InterMat Staff

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The Navy wrestling team (1-1, 0-0 EIWA) won eight of the 10 bouts en route to a 31-6 victory over Maryland (0-2) Friday evening at XFINITY Center in College Park. The Midshipmen have now won seven in a row against the Terps, including each of the last four wrestled in College Park. "This a group of wrestlers who went out and competed hard and had a lot of fun in what was our second dual against a Big Ten opponent this season," said fifth-year Navy head coach Joel Sharratt. "As a team, we are still improving our wrestling IQ. The strategy and tactics we faced tonight by a smart Maryland team will help our guys grow and develop. It's critical our youth continue to have fun, learn and hone their skills tactically and strategically every day over the course of the season." The Highlights • The 25-point victory marked the largest margin of victory by either team in the series since 2005 when the Mids earned a 35-6 win (+29) over Maryland in College Park. • Navy won the first three matches of the evening to jump out to a 12-0 lead and never looked back. The closest Maryland would get was to within nine (12-3) following Alfred Bannister's victory in the fourth match of the night. • Among Navy's eight individual wins, five were bonus-point victories including a win by fall (5:24) at 133 pounds by sophomore Casey Cobb over Orion Anderson. Tanner Skidgel (165), 18th-ranked Spencer Carey (174), Joshua Roetman (197) and Thomas Ott (285) all earned wins by major decision at their respective weight classes. • Navy's two losses on the evening were by a combined two points. 18th-ranked Alfred Bannister of Maryland edged Navy junior Jared Prince, ranked 19th, by a 5-4 mark at 149 pounds. Kyle Jasenski bested Navy senior Anthony Cable, 3-2, at 184 pounds. • Earning their first collegiate dual victories were sophomores Quentin Hovis at 157 pounds and Tanner Skidgel at 165 pounds and junior Spencer Carey at 174 pounds. Hovis dealt Maryland's Adam Whitesell a 4-2 loss in what was his first career dual appearnce, while Skidgel earned a 13-2 major decision over Idris White in just his second career dual match (lost 3-2 vs. Kaleb Romero of Ohio State in the opener). Carey, meanwhile, went 0-1 in dual action a year ago, but produced a 16-4 victory over the Terps' Philip Spadafora. • 125-pound Jacob Allen and 197-pound Joshua Roetman are the only two Navy wrestlers to go 2-0 in dual action this season. Allen, a freshman, scored a 3-1 victory over Maryland's Brandon Cray in the opening match of the evening, while Roetman shut out the Terps' Niko Cappello en route to an 11-0 major decision. • Senior team captain Nicholas Gil, ranked 18th at 141 pounds, inched his way closer to the 100-win milestone by posting a 3-2 victory over Maryland's Michael Doetsch to improve to 91-36 over his four seasons. What's Ahead • The Midshipmen will step away from the competition mat for the remainder of the month before gearing up to take part in the Southern Scuffle held in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Jan. 1-2. Results: 125 | Jacob Allen (NAVY) dec over Brandon Cray, 3-1 (MD 0, NAVY 3) 133 | Casey Cobb (NAVY) fall over Orion Anderson, 5:24 (MD 0, NAVY 9) 141 | #18 Nicholas Gil (NAVY) dec over Michael Doetsch, 3-2 (MD 0, NAVY 12) 149 | #18 Alfred Bannister (MD) dec over #19 Jared Prince, 5-4 (MD 3, NAVY 12) 157 | Quentin Hovis (NAVY) dec over Adam Whitesell, 4-2 (MD 3, NAVY 15) 165 | Tanner Skidgel (NAVY) major dec over Idris White, 13-2 (MD 3, NAVY 19) 174 | #18 Spencer Carey (NAVY) major dec over Phillip Spadafora, 16-4 (MD 3, NAVY 23) 184 | Kyle Jasenski (MD) dec over Anthony Cable, 3-2 (MD 6, NAVY 23) 197 | Joshua Roetman (NAVY) major dec over Niko Cappello, 11-0 (MD 6, NAVY 27) 285 | Thomas Ott (NAVY) major dec over Mansur Abdul-Malik, 13-3 (MD 6, NAVY 31)

BLACKSBURG -- The No. 14 Virginia Tech wrestling team used four straight wins from 157 pounds through 184 to defeat Princeton, 24-16, in front of 1,782 in Cassell Coliseum on Friday night. The Hokies (1-2) had four bonus point wins over the Tigers (1-3) in their home opener. Virginia Tech has now won 16 consecutive duals in Cassell with its last loss coming at the hands of Penn State on Nov. 15, 2015. MATCH NOTES As the visiting team, Princeton decided to draw and the bout selected randomly was 149 pounds. Redshirt senior Ryan Blees was able to hold first-ranked Matthew Kolodzik to an 8-2 decision. That set the stage for a toss-up bout between redshirt sophomore B.C LaPrade and freshman Quincy Monday at 157 pounds. With the match tied at 4-4 at the end of regulation and the first sudden victory overtime period, LaPrade was able to ride out Monday in the first tiebreaker period and escape in the second to take the 5-4 decision and tie the match up at 3-3. Redshirt freshman Mekhi Lewis continued Tech's run with a 17-4 major decision, followed by redshirt junior David McFadden's first appearance of the season 174 that resulted in a 5-0 decision. Redshirt senior Zack Zavatsky's major at 184 extended the Hokie lead to 14-3. The evening also saw Billy Miller's first action of the season at heavyweight. The redshirt senior over-powered Kendall Elfstrom to the tune of a 10-2 major decision. Redshirt junior Korbin Myers clinched the match at 133 pounds with a win by fall in 3:41 secured on a roll through cradle in the second period. The Hokies will return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 19, when they travel to Morgantown to take on West Virginia. Results: 149: No. 1 Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) dec. Ryan Blees (VT), 8-2 157: B.C. LaPrade (VT) dec. Quincy Monday (Princeton), 5-4 (TB-2) 165: No. 8 Mekhi Lewis (VT) MD Dale Tiongson (Princeton), 17-4 174: No. 5 David McFadden (VT) dec. Travis Stefanik (Princeton), 5-0 184: No. 8 Zack Zavatsky (VT) MD Kevin Parker (Princeton), 14-6 197: No. 5 Patrick Brucki (Princeton) dec. Tom Sleigh (VT), 8-3 285: No. 7 Billy Miller (VT) MD Kendall Elfstrom (Princeton), 10-2 125: No. 14 Patrick Glory (Princeton) TF Joey Prata (Virginia Tech), 18-2 (4:40) 133: No. 16 Korbin Myers (VT) WBF Jake Adkins (Princeton), 3:41 141: Marshall Keller (Princeton) TF Dominic Latona (VT), 22-3 (6:51)

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –After falling behind early due to a forfeiture right out of the gates, Virginia (4-2) rallied and then used a pair of bonus-point victories to take a 22-18 victory over Central Michigan (0-2) on Friday night. The Cavaliers got decisions from Brian Courtney (Sayre, Pa.) at 133 pounds, No. 17 Sam Krivus (Greensburg, Pa.) at 141 pounds, Will Schany (Blair, Neb.) at 174 pounds, and No. 11 Jay Aiello (Chantilly, Va.) at 197 pounds. Seventeenth ranked Cam Coy (Jeannette, Pa.) and Robby Patrick (Ligonier, Pa.) provided the bonus-point wins, with Coy notching a pin in 1:37 at 165 pounds and Patrick recording a major decision at 174 pounds. "I want to praise Cam Coy and Will Schany," said Virginia head coach Steve Garland. "They are the reason we won tonight. Cam's pin was huge and the way Schany wrestled is exactly the way we want all of our team to wrestle." "We got a good win against Central Michigan, a program that's been great for a long time under Tom Borelli who is one of the best coaches in the sport and is an icon. We should have wrestled better, because people say 'a win is a win' but we want to be better than that. Princeton, a team who just knocked off a top 10 team last week, comes in here tomorrow (Saturday) and we will have to be a lot better." The match opened with Central Michigan taking a 6-0 lead in the overall score as Virginia forfeited at 125 pounds to start the night. The Cavaliers then pulled even in the match with back-to-back wins from Courtney and Krivus. After a scoreless first period, Courtney pulled away from Brock Bergelin with a 6-2 decision to get Virginia on the scoreboard. Krivus followed that up with a tight 3-2 decision, using an escape with three seconds left on the clock in the third period to notch the win. Central Michigan moved back in front, recording consecutive decisions at 149 and 157 pounds with a total of three points providing the difference in the two bouts. Coy again pulled Virginia even in the overall match score with his pin of Bret Fedewa in the first period. The dual score sat at 12-12 following the 165-pound match. Virginia took its first lead of the night with Patrick's major decision at 174 pounds as the freshman controlled the match early on the way to an 11-3 victory over Collin Lieber. Schany extended the lead with his 12-6 decision over Jordan Atienza, rallying with a flurry of points down the stretch in the second period and throughout the third. Aiello iced the match at 197 pounds, posting a 9-4 decision over Landon Pelham to put the Cavaliers on top by 10 points with the heavyweights remaining. Central Michigan cut the final margin of victory to four points as No. 19 Matt Stencel recorded a pin in the final bout of the night. Virginia will return to action on Saturday afternoon, hosting Princeton at 4 p.m. at Memorial Gym. Results: 125:Drew Hildebrandt (CMU) by forfeit – CMU 6, UVA 0 133:Brian Courtney (UVA) dec. Brock Bergelin (CMU), 6-2 – CMU 6, UVA 3 141:No. 17 Sam Krivus (UVA) dec. Drew Marten (CMU), 3-2 – UVA 6, CMU 6 149:Dresden Simon (CMU) dec. Michael Murphy (UVA), 5-4 – CMU 9, UVA 6 157:Logan Parks (CMU) dec. Jake Keating (UVA), 8-6 – CMU 12, UVA 6 165:No. 17 Cam Coy (UVA) pinned Bret Fedewa (CMU), 1:37 – UVA 12, CMU 12 174:Robby Patrick (UVA) major dec. Collin Lieber (CMU), 11-3 – UVA 16, CMU 12 184:Will Schany (UVA) dec. Jordan Atienza (CMU), 12-6 – UVA 19, CMU 12 197:No. 11 Jay Aiello (UVA) dec. Landon Pelham (CMU), 9-4 – UVA 22, CMU 12 HWT:No. 19 Matt Stencel (UVA) pinned Quinn Miller (UVA), 2:57 – UVA 22, CMU 18

PHILADELPHIA -- The Army West Point wrestling team opened its dual season with an 29-5 victory against Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) foe Drexel at the John A. Daskalakis Athletic Center on Friday evening. After splitting the first two matches, the Black Knights rattled off seven consecutive victories with bonus point wins from Beau Guffey (149 lbs.), Cael McCormick (165 lbs.) and 20th-ranked Noah Stewart (184 lbs.). Army secured the victory with Stewart's 15-0 technical fall. Results: 125 lbs.: Trey Chalifoux dec. over Antonio Mininno, 12-8 (Army leads, 3-0) 133 lbs.: Ty Smith dec. over Lane Peters, SV-1, 6-4 (Tied, 3-3) 141 lbs.: Corey Shie dec. over Julian Flores, 7-4 (Army leads, 6-3) 149 lbs.: Beau Guffey maj. dec. over Trevor Elfvin, 12-2 (Army leads, 10-3) 157 lbs.: #17 Lucas Weiland dec. over Evan Barczak, 9-5 (Army leads, 13-3) 165 lbs.: Cael McCormick tech. fall over Mike Manley, 22-7 (Army leads, 18-3) 174 lbs.: #13 Ben Harvey dec. over Bryan McLaughlin, 5-2 (Army leads, 21-3) 184 lbs.: #20 Noah Stewart tech. fall over Owen Brooks, 15-0 (Army leads, 26-3) 197 lbs.: #9 Rocco Caywood dec. over #19 Stephen Loiseau, SV-1, 4-3 (Army leads, 29-3) 285 lbs.: #16 Joey Goodhart dec. over Ben Sullivan, 4-2 (Army leads, 29-6) ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES The Black Knights snapped a four-match losing skid to Drexel, defeating the Dragons for the first time since 2013-14. This is the first time under head coach Kevin Ward that Army earned a victory over Drexel. The Cadets start 1-0 in EIWA duals for the sixth time in the last seven years. Army captured a victory in its first dual of the season for the first time since 2013-14. Rookies Corey Shie and Ben Sullivan made their collegiate dual debuts against the Dragons. Trey Chalifoux earned his 10th win of the season. Guffey notched the 10th bonus point victory of his career. The Tuttle, Okla., native recorded his first-career dual victory. McCormick documented his first technical fall of the season and third of his career. Stewart orchestrated his team-leading fourth technical fall of the year. UP NEXT The Black Knights return to action at the Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern, on Dec. 29-30.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State Wrestling kicked off Big Ten conference action on Friday, December 7, pulling away with a 16-5 victory over Indiana. MSU improves to 2-0 on the young dual season and is 1-0 in the Big Ten. Indiana dropped to 2-2 overall with a loss on Friday. This is the first time the Spartans have opened the Big Ten slate with a victory since the 2004-05 season in which they upset a No. 15-ranked Penn State, 19-12. Against the Nittany Lions, MSU got wins from Max Lossen, Nick Simmons, Andy Simmons, Darren McKnight, Bryan Harney and R.J. Boudro. No. 8-ranked Rayvon Foley started things off on the right foot for Michigan State earning a 12-5 victory over Liam Cronin to improve to 10-0 on the season. The Hoosiers responded by winning two consecutive decisions at 133 and 141 pounds to take a 6-3 lead over MSU. Redshirt freshman Jaden Enriquez improved to 2-0 in duals at 149 pounds with a 5-3 win over IU's Breydon Bailey. Indiana responded by taking decisions at 157 and 165 pounds to maintain a 12-6 advantage over the Spartans at the intermission. Redshirt sophomore Drew Hughes scored crucial bonus points for Michigan State at 174, scoring an 11-0 major decision over Jake Hinz to pull the score to 12-10 in favor of Indiana. At 184 pounds, redshirt freshman Cameron Caffey gave MSU the lead for good with a 9-5 decision to defeat Norman Conley. Caffey is now 10-0 on the season and 2-0 in duals. This past week, Conley was ranked No. 20 at 184 pounds by FloWrestling. Brad Wilton expanded the Spartans lead to 16-12 earning his first career dual victory in a match against Jake Kleimola. Indiana took the heavyweight division by a decison, but the points weren't enough to force a criteria decision for the dual. Results: 125: Rayvon Foley (MSU) dec. Liam Cronin (IU), 12-5, MSU leads 3-0 133:Garrett Pepple (IU) dec. Anthony Tutolo (MSU), 5-0, Tied 3-3 141: Cole Weaver (IU) dec. Austin Eicher (MSU), 5-3, IU leads 6-3 149: Jaden Enriquez (MSU) dec. Breydon Bailey (IU), 5-3, Tied 6-6 157: Jake Danishek (IU) dec. Jake Tucker (MSU), 6-2, IU leads 9-6 165: Bryce Martin (IU) dec. Logan Ritchie (MSU), 8-3, IU leads 12-6 174: Drew Hughes (MSU) major dec. Jake Hinz (IU), 11-0, IU leads 12-10 184: Cameron Caffey (MSU) dec. Norman Conley (IU), 9-5, MSU leads 13-12 197: Brad Wilton (MSU) dec. Jake Kleimola (IU), 7-3, MSU leads 16-12 285: Fletcher Miller (IU) dec. Christian Rebottaro (MSU), 7-4, MSU wins 16-15

Day one of the Walsh Ironman has concluded from just outside of Akron, Ohio. Wrestling will resume on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET with one round of consolation wrestling, and then the semifinals in a mixed round with the consolation round of 12 to determine backside placers and then the consolation quarterfinals. Team Standings 1. No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.) 162.5 - 9 semis 2. No. 2 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) 101.5 - 4 3. No. 8 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.) 68.5 - 2 4. No. 5 St. Edward (Ohio) 67 - 2 5. No. 4 Cincinnati La Salle (Ohio) 64.5 - 1 6. No. 15 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) 62 - 2 7. No. 6 Montini Catholic (Ill.) 57 - 1 8. No. 30 Chicago Mt. Carmel (Ill.) 53 - 0 9. No. 29 Parkersburg South, WV 52 - 2 10. No. 32 Elyria (Ohio) 50 - 0 Other Fab 50 Teams T-11. No. 22 St. John Bosco (Calif.) 48 - 0 semis No. 31 Poway (Calif.) - 1 13. No. 25 Mt. St. Joseph (Md.) 47 - 0 16. No. 27 Marmion Academy (Ill.) 42.5 - 0 T-17 No. 16 Allen (Texas) 41 - 1 No. 10 Gilroy (Calif.) - 2 T-20. No. 11 Park Hill (Mo.) 40 - 1 No. 36 Reynolds (Pa.) - 1 25. No. 35 St. Paris Graham (Ohio) 35.5 - 0 26. No. 37 Brecksville (Ohio) 34 - 0 29. No. 24 Wadsworth (Ohio) 31.5 - 0 38. No. 47 Arlington Martin (Texas) 26 - 0 T-42. No. 12 Broken Arrow (Okla.) 23 - 0 T-62. No. 44 Clovis North (Calif.) 11 - 0 Quarterfinal results 106: No. 3 Braxton Brown (Allen, Texas) maj. dec. Sean Seefeldt (St. Edward, Ohio), 10-1 Evan Holloway (New Kent, Va.) dec. No. 17 Dylan Chappell (Seneca Valley, Pa.), 2-1 No. 20 Gary Steen (Reynolds, Pa.) pinned No. 8 Diego Sotelo (Marmion Academy, Ill.), 0:17 No. 6 Kyle Rowan (Perry - Lake County, Ohio) dec. Daniel Wask (Blair Academy, N.J.), 12-6 113: No. 1 Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) pinned No. 18 Colton Drousias (Chicago Mt. Carmel, Ill.), 3:10 No. 8 Troy Spratley (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) dec. Tim Levine (St. John Bosco, Calif.), 2-1 Ryan Miller (Blair Academy, N.J.) dec. No. 9 Cooper Flynn (McDonogh, Md.), 3-1 OT Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Seneca Valley, Pa.) dec. No. 2 Jacob Decatur (CVCA, Ohio), 3-0 120: No. 3 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, N.J.) dec. Beau Bayless (Reynolds, Pa.), 10-5 No. 7 Nic Bouzakis (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) pinned No. 8 Matthew Ramos (Lockport, Ill.), 5:31 No. 5 Ryan Crookham (Notre Dame - Green Pond, Pa.) maj. dec. Chris Barnabae (Mt. St. Joseph's, Md.), 12-1 No. 4 Lucas Byrd (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio) dec. Dominic Chavez (Arlington Martin, Texas), 8-5 126: No. 2 Michael Colaiocco (Blair Academy, N.J.) maj. dec. No. 14 Devin Murphy (Clovis North, Calif.) No. 7 Kai Orine (Seckman, Mo.) tech. fall Jason Miranda (Poway, Calif.), 15-0, 5:31 No. 8 Travis Ford-Melton (Marian Catholic, Ill.) dec. No. 16 Dylan Shawver (Elyria, Ohio), 5-2 No. 13 Reece Witcraft (Broken Arrow, Okla.) dec. No. 13 Reece Witcraft (Broken Arrow, Okla.), 16-9 132: No. 1 Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio) dec. No. 18 Kenny Herrmann (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), 10-4 No. 7 Shayne Van Ness (Blair Academy, N.J.) dec. No. 16 Justin Rivera (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), 5-2 No. 15 Frankie Tal-Shahar (American Heritage, Fla.) dec. Nick Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), 7-2 No. 2 Dylan D'Emilio (Genoa, Ohio) maj. dec. No. 20 Cleveland Belton (St. John Bosco, Calif.), 5-4 138: No. 1 Joshua Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.) dec. Mike Madara (Blair Academy, N.J.), 8-4 Matt Lackman (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) dec. No. 10 Peyton Hall (Oak Glen, W.Va.), 7-0 Chris Rivera (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) dec. No. 7 Chase Saldate (Gilroy, Calif.), 2-2 ultimate TB RO Jackson Dean (Caesar Rodney, Del.) dec. No. 6 Luke Baughman (Wadsworth, Ohio), 11-4 145: No. 2 Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) dec. No. 18 Trevor Chumbley (Marmion Academy, Ill.), 4-2 No. 13 Travis Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, N.J.) dec. Cael Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.), 4-3 No. 1 Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.) dec. No. 11 Chris Donathan (Mason, Ohio), 4-1 No. 3 Bryce Andonian (St. Edward, Ohio) dec. No. 16 Fidel Mayora (Montini Catholic, Ill.), 8-1 152: No. 2 Brevin Balmeceda (South Dade, Fla.) dec. Cole Handlovic (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), 42 No. 13 Aaron Gandara (Poway, Calif.) maj. dec. Enrique Munguia (Elyria, Ohio), 9-1 No. 8 Sam Dover (St. Edward, Ohio) maj. dec. Reece Heller (Marian Catholic, Ill.), 12-4 Benny Baker (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) dec. Kevin Contos (Genoa, Ohio), 4-3 160: No. 2 Connor Brady (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio) dec. Todd Perry (South Dade, Fla.), 6-2 Kyle Mosher (South Side, N.Y.) dec. No. 7 Thayne Lawrence (Frazier, Pa.) No. 6 Jace Luchau (Selma, Calif.) dec. No. 15 Kai Bele (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), 4-2 No. 5 Dominic Mata (Blair Academy, N.J.) tech. fall Tyler Stoltzfus (St. Joseph's Catholic, Pa.), 16-0, 5:24 170: No. 1 Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio) tech. fall David Cumberlege (Ashtabula St. John, Ohio), 17-2, 2:29 Christian Rodriguez (Selma, Calif.) dec. No. 19 Jake Stefanowicz (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), 5-3 No. 18 Nevan Snodgrass (Kettering Fairmont, Ohio) dec. Ashton Habeil (Lake Gibson, Fla.), 10-5 No. 3 Julian Ramirez (Blair Academy, N.J.) maj. dec. Jake Evans (Elyria, Ohio), 14-3 182: No. 4 Devin Winston (Park Hill, Mo.) dec. Anthony D'Alesio (Canfield, Ohio), 10-3 No. 8 Jackson Turley (St. Christopher's, Va.) dec. No. 16 Peyton Craft (Blair Academy, N.J.), 7-3 No. 19 Sam Fisher (Faquier, Va) maj. dec. Nathan Haas (St. John Bosco, Calif.), 13-5 No. 10 Darrien Roberts (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) dec. Trey Sizemore (La Salle, Ohio), 10-4 195: No. 1 A.J. Ferrari (Blair Academy, N.J.) pinned Ethan Hatcher (Brecksville, Ohio), 4:40 Nathan Dugan (Lake Norman, N.C.) dec. No. 13 Michael Baker (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), 7-2 No. 4 Peter Christensen (Montini Catholic, Ill.) pinned Jack Wimmer (McDonogh, Md.), 0:46 No. 3 Ryan Reyes (Gilroy, Calif.) dec. Michael Doggett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), 3-1 220: No. 1 Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) pinned Wyatt Owen (Reynolds, Pa.), 4:32 No. 14 Andy Smith (Christiansburg, Va.) dec. No. 12 Tyler Stein (Canfield, Ohio), 8-1 No. 8 Jacob Kaminski (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) pinned Jarin Curtis (Massillon Perry, Ohio), 3:29 No. 2 Owen Trephan (Blair Academy, N.J.) maj. dec. Matthias Ervin (Union County, Ky.), 5-1 285: No. 2 Cohlton Schultz (Ponderosa, Colo.) pinned Max Millin (Massillon Perry, Ohio), 0:40 No. 20 Loudon Haga (Parkersburg SOuth, W.Va.) maj. dec. Elijah Anthony (Blair Academy, N.J.), 9-1 No. 10 Jonathan Birchmeier (Broad Run, Va.) Andrew Johnson (Poway, Calif.), 12-5 Nicholas Villareal (Gilroy, Calif.) dec. Johnny Shafer (Graham, Ohio), 3-2 OT

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Earning bonus points in five matches, the Old Dominion (1-2) wrestling team downed No. 11 Northwestern (1-2) on the road by a 30-10 score. The last time ODU defeated a nationally ranked program was a 25-9 win over Ohio during the 2014-15 season. "I thought our team wrestled extremely well against No. 11 Northwestern," said head coach Steve Martin. "We have had a rough dual meet schedule to start off the year having top ranked teams in Missouri, NC State. Each week we have seen substantial improvements since not being as competitive against Missouri, to almost beating NC State and today scoring bonus in five matches. I was extremely happy to see four techs and one major decision." In the opening bout of the match, Michael McGee earned a technical fall over Matthew Vinci to earn bonus points and get on the board first as a team. At 133, Killian Cardinale dropped a 4-2 decision to NCAA Qualifier Colin Valdivez. Adding bonus points for the squad at 141, No. 13 Sa'Derian Perry defeated Yahya Thomas by major decision. At 149, Kenan Carter defeated Shayne Oster in overtime to extend the ODU lead. In a match that featured two highly touted wrestlers, No. 3 Larry Early dropped a 6-1 decision to No. 2 Ryan Deakin. This was Early's first loss of the season. Earning the first of three straight technical falls, Shane Jones scored 20 points over Anthony Petrone to put the Monarchs up 17-6 with four bouts left. At 174 pounds, Seldon Wright added another five team points to the board with a 20-6 victory over Braxton Cody. Logging the last bonus-point win for ODU was Antonio Agee, who earned a 26-11 win over Brendan Devine at 184 pounds. At 197 pounds, Tim Young earned his first dual win of the season with a 8-6 decision over Zack Chakonis. Closing out the dual at 285 pounds, Will Hilliard battled two-time All-American No. 18 Conan Jennings, but ultimately fell by a 12-2 major decision. "Hats off to McGee he looked good on his feet, on top and wrestled hard coming off a one hour weigh-in. He was looking forward to wrestling No. 2 Sebastian Rivera but unfortunately he was injured. Hopefully we will get that opportunity at the Midlands in a couple of weeks. Perry did a great job having lost to the same wrestler last year at Midlands. Carter avenged an earlier loss last season and switched it around. It was good to see him pull off the win in overtime. Jones looked very good with a lot of takedowns and back points. Wright was very good also earning a lot of back points. Agee got the technical fall at the buzzer, which was the last technical fall for us. Tim Young had a great one making the adjustment from JUCO with this big win over Chakonis, a big guy for Northwestern. The main thing to take away from this match was that we beat the No. 11 team in the country and all this will do is prepare us more for the end of the year." Results: 125: #16 Michael McGee (ODU) TF over Matthew Vinci (NU), 22-6 133: Colin Valdivez (NU) dec. over Killian Cardinale (ODU) 4-2 141: #13 Sa'Derian Perry (ODU) MD over Yahya Thomas (NU), 10-2 149: Kenan Carter (ODU) dec. over Shayne Oster (NU), SV-1 7-5 157: #2 Ryan Deakin (NU) dec. over #3 Larry Early (ODU), 6-1 165: Shane Jones (ODU) TF over Anthony Petrone (NU), 20-4 174: #15 Seldon Wright (ODU) TF over Braxton Cody (NU), 20-6 184: Antonio Agee (ODU) TF over Brendan Devine (NU), 26-11 197: Tim Young (ODU) dec. over Zack Chakonis (NU), 8-6 285: #18 Conan Jennings (NU) MD over Will Hilliard (ODU), 12-2 Up Next ODU will travel to Nevada to wrestle in the Reno Tournament of Champions on December 20. Voucher Books The ODU Monarchs wrestling team wants you at their home matches this season! With the $25 2018-2019 Wrestling Voucher book, fans can use any of the 10 ticket vouchers included, for admission to any of the regular season matches at the Ted Constant Center. For More information or to purchase a season Ticket Voucher Book, please visit ynottix.com, the official online ticketing home of Old Dominion Athletics.

Jake Hager Jake Hager, NCAA All-American wrestler for the Oklahoma Sooners before becoming Jack Swagger in WWE, will be making his debut as a professional mixed martial artist at Bellator 214 in late January. Hager will be on the card at "Bellator 214: Fedor vs. Bader" at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on Saturday, Jan. 26, taking on J.W. Kiser in a heavyweight (265-pound) bout. The 41-year-old Kiser brings a 0-1 pro MMA record to what will be his Bellator debut as well. In his first pro bout, the Leavenworth, Kan. fighter lost to Antonio Martinez by TKO in 24 seconds of Round 1 in May 2018. Prior to his pro debut six months ago, Kiser had amassed a 1-3 record in amateur competition going back to April 2014. Hager, 36, is five years younger than Kiser, with a seven-inch height advantage. The Hager-Kiser heavyweight bout is on the same card as the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix, featuring the main event between Fedor Emelianenko (38-5, 1 NC) vs. current Bellator Light Heavyweight champion (and former Arizona State All-American wrestler) Ryan Bader (26-5) to determine Bellator's new Heavyweight champion. Most MMA fans may only know Hager from his WWE career as Jack Swagger. However, Jake Hager brings impressive amateur wrestling credentials to MMA. Wrestling for the storied Perry High School wrestling program in Oklahoma, Hager was a two-time state finalist, winning the 215-pound title as a junior. Hager then headed south to the University of Oklahoma, where he was a runner-up at the 2006 Big 12 conference championships, then earned All-America honors a couple weeks later at the 2006 NCAAs, placing seventh in the 285-pound weight class. That year, Hager set a Sooner record for the most pins in one season, with 30. After graduating from Oklahoma in 2006, Hager launched his career in professional wrestling. He was a former WWE World Heavyweight champion and U.S. champion before being granted his release in March 2017. Hager signed with Bellator in November 2017.

The Walsh Ironman is taking place at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Tweets by JoshMLowe

The College Football Playoff selection committee announced its top four teams for its playoffs this week, choosing undefeated Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and one-loss Oklahoma for their four-team playoff. Teams that missed the selection but thought they warranted a ticket were: Ohio State (one loss), UCF (undefeated), and Georgia (who looked excellent against Alabama in the SEC championship game). Michigan wouldn't argue that they should be in the playoffs, but they more or less round out the top eight programs in the nation. While you probably know all of this from watching a lot of college football, I only know these things through some type of sports osmosis. I never sought out that information, watched more than a minute of any game, or read an article on the College Football Playoff. Football is huge in America, but what drives the story are the names of the schools and their traditions. Alabama, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma all have attached to them something that fans can understand because of generations of support and coverage. The same is true in wrestling, but for most non-wrestling fans the lingo remains Dan Gable, Cael Sanderson, Iowa wrestling and Penn State. There are more, but everyday sports guy "Hank" knows those people and that's where we need to start in order to have the broader discussion about how to improve wrestling's footprint in the college sports world. Dual meets. You get more attraction by having dual meet tournaments, dual meet events, and a dual meet national championship. While it's wonderful that someone may win a national championship at the individual tournament (and I don't advocate for eliminating it), I think wrestling can make a sizable cultural impact through a well thought out dual meet national championship. Go back to football. They used to rely on a poll for crowning the national championship. Eventually people started to realize that polling was a lackluster, anticlimactic solution and the sport was leaving money and attention on the table. But it wasn't super easy to convince the old school football fans of a national championship game. To them there was only a new set of problems, like how to choose teams, where to host, what happens to the existing bowl games. The Bowl Championships Series was formed, which found creative ways to solve the issues raised by the old school football people while also advocating for a championships game. Few more years and some heartbreak gave us a four-team system. Now, looking at the teams that are out and who is in, can anyone really deny that this system will expand to eight? Of course not, because football schools know that this is their best chance to win a national title and create more income for themselves and their conferences. Cinderella stories like seen in March will start to be told in December and January. Wrestling can do the same. We can create a dual meet championship (with much more ease than football's expansion) and create a groundswell of support from schools around the country. No, I don't think that old guard will like it, but eventually they'll give in and agree -- we just need to start the process before it's too late. To your questions … Isaiah Martinez shoots on Alex Dieringer at AWL I (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Q: What did you think of the first AWL? There was a lot of talk during the event, but not much since. Do you think AWL will have a second show? -- V.T. Foley: I'm currently in India shooting a series of docu-shorts with some of the country's biggest stars. The AWL event was on the night before I left, so I only saw bits and pieces but did monitor the social media imprint. Overall, I think that wrestling community was intrigued by some of the matchups, though maybe not so much that they were hammering the purchase key on Trackwrestling. At $14.99 it was a steep commitment for someone like me who had split attention for the evening, but it did seem that a good number of Twitter people were watching. Also, I was happy to see that there was some solid effort made to deliver a quality show. There are always things to improve and change, but for a first effort I think they hit most of the high notes. The big issue faced by wrestling organizations looking to turn a profit on these shows or maintain any sort of sustainable footprint is a lack of carry-over from event-to-event and there hasn't been a sustained post-match buzz. The investment can't stand alone with one event, and it can't be limited to the mat. The wrestling fans need to attach themselves to the brand and the idea behind that brand. The wrestling at any event may or may not end up being spectacular, but that's rarely in the control of the organizers. Getting to know the athletes, knowing they will compete again on X date, and maybe some at-home content would help drive these promotions out of their one-and-done model. That's something the promotion can control and help fans connect with. Let see how the next few weeks ago. The wrestling community has a very short memory and I'd like to see AWL II announced soon so that they can keep their momentum. Chris Ayres coaching at the NWCA All-Star Classic (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Q: I have been super impressed with what Chris Ayres is doing with the program at Princeton. I think it's great to see Princeton doing so well. He seems like a nice fit there. Ayres' name will certainly come up with virtually every Division I head coaching opening in the coming years. Do you think he will stay at Princeton for many more years? Or could you see him hopping to the Big Ten or a more traditional wrestling power? -- Mike C. Foley: There is no question that Chris Ayres is doing everything right at Princeton. With a top-ranked wrestler and a win over Lehigh, the Tiger program feels like one of the hottest in the nation. While Princeton has enjoyed individual success in the past, most notably Greg Parker's journey to the NCAA finals in 2002, they didn't maintain that success or build it up over consecutive years. Now, with Matthew Kolodzik the top-ranked 149-pound wrestler in the nation and the team coming in at No. 13 in InterMat's tournament rankings, there is a lot to celebrate if you're a Princeton alumnus. Can things continue to build? Will Ayres get snatched away by another school? That's to be seen, but for now I think that fans of the Ivy League can appreciate that what's going on has taken a considerable amount of hard work to build and maintain. To keep him in town I'm sure that the Princeton alumni will need to show support, but there might be more at play for Coach Ayres to balance. Sometimes the best fit isn't where others think you can win an NCAA championship, but where you and your family feel comfortable and where there are still professional challenges to tackle. Q: Question for your bag. Besides your daughter's Iowa onesie, is there anything more fabulous in wrestling right now than Jacob Kasper's sapphire shoes? -- @Tony_Rotundo Foley: The shoes are a hoot. Kasper seems to have a wonderful persona. Given his size and likability I'd wonder what's keeping the WWE or other professional wrestling organization from scooping him up. Could be a big get for one of those promotions! Q: Amar Dhesi is returning to Oregon State and expected to make his season debut in January. It should make the heavyweight class even more exciting. He's the highest returning All-American at heavyweight. Do you see him as the favorite? Or do you favor Gable Steveson? Anthony Cassar? -- Mike C. Foley: Not sure why you didn't mention top-ranked Sam Stoll, but yes, I think Dhesi is a strong opponent who is long in the tooth when it comes to high-level competition. While Cassar and Steveson are making waves early in the season, I think Dhesi will have a notable impact on the weight class come March. But again, you forgot about Stoll! Will he win? I don't know. Something tells me that a hyped-up Steveson and well-coached Cassar might be a lot for the weight class to overcome. Still, Dhesi's size and familiarity with competing at the NCAA tournament are sure to add some value to the likelihood that he'll make a run at the title. Steveson, for what it's worth, could maybe benefit from a couple fewer People's Elbows to the back of opponent's head. The competition is fierce and I enjoy his intensity and celebration, which is why I'm concerned that left unchecked these types of actions could one day boil over into something more easily defined as illegal and cost him a significant match.

Anthony Robles It's official: Anthony Robles now owns the record for the most pull ups in one minute. As InterMat reported on Nov. 9, Robles, who won the 125-pound title for Arizona State at the 2011 NCAAs despite being born with just one leg, set about to set a new record at halftime of an NFL game between the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills. Robles did it. And now the Guinness World Records organization has verified the feat. Here's the official wording straight from the folks at Guinness World Records: "The most pull ups in one minute is 62, and was achieved by Anthony Robles (USA) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, on 11 November 2018." The previous record was 61 pull ups in one minute. Upon being notified by the folks at Guinness World Records that he had indeed set a new record, Robles posted the good news on his Facebook page late last week … which was confirmed to InterMat by Guinness today. Earning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records is just the latest achievement for Robles. The three-time NCAA All-American wrestler and recipient of two ESPY Awards who is now a motivational speaker, celebrated his 30th birthday this summer... and that was the impetus for setting his sights on breaking the pull-ups-in-one-minute record. It was also announced this year that Robles would be appearing in a new movie version of his life story, as told in his 2012 book "Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Champion." The film is now in pre-production.

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. -- Duke scored bonus points in six matches and won eight of the 10 to cruise to a 36-9 victory over Gardner-Webb in non-conference wrestling action Thursday night at Paul Porter Arena. The win sends the Blue Devils into 2019 with a 1-0 mark. Duke picks up the dual victory in its lone match of the 2018 calendar year, while the Bulldogs fall to 2-2. Highlighting the evening was season-debuts for a quartet of Blue Devils, including sophomore Ben Anderson getting his first victory in a Blue Devil singlet. “We don't normally wrestle in the first semester, but they wanted to and I was happy with our performance,” said head coach Glen Lanham. “We had three guys not normally in the lineup and then Zach back. It was a good performance overall.” After Duke and Gardner-Webb traded forfeits at 125 and 133 pounds to start the action all square 6-6, sophomore Josh Finesilver quickly doubled the Blue Devils' lead to 12-6 with a fall in the second period against Blake Mulkey. The pin was the fifth of the season for 141-pounder, four more than he had in his entire rookie season. The Blue Devils continued to add bonus points to their total as Mitch Finesilver went on the attack immediately and quickly scored the 16-1 technical fall for his 13th victory of the campaign. It was his fourth tech fall of the season and increased Duke's team lead to 17-6. Wrestling in a Duke singlet for the first time in his career, sophomore Ben Anderson scored a solid 8-3 decision over Christian Trimble. Leading 4-3 after two periods, Anderson quickly escaped in then added a takedown for his first collegiate victory. Holding a 20-6 advantage at the halfway point of the match, Zach Finesilver only extended to the Duke lead with a 13-2 major decision. In his first match since March of 2018, Zach built an early advantage en route to his 52nd career victory. “[Zach] came back tonight and rushed a few things, but once he settled down he got into his rhythm and scored. I was happy to see that. He worked really hard this summer and it was really great to see him out there. Duke didn't miss a beat over the next two bouts as Matt Finesilver registered an 11-1 major decision at 174 pounds and Kaden Russell added five more points to the team score with an 18-2 technical fall. The victory was the 10th of the year for Matt and the ninth for Russell. Gardner-Webb picked up a decision at 197 before Duke's Araad Fisher closed out the match with an 8-2 victory. In his first match of the season and wrestling up a weight class, Fisher turned in a solid second period of riding to garner the win and send Duke into 2019 1-0. The Blue Devils will prepare for exams and the winter break before returning to the mat Jan. 1-2 at the Southern Scuffle. Results: 125 : Harrison Campbell (Duke) wins by forfeit – Duke 6, GWU 0 133: Brandon Bright (GWU) wins by forfeit – Duke 6, GWU 6 141: Josh Finesilver (Duke) fall Blake Mulkey, 4:49 - Duke 12, GWU 6 149: Mitch Finesilver (Duke) tech fall Austin Reames, 16-1, Duke 17, GWU 6 157: Ben Anderson (Duke) decision Christian Trimble, 8-3, Duke 20, GWU 6 165: Zach Finesilver (Duke) major dec. Evan Schenk (GWU), 13-2, Duke 24, GWU 6 174: No. 20 Matt Finesilver (Duke) major dec. Kyle Homet (GWU), 11-1, Duke 28, GWU 6 184: Kaden Russell (Duke) tech fall Chase Emory (GWU), 18-2, Duke 33, GWU 6 197: Anthony Perrine (GWU) dec. Louis Castellano (Duke), 5-2, Duke 33, GWU 9 HWT: Araad Fisher (Duke) dec. Jack Troutman III (GWU), 8-2, Duke 36, GWU 9

VESTAL, NY -- The University at Buffalo wrestling team went on the road and earned a dominant 29-10 road win at Binghamton on Thursday night. Kyle Akins started things off with a pin at 125 and Derek Spann followed with a first-period tech fall at 133 to set the early tone. Akins earned his first fall of the season with a pin of Steve Bulzomi midway through the second period. Derek Spann wasted little time taking care of Jason Javier, earning a 17-0 tech fall, in the first period, to improve to 5-0 on the season. The Bulls led 11-0 after just two matches. After dropping a decision at 141, Jason Estevez got the Bulls back on track with a 13-7 decision over Matt Swanson at 149 to increase the UB lead to 14-3. Alex Smythe got the Bulls' second pin of the night with a first-period pin of Dylan Wood. Smythe needed only 1:54 to get the win and extend the Buffalo lead to 20-3. Troy Keller earned his first dual win with the Bulls in come-from-behind fashion. The junior transfer from Niagara County Community College trailed 4-0 before coming back to win a 7-6 decision. Brett Perry earned a 5-1 decision at 197 to extend the lead to 26-10 and Jake Gunning capped off the win with a 7-4 decision at 285. Gunning earned three points in the third period for the victory. "It was a great win," head coach John Stutzman said. "Akins and Spann started it off. Keller came back from being down, 4-0. It was a great team win, top to bottom." The Bulls improved to 4-2 in duals. They will next wrestle at George Mason on Saturday. Results: 125 - Kyle Akins (UB) won by fall over Steve Bulzomi (BU), 4:37 133 - Derek Spann (UB) won by technical fall over Jason Javier (BU), 17-0 (3:00) 141 - Anthony Sparacio (BU) won by decision over Kyle Todrank (UB), 8-3 149 - Jason Estevez (UB) won by decision over Matt Swanson (BU), 13-7 157 - Alex Smythe (UB) won by fall over Dylan Wood (BU), 1:54 165 - Troy Keller (UB) won by decision over Aidan Monteverdi (BU), 7-6 174 - Vincent DePrez (BU) won by major decision over Jake Lanning (UB), 14-4 184 - Lou DePrez (BU) won by decision over Logan Rill (UB), 7-0 197 - Brett Perry (UB) won by decision over Anthony DePrez (BU), 5-1 285 - Jake Gunning (UB) won by decision over Joe Doyle (BU), 7-4

NORMAN -- The Oklahoma wrestling team's home dual with South Dakota State, originally scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m., has been postponed due to inclement weather and poor travel conditions. The match will be rescheduled for a later date. Tickets for Friday's contest will be honored at the rest of the Sooners' home duals this season. OU will travel to Stillwater, Okla., Sunday for a 12:30 p.m. clash with No. 4 Oklahoma State. The match will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

Jim Makovsky is in his 26th season as Minnesota State's head wrestling coach (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) Jim Makovsky's Minnesota State wrestling program remains one of the best at the NCAA Division II level. His Maverick teams have finished in the top 10 in the country 17 times, including a pair of NCAA runner-up team finishes. He's coached 10 national champions and 89 All-Americans. Makovsky, 52, a member of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame, has started his 26th season in Mankato with another strong team. The Mavericks are ranked sixth nationally in Division II. Minnesota State is led by senior George Farmah, a returning NCAA runner-up who is ranked No. 1 at 133 pounds. Junior Zach Johnston is ranked fourth at 174 and senior Seth Elwood is fifth at 165. Sophomore Kyle Rathman is ranked 11th at 149 pounds. InterMat caught up with Makovsky while he was out on the recruiting trail recently. How is your team progressing during the first few weeks of competition? Makovsky: We're progressing pretty well. We have a good group of young guys who bring a lot of energy to our team. We're excited about the group that we have. We have some good depth. We had an opportunity to have a great season last year, but we had a few guys come up short of qualifying for the national tournament. We were in a real tough regional last year and we are again this season. We did suffer a significant setback early this season. We lost our 197-pounder, Matt Blome, to a season-ending injury. He was an All-American two seasons ago and he was a match away from placing last year. Matt will have more two seasons left for us after this season. Losing Matt definitely hurt us. We have some guys we're looking at to step in there at 197, but we're still 3.5 months away from the national tournament. We still have some time before our starting lineup is settled. Tell me a little bit about George Farmah and what he brings to your lineup? Makovsky: George Farmah is one of the quickest guys I've ever had. He could play tennis by himself, that's how fast he is. He is a funny guy who helps keep the team loose. He brings a little flavor to the team. He's a tough wrestler, who is very tough on top. He can score a lot of points when he opens up and goes. We're looking for big things out of George this season. He is a senior who transferred here from Iowa Lakes Community College. He took third at junior college nationals and he had good credentials coming in here. He is going to get his degree in law enforcement. It's a great story and we're really proud of George. How important have the contributions of returning All-Americans Zach Johnston and Seth Elwood been to your team? Makovsky: Having those two guys back-to-back in our lineup is big for us. Zach is coming off a very good season. He's really progressed for us and taken it to the next level. Seth was unseeded going into regionals last year and he had a great tournament. He won a regional title and he was named outstanding wrestler. Seth really came on for us late in the year. They are both pretty tough kids. We are excited to have them back in our lineup. What are your thoughts on the new qualifying format for the Division II national tournament? Makovsky: I'm not a big fan of it. They added 20 wrestlers overall to the total number of national qualifiers and that's good, but it's still going to be extremely difficult for us to qualify. The top three guys in each weight class qualify from each region now. We added two regions in Division II this year and now we have six regions. Three of the top six teams in the country are in our region with us, top-ranked St. Cloud State and No. 5 Upper Iowa. Plus, we have Wisconsin-Parkside, who is very good, in our region. It's going to be very tough in our region just to qualify for nationals. I thought they could have kept the regions the same and stayed with four regions. They could've taken the top four finishers in each weight class from each region. Then you could look at all of the fifth-place finishers and pick from them based on the season they had to determine the final 20 qualifiers. I wish we could've done that. I obviously am in favor of having more wrestlers qualify for nationals, but I don't like the way they did it. But it is what it is. It's exciting to have great competition, but you want it to be as fair as possible. You want representation at nationals from different parts of the country, but you also want the best kids competing at the national tournament. How do you see the national team race shaping up this season? Makovsky: We are on the outside looking in. It looks like St. Cloud State, Nebraska-Kearney and Notre Dame are up there, and then Upper Iowa is right there as well. That's what we are shooting for, to win a national title. We obviously want to get back up there and win a team trophy. The level of competition in Division II is the best it's ever been. It's really, really good. We have a lot of programs that are committed to wrestling. The depth at this level is the best I've seen with 60 teams in DII now. The overall quality at this level is excellent. What impact has Ty Eustice made as an assistant coach for your team? Makovsky: Ty had coached with me before from 2006-08, and I'm really happy to have him back on my staff. It's like having another head coach on our staff. I've had a good run of assistant coaches who have gone on to become head coaches. Ty wrestled for the University Iowa, and he brings that passion and intensity. He's all in with the guys. He brings a vibe that relates well to the athletes. I was excited to get him back. He can still roll around with the guys and wrestle with them. He was an NCAA runner-up for Iowa. Ty just gets it and he know what it takes to excel. He understands what goes into running a successful program. He was a good hire, that's for sure. He's made a big impact here. What are your thoughts on starting your 26th year at Mankato? Makovsky: I feel really good. I'm 52 years old, but I feel like I'm a lot younger. At least that's what I tell people. Somebody asked me recently, 'What keeps you going?' It's really simple -- I love the kids on my team and I love working with them. That part hasn't changed one bit. Seeing the light come on in their head, and seeing them grow and develop as wrestlers and people is really gratifying for me. When I talk to employers out there who are looking to hire people, they love to hire wrestlers. They love the work ethic they gain from being involved in wrestling. Wrestlers are loyal and take a lot of pride in what they do. If you wrestled in college, and stuck it out even if you weren't a starter, you graduated with a lot thicker skin than you came in with. You get knocked down and you have to get up again a lot in wrestling. You learn so many life lessons from the sport. You have that fortitude and persistence. A college wrestling room is a tough environment -- there is nowhere to hide. If you can survive in there, you can survive just about anywhere. If you've wrestled, you are resilient and you can handle just about any adversity that comes your way. It's such a great sport in that respect. What do you like about being a part of the Minnesota State community? Makovsky: First of all, it's a great place to work. The school has really upped its profile in the last 10 years. And the community of Mankato is really supportive of the school, which is really important. Mankato is a great place to live. The school has the flavor and appeal of a Division I school. It's an easy sell when you are recruiting young men to come here. The school has really grown and evolved in recent years. Our athletes receive a lot of support. It's a strong academic school with a lot of different areas and fields that they can study. The school has a good blend of kids from the Twin Cities and kids from smaller schools and towns. I really like what I do and I'm very fortunate to work at a great school like Minnesota State. It's just an enjoyable place to be. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year. This story also appears in the Dec. 7 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.

Oklahoma State's Kaid Brock is expected to face Oklahoma's Dom Demas on Sunday in the Bedlam dual Last weekend's tournaments and matches gave the wrestling world some insight into the top contenders. Now, the season marches on. There are no marquee tournaments this weekend, but there are plenty of solid dual meets that include some of the nation's top wrestlers. The following is a preview of the featured match in every weight class this weekend. 125: No. 14 Patrick Glory (Princeton) vs. No 16 Louie Hayes (Virginia) Outside of a loss against No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa), Glory has won all of his matches so far this year. In his first tournament of the season, he picked up a ranked victory over No. 17 Devin Schroder (Purdue). Last weekend, he helped the Tigers pick up their upset victory over Lehigh with a 17-2 technical fall over Luke Resnick. Hayes' ranking took a tumble after a rough weekend at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. His ranking fell from No. 6 all the way down to No. 16 thanks to a pair of losses against Colby Smith (Missouri) and Brent Fleetwood (NDSU). Prior to the tournament, Hayes had been undefeated, but all of his matches were against unranked opposition. Before last weekend, a lot of people would have probably reflexively taken Hayes in this match. However, he seems to be struggling to get to his best offense and perhaps having some cardio issues as well. Glory is not the best opponent to get right against. His scrambling ability on the feet makes him a tough out and a pain to wrestle. Look for Glory to cause multiple stalemates before scoring some counter takedowns. Prediction: Glory (Princeton) dec. Hayes (Virginia) 133: No. 19 Cam Sykora (NDSU) vs. No. 13 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) If this match happens it will be a rematch of a one-point consolation match at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. In that bout, Bridges prevailed with a 6-5 victory. Sykora scored the first takedown, but Bridges scored takedowns in the first and second periods. He escaped after taking down to start the third and held on for the final 96 seconds for the one-point victory. Sykora is off to a strong start to his junior season with an 11-2 record, but he is still looking for his first victory over a ranked wrestler. Bridges has already lost six matches this season after only going down seven times all last season. However, he did pick up a trio of ranked victories in Las Vegas over Sykora, No. 16 Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech) and No. 18 Ben Thornton (Purdue) Bridges showed in their first match this season that he has the more diverse offensive attack, but at the same time, Sykora showed that he is not going away. Look for Bridges to get to his offense first in this rematch and hold on for a close decision win. Prediction: Bridges (Wyoming) dec. Sykora (NDSU) 141: No. 16 Dom Demas (Oklahoma) vs. No. 6 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational was a mixed bag for Demas. He picked up his second fall of the season over Nate Limmex (Purdue) and he scored a pair of decision victories over No. 17 Sam Krivus (Virginia). When Demas stepped up in competition he dropped matches against No. 8 Kanen Storr (Michigan) and No. 2 Joey McKenna (Ohio State). Brock has had an abbreviated run so far this season. He dropped a match against his rival No. 5 Mitch McKee (Minnesota), but he has also picked up victories over Rylee Molitor (South Dakota State) and Sam Turner (Wyoming). In some ways, he still appears to be figuring it out at this weight after spending his entire collegiate career prior to this season at 133. The Cowboy should be the clear favorite in this rivalry match. His experience and fundamentals should be more than enough to turn back a challenge from Demas. However, strange things happen in rivalry matches. A few years ago, Brock upset returning All-American Cody Brewer via 42-second fall in this Bedlam series. Prediction: Brock (Oklahoma State) maj. dec. Demas (Oklahoma) 149: No. 18 Alfred Bannister (Maryland) vs. No. 19 Jared Prince (Navy) Five years ago, Bannister was one of the top recruits to come out of Maryland for some time, and he chose to stay home and wrestle for the Terps. He is coming off back-to-back trips to the NCAA tournament, but he has not been to break through and become an All-American. He began his senior season with five straight victories and a first-place finish at the Princeton Open. In his last match, he fell in sudden victory against No. 17 Anthony Artalona (Penn) for his first loss of the season. Prince had to win a tough intrasquad battle last year to earn a shot in the postseason. He finished second at the EIWA tournament, but he went 0-2 at the NCAA tournament. So far this season, Prince has gone 3-5 to start, but he has faced a very tough schedule. On a positive note, he did defeat Malik Amine (Michigan) on his way to an eighth-place finish in Las Vegas. Despite the proximity and rivalry between these two schools, Bannister and Prince have surprisingly not wrestled. The story is always the same for Bannister, he has a limited offensive arsenal due to his lack of height and reach. If he can get to his underhook series, he should be able to score. Otherwise, Prince should have the advantage in a close match. Look for the Navy wrestler to score a takedown and take the bout. Prediction: Prince (Navy) dec. Bannister (Maryland) 157: No. 3 Larry Early (Old Dominion) vs. No. 2 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) Last weekend, Early picked up the biggest win of his collegiate career as he knocked off returning NCAA finalist No. 4 Hayden Hidlay (NC State). In their only previous meeting, Hidlay had dominated the match scored a 16-5 major decision. The upset victory is only one element of Early's solid start to the season. He is also 11-0 with an unofficial loss at the Princeton Open. Hidlay's loss coupled with a first-place performance at the Cliff Keen tournament propelled Deakin all the way to the No. 2 spot in the rankings. Already this season, he has defeated No. 9 Griffin Parriott (Purdue), No. 11 Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) and No. 20 Hunter Willits (Oregon State). This match got a lot more interesting with Early upsetting Hidlay and thrusting himself into the top three. However, on paper, Deakin should still be the favorite. In terms of common opponents, he has a pretty sizable edge. Plus, he has a wider variety of offensive attacks on the feet. Anything could happen in this match, but the smart money remains with the Wildcat. Prediction: Deakin (Northwestern) dec. Early (Old Dominion) 165: No. 16 Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) vs. No. 9 Branson Ashworth (Wyoming) North Dakota State has started their dual season 3-0, and Fogarty has been a big contributor to those victories. So far this season, he has won all three of his dual-meet matches against Tyler Morland (Northwestern), Kenny Moore (Northern Illinois) and Jacob Wright (Fresno State). Fogarty then picked up a second-place finish at the Roadrunner Open. He did not compete in Las Vegas, so his status for dual against Wyoming is up in the air. Ashworth has faced a very tough schedule already this year, and he has more than held his own. His record currently sits at 14-3, and he has defeated No. 6 Isaiah White (Nebraska), No. 10 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State), No. 12 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa), No. 13 Connor Flynn (Missouri) and No. 17 Cam Coy (Virginia). This is an interesting match. Ashworth has been picking up the big wins recently, but this is a very tight and real personal rivalry. Ashworth has the edge 3-2 in the five-match series between the two. However, Forgarty has won two of the last three. In their last meeting, Fogarty scored a 3-1 victory over Ashworth. Clearly, it is a tight bout, and it seems like the Cowboy has momentum for this one. Prediction: Ashworth (Wyoming) dec. Fogarty (NDSU) 174: No. 9 Ryan Christensen (Wisconsin) vs. No. 11 Te'Shan Campbell/Ethan Smith (OSU) Christensen is a great example of a guy who is learning and improving on the job. In his redshirt freshman season, he went 18-20, but now, as a senior, he has built an 11-2 record and is currently ranked in the top 10. He has already picked up ranked victories over No. 10 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) and No. 19 Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley). Ohio State has used both Smith and Campbell in the lineup this season at 174. Campbell is currently ranked, but he dropped a match against Smith last month. That might be Smith's best win of the season so far. He has gone 10-4, but he has struggled against top competition and went only 1-2 in Las Vegas. Whoever goes for Ohio State, this should be an interesting match. Not only is Christensen ranked inside the top 10, but he is also one of eight wrestlers in the Big Ten at the moment. If Ohio State wants to give Penn State a bit of a challenge, they will need points at this weight class. A match like this can determine how realistic of a possibility that is. Prediction: Christensen (Wisconsin) dec. Smith (Ohio State) 184: No. 6 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) vs. No. 14 Cash Wilcke (Iowa) Preisch has not wrestled very much this season, and he might not compete against Iowa. In his only event this season, he went 2-1 at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic with victories over Trevor Allard (Bloomsburg) and No. 17 Corey Hazel (Lock Haven) against a loss versus No. 5 Nick Reenan (NC State). Last season, Preisch spent the entire season ranked and entered the NCAA tournament as the third seed. However, he fell in the blood round against No. 2 Emery Parker (Illinois) and failed to place. The storyline for Wilcke is that he finally get the opportunity to compete at his optimal weight this season. For the last two years, he competed at 197, and fell in the round of 12 both years. Things got off to a good start year, but he fell last weekend against No. 18 Samuel Colbray (Iowa State). In the match, Wilcke was hanging on to a one-point lead. He chose to shoot to salt the match away. Colbray used the opportunity to spin behind and scored the go-ahead takedown with five seconds left. A tactical lapse like the one Wilcke suffered against Colbray could really hurt him against a wrestler like Preisch. He is really at his best when he is slowing the match down and nullifying his opponent. Wilcke might have a speed advantage, but he will struggle to score against Preisch. If this match happens, Preisch should be the favorite, but at the same time it is hard to know where he is at with such a limited schedule so far. Prediction: Preisch (Lehigh) dec. Wilcke (Iowa) 197: No. 9 Rocco Caywood (Army) vs. No. 19 Stephen Loiseau (Drexel) Caywood might be the Black Knights' best shot at an All-American this season. Army has yet to wrestle in a dual, but Caywood has been outstanding at the Princeton Open, the Journeymen Collegiate Classic and the SIEU Invitational. His only loss this season came against No. 5 Patrick Brucki (Princeton), and he has knocked off No. 15 Tanner Orndorff (Utah Valley) and No. 18 Malik McDonald (NC State). Loiseau surprised some people last season with a strong year and qualifying for the NCAA tournament. So far this season, he has gone 12-3 with all his losses coming against ranked competition including the nation's leading wrestler at 197 No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State). These two wrestled in a dual meet between the two teams last year, and Loiseau came out with the 4-3 victory. This will likely be another close match with whoever breaks through for the takedown first winning the match. Look for the Loiseau to get out to a lead and hold it. Prediction: Loiseau (Drexel) dec. Caywood (Army) 285: No.1 Sam Stoll (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Jordan Wood (Lehigh) Last weekend, Stoll made a dramatic entrance into his senior season, and the video of him talking coach Tom Brands into letting him wrestle went viral. The Hawkeyes ended up needing his points in their razor thing victory over rival Iowa State. Stoll currently holds the No. 1 ranking, but many expect him to fall back down to earth during the year. The road gets tough almost immediately here against Wood. Wood won his first five matches to start this season. The former Junior World Team member had two majors and a fall, but then he ran into former 197-pounder No. 5 Anthony Cassar (Penn State), who is quickly becoming a buzzsaw at his new weight. Wood won the EIWA tournament last year and came up only one match short of becoming an All-American at the NCAA tournament. Obviously, Stoll is going to have a big size advantage in this match. However, Wood has proven in the past that he can overcome larger opponents. The story for this match will be Stoll's ability to move Wood on the feet. If he can get to a body lock and bully Wood around the mat, he should be able to win this one. However, there is cause for concern for the Hawkeyes. The Stoll that wrestled against Iowa State is clearly not the best iteration of the heavyweight. He will need to get right quickly. Prediction: Stoll (Iowa) dec. Wood (Lehigh)

Michael Colaiocco is one of six wrestlers looking to repeat as a champion at the Walsh Ironman (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The Walsh Jesuit Ironman is this weekend, which means that the scholastic wrestling season is in full swing. The nation's best in-season tournament is arguably better than it has ever been. At this point in time, 93 nationally ranked wrestlers are slated to take to the mats in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio come Friday afternoon; this is approximately one-third of the 280 total wrestlers with a national ranking right now. Seven of the 14 weight classes are anchored by the top-ranked wrestler in the country. Leading that list is top overall junior A.J. Ferrari (Blair Academy, N.J.), who is competing in the 195-pound weight class. Other national No. 1's include Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) at 113, Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio) at 132, Joshua Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.) at 138, Jaden Abas (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) at 145, Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio) at 170, and Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.). A pair of weight classes feature the top two ranked wrestlers nationally. At 113 pounds, Jacob Decatur (CVCA, Ohio) joins Figueroa, while Owen Trephan (Blair Academy, N.J.) joins Amos in the 220-pound weight class. Another pair of weight classes feature the top three ranked wrestlers nationally. Dylan D'Emilio (Genoa, Ohio) and Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) join Jordan Decatur at 132, while Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) and Bryce Andonian (St. Edward, Ohio) join Abas at 145. Further indicating the breadth of quality in this field is that among the seven weight classes not featuring a national No. 1, four of them are headlined by the No. 2 ranked wrestler, two by the No. 3, and one by the No. 4 in the weight class. The high-water marks for ranked wrestlers in a weight class are the eleven at 145 pounds and the ten at 132; while 285 pounds features the least with just three ranked wrestlers in the field, and it's just four in the rankings present at 170 and 195. With the presence of so many elite individuals in the field, it goes without saying there are elite teams. Nine of the nation's top twelve teams are present at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, with two of the others precluded by state association start date or travel/opposition bylaw from competing. Exactly one half of the InterMat Fab 50 nationally ranked teams will have full or partial entries present in the tournament. As a result, it becomes kind of hard to use this event in analyzing a team's overall strength for the rest of the season's competitions, but for the very top few teams in the rankings. The Fab 50 teams competing at the Walsh Ironman are listed below. No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.) No. 2 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) No. 4 Cincinnati LaSalle (Ohio) No. 5 St. Edward (Ohio) No. 6 Montini Catholic (Ill.) No. 8 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.) No. 10 Gilroy (Calif.) No. 11 Park Hill (Mo.) No. 12 Broken Arrow (Okla.) No. 15 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) No. 16 Allen (Texas) No. 22 St. John Bosco (Calif.) No. 24 Wadsworth (Ohio) No. 25 Mt. St. Joseph's (Md.) No. 27 Marmion Academy (Ill.) No. 29 Parkersburg South (Ill.) No. 30 Chicago Mt. Carmel (Ill.) No. 31 Poway (Calif.) No. 32 Elyria (Ohio) No. 34 St. Paris Graham (Ohio) No. 36 Reynolds (Pa.) No. 37 Brecksville (Ohio) No. 38 Pomona (Colo.) No. 44 Clovis North (Calif.) No. 47 Arlington Martin (Texas). Heading into the event, if every team was at full strength, it was going to be next to impossible for anyone to maintain meaningful contact with Blair Academy. The Buccaneers have won the tournament each of the previous two years and 14 out of the 24 times the event has been contested. This year's edition of the squad features nationally ranked wrestlers at ten weight classes. On paper, the most direct challenge to No. 1 Blair Academy is expected to come from No. 2 Wyoming Seminary. They have eight wrestlers in the national rankings, but will be down one of those competitors with Jonathan Miers (No. 9 at 138) out of the lineup. No. 4 Cincinnati LaSalle is down two wrestlers, 2017 Cadet World team member Cole Skinner (106) is ineligible for the first half of the season and 2017 state placer Garrett Bledsoe (220) is also not wrestling. No. 5 St. Edward is missing two key starters as well in No. 9 Padraic Gallagher (160) and state medalist Seamus O'Malley (220). With so many nationally elite wrestlers in the field, it is probably easiest to provide a link to the tournament pre-seeds. This link has each wrestler's national ranking in the body of the article. Below is some analysis of each weight class in the tournament. 106: Eight nationally ranked wrestlers are in this weight class, with nationally ranked wrestlers occupying the top seven seed lines. The exception is No. 16 Paul Garcia (Scottsbluff, Neb.), who is seeded 14th. The top two seeds in this weight class, No. 3 Braxton Brown (Allen, Texas) and No. 5 Jordan Williams (Collinsville, Okla.) met in a quarterfinal match of the Super 32 Challenge, Brown won that bout 7-4. This is normally a very freshman laden weight class, such is the case this year with seven of the sixteen preliminary seeds being freshmen. Outside of the seeded wrestlers, a freshman to watch for is Donovan Whitted (Arlington Martin, Texas). A non-seeded wrestler from outside of Ohio meriting attention is Junior National double All-American Bryce Cockrell (Broken Arrow, Okla.). 113: As noted, the top two wrestlers in the country are present at this weight class; Decatur beat Figueroa in the semifinal round last year on the way to his title at 106 pounds, while Figueroa earned the victory when the two met in the Who's Number One all-star exhibition two months ago. Returning 106-pound runner-up Ryan Miller (Blair Academy, N.J.) is the third seed, while the wrestler he beat last year in the semifinals, Logan Agin (Lancaster, Ohio), is the fourth seed. Five other ranked wrestlers feature in this weight class, and the nine ranked wrestlers happen to be the top nine seeds. Outside the seeded wrestlers, keep an eye on freshman Brock Bobzien (Poway, Calif.) and National Prep placer Tim Levine (St. John Bosco, Calif.); for the local crowd, state medalist Richard Delsanter (St. Edward) and freshman Nic Willingham (Aurora) are the most notable of the non-seeds. 120: There are seven nationally ranked wrestlers in this weight class, and they occupy the top seven seed lines. Five of the nation's top eight in this weight class are in the field, and they are the top five seeds. Of interest is that the nation's top two overall freshmen will be here, Ryan Crookham (Notre Dame (Green Pond), Pa.) and Nic Bouzakis (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.). The other highly ranked wrestlers are returning Ironman champion Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, N.J.), Super 32 champion Lucas Byrd (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), and Cadet World champion Matthew Ramos (Lockport, Ill.). Outside the seeded wrestlers, keep an eye on freshman Kal Miller (Park Hill, Mo.), a Cadet National freestyle All-American; state placer and FloNationals placer Peyton Kellar (Vincent Warren, Ohio); and Nate Lackman (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), who displaced a returning state medalist from the lineup. 126: Nine wrestlers in this weight class are nationally ranked, including the top eight seeds. Returning Ironman champion Michael Colaiocco (Blair Academy, N.J.) and Junior National freestyle runner-up Reece Witcraft (Broken Arrow, Okla.) are the top two seeds; Colaiocco also beat Witcraft in that Junior freestyle final over the summer. Some impact freshmen in this weight class include Daniel Cardenas (Pomona, Colo.), who is ranked No. 19 nationally and the 11th seed in this weight class, Brendon Abdon (Lake Gibson, Fla.), Brandon Chlestos (Notre Dame (Green Pond), Pa.), Logan Ours (Beaver Local, Ohio), and Gavin Brown (Legacy Christian, Ohio). Additional non-seeded wrestlers meriting attention include Cadet Greco-Roman champion Davin Rhoads (Louisville, Ohio), NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion Ethen Miller (Park Hill, Mo.), and two-time state placer Angelo Rini (St. Edward, Ohio). 132: An absurd ten nationally ranked wrestlers are present in this weight class, including the top three wrestlers in the country. With only eight wrestlers making the podium in each weight, it is a guarantee that two nationally ranked wrestlers will not place; and that's before considering the possibility of upsets. Beyond Decatur, D'Emilio, and Bartlett, you also have Shayne Van Ness (Blair Academy) as a potential field anchor; Van Ness won the Super 32 Challenge this fall at 126, where he beat three-time defending champion Adam Busiello in the quarterfinal round. The top seven seeds in this weight class are nationally ranked, and all ten nationally ranked wrestlers are among the top eleven seeds. A couple unseeded wrestlers to watch are impact freshman Nick Vafiadis (New Kent, Va.) and returning state medalist Casey Wiles (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio). 138: For it being a middle-weight at the Walsh Ironman, one has to be surprised to see only five nationally ranked wrestlers in the field. Tangentially, this weight class is also one that is rather weak nationally in relation to its neighboring weights. The five ranked wrestlers hold the top five seed positions, while national No. 1 Josh Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo.) has to be viewed as one of the strongest favorites to win a title across this tournament field. Two pairs of wrestlers in this field met in placement matches at last year's Walsh Ironman; No. 10 Peyton Hall (Oak Glen, W.Va.) beat No. 16 Bryce Hepner (St. Edward, Ohio) 4-0 for seventh at 126, while Matt Lackman (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) beat Alek Martin (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 1-0 for seventh t 120. Hall and Hepner are seeded fourth and fifth, with Lackman and Martin positioned 12th and 13th. A pair of unseeded wrestlers to watch are NHSCA Junior Nationals placer Jackson Muldrew (Steubenville, Ohio) and sophomore Connor Gaynor (Chicago Mt. Carmel, Ill.). 145: It is this weight class with the top three ranked wrestlers in the country that is the tournament's deepest with eleven nationally ranked wrestlers. Those eleven wrestlers also occupy the top eleven seed lines. National No. 1 Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.) was runner-up at 138 pounds last year in this tournament, and is the third seed. The top seed is No. 2 Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), who was third last year at 132, beating Saunders in the consolation final; while Junior National freestyle champion Bryce Andonian (St. Edward) is the second seed. Three Ohio wrestlers that have placed at state two times are among the unseeded wrestlers -- Marco Regalbuto (Brecksville), Jeffrey Thomas (St. Paris Graham), and Skyler Lasure (Beaver Local). Another Ohio wrestlers -- returning state placer Andy Garr (Aurora) -- would be considered higher ranked than them, and is still unseeded. Another wrestler to watch here is freshman Jonathan Conrad (Carrollwood Day School, Fla.), who won a high school state title last year in eighth grade. 152: There are eight nationally ranked wrestlers in this field, and they occupy the top eight seed lines. Leading that group is 2017 Super 32 Challenge champion Brevin Balmeceda (South Dade, Fla.), who has also won NHSCA grade-level titles as a freshman, sophomore, and junior. Returning Ironman placers in the field include Sam Dover (St. Edward, Ohio), Jake Stiles (Montini Catholic, Ill.), and Elan Heard (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio); who are seeded third, fifth, and sixth. Three non-seeded wrestlers to keep an eye on are freshman Mario Danzi (Allen, Texas), two-time state placer Jax Leonard (Louisville, Ohio), and senior Nick Montalbano (Seneca Valley, Pa.). 160: Just five nationally ranked wrestlers are present in this field, though four of them occupy the top seven positions are the rankings; those four wrestlers are also the top four seeds, a group led by Super 32 champion Connor Brady (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio). Returning Ironman placer Kai Bele (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) is ranked No. 15 nationally and the seventh seed, while the other returning placer in this weight class is fifth-seed James Limongi (Genoa, Ohio). Among non-seeded wrestlers, a name to watch is two-time state qualifier Nathan Villarreal (Gilroy, Calif.). 170: As the tournament moves into the upper weight classes, the overall depth starts to fade. Just four nationally ranked wrestlers populate this field, and it'll be a two-person battle for the title between No. 1 Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio) and No. 3 Julian Ramirez (Blair Academy, N.J.). Ramirez beat Kharchla in the consolation semifinal round of last year's tournament, while Kharchla beat Ramirez when the two met at the Who's Number One all-star exhibition two months ago. Fifth seed Christian Rodriguez (Selma, Calif.) placed eighth in this weight class last year. Looking for somewhat of a sleeper in this weight for maybe a low placement, non-seeded freshman Jack Darrah (Christian Brothers College, Mo.) might fit the bill. 182: It's a pretty balanced proceeding here in this weight class, the only one of the tournament that does not feature a wrestler ranked in the top three nationally at their weight class. The group of five ranked wrestlers is led by No. 4 Devin Winston (Park Hill, Mo.), a Junior National freestyle All-American this summer. Winston is the top seed, and the other four ranked wrestlers occupy seed lines two through five; two of those are returning Ironman placers Darrien Roberts (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) and Peyton Craft (Blair Academy, N.J.). Among the un-seeded wrestlers, a name to watch is sophomore Emmanuel Skillings (Broken Arrow, Okla.), who won a title at the Gardner Edgerton (Kansas) tournament last week. 195: National No. 1 A.J. Ferrari (Blair Academy, N.J.) is one of six returning Walsh Ironman champions, while there is a seventh wrestler that won the Ironman in a previous year. Three other nationally ranked wrestlers are present in this field, and along with Ferrari, occupy the top four seed lines. No. 4 Peter Christenson (Montini Catholic, Ill.), No. 13 Michael Baker (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), and Jack Wimmer (McDonogh, Md.) join Ferrari as wrestlers to return as placers from last year's tournament. 220: The five nationally ranked wrestlers in this weight occupy the top four seeds and five of the top six seed lines. Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) is yet another defending champion, and is joined by No. 2 Owen Trephan (Blair Academy, N.J.) as a returning Ironman placer in this weight class. No. 8 Jacob Kaminski (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) was a Cadet World bronze medalist in Greco-Roman this summer. 285: Returning tournament champion Cohlton Schultz (Ponderosa, Colo.) seeks to make it four trips to the Ironman finals, as he also finished runner-up in this tournament during his freshman and sophomore campaigns. While it as noted that Saunders was one of the biggest favorites to win his weight class in the tournament, it can be argued that No. 2 overall senior Schultz is the biggest favorite. Just two other wrestlers in this weight class are ranked nationally, while two additional wrestlers -- Johnny Shafer (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) and Max Millin (Massillon Perry, Ohio) are returning tournament placers.

Don Maurey, three-time PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) wrestling champion for Clearfield High School who also earned an EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) title and NCAA All-America honors at Penn State, has died. He passed away Saturday, Dec. 1 in Hollidaysburg, Pa. at age 88. Donald L. Maurey was born on Oct. 12, 1930 in Clearfield, Pa. to Edward and Floyd (Beers) Maurey. He was part of a wrestling family which included older brother Jim (1945 PIAA champ who went on to coach at Millersville State Teachers' College) and younger brother Jerry (four-time PIAA champ in 1947-50 who coached at Clearfield High). Don MaureyDon Maurey wrestled for the late, legendary coach Art Weiss at Clearfield High School, where he was a four-time PIAA finalist, placing second at 112 pounds in 1946, then earning three PIAA state titles at 120 pounds in 1946 and 1947, and at 127 pounds in 1948 after placing second at the 1945 state finals. After graduating from Clearfield, Don Maurey enrolled at Penn State, where he wrestled for yet another coaching icon, Charlie Speidel, in the early 1950s. Maurey won the 137-pound crown at the 1951 EIWA Championships, and earned All-American honors at the 1951 NCAA Championships in the same weight class. While at Penn State, Don Maurey compiled a 26-7-1 record, with 8 falls. "The name Maurey is legendary in Pennsylvania wrestling history," Tom Elling, historian for wrestling in the Keystone State, told InterMat. "Don was a humble man, never bragged. He loved to talk wrestling but would have a listening ear in any and every discussion." Beyond his accomplishments in wrestling, Don Maurey served in the U.S. Air Force, then had a long career with John Hill Realty. Maurey is survived by a son, Stephen E. Maurey of Altoona, Pa. (who was a 1974 PIAA state champ for Altoona High); a daughter, Susan M. Katz of Altoona; three grandchildren: Courtney Piper of Orlando, Fla., Anna Shaw of New Kent, Va., and David Katz of Arlington, Va.; and two brothers: James (Jim) Maurey of Lancaster, Pa. and Gerald (Jerry) Maurey of Tallahassee, Fla. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, the former Patricia Robinson, and their son, Ashley G. Maurey. Visitation and funeral service will both take place Saturday, Dec. 8 at E. Merrill Smith Funeral Home, 2309 Broad Ave., Altoona, with the Rev. Douglas McGaffin officiating. Friends will be received from 10 a.m. until the funeral service which begins at noon. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions in Don's memory be made to Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675-8517.

Robert Howard gets his hand raised after his finals victory at UWW Cadet Nationals (Photo/Sam Janicki,SJanickiPhoto.com) On Wednesday, three-time defending national champion Penn State received a verbal commitment from Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), the nation's No. 2 wrestler in the Class of 2020. Howard is a two-time Cadet World Team member in freestyle, Youth Olympic Games gold medalist and New Jersey state champion. He projects as a 133-pounder in college.

The online sportsbook BetDSI has released college wrestling betting odds for this weekend's slate (Dec. 7-9). 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.

Nathaniel Brown as an NCAA finalist and multiple-time All-American for Lehigh (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Throughout the storied history of Hill School wrestling, the program has had no shortage of masterful coaches. Beginning with Frank Bissell, the architect of 17 National Prep champion teams and a 2012 National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee, Hill School wrestlers have always been instructed by coaching staffs possessing an intimate knowledge of the sport's fundamentals, techniques, and strategies. When Dave Hoffman left his coaching position at The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga to return to The Hill, his high school alma mater, as head coach, he immediately sought to surround himself with as highly qualified of a coaching staff as possible. Using his extensive network within the wrestling community, Hoffman succeeded in achieving his goal. Joining Hoffman is highly talented staff of six assistant coaches who bring a plethora of experiences and accolades to the mat: Nate Brown, TJ Demetrio, Zach Doll, Dan Hoffman, Kevin Tkachuk, and Ty Willman. One of the most decorated athletes in Lewisburg High School history, Nathaniel Brown finished his high school career with a record of 149 wins and just 13 losses, winning 95 bouts by fall. Brown was a three-time state place winner and the 2011 AA state champion at 171, capping an undefeated season. In 2011, Brown, who also was a standout on the gridiron and the track, was named "Athlete of the Year" by the Sun Gazette newspaper. Brown was a three-time Fargo All-American and was the national champion during his sophomore year. Continuing his wrestling career for perennial power Lehigh University, Brown was a four-time EIWA place winner, winning the EIWA championship at 174 as a sophomore. He qualified for the NCAA tournament three times, finishing as runner-up at 184 in 2015. Brown graduated from Lehigh as a two-time NCAA All-American and a NHSCA national champion. Another three-time NCAA Tournament qualifier, Zach Doll is another newcomer to The Hill staff this year. Doll attended The Hill for four years, from 1996 until 2000, graduating as a member of the 100-win club. Doll finished as runner-up in the PA Independent School State Tournament as a freshman before winning his weight class in each of his final three years. A four-year qualifier for the National Prep tournament, Doll finished as runner-up in each of his first three years before finally breaking through and winning National Preps at 160 as a senior. After graduating from The Hill, Doll attended The University of Pittsburgh, where he compiled a career record of 77-40. In addition to qualifying for the NCAA Tournament three times, Doll finished third in his weight class at the EWL Championship three times. Returning to The Hill staff in 2018 is TJ Demetrio. A 2011 graduate of Pottsgrove High School, Demetrio compiled a career high school record of 108 wins and 41 losses. He was a four-year Sectional qualifier, three-year District qualifier, two-time Regional qualifier, and two-time State qualifier in high school. In his junior year, Demetrio was the Regional champion at 152, and as a senior he was the Sectional champion at 160 and placed 6th in the AAA State Tournament. After graduating from Pottsgrove, Demetrio attended and wrestled for York College of Pennsylvania for three years before finishing his college career at Millersville University. Dan Hoffman attended The Hill from 2000-2003. In his three seasons at The Hill, Hoffman reached the final of the PA Independent School State Tournament three times, finishing as runner-up in 2001 and 2002 before winning in 2003. Hoffman also was a three-time National Prep qualifier, placing fourth in 2002 at 130 and fifth at 135 in 2003. Hoffman transferred to Owen J. Roberts High School for his senior year, where he was both a Section and District champion. Born and raised in Manitoba, Kevin Tkachuk wrestled while growing up but made a name for himself internationally as a rugby player, representing both the Canadian National Team and the Glasgow Warriors of Scotland. Tkachuk earned 34 caps for Canada, serving as a team captain for five matches. His professional career spanned eight seasons, and in 2006 he was named the Warriors "Player of the Year." Along with Dave Hoffman, Ty Willman is one of just five wrestlers in event history to place five times at the National Prep Tournament. Willman came to The Hill School as an eighth grade student in 1990-91 and immediately embarked on one of the most storied careers in program history. He won the first of four PA Independent School State Tournament championships that year, also winning in 1993, 1994, and 1995; Willman was named the OW of the 1995 tournament. At National Preps, Willman placed eighth in 1991, second in 1992, and fourth in 1993 before winning National Prep Championships in 1994 and 1995. After graduating from The Hill, Willman wrestled at Penn State University. The Hill opens the 2018-2019 season on Saturday, December 1 at The Battle at Germantown. Shifting the schedule to largely tournaments for this season, the team also will compete in the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy Invitational, Xcalibur Invitational, Howdy Duncan Classic, Delcastle Classic, Bissell '33 Hill Tournament, Warpath Invitational, PAISAA Cup, MAPL Duals, and Cardinal Classic. A Dec. 5 dual meet with Westtown School rounds out the regular season schedule. Postseason competitions include the PA Independent School Wrestling Tournament and the National Prep Tournament.

During the upcoming week of Dec. 5-11 the obvious main event is going to be the Walsh Jesuit Ironman. That tournament -- held on Friday and Saturday (Dec. 7-8) in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio -- will feature about half of the nationally ranked teams with either full or partial entries present. Below is a list of the nationally ranked schools with wrestlers slated to compete in the Walsh Jesuit Ironman: No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.), No. 2 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), No. 4 Cincinnati LaSalle (Ohio), No. 5 St. Edward (Ohio), No. 6 Montini Catholic (Ill.), No. 8 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), No. 10 Gilroy (Calif.), No. 11 Park Hill (Mo.), No. 12 Broken Arrow (Okla.), No. 15 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.), No. 16 Allen (Texas), No. 22 St. John Bosco (Calif.), No. 24 Wadsworth (Ohio), No. 25 Mt. St. Joseph's (Md.), No. 27 Marmion Academy (Ill.), No. 29 Parkersburg South (Ill.), No. 30 Chicago Mt. Carmel (Ill.), No. 31 Poway (Calif.), No. 32 Elyria (Ohio), No. 34 St. Paris Graham (Ohio), No. 36 Reynolds (Pa.), No. 37 Brecksville (Ohio), No. 38 Pomona (Colo.), No. 44 Clovis North (Calif.), and No. 47 Arlington Martin (Texas) The following are the additional competition schedules for the nationally ranked teams this week. No. 7 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) -- hosts Hartland (Mich.) in a dual meet today, competes in the Westland (Mich.) John Glenn Rocket Duals on Saturday No. 9 Buchanan (Calif.) -- splits their squad between the Chuckchansi Invitational at Madera South (Calif.) on Friday and Saturday, and the Clovis West (Calif.) Shootout on Saturday No. 11 Park Hill (Mo.) -- will also travel to Liberty North (Mo.) for a tri meet with Lee's Summit (Mo.) on Tuesday 12/11 No. 12 Broken Arrow (Okla.) -- travels to Akron (Ohio) SVSM for a dual meet on Thursday before the Walsh Ironman on Friday/Saturday No. 13 Tuttle (Okla.) -- hosts Perry (Okla.) for a dual meet on Tuesday 12/11 No. 14 Southeast Polk (Iowa) -- travels to Des Moines (Iowa) Lincoln for tri-meet with Ankeny (Iowa) on Thursday, competes in the Webster City (Iowa) Invitational on Saturday, travels to Waukee (Iowa) for dual meet on Tuesday 12/11 No. 17 Brighton (Mich.) -- hosts No. 26 Davison (Mich.) in a dual meet on Friday, competes in the Warren Woods Tower (Mich.) Duals on Saturday No. 19 Clovis (Calif.) -- competes in the Clovis West (Calif.) Shootout on Saturday No. 20 Simley (Minn.) -- competes in a multi-team event at Prior Lake (Minn.) on Saturday No. 26 Davison (Mich.) -- travels to Bay City Western (Mich.) today for a multi-team dual, travels to No. 17 Brighton (Mich.) for a dual meet on Friday No. 28 Kasson-Mantorville (Minn.) -- hosts Goodhue (Minn.) in a dual meet on Friday, competes in the Andover (Minn.) Invitational on Satuday, travels to Lake City (Minn.) for a tri-meet with Cannon Falls (Minn.) on Tuesday 12/11 No. 35 Indianapolis Cathedral (Ind.) -- travels to New Palestine (Ind.) for a dual meet today, competes in the Traicoff Invitational at Calumet (Ind.) on Saturday, hosts Greenfield Central (Ind.) in a dual meet on Tuesday 12/11 No. 39 Goddard (Kansas) -- travels to Maize South (Kansas) for a dual meet on Thursday No. 42 Apple Valley (Minn.) -- hosts Lakeville North (Minn.) in a dual meet on Thursday, competes in the Council Bluffs (Iowa) Wrestling Classic on Friday and Saturday No. 43 Don Bosco (Iowa) -- hosts tri-meet against Aplington-Parkersbug (Iowa) and Denver (Iowa) on Thursday, competes in the Keith Vry Invitational at Aplington-Parkersbug (Iowa) on Saturday, hosts North Linn (Iowa) in a dual meet on Tuesday 12/11 No. 44 Clovis North (Calif.) -- will send remaining wrestlers (i.e. those not competing in the Walsh Jesuit Ironman) to the Clovis West (Calif.) Shootout on Saturday No. 45 Waverly-Shell Rock (Iowa) -- hosts Charles City (Iowa) in a dual meet on Thursday, hosts multi-team dual meet event on Saturday No. 46 Millard South (Neb.) -- competes in the Council Bluffs (Iowa) Wrestling Classic on Friday and Saturday No. 48 Oak Park River Forest (Ill.) -- hosts Proviso West (Ill.) in a dual meet on Thursday, travels to Lyons Township (Ill.) for dual meet on Friday, hosts quad meet on Saturday No. 49 Staley (Mo.) -- travels to No. 45 Waverly-Shell Rock (Iowa) for the Go-Hawk Duals on Saturday, travels to St. Joseph Central (mo.) for dual meet on Tuesday 12/11 No. 50 Stoughton (Wis.) -- hosts Monroe (Wis.) in a dual meet on Friday, competes at the Dells Duals Tournament in Wisconsin Dells (Wis.) on Saturday Finally, schools in the New Jersey state athletic association (NJSIAA) do not start until next weekend, which means these teams have yet to start their season: No. 3 Bergen Catholic, No. 18 Paulsboro, No. 21 St. Joseph's Montvale, No. 33 South Plainfield, No. 40 Howell, and No. 41 Delbarton. One last note is that No. 23 Erie Cathedral Prep (Pa.) is delaying the start of their season one extra week beyond their state's start date.

Two coaches at the St. Edward High School wrestling program -- ranked No. 5 in the nation by InterMat -- are credited with saving the life a 15-year-old wrestler during practice last week at the Lakewood, Ohio school, WJW-TV, the Fox affiliate in Cleveland reported Monday. St. Ed assistant wrestling coach Mark Jayne told WJW, "The student-athlete was gasping, could not breathe, there was like long gaps in between, so I know that does not count as breathing and he wasn't responding.” Jayne, a three-time Ohio state champ for St. Ed who now teaches CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) in his health class at his high school alma mater, began using an AED (automatic external defibrillator) that another coach had brought to where the wrestler had collapsed, and applied the pads as directed to revive the student-athlete. Jayne, who is a certified instructor in using CPR, told WJW that AED machines automatically guide the user step-by-step through the process of reviving a patient. "You've got to look at the picture. It tells you exactly where to put it, so even though your adrenaline is running high, you know where to go," said Jayne. Thanks to the quick response of Coach Jayne and his colleagues -- as well as having easy access to the AEDs located throughout the St. Ed campus -- the teenager was breathing when paramedics arrived. The unidentified wrestler was taken to a nearby hospital where he was discovered to have a previously undiagnosed heart condition. He had a pacemaker implanted to regulate his heartbeat, and is now recovering at home. Jayne, who went on to wrestle at the University of Illinois before returning to teach and coach at St. Ed, emphasized the need for individuals to be trained in CPR and the use of lifesaving equipment such as AEDs. "It saved his life so knowing how to do this," said Jayne. "I mean you just don't know, it could be in the practice room, out in public, in school anywhere; you just don't know so it's always good to be ready, be trained." St Edward High School is an all-male, private Catholic high school located in the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood. The school -- home to the nationally-ranked Eagles wrestling program -- has a total enrollment of approximately 950 students.

Stanford University has cleared an employee of sexual harassment allegations from incidents reported by some Cardinal wrestlers prior to 2010 in the school's locker room and shower area used by wrestlers but at that time also accessible to others. The five-month investigation of alleged incidents from 2002-2010 was launched after a former wrestler of that era brought his concerns to Stanford's Title IX office this summer. These latest allegations reportedly mirrored those raised by other student-athletes before 2010 which were investigated at the time. Here's how the report, issued by Stanford's Title IX office late last week, described the situation: "The allegations focused on an individual, an employee at the university, who was alleged to have showered in unnecessarily close proximity to members of the wrestling team in the locker room that was open to the Stanford community, and to have engaged in other non-physical interactions, such as staring, that made some wrestlers uncomfortable." "Some, but not all, of the allegations regarding the individual were first raised in 2010, when they were brought to the attention of the university's Sexual Harassment Policy Office. The university investigated the 2010 allegations promptly after they were raised. The investigation at that time concluded that the university's policies on sexual harassment had not been violated, but the individual agreed to take certain precautions to preclude further concerns." The report went on to state, "The university has heard no allegations, at any time, of inappropriate physical contact with students or others. There is no allegation that the individual touched any wrestler or said anything sexually inappropriate to any wrestler. Also, the university has received no concerns about the individual or any related issues from families affiliated with the Cardinal Wrestling Club, which is an independent youth wrestling club that uses Stanford facilities." At the time of the alleged incidents, the Stanford wrestling team used a locker room that was also open to other members of the Stanford community who used the university's recreational facilities. That changed in 2014, when the team moved to a student-athlete-only locker room, which the team continues to use today. According to the latest report, the Title IX office interviewed at least 30 witnesses who are former and current wrestlers and coaches during the investigation into the wrestlers' claims. The Stanford situation has some parallels to incidents reported by some Ohio State wrestlers from the mid-1970s into the 1990s, where Buckeye wrestlers have reported being ogled by some non-athletes in the university community in a shower room/locker room area that was in a building which housed intermural athletics in addition to wrestling facilities. That building has since been torn down. That situation -- as well as cases involving a medical doctor on the Ohio State staff accused of inappropriate touching of students during medical exams -- continue to be investigated by the school, the Ohio Attorney General, and a major Columbus law firm.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The No. 7 NC State Wrestling team won the first eight matches of the night, and defeated visiting Appalachian State 29-9 in Reynolds Coliseum. With the bout starting at 125 pounds, NC State got into the win column with a bonus point win as R-Fr. Zurich Strom scored a 16-3 major decision. Storm got an early takedown, then proceeded to get a four-point and then two-point near fall in the first for an 8-0 lead after the opening period. NC State then reeled off three straight decisions by a trio of ranked wrestlers: #4 Tariq Wilson with a 5-2 win at 133 pounds, No. 12 Jamal Morris with a 10-4 win at 141, and No. 4 Justin Oliver 6-3 at 149. The second bonus win of the win for the Pack was No. 4 Hayden Hidlay with a 10-2 major decision at 157 pounds after a final takedown in the last 10 seconds. At the break, NC State was up 17-0. Back-to-back Bullard decisions at 165 and 174 pounds. First No. 18 Thomas with a 10-4 win followed by Daniel with a 7-5 decision. No. 5 Nick Reenan scored a pin at 184 pounds, as he got a headlock and converted it into a fall at the 1:02 mark. The Mountaineers closed the dual with a win at 197 pounds and a pin at heavyweight. Up Next: The Wolfpack will next host No. 11 Nebraska on Sun., Dec. 16 at 1 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum. Results: 125: Zurich Storm (NCSU) major dec. Andy Richard; 16-3 – 4-0 133: #4 Tariq Wilson (NCSU) dec. Codi Russell; 5-2 – 7-0 141: #12 Jamal Morris (NCSU) dec. Enriquez; 10-4 – 10-0 149: #4 Justin Oliver (NCSU) dec. Matt Zovistoski; 6-3 – 13-0 157: #4 Hayden Hidlay (NCSU) major dec. Angel Najar; 10-2 – 17-0 165: #18 Thomas Bullard (NCSU) dec. Michael Elliott; 10-4 – 20-0 174: Daniel Bullard (NCSU) dec. Thomas Flitz; 7-5 – 23-0 184: Nick Reenan (NCSU) WBF Alan Clothier; 1:02 – 29-0 197: Randall Diabe (APP) dec. #18 Malik McDonald; 3-2; 29-3 285: Cary Miller (APP) WBF Deonte Wilson; 5:54 - 29-9