InterMat Staff

It's early January and that means the high school season is winding down, the NCAA wrestling season is heating up, and the international wrestling season is about to go to Siberia. Let us not loiter. To your questions … Carver-Hawkeye Arena is home to the Iowa Hawkeyes (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Q: Which school has the loudest, most hostile environment for Division I college wrestling? Which one would you like to wrestle in the least? -- @SamWise_2006 Foley: I saw that someone on Twitter mentioned the old VMI facility, which I agree was a miserable place to compete. There were Keydets lining the track above our head, screaming obscenities, and generally being loud and intimidating. I heard they've changed venues, but I hope that's just a rumor. Grace Hall was another fun place to compete. The fans are almost on the mat and I remember feeling like Tom Cruise in "Far and Away" or Brad Pitt in "Snatch" with a pulsating mass acting as the only real ring. Of course, that's a dramatization of the reality, but certainly it was an intimate setting with plenty of Pennsylvania's finest fans cheering along. Still, I think wrestling center mat in Carver-Hawkeye would be the most intimidating setting possible. The passion, the tradition, the absolute anarchy that ensues should a visiting wrestler happen to take a step backward while on the mat. What a feeling it must be to wrestle in that arena. Part of a very long tradition that is still alive and well. Wish I would have had the opportunity, but from my vantage point it remains the gold standard in arena-borne intimidation. Q: What do you make of USA Wrestling going to two Final X events instead of three? -- Mike C. Foley: Three events weren't sustainable for the clubs that support the athletes, nor the coaches who corner them. Costs were far too high, and the training calendar seemed to take a ding, especially when partners were on opposing schedules. Ultimately, USA Wrestling was forced to listen to their wrestlers and advocates. I think having only two events will help focus the attention of fans on the outcomes at each event -- holding their attention and allowing for a little better overall salesmanship. While three smaller events had the intention of shortening the event into something of a more palatable length, the cost to clubs, organizers and hosts simply couldn't support that model. Q: Who are the Americans that are planning to go to Yarygin this year? Who are the toughest wrestlers they are likely to face? Don't forget women's freestyle as well as men's freestyle. -- @bbb4ut Foley: Forget the women? I'm sure you've read my stance on women's wrestling once or twice. I'd never forget them. Barring any last-minute changes (which happen ALL THE TIME) the registration has been closed and fans can expect to see: Freestyle: Thomas Gilman, Zane Richards, Jason Chamberlain, Zain Retherford, Cory Clark, Alex Dieringer, Isaiah Martinez, James Green, Jordan Burroughs, Sammy Brooks, Kyle Snyder. Women's wrestling: Victoria Anthony, Erin Golston, Sarah Hildebrandt, Haley Augello, Becka Leathers, Forrest Molinari. I suspect we will see Jordan go 79 kilograms since these events have no weight allowance, and as he's a little older a hard weight cut isn't as important as the reps against new talent. Please also remember that should he wrestle 79 kilograms and win the event, or place, or earn ranking series points, those points do NOT carry over to 74 kilograms. Only 74 kilograms counts for 74 kilograms. The other thing to remember is that this is a ranking series event for the women, too. That's a change from last year and means it will draw out some bigger names. For example, U23 world champion Grace Bullen is signed up to attend, as is much of the Mongolian women's national team. Q: Are we not allowed to criticize the extracurriculars in wrestling? The dancing, the face smushes, the tripping a guy while pushing him out with no intention of scoring? Am I supposed to like Terrell Owens as much as I liked Jerry Rice, just because he was good? -- @JBKolat Foley: I thought about this question more than most. What is the difference between the extracurriculars of one athlete versus the next? What standard should be applied to celebrations and things that happen after the whistle? The best comparison is the world of comedy. Nobody can tell someone else what is and is not funny, but we can all agree that comedy is better (more enjoyable) when it "punches up" -- takes aim at those "with" rather than those "without." In much the same way, I think that anything happening on the mat that is celebratory and not at the direct expense of an opponent, qualifies as fun-loving, admissible and otherwise benign. However, actions that are intended to physically harm or physically embarrass an opponent, should be regulated. That includes face mushing, out-of-bounds shoves, posturing as though winning the match means you are also able to fight. That type of action is best left off the mat. This seems simple enough: Enjoy the moment and celebrate as you see fit, just don't do it at the expense of someone else. Q: Should Nick Suriano and Daton Fix wrestle for 35 minutes whether one of them wins in literal regulation or not? Somebody needs to step in and take action. -- @SamWise_2006 Foley: No. I'm happy that their match in high school has been popularized and mythologized by media and fans, but 35 minutes was too long for something that could have been figured out in six (or seven) minutes with better out-of-bound regulations. Also, I think that this match is what sealed criteria as a better option than overtime. The freestyle action had already been reason enough, but knowing that limitless overtime matches could extend for 30-plus minutes put a bullet in the chest of the idea of the format being TV-friendly. That said, I look forward to this weekend's rematch. Q: Mark Hall and Zahid Valencia are No. 1 and No. 2 at 174 pounds. After those two, is that the biggest drop in talent in any weight class from Nos. 1-2 to No. 3? It seems to me that most weight classes are pretty stacked except 174 pounds. -- R. Burke Foley: Joe Smith should rate as a competitive 174-pound wrestler! The match with Mark Hall at the Scuffle was one of the closer bouts for Hall and showed Smith's improvement in all areas. Also, Smith's work before that point showed that he is capable of competing for a spot at the top of the podium. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME This is a perfect use of Twitter ... and celebration Q: Out of the 10 Midlands champs, which is more likely? Two NCAA champs? Zero NCAA champs? -- @SamWise_2006 Foley: More likely that there will be zero champions, because none of the winners are locks to win their weight. The closest lock would be top-ranked 149-pounder Matthew Kolodzik. But a second winner is tough to find. Look at the lineup and you'll see slim pickings for wrestlers you'd choose to take top billing in Pittsburgh. Valencia took a pretty bad beating to Hall, Sebastian Rivera (aka Sea Bass) has a very tough weight, and overall I don't find it as likely that he and Kolodzik win as I do that the NCAA craziness claims more victims. Q: In your opinion, who is the best senior level U.S. athlete to make multiple world teams but never bring home a medal? -- @cjolanowski Foley: The best over the course of the last 80 years would be a question best suited for a wrestling historian. Maybe it's my age driving the bias, but I think Brent Metcalf had the talent to be a world medalist. He had some awesome international performances over the years, including the Yarygin, but when it came to the season-ending tournament he came up short. Deep dive, maybe Tim Vanni. He was one match away from 1986-1989 and then finished fifth at the 1992 Games. He made a lot of world teams. Q: Amar Dhesi lost his first match this season to true freshman Mason Parris of Michigan. Looking at Oregon State's schedule, it doesn't appear he will face any top heavyweights before the NCAAs. Since only this year's data is considered for seeding purposes, is there a chance Dhesi will be a low seed or unseeded since he won't have any notable wins? -- Mike C. Foley: The NCAA has decided to seed all 33 wrestlers in each weight class for the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Pittsburgh. Why? Dunno, but it's happening. I think Amar will get more than 12 matches, win his conference and go into the NCAA tournament in the top six, dependent on how things shake out with the Big Ten heavyweights. If I were a Beaver wrestling fan, I wouldn't be too worried about Dhesi's ability to become an All-American in 2019! Q: Are we going to see Sam Stoll again before the postseason? Is he still your pick despite his inactivity? -- Mike C. Foley: Stoll is still my pick, but I got my eyes on Mason Parris. What a win over the above-mentioned Amar Dhesi. You have to assume that rolling with Adam Coon every day is having a massive benefit to his size and strength, as well as his confidence and game-planning for big matches. Could Parris be the real No. 1? It's not impossible. Let's see how the Big Ten season shakes out. Q: Who is your Coach of the Year after the first half of the season? -- Mike C. Princeton coach Chris Ayres (right) with assistant coach Joe Dubuque (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Foley: Chris Ayres. One would assume that he is the top choice for most wrestling fans. What'll be interesting is to see how his Tigers close out the season. Should Kolodzik win a national title and 1-2 other Tigers place at the national tournament, Princeton may find themselves in a bidding war for his services. The money probably wouldn't be a problem as the school boasts some of the most successful alumni in the world, including wrestling philanthropist Mike Novogratz. But every coach has a bigger goal and maybe Ayres' is to win an NCAA team title. Is it rational to think Ayres can win an NCAA team title at Princeton? Probably not. But for now I'm sure Coach Ayres' focus is on preparing his wrestlers for Pittsburgh and what could be his school's best-ever performance at the NCAA tournament.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Today, USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, and FloSports, the innovator in live digital sports and original content, have announced which weight classes will be assigned to the two Final X events for 2019 Final X: Rutgers will be hosted at the Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC) on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J., on Saturday, June 8. Final X: Lincoln will be hosted at the Bob Devaney Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on Saturday, June 15. Each of the 30 World Championships weight classes have been assigned to a Final X location: June 8 Final X: Rutgers weight classes Men's Freestyle: 65 kg, 79 kg, 86 kg, 92 kg, 125 kg Women's Freestyle: 50 kg, 57 kg, 65 kg, 68 kg, 72 kg Greco-Roman: 55 kg, 67 kg, 77 kg, 82 kg, 87 kg June 15 Final X: Lincoln weight classes Men's Freestyle: 57 kg, 61 kg, 70 kg, 74 kg, 97 kg Women's Freestyle: 53 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 62 kg, 76 kg Greco-Roman: 60 kg, 63 kg, 72 kg, 97 kg, 130 kg Both of these events will have exclusive live and on-demand coverage on FloWrestling, as well as on the FloSports apps on iOS, Roku and Apple TV 4. The Final X series will determine the 2019 U.S. Senior World Teams in all three of the Olympic disciplines. There will be a best-of-three series to determine who will wrestle at the 2019 Senior World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, September 14-22, 2019. Athletes who were World medalists in 2018 will advance directly to Final X, if they declare they will compete in the same weight class again this year by a specific date to be determined. If they declare they will compete in the same weight class, 2018 World medalists who would compete in Final X: Rutgers are men's freestylers Kyle Dake (79 kg), David Taylor (86 kg), J'den Cox (92 kg) and Nick Gwiazdowski (125 kg), plus women's freestyler Tamyra Mensah-Stock (68 kg). Dake, Taylor and Cox were 2018 World champions, while Gwiazdowski and Mensah-Stock were 2018 World bronze medalists. Likewise, if they declare they will stay in the same weight class, 2018 World medalists who would compete in Final X: Lincoln are men's freestylers Joe Colon (61 kg), Jordan Burroughs (74 kg) and Kyle Snyder (97 kg), plus women's freestylers Sara Hildebrandt (53 kg), Mallory Velte (62 kg) and Adeline Gray (76 kg), along with Greco-Roman wrestler Adam Coon (130 kg). Gray was a 2018 World champion, while Snyder, Hildebrandt and Coon were 2018 World silver medalists. Colon, Burroughs and Velte were 2018 World bronze medalists. If these athletes remain in their 2018 weight classes, each Final X location will feature at least three past World champions, with Dake, Taylor and Cox at Rutgers, and with Burroughs, Snyder and Gray in Lincoln. Each event will have 15 weight classes, five in each style. Each site will have two different sessions. Eight of the weights will be completed in its entirety in one session, and the other seven weights will be completed in its entirety in the other session. The assignment of weight classes to a specific session will be determined at a later date. Information on ordering tickets for the Final X: Rutgers and Final X: Lincoln will be announced next week. For more information, visit FinalX.tv, FloWrestling.org or TheMat.com. About FloSports FloSports, the innovator in live digital sports and original content, partners with event rights holders, governing bodies, and other media companies to unlock a world of sports coverage that true fans have been waiting for. Through live streaming of premier events, original video programming, and weekly studio shows, FloSports is growing the sports, the events, the athletes, and the fans. Current verticals under the FloSports header include Wrestling, Rugby, MMA, Football, Track, Gymnastics, Hockey, and more. About USA Wrestling USA Wrestling is the National Governing Body for the sport of wrestling in the United States and, as such, is its representative to the United States Olympic Committee and United World Wrestling, the international wrestling federation. USA Wrestling is the central organization that coordinates amateur wrestling programs in the nation and works to create interest and participation in these programs. USA Wrestling has more than 237,000 members, including athletes, coaches, officials, parents, fans and others who are actively involved in the sport. Its president is Bruce Baumgartner, and its Executive Director is Rich Bender.

FAIRFAX, Va. -- The Columbia wrestling team came away with a pair of dual wins Thursday at George Mason, first topping Cleveland State 34-12, before besting the home team, 24-21. With the result, the Lions are now 4-0 in duals, with another one up at American at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. "I'm proud of the way these men competed today," said the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling Zach Tanelli. "There was a lot of adversity that we had to overcome and they did that and then some. Up and down the lineup in both wins and losses we competed with a purpose. It was inspiring to coach." At 4-0, Columbia is off to its best start since 2006-07, when the Lions also won their first four dual matches. The last time a Columbia team started 5-0 was during the 1998-99 season, when the team won its first eight matches. Columbia 34, Cleveland State 12 In a dual that started at 165 pounds, the Lions took a commanding lead over Cleveland State with three straight wins, before taking five out of the first six matches. Junior Laurence Kosoy improved to 15-5 overall with a 7-2 win against Ryan Ford at 165, giving the Lions a 3-0 lead. That edge was tripled, as Max Elling topped Dimitri Williams, 2-0 at 174, before Joe Franzese got by Chris Morrow, 6-2, at 184. The Vikings got six points back with a pin at 197, but Danny Conley gave Columbia six points with a pin of his own in the heavyweight bout to make it a 15-6 match. When the match rolled over back to 125, Joe Manchio kept the falls coming, putting Cameron Lathem on his back in the second period for his second pin of the season, pushing the lead to 21-6. Cleveland State won via forfeit in the 133-pound match, before Danny Fongaro and Cole Corrigan posted back-to-back bonus point wins at 141 and 149. Dan Reed ended the match at 157 with a 6-1 win over Nico O'Dor, helping the Lions to improve to 3-1 with the 34-12 win. The three pins in a dual were the most since a 46-0 win last January over Sacred Heart that also included a trio of falls for the Lions. Box Score 165: Laurence Kosoy dec. Ryan Ford, 7-2 | 3-0, Columbia 174: Max Elling dec. Dimitri Williams, 2-0 | 6-0, Columbia 184: Joe Franzese dec. Chris Morrow, 6-2 | 9-0, Columbia 197: Ben Smith Fall (6:23) Michael Bulkin | 9-6, Columbia HWT: Danny Conley Fall (4:30) Collin Kelly | 15-6, Columbia 125: Joe Manchio Fall (4:28) Cameron Lathem | 21-6, Columbia 133: Armando Torres wins by forfeit | 21-12, Columbia 141: Danny Fongaro MD Mike Santillo, 14-4 | 25-12, Columbia 149: Cole Corrigan Fall (3:38) Brady Barnett | 31-12, Columbia 157: Dan Reed dec. Nico O'Dor, 6-1 | 34-12, Columbia Columbia 24, George Mason, 21 Although Columbia trailed throughout the entirety of the dual, a late comeback helped the Lions get by George Mason, 24-21. After a pin at 165 and a decision victory at 174, the Patriots took a 9-0 lead into the 184-pound bout. Sophomore Brian Bonino came back and posted a major decision at 184, beating Paul Pierce by a 13-4 margin. Rookie Sam Wustefeld then cut the lead in the team scoring to 9-7, posting a 5-1 decision against Alex Donahue. Matthew Voss gave the Patriots a 12-7 lead when he edged Daniel Herman, 3-2 in the heavyweight bout. Shortly thereafter, the Lions tied the team score, as Joe Manchio impressed with a tech fall against Talha Farooq, 17-2, for his second win of the day coming with bonus points. With a forfeit in the 133-pound match, the Lions had some ground to make up trailing by six with only three bouts remaining. First-year Danny Fongaro would once again tie up the score, pinning Julio Alegria in the first period of the 141-pound bout, making it 18-18. At 149, Tejon Anthony posted a 5-2 decision against Riley Jacops, giving the lead back to the home team with just the 157-pound match left. Dan Reed was taking down in the first and trailed 2-1, but Kolby Ho was forced to default due to injury, giving Columbia a 24-21 win in the team scoring. Box Score 165: Colston DiBlasi Fall (7:00) Laurence Kosoy | 6-0, GMU 174: Neil Schuster dec. Max Elling, 4-2 | 9-0, GMU 184: Brian Bonino MD Paul Pierce, 13-4 | 9-4, GMU 197: Sam Wustefeld dec. Alex Donahue, 5-1 | 9-7, GMU HWT: Matthew Voss dec. Daniel Herman, 3-2 | 12-7, GMU 125: Joe Manchio TF Talha Farooq, 17-2 (4:29) | 12-12, tied 133: Spencer Reed wins via forfeit | 18-12, GMU 141: Danny Fongaro Fall (1:33) Julio Alegria | 18-18, tied 149: Tejon Anthony dec. Riley Jacops 5-2 | 21-18, GMU 157: Dan Reed wins via inj. default Kolby Ho | 24-21, Columbia

Devin Carter was a three-time All-American and NCAA finalist (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) BLACKSBURG -- Head coach Tony Robie announced Thursday that Hokie legend Devin Carter has been added to the Virginia Tech coaching staff as a volunteer assistant. Carter was a four-time ACC champion, a three-time All-American and a national finalist at 141 pounds for the Hokies in 2014. He's currently on track to earn his PhD in industrial/organizational psychology from Virginia Tech in May. "We're excited that Devin's schedule will allow him to be in the room to help our team for the remainder of this season," Robie said. "His presence and the intensity that he brings to practice every day will be a huge benefit to our guys. Devin is without a doubt one of the toughest people that I've coached over the past two decades and we are fortunate to have him on staff." A native of Christiansburg, Carter re-wrote the record book at Virginia Tech. He won 121 career matches with 38 pins and became the school's first NCAA finalist when he advanced to the final match at the 2014 Championships. Carter was the first three-time All-American in program history and his 19 NCAA Championship wins are a school record. A two-time Academic All-America selection, Carter's .883 career winning percentage (121-16) ranks first in Tech history. Carter is set to collect his fifth degree from Virginia Tech in May after earning his bachelor's in psychology in 2014, his master's in curriculum and instruction in 2015, his second Master's in industrial/organizational psychology in 2017 and his third master's in data analysis and applied statistics in 2018. He also serves on the coaching staff with the Southeast Regional Training Center.

Iowa head wrestling coach Tom Brands (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) The NCAA wrestling season has entered the heart of the conference dual meet season, and that means the return of storied rivalry matches. On Sunday, the Iowa Hawkeyes head to Minnesota to take on the Gophers at Maturi Pavilion. The Hawkeyes have won four out of the last five matches between the two schools, and they are the favorite on paper again this year. However, almost all of the individual bouts will be first-time matches and several have swing potential. Look for this to potentially be a close dual meet until the end. The following is a weight-by-weight preview with predictions for Sunday's dual meet in Minneapolis. 125: No. 2 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Sean Russell (Minnesota) After defeating Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) twice last season, Lee was expected to walk through the Midlands field. However, in the finals, Rivera surprised Lee with some nifty leg attacks and took the match 7-3. Lee now has three losses in college and two have come at the Midlands Championships. He will be looking to get back on track here against Russell. The two met at the Midlands last season, and Lee took home a 15-0 technical fall. If he can get on top again early in this match, folks should expect a similar result. With that being said, Lee has seemed to fade in all of his matches past the first period this season, so Russell's strategy should be to stage a late match comeback. Since transferring from Edinboro, the senior has gone 17-2 with his only two losses coming against Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) and Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State). Since the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, he has gone 5-0 with three technical falls and two major decisions. Prediction: Lee (Iowa) tech. fall Russell (Minnesota) 133: No. 10 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) DeSanto is coming off a first-place finish at the Midlands in a mostly cleared out weight class. His best win of the bracket was over Noah Gonser (Campbell). His lone loss on the season came when he was thrown to his back by Austin Gomez (Iowa State) in the third period of a tied match. Lizak moved up to 133 pounds after previously spending his entire collegiate career at 125 pounds. At the new weight class, he has gone 16-3 with signature wins over Sean Nickell (CSU Bakersfield), Chas Tucker (Cornell) and John Erneste (Missouri). On the feet, DeSanto's pace and leg attacks should give the advantage. However, Lizak may be able to take away that advantage from the top position. He has always been a tough rider, and DeSanto showed some issues on the bottom earlier this season against Tim Rooney (Kent State). If DeSanto has a strong period, he should be able to hold on for a victory. However, Lizak should be more than game in this bout. Prediction: DeSanto (Iowa) dec. Lizak (Minnesota) 141: No. 15 Max Murin (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Mitchell McKee (Minnesota) McKee seems to have been rejuvenated by a move up in weight. At 133 pounds, he showed flashes of the brilliance that made him a highly ranked recruit, but he seemed to have issues in the big matches. At the new weight, he may have put those issues behind. He is 10-1 on the season and defeated longtime rival Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) earlier this season. Murin seems to have finally settled this weight class, which had been a revolving door for Iowa over the past few seasons. He has gone 9-2 on the season and made the finals of the Midlands. However, he has dropped his only two matches against ranked opponents. Murin likes to get physical in the ties and force his opponent around the mat with snaps. That likely will not be effective against McKee. The Minnesota wrestler should be able to hold his on in the lockup and create opportunities for his upper body offense. Prediction: McKee (Minnesota) dec. Murin (Iowa) 149: No. 12 Patricio Lugo (Iowa) vs. No. 20 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) Thorn was an All-American in the 2017 season, but since then he has been up and down. So far this season, he has continued the inconsistency. He has already split matches against two different opponents Alex Opsal (Air Force) and Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State). The talent and scrambling ability are clearly there, but nobody knows what to expect from Thorn on a match-by-match basis. Lugo has already experienced his own ups and downs this season. He started the year losing three of his first four matches, and at points he did not appear to be one-hundred percent. At the Midlands, he finished fourth. Along the way, he knocked off a pair of former top recruits from Arizona State, Nicholas Villarreal and Jacori Teemer, but lost matches against Matt Kolodzik (Princeton) and the redshirting Sammy Sasso (Ohio State). While Lugo has had his struggles so far this season, this bout lines up well for him stylistically. Being short may seems like a disadvantage, but Lugo uses his lack of height well. He is able to get in on shots, avoid scrambles and finish. If he is initially able to close the distance, he should be able to score multiple takedowns and take this bout. Prediction: Lugo (Iowa) dec. Thorn (Minnesota) 157: No. 5 Kaleb Young (Iowa) vs. No. 9 Steve Bleise (Minnesota) Already this season, Bleise has had to fight through a rather serious injury, but he has put together a 10-1 record. His only loss on the season came against Josh Humphreys (Lehigh), and he has already knocked off Peyton Robb (Nebraska) and Andrew Shomers (Oklahoma State). Young has looked great since coming down to 157 pounds this season. He previously competed at 165 pounds in a reserve role and even filled in as high as 174 pounds. He made the finals of the Midlands before the second-ranked wrestler in the country handed him his only loss of the season. This could easily turn into a swing match. Both wrestlers are known for their ability to stay in matches and come on strong late in the bout. In the end, Young should probably be the favorite based on takedown ability and common opponents. However, this could easily end up being a swing match. Prediction: Young (Iowa) dec. Bleise (Minnesota) 165: No. 2 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) vs. Carson Brolsma (Minnesota) Marinelli entered the postseason last year with an undefeated record and holding a win over the returning champion at this weight, Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State). However, he failed to win either the Big Ten or NCAA tournament. With that being said, he has come out of the gate strong once again in his sophomore season. He won all 11 of his matches including four falls. In the finals of the Midlands, he knocked off Evan Wick (Wisconsin) who had defeated him via major decision when they last met at the NCAA tournament. Many expected Jake Allar to hold down this spot for the Gophers this season, but Brolsma took control of the position early with a sudden victory win over Allar at the Daktronics Open. On the season, he has gone 13-4. In his last bout at the South Beach Duals, he nearly knocked off Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley) but ultimately fall 12-10 in sudden victory. Marinelli appears to have made strides in the offseason. He will be a big favorite in this match and will try to give his team some bonus points. Brolsma has only surrender bonus once this season against Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State), but Marinelli might just be able to force the issue. Prediction: Marinelli (Iowa) maj. dec. Brolsma (Minnesota) 174: Mitch Bowman (Iowa) vs. No. 11 Devin Skatzka (Minnesota) After filling in at both 184 pounds and 197 pounds over the past two seasons, it looked like Bowman might be the odd man out of the Hawkeye lineup this season. However, an injury to All-American Michael Kemerer at 174 pounds created an opening, and Bowman worked his way down. His first action at the new weight came at the Midlands where he went 2-2 and failed to place. It may not have been an inspiring start, but the senior is almost certainly their best choice for the weight. Skatzka transferred over from Indiana in the offseason where he was a two-time NCAA qualifier at this weight class. So far in his new home, he has gone 16-5. All of those losses have come against ranked competition. At the South Beach Duals, he won three out of his four matches including a fall, a technical fall and his third victory this season over Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley). Skatzka is a grinder who can score from a variety of positions. He has been around the Big Ten and picked up invaluable experience. Bowman should be a test, but he should be able to power through and pick up the win. Prediction: Skatzka (Minnesota) dec. Bowman (Iowa) 184: No. 14 Cash Wilcke (Iowa) vs. Brandon Krone (Minnesota) Wilcke should be the favorite in this bout. He is the one who is ranked, and he is coming off a finalist performance at the Midlands where his only loss was a one-point decision against Drew Foster (Northern Iowa). However, Krone's ability to ride and score points from the top position make him a consistent upset threat. He knocked off Wilcke's teammate Bowman twice last season by doing damage from the top position. That will certainly be his game plan. An upset from Krone would go a long way towards helping Minnesota pull the upset in the dual, but it probably is not in the cards. Prediction: Wilcke (Iowa) dec. Krone (Minnesota) 197: No. 6 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs. Rylee Streifel (Minnesota) Streifel has moved down to 197 pounds after Steveson came out of redshirt earlier this season. At the new weight, he has gone 3-4 including a loss against teammate Dylan Anderson. In theory, he may have lost the starting spot with that defeat, but he started all four of Minnesota's matches at the South Beach Duals. It will be interesting to see how he slots in at 197 pounds, but he will be facing a tough test here against Warner. Some Iowa fans may feel the need to adjust their expectations after Warner's recent performance at the Midlands. He came into the tournament ranked fourth in the country, but he dropped matches against Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) and Rocco Caywood (Army) and ended up finishing fifth. He may not end up being a finalist contender, but he is still an aggressive wrestler on the feet. His penchant to push the pace and move forward will get Streifel in a lot of trouble in this match and likely lead him to victory. Prediction: Warner (Iowa) dec. Streifel (Minnesota) 285: No. 1 Sam Stoll/Aaron Costello (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) On paper this should be the marquee match of the dual meet. It should be a battle between the first and second ranked wrestlers at heavyweight. However, odds are that this match will not take place. To say that Stoll has been on a pitch count would be an understatement. He has wrestled only three matches all season and dropped out of the Midlands after only two matches. Whether he is hurt or simply rounding into form is unknown. Either way, it will likely be Costello for this match. He has shown well in limited fill-in duty this season, but he is still only 6-4 and will not be a challenge for Steveson. Steveson came into this season with a lot of hype and, so far, he has more than lived up to it. He has gone 19-0 on the year and won three tournaments, including the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. He has already defeated the likes of Derek White (Oklahoma State), Tanner Hall (Arizona State) and Jordan Wood (Lehigh) and shows no signs of slowing down. If Stoll goes this could be an interesting match. Steveson should still be able to take the bout with his activity and takedown ability. However, it will likely be Costello who will have a hard time avoiding the fall. Prediction: Steveson (Minnesota) fall over Costello (Iowa) Predicted Dual Meet Score: Iowa 24, Minnesota 12 This story also appears in the Jan. 11 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.

Devin Winston defeated Abe Assad at Who's Number One (Photo/Juan Garcia) The University of Minnesota received a commitment from Devin Winston (Park Hill, Mo.), the nation's No. 30 senior recruit. He made his announcement on Twitter. Winston originally committed to North Carolina during his junior year before decommiting this fall. Winston notched a win over Cadet world medalist Abe Assad at Who's Number One this fall. He is a two-time state finalist, winning a state title in 2017. Winston claimed a Cadet freestyle in Fargo in 2017. This past summer he placed fifth in the Junior freestyle competition. Winston is ranked No. 3 at 182 pounds by InterMat.

Coach Israel Martinez leads No. 5 Montini Catholic (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The first edition of the Beat the Streets Brawl is being hosted by Oak Park River Forest High School, which is just outside of Chicago as a fundraiser for the Beat the Streets Chicago program. Mike Powell, the previous head coach at OPRF and long-time wrestling leader in Illinois for the Olympic styles is the director of BTS Chicago, and the clear spearhead behind this event. The BTS Brawl will be held on Saturday and features five of the nation's top 30 ranked teams in this week's InterMat Fab 50 national high school team rankings. The event will also feature a youth clinic among other programming throughout the day. The schedule of dual meets involving the high school teams, which will be streamed via Trackwrestling is as follows: Round 1: No. 28 Oak Park River Forest (Ill.) vs. No. 17 Poway (Calif.) No. 9 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.) vs. No. 5 Montini Catholic (Ill.) Round 2: No. 28 Oak Park River Forest vs. No. 4 Bergen Catholic (N.J.) No. 17 Poway vs. No. 5 Montini Catholic Round 3: No. 28 Oak Park River Forest vs. No. 9 Lake Highland Prep No. 4 Bergen Catholic vs. No. 17 Poway Round 4: No. 9 Lake Highland Prep vs. No. 17 Poway No. 4 Bergen Catholic vs. No. 5 Montini Catholic Round 5: No. 28 Oak Park River Forest vs. No. 5 Montini Catholic No. 9 Lake Highland Prep vs. No. 4 Bergen Catholic Below are the projected lineups and team notes for each school appearing in the event. No. 4 Bergen Catholic (N.J.) Head Coach: Dave Bell Notes: Ranked nationally at the end of the previous six seasons, the last five within the top 11, including as high as No. 2 at the end of last season Dual team state champions the previous seven seasons, the last five being the consensus No. 1 overall in New Jersey Lineup: 106: Joseph Cangro 113: No. 13 Nick Kayal 120: Patrick Gray (Super 32 placer Dylan Cedeno is ineligible due to transfer for one last week) 126: No. 5 Robert Howard 132: Richard Halal (2017 SQ) 138-152: Nate Camiscioli (SQ), Wade Unger (SP), Joseph Zargo (2x SQ), Alex Strashinsky (SQ); Camiscioli and Strashinsky are eligible to make season debuts this weekend 160: Adrian Pietri/John Fiore 170: Jack Patti 182: No. 5 Chris Foca 195: No. 1 Jacob Cardenas 220: Gabe Mendez 285: Pat Colicchio (state qualifier John High has yet to wrestle this season) No. 5 Montini Catholic (Ill.) Head Coach: Israel Martinez Notes: Ranked nationally at the end of the previous eight seasons, which reflects the totality of the InterMat Fab 50 national high school team rankings, ended last season ranked No. 4 Defending dual team state champions, champions in 9 of the last 11 years (plus in the state championship match for 11 of 12 years running) Lineup: 106: Nick Gonzalez 113: Joe Fernau 120: Nain Vasquez (SP) 126: No. 10 Dylan Ragusin 132: Dylan Burnoski (2x SP) 138: Braden Stauffenberg 145: No. 11 Fidel Mayora 152: No. 5 Jake Stiles 160: Nico Lopez 170: Anthony Geraci 182: Trevor Swier (2x SQ) 195: No. 2 Peter Christensen 220: Colin Baker 285: Mike McNicholas (SQ) No. 9 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.) Head Coach: Mike Palazzo Notes: Ranked nationally at the end of the previous three seasons, all within the top 12, as high as No. 4 in 2017 (last season ended No. 7) State champions for four consecutive seasons, and six of the last seven Lineup: 106: Danny Nini (SC) 113: Jake Wohltman (2x SP) 120: No. 4 Nic Bouzakis 126: Vincent Menozzi (2017 SP)/Myles Griffin (2017 SP) 132: No. 12 Justin Rivera 138: No. 10 Chris Rivera (Chris did not wrestle at the Doc Buchanan last weekend) 145: Dominic Isola (SP)/Noah Castillo (3x SP/2x SC); Castillo has yet to wrestle this season 152-170: Bailey Flanagan (SP), Cameron Monzadeh (SP), Kai Bele (SC) 182: Hunter Brinkman 195: Logan Andrew (SC) 220: Matt Kaplan 285: Francisco Tobar No. 17 Poway (Calif.) Head Coach: John Meyers Notes: Ranked nationally at the end of the previous seven seasons, finishes within the top 13 the last four seasons (as high as No. 8 in 2015, ended last season No. 10) Second or third place finishes at the state tournament the last seven years (2nd in 2013 and 2015), second most individual medalists for any schools in California state tournament history Lineup: 106: No. 19 Andre Gonzalez/Mike McGruder (Gonzalez did not compete in team's last two competitions) 113: Brock Bobzien/Johnny Lopez 120: Carson Sauriol (2017 SP) 126: Jason Miranda (SP) 132: Jacob Vale/Noah Tolentino 138: Zane Stoddard 145: Theron Burns (SQ) 152: No. 16 Aaron Gandara 160: Alex Hernandez 170: Braden Pease 182: Ivan Hernandez (SQ) 195: Laith Gilmore 220: Charles Geffroy 285: Andrew Johnson (SQ) No. 28 Oak Park River Forest (Ill.) Head Coach: Paul Collins Notes: Ranked nationally at the end of the previous seven seasons, including top 11 finishes from 2013-2016 (No. 3 in 2014, No. 2 in 2015), finished last season No. 24 nationally Dual team state participants each of the last six seasons, state runners-up last year to Montini, champions from 2014-2016 Lineup: 106: Connor Nagela 113: No. 5 Jacob Rundell 120: Nico Bolivar (2x SQ) 126: Josh Ogunsanya (SQ) 132: Eddie Bolivar (SP) 138: Torry Early 145: Stephon Carr 152: Joe Chapman (SP) 160: Jake Cagnina 170: Danny Lingen 182: Daemyen Middlebrooks (SQ) 195: Brian Ziech 220: Jaylen Pascascio 285: Ashford Hollis

Ryan Deakin won a Midlands title (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) As we inch closer and closer into the postseason, the matches get tighter and tighter. This week there are several duals that feature close bouts in the rankings. The highlight of the weekend has to be the matchup between No. 3 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) and No. 4 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State). Both have been ripping it up this season and have a bit of history from their high school days. With that being said, there are multiple other important matches across the 10 weight classes. The following are previews and predictions for the best matches this weekend. 125: No. 3 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) vs. No. 17 Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado) Where/When: Oregon State at Northern Colorado, Friday, Jan. 11 Bresser is back for his senior campaign, and he might be having his best season to date. On the year, he is 12-1 with his only loss coming against No. 1 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern), who recently knocked off the returning champion No. 2 Spencer Lee (Iowa). Last year, Bresser became the first person to defeat Lee in his collegiate career. So far this year, Bresser has already knocked off No. 6 Sean Russell (Minnesota), No. 18 Colby Smith (Missouri) and No. 9 Brent Fleetwood (North Dakota State). Montoya is down at 125 for his senior year after having spent his entire previous career at 133. At the new weight, he has gone 9-3. He recently made the finals of the Southern Scuffle with victories over Devin Schnupp (Penn State), Alonzo Allen (Chattanooga) and Alex Mackall (Iowa State). However, in the finals, Montoya dropped his second match of the season against No. 4 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State). The Oregon State wrestler should clearly be the favorite in this match. He is a much more gifted athlete, and he has the offensive creativity to pull out a wild takedown. Montoya is an experience and technically sound wrestler, so this should be a battle. As previously stated Bresser is the favorite, but this could turn out to be a meaningful match come tournament time. Prediction: Bresser (Oregon State) dec. Montoya (Northern Colorado) 133: No. 3 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) vs. No. 4 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) Where/When: Oklahoma State at Rutgers, Sunday, Jan. 13 This is easily the match of the weekend. Suriano is the returning national runner up at 125, and Fix is one of most heralded prospects in recent memory. On the season, both are undefeated. So far it is fair to say that Fix has faced the tougher competition this year. He won the Southern Scuffle and holds wins over No. 12 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming), No. 7 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) and No. 9 Austin Gomez (Iowa State). Suriano won the Cliff Keen Invitational with wins over No. 11 John Erneste (Missouri) and No. 5 Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh). He recently missed out on a match against Lizak who was a late scratch from the Rutgers-Minnesota dual with a skin infection. The match in neutral is the most intriguing. Suriano is a relentless leg attacker, while Fix has seemingly always been able to unleash his trademark inside trip when he needs to. Despite the strength vs. strength match on the feet, this match might end up being decided on the mat. Despite wrestling a ton of freestyle coming up, Fix has shown an above average riding ability so far in his collegiate career, and that may end up playing a critical role in this match. Prediction: Fix (Oklahoma State) dec. Suriano (Rutgers) 141: No. 9 Mike Carr (Illinois) vs. No. 5 Kanen Storr (Michigan) Where/When: Illinois at Michigan, Friday, Jan. 11 Carr defaulted out of the Cliff Keen Invitational and has not been back in action since. He got off to a strong start in the tournament including a win over No. 18 Sam Turner (Wyoming). However, he ended falling against No. 3 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) for the second time this season in the bracket. If he is healthy, he could be a difference maker at this weight. Last year, he entered the NCAA tournament as the 11th seed and fell in the round of 12. Storr is starting over this season as Michigan after a tough start to his collegiate career at Iowa State. He had a bit of a coming out party at the Cliff Keen Invitational. He defeated Turner, No. 20 Chad Red (Nebraska), No. 8 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) and No. 7 Dom Demas (Oklahoma) on the way to finishing third. Following the tournament, he has won three-straight dual matches. Even if Carr is healthy enough to get back into the lineup, he will have a tough time against Storr. Not only does Storr have the momentum in his favor, but he has made visible improvements this season. His ability to ride tough on top and get out on bottom have made him look like a new wrestler at times this season and helped him turn things around. Prediction: Storr (Michigan) dec. Carr (Illinois) 149: No. 1 Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) vs. No. 5 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) Where/When: North Carolina at Princeton, Friday, Jan. 11 It seems like week after week this season 149 has been a crazy division. However, once the dust settles, Kolodzik is still at the top and still undefeated. In his last action, he won the Midlands, which included another victory over No. 12 Patricio Lugo (Iowa) as well as an overtime victory over Jacori Teemer (Arizona State). He will need to turn back yet another impressive challenge this week against O'Connor. After a strong redshirt season, many expected this Tar Heel to be a contender at this weight. So far this season, those folks have not been disappointed. He has gone 22-2, and he has already avenged his first loss against ACC opponent No. 7 Mitch Finesilver (Duke). North Carolina has been wrestling a lot of duals recently, and O'Connor has used the opportunity to rack up the wins and build an impressive record. It has not always been easy this season, but Kolodzik has proven himself to be a winner. Look for him to find a way to win yet again against a spirited challenge from O'Connor. Prediction: Kolodzik (Princeton) dec. O'Connor (North Carolina) 157: No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) Where/When: Penn State at Northwestern, Friday, Jan. 11 Obviously most of the discussion begins and ends with Nolf at 157. He has lorded over the weight for years and is certainly the odds on favorite to repeat at this weight. However, someone has to challenge the champion. Until recently, Deakin appeared to be the best positioned to give Nolf a run. However, he recently dropped his first match of the season against No. 2 Tyler Berger (Nebraska). Either way, this is a match, which we could end up seeing around tournament time. Expect Nolf to win, but Deakin might have enough motivation, coming off a loss, to make it interesting. Prediction: Nolf (Penn State) maj. dec. Deakin (Northwestern) 165: No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) Where/When: Wisconsin at Penn State, Sunday, Jan. 13 Somehow Joseph and Wick managed to wrestle 64 combined match last season and compete in the same conference without running into each other. At the end of the year, Joseph ended up as the NCAA champion and Wick wound up finishing third. It is likely that the road to the title at 165 will run through one of these two men or No. 2 Alex Marinelli (Iowa), who holds a victory over both. In his recent victory over Wick, Marinelli showed a bit of a path to victory. Like Marinelli, Joseph likes to control the ties on the feet and hold the center of the mat. If he is able to use that game plan again here against Wick, he should be able to hold onto his number-one ranking. Prediction: Joseph (Penn State) dec. Wick (Wisconsin) 174: No. 8 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 9 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) Where/When: Northern Iowa at Nebraska, Saturday, Jan. 12 These two had been set to wrestle at the Cliff Keen Invitational, but Labriola bowed out of the contest via medical forfeit. The NCAA wrestling landscape is a small place, and it looks like these two will finally meet. In some ways, it is fitting that these wrestlers are ranked eighth and ninth respectively since this is the type of match that could happen in the bloodround of the NCAA tournament. Lujan has gone 14-2 this season with his only losses coming against No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) and No. 4 Daniel Lewis (Missouri). He has knocked off the likes of No. 15 Brandon Womack (Cornell), No. 10 Ryan Christensen (Wisconsin) and Marcus Coleman (Iowa State). Labriola also only has two losses on the year and is coming off back-to-back wins over Daniel Bullard (NC State) and Johnny Sebastian (Northwestern). On paper this looks like battle between veteran savvy and blue chip talent. In the end, Labriola will likely have the more accomplished career, but a guy like Lujan might prove to be too much at this point. Prediction: Lujan (Northern Iowa) dec. Labriola (Nebraska) 184: No. 10 Max Dean (Cornell) vs. No. 7 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) Where/When: Cornell at Lehigh, Saturday, Jan. 12 This bout is a rematch of the EIWA final from last season. It was a close contest on the feet, but Preisch really pulled away from the top position. Late in the second period, the Lehigh wrestler was able to turn Dean with a power half from the double leg ride and score the fall. Dean was a bit of a surprise last season and finished with a 32-6 record. This year, he has already registered four losses to go with nine wins. Preisch has gone 11-1 with his only loss coming against No. 4 Nick Reenan (NC State). In terms of ranking and rivalry this should be a tough match. However, their first match was so one sided, it is hard to imagine it ending any other way. Prediction: Preisch (Lehigh) maj. dec. Dean (Cornell) 197: No. 3 Patrick Brucki (Princeton) vs. No. 10 Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) Where/When: Oklahoma State at Princeton, Saturday, Jan. 12 Geer transferred to Oklahoma State from Edinboro in the offseason. He was not really expected to start at this weight since Preston Weigel is likely their best option. However, injuries have forced Geer into service, and he has looked solid including a first-place finish at the Reno Tournament of Champions and a fourth-place finish at the Southern Scuffle. He will get another chance against a top wrestler here. Brucki has passed every test placed in front of him so far this season, and he holds a 17-0 record. He faced a surprisingly tough schedule early as he had to defeat No. 8 Nathan Traxler (Stanford) and No. 5 Rocco Caywood (Army) to win the Princeton Open. He recently ran through the Midlands tournament where he won six matches with five victories coming with bonus points. The Princeton wrestler is having a more than solid season and wrestling at a high level. He should be able to get to leg early in this match and score. However, Geer has been more than adequate filling in at this weight and could make this a match. Prediction: Brucki (Princeton) maj. dec. Geer (Oklahoma State) 285: No. 5 Amar Dhesi (Oregon State) vs. Brian Andrews (Wyoming) Where/When: Oregon State at Wyoming, Sunday, Jan. 13 On paper, this match should be a blowout for Dhesi. He is the highest returning placer at this weight, and he has the skills to make a run at the finals this year. However, in his first and only match this season, he was upset by true freshman No. 8 Mason Parris (Michigan). Andrews placed third at the NJCAA national tournament last season. This season, he has certainly been active. He has already built a 23-6 record. He has defeated the likes of Brandon Metz (North Dakota State), Carter Isley (Northern Iowa) and Cory Daniel-Gilliland (North Carolina). This should be a good test to see if Dhesi is rounding back into form. He should be able to take it, but Andrew went to a four-point decision against No. 3 Derek White (Oklahoma State) earlier this year, so expect this one to be closer than some might think. Prediction: Dhesi (Oregon State) dec. Andrews (Wyoming)

FARGO, N.D. -- No. 21 Iowa State went on the road and came away with a very impressive 29-7 conference victory over No. 24 North Dakota State. Iowa State would never trail, while winning eight of ten bouts in this dual. The action got underway at 157 pounds with Iowa State's Chase Straw taking on Nick Knutson. Knutson would actually score the first takedown off of a nice throw. Straw would escape and take control the rest of the match. Straw used a wide variety of leg attacks to build an insurmountable lead and wound up with a 17-8 major decision. At 165 pounds, NDSU turned to standout Andrew Fogarty to get them on the board, and he delivered. After a scoreless start to the match against Logan Shumacher, Fogarty got to his offense. Fogarty showed enough offense on his feet, to get to his offense from top, on his way to a convincing 11-0 major decision. 174 pounds gave us an interesting stylistic contrast with Iowa State's Marcus Coleman and his crisp leg attacks taking on NDSU's Lorenzo De La Riva and his seven minutes of scrambling. Coleman owned the early portion of the match with a pair of crisp takedowns, which he was able to finish quickly and before De La Riva could create a scramble. The match began to tighten up late in the second period after De La Riva closed to a one-point deficit behind a takedown off of a counter. The third period would be a see-saw battle between the two, as Coleman was able to secure a late takedown to ice this one and win 9-7. 184 pounds saw Samuel Colbray taking on Michael Otomo. Colbray was able to control this match from start to finish and showed outstanding explosiveness and quality leg attacks, as he secured a 10-3 victory. 197 pounds pitted All-American Willie Miklus against Cordell Eaton. Eaton fired off a quality shot early on, that Miklus was able to fight out of. From there, it was all Miklus and he secured a first-period fall for the Cyclones. Following intermission, freestyle rivals squared off in Gannon Gremmel and Brandon Metz. Gremmel has continually found a way to win in this rivalry, but it would be Metz who struck first. Metz would get a snatch single for an early 2-0 lead. Gremmel was able to escape and secure a late first-period takedown to gain his first lead. From there, it was all Gremmel, save for one monster throw on the edge by Metz that was ruled no points due to lack of control. Gremmel would eventually secure the 7-3 victory and maintain his decisive edge in this individual rivalry. 125 pounds brought an unexpectedly tight match as Brent Fleetwood and Alex Mackall squared off. Neither wrestler generated any meaningful offense through three periods, and we had to head to overtime to decide this one. Fleetwood was able to fire off a shot and secure the overtime victory over a very game Mackall. 133 pounds was billed as the marquee match, as it was the only bout of the night that featured two ranked wrestlers, and it lived up to the billing. Austin Gomez was able to secure a first- period takedown and two nearfall points to take the early 4-0 lead. The nearfall came as Sykora tried to fight off the takedown and he bailed a fraction of a second too late. Sykora would escape to end the period down 4-1. The match took a dramatic turn in the second period as Gomez chose down. Sykora was able to dominate the period with a rideout and a four-point nearfall to take the 5-4 lead and get riding time over a minute. In the third, Sykora somewhat surprisingly chose down. Sykora was able to escape to gain the 6-4 lead but Gomez erased riding time. Gomez was then able to secure a takedown in the final minute and ride Sykora out to force overtime. In overtime, Gomez fired off a quick shot and secured the comeback victory 8-6. 141 pounds would bring the first of two Degen brothers to the mat, but on separate teams, as NDSU's Sawyer Degen would face Ryan Leisure of Iowa State. This was a back-and-forth match that would see Leisure holding a one-point lead with a minute to go before seemingly getting a takedown to ice the match. However, Iowa State threw the challenge brick well before the ref awarded two to Leisure. By the time the ref saw the brick, assistant Brent Metcalf was retrieving the brick on the mat. The referee noticed and ruled that the challenge had to take place. After reviewing the original action when the brick was thrown, the takedown hadn't been secured yet, so the takedown was taken away. Essentially, it wound up being an Iowa State challenge that wound up taking away two points from their wrestler. It wouldn't matter in the end, as Degen was unable to secure any more points and Leisure earned the 8-7 victory. Degen ended the match with 58 seconds of riding time too, missing the tying riding time point by two seconds. 149 pounds brought Iowa State's Degen (Jarrett) to the mat against Jaden Van Maanen. Jarrett Degen would rack up seven takedowns en route to a convincing 16-5 major decision to close the dual meet. NDSU returns to action Jan. 12 against the Pitt Panthers in Fargo. Iowa State returns home to face Fresno State on Jan. 13. Results: 157: Chase Straw (Iowa State) maj. dec. Nick Knutson (North Dakota State), 17-8 165: No. 20 Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) maj. dec. Logan Schumacher (Iowa State), 11-0 174: Marcus Coleman (Iowa State) dec. Lorenzo De La Riva (North Dakota State), 8-7 184: No. 19 Samuel Colbray (Iowa State) dec. Michael Otomo (North Dakota State), 10-3 197: No. 4 William Miklus (Iowa State) pinned Cordell Eaton (North Dakota State), 2:53 285: Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State) dec. Brandon Metz (North Dakota State), 7-3 125: No. 9 Brent Fleetwood (North Dakota State) dec. Alex Mackall (Iowa State), 4-2 SV 133: No. 9 Austin Gomez (Iowa State) dec. No. 17 Cam Sykora (North Dakota State), 8-6 SV 141: Ryan Leisure (Iowa State) dec. Sawyer Degen (North Dakota State), 8-7 149: No. 11 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) maj. dec. Jaden VanMaanen (North Dakota State), 16-5

CLARION, Pa. -- The Clarion wrestling team officially turned the calendar page to 2019 with a convincing home win, defeating LIU Post 39-7 at Marwick-Boyd Auditorium on Wednesday evening. The Golden Eagles (3-4) will open EWL action on Sunday when they host Bloomsburg for Senior Day. The match is slated to begin at 2 p.m. The match against the Pioneers allowed a number of new faces to shine, with Clarion winning eight of the 10 individual bouts. Three Golden Eagles won matches by fall and three more recorded technical falls as Clarion controlled the pace against LIU Post, acting as the aggressor and dictating the match. Gavin Park set that tone early on, cradling Brandon Mercado just seconds into the 125-pound bout and eventually working him over for the pin. Seth Koleno kept that pressure on in the second bout of the night, notching several near falls against Jacob Zuller en route to a 17-1 technical fall. Andrew Gapas recorded one of the most impressive wins of the night and certainly one of the best of his young career, defeating the Pioneers' Joe Calderone in the 141-pound bout. Calderone entered the match ranked first nationally at 141 pounds in Division II, but Gapas jumped on the attack early and pinned him less than two minutes into the first period, giving Clarion a 17-0 team lead. After Avery Shay made it a 20-3 team lead with a decision over Anthony Dushaj, Evan Delong gave Clarion their second technical fall of the night. He downed Kenny Cooper 20-4 just 5:11 into the 165-pound match for the five-point result. 14th-ranked Greg Bulsak sealed the win with a first-period pin over Dan Shafran, and Toby Cahill closed the night with a technical fall over Tim Nagosky at heavyweight. Results: 125: Gavin Park (CLAR) def. Brandon Mercado (POST) Fall 0:42 133: Seth Koleno (CLAR) def. Jacob Zuller (POST) TF 17-1 5:35 141: Andrew Gapas (CLAR) vs. Joe Calderone (POST) Fall 1:50 149: Chris Gomez (POST) def. Austin Jamison (CLAR) MD 11-0 157: Avery Shay (CLAR) def. Anthony Dushaj (POST) Dec. 5-1 165: Evan Delong (CLAR) def. Kenny Cooper (POST) TF 20-4 5:11 174: Dan Arkow (POST) def. Mitch Dean (CLAR) SV-1 5-3 184: Ty Bagoly (CLAR) def. James Langan (POST) Dec. 7-1 197: #14/15 Greg Bulsak (CLAR) def. Dan Shafran (POST) Fall 2:32 285: Toby Cahill (CLAR) def. Tim Nagosky (POST) TF 18-3 3:35

CMU's Matt Stencel tops the leaderboard in falls with 12 (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has released the debut standings for the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Awards that will be awarded in March at the respective Division I, II and III Wrestling Championships. The inaugural NCAA Wrestling Awards were presented at the 2012 wrestling championships. The three awards, given in each division, honor the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes that have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular and postseasons. For falls and tech falls to be counted they must come against opponents in the same division (i.e. Division II vs. Division II). Ties in the two categories are broken based on the aggregate time. Division I is paced in falls by Central Michigan heavyweight Matt Stencel and George Mason 165-pounder Colston DiBlasi with 12 falls. Stencel has made much quicker work of his opponents to hold the aggregate time tiebreaker by 25 minutes over DiBlasi. Kent State's Andrew McNally is the only other Division I wrestler in double digits with 10 falls at 184 pounds. A three-way tie with eight falls marks the Division II standings between Lake Erie's Evan Loughman, Upper Iowa's Justin Folley and Seton Hill's Alan Diltz. Loughman wins the tiebreaker with an aggregate time of 17:01 at heavyweight to rank first ahead of 133-pounders Folley and Diltz. Heavyweights lead the way in all three divisions as SUNY Oneonta's James Bethel is the sole leader in Division III with 12 falls ahead of an eight-way logjam of wrestlers with 11 falls. Heidelberg 184-pounder Dylan Roth leads that tight group to take second place overall with an aggregate time of 17:45. Last year's winner for most tech falls is off to a strong start to repeat in Division I as Lock Haven's Kyle Shoop has started this season with 10 tech falls. Oklahoma State 133-pounder Daton Fix is second with nine, while Minnesota's 2017 NCAA finalist Ethan Lizak is third with eight. A pair of 184-pounders pace Division II with four tech falls as Central Oklahoma's Heath Gray holds the tiebreaker in aggregate time, 18:13 to 19:44, over Daniel Bishop of Augustana (South Dakota). UIndy heavyweight Dylan Faulkenberg leads an eight-way tie of three tech falls compiling his in just over eight minutes. Messiah 149-pounder Stephen Maloney has earned 11 tech falls in Division III to lead by two over Heidelberg's Jeremiah Slagle and three over Mount Union 133-pounder Jordin James. The initial Most Dominant Wrestler standings will be released later this season to allow wrestlers to achieve the minimum amount of matches required to be eligible for the standings.

It's pretty rare for a TV network to take viewers inside a high school wrestling room. Perhaps rarer still when the TV network is Deutsche Welle of Germany ... and the wrestling room is located inside the U.S. wrestling hotbed of Pennsylvania. On Tuesday, the English-language version of DW shown in the U.S. broadcast a three-minute news story about a coach at a Pittsburgh high school who is instilling lessons to his wrestlers about respecting women. DW reporter Mira Fricke took viewers inside the wrestling room at Carrick High, a Pittsburgh public school with approximately 900 students in grades 9-12 ... interviewing head coach Lennard Orbovich, and a number of his wrestlers, on camera. Each day, Coach Orbovich conducts talks with his wrestlers after practice sessions, based on a program "Coaching Boys Into Men." Here's how the CBIM program is described in the introductory text at its official website. "Athletic coaches play an extremely influential and unique role in the lives of young men. Because of these relationships, coaches are poised to positively influence how young men think and behave, both on and off the field. Coaching Boys Into Men (CBIM) is the only evidence-based prevention program that trains and motivates high school coaches to teach their young male athletes healthy relationship skills and that violence never equals strength." The discussions, which focus on violence prevention and building healthy relationships, are built on the relationships between coaches and their athletes. "Some of the most rewarding stuff is hearing conversations they have about situations I'm not involved in, holding each other accountable," said coach Orbovich. "One kid says something that another kid finds disrespectful or they're not comfortable with, and I've heard them correct each other." The program appears to be having a positive impact on the Carrick wrestlers. "It's made me look at girls from a different perspective -- to see what they have to go through on a daily basis," said Tarik Smith. "It makes me respect them more." Wrestler L.J. Orbovich said, "I learn that this is a huge issue but the reason we're not hearing about is that is not being brought to light as it should be. This program is really good at helping do that." Presently, only boys on the wrestling program are participating in the Coaching Boys Into Men program ... however, girls on the team see the value in the program in their dealings with other girls and women. "It's sad to see how many girls hate on each other," said Carrick wrestler Tamaya Washington. "We (girls) tend to degrade each other a lot."

BOONE, N.C. -- Fresh off a long-awaited Southern Scuffle medal stand appearance that fulfilled an individual goal, Appalachian State senior wrestler Randall Diabe gave the Mountaineers an immediate lift in their Southern Conference opener Tuesday. Diabe began App State's 39-10 home victory against Gardner-Webb by closing the first period of his 197-pound match with a pin, and heavyweight Cary Miller's first-period pin in the next match preceded a pair of six-point forfeits that gave the Mountaineers (3-5, 1-0) a quick 24-0 advantage. Matt Zovistoski had a pin at 149 pounds, and Alan Clothier (184) ended the dual against the Runnin' Bulldogs (2-4, 0-1) with a first-period pin. "I just wanted to go out there and execute and get the team rolling," said Diabe, who recorded his first pin of his senior season. "You get the heavyweight feeding off your pin, and you get the forfeits. By all that happening, we kept rolling. I was just going out to set the tone." Moving forward from a difficult nonconference run that included consecutive duals against North Carolina, Ohio, NC State and Oklahoma, App State won its 17th straight SoCon dual since a loss to Gardner-Webb midway through the 2015-16 season. The Mountaineers shared a league title that season and won consecutive outright titles with 7-0 league records in 2016-17 and 2017-18. In addition to the four pins Tuesday, plus wins by forfeit from Andy Richard (125 pounds) and Codi Russell (133), Angel Najar (157) claimed an 8-2 decision against Gardner-Webb's Evan Schenk. Miller needed only 67 seconds to pin Gabriel Pickett, Clothier closed his match against Chase Emory with 25 seconds left in the first period and Zovistoski pinned Chase McKinney during the second period of their matchup. "I thought we wrestled good in spots," App State coach JohnMark Bentley said. "There were several guys that went out there and took control of their matches and scored a lot of points. There were a couple other weights where I thought we looked a little bit flat, and I don't know if that's just coming off the (Southern) Scuffle that's a big tournament. I'm not sure, but overall, it's about what I expected, and it was good to get a win in front of the home crowd again." App State returns to action Sunday afternoon at VMI and will be back at Varsity Gym the following Sunday, on Jan. 20, to face Campbell. Single-match tickets at $7 (adult) and $3 (youth) can be purchased by clicking HERE. Results: 197: Randall Diabe (APP) def. Jack Trautman (GWU), fall, 3:00 HWT: Cary Miller (APP) def. Gabriel Pickett (GWU), fall, 1:07 125: Andy Richard (APP) won by forfeit 133: Codi Russell (APP) won by forfeit 141: Blake Mulkey (GWU) def. Irvin Enriquez (APP), 7-4 dec. 149: Matt Zovistoski (APP) def. Chase McKinney (GWU), fall, 4:41 157: Angel Najar (APP) def. Evan Schenk (GWU), 8-2 dec. 165: Tyler Marinelli (GWU) def. Michael Elliott (APP), 13-0 maj. dec. 174: Kyle Homet (GWU) def. Joe Accousti (APP), 5-3 dec. 184: Alan Clothier (184) def. Chase Emory (GWU), fall, 2:35

Nick Suriano of Rutgers is expected to face Daton Fix of Oklahoma State on Sunday (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The dual meet season is upon us and the wrestling world will be treated to nine top-25 duals from Friday to Sunday, with the potential to see a few additional ranked match-ups depending on how the Virginia Duals play out in Hampton, Va. There will be a pair of top-25 duals on Friday, four top-25 duals on Saturday, and three top-25 duals on Sunday. Friday Virginia Duals (9 a.m.) The 39th annual Virginia Duals return to the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia, and features three teams ranked inside the top-25: No. 13 Virginia Tech, No. 14 Lock Haven and No. 16 Arizona State. If the seeds hold, Arizona State will meet Lock Haven in the semifinals for an opportunity to take on the winner of Virginia Tech and Old Dominion in Saturday night's finals. No. 9 Wisconsin at No. 19 Rutgers (7 p.m.) Coach Chris Bono and the ninth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers head to Piscataway, New Jersey, for their first dual in over a month when they take on coach Scott Goodale's No. 19 Scarlet Knights. Both teams are looking to bounce back after dropping their last duals. Wisconsin (1-1 in the Big Ten, 6-1 overall) is looking to rebound after falling to No. 3 Ohio State 23-13 on Dec. 9. Rutgers is coming off a 22-15 loss to No. 7 Minnesota. Though this dual has five wrestlers currently sitting inside the top 10 and has at least one ranked wrestler in eight of the ten weights, there are no projected top-20 match-ups. Other ranked wrestlers in action: 125: No. 15 Connor Brown (Wisconsin) 133: No. 3 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) 149: No. 2 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) 157: No. 15 John Van Brill (Rutgers) 165: No. 3 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) 174: No. 10 Ryan Christensen (Wisconsin) 184: No. 13 Nick Gravina (Rutgers) 285: No. 9 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) No. 1 Penn State at Northwestern (8 p.m.) The top-ranked Nittany Lions head to Evanston, Illinois, to take on the Northwestern Wildcats. The premier matchup of the dual meet is at 157 pounds where Penn State's two-time NCAA champion Jason Nolf will wrestle Northwestern's third-ranked Ryan Deakin. Nolf is 13-0 on the season and has scored bonus points in every match. He has nine falls, three major decisions, and one tech-fall. His opponent, Ryan Deakin, is 16-1 on the season and is looking to bounce back after a 6-3 loss to Nebraska's second-ranked Tyler Berger. Other ranked dual: No. 15 North Carolina at No. 25 Princeton (7 p.m.) Saturday No. 2 Oklahoma State at No. 25 Princeton (1 p.m.) The second-ranked Cowboys (5-0 dual record this season) travel east to take on the 3-3 Princeton Tigers. This will be Tigers' second-ranked dual of the weekend after they compete against No. 15 UNC on Friday night. The featured bout of the match comes at 149 pounds, where Princeton's top-ranked Matt Kolodzik will wrestle Oklahoma State's sixth-ranked Kaden Gfeller. Both guys are undefeated on the season and are coming off title-winning performances at the Midlands and Southern Scuffle. Kolodzik won the Midlands with a 3-1 victory over Northern Iowa's No. 8 Max Thomsen, while Gfeller won the Southern Scuffle for the second consecutive year with a 3-2 win over Duke's No. 7 Mitch Finesilver. Another bout to keep an eye on comes at 125, where Oklahoma State's fourth-ranked Nick Piccininni will wrestle Princeton's 10th-ranked freshman Pat Glory. Piccininni, an All-American from two seasons ago, remains unbeaten this season (18-0) and has claimed titles at the Reno Tournament of Champions, and most recently, the Southern Scuffle. Glory is coming off a third-place finished at the prestigious Midlands, and has a 15-2 record, with his only losses coming to Iowa's returning NCAA champion Spencer Lee. The 197-pound bout will also feature a pair of top-10 wrestlers in Princeton's third-ranked Patrick Brucki and Oklahoma State's 10th-ranked Dakota Geer. Other ranked wrestlers in action: 133: No. 4 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) 141: No. 12 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) 157: No. 18 Andrew Shomers (Oklahoma State) 165: No. 10 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State) 174: No. 5 Joe Smith (Oklahoma State) 184: No. 11 Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State) 285: No. 3 Derek White (Oklahoma State) Other ranked duals on Saturday: No. 20 Pittsburgh at No. 24 North Dakota State (5 p.m.) No. 18 Illinois at No. 5 Michigan (7 p.m.) No. 17 Northern Iowa at No. 10 Nebraska (8 p.m.) Sunday No. 9 Wisconsin at No. 1 Penn State (1 p.m.) Coach Chris Bono and the ninth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers head to Happy Valley with hopes of knocking off the top-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions. There will be 13 wrestlers competing in this dual meet who are ranked in the top 20. More impressive, Penn State will be sending out four wrestlers who have won NCAA titles and currently sit atop of the national rankings. The premier matchup of the night will be the 165-pound bout, where reigning two-time NCAA champion and No.1 ranked Vincenzo Joseph squares off against Wisconsin's third-ranked returning All-American Evan Wick. Joseph, the Keystone Classic and Southern Scuffle champion, is a perfect 13-0 this season, while Wick, who was a Midlands runner-up, is 18-1. The second top-10 match-up comes at 174 [pimds. Mark Hall, Penn State's NCAA champion from two seasons ago, will wrestle Wisconsin's tenth-ranked Ryan Christensen. The third top-10 bout will be at 285. Penn State's third-ranked Anthony Cassar will take on Wisconsin's ninth-ranked Trent Hillger. Other ranked wrestlers in action: 125: No. 15 Connor Brown (Wisconsin) 133: No. 14 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) 141: No. 4 Nick Lee (Penn State) 149: No. 9 Brady Berge (Penn State) 157: No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) 184: No. 3 Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) 197: No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) No. 2 Oklahoma State at No. 19 Rutgers (1 p.m.) Coach John Smith's Cowboys wrap up their New Jersey stint with a stop in Piscataway, New Jersey, to take on the No. 19 Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Yes, there will be 10 bouts in this dual, but none more critical or intriguing than the top-5 match-up at 133 pounds between Rutgers' returning NCAA finalist and third-ranked Nick Suriano and Oklahoma State's two-time age-level world champion, Daton Fix. These two bring a combined 30-0 record into this dual. Nick Suriano, who has a career record of 38-1, enters this match with a 13-0 record, with 11 bonus point wins, while Fix is 17-0 on the season. Aside from the aforementioned undefeated bout at 133, the 149 match between Rutgers' second-ranked Anthony Ashnault and Oklahoma State's sixth-ranked Kaden Gfeller is also another matchup between undefeated wrestlers that could happen. This is all predicated on how Gfeller does against Princeton's top-ranked Matt Kolodzik in Saturday's dual when the Cowboys wrestle the Tigers. A third top-20 matchup could happen at 157 pounds when Rutgers' No. 15 John Van Brill takes on Oklahoma's State's No. 18 Andrew Shomers. At 184 pounds, No. 11 Jacobe Smith will wrestle No. 12 Nick Gravina in the fourth top-20 match-up of the dual meet. Other ranked wrestlers in action: 125: No. 4 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) 141: No. 12 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) 165: No. 10 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State) 174: No. 5 Joe Smith (Oklahoma State) 285: No. 3 Derek White (Oklahoma State) No. 4 Iowa at No. 7 Minnesota (2 p.m.) Two of the most storied programs in college wrestling clash when the fourth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes invade Minneapolis for a top-10 dual against the seventh-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Hawkeyes are 1-0 in the conference and 6-0 overall, while the Gophers are 8-1 on the season, with a 1-0 conference record. There will be six matches that feature wrestlers who are ranked in the top 20 of this week's rankings, but none more anticipated than the heavyweight bout between the top two wrestlers in the country, Iowa's top-ranked Sam Stoll and Minnesota's second-ranked Gable Steveson. Both are undefeated this season. Stoll is 3-0, while Steveson is 20-0 and claimed titles at the Cliff Keen Invitational, Daktronics Open and Bison Open. Other top-20 matchups: 125: No. 2 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Sean Russell (Minnesota) 133: No. 10 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) 141: No. 15 Max Murin (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Mitchell McKee (Minnesota) 149: No. 12 Pat Lugo (Iowa) vs. No. 20 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) 157: No. 5 Kaleb Young (Iowa) vs. No. 9 Steve Bleise (Minnesota) Other ranked wrestlers in action: 165: No. 2 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) 174: No. 11 Devin Skatzka (Minnesota) 184: No. 14 Cash Wilcke (Iowa) 197: No. 6 Jacob Warner (Iowa)

The 2019 NCAA Division I Championships will take place at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh As we start a new year -- and enter the heart of the college wrestling season -- there might not be a better time to set our sights on the next four NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Here's a sneak peek at the 2019-2022 NCAAs … 2019 NCAAs: Pittsburgh The biggest event in collegiate wrestling returns to Pittsburgh for the first time in over six decades. Where: The 2019 NCAAs will take place at PPG Paints Arena, in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh. First opened in 2010 as Consol Energy Center, this facility which is normally the home of the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins has a seating capacity of approximately 19,700 fans. Hosted by: University of Pittsburgh Last time in Pittsburgh: Steel City hosted the NCAAs was back in 1957, at Fitzgerald Field House on the Pitt campus. This championship event -- which welcomed 213 athletes from over 60 schools -- was special for a number of reasons ... including as the first to crown an African-American national mat champ (Simons Roberts of the University of Iowa) … and the last college appearance of Dan Hodge, the Oklahoma Sooner fall guy, with a 46-0 overall record, with 36 of those wins by pin. The Sooners pinned down the team title that year. 2020 NCAAs: Minneapolis The 2020 NCAA D1 championships will be the first Nationals to be held in an indoor football stadium ... as the "Super Bowl of College Wrestling" returns to the Twin Cities for the first time in over two decades. Where: US Bank Stadium, on the east edge of downtown Minneapolis, which normally serves as the home of the NFL Minnesota Vikings ... and was the site of Super Bowl LII in early 2018. This 66,860-seat facility which resembles an all-glass Viking ship, was built on the site of the old Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, previous home of the Vikings from 1982-2013. US Bank Stadium hosted its first football game in fall 2016. Hosted by: University of Minnesota Last time in Minneapolis: The 1996 NCAAs were held at Target Center, the then-newish arena on the other side of downtown Minneapolis from US Bank Stadium. Among the champs crowned at year: Cary Kolat (Lock Haven), Chris Bono (Iowa State), Bill Zadick, Joe Williams and Daryl Weber (Iowa) and Les Gutches (Oregon State). The Iowa Hawkeyes ran away with the team title, with nearly twice as many team points as runner up Iowa State. 2021 NCAAs: St. Louis "Meet Me in St. Louis" is the familiar refrain for college wrestling fans as the Gateway City will hose the NCAAs for the eighth time. Where: Enterprise Center, on the west side of downtown St. Louis. No, it's not a new arena ... but the newest name for the 18,400-seat home of the NHL St. Louis Blues. It's the same facility first opened as Kiel Center in 1994, which later became Savvis Center, and then, more recently, Scottrade Center. St. Louis-based Enterprise Holdings -- parent company of Enterprise Rent-a-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo -- won the naming rights in July 2018. Hosted by: University of Missouri Last time in St. Louis: Back in 2017, Penn State won the team title with five individual champs: Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf, Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall, and Bo Nickal. Among the other champs: Missouri's J'den Cox, and Ohio State's Kyle Snyder. 2022 NCAAs: Detroit The 2022 NCAAs signal a return trip to Motown for the first time since 2007. Where: Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit. Opened just over a year ago, this shiny new 20,000-seat arena is home to the Detroit Pistons of the NBA and Red Wings of the NHL. Locally-based Little Caesars Enterprises -- parent company of the pizza chain with over 5,500 locations worldwide -- won the naming rights. Hosted by: University of Michigan Last time in Detroit: In 2007, the NCAAs were held at the Palace of Auburn Hills in north-suburban Detroit. The Minnesota Golden Gophers won their third team title, led by heavyweight champ Cole Konrad. Among the other individual champs that year: Edinboro's Gregor Gillespie, Iowa's Mark Perry, Missouri's Ben Askren, and Northwestern's Jake Herbert.

In less than two weeks, the first-ever girls' state wrestling championships will take to the mats in Iowa. The Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA) issued a statement Friday in conjunction with the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) to announce the establishment of the inaugural state wrestling tournament exclusively for Iowa girls in grades 9-12 on Saturday, Jan. 19 at Waverly-Shell Rock High School in Waverly, Iowa -- the home of Wartburg College -- located just north of Waterloo. The tournament will be conducted by the IWCOA, which will also serve as the event's presenting sponsor. All girls currently competing on wrestling teams sponsored by the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) are eligible to compete. (For additional information on the event -- including who is eligible to compete -- check out the IWCOA/ISHAA joint statement posted at IAwrestle.com.) Although the event has the support of two leading organizations governing high school wrestling within the state of Iowa, it bears some differences from the eight girls' wrestling championships announced in 2018 which will be taking to the mat for the first time in Feb. and March of this year ... as well as the existing championships for girl wrestlers in a half-dozen states. For starters, this new Iowa girls tournament will be held separate from the long-established boys' state championships in terms of timing and location. The boys' tournament will be held Feb. 14-16, 2019 -- nearly a month after the girls' tournament -- at the Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines, a two-hour drive from Waverly, site of this year's girl state tourney. Girls' high school wrestling has experienced significant growth in recent years in Iowa ... and beyond. Within the state of Iowa, 157 girls wrestled in high school during the 2018-19 school year. By contrast, just 93 girls participated in the sport during the 2017-18 school year, according to the IWCOA release. What's more, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported that "several teams in northeast Iowa have more than 10 girls participating including Waverly-Shell Rock, Osage and Charles City, with Denver head wrestling coach Chris Krueger tweeting Thursday that the Cyclones have had 14 girls sign up for wrestling." Beyond Iowa, growth in girls' high school wrestling is a national phenomenon. As InterMat reported in a recent feature on the growth of women's wrestling in 2018, during the 2017-18 school year, 16,562 girls wrestled at 2,351 schools around the country, according to the annual National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) participation survey. By contrast, 14,587 girls wrestled at the high school level during the 2016 17 academic year. That's a growth of nearly 2,000 additional female wrestlers at the prep level in just one year. At the beginning of 2018, six states had separate state wrestling championships for girls: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Tennessee, Texas and Washington State. In the past year, eight additional states announced the establishment of a girls' state championships: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, and Oregon. These new events are slated to take place in February and March of 2019.

Saori Yoshida after winning world gold in 2015 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Saori Yoshida, three-time Olympic gold medalist in women's freestyle wrestling for Japan, announced her retirement Tuesday, 18 months before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Yoshida, 36, posted this message on her Twitter account: "I have decided to end my 33-year career as a competitive wrestler. "I have been able to do my best as an active wrestler because of the cheers and support from many people. "Thank you very much, everyone." Yoshida plans to hold a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday, Japan Times reported Tuesday, saying, "I want to show my appreciation and announce my retirement in front of everybody." Described as "wrestling's most decorated champion" by OlympicChannel.com, Yoshida was a three-time Olympic champion, along with 13 gold medals in World competition, and four Asian Games titles. Yoshida won gold at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics at 55 kilograms/121 pounds, receiving a silver medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in that weight class when she lost to USA's Helen Maroulis in the finals. At the World Championships, Yoshida brought home 13 consecutive gold medals from 2002-2015. At the Asian Games, Yoshida claimed gold in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. Yoshida began participating in the sport as a 3-year-old in her native Japan at her father's wrestling school. She won her first World championship at age 20 in 2002. In addition to her wrestling medals, Saori Yoshida has received a number of honors beyond the sport. She served as the flagbearer for Japan at the 2012 London Olympics. In 2007, she became the first female wrestler to be named Japanese Athlete of the Year. Yoshida received the People's Honor Award in 2012, after she surpassed Alexander Karelin's number of consecutive world titles. The Russian legend had won three Olympic gold medals and nine world championships in the men's 130-kilogram class between 1988 and 1999.

A high school wrestling team is among those lending support and helping to raise funds on behalf of a fifth grader battling a rare form of brain cancer. The Raiders wrestling program at Williamsburg Jr.-Sr. High School just west of Iowa City posted a one-minute video on its Facebook page in support of Tate Schaefer, a Williamsburg 5th grader who has been diagnosed with DIPG, a form of cancer found in the brain stem of approximately 300 young people each year. The video has been viewed approximately 5,000 times. Darcy Schaefer, Tate's mom shared her support of the video on Twitter: "You know no one can mess with you when you have the Raider wrestling team on your side. Coach Eckenrod, Coaches, & Wrestlers - this meant the world to our family and Tate, who looks up to all of you. Go Raiders!" In addition to the video produced by the Williamsburg Raider wrestling squad, Tate Schaefer and his family are receiving considerable support from the local community and beyond. If you're in Iowa -- or are up for a road trip (Williamsburg is just off I-80, the interstate that connects New York and California) -- you can participate in a "TaterTough" fundraising event on Saturday, Jan. 19 from 4-8 p.m. at the Williamsburg Recreation Center at 939 Highland St. in Williamsburg. According to the event's Facebook page, this family-friendly event will feature food, TaterTough merchandise for sale, silent and live auctions and activities for kids. Not able to make it to Williamsburg in person? A GoFundMe page has been established "to help Tate and his family through this battle. Please help us raise money that the Schaefer's can use to make memories and take trips as a family, support Tate and his health needs or anything else that may come up throughout this journey." According to the Schaefer family, Tate had been suffering from blurred vision, loss of coordination and balance and other issues. He was taken to the emergency room at University of Iowa Hospitals, and admitted to Children's Hospital, where he was examined. "At that time, we were told that Tate had a tumor on his brain stem and was diagnosed with DIPG and his tumor is inoperable..." What is DIPG? According to the website for Dana-Farber Cancer Center at Boston Children's Hospital, "Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG) are highly aggressive and difficult to treat brain tumors found at the base of the brain..." "Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas account for 10 percent of all childhood central nervous system tumors. Approximately 300 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with DIPG each year. While DIPGs are usually diagnosed when children are between the ages of 5 and 9, they can occur at any age in childhood. These tumors occur in boys and girls equally and do not generally appear in adults."

Staff Sgt. Jorge A. Hernandez Former California high school wrestler. Silver medalist at the Junior Olympics. Assistant high school wrestling coach in Florida. Special Tactics combat controller for the U.S. Air Force. All these attributes describe Staff Sgt. Jorge A. Hernandez, who was killed when run over by a tour bus in Nashville on New Year's Day evening. He was 26. At the time of his death, Hernandez had served with the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron headquartered at Hurlburt Field, an Air Force facility located in the western Florida panhandle. He also served as an assistant wrestling coach at nearby Fort Walton Beach High School for five years. In reporting on his death, the Air Force Times described Hernandez as "an accomplished wrestler who competed in the 92-kilogram (203-pound) weight class of the 2018 Armed Forces Wrestling Championship in February at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He wrestled on both the Air Force and Armed Forces teams for several years." Prior to enlisting in the Air Force in February 2012, Hernandez wrestled at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, Calif. in the Palm Springs area. Hernandez helped the Blackhawks win a pair of CIF championships. He also won an individual CIF title and was a State qualifier, according to the Desert Sun newspaper. After graduation from La Quinta High in 2010, Hernandez attended College of the Desert and was a wrestling coach at La Quinta and Shadow Hills High. According to multiple media reports, Hernandez was attempting to board a tour van at a downtown Nashville hotel at about 11 p.m. Tuesday but fell off the outside step of the Dodge Sprinter van and was run over. Here's how the Nashville Tennessean described the incident: "The victim tried to get into the van with the tour group, but was told by the driver he didn't belong, police said. "Hernandez asked the driver of the van if he wanted to fight. The driver told police to close the sliding side door and the 26-year-old apparently got onto the van's running board and was trying to open the door as the vehicle pulled out of the parking lot. "Hernandez apparently fell from the running board and was run over by one of the van's rear tires, according to the initial investigation. "The driver continued and told police he was unaware that Hernandez had been run over. The driver and his passengers returned to the scene a short time later after being located by officers. "The driver showed no signs of impairment and is cooperating with investigators, according to police. "The local Medical Examiner is conducting toxicology tests to determine whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the incident," according to the Tennessean. The incident is still under investigation by Nashville Metro Police. News of Hernandez's death hit those who knew him hard. Tobi Marez, head wrestling coach at Fort Walton Beach High where Hernandez worked, told the Northwest Florida Daily News, "We're shocked. To our guys, he was more of a superhero. He was a great wrestler, a great personality -- just a loving guy. "He was the type of guy that would give you the shirt off his back." "He always put everyone before himself," Marez added. "He was the classic example of someone who put love before hate." The Florida newspaper went on to describe Hernandez as "accomplished in both Greco-Roman and freestyler wrestling. He was a silver medalist in the Junior Olympics and recently was an alternate for the Air Force Olympics." Hernandez's supervisor at Hurlburt Field also painted a positive portrait. "Jorge was a gregarious individual. Always laughing, smiling, and trying to cheer people up around the squadron. He was the guy who everyone knew because of his spirit and liveliness," Maj. Steven Cooper, commander of the 23rd STS, told the website Air Force Special Tactics. "This is a tragic loss to the Special Tactics community and our thoughts are with his family, friends, and teammates at this time." The Air Force Special Tactics website went on to describe Hernandez as "a qualified military static-line jumper, free fall jumper, and an Air Force qualified combat scuba diver. As a Special Tactics combat controller, Hernandez was specially trained and equipped for immediate deployment into combat operations to conduct global access, precision strike, and personnel recovery operations. He was skilled in reconnaissance operations and air traffic control." Funeral arrangements have not yet been made public. UPDATE 1/10/18 A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover "resting expenses" for Jorge Hernandez. Here's some of the text from that page: "During this difficult time, the family is requesting assistance with expenses through this GoFundMe account. Any additional monies left over after all expenses and financial obligations have been accounted for will be donated, in Jorge's name, to a youth wrestling related organization."

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The No. 2 Ohio State University wrestling team (5-0) began the New Year by topping No. 4 North Carolina State (9-2), 26-10, in front of 3,732 fans assembled at St. John Arena. The Buckeyes have won 15-of-20 bouts during duals against the Wolfpack in 2018 and 2019. The evening started with Joey McKenna garnering bonus points in the 141-pound match via a 10-2 major decision over Jamal Morris. McKenna posted four takedowns and surrendered just a pair of escapes to improve to 11-0 on the season. In the subsequent tilt at 149 pounds, Micah Jordan delivered a memorable moment as he erupted the crowd by hitting the go-ahead takedown with only six seconds remaining. He trailed 5-4 as the clock struck single digits before earning the “twwwoooooo” and sending St. John Arena into a frenzy. Jordan, a 6-5 victor, handed fourth-ranked Justin Oliver his first loss of the season. The next two bouts went in favor of North Carolina State, however, cutting the Buckeye edge to 7-6 through four matches. At 165 lbs, it was the Wolfpack's turn to notch an exciting finish. The bout spilled over into sudden victory where No. 18 Thomas Bullard won out in a scramble for the 4-2 triumph. Te'Shan Campbell then got the Buckeyes back on track, sparking a five-bout winning streak. He came through as a 4-1 winner over Daniel Bullard. A battle of unbeatens came next with No. 1 Myles Marin facing off against No. 3 Nick Reenan. Martin not only arose victorious, but did so in a decisive manner. He accumulated five takedowns en route to a 12-5 ‘W.' Martin moved to 8-0 while Reenan dropped to 10-1. Kollin Moore kept in coming at 197 pounds, taking down his adversary in less than five seconds. He tacked on 13 more points and walked off the mat with a 15-6 major decision over No. 19 Malik McDonald in-hand. North Carolina State true freshmen Colin Lawler pealed off his redshirt after posting a 13-4 record in ‘unattached' competition. Chase Singletary gave Lawler a not-so-warm welcome in his varsity debut, throwing the Wolfpack member to his back twice and narrowly missing out on the fall. Singletary ultimately settled for a 10-4 decision, earning his 13th win of 2018-19. Hunter Lucas made a debut of his own, the first competition as a Buckeye for the transfer from Maryland. Similar to Lawler, Lucas came up short in his first go-around. He fell victim to an 11-2 major decision for No. 10 Sean Fausz. The final bout ended in an unfortunate anti-climatic manner. No. 5 Luke Pletcher and No. 7 Tariq Wilson, an Ohio native from Steubenville, were slate for a marquee rubber match after splitting a pair of clashes last season. Tied 2-2 early in the second period, Wilson was forced to take an injury default. Results: 141 lbs | No. 2 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) def. Jamal Morris (North Carolina State) | MD, 10-2; Team Score: 4-0 149 lbs | No. 3 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) def. No. 4 Justin Oliver (North Carolina State) | D, 6-5; TS: 7-0 157 lbs | No. 5 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State) def. No. 8 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State) | D, 7-2; TS: 7-3 165 lbs | No. 18 Thomas Bullard (North Carolina State) def. Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) | SV1, 6-4; TS: 7-6 174 lbs | Te'Shan Campbell (Ohio State) def. Daniel Bullard (North Carolina State) | D, 4-1; TS: 10-6 184 lbs | No. 1 Myles Martin (Ohio State) def. No. 3 Nick Reenan (North Carolina State) | D, 12-5; TS: 13-6 197 lbs | No. 2 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) def. No. 19 Malik McDonald (North Carolina State) | MD, 15-6; TS: 17-6 285 lbs | No. 17 Chase Singletary (Ohio State) def. Colin Lawler (North Carolina State) | D, 10-4; TS: 20-6 125 lbs | No. 10 Sean Fausz (North Carolina State) def. Hunter Lucas (Ohio State) | MD, 11-2; TS: 20-10 133 lbs | No. 5 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) def. No. 7 Tariq Wilson (North Carolina State) | INJ, 3:35; TS: 26-10

LINCOLN, Neb. -- The 11th-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers got back to its winning ways on Sunday at the Devaney Center. Northwestern led 14-4 after four matches, but NU took the final six bouts to earn their 12th straight victory over the Wildcats. The Huskers won seven of the ten matches, with four victories coming by bonus points. There were four bouts (125, 157, 174, HWT) that featured wrestlers from both teams ranked in the top 20 of their weight class. NU earned victories in three of the four matches. The dual started with a top 15 battle at 125 pounds between #12 Zeke Moisey and #2 Sebastian Rivera from Northwestern. Rivera earned six points for his team after pinning Moisey 2:36 into the match. Tucker Sjomeling (133) lost in a major decision to Collin Valdiviez 13-4 and Jordan Shearer (149) fell 11-3 in a major decision to Shayne Oster in the second and fourth matches of the afternoon, respectively. Sophomore Chad Red Jr. got the Huskers on the board at 141 pounds after a dominant showing against Northwestern's Yahya Thomas. Red Jr. earned a takedown and a four-point nearfall to go up 6-0 early in the match and never let up. He ended up winning the bout 10-1, earning his first major decision of the year. In one of the most highly anticipated bouts of the season, Huskers senior Tyler Berger (157) took on Northwestern's Ryan Deakin. Coming into the match, both wrestlers were consensus top-five nationally ranked wrestlers in their weight class. Trailing 1-0, Berger took his first lead with a reversal 35 seconds into the third period. He never trailed again, earning two more takedowns to take a 6-3 decision. Coming into the bout, Berger was the #4 ranked wrestler in the country at 157, while Deakin was ranked #2. Chicago, Ill., native Isaiah White, who came in as the #6 ranked 165-pounder in the country, earned a 17-5 major decision over Northwestern's Tyler Moreland. Since starting the season 1-3, White has won eight straight matches, including all four against top 20 ranked opponents. He also earned his second major decision of the year today. #9 Mikey Labriola took on #10 Johnny Sebastian this afternoon at 174 pounds. Leading 4-0 going into the third period, the redshirt freshman had three takedowns and a two-point nearfall to take a 14-4 major decision. With the victory, Labriola moves to 14-2 (7-1 in duals) on the year. Taylor Venz, one of three returning All-Americans for NU, bounced back from two straight defeats against UNC and NC State with a 15-0 tech. fall over Brendan Devine. Venz set the tone early with a takedown, four-point nearfall and two back points to go up 8-0. Venz now has three tech. fall victories on the year and six wins by bonus points. #12 Eric Schultz helped his team close out the Wildcats with an 8-3 decision over Zach Chakonis at 197 pounds. The win moved Schultz to 13-5 on the season and 5-3 in dual action. Heading into the heavyweight bout, the Huskers led 23-16. NU's #14 David Jensen battled #18 Conan Jennings to close out the dual. Jensen scored points off of two reversals and a takedown as he grinded out a 7-6 decision over Jennings. With the win, Jensen moves to 9-0 on the season and 3-0 in dual action. Match Results: 125: #2 Sebastian Rivera (NW) pinned Zeke Moisey (NEB) (2:36) 133: Collin Valdiviez (NW) major dec. Tucker Sjomeling (NEB), 13-4 141: Chad Red Jr. (NEB) major dec. Yahya Thomas (NW), 10-1 149: Shane Oster (NW) major dec. Jordan Shearer (NEB), 11-3 157: #4 Tyler Berger dec. #2 Ryan Deakin (NW), 6-3 165: #6 Isaiah White (NEB) major dec. Tyler Morland (NW), 17-5 174: #9 Mikey Labriola (NEB) major dec. #10 Johnny Sebastian (NW), 14-4 184: #5 Taylor Venz (NEB) tech. fall Brendan Devine (NW), 15-0 (5:13) 197:#12 Eric Schultz (NEB) dec. Zachary Chakonis (NW), 8-3 HWT: #14 David Jensen (NEB) dec. #18 Conan Jennings (NW), 7-6 Attendance: 915 Up Next: Nebraska takes on Northern Iowa on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. in this year's version of the Tumble N' Rumble. Along with the dual against UNI, the women's gymnastics team will be competing simultaneously against Washington. The first 1,000 fans will get a free knit beanie and UNL students get in free with their NCard. Tickets can be purchased online at Huskers.com/tickets or by phone at 800-8BIGRED. Honorary Captain: The Huskers wrestling team honored Lincoln North Star student Harley Kessler today before the dual. Head Coach Mark Manning named Kessler today's honorary captain after meeting him at an event hosted by his school recently. An avid Husker wrestling fan, Kessler was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer called Osteosarcoma in August of 2018. His battle with cancer is ongoing.

Heavyweight Gable Steveson earned a technical fall (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) The University of Minnesota kicked off the Big Ten season with a 22-15 dual victory over No. 20 Rutgers. The win is the Gophers seventh consecutive victory this season dating back to Nov. 25, 2018. The Gophers remain undefeated against the Scarlet Knights, improving to 4-0 since the New Jersey school entered the Big Ten. 125-pound Sean Russell got the Gophers started fast with a 16-5 victory over Shane Metzler. Russell got to Metzler's legs twice in the first period to take a quick 4-1 lead which he turned into a 9-2 lead by the end of the second period. With over 3:30 in riding time, Russell dominated the match for his sixth consecutive bonus point victory. With Ethan Lizak out for the dual due to a skin issue, 133-pound Skyler Petry made his 2018-19 dual debut against No.3 Nick Suriano. Petry and Suriano were locked in a tight battle until the end of the first period where Petry found himself on his back for four nearfall points. Suriano extended the lead in the final periods before notching the tech. fall 20-4. Mitch McKee cruised to a 13-2 major decision at 141 pounds (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) No. 5 Mitch McKee, wrestling for the first time at home since returning from injury, excited the crowd effortlessly. McKee got two quick takedowns in the first period before scoring two separate two-point nearfalls in the second as he rode out the entire period. McKee closed out the bout in the third period with an escape and takedown. In his first home dual since Oklahoma State on Nov. 18, 2018 No. 11 Steve Bleise got off to a fast start with two takedowns within the first minute of the bout. Bleise got off bottom quickly in the second period and immediately turned to his double leg shot to get his offense going. 165-pound Carson Brolsma got the Gophers started out of intermission. After suffering an early takedown Brolsma got a takedown for himself and rode out the period to take a 3-2 lead into the second period. From there Brolsma scored another trio of takedowns to cement the victory. No. 15 Devin Skatzka got his offense with a pair of first period takedwosn as well as a reversal soon after he got in a bad position. The 174-pounder transfer from Indiana finished off the match with a crucial riding time point providing the necessary cushion to leave victorious. Heavyweight Gable Steveson continued his great freshman season with a takedown right off the whistle which he transitioned into a four-point nearfall. Steveson dominated the bout, constantly increasing his riding time advantage as he worked towards an ultimate 17-2 technical fall. He has four bonus point victories in a row since his decision over No. 6 Jordan Wood of Lehigh. In the dual's first battle of ranked wrestlers No.20 Tommy Thorn and No. 2 Anthony Ashnault battled again after Thorn had previously beat Ashnault by 8-1 decision years ago. Ashnault got his revenge due in large part to a first period nearfall which gave the opponent a 6-0 lead. Ashnault extended the lead to win 14-4. 184-pound Brandon Krone made the most of his time on top to take the riding time above two minutes along with a two-point nearfall. Krone let up a late takedown to No. 12 Nicholas Gravina and fell 4-3 on that move. Making his home debut at 197-pounds Rylee Streifel survived a scoreless first period before he found himself tied at one midway through the final period. Streifel got to Matthew Correnti's left leg but couldn't finish. Correnti wound up with a takedown with 22 seconds remaining for the decisive score. Minnesota was deducted a team point for arguing during the second period of the 197-pound bout. Results: 125: No.6 Sean Russell major dec. Shane Metzler (16-5) 133: No. 3 Nick Suriano tech. fall Skyler Petry (20-5) 141: No. 5 Mitch McKee dec. Peter Lipari (13-2) 149: No. 2 Anthony Ashnault major dec. No. 20 Tommy Thorn (14-4) 157: No. 11 Steve Bleise dec. No. 17 John Van Brill (11-9) 165: Carson Brolsma major dec. Stephen Glasgow (11-3) 174: No.15 Devin Skatzka dec. Joe Grello (10-8) 184: No. 12 Nicholas Gravina dec. Brandon Krone (4-3) 197: Matthew Correnti dec. Rylee Streifel (3-2) HWT: No. 2 Gable Steveson tech. fall Christian Colucci (17-2)

TUTTLE, OKLA. -- The 20th-ranked University of Pittsburgh wrestling team remains perfect after defeating the Oklahoma Sooners on the road Sunday afternoon, 20-17. With the win, the Panthers improve to 6-0 on the year, while the Sooners move to 2-2. For the second time this season, the dual came down to the final bout. Pitt trailed Oklahoma 17-16, but junior Demetrius Thomas stepped up to the challenge and sealed the deal once again. The Panthers trailed 11-6 after the first five bouts, but key wins from redshirt junior Jake Wentzel at 165 pounds, redshirt freshman Nino Bonaccorsi at 184 pounds and redshirt junior Kellan Stout at 197 pounds set up the dual for Thomas in the final bout. "It was a tough road win for us today," said head coach Keith Gavin. "Kellan had a big win in the last seconds and set Demetrius up to seal the deal. Overall, it wasn't perfect but we found a way to get it done and I'm proud of this team's attitude." The Sooners jumped out to a 5-0 lead after freshman Brendon Fenton suffered a technical fall, 19-2, in 4:26 to Christian Moody at 125 pounds. However, redshirt freshman Micky Phillippi improved to 10-1 on the year after getting the Panthers on the board at 133 pounds. Phillippi, who ranks No. 6 in his weight class, used his aggressive offense to defeat Anthony Madrigal in a 10-4 decision. Oklahoma then continued to build on its lead after collecting wins at 141 and 149 pounds, bringing the team score to 11-3. Redshirt junior Taleb Rahmani, the 10th-ranked 157 pounder, got things going again for Pitt as he picked up a 3-2 decision over Justin Thomas entering the intermission. Rahmani used an escape and takedown to secure the win and move the team score to 11-6, with the Sooners holding the advantage. Redshirt junior Jake Wentzel returned to the win column after picking up a much-needed major decision over Jeremy Thomas at 165 pounds. The major cut Oklahoma's lead to 11-10. The Sooners jumped to a 17-10 lead in the team race after redshirt sophomore Gregg Harvey was pinned by Anthony Mantanona at 174 pounds in 55 seconds. Redshirt freshman Nino Bonaccorsi added three team points after a decision at 184 pounds, bringing the team score to 17-10 in favor of Oklahoma. Bonaccorsi, who ranks 12th at 184 pounds, defeated Kayne MacCallum in a 7-5 decision for his 10th win of the year. Redshirt junior Kellan Stout continued to chip away at the Sooners' lead as he recorded a clutch win at 197 pounds. Stout trailed 3-1 with one minute to go in the third, but an escape and takedown would give him the 4-3 decision over Jake Woodley. The win cut Oklahoma's lead to 17-16 entering the final bout. Needing a win to seal the deal, Thomas locked up the team win for the Panthers with a major decision at heavyweight. Thomas cruised to a 13-2 major decision over Jake Boyd, lifting Pitt to victory, 20-17. With the win, Thomas improves to 18-2 on the year. The Panthers resume action Saturday, Jan. 12 at No. 23 North Dakota State before making the short trip to South Dakota State, Sunday, Jan. 13. Results: 125: Christian Moody (OU) tech. fall Brendon Fenton (UP), 19-2, 4:26 – OU leads 5-0 133: #6 Micky Phillippi (UP) dec. Anthony Madrigal (OU), 10-4 – OU leads 5-3 141: #8 Dom Demas (OU) dec. LJ Bentley (UP), 4-2 – OU leads 8-3 149: Davion Jeffries (OU) dec. Robert Lee (UP), 9-5 – OU leads 11-3 157: #10 Taleb Rahmani (UP) dec. Justin Thomas (OU), 3-2 – OU leads 11-6 165: Jake Wentzel (UP) maj. dec. Jeremy Thomas (OU), 13-2 – OU leads 11-10 174: Anthony Mantanona (OU) pins Gregg Harvey (UP), :55 – OU leads 17-10 184: #12 Nino Bonaccorsi (UP) dec. Kayne MacCallum (OU), 7-5 – OU leads 17-13 197: Kellan Stout (UP) dec. Jake Woodley (OU), 4-3 – OU leads 17-16 285: #13 Demetrius Thomas (UP) maj. dec. Jake Boyd (OU), 13-2 – Pitt wins 20-17

DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke wrestling team won four of the final five matches to rally to a 25-18 victory over Penn in the Blue Devils' home opener Sunday afternoon. Duke scored bonus points in three of the final bout victories to secure the second win of the campaign. Trailing 11-0 after the first two matches, Duke (2-0) picked up a major decision from Josh Finesilver at 133 pounds and a decision by sixth-ranked Mitch Finesilver at 149 to pull within four. The win for Mitch marked the 77th of his career and the seventh over a top 20 opponent as he edged No. 17 Anthony Artalona by a 4-1 score. Josh, meanwhile, had no trouble in garnering his 14th win of the year and third by major decision in a 14-6 victory over Grant Aronoff. The turning point of the dual came at 165 pounds. With Duke trailing 15-7 and Zach Finesilver trailing 8-6 with seconds quickly ticking down in the third period, the veteran captain continued to battle and attack. His effort finally paid off as he took down Evan DeLuise with 10 seconds left and then added four nearfall points for the 12-8 match victory. Buoyed by Zach's comeback victory, Matt Finesilver cruised to the 17-1 technical fall at 174 pounds to tie the team score 15-15 with four bouts remaining. At 184 pounds, Kaden Russell followed suit, picking up four more team points with a 12-4 major decision. Alec Schenk provided the finishing touch for the Blue Devils at 197 pounds. Duke, leading 19-15, needed only a decision to clinch the victory, but Schenk went all the way with a first-period fall. The senior captain wasted no time and quickly put Tyler Hall on his back and scored the six-point win in just 55 seconds. Penn capped the match with a narrow decision at heavyweight, but Duke's stretch of four straight wins proved to be the difference and sending the Quakers back to Philadelphia 1-2 on the year. Duke returns to action Saturday, Jan. 12 when it hosts Brown at 7 p.m. The match will be held in Cameron Indoor Stadium and streamed on ACC Network Extra. Results: 125: Carmen Ferrante (Penn) tech fall Harrison Campbell (Duke), 15-0 – Duke 0, Penn 5 133: Doug Zapf (Penn) wins by forfeit – Duke 0, Penn 11 141: Josh Finesilver (Duke) major decision Grant Aronoff (Penn), 14-6 – Duke 4, Penn 11 149: No. 6 Mitch Finesilver (Duke) decision No. 17 Anthony Artalona (Penn), 4-1 – Duke 7, Penn 11 157: Joe Oliva (Penn) major decision Benjamin Anderson (Duke), 13-5 – Duke 7, Penn 15 165: Zach Finesilver (Duke) decision Evan DeLuise (Penn), 12-8 – Duke 10, Penn 15 174 : No. 19 Matt Finesilver (Duke) tech fall Brian Krasowski (Penn) – 17-1 , Duke 15, Penn 15 184: Kaden Russell (Duke) major decision Robert Ng (Penn) – 12-4, Duke 19, Penn 15 197: Alec Schenk (Duke) fall Tyler Hall (Penn), 0:55 – Duke 25, Penn 15 285: Ben Goldin (Penn) decision Araad Fisher (Duke), 5-2, Duke 25, Penn 18

DEKALB, Ill. -- The Old Dominion (3-2, 2-1 MAC) wrestling team took down Northern Illinois (2-6, 0-2 MAC) on the road by a 23-12 final score to win back-to-back duals this weekend. ODU won six of 10 bouts, including a technical fall and a pin. "We knew it would be a road trip that would test us. We're very pleased with the performance at both dual meets," said head coach Steve Martin. "CMU and NIU are always tough and hard to wrestle in their home environments." Collecting his sixth bonus point win for the 2018-2019 season, No. 18 Michael McGee opened the afternoon with a 17-1 technical fall to put five points on the board for the Monarchs. The sophomore is now 4-0 in duals this season. Closing the lead for NIU was Alijah Jeffery, who earned a 7-4 decision over Killian Cardinale at 133 pounds. No. 11 Sa'Derian Perry switched the momentum for the Monarchs when he pinned the Huskies' Anthony Cheloni in the first period. At 149, Kevin Budock battled McCoy Kent to a 3-2 win by decision to extend the ODU lead. After a setback on Friday, No. 3 Larry Early picked up a 9-6 win over Mason Kauffman to give ODU the 17-3 lead heading into the intermission. At 165, Shane Jones trailed Caden McWhirter 2-0 through the first period. In the second period, Jones took down McWhirter to tie up the bout. In the third period, Jones rode out McWhirter for the first minute but ultimately escaped to make the match 3-2 in favor of NIU. Jones scored a match-winning takedown in the final seconds to collect a 4-3 win by decision. After winning four straight bouts, ODU suffered a setback at 174 pounds, when No. 20 Seldon Wright fell to to No. 11 Brit Wilson by an 11-4 decision. Making his first dual start of the season at 184 pounds, Dean Drugac dropped a 5-1 match to Will Feldkamp. Winning his second-straight dual win, Tim Young came out on top with a 4-3 win by decision over Max Ihry at 197 pounds. At heavyweight, Ali Wahab fell to Caleb Gossett by a 7-4 decision. "Other guys are getting opportunities and they're taking advantage of it." Results: 125: #18 Michael McGee (ODU) TF over Bryce West (NIU), 17-1 133: Alijah Jeffery (NIU) dec. over Killian Cardinale (ODU), 7-4 141: #11 Sa'Derian Perry (ODU) fall Anthony Cheloni (NIU), 1:45 149: Kevin Budock (ODU) dec. over McCoy Kent (NIU), 3-2 157: #3 Larry Early (ODU) dec. over Mason Kauffman (NIU), 9-6 165: Shane Jones (ODU) dec. over Caden McWhirter (NIU), 4-3 174: #11 Brit Wilson (NIU) dec. over #20 Seldon Wright (ODU), 11-4 184: Will Feldkamp (NIU) dec. over Dean Drugac (ODU), 5-1 197: Tim Young (ODU) dec. over Max Ihry (NIU), 4-3 285: Caleb Gossett (NIU) dec. over Ali Wahab (ODU), 7-4 Up Next The Monarchs will compete in the Virginia Duals on Jan. 11 and 12 at the Hampton Coliseum, where #16 Arizona State, Chattanooga, Kent State, #19 Lock Haven, Oklahoma, Virginia and #12 Virginia Tech will also be wrestling.