InterMat Staff

Pat Whitcomb, long-time head wrestling coach at the No. 4-ranked junior college mat program in the country, and his former employer, North Idaho College, don't seem to be able to see eye-to-eye on his recent, abrupt departure from the school where he was a two-time national champion wrestler in the 1980s before taking the helm 22 years ago. Pat Whitcomb (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)In a statement made public Thursday by two area newspapers, Whitcomb said he was fired on January 7 for what he believes are his efforts to upgrade facilities for a disabled wrestler, for speaking up for a co-worker who was assaulted on campus, and because school leaders want to drop wrestling -- arguably NIC's most successful varsity sport -- in favor of launching a baseball program. Even the date of Whitcomb's firing is up for debate. Whitcomb maintains he was fired on January 7; a school spokesperson claimed on January 8 that he was still employed by the school. Only last week she said he was let go on January 11. North Idaho maintains that Whitcomb was the subject of what school referred to as "an academic integrity investigation" within NIC's athletic department. Circumstances surrounding Whitcomb's firing In a lengthy statement issued by the former coach on Wednesday, Jan. 23 (and published in its entirety by the Coeur 'd Alene Press), Whitcomb said he was called into a meeting January 7 and given a choice: Resign his position and he would be paid through June. If he refused to resign, he would be terminated and receive only two weeks of pay and benefits. He would also have to agree "to not say anything negative about what has been taking place at NIC." "I refused to sign, as I had done nothing wrong," Whitcomb said. A NIC spokesperson said the school could not speak on personnel issues. Whitcomb shares three reasons for dismissal In his Jan. 23 statement, Pat Whitcomb shared what he believes to be the three reasons why he is no longer employed by North Idaho College. At the top of Whitcomb's list of reasons for his firing involves Hasaan Hawthorne, 2016 Alabama 145-pound state champ, a double amputee who was born without tibias. Both his legs were amputated below the knees as a child. "In the spring of 2016 we signed an amazing young man (Hawthorne) from Pelham, Ala. At the time of his signing with NIC, I immediately made a request to the administration requesting better access on his behalf to the wrestling room and campus," according to Whitcomb's statement. "Still to this day, almost three years later, not one accommodation has been made for easier access to the practice room. He has to be carried or crawls up the stairs. "I raised safety and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) concerns to the administration time and time again. Some of the feedback I was given from the administration was there was no money for this. "Also, we were told to roll out mats on the gym floor after other practices were finished. There was a main-level room on campus that would have solved this problem. Instead, it was allocated as an off-season workout facility for other sports. The money spent on this facility would have easily covered some accommodation for the wrestler with special needs. "The athletic director told me this was his call and that was that. I continued to raise concerns after this. It was only after this that I started to receive poor evaluations and official write-ups in my personnel file." Whitcomb added that he had been told by NIC's disability services this past fall that "if I had not pushed so hard in the beginning, accommodations most likely would have been made." A second reason raised by Whitcomb in his statement issued Wednesday, Jan. 23 concerning a reported assault of a female instructor last fall on the NIC campus. "It was reported to the administration immediately. When I became aware that nothing was being done to protect her safety, I met with a number of administrators and loudly voiced my dismay," Whitcomb wrote. "As far as I know, the campus still has not been made aware of this safety issue. Having a daughter who attends NIC this is of great concern." Whitcomb also claimed that the school has been working towards getting rid of its successful wrestling program, which is currently tied with Iowa Central Community College for fourth place in the latest NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) national rankings. "I have let it be known for the last three seasons of the athletic director's intent to drop wrestling and add baseball," Whitcomb stated. "Every administrator I approached at NIC assured me that this was not so. Community, just sit back and watch this unfold now. "If NIC wants to add baseball -- a sport I would love to see reinstated -- then do so and add another female counterpart. If it wants to send a message of retaliation against standing up for what is right then drop the most successful wrestling program in the NJCAA." North Idaho has refuted Whitcomb's claim regarding a possible replacement of wrestling with baseball. "The college is currently conducting a community-wide study to see the viability and interest in expanding our athletics offerings," said Laura Rampler, NIC spokesperson. "This is a study and discussion about expansion of athletics. There is no discussion of decreasing any of our athletics programs." Whitcomb went on to say, "My focus has always been plain and simple: Do what is in the best interest of NIC and the wrestling program there." Whitcomb concluded his statement thusly: "North Idaho College will now choose one of two paths moving forward. "The first one, a continued path of intimidation and retaliation toward students with special needs and females on campus. "Or a second one, a path to change the current culture and practices that exists in the administration, thus ensuring the safety and fair treatment of all people on the campus at NIC." In its news story on coach Whitcomb being fired, the Spokane (Wash.) Spokesman-Review presented this capsule of just how successful the North Idaho wrestling program has been over the years (22 years with Whitcomb at the helm). "Since 1972, NIC has dominated the junior college ranks. The Cardinals won 14 national titles as a team along with 54 national individual titles. They also have produced 235 All-Americans, all of which are National Junior College Athletic Association records." Whitcomb has been a major figure on the North Idaho College campus as both a successful athlete and coach. He was a two-time NJCAA wrestling champ for the NIC Cardinals in the 1980s. Since Whitcomb was hired as head coach just over two decades ago, NIC could claim 18 individual national champions and 108 All-Americans. He was honored as National Coach of the Year twice and Region 18 Coach of the Year eight times. Whitcomb is a member of the NJCAA Wrestling Hall of Fame and NIC Hall of Fame. Founded in 1933, North Idaho College is a public, two-year community college located in Coeur d'Alene. It has a total enrollment of approximately 7,800 students. UPDATE 1/27/19 On Sunday, the Spokane Spokesman-Review ran a guest editorial from the North Idaho College Board of Trustees, addressing the allegations made by the school's former head wrestling coach, Pat Whitcomb. Here are excerpts from the NIC trustees: "The North Idaho College Board of Trustees does not routinely respond to articles in the press but we understand our athletic programs are very important to our community, as they are to us. We wish to clarify policy, and dispel recent falsehoods made about the college and our athletic programs..." "The board has a strong commitment to our student athletes, and we are proud of all of their accomplishments. At no time has there been any discussion of ending our championship wrestling program. Any such suggestion would need to come before the board of trustees. Last fall, in a public meeting, the board approved a community-wide study to determine the viability and interest in expanding our athletic offerings. In a survey offered to the public, two possible programs were specifically identified. The board has expressed interest in baseball and women's wrestling. The results of the study will be presented to the board this spring. There have been no suggestions brought to the board of current athletic programs being eliminated in order to bring on new athletic opportunities." "NIC has a long history in this community of demonstrating strong support for human rights, civil rights, and dignity for all. Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act is a priority for the board and the administration. During its September 26, 2018, meeting, the board approved funds for a design concept for a new gymnasium, and over the course of the fall semester held public workshops that included discussions on the possible construction of a gymnasium. We anticipate many more public discussions on the viability of a new gymnasium, classrooms and athletic training space. It is important to the board to explore efforts to replace the current gymnasium that was built in 1949, and is not as ADA-compliant as we would like it to be."

KRASNOYARSK, Russia -- Two Americans -- Victoria Anthony and Thomas Gilman -- won bronze in their respective weight classes at the Ivan Yariguin Grand Prix in Russia on Friday. Anthony began the medal run for the USA, winning bronze at 50 kilograms. A two-time Junior World champion and two-time U.S. Senior World Teamer, Anthony took on multiple-time international medalist Elena Vostrikova of Russia. Anthony scored early with her famous inside trip for four points to carry a 4-0 lead into the break. Vostrikova scored late in the bout, drawing passivity from Anthony. The American finished off the match with a takedown in the last few seconds for a 6-1 win and a bronze medal. At 57 kilograms, 2017 World silver medalist Gilman won an exciting back-and-forth match against two-time World bronze medalist Bekhbayar Erdenebat from Mongolia. Read complete story on TheMat.com …

The Ivan Yariguin Grand Prix is taking place in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, this week The United World Wrestling Ranking Series kicked off this week with the 2019 edition of the Ivan Yariguin Grand Prix in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. The Ranking Series tournament awards ranking points to the top finishers in Ranking Series events, Continental Championships, and the World Championships. While the prize for winning the Yariguin starts at a somewhat paltry 10 points, they are important to add when looking at how they could allow for someone to earn a seed at the World Championships. And that seed will matter. In earning valuable points and buffering their position in the rankings, wrestlers entered at the World Championships are delayed from having to meet top-notch opponents in the opening rounds, giving them a somewhat more predictable path forward at the World Championships. Remember Burroughs' route in Budapest? That is less likely to happen, and even less likely should wrestlers participate in tournaments that earn them ranking points. While an easier path in Astana might seem like an advantage with little long-term benefit, remember that the top six finishers at the 2019 Senior World Championships in Astana will qualify their nation for the 2020 Olympic Games. The angle -- and the one that may work well for Thomas Gilman at 57 kilograms -- is to build on the points from Budapest, earn some more at Yariguin, Continentals and another Ranking Series event and nudge your way into a third or fourth seed. The Gilman math is actually pretty solid. Assuming he wins his first repechage match on Friday (I'm writing this before Day 2 action starts) he'll come away with at least a fifth-place finish (2 points) and another 8 points for the weight having more than 10 entries. Fifth place would then earn him a total of 10 points, while bronze would give him 12 points. Not much? Well, Gilman currently sits only five points behind Atli of Turkey and Takahashi of Japan. With a fifth-place finish he becomes the No. 3 wrestler in the world in ranking points. Yariguin is only the first event of a long and arduous season, but already it's clear to wrestlers and fans that the system built to encourage and reward athletes who participate is doing just that. To your questions … Q: It sounds like college wrestling programs are getting a lot less tickets for the NCAAs than they are requesting. Any idea why? Do you think there will be a lot of fans who get shut out on tickets? -- Mike C. Foley: More requests meant that the NCAA changed their ticket allocation formula and that all schools received fewer tickets because of the change. Eric Knopsnyder of PA Power Wrestling recently wrote about the ticket issue. "That total number of requests has been roughly under 15,000 requests," Holmes told me. "Typically, the number of tickets available is around 10,000." The NCAA was able to fulfill the requests for schools that requested 100 tickets or fewer. Those that asked for between 100 and 500 tickets usually got 80 percent of their requests filled, and those that sought more than 500 received 70 percent of their request. "Traditionally the vast majority of schools were requesting less than 100 tickets," Holmes said. This year, the number of requests for tickets from the Division I programs shot up 67 percent, according to Holmes. "What happened this year, the same amount of tickets is available, but instead of somewhere around 15,000 requests, we received over 25,000 requests," he said. "That necessitated that everybody received less tickets than they normally received in their allocation." Q: Is the recruiting situation for Maryland as bleak as it looks? Would the Terps have been better served staying in the ACC instead of getting curbstomped every week in the Big Ten? -- @HalfAgain Foley: Man, I don't know, but it bums me out too! I want the Terps to do well. I admire and respect their coaching staff and want my Mid-Atlantic brethren to succeed! Maryland has enjoyed some top-level talent, but as you not-so-eloquently mentioned they've not enjoyed a lot of success in the Big Ten. I'm hopeful for a good NCAA tournament and some positive momentum for the 2019-20 season. Q: Do you think Spencer Lee avenges his loss to Sebastian Rivera on Sunday? -- Mike C. Foley: Yes. Q: Is 125 pounds officially cursed for Penn State? If so, what wrestler breaks it? -- Ryan P. Foley: Maybe weight classes have memories too? Maybe the walls are filled with stories of fellow 125-pound wrestlers and ghosts of their personal journeys through the Penn State program? I doubt it. Cursed? No. Suspiciously poor luck for the past few seasons? Yes. My "out-there" theory is that many of the wrestlers that have made their way on to the Penn State roster at 125 pounds were probably the most popular and well-known people at their high school. When they got to college they expected a certain level of deference, if not in the classroom, then they were at least used to being the alpha male in their respective wrestling rooms. Try finding deference in the Penn State wrestling room. Try being the alpha in a room with five active NCAA champions. You're the smallest, least accomplished collegiate wrestler in a room dripping with greatness. Where do you find your confidence building wins? The other 125-pound wrestlers? Successful programs understand that you can't fill your lineup with all alpha males. There needs to be men and women on a team who compete, but that also play support roles, or can win without being the leader of the program. That's even more evident with smaller wrestlers in crowded lineups like that of Penn State. If the alphas can't command the room, they at least need someone to beat up on to help boost their egos. At some programs the 125 pounders can float up and hand out a whipping to the 133 and 141-pound wrestlers. At Penn State? Maybe that's not the case. Q: When The Citadel wrestled Gardner-Webb on Wednesday night, the teams used the experimental NCAA rule allowing weight classes to be chosen in an alternating manner by head coaches. The order was 133, 125, 149, 174, 141, 197, 184, 285, 165 and 157. Do you like the rule? Do you think we will start seeing it happen more often? -- Mike C. Foley: I do. Why not? Programs wouldn't have to proceed with the flips, but it's a fun option to have and adds some coaching gamesmanship to the mix! MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME The 57-kilogram finals are going to be awesome. Here is Abasgadzhi Magomedov (Russia) putting it on Ahmet PEKER (Turkey) ... That front head … Forrest! Q: I assume you saw this, but wanted to make sure. I know both kids and they are very much as refreshingly decent as this story shows. -- Chris E. Foley: Wrestling is the perfect vehicle for this type of storytelling. Individuals choosing to make a sacrifice to help improve someone else's position or take a moral stand. As you're alluding to, that clarity has backfired in recent weeks with bad press about the sport. But wait long enough and a wonderful story like this will pop back into the public consciousness and put wrestling back in a positive light. Q: I read your article on the Daton Fix-Nick Suriano match and how college rules need to change. I agree with you in principle but not necessarily with all of your ideas on how to change things. For example, I agree with your thoughts on hands to the face, but I think the pushout rule will be hard to implement fairly especially when a wrestler escapes on the edge and then steps out. I am frankly indifferent about riding time since I see positives and negatives in having it. However, one idea I have is to award 3 points to the wrestler who gets the first takedown. I think there is nothing worse than a college match that ends 0-0 after the first 3-minute period. It makes me want to turn off the TV or walk out of the arena. It seems like an easy way to incentivize a wrestler is to award 3 on the first takedown. It essentially negates a subsequent escape (ie the wrestler is still up by 2). It would also be easy to implement consistently. So what do you think about a 3-point first takedown ? -- Vince M Foley: Agree re: 0-0 matches. Three minutes and you got … nada? The three-point takedown has been getting a lot more attention in recent weeks, and I can see why. Fans want to make sure that the tougher actions are rewarded well, thus incentivizing more activity from the feet. That the end of the second period could have a 2-2 score with one guy having 3:30 of riding time and a takedown and the other guy only two escapes is indeed very frustrating. A three-point takedown may better balance those efforts. But what a three-point takedown also does is point-stacking -- or add points in one area to make up for a gamesmanship or scoring area in another. The best example of point stacking is the four-point near fall. Adding a fourth point for one less second may drive up the score on paper, but it doesn't necessarily drive action. We've seen plenty of matches where that's exactly is the case; a four-point tilt causes the winning wrestler to shut down and the losing wrestler to attack, but as it's in vain there comes a weird back-and-forth where some points are ceded, but not enough to make it a real match. It's all very odd to me. That should stop. Points for a cheap tilt shouldn't be worth more than a takedown. The rules should reward dynamic actions from the feet. Adding back points leads to more riding on top and less turning after a turn has been achieved, since the top wrestler doesn't need to risk control in order to create a winning margin of victory. To me that three-point takedown just adds to a series of problems around scoring and riding yet to be addressed. Q: I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this scenario: 1. Hard out of bounds -- pushout is one point. 2. Riding time -- still in effect -- action goes out of bounds, restart in neutral, no points scored. 3. Overtime would be like NFL: one minute, pushout is one point but doesn't end match, takedown is two points and is match ending, repeat until winner is determined. I understand your takes on the freestyle scenario; but culturally, America loves having winners and losers dictated by score, not criteria. Implementing the three points above increases scoring and increases the likelihood of a winner, eliminates the tactic of playing the edge to avoid risk, allows folkstyle to maintain riding time (for whatever reason it's wanted), and then resolves overtime to a degree by giving wrestlers two ways to win. -- Dylan M. Foley: I … don't hate this. There could be some interesting gamesmanship in getting out of bounds as the bottom man to avoid being ridden forever, but also the top man might be pulling a guy more into the center to ensure they continue earning the riding time. But what would stop someone from dropping to an ankle, fighting for a finish and then making his way out of bounds. That way he's never ceding the point for the escape. Those overtime rules are also pretty compelling. Pushout would win, but only if it went the full time, right? Q: Did you see the Henry Cejudo-T.J. Dillashaw fight? If so, do you think the referee made the right call to stop the fight? Who would you pick in a rematch? -- Mike C. Foley: The referee stopped the match because T.J. Dillashaw's head looked like a speed bag for Cejudo's right hand. Not a controversial stoppage. Cejudo would've put him to sleep in the next ten seconds. Dillashaw would be better off sending flowers to the referee. That's not to say Dillashaw isn't a total beast, but it seemed that the weight cut affected him. At 125 pounds, Cejudo. At 135 pounds, Dillashaw.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- North Dakota State 165 Andrew Fogarty, 133 Cam Sykora and 125 Brent Fleetwood each had bonus point wins and 157 Luke Weber came up with a last-second decision as the Bison defeated host Central Michigan 24-15 in a non-conference dual at McGuirk Arena on Thursday, Jan. 24. NDSU (7-5, 2-3 #Big12WR) is scheduled to host Northern Colorado (4-5, 0-3 #Big12WR) in a Big 12 Conference dual at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 27, in Scheels Center. UNC at Northern Iowa on Friday. No. 9-ranked Fleetwood (18-3 overall, 10-1 duals) received a forfeit at 125 pounds, then No. 17 133 Cam Sykora (16-5, 8-3) followed with a 10-2 major decision over Deven Perez to put NDSU ahead 10-0. The Chippewas (3-5, 2-2 MAC) held off 141 Sawyer Degen and 149 Jaden Van Maanen to cut the deficit to 10-6. Central Michigan's No. 19-ranked 157 Logan Parks had designs on a third straight decision, but Bison newcomer Luke Weber (6-2, 2-1) gained a takedown as time was running out for a 4-3 decision and second straight win over a nationally-ranked opponent to extend the NDSU lead to 13-9. North Dakota State built on the momentum as the No. 20-ranked Fogarty (13-3, 10-2) picked up his second tech fall of the season at 16-0 at 6:24 over Bret Fedewa to build the margin to 18-9. The Bison made it three straight wins with an 8-2 decision by Lorenzo De La Riva (13-8, 6-5) at 174 pounds over Collin Lieber. NDSU 197 Cordell Eaton (14-7, 7-5) got back on the winning track with an 8-4 decision over Landon Pelham. At heavyweight, Brandon Metz threw a scare into Central Michigan's No .15-ranked and jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the first 30-seconds. However, Stencel, the nation's leader in pins, recorded his 15th at 3:29 to end the dual. Results: 125: #9 Brent Fleetwood (NDSU) forfeit 133: #17 Cam Sykora (NDSU) major dec Deven Perez (CMU), MD 10-2 141: Drew Marten (CMU) dec Sawyer Degen (NDSU), 5-4 149: Dresden Simon (CMU) dec Jaden Van Maanen (NDSU), 13-9 157: Luke Weber (NDSU) dec Logan Parks (CMU), 4-3 165: #20 Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) tech fall Bret Fedewa (CMU), TF 16-0 6:24 174: Lorenzo De La Riva (NDSU) dec Collin Lieber (CMU), 8-2 184: Jordan Atienza (CMU) dec Michael Otomo (NDSU), 9-5 197: Cordell Eaton (NDSU) dec Landon Pelham (CMU), 8-4 285: #15 Matt Stencel (CMU) fall Brandon Metz (NDSU), 3:29 *--NDSU had one team point deducted

Dylan Palacio celebrates after winning in the NCAA quarterfinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Episode 15 talks with the always interesting Dylan Palacio. A two-time All-American at Cornell, Palacio's personality has been on display since his wrestling days in high school. At Cornell, Palacio was a two-sport athlete, also playing soccer. Recently, Palacio has developed a following on various social media platforms and on this episode, he talks about his foundations in the sport, the "people's champ" moniker, growing up wrestling, pursuing goals, his academic struggles prior to college, characters and personas, wrestling in Carver-Hawkeye, being the "Deadpool" of wrestling and his L40 foundation. Note: This interview is unedited for language and carries the explicit tag. About MatBoss: Created by coaches for coaches, MatBoss for iPad® integrates wrestling stats directly into the video you record for each match, completely replacing the need for labor-intensive pencil and paper scoring systems. It's the wrestling stats app our sport has been waiting for. Focus on coaching, not busy work Improve through video analysis Make data an advantage Eliminate scoring errors Increase exposure Become a digital coach For more information, visit MatBossApp.com. Follow MatBoss on Twitter and subscribe to the show @MatBossApp | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Spreaker | Google Play Music | RSS

Sebastian Rivera knocked off Spencer Lee in the finals of the Midlands Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) The college wrestling season rolls on. This week, there are a variety of traditional rivalry matches as well as some duals that will create the opportunity for anticipated rematches. The biggest rematch features the bout between No. 1 Sebastian Rivera and No. 2 Spencer Lee, but there are plenty other matches to look forward to across the 10 weight classes. 125: No. 1 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) vs. No. 2 Spencer Lee (Iowa) Where/When: Iowa at Northwestern, Sunday, Jan. 27 Lee has lost three matches so far in his collegiate career. In his most recent loss, he fell against Rivera in the finals of the Midlands Championships. In that match, which was the tournament final, Rivera was able to score three takedowns in the first two periods and hang on in the third. Lee was able to ride a bit from the top position in the third, but he was not able to get to his vaunted tilt series. The final score came down 7-3 in favor of Rivera. The two Big Ten rivals met twice last season, and Lee handily won both matches. In their first meeting, Lee won 7-4. He then scored a 12-0 major decision in the Big Ten Championships. At points this season, Lee has not looked like himself. There were some rumors coming out of the Hawkeye camp that he was dealing with an injury. With that being said, his health might not matter if Rivera is able to get to his low-leg offense early in the match. Lee thrives on being a front runner, and Rivera took that away from him last month. With all that being said, Lee has to be the favorite in this match. He has more ways to score, and he has shown that he has been able to widen the gap in rematches during his collegiate career. A Lee victory here does not discount Rivera's victory at the Midlands, but it is still the most likely outcome. Prediction: Lee (Iowa) dec. Rivera (Northwestern) 133: No. 1 Stevan Micic (Michigan) vs. No. 6 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) Where/When: Michigan at Ohio State, Friday, Jan. 25 The rivalry match between Michigan and Ohio State will feature a bout between two of the best wrestlers in what is turning out to be the year's most wild weight class. Pletcher won the first meeting between the two last season via a 7-5 score. However, since then, Micic has won three straight matches over the Buckeye. In their last meeting at the Big Ten Championships, Micic won 8-4. Micic has won all of his matches this season. When returning champion Seth Gross (South Dakota State) announced that he was not returning this season, he ascended to the No. 1 ranking. Pletcher has gone 16-1 on the year. His only loss came at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational against No. 2 Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh), who has since emerged as a legitimate contender. In their past matches, Micic has distinguished himself with his ability to score in the neutral position. Pletcher is a hard fighter in the tie ups, but the result will likely not change. At multiple points in this match, Micic will get enough room to fire off a leg attack and take control of the bout. Prediction: Micic (Michigan) dec. Pletcher (Ohio State) 141: No. 2 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) vs. No. 5 Kanen Storr (Michigan) Where/When: Michigan at Ohio State, Friday, Jan. 25 The Michigan-Ohio State dual meet will feature another match between top-10 ranked wrestlers. However, unlike Micic and Pletcher, McKenna and Storr have never met in college. With an undefeated 13-0 record, McKenna has established himself as one of the top wrestlers at this weight in the country. He currently sits only behind returning champion No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell). While McKenna has a reputation for close matches, he has picked up eight bonus-point victories in his 13 wins this year. Also, he is currently riding a four-match bonus streak since the Cliff Keen Invitational. Storr has built a 17-2 record in his first season at Michigan. He previously spent two seasons at Iowa State before transferring. His lone two losses on the season have come against No. 3 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) and No. 4 Mike Carr (Illinois). This match might end up being closer than the experts predict, but in the end, McKenna will walk off the mat as the winner. He is simply too strong in terms of position, and Storr will struggle to score. Then again, strange things can happen in rivalry matches. Prediction: McKenna (Ohio State) dec. Storr (Michigan) 149: No. 5 Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 12 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) Where/When: Iowa State at Oklahoma State, Sunday, Jan. 27 Gfeller began this season on the bench, but he has made the most of his opportunities in the starting lineup. He has slowly but surely worked his way up the rankings at 149 and holds victories over No. 6 Mitch Finesilver (Duke), Jarod Verkleeren (Penn State) and No. 16 Christian Monserrat (West Virginia). Degen emerged as a surprisingly steady hand for the Cyclones last season, and he has only improved this year. He holds an 18-3 record highlighted by wins over Monserrat and No. 13 Pat Lugo (Iowa). While he has looked sharp at points this season, he may struggle to keep up pace with Gfeller. The Oklahoma State wrestler creates a lot of action of his offense, and Degen likes to control the pace. Prediction: Gfeller (Oklahoma State) dec. Degen (Iowa State) 157: No. 3 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) vs. No. 5 Kaleb Young (Iowa) Where/When: Iowa at Northwestern, Sunday, Jan. 27 Deakin seems to have established himself as a clear No. 3 at this weight. His only two losses have come against No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) and No. 2 Tyler Berger (Nebraska). Outside of those matches, he has looked dominant. This includes a 6-2 victory over Young at the Midlands. Since coming down in weight this year, Young has gone 13-1. He recently picked up one of his biggest wins of the year when he scored a last-minute throw against No. 7 Steve Bleise (Minnesota). Young was considered a question mark for Iowa going into the year, but he has wrestled like a top-10 guy. Prior to the late throw against Bleise, Young was locked into a match without very much offense. It was 1-1 after over six minutes of wrestling. That is not going to cut it against Deakin. In their first match, he showed he could keep it close, but he simply does not have the offense to pull out the win. Prediction: Deakin (Northwestern) dec. Young (Iowa) 165: No. 4 Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven) vs. No. 5 Josh Shields (Arizona State) Where/When: Arizona State vs. Lock Haven at Red Lion High School, Friday, Jan. 25 Marsteller is in the middle of another stellar season. After going 44-4 last year, he has started off this year with a 13-1 record. His only loss so far this year was a one-point match against No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) at the Southern Scuffle. Along the way, he has bested the likes of Mason Manville (Penn State), No. 9 Branson Ashworth (Wyoming) and former teammate No. 10 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State. Shields has improved every season he has wrestled for the Sun Devils. This season, he has built a 20-3 record and fallen only to the top-three competitors at the weight class. However, that seems to tell the story for him in his career. He will win the vast majority of his matches, and struggle to break through against top guys. Marsteller has certainly gotten his career back on track at Lock Haven, and he should be the favorite here. Prediction: Marsteller (Lock Haven) dec. Shields (Arizona State) 174: No. 2 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) vs. No. 7 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) Where/When: Arizona State at Lehigh, Saturday, Jan. 26 Outside of a pair of matches against No. 1 Mark Hall (Penn State), Valencia has gone undefeated for the past three seasons. However, he should certainly not be looking past Kutler. Yes, Valencia defeated the Lehigh wrestler 11-4 last season, but Kutler is a dangerous test when healthy. He has gone 12-3 this season, and he has not lost since running into No. 4 Daniel Lewis (Missouri) back in December. Valencia is a huge favorite in this bout due to his ability to stay on his offense from the outside. Kutler's path to victory is clear. He needs to slow the ties, slow the match down and impact the match on the floor. That is easier said than done. Prediction: Valencia (Arizona State) maj. dec. Kutler (Lehigh) 184: No. 2 Emery Parker (Illinois) vs. No. 5 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) Where/When: Illinois at Nebraska, Sunday, Jan. 27 Parker has somehow flown under the radar despite being the second-ranked wrestler all season. He has wrestled a very minimal schedule, which includes only one tournament and five dual matches. However, he has been much more active this month with three straight wins. Parker and Venz have a history. The Illinois wrestler holds the edge 2-1 in their series, and he won their most recent match at the NCAA tournament. Venz had a tough weekend in North Carolina, dropping matches against No. 14 Chip Ness (North Carolina) and No. 4 Nick Reenan (NC State). However, since returning to action, he has won all four of his match including victories over Mason Manville (Penn State) and No. 6 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa). With such limited action this season for Parker, it is hard to imagine he is wrestling his best matches at this moment. Venz has proven he could beat him before, and he has a strong chance of scoring the upset. If he is able to have an impact from the top position, his path to a victory is there. Prediction: Venz (Nebraska) dec. Parker (Illinois) 197: No. 6 Willie Miklus (Iowa State) vs. No. 10 Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) Where/When: Iowa State at Oklahoma State, Sunday, Jan. 27 Miklus moved on to Iowa State for his sixth year of eligibility. For his final campaign, he has started 12-2. While the record is impressive, he has not faced the toughest competition. However, the veteran has proven over and over during his career he can rise to the occasion. Geer began the season at 184, but he has been pressed into service for the often injured Preston Weigel. Since the Southern Scuffle, he has gone 3-1 with the lone loss coming against Patrick Brucki (Princeton). In his last match, he scored a one-sided decision over Pittsburgh's Kellan Stout. Geer has been surprisingly effective at 197 so far. However, he will have some trouble with Miklus. As previously stated, he has not faced many tests this season, but he is a crafty veteran. He should be able to sneak in a few takedowns and take the match. Prediction: Miklus (Iowa State) dec. Geer (Oklahoma State) 285: No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) vs. No. 11 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) Where/When: Minnesota at Wisconsin, Friday, Jan. 25 After missing out on a shot at No. 3 Sam Stoll (Iowa) two weeks ago, Steveson took out both Deuce Rachal (Illinois) and No. 15 Conan Jennings (Northwestern) last weekend. He has gone undefeated so far this season at 23-0, and looks to be the favorite come tournament time. He will also be the favorite here against Hillger. The Wisconsin wrestler had a strong start to the season, but he has recently run into trouble in the Big Ten dual meet schedule. He comes into this match on the back on back-to-back losses against No. 4 Anthony Cassar (Penn State) and Jennings. Even though Steveson should be able to take care of business in this match, adjusting to the grind is part of college wrestling. He clearly has the talent, but in the bigger conferences it is a new test each and every week. Prediction: Steveson (Minnesota) maj. dec. Hillger (Wisconsin)

Kevin Dresser coaching at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn. (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Kevin Dresser doesn't believe in moral victories. When his Iowa State Cyclones nearly upset the third-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes early in the season, Dresser was anything but satisfied. His takeaway on the one-point loss at Carver-Hawkeye Arena? "I think what we showed that day is that we are going to compete hard, no matter who we are wrestling against," Dresser said. "Effort is what is going to keep these kids improving. We obviously made some mistakes that day and didn't win. But our guys bought into what we were saying and they went into that dual believing they could win." The Cyclones haven't lost a dual meet since and Dresser has every reason to be excited about the direction the ISU program is heading. Kevin Dresser gives instruction to his wrestler in a dual meet against Ohio (Photo/Iowa State Athletics Communications) Iowa State has continued to wrestle well, stringing together five straight dual meet victories while moving up to No. 15 in the national rankings. ISU is 6-1 overall and 3-0 in Big 12 Conference duals. The Cyclones have a big weekend coming up, wrestling Oklahoma on Friday night at home before facing perennial power and fourth-ranked Oklahoma State on Sunday in Stillwater. "On paper, Oklahoma State is not a good matchup for us," Dresser said. "I think it's exciting to have an opportunity to wrestle one of the most storied programs in NCAA history. It will be a good challenge for us. We are going into a place with a lot of history and we are going to wrestle in front of a big crowd. They're a lot better than they were last year and we're a lot better. I'm looking forward to it." Dresser has been successful everywhere he's been as an athlete and as a coach. He was a two-time Iowa state champion for Humboldt High School before winning an NCAA title for the University of Iowa in 1986. He was a highly successful high school coach for many years in Virginia before building Virginia Tech into a national powerhouse at the collegiate level. He left a strong program in Blacksburg to take over a struggling program at Iowa State. The Cyclones have a proud and storied tradition with Olympic gold medalists Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson among its distinguished alumni. Dresser's first season at Iowa State was rough. The Cyclones suffered their share of setbacks and no ISU wrestlers reached the All-American podium. Year 2 in Ames has been a much different story for Dresser and company. The Cyclones have a strong and much-improved lineup that is capable of doing its share of damage when the stakes are highest in March. Iowa State has excelled in dual meets and also placed third in the Southern Scuffle against a strong tournament field. Willie Miklus is currently ranked No. 6 at 197 pounds (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Senior Willie Miklus leads the way for the Cyclones at 197 pounds. He is ranked sixth nationally. Miklus was a three-time All-American for Missouri before transferring to ISU for his final season to be closer to his ailing father. "Willie's a great kid," Dresser said. "He's become a good leader for us and he's doing a good job for us. He's a veteran guy. We joke around and call him 'Grandpa' because he's a few years older than most of the guys we have. He's been great for our young guys, and it's been good to have a veteran like that on our team." Kevin Dresser high fives Austin Gomez (Photo/Iowa State Athletics Communications) Freshman Austin Gomez is an exciting young wrestler with a big-move arsenal. He's ranked seventh at 133 pounds. "Austin is a talented wrestler and he's a gamer," Dresser said. "He has a great work ethic and he wrestles hard. He's had a few hiccups, but he's a freshman. You don't want to underestimate Austin." The Cyclones also have three sophomores who are nationally ranked. Jarrett Degen is 12th at 149, Ian Parker is No. 14 at 141 and Sam Colbray is 19th at 184. Degen advanced to the round of 12 at the 2018 NCAA tournament before falling one win short of the medal podium. "Jarrett is a guy that competes hard in everything he does," Dresser said. "He continues to make improvement. He's a bad draw because he has a unique style and his gas tank is huge." Sophomore Alex Mackall (125) and freshman Marcus Coleman (174) have also been nationally ranked for ISU. The Cyclones also have one of the nation's most promising young wrestlers in David Carr, who is redshirting this season. Carr was a top-ranked recruit who has excelled in open tournaments this season. He is 18-1 in open events, scoring bonus points in 10 of his wins. David Carr is the son of Cyclone legend Nate Carr, who won three NCAA titles for Iowa State before earning an Olympic bronze medal. David Carr won a bronze medal for the U.S. at the 2016 Cadet World Championships. "David lost his very first college match this season against a good kid from Missouri, but he hasn't lost since," Dresser said. "He's dominated everybody since that first match. David is very coachable, he's very athletic and he loves wrestling. He just needs mat time and experience. He is a guy who can contend for titles right away." Iowa State assistants Derek St. John and Brent Metcalf with Kevin Dresser (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Dresser's two top assistant coaches, past Iowa NCAA champions Derek St. John and Brent Metcalf, have also settled into their roles during the second year this staff has been together at Iowa State. "St. John and Metcalf have done a great job," Dresser said. "When I hired them, one thing I wanted from them was presence in the wrestling room and presence in the recruiting world. They're young coaches and they've learned a lot since we started working together. My style is different from the style they were raised in. We're happy with what they have done." The Cyclones now head into the final two months of the season with a one-word theme: progress. Dresser said he wants his team's year-long progression to continue as we move closer to the Big 12 and NCAA meets. "We're not ready to win the NCAA tournament this year, but we've made good progress," he said. "It's been fun seeing the guys having the consistency, and seeing them gain confidence and trust in us. We have a close team right now. The guys that we have are invested in the program and that's good to see."

Oklahoma State's Daton Fix leads Division I in technical falls (Photo/Juan Garcia) The NCAA has released updated standings for the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Awards that will be awarded in March at the respective Division I, II and III Wrestling Championships. The inaugural NCAA Wrestling Awards were presented at the 2012 wrestling championships. The three awards, given in each division, honor the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes that have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular and postseasons. For falls and tech falls to be counted they must come against opponents in the same division (i.e. Division II vs. Division II). Ties in the two categories are broken based on the aggregate time. Central Michigan heavyweight Matt Stencel has moved back into first place for falls in Division I with 14 in an aggregate time of 32:58. George Mason 165-pounder Colston DiBlasi also has 14 falls but is in second as he's needed 26 more minutes to reach his total. Andrew McNally of Kent State sits in solo third with 12 falls, while three more wrestlers have reached double figures with 10. Lake Erie heavyweight Evan Loughman has taken control of solo first in Division II with nine falls. Jacob Robb (Mercyhurst), Ryan Rochford (Adams State) and Justin Folley (Upper Iowa) are on his heels with eight falls. Da'mani Burns of JWU (Providence) has ascended to first place in Division III and all divisions with 15 falls at 149 pounds. Wartburg 133-pounder Brennen Doebel leads a trio of wrestlers with 14 falls in 26:48, followed by Conner Homan of Mount Union and Izaake Zuckerman of NYU. Oklahoma State 133-pounder Daton Fix has reached the top of Division I with 11 tech falls, one more than 2018 winner Kyle Shoop of Lock Haven. Fix's teammate, Nicholas Piccininni, holds third place with nine. Mercyhurst 165-pounder Logan Grass has taken control of the top position in Division II with five tech falls. His lead is tenuous as a quintet of wrestlers sit behind Grass with four tech falls. Messiah 149-pounder Stephen Maloney remains in first place in Division III with 12 tech falls, but his lead has narrowed. Mount Union's Jordin James and Heidelberg's Jeremiah Slagle have also reached double digits with 10 techs. The initial Most Dominant Wrestler standings will be released later this season to allow wrestlers to achieve the minimum amount of matches required to be eligible for the standings.

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The Citadel Wrestling took down Southern Conference opponent Gardner-Webb this Wednesday and improved to 1-0 in the SoCon for the first time since 2015. With the experimental NCAA rule allowing weight classes to be chosen in an alternating manner by head coaches, the final weight class lineup was as followes: 133 lbs. 125 lbs. 149 lbs. 174 lbs. 141 lbs. 197 lbs. 184 lbs. 285 lbs. 165 lbs. 157 lbs. The Citadel 30, Gardner-Webb 12 The Citadel started out the match with a 12-point lead after Gardner-Webb was forced to forfeit their two lightest weight classes. At 149 pounds, Chon Porter started out with a takedown two minutes into the first period. He would record two near-falls in the third period racking up eight points and finishing with a 16-3 major decision. Sawyer Root routed Gardner Webb in the 197-pound weight class by recording a major decision (22-8) over JT Trautman, extending his winning streak to four matches. Martin Duane started off his match by recording a takedown only 20 seconds in over Chase Emory. He later recorded an additional takedown and secured the match with a point due to riding time. Duane improves to 6-12 on the year and picked up his first Southern Conference win as a Bulldog. Heavyweight, Michael McAleavey recorded a trio of takedowns and a reversal to edge out a win over Jeffery Linker. McAleavey finished the match with a 9-5 decision to extend the Citadel lead to 27-9. In the final match of the night, Rian Burris completed a comeback to defeat Evan Schenk by a final score of 7-4. Burris improves to 19-11 on the year and picks up his fifth win in the last seven matches. "We are really happy that we were able to get a conference win under our belt at home. I think it will give us some confidence heading into the All-Academy Championship this weekend. We are closer to getting our starting lineup complete and in the weeks coming up, it will be good to have a few days of rest for the team to recuperate," said head coach Rob Hjerling. The Bulldogs will return to action this Saturday, Jan. 26 as they travel to Northfield, Vermont for the All Academy Championships. Results: 133 – Charles Kearney (CIT) won by forfeit 125 – Anthony New (CIT) won by forfeit 149 – Selwyn Porter (CIT) def. Austin Reames (GWU) MD 16-3 174 – Kyle Homet (GWU) def. Kyle Kretzer (CIT) Dec. 9-6 141 – Blake Mulkey (GWU) won by forfeit 197 – Sawyer Root (CIT) def. JT Trautman (GWU) MD 22-8 184 – Martin Duane (CIT) def. Chase Emory (GWU) MD 11-2 285 – Michael McAleavey (CIT) def. Jeffery Linker (GWU) Dec. 9-5 165 – Tyler Marinelli (GWU) def. Dazjon Casto (CIT) Dec. 6-0 157 – Rian Burris (CIT) def. Evan Schenk (GWU) Dec. 7-4

AUSTIN, Texas -- USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, and FloSports, the innovator in live digital sports and original content, have announced that tickets are now available online to the general public for both 2019 Final X events through FinalX.tv Final X: Rutgers will be hosted at the Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC) on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J., on Saturday, June 8. Final X: Lincoln will be hosted at the Bob Devaney Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on Saturday, June 15. The Final X series will determine the 2019 U.S. Senior World Teams in all three of the Olympic disciplines. There will be a best-of-three series to determine who will wrestle at the 2019 Senior World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, September 14-22, 2019. Ticket prices will be the same for both Final X locations this year. There are two sessions in each Final X event, and a ticket will cover admission for both sessions that day. The price breakdown for Final X tickets in both Rutgers and Lincoln are: • VIP Floor - $100 • Reserved seating (100 level) - $65 • General Admission (200 - 300 level) - $40 • Group (GA only) - Buy 10 or more tickets and get $40 off Each of the 30 World Championships weight classes have been assigned to a Final X location: June 8 Final X: Rutgers weight classes Men's Freestyle: 65 kg, 79 kg, 86 kg, 92 kg, 125 kg Women's Freestyle: 50 kg, 57 kg, 65 kg, 68 kg, 72 kg Greco-Roman: 55 kg, 67 kg, 77 kg, 82 kg, 87 kg June 15 Final X: Lincoln weight classes Men's Freestyle: 57 kg, 61 kg, 70 kg, 74 kg, 97 kg Women's Freestyle: 53 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 62 kg, 76 kg Greco-Roman: 60 kg, 63 kg, 72 kg, 97 kg, 130 kg Athletes who were World medalists in 2018 will advance directly to Final X, if they declare they will compete in the same weight class again this year by a specific date to be determined. If they declare they will compete in the same weight class, 2018 World medalists who would compete in Final X: Rutgers are men's freestylers Kyle Dake (79 kg), David Taylor (86 kg), J'den Cox (92 kg) and Nick Gwiazdowski (125 kg), plus women's freestyler Tamyra Mensah-Stock (68 kg). Dake, Taylor and Cox were 2018 World champions, while Gwiazdowski and Mensah-Stock were 2018 World bronze medalists. Likewise, if they declare they will stay in the same weight class, 2018 World medalists who would compete in Final X: Lincoln are men's freestylers Joe Colon (61 kg), Jordan Burroughs (74 kg) and Kyle Snyder (97 kg), plus women's freestylers Sara Hildebrandt (53 kg), Mallory Velte (62 kg) and Adeline Gray (76 kg), along with Greco-Roman wrestler Adam Coon (130 kg). Gray was a 2018 World champion, while Snyder, Hildebrandt and Coon were 2018 World silver medalists. Colon, Burroughs and Velte were 2018 World bronze medalists. A presale for season ticket holders of Rutgers wrestling and Nebraska wrestling has been completed. Both of these events will have exclusive live and on-demand coverage on FloWrestling, as well as on the FloSports apps on iOS, Roku and Apple TV 4. The exact time of each session for each Final X event will be announced shortly. In addition, the specific weight classes for each session will be announced at a later date. For more information, visit FinalX.tv, FloWrestling.org or TheMat.com. About FloSports FloSports, the innovator in live digital sports and original content, partners with event rights holders, governing bodies, and other media companies to unlock a world of sports coverage that true fans have been waiting for. Through live streaming of premier events, original video programming, and weekly studio shows, FloSports is growing the sports, the events, the athletes, and the fans. Current verticals under the FloSports header include Wrestling, Rugby, MMA, Football, Track, Gymnastics, Hockey, and more. About USA Wrestling USA Wrestling is the National Governing Body for the sport of wrestling in the United States and, as such, is its representative to the United States Olympic Committee and United World Wrestling, the international wrestling federation. USA Wrestling is the central organization that coordinates amateur wrestling programs in the nation and works to create interest and participation in these programs. USA Wrestling has more than 237,000 members, including athletes, coaches, officials, parents, fans and others who are actively involved in the sport. Its president is Bruce Baumgartner, and its Executive Director is Rich Bender.

The end of January is fast approaching. For one state (Indiana), this weekend marks the start of its individual state wrestling tournament series. For some other states, this is the last weekend of the regular season. Below is the list of scheduled competitions for the nationally ranked teams during the coming week, Jan. 23-29. No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.) -- travels to Lehigh University for dual meet against No. 4 Bergen Catholic (N.J.) on Saturday No. 2 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) -- travels to No. 8 St. Edward (Ohio), along with No. 5 Montini Catholic (Ill.), for tri-meet on Saturday No. 3 Buchanan (Calif.) -- hosts Clovis (Calif.) West in a dual meet on Wednesday, competes in the Mid-Cals Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Gilroy (Calif.), travels to Clovis (Calif.) North for dual meet on Tuesday 1/29 No. 4 Bergen Catholic (N.J.) -- travels to St. Joseph Montvale (N.J.) for dual meet on Wednesday, hosts NVOT (N.J.) in a dual meet on Friday, travels to Lehigh University for dual meet against No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.) for dual meet against No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.) on Saturday No. 5 Montini Catholic (Ill.) -- travels to Thornton Fractional South (Ill.), along with Loyola (Ill.), for tri-meet on Thursday; travels to No. 8 St. Edward (Ohio), along with No. 2 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) for tri-meet on Saturday No. 6 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.) -- competes in the FHSAA state dual championships on Friday and Saturday at Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola No. 7 Cincinnati (Ohio) LaSalle -- competes in the Grizzly Invitational Tournament on Saturday at Wadsworth (Ohio) No. 8 St. Edward (Ohio) -- hosts No. 9 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) in a dual meet on Friday, hosts No. 2 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) and No. 5 Montini Catholic (Ill.) in a tri-meet on Saturday No. 9 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) -- travels to No. 8 St. Edward (Ohio) for dual meet on Friday No. 10 Gilroy (Calif.) -- hosts the Mid-Cals Tournament on Friday and Saturday, hosts Salinas (Calif.) in a dual meet on Tuesday 1/29 No. 11 Tuttle (Okla.) -- competes in the Mid-Cals Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Gilroy (Calif.) No. 12 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) -- competes in EPC crossover dual meet, most likely against Easton (Pa.), on Saturday at Easton (Pa.) No. 13 Liberty (Mo.) -- hosts the George Hoover Invitational on Saturday No. 14 Broken Arrow (Okla.) -- travels to No. 16 Allen (Texas), along with Arlington (Texas) Martin, for tri-meet on Tuesday 1/29 No. 15 Park Hill (Mo.) -- competes in the Shawnee (Kansas) Mission North Invitational on Saturday No. 16 Allen (Texas) -- hosts the Allen Duals on Saturday, hosts No. 14 Broken Arrow (Okla.) and Arlington (Texas) Martin in a tri-meet on Tuesday 1/29 No. 17 Clovis (Calif.) -- hosts Clovis (Calif.) North in a dual meet on Wednesday, splits squad between the Mid-Cals Tournament in Gilroy (Calif.) and the Mission San Jose Tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 18 Chicago (Ill.) Mt. Carmel -- travels to Providence Catholic (Ill.) for dual meet on Thursday No. 19 Southeast Polk (Iowa) -- hosts the CIML Tournament on Friday No. 21 St. John Bosco (Calif.) -- competes in the CIF Southern Section Divison 1 Duals on Saturday at Canyon/A (Calif.) No. 22 Poway (Calif.) -- hosts Rancho Bernardo (Calif.) in a dual meet on Wednesday, travels to Westview (Calif.) for dual meet on Thursday, competes in the Mid-Cals Tournament at Gilroy (Calif.) on Friday and Saturday No. 23 Kasson-Mantorville (Minn.) -- hosts Zumbrota-Mazeppa (Minn.) in a dual meet on Thursday, hosts the Swalla Invitational on Saturday No. 24 Simley (Minn.) -- travels to Hastings (Minn.) for dual meet on Thursday, competes in the Bloomington-Kennedy (Minn.) Tournament on Saturday No. 25 Brighton (Mich.) -- competes in the KLAA championship quad on Wednesday, travels to Lowell (Mich.) for quad meet along with Dundee (Mich.) and New Lothrop (Mich.) on Friday No. 26 Mount St. Joseph's (Md.) -- hosts McDonogh (Md.) in a dual meet on Thursday, competes in the Ocean Lakes (Va.) Invitational on Friday and Saturday, hosts St. Paul's (Md.) and Latin (Md.) in tri-meet on Tuesday 1/29 No. 27 Delbarton (N.J.) -- competes in the Morris County Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Mount Olive (N.J.) No. 28 Elyria (Ohio) -- hosts Strongsville (Ohio) in a dual meet on Saturday No. 29 Pauslboro (N.J.) -- travels to Haddonfield Memorial (N.J.) for dual meet on Friday, travels to Haddon Heights (N.J.) for dual meet on Monday 1/28 No. 30 Brecksville (Ohio) -- competes in the Brooke (W.Va.) Classic on Saturday No. 31 Kiski Area (Pa.) -- hosts the WPIAL section 1 dual team championships on Wednesday No. 32 Selma (Calif.) -- competes in the CSL Dual Championships at Dinuba (Calif.) on Wednesday, competes in the Mid-Cals Tournament at Gilroy (Calif.) on Friday and Saturday No. 33 Wadsworth (Ohio) -- hosts the Grizzly Invitational Tournament on Saturday No. 35 Davison (Mich.) -- competes in the SVL Tournament on Saturday at Lapeer (Mich.) No. 36 South Plainfield (N.J.) -- travels to John P. Stevens (N.J.) for dual meet on Wednesday, competes in the GMC Tournament at Piscataway (N.J.) on Friday and Saturday, travels to Bishop Ahr (N.J.) for dual meet on Tuesday 1/29 No. 37 Bethlehem (Pa.) Liberty -- hosts Pocono Mountain West (Pa.) in a dual meet on Wednesday; hosts Freedom (Pa.) in a dual meet on Thursday; competes in EPC crossover dual meet, most likely against No. 48 Nazareth (Pa.), on Saturday at Easton (Pa.) No. 38 Northampton (Pa.) -- hosts East Stroudsburg (Pa.) South in a dual meet on Wednesday; competes in EPC crossover dual meet, most likely against Freedom (Pa.) or Parkland (Pa.) on Saturday at Easton (Pa.) No. 39 Reynolds (Pa.) -- travels to Commodore Perry (Pa.) for dual meet on Wednesday, competes in the Grizzly Invitational Tournament at Wadsworth (Ohio) on Saturday No. 40 Howell (N.J.) -- hosts Manalapan (N.J.) in a dual meet on Wednesday, competes in the Shore Conference Tournament at Red Bank Regional (N.J.) on Friday and Saturday No. 41 Brownsburg (Ind.) -- competes in the sectional tournament (first layer of state series) on Saturday at Avon (Ind.) No. 42 Shakopee (Minn.) -- travels to Prior Lake (Minn.) for dual meet on Thursday No. 43 Waverly-Shell Rock (Iowa) -- competes in the NEIC Tournament at Charles City (Iowa) on Saturday No. 44 Parkersburg South (W.Va.) -- hosts Parkersburg (W.Va.) in a dual meet on Wednesday No. 45 Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep -- travels to Warren (Pa.) for dual meet on Wednesday, competes in the Brooke (W.Va.) Classic on Saturay No. 46 Stoughton (Wis.) -- travels to the University of Wisconsin Fieldhouse in Madison for dual meet against Milton (Wis.) on Friday No. 47 Don Bosco (Iowa) -- hosts Lisbon (Iowa) in a dual meet on Thursday No. 48 Nazareth (Pa.) -- travels to Parkland (Pa.) for dual meet on Thursday; competes in EPC crossover dual meet, most likely against No. 37 Bethlehem (Pa.) Liberty on Saturday at Easton (Pa.) No. 50 St. Paris (Ohio) Graham -- competes in the Grizzly Invitational Tournament at Wadsworth (Ohio) on Saturday Off this week: No. 20 Oak Park River Forest (Ill.), No. 34 Marmion Academy (Ill.), No. 49 Toppenish (Wash.)

Gavin Teasdale battles Patrick Glory at Beat the Streets in New York (Photo/Juan Garcia) Gavin Teasdale, Penn State 125-pound freshman who had yet to take to the mat for the defending NCAA team champions, is transferring, head coach Cael Sanderson confirmed late Tuesday afternoon. "Gavin is not gonna be on our team, he's being removed the roster probably right now or today," Sanderson said. "So don't expect to see Gavin. We obviously wish him well and expect him to transfer." "[Teasdale's decision] was recent, in the last couple days," Sanderson added. "We care a lot about Gavin and wish him all the best. We'll try to help him land somewhere, whatever we can do for him. There are a lot of changes and moving parts in college athletics and this is just another example of that," according to Sanderson. Teasdale's bio has already been removed from the official Penn State wrestling website. A four-time Pennsylvania state champion for Jefferson-Morgan High School, Teasdale had said on Twitter last fall that he was leaving Penn State because of health issues, but that would he would be returning in January at "full capacity." Teasdale was reinstated on the roster in late December and reportedly was going to wrestle for Penn State in the Southern Scuffle. Teasdale's entry was at the last minute; however, his much-anticipated debut was scratched just before the event. He also was on the entry list of the Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Open in January but scratched from that tournament as well. "Those are just decisions and different things that we'll have to look at moving forward," Sanderson said. "But we have some good kids in the program and we have some good kids coming in." Penn State has been using sophomore Devin Schrupp of Pennsylvania this season, and also has Brody Teske, a four-time Iowa state champion, on its roster. Teske wrestled for the Nittany Lions in the Southern Scuffle but did not place.

Stevan Micic defeated Luke Pletcher to advance to the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Heading into this weekend, the season record for top-25 duals in a three-day span was nine. This weekend squashes that season record, as there will be 12 matchups that pit top-25 teams against each other. There will be six ranked duals on Friday, four on Saturday and pair on Sunday. Note: All times Eastern Time (ET). Friday No. 5 Michigan at No. 3 Ohio State (7 p.m.) First-year head coach Sean Bormet brings his undefeated (8-0) fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines to Columbus to take on the undefeated (7-0) third-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes for one of the biggest rivalries in college wrestling. There will be four top-20 matchups and will feature a pair of top-ranked wrestlers in Ohio State's Myles Martin (184) and Michigan's Stevan Micic (133). Martin will not wrestle a ranked opponent, but when undefeated Micic takes on sixth-ranked Luke Pletcher at 133, it'll be the first ranked opponent he's faced this season. Micic and Pletcher met four times last season. Pletcher won the first meeting, but Micic rattled off three straight wins, including a win in the NCAA semifinals, catapulting the Wolverine to the NCAA finals, where he eventually fell short to South Dakota State's Seth Gross (who announced that he'd have season-ending shoulder surgery this week). At 141, Ohio State's reigning Big Ten champion and second-ranked Joey McKenna will take on fifth-ranked Kanen Storr. McKenna brings a perfect 16-0 record into this match, while Storr has a pair of losses this season. Both of those losses came to opponents who sit inside the top-five. His first loss was to No. 3 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) and his second loss was to No. 4 Mike Carr (Illinois). Other ranked matchups: 157: No. 10 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) vs. No. 6 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State) 174: No. 3 Myles Amine (Michigan) vs. No. 12 Te'Shan Campbell (Ohio State) 285: No. 8 Mason Parris (Michigan) vs. No. 19 Chase Singletary (Ohio State) No. 25 Arizona State vs. No. 24 Lock Haven (7 p.m.) Coach Zeke Jones and the No. 25 Arizona State Sun Devils travel east to take on No. 24 Lock Haven. The most exciting match comes at 165 when fourth-ranked returning All-American Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven) welcomes fifth-ranked returning All-American Josh Shields (Arizona State). Shields, who is up from 157, brings a 20-3 record into this dual, while Marsteller is 13-1. Though the pair hasn't met in their careers, they do have a common opponent in Penn State's two-time NCAA champion Vincenzo. Shields fell to Joseph 11-2, while Marsteller lost 6-5. No. 14 Pittsburgh at No. 12 Virginia Tech (7 p.m.) The Pitt Panthers are coming off their first loss of the season. Last weekend, they were defeated by the third-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys 33-9. This weekend, they'll travel to Blacksburg to take on coach Tony Robie's No. 12 Virginia Tech Hokies, who are 7-2 this season. There will be a trio of ranked matchups in this dual, but the most intriguing matchup comes at 133 when one of colleges wrestling biggest surprises and brightest rising stars Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) takes on Virginia Tech's Korbin Myers. Phillippi climbed all the way to the No. 2 spot in the 133 rankings after knocking off undefeated Daton Fix in last weekend's dual against Oklahoma State. Phillippi is 13-1 this season and is riding a seven-match win streak. His opponent, Korbin Myers, is ranked No. 14 in the country and is 11-4 on the season, with all of his losses coming to ranked wrestlers. Other ranked matchups: 184: No. 12 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) vs. No. 8 Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech) 285: No. 13 Demetrius Thomas (Pittsburgh) vs. No. 18 Billy Miller (Virginia Tech) No. 7 Minnesota at No. 16 Wisconsin (8 p.m.) The seventh-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers continue their road trip for the third straight dual when they head to Madison, Wisconsin to take coach Chris Bono's No. 16 Badgers. The Badgers, who started 6-0, are in danger of dropping their fifth straight dual. They're looking for their first win since November 18th when they beat unranked Utah Valley, 22-17. Before their four-match losing skid, the Badgers averaged 26 points a dual. Since that November 18th win, they've only averaged 15 points a dual. On the other side, the Gophers are 4-1 in their last five duals and are coming off a 29-12 over a Northwestern Wildcat squad who put up 25 points against the Badgers and knocked them off, 25-18. Ranked matchups: 125 - No. 6 Sean Russell (Minnesota) vs. No. 14 Connor Brown (Wisconsin) 141: No. 8 Mitchell McKee (Minnesota) vs. No. 16 Tristan Moran (Wisconsin) 174: No. 11 Devin Skatzka (Minnesota) vs. No. 10 Ryan Christensen (Wisconsin) 285 - No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) vs. No. 11 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) No. 4 Iowa at No. 18 Illinois (9 p.m.) Coach Tom Brands and the Iowa Hawkeyes travel to Champaign with hopes of earning their ninth straight win. This dual against the Illini will be the sixth time the Hawkeyes have wrestled a ranked opponent this season. They've won all five of those ranked matchups. Their opponents, the Fighting Illini, are looking to get back in the win column after dropping their last two matches to No. 5 Michigan and No. 7 Minnesota. Ranked matchups: 125: No. 2 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. No. 15 Travis Piotrowski (Illinois) 133: No. 4 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) vs. Dylan Duncan (Illinois) 141: No. 15 Max Murin (Iowa) vs. No. 4 Mike Carr (Illinois) 157: No. 5 Kaleb Young (Iowa) vs. No. 12 Eric Barone (Illinois) 184 - No. 13 Cash Wilcke (Iowa) vs. NO. 2 Emery Parker (Illinois) Other ranked duals on Friday No. 23 Oklahoma at No. 15 Iowa State (8 p.m.) Match to watch: No. 11 Dom Demas (Oklahoma) vs. No. 14 Ian Parker (Iowa State) Saturday Ranked duals on Saturday No. 22 Virginia at No. 20 North Carolina (6:30 p.m.) No. 25 Arizona State at No. 21 Lehigh (7 p.m.) Match to watch: No. 2 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) vs. No. 7 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) at 174 pounds Sunday No. 12 Virginia Tech at No. 21 Lehigh (2 p.m.) There will be a trio of ranked matchups, but the top match to watch when the No. 12 Virginia Tech Hokies take on the No. 21 Lehigh Mountain Hawks comes at 174 pounds. Virginia Tech's two-time All-American and sixth-ranked David McFadden will wrestle returning All-American and seventh-ranked Jordan Kutler. McFadden, USA's U23 world team member, is 10-1 on the season, with that lone loss coming to Oklahoma State's fifth-ranked Joe Smith. Kutler has three losses this season, with all of those coming to opponents who are ranked inside the top-five. His losses were to No. 1 Mark Hall (Penn State), No. 3 Myles Amine (Michigan), and No. 4 Daniel Lewis (Missouri). Other ranked matchups: 184: No. 8 Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 7 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) 197: No. 7 Tom Sleigh (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 18 Jake Jacobsen (Lehigh) No. 15 Iowa State at No. 2 Oklahoma State (3 p.m.) Two of the most storied programs in collegiate wrestling history clash when coach Kevin Dresser's No. 15 Iowa State Cyclones invade Gallagher-Iba Arena to take on coach John Smith's second-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys. The visiting Cyclones have rallied off five straight winning after dropping their only match of the season to in-state rivals, the second-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes. Aside from that dual against Iowa, the Cyclones have scored at least 29 points in each of their duals. The Cowboys hold a perfect 9-0 record this season and are coming off a 33-9 win over a then-undefeated top-15 Pitt Panther squad. Ranked matches to watch: 133: No. 9 Austin Gomez (Iowa State) vs. No. 3 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) 141: No. 14 Ian Parker (Iowa State) vs. No. 13 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) 149: Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) vs. No. 5 Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) 184: No. 19 Samuel Colbray (Iowa State) vs. No. 11 Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State) 197: No. 6 Willie Miklus (Iowa State) vs. No. 10 Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) Other ranked duals on Sunday No. 18 Illinois at No. 11 Nebraska (3 p.m.) Ranked matches to watch: 125: No. 15 Travis Piotrowski (Illinois) vs. No. 13 Zeke Moisey (Nebraska) 141: No. 4 Mike Carr (Illinois) vs. No. 19 Chad Red (Nebraska) 157: No. 12 Eric Barone (Illinois) vs. No. 2 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) No. 23 Oklahoma at No. 17 Northern Iowa (3 p.m.) Match to watch: No. 11 Dom Demas (Oklahoma) vs. No. 6 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) at 141 pounds No. 4 Iowa at Northwestern (3 p.m.) Though this is not a ranked matchup, it will feature the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked wrestlers in the nation at 125 pounds. Northwestern's top-ranked Sebastian Rivera will wrestle Iowa 's second-ranked returning NCAA champion Spencer Lee. Lee was the top-ranked wrestler at this weight, but Rivera knocked him off in the Midlands finals and took control of the top spot.

RUDIS, the fastest growing athletic apparel brand in wrestling, continues to invest in wrestling and the Olympic Dream by signing its first female wrestler, Sarah Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt's most recent stand out silver medal performance at the 2018 World Championships in Budapest compliments her many impressive career accolades such as being a three-time Pan Am champion, two-time World Team member, and a two-time WCWA college national champion. RUDIS Co-Founder and President, Jesse Leng speaks about how the signing represents something bigger for the brand. "Signing Sarah is a huge honor for RUDIS. This moment is very meaningful for a variety of reasons. We are not just adding another top-level talent to our roster, we are making a statement that we are investing in women's wrestling and making sure its message is being projected in the most authentic way. We believe Sarah's impact on our business may quite possibly be felt more by what she contributes off the mat than on. Ultimately, her input and insight will serve as a platform for growth. Building great products and messages always begin with the athlete. I could not be prouder to have Sarah be the pioneer of this movement for RUDIS. Nancy Schultz Vitangeli, partner and one of the sport's top advocates adds; "We are happy and proud to welcome Sarah into the RUDIS family. She represents everything that we strive to honor in our sport and at RUDIS. Sarah is exemplary in the areas needed for success…discipline, dedication, and an intensity and love for the training process. Women are the fastest growing aspect of wrestling around the world. We look forward to Sarah's future success as she joins our amazing group of RUDIS athletes and legends." Hildebrandt expresses her gratitude to RUDIS and love for wrestling in explaining her choice, she quotes: "RUDIS embodies so many aspects of, not just being a great wrestler, but being a great person while also remaining relentless and authentic in the pursuit of greatness. For me, it was an obvious decision to work with them. A lot of our goals, and how to achieve them, aligned perfectly. From their professionalism to their passion, I felt immediately in sync and inspired with the brand. RUDIS' support and care is unmatched. I am beyond excited to move forward with them as I chase down my dreams!" Serving the amateur wrestling community, RUDIS honors some of the greatest names in the history of the sport including Dave Schultz, Kyle Snyder, Cary Kolat, Russ Hellickson, Lincoln Mcllravy, and more. The company states: "Born from wrestling and built for wrestling. RUDIS was created with a single vision in mind: be the most accurate and authentic expression of the sport through apparel. The core values of wrestling govern our every action and drive us to continually innovate, serve, and connect with those who love this sport."

Jim Morgan with All-Americans Randy Batten, John Kavelage, David Weeks and Turner Jackson Jim Morgan and John Farr -- two men who shared University of Tennessee Chattanooga wrestling heritage and made major contributions to the sport in the Volunteer State and beyond -- both died Friday, January 18, just hours apart. One man who knew them both was Steve Highlander, who wrestled for Morgan at UTC and followed Farr as the Central High coach. "Both of them were pioneers in wrestling in Tennessee and the South and made major impacts on the lives of many young men and coaches," Highlander told the Chattanooga Times-Free Press. Former UTC mat coach Jim Morgan Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coach, professor and athletic administrator Jim Morgan passed away Friday afternoon. He was 80. Morgan guided the Mocs' wrestling program for 16 seasons, from 1969 to 1983, posting a career record of 209-70-3, making him the winningest coach in UTC wrestling history. A 1992 inductee into the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame, Morgan was the 1975 NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year when he led the Mocs to a third-place finish at the national tournament, and runners-up in the team standings the following year. He coached three individuals to NCAA Division II titles, including Randy Batten (1975-77), Turner Jackson (1975-76) and David Weeks (1976). Morgan helped guide the Mocs in the transition to the Southern Conference and NCAA Division I. With Morgan at the helm, UTC claimed the conference crown its first six years as members of the SoCon... while Morgan earned Coach of the Year honors in 1978, 1981 and 1983. "I was fortunate enough to meet Coach Morgan and even though I have not been here long, I fully understand the impact he had on Chattanooga Wrestling," UTC first-year head coach Kyle Ruschell said in a tribute to Morgan on the official Mocs wrestling website . "He was a legend in the wrestling community and set the foundation for our program that still feels his impact 34 years after he coached his last match at UTC." "Jim Morgan, in his decades of coaching, has positively affected thousands of wrestlers, wrestling coaches and the great sport of wrestling" stated UTC's Director of Athletic Performance Ethan Reeve. Reeve succeeded Morgan as coach of the Mocs from 1985-90. George McIntyre, long-time wrestling official who wrestled for Morgan at UTC in the 1970s, took the passing of his college coach hard. "I was on the phone with several of my teammates from the 1970's," McIntyre told InterMat Saturday afternoon. "The news didn't hit me until last night. I didn't sleep a minute... I talked to him at least every other week the last couple years." "Jim was also the tennis coach at UTC and my brother played for him the same time I was on the wrestling team. We were very close..." "During my brother's and my time there we always had a big home-cooked breakfast Sunday morning at our house. Tennis players and wrestlers along with Coach Morgan showed up every Sunday." After retiring as UTC head coach, Jim Morgan served as an Assistant Athletic Director at the school... then took over the Baylor School wrestling program in 1986. His teams won nine state traditional championships, six state duals championships before he retired in 2010. Jim Morgan's introduction to the oldest and greatest sport came as a student at the McCallie School outside Chattanooga, an all-boys prep school where he had earned admission thanks to an anonymous scholarship. "I had hoped to be a boxer, but the Mid South Conference dropped boxing as a varsity sport during my ninth grade (1952-53) year so I had to look for another sport," Morgan said in a 2010 interview. "I didn't want to play soccer (an outdoor winter sport in those days), could only dog paddle in the pool so swimming was not an option and I did not have the height for basketball, so my last choice was wrestling.'' Thus the beginning of Morgan's long relationship with the sport. Funeral arrangements for Jim Morgan have yet to be announced. UTC mat alum John Farr John Farr, a wrestler at the University of Chattanooga (now UTC) in the 1950s who launched a number of high school wrestling programs in the Chattanooga area, died Friday morning at age 84. Farr started the wrestling program at Red Bank High School, as well as those at Chattanooga Central and Sale Creek. At Red Bank, Farr led the program to a then-record three consecutive Tennessee state wrestling championships. He also launched the mat program at Chattanooga State Community College. Beyond his on-the-mat and coaching experience, Farr directed state tournaments, officiated NCAA Division I tournaments and served on the High School National Federation Wrestling Rules Committee and advisory boards. He retired from Chattanooga State Community College as head of the humanity department. John was a member of three halls of fame: Greater Chattanooga Area Sports Hall of Fame, TSSAA (Tennessee State Scholastic Athletic Association) and the Tennessee Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Farr also served in the U.S. Army for 30 years. Visitation for John Farr is 4-8 p.m. on Monday and 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, 5401 Highway 153, in Hixson, Tenn. A Celebration of Life service is 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home. Contributions may be made in John's name to the Wrestling Coaches Scholarship Fund.

Former amateur wrestling champions Henry Cejudo and Gregor Gillespie both came out winners by TKO in their respective bouts at UFC Fight Night 143 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Saturday night. In the main event, Cejudo, 2008 Olympic gold medalist in men's freestyle wrestling, needed just over a half-minute to score a TKO over former Cal State Fullerton wrestler T.J. Dillashaw ... while, earlier in the evening, Gillespie, who was a 2007 NCAA champ and three-time EWL (Eastern Wrestling League) titlewinner at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, got a TKO of his own over Yancy Medeiros towards the end of Round Two. Cejudo gets quick-but-controversial win Henry Cejudo managed to hold onto his UFC flyweight title by defeating T.J. Dillashaw in just 32 seconds of the first round of their top-of-the-card 125-pound fight ... an outcome that generated some controversy. Henry Cejudo at the post-fight press conferenceHere's how Sherdog.com described the brief bout: "'The Messenger' come out aggressively from the opening horn and landed a fierce kick to T.J. Dillashaw's ribs. From there, Cejudo landed a glancing head kick and then rocked his foe with punches to the head. Dillashaw tried scoring a takedown from his knees, but he was dropped again and again from punches to the head. "Cejudo never stopped throwing bombs until Dillashaw rolled out and referee Kevin MacDonald pulled him off, ending the main event in just 32 seconds." It was the fifth shortest title bout in UFC history. The outcome did not sit well with Dillashaw ... or UFC president Dana White. Immediately after the stoppage, Dillashaw appealed to the referee to reverse his decision and allow him to continue fighting. Failing that, the 32-year-old attempted to make his case in the post-fight news conference. "I am leaps and bounds better than Henry Cejudo. I believe that. I didn't get a chance to prove it," Dillashaw said. "I'm pretty f'ing bitter right now. I'm pretty pissed off. I worked my ass off, bro. I'm about to f---ing cry. "I came in, I felt great. I felt really good. I thought it was gonna be fireworks for me tonight. I got dealt a s---ty card." Dana White weighed in on Dillashaw's side, saying, "It was definitely an early stoppage. You're talking about two of the best fighters in the world, two world champions. Let them win or lose the fight, you know what I mean? Let T.J. lose that fight. It was a bad stoppage. I'm not taking anything away from Cejudo, because Cejudo went out there and started busting him up and took it right to him, hurt him. ... But in a fight like that, you gotta let the guy win or lose the fight." With the win, the 31-year-old Cejudo retains his flyweight title, and improves to 14-2 since launching his MMA career in March 2013. Dillashaw, reigning UFC bantamweight (135-pound) champ, lost his bid to become only the fourth UFC fighter to hold onto two titles at once. He is now 16-4 in a pro MMA career nine years in the making. Gillespie wins bout, loses wallet One could say that UFC Fight Night 143 was a mixed bag for Gregor Gillespie, as the former collegiate mat champ maintained his perfect pro MMA record ... but managed to have his fight bag stolen, containing his wallet, mouthpiece and fight gear. The 31-year-old Gillespie, a four-time NCAA All-American wrestler for the Edinboro Fighting Scots, came out on top of Yancy Medeiros with a TKO by punches at 4:59 of the second round. "Gregor Gillespie remained unbeaten in his MMA career by dominating Yancy Medeiros for nearly two rounds before stopping him," according to Sherdog.com. "'The Gift' scored several takedowns and mauled him from start to finish and never allowed the Hawaiian to ever get things going. "Gillespie eventually took 'The Kid' down late in the second, seized his back and then teed off on him with punches until referee Todd Anderson intervened. The end came with one second remaining in the frame." Here's how Yahoo! Sports described the match. "Gregor Gillespie kept his spotless record intact, thoroughly thrashing Yancy Medeiros ... "Gillespie has set the UFC lightweight division on fire by putting his wrestling pedigree to work, having been a four-time All-American in the NCAA Division I, as well as a national champion ... "Though Medeiros continuously scrambled and regained his feet, he couldn't break free of Gillespie's clutches. When the NCAA Division I wrestling champion wasn't riding Medeiros on the ground, he was pressing him up against the cage and driving knees into his thighs and ribs." Gregor Gillespie, who launched his pro MMA career almost exactly five years ago, is now 13-0 in his MMA career ... while Medeiros dropped to 15-7 with one no contest.

Pat Whitcomb lifts Taylor Kornoely after winning the NCAA title at heavyweight (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Pat Whitcomb is out as head wrestling coach at No. 4-ranked North Idaho College, the school in Coeur d' Alene announced Thursday afternoon. Whitcomb, who had led NIC to four NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) team titles in 22 years at the helm, was a subject of what school referred to as "an academic integrity investigation" within NIC's athletic department. "Head wrestling coach Pat Whitcomb is no longer employed at NIC," Laura Rumpler, NIC's chief communications and government relations officer, confirmed to the Coeur d' Alene Press. "We wish him the best in his future endeavors and thank him for the impact that he's had at NIC." Rumpler said she couldn't say whether Whitcomb was fired or resigned because legalities don't allow her to divulge such information without the employee's consent. She added that assistant coach Keri Stanley remains on paid administrative leave, information she said she could share because Stanley gave NIC permission to release it. The cloud over coach Whitcomb had been lingering for a couple weeks. Back on Jan. 8, the Spokane (Washington) Spokesman-Review reported that the long-time coach -- who had wrestled for NIC in the 1980s -- had been fired, a story which school administrators denied at the time. However, later that week, the school benched Whitcomb and Stanley, naming remaining assistant Brandon Richardson as interim head coach. Whitcomb's biography at the official North Idaho College Cardinals wrestling website has been removed. Bios for Stanley and Richardson remain. In a statement to The Press last week, Whitcomb said: "I am very proud of my career at NIC both as an athlete and a coach. But I've never been afraid to fight for what's right -- on or off the mat. I wish all of the wonderful athletes, staff and faculty I have had the pleasure of working with at NIC the very best. I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to our amazing community for all of their support over the years." With Whitcomb as head coach, NIC could claim 18 individual national champions and 108 All-Americans. He was honored as National Coach of the Year twice and Region 18 Coach of the Year eight times. Whitcomb is a member of the NJCAA Wrestling Hall of Fame and NIC Hall of Fame. As a wrestler, Whitcomb won national titles for NIC in 1986 and 1987. North Idaho wrestling is tied with Iowa Central Community College for fourth place in the latest NJCAA team rankings, according to InterMat. Founded in 1933, North Idaho College is a public, two-year community college located in Coeur d'Alene. It has a total enrollment of approximately 7,800 students.

Gable Steveson with Brock Lesnar It's not everyday that two brief videos of two heavyweights going at it in a college wrestling room could stir up so much interest -- and speculation -- well beyond the amateur wrestling world. The two titans: Brock Lesnar ... and Gable Steveson. This past week, Lesnar -- current WWE Universal Champ and former UFC titleholder -- returned to his college alma mater, University of Minnesota, to talk to the current Golden Gopher wrestling team. Then the 2000 NCAA champ did some sparring with Steveson, Minnesota's freshman heavyweight sensation, ranked No. 1 at 285 pounds by InterMat this past week. Videos of their mano-a-mano were posted at the official @GopherWrestling Twitter account -- one video weighing in at just under a half-minute, with a second at less than ten seconds. Each video has tallied over 220,000 views ... and generated articles at websites which usually focus on pro wrestling or mixed martial arts. What non-wrestling websites had to say A number of websites which normally don't cover college wrestling were agog about the Lesnar-Steveson training session. (To show how unfamiliar some are with the sport and one of its brightest stars, more than one website added an "n" to the current Minnesota big man's last name, seemingly making Gable a relative of McLean Stevenson, late star of the 1970s TV series M*A*S*H. InterMat has edited the excerpts to correct that typo.) WWE offered its take on the Minnesota wrestling room training session featuring arguably one of the organization's biggest stars. "University of Minnesota freshman Gable Steveson has shot to the top of the national rankings with a 20-0 start to his collegiate career, and another high-profile veteran of the program stopped by to drill with the ascendant star: Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. The Beast Incarnate, whose career as a Gopher helped him catch the eye of WWE talent scouts almost twenty years ago, sparred with the top-ranked heavyweight earlier today, as shown in a video posted by the team's official Twitter account," the official WWE website reported. "The clip is a short glimpse of The Conqueror helping Steveson hone his cradles, but it's impressive nonetheless, with two very apparent takeaways: Lesnar's still got the speed, and Steveson is right there with him." That wasn't the only account to sing the praises of the 41-year-old Lesnar. "WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is a decorated amateur wrestler in his own right, and he got to show off his skills this morning at his former college, the University of Minnesota," WrestleZone.com reported. "Lesnar wound up helping the current wrestlers at the school including Gable Steveson. Thankfully for us, the college posted an awesome video of the two working on wrestling technique. It really demonstrates what an amazing athlete Lesnar is." At least one pro wrestling website speculated on a possible WWE career for Gable Steveson. In an article titled "Brock Lesnar Helps Train College Wrestler For Possible WWE Run," RingsideNews.com wrote, "Due to WWE's desire to 'not make college wrestling their enemy,' the company has a policy where they will not recruit a Division I wrestler until they have completed their four years of college. Therefore, we might have a few years to wait for Gable Steveson, but WWE is reportedly already looking very heavily in his direction as another possible big star out of Minnesota." The website also mentioned that the current Minnesota heavyweight has had contact with Lesnar and the WWE before college. "Lesnar has brought Stevenson backstage in WWE before when Gable was still in high school. Paul Heyman (Lesnar's WWE manager) is said to know him as well as Gerald Briscoe (WWE talent scout, and former Oklahoma State wrestler). It was said that Lesnar might do more training with Stevenson down the line too." TheSportster.com served up a similar sentiment: "The WWE has a policy in place which restricts them from signing Division I wrestlers. However, they are thought to be very interested in the student and hope to make him the next big star to hail from Minnesota and follow in Lesnar's footsteps." At least one MMA website that covered the Lesnar-Steveson sparring session also provided speculation as to another career option for Gable Steveson beyond the squared circle. MMAmania.com referenced Lesnar's in-the-Octagon confrontation with UFC heavyweight champ (and former college and Olympic wrestler) Daniel Cormier at UFC 226 last July, writing, "Six months on, its still unclear whether Lesnar will actually return to the cage. However, he did spend some time on the mats recently, which could be a good sign. "The skillset that brought Lesnar his fame and glory was developed in his college wrestling days. Now, Brock is back on the mats, practicing with Gable Steveson at the University of Minnesota. "Could his motivation be to train for a bout with two-time Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier in the UFC's Octagon? We will get our answer in 2019." Minnesota's heavyweight reputation In the long history of wrestling at the University of Minnesota, the school can claim five individuals who won NCAA heavyweight titles. Only Oklahoma State has produced more national champs in the top weight class. In addition to Brock Lesnar (who won the 285-pound crown at the 2000 NCAAs), the other Golden Gophers who earned NCAA heavyweight championships include Leonard Levy (1941), Verne Gagne (1949), Cole Konrad (2006, 2007) and Tony Nelson (2012). Three of these champs went on to careers in pro wrestling: Levy, Gagne and Lesnar. In addition, Cole Konrad became a heavyweight champ in MMA for Bellator. (You can read more about these Minnesota big men in an InterMat Rewind historical feature.) Lesnar, Steveson: Sensational in amateur wrestling Both Brock Lesnar and Gable Steveson generated headlines -- and considerable fan interest -- in their amateur wrestling careers. Brock Edward Lesnar was a football and wrestling star at Webster High in South Dakota. He continued his mat career at Bismarck Community College in North Dakota, where in two years he built a 56-3 record, culminating in the 1998 NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) heavyweight title. J Robinson, then head coach at University of Minnesota, saw Lesnar in action at a tournament, and signed him to complete his collegiate career with the Gophers, where Lesnar became a two-time Big Ten champ and two-time NCAA finalist, winning the national title at the 2000 NCAAs. Lesnar grabbed the attention of the college wrestling community with his incredible physique and take-no-prisoners wrestling style. During a college wrestling TV broadcast, Dan Gable said "Lesnar turns more heads than Cindy Crawford in a thong." Minnesota wrestling produced a poster featuring a full-length photo of Lesnar in a singlet, with tale-of-the-tape call-outs pointing out his impressive measurements, including his 20" neck and 52" chest. The amateur wrestling community has had its eye on Gable Dan Steveson (yes, he was named in honor of the legendary wrestler-coach Dan Gable) long before he enrolled at Minnesota. As a wrestler at the storied Apple Valley High School in the suburbs of the Twin Cities, he was a four-time Minnesota high school state champ with an incredible 210-3 record. In addition, Steveson was a two-time Cadet world champion and a Junior world champion.

The 2019 NCAA Division I Championships will take place at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh It's not easy to get into the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. That's long been true for wrestlers who dream of taking to the mat at the Nationals. And, for fans who want to take in the action in person at the 2019 NCAAs in Pittsburgh this March, it may be easier to score a takedown on (insert name of your favorite college heavyweight) than to score a seat at PPG Paints Arena for college wrestling's biggest event which takes place in just two months. The Division I mat championships has long been a hard-to-get ticket. But this year, a combination of factors has made that ticket even more challenging for fans to get their hands on. Why? PA Power Wrestling has taken up the challenge to get answers. In an in-depth feature story posted Friday at the website devoted to wrestling in the state of Pennsylvania, wrestling writer Eric Knopsnyder addresses the question in the article's headline, "Here's What Is Causing Shortage Of NCAA Tickets in Pittsburgh." "Supply and demand - that's the easiest way to sum up the issues surrounding tickets for the NCAA Championships in Pittsburgh this March," according to Knopsnyder. "Although the supply has been relatively stable over the past two decades, the demand has spiked significantly this season." What moved the Johnstown, Pennsylvania-based sportswriter to write? Knopsnyder saw a tweet from University of Minnesota head coach Brandon Eggum, asking why their allotment of tickets for the 2019 NCAAs had been cut in half. The writer -- who was once a Division I wrestler -- took up the challenge, and contacted the NCAA for answers. Matthew Holmes, the NCAA's assistant director of championships and alliances for the past five tournaments, told Knopsnyder that each year, schools with Division I wrestling programs put in a request a number of tickets for the championships. As Holmes told Knopsnyder, in past years, schools have requested a total of approximately 15,000 tickets for a venue that typically has 19,000 seats. This year, that number shot up to over 25,000 tickets ... a 67 percent increase. "That necessitated that everybody received less tickets than they normally received in their allocation," according to Holmes. Traditionally, most schools request 100 or fewer tickets ... and the NCAA has been able to fulfill those orders. However, this year, a number of schools increased their ticket requests. So the NCAA had to come up with a new way to allocate tickets ... a way that had been used in the past, based on where each team placed at the previous NCAA championships. In other words, team titlewinner Penn State would receive more tickets than any other program. While some fans won't be in the stands at PPG Paints Arena for the 2019 NCAAs, they may have better luck next year, as the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, home to the Minnesota Vikings, with an advertised seating capacity of 66,860 ... more than three times the seating capacity of most modern arenas. A brief history on NCAA championship venues The NCAA Wrestling Championships have grown in the number of participants and fans in their nearly 90-year history. For instance, at the very first NCAAs back in 1928, Iowa State held the event at the Armory, which had a seating capacity of approximately 2,000. Forty wrestlers from a dozen schools took to the mats. Fast forward nearly three decades, to the 1957 NCAAs, the last time the Nationals were held in Pittsburgh. Back then, the two-day event was held at University of Pittsburgh's Fitzgerald Field House, a 4,122-seat facility. That year, 63 schools sent 213 wrestlers. Over the years, the NCAAs grew in the number of participating wrestlers ... and number of seats in the host venue. For example, the 1970 NCAAs at Northwestern University welcomed nearly 400 wrestlers to an arena with 8,800 seats. For the next three decades, most NCAA championships were held in arenas with approximately 10,000-15,000 seats on college campuses. At some point, the NCAA capped the number of participating wrestlers at 330. In the 21st century, the NCAA made the move to larger arenas with approximately 19,000 seats. At the 2018 NCAA finals, a record-setting 19,776 fans took in the action at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. PPG Paints Arena offers a seating capacity well within the standards of facilities in use for NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships for the past two decades. The arena's official website lists a seating capacity of 19,758 for center-stage concerts, which would be a layout most similar to a typical NCAA Saturday night finals featuring floor seating.

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- The No. 9 Sun Devil Wrestling team headed to the Pacific Northwest to open their Pac-12 schedule, coming away with a 20-13 win at Oregon State. The Sun Devils are now 24-18 all-time vs. the Beavers, improving to 8-9 in Corvallis. ASU wins their second straight in Corvallis after five-straight previous losses on the Beavers' home mat. Starting at 157, the Sun Devils opened the contest with four straight wins, two by major decisions to lead 14-0. No. 2 Zahid Valencia (174) earned nearfall points to push him over the major decision threshold while Jacen Petersen (184) won the first of two overtime bouts after being down early in the match. The Beavers got their first win just before halftime, a decision at 197 lbs. as they tacked on two more wins after the break to pull within four, 14-10. Redshirt freshman Brandon Courtney put up a good showing at 125 lbs vs. No. 3 and returning Pac-12 champion Ronnie Bresser, falling by a narrow 2-1 decision. Arizona State pushed their lead to seven, 17-10, as No. 24 Josiah Kline (133) won by decision, 10-8. OSU pulled again within four, 17-13, with a decision victory at 141 lbs. but No. 18 Josh Maruca sealed the Sun Devil victory with a 4-3 decision at 149 lbs. to cap the dual. The Sun Devils continue their road schedule next weekend with a return trip to Pennsylvania. They will compete vs. Lock Haven in Red Lion, Pa. Jan. 25 and at Lehigh on Jan. 26, both matches scheduled for 7 pm ET/5 pm MT. Saturday's match will be live streamed on the Patriot Network for free: https://watchstadium.com/network/patriot-league-network/157220. Results: 157: #14 Christian Pagdilao dec. No. 18 Hunter Willits, 3-1 165: #5 Josh Shields MD Aaron Olmos, 11-3 174: #2 Zahid Valencia MD Colt Doyle, 17-4 184: Jacen Petersen dec. Bob Coleman, 7-5 (SV1) 197: Jamarcus Grant dec. Austyn Harris, 5-3 (SV1) 285: #5 Amar Dhesi MD Brady Daniel, 22-8 125: #3 Ronnie Bresser dec. Brandon Courtney, 2-1 133: #24 Josiah Kline dec. Kegan Calkins, 10-8 141: Grant Willits dec. Cory Crooks, 8-6 (SV1) 149: #18 Josh Maruca dec. Josh Reyes, 4-3

FRESNO, Calif. - Winning nine of 10 matches, including five by bonus points and three via falls, the Bulldog Wrestling team downed Big 12 foe South Dakota State, 38-3 on Sunday afternoon at the Save Mart Center. Fresno State (6-6, 3-3 B12) won its second dual in three days and notched its first-ever Big 12 Conference home dual win with the victory over conference opponent South Dakota State (1-6, 0-3 B12). How It Happened With the dual getting started at 125 pounds, redshirt freshman Robert Garcia IV picked up his second straight win with his first fall of the season notching a first period fall of Gregory Coapstick in 2:31. Redshirt freshman Gary Joint kept the great start going for the Bulldogs at 133 pounds with his second straight major decision blanking the Jackrabbits' Rylee Molitor, 9-0 using a pair of takedowns, a four-point near fall and riding time to push the 'Dogs lead to 10-0 in the dual. Sophomore Chris Deloza gave the 'Dogs their third straight bonus point win to start the match using a second period takedown to turn SDSU redshirt freshman Aric Williams to his back for a fall in 4:44. Leading 16-0 in the dual heading into the marquee match of the dual pitting a pair of nationally-ranked wrestlers against each other as the Bulldogs' No. 15 Khristian Olivas faced No. 12 Henry Pohlmeyer. With Olivas able to pick up a first period takedown for a 2-0 lead, the Bulldog junior choose to start the second period neutral and that decision paid off as he was able to take down Pohlmeyer again and turn him to his back for a fall in 3:39 and his fifth pin of the year. Redshirt freshman Jacob Wright kept the shutout intact at 157 pounds with a workmanlike 4-1 decision over Jackrabbit sophomore Colten Carlson. Getting his team-high 17th win of the season, Wright used a second period reversal and late third period takedown to seal the win and give the 'Dogs a 25-0 lead heading to intermission. Filling in for an injured Brandon Martino at 165 pounds, redshirt junior Isaiah Hokit made his first appearance of the season at that weight, and was able hold his own topping SDSU senior Logan Peterson, 11-5 while securing four takedowns in the victory. The shutout continued at 174 pounds with redshirt junior Dominic Kincaid topping Samuel Grove, 4-1. The Clovis native used a first period takedown for a early 2-0 lead, but Grove was able to escape in the second period to cut the lead in half. Kincaid was able to escape the Jackrabbits' hold for an escape in the third period and a point for riding time gave Kincaid his second straight win. The lone loss of the dual for the Bulldogs came at 184 as No. 21 Jackson Hemauer lost a hard-fought battle to Zach Carlson, 4-3 as the Bulldog redshirt freshman was able to escape late in the third period to tie the match at 3-3, but 1:23 of riding time by Carlson gave the Jackrabbit the narrow one-point win. Still holding a 31-3 lead, the 'Dogs closed out the dual with a 18-5 major decision by No. 16 Josh Hokit over Martin Mueller at 197 pounds and a narrow 2-1 victory by No. 21 AJ Nevills over Blake Wolters at heavyweight. Notables - Garcia IV and Deloza each recorded their first fall of the season. - Olivas also pinned Pohlmeyer in their previous matchup this season at the Midlands Champions with a fall in 4:12. - Isaiah Hokit made his season debut at 165 pounds after going 15-14 at that weight in 2017-18. - Josh Hokit recorded his fifth straight win to improve to 15-3 on the season and 4-0 in duals. - Nevills moves to 15-5 overall and 10-1 in duals while getting his eighth win by decision. Quotes Head Coach Troy Steiner On the 'Dogs win today over South Dakota State..... "It was a battle and we knew they would come out and fight. It was great to see the guys come out aggressive." Junior 197-pounder Josh Hokit On continuing to find early success since moving from football and joining the national rankings.... "That's great, but I have had the mindset coming in not to take a backseat to anyone. You have to be mentally prepared for everyone and know you are going to get a great fight everytime." Results: 125: Robert Garcia IV (FS) won by fall over Gregory Coapstick (SDSU), 2:31 | FS 6, SDSU 0 133: Gary Joint (FS) maj. dec. Rylee Molitor (SDSU), 9-0 | FS 10, SDSU 0 141: Chris Deloza (FS) won by fall over Aric Williams (SDSU), 4:44 | FS 16, SDSU 0 149: No. 17/18/15 Khristian Olivas (FS) won by fall over No. 19/17/12 Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU), 3:39 | FS 22, SDSU 0 157: Jacob Wright (FS) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 4-1 | FS 25, SDSU 0 165: Isaiah Hokit (FS) dec. Logan Peterson (SDSU), 11-5 | FS 28, SDSU 0 174: Dominic Kincaid (FS) dec. Samuel Grove (SDSU), 4-1 | FS 31, SDSU 0 184: Zach Carlson (SDSU) dec. No. -/-/21 Jackson Hemauer (FS), 4-3 | FS 31, SDSU 3 197: No. 16/-/- Josh Hokit maj. dec. Martin Mueller (SDSU), 18-5 | FS 35, SDSU 3 285: No. -/-/21 AJ Nevills (FS) dec. Blake Wolters (SDSU), 2-1 | FS 38 SDSU 3 Up next The 'Dogs return to the mat hosting Pac-12 foe Oregon State (2-4) on Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. at the Save Mart Center for our Pride of the Valley Night and will remain home on Feb. 3 hosting Big 12 opponent No. 12 Wyoming (11-3, 2-1 B12) at 12 p.m. for Junior Bulldog Kid's Club Day.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- The West Coast suited Northern Colorado wrestling this weekend, as they rallied to defeat CSU Bakersfield, 17-16 and go 2-0 on the road trip. UNC kept the momentum from Friday against the roadrunners, rallying with two wins in the final matches to erase a 16-11 deficit. "I'm really proud of this team," head coach Troy Nickerson said. "They get better every time they step on the mat. Today was a total team effort. Honestly, the MVPs of the day were Sean Cannon and Armando Santillan. Both wrestled hard and held their top 20 ranked opponents to decisions." Cannon dropped a tough 5-0 decision against No. 20 Sean Nickell in the 133 lb match. Santillan faced No. 18 Russell Rohlfing at 149 lb, dropping the match 7-2 by decision. Robert Winters Jr. and No. 11 Jacob Seely led the comeback in the final two matches, both earning decision wins. Seely pulled UNC within striking distance after he defeated Matt Penyacsek 6-4 in the 197 lb match. With the Bears trailing 16-14, Winters Jr. took the mat against Josh Loomer in the 285 lb match. Winters Jr. built an early 5-1 lead after the first period with two takedowns and Loomer was hit with a penalty. Winters Jr. would add another takedown in the third period, along with riding time to win 9-4. The wins secured the dual win for UNC and they improved their record to 4-5 on the season. No. 17 Rico Montoya started the Bears off strong in the 125 lb match with a 19-3 tech fall over Edward Flores, giving UNC a 5-0 lead. Montoya's win was key for UNC, earning the team's only bonus points on the day. Chris Sandoval showed he is getting used to the 141 lb weight class, as he picked up a 7-3 decision win over Carlos Herrera. Jordan Robison faced Wyatt Gerl in the 157 lb match, defeating him 5-2 by decision. Dalton Robertson battled Dom Ducharme in the 184 match, losing a close 5-3 deicision. Macoy Flanagan fell to Jacob Thalin in a 16-4 major decision in the 165 lb match, while Bryan Battisto topped Sethan Bogulski 6-4 by decision at 174 lb. Northern Colorado now has its second, two-dual winning streak of the season and improved to 3-2 on the road. "We will have a really short turn around again this week as we head to Northern Iowa to face a top 15 ranked team." Nickerson added. Up Next Northern Colorado will stay on the road next weekend, traveling to take on Northern Iowa on Friday, January 25th and North Dakota State on Sunday, January 27th. Results: 125: No. 17 Rico Montoya over Edward Flores (TF 19-3 4:12) 133: No. 20 Sean Nickell over Sean Cannon (Dec 5-0) 141: Chris Sandoval over Carlos Herrera (Dec 7-3) 149: No. 18 Russell Rohlfing over Armando Santillan (Dec 7-2) 157: Jordan Robison over Wyatt Gerl (Dec 5-2) 165: Jacob Thalin over Macoy Flanagan (MD 16-4) 174: Bryan Battisto over Sethan Bogulski (Dec 6-5) 184: Dom Ducharme over Dalton Robertson (Dec 5-3) 197: No. 11Jacob Seely over Matt Penyacsek (Dec 6-4) 285: Robert Winters Jr. over Josh Loomer (Dec 9-4)

PHILADELPHIA -- After being tied at 10 after the first five matches, the Army West Point wrestling team won the final five matches of the evening to capture a 28-10 victory over Penn on Sunday afternoon at the Palestra. The Black Knights improved to 5-2 on the season and 5-0 in EIWA matches, while the Quakers dropped to 1-5 and 0-1 in conference. The heart of Army's lineup came through once again as the Cadets powered through the matches from 157 to 197 pounds, going 6-0 and outscoring their opponents by a combined 55-14. Army picked up bonus point wins over that stretch from Corey Shie (141 lbs.), Ben Harvey (174 lbs.) and Noah Stewart (184 lbs.). Results: 125 lbs.: Carmen Ferrante inj. def. over Trey Chalifoux at 4:28 (Penn leads, 6-3) 133 lbs.: Lane Peters dec. over Doug Zapf, 4-2 (Tied, 6-6) 141 lbs.: Corey Shie maj. dec. over Grant Aronoff, 16-7 (Army leads, 10-6) 149 lbs.: #14 Anthony Artalona maj. dec. over Noah Hanau, 13-3 (Tied, 10-10) 157 lbs.: Lucas Weiland dec. over Jacob Lizak, 7-0 (Army leads, 13-10) 165 lbs.: Cael McCormick dec. over Evan DeLuise, 12-6 (Army leads, 16-10) 174 lbs.: Ben Harvey maj. dec. over Jake Hendricks, 11-1 (Army leads, 20-10) 184 lbs.: Noah Stewart tech. fall over Ryan Farber, 15-0 (Army leads, 25-10) 197 lbs.: #4 Rocco Caywood dec. over Patrik Garren, 10-7 (Army leads, 28-10) 285 lbs.: Ben Sullivan dec. over Ben Goldin, 2-0 (Army leads, 3-0) ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES The Black Knights won their 700th dual in program history. Army improved to 5-0 on the year against conference opponents, its best start since 2005-06. Stewart earned his fifth technical fall of the season and 19th in his career. Caywood notched his 20th victory of the year. WARD'S WORDS Head coach Kevin Ward - "Consistency for this team is key, and we are fortunate to have some veteran guys who help provide that. So having them in the lineup whether it's first or last is good for us. They are leaders on the team without question. As we continue to strive to improve, our veterans lead the way. Even though we only have one senior in the lineup, we have some strong leaders." UP NEXT The Black Knights return to action on Feb. 1 when they travel to West Virginia for an 8 p.m. match.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy wrestling team (4-2, 2-1 EIWA) suffered its first setback in conference action with a 28-6 loss to Lehigh (5-7, 4-1 EIWA), but regrouped to post a 22-16 victory over Duke (2-2) in the second match of a rare doubleheader Sunday afternoon held at Alumni Hall. "Our Superintendent, Admiral Carter, addressed the coaches recently and spoke about key aspects the Navy expects of our graduates," said fifth-year Navy head coach Joel Sharratt. "Tonight our Midshipmen had an experiential learning lesson in grit, determination, doing what's right in the face of adversity and team cohesion. There are several lessons to learn from today, but one of the most significant is being an inspirational leader as a teammate even in the face of adversity. Our wrestlers faced it today and they overcame it as a team. "Both of these teams came in and wrestled physical matches and it is critical for us to be prepared for the biggest venues with the highest stakes. The way the team rallied after the first dual was a great test of character and peer to peer leadership. Our team captain, Nick Gil, is like concrete holding these guy together as the demands contintue to get higher and higher. The Highlights • Navy never led in its match against Lehigh and never trailed in the match against Duke. The Mids jumped out to a 13-0 lead against the Blue Devils, but Duke forged a comeback by winning four of the next five bouts. Navy, however, won the final two to earn the six-point victory. • Today's match against Lehigh marked the 99th meeting in the series with the Mountain Hawks hold a slight 52-47 advantage. • Navy is now 14-2 all-time against Duke, including 10-1 in matches wrestled in Annapolis. • It was Navy's first Div. I doubleheader since the 2011-12 season when the Mids beat North Carolina 25-12 in Chapel Hill before picking up a 23-9 win at Campbell later that evening. The last time the Mids wrestled a doubleheader at home was during the 2009-10 season when they beat North Carolina, 21-15, and followed up with a 38-3 victory over NC State. • 141-pound Nicholas Gil and 197-pound Joshua Roetman were the lone Navy wrestlers to produce wins in both of their matches. • Team captain Nicholas Gil is on the brink of becoming the 16th wrestler in program history to reach 100 wins. Gil earned decisions on Sunday over Lehigh's Ryan Pomrinca (6-3) and Duke's Josh Finesilver (13-6) to push his career record to 99-38. • Joshua Roetman improved to 16-6 on the year, but more impressive is his 6-0 mark in dual action. • Roetman's reverse with 10 seconds left in the match secured his win (7-5) over Lehigh's Chris Weiler. Weiler bumped up from 184 pounds after an injury to 18th-ranked Jake Jakobsen against American on Saturday evening left Jakobsen sidelined. Remarkably, there were NO takedowns in the match, rather five reversals and an escape. • Roetman also faced a tough match in the nightcap against Duke. With the team score tied up at 16 and trailing 2-1 heading into the third period of his match, Roetman scored the match-winning takedown with just over a minute to go and was able to fend off a late comeback by Alec Schenk to give the Mids' a three-point advantage going into the final bout. • Two years ago in its match against Duke, Navy held a four-point lead going into the final match at heavyweight. Thomas Ott, then a sophomore, would lose that match to All-American and sixth-ranked Jacob Kasper by major decision. The win by Kasper leveled the match at 17. Navy, however, would be awarded the win by third criteria in the tie-breaking procedure which is total match points scored from decisions, major decisions and tech falls. • Ott was reminded of that match prior to stepping on the mat against Duke's undersized heavyweight Araad Fisher on Sunday. Navy held a three-point advantage going into the match and Ott did not let his teammates down. He went on to beat Fisher, 6-1, and seal the win for the Midshipmen. More from the Coach • The team showed grit and determination by bouncing back after a tough dual with Lehigh. I felt like Jacob Allen really came out and lit a fire for the team to rally behind in the Duke match. He was very aggressive and got better and stronger as the match went on. Gil followed suit at 141 and remains a hammer in consistent performance for this team. • I really liked what I saw in Tanner Skidgel in the second bout. He had a tough match with Lehigh and showed the character of a champion by being resilient and self motivating to demand more of himself in the second match against a guy he has struggled with in the past. He is stepping up to another level and it's very exciting to see. • Thomas Ott really came through to close the door on a close dual meet. He has been getting better with his skills every week and there are few athletes who wrestle with bigger heart. I am looking forward to how his season plays out over the next two months. What the Wrestlers Had to Say • Heavyweight Thomas Ott - While the 184-pound match was going on, Coach Sharratt reminded me of the position I was in the last time we wrestled Duke here. Unfortunately I lost by major decision, but thankfully we won the tie-breaker. I told him, "I'm going to win this match." It took all 10 of us to win the match and I felt like I was just doing my job. • 197-pound Joshua Roetman - When you wrestle at home, you should go into a match with a chip on your shoulder. It's a point of pride, it's where we go to school, it's where we compete. It's absolutely a different feel when you wrestle at home and especially when you are in a match like the one against Duke where it's so close. For me personally, I try to focus on things that I can control - effort, getting in good position, wrestling to the next point - and I know things will work themselves out and be alright. That mentality came into play in both my matches tonight. I had game planned all week to wrestle Jakobsen and then he got hurt and I faced a guy that wrestles completely different. Against Duke, the team score was tied and it was a close match with my competitor. Again, you go back to what you can control. What's Ahead • The Midshipmen will partake in the 25th edition of the All-Academy Championship presented by USAA next Saturday in Northfield, Vt. • Eight military institutions - Air Force, Army West Point, The Citadel, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine Academy, Navy, Norwich and VMI - will vye for the team title and 10 individual crowns with action beginning at 10:00 am at Norwich's Plumley Armory. This is the first time Norwich has played host to the event. Lehigh 28, Navy 6 125 | Luke Resnick dec over Jacob Allen (NAVY), 3-1 133 | Brandon Paetzell dec over Casey Cobb (NAVY), 3-1 141 | #17 Nicholas Gil (NAVY) dec over Ryan Promrinca, 6-3 149 | Cortland Schuyler major dec over Adam Davis (NAVY), 18-6 157 | #18 Josh Humphreys major dec over Quentin Hovis (NAVY), 10-0 165 | Gordon Wolf dec over Tanner Skidgel (NAVY), 10-6 174 | #7 Jordan Kutler major dec over #19 Spencer Carey (NAVY), 13-3 184 | #7 Ryan Preisch major dec over Anthony Cable (NAVY), 13-1 197 | Joshua Roetman (NAVY) dec over Chris Weiler, 7-5 285 | #7 Jordan Wood dec over Thomas Ott (NAVY), 5-0 EXH | Cody Trybus (NAVY) dec over Nick Farro, 5-4 Navy 22, Duke 16 125 | Jacob Allen (NAVY) major dec over Harrison Campbell, 14-5 133 | Casey Cobb (NAVY) wins by forfeit 141 | #17 Nicholas Gil (NAVY) dec over Josh Finesilver, 13-6 149 | #6 Mitch Finesilver fall over Chris Hisey (NAVY), 6:29 157 | Benjamin Anderson dec over Quentin Hovis (NAVY), 6-4 165 | Tanner Skidgel (NAVY) dec over Zach Finesilver, 12-7 174 | #17 Matt Finesilver dec over #19 Spencer Carey (NAVY), 5-0 184 | Kaden Russell major dec over Anthony Cable (NAVY), 11-2 197 | Joshua Roetman (NAVY) dec over Alec Schenk, 4-3 285 | Thomas Ott (NAVY) dec over Araad Fisher, 6-1

EDWARDSVIILE, Ill. -- Central Michigan recorded three pins and won two other matches by major decision on Sunday as the Chippewas defeated Southern Illinois Edwardsville, 32-10, in a Mid-American Conference dual meet. The Chippewas won seven matches in improving to 3-4, 2-2. They bounced back from a 32-15 loss at fifth-ranked Missouri on Saturday. "We're just trying to be more aggressive," CMU coach Tom Borrelli said after the Chippewas' victory over the Cougars. "Hopefully we have a little more confidence now to do that against everyone." CMU gots pins from Matt Stencel (285 pounds), Drew Hildebrandt (125) and Deven Perez (133), while the Chippewas' Drew Marten (141) and Dresden Simon (149) scored wins via major decision. CMU also got victories by decision from Collin Lieber (174) and Landon Pelham (197). The Chippewas entertain North Dakota State in a nonconference dual on Thursday (7 p.m.) at McGuirk Arena. Results: 125: Drew Hildebrandt (C) pinned Gage Datlovsky, 6:37 133: Devin Perez (C) pinned Jacob Blaha, 3:46 141: Drew Marten (C) major dec. Lucas Bernal, 11-2 149: Dresden Simon (C) major dec. Tyshawn Williams, 12-4 157: Justin Ruffin (S) dec. Logan Parks, 3-2 165: Nate Higgins (S) major dec. Bret Fedewa, 14-4 174: Colin Lieber (C) dec. Kevin Gschwendtner, 4-1 184: Sergio Villalobos (S) dec. Jordan Atienza, 12-11 197: Landon Pelham (C) dec. Jake Godinez, 5-1 285: Matt Stencel (C) pinned Colton McKiernan, 5:42