InterMat Staff

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The No. 11 Nebraska wrestling team responded to some early adversity in its dual against the No. 12 North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday night at Carmichael Arena. The Huskers avenged last year's 22-14 loss to the Tar Heels in Lincoln by taking a 22-15 victory on the road. NU trailed 13-3 after four matches before taking five out of the final six bouts to win the dual. The Huskers immediately started out in a hole as they had to take a forfeit at the 125-pound spot. No. 11 Zeke Moisey failed to make weigh-ins, giving the Tar Heels an early 6-0 lead. Tucker Sjomeling improved to 11-3 (3-1 in duals) on the year with a 7-3 victory by decision over UNC's James Szymanski to put NU on the board and reduce the deficit to 6-3. The redshirt freshman earned one takedown in each period and added an additional point for riding time. Chad Red Jr., coming off a 6-0 performance at last weekend's Doane Open, suffered a 5-1 defeat to A.C. Headlee, avenging last year's loss to Red in Lincoln. The Tar Heels team lead blossomed to 13-3 after No. 6 Austin O'Connor defeated Collin Purinton 16-5 in a major decision. Needing a spark, the Huskers turned to their senior two-time All-American (Tyler Berger). The Prineville, Ore., native stormed out of the gates with three takedowns in the first period and never looked back. The veteran Husker defeated UNC's Sawyer Davidson in a major decision, 16-5. The victory brought the UNC lead to 13-7 heading into intermission. With the win by Berger, he hit 100 career wins, making him just the 28th Husker in school history to achieve that feat. Berger is nine wins way from 15th place on the all-time wins list and 28 wins away from being in the top five. The match of the night was between No. 6 Isaiah White and UNC's Kennedy Monday, who moved up a weight class from 157-pounds for the match. With 15 seconds left in the match, the two were tied at three, but Monday held a 1:04 advantage in riding time. With just two seconds left, White notched a huge takedown to earn a 5-4 decision (Monday added on a point for riding time). Since starting out the season 1-3, White has won his last six matches. No. 9 Mikey Labriola ended his match with Devin Kane early, winning by injury default in the second period. The victory put the Huskers up 16-13, giving the team its first lead of the dual. In the 184-pound bout, No. 3 Taylor Venz suffered his first dual-defeat of the season at the hands of Chip Ness. The two went back and forth throughout the match, but a second period takedown by Ness gave him the lead for good as he worked a 6-5 decision. UNC only got two points for this victory, however, as the team lost a point for bench misconduct. No. 9 Eric Schultz rode a dominant second period to earn a 16-10 decision over Chasen Blair. He led 3-2 heading into the second period, but four takedowns put him ahead 13-5 and he was able to cruise to his 12th victory of the season. Leading 19-15 heading into the heavyweight match, Nebraska needed junior David Jensen to make a statement against No. 14 Cory Daniel. Jensen, who missed the first month of the season recovering from mono, scored a takedown in each of the second and third periods to earn a 5-2 decision victory. Jensen is now 7-0 on the year after his 6-0 performance last weekend at the Doane Open. Results: 125: Joe Heilmann (UNV) by forfeit (UNC 6, NEB 0) 133: Tucker Sjomeling (NEB) dec. James Szmanski, 7-3 (UNC 6, NEB 3) 141: A.C. Headlee (UNC) dec. Chad Red Jr. (NEB), 5-1 (UNC 9, NEB 3) 149: #6 Austin O'Connor (UNC) major dec. Collin Purinton (NEB), 12-3 (UNC 13, NEB 3) 157: #5 Tyler Berger (NEB) major dec. Sawyer Davidson (UNC), 16-5 (UNC 13, NEB 7) 165: #6 Isaiah White (NEB) dec. Kennedy Monday (UNC), 5-4 (UNC 13, NEB 10) 174: #9 Mikey Labriola (NEB) injury def. Devin Kane (UNC) (NEB 16, UNC 13) 184: #13 Chip Ness (UNC) dec. #3 Taylor Venz (NEB), 6-5 (NEB 16, UNC 15)** 197: #9 Eric Schultz (NEB) dec. Chasen Blair (UNC), 16-10 (NEB 19, UNC 15) HWT: David Jensen (NEB) dec. #14 Cory Daniel (UNC), 5-2 (NEB 22, UNC 15) **North Carolina lost a point for bench misconduct after the Ness/Venz match. Up Next: Nebraska takes on No. 7 NC State tomorrow afternoon at noon CT in the second dual of a back-to-back against nationally ranked ACC schools. The match will be televised by the ACC Network Extra and stats will be available on Trackwrestling.com.

Bob Baxter In wrestling, sometimes an escape can be worth more than one point. In one case, a perfectly timed escape meant the difference between life and death for an Iowa wrestling official. Last weekend, Bob Baxter was headed to Council Bluffs, Iowa to officiate at the 2018 Council Bluffs Wrestling Classic -- a two-day tournament featuring 40 high school teams from Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Minnesota. Baxter -- a mat official for 46 years -- had left his home in Sioux City, Iowa about 6 a.m. Saturday, heading south on I-29 along the Iowa-Nebraska border to make it to Council Bluffs for weigh-ins at 8 a.m. About ten miles north of his destination, he heard a thud. "All of a sudden, the front driver's side dropped and the vehicle went out of control," Baxter told the Sioux City Journal. "I almost went into the center ditch, but I kept it upright and managed to get it (across lanes) to the right side of the road." After bringing his pickup to a stop, Baxter smelled something burning. Presuming the smell was rubber from a tire blowout, the veteran mat official left his Chevy Silverado, examined the wheel and noticed the wheel had broken off entirely and was wedged beneath the vehicle. "That's why it didn't go all the way down," Baxter told the Sioux City paper. "The tire and hub were on their side and dragging." Baxter re-entered the cab of his truck... which, in seconds, burst into flames. He tried to exit but the door was jammed. Unable to break the window with his elbow, the former wrestler (a 1972 grad of Bishop Heelan High School in Sioux City) used a flashlight to smash the driver side window and throw himself backwards through the opening. It was at that moment the truck exploded into flames, throwing Baxter backwards onto the I-29 pavement. Thankfully, he was not burned or injured in any other way ... but lost the contents of his truck, including his cellphone, wallet and referee's uniform and related gear. Witnesses called 911. Iowa State Police and fire trucks from two local departments showed up within minutes to put out the fire and file the necessary reports. Baxter got a ride to the Council Bluffs Wrestling Classic, where other officials provided him with a referee uniform and all the other equipment he needed to officiate... and lent him a cellphone so he could call his wife Maureen to let her know what happened and that he was OK. After officiating at the tournament, Baxter was offered a ride home with a participating team. Days later, Bob Baxter reflected on the incident ... and how others jumped in to help. "What happened to me along the way that day, it shows how many of us are really proud of wrestling, proud to say we wrestled in high school and college," he said. "The wrestling family is so tight." This fiery incident and incredible escape adds up to just one more chapter in Bob Baxter's long and distinguished career as a wrestler and official spanning more than 50 years. In February Baxter will be welcomed into the Iowa High School Athletic Association Officials' Hall of Fame.

No. 1 Penn State (4-0, 0-0 B1G) dominated No. 9 Arizona State (1-3) in the Sun Devils' first-ever appearance in Rec Hall. Penn State won nine of ten bouts, including two top five clashes, to roll to a 41-3 victory over the Sun Devils in front of yet another Rec Hall sellout crowd. The dual was highlighted by top-five match-ups at 165 and 174, opening up the second half after the Lions bolted out to a 17-3 lead at intermission. Junior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) and Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.) thrilled one of the largest crowds in Rec Hall history with big wins in the two marquee bouts. The dual began at 125, where Nittany Lion sophomore Devin Schnupp (Lititz, Pa.) dropped a hard-fought 13-7 decision to Brandon Courtney, using a late reversal to keep from giving up a major. True freshman Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), an Arizona-native, then took on Arizona State's Ryan Millhof, ranked No. 7 at 125, as ASU opted to bump the senior up to face the Lion freshman. Bravo-Young dominated the bout, rolling to a 14-1 major decision with 3:16 in riding time to give Penn State a 4-3 lead. Sophomore Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 4 at 141, put Penn State up 10-3 by pinning Cory Crooks at the 2:18 mark. Red-shirt freshman Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), ranked No. 12 at 149, took on No. 11 Josh Maruca in his Rec Hall dual debut, the first of four match-ups featuring ranked opponents. Berge notched the only two takedowns of the bout to post a hard-fought 5-4 win. Senior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, then dominated No. 16 Christian Pagdilao, posting an 18-5 major decision to give the Nittany Lions a 17-3 lead at intermission. Joseph, ranked No. 1 at 165, opened up the second half against No. 5 Josh Shields in another ranked battle. Joseph continued his dominating season, roaring to an 11-2 major decision over the ranked Sun Devil, including 1:38 in riding time. Hall, ranked No. 2 at 174, took to the mat against No. 1 Zahid Valencia in a rematch of last year's NCAA title bout (won by Valencia) and a 2017 NCAA National Semifinal (won by Hall on his way to an NCAA championship). The last two NCAA Champions battled in front of a frantic Rec Hall crowd and Hall thrilled the hometown faithful by posting a strong 4-0 win over Valencia, including 2:41 in riding time. Hall's win snapped Valencia's 43-match win streak that dated back to the 2017 NCAA semifinals. Senior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 4 at 184, kept Penn State's roll going with an outstanding 15-0 technical fall over Kordell Norfleet, getting the 15-0 tech at the 7:00 mark off 4:58 in riding time. Senior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 197, then stepped to the mat and notched one of his textbook fast falls. Nickal moved in quickly on Austyn Harris, locked the Sun Devil's shoulders up and turned him quickly to his back for a fall in just 0:35 to put Penn State up 35-3. In the dual's final bout, senior Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.), ranked No. 5 at 285, capped off Penn State's dominating team performance with the Lions third fall of the evening. Cassar pinned ASU's Brady Daniel at the 5:18 mark for the Lions' ninth win in the dual. Cassar's fall finished off Penn State's 41-3 victory over the Sun Devils. The Nittany Lions posted a lopsided 27-6 takedown advantage and did not give up a takedown in nine of the ten bouts. The Lions picked up 14 bonus points off three pins (Lee, Nickal, Cassar), a tech fall (Rasheed) and three majors (Lee, Nolf, Joseph). The dual was ASU's first in Rec Hall although the Sun Devils wrestled in the Bryce Jordan Center during the 2001 National Duals, hosted by Penn State. Penn State has now won 49-straight dual meets dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season. The sellout crowd of 6,676 is the 44th straight Rec Hall sellout for Penn State and the program's 48th in its last 50 duals (including four of six in the near-16,000 seat Bryce Jordan Center). The crowd is the sixth-largest in Rec Hall since Cael Sanderson's arrival as head coach in 2009-10. Penn State is now 4-0 overall while Arizona State falls to 1-3. Penn State will now head to Chattanooga, Tenn., for the 2019 Southern Scuffle. The Nittany Lions will be looking for their eighth Scuffle title in their last eight trips to the event. The Scuffle, hosted by UT-Chattanooga, is set for Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 1-2. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here. Results: 125: Brandon Courtney ASU dec. Devin Schnupp PSU, 13-7 0-3 133: Roman Bravo-Young PSU maj. dec. #7/125 Ryan Millhof ASU, 14-1 4-3 141: #4 Nick Lee PSU pinned Cory Crooks (ASU), WBF (2:18) 10-3 149: #12 Brady Berge PSU dec. #11 Josh Maruca ASU, 5-4 13-3 157: #1 Jason Nolf PSU maj. dec. #16 Christian Pagdilao ASU, 18-5 17-3 165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph PSU maj. dec. #5 Josh Shields ASU, 11-2 21-3 174: #2 Mark Hall PSU dec. #1 Zahid Valencia ASU, 4-0 24-3 184: #4 Shakur Rasheed PSU tech fall Kordell Norfleet ASU, 15-0 (TF; 7:00) 29-3 197: #1 Bo Nickal PSU pinned Austyn Harris ASU, WBF (0:35) 35-3 285: #5 Anthony Cassar PSU pinned Brady Daniel ASU, WBF (5:18) 41-3 Attendance: 6,676 (44th straight Rec hall sellout; 48th of 50 including 4 of 6 in BJC) Records: Penn State (4-0); Arizona State (1-3) Up Next for Penn State: at 2019 Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2, 2019, Chattanooga, Tenn. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: Sophomore Devin Schnupp (Lititz, Pa.) took on Brandon Courtney of Arizona State. Courtney opened up the match with a strong high double to take an early 2-1 lead. The Sun Devil freshman added on two more takedowns to lead 6-3 two minutes into the bout. Courtney scrambled his way to a takedown and an 8-3 lead as the period wound down and carried that lead into the second period. Courtney chose down to start the second period and Schnupp put together a strong ride, working the clock down to 1:23 before Courtney escaped to a 9-33 lead. The Lion sophomore began nearly scored on a solid shot but Courtney was able to slip out of bounds at the 1:10 mark. Schnupp's tempo had the ASU grappler on his heels as the period ended, forcing a first stall warning. Schnupp chose down to start the third and quickly escaped to a 9-4 score. Courtney notched another takedown and led 11-5 at the 1:20 mark after a quick Schnupp escape. Courtney scrambled to a takedown with :25 left, looking to notch a major decision. However, Schnupp scrambled his way to a reversal with :02 left to keep the bout to a 13-7 decision, bringing the Rec Hall faithful to their feet. 133: True freshman Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.) battled Ryan Millhof, ranked No. 7 at 125, who bumped up a weight to take on the Lion freshman. Bravo-Young was the aggressor early, scrambling his way to a takedown on the edge of the mat to take an early 2-0 lead with 2:28 on the clock. Bravo-Young then controlled the action on top, building up a :40 riding time edge before the ranked Sun Devil escaped. Bravo-Young's strength allowed him to power through a high shot and take a 4-1 lead with a second takedown. He then dominated the action on top, working the clock down to zeroes and his riding time edge up to 2:19 at the end of the period. Leading 4-1, Bravo-Young chose neutral to start the second period. He picked a fifth point on a second stall and led 5-1 with 1:25 on the clock. Bravo-Young continued to press the ranked 125-pounder. He countered a slight Millhof shot, gained control of his shoulders and worked the clock down to :30 before a stalemate forced a reset. He then powered through a high double off the restart and took a 7-1 lead with :15 left to lead 7-1 with 2:43 in time after two. Trailing 7-1, Millhof chose top to start the third period but Bravo-Young easily escaped to an 8-1 lead. Bravo-Young shot low at Millhof's feet, forcing a scramble in the middle of the mat with 1:10 left. With the riding time point clinched, Bravo-Young finished off the takedown and then turned him for two back points. A final stall point and the riding time point allowed the Lion to roar to a 14-1 major with 3:16 in riding time. 141: Sophomore Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 4 at 141, met Sun Devil Cory Crooks. Lee dominated the action from the get-go, taking Crooks down twice early and tacking on two nearfall points to lead 6-1 midway through the opening period. Lee then worked arm control into a turn that ended with a quick pin at the 2:18 mark. 149: Redshirt freshman Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), ranked No. 12 at 149, made his Rec Hall dual meet debut against No. 11 Josh Maruca of Arizona State. The twosome battled evenly in the middle of the mat for the first half of the opening period with Berge forcing the junior Maruca back to the outside circle and into a first stall warning at the 1:10 mark. Berge countered a slight Maruca shot and scrambled around him for a takedown and a 2-1 lead with :30 on the clock. Trailing 2-1, Maruca chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. Berge got hit for a stall warning at the :35 mark as the duo battled on their feet in the middle of the mat. Tied 2-2, Berge chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. Berge nearly connected on a counter takedown with 1:10 left, but Maruca was able to slip out of trouble and the match continued on with Berge leading 3-2. Berge dodged another Maruca shot, countered, and picked up a second takedown to lead 5-3 with :20 left in the bout. The Lion gave up a stall point and then held on for a hard-fought 5-4 win. 157: Senior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, met No. 16 Christian Pagdilao. Nolf scored quickly, taking the ranked Sun Devil down for a 2-1 lead just :40 into the bout. The Lion then reeled off two quick takedowns and led 6-3 at the 1:15 mark. Nolf then blew through a fast low double, forced a brief scramble, and picked up his fourth takedown to lead 8-3 with :18 on the clock. The Lion then rode Pagdilao out to lead 8-3 after the first period. Pagdilao chose down to start the second period and Nolf put together a dominant ride, building up 1:38 in riding time before cutting the Sun Devil loose to an 8-4 lead. Paglidao forced a scramble with a low shot and Nolf countered for a takedown of his own to lead 10-4 with 1:58 in riding time after two periods. Nolf chose down to start the third period and deftly scrambled his way to an escape and an 11-4 lead. The Lion senior continued to shoot and took Pagdilao down again with :50 on the clock. Nolf cut the Devil loose and then locked his shoulders between his legs, got the takedown and two near fall points as the period ended. A riding time point thanks to a 2:03 advantage gave Nolf a strong 18-5 major decision. 165: Junior Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, took on No. 5 Josh Shields in a key match-up at 165. The duo battled evenly for a minute, with neither wrestler breaking through the other's defense. Joseph gained control of Shields' ankle, worked his way to a wild takedown on the edge of the mat, using leverage and his legs to turn the Sun Devil for four back points at the 1:16 mark. The move gave Joseph a 6-0 lead. Shields tried to work his way free of Joseph's ride off a reset, but the Lion controlled the Sun Devil junior until the :05 mark to lead 6-1 with 1:18 in time after one period. Joseph chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 7-1 lead. Joseph continued to look to score, forcing Shields into defense for the bulk of the second period. The Lion fought off a solid Shields shot at the end of the period and carried that lead, with 1:14 in time, into the third period. Shields chose down to start the third period and Joseph cut him loose to a 7-2 score with 1:42 left. Shields got hit for a first stall warning with 1:20 on the clock. Joseph picked up a stall point and then capped off the dominating major with a final takedown. A 1:38 riding time edge gave Joseph the 11-2 major over fifth-ranked Shields. 174: Junior Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 2 at 174, took on No. 1 Zahid Valencia in a rematch of two thrilling NCAA tournament battles from 2017 and 2018. The duo battled evenly for the opening minute-plus, working in the middle of the mat on the Nittany Lion logo. They battled to a stalemate on their feet at the 1:15 mark with the bout scoreless with each man looking for an opening to score. The duo battled for the remainder of the period without scoring and the bout moved to the second stanza tied 0-0. Hall chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Hall fought off a Valencia high single at the 1:20 mark, scrambling his way into control of the Sun Devil and rolling through for a takedown and 3-0 lead at the :50 mark, bringing nearly 7,000 Rec Hall faithful to their feet. Hall spent the remainder of the period looking to turn Valencia and, while not getting a near fall, finished off the rideout to lead 3-0 with a :41 riding time edge after two periods. Valencia chose down to start the third period and Hall controlled him front the top position again, building up over 1:00 in riding time in the process. The Lion junior continued his ride deep into the third period. He worked his way into a chance to turn Valencia but only got a quick one count at the :40 mark. Hall finished the match off on top and rolled to a dominating 4-0 win with 2:41 in riding time. 184: Senior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 4 at 184, met Kordell Norfleet. Rasheed was steady to start, taking his time and finding the right spot on the edge of the mat to connect on a low single with 1:41 left. Leading 2-0, Rasheed spent the next minute-plus looking for a chance to turn the Sun Devil wrestler to his back. While not finishing off a cradle, Rasheed finished on top and led 2-0 with 1:41 in time after one period. Rasheed chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. He then quickly turned in on a single and upped his lead to 5-0 with another takedown at the 1:40 mark. Rasheed picked up a riding time point and then began looking to lock up a cradle. A third stall gave Rasheed a 7-0 lead with 3:8 in riding time after two periods. Norfleet chose neutral to start the third period, tried to connect on a low shot, only to have Rasheed roll behind him for another takedown and a 9-0 lead. He upped his lead to 10-0 on another stall, picked up four near fall points at the 1:02 mark and finished on top to post a 15-0 technical fall (with the 4:58 riding time point) at the 7:00 mark. 197: Senior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 197, faced off against ASU's Austyn Harris. Nickal wasted no time adding to the Lion lead. Nickal spent just 0:30 on his feet before locking Harris up, turning him quickly to his back and getting the fast fall at the 0:35 mark. 285: Senior Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.), ranked No. 5 at 285, met Sun Devil Brady Daniel. Cassar took Daniel down early, opening up a 2-0 lead just over 0:30 into the bout. The Lion senior built up a solid riding time edge, controlling the action from the top position and then working arm control into a turn. Cassar picked up the four count and led 6-0 at the 1:07 mark. Daniel escaped to a 6-1 score with :30 on the clock and Cassar led 6-1 with 1:51 in time after one. Cassar chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 7-1 lead. He then worked his way through a low shot for a scrambling takedown and a 9-1 lead with 1:30 left in the middle stanza. The Lion senior dominated the action from the top position, forcing Daniel into a first stall warning as his time advantage inched closer to 3:00. He cut the Sun Devil big man loose with :35 on the clock and immediately took him down again to up his lead to 11-2. Trailing 11-2, Daniel chose neutral to start the third period and Cassar made him pay for the decision. The Lion senior moved in quickly, picked Daniel up and tossed him to his back A quick reset on top and Cassar posted the fall at the 5:18 mark.

Augustana University wrestling -- and all other intercollegiate sports at the Sioux Falls, S.D. school -- will be making the move from NCAA Division II to Division I. The transition -- part of school president Stephanie Herseth Sandlin's AU: Vision 2030 strategic vision plan -- was approved by Augustana's Board of Trustees on Thursday. One key element of this plan is a transition for Vikings athletics to a Division I intercollegiate conference. While this vision plan itself does not indicate a timetable for this transition, multiple media reports indicate the school hopes to make the transition during the 2021-22 school year. "Augustana needs to notify its current conference, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) by the end of the year if they intend to leave the conference to begin the transition," according to the Argus-Leader. Augustana has been a member of the NSIC since 2008. "Augustana has been a pivotal contributor to the success of the NSIC over the past decade," according to NSIC Commissioner Erin Lind. "They have represented the NSIC well in competition, in the classroom, and in their community. We wish all the student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans the best in the future." In the past, Augustana has stated its intentions to move to the Summit League, which recently relocated its headquarters from suburban Chicago to Sioux Falls. If approved to join the Summit League, the Vikings would begin a five-year transition period that will include some time playing as an independent without a conference, and ineligibility for postseason play. The AU Viking wrestling program is led by head coach Jason Reitmeier, a 1997 Augustana alum who started his coaching career at his college alma mater immediately upon graduation. Since taking the helm in 2003, Reitmeier has led the Vikings to an overall record of 176-80. Known as Augustana College until 2015, Augustana University is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Located in Sioux Falls, the school is the largest private university in South Dakota. The school, affectionately known as "Augie," has an enrollment of approximately 2,100 students. Augustana is the second Division II school with an interscholastic wrestling program to announce plans to move to Division I. In October, InterMat reported that Long Island University in New York would combine each of its sports programs -- including wrestling -- at its two campuses -- LIU Brooklyn, and LIU Post -- into a single NCAA Division I program as part of a "One LIU" initiative. LIU expects to complete that transition in time for the 2019-20 academic year.

Frank Molinaro (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) BLACKSBURG -- Virginia Tech wrestling head coach Tony Robie announced Friday that assistant coach Frank Molinaro has stepped down from his position with the program to focus solely on preparing for the upcoming international freestyle season. A 2012 NCAA champion and current U.S. National Team member, Molinaro placed fifth at 65 kilograms at the 2016 Rio Olympics as a member of the USA senior men's freestyle team. "If you look at the wrestlers winning world and Olympic titles, none of them are in full-time coaching positions," Robie said. "Frank has the ability to be one of those guys and it makes sense for him to put himself in the best position to make that happen. This move will allow him the flexibility to travel for competition and training, permitting him to focus on what he needs to do to accomplish his wrestling goals."

Mason Smith is a two-time NCAA qualifier (Photo/CMU Athletics) Mason Smith, a two-time NCAA qualifier at Central Michigan, announced that he would finish his wrestling career at Campbell. The announcement came via Twitter. This past offseason, Smith announced that he was transferring from Central Michigan to Arizona State. However, he never competed for the Sun Devils. Last season, he compiled a 31-5 record at 141 pounds, was a Midlands champion and earned a No. 10 seed at the NCAA Division I Championships in Cleveland, Ohio.

Kyle Conel, who placed third at the 2018 NCAA Championships last year, announced on Twitter this week that he'll be undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. In the note Conel also said that he was almost certain to retire from the sport. Conel was an unlikely and inspiring All-American in 2018, beating top-seeded Kollin Moore of Ohio State twice on his way to a third-place finish. That performance along with his go-for-broke style made him a mini-celebrity in the wrestling community, and there were high hopes for his 2019 campaign. With his career likely over, it's worth re-watching Flo's short movie released earlier this year on Conel. He's had a winding and difficult story, but it's one that can hopefully inspire young wrestlers of the future to believe in themselves no matter what's going on in the classroom, wrestling room, or social life. While he won't be on the mat, everyone is wishing Conel the best of luck in the future! To your questions … Nick Nevills is an All-American (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: It appears that Nick Nevills was beaten out for the starting spot as a senior. It's crazy to think about considering his talent. Three-time California state champ and NCAA All-American. I viewed him as a title contender this season. Is he still in the mix to start? Will he battle for the spot the rest of the season? If not, I can only imagine how difficult it would be for him to practice knowing he won't have an opportunity to wrestle for a national championship. -- Mike C. Foley: Man, this is tough. You want to see a guy of Nevills' talent compete for an NCAA championship as a senior. He seems to have been a good teammate and competed well for Coach Cael, but as it stands, he's no longer the best wrestler Penn State can field at the weight class. Wrestling is an unforgiving sport and we have to recognize that part of what makes it such a special sport is that anyone at any time can earn their spot in the starting lineup, often without politics or hands-on coaching decisions. Q: What is happening with the Virginia 125-pound slot? Two forfeits, no Louie Hayes, no backup. Should I worry? -- CM Cooper Foley: Concern is certainly warranted, but I'd wait another two weeks before we start sending hand written letter of inquiries to Charlottesville re: Hayes. As for the lack of a backup, that is a little more difficult. A lot of schools can find that their little guys grow out of the 125-pound weight class, but you'd want your own school to have the depth to survive that type of midseason loss. Can't speculate on the reasoning for the lack of backups for now, but like I mentioned I think there are a few more weeks before the bone-deep level of worry starts to sink in. Q: Do you have a prediction on Zahid Valencia vs. Mark Hall on Friday? What's the key for each wrestler to get the win? -- Mike C. Foley: Valencia was dominant in their meeting at the 2018 NCAA Championships, winning 8-2. He also managed a runner-up finish to Kyle Dake at Final X. I like both these guys and see Mark Hall as the type of wrestler to respond to his loss with a passionate seven minutes in the rematch. However, I think that if Valencia competes at an expected high level his length and ability to finish on Hall without getting too caught in his defensive upper body transitions the match will be straight forward. Expect good penetration from Valencia into an outside single. He'll look to finish fast, but what's more worrisome to Hall fans is that Valencia can finish with pressuring low into Hall, or by creating separation and finishing high. The other issue for Hall is that he has a little more trouble generating offense against Valencia -- who to his credit also limits mistakes in scrambles. I think Valencia wins 6-3, but I also recognize it's a losing proposition for me to try to predict the score of two national champions wrestling in a first-semester dual meet. If they wrestle each other at all … MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Age-Group Wrestlers of 2018! Q: I know Kyle Snyder is planning on wrestling at the Yarygin. Do you expect Abdulrashid Sadulaev to wrestle there? -- Mike C. Foley: Kyle Snyder is wrestling at the Ivan Yarygin, likely on the condition that it will be a ranking series event for United World Wrestling. That event schedule has yet to be determined, but if it repeats as a ranking series even then I would imagine nothing would change for his travel plans. Sadualev is a little trickier. The Yarygin tends to be the qualifier for Russia's squad for the European Championships, but from my understanding that can often excuse the reigning world champions. I'd guess he makes an appearance, though that too may depend on it being a ranking series event. Should they both attend I'd be hyped for an early-season trilogy as it would give us another look at these guys before the World Championships, which will be the first qualifier for the 2020 Olympic Games! Q: What do you think of the Henry Cejudo vs. T.J. Dillishaw upcoming fight? Who do you see winning? -- Gregg Y. Foley: Oy. I've come around on Cejudo. He's the champion of his sport and has improved all aspects of his fight game. There is a very effective standup game, top-level wrestling and serviceable defensive jiu-jitsu. But … Dillashaw's kickboxing is arguably the best in any division and his aptitude at throwing damaging low leg kicks will change the distance at which Cejudo can take the fight. Also, even if Cejudo can close the distance without taking damage I doubt that his in-the-cage wrestling is THAT much better than Dillashaw's. To be able to take down a Division I wrestler and hold them down for a significant amount of time (at featherweight) seems somewhat unlikely. I'll take Dillashaw by TKO, but I will be pulling for Cejudo! Q: Thought I would share this article with you. Super cool to get that kind of turn out. Kingsway in South Jersey always puts out some tough teams. The girls are going to be just as tough! -- Ryan G. Foley: Girls high school wrestling is a game changer! What an awesome time to be involved in the sport. Lots of credit to these coaches and to the national organizers of this movement like Sally Roberts at Wrestle Like a Girl!

The online sportsbook BetDSI has released college wrestling betting odds for this weekend's slate (Dec. 14-16). How betting works: When betting matches/dual meets with point spreads, a minus (-) sign indicates the favorite, while a plus (+) sign indicates the underdog. -120 means that for every $1.20 wagered, the bettor would profit $1. So a $24 wager at -120 that wins would profit $20 and return a total of $48. Note: Betting odds are subject to change. To create a BetDSI account, click here.

Yianni Diakomihalis defeated Josh Alber twice last season (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The marquee bout this week is a showdown of the last two wrestlers to win a national title at 174 pounds. Obviously a lot of interest will be directed at the bout between No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) and No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State), but there are plenty of other intriguing matches this weekend. The following looks at the best matches by weight class. 125: No. 4 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 16 Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado) Where/When: Oklahoma State at Northern Colorado on Sunday, Dec. 16 Piccininni is starting at 125 pounds for the third straight year for the Cowboys. His junior season is off to a strong start. He has won all seven of his matches including a decision victory over returning NCAA qualifier No. 5 Sean Russell (Minnesota). Of his seven victories, Piccininni has picked up bonus points in six. In his last match, he notched a 56-second fall over Zach Atencio (Oklahoma) in the Bedlam dual. After winning the Northern Colorado Open in early November, Montoya sat out until returning to action last weekend. After competing at 133 pounds last year and qualifying for the NCAA tournament, he is down in weight this year. On Sunday, he split a pair of matches with a technical fall over Cliff Conway (VMI) and his first loss of the season against Dylan Ryder (Hofstra). On Monday, Montoya got back on track with a major decision over Joe Manchio (Columbia). Montoya is a sort of wildcard after dropping down in weight. However, Piccininni should be the clear favorite in this match. At this point, his offensive arsenal is much too diverse and persistent. However, if Montoya is able to make this a match, it could signal that he could contend for All-America honors at the end of the year. Prediction: Piccininni (Oklahoma State) maj. dec. Montoya (Northern Colorado) 133: No. 19 Matthew Schmitt (West Virginia) vs. No. 6 Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) Where/When: West Virginia at Pittsburgh on Saturday, Dec. 15 Schmitt has been out of the lineup since early November, so it is entirely possible that he does not start here for the Mountaineers. In his last action, the returning NCAA qualifier won the Hokie Open. Along the way, he bested Zach Sherman (North Carolina) via a 3-1 decision. This is Phillippi's first year in the lineup for Pittsburgh after transferring from Virginia. He announced himself as a player in the 133-pound division with a strong showing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. At the tournament, he scored victories over No. 18 Cam Sykora (NDSU), No. 8 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) and No. 7 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) before eventually falling against returning finalist No. 3 Nick Suriano (Rutgers). It is questionable if Schmitt even wrestles this match since he has not wrestled in over a month. If he does, this instantly becomes an intriguing match. Even though he dropped 14 matches last year, he showed that he could give a high quality wrestler a tough test. The smart money is on Phillippi due to his recent momentum, but he will need to show that his Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational performance was not just a good run. Prediction: Phillippi (Pittsburgh) dec. Schmitt (West Virginia) 141: No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs. No. 10 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) Where/When: Cornell at Northern Iowa on Saturday, Dec. 15 Last season Diakomihalis won an NCAA title as a true freshman with a torn ACL. Over the offseason, he had surgery to correct the injury. He returned for the first time season at the Mat Town Open where he won first place. However, he has been out of action since late November. This should be his first big test of the season. Alber has started his senior season with an 11-3 record, but he has gone only 1-3 against ranked competition. His lone victory over ranked wrestler came over Nicholas Gil (Navy) at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Last weekend, Alber won the UNI Open where he picked up a victory over veteran and NCAA qualifier Vince Turk (Iowa). Diakomihalis was able to defeat Alber twice last season, and he only surrendered four points total across the two bouts. Obviously, he should be able to take care of business if he is healthy. This remains his biggest test of the season, and it will go a long way to show that he is rounding back into championship form. Prediction: Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec. Alber (Northern Iowa) 149: No. 11 Josh Maruca (Arizona State) vs. No. 12 Brady Berge (Penn State) Where/When: Arizona State at Penn State on Friday, Dec. 14 In some ways, Maruca has had a tough start to the season. However, his tough schedule has certainly played a role in that. He has dropped three matches, but they have come against No. 19 Cole Martin (Wisconsin), No. 6 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) and No. 3 Micah Jordan (Ohio State). Maruca's only ranked win this season came against No. 18 Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State) over a month ago. Berge wrestled sparingly last year during his redshirt season, and so far that trend has continued this year. He opened his season at the Keystone Classic and defeated his teammate Jarod Verkleeren before dropping out via medical forfeit. Since then, he has only wrestled once and picked up a technical fall victory over Joey Schiele (Bucknell). Berge has some big shoes to fill as he is filling in for multiple-time NCAA champion Zain Retherford. He certainly has the talent to finish as an All-American, but he will need to overcome injuries and solidly make the weight. While Maruca has suffered more losses on the year, he has faced the much tougher schedule. It will be interesting to see if Penn State sends out Berge. If he wants to find himself on the podium this season, he will need to pick up victories over guys like Maruca. If Berge is healthy and has his weight under control, he has the talent to win, but it might be too much too soon. Prediction: Maruca (Arizona State) dec. Berge (Penn State) 157: Zachary Moore (West Virginia) vs. No. 10 Taleb Rahmani (Pittsburgh) Where/When: West Virginia at Pittsburgh on Saturday, Dec. 15 Moore has started his junior season with an 8-2 record. At the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, he nearly knocked off No. 17 Lucas Weiland (Army), but he ultimately fell after giving up a takedown in sudden victory. In his last match, he got back on track in a big way with a first-period fall over Pat Schoenfelder (Northern Iowa). Rahmani went 18-14 last season, but he has shot up the rankings due to a 9-2 decision victory over No. 11 Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. In the same bracket, he also dropped matches against No.7 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State) and No. 9 Griffin Parriott (Purdue), but Rahmani showed flashes of brilliance that have given Pittsburgh fans a reason to get excited about his prospects this season. Without knowing the history, this might appear to be a one-sided match in favor of Rahmani. However, the two have already wrestled twice in their collegiate careers. The Pittsburgh wrestler pinned Moore last December, but eight days later the West Virginia wrestler took home a 3-1 decision. Moore won by staying fundamental and stifling Rahmani's offense. Don't expect that to happen here. Even in his losses this year, Rahmani has been able to get to his leg attacks. Look for him to score early and often in this bout. Prediction: Rahmani (Pittsburgh) dec. Moore (West Virginia) 165: No. 6 Isaiah White (Nebraska) vs. No. 18 Thomas Bullard (NC State) Where/When: Nebraska at NC State on Sunday, Dec. 16 White's season has already been an adventure. He started the season with a 1-3 record, which included losses against No. 17 Cam Coy (Virginia) and No. 15 Ebed Jarrell (Drexel). However, he bounced back in a major way at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. He won the tournament, and along the way he defeated No. 14 Joey Gunther (Illinois), No. 8 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) and No. 7 Logan Massa (Michigan). Bullard was an NCAA qualifier two seasons ago before redshirting last season. So far this year, he has gotten off to an 8-1 start with his only defeat coming against No. 3 Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven). In those eight victories, he has scored five falls. Prediction: White (Nebraska) dec. Bullard (NC State) 174: No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) vs. No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) Where/When: Arizona State at Penn State on Friday, Dec. 14 The match between the last two NCAA champions at 174 pounds would obviously be the marquee bout of the weekend. Two seasons ago, Hall defeated Valencia in 4-3 in the national semifinals. In last year's final, Valencia returned the favor and knocked off Hall 8-2. In between those matches, Valencia also defeated Hall in an exhibition match at last season's All-Star Classic. Valencia has started his junior season with an undefeated 9-0 record with six falls. Hall is also undefeated at 7-0 with a victory over No. 6 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) Valencia has shown that he has the recipe to beat Hall. He comes forward with a high pace and shoots and shoots and shoots. Halls has had an entire offseason to make changes to his game, but until he shows that he can hang with Valencia's determination in neutral, the Arizona State wrestler remains the favorite. Prediction: Valencia (Arizona State) dec. Hall (Penn State) 184: No. 3 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) vs. No. 5 Nick Reenan (NC State) Where/When: Nebraska at NC State on Sunday, Dec. 16 Outside of a loss against No. 1 Myles Martin (Ohio State), Venz has won all of his matches this season. He already has a pair of ranked victories on the season as he has bested No. 12 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) and No. 7 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa). As it currently stands, Venz has to be one of the favorites to make the NCAA finals at this weight class. Reenan has looked great since returning to the lineup following a redshirt season. Over the summer, he reached Final X before falling against eventual world champion David Taylor. Reenan has started the year 6-0 with a signature win coming over No. 6 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. In his last action, he pinned Alan Clothier (Appalachian State) in a little over a minute. This match could end up going in multiple directions. Venz's top game is a difference maker, and he could likely ride or turn Reenan. However, Reenan might end up having an advantage on the feet. If he is able to score a takedown in the first period, it would force Venz to try to catch up and take the Cornhusker out of his game. Prediction: Reenan (NC State) dec. Venz (Nebraksa) 197: Martin Mueller (South Dakota State) vs. No. 20 Corey Griego (Oregon State) Where/When: South Dakota State at Oregon State on Sunday, Dec. 16 Mueller was an NCAA qualifier at 184 pounds last season, but he has struggled since moving up in weight. Mueller has gone only 4-4 and lost to No. 7 (Division III) Kobe Woods (Wartburg). Obviously this is not the season he envisioned after moving up to 197, but a win over Griego could get him back on track. Griego has had some struggles in his own right this season. He has gone 3-2 and is just barely hanging onto his ranking. He dropped a pair of matches at the Cliff Keen Invitational against Wyatt Koelling (Missouri) and Sawyer Root (The Citadel). Neither wrestler has been unable to get any momentum going this season. It is a long season, there is plenty of time to turning it around. A win here could put one of these wrestlers on the path to success. It is likely to be a close and low scoring match, but look for Griego to control the pace and take home the victory. Prediction: Griego (Oregon State) dec. Mueller (South Dakota State) 285: No. 11 Jake Gunning (Buffalo) vs. No. 12 Zach Elam (Missouri) Where/When: Buffalo at Missouri on Sunday, Dec. 16 Gunning is looking for his third straight trip to the NCAA tournament following this season. He dropped his first bout of the year, but he has since won eight straight matches including sudden victory wins over Ben Sullivan (Army) and No. 15 Matt Voss (George Mason). Elam joined Missouri this offseason as a top-50 recruit with a silver medal at the 2018 Junior World Championships. He is the latest to try to solve Missouri's seemingly continuous issues at heavyweight. Even though he is only a true freshman and wrestled last season at 220 pounds in high school, he has been able to start 13-1 this year. He already has multiple ranked wins including over No. 17 Chase Singletary (Ohio State), No. 16 Joey Goodhart (Drexel) and No. 13 Demetrius Thomas (Pittsburgh). Gunning is at his best when he is using his movement and athleticism to outwork larger heavyweights. That likely will not be an asset against Elam, who shares a lot of the same traits. This could turn out to be much more exciting than the average heavyweight match, but in the end, Elam should be able to will the takedown battle and the match. Prediction: Elam (Missouri) dec. Gunning (Buffalo)

The inaugural Grappler Gold Invitational is set to take place on Saturday at the Lansing (Mich.) Center as part of a weekend NUWAY/Border Wars event for all ages. Brighton, which is ranked No. 18 nationally, is serving as the organizing school/host of the high school tournament. The 17 school field is very robust for it being a one-day event and having to follow the travel rules of the state of Michigan. Obviously the nationally ranked Bulldogs anchor the event, with No. 24 Davison being other nationally ranked teams. Perennial Michigan state champion Dundee is also in the field, as are a pair of very strong teams from in Indiana in Brownsburg and Evansville Mater Dei. Below is a listing of the more notable wrestlers in the event, listed weight-by-weight, wrestlers are from Michigan unless noted. It should be noted that NFHS weights are being used in this event, thought it is being contested in Michigan. 106: No. 14 Casey Swiderski (Dundee), Quaylon Newton (Brighton), Alec Freeman (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), Logan Miller (Brownsburg, Ind.) 113: A.J. Baxter (Clinton), Austin Fietz (Dundee), Pacey Nasdusak (Mason, Ohio), Joe Haynes (Waren Woods Tower), Mason Shrader (Brighton), Cole Ross (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), Kamariyon Nelson (Bronwsubrg, Ind.), Cole Dunn (L'Anse Creuse) 120: Blake Boarman (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), Kysen Montgomery (Bronwsburg, Ind.), Sam Freeman (Brighton), Steven Garty (Davison), Jack Haskin (Toledo Whitmer), Dominic DiTullio (Mason, Ohio), Joseph Blaze (Clinton) 126: Andrew Chambal (Davison), Tyler Swiderski (Dundee), Ben Manly (Brighton) Evan Lawhead (Brownsburg, Ind.), Kane Egli (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), Kaleob Whitford (St. Johns), David Stepanian (Warren Woods Tower) 132: Drake Campbell (Bronwsburg, Ind.), Noah Comar (Clinton), Jonathan White (Dundee), Clay Egli (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), Chaise Mayer (Warren Woods Tower), Zach Johnson (Brighton), Raymond Cole (Davison) 138: Drew Kreitzer (Bronwsburg, Ind.), Eddie Homrock (Brighton), James Johnston (Davison), Christian Killion (Dundee), Sam Glassco (Mason, Ohio), Blaine Mayer (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.) 145: No. 7 James Whitaker (St. Johns), No. 14 Chris Donathan (Mason, Ohio), Matt Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), Stoney Buell (Dundee), Rhett Newton (Brighton), Matthew Grant (Onaway), Jake Billette (Clarkston), Griffin Ison (Brownsburg, Ind.) 152: No. 17 Caden Fish (Eaton Rapids), Brian Case (Davison), Victor Grabowski (Brighton), Eli Dickens (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), Grant Ott (Dundee) 160: No. 1 Alex Facundo (Davison), Dane Donabedian (Brighton), McAllister McAvoy (Dundee), Peyton Asbury (Brownsburg, Ind.), Gabe Sollars (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.) 170: No. 19 River Shettler (Brighton), Kamal Adewumi (Mason, Ohio), Jay Nivison (Davison), Brayden Randolph (Clinton), Jaxon Guinn (Dundee), McCartney Parkinson (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.) 182: Cal Stefanko (Davison), Jon Clack (Lakewood), Toby Amburgy (Mason, Ohio) 195: Greyson Stevens (Brighton) 220: Joel Radavansky (Warren Woods Tower), Luke Stanton (Brighton), Trevor McGowan (Davison), Lawson Aiken (Brownsburg, Ind.) 285: Aaron Gilmore (Davison), Brogan Reed (Mason, Ohio)

Blake West defeated Pierson Manville in the finals of the InterMat Classic (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) The Minnesota Christmas Tournament is being held this Friday and Saturday in Rochester, Minn. Annually this event serves as a de facto single-class Minnesota state tournament. This year's 40-team field features the vast majority of top teams from Minnesota, plus a few schools from out of state. This year that includes schools from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Oklahoma. There are three nationally ranked teams featured in the field: No. 21 Simley, No. 25 Kasson-Mantorville, and No. 46 Apple Valley. Other teams to watch in the field include Aurora Christian (Ill.), Edmond Memorial (Okla.), Ellsworth (Wis.), Fairmont-Martin County West, Holmen (Wis.), Kaukauna (Wis.), Owatonna, Scott West, and St. Michael-Albertville. Below is a list of wrestlers to watch in the field (Minnesota schools unless noted). 106: Blake West (Owatonna), Cruz Aguilar (Edmond Memorial, Okla.), Pierson Manville (Shakopee), Matt Hogue (East Ridge), Brendan Howes (Anoka), Reid Nelson (Forest Lake), Tyson Peitz (Waconia), Michael Loger (Totino-Grace) 113: Joey Thompson (Totino-Grace), Paxton Creese (Shakopee), Maxwell Petersen (Byron), Brandon Psyk (St. Michael-Albertville), Cael Swensen (Wayzata), Jaden Verhagen (Kaukauna, Wis.), Logan Vaughan (Kasson-Mantorville), Kanin Hable (Owatonna) 120: No. 1 Eric Barnett (Hortonville, Wis.), Derrick Cardinal (Forest Lake), Ben Lunn (Shakopee), Jaxson Rohman (Fairmont-Martin County West), Chase DeBlaere (Simley), Mason Campshure (Kaukauna, Wis.) 126: No. 13 Jake Svihel (Totino-Grace), Reid Ballantyne (Stillwater), Mitchel Petersen (Byron), Cameron Johnson (Aurora Christian, Ill.), Regan Schrempp (Apple Valley), Luke Joniaux (Luxemburg-Casco, Wis.), Justin Stauffacher (Scott West), Nick Cantu (Albert Lea), Hunter Lyden (East Ridge) 132: Ryan Sokol (Simley), Ryder Rogotzke (East Ridge), Adam Mickelson (Apple Valley), Bam West (Edmond Memorial, Okla.), Brandon Micksch (Kaukauna, Wis.) 138: Noah Villarreal (Aurora Christian, Ill.), Bryce Bosman (Luxemburg-Casco, Wis.), Cael Berg (Simley), Jackson Oplotnik (Edmond Memorial, Okla.), Tyler Shackle (Scott West), Marshall Peters (Rochester Mayo), Trey Kruse (Stillwater), Charlie Stuhl (Ellsworth, Wis.), John Diener (Kaukauna, Wis.) 145: No. 15 Cael Carlson (Willmar), Sebas Swiggum (Apple Valley), Peter Rolle (Edmond Memorial, Okla.), Scott Springer (Anoka), Antonio Everett (Simley), Payton Anderson (Fairmont-Martin County West), Jared Lansing (Ellsworth, Wis.), Zeke Marshall (Aurora Christian, Ill.), Luke Peterson (Farmington), Kaden Nelson (Owatonna) 152: No. 7 Carson Manville (Shakopee), Colby Njos (Anoka), Brady Gross (Apple Valley), Bennett Berge (Kasson-Mantorville), Tim Stapleton (Waconia), Jay Cee Gonzalez (Aurora Christian, Ill.), Gavin Nelson (Simley) 160: Devin Roberts (Apple Valley), Jacob Hageman (Simley), Jimmy Brown (Cambridge-Isanti), Kyle Knowles (Edmond Memorial, Okla.), Cedric Kosnopfal (Ellsworth, Wis.), Moise Madimba (Coon Rapids) 170: Cade Mueller (Waconia), Colton Krell (Westfield), Reese Worachek (Luxemburg-Casco, Wis.), Nolan Wanzek (Simley), Dalton Andrist (Kasson-Mantorville), Jake Viloria (St. Rita, Ill.), Wyatt Lidberg (St. Michael-Albertville) 182: No. 4 Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville), No. 13 Zach Glazier (Albert Lea), Cade King (Owatonna), Quayin Short (Simley), Calvin Sund (Prior Lake), Kalyn Jahn (Holmen, Wis.), Bryce Alsteen (Kaukauna, Wis.), Dustin Dittrich (P-E-M, Minn.), Carl Leuer (St. Michael-Albertville) 195: Grant Parrish (Kasson-Mantorville), Lincoln Shinn (Willmar), Jacob Bennett (Zumbrotta-Mazeppa), Nick Staska (Owatonna), Brady Nielsen (Anoka) 220: Garsen Schorr (Kasson-Mantorville), Angel Jaimes (Aurora Christian, Ill.), Andrew Reigstand (Willmar), Riley Wingert (P-E-M, Minn.), Marco Cavallaro (East Ridge) 285: Tyler Kim (Apple Valley), Charlie Farhat (Willmar), James Johnson (Minnetonka), Calvin Menke (Scott West), Nick Pierce (St. Francis)

Imagine having the same job at the same place for a half-century. Ron Ryan doesn't have to imagine. He's served as head wrestling coach at Mount Olive High School in Illinois since 1969. Now the 73-year-old has revealed that he plans to submit a letter officially announcing his retirement after 50 seasons on the job. Ryan owns the distinction of being the longest-serving high school wrestling coach at a single school in the state of Illinois, according to the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association. Wrestling -- and the world beyond the mats -- has changed a lot since Ryan arrived at the school located between St. Louis and Springfield, the Illinois state capital. The year Ryan became coach of the Mount Olive Wildcats, Richard Nixon had been sworn in as President. Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. The No. 1 TV show was NBC's "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In"; the top movie, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." A new home could be purchased for $27,900; a gallon of gas cost 35 cents. As for the oldest and greatest sport, it's seen its share of changes during Ryan's tenure. "You wouldn't expect a girl to come close to a mat back then," Ryan told the Springfield Journal-Record. "Back then they were statisticians and cheerleaders. That's all they were." Just last weekend, Ryan took five girl wrestlers to participate in a tournament near Peoria. Another change: back when Ryan launched the Mount Olive mat program for the 1969-70 school year, it was a single-school program. Now Mount Olive High -- which has just 131 students -- hosts a co-op program which includes wrestlers from three nearby communities. Ryan did not come to the decision to wrap up his coaching career quickly. "My wife and I have talked about this for four or five years," said Ryan. "But I wasn't going to leave until I knew someone would take it over and run the program and be here and keep it going." The man who will take the helm: current assistant coach Don Harvill. Ryan will host his last home meet on Jan. 9. But that won't be the last time the long-time, legendary coach will make an appearance. He will serve as Grand Marshall for the Grand March at the 2019 Illinois state wrestling championships at the University of Illinois in Champaign in March.

Come this weekend, finally everyone will have started their scholastic wrestling season. Below is the list of scheduled contests for Fab 50 teams during the week of Dec. 12-18. No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.) -- travels to Malvern Prep (Pa.) on Saturday for a tri-meet, along with McDonogh (Md.) No. 2 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) -- hosts the X-Calibur Tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Wilkes University No. 3 Bergen Catholic (N.J.) -- travels to Wilkes University (Pa.) for the X-Calibur Tournament on Saturday and Sunday No. 4 Cincinnati LaSalle (Ohio) -- hosts No. 5 St. Edward (Ohio) in a dual meet on Saturday No. 5 St. Edward (Ohio) -- travels to No. 4 Cincinnati (Ohio) LaSalle for a dual meet on Saturday No. 6 Montini Catholic (Ill.) -- hosts Moline (Ill.) and Neuqua Valley (Ill.) in a tri-meet on Thursday, competes in the Marmion Academy (Ill.) Mega Duals on Saturday No. 7 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) -- competes in the Marmion Academy (Ill.) Mega Duals on Saturday No. 9 Buchanan (Calif.) -- travels to Rancho Bernardo (Calif.) for a dual meet on Thursday, competes in the El Cajon (Calif.) Invitational on Friday and Saturday No. 11 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) -- hosts Pocono Mountain West (Pa.) in a dual meet tonight, hosts Stroudsburg (Pa.) in a dual meet on Saturday No. 13 Park Hill (Mo.) -- travels to Blue Springs (Mo.) for a dual meet on Tuesday 12/18 No. 14 Broken Arrow (Okla.) -- compete on the road in a tri-meet against Oklahoma City (Okla.) Capitol Hill and Edmond (Okla.) Santa Fe on Thursday No. 15 Tuttle (Okla.) -- hosts Plainview (Okla.) in a dual meet on Thursday, travels to Enid (Okla.) for the Mid-America Nationals on Friday and Saturday, travels to Choctaw (Okla.) for a dual met on Tuesday 12/18 No. 16 Southeast Polk (Iowa) -- hosts Fort Dodge (Iowa) in a dual meet on Thursday, hosts the Red Owens Invitational on Saturday, travels to Marshalltown (Iowa) for a dual meet on Tuesday 12/18 No. 17 Allen (Texas) -- travels to Rockwall (Texas) for a dual meet tonight, competes in the Keller (Texas) Duals on Saturday No. 18 Brighton (Mich.) -- compete against Dakota (Mich.) and New Boston Huron (Mich.) in double dual meet at Westland (Mich.) John Glenn tonight, compete in the Grappler Gold Invitational at the Lansing (Mich.) Center on Saturday No. 19 Paulsboro (N.J.) -- hosts the John and Betty Vogeding Tournament on Saturday, hosts Audubon (Mich.) in a dual meet on Monday No. 20 Clovis (Calif.) -- travels to Bakersfield (Calif.) for a dual meet tonight No. 21 Simley (Minn.) -- hosts Henry Sibley (Minn.) and St. Thomas Academy (Minn.) in a tri-meet on Thursday, travels to Rochester (Minn.) for the Minnesota Christmas Tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 22 St. Joseph Montvale (N.J.) -- compete in the Kingsway Duals on Saturday No. 23 Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep -- compete in the Canfield (Ohio) Holiday Duals on Saturday No. 24 Davison (Mich.) -- competes in the Grappler Gold Invitational at the Lansing (Mich.) Center on Saturday No. 25 Kasson-Mantorville (Minn.) -- travels to Rochester (Minn.) for the Minnesota Christmas Tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 26 Poway (Calif.) -- hosts San Marcos (Calif.) in a dual meet on Thursday No. 27 Elyria (Ohio) -- travels to Euclid (Ohio) on Friday for tri-meet, along with Medina (Ohio) No. 28 Parkersburg South (W.Va.) -- travels to Huntington (W.Va.) on Thursday for tri-meet, along with Spring Valley (W.Va.) No. 29 Mount St. Joseph's (Md.) -- competes in the St. Mary's Ryken (Md.) Invitational No. 30 Marmion Academy (Ill.) -- hosts the Marmion Academy (Ill.) Mega Duals on Saturday No. 31 Wadsworth (Ohio) -- travels to Brecksville (Ohio) for dual meet matches against North Royalton (Ohio) and Stow (Ohio) on Thursday, compete in the North Canton (Ohio) Holiday Tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 32 Chicago (Ill.) Mt. Carmel -- competes in the Marmion Academy (Ill.) Mega Duals on Saturday No. 33 South Plainfield (N.J.) -- travels to Scotch Plains (N.J.) for a dual meet on Friday, competes in the Morris Knolls (N.J.) Tournament on Saturday No. 34 Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral -- competes in the Indianapolis City Championships on Saturday at Washington H.S. No. 36 Reynolds (Pa.) -- hosts Conneaut Lake (Pa.) in a dual meet tonight, hosts Conneaut (Ohio) in a dual meet on Tuesday 12/18 No. 37 Brecksville (Ohio) -- hosts double dual meet on Thursday, competing against North Royalton (Ohio) and Stow (Ohio) No. 38 Liberty (Mo.) -- hosts Park Hill South (Mo.) and St. Joseph Central (Mo.) in a tri-meet on Tuesday 12/18 No. 40 Howell (N.J.) -- travels to No. 19 Paulsboro (N.J.) for the John and Betty Vogeding Tournament on Saturday No. 41 Delbarton (N.J.) -- competes in the Kingsway (N.J.) Duals on Saturday No. 42 Pomona (Colo.) -- hosts Lakewood (Colo.) in a dual meet on Thursday No. 43 Don Bosco (Iowa) -- competes in the Battle of Waterloo (Iowa) at Young Arena on Friday and Saturday No. 44 Clovis North (Calif.) -- travels to Liberty Ranchos (Calif.) for the Big XII Duals on Saturday No. 45 Waverly-Shell Rock (Iowa) -- travels to Decorah (Iowa) for tri-meet on Thursday, along with Uelvein (Iowa), competes in the Battle of Waterloo (Iowa) at Young Arena on Friday and Saturday No. 46 Apple Valley (Minn.) - travels to Rochester (Minn.) for the Minnesota Christmas Tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 47 Millard South (Neb.) -- travels to Grand Island (Neb.) for the Flatwater Fracas on Friday and Saturday, travels to Bellevue East (Neb.) for dual meet on Tuesday 12/18 No. 48 Oak Park Rive Forest (Ill.) -- hosts Glenbard West (Ill.) in a dual meet on Thursday, travels to Hinsdale Central (Ill.) for the Rex Whitlach Invitational on Friday and Saturday No. 49 St. Paris (Ohio) Graham -- travels to Kettering (Ohio) Fairmont for the Firebird Classic on Saturday No. 50 Stoughton (Wis.) -- travels to Oregon (Wis.) for dual meet on Friday Off this week: No. 8 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), No. 10 Gilroy (Calif.), No. 12 St. John Bosco (Calif.), No. 35 Selma (Calif.), No. 39 Goddard (Kansas)

The Bok Center will host the Big 12 Championships through 2024 The Big 12 Wrestling Championships will remain at BOK Center in Tulsa through 2024, the Tulsa Sports Commission announced Tuesday. Also known by its official name Bank of Oklahoma Center, the arena has hosted the Big 12 championships since 2017, and had already been scheduled to host the 2019 event on March 9-10. Today's announcement updates an agreement signed earlier this year for BOK Center to serve as the host for the event through 2020. "Based on the experience through the first two years of our partnership with the Tulsa Sports Commission for this to be the preeminent collegiate wrestling championship, continuing our presence in this market speaks to the dedication of all involved," Big 12 associate commissioner Bob Burda said in a press release. "Being able to build upon the foundation already established for the next six years clearly puts a stake in the ground for the Big 12 to grow this championship in Tulsa into the foreseeable future." Vince Trinidad, executive director of the Tulsa Sports Commission, echoed those sentiments, saying, "We have great pride in the lasting relationship we've forged with the Big 12 Conference over the last five years." Until a couple years ago, the Big 12 Wrestling Championships had been held at facilities on member school campuses. In 2016, the event was held at a neutral site, the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. Opened in August 2008, the BOK Center is a 19,199-seat multi-purpose arena in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma's second-largest city.

Zahid Valencia defeated Mark Hall in the NCAA finals last season (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) College coaches only have a few more weeks of holiday distractions to navigate until they are able to regroup and refocus their team's attention back towards wrestling. With Christmas and holiday events right around the corner, this week's college slate is relatively light, but it will still feature at least four ranked duals and Saturday's Cleveland State Open. Friday No. 14 Arizona State at No. 1 Penn State (6 p.m.) The Friday night lights will be shining bright in Rec Hall, but the stars who are set to compete will be shining brighter. Five previous NCAA champions will be in action when the No. 14 Arizona State Sun Devils travel to Happy Valley (Pa.) with hopes of upsetting the top-ranked Nittany Lions. The five wrestlers competing on Friday night that have previously reached the top of the podium at the NCAA Championships are PSU's Mark Hall, Vincenzo Joseph, Bo Nickal, and Jason Nolf, as well as ASU's Zahid Valencia. There will be 11 ranked wrestlers in action, and a trio of top-20 matchups, but none more important than the 174 pound showdown between the Sun Devil's returning NCAA champion and top-ranked Zahid Valencia and 2017 NCAA champion, No. 2 Mark Hall. These two are no strangers to each other. They have met several times throughout their wrestling careers, including three times in college. Their first college meeting was two years ago in the NCAA semifinals where Hall topped Valencia, 4-3. The pair met for a second time at last year's NWCA All-Star Classic where Valencia picked up the victory and evened the score at one match apiece. Their third meeting was in the 2018 NCAA finals where Zahid came out victorious and took the 2-1 advantage. An interesting note regarding Hall's win over the top-ranked Sun Devil in the NCAA semifinals two years ago, it was Valencia's first college defeat, and it still stands as the only one he's faced. Since that loss, Valencia has reeled off 43 straight wins. Aside from the 2018 NCAA finals rematch at 174 pounds, another top-five bout to keep an eye on is at 165 pounds where the Sun Devil's fifth-ranked All-American Josh Shields will scrap it out against two-time NCAA champion and current No. 1, Vincenzo Joseph. Shields brings a 9-1 record into Happy Valley and is coming off a 5-4 loss to Wisconsin's second-ranked returning NCAA All-American, Evan Wick, while Joseph brings an unblemished 7-0 record into this match. Even more impressive than his perfect record this season, Joseph has tallied bonus points in each of those seven matches, scoring six falls and a technical fall. Other ranked wrestlers: 125: No. 7 Ryan Millhof (Arizona State) 141: No. 4 Nick Lee (Penn State) 149: No 11 Josh Maruca (Arizona State) vs. No. 12 Brady Berge (Penn State) 157: No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) 184: No. 4 Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) 197: No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) 285: No. 5 Anthony Cassar (Penn State) Sunday No. 11 Nebraska at No. 9 North Carolina State (1 p.m.) Coach Mark Manning and his Nebraska Cornhuskers close out their 25 mile I-40 road trip with a top-15 meeting with coach Pat Popolizio's North Carolina State Wolfpack. The No. 11 Cornhuskers are 4-1 on the season, while the ninth-ranked NC State Wolf Pack have a perfect 5-0 record. Half of the ten matches in this dual feature top-20 showdowns and nine of the ten weights have at least one ranked wrestler. The lone weight class that will not feature a top-20 wrestler is heavyweight. Of those five ranked bouts, a pair of matches to highlight are the 157 and 184-pound matches. At 157 pounds, returning NCAA finalist and fourth-ranked Hayden Hidlay (NC State) will square off against two-time NCAA All-American and fifth-ranked Tyler Berger for the third time in their career. Hidlay has won their two previous meetings. Most recently, Hidlay defeated Berger 3-2 to reach the NCAA finals a season ago. The second top-five battle comes at 184 pounds where Nebraska's returning All-American and third-ranked Taylor Venz will strap up against fifth-ranked Nick Reenan (NC State). Venz's Sunday match with Reenan will be his second top-15 match of the weekend. He'll also compete against the University North Carolina's returning All-American Chip Ness (UNC) on Saturday night. Other ranked matchups: 125: No. 11 Zeke Moisey (Nebraska) vs. No. 6 Sean Fausz (NC State) 165: No.6 Isaiah White (Nebraska) vs. No. 18 Thomas Bullard (NC State) 197: No. 9 Eric Schultz (Nebraska) vs. No. 19 Malik McDonald (NC State) Other ranked wrestlers: 133: No. 4 Tariq Wilson (NC State) 141: No. 13 Jamal Morris (NC State) 149: No. 4 Justin Oliver (NC State) 174: No. 9 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) No. 19 Cornell at No. 13 Northern Iowa (2 p.m.) Coach Rob Koll and the No.19 Cornell Big Red travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to take on coach Doug Schwab and the No.13 Northern Iowa Panthers. West Gym will host a trio of top-20 matchups, with the most important one coming at 141 pounds. Cornell's defending NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis, who missed the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational to further prep his rehabilitated torn ACL, is set to make his return against No. 10 Josh Alber (UNI). This will be the third time these two have met. Last season, Diakomihalis defeated Alber 5-2 in the dual, and followed that up with an 8-2 win at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. In addition to the top-15 matchup at 141, the matchups at 174 and 184 will also have wrestlers ranked in the top 20. At 174, UNI's eighth-ranked Taylor Lujan will wrestle No. 14 Brandon Womack (Cornell), while Cornell's eighth-ranked returning All-American, Max Dean (Cornell) will meet seventh-ranked Drew Foster (UNI) for the fourth time in their careers. Dean owns the 2-1 match advantage heading into their fourth bout. Most recently, Dean beat Foster 6-0 to make it to last year's NCAA quarterfinals. Other ranked wrestlers: 133: No. 14 Chas Tucker (Cornell) 149: No. 10 Max Thomsen (UNI) 165: No.12 Bryce Steiert (UNI) 197: No. 3 Jacob Holschlag (UNI)

EAST STROUDSBURG - East Stroudsburg University President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., announced Monday that the University will add women's wrestling as an intercollegiate sport beginning in fall 2019. Women's wrestling will be ESU's 21st varsity sport. While not recognized as an NCAA intercollegiate sport, it is governed by the Women's College Wrestling Association (WCWA) and is in the process of pursuing emerging sport status from the NCAA. "We are extremely excited to bring women's wresting to ESU," said President Welsh. "High school girls' wrestling participation has grown for 27 straight years and continues to expand. Currently there are 48 college teams that sponsor a varsity women's wrestling program, and most teams have about 30 members by the program's third year. Women's wrestling has been under consideration for some time and we've already developed our schedule for next fall. We are eager to recruit new student-athletes for this opportunity." According to ESU's athletic director, Dr. Gary Gray, ESU wrestling coach Anibal Nieves will initially coach both the men's and women's wrestling teams. Nieves, who earned All-America honors at ESU in 1989 and represented Puerto Rico in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, is in his first year as men's head coach at ESU. His coaching experience includes the previous six years as women's head coach and men's assistant coach at Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, Mass. "Coach Nieves' success in coaching both men's and women's wrestling, including four women's national champions at Springfield Technical Community College, gives ESU an excellent opportunity to launch our women's wrestling program while also continuing to build our men's program to a championship level," said Dr. Gray. Dr. Welsh also announced two sports that are also being considered for addition at ESU - acrobatics and tumbling, and esports - as part of the University's Athletics Master Plan. Acrobatics and tumbling offers students the opportunity to develop acrobatic, tumbling and cheer skills and is associated with the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA). Esports is a form of athletic competition involving the use of video games intended to provide opportunities for students to gain a college education. Esports is supported by the National Association of College Esports (NACE), a non-profit association with more than 80 member schools and associated with more than 1,500 student-athletes. The addition of women's wrestling and consideration of acrobatics and tumbling and esports falls under the guidelines of a new Athletics Master Plan for ESU, expected to be finalized early in 2019. The Athletics Master Plan, which has been in development since September 2018, will also address facility changes to improve teaching spaces for two of the University's academic programs - athletic training and exercise science - as well as facility upgrades for student-athletes. "The academic success of our athletic training and exercise science programs requires ESU to re-evaluate the available space in Koehler Fieldhouse and explore options for growth," said President Welsh. "At the same time, the master plan will enable us to assess the needs of our varsity sports and our current facilities in order to determine changes that need to be made that will provide our student-athletes with the capability to remain competitive with other institutions in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and beyond." Facts About Women's Wrestling - Since 1994, the number of women who wrestle in high school has grown from 804 to 16,562 (as of 2018) - Since 2004, women's wrestling is now a recognized Olympic sport. - Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, Hawaii, and Washington sponsor a state high school championship. - Women's wrestling participation numbers are higher than the NCAA sponsored sports of crew, fencing, skiing, and rifle and NCAA emerging sports of rugby, sand volleyball, and equestrian. - NWCA (National Wrestling Coaches Association) conducts a 16-team National Dual Meet Championship in conjunction with the NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals. - NWCA has been instrumental in getting women's wrestling added as a new sport a number of schools - WCWA National Tournament provides competition opportunities for 200+ athletes. - WCWA follow International Freestyle Rules. - WCWA members also compete in USAW Senior and Jr. Fila events. - WCWA college recruiting fair is held during the USAW Girls Folkstyle National. - WCWA members must follow eligibility rules similar to NCAA and NAIA rules.

Spencer Lee won by major decision over Alex Mackall of Iowa State (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Spencer Lee doesn't lose wrestling matches often. But when he does, he comes back with a vengeance. So what did Lee, a returning Cadet world champion, do after he lost in the 2015 Cadet World Team Trials? He came back a few months later and won a Junior world title for the United States. That same resilience was on full display after Lee placed third at the Big Ten tournament as a freshman last season. Lee responded two weeks later to win an NCAA championship for the Iowa Hawkeyes at 125 pounds. "It was an awesome feeling being able to represent the University of Iowa to the best of my ability, and to win with my teammates and family," Lee said. "It was just a lot of excitement and emotions going on. It was a blast competing with my teammates and getting it done. That was the goal, but I have teammates who have the same goals." Now a sophomore, the top-ranked Lee is ready for an encore. He is one of the leaders on a strong Hawkeye team that is ranked fourth nationally. Lee went 22-2 as a freshman and scored bonus points in 75 percent of his wins. He won a loaded 125-pound weight class at the 2018 NCAA Championships that included past champions Nathan Tomasello of Ohio State and Darian Cruz of Lehigh. Spencer Lee defeated Ohio State's Nathan Tomasello to advance to the NCAA finals (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) The No. 3 seed, Lee recorded two technical falls and a fall before avenging a loss from Big Tens by pinning the second-seeded Tomasello in the national semifinals. He then scored a 5-1 win over No. 4 seed Nick Suriano of Rutgers to win an NCAA title as a true freshman. Not bad for a guy who was coming off a serious knee injury and for someone who wasn't pulled out of his redshirt until last January. Lee instantly became a fan favorite in Iowa City with his wide-open, attacking style of wrestling and with his charismatic, magnetic personality. Lee excelled last year despite wearing a bulky black brace on his leg for much of the season. Spencer Lee wore a bulky black brace for most of his true freshman season (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) He still managed to score more points than any other wrestler at the NCAA tournament last March even though he was a true freshman. Lee has developed a penchant for scoring the opening takedown early in the match before lighting up the scoreboard with a succession of turns from the top position. He is lethal at tilting his opponents to their back and piling up near-fall points. He can end a match in the blink of an eye. "That's the plan, right?" Lee said. "Just go out there and score points. The approach doesn't change. You go out there to dominate your opponent and score bonus points for your team." Lee did exactly that during his most recent bout, delivering a big early spark to boost the No. 4 Hawkeyes to a 28-14 win over No. 16 Lehigh on Saturday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The top-ranked Lee powered past Lehigh's Luke Resnick 15-0 in the dual's first match at 125 pounds. Lee started aggressively, scoring an early takedown before turning Resnick numerous times to win by a first-period technical fall. The home crowd of 7,434 fans stood and cheered as Lee put the match away. "I'm the first guy, so I feel like it's my job to get the ball rolling," Lee said. "I need to score as many points as I can and get the team fired up. I feel like that's my job when my match is first." Lee is now 5-0 this season. "It's different this year because last year was my first year in college," Lee said. "I know what to expect now and it's not quite as nerve-wracking. I still get nervous for every match, but you have to be ready to go and ready to compete." Lee's dynamic style of wrestling and his outgoing personality have also resonated with top prospects who are considering wrestling for the University of Iowa. "What Spencer Lee accomplished last season, stepping into the lineup in the middle of the year, that's a pretty powerful recruiting tool," Iowa coach Tom Brands said. "The way he goes about his business, the way he leads by example, the way he competes and the humble nature that is his personality, he's become a terrific ambassador for our program.'' It also sets an example for current Iowa wrestlers. Brands encourages his athletes to "be like Lee." "Spencer goes out and takes what he wants," Brands said. "He inspires guys by scoring a lot of points and turning those into bonus points." Lee has his own individual goals, but he also has lofty aspirations for an Iowa program that is looking for its first NCAA team title since 2010. "We're a team and we're a family, and we love each other," Lee said. "We all want to be national champs, and that's the goal. I feel like we're improving and getting closer to that." Lee also is considered a top contender to make the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team in freestyle wrestling at 57 kilograms/125.5 pounds. Past Hawkeye All-American Thomas Gilman has placed second and fifth at the World Championships the past two years at 57 kilos. Lee owns three age-group world titles in freestyle wrestling. He won Cadet worlds in 2014 before winning Junior world titles in 2015 and 2016. Spencer Lee with Terry Brands and Ben Berhow before his NCAA semifinal match (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) He took time off from competition after the 2018 NCAA tournament and did not compete internationally this past spring and summer. "Obviously, I wanted to compete," Lee said. "But Tom and Terry Brands always know what is best for me and I trust them. So whatever they say, I am going to listen to them and hopefully it propels me to greater heights." Lee would have the option of taking a redshirt or an Olympic redshirt during the 2019-20 college season to focus on international wrestling. "Everyone's goal is to make the Olympic team," he said. "That's obviously one of the main reasons I came to the University of Iowa. We haven't really talked about an Olympic redshirt. When that time comes, I will talk to my coaches and I'm sure we will do what is best for me and what is best for the team." Even with Iowa's rich wrestling history, the Hawkeyes have never had a four-time national champion. The 20-year-old Lee has a long way to go, but it's not an unrealistic goal for the young Hawkeye star. "Spencer's done a lot for our program and he's just getting started," Brands said. "His best wrestling is in front of him." Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

Kyle Conel celebrates after pinning Kollin Moore in the NCAA quarterfinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Kent State 197-pound All-American Kyle Conel will miss the remainder of the 2018-19 season and his wrestling career may be over. He has missed most of this season with an injured shoulder. Conel was 2-0 and ranked No. 2 at 197 pounds. Last season Conel compiled a record of 28-8 and placed third at the NCAA Championships. He was an NCAA qualifier in 2016. Conel announced on Twitter that he will be undergoing surgery, which will end his season.

A high school wrestling team has enflamed the passions of some Facebook users … and it's not for their performance on the mat, but for posing for a promotional poster some consider to be inappropriate. Some parents have raised concerns about the poster, featuring wrestlers from Norwalk High School just outside Des Moines posing shirtless in firefighter gear. As the Des Moines Register reported this weekend, parent Danielle Lynn posted an image of the wrestling team poster on Facebook last week, saying it both sexualizes teenagers and is an example of the double standard that exists between male and female students. "Could you imagine the outrage had a girls' team dressed in bikinis and taken a team photo?" she wrote. "This makes me so uncomfortable as a parent. The sexualizing of children and teenagers needs to stop." The post generated more than two dozen replies mostly supporting Lynn's comments before it was removed from social media. In an interview with the Des Moines Register last week, Lynn said, "Some of these boys, I know, are only 13 years old," she said. "And the only girl in the picture, who is a manager for the team, is wearing a T-shirt and jeans, while all of the boys around her are shirtless." As Norwalk High School Athletic Director Al Lammers made clear to the Des Moines Register, this year's wrestling team poster is not produced by the school, its athletic department, nor official booster organizations. "Those posters are produced independently by each program," Lammers told the Register. "The revenue goes to offset the cost of producing the posters. They probably don't break even. The posters are more of a promotion." In fact, the Norwalk wrestlers approached a freelance photographer with the idea for the poster. "They put it together and they decided who was wearing what," said Dale Tunender. "The boys requested to not wear their shirts. These guys are wrestlers. They are proud of what they've done and what they look like." This year's Norwalk wrestling team poster would not be the first time high school or college wrestlers have appeared shirtless in print … or on the mat. A quick search of The Web's Best of Amateur Wrestling -- a website featuring tens of thousands of links, photos, and videos relating to the oldest and greatest sport -- confirms this notion. Among the team posters on display are past promotional posters featuring two bare-chested wrestlers from the University of Iowa arm wrestling ... and the Fighting Scots of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, wearing kilts without shirts. The website also features posters of shirtless wrestlers posing as firefighters. Promotional posters aren't the only places where amateur wrestlers have appeared bare-chested. In the past, wrestlers at a number of college mat programs in the U.S. took to the mat wearing trunks and/or tights -- and no shirts -- including Cornell College of Iowa, the University of Iowa, Iowa State, and what is now the University of Northern Iowa. All-time greats such as Oklahoma's Dan Hodge and Stanley Henson of Oklahoma State usually competed sans shirts … as did thousands of college and high school wrestlers until the mid-1960s. If promotional posters of the past -- as well as images of legendary wrestlers of decades past -- aren't enough, consider what Norwalk High AD Lammers had to say. He hasn't received any complaints about this year's wrestling poster.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Facing its biggest challenge of the season, the Wisconsin wrestling team (6-1, 1-1 B1G) suffered its first dual meet loss on the year, falling, 23-13, to the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0 B1G). The Badgers got on the board first in the dual thanks to sophomore Connor Brown, who returned to action for the first time since suffering an injury against Nebraska on Nov. 16. He celebrated his return by earning a 7-2 decision over OSU's Brakan Mead at 125 pounds. Ohio State won their matches in bunches, beginning with a run in the next three weight classes. Wisconsin's senior Jens Lantz fell to No. 6 Luke Pletcher by a 4-0 decision in which Lantz had some great chances but couldn't capitalize. Pletcher's win was followed by two major decisions for the Buckeyes, with No. 2 Joey McKenna defeating junior Tristan Moran, 14-2, and No. 3 Micah Jordan defeating junior Cole Martin, 14-4. Looking for a way to stop the bleeding, the answer for Wisconsin came from sophomore Zander Wick. At 157 pounds, Wick held off a late attack from Elijah Cleary and recorded a takedown of his own to secure the 7-3 decision. The wins stayed in the family in the next match, as sophomore Evan Wick cruised to a major decision over Ryan Ferro, winning 13-1, to pull Wisconsin within one for the time being. However, Ohio State ripped off another run, one Wisconsin couldn't come back from. First, senior Ryan Christensen was upset by Ethan Smith at 174 pounds, dropping a tight 10-9 decision. That match was followed by a 21-8 major decision for Ohio State's No. 1 Myles Martin over junior Mason Reinhardt, and No. 3 Kollin Moore pinned freshman Andrew Salemme to extend the OSU lead to 23-10. But the dual ended on a high note for Wisconsin at heavyweight. Freshman Trent Hillger lived up to his newly-minted No. 9 ranking by controlling No. 14 Chase Singletary throughout the match and earning a 6-1 decision to finish the day. With the win, Hillger remains undefeated on the season and picked up his third ranked win of the year. Next up, the Badgers will be competing against a lot of high-quality opponents at the Midlands Championships on Dec. 29-30. On today's dual "I don't think we had our best performance tonight, and when you wrestle a team that is as good as Ohio State you need to have your best performance to be able to compete and win." On the first semester "I'm proud of our first semester, the way we've come, the way we've built this program. We've been sky high all semester and this was our first setback. I'm very excited to see how we come back after the break and compete, and then it's time to get ready for the brutal Big Ten season and the NCAA tournament. I'm proud of our guys for the first semester. Tough night tonight, but these guys are winners and they're going to return and we'll be ready to roll." Results: 125: No. 19 Connor Brown (Wisconsin) dec. Brakan Mead (Ohio State), 7-2 133: No. 7 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) dec. Jenz Lantz (Wisconsin), 4-0 141: No. 2 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) maj. dec. No. 14 Tristan Moran (Wisconsin), 14-2 149: No. 3 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) maj. dec. No. 20 Cole Martin (Wisconsin), 14-4 157: Zander Wick (Wisconsin) dec. Elijah Cleary (Ohio State), 7-3 165: No. 2 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) maj. dec. Ryan Ferro (Ohio State), 13-1 174: Ethan Smith (Ohio State) dec. No. 9 Ryan Christensen (Wisconsin), 10-9 184: No. 1 Myles Martin (Ohio State) maj. dec. Mason Reinhardt (Wisconsin), 21-8 197: No. 3 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) pinned Andrew Salemme (Wisconsin), 2:04 285: No. 9 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) dec. No. 17 Chase Singletary (Ohio State), 6-1

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland State University wrestling team returned to dual action Sunday and cruised to a pair of victories in two locations. CSU began the day by taking down visiting Otterbein, 47-6, before making the short trip east to John Carroll and collecting a 33-5 win over the Blue Streaks. Seven Vikings went 2-0 on the day as CSU also had different wrestlers compete at two weights on the day. Redshirt senior Armando Torres (133 pounds), redshirt sophomore Mike Santillo (141), redshirt freshman Brady Barnett (149), redshirt sophomore Nico O'Dor (157), senior John Vaughn (165), junior Chris Morrow and freshman Ben Smith (197) all won twice Sunday. Torres won a pair of technical falls by a combined score of 36-2 while Santillo picked up a pin against Otterbein and a 13-2 major decision against JCU. O'Dor, redshirt sophomore Cameron Lathem (125) and freshman Dimitri Williams (174) all added pins against the Cardinals. Vaughn and Smith both won twice by major decision, the former doing so by a combined score of 27-2 while the latter did so by collecting 33 points in his two bouts. Morrow just missed joining that group as he won both of his bouts by shutout -- 8-0 and 7-0. Barnett added a major decision win after receiving a win via forfeit in the day's opening dual. Redshirt freshman Cody Moosman (125) and redshirt sophomore Colton Carroll (174) each notched wins against John Carroll after sitting out the day's opening dual. Cleveland State will resume action next weekend as it hosts the 14th annual Cleveland State Open Saturday, Dec. 15. Cleveland State 47, Otterbein 6 125: Cameron Lathem (CSU) over Jackson Lakso (OTT) - Fall 4:11 | CSU leads, 6-0 133: Armando Torres (CSU) over Ryan Jakubiak (OTT) - 20-2 TF | CSU leads, 11-0 141: Mike Santillo (CSU) over Santino DiSabato (OTT) - Fall 4:15 | CSU leads, 17-0 149: Brady Barnett (CSU) over N/A (OTT) - Forfeit | CSU leads, 23-0 157: Nico O'Dor (CSU) over Michael Duzzny (OTT) - Fall 4:36 | CSU leads, 29-0 165: John Vaughn (CSU) over Zach Altman (OTT) - 16-2 MD | CSU leads, 33-0 174: Dimitri Williams (CSU) over Sam Shalvey (OTT) - Fall 1:11 | CSU leads, 39-0 184: Chris Morrow (CSU) over Jarrod Setliff (OTT) - 8-0 MD | CSU leads, 43-0 197: Ben Smith (CSU) over Corbin Bunsold (OTT) - 21-10 MD | CSU leads, 47-0 285: Drew Kasper (OTT) over Jacob Adams (CSU) - Fall 3:46 | CSU wins, 47-6 Exhibition 174: Colton Carroll (CSU) over Donny Didion (OTT) - 7-5 dec. Cleveland State 33, John Carroll 5 125: Cody Moosman (CSU) over Kyle Murray (JCU) - 3-2 dec. | CSU leads, 3-0 133: Armando Torres (CSU) over Spencer Dusi (JCU) - 16-0 TF | CSU leads, 8-0 141: Mike Santillo (CSU) over Ian McKenna (JCU) - 13-2 MD | CSU leads, 12-0 149: Brady Barnett (CSU) over Jarrad Lasko (JCU) - 13-5 MD | CSU leads, 16-0 157: Nico O'Dor (CSU) over Daniel Novak (JCU) - 11-5 dec. | CSU leads, 19-0 165: John Vaughn (CSU) over Seth Winkle (JCU) - 11-0 MD | CSU leads, 23-0 174: Colton Carroll (CSU) over Sam Gross (JCU) - 6-4 dec. | CSU leads, 26-0 184: Chris Morrow (CSU) over Jimmy Suhayda (JCU) - 7-0 dec. | CSU leads, 29-0 197: Ben Smith (CSU) over Christian Hipsher (JCU) - 12-4 MD | CSU leads, 33-0 285: Luca Santillo (JCU) over Jacob Adams (CSU) - 15-0 TF | CSU wins, 33-5

USAFA, Colo. -- No. 19-ranked North Dakota State overcame a slow start and won six of the final seven bouts to turn back the Air Force Academy 23-14 in a Big 12 Conference dual on Sunday, Dec. 9, in Clune Arena. NDSU (4-1, 3-1 #Big12WR) is scheduled to host Oregon State at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, in the Scheels Center. The middleweights helped to turn the tide for North Dakota State. Trailing 14-7, Jaden Van Maanen (11-4, 4-1) grinded out a 4-1 decision over No. 24 Alex Opsal at 149 pounds for the Bison. Then, NDSU 157 Nick Knutson (6-7, 2-3) gained a reversal with under 5-seconds remaining in the third period for an 8-6 decision over Alex Mossing. The pair entered the third tied at 4-4. Knutson recorded a takedown with 38-seconds left, but Mossing claimed a reversal with 15-seconds left. That cut the deficit to 14-13 Enter North Dakota State No. 17-ranked 165 Andrew Fogarty, who established himself early and then recorded his fourth pin of the season over Marcus Amico at 1:59 to put the Bison ahead 19-14. Fogarty bounced from Friday's loss to improve to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in duals. NDSU sealed the win when 174-pounder Lorenzo De La Riva (9-6, 2-3) scored 16 unanswered points in a 16-2 major decision over Randy Menewether. Air Force (1-2, 1-1 #Big12WR) came out strong and won the first three bouts including a pin at 30-seconds from heavyweight Kayne Hutchison to take a 12-0 lead. North Dakota State No. 8 125-pounder Brent Fleetwood (13-2, 5-0) stopped Sidney Flores 5-0, while No. 17 133-pounder Cam Sykora (12-2, 4-0) posted a 13-2 major decision over John Twomey. Fleetwood and Van Maanen were the only two Bison to win twice over the weekend. Results: 184: Tyler Wiederholt (AFA) dec Tyler McNutt (NDSU), 4-2 197: Andy McLaughlin (AFA) sudden victory-1 #20 Cordell Eaton (NDSU), SV-1 10-4 285: Kayne Hutchison (AFA) fall #24 Brandon Metz (NDSU), 0:33 125: #8 Brent Fleetwood (NDSU) dec Sidney Flores (AFA), 5-0 133: #17 Cam Sykora (NDSU) major dec John Twomey (AFA), MD 13-2 141: Garrett O'Shea (AFA) dec Gavin Sutton (NDSU), 6-1 149: Jaden Van Maanen (NDSU) dec #24 Alec Opsal (AFA), 4-1 157: Nick Knutson (NDSU) dec Alex Mossing (AFA) 165: #17 Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) fall Marcus Amico (AFA), 1:59 174: Lorenzo De La Riva (NDSU) major dec Randy Menewether (AFA) AFA deducted team point, bench misconduct

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team was dominant in its Big Ten Conference opener, claiming eight matches -- four with bonus points -- en route to a 32-7 win against Indiana on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 9) in front of a crowd of 1,208 at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines won their matches in streaks, taking each of the first four bouts before again winning four in a row out of the intermission break. Senior/junior Jackson Striggow headlined with a second-period fall from the bottom position, while fifth-year senior Malik Amine and senior/junior Myles Amine both earned technical falls, outscoring their Hoosier opposition by a combined 37-1 margin. Striggow pinned Indiana's Jake Kleimola at the 3:27 mark of the 197-pound bout for his first fall of the season. With the score knotted at 2 after an IU takedown and U-M reversal in the first, Striggow started down in the second and went head hunting, stacking Kleimola to bring an early end to the match. The Hoosiers were also deducted a team point in the aftermath of the bout. Striggow's match was also the third in a row that produced bonus points at the upperweights for Michigan. Myles Amine, ranked third nationally at 174 pounds, cruised to a 19-1 technical fall against Jake Hinz behind three takedowns and three sets of near fall to end the bout at the 4:30 mark. Amine twice turned Hinz in the second period, off a leg turk early in the frame and again off a cradle to secure the tech-fall margin. Amine is 9-0 on the season. Sophomore/junior Jelani Embree, ranked 19th nationally, also rolled in his 184-pound bout against Norman Conley, using four takedowns, four back points and 3:44 in riding time to win decisively, 14-2. Embree scored on a blast double off the opening whistle and immediately turked Conley for four near fall. He added another double leg in the second and a low single in the third to ice the bonus win and remain unbeaten in dual-meet action. Malik Amine rounded out the Wolverines' bonus winners with an 18-0 technical fall over Michael De La Pena at 149 pounds. Amine, who built his lead with a first-period takedown and second-period reversal, just missed on a leg-turk turn in the second, but went back to it in the third, turning De La Pena three times for 12 points to end the match at 6:52. Michigan opened the dual with three straight decision wins at the lowerweights. Sophomore Drew Mattin, ranked 10th nationally at 125 pounds, took advantage of an early lead to beat Liam Cronin, 9-6, at the opening weight. Mattin scored on a first-period single before putting Cronin in danger from neutral to break the bout open with a four-point move in the second. Senior/junior Stevan Micic, ranked second at 133 pounds, used a big third period to beat Garrett Pepple, 10-4 -- coming just a second shy of a bonus point. With the score tied at 2 after the first period, Micic pulled away with a reversal and rideout in the second and a high crotch in the third. He tilted Pepple late in the third, but earned three one counts. Micic improved to 3-0 on the season. Junior/sophomore Kanen Storr, ranked eighth at 141 pounds, took the dual's marquee match with a 3-1 decision over 15th-ranked -- and Michigan native -- Cole Weaver. After a scoreless first period, Storr used a power half to turn Weaver for two midway through the second period. He lost his riding-time advantage in the third, but escaped to preserve his two-point lead. Storr also is unbeaten in duals this season. After Indiana got on the board with a win at 157 pounds, seventh-ranked senior/junior Logan Massa re-established the Wolverines' momentum after the intermission break with an 8-2 decision over Bryce Martin at 165 pounds. Massa scored on three takedowns -- a pair of head-in-the-hole attacks and a reshot double leg in the waning seconds of the second period. He added 2:44 riding-time advantage. Massa is 3-0 in duals this season. Michigan will resume its dual-meet schedule in the new year, when they head west for non-conference slates at Oregon State and Arizona State. The Wolverines first will take on the Beavers in the fourth annual Joe Wells Classic at 7 p.m. PST on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019, in Corvallis, Oregon. U-M will wrap the road swing in Tempe, Arizona, where the Wolverines will take on the Sun Devils at 8 p.m. MST on Saturday, Jan. 5. Results: 125 -- #10 Drew Mattin (U-M) dec. Liam Cronin, 9-6 [U-M, 3-0] 133 -- #2 Stevan Micic (U-M) dec. Garrett Pepple, 10-4 [U-M, 6-0] 141 -- #8 Kanen Storr (U-M) dec. #15 Cole Weaver, 3-1 [U-M, 9-0] 149 -- Malik Amine (U-M) tech. fall Michael De La Pena, 18-0 (6:52) [U-M, 14-0] 157 -- Jake Danishek (IU) major dec. Layne Van Anrooy, 10-2 [U-M, 14-4] 165 -- #7 Logan Massa (U-M) dec. Bryce Martin, 8-2 [U-M, 17-4] 174 -- #3 Myles Amine (U-M) tech. fall Jake Hinz, 19-1 (4:30) [U-M, 22-4] 184 -- #19 Jelani Embree (U-M) major dec. Norman Conley, 14-2 [U-M, 26-4] 197 -- Jackson Striggow (U-M) pinned Jake Kleimola, 3:27 [U-M, 32-3*] Hwt -- Fletcher Miller (IU) major dec. Luke Ready, 12-0 [U-M, 32-7] * Indiana deducted a team point

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- No. 6 Mizzou Wrestling pushed its dual winning streak to 24 and won its 10th straight MAC dual with a 48-0 win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Sunday afternoon (Dec. 9) at the Hearnes Center. Mizzou redshirt junior 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman opened the dual with his fourth pin of the season, SIU-E forfeited at 149 pounds and Mizzou dominated the dual from there, winning all 10 bouts. It was Mizzou's first shutout dual since blanking both Central Missouri (56- -1) and Missouri Valley (52-0) on Nov. 12, 2017. "We wrestled five freshmen today and I can't remember if we ever wrestled five freshmen in a dual since I've been here, so I was pleased," head coach Brian Smith said. "Any time you can get a shutout, it's great. That's what you want to do is go out and win all 10 matches." Eierman opened the dual with four straight takedowns before tallying his fourth fall of the season at the 1:16 mark of the first period. In addition to Eierman, Mizzou picked up bonus point wins at 174 pounds after redshirt senior Daniel Lewis picked up his fifth pin of the season at the 0:35 mark of the first period. Redshirt junior Dylan Wisman made it back-to-back falls, pinning Sergio Villalobos at the 4:23 mark, extending Mizzou's lead to 30-0. Wyatt Koelling made if three straight bonus point wins with a 10-0 major decision, his first of the year, at 197 pounds. Fresh off a third-place finish at the Cliff Keen Invitational last time out, true freshman Zach Elam earned an 11-1 major decision at heavy wieght. He has now won nine straight bouts. At 125 pounds as the dual flipped back to the lighter weights, Cameron Valdiviez earned a technical fall and Allan Hart closed the dual with another technical fall, 16-0, this one coming during the first period after Valdiviez's came in the second. That completed the shutout for the Tigers. Results: 141 – Jaydin Eierman (8-1) vs. Lucas Bernal – W, Fall (1:16) - 6-0 149 – Lane Stigall (5-4) vs. NA – W, Forfeit – 12-0 157 – Jarrett Jacques (12-4) vs. Justin Ruffin – W, Dec. 6-4 (SV) – 15-0 165 – Connor Flynn (8-3) vs. Nate Higgins – W, Dec. 9-7 – 18-0 174 – Daniel Lewis (9-1) vs. Kevin Gschwendtner – W, Fall (0:35) – 24-0 184 – Dylan Wisman (3-4) vs. Sergio Villalobos – W, Fall (4:23) – 30-0 197 – Wyatt Koelling (4-3) vs. Christian Dulaney – W, MD 10-0 – 34-0 HWT – Zach Elam (12-1) vs. Colton McKiernan – W, MD 11-1 – 38-0 125 – Cameron Valdiviez (8-22) vs. Austin Macias – W, TF 15-0 – 43-0 133 – Allan Hart (7-2) vs. Jake Blaha – W, TF 16-0 – 48-0 Mizzou returns home next Sunday after taking the week off for final exams. Mizzou will host Buffalo next Sunday (Dec. 16).

STILLWATER - The Oklahoma State wrestling team recorded its largest Bedlam margin of victory in 26 years Sunday in a 41-2 drubbing of Oklahoma, headlined with three pins from Nick Piccininni (125), Chandler Rogers (165) and Derek White (HWT). "Being from the East Coast, I didn't get to experience Bedlam, but it's a whole different ballgame when you get to experience it," Piccininni said. "I love it. I learned to love it. This is something that as we get older we'll always look back and remember and reflect on, the Bedlam matches. And to go out and dominate, it makes it even sweeter." The dual also marked the 50th Bedlam win of John Smith's career and pushed the all-time series record to 141-27-10. "You appreciate the wins," Smith said. "It is a dual meet we take seriously. I have had teams that have gone in where we thought we would win 6,7 or 8 matches, and it didn't end up that way. We take it seriously, and our guys love it. They respect the fact that it is a meet they expect to win." The Cowboys' first fall of the afternoon came at 125 pounds when No. 4 Piccininni pinned OU's Zach Atencio in 56 seconds. Rogers collected his in 1:53 over the Sooners' Jeremy Thomas, following two first-period takedowns. The afternoon heavyweight finale marked White's first career fall in his final Bedlam dual. He nearly went the distance, but pinned Jake Boyd in 6:18. ""It was big, it's the way you want to start. Nick had a nice single-leg shot, and he fed right into a cradle," Smith said. "Nick did a nice job of taking it slow. He has a heck of a grip for a 125 pounder; his grip is phenomenal. He kept that grip and ran him right to his back. I am excited for Nick." Also notching bonus-point victories for the Cowboys were Daton Fix at 133 pounds, Jacobe Smith (174), and, in his dual-season debut, Preston Weigel at 197 pounds. Fix scored six takedowns in his match against Anthony Madrigal along with a four-point nearfall to win a 20-5 technical fall. Smith won a major decision over OU's Anthony Mantanona, 19-6, in which he also collected more than three minutes of riding time. Weigel took the mat for the first time since wrestling in the OU open, winning a first-period technical fall, 16-1, over Ruston Duke. The Cowboy scored two takedowns and four nearfalls in 2:21. At 141 pounds, redshirt freshman Kaden Gfeller won his third-consecutive dual bout in an 11-6 decision over OU senior Davion Jeffries. Andrew Shomers defeated Justin Thomas, 5-3, and Dakota Geer won a 5-3 major decision over Kayne MacCallum to remain undefeated on the year. The Cowboys return to the mat Dec. 16, to take on the Bears of Northern Colo., in Greeley just before traveling to Nevada for the Reno Tournament of Champions. Results: 125: No. 4 Nick Piccininni (OSU) fall. Zach Atencio (OU), 0:56 133: No. 5 Daton Fix (OSU) TF Anthony Madrigal (OU), 20-5, 6:27 141: No. 16 Dom Demas. (OU) dec. No. 6 Kaid Brock (OSU), 7-6 149: No. 14 Kaden Gfeller (OSU) dec. Davion Jeffries (OU), 11-6 157: No. 19 Andrew Shomers (OSU) dec. Justin Thomas (OU), 5-3 165: No. Chandler Rogers (OSU) fall. Jeremy Thomas (OU), 1:53 174: Jacobe Smith (OSU) MD Anthony Mantanona (OU), 19-6 184: No. 15 Dakota Geer (OSU) dec. Kayne MacCallum (OU), 10-3 197: No. 8 Preston Weigel (OSU) TF Ruston Duke (OU), 16-1, 2:21 285: No. 3 Derek White (OSU) fall. Jake Boyd (OU), 6:18