InterMat Staff

John Hughes with Pat Santoro (Photo/Lehigh Athletics) BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- John Hughes announced his resignation Wednesday as an associate head coach of the Lehigh wrestling program. Hughes was in the midst of his 12th season on the Mountain Hawks' staff, all of which has been spent working alongside Head Coach Pat Santoro and Associate Head Coach Brad Dillon. "I announced my resignation to the team and explained my decision was due to personal reasons," Hughes said. "I have been honored to be part of Lehigh University's legendary wrestling team and family. I thank Head Coach Pat Santoro for his continuous mentorship, guidance and support for more than a decade. I also thank Lehigh's administrators, staff, student-athletes, families and fans. All have had such a positive impact on my family and I. I also appreciate the continued support of my wife, Melissa and children, Riley and Morgan." "John is a loyal and longtime friend and we've been through a lot together," Santoro said. "He is a tremendous coach, and a big part of the turnaround in Lehigh wrestling in our time here. He has touched many lives and will continue to do so. I understand his decision to take time away from a demanding job to focus on himself and his family. I wish him the best and will miss seeing him on a daily basis." Hughes joined the Lehigh coaching staff in the summer of 2008 and was in his eighth season with the title of Associate Head Coach. A three-time All-American and former NCAA Champion at Penn State, Hughes helped guide the Mountain Hawks to 145 dual wins in 11-plus seasons in Bethlehem, plus back-to-back EIWA team titles in 2018 and 2019 and top ten NCAA finishes in 2011 and 2012. He worked with wrestlers up and down the lineup at Lehigh, but specialized in the middleweights. During his 11-plus year run, Hughes helped mold Brandon Hatchett into a two-time All-American and NCAA finalist at 165 and mentored Mitch Minotti to back-to-back All-America honors at 149 and 157 in 2014 and 2015. In recent years, Hughes has worked with two-time All-American Jordan Kutler and for the last season-plus helped Josh Humphreys win an EIWA title as a true freshman at 157. Hughes' impact was also felt on the recruiting trail where he played a major role Lehigh regularly bringing in recruiting classes that were highly-ranked on a national level. A native of Stillwater, Pennsylvania, Hughes is regarded as one of the toughest wrestlers in Penn State history. He won an NCAA Championship at 142 in 1995 and added All-American honors with a seventh place finish in 1994 and a runner-up finish in 1996. Hughes amassed with 121 career victories for the Nittany Lions. In addition to his national title, Hughes was the 1995 Big Ten Champion and also won a gold medal at the 1994 Pan-Am Games and a University National Freestyle Championship. In five seasons on the coaching staff at Penn State, Hughes made a profound and immediate impact in the training room. Working predominantly with the Nittany Lion middleweights, Hughes helped guide Bubba Jenkins and Dan Vallimont to All-American honors in 2008, while as a team, Penn State crowned four All-Americans and finished third in the team standings, the program's best finish since 1994. Hughes won four PIAA state championships wrestling for Benton High School. He earned his bachelor's degree in landscape contracting from Penn State in 2002.

Iowa's Spencer Lee earned a 13-4 major decision over ISU's Alex Mackall in last year's dual meet in Iowa City (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) On Sunday the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes will travel to Ames to take on the No. 9 Iowa State Cyclones. The Cy-Hawk match remains one of the highlights of the college wrestling season even though Iowa has dominated the series recently. Iowa State will bring one of their best lineups from the last few seasons into this match and are probably hoping the home advantage pushes them over the top. The following is a weight-by-weight preview of the dual. 125: No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Alex Mackall (Iowa State) Lee's debut match last weekend against Fabian Gutierrez (UTC) started off as a vintage performance. He scored an early takedown and went to work from the top position. Later in the match he seemed to slow, and Gutierrez put a few points on the board. The final result was a major decision, but the two-time NCAA champion is held to a very high standard. Many Iowa fans were expecting a more dominant performance. Last year Mackall qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time and finished up in the round of 16. This year he has gotten off to a 4-0 start that includes a first-place finish at the Cyclone Open and a 10-3 dual decision win over Brandon Seidman (Bucknell). The Iowa State situation at 125 pounds was very hectic for an extended period of time, but Mackall has more than settled things down. In the Cy-Hawk dual last year, Lee's performance against Mackall was the first sign that he was not simply going to tech and pin his way through the season. He still won via a dominant 13-4 major decision, but Mackall did a solid job of keeping more bonus points off the board in what turned out to be a very close team match. Look for Lee to turn up the pace early and put on a similarly strong performance. If Mackall can keep this to a regular decision, the Cyclones might consider that a victory. Prediction: Lee (Iowa) major decision over Mackall (Iowa State) 133: Paul Glynn/No. 2 Gavin Teasdale/Austin DeSanto (Iowa) vs. Todd Small (Iowa State) In their first dual of the season, Iowa sent Glynn out to face Wade Cummings of UTC. Glynn fell behind early, but he managed to turn up the volume and walked away with an 11-7 victory. Teasdale's season got started on Saturday at the Luther Open. The former Penn State wrestler finished third with a 6-3 decision loss against No. 4 (DIII) Kristian Rumph (Wartburg). Small redshirted last season and finished 18-5 during the exhibition campaign. He has been starting in place of returning near All-American No. 5 Austin Gomez, who is reportedly coming down in weight. The former NJCAA champion won the Cyclone Open with three straight victories but dropped a 3-1 match against Darren Miller in the dual against Bucknell. Following the UTC match, Brands said that DeSanto "weighed in as basically a 33-pounder," so perhaps he is on the way down to 133. In his debut, he wrestled up a weight at 141 pounds. If he goes here, Iowa could be looking for bonus points. If Glynn or Teasdale goes, it should be a win for Small. The Cyclone owns a 7-3 victory over Glynn from last season, and Teasdale did not look particularly sharp last weekend. Prediction: Small (Iowa State) decision over Glynn (Iowa) 141: Austin DeSanto/No. 8 Max Murin (Iowa) vs. No. 12 Ian Parker/Austin Gomez (Iowa State) As previously stated DeSanto bumped up to 141 pounds for the Hawkeye's season opening dual. He took a 23-4 technical fall over Aiden Murphy (UTC). Murin, last year's starter at this weight, made his debut at the Luther Open. He won his opening bout over Lee Stevie (Loras) and then defaulted out of the tournament. Parker won the wrestle-off against Gomez and got the start for the season opening dual against Bucknell. In that match, he took home a 6-2 decision. Gomez is likely on the way back down to 133 pounds, so this will probably be Parker's weight for the rest of the year. He will be looking to make it onto the podium after qualifying for the first time last year. Once again the result at this weight will depend heavily on who gets the nod. DeSanto would likely be the favorite over Parker, but Murin might struggle to score against the Cyclone. Look for Iowa to stick with a lineup similar to their opening night squad, which means DeSanto coming forward with his aggressive style. Prediction: DeSanto (Iowa) decision over Parker (Iowa State) 149: No. 5 Patricio Lugo (Iowa) vs. No. 4 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) In his first season as a starter for the Hawkeyes, Lugo put together a 23-10 record and finished eighth at the NCAA tournament to become an All-American for the first time. He made his debut this year in the dual against Chattanooga and picked up a 9-4 victory. Degen also broke through and become an All-American for the first time last year. He finished the season with a 29-8 record. So far this season, he is 4-1 with his only loss coming against No. 3 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa). Going into the Cy-Hawk match last year, many favored Lugo in this bout. However, Degen broke through with an overtime victory. They met again in the seventh-place match at the NCAA tournament, and Degen picked up his second victory over the Hawkeye. He might simply have Lugo's number at this point. Prediction: Degen (Iowa State) decision over Lugo (Iowa) 157: No. 2 Kaleb Young (Iowa) vs. No. 11 David Carr (Iowa State) Young was a revelation for the Hawkeyes last year. After wrestling up at 165 pounds and even 174 pounds, he moved down to 157 pounds. At the new weight he went 24-7 and finished fifth at the NCAA tournament. That performance as well as some graduations pushed him into the No. 2 spot in the country. Last weekend he scored a major decision victory over former Penn State wrestler George Carpenter (UTC). The 2019 Junior world gold medalist redshirted last season at Iowa State. He went 23-1 with his only defeat coming against Peyton Mocco (Missouri). In his only action this season, Carr scored an 18-3 technical fall over Jordan Fisher (Bucknell). The former blue chip recruit is expected to be a player in the 157-pound division this season. This might be the biggest match of the weekend. Carr could announce his presence in the weight with a victory over the No. 2-ranked wrestler. Young has shocked more heralded wrestlers in the past, but this will be a tough task. Carr's best wins have come in freestyle, but he has all the talent to pull this one out. Prediction: Carr (Iowa State) decision over Young (Iowa) 165: No. 2 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) vs. Chase Straw (Iowa State) Marinelli had a stellar regular season and conference tournament last year. He entered the NCAA tournament as the undefeated No. 1 seed. Things did not really go his way in the bracket, and he ended up finishing seventh. Despite that he is once again one of the top contenders in the weight this year. He currently holds the No. 2 ranking, and he has wins over everyone ranked in the top five. Straw is moving up to 165 pounds after spending the last two seasons at 157 pounds. Last year he was an NCAA qualifier and finished with a 22-12 record. Straw started this year with a first place finish at the Cyclone Open but dropped a decision last weekend against Zach Hartman (Bucknell). Marinelli is the clear favorite in this match. Straw is 1-7 for his career against Iowa wrestlers, and his only victory came over current teammate Skyler St. John. The only real question here is if Marinelli can put up bonus points. Last year he significantly increased his bonus rate, but he was unable last weekend to hit bonus over Drew Nicholson (UTC). Prediction: Marinelli (Iowa) decision over Straw (Iowa State) 174: No. 4 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) vs. Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) After missing an entire season due to injury, the 174-pound experiment for Kemerer finally got started last weekend against UTC. The competition was not particularly strong, but he dominated en route to a shutout technical fall victory. He appeared to be filled out at the new weight, but it remains to be seen if the former 157-pound wrestler will struggle against larger competition. After a very strong redshirt season for his first year in Ames, Coleman joined the starting lineup last year at 174 pounds. He finished with a 28-14 record and qualified for the NCAA tournament. He dropped a decision against No. 6 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) at the Cyclone Open, but he bounced back last weekend with a fall over Frankie Guida (Bucknell). On paper Kemerer is the much more accomplished wrestler, and he should be able to take the bout. However, Coleman is really his first real test at 174 pounds. If the weight is going to be an issue for the Iowa wrestler this year, it will certainly show here. Prediction: Kemerer (Iowa) decision over Coleman (Iowa State) 184: No. 9 Cash Wilcke/Nelson Brands (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Samuel Colbray (Iowa State) Brands surprisingly got the start for Iowa against UTC last weekend. After spending last season at 165 pounds, he bumped up to 184 pounds and knocked off Matthew Waddell via 8-4 decision. Last year's starter at 184 pounds and three-time NCAA qualifier, Wilcke went instead to the Luther Open where he took the tournament title with two technical falls and two falls over DII/DIII competition. Following the match against UTC, the Iowa coaching staff indicated that Wilcke was sent to the open "for a reason." In his third year wrestling for the Cyclones, Colbray finally broke through and qualified for the NCAA tournament last year. He came up short of becoming an All-American as he fell in the round of 12. For his senior year, Colbray is looking to make it on the podium and is currently ranked in the top 10. Colbray won a close match over Wilcke last year, and that is likely going to happen again. Wilcke is a hard hand fighter, but he has struggled to score takedowns when he needs them. If Colbray is able to handle the pace, he should be able to salt away this victory with a late takedown. If Iowa send out Brands, it is hard to see Colbray's size not being too much for the former 165-pounder. Prediction: Colbray (Iowa State) decision over Wilcke (Iowa) 197: No. 3 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs. Joel Shapiro (Iowa State) Warner went 22-6 during his first season in the starting lineup for the Hawkeyes. He became an All-American for the first time with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA tournament. Warner's two losses at the tournament came on a combined three points with one loss coming in overtime. In his season debut last season, he scored a 5-4 decision over Rodney Jones (UTC). Shapiro joined the starting lineup this year for the Cyclones after redshirting last year. He has gone 3-2 to start the year. His losses have come against Drew Phipps (Bucknell) and former NJCAA champion Tyree Sutton (Grand View). Throughout his collegiate career, Warner has knocked off many strong opponents. However, he has often played it close and put himself into seemingly unnecessary trouble. Warner should be able to put points on the board against Shapiro, but this one might be closer than expected. Prediction: Warner (Iowa) decision over Shapiro (Iowa State) 285: No. 12 Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa) vs. No. 16 Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State) Cassioppi went 20-2 last year during his redshirt campaign. Of those 20 wins 14 came via fall. Not surprisingly, he started his first season as a starter with yet another fall. He needed less than two minutes to stop Grayson Walthall (UTC) in his only match this year. Gremmel was an NCAA qualifier last year, but he went 1-2 in the tournament and failed to place. His season this year got off to an interesting start as he was disqualified for multiple unsportsmanlike penalties. Despite the DQ he should be allowed back in the lineup for Sunday's match. In the Cy-Hawk match last year, Sam Stoll came off the bench to score a much-needed victory over Gremmel to secure the team victory. If it comes down to heavyweight this year, Iowa will once again have the advantage. While Cassioppi was redshirting, he also picked up a second-period fall over Gremmel. Prediction: Cassioppi (Iowa) fall over Gremmel (Iowa State) Dual Meet Predicted Score: Iowa 22, Iowa State 12

Members of the 2019 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championship team from The Pennsylvania State University, as well as many of the 2019 NCAA Div. I individual wrestling champions will be honored guests at the White House on Friday, November 22 in Washington, D.C. The wrestlers and coaches were invited as part of an NCAA Champions Day, which will also include athletes from other sports. The athletes will visit The White House during the morning of Friday, Nov. 22 and are expected to meet President Donald J. Trump as part of their tour. Invited to the White House were Penn State's 2019 NCAA championship team, as well as all 10 of the 2019 NCAA Division I individual champions, which also includes athletes from Arizona State University, Cornell University, Northern Iowa University, Rutgers University, the University of Iowa, and Virginia Tech University. While college wrestlers have been previously recognized by President Trump and other administrations, this is reportedly the first time all of the NCAA Div. I individual champions have been invited. Expected to attend are the following wrestlers, coaches, and university leaders: Penn State University Jason Nolf, 2019 NCAA champion at 157 pounds Bo Nickal, 2019 NCAA champion at 197 pounds Mason Manville, Varsity wrestling student-athlete Nick Nevills, Varsity wrestling student-athlete Rick Kaluza, Senior Associate Athletic Director, Finance and Business Operations Rutgers University Nick Suriano, 2019 NCAA champion at 133 pounds Anthony Ashnault, 2019 NCAA champion at 149 pounds Scott Goodale, Head Coach Donny Pritzlaff, Associate Head Coach Cornell University Yianni Diakomihalis, 2019 NCAA champion at 141 pounds Rob Koll, The David Dunlop '59 Head Coach of Wrestling Virginia Tech University Mekhi Lewis, 2019 NCAA champion at 165 pounds Tony Robie, Head Coach University of Northern Iowa Drew Foster, 2019 NCAA champion at 184 pounds Randy Pugh, Assistant Coach With the 2019-2020 NCAA wrestling season underway, some of those invited were not able to attend because the White House visit conflicted with scheduled competition. For instance, Penn State is competing at Arizona State on Friday, November 22. The University of Iowa will compete against Iowa State on Sunday, November 24. This affected invited athletes who are currently competing for their college wrestling team. There has been a tradition of college national champion teams visiting The White House in years past.

WAVERLY -- The No. 3-ranked Wartburg wrestling team is set for its home-opening meet this Wednesday, Nov. 20, hosting an American Rivers Conference dual versus Simpson College at 7 p.m. inside Levick Arena. During the meet intermission, Wartburg will honor former great Kenny Anderson '14, who tragically passed away this October at the age of 29. A three-time NCAA Champion, Anderson held a 76-3 career record as a lightweight and led the Knights to national championships in 2012, 2013, and 2014. A native of Billerica, Mass., Anderson is a member of the State Wrestling Hall of Fame in Massachusetts, where he was inducted in 2011. WARTBURG COLLEGE (1-0, 1-0 A-R-C) VS. SIMPSON COLLEGE (0-2, 0-0 A-R-C) Date: Nov. 20, 2019 Time: 7 p.m. Site: Waverly, Iowa // Levick Arena Series: Wartburg leads 29-9 Radio: KWAY Country AM 1470 FM 96.3 // Greg Hovden, Al Hoeper LAST TIME OUT The Knights competed at the Luther Open in Decorah on Saturday, with four individuals receiving bracket titles in their respective weight classes. Wartburg recorded three elite bracket titles; Martine Sandoval at 157, Max Forsyth and 165, and Kyle Briggs at 174. Joe Pins took first in the 133 silver bracket. Additionally, Brady Kyner (Elite 125) and Kris Rumph (Elite 133) earned runner-up finishes. KNIGHTS RANKED THIRD IN NWCA The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) released its second team and individual rankings earlier this week, with Wartburg remaining ranked No. 3 and six Knights ranked their respective weight classes. Six Wartburg student-athletes were ranked throughout different weight classes: 125 - Brady Kyner, 5th 133 - Kris Rumph, 4th 141 - Brock Rathbun, 4th 149 - Brady Fritz, 6th 174 - Kyle Briggs, 2nd 197 - Kobe Woods, 6th THE SERIES Saturday's match will mark the 53rd meeting between Wartburg and Simpson, with the Knights holding a 47-5 series advantage. Wartburg has won 30-straight over the Storm, including a 46-6 win last season in Indianola. LAST FIVE MEETINGS Date Home/Away Result 11/14/18 A W, 46-6 11/15/17 H W, 38-10 11/16/16 ​​​​​A ​​​​​​​ W, 41-4 11/18/15 H ​​​​​​​W, 49-6 11/19/14 A ​​​​​​​ W, 52-0

ADA, Ohio -- The No. 9 Nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace University wrestling team improved to 1-0 after the 28-6 Ohio Athletic Conference victory over Ohio Northern University, inside the ONU Sports Center. Freshman 125-pounder Jack Stanley (Brecksville / Brecksville-Broadview Heights) got the night started with a pin in 6:35. Senior All-American and Academic All-OAC 141-pounder Charlie Nash (Norwalk) extended the BW lead to 9-3, after a 2-0 decision. Junior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC 149-pounder Tanner McHugh (New Ringgold, Pa./Tamaqua) gave BW a 12-3 advantage after a 3-2 decision. Extending the lead to 15-3, was junior two-time All-OAC and Academic All-OAC 157-pounder Stanley Bleich (North Ridgeville/Elyria Catholic) who seized an 11-5 decision. Senior All-OAC 165-pounder Benjamin Hooff (Worthington/Thomas Worthington) gave the Yellow Jackets an 18-3 lead after an 8-3 decision. Freshman 184-pounder Luke Salmon (Sandusky/Perkins) gave BW a 22-6 advantage with a 16-4 major decision. Senior All-American and two-time All-OAC 197-pounder Zeckary Lehman (Akron/Revere) won his bout with a 3-1 decision and gave BW a 25-6 lead. Sophomore heavyweight Jarod Miller (Greenville, Pa./Reynolds) claimed the final bout with a 6-3 decision, sealing the 28-6 victory. The Yellow Jackets are back in action this Saturday November 23 for the BW Invitational. Matches begin at 10 a.m. Results: 125: Jack Stanley (BW) pinned Jacob Hamad, 6:35 133: Seth Transue (ONU) dec. Chad Craft, 8-4 141: #7 Charlie Nash (BW) dec. Jeff Andrews, 2-0 149: Tanner McHugh (BW) dec. Chase Sumner, 3-2 157: #6 Stanley Bleich (BW) dec. Adam Lenhoff, 11-5 165: Benjamin Hooff (BW) dec. Shaun Wagner, 8-3 174: Connor Kwiat (ONU) dec. Quinton Kelley, 11-4 184: Lucas Salmon (BW) maj. dec. Sam Medlen, 16-4 197: #4 Zeckary Lehman (BW) dec. Cash Thompson, 3-1 285: Jared Miller (BW) dec. Logan Painter, 6-2

ALLIANCE, Ohio -- No. 4 ranked Mount Union defeated Muskingum 54-0 in an Ohio Athletic Conference wrestling dual Tuesday at Timken Gymnasium. It was the conference opener for both teams and the Purple Raiders won all nine contested matches. Mount Union has now won seven straight conference duals. Seven of the Raiders wins were pins and two of those came in less than 20 seconds. Mount Union opened the match with a 4-2 win at 197 pounds from sophomore Landon Talbert (Salem / Crestview). Senior Grant Martin (Hartville / Lake) made quick work with a pin in 18 seconds at 285 pounds while sophomore Errik Gerback (Alliance / Marlington) kept things rolling with a pin 1:25 into the 125-pound match. Sophomore David Massey (Cuyahoga Falls / Woodridge), the No. 10 ranked wrestler in the nation at 133 pounds, won his ninth match of the year with a forfeit. Junior Jordin James (Bedford) got a pin at 141 pounds. James is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the weight class. Sophomore Nolan Wochna (Brecksville / Brecksville-Broadview Hts.) rallied for a 6-2 win at 149 pounds. Junior Antwon Pugh is ranked No. 1 at 157 got the quickest pin of the night in 14 seconds. The Raiders closed out the match with pins at 165 from sophomore Dylan Miller (Salem / West Branch), 174 from freshman David Reinhart (Canfield) and at 184 from junior George Lassnick (Painesville / Lake Catholic). Mount Union next takes on No. 9 ranked Baldwin Wallace in an OAC dual Tuesday, December 3 at 7 p.m. in Berea. Results: 197 – Landon Talbert (MTU) dec. Garrett Mitchel (MUSK) 4-2 285 – Grant Martin (MTU) pin Noah DeHainaut (MUSK), :18 125 – Errik Gerback (MTU) pin Hunter Heck (MUSK), 1:25 133 - #10 David Massey (MTU) win by forfeit 141 - #1 Jordin James pin Sammy Southers (MUSK), 4:34 149 – Nolan Wochna dec. Tanner Donathan (MUSK), 6-2 157 - #1 Antwon Pugh (MTU) pin Corey Loera (MUSK), :14 165 – Dylan Miller (MTU) pin Michael Kashuna (MUSK), 1:43 174 – David Reinhart (MTU) pin Carter Layton (MUSK), 2:28 184 – George Lassnick (MTU) pin Isaac Sell (MUSK), 1:21 Records: Mount Union (1-0, 1-0 OAC), Muskingum (0-1, 0-1 OAC)

Luke Pletcher recently defeated Stanford's Real Woods (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Eight pounds have made a world of difference for Ohio State's Luke Pletcher. He's not only bigger and stronger. But he's also setting a faster pace. That was evident in his most recent match. The top-ranked Pletcher used a relentless attack to score six takedowns in earning a 13-4 major decision over No. 18 Mitch Moore of Virginia Tech. "It's really nice not having to worry about your weight as much -- it makes wrestling much more fun," said Pletcher, now 8-0 this season. "I can come into practice now and focus on getting better and improving instead of thinking about how much weight I need to lose. I feel so much better. My energy level is great in my matches. It feels good to wrestle a full seven minutes at a high pace." Pletcher moves to 141 pounds for his senior season after placing fourth at the last two NCAA tournaments at 133 pounds. He reached the NCAA round of 16 as a true freshman at 141. Luke Pletcher reached the NCAA semifinals last season before losing to Oklahoma State's Daton Fix (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) A strong, physical wrestler at 133, Pletcher will still be one of the most powerful athletes at 141 even though he's bumped up a division. He's scored bonus points in six of eight victories this season. "Luke's energy level is so much better -- he looks great at 141," Ohio State coach Tom Ryan said. "His attack rate is extremely high and he looks really powerful. He almost made the NCAA finals the last two years, so he's been in the thick of things. We thought he could win it the last three years and we feel that way again. He's a great leader for us and we're glad he's a Buckeye." Pletcher climbed to the top of the national rankings after he knocked off previously No. 1 Dom Demas of Oklahoma 2-1 in overtime earlier this season. "I'm excited about this season," Pletcher said. "Obviously, I would rather finish strong than start strong. But the season is off to a good start and I'm loving being at 141." Pletcher works closely with Buckeye assistant coach J Jaggers, who won two NCAA titles for Ohio State at 141. "Jaggers helps me a lot," Pletcher said. "He knows what I need to work on and he understands what I'm going through. He's good at looking at video and breaking everything down. He's been great for me. He obviously knows what it takes to win a national title." Once his college career is completed, Pletcher will jump into freestyle wrestling full-time. He placed second at the U23 World Team Trials earlier this year. "I really like freestyle," he said. "There are a lot of ways to score points and there is a lot of action. It's a more exciting style of wrestling. It's more suited to my style because I'm most comfortable wrestling on my feet." Pletcher is part of a Buckeye team with a number of proven veterans along with some new faces in the starting lineup. "We have a lot of young guys on our team, but they will continue to grow as the season goes along," he said. "You learn a lot every time you go out there to wrestle. We have a good team. I'm looking forward to see how everyone improves and progresses." Luke Pletcher gets his hand raised after getting a win against Virginia Tech (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Pletcher's senior season coincides with the opening of Ohio State's sparkling new wrestling arena. "I wish they would've had it three years ago," Pletcher said with a laugh. "It's a great venue. It gets really loud in there and it's pretty cool to wrestle in that atmosphere. It's a new environment and it's really fun for us to be in there." Pletcher is one of two senior standouts for the Buckeyes. Returning NCAA runner-up Kollin Moore is ranked No. 1 nationally at 197 pounds. "I love having Kollin on the team," Pletcher said. "We bounce ideas off each other. He's a good leader and he models the way. He has a great arsenal of moves and he's a great wrestler. We're both seniors who are trying to accomplish the same goal. We feed off each other and we're hungry to reach the top." The formula for Pletcher to succeed at his final NCAA tournament is straightforward. "I just need to stay aggressive and keep scoring more points," he said. "It's always a tough tournament and there will be some close matches. I just need to stay confident and keep working. And I need to keep improving. You can always get better." Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

Ben Askren before his match against Jordan Burroughs at Beat the Streets (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Ben Askren, two-time NCAA wrestling champ for University of Missouri and U.S. freestyle wrestler at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, announced his plans to retire Monday after a decade in MMA ... and less than one year in UFC. "I'm retiring from the sport of MMA," Askren said on Ariel Helwani's MMA Show on ESPN Monday. "Frankly, I'm retiring from everything." "I've been having hip problems, and I finally had the discussion with my doctor ... and I need a [left] hip replacement," Askren said. "So, man, that's it for me. I've been thinking about this for a week and what I was going to say, and I'm filled with gratitude for how great of a career I've been able to have, even though obviously in the end it did not turn out to go my way." The 35-year-old Askren added that he had been dealing with hip issues for the past "3-5 years-ish." "I got really emotional the other day because I started thinking about all the great experiences I've had, and how lucky I've been to have the amount of success I've had," Askren added. The UFC acquired Askren as part of an unprecedented trade with ONE Championship in October 2018, essentially swapping former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson to Asia's ONE promotion in exchange for Askren. As ESPN described last fall's transaction in its Monday story about Askren's retirement announcement, "It wasn't a traditional trade like what would be common in team sports. The UFC agreed to release Johnson, who came to his own new deal with ONE. ONE did the same with Askren, who signed with the UFC." "Prior to the trade, Askren had retired from ONE after a 57-second TKO win over Shinya Aoki on Nov. 24, 2017." Askren launched his MMA career in 2009 with the Headhunter Productions promotion in Missouri. After going 3-0 in regional competition, Askren signed with Bellator to compete in that organization's second-ever welterweight tournament. Askren won the tournament, and Bellator welterweight title, after defeating Lyman Good at Bellator 33 in 2010. Askren defended his title four times in Bellator before signing for ONE FC in 2014, having signed with that organization after initially being rejected by UFC. Prior to entering MMA, Askren had made a name for himself in amateur wrestling. In high school, he was a two-time Wisconsin state champion. He then headed south to the University of Missouri, where he was a four-time NCAA Division I All-American between 2004 and 2007, earning back-to-back NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007. Askren was also a three-time Big 12 conference champion, and a two-time recipient of the Dan Hodge Trophy from WIN Magazine as college wrestler of the year, as well as InterMat Wrestler of the Year in 2006 and 2007. Upon concluding his collegiate mat career, Askren earned a place on the U.S. men's freestyle wrestling team at the 2008 Olympics. While he did not medal at the Beijing Games, Askren did earn a gold medals at the 2005 Pan American Championships, as well as at the 2008 U.S. Open. Ben Askren concludes his pro MMA career with a 19-2 record, with 1 No Contest.

Frank Jasper played Brian Shute (bottom position) in the movie "Vision Quest" You may not immediately recognize the name Frank Jasper ... but, if you're a wrestling fan, you know Brian Shute, the muscular, undefeated state wrestling champ Jasper portrayed in the classic 1980s movie "Vision Quest." Now you can meet Frank Jasper, the man who brought Shute to life - as the guy carrying the log on his shoulders climbing the stadium stairs, or facing off against Matthew Modine's Louden Swain in the climatic match -- live and in person ... at one of three upcoming wrestling events: Costa Mesa Classic Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019 Costa Mesa High School 2650 Fairview Road Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626 West Coast Clash Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019 Francis Parker Upper School 6501 Linda Vista Rd. San Diego, Calif. 92111 Veterans Memorial Invitational Friday-Saturday, Dec. 20-21, 2019 BeeHoldzil Fighting Scouts Events Center Window Rock High School Fort Defiance, Ariz. 86504 Want a memento of meeting Frank Jasper/Brian Shute at one of these events? No problem ... "I sell 9 x 12" photos that I autograph at these events," Jasper told InterMat. "I also sign anything and everything from shoes to biceps for free! And take photos with everyone that wants that, no charge." "I am totally stoked about interacting with wrestlers -- male and female -- at these events," Jasper added. In case you're wondering ... yeah, Frank Jasper actually wrestled in high school and college. As a third-year student at Eastern Washington University, Jasper was a pre-med student who was enrolled in the school's athletic training program ... and, in his spare time, was also a bodybuilder. So how did Frank Jasper become Brian Shute? A friend told Jasper that a movie being filmed in nearby Spokane, Wash. was seeking a six-foot, muscular guy who could wrestle. "After quite a bit of hounding on my friend's part, I decided to check it out," Jasper said on his website. "I arrived at the hotel that day thinking I was trying out to be an extra -- a guy who would just be in the background. It was not until I was given sides (lines to read) and introduced to Harold Becker, the director, that I realized I was auditioning for a major role." "After several more meetings, one of which included wrestling for coach Cash Stone, the consultant for the film, they had narrowed their search down to two guys, an actor from Hollywood and me, an unknown college student. The two of us then wrestled for the director, producers and crew. When the match was over, I was offered the part of Brian Shute," said Jasper. In recent years, Frank Jasper has been making appearances at major wrestling tournaments and other events, connecting in person with wrestlers and "Vision Quest" fans of all ages. When he isn't on the road meeting members of the wrestling community in person - or busy helping patients improve the quality of their lives at his Osani Holistic Health Care in Pacific Palisades, Calif. -- Frank Jasper also runs ShuteShirts.com which offers collectible wearables incorporating images of his iconic Brian Shute character from "Vision Quest." Want to know more about Frank Jasper, his involvement in the filming of "Vision Quest", and his life beyond the movie? Check out this 2016 InterMat feature.

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- The Penn State Nittany Lions (1-0, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 1 nationally by InterMat, dominated action at the 2019 Army West Point Invite on Sunday in West Point, N.Y. Fifteen Penn Staters competed at nine weights and the Nittany Lions came away with four champions with 11 total place-winners. The Nittany Lions four champions were Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.) at 133, Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.) at 141, Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.) at 149 and Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) at 174. Luke Gardner (Pottsville, Pa.) was runner-up at 149 as well, dropping a tough bout in an all-Penn State final at that weight. Bravo-Young, ranked No. 3 at 133, won the first of Penn State's individual titles at the event. Bravo-Young had a first-round bye and met Bloomsburg's Shaun Orey in the quarterfinals. Bravo-Young dominated the bout on his way to a 22-9 major decision. The Lion sophomore took on Gregg Wert of Army West Point in the semifinals and battled his way to a 9-4 win, advancing to the finals. Bravo-Young took on Michigan's Austin Assad in Penn State's first finals bout of the day. The Lion sophomore dominated all 7:00 of the bout, picking up three takedowns in each of the first two periods, on his way to posting a 17-9 major decision. Bravo-Young went 3-0 with two majors to win the Black Knight Invite title at 133. Lee, ranked No. 3 at 141, picked up the crown at his weight. Lee opened up the tournament making short work of Maryland's Quinn Devaney. Lee opened up a 12-1 lead in the first period before pinning Devaney at the 2:42 mark. The Nittany Lion junior notched his second first-period fall, pinning Bloomsburg's Marco Macrino at the 1:29 mark to move to the semifinals. Lee continued his dominant wrestling in the semis, rolling up a number of takedowns and back points on his way to an 18-0 technical fall over Central Michigan's Drew Martin. Lee's tech came at the 3:32 mark in the second period. In the finals, Lee took on Central Michigan's Dresden Simon and rolled to an 11-5 win to claim the title. Lee went 4-0 with two pins and a major at the tournament. Verkleeren won the all-Penn State final at 149. Verkleeren opened up a big lead in the opening period of his first-round bout against Michigan's Nick Lombard before rolling up an 11-point lead in the third. Verkleeren picked up the fall at the 6:34 mark to move into the quarterfinals. He nearly pinned Maryland's Michael Doetsch in the opening period but settled for a 6-1 win. Verkleeren controlled Hofstra's Reece Heller in his semifinal bout, posting a strong 6-2 win to advance to the finals. Verkleeren met teammate Gardner in the 149-pound title bout. He used a third period takedown to post a hard fought 3-2 win and take the crown. Verkleeren went 4-0 with a pin on the day. Hall, ranked No. 1 at 174, rolled to the title at 174. After a first-round bye, Hall made short work of Bloomsburg's Justin Hayward, taking the Huskie grappler down quickly, turning him a couple times and then getting the first period pin at the 1:44 mark. Hall picked up his second pin of the tournament in the semifinals, getting a second period fall over Maryland's Phillip Spadafora at the 4:12 mark to advance to the finals. Hall took on Big Ten foe Jacob Covaciu of Indiana in the title bout at 174 and dominated the action. Hall recorded the bout's only takedowns and posted a 14-2 major with over 3:00 in riding time to take the title. The Lion senior went 3-0 with two pins on the day. Gardner lost a hard-fought all-Penn State final at 149. Gardner had a first-round bye and took on Central Michigan's Luke Raczkowski in the quarterfinals. Gardner dominated the action and rolled to a 12-4 major decision over Raczkowski to move to the semifinals. In the semis, Gardner battled Army West Point's P.J. Ogunsanya through a rugged seven minutes, coming out on top with a strong 3-0 win. The victory advanced him to the finals where he met teammate Jarod Verkleeren. He dropped a 3-2 decision in the final and ended his day with a 2-1 mark, including a major and a runner-up finish. Freshman Brody Teske (Duncombe, Iowa) rolled to a third-place finish at 125, with his lone loss to a nationally ranked foe. Teske won his first match over Army West Point's Ryan Chauvin, bolting out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, led by nine after two and ended the bout with a fall at the 6:10 mark. He then took care of Maryland's Brandon Cray, rolling to an 8-3 decision to advance to the semifinals. Teske battled No. 11 Drew Hildebrand of Central Michigan in the semifinals and dropped a 6-0 match. The Lion freshman then rolled up 20 points on Chauvin in a second meeting, posting a 20-10 major to advance to the conso final/third place bout. Teske took on Michigan's Jack Medley in a Big Ten battle for third place and came away with a 5-4 win after 7:00 hard-fought minutes. Teske took third with a 4-1 day, including a pin and a major. Freshman Konner Kraeszig (Louisville, Ky.) had an outstanding weekend, taking third at 165. Kraeszig had a first-round bye. He met Indiana's Davey Tunon in the quarterfinals and dominated the Hoosier to the tune of a 15-4 major decision (with over 3:00 in riding time). Kraeszig then met No. 12 Cael McCormick of Army West Point in the semifinals. Kraeszig battled the ranked Knight tough for seven minutes before falling 7-3. He then met Tracy Hubbard of Central Michigan in the consolation semifinals and rolled to a 15-5 major with over 3:00 in riding time. Kraeszig's major moved him into the third-place bout where he met Michigan's Layne Van Anrooy. Kraeszig battled the Wolverine for 7:00-plus minutes before using a scrambling takedown in extra time to post a 3-1 (sv) win. Kraeszig took third place with a 4-1 day that included two majors. His lone loss was to a nationally ranked grappler. Freshman Brandon Meredith (Limerick, Pa.) was impressive at 125 and placed fifth at the event . Meredith had a first-round bye. He then battled No. 11 Drew Hildebrand of Central Michigan in the quarterfinals and lost an 8-0 major. In consolation action, Meredith posted a 12-4 major over Bloomsburg's Christian Gannone. He then took on teammate Devin Schnupp in the next round of consolation action and used a third period takedown to post a 4-2 victory. Meredith faced off against Michigan's Jack Medley in the conso semis and lost a 7-2 decision. He took on Army's Ryan Chauvin for fifth and rolled to a 22-7 tech fall at the 6:23 mark. Meredith took fifth after a 3-2 day, including a major and a tech fall. Junior Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) picked up a couple falls at 157 and took fifth at the event. Pipher took on Army's Luke Weiland in the first round. The Lion lost a tough 6-1 decision to Weiland and moved into consolation action. After trailing Indiana's Fernando Silva early, Pipher battled back to even the action before ending the bout with a quick move and a pin, getting the fall at the 6:03 mark. Pipher then locked up Army's Markus Hartman quickly in his next match, getting the fast fall at the 0:49 mark to advance to the consolation semifinals. Pipher suffered a 7-3 loss to Central Michigan's Logan Parks in the conso semis and then picked up a medical forfeit victory in the fifth-place bout. Pipher went 3-2 with two pins on the day to take fifth place. Freshman Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing, Pa.) was solid at 184 as well, placing fifth. Edsell met No. 17 Jelani Embree off Michigan in the opening round. The Lion freshman met the ranked Wolverine step for step over the 7:00 match before dropping a hard-fought 3-1 decision. Edsell received a bye in his first consolation bout and then took on Indiana's Jakob Hinz. Edsell dominated Hinz, posting an 8-4 win to move into the consolation semifinals. Edsell dropped a tough 6-3 decision to Maryland's Kyle Jasenski in the conso semis and then rebounded to post a dominant 11-4 win over Central Michigan's Ben Cushman in the fifth-place match. Edsell went 2-2 on the day. Sophomore Austin Hoopes (Afton, Wyo.) took sixth place at 197. Hoopes battled Maryland's Niko Capello tough in the opening round before dropping a 3-2 decision. In his first consolation bout, Hoopes received the medical forfeit win over Conel. He took on Bloomsburg's Kyle Murphy in the next consolation round and needed 10 minutes to pick up the victory. Hoopes rode Murphy out in the second tie-breaker to post a 3-2 (tb2) victory and continue on in the tournament. He bowed out of the tournament after a 10-4 loss to Central Michigan's Landon Pelham. He then lost a hard-fought 3-2 decision to CMU's Aaron Bolo in the fifth-place match, going 2-3 on the day for sixth. Graduate Kyle Conel (Ashtabula, Ohio), ranked No. 3 at 197, bowed out of the tournament early after a medical forfeit. Conel posted a hard-fought 2-1 (tb) win over Maryland's Jaron Smith in the opening round, escaping in his tie-breaker period after riding Smith out. Conel took on Aaron Bolo of Central Michigan in the quarterfinals. After taking an early lead with the bout's lone takedown, Conel was injured on an escape in the third period, continued but could not break free of Bolo's ride and was reversed. He dropped a 5-3 decision and then medically forfeited (not a second loss) out of the tournament. Junior Devin Schnupp (Lititz, Pa.) grabbed one win at 125. Schnupp dropped a tough 3-1 decision to Army West Point's Trey Chalifoux in the first round, nearly tying the bout with a late scramble before dropping into consolations with the loss. Schnupp was tied with Maryland's Brandon Cray late in the third period before Cray was injured, giving Schnupp the injury default victory. Schnupp then dropped a tough 4-2 decision to teammate Brandon Meredith to bow out of the tournament with a 1-2 mark. Freshman Paul Feite (Dillsburg, Pa.) picked up a win at 157. Feite opened up the tournament against Indiana's Fernando Silva. Feite's late takedown was not enough in an 8-3 loss and the Lion moved into consolation action. The Lion freshman picked up a victory in his first consolation bout, posting a 3-2 decision over Bloomsburg's Nate Newberry. Feite bowed out of the tournament after a 12-3 loss to Maryland's Jahi Jones, posting a 1-2 mark on the day. Senior Dominic Giannangeli (Murrysville, Pa.) competed at 141.Giannangeli dropped a hard-fought 4-0 decision to Hunter Baxter of Maryland in the opening round. He then took on Army's Logan Brown in his first consolation bout. Brown got the fall at the 2:31 mark and Giannangeli bowed out of the tournament. Four top-ranked Nittany Lions either did not wrestle at the event: No. 5 Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), No. 2 Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) .) and No. 1 Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.) did not compete at 157, 184 and 285 respectively; No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.) competed this weekend at the Bill Farrell Open in New York City, advancing to the semifinals. Penn State will take its 1-0 dual meet record to Tempe, Ariz., next weekend to battle No. 6 Arizona State. The Nittany Lions and Sun Devils will tangle on Friday, Nov. 22, at 9 p.m. Eastern / 7 p.m. local. The dual airs on the Pac 12 networks with the Penn State Radio Network's Jeff Byers' broadcast live for free via LionVision at GoPSUsports.com.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A fall from Nathan Traxler and technical falls by Jackson DiSario and Real Woods propelled Stanford to a 29-10 win at San Francisco State, Sunday, in Main Gym at Don Nasser Plaza. Stanford improved to 2-1 on the year after winning seven of the 10 bouts over the Gators (1-2). Traxler, who is ranked No. 9 in the nation at 197 pounds, registered the pin over John Chetwynd in just 56 seconds. It is the first fall of the season for Traxler and the eighth of his career. The dual started at 125 pounds where DiSario, a true freshman, posted a 19-2 technical fall in the third period over Tony Margiotta. Ranked 13th nationally, Woods was also dominate in his match, besting Alex Felix 16-1 in 5:00 at 141 pounds. Redshirt sophomore Dalton Young earned his first dual win of the year and moved to 4-2 overall with a 5-3 decision over Nathan Cervantez at 133 pounds. Tied 2-2 going into the final period, Young opened the third with an escape and sealed the win with another takedown. Redshirt freshman Gabe Dinette collected his first collegiate dual win with a 6-2 decision over Kurtis Clem at 165 pounds. Redshirt sophomore Foster Karmon also recorded his first dual win of the season with a 14-4 major decision over Tyee Ducharme at 174 pounds. Redshirt senior Trevor Rasmussen capped off the scoring for the Cardinal with a 1-0 decision against Justin Ramos at heavyweight. Stanford is back in action on Saturday against Columbia. The Cardinal and Lions will face off in an outdoor dual in Fan Fest at 11 a.m. prior to the Stanford football game against Cal. The Cardinal will also host women's wrestling exhibition matches during halftime of the dual. Results: 125 Jackson DiSario (STAN) tech. fall Tony Margiotta (SFSU) 19-2 (5:31) 133 Dalton Young (STAN) dec. Nathan Cervantez (SFSU) 5-3 141 #13 Real Woods (STAN) tech. fall Alex Felix (SFSU) 16-1 (5:00) 149 Mason Boutain (SFSU) maj. dec. Tony Williams (STAN) 10-0 157 Maxamillian Schneider (SFSU) dec. Tyler Eischens (STAN) 10-7 165 Gabe Dinette dec. Kurtis Clem (SFSU) 6-2 174 Foster Karmon (STAN) maj. dec. Tyee Ducharme (SFSU) 14-4 184 Justin Pichedwatana (SFSU) dec. Jared Hill (STAN) 4-2 197 #9 Nathan Traxler (STAN) fall John Chetwynd (SFSU) F0:56 285 Trevor Rasmussen (STAN) dec. Justin Ramos (SFSU) 1-0

EVANSTON, Ill -- No. 21 Northwestern returned to Welsh-Ryan Arena on Sunday with an emphatic 24-20 win over No. 14 Northern Iowa in its home opener. With the win, the 'Cats improve to 1-1 on the season. NU was able to come out on top today thanks in large part to the fact that four of their five individual wins Sunday were of the bonus point variety. "Saw some really great individual performances tonight. Super proud of the effort put out by Mike DeAugustino, Shayne Oster and the other guys that got their hand raised," Head Coach Matt Storniolo said following his team's victory. Sebastian Rivera (133), No. 3 Ryan Deakin (157), Shayne Oster (165) and Lucas Davison (197) all earned bonus-point decisions today, contributing 21of the 24 total team points. Also, important, Northwestern got off to a 7-0 start after the first two bouts. Redshirt first-year Michael DeAugustino got the Wildcats off on the right foot with a dominant 5-1 win over No. 9 Jay Schwarm. "Coach always talks about being a spark, starting off the match it's important to me to get the team going right. " DeAugustino said. "We always talk about going up and having fun, and usually if you're having fun you're winning." From there, Rivera earned his second consecutive major decision with a 13-4 win over Northern Iowa's Jack Skudlarczyk. No. 3 Ryan Deakin earned a fall over Keaton Geerts at the 3:48 mark to send Northwestern into intermission leading 13-7. Following the intermission, Oster added a strong 15-0 technical fall, completed with a myriad of back points to the score sheet. "I got to my offense so I could be on top," Oster said on his dominant performance. "That's where I wanted to be, that's where I was going to score the most points." At 197 pounds, Lucas Davison added six more points to lock up the match due to injury default as Northern Iowa's Noah Glaser went down in the first but could not continue. Northwestern is next back in action on November 24 at Welsh-Ryan Arena with a showdown vs. North Dakota State at 2 p.m. CT. Results: 125: Michael DeAugustino (NU). dec. Jay Schwarm (UNI), 5-1| NU 3, UNI 0 133: #3 (125) Sebastian Rivera (NU) maj. dec. Jack Skudlarczyk (UNI), 13-4 | NU 7, UNI 0 141: Michael Blockhus (UNI) maj.dec. Jack Tolin (NU), 13-3 | NU 7, UNI 4 149: #3 Max Thomsen (UNI) dec. Yahya Thomas (NU), 4-3 | NU 7, UNI 7 157: #3 Ryan Deakin (NU) fall. Keaton Geerts (UNI), 3:48 | NU 13, UNI 7 165: Shayne Oster (NU) technical fall. Pat Schoenfelder (UNI), 15-0 | NU 18, UNI 7 174: #7 Bryce Steiert (UNI) maj. dec. Tyler Moreland (NU), 13-1 | NU 18, UNI 11 184: #7 Taylor Lujan (UNI) fall. Jack Jessen (NU), 2:33 | NU 18, UNI 17 197: Lucas Davison (NU) injury default. Noah Glaser (UNI), DNF | NU 24, UNI 17 285: Carter Isley (UNI) dec. Jack Heyob (NU), 6-0 | NU 24, UNI 20 *All team ranking information is via NWCA Coaches Poll rankings as of Nov. 12. *All individual ranking information is via InterMat rankings as of Nov. 12.

The Tavakolians present a check to Brandon Nunez, a Become Your Own Dream Fund Scholarship recipient (Photo/Justin Hoch, jhoch.com) They are corporate executives by day. And superheroes by night. For Hooman and Lorelei Tavakolian, that is the life they lead. They start their days before sunrise in suburban New York City, work 12-hour days in midtown Manhattan and then commute home together to raise their three young children. They leave and return home when it's dark. Their schedule is wild, crazy and hectic, but they wouldn't have it any other way. The Tavakolians, both 43 years old, are C level employees for New York City-based hedge funds in one of the world's financial meccas in Manhattan. "We are very dedicated to our careers and we make a significant time commitment to what we do," Lorelei said. "We work long hours keeping our firms in line with compliance requirements. It can be stressful and hectic times, but we are partners in everything we do and it works well for us." The Tavakolians come from vastly different backgrounds. Hooman Tavakolian grew up in Iran, a country with a rich and storied history in the sport of wrestling. He and his wife have become known globally for their immense contributions to the sport. Hooman and Lorelei manage and operate Hoomanities, the nonprofit they founded to provide assistance to underprivileged youths around the world through wrestling. "There is a lot of poverty and neglect around the world," Lorelei said. "It's sad to see families who are struggling to make it and that's why it's so important for us to help people who are less fortunate. I am totally supportive of Hooman's vision and what we're doing to help young people. It's so gratifying to see a smile on a kid's face after we are able to help them -- it makes it all worth it. It's amazing to be able to give back." Hooman Tavakolian came to the U.S. at age 9 after his family left Iran in 1986. He went through some hardships as he and his family adjusted to a new culture when first coming to America. "We lived in poverty when I was growing up," he said. "I never lived in an air-conditioned room until I was 22. I grew up poor and that's definitely one of the reasons why I am so committed to helping the people who are less fortunate. I can relate to what they are going through. "Wrestling helped me become successful in life and I want it to provide the same opportunities for young people who are less fortunate. My goal is to give young people a way out of poverty by chasing their dreams in wrestling." Hooman excelled as a high school wrestler before going on to compete at the NCAA Division I level for Hofstra University. He went on to become successful in the business and financial world in New York City. In 2017, he was inducted into the New York chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Hooman is heavily involved in wrestling with the New York Athletic Club. He also has worked as a liaison between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic of Iran during the Senior and Junior World Championships for wrestling. He has handled sports diplomacy between Iran, the U.S. and other countries from around the world. He also was in attendance at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Hooman became more heavily involved with wrestling during 2013 when the International Olympic Committee Executive Board recommended wrestling be removed from the Olympic Games program. Hooman has traveled frequently to Iran, including numerous times as a team leader when U.S. teams have competed there. He made two trips to Iran in 2019. When a tragedy struck in an Afghanistan wrestling room in 2018, and more than 20 people were killed by a suicide bomber, the Tavakolians led the charge to rebuild the facility. They helped raise funds to provide wrestling mats, equipment and gear for the club. They also raised the spirits of the surviving wrestlers by giving them an even greater gift. Hope. "After the bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, we wanted to provide assistance, and we jumped on it quickly," he said. "We fixed the whole wrestling gym. We rebuilt it, and made it even better and safer. And then we refurbished two additional gyms in Kabul. We helped a few hundred young wrestlers and got some kids off the streets. It was the Americans that helped them rebuild. We put politics and everything aside to provide help for the people in Afghanistan. A majority of the money came from people involved with wrestling in the U.S. We raised $25,000 to fix the three gyms. We are really appreciative that so many people jumped in to help and contribute to this." Hooman, widely known by his nickname of "Mo" in wrestling circles, travels frequently around the world while his wife manages everything from home in New York. "We are extremely busy with everything we do," Lorelei said. "But we make sure it doesn't interfere with our day jobs. It takes razor sharp time management to successfully be able to do everything. All of the charitable work we do is in the evenings and on the weekends." Hooman and Lorelei Tavakolian Hooman offers high praise for everything his wife has done to make their partnership thrive and excel. "Lorelei has done really well in her career and I'm very proud of her -- she is amazing," Hooman said. "She is a corporate executive who raises three kids and runs our household. Quite frankly, I don't know how she does it all. And on top of all that, she helps manage our charitable endeavors. "My wife is a saint. When I'm traveling around the world, she is home with the kids. I usually only get about three or four hours of sleep at night, and I'm so tired sometimes she has to tell me what socks to wear and make sure I don't forget anything." Their lengthy work commute, more than an hour each way, is what Hooman calls "quality time" with his wife. "It's basically the only time we have during the day where we are alone together," he said with a laugh. "We talk about a lot of the projects and ideas we have for helping people. I'm always bouncing ideas off her to see what she thinks. I greatly value her opinion and her input. It's a crazy life, but we love it. My wife is my best friend and she keeps all of us organized." No matter how busy they are, nothing is more important to the Tavakolians than raising their young family. They have two sons -- Navid, 9, and Nima 6 -- and one daughter -- Nikki, 4. All three children have taken an interest in wrestling. The boys also play baseball and basketball while their daughter is involved in ballet. The children excel in school and have other interests like music and the arts. They also enjoy playing video games. "We've been blessed to have amazing and happy kids," Hooman said. "They are active and involved and have a lot of energy. They mean everything to us. We cherish whatever time we have with them. Our family is very close." Earlier this year, Hooman took his older son Navid with him on a trip to Iran. "I think Navid thought we were going to a beach resort at first, but he quickly realized we weren't," Hooman said. "It was an eye-opening experience for him. He saw kids in Iran who were much less fortunate than he was who were selling socks on the street. They were wearing old clothes and ripped up shoes. We were in Tehran and we went back there for a family wedding. I wanted to show my son where I lived when I was his age. It was a tremendous experience for him. He has a better understanding now of Iran and his heritage." Hooman met Lorelei in 2000. "She was my boss -- I used to work for her," he said with a laugh. "She hired me for a financial position. And the rest is history. I am so fortunate and blessed she came into my life. She's the best." Lorelei grew up in the New York City borough of Queens before living about an hour drive north of the city when she was in high school. She attended Fordham University. Hooman said his wife has many of the qualities a successful athlete possesses. "Lorelei is tenacious -- she never gives up," he said. "She sets her goals and goes after them, no matter how long it takes. And she's very intelligent. She is great at time management. She is my life planner. She is a very motivated, driven and determined person who makes everyone around her better." The Tavakolians also co-founded a scholarship fund. They award a student-athlete in New York City $2,500 annually. "I do a lot of the work behind the scenes," Lorelei said. "I manage everything and I keep Hooman organized. I book his travel and help him with his schedule. And we are always talking and brainstorming when we're in the car going to and from work. We are very reliant on each other. All of the charitable work we do is a huge time commitment for us, and we somehow fit it in during the time when we're not working. But it's all worth it." Hooman said he is fortunate that the company he works for in New York City is "very supportive" of the humanitarian work that he does with his wife. "Our purpose in life is to help people," he said. "The world is portrayed as dark and evil in a lot of respects, and that's very sad to see. I see the good in people and I want to help them. We are all born with kindness -- we just need some sort of stimuli to get it out. I love putting a smile on a young person's face. And making their lives better. It's gratifying to be able to help them. We are all humans and we should all be here to help each other. "We hope our children continue our legacy long after we are gone and, through acts of kindness, continue to instill hope in humanity." Hooman Tavakolian with Henry Cejudo As you can imagine, Hooman and Lorelei have other projects they are planning to pursue. "We're always trying to raise money to help people -- that's what we do," he said. "I'm hosting some tournaments to raise money. We've talked about helping kids in Cambodia and Vietnam. I've been to Qatar to help there. We've helped kids in Brazil and Cuba and many other places. Companies such as Nike, Asics, Cliff Keen and Adidas have been extremely generous -- they have helped out by contributing shoes, gear and equipment to help kids who can't afford it. We've provided shoes for kids all over the world." For the Tavakolians, they aren't looking to make a profit. Instead, they're making a difference in the lives of countless young people. "A lot of the money I use to travel is out of my own pocket," he said. "It's something we want to do to give back to the sport of wrestling. We are able to help out, and we will continue to donate shoes and gear in 2020 to wrestlers. My mission is to give back and help these people." Hooman is preparing for another trip back to his native land. He's been back to Iran every year since 2007 and now goes back there twice a year. Many of the trips are for wrestling events and to help people in that country. "I'm doing a charity tournament in Iran in December," he said. "We are bringing in kids from low-income areas from Iran to compete. They will receive wrestling shoes and gear to compete. We want to show them wrestling can help them with the path of their life. Some of these kids have a dream to make a national team in wrestling so they can fly on a plane and travel outside the country. We want to show them that it is possible with wrestling." Their busy lives constantly keep Hooman and Lorelei on the go. And that's precisely how they like it. "We are kind of like Batman and Robin with all of the different roles we play. We focus on our corporate positions during the 12-hour days we work. And then we try to save the world through wrestling at night while raising our kids at the same time," Hooman said. "We are a great team. There is no possible way I could do this without my wife's amazing support. It can be stressful and exhausting at times, but it's all worth it. It's a great life and I found the perfect person to take this journey with." Lorelei said she is "100 percent on board" with what the couple is doing to make a difference. "Hooman wants to save everybody," she said. "He's an amazing, caring man with a huge heart. He's inspired me to want to help people who need it. So many people reach out to him for help and I'm very proud of what he's done. He can't possibly save everyone in the world, but he's trying to. One shoe at a time."

Roman Rozell (Photo/Arizona State University) Roman Rozell marked his 35th birthday by doing what he loves ... while possibly making some history: He wrestled his first match for Arizona State as a walk-on member of the Sun Devils. Rozell, a married father of six and former Army combat veteran and Green Beret, earned a standing ovation when he stepped out onto the mat in dual meet between ASU and Augustana of South Dakota Friday night at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe. "In a meaningful moment for the program following Veterans Day this Monday, former Green Beret and 35-year-old walk-on Roman Rozell made his debut for the Sun Devils, earning an ovation from the crowd of 1,090," reported the official Sun Devils wrestling website. Rozell was pinned by Augustana sophomore Dan Bishop in the first minute of their 197-pound match. (Arizona State, ranked No. 6 in the nation by InterMat, won the dual, defeating the visiting Vikings, 35-6.) According to a 600-word profile by Greg Moore of the Arizona Republic, Rozell may have indeed made history as the oldest NCAA Division I wrestler to take to the mat. "The NCAA doesn't keep track of age, but the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum couldn't find record of an older Division-I wrestler in its archives," Moore wrote. "Typically, the NCAA caps eligibility at 25 years old, but that doesn't apply for people who join the military straight out of high school." Last week, Arizona State head coach Zeke Jones told Rozell he would be wrestling for the Sun Devils in the first home match of the season. "(Assistant coach) Chris Pendleton came to me and said, 'What do you think about putting Roman in the lineup?' And I said, 'You know, I was thinking the exact same thing.' ... I'm excited about it," Jones shared with the Arizona Republic's Moore. Roman RozellThe eldest member of the Sun Devil wrestling team has overcome a ton of challenges in his life. Here's how Marshall Terrill opened his profile of Roman Rozell posted earlier this month for ASU Now, an official website for Arizona State University: "In his 34 years, Arizona State University student veteran Roman Rozell has survived his parents' divorce, addiction, six combat concussions and being struck by lightning. "Amidst these slings and arrows, Rozell has managed to write a book, obtain an associate degree (he's working on his undergraduate) and kickstart a motivational speaking career all while getting married and fathering six children. Oh, and he also finds time in his busy schedule to wrestle for the university -- as the oldest walk-on in school history ..." "Rozell decided that after 14 years in the Army, it was time to do something else. That road led him back to ASU in 2018, where he put his GI Bill to use and initially pursued a teaching degree, but switched to sociology and hopes one day to become a mental health counselor. "Before he finished his active duty, Rozell started coaching high school wrestling and his passion for the sport was ignited again. He also began training and getting into shape. At 33, he rekindled his dream of wrestling on the collegiate level. "But that was easier said than done. He had to wait about four months to discover if he still had any eligibility left. Usually 25 is the maximum age to compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. However, exceptions are made for members of the military and Latter-day Saints. Because Rozell was in the military for 14 years, he is considered a sophomore in terms of eligibility. "'I eventually discovered I'm the oldest Division 1 wrestler in the country, but I'm 19 on paper,' Rozell said. 'Wow!'" In the past, InterMat has shared the stories of at least two other college wrestlers who returned to the mat a few years older than their teammates ... or opponents. In February 2010, we profiled Justin Decker, who resumed his wrestling career at age 33 as a 157-pounder for Upper Iowa University, an NCAA Division II program ... all while running a dairy farm and raising a family. Then, six years ago, InterMat wrote about "senior wrestler" Rick Chipman, who, at age 44, was about to launch his senior year as a student and wrestler at University of Southern Maine, an NCAA Division III school ... along with being a full-time firefighter and family man. In the past, it wasn't uncommon for individuals who had served in the military for a number of years after high school to enter college after completing their service. Among those who became NCAA champs well into their 20s: University of Oklahoma's Dan Hodge (who was a married 25-year-old father as a Sooner senior in 1957) ... Oklahoma State's Dick Hutton (after returning from World War II, a three-time NCAA heavyweight champ for the Cowboys, 1947-48, and 1950) ... and Phil Kinyon, dubbed "the ancient Marine" who wrestled freestyle for the military for a number of years before enrolling at Oklahoma State, winning the 157-pound crown at the 1961 NCAAs. Wrestling is often labeled "oldest and greatest sport." Perhaps one reason: it offers opportunities for athletes of just about any age. Including Roman Rozell. Want to read additional inspiring stories? Earlier this year, InterMat profiled a blind wrestler who won an Alabama state title ... and a six-year-old boy in Illinois who was succeeding at wrestling despite being born without feet or a left hand. In 2011, InterMat wrote a feature titled "Opportunity for All", providing profiles of wrestlers such as Anthony Robles, Rulon Gardner, Matt Hamill, Les Anderson and Nick Ackerman who overcame considerable obstacles to become champions in the sport.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa Wrestling team opened the 2019-20 season Sunday with a 39-0 shutout of Tennessee-Chattanooga at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes swept 10 bouts, scoring bonus points in five matches and punctuating the dual with a first-period fall at heavyweight. Redshirt freshman Tony Cassioppi put the final touches on the shutout, registering a fall in one minute, 45 seconds in his college debut. The Hawkeye heavyweight was one of four new looks Iowa put on the mat Sunday. Redshirt freshman Nelson Brands was an 8-4 winner in his Hawkeye debut at 184, and Hawkeye All-Americans Austin DeSanto and Michael Kemerer were both winners at new weight classes. "It was something else," Brands said of his Carver debut. "I never expected the fans to be so loud. I didn't hear it till the end, it's a tunnel vision type idea so I'm not trying to listen, but you can hear them and feel the vibrations. It was a surreal moment." DeSanto, a 2019 All-American at 133 in 2019, scored 16 first-period points and went on to a 23-4 technical fall at 141 pounds. He needed just three minutes, 46 seconds to terminate the match. Kemerer, a two-time All-American at 157, returned from a one-year absence and rolled to a 20-0 technical fall at 174. He led 8-0 after one, 14-0 after two, and went feet-to-back for a six-point move to open the third. "I wanted to get the fall bad. Credit to my opponent fighting off his back. It would have been nice to go out with the pin," Kemerer said. Juniors Spencer Lee and Kaleb Young added bonus point wins for Iowa. Lee used a 12-2 first period to roll to a 16-5 major decision at 125, and Young scored three takedowns in the final minute to win 16-6 at 157. UP NEXT The Hawkeyes travel to Ames, Iowa to wrestle Iowa State on Nov. 24 in the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. Action begins at 2 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum. NOTABLES Nelson Brands and Tony Cassioppi made their collegiate debuts. Michael Kemerer wrestled for the first time since March 17, 2018. He wrestled for the first time in his career at 174 after posting a 60-6 record at 157 from 2016-18. Iowa held a 32-6 edge in takedowns. Results: 125 -- #1 Spencer Lee (IA) major dec. Fabian Gutierrez (C), 16-5; 4-0 133 -- Paul Glynn (IA) dec. Wade Cummings (C), 11-7; 7-0 141 -- Austin DeSanto (IA) tech. fall Aidan Murphy (C), 23-4; 12-0 149 -- #5 Pat Lugo (IA) dec. Tanner Smith (C), 9-4; 15-0 157 -- #2 Kaleb Young (IA) major dec. George Carpenter (C), 16-6; 19-0 165 -- #2 Alex Marinelli (IA) dec. Drew Nicholson (C), 9-4; 22-0 174 -- #4 Michael Kemerer (IA) tech. fall Hunter Fortner (C), 20-0; 27-0 184 -- Nelson Brands (IA) dec. Matthew Waddell (C), 8-4; 30-0 197 -- #4 Jacob Warner (IA) dec. Rodney Jones (C), 5-4; 33-0 285 -- #12 Tony Cassioppi (IA) pinned Grayson Walthall (C), 1:45; 39-0 Records: Iowa (1-0), Chattanooga (1-3) Attendance: 10,466

CLARION, Pa. – The Patriots wrestling team opened its dual match season with a familiar opponent but in a different conference as Mason edged the Clarion Golden Eagles, 19-18 today at Tippin Gym on Clarion's campus. The two teams met five of the last six seasons in the Eastern Wrestling League before meeting today for the first time as members of the Mid-American Conference. The Eagles won the last three dual matches with Mason last winning on January 18, 2015 at Clarion. "Two years ago, Clarion shut us out in the dual," said Head Coach Frank Beasley. "Last season they beat us 16-27 and this year we came away with a big win. I think Clarion's line-up today was the best team they have fielded in a long time." A solid win for Mason, the Clarion Golden Eagles were ranked fifth in the preseason MAC coaches' poll, while the Patriots were sitting at 13th in the 15-team conference. "Really pleased with the effort and fight out of our team across the board today," added Beasley. "Our focus was very good up and down the line-up." The Patriots and Clarion split each of the five matches on the mat, but bonus points proved to be the difference in giving George Mason the win. Both teams picked up a win by fall on, with the Patriots' freshman Josh Jones defeating Seth Koleno with 51 seconds left at 133 pounds and Clarion's Greg Bulsak pinning Jeremy Seymour in the 197-pound bout. Jones' win, as well as a major decision by Neil Schuster over Mike Vernagallo, 10-2, in the 165-pound bout, was the difference-maker for the Patriots. "Josh came off a disappointing weekend at Journeyman Classic and rebounded with a very good performance today," Beasley said. "I love seeing his aggression from start to finish. He won the Hammer Award today for getting the fall for the team." "Neil continues to impress," said Beasley. "He has made enormous gains from last season and is getting better every match. He is putting himself in position to have an outstanding season. Neil put up bonus points for the team which was an important component of the win today." Mason won the first three bouts before Clarion returned the favor with three straight wins of their own. Kolby Ho, in a return to his hometown Dubois, started the match with a decision over Avery Shay, 9-5. "Like Josh, Kolby did not have the performance he wanted last weekend, but he put himself right back on track today," said Beasley. "Kolby is very good when he is offensive and that is exactly what we saw out of him in today's dual" After Schuster's win, Anthony Lombardo edged Max Wohlabaugh, 11-9. "Tony came off a very grueling weekend. Today, he showed poise and maturity making adjustments in order to come away with a dominate win," said coach Beasley. The Golden Eagles responded with three straight wins and a12-10 lead starting with a 3-2 decision by Luke Funck in the 184-pound bout. Two-time NCAA qualifier Greg Bulsak defeated Jeremy Seymour, earning six points. Ty Bagoly wrapped the three-match streak with a win over Jake Slinger in the heavyweight bout. The Patriots countered with wins at 125 and 133 pounds, beginning with a 6-3 Talha Farooq decision against Cameron Butler. Freshman Joshua Jones defeated Seth Koeno with a fall at 6:09. "Talha got taken down early in the match but continued to stick to his game plan," said Beasley. "He showed a lot of grit in a pivotal match." Clarion's Taylor Ortz gave the Eagles a chance with a 5-3 decision over Alex Madrigal. In the final match of the day, Brock Zacherl won the day's finale in a sudden-victory decision, but Mason's Colston DiBlasi kept him from bonus points and a possible tie. "Real development takes time," added Beasley. "I'm very proud of our team for the effort they displayed today, and it was a very solid performance. I think a big portion of the credit goes the assistant coaches on this staff who have helped develop the young men within our program." UP NEXT The Patriots to open its home schedule against Oregon State on Thursday, November 21 at 7 p.m. Results: 157 : Kolby Ho (George Mason) over Avery Shay (Clarion) (Dec 9-5) 165 : Neil Schuster (George Mason) over Mike Vernagallo (Clarion) (MD 10-2) 174 : Anthony Lombardo (George Mason) over Max Wohlabaugh (Clarion) (Dec 11-9) 184 : Luke Funck (Clarion) over Paul Pierce (George Mason) (Dec 3-2) 197 : Greg Bulsak (Clarion) over Jeremy Seymour (George Mason) (Fall 1:32) 285 : Tyler Bagoly (Clarion) over Jake Slinger (George Mason) (Dec 10-3) 125 : Talha Farooq (George Mason) over Cameron Butler (Clarion) (Dec 6-3) 133 : Josh Jones (George Mason) over Seth Koleno (Clarion) (Fall 6:09) 141 : Taylor Ortz (Clarion) over Alex Madrigal (George Mason) (Dec 5-3) 149 : Brock Zacherl (Clarion) over Colston DiBlasi (George Mason) (SV-1 4-2)

DEKALB, IL -- The Rider University wrestling team continued to make statements on the mat, defeating Northern Illinois at the Huskie Duals, 26-6, on Sunday afternoon at Victor E. Court. Eight Broncs contributed individual wins for Rider, as the Broncs led throughout the dual. Rider started the match with wins at 125, 133 and 141. Jonathan Tropea (Harrington Park, NJ/Saint Joseph (Montvale)) earned a 9-8 decision over 2019 NCAA Qualifier Bryce West. Chris Wright (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin) and Robbie Cleary (Edison, NJ/Bound Brook [Rutgers]) followed with major decisions to put the Broncs on top, 11-0. After NIU got its first win at 149, the Broncs followed with a decision from Jesse Dellavecchia (Great River, NY/East Islip [Binghamton]) at 157. The Huskies took their final victory at 165, before Rider won the last four matches to secure the 26-6 victory. Dean Sherry (Brick, NJ/Brick Township) defeated Kenny Moore, 7-2, before George Walton (Franklin, NJ/Bound Brook) defeated nationally-ranked No. 15 Brit Wilson, 7-6, at 184. Ethan Laird (Waterford, PA/General McLane) and Ryan Cloud (Brookville, OH/Northmont) also earned decisions at 197 and 285, respectively. Quotes & Notes "This weekend was a good test for us and the guys who wrestled." "Coming off our win vs. Minnesota Friday, to travel five hours to NIU and compete the way they did, I'm very happy with their performance." "We had great individual wins vs. nationally-ranked wrestlers by Tropea (second in two days) and Walton." – Rider Head Coach John Hangey - Rider earned its first win over a league foe since joining the Mid-American Conference. - Rider is now 2-0 after today's win and a stunning 21-17 victory Friday at No. 6 Minnesota. - Following today's match, Rider improves to 2-0 in the all-time series against the University of Northern Illinois. The last match for these two programs was back in 2014, when Rider won 28-9. - Rider returns to action Sunday, Nov. 24 at the University of Pennsylvania's Keystone Classic. Matches are set to begin at 10 a.m. Results: 125: Jonathon Tropea (RU) dec. Bryce West (NIU), 9-8; Rider leads, 3-0. 133: Chris Wright (RU) maj. dec. Drew West (NIU), 17-8; Rider leads, 7-0. 141: Robbie Cleary (RU) maj. dec. Caleb Brooks (NIU), 8-0; Rider leads, 11-0. 149: McCoy Kent (NIU) dec. Gino Fluri (RU), 7-6; Rider leads, 11-3. 157: Jesse Dellavecchia (RU) dec. Mason Kauffman (NIU), 5-1; Rider leads, 14-3. 165: Izzak Olejnik (NIU) dec. Joe Casey (RU), 8-6; Rider leads, 14-6. 174: Dean Sherry (RU) dec. Kenny Moore (NIU), 7-2; Rider leads, 17-6. 184: George Walton (RU) dec. #15 Brit Wilson (NIU), 7-6; Rider leads, 20-6. 197: Ethan Laird (RU) dec. Gage Braun (NIU), 5-2; Rider leads, 23-6. 285: Ryan Cloud (RU) dec. Max Ihry (NIU), 8-3; Rider wins, 26-6.

AMES, Iowa -- The No 12 Iowa State wrestling team (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) topped Bucknell (0-2, 0-0 EIWA), 24-15 in the dual season-opener. The Cyclones won six of the 10 bouts and were aided by bonus-point victories from Jarrett Degen (major decision), David Carr (technical fall) and Marcus Coleman (fall). How It Happened Alex Mackall put the Cyclones on the board to open the dual with a 10-3 victory over Brandon Siedman. Mackall tallied four takedowns, including three in the first period, to improve his season record to 4-0. Iowa State separated themselves from the Bison when the Cardinal and Gold won three straight matches, two that were of bonus-point variety. Ian Parker spurred the Cyclone run with a 6-2 decision over Noah Levett. Parker racked up over three minutes of riding time in his 2019-20 season opener. At 149 pounds, Degen secured three third-period takedowns to separate himself from Matthew Kolonia. Degen gave up the first takedown of the match, but didn't surrender another in his 15-5 major decision over Kolonia. In what was a highly anticipated collegiate debut, Carr did not disappoint. The Junior World Champion jumped out to an 8-0 lead against Jaden Fisher in the first period with a takedown and a pair of turns. Carr showed that his freestyle prowess translated to folkstyle wrestling, turning Fisher a number of times and garnering nearly five minutes of riding time in an 18-3 technical fall victory. At 174 pounds, Coleman provided the highlight of the night for the Cyclones. Leading 3-0 in the second period, Coleman went to work on top after a takedown. Bucknell's Frankie Guida tried to roll through, but Coleman countered and pinned the Bison in 4:59. Sam Colbray iced the Cyclone victory away with a workmanlike 7-3 decision over Brandon Stokes. Colbray scored on two takedowns and did well on top, riding Stokes for 1:59 of the match. Next Up Iowa State will turn around and host Iowa next Sunday in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Dual. The Cyclones and Hawkeyes are set to wrestle at 2 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum. That dual will be available through Cyclones.tv and FloWrestling. Results: 125: Alex Mackall (ISU) dec. Brandon Seidman (BU), 10-3 (3:06 RT). 133: Darren Miller (BU) dec. Todd Small (ISU), 3-1. 141: Ian Parker Noah (ISU) dec. Noah Levett (BU), 6-2 (3:13 RT). 149: Jarrett Degen (ISU) maj. dec. Matthew Kolonia (BU), 15-5 (1:11 RT). 157: David Carr (ISU) tech fall Jaden Fisher (BU), 18-3 (7:00). 165: Zach Hartman (BU) dec. Chase Straw (ISU), 4-3. 174: Marcus Coleman (ISU) pinned Frankie Guida (BU), 4:59. 184: Sam Colbray (ISU) dec. Brandon Stokes (BU), 7-3 (1:59 RT). 197: Drew Phipps (BU) dec. Joel Shapiro (ISU), 4-0. 285: Nathan Feyrer (BU) win by disqualification Gannon Gremmel (ISU), (2:03).

FARGO, N.D. -- The No. 25 Purdue wrestling team improved to 3-1 in dual competition on the season Sunday, earning a 22-12 victory at North Dakota State at the Scheels Center. The Boilermakers won seven-of-10 matches on the day, highlighted by a major decision by junior Max Lyon at 184 pounds and a career achievement for classmate Devin Schroder at 125 pounds. "Today was a solid win," said Boilermaker head coach Tony Ersland. "Any time you take your team on the road and they pick up the win, it's a good thing. We had a few matches where we could've picked up bonus points and fell just short, but that's something we can learn from as we move forward." The Boilermakers won three straight to start the dual, which began at 141 pounds as North Dakota State won the draw coin flip and picked the starting weight. Sophomore Parker Filius used four first-period points to earn a 7-4 decision over fellow Montanan Sawyer Degan, and junior Griffin Parriott followed up for the Boilermakers with a 6-3 decision at 149 pounds. Freshman Kendall Coleman kept his hot start aflame, holding off a standout performance from NDSU freshman Jared Franek to secure an 8-6 win in sudden victory. NDSU got on the board at 165 pounds, but Purdue fired right back as senior Dylan Lydy sparked a run of three straight wins with a 13-6 decision at 174 over Austin Brenner. Lydy collected five takedowns in the win, pushing his career total to 211 and leaving him five shy of Nick Corpe for 20th place on Purdue's career leaderboard. Lyon was dominant at 184, posting five takedowns and piling up 5:55 of riding time in a 12-4 major decision over T.J. Pottinger. Lyon now has over 30 minutes of riding time through 10 matches this season. Freshman Thomas Penola completed the run at 197 pounds, needing extra time for a 6-4 win over senior Cordell Eaton. The two traded first-period takedowns and escapes, added an escape each in the second and third, but it was Penola who would finish on top, getting the final points in sudden victory to improve to 6-2. The Bison took two of the final three, getting a 9-6 decision at heavyweight and an 18-3 technical fall at 133 pounds, but Schroder snuck in some Boilermaker history in between, scoring an 11-4 decision over McGwire Midkiff at 125 pounds. After a takedown and rideout in the first, Schroder earned a quick reversal and tilt in the second to take an 8-0 lead and eclipse 300 career back points. He's just the fifth Boilermaker in program history to surpass the mark and pulls within two of Chris Fleeger on the Boilermakers career record list. The Boilermakers return home next weekend, hosting Indianapolis, Clarion and Northern Illinois for the Boilermaker Duals on Sunday, November 24, starting at 10 a.m. ET in Holloway Gymnasium. Results: 141: Parker Filius (PUR) def. Sawyer Degan (NDSU), D 7-4 149: No. 13 Griffin Parriott (PUR) def. Jaden Van Maanen (NDSU), D 6-3 157: No. 7 Kendall Coleman (PUR) def. Jared Franek (NDSU), SV 8-6 165: No. 9 Andrew Fogerty (NDSU) def. Emil Soehnlen (PUR), MD 8-0 174: No. 9 Dylan Lydy (PUR) def. Austin Brenner (NDSU), D 13-6 184: No. 20 Max Lyon (PUR) def. T.J. Pottinger (NDSU), MD 12-4 197: Thomas Penola (PUR) def. Cordell Eaton (NDSU), SV 6-4 285: Brandon Metz (NDSU) def. David Eli (PUR), D 9-6 125: No. 12 Devin Schroder (PUR) def. McGwire Midkiff (NDSU), D 11-4 133: No. 8 Cam Sykora (NDSU) def. Marshall Craig (PUR), TF 18-3 (5:08) All rankings via InterMat

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Virginia Tech wrestling defeats third-ranked Ohio State Sunday in Columbus. The upset victory is already the second of the season for No. 11 Tech, first over a top-3 opponent. Joey Prata secured the win for the Hokies after a 5-2 decision over No. 20 Malik Heinselman to end the dual. Sunday was the second straight win for the Hokies when the dual came down to the last match. MATCH HIGHLIGHTS Collin Gerardi kick started the Hokies, claiming a 7-1 decision over No. 14 Quinn Kinner. Gerardi, ranked 13th in the country, landed a reversal and a four-point near-fall to give Tech a 3-0 lead. After Ohio State took a 4-3 lead, Brent Moore seized momentum back for the Hokies, pinning eighth-ranked Sammy Sasso in just 1:16. It was Moore's fastest fall of his career and gave Tech a 9-4 lead. No. 14 B.C. LaPrade then increased the Hokies' lead to eight points after defeating Elijah Cleary 3-1. LaPrade scored a takedown in the third period to take the lead and rode out the decision. Cody Hughes picked up his first win of the season with a 6-3 decision over Rocky Jordan. Hughes' three points gave Tech a 15-7 lead. Hunter Bolen beat Zach Steiner 8-1 to extend Tech's lead to 11 and stay undefeated on the year. Bolen is ranked 11th in the country by Intermat and showed why with a flurry of takedowns to claim the decision. After a couple of Ohio State wins, Tech held on to an 18-15 lead going into the final match of the day. Joey Prata stepped up and defeated No. 20 Malik Heinselman 5-2 to secure the six-point victory for the Hokies. Prata is now 3-0 on the year. Results: 133: #13 Collin Gerardi dec. #14 Quinn Kinner, 7-1 141: #1 Luke Pletcher MD #18 Mitch Moore, 13-5 149: Brent Moore WBF #8 Sammy Sasso, 1:16 157: #14 B.C. LaPrade dec. Elijah Cleary, 3-1 165: #14 Ethan Smith dec. #4 David McFadden, 5-4 174: Cody Hughes dec. Rocky Jordan, 6-3 184: #11 Hunter Bolen dec. Zach Steiner, 8-1 197: #1 Kollin Moore TF Stanley Smeltzer, 24-9 285: #11 Chase Singletary dec. John Borst, 4-2 125: Joey Prata dec. #20 Malik Heinselman, 5-2 UP NEXT No. 11 Virginia Tech has a break in their dual schedule. Their next dual is back home at Cassell Coliseum against Chattanooga on Dec. 21. In the meantime, Tech will travel to two tournaments starting this Saturday at the Navy Classic in Annapolis. The Hokies will then compete at the Cliff Keen Invite in Las Vegas Dec. 6-7.

USAFA, Colo. -- The Wyoming wrestling team opened up its 2019-20 dual season and Big 12 action Saturday night as the Cowboys rode a hot start on the way to a 21-12 victory over Air Force in Colorado Springs. The Pokes opened the dual winning the first four bouts and 5-of-6. UW had three bonus-point victories in those first four bouts. Starting at 174 pounds, No. 14 Hayden Hastings opened the night with a major decision victory over Cody Surratt, 9-1. Hastings jumped on Surratt early, gaining a first period takedown to take an early 2-0 lead into the second. After an escape from Surratt in the second, Hastings took control with two more takedowns in the period, followed by another in the third. Hastings also grabbed the Riding Time bonus in the win. At 184, No. 18 Tate Samuelson took care of Jake Thompson 5-1. The first two periods of the bout were pretty uneventful other than a penalty point in the second rewarded to Samuelson. Samuelson opened things up in the third with an escape, followed quickly with a takedown to go up 4-0. Thompson only scored on an escape late in the match and Samuelson was also rewarded a Riding Time point. Stephen Buchanan at 197 continued his impressive beginning to the season, winning 15-3 over Casey Jumps. After Jumps opened the contest with a takedown, Buchanan quickly went to work, making the score 2-1 with an escape before taking the lead for good with a takedown and led 3-2 heading into the second period. In that period, Buchanan took control with a four-point nearfall before busting the match wide open, scoring seven points in the final period, including the Riding Time bonus. With the win, Buchanan improves to 9-0 on the young season. At heavyweight, Brian Andrews grabbed Wyoming's third bonus-point victory, winning 12-1 over Kayne Hutchison. Andrews went to work early in his matchup, leading 6-1 at the end of the first period, thanks to a takedown and three-point nearfall. Andrews was workmanlike the rest of the match, grabbing a takedown in each of the second and third periods to go along with an escape and riding time. After a loss at 125, Montorie Bridges got the Cowboys back on track with a 3-2 win at 133 over Jared Van Vleet. After a scoreless first, Bridges' second period escape gave him a 1-0 lead. However, Bridges would give up an escape early in the third to make the bout 1-1 before a takedown reclaimed the lead, 3-1 and he was able to hold on from there after a Van Vleet escape. Leading 18-3 at that point, AFA got a win at 141 as Lenny Petersen defeated Chase Zollmann, 5-3 to make the dual 15-6. Jaron Jensen would get a big 6-4 win at 149 over AFA's Dylan Martinez. Jensen would win behind the strength of a first and third period takedown and a pair of escapes in the second period. Jensen's win would be the final of the evening for the Cowboys as the Falcons took decisions at both 157 and 165 pounds as Logan Jensen and Dewey Krueger, respectively, were defeated. The win marks the second consecutive season that the Pokes have won their season-opening dual. It also makes the Cowboys 12-0 all-time against the Falcons under Head Coach Mark Branch. UW will return to action Friday as it travels to face the fifth-ranked Huskers. Results: 174: No. 14 Hayden Hastings (WYO) MD Cody Surratt (AF) 9-1 184: No. 18 Tate Samuelson (WYO) dec. Jake Thompson (AF) 5-1 197: Stephen Buchanan (WYO) MD Casey Jumps (AF) 15-3 HWT: No. 14 Brian Andrews (WYO) MD No. 24 Kayne Hutchison 12-1 125: No. 16 Sidney Flores (AF) dec. No. 18 Cole Verner (6-3) 133: No. 7 Montorie Bridges (WYO) dec. Jared Van Vleet (AF) 3-2) 141: No. 25 Lenny Petersen (AF) dec. Chase Zollmann (WYO) 5-3 149: Jaron Jensen (WYO) dec. Dylan Martinez (AF) 6-4 157: Trey Brisker (AF) dec. Logan Jensen (WYO) 6-3 165: No. 30 Randy Meneweahter (AF) dec. Dewey Krueger (WYO) 4-2

Northern Colorado put the Big 12 and the nation on notice Saturday night, as they beat West Virginia, 31-10 in front of a packed Bank of Colorado Arena. UNC won seven of 10 matches, picking up bonus points in four. The dual began in the 174-pound bracket. Billy Higgins started off strong in his first dual start, beating Scott Joll in an 11-4 decision. Higgins took his shots early and often, getting three, first-period takedowns of Joll. In the match, Higgins earned 2:41 minutes of riding time to give UNC a 3-0 lead. No. 18 Alan Clothier was on the mat next at 184-pounds, making his UNC dual debut against Jackson Moomau. After a scoreless first period, Clothier scored a takedown on Moomau to take a 3-0 lead into the final period. At 1:16, Clothier got the fall on Moomau to give UNC a 9-0 lead over West Virginia. At 197-pounds, No. 31 Jacob Seely faced No. 18 Noah Adams. After the first period, Adams led 6-1 and extended the lead to 10-2. He would push the lead to 15-4 and added riding time for a 16-4 major decision win over Seely. Now at 285-pound, Dalton Robertson went against No. 24 Brandon Ngati. Robertson trailed Ngati, 2-1, after two periods. With :42 seconds left in the match, Robertson went on the offensive, scoring a takedown on Ngati. Robertson would ride out Ngati for the rest of the period, earning the 3-2 decision win over the No. 24 wrestler. No. 17 Jace Koelzer faced off against Joey Thomas in the 125-pound match, his first career dual start. Koelzer showed why he earned his FloWrestling ranking, recording a reversal and takedown on Thomas. The redshirt-freshman won the 4-1 decision over Thomas. UNC's lead ballooned to 15-4 at the intermission. True freshman Mosha Schwartz got the call at 133 and he did not disappoint against Lucas Seibert. The top-rated prospect blitzed Siebert in the first period, scoring four takedowns and a four-point nearfall to lead 12-3. Schwartz added three more takedowns in the second period to build a 19-7 lead. In the third period, Schwartz finished off Siebert with a takedown to win 22-7 by tech fall. UNC was now up 20-4. Brody Lamb went against Caleb Rea at 141-pounds and electrified the crowd after getting the fall at 1:17. Lamb scored a takedown at 1:58 and turned Rea to snag his first dual win. The win secured the dual victory for the Bears up 26-4 with three matches left. Now at 149-pounds, No. 13 Andrew Alirez gave his hometown fans what they wanted, shutting out Seth Houge, 17-0. Alirez, overwhelmed Hogue with two, four-point nearfalls in the first period. In the second period, Alirez ended the match with a 4-point nearfall to earn the tech fall. Alex Hornfeck defeated Jimmy Fate in a 5-2 decision in the 157-pound bout. Hornfeck rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Fate. No. 18 Nick Kisussis won a 5-1 decision against Macoy Flanagan to end the dual. Kisussis had two takedowns on Flanagan. UNC avenged its loss to the Mountaineers in 2018, after the team fell 22-14 in the season debut. The Bears won the first dual against West Virginia since the team joined the Big-12 prior for the 2015-16 season. What's Next Northern Colorado will be off until November 30, when they travel to face Fresno State on the road in the team's second Big-12 dual of the season. Results: 174: Billy Higgins (UNC) dec. Tucker Nadeau (WVU), 11-4 184: Alan Clothier (UNC) F Jackson Moomau (WVU), 5:47 197: Noah Adams (WVU) MD Jacob Seely (UNC), 15-4 HWT: Dalton Robertson (UNC) dec. Brandon Ngati, 3-2 125: Jace Koelzer (UNC) dec. Joey Thomas, 4-1 133: Mosha Schwartz (UNC) TF Lucas Seibert, 22-7 (5:18) 141: Brody Lamb (UNC) F Caleb Rea, 1:16 149: Andrew Alirez (UNC) TF Seth Hogue (WVU), 17-0 (4:27) 157: Alex Hornfeck (WVU) dec Jimmy Fate (UNC), 5-2 165: Nick Kiussis (WVU) dec. Macoy Flanagan (UNC), 5-1

NEW YORK -- It was standing room only in the sixth floor gymnasium of the New York Athletic Club for the men's freestyle finals at the Bill Farrell International, and the crowd standing was quite a large one. Only featuring the six Olympic weight classes, the brackets were stacked, and the finalists were some of the country's finest wrestlers. With five Olympic Team Trials spots on the line, everyone came ready to battle. Seth Gross started the finals off in impressive fashion, dominating Nathan Tomasello in an 11-1 technical fall victory. Gross, who wrestles collegiately at 133 pounds and has previously competed internationally at 61 kg, proved the additional weight cut would not be a factor. Throughout the match, Gross executed stellar shot defense, and despite getting to his legs, Tomasello was unable to finish. Gross controlled the hand fighting as well and took a 7-0 lead into the break on the strength of five step outs and a takedown. In the second period, Tomasello managed a step out, but Gross would put the match away with two more takedowns. Read complete story … Finals: 57 kg: Seth Gross tech.fall Nathan Tomasello, 11-1 4:52 65 kg: Jordan Oliver dec Frank Molinaro, 8-6. 74 kg: Isaiah Martinez tech. fall Jason Nolf, 12-0 2:02 86 kg: Alex Dieringer dec Myles Martin, 7-2 97 kg: Kyle Snyder tech. fall Michael Macchiavello, 10-0 2:38 125 kg: Gable Stevenson dec Dominique Bradley, 4-1 Bronze: 57 kg: Nick Suriano dec Nahshon Garrett, 8-1 65 kg: Evan Henderson dec Joseph Mckenna, 14-12 74 kg: Nazar Kulchytskyy dec Mekhi Lewis, 9-3 86 kg: Nathan Jackson dec. Brett Pfarr, 4-4 97 kg: Hayden Zillmer dec Ty Walz, 4-0 125 kg: Amarveer Dhesi dec Nick Nevills, 10-2

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Willie Scott (174) worked a tech fall, Gerard Angelo (149) muscled a major decision over a ranked foe and Rutgers wrestling (5-0) won seven of 10 bouts to earn a 24-12 victory over Cal State Bakersfield (0-3) on Saturday afternoon in Bakersfield, California. The win completed a 2-0 road trip for the Scarlet Knights in the Golden State, as RU also collected a 23-13 victory over Fresno State on Friday night in Fresno. What to Know • Sammy Alvarez (133) and Zach Firestone (141) both dropped their matches to open the dual as Rutgers fell behind early, 9-0. • Angelo faced No. 18 Russell Rohlfing in the next match and trailed 2-1 after in the first period before working a near fall to highlight a 13-5 major decision. the victory was the first over a ranked opponent during his short collegiate career. • Michael Van Brill (157) followed with a 4-2 decision over Wyatt Gerl, but a tough 2-1 loss by Jackson Turley (165) in the following match had RU behind, 12-7, at intermission. • Despite the slight deficit, it was all Rutgers in its final five bouts. Filling in for Joseph Grello for the second consecutive outing, Scott worked 10 points in the opening period against Josh Annis and left with a 16-1 tech fall in his 2019-20 dual debut. • The Scarlet Knights close out the dual with four consecutive decisions, as Billy Janzer (184), Matthew Correnti (197), No. 19 Christian Colucci (HWT) and Malcolm Robinson (125) all defeated their foes. It was Correnti's first dual appearance of the young season, as the redshirt junior moved to 5-0 on the season. Results: 133: Chance Rich (CSUB) over Sammy Alvarez (RU) by fall (6:50); CSUB leads, 6-0 141: Angelo Martinoni (CSUB) over Zach Firestone (RU) by decision, 18-12; CSUB leads, 9-0 149: Gerard Angelo (RU) over Russell Rohlfing (CSUB) by major decision, 13-5; CSUB leads, 9-4 157: Mike Vanschenkbrill (RU) over Wyatt Gerl (CSUB) by decision, 4-2; CSUB leads, 9-7 165: Jacob Thalin (CSUB) over Jackson Turley (RU) by decision, 2-1; CSUB leads, 12-7 174: Willie Scott (RU) over Josh Annis (CSUB) by tech fall, 16-1; Rutgers tied, 12-12 184: Billy Janzer (RU) over Josh Loomer (CSUB) by decision, 1-0; Rutgers leads, 15-12 197: Matt Correnti (RU) over Dom Ducharme (CSUB) by decision, 5-2; Rutgers leads, 18-12 285: Christian Colucci (RU) over Jarrod Snyder (CSUB) by decision, 3-2; Rutgers leads, 21-12 125: Malcolm Robinson (RU) over Alejandro Hernandez-Figueroa (CSUB) by decision, 8-2; Rutgers wins, 24-12 UP NEXT Rutgers competes in the Navy Classic on Saturday, Nov. 23 in Annapolis, Maryland.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Benny Martinez, Tom Lane and Nathan Tausch scored falls and Bernie Truax won by technical fall as Cal Poly defeated San Francisco State 29-15 in the Mustangs' first dual meet of the 2019-20 season. The dual was held outside on Richard O'Neill Green in front of the Orfala College of Business building and in front of fans attending the Stampede Club barbecue held prior to Cal Poly's football game versus Eastern Washington. Martinez earned his fall in 6 minutes, 27 seconds, at 125 pounds. Tausch secured his fall in 6:06 at 174 pounds and Lane (pictured at right), a two-time national qualifier and ranked No. 8 in the national polls this week, needed just 1:17 to pin his Gator foe. Truax posted a 17-0 technical fall at 165. Winning by decisions for the Mustangs were Jake Ryan, 6-3 at 141 pounds, and Samuel Aguilar, 10-3 at 285 pounds. The win was Cal Poly's first in a dual in three years. The Mustangs return to the mat next Saturday (Nov. 23) to host Buffalo at noon inside Mott Athletics Center.