDonogh, Md.) and Daniel Wask (Blair Academy, N.J.); state champion Garrett Lautzenheier (Louisville, Ohio); three-time state placers Peyton Burgdorf (Firelands, Ohio) and Connor Williams (Lake Gibson, Fla.); 16U freestyle All-American Kyren Butler (Copley, Ohio); along with notable freshmen Joey Blaze (Perrysburg, Ohio), Nick Hart (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), Dy'vaire VanDyke (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), and Rocco Welsh (Waynesburg, Pa.). 132: The total of three nationally ranked wrestlers is the joint fewest, along with 106 and 285. The top seed in this weight class is No. 13 Alejandro Herrera (Seneca Valley, Pa.), a two-time state champion who was champion at 113 in this tournament last year. Also ranked are No. 9 Chris Rivera (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), a three-time state champion who was runner-up in this tournament at 138 last year; and No. 14 Ethen Miller (Park Hill, Mo.), a Junior National freestyle runner-up this summer. Next in line among the field is Drew Munch (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), a 2017 National Prep champion and returning Walsh Ironman placer. Additional notables in the field include state champions Evan Buchanan (Atlee, N.C.), Jaxon Maroney (Cardinal Gibbons, N.C.), and Davin Rhoads (Louisville, Ohio); multi-time state placers Jimmy Carmany (Brecksville, Ohio), Chris Kelly (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), Nathan Porter (Mount St. Joseph, Md.), Ethan Turner (Troy Christian, Ohio), Casey Wiles (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), and Wyatt Yapoujian (Byers, Colo.); state placers Noah Mis (Chicago Mt. Carmel, Ill.), Logan Ours (Beaver Local, Ohio), and Matthew Williams (CVCA, Ohio); 16U freestyle All-American Ismael Ayoub (Dublin Coffman, Ohio); along with freshmen Clayton Gabrielson (McDonogh, Md.), Patrick Jordon (New Kent, Va.), and Ethan Stiles (Montini Catholic, Ill.) 138: An absolutely loaded weight class anchored by national No. 1 Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), a three-time National Prep champion and three-time Ironman placer who won here at 120 as a freshman in 2016. Five other members of the top 11 in the national rankings are in this field: No. 5 Mick Burnett (Elyria, Ohio), a returning state champion and two-time Fargo freestyle runner-up; No. 8 Wyatt Henson (Waynesburg, Pa.), twice a Super 32 placer and twice third in Fargo freestyle; No. 9 Kenny Herrmann (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), runner-up at the Super 32 this fall and a returning Ironman placer; No. 10 Frankie Tal-Shahar (American Heritage, Fla.), runner-up last year in this tournament at 132 and a state champion; along with No. 11 Justin Rivera (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), runner-up at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and Super 32 as well as a 2017 state champion. Also ranked nationally is No. 16 Nick Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), a Super 32 placer this fall and twice a state runner-up. Additional wrestlers to watch include Junior National freestyle All-American Drew Roberts (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho); 16U freestyle All-Americans Cody Chittum (Blair Academy, N.J.) and Gavin Brown (Legacy Christian Academy, Ohio), who also was a state champion last season; state champion Joey Miller (Musselman, W.Va.); state runner-up Jared Hill (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Cole McComas (Beaver Local, Ohio), and Jake Nifenegger (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio); two-time state placers Sincere Bailey (Thornton Fractional North, Ill.) and Zack Witmer (St. Joseph's Catholic, Pa.); along with NHSCA Freshman national champion Kal Miller (Park Hill, Mo.). 145: Anchoring this weight class is national No. 1 Victor Voinovich (Brecksville, Ohio); he was a state champion in 2018, while this off-season he placed at the UWW Junior Nationals and was runner-up at the Junior Nationals in freestyle. His most direct threat is likely to be No. 4 Lachlan McNeil (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), champion at the Super 32 down in the 138-pound weight class and third in Junior freestyle also at 138. The other ranked wrestlers in this field are No. 7 Fidel Mayora (Montini Catholic, Ill.), a two-time state runner-up and returning Ironman placer; along with No. 12 Manzona Bryant (Hudson WRA, Ohio), a two-time Super32 placer and Junior freestyle All-American this summer. Additional wrestlers to note in this weight class include multi-time state champions Jackson Dean (Caesar Rodney, Del.) and Gavin Quiocho (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), state champions Dustin Morgillo (Genoa, Ohio) and Joey Natarcola (Smyrna, Del.), state runners-up Aaden Valez (Pueblo East, Colo.) and Travis Ragland (New Kent, Va.), three-time state placer Blake Saito (Perrysburg, Ohio), two-time Ironman placer Matt Lackman (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), UWW Cadet freestyle All-American Luke Geog (St. Edward, Ohio), impact freshman Lorenzo Norman (Blair Academy, N.J.), along with - despite relatively limited credentials - Myles Griffin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) and Connor Gaynor (Chicago Mt. Carmel, Ill.). 152: This looks to be the weight class of the tournament. It features eight nationally ranked wrestlers, which is most in the tournament, including six of them being in the top eleven. Leading the way is No. 2 Travis Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, N.J.), a two-time Ironman placer who won National Preps and was runner-up at the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle this calendar year. Next in line is No. 5 Peyton Hall (Oak Glen, W.Va.), who has placed seventh in this tournament the last two years and is also a two-time Super 32 placer (runner-up this year). No. 6 Brayden Roberts (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) is a two-time state champion and placed third at the Super 32 this fall; No. 7 A.J. Kovacs (Iona Prep, N.Y.) was a state champion, and since then finished runner-up at the NHSCA Junior nationals and placed at the Super 32; No. 8 B.J. Bailey (Thornton Fractional North, Ill.) was a state champion and Junior freestyle All-American this year; while No. 11 Connor Kievman (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) is a two-time National Prep champion. Also ranked nationally is No. 13 Bryce Hepner (St. Edward, Ohio), a two-time state champion and 2017 Walsh Ironman placer; and No. 18 Noah Castillo (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), a state champion in 2017. A whole slew of other notable wrestlers is in this field: state champions Kevin Contos (Genoa, Ohio), Nick Vafiadis (New Kent, Va.), and Vincent Zerban (Christian Brothers College, Mo.); state runners-up David Cumberledge (Aurora, Ohio), Enrique Munguia (Elyria, Ohio), and Douglas Terry (Granville, Ohio); UWW Cadet freestyle runner-up Derek Fields (Brunswick, Ohio); Ironman placer Cole Handlovic (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.); three-time state placers Caleb Dowling (St. Joseph's Catholic, Pa.), Dalton Harkins (Malvern Prep, Pa.), and Skyler Lasure (Beaver Local, Ohio); two-time state placers Joe Roberts (Montini Catholic, Ill.) and Daniel Patten (Stow, Ohio); along with NHSCA Freshman nationals champion Brody Conley (Tiffin Columbian, Ohio). 160: In a field featuring four of the nation's top eight wrestlers, and six overall ranked wrestlers, No. 2 Padraic Gallgher (St. Edward, Ohio) is at the head of the class; Gallagher was a state champion last season, upending Ironman champion Connor Brady in the championship bout, and added a Junior National freestyle title to the resume in the summer. No. 4 Thayne Lawrence (Frazier, Pa.) is a two-time state champion and two-time Super 32 placer; No. 7 Andrew Cerniglia (Notre Dame-Green Pond, Pa.) is a returning state champion; while No. 8 John Martin Best (Parkersburg, W.Va.) is a two-time state champion and two-time Fargo freestyle runner-up. Also ranked are No. 11 Thomas Stewart (Blair Academy, N.J.), a 16U National freestyle champion; and No. 18 Dominic Isola (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), a state runner-up and Super 32 placer. Other notables in the weight class include state champions Jonathan Conrad (Carrollwood Day School, Fla.) and Dalton Russelberg (Union County, Ky.); state placers Noah Ewen (Perrysburg, Ohio), Brett McIntosh (Harrison, Ohio), Aaron Morton (Westerville South, Ohio), Keegan Rothrock (St. Joseph's Catholic, Pa.), and Connor Strong (Mount St. Joseph's, Md.); 16U Nationals freestyle All-American Tyler Lillard (Aurora, Ohio); state qualifier Luca Augustine (Waynesburg, Pa.); along with notable freshmen Gabriel Arnold (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), Camden McDaniel (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), and Brayden Thompson (Montini Catholic, Ill.). 170: Two of the nation's top four in this weight class anchor the field, No. 2 Nevan Snodgrass (Kettering Fairmont, Ohio) and No. 4 Domonic Mata (Blair Academy, N.J.). Snodgrass, a three-time state placer, was third at the Ironman last year in this weight and third in Junior freestyle this summer; while National Prep champion Mata placed fourth last year at 160 in the Ironman and was a California state champion in 2018. Another pair of ranked wrestlers are contesting this weight class as well: No. 14 Tyler Stoltzfus (St. Joseph's Catholic, Pa.), a Super 32 placer and returning Ironman placer; along with No. 18 Andrew Donahue (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), a state runner-up at 182 in Indiana as a freshman last year. Additional wrestlers to watch include state champion Jaden Bullock (Oscar Smith, Va.); state runner-up Stephen Little (Union County, Ky.); three-time state placer Jax Leonard (Louisville, Ohio); state placers Ethan Anderson (Aurora, Ohio), Bailey Flanagan (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), Hudson Hightower (St. Edward, Ohio), Caden Rogers (Malvern Prep, Pa.), and Lucas White (Christian Brothers College, Mo.); along with 2018 state qualifier Dillon Walker (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio). 182: Five nationally ranked wrestlers are among the field, a group led by No. 7 Anthony D'Alesio (Canfield, Ohio) and No. 9 Rylan Rogers (Blair Academy, N.J.). D'Alesio is a three-time state placer, and won state this past season after placing fourth at the Ironman; while the sophomore Rogers placed third at National Preps in the 195-pound weight class before runner-up finishes in freestyle at UWW Cadets (80 kilos) and 16U Nationals (170 pounds). No. 17 J.T. Davis (Smyrna, Del.) was a state champion and NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up this past season; No. 18 Ashton Habeil (Lake Gibson, Fla.) is a returning Ironman placer and a two-time previous state champion; while No. 20 Jake Evans (Elyria, Ohio) is a returning Ironman placer and placed at the Super 32 in October. Other wrestlers to note include state champions Lucas Cochran (Box Elder, Utah), Micah Ervin (Union County, Ky.), Walker Stephenson (Hillcrest, S.C.), and Nathan Warden (Christiansburg, Va.); state runners-up Ethan Ducca (Ashtabula St. John, Ohio), Bryce Mattioda (Broken Arrow, Okla.), and Matthew Rogers (Wantagh, N.Y.); two-time state placers Cole Hivnor (Lake Catholic, Ohio) and David Tuttle (Steubenville, Ohio); National Prep placers Cole Rees (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) and Dominic Solis (McDonogh, Md.); state placers Jack Darrah (Christian Brothers College, Mo.), Jonathan List (Wadsworth, Ohio), Trevor Swier (Montini Catholic, Ill.), and Trevor Stewart (Urbana, Ohio); along with freshman Kyle Snider (CVCA, Ohio). 195: Four nationally ranked wrestlers headline the field, led by No. 4 Peyton Craft (Blair Academy, N.J.), a returning Ironman placer and champion at both the NHSCA Sophomore and Freshman nationals. No. 9 Seth Shumate (Dublin Coffman, Ohio) won a state title last season as a freshman, following it up with a runner-up finish in freestyle at the UWW Cadet Nationals and then a 16U Nationals freestyle title; No. 11 Sam Fisher (Fauquier, Va.) is a three-time state champion and a returning Ironman placer; while No. 17 Jack Wimmer (McDonogh, Md.) is a two-time Ironman placer and two-time National Prep placer. Additional wrestlers in the field include state champion Emmanuel Skillings (Broken Arrow, Okla.); state runner-up Ben Vanadia (Brecksville, Ohio); National Prep placer and 16U freestyle All-American Nicholas Feldman (Malvern Prep, Pa.); state placers Jordan Greer (Avon, Ohio), Matt Kelly (Iona Prep, N.Y.), Dominic Loparo (Wadsworth, Ohio), and Brent Paulus (Louisville, Ohio); NHSCA Junior Nationals placer Kyle Costello (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.); along with two-time state qualifier Josh LaBarbera (Montini Catholic, Ill.). 220: Two-time defending Ironman champion Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) is ranked No. 2 in the nation. Also a three-time Super 32 champion, the career undefeated Amos is the clear favorite even in a weight class with five other nationally ranked wrestlers. The challenge pack is led by No. 4 Ethan Hatcher (Brecksville, Ohio), a returning Ironman placer and NHSCA Junior National champion; he has also placed third at the state tournament, UWW Cadet Nationals freestyle, and Junior National freestyle in this calendar year. Notable sophomores Noah Pettigrew (Blair Academy, N.J.) and Kolby Franklin (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) are transfers in to their respective schools, and currently are ranked 8th and 9th nationally; Pettigrew out-placed Franklin at the UWW Cadet Nationals in the same weight class, though Franklin was a 16U Nationals champion one weight class above where Pettigrew took third. Also ranked are No. 15 Kyonte Hamilton (Georgetown Prep, Md.) and Grady Griess (Northwest, Neb.); Hamilton placed fourth at National Preps and was a NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion, while Griess was a state champion last season. Others in the field include state champion Matthew Kaplan (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.); state runner-up Max Fausnaugh (Bowling Green, Ohio); along with state qualifiers Lazar Gasic (North Royalton, Ohio), Nik Mishka (Chicago Mt. Carmel, Ill.), Blake Robbins (Louisville, Ohio), and Riley Ucker (Dublin Coffman, Ohio). 285: Three nationally ranked wrestlers are present in the "big boys" weight class, a group led by No. 4 Isaac Righer (Mount St. Joseph's, Md.), a National Prep champion last year. Also ranked are No. 10 Garrett Kappes (McDonogh, Md.) and No. 15 Andy Garcia (Pueblo East, Colo.). Kappes is a three-time National Prep placer, and was a Super 32 semifinalist this fall as well as earning All-American honors in both styles of the 2018 Junior Nationals; while Garcia is a three-time state champion at 2018 Super 32 placer. Joining them in this weight class are four returning Ironman placers: Kade Carlson (Corner Canyon, Utah), Matthias Ervin (Union County, Ky.), Max Millin (Massillon Perry, Ohio), and Caden Hill (Ashland Crestview, Ohio). Carlson was state runner-up last year after winning a title in 2018, Ervin is a two-time state champion, Millin placed third at state, while Hill failed to qualify for state. Further additional wrestlers are state champions Hugo Harp (Smyrna, Del.) and Kevin Hudson (Caesar Rodney, Del.), state placers Cole Deery (Malvern Prep, Pa.) and Cole Potts (Columbus DeSales, Ohio), multi-time state qualifier Breslin Walker (CVCA, Ohio), 16U Nationals double All-American Ryan Elrod (Ashtabula St. John, Ohio), and Marlon Welty (Broken Arrow, Okla.).

Ian Clark ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Following an extensive search, Elmira College Director of Athletics Renee Carlineo is pleased to announce the appointment of Ian Clark as head coach of the Soaring Eagles' men's wrestling program. Clark faces the unique challenge of building a program from the ground up. Although EC briefly sponsored men's wrestling during the 1970s, the Soaring Eagles will return to the mat for the first time in nearly four decades during the 2020-21 academic year. "We are incredibly excited to have Ian as the first head coach of Elmira College men's wrestling," Carlineo said. "Ian is a passionate coach, hard-working recruiter, and a strong teacher. We could not be more eager to see what he can do in building this program from the ground up." "I am excited for the chance to build something special in such an amazing setting," Clark said. "I want to thank Renee Carlineo and the rest of the administration at Elmira College for giving the sport of wrestling an opportunity on this beautiful campus. I'm looking forward to getting to work right away. I have had the privilege to wrestle for and work with a lot of great coaches. I'm very appreciative of everything that I learned from them and intend to work very hard to pass those lessons along." A 2011 graduate of SUNY Cortland and a two-year member of the Red Dragons' wrestling program, Clark has gained valuable experience as an assistant coach at three NCAA Division III institutions. His coaching career began as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater under the guidance of his former coach and a five-time Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference (ECWC) Coach of the Year, Brad Bruhn. With Clark on the bench during the 2010-11 campaign, the Red Dragons finished 14th at the NCAA Division III Championships. A native of Evans Mills, New York, Clark ventured closer to home to join Oswego State as an assistant coach for four seasons from 2012-16. With the Lakers, he was charged with creating and executing practice and strength and conditioning plans, evaluating film, and recruiting potential student-athletes alongside long-time head coach Mike Howard. During Clark's tenure, the team saw significant growth in multiple areas. Oswego's roster nearly doubled in size, two student-athletes won individual titles at the ECWC Championships, and one qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships. With the classes Clark helped recruit at Oswego, the Lakers went on to finish fourth in the region in the spring of 2017. Most recently, Clark served as an assistant on the staff at Wilmington College in Wilmington, Ohio. He played a valuable role in reviving the institution's wrestling program for the 2018-19 season after a seven-year hiatus. In the team's first year back, Clark's efforts were key in securing a freshman class of 14 for the 2019-20 season. In addition to a lengthy resume at the collegiate level, Clark also boasts one season as an assistant coach at Indian River High School in Philadelphia, New York. A former standout with the Warriors during his prep days, Clark mentored four state qualifiers, while the team posted a superb 22-2 record in dual meets during the 2011-12 season. Clark graduated from Indian River in 2004 after winning a Section III Class A championship as a senior. In addition to earning five varsity letters in wrestling, he was a two-year starter on the football team. After two years at Jefferson Community College, he concluded his wrestling career at SUNY Cortland, helping the Red Dragons win an ECWC title as a senior. Clark graduated from Cortland with a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics in December of 2011.

The second week of December is upon us and the season starts to intensify across the country. Below is the schedule of competitions for teams ranked in the InterMat Fab 50 national high school team rankings during the week of Dec. 11-17. No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. Competes in the Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman on Friday and Saturday No. 2 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. Competes in the Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman on Friday and Saturday No. 3 Buchanan, Calif. Competes in the Mann Classic on Friday and Saturday at Marina (Calif.) No. 4 St. Edward, Ohio Competes in the Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman on Friday and Saturday No. 5 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich. Hosts No. 34 Lowell (Mich.) on Wednesday afternoon in an in-school assembly dual meet, Competes in the Oak Park River Forest (Ill.) Duals on Saturday No. 7 Lake Highland Prep, Fla. Competes in the Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman on Friday and Saturday No. 8 Montini Catholic, Ill. Competes in the Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman on Friday and Saturday No. 9 Tuttle, Okla. Hosts Southmoore (Okla.) in a dual meet on Thursday, Competes in the Mid-America Nationals at Enid (Okla.) on Friday and Saturday No. 10 Gilroy, Calif. Competes in the Reno (Nev.) Tournament of Champions on Friday and Saturday No. 11 Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio Competes in the Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman on Friday and Saturday No. 12 Allen, Texas Competes in the Reno (Nev.) Tournament of Champions on Friday and Saturday No. 13 Poway, Calif. Competes in the Reno (Nev.) Tournament of Champions on Friday and Saturday No. 14 Davison, Mich. Travels to Carman-Ainsworth (Mich.) for double dual on Wednesday, Competes in the Grappler Gold Invitational on Saturday at Brighton (Mich.) No. 15 Elyria, Ohio Competes in the Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman on Friday and Saturday No. 17 Brighton, Mich. Travels to Rockford (Mich.) for double dual on Wednesday, Hosts the Grappler Gold Invitational on Saturday No. 18 St. John Bosco, Calif. Competes in the Reno (Nev.) Tournament of Champions on Friday and Saturday No. 19 Southeast Polk, Iowa Travels to Ankeny (Iowa) for tri-meet on Thursday, Competes in the Western Dubuque (Iowa) Tournament on Saturday No. 20 Shakopee, Minn. Travels to Eagan (Minn.) for tri-meet on Thursday, Competes in the Kenyon-Wanamingo (Minn.) Invitatinal on Saturday No. 21 Chicago Mt. Carmel, Ill. Competes in the Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman on Friday and Saturday No. 22 Brecksville, Ohio Competes in the Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman on Friday and Saturday No. 23 Southern Columbia, Pa. Hosts Mount Carmel (Pa.) in a dual meet on Thursday, Hosts Central Columbia (Pa.) in a dual meet on Tuesday 12/17 No. 24 Stillwater, Minn. Hosts Mounds View (Minn.) in a dual meet on Thursday No. 25 Simley, Minn. Travels to Henry Sibley (Minn.) for tri-meet on Thursday, Competes in the Prior Lake (Minn.) Duals on Saturday No. 26 Liberty, Mo. Competes in the Council Bluffs (Iowa) Wrestling Classic on Friday and Saturday No. 27 Malvern Prep, Pa. Competes in the Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman on Friday and Saturday No. 28 Selma, Calif. Competes in the Hawks Nest Invitational at Citrus Hill (Calif.) on Friday and Saturday No. 29 Mount St. Joseph, Md. Competes in the Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman on Friday and Saturday No. 30 Millard South, Neb. Competes in the Council Bluffs (Iowa) Wrestling Classic on Friday and Saturday, Hosts Underwood (Iowa) in a dual meet on Tuesday 12/17 No. 32 Wadsworth, Ohio Competes in the Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman on Friday and Saturday No. 33 Clovis, Calif. Competes in the Curt Mettler Invitational at Elk Grove (Calif.) on Friday and Saturday No. 34 Lowell, Mich. Travels to No. 5 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) for an in-school assembly dual on Wednesday afternoon, Competes in the Grappler Gold Invitational on Saturday at Brighton (Mich.) No. 35 Brownsburg, Ind. Travels to Avon (Ind.) for a dual meet on Thursday, Competes in the Grappler Gold Invitational on Saturday at Brighton (Mich.), Hosts Franklin Central (Ind.) in a dual meet on Tuesday 12/17 No. 36 Lisbon, Iowa Travels to Solon (Iowa) for tri-meet along with West Delaware (Iowa) No. 37 Clovis North, Calif. Competes in the Reno (Nev.) Tournament of Champions on Friday and Saturday No. 38 Mustang, Okla. Hosts Piedmont (Okla.) in a dual meet on Thursday, Competes in the Mid-America Nationals at Enid (Okla.) on Friday and Saturday, Travels to Sand Springs (Okla.) for dual meet on Tuesday 12/17 No. 39 Broken Arrow, Okla. Competes in the Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman on Friday and Saturday No. 40 DeKalb, Ill. Hosts Naperville (Ill.) Central in a dual meet on Thursday, Hosts Metea Valley (Ill.) in a dual meet on Friday, Competes in the Oak Park River Forest (Ill.) Duals on Saturday No. 41 Nazareth, Pa. Travels to Dieruff (Pa.) for dual meet on Wednesday No. 42 Stoughton, Wis. Travels to Monroe (Wis.) for dual meet on Friday, Competes in the Wisconsin Dells (Wis.) Duals on Saturday No. 43 Fort Dodge, Iowa Hosts Des Moines North-Hoover (Iowa) in a dual meet on Thursday, Competes in the Council Bluffs (Iowa) Wrestling Classic on Friday and Saturday No. 44 Christian Brothers College, Mo. Competes in the Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman on Friday and Saturday No. 45 Dundee, Mich. Competes in quad meet at New Boston (Mich.) Huron on Wednesday, Competes in the Grappler Gold Invitational on Saturday at Brighton (Mich.) No. 46 Crescent Valley, Ore. Competes in the Reno (Nev.) Tournament of Champions on Friday and Saturday No. 47 Pomona, Colo. Hosts Ralston Valley (Colo.) in a dual meet on Wednesday Competes in the Reno (Nev.) Tournament of Champions on Friday and Saturday No. 48 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. Travels to Bethlehem (Pa.) Liberty for dual meet on Wednesday, Competes in the Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman on Friday and Saturday No. 49 Evansville Mater Dei, Ind. Hosts Evansville (Ind.) Memorial in a dual meet on Wednesday, Competes in the Castle (Ind.) Six-Way on Saturday No. 50 Windsor, Colo. Hosts Mead (Colo.) in a dual meet on Wednesday, Competes in the Rapid City (S.D.) Invitational on Friday and Saturday Off this week: No. 6 Bergen Catholic (N.J.), No. 16 Delbarton (N.J.), No. 31 St. Joseph Montvale (N.J.)

Brent Metcalf with Alex Mackall at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Iowa State assistant coach, multiple-time U.S. world team member and two-time NCAA champion Brent Metcalf joins The MatBoss Podcast with Chad Dennis for Episode 43. Metcalf talks about ISU's weekend in Las Vegas, what an athlete like David Carr means to the program, recruiting and the impact of social media and video on coaching as well as the upcoming dual with Chattanooga, one of Dennis' favorite subjects. About MatBoss: Created by coaches for coaches, MatBoss for iPad® integrates wrestling stats directly into the video you record for each match, completely replacing the need for labor-intensive pencil and paper scoring systems. It's the wrestling stats app our sport has been waiting for. Focus on coaching, not busy work Improve through video analysis Make data an advantage Eliminate scoring errors Increase exposure Become a digital coach For more information, visit MatBossApp.com. Follow MatBoss on Twitter and subscribe to the show @MatBossApp | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Spreaker | Google Podcasts | RSS

FERRUM, Va. -- Ferrum College picked up a non-conference wrestling win tonight at home over Southern Virginia University, winning 39-9 at Swartz Gym. THE BASICS JD McMillin (125 lbs) picked up a forfeit win, then Levi Englman (133) won a decision to put the Panthers out in front 9-0. Southern Virginia's Aldair Moran won a decision at 141 to trim the lead to 9-3, but that's as close at the Knights would get. Austin Smith (149), Elijah Martin (157) and Galilee Kissell (165) posted back-to-back-to-back pins, to extend the Panther lead to 27-3. Martin's pin over Matt Rosson took just 13 seconds. Malik Barr (174) won by technical fall, Demontay Wimbush (184) picked up a major decision and Braden Homsey (197) won by decision to make the score 39-3. Nico Ramirez (285) posted a pin for Southern Virginia to round out the night. Results: 125: JD McMillin (Ferrum) over Unknown (For.) 133: Levi Englman (Ferrum) over Aaron Freidhof (Southern Virginia) (Dec 3-0) 141: Aldair Moran (Southern Virginia) over Hayden Funck (Ferrum) (Dec 6-4) 149: Austin Smith (Ferrum) over Nicolas Korhonen (Southern Virginia) (Fall 2:11) 157: Elijah Martin (Ferrum) over Matthew Rosson (Southern Virginia) (Fall 0:13) 165: Galilee Kissell (Ferrum) over Kyle York (Southern Virginia) (Fall 1:56) 174: Malik Barr (Ferrum) over Matthew Rohrdanz (Southern Virginia) (TF 18-3 5:46) 184: Demontay Wimbush (Ferrum) over Cole Oldham (Southern Virginia) (MD 16-4) 197: Braden Homsey (Ferrum) over Matt Speelman (Southern Virginia) (Dec 6-0) 285: Nico Ramirez (Southern Virginia) over Carlos Leyva (Ferrum) (Fall 1:40) NEXT MATCH Coach Nate Yetzer's team wil be back in action after Christmas, wrestling in the rugged Citrus Invitational Sunday and Monday, Dec. 29-30, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- The Cardinal wrestling lineup caught fire midway through another home dual Tuesday night inside the Rike Center, punctuating the first half of the winter season with a 38-11 triumph against Division II Urbana University. Otterbein, improving to 6-2 in dual action, will now have a full month off to regroup before getting back in action the second week of January. The Cardinals used a similar theme in besting Urbana last season (30-17), where they trailed 17-9 before turning up the heat. A pair of youngsters helped the Cards build a quick 9-0 lead in this rematch, as sophomore Chase Nelson earned a forfeit at 125 before freshman Joey Buckland held on for a 6-4 decision in the follow bout. He is 8-5 this season while filling in nationally-ranked Jackson Lakso, who is expected back after the holiday break as he recovers from an injury. The Blue Knights settled in to claim the next three matches, as Santino DiSabato dropped a narrow 3-2 decision and Ryan Whitten also came up just short in the anticipated match of the night. Whitten, fresh off his 157-pound victory at the Ohio Northern Invitational, entered 21-3 overall and squared up with standout Urbana Cole Houser (10-1). Both wrestlers traded points in a tightly-contested showdown, which ultimately ended 3-3 in regulation before Houser secured an early takedown in overtime to prevail 5-3. Otterbein rallied from that point, beginning with senior Willy Plaisir delivering a trademark slam in the first round and eventually registering a pin at 2:24. Classmate Donny Didion followed suit with a fall at 1:29, as did nationally-ranked Corbin Bunsold at 2:14. Jarrod Setliff then capped the spurt with a pin after just 40 seconds. Bunsold, moving up to No. 15 in the latest 184-pound national poll, enters the break with a 15-2 record. The night ended with top-ranked heavyweight Drew Kasper securing his first technical fall of the season, nearly pinning his counterpart on a few occasions before settling with a 16-1 final score. He remains unbeaten at 13-0, nine of those coming with bonus points. The Cardinals will return to action on Saturday, January 11 at the Kent State Tuscarawas Duals. Results: 125 – Chase Nelson (OTT) wins by forfeit 6 0 133 – Joey Buckland (OTT) over Alec Fulwider (UU) by Decision, 6-4 9 0 141 - Jacob Edwards (UU) over Santino DiSabato (OTT) by Decision, 3-2 9 3 149 – Jared Ford (UU) over Jacob Williams (OTT) by TF, 18-2 9 8 157 – Cole Houser (UU) over Ryan Whitten (OTT) by Decision, 5-3 in OT 9 11 165 - Willy Plaisir (OTT) over Cameron Carnevale (UU) by Fall, 2:24 15 11 174 – Donny Didion (OTT) over Brendon Hartsell (UU) by Fall, 1:29 21 11 184 – #15 Corbin Bunsold (OTT) over Connor Dixon (UU) by Fall, 2:14 27 11 197 – Jarrod Setliff (OTT) over Major Stratton (UU) by Fall, 0:40 33 11 285 - #1 Drew Kasper (OTT) over Nick Baker (UU) by TF, 16-1 38 11

Utah's Sage Mortimer gets her hand raised after winning a 16U freestyle title in Fargo (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) Add the state of Utah to the growing list of states to officially sanction girls' wrestling. The Board of Trustees of the Utah High School Athletics Association -- governing body for prep sports within the state -- has approved girls' wrestling beginning in the 2020-21 school year, the Standard-Examiner newspaper has reported. The Ogden, Utah-based newspaper added that the inaugural official girls wrestling state tournament could be anticipated to take place sometime in February or March 2021. "There's much to figure out in the meantime," the Standard-Examiner continued. "The Board of Trustees' approval simply approved sanctioning and nothing else at the moment. "Details like how many classifications, weight classes, regions, state tournament logistics and many more have yet to be figured out," UHSAA assistant director Jon Oglesby said. The National Federation of State High School Associations reports that Utah high schools added 23 participants in girls wrestling for a total of 124 when comparing the 2017-18 school year to 2018-19. Girls' high school wrestling has enjoyed tremendous growth in the past couple years. By InterMat's count, Utah becomes the 20th state to officially add girls' wrestling to the list of officially sanctioned high school sports. In calendar year 2019, five states have sanctioned girls' wrestling, including New Mexico, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas and Maryland. To provide some perspective ... as recently as the beginning of 2018, six states had separate state wrestling championships for girls: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Tennessee, Texas and Washington State. During 2018, eight additional states announced the establishment of a girls' state championships.

The preliminary seeds for the 26th annual Walsh Jesuit Ironman, which will be held in Cuyahoga Falls (Ohio) this Friday and Saturday, have been released. Among the top seeds in the fourteen high school weight classes are three wrestlers ranked No. 1 at their respective weight classes nationally. In five other weight classes, the top seed is ranked No. 2 in their weight class nationally. The seeds are subject to change based on weigh-ins. 106 pounds 1. Marc-Anthony McGowan - Blair Academy, NJ 2. Mac Church - Waynesburg Central, PA 3. Daniel Sheen - Wyoming Seminary, PA 4. Joe Fernau - Montini Catholic, IL 5. Gabe Giampietro - Smyrna, DE 6. Cael Keck - Park Hill, MO 7. Pacey Najdusak - Mason, OH 8. Marlon Yarbrough - Copley, OH 9. Codie Cuerbo - Aurora, OH 10. Pito Castro - Brecksville, OH 11. Colin Noel - Elyria, OH 12. Caleb Schroer - Troy Christian, OH 13. Wyatt Richter - St. Edward, OH 14. Brock Herman - Lake Catholic, OH 15. Dominic Hoffarth - Louisville, OH 16. Matt Eberly - New Kent, VA 113 pounds 1. Brett Ungar - Notre Dame, PA 2. Erik Roggie - St. Christopher's, VA 3. Gary Steen - Reynolds, PA 4. Diego Sotelo - Marmion Academy, IL 5. Jacob Moon - Clay, OH 6. Peyton Fenton - Elyria, OH 7. Cole Skinner - LaSalle, OH 8. Brennen Cernus - Wyoming Seminary, PA 9. Richard Treanor - Hough, NC 10. Nasir Bailey - Thornton Fractional North, IL 11. Sean Seefeldt - St. Edward, OH 12. Kenneth Crosby - St. Vincent-St. Mary, OH 13. Paul Garcia - Scottsbluff, NE 14. Sergio Lemley - Mt. Carmel, IL 15. Nick Gonzalez - Montini Catholic, IL 16. Mason Brugh - Wadsworth, OH 120 pounds 1. Jordan Titus - Center Moriches, NY 2. Kyle Rowan - Perry, OH 3. Ryan Miller - Blair Academy, NJ 4. Cooper Flynn - McDonogh, MD 5. Christopher Kim - Germantown Academy, PA 6. Dustin Norris - LaSalle, OH 7. Dayton Delviscio - Malvern Prep, PA 8. Colton Drousias - Mt. Carmel, IL 9. Cael Woods - West Holmes, OH 10. Brennan Van Hoecke - Palmetto Ridge, FL 11. Gregor McNeil - Wyoming Seminary, PA 12. Nain Vazquez - Montini Catholic, IL 13. Rich Delsanter - St. Edward, OH 14. Matt Mayer - Bethlehem Catholic, PA 15. Brandan Chletsos - Notre Dame, PA 16. Brandon Crowder - Christiansburg, VA 126 pounds 1. Trevor Mastrogiovanni - Blair Academy, NJ 2. Ryan Crookham - Notre Dame, PA 3. Nic Bouzakis - Wyoming Seminary, PA 4. Dylan Ragusin - Montini Catholic, IL 5. Dylan Shawver - Elyria, OH 6. Chris Barnabae - Mount St. Joseph, MD 7. Vince Cornella - Monarch, CO 8. Antoine Allen - LaSalle, OH 9. Jackson Cockrell - Broken Arrow, OK 10. Logan Agin - Lancaster, OH 11. Garrett Lautzenheiser - Louisville, OH 12. Rocco Welsh - Waynesburg Central, PA 13. Kyren Butler - Copley, OH 14. Connor Williams - Lake Gibson, FL 15. Landon Hacker - Wadsworth, OH 16. Dy'Vaire VanDyke - Walsh Jesuit, OH 132 pounds 1. Alejandro Herrera-Rondon - Seneca Valley, PA 2. Chris Rivera - Lake Highland Prep, FL 3. Drew Munch - Wyoming Seminary, PA 4. Ethen Miller - Park Hill, MO 5. Jimmy Carmany - Brecksville, OH 6. Ethan Turner - Troy Christian, OH 7. Casey Wiles - LaSalle, OH 8. Davin Rhoads - Louisville, OH 9. Noah Mis - Mt. Carmel, IL 10. Ethan Stiles - Montini Catholic, IL 11. Cole Homet - Waynesburg, PA 12. Evan Buchanan - Atlee, VA 13. Scott Richter - St. Edward, OH 14. Wyatt Yapoujian - Byers, CO 15. Logan Ours - Beaver Local, OH 16. Daniel Wask, Blair Academy, NJ 138 pounds 1. Beau Bartlett - Wyoming Seminary, PA 2. Justin Rivera - Lake Highland Prep, FL 3. Mick Burnett - Elyria, OH 4. Kenny Herrmann - Bethlehem Catholic, PA 5. Wyatt Henson - Waynesburg Central, PA 6. Frankie Tal-Shahar - American Heritage, FL 7. Nick Moore - Graham, OH 8. Drew Roberts - Coeur d'Alene, ID 9. Jake Niffenegger - LaSalle, OH 10. Lucas Chittum - Blair Academy, NJ 11. Gavin Brown - Legacy Christian Academy, OH 12. Kal Miller - Park Hill, MO 13. Zack Witmer, St. Joseph's Catholic Academy, PA 14. Sincere Bailey - Thornton Fractional North, IL 15. Cole McComas - Beaver Local, OH 16. Joey Miller - Musselman, WV 145 pounds 1. Victor Voinovich - Brecksville, OH 2. Lachlan McNeil - Wyoming Seminary, PA 3. Manzona Bryant - Western Reserve, OH 4. Fidel Mayora - Montini Catholic, IL 5. Matt Lackman - Bethlehem Catholic, PA 6. Blake Saito - Perrysburg, OH 7. Jackson Dean - Caesar Rodney, DE 8. Dustin Morgillo - Genoa, OH 9. Aaden Valdez - Pueblo East, CO 10. Luke Geog - St. Edward, OH 11. Travis Ragland - New Kent, VA 12. Gavin Quiocho - Parkersburg South, WV 13. Lorenzo Norman - Blair Academy, NJ 14. Myles Griffin - Lake Highland Prep, FL 15. Grayston DiBlasi - Park Hill, MO 16. Connor Gaynor - Mt. Carmel, IL 152 pounds 1. Travis Mastrogiovanni - Blair Academy, NJ 2. Peyton Hall - Oak Glen, WV 3. Bilal Bailey - Thornton Fractional North, IL 4. Brayden Roberts - Parkersburg South, WV 5. AJ Kovacs - Iona Prep, NY 6. Connor Kievman - Wyoming Seminary, PA 7. Cole Handlovic - Bethlehem Catholic, PA 8. Bryce Hepner - St. Edward, OH 9. Noah Castillo - Lake Highland Prep, FL 10. Derek Fields - Brunswick, OH 11. Enrique Munguia, Elyria, OH 12. Caleb Dowling - St. Joseph's Catholic Academy, PA 13. Vinny Zerban - Christian Brothers College, MO 14. Nick Vafiadis - New Kent, VA 15. Dalton Harkins - Malvern Prep, PA 16. David Cumberledge - Aurora, OH 160 pounds 1. Paddy Gallgher - St. Edward, OH 2. Thayne Lawrence - Frazier, PA 3. Andrew Cerniglia - Notre Dame, PA 4. John Martin Best - Parkersburg, WV 5. Thomas Stewart - Blair Academy, NJ 6. Dominic Isola - Lake Highland Prep, FL 7. Brett McIntosh - Harrison, OH 8. Aaron Morton - Westerville South, OH 9. Keegan Rothrock - St. Joseph's Catholic Academy, PA 10. Tyler Lillard - Aurora, OH 11. Noah Ewen - Perrrysburg, OH 12. Brayden Thompson, Montini Catholic, IL 13. Luca Augustine - Waynesburg Central, PA 14. Jonathan Conrad - Carrollwood Day, FL 15. Gabe Arnold - Wyoming Seminary, PA 16. Harrison Trahan - McDonogh, MD 170 pounds 1. Nevan Snodgrass - Kettering Fairmont, OH 2. Domonic Mata - Blair Academy, NJ 3. Tyler Stoltzfus - St. Joseph's Catholic Academy, PA 4. Andrew Donahue - Wyoming Seminary, PA 5. Jaden Bullock - Oscar Smith, VA 6. Jax Leonard - Louisville, OH 7. Hudson Hightower - St. Edward, OH 8. Caden Rogers - Malvern Prep, PA 9. Ethan Anderson - Aurora, OH 10. Lucas White - Christian Brothers College, MO 11. Dillon Walker - LaSalle, OH 12. Bailey Flanagan - Lake Highland Prep, FL 13. Stephen Little - Union County, KY 14. Anthony DeRosa - Bethlehem Catholic, PA 15. Anthony Rizzo - Brecksville, OH 16. Tye Rozell - Broken Arrow, OK 182 pounds 1. Anthony D'Alesio - Canfield, OH 2. Rylan Rogers - Blair Academy, NJ 3. Ashton Habeil - Lake Gibson, FL 4. Jake Evans - Elyria, OH 5. Nathan Warden - Christiansburg, VA 6. JT Davis - Smyrna, DE 7. Trevor Swier - Montini Catholic, IL 8. Micah Ervin - Union County, KY 9. Jack Darrah - Christian Brothers College, MO 10. Bryce Mattioda - Broken Arrow, OK 11. Cole Rees - Wyoming Seminary, PA 12. Cole Hivnor - Lake Catholic, OH 13. Walker Stephenson - Hillcrest, SC 14. Matt Rogers - Wantagh, NY 15. Lucas Cochran - Box Elder, UT 16. Dominic Solis - McDonogh, MD 195 pounds 1. Peyton Craft - Blair Academy, NJ 2. Sam Fisher - Fauquier, VA 3. Seth Shumate - Dublin Coffman, OH 4. Jack Wimmer - McDonogh, MD 5. Nicholas Feldman - Malvern Prep, PA 6. Emmanuel Skillings - Broken Arrow, OK 7. Jordan Greer - Avon, OH 8. Matt Kelly - Iona Prep, NY 9. Ben Vanadia - Brecksville, OH 10. Brent Paulus - Louisville, OH 11. Kyle Costello - Wyoming Seminary, PA 12. Dom Loparo - Wadsworth, OH 13. Josh LaBarbera - Montini Catholic, IL 14. Parker Warner - Mount St. Joseph, MD 15. Keith Bodnar - Steubenville, OH 16. Tai Carter - Perkins, OH 220 pounds 1. Braxton Amos - Parkersburg South, WV 2. Ethan Hatcher - Brecksville, OH 3. Kolby Franklin - Wyoming Seminary, PA 4. Noah Pettigrew - Blair Academy, NJ 5. Kyonte Hamilton - Georgetown Prep, MD 6. Grady Griess - Northwest, NE 7. Max Fausnaugh - Bowling Green, OH 8. Blake Robbins - Louisville, OH 9. Matt Kaplan - Lake Highland Prep, FL 10. Lazar Gasic - North Royalton, OH 11. Riley Ucker - Dublin Coffman, OH 12. Nik Mishka - Mt. Carmel, IL 13. Nick Lisco - St. Edward, OH 14. Nolan Neves - Graham, OH 15. Jake Noon - Findlay, OH 16. Chase Thompson - American Heritage, FL 285 pounds 1. Isaac Righter - Mount St. Joseph, MD 2. Garrett Kappes - McDonogh, MD 3. Andy Garcia - Pueblo East, CO 4. Kade Carlson - Corner Canyon, UT 5. Matthias Ervin - Union County, KY 6. Max Millin - Massillon Perry, OH 7. Cole Potts - St. Frances DeSales, OH 8. Cole Deery - Malvern Prep, PA 9. Kevin Hudson - Caesar Rodney, DE 10. Hugo Harp - Smyrna, DE 11. Nate Miller - Wyoming Seminary, PA 12. Ryan Elrod - St. John, OH 13. Caden Hill - Crestview, OH 14. Breslin Walker - Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, OH 15. Daniel Wirth - Beaver Local, OH 16. Ryan Howard - Waynesburg Central, PA

A high school wrestling coach was among those wounded in the mass shooting at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida on Friday. Ryan Blackwell is a staff member at Gulf Breeze High School, located near the Pensacola NAS in Florida's western Panhandle, as well as coach of the Gulf Breeze Wrestling Club. In addition, the 27-year-old Blackwell is an active duty member of the U.S. Navy. Here is the message the City of Gulf Breeze posted on its Facebook page Friday: "Gulf Breeze City Hall sends prayers and support for the recovery of Gulf Breeze High School assistant wrestling coach Ryan Blackwell. Coach Ryan is active duty Navy and was shot three times this morning in the senseless act of violence which killed three military people, injuring eleven in the Aviation Building. Coach Ryan's thoughts were with his team before going into surgery, as Coach Ryan called head wrestling coach Dave Daily of Gulf Breeze Wrestling Club to tell him he won't make this weekend's wrestling tournament. Coach Ryan is in stable condition…" Blackwell was taken to Baptist Hospital, along with seven others who were also wounded in the shooting. According to WITN-TV, the NBC affiliate in Greenville, N.C., Ryan Blackwell is an Eastern North Carolina native who attended Croatan High School in Carteret County. Blackwell made history as a senior by becoming just the second wrestler in county history to win two North Carolina state championships. He later wrestled for the NCAA Division II program at the University of North Carolina Pembroke at 141 pounds. Second Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, a member of the Saudi Air Force who was training to become a pilot, has been identified as the gunman. He reportedly used a handgun to fatally shoot three people and wound eight others on Friday morning in a classroom building at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola. The gunman was reportedly shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy. The base employs more than 16,000 military personnel and 7,400 civilians.

The documentary "Wrestle" which tells the stories of a handful of high school wrestlers from Alabama has been named one of the five best documentaries of 2019 by the National Board of Review, AL.com reported. Here's how InterMat opened its February 2019 article about the film's New York City premiere: "Get ready to get to know Jailen, Jamario, Teague and Jaquan ... four high school wrestlers from Huntsville, Alabama whose stories on and off the mat are the focus of a brand-new documentary titled 'Wrestle' which debuted in New York City this weekend…" The official website for "Wrestle" refers to an award-winning documentary about high school basketball in its description of its own film, stating, "'Hoop Dreams' goes to the mat in this intimate, coming-of-age documentary about four members of a high-school wrestling team at Huntsville's J.O. Johnson High School..." "Wrestle" is a multi-dimensional film which goes beyond the wrestling mat to focus on various issues, including struggles of life with a low income, racial profiling, the intense pressure of trying for a college scholarship, and the challenges of being a single parent. "Wrestle" producers Suzannah Herbert and Lauren Belfer "logged more than 650 hours of footage during the course of the team's final season before cutting it down to feature length," according to AL.com, a website for a number of major newspapers in Alabama. "Wrestle" is in good company. The other four films on the National Board of Review's list of top documentaries of this year include "American Factory", "Apollo 11", "The Black Godfather" and "Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story" by Martin Scorsese. What is the National Board of Review? According to the organization's official website, "Since 1909, the National Board of Review has dedicated its efforts to the support of cinema as both art and entertainment. Each year, this select group of film enthusiasts, filmmakers, professionals and academics of varying ages and backgrounds watches over 250 films and participates in illuminating discussions with directors, actors, producers and screenwriters before announcing their selections for the best work of the year in late November prior to an annual ceremony in January." Want to see "Wrestle" for yourself? It's always playing at the movie's official website.

Russia has been banned from the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) unanimously agreed to ban Russia from major international competitions for four years over doping non-compliance. That ban includes the 2020 Summer Olympics, 2022 Winter Olympics, World Cup, as well as other major international sporting events. Russia's flag and national anthem have also been banned from international events for four years. WADA's president Craig Reedie said, "For too long, Russian doping has detracted from clean sport. Russia was afforded every opportunity to get its house in order and re-join the global anti-doping community for the good of its athletes and of the integrity of sport, but it chose instead to continue in its stance of deception and denial." Russian athletes could still compete international events, including the Olympics, without their flag or anthem if they are able to provide evidence they are clean. Russia's anti-doping agency can appeal the decision within 21 days, but the head of Russia's anti-doping agency believes the decision is final. "There is no chance of winning this case in court," said Ganus.

Minnesota's Brayton Lee after winning the title at 149 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The Cliff Keen Las Vegas is the nation's premier regular season tournament. With so many ranked wrestlers and teams competing over two days, the tournament always gives fans plenty to discuss and reveals a lot about teams and wrestlers. This year is no exception. Let's examine four things we learned at this year's CKLV. Brayton Lee is a national title contender at 149 pounds In my 'Ten questions heading into Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational' feature, one of my questions was, 'Is freshman Sammy Sasso a national title threat at 149 pounds?' Based on his runner-up performance in his Las Vegas, Sasso certainly appears to be a title threat. However, Sasso wasn't the Big Ten freshman who stole the show at 149 pounds. It was Minnesota's Brayton Lee. He entered the tournament seeded fifth and ranked No. 9 nationally by InterMat. Lee faced a tough road to the title but came through with five straight decisions (no bonus-point wins). After beating Cal Poly's Joshy Cortez in the opening round, Lee topped two-time NCAA qualifier Josh Maruca of Arizona State, 9-4, in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Lee defeated No. 8-ranked Brock Zacherl of Clarion, 8-3. In the semifinals, Lee came from behind late to win 4-2 in sudden victory over Northern Iowa's Max Thomsen. Thomsen led 1-0 in the third period before Lee picked up a takedown with 30 seconds left. The match eventually went to sudden victory where Lee countered a Thomsen shot and scored the match-winning takedown. In the finals, Lee faced a familiar opponent in Sasso. Last season, while both were redshirting, Sasso defeated Lee in college and then again at the UWW Junior Nationals. However, Lee came back to beat Sasso at the UWW Junior World Trials to earn a spot on the Junior World Team. On Saturday, Lee came out on top again, earning a 6-4 victory. He scored takedowns in each of the first two periods and led 5-2 until a late takedown by Sasso, which cut the deficit to one. Lee was cut loose with under 15 seconds left and held on for the win. Lee's title in Las Vegas will catapult him in the rankings at 149 pounds. He improved his record this season to 13-1, with his only loss coming to No. 4 Boo Lewallen of Oklahoma State. ASU's Zahid Valencia had bonus-point victories in all five matches in Las Vegas (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Zahid Valencia is the Hodge Trophy frontrunner Valencia proved in Las Vegas that he is not only head and shoulders above the 184-pound field nationally, but also the frontrunner for the Hodge Trophy. Sure, the season is young and there are plenty of wrestlers dominating and making their cases for college wrestling's top individual honor, but the 2020 Hodge is Valencia's to lose. Las Vegas had almost all the nation's top 184-pounders, and Valencia earned bonus-point victories in all five of his matches. He had a two falls, a technical fall in the quarterfinals and major decisions in the semifinals and finals. For Valencia, it was his third Las Vegas title in three attempts, and he was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. Those making a case for other wrestlers to win the Hodge might point to Valencia's one-point win (8-7) over Nebraska's Taylor Venz on Nov. 10. But Valencia's performance in Las Vegas should stand out more than a one-point win over a past All-American in early November. Ohio State's Luke Pletcher scored 65 points in five matches in Las Vegas (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Luke Pletcher is an offensive juggernaut The two-time All-American Pletcher has long been criticized for winning close, low-scoring matches. It's time for wrestling fans to put that to rest. While some of the criticism may have been unfair, there is no denying that Pletcher has turned him his offense this season. That was on display in Las Vegas, where he blitzed a field that included four of the nation's top six 141-pounders. Pletcher scored 65 points in five matches, an average of 13 points per match. He scored double-digit points on All-Americans Chad Red of Nebraska and Mitch McKee of Minnesota. The Buckeye senior has beaten most of the national title contenders at 141-pounders, with the exception of Penn State All-American Nick Lee, who he will likely see on Feb. 15 in State College. Purdue's Dylan Lydy gets in on a shot against Nebraska's Mikey Labriola in the semifinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Purdue has several All-American threats The Purdue wrestling program has been on the rise since Tony Ersland took over as the Boilermakers' head wrestling coach in 2014. That rise has been steady. Purdue has finished the season ranked in the dual meet rankings in four of the past five seasons. Ersland has produced multiple top-25 recruiting classes, including a No. 7 class in 2016. He has twice matched a program high with eight NCAA qualifiers in 2015 and 2019. However, critics of the program will point to Purdue's conference dual meet records (3-6 in each of the past five seasons) and the lack of All-Americans (zero) under Ersland. This season, Purdue looks primed to break through and not only produce its first All-American under Ersland, but potentially multiple. The Boilermakers finished in fifth place in Las Vegas and had three finalists, including a champion, Dylan Lydy (174). Lydy defeated Nebraska's Mikey Labriola in the semifinals before topping Northern Iowa's Bryce Steiert in the finals. Devin Schroder (125) and Christian Brunner (197) finished second, both losing to returning national finalists. Junior 149-pounder Griffin Parriott and freshman 157-pounder Kendall Coleman both finished fourth. Parriott posted a 5-2 record, which included a win over 2017 All-American Max Thomsen of Northern Iowa. Coleman entered the tournament undefeated and only suffered losses to two-time All-American Hayden Hidlay of NC State and No. 3 David Carr of Iowa State, one of the nation's top freshmen.

PRINCETON, New Jersey -- University of Iowa sophomore Jacob Warner scored a takedown with three seconds on the clock to top No. 2 Pat Brucki, 5-4, and lead the top-ranked Hawkeyes past No. 12 Princeton on Sunday. Warner, ranked No. 3 at 197, entered the third period tied, 3-3. He trailed 4-3 following a Brucki escaped, but grabbed his first and only lead of the match with three seconds on the clock. "As the match went on I felt stronger and stronger," Warner said. "I got that takedown and I was a dog on a bone. I got to that leg, and I need to get there more, but when I got to that leg I wasn't letting go." Iowa won four of five matches after intermission to put the dual out of reach. Alex Marinelli won by fall in 6:20. Michael Kemerer won by 19-4 technical fall at 174, and Tony Cassioppi closed the dual with a 10-2 major decision at 285. Iowa led 12-6 at the break, getting wins from No. 1 DeSanto at 133, No. 9 Murin at 141, and No. 3 Lugo at 149. Lugo scored a reversal with 10 seconds left in the first tiebreak to defeat No. 14 Mike D'Angelo, 3-2. It was his third straight win against a ranked opponent. DeSanto racked up 12 takedowns in a 25-10 technical fall, and Murin used four takedowns and 3:30 of riding time to earn a 12-2 major decision. "Going to overtime I knew I was going to get the win. I was calm, cool and collected," Lugo said. Lugo nearly escaped to tie the match, 2-2, but failed to clear D'Angelo and came back with the match-winning reverse. "I thought about taking the one, but if the two is there I'm going to take it," Lugo said. "I thought it was there, we got into a little scramble and I knew I didn't have much time and couldn't stay there and wait for the stalemate. I have to go and can't put the match in the ref's hands." Iowa won seven-of-10 bouts and owned a 37-5 advantage in takedowns to earn the 30-9 win in front of 2,284 fans at Jadwin Gymnasium. NOTABLES DeSanto improved to 4-0 and won his first match as the top-ranked 133-pounder in the country. Murin earned his first major decision of the season. Lugo won his third straight match against a ranked opponent Marinelli's pin was his first of the season and 16th of his career. Kemerer has scored bonus points in all four matches this season (1 major, 1 pin, two technical falls). Warner defeated the highest-ranked opponent of his career. UP NEXT Iowa returns to the mat Dec. 29-30 at the 2019 Midlands Championships in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Results: 125 -- #4 Patrick Glory (P) dec. Aaron Cashman (IA), 10-4; 3-0; 0-3 133 -- #1 Austin DeSanto (IA) tech. fall Sean Pierson (P), 25-10; 5-3 141 -- #9 Max Murin (IA) major dec. Marshall Keller (P), 12-2; 9-3 149 -- #3 Pat Lugo (IA) dec. #14 Mike D'Angelo (P), 3-2 TB1; 12-3 157 -- #9 Quincy Monday (P) dec. #4 Kaleb Young (IA), 3-2; 12-6 165 -- #2 Alex Marinelli (IA) pinned Connor Melbourne (P), 6:20; 18-6 174 -- #3 Michael Kemerer (IA) tech. fall Kevin Parker (P), 19-4; 23-6 184 -- Travis Stefanik (P) dec. #10 Nelson Brands (IA), 7-6; 23-9 197 -- #3 Jacob Warner (IA) dec. #2 Patrick Brucki (P), 5-4; 26-9 285 -- #3 Tony Cassioppi (IA) major dec. Aiden Conner (P), 10-2; 30-9 Records: Iowa (4-0), Princeton (1-2) Attendance: 2,284

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lions (3-1, 0-0 B1G) won all but two bouts to rout the Penn Quakers (0-1) in sold out Rec Hall on Sunday. The Nittany Lions rode an early win at 125 and a career milestone in the second half to a 33-7 victory over the visiting Quakers. Senior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) picked up his 100th career victory in the dual while freshman Brandon Meredith (Limerick, Pa.) opened the action with a big win at 125. The dual was witnessed by 6,437 fans in the 50th straight sellout in Rec Hall. Penn State has sold out 55 of its last 57 home events, including 50 straight in Rec Hall and five of seven in the 16,000-seat Bryce Jordan Center. Meredith made his Rec Hall dual debut, stepping in for classmate Brody Teske (Duncombe, Iowa). Meredith energized the Rec Hall crowd with a furious close to the match. Meredith trailed 5-1 in the second and came back in the second and third periods to roll to an 8-5 win over No. 10 Michael Colaiocco. Sophomore Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 4 at 133, then continued the fast start, posting a dominant 21-9 major decision over Penn's Carmen Ferrante to give Penn State a 7-0 lead. Junior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 3 at 141, continued his torrid start to the season, posting a 13-4 major decision over Penn's Doug Zapf. Junior Luke Gardner (Pottsville, Pa.) got the nod at 149 and withstood a late flurry from Penn's Lucas Revano to post a hard-fought 7-6 victory, giving the Nittany Lions a 14-0 lead. Junior Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) stepped in for No. 6 Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.) at 157 and lost a tough 5-2 decision to No. 10 Anthony Artalona to close out the opening half. Penn State led 14-3 at the dual's midway point. Senior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, opened up the second half in style, pinning Jake Lizak at the 4:25 mark after leading 13-3 midway through the second period. Hall, ranked No. 1 at 174, dominated Penn's Neil Antrassian to post a 19-4 technical fall at the 7:00 mark. The victory was the 100th of Hall's career, improving his overall record to 100-5. True freshman Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.) made his Rec Hall dual debut for Penn State at 184 with No. 2 Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) still out. Brooks thrilled the Rec Hall faithful rolling to a 19-4 technical fall at the 6:03 mark in his home dual debut. Graduate senior Kyle Conel (Ashtabula, Ohio), ranked No. 20 at 197, bolted out to a big early lead on Penn's Cole Urbas and then withstood an injury late in the second period to post a 6-5 victory to put Penn State up 33-3. With No. 1 Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.) held out at 285, sophomore 197-pounder Austin Hoopes (Afton, Wyo.) moved up to 285 where he dropped a 14-4 major to Penn's Joey Slackman in the dual's final bout. Penn State posted a lopsided 36-10 advantage in takedowns. The Nittany Lions tacked on nine bonus points off a pin (Joseph), two tech falls (Hall, Brooks) and two majors (Bravo-Young, Lee). Penn State is now 3-1 overall, 0-0 in the Big Ten. Penn falls to 0-1. The Nittany Lions return to action on Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, hosting Illinois in Rec Hall at 7 p.m. Two days later, the Lions host Northwestern in Rec Hall on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 2 p.m. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here. Results: 125: Brandon Meredith PSU dec. #10 Michael Colaiocco PENN, 8-5 3-0 133: #4 Roman Bravo-Young PSU maj. dec. Carmen Ferrante PENN, 21-9 7-0 141: #3 Nick Lee PSU maj. dec. Doug Zapf PENN, 13-4 11-0 149: Luke Gardner PSU dec. Lucas Revano PENN, 7-6 14-0 157: #10 Anthony Artalona PENN dec. Bo Pipher PSU, 5-2 14-3 165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph PSU pinned Jake Lizak PENN, WBF (4:25) 20-3 174: #1 Mark Hall PSU tech fall Neil Antrassian PENN, 19-4 (TF; 7:00) 25-3 184: Aaron Brooks PSU tech fall Jesse Antrassian PENN, 19-4 (TF; 6:03) 30-3 197: #20 Kyle Conel PSU dec. Cole Urbas PENN, 6-5 33-3 285: Joey Slackman PENN maj. dec. Austin Hoopes PSU, 14-4 33-7 Attendance: 6,437 (50th straight sellout in Rec Hall, 55 of 57 overall including five of seven in the BJC) Records: Penn State (3-1, 0-0 B1G); Penn (0-1) Up Next for Penn State: Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, home vs. Illinois at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: Redshirt freshman Brandon Meredith (Limerick, Pa.) made his Rec Hall dual debut at 125, stepping in for teammate Brody Teske (Duncombe, Iowa), and took on No. 10 Michael Colaiocco. Meredith and Colaiocco battled evenly for the first :30 but the ranked Quaker got in on a single leg and turned Meredith to the mat for a takedown and an early 2-0 lead. The Lion escaped to a 2-1 score with 1:42 and action continued neutral. Meredith nearly connected on a single that forced a slight scramble at the 1:00 mark but neither man was able to finish off the move. Colaiocco then moved through a high double to open up a 4-1 lead with another takedown with :40 on the clock. Leading 4-1, Colaiocco chose down to start the second stanza. The Quaker escaped to a 5-1 lead then Meredith connected on an excellent high shot for his first takedown, cutting the lead to 5-3 at the 1:20 mark. The Lion then controlled the action from the top position for the remainder of the period to finish on top. Trailing 5-3, Meredith chose down to start the third period. The Nittany Lion freshman quickly escaped to a 5-4 score and action resumed in the center circle. Meredith connected on a low single and finished off the takedown to lead 6-5 at the 1:00 mark. Meredith picked up another point on a stall and then stayed on top as he worked his riding time edge over 1:00. Meredith finished off the dual in control, with 1:39 in riding time, and closed out his first Rec Hall dual meet with an 8-5 upset victory over the 10th-ranked Quaker. 133: Sophomore Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 4 at 133, met Penn sophomore Carmen Ferrante. The duo battled evenly for the first minute-plus. Bravo-Young took an early lead with a swift counter takedown at the 1:30 mark. He then zipped in on a fast single for his second takedown to lead 4-1 at the 1:00 mark. Bravo-Young cut Ferrante loose and went to work on offense again. The Lion sophomore moved in on a low shot and finished off his third takedown at the :20 mark to lead 6-2 after one period. Ferrante chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 6-3 score. Bravo-Young quickly worked the Quaker's head to the mat and moved around for another takedown and an 8-4 lead after cutting him loose. Bravo-Young picked up his fifth takedown seconds later to lead 10-5 and then picked up a sixth takedown with :30 left in the period. The Lion sophomore finished on top and led 12-5 with 1:47 in riding time after two periods. Bravo-Young chose neutral to start the third period. He connected on a low single for a 14-5 lead with 1:30 left. Ferrante took a slight shot but Bravo-Young muscled through for a counter takedown and a 16-6 lead. He added two more takedowns and, with 2:34 in riding time, rolled to the 21-9 major decision. 141: Junior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 3 at 141, took on Penn's Doug Zapf. Lee scored early on a fast takedown at the 2:20 mark and then went to work on top, looking for a chance to turn Zapf. Lee cut the Quaker loose with 1:45 on the clock and then took a 4-1 lead with a low shot and takedown at the 1:00 mark. Lee finished the period on top and led 4-1 with 1:34 in riding time after the opening period. Lee chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. He immediately turned in on a shot and took Zapf down to open up a 7-2 lead after cutting the Quaker loose. Lee quickly picked up another takedown, cut Zapf at the 1:00 mark, and finished the second period in neutral to lead 9-3 with 1:54 in riding time. Zapf chose down to start the third period and Lee built his time edge up over 2:00. Lee forced Zapf into a stall, cut him loose and then took him down to lead 11-4 with :50 left in the bout. The Lion junior picked up a 12th point on another Zapf stall and spent the rest of the period in control to finish on top. Lee had 3:45 in riding time and rolled to a 13-4 major decision. 149: Junior Luke Gardner (Pottsville, Pa.) got the call at 149 and met Lucas Revano. Gardner took a quick lead with a fast takedown in the middle of the mat at the 2:36 mark. The Lion junior maintained control of Revano for the next :30 and then cut him loose to a 2-1 score. Gardner quickly connected on a low single on the edge of the mat and steadily pulled a fleeing Revano back into play, finishing off the takedown to lead 4-1 with 1:21 on the clock. Revano was able to roll through a scramble on the edge of the mat for a reversal to cut Gardner's lead to 4-3 with :40 left in the opening period. Gardner quickly escaped to a 5-3 lead that he carried into the second stanza. Gardner chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 6-3 lead with 1:35 on the clock. The duo battled evenly for the final minute of the period and Gardner led 6-3 after two periods. Revano chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 6-4 score quickly. Revano connected on a high single at the 1:30 mark, forcing a scramble on the edge of the mat. Gardner worked hard to fight off the move and was able to keep action neutral. The officials stopped the bout after things moved out of bounds and went to review on their own, checking to see if Revano had scored. The takedown was given, Revano cut Gardner loose on the reset and the Lion led 7-6 with :40 left. The Lion was able to fight off Revano's late offense and posted the hard-fought 7-6 victory. 157: Junior Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) continued step up for No. 6 Brady Berge at 157 and battled No. 10 Anthony Artalona. The duo battled evenly for the first minute-plus as neither wrestler was able to find an offensive opening. Artalona was able to connect on a high single at the :45 mark and then finished off the takedown for a 2-0 lead with :40 on the clock. After a slow walk back to center and some blood time, Artalona was able to finish the period on top to lead by two after one period. Artalona chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 3-0 lead at 1:42. Pipher worked the middle of the mat, looking for a takedown, but was unable to break through Artalona's defense as the clock moved below :30. Trailing 3-0, Pipher chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 3-1 score. Artalona moved in on another high shot and finished off the takedown to up his lead to 5-1 at the 1:30 mark. Pipher escaped to a 5-2 score with 1:10 on the clock. The Lion junior was not able to connect offensively as the clock wound down and dropped the 5-2 decision. 165: Senior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, took on Penn senior Jake Lizak. Joseph connected on a fast, low single and took an early 2-0 lead. The Lion senior then cut Lizak loose and moved in for a second takedown to lead 4-1 with 1:05 on the clock. Joseph built up over 1:00 in riding time as he forced Lizak into a first stall and then cut him loose at the :25 mark. Joseph finished the period on top with a takedown at the :12 mark to lead 6-2 with 1:56 in riding time. Joseph grabbled a point off another stall, then turned Lizak to his back at the 1:30 mark to lead 11-2 after four back points. Joseph took Lizak down again to lead 13-3 and then locked up a cradle. The Lion senior finished off the pin at the 4:25 mark. 174: Senior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 1 at 174, met Penn senior Neil Antrassian. Hall took the Quaker down quickly, cut him loose and added a second fast takedown to lead 4-1 at the 2:15 mark. Hall went to work on top, building up nearly 1:00 in riding time before cutting Antrassian loose. Hall quickly added another takedown and led 6-2 with 1:15 left in the period. Hall spent the next :30 trying to find a turning combination but settled for a rideout and a 6-2 lead with 2:13 in riding time after one period of action. Hall chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way to a reversal and an 8-2 lead. The Lion senior added another takedown to lead 10-3 with :50 left and then turned Antrassian to his back for four near fall points to lead 14-3 with 2:57 in time after two. Antrassian chose neutral to start the third period. Hall lifted Antrassian up and took him down for a takedown at the 1:30 mark, cut him loose and led 16-4. Hall added one more takedown and finished the bout on top. The Lion had 3:57 in riding time to post the 19-4 technical fall at the 7:00 mark, picking up his 100th career win in the process. 184: True freshman Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.) made his Rec Hall dual debut at 184 with No. 2 Shakur Rasheed still out. Brooks took on Penn's Jesse Quatse. Brooks scored quickly, taking Quatse down to lead 2-1 out of the gate. The Lion freshman then countered a Quatse high single to lead 4-1. He cut the Quaker loose with 1:25 on the clock. Brooks countered a slight Quatse shot, gained control of his arm and notched a takedown to lead 6-2 with :50 left in the period. The Lion true freshman finished on top and carried that lead, with 1:35 in riding time, into the second stanza. Brooks chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 7-2 lead. He quickly turned in on offense, worked Quatse's shoulders down, and notched another takedown to open up a 9-2 lead. Brooks went work on top, locked up a cradle and turned Quatse to his back for four nearfall points and a 13-2 lead. He cut the Quaker loose with :25 left in the period and finished off the period with a takedown at the :12 mark to lead 15-3 with nearly 3:00 in riding time. Brooks chose neutral to start the third period. He took Quatse down, cut him loose, and finished off the bout with a final takedown to post the 19-4 technical fall at the 6:03 mark. 197: Graduate senior Kyle Conel (Ashtabula, Ohio), ranked No. 20 at 197, took on Penn freshman Cole Urbas. Conel opened up a big lead early. The Lion senior rolled through a high shot, took Urbas down to his back and led 6-0 less than :20 into the bout. Urbas escaped to a 6-1 score with 1:45 on the clock and Conel went to work on offense again. Conel nearly notched a second takedown but Urbas was able to work his way out of bounds to keep the bout close at the 1:00 mark. The duo finished in neutral and Conel led 6-1 with :54 in time after the opening period. Conel chose neutral to start the second period. He connected on a high single but Urbas once again defended the shot to stay neutral at 1:35. The duo battled evenly for the minute with neither wrestler working their way in on offense. Conel suffered an injury as the period wound down and gave up a takedown as the clock moved to :05. The Lion led 6-3 after two periods and chose down to start the third stanza. The Lion gave up a stall point and was unable to work his way free of Urbas' ride as the clock moved to the :20 mark. Urbas picked up a final point on another stall but Conel's big early move allowed him to hold on for the thrilling 6-5 win. 285: Austin Hoopes (Afton, Wyo.) stepped in for No. 1 Anthony Cassar at 285 to take on Penn's Joey Slackman. Slackman, holding a big weight advantage of the Lion 197-pounder, took an early lead with a quick takedown and then built up a sizeable riding time edge as the clock moved below :40: Hoopes escaped to a 2-1 score with :30 on the clock and trailed 2-1 after the opening period. Slackman chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. The Quaker then took Hoopes down again and led 5-2 after cutting the Nittany Lion loose. Slackman added another takedown and Hoopes worked his way to an escape to trail 7-3 after two periods. Hoopes chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 7-4 score. Hoopes took a solid shot that Slackman was able to counter for a takedown. The Quaker added another takedown and four near fall points. With riding time, Slackman posted the 14-4 major over Hoopes.

MORGANTOWN, WV -- The University at Buffalo wrestling team defeated West Virginia, 24-12, at the WVU Coliseum on Sunday afternoon. It was the first win over a Big 12 Conference opponent in program history. Head Coach John Stutzman leaned on his young lineup and they responded. Four of the Bulls' six wins in the dual came from first-year starters. "Another barn burner, but this time we came out on top," Stutzman said. "I'm going to say this again, I love this team. They fight hard and the best part is, we're starting four to five freshmen and a few others that are first time starters." After falling behind, 3-0, in the dual, Derek Spann continued his dominant ways with a 19-4 technical fall win over Lucas Seibert. It was his second tech fall of the weekend. Spann was sparked by a 4-point nearfall late in the first period. He added a 4-point nearfall and a 2-point nearfall in the second period to pull away. Redshirt-freshman Marcus Robinson followed with a 12-1 major decision at 141 to extend the UB lead to 9-3. Robinson jumped out early with a takedown and a 4-point nearfall in the first period. Two third-period takedowns helped John Arceri earn a 6-2 decision over Liam Lusher at 149. The highlight of the day came in the 157 match by Hunter Shaut. The UB freshman needed only 1:12 to pin Alex Hornfeck. After being taken down, Shaut quickly got a reversal and the pin. Troy Keller used a first-period takedown and reversal to set the tone in a 5-2 decision over Nick Kiussis. It was Keller's sixth-straight dual win. Taylor Cahill earned sudden-victory decision at 165 for Buffalo's sixth straight win. With the match tied, 5-5, Cahill got a takedown in the first overtime to earn his first dual win as a Bull. With UB leading, 24-3, West Virginia was able to win the final three matches by decision to make the final score, 24-12. The Bulls will be back in action next Sunday when they host Missouri at Alumni Arena. Results: 125: Joey Thomas (West Virginia) over Jordan Reyes (Buffalo) (Dec 8-1) 133: Derek Spann (Buffalo) over Lucas Seibert (West Virginia) (TF 19-4 5:33) 141: Marcus Robinson (Buffalo) over Caleb Rea (West Virginia) (MD 12-1) 149: John Arceri (Buffalo) over Liam Lusher (West Virginia) (Dec 6-2) 157: Hunter Shaut (Buffalo) over Alex Hornfeck (West Virginia) (Fall 1:12) 165: Troy Keller (Buffalo) over Nick Kiussis (West Virginia) (Dec 5-2) 174: Taylor Cahill (Buffalo) over Scott Joll (West Virginia) (SV-1 7-5) 184: Jackson Moomau (West Virginia) over Peter Acciardi (Buffalo) (Dec 5-3) 197: Noah Adams (West Virginia) over Sam Schuyler (Buffalo) (Dec 10-3) 285: Brandon Ngati (West Virginia) over Nolan Terrance (Buffalo) (Dec 2-0)

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. -- Central Michigan got back-to-back pins from Matt Stencel and Drew Hildebrandt to take control on Sunday as the Chippewas posted a 28-10 Mid-American Conference wrestling dual-meet victory over 20th-ranked Rider. The victory was CMU's second of the weekend as it improved to 2-1, 2-0 MAC. Rider is 3-1, 2-1. On Friday, the Chippewas topped No. 25 Lock Haven, 24-12. Just as they did on Friday against Lock Haven, the Chippewas scored bonus points in three of their seven wins against Rider. "We worked really hard the last couple of weeks and our guys really responded," CMU coach Tom Borrelli said. "It paid off in both meets this weekend, and it really paid off more so today. We told our guys before these two matches that the way they trained over the past couple of weeks that no one would wrestle with them the full seven minutes. It was really tough for those teams to match our conditioning." The two weekend victories came over two MAC newcomers. The fact that both were ranked by the National Wrestling Coaches Association and that both victories came on the road is a confidence boost to CMU, which dropped its dual-meet opener two weeks ago at Michigan, 22-12. "I think we're gaining confidence," Borrelli said. "The biggest thing is being able to wrestle with composure in tough environments. Some of our guys are pretty young and every time you do that and you start having some success you gain confidence." One of those youngsters, redshirt freshman Tracy Hubbard, got the Chippewas off to a good start on Sunday with a 3-2 win as the meet began at 165 pounds. Hubbard won with a bonus point for riding time. Rider, which earlier this season knocked off sixth-ranked Minnesota, 21-17, in a nonconference dual, won the next three matches to seize a 10-3 lead. It was all CMU after that. Stencel, ranked seventh nationally at 285, drew the Chippewas to 10-9 with a pin, his eighth of the season as he improved to 13-3. Hildebrandt, ranked ninth at 125, followed with a pin, his second of the year, to up his record to 13-1. His win put CMU in front for good, 15-10. "Both (Stencel and Hildebrandt) got taken down in their matches so they had to come back," Borrelli said. "Hildebrandt was actually losing in the third period by a point. He took (his opponent) down twice and turned him twice and then he pinned him. "He and Stencel responded really well. Both of those guys being good on top, that really helped them." The Chippewas then got decision victories from Brock Bergelin (133), Dresden Simon (141), Corbyn Munson (149) and Logan Parks (157) to close the dual and win going away. Simon, who is ranked 23rd, posted a 14-5 major-decision win, his second major win of the weekend. On Friday, he scored an 18-5 win over 12th-ranked Kyle Shoop of Lock Haven. Simon is 12-4 on the season; five of his victories have come by major decision. Simon had lost his previous two matches before the weekend, 11-5 to third-ranked Nick Lee of Penn State, and 11-8 to Michigan's Cole Mattin. Simon led early in the match with Mattin. "He had two big majors and the one on Friday night was really big," Borrelli said of Simon. "He's made some changes since that disappointment at Michigan. I think he decided he wants to wrestle for seven minutes and not worry about winning and losing and if you get that mindset you're dangerous." Munson, a redshirt freshman, won his match with graduate student Gino Fluri, scoring a takedown as time expired, while Bergelin overcame a 2-0 deficit to score eight unanswered points. Munson, Parks, Hildebrandt, Stencel and Hubbard along with Simon went 2-0 on the weekend. They scored bonus points in six of their combined 12 victories in the two duals. The Chippewas go to the Midlands Championships in Hoffman Estates, Ill. on Sunday and Monday, Dec. 29-30. Results: 125: Drew Hildebrandt (C) pinned Jonathan Tropea, 6:35 133: Brock Bergelin (C) dec. Chris Wright, 8-2 141: Dresden Simon (C) major dec. Robert Cleary, 14-5 149: Corbyn Munson (C) dec. Gino Fluri, 3-1 157: Logan Parks (C) dec. Gary Dinmore, 6-3 165: Tracy Hubbard (C) dec. Georgio Poullas, 3-2 174: Dean Sherry (R) dec. Jake Lowell, 8-3 184: George Walton (R) major dec. Ben Cushman, 20-7 197: Ethan Laird (R) dec. Landon Pelham, 3-2 285: Matt Stencel (C) pinned Ryan Cloud, 2:14

PHILADELPHIA -- The 10th-ranked University of Pittsburgh wrestling team shutout Drexel, 33-0, Sunday afternoon at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. With the win, the Panthers improve to 4-1 on the year, while the Dragons move to 2-2 overall. "We saw a lot of good wrestling out of our guys today," said head coach Keith Gavin. "I think in some weight classes we needed to do a better job of building our lead and finishing the match strong. But, overall, we continue to make progress and that was nice to see." The last time Pitt shutout an opponent was Jan. 13, 2019 when the Panthers defeated South Dakota State, 34-0, in Brookings. Redshirt sophomore Nino Bonaccorsi recorded his fourth major decision of the year at 184 pounds to give the Panthers a 4-0 lead in the dual. Bonaccorsi scored seven takedowns, an escape, penalty point and riding time to defeat Owen Brooks, 17-5. The double-digit win was his seventh of the year. At 197 pounds, redshirt senior Kellan Stout returned to the win column after earning a 6-1 decision over Drexel's Bryan McLaughlin. After a scoreless first period, Stout began the second on top and would remain there for the entire frame. Working with two minutes of riding time, Stout escaped off bottom to start the third and scored a takedown for a 3-0 lead. McLaughlin escaped but it wouldn't be enough as Stout then took him down and added his final point with riding time. Moving to heavyweight, senior Demetrius Thomas improved to 7-2 on the year after defeating Sean O'Malley in an 11-3 major decision. Thomas scored three takedowns in the first period to lead 6-2 and added five more points via penalty point, escape, takedown and riding time en route to the major decision. Thomas' win gave the Panthers an 11-0 lead through the first three bouts. At 125 pounds, sophomore Louis Newell recorded his second win this week after defeating Antonio Mininno in a 10-5 decision. Newell scored four takedowns, an escape and riding time for his fourth win of the year. Redshirt sophomore Micky Phillippi continued his winning ways at 133 pounds, recording a 12-3 major decision over Chandler Olson. The fifth-ranked wrestler led 5-0 entering the third frame, and scored three takedowns and added a final point with riding time to secure the major decision. Phillippi's win boosted Pitt to an 18-0 lead. Redshirt freshman Cole Matthews picked up his sixth win of the season after defeating Julian Flores in a 2-0 decision at 141 pounds. Matthews used an escape and riding time to outlast his Drexel opponent. At 149 pounds, redshirt freshman Luke Kemerer also recorded his second win this week after outlasting Jared Donahue, 4-2. Kemerer struck first, but Donahue escape would give him a 2-1 lead after the first period. He started the second on bottom and Donahue escaped to tie it 2-2, however a penalty point would give Kemerer the lead again. Kemerer started the third on bottom and escaped to secure the win, 4-2. At 157 pounds, freshman Anthony Colello made his collegiate dual debut and recorded an 8-4 win over Felix Belga. Colello trailed through the first two periods, 4-2, but battled back in the third. Starting the final frame on bottom, Colello escaped and scored a takedown to take the lead, 5-4. Belga then received back-to-back stall warnings and added his final point with riding time. His win gave the Panthers a 27-0 lead. 165 pounds featured a top-20 ranked match in 11th-ranked Jake Wentzel and No. 16 Ebed Jarrell. Wentzel, a redshirt junior, fell behind in the first period, 4-2, but quickly took the lead after a reversal and four nearfall to end the first. Wentzel held on to his lead and added an escape in the third for the win. His victory gave Pitt a 30-0 lead entering the final bout. Redshirt junior Gregg Harvey was the final Panther to wrestle and completed the shutout with a 6-2 win over Michael O'Malley at 174 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Harvey jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second. He extended his lead in the third with a takedown and final point with riding time. The Panthers continue their road stretch Friday, Dec. 20 at Maryland at 7 p.m. Results: 184: #8 Nino Bonaccorsi (UP) maj. dec. Owen Brooks (DU), 17-5 – Pitt leads 4-0 197: Kellan Stout (UP) dec. Bryan McLaughlin (DU), 6-1 – Pitt leads 7-0 285: #9 Demetrius Thomas (UP) maj. dec. Sean O'Malley (DU), 11-3 – Pitt leads 11-0 125: Louis Newell (UP) dec. Antonio Mininno (DU), 10-5 – Pitt leads 14-0 133: #5 Micky Phillippi (UP) maj. dec. Chandler Olson (DU), 12-3 – Pitt leads 18-0 141: #19 Cole Matthews (UP) dec. Julian Flores (DU), 2-0 – Pitt leads 21-0 149: Luke Kemerer (UP) dec. Jared Donahue (DU), 4-2 – Pitt leads 24-0 157: Anthony Colello (UP) dec. Felix Belga (DU), 8-4 – Pitt leads 27-0 165: #11 Jake Wentzel (UP) dec. #16 Ebed Jarrell (DU), 9-5 – Pitt leads 30-0 174: Gregg Harvey (UP) dec. Michael O'Malley (DU), 6-2 – Pitt wins 33-0

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- No. 12 Nicolas Aguilar (125) and No. 24 Gerard Angelo (149) picked up pins, Joseph Grello (174) worked a win over a ranked foe and Rutgers wrestling (6-0, 1-0) defeated Maryland (1-2, 0-1) in its Big Ten Conference opener, 28-11, Saturday night in front of 5,405 fans at the RAC. The Scarlet Knights claimed seven out of 10 bouts against the Terrapins to secure their sixth consecutive dual victory in the series. No. 24 Christin Colucci (HWT) earned his third major decision of the season, while No. 19 Sammy Alvarez (133), JoJo Aragona (141) and Billy Janzer (184) added decisions in their Big Ten debuts. "I thought we came out of the gates really well," said head coach Scott Goodale. "So much for the whole freshman thing, as they really showed up tonight and wrestled really hard. I thought for the most part that we were really aggressive and we were really good on top tonight. That has me fired up." NOTABLES • First Career Big Ten Dual Wins (5): Nicolas Aguilar (125), Sammy Alvarez (133), JoJo Aragona (141), Gerard Angelo (149), Billy Janzer (184) • Pins (2): Nicolas Aguilar (125), Gerard Angelo (149) • Major Decisions (1): Christian Colucci (HWT) HOW IT HAPPENED • Rutgers won its first four bouts of the night, jumpstarted by Aguilar's pin of two-time NJSIAA state champion Brandon Cray. Aguilar landed a takedown in the first 10 seconds of the match, but Cray countered with his own takedown before an Aguilar escape made it 3-3 after one. After starting the second period on top, Aguilar got Cray on his back for the fall in his RAC debut to give Rutgers a 6-0 lead right out of the gate. • Alvarez followed and mimicked Aguilar's quick start with a takedown in the first 30 seconds of his match with King Sandoval. Alvarez added a second takedown late in the first period, reversed Sandoval in the third period and controlled the majority of the match for a 7-4 decision. • After missing the past few weeks to injury, Aragona's first-period takedown proved to be the difference in his 2-0 decision over Hunter Baxter, as the Scarlet Knights led 12-0 through their first three matches. • Angelo followed with an impressive performance in his Big Ten Conference debut against Michael Doetsch. After a scoreless first period, Angelo started top in period two and caught Doetsch in a cradle on the far edge of the circle. Angelo locked up the fall at the 4:13 mark in the match for his third pin of the season and first in dual action. • A come-from-behind attempt from Michael Van Brill (157) in his bout fell short, as Rutgers led Maryland, 18-3, at intermission. • After Brett Donner (165) lost by decision out of the break, Grello answered with his ranked matchup against No. 20 Philp Spadafora. Grello caught Spadafora with a single-leg takedown by the scorer's table for a 2-0 lead in the first period, added an escape in the second and held off the ranked foe for a 3-2 win. It was Grello's first action since the season opener as he has dealt with an injury. • After a scoreless first period, Janzer left no doubt in his matchup with Kyle Jasenski. The redshirt freshman registered two takedowns and two escape points for a 5-0 lead in the second period, and closed out his 7-2 decision with a takedown with 0:29 left in the bout for his 11th victory of the season. • No. 14 Jordan Pagano (197) suffered a pin in the first period of his bout, but Colucci closed out the dual with his major decision over Parker Robinson. Colucci collected five takedowns and the riding time point for his ninth win in 2019-20. Results: 125: No. 12/16/14 Nicolas Aguilar (RU) over Brandon Cray (UMD) by fall (4:24); RU leads, 6-0 133: No. 19/16/20 Sammy Alvarez (RU) over King Sandoval (UMD) by decision, 9-4; RU leads, 9-0 141: JoJo Aragona (RU) over Hunter Baxter (UMD) by decision, 2-0; RU leads, 12-0 149: No. NR/24/NR Gerard Angelo (RU) over Michael Doetsch (UMD) by fall (4:13); RU leads, 18-0 157: Jahi Jones (UMD) over Michael Van Brill (RU) by decision, 6-2; Rutgers leads, 18-3 165: Kyle Cochran (UMD) over Brett Donner (RU) by decision, 4-0; Rutgers leads, 18-6 174: No. 18/12/15 Joseph Grello (RU) over No. 20/16/NR Philip Spadafora (UMD) by decision, 3-2; Rutgers leads, 21-6 184: Billy Janzer (RU) over Kyle Jasenski (UMD) by decision, 7-2; Rutgers leads, 24-6 197: Jaron Smith (UMD) over No. 14/13/14 Jordan Pagano (RU) by fall (0:52); Rutgers leads, 24-11* HWT: No. NR/24/NR Christian Colucci (RU) over Parker Robinson (UMD) by major decision, 13-4; Rutgers wins, 28-11 *Maryland deducted one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct UP NEXT Rutgers gets a few weeks off before it competes at the Southern Scuffle from Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Post Match Quotes Rutgers Head Coach Scott Goodale On tonight's match: "Yes, kind of what we expected. I thought we came out of the gates really well. So much for the whole freshman thing, I guess they really showed up tonight and wrestled really hard. I think we went 5-0 with the young guys. It's a Big Ten dual, you don't ever apologize. I thought we wrestled hard. We obviously have to get a lot better. It was Joe's (Grello) first time on the mat in a long time wrestling a ranked kid, so good for him, that was good. We'll get better. We have to get better in a lot of different positions. I thought for the most part that we were really aggressive and we were really good on top tonight. That has me fired up." On young wrestlers being aggressive: "I think our motto all week long was to get to these guys legs right away and don't wait. You saw a bunch of matches early on when we were in on their legs right away. I think Nic (Aguilar) had a takedown in the first 5 seconds and Sammy (Alvarez) hit a shrug inside 30 seconds, Joe (Grello) was in on a shot quick. We were ultra-aggressive on top. Obviously, I think we feel comfortable on the mat in the top position. It makes me fired up about that." On Gerard Angelo: "Ultra-dangerous, he's so dangerous. It's awesome. He's very, very dangerous. He's good on top. There's been a lot of moments so far this year that he's thrown guys to their backs and that's a hard thing to do. At this level, it's a hard thing to do to score falls, it really is. He's been awesome that way and he's always in a match because of it. He has a lot of work to do too, we have to get him a go to shot, but he'll always be in a match because of those. He's an incredible athlete who has great strength." On Billy Janzer: "He's super intense. He trains at a really high level with Joe (Grello), with Jordan (Pagano), and with Matt (Correnti). He has a good room. He uses all of our resources, he uses our staff, he's constantly trying to learn. He hit something tonight, he's usually an under hook and went to the other side of the body. That's great, that's progression. He has a lot that you can't teach. He believes he's the toughest person out there and that's just the way things are. He's a fighter and he likes things physical. He likes it in your face and when that match is going like that and he gets going like that, he enjoys that. He's going to be a crowd favorite because of it." 125-pounder Nicolas Aguilar On wrestling at the RAC for the first time: "I'm not going to lie; in the beginning I was pretty nervous. You know, the first time in the RAC with all of those fans and everything. As soon as I set in and got comfortable with the arena and the mat, I started calming down a little bit and getting to what I do. I got on top, got comfortable, and got the pin." On the pace early on: "I think it's critical. If I keep my pace up, not a lot of people can really hang with the speed and how fast I'm moving all of the time. I think it's one of those things I have on everyone. It's a little edge I have." 174-pounder Joseph Grello On being back on the mat: "It felt great. I mean, I feel a little rusty, it's been about a month. I think it was a great warm up match. That kid wrestled a lot of matches already and he beat a couple of ranked guys and it felt good. I have a lot to do, a lot of work to put through, but overall a win is a win."

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- No. 12 Mizzou Wrestling earned the 2019 Cougar Clash Tournament Championship Saturday (Dec. 7), earning 138.5 total team points to defeat No. 9 Wisconsin, Michigan State, Little Rock, Brown and SIU-Edwardsville. Mizzou had five grapplers earn titles at their respective weight classes. Second-ranked Brock Mauller took home the title at 149 pounds and his high school teammate and classmate No. 14 Jarrett Jacques earned top honors at 157 pounds. Jeremiah Kent took home the title at 174 while scoring a team-high 17.5 points for the team, tallying a fall and a technical fall on the day. At 184 pounds, Dylan Wisman took home top honors and Wyatt Koelling earned the title at 197 pounds. Below are the complete team scores from Saturday's action: 1. No. 12 Missouri - 138.5 2. No. 9 Wisconsin - 121.5 3. Michigan State - 114.5 4. Little Rock - 57.5 5. Brown - 48.5 6. SIUE - 48.0

FAIRFAX, Va. - The Army West Point wrestling team returned to competition Saturday at the Patriot Open hosted by George Mason University. The Black Knights earned five individual titles on their way to the top overall team point total. "I felt like we performed well," said head coach Kevin Ward. "I was especially proud to see the number of individuals we put into the finals. Sahm [Abdulrazzaq] and [Markus] Hartman both winning their first collegiate tournaments is a big thing for those guys." 10 Cadets made it to respective finals matches on the day, with champions coming at 157 lbs. (Hartman), 165 lbs. (Cael McCormick), 184 lbs. (Abdulrazzaq), 197 lbs. (NC between Alex Hopkins and J.T. Brown), and 285 lbs. (Ben Sullivan). Army finished the day with an astounding 297.5 total points among the 31 teams at the competition. Columbia was second with 98.5, and American rounded out the top three with 95.5 team points. Hartman went 5-0 on the day, with a fall and two technical falls for his first collegiate tournament title. McCormick earned his second tournament title of the season (Black Knight Invite) at 165 pounds. The senior went 4-0 -- all decision victories throughout the day. Getting a chance to compete at 184 pounds, Abdulrazzaq took full advantage of the opportunity. The freshman, who went to high school in Virginia, also went 4-0 overall. His finals victory was an extra-time thriller, as he took down Brian Bonino of NYC RTC with a 4-3 decision. Both Alex Hopkins and J.T. Brown advanced for Army into the 197 lb. final, but the match was not contested. In Hopkins' four victories, he earned a fall, tech. fall, major decision, and a decision. Brown scored a major decision and two decisions on the day. In the heavyweight division, it was another all-Army final between Ben Sullivan and Bobby Heald. Sullivan went 4-0 overall -- including earning a fall victory in the round of 16 -- on the way to his finals victory. "Overall I still think we have a lot of room to grow, added Ward. "We made some mental mistakes in some tough matches that cost us some matches we really wanted. We can't be satisfied with being close to winning. This is a team that is capable of winning 10 weights at this tournament and we need to keep improving. We can still jump levels"

ASU's Zahid Valencia was named Outstanding Wrestler at the CKLV (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) LAS VEGAS -- Arizona State's Zahid Valencia entered this year's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational with an undefeated record in the tournament. After winning CKLV titles as a freshman and sophomore, the Sun Devils did not compete last year in Las Vegas. On Saturday, Valencia kept his undefeated CKLV record intact as he cruised to his third straight title -- first at 184 pounds -- and claimed Outstanding Wrestler honors. He earned bonus point victories in all five of his matches. The Sun Devil senior opened with two falls. He then won by technical fall in the quarterfinals before getting major decisions in both the semifinals and finals. Valencia's finals victory came over NC State freshman Trent Hidlay, 12-4. Three other wrestlers repeated as champions: Northwestern's Ryan Deakin (157), Nebraska's Isaiah White (165) and Ohio State's Kollin Moore (197). Ryan Deakin defeated No. 1 Hayden Hidlay to earn the title at 157 pounds (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Deakin, a returning All-American, had himself a weekend. The Northwestern junior entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed at 157 pounds. After outscoring his first three opponents 19-5 on Friday, Deakin handled previously unbeaten freshman David Carr of Iowa State in the semifinals on Saturday, 9-3. He then defeated No. 1 Hayden Hidley of NC State in the finals, 6-2. White edged Arizona State's Josh Shields, 3-1 in sudden victory, to take the title at 165 pounds. Moore rolled to a 16-6 major decision in the 197-pound finals over Purdue's Christian Brunner. Minnesota's Brayton Lee (149) was the lone freshman to win a title in Las Vegas. He topped fellow freshman Sammy Sasso of Ohio State in the finals, 6-4. Other champions included Virginia's Jack Mueller (125), Cornell's Chas Tucker (133), Ohio State's Luke Pletcher (141), Purdue's Dylan Lydy (174) and Michigan's Mason Parris (285). Nebraska claimed the team title (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Nebraska claimed the team title, finishing with 118 points, 8.5 points ahead of Ohio State. The Buckeyes had won the previous three CKLV team titles. Arizona State finished in third place with 103 points. Northern Iowa and Purdue finished fourth and fifth respectively. Placement match results 125: 1st: No. 2 Jack Mueller (Virginia) dec. No. 9 Devin Schroder (Purdue), 6-2 3rd: Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern) dec. Joey Prata (Virginia Tech), 5-2 5th: No. 6 Alex Mackall (Iowa State) dec. No. 19 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State), 8-5 7th: No. 16 Jacob Schwarm (Northern Iowa) pinned Malik Heinselman (Ohio State), 1:38 133: 1st: No. 7 Chas Tucker (Cornell) dec. No. 8 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming), 4-1 3rd: Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) dec. Todd Small (Iowa State), 7-1 5th: Mosha Schwartz (Northern Colorado) dec. Dylan Koontz (Ohio State), 6-5 7th: No. 15 Anthony Madrigal (Oklahoma) dec. No. 20 Tim Rooney (Kent State), 3-1 SV 141: 1st: No. 1 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) dec. No. 4 Mitch McKee (Minnesota), 10-6 3rd: No. 2 Dom Demas (Oklahoma) tech. fall No. 13 Ian Parker (Iowa State), 19-4 5th: No. 6 Chad Red (Nebraska) maj. dec. Michael Blockhus (Northern Iowa), 16-6 7th: No. 12 Tariq Wilson (NC State) dec. No. 18 Mitch Moore (Virginia Tech), 5-3 SV 149: 1st: No. 9 Brayton Lee (Minnesota) dec. No. 12 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State), 6-4 3rd: No. 19 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) dec. No. 7 Griffin Parriott (Purdue), 10-3 5th: No. 5 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) by medical forfeit over No. 6 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) 7th: No. 8 Brock Zacherl (Clarion) dec. No. 13 Collin Purinton (Nebraska), 5-3 157: 1st: No. 2 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) dec. No. 1 Hayden Hidlay (NC State), 6-2 3rd: No. 3 David Carr (Iowa State) dec. No. 8 Kendall Coleman (Purdue), 4-0 5th: Jacob Wright (Fresno State) by medical forfeit over No. 14 Justin Thomas (Oklahoma) 7th: Peyton Robb (Nebraska) dec. Jacori Teemer (Arizona State), 5-0 165: 1st: No. 4 Isaiah White (Nebraska) dec. No. 5 Josh Shields (Arizona State), 3-1 SV 3rd: No. 13 Thomas Bullard (NC State) pinned No. 12 Ethan Smith (Ohio State), 6:23 5th: No. 8 Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) pinned Shayne Oster (Northwestern), 1:44 7th: No. 14 Philip Conigliaro (Harvard) dec. Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota), 10-3 174: 1st: No. 7 Dylan Lydy (Purdue) dec. No. 4 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa), 3-1 SV 3rd: No. 5 Mike Labriola (Nebraska) dec. No. 9 Devin Skatzka (Minnesota), 7-5 SV 5th: No. 8 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) by medical forfeit over Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley) 7th: No. 19 Hayden Hastings (Wyoming) pinned Brandon Womack (Cornell), 6:55 184: 1st: No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) maj. dec. No. 4 Trent Hidlay (NC State), 12-4 3rd: No. 9 Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 3 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa), 9-7 5th: No. 6 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) pinned No. 5 Lou DePrez (Binghamton), 1:29 7th: No. 7 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) by medical forfeit over No. 15 Jelani Embree (Michigan) 197: 1st: No. 1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) maj. dec. No. 17 Christian Brunner (Purdue), 16-6 3rd: No. 12 Thomas Lane (Cal Poly) dec. No. 16 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma), 4-2 5th: No. 10 Eric Schultz (Nebraska) dec. Greg Bulsak (Clarion), 4-2 7th: Jacob Seely (Northern Colorado) dec. No. 7 Jay Aiello (Virginia), 7-3 285: 1st: No. 2 Mason Parris (Michigan) dec. No. 6 Tanner Hall (Arizona State), 6-3 3rd: No. 5 Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley) dec. No. 16 Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State), 3-2 5th: No. 20 Carter Isley (Northern Iowa) dec. No. 13 Christian Lance (Nebraska), 3-1 7th: John Borst (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 14 Brian Andrews (Wyoming), 6-2

ASU's Tanner Hall advanced to the finals, avenging a loss against Tate Orndorff of Utah Valley (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) LAS VEGAS -- The finals are set at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Nine of the 10 No. 1 seeds claimed victories in the semifinals. Northern Iowa's Max Thomsen (149) was the lone No. 1 seed to fall. Freshman Brayton Lee of Minnesota, ranked No. 9 by InterMat, defeated Thomsen, 4-2, in sudden victory in the semifinals. Nebraska currently leads the team race. The Cornhuskers have one finalist, Isaiah White (165), but eight other wrestlers in placing matches. The finals will take place at 3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET. Semifinal results 125: No. 2 Jack Mueller (Virginia) dec. Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern), 3-0 No. 9 Devin Schroeder (Purdue) dec. No. 6 Alex Mackall (Iowa State), 6-2 133: No. 7 Chas Tucker (Cornell) dec. Dylan Koontz (Ohio State), 8-3 No. 8 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) dec. Ridge Lovett (Nebraska), 5-1 141: No. 1 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) maj. dec. No. 6 Chad Red (Nebraska), 11-3 No. 4 Mitch McKee (Minnesota) dec. No. 2 Dom Demas (Oklahoma), 5-2 149: No. 9 Brayton Lee (Minnesota) dec, No. 5 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa), 4-2 SV No. 12 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) by injury default over No. 6 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) 157: No. 1 Hayden Hidlay (NC State) maj. dec. No. 8 Kendall Coleman (Purdue), 8-0 No. 2 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) dec. No. 3 David Carr (Iowa State), 9-3 165: No. 4 Isaiah White (Nebraska) dec. No. 12 Ethan Smith (Ohio State), 4-1 TB2 No. 5 Josh Shields (Arizona State) dec. No. 8 Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State), 8-2 174: No. 4 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) maj. dec. No. 8 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State), 11-2 No. 7 Dylan Lydy (Purdue) dec. No. 5 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska), 3-1 SV 184: No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) maj. dec. No. 5 Lou DePrez (Binghamton), 13-4 No. 4 Trent Hidlay (NC State) dec. No. 3 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa), 8-4 197: No. 1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) tech. fall No. 12 Thomas Lane (Cal Poly), 16-1 No. 17 Christian Brunner (Purdue) dec. No. 16 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma), 2-1 285: No. 2 Mason Parris (Michigan) dec. No. 13 Christian Lance (Nebraska), 6-1 No. 6 Tanner Hall (Arizona State) dec. No. 5 Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley), 3-1 Finals matchups 125: No. 2 Jack Mueller (Virginia) vs. No. 9 Devin Schroeder (Purdue) 133: No. 7 Chas Tucker (Cornell) vs. No. 8 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) 141: No. 1 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) vs. No. 4 Mitch McKee (Minnesota) 149: No. 9 Brayton Lee (Minnesota) vs. No. 12 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) 157: No. 1 Hayden Hidlay (NC State) vs. No. 2 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) 165: No. 4 Isaiah White (Nebraska) vs. No. 5 Josh Shields (Arizona State) 174: No. 4 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 7 Dylan Lydy (Purdue) 184: No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) vs. No. 4 Trent Hidlay (NC State) 197: No. 1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) vs. No. 17 Christian Brunner (Purdue) 285: No. 2 Mason Parris (Michigan) vs. No. 6 Tanner Hall (Arizona State)

The Navy wrestling team (3-2) held off a rallying Maryland squad (1-2) to defeat the Terps, 21-12, Friday evening at Alumni Hall. Navy held a 15-4 advantage through the first six matches before the Terps won three in a row to cut the Mids' lead to three (15-12). Rookie heavyweight John Birchmeier salted away the victory for the Mids in the final bout of the night by pinning redshirt freshman Parker Robinson 14 seconds into the second period (3:14). "Tonight was a great event for Navy wrestling fans to get a look up close at the character of this team. We have some tough young guys who stepped up to fill the void left by guys out of the line up right now," said sixth-year Navy head wrestling coach Joel Sharratt. "The crowd certainly contributed to the electric feeling tonight at Alumni Hall, the home of Navy wrestling, and the team did not disappoint. We wrestled aggressively in all 10 bouts and the athletes demonstrated their understanding of the program's pillars of Position, Pace, Passion. "It was amazing to have the 'Brother in The Brigade' supporting our team's effort tonight and we thank all of the fans for coming out to support the team." The Highlights • The victory was the program's 900th (900-308-26) in its 112-year history. • The Midshipmen improved to 3-2 in dual competition this season, including a 1-0 mark at home • Tonight's match marked the 71st meeting between the two programs in a series that dates back to 1951. • Navy now leads the series, 57-11-3, including a 34-5-1 mark in matches wrestled in Annapolis. • The Midshipmen have now won eight consecutive matches against the Terps, last losing on Jan. 20, 2012. • Navy never trailed in the match and led by as much as 11 (15-4 after Tanner Skidgel's win at 165). • One point was deducted from Maryland's team score during the 197-pound match after the head coach was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. • Freshman John Birchmeier's pin (3:14) against Parker Robinson in the final bout of the night clinched the team victory for the Mids and was his first career victory by fall. • Eight of the 10 matches (184, 285) included a point for riding time, including the 197-pound match where Jacob Koser held the riding time despite dropping the 12-10 decision. • First-year starter Logan Treaster (125) scored all of his points in the third period to improve to 4-1 in dual action this season. He leads the team in dual victories this season. • Logan Treaster (125) and Casey Cobb (133) both captured their 30th career victories with wins in their respective duals Friday evening. More from Coach Sharratt • Our lightweight guys came out to set the tone and all three of our starters went out humble and hungry for the opportunity to compete in front of this crowd. They struck early and often in all three position and had fun in the fight. • Tanner Skidgel is a lightning rod for these guys and his contribution was more than just the points he scored on the mat tonight. The bench was into the matches and I credit these guys for generating the power of spirit behind all 10 guys tonight. • Missing our team captain tonight was not the way you would write the script, but his leadership showed through in the team culture and guys getting behind each other and this inspired the crowd in many of the bouts. • The big guys where certainly worth the price of admission tonight with (Jacob) Koser fighting off an early technical error that cost him six points. Making the match one of the most entertaining of the night was his unrelenting never say die grit and moxy. As a coach I can fix technique, but I can't coach the heart of a lion and that's what Jake showed the crowd tonight. • Birchmeier was dominate in position and showed great composure for a freshman in his first home dual. The methodical approach he had to earn the takedown was big time. The aggression he demonstrated when the opportunity presented to go for the fall was very impressive and a sign of his ability and confidence in that opportunity to execute without hesitation. What's Ahead • Navy returns to action next Friday (Dec. 13) when it battles No. 25 Lock Haven (0-1) at Red Lion High School in Red Lion, Pa. Action is slated to begin at 7:00 pm. Results: 125 | Logan Treaster (NAVY) dec Brandon Cray, 5-0 // Navy 3-0 133 | Casey Cobb (NAVY) dec King Sandoval, 5-2 // Navy 6-0 141 | Cody Trybus (NAVY) dec Hunter Baxter, 8-1 // Navy 9-0 149 | Michael Doetsch major dec Morgan Fuenffinger (NAVY), 9-1 // Navy 9-4 157 | Scout Skidgel (NAVY) dec Lucas Cordio, 9-3 // Navy 12-4 165 | #9 Tanner Skidgel (NAVY) dec Kyle Cochran, 6-2 // Navy 15-4 174 | #20 Philip Spadafora dec Dean Caravela (NAVY), 6-1 // Navy 15-7 184 | Kyle Jasenski dec Hunter Johns (NAVY), 7-4 // Navy 15-10 197 | Jaron Smith dec Jacob Koser (NAVY), 12-10 // Navy 15-12 285 | John Birchmeier (NAVY) pinned Parker Robinson, 3:14 // Navy 21-12 * Maryland docked one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct by head coach