InterMat Staff

Blair Academy wrestling coach Brian Antonelli coaching at the Walsh Ironman (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Like in modern era college football where Alabama is the bluest of the blue bloods and seemingly has an ironclad grip on the top position of the rankings, there is a similar dynamic in high school wrestling with Blair Academy (N.J.). The Buccaneers start the season on top of the Fab 50 rankings for an eighth straight year, while they seek a seventh national title in that stretch of time. The last year they were not ranked preseason No. 1 was in 2010-11 when Apple Valley (Minn.) was ranked No. 1 in the preseason and also held that through the duration of the season; Blair was the preseason No. 2 and would finish the season in that position. Like many in the college football punditry are citing this Alabama team as the best of their decade long run on top of the game, one could make the same argument for this year's Blair Academy wrestling team. The Buccaneers will start the season with an absurd 11 nationally ranked wrestlers, including six ranked within the top four of the country. That group of six wrestlers is equivalent to the total number of wrestlers that No. 3 Bergen Catholic (N.J.) has ranked in total; while the nine wrestlers that Blair Academy has ranked inside the top ten is one more than the eight that No. 2 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) has ranked in total. Anchoring this year's Buccaneers squad is A.J. Ferrari, the top overall junior, who is ranked No. 1 nationally at 195 pounds; ranked second nationally is Michael Colaiocco (126), Trevor Mastrogiovanni (120) and Julian Ramirez (170) are ranked third, while Anthony Ferrari (113) and Dominic Mata (160) are ranked fourth. The top three teams will all be attending the Beast of the East on the campus of the University of Delaware right before Christmas. Blair Academy is also scheduled to be in a common tournament with Wyoming Seminary two weeks before, the Walsh Ironman, and will travel to face the Blue Knights in a Jan. 18 dual meet. Bergen Catholic is not scheduled to dual against Wyoming Seminary, but will take on Blair Academy in a January 26th dual meet at Lehigh University. From an individual perspective, Wyoming Seminary is led by two-time National Prep champion Beau Bartlett, who is ranked No. 3 at 132 pounds; while the Blue Knights also have three others ranked inside the top ten. Half of Bergen Catholic's six ranked wrestlers reside inside the top three at their weight class: No. 3 Alex Almeyda (106), No. 1 Robert Howard (126), and No. 2 Jacob Cardenas (195). Rounding out the top ten are five teams that were ranked within the top nine nationally to end last season, with the other two pretty close by. Starting the season No. 4 will be Cincinnati LaSalle (Ohio), which ended last season ranked No. 16 in the country. The Lancers feature five ranked individuals -- fourth most of any team this season -- led on an individual perspective by Super 32 champion Lucas Byrd, who is No. 4 at 120 pounds. Perennial Ohio power St. Edward, winner of the last eight big-school state individual state tournaments, is ranked No. 5 to start the season. The Eagles have an excellent core of middle-weights led by three ranked in the top ten nationally, including Junior freestyle champion Bryce Andonian; he is ranked No. 2 at 145 pounds to start the season. With four ranked individuals, No. 6 Montini Catholic (Ill.) has the fifth most individuals ranked out of any team nationally; Junior freestyle runner-up Peter Christensen is the highest ranked of that group, No. 4 at 195 pounds. No. 7 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) and No. 8 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.) each feature three nationally ranked individuals. California powers Buchanan and Gilroy each feature a pair of ranked individuals, and will round out the top ten (Gilroy ended last season ranked No. 12 in the country). Each of the Golden State teams has an individual ranked within the top three to start the season -- Matthew Olguin is No. 2 at 160 for Buchanan, while Ryan Reyes is No. 3 at 195 for Gilroy. Blair Academy is one of seven teams ranked from New Jersey, while the other six will compete against one another throughout the New Jersey state tournament series. Bergen Catholic is joined by No. 22 St. Joseph Montvale and No. 41 Delbarton as non-public schools; while No. 19 Paulsboro, No. 35 South Plainfield, and No. 40 Howell will battle in the various public school divisions for dual team crowns. Ohio and California each feature six teams in this initial national ranking. Cincinnati LaSalle and St. Edward will be battling it out for the Division I (big-school) state title this year with three other nationally ranked teams in the periphery -- No. 16 Elyria, No. 25 Wadsworth, and No. 39 Brecksville. No. 26 St. Paris Graham has had an iron clad grip on the Division II (medium-school) crown, winning eighteen in a row; however, in the first year of the Travis McIntosh era (Jeff Jordan stepped down as head coach), they lack a nationally ranked individual to start the season. In the single-class California state series, Buchanan and Gilroy will be joined by four other ranked teams. No. 17 Clovis and No. 43 Clovis North exit the Central section along with Buchanan, Gilroy exits the Central Coast section, No. 23 St. John Bosco exists the Southern section, while No. 45 Poway exist the San Diego section. Two other states feature four nationally ranked teams, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Wyoming Seminary joins Blair Academy and a pair of ranked teams from Maryland (No. 28 Mount St. Joseph's and No. 34 McDonogh) in competing at the National Prep tournament, while No. 15 Bethlehem Catholic and No. 24 Erie Cathedral Prep are both Class AAA (big-school) and No. 37 Reynolds in Class AA (small-school). The other three ranked teams in Illinois are Class 3A (big-school), as is Montini; No. 30 Marmion Academy, No. 33 Chicago Mt. Carmel, and No. 49 Oak Park River Forest. Two other states feature three ranked teams, Michigan and Minnesota. In Michigan, all three teams are Division 1 (big-school), Detroit Catholic Central along with No. 18 Brighton and No. 29 Davison. In Minnesota, No. 21 Simley and No. 31 Kasson-Mantorville are Class 2A (medium-school) and No. 42 Apple Valley is Class 3A (big-school). States with a pair of ranked teams are as follows, along with Maryland: Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Texas. In all eighteen states have teams in the national rankings.

With the major preseason tournaments all but done, and official scholastic season practices either having started already or about to start, it is now time for the presentation of the preseason national high school weight class rankings. The top-20 wrestlers in each weight class are recognized, with the most elite wrestler named as the No. 1 wrestler in the country. Below are profiles on each of the 14 preseason top-ranked wrestlers. 106 pounds: Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) The sophomore won the single-class California state title in this weight class as a freshman, with his lone blemish coming in a Walsh Ironman semifinal loss to end of season number one Jacob Decatur. During the spring/summer period, Figueroa won the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle at 48 kilos and would go on to earn world silver at that weight class. Then at the end of last month, he won the Super 32 Challenge up at 113 pounds, one year after earning runner-up honors in that tournament at 106. 113 pounds: Jacob Decatur (CVCA, Ohio) In eighty matches over the last two seasons, Decatur has amassed a record of 78-2 on the way to winning two state titles. The two losses came in December of 2016 by 3-2 scores (one of which was in the ultimate tiebreaker) to 2017 Cadet World freestyle team member Julian Tagg. Decatur has razor tight defense that precludes almost all opponents from scoring offensive points, and during the 2017-18 season won multiple tournaments at 106 and 113, including the Walsh Ironman at 106. 120 pounds: Eric Barnett (Hortonville, Wis.) The senior University of Wisconsin verbal commit is 91-0 on the way to state titles the last two high school seasons, with his most recent of three high school career losses coming in a 1-0 state semifinal defeat during his freshman season. Barnett bookended the 2017-18 scholastic season with runner-up finishes at the Super 32 Challenge and Junior Folkstyle Nationals tournaments. This summer saw Barnett win a Junior National freestyle title at 120 pounds. 126 pounds: Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) The two-time state finalist has amassed a record of 68-4 in two seasons of high school competition, with the only loss of his sophomore state title season coming by a 4-3 score in the quarterfinal round of the Beast of the East. Each of the last two springs, Howard has qualified for the Cadet world team in freestyle by beating a returning world team member during the course of that tournament (Aaron Cashman in 2017 at 54 kilos, Julian Tagg in 2018 when competing at 55 kilos). 132 pounds: Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio) The Ohio State verbal commit is a two-time state champion headed into his senior year of high school. Decatur comes off a summer in which he won a third Fargo freestyle title, this time at the Junior level; the only year he did not win a Fargo freestyle title was in 2017 when he qualified for the Cadet world team. During the spring, he was runner-up at the UWW Junior Nationals in freestyle at 61 kilos. 138 pounds: Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.) Three times has the Stanford commit finished in the top three of the single-class California state tournament, this past year a state champion at 138 pounds after finishing third as a sophomore and runner-up as a freshman. Additional major event success includes being a two-time Super 32 Challenge finalist at 138 pounds, earning the title last month; plus a pair of top three finishes in Fargo freestyle, including third at the Junior level this summer. 145 pounds: Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) Now a three-time Super 32 Challenge placer, including beating Abas to win the title last year at 138 pounds, Anderson won his first state title this past season after placing third as a sophomore. He is also a two-time placer at the Walsh Ironman, including a runner-up finish his sophomore year, and added a runner-up finish at the Beast of the East in that sophomore season. The Iowa State commit also was undefeated this summer at the Disney Duals. 152 pounds: Andrew Alirez (Greeley Central, Colo.) This spring Alirez performed excellently at the UWW Junior Nationals and Junior World Team Trials in freestyle at 65 kilos. He placed third at the Junior Nationals, beat NCAA All-American Nick Lee to win the WTT challenge tournament, and then lost the best-of-three trials final in three matches. In three years of scholastic competition, Alirez has three state titles along with a career record of 120-1, the lone loss coming 1-0 to Abas in the semifinals of the Doc Buchanan Invitational his sophomore year. The Northern Colorado commit is also a two-time Super 32 Challenge placer, including a runner-up finish in 2016. 160 pounds: Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.) Just ready to enter the scholastic season of his sophomore year, Facundo already has a career worth of accomplishments. Before even enrolling in high school, he already was a Cadet National folkstyle and freestyle champion. During the 2017-18 school year, Facundo was a semifinalist at the Super 32 Challenge (placing fourth), a state champion (having to beat a two-time state champion to win his title), a Junior National folkstyle champion (while still Cadet eligible), and a UWW Cadet Nationals champion in freestyle at 70 kilos. This summer he was a Cadet World bronze medalist, and last month he was champion at the Super 32 Challenge. 170 pounds: Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio) Since the end of the 2016-17 scholastic season, Kharchla has been on an extraordinary run. He was a UWW Cadet freestyle All-American, fourth in Junior freestyle, and third at the Super 32. During the past season, Kharchla won a state title going 38-2, including a dominant 7-2 state semifinal victory over a returning state champion. This summer the Ohio State commit ran the gauntlet in Fargo, earning shutout technical fall victories in five of six matches during his Junior National freestyle title run. 182 pounds: Parker Keckeisen (Nicolet, Wis.) The Northern Iowa commit finished his junior season an undefeated state champion at 170 pounds with a 31-0 record. Before that season, he was champion at the Preseason Nationals; while during this summer he placed third in Junior freestyle, the lone loss coming to Kharchla while beating four extremely high-end opponents. Keckeisen was runner-up at state as a sophomore, fifth as a freshman, and has a career mark of 110-11. 195 pounds: A.J. Ferrari (Blair Academy, N.J.) The nation's top overall junior had but one loss in two state title winning seasons, while competing at Allen High School just outside of Dallas. During his sophomore season, Ferrari was champion at the Walsh Ironman and Reno Tournament of Champions, while his lone career loss came in the Reno TOC final as a freshman. Last summer, he was a Cadet National freestyle champion and this spring he was a Junior National folkstyle champion; while the pinnacle of the resume is a Cadet World bronze medal in freestyle at 92 kilos this summer. 220 pounds: Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) Despite missing his freshman year of high school due to an injury sustained during preseason training, the third overall ranked junior nationally has a very robust resume. It includes a pair of double Cadet National titles in Fargo, two Super 32 Challenge titles, a 48-0 sophomore season that included titles at the Walsh Ironman and Powerade, as well as a third-place finish at the UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle at 92 kilos. 285 pounds: Greg Kerkvliet (Simley, Minn.) In his last two high school seasons, the nation's top overall senior has amassed around 95 wins to just two defeats, those coming against Jacob Warner in 2016-17 and up a weight against Gable Steveson this past season. The Ohio State commit is a three-time state champion with just four losses in those seasons compared to over 140 wins. His freestyle exploits are even more impressive, as Kerkvliet has been in the Cadet World finals each of the last two years, winning gold at 100 kilos in 2017 and finishing runner-up this summer at 110 kilos. In addition, he dominated Junior World silver medalist at 97 kilos Zach Elam in three meetings this spring (three technical falls in a combined 4:22) but did not compete at the world tournament in Slovakia due to injury.

STEVENS POINT, Wis. -- The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point athletic department announced today (Nov. 6) the addition of a women's wrestling program to its sport offerings. Women's wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country and UWSP will be the first public institution in the Midwest to offer the sport. "I think this is a tremendous opportunity for our campus to be the first public institution in the Midwest to add women's wrestling," stated UWSP Athletic Director Brad Duckworth. "Our University goals include increasing enrollment and improving retention of our students and this is another way our athletic department can help. I am confident that Coach Johnson will do a great job leading the program." UWSP men's wrestling coach Johnny Johnson will also coach the women's program, which is scheduled to begin competition in 2019-2020. The UWSP women's program intends to join and compete in the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA), the governing body of women's college wrestling. "I am very excited about the addition of women's wrestling at UW-Stevens Point," said Johnson. "I think this is a positive move for UWSP, our athletic department, and the women wrestlers in the Midwest looking for collegiate wrestling opportunities." Women's wrestling has grown from around 800 participants in high school in 1994 to more than 16,000 this year. In the U.S., 13 states sponsor a high school state championship in women's wrestling. "We are grateful to the UWSP administration to have them be pioneers in women's wrestling," said Michael Moyer at the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). "Wisconsin is clearly an area with history and tradition in the sport of wrestling. The NWCA has helped establish 215 wrestling programs since 2000 to provide a cost-effective way to bolster enrollment with quality students." Since 2004, women's wrestling has been a recognized Olympic sport. The NWCA is currently in the process of pursuing emerging sports status for women's wrestling in the NCAA. Upon acceptance, the Pointers would be the 50th member of the WCWA. UWSP's program will be open to current and prospective students.

Jaydin Eierman and Sa'Derian Perry met last season and could meet again on Sunday (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Note: All times listed are Eastern (ET). The 2018 NCAA Championships were eight months ago. College coaches and wrestlers were itching to knock off the rust when November's opening week rolled around. Though it's hard to believe, that week has already come and gone, and we're heading into the second week of the season. Though the second week will see 20 of InterMat's top-25 teams in action, there won't be any top- 25 dual meets this weekend. But that's not to say that we won't be treated to some great matchups, as several top tier teams will be wrestling at the same open tournaments. I like to call the first month of the season "open season" because it's rare to see coaches waste a calendar date on a dual meet where the win potential is one as opposed to an open tournament that gives wrestlers an opportunity to rack up multiple wins and build their resumes before conference dual season rolls around. Friday Frenzy at the Field House (4 p.m.) Kent State hosts the Frenzy at the Field House on Friday starting at 4 p.m. The Golden Flashes will open with CSU Bakersfield, then face Wisconsin and conclude with Iowa at 7 p.m. Returning NCAA champion Spencer Lee (125) will be in action for the Hawkeyes. Look for a potential matchup at 197 pounds between returning All-American and fan-favorite Kyle Conel (Kent State) and Jacob Warner (Iowa). Saturday No. 11 Nebraska vs. Utah Valley (10 a.m.) and Virginia (2 p.m.) The 11th-ranked Huskers head to the Northeast Duals. They meet Utah Valley on Saturday morning, and we'll be treated to a pair of middleweight ranked matchups. First up at 165 pounds where Nebraska's ninth-ranked Isaiah White will take on No. 16 Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley). Right after that, at 174 pounds, it'll be No. 12 Mikey Labriola taking on Utah Valley's 14th-ranked Kimball Bastian. The Huskers will also take on Virginia later in the day on Saturday. Of the 10 matchups, the most intriguing match of the dual meet comes at 125 pounds where two-time All-American and NCAA finalist Zeke Moisey (Nebraska) could meet No. 7 Louie Hayes (Virginia). That is a hard "could" because last weekend Virginia's Louie Hayes missed weight at 125 pounds, forcing the Cavilers to forfeit the weight in their first dual of the season against Indiana. Virginia ended up winning the dual, but if Hayes can't make the weight, the Cavaliers may have to throw in true freshman Ben Kamali. Kamali finished last weekend with a 4-2 record and left the Hokie Open with a sixth-place finish.. Sunday Journeymen Collegiate Classic (9 a.m.) This weekend's premier tournament is Sunday's Journeymen Collegiate Classic in Troy, N.Y. The field includes 14 NCAA Division I teams, highlighted by No. 8 North Carolina State and No. 10 Lehigh. Individually, there will be 30 top-20 wrestlers competing in their respective weight classes, with at least two ranked wrestlers scrapping at each weight. Even more impressive, 133 pounds and 157 pounds both have four wrestlers who currently sit in InterMat's top 20. Though there's talent at each weight class, the Journeymen Collegiate Classic bracket to pay attention to has to be 133 pounds. This weight class features three returning All-Americans who bring a top-10 ranking into the weekend. They are No. 4 Tariq Wilson (NC State), No. 7 Scott Parker (Lehigh), and No. 8 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming). Wilson nearly stunned eventual champion Seth Gross of South Dakota State in the NCAA semifinals, but lost in overtime and finished the NCAA tournament in third place. Parker defeated Bridges 5-2 in the seventh-place bout. Another wrestler to keep an eye on in the weight class is Matt Schmitt (WVU). Returning NCAA finalist Hayden Hidlay (NC State, 157) and previous All-Americans No. 7 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh, 174), No. 6 Justin Oliver (NC State, 149), and No. 14 Connor Schram (Lehigh, 125) will also compete at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic this weekend. Aside from open tournaments, there will be a few duals that I'll be looking forward to. No. 10 Missouri at Old Dominion (1 p.m.) Missouri heads to the East Coast on Sunday looking for their 21st consecutive dual meet win when they take on the Monarchs of Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia. The feature matchup of the dual is between returning All-Americans Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) and Sa'Derian Perry (Old Dominion) at 141 pounds. This will be the second time these two have met. In their previous meeting, the two-time All-American Eierman stuck Perry in the second period. No. 8 Arizona State at South Dakota State (2 p.m.) Reigning NCAA champions in Seth Gross (South Dakota State) and Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) will be wrestling in the same dual meet on Sunday (1 p.m.) in Sioux Falls (.S.D.) when the eighth-ranked Sun Devils take on South Dakota State. SDSU first-year head coach Damion Hahn will look to get his first win and beat a ranked team in the process. No. 6 Michigan at Central Michigan (2 p.m.) As a Michigan native, I selfishly want to see the sixth-ranked Wolverines head to Central Michigan to take on the Chippewas because there's a bunch of questions surrounding both teams. For Central Michigan, who is going to step up into that leadership role in their first home dual without sixth-ranked Justin Oliver who transferred to North Carolina State and Mason Smith? And for the Wolverines, there are two weights that I'll be paying attention to. The first will be at 157 pounds. The reason being, last weekend at the Michigan State Open, Michigan's true freshman Will Lewan beat teammate and two-time All American Alec Pantaleo in the finals to claim his first college open title. Does that Michigan State Open finals win raise questions for the Michigan coaching staff about who should start at this weight class? Though it's a promising win, I doubt think they've thought about pulling Lewan's redshirt when they have a guy like Pantaleo in the lineup. Another weight class I'll be watching in this dual meet is 285 pounds. Michigan has true freshman Mason Paris who is coming off a win at the Michigan State Open. Unlike 149 pounds, Michigan does not have much of an option at 285 pounds aside from Paris. I don't really think it's the question is 'Will Michigan pull Paris' redshirt this season? But more likely, 'When will Michigan pull Paris' redshirt?' The sample size for college success is only one tournament, so I doubt they do it this early, but don't be surprised if they do it.

Pennsylvania state wrestling champ. Four-time EIWA conference championships medalist for Lehigh. Groundbreaking eye surgeon. National Wrestling Hall of Fame honoree. All of these accomplishments describe Kenneth Joseph Faust, MD, who achieved much in his 85 years before passing away Oct. 31 in Florida. Ken Faust lifting weights at LehighBorn in Shamokin, Pa. in 1933, Faust wrestled at Shamokin High School, where he was a two-time Pennsylvania state wrestling champ, and a Middle Atlantic States AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) champion. After graduating from Shamokin in 1951, Faust enrolled at Lehigh University, where he was captain of the Lehigh varsity wrestling team. He was a four-time placer at the EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) conference championships at 130 and 137 pounds. Upon graduating from Lehigh with honors in 1955, Faust earned his doctorate degree at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1959, then served in the U.S. Navy. It was at this time Faust decided to focus on the eye, becoming a renowned ophthalmologist who did pioneering work in the treatment of cataracts. Faust was inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 1997, and welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as Outstanding American in 1999. A memorial service for Faust will be held at noon Thursday, Nov. 15 at St. James Episcopal Church in Leesburg, Fla. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions made in Dr. Faust's memory to either St. James Episcopal Church or the Alzheimer's Association. Online condolences may be left at www.beyersfuneralhome.com.

Brent Metcalf (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) WATERLOO, Iowa -- Three individual NCAA champions, two state championship high school coaches, and a record setting high school wrestling team will be inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa on Friday, June 7, 2019. Located inside the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, the Glen Brand Hall of Fame was established in 2002 to honor those individuals who have made an impact on the sport on a national level, or who have done extraordinary work in the State of Iowa. The hall recognizes native-born Iowans, and those who achieved their fame while wrestling or coaching for an Iowa school. The Class of 2019 is Bob Kenny, Dave Martin, Steve Mocco, Brent Metcalf, Gene Doyle and the 2008 Waverly Shell-Rock wrestling team. Blake Williams will be presented with the Bob Siddens Iowa High School Coaching Excellence Award and Marti and Jerry Roling will receive the Russ Smith Community Impact Award. A banquet honoring all inductees and award winners will be held at Prairie Links Golf & Event Center in Waverly on Friday, June 7. For more information contact the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum at (319) 233-0745 or dgmstaff@nwhof.org. Bob Kenny led Emmetsburg/Armstrong/Ringsted to eight state team wrestling championships -- six traditional (2000-03, 2005-06) and two dual (2002-03) -- during nine seasons as head coach from 1998-2007. Kenny coached at Holbrook (Arizona), Maquoketa Valley, Osage and Estherville before coaching at Emmetsburg. Kenny's teams combined for a 289-123-1 dual meet record with 88 state qualifiers and 56 state place winners, including 12 state championships and 24 finalists. He wrestled in high school for Osage and in college for Buena Vista. Dave Martin was an NCAA champion, two-time NCAA championship finalist, and three-time runner-up at the Big 12 championships for Iowa State. Martin placed second at the NCAA championships in 1969 and first in 1970, both at 158 pounds. The Cyclones placed first as a team each of Martin's final two seasons at Iowa State. Led by his father, Leon "Champ" Martin, 2009 inductee into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa, Dave won individual state wrestling championships in 1965 and 1966 at Algona High School in Algona, Iowa. Brent Metcalf was a two-time NCAA champion, three-time NCAA championship finalist, and a two-time Big 10 champion for the University of Iowa at 149 pounds with a career college record of 108-3. He placed first at the NCAA championships as a sophomore in 2008, second in 2009, and first in 2010. Metcalf was a member of U.S. freestyle World championship teams in 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015 and was a two-time freestyle national champion. He was a four-time undefeated state wrestling champion (228-0) for Davison High School in Michigan, from 2002-05, and is currently an assistant wrestling coach at Iowa State. Steve Mocco was an NCAA champion and two-time NCAA championship finalist for the University of Iowa at heavyweight. Mocco was a runner-up at the NCAA tournament as a true freshman in 2002 and was an NCAA champion the following year in 2003. After redshirting in 2004, he transferred to Oklahoma State where he picked up another NCAA title in 2005 and another appearance in the finals in 2006. In all, Mocco reached the finals of the NCAA championships four times, winning twice. He was also a Big Ten champion and a two-time Big 12 champion. The former Hawkeye star was a member of the 2008 Olympic team at 120 kg. In high school, Mocco won four national prep titles -- two for St. Benedicts Prep and two for Blair Academy. Gene Doyle, who died in 2018, led Cedar Falls High School in Cedar Falls, Iowa, to three traditional state team wrestling championships (1993, 97-98) and one state dual team title (1993) during 15 seasons as head coach from 1985-2000. His overall high school record was 251-52, including 10 individual state championships, 43 state place winners, and six top five finishes. Although he never wrestled competitively, Keith Young and Bill Dotson, both members of the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa, mentored Doyle prior to his tenure as Cedar Falls head wrestling coach. The 2008 Waverly-Shell Rock High School wrestling team will be the sixth team inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa and the first high school team inducted. The Go-Hawks won the 3A Iowa High School State championship with a record-setting performance. Waverly-Shell Rock set the all-time point record at the Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament with 225 points. Thirteen of the 14 members of the team qualified for state, including four state champions. It was the second of five traditional state team championships during Rick Caldwell's tenure as head wrestling coach. The starting line-up for their 2008 state championship team was Jordan Rinken (fourth at 103), Cody Caldwell (fourth at 112), Jake Ballweg (first at 119), Matthew Kittleson (third at 125), A.C. Campbell (fourth at 130), Mark Ballweg (first at 135), Cory Nolte (SQ at 140), Justin Denner (145), Kyle Cox (third at 152), Reed Kahler (fourth at 160), Lee Averhoff (third at 171), Dylan Wrage (first at 189), Cody Krumweide (sixth at 215), Eric Thompson (first at HWT). Assistant coaches were Mike Schwab, Eric Whitcome, Williams Soesbe, Josh Meier, and Alain Djoumessi. Blake Williams will receive the Bob Siddens High School Coaching Excellence Award. Williams was an assistant coach at Center Point-Urbana before earning his first head coaching position at Solon High School. Following four years at Solon, which included taking the Spartans to their first state dual appearance, Williams began his coaching career at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School in 2003. During his 12 seasons at Prairie, he led his teams to nine state dual berths, including a runner-up finish and four top four finishes. He moved back to Solon in 2015 where he led the Spartans to their first state championship in school history in 2017, as well as a runner-up state dual finish that same year, and a sixth place dual finish in 2018. The 2018-19 season will be his 20th as a head coach. Marti and Jerry Roling will receive the Russ Smith Community Impact Award, which is presented to an individual or individuals who demonstrate exceptional local impact on wrestling in Iowa. Beginning in 1992, the Rolings were instrumental in building support for the Wartburg wrestling program, which led to 14 NCAA team championships and 26 consecutive Iowa conference championships. The Rolings were instrumental in bringing the Dan Gable Celebrity Golf Tournament to Waverly, Iowa, and growing the event to its most successful tenure. They also created the celebrity/sponsor social prior to the Dan Gable Celebrity Golf Tournament. Both remain involved with the Wartburg and the University of Northern Iowa athletic programs, and are monetary supporters of the Waverly-Shell Rock wrestling program. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum is a non-profit organization based out of Waterloo, Iowa. The mission of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is to preserve history, recognize excellence, and inspire future generations.

Jim Miller and Dan Gable will coach a youth dual meet on Thursday Waterloo, Iowa -- one of the nation's top amateur wrestling hotbeds -- will be the site of a special youth wrestling dual meet featuring two legendary wrestling coaches with deep roots in Waterloo wrestling: Dan Gable, and Jim Miller. The Team Gable vs. Team Miller dual meet will take place this Thursday, Nov. 8 at Waterloo East High School. The dual starts at 6 p.m., immediately following a free youth clinic at 5 p.m. Admission to the youth clinic and the dual are free. No advance registration is required. Dan Gable, a Waterloo West graduate, coached the University of Iowa to 15 NCAA Division I team titles ... while Jim Miller, a Waterloo East grad, guided Wartburg College wrestling to ten NCAA Division III team championships. Each of these legendary coaches will guide an already selected team of young wrestlers (grades K-8) in what Kyle Klingman of Waterloo-based National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum describes as "a battle for local wrestling supremacy." Adding to the local flavor: Hall of Fame referee -- and Waterloo native -- Mike Allen will be the mat official for this unique event. The dual features 20 folkstyle matches in a 1-1-1 format. Wrestlers are pre-selected and assigned to a team. A live stream of the dual will be available for free on thepredicament.com.

Adeline Gray and David Taylor won world titles (Photos/Larry Slater) COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The United States Olympic Committee today announced finalists for the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of October, which recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes from last month. Fans are invited to vote for their favorite athletes and teams at TeamUSA.org/Awards through midnight Tuesday, Nov. 6. World champion wrestlers Adeline Gray and David Taylor are among the finalists for the Award program. Gray is nominated for the Female Athlete of the Month and Taylor is nominated for the Male Athlete of the Month. Fans can vote online through Tuesday, November 6 at: Awards.TeamUSA.org. Please remember that you can vote multiple times. Wrestling fans are encouraged to vote often and share this opportunity with their family, friends and acquaintances. Gray won the gold medal at 76 kg at the World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary on October 24. It was her fourth career World gold medal, matching the record for the most by an American wrestler, tied with John Smith, Tricia Saunders and Jordan Burroughs. Gray was victorious in one of the most challenging weight classes in the tournament, winning four matches against top stars on the way to victory at an Olympic weight class. Gray opened with a 10-0 technical fall over 2015 World bronze medalist Epp Mae of Estonia, avenging a loss from earlier in the year. In the second period, she pinned 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Elmira Syzdykova of Kazakhstan. In the semifinals, Gray defeated 2016 Olympic champion Erica Wiebe of Canada, 3-1. In the gold-medal finals, Gray scored an impressive 13-1 technical fall over 2017 World champion Yasemin Adar of Turkey. Gray has now won six World medals in her amazing career. She was also a member of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team. Gray was one of four U.S. women wrestlers to win medals in Budapest, helping lead Team USA to a World trophy by placing third in the team standings. Taylor won a gold medal at 86 kg in men's freestyle at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary, October 21. Taylor was competing in his first Senior World Championships, and captured gold in an Olympic weight class. He opened with a tremendous 11-6 win over 2016 Olympic champion and 2017 World champion Hassan Yazdani Charati of Iran. In the second round, he stopped European Junior champion Hajy Rajabau of Belarus in a 10-0 technical fall. His quarterfinal win was an 8-0 victory over Pan American champion Yurieski Torreblanca of Cuba. In the semifinals, he defeated 2017 European champion Dauren Kurugliev of Russia, 7-5. In the gold-medal finals, he scored a dominant 12-2 technical fall over No. 1 seed Fatih Erdin of Turkey. Taylor was one of three U.S. men's freestyle champions and seven U.S. World medalists, helping lead the USA to second place in the men's freestyle team standings. A total of 10 sports - including archery, beach volleyball, figure skating, rugby sevens, surfing, taekwondo, tennis, track and field, weightlifting and wrestling - are represented among the 13 finalists across men's, women's and team categories. The finalists' collective accomplishments tell the inspiring story of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes year-round. In addition to Dow, the presenting sponsor, the Team USA Awards are supported by DICK'S Sporting Goods and USG. OTHER OCTOBER FINALISTS Male Athlete of the Month Nathan Chen (Salt Lake City, Utah), Figure Skating Won his second straight Skate America title with 280.57 points, landing three quad jumps in his nearly perfect free skate to top the field by 41.06 points - the largest margin in Skate America history. Trenton Cowles (Tarzana, California), Archery Went undefeated to earn the gold medal at the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, where he also captured the bronze medal in the mixed country team event. Bjorn Fratangelo (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Tennis Captured his first pro singles title in more than two years at the ATP Challenger event in Fairfield, California. Jerome Smith (St. Louis, Missouri), Weightlifting Placed fourth in the 69 kg. weight class at the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, marking the best finish by a U.S. men's weightlifter in the event's history. Female Athlete of the Month Courtney Conlogue (Santa Ana, California), Surfing Won her second World Surf League title in as many months at the Roxy Pro France, scoring 14.76 points to continue her strong comeback after missing the first half of the season due to a foot injury. Ilona Maher (Burlington, Vermont), Rugby Sevens Scored seven tries - including a hat trick - at the HSBC USA Women's Sevens Series stop in Glendale, Colorado, making her the second highest try scorer of the tournament and leading Team USA to the silver medal. Grace Stark (White Lake, Michigan), Track and Field Won the gold medal in the women's 100-meter hurdles at the Summer Youth Olympic Games, earning the distinction as Team USA's flagbearer for the Closing Ceremony. Anastasija Zolotic (Largo, Florida), Taekwondo Secured the silver medal in the 49 kg. division at the Summer Youth Olympic Games, while competing with a broken hand that she sustained in her quarterfinal match. Team of the Month April Ross and Alix Klineman, Beach Volleyball Won gold medals and garnered points toward 2020 Olympic qualification at the NORCECA Beach Tour Final and the FIVB World Tour four-star event with final wins over teams from Canada and Brazil. Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, Figure Skating Earned back-to-back Grand Prix gold medals at Skate America and Skate Canada International, earning their fourth straight Grand Prix Final berth and continuing their medal streak at 11 consecutive Grand Prix Series events. U.S. Women's National Team, Rugby Sevens Won the silver medal at the HSBC USA Women's Sevens Series tournament in Glendale, Colorado, including a victory over the 2016 Olympic champion, Australia, and silver medalist, New Zealand. SELECTION PROCESS Each National Governing Body may nominate one female, one male and one team per sport discipline. An internal nominating committee selects finalists to advance to the voting round. Votes received from NGB representatives and select members of the media account for 50 percent of the final tally, with the other half determined by online fan voting via Awards.TeamUSA.org.

ROANOKE, Va. -- Virginia Tech redshirt freshman Mekhi Lewis and freshman Mitch Moore won titles at their respective weight classes at the Hokie Open on Sunday held at the Berglund Center in Roanoke. Overall, 15 Hokies placed and eight reached the finals at the that tournament officially opened the 2018-19 season for Tech. Lewis, the 2018 Junior World champion at 74 kg, went 4-0, headlined by an 8-6 decision over No. 18 Bryce Martin of Indiana in the finals. Moore defeated two opponents from NC State and pinned Virginia's Gray Hart at 1:19 in the semifinals en route to winning the title in his first collegiate action. The Hokies return to action on Nov. 16 when they travel to Missouri before heading to Northwestern on Nov. 18. Complete results can be found at the top right hand corner of the story. Here are some more highlights: Ryan Blees, ranked 14th in the country at 149, racked up two major decisions and a decision in the semis before dropping a 6-1 decision to No. 8 Mitch Finesilver of Duke. Both Zack Zavatsky and Hunter Bolen, who wrestled unattached, reached the final match at 184 but chose not to compete in the finals. Bolen's run featured a win in the semifinals over No. 7 Chip Ness from North Carolina. Joey Prata, Collin Gerardi and Josh Baier were all finalists at their weights in the freshman/sophomore division.

There was no shortage of excitement surrounding the arrival of highly touted recruit Patrick Glory to the Princeton wrestling room, and it didn't take very long to see why. Glory tore through the 125-pound weight class at the Tiger Open, including a Top-20 win major decision over Purdue's Devin Schroder, to join teammates Patrick Brucki and Kevin Parker as individual winners for Princeton. Mike D'Angelo, a multiple-time NCAA qualifier for Princeton, also won his respective weight class, though he did so as a representative of the New Jersey Regional Training Center. The 2018 co-captain and EIWA finalist is taking a year off, but is set to return to the Tigers for the 2019-20 season. While Glory had a victory over the 16th-ranked Schroder, the highest-ranked win of the day came by Brucki, the 197-pound sophomore captain who made his NCAA Championships debut last year. Brucki defeated 18th-ranked Rocco Caywood of Army on his way to the final, where he faced 7th-ranked Nathan Trexler of Stanford. Brucki stayed perfect in Jadwin Gym -- he had a dominant win during the 2017 Lehigh dual -- with an 8-5 win in the final. Brucki may have been well known entering the tournament, but Parker likely turned some heads on his way through to the 184-pound title. He was as dominant as anybody inside Jadwin Gym on Sunday; he opened with a pair of technical falls, and he clinched the title with a 19-2 technical fall. Parker's growth from last season may have been most evident in his 9-2 semifinal win over Rider's Michael Fagg-Daves, as Parker had dropped a 9-8 match to him during the Rider dual last season. Glory, a two-time reigning New Jersey state champion, remained perfect in the Garden State in 2018, and he did so in impressive fashion. He won his bracket with a pair of falls -- including one in the final over Rider's Jonathan Tropea, and he added a pair of major decisions, including a 9-0 shutout of Schroder. D'Angelo had an impressive 6-2 win over Larry Early of Old Dominion to win the 157-pound title. The 11th-ranked Early had a challenging semifinal match against another one of Princeton's highly touted freshmen, Quincy Monday, though he held on for a 4-2 win in that one. Another Princeton newcomer who impressed Sunday was 174-pounder Travis Stefanik, who lost in the semifinal to 10th-ranked Dylan Lydy of Purdue. Stefanik won a pair of tight matches early, and then he gave eventual champion Lydy his closest match of the day. There was no team scoring in a loaded tournament that featured the likes of Purdue, Stanford, Army, Lehigh, Maryland, Columbia, Old Dominion, and several others. You can find all the results on TrackWrestling. There was one other Top-10 victory for Princeton this weekend, though it came in unofficial fashion. Two-time All-American Matthew Kolodzik, ranked #1 at 149 pounds to open the season, defeated #9 Mitch Finesilver of Duke in the main event of the 2018 NWCA All-Star Classic Friday night in Denver. Kolodzik became the first Princeton wrestler to ever win during the main draw of the All-Star Classic, and he did so in impressive fashion. Princeton is now off for two weeks before opening its dual season in one of the most anticipated collegiate matches of November, a Nov. 17 showdown at Iowa that could include a potential 125-pound showdown between Glory and reigning NCAA champion Spencer Lee.

The University of Minnesota wrestling team started their season by claiming seven titles at the Daktronics Open in Brookings, S.D. Sunday. "I was happy with the effort from the team today," head coach Brandon Eggum said. "Our energy was good when we wrestled. I thought that the guys had good passion and it looked like they were having fun out there." The Gophers won seven out of ten weight classes at the tournament and placed 17 in top-3 places at the open. Sean Russell, Ethan Lizak, Mitch McKee, Steven Bleise, Carson Brolsma, Dylan Anderson and Gable Steveson all took first-place in their respective weight classes. Ethan Lizak won his third Daktronics title while finishing first at 133-pounds. After moving up a weight class in the off season, Lizak scored 52 points and conceded only three while gaining three technical falls at the tournament. Lizak rounded out his 4-0 record with a fall in 1:28 in his opening match. The senior now has 92 career wins, moving him into 49th on the all-time wins record for the Gophers. Sean Russell and Gable Steveson each won a title in their first tournament donning the Maroon & Gold for Minnesota. Russell finished 3-0 with a tech fall at 125-pounds while Gable Steveson won the heavyweight bracket with three wins of his own. Steveson looked in control throughout the tournament, picking up a 12-6 major decision in his first match and a 12-6 decision in the semifinals. The 285-pound final was an all Gopher affair with Steveson ultimately gaining an 8-6 decision over redshirt junior Rylee Streifel. Bleise, Brolsma and Anderson all wrestled tough and won their championship matches by narrow margins. Bleise had his 149-pound final decided by riding time as the Chelsea, Mich. native rode tough throughout the match and gained the victory by a score of 8-7. Brolsma claimed a sudden victory takedown to defeat fellow Gopher Jake Allar in dramatic fashion at 165-pounds. Brolsma and Allar took their match into overtime after finishing 1-1 after seven minutes on the mat, where Brolsma defended an Allar takedown and scrambled for two. Anderson stepped up to 197-pounds and wrestled confidently throughout the day. Anderson posted two falls early in the tournament and reached the final on the back of an 18-3 technical fall. In the final, Anderson scored a third period takedown and defended a last ditch effort to win the 197-pound bracket. Mitch McKee went 3-0 in Brookings on his way to the 141-pound championship. McKee gained two falls and received a forfeit in the final to win his second Daktronics title in two seasons. Seven Gophers finished second in South Dakota. Skyler Petry, Hunter Marko, Tommy Thorn, Jake Allar, Devin Skatzka, Owen Webster and Rylee Streifel all took second in their respective weight classes. Minnesota additionally had ten wrestlers place at the tournament: Patrick McKee (Third), Steve Polakowski (Fourth), Jake Gliva (Sixth), Brent Jones (Third), Brayton Lee (Third), Ryan Thomas (Fifth), Kasper McIntosh (Sixth), Bailee O'Reilly (Third), Caden Steffen (Third) and Garrett Joles (Fifth). Minnesota will next travel to Colorado to take on Air Force in their first daul of the season on Friday, Nov. 9 at 8:00 p.m.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Oklahoma State wrestlers brought home nine individual titles from the Oklahoma City University Open on Sunday afternoon at the team's first event of the 2018-19 season. In addition to those titles, four Cowboys fell to teammates in the finals bouts and another finished third. Chandler Rogers pinned his way to a title at 174 pounds and didn't spend more than four minutes on the mat for any of his matches. The Cowboy pinned Wayland Baptist's Tommy Rosen-St. John in 3:56, UNT's Drake Dudley in 1:44 and University of Central Oklahoma's Miguel Barreras in 1:36. Redshirt junior Nick Piccininni nabbed the Cowboys' first title of the day in a round-robin bracket at 125 pounds. The Cowboy notched a fall in 2:30 over University of the Ozarks' Corey Muniz then defeated New Mexico Highlands' Dominic Rivera by technical fall, 19-4. Daton Fix defeated teammate Andrew Nieman in a 19-4 technical fall in the 133-pound finals. Fix advanced in the first round by forfeit and knocked off Oklahoma's Kristofer Hudson, 19-4, to reach the final. Nieman went 2-1 on the day with a 9-6 decision over University of Central Oklahoma's Rio Zamora and a 2:37 fall over unattached Mike Jones. It was an all-Cowboy bout as Kaden Gfeller upended teammate Mike Magaldo in a 6-1 decision in the finals. Gfeller went 5-0 to win the 141-pound freshman/sophomore division a year ago and repeated this season in the open, defeating Si Nhamnhouane (Ozarks) by fall in 1:42 and unattached Conner Ward, 10-1. Magaldo pinned unattached Brice O'Hara in 2:40 to advance to the finals. Boo Lewallen made his way to a second-straight OCU Open title at 149 pounds pinning unattached Michael Triplett in 4:58 and then notching a technical fall against Wayland Baptist's Joseph Rios. At 157 pounds, Jonce Blaylock picked up decisions over Ouachita Baptist's Tyler Mann and unattached Mario Rodriguez before meeting Wyatt Sheets in the finals. Blaylock defeated Sheets in a 7-5 decision after Sheets collected a fall in 1:07 over University of North Texas' Scott Akers to make the finals. Transfer Dakota Geer went 3-0 on the day to take first at 184 pounds. Geer pinned his first two oppenents before collecting a 10-2 major decision over Oklahoma's Matthew Waddell in the finals. Bear Hughes also competed at the weight, garnering a third-place finish. Senior Preston Weigel collected the Cowboy's seventh top finish of the day when he defeated Andrew Marsden 4-0 in the finals. Weigel recorded a fall over New Mexico Highlands' Chris Collins and a technical fall against Riley Williams of Wayland Baptist earlier in the day. Marsden topped teammate Austin Harris 6-3 en route to his second-place finish. Wrestling unattached in the freshman/sophomore division, Travis Wittlake and Colton Denney brought home first-place finishes. All but one of Wittlake's matches came with bonus points. He topped OCU's Chase Vincent in the finals, 13-3. Denney took on fellow Cowboy Gavin Stika in his finals bout and won a 5-2 decision. Freshman Anthony Montalvo also made the podium with a third-place fall against unattached Ivan Balavage. The Cowboys return to the mat for regular-season competition when they travel to South Dakota State on Nov. 17 and Minnesota Nov. 18.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Drexel Wrestling team opened the 2018-19 season with two dual victories at Dragon Duals hosted at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. The Dragons defeated Wheeling Jesuit, 28-9, and Keystone College, 59-0, to open the season 2-0 (0-0 EIWA). In the closest match of the Dragon Duals tri-meet, Drexel fought to a 28-9 win over Wheeling Jesuit. Freshman Ty Smith got the Dragons on the board at 133 pounds with an 11-2 major decision over Jacob Donahue. Trailing after the 141-pound match, the Dragons stepped on the gas and took control of the match. At 149 pounds, Trevor Elfvin earned a 9-4 decision over Tyler Alberts, followed by a dominant Evan Barczak technical fall with riding time added, 22-7, at 157 pounds. The Dragons turned in back-to-back major decisions at 165 and 174 pounds, as Ebed Jarrell beat out Keegan Driscoll, 10-2, followed by Bryan McLaughlin earning the 13-5 victory. At 197 pounds, Stephen Loiseau coasted to a first-period technical fall over Dalton Hoover, 18-0, while Joey Goodhart outlasted the reigning DII national champion Terrance Fanning, 4-2, to close out he Dragons' 28-9 win. The Dragons' cruised to a 59-0 victory in their first match of the day against Keystone College, which is coached by former Dragon standout, Steve Mytych. Drexel received forfeits at 125, 133, 174 and 197 pounds, then won five of the remaining six matches by fall. Julian Flores finished off a first-period pin of Colby Bronzburg in 1:56 at 141 pounds, while Elfvin pinned Jason Jones 19 seconds into the second period for the win. Barczak earned a 22-7 technical fall victory over Thomas Michaels at 157 pounds followed by Jarrell's first period pin of Alex Talanca in 2:18 at 165 pounds. Closing out the match, Owen Brooks needed only 31 seconds to pin JJ Hooper at 184 pounds, before Goodhart pinned Cameron Smith in 2:03 at heavyweight. Wheeling Jesuit won the first match of the day over Keystone College, 51-3. The Dragons return to the mat on Saturday, Nov. 10 when they head to New York for Northeast Duals with matches against The Citadel, Purdue and Nebraska. Drexel 59, Keystone College 0 125: Antonio Mininno (DU) by forfeit 133: Ty Smith (DU) by forfeit 141: Julian Flores (DU) WBF Colby Bronzburg (KC), 1:56 149: Trevor Elfvin (DU) WBF Jason Jones (KC), 3:19 157: Evan Barczak (DU) TF Thomas Michaels (KC), 22-7 165: Ebed Jarrell (DU) WBF Alex Talanca (KC), 2:18 174: Bryan McLaughlin (DU) by forfeit 184: Owen Brooks (DU) WBF JJ Hooper (KC), 0:31 197: No. 9 Stephen Loiseau (DU) by forfeit HWT: No. 14 Joey Goodhart (DU) WBF Cameron Smith (KC), 2:03 Drexel 28, Wheeling Jesuit 9 125: Cole Laya (WJU) DEC Antonio Mininno (DU), 6-3 (RO3/4) 133: Ty Smith (DU) MAJ Jacob Donahue (WJU), 11-2 141: Jared Donahue (WJU) DEC Nick Widmann (DU), 12-8 149: Trevor Elfvin (DU) DEC Tyler Alberts (WJU), 9-4 157: Evan Barczak (DU) TF Colt Rutter (WJU), 22-7 (w/ riding time) 165: Ebed Jarrell (DU) MAJ Keegan Driscoll (WJU), 10-2 174: Bryan McLaughlin (DU) MAJ Connor Craig (WJU), 13-5 184: Aidan Pasiuk (WJU) DEC Owen Brooks (DU), 6-3 197: No. 9 Stephen Loiseau (DU) TF Dalton Hoover (WJU), 18-0 HWT: No. 14 Joey Goodhart (DU) DEC Terrance Fanning (WJU), 4-2 Wheeling Jesuit 51, Keystone College 3 125: Cole Laya (WJU) by forfeit 133: Tyler Warner (WJU) by forfeit 141: Jared Donahue (WJU) WBF Colby Bronzburg (KC), 2:27 149: Tyler Albers (WJU) DEC Jason Jones (KC), 7-4 157: Thomas Michaels (KC) DEC Blake Miller (WJU), 8-4 165: Keegan Driscoll (WJU) WBF Alex Talanca (KC), 3:35 174: Connor Craig (WJU) by forfeit 184: Aidan Pasiuk (WJU) WBF JJ Hooper (KC), 1:55 197: Dalton Hoover (WJU) WBF Donald Stewart (KC), 0:27 HWT: Terrance Fanning (WJU) WBF Cameron Stewart (KC), 1:18

FARGO, N.D. -- The North Dakota State wrestling team opened the season on Sunday afternoon with a 26-17 win over 17th-ranked Northwestern. It marked the third-straight year the Bison have knocked off a top 20 team. NDSU jumped out to an early lead with a pair of back-to-back wins to open the match. At 125 pounds, Brent Fleetwood held a 9-2 lead before winning by fall over Dylan Utterback in 4:59. The Bison never trailed in the match after the opening win. In a match featuring a pair of top 20 wrestlers, 20th-ranked Cam Sykora used four points in the first period to beat 14th-ranked Colin Valdivez 4-0 at 133 pounds. At 149 pounds, Jaden Van Maanen used a takedown in the third period and a point for riding time to beat Shayne Oster 12-10. 12th-ranked Andrew Fogarty had a 10-2 lead over Tyler Moreland before winning by fall in 4:48, increasing the Bison lead to 18-10. Tyler McNutt scored 11 points in the second period, as he rolled to an 18-3 (5:41) technical fall over Brendan Devine. The final Bison victory came at 197 pounds, as Cordell Eaton used a takedown in the third period to beat Zach Chakonis 5-3. The victory gave the Bison a 26-13 lead and sealed the victory heading into the final match. The Bison return to action on Thursday, Nov. 8, as they host Northern Illinois at Scheels Center inside the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Results: 125: Brent Fleetwood (NDSU) fall Dylan Utterback (NW), 4:59 133: #20 Cam Sykora (NDSU) dec #14 Colin Valdiviez (NW), 4-0 141: Yahya Thomas (NW) fall Gavin Sutton (NDSU), 1:16 149: Jaden Van Maanen (NDSU) dec Shayne Oster (NW), 12-10 157: #6 Ryan Deakin (NW) major dec Nick Knutson (NDSU), 12-3 165: #12 Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) fall Tyler Moreland (NW), 4:48 174: #13 Johnny Sebastian (NW) dec Lorenzo De La Riva (NDSU), 13-8 184: Tyler McNutt (NDSU) tech fall Brendan Devine (NW), 18-3, 5:41 197: Cordell Eaton (NDSU) dec Zach Chakonis (NW), 5-3 285: #14 Conan Jennings (NW) major dec - Brandon Metz (NDSU), 12-0

Daniel Cormier It was a tale of two very different outcomes for former amateur wrestlers, as Daniel Cormier remained heavyweight champ, while Chris Weidman was the victim of a third-round KO at UFC 230 at Madison Square Garden in New York City Saturday night. Cormier, a two-time Olympian and NCAA All-American for Oklahoma State, submitted Derrick Lewis via a rear naked choke at 2:14 of the second round of their main event, the first UFC heavyweight title bout in the storied Manhattan arena that has seen more than its fair share of heavyweight boxing championship bouts as well as the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. "Daniel Cormier solidified his claim as the best heavyweight in mixed martial arts and one of the best fighters to ever grace the Octagon," according to leading MMA website Sherdog.com's reporting of the top-of-the-card event at UFC 230. "'DC' made it look almost too easy when he dominated challenger Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC 230 Saturday night to retain his UFC heavyweight title. Cormier (22-1) scored takedowns whenever he wanted, never took any clean punches and vanquished 'The Black Beast' in the second via rear-naked choke." ESPN.com reported, "Lewis threw several haymakers in the second round with bad intentions, but Cormier slipped the shots and calmly went about taking him back to the floor. The finish came after Lewis tried to turtle up and stand. Cormier transitioned to his back and sank in the choke. "It's history, baby," said Cormier after the win, who improved his heavyweight record to 15-0 (4-0 in UFC). "History in the making -- Daniel Cormier, one of the best of all time!" The 2008 U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestler continued, "I think a lot of people have to understand, I've been doing this for nine years. I've fought at the championship level for eight of them. There are no surprises with me. If you have a puncher's chance, that's not enough. You have to be one of the best in the world to even compete." As ESPN.com pointed out, Cormier's successful title defense holds open the door for a planned matchup against Brock Lesnar -- current WWE champ who was a 2000 NCAA Division I heavyweight champ for University of Minnesota --- sometime in early 2019. "Brock Lesnar, when you come, bring that new WWE title," Cormier said. "I feel like being a WWE champion, too. Let's go, Brock. Bring that belt with you if you come to my house." In co-main event, Weidman victim of "vicious" knockout Long Island native Chris Weidman, an All-American wrestler at Nassau Community College before earning NCAA All-American honors at Hofstra University who later became a UFC middleweight (185-pound champ), had a rough time of it at Madison Square Garden Saturday against late substitute opponent Rolando Souza. "'Jacare' (Souza) cleans Weidman's clock," according to a headline at Sherdog.com. "The co-main event was thrilling as it was dramatic as Souza and Weidman slugged it out for nearly three rounds, but only one had to have his hand raised," Sherdog.com continued. "The 'All-American' rocked the Brazilian numerous times in the battle with clean punches to the head, but Weidman was never able to put his foe away. With blood pouring from his nose, 'Jacare' rallied in the third and rocked Weidman with a right to the head during a heated exchange. "Souza (26-6) followed that up with a wicked left hook to the body and then a right to the temple, dropping Weidman flat on his back. Souza wanted referee Dan Miragliotta to stop it right then and there and raised his hands in a pleading motion, but the Brazilian was forced to land a handful of follow-up punches before the veteran third man finally intervened. The end came at 2:46 of the third." For Weidman, if was his fourth loss in five bouts. The former collegiate mat star at Long Island schools is now 14-4 in a pro career going back nearly a decade.

Jordan Oliver defeated Zain Retherford in the semifinals of the U.S. Open in 2017 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Two-time world medalist James Green was taken with the No. 1 overall selection by Kyle Dake for the inaugural American Wrestling League, which will take place on Nov. 30 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Team captains Dake and David Taylor, both world champions in freestyle this year, selected 20 wrestlers to fill their rosters. After Dake selected Green, Taylor had the next two picks and drafted Alex Dieringer and Kyven Gadson. The draft set the stage for several intriguing matchups at the Nov. 30 event, highlighted by Jordan Oliver (Team Dake) vs. Zain Retherford (Team Taylor) at 65 kilograms, Adam Coon (Team Taylor) vs. Dom Bradley (Team Dake) at 125 kilograms, Tony Ramos (Team Dake) vs. Cory Clark (Team Taylor) at 61 kilograms. Each of the 10 starters on the card will earn $2,500 for competing and the winners will receive an additional $5,000. The Nov. 30 event will be streamed live on Trackwrestling.com. Team Dake: 57 kilograms: Zach Sanders/Alan Waters 61 kilograms: Tony Ramos/ Nick Simmons 65 kilograms: Jordan Oliver/Josh Kindig 70 kilograms: James Green/Frank Molinaro 74 kilograms: Isaiah Martinez/Richie Lewis 79 kilograms: Nate Jackson/Josh Asper 86 kilograms: Nick Heflin/ Pat Downey 92 kilograms: Hayden Zillmer/Deron Winn 97 kilograms: Jacob Kasper/Ty Walz 125 kilograms: Dom Bradley/Ceron Francisco Team Taylor: 57 kilograms: Nico Megaludis/Frank Perrelli 61 kilograms: Cory Clark/Bryce Meredith 65 kilograms: Zain Retherford/Evan Henderson 70 kilograms: Brandon Sorensen/Anthony Collica 74 kilograms: Tommy Gantt/Joey Lavallee 79 kilograms: Alex Dieringer/Dan Vallimont 86 kilograms: Sam Brooks/Brett Pfarr 92 kilograms: Mike Macchiavello/Ben Provisor 97 kilograms: Kyven Gadson/Blaize Cabell 125 kilograms: Adam Coon/Robby Smith

Chris Honeycutt (Photo/Bellator) Chris Honeycutt, two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler for Edinboro University, has been named to the fight card for Bellator 210 slated for Friday, Nov. 30 at WinStar Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. Honeycutt is expected to face Cosello Van Steenis in a middleweight (185-pound) bout. While reports from multiple MMA websites such as MMAJunkie.com are saying the deal has yet to be signed, the former Fighting Scot wrestler posted this message on his Facebook page this week: "November 30th is my Next Fight. It is in Thackerville Oklahoma at the Windstar Casino. I am fighting this dude >costello van steenis< It will be broadcast on Paramount." Honeycutt, 30, is 11-2 in his pro MMA career launched in Jan. 2013. His most recent bout was in July, where he earned a unanimous decision victory over Leo Leite at Bellator 202. The 26-year-old Van Steenis brings a 10-1 record to his anticipated bout with Honeycutt. "Although nicknamed The Spaniard," Van Steenis is a native of The Netherlands. He has just one loss (a unanimous decision to Jake Bostwick in Dec. 2015) in a pro career started in April 2014.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Myles Martin put on a show in front of the 'home' crowd with a 21-6 technical fall during an Ohio State-hosted dual vs. Navy at his alma mater, McDonogh School. Martin was one of eight Buckeyes to arise victorious in the second-ranked Buckeyes' 28-9 triumph. Martin wasn't the only Scarlet-clad grappler to register a dominating tech fall. Fellow senior captain Micah Jordan shined in the evening's lone nationally-ranked showdown with a 16-1 besting of No. 19 Jared Prince. In the opening bout, Ke-Shawn Hayes found himself trailing 3-1 entering the third period and electing to start in the bottom position. After a quick escape, he lifted an ankle and tagged Connor Prince with a trip for two. Hayes would tack on another takedown and the riding time tally for a 7-5 final score at 157 pounds. Kaleb Romero, making his Ohio State varsity debut, performed third-period magic as well. He nailed a blast double for the bout-winning takedown with eight seconds left on the clock. His 3-2 decision represented his first career win and pushed the Buckeyes ahead 6-0. Kevin Snyder was in the attack in the first, firing shot after shot. The 197-pound Buckeye was able to finish off a takedown but did force a 'hands to the face' penalty point on Joshua Roetman. The 1-0 edge remained going to the second before Roetman caught Snyder in a cradle and capped off the fall at 3:39 for Navy's first bout win. The heavyweights grinded to a 1-1 stalemate though the first six minutes and 20 seconds. Then, Ohio State's Gary Traub notched a takedown and seized the 3-1 'W.' As the match flipped over to 125 pounds, the Midshipmen returned the favor with a late-match win of their own. Jacob Allen popped out of a long scramble and ended up on top with 20 seconds remaining to hand Brakan Mead a 5-4 defeat. Picking up where he left off during the 2017-18 season, Luke Pletcher grinded out a 7-4 decision over Casey Cobb at 133 pounds. Eighteen of his 30 wins a year ago came by three points or less. Less than 24 hours after handing No. 4 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) an 11-4 loss in the NWCA All-Star Classic two time zones away in Denver, Joey McKenna battled for a 3-2 win over Nicholas Gil. The tilt sat tied at 2-2 entering the third period before McKenna rode him out for the entire two minutes to activate the riding time point and the 3-2 edge. The cherry on top came in the form of a top-20 showdown between No. 2 Micah Jordan and No. 19 Jared Prince at 149 pounds. It was complete domination as Jordan produced a 16-1 tech fall. Results: 157 lbs | No. 6 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State) def. Connor Prince (Navy) | D, 7-5; Team Score: 3-0 165 lbs | Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) def. Tanner Skidgel (Navy) | D, 3-2; TS: 6-0 174 lbs | No. 13 Te'Shan Campbell (Ohio State) def. Spencer Carey (Navy) | D, 8-5; TS: 9-0 184 lbs | No. 1 Myles Martin (Ohio State) def. Anthony Cable (Navy) | TF, 21-6; TS: 14-0 197 lbs | Joshua Roetman (Navy) def. Kevin Snyder (Ohio State) | PIN, 3:39; TS: 14-6 285 lbs | Gary Traub (Ohio State) def. Andrew Piehl (Navy) | D, 3-1; TS: 17-6 125 lbs | Jacob Allen (Navy) def. Brakan Mead (Ohio State) | D, 5-4; TS: 17-9 133 lbs | No. 4 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) def. Casey Cobb (Navy) | D, 7-4; TS: 20-9 141 lbs | No. 2 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) def. Nicholas Gil (Navy) | D, 3-2; TS: 23-9 149 lbs | No. 2 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) def. No. 19 Jared Prince (Navy) | TF, 16-1; TS: 28-9 Ohio State returns to action next weekend (Nov. 11) at the Ohio Intercollegiate Open in Cleveland, Ohio.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- No. 13 Rutgers wrestling began its season with a bang, sweeping its dual matches with Centenary, Fresno State and Johnson & Wales Saturday at the RAC. The Scarlet Knights produced 16 wins by bonus points, including 10 pins, five major decisions and a tech fall. After missing all of last season due to injury, graduate senior No. 2 Anthony Ashnault collected three pins in his three bouts, all in the first period. The 149-pounder electrified the crowd of 4,242 in his matchup with 2018 NCAA qualifier Khristian Olivas of Fresno State, getting Olivas on his back with 2:29 left in period one for the fall. No 2 Nick Suriano (133 pounds) and Joseph Grello (174) each had two pins on Saturday, while redshirt junior Christian Colucci (285), redshirt freshman Robert Cleary (141) and rookie Stephan Glasgow (165) all added falls to the pin pool. Glasgow, Grello and Suriano all went 3-0 in their matches. "We scored a lot of bonus points today," said head coach Scott Goodale. "We got a lot out of today and were able to get acclimated to warmups, one-hour weigh-ins and everything else that comes with wrestling at this level. All around, it was really good to see where our guys are at." Notables • Ashnault now owns 94 career wins and is now tied with Rick Romeri for 19th in program history. • Goodale now owns 164 career wins as head coach and needs one more to tie John Sacchi for the most in program history. • Suriano is now 28-1 in his Scarlet Knight career, which includes 20 by bonus points. • Rookies Glasgow and Max Wright (197) went a combined 5-0 on Saturday. What to Know: Rutgers vs. Fresno State • Rutgers collected four wins by bonus points against Fresno State, including three major decisions and a pin. • Glasgow secured the 3-2 decision over Brandon Martino courtesy of a late takedown in the second period. • Grello followed with a 10-0 major decision over Ricky Padilla, highlighted by four-point near fall in the first period. • Redshirt senior Jordan Pagano (184) and redshirt sophomore Matthew Correnti (197) added decisions against the Bulldogs. • The match of the day came courtesy of Colucci and No 17 AJ Nevills, which needed four overtime periods to decide. Colucci held a 1-0 lead late in the third period, but Nevills followed with an escape to force sudden victory. Both traded shots until Nevills was able to ride out Colucci in TB4. • After a loss from Shane Metzler at 125 pounds, Rutgers closed out the dual with four consecutive wins. Three of those wins were by bonus points, including Ashnault's first-period pin on Olivas. Match 2: No. 13 Rutgers 30, Fresno State 6 Match started at 165 pounds 165: Stephan Glasgow (RU) dec. over Brandon Martino (FSU), 3-2, Rutgers lead, 3-0. 174: Joe Grello (RU) MD over Ricky Padilla (FSU), 10-0, Rutgers leads, 7-0 184: Jordan Pagano (RU) dec. over Jackson Hemauer (FSU), 4-0, Rutgers leads, 10-0 197: Matthew Correnti (RU) dec. over Danny Salas (FSU), 5-4, Rutgers leads, 13-0 Hwt: No. 17 AJ Nevills (FSU) TB4 over Christian Colucci (RU), 3-2, Rutgers leads, 13-3 125: Robert Garcia IV (FSU) dec. over Shane Metzler (RU), 4-3, Rutgers leads, 13-6 133: No. 2 Nick Suriano (RU) MD over Gary Joint (FSU), 15-4, Rutgers leads, 17-6 141: Michael Van Brill (RU) MD over Christopher Deloza (FSU), 12-1, Rutgers leads, 21-6 149: No. 2 Anthony Ashnault (RU) fall over Khristian Olivas (FSU) (2:32), Rutgers leads, 27-6 157: No. 9 John Van Brill (RU) dec. over Isaiah Hokit (FSU, 3-2, Rutgers wins, 30-6 What to Know: Rutgers vs. Centenary • Rutgers collected five pins, a tech fall and a major decision against the Cyclones. • Glasgow started the dual with a third-period fall of Haakon Mathewson. After leading 15-5 in the third period, Glasgow caught Mathewson at the edge of the circle for the pin. • Grello followed with his first pin of the season, this one coming midway through the second period against Jeremy Numberger. • In his collegiate debut, Wright (197) earned an 8-4 decision over 2018 Division III All-American Ettini Udott. • In his first collegiate match since his transfer from Lehigh, Colucci worked a fall late in the first period on Jerold Goodman. • Rutgers closed the bout with three pins in their final five matches, including falls from Suriano, Cleary and Ashnault. • Ashnault wrestled in a collegiate match for the first time since March 18, 2017 at the NCAA Championships. No. 13 Rutgers 48, Centenary 3 Match started at 165 pounds 165: Stephan Glasgow (RU) fall over Haakon Mathewson (CU) (5:18), Rutgers leads, 6-0 174: Joe Grello (RU) fall over Jordan Juliano (CU) (4:52), Rutgers leads, 12-0 184: Jordan Pagano (RU) TF over Justin Hopman (CU), 20-5 (6:28), Rutgers leads, 17-0 197: Max Wright (RU) dec. over Ettini Udott (CU), 8-4, Rutgers leads, 20-0 Hwt: Christian Colucci (RU) fall over Jerold Goodman (CU) (2:56), Rutgers leads, 26-0 125: Shane Metzler (RU) MD over Jacy Jones (CU), 14-1, Rutgers leads, 30-0 133: No. 2 Nick Suriano (RU) fall over Bobby Demeter (CU) (1:53), Rutgers leads, 36-0 141: Robert Cleary (RU) fall over Cameron Bruffy (CU) (5:50), Rutgers leads, 42-0 149: No. 2 Anthony Ashnault (RU) fall over Logan Long (CU) (1:29), Rutgers leads, 48-0 157: Christopher Muce (CU) dec. over Jake Benner (RU), 8-2, Rutgers wins, 48-3 What to Know: Rutgers vs. Johnson & Wales • Rutgers collected five wins by bonus points, including three pins and two major decisions. • Glasgow closed out his perfect 3-for-3 day with an 18-7 major decision on Nick Munsch. • Ashnault, Grello and Suriano all won by fall. All three pins came in the third period. • Redshirt junior Willie Scott (184) and redshirt senior Ralph Normandia (285) both contributed wins in their lone matches of the day. Scott won by major decision, 12-0. No. 13 Rutgers 38, Johnson & Wales 5 Match started at 165 pounds 165: Stephan Glasgow (RU) MD over Nick Munsch (J&W), 18-7, Rutgers leads, 4-0 174: Joe Grello (RU) fall over Nick Caracappa (J&W) (1:46), Rutgers leads, 10-0 184: Willie Scott (RU) MD over Khamri Thomas (J&W), 12-0, Rutgers leads, 14-0 197: Max Wright (RU) dec. over Michael DiNardo (J&W), 7-2, Rutgers leads, 17-0 Hwt: Ralph Normandia (RU) dec. over London Leka (J&W), 4-0, Rutgers leads, 20-0 125: Jay Albis (J&W) TF over Shane Metzler (RU), 16-0, Rutgers leads, 20-5 133: No. 2 Nick Suriano (RU) fall over Christopher Caban (J&W) (1:52), Rutgers leads, 26-5 141: Michael Van Brill (RU) dec. over Joseph Ferinde (J&W), 7-2, Rutgers leads, 29-5 149: No. 2 Anthony Ashnault (RU) fall over Da'mani Burns (J&W) (1:50), Rutgers leads, 35-5 157: No. 9 John Van Brill (RU) dec. over Malik Rasheed (J&W), 11-5, Rutgers wins, 38-5 Up Next • Rutgers heads to upstate New York to take on No. 25 Appalachian State and Utah Valley on Nov. 10 at the Journeymen duals in Clifton Park, N.Y.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 8 Mizzou Wrestling (1-0, 0-0) opened the regular season with a 30-8 victory over No. 17 Illinois on Saturday afternoon at the first-ever Grapple at the Grove in Champaign, Ill. This marks the eighth year in a row the Tigers have won their opening dual. Mizzou's last season-opening loss coming in 2010 against Illinois. The teams battled it out on Grange Grove, right outside of Illinois' Memorial Stadium. The overcast conditions had no impact on the Tigers as they dominated the meet from start to finish. "The positives are we won four bonus point matches," head coach Brian Smith said. "We were attacking but we need to put together more multiple attacks. In a couple matches we didn't adjust and if you can't adjust its going to be hard to win matches. We need to work hard this next week to get better. I was pleased with Colby Smith. He looked very confident and scored a lot of points. Zach Elam looked solid with his attacks and even when he gave up an escape, he got back to the attacks and then adjusted on top to the guys roll and put him on his back. Great composure." Dual Recap The Tigers started off strong, winning the opening four bouts, including a technical fall victory by redshirt sophomore Colby Smith (Wentzville, Mo.) and an overtime win by redshirt junior Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.). Redshirt senior Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) landed a pin over Jake DiBenedetto, the 37th fall of his career. The Tigers remained in control throughout the meet and ended in dominant fashion, winning the final two bouts of the day as well. Notable Tigers Smith started the day off strong for the Tigers, earning bonus points with his technical fall over Josh Contreras. He landed three near-falls and kept his opponent scoreless, winning with a score of 15-0 for his first victory of the season. Eierman's victory was spurred by a third-period comeback against No. 8 ranked Mike Carr. Eierman was down 8-4 heading into the third period but evened the score at ten before landing a takedown in overtime to secure the win. Lewis maintained his regular season winning streak dating back to his redshirt sophomore season with a fall over Jake DiBenedetto in the third period. Lewis tallied his 37th fall of his career, following his team leading 17 recorded falls last season. True freshman Zach Elam (Kansas City, Mo.) recorded his first victory with the Tigers with a 10-4 win over Deuce Rachal. Elam held a narrow 3-2 lead following the first period, but landed two takedowns and a near-fall in the second period to extend his lead and help secure the victory. Up Next Next, Mizzou travels to Norfolk, Va., to face Old Dominion on Nov. 11 in its first conference matchup of the season. In last year's meeting between the teams, the Tigers outscored Old Dominion 36-3 in a dominant victory. For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned on MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling). Results: 125: Colby Smith (MIZ) tech. fall Josh Contreras (ILL): 15-0 | MIZ 5, ILL 0 133: No. 9 John Erneste (MIZ) major dec. Abdullah Assaf (ILL): 13-0 | MIZ 9, ILL 0 141: No. 3 Jaydin Eierman dec. No. 8 Mike Carr (ILL): 12-10 | MIZ 12, ILL 0 149: No. 4 Grant Leeth (MIZ) default Christian Kanzler (ILL): 10-1 | MIZ 18, ILL -1 157: Eric Barone (ILL) dec. Lane Stigall (MIZ): 8-2 | MIZ 18, ILL 2 165: No. 17 Joey Gunther (ILL) dec. No. 14 Connor Flynn (MIZ): 4-1 | MIZ 18, ILL 5 174: No. 4 Daniel Lewis (MIZ) fall Jake DiBenedetto (ILL): 12-2 | MIZ 24, ILL 5 184: No. 2 Emery Parker (ILL) dec. Dylan Wisman (MIZ): 5-3 | MIZ 24, ILL 8 197: Wyatt Koelling (MIZ) dec. Andre Lee (ILL): 2-1 | MIZ 27, ILL 8 HWT: Zach Elam (MIZ) dec. Deuce Rachal (ILL): 10-4 | MIZ 30, ILL 8

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- It was a strong start to the season for the Cavaliers as Virginia (1-0) won seven weight classes on the way to a 25-12 victory over Indiana (0-1) at Memorial Gym on Saturday (Nov. 3). Virginia used bonus-point wins from sophomore Michael Murphy (Lookout Mountain, Tenn.), freshman Robert Patrick (Ligonier Valley, Pa.), redshirt freshman Quinn Miller (Lilburn, Ga.) to help push the match out of reach. "It was a big win for us and I'm really proud of our guys," said Virginia head coach Steve Garland. "A lot of positives started for us at 149 pounds and things just snowballed from there. We talked all week about pouring on points, being tough on top and closing matches down at the end. We did that a lot today." Murphy and sophomore Jake Keating (Naperville, Ill.) set the tone for the Cavaliers following an opening-bout loss at 141 pounds to start the day. Murphy battled to a major decision over the Hoosier's Tristan Sellmer to give Virginia the first lead of the day before Keating fought his way to the decision over Jake Danishek. Coy then elevated the energy in the arena and on the bench with his upset of Indiana's nationally-ranked Martin – an NCAA qualifier for the Hoosiers a year ago. After building a 3-0 lead with a takedown in the first period and an escape point to start the second, Coy was taken down by Martin to cut the lead to 3-2. Martin chose the down position to start the third and Coy gutted his way to the win, riding Martin out for the duration of the third period to secure 1:15 of riding time and the 4-2 decision over Martin. Patrick then broke the dual match open with his dominant performance at 174 pounds as the tech fall pushed Virginia out to a 12-point lead. Indiana would pick up the sudden-victory decision at 184 pounds before Jay Aiello (Chantilly, Va.) and Miller would lock up the win with a decision at 197 pounds and a major decision at heavyweight. In his decision, Aiello overcame a 3-0 deficit from the first period, recording the escape point at the start of the third before a takedown with 27 seconds left propelled him to the 4-3 win as he added the riding time point from his control for much of the second period. Virginia forfeited at 125 pounds before redshirt freshman Brian Courtney (Sayre, Pa.) closed the match with his 4-2 victory at 133 pounds The Cavaliers will return to action next weekend, competing at the Journeymen Duals in Albany, N.Y. Virginia wrestle on Saturday (Nov. 10) and face Ithaca College, Nebraska and Wyoming. Results: 141:Paul Konrath (IU) dec. Sam Krivus (UVA), 10-3 – IU 3, UVA 0 149:Michael Murphy (UVA) major dec. Tristan Sellmer, 11-2 – UVA 4, IU 3 157:Jake Keating (UVA) dec. Jake Danishek (IU), 6-2 – UVA 7, IU 3 165:Cam Coy (UVA) dec. No. 18 Bryce Martin (IU), 4-2 – UVA 10, IU 3 174:Robert Patrick (UVA) tech fall Dillon Hoey (IU), 16-1 – UVA 15, IU 3 184:Norman Conley (IU) dec. Will Schany (UVA), 7-5 (sv-1) – UVA 15, IU 6 197:Jay Aiello (UVA) dec. Jake Kleimola (IU), 4-3 – UVA 18, IU 6 HWT:Quinn Miller (UVA) major dec. Brandon Streck (IU), 15-4 – UVA 22, IU 6 125:Elijah Oliver (IU) by forfeit – UVA 22, IU 12 133:Brian Courtney (UVA) dec. Garrett Pepple (IU), 4-2 – UVA 25, IU 12

DENVER -- Top-ranked Matt Kolodzik of Princeton spoiled Mitch Finesilver's return to his home state of Colorado. Kolodzik rolled to a 12-7 victory at 149 pounds over the Duke senior in the final match of the NWCA All-Star Classic on Friday night in Denver, Colo. Kolodzik, a third-place finisher at last year's NCAAs, built a 9-0 lead midway through the second period, but Finesilver battled back, scoring a late second-period takedown to cut the deficit to six. The two would trade takedowns in the final period, with Finesilver scoring the final one with 20 seconds remaining, but it was too little too late. At 141 pounds, second-ranked Joey McKenna (Ohio State) topped No. 5 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) 11-4 in a battle of two-time All-Americans at 141 pounds. After a back-and-forth first period, McKenna led 5-4 after the opening period. The Buckeye senior broke the match open in the second with a four-point nearfall. He added an escape and riding time point to win by seven. Fourth-ranked Derek White (Oklahoma State) overcame an early 4-0 deficit to defeat No. 3 Youssif Hemida (Maryland) 7-5 in sudden victory at 285 pounds. Hemida, a returning All-American, used a takedown and two-point nearfall to go up by four points early, but White worked his back into the match and eventually sent the match to sudden victory. In sudden victory, White used a leg attack to secure a match-winning takedown. No. 3 Myles Amine (Michigan) handled Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State) 11-2 at 174 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Amine turned it up in the second period, getting an escpae, takedown and four-point nearfall to go up 7-0. Smith used a reversal to cut the deficit to five, but it was all Amine the rest of the way as he scored with an escape, takedown and a riding time point to get the major decision. At 184 pounds, No. 3 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) picked up two third-period takedowns to en route to a 10-5 victory over No. 8 Max Dean (Cornell). Venz defeated Dean by five points (11-6) in their previous meeting at the NCAA Division I Championships as well. In women's action, four No. 1-ranked wrestlers claimed victories: Simon's Fraser's Dominique Parrish (123), McKendree's Alexis Porter (143), Emmanuel's Maria Vidales (109) and Wayland Baptist's Brittany Marshall (170). Parrish cruised to a 10-0 technical fall over Wayland Baptist's Gabriela Ramos-Diaz, the nation's top-ranked wrestler at 116 pounds. Porter used a late four-point counter for a come-from-behind 6-3 victory over No. 1 (136) Nicole Joseph (King) at 143 pounds. In a rematch from last year's NWCA All-Star Classic, Vidales claimed a 12-0 technical fall over Charlotte Fowler (Campbellsville). Marshall upended No. 2 Mariah Harris (Campbellsville) 3-1 at 170 pounds in a rematch from last year's national championship match. The two wrestlers traded passivity points off the shot clock, with Marshall scoring the last one to take a criteria lead. Marshall then added to her lead with a takedown in the final minute. No. 3 (123) Abby Nette (Emmanuel) picked up a 10-0 technical fall over No. 2 Erika Mihalca (Missouri Baptist) at 130 pounds. Men: 141: No. 2 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) dec. No. 5 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State), 11-4 149: No. 1 Matt Kolodzik (Princeton) dec. No. 8 Mitch Finesilver (Duke), 12-7 174: No. 3 Myles Amine (Michigan) maj. dec. No. 10 (184) Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State), 11-2 184: No. 3 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) dec. No. 8 Max Dean (Cornell), 10-5 285: No. 4 Derek White (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 3 Youssif Hemida (Maryland), 7-5 SV Women: 109:  No. 1 Maria Vidales (Emmanuel) tech. fall No. 2 Charlotte Fowler (Campbellsville), 12-0 123: No. 1 Dominique Parrish (Simon Fraser) tech. fall No. 1 (116) Gabriela Ramos-Diaz (Wayland Baptist), 10-0 130: No. 3 (123) Abby Nette (Emmanuel) tech. fall No. 2 Erika Mihalca (Missouri Baptist), 10-0 143: No. 1 Alexis Porter (McKendree) dec. No. 1 (136) Nicole Joseph (King), 6-3 170: No. 1 Brittany Marshall (Wayland Baptist) dec. No. 2 Mariah Harris (Campbellsville). 3-1

LEXINGTON, Va. -- George Mason redshirt senior heavyweight Matthew Voss won the final match of the night, recording a technical fall to propel the Patriots to a 20-17 victory over VMI on Friday at Cormack Hall in Lexington, Va. The match began at 125 pounds, where Mason redshirt sophomore Talha Farooq and VMI freshman Derek Shockey got things started. The two were scoreless late in the second period, when Farooq picked up a late escape point to take a 1-0 lead. Shockey tied the score 1-1 in the third period and earned a point for riding time for a 2-1 decision. At 133 pounds, Mason freshman Mel Ortiz made his collegiate debut and led VMI senior Hunter Starner 2-1 heading into the second period. Each wrestler traded an escape point in the second, but Starner went on to win by 6-3 decision to increase the Keydets match score lead to 6-0. In a defensive match at 141 pounds, Mason redshirt sophomore Lio Quezada and VMI junior Dominick Gallo were scoreless after two periods. Gallo scored the only point in the third with an escape for a 1-0 decision. After VMI won the first three bouts of the match, Mason responded with wins in the next three. At 149 pounds, Mason redshirt senior Tejon Anthony went on offense early in the first period against Keydets senior Darren Ostrander and never looked back. Anthony built a 6-3 lead after one, led 8-5 after two periods and won a 14-7 decision. Mason freshman Kolby Ho won his collegiate debut at 157 pounds against VMI freshman Jarrod Hunziker. Ho led 11-4 after one period and 17-7 after the second. He won the match by technical fall, 27-10, to cut the Keydets match score lead to 9-8. At 165 pounds, Mason redshirt freshman Cornelius Schuster, in his NCAA debut, led 14-0 over VMI freshman Luke Nicksic after the first period. Schuster went on to win by technical fall, 16-0, to put the Patriots in front 13-9. The Keydets won by technical fall at 174 pounds to go back in front, 14-13. At 184 pounds, Mason junior Philip Stolfi picked up a 4-0 decision over VMI junior Max Gallahan to make the score 16-14 Patriots. After the Keydets earned a decision at 197 pounds to reclaim the match score lead at 17-16, Mason redshirt senior Matthew Voss needed just 2:37 to win by technical fall at 285 pounds to give the Patriots a 21-17 victory. Mel Ortiz (133), Kolby Ho (157), Cornelius Schuster (165) and Alex Donahue (197) made their collegiate debut, while Colston DiBlasi made his Mason debut. The Patriots have won each of the last seven matches and 11 of the last 13 against the Keydets. Results: 125 | Derek Shockey (VMI) decision over Talha Farooq (Mason), 2-1 | 3-0 VMI 133 | Hunter Starner (VMI) decision over Mel Ortiz (Mason), 6-3 | 6-0 VMI 141 | Dominick Gallo (VMI) decision over Lio Quezada (Mason), 6-0 | 9-0 VMI 149 | Tejon Anthony (Mason) decision over Darren Ostrander (VMI), 14-7 | 9-3 VMI 157 | Kolby Ho (Mason) technical fall over Jarrod Hunziker (VMI), 27-10 (6:07) | 9-8 VMI 165 | Cornelius Schuster (Mason) technical fall over Luke Nicksic (VMI), 16-0 (5:35) | 13-9 Mason 174 | Neal Richards (VMI) technical fall over Colston DiBlasi (Mason), 19-4 (7:00) | 14-13 VMI 184 | Philip Stolfi (Mason) decision over Max Gallahan (VMI), 4-0 | 16-14 Mason 197 | Chris Beck (VMI) decision over Alex Donahue (Mason), 2-0 | 17-16 VMI 285 | Matthew Voss (Mason) technical fall over Trey Momon (VMI), 20-3 (2:37) | 21-17 Mason (Mason matside conduct during 174 match -1.0)

CLARION, Pa. -- The Clarion wrestling team opened the 2018-19 dual season with a bang on Friday, blitzing Gardner-Webb to the tune of a 42-9 win at Clarion Area High School. The Golden Eagles (1-0) will continue their weekend tomorrow when they host the Clarion Open at the Student Recreation Center. It was all Golden Eagles from the word jump, with Clarion taking the first four matches with bonus points to build a commanding lead. The only wins for the Runnin' Bulldogs came in the 157- and 174-pound bouts, with Clarion closing the team match with two pins and a tech fall in the final three matches. Seth Koleno recorded his first collegiate win and did it in style, taking Brandon Bright for a fall in little more than a minute in the 133-pound bout. The true freshman caught Bright was a takedown and immediately leveraged it into a win by fall, cradling him to put Clarion ahead 12-0. Taylor Ortz followed that with a win by major decision, thought the beginning of the match did not necessarily foreshadow how the bout ended. Blake Mulkey led 2-1 after the first period, and managed to reverse Ortz to build up a 4-2 lead before Ortz scored his first takedown. Once he got started, though, Ortz was difficult to stop. He came alive in the third period, taking Mulkey down and racking up three near falls to take the 17-4 major decision. Ninth-ranked Brock Zacherl wrestled his first match at 149 pounds and showed a quick adjustment to the new class, defeating Taylor Parks by major decision at 13-3. Mike Bartolo fell in the 157-pound match but gave nationally-ranked Tyler Marinelli everything he could handle, dropping a 5-3 bout with several opportunities to take the lead. Evan Delong scored Clarion's first technical fall of the night, working Evan Schenk for the full seven minutes and adding the riding time point for the 18-3 win. Ty Bagoly and Edgar Ruano added pins in the 184- and 285-pound bouts, while 2018 national qualifier Greg Bulsak made quick work of Markus Emory at 197 for the first period technical fall. Results: 125 – Tyshawn White (CLAR) win by forfeit 133 – Seth Koleno (CLAR) def. Brandon Bright (GW) Fall 1:06 141 – Taylor Ortz (CLAR) def. Blake Mulkey (GW) MD 17-4 149 - #9/9 Brock Zacherl (CLAR) def. Taylor Parks (GW) MD 13-3 157 – #14/18 Tyler Marinelli (GW) def. Mike Bartolo (CLAR) Dec. 5-3 165 – Evan DeLong (CLAR) def. Evan Schenk (GW) TF 18-3 7:00 174 – Kyle Homet (GW) def. Taylor Cahill (CLAR) SV-1 Fall 7:25 184 – Ty Bagoly (CLAR) def. Nathaniel Kale (GW) Fall 2:07 197 – Greg Bulsak (CLAR) def. Markus Emory (GW) TF 16-0 1:47 285 – Edgar Ruano (CLAR) def. Gabriel Pickett (GW) Fall 3:20

The 2018-19 season got off to a strong start for Ashland University's wrestling team, as the Eagles went 4-0 on Friday (Nov. 2) at the Kent State Duals, capped off by a victory against the host Golden Flashes. A 21-14 decision over the hosts was keyed by six straight victories – 4-1 by freshman Luke Wymer at 133 pounds, 6-2 by junior Chandler Minnard at 141, 10-4 by sophomore Carson Speelman at 149, a pin by sophomore Chance Esmont at 157, 6-4 by junior Bret Romanzak at 165, and 5-1 by junior Christian Price at 174. The Eagles earned the right to face the Golden Flashes by recording wins on Friday vs. Lindsey Wilson (25-12), Kent State Tuscarawas (51-0) and Otterbein (33-11). Lindsey Wilson is the No. 8-ranked team in NAIA. Romanzak, the defending NCAA Division II national champion at 165 pounds, started the new season at 3-0 with a pin and a major decision, while Price went 4-0 with a pair of technical falls. Wymer and senior Danny Morell each were 2-0 at 133, junior Trae Coopwood was 2-0 at 141, Speelman was 2-0 at 149, and Esmont and sophomore Cody Woods each were 2-0 at 157. Ashland will open the home portion of its 2018-19 schedule on Thursday (Nov. 8) at 7 p.m. at Kates Gymnasium vs. Lourdes. That will be the Eagles' lone first-semester home dual.