InterMat Staff

The season opening week of Illinois saw No. 30 Marmion Academy compete in one of their allowable "tournament" events during the course of the season. The Cadets went to Barrington High School for the 27-team Moore-Prettyman Invitational, which was held on Friday and Saturday. Scoring 260 points on the strength of nine placers - all in the top five - eight of them in the top three, Marmion Academy outlasted fellow state power Lockport for a tournament title. Leading the way for the Cadets were three weight class champions: No. 10 Diego Sotelo at 106 pounds, No. 15 (at 138) Trevor Chumbley at 145, and 2017 state medalist Peter Ferraro at 170. Runner-up finishes were earned by state placer Michael Jaffe (120) as well as state qualifiers Nathan Callaway (132) and Patrick Daum (182); state qualifier Ryan Fleck (138) and three-time state placer Brad Gross (160) finished third, while Jack Bazukas (220) placed fifth. Runner-up Lockport amassed 213-1/2 points, led by a tournament-high four weight class champions: freshman Keegan Robertson (113), No. 7 Matthew Ramos (120), No. 5 Anthony Molton (126), and No. 20 Baylor Fernandes (285). Ramos beat Jaffe 9-4 in the final at 120 pounds, a weight class that featured two other returning state medalists. Ramos beat Enzo Silva (Plainfield South) 7-1 in the semifinal, while Jaffe knocked off Tommy Frezza (Lincolnshire Stevenson) by 16-6 major decision in that same round; Frezza would beat Silva 2-0 for bronze. The six other starters that placed for Lockport all finished fourth or worse, led by returning state qualifier Mikey Kaminski, who was fourth at 132 pounds. Placing fifth were seniors Jake D'Angelo (138) and Malik Daghash (160), along with sophomore Brendon Shin (285); freshman Drew Blackburn-Frost (195) placed seventh; while junior Anthony Crapia (145) was eighth. Two reserve wrestlers competing as "extras" also placed for the Potters - Jake Lukaszczyk (113) took third and Kyle Boone (160) earned seventh. The other team to win multiple weight class titles was Libertyville, which finished third in the tournament with 159-1/2 points. Their titles came in back-to-back weight classes, returning state placer Danny Pucino (132) and multi-time state qualifier Michael Gunther (138). Most notable of the remaining weight class champions was junior Luke Rasmussen from the host school, Barrington, at 160 pounds. His tournament started with a pair of pins and then an 11-3 major decision. The key win was a 4-1 semifinal victory over three-time state placer Gross, a returning state runner-up. In the final he beat Jake Kendall (Plainfield South) by a score of 5-4. Rounding out the champions were Cadet double All-American Josh LaBarbera (Metea Valley) at 182 pounds, state runner-up Nick Stemmet (Yorkville) at 195, along with seniors Max Gomez (Lincolnshire Stevenson) and Jose Ramos (Prospect) at 220 and 285.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Senior Mitch Bowman led off with an upset and the No. 3 University of Iowa wrestling team strung together five straight wins in the middle of its 26-9 win over No. 14 Purdue on Saturday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Bowman was giving away 13 pounds to 11th-ranked Christian Brunner, but opened the dual with a pair of first-period takedowns and added a second-period reversal to earn a 7-5 decision. Bowman, a natural 184-pounder, won for the second time this season wrestling at 197. "It comes back to the way I was raised and that you do what the head coach asks of you," Bowman said. "I believe in Tom (Brands) and I know he has my best interests in mind. If he asks me to go '97, I'll wrestle '97. If he asks me to wrestle heavyweight, I'll wrestle heavyweight. It doesn't matter because he's doing what's best for me and what's best for the team and I truly believe that." Bowman was one of two Hawkeyes wrestling up a weight in a lineup that was missing five projected starters. Carter Happel, a natural 141-pounder, won, 2-0, at 149 with the benefit of a second-period escape and one point for riding time (1:52). "Tom preaches that you're a heartbeat away from the lineup. This week I and others were asked to fill a spot and we went out there and got the job done," Happel said. Happel's victory at 149 was sandwiched between decisions by Austin DeSanto (133) and Max Murin (141), and a pair of bonus-point victories from Kaleb Young (157) and Alex Marinelli (165). The Hawkeyes trailed 6-3 in the team score before rattling off those five straight wins. The dual opened at 197 with a Bowman victory. Purdue then won consecutive decisions at 285 and 125. DeSanto and Murin's decisions gave Iowa a 9-6 lead at the break. Happel's win extended it to 12-6, and Young's pin at 157 extended the lead to 18-6. Young's match was scoreless after one period. He started on top in the second period and turned No. 14 Griffin Parriott, registering a fall 23 seconds after the whistle. "I knew if I went out and wrestled my style, was loose and let things go, that I would be able to get bonus points," Young said. "It felt great to make it happen and get things rolling a little more our way." Marinelli totaled more than four minutes of riding time, four takedowns, and four nearfall points to clinch the dual with a 14-3 major decision at 165. Purdue got back on the board with a decision at 174, but Cash Wilcke ended the dual with a 12-4 major decision at 184. With half of its lineup in street clothes, Iowa won its 21st consecutive Big Ten Conference opener. "You never know what's going on in that wrestling room and we are going to rely on these guys for the near term," Brands said. "It's the lineup you're going to see and we have to be making hay with that lineup. I don't know how many teams can throw five backups in there and win in seven different weights. "It's a culture. You hear the word a lot from programs on the rise that they need a better culture, or from good programs with one established. We love our guys and they feel that they're loved." NOTABLES Iowa has won 21 straight conference openers. Iowa has won 30 straight against Purdue. Iowa wrestled without projected starters Spencer Lee (125), Pat Lugo (149), Michael Kemerer (174), Jacob Warner (197), and Sam Stoll (285). Mitch Bowman's decision against No. 11 Christian Brunner was his fifth career win against a top 20 opponent. Brunner represented Team USA at the 2018 U23 World Championships earlier this month. Perez Perez made his dual debut and his first appearance at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Austin DeSanto earned his second win this season over a ranked opponent. Carter Happel made his first career appearance at 149 pounds. Kaleb Young earned his second career win over a top 20 opponent. Marinelli improved to 4-0 with two major decisions and two falls. Wilcke improved to 4-0 with a team-high three major decisions. UP NEXT The Hawkeyes host Iowa State in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 2 p.m. (CT) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are available at hawkeyesports.com/tickets. Results: 197 -- Mitch Bowman (IA) dec. #11 Christian Brunner (P), 7-5; 3-0 285 -- Jacob Aven (P) dec. Aaron Costello (IA), 3-1 SV1; 3-3 125 -- #15 Devin Shroder (P) dec. Perez Perez (IA), 4-2; 3-6 133 -- #11 Austin DeSanto (IA) dec. #18 Ben Thornton (P), 5-2; 6-6 141 -- #14 Max Murin (IA) dec. #19 Nate Limex (P), 5-0; 9-6 149 -- Carter Happel (IA) dec. Parker Filius (P), 2-0; 12-6 157 -- #13 Kaleb Young (IA) pinned #14 Griffin Parriott (P), 3:37; 18-6 165 -- #4 Alex Marinelli (IA) major dec. Cole Wysocki (P), 14-3; 22-6 174 -- #13 Dylan Lydy (P) dec. Myles Wilson (IA), 7-3; 22-9 184 -- #12 Cash Wilcke (IA) major dec. Max Lyon (P), 12-4; 26-9

"More Division I student-athletes than ever are earning their degrees, according to new Graduation Success Rate data …" That was the opening line of a press release issued by the NCAA last week. The statement went on say, "The most recent rate is 88 percent, a record high and an increase of 1 percentage point from 2017 numbers." "Student-athletes continue to achieve academic success at record levels," NCAA President Mark Emmert said. "When the GSR was created more than 15 years ago, the NCAA set an aspirational goal of 80 percent of student-athletes graduating. College athletes have met and exceeded that goal -- as they often do with any challenge." Last week's announcement was general in scope, addressing stats of Division I student-athletes overall in multiple intercollegiate sports. Which got us to thinking: how well are D1 wrestlers doing in terms of Graduation Success Rates? Luckily, the NCAA was kind enough to provide links to a mind-blowing wealth of GSR information across the years and for various sports, including men's Division I college wrestling. Here are 2018 NCAA Graduation Success Rates for the top three NCAA Division I wrestling programs by conference. Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) 1. Duke 100% 2. Virginia 92% 3. Pittsburgh 88% Big 12 1. West Virginia University 85% 2. U.S. Air Force Academy 82% 3. University of Oklahoma 78% Big Ten 1. Penn State 100% 2. Michigan 94% 3. Northwestern 93% EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) 1. Sacred Heart (Connecticut) 100% 1. American University 100% 1. Princeton 100% EWL (Eastern Wrestling League) 1. Bloomsburg 83% 2. Lock Haven 77% 2. Rider 77% MAC (Mid-American Conference) 1. Kent State (Ohio) 82% 2. Ohio University 80% 2. Old Dominion 80% Pac-12 1. Stanford 93% 2. Oregon State 76% 3. CSU Bakersfield 72% Southern Conference 1. Davidson College 93% 2. The Citadel 89% 3. Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville 77%

Soslan Andiyev, two-time Olympic gold medalist in freestyle in 1976 and 1980 who later served as an official of the Russian Olympic Committee, died Thursday, Nov. 22 in a hospital in Moscow. He was 66. Soslan Petrovich Andiyev was born on April 21, 1952 in Vladikavkaz, Respublika Severnaya Osetiya-Alaniya, Russia. The website Sports-Reference.com describes him as "the dominant super-heavyweight freestyle wrestler of the 1970s." First gaining a spot on the Soviet Union's freestyle wrestling team in 1973, the 6'4", 276-pound Andiyev grabbed the international wrestling world's attention by defeating 6'5", 400+ pound "Gentle Giant" Chris Taylor -- 1972 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time NCAA heavyweight champ for Iowa State in 1972 and 1973 -- at a World Cup event. Soslan AndiyevAndiyev added to his reputation and wrestling resume by claiming seven titles at the Soviet Championships (1973-78, 1980), four World Championships (1973, 1975, 1977-78) along with a silver at the 1974 Worlds, and three European Championships (1974-75, 1982). Andiyev won Olympic gold medals as a superheavyweight in men's freestyle competition at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and was expected to claim a third consecutive Olympic gold medal in 1984 until the Soviets chose to boycott the Los Angeles Games. He retired from wrestling that year, becoming a coach. Andiyev later became a Minister of Sports of North Ossetia, then served as Vice-President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), and a member of the Executive Committee of the ROC. In 2006, Andiyev was welcomed into what is now the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Lowell Lange, a three-time NCAA wrestling champ for Cornell College of Iowa who went on coach the sport at Georgia Tech, passed away late Monday night, Nov. 19 near his home in Canton, Ga., according to the Atlanta-based school. He was 90 years old. Lowell Lange (Photo/NWHOF)Here's the tweet from Georgia Tech's athletics director, Todd Stansbury, posted Wednesday evening to announce Lange's passing: "The @GTAthletics family & I mourn the loss of Lowell Lange, who passed away this week. A 3-time national champion as a student-athlete at Cornell College in Iowa and member of the @NWHOF, he coached our wrestling program from 1964 87. Our thoughts are with his family and friends." Lowell William Lange was born in Dixon, Iowa on August 17, 1928. According to a profile written by historian Arno Niemand for the "History of Collegiate Wrestling" book by Jay Hammond, Lange and his family moved numerous times before settling in Waterloo, Iowa. Lowell and his older brother Kent enrolled in Waterloo West High, and went out for the school's wrestling team. Lowell Lange was a two-time Iowa high school state champ at 145 pounds. Lowell "Tiger" Lange -- along with Wahawk teammates Richard Hauser and Leo Thomsen -- was recruited by Paul Scott, head wrestling coach at Cornell College in Mt Vernon, Iowa, about a half-hour north of Iowa City. While Hauser and Thomsen had already committed to Cornell, Lange had been considering Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa) -- located a few minutes from Waterloo -- but had developed a friendship with coach Scott on a trip to the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) national championships in New York City, and decided to go to Cornell with Hauser and Thomsen. As a wrestler at Cornell, Lange was a three-time NCAA champ at 136 pounds -- and grabbed three more AAU titles -- in 1947, 1949 and 1950. As a freshman, Lange was one of two individual champs for Cornell (the other being Hauser, at 121 pounds) who helped propel the Purple to the team championship, the first private school to win an NCAA team title, and the school with the smallest total enrollment. In 1948, Lange was seriously injured in a car crash near Mt. Vernon that sidelined his mat career for the year, making him unable to defend his NCAA and AAU individual titles, thus denying him the opportunity to possibly become the first four-time NCAA mat champ (an accomplishment not to be realized until Oklahoma State's Pat Smith won four titles in the early 1990s). Lowell Lange (Photo/NWHOF)Lowell Lange completed his Cornell athletic career with a 46-1 overall record, with 19 falls. His only collegiate loss was to Keith Young of Northern Iowa. Having graduated from Cornell College in 1950, Lange took the helm of his alma mater's wrestling program after coach Paul Scott left to become athletic director at Davidson College in North Carolina. In his one season as head coach at Cornell, he guided former teammate Walt Romanowski to the 128-pound title -- and Outstanding Wrestler honors -- at the 1951 NCAA championships. After one year as Cornell coach, Lowell Lange was called to the U.S. Army, where he served in military intelligence for three years... then returned to the family farm to help his father through the rest of the 1950s. In the early 1960s, Lange moved his family to Atlanta... where he revived the wrestling program at Georgia Tech which became a varsity sport in 1964. There were two high points of Lange's Georgia Tech coaching career which took place in 1966. That year, the Tech squad defeated Auburn in the SEIWA (Southeastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) Tournament, handing legendary coach Swede Umbach of Auburn his first conference loss in over 20 years ... while, that same year, Lange coached the first college wrestling All-American from the state of Georgia, Jim Pond, who placed sixth at 145 pounds at the 1966 NCAAs. Lange served as head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets until the program was eliminated in 1996. "He broke my nose more times than I could remember," Jim Pond told TheGoodWord.com online newsletter for Georgia Tech in 2015. "Everything on his body was hard. I've been on the mat with some tough guys ... nobody was even close to being as tough as Lowell Lange." "Coach Lange affected the direction of many lives of young men who came through the Georgia Tech Wrestling program during these 30 plus years," according to Billy Saville, who wrestled for Lange at Georgia Tech. "Many people never knew of his tremendous accomplishments because of Coach Lange's humble nature. We almost had to drag the information out of him to uncover his background, although for those of us who worked out on the mat with him, it was very apparent." In addition to his wrestling and coaching accomplishments, Lowell Lange served as a member of the rules committee and the coaches' executive committee and helped launch USA Wrestling programs in Georgia, according to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Lowell Lange (Photo/NWHOF)In addition to being welcomed into the Stillwater Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1981, Lowell Lange was installed into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1979, the Cornell College Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Battle of Waterloo Hall of Fame in 2014, among other honors. Lange's Dream Team teammate Al Partin also passes away Lange is the second member of the Cornell College "Dream Team" of the late 1940s to pass away this fall. Last month, Al Partin, who usually wrestled heavyweight for Cornell the same years as Lowell Lange, died Oct. 17 at Carle Hospital in Urbana, Ill. from complications from colon cancer at age 96. Born in Portsmouth, Va. in 1922, Partin was a 1941 Illinois state champ for Proviso East High in suburban Chicago. He served in the U.S. Navy for four years during World War II, then enrolled at Cornell the same time as Lowell Lange, wrestling at various weights from 165 pounds to unlimited (as what is now the 285-pound weight class -- generally known as heavyweight -- was called back then). After graduating from Cornell in 1950, Partin served as head wrestling coach at the University of Nebraska from 1950-54 before becoming head football and wrestling coach at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., according to his obituary in the Galesburg Register-Mail. He earned a master of arts in school administration from Bradley University and served as director of physical education at Knox until his retirement in 1983. He also served as an alderman in Galesburg. To learn more about Lowell Lange, Al Partin and the Cornell College "Dream Team" check out the 2007 InterMat profile on the 1947 NCAA titlewinning team ... and a 2010 article on Arno Niemand's "The Dream Team" book. Thanks to wrestling historian/author Arno Niemand, former Georgia Tech wrestler Billy Saville, Georgia Tech Athletic Director Todd Stansbury, and Jack Carnefix of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for their assistance.

The online sportsbook BetDSI has released college wrestling betting odds for this weekend's slate (Nov. 24-25). 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 $60 wager at -120 that wins would profit $50 and return a total of $110. Note: Betting odds are subject to change.

Ho! Ho! Ho! The holidays are upon us! Feel cornered as to what to get the wrestlers, coaches and fans on your gift list? No worries! You've got this... Just take a look at some of these great gift ideas ... For youngsters new to wrestling ... Wrestling: A Boy's First Book Want to introduce a youngster to all that's great about the sport of wrestling? You could spend hours searching the internet for an appropriate book, shell out some money for it (along with shipping and handling), then wait for it to arrive in the mail. Or you can take the easy way ... by downloading "Wrestling: A Boy's First Book." This age-appropriate book is written for young boys and girls ages 7-9 who might be interested in the sport ... and is designed to be read to potential wrestlers by their parents, grandparents or other caring adult. First published in 2009, it's proven book that's already in use in thousands of homes, now available as a FREE download for you to print out ... or read on your tablet or other device. To Be The Best -- Young Readers' Edition The award winning three-novel wrestling fiction series has expanded to include versions more fitting for readers in grades four through seven. The young readers editions follow the same story of triumphs and tribulations as brothers Ron and Nick Castle pursue their dreams of becoming state wrestling champions but situations that are too intense for younger readers have been toned down. A special edition volume includes the second and third books and the TO BE THE BEST: PREQUEL story which appeared as a series in WIN and USA Wrestler magazines. Books can be ordered at a discount at ToBeTheBestWrestling.com. Use coupon code INTERMAT to receive 20 percent off any order of $25 or more through December 31, 2018. Fresh off the press: New books for 2018 Icon by Michael Fessler Over the past half-decade, wrestler/writer Mike Fessler has penned books that bring together Christianity and wrestling (including "Faith and Wrestling"). His most recent is "Icon: The Value of Faith and Wrestling." As Fessler told InterMat this summer, "It's important to compare the idea of 'idol' vs. 'icon.' An idol attracts and absorbs attention, while an icon is reflective -- a gift to share with others... In wrestling, I think it's important to compete in such a way that's beyond yourself. We as icons can point to God, in, for example, how we treat others." Pathfinder 2 by Kevin Emily "Pathfinder Vol. 2: The Journey Continues" by Kevin Emily is a follow-up to his original "Pathfinder: The Journey of the African-American Wrestler" that told the stories of pioneering African-American wrestlers who paved the way for thousands of athletes in subsequent decades. "Pathfinder Vol. 2" carries on the legacy of Emily's first book by sharing the stories of more recent black wrestling stars -- including Marcus LeVesseur, Greg Jones, Tab Thacker, Bobby Douglas, Jordan Burroughs, J'den Cox and more -- in a very informative yet conversational style that even young readers will enjoy. A Saint in the City, 2nd Edition by Scott Glabb The U.S. wrestling community loves an "overcoming adversity" story -- whether it's directly wrestling-related, or about overcoming poverty, a violent neighborhood, or an abusive childhood, too. These types of challenges -- and more -- have faced Scott Glabb and his wrestlers at Santa Ana High School in suburban Los Angeles since Glabb took the head coaching job at the impoverished, inner-city school in 1990. Nearly a decade ago, Glabb shared some of these stories in his original book "A Saint in the City: Coaching At-Risk Kids to Become Champions." Now Glabb shares new, uplifting stories of how he, his staff and his wrestlers overcome adversity on and off the mat with his new second-edition book, titled "A Saint in the City: True Stories of Champions Living in the Barrio." As Glabb wrote in his introduction in the new 2nd edition, "My hope is that this book changes you, inspires you, and motivates ou to make a positive difference in someone's life …" Wrestling with Ramos: Behind the Stare Here's what Amazon.com said about this 700-plus page biography of former University of Iowa wrestler Tony Ramos: "Follow the life and journey of American wrestling's modern day anti-hero, Tony Ramos, from his kids' club days, all the way through high school, college, and onto the United States World Team. No other wrestler has been more loved, hated, and misunderstood than the brash, open, and honest Ramos in recent years. In this, his official biography, as he has always done, Ramos does not hold back on himself or others … The rise and fall of Tony Ramos has been one of the most talked about and critiqued incidents since his interview at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials after he lost to fellow Hawkeye Wrestling Club teammate, Daniel Dennis, in a best-of-three finals match-up at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Unfiltered, emotional, honest, and now exposed, take a look into Ramos' life and discover the man behind the stare." Ready references you'll rely on ... The History of Collegiate Wrestling: A Century Of Wrestling Excellence The most comprehensive guide to the history of collegiate wrestling with stunning photographs and timeless stories that provide a year-by-year look at the sport and those who make it great. Originally compiled by legendary mat historian Jay Hammond, this volume is a must-have for serious wrestling fans. Pennsylvania Wrestling Handbook, 2018-2019 Compiled by award-winning wrestling writer Tom Elling and updated each year, "Pennsylvania Wrestling Handbook" is the go-to source for the sport in the Keystone State. Features every PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) returning wrestler who was in PIAA or PIAST series tournaments, including won-loss records, weight, graduation year and tournament placement. In addition, you'll find every PIAA placer since 1938, as well as placer results for major tournaments featuring Pennsylvania wrestlers. Stories of late, great Hall of Fame coaches to inspire you Two all-time great high school wrestling coaches who earned a place in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame -- Bob Siddens, and Mike Milkovich -- both passed away this fall. However, their inspiring stories live on in these compelling biographies. Siddens! Win with Humility, Lose with Dignity -- But Don't Lose! By Don Huff and Mike Chapman Biography of Bob Siddens, long-time coach at Waterloo West High School in Iowa who led his "lads" to eleven state team titles and 51 individual championships. One of Siddens' Wahawks was none other than Dan Gable. Mustang by Jim Kalin When naming the storied high school wrestling programs in the U.S., 2009 Dellinger Award-winning Amateur Wrestling News writer and second-generation Ohio State wrestler Jim Kalin makes a powerful case in his book "Mustang" that Maple Heights High School in suburban Cleveland and its head wrestling coach Mike Milkovich should be included in any list of all-time legacy mat programs. Learn from the old-school greats The website Lulu.com offers affordably-priced reprints of old-time books not otherwise readily available... including these old-time how-to-wrestle books from all-time greats of the past. Wrestling by Ed Gallagher Ed Gallagher is considered to be "the father of modern college wrestling." He coached the Oklahoma State Cowboys to numerous individual and team titles from the end of World War I to just before World War II... despite never having wrestled himself. This book was one of two classic instructional books written by "the Knute Rockne of wrestling" whose name adorns the arena at Oklahoma State. Scientific Methods of Wrestling by Paul Prehn Born on a farm in Mason City, Iowa, Paul Prehn taught hand-to-hand combat in World War I, then made a name for himself as wrestling coach at the University of Illinois in the 1920s (one of his students was 1928 Olympic gold medalist Allie Morrison, first Iowa native to win an Olympic gold medal). Wrestling and How to Train by Frank Gotch Frank Gotch was a professional wrestling champ from 1908-1913. The Iowa native's popularity helped encourage the growth of high school and college wrestling throughout the nation. This book is a primer on catch wrestling (not amateur wrestling). The Complete Science of Wrestling by George Hackenschmidt George Hackenschmidt -- aka the Russian Lion -- was a world champion professional wrestler known for his muscular physique and ability to put away opponents quickly. This 1909 book provides Hack's instruction for catch wrestling in words and photos. Shop the Hall, not the mall Winning gift ideas for wrestlers and fans direct from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa as well as the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. Iowa: The State of Wrestling poster Display your love of wrestling in the state of Iowa with this limited edition poster from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum, showcasing some of the state's great wrestling coaches. Poster measures 24 x 36 and is only $20 plus shipping. To order, contact Melissa at (319) 233-0745 or dgmstaff@nwhof.org. Glory Beyond the Sport; Wrestling and the Military The relationship between the Armed Forces and the sport of wrestling dates back thousands of years. Many of the stories on these pages detail those who have helped shape our country. Family Ties: An American Wrestling Tradition Family Ties: An American Wrestling Tradition documents 138 families that meet an established criterion: immediate family members who were NCAA Division I All-Americans, Senior World Team members, or Olympic Team members. What's more, the book explores unique aspects of wrestling as it relates to family. The Wrestling Presidents from Pins to Patriots Thirteen United States Presidents -- Washington, John Adams, Jackson, Taylor, Pierce, Lincoln, Garfield, Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Coolidge, and Eisenhower -- have wrestled. The Wrestling Presidents presents in first person the life story of each wrestling Chief Executive, with special focus on their "great (or not so great)" scuffling exploits. Hungry for more gift ideas? To win over the toughest mat stars of today and yesterday this holiday season, check out these Holiday Gift Guides of the recent past for more possible gifts, including 2017 Holiday Gift Guide ... and the 2016 Holiday Gift Guide.

The holidays just got happier for wrestlers in the Lone Star state, as Texas Wesleyan University just announced it will be adding both men's and women's wrestling to its sports roster, the Fort Worth school revealed this week. The Rams will take to the mats the Sooner Athletic Conference in the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) starting in fall 2019. A search for a head coach is underway, with recruiting expected to begin in early 2019. Texas Wesleyan's new intercollegiate mat programs are the first in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex... and only the second in the entire state of Texas at any level to offer scholarships. "Texas Wesleyan athletics continues to grow every day, thanks to recent successes across several of our sports," said Ricky Dotson, athletic director. "With Texas having the fastest- growing participation in high school wrestling of any state in the country, adding men's and women's teams to our diverse offering is a perfect next step." "Wrestling is great addition to our successful athletics program," said Frederick G. Slabach, president of Texas Wesleyan. "We think this is a wonderful opportunity for students to compete in wrestling collegiately while earning their degree in a student-first environment ideal for thriving on and off the field." Texas Wesleyan University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university established in Fort Worth in 1890. The school has a total enrollment of approximately 3,4000 students.

Add Maine to the growing list of states to announce the addition of an official state wrestling tournament for girls for 2019. The Maine Principals Association has voted to give final approval for the creation of a girls wrestling state championships to conclude the 2018-19 scholastic wrestling season, USA Wrestling reported this week. The date and location for the inaugural Maine State Girls Wrestling has already been announced: Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019 at Penobscot Valley High School in Howland. “The [wrestling committee] just ran with this because they've seen girls wrestling right along, and it seems like they should have this opportunity,” Michael Bisson, Assistant Executive Director of the MPA, told the Bangor Daily News. “They saw that other states have started it and that momentum is growing nationally, so they wanted to get involved.” Maine is the 14th state to establish a separate girls wrestling state championships, and the eighth to do so for the 2018-19 school year. Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, and Oregon also made the decision to add a separate girls championship in 2018. These eight new states join the six states -- Alaska, California, Hawaii, Tennessee, Texas and Washington State -- which already had separate state championship competition for girls prior to this year. In another sign of the continued growth of girls' and women's wrestling in the U.S. … during the 2017-18 school year, 16,562 girls wrestled at 2,351 schools around the country, according to the annual National Federation of State High School Associations participation survey.

The Thanksgiving holiday week is upon us. The upcoming weekend in many states will be the last one without high school wrestling -- except for holiday shutdowns where applicable -- for approximately three months. After this, it's all systems for wrestling. However, for this weekend, let's shift the focus onto the gridiron where there are many with wrestling ties making noise. Bergen Catholic vs. St. Joseph Montvale Two of the nation's top 25 high school wrestling programs are meeting at MetLife Stadium on Saturday night for the New Jersey state title in Non-Public Group 4. In addition, these two teams hold the top two positions in the statewide media poll in the Garden State. Two projected upper-weight starters are significant contributors to the football success of St. Joseph Montvale, which is ranked No. 22 nationally in wrestling to start the season. Projected 182-pound starter Frank Monte is a linebacker, who last year as a freshman lost a go-to-state match at the regional tournament. Projected 285-pound starter Luke Wypler is a four-star recruit as an offensive guard, who has already verbally committed to Ohio State for the Class of 2020; in 2017-18, Wypler was a backup on the wrestling mat to state quarterfinalist Brian Sidle. In addition, 220-pound starter Michael Toranzo -- who made state last year as a freshman -- is also on the football team. For Bergen Catholic, which is ranked No. 3 nationally in wrestling, the starters at 220 and 285 pounds are part of the football team. Junior Gabe Mendez is listed as an offensive lineman, while John High is a key contributor on the defensive line; High qualified for state in wrestling last season. The obvious big name from a wrestling/football perspective is top-100 overall wrestling senior Josh McKenzie, who committed to Yale as a running back; however, his senior football season has been clouded by injury, and participation in wrestling would be characterized as doubtful. St. Edward seeks fourth state title this decade In wrestling, championships and St. Edward go hand-in-hand. It is kind of similar in football as the Eagles seek a fourth state title in nine years; they won their first in 2010 and have won two others since (2014 and 2015). Friday night, St. Edward will be playing in their fifth state semifinal game over the last nine seasons. Three members of the No. 5 in the nation wrestling team play key roles on the football squad. Returning state medalist Seamus O'Malley, who signed with Stanford to wrestle, starts at defensive end; the projected 220-pound starter has overcome an injury to be an absolute terror against both the run and pass. A pair of juniors Nick Lisco and Brian Kilbane, both of whom were backups last year on the wrestling mat also play key roles on the football team; projected 195-pound starter Lisco is part of the defensive line rotation, while projected 285 pound starter Kilbane plays right tackle. Broken Arrow seeks elusive state football title The largest school by enrollment in the state of Oklahoma has been a perennial contender in football with state titles in many other sports, including four individual tournament state titles this decade in wrestling (2010-2012, 2015); there are also dual team titles in 2011 and 2014 on the resume. However, in almost 115 years of existence, Broken Arrow has never won a state football title. One week from Friday the 12-0 football team, which features the back six projected wrestling starters on the squad, are favored to break the schneide; the Tigers will be playing Jenks at Tulsa University for the Class 6A-1 title. Senior Noah Cortes, who qualified for state last year as an undersized 285, is in his second year as a featured running back for the Broken Arrow squad. Linebackers Gavin Potter and Zach Marcheselli are both multi-time state wrestling champions for the Tigers, and each has verbally committed to a Big XII school. Starting 195-pound wrestler Potter, a two-time state champ, will be attending Kansas State; while starting 220-pound wrestler Marcheselli, a three-time state champ, will be attending TCU. Also part of the linebacker group is junior Zeno Marcheselli, the projected starter at 182 pounds; fellow junior Bryce Mattioda, a two-time state placer, is the projected starter at 170 and is a starting defensive back; while fellow junior Tye Rozell, the projected 160-pound starter, is listed on the roster as a wide receiver and defensive back. Garcia brothers anchor Southern Columbia football powerhouse While the presence of three high-major college recruits will rule the day from a football perspective when talking about Southern Columbia football, for purposes of this feature the impact of Gaige and Gavin Garcia carries the most oomph. The Garcia brothers are top-20 overall wrestlers in their respective grade levels nationally, both featuring at running back on a team that seeks a third Pennsylvania Class 2A football title in four seasons. The Tigers have made it to the state quarterfinal round with a 13-0 record, where they will play York Catholic this Saturday. Two-time state medalist Gaige is ranked No. 20 overall in the Class of 2020. His statistical summary for three seasons is the following: 2018: 157 carries, 1552 yards, 30 TD; 11 receptions, 215 yards; 2 kickoff return touchdowns 2017: 199 carries, 2306 yards, 37 TD; 31 receptions, 448 yards, 6 TD; 1 kickoff return touchown 2016: 162 carries, 1938 yards, 31 TD; 10 receptions, 113 yards; 1 TD His younger brother Gavin is ranked No. 11 overall in the Class of 2022, and enters high school winning six PJW titles in seven years, including a junior high title this past year. In his freshman football season, Gavin has jumped into the Tigers offense with much aplomb: 88 carries, 970 yards, and 19 TD; plus 6 receptions for 131 yards.

SAN DIEGO -- A fall by Gabriel Townsell and an upset by Requir van der Merwe sparked the Stanford wrestling team in a 22-15 win over Fresno State, Tuesday, on the flight deck of the USS Midway. Townsell needed just 55 seconds to pin Robert Garcia IV at 125 pounds and give Stanford a 12-7 lead over the Bulldogs. Fresno State then took a 15-12 lead with three matches remaining. That's when van der Merwe went to work at 149 pounds. The redshirt sophomore fell behind 4-2 after two periods to 20th-ranked Khristian Olivas. He went down to start the third and scored a reversal to even the score. He was then able to register four near fall points before Olivas notched a reversal of his own. But van der Merwe had locked up riding time and earned the 9-6 decision to square up the team score. Redshirt senior Paul Fox put the Cardinal up 18-15 as he edged out Isaiah Hokit, 3-2. He scored a takedown in the opening period and an escape in the third. Sophomore Dominick Mandarino sealed the win with a dominating 12-1 major decision over Jacob Wright at 165 pounds. The sophomore tallied a quick takedown and then four near fall points before riding out Wright with almost 2:30 of advantage time. He added another takedown in the second and an escape and takedown in the third to hold off Fresno State. The dual began at 174 pounds where graduate student Rico Stormer posted a 9-5 decision over Fresno State's Dominic Kincaid. Stormer scored first with a reversal to start the second period. Kincaid answered with a reversal of his own to begin the final frame. Stormer added two takedowns and two escapes in the period and tacked on his final point with riding time. Stormer is now 8-3 on the season and 2-0 in duals. Redshirt sophomore Nathan Traxler, who is ranked eighth nationally at 197 pounds, shut out Danny Salas with a 7-0 decision. He registered a takedown and four near fall points in the opening period and an escape in the second. Without riding time secured, Salas chose neutral to start the third and avoided the major as no points were scored down the stretch. Up next, Stanford will compete in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. Results: 125 #20 Gabriel Townsell (STAN) fall Robert Garcia IV (FSU) F0:55 133 Gary Joint (FSU) tech. fall Anthony Le (STAN) 15-0 (5:37) 141 Chris Deloza (FSU) dec. Dalton Young (STAN) 12-10 149 Requir van der Merwe (STAN) dec. #20 Khristian Olivas (FSU) 9-6 157 Paul Fox (STAN) dec. Isaiah Hokit (FSU) 3-2 165 Dominick Mandarino (STAN) maj. dec. Jacob Wright (FSU) 12-1 174 Rico Stormer (STAN) dec. Dominic Kincaid (FSU) 9-5 184 Jackson Hemauer (FSU) dec. Colbey Harlan (STAN) 8-2 197 #8 Nathan Traxler (STAN) dec. Danny Salas (FSU) 7-0 285 #19 AJ Nevills (FSU) maj. dec. Haydn Maley (STAN) 18-9

Chris Bono is in his first season as head wrestling coach at Wisconsin (Photo/David Stluka) You figured it wouldn't take long for Chris Bono to make an impact at the University of Wisconsin. Especially after the way Bono elevated the wrestling program at South Dakota State. So it wasn't a huge surprise when Bono's first Big Ten Conference dual meet as head coach of the Badgers caught everyone's attention. His 15th-ranked Wisconsin team knocked off No. 11 Nebraska on Friday night in Lincoln. "That was a huge win for us," Bono said. "We know how tough the Big Ten is, and we went on the road and won a very tough dual against Nebraska. We were ready to go. We have conditioning on our side right now and we always will -- that's what Bobby Douglas taught me when I was in college." Wisconsin is off to a blazing 6-0 start under Bono, a no-nonsense coach with a high-energy, hard-nosed approach. The Badgers returned home after the win over Nebraska to defeat No. 24 Utah Valley State and Princeton on Sunday at home. The Badgers are led by All-American Evan Wick, a California native who is ranked No. 2 nationally at 165 pounds. Wick, a sophomore, is coming off a third-place finish at the NCAA tournament. "We're off to a great start," Wick said. "Nebraska crushed us last year and we went in there and fought hard. We have guys who are going to push the pace and wrestle hard for seven minutes. The team is coming together. We believe in our ability and we believe in each other." Wick powered past a pair of ranked opponents over the weekend. He beat No. 11 Isaiah White of Nebraska 12-5 before downing No. 16 Demetrius Romero of Utah Valley 12-2. "Evan bought into what we are doing right away and it shows," Bono said. "He's gotten stronger and better technically. His conditioning is off the charts. We are super proud of what he's doing." Wick's twin brother, Zander, is another top prospect for the Badgers. He is ranked 20th at 157 pounds. Zander Wick was a starter at 149 last season, compiling a 12-4 record before his season was cut short by an injury. "Zander has missed some time, but he's now getting back into the lineup," Bono said. "He's a great kid who works hard. I'm looking forward to seeing what he does for us." Senior Ryan Christensen has provided another huge boost for Wisconsin. Christensen delivered a huge win in his team's win over Nebraska by pinning No. 10 Mikey Labriola at 174 pounds. He also earned a 3-1 win over No. 14 Kimball Bastian of Utah Valley. Christensen has ascended to 10th in the national rankings at 174. "Ryan Christensen is doing a great job," Bono said. "Labriola had a lead on us, and we were still down by a point late in the match. We got in a scramble and caught him on his back for a fall. It was a very good match. Ryan followed that up with a big win over Bastian and he also beat a good kid from Princeton." Jon Reader is Chris Bono's top assistant coach at Wisconsin (Photo/Richard Immel) Bono said Wisconsin assistant coach Jon Reader has played a big role in the progression of Christensen. Reader spent the past four seasons as Bono's top assistant at South Dakota State, where they built the Jackrabbits into an elite program. Bono and Reader coached Seth Gross to the program's first NCAA Division I title last season at 133 pounds on a team that finished a respectable 12th in the country. Bono and Reader both won NCAA titles for Iowa State. "Jon Reader is a tremendous coach and an outstanding person," Bono said. "He's family to me. He means the world to me and our program. The way he carries himself rubs off on our guys. He's a great guy who works hard -- he's the first one in the office every morning." Badger junior Tristan Moran, a transfer from Oklahoma State, also contributed a fall in the win over Nebraska. He's ranked 13th at 141 pounds. "Tristan wrestles a unique style -- he's very dangerous," Bono said. "He can score from a lot of positions." Wisconsin freshman heavyweight Trent Hillger delivered a pair of clutch wins Sunday. He is now ranked 14th nationally. Hillger recorded a 16-0 technical fall over Princeton's Obinna Ajah to secure the dual win. He followed by rallying from a 6-0 deficit to knock off No. 15 Tate Orndorff of Utah Valley 9-7 in overtime. "Trent stepped up and did an awesome job," Bono said. "He won that match against Utah Valley because of his conditioning. What he did was amazing." Wisconsin sophomore Connor Brown is ranked 17th nationally at 125 pounds. Brown followed Bono to Madison after being an NCAA qualifier for South Dakota State last season. The Badgers have another tough lightweight wrestler in senior Jens Lantz, who went 3-0 at 133 pounds this past weekend. Bono also said to keep an eye on 184-pounder Mason Reinhardt, a junior who dropped a 6-5 decision to No. 3 Taylor Venz of Nebraska. "Mason is making some good progress," Bono said. "I really like the direction he is moving in." Matt McDonough, a two-time NCAA champion for Iowa, also has joined Bono as a Wisconsin assistant coach. "McDonough's making a big impact for us," Bono said. "He obviously knows what it takes to excel at this level. He is a high energy guy who believes in that strong work ethic." Wisconsin also just signed a strong group of five wrestlers to national letters of intent. "We love our recruiting class," Bono said. "They are really good students and good citizens. And all of the kids are highly ranked nationally. We're really happy with that group." Bono said the transition from South Dakota State to Wisconsin wasn't easy. He took over for Barry Davis, who led the Badger program for the last 25 years. "It was tough at first," he said. "Change is very hard in anything you do in life. We had some guys who didn't buy in at first. It's taken some time, but we feel like the guys are all bought in now and they're excited about the future of this program." Chris Bono coaching Seth Gross at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Bono inherited a roster with a number of wrestlers with strong credentials. "We are not starting from ground zero -- there were some talented kids here when I was hired," he said. "Our job is to develop them. We have some areas we are trying to improve on as we instill our philosophy and work ethic. "We train hard and our guys are in shape. All I ask of them is their best effort and their best fight." Even with the early success the Badgers have had, Bono realizes it's a long, grueling season. "Everything we do is getting us ready for March," he said. "It is November and this is the preseason. Everything is the preseason until we get to the Big Ten tournament. It's early, but it's exciting to see these guys come together and really start to believe in each other." Bono likes seeing his team being recognized for its early success. "These kids are giving us everything they have," he said. "These student-athletes are amazing. They deserve it. I'm not doing the work. The kids are doing the work and laying everything on the line. They believe in us. They deserve all the accolades." Wisconsin's next big test will come in its second Big Ten dual when the Badgers wrestle at No. 2 Ohio State on Dec. 9. "We will go into Ohio State as a huge underdog," Bono said. "It's a great opportunity for us. Our guys will be fired up and ready to roll, that's for sure." Chris Bono took over Barry Davis, who coached the Badgers for 25 seasons (Photo/David Stluka) Bono said he has the type of backing he needs in Madison to build a top-flight program. "The administration here has been great -- they are really supporting the wrestling program," he said. "We love what they have given us. Our goal is to win a national championship. That's the type of program we're trying to build here." 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.

Gavin Teasdale battles Patrick Glory at Beat the Streets in New York (Photo/Juan Garcia) Gavin Teasdale, one of the nation's top wrestling recruits in the Class of 2018, has left Penn State because of "health issues" and expects to be back in January. The 125-pounder made the announcement via Twitter on Tuesday. Teasdale has been removed from Penn State's online roster. Penn State released the following statement: "Gavin Teasdale has withdrawn from school for the fall semester for personal reasons and is no longer on the Penn State wrestling roster." Teasdale, the nation's No. 20 recruit in the Class of 2018 by InterMat, claimed four Pennsylvania state championships for Jefferson-Morgan High School. He compiled a high school career record of 162-2. Teasdale was a Dave Schultz Award winner and named Pennsylvania Wrestler of the Year. He won three Powerade titles.

Donovan Benetti A GoFundMe page has been established for Drury University freshman wrestler Donovan Benetti, who is recovering after being wounded in a hunting accident in Phelps County, Missouri Saturday morning, just three days before the official end of the state's deer hunting season. The fundraising page, set up to cover medical expenses for the college wrestler, had already raised over $3,000 of its $100,000 goal in its first four hours after being set up Monday afternoon. The hunting accident was first reported at Drury's wrestling Facebook page page Saturday afternoon just hours after the incident: "This morning Donovan Benetti was in a hunting accident and was flown to University Hospital in Columbia (Mo.). He is currently out of surgery and in the ICU. He has some more surgeries ahead of him and a long road to recovery. Donovan is as tough as they come. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers." Early Monday afternoon, that same Facebook page shared this update on Benetti's condition: "Donovan is fully awake from yesterday's surgery. The doctor has removed the breathing tube and he is now breathing on his own. Donovan is communicating positively and is surrounded by family and friends!" Although the Drury Wrestling Facebook page is not produced by the school or its wrestling program, official Drury Athletics spokesperson Drew Beach confirmed to the Springfield News-Leader that Benetti had been seriously wounded in the Saturday hunting accident in south-central Missouri, about halfway between Springfield -- where Drury is located -- and St. Louis. Beach added that Benetti is expected to be hospitalized for approximately two weeks. The wounding of Benetti came just days before the conclusion of Missouri's deer-hunting season, which officially ends Tuesday. A freshman, Benetti is listed at 197 pounds on the Drury wrestling roster. Prior to coming to Drury, Benetti was a student-athlete at Nixa High School, located just outside Springfield, where he was a three-time Missouri state wrestling tournament qualifier, placing sixth in 2017 and fourth in 2018. According to his Drury wrestling bio, Benetti was also a three-time Academic All-American at Nixa. Drury University, founded in 1873 as Springfield College, is a private liberal arts college located in Springfield, Missouri. Drury University has a total enrollment of approximately 5,500 students. The Drury Panthers wrestling program -- and all other intercollegiate athletic programs at the school -- compete in NCAA Division II.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team claimed seven individual bouts, including six of the first seven, to knock off No. 6 Lehigh, 21-13, in the Wolverines' home opener on Sunday evening (Nov. 18) before a crowd of 3,297 fans at Crisler Center. With just a five-point difference in the team score entering in the final bout, sophomore Drew Mattin -- typically the first match of the dual -- iced the Wolverines' win with a 3-2 decision over Nick Farro at 125 pounds. Farro used a first-period takedown to take the initial lead and took more than 1:30 of riding time, with choice, into the third period. Mattin, ranked 17th nationally, first rode off the time advantage then rode out the period, picking up a big stall point, to rally for the decision win. Redshirt juniors Logan Massa and Myles Amine earned wins over ranked Lehigh wrestlers, bracketing the intermission break with decisions at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively. Massa, ranked fifth, took advantage of a fast start to beat 13th-ranked Cole Walter, 5-3, scoring on an ankle pick on a restart midway through the first period and added a go-behind late in the frame. Amine, ranked third nationally, earned a 6-4 decision over seventh-ranked Jordan Kutler to claim the rubber match between the two wrestlers. Amine took the early lead on a single-leg takedown -- that was upheld on challenge -- in the first period and spun behind a bad shot to gain 1:00 in riding time and ice the match in the third. The two wrestlers split a pair of matches last season, with Kutler claiming the dual meeting and Amine winning, 3-2, in the NCAA quarterfinals. The Wolverines' other NCAA All-American in the lineup, second-ranked redshirt junior Stevan Micic, opened the dual meet with a 7-3 decision against Brandon Paetzell at 133 pounds. Micic scored on two takedowns and a reversal, and accumulated 1:40 in riding-time advantage. He took an early lead with a throw by in the first and, after nearly reversing Paetzell to his back early in the second, added a single leg in the period. Massa, Amine and Micic own 2-0 records on the season. Redshirt sophomore Kanen Storr, redshirt junior Ben Lamantia and redshirt freshman Jelani Embree all rounded out the Wolverine match winners with decisions in their home dual debuts. Storr, ranked 19th at 141 pounds, improved to 6-0 on the season -- and in his Maize and Blue career since transferring in over the summer -- with a 3-2 decision over Ryan Pomrinca on a takedown in the final 10 seconds of the second period. Lamantia, who wrestled up a weight class for the second straight week, earned his first-ever dual win with a wild 9-7 decision against Kent Lane at 157 pounds. After trading takedowns in the first and second periods, Lane took a one-point lead with an escape early in the third, but Lamantia responded with a single-leg takedown midway through the period and an escape after a Lane injury timeout. Embree scored three takedowns en route to an 8-3 decision over Andrew Prince at 184 pounds. He finished on an immediate single-leg shot and subsequent inside trip in the first and spun behind a bad Lehigh shot in the third to ice the match. He also accumulated 1:30 in riding-time advantage. Michigan will take a week off over the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to action at the annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, slated for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 30-Dec. 1, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Action is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. PST each day. Results: 133 -- #2 Stevan Micic (U-M) dec. Brandon Paetzell, 7-3 [U-M, 3-0] 141 -- #19 Kanen Storr (U-M) dec. Ryan Pomrinca, 7-3 [U-M, 6-0] 149 -- Jimmy Hoffman (LU) injury def. Malik Amine, 2:58 [Tie, 6-6] 157 -- Ben Lamantia (U-M) dec. Kent Lane, 9-7 [U-M, 9-6] 165 -- #5 Logan Massa (U-M) dec. #13 Cole Walter, 5-3 [U-M, 12-6] 174 -- #3 Myles Amine (U-M) dec. #7 Jordan Kutler, 6-4 [U-M, 15-6] 184 -- Jelani Embree (U-M) dec. Andrew Price, 8-3 [U-M, 18-6] 197 -- Jake Jakobsen (LU) dec. #16 Jackson Striggow, 4-1 [U-M, 18-9] Hwt -- #6 Jordan Wood (LU) major dec. Luke Ready, 16-5 [U-M, 18-13] 125 -- #17 Drew Mattin (U-M) dec. Nick Farro, 3-2 [U-M, 21-13]

Freshman Daton Fix defeated two-time All-American Ethan Lizak at 133 pounds (Photo/David Peterson, Minnesota/USA Wrestling) MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The No. 4 Oklahoma State wrestling team (2-0) won its second dual of the weekend Sunday, as the Cowboys won seven individual bouts with three wins over ranked opponents and three more bonus-point wins to take down No. 11 Minnesota, 23-9, at Maturi Pavillion. Nick Piccininni, Daton Fix, Kaden Gfeller and each claimed wins over ranked opponents at 125, 133 and 149 pounds, respectively, while Chandler Rogers (165 pounds), Jacobe Smith (174 pounds) and Dakota Geer (184 pounds) won three-straight major decisions to separate the Cowboys from the Gophers for a comfortable dual win. "I thought we did a good job as far as winning the second and third periods in some of those closer bouts," coach John Smith said. "Looking at the positives, we had Kaden Gfeller with a good win. It was a nice match to watch from a guy who had to bump up a weight with short notice." At 149 pounds, Gfeller stepped in for injured Boo Lewallen to upset No. 18 Tommy Thorn, 9-3. The Cowboy's offense started early with a takedown and finished strong with a takedown and two-point nearfall to close out the final period. Fix matched up with No. 6 Ethan Lizak at 133 pounds and defeated the 2017 NCAA finalist, 6-1. The ninth-ranked Cowboy scored two takedowns and a reversal and held Lizak to only one escape in the bout. "I was really excited for this trip," Fix said. "It was my college debut, really, and I was looking forward to wrestling Seth Gross and Ethan Lizak. I only got the opportunity to wrestle one, and I took advantage of it. I've been looking forward to this year for as long as I can remember." Piccininni was tested at 125 pounds in a matchup with the Minnesota's Sean Russell but held on to defeat the fifth-ranked Gopher, 3-0. The Poke moves to 3-2 in the series against Russell and handed Russell his first loss of the season. Jacobe Smith notched a win at 174 pounds (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) The string of three consecutive major decisions began with a Rogers win over Minnesota's Carson Brolsma, 10-2. Rogers picked up four takedowns in the bout and also earned a riding time point. Smith notched an 11-2 major over Devin Skatzka in the 174 bout, and Geer shut out Owen Webster in his 10-0 major at 184 pounds. Andrew Marsden picked up OSU's seventh win of the dual at 197 pounds, beating Brandon Krone, 2-0. Mitchell McKee topped Kaid Brock at 141 pounds (Photo/David Peterson, Minnesota/USA Wrestling) Redshirt junior Kaid Brock and Andrew Shomers lost decisions at 141 and 157, respectively. No. 8 Mitch McKee upset Brock, 6-3, to mark the 141-pounder's first loss in the series. Shomers dropped a close bout to No. 11 Steve Bleise, 8-5, when the Gopher picked up a late takedown and nearfall. Third-ranked Derek White fell to No. 5 Gable Steveson at heavyweight, 8-2. It marked OSU's fourth-straight win over Minnesota, and its second-straight in Minneapolis. OSU would have won the match 24-9, but was docked a team point during Fix's match. The Cowboys open the home portion of their schedule next week, facing the Wyoming Cowboys on Nov. 25 in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Results: 125: No. 4 Nick Piccininni (OSU) dec. No. 5 Sean Russell (MINN), 3-0 133: No. 9 Dayton Fix (OSU) dec. No. 6 Ethan Lizak (MINN), 6-1 141: No 8 Mitch McKee (MINN) dec. No. 5 Kaid Brock (OSU), 6-3 149: Kaden Gfeller (OSU) dec. No. 18 Tommy Thorn (MINN), 9-3 157: No. 11 Steve Bleise (MINN) dec. No. 20 Andrew Shomers (OSU), 8-5 165: Chandler Rogers (OSU) MD Logan Peterson (MINN), 10-2 174: Jacobe Smith (OSU) MD Devin Skatzka (MINN), 11-2 184: No. 12 Dakota Geer (OSU) MD Owen Webster (MINN), 10-0 197: Andrew Marsden (OSU) dec. Brandon Krone (MINN), 2-0 285: No. 5 Gable Steveson (MINN) dec. No. 3 Derek White (OSU), 8-2

RALEIGH, N.C. -- After going 3-0 in the Wolfpack Duals with a combined score of 122-12 on Saturday, No. 8 NC State was back in action on Sunday and claimed titles in seven of the 10 weight classes at the annual Wolfpack Wrestling Club Open. 125 R-Fr. Zurich Storm and Fr. Jakob Camacho were co-champions at 125 pounds, as each reached the finals but they did not wrestle each other. Storm went 3-0 with a pair of bonus point wins, and outscored his foes 38-11. Camacho was also a perfect 3-0, and he outscored those opponents 48-17. 133 Making his season debut, No. 4 R-So. Tariq Wilson claimed top honors at 133 pounds. In the finals, he downed Zach Sherman from North Carolina, 9-3. Wilson was 5-0 on the day, with four bonus point wins, and outscored his foes 62-6. Freshman Jarrett Trombley was fifth. 141 Also making his season debut, R-Sr. Jamal Morris won the 141-pound weight class. Moving down from 149 last year, Morris went 5-0 and scored an 8-3 win over Jon Miller of UNC Pembroke in the finals. Jamel Morris placed third at the weight, while freshman Alex Urquiza was sixth. 149 R-Fr. A.J. Leitten took home the title at 149 pounds. In the finals, Leitten gutted out a 5-3 overtime win over Gardner-Webb's Denton Spencer. After calling for injury time, Leitten recorded the only two takedowns of the bout. Freshman Matt Fields was third while classmate Matt Grippi was fourth. 165 R-So. Thomas Bullard made quick work of all of his opponents on the day, as he pinned his way to the title. Bullard was a perfect 4-0, with all wins coming via pinfall - three in the first period. He received a medical forfeit in the title bout. 174 No. 17 R-So. Daniel Bullard and Fr. Trent Hidlay were co-champions at 174 pounds, as each reached the finals but they did not wrestle each other. Bullard was 3-0 on the day, including a 16-1 tech fall in the semifinals. Hidlay was also 3-0, outscoring his foes 30-10 for a pair of bonus point wins. 197 R-Sr. Malik McDonald won the 197-pound weight class with a perfect 4-0 mark. In the finals, he scored a 5-3 decision over The Citadel's Sawyer Root. 285 True Freshmen Deonte Wilson and Colin Lawer both reach the third place bout at 285 pounds, but they did not wrestle each other. NC State will return to dual action next week, traveling to Old Dominion on Thursday, November 29.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- No. 1 Penn State (1-0 0-0 B1G) won the 2018 Keystone Classic, rolling up a lofty 192.0 points and crowning eight champions. This marks the third straight year that Penn State has claimed the crown, wrestled in the University of Pennsylvania's historic Palestra. A total of 18 Nittany Lion wrestlers competed at the event. At a weight where the Lions had more than one athlete competing, the top point scorer at that weight had his points tallied into the team score. The entire Penn State contingent tasted success at the event, with every Nittany Lion collecting at least one victory and 14 of the 18 Penn Staters competing placing. Penn State crowned eight champions at the event. All-in-all, Penn State had 14 place winners: eight champions, one runner-up, one third, one fourth, one fifth and two sixths. Penn State posted a gaudy 60-16 overall record, including 10 majors, 11 technical falls and 21 pins. True freshman Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.) was the first of Penn State's nine finalists, taking to the mat in the title bout at 133. The Lion freshman dominated the field, rolling to a 3-0 record with a pin and a tech fall. He picked up his tech in the finals, posting a 24-9 victory (TF; 7:00) over Drexel's Chandler Olson to win the title. Sophomore Nick Lee (Evanston, Ind.), ranked No. 4 at 141, was equally impressive. The Lion sophomore went 5-0 with three techs, a pin and a major to win the 141-pound title, majoring Duke's Josh Finesilver 17-9 in the finals. Redshirt freshman Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), ranked No. 15 at 149 won a hard-fought semifinal match-up against teammate and classmate Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.). Berge got two points late to post a 3-2 win to advance to the finals. Berge was dinged a bit in the Verkleeren bout and did not wrestle in the finals, taking a medical forfeit (not a loss). Berge went 4-0 on the day with two tech falls and a major, placing second. Verkleeren rebounded from the tough loss to Berge to go 1-1 in conso action. He posted a 4-2 record with two majors and a pin to place fourth at 149. Senior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, rolled through the field in Philadelphia. Nolf went 4-0 with three pins and a major, including a fall at the 4:46 mark over Drexel's Evan Barczak to claim the 157-pound title. Nolf now has 49 career pins, four shy of tying Penn State's all-time record. Junior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, was dominant as well. Joseph blasted through the Keystone field, going 5-0 with four pins and a tech fall to win the title. He posted a 21-6 tech fall over Drexel's Ebed Jarrell in the finals. Joseph was named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler as well. Junior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 2 at 174, also won the Keystone title. Hall posted a 4-0 mark with two pins to win the crown. He posted a 6-4 win over No. 18 Matt Finesilver in the finals to win it. Senior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 4 at 184, also stacked up the pins on his way to the 184-pound title. Rasheed went 4-0 with three pins and a tech fall to win at 184, including a pin at the 1:00 mark over Appalachian State's Alan Clothier. Senior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 197, was also dominant. Nickal went 3-0 with two pins and a major to win it. He downed No. 10 Stephen Loiseau of Drexel 18-4 with 3:32 in riding time in the finals. Nickal now has 44 career pins, just nine shy of tying Penn State's all-time record. Senior Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.) met teammate and classmate Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 2 at 285 in the semifinals. Cassar notched a 7-2 victory to advance to the finals where he dominated No. 14 Joey Goodhart of Drexel, posting an 11-3 major. Cassar went 3-0 with a pin and a major to win the heavyweight crown. Nevills rebounded from the loss to Cassar to two straight in consolation action and placed third at 285. The Lion senior went 3-1 with a pin and a tech fall. Sophomore Luke Gardner (Pottsville, Pa.) went 5-2 with two techs and a pin to place fifth at 149. Sophomore Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) went 4-2 with a pin to finish sixth at 157. Junior Francisco Bisono (Hauppauge, N.Y.) went 2-3 with a major at 184 and took sixth place. Sophomore Devin Schnupp (Lititz, Pa.) went 2-2 with one major victory at 125 while classmate Justin Lopez (Yonkers, N.Y.) posted a 2-2 mark at 125 as well. Senior Scott Stossel (Pittsburgh, Pa.) went 1-2 at 133, with the victory coming off a first period major. Junior Dominic Giannangeli (Murrysville, Pa.) had a solid 2-2 showing at 141. Penn State is 1-0 in dual meets. The Nittany Lions will now prepare a road trip to Lewisburg, Pa., where the team will wrestle at Bucknell for the first time ever. The dual is set for Friday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. Penn State also has a home dual that weekend. The Nittany Lions wrestle Lehigh on Sunday, Dec. 2, in sold out Rec Hall. The match-up will air live nationally on the Big Ten Network and begins at 1:30 p.m. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest.

Laramie, Wyo. -- The No. 12 Nebraska wrestling team responded to a tough loss on Friday night against Wisconsin by going on the road and beating a talented Wyoming team, 22-12. Heading into intermission, the dual was tied at nine. The Huskers took four out of the final five matches, however, winning the dual going away. "We got better from Friday night to today's performance," Head Coach Mark Manning said. "I believe this team we wrestled today was every bit as good as the team we wrestled on Friday." The team needed to get off to a strong start, and that's just what they did in winning the first two bouts to take a 6-0 lead. No. 3 Taylor Venz started the action off with a 7-1 win over Careless Looney at 184 pounds. He went up 3-0 in the first period and never took his foot off the gas. Eric Schultz (197) followed up Venz' performance with a hard-fought 7-3 decision. Adversity hit in the next two matches when Brian Andrews of Wyoming pinned Christian Lance in the heavyweight battle and Cole Verner upset No. 6 Zeke Moisey to put Wyoming up 9-6. In the final match before intermission, redshirt freshman Tucker Sjomeling responded with a breakout performance and upset No. 8 Montorie Bridges with a 13-11 decision. Bridges earned All-America honors last season after going 35-7 in 2017-18. He made it all the way to the NCAA Championship quarterfinals before being eliminated. Coming out of the intermission tied at nine, returning All-American Chad Red Jr. (141) helped his team tack on three more points as he held off Sam Turner in a victory by decision, 6-2. Red Jr. did not compete on Friday night against Wisconsin. Jordan Shearer got the nod at 149-pounds and responded with a workmanlike effort in a 5-0 decision victory over Wyoming's Jaron Jensen. Shearer looked to be in control the entire match as he accumulated 2:30 of riding time. The win brings Shearer to 6-2 overall on the year. Two-time All-American Tyler Berger (157) continued his dominance in the early stages of his senior year. Berger moved to 5-0 on the season after winning by major decision for the fifth time in as many matches. His 14-1 victory put Nebraska up 19-9 with just three bouts remaining. In one of the most anticipated matches of the night, #10 Branson Ashworth of Wyoming defeated #11 Isaiah White in a 3-0 decision. White defeated Ashworth in two separate matches last season. No. 10 Mikey Labriola responded to a tough loss on Friday night against Wisconsin's Ryan Christensen by defeating Hayden Hastings, 14-11. The win brings Labriola to 8-1 on the season. "What changed from Friday night was the mentality we competed with and pushing the pace," Manning said. "We need to take another jump with our team before heading out to Las Vegas in two weeks." Results: 184: #3 Taylor Venz (NEB) dec. Careless Looney (WYO), 7-1 (NEB 3, WYO 0) 197: Eric Schultz (NEB) dec. Cale Davidson (WYO), 7-3 (NEB 6, WYO 0) HWT: Brian Andrews (WYO) FALL (4:53) Christian Lance (NEB) (WYO 6, NEB 6) 125: Cole Verner (WYO) dec. #6 Zeke Moisey (NEB), 5-2 (WYO 9, NEB 6) 133: Tucker Sjomeling (NEB) dec. #11 Montorie Bridges (WYO), 13-11 (WYO 9, NEB 9) 141: No. 11 Chad Red Jr. (NEB) dec. Sam Turner (WYO), 6-2 (NEB 12, WYO 9) 149: Jordan Shearer (NEB) dec. Jaron Jensen (WYO), 5-0 (NEB 15, WYO 9) 157: #3 Tyler Berger (NEB) major dec. Dewey Krueger (WYO), 14-1 (NEB 19, WYO 9) 165: #10 Branson Ashworth (WYO) dec. #11 Isaiah White (NEB), 3-0 (NEB 19, WYO 12) 174: #10 Mikey Labriola (NEB) dec. Hayden Hastings (WYO), 14-11 (NEB 22, WYO 12) Up Next: Nebraska heads to the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. on Nov. 30 for the two-day tournament. After duals at North Carolina and NC State on Dec. 15 and 16, NU will be off until Jan. 6, 2019, when they return home for a dual against Northwestern.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 25 Northwestern (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten) came away with a defining win over No. 10 Virginia Tech (0-2, 0-0 ACC) on Sunday afternoon in wrestling's home opener at the new Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats never trailed en route to winning, 20-16. The Wildcats won four out of their first five matches, starting the dual in tremendous fashion. Junior Shayne Oster pulled out one of the most impactful wins of his Wildcat career, a 8-7 overtime victory over No. 13 Ryan Blees. Oster survived a handful of back-against-the-wall scenarios and gutted out the win to expand NU's team score lead to seven points. "The guys fought -- fought for seven full minutes," said head coach Matt Storniolo. "Guys like Shayne Oster, that, really easy to hang your head there at the end, you give up a takedown with just a few seconds left. You could feel sorry for yourself and pack it in, but Shayne fought his tail off, finds a reversal there, puts it into overtime, and keeps the match going. That's a critical win for us." Redshirt sophomore Sebastian Rivera started his 2018-19 campaign in dominant fashion, notching a 19-6 major decision to put four points on the board for the Wildcats. Redshirt first-year Yahya Thomas wrestled his first match at home in his NU career and grinded out a 2-1 victory over Mitch Moore. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Deakin commanded a 14-7 decision over B.C. LaPrade to give the Wildcats a 10-point advantage heading into the break and extending NU's winning skein to three-straight bouts. After a win at 165 pulled the visitors within four, redshirt senior Johnny Sebastian, ranked 13th in the nation, topped VT's Cody Hughes in a decision to push NU's lead back to seven points. Two-straight victories for Virginia Tech at 184 and 197 knotted the contest at 16 team points apiece with just the heavyweight bout remaining, leaving the Wildcats' fate up to redshirt senior Conan Jennings. The 11th-ranked wrestler in the nation at 285, Jennings validated the mark with a dominant performance to seal the victory. He racked up nine points in the second period and ended with a 12-0 win by major decision. "It's great to see Conan wrestle in the way we know he can wrestle," said Storniolo. "He's doing a great job in the wrestling room, and we're confident the results will follow." The result was Northwestern's first top-10 victory since dominating No. 8 Illinois, 22-11, on Feb. 17, 2008. The Wildcats will be back in action on Friday, November 30, when they travel to Las Vegas for the two-day CKLV Invitational. Results: 125: #2 Sebastian Rivera (NU) maj. dec. Joey Prata (VT), 19-6 | NU 4, VT 0 133: #16 Korbin Myers (VT) dec. Colin Valdiviez (NU), 6-4 | NU 4, VT 3 141: Yahya Thomas (NU) dec. Mitch Moore (VT), 2-1 | NU 7, VT 3 149: Shayne Oster (NU) dec. #13 Ryan Blees (VT), 8-7 (TB-1) | NU 10, VT 3 157: #5 Ryan Deakin (NU) dec. B.C. LaPrade (VT), 14-7 | NU 13, VT 3 165: #12 Mekhi Lewis (VT) Fall Anthony Petrone (NU), 3:55 | NU 13, VT 9 174: #13 Johnny Sebastian (NU) dec. Cody Hughes (VT), 6-1 | NU 16, VT 9 184: #5 Zack Zavatsky (VT) Tech. Fall Brendan Devine (NU), 24-9 (5:50) | NU 16, VT 14 197: #17 Tom Sleigh (VT) dec. Zack Chakonis (NU), 4-2 | NU 16, VT 16 One point deduction assessed to Virginia Tech head coach during 197 bout 285: #11 Conan Jennings (NU) maj. dec. John Borst (VT), 12-0 | NU 20, VT 16

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The No. 2 Ohio State University wrestling team improved to 3-0 by winning six of 10 bouts in a top-10 tilt on the road at No. 10 Arizona State (1-2). The Buckeyes were without the services of All-Americans Myles Martin and Kollin Moore who spent the weekend competing for Team USA at the U23 World Championships in Romania. Moore came back to the States with a silver medal in-hand. Ohio State has won six meetings in a row against the Sun Devils, including each of the last five seasons, and now leads the all-time series 6-2. BOUT RESULTS No. 2 Ohio State 22, No. 10 Arizona State 17 125 lbs | No. 6 Ryan Millhof (ASU) def. Brady Koontz (OSU) | TF, 18-1; Team Score: 0-5 133 lbs | No. 5 Luke Pletcher (OSU) def. Josiah Kline (ASU) | MD, 16-6; TS: 4-5 141 lbs | No. 2 Joey McKenna (OSU) def. Cory Crooks (ASU) | MD, 13-0; TS: 8-5 149 lbs | No. 2 Micah Jordan (OSU) def. No. 11 Josh Maruca (ASU) | MD, 18-8; TS: 12-5 157 lbs | No. 5 Ke-Shawn Hayes (OSU) def. Christian Pagdilao (ASU) | D, 4-3; TS: 15-5 165 lbs | No. 8 Josh Shields (ASU) def. Kaleb Romero (OSU) | D, 5-0; TS: 15-8 174 lbs | No. 1 Zahid Valencia (ASU) def. No. 11 Te'Shan Campbell (OSU) | D, 6-1; TS: 15-11 184 lbs | Kordell Norfleet (ASU) def. Ethan Smith (OSU) | PIN, 6:15; TS: 15-17 197 lbs | Kevin Snyder (OSU) def. Austyn Harris (ASU) | MD, 12-3; TS: 19-17 285 lbs | Chase Singletary (OSU) def. Brady Daniel (ASU) | D, 3-1; TS: 22-17 Dual Scoresheet The match began at 125 pounds where Brady Koontz made his first career start. And it was quite the challenge presented to the redshirt freshman, facing sixth-ranked and unbeaten Ryan Millhof. Koontz tallied a lone escape point en route to an 18-1 tech fall for Millhof. Luke Pletcher responded in the 133-pound bout, racking up seven takedowns and posting a 16-6 major decision to pull the Buckeyes to within one at 5-4 on the team scoreboard. Joey McKenna (141 lbs) followed suit with a major decision of his own. He took down and turned Cory Crooks for a half dozen points in the first period. McKenna would go on to add seven more points while shutting out Crooks, 13-0. A pair of nationally-ranked foes took to the mat at 149 pounds when No. 2 Micah Jordan shook hands with No. 11 Josh Maruca. Jordan quickly wiped away any thoughts of a potential upset, nailing Maruca for three first-period takedowns. He kept the pedal to the metal with five more takedowns in the second and ultimately came away with Ohio State's third consecutive major decision (18-8). Christian Pagdilao took his shot at the upset bid in the subsequent bout (157 lbs), giving No. 5 Ke-Shawn Hayes a legitimate scare. The Sun Devil struck first with a takedown. Pagdilao maintained his two-point edge going to the third after each combatant earned escapes, Hayes in the first after the takedown and Pagdilao following his selection to begin period number two on bottom. Hayes made the same chose, hitting the deck to start Period 3. He broke free for a 3-2 score and registered the go-ahead takedown in the closing seconds for a 4-3 triumph. Hayes moved his season mark to 7-0 and increased the Buckeye team lead to 15-5 at intermission. National rankings favored Arizona State at 165 and 174 pounds, and ultimately both Sun Devils took care of business. Kaleb Romero, a redshirt freshman facing No. 8 Josh Shields, and Te'Shan Campbell up against the defending national champion Zahid Valencia battled tough though -- surrendering the minimum six team points with back-to-back decisions. Ohio State was not so fortunate at 184 pounds, however, when Kordell Norfleet pinned Ethan Smith to lift the Sun Devils back on top 17-15 with two bouts to go. With the pressure building, Kevin Snyder didn't flinch. He raced out to a 6-2 advantage on three takedowns in the opening frame. He would give up no offensive points and force a pair of stalling warnings in a 12-3 major decision over Austyn Harris. Snyder's fifth win of the year set up a 'winner take all' scenario at heavyweight. Chase Singletary did not disappoint. He and Brady Daniel tussled to a 1-1 stalemate through the bout's first six minutes. Singletary then made one final push and secured the match-winning takedown and Ohio State left Tempe as 22-17 victors. The Buckeyes turn the page and pursue their third straight Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Nov. 30-Dec. 1) title. Ohio State cleared the field by 15.5 points in last year's event despite being without three All-Americans (including two national champions) missing from the lineup. Three individual champions were crowned while donning the Scarlet & Gray -- Luke Pletcher, Myles Martin and Kollin Moore.

MADISON, Wis. -- Coming off a huge road win against Nebraska, the Wisconsin wrestling team kept the momentum rolling Sunday afternoon. Hosting a doubleheader at the Field House, the No. 15 Badgers (5-0, 1-0 B1G) defeated Princeton (0-2) 22-18 in the first match, and then held on for a 22-17 win against No. 24 Utah Valley (5-2). Wisconsin had to fight back from an initial six-point deficit in both matches, as sophomore Connor Brown couldn't compete at 125 pounds due to an injury he suffered on Friday, and the team elected not to burn freshman Ethan Rotondo's redshirt. In the Princeton match, senior Jens Lantz and junior Tristan Moran erased the Tigers' lead early, with Lantz earning a 11-3 major decision and Moran a 9-8 decision. Junior Cole Martin faced the No. 1 wrestler at 149 pounds in Matthew Kolodzik and fought well before ultimately losing by decision 13-8. Sophomore Zander Wick also fell by decision at 157 pounds in his first match since Nov. 1 against Buffalo. In what has become a pattern, the Badgers opened up the lead in the next weight classes, as sophomore Evan Wick comfortably took a 14-3 major decision at 165 pounds, and then senior Ryan Christensen and junior Mason Reinhardt both won by decision to give the Badgers some space. But then a pin by No. 7 Patrick Brucki of Princeton on freshman Andrew Salemme at 197 pounds gave the Tigers a chance to win the dual if they took the heavyweight match. Unfortunately for Princeton, that would mean beating freshman Trent Hillger, and Hillger would have nothing of it. Hillger recorded a first period tech fall 16-0 and secured the victory for the Badgers. Wisconsin got a stiff challenge from No. 24 Utah Valley in the second match. Again starting down 6-0, senior Jens Lantz capped off an impressive 3-0 weekend by winning with a takedown in overtime over his opponent at 133 pounds. After Moran dropped a 10-5 decision at 141 pounds, the Badgers went on a run. Junior Cole Martin got things started with a pin in 4:07 at 149 pounds, and then Zander Wick earned his first win of the season with a 12-11 decision at 157 pounds. Evan Wick had his second ranked matchup of the season, this time against #16 Demetrius Romero, but he handled his opponent to earn a 12-2 major decision. Ryan Christensen was also tasked with a ranked matchup against #14 Kimball Bastian, but closed out his undefeated weekend with a 3-1 decision over Bastian at 174 pounds. After Reinhardt dropped a decision and Salemme lost via tech fall, the Badgers had a two-point lead heading into the final match. Hillger was again tasked with securing the team victory, but this time he had much stiffer competition, facing No. 15 Tate Orndorff. Orndorff took a commanding 6-0 lead after catching Hillger in a cradle, but Hillger, slowly but surely, rallied back. When the third period ended, Hillger trailed 7-6, but forced overtime with over a minute of riding time. In overtime, with the fans on their feet and the Field House rocking, Hillger delivered the final takedown to win the match, and the dual. Next up, the Badgers have an extended break over Thanksgiving weekend, and then travel to the SIUE tournament on Dec. 2. Straight from the mat Head Coach Chris Bono On the double header "It is all part of the plan. Everything we do is getting us ready for March. March is not easy, three days in March is not easy. So for us to go on the road Friday night, coming back we hit a little snow so it took us a couple extra hours, come back last night, shed a few pounds, and show up early this morning getting ready for a noon start against two ranked and tough teams, that is what getting ready for March is all about because it is not easy. It is planned. I am very happy how they responded. They showed up. And to have Trent do what Trent did, is awesome." On being undefeated "It is November. This is the preseason. Everything is the preseason until we get to the Big Ten tournament. I am happy for these guys. The change has been hard. We are one team. It is exciting to see these guys come together and really start to believe in each other and enjoying each other. It was a great weekend." On the whole team's performance and chemistry "It's the kids. It's about these kids. Nobody but these kids. They are giving us everything they have. These student-athletes are amazing. They deserve it. I'm not doing the work. The kids are doing the work and laying everything on the line. They believe in us. They deserve all the accolades and that is what it's about." Sophomore Evan Wick On the overall weekend "This was huge, we knocked off a couple teams. Nebraska crushed us last year and we went in there and fought hard. We have guys who are going to push the pace and wrestle for six or seven minutes. If it goes into overtime we're ready, the coaches made us ready. The team is coming together and we believe in our ability and we believe in each other, and it starts from the starters to the redshirt freshman." On his ranked victory "I had a really good mindset going into that match, I told myself, don't worry about the score, your record, your ranking, and I just went out there and took my shots and committed. I felt really good going out there and I felt confident in my conditioning ability." Freshman Trent Hillger On the difference as a starter "First compared to high school, the longest I was ever on a mat for was two minutes. Now I'm wrestling most of my matches seven minutes, so that is a huge difference. Now I'm wrestling veterans and people that have been starters for a while. I'm excited for the role as a starter, age doesn't matter that much when you get to this level, but I'm loving it." On his comeback win "I've always been a guy that, for me, it's not over until it's over. Before both duals Coach Bono told us 'we got conditioning in our back pocket' and it came up now, I had to use it. Just chip away, at the end of each period I wanted to be within three, within two, and then tied or winning. I knew that I wasn't out of it." Wisconsin 22, Princeton 18 125: Pat Glory (PU) wins by forfeit 133: Jens Lantz (UW) over Jonathan Gomez (PU) (MD 11-3) 141: Tristan Moran (UW) over Marshall Keller (PU) (Dec 9-8) 149: Matthew Kolodzik (PU) over Cole Martin (UW) (Dec 13-8) 157: Quincy Monday (PU) over Zander Wick (UW) (Dec 11-7) 165: Evan Wick (UW) over Dale Tiongson (PU) (MD 14-3) 174: Ryan Christensen (UW) over Travis Stefanik (PU) (Dec 6-4) 184: Mason Reinhardt (UW) over Kevin Parker (PU) (Dec 7-3) 197: Patrick Brucki (PU) over Andrew Salemme (UW) (Fall 4:08) HWT: Trent Hillger (UW) over Obinna Ajah (PU) (TF 16-0 2:44) Wisconsin 22, Utah Valley 17 125: Josh Jensen (UVU) wins by forfeit 133: Jens Lantz (UW) over Mitchell Brown (UVU) (SV-1 7-5) 141: Matt Findlay (UVU) over Tristan Moran (UW) (Dec 10-5) 149: Cole Martin (UW) over Matthew Ontiveros (Fall 4:07) 157: Zander Wick (UW) over Grant LaMont (UVU) (Dec 12-11) 165: Evan Wick (UW) over Demetrius Romero (UVU) (MD 12-2) 174: Ryan Christensen (UW) over Kimball Bastian (UVU) (Dec 3-1) 184: Will Sumner (UVU) over Mason Reinhardt (UW) (Dec 6-1) 197: Tanner Orndorff (UVU) over Andrew Salemme (UW) (TF 21-4 6:07) HWT: Trent Hillger over Tate Orndorff (UVU) (SV-1, 9-7)

BUCHAREST, Romania -- The USA wrapped up the 2018 U23 World Championships on Sunday night in Bucharest, Romania, claiming two more men's freestyle silver medals from Sean Fausz and Youssif Hemida. In the 61 kg gold-medal match, U23 World Team alternate Fausz took on 2018 U23 European champion Magomedrasul Idrisov of Russia. Idrisov, also the 2018 Russia Nationals champion, led 3-0 at the break. In the second period, the Russian picked up three takedowns and a gut wrench to cap off an 11-1 win. Fausz's point came from a step out in the middle of the second period. “I'm very excited with what I've accomplished,” Fausz said. “It's a big deal to come here and walk away with a medal. I couldn't have done this without the Wolfpack Wrestling, Titan Mercury Wrestling Club and USA Wrestling. What they do behind the scenes and in front is a big, big help.” Read complete story on TheMat.com ...

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Four sets of bonus points propelled UNI wrestling over West Virginia 27-19 to earn the first dual win of the season. Much like Saturday's match against Pittsburgh, the heavyweight match decided the team win. No. 13 UNI improved to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12. West Virginia fell to 1-2 and 1-1 in the Big 12 after today's match. UNI opened the dual at 125 pounds with a fall by Jay Schwarm. He improved to 2-0 on the season, winning both matches by fall. He led the team in pins last year and has notched 24 career falls. Five more will push him into a tie for No. 10 among all Panthers for career falls. The Panthers traded falls with the Mountaineers to tie up the team scoring 6-6 after a fall in the 133-pound bout. Josh Alber fell behind early but was able to pick up the pace and get the 6-3 decision over Lukas Martin to regain the team lead, pushing UNI up 9-6 over West Virginia. Bonus point losses for UNI at 149 pounds and 157 pounds gave West Virginia the 16-9 lead. Bryce Steiert set off a string of wins that led to UNI's victory. He was able to close the gap with a 9-6 decision over Nick Kiussis at 165 pounds. UNI kept the momentum with huge bonus point wins at 174 pounds with Taylor Lujan and 184 pounds with Drew Foster. Lujan earned his second set of bonus points on the weekend with a first-period fall over Josh Ramirez. Foster nearly had the fall, but had to settle for a first-period tech fall over Jackson Moomau. West Virginia inched closer in team scoring with a decision at 197 pounds, but heavyweight Carter Isley came out firing. His team-leading three takedowns helped secure the 10-1 major decision over West Virginia's David Smith and the team win. Results: 125: #20 Jay Schwarm (UNI) pins KJ Fenstermacher (WV) 2:48 133: Caleb Rea (WV) pins Jay Schipper (UNI) 6:43 141: #9 Josh Alber (UNI) dec. Lukas Martin (WV) 9-6 149: Christian Monserrat (WV) maj. dec. Derek Holschlag (UNI) 10-2 157: Zach Moore (WV) pins Patrick Schoenfelder (UNI) 2:23 165: #7 Bryce Steiert (UNI) dec. Nick Kiussis (WV) 9-6 174: #9 Taylor Lujan (UNI) pins Josh Ramirez (WV) 2:51 184: #11 Drew Foster (UNI) tech fall Jackson Moomau (WV) 19-0 2:57 197: Noah Adams (WV) dec. Izaak Shedenhelm (UNI) 12-5 285: Carter Isley (UNI) maj. dec. David Smith (WV) 10-1 UP NEXT UNI heads back to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite set for Nov. 30 to Dec. 1. Last year at the Invite, the Panthers had six medalists. Josh Alber led the team with his second-place finish at 141 pounds. Alber took fifth at the same invite at 133 pounds in the 2015-16 season. Max Thomsen, Taylor Lujan and Jacob Holschlag placed fourth. Jay Schwarm was fifth, and Drew Foster finished seventh. In the 2015-16 season, Bryce Steiert finished sixth.

BROOKINGS, S.D. -- The No. 4 Oklahoma State wrestling team racked up four falls and four more bonus-point wins Friday night on its way to a 45-6 drubbing of Big 12 opponent South Dakota State in the Cowboys' first dual of the 2018-19 season. OSU's lone loss came via injury default at 149 pounds. "Overall, it was a really good effort by our squad," coach John Smith said. "One-hour weigh-in, first dual meet … that all creates a scenario where it's hard to come out and look as good as you want to look, but I'm pleased and looking forward to tomorrow." OSU's first of three consecutive pins came from 157-pounder Andrew Shomers over Colten Carlson in 3:52. No. 20 Shomers scored a four-point nearfall in the bout and had more than three minutes of riding time when the fall came. In the next match, Chandler Rogers pinned Logan Peterson in 5:36, and at 174 pounds, Jacobe Smith locked up Jackrabbit Brett Bye to get a pin in 4:19. In his OSU debut, No. 9 Daton Fix collected a 19-1 technical fall over SDSU's Spencer Huber at 133 pounds. Huber made his first start for the Jackrabbits in place of returning national champion Seth Gross, and after three takedowns and three nearfalls, Fix was finished in 4:43. Redshirt junior Kaid Brock wrestled for the Cowboys at 141 against Rylee Molitor. Brock was the third-straight Cowboy to earn a bonus-point win, coming away with a 17-4 major decision. It marked the Cowboy's first dual bout at the weight following the graduation of two-time NCAA Champion Dean Heil. At 149 pounds, Boo Lewallen lost an injury default to No. 17 Henry Pohlmeyer. Also collecting a technical falls for the Cowboys was No. 4 Nick Piccininni. It took the returning Big 12 champion one period to notch three four-point nearfalls and two takedowns for the 16-1 win over Greg Coapstick. No. 12 Dakota Geer won a close match at 184 with a 12-9 decision over Zach Carlson. Geer notched a point for riding time in the bout. Andrew Marsden stepped in at 197 pounds to earn the Cowboys' fourth fall in 1:36, pinning Samuel Grove. Derek White capped off the dual with a 14-5 major decision over Blake Wolters. The Cowboy notched six takedowns and collected riding time in the bout. The Cowboys are back in action at No. 6 Minnesota on Sunday at 4 p.m. The match streams live on FloWrestling. Fans can follow along with @CowboyWrestling or tune in to 94.3 to listen on the radio. Results: 125: No. 4 Nick Piccininni (OSU) tech. fall Drake Foster (SDSU), 16-1 133: Dayton Fix (OSU) tech. fall Spencer Huber (SDSU), 19-1 141: Kaid Brock (OSU) maj. dec. Rylee Molitor (SDSU), 17-4 149: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) inj. Boo Lewallen (OSU) 157: Andrew Shomers (OSU) dec. fall Colten Carlson (SDSU), 3:52 165: Chandler Rogers (OSU), fall Logan Peterson (SDSU), 5:36 174: Jacobe Smith (OSU) fall Brett Bye (SDSU), 4:19 184: Dakota Geer OSU) dec. Zach Carlson (SDSU), 12-9 197: Andrew Marsden (OSU) fall Samuel Grove (SDSU), 1:36 285: Derek White (OSU) maj. Dec. Blake Wolters (SDSU), 14-5