InterMat Staff

NORFOLK, Va. -- The Navy wrestling team (7-2, 3-1 EIWA) snapped a three-match losing streak in its series against Old Dominion (7-7, 3-1 MAC) on Friday night, defeating the Monarchs in dominating fashion at Ted Constant Center in Norfolk, Va. The Mids won eight consecutive matches, including a historic victory at 174 pounds by senior Jadaen Bernstein (Glen Gardner, N.J.), en route to the 26-8 win. “It was a special opportunity to compete in front of this crowd tonight,” said fourth-year Navy head coach Joel Sharratt. “We had a strong Navy presence and it really energized the team to have Gold Star Families, active Duty SEALs and retired admirals there pulling for tonight's win. “The score tonight was in Navy's favor because in most of the matches we competed the NAVY way. It was a match that allowed us to see this team stretch our distance against a historically strong program and we need to put this in our ruck and keep climbing.” Rookie 125-pound Michael McGee improved to 21-8 on the year, including 10-4 in dual action, after scoring a 17-0 tech fall over Navy freshman Aslan Kilic (Marietta, Ga.) in the night's opening match. Navy answered by winning eight consecutive matches, including a 6-5 victory by freshman Cody Trybus (Elkton, Md.) at 133 pounds to spark the run. “I have never stopped believing in Cody Trybus and with the help of strong team leadership, he broke through a big wall tonight,” said Sharratt. “His determination has never wavered and his skills are getting sharper every week as he has worked through the adversity and tonight put himself in the hunt for a national qualifier criteria via his RPI and Coaches Ranking.” The feature bout of the night was at 141 pounds between 17th-ranked Alex Madrigal of ODU and 20th-ranked Nicholas Gil (Jr. / Crystal Lake, Ill.) of Navy. Gil defeated Madrigal in the finals of the Navy Classic in November by way of a major decision, however, Madrigal would put up a stronger fight in Friday night's dual. Gil stayed the course and pulled through with his 26th victory of the season, a 5-3 decision. The win gave the Mids their first lead of the night, one they would not relinquish. “Gil was another Navy wrestler people on the outside did not necessarily believe was the favorite, despite a head-to-head win in November,” pointed out Sharratt. “Nic is so strong and has diversified his attacks, allowing him to score in a variety of ways That helps his deep penetration attacks be even more effective.” Team captain Corey Wilding (Sr. / Pittsburgh, Pa.) dominated ODU freshman 149-pound Jake DiBenedetto in a 24-9 tech fall, while a last second reversal led Navy senior Zack Davis (Granger, Ind.) to an 11-10 win over redshirt sophomore Larry Early in what was Davis' 98th career victory. “Wilding pushed a great pace and secured the tech fall at the buzzer,” said Sharratt. “That was a nice way to set the table with momentum going into the Davis match. One hundred percent every time is what you get in this student athlete. “Zack Davis was one of our team leaders who never let Cody stop believing that hard work would hone his talent,” added Sharratt. “Leading by example, Davis also solidified what must certainly put him well into the the top 25 among all 157-pounders nationally. His opponent tonight was highly ranked and struggled to keep the pace in a bout that saw multiple video reviews. We have room to improve, but I am very happy for this additional step taken by Zack to climb into the coaches poll.” Senior 165-pound Drew Daniels (Overland Park, Kan.) pushed his season dual mark to 7-1 behind a 5-2 decision over sophomore Luke Drugac to give the Mids a 17-5 lead. Wrestling in his first dual since Dec. 8 against Drexel, eighth-ranked Bernstein won a hard-fought match against ODU junior Seldon Wright, who has jumped in and out of the top 25, 7-3. The victory marked the 108th of Bernstein's career, as he moved into a tie for 10th on Navy's all-time wins list alongside former teammate Peyton Walsh (2012-15). He trails ninth-place Scott Schleicher (1987-90) by three. “Bernstein really had a nice bout tonight,” said Sharratt. “His maturity warded off some questionable tactics and eventually when the roughness put him into harms way, he protected himself. Wrestling can get your blood pressure up and he did a very sound job of not allowing his opponent's tactics to affect the outcome of the match. He set the pace, he won the ties and he scored the points.” Navy clinched the team victory following Michael Coleman's (Sr. / Hudson, Ohio) 9-3 decision over Monarch sophomore Antonio Agee at 184 pounds. Coleman, who owns a team-best nine-match winning streak, is now 26-5 on the year, including a flawless 7-0 dual record. Getting back in the win column on Friday was senior Steban Cervantes (Poway, Calif.) who has battled injury this season. He picked up a much-needed 6-2 victory over redshirt junior John D'Agostino. Redshirt freshman Ali Wahab took the final match of the evening, taking down Navy sophomore Andrew Piehl (Rogers, Minn.) in sudden victory to earn the 3-1 decision. The Midshipmen will be back in action on Tuesday when they play host to George Mason at Alumni Hall. Action is slated to begin at 7:30 pm. Results: 125 | Michael McGee tech fall Aslan Kilic (NAVY), 17-0 133 | Cody Trybus (NAVY) dec Caleb Richardson, 6-5 141 | #20 Nicholas Gil (NAVY) dec #17 Alex Madrigal, 5-3 149 | Corey Wilding (NAVY) tech fall Jake DiBenedetto, 24-9 157 | Zack Davis (NAVY) dec Larry Early, 11-10 165 | #20 Drew Daniels (NAVY) dec Luke Drugac, 5-2 174 | Jadaen Bernstein (NAVY) dec Seldon Wright, 7-3 184 | #18 Michael Coleman (NAVY) dec Antonio Agee, 9-3 197 | Steban Cervantes (NAVY) dec John D'Agostino, 6-2 285 | Ali Wahab dec Andrew Piehl (NAVY), 3-1 SV

BLOOMINGTON, IND -- The 14th-ranked Fighting Illini wrestling team won its third straight Big Ten dual, and four of its last five, with a 33-9 rout of Indiana on Friday night inside University Gymnasium. Winning eight of the ten matches, including each of the first six, the Illini tallied two pins as part of four bonus-point victories. With the win the Illini improve to 6-3 overall, 5-2 in the Big Ten, while the Hoosiers drop to 6-8 overall, 0-7 in conference. "We wrestled pretty well across the board," said head coach Jim Heffernan. "Good hustle and energy." Really solid win for Deuce [Rachal]. He continues to get better, and is making good decisions. Great start from Travis [Piotrowski], and very gutsy come-from-behind win by Carr. He picked up the tempo significantly in the third, and his pace is what gave him the opportunity to score." Scoring 27 unanswered team points to begin the match, Piotrowski opened the scoring with his second pin of the season to give the Illini an early 6-0 lead in the dual. Leading 3-1 late in the final period with riding time locked in, the Illini sophomore took Oliver to the mat on the far side, sticking Oliver with 34 seconds remaining in the third period. Redshirt freshman Dylan Duncan added three more points to the Illini total with his sixth win against Big Ten opponents this season, defeating Garrett Pepple by a score of 7-2. After giving up a reversal to tie the match in the first period, 2-2, Duncan earned a second-period takedown, and held riding time above the one-minute threshold, to spur a 5-0 run to finish the match. The highlighted match of the dual came at 141 pounds where Illini redshirt freshman Mike Carr, ranked as high as No. 12 by FloWrestling, used a dominant third period to defeat No. 13 Cole Weaver, 8-5, after trailing 5-1 after five minutes. After an escape to start the third cut the deficit to 5-2, Carr exploded with a takedown and four near fall points in the closing 40 seconds of the match to steal the decision. With the win, Carr (12-4) has won six straight matches, and eight of his last nine. 149-pounder Eric Barone notched Illinois' second fall of the evening, pinning Alejandro Raya at the 6:32 mark, to pick up his first Big Ten win of the season. Leading 3-0 entering the third period, Raya cut Barone's lead to one point, 3-2, with a takedown. After an escape, Barone took Raya to the mat for the second time in the match, this time putting Raya on his back for his first pin of the season. Leading 18-0, Illini redshirt seniors Kyle Langenderfer (157 pounds) and No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (165 pounds) combined for nine more points to clinch the dual victory for the Orange and Blue. Langenderfer and Martinez both notched a team-high six takedowns on the evening, as Langenderfer defeated Auston Holmes by major decision, 17-5, and Martinez ended Dillon Hoey's evening in four minutes, 20 seconds to record his seventh tech fall, 21-6, in nine matches this season. The win for Martinez moves him into a tie for 16th place on Illinois' all-time list with former Illini Pat Quirck (1998-01) and current volunteer coach Zac Brunson (2012-17) with 107 career wins. B.J. Futrell (2008-13) and Mark Jayne (2002-05) are next on the list, tied for 14th with 108 victories. After Indiana scored their lone victories of the evening at 174 pounds and 184 pounds, a 9-5 win by No. 18 Devin Skatzka and a forfeit victory for Norman Conley, the Orange and Blue finished off the dual with a pair of decisions from 197-pounder Andre Lee and heavyweight Deuce Rachal. Lee scored a first-period takedown to grab the early lead over Indiana's Jake Kleimola, and then used a third-period escape and riding time to win 4-2. Lee (9-9) has won three of his last four matches this season. Rachal then finished off the victory with a 3-0 run in the second-period, notching a takedown with 35 seconds left in the frame, to defeat Hoosier heavyweight Fletcher Miller, 3-2. Up next, the Fighting Illini are back home on Sunday, February 4, for a dual against No. 19 Rutgers at 1 p.m. With 10 straight wins at Huff Hall, the Illini will be looking to tie the program record with an 11th straight win in front of the home crowd. The dual can be streamed live on BTN Plus and FloWrestling with subscription. For complete coverage of Fighting Illini wrestling, go to FIGHTINILLINI.com and follow @IlliniWrestling on Twitter and Instagram. Illini Notes: The 33-9 victory gives Illinois their sixth straight win over Indiana dating back to 2011. Coach Heffernan is 19-3 all-time against the Hoosiers while on Illinois' coaching staff. The Illini have won three straight Big Ten duals and five of their last six. Isaiah Martinez's 21-6 tech fall of Dillon Hoey marks the seventh this season for the redshirt senior. Martinez has won by tech fall or fall in eight of his nine matches. With the win, Martinez moves into a tie for 16th place on Illinois' all-time wins list, joining former Illini Pat Quirck (1998-01) and current volunteer coach Zac Brunson (2012-17) with 107 career wins. B.J. Futrell (2008-13) and Mark Jayne (2002-05) are next on the list, tied for 14th with 108 victories. Isaiah Martinez is outscoring his opponents 168-53 this season. Mike Carr notched his sixth straight win with an 8-5 win over No. 13 Cole Weaver. Carr has won eight of his last nine matches. Andre Lee has won three of his last four matches dating back January 14 at Minnesota. Eric Barone picked up his second pin of the season, while Travis Piotrowski earned his second. Results: 125: #18 Travis Piotrowski (ILL) fall Elijah Oliver (IND), 6:26 6 0 133: Dylan Duncan (ILL) dec. Garrett Pepple (IND), 7-2 9 0 141: Mike Carr (ILL) dec. #13 Cole Weaver (IND), 8-5 12 0 149: Eric Barone (ILL) fall Alejandro Raya (IND), 6:32 18 0 157: Kyle Langenderfer (ILL) major dec. Austin Holmes (IND), 17-5 22 0 165: #2 Isaiah Martinez (ILL) tech fall Dillon Hoey (IND), 21-5 (4:20) 27 0 174: #18 Devin Skatzka (IND) dec. David Riojas (ILL), 9-5 27 3 184: Norman Conley (IND) wins by forfeit 27 9 197: Andre Lee (ILL) dec. Jake Klemola (IND), 4-2 30 9 HWT: Deuce Rachal (ILL) dec. Fletcher Miller (IND), 3-2 33 9

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team got another commanding Mid-American Conference dual win with a 26-10 victory over the University at Buffalo Friday evening, Feb. 2, inside the Convocation Center. The dual was the annual Beauty and the Best meet, which coincided with the EMU gymnastics team's, 194.900-194.250, win over the University of Illinois-Chicago. The Eagles (6-6, 2-3 MAC) won seven of the ten matches to run away with the win, winning all seven from 133 to 184 lbs. Two EMU grapplers won via bonus points, with major decisions from redshirt sophomores Noah Gonser (Grand Blanc, Mich.-Grand Blanc) and Zac Carson (Akron, Ohio-Lake). Action started at the top, as Buffalo (5-9, 2-4 MAC) won the 125 lbs. match to take the early 3-0 lead. Eastern bounced back in a big way, winning the next seven matches. At 133 lbs., Gonser gave up early takedown, but scored the next five to take a 5-2 lead into the third. He tacked on six more in the period to take an 11-2 major decision and give EMU the lead, 4-3, after two. It was Gonser's second major decision of the season and first bonus point win in dual action. Next at 141 lbs., redshirt sophomore Sa'Derian Perry (Lakeland, Fla.-Lake Gibson) trailed 5-4 after one, but tied it up at six into the third. He kicked it into overdrive in the final period, racking up six more points to take a 12-7 decision with riding time, extending the Eastern advantage. Redshirt senior Kyle Springer (New Boston, Mich.-Davenport Assumption (Indiana)) kept it rolling at 149 lbs., notching four takedowns in the first to lead it 8-3 after one. He got it into major territory in the third with a takedown, but UB escaped right before the buzzer to make it a 12-5 decision. EMU won its fourth in a row at 157 lbs. as redshirt sophomore J.J. Wolfe (Dakota, Ill.-Dakota) got an early takedown and racked up over two minutes of riding time in the first. With riding time intact, he survived a scramble in the third and took the match, 7-2, making it 13-3 EMU at the midway point. At 165 lbs, Carson kept the pressure on, getting takedown after takedown to secure a 14-5 major decision. It was Carson's second major decision dual win this season. That was followed by a forfeit at 174 lbs. from Buffalo to blow the dual open, 23-3. The Eagles had a dogfight at 184 lbs., but still managed to prevail. Redshirt junior Kayne MacCallum (Green Oaks, Ill.-Libertyville) got a quick takedown, and battled to lead 3-1 into the third. After yielding an escape, he fended off any shots to get a hard earned, 3-2, decision. Buffalo finally broke the streak at 197 lbs., securing a major decision to put the team score at 26-7 into the heavyweight bout. In the premiere match of the night, the top two heavyweights in the MAC went at it in No. 23 nationally ranked Jake Gunning against redshirt senior No. 21 Gage Hutchison (Buchanan, Mich.-Buchanan). After a scoreless first two periods, Hutchison started on bottom in the third and got an escape. Gunning got a takedown to counter, but Hutchison escaped to put the match at two each. Another takedown not long after secured the bout with riding time, 5-2, but Eastern took the dual, 26-10. The Eagles remain at home Sunday, Feb. 4, when they host Kent State University for Senior Day. Action from the Convocation Center is set to start at noon, with the Senior Day ceremony taking place beforehand. Results: 125: No. 33 Kyle Akins (UB) over Tomas Gutierrez (EMU) (Dec 8-2) 133: Noah Gonser (EMU) over Justin Patrick (UB) (MD 11-2) 141: Sa'Derian Perry (EMU) over Jason Estevez (UB) (Dec 12-7) 149: No. 33 Kyle Springer (EMU) over Nick Palumbo (UB) (Dec 12-5) 157: J.J. Wolfe (EMU) over Eric Fasnacht (UB) (Dec 7-3) 165: Zac Carson (EMU) over Noah Grover (UB) (MD 14-5) 174: Andrew McNally (EMU) over Unknown (Forf.) 184: Kayne MacCallum (EMU) over Brett Perry (UB) (Dec 3-2) 197: Joe Ariola (UB) over Jared Langley (EMU) (MD 19-6) HWT: No. 23 Jake Gunning (UB) over No. 21 Gage Hutchison (EMU) (Dec 5-2)

CLARION, Pa. -- Toby Cahill pinned Mauro Correnti with 30 seconds remaining in the first period, propelling Clarion to a wild 18-17 victory over 21st-ranked Rider at Marwick-Boyd Auditorium on Friday night. The Golden Eagles (8-4, 3-1 EWL) defeated the nationally-ranked Broncs at home for the second time in a row. They will go back on the road this to take on Bloomsburg a week from today. The freshman heavyweight claimed his second bonus points win in as many matches, but without a doubt the performance on Friday night was the biggest result of his young career. Cahill and Correnti felt each other out for much of the first period, with Cahill reversing and overpowering Correnti in throwing him down to the mat. With Correnti dead to rights, Cahill pinned his shoulders at the 2:30 mark to send the Clarion crowd into a frenzy. Cahill was in position to clinch the team match thanks to the efforts of the rest of the lineup, with four other Golden Eagles claiming wins on the night. Dom Rigous and Greg Bulsak earned back-to-back victories at 174 and 184 pounds, pulling Clarion to within 14-12, and Cahill finished the night with his fifth win by fall of the year. Brock Zacherl got things going for Clarion in the 141-pound match, jumping out to a 3-0 lead early in the second period against Tyson Dippery. Zacherl shot out of Dippery's grasp for an early escape and immediately turned around to catch his lunging opponent, bringing him down for a two-point takedown. Dippery escaped for a point, but that concluded the scoring for the bout as neither wrestler was able to bring the other down in the third period. Zacherl made an important move with 45 seconds remaining in the third, tying up Dippery's leg and preventing him from taking a shot of his own to potentially tie the match. Comparatively, Taylor Ortz wasted no time in the 149-pound match, bringing down Gino Fluri in mere seconds in the first period. Ortz caught a break at the start of the second period, escaping from the down starting position after Fluri tossed him and taking a 3-1 advantage. He started the third period on top and rode Fluri well to start, racking up enough riding time for the additional point. Fluri eventually escaped but Ortz never gave him a clean shot the rest of the bout, winning 4-2. Rider responded with wins at 157 and 165, taking a 14-6 lead entering the 174-pound match. Dom Rigous tried to put Clarion back on the board, starting the match with a takedown of Dean Sherry and riding him for nearly two minutes of the first period. He earned another point after an illegal maneuver by Sherry in the second period, and Rigous nearly added a reversal at the end after hitting a switch in the waning seconds. Rigous locked up the riding point with a strong ride to start the third period, taking Sherry for the duration to take a 4-0 decision. Greg Bulsak also opened his bout with a takedown, catching Wayne Stinson in a defensive move to take a 2-0 lead after one period of action. Bulsak followed that up with an outside single-leg on Stinson in the second period to go up 4-1, and then he dug the boots in to halt any momentum Stinson tried to build. Stinson caught Bulsak with a leg capture to cut Clarion's lead to 5-3 in the bout and eventually brought him down, but Bulsak maintained enough control of Stinson's leg to prevent a tilt and held on for the 6-5 decision. Dustin Conti and Ethan Laird enjoyed a scoreless first period before Conti escaped from the bottom position to open the second period. Laird pulled the same trick to open the third period and the two grapplers were tied at 1-1 entering sudden victory. Laird took Conti down just 22 seconds into the overtime period, taking a 3-1 decision and putting Rider ahead 17-12. Results: 125: Gerald (JR) Wert (Rider) def. Gavin Park (Clarion) MD 12-1 133: Anthony Cefelo (Rider) def. Roshaun Cooley (Clarion) Dec 2-0 141: Brock Zacherl (Clarion) def. Tyson Dippery (Rider) Dec 3-1 149: Taylor Ortz (Clarion) def. Gino Fluri (Rider) Dec 4-2 157: Bryant Clagon (Rider) def. Avery Shay (Clarion) MD 13-4 165: Chad Walsh (Rider) def. Max Wohlabaugh (Clarion) Dec 12-8 174: Dom Rigous (Clarion) def. Dean Sherry (Rider) Dec 4-0 184: Greg Bulsak (Clarion) def. Wayne Stinson (Rider) Dec 6-5 197: Ethan Laird (Rider) def. Dustin Conti (Clarion) SV-1 3-1 285: Toby Cahill (Clarion) def. Mauro Correnti (Rider) Fall 2:30

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- One win by fall, two wins by major decision and a win by sudden victory helped the Bloomsburg University wrestling team defeat Cleveland State 23-15 at the Nelson Field House on Senior Night on Friday (Feb. 2). The win marked the first time the Huskies won have won two matches in the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) since the 2013-14 season when they went 4-2 in the league. The night began at 141 pounds, with Ryan Ford defeating Braden Stahlnecker (Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville) by decision 12-10, before Bloomsburg rattled off three straight victories to take a 12-3 lead. Kevin Laubach won by decision 5-1 on his Senior Night at 157, before Nate Newberry (Biglerville, Pa./Biglerville) won by fall at 6:14 at 165 over Georgio Poullas. Kyle Murphy (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) would gut out a 5-3 sudden victory at 174 pounds after tying the match at three in the dying seconds of the third. After a scoreless first period, Murphy would take a 1-0 lead on an escape in the final minute of the second. After Murphy was able to control Gabe Stark for the first part of the third, Stark escaped to tie the match at one. Stark scored a late takedown inside the final minute, before Murphy reversed him with two seconds on the clock to tie the match at three-apiece and send the bout to extra time. In the overtime, Stark went for a shot but Murphy evaded the attempt and took his own. The sophomore successfully scored early on in the overtime to get the 5-3 win. Trevor Allard (Mexico, N.Y./Mexico) suffered a tough 2-0 loss to Nick Corba at 184 in a bout between to 20-match winners coming into the contest. John Kelbly would go on to defeat Logan Womelsdorf (Benton, Pa./Northwest Area) by decision 5-3 at 197, making the score 12-9 after six bouts. Three consecutive Bloomsburg wins sealed the deal for the home team, starting with Bruce Graeber (Feasterville, Pa./Neshaminy) winning by 12-2 major decision over Collin Kelly at 285 pounds. Willy Girard (Williamstown, Pa/Williams Valley) defeated John Martin at 125 pounds by decision 7-3, before redshirt senior Andy Schutz (Exeter, Pa./Wyoming Area) would shut out Andrew Coghill in major decision fashion 8-0. The match ended when Cleveland State's Evan Cheek pinned Shawn Orem (Pasadena, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) in 3:19. The win moves Bloomsburg to 5-7 overall and 2-3 in the EWL, while the Vikings fall to 3-8 and 1-3 in the EWL. BU returns to the Nelson Field House next Friday (Feb. 9) when they battle in-state EWL rival Clarion. The action is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. Results: 149 Ryan Ford (Cleveland State) over Braden Stahlnecker (Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville) (Bloomsburg) (Dec 12-10) 0 3 157 Kevin Laubach (Bloomsburg) over John Vaughn (Cleveland State) (Dec 5-1) 3 0 165 Nate Newberry (Biglerville, Pa./Biglerville) (Bloomsburg) over Georgio Poullas (Cleveland State) (Fall 6:14) 6 0 174 Kyle Murphy (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) (Bloomsburg) over Gabe Stark (Cleveland State) (SV-1 5-3) 3 0 184 Nick Corba (Cleveland State) over Trevor Allard (Mexico, N.Y./Mexico) (Bloomsburg) (Dec 2-0) 0 3 197 John Kelby (Cleveland State) over Logan Womelsdorf (Benton, Pa./Northwest Area) (Bloomsburg) (Dec 5-3) 0 3 285 Bruce Graeber (Feasterville, Pa./Neshaminy) (Bloomsburg) over Collin Kelly (Cleveland State) (MD 12-2) 4 0 125 Willy Girard (Williamstown, Pa/Williams Valley) (Bloomsburg) over John Martin (Cleveland State) (Dec 7-3) 3 0 133 Andy Schutz (Exeter, Pa./Wyoming Area) (Bloomsburg) over andrew Coghill (Cleveland State) (MD 8-0) 4 0 141 Evan Cheek (Cleveland State) over Shawn Orem (Pasadena, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) (Bloomsburg) (Fall 3:19) 0 6 Team Score: 23 15 Play-by-Play 149 – Braden Stahlnecker (Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville) vs. Ryan Ford Hand-fighting up high to start, Stahlnecker avoids the first shot…Ford gets inside position and scores the first two…Establishing position above Stahlnecker's head is Ford…Official whistles for a stalemate…Ford keeps Stahlnecker down off the reset…Ford keeps him flat on the mat at center…One minute gone in the opening frame…Stahlnecker gets to his feet and escapes for one…Ford scores another takedown on the near edge before the two tumble out of bounds…Stahlnecker awarded an escape before they go out…They reset at center…Ford gets in on Stahlnecker's left leg and spins behind for another two...Inside one minute left he leads 8-3…Out of bounds near the CSU bench…Stahlnecker with another escape…They reset at center…Stahlnecker scores a takedown at the end of the first…Ford leads 8-6…Ford starts the second on top...Stahlnecker breaks away after a few seconds for another escape…Cuts the deficit to one…Up high at the shoulders they lock up before resetting…At center they battle on their feet…Inside the final minute of the second…Near the scorer's table Ford scores another takedown…They are whistled out with 27 seconds left in the second…Reset at center…Off the whistle Stahlnecker flails away for an escape…Ford's lead now at 10-8…Short time in the second…That's how it ends…Stahlnecker starts the third on top…He flattens Ford to the mat off the whistle…Trying to chip away at Ford's riding time…Stahlnecker trying to work on Ford's right side…Now he switches to try the left…Stall warning issued to Ford underneath…Stahlnecker has control of Ford's waist…Riding time now under one minute…45 seconds to go in the period…Official whistles for a reset…Stahlnecker concedes the escape off the reset…Ford now leads 11-8…Stahlnecker scores a takedown then lets Ford up…Dying seconds ticking away before the official whistles for a reset…Ford holds on for the 12-10 decision. 157 – Kevin Laubach Jr. (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) vs. John Vaughn Off the whistle Vaughn takes a shot but Laubach fights it off…Vaughn stays aggressive and sends the two tumbling out of bounds…Reset at center…Up high at the shoulders they tie up…Laubach gets inside position trying to score the first points near the scorer's table…On the line they battle…No points awarded before a stalemate is called…They reset at neutral…Halfway through one with no score…Vaughn pushing them toward the line and he forces Laubach out of bounds…Stall warning issued to Laubach…Off the reset they tie up at the shoulders again near the CSU bench…Drifting back toward center with 35 seconds to go…Vaughn with another shot as they go tumbling out of bounds in the final 20 seconds…They reset at center…Short time in the first…Vaughn stays aggressive but Laubach rolls through it to score the first points as the first expires…Laubach starts the second on top…Vaughn fighting his way around Laubach's right hip…Vying for a reversal…No points awarded yet before the official whistles for a stalemate…1:22 left in the second…Off the reset Vaughn gets to his feet as they go near the scorer's table…Laubach holds control as they spin out of bounds…Escape awarded…Laubach leads 2-1 inside the final minute of the second…They reset at neutral…Another high tie-up…Official whistles for a reset…Riding time not a factor yet…Final 20 seconds of the second…Vaughn shoots for Laubach's right leg…The second ends with Laubach up 2-1…He starts the third on bottom…Off the whistle Vaughn flattens Laubach to the mat…Riding clock ticking down…Vaughn on his feet while Laubach is on his seat…Laubach gets to his feet….Trying to break his hips free and does…Now leads 3-1 with one minute to go in the third…Laubach tying up Vaughn at the shoulders…They release and reset…40 seconds left in the third…Vaughn needs two…Laubach secures a takedown near the BU bench for two before they are whistled out of bounds…Laubach's lead now 5-1 with 19 seconds left…Laubach flattens Vaughn off the whistle…He holds on for the 5-1 win. 165 – Nate Newberry (Biglerville, Pa./Biglerville) vs. Georgio Poullas Off the opening whistle the men tie up at the shoulders…Poullas scores the first takedown on a shot to Newberry's left side…Poullas working on Newberry's right shoulder…Trying to turn him…Poullas gets off Newberry's back and tries to turn him from the side…Keeping Newberry on all fours…Now forcing Newberry's head to the mat…Riding time up over one minute…Now Poullas tries to turn Newberry…No count awarded…Now Poullas working on Newberry's left shoulder…Newberry frees his hips but not his upper body…30 seconds left in the first…Poullas bounces behind Newberry to keep control…Newberry gets to his feet as the period expires…Poullas…leads 2-0 after one…Newberry starts the second on top…Trying to work off some of the riding time…He flattens Poullas to the mat maintaining control of his upper body…Poullas gets his hips free…Newberry working from the left side…Newberry drags him back to center to flatten him again…Newberry working on the left shoulder…Official whistles for a stalemate…Off the stalemate Poullas rolls through and secures the reversal for two…Newberry escapes before they tumble out of bounds at the scorer's table…The second ends with Poullas leading 4-1…Newberry starts the third on bottom…Newberry secures the reversal to make it 4-3…Tries on Poullas's left shoulder again…Gets him to turn…Official counting down on the mat…Pin called at 6:13. 174 – Kyle Murphy (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) vs. Gabe Stark Off the whistle both men are cautious…Murphy trying to distract for a shot with his hand on Stark's head…Stark fights it off…They remain tied up at the shoulders at the drift back to center…Stark shoots in with a sweep but Murphy dodges…No score inside the final minute…Official whistles for a restart…40 seconds left in the first…They battle at the center…Scoreless after one…Murphy starts the second on bottom…Off the start he gets to his feet but Stark gets him back down…Out of bounds they spin on the near edge...Reset at center…Off the restart Murphy stands but Stark keeps control and spins the two out of bounds near the Cleveland State bench…Another reset…Murphy stands trying to free his hips…On the line at the near edge Stark maintains control before they are whistled out of bounds…Off the reset Stark keeps him down…Final minute of the second…Murphy breaks away for the first point of the match…Final 30 seconds…Dying seconds of the second…Murphy leads 1-0…He starts the third on top on the mat and the big board…Murphy tries to chip away at Stark's riding time…Stark breaks away to tie the match at one…They reset at center…Going to the final minute…Riding time not a factor…Murphy charges in for a shot and forces the two out of bounds…Stark scores a takedown before Murphy reverses at the buzzer to send it to overtime…Murphy fights off a shot and scores a takedown quick into OT to secure the 5-3 sudden victory. 184 – Trevor Allard (Mexico, N.Y./Mexico) vs. Nick Corba Off the opening whistle they tie up at the shoulders…Official whistles for a reset…Off the reset they tie up at the shoulders again…Drifting at center they engage yet again…Allard lower than Corba…Corba trying to over-power the redshirt sophomore...Halfway through the first period…No score inside the final minute…Allard tries for one leg but Corba fights it off…The first period ends scoreless…Allard starts the second on bottom…Corba flattens him off the whistle…Corba racking up the riding time…Halfway through the second still no score…Corba now trying to work on Allard's left side…Stalemate whistled…Caution whistled to Corba off the restart…Riding time up over one minute…Keeping Allard flat to the mat…The second ends scoreless…Allard starts the third on top…Corba slides out but cannot break away…Tries again and breaks away for one…At center they tie up…Near the Cleveland State bench they drift from center…Riding time at 1:53…Both men upright on their feet…Final 30 seconds with Corba leading 1-0…Allard tries to shoot but Corba fights it off…Corba holds on for the 2-0 decision with riding time. 197 – Logan Womelsdorf (Benton, Pa./Northwest Area) vs. John Kelbly Off the whistle they tie up at the shoulders…Womelsdorf shrugs of the tie up then they engage again…Kelbly forcing the two near the BU bench…Womelsdorf uses a quick step to get behind for the first two…Off the whistle Womelsdorf keeps Kelbly down…On the line at the near edge they battle before being whistled out of bounds…Approaching the halfway point of the first…Womelsdorf still leads 2-0…He flattens Kelbly on the mat…Kelbly gets to all fours before escaping for one…Inside the final minute of the first…Kelbly forces the two near the line near the CSU bench…Kelbly gets inside and low for a takedown near his own bench…The first ends with Kelbly leading 3-2…Off the whistle they circle around the outside…They drift from center near the BU bench…Now down on the mat they battle…They spin out of bounds at the near edge…Off the reset they tie up high…Both men trying to stay aggressive…Near the BU bench Kelbly is forcing the action…Womelsdorf on the defensive still in neutral…The second ends with Womelsdorf still behind 3-2…He starts the third on bottom…Off the whistle he tries to sit out but Kelbly keeps control…Kelbly keeping control as Womelsdorf gets to his feet…Womelsdorf escapes for one…Near the BU bench they battle down on the mat…Riding time not a factor…Kelbly has Womelsdorf's left leg…Gets the trip and the takedown near the BU bench…He leads 5-3 with 22 seconds left…Kelbly throws Womelsdorf and secures the 5-3 decision. 285 – Bruce Graeber vs. Collin Kelly Off the whistle both men start with a flurry of action…Graeber showing more aggressiveness off the start…They tie up at the shoulders near the BU bench…Graeber gets the trip and the first two on a takedown near the line…Graeber begins to work in control…Graeber pulling Kelly back in bounds…Halfway through the first…Stall warning issued to Kelly before a stalemate is whistled…Off the start Graeber working on Kelly's left side…Now on top Graeber trying for the crossface…Graeber controls the underhooks…Keep his body to the left side of Kelly's…Going for another crossface…He leads 2-0 with over two minutes of riding time after one period…He starts the second on bottom…Graeber fighting to his feet…Escapes for one…Goes back to the well with a trip and takedown for two near the scorer's table…Riding time approaching three minutes…Second stall issued to Kelly…Point for Graeber makes it 6-0…Official whistles them out of bounds near the scorer's table…Graeber takes his 6-0 lead to the third…He starts the third on top on the mat and the scoreboard…Graeber lets Kelly up for one then scores another takedown to make it 8-1…Kelly escapes but then gives up another stall point…Kelly goes in for a shot but Graeber fights it off and spins behind for another two…Graeber polishes off the major decision 12-2. 125 – Willy Girard (Williamstown, Pa/Williams Valley) vs. John Martin Off the whistle tMartin maintains controlhey tie up and release…Martin attempts a shot but Girard dekes away from it…Girard gets Martin's left leg and scores the first takedown near the BU bench…Martin escapes for one as they battle on their feet near the BU nench still…Martin gets to his feet from one knee as they battle out of bounds at the Bloomsburg bench…Off the reset Girard sweeps underneath for one leg and a takedown…He now leads 4-1…Girard taking control of Martin's right leg…Trying to force him to turn…Martin breaks away and scampers behind for a reversal…Girard leads 4-3 after one…Girard starts the second on bottom…Martin tries to turn Girard but then just flattens him…Girard spins away and secures one leg and two points on a reversal before a whistle stops the action…Girard maintains a 6-3 lead inside the final minute of the second…He keeps Martin flat on the mat…Riding time approaching one minute…Girard high on Martin's body…Working on his upper half…Girard takes his 6-3 lead to the third…He starts the second on top…Off the whistle Martin gets to his feet but Girard flattens him to the mat…Riding time now approaching two minutes…Girard working on Martin's right side…Potentially trying for a cradle from the right before he spins the two out of bounds…One minute left in the third…Off the reset Girard keeps Martin on the mat…Riding time approaching three minutes…Martin gets to his feet but Girard keeps him down…Inside the final minute…Stall warning issued to Girard on top…22 seconds left in the bout…Girard will sit on the final 20 seconds and hold on for the 7-3 decision with riding time. 133 – Andy Schutz (Exeter, Pa./Wyoming Area) vs. Andrew Coghill Off the whistle Schutz showing his aggressiveness…Schutz forcing the action near the BU bench…They tie up at the shoulders on the line…The two spin out of bounds near the bench…They engage down on the mat…Now back up to their feet…Halfway through the first we're scoreless…Schutz trying to keep Coghill tied up at the shoulders…Coghill tries to out-muscle him but Schutz fights it off and spins behind for two…Inside the final 30 seconds of the opening period…Schutz working on top as the period ends…He leads 2-0…He starts the second on bottom…Off the whistle Schutz gets to his feet and escapes to pad his lead to 3-0…Down on the mat Schutz spins around until he secures points behind Coghill…Schutz now leads 5-0 inside the final minute of the second…Schutz tries to turn Coghill for two before the official whistles for a reset…Schutz works until the end of the second…He leads 5-0 going to the third…Schutz starts the third in neutral…They battle on the mat near the scorer's table…Schutz secures another takedown to make it 7-0…He takes the major decision 8-0 with riding time. 141 – Shawn Orem (Pasadena, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) vs. Evan Cheek Off the whistle the two men are too aggressive and the official whistles for a stalemate…Cheek secures the first takedown by overpowering Orem to the mat…Orem escapes before spinning out of bounds at the near edge…The match is now tied at two-apiece…Cheek trying to control Orem's left leg…He fights through the contact and gets Orem to his back…Orem eventually shakes Cheek but Cheek now leads 8-2 after four nearfall points…On the near edge they battle…Final 10 seconds of the first…The period ends with Cheek leading 12-2…Orem starts the second on bottom…Orem gets to his feet off the whistle…Gets Orem to his back again and secures the pin at 3:19 in the second period.

Ken Chertow working as a broadcaster for the Pac-12 Network at the 2017 Pac-12 Wrestling Championships in Palo Alto, Calif. (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Queens University of Charlotte Director of Athletics Cherie Swarthout announces the departure of head wrestling coach Ken Chertow. "I want to thank Ken for his efforts to lay a foundation for Queens wrestling," Swarthout commented. "Ken is internationally recognized in amateur wrestling and his enthusiasm for collegiate wrestling will pay dividends at Queens for years to come. We wish him well as he pursues a different coaching opportunity." Chertow was hired in the spring of 2017 to start up the men's wrestling program at Queens. His expertise in the sport as an Olympian and nationally recognized trainer were assets as the Royals navigated the new sport addition. Chertow was successful in bringing in 25 student-athletes to get the program off the ground and running in its first year competing as a club sport. During his time at Queens, the program added a new state of the art wrestling room constructed in the Levine Center. The Royals also landed a conference affiliation for their first year of NCAA competition next season as the South Atlantic Conference and Conference Carolinas announced that they will join to sponsor joint championships. They will compete for a co-branded 'South Atlantic Conference Carolinas' Championship.

Mike Mena RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Just in time for the postseason, No. 9-ranked California Baptist University announced the hiring of Mike Mena as Assistant Wrestling Coach. "Mike has a wealth of experience both as a DI competitor and coach," said Coach Lennie Zalesky. "I am confident that Mike will have a big impact on the CBU wrestling team as we transition forward." Mena brings nearly a decade worth of Big Ten coaching experience from time spent at Indiana University. He coached 15 NCAA DI All-Americans, three NCAA DI Champions, 14 NWCA Academic All-Americans and five teams received Academic All-American team awards. He graduated in 2011 from the NWCA FCA Coaching Leadership Academy and was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 2000. During his collegiate career at the University of Iowa, Mena was a Big Ten Champion and four-time NCAA All-American. All four years at Iowa, the Hawkeyes won the conference championship and won three NCAA National Championships. He is also a former three-time U.S. National Senior Men's Freestyle team member and a two-time US Olympic Team Trials Placewinner. Back in high school, Mena was the first four-time undefeated Illinois high school state wrestling champion in Illinois wrestling history. "I am honored to serve as assistant wrestling coach at CBU," said Mena. "I would like to thank President Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, Vice President Mr. Kent Dacus, Athletic Director Dr. Micah Parker, Assistant Athletic Director Joey Logan and Coach Zalesky for this wonderful opportunity. Thank you and Lance up!"

Dan Gable taking in the Iowa-Illinois dual meet (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado -- USA Wrestling announced Friday that storied coaching minds Dan Gable, Mike Duroe and J Robinson will serve as honorary coaches of Team USA for the upcoming Freestyle World Cup to be held April 7-8 in Iowa City, Iowa. All three men have extensive experience coaching at the college and international levels, as well as strong ties to Iowa throughout their coaching careers. "We are very excited to have Coach Gable, J Robinson and Mike Duroe as our honorary coaching staff," said U.S. Freestyle National Coach Bill Zadick. "Those three gentlemen have a unique history and connection geographically in Iowa, but also exceptional wrestling at the highest level for a long time. I think it'll be a great addition for our team. We couldn't be more honored and excited to have those guys." Gable returns to famed Carver-Hawkeye Arena as the winningest coach in University of Iowa history, compiling a career record of 355-21-5. Over the course of his 21-year stint at Iowa, Gable led the Hawkeyes to 15 NCAA championships and 21 Big Ten titles. He coached 45 individual NCAA champions, 152 All-Americans and 106 Big Ten champions. On the international circuit, Gable has coached five U.S. Olympic Teams, six U.S. World Teams and 10 World Cup teams. As a competitor, Gable was an Olympic gold medalist in 1972 at the Munich Games and a World champion in 1971. He was a two-time NCAA champion and three-time finalist for Iowa State, finishing with a 181-1 career record. Robinson posted one of the most successful coaching careers in wrestling history, building the University of Minnesota program into a national power during his 30 years at the helm. Under Robinson's guidance, the Gophers won three NCAA championships and six Big Ten championships. He coached 14 individual NCAA champions, 63 All-Americans and 31 Big Ten champions. Prior to his arrival at Minnesota, Robinson served as an assistant coach for 12 years at Iowa under Gable. He was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team coaching staff for four consecutive Olympic Games from 1976 to 1988. Robinson served as U.S. coach for the 1983 Pan American Games. Robinson represented the U.S. at the 1972 Olympic Games held in Munich, Germany. He was a two-time U.S. World Team member, finishing in the top five at the World Championships in 1970 and 1971. Both Gable and Robinson have been inducted as distinguished members of The National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. Duroe is in his 13th season as head coach of Cornell College, a NCAA Division III institution in Mount Vernon, Iowa. He is the winningest coach in program history with a 139-92-2 overall record and 44 national qualifiers to his credit. Duroe has coached 19 All-Americans, five NCAA finalists and one NCAA champion. Duroe has been instrumental in the development and success of USA Wrestling. He has served on the men's freestyle coaching staff at six Olympic Games dating back to 1996, in addition to coaching senior-level and junior-level World Teams each year since 1993. Duroe assists coaching the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, and also coached the U.S. women's freestyle team during its 1999 World title run. He spent three years as the USA Wrestling national resident coach at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Other coaching stints include time at Northern Michigan University, University of Pennsylvania and Northwestern University. "Iowa has some of the greatest wrestling fans in the entire world, so it will be great to showcase the best international wrestling on the planet in Iowa City," Zadick added. For more information on the Freestyle World Cup, please visit worldcupiowacity.com.

James Ferentz and Stefen Wisniewski are former wrestlers expected to play in Super Bowl LII What makes Super Bowl LII so super? It's more than the NFL championship game between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. It's one media spectacle that is truly a national event, bringing together millions of individuals who normally can't agree on anything. Approximately one-third of all Americans are expected to watch some or all of the 52nd edition of The Big Game on TV. Past Super Bowls still rank among the most-watched events in TV history. Among those millions of Super Bowl viewers are members of the wrestling community. Most years, a number of the players participating in the Super Bowl are former amateur wrestlers. Most hung up the headgear after high school; however, at least two past NCAA Division I heavyweight champs have played in previous Super Bowls: Curley Culp, a two-sport star athlete at Arizona State who won his mat title at the 1967 NCAAs and went on play in the Big Game for the Kansas City Chiefs ... and two-time collegiate mat champ Stephen Neal of Cal State Bakersfield (1998, 1999) who earned three Super Bowl rings for New England despite never having played football in college. Expected to take the field at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Feb. 4 will be at least two players that bring high school wrestling experience to Super Bowl LII: James Ferentz of the Patriots, and Stefen Wisniewski for the Eagles. The two former matmen share more than a wrestling background. Ferentz and Wisniewski are both 28 years old. Both are offensive linemen. Both grew up in amateur wrestling hotbeds -- Ferentz in Iowa City, Wisniewski in Pittsburgh. Both played football in the Big Ten ... and both have fathers who are famous in football. Let's meet them ... James Ferentz This isn't the first Super Bowl for James Ferentz, an offensive lineman for the New England Patriots. Two years ago, Ferentz played at Super Bowl 50 in his first season in the NFL for the Denver Broncos. The last name may seem familiar, even if you hadn't memorized the team rosters for Super Bowl 50. After all, James Ferentz's father Kirk Ferentz is long-time head football coach at the University of Iowa. Born in June 1989, James grew up in Iowa City, wrestling and playing football at Iowa City High School ... then chose to stay close to home to continue his education -- and his gridiron career --for the Iowa Hawkeyes (while hanging up his wrestling headgear). Football accomplishments: James Ferentz plays center for the Pats, having signed with New England in May 2017. He started his NFL career in 2014, signing with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent ... then joined the Broncos in September 2015, playing for two seasons at Denver (including Super Bowl 50). Prior to entering the NFL, Ferentz first made a name for himself on the football field for Iowa City's Little Hawk, earning first team all-state as a junior and senior, first team all-conference as a junior and senior, and being named team captain. He then moved across town to the University of Iowa, where he started in 38 consecutive games over three seasons for the Hawkeyes. Wrestling accomplishments: James Ferentz earned four letters in wrestling at City High, and served as wrestling team captain for the Little Hawks as a senior, losing just two matches that year ... both to the eventual state champ. In fact, James Ferentz made it to the heavyweight finals of the 2009 Iowa state wrestling championships, placing second in one of the toughest tournaments in the nation. Ferentz weighs in on the importance of wrestling in football: In an interview with Trackwrestling.com at Super Bowl LII Media Day, Ferentz said, "What's great about wrestling is it's one-on-one. Everything falls on your shoulders, and I really enjoyed that kind of competitiveness." "You get comfortable in really uncomfortable positions," Ferentz continued. "In offensive line play, you get into some really weird positions, and, if you're comfortable enough to know your body and where your weight is, you'll succeed." "I always think of handfighting and footwork (from my wrestling career)," said Ferentz. "How I use leverage, balance, and hand placement." NFL tale of the tape: 6'2", 285 pounds, 28 years old Stefen Wisniewski It only makes sense that Stefen Wisniewski participated in wrestling and in football, given his family's athletic heritage. His father Leo Wisniewski was a high school state wrestling champ in Pennsylvania, one of the nation's wrestling hotbeds. Leo was also a force to be reckoned with on the gridiron, having played four seasons for the Colts as a nose tackle. Stefen's uncle Steve Wisniewski was an eight-time Pro Bowl guard with the Raiders then later became an assistant offensive line coach for the team. Football accomplishments: Stefen Wisniewski started his NFL career by being drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft, then moved on to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014 before finding his home with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016. Prior to going pro, Wisniewski played for Penn State, becoming the first Nittany Lion football student-athlete to be named an ESPN Academic All-American three times. He became Penn State's 95th first team All-American at the conclusion of the 2010 season. Before heading off to Happy Valley, Wisniewski played football at Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School, where he was selected a U.S. Army All American his senior season. He was a two-time first-team all-state honoree, and was rated the No. 5 overall prep player in Pennsylvania by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 8 guard in the nation. Wrestling accomplishments: In an interview with Trackwrestling.com during Super Bowl LII, Wisniewski said he first took up wrestling as a third grader (at the urging of his father, who was a Pennsylvania high school state champ), took a break from the sport for a number of years until high school. He talked of wrestling his dad at home, but as the Eagle big man put it, As I got bigger and stronger, we didn't wrestle as much." Wisniewski didn't wrestle in his senior year at Central Catholic to concentrate on his football career. Wisniewski weighs in on the importance of wrestling in football: "(Wrestling) is great cross-training for football," Wisniewski told Trackwrestling.com. "A lot of people who've watched me have said it looks like I have a wrestling background. It's a compliment as a lineman as I'm essentially wrestling with the defensive lineman. Just understanding leverage, how to lean, how to turn a guy's shoulders, different things like that ... Mental toughness is a huge one too. If you can wrestle, you can do pretty much any sport. "It's a rough sport but you've got to love the grind." "I really love the sport and I kinda miss it sometimes." NFL tale of the tape: 6'3", 315 pounds, 28 years old. Can't get enough info on former wrestlers at Super Bowl LII? The Mat Talk Podcast Network features individual audio interviews with those who have wrestling backgrounds at the Big Game, including the Philadelphia Eagles' long snapper Rick Lovato and defensive tackle Elijah Qualls, in addition to Ferentz and Wisniewski. www.mattalkonline.com/super-bowl-52/

David Taylor (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) David Taylor and Kyle Snyder walked away from last week's Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix with gold medals and world No. 1 rankings. While Snyder's victory felt pre-ordained, many in the worldwide wrestling community were less wise to Taylor. After this week that'll all change. What struck me about Taylor's performance at the Yarygin wasn't that he dominated all his opponents (the Cuban gave him a run), but that he never showed weakness of spirit, self-doubt, nerves or hesitation. Not that he'd shown these before, but his composure and preparedness were obvious to all watching. From the time he landed in Siberia he was the man to beat. David Taylor is going to run the 86-kilogram weight class in 2018, but he also may take up residence as the weight classes' top performer going into Tokyo in 2020. Not to be overlooked, Tamyra Mensah continued to show technical improvements and mat maturity en route to winning her second Yarygin title. Like Taylor she was the best wrestler on the mats and showed nothing but strength when competing. Expect her to be waving a large flag in Tokyo as well. She's very special and (as a bonus) is a charming personality! To your questions … Q: Am I the only one who finds it ludicrous that wrestlers are occasionally disqualified for stalling, but almost never for dirty illegal moves? Yes, Deluca-Retherford. How many times can you hit a guy well beyond the respected bounds of aggressive wrestling, and not get DQ'd? In many senses, this offers a distinct advantage to the foul-filled wrestler. If you can't match him skill-for-skill, why not throw some pseudo-punches and throat chops to try to get him off his game, or in the very least avoid the tech? Particularly if there is no threat of DQ, there's an intimidation factor. Who wants to set up a shot if it results in a near-punch to the face or slap of the cauliflower ear that doesn't get called? Do you think more wrestlers should be DQ'd for such deplorable tactics? -- Rick J. Foley: Collegiate and high school wrestling in America has always tolerated more than a modicum of brutality. The line for what is, and what is not, considered outside the rules has tended to get tighter over the years. I'd expect the rules to continue in that direction. However, there are still matches in which athletes push the boundaries of this accepted brutality. Like you mentioned, it often doesn't reveal the more technical wrestler, but benefits the offender who would have discouraged the attacks of his opponent. In that view there is something almost sad about referees allowing those types of outbursts, since it only encourages more athletes to act the same way and thus reduces the quantity of more compelling techniques. American wrestlers take a lot of pride in toughness and often it comes in these extra-curricular post-match slaps, face mushes and out-of-bounds shoves. The agro-behavior is below the sport and should be called out for the shame it brings on the overall product that is our wrestling style. The solution is to immediately DQ these behaviors, dock team points and issue suspensions. I'm not saying you shouldn't throw someone, or crank a cross face cradle (sans wind-up), but I am saying that the boxing should be left off the wrestling mats. Q: Help me understand how Richie Lewis can win a U23 world title in freestyle but fall outside the top ten rankings in college? Is freestyle that favorable to him? Are U23 Worlds not as competitive as one might think? -- Dustin K. Foley: I think there is an element of truth to both your questions. The U23 is a tournament in its infancy and while the level of competition is very high, it's not quite to the level of the Senior World Championships, or even Junior Worlds. One note here is that the tournament had fewer attending nations because it was announced after the new year and many national federations had already created and passed their budgets. As for collegiate wrestling not being favorable to Richie, I don't know if that's one-hundred percent the cause, but there are obvious stylistic differences in the two. For starters, wrestling on the mat in the NCAA is basically jiu-jitsu, while overseas there are only a few seconds per takedown allotted to top work. Richie could also have benefited from an out of bounds in freestyle which gave more benefit to his mat control. He also would have faced a narrower variety of defenses since self-exposing your back Is frowned upon overseas. Richie will be an All-American, which I think rounds out a pretty spectacular year on the mats! Q: So, I saw this here from the NCAA and noticed that wrestling has the lowest percentage of male high school participants continuing to compete in NCAA. (Less than three percent of high school wrestlers compete in NCAA at any level.) The U.S. wrestling community has certainly been concerned about the decreasing number of college teams over time. But is this a problem, in your view? Maybe it's OK, there are still a quarter-million kids each year learning about wrestling (and thus, getting the great life lessons that wrestling can teach) on a high school team, what does it matter in the big picture if they compete in college or not? Only 18 percent of Division 1 wrestlers are first-generation college students anyway, and those individuals are certainly not all receiving full scholarships, so it's not like wrestling is providing college access to a large number of young men who would otherwise not be able to receive a college education. Perhaps we'd be better off to focus our efforts on increasing participation opportunities for young boys and girls, and not worry so much about the number of college teams? Just wondering what are your (and the readers') thoughts on this. -- Irv O. Foley: The mantra has always been that "more is better," and to an extent that is true. If wrestling can prolong the careers of its wrestlers there is a positive outcome: fan creation, wrestler retention, and improvement of our overall athletic communities through a diversity of experiences. You have a point that in a resource-limited sport its always important to revisit where you spend money, time and energy. Will more Division I wrestling programs create a cultural shift significant enough to generate more revenue, fan interaction and awareness of the sport? What resources would be necessary to generate enough lift to even start a brand-new program at a marquee school. I've always been an advocate for women's wrestling and the smart investment seems to be the creation of opportunities for female athletes at the high school and college level. For too long the wrestling community has all but ignored half of the U.S. population. Women are also responsible for 80 percent of all household purchases. So from a business standpoint it would make more sense to target a new market which would drive organic coverage of the sport, while also creating the potential for real monetary gains. The expansion of opportunities for women's wrestling is underway, but more can be done. We need to expel the notion that for every women's spot granted a man loses theirs -- in fact, the opposite might well be true. Even if you or your wrestling friends can't be compelled to support women because it's morally right to allow women to choose their outcome, certainly you could see that it's a cultural and financial positive for the sport overall. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Yarygin gold-medal matches ... David Taylor Kyle Snyder Tamyra Mensah Q: A lot of big-time MMA stars came up through the JUCO ranks but never went further. How do you think guys like Anthony Rumble Johnson, Cung Le, Vladi Matyushenko, Jon Jones, and others would have fared in Division I? Most guys I can think of who actually went from JUCO to DI did well. Guys like Chris Weidman, Colby Covington, Daniel Cormier, Cain Velasquez, and others. Who is the best/most successful wrestler to come from a JUCO start? Jamil Kelly? Daniel Cormier? Matt Lindland? -- M5 Foley: When you add together collegiate success, international titles and success in MMA, the bet JUCO product has to be Daniel Cormier. There are certainly guys who didn't make it out of JUCO who would have won matches at the NCAA level and maybe even become All-Americans, but Division I tends to be as much about the off-the-mat requirements as the on-the-mat techniques. Whether a JUCO guy who didn't make it DI or a DI guy who couldn't stay focused enough to complete four years on the team, the simple act of staying eligible and in the good graces of a coaching staff is hard work in and of itself. Q: What is so special about the Yarygin tournament? If this is the toughest open tournament in the world, why do we only get a handful of U.S. competitors entering every year? -- Dustin K. Foley: You know how people complain about jet lag after a trip from New York to California? And then you know people who really moan when they travel to/from Tokyo? The Ivan Yarygin is in just about the toughest place to fly to with most itineraries from the states requiring two stopovers and accumulating 30 hours. So, in short, distance and what I can confirm is just about the worst jet lag I've ever experienced. Other factors: The tournament is actually TOO good to bring the whole team, since there is a higher likelihood of one-and-done. Also, the costs of the flight and possibly the fact it was -40 degrees! As for what's special, basically the cold, the distance and the fact there are so many Russians competing! Cuts both ways type situation. Q: Seth Gross bumped up a weight class to take on Bryce Meredith in a battle of top-ranked wrestlers. Gross lost a close match. Does that take him out of Hodge Trophy contention? Should it? -- Mike C. Foley: I don't know that it would be a major ding to his chances, but unless your name rhymes with PAIN, you aren't winning the Hodge. Q: It seems like every week someone is writing in to complain about the negative way that riding time affects the potential for high scoring and viewer-friendly matches in college wrestling. In general, I think they are right. Do you see any way that the powers-that-be in the NCAA, the rules committee and the head coaches, would ever even consider changing such a fundamental rule in their current version of the sport? Or is this the "third rail" of college wrestling? -- Ed B. Foley: Sure. I don't think it's a third rail topic in the sport and with the gamesmanship of that point increasing year-over-year we are seeing a larger chorus of voices speaking out against the point. We are nearing a place in the discussion where a change is just too logical. No matter what we want to believe, or want to protect, the riding time point is very obviously leading to less exciting action on the mat. I think the rules committee will revisit riding time at some point in the next three years. And I expect it to be removed before 2022. Q: What was your biggest takeaway from Tulsa Nationals? Were you surprised by the 12 and under, 80-pound results? -- Mike C. Foley: Ha! You kid, but I'll take this moment to once again remind parents, friends and anyone else reading that you should not allow your child to compete in these tournaments! There is no upside to winning a "national title" at 8 years old. Taking gymnastics classes would provide multiple times more return on investment come time for high school and college.

WAVERLY, Iowa -- The No. 2 Wartburg wrestling team (17-2 overall) compiled a comeback win to defeat No. 1 Augburg (11-2) 21-13 Thursday in the annual Battle of the Burgs. With the win, the Knights own the Swens-Milboy trophy belt and have won all four duals in this trophy series. In addition, the Orange and Black avenged their loss to the Auggies in the NWCA National Duals finals. Senior Kyle Fank (Independence) gave Wartburg its first lead with his win at 197. He rallied with a takedown in the last few seconds of the third period to earn his 14th-straight win. "This is what you want," he said after the match. "A packed gym, the crowd behind you, and a last second score. I just knew I had to stay on him, as he was going to get tired eventually. It wasn't the best match I have wrestled, but I knew I had to score. "This (Battle of the Burgs) is the biggest dual of the year, the two top ranked teams in the country and a ranked guy at every weight," he continued. Head coach Eric Keller said, "Fank never gave up mentally, I saw a lot of heart from him tonight. He was able to be successful from the work that he puts in every day and found a way to win." Levick Arena was full and had fans standing around the upper railing. "Tonight was an unbelievable environment," said Keller. "You learn a lot from a hard fought battle and we are getting closer to wrestling at our full potential. Results: 125: #10 Victor Gliva (AU) won by 6-2 dec vs. Brady Kyner (WB) AU leads 3-0 133: #8 Brock Rathbun (WB) won by 9-6 dec vs #4 Sam Bennyhoff (AC) Tied 3-3 141: #3 David Flynn (AU) won by 9-3 dec vs Brenden Baker (WB) AU 6-3 149: #1 Cross Cannone (WB) won by 6-2 dec vs. #4 Alex Wilson (AU) Tied 6-6 157: #3 Ryan Epps (AU) won by 10-6 dec vs #1 Logan Thomsen (WB) AU 9-6 165: #1 Lucas Jeske (AU) won by 13-2 maj dec vs. Max Forsyth (WB) AU 13-6 174: #1 Eric DeVos (WB) won by 11-4 vs #10 Tanner Vassar (AU) AU 13-9 184: #4 Tyler Lutes (WB) won by 6-3 dec vs #7 Sebastian Larson (AU) AU 13-12 197: #2 Kyle Fank (WB) won by 5-4 dec vs #7 Lance Benick (AU) WB 15-13 285: #2 Lance Evans (WB) win by fall 1:28 vs Ethan Hofacker (AU) WB 21-13 Notes: -133, 149, 157, 174 was a rematch of National Duals -133, 157 had a different outcome -Rathbun increased his winning streak to six. -Baker's second collegiate match at 141 -Cannone remains undefeated (25-0) -Thomsen's first loss of the season -DeVos remains undefeated (9-0) -DeVos increased his winning streak to 27, which dates back to the National Championship match of 2016 -Fank increased his winning streak to 14 -Evans remains undefeated (15-0) -This was Evan's 10th pin of the season. -Match started at 125 -Attendance: 2700

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- The Edinboro wrestling team picked up its 16th straight win over #23 Lock Haven with a 22-14 EWL win in Lock Haven. The Fighting Scots picked up wins in the final two weight classes (197 and 285 lbs.) to win the back and forth match. Edinboro improves to 6-3 on the season and 4-1 in the EWL. The Bald Eagles fall to 10-3 and 2-2 in the EWL. Sean Russell (125 lbs.) started off getting the major decision over Luke Warner, 20-8, with Korbin Myers followed up with a 9-4 decision over DJ Fehlman to give the Fighting Scots the 7-0 lead. The Bald Eagles tied things up with wins at 141 and 149 lbs. Edinboro regained the lead 10-7 thanks to a decision by Andrew Shomers (157 lbs.) over Alex Klucker. #8 Chance Marsteller gave Lock Haven the lead with a 12-4 major decision over Fritz Hoehn (165 lbs.). Marsteller earned one bonus point to give him the major decision. However, the lead didn't last long as Ty Schoffstall (174 lbs.) used an escape and a takedown in the last ten seconds of the third period to get a 6-5 decision over Jared Siegrist. Corey Hazel of Lock Haven gave the Bald Eagles the lead for the second time on the evening with a 2-0 decision over Zach Ancewicz at 184 lbs. Edinboro's Dylan Reynolds lead 1-0 after two periods at 197 lbs. over Trey Hartsock. With Hartsock choosing bottom to start the final period, Reynolds kept him from getting an escape and ended up earning the bonus point for the 2-0. The match was still a toss up going into the final match at 285 lbs. with Edinboro leading Lock Haven 16-14. Derek Dragon took the mat for Lock Haven with #14 Billy Miller securing the win for Edinboro, picking up a fall over Dragon. The win secured six team points and giving the Fighting Scots the 22-14 win. Edinboro will host the Edinboro Open on Saturday, February 3, 2018. The tournament will be held on campus at the Mike S. Zafirovski Sports and Recreation Dome. Results: 125 – #11 Sean Russell (EU) maj dec. Luke Werner (LHU), 20-8 (EU leads 4-0) 133 – #17 Korbin Myers (EU) dec. DJ Fehlman (LHU), 9-4 (EU leads 7-0) 141 – Kyle Shoop (LHU) dec. Nate Hagan (EU), 7-2 (EU leads 7-3) 149 – #16 Ronnie Perry (LHU) maj. dec. Jensen Lorea (EU) , 18-4 (Tied 7-7) 157 – Andrew Shomers (EU) dec. Alex Klucker (LHU), 7-0 (EU leads 10-7) 165 – #4 Chance Marsteller (LHU) maj. dec. Fritz Hoehn (EU) 12-4 (LHU leads 11-10) 174 – Ty Schoffstall (EU) dec. Jared Siegrist (LHU), 6-5 (EU leads 13-11) 184 – Corey Hazel (LHU) dec. Zach Ancewicz (EU), 2-0 (LHU leads 14-13) 197 – Dylan Reynolds (EU) dec. Trey Hartsock (LHU), 2-0 (EU leads 16-14) Hwt. - #14 Billy Miller (EU) fall Derek Dragon (LHU), 4:37 (EU wins 22-14)

DURHAM, N.C. --The Duke wrestling team turned in a dominant performance Thursday night, besting visiting Gardner-Webb 38-3 in non-conference dual action. The Blue Devils won nine of the 10 bouts and earned bonus points in four of those. The 38 points scored by the Blue Devils are the most by the team since they beat VMI 38-9 Jan. 29, 2014. Duke's 35-point margin of victory is the largest since a 43-0 win over Davidson Feb. 1, 2012. Duke improves to 4-5 overall on the year, while the Runnin' Bulldogs drop to 1-8. Duke started the evening at 174 pounds with rookie Matt Finesilver picking up a 19-2 technical fall for his 19th win of the season. He led 13-2 after two periods and needed little time in the third to come away with the five points for the Blue Devils. Fellow true freshman Kaden Russell followed with a hard-fought 11-9 decision at 184 pounds and Alec Schenk added three more points to the team score by edging Anthony Perrine in a 3-2 match. Leading 11-0 after three matches, fourth-ranked Jacob Kasper put together his usual performance and tacked on six more points with a pin in 4:01. It was his team-best sixth of the year and extended his win streak to 16 matches and pushed his career total to 96. After a forfeit at 125 by the Runnin' Bulldogs, Duke added four more wins at 133, 149, 157 and 165. Josh Finesilver moved to 18-11 on the season with a narrow 2-0 decision. Mitch Finesilver, ranked 11th at 157, also used his time in the top position to grab a 2-0 decision and his 21st victory of the year. Brandon Leynaud, Duke's 149-pounder, added yet another pin to his name, putting Joby Armenta on his back late in the second period for six points. Leynaud has a career-best five falls this season with three of them coming in duals. Zach Finesilver rounded out the dual with a wild 11-6 decision over Brett Stein. The pair traded reversals throughout the match, but it was a strong third-period showing from Zach that proved to be the difference. He improves to 12-10 overall heading into this weekend's ACC match. Duke returns to Cameron Indoor Stadium Saturday, Feb. 3 against Virginia. The dual is slated to start at 2 p.m., and will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra. Results: 174 - No. 19 Matt Finesilver (Duke) tech fall Christian Maroni (GWU), 19-2 [Duke 5, GWU 0] 184 - Kaden Russell (Duke) decision Cole Graves (GWU), 11-9 [Duke 8, GWU 0] 197 - Alec Schenk (Duke) decision Anthony Perrine (GWU), 3-2 [Duke 11, GWU 0] 285 - No. 4 Jacob Kasper (Duke) fall Lathan Bumgarner (GWU)], 4:01 [Duke 17, GWU 0] 125 - Thayer Atkins (Duke) wins by forfeit [Duke 23, GWU 0] 133 - Josh Finesilver (Duke) decision Philip Anderson (GWU), 2-0 [Duke 26, GWU 0] 141 - Landon LoAlbo (GWU) decision Jeremiah Reitz (GWU), 12-6 [Duke 26, GWU 3] 149 - Brandon Leynaud (Duke) fall Joby Armenta (GWU), 4:32 [Duke 32, GWU 3] 157 - No. 11 Mitch Finesilver (Duke) decision Tyler Marinelli (GWU), 2-0 [Duke 35, GWU 3] 165 - Zach Finesilver (Duke) decision Brett Stein (GWU), 11-6 [Duke 38, GWU 3]

Dr. Stanley Henson, who, as three-time NCAA champ for Oklahoma State, was believed to be the eldest living national college mat champ at age 101, passed away Wednesday night, according to his nephew Josh Henson. Stanley HensonBorn November 30, 1916, Stanley Willard Henson, Jr. wore many hats during his long life, as a wrestler, coach, medical doctor, sports medicine pioneer, husband, and father. "He was a remarkable man," Josh Henson wrote on Facebook Thursday. "At the time of his passing, Stanley Henson was the oldest living NCAA Champion in any sport and is considered by many the greatest American wrestler of all time. He beat every opponent he every wrestled and never had an offensive point scored on in three years of college competition, each of which ended with his being crowned NCAA national champion. He was also the first sophomore ever to win the outstanding wrestler (MVP award), which till then had only been won by seniors." Stanley Henson had the honor of wrestling for two all-time great coaches. At Tulsa Central High School, Henson competed for Art Griffith, winning two Oklahoma state wrestling titles, and earning Outstanding Wrestler honors at states as a senior. He then headed west to Stillwater to what was then called Oklahoma A&M, wrestling for another legend, Ed Gallagher. Henson won the 145-pound crown at the 1937 and 1938 NCAAs, then the title at 155 in 1939. He was also prominently featured in a 1939 Life magazine photo-essay on the Oklahoma State wrestling team. Charlie Mayser, legendary coach at Iowa State in the 1930s, said, "(Henson) is positively the greatest wrestler to come along in generations and I've seen some of the best." The Cyclone coach later said, "That Henson -- he's just not human!" Contemporary wrestling historian Mike Chapman said this of Henson: "All the old-timers I talk to consider him -- without exception -- one of the top four or five wrestlers of all time." (Amateur Wrestling News named Henson as the best U.S. amateur wrestler of the 1930s.) After five years as a physical instructor and wrestling assistant at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Henson attended medical school at University of Maryland and trained at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. for four years before moving to Fort Collins, Colo. to work as a surgeon, becoming the first doctor to perform open-heart surgery at the local hospital. In addition, Henson was a pioneer in the field of sports medicine, as one of the first to combine his athletic and medical interests in that field, and, in fact, became a nationally known lecturer and consultant. Henson was welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1978, and just last year, was presented with the Gallagher Award, presented each year to an Oklahoma State alumnus who exemplifies the spirit and leadership eminent in the tradition of champions. Funeral arrangements have not been announced as of Thursday afternoon.

Kyle Borshoff VESTAL, N.Y. -- After lifting Binghamton wrestling to an undefeated run in the EIWA (5-0) over the last two months as acting head coach, Kyle Borshoff has been named the head coach moving forward. In his third year with the program, Borshoff took over the reigns as acting head coach in December and has the Bearcats surging toward the postseason. Binghamton (8-4) has won five straight dual matches and after a win over nationally-ranked Drexel on Saturday, BU made its first appearance in the national polls in six years. "We are excited to have Kyle guide our wrestling program into the future," Director of Athletics Patrick Elliott said. "His experience as a coach and leader at the Division I level combined with his stellar career as a student-athlete will allow us to continue to build a national wrestling program on the mat, in the classroom and in the community." Borshoff is a former two-time All-American and key recruiter for an American University program that twice finished in the NCAA top-20 during his five-year tenure. In his previous two seasons as an assistant at Binghamton, he helped steer BU to 20 dual wins, four NCAA qualifiers and a 15-8 record against EIWA opponents. Last season, the Bearcats went 8-4 vs. conference foes and placed eighth at the EIWA Championship - the program's highest finish in four years of membership. "I am extremely excited to lead the Bearcat Wrestling program," Borshoff said. "I want to thank Patrick Elliott and Harvey Stenger for giving me this opportunity. It is an exciting time to be a part of the Binghamton University Wrestling program. We have a young team of exceptional student-athletes who strive toward success. This team is going to continue to grow together every day, and will accomplish great thing during their careers." In his elite collegiate wrestling career at American, Borshoff was a three-year captain, three-time NCAA qualifier and two-time All-American (2009, 2010). He was a four-time EIWA placewinner and went on to become a three-time World Team Trials qualifier. He earned his bachelor's degree in business administration: real estate finance from American in 2010. He also received his master's degree in health promotion management in 2015. A native of Pittsford, a suburb of Rochester, Borshoff is the son of Binghamton Hall of Fame member Tim Borshoff '76. Kyle's brother Jasen Borshoff, is the Bearcats' interim associate head coach.

Zain Retherford (Photo/Juan Garcia) No. 1 Penn State and No. 2 Ohio State have combined to win the last seven NCAA titles. On Saturday the Nittany Lions will welcome the Buckeyes to Rec Hall for a dual meet. While this is clearly an important dual, the loser is by no means eliminated from contending for a national title. In 2014, Penn State won the NCAA tournament after suffering a dual meet loss. The 2015 Ohio State national championship team dropped four duals that season before storming back to win the team title. Returning NCAA champion No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) is not expected to compete in the match, but there are still plenty of intriguing bouts. The meet features 17 ranked wrestlers, five top-ten matchups and two members of the 2017 World Team. The following is a weight-by-weight preview of the dual meet. The lineups are a prediction of each team's best squad 125: Devin Schnupp (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) Schnupp was forced into action this season after No. 1 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) chose to transfer from Penn State in the offseason. Schnupp has gone 1-14 on the season with his only win coming over Mike Simonetti (Franklin & Marshall) at the Keystone Classic. Former Boise State wrestler Carson Kuhn recently joined the squad. There is hope he could fill in at this weight, but he has yet to make his season debut. Tomasello returned from injury with a pair of technical falls over Brandon Cray (Maryland) and No. 6 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota). The three-time All-American then ran into No. 3 Spencer Lee (Iowa) and dropped a close decision. Since the loss, Tomasello has bounced back with wins over Rayvon Foley (Michigan State) and No. 13 Luke Welch (Purdue). This will probably be the most one-sided match of the dual. Tomasello is the clear favorite in this match, and he will looking to put his team out in front with bonus points. Prediction: Tomasello (Ohio State) tech fall over Schnupp (Penn State) 133: Corey Keener (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) After transferring from Central Michigan over the summer, Kenner has stepped into the starting 133-pound spot for Nittany Lions. He has gone 12-5 on the season. However, he has not bested a ranked wrestler yet, and he is coming off back-to-back losses against No. 12 Mitchell McKee (Minnesota) and No. 20 Scott DelVecchio (Rutgers) After dropping down to 133 pounds for this season, Pletcher has passed every test put in front of him and built an undefeated 21-0 record. While he has consistently won, he has not been a bonus point threat this season as he has put up bonus points in less than 20 percent of his matches. Pletcher has picked up wins over Delvecchio, No 17 Korbin Myers (Edinboro), No. 16 Ali Naser (Arizona State), No. 10 Josh Terao (American), No. 8 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) and No. 5 Stevan Micic (Michigan) These two wrestled last season at 133 before Pletcher moved into the starting lineup at 141. As he is accustomed, the Ohio State wrestler took the match in a close decision. This bout should play out in much the same way. While Pletcher has been dominant, he is hardly a bonus point machine. Prediction: Pletcher (Ohio State) dec. Keener (Penn State) 141: No. 6 Nick Lee (Penn State) vs. No. 11 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) Cael Sanderson pulled Lee out of redshirt after his second-place finish at the Southern Scuffle. Since joining the lineup, he has gone 6-0 in Big Ten duals. During that stretch, Lee picked up a win over No. 10 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota). While competing under redshirt, he also knocked off No. 8 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa). McKenna's ranking is a bit conceiving. He missed some action at the start of the season while he was competing and winning a bronze medal at the U23 World Championships. His only loss only the season came against Thorn. Other than that, he has won all nine of his matches with five bonus-point wins. Both wrestlers have wrestled Thorn this season with wildly different results. Lee defeated the Minnesota representative via major decision, while McKenna fell by major. Lee is at his best when he is able to move forward and persistently go for leg attacks. McKenna will likely try to thwart this with control ties and slow down the match. The veteran should be able to turn this into a one-move match, which would most likely mean trouble for Lee. However, if Lee can pull this out, it means he is a real threat to end the season as a high All-American. Prediction: McKenna (Ohio State) dec. Lee (Penn State) 149: No.1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. No. 7 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State) Even though he is coming off a Hodge Trophy winning season, it would not be hyperbole to say that Retherford is having his best season yet. He has won all 20 of his bouts so far this season and scored bonus points over everyone he has wrestled. Retherford has already defeated No. 18 Malik Amine (Michigan), No. 12 Eleazar Deluca (Rutgers) and No. 5 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) this season. Hayes had a tough two-week stretch in January where he lost a pair of matches against Deluca and No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa). Since then, he has gotten back on track with a pair of technical falls over Jwan Britton (Michigan State) and Austin Nash (Purdue). Hayes has picked up wins over multiple ranked opponents including No. 11 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska), No. 10 Matt Kolodzik (Princeton) and No. 8 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa). So far this season, there have been only four people who have stepped on the mat against Retherford and avoided the fall. DeLuca and Deakin lost by major decision, while Jamal Morris (NC State) and Knox Fuller (Army) gave up a technical falls. If Hayes can avoid going to ground, he might be able to keep this one to a major, but the odds are not in his favor. Prediction: Retherford (Penn State) tech. fall over Hayes (Ohio State) 157: Luke Gardner (Penn State) vs. No. 5 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) Returning national champion Jason Nolf suffered a knee injury against Rutgers. During an appearance on his weekly radio show, Sanderson said that he "probably won't even try to get him a dual meet," so he is not expected to wrestle. Penn State will likely send out one of two redshirt freshmen: Luke Gardner or Bo Pipher. Garder is 6-4 on the season, while Pipher has gone 5-9. Jordan has three losses on the season, but all three of those matches came against wrestlers currently ranked in the top six. Outside of those matches, he has gone undefeated in his first season at 157. Jordan has secured the fifth place ranking with signature wins over No. 19 Mike D'Angelo (Princeton), No. 18 Jake Short (Minnesota), No. 17 John Van Brill (Rutgers) and No. 6 Josh Shields (Arizona State). Whoever Penn State chooses to send out, their goal will be to avoid giving up bonus points. Gardner has only wrestled one ranked wrestler this season, and he gave up a technical fall against Deakin. That could happen again here, but with the dual meet in the balance he might take a more cautious approach to protect team points. Prediction: Jordan (Ohio State) maj. dec. Gardner (Penn State) 165: No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) vs. No. 14 Te'Shan Campbell (Ohio State) After upsetting two-time champion No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) in the NCAA finals last year, Joseph was not sneaking up on anybody this year. However, he has made improvements and has looked more dominant than ever. He has gone undefeated through 15 matches and picked up bonus in 73 percent of those bouts. Joseph holds victories over No. 8 Nick Wanzek (Minnesota), No. 9 Logan Massa (Michigan) and No. 11 Richie Lewis (Rutgers). Campbell is now riding a four-match losing streak. In his last match, he was disqualified due to stall calls against unranked Austin Hiles (Michigan State). The streak has dropped his season record 13-6, but he does hold wins over No. 15 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) and No. 12 Isaiah White (Nebraska). Last season Joseph bested Campbell by decision. The returning champion has clearly made improvements this year, while Campbell has been on a slide. If Joseph is able to get his offense early, he should be able to win by major decision. Campbell is an underrated rider, and it has helped him avoid giving up bonus points in a few matches this year. Joseph might want to avoid taking bottom if given the choice. Prediction: Joseph (Penn State) maj. dec. Campbell (Ohio State) 174: No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) Save for an exhibition loss against No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) in the NWCA All-Star Classic, Hall has gone undefeated on the year through 22 matches. While he has picked up bonus points in 77 percent of his matches, he has at times slowed matches down against higher ranked wrestlers. Hall has picked up wins over No. 17 Johnny Sebastian (Northwestern), No. 18 Matt Finesilver (Duke), No. 5 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh), No. 18 Devin Skatzka (Indiana), No. 8 Jadaen Bernstein (Navy) and No. 6 Myles Amine (Michigan). Jordan has gone 18-2 this season with both of his losses coming against Valencia. He has already wrestled as many matches this year as he did in his entire injured plagued junior season. Since losing to Valencia in the finals of the Cliff Keen Invitational, Jordan has won six straight matches including two major decisions and a fall. This bout with be a rubber match of sorts. Jordan defeated Hall in overtime to win the Big Ten Championship last season. However, Hall turned it around at the NCAA tournament and took home the title. In both matches, Jordan appeared to be aggressor, while Hall bided his time and waited for the opportunity to score. No matter what happens, this will almost certainly be a close match. Prediction: Hall (Penn State) dec. Jordan (Ohio State) 184: No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Myles Martin (Ohio State) Nickal has gone undefeated through 20 matches this season and holds an 85 percent bonus rate. 12 of his bonus point wins have come via fall. The returning NCAA champion has defeated multiple ranked wrestlers on the season including No. 4 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh), No. 5 Domenic Abounader (Michigan) and No. 12 Nicholas Gravina (Rutgers). Martin had some ups and downs last season in his first year at 184. This year, he has gotten off to his best start so far of his career. He has gone undefeated through 22 matches with a 91 percent bonus rate. He has picked up ranked wins over No. 5 Domenic Abounader (Michigan), No. 7 Taylor Venz (Minnesota) and No. 16 Bryce Carr (Chattanooga). This has developed into one of the most interesting rivalries in all of college wrestling. In the past two seasons, Nickal has defeated Martin in the dual meet match before falling in the postseason. In 2016, Martin upset Nickal to win an NCAA title. Last season, Martin knocked Nickal out of winning a Big Ten title. If Nickal sticks to his leg attacks and avoids the clinch, he should have the advantage. Then again, that is always the story between these two. Prediction: Nickal (Penn State) dec. Martin (Ohio State) 197: No. 10 Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) vs. No. 1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) Rasheed seems to have locked down the starting spot at 197 for Penn State. However, Anthony Cassar has still been seeing semiregular time at this weight. Rasheed put his name on the map with a dominant performance at the Southern Scuffle. In the tournament, he won all five of his matches and picked up three first-period falls. Since then, he has won three straight dual meet matches including a win over No. 11 Kevin Beazley (Michigan). Moore was clearly the third best wrestler at 197 last season. With the graduation of Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) and J'den Cox (Missouri), he assumed the mantle at the top of the rankings. He has won his first 18 matches to start the year including signature wins over No. 17 Patrick Brucki (Princeton), No. 14 Scottie Boykin (Chattanooga), No. 12 Matt Williams (CSU Bakersfield), No. 7 Cash Wilcke (Iowa) and No. 2 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech). Rasheed is undersized for 197. While this seems like a disadvantage, it has allowed him to be quicker than most of his opponents this season. That will likely not be the case against Moore. The Ohio State wrestler has a very fast leg attacks for the weight, and he should be able to take this match handily. Prediction: Moore (Ohio State) dec. Rasheed (Penn State 285: No. 6 Nick Nevills (Penn State) vs. No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) Nevills started his second semester with a major decision loss against No. 2 Adam Coon (Michigan). However, since then, he has picked up five straight wins including decision victories over No. 7 Youssif Hemida (Maryland) and No. 15 Shawn Streck (Purdue). Over the course of the season, he has also defeated No. 10 Mike Hughes (Hofstra), No. 12 Jordan Wood (Lehigh), No 20 Gage Hutchison (Eastern Michigan) and No. 4 Jacob Kasper (Duke). Snyder recently took a brief hiatus from the college wrestling season in order to fly to Siberia and become the first-ever American male wrestler to win back-to-back titles at the Ivan Yarygin tournament. The Olympic champion has gone 6-0 during the college season and won all of those matches via fall or technical fall. Snyder will be a huge favorite in this match. If Nevills can avoid giving up back points, he will be able to keep this one to a major decision. Prediction: Snyder (Ohio State) maj. dec. Nevills (Penn State) Dual Meet Prediction: Ohio State 22, Penn State 15

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- CSU Bakersfield's wrestling team finishes the last day of the month with a bang after defeating Cal Poly, 28-15! The Roadrunners overcame the Mustangs in true `Runner fashion by adding three tech falls and last match pin from Matt Williams who remains undefeated in duals on the season. "A conference win, I will take it any day," said Manny Rivera, Head Coach of the `Runners. "We dominated in the matches we were favored in, we should have won in a couple of those toss ups. As a team, we are looking to keep getting better and the goal is to do great in post season" The dual started at the heavyweight bout with CSUB Mark Penyascek getting an early takedown but Spencer Empey (CP) would return with a reversal to end the first period tied at 2-2. Empey goes on the next four minutes adding another reversal and a takedown to end the match in a 7-2 decision. Cal Poly takes the first three points of the night. At 125, No. 27 Sergio Mendez and Yoshi Funakoshi (CP) end the first period scoreless. Just one minute into the second and Mendez start turning the match up a notch by adding a four point nearfall, a reversal and a late two-point near fall to take an 8-0 lead. Funakoshi tries to come back in the third but Mendez would end the match with a 11-0 major decision and get the `Runners on the board with four points. No. 28 redshirt junior Sean Nickell (133), who was being recognized earlier in the evening for being the 2017 PAC 12 Champion, added an early take down to take a first period lead 2-1. The redshirt junior seals the night with an early reversal in the third and a late take down to win 5-1 against Tyler Schilling. In the 141 bout, No. 31 Colton Schilling (CP) pins No. 25 Russell Rohlfing (CSUB). At 149, Joshua Cortez (CP) takes the lead over Kalani Tonge (CSUB) in the first period with a takedown. Tonge tries to come back but only gets a late reversal at the end of the match and Cal Poly takes the lead at 12 points with an 8-2 decision. With the `Runner down by five, redshirt senior Coleman Hammond (157) was not wasting any time and came out quick with two four point near falls and a takedown to end 10-0 just in the first period. Hammond ends the match 1:25 later with a 16-0 tech fall over Jett Moy (CP). After taking three duals off due to injuries redshirt sophomore Lorenzo De La Riva (165) gets back to his `Runner ways and follows suit from his teammate to defeat Ryan Farina (CP) in a tech fall 18-2 in just the first period at 2:52. Just to make the dual more exciting, in the 174 weight class Bryan Battisto gave Bakersfield a solid 22-12 lead with their third tech fall of the night defeating Killian Vendler (CP) 19-3. At 184, Dominic Ducharme gets an early escape and a late takedown to end the first period 3-2. However, Cal Poly's Mathew Wilhem added a late take down in the second to end 5-3. Ducharme comes back with a two point reversal but Wilhelm answers right back with a reversal of his own and a takedown to lead 8-5. Wilhem gave Cal Poly three more points with a 9-5 decsion over Ducharme. CSUB led 22-15 to start the last bout of the night with redshirt senior No. 14 Matt Williams (197) against No. 23 Tom Lane. Williams gets an early takedown and adds two reversal in the match but at 6:03 CSUB ends the night with a pin from none other than the redshirt senior himself. Williams is now 14-0 on the season for duals and now ties for 7th on CSUB's Career Records for the most pins with 30. CSUB (5-9, 1-2 PAC-12) will travel to Cal Baptist on Feb. 9 before hosting its last dual of the season. The `Runners will conclude their final home dual with a senior night against Oregon State on Feb. 11 in the Icardo Center. Results: 285: Spencer Empey (CP) def. Mark Penyacsek (CSUB) by decision, 7-3 125: Sergio Mendez (CSUB) def. Yoshi Funakoshi (CP) by major decision, 11-0 133: Sean Nickell (CSUB) def. Tyler Schilling (CP) by decision, 5-1 141: Colton Schilling (CP) def. Russell Rohlfing (CSUB) by pin (2:36) 149: Joshua Cortez (CP) def. Kalani Tonge (CSUB) by decision, 8-2 157: Coleman Hammond (CSUB) def. Jett Moy (CP) by tech fall, 16-0 165: Lorenzo De La Riva (CSUB) def. Ryan Farina (CP) by tech fall, 18-2 174: Bryan Battisto (CSUB) def. Killian Vendler (Cal Poly) by tech fall, 19-3 184: Dom Ducharme (CSUB) def. Mathew Wilhelm (CP) by decision 9-5 197: Matt Williams (CSUB) def. Thomas Lane (CP) by pin (6:03)

BOONE, N.C. -- Pins in half its matches against VMI helped Appalachian State's wrestling team gain sole possession of first place heading into a SoCon showdown with Chattanooga. The Mountaineers posted a 46-5 home victory at Varsity Gym on Wednesday thanks to five falls, one technical fall and two major decisions. "We had a lot of guys step up that were taking risks," App State coach JohnMark Bentley said. "Even in matches that were not in question, at the end of matches, we were still trying to score, execute holds and things we needed to get better. That's what I was proud of." App State (7-3, 5-0) can clinch at least a share of a third straight Southern Conference championship if it wins Sunday at Chattanooga (6-6, 4-0). Picked second in the preseason, the Mocs still have dual meets left against Appalachian, Gardner-Webb and preseason favorite Campbell, which lost 18-12 to the visiting Mountaineers last week. They have league matches left against Chattanooga and The Citadel. App State's Angel Najar opened Wednesday's match at 157 pounds with a pin 26 seconds into the second period, and the other four pins occurred in the first period. In recording his team-leading 23rd victory, redshirt freshman Alan Clothier registered his first pin by wrapping up his match at 184 pounds in 2:36, and Cary Miller needed only 54 seconds to pin his heavyweight opponent. De'Andre Swinson-Barr followed Miller with a pin in the closing seconds of the first period at 125 pounds, and Irvin Enriquez registered a pin in 1:15 at 141. The five pins were App State's highest total since a 46-6 victory against Cumberland to open the 2014-15 season, when current assistant Dominic Parisi had one of the five in that dual meet. "As a team, we went out there and wrestled hard," Najar said. "We went to our moves and did everything our coaches wanted us to do." App State's tech fall against VMI came from Gavin Londoff by a 15-0 score at 149 pounds, while the Mountaineers won by major decision at 197 (Randall Diabe, 14-3) and 133 (Codi Russell, 11-1). Making his dual meet debut, freshman Joe Accousti posted a 6-1 decision at 174 pounds. Results: 157: Angel Najar (APP) def. Steve Midkiff (VMI), fall, 3:26 (6-0) 165: Blake Hohman (VMI) def. Thomas Flitz (APP), 20-5 tech. fall (6-5) 174: Joe Accousti (APP) def. Gage Levine (VMI), 6-1 dec. (9-5) 184: Alan Clothier (APP) def. Jack Scalio (VMI), fall, 2:36 (15-5) 197: Randall Diabe (APP) def. Max Gallahan (VMI), 14-3 maj. dec. (19-5) HWT: Cary Miller (APP) def. Jake Tomlinson (VMI), fall, 0:54 (25-5) 125: De'Andre Swinson-Barr (APP) def. Daniel Millstead (VMI), fall, 2:56 (31-5) 133: Codi Russell (APP) def. Hunter Starner (VMI), 11-1 maj. dec. (35-5) 141: Irvin Enriquez (APP) def. Michael Hulcher (VMI), fall, 1:15 (41-5) 149: Gavin Londoff (APP) def. Kevin Keaveney (VMI), 15-0 tech. fall (46-5)

A GoFundMe page has been established to raise funds to replace wrestling mats vandalized at a West Virginia high school this weekend. An unidentified person broke into the wrestling room at St. Albans High School near Charleston, W.Va. and damaged two wrestling mats, valued at $19,000, according to the GoFundMe page established by one of team wrestlers, Kristopher Casto. The wrestling team discovered the damage when they came from a tournament Saturday. St. Albans head wrestling coach Daren Gilfilen told WSAZ-TV -- the NBC affiliate in Huntington-Charleston -- that someone broke into the team facility through a window and carved up the mat they use both for practice and in competition. Gilfilen said that once a mat is torn, it becomes a health issue, as germs can breed within the damaged area. Sadly, this isn't the first time vandals have struck the St. Albans High wrestling room. The team's other wrestling mats were damaged a few weeks ago after a break in. In that case, the vandal used a sledgehammer to puncture the mats and used their hands to tear other portions apart, according to Gilfilen. The mats that were damaged had been purchased after five years of fundraising, and were only two years old. The Red Dragons wrestling team does not have any additional home events this season. St. Albans police are still investigating the vandalism. For those wishing to support the St. Albans wrestling program's efforts to replace the vandalized mats, in addition to the GoFundMe webpage, donations may be sent to: St Albans Wrestling Boosters; 435 Strawberry Rd., St. Albans, WV 25177. Located in St. Albans, W.Va. St. Albans High School is a public high school in the Kanawha County School district in the central part of the state. The grade 9-12 school has an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Andrew Howe has been promoted to associate head coach of the Northwestern wrestling team, Head Coach Matt Storniolo announced. "I am extremely excited for both Andrew and our program," said Storniolo. "He has more than earned this new title. Northwestern wrestling could not ask for a better coach, role model, and leader to be associated with our team and we have made tremendous progress in a short time. I am anxious to see how much more we can accomplish in the years to come." Howe is in his second season with Northwestern, joining the Wildcats after two seasons with Oklahoma. The 2010 National Champion at 165 lbs. wrestled his senior season for the Sooners in 2014 after three years at Wisconsin. "I would like to thank Dr. Jim Phillips and Matt Storniolo for their support and for believing in me," said Howe. "I couldn't ask for a better athletic department and a better staff to work with. I am proud of how far we have come in a short time. We will continue putting the work in and I am excited to see where we can take it." A dominant collegiate wrestler, Howe finished with a 122-10 career record while racking up four All-America honors and winning three Big Ten titles for the Badgers. In his three appearances in the NCAA tournament, Howe never finished lower than third at the NCAA Championships. Howe has also had success on the world stage, winning the 2010 U.S. Open freestyle championship. He was a 2009 junior world bronze medalist and a runner-up at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Trials. The Cedar Lake, Indiana, native was also a three-time high school state champion and posted a 192-1 record. Howe also brings a strong academic pedigree to Northwestern as he was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team and the NWCA Division I All-Academic Team in 2014. After serving as an assistant at Oklahoma for two seasons, Howe moved to Evanston in the spring of 2016. Following his arrival, Northwestern wrestling has seen marked improvements. The Wildcats currently boast an 8-2 (3-2 Big Ten) record and are nationally ranked in nearly every poll, led by W.I.N. Magazine, who puts NU tied for 14th in their Tournament Power Index. Northwestern is 17th in the NWCA/USA TODAY Coaches Poll, its highest ranking since January 2015. Chicago's Big Ten Team will be back in action this Friday, February 2, when it hosts No. 19 Rutgers in the home finale in a match set for 7 p.m. at historic Patten Gym.

Blair Academy ran away with the team title at the Walsh Ironman in December (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) The MyHOUSE Melee held this past Friday and Saturday at Wyoming Seminary's Upper School in Kingston (Pa.) left many more questions unanswered than it did in terms of answering questions. Over the course of the two days, the nation's top four teams all competed, as did No. 8 St. Edward (Ohio). Just to remind everyone of how the rankings were heading into this past weekend: No. 1 Bergen Catholic (N.J.) No. 2 Blair Academy (N.J.) No. 3 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) No. 4 Montini Catholic (Ill.) In Friday night competition, No. 2 Blair Academy beat No. 8 St. Edward 33-20 In the 10 a.m. round on Saturday, No. 1 Bergen Catholic beat No. 8 St. Edward, while No. 3 Wyoming Seminary beat No. 4 Montini Catholic. So far order is maintained. The noon round on Saturday saw No. 3 Wyoming Seminary beat No. 8 St. Edward, and the wrench gets thrown in big time with No. 4 Montini Catholic -- who had lost the round before to No. 3, who had lost the previous week to No. 2, who had lost the week before that to No. 1 -- beating said No. 1 Bergen Catholic. Then finally the 2 p.m. round on Saturday saw No. 1 Bergen Catholic - who had just lost to No. 4, after they had lost the round before to No. 3 -- knocking off said No. 3 Wyoming Seminary So you see how this is clear as mud, and that doesn't even touch upon the teams' dual meets against additional relevant teams during the course of the season, and major individual bracket competitions during the course of the season (some of which were also in actuality common events). Keep in mind that the InterMat Fab 50 national high school team rankings are supposed to be a mixture of all of this: tournament strength and dual meet strength, along with a peripheral third factor called "roster talent". Establishing a baseline To start the 2017-18 season, Blair Academy (N.J.) was ranked as the preseason No. 1 based on the projected lineups from each of the top high school wrestling teams in the country. Their breadth of talent across the fourteen weight classes was both well-balanced and at the high end in many weight classes. This judgement was proven -- at the time -- to be correct based on the Buccaneers' performances at the tournaments considered to be the best (Walsh Ironman) and second best (Beast of the East) in the country during early-to-mid December. The Walsh Ironman featured ten of the teams presently ranked within the top 16, including Wyoming Seminary and Montini Catholic, while the Beast of the East featured six of those teams, including Bergen Catholic. Blair Academy won the Walsh Ironman scoring 249.5 points on the strength of ten placers, while Wyoming Seminary (158.5) and Montini Catholic (158) finished third and fourth respectively on the strength of seven placers. Each team was relatively at full strength (though Blair's current 126/132 combo is a slight upgrade to what competed in this event). Second in the standings was St. Paris Graham (Ohio) with 196.5 points on the strength of ten placers, though one of their placers -- 126-pound tournament runner-up Jordan Crace -- is no longer on the roster. The next week Blair Academy won the Beast of the East, scoring 288 points on the strength of 11 placers. Finishing second was Bergen Catholic with 237 points and nine placers. Blair Academy had a clear reserve at 145 for the Beast, while the present combination at 126/132 is a slight upgrade to what competed at the Beast); Bergen Catholic was absent a key contributor in 2016 state placer Josh McKenzie, wrestled a clear reserve at 138, and the Crusaders have slightly upgraded the 152-pound weight class since the Beast. In all this, the key is McKenzie, who beat Peyton Craft in the Blair Academy dual meet at 195; a reasonable projection for him at this tournament would be that he places third, a result that gives Bergen Catholic a 10th medalist and most likely shrinks that 51-point gap by close to half. With that as a baseline, I kind of view the top four of the rankings as a two-tier argument: (1) Who is No. 1? Bergen Catholic or Blair Academy (2) Who is No. 3? Montini Catholic or Wyoming Seminary? The debate for No. 1: Bergen Catholic vs. Blair Academy The first step of this argument has already been set with an overview of how the teams performed in their common tournament. Blair Academy has the edge in that category. Given that Blair Academy has the edge in the common tournament, where does Bergen Catholic have their biggest edge? That would be in the head-to-head dual meet. The Crusaders beat at the time No. 1 Blair Academy 33-19 -- nine matches to five. Clearly the result is the result, and should obviously be accounted for and respected as such. However, in assessing the "why" of the dual meet, one can directly point to two Bergen Catholic pins that provided 12 points of that margin, along with one of the wins. The first pin came in the opening match of the dual meet at 126 pounds where freshman Dylan Weaver decked nationally ranked Chris Cannon in 1:32; both the pin and the win were unexpected and are highly unsustainable. The other came at 170 pound with Chris Foca winning by fall over Julian Ramirez at the 5:35 mark of an otherwise tight match; both wrestlers are nationally ranked, and the bout could have gone either way, but a pin in either direction would register as unforeseen. Veering away from direct competition against one another, let's look at common opposition. During the course of the season, both Blair Academy and Bergen Catholic have wrestled four common opponents within the top eight of the country in dual meets: Wyoming Seminary, No. 6 Buchanan (Calif.), No. 7 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), and No. 8 St. Edward. Over those four dual meets, Blair Academy won 38 of the 56 bouts, while Bergen Catholic won 37 of 56. The average margin of victory for the Buccaneers was 24.5 points, while for the Crusaders it was 17; the comparison is below: Wyoming Seminary: Blair 37-24 (9-5), Bergen Catholic 40-15 (11-3) Buchanan: Blair 49-9 (11-3), Bergen Catholic 34-24 (8-6) Lake Highland Prep: Blair 45-13 (10-4), Bergen Catholic 41-22 (9-5) St. Edward: Blair 33-20 (8-6), Bergen Catholic 38-24 (9-5) In peripheral dual meet action, Bergen Catholic sustained a 32-30 loss to Montini Catholic, as the Broncos took home victories in eight of 14 weight classes. Blair Academy has a 49-7 victory over nationally ranked Delbarton on the resume, where they won 12 bouts; while Bergen Catholic is likely to see the Green Wave during their state dual meet series next week. When it comes to peripheral individual bracket tournament activity, as previously noted Blair Academy won the nation's best in-season tournament, Walsh Ironman. The Buccaneers also have a title at the Geary Invitational to their credit, an event that featured three other members of the Fab 50; while Bergen Catholic counters with a title at the Doc Buchanan Invitational, a prominent tournament that would be ranked among the top five to ten nationally. Having said all that, it is my conclusion that Blair Academy deserves to be the No. 1 team in the country at this time. While Bergen Catholic's head-to-head dual meet victory probably outweighs the Buccaneers' superior tournament finish at the Beast of the East, the fact that Bergen Catholic has a dual meet loss, along with Blair Academy's superior resume in terms of performance at additional individual bracket events gives the Buccaneers an overall edge. So who's No. 3? Wyoming Seminary or Montini Catholic? In the establishing a baseline exercise, we saw that the teams basically had identical performances at the Walsh Ironman. Each squad had seven place-winners, and they finished a half point apart in the standings (158.5 for Wyoming Seminary to 158 for Montini Catholic). One would think that the 30-23 dual meet victory for Wyoming Seminary over Montini Catholic in which the Blue Knights won eight of the 14 bouts would make the deliberation of the third position in the rankings one that isn't really much of a deliberation. However, the most recent event causing a dissertation to have to be written about the No. 1 position in the rankings is the catalyst for having to look deeper in at the No. 3 position. It was Montini Catholic that beat former No. 1 Bergen Catholic 32-30, earning victories in eight weight classes; while in the subsequent round Wyoming Seminary was blown out by the Crusaders 40-15, only being able to win three bouts in the dual meet. Montini Catholic's case is further bolstered when looking at their match with common opponent St. Edward, the Broncos won 12 weight classes in a 47-9 victory, while the Blue Knights won ten in a 45-16 victory. A somewhat balanced category for the two teams is matches against other teams in the Fab 50. Montini Catholic has a 3-0 mark, which is expected given those matches were against lower ranked opposition in Apple Valley (Minn.), Park Hill (Mo.), and Simley (Minn.); while Wyoming Seminary split matches on back-to-back nights against nationally ranked teams, losing to now No. 1 Blair Academy 37-24 (9-5 matches) before beating now No. 11 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) 56-0. It should be noted the Blue Knights are scheduled to face Delbarton this week. On the tournament side of things, each has participated in one major event in addition to the Ironman. Wyoming Seminary was the dominant champion of the Powerade, an event viewed anywhere from third to fiftbh overall among tournaments nationally; the Blue Knights placed wrestlers in 12 weight classes to beat No. 7 Lake Highland Prep by 70 points (and also 12-8 in terms of placers). Montini Catholic achieved a record level of dominance at the Cheesehead Invitaitonal, a top ten overall tournament in the country, winning half of the weight class titles (seven). In terms of the national rankings, Wyoming Seminary has six wrestlers ranked to the five for Montini Catholic; a seventh wrestler for Wyoming Seminary is on the outside looking in, while a sixth and seventh for Montini Catholic would also be in that classification as well. After considering the above, it is my conclusion that Wyoming Seminary deserves the No. 3 spot in the national rankings at this time. In this scenario the head-to-head dual meet outcome carries the day over the common opponent outcomes (Bergen Catholic, and to a lesser extent St. Edward), with there being some degree of balance in terms of peripheral key dual meets and clear equality in terms of individual bracket tournament performance.

Pat Downey placed fifth at the U.S. Open at 86 kilograms (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Pat Downey's dream of wrestling for the Iowa Hawkeyes has been denied. Downey, who is enrolled as a graduate student at the University of Iowa, had planned to take to the mat for the Hawkeyes this season… but the 184-pounder told the Des Moines Register Monday evening that won't be happening. When asked for a reason why he won't be wearing a black-and-gold singlet this season, Downey told the Register via direct message on Twitter, "No luck on my NCAA waiver." He added, "... The word 'bummed' doesn't do what I'm feeling any justice." That online conversation last night provided an answer to a cryptic tweet Downey posted on Saturday that read, "the child is grown the dream is gone -- PDIIIHAWK" Downey said he learned of the NCAA's decision on Friday. Downey was a two-time Maryland high school state champion who had earned a silver medal at the 2012 Junior Worlds… but his collegiate wrestling career has been, in a word, nomadic. He started at University of Nebraska then transferred to Iowa Central Community College, where he won the 197-pound title at the 2015 NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) wrestling championships. The following year, after enrolling at Iowa State, Downey earned All-American honors by placing fifth at 197 pounds at the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. For the 2016-17 season, Downey dropped down to 184 pounds, but suffered a rib injury which limited his time in the wrestling room and in competition. Downey was booted from the Iowa State Cyclones in February 2017 by then-head coach Kevin Jackson for breaking team rules. A few weeks ago he announced he had enrolled in graduate studies at Iowa.

Don't wait. Investigate early and thoroughly. And most of all, put your athletes ahead of your organization. Those are the lessons USA Wrestling needs to take away from the sexual assault scandal involving athletes for USA Gymnastics and its former team doctor, Larry Nassar. The world watched seven days of gut-wrenching testimony from more than 150 accusers of Nassar. A judge in Michigan sentenced Nassar, last week to between 40 and 175 years in prison for sexually abusing women and girls for decades. He has yet to be sentenced in a separate molestation case. Nassar was also sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for having child pornography on his computers and he faces more than 150 civil lawsuits filed by his accusers. Make no mistake Nassar is the biggest villain in this tragedy, but there are others. USA Gymnastics is also named in some of the civil suits. Now two senators, one a republican and one a democrat, are calling for answers from USAG and two survivors of Nassar's abuse say USAG, along with Michigan State University where Nassar was also the team doctor, are institutions that are "diseased" and "rotting from the inside out." Among the allegations against the organizations; that they ignored red flags and allowed a serial predator access to his victims for years. Institutional complicity is nothing new. Think Penn State and Jerry Sandusky. And unfortunately wrestling is no stranger to sexual predators. Think Dennis Hastert. The former Speaker of the House was convicted of paying hush money to a victim of sexual assault while Hastert was a high school coach and the victim was one of his underage wrestlers. He has admitted he sexually abused other wrestlers he coached as well. This is of course nothing on the scale of the Nassar allegations and it did not involve USA Wrestling. But that is not to say USA Wrestling should be the ostrich with its head buried in the sand. The fallout is just beginning for USA Gymnastics. The former CEO was forced out last year and now all of its board members have resigned. Also, the scandal is taking a financial toll. The group could lose millions of dollars from sponsors. For USA Wrestling the blueprint going forward, if and when an allegation is made, should be clear. When someone comes forward is not a time to protect reputations and not a time to hide allegations. It's a time to take action, investigate vigorously and take immediate steps to prohibit any recurrence or additional victimization. Most of all it's a time to send a message loud and clear that USA Wrestling maintains a culture and atmosphere of zero tolerance for this type of immoral and criminal behavior.

Kanen Storr wrestling at the UWW Junior World Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Kanen Storr's seemingly sudden request for a transfer out of Iowa State last week has taken on potentially greater implications, thanks to two new developments over the weekend. On Saturday, first-year Cyclones head coach Kevin Dresser alleged on Takedown Radio that Storr "was being tampered with ... by some former coaches." Then, on Sunday, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that Storr's request to leave Iowa State involved "alleged illegal contact from Virginia." Ben Visser of the Gazette wrote, "According to a source close to the Iowa State athletics program, last week, Iowa State compliance requested the phone records of a University of Virginia assistant coach in regard to possible illegal contact with Storr, who was then a member of the Iowa State wrestling team. The source said Virginia ran the phone records the same day Iowa State reported the violation and the phone log showed substantial text messages and calls over an extended period." The article goes on to state that UVa has two assistant wrestling coaches listed on the Cavaliers' official website, Travis and Trent Paulson. Both served as assistant coaches at Iowa State last season and worked with Storr. Any possible contact would be problematic for those at the school initiating contact. Tony Hager, one of the hosts of Takedown Radio, asked Dresser if coaches from one school are allowed to contact wrestlers from another school. The Iowa State head coach replied, "Nope, it is against NCAA rules so that's another issue that I will stay away from but there will be ramifications from this, I'll put it that way. Not on Storr but there will be ramifications." NCAA rules state, "If a student athlete is enrolled full time in a four-year school, athletics staff members from another NCAA school cannot contact that student athlete or their parents unless the school first has a letter from the current school's athletics director. If the current school does not grant the student athlete written permission to contact, the other school cannot encourage the athlete to transfer and cannot give them an athletics scholarship until they have attended the new school for one academic year." Last Tuesday, Iowa State announced that Storr had requested a transfer. The ISU statement read, "'Kanen (Storr) requested permission to transfer to another institution,' Iowa State Head Coach Kevin Dresser said. 'I am going to honor that request and allow him the one-time transfer exception. We wish him the best.'" "It's unfortunate for Kanen because he's a good kid," Dresser said on Takedown Radio. "He was being tampered with since the day he left by some former coaches. I don't think he ever really got a chance to give my staff a chance." A native of Leslie, Michigan, Storr had compiled a 15-7 record this season for the Cyclones, and was 25-5 last season as a redshirt. InterMat had ranked him No. 18 at 141 pounds. Prior to coming to Ames, Storr was a three-time Michigan high school state champion at Leslie High School, compiling a 227-3 record. He was a runner-up at the InterMat Classic in 2015.

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Oregon State wrestling came out swinging on Sunday afternoon inside Gill Coliseum. The Beavers (3-5) trounced the Bears of Northern Colorado (2-6) in a nonconference dual, 34-10. No. 12-ranked Ronnie Bresser started the afternoon off with a bang collecting his 11th bonus point victory of the season. Bresser set the tone for the match off the first whistle with a throw that turned into a quick 2-0 lead. The Klamath Falls native won by technical fall, 20-1. The bout of the day happed at 133 pounds. Redshirt freshman Devan Turner upset 18th-ranked Rico Montoya. Turner started fast grabbing two takedowns in the first period on the way to a 12-4 major decision, snapping his seven-match loss streak. Redshirt senior 141-pounder Jack Hathaway continued his climb up the Oregon State record books. Hathaway grabbed his seventh fall of the season, and his 31st of his career. Hathaway currently sits 15th all-time in OSU history for career pins. The Beavers won the first four bouts with bonus points. At 149 pounds, making just his second dual start of his Oregon State career, Josh Reyes picked up a 12-4 major decision over Jimmy Fate. The Beavers led 19-0 with one bout before the midway break. Freshman Hunter Willits won a hard fought match against upperclassman Tyler Kinn of Northern Colorado. Willits' first period takedown proved to be the critical moment of the match winning by decision 3-2. Oregon State suffered its first loss of the day at 165 pounds. Redshirt junior Rodney Williams fell by technical fall, 15-0. 174-pounder Myles Terry had a critical second period when he turned a bottom start into a reversal plus a four-point near fall. The St. Helens native would go on to win by major decision 15-7. Making his dual meet debut, Bob Coleman dropped a 17-1 technical fall to No. 16-ranked Dylan Gabel. Just as the meet started, the final two bouts ended with Oregon State bonus point wins. No. 15-ranked Corey Griego blanked Northern Colorado's Tanner Davis at 197 pounds. Griego, who's now on a four-match win streak, won by major decision 12-0. The final match of the evening went the distance, but saw redshirt senior heavyweight Amarveer Dhesi walk away with a 21-9 major decision. Dhesi remains unbeaten in dual competition, 5-0. Up Next Oregon State is back in Gill Coliseum on Saturday, Feb. 3 to battle Cal Poly in a Pac-12 matchup. Start time is set for 7:30 p.m. This year's Pac-12 Championships are hosted by the Beavers on Feb. 25 in Gill Coliseum. The NCAA Championships are March 15-17 in Cleveland, Ohio. Follow Us on Social For more information on the Oregon State wrestling team, visit OSUBeavers.com or follow the team's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeaverWrestling, on Facebook at Facebook.com/BeaverWrestling, or on Instagram at Instagram.com/BeaverWrestling. Oregon State Athletics' Everyday Champions Culture Through the power of sport, we help people discover and pursue their passions, talents and purpose in order to live a life of balance and positive contribution. Results: 125: #12 Ronnie Bresser tech. fall Michael Johnson (UNC), 20-1 4:51 133: Devan Turner major dec. #18 Rico Montoya (UNC), 12-4 141: Jack Hathaway pinned Ben Polkowske (UNC), 2:21 149: Josh Reyes major dec. Jimmy Fate (UNC), 12-4 157: Hunter Willits de. Tyler Kinn (UNC), 3-2 165: #19 Keilan Torres (UNC) tech. fall Rodney Williams, 15-0 4:29 174: Myles Terry major dec. Seth Bogulski (UNC), 15-7 184: #16 Dylan Gabel (UNC) tech. fall Bob Coleman, 17-1, 3:37 197: #15 Corey Griego major de. Tanner Davis (UNC), 12-0 285: #8 Amar Dhesi major dec. Robert Winters (UNC), 21-9