InterMat Staff

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- No. 12 North Carolina leaned on Austin O'Connor's two key wins and a late overtime decision from Cory Daniel to pick up team victories against both No. 20 Lehigh and No. 21 North Dakota State on Sunday to wrap up the 2018 South Beach Duals. The Tar Heels (5-3) began the day against No. 20 Lehigh (1-7) and stormed out of the gate. The first four matches went in Carolina's favor, including a 17-7 major decision win for the fifth-ranked O'Connor over LU's Cortlandt Schuyler. UNC picked up 12 key team points in A.C. Headlee and Josh McClure's matches due to a pair of injury defaults. Lehigh was able to win the final five matches of the day, including No. 6 Jordan Kutler's pin of Will MacDonald at 174 pounds, but the major decision from O'Connor and the injury points swung the match in Carolina's favor, a 22-18 win for the Tar Heels. Against North Dakota State, Carolina fell behind early due to wins from two of the country's best lightweights, No. 9 Brent Fleetwood (125) and No. 17 Cam Sykora (133). It looked as though bonus points would make the difference for NDSU (5-3), but Carolina found a way to string together three key wins in the middle of the lineup to shift momentum. The comeback started with Headlee, who fought a tough seven minutes to collect a 6-1 win over Taylor Nein. After that, O'Connor improved his season record to 19-2 with a pin of Jaden Van Maanen in 3:58. Perhaps the most key performance of the day came in the next match when McClure picked up a down-to-the-wire 5-4 decision over Luke Weber. Weber scored late on a reversal and looked as though he had a chance to win, but McClure's riding time point proved to be the difference. After NDSU collected a pair of wins at 165 and 174, No. 11 Chip Ness turned in a strong performance against Michael Otomo. He jumped out to an early 9-0 lead after two periods and never looked back, winning 13-1 to give Carolina a key bonus point in the team score. Ness' win tied the dual at 16 with two matches to go. Chasen Blair fell to NDSU's Cordell Eaton at 197, but Daniel closed out a win for the Tar Heels in dramatic fashion. The first seven minutes of Daniel's match against Brandon Metz were action-packed, but neither could score a takedown despite multiple close efforts. The match went into overtime tied at one, and after a scoreless sudden victory period, Daniel utilized a reversal and a takedown during the tiebreakers to score four points, winning 5-1. Due to O'Connor's previous win via fall, the Tar Heels won the dual on criteria, 20-19. North Carolina will continue its road trip this week and travel west to Laramie, Wyoming, to compete in the Cowboy Shootout. The team will battle Wyoming, American and Army West Point on January 4. Friday night's action will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET. No. 12 North Carolina 22, No. 20 Lehigh 18 125: Joe Heilmann (UNC) dec. Luke Resnick (LU), 3-2 – UNC leads 3-0 133: Gary Wayne Harding (UNC) dec. Brandon Paetzell (LU), 5-2 – UNC leads 6-0 141: A.C. Headlee (UNC) won by inj. def. Luke Karam (LU) – UNC leads 12-0 149: #5 Austin O'Connor (UNC) maj. dec. Cortlandt Schuyler (LU), 17-7 – UNC leads 16-0 157: Josh McClure (UNC) won by inj. def. #20 Josh Humphreys (LU) – UNC leads 22-0 165: Gordon Wolf (LU) dec. Sawyer Davidson (UNC), 12-9 – UNC leads 22-3 174: #6 Jordan Kutler (LU) pinned Will MacDonald (UNC), 4:20 – UNC leads 22-9 184: #8 Ryan Preisch (LU) dec. #11 Chip Ness (UNC), 4-1 – UNC leads 22-12 197: Kyle Gentile (LU) dec. Hunter Queen (UNC), 9-3 – UNC leads 22-15 285: #6 Jordan Wood (LU) dec. #15 Cory Daniel (UNC), 6-4 – UNC wins 22-18 No. 12 North Carolina 20, No. 21 North Dakota State 19 125: Brent Fleetwood (NDSU) maj. dec. Joe Heilmann (UNC), 12-2 – NDSU leads 4-0 133: Cam Sykora (NDSU) maj. dec. Gary Wayne Harding (UNC), 10-0 – NDSU leads 8-0 141: A.C. Headlee (UNC) dec. Taylor Nein (NDSU), 6-1 – NDSU leads 8-3 149: #5 Austin O'Connor (UNC) pinned Jaden Van Maanen (NDSU), 3:58 – UNC leads 9-8 157: Josh McClure (UNC) dec. Luke Weber (NDSU), 5-4 – UNC leads 12-8 165: Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) dec. Sawyer Davidson (UNC), 5-2 – UNC leads 12-11 174: Lorenzo De La Riva (NDSU) tech fall Will MacDonald (UNC), 19-2 – NDSU leads 16-12 184: #11 Chip Ness (UNC) maj. dec. Michael Otomo (NDSU), 13-1 – Tied 16-16 197: Cordell Eaton (NDSU) dec. Chasen Blair (UNC), 7-4 – NDSU leads 19-16 285: #15 Cory Daniel (UNC) dec. Brandon Metz (NDSU), 5-1 – Tied 19-19 *North Carolina wins by first criteria, total wins by fall

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State wrestling team picked up a pair of dual wins to conclude its weekend 3-1 at the South Beach Duals, with a pair of wins over ranked teams. The Pack's day started with a 23-11 win over #22 Utah Valley. NC State won the first two and four of the first five bouts to take an 18-3 lead – the wins included a pin and a tech fall. Utah Valley got the team score to 18-9, but NC State scored decisions in two of the final three matches. NC State closed out the event with a 24-9 win over Indiana. The Hoosiers won the first two bouts to take a 6-0 lead, but NC State closed out the dual winning seven of the final eight matches, with three bonus point wins. Up Next: The Pack returns to dual action on Sunday, January 6 with a trip to #2 Ohio State. The match will be televised on ESPN2. #7 NC State 23, #22 Utah Valley 11 125: Zurich Storm (NCSU) major dec. Josh Jensen; 15-6 – 4-0 133: #4 Tariq Wilson (NCSU) fall Isaiah Delgado; 2:03 – 10-0 141: #11 Matt Findlay (UV) dec. #15 Jamal Morris; 5-3 – 10-3 149: #4 Justin Oliver (NCSU) technical fall Matthew Ontiveros; 18-0 – 15-3 157: #5 Hayden Hidlay (NCSU) dec. Grant LaMont; 9-4 – 18-3 165: #11 Demetrius Romero (UV) dec. Thomas Bullard; 8-4 – 18-6 174: #18 Kimball Bastian (UV) dec. Daniel Bullard; 3-2 – 18-9 184: #4 Nick Reenan (NCSU) dec. Will Sumner; 12-7 – 21-9 197: #13 Tanner Orndorff (UV) dec. #16 Malik McDonald; 12-10 – 21-12 285: Deonte Wilson (NCSU) dec. Ashton Seely; 7-4 – 23-11* *- both teams were deducted a team point for loss of control of mat #7 NC State 24, Indiana 9 125: Liam Cronin (IND) dec. Zurich Storm; 10-8 (SV1) – 0-3 133: Paul Konrath (IND) dec. #4 Tariq Wilson; 4-3 – 0-6 141: #15 Jamal Morris (NCSU) dec. #16 Cole Weaver; 7-4 – 3-6 149: #4 Justin Oliver (NCSU) dec. Fernie Silva; 7-3 – 6-6 157: #5 Hayden Hidlay (NCSU) major dec. Jake Danishek; 14-5 – 10-6 165: Thomas Bullard (NCSU) dec. Bryce Martin; 3-1 – 13-6 174: Jake Covaciu (IND) dec. Daniel Bullard; 3-2 – 13-9 184: #4 Nick Reenan (NCSU) major dec. Norman Conley; 16-7 – 17-9 197: #16 Malik McDonald (NCSU) dec. Jake Kleimola; 5-1 – 20-9 285: Deonte Wilson (NCSU) major dec. Brandon Streck; 8-0 – 24-9

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fl. - The University of Minnesota finished off the South Beach Duals in historic fashion with a 51-0 rout over Kent State followed by a 36-6 victory over No. 22 Utah Valley. The Gophers 51-0 victory was the program's first time scoring over 50 points since a Nov. 29, 2008 dual against Portland State and the first time notching a shutout since Nov. 24, 2012 against Itasca Community College. Eight Gophers went 2-0 on the day. Three of them, 125-pound Sean Russell, 133-pound Ethan Lizak, and heavyweight Gable Steveson went undefeated throughout the weekend of duals. The Gophers were one of only two teams at the South Beach Duals that went 4-0 on the weekend, including three victories over ranked teams. Minnesota finished the weekend winning 32 of their possible 40 bouts. Kent State Dual The Gophers routed Kent State in historic fashion as described above. With five pins and nine total bonus point victories the Gophers cruised to victory. 133-pound Ethan Lizak didn't even need a minute to get his first takedown and four-point nearfall. Lizak continued to scramble and ended up with the second period pin to begin a string of pins. Directly after 141-pound No. 5 Mitch McKee one-upped Lizak wasting no time in getting his first period pin after only 1:20. 157-pound Steve Bleise joined the pin party after he got the first period nearfall points and got the actual fall in the second period at the 4:29 mark 174-pound Devin Skatzka also got the fall with only three seconds to spare before the end of the first period. Heavyweight Gable Steveson continued his run of dominance with the Gophers fifth pin of the day and his second consecutive first period pin after finishing off No. 15 Cory Daniel of North Carolina on Saturday. 125-pound Sean Russell continued to hit on his shots with several takedowns in the first period and a couple of four-point nearfalls in the second en route to a 17-2 technical fall. 184-pound Brandon Krone was one of the only Gophers to give up the first points in his bout, but he made sure they were the last points scored by Kent State. Once he got the reversal and was back on top Krone repeatedly turned his opponent for the 17-2 technical fall. 149-pound Tommy Thorn notched his shutout, major decision with a great first period and relentless action throughout the rest of the bout. Thorn's takedown and four-point nearfall to begin the battle wound up being crucial to his victory. 197-pound Rylee Streifel got his third straight dual victory at his new weight and his first with bonus points. He got three takedowns as well as a two-point nearfall on the last two seconds of the second period to lead the way towards a 11-0 major decision 165-pound Carson Brolsma battled against Isaac Bast and he secured the Gophers lone regular decision on the day by a score of 10-4. Utah Valley Dual The Gophers continued to roll in their afternoon dual with eight victories in their ten bouts against Utah Valley. Both Russell and Lizak continued to roll, each earning a technical fall to start the Gophers off quick once again. Russell now has a seven match winning streak while Lizak's streak sits at five. McKee followed their routs up with a hard fought battle with No. 11 Matt Findlay and wound up on top due to a quick reversal and nearfall after starting on bottom. Thorn notched his second victory of the day with a dominant 14-4 major decision over Landon Knutzen that gave him three victories and only one loss on the weekend. Bleise accomplished the same feat due to a Utah Valley injury while he was leading. Skatzka calmly took control of his match with a spladle that lasted nearly 30 seconds but couldn't get the fall. He finished with a 13-4 major decision. Krone got his second victory of the day with a high-scoring decision, 12-4, over Will Sumner with several nearfalls and over three minutes of riding time Steveson continued his undefeated season due to a forfeit. The Gophers two losses came in close battles from Brolsma and Streifel against two of Utah Valley's ranked wrestlers. Both wrestlers had leads going into the third period but couldn't close out the upsets. Kent State Dual (51-0): 125: No.6 Sean Russell tech. fall Jake Ferri (17-2) 133: No. 8 Ethan Lizak fall (3:18) Tim Rooney 141: No. 5 Mitch McKee fall (1:20) Cory Simpson 149: No. 20 Tommy Thorn major dec. Kody Komara (9-0) 157: No. 11 Steve Bleise fall (4:29)_Richard Jackson 165: Carson Brolsma dec. Isaac Bast (10-4) 174: No.15 Devin Skatzka fall (2:57) Dylan Barreiro 184: Brandon Krone tech. fall Lane Hinkle (17-2) 197: Rylee Streifel major dec. Shane Mast (11-0) HWT: No. 2 Gable Steveson fall (1:44) Spencer Berthold No. 22 Utah Valley (36-6): 125: No. 6 Sean Russell tech. fall Josh Jensen (20-3) 133: No. 8 Ethan Lizak tech. fall Isaiah Delgado (16-1) 141: No. 5 Mitch McKee dec. No. 11 Matt Findlay (11-6) 149: No. 20 Tommy Thorn major dec. Landon Knutzen (14-4) 157: No. 11 Steve Bleise injury default (5:47) over Grant Lamont 165: No. 11 Demetrius Romero SV-1 (12-1) over Carson Brolsma 174: No. 15 Devin Skatzka major dec. No. 18 Kimball Bastian 184: Brandon Krone dec. Will Sumner (12-8) 197: No. 13 Tanner Orndorff dec. Rylee Streifel (5-4) HWT: No. 2 Gable Steveson (forfeit)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- No. 6 Mizzou Wrestling capped a dominant weekend at the South Beach Duals by defeating No. 8 Cornell, 22-9, in a top-10 dual Sunday afternoon. The dual win improved Mizzou to a perfect 10-0 this season and extended its winning streak to 30 consecutive duals, dating back to 2016-17. In all, Mizzou defeated three ranked teams at the South Beach Duals, including a pair of top-15 opponents Sunday. Below are the match-by-match results for the weekend: vs. Kent State – W, 44-0 (won all 10 bouts) vs. No. 21 Lehigh – W, 21-12 (won six of 10 bouts) vs. No. 13 Purdue – W, 41-3 (won nine of 10 bouts) vs. No. 8 Cornell – W, 22-9 (won seven of 10 bouts) Mizzou outscored its four opponents, 128-24, over the four duals on South Beach. Mizzou won 32 of 40 individual bouts over the weekend with 16 of the 32 wins earning team bonus points. "I'm very proud of the way our young men competed this weekend," head coach Brian Smith said. "We wrestled some very good teams and won some big duals and got a lot big individual wins. Tomorrow we will go to the beach and have a great time as a team." Against Cornell, Mizzou won bouts at 133, 149, 157, 165, 174, 184 and 197 pounds. Below is a match-by-match breakdown of the results: Results: 125: #13 Vitali Arujau (Cornell) won by decision over Dack Punke (Missouri), 4-2 (sv1) 133: #9 John Erneste (Missouri) won by decision over #13 Chas Tucker (Cornell), 4-2 141: #1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) won by decision over #3 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri), 3-1 149: #13 Brock Mauller (Missouri) won by decision over Chris Schoenherr (Cornell), 6-1 157: Jarrett Jacques (Miissouri) won by decision over #18 Fredy Stroker (Cornell), 8-5 165: #13 Connor Flynn (Missouri) won by major decision over Milik Dawkins (Cornell), 10-0 174: #4 Daniel Lewis (Missouri) won by decision over #14 Brandon Womack (Cornell), 6-0 184: Dylan Wisman (Missouri) won by decision over #6 Max Dean (Cornell), 7-6 197: Wyatt Koelling (Missouri) won by decision over Jake Taylor (Cornell), 7-4 285: Jeramy Sweany (Cornell) won by decision over #13 Zach Elam (Missouri), 3-2 Mizzou will be off until Jan. 11 when it heads to Athens, Ohio, for a dual with the University of Ohio.

Alex Marinelli is one of eight semifinalists for Iowa (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- Eight University of Iowa wrestlers advanced to the semifinals in the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Saturday night inside Sears Centre Arena, placing the Hawkeyes at the top of the team race after day one. Spencer Lee got the ball rolling in the second session with a technical fall in 2:23 as the top seed at 125 pounds to advance to the semifinals. No. 2 Austin DeSanto added bonus points with a 13-3 major decision and Paul Glynn earned a 4-0 decision as both advanced to the semifinals of the 133-pound bracket. No. 2 Max Murin and No.2 Cash Wilcke both picked up decisions to advance to the semifinals in the 141 and 184-pound brackets. Fifth-seeded Pat Lugo advanced due to an injury default at 149. With over three minutes of riding time, No. 2 Kaleb Young recorded his third technical fall of the tournament to move onto the semifinal round in the 157-pound bracket. In the 165-pound bracket, No. 2 Alex Marinelli won, 8-6, in sudden victory one to advance to the semifinals,where he will face the No. 3 seed, Joshua Shields (Arizona State). Vince Turk, Jacob Warner, and Tony Cassioppi fell to the back side of the bracket where there are five Hawkeyes vying for a spot in the third-place match. Four Hawkeyes were eliminated during the second round. Competition resumes with Session III tomorrow at 12 p.m. (CT). The Midlands Championships is streamed online at BTN2Go and at FloWrestling.com. Live results are available at TrackWrestling.com. The tournament in broadcast on AM 800 KXIC and stream on hawkeyesports.com via Hawkeye All-Access.

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Virginia wrestling team (6-4) opened the South Beach Duals with a pair of strong performances on Saturday, posting wins over West Virginia (1-6) and No. 22 Utah Valley (6-3). It was the first day of a two-day event for the Cavaliers. Virginia defeated the Mountaineers 26-13 in the first dual of the day before coming right back to the mat for a 26-19 win over nationally-ranked Utah Valley. The Cavaliers got four wins by pinfall on the afternoon, including two pins from junior Jack Mueller (Dallas, Texas), and pins from sophomores Louie Hayes (Orland Park, Ill.) and Sam Martino (Colonial Heights, Va.). Sophomore Jake Keating (Naperville, Ill.) also turned in two tech falls to help power Virginia to the pair of victories. Sophomore Jay Aiello (Chantilly, Va.) also went undefeated on the day, including a critical win over No. 13 Tanner Orndorff of Utah Valley. Virginia will return to action on Sunday, closing out the South Beach Duals with matches against SIU-Edwardsville and No. 21 Lehigh. The duals will be held at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. "We've been knocking on the door for two years now and we've come so close in so many duals, it feels good for our guys to pull that one out today (vs. No. 22 Utah Valley)," said Virginia head coach Steve Garland. "Utah Valley has been beating ranked teams all year. They are tough and well coached. We knew it would be a scrappy dual and it was. We had a lot of heroes today and bonus-points were the difference. Jack, Louie, Sam and Jake started us strong and then Jay iced the dual for us with a gritty win over a top 13 ranked opponent. Today was huge for our program and I'm proud of our guys." Mueller, the fifth-ranked wrestler at 125 pounds, got Virginia off to a strong start in both duals of the day with pins in each match. Against West Virginia, Mueller got the pin in the first period before the Mountaineers would sandwich a pair of decisions around a decision from junior Sam Krivus (Greensburg, Pa.), who is ranked No. 17 at 141 pounds. At 157 pounds, Keating then turned in his first tech fall of the day to open up the gap in the overall score to 14-7 in favor of the Hoos. Following a decision by West Virginia at 165 pounds, the Cavaliers rattled off three straight wins from freshman Robby Patrick (Ligonier, Pa.) at 174 pounds, senior Chance McClure (Commerce, Ga.) at 184 pounds and seventh-ranked Aiello at 197 pounds to secure the win over the Mountaineers. Virginia shot out of the gates in the dual with the Wolverines of Utah Valley, getting back-to-back pins from Mueller and Hayes to start the competition. A win for Utah Valley in a matchup of top-15 wrestlers at 141 pounds got the Wolverines on the board, but the pin from Martino and another tech fall from Keating pushed Virginia out to a 23-3 lead in the dual. Utah Valley would cut into the lead with three straight wins at 165 pounds, 174 pounds and 184 pounds, but Aiello would then lock up the victory with an 8-6 decision in sudden victory over No. 13 Tanner Orndorff. Virginia 26, West Virginia 13 125: No. 5 Jack Mueller pinned Joey Thomas (WVU), 2:25 – UVA 6, WVU 0 133: Matthew Schmitt (WVU) dec. Louie Hayes, 5-2 – UVA 6, WVU 3 141: No. 17 Sam Krivus dec. Lukas Martin (WVU), 10-4 – UVA 9, WVU 3 149: Christian Monserrat (WVU) major dec. Michael Murphy, 10-0 – UVA 9, WVU 7 157: Jake Keating tech fall Zach Moore (WVU) , 16-1 - UVA 14, WVU 7 165: Nick Kiussis (WVU) dec. No. 18 Cam Coy, 9-2 - UVA 14, WVU 10 174: Robby Patrick dec. Josh Ramirez (WVU), 9-5 - UVA 17, WVU 10 184: Chance McClure over Jackson Moomau (WVU), Injury Default – UVA 23, WVU 10 197: No. 7 Jay Aiello dec. Noah Adams (WVU), 9-5 – UVA 26, WVU 10 HWT: Brandon Ngati (WVU) dec. Tyler Love, 1-0 – UVA 26, WVU 13 Virginia 26, No. 22 Utah Valley 19 125: No. 5 Jack Mueller pinned Josh Jensen (UVU), 0:58 – UVA 6, UVU 0 133: Louie Hayes pinned Isaiah Delgado (UVU), 5:52 – UVA 12, UVU 0 141: No. 11 Matt Findlay (UVU) dec. No. 17 Sam Krivus, 11-4 – UVA 12, UVU 3 149: Sam Martino pinned Matthew Ontiveros (UVU), 4:46 - UVA 18, UVU 3 157: Jake Keating tech fall Grant LaMont (UVU), 22-4 (7:00) – UVA 23, UVU 3 165: No. 11 Demetrius Romero (UVU) dec. No. 18 Cam Coy, 6-4 – UVA 23, UVU 6 174: No. 18 Kimball Bastian (UVU ) major dec. Drew Peck, 10-2 – UVA 23, UVU 10 184: Will Sumner (UVU) over Chance McClure, disqualification - UVA 23, UVU 16 197: No. 7 Jay Aiello dec. No. 13 Tanner Orndorff (UVU), 8-6 (sv-1) – UVA 26, UVU 16 HWT: No. 9 Tate Orndorff (UVU) dec. Robert Scherer, 12-5 – UVA 26, UVU 19

The Michigan State wrestling team is out to their best start in eight years following a pair of dual meet victories on Saturday, December 29 at the South Beach Duals in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. MSU defeated Southern Illinois Edwardsville, 28-11, in their morning dual before outlasting West Virginia, 23-16, in their afternoon session at the Broward County Convention Center. With a pair of wins the Spartans are now 4-0 for the first time since the 2010-2011 season in which they opened the year with wins over Shippensburg, Harvard, Binghamton and Northern Illinois. Michigan State is back in action at the South Beach Duals on Sunday, December 30 with an 11 a.m. ET dual against No. 18-ranked Wyoming and a 1 p.m. ET dual against Kent State. A win over Wyoming would give the Spartans their best start to a season since 1973-74 in which they started 11-0. Freshman Rayvon Foley earned bonus points for the Spartans in each of their Saturday duals, defeating Austin Macais of SIUE, 15-0, and Joey Thomas of West Virginia, 19-4. Michigan State earned two falls against SIUE with Anthony Tutolo earning his first of the season and Drew Hughes earning his eight pin of the year. Redshirt Senior Austin Eicher picked up two wins on Saturday to improve his dual record to 2-1 on the season. Eicher earned a 11-0 major decision against SIUE's Lucas Bernal to pick up his first dual win of the year. Continuing his undefeated season is redshirt freshman Cameron Caffey who's 11-3 major decision over SIUE's Sergio Villalobos improved his season record to 16-0. Redshirt sophomore's Jake Tucker and Christian Rebottaro each picked up decision for MSU as Tucker defeated West Virginia's Zach Moore, 3-0, while Rebottaro bested SIUE's Colton McKiernan, 13-7. Michigan State 28, Southern Illinois Edwardsville 11 125: Rayvon Foley tech. fall Austin Macias, 15-0, MSU leads 5-0 133: Anthony Tutolo by fall (4:50) Jake Blaha, MSU leads 11-0 141: Austin Eicher major dec. Lucas Bernal, 11-0, MSU leads 15-0 149: Tyshawn Williams dec. Jaden Enriquez, 10-6, MSU leads 15-3 157: Justin Ruffin dec. Jake Tucker, 2-1, MSU leads 15-6 165: Nate Higgins dec. Logan Ritchie, 13-7, MSU leads 15-9 174: Drew Hughes by fall (1:56) Kevin Gshwendtner, MSU leads 21-9 184: Cameron Caffey major dec. Sergio Villalobos, 11-3, MSU leads 25-9 197: Christian Dulaney dec. Brad Wilton, 10-7, MSU leads 25-11* 285: Christian Rebottaro dec. Colton McKiernan, 13-7, MSU leads 28-11 *1 point was subtracted from SIUE following the bout at 197. Michigan State 23, West Virginia 16 125: Rayvon Foley tech. fall Joey Thomas, 19-4, MSU leads 5-0 133: Matthew Schmitt dec. Anthony Tutolo, 3-2, MSU leads 5-3 141: Austin Eicher dec. Lukas Martin, 8-3, MSU leads 8-3 149: Christian Monserrat dec. Jaden Enriquez, 8-6, MSU leads 8-6 157: Jake Tucker dec. Zach Moore, 3-0, MSU leads 11-6 165: Nick Kiuss dec. Austin Hiles, 5-1, MSU leads 11-9 174: Josh Ramirezz dec. (SV-1) Drew Hughes, 4-2, WVU leads 12-11 184: Cameron Caffey wins by forfeit, MSU leads 17-12 197: Noah Adams major dec. Brad Wilton, 11-0, MSU leads 17-16 285: Chase Beard inj. (2:33) David Smith, MSU leads 23-16

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Indiana wrestling team took down No. 12 North Carolina at the South Beach Duals on Saturday. Key Moments • The Hoosiers fell behind 13-0 as North Carolina won the first four bouts of the dual match. • Senior Jake Danishek pinned Josh McClure to get the Hoosiers six points. • The Hoosiers tied the dual 13-13 with a major decision, 18-5, by Jake Cavaciu. • Indiana took their first lead of the dual with a 3-2 decision by Norman Conley to put Indiana up 16-13. • Jake Kleimola put Indiana up 19-13 with a 4-1 decision. Notes • Indiana improves to 3-3 overall and North Carolina drops to 3-2. • The Hoosiers last ranked win came February 19, 2017 against #20 Appalachian State, 21-12. Prior to that it was against #20 Minnesota on December 11, 2015. • The last top-15 win for Indiana came on Feb. 25, 2008 when the No. 21 Hoosiers beat No. 10 Northwestern, 24-14. • Jake Danishek won his 12th match of the season and got his fourth pin of the season. Danishek has won his last five matches. • Norman Conley's 3-2 decision came against returning All-American and #11 Chip Ness. • Bryce Martin has won five of his last six matches and improves to 11-4 on the season and 4-2 in dual matches. • Martin and Danishek are a combined 8-4 in dual matches. • Jake Covaciu won his first dual match at Indiana with an 18-5 major decision. Covaciu a two-time Indiana State Champion, transferred from Wisconsin. >Up Next Up next the Hoosiers continue dual action tomorrow against #8 Cornell, #7 North Carolina State and #20 North Dakota State. Results: 125: Joe Heilmann (UNC) dec. Liam Cronin (IU) 7-6 133: Gary Wayne Harding (UNC) MD Paul Konrath (IU) 15-7 141: AC Headlee (UNC) dec. #16 Cole Weaver (IU) 2-1 149: Austin O'Connor (UNC) dec. Breyden Bailey (IU) 7-4 157: Jake Danishek (IU) Fall Josh McClure (UNC) 6:23 165: Bryce Martin (IU) dec. Sawyer Davidson (UNC) 5-2 174: Jake Covaciu (IU) MD Will MacDonald (UNC) 18-5 184: Norman Conley (IU) dec. #11 Chip Ness (UNC) 3-2 197: Jake Kleimola (IU) dec. Hunter Queen (UNC) 4-1 285: #15 Cory Daniel (UNC) dec. Rudy Streck (IU) 8-2

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- No. 6 Mizzou Wrestling completed a perfect 2-0 outing during day one of the South Beach Duals, downing No. 21 Lehigh, 21-12, Saturday afternoon. After going 2-0 on the day, Mizzou has now won 28 consecutive duals, a streak that dates back to the 2016-17 season. The win was Mizzou's third over a top-25 opponent this season; Mizzou downed No. 17 Illinois to open the year and beat No. 14 Virginia Tech on Nov. 16. Coupled with Mizzou's 44-0 win over Kent State to open the weekend, Mizzou won 15 of 20 bouts on the day, winning the two duals by a combined score of 65-12. The team did not allow a bonus point win by its opponents on Saturday and earned nine bonus point wins in 20 bouts. Below is breakdown of the Lehigh dual: Results: 125 Pounds – Dack Punke (3-3) vs. Jaret Lane – W, 9-2 | 3-0 133 Pounds – No. 9 John Erneste (9-2) vs. Brandon Paetzel - L, 5-2 | 3-3 141 Pounds – No. 3 Jaydin Eierman (12-1) vs. Luke Karam – W, 21-5 Technical Fall (6:47) | 8-3 149 Pounds – Brock Mauller (18-1) vs. Cortlandt Schuyler – W, 9-5 | 11-3 157 Pounds – Jarrett Jacques (15-5) vs. No. 20 Josh Humphreys – W, 5-4 | 14-3 165 Pounds – No. 13 Connor Flynn (11-3) vs. Gordon Wolf – W, 12-3 Major Decision | 18-3 174 Pounds – No. 4 Daniel Lewis (13-1) vs. Jordan Kutler – W, 8-1 | 21-3 184 Pounds – Dylan Wisman (11-5) vs. Ryan Preisch – L, 9-2 | 21-6 197 Pounds – Wyatt Koelling (9-7) vs.Kyle Gentile – L, 5-2 | 21-9 Heavyweight – No. 11 Zach Elam (15-2) vs. Jordan Woods – L, 2-0 | 21-12 Mizzou has a huge day on tap tomorrow as it will wrap up action at the South Beach Duals against No. 8 Cornell and No. 13 Purdue. The match with the Boilermakers will be at 10 a.m. (CT) while the Cornell dual will be at noon (CT).

FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- The NC State wrestling team split a pair of duals on the first day of action at the South Beach Duals in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. In the opening match, #7 NC State fell on criteria to #18 Wyoming, 22-21. Both teams won five bouts, and Wyoming overcame a 21-12 deficit with two points left to get the team win. The Cowboys secured a pin at heavyweight and the tiebreaker was most pins, which Wyoming had a 2-1 advantage. NC State came back in the second dual and defeated #13 Purdue, 27-13. The Wolfpack won six of the first seven matches of the dual to jump out to a 27-3 lead. Among the seven wins were four bonus point wins, and a pair of pins. Up Next: NC State will have two more duals tomorrow, as the Wolfpack will face #22 Utah Valley at 11 a.m. and then Indiana at 1 p.m. #18 Wyoming 22, #7 NC State 21 125: Cole Verner (WYO) fall #7 Sean Fausz; 2:20 – 0-6 133: #4 Tariq Wilson (NCSU) dec. #12 Montorie Bridges; 6-5 – 3-6 141: Sam Turner (WYO) dec. #15 Jamal Morris; 8-1 – 3-9 149: #4 Justin Oliver (NCSU) fall Jed Loveless; 2:20 – 9-9 157: #5 Hayden Hidlay (NCSU) tech fall Dewey Krueger; 21-6 – 14-9 165: #9 Branson Ashworth (WYO) dec. Thomas Bullard; 8-1 – 14-12 174: Daniel Bullard (NCSU) major dec. Hayden Hastings; 15-3 – 18-12 184: #4 Nick Reenan (NCSU) dec. Careless Looney; 8-5 – 21-12 197: Cale Davidson (WYO) dec. #16 Malik McDonald; 8-6 – 21-15 285: #20 Brian Andrews (WYO) fall Deonte Wilson; 2:43 – 21-22* Wyoming wins on criteria, most falls (2-1) #7 NC State 27, #13 Purdue 13 125: #7 Sean Fausz (NCSU) dec. #18 Devin Schroder; 7-1 – 3-0 133: #4 Tariq Wilson (NCSU) fall Bjorn Schroeder; 2:59 – 9-0 141: Nate Limmex (PUR) dec. #15 Jamal Morris – 9-5 – 9-3 149: #4 Justin Oliver (NCSU) major dec. Parker Filius; 10-0 – 13-3 157: #5 Hayden Hidlay (NCSU) tech fall Austin Nash; 17-1 – 18-3 165: Thomas Bullard (NCSU) dec. Cole Wysocki; 5-1 – 21-3 174: Daniel Bullard (NCSU) fall Tanner Webster; 2:59 – 27-3 184: Max Lyon (PUR) dec. Rod Davis; 8-3 – 27-6 197: #9 Christian Brunner (PUR) major dec. #16 Malik McDonald; 14-3- 27-10 285: Jacob Aven (PUR) dec. Deonte Wilson; 3-1 – 27-13

The University of Minnesota kicked off the South Beach Duals with their first day of competition and went 2-0 over a pair of ranked teams. The Gophers defeated No. 16 Lehigh 25-9 before finishing off No.12 North Carolina 29-1. Five Gopher wrestlers won both of their matches on the day. The Gophers only dropped three matches in each of the duals respectively with only one coming by bonus point. Lehigh Dual The Gophers began their South Beach experience with a 25-9 victory over No. 16 Lehigh. Making a big return from injury was 141-pound Mitch McKee. McKee got the pin at 2:16 showing off his freestyle wrestling experience and strength with his effort to get the pin. In his first dual down at 197-pounds Rylee Streifel made an immediate impact with an upset of No. 10 Jake Jacobson. Streifel dominated the third period and racked up riding time to clinch a 1-0 victory. Showing off his motor 165-pound Carson Brolsma rallied from a deficit to begin the third period. Brolsma clawed back and a takedown with seven seconds remaining gave him the scintillating victory. 125-pound Sean Russell kicked off the event with three first period takedowns which resulted in a 6-2 lead after the first period. Russell continued to takedown Lehigh's Jaret Lane with ease as he added to his point total. After amassing over 3:30 in riding time Russell left with a 20-9 major decision. 133-pound Ethan Lizak got the first takedown in his match and never let his opponent escape. After the first period Lizak already held a 4-0 lead with 2:17 of riding time. Lizak finished off the bout with a 7-0 victory and over four minutes of riding time. 149-pound Tommy Thorn grinded out a 7-3 victory by decision over Cortlandt Schuyler. Thorn battled in the back-and-forth affair to secure the victory. Heavyweight Gable Steveson continued his undefeated start with a 9-4 victory over No. 6 Jordan Wood, an NCAA qualifier and nearly All-American last season. 174-pound Devin Skatzka fell to No. 6 Jordan Kutler while 184-pound Brandon Krone dropped his dual by a narrow two-point margin to No. 8 Ryan Dreisch. Making his first start since the Oklahoma State dual Steve Bleise fell 5-3 to No. 20 Josh Humphreys. North Carolina Dual The Gophers continued their dominance and string of bonus points in their second dual of the day with a 29-11 victory over North Carolina that included four bonus point victories. The Gophers got revenge after losing to North Carolina at last years South Beach Duals. At heavyweight Steveson continued his dominant freshman campaign with a pin of No. 15 Cory Daniel after only 1:43. Steveson now sits at 16-0 to begin his college career. After debuting at the weight earlier in the day Streifel continued to impress with a 6-1 decision over Chasen Blair. Streifel finished the day without allowing a takedown. Russell continued his attacking ways at the top of the lineup and nearly notched the technical fall but finished with another high scoring major decision. Once again living up to his nickname, "Backpack Lizak", Lizak got the first takedown of the match and never let his opponent escape. Lizak repeatedly turned his opponent for nearfall points and finished up with an impressive 18-0 technical fall. After dropping his earlier bout, Bleise fought back for his first victory since Nov. 18 after surgery for a broken hand. Brolsma continued to show his expertise in tight matches with a narrow, 4-2 victory over North Carolina's Sawyer Davidson. Brolsma didn't allow a takedown and finished with his second victory of the day. Skatzka bounced back from his earlier loss with a dominant victory that saw him getting three separate four-point nearfalls. His final nearfall, which ended the match at 17-0, was a beautiful cradle. While he won a tight match earlier in the day by the same score, Thorn dropped a hard-fought battle. In the same boat was Brandon Krone who lost due to the one point awarded for his opponent's riding time. McKee dropped his match after a couple early mistakes made it difficult to recover. McKee fought to secure overtime, but fell in the sudden victory session. North Carolina was deducted a team point during the 141-pound bout for unsportsmanlike conduct. Lehigh Dual: 125: No.6 Sean Russell major dec. Jaret Lane (20-9) 133: No. 8 Ethan Lizak dec. Brandon Paetzel (7-0) 141: No. 5 Mitch Mckee fall (2:16) over Luke Karam 149: No. 20 Tommy Thorn dec. Cortlandt Schuyler (7-3) 157: No. 20 Josh Humphreys dec. No.11 Steve Bleise (5-3) 165: Carson Brolsma dec. Gordon Wolf (10-8) 174: No. 6 Jordan Kutler dec. No.15 Devin Skatzka (7-3) 184: No. 8 Ryan Dreisch dec. Brandon Krone (5-3) 197: Rylee Streifel dec. No. 10 Jake Jacobson (1-0) HWT: No. 2 Gable Steveson dec. No. 6 Jordan Wood (9-4) North Carolina Dual (29-11): 125: No. 6 Sean Russell major dec. Joe Heilmann (14-3) 133: No. 8 Ethan Lizak tech. fall Gary Wayne Harding (18-0) 141: AC Headlee fall (7:35) No. 5 Mitch McKee 149: No. 5 Austin O'Connor dec. No. 20 Tommy Thorn (7-3) 157: No. 11 Steve Bleise dec. Josh McClure (8-6) 165: Carson Brolsma dec. Sawyer Davidson (4-2) 174: Devin Skatzka tech. fall Will MacDonald (17-0) 184: No. 11 Chip Ness dec. Brandon Krone (8-7) 197: Rylee Streifel dec. Chasen Blair (6-1) HWT: No. 2 Gable Steveson fall (1:43) No. 15 Cory Daniel

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Cornell head coach Rob Koll picked up career win No. 297 With a 23-9 victory over No. 18 Wyoming, but a weather cancellation means the Big Red mentor won't be able to pick up win No. 300. At least, not this weekend. Koll entered the weekend needing to win all four matches at the South Beach Duals at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center this weekend, but will only get a chance to wrestle three. No. 20 North Dakota State having to cancel its 11 a.m. match after flight cancellation didn't get them to the Sunshine State in time for the bouts. Freshman Vitali Arujau and junior Fredy Stroker each picked up a pair of victories on the day as the Big Red got 10 matches in during the morning session despite, as the Big Red to match matched up with a number of wrestlers from other competing schools. Cornell won 8-of-10 matches in the session, including pins by both Stroker at 157 against Kent State's Joe Andrassy and Hunter Richard at 149 vs. Kyler Rea of West Virginia. The Big Red then bounced nationally ranked Wyoming in the afternoon, overcoming a team penalty point thanks in large part to three late third-period wins. Cornell had a narrow 7-3 lead before using late scores to overcome deficits, as Chris Schoenherr used a late escape and a last-second takedown to top Jaron Jensen at 149, followed by Stroker repeating that feat in the final 30 seconds at 157 to edge out Dewey Krueger. Jearmy Sweany topped 20th-ranked Brian Andrews with last-second heroics, reversing the Cowboy with 30 seconds remaining and pushing his riding time over 1:00 in the process to avenge a loss from earlier in the season. The usual suspects also picked up valuable points, as sophomore Max Dean overcame an early takedown to blitz Carless Looney at 184, tilting him three times for eight points in the second and for four more in the third to claim a 17-2 tech fall. Defending national champion Yianni Diakomihalis earned bonus points for the Big Red at 141 with a 14-6 major decision over Sam Turner. The sophomore had the only six takedowns of the match to improve to 6-0 on the year. No. 13 Chas Tucker and 12th-ranked Montorie Bridges of Wyoming wrestled a 2-1 tiebreaker with escapes proving to be the only points of the afternoon, allowing the Cowboys to get on the board and knot the match at 3-3 after Arujau defeated Cole Verner at 125. The lead grew to 21-6 after nationally ranked wrestlers for Wyoming (Branson Ashworth at 165) and Cornell (Brandon Womack at 174) each earned decisive 6-0 triumphs at their weight classes. Cornell will close out the two-day event with matches against Indiana at 11 a.m. and No. 6 Missouri at 1 p.m. Morning Session Individual Matches 125: #13 Vitali Arujau (Cornell) won by decision over Tomas Gutierrez (Kent State), 8-3 133: #13 Chas Tucker (Cornell) won by decision over Allan Hart (Missouri), 9-3 141: Alex Hrisopoulos (Michigan State) won by fall over Michael Russo (Cornell) 149: Jonathan Furnas (Cornell) won by decision over Jaron Jensen (Wyoming), 6-5 149: Hunter Richard (Cornell) won by fall over Kyler Rea (West Virginia) 157: #18 Fredy Stroker (Cornell) won by fall over Joe Andrassy (Kent State) 165: Luke Fortuna (Missouri) won by decision over Milik Dawkins (Cornell), 8-7 174: Andrew Berreyesa (Cornell) won by decision over Casey Randles (Wyoming), 5-0 197: Ben Honis (Cornell) won by decision over Shawn Shadaia (Michigan State), 5-0 285: Brendan Furman (Cornell) won by decision over Jacob Bohlken (Missouri), 3-2 #8 Cornell 23, #18 Wyoming 9 125: #13 Vitali Arujau (Cornell) won by decision over Cole Verner (Wyoming), 7-4 133: #12 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) won by decision over #13 Chas Tucker (Cornell), 2-1 (tb2) 141: #1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) won by major decision over Sam Turner (Wyoming), 14-6 149: Chris Schoenherr (Cornell) won by decision over Jaron Jensen (Wyoming), 8-7 157: #18 Fredy Stroker (Cornell) won by decision over Dewey Krueger (Wyoming), 7-6 165: #9 Branson Ashworth (Wyoming) won by decision over Milik Dawkins (Cornell), 6-0 174: #14 Brandon Womack (Cornell) won by decision over Casey Randles (Wyoming), 6-0 184: #6 Max Dean (Cornell) won by technical fall over Carless Looney (Wyoming), 17-2 197: Cale Davidson (Wyoming) won by decision over Jake Taylor (Cornell), 5-3 285: Jeramy Sweany (Cornell) won by decision over #20 Brian Andrews (Wyoming), 6-5 * - Team penalty point deducted from Cornell

AUSTIN, Texas -- Today, USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, and FloSports, the innovator in live digital sports and original content, announced the two sites for Final X in 2019. 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. 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 Final X series will determine the 2019 U.S. Senior World Teams in all three of the Olympic disciplines. This is a change from last year, with the addition of Greco-Roman wrestling to the events in 2019 alongside men's and women's freestyle. The Final X Series will have the same basic format as 2018, where the top two wrestlers in each of the 30 World Championship weight classes will compete in a best-of-three series to determine who will wrestle at the 2019 Senior World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, September 14-22, 2019. In 2018, in its first year of existence, Final X was held in three locations over three consecutive weekends, with Lincoln, Neb., State College, Pa. and Bethlehem, Pa. serving as the host cities, on the campuses of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Penn State and Lehigh respectively. The complete World Team qualifying procedures for each style have not yet reached final approval within USA Wrestling. Therefore, information on the weight classes assigned to each Final X and the final event schedule at each Final X location will be announced at a later date. Lincoln will host a major Senior World Championships qualifier for USA Wrestling for third-straight year at the Bob Devaney Center. In 2018, Final X in Lincoln was held there, as well as the 2017 Freestyle World Team Trials. Other USA Wrestling events held in Lincoln were the UWW Junior National Championships in 2000, 2001 and 2004 and the Cadet National Championships in 1995. Many other major wrestling events have been in Lincoln, including the 2000 and 2009 Big 12 Championships and five Big 8 Championships (1960, 1971, 1982, 1990, 1995). Lincoln has also hosted the UWW Junior World Team Trials. The RAC is the home of Rutgers wrestling, as well as its basketball and gymnastics programs, and other major events. The RAC was opened in 1977, and has a seating capacity of approximately 8,000. Rutgers is ranked No. 4 among NCAA Div. I wrestling programs in attendance, with an average of 4,680 fans in the 2017-18 season. Rutgers is also scheduled to host the 2020 Big Ten Wrestling Championships at the RAC, its first time hosting the event since joining the conference. When Rutgers was in the EIWA, it hosted the EIWA Championships in 2013. Information on ordering tickets for the Final X: Rutgers and Final X: Lincoln will be announced shortly. 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 and governing bodies 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 are Basketball, MMA, Football, Wrestling, Track, Gymnastics 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.

Link: Results A Twitter List by InterMat

Link: Brackets A Twitter List by InterMat

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- The brackets have been released for the Midlands Championships, which take place Saturday and Sunday at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman States, Ill. Link: Brackets

New Jersey wrestler Andrew Johnson made national news this week after referee Alan Maloney directed the wrestler to trim his dreadlocks or face forfeiting his match. The haircut was first sent out by a local reporter who framed the moment as something like self-sacrifice for the good of the team, "Wrestler sacrifices his looks to help team win dual meet." The tune quickly changed when fans who watched the pre-match incident took umbrage with the idea that an athlete would be forced to cut their hair in order to compete in an athletic activity, not to mention a black teen who was being asked to trim a hairstyle predominant in his culture and community. The story grew from there when it was discovered that Maloney had a previous offense where he had used a racial slur during a social gathering of referees. His actions led to a suspension and sanction. However, Maloney was allowed to return to the mats to referee. As the story grew the incident started to feel like a racial litmus test, placing members of our community into buckets of "individual responsibility (aka 'He knew the rules!')" and "cultural reflection (aka "This is racially motivated.')" I fall more into the second bucket but think that I'm also inhabiting a third bucket which is something like, "This was 100 percent preventable" (aka update the grooming rules). More on this further down. What Maloney did was only justifiable by the narrowest interpretation of the rulebook, in which the term "natural" could have been the disqualifying. However, he only made him trim the dreadlocks, which were legal length being that it was above the shirt collar and off Johnson's forehead, but they may have been treated with some type of product or put into an otherwise "unnatural" state. Cutting the hair deemed "unnatural" didn't make it more natural, just shorter. Also, wouldn't it be a slippery slope if high school referees began to more broadly apply the term "natural" to an athlete's hair? Given the predominance and popularity of hair gel among high school boys I'd think half of South Jersey would be declared ineligible to compete if referees began running their fingers through the athlete's hair. This incident is preventable and the rules governing grooming should be modernized immediately. As an article in Vocativ pointed out regarding the monitoring of facial hair, the rules were mostly made in the 1960's as a way to combat the rise of black America's individualism. But in American sports, efforts to control grooming habits have a racist history, used by white sporting bodies and coaching staffs to restrict opportunities and control the identities of black athletes. Sylvester Hodges had a chance at a NCAA wrestling championship in 1969. Wrestling for California State College at Hayward, Hodges won the Far West Conference title without a loss or conceding a point. But when Hodges took to the mat for his first match of the NCAA Championship tournament, the referee stopped him. "Hodges, I can't let you wrestle," the referee told him. "We'll give you two minutes to cut your mustache off." The year prior, the NCAA had added a new rule declaring that wrestlers must be "clean shaven," which they later specified to mean "no hair below the earlobes." The rule was never enforced until Hodges, a black man, threatened to run through his largely white competition at the NCAA championships. Eleven other wrestlers -- eight black, three white -- shaved off their facial hair at the competition. Hodges, sporting a pencil-thin mustache, refused. The solution is clear: Wrestling must revisit their rulebooks and cull any language regarding violations that might be rooted in antiquated thinking. The hair rules should be loosened and there should be significantly more clarity about the options for student-athletes if there is a violation. We are fifty years removed from the first writing of these regulations. Wrestling needs to modernize, adapt, and reach out to all groups of people. What makes our sport wonderful is its universality and adaptability. Rules regarding hair should be as inclusive as those regarding those with physical disabilities, emotional challenges, or lifelong ailments. Despite our best storylines surrounding acceptance, wrestling is still punishing itself with backwards and regressive thinking about sexuality, gender, and the acceptance of minority communities. It's time we demand more from our coaches, administrators and leaders and demand they create an inclusive and inviting sport for all to enjoy. To your questions … J'den Cox defeated Kyle Dake to make the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team at 86 kilograms (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Better chance to make the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team, Kyle Dake or J'den Cox? -- Mike C. Foley: Kyle Dake and J'den Cox are both 2018 world champions at non-Olympic weight categories. Cox was the Olympic bronze medalist in 2016 and world bronze medalist at 86 kilograms and has gone up. Dake was the 2017 U.S. World Team Trials runner-up at 74 kilograms and has also gone up a weight category. Those are the back stories, but there are some major differences in their trajectory heading into the 2020 qualification process. While things can always change, it is likely that we will see Dake drop to 74 kilograms for the Olympic year and Cox go up to 97 kilograms. I've been told that Dake can make it down and Cox cannot, though the impact of the same day weigh-ins is still unknown. Assuming that both go their expected direction, Cox would have a much tougher time winning his matchup with Kyle Snyder, than Dake would with Burroughs. Except that Dake's conditioning and strength may suffer from the extra five kilos he'd need to lose. Also, Dake would probably need to navigate the Olympic Team Trials, which is additional weight cutting. Cox wouldn't be undersized, but he would be outpowered. That may impact him against Snyder who has taken quite the shine to lifting heavy things, but it also may impact him against the rest of the 97-kilogram field. I'm leaning towards Dake having a better chance, but I don't think that his chances have improved because of his success at 79 kilograms, just that Burroughs is a little older and Dake has shown the ability to compete well against him in this setting. To be clear, I am NOT saying that he will beat Burroughs … Q: What do you think are the ideal number of matches in a high school season? Varsity vs. JV? -- @ShogunofSonoma Foley: I think that it's more about a limit to the number of weigh-ins during a season, and the maximum number of matches allowed to be wrestled in a day. Just spit balling here, but I think that no more than 20 weigh-ins (two weigh-ins for a two-day event) and no more than four matches in a day for varsity athletes. The same would apply for JV athletes. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Jordan Burroughs Reacts to the Andrew Johnson Incident Q: Do you have a prediction on Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson this Saturday night? -- Mike C. Foley: I'm very much pulling for Alexander Gustafsson. The Jones saga is a tired bit of failure without true redemption. Each and every time he does something boneheaded, or gets caught for substance abuse, or pops for a steroid, we are told this is the last straw. Yet, here we are again. The story is lame. Jones is lame. Cormier is the one true double champion! War Gustafsson and let's move forward with some fresh storylines in the sport. Q: I've heard one Division I coach say that he could not publicly discuss recruits until they have signed a National Letter Of Intent. How does that work at Ivy League schools that do not have recruits sign NLOIs? -- Brian G. Foley: If the athlete isn't accepted in the fall, then the coaches have to wait until spring acceptance to comment. There is (typically) no acceptance announcement outside of the school's normal timeline. Therefore, coaches can't discuss the athletes until they have been accepted and agreed to attend the university via a returned letter, which is most often in the spring. Q: What was your favorite Christmas gift this year? -- Mike C. Foley: For me? Luggage. I travel about 80-100 days a year and though I have nice wheeled luggage I needed a duffel to help me manage my personal stuff, instead of throwing it into various Pelican cases as extra padding for camera equipment. How about the readers? Anything unique and/or wrestling related?

Beau Breske MADISON, Wis. -- Former Nebraska wrestler and Wisconsin native Beau Breske has transferred to Wisconsin and is expected to wrestle at 197 pounds. "I'm happy to go out and represent Wisconsin on the mat," Breske said. "I like the way the coaches here run their program and the academics are outstanding! I am looking forward to my future at Wisconsin." Breske will be coming in as a redshirt sophomore and can currently only compete unattached for Wisconsin. In his two seasons at Nebraska, Breske had a 10-14 record, going 1-2 in his redshirt season and then 9-12 as a freshman last year. Prior to Nebraska, Breske was ranked No. 2 at 182 pounds and No. 9 overall (FloWrestling) in the Class of 2016. As a high schooler at Hartford, Breske was dominant. He compiled a 203-3 record over his four years and earned three state titles in his freshman, sophomore and senior seasons, and was a runner-up his junior year. Breske didn't give up a takedown, nearfall point or reversal in 175 straight matches, and wasn't scored upon at all in the state tournament his senior year. Beau Breske will begin his career as a Badger this weekend, competing unattached at the Midlands Championships.

Evan Wick defeated Alex Marinelli at the NCAAs last March (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) In the wrestling world, winter break from college represents the midpoint in the season and the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. This year is not an exception. Several top teams will compete in the tournament including No. 3 Iowa, No. 10 Arizona State and No. 13 Princeton. The following is a breakdown and predictions for some of the top potential matches. 125: No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) Last season, the Midlands was Lee's last big test as a redshirt before he made his official Hawkeye debut and joined the lineup. He was expected to make the finals and face off against No. 3 (at 133) Nick Suriano (Rutgers). However, he was upset in the semifinals by No. 3 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State). At the time, the upset set up an interesting backside match between Lee and Rivera. However, Lee defaulted out after falling to Bresser. Rivera and Lee went on two wrestler on two other occasions. Lee defeated River 7-4 in the Northwestern-Iowa dual, and he scored as 12-0 major decision at the Big Ten Championship tournament. So far this season, Lee has won all five of his matches via bonus points and outscored his opponents 80-6. Rivera is also undefeated after eight matches on the season. He won the Cliff Keen Invitational where he needed sudden victory to best Bresser 6-4. As shown last year, Lee should be able to handle Rivera. However, familiarity can occasionally lead to close matches, and these two will likely wrestle multiple times this season. Prediction: Lee (Iowa) maj. dec. Rivera (Northwestern) 133: No. 1 Seth Gross (SDSU) vs. Nathan Tomasello (Unattached) Unfortunately, the returning NCAA champion at 133 has wrestled only one match. If he returns for the Midlands, fans could be treated to an interesting new match. Tomasello finished his college eligibility last season as a four-time Big Ten champion and a four-time All-American. Following the year, it was announced that he wrestled the entire season with a torn ACL. He missed the freestyle season while recovering from surgery, and he will be returning to action at the Midlands as a post grad. In his one match this season, Gross pinned Josiah Kline (Arizona State). Last season, he went 29-1 with his only loss coming after he moved up in weight to take on Bryce Meredith (Wyoming). This year, he is looking to make his third straight NCAA final and bring home his second-straight title. Tomasello wrestled collegiately at both 125 and 133, but has not faced Gross in college competition. Post grads often underperform due to a focus on freestyle and a less regular training environment. However, in this case, neither wrestler has been competing regularly at this point. It should be a good gauge to see where both wrestlers are in their return from injury. From a style standpoint, it is a very interesting match. Tomasello has had trouble with riders in the past, but he will likely have the advantage in a takedown battle. If he is recovered, he should be able to slow down the pace and a win a one takedown match. Prediction: Tomasello dec. Gross (SDSU). 141: No. 10 Bryan Lantry (Buffalo) vs. No. 14 Tristan Moran (Wisconsin) These two wrestlers kicked off the season against each other. Back on Nov. 1, Lantry turned back a challenge from Moran and defeated him 7-3 in Madison. Since then, Lantry has continued to win and built an undefeated 5-0 record. In his last match, he scored a 6-1 decision over Andrew Gapas (Clarion). Moran has won both the Cyclone Open and the SIUE Invitational this season. He has also picked up a signature victory over No. 9 Josh Alber (UNI) via fall on his way to putting together a 9-3 record. In his last match, he fell via major decision against No. 2 Joey McKenna (Ohio State). Lantry always seems to be a good job holding position and moving his opponents around the mat. That was certainly the case against Moran in their first match. However, not only does Moran appear to be developing his offense since moving to Wisconsin, but he is also a tricky wrestler who can can catch tough guys on their back. Lantry is the favorite, but Moran is always a live underdog. Prediction: Lantry (Buffalo) dec. Moran (Wisconsin) 149: No. 1 Matt Kolodzik (Princeton) vs. No. 8 Pat Lugo (Iowa) Lugo came into this season looking to replace four-time All-American Brandon Sorensen. Despite having big shoes to fill, the Hawkeye faithful were faithful in Lugo at least partially due to a fall he picked up over Kolodzik in last year's Midlands. However, the two met again this season. In the rematch, Kolodzik claimed a 7-4 victory. The win put him on the right path this season, and he has now built a 6-0 record and looks to be a top contender at this weight. On the other hand, Lugo has now struggled to a 2-3 record. He still clearly has the pedigree to become an All-American, but there is plenty of work to do. In their first match this season, Kolodzik was able to get takedowns when he needed. Lugo's stature and scrambling ability will give a lot of guys problems. However, it will be tough for him to knock off Kolodzik unless he is able to hit a big move. Prediction: Kolodzik (Princeton) dec. Lugo (Iowa) 157: No. 2 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) vs. No. 3 Larry Early (Old Dominion) On the last day of November, Early handed returning finalist No. 5 Hayden Hidlay (NC State) only his second collegiate loss via a 4-2 score. However, his momentum was then halted. He face off against Deakin in a dual meet between the two schools and dropped a one-sided decision. Since then, Early has wrestled only one match and defaulted out of the Reno Tournament of Champions. Deakin seems to have made the right decision to move up to 157. He has looked sharp at the new weight, and he has already defeated the likes of Early, Isaiah Hokit (Fresno State), No. 9 Griffin Parriott (Purdue) and Paul Fox (Stanford). The Wildcat seemed to be a bridge too far for Early when they met earlier this month. Deakin allowed him to score only a single point and took the bout 6-1. It is hard to imagine this result being any different, but the victory over Hidlay showed that Early is always prime for an upset. Prediction: Deakin (Northwestern) dec. Early (Old Dominion) 165: No. 2 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) vs. No. 4 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) Despite being in the same weight and conference for an entire season, Wick and Marinelli did not meet until the NCAA tournament last year. They finally ran into each other in the consolation semifinals, and Wick took a dominant 16-3 major decision victory. Marinelli went undefeated before the Big Ten Championships last year, and he ended up with six losses. This year, he has gotten off to a hot start as he has won all six of his matches with 100 percent bonus rate. He finished with only a 28 percent bonus rate last year. Wick has also been a force. He has won all 13 of his matches and defeated the likes of No. 5 Josh Shields (Arizona State), No. 11 Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley), No. 6 Isaiah White (Nebraska) and No. 12 Bryce Steiert (UNI). If Marinelli is able to physically dominate the standing exchanges, he is usually able to pull out victories. However, he was not able to impose his will against Wick in their last meeting. On top of that, Wick is a powerful wrestler from the top position. If he is able to score an early takedown, this match could get out of reach quickly. Prediction: Wick (Wisconsin) dec. Marinelli (Iowa) 174: No. 8 Taylor Lujan (UNI) vs. No. 11 Ryan Christensen (Wisconsin) Christensen has improved his winning percentage every year as a starter for the Badgers, and he seems well positioned to make a run at All-America honors this year. He has gone 11-3 so far this season and defeated No. 12 Ben Harvey (Army), No. 18 Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley) and No. 9 Michael Labriola (Nebraska). However, he has not been able to defeat Lujan in college. These two met earlier this season, and Lujan took a 9-5 decision. They previously met twice during the 2017 season. The UNI wrestler won 10-3 in a dual match and then knocked off Christensen 6-1 at the NCAA tournament. On the season, Lujan has gone 10-1 on the season with his only defeat coming against Daniel Lewis. In his last match, he scored a major over No. 14 Brandon Womack (Cornell). Clearly Lujan has the edge over Christensen. However, Christensen closed the gap a bit and finished with his highest point total against Lujan. Strange things happen in tournament, so there might be some room for an upset. However, Lujan has been wrestling some of his best matches recently and should be able to take care of business. Prediction: Lujan (UNI) dec. Christensen (Wisconsin) 184: No. 2 Emery Parker (Illinois) vs. No. 7 Drew Foster (UNI) Parker holds a 2-0 record over Foster in college. However, their last match is reason enough to get excited about a rematch. The two met in the consolation bracket at the NCAA tournament last season and had a bit of a shootout. In the end, Parker eliminated Foster from the tournament via a 13-10 decision and ended up wrestling all the way back for third. Parker has wrestled sparingly this season, but he has emerged as one of the favorites to challenge No. 1 Myles Martin (Ohio State) for supremacy at this weight. After winning the Lindenwood Open, he took nearly a month off before returning against Northern Illinois and knocking off Will Feldkamp. Foster has gone 10-2 on the season with both of his losses coming against contenders No. 5 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) and No. 6 Max Dean (Cornell). Despite those defeats, he has defeated the likes of No. 17 Sammy Colbray (Iowa State), No. 10 Louie DePrez (Binghamton) and No. 9 Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech). Parker has shown that he can pull out close matches and put up points. Foster's matches usually seem to turn into high scoring affairs, so regardless of what happens, this will likely be an exciting bout. Prediction: Parker (Illinois) dec. Foster (UNI) 197: No. 3 Patrick Brucki (Princeton) vs. No. 4 Jacob Warner (Iowa) In the preseason, many fans circled the dual meet between Princeton and Iowa on the early season schedule. Brucki defeated Warner last year at the Midlands during his redshirt season, and the rematch would say a lot about the future of both wrestlers. However, Iowa ended up holding Warner out of the match, and Brucki went on to put up a 10-3 decision over Connor Corbin. It will be interesting to see if Warner even competes in this tournament. He has wrestled only one match on the year and defeated All-American No. 5 Willie Miklus (Iowa State). Brucki, on the other hand, has already wrestled 11 matches on the season and won them all. He has defeated the likes of No. 6 Rocco Caywood (Army), No. 8 Nathan Traxler (Stanford) and No. 15 Tom Sleigh (Virginia Tech). Warner should be able to stay aggressive and win this match. However, one has to wonder why he has been sitting out so much this season. If he is injured or not in shape, this match could easily get away from him. It is entirely possible that Warner is simply getting some rest time after competing extensively over the summer and making a junior world team. Prediction: Warner (Iowa) dec. Brucki (Princeton) 285: No. 1 Sam Stoll (Iowa) vs. No. 4 Youssif Hemida (Maryland) Stoll had twice dominated Hemida before they met at the NCAA tournament last year. In their first match back in 2016, Stoll scored a 15-4 major decision at the Big Ten Championships. Last year, he knocked off the Maryland wrestler once against at the conference tournament 8-1. However, their NCAA tournament match was a different story. This time, Hemida won the match 7-2 in the round of 16. Hemida has yet to wrestle an official match this season. He dropped a decision at the NCWA All-Star Classic against No. 3 Derek White (Oklahoma State), and he scored a silver medal at the U23 World Championships. Stoll may have been even more inactive. He wrestled only one match and defeated Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State) via a 5-1 decision. There are plenty of questions going into this match. Both guys have not wrestled a lot this season and seemingly dealt with injuries. Hemida should be the faster and quicker, but size can be a great equalizer. If Hemida can score early, it should be his match. If that does not happen, look for Stoll to win a close one. Prediction: Hemida (Maryland) dec. Stoll (Iowa)

Early this summer, InterMat shared the story of Torivio Gallegos, a 27-year-old who signed a letter of intent to wrestle at Eastern Oregon University. Torivio GallegosInterMat has profiled other wrestlers who have returned to college wrestling beyond the typical age -- to finish up their eligibility, or because they had been serving in the military. Gallegos' story is much different, as he had been battling an opioid addiction ... and sees signing with Eastern Oregon as a key element to overcoming these challenges and put his life back on track. We wanted to check in with Gallegos to see how he's doing as a college student nearly a decade older than most of his classmates and wrestling teammates. We started our conversation by asking Gallegos to describe the school he now calls home. "Eastern Oregon is a major part of Le Grande," Gallegos continued. "It's a college town with lots of theater, music -- and lots of student-athletes. About 2,600 students overall. You see so much energy, confidence." "I think adjusting to a new environment was extremely challenging," Gallegos admitted to InterMat early in our most recent interview. "I wanted to get involved in everything." While Gallegos may not have gotten involved in "everything," he certainly is active in his first year at Eastern Oregon. He has three business classes -- all in the morning -- followed by wrestling practice from 4-6 p.m. If that weren't enough, Gallegos is host of the radio show "Motivational Monday" ... and was elected to Eastern Oregon student government as a senator. More about all that later. Let's start with the issue most of you came for -- wrestling. "My first couple weeks on campus was preseason prep ... My first Sunday was the toughest. I'm getting ready for church. Coach (Dustyn Azure) called -- told me I needed to come to a meeting where he starts talking about expectations. Said we'd be going on a seven-mile mountain run." "I started praying on the run. I was towards the end of the pack. Made it to the top, and felt the mental switch that helped me realize I could achieve anything. I had to take in all the changes. A desire to put myself out there. As I long as I believe I can do something, I'll be OK." "My beliefs and faith are critical to my success here. I have to have a lot of faith in myself." With that said, Gallegos feels he has become a part of the team. "I've become part of a brotherhood with my teammates -- doing the work, getting encouragement." "It's a very diverse team -- different ages, where they wrestled ... It's like 'The Sandlot' with lots of different guys, all having fun, all working hard. So much fire, so much energy." "Mentally, it's tough. Physically, it's tough. But wrestlers are a tough breed. You have go all out every day. But, being here has really amplified my love of the sport." Gallegos gets elected to student government ... How did Torivio Gallegos decide to run for student government? "One of my greatest fears was not being accepted. Concerns that folks might be reluctant to say something because of who I am." "I decided to try to put aside some of those concerns (of fitting in). Running for student government, for instance. Even though I'm 27, I don't want to think I'm that different." Gallegos won election to the student senate, and now participates in weekly meetings. "It's eye-opening to learn the cultural issues on campus," he told InterMat. "The incredible diversity of the students." … and finds his place on the radio As mentioned earlier, Gallegos is the host of the weekly "Motivational Monday" program on the Eastern Oregon radio station ... "a totally new experience for me." "Monday's my busiest day," Gallegos chuckles. "I put on music that makes people feel good, especially on Mondays." "I also plan to do interviews with student-athletes to help them express the multiple dimensions of their lives," Gallegos added. "I love to get to know people." Of course, in addition to wrestling, radio and student government ... there is the academic side of life for Torivio Gallegos at Eastern Oregon. "I really enjoy my classes. It's challenging to learn business fundamentals, yet fun to learn about how to be creative in the business world -- how to recruit the right people, and help motivate them." "I'm so excited to be here," Gallegos added. "I'm definitely focused on doing my best in every aspect of my life here." As if all this weren't enough ... Torivio Gallegos leads a very full life on campus at Eastern Oregon University, what with wrestling, classes, his radio show, and involvement in student government. And he has a full, rich life away from school, as a husband ... and, come spring, as a first-time father. "The due date is April 24." "(My wife) Keri has always hoped to be a mom," Gallegos told InterMat. "I thought I might die before becoming a father. I'll admit; it was hard at first for me to wrap my head around it." "Seeing the first sonogram blew me away. It's really helping propel my life in every way." "I hope to inspire my children with the direction my life is now taking. When I started to do the right thing, my life really started to come together. I can now do things I never thought I could do." "Dreams do indeed come true."

No. 1 Braxton Amos leads No. 29 Parkersburg South at the Powerade (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) With the foundation of the field being arguably the strongest wrestling area in the country, Western Pennsylvania, the Powerade Wrestling Tournament is bound to have a very deep field. This year's edition of the event, its 52nd, is clearly befitting of that assertion. There are six nationally ranked teams present in the field, led by No. 6 St. Edward (Ohio). Joining the Eagles are No. 29 Parkersburg South (W.Va.), No. 31 Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep, No. 32 Howell (N.J.), No. 39 Reynolds (Pa.), No. 43 Oak Park River Forest (Ill.). Additional notable teams include Kiski Area (Pa.), Malvern Prep (Pa.), and Seneca Valley (Pa.). Below is a weight by-weight top wrestlers (from Pennsylvania unless noted). 106: No. 7 Gary Steen (Reynolds), No. 20 Dylan Chappell (Seneca Valley), Kyle Hauserman (Council Rock North), Sean Seefeldt (St. Edward, Ohio), Pacey Nasdusak (Mason, Ohio), Matt Vulakh (Pope John II) 113: No. 1 Kurt McHenry (St. Paul's, Md.), No. 4 Jacob Rundell (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), No. 6 Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Seneca Valley), Richard Delsanter (St. Edward, Ohio), Kyle Burkholder (Hempfield Area), Gable Strickland (Benton), Dayton Delviscio (Malvern Prep), Nicholas Onea (Pottsville) 120: Ryan Sullivan (Shaler), Beau Bayless (Reynolds), Kurt Phipps (Norwin), Will Guida (St. Paul's, Md.), Cam Enriquez (Stroudsburg), Christian Fisher (Mifflin County), Ian Oswalt (Burrell), Thomas Hartley (St. Alban's, W.Va.) 126: Colton Camacho (Franklin Regional), Angelo Rini (St. Edward, Ohio), Zack Witmer (St. Joseph's Catholic), Nick Cabanillas (DePaul Catholic, N.J.), J.J. Wilson (Cedar Cliff), Josh Ogunsanya (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), Brandon Holt (St. Alban's, W.Va.), Luke Lucerne (Council Rock North), Andrew Ischo (Reynolds) 132: No. 8 Sam Hillegas (North Hills), Eddie Bolivar (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), Darren Miller (Kiski Area), Gabe Willochell (Greater Latrobe), Patrick Noonan (Stroudsburg), Conner Redinger (Quaker Valley), Sam Glassco (Mason, Ohio) 138: Ed Scott (DuBois), Bryce Hepner (St. Edward, Ohio), Darby Diedrich (Howell, N.J.), Dalton Harkins (Malvern Prep), Rocco Bartolo (Reynolds), Ty Linsenbigler (Hempfield Area), Gavin Quiocho (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), Paniro Johnson (Erie Cathedral Prep) 145: No. 3 Bryce Andonian (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 7 Lucas Revano (Camden Catholic, N.J.), No. 8 Ricky Cabanillas (DePaul Catholic, N.J.), No. 10 Chris Donathan (Mason, Ohio), Caleb Dowling (St. Joseph's Catholic), John Martin Best (Parkersburg, W.Va.), Brayden Roberts (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), Nick Coy (Penn Trafford), Cameron Robinson (Council Rock North) 152: No. 3 Sam Dover (St. Edward, Ohio), No. 10 Ryan Vulakh (Pope John II), Cooper Kropman (Penfield, N.Y.), Joe Chapman (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), Cam Connor (Kiski Area), Henry Hague (Malvern Prep), Paul Jaukub (Howell, N.J.), Trent Schultheis (Freedom), Luca Augustine (Waynesburg) 160: Connor O'Neil (DePaul Catholic, N.J.), Cole Spencer (Pine Richland), Trey Kibe (Mifflin County), Tyler Stoltzfus (St. Joseph's Catholic), Ty McGeary (West Allegheny), Jack Blumer (Kiski Area), Zane Hinzman (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), Nicholas Feldman (Malvern Prep), Jake Cagnina (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) 170: No. 11 (at 182) Jared McGill (Chestnut Ridge), No. 19 Shane Reitsma (Howell, N.J.), Kamal Adewumi (Mason, Ohio), Christian Clutter (McGuffey), Nick Delp (Kiski Area), Michael Garcar (St. Edward, Ohio), Leonard Pinto (Stroudsburg) 182: No. 2 Carter Starocci (Erie Cathedral Prep), No. 5 Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan), No. 15 Luke Stout (Mount Lebanon), No. 18 Jack Parr (St. Paul's, Md.), Scott Joll (Belle Vernon Area), Christian Murphy (Howell, N.J.), Nick Florschultz (Malvern Prep) 195: Max Shaw (Thomas Jefferson), Dorian Crosby (Erie Cathedral Prep), Donovan Ball (Cedar Cliff), Kolby Franklin (St. Joseph's Catholic), Bryson Miller (Freedom), Justin Hart (Hampton) 220: No. 1 Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), No. 17 Dominic DeLuca (Derry Area), Seamus O'Malley (St. Edward, Ohio) 285: No. 8 Kawaun DeBoe (Erie Cathedral Prep), Louden Haga (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), Nathan Hoaglund (Mount Lebanon), Ashford Hollis (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), Isaiah Vance (Hempfield Area)

One of the long-standing events of the between Christmas and New Year's holiday period is the Brecksville Holiday Tournament, which is in its 58th consecutive year being just held south of Cleveland. This year's event features a strong field anchored by three nationally ranked teams - No. 7 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.), No. 28 Elyria, and No. 40 Brecksville; those three teams have won the event in the three previous seasons, going in order from most recent to least recent. Below is a listing of the notable contenders in each of the weight classes (wrestlers are from Ohio unless noted). 106 pounds: No. 3 Kyle Rowan (Perry), No. 12 Casey Swiderski (Dundee, Mich.); Nic Willingham (Aurora) 113: No. 11 Jacob Decatur (CVCA), No. 18 Jacob Moran (Portage, Ind.)' Casey Barnett (Milan Edison), Nick Kohorn (Lowell, Mich.), Jacob Moon (Oregon Clay) 120: Jake Canitano (Solon), Garrett Lautzenheiser (Louisville), Kysen Montgomery (Brownsburg, Ind.), Gavin Ritter (Wauseon) 126: No. 9 Dylan Shawver (Elyria); Jimmy Carmany (Brecksville), Cole McComas (Beaver Local), Connor McCrone (Lake Catholic), Brock Peele (Portage, Ind.), Davin Rhoads (Louisville), Raymond Rioux (Avon, Ind.) 132: No. 2 Jordan Decatur (CVCA), No. 18 Asa Garcia (Avon, Ind.), No. 19 Mick Burnett (Elyria); Dominick Lomazzo (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) 138: No. 12 Marco Regalbuto (Brecksville), No. 16 (at 132) Josh Edmond (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.); Caden Blust (Tiffin Columbian), Christian Killion (Dundee, Mich.), Drew Kreitzer (Brownsburg, Ind.), Blake Saito (Perrysburg), Matt Zuckerman (Elyria) 145: Stoney Buell (Dundee, Mich.), Brody Conley (Tiffin Columbian), Andrew Garr (Aurora), Derek Gilcher (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), Avry Mutschler (Lowell, Mich.) 152: No. 2 Cameron Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), No. 7 Austin Boone (Lowell, Mich.), No. 17 Victor Voinovich (Brecksville); Nick Burgard (Ashtabula St. John), Nathan Conley (Avon, Ind.), Walker Heard (Marysville), Jax Leonard (Louisville), Enrique Munguia (Elyria), Micah Norwood (Bishop Hartley) 160: No. 5 (at 145) Kevon Davenport (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), No. 13 Jacob Lagoa (Ashtabula Lakeside), No. 14 Donnell Washington (Portage, Ind.); David Cumberledge (Ashtabula St. John) 170: No. 1 Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty), No. 17 Nevan Snodgrass (Kettering Fairmont); Jake Evans (Elyria), Ethan Hernandez (Norwalk), Manuel Rojas (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), Beau Smith (Beaver Local), Xavier Torres (Wauseon) 182: No. 20 Anthony D'Alesio (Canfield); Evan Anderson (Aurora), Carson Brewer (Avon, Ind.), Cole Hivnor (Lake Catholic) 195: Nick Crawford (Canfield), Jordan Greer (Avon), Ethan Hatcher (Brecksville), Easton Turner (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) 220: Lawson Aiken (Brownsburg, Ind.), Josh Bever (Ashland), Jarin Curtis (Massillon Perry), Tyler Stein (Canfield), Breslin Walker (CVCA), Caleb Wood (Fremont Ross), Brendin Yatooma (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) 285: Tyler Deloof (Lowell, Mich.), Steven Kolcheff (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), Max Millin (Massillon Perry)

With Christmas in the rear-view mirror, and New Year's Day up next, it's another big weekend of holiday tournament wrestling in our midst. Below is the list of competitions for our Fab 50 teams between Dec. 26-Jan. 1. No. 6 St. Edward (Ohio) -- travels to Canon-McMillan (Pa.) for the Powerade Wrestling Tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 7 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) -- competes in the Brecksville (Ohio) Holiday Tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 9 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) -- hosts Arlington (Texas) Martin in a dual meet on Thursday, hosts the Christmas City Classic on Friday and Saturday No. 11 Gilroy (Calif.) -- travels to Aptos (Calif.) for the Pat Lovell Holiday Wrestling Classic on Friday and Saturday No. 19 Allen (Texas) -- hosts the Texas Outlaw tournament on January 1st and 2nd No. 21 Simley (Minn.) -- travels to Fargo (N.D.) for the Rumble on the Red on Friday and Saturday No. 24 Davison (Mich.) -- competes in the Medina (Ohio) Invitational Tournament on Thursday and Friday No. 25 Mount St. Joseph's (Md.) -- hosts Mount Mat Madness on Friday and Saturday No. 27 Delbarton (N.J.) -- travels to Pope John XXIII (N.J.) for a dual meet on Friday No. 28 Elyria (Ohio) -- competes in the Brecksville (Ohio) Holiday Tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 29 Parkersburg South (W.Va.) -- travels to Canon-McMillan (Pa.) for the Powerade Wrestling Tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 30 Wadsworth (Ohio) -- competes in the Medina (Ohio) Invitational Tournament on Thursday and Friday No. 31 Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep -- travels to Canon-McMillan (Pa.) for the Powerade Wrestling Tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 32 Howell (N.J.) -- travels to Canon-McMillan (Pa.) for the Powerade Wrestling Tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 33 Paulsboro (N.J.) -- travels to Brick Memorial (N.J.) for the Mustang Classic on Friday No. 34 Marmion Academy (Ill.) -- travels to Granite City (Ill.) for the Red Schmitt Tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 35 South Plainfield (N.J.) -- travels to Seton Hall Prep (N.J.) for a dual meet on Thursday, hosts Delaware Valley (N.J.) and Pingry (N.J.) in a tri-meet on Saturday No. 36 Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral -- travels to Mishawaka (Ind.) for the Al Smith Invitational on Friday and Saturday No. 37 Selma (Calif.) -- travels to Lemoore (Calif.) for the Dennis DiLiddo Classic on Thursday No. 38 Northampton (Pa.) -- competes in the Bethlehem (Pa.) Liberty Holiday Classic on Friday and Saturday No. 39 Reynolds (Pa.) -- travels to Canon-McMillan (Pa.) for the Powerade Wrestling Tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 40 Brecksville (Ohio) -- hosts the Brecksville (Ohio) Holiday Tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 43 Oak Park River Forest (Ill.) -- travels to Canon-McMillan (Pa.) for the Powerade Wrestling Tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 44 Shakopee (Minn.) -- travels to Fargo (N.D.) for the Rumble on the Red on Friday and Saturday No. 46 Toppenish (Wash.) -- travels to Hanford (Wash.) for the Winter Cup on Saturday No. 48 St. Paris (Ohio) Graham -- travels to Vandalia (Ohio) Butler for the GMVWA Holiday Tournament on Thursday and Friday No. 49 Stoughton (Wis.) -- travels to Fargo (N.D.) for the Rumble on the Red on Friday and Saturday No. 50 Evansville (Ind.) Mater Dei -- hosts the Mater Dei Holiday Classic on Friday and Saturday Off this week: No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.), No. 2 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), No. 3 Bergen Catholic (N.J.), No. 4 Montini Catholic (Ill.), No. 5 Cincinnati (Ohio) LaSalle, No. 8 Buchanan (Calif.), No. 10 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), No. 12 St. John Bosco (Calif.), No. 13 Tuttle (Okla.), No. 14 Southeast Polk (Iowa), No. 15 Liberty (Mo.), No. 16 Park Hill (Mo.), No. 17 Broken Arrow (Okla.), No. 18 Poway (Calif.), No. 20 Clovis (Calif.), No. 22 Brighton (Mich.), No. 23 Kasson-Mantorville (Minn.), No. 26 Chicago (Ill.) Mt. Carmel, No. 41 Goddard (Kansas), No. 42 Pomona (Colo.), No. 45 Don Bosco (Iowa), No. 47 Waverly-Shell Rock (Iowa)

What's the biggest amateur wrestling news story in the U.S. in 2018? Andrew Johnson gets a haircut before competingIn terms of mainstream media coverage and social media buzz, it's not Team USA's incredible performance at the 2018 Worlds. Nor is it Penn State winning yet another national team title at the 2018 NCAA Division I championships. Nor is it that the number of states announcing the creation of a separate state championships for girls has doubled in the past year. And, no, it's not some feel-good story of a wrestler overcoming adversity. Arguably the biggest wrestling story springs from a video of a Dec. 19 New Jersey high school wrestling dual showing a wrestler having his dreadlocks cut off by a team trainer so that he can wrestle the match, per the mat official's instructions that he have his hair cut, or forfeit the match. How big is the story? At last count, the video has been viewed more than 13 million times online. In geographical terms, it's gone way beyond New Jersey. It's been covered by news organizations across the U.S, along with media outlets in New Zealand, the U.K., Germany and Russia. Media organizations that normally don't cover high school wrestling have weighed in, including Sports Illustrated, TMZ, Fox News, CNN and National Public Radio. It was the subject of stories on the Sunday (Dec. 23) morning news shows on ABC and CBS, as well as the Sunday evening newscasts on ABC and NBC. Thousands of individuals and organizations have also shared their opinions, including the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), the governor of New Jersey, an Olympic gold medalist, and a reality TV star. A number of sportswriters and columnists sided with the wrestler, some seeking punishment for the mat official; for example, a USA Today columnist recommended a lifetime ban for the referee. InterMat contributor Caryn Ward offered her thoughtful perspective on the situation. What happened? At a dual between two New Jersey schools -- Buena Regional High School and Oakcrest High -- on Wednesday, Dec. 19, Andrew Johnson, a 120-pound junior for the Buena Chiefs, was ready to face off against David Flippen of Oakcrest. When Johnson, an African-American, stepped onto the mat with his dreadlocks covered, the primary mat official, Alan Maloney, 62, reportedly told the wrestler he could either have his hair cut, or forfeit the match. According to SJN News Today sports director Mike Frankel -- who was recording the dual on video -- Johnson's coaches argued with Maloney (who is white) for "several minutes" saying that Johnson had wrestled at a tournament the previous weekend with the same head covering he was wearing for the Dec. 19 dual, without any issues. According to Frankel, "the referee started the injury time clock. At this point, the wrestler removed the cap, and agreed to have his hair cut." An athletic trainer for Buena trimmed Johnson's dreadlocks matside with scissors until Maloney said the length of the wrestler's hair was in compliance with the rules. After getting his dreadlocks cut, the match began. Johnson earned a sudden victory, 4-2. Buena went on to win the dual, 41-24. Frankel's video went viral, garnering millions of views online. According to multiple media reports, Alan Maloney had been accused of racism in the past. In 2016, the Courier Post -- a Gannett newspaper in New Jersey -- reported that Maloney was accused of directing a racial slur at another referee during a private gathering among other officials. The newspaper states that Maloney allegedly poked referee Preston Hamilton in the chest and used the "n-word" during an argument. The Post reported that Hamilton, who is black, slammed Maloney to the ground. Maloney told the newspaper at the time he did not remember making the remark but accepted the witnesses' accounts. An administrator for a New Jersey-based online amateur wrestling forum posted the following message early Sunday evening (Dec. 23): "What (the referee) did was follow the rule. This young man and coach were told it's an illegal hair cover in the pre-meet talk. The ref did not make him cut his hair. The ref deducted one team point and started the injury time clock as per the RULES when the young man came out with hair covering he knew was illegal. Coaches and wrestler decided to cut hair..." On Friday (Dec. 21), the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association referred the incident to the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights in correspondence with the state's sportsmanship policy. The Division on Civil Rights, which operates within the New Jersey state Attorney General's office, has opened an inquiry into the matter and will serve as the main investigatory agency moving forward. In a statement Friday night, a spokeswoman for the office of New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said its civil rights division opened an investigation into the incident as part of a 2013 agreement with the NJSIAA "to address potential bias in high school sports." On Monday -- Christmas Eve -- Andrew Johnson's family released a statement through an attorney stating referee Alan Maloney was late to the dual and didn't address the length of Johnson's hair at a customary pre-match meeting, according to NJ.com. Later at that event, Maloney issued an ultimatum for the junior to cut his hair or forfeit his bout against Oakcrest Wednesday just before the bout was set to begin. "Andrew was visibly shaken after he and his coaches made every effort to satisfy the referee short of having his hair cut," the statement reads. "But, as captured on video, the unyielding referee gave Andrew 90 seconds to either forfeit his match or cut his hair. Under duress but without any influence from the coaching staff or the athletic trainer, Andrew decided to have his hair cut rather than forfeit the match." The statement then quotes attorney Dominic A. Speziali: "As the trainer is cutting Andrew's hair in the middle of the gym, the referee is behind them directing her to keep cutting until he was satisfied with the length." According to NJ.com, the statement issued by the Johnson family's lawyer absolves the school's wrestling coaching staff and trainer of any blame. Reactions beyond wrestling The incident generated comment within the wrestling community, and well beyond. Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian posted the following on social media: "This is disgusting! Beyond heartbreaking." The governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, tweeted: "Deeply disturbed that Andrew Johnson, a student at Buena Regional H.S., was forced to choose between keeping his dreadlocks and competing in a wrestling tournament. No student should have to." The wrestler's mom shared her perspective on what happened to her son. "Hardest thing I've ever seen," Rose Santiago-Johnson wrote on Facebook, according to the New York Post. "He is good now … but that was brutal emotionally and physically." School organizations weigh in The school superintendent for Andrew Johnson's school, David Cappuccio, Jr., offered this statement: "The assigned referee indicated that the wrestler's hair length and headgear were not in compliance with regulations. At that time, the compliance rules being enforced by the referee dictated that if the wrestler's hair was not in compliance with the regulations, then the match would be forfeited. The student-athlete made the decision to have his hair cut, at that moment, in order to avoid a forfeiture of the match." On Saturday, Dec. 22, the NJSIAA issued the following statement from its executive director, Larry White: "Following up on yesterday's statement concerning a Buena Regional High School (Buena, NJ) varsity wrestler and a wrestling referee, the NJSIAA can now confirm that the matter will be investigated by state authorities. The NJSIAA will be working with the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, providing all requested information. The State investigation will take precedence over the NJSIAA process. "Further, NJSIAA can confirm that those groups that assign high school wrestling referees in New Jersey will not assign the referee in question until this matter has been thoroughly reviewed. This will help to avoid disruption of events for student athletes . "Finally, as an African-American and parent -- as well as a former educator, coach, official and athlete -- I clearly understand the issues at play, and probably better than most. The NJSIAA takes this matter very seriously, and I ask that everyone respect the investigatory process related to all parties involved." The wrestling community comments The incident in New Jersey generated what could be a labeled a firestorm of reaction online, in wrestling forums and on social media, with comments from individuals from the Garden State and beyond. NJ Advance Media -- part of a media empire which includes the Newark Star-Ledger and other New Jersey-based newspapers -- interviewed a number of high school coaches, athletes and officials at wrestling events in New Jersey on Saturday. "What happened in Buena is like a dagger into the heart of the sport," said veteran Long Branch High coach Dan George, who tallied his 400th career win in Jan. 2018. "It seems like some officials don't understand how hard it is to fill 14 weight classes or get 25 kids to come out for wrestling. "This certainly can't help wrestling," he continued. "I've never encountered anything racist as a wrestler or a coach, but this only fuels the idea that there is discrimination." "I do think wrestling coaches and officials need to get one the same page when it comes to issues like this one," coach George said. "It's important to remember why we are all here." Clay Lewis, a freshman wrestler from Pennsylvania's Abington Friends school who has long hair, said he "definitely felt bad for the kid." "It's such a relatable thing for me so I know how hard of a decision that would have been," Lewis said. "Even though he still went out and won after, it must have been humiliating. That's his personality and his identity, and it got cut because some referee said he had to." As the NJ.com article pointed out, a number of individuals interviewed for the story stated that wrestlers usually have their hair, nails, skin and facial hair checked by referees during weigh-ins before taking to the mat. It's at that point potential issues are typically raised, they said. "You want to find out more before you start making judgment calls, but it looks like the ref was wrong for not addressing it at the skin check when it's supposed to be addressed," said Bergen Catholic state champion Robert Howard, who earlier this month committed to wrestle at Penn State. "It was not the right call because it should have been addressed earlier." Let's look at the rulebook The National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) provides governance and guidance regarding high school sports -- including wrestling -- throughout the U.S. Here is the text from page 31 of the official 2018-19 NFHS Wrestling Rules Book, Section 2, Article 1: Wrestlers' Appearance and Health "If an individual has hair longer than allowed by rule, it may be braided or rolled if it is contained in a cover so that the hair rule is satisfied. (Photo 4) The legal hair cover shall be attached to the ear guards. A bandanna is not considered a legal hair cover. The legal hair cover must be of a solid material and be nonabrasive. The wrestler opting to wear a legal hair cover must wear it to the weigh-in procedure and be checked for grooming with it on. The legal hair cover must be removed prior to the wrestler stepping on the scale to be weighed. If a referee is not present at weigh-ins, the hair cover must be checked by the meet referee upon arrival at the site." In December 2014, the Facebook page Illinois Girls Wrestling posted this message regarding proper hair covering: "The NFHS has implemented a rule this year that states that plain skull or swim caps can not be worn under headgear to cover long hair. You now must utilize a hair cover that attaches to your headgear like the 'slicker' from Cliff Keen or the Matman Hair Cap with Eyelets. High School wrestlers with long hair must have one or they will not be able to wrestle. Some have resorted to making holes in their skull cap and run straps through them in an attempt to meet the requirement and it might work but likely will eventually tear and leave you without a hair cover... " For additional perspective beyond the NFHS rule book, InterMat contacted Fred Feeney, 30-year wrestling official from Ohio. "The rules are pretty clear-cut," Feeney told InterMat. "The wrestler had hair that needed to be covered." "In Ohio, two refs are picked to do weigh-ins. First thing they check is hair and skin.... If a kid has hair that needs covering, the kid is told he needs it for weigh-in. Same as a kid who needs a shave, or to have his fingernails trimmed." "If a kid presents himself for a match with the wrong uniform or no head covering, the referee makes sure the wrestler takes appropriate action to be in compliance by a) getting a legal hair cap or b) get a haircut. Otherwise, the wrestler must forfeit the match," according to Feeney, who, in addition to officiating at 26 national championships (including 16 NCAA championships), served as a consultant to the 2014 film "Foxcatcher" about the Jan. 1996 murder of legendary wrestler/coach Dave Schultz at the hands of wrestling benefactor John du Pont. "It's my understanding that the New Jersey wrestler had been wearing something that wasn't approved. In the past, a wrestler could wear a skull cap. Now the hair cap must attach to the wrestler's headgear." "If indeed the referee (Maloney) had been late to weigh-ins, he should have called the other official at the dual. They could have conferred about any issues at that time." "It would appear that the ones to blame are the officials who didn't enforce the rules in an earlier event," Feeney added. "Officials need to follow the rules and be consistent in applying them." New Jersey native Jordan Burroughs tweets message to wrestler New Jersey native Jordan Burroughs, a two-time NCAA champ for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who went on to win five World titles -- including a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics in men's freestyle -- posted an extended message on his @allIseeisgold Twitter account. Here is the portion directed toward Andrew Johnson, the high school wrestler who submitted to the on-the-mat haircut: "I'm sure a lot of you have heard about the young man who was forced to cut his hair during a wrestling match in order to avoid being disqualified. That young man is Andrew Johnson of Buena High School in New Jersey. "Let me start off by saying, I commend Andrew for stepping up, and being selfless, cutting his hair and getting the final takedown in over time to win his match and help his team secure the dual victory. "Now, let me tell you how sickening this is. I've been wrestling for 25 years, at every level, and I have never once seen a person required to cut their hair during a match. This is nonsense. As a referee, you are required to check the hair and nails of all wrestlers BEFORE a match. My opinion is that this was a combination of an abuse of power, racism, and just plain negligence. "As heroic as it was for Andrew to step up in the midst of what was happening, it shouldn't have got that far. The parents and coaches of the Buena wrestling team should have intervened. This young man should have been protected in this moment. I'm sure his hair was a strong part of his identity, and no single victory is worth succumbing to the pressure of unjust oppression and the unwarranted stripping of that identity. Just watch Andrew's emotion after the match clinching takedown --he was somber, knowing that he had just given up so much for so little. "Sometimes taking a stand for something doesn't actually mean standing, but walking away from it. "As for the referee Alan Maloney, he needs to be held accountable. You've been refereeing for far too long to not know better. But more than being reprimanded, I truly hope this event causes you to reflect and make an attempt to truly understand. In an occupation that requires so much interaction with young men, your character should reflect your power. Andrew -- I am wishing the best for you and your family. I'm so sorry you had to go through this. But don't lose hope. Trials like this undoubtedly spark change, and I have no doubt your character will shine through."

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland -- The United World Wrestling Bureau has approved new regulations for the 2019 Ranking Series. The recommendations were brought forward by the Technical Commission at a meeting last week in Belgrade. The most important changes to the 2019 Ranking Series centered around allocation of points at world championships, continental championships, and Ranking Series events. The points were rebalanced to emphasize participation, and success, at the world and continental championships. "I'm very pleased with the work of our Sport department and the Technical Commission," said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. "The Ranking Series and seeding process has taken considerable work, but if you look now we are rewarding the best wrestlers for their efforts and their successes." New worldwide rankings will be updated on the United World Wrestling website. The 2018 World Championships results are the basis of the rankings, as each year the world championships results will be the first points for the following year. "The continuity from year-to-year, was important for our national federations," said Lalovic. "We needed to ensure that should they compete; our very best athletes will meet in the semifinals or the finals." The seeding process for the World Championships and Olympic Games will now also include a field of the top four wrestlers in each weight category with lower seeded athletes bumping up should one of the top four not participate in the world championships. The previous version of the world championships did not replace top seeds when they were absent of the competition. World Championships 1st place 50 2nd place 30 3rd place 15 3rd place 15 5th place 10 5th place 10 7th place 08 8th place 06 9th place 04 10th place 02 Continental Championships 1st place 12 2nd place 10 3rd place 08 3rd place 08 5th place 06 5th place 06 7th place 04 8th place 02 Ranking Series Events 1st place 08 2nd place 06 3rd place 04 3rd place 04 5th place 02 5th place 02 The number of points awarded at a competition will also be impacted by the number of wrestlers entered in each bracket. For weight categories with 10 or fewer entries an additional six (6) points will be added. For categories with 11-20 wrestlers entered an additional eight (8) points will be added. Ten (10) points will be added to any weight category with more than 20 entries. Points will be allocated to participating athletes in a weight category and are not transferable to other athletes or weight categories. Points will also reset after the world championships or Olympic Games with the points from the previous year's championships or games used for following year's rankings. For example, the 2019 rankings start with only the results of the 2018 World Championships in Budapest. There will no longer be a +2kg weight allowance granted for Ranking Series, Continental Championships, World Championships, or Olympic Games. The Technical Commission also recommended, and the bureau approved, locations for the 2019 Ranking Series events, with Women's Wrestling and Freestyle traveling together to all four events, while Greco-Roman joins in Sassari but otherwise has additional unique locations. GRECO-ROMAN Wrestling Zagreb Open (Zagreb, CRO) Hungarian Grand Prix (Gyor, HUN) Sassari City (Sassari, ITA) Oleg Karavaev (Minsk, BLR) FREESTYLE and WOMEN'S WRESTLING Ivan Yariguin (Krasnoyarsk, RUS) Dan Kolov (Minsk, BUL) Sassari City (Sassari, ITA) Yasar Dogu (Istanbul, TUR) The Ranking Series will kick off with the Ivan Yariguin in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, a competition long hailed as the "Toughest Wrestling Tournament in the World." The 2019 edition is already creating a response, with top-level wrestlers from around the world committed to the competition, including 97kg rivals Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) and Kyle SNYDER (USA). The Yariguin will begin January 24th with coverage on UnitedWorldWrestling.org The Technical Commission also discussed the location and format for the 2019 World Cups, with more information available in the coming weeks. For additional information and details on the Ranking Series, please review the full circular, HERE.