InterMat Staff

AMES, Iowa -- No. 23 Iowa State (2-1, 0-0 Big 12) defeated Ohio (1-2, 0-0 MAC), 33-6 in wrestling action Sunday night in Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State won seven of nine matches contested, including four with bonus points (one fall, one technical fall, two major decisions). With a forfeit at 125 pounds and a 5-3 decision by No. 10 Austin Gomez at 133, the Cyclones led 9-0 after two matches. At 141 pounds, No. 19 Ian Parker dominated in a 12-1 major decision triumph over Kyran Hagan. Parker had 3:07 of riding time and a four-point near-fall in the match. The win improves Parker's season record to 10-2. No. 8 Jarrett Degen kept the Cyclones rolling at 149 pounds with a pin against Alec Hagan. Three takedowns staked Degen a 6-2 lead after the first period. Degen's fourth takedown early in the second period turned into a fall when he got Hagan on his back with 0:04 left in the stanza. Degen is now 9-1 on the year. Ohio won a pair of matches at 157 and 165 pounds to trim the Cyclone lead to 19-6 through six bouts. Marcus Coleman used six takedowns en route to a 14-6 major decision win over Joe Terry in the 174-pound match. No. 16 Sam Colbray won a tight match, 9-8, at 184 pounds over Hunter Yeargan thanks to a takedown with 0:02 left in the final period. It appeared Colbray lost the match 8-7. However, Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser asked for a review and got it when the official looked at the replay and issued the takedown in the closing seconds. At 197 pounds, No. 5 Willie Miklus wasted little time in a 17-2 technical fall win against Nathan Hall. Miklus raced out to a 12-1 lead at the end of the first period behind a four-point near fall and multiple takedowns. Miklus eclipsed five minutes of riding time in the match, racking up 5:03 in the top position. Gannon Gremmel wrapped up the dual with a 7-3 victory over Zach Parker at heavyweight. ISU was deducted a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct. Next Up Iowa State travels to Chattanooga, Tenn., to participate in the Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2. Results: 125: Alex Mackall (ISU) won by forfeit 133: Austin Gomez (ISU) dec. Mario Guillen (Ohio), 5-3 141: Ian Parker (ISU) maj. dec. Kyran Hagan (Ohio), 12-1 149: Jarrett Degen (ISU) pinned Alec Hagan (Ohio), 4:56 157: Zac Carson (Ohio) dec. Chase Straw (ISU), 7-4 165: Colt Yinger (Ohio) dec. Skyler St. John (ISU), 4-3 174: Marcus Coleman (ISU) maj. dec. Joe Terry (Ohio), 14-6 184: Sam Colbray (ISU) dec. Hunter Yeargan (Ohio), 9-8 197: Willie Miklus (ISU) tech. fall Nathan Hall (Ohio), 17-2 285: Gannon Gremmel (ISU) dec. Zach Parker (Ohio), 7-3

Hawaii proved to be no paradise for two former college mat champs as Ed Ruth and Muhammed Lawal suffered losses at Bellator 213: Macfarlane vs. Latourneau at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu Saturday night. Ruth, three-time NCAA champ for Penn State, was submitted by a rear-naked choke by Neiman Gracie about halfway through the fourth round of their quarterfinals bout as part of Bellator's Welterweight Grand Prix ... while Lawal, 2002 NCAA Div. II champ for University of Central Oklahoma, was knocked out by former Bellator light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary at 53 seconds into the third round. Bellator 213 not so easy for 'Easy Ed' The Neiman Gracie-Ed Ruth bout at 170 pounds was a match-up of two undefeated fighters vying not only to advance further in Bellator's welterweight bracket ... but also remain undefeated. Ed Ruth (Photo/Bellator)"Gracie used a plethora of submission attempts on the ground throughout their duel, but Ruth was able to escape each and every one of them," according to Sherdog.com. "That was, however, until the fourth when the Brazilian once again took 'Easy' down, slithered to his back and eventually sunk the rear-naked choke. Ruth couldn't escape this time and bowed out at 2:17 of the fourth." Here's how MMAfighting.com described the action: "In the first three rounds, Ruth was able to stave off the many submissions of Gracie but at great cost as Ruth was clearly gassed heading into the championship rounds. In the fourth round, Gracie, secured a take down and then moved to back mount where he was able to secure the fight-ending submission." Ruth suffered his first loss since launching his pro mixed martial arts career two years ago, and now drops to 6-1, while Gracie improves to 9-0. 'King Mo' TKO'd by McGeary In its report of the McGeary-Lawal bout, Sherdog.com wrote, "Former Bellator light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary got off the snide by thumping Muhammed Lawal, ending his two-fight losing streak. McGeary survived a series of leg kicks and clinching from 'King Mo' before rocking the former Strikeforce 205-pound king with a sizzling right hook to the jaw. Lawal fell onto his back -- a left head kick narrowly missed him -- before the Englishman blasted him with another right hook. Referee Chris West was in the midst of ending the fight when said second punch connected, ending the tussle just 53 seconds into the third." "Liam McGeary has finally got his groove back," MMAnews.com asserted. "The former Bellator light heavyweight champion had gone 1-3 in his last four outings going into his bout with Muhammed 'King Mo' Lawal at Bellator 213. Make it 2-3 in his last five fights as McGeary finished Lawal in emphatic fashion." With the loss, Lawal -- who, in addition to being a D2 wrestling champ, earned NCAA Division I All-American honors at Oklahoma State -- is now 21-7-1 in his MMA career going back a decade, while McGeary rises to 13-3.

GREELEY, Colo. -- The Oklahoma State wrestling team shut out Northern Colorado with ten bonus-point victories on Sunday afternoon at the Bank of Colorado Arena. The 47-0 win marked the Cowboys' first shut-out win over the Bears since Dec. 2014. At 149 pounds, 13th-ranked Kaden Gfeller started the dual off with a 20-2 technical fall over the Bears' Mason Hulse. The Cowboy racked up three first-period takedowns and three four-point nearfalls to cap off his bout at the 56-second mark in the second period. We did what we hoped to do, come out and put points on the board," said coach John Smith. "We got them in critical matches that I thought could be competitive. We wrestled tough and scored points at the end of periods, which made a difference in the outcome of the score." Andrew Shomers (157), Chandler Rogers (165), Derek White (HWT) and Daton Fix (133) also picked up wins by technical fall for the Cowboys. Shomers defeated UNC's Jordan Robison, 17-2, at the 6:19 mark. Rogers went off for 14 points in the first period against Macoy Flanagan and capped off the match, 18-3, in 6:52. White ended his match with Robert Winters in four minutes, 17-2, and Fix only needed one period to rack up 16 points for the 16-1 win. It marked Fix's fifth technical fall on the year and moved the 133-pounder to 7-0 this season. The Cowboys picked up back-to-back major decisions at 184 and 197 pounds. Bear Hughes made his OSU dual debut at 184 pounds. The Coweta native was just shy of a third-period fall but ended the bout with Dalton Robertson, 12-2. Dakota Geer bumped up to 197 pounds and defeated Jacob Seely in a dominating 13-2 bout. Jacobe Smith notched the Cowboys' lone fall in 3:33 over Seth Bogulski. He was leading the match 16-3 when the pin came and had notched two first-period takedowns. Nick Piccininni collected his second major and six bonus-point win on the year over No. 16 Rico Montoya, 11-2, and Kaid Brock capped the rout with a 10-2 major decision over Owen Lamb. The win moved the Cowboys to 4-0 in conference duals and 5-0 overall. Next up on the schedule is the Reno Tournament of Champions, which takes place Thursday Dec. 20 beginning first thing in the morning. More than 20 Cowboy wrestlers are set to compete in the tournament. Results: 149: No. 13 Kaden Gfeller (OSU) TF Mason Hulse (UNC), 20-2 157: No. 19 Andrew Shomers (OSU) TF Jordan Robison (UNC), 17-2 165: No. 10 Chandler Rogers (OSU) TF Macoy Flanagan (UNC), 18-3 174: No. 7 Jacobe Smith (OSU) fall Sethan Bogulski (UNC), 3:33 184: Bear Hughes (OSU) MD Dalton Robertson (UNC), 12-2 197: No. 15 Dakota Geer (OSU) MD Jacob Seely (UNC), 13-2 285: No. 3 Derek White (OSU) TF Robert Winters (UNC), 17-2 125: No. 4 Nick Piccininni (OSU) MD No. 16 Rico Montoya (UNC), 11-2 133: No. 5 Daton Fix (OSU) TF Sean Cannon (UNC), 16-1 141: No. 9 Kaid Brock (OSU) MD Owen Lamb (UNC), 10-2

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- South Dakota State won six of the last seven bouts, including the final three, to post a 19-17 come-from-behind victory over Oregon State Sunday afternoon at Gill Coliseum. The Jackrabbits picked up their first dual win under head coach Damion Hahn, improving to 1-3 overall. Oregon State dropped to 1-1. Trailing 14-0 through the first three matches, 19th-ranked Henry Pohlmeyer put the Jackrabbits on the board with an 8-4 decision over Zach Evans at 149 pounds. Pohlmeyer trailed 4-1 early before reeling off the final seven points on a pair of escapes, two takedowns and a point for riding-time advantage. At 157 pounds, Colten Carlson knocked off 20th-ranked Hunter Willits, 3-2. Carlson opened the scoring with a takedown and limited Willits to a pair of escapes in evening his dual record at 2-2. Logan Peterson followed with a 9-7 decision over Aaron Olmos in the 165-pound matchup to pull the Jackrabbits to within 14-9. After the Beavers extended their lead to 17-9 with a decision by Colt Doyle over Kelby Hawkins at 174 pounds, SDSU strung together three wins in the upper weights to come away with the victory. Zach Carlson started the Jackrabbits' second three-match winning streak of the with a 8-3 decision over Myles Terry in the 184-pound matchup to improve to 11-2 overall (3-1 in duals) on the season. Martin Mueller then posted the lone bonus-point victory for SDSU in the 197-pound bout, notching a 15-5 major decision over Bob Coleman. It was Mueller's first dual action of the season. With the dual victor decided by the winner of the heavyweight match, the Jackrabbits' Blake Wolters took control in the second period with a takedown and penalty point, then extended his lead in the third period for a decisive 6-1 victory over Jamarcus Grant. Oregon State posted three bonus-point wins in the first three matches to build its 14-0 lead. Third-ranked Ronnie Bresser opened the dual with a pin of SDSU's Gregory Coapstick in the 125-pound bout, while Kegan Calkins and Grant Willits each won by major decision for the Beavers. The Jackrabbits once again wrestled without defending 133-pound national champion Seth Gross. UP NEXT SDSU returns to action Dec. 29-30 at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Next dual action for the Jackrabbits is a home match Jan. 11 against Northern Iowa. Results: 125: Ronnie Bresser (OSU) def. Gregory Coapstick (SDSU), by fall 2:09 133: Kegan Calkins (OSU) major dec. Spencer Huber (SDSU), 9-0 141: Grant Willits (OSU) major dec. Aric Williams (SDSU), 10-2 149: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) dec. Zach Evans (OSU), 8-4 157: Colten Carlson (SDSU) dec. Hunter Willits (OSU), 3-2 165: Logan Peterson (SDSU) dec. Aaron Olmos (OSU), 9-7 174: Colt Doyle (OSU) dec. Kelby Hawkins (SDSU), 8-2 184: Zach Carlson (SDSU) dec. Myles Terry (OSU), 8-3 197: Martin Mueller (SDSU) major dec. Bob Carlson (OSU), 15-5 285: Blake Wolters (SDSU) dec. Jamarcus Grant (OSU), 6-1

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Sophomore Yianni Diakomihalis made his 2018-19 dual meet debut and Cornell ran off wins in the final three matches to overcome a deficit and top Northern Iowa 21-14 on Sunday afternoon at West Gym, The eighth-ranked Big Red improved to 3-0, while the Panthers fell to 1-2 with the loss. Diakomihalis got Cornell off to a great start, running through No. 10 Josh Alber 12-2 as the meet opened at 141 pounds. Diakomihalis posted the only four takedowns, surrendered just two escapes and piled on a top 10 ranked wrestler on the road. Max Dean won the main event at 184 after halftime, erasing an early 4-1 deficit by dominating from the top position to rally for a 6-5 victory over No. 7 Drew Foster at 184. Riding time proved to be the difference, as Dean avoided a last-second takedown attempt that needed to be reviewed before he was officially declared the winner. Vitali Arujau and Chas Tucker closed out the meet with major decision victories, with Arujau displaying explosiveness in his debut at 125 to give Cornell the lead, and Tucker dominating with a pair of takedowns and two separate two-point nearfalls to close out the dual win - the Big Red's 12th consecutive victory overall and on the road. Fredy Stroker earned a win at 157 and Jeramy Sweany evened his record at 2-2 on the season with a victory at heavyweight to wrap up the team's six triumphs on the day. Stroker remained unbeaten at 3-0 in dual meet competition. Cornell head coach Rob Koll, who won his 296th match on the Cornell sidelines, was honored in a pre-match ceremony. His father, Bill, went undefeated as a Panther to earn three NCAA wrestling titles in the late 1940s. UNI's wrestling room is named in Bill's honor thanks to Sandy Stevens, who was also honored. Koll and his family created an endowed scholarship to help future Panthers. The Big Red will take a holiday break before heading to Florida for the South Beach Duals. Cornell will wrestle off against nationally-ranked opponents North Dakota State, Wyoming and Missouri, as well as Indiana out of the Big Ten. Results: 141: #1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cor) won by major decision over #10 Josh Alber (UNI), 12-2 149: #10 Max Thomsen (UNI) won by major decision over Hunter Richard (Cor), 14-4 157: Fredy Stroker (Cor) won by decision over Patrick Schoenfelder (UNI), 12-6 165: #12 Bryce Steiert (UNI) won by decision over Milik Dawkins (Cor), 8-6 174: #8 Taylor Lujan (UNI) won by major decision over #14 Brandon Womack (Cor), 14-5 184: #10 Max Dean (Cor) won by decision over #7 Drew Foster (UNI), 6-5 197: Tyrell Gordon (UNI) won by decision over Jake Taylor (Cor), 3-2 285: Jeramy Sweany (Cor) won by decision over Izaak Shedenhelm (UNI), 6-2 125: Vitali Arujau (Cor) won by major decision over Jay Schwarm (UNI), 17-7 133: #14 Chas Tucker (Cor) won by major decision over Jack Skudlarczyk (UNI), 12-2

BOONE, N.C. -- The Oklahoma wrestling team earned its first dual match victory of the season Sunday at Appalachian State, defeating the Mountaineers 20-12, in OU's final match of the calendar year. At 184, OU's Kayne MacCallum got the first win of the day, defeating Appalachian State's Alan Clothier in a 4-3 decision. The graduate transfer opened the bout with a takedown in the first period and got an escape for a 3-1 lead after the second. Clothier tied things up at 3-all with a reversal in the final frame, but MacCallum escaped to retake the lead at 4-3 and hold on to win the bout. His victory put the Sooners on the board first with a 3-0 lead. Appalachian State evened out the match at 3-3 after the 187 pounds bout, with No. 18 Randall Diabe defeating OU's Jake Woodley in a 5-3 decision. OU's Jake Boyd was defeated by Carey Miller 4-2 in the heavyweight matchup and the Mountaineers took a 6-3 lead in the contest. Christian Moody tied the match again at 6-all with a 4-2 decision against De'Andre Swinson-Barr at 125. Moody used an early takedown for a 2-1 lead after one period, then got an escape in the second to go up 3-1. App State's Swinson-Barr closed the gap to 3-2 with an escape in the final frame, but Moody held on and was awarded a point for riding time to secure the victory. At 133, freshman Anthony Madrigal was defeated by Codi Russell in a 5-4 decision, and the Mountaineers again took the lead 9-6 No. 8 Dom Demas (141) tied the match at 9-all with a 13-7 win over Irvin Enriquez. Demas used a total of five takedowns and earned a point for riding time to close out Enriquez and give the Sooners the lead. At 149, OU's Davion Jeffries defeated Matt Zovistoski in a tech fall (18-2). Jeffries' win came by way of four four-point near falls and a reversal to extend OU's lead to 14-9. The Sooners took a 17-9 lead when Justin Thomas (157) defeated Mountaineer Angel Najar 3-2. After a scoreless first period, Thomas used an escape to get on the board in the second before getting a takedown in the third and holding on to win. OU's Jeremy Thomas suffered a narrow 5-4 loss to Michael Elliot in the 165 pounds bout. Thomas led 4-1 through two periods before Elliot came back to score a takedown and an escape to tie it in the third. Elliot was awarded a point for riding time to secure the match, but OU held on to a 17-12 lead. In the final bout of the day, Sooner Anthony Mantanona (174) held on to win a thriller against Thomas Flitz, 18-14. Mantanona took an early lead, grabbing a takedown and three four-point near falls in the first period to go up 14-2. The redshirt freshman escaped in the second for a 15-4 lead before Flitz scored ten points to close the the gap in the third, but Mantanona prevailed and Oklahoma closed out the match 20-12. With the victory, OU moves to 4-0 in the all-time series with Appalachian State. Results: 125 Christian Moody (OU) Dec. 4-2 De'Andre Swinson-Barr (APP) 133 Codi Russell (APP) Dec. 5-4 Anthony Madrigal (OU) 141 No. 8 Dom Demas (OU) Dec. 13-7 Irvin Enriquez (APP) 149 Davion Jeffries (OU) Tech fall 18-2 Matt Zovistoski (APP) 157 Justin Thomas (OU) Dec. 3-2 Angel Najar (APP) 165 Michael Elliot (APP) Dec. 5-4 Jeremy Thomas (OU) 174 Anthony Mantanona (OU) Dec. 18-14 Thomas Flitz (APP) 184 Kayne MacCallum (OU) Dec. 4-3 Alan Clothier (APP) 197 No. 18 Randall Diabe Dec. 5-3 Jake Woodley (OU) HWT Carey Miller (APP) Dec. 4-2 Jake Boyd (OU) Up Next OU will return to Norman Jan. 4 to host West Virginia inside McCasland Field House at 6:30 p.m., followed by Pitt on Jan. 6 at 2 p.m. at Tuttle High School in Tuttle, Okla. For updates, follow @OU_Wrestling on Twitter, or like Sooner Wrestling on Facebook.

PITTSBURGH -- The 24th-ranked Pitt wrestling team improved to 4-0 on the year after another dominating performance at the Fitzgerald Field House Sunday afternoon. The Panthers downed the Bucknell Bison, 34-4. Pitt allowed just one win by the opponent for the third time this season, todays coming at 125 pounds. The Panthers also allowed one win by West Virginia Dec. 15 and one by CSU Bakersfield Nov. 10. Four Pitt wrestlers contributed bonus points in the win, including senior Robert Lee, redshirt freshman Nino Bonaccorsi, redshirt freshman Micky Phillippi and senior Demetrius Thomas. Lee pinned Matt Kolonia in 2:45 at 149 pounds, giving the Panthers a necessary boost early on. "We're wrestling well right now," said head coach Keith Gavin. "It was a good weekend for us with West Virginia last night and Bucknell today. We lost to both of those teams last year, so it's fun to see the progress." Bucknell got on the board first after freshman Brendon Fenton dropped a 9-1 major decision to Jakob Campbell, giving the Bison a 4-0 lead. Redshirt freshman Micky Phillippi put on a clinic at 133 pounds, recording a 21-9 major decision over David Campbell. The sixth-ranked Panther scored nine takedowns to tie the team race 4-4. Phillippi is now 8-1 on the year. Senior LJ Bentley used extra time to secure his win over Joey Gould at 141 pounds. Bentley and Gould went back-and-forth exchanging takedowns and escapes. Bentley held a 7-5 lead with one minute to go, but Gould would score a takedown to force overtime. The senior then quickly scored a takedown of his own for the win. Lee bounced back after falling to his West Virginia opponent on Sunday by pinning Matt Kolonia in 2:45. The fall boosted the Panthers' lead to 13-4 through four bouts. Redshirt junior Taleb Rahmani improved to 8-2 on the year after defeating Zach Hartman in sudden victory. Rahmani led 5-3 entering the third period, but a Hartman reversal and penalty point would give him a 6-5 lead with 30 seconds to go. Rahmani then scored a reversal of his own to take the lead 7-6, but a Hartman escape would tie it to force overtime. The 10th-ranked 157-pounder then scored a takedown and collected four back points to win it 13-7 in sudden victory. Moving 165 pounds, redshirt sophomore Jake Wentzel picked up his second win of the weekend after a 6-0 shutout over DJ Hollingshead. Wentzel used two takedowns, an escape and riding time to move the team score to 19-4 in favor of Pitt. Redshirt sophomore Gregg Harvey picked up another solid win this afternoon as he defeated Nick Stephani in a 7-3 decision. Bonaccorsi recorded his second consecutive win by technical fall today, this time over Kyle Inlander 23-8 in 5:47. The 12th-ranked 184-pounder won by technical fall Saturday night over Jackson Moomau of WVU, 16-1, in 3:31. Bonaccorsi worked his offense, scoring nine takedowns and a reversal in the win. At 197 pounds, redshirt junior Kellan Stout won in a 6-2 decision over Drew Phipps for his fifth win of the year. After a scoreless first period, Stout began the second in the top position and remained there until the final seconds with Phipps scored a reversal to get on the board. However, a burst in the third by Stout would pay off as he escaped, scored a takedown and picked up two back points to build a solid lead. He added his final point with riding time to give the Panthers a 30-4 advantage entering the final bout. Thomas was the final Panther to contribute bonus points as he won in a 19-6 major decision over Joe Scott at heavyweight. The 13th-ranked heavyweight scored eight takedowns in the win to improve to 16-2 on the year and secure the Pitt team win. The Panthers will hit the road for their next four duals, first taking on Clarion Friday, Dec. 21 before traveling to Oklahoma (Jan. 6), North Dakota State (Jan. 12) and South Dakota State (Jan. 13). Results: 125: Jakob Campbell (BU) maj. dec. Brendon Fenton (UP), 9-1 – Bucknell leads 4-0 133: #6 Micky Phillippi (UP) maj. dec. David Campbell (BU), 21-9 – Tied 4-4 141: LJ Bentley (UP) def. Joey Gould (BU), SV-1, 9-7 – Pitt leads 7-4 149: Robert Lee (UP) pins Matt Kolonia (BU), 2:44 – Pitt leads 13-4 157: #10 Taleb Rahmani (UP) def. Zach Hartman (BU), SV-1, 13-7 – Pitt leads 16-4 165: Jake Wentzel (UP) dec. DJ Hollingshead (BU), 6-0 – Pitt leads 19-4 174: Gregg Harvey (UP) dec. Nick Stephani (BU), 7-3 – Pitt leads 22-4 184: #12 Nino Bonaccorsi (UP) tech. fall Kyle Inlander (BU), 23-8, 5:47 – Pitt leads 27-4 197: Kellan Stout (UP) dec. Drew Phipps (BU), 6-2 – Pitt leads 30-4 285: #13 Demetrius Thomas (UP) maj. dec. Joe Scott (BU), 19-6 – Pitt wins 34-4

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- No. 2 Anthony Ashnault (149) pinned, Willie Scott (174) earned a dramatic last-second decision and No. 11 Nicholas Gravina (184) made his return to the lineup as No. 25 Rutgers wrestling delivered a 28-6 victory over Rider on Sunday at the RAC. The Scarlet Knights claimed eight of 10 bouts against the Broncs in the schools' first meeting since 2012, as Ashnault (149) and No. 3 Nick Suriano (133) each secured bonus-point victories in front of 4,726 fans. With the win, head coach Scott Goodale became the program's all-time leader with 167 victories during his 12-year tenure "On the Banks". Notables • Goodale passed John Sacchi for the all-time wins record at Rutgers. Sacchi earned 166 victories from 1990-2006. • Gravina made his season debut for RU after he missed the first month due to injury. The graduate student earned a 3-2 decision over Michale Fagg-Daves in Gravina's first action since the 2018 NCAA Championships this past March. • Ashnault collected his seventh fall and 10th bonus-point victory of the season with his second-period pin of Evan Fidelibus. It was his fourth fall in as many matches at the RAC this year. • Suriano also earned his 10th bonus-point win of the season with his 15-3 major decision over Anthony Cefelo. • Scott is now 3-0 in dual action after his 7-6 decision over NCAA qualifier Dean Sherry. Scott and Sherry were teammates at Brick Township High School. • This was the sixth consecutive win for Rutgers over Rider, as the Broncs lead the all-time series, 12-8. How it Happened • After a close 5-3 loss from Shane Metzler (125), Rutgers rattled off four consecutive wins before intermission. • Suriano had five takedowns against Cefelo en route to his 15-3 major, the fifth for him this season. • In his return to the lineup, Michael Van Brill (141) muscled a 6-2 decision over Travis Layton. Van Brill held a 5-1 lead on Layton after two periods and tacked on the riding time point for the final result. • In his match against Fidelibus, Ashnault worked a two-point near fall in the first period, then followed with his pin at 3:33 to make it a 13-3 lead. • No. 18 John Van Brill followed with a 2-1 win over Gino Fluri, as Rutgers led 16-3 at intermission. • After Stephan Glasgow (165) dropped a tight 5-4 decision to No. 20 Jesse Dellavecchia, Scott took the mat against Sherry. Sherry, a 2018 NCAA qualifier, held a 6-2 lead heading into period three, which began with Scott on top. Scott rode out Sherry for the entirety of the period, then got Sherry on his back with a tilt in the closing seconds for the four-point near fall. Scott secured the bout with the riding time point for the 7-6 decision. • Gravina was tied with Fagg-Daves, 2-2, after the first period. The Allendale, New Jersey, native used an escape in the second period for the final 3-2 decision. • Rutgers closed out the dual with back-to-back wins from Matthew Correnti (197) and Christian Colucci (HWT). Results: 125: Jonathon Tropea (RID) over Shane Metzler (RU) (Dec 5-3) 133: No. 3/2/4 Nick Suriano (RU) over Anthony Cefelo (RID) (MD 15-3) 141: Mike Van Brill (RU) over Travis Layton (RID) (Dec 6-2) 149: No. 2/2/2 Anthony Ashnault (RU) over Evan Fidelibus (RID) (Fall 3:33) 157: No. 18/17/15 John Van Brill (RU) over Gino Fluri (RID) (Dec 2-1) 165: No. 20/NR/NR Jesse Dellavecchia (RID) over Stephan Glasgow (RUTG) (Dec 5-4) 174: Willie Scott (RU) over Dean Sherry (RID) (Dec 7-6) 184: No. 11/NR/NR Nicholas Gravina (RU) over Michale Fagg-Daves (RID) (Dec 3-2) 197: Matt Correntti (RU) over Ethan Laird (RID) (Dec 6-3) 285: Christian Colucci (RU) over Ryan Cloud (RID) (Dec 2-0) Up Next Rutgers will send wrestlers to the Midlands Championships from Dec. 29-30 at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The Scarlet Knights' next dual is Sunday, Jan. 6 at No. 9 Minnesota, which will broadcast live on BTN. Quotes Head Coach Scott Goodale On the win: Yea, it was good. We lost a couple bouts there, I thought we needed to be a little tougher, but that's part of it. You know, first time really being in a big spot for those guys, but we won a lot of close matches, it's kind of what we preach. We're getting back to doing that, it was important. Important going forward so it was a good start. When we came back from Vegas that's what we talked about, just being tough and finding a way to win those close matches. On Metzler challenge at end of match: I'm trying think, was that the two maybe? I thought when he controlled his ankle and there's no reaction time, so I thought when he controlled the ankle it should be two; that's kind of why I challenged it. It happened right away, it was a quick challenge, first match of the night. I thought I saw two so that's why we challenged it. On Metzler over Aguilar: It's an everyday battle with the staff and what we want to do. Do we want to pull him? We believe in Shane, that's not it. Nick's close, he's getting there, but is he ready long term? When you think in the Big Ten, is he ready to compete at this level? I believe you need two guys and that's kind of why I want to do it, regardless Shane's going to be a huge part of what we're doing. But we just decided, let's keep him in redshirt and see what happens at Midlands, he'll wrestle there unattached and if he can compete at a high level then we'll make a decision in January. On Scott against Sherry: We'll we said for a couple of months that we we're going to do that, it was a little coach talk, but Grello is kind of banged up. He got hurt earlier in the week and he just didn't feel comfortable going (Joe). You know, nowadays if a student-athlete tells you he's not ready to wrestle…I don't know if Willie was ready to wrestle. It was his high school teammate and friend, but it was awesome. One of the cooler things I've been a part of since I've been here. That was pretty special, good for Willie. On Scott's tilt: I knew that's his best position and maybe not Sherry's best position, so I felt good about it. He's still good enough where maybe he doesn't turn him, but he finishes the period on top and holds him to a decision. It was probably 99% of the time we're going to go Willie on top. On Glasgow: He's been banged up for a while. It's something I don't know when we're going to be able to fix, he's going to have to fight through it. There's nothing structurally wrong, he's going to have to fight through it. We'll talk to the trainers and see where we're at. On Correnti: He was a big win. It was a big win for all of us. It was good, you can kind of see the way they were wrestling. I love it when he takes the mat, I feel really, really comfortable, I feel really good. Obviously Suriano, I feel really, really good down low. We have two hammers that score a lot of bonus points and it's about managing; that's kind of how it played out. They kept it close, they obviously game planned. They wrestled really smart, they tried to avoid majors, but when you have guys like Anthony and Nick, you're going to find bonus points. And of course, these guys are icing on the cake. It was great for Correnti, I'm happy. It was a big win for him. It's something he needs to get himself going. It was important. On Scott: Here's the thing, no one believed in this guy when he decided to come to Rutgers. People would say why did you come to Rutgers, it's Division I, it's Big Ten, why are you going there? A lot of people in his area, but he's the type of kid that sticks with it and finds his way. HE never says a word. He doesn't know if he's going to 74, 84, a lot of times last year 197. He's had to fill in for Gravina quite a bit with his injuries last year, so he's never said a word. He's done everything we ask, and he's rewarded with moments like that. It's awesome. IT's really, really cool. On heading into the break: We're going to enjoy the holidays. We're going to eat up. We're going to train, enjoy each other's company. We're going to send some guys to Midlands and send some guys to Wilkes. Start working on our numbers a. little bit, RPI-wise. We'll play that by ear, I wouldn't be able to tell you right now who's going to Midlands or Wilkes. Our big guns [Suriano and Ashnault] are not going to Midlands, and probably Gravina is probably not going to Midlands. Guys like Johnny Van Brill might go to Midlands, they want to go to Midlands, they want to get back in the RPI hunt. We'll play it by ear, we'll meet as a staff this week, enjoy some time off, get healed up, and be ready for the Big Ten. 174-pounder Willie Scott On wrestling his former teammate: It didn't feel awkward, but there was a lot of tension I would say leading up to it. Just a lot of who's going to win and my friends ball busting me. We're good friends, I respect the hell out of him, but it's the truth. The first five minutes were kind of ugly on my part, I got a late start. I'm comfortable on top, it's my best spot, kind of my bread and butter. I don't really let deficits get to my head, and I don't let it mentally break me. I was comfortable, roll through claw toe is my bread and butter. I do it to my teammates, I do it to a lot of guys. I happened to get it and just the riding time happened to hit one minute, and that's how it happened. On getting in: I think that whole staff knows what I do; they went neutral, I went top. Its' hard, I can't describe it. It's 50/50. It's a heat of the moment situation. He lets the pressure up and I kind of just rolled through with it and once I got him over I kind of feel comfortable that I'm going to get backs. It's iffy, it's 50/50 for me. 184-pounder Nicholas Gravina On coming back: I felt a little rusty in the first period. I was happy to be there. Just ready to go for the rest of the season.

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Wrestling picked up its 25th consecutive dual win, a streak that dates back to the 2016-17 season, and its 11th straight Mid-American Conference dual as it defeated Buffalo, 30-8, Sunday afternoon (Dec. 16) at the Hearnes Center. RS senior Daniel Lewis picked up his 100th career win with his 42nd career pin at 174 pounds and Mizzou won the dual with five freshmen in the starting lineup, including three true freshmen. "It didn't start off as a good day, our young guys went out there and just didn't look good," Coach Smith said. "From there, we went with Eierman and he and some of the more experienced guys got it rolling. Jarrett Jacques beat a really good kid and won a hard-fought match and wins in overtime. Brock Mauller came out of his redshirt and found a way to dominate the match. Same thing with Zach Elam. Really impressed with those guys." Mizzou lost the first two bouts before rallying to win the final eight, including two exciting sudden-victory wins. After losing the first two bouts at 125 and 131, junior Jaydin Eierman flipped things back in Mizzou's favor with a 24-9 technical fall. He led 6-2 after the first thanks to a late-period takedown and he was dominant from there. Ranked third nationally, Eierman improved to 9-1 on the year with the technical fall. True freshman Brock Mauller then made his debut in the starting lineup at 149 pounds and earned an 8-2 decision with 2:12 of riding time over Jason Estevez. That cut Buffalo's lead to 9-8 as the dual moved to 157 pounds. Mauller improved to 15-1 on the year but Sunday's win was his first dual win. Coach Smith sent another true freshman to the mat in the next bout as Jarrett Jacques and Buffalo's Alex Smythe wrestled in one of the day's most exciting bouts. The two were knotted at 4-4 at the end of the third, and Jacques did a great job during the first sudden victory period to earn a takedown with 19 seconds remaining, earning the 6-4 decision as Mizzou gained an 11-9 lead at intermission. He improved to 13-4 during his true freshman season. Following intermission, No. 13 Connor Flynn was part of another exciting bout, escaping with a 7-6 win thanks to a third-period take down and 1:48 of riding time, which turned out to be the winning point. That extended Mizzou's lead to 14-8. Lewis then picked up bonus points while earning a first-period fall over Jake Lanning, with just one second remaining in the initial frame. He is the 28th Mizzou wrestler to enter the 100-win club. That extended Mizzou's lead to 20-8 and Lewis moved to 10-1 on the year. At 184, reigning MAC Wrestler of the Week extended his personal winning streak to seven straight bouts as he downed Logan Rill, 10-0, earning bonus points for the sixth time during his seven-bout win streak. Wyatt Koelling tallied a takedown 13 seconds into the sudden victory period to earn a 3-1 win over Brett Perry at 197, extending Mizzou's lead to 27-8. At heavyweight, Zach Elam tallied a huge third-period to earn a 3-1 win, improving to 14-1 during his true freshman season. Below are the complete scores for the dual. Results: 125 - Cameron Valdiviez (8-3) vs. Kyle Akins - L, Fall (3:36) - 0-6 133 - Allan Hart (8-3) vs. Derek Spann - L, Decision, 6-2 - 0-9 141 - No. 3 Jaydin Eierman (9-1) vs. Kyle Todrank - W, Technical Fall, 24-9 - 5-9 149 - Brock Mauller (15-1) vs. Jason Estevez - W, 8-2 (2:12 riding time) - 8-9 157 - Jarrett Jacques (13-4) vs. Alex Smythe - W, 6-4 (SV-1) - 11-9 165 - No. 13 Connor Flynn (9-3) vs. Troy Keller - W, 7-6 (1:48 riding time) - 14-8 (lost one team point for unsportsmanlike behavior from the bench) 174 - No. 4 Daniel Lewis (10-1) vs Jake Lanning - W, Fall (2:59) - 20-8 184 - Dylan Wisman (9-4) vs. Logan Rill - W, Major Decision, 10-0 - 24-8 197 - Wyatt Koelling (9-5) vs. Brett Perry - W, Decision, 3-1 (SV-1) - 27-8 285 - No. 11 Zach Elam (14-1) vs. Jake Gunning - W, Decision, 3-1 - 30-8 Total attendance: 662 Mizzou will be back in action Thursday in Kansas City as it will take on Virginia at Park Hill High School.

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- In all, the No. 15 Lock Haven University wrestling team won eight of 10 bouts and registered bonus points on six occasions as the Bald Eagles (2-0, 2-0 EWL, 1-0 PSAC) rolled by host Bloomsburg University, 36-6, today in Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) action. The Bald Eagles posted a pair of pins, two tech falls and two major decisions in the dominating Sunday afternoon road win. Host Bloomsburg (0-4, 0-2 EWL, 0-1 PSAC) posted a win at 125 pounds in the opening bout of the match, but it was all Lock Haven from there as the Bald Eagles went on to win the next six bouts, taking a commanding 29-3 lead. Five of those six wins came with bonus points, thanks to a pair of pins, two tech falls and a major decision. After a Huskie win at 184 slowed the LHU run, the Bald Eagles put an exclamation point on the victory with wins at 197 and 285, capping the outstanding effort. Dalton Rohrbaugh (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove), Kyle Shoop (Boiling Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs), Jonathan Ross (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York), Alex Klucker (Summerdale, Pa./East Pennsboro), No. 3 Chance Marsteller (New Park, Pa./Kennard-Dale), Jared Siegrist (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central), Luke McGonigal (Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield) and No. 10 Thomas Haines (Quarryville, Pa./Solanco) all posted wins for Lock Haven. Ross and Klucker recorded back-to-back first-period pins at 149 and 157, respectively. Both Shoop (141) and Marsteller (165) posted first-period tech falls, and Siegrist added a major at 174. The true-freshmen duo of Rohrbaugh (133) and McGonigal (197) won by decision and Haines capped the lopsided league win with a dominating major decision of his own at 285. Bloomsburg's Willy Girard put the hosts up 3-0 after a hard-fought 10-6 win at 125. It was all Lock Haven from there and Rohrbaugh put the Bald Eagles on the board, and tied the dual at 3-3 with a 5-1 decision over Lewis_Williams. Shoop needed just 2:29 for a tech fall (17-0) win over Aaron Coleman and it extended the LHU lead to 8-3. For Ross (149), the win helped him get some revenge on Grant Bond. Last weekend at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament, Bond pinned Ross in the finals, but today it was a different story, as Ross earned the huge first-period fall (1:33), which helped spark the Bald Eagles to victory. Klucker needed just 1:08 to pin to Bloom's Nate Newberry. Marsteller – ranked No. 3 at 165 – returned to the lineup and looked as if he hadn't missed a beat. He put on a clinic and had the first-period tech fall wrapped up at the 1:29 (17-1) mark. Siegrist picked up LHU's sixth straight win, downing Anthony Vetrano by major decision, 14-2. The win extended LHU's lead to 29-3. After a Bloomsburg win at 184, the Bald Eagles rounded out the dual with two more wins. At 197, McGonigal used a workmanlike effort to edge BU's Kyle Murphy, 1-0. In the final bout of the dual, Haines – ranked No. 10 at 285 – was too much for Bruce Graeber. Haines put an exclamation point on the team win with a 12-0 major. Haines' major pushed the final score to 36-6 as Lock Haven improved to 2-0 overall in dual action this season. The dual meet today marked the 75th all-time dual meeting between Lock Haven and Bloomsburg. The Bald Eagles are now 46-29 all-time vs. the Huskies. The win extended the Bald Eagles win streak to five as they've dominated the local series as of late. Lock Haven's win over Bloomsburg during the 2014-15 season snapped a 10-match Bloomsburg win streak. Today's win also proved to be an important PSAC victory. Last weekend, the 2018-19 PSAC Wrestling Tournament featured a new structure. Continuing the tradition of the past 75 plus years, individual champions at each of the 10 respective weight classes were recognized. Beginning this year however, no team champion was determined for the tournament. At the end of the season, a Division I PSAC and Division II PSAC champion will be crowned based on dual results within the conference vs. respective NCAA level opponents. The new format made today's match and the win over Bloomsburg – as well as remaining duals with Edinboro and Clarion – that much more important. The Bald Eagles will return to action on Saturday, December 29 as they host the annual Lock Haven Classic Tournament. Looking ahead, Lock Haven will return to the prestigious Southern Scuffle on January 1 and 2. Results: 125: Willy Girard (BU) dec. Luke Werner (LHU) 10-6 / BU 3-0 133: Dalton Rohrbaugh (LHU) dec. Lewis_Williams (BU) 5-1 / TIED 3-3 141: Kyle Shoop (LHU) tech fall Aaron Coleman (BU) 17-0 (2:29) / LHU 8-3 149: Jonathan Ross (LHU) pinned Grant Bond (BU) 1:33 / LHU 14-3 157: Alex Klucker (LHU) pinned Nate Newberry (BU) 1:08 / LHU 20-3 165: #3 Chance Marsteller (LHU) tech fall Gavin Hall (BU) 17-1 (1:29) / LHU 25-3 174: Jared Siegrist (LHU) major dec. Anthony Vetrano (BU) 14-2 / LHU 29-3 184: Trevor Allard (BU) dec. Breylon Douglas (LHU) 7-3 / LHU 29-6 197: Luke McGonigal (LHU) dec. Kyle Murphy (BU) 1-0 / LHU 32-6 285: #10 Thomas Haines (LHU) major dec. Bruce Graeber (BU) 12-0 / LHU 36-6

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Falling behind 14-3 after the first five bouts, NC State won four of the final five matches and scored an 18-17 comeback over No. 11 Nebraska in Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday. Going into the final bout down 17-12, NC State's No. 4 R-So. Tariq Wilson needed the technical fall to even the team score, and he scored the 18-2 win. The dual ended with a team score of 17-17, but after criteria which was total points scored (58-53), the Pack got the extra team point for the win. The dual started at 141 pounds, with Nebraska winning four of the first five bouts before the intermission to take a 14-3 lead. The dual started with a Nebraska 3-2 win, as 2017 All-American scored the bout's lone takedown and got a 3-2 win over No. 13 Jamal Morris. The Pack scored its first win of the day by No. 4 Justin Oliver at 149 pounds. Oliver scored a takedown in all three periods and added the ride time point for an 8-2 win. Nebraska won three straight, first with a decision at 157 pounds as No. 5 Tyler Berger scored a 5-2 win over No. 4 Hayden Hidlay. The Cornhuskers then scored back-to-back major decisions with wins at 165 and 174 pounds. NC State stormed out of the intermission winning four of the final five bouts. The stretch started with a pair of top-10 upsets. In the second top-five battle of the night, No. 5 Nick Reenan scored an 8-6 win over No. 3 Taylor Venz. Reenan scored all three of the bout's takedowns, and a reversal late in the third gave him the win. No. 19 R-Sr. Malik McDonald made it back-to-back top-10 wins for the Pack with a 3-2 win over No. 9 Eric Schultz. McDonald scored the bout's lone takedown in the second, and his win pulled the Pack to within 14-9. Nebraska won at heavyweight, 5-2, and went up 17-9 going into the last two matches. Making his season debut, No. 6 R-Sr. Sean Fausz scored an 8-2 win over two-time All-American No. 11 Zeke Moisey at 125 pounds to pull the Pack within five points going into the final matchup. Wilson stepped to the mat and ended his bout in the third period with a final four-point near fall. Results: 141: Chad Red (NEB) dec. #13 Jamal Morris; 3-2 – 0-3 149: #4 Justin Oliver (NCSU) dec. Zemua Baptisa; 8-2 – 3-3 157: #5 Tyler Berger (NEB) dec. #4 Hayden Hidlay; 5-2 – 3-6 165: #6 Isaiah White (NEB) major dec. #18 Thomas Bullard; 13-3 – 3-10 174: #9 Mikey Labriola (NEB) major dec. Daniel Bullard; 13-4 – 3-14 184: #5 Nick Reenan (NCSU) dec. #3 Taylor Venz; 8-6 – 6-14 197: #19 Malik McDonald (NCSU) dec. #9 Eric Schultz; 3-2 – 9-14 285: David Jenson (NEB) dec. Deonte Wilson; 5-2 – 9-17 125: #6 Sean Fausz (NCSU) dec. #11 Zeke Moisey; 8-2 – 12-17 133: #4 Tariq Wilson (NCSU) tech fall Tucker Sjomeling; 18-2 – 17-17* NC State wins on criteria, total points scored in dual (58-53)

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Athletic Director Jeff Rutter is excited to announce the hiring of Travis Patrick as the new head coach of the Arizona Christian University men's wrestling program. Travis PatrickDr. Peter Dryer, Associate Athletic Director, stated, "We are excited for Coach Patrick to join the ACU Athletics staff and start our wrestling program. Coach has a strong commitment to seeing his student-athletes thrive on campus, on the mat, and in their relationship with Christ. He is a strong recruiter and has a good understanding of wrestling landscape in the NAIA, specifically on the west coast." Dryer continued, "Starting a collegiate wrestling program is a significant undertaking. Coach Patrick is up for the task and will be a great ambassador for ACU and the wrestling program. We look forward to seeing his positive influence on campus in the local wrestling community." Coach Patrick offered his thoughts on the new job, "I am tremendously excited to be joining the ACU athletic staff and am very grateful to Mr. Rutter and Dr. Dryer for entrusting me with the task of leading the brand new Firestorm wrestling program. I look forward to building a program at Arizona Christian that develops young athletes into strong men of God who excel in the classroom and serve in their community in addition to competing for championships. Patrick added, "There are so many talented wrestlers within the state of Arizona and I am thrilled we can offer an opportunity for them to continue their careers at the next level while staying in their home state. It is obvious the work God has been doing in and through the ACU athletic department, I am humbled and grateful be able to join such a great staff". Coach Patrick has been coaching with Menlo College since 2015 when he was hired as an assistant wrestling coach and sports performance coach. In 2017, he was promoted to associate head wrestling coach. He was also a Fellowship of Christian Athletes Advisor at Menlo since 2017. During his time at Menlo, he coached 18 NAIA National qualifiers, seven All-Americans, and his teams were ranked as high as number three in the NAIA. In 2017, he coached Menlo's first national champion since 2008. In 2018, the team won the Cascade Collegiate Conference championship, had seven All-Cascade Conference wrestlers, and won the NAIA Buffalo Funds Five-Star Champions of Character Team Award. The Oaks also had three Academic All-Americans and ten Academic All-Conference honors. Prior to coaching at the college level, Patrick coached strength and conditioning at Kelso High School and Castle Rock High School in Washington as well as being a personal trainer with International Fitness and volunteer instructor with the YMCA in Oregon. As an athlete, Patrick wrestled five years while at Southern Oregon and helped the team earn four top five finishes at the NAIA National Tournament (2nd in 2012, 2013, and 2015, 4th in 2014). He was an NAIA National Qualifier, Western Regional Qualifier, and Academic All-American. While in high school, Coach Patrick was a four-time Washington State wrestling qualifier, and was state runner-up in 2010. Academically, Patrick earned his bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Southern Oregon University in 2015 and a master's degree in applied exercise science from Concordia University Chicago in 2017. Coach Patrick and his wife, Tyler, recently married in August of this year. The Patricks have some family living in the greater Phoenix area. If interested in wrestling for Arizona Christian, please contact Coach Patrick at acuathletics@arizonachristian.edu or 360-749-1441.

The showcase event of Minnesota's regular season in high school wrestling happened the last two days in Rochester, as the Minnesota Christmas Tournament featured 40 teams. It includes the vast majority of Minnesota's best teams, plus a few teams from out of state (Illinois, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma). After the two days of wrestling were completed, a mere five points (204.5-199.5) separated a pair of top 25 teams in the country. Despite just having nine wrestlers (six in the quarters) remaining after day one, No. 21 Simley surged on day two to put a tournament-high eight on the podium. And that was with Greg Kerkvliet (285) and two-time state medalist Cael Berg (138) out of the lineup. The Spartans were led by weight class champion Ryan Sokol (132), who scored a 20-5 technical fall over state champion Noah Villarreal (Aurora Christian, Ill.) in the championship match. Also placing for Simley were three third place finishers, including Cadet freestyle champion Quayin Short (182), whose lone loss was a 7-4 defeat against state champion Cade King (Owatonna). Other medalists were those taking fourth, fifth, seventh, and eight. Tournament runner-up Kasson-Mantorville was ranked No. 25 nationally, and started day two with twelve wrestlers, including nine in the quarters. The Komets only had six of those wrestlers place (in fact three wrestlers from the quarters went 0-2 on Saturday morning). Leading the way was their lone champion No. 4 (at 182) Patrick Kennedy, who won the 170 pound weight class with a 19-4 technical fall victory over state champion Cade Mueller (Waconia) in the final. Two additional Komets - Logan Vaughan (113) and Garsen Schorr (220) - placed second; while other wrestlers placed third, fourth, and fifth. Finishing in third was Shakopee with 176 points, as the Sabres also had six on the podium, even without the presence of No. 7 Carson Manville in the lineup at 152 pounds. Their lone champion was Paxton Creese (113), while Pierson Manville (106) placed second, three others placed fourth, and another finished sixth. Just two teams had multiple champions at this year's Minnesota Christmas Tournament. One of those was fourth place Willmar, who saw No. 15 Cael Carlson (145) and Andrew Reigstad (220) earn gold; Carlson beat state runner-up Sebas Swiggum (Apple Valley) 5-1 in the championship match. Others placers were runner-up Lincoln Shinn (195) and a sixth place finisher. The other team with multiple champions was Scott West, who saw Tyler Shackle (138) and Calvin Menke (285) win their respective weight classes. Nationally ranked Apple Valley, currently No. 46, was fifth in the standings with 166.5 points on the strength of six placers, led by weight class champion Brady Gross (152). Finishing second were Swiggum and Tyler Kim (285); two more placed sixth, and another placed seventh. Three additional nationally ranked wrestlers won weight classes on Saturday; No. 1 Eric Barnett (Hortonville, Wis.) at 120, No. 13 Jake Svihel (Totino-Grace) at 126, and No. 13 Zach Glazier (Albert Lea) at 182. Barnett beat state champion Joey Thompson (Totino-Grace) 10-3 in the final, Svihel knocked off two-time state champion Reid Ballantyne (Stillwater) 5-2, while Glazier outlasted state champion Cade King (Owatonna) 3-2. Rounding out the champions were Blake West (Owatonna) at 106 pounds, Colby Njos (Anoka) at 160, and Calvin Sund (Prior Lake) at 195.

PITTSBURGH -- The 24th-ranked Pitt wrestling team dominated rival West Virginia Saturday night, 37-3, at the Fitzgerald Field House. With the win, the Panthers improve to 3-0 on the year, while the Mountaineers drop to 1-3 overall. Pitt used seven individual wins to secure the team win, while West Virginia forfeited two bouts at 125 and 141 pounds. The win marks the largest margin of victory over the Mountaineers since 1978 when the Panthers defeated WVU, 42-3. The Panthers opened the dual with a 6-0 advantage after West Virginia forfeited 125 pounds. Redshirt freshman Micky Phillippi boosted the team lead to 11-0 after earning his first win by technical fall at 133 pounds over Lucas Seibert. The sixth-ranked 133-pounder used six takedowns, six total nearfall points and an escape en route to the dominant win, 19-4 in 4:05. The Mountaineers then forfeited 141 pounds, giving Pitt a 17-0 lead after three bouts. West Virginia got on the board after senior Robert Lee dropped a 4-0 decision to Christian Monserrat at 149 pounds. Redshirt junior Taleb Rahmani got things going for the Panthers again, as the 10th-ranked 157-pounder defeated Zach Moore in a 4-0 decision. Rahmani used a takedown, escape and riding time to secure the win and give Pitt a 20-3 lead after five bouts. Redshirt sophomore Jake Wentzel continued the Panthers' winning ways at 165 pounds as he took down Nick Kiussis in a 6-2 decision. Wentzel struck first as he used a takedown and two nearfall points to lead 4-0 after the first period. He picked up another point in the third by way of escape and used riding time to secure the win, giving Pitt a 23-3 lead in the team race. Redshirt sophomore Gregg Harvey returned to the win column after recording a 5-3 decision over Josh Ramirez at 174 pounds. Harvey scored a takedown and escape, and collected two penalty points en route to the decision. Moving to 184 pounds, redshirt freshman Nino Bonaccorsi recorded his first collegiate technical fall. Bonaccorsi, who ranked 12th in his weight class, was strong on top, collecting 10 total nearfall points, as he downed Jackson Moomau 16-1 in 3:21. Redshirt junior Kellan Stout also returned to the win column tonight as he picked up a 5-3 decision over Noah Adams. Stout used two escapes, two nearfall points and added a final point with riding time to lock up the win. Junior Demetrius Thomas earned his 15th win of the year after outlasting Brandon Ngati at heavyweight. Thomas, who ranks 13th at 285 pounds, scored two takedowns, escaped and added another point with riding time to take down Ngati, 6-4. Pitt resumes action Sunday, Dec. 16, when it hosts Bucknell at the Fitzgerald Field House at 2 p.m. Results: 125: Brendon Fenton (UP) wins by forfeit - Pitt leads 6-0 133: #6 Micky Phillippi (UP) tech. fall Lucas Seibert (WVU), 19-4, 4:05 - Pitt leads 11-0 141: LJ Bentley (UP) wins by forfeit - Pitt leads 17-0 149: Christian Monserrat (WVU) dec. Robert Lee (UP), 4-0 - Pitt leads 17-3 157: #10 Taleb Rahmani (UP) dec. Zach Moore (WVU), 3-1 - Pitt leads 20-3 165: Jake Wentzel (UP) dec. Nick Kiussis (WVU), 6-2 - Pitt leads 23-3 174: Gregg Harvey (UP) dec. Josh Ramirez (WVU), 5-3 - Pitt leads 26-3 184: #12 Nino Bonaccorsi (UP) tech. fall Jackson Moomau (WVU), 16-1, 3:21 - Pitt leads 31-3 197: Kellan Stout (UP) dec. Noah Adams (WVU), 5-3 - Pitt leads 34-3 285: Demetrius Thomas (UP) dec. Brandon Ngati (WVU), 6-4 - Pitt wins 37-3

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The No. 11 Nebraska wrestling team responded to some early adversity in its dual against the No. 12 North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday night at Carmichael Arena. The Huskers avenged last year's 22-14 loss to the Tar Heels in Lincoln by taking a 22-15 victory on the road. NU trailed 13-3 after four matches before taking five out of the final six bouts to win the dual. The Huskers immediately started out in a hole as they had to take a forfeit at the 125-pound spot. No. 11 Zeke Moisey failed to make weigh-ins, giving the Tar Heels an early 6-0 lead. Tucker Sjomeling improved to 11-3 (3-1 in duals) on the year with a 7-3 victory by decision over UNC's James Szymanski to put NU on the board and reduce the deficit to 6-3. The redshirt freshman earned one takedown in each period and added an additional point for riding time. Chad Red Jr., coming off a 6-0 performance at last weekend's Doane Open, suffered a 5-1 defeat to A.C. Headlee, avenging last year's loss to Red in Lincoln. The Tar Heels team lead blossomed to 13-3 after No. 6 Austin O'Connor defeated Collin Purinton 16-5 in a major decision. Needing a spark, the Huskers turned to their senior two-time All-American (Tyler Berger). The Prineville, Ore., native stormed out of the gates with three takedowns in the first period and never looked back. The veteran Husker defeated UNC's Sawyer Davidson in a major decision, 16-5. The victory brought the UNC lead to 13-7 heading into intermission. With the win by Berger, he hit 100 career wins, making him just the 28th Husker in school history to achieve that feat. Berger is nine wins way from 15th place on the all-time wins list and 28 wins away from being in the top five. The match of the night was between No. 6 Isaiah White and UNC's Kennedy Monday, who moved up a weight class from 157-pounds for the match. With 15 seconds left in the match, the two were tied at three, but Monday held a 1:04 advantage in riding time. With just two seconds left, White notched a huge takedown to earn a 5-4 decision (Monday added on a point for riding time). Since starting out the season 1-3, White has won his last six matches. No. 9 Mikey Labriola ended his match with Devin Kane early, winning by injury default in the second period. The victory put the Huskers up 16-13, giving the team its first lead of the dual. In the 184-pound bout, No. 3 Taylor Venz suffered his first dual-defeat of the season at the hands of Chip Ness. The two went back and forth throughout the match, but a second period takedown by Ness gave him the lead for good as he worked a 6-5 decision. UNC only got two points for this victory, however, as the team lost a point for bench misconduct. No. 9 Eric Schultz rode a dominant second period to earn a 16-10 decision over Chasen Blair. He led 3-2 heading into the second period, but four takedowns put him ahead 13-5 and he was able to cruise to his 12th victory of the season. Leading 19-15 heading into the heavyweight match, Nebraska needed junior David Jensen to make a statement against No. 14 Cory Daniel. Jensen, who missed the first month of the season recovering from mono, scored a takedown in each of the second and third periods to earn a 5-2 decision victory. Jensen is now 7-0 on the year after his 6-0 performance last weekend at the Doane Open. Results: 125: Joe Heilmann (UNV) by forfeit (UNC 6, NEB 0) 133: Tucker Sjomeling (NEB) dec. James Szmanski, 7-3 (UNC 6, NEB 3) 141: A.C. Headlee (UNC) dec. Chad Red Jr. (NEB), 5-1 (UNC 9, NEB 3) 149: #6 Austin O'Connor (UNC) major dec. Collin Purinton (NEB), 12-3 (UNC 13, NEB 3) 157: #5 Tyler Berger (NEB) major dec. Sawyer Davidson (UNC), 16-5 (UNC 13, NEB 7) 165: #6 Isaiah White (NEB) dec. Kennedy Monday (UNC), 5-4 (UNC 13, NEB 10) 174: #9 Mikey Labriola (NEB) injury def. Devin Kane (UNC) (NEB 16, UNC 13) 184: #13 Chip Ness (UNC) dec. #3 Taylor Venz (NEB), 6-5 (NEB 16, UNC 15)** 197: #9 Eric Schultz (NEB) dec. Chasen Blair (UNC), 16-10 (NEB 19, UNC 15) HWT: David Jensen (NEB) dec. #14 Cory Daniel (UNC), 5-2 (NEB 22, UNC 15) **North Carolina lost a point for bench misconduct after the Ness/Venz match. Up Next: Nebraska takes on No. 7 NC State tomorrow afternoon at noon CT in the second dual of a back-to-back against nationally ranked ACC schools. The match will be televised by the ACC Network Extra and stats will be available on Trackwrestling.com.

Bob Baxter In wrestling, sometimes an escape can be worth more than one point. In one case, a perfectly timed escape meant the difference between life and death for an Iowa wrestling official. Last weekend, Bob Baxter was headed to Council Bluffs, Iowa to officiate at the 2018 Council Bluffs Wrestling Classic -- a two-day tournament featuring 40 high school teams from Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Minnesota. Baxter -- a mat official for 46 years -- had left his home in Sioux City, Iowa about 6 a.m. Saturday, heading south on I-29 along the Iowa-Nebraska border to make it to Council Bluffs for weigh-ins at 8 a.m. About ten miles north of his destination, he heard a thud. "All of a sudden, the front driver's side dropped and the vehicle went out of control," Baxter told the Sioux City Journal. "I almost went into the center ditch, but I kept it upright and managed to get it (across lanes) to the right side of the road." After bringing his pickup to a stop, Baxter smelled something burning. Presuming the smell was rubber from a tire blowout, the veteran mat official left his Chevy Silverado, examined the wheel and noticed the wheel had broken off entirely and was wedged beneath the vehicle. "That's why it didn't go all the way down," Baxter told the Sioux City paper. "The tire and hub were on their side and dragging." Baxter re-entered the cab of his truck... which, in seconds, burst into flames. He tried to exit but the door was jammed. Unable to break the window with his elbow, the former wrestler (a 1972 grad of Bishop Heelan High School in Sioux City) used a flashlight to smash the driver side window and throw himself backwards through the opening. It was at that moment the truck exploded into flames, throwing Baxter backwards onto the I-29 pavement. Thankfully, he was not burned or injured in any other way ... but lost the contents of his truck, including his cellphone, wallet and referee's uniform and related gear. Witnesses called 911. Iowa State Police and fire trucks from two local departments showed up within minutes to put out the fire and file the necessary reports. Baxter got a ride to the Council Bluffs Wrestling Classic, where other officials provided him with a referee uniform and all the other equipment he needed to officiate... and lent him a cellphone so he could call his wife Maureen to let her know what happened and that he was OK. After officiating at the tournament, Baxter was offered a ride home with a participating team. Days later, Bob Baxter reflected on the incident ... and how others jumped in to help. "What happened to me along the way that day, it shows how many of us are really proud of wrestling, proud to say we wrestled in high school and college," he said. "The wrestling family is so tight." This fiery incident and incredible escape adds up to just one more chapter in Bob Baxter's long and distinguished career as a wrestler and official spanning more than 50 years. In February Baxter will be welcomed into the Iowa High School Athletic Association Officials' Hall of Fame.

No. 1 Penn State (4-0, 0-0 B1G) dominated No. 9 Arizona State (1-3) in the Sun Devils' first-ever appearance in Rec Hall. Penn State won nine of ten bouts, including two top five clashes, to roll to a 41-3 victory over the Sun Devils in front of yet another Rec Hall sellout crowd. The dual was highlighted by top-five match-ups at 165 and 174, opening up the second half after the Lions bolted out to a 17-3 lead at intermission. Junior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) and Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.) thrilled one of the largest crowds in Rec Hall history with big wins in the two marquee bouts. The dual began at 125, where Nittany Lion sophomore Devin Schnupp (Lititz, Pa.) dropped a hard-fought 13-7 decision to Brandon Courtney, using a late reversal to keep from giving up a major. True freshman Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), an Arizona-native, then took on Arizona State's Ryan Millhof, ranked No. 7 at 125, as ASU opted to bump the senior up to face the Lion freshman. Bravo-Young dominated the bout, rolling to a 14-1 major decision with 3:16 in riding time to give Penn State a 4-3 lead. Sophomore Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 4 at 141, put Penn State up 10-3 by pinning Cory Crooks at the 2:18 mark. Red-shirt freshman Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), ranked No. 12 at 149, took on No. 11 Josh Maruca in his Rec Hall dual debut, the first of four match-ups featuring ranked opponents. Berge notched the only two takedowns of the bout to post a hard-fought 5-4 win. Senior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, then dominated No. 16 Christian Pagdilao, posting an 18-5 major decision to give the Nittany Lions a 17-3 lead at intermission. Joseph, ranked No. 1 at 165, opened up the second half against No. 5 Josh Shields in another ranked battle. Joseph continued his dominating season, roaring to an 11-2 major decision over the ranked Sun Devil, including 1:38 in riding time. Hall, ranked No. 2 at 174, took to the mat against No. 1 Zahid Valencia in a rematch of last year's NCAA title bout (won by Valencia) and a 2017 NCAA National Semifinal (won by Hall on his way to an NCAA championship). The last two NCAA Champions battled in front of a frantic Rec Hall crowd and Hall thrilled the hometown faithful by posting a strong 4-0 win over Valencia, including 2:41 in riding time. Hall's win snapped Valencia's 43-match win streak that dated back to the 2017 NCAA semifinals. Senior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 4 at 184, kept Penn State's roll going with an outstanding 15-0 technical fall over Kordell Norfleet, getting the 15-0 tech at the 7:00 mark off 4:58 in riding time. Senior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 197, then stepped to the mat and notched one of his textbook fast falls. Nickal moved in quickly on Austyn Harris, locked the Sun Devil's shoulders up and turned him quickly to his back for a fall in just 0:35 to put Penn State up 35-3. In the dual's final bout, senior Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.), ranked No. 5 at 285, capped off Penn State's dominating team performance with the Lions third fall of the evening. Cassar pinned ASU's Brady Daniel at the 5:18 mark for the Lions' ninth win in the dual. Cassar's fall finished off Penn State's 41-3 victory over the Sun Devils. The Nittany Lions posted a lopsided 27-6 takedown advantage and did not give up a takedown in nine of the ten bouts. The Lions picked up 14 bonus points off three pins (Lee, Nickal, Cassar), a tech fall (Rasheed) and three majors (Lee, Nolf, Joseph). The dual was ASU's first in Rec Hall although the Sun Devils wrestled in the Bryce Jordan Center during the 2001 National Duals, hosted by Penn State. Penn State has now won 49-straight dual meets dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season. The sellout crowd of 6,676 is the 44th straight Rec Hall sellout for Penn State and the program's 48th in its last 50 duals (including four of six in the near-16,000 seat Bryce Jordan Center). The crowd is the sixth-largest in Rec Hall since Cael Sanderson's arrival as head coach in 2009-10. Penn State is now 4-0 overall while Arizona State falls to 1-3. Penn State will now head to Chattanooga, Tenn., for the 2019 Southern Scuffle. The Nittany Lions will be looking for their eighth Scuffle title in their last eight trips to the event. The Scuffle, hosted by UT-Chattanooga, is set for Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 1-2. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here. Results: 125: Brandon Courtney ASU dec. Devin Schnupp PSU, 13-7 0-3 133: Roman Bravo-Young PSU maj. dec. #7/125 Ryan Millhof ASU, 14-1 4-3 141: #4 Nick Lee PSU pinned Cory Crooks (ASU), WBF (2:18) 10-3 149: #12 Brady Berge PSU dec. #11 Josh Maruca ASU, 5-4 13-3 157: #1 Jason Nolf PSU maj. dec. #16 Christian Pagdilao ASU, 18-5 17-3 165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph PSU maj. dec. #5 Josh Shields ASU, 11-2 21-3 174: #2 Mark Hall PSU dec. #1 Zahid Valencia ASU, 4-0 24-3 184: #4 Shakur Rasheed PSU tech fall Kordell Norfleet ASU, 15-0 (TF; 7:00) 29-3 197: #1 Bo Nickal PSU pinned Austyn Harris ASU, WBF (0:35) 35-3 285: #5 Anthony Cassar PSU pinned Brady Daniel ASU, WBF (5:18) 41-3 Attendance: 6,676 (44th straight Rec hall sellout; 48th of 50 including 4 of 6 in BJC) Records: Penn State (4-0); Arizona State (1-3) Up Next for Penn State: at 2019 Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2, 2019, Chattanooga, Tenn. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: Sophomore Devin Schnupp (Lititz, Pa.) took on Brandon Courtney of Arizona State. Courtney opened up the match with a strong high double to take an early 2-1 lead. The Sun Devil freshman added on two more takedowns to lead 6-3 two minutes into the bout. Courtney scrambled his way to a takedown and an 8-3 lead as the period wound down and carried that lead into the second period. Courtney chose down to start the second period and Schnupp put together a strong ride, working the clock down to 1:23 before Courtney escaped to a 9-33 lead. The Lion sophomore began nearly scored on a solid shot but Courtney was able to slip out of bounds at the 1:10 mark. Schnupp's tempo had the ASU grappler on his heels as the period ended, forcing a first stall warning. Schnupp chose down to start the third and quickly escaped to a 9-4 score. Courtney notched another takedown and led 11-5 at the 1:20 mark after a quick Schnupp escape. Courtney scrambled to a takedown with :25 left, looking to notch a major decision. However, Schnupp scrambled his way to a reversal with :02 left to keep the bout to a 13-7 decision, bringing the Rec Hall faithful to their feet. 133: True freshman Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.) battled Ryan Millhof, ranked No. 7 at 125, who bumped up a weight to take on the Lion freshman. Bravo-Young was the aggressor early, scrambling his way to a takedown on the edge of the mat to take an early 2-0 lead with 2:28 on the clock. Bravo-Young then controlled the action on top, building up a :40 riding time edge before the ranked Sun Devil escaped. Bravo-Young's strength allowed him to power through a high shot and take a 4-1 lead with a second takedown. He then dominated the action on top, working the clock down to zeroes and his riding time edge up to 2:19 at the end of the period. Leading 4-1, Bravo-Young chose neutral to start the second period. He picked a fifth point on a second stall and led 5-1 with 1:25 on the clock. Bravo-Young continued to press the ranked 125-pounder. He countered a slight Millhof shot, gained control of his shoulders and worked the clock down to :30 before a stalemate forced a reset. He then powered through a high double off the restart and took a 7-1 lead with :15 left to lead 7-1 with 2:43 in time after two. Trailing 7-1, Millhof chose top to start the third period but Bravo-Young easily escaped to an 8-1 lead. Bravo-Young shot low at Millhof's feet, forcing a scramble in the middle of the mat with 1:10 left. With the riding time point clinched, Bravo-Young finished off the takedown and then turned him for two back points. A final stall point and the riding time point allowed the Lion to roar to a 14-1 major with 3:16 in riding time. 141: Sophomore Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 4 at 141, met Sun Devil Cory Crooks. Lee dominated the action from the get-go, taking Crooks down twice early and tacking on two nearfall points to lead 6-1 midway through the opening period. Lee then worked arm control into a turn that ended with a quick pin at the 2:18 mark. 149: Redshirt freshman Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), ranked No. 12 at 149, made his Rec Hall dual meet debut against No. 11 Josh Maruca of Arizona State. The twosome battled evenly in the middle of the mat for the first half of the opening period with Berge forcing the junior Maruca back to the outside circle and into a first stall warning at the 1:10 mark. Berge countered a slight Maruca shot and scrambled around him for a takedown and a 2-1 lead with :30 on the clock. Trailing 2-1, Maruca chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. Berge got hit for a stall warning at the :35 mark as the duo battled on their feet in the middle of the mat. Tied 2-2, Berge chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. Berge nearly connected on a counter takedown with 1:10 left, but Maruca was able to slip out of trouble and the match continued on with Berge leading 3-2. Berge dodged another Maruca shot, countered, and picked up a second takedown to lead 5-3 with :20 left in the bout. The Lion gave up a stall point and then held on for a hard-fought 5-4 win. 157: Senior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, met No. 16 Christian Pagdilao. Nolf scored quickly, taking the ranked Sun Devil down for a 2-1 lead just :40 into the bout. The Lion then reeled off two quick takedowns and led 6-3 at the 1:15 mark. Nolf then blew through a fast low double, forced a brief scramble, and picked up his fourth takedown to lead 8-3 with :18 on the clock. The Lion then rode Pagdilao out to lead 8-3 after the first period. Pagdilao chose down to start the second period and Nolf put together a dominant ride, building up 1:38 in riding time before cutting the Sun Devil loose to an 8-4 lead. Paglidao forced a scramble with a low shot and Nolf countered for a takedown of his own to lead 10-4 with 1:58 in riding time after two periods. Nolf chose down to start the third period and deftly scrambled his way to an escape and an 11-4 lead. The Lion senior continued to shoot and took Pagdilao down again with :50 on the clock. Nolf cut the Devil loose and then locked his shoulders between his legs, got the takedown and two near fall points as the period ended. A riding time point thanks to a 2:03 advantage gave Nolf a strong 18-5 major decision. 165: Junior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, took on No. 5 Josh Shields in a key match-up at 165. The duo battled evenly for a minute, with neither wrestler breaking through the other's defense. Joseph gained control of Shields' ankle, worked his way to a wild takedown on the edge of the mat, using leverage and his legs to turn the Sun Devil for four back points at the 1:16 mark. The move gave Joseph a 6-0 lead. Shields tried to work his way free of Joseph's ride off a reset, but the Lion controlled the Sun Devil junior until the :05 mark to lead 6-1 with 1:18 in time after one period. Joseph chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 7-1 lead. Joseph continued to look to score, forcing Shields into defense for the bulk of the second period. The Lion fought off a solid Shields shot at the end of the period and carried that lead, with 1:14 in time, into the third period. Shields chose down to start the third period and Joseph cut him loose to a 7-2 score with 1:42 left. Shields got hit for a first stall warning with 1:20 on the clock. Joseph picked up a stall point and then capped off the dominating major with a final takedown. A 1:38 riding time edge gave Joseph the 11-2 major over fifth-ranked Shields. 174: Junior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 2 at 174, took on No. 1 Zahid Valencia in a rematch of two thrilling NCAA tournament battles from 2017 and 2018. The duo battled evenly for the opening minute-plus, working in the middle of the mat on the Nittany Lion logo. They battled to a stalemate on their feet at the 1:15 mark with the bout scoreless with each man looking for an opening to score. The duo battled for the remainder of the period without scoring and the bout moved to the second stanza tied 0-0. Hall chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Hall fought off a Valencia high single at the 1:20 mark, scrambling his way into control of the Sun Devil and rolling through for a takedown and 3-0 lead at the :50 mark, bringing nearly 7,000 Rec Hall faithful to their feet. Hall spent the remainder of the period looking to turn Valencia and, while not getting a near fall, finished off the rideout to lead 3-0 with a :41 riding time edge after two periods. Valencia chose down to start the third period and Hall controlled him front the top position again, building up over 1:00 in riding time in the process. The Lion junior continued his ride deep into the third period. He worked his way into a chance to turn Valencia but only got a quick one count at the :40 mark. Hall finished the match off on top and rolled to a dominating 4-0 win with 2:41 in riding time. 184: Senior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 4 at 184, met Kordell Norfleet. Rasheed was steady to start, taking his time and finding the right spot on the edge of the mat to connect on a low single with 1:41 left. Leading 2-0, Rasheed spent the next minute-plus looking for a chance to turn the Sun Devil wrestler to his back. While not finishing off a cradle, Rasheed finished on top and led 2-0 with 1:41 in time after one period. Rasheed chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. He then quickly turned in on a single and upped his lead to 5-0 with another takedown at the 1:40 mark. Rasheed picked up a riding time point and then began looking to lock up a cradle. A third stall gave Rasheed a 7-0 lead with 3:8 in riding time after two periods. Norfleet chose neutral to start the third period, tried to connect on a low shot, only to have Rasheed roll behind him for another takedown and a 9-0 lead. He upped his lead to 10-0 on another stall, picked up four near fall points at the 1:02 mark and finished on top to post a 15-0 technical fall (with the 4:58 riding time point) at the 7:00 mark. 197: Senior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 197, faced off against ASU's Austyn Harris. Nickal wasted no time adding to the Lion lead. Nickal spent just 0:30 on his feet before locking Harris up, turning him quickly to his back and getting the fast fall at the 0:35 mark. 285: Senior Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.), ranked No. 5 at 285, met Sun Devil Brady Daniel. Cassar took Daniel down early, opening up a 2-0 lead just over 0:30 into the bout. The Lion senior built up a solid riding time edge, controlling the action from the top position and then working arm control into a turn. Cassar picked up the four count and led 6-0 at the 1:07 mark. Daniel escaped to a 6-1 score with :30 on the clock and Cassar led 6-1 with 1:51 in time after one. Cassar chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 7-1 lead. He then worked his way through a low shot for a scrambling takedown and a 9-1 lead with 1:30 left in the middle stanza. The Lion senior dominated the action from the top position, forcing Daniel into a first stall warning as his time advantage inched closer to 3:00. He cut the Sun Devil big man loose with :35 on the clock and immediately took him down again to up his lead to 11-2. Trailing 11-2, Daniel chose neutral to start the third period and Cassar made him pay for the decision. The Lion senior moved in quickly, picked Daniel up and tossed him to his back A quick reset on top and Cassar posted the fall at the 5:18 mark.

Augustana University wrestling -- and all other intercollegiate sports at the Sioux Falls, S.D. school -- will be making the move from NCAA Division II to Division I. The transition -- part of school president Stephanie Herseth Sandlin's AU: Vision 2030 strategic vision plan -- was approved by Augustana's Board of Trustees on Thursday. One key element of this plan is a transition for Vikings athletics to a Division I intercollegiate conference. While this vision plan itself does not indicate a timetable for this transition, multiple media reports indicate the school hopes to make the transition during the 2021-22 school year. "Augustana needs to notify its current conference, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) by the end of the year if they intend to leave the conference to begin the transition," according to the Argus-Leader. Augustana has been a member of the NSIC since 2008. "Augustana has been a pivotal contributor to the success of the NSIC over the past decade," according to NSIC Commissioner Erin Lind. "They have represented the NSIC well in competition, in the classroom, and in their community. We wish all the student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans the best in the future." In the past, Augustana has stated its intentions to move to the Summit League, which recently relocated its headquarters from suburban Chicago to Sioux Falls. If approved to join the Summit League, the Vikings would begin a five-year transition period that will include some time playing as an independent without a conference, and ineligibility for postseason play. The AU Viking wrestling program is led by head coach Jason Reitmeier, a 1997 Augustana alum who started his coaching career at his college alma mater immediately upon graduation. Since taking the helm in 2003, Reitmeier has led the Vikings to an overall record of 176-80. Known as Augustana College until 2015, Augustana University is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Located in Sioux Falls, the school is the largest private university in South Dakota. The school, affectionately known as "Augie," has an enrollment of approximately 2,100 students. Augustana is the second Division II school with an interscholastic wrestling program to announce plans to move to Division I. In October, InterMat reported that Long Island University in New York would combine each of its sports programs -- including wrestling -- at its two campuses -- LIU Brooklyn, and LIU Post -- into a single NCAA Division I program as part of a "One LIU" initiative. LIU expects to complete that transition in time for the 2019-20 academic year.

Frank Molinaro (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) BLACKSBURG -- Virginia Tech wrestling head coach Tony Robie announced Friday that assistant coach Frank Molinaro has stepped down from his position with the program to focus solely on preparing for the upcoming international freestyle season. A 2012 NCAA champion and current U.S. National Team member, Molinaro placed fifth at 65 kilograms at the 2016 Rio Olympics as a member of the USA senior men's freestyle team. "If you look at the wrestlers winning world and Olympic titles, none of them are in full-time coaching positions," Robie said. "Frank has the ability to be one of those guys and it makes sense for him to put himself in the best position to make that happen. This move will allow him the flexibility to travel for competition and training, permitting him to focus on what he needs to do to accomplish his wrestling goals."

Mason Smith is a two-time NCAA qualifier (Photo/CMU Athletics) Mason Smith, a two-time NCAA qualifier at Central Michigan, announced that he would finish his wrestling career at Campbell. The announcement came via Twitter. This past offseason, Smith announced that he was transferring from Central Michigan to Arizona State. However, he never competed for the Sun Devils. Last season, he compiled a 31-5 record at 141 pounds, was a Midlands champion and earned a No. 10 seed at the NCAA Division I Championships in Cleveland, Ohio.

Kyle Conel, who placed third at the 2018 NCAA Championships last year, announced on Twitter this week that he'll be undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. In the note Conel also said that he was almost certain to retire from the sport. Conel was an unlikely and inspiring All-American in 2018, beating top-seeded Kollin Moore of Ohio State twice on his way to a third-place finish. That performance along with his go-for-broke style made him a mini-celebrity in the wrestling community, and there were high hopes for his 2019 campaign. With his career likely over, it's worth re-watching Flo's short movie released earlier this year on Conel. He's had a winding and difficult story, but it's one that can hopefully inspire young wrestlers of the future to believe in themselves no matter what's going on in the classroom, wrestling room, or social life. While he won't be on the mat, everyone is wishing Conel the best of luck in the future! To your questions … Nick Nevills is an All-American (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: It appears that Nick Nevills was beaten out for the starting spot as a senior. It's crazy to think about considering his talent. Three-time California state champ and NCAA All-American. I viewed him as a title contender this season. Is he still in the mix to start? Will he battle for the spot the rest of the season? If not, I can only imagine how difficult it would be for him to practice knowing he won't have an opportunity to wrestle for a national championship. -- Mike C. Foley: Man, this is tough. You want to see a guy of Nevills' talent compete for an NCAA championship as a senior. He seems to have been a good teammate and competed well for Coach Cael, but as it stands, he's no longer the best wrestler Penn State can field at the weight class. Wrestling is an unforgiving sport and we have to recognize that part of what makes it such a special sport is that anyone at any time can earn their spot in the starting lineup, often without politics or hands-on coaching decisions. Q: What is happening with the Virginia 125-pound slot? Two forfeits, no Louie Hayes, no backup. Should I worry? -- CM Cooper Foley: Concern is certainly warranted, but I'd wait another two weeks before we start sending hand written letter of inquiries to Charlottesville re: Hayes. As for the lack of a backup, that is a little more difficult. A lot of schools can find that their little guys grow out of the 125-pound weight class, but you'd want your own school to have the depth to survive that type of midseason loss. Can't speculate on the reasoning for the lack of backups for now, but like I mentioned I think there are a few more weeks before the bone-deep level of worry starts to sink in. Q: Do you have a prediction on Zahid Valencia vs. Mark Hall on Friday? What's the key for each wrestler to get the win? -- Mike C. Foley: Valencia was dominant in their meeting at the 2018 NCAA Championships, winning 8-2. He also managed a runner-up finish to Kyle Dake at Final X. I like both these guys and see Mark Hall as the type of wrestler to respond to his loss with a passionate seven minutes in the rematch. However, I think that if Valencia competes at an expected high level his length and ability to finish on Hall without getting too caught in his defensive upper body transitions the match will be straight forward. Expect good penetration from Valencia into an outside single. He'll look to finish fast, but what's more worrisome to Hall fans is that Valencia can finish with pressuring low into Hall, or by creating separation and finishing high. The other issue for Hall is that he has a little more trouble generating offense against Valencia -- who to his credit also limits mistakes in scrambles. I think Valencia wins 6-3, but I also recognize it's a losing proposition for me to try to predict the score of two national champions wrestling in a first-semester dual meet. If they wrestle each other at all … MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Age-Group Wrestlers of 2018! Q: I know Kyle Snyder is planning on wrestling at the Yarygin. Do you expect Abdulrashid Sadulaev to wrestle there? -- Mike C. Foley: Kyle Snyder is wrestling at the Ivan Yarygin, likely on the condition that it will be a ranking series event for United World Wrestling. That event schedule has yet to be determined, but if it repeats as a ranking series even then I would imagine nothing would change for his travel plans. Sadualev is a little trickier. The Yarygin tends to be the qualifier for Russia's squad for the European Championships, but from my understanding that can often excuse the reigning world champions. I'd guess he makes an appearance, though that too may depend on it being a ranking series event. Should they both attend I'd be hyped for an early-season trilogy as it would give us another look at these guys before the World Championships, which will be the first qualifier for the 2020 Olympic Games! Q: What do you think of the Henry Cejudo vs. T.J. Dillishaw upcoming fight? Who do you see winning? -- Gregg Y. Foley: Oy. I've come around on Cejudo. He's the champion of his sport and has improved all aspects of his fight game. There is a very effective standup game, top-level wrestling and serviceable defensive jiu-jitsu. But … Dillashaw's kickboxing is arguably the best in any division and his aptitude at throwing damaging low leg kicks will change the distance at which Cejudo can take the fight. Also, even if Cejudo can close the distance without taking damage I doubt that his in-the-cage wrestling is THAT much better than Dillashaw's. To be able to take down a Division I wrestler and hold them down for a significant amount of time (at featherweight) seems somewhat unlikely. I'll take Dillashaw by TKO, but I will be pulling for Cejudo! Q: Thought I would share this article with you. Super cool to get that kind of turn out. Kingsway in South Jersey always puts out some tough teams. The girls are going to be just as tough! -- Ryan G. Foley: Girls high school wrestling is a game changer! What an awesome time to be involved in the sport. Lots of credit to these coaches and to the national organizers of this movement like Sally Roberts at Wrestle Like a Girl!

The online sportsbook BetDSI has released college wrestling betting odds for this weekend's slate (Dec. 14-16). How betting works: When betting matches/dual meets with point spreads, a minus (-) sign indicates the favorite, while a plus (+) sign indicates the underdog. -120 means that for every $1.20 wagered, the bettor would profit $1. So a $24 wager at -120 that wins would profit $20 and return a total of $48. Note: Betting odds are subject to change. To create a BetDSI account, click here.

Yianni Diakomihalis defeated Josh Alber twice last season (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The marquee bout this week is a showdown of the last two wrestlers to win a national title at 174 pounds. Obviously a lot of interest will be directed at the bout between No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) and No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State), but there are plenty of other intriguing matches this weekend. The following looks at the best matches by weight class. 125: No. 4 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 16 Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado) Where/When: Oklahoma State at Northern Colorado on Sunday, Dec. 16 Piccininni is starting at 125 pounds for the third straight year for the Cowboys. His junior season is off to a strong start. He has won all seven of his matches including a decision victory over returning NCAA qualifier No. 5 Sean Russell (Minnesota). Of his seven victories, Piccininni has picked up bonus points in six. In his last match, he notched a 56-second fall over Zach Atencio (Oklahoma) in the Bedlam dual. After winning the Northern Colorado Open in early November, Montoya sat out until returning to action last weekend. After competing at 133 pounds last year and qualifying for the NCAA tournament, he is down in weight this year. On Sunday, he split a pair of matches with a technical fall over Cliff Conway (VMI) and his first loss of the season against Dylan Ryder (Hofstra). On Monday, Montoya got back on track with a major decision over Joe Manchio (Columbia). Montoya is a sort of wildcard after dropping down in weight. However, Piccininni should be the clear favorite in this match. At this point, his offensive arsenal is much too diverse and persistent. However, if Montoya is able to make this a match, it could signal that he could contend for All-America honors at the end of the year. Prediction: Piccininni (Oklahoma State) maj. dec. Montoya (Northern Colorado) 133: No. 19 Matthew Schmitt (West Virginia) vs. No. 6 Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) Where/When: West Virginia at Pittsburgh on Saturday, Dec. 15 Schmitt has been out of the lineup since early November, so it is entirely possible that he does not start here for the Mountaineers. In his last action, the returning NCAA qualifier won the Hokie Open. Along the way, he bested Zach Sherman (North Carolina) via a 3-1 decision. This is Phillippi's first year in the lineup for Pittsburgh after transferring from Virginia. He announced himself as a player in the 133-pound division with a strong showing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. At the tournament, he scored victories over No. 18 Cam Sykora (NDSU), No. 8 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) and No. 7 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) before eventually falling against returning finalist No. 3 Nick Suriano (Rutgers). It is questionable if Schmitt even wrestles this match since he has not wrestled in over a month. If he does, this instantly becomes an intriguing match. Even though he dropped 14 matches last year, he showed that he could give a high quality wrestler a tough test. The smart money is on Phillippi due to his recent momentum, but he will need to show that his Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational performance was not just a good run. Prediction: Phillippi (Pittsburgh) dec. Schmitt (West Virginia) 141: No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs. No. 10 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) Where/When: Cornell at Northern Iowa on Saturday, Dec. 15 Last season Diakomihalis won an NCAA title as a true freshman with a torn ACL. Over the offseason, he had surgery to correct the injury. He returned for the first time season at the Mat Town Open where he won first place. However, he has been out of action since late November. This should be his first big test of the season. Alber has started his senior season with an 11-3 record, but he has gone only 1-3 against ranked competition. His lone victory over ranked wrestler came over Nicholas Gil (Navy) at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Last weekend, Alber won the UNI Open where he picked up a victory over veteran and NCAA qualifier Vince Turk (Iowa). Diakomihalis was able to defeat Alber twice last season, and he only surrendered four points total across the two bouts. Obviously, he should be able to take care of business if he is healthy. This remains his biggest test of the season, and it will go a long way to show that he is rounding back into championship form. Prediction: Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec. Alber (Northern Iowa) 149: No. 11 Josh Maruca (Arizona State) vs. No. 12 Brady Berge (Penn State) Where/When: Arizona State at Penn State on Friday, Dec. 14 In some ways, Maruca has had a tough start to the season. However, his tough schedule has certainly played a role in that. He has dropped three matches, but they have come against No. 19 Cole Martin (Wisconsin), No. 6 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) and No. 3 Micah Jordan (Ohio State). Maruca's only ranked win this season came against No. 18 Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State) over a month ago. Berge wrestled sparingly last year during his redshirt season, and so far that trend has continued this year. He opened his season at the Keystone Classic and defeated his teammate Jarod Verkleeren before dropping out via medical forfeit. Since then, he has only wrestled once and picked up a technical fall victory over Joey Schiele (Bucknell). Berge has some big shoes to fill as he is filling in for multiple-time NCAA champion Zain Retherford. He certainly has the talent to finish as an All-American, but he will need to overcome injuries and solidly make the weight. While Maruca has suffered more losses on the year, he has faced the much tougher schedule. It will be interesting to see if Penn State sends out Berge. If he wants to find himself on the podium this season, he will need to pick up victories over guys like Maruca. If Berge is healthy and has his weight under control, he has the talent to win, but it might be too much too soon. Prediction: Maruca (Arizona State) dec. Berge (Penn State) 157: Zachary Moore (West Virginia) vs. No. 10 Taleb Rahmani (Pittsburgh) Where/When: West Virginia at Pittsburgh on Saturday, Dec. 15 Moore has started his junior season with an 8-2 record. At the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, he nearly knocked off No. 17 Lucas Weiland (Army), but he ultimately fell after giving up a takedown in sudden victory. In his last match, he got back on track in a big way with a first-period fall over Pat Schoenfelder (Northern Iowa). Rahmani went 18-14 last season, but he has shot up the rankings due to a 9-2 decision victory over No. 11 Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. In the same bracket, he also dropped matches against No.7 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State) and No. 9 Griffin Parriott (Purdue), but Rahmani showed flashes of brilliance that have given Pittsburgh fans a reason to get excited about his prospects this season. Without knowing the history, this might appear to be a one-sided match in favor of Rahmani. However, the two have already wrestled twice in their collegiate careers. The Pittsburgh wrestler pinned Moore last December, but eight days later the West Virginia wrestler took home a 3-1 decision. Moore won by staying fundamental and stifling Rahmani's offense. Don't expect that to happen here. Even in his losses this year, Rahmani has been able to get to his leg attacks. Look for him to score early and often in this bout. Prediction: Rahmani (Pittsburgh) dec. Moore (West Virginia) 165: No. 6 Isaiah White (Nebraska) vs. No. 18 Thomas Bullard (NC State) Where/When: Nebraska at NC State on Sunday, Dec. 16 White's season has already been an adventure. He started the season with a 1-3 record, which included losses against No. 17 Cam Coy (Virginia) and No. 15 Ebed Jarrell (Drexel). However, he bounced back in a major way at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. He won the tournament, and along the way he defeated No. 14 Joey Gunther (Illinois), No. 8 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) and No. 7 Logan Massa (Michigan). Bullard was an NCAA qualifier two seasons ago before redshirting last season. So far this year, he has gotten off to an 8-1 start with his only defeat coming against No. 3 Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven). In those eight victories, he has scored five falls. Prediction: White (Nebraska) dec. Bullard (NC State) 174: No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) vs. No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) Where/When: Arizona State at Penn State on Friday, Dec. 14 The match between the last two NCAA champions at 174 pounds would obviously be the marquee bout of the weekend. Two seasons ago, Hall defeated Valencia in 4-3 in the national semifinals. In last year's final, Valencia returned the favor and knocked off Hall 8-2. In between those matches, Valencia also defeated Hall in an exhibition match at last season's All-Star Classic. Valencia has started his junior season with an undefeated 9-0 record with six falls. Hall is also undefeated at 7-0 with a victory over No. 6 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) Valencia has shown that he has the recipe to beat Hall. He comes forward with a high pace and shoots and shoots and shoots. Halls has had an entire offseason to make changes to his game, but until he shows that he can hang with Valencia's determination in neutral, the Arizona State wrestler remains the favorite. Prediction: Valencia (Arizona State) dec. Hall (Penn State) 184: No. 3 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) vs. No. 5 Nick Reenan (NC State) Where/When: Nebraska at NC State on Sunday, Dec. 16 Outside of a loss against No. 1 Myles Martin (Ohio State), Venz has won all of his matches this season. He already has a pair of ranked victories on the season as he has bested No. 12 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) and No. 7 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa). As it currently stands, Venz has to be one of the favorites to make the NCAA finals at this weight class. Reenan has looked great since returning to the lineup following a redshirt season. Over the summer, he reached Final X before falling against eventual world champion David Taylor. Reenan has started the year 6-0 with a signature win coming over No. 6 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. In his last action, he pinned Alan Clothier (Appalachian State) in a little over a minute. This match could end up going in multiple directions. Venz's top game is a difference maker, and he could likely ride or turn Reenan. However, Reenan might end up having an advantage on the feet. If he is able to score a takedown in the first period, it would force Venz to try to catch up and take the Cornhusker out of his game. Prediction: Reenan (NC State) dec. Venz (Nebraksa) 197: Martin Mueller (South Dakota State) vs. No. 20 Corey Griego (Oregon State) Where/When: South Dakota State at Oregon State on Sunday, Dec. 16 Mueller was an NCAA qualifier at 184 pounds last season, but he has struggled since moving up in weight. Mueller has gone only 4-4 and lost to No. 7 (Division III) Kobe Woods (Wartburg). Obviously this is not the season he envisioned after moving up to 197, but a win over Griego could get him back on track. Griego has had some struggles in his own right this season. He has gone 3-2 and is just barely hanging onto his ranking. He dropped a pair of matches at the Cliff Keen Invitational against Wyatt Koelling (Missouri) and Sawyer Root (The Citadel). Neither wrestler has been unable to get any momentum going this season. It is a long season, there is plenty of time to turning it around. A win here could put one of these wrestlers on the path to success. It is likely to be a close and low scoring match, but look for Griego to control the pace and take home the victory. Prediction: Griego (Oregon State) dec. Mueller (South Dakota State) 285: No. 11 Jake Gunning (Buffalo) vs. No. 12 Zach Elam (Missouri) Where/When: Buffalo at Missouri on Sunday, Dec. 16 Gunning is looking for his third straight trip to the NCAA tournament following this season. He dropped his first bout of the year, but he has since won eight straight matches including sudden victory wins over Ben Sullivan (Army) and No. 15 Matt Voss (George Mason). Elam joined Missouri this offseason as a top-50 recruit with a silver medal at the 2018 Junior World Championships. He is the latest to try to solve Missouri's seemingly continuous issues at heavyweight. Even though he is only a true freshman and wrestled last season at 220 pounds in high school, he has been able to start 13-1 this year. He already has multiple ranked wins including over No. 17 Chase Singletary (Ohio State), No. 16 Joey Goodhart (Drexel) and No. 13 Demetrius Thomas (Pittsburgh). Gunning is at his best when he is using his movement and athleticism to outwork larger heavyweights. That likely will not be an asset against Elam, who shares a lot of the same traits. This could turn out to be much more exciting than the average heavyweight match, but in the end, Elam should be able to will the takedown battle and the match. Prediction: Elam (Missouri) dec. Gunning (Buffalo)

The inaugural Grappler Gold Invitational is set to take place on Saturday at the Lansing (Mich.) Center as part of a weekend NUWAY/Border Wars event for all ages. Brighton, which is ranked No. 18 nationally, is serving as the organizing school/host of the high school tournament. The 17 school field is very robust for it being a one-day event and having to follow the travel rules of the state of Michigan. Obviously the nationally ranked Bulldogs anchor the event, with No. 24 Davison being other nationally ranked teams. Perennial Michigan state champion Dundee is also in the field, as are a pair of very strong teams from in Indiana in Brownsburg and Evansville Mater Dei. Below is a listing of the more notable wrestlers in the event, listed weight-by-weight, wrestlers are from Michigan unless noted. It should be noted that NFHS weights are being used in this event, thought it is being contested in Michigan. 106: No. 14 Casey Swiderski (Dundee), Quaylon Newton (Brighton), Alec Freeman (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), Logan Miller (Brownsburg, Ind.) 113: A.J. Baxter (Clinton), Austin Fietz (Dundee), Pacey Nasdusak (Mason, Ohio), Joe Haynes (Waren Woods Tower), Mason Shrader (Brighton), Cole Ross (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), Kamariyon Nelson (Bronwsubrg, Ind.), Cole Dunn (L'Anse Creuse) 120: Blake Boarman (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), Kysen Montgomery (Bronwsburg, Ind.), Sam Freeman (Brighton), Steven Garty (Davison), Jack Haskin (Toledo Whitmer), Dominic DiTullio (Mason, Ohio), Joseph Blaze (Clinton) 126: Andrew Chambal (Davison), Tyler Swiderski (Dundee), Ben Manly (Brighton) Evan Lawhead (Brownsburg, Ind.), Kane Egli (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), Kaleob Whitford (St. Johns), David Stepanian (Warren Woods Tower) 132: Drake Campbell (Bronwsburg, Ind.), Noah Comar (Clinton), Jonathan White (Dundee), Clay Egli (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), Chaise Mayer (Warren Woods Tower), Zach Johnson (Brighton), Raymond Cole (Davison) 138: Drew Kreitzer (Bronwsburg, Ind.), Eddie Homrock (Brighton), James Johnston (Davison), Christian Killion (Dundee), Sam Glassco (Mason, Ohio), Blaine Mayer (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.) 145: No. 7 James Whitaker (St. Johns), No. 14 Chris Donathan (Mason, Ohio), Matt Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), Stoney Buell (Dundee), Rhett Newton (Brighton), Matthew Grant (Onaway), Jake Billette (Clarkston), Griffin Ison (Brownsburg, Ind.) 152: No. 17 Caden Fish (Eaton Rapids), Brian Case (Davison), Victor Grabowski (Brighton), Eli Dickens (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), Grant Ott (Dundee) 160: No. 1 Alex Facundo (Davison), Dane Donabedian (Brighton), McAllister McAvoy (Dundee), Peyton Asbury (Brownsburg, Ind.), Gabe Sollars (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.) 170: No. 19 River Shettler (Brighton), Kamal Adewumi (Mason, Ohio), Jay Nivison (Davison), Brayden Randolph (Clinton), Jaxon Guinn (Dundee), McCartney Parkinson (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.) 182: Cal Stefanko (Davison), Jon Clack (Lakewood), Toby Amburgy (Mason, Ohio) 195: Greyson Stevens (Brighton) 220: Joel Radavansky (Warren Woods Tower), Luke Stanton (Brighton), Trevor McGowan (Davison), Lawson Aiken (Brownsburg, Ind.) 285: Aaron Gilmore (Davison), Brogan Reed (Mason, Ohio)

Blake West defeated Pierson Manville in the finals of the InterMat Classic (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) The Minnesota Christmas Tournament is being held this Friday and Saturday in Rochester, Minn. Annually this event serves as a de facto single-class Minnesota state tournament. This year's 40-team field features the vast majority of top teams from Minnesota, plus a few schools from out of state. This year that includes schools from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Oklahoma. There are three nationally ranked teams featured in the field: No. 21 Simley, No. 25 Kasson-Mantorville, and No. 46 Apple Valley. Other teams to watch in the field include Aurora Christian (Ill.), Edmond Memorial (Okla.), Ellsworth (Wis.), Fairmont-Martin County West, Holmen (Wis.), Kaukauna (Wis.), Owatonna, Scott West, and St. Michael-Albertville. Below is a list of wrestlers to watch in the field (Minnesota schools unless noted). 106: Blake West (Owatonna), Cruz Aguilar (Edmond Memorial, Okla.), Pierson Manville (Shakopee), Matt Hogue (East Ridge), Brendan Howes (Anoka), Reid Nelson (Forest Lake), Tyson Peitz (Waconia), Michael Loger (Totino-Grace) 113: Joey Thompson (Totino-Grace), Paxton Creese (Shakopee), Maxwell Petersen (Byron), Brandon Psyk (St. Michael-Albertville), Cael Swensen (Wayzata), Jaden Verhagen (Kaukauna, Wis.), Logan Vaughan (Kasson-Mantorville), Kanin Hable (Owatonna) 120: No. 1 Eric Barnett (Hortonville, Wis.), Derrick Cardinal (Forest Lake), Ben Lunn (Shakopee), Jaxson Rohman (Fairmont-Martin County West), Chase DeBlaere (Simley), Mason Campshure (Kaukauna, Wis.) 126: No. 13 Jake Svihel (Totino-Grace), Reid Ballantyne (Stillwater), Mitchel Petersen (Byron), Cameron Johnson (Aurora Christian, Ill.), Regan Schrempp (Apple Valley), Luke Joniaux (Luxemburg-Casco, Wis.), Justin Stauffacher (Scott West), Nick Cantu (Albert Lea), Hunter Lyden (East Ridge) 132: Ryan Sokol (Simley), Ryder Rogotzke (East Ridge), Adam Mickelson (Apple Valley), Bam West (Edmond Memorial, Okla.), Brandon Micksch (Kaukauna, Wis.) 138: Noah Villarreal (Aurora Christian, Ill.), Bryce Bosman (Luxemburg-Casco, Wis.), Cael Berg (Simley), Jackson Oplotnik (Edmond Memorial, Okla.), Tyler Shackle (Scott West), Marshall Peters (Rochester Mayo), Trey Kruse (Stillwater), Charlie Stuhl (Ellsworth, Wis.), John Diener (Kaukauna, Wis.) 145: No. 15 Cael Carlson (Willmar), Sebas Swiggum (Apple Valley), Peter Rolle (Edmond Memorial, Okla.), Scott Springer (Anoka), Antonio Everett (Simley), Payton Anderson (Fairmont-Martin County West), Jared Lansing (Ellsworth, Wis.), Zeke Marshall (Aurora Christian, Ill.), Luke Peterson (Farmington), Kaden Nelson (Owatonna) 152: No. 7 Carson Manville (Shakopee), Colby Njos (Anoka), Brady Gross (Apple Valley), Bennett Berge (Kasson-Mantorville), Tim Stapleton (Waconia), Jay Cee Gonzalez (Aurora Christian, Ill.), Gavin Nelson (Simley) 160: Devin Roberts (Apple Valley), Jacob Hageman (Simley), Jimmy Brown (Cambridge-Isanti), Kyle Knowles (Edmond Memorial, Okla.), Cedric Kosnopfal (Ellsworth, Wis.), Moise Madimba (Coon Rapids) 170: Cade Mueller (Waconia), Colton Krell (Westfield), Reese Worachek (Luxemburg-Casco, Wis.), Nolan Wanzek (Simley), Dalton Andrist (Kasson-Mantorville), Jake Viloria (St. Rita, Ill.), Wyatt Lidberg (St. Michael-Albertville) 182: No. 4 Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville), No. 13 Zach Glazier (Albert Lea), Cade King (Owatonna), Quayin Short (Simley), Calvin Sund (Prior Lake), Kalyn Jahn (Holmen, Wis.), Bryce Alsteen (Kaukauna, Wis.), Dustin Dittrich (P-E-M, Minn.), Carl Leuer (St. Michael-Albertville) 195: Grant Parrish (Kasson-Mantorville), Lincoln Shinn (Willmar), Jacob Bennett (Zumbrotta-Mazeppa), Nick Staska (Owatonna), Brady Nielsen (Anoka) 220: Garsen Schorr (Kasson-Mantorville), Angel Jaimes (Aurora Christian, Ill.), Andrew Reigstand (Willmar), Riley Wingert (P-E-M, Minn.), Marco Cavallaro (East Ridge) 285: Tyler Kim (Apple Valley), Charlie Farhat (Willmar), James Johnson (Minnetonka), Calvin Menke (Scott West), Nick Pierce (St. Francis)