InterMat Staff

B.C. LaPrade topped Jarrett Jacques in overtime (Photo/Virginia Tech Athletics) BLACKSBURG -- No. 16 Virginia Tech wrestling opened the 2019-20 season with a convincing 29-10 victory over ninth-ranked Missouri as the Hokies won the final four matches to earn the win on Saturday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum. Mitch Moore capped off the thrilling victory with a fall in 26 seconds that ended the match and give Tech its first win ever over the Tigers. MATCH HIGHLIGHTS B.C. LaPrade tied the team score at 3-3 with a 3-1 sudden victory over Jarrett Jacques in a top 20 showdown at 157 pounds. LaPrade battled out of a possible takedown in the third period (ruled out-of-bounds), then earned the win with his own takedown with seven seconds left in the first overtime period. At 165, David McFadden put Tech up in the team scoring 7-3 with a major decision over Peyton Mocco. It was McFadden's 87th win as a Hokie and the 19th by major decision. In another top 15 match at 184, Hunter Bolen returned to the mat after a redshirt season and defeated Dylan Wisman. Bolen used two takedowns in the first and a reversal in the third to take a four-point lead with almost two minutes of riding time. However, Wisman tied it up at 9-9 before the final horn, but Bolen won with 1:22 of riding time to put Tech back up 10-7. John Borst earned a bonus point for Tech with a major decision over Rodrigo Diaz at 285. Leading 5-2 in the third, Borst used two takedowns, a stall point and riding time to get the major decision. At 125, Joey Prata gave Tech a 17-10 lead with a 2-0 victory over Dack Punke. Prata escaped from Punke in the second and rode him the entire third round to get the win. Mitch Moore pinned Alex Butler, but it was not his fastest fall in his Tech career - 19 seconds against Princeton's Josh Breeding. Results: 149: Brock Mauller (MU) dec. Brent Moore (VT), 6-0 157: B.C. LaPrade (VT) dec. Jarrett Jacques (MU), 3-1 (SV-1) 165: David McFadden (VT) major dec. Peyton Mocco (MU), 15-4 174: Connor Flynn (MU) major dec. Cody Hughes (VT), 12-1 184: Hunter Bolen (VT) dec. Dylan Wisman (MU), 10-9 197: Wyatt Koelling (MU) dec. Stanley Smeltzer (VT), 8-1 285: John Borst (VT) major dec. Rodrigo Diaz (MU), 11-3 125: Joey Prata (VT) dec. Dack Punke (MU), 2-0 133: Collin Gerardi (VT) forfeit 141: Mitch Moore (VT) fall Alex Butler (MU), :26 UP NEXT The Hokies will take part in the Southeast Open Sunday in Roanoke before getting back to dual action next Sunday against Northwestern. The Nov. 10 "Mat on the Mound" is set to take place at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park at 1 p.m.

Angy-Mike Mossengo A GoFundMe page has been established for a 15-year-old Pennsylvania wrestler who needs a heart transplant. Angy-Mike Mossengo, a wrestler at Red Lion school in York, Pa., had been active in the sport until this past August, when he started to feel exhausted and weak. Even climbing a set of stairs made him tired. On August 22, 2019, Angy-Mike was so weak, he could not walk home from the bus stop. He began to throw up blood. His parents rushed him to York WellSpan Hospital, where, according to the GoFundMe page, a chest X-ray showed a grossly abnormal heart enlargement and lot of fluids in his lungs. The young wrestler was then transferred to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where Angy-Mike and his parents got the shocking news: he was suffering almost complete heart failure. Even after emergency open-heart surgery to install a temporary left ventricular-assisted device (LVAD), the Mossengo family learned that the long-term solution is a heart transplant. Right now, Angy-Mike Mossengo resides at the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia, awaiting that heart transplant ... while his parents, who have given up their full-time jobs, provide constant care for him. A heart transplant is a truly live-saving procedure ... and is incredibly expensive. There are costs that go beyond the actual expense of the surgery; there are also rehabilitation and anti-rejection medications that Angy-Mike will have to take for the rest of his life. Not to mention travel and other basic living expenses. In fact, according to the National Foundation for Transplants, the average cost of a heart transplant and the associated first-year expenses is $1 million. "Despite all these challenges, Angy-Mike Mossengo remains upbeat and continues to have faith that Jesus Christ will provide him with a new heart," according to the GoFundMe page established for the wrestler. "His favorite Bible verse is Psalms 118, verse 4: 'The Lord is my strength and my defense, He has become my salvation.'" Mike Catullo, Red Lion's wrestling coach, told InterMat, "Angy-Mike is one of the hardest-working kids in our wrestling program with one of the biggest hearts of anyone I've ever coached and now this champion needs the heart of a champion because his heart is failing him."

Greg Kerkvliet wrestling Jordan Wood in the finals of the U23 Nationals (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Greg Kerkvliet, InterMat's No. 1 Class of 2019 recruit in the nation who had committed to wrestle as heavyweight at Ohio State, apparently has entered the transfer portal with plans to switch to another school, according to multiple media reports. The Ohio State unofficial fan site Eleven Warriors reported Friday that sources inside the Buckeye wrestling program confirmed that Kerkvliet had entered the transfer portal. An Ohio State spokesperson stated that the Minnesota native "is no longer on the roster." Tom Ryan, Ohio State head wrestling coach, told Eleven Warriors, "We wish him the best." A true freshman, Kerkvliet had yet to wrestle a single match for the Buckeyes. Earlier this year, Kerkvliet had indicated he would take a redshirt this season. However, in a radio interview this summer, Kerkvliet said he planned to participate in Ohio State's wrestle-offs this past week to challenge Chase Singletary, the team's starter at 285 pounds. However, both Buckeye big men were in Budapest, Hungary to participate in the U23 Freestyle World Championships, where Kerkvliet eventually placed fifth at 125 kilograms/275 pounds. Two independent media outlets which cover Ohio State sports noted Kerkvliet's apparent departure from the Buckeye mat program came on the heels of what many would consider to be a disappointing result at the U23 Championships ... and just weeks after Kyle Snyder, three-time NCAA heavyweight champ and Olympic gold medalist, had announced his decision to leave the Ohio Regional Training Center for the Penn State-affiliated Nittany Lion Wrestling Club to continue his freestyle training. In reporting on Kerkvliet apparent decision to leave Ohio State, Eleven Warriors wrote, "It's been a tough fall for Ohio State when it comes to keeping its heavyweights happy," following up with this statement: "With Snyder no longer in the fold, Kerkvliet appears to be reevaluating his options and considering where he might best prepare for a freestyle future." Buckeyes Wire, another independent Ohio State sports website which is affiliated with USA Today, weighed in with a similar sentiment, saying, "The Ohio State wrestling team may have lost a big piece of its future." Kerkvliet's journey to choose a college program included a number of twists and turns. The four-time Minnesota state champ for Simley High School had originally indicated a desire to wrestle at nearby University of Minnesota ... then had said that Oklahoma State would be his collegiate home, before committing to Ohio State.

Wisconsin celebrates after beating Navy to earn the Dual for Valor trophy (Photo/Wisconsin Athletics) SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The Badger wrestling team improves to a perfect 3-0 after a dual against Navy. Wisconsin took the 24-12 victory to earn the Dual for Valor trophy. Tyler Dow came up huge for Wisconsin. The typical 174-pounder moved up a weight class to 184 for Wisconsin. Dow was tough against his bigger opponent and didn't shy away from the challenge. He snagged a 3-1 decision over Navy's Andrew Buckley. At 165 pounds, No. 3 Evan Wick took down No. 15 Tanner Skidgel with a major decision 10-2. Suffering a quick takedown, Wick came back with 10 unanswered points to win it. Wick, in his homecoming meet, remains undefeated boasting a perfect 3-0 record, including a technical fall. In the 133-pound match, No. 1 Seth Gross faced off against No. 22 Casey Cobb. Seth continued his dominant day for Wisconsin and claimed a major decision of 11-2. This was Seth's first victory of a ranked opponent and he remains 3-0 on the season. At 157, Garrett Model got his first win of the season in an exciting fashion. Model topped Scout Skidgel 10-7, recording a tight decision. Model, a Stoughton native, sprung back in a victorious fashion. In the heavyweight bout, Trent Hillger hung on to remain undefeated on the season. He took the match from John Birchmeier with a 1-0 decision. From the Mat "I'm proud of our guys. It was a big time atmosphere tonight and I told them big time wrestlers show up in big time matches. It was our best match of the day. I am excited to see how much we can improve as the year goes on. Hats off to our fans who traveled to San Diego, they really made a difference." - Head Coach, Chris Bono "Let's do this! Anytime I get a chance to put he 'W' on my chest and wrestle, I'm going to do it, it doesn't matter what weight it is. I knew the kid was going to be bigger and stronger than me because I moved up a weight class. Just knowing that, I had to be clean on all of my techniques and wrestle through each position. I'm just thankful to be a part of this team." - Redshirt freshman, Tyler Dow "It was awesome! I wanted to come out here and have a good performance, I'm from California and had a lot of people coming out here so I really wanted to put on a show. I had a couple of great matches and I absolutely enjoyed wrestling on the Midway. Being down by two, you really have to put that adversity behind you and focus on scoring the next point. It's very difficult when you are worried about what's already happened. You have to keep your mind focused on the next points and make sure you break that guy." - Redshirt junior, Evan Wick Results: 125 Logan Treaster (NAVY) over Michael Cullen (UW) by dec. 1-0 133 No. 1 Seth Gross (UW) over No. 22 Casey Cobb (NAVY) by maj. dec. 11-2 141 No. 11 Tristan Moran (UW) over Cody Trybus (NAVY) by dec. 5-3 149 No. 11 Cole Martin (UW) over Morgan Fuenffinger (NAVY) by maj. dec. 14-3 157 Garrett Model (UW) over Scout Skidgel (NAVY) by dec. 10-7 165 No. 3 Evan Wick (UW) over No. 15 Tanner Skidgel (NAVY) by maj. dec. 10-2 174 No. 17 Spencer Carey (NAVY) over Anders Lantz (UW) by fall 3:26 184 Tyler Dow (UW) over Andrew Buckley (NAVY) by dec. 3-1 197 Jacob Koser (NAVY) over Taylor Watkins (UW) by dec. 4-1 Hwt No. 6 Trent Hillger (UW) over John Birchmeier (NAVY) by dec. 1-0 Up Next: Wisconsin travels to Buffalo on Thursday, Nov. 7 to face off in a dual at 6p.m. The Badgers will be competing at Edinboro on Friday, Nov. 8. This meet will be broadcast live on FloWrestling at 6p.m.

QUICK HITS Cleveland State won a pair of duals as it hosted the season-opening Cleveland Clash The Vikings knocked off John Carroll (27-14) and Case Western Reserve (51-(-1)) Chase Archangelo, Justin Patrick and Ben Smith all went 2-0 on the day The Vikings tallied seven pins in the two duals and 13 bonus-point wins A total of 16 Vikings competed in at least one bout Friday The event featured action on two mats in a continuous, tri-dual format MATCH RECAP The Cleveland State University wrestling team picked up a pair of victories Friday night as it opened its season by hosting the Cleveland Clash, a continuous tri-dual featuring a pair of local foes. CSU took down John Carroll, 27-14, and surged past Case Western Reserve, 51-(-1). The Vikings totaled seven pins across the two duals and 13 bonus-point victories. Redshirt sophomore Chase Archangelo, redshirt senior Justin Patrick and sophomore Ben Smith all went 2-0 on the evening with a pair of bonus-point wins. Archangelo, competing in a collegiate dual for the first time, claimed a 22-8 major decision against his Blue Streaks foe and then notched a first-period pin against the Spartans. He was competing at 174 pounds for the first time as a collegian. Patrick left no doubt in his Viking debut after transferring in from Buffalo during the offseason. He won via a first-period pin against the Spartans in his first bout as a Viking before posting a 20-5 technical fall against the Blue Streaks. Smith, who posted 18 wins as a true freshman last season, got off to a 2-0 start with a 19-4 technical fall against CWRU and a 12-2 major decision against JCU. Redshirt sophomore Jacob Adams notched his first win in a Viking singlet Friday with a major decision win against the Spartans at 184 pounds. Classmate Cody Moosman picked up his first pin in a CSU singlet, which came against CWRU at 125 pounds. Four other Vikings posted pins in Friday's action: redshirt sophomore John Kelbly and senior Collin Kelly, both at heavyweight, along with redshirt junior Nico O'Dor (157 pounds) and redshirt senior Grant Turnmire (149 pounds). Redshirt sophomore Brady Barnett posted a technical fall win at 157 pounds while redshirt juniors Ryan Ford (165), Cameron Lathem (125) and Mike Santillo (141) each picked up a win Friday. Redshirt freshman Riley Smucker made his CSU debut against the Blue Streaks after transferring in during the offseason. Cleveland State will open a stretch of three straight bracket events by competing in the Clarion Open this Sunday, Nov. 3. Cleveland State 27, John Carroll 14 125: Cameron Lathem (CSU) over Andrew Perelka (JCU) - 3-2 dec. 149: Patrick McGraw (JCU) over Sam Matzek (CSU) – 6-4 dec. 174: Chase Archangelo (CSU) over Vittorio Santillo (JCU) - 22-8 MD 285: John Kelbly (CSU) over Josh Stasek (JCU) – Fall 3:26 141: Jarrod Brezovec (JCU) over Mike Santillo (CSU) - 16-1 TF 7:00 165: Luke Reicosky (JCU) over Riley Smucker (CSU) – 11-7 dec. 197: Ben Smith (CSU) over Christian Hipsher (JCU) - 12-2 MD 133: Justin Patrick (CSU) over Dominic Devine (JCU) 20-5 TF 157: Brady Barnett (CSU) over Shane Ging (JCU) - 16-1 TF 4:06 184: Aidan Whitis (JCU) over Dimitri Williams (CSU) 9-5 dec. Cleveland State 51, Case Western Reserve (-1) 141: Mike Santillo (CSU) over Alec Hoover (CWRU) - 4-3 dec. 165: Ryan Ford (CSU) over Isaac Collier (CWRU) – 6-4 SV 1 team point deducted from CWRU during 165-pound bout for control of mat area violation 197: Ben Smith (CSU) over Brian Kent (CWRU) - 19-4 TF 6:16 133: Justin Patrick (CSU) over Duncan Clayton (CWRU) – Fall 2:21 157: Nico O'Dor (CSU) over Thomas Gallagher (CWRU) - Fall 4:10 184: Jacob Adams (CSU) over Stephen Andryc (CWRU) – 12-3 MD 125: Cody Moosman (CSU) over Adam Kates (CWRU) - Fall 2:10 149: Grant Turnmire (CSU) over Brandon Barton (CWRU) – Fall 0:26 174: Chase Archangelo (CSU) over Trevor Chippas (CWRU) - Fall 1:57 285: Collin Kelly (CSU) over Grant Robinson (CWRU) – Fall 5:28 John Carroll 35, Case Western Reserve 10 133: Jacob Frisch (CWRU) over Dominic Devine (JCU) – 19-7 MD 157: Daniel Novak (JCU) over Jack Chipps (CWRU) - 18-0 TF 4:45 184: Aidan Whitis (JCU) over Stephen Andryc (CWRU) – Fall 0:14 125: Andrew Perelka (JCU) over Adam Kates (CWRU) - 16-3 MD 149: Andrew Hoover (CWRU) over Ian McKenna (JCU) – 3-1 dec. 174: Stefan Farian (JCU) over Kyle Roberts (CWRU) - 19-4 TF 6:24 285: Josh Stasek (JCU) over Grant Robinson (CWRU) – Fall 2:17 141: Jeff Brichford (JCU) over Alec Hoover (CWRU) - 5-3 dec. 165: Isaac Collier (CWRU) over Sam Gross (JCU) – 6-2 dec. 197: Christian Hipsher (JCU) over Joey Shulik (CWRU) - Fall 2:15

No. 10 Brayton Lee edged No. 18 Russell Rohlfing, 8-7, at 149 pounds (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) MINNEAPOLIS -- The Gopher wrestling program earned a 28-9 season opening victory over CSU Bakersfield on Friday night in Maturi Pavilion. The Gophers won seven of the first ten individual bouts while five Minnesota natives (Patrick McKee, Mitch McKee, Carson Brolsma, Bailee O'Reilly, and Owen Webster) earned victories and three underclassmen (Patrick McKee, Brayton Lee, and Bailee O'Reilly) earned their first dual victories. At 125-pounds Pat McKee opened the Gophers' season up in exciting fashion with a pin only 54 seconds into the first bout of the 2019-20 season. "I've been coming to Gopher duals since I was eight or nine years old just watching the greats wrestle before me," Pat said. "So it was kinda cool that now it's my turn to run out there. As a fan I always used to watch and think so much about it. Now as a wrestler I just try to simplify it as best I can." The Gophers added to the lead when Pat's older brother, Mitch, worked towards a 15-5 major decision at 141-pounds. The 2019 All-American earned three takedowns in the first period and never looked back on his way to four team points. Redshirt freshman Brayton Lee opened up his Gophers career with an 8-7 decision over No.18 Russell Rohlfing, the Roadrunners' highest ranked wrestler. At 157-pounds Carson Brolsma sent the Gophers into intermission with a victory. Brolsma and Gerl were tied at one apiece after regulation but Brolsma got the key takedown in the first sudden victory period. Coming out of intermission both 165-pound Bailee O'Reilly ad 174-pound Devin Skatzka earned victories. O'Reilly grinded out 6-5 victory before Skatzka ran away with an 18-0 technical fall. In his best offensive performance as a Gopher grappler, 184-pound Owen Webster scored over five takedowns en route to a 16-3 major decision. The Gophers' only losses of the dual came from 133-pound Brent Jones, 197-pound Garrett Joles, and heavyweight Chase O'Connor. All three lost by only one score. Results: 125: Patrick Mckee (MINN) over Alex Hernandez-Figueroa (CSUB) (Fall 0:57) 133: Chance Rich (CSUB) over Brent Jones (MINN) (Dec 7-4) 141: Mitch McKee (MINN) over Angelo Martinoni (CSUB) (MD 14-5) 149: Brayton Lee (MINN) over Russell Rohlfing (CSUB) (Dec 8-7) 157: Carson Brolsma (MINN) over Wyatt Gerl (CSUB) (3-1, OT) 165: Bailee O`Reilly (MINN) over Jacob Thalin (CSUB) (Dec 6-5) 174: Devin Skatzka (MINN) over Josh Annis (CSUB) (TF 19-0 4:01) 184: Owen Webster (MINN) over Josh Loomer (CSUB) (MD 16-3) 197: Dominic Ducharme (CSUB) over Garrett Joles (MINN) (Dec 6-4) 285: Jarrod Snyder (CSUB) over Chase O`Connor (MINN) (4-1, OT)

UTC and SIUE battled at Miller Park in Chattanooga (Photo/Dale Rutemeyer, Chattanooga Athletics) The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team scored a 29-14 win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in the season opener for both teams today. The Mocs and Cougars competed outside at Miller Park in Downtown Chattanooga on a Sunny and brisk afternoon in the Scenic City. "It was a great first match against an opponent that we know pretty well," stated UTC head coach Kyle Ruschell. "They are a team that was in the SoCon two years ago, so getting them back down here was a great first event." "Being outside was different for our guys and they all appreciated it. It got a little chilly, but we practice all year that it doesn't matter what the atmosphere looks like, you just control what you can control. They did that for the most part." UTC opened with three-straight wins, including bonus points in the first two, to build a 12-0 lead. Junior Fabian Gutierrez got things started with a 13-2 major decision over Gage Datlovsky at 125. Datlovsky struck first with an early takedown, but Gutierrez controlled the action the rest of the way. Sophomore Franco Valdes was strong in his start at 133. He scored a second period technical fall (24-6 - 3:23) over Aaron Schulist. "Franco Valdes looked great," added Ruschell. "When he is offensive and has his mojo going, he is really good on his feet." Senior Chris Debien followed up the early run with a 4-2 decision over Saul Ervin at 141. Debien is the defending SoCon champion at that weight and is No. 20 in the national rankings this week. "We had a couple of great wins off the bat," said Ruschell. "Guys got their first wins of the year and got the ball rolling right away. We still have work to do. We have a lot of little positions, especially on bottom, that we can get better at." SIUE closed the gap with a pin at 149 and a win at 157. Leading 12-9 took the next four to seal the dual victory. Sophomores Drew Nicholson and Hunter Fortner had decision at 165 and 174, respectfully. Sophomore Matthew Waddell, a transfer from Oklahoma, scored a first-period pin in his UTC debut. "Matthew Waddell coming out here, transferring in and making a statement right away with the lefty headlock, that is big for our team to see him compete that way," said Ruschell. Senior Rodney Jones closed out the Mocs wins with a tech fall (18-2 - 6:30) at 197. His opponent was cut on the bridge of the nose early and was battling blood=stoppages throughout the match. "Rodney kept his composure," explained Ruschell. "He was on a 30-second sprint a couple of times where his opponent's nose was bleeding and he kept on getting out there and scoring. "Being a senior and a guy who has made it to nationals, he wants to get on the podium this year and that is what he is going to have to do all year." Up next for the Mocs is a road trip to the Southeast Open in Roanoke, Va. Action takes place on Sunday, Nov. 3, and can be followed with scoring and video on FloWrestling. The next home match is a tri-dual on Sunday, Nov. 10 with Illinois and Army. The visiting teams get the action started at 10:00 a.m. (E.S.D.), with the Mocs taking on Army at Noon and Illinois at 2:00 p.m. Season tickets and Southern Scuffle tickets are both on sale now on GoMocs.com. Results: 125: Fabian Gutierrez (UTC) over Gage Datlovsky (SIUE) (MD 13-2) - UTC 4-0 133: Franco Valdes (UTC) over Aaron Schulist (SIUE) (TF 24-6 3:23) - UTC 9-0 141: No. 20 Chris DeBien (UTC) over Saul Ervin (SIUE) (Dec 4-2) - UTC 12-0 149: Max Kristoff (SIUE) over Mason Wallace (UTC) (Fall 0:01) - UTC 12-6 157: Justin Ruffin (SIUE) over George Carpenter (UTC) (Dec 7-2) - UTC - 12-9 165: Drew Nicholson (UTC) over Chase Deihl (SIUE) (Dec 8-2) - UTC 15-9 174: Hunter Fortner (UTC) over Kevin Gschwendtner (SIUE) (Dec 3-1) - UTC 18-9 184: Matthew Waddell (UTC) over Ryan Yarnell (SIUE) (Fall 1:31) - UTC 24-9 197: Rodney Jones (UTC) over Austin Andres (SIUE) (TF 18-2 6:30) - UTC 29-9 285: No. 17 Colton McKiernan (SIUE) over Grayson Walthall (UTC) (TF 16-0 4:18) - UTC 29-14

Trent Hillger pinned Randy Gonzalez of Fresno State (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The No. 5 Wisconsin wrestling team began its 2019-20 campaign at America's Favorite City Dual, taking on Fresno State and Army Friday afternoon. Winning both duals, Wisconsin now boasts a perfect 2-0 record heading into the Battle on the Midway. Wisconsin defeated Fresno State with ease 31-8 to start the season. Army proved to be a tougher battle for the Badgers as UW edged the Black Knights in the final bout of the dual, 16-15. Seth Gross began his Wisconsin career in a way that only he could. The 2018 NCAA champion at 133 pounds pinned Gary Joint of Fresno State in 4 minutes, 9 seconds, claiming his first victory in a Wisconsin singlet. In his next bout, Gross took a major decision from Army's Lane Peters. Heavyweight Trent Hillger was explosive in his redshirt sophomore season debut, earning a pin and the team victory as the Army dual came down to his match. Hillger recorded his first pin of the season against Fresno State's Randy Gonzalez, ending the rmatch in 4:44. Hillger was also the deciding factor in Wisconsin's team victory over Army. Down by two going into the heavyweight match, Hillger took charge immediately and recorded a takedown over Army's Ben Sullivan. Hillger continued playing hero and scored seven points in his victory. Evan Wick started his junior season off undefeated. Wick scored a technical fall against Fresno State's Adam Kemp at 165 pounts, tallying 16 points. Wick also recorded a defeat against Army's Cael McCormick with a 9-2 victory. Wick fell behind early after a quick takedown but went on to score nine unanswered points. Redshirt senior Cole Martin started his day by winning a thriller against Fresno State. Martin fell behind early after two takedowns by Greg Gaxiola. As regulation expired, Martin recorded a takedown to tie it up. The match continued scoreless until triple overtime, when Martin got the bout winning takedown, claiming the match 6-4. At 141 pounds, Tristan Moran's senior campaign started out with two victories. He claimed a close 5-3 win over Fresno State's Durben Lloren before shining in his second match of the day with a 7-1 victory against Cole Shie of Army. Redshirt senior Michael Cullen also won both of his matches on the day, defeating Robert Garcia of Fresno State by major decision, 14-2, at 125 pounds and Army's Trey Chalifoux, 3-1. From the mat "I'm very happy with our effort in both duals. We don't look our best, but it is very early. We need a better performance tonight to finish this thing up the right way!" - Head Coach Chris Bono "It felt great. There are always things to get better and improve on. I'm excited to wrestle three matches in one day. Just looking forward to the next one. "(A pin is) always my mindset, I want to find a way to put a guy on their back and finish it. Just going out there and letting it fly. It's bound to happen if I keep going out there and letting it fly and get to my stuff." - Redshirt senior Seth Gross "I just treated it like every other match. I've wrestled that kid before and had a really close match with him. Team score really doesn't bother me because I'm always the last weight class and the score is always going to be close in college. I always treat it like I'm the first match and it is a 0-0 team score. I just go out there and wrestle my best and hope I end up on top. - Redshirt sophomore Trent Hillger Results Wisconsin 31, Fresno State 8 125 - Michael Cullen (UW) over Robert Garcia (FS) by maj. dec. 14-2 133 - Seth Gross (UW) over Gary Joint (FS) by fall 4:09 141 - Tristan Moran (UW) over Durbin Lloren (FS) by dec. 5-3 149 - Cole Martin (UW) over Greg Gaxiola (FS) by dec. 6-4 157 - Jacob Wright (FS) over Garrett Model (UW) by dec. 9-6 165 - Evan Wick (UW) over Adam Kemp by tech. fall 16-0 174 - Jackson Hemauer (FS) over Jared Krattiger (UW) by dec. 6-5 184 - Johnny Sebastian (UW) over hunter Cruz (FS) by maj. dec. 13-5 197 - Ryan Reyes (FS) over Taylor Watkins (UW) by dec. 6-3 HWT - Trent Hillger (UW) over Randy Gonzalez by fall 4:44 Wisconsin 16, Army 15 125 - Michael Cullen (UW) over Trey Chalifoux (ARMY) by dec. 3-1 133 - Seth Gross (UW) over Lane Peters (ARMY) by maj. dec. 12-0 141 - Tristan Moran (UW) over Corey Shie (ARMY) by dec. 7-1 149 - PJ Ogunsanya (ARMY) over Cole Martin (UW) by dec. 6-3 157 - Luke Weiland (ARMY) over Garrett Model (UW) by dec. 5-2 165 - Evan Wick (UW) over Cael McCormick (ARMY) by dec. 9-2 174 - Ben Harvey (ARMY) over Tyler Dow (UW) by dec. 4-2 184 - Noah Stewart (ARMY) over Johnny Sebastian (UW) by dec. 3-1 197 - J.T. Brown (ARMY) over Taylor Watkins (UW) by dec. 8-2 HWT - Trent Hillger (UW) over Ben Sullivan (ARMY) by dec. 7-0 Up Next Wisconsin faces Navy in the Battle on the Midway Friday night at approximately 10 p.m. CT. The Badgers' match vs. the Midshipmen follows the Fresno State vs. Army dual, which begins at 8 p.m. on the deck of the USS Midway. Watch the matches live on FloWrestling.

Kayle Miracle finished with a silver medal at 62 kilograms (Photo/Sachiko Hotaka, United World Wrestling) BUDAPEST, Hungary -- For the second straight day, the United States has a silver medalist at the U23 World Championships. A day after Macey Kilty won a silver at 68 kilograms, Kayla Miracle fell in the gold-medal match at 62 kilograms to multiple-time age group world champion Yuzuka Inagaki of Japan, 3-0. After a scoreless first 90 seconds, Miracle was placed on the activity clock. The 23-year-old American was unable to score in the 30 seconds, giving Inagaki the first point of the match. The Japanese wrestler would take that 1-0 lead to the break. Early in the second period, Inagaki fired off a shot and gained a two-point exposure to go up 3-0. It would turn out to be the last points scored in the match. Miracle had three falls in three matches on Thursday. It's Miracle's fourth age group world medal. In addition to her U23 silver, she won a silver medal at the Cadet World Championships and two bronze medals at the Junior World Championships. Felicity Taylor (53 kilograms) and Maya Nelson (65 kilograms) were defeated in repechage on Friday. The United States women's wrestling team finished in fifth place in the team standings. Miracle and Kilty were the lone medalists for the U.S. women's team. Japan ran away with the team title, finishing 125 points ahead of runner-up China. Tate Orndorff gets his hand raised after picking up a win at the U23 World Championships (Photo/Sachiko Hotaka, United World Wrestling) Five American Greco-Roman wrestlers eliminated, compile combined record of 1-5 It was a disappointing start for the United States Greco-Roman team at the U23 World Championships. Five wrestlers competed on Friday, with only one of the five picking up a win, Tate Orndorff (130 kilograms). All five U.S. Greco-Roman who competed on Friday were eliminated when the wrestlers who defeated them failed to advance to the finals. Orndorff, an NCAA qualifier last season as a freshman at Utah Valley, defeated Deepak Poonia of India, 6-1, in his first match at 130 kilograms. He trailed 1-0 at the break before scoring six unanswered points in the final period. Orndorff was blanked in his second match by three-time Junior world medalist Osman Yildirim of Turkey, 9-0. Brady Koontz was shut out by senior world champion Amangali Bekbolatov of Kazakhstan, 9-0, at 55 kilograms. Dalton Roberts fell to Yerner Fidakhmetov of Kazakhstan, 9-4, at 63 kilograms. Jesse Porter, competing at 77 kilograms, was defeated by Sajan Sajan of India, 6-0. At 87 kilograms, Matt Finesilver was shut out by Kiryl Maskevich of Belarus, 9-0. The final five Greco-Roman wrestlers will compete for the United States on Saturday. Those wrestlers include Taylor LaMont (60 kilograms), Peyton Omania (67 kilograms), Lenny Merkin (72 kilograms), Andrew Berreyesa (82 kilograms) and Chad Porter (97 kilograms). Wrestling is scheduled to begin Saturday at 10:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. ET).

Wrestle Like A Girl held its annual fundraising gala in Washington D.C. on Oct. 30 (Photo/Justin Hoch, jhoch.com) Wrestle Like a Girl hosted its annual fundraiser Wednesday in Washington D.C. drawing a number of top influencers from within wrestling community and the sporting world at-large. The goal of the gala was to look awesome in your tux/ballgown, celebrate the journey of women's wrestling, and raise money for the organization to continue its work. The gala was hosted at the National Museum for Women in the Arts, a spectacular museum lined with influential photography and paintings of female artists. The setting felt appropriate -- an intimate space for a tightly knit community, surrounded by high art -- a creative expression not too different from that of a wrestler. There was drinking, speeches were given, and a silent auction helped drum up cash for WLAG's mission. By all measures it was a successful event driven by a clear mission and powerful leadership (more on this later). When looking on Twitter (or in the comments sure to be posted below) the wrestling community can seem divided on women's wrestling, but leadership seems in lockstep that our community needs more women in wrestling, full stop. However, among those leaders there are a variety of opinions on how to implement women's wrestling at the youth, high school, and collegiate level. The preferred rule set, how to divide mat time, when to host the collegiate season, and so on. Then there are the generational questions. With so many new programs, who will be available to coach these teams? How can we get more women involved? What are the support structures that need to be implemented to ensure success? Those second-level issues and concerns are where the success of women's wrestling will be decided. We are all on the boat, but how and where to row requires leadership. Enter Sally Roberts, the wrestler-turned-founder of WLAG. I've worked with Roberts in the past and while I've always been impressed by her outrageous supply of positive energy, this week was the first time I was able to witness her leadership in a mixed setting. She's a dynamic personality able to connect and who leads through discipline, passion, intelligence and absolute focus on positive long-term change. Most important for the future of wrestling, none of the questions raised by the other stakeholders are beneath her to address, consider or consult. That attention to the details of women's wrestling rollout on to the mainstage of collegiate athletics will be what makes it successful. If you want to support the growth of women's wrestling then please consider donating to WLAG. I'm certain that the ROI will be immediate and establish a legacy of participation in wrestling that will directly benefit our daughters and granddaughters. To your questions … Q: Greg Kerkvliet has said he's going to wrestle as a true freshman at Ohio State. Do you expect him to beat out Chase Singletary for the heavyweight spot? -- Mike C. Foley: Kerkvliet is an incredible talent. Can he beat Singletary? Of course, but as with all freshmen it'll come down to his ability to wrestle on the mat with the college guys. No matter how far freshman have come in the past 20 years (Thanks, YouTube!) there is nothing that can prepare an 18-year-old for the pressure and stinginess of a great top wrestler. My theory is that most top high school wrestlers can challenge themselves on their feet with coaches, other top-level high school wrestlers, and visiting college kids. But they also like to wrestle on their feet. None of the above are dropping by the high school room to go rideouts for 90 minutes. For Kerkvliet and others they do have additional access to the OTC, but again they are only working on their feet, not in NCAA riding situations. If Kerkvliet is to succeed in his freshman year at heavyweight it'll almost certainly be determined on the mat. Bo Nickal at Final X: Rutgers (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Do you think Bo Nickal will go 86 kilograms or 97 kilograms in 2020? It's interesting that he will have to go through one of his Nittany Lion Wrestling Club teammates, David Taylor or Kyle Snyder. -- Mike C. Foley: The chatter has been Nickal can hang with Taylor and was even getting the better of the 2018 world champion in practice. Now, that is just a rumor, but if you believe Nickal is competitive with Taylor and then compare Nickal's frame to Snyder's you might conclude he has a better opportunity at 86 kilograms than he would at 97 kilograms. Ultimately, the biggest obstacle could be internal with how the NLWC would manage an internal battle for an Olympic spot. For sure there would be the tension in the room and without knowing everyone's psyche especially well I tend to think it would create the best overall competitor. Maybe it's important to also keep focused on the decision of J'den Cox and which weight he chooses for his Olympic journey. If he goes to 86 kilograms maybe that incentivizes Nickal to go up? If he goes 97 kilograms, maybe it's incentive to go down. Having already wrestled and lost to Cox has to be some type of input in Nickal's decision making process. Though it's also quite possible that Nickal doesn't give a darn what anyone thinks or where they want to wrestle. Nickal has the right combination of power, strength, focus, and technique to earn a medal for Team USA. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Tom Brands in midseason form … on the farm Bono got game … Q: Gregor Gillespie is 13-0 in MMA and fights Kevin Lee this weekend at UFC 244. It's probably his toughest challenge to date. Have you had a chance to watch Gillspie fight much? He's currently ranked No. 11, while Lee is No. 10. Do you see Gillespie as a potential title contender in the future? -- Mike C. Foley: Yes. Gillespie is a TOUGH human who has world-class wrestling, excellent submissions, and an ever-evolving striking game. He's won three bonuses in the UFC and has finished five of his six fights in the promotion. Lee is a banger, but he just can't match Gillespie's versatility or cancel his knack for winning. Gillespie's maturity as a fighter is instructive when analyzing the mixed martial arts career of once-undefeated MMA fighter Ben Askren. Looking at their bodies, skill sets, method of victory, and time spent online it's readily evident that Gillespie spends more time learning and honing the crafts necessary to be a world-class fighter. While I don't begrudge Askren for promoting himself into big paydays (and I appreciate his generosity within the sport of wrestling), the reason he's failed to win fights in the UFC is that he hasn't put in the same devotion to improvement. Askren has been fighting for 12 years and yet his standup is borderline beginner. Askren has fought 20-plus times, but his in-cage jiu-jitsu is appalling in both lack of intelligent defense and complete lack of offensive threats. Askren is paid to fight for a living but shows up on Fight Night out-of-shape and doughy. Worse still his wrestling techniques looked labored and underwhelming. To his credit, Askren does plod forward, has shown courage in the cage and has been gracious in defeat. Look, I get that it's easy to sit back and criticize, but this is an honest assessment of his technical acumen. There is no doubt he has the courage to fight and the online presence to promote those fights but were you to have awoken from a coma and not known who Askren was you'd have been highly disappointed in his fighting ability. Contrast what you saw two weeks ago from him with what you see from Gillespie this weekend and let me know in the comments if you think Gillespie and Askren have the same dedication to evolving as fighters? Do they share the same desire to be champions? One last point: I think that Demian Maia's growth is more instructive of what a good fighter and athlete should be. He is a world champion jiu-jitsu practitioner, but rather than only rely on that skill set he has sought out great wrestling partners and coaches and worked tirelessly on his striking. That's why he won. He was more versatile and when the opportunity came to end the fight his core skill was still in place (because he trains there, too) and he could execute. Kudos to Ben for making money and raising his profile. Thanks for using the platform for helping raise awareness of wrestling. But for me it's guys like Gregor and Demian who deserve the admiration of fight fans. Q: Why did the NCAA change course on allowing athletes to be paid? -- Jack R. Foley: The NCAA has chosen a commission to study the issue with recommendations to be filed in January. The athletes are not collecting checks quite yet. The NCAA doesn't have a ton of options left. The three-month delay is really a stay of execution, because once the state of California allowed for image rights for NCAA athletes more states began to entertain the option as well. All this state-level action leaves the NCAA with few cards left to play. The NCAA could seek control of the topic by the federal government, but with a Democratic House and a Republican Senate there isn't much hope for a conclusion on image rights for NCAA athletes. And that's even if there was a party-line thought on this matter (which I assure you there is not because when it comes to amateurism -- a non-legal term that should essentially equate to nostalgia). Congress is in the middle of an impeachment inquiry. Any motions made will only be symbolic. The NCAA's other option is the courts, but it's unlikely to win there since the legality of amateurism is incredibly fragile. So they are left to grab control and hope that their committee's recommendations are far-reaching enough to pull consensus from a number of states. Make no mistake this dam will break and the NCAA realizes that if they can't find short term remedy then there will be a flood of money into the ecosystem. That cash directly threatens the NCAA's grip on member institutions who adhere to their rules and regulations largely because they have ability to enforce through commercial and monetary penalties. If by taking more aggressive action the NCAA can somehow regulate this new money, then they will retain their position among member institutions. Q: The NCAA rule should mean the death of the singlet. I can get the joiziest of Suriano rash guards and in turn fund for him to buy his own shirts. Since he is never wearing them I figured he can't afford them because of the NCAA. Why the change of heart by the NCAA? -- Cary A. Foley: For wrestling this will likely mean the death of the singlet. As you so eloquently stated the homies who support their squad want to look like the guys they like to watch wrestle. But under no circumstances are they buying singlets (or wrestling shoes) to wear in public. However, training shorts, rash guards, headphones, T-shirts and whatever else will be flying off the virtual store shelves. Let's do this, NCAA. I need that Pokémon /Spencer Lee collaboration pronto. Q: Are you watching the BMF title fight on Saturday night? -- Kevin M. Foley: I had to do some googling, but apparently BMF title translates to "Baddest Mother F$%k$r" which is an absolutely brilliant marketing idea by the UFC. And I am absolutely going to be watching it. The genius of the BMF (an unofficial title) is co-opting the ridiculous non-sport farcical nature of WWE and applying to a fight between two humans who absolutely do not give a Buffalo Nickle if they die in the Octagon. Doesn't the old saying go something like "The only person you don't fight in prison is the guy with crazy eyes." Well there are four crazy eyeballs lined up for the BMF World Championship. Nate Diaz smokes weed during training sessions that creep into 3 a.m. Jorge Masvidal first found fame fighting in Kimbo Slice's backyard brawls. These guys are built to demolish other humans, have absolutely no qualms with extreme violence, and are about to put on the best fight we've ever seen. This fight is so hyped that The Rock is both cutting IG promos and handing out an BMF BELT TO THE WINNER. While not a crossover event on par with the Chicago PD, MD, 911 mashup I keep hearing about in NYC taxi cabs, I think this could be a seminal event in UFC and profession wrestling cross-contamination. Even bigger than Brock pushing Cormier! Also, this is a mindboggling stat from Bloody Elbow, "In 78 combined career fights, the two men have been finished only three times." BMF's for sure.

Macey Kilty finished with a silver medal at the U23 World Championships (Photo/Kadir Caliskan) BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Macey Kilty will leave a world championship event with a silver medal for the third straight time. On Thursday, Kilty fell in the gold-medal match of the U23 World Championships at 68 kilograms to Japan's Masako Furuichi, 7-2. Earlier this year, Kilty won a silver medal at the Junior World Championships for the second straight year. Furuichi, a seven-time age group world champion and senior world medalist, scored a takedown off a single leg twenty seconds into the match. Kilty responded with a takedown of her own to grab the lead on criteria. But it was all Furuichi the rest of the way. With 30 seconds left in the first period, Furuichi scored a takedown off a double leg to go up 4-2. She extended her lead to 6-2 with another takedown in the first minute of the second period and would later add a point off a caution and one. Kilty, a Wisconsin native, now has five age group world medals. She won gold and bronze at the Cadet World Championships, two silver medals at the Junior World Championships, to go along with her most recent silver at the U23 World Championships. Emily Shilson (50 kilograms) and Dominique Parrish (55 kilograms) competed in repechage on Thursday but failed to advance to medal matches. Shilson, a gold medalist at the Youth Olympic Games, claimed a 12-10 victory in her first repechage match at 50 kilograms over Azerbaijan's Turkan Nasirova of Azerbaijan, a 2015 Junior world champion and four-time world medalist. She then lost 10-0 to Russia's Nadesha Sokolova, a 2018 U23 world silver medalist and 2011 Cadet world champion. Parish fell in her first repechage match at 55 kilograms to Andrea Ana of Romania, 5-1. Kayla Miracle advanced to the finals with three falls (Photo/Sachiko Hotaka, United World Wrestling) Miracle gets three falls en route to reaching finals Kayla Miracle picked up three falls in three matches on Thursday en route to reaching the finals at 62 kilograms. Miracle found herself down 7-0 with two minutes remaining in her semifinal match against Ilona Prokopevniuk of Ukraine. The 23-year-old Miracle came back strong, putting the Ukrainian to her back multiple times before securing the fall with just under 40 seconds remaining in the match. Earlier in the day, Miracle had falls over Reka Bacsfaiova of Slovakia and Maria Kuznetkova of Russia. She will face Japan's Yuzuka Inagaki, a multiple-time age group world champion, in the gold-medal match on Friday. Two other American women, Felicity Taylor (53 kilograms) and Maya Nelson (65 kilograms), will have an opportunity to wrestle back for bronze medals on Friday. Both wrestlers went 1-1 in the opening session on Thursday but remain alive after the wrestlers who defeated them reached the finals. Taylor edged Viktoria Vilhelm of Hungary, 4-3, in her first match at 53 kilograms before losing by fall to senior world champion Haruna Okuno of Japan. Nelson, a gold medalist at the Junior World Championships, topped Nisha Nisha of India, 11-3, before being shut out by Misuzu Enamoto of Japan, 7-0. Arian Carpio (57 kilograms) and Alyvia Fiske (72 kilograms) both dropped their first match and were eliminated on Thursday.

After a long wait, the NCAA wrestling season is back this weekend. This year in particular there are many strong dual matches to start off the new year. This year's Battle on the Midway will feature dual meets between No. 7 Wisconsin, Navy, Army West Point and Fresno State. The matchups from those duals would be enough for most fans, but there are several other key matches going down this week. The following looks at some of the top individual matchups, which are scheduled to take place this weekend. 125: No. 2 Jack Mueller (Virginia) vs. Brandon Cray (Maryland) When/Where: Saturday, Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. ET: Maryland at Virginia (ACCNX) Mueller's journey back to the NCAA finals gets started this weekend. Last year he knocked off then No. 1 wrestler Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) in the semifinals before coming up short against No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) in the finals. Prior to that loss, Mueller had gone undefeated and won the ACC Championships. Cray came to Maryland in 2016 as a two-time New Jersey state champion. In his redshirt season, he showed flashes with a 26-7 record. However, since then he has struggled to a 19-32 record over the last two seasons. He will be looking to get a fresh start under first-year head coach Alex Clemsen. Mueller's ability to ride will almost certainly carry him to a victory here. However, this match could set the tone for the season for both wrestlers. Mueller is definitely not sneaking up on anybody this year, and Cray has a chance at a comeback season if he hang tough. Prediction: Mueller (Virginia) major decision over Cray (Maryland) 133: No. 10 Cam Sykora (North Dakota State) vs. Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield) When/Where: Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. ET: Cal State Bakersfield at North Dakota State (FloWrestling) Sykora is a three-time NCAA qualifier who is still looking to become an All-American. Going into this year, it looked like it would be a tough task, but some Olympic redshirts have cleared a bit of the path in front of him. Last season he picked up big wins over Tim Rooney (Kent State), Gary Wayne Harding (North Carolina) and No. 14 Noah Gonser (Campbell). Rich redshirted last season for the Road Runners. He took his lumps at times, but he hung in some matches against tough competition. In the second half of the season, he went 5-3 and did not surrender bonus points against No. 5 Austin Gomez (Iowa State). The last person to score bonus points against Rich last season was Sykora. If this is going to be the breakthrough year, he will need to get off to a solid start. He will be a favorite here against Rich, but it should still be a good early season gauge for the senior. Prediction: Sykora (North Dakota) major decision over Chane Rich (CSU Bakersfield) 141: No. 9 Tristan Moran (Wisconsin) vs. Corey Shie (Army) When/Where: Friday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. ET: Wisconsin vs. Army at the 2019 Battle on the Midway (FloWrestling) After transferring from Oklahoma State, Moran got the start at 141 for Wisconsin last year. He made the NCAA tournament and ended up falling in the round of 12. During the year, he knocked off the likes of No. 11 Mike Carr (Illinois), No. 4 Mitch McKee (Minnesota) and Josh Alber (Northern Iowa). The highlight of his season was perhaps his overtime victory over No. 2 Nick Lee (Penn State) in a wild 12-10 match. After a year at the U.S. Military Academy Prep School, Shie joined the Black Knights last year. In his freshman season, he finished 27-16 and qualified for the NCAA tournament. He scored an overtime victory over No. 16 Sam Turner (Wyoming) and pinned Arizona State's Navonte Demison in a little over a minute. These two have a history. They met early last season at the SEIU invitational, and Moran won a 12-7 decision. The rematch came at the Midlands tournament, and in that bout Shie scored the first-period fall. It was a headlock, but it still proved that Shie can pull the upset. Look for Moran to score some points and cause some separation. However, he often gets himself into trouble in his matches, and Shie is a finisher. Prediction: Moran (Wisconsin) decision over Shie (Army) 149: No. 16 Khristian Olivas (Fresno State) vs. No. 14 Cole Martin (Wisconsin) When/Where: Friday, Nov. 1 at 11 a.m. ET: Wisconsin vs. Fresno State at the 2019 Battle on the Midway (FloWrestling) Olivas has made two trips to the NCAAs as a Bulldog, but he is only 1-4 in those trips. He will look to reverse that trend in his senior season. Last year he picked up several strong wins during the Big 12 conference season including victories over No. 20 Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State), Dante Rodriguez (Northern Colorado) and Chritsian Monserrat (West Virginia). Olivas also knocked off CSU Bakersfield's Russell Rohlfing. Martin is a three-time NCAA qualifier who appeared to make improvements on the job last season. He fought his way through the tough Big Ten scheduled and gave several top wrestlers a scare. He also picked up wins over Brady Berge (Penn State), Malik Amine (Michigan) and No. 15 Requir van der Merwe (Stanford). Olivas might have the better offense, but Martin has shown that he can win close matches. The two have never wrestled in college, so it will be interesting to see if Martin can keep the pace slow and win a close match. Prediction: Martin (Wisconsin) decision over Olivas (Fresno State) B.C. LaPrade defeated Jarrett Jacques in the dual meet last season (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) 157: No. 17 B.C. LaPrade (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 16 Jarrett Jacques (Missouri) When/Where: Saturday, Nov. 2 at 12 p.m. ET: Missouri at Virginia Tech (ACCNX) LaPrade went 18-11 last season and qualified for the NCAAs. He made the semifinals of the ACC Championships but dropped an overtime match against No. 5 Taleb Rahmani (Pittsburgh). During the year he also knocked off No. 4 Larry Early (Old Dominion) and Quincy Monday (Princeton). Jacques joined Missouri as the 51st ranked recruit in his class. In his true freshman season, he qualified for the NCAA tournament. He locked down his spot in the lineup and finished the regular season on a 15-3 run and won a MAC title. Jacques also picked up wins over Chase Straw (Iowa State), Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) and No. 7 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh). These two wrestled in an early season dual last year. The match went into overtime knotted at three points each. However, in the extra time, LaPrade hit a six-point move to take the bout 9-3. Since then Jacques has really matured and adapted to the college scene. Look for him to be the one pushing the pace in this rematch. Prediction: Jacques (Missouri) decision over LaPrade (Virginia Tech) 165: No. 4 David McFadden (Virginia Tech) vs. Peyton Mocco (Missouri) When/Where: Saturday, Nov. 2 at 12 p.m. ET: Missouri at Virginia Tech (ACCNX) McFadden moved up in weight for the 2019 season, and he once again finished as an All-American. In his three seasons as a starter for the Hokies, he has finished sixth, fifth and fifth. In his first year at 174 pounds, he knocked off the likes of Michael Labriola (Nebraska), Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa), Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) and Trent Hidlay (NC State). Mocco redshirted last season after joining the Tigers as a top recruit. During his redshirt season, he went 9-1 and knocked off fellow blue chip recruit David Carr (Iowa State). His only defeat came against Division II opponent Isaiah Luellen (Fort Hays State). McFadden should be the clear favorite in this match due to his experience. However, Missouri has had great and occasionally unexpected success with freshman wrestlers. If Mocco is able to pull off the upset, it could mean he is yet another Tiger newcomer who could make some noise this year around tournament time. Prediction: McFadden (Virginia Tech) decision over Mocco (Missouri) 174: Andrew McNally (Kent State) vs. Jacob Oliver (Edinboro) When/Where: Saturday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. ET: Edinboro at Kent State McNally was one of the refugees from the close program at Eastern Michigan. He found his way to Kent State where he became an NCAA qualifier for the first time. He finished the year 34-9 and score victories over the likes of Cameron Caffey (Michigan State), Jack Jessen (Northwestern) and Mason Reinhardt (Wisconsin). Oliver was also a qualifier for the Fighting Scots in 2019. He went 28-7 on the year but dropped both of his matches at the NCAA tournament. He got off to a strong start to the season last year as he won the Michigan State Open. Along the way, he knocked off No. 13 Ethan Smith (Ohio State). McNally clearly made strides in his first season wrestling for Kent State. It will be interesting to see if he continues to improve. He has the better wins than Oliver, so he should be able to take this match. However, Oliver has put up some major points and picked up some upsets in the past. Prediction: McNally (Kent State) decision over Oliver (Edinboro) 184: Noah Stewart (Army) vs. Jackson Hemauer (Fresno State) When/Where: Friday, Nov. 1 at 9:30 p.m. ET: Army vs. Fresno State at the 2019 Battle on the Midway (FloWrestling) In his third year wrestling for Army, Stewart became an NCAA qualifier for the first time. He qualified through the EIWA Championships and went on the defeat Nick Gravina (Rutgers) in the NCAAs. He finished the year 20-12 with wins over No. 18 Tanner Harvey (American), Mason Reinhardt (Wisconsin), Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State), No. 11 Corey Hazel (Lock Haven) and Kayne MacCallum (Oklahoma). Hemauer qualified for the NCAAs in his redshirt freshman season. During the year, he scored signature wins over MacCallum, Tyler McNutt (North Dakota State), Christian LaFragola (Brown), Owen Webster (Minnesota) and No. 20 Tate Samuelson (Wyoming). His series with Samuelson was particularly interesting. The two wrestled three times including splitting a pair of matches at the Big 12 Championships. Even though they were both NCAA qualifiers a season ago, in terms of common opponents, Hemauer has a pretty significant edge. He holds a 7-5 record when facing common opponents compared to only 2-8 for Stewart. Prediction: Hemauer (Fresno State) decision over Stewart (Army) 285: No. 6 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) vs. AJ Nevills (Fresno State) When/Where: Friday, Nov. 1 at 11 a.m. ET: Wisconsin vs. Fresno State at the 2019 Battle on the Midway (FloWrestling) Hillger exceeded expectations during his redshirt freshman year, and he finished up eighth at the NCAAs to become an All-American. He finished 3-3 at the tournament with victories over Ian Butterbrodt (Brown), Youssif Hemida (Maryland) and No. 11 Zach Elam (Missouri). During the year, he also picked up signature wins over Sam Stoll (Iowa), No. 12 Chase Singletary (Ohio State) and No. 14 Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley). Nevills joined Fresno State when the program was restarted. In his two seasons with the Bulldogs, he has qualified for two NCAA tournaments. However, he is still looking to become an All-American for the first time. Last season his best wins were over Butterbrodt, Orndorff, No. 18 Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State) and Brandon Metz (North Dakota State). These two were actually supposed to meet in the Midlands last year. However, Hillger medically forfeited out of the bracket. Nevills has been on the cusp of being an All-American for two seasons now. If he wants to break through, these are the type of guys he should be beating. Hillger should be the favorite in this match. He is stingy on the feet and does not give up a lot of points. His ability to ride could also end up being the determining factor in this bout. Prediction: Hillger (Wisconsin) decision over Nevills (Fresno State)

Bo Nickal with the American flag after winning gold at the U23 World Championships (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Bo Nickal capped off a dominant run to a world title at the U23 World Championships on Wednesday in Budapest, Hungary. The 23-year-old Nickal cruised to a 12-2 technical superiority over Russia's Batyrbek Tsakulov in the gold-medal match at 92 kilograms. Nickal scored first off a step out and then followed it up with a takedown to go up 3-0 at the break. He pulled away in the second period, scoring two takedowns to extend his lead to 7-0. Tsakulov would get on the scoreboard with a takedown in the final minute. With just under 30 seconds remaining in the match, Nickal fired off a shot and scored a feet-to-back takedown for four points to go up 11-2. Russia challenged the call, which was upheld, giving Nickal an additional point and the technical superiority. He finished the tournament with two technical superiorities, a fall and a 9-1 victory. Greg Kerkvliet, the nation's No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2019, was edged in his bronze-medal match at 125 kilograms by Mongolia's Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur, 4-4 on criteria. Kerkvliet held the 3-3 criteria lead after the opening period. He added to his lead with a step out to go up 4-3. With eight seconds left, the Mongolian drove Kerkvliet out of bounds, which was initially ruled a step out. However, Mongolia challenged the call. The call was overturned and ruled a caution and one, which gave Munkhtur the victory on criteria. Macey Kilty gets her hand raised after winning in the semifinals (Photo/Sachiko Hotaka, United World Wrestling) Kilty cruises to finals at 68 kilograms; Shilson, Parrish earn spots in repechage Macey Kilty went unscored upon en route to reaching the finals in women's wrestling at 68 kilograms. In the semifinals, Kilty dominated Yingying Wang (China), 11-0. Earlier in the tournament she had a pair of 10-0 technical superiorities over Alexia Sherland of Canada and Alina Rudnytska of Ukraine. It marks the fourth straight age group world championship event in which Kilty has reached the finals. She was a gold medalist at the Cadet World Championships in 2018 and has been a silver medalist at the Junior World Championships in each of the past two years. Two other American women, Emily Shilson (50 kilograms) and Dominique Parrish (55 kilograms), lost prior to the semifinals but will have a chance to wrestle back for bronze on Thursday. Shilson, a Junior Olympics gold medalist, was defeated in her opening match at 50 kilograms by three-time age group world champion Kika Kagata of Japan, 8-3. Kagata would go on reach the finals, keeping Shilson's medal hopes alive. She will wrestle in repechage on Thursday. Parrish opened her tournament by shutting out India's Rana Rani, 6-0. She was edged in her next match by Japan's Saki Igarashi, a U23 and Junior world champion, 4-3. Against Igarashi, Parrish led 3-0 at the break, but the Japanese wrestler scored two late takedowns to steal the match. Igarashi advanced to the finals, giving a Parrish a spot in repechage. Abby Nette and Precious Bell also competed on Wednesday but were eliminated from the competition when the wrestlers who defeated them failed to make the finals. Nette received a forfeit to start her tournament. She then fell to Yulia Pisarenka of Belarus, 4-1. Bell blanked India's Pooja 4-0 in her first match before losing by fall in her next match to Hui Tsu Chang of Taipei. Five more American women will open their competitions on Thursday. Those wrestlers include Felicity Taylor (53 kilograms), Arian Carpio (57 kilograms), Kayla Miracle (62 kilograms), Maya Nelson (65 kilograms) and Alyvia Fiske (72 kilograms).

Six months after a prominent wrestling coach was charged with hazing and child endangering, the case has been dropped. As InterMat reported in April 2019, Bart Freidenberg, active in various aspects of youth wrestling in the state of Ohio, had been charged with child endangering and hazing, based on an alleged incident in Franklin, Ohio -- a community about halfway between Cincinnati and Dayton -- back in the summer of 2018. On Friday, the Journal-News reported that the case had been dismissed without prejudice against Freidenberg, 58, due to "the reluctance of one alleged victim and the logistics of getting another alleged out-of-state victim to testify in Franklin Municipal Court." Freidenberg of Pickerington, Ohio near Columbus, had been released on his own recognizance back in April, pending pre-trial conferences and a jury trial that was set for late November. "We ended up dismissing the case without prejudice," said Franklin City Prosecutor Steve Runge. "We couldn't put together the witnesses as most were from out of state." Runge said some of the athletes and their parents were reluctant to testify for fear it might affect future opportunities to compete. In June 2018, the Ohio All-Star Wrestling Team coached by Freidenberg rented Franklin school facilities to conduct a camp prior to heading to the West Coast for a 6-8 week trip. The All-Star Wrestling Team had competitors from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana. A participant in the camp from Cincinnati contacted his parents to tell them he had been the victim of a hazing incident at a Franklin public school and wanted to go home. His parents contacted Franklin police. Freidenberg has been the Ohio AAU Wrestling Chairman since 1986, and served as a wrestling coach at a number of schools in central Ohio. In 2006, Freidenberg was inducted into the AAU Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Bo Nickal after beating Iran's Hossein Shahbazigazvar (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Bo Nickal made it look easy on Tuesday. The 23-year Nickal reached the finals of the U23 World Championships at 92 kilograms in dominant fashion. After getting a technical superiority in his first match, Nickal followed it up with a fall in the quarterfinals before dominating the returning U23 world champion in the semifinals. Nickal trailed 1-0 early in his semifinal match against returning U23 world champion Shamil Zubairov of Azerbaijan after giving up a step out. But the former Penn State star dominated the rest of the way. He took the lead with a takedown and added another point off a caution and one to lead 3-1 in the break. Nickal continued to pour it on in the second period, getting three more takedowns to win 9-1 and punch his ticket to the finals. Nickal opened his day by earning a 12-2 technical superiority over Hossein Shahbazigazvar of Iran. He then used a cradle in his quarterfinal match to earn a first-period fall over Takumi Tanizaki of Japan. He will face Russia's Batyrbek Tcakulov in the gold-medal match at 92 kilograms on Wednesday. Greg Kerkvliet, the nation's No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2019, reached the semifinals at 125 kilograms before losing to Russia's Vitali Goloev by technical superiority, 10-0. Goloev raced out to a 6-0 lead after a takedown and two exposures. He then ended the match early with another takedown and exposure. Kerkvliet, a true freshman at Ohio State, had been dominant prior to his semifinal loss, getting a 10-0 technical superiority in his first match before winning by fall in the quarterfinals over Salim Ercan of Turkey. He will wrestle for bronze on Wednesday. Brady Berge, an NCAA qualifier for Penn State, will get an opportunity to wrestle back for a bronze medal at 74 kilograms despite losing his first match of the tournament. Berge was blanked 5-1 by Russia's Razambek Zhamalov. The Russian would go on advance to the finals, giving Berge a spot in repechage. Cornell wrestlers Chas Tucker and Max Dean were both defeated in their first match and eliminated in the opening session. Tucker fell to Iran's Mohammadbagher Yakhkeshi at 61 kilograms. Dean, a returning NCAA runner-up, was defeated by Japan's Hayato Ishiguro, 12-2, at 86 kilograms. Muhamed McBryde, a former Buffalo wrestler, finished in fifth place at 79 kilograms. He fell in the bronze-medal match to Turkey's Ramazan Sari, 8-3. The women's wrestling competition begins Wednesday at the U23 World Championships. Emily Shilson (50 kilograms), Dominique Parrish (55 kilograms), Abby Nette (59 kilograms), Macey Kilty (68 kilograms) and Precious Bell (76 kilograms) will compete for the United States. Wrestling begins at 10:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. ET) on Wednesday.

Alyssa Lampe shoots a double leg at the 2015 Pan American Games (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) NORTHFIELD, Vt. -- Norwich University head coach Alex Whitney finalized his coaching staff with the addition of volunteer assistant coach Alyssa Lampe. Lampe joins Whitney, assistant coaches Connor Keating and Erin Clodgo to form a very experienced and decorated staff. Lampe begins her first career coaching position with the Cadets in 2019-20. She will primarily work with wrestlers on the mat as a practice coach. Lampe arrives at Norwich with a thick portfolio of success on the national stage having competed on Team USA for six years culminating in a number one ranking at 48 kg/105.5 lbs in 2015-16. In that year, she claimed top spot at the U.S. World Team Trials. Lampe is a two-time world bronze medalist having captured third place at both the 2012 and the 2013 World Championships. The 39 podium finishes, including 18 victories with Team USA highlight her competitive and professional demeanor on the mat throughout her career. "The wrestling program is extremely fortunate to have such an experienced and savvy wrestling mind such as Alyssa come aboard to help continue raising the bar," said Whitney. "Her passion for the sport and her technical ability will have a tremendous influence on our wrestlers." Prior to her time with Team USA, Lampe attended Northern Michigan University, where she was on the United States Olympic Education Center women's wrestling team. Lampe wrestled in high school at Tomahawk in Wisconsin where she made history in 2006 by becoming the first girl to place in the state high school association's wrestling tournament, finishing second at 103 pounds in Division 2. "I would like to thank Norwich and Coach Whitney for offering me the opportunity to start my coaching career and hone my craft," said Lampe. "I look forward to working with the student-athletes and helping them build on the foundation they have already laid."

Muhamed McBryde will wrestle in repechage at 79 kilograms (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) BUDAPEST, Hungary -- The United States U23 freestyle team failed to advance a wrestler past the quarterfinals on the opening day of the U23 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. The first five American freestyle wrestlers to compete compiled a combined record of 3-5 during Monday's opening session. Muhamed McBryde, a former wrestler at the University at Buffalo, remains alive and will compete in repechage at 79 kilograms on Tuesday. McBryde started his day with a 5-0 shutout over Junior European bronze medalist Erik Reinbok of Estonia. He then dropped his next match to Junior world bronze medalist Tariel Gaphrindashvili of Georgia, 4-2. Gaphrindashvili went up 4-0 in the first period after a takedown and exposure. McBryde would get on the scoreboard in the second period with a takedown, but ultimately fall short. McBryde earned his spot in repechage when Gaphrindashvili advanced to the finals by beating 2019 U23 European silver medalist Ramazan Sari of Turkey. His opponent in repechage will be Mostafa Sayed of Egypt. NCAA All-Americans Jaydin Eierman and Alec Pantaleo both picked up wins on Monday but were eliminated in the opening session. Jaydin Eierman posted a 1-1 record at the U23 World Championships (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling) Eierman, a three-time All-American for Missouri, opened his tournament at 65 kilograms with a fall over Iran's Abolfazl Hajipouramiji. After going up 1-0, Eierman used a spladle to get a fall late in the first period. He then lost a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair to Ernazar Akmataliev of Kyrgyzstan, 13-13 on criteria. Akmataliev led Eierman 2-0 at the break and extended his lead to 9-2 in the second period. Eierman battled all the way back only to lose on criteria in the final moments of a match that saw 24 points scored in the final period. Akmataliev lost narrowly in the semifinals, ending Eierman's chance at competing in repechage. Pantaleo, a three-time All-American for Michigan, looked strong in his first match at 70 kilograms, blanking past Cadet world silver medalist Stefan Tonu of Moldova, 8-0. He was then edged in his next match by Daud Ibragimov of Azerbajian, 9-0. Pantaleo was eliminated when Ibragimov lost in the quarterfinals to Cherman Valiev of Russia. Singletary, an NCAA qualifier for Ohio State last season at heavyweight, lost by technical superiority, 16-6, in his first match at 97 kilograms to Dzianis Khramiankou of Belarus. His tournament came to a close when Khramiankou dropped his semifinal match to 2017 U23 world champion Mojtaba Goleij of Iran. Gabriel Townsell, a three-time NCAA qualifier for Stanford, was defeated in his first and only match of the day at 57 kilograms by Roberti Dingashvili of Georgia, 7-5. Dingashvili used a five-point throw in the first period, which Townsell was never able to overcome. Dingashvili was defeated in the quarterfinals, which put an end to Townsell's tournament. The United States will send its final five freestyle wrestlers to the mats on Tuesday: Chas Tucker (61 kilograms), Brady Berge (74 kilograms), Max Dean (86 kilograms), Bo Nickal (92 kilograms) and Greg Kerkvliet (125 kilograms). Tuesday's action will get underway at 10:30 a.m. local time, 4:30 a.m. ET.

Demian Maia gets his hand raised after beating Ben Askren at UFC Fight Night 162 (Photo/UFC Facebook) Ben Askren -- two-time NCAA champ for University of Missouri and 2008 Olympic wrestler -- suffered only his second loss of his decade-long professional MMA career when he was choked by Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Demian Maia in their main event bout at UFC Fight Night 162 in Kallang, Singapore Saturday. In the third round, Maia seized full mount position and turned it into back control, applying a rear-naked choke on Askren, who tapped out at 3:54 of the round. "It was a shockingly efficient finish against a high-level wrestler such as Askren, who lost his second straight after going unbeaten in his first 20 career fights," is how ESPN.com described the conclusion of the Maia-Askren welterweight (170-pound) bout. "The early rounds saw Maia executing well in striking and tagging Askren with some good shots," according to MMAJunkie.com. "Askren started to find a home for his takedowns as the bout wore on, and every time the action hit the ground the fighters produced exciting back-and-forth grappling exchanges." ESPN.com added some additional detail, reporting, "The first two rounds were contested mostly with both fighters on their feet, showing stiff, awkward standup skills one might expect from grappling specialists ..." "But Maia started coming on as Round 2 wore on. When Askren took him to the canvas with under two minutes to go in the round, the Brazilian quickly reversed position and threatened a submission." Sherdog.com offered its perspective on the end of the bout: "In the third round, Askren again took Maia down, and Maia once again swept quickly, this time with a heel hook attempt. Askren would not escape this time, as Maia took three-quarter mount, inducing Askren to give up his back. From there, it was academic, as Maia cinched up a rear-naked choke that forced Askren to tap out ⁠-- and appear to go to sleep briefly ⁠-- at 3:54 of Round 3." Ben AskrenAfter the match, Askren offered this self-analysis. "We had obviously trained so much back in camp; I had a really good jiu-jitsu guy," said the four-time NCAA finalist and two-time champ for the Mizzou Tigers in 2006 and 2007. "I guess I was overconfident. I guess there's a reason why he's the best grappler in the division, possibly in MMA ever. I was fairly confident that I was gonna get the reversal, but I didn't, and I failed, and obviously that was the outcome." "(The fight went) kind of as we planned," Askren said. "A couple of positions I would've liked to have get, like a muay Thai clinch more, but he was able to stay out of that. But I was landing the punches I wanted to land. I was landing my uppercut really well. And then I was getting takedowns. I think I ended up with four or five takedowns. And then I made a really bad decision." When asked, "what's next?" Askren responded, "I don't know. I've got to go home and sit down and talk about it and think about it. Obviously had a real busy year. It was fantastic. Even coming into this fight I'm thinking, 'What's next? Who am I going to call out?' When I lost -- everyone in the division is busy. A callout would be hard. There's no one that makes a whole lot of sense right away. With that being said, I'll probably wait and sit for a second and see what happens." With the loss, the 35-year-old Askren -- a former Bellator and ONE champion -- is now 19-2, 1 NC overall, and 1-2 since coming on board at UFC with a controversial submission over Robbie Lawler at UFC 235 in Las Vegas back in March ... while Maia, 41, is now 28-9 in his MMA career stretching back to 2001, with a total of 14 submissions and three consecutive victories.

Randy Couture, a three-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State who went on to hold UFC heavyweight and light-heavyweight titles, was released from a Los Angeles area hospital Friday two days after undergoing emergency surgery for a heart attack. The 56-year-old Couture suffered a heart attack during a workout at his Unbreakable Performance MMA gym in West Hollywood then walked "multiple blocks" to Cedars Sinai Hospital, according to his manager and lawyer Sam Spira . Randy CoutureUpon arriving at the hospital's emergency room, Couture underwent an EKG which indicated the UFC Hall of Famer had indeed experienced a heart attack, and according to Spira, "required immediate surgery to resolve the issue." Couture said Friday his heart attack had been caused by a blood clot in his diagonal artery, the result of what he described as his "crazy thick blood and normally high bad cholesterol." He went on to say that the cardiac catheterization (cath) lab cleared out the clot and inserted a stint. After the successful procedure, Couture issued a statement of appreciation to those who cared for him at the hospital this week. "Special thanks to the amazing staff at Cedars Sinai Hospital," said Couture. "From the ER to cardiac ICU, thanks for taking care of me. Thanks to all you out there expressing your concern. Your love and support mean the world to me and my family." Couture had a long career in combat sport. As a high school wrestler, he won a Washington state title. Couture then wrestled at the storied mat program at Oklahoma State, where he was a three-time NCAA All-American and twice an NCAA runner-up in 1991 and 1992. Beyond folkstyle success, Couture became a three-time U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman team alternate in 1988, 1992 and 1996. In May 1997, Couture launched his professional MMA career at UFC 13 ... became the first fighter to hold two individual titles in UFC ... fought his last bout at UFC 129 in April 2011, ending his career with a 19-11 record. Couture was welcomed into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2006. Beyond the Octagon, Couture has served as an MMA commentator, appeared in more than a dozen movies (including "The Expendables" movie franchise), is currently seen in the TV series "GunnyTime" and even competed in ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."

Ed Ruth gets his hand raised after beating Jason Jackson (Photo/Bellator) Past Penn State wrestling champs Phil Davis and Ed Ruth came out as winners, while Oklahoma State All-American Jake Hager was involved in a bout that ended in a no-contest at Bellator 231 at Mohegan Sun Arena at Uncasville, Conn. Friday night. "Mr. Wonderful" scores third-round TKO win "Mr. Wonderful" Phil Davis -- 2008 NCAA champ for the Nittany Lions -- earned a third-round TKO over Sweden's Karl Albrektsson at 3:06 of the third round in their co-main event light-heavyweight (205-pound) bout at Bellator 231. "In the first two rounds, Davis outworked Albrektsson with kicks to the body at range and strategic wrestling," MMAfighting.com reported. "In the third round, though, Davis hurt Albrektsson with a pair of kicks to the body that had the Swedish fighter backing up and all, but totally defensive. Sensing weakness, Davis started attacking Albrektsson, lighting him up with punches on the fence before taking him down and pummeling the overwhelmed fighter on the floor, eventually forcing the referee to intervene." With the win, Davis now improves to 21-5 in his 11-year pro MMA career, and 8-2 in Bellator ... while Albrektsson is now 9-3 in his third year in MMA, and 0-1 after his Bellator debut. After the win, Davis urged Bellator to host a light-heavyweight grand prix tournament. Even if that doesn't happen, MMAfighting.com's Jed Meshew wrote, "Davis will have no shortage of options going forward." Ed Ruth "squeaks out" a split decision win For Ed "Easy" Ruth, it appears that his win at Bellator 231 was anything but easy. MMAfighting.com said that the three-time NCAA champ for Penn State "squeaked out" a split decision over Jason Jackson ... yet went on to describe the welterweight (185-pound) bout as "the best fight of the evening." BloodyElbow.com offered a similar description incorporating the word "squeaked": "Despite getting rocked in the first and dropped in the third, three-time collegiate national champion Ed Ruth squeaked by Jason Jackson with a split decision." Jackson had a powerful first round, but, some reports indicated that he appeared to be running out of gas by the end of the second ... "but all thoughts of that went out the window when Jackson dropped Ruth at the start of the third round with a monster right hand," according to MMAfighting.com. "Ruth was able to recover and spent the next four minutes chasing Jackson around, trying to win the round back. Eventually, Ruth went to his wrestling and it may have been his saving grace, allowing Ruth to ride out the end of the fight with Jackson's back." By the end of three rounds, one judge scored the bout for Jackson, while the other two gave the win to Ruth. Final score: 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 for the former Penn State mat great, who celebrated his 31st birthday this past week. With the win, Ruth -- who tallied three straight national titles in 2012-14 -- is now 8-1 overall in his three-year MMA career (and the same record in Bellator) ... while Jason Jackson falls to 10-4 overall, and 1-1 in Bellator bouts. Low blow = no contest for Jake Hager Less than a year after signing with Bellator, Jake Hager -- former University of Oklahoma All-American wrestler, then WWE star -- had his third bout within the promotion as a heavyweight (265 pounds) at Bellator 231 in Connecticut. The first two appearances for the former pro wrestler once known as Jack Swagger secured first-round submission wins. However, the third time did not appear to be the charm for the 37-year-old Hager. "Jake Hager seemed to be off to a solid start in his third professional MMA match against Anthony Garrett, but a pair of knees to the groin in the first round caused the bout to be waived off," according to BloodyElbow.com. "The illegal blows were deemed unintentional, therefore the match was ruled a no contest." The match was ended at 1:56 of Round 1. Hager now has two wins, no losses and one NC in his inaugural year as a MMA fighter in the Bellator promotion ... while Barrett, 29, who was making his debut in Bellator, is now 4-2 (with one NC) overall in his pro career launched three-and-a-half years ago, and 0-0-NC in Bellator.

Grand View wrestling coach Nick Mitchell (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) As another college wrestling season is about to begin, it's an unbeatable time to take a look back at the most successful collegiate mat programs. In the past month, InterMat has been sharing the results of the Takedown Report blog's analysis of the wrestling coaches who have tallied the most national team titles in NCAA Division I, II and III. Now TDR has taken a similar, detailed look at the coaches at NAIA wrestling programs who have won championships at the annual national tournament. First, a quick bit of history. The NAIA National Championships first made their debut in 1958. In the 62 years of the tournament, there have been 63 championship teams. (In 1994, two teams tied for the title.) The coach with the most NAIA mat titles is Nick Mitchell of Grand View University, with a string of eight titles starting in 2012 ... with the most recent being in spring 2019. The Des Moines-based program still competes in NAIA. In second place in the team title race are two coaches and their programs: David James of Central State of Oklahoma, in the 1980s, and Joe Parsi of Lindenwood University in the St. Louis area, from 2002 to 2009. James and Parsi guided their teams to five titles each. (Both schools now compete in NCAA Division II.) David Ray of Montana State-Northern led his teams to four titles in the span from 1989 to 2004 to claim fourth place in team championships. Four coaches with a trio of NAIA titles each are tied for fifth place: Richard Ulrich of Adams State, Russ Houck of Bloomsburg State, Eddie Griffin of Central State and Mike Machholz of Missouri Valley College. Bloomsburg won their titles in the 1960s before moving to D-I. Takedown Report's Fleming does a masterful job compiling and presenting the statistics for NAIA coaches and programs which can claim at least one national title (many more than listed here) ... along with other tidbits of information that fans of NAIA wrestling -- and, in fact, fans of college wrestling at all levels -- will find fascinating. Hungry for the same sort of info on the three divisions of NCAA wrestling? Takedown Report already shared its analysis of Division I championship coaches as well as Division II championship coaches ... and Division III championship coaches. Questions? Comments? Contact TDR editor Martin Fleming directly at martinkfleming@gmail.com.

St. Thomas University will be adding a men's intercollegiate wrestling program taking to the mats for the first time in fall 2020, the private university located in Miami Gardens, Fla. announced Wednesday. In addition, the school revealed in the same announcement it will also be welcoming new men's and women's swimming and diving programs beginning in the 2020-2021 academic year. The new wrestling program -- along with the addition of swimming and diving -- will give St. Thomas University 21 varsity sports, all which compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). "We are thrilled to add these new sports, and to provide more options for college bound student-athletes," said St. Thomas University Athletics Director, Laura Courtley-Todd. "The university's approach and vision for ethical leadership, makes it very attractive to students and there is no better way of gaining leadership skills than through sports participation." David A. Armstrong, J.D., St. Thomas University President, echoed those sentiments, saying, "We know that students who participate in athletics are more engaged, socially and academically. We look forward to these new students continuing the positive momentum." St. Thomas becomes the third collegiate program in Florida to add the sport, joining Keiser and Southeastern. St. Thomas will be part of the Mid-South Conference, becoming the eleventh team in the sport and will compete against Southeastern, Keiser, Brewton -- Parker (Ga.), Campbellsville (Ky.), Cumberland (Tenn.), Life (Ga.), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), Midway (Ky.), Thomas More (Ky.) and Cumberlands (Ky.). Mike Moyer, the Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association, said, "The NWCA extends a heartfelt thanks to the St. Thomas University Administration for their extraordinary leadership in establishing an intercollegiate wrestling program." "There are over 390-high school wrestling teams (7,700 participants) in Florida, and until now, two intercollegiate teams," Moyer added. "We will do everything we can, as an association, to ensure that the STU program is wildly successful." St. Thomas University is a private, four-year university affiliated with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami. Founded in 1961, STU has an enrollment of approximately 4,200 students.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The Lehigh wrestling team kicked off the 2019-20 season with the annual Brown and White Wrestle-offs Thursday inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. A crowd of just under 1,200 was treated to 11 bouts, many of which were decided in the third period or beyond. Four members of Lehigh's true freshman class also competed on the mat in Grace Hall for the first time. "I was happy to see guys out competing," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "It had been a long time since last March, so to see the guys back on the mats, it's always a fun part of the year." Senior Chase Gallik had the busiest night of all Lehigh wrestlers, competing twice in the opening and closing bouts of the night at 165. In his first match, Gallik took on deferred freshman Brian Meyer, who scored a takedown in the final five seconds to rally for a 5-4 decision. Gallik then closed the night against true freshman Edmond Ruth, with the first-year Mountain Hawk scoring two first period takedowns and two more in the third to win 9-5. At 125, junior Brandon Paetzell rode a fast start to defeat sophomore Luke Resnick 6-2. Paetzell scored two first period takedowns and added a third period escape plus 1:14 of riding time advantage. Both bouts at 133 featured their fair shares of excitement. The first bout matched sophomore Kent Lane against junior Joe Lobeck, with Lobeck racing to a 4-1 lead after one period. Lane rallied in the third, scoring a takedown and two-point near fall to get to 5-5 and then adding one more takedown late for a 7-6 decision. In the other bout, freshman Connor McGonagle and Nick Farro were 2-2 through regulation, with Farro scoring the only takedown. Farro rode out the first half of the first tiebreaker, then was awarded a stalling point and an escape in the second half of the tiebreaker to win 4-3. Fifth-year senior Ryan Pomrinca met true freshman Malyke Hines at 141. Another exciting bout saw Hines in on several quality shots early but unable to finish. A second period reversal put Hines up 2-1 after two, but Pomrinca scored a takedown in the third and with a trading of escapes plus a stalling point for Hines, the match went to sudden victory tied 4-4. With 19 seconds remaining in sudden victory, Pomrinca scored a takedown to win 6-4. Sophomore Jimmy Hoffman met junior Luke Karam at 149 with Hoffman getting the upper hand 5-2 behind a late second period takedown, a third period takedown and a 1:25 riding time advantage. EIWA champion Josh Humphreys delivered the first bonus point win of the night with a 9-0 major decision over freshman A.J. Burkhart at 157. Humphreys scored a first period takedown, reversed early in the second and added another takedown plus two point near fall in the third, while accumulating more than five minutes of advantage time. Another bout at 165 matched freshman Luca Frinzi and junior Trey Cornish. It was Cornish winning the takedown battle 2-1, but after Cornish chose neutral in the third, Frinzi's escape after Cornish's second takedown gave the freshman a 5-4 victory. "The freshmen wrestled well tonight," Santoro noted. "A few of them wrestled some seniors. In this atmosphere they competed really well. They won a few. There were some competitive overtime matches as well. "We saw a lot of good things from our veteran wrestlers as well," Santoro continued. "There were positives in just about every match." The second bonus win of the night belonged to junior Chris Weiler, who won a 17-2 technical fall over sophomore Eli Grape at 184. Weiler led 4-2 after one period, added a takedown and four point near fall in the second and then closed things out at the 5:55 mark following an escape, takedown and four point near fall in the third. At 197, freshman Elijah Jones scored takedowns in each of the first two periods to defeat junior Andrew McDonald 6-0. The Mountain Hawks will send a contingent of wrestlers to the Nov. 3 Princeton Open and the Nov. 10 Journeymen Collegiate Classic before opening the dual meet season at home against Oklahoma State at Stabler Arena on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. Tickets for that dual and all Lehigh home duals can be purchased at Lehigh. "We have two tournaments that will help decide our lineup for Oklahoma State," Santoro said. "Tonight was just another step. We have the Princeton Open next week and will be really important to see how we do there. Then we'll go to the Journeymen and wrestle in a tournament there. Hopefully after those tournaments we'll have our lineup for the first couple of matches and we'll see how it goes as the season moves on." The 2019-20 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem. Results: 165 – Brian Meyer dec. Chase Gallik 5-4 125 – Brandon Paetzell dec. Luke Resnick 6-2 133 – Jaret Lane dec. Joe Lobeck 7-6 133 – Nick Farro dec. Connor McGonagle 4-3, tb 141 – Ryan Pomrinca dec. Malyke Hines 6-4, sv 149 – Jimmy Hoffman dec. Luke Karam 5-2 157 – Josh Humphreys major dec. A.J. Burkhart 9-0 165 – Luca Frinzi dec. Trey Cornish 5-4 184 – Chris Weiler tech. fall Eli Grape 17-2, 5:55 197 – Elijah Jones dec. Andrew McDonald 6-0 165 – Edmond Ruth dec. Chase Gallik 9-5 Attendance –1,181 Official – Jesse Rawls Jr.

The majority of NCAA wrestling programs will be starting their wrestle-offs in the coming week and while there aren't many top names locked in battle for starting positions, lesser known names are looking to break out in 2019. This is the start of that journey. I remember being thrashed my freshman year. Outmatched in every possible way. By the time I wrestled again in an official wrestle-off it was in just that type of breakout situation. I'll save you the dramatic blow-by-blow, but I recall feeling that the opportunity was one I might not be granted again. I understood that beating out the starter -- to become the starter -- was an opportunity at the first dual meet, first tournament, and first crack at ranked competition. That led to anxiety, but in the way that drove me to, frankly, outperform when it mattered most. There is of course the added issue of competing against teammates, which lends to tension and social awkwardness. If you're a wrestler reading this, I promise you that it won't last that long. Your teammates all want the best wrestler and if that's you, great. If it's not, then work harder, wait for your opportunity, and support that starting guy. Hurt feelings don't win championships. The wrestle-offs are a special time of year. I wish the best to all those high school and college athletes competing! To your questions … Luke Pletcher gets his hand raised after winning his wrestle-off match against Quinn Kinner (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Q: How do you think Luke Pletcher will do moving up from 133 pounds to 141 pounds? He's pretty short. Do you see that being an issue against longer, taller wrestlers? -- Mike C. Foley: Remember, Pletcher wrestled at 141 pounds as a true freshman (when Nathan Tomasello was at 133 pounds) and did well, reaching the round of 16 at the NCAAs. Length can give plenty of wrestlers cause for concern if they aren't prepared to combat those advantages. Pletcher has plenty of coaching to help direct his techniques and preparation when facing off against any extra-lengthy opponents. That's mostly the key: game planning and drilling the positions where you understand you'll be vulnerable. Similarly, I think Pletcher will probably find some advantages in having a more direct line of attack on the legs of a taller opponent. The issues he'll face is how he finishes. If he lifts the leg, steps outside and keeps distance from his opponent there is a good chance he can avoid any funk attacks. The ranginess of tall opponents is usually best seen when they defend singles by sitting on the head and wrapping through the crotch. Stay out of those danger zones and Pletcher will be just fine. Q: Of the No. 1 ranked wrestlers, how would you rank them from most likely champ to least likely champ? -- Mike C. Foley: 125: Spencer Lee (Iowa) 174: Mark Hall (Penn State) 184: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) 165: Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) 285: Anthony Cassar (Penn State) 157: Hayden Hidlay (NC State) 133: Seth Gross (Wisconsin) 197: Kollin Moore (Ohio State) 149: Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) 141: Dom Demas (Oklahoma) Q: Will be there be any medalists from this year's Senior World Championships competing at the U23 World Championships? If so, who? -- Mike C. Nugzari Tsurtsumia of Georgia celebrates after winning a world title at 55 kilograms (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Foley: Yes! Georgia's Nugzari Tsurtsumia, a 2019 world champion in Greco-Roman at 55 kilograms, is scheduled to wrestle, which is awesome. He's very fun to watch compete. His teammate Zviadi Pataridze didn't compete at Worlds but has won every age level tournament, every year. Total monster. Slavik Galstyan who finished bronze at 63 kilograms will be in Budapest as will Ali Nejati who took bronze at 60 kilograms. Paliha Paliha of China earned bronze at 72 kilograms in Nur-Sultan and will be wrestling 76 kilograms for the Chinese women in Budapest. There might be a few more, because after looking at 750 names I feel confident one or two slipped past my eyes! By the way, Haruna Okuno of Japan is a 2017 world champion and though she didn't compete at the 2019 World Championships might be on the move. Rumor has it she'll be making the cut to 50 kilograms for the Japanese national team tournament in late December in the hopes of winning there and qualifying the spot at the Asian Qualifier and thus earning an Olympic spot. In her way are Olympic champion Eri Tosaka, two-time world champion Yui Susaki, and 2019 world team member Yuki Irie. Here is the freestyle team for the United States heading into Budapest: 57: Richard Townsell 61: Charles Tucker 65: Jaydin Eierman 70: Alec Pantaleo 74: Brady Berge 79: Muhamed McBryde 86: Maxwell Dean 92: Bo Nickal 97: Chase Singletary 125: Greg Kerkvliet Q: What kind of salaries do top guys/gals get for RTC membership? -- @DenholtzScience Foley: The variety in payment is sure to be dramatic. From Snyder to a long shot All-American chasing down a dream, the payment schedules for the athletes will be notably different. On the lower end a resident athlete might be gifted $1K per month. More likely the lower-level RTC's and RTC athletes pin the income to coaching the local club, and then supplement with summer camps and some modest monies from the school to be a manager of operations. The above is the most common, with there being a range of salaries dependent on the benefactors and what other hard costs are covered. Many schools have apartments and homes they've purchased or leased, which allows the RTC athletes a free or discounted place to live. Then there are meal plan options and a number of other workarounds. Between the money and the cost elimination most seem to be doing well enough to get by. The second tier are the athletes being paid in the $2K-4K per month range who have fewer responsibilities, but still enjoy a lot of those same cost savings. Bigger names will also pull bigger money in the summer and if they are on the ladder they can receive payments from USA Wrestling. It's not life-changing, but it can be a career stabilizer. Also, the longer you're on the team, the more you wrestle, and the more you win -- the more you make. That dosh is well earned. Finally, there is Jordan Burroughs, David Taylor, Kyle Dake, and Kyle Snyder sitting atop the heap. What they get paid I don't know. Their RTCs could be any number of arrangements and the soft and hard cost coverage could range from use of a vehicle to a house, to jewelry. Anything is possible for the top-level guys, so much so that I can't even determine a salary range. Certainly, more than $3K per month, but the top range is so affected by those other inputs that it could be anywhere, even as much as $10K in some circumstances. Suffice to say, they're doing just fine. Q: Is the RTC model sustainable? Or are we on a path of geographic unofficial/official OTC's, here we have a few major sites with maybe some affiliated satellites? Interested to hear your opinion and recommendation. -- @pbr54321 Foley: You hit the RTC nail on the head with a Cowboy hammer! The first issue is that RTC programs aim to capture the same 30 athletes on the freestyle national team. Expand that a bit to 50 and you're still playing with a small pool of athletes and a lot of interested money prodding them to come to their schools. The current model won't be the model in five years. As you noted the rich are getting richer and the smaller schools just can't convert their investments in RTC infrastructure into more wins. Even if their international guys do well in tournaments there is just not enough trickle-down support in terms of raw dollars to justify those expenses at every school. What they are really doing is adding technically proficient athletes and coaches to their training environment. They don't want to let that go, but inevitably when a recession hits and generosity isn't as prevalent the belt tightening will hit the smaller RTCs first. My recommendation is to let it all play out at the RTC level. There isn't much need for USA Wrestling or the NCAA to intercede just yet. We have yet to see the full potential and there is always someone in the community with a good adaptation. And hey, if the NCAA folds under the financial pressure of athlete image rights, those RTCs might prove to be powerful assets in the creation of a European-style club and league system! Q: Do you think any freshman has a chance to win an NCAA title this season? Who is the most likely to win? -- Mike C. Foley: Sammy Sasso of Ohio State has the best chance at 149 pounds. However, I mostly subscribe to the idea of waiting to see how they compete in their first few starts in order to judge their ability to win an NCAA title in their first season as the starter. Maybe Tanner Sloan from South Dakota State at 197 pounds, David Carr of Iowa State at 157 pounds or Anthony Cassioppi of Iowa at heavyweight.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Fans, many of which were lined up outside the doors an hour before they opened, were treated to an evening of Buckeye vs. Buckeye wrestling action. Ohio State hosted the 2019 wrestle-off finals for the first grappling event inside the Covelli Center. Results: 125 lbs | Malik Heinselman def. Hunter Lucas | D, 7-2 133 lbs | Jordan Decatur def. Dylan Koontz | MD, 13-4 141 lbs | Luke Pletcher def. Quinn Kinner | D, 7-3 149 lbs | Sammy Sasso def. Trey Grenier | MD, 20-7 157 lbs | Elijah Cleary def. Jaden Mattox | TB1, 4-2 165 lbs | Carson Kharchla def. Ethan Smith | D, 3-2 174 lbs | Rocky Jordan def. Kaleb Romero | TB1, 2-1 184 lbs | Zach Steiner def. Gavin Hoffman | D, 5-4 197 lbs | Kollin Moore def. Tyler Stein | TF, 19-4