InterMat Staff

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The No. 2 Ohio State University wrestling team (7-0, 2-0 Big Ten) started 2018 with a bang, blasting the Maryland Terrapins (3-5, 0-5 Big Ten) by a 45-3 margin. The Buckeyes took nine of 10 bouts, including eight accompanied by bonus points. Ohio State has now outscored its dual competition by a combined score of 261-39 in seven duals, an average tally of 37.3-5.6. Four Buckeyes extended their flawless season records while Nathan Tomasello joined the unbeaten ranks with a dominating performance in his season debut. Luke Pletcher and Myles Martin pace the squad at 17-0 each, joined by Kollin Moore (13-0) and Joey McKenna (5-0) with zero blemishes. Tomasello returned from a knee injury suffered at the U23 World Championship Team Trials which had held him out all season, blowing past Brandon Clay in the first three minutes via an 18-2 tech fall. Pletcher kept it coming at 133 pounds after a slow start. He came alive in the final frame, going on a point-scoring flurry to secure an 18-6 major decision. McKenna and Ke-Shawn Hayes continued the bonus-point train, posting a tech fall and major decision, respectively. For Hayes, it marked a team-high 18th victory overall. Following a first-period takedown by Micah Jordan, Maryland's Justin Alexander had to take an injury default. It would be the first of two bouts ended prematurely due to Terrapin injuries. Before Fritz Schierl picked up his first career Big Ten triumph at 174 pounds (injury default), Te'Shan Campbell got past Brendan Burnham, 8-2, at 165 pounds. #PinChain Time came next when Martin stuck Jahi Jones at the 2:24 mark. His possession of the crown jewel didn't last long, however, as Moore forced the referee to slap the map as well. His pin of Mansur Abdul-Malik passed along the bedazzled "O." Results: 125 | No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (OSU) tech. fall Brandon Cray (MD), 18-2 (OSU 5, MD 0) 133 | No. 3 Luke Pletcher (OSU) maj. dec. over Jhared Simmons (MD), 18-6 (OSU 9, MD 0) 141 | No. 6 Joey McKenna (OSU) tech. fall over Ryan Diehl (MD), 23-5 (OSU 14, MD 0) 149 | No. 5 Ke-shawn Hayes (OSU) maj. dec. over Alfred Bannister (MD), 8-0 (OSU 18, MD 0) 157 | No. 6 Micah Jordan (OSU) injury default over Justin Alexander (MD) (OSU 24, MD 0) 165 | No. 11 Te'Shan Campbell (OSU) dec. over Brendan Burnham (MD), 8-2 (OSU 27, MD 0) 174 | Fritz Schierl (OSU) injury default over Josh Ugalde (MD) (OSU 33, MD 0) 184 | No. 2 Myles Martin (OSU) fall over Jahi Jones (MD) (2:24) (OSU 39, MD 0) 197 | No. 1 Kollin Moore (OSU) fall over Mansur Abdul-Malik (MD) (2:00) (OSU 45, MD 0) 285 | No. 10 Youssif Hemida (MD) dec. over Kevin Snyder (OSU), 8-1 (OSU 45, MD 3) Less than 48 hours of rest for the Scarlet & Gray come next, rolling over to Piscaway, N.J., for a Sunday showdown at Rutgers. The Big Ten Network will be in the house, broadcasting the noondual live on national television.

ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio wrestling team picked up their first dual win of the season, 21-17 over Mid-American Conference foe Eastern Michigan at the Convocation Center Friday. "Man I am proud of these guys, unbelievable," said head coach Joel Greenlee. "I think going into this we wrestled four or five dual meets without four of our starters. It was the same thing tonight and they came out and fought hard, won some matches they weren't supposed to and won the dual." 125 - Tomas Gutierrez def. Trevor Giallombardo, Maj. Dec. 12-4 In the opening match of the dual, Ohio RS freshman Trevor Giallombardo made several attempts at a takedown in the opening frame but ultimately got taken down by Tomas Gutierrez of EMU with just over a minute left in the round. Giallombardo escaped but Gutierrez had a 2-1 advantage after the first. Giallombardo held Gutierrez down for nearly a minute before he managed to escape and then took down Giallombardo to take a 5-1 lead into the third. Gutierrez managed to hit three takedowns and let Giallombardo up all three times, to capture a 12-4 major decision win. 133 - Cameron Kelly def. Noah Gonser, Maj. Dec. 11-2 At 133-pounds, Ohio junior Cameron Kelly picked up an 11-2 major decision over Noah Gosner of EMU. In the opening frame, Kelly hit two takedowns and Gosner scored a point on an escape for Kelly to carry a 4-1 lead into the second. In the second period, Kelly gives up an escape for Gosner then hits a takedown and rides for nearly the whole period, including getting a four-point near fall to capture the 11-2 major decision. 141 - Mario Guillen def. Sa'Derian Perry, Dec. 12-4 At 141-pounds Ohio RS freshman Mario Guillen moved up two weight classes and dominated EMU's Sa'Derian Perry for a 12-4 major decision. In the opening frame, Guillen hit a takedown right out of the gate before Perry was able to escape and hit his own takedown. Guillen managed a reversal to take a 4-3 lead after the first. Guillen comes out in the second and hit a takedown and a near-fall before Perry was able to escape, but Guillen got him right back down to capture the major decision, 12-4. 149 - Kade Kowalski def. Kyle Springer, Fall 2:45 Ohio RS sophomore Kade Kowalski made quick work of Kyle Springer at 149-pounds hitting a two-point takedown and a pin with just 15-seconds left in the round. After a reset at 1:15 remaining, Kowalski hit the takedown and got a near fall before ultimately pinning Springer. 157 - Cullen Cummings def. J.J. Wolfe, Dec. 3-0 Ohio RS senior Cullen Cummings picked up a 3-0 win over J.J. Wolfe at 157-pounds. In the opening frame, Cummings hit a two-point takedown on a trip then picked up 2:10 of riding time in the opening frame. In the second, it took Cummings around 1:15 to pick up the escape after starting down but held of Wolfe through the rest of the frame. In the third, both wrestlers threw lots of faints and there was a lot of hand fighting, but no scoring. 165 - Zac Carson def. Joe Terry, Dec. 9-6 Ohio RS freshman Joe Terry dominated most of his match but was taken down with just 15-seconds left to drop the match 9-6 at 165-pounds to EMU's Zac Carson. In the first, Terry hit a takedown on his third attempt to take a 2-1 lead into the second. In the second, Terry starts on top and after Carson hits an escape, Terry grabbed Carson and hit a monster takedown. Carson escaped again and finished a takedown of his own. Carson had a 5-4 lead after the second. In the third, Terry hit an escape to tie the match at 5-5 but Carson was able to hit two more takedowns, including the last one with just 15-seconds left to take a 9-6 win. 174 - Andrew McNally def. Ben Schneider, Maj. Dec. 11-3 Andrew McNally of Eastern Michigan was able to shut down Ohio RS freshman Ben Schneider and dominated the riding time to capture a 11-3 major decision at 174-pounds. McNally hit a two-point takedown in the opening 15-seconds and rode the whole opening frame. In the second, Schneider escaped to score a point but McNally got two more takedowns to take a 6-2 lead into the third. Schneider went in for a takedown in the opening seconds of the third but McNally was able to reverse it for a two-point takedown. McNally hit another takedown and finished the match with 5:15 of riding time. 184 - Kayne MacCallum def. Hunter Yeargan, Dec. 3-0 At 184 points, it was a very competitive match with both EMU's Kayne MacCallum and Ohio RS freshman Hunter Yeargan going for takedowns in the opening frame. Yeargan started on top to open the second and MacCallum was able to escape. The match remained 1-0 until the last 20-seconds of the match when Yeargan went for a takedown but ended up being taken down. 197 - Aaron Naples def. Jared Langley, Maj. Dec. 11-2 Ohio's freshman Aaron Naples picked up an 11-2 majority decision over Jared Langley at 197-pounds dominating most of the match. After an early takedown by Langley in the opening frame, Naples got a near fall after riding the whole second period and took a 5-2 lead into the third. In the third, Naples picked up a point on a stalling call by EMU and hit another near fall riding the whole round again for the major decision, 11-2. HWT - Gage Hutchinson def. Zack Parker, SV 6-4 Ohio RS junior Zack Parker took Gage Hutchinson to sudden victory at heavyweight. The opening frame went scoreless with both wrestlers trying for takedowns. In the second, Hutchinson escaped from the opening position before Parker hit a takedown, after another Hutchinson escape, the match was tied at 2-2. Parker chose down and escaped quickly before Hutchinson hit a takedown to open the third. Parker got an escape with just five seconds left to force the overtime. Parker went in for a takedown with 20-seconds remaining but got reversed in sudden victory to drop a 6-4 decision. Results: 125 - Tomas Gutierrez def. Trevor Giallombardo, Maj. Dec. 12-4 133 - Cameron Kelly def. Noah Gonser, Maj. Dec. 11-2 141 - Mario Guillen def. Sa'Derian Perry, Maj. Dec. 12-4 149 - Kade Kowalski def. Kyle Springer, Fall 2:45 157 - Cullen Cummings def. J.J. Wolfe, Dec. 3-0 165 - Zac Carson def. Joe Terry, Dec. 9-6 174 - Andrew McNally def. Ben Schneider, Maj. Dec. 11-3 184 - Kayne MacCallum def. Hunter Yeargan, Dec. 3-0 197 - Aaron Naples def. Jared Langley, Maj. Dec. 11-2 HWT - Gage Hutchinson def. Zack Parker, SV 6-4

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team opened its Big Ten Conference schedule in commanding fashion, blanking Indiana, 43-0, on Friday evening (Jan. 5) at the Hoosiers' University Gymnasium. The shutout was the Wolverines' second in row and first against a conference opponent since 1974. The Wolverines -- who have outscored their last two dual opponents, 91-0 -- earned seven bonus wins, including a fall from graduate student Kevin Beazley and technical falls from senior/junior Alec Pantaleo and graduate student Adam Coon, who earned his 100th career win at heavyweight. Coon, ranked second nationally, cruised to a 21-6 technical fall against Fletcher Miller to earn the milestone win, scored on eight takedowns, including a six-point feet-to-back double leg in the third period. He went big to get the tech in the waning seconds, using a lateral drop to get the final takedown at the 6:59 mark. The Wolverine heavyweight, who improved to 13-0 on the season, is 100-13 in his four competitive seasons at Michigan. Beazley, ranked 10th, also went big to secure a quick first-period fall in the preceding bout at 197 pounds, hitting a whipover from his knees to pin Spencer Irick just 32 seconds into the match. It was Beazley's fifth fall of the season and second first-period pin in as many duals. It was junior/sophomore Stevan Micic who set the tone for the Wolverines with a 14-1 major decision over Garrett Pepple in the starting bout at 133 pounds. Micic, ranked seventh, finished on an early single leg in the first period, added a reversal in the second and scored eight back points on a pair of tilts. Junior/sophomore Sal Profaci secured a 6-4 decision victory against No. 16 Cole Weaver, the Hoosiers' lone ranked wrestler, at 141 pounds. Profaci converted on a pair of takedowns -- a first-period single leg and second-period head in the hole -- and rode for 3:54 time advantage. Senior/junior Malik Amine earned a 10-2 major decision over Davey Tunon at 149 pounds after blowing the match open early with a six-point sequence on a low single-leg takedown and four-point cradle. Amine added a reversal in the second before a third-period stall point put him within bonus range; he rode out the match to earn 3:14 in time advantage. There were two 157-pound matches, essentially, with both teams' 165-pounders weighing in at the lower weight. Pantaleo, ranked fifth, rolled to a 22-6 technical fall over Brandon James in 4:50, scoring on seven takedowns, including a first-period feet-to-back and a second-period reversal. Freshman Reece Hughes rallied from an initial deficit to earn a 10-4 decision over Austin Holmes in the 165-pound bout. Hughes took his first lead with a head-in-the-hole in the second period and iced it with two more takedowns in the third. It was his second win in as many college matches. Junior/sophomore Myles Amine, ranked sixth at 174 pounds, struck quickly on a go-behind counter attack in the first period and the takedown proved the difference in his 4-3 decision over Devin Skatzka. Fifth-year senior Domenic Abounader, ranked fifth, followed with a 16-2 win over Norman Conley at 184 pounds. The Wolverine captain scored on four takedowns and broke the bout open with a four-point leg turk in the second period. He nearly added another turn in the third but had to settle on the major decision. The Wolverines (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) will wrap up the road trip on Sunday (Jan. 7) with a pair of duals in West Lafayette, Indiana. U-M will face No. 23 host Purdue at 1 p.m. before taking on Princeton at 3 p.m. at the Boilermakers' Holloway Gym. Both duals will be streamed on BTN Plus. Results: 133 -- No. 7 Stevan Micic (U-M) major dec. Garrett Pepple, 14-1 [U-M, 4-0] 141 -- Sal Profaci (U-M) dec. No. 16 Cole Weaver, 6-4 [U-M, 7-0] 149 -- Malik Amine (U-M) major dec. Davey Tunon, 10-2 [U-M, 11-0] 157 -- No. 5 Alec Pantaleo (U-M) tech. fall Brandon James, 22-6 (4:50) [U-M, 16-0] 165 -- Reece Hughes (U-M) dec. Austin Holmes, 10-4 [U-M, 19-0] 174 -- No. 6 Myles Amine (U-M) dec. Devin Skatzka, 4-3 [U-M, 22-0] 184 -- No. 5 Domenic Abounader (U-M) major dec. Norman Conley, 16-2 [U-M, 26-0] 197 -- No. 13 Kevin Beazley (U-M) pinned Spencer Irick, 0:32 [U-M, 32-0] Hwt -- No. 2 Adam Coon (U-M) tech. fall Fletcher Miller, 21-6 (6:59) [U-M, 37-0] 125 -- No. 10 Drew Mattin (U-M) won by forfeit [U-M, 43-0]

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- North Dakota State won seven bouts including four straight in the middle weights highlighted by 13th-ranked 157-pounder Clay Ream's last-second decision to defeat Pitt 28-11 in a non-conference dual on Friday, Jan. 5, at Fitzgerald Field House. North Dakota State (5-5, 0-3 #Big12WR) takes on West Virginia (2-3, 1-1 #Big12WR) in a Big 12 Conference dual at 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 7, in Morgantown. The Mountaineers defeated No. 18 Oklahoma 24-12 on Thursday. Ream, a redshirt senior from Wentzville, Mo. (Holt H.S.), recorded a takedown with 1-second left to edge Pitt's 18th-ranked Taleb Rahmani 9-7. The takedown was reviewed and confirmed to push Ream's record to 7-1 in duals and 14-3 overall. Rahmani led 5-4 after the first, Ream led 7-6 after two and the scored was tied down the stretch. The last-second win was part of a four-bout run for the Bison starting with Kyle Gliva's 9-2 decision over Robert Lee at 149 pounds. Gliva led 2-1 after the first period, kept the top position for the entire second and notched a pair of takedowns to finish with 3-minutes and 42-seconds of riding time. It was the fifth straight win for Gliva, who improved to 6-3 in duals and 16-8 overall. NDSU's 21st-ranked 165 Andrew Fogarty was bullish in his 17-2 tech fall at 4:35 over Pitt's Nathan Russell. Fogarty ran his record to a team-high 23-6 including 7-3 in duals. It was his fifth tech fall of the season giving him 17 bonus point wins. Charley Popp followed with an 11-3 major decision at 174-pounds over Pitt's Austin Bell. Popp ran his record to 4-5 overall and 2-4 in duals with his second major decision of the season. North Dakota State closed out with the dual with wins in the final two weight divisions as 197 Cordell Eaton (14-7, 6-4) defeated Kellan Stout 8-3 and heavyweight Dan Stibral (14-9, 4-6) earned a 16-2 major decision over Cole Rickert. NDSU 125 Paul Bianchi gained an injury decision 57-seconds over the Panthers' Lorenzo Bentley to put the Bison ahead 6-0 early. Bianchi improved to 18-8 overall and 6-4 in duals. Results: 125 – Paul Bianchi (NDSU) injury dec Lorenzo Bentley (Pitt), INJ 0:57 133 – #12 Dom Forys dec #23 Cam Sykora (NDSU), 10-3 141 – #15 Nick Zanetta major dec McGwire Midkiff (NDSU), MD 10-1 149 – Kyle Gliva (NDSU) dec Robert Lee (Pitt), 9-2 157 – #13 Clay Ream (NDSU) dec #18 Taleb Rahmani (Pitt), 9-7 165 – #21 Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) tech fall Nathan Russell (Pitt), TF 17-2 4:35 174 – Charley Popp (NDSU) major dec Austin Bell (Pitt), MD 11-3 184 – Gregg Harvey (Pitt) major dec Nick Knutson (NDSU), MD 19-7 197 – Cordell Eaton (NDSU) dec Kellan Stout (Pitt), 8-3 285 – Dan Stibral (NDSU) major dec Cole Rickert (Pitt), MD 16-2

BROOKINGS, S.D. -- South Dakota State's Seth Gross and Logan Peterson each recorded pins as the 15th-ranked Jackrabbits rang in the new year with a 30-13 dual victory over Oregon State Friday night at Frost Arena. The Jackrabbits ran their dual winning streak to five matches in improving to 5-2 overall. Oregon State dropped to 2-2. Trailing 4-0 after the first match, the top-ranked Gross gave SDSU the lead for good with a first-period pin over Devan Turner in the 133-pound bout. Gross's pin was his sixth of the season as he improved to 13-0 this season and ran his winning streak in duals to 26 in a row, dating back to the 2015-16 campaign. Henry Pohlmeyer upped the Jackrabbit advantage to 9-4 with a hard-fought, 5-2 decision over OSU's Jack Hathaway at 141 pounds. A sophomore from Johnston, Iowa, Pohlmeyer avenged a defeat at the hands of Hathaway at last weekend's Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. Luke Zilverberg, the 11th-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds, started a streak of five consecutive SDSU wins - three of which were bonus-point victories - with a 5-4 overtime decision against Hunter Willits. Zilverberg trailed 4-2 early in the third period before forcing overtime with an escape and point for stalling against Willits. In the first tiebreaker, Zilverberg kept Willits on the mat for the first 30-second session, then prevented a Willits takedown in the next stanza to pull out the win. Peterson notched SDSU's second pin of the night, sticking the Beavers' Billy Bigelow late in the second period of their 165-pound tilt, and ninth-ranked David Kocer followed in the 174-pound match with a 21-6 technical fall over Myles Terry. Sophomore 184-pounder Martin Mueller made it four wins in a row for the Jackrabbits with a 16-8 major decision against Seth McLeod. In the lone match between a pair of ranked wrestlers, SDSU's sixth-ranked Nate Rotert spotted an early takedown to 13th-ranked Corey Griego, but held the upper hand most of the rest of the way in a 9-4 victory. Oregon State's two other ranked wrestlers, sixth-ranked heavyweight Amar Dhesi and No. 15 Ronnie Bresser at 125 pounds, each posted wins. Dhesi pinned SDSU backup Blake Wolters in the first period in the evening's final match, while Bresser scored a 15-3 major decision over Connor Brown to open the dual. Kurt Mode also was victorious for Oregon State as he posted a 10-7 decision over Colten Carlson at 149 pounds. UP NEXT SDSU opens the Big 12 Conference dual slate Jan. 12 at Utah Valley. Start time is 7 p.m. Mountain (8 p.m. Central) in Orem, Utah. Results: 125: #15 Ronnie Bresser (OSU) major dec. Connor Brown (SDSU), 15-3 133: #1 Seth Gross (SDSU) def. Devan Turner (OSU), by fall 1:10 141: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) dec. Jack Hathaway (OSU), 5-2 149: Kurt Mode (OSU) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 10-7 157: #11 Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) dec. Hunter Willits (OSU), 5-4 [TB-1] 165: Logan Peterson (SDSU) def. Billy Bigelow (OSU), by fall 4:54 174: #9 David Kocer (SDSU) tech. fall Myles Terry (OSU), 21-6 [5:16] 184: Martin Mueller (SDSU) major dec. Seth McLeod (OSU), 16-8 197: #6 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. #13 Corey Griego (OSU), 9-4 285: #6 Amar Dhesi (OSU) def. Blake Wolters (SDSU), by fall 2:43

Campbellsville women's wrestling team (Photo/Laken Detweiler) FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- While Thursday's competition at the NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals was fueled by upsets, traditional powers settled in on Friday where three championship streaks continued as the finals wrapped up at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. First-time winner Campbellsville, however, stole the show with its championship in the women's division. Grand View collected its seventh straight NAIA National Duals championship, Clackamas won its fifth in a row in the NJCAA division, while St. Cloud State won its second straight title in Division II. Augsburg beat rival Wartburg to end the Knights' seven-year win streak in Division III. Hosted by the NUWAY, the NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals is presented by Applied Silver, InBody, Theraworx and the United States Marine Corps and hosted by the United Wrestling Group. WCWA The Lady Tigers of Campbellsville are the new queens of the National Duals. A down-to-the-wire finish gave coach Lee Miracle's team the school's first National Duals championship in any division with a 24-19 win over second-seeded McKendree. It was truly a tale of two halves as McKendree jumped out to a 17-4 lead after winning the first five matches. The WCWA competes using international freestyle rules, allowing teams to score team points in a loss. Some lineup shifts by Campbellsville saw several wrestlers bump up two weights to maximize matchups including Grace Bullen, who went up to 143 from 130, and three-time WCWA champion Kayla Miracle, who went up to 155 from 136. Koral Sugiyama started Campbellsville's roll of five straight wins with a fall over Brenda Reyna at 2:35 at 136. Bullen and Miracle followed with fa fall and a technical fall. Bullen pinned McKendree's Alexis Porter in a matchup of past Junior world bronze medalists. Miracle's tech gave Campbellsville its first lead at 18-17 with two weights left. Campbellsville's Mariah Harris scored a 9-9 criteria over All-American Brandy Lowe at 170, putting the pressure on 191-pounders Kaitlyn Hill of Campbellsville and Destane Garrick of McKendree. Needed a shutout, a technical fall or a fall to win the dual for her team Garrick controlled the action early, but Hill hit a pair of four-point moves to pull out a 13-13 criteria victory and seal the win for Campbellsville. Emmanuel finished third, defeating Wayland Baptist 23-21. King, which had won the previous four National Duals titles, finished fifth, beating Life 31-15. Oklahoma City, which is a five-time champion of the event, beat Grays Harbor 26-20 for seventh. Division II St. Cloud State abruptly ended Seton Hill's Cinderella run through the Division II bracket, smoking the Griffins 41-0 in the Division II final. The victory gave coach Steve Costanzo and the Huskies its 19th dual meet victory in a row and the program's fourth Division II National Duals title. They also won titles in 2012 and 2013. At 125 pounds, 2016 national champion Brett Velasquez stuffed any hopes of some early Seton Hill momentum by topping All-American Alan Diltz 5-4. Velasquez scored a third-period reversal for the decisive points. St. Cloud State's hammers pulled their weight accordingly. Nationally ranked Jarred Oftedahl (141), Larry Bomstad (157), Vince Dietz (197) and Lawrence Phillips (285) were solid, with Bomstadt, Dietz and Phillips earning bonus points. Seton Hill's day ended in disappointment after a back-and-forth semifinal which saw the Griffins top conference rival Gannon in the semifinals 19-18 on criteria. St. Cloud State, the only seeded team to place in the top four, finished the event 34-6 individually. Nebraska-Kearney, which fell 21-12 in the semifinals to St. Cloud State, topped Gannon 34-12 for third, while Notre Dame College beat Central Oklahoma 19-12 for fifth and Upper Iowa beat CSU-Pueblo 26-15 for seventh. Division III Wartburg's seven-year run atop the National Duals in Division III came to an end at the hands of longtime rival Augsburg. The Auggies split 10 matches with the Knights, but falls by David Flynn at 141 pounds and Lucas Jeske at 165 pounds were vital in the 21-17 victory. It was the 11th time the two teams have met in the Division III National Duals finals and the win on Friday gave Augsburg a 6-5 lead in the overall series when the teams meet in the championship final. Wartburg has 11 titles in the event, compared to the six won by Augsburg. Wartburg has reached the title match in all 17 years of the Multi-Divisional format. Augsburg opened winning the first three bouts, highlighted by Flynn's fall over Martine Sandoval. Wartburg would chip away at the lead after wins by All-Americans Cross Cannone and Logan Thomsen before top-ranked Jeske picked up a fall late in the second period to put Augsburg handily in the lead. Stephen Larson's 6-4 win at 184 pounds clinched the win for coach Jim Moulsoff's Auggies, who had to get past a scrappy Johnson & Wales team just to make the final. Augsburg and Wartburg will reacquaint themselves in the annual Battle of the Burgs dual on February 1 in Waverly, Iowa. Ithaca beat Johnson & Wales 22-11 for third place, while Baldwin Wallace topped Coe 22-17 for fifth and UW-Whitewater beat Olivet 30-6 for seventh. Ithaca's third-place finish was its best in school history. NAIA Grand View won its seventh straight NAIA National Duals title on Friday, defeating sixth-seeded Williams Baptist 33-9. The seventh title in a row ties Wartburg's all-division record that ended on Friday. Williams Baptist briefly held a 6-3 lead after Nick Souder's pin over Omeed Chamanzad at 133 pounds, but Grand View would win seven of the next eight bouts, including national champion Josh Wenger's 7-2 win over All-American Tyler Fraley at 149 pounds. Fellow national champions Grant Henderson (165) and Evan Hansen (197) scored bonus victories before Dean Broghammer avenged last year's NAIA semifinal loss to Williams Baptist's Demetrius Thomas with a 3-2 decision at 285 pounds, sparked by Broghammer's takedown late in the second period. Grand View's dual meet streak has been impressive. The Vikings have won 60 straight duals and 89 of 90 duals overall since the start of the 2011-12 season. The lone blemish was a loss on November 7, 2013 at Division I Iowa State. Now in the program's 10th season, Grand View has lost just nine duals in school history. Life earned its best finish in school history with a 27-6 win over Missouri Valley to earn third place. University of the Cumberlands topped Indiana Tech 44-3 for fifth while Embry-Riddle beat Campbellsville 22-15. NJCAA Clackamas stopped Northeastern Oklahoma A&M 27-14 to earn the Cougars' fifth straight NJCAA championship. It's the third straight year Clackamas has defeated NEO in the junior college final. The key for Josh Rhoden's squad came with four straight wins between 149 and 174 pounds. At 165, Clackamas' Dayton Racer beat NEO's Wyatt Jordan 10-4 in a matchup of returning national champions. Racer, last year's champ at 157, trailed early and with the score tied at four with just over 30 seconds left, Racer scored a takedown and four nearfall points to pick up the victory. Clackamas' top-ranked Dylan Reel needed overtime to get past Devin Crawl at 174 pounds, while Gage Harrah is sure to break into the NJCAA rankings after his 48-second fall over Gus Boyd at 197 pounds. The title is Clackamas' sixth overall. The Cougars previous won the NJCAA National Duals title in 2011. Western Wyoming beat Iowa Western 23-19 for third, while first-year Barton Community College finished fifth by defeating Harper 34-12. Nassau finished seventh, beating Lincoln 24-18. DIVISION II FINAL #1 ST. CLOUD STATE 41, SETON HILL 0 125 - Brett Velasquez (St. Cloud State) over Alan Diltz (Seton Hill) Dec 5-4 133 - Adam Hedin (St. Cloud State) over rodney sunday (Seton Hill) Fall 4:19 141 - Jarred Oftedahl (St. Cloud State) over Joel Cawoski (Seton Hill) Dec 8-2 149 - Jake Barzowski (St. Cloud State) over Zach Recklein (Seton Hill) Dec 5-4 157 - Larry Bomstad (St. Cloud State) over Austin Shaw (Seton Hill) Maj 10-1 165 - Travis Holt (St. Cloud State) over Zach Voytek (Seton Hill) Dec 6-2 174 - Kolton Eischens (St. Cloud State) over Damon Greenwald (Seton Hill) Dec 8-6 184 - Brady Nelson (St. Cloud State) over Zach Mattucci (Seton Hill) Fall 2:05 197 - Vince Dietz (St. Cloud State) over Jake Temple (Seton Hill) Maj 11-1 285 - Lawrence Phillips (St. Cloud State) over Jody Crouse (Seton Hill) Fall 0:51 DIVISION III FINAL #2 AUGSBURG 21, #1 WARTBURG 17 125 - Victor Gliva (Augsburg) over Brennen Doebel (Wartburg) Dec 11-8 133 - Sam Bennyhoff (Augsburg) over Brock Rathbun (Wartburg) Dec 7-5 141 - David Flynn (Augsburg) over Martine Sandoval (Wartburg) Fall 6:56 149 - Cross Cannone (Wartburg) over Alex Wilson (Augsburg) Dec 9-2 157 - Logan Thomsen (Wartburg) over Ryan Epps (Augsburg) Dec 7-4 165 - Lucas Jeske (Augsburg) over Derek Lee Loy (Wartburg) Fall 4:56 174 - Eric Devos (Wartburg) over Tanner Vassar (Augsburg) Dec 11-5 184 - Sebastian Larson (Augsburg) over Kyle Briggs (Wartburg) Dec 6-4 197 - Kyle Fank (Wartburg) over Jonathan Zarnke (Augsburg) TF 18-1 285 - Bowen Wileman (Wartburg) over Ethan Hofacker (Augsburg) Maj 11-0 Wartburg's team score was adjusted by -1.000 for unsportsman like conduct NAIA FINAL #1 GRAND VIEW 33, #6 WILLIAMS BAPTIST 9 125 - Matthew Nguyen (Grand View) over Khaleel Johnson (Williams Baptist) Dec 14-7 133 - Nick Souder (Williams Baptist) over Omeed Chamanzad (Grand View) Fall 6:55 141 - Grayson Brenna (Grand View) over Jaitlan Pitts (Williams Baptist) Fall 1:26 149 - Josh Wenger (Grand View) over Tyler Fraley (Williams Baptist) Dec 7-2 157 - Nicholas Drendel (Williams Baptist) over Mason Miller (Grand View) Dec 4-2 165 - Grant Henderson (Grand View) over Jonathan Stewart (Williams Baptist) TF 16-1 174 - Dylan Blackford (Grand View) over Keion McVay (Williams Baptist) Maj 8-0 184 - Artie Bess (Grand View) over Josh Chiles (Williams Baptist) Dec 5-3 197 - Evan Hansen (Grand View) over Tyler Giorgini (Williams Baptist) Fall 3:53 285 - Dean Broghammer (Grand View) over Demetrius Thomas (Williams Baptist) Dec 3-2 NJCAA FINAL #1 CLACKAMAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE 27, #2 NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA A&M 14 125 - DeVaughn Sapien (Clackamas) over Boo Dryden (NEO) SV-1 10-8 133 - Elijah Ozuna (Clackamas) over Cooper Secker (NEO) Maj 11-2 141 - Cody Karstetter (NEO) over Ralph Tovar (Clackamas) Dec 5-3 149 - Jasiah Williams (Clackamas) over Kendon Lee (NEO) Dec 8-7 157 - Isaiah Diggs (Clackamas) over Zeke Rubio (NEO) TF 25-10 165 - Dayton Racer (Clackamas) over Wyatt Jordan (NEO) Dec 10-4 174 - Dylan Reel (Clackamas) over Devin Crawl (NEO) SV-1 11-9 184 - Alex Kauffman (NEO) over Nick Maximov (Clackamas) Fall 1:27 197 - Gage Harrah (Clackamas) over Gus Boyd (NEO) Fall 0:48 285 - Brian Andrews (NEO) over Darryl Aiello (Clackamas) TF 17-0 WCWA FINAL #1 CAMPBELLSVILLE 24, #2 MCKENDREE 19 101 - Genae Sampract (McKendree) over Mckenzie Bacich (Campbellsville) Dec 10-6 109 - Vanessa Ramirez (McKendree) over McKayla Campbell (Campbellsville) Fall 2:38 116 - Tayler Resuriz (McKendree) over Charlotte Fowler (Campbellsville) Dec 2-1 123 - Gabrielle Weyhrich (McKendree) over Steffanie Hampton (Campbellsville) Dec 10-5 130 - Megan Black (McKendree) over Shelby Hall (Campbellsville) Dec 9-4 136 - Koral Sugiyama (Campbellsville) over Brenda Reyna (McKendree) Fall 2:35 143 - Grace Bullen (Campbellsville) over Alexis Porter (McKendree) Fall 2:06 155 - Kayla Miracle (Campbellsville) over Andrea Sennett (McKendree) TF 10-0 170 - Mariah Harris (Campbellsville) over Brandy Lowe (McKendree) Dec 9-9 191 - Kaitlyn Hill (Campbellsville) over Destane Garrick (McKendree) Dec 13-13

NAPLES, Italy -- The Oklahoma State wrestling team picked up its sixth victory of the season Friday evening, holding off No. 5 North Carolina State at Naples High School in the first-ever NCAA wrestling dual held overseas. The Cowboys and Wolfpack split the dual at five bouts apiece, but it was bonus point wins from Derek White, Chandler Rogers and Kaid Brock that was the difference in the win. The Cowboys and Wolfpack were neck and neck throughout the dual, with both teams trading blows and leads; however, trailing, 16-12, with two bouts to go, OSU used wins from Rogers and 174-pound junior Jacobe Smith to come away with the victory. Kaid Brock (Photo/okstate.com)"I thought it was going to be a competitive dual meet," head coach John Smith said. "I thought we were in control after 133 with Kaid Brock picking up the tech fall. I thought we had something rolling. We ended up losing 141, 149 and 157. I've got to give them credit. They came back and punched us in three-straight matches and we had a chance to win two of the three." "We looked a little too hesitant," Smith said. "These are matches where we can really see ourselves for who we are. They had something to do with it. They performed and put themselves in position to win the dual." The win puts the wraps on a week in Italy for the Cowboys, who had the opportunity to explore Rome and Naples while also preparing for the dual. "We had a good time," Smith said. "It was a good experience. We don't get to do this all the time, and we made history. I just really appreciate the people who were involved and made it comfortable for us to get good workouts in good facilities. I enjoyed our clinic yesterday. You saw a bunch of young athletes that really love wrestling, both men and women. Those things are fun to be a part of. That's our future and our future looks good." NC State struck first, as No. 3 Pete Renda dealt Cowboy freshman Keegan Moore a 3-0 loss in a tough match at 184 pounds. Heading into the third period trailing, 1-0, Moore chose neutral to open the final frame. The Cowboy took a couple of shots in the frame but couldn't convert on a score, and Renda finished the match with a takedown on a counter to finish off the 3-0 decision. The Cowboys regained control of the dual with a couple of consecutive wins at 197 pounds and heavyweight. Matched up with No. 7 Mike Macchiavello at 197, Preston Weigel bounced back from an early, 2-0, deficit to come up with a 5-4 decision. Weigel was able to tie the match up at two early in the second period with an escape before seizing control of the lead with a takedown midway through the frame. The OSU junior didn't allow Macchiavello an offensive score the rest of the way and racked up a couple of minutes of riding time to lock up the victory. Derek White boosted his team-leading major decision total to six Friday with an 8-0 shutout win over Malik McDonald. White racked up a takedown and nearfall in the win, overwhelming McDonald to give the Pokes a 7-3 lead. NC State picked up another win at 125 pounds with Nick Piccininni dropping a 9-5 decision to No. 8 Sean Fausz in his second loss of the season. Kaid Brock got the Cowboys back on track at 133 with a big 16-1 technical fall over Tariq Wilson. Jumping on Wilson from the start, Brock scored two takedowns and four nearfalls in the match to win his 14th of the year. NC State won three-straight matches at 141, 149 and 157, including a Kevin Jack victory over Dean Heil, to retake the lead. With their backs against the wall and needing a couple of wins to remain undefeated, the Cowboys looked to Rodgers and Smith to carry them to victory. Rogers had little trouble with Brian Hamann at 165 pounds, opening with a takedown and nearfall that put the redshirt junior in the lead for good. Rogers added another couple of takedowns before the final buzzer to walk away with the 13-1 major decision and tie the match at 16. The night came down to 174 pounds, as Jacobe Smith and Daniel Bullard battled it out to decide the dual. Smith scored a takedown in the opening seconds to quickly take the lead, before adding another prior to the end of the first period. Smith would go on to win, 7-2, and help the Cowboys to their sixth win of the season. The Cowboys head back to the States next week when they travel to Iowa City, Iowa, to continue their historic rivalry with the Iowa Hawkeyes. The dual is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 14 at 3 p.m. Results: 184: No. 3 Pete Renda (NCST) dec. Keegan Moore (OSU) 3-0 197: No. 4 Preston Weigel (OSU) dec. No. 7 Mike Macchiavello (NCST) 5-4 HWT: No. 8 Derek White (OSU) MD Malik McDonald (NCST) 8-0 125: No. 8 Sean Fausz (NCST) dec. No. 3 Nick Piccininni (OSU) 9-5 133: No. 5 Kaid Brock (OSU) TF Tariq Wilson (NCST) 16-1 141: No. 4 Kevin Jack (NCST) dec. No. 3 Dean Heil (OSU) 4-3 149: No. 17 Beau Donahue (NCST) dec. Boo Lewallen (OSU) 6-4, SV1 157: No. 3 Hayden Hidlay (NCST) MD Jonce Blaylock (OSU) 12-4 165: No. 8 Chandler Rogers (OSU) MD Brian Hamann (NCST) 13-1 174: No. 10 Jacobe Smith (OSU) dec. Daniel Bullard (NCST) 7-2

Connor Schram has a 9-3 record and is ranked No. 13 at 125 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford head wrestling coach Jason Borrelli has announced fifth-year senior Connor Schram has sustained a knee injury and will miss the remainder of the 2017-18 season. The injury occurred at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on December 2. Schram was ranked 13th nationally at 125 pounds, and started his final campaign 9-3. "We are all deeply saddened by this unfortunate news, as injuries are one of the toughest parts of sports and a season-ending injury is even that much more difficult," said Borrelli. "Connor's presence in our lineup will be missed, as he has been a major contributor for the program over the last four years. Nonetheless, I am confident that he will conquer this unfortunate setback with the same focus and tenacity that he brought to the wrestling room each day, and will be prepared for the next chapter of his life." An All-American and Pac-12 Champion at 125 pounds as a sophomore in 2016, Schram holds a 65-22 career record at Stanford. A three-time NCAA qualifier, he boasts the third-most career wins on the current Cardinal roster. He is also a three-time NWCA Academic All-American who has already graduated from Stanford with a degree in science, technology and society, and is working towards a master's in communication.

NCAA Division II champion Nick Roberts passed away in 2017 (Photo/Ali Single) This past year, InterMat paid tribute to dozens of individuals involved in wrestling who passed away in 2017. Their ages ranged from teens to just shy of the century mark ... but all left a positive mark on the sport. Call him "champ" No matter the age or era, winning a conference or national wrestling title is a significant, enduring legacy to be honored. This past year saw the passing of a number of champions of the mat, including John Harkness, 99, Harvard's first NCAA champ (1938) and founding partner of major architecture firm The Architects Collaborative, just two days shy of his 100th birthday ... Bill Nelson, 90, three-time NCAA champ for University of Northern Iowa, 1948 Olympian, and National Wrestling Hall of Fame honoree ... Tony Gizoni, 87, two-time NCAA champ at Waynesburg College and 2017 National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee ... Frank Bettucci, 87, 1953 NCAA champ for Cornell University, 1956 Olympian and 2015 National Wrestling Hall of Fame honoree ... Bill Weick, 85, two-time NCAA titlist for Northern Iowa (1952, 1956) and long-time high school coach in Iowa and in the Chicago area ... Joe Solomon, 84, 1954 NCAA titlewinner for University of Pittsburgh ... Dick Ballinger, 79, University of Wyoming's only NCAA wrestling champ ... Earl Stottler, 76, 1961 NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) champ for Minnesota State Morehead ... Bill Blacksmith, 73, NAIA/NCAA champ for Lock Haven University ... Thomas Kline, 70, 1969 NCAA champ for Cal Poly ... Charlie Pingleton, 2012 NAIA champ at Lindsey Wilson College who went on to coach at Indiana's Greencastle High School ... and Nick Roberts, 23, 2016 NCAA Division II titlist for Pitt-Johnstown. Among the conference champions who left us in 2017: Elias George, 92, 1946 Big Ten champ for Indiana University who transferred to Oklahoma State, where he earned All-American honors in 1949, then coached at Evanston Township High School for 52 seasons ... James Cox, 90, Mid-Atlantic Conference champ for Ursinus College ... and Tom Drake, 86, three-time Southern Conference champion for University of Tennessee-Chattanooga who later became wrestling coach at the University of Alabama's now-defunct program before entering Alabama politics. In addition, InterMat reported on the passing of some NCAA All-Americans, including Luverne Klar, 92, two-time All-American at Northern Iowa in 1949 and '50 who later became long-time coach at Mankato High School in Minnesota ... Jack Stanbro, 80, 1960 NCAA finalist for Ithaca College who went on to coach high school wrestling then became a wrestling photographer ... Tony Macias, 78, Latino mat pioneer as Oklahoma state champ from the storied Perry High School program who went on to earn All-American honors for the University of Oklahoma ... Kenneth Barr, 76, Pitt All-American wrestler and Upper Darby High School (Pennsylvania) wrestling coach ... and Luke Sharpe, 73, 1966 NCAA All-American for the Oklahoma Sooners at heavyweight. Deserving special acknowledgement is James Mohney, 92, two-time PIAA champ for Clearfield High, reported to be the oldest state wrestling champ in Pennsylvania at the time of his passing ... and John Harmon, 90, long-time supporter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame who is slated to be welcomed into the EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) Hall of Fame later this year. Coaches Coaches share their knowledge and love of wrestling with the next generation of athletes. Among those who coached at all levels who died in 2017: Ken Schmoker, 91, long-serving coach at Bemidji (Minn.) High School ... Dick Shiels, 86, retired coach at Faribault High School in Minnesota ... Dick Francis, 85, early Fresno State wrestling coach (1965-1980) ... Ted Bredehoft, 84, Cornell College of Iowa wrestler who made his mark as head coach at Arizona State in the 1960s ... Beau Haizlip, 83, Iowa State wrestler and high school coach for three decades ... Frank Ball, 83, long-time Massachusetts high school coach ... Arvo Britten, 81, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point wrestler and long-time wrestling coach for the Merrill (Wis.) school district ... Don Benning, 81, pioneering African-American wrestler and coach in the Omaha area ... Jim Bayly, longtime Boys Town (Nebraska) wrestling coach who worked with former Nebraska-Omaha coach Mike Denney to create Kaufman/Brand Open ... LaVerne Pieper, 81, legendary Stoughton (Wis.) High coach who could count two Olympic silver medalists among his pupils ... and Paul Solberg, 79, Luther College (Iowa) coach from 1966-1980 and 1982-83. Other coaches who passed away this past year: Jim Koch, 69, retired University of Wisconsin-Parkside coach who died of injuries from being struck by a car while attending the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis ... Dennis Leyman, 65, long time coach at Pennsylvania's North Star High ... Joe Traen, 59, Watertown-Mayer High School coach who died while out on a run ... Chris Bentley, 46, coach at Trinity High School in Pennsylvania ... Chris Bentley, 46, coach at Trinity High School in Pennsylvania ... Brent Harvey, 46, girls' wrestling coach and tireless advocate for women getting into the sport ... Gary Quintana, 45, Fresno area wrestler and coach ... Scott Marko, 43, high school coach and father of University of Minnesota wrestler Hunter Marko ... Bruce Cridge, 40, a PIAA champ and Edinboro University wrestler who coached at Canon-McMillian High School ... Steve Peterson, 35, former Concordia College and coach at Centennial High School, both in Minnesota, after losing a battle with brain cancer ... and Kenny Marjerrison, 34, Plains/Hot Springs High School (Montana) wrestling coach. Wrestlers taken too soon All too many young people were lost this past year. Sadly, a number of them were in their teens, active in wrestling, including Logan Luft, 15, Charles City, Iowa wrestler killed in an ATV accident ... William "Chipper" Grogg, a 15-year-old wrestler at Sandy Valley High School in eastern Ohio who was killed in a one-car crash ... Tanner Asper, 16, a two-time Kansas state championships qualifier, killed in a car crash ... Amante Young, 16, killed in a car accident three months after being crowned the first Michigan state champ from Clare High School ... Alex Morgan, 17, two-year starter at Putnam City West High outside Oklahoma City ... Dante Latora, 17, Michigan high school wrestler killed in crash on his way to the NHSCA National Wrestling Championships in Virginia ... Johnny Fiebelkorn, 17, wrestling team captain at Akron Central High School in New York, killed in a car crash ... and Trevor Schwager, a three-year starter at Dowling Central Catholic in West Des Moines, on his way to school. Other young adults who had wrestling backgrounds included Hunter Hoeptner, 21, 2014 Oregon high school state wrestling champ ... Jason Box, 21, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M wrestler and three-time Missouri high school state championships placer ... Joey Munos, three-time Minnesota state champ who later wrestled at Ohio University and Rochester Community and Technical College ... B.J. Toal, 23, former University of Missouri wrestler ... Gabe Tudor, 24, former St. Cloud State heavyweight, struck by a car on I-74 in western Illinois trying to get help ... Matt Hickman, 25, who had wrestled at Fresno City College and Cal Baptist University ... Gary Pfahler, 26, 2008 PIAA champ for Chestnut Ridge High School ... Cornelius Wiggins, 32, Florida high school state champ and University of the Cumberlands wrestler, drowned in a boating accident ... and Travis Hunter, 40, 1996 Pennsylvania private school state champion wrestler at West-Mont Christian Academy. Died in service protecting us Two American heroes who made their mark in wrestling were taken from us in 2017. Aaron Butler, 27, a Green Beret killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan, was a four-time Utah state champ ... while Michael Walter, killed while on duty as a Virginia State Police officer, ran a wrestling club for disadvantaged youths in Richmond. Cut down in the prime of life In 2017, InterMat reported on the murders of four individuals who had been involved in the oldest and greatest sport. Bill Wolfe Jr., 42, Shippensburg (Pa.) elementary school wrestling coach who was one of 58 killed in the mass shooting at an outdoor country music concert in Las Vegas on Oct. 1 ... Bryan Young, 47, Oklahoma City area attorney and former University of Oklahoma wrestler who was killed by the estranged husband of a client in his home ... Stevenson Derival, 20, wrestler at Georgia's Brewton Parker College, shot to death at a house party ... and December Htoo, 15, a high school wrestler in Kansas City, Kan., murdered in the laundromat where he worked. International mat stars This past year saw the passing of a handful of international wrestling greats from multiple generations, including Nazem Amine, 90, two-time Olympic wrestler for Lebanon and patriarch for two generations of University of Michigan wrestlers ... Nasser Givehchi, silver medalist for Iran at the 1952 Olympics, who passed away in May at age 84 ... Zaprian Petrov, 59, Bulgarian wrestling champ who later coached in Mexico ... Vishal Kumar Verma, 22, national-level wrestler in India, who was electrocuted in flooded practice facility ... and Yury Vlasko, two-time European champ for the Russian Federation, stabbed to death at age 20.

University of Iowa head wrestling coach Tom Brands announced this week that super freshman Spencer Lee will have his redshirt pulled and be added to the Hawkeyes starting lineup. Lee, who is coming off an ACL repair last spring, lost a controversial semifinal match against Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) last weekend at the Midlands Championships. Though a surprising loss, Coach Brands saw something that gave him confidence that Lee could compete in the Big Ten right away. No question Lee is a top-eight finisher at the Big Ten Championships, but can he get the better of Nick Suriano or Nathan Tomasello? How about two or three times in the first three months wearing the black singlet? Those are some big questions for the little guy to answer, but Coach Brands (who doesn't get these decisions wrong very often) and much of Hawkeye nation think that Lee can both be the guy at the weight and help their team compete for an NCAA team title with Penn State and Ohio State. I'm not certain on either of those points, but Lee's character and now-legendary toughness demands that he be given the chance to make both those things a reality. Lee is a tough SOB and it doesn't benefit Iowa to keep that type of momentum-creating talent locked on the sidelines when he could be center stage leading your program to the podium in Cleveland. I like the call. To your questions … Shakur Rasheed gets his hand raised after winning a Southern Scuffle title (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Q: Penn State has a good problem at 197 pounds. Coming into the season it seemed like Matt McCutcheon's spot. Then Anthony Cassar emerged as the man. Then Shakur Rasheed ran through Southern Scuffle in dominant fashion. How will Cael and staff handle this situation? When do you think it should be finalized? Who do you see getting the spot? -- Mike C. Foley: I'm not Cael Sanderson, but you absolutely play the hot hand. That said … it's important to consider that Shakur was hitting the same move again and again, something that is concerning when it comes to taking on opponents next week and the week after, and the week after that. Coaches scout, and a cross face cradle, while exceedingly dangerous, is something that most will prepare their athletes to defend. Also, I have to assume that Cassar has already figured out the crossface cradle, making it difficult (or at least less certain) that Shakur would squeeze by another wrestle-off, or two. No matter what happens, Shakur's performance was legendary and the way it mixes up 197 for the Nittany Lions will force fans to keep a watchful eye on the team's social media accounts. Q: Do you worry about the future of the sport that it's turning into a super niche sport? Even in PA it has really taken a nose dive. In the AA class very few teams can now even field a full dual meet team. A common comment being made around the coaching circle is that the kids are either super good or super bad. There is not much in between. It seems like the sport is no longer the lower-middle class sport it was. It is now a middle-upper class sport. Looking at the InterMat high school team rankings and there are not many public schools. It is kind of like basketball with the AAU/catholic schools taking over. The top kids now go to all these club teams like Young Guns in the same way basketball kids have AAU. I see the future of the sport like swimming. A few super great kids. Instead of Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, it will be kids like Mark Hall and Spencer Lee. It's only getting worse. -- Steve M. Foley: Are there definitive rates for forfeits? Are they shown to be increasing? Is there any data on the shift of top talent from public to private school? I ask because there is often a visualization of nationwide problems built off a mixture of anecdotes, nostalgia and access to social media. Let's assume that there are more forfeits in dual meets, participation is down and that the top athletes are following the top coaches, who are all coaching in expensive clubs and private schools. What is the solution? First, we need to promote the two-piece uniform. Next, we need to continue supporting coaches who focus on creating all-around athletes and an enjoyable experience rather than winning a "national championship" for third graders. The other component might be to embrace some contraction. Sloughing off 2-4 weight classes would help smaller schools fill out a whole team, and possibly push talented athletes to stay in the public school rather than go chase a starting role on a dynastic program. There are positives and negatives to contraction, but with the correct guidance from our national leadership we could create a culture of competition, rather than one of avoidance or forfeiting. Q: Nathan Tomasello is returning to Ohio State's lineup this week. He's expected to wrestle against Maryland on Friday, but sit out on Sunday against Rutgers (Nick Suriano). Does it bother you that Tom Ryan is holding him out against Suriano? Or do you think that is the right move? -- Mike C. Foley: I have full faith and confidence in Tom Ryan's coaching ability. While I disagree that any wrestler should be held out purely for seeding purposes, it is arguable that an injured wrestler looking to get his mat conditioning back may want ease back into the lineup. As an athlete, I was never concerned with seeding (not an issue for a 4-loss wrestler), but I do remember taking matches off after I returned to competition following a knee injury. Also, though I sympathize with the contention that athletes should always compete, we do need to recognize that there are simply too many matches in a season. If you go full throttle for five months and rack up 40-plus matches heading into the postseason there is not much chance that you'll be in peak physical or emotional shape come conference and NCAA's. Fewer matches and a shorter season would guarantee that more top-level wrestlers are competing in a high percentage of their team's dual meets. Cue the NCAA's new single-semester format for the collegiate season … Q: The Midlands and Southern Scuffle seemed much more watered down this year, probably in large part because of new events like the South Beach Duals and Oklahoma State vs. NC State in Italy. Do you think all these new events are good for the sport? Or do you think having Midlands /Scuffle stronger is better for the sport? -- Mike C. Foley: Building on the above post I think that there isn't much chance these tournaments continue as mid-season festivals. With a new single-semester format these midseason tournaments could be re-imagined as an opening weekend for the season. The idea works well if only because it splits the nation well while also allowing to-be-familiar opponents to avoid each other and travel to opposite regions. Q: What is the reasoning for all the teams sending backups then scheduling other competitions? For example, South Beach Duals. These tournaments are obviously still incredibly tough, but could definitely have more depth. I mean, I understand taking the holiday season low key and letting the team rest, but it seems these tournaments have lost some prowess. Just an observation. Curious about your insight. -- Alex C. Foley: Again, college coaches have shifted their thinking about midseason competitions in order to favor periodization for success in March. Top guys can't always maintain the grind for five months, so it falls on the backups to get reps at these winter tournaments. As you mentioned they are often as tough as starters, but it does leave the fan wanting to see the top guys. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Comeback Wrestler of the Year: Jordan Burroughs Outstanding Performance of the Year: Helen Maroulis Q: Now that we're well into the season, and redshirts are being pulled, who are your predicted finals match and champ at each weight? -- Jared W. Foley: I'm going to take a pass on answering this question until I see a few more Big Ten dual meets and see just how many redshirts get pulled. Q: What are the differences between NAIA, Division I, Division II, and Division III wrestling? Are they able to offer scholarships at all three levels? -- Gregg Y. Foley: Division I athletes tend to receive full athletic scholarships. Division II athletes can receive full athletic scholarships, but mostly see partial athletic scholarships. Division III athletes cannot receive athletic scholarships. Also, Division I schools must sponsor seven men's sports and seven women's sports, while Division II must sponsor five men's sports and five women's sports. The NAIA is a wholly different association of colleges and universities with the ability to grant partial scholarships. There is much more to the distinction (and ways to receive a fully paid education) at each level, but in broad terms the amount of athletic scholarship and spending is the biggest distinguisher. Q: Maybe I don't understand the rules, but aren't unattached wrestlers supposed to pay their own way to tournaments and have to get coached by a non-staff member? If so, why do they all travel together? Daton Fix would have been better suited going to Midlands and checking out where he is against his two biggest rivals (Spencer Lee and Nick Suriano) than going to Scuffle. Barring injury to Nick Piccininni, Coach Smith isn't pulling Daton's redshirt. Why would he burn a redshirt on maybe getting 3 more team points at NCAAs when his team is at best a third-place finisher this year? It just strikes me as odd that redshirts wouldn't go to the best scenario for them personally. What am I missing? -- Anil C. Foley: The NCAA changed the rules a few years ago and allows redshirt wrestlers to travel with their team to tournaments. I don't think that the coaching rule has changed. Though, the dumbest rule to have ever existed is regarding redshirts and coaching in that they are not allowed to challenge calls in tournaments. That one makes absolutely no sense and was the reason that Spencer Lee was not afforded a challenge against Ronnie Bresser at the Midlands. As for Fix wrestling at the Southern Scuffle, I have to think that Coach Smith wanted Fix to get wins under his belt rather than grinding it out for what could have been a fifth-place finish. As you saw, Fix didn't compete and it's unlikely they will pull his redshirt, so the point is mostly moot. Q: Any chance that InterMat would put in redshirt athletes into the college rankings? A few thoughts. First, this would separate the InterMat rankings from other rankings. Second, InterMat takes into account NWCA All-Star Classic results, which are not official. Third, wrestlers that are not redshirting their freshman year will be dropped from the rankings for a year and only the die-hard fans go back to look at previous year's results/rankings. Finally, someone who has yet to wrestle a match come January 1 should not be ranked No. 1, while someone who is redshirting but beating ranked wrestlers is not. It might be hard to do preseason/early season. Maybe make some criteria as in a redshirt athlete must beat at least one ranked wrestler prior to Jan. 1, etc. Or even a one-off redshirt rankings. Also, this would only lead to more fan speculation, which in turn results in more fans reading articles -- K.K. When it comes to criteria for rankings I think that InterMat has been consistent for several years. I'm not on the rankings committee, but having heard the process I think it tends to favor established wrestlers and only takes into account those who are currently in competition. Though, I do like your point about creating a discussion for fans and making the redshirt qualification well known. Q: Seth Gross is 12-0 with five pins and five technical falls. He often times gets left out of Hodge talk because of Zain Retherford, Bo Nickal, Jason Nolf, Isaiah Martinez and others. What would it take for Gross to steal the Hodge? -- Mike C. Foley: Is he out of the Hodge discussion? When you put away that many opponents and have a flawless season you are certain to be mentioned. From what I've seen Gross is the type of fearless competitor we often see favored for awards like the Hodge. Also, that Gross is the leader of small school making moves and dominating opponents with headline-snatching ferocity gives him the type of emotional edge that's always been with wrestlers like Zain Retherford and Jason Nolf. COMMENT OF THE WEEK By Keith F. First time writing in, and I don't get much time to watch wrestling anymore, but I tuned in so I could watch Spencer Lee. Point blank, college wrestling, and in many respects wrestling in general has got real issues with stalling and using scrambling as a form of stalling. There has to be a discussion to speed up stalling calls and force the offense in collegiate wrestling. Watching Ronnie Bresser wrestle is akin to watching paint dry. There is zero effective offense being initiated over a 6-minute match and it really is painful to watch. If there was a 10 to 20-second mental clock for refs to give a warning for stalling, whether it being attempting to turn on top, improving your position on bottom (and working for a reversal or escape), as well as initiated offense from neutral, action would follow. I also would put an end to exposing your back while technically being in control. I would propose the following: 1. Takedowns that result from a scramble or counter to someone else's initiated offense are worth a point. It should not be given the same point value. (Foley: I strongly disagree on this point. They tried this with freestyle and it was a disaster. The shot clock ended up being the better solution.) 2. If you are in a scramble situation, whether neutral or in the top position, and you are in an exposed back situation (not one where you have the opponent on his back, like a tilt or cradle) and their back is not, and cannot get off your back in a two count, an escape and restart or back points result. (PREACH!) 3. If that garbage far ankle defense is continually used with little or no attempt to improve the position, I believe a stall warning should be given. It is awful to watch, and the sport is becoming less and less about executions of techniques and more about latching, grabbing and rolling about. Cael Sanderson's wrestlers, much like the man himself, have the right mindset about offensive wrestling and scoring points.

FRESNO, Calif. -- Thanks to seven individual victories, including four bonus-point wins, the Fresno State Bulldog wrestling team won their first home dual of the season on Thursday night defeating Cal Poly, 29-13. "I am happy for them," said head coach Troy Steiner after the win. "They have been putting in a lot of work and it is neat to see them fight through some tough situations and come out with the win." In front of 4,175 Red Wave supporters, the dual began at 125 pounds as redshirt senior Sean Williams got the evening started for the 'Dogs on the right foot delivering a 7-5 win over Yoshi Funakoshi. Williams used a late takedown in the second period to build a 6-3 lead and held on for the win. Freshman Trevor Williams kept Fresno State's (2-5) hot start going at 133 pounds with a 6-2 win over Ty Schilling using an escape and a takedown in the third period to secure the win. After Colton Schilling helped Cal Poly (0-2) get on the board with a fall at 141 pounds, redshirt sophomore Khristian Olivas got the 'Dogs back on track at 149 pounds winning a low-scoring 1-0 affair as a third-period escape by the Clovis native proved to be the difference. Sophomore Greg Gaxiola kept it going at 157 pounds building a 10-2 lead after two periods adding four takedowns in the third period for a 20-6 win that extended the 'Dogs team lead to 13-6. After a short intermission, redshirt sophomore Isaiah Hokit kept the offense going at 165 pounds as he put up a season-high 23 points on his way to a technical fall win defeating Ryan Farina, 23-8. With the Bulldogs leading 17-6, Cal Poly picked up back-to-back wins at 174 and 184 pounds to cut the 'Dogs lead to 17-13, but back-to-back falls by sophomore Josh Hokit at 197 pounds and freshman AJ Nevills at heavyweight sealed the win for the 'Dogs. Making his Bulldog wrestling debut after playing the last two seasons on the gridiron for the Fresno State football team, Hokit wasted little time getting back to his Clovis High wrestling days, where he was a state champion as a senior in 2016, recording a fall in 4:14 over Cal Poly's Ryan Anderson. Nevills capped off the night with a fall in 5:40 over Spencer Empey as the Clovis native improves to 17-3 on the season. The Bulldogs are back in action next weekend at the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va., on Jan. 12-13. The 'Dogs will compete in two duals each day against a field that will include No. 10 Arizona State, Bucknell, Campbell, Chattanooga, Iowa State, Kent State, Lock Haven, No. 11 Northern Iowa, No. 18 Oklahoma, Old Dominion, Virginia and No. 9 Virginia Tech. Results: 125: Sean Williams (FS) dec. Yoshi Funakoshi (CP), 7-5 | FS 3, CP 0 133: Trevor Williams (FS) dec. Ty Schilling (CP), 6-2 | FS 6, CP 0 141: Colton Schilling (CP) wins by fall over Chris De Loza (FS), 0:30 | FS 6, CP 6 149: Khristian Olivas (FS) dec. Joshy Cortez (CP), 1-0 | FS 9, CP 6 157: Greg Gaxiola (FS) maj. dec. Jett Moy (CP), 20-6 | FS 13, CP 6 165: Isaiah Hokit (FS) tech. fall. over Ryan Farina, 23-8 (6:19) | FS 17, CP 6 - Only four team points awarded after no near fall points scored during the match 174: Matt Wilhelm (CP) maj. dec. Dominic Kincaid (FS), 17-6 | FS 17, CP 10 184: Sohrab Movahedi (CP) dec. Angel Solis (FS), 8-2 | FS 17, CP 13 197: Josh Hokit (FS) wins by fall over Ryan Anderson (CP), 4:14 | FS 23, CP 13 HWT: AJ Nevills (FS) wins by fall over Spencer Empey (CP), 5:40 | FS 29, CP 13 Notables - Gaxiola scored a season-high 20 points on his way to his fifth major decision of the season. - Isaiah Hokit picked up his second technical fall of the season. - Nevills recorded his sixth fall of the season. Head Coach Troy Steiner Quotes On the 'Dogs victory over Cal Poly... "I know we have the ability on this team. We have such a young team and there is a learning curve that we have to try and fight as much as we can. We are starting to see adjustments and people are toughing it out in tough situations. That is what I like to see and I have been seeing that little progress all along and now it gets to the point where we get to get a 'W' from it." On Josh Hokit's Bulldog wrestling debut… "It is awesome to have Josh on the squad. It adds a lot of firepower to us up on top. More importantly, it brings attitude and competitiveness to the team. He is going to add a lot to this squad just with his attitude and how he approaches things. He is a competitive guy." On Hokit's transition from football to wrestling in less than two weeks… "He was on the football field two weeks ago. We really didn't know if he was going to be on the mat for us tonight or not. As things progressed and we went through training after he got back from the Bowl Game, we saw that his training was going well. He had a weight adjustment to get his weight down a little bit. It just came down to him wanting to be down there in front of his home crowd tonight. I left it up to him whether he wanted to jump out there tonight or not and I knew that he wasn't going to say no. To make a turnaround that quick is not easy. I hadn't talked to him much during football season because I wanted to keep his focus there to help Coach Tedford and the football team. He obviously did that for them. Shortly before they went to Hawai'i for the bowl game, we talked a little bit and made up the plan of when he was going to be back with us. It is great to have him back." On the crowd and its energy… "It is a great atmosphere. The marketing and facilities people are doing a great job at really making it an event. It is not just coming to watch the matches, there is a lot of crowd interaction and it is a full event. Whether you like to think about it like this or not, we are in the entertainment business. Those people have done a really great job. They have made us look good in that regards. The energy is great." Redshirt sophomore 149-pounder Khristian Olivas On wrestling in front of a home crowd… "It felt good. The atmosphere is always great and it makes it fun to compete out there and show the fans what we do." On Josh Hokit… "He delivers fireworks every time he wrestles. I knew as soon as he got that leg up that he was going for it and he was going to get the pin. He lit up the crowd and we need that. He is an athlete and a competitor who thrives in those situations. It really showed tonight. I knew he could do that." On how he has had his success this far… "Being stingy and going out there with a dominant attitude and taking it to my opponent, capitalizing in every situation and trying to score as much points as I possibly can. I know tonight was a lower score match, but I stayed composed in the match and weathered it out and got the win." On getting the win over Cal Poly… "The last couple of weeks with the duals have been struggling, but we go back in the room and we just reset. We forget about it and we get back to 0-0 and keep going. We think of the next match in front of us, nothing in the past and nothing in the future. Just focused on what is next." Sophomore 197-pounder Josh Hokit On returning to wrestling after the football season… "I definitely felt rusty. It didn't last too long and I didn't get to wrestle those last few minutes, but that definitely would've challenged me if it had." On the process of going from football to wrestling… "It felt so familiar, I have been doing this all my life. Tell me any other football player who can do this. I don't think there is one. I had to cut about 27 pounds since around Christmas. I have been doing this for a long time and I knew it was going to be hard but you just have to push through it every day and it is eventually going to get easier. It all kind of started in Hawaii, I made sure I stuck to the fruit that was all around. It is a very different diet. I think it is totally worth it." On being back out in front of the crowd… "It felt great! There are so many people that want to see me do well. To be able to do that in front of them felt amazing." "Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" - The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.

Zeke Moisey celebrates after a victory (Photo/WVUSports.com) MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Earning its second Big 12 Conference win in program history, the West Virginia University wrestling team upset No. 18 Oklahoma in a thrilling 24-12 contest on Thursday evening at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers (2-3, 1-1 Big 12) never trailed in the match, winning seven of 10 bouts to defeat the Sooners (2-3, 0-1 Big 12) for the first time in Big 12 action. The last time West Virginia topped Oklahoma was in 1986 at a neutral site, which was when the two squads first met in the all-time series. "I have a history with Oklahoma, so it is very exciting for me," said fourth-year coach Sammie Henson. "Tonight's victory also was a huge win for our program and a huge win for our guys. It's special because it was a total team effort. We have another dual on Sunday, so we want to keep the momentum going." Redshirt junior Zeke Moisey, ranked 19th nationally, set the tone for West Virginia in the first bout of the evening, winning by fall over No. 17 Christian Moody in 1 minute, 11 seconds at 125 pounds. The Northampton, Pennsylvania, native avenged a loss to Moody at the Lindenwood Open on Nov. 18, as he collected his third straight dual-match win of the season. The Mountaineers went on to claim the next two matches for the 12-0 advantage, as redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt (133) and junior Christian Monserrat (141) each won by decision in their respective bouts. Schmitt is now 2-0 in Big 12 action, while Monserrat collected his first Big 12 victory of the season. Davion Jeffries was the first Sooner to add points on the scoreboard in favor of Oklahoma, as he picked up a 4-1 decision over redshirt freshman Kyler Rea at 149 pounds. Redshirt sophomore Zachary Moore got the Mountaineers back on track with a 12-5 decision over Justin Thomas, who appears at No. 17 via FloWrestling, at 157 pounds. Moore notched a pair of takedowns and four nearfall points in the first period to take an 8-1 lead. He chose bottom to start the second, using an escape and another takedown to maintain the lead in the final stanza. Thomas was then called twice for stalling, as Moore secured the 12-5 decision in the third period to put WVU back on the board, ahead 15-3. Oklahoma cut its deficit to three following a 10-minute intermission, as the Sooners collected back-to-back victories at 165 pounds and 174 pounds, respectively. Freshman Nick Kiussis fell to DaWaylon Barnes at 165 pounds, while redshirt senior Parker VonEgidy dropped a hard-fought 6-4 decision to No. 13 Yoanse Mejias at 174 pounds. West Virginia did not back down, though, capturing wins in the final three bouts for the 24-12 victory over the Sooners. Freshman Brenden McRill won his first Big 12 match of his young career, taking down Matthew Waddell in a 7-4 decision at 184 pounds. Tied at three-all, McRill started in the defensive position in the third, collecting an escape early on for the one-point advantage. McRill then used a takedown and secured the riding point for the 7-4 decision over Waddell. Additionally, redshirt senior Jacob A. Smith and sophomore Brandon Ngati each notched their first Big 12 wins of the season at 197 pounds and 285 pounds, respectively, to cap the night in favor of the Mountaineers. West Virginia's last Dollar Day of the season will follow in three days, as the team takes on No. 25 North Dakota State in a 7 p.m. match on Sunday, Jan. 7. Sunday's match also is known as Back-to-School night, and there will be a $50 giveaway to the WVU Book Exchange. Additionally, high school teams can receive free admission to any home match this season. A registration form can be found at WVUsports.com/promotions. For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Results: 125: No. 20/19/- Zeke Moisey (WVU) wins by fall No. 19/17/19 Christian Moody (OU), F 1:11 133: Matthew Schmitt (WVU) dec. Jake Rubio (OU), 4-2 141: Christian Monserrat (WVU) dec. No. -/-/19 Mike Longo (OU), 8-2 149: Davion Jeffries (OU) dec. Kyler Rea (WVU), 4-1 157: Zachary Moore (WVU) dec. 17/-/- Justin Thomas (OU), 12-5 165: Dawaylon Barnes (OU) wins by fall Nick Kiussis (WVU), F 5:30 174: No. 13/13/11 Yoanse Mejias (OU) dec. Parker VonEgidy (WVU), 6-4 184: Brenden McRill (WVU) dec. Matthew Waddell (OU), 7-4 197: No. 5/5/10 Jake Smith (WVU) dec. Andrew Dixon (OU), 3-1 285: Brandon Ngati (WVU) dec. Conner Webb (OU), 3-2

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- For the second straight year, upsets in Division II have proven the National Wrestling Coaches Association's nickname for the National Duals to be appropriate. On Thursday at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Mat Mayhem truly ensued as six of the top seven Division II seeds fell in the first two rounds of the NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals presented by Applied Silver, InBody, Therawox and the United States Marine Corps. The event is hosted by the United Wrestling Group. WHAT: NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals WHERE: Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana WHEN: January 4-5 RESULTS & LIVE STREAMING VIA TRACKWRESTLING: Men's Divisions | Women's Division LIVE STREAM: Subscription Info ($19.95 - includes all divisions, live and archived content) TICKETS: Adult Single Day $20, Student Single Day $15. SOCIAL: #MatMayhem The semifinals are set in five collegiate divisions. St. Cloud State will face Nebraska-Kearney while Gannon will face Seton Hill in Division II. In Division III, the top four seeds all reached the semifinals as top-seeded Wartburg will face Ithaca, while second-seeded Johnson & Wales will face Augsburg. In the NAIA, fifth-seeded Life and sixth-seeded Williams Baptist shook things up. Life will face top-seeded Grand View in the semifinals, while Williams Baptist will face second-seeded Missouri Valley in the bottom bracket semi. In the NJCAA, top-seeded Clackamas will face fourth-seeded Iowa Western, while second-seeded Northeastern Oklahoma A&M will face sixth-seeded Western Wyoming. One team that won't be repeating in 2018 is King on the women's side. The Tornado were upended in the quarterfinals by fifth-seeded Emmanuel. Top-seeded Campbellsville will face Emmanuel in the top bracket semifinal, while second-seeded McKendree will face third-seeded Wayland Baptist. The women's semifinals will begin at 9 a.m. Eastern on Friday, with the four men's divisions wrestling at 11 a.m. Division II Leading the upset parade were Gannon, Nebraska-Kearney and Seton Hill in Division II. All three teams were unseeded and all three will compete in Friday's semifinals. Only top-seeded St. Cloud State, the returning Division II champions, survived. Coach Steve Costanzo's Huskies were impressive in advancing to Friday's semifinals. St. Cloud State opened with a 46-0 victory over Lake Erie College before handling No. 8 seed Indianapolis 32-6. The Huskies will now face unseeded Nebraska-Kearney in the semifinals. St. Cloud State lost just two individual matches and extended its win streak to 17 in a row and have won 138 out of its last 145 duals dating back to the 2010-11. For the second year in a row, a pair of unseeded squads will face off in a semifinal. A year ago, it was Wheeling Jesuit upending Colorado State-Pueblo by criteria to reach the final. This year, it'll be a pair of PSAC schools -- Gannon and Seton Hill. Both schools knocked off higher seeded teams in the first round and then prevailed over unseeded teams in the quarterfinals as No. 2, No. 3, No. 6 and No. 7 all lost first round duals in the bottom half of the bracket. Seton Hill won six of 10 bouts to stun second-seeded Ashland 21-16 in the opening round and then beat Upper Iowa 18-17 in the quarterfinals. Against Ashland, fourth-ranked Alan Diltz majored ninth-ranked Sebastian Vidka to get the Griffins off to a 4-0 start. Ashland tried to rally late, picking up a fall at 184 from Jordan Murphy and a major decision by top-ranked Luke Kramer, but Seton Hill's Jake Temple picked up a 7-2 win at heavyweight to close out the upset. Against Upper Iowa, the Griffins' crucial bonus points came from 141-pound Jake Cawoski, who pinned Hunter Slifka at 4:27 to help push Seton Hill into its first National Duals semifinal in school history. Upper Iowa defeated Notre Dame College 19-16 in the opening round, a dual highlighted by top-ranked Kameron Teacher of Notre Dame defeated second-ranked Hopp 7-1 at 285 pounds. Gannon's path wasn't too different than Seton Hill's. The Golden Knights knocked off third-seeded Cal Baptist 24-13. Gannon won first five weights to jump out to a 21-0 lead and held the Cal Baptist to just one bonus victory in the next four weights. Gannon's Nick Budd finished off the win at heavyweight with a 7-4 win over Zach Schrader. The win put Gannon in position to face last year's Cinderella, Wheeling Jesuit, which opened up with a first-round upset over CSU-Pueblo 20-18. Three straight wins by Nick Costa, Ethan Budd and Nick Budd broke a 15-15 tie and gave Gannon the 27-15 victory. One key point in the dual came at 197 pounds where Ethan Budd earned an injury default victory over 12th-ranked Sawyer Leppla of Wheeling Jesuit. Gannon coach Don Henry also picked up coaching victory No. 200 in the process. Nebraska-Kearney, two-time champions of the event, upended No. 5 Pitt-Johnstown 25-19 in the opening round before knocking off No. 4 McKendree 23-11 in the quarterfinals. Against Pitt-Johnstown, bonus points were the difference as the Lopers earned two majors, a technical fall and two pins en route to the victory. Returning 149-pound Division II national champion Keith Surber registered a 10-second fall while Bryce Shoemaker, a past NAIA national champion while at Baker, earned a technical fall at 133 pounds. Against McKendree, wins by Matt Malcolm at 157 pounds, Trey Schlender at 197 and Jarrod Hinrichs at 285 pounds were key for Nebraska-Kearney. Malcolm topped fifth-ranked Ryan Strope 3-2, while wins at the two heaviest weights enabled the Lopers to pull away. Division III While Division II was all over the place, Division III was pretty much business as usual as the only two schools to ever win the Division III National Duals cruised into the semifinals. Midwestern juggernauts Wartburg and Augsburg will face off with two of the top programs from the east in the semifinals -- Ithaca and Johnson & Wales. Wartburg, looking to claim the school's 12th National Duals title and eighth in a row, lost two individual matches as the Knights rolled past Olivet 46-3 and conference rival Coe 42-4. Coe reached the quarterfinals after upending eighth-seeded Ferrum 37-6. The Knights will face Marty Nichols' Ithaca Bombers, who topped Centenary 34-4 before sweeping the last seven weights to defeat UW-Whitewater 31-10. Second-seeded Johnson & Wales spent one cycle atop the NCAA Division III Coaches Association rankings in December. Lonnie Morris' squad will have to get past Augsburg before they can think about bringing the duals title back to Rhode Island. After beating Millikin 34-9, the Wildcats then build a big lead against No. 7 seed Baldwin Wallace and came away with a 20-13 win. Augsburg lost one individual match on the day. The Auggies, seeded third, shut out Corland State 53-0 to start the day before they topped North Central 34-6. While there weren't too many dual outcomes that would shake up the rankings, there were a handful individually across the board. At 125 pounds, UW-La Crosse's Zach Villarreal continued his impressive freshman season, knocking off Baldwin Wallace's Chris Doyle 15-12. A round later, it was Doyle who would pick up a big win, topping All-American Bobby Jordan of Johnson & Wales 4-1. Johnson & Wales did get a chance to pick off one big gun as Joao Vicente built a 10-5 lead over top-ranked Chris Williams of Millikin before Williams was forced to injury default. NAIA Grand View's quest to capture a seventh straight NAIA National Duals title has gone pretty much according to plan. Coach Nick Mitchell's team has lost three individual bouts on the day after opening up with a 49-4 win over William Penn and a 36-9 win over Lindsey Wilson. National champions Josh Wenger (149), Grant Henderson (165), Evan Hansen (197) and Dean Brorghammer (285) went a combined 7-0 while Grand View's squad earned 13 bonus victories. A familiar face will be across the mat in the semifinals as No. 5 Life University upended No. 4 University of the Cumberlands 19-16 in the quarters. Life is coached by past Grand View national champion Omi Acosta. The Running Eagles fell behind early against the Patriots' stout lower weights, but they would win five of the last six to advance. A key bout came at 197 pounds where top-ranked Dalton Bailey fell behind 6-2 early and rallied for an 8-6 win to set up Brandon Hill's 6-4 win at 285 to clinch the dual. In the bottom half, Williams Baptist snuck into the semifinals for the first time in school history. Under first-year coach Todd Allen, the Eagles fell behind early but closed out a 30-17 over Indiana Tech win with three straight falls at 184, 197 and 285. The feat made more impressive as they were without the services of returning NAIA heavyweight champion Demetrius Thomas. Second-seeded Missouri Valley will await Williams Baptist in Friday's semifinal. Coach Mike Maccholz's squad opened up with a 43-3 win over Jamestown before moving into the semifinals with a 22-13 win over the University of Providence (Mont.). A pair of ranked head-to-heads went the way of Missouri Valley at 197 and 285 as fourth-ranked Donavan Fouchey and fifth-ranked Jesse Gomez earned decisions to clinch the semifinal berth for Missouri Valley. NJCAA Clackamas Community College looked sharp after two wins to reach the semifinals. The Cougars topped Triton 51-6 and Northwest Kansas Tech 50-2. Among the 18 wins on the day by Clackamas, the biggest came at 285 pounds where Darryl Aiello pinned top-ranked Odgerel Batkhishig of Northwest Tech in 39 seconds. Clackamas will face Iowa Western in the semifinals. The Reivers earned a 22-21 victory over Rochester in the quarterfinals. After Rochester's fourth-ranked Mason Hawkins beat fifth-ranked Seth Ham 3-2 at 197 pounds, it set up a winner-take-all match at 285 with Rochester's eighth-ranked Luis Pinto and unranked Andrew Pistillo. A quick sweep single in sudden victory would decide it as Pistillo claimed the match and dual winning takedown. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M crushed Colby Community College 54-0 and Southwestern Oregon 42-3 to reach the semifinals. The Golden Norsemen will face Western Wyoming, another No. 6 seed to reach the semifinals. Western Wyoming opened up with a 30-18 win over first-time participant Barton before topping Harper College 33-16. Harper upset Iowa Lakes in the first round. WCWA King's four-year run as National Duals champions came to an abrupt end on Thursday as the Tornado fell 29-15 to Emmanuel. One of the key bouts there saw a pair of two-time WCWA champions meet. King's Marina Doi bumped up to 109 to face Cody Pfau, a two-time WCWA champion who previously wrestled at Oklahoma City. After a 2-2 first period, Pfau finished off Doi with a fall at 4:15. Emmanuel built a 20-3 lead after five bouts. Kayla Marano's win at 143 iced the win for the Lions. Emmanuel opened up with a 33-11 win over Missouri Valley, currently the longest-tenured women's college wrestling program in the country. Top-seeded Campbellsville will face Emmanuel. The Tigers topped the University of the Cumberlands 37-9. After dropping two of the first three bouts, Campbellsville's Steffanie Hampton and Norwegian native Grace Bullen registered back-to-back falls at 123 and 130 to start the parade of seven straight wins to close out the dual. Second-seeded McKendree was dominant in a 43-1 win over Eastern Oregon, which was coming off an upset win over Oklahoma City in the previous round. McKendree swept all 10 matches and gave up only two points in the entire dual. Alexis Porter and Janelle Fuamatu each earned falls for the Bearcats. McKendree will face Wayland Baptist, which defeated Grays Harbor College 30-13 in the other bottom bracket quarterfinal. The Pioneers got started quickly, earning four technical superiority wins in the first five matches, ignited by Junior world medalist Asia Ray at 101 pounds.

Coaches Pat Popolizio and Obe Blanc talk to Kevin Jack (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 8 NC State will "Tussle for the Troops" in Naples, Italy, on Friday. The event, which will also host four international freestyle matches, takes place at the Naples Naval Base. The dual meet features 14 ranked wrestlers and three matches between top-ten wrestlers. The following is a weight-by-weight preview of the dual meet. The lineups are a prediction of each team's best squad. 125: No. 8 Sean Fausz (NC State) vs. No. 3 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) Fausz has yet to compete in a dual meet match so far this season, but he is listed as the probable starter. He competed in both the Wolfpack Open and the Reno Tournament of Champions and built a 9-1 record. His only defeat came against redshirt Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) at Reno. Fausz's best win this season was an 8-3 decision over No. 6 Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley). Piccininni has gone 11-1 this year and picked up bonus points in 50 percent of his wins. His only defeat was a one-point loss against No. 5 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota). In his last action, Piccininni defeated Drake Foster (Wyoming) via 15-1 major decision. Last season, the Cowboy wrestler finished fourth at the NCAA tournament to become an All-American for the first time. Fausz is unusually tall for a 125-pound wrestler. This often gives him a defensive advantage in the neutral position. However, Piccininni has always been an above average takedown threat. This season, he has looked even better. This will be a close one, but Oklahoma State will get out to an early lead. Prediction: Piccininni (Oklahoma State) dec. Fausz (NC State) 133: Tariq Wilson (NC State) vs. No. 5 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) Wilson has gone 17-3 this season with two of his losses coming against teammate Jamel Morris. He has won all seven of his dual meet matches and picked up bonus points in all but one match. In his most recent action, Wilson reached the finals of the Reno Tournament of Champions before falling to No. 12 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) in the final match and taking home second place. Oddly enough Brock will also come into the match coming off a loss to Bridges. The Oklahoma State wrestler dropped an 11-10 decision in the team's dual against Wyoming. Despite the loss, Brock is still having a strong season. He has gone 13-2 with wins over No. 19 Zach Sherman (North Carolina) and No. 8 Mitch McKee (Minnesota). Last season, Brock bounced back from an injury shortened season and finished fifth at the NCAA tournament. Common opponent is not always the best indicator in wrestling. However, for this bout it can be pretty informative. While both wrestlers recently lost to Bridges, Brock was able to show a lot more offense than Wilson. A similar scenario will play out in this match. Wilson will be able to hang early, but Brock is relentless with his scoring and will pull away. Prediction: Brock (Oklahoma State) dec. Wilson (NC State) 141: No. 4 Kevin Jack (NC State) vs. No. 3 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) Over the past two seasons, Jack has gone 47-3 with two of those three losses coming against former teammate and rival No. 2 Bryce Meredith (Wyoming). Outside of a single loss to Meredith this season, Jack has won 12 matches including victories over No. 12 Alex Madrigal (Old Dominion) and No. 8 Chad Red (Nebraska). Heil had won 55 matches in a row before running into Meredith in Oklahoma State's dual meet with Wyoming. Heil ended up losing the match 2-1 in the sudden victory. Despite the loss, Heil will try to regroup and get back on track to pick up his third-straight NCAA title. Heil has already defeated a pair of ranked wrestlers this season: No. 14 Luke Karam (Lehigh) and No. 10 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota). Heil holds a pair of wins over Jack, but they last wrestled Dec. 6, 2015. Heil won their first match 12-6, but the second match was much closer. Heil took the edge 10-8. Both matches were relatively high scoring matches for Heil. Since that win over Jack, Heil's matches (not ending via fall) have averaged only 10.69 combined points per match. If Jack can make this make a shootout, he has a chance. That is easier said than done. Prediction: Heil (Oklahoma State) dec. Jack (NC State) 149: No. 17 Beau Donahue (NC State) vs. No. 12 Geordan Martinez (Oklahoma State) Donahue is coming off a strong performance at the Reno Tournament of Champions. He reached the finals with four victories before falling to former NCAA champion Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State) to finish second. The fifth-year senior has never qualified for the NCAA tournament, but he is looking break through this year. Oklahoma State could send out Boo Lewallen instead at this weight. The two have wrestled twice at open tournaments this year, and Lewallen has won both matches close. Martinez has had an up-and-down season so far. He holds wins over No. 10 Solomon Chishko (Virginia Tech) and No. 13 Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven), but he has also dropped matches against Troy Heilmann (North Carolina) and Sam Turner (Wyoming). Donahue is a grinder and a competitor who is never an easy out. Martinez is the more skilled and gifted wrestler, but he has struggled in a few spots this year. Oklahoma State should pick up another win here, but this could end up being a swing bout for the overall dual score. Prediction: Martinez (Oklahoma State) dec. Donahue (NC State) 157: No. 3 Hayden Hidlay (NC State) vs. Jonce Blaylock (Oklahoma State) Over a three-day period in December, Hidlay announced his presence as a top contender at 157 pounds. On Dec. 15, he knocked off No. 9 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) in a dual match. Two days later, he defeated No. 4 Joey Lavallee (Missouri) in the finals of the Reno Tournament of Champions. The redshirt freshman has gone 13-0 with a 77 percent bonus rate. Blaylock moved into the 157-pound slot after All-American Joe Smith decided to redshirt. So far this season, he has gone 11-4 with signature wins over No. 12 Jake Short (Minnesota) and Kennedy Monday (North Carolina). In his last match, Blaylock dropped a 3-1 match against Archie Colgan (Wyoming). This match will be Hidlay's to lose. In order for NC State to have a shot in this dual match, he will need to pick up bonus points. Prediction: Hidlay (NC State) maj. dec. Blaylock (Oklahoma State) 165: Brian Hamann (NC State) vs. No. 8 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State) Hamann has gone 13-3 so far this season. At the Reno Tournament of Champions, he reached the quarterfinals before falling against Connor Flynn (Missouri) and ended up finishing fifth. Hamann has faced only one ranked opponent for far this season and dropped a 9-3 decision against Isaiah White (Nebraska). Rogers is back for his junior season after becoming an All-American for the first time last year. So far this season, he has gone 10-2. He defeated No. 18 Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) and No. 9 Nick Wanzek, but he also dropped bouts against No. 4 David McFadden (Virginia Tech) and Branson Ashworth (Wyoming). Rogers should be the favorite in this match. He simply has too much offense for someone like Hamann. Rogers consistently goes for throws and turns, so he will likely end up with bonus points here. Prediction: Rogers (Oklahoma State) maj. dec. Hamann (NC State) 174: Daniel Bullard (NC State) vs. No. 10 Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State) So far this season, Bullard has gone 11-2 and picked up bonus points in 64 percent of his victories. In his last action, he reached the semifinals of the Reno Tournament of Champions before losing to No. 4 Daniel Lewis (Missouri). In Bullard's only other matches against ranked competition, he picked up a win over No. 17 Forrest Przybysz (Appalachian State) and dropped a match against No. 13 Yoanse Mejias (Oklahoma). Smith redshirted last year after transferring from junior college. He has gone 11-3 with two of his losses coming against top-ten wrestlers: No. 5 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) and No. 9 Ethan Ramos (North Carolina). In his last match, Smith defeated Kyle Pope (Wyoming) via 8-7 decision. From a rankings perspective, Smith is a big favorite. However, the match will likely be a lot closer. Bullard was a top recruit a few seasons ago, and he has looked solid so far this season. Smith will likely pull this one out, but it will be closer than their ranking suggests. Prediction: Smith (Oklahoma State) dec. Bullard (NC State) 184: No.3 Pete Renda (NC State) vs. Keegan Moore (Oklahoma State) Renda has been nothing short of dominant this season. He has won all 14 of his matches and picked up bonus points in nine of those matches. At the Reno Tournament of Champions, he won the title with four falls and a technical fall. Renda has already defeated a pair of ranked wrestlers this season. He defeated No. 9 Bryce Carr (Chattanooga) and No. 6 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) in dual meet matches. Moore has gone 10-3 to start the season He has yet to knock off a ranked wrestler. He split his last two dual meet matches. First, he fell via major decision against Dylan Gabel (Northern Colorado). One day later Moore returned and defeated Chaz Polson (Wyoming) via 8-7 decision. Not only has Renda been a man on a mission this season, but he also brings a unique skill set to the table. His ability to ride tough and score points from the top is a big difference maker, and it should be more than enough to pick up bonus points here. Prediction: Renda (NC State) maj. dec. Moore (Oklahoma State) 197: No. 7 Mike Macchiavello (NC State) vs. No. 5 Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State) Moving up to 197 pounds has proven to be a very smart decision for Macchiavello. He has begun this season with a 12-0 record, and he has already knocked off a pair of undefeated wrestlers. He defeated No. 15 Scottie Boykin (Chattanooga) in the first weekend in December, and he took home an 8-3 decision over No. 11 Corey Griego (Oregon State) on his way to a title at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Weigel missed most of the first semester, but he returned towards the end of December. In his two matches this season, he defeated No. 18 Jacob Seely (Northern Colorado) via decision and picked up a technical fall over Cody Vigoren (Wyoming). Last season, Weigel went 22-8 and became an All-American for the first time. The Oklahoma State wrestler is a very physical competitor who can hand fight with the best of them. In a vacuum, he would probably be the favorite in this match. However, Macchiavello has been having a breakout season so far and will ride that momentum to a victory. Prediction: Macchiavello (NC State) dec. Weigel (Oklahoma State) 285: Malik McDonald (NC State) vs. No. 8 Derek White (Oklahoma State) In his most recent action, McDonald lost in the semifinals of the Reno Tournament of Champions and ended up finishing fifth. He has gone 14-2 to start this season. He has not faced a ranked opponent yet this season. White moved up to heavyweight this season after spending nearly his entire collegiate career at 197 pounds. He has gone 11-1 so far this season with his only loss coming when he dropped a 1-0 decision against No. 7 Mike Hughes (Hofstra). In his other matches against ranked opponents he defeated No. 12 Jordan Wood (Lehigh) and No. 13 Thomas Haines (Lock Haven). White is a much more active wrestler than McDonald. He might struggle to score early in this match, but he will eventually wear down his opponent and pull out the decision. Prediction: White (Oklahoma State) dec. McDonald (NC State) Dual Meet Prediction: Oklahoma State 22, NC State 11

Iran's Hassan Yazdani Charati after winning a world title in Paris (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) United World Wrestling, the international wrestling federation, has notified USA Wrestling that Turkey, one of the eight qualifying nations for 2018 Freestyle World Cup in Iowa City, Iowa, April 7-8, has withdrawn from the competition. Iran, which placed ninth in the 2017 World Championships, has replaced Turkey in the field. Iran is the defending World Cup team champions, having won the 2017 Freestyle World Cup, hosted in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 16-17, defeating the United States in the championship dual meet. With the addition of Iran to the field, the nations scheduled to compete in Iowa City, with their 2017 World Championships finish, include: 1. United States, 2.Russia, 3. Georgia; 5. Azerbaijan; 6. Japan; 7. Cuba; 8. Kazakhstan; 9. Iran. Tickets are now available for the two-day event at WorldCupIowaCity.com/tickets. The draw for the World Cup will be random, and conducted by United World Wrestling prior to the event. Iran has won the last six Freestyle World Cup titles in a row, starting in 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan. They also won the 2013 and 2017 Freestyle World Cups held in Tehran, Iran, as well as all three World Cups hosted in Los Angeles, Calif. (2014-2016). The United States, the 2017 World Freestyle Champions from the World Championships in Paris, France, last won the Freestyle World Cup in 2003 in Boise, Idaho. The USA has won 13 World Cup titles since the event was launched in 1973, behind only the Soviet Union with 15 World Cup titles. Each time Iran comes to the United States to compete in wrestling there is much media attention, as well as a strong turnout of Iranian-American fans. Wrestling is a national sport in Iran, with an ancient tradition. The competition will be held at the world-famous Carver-Hawkeye Arena on the campus of the University of Iowa. This venue hosted the record-setting 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for wrestling. It has been the site of many of the most important wrestling events in American wrestling history, and serves as the home venue for the University of Iowa wrestling team, which annually leads the NCAA in attendance for the sport. This will be the 30th time the United States has hosted the event, the most of any nation. Iowa City will be the ninth U.S. city to host the Freestyle World Cup. The other U.S. cities which have hosted the World Cup include Toledo, Ohio (17 times); Los Angeles, Calif. (three times) Chattanooga, Tenn. (twice); Spokane, Wash.(twice); Stillwater, Okla. (twice); Baltimore, Md.; Fairfax, Va. and Boise, Idaho. The local organizing committee for the Freestyle World Cup is led by the University of Iowa and the Iowa City/Coralville Convention & Visitors Bureau and includes leaders from the City of Iowa City, City of Coralville and City of North Liberty.

Lee Kemp with his new book "Winning Gold: Success Secrets of a World Champion" Imagine what it would be like to have Lee Kemp as your coach, providing you with more than basic instruction ... but also inspiration and motivation to do your best, not just on the mat, but anywhere in your life. Lee Kemp's new book, "Winning Gold: Success Secrets of a World Champion," provides those key ingredients to help wrestlers -- and, in fact, anyone -- from achieving greater levels of success on and off the mat. Meet Lee Kemp Lee Kemp was arguably one of the greatest amateur wrestlers of all time, achieving success in high school, college and in international competition, despite not having taken up the sport until ninth grade. He was a two-time Ohio state champ for Chardon High School, undefeated in his junior and senior years. Kemp then headed north to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was a four-time NCAA championships finalist, and three-time champ, compiling an incredible 110-3 overall record. It was in freestyle where Kemp truly made his mark, as America's first three-time World Champion, winning his first title in 1978 at age 21. In addition, he was a four-time World Cup Champion, 7-time United States Freestyle National Champion and was a heavy favorite for gold earning a berth on the 1980 United States Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Team, but was unable to compete because of the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics. Kemp was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1990. Nearly two decades later, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (where he was one of the freestyle coaches for the U.S.), Kemp became just the fifth American to be welcomed into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame. Kemp now serves as a motivational speaker and business entrepreneur, launching LKNutrition (formerly FORZA Technologies), a nutritional supplement company. All of these accomplishments are even more impressive, given Kemp's early life. He was born in Cleveland but given up at birth, and raised in foster homes until he was adopted by a couple who raised him on a farm outside Chardon in northeast Ohio. He took on the name of his adoptive father, Leroy P. Kemp. Sharing what made him a success Lee Kemp was born to write "Winning Gold" ... and not just because of his impressive accomplishments as a wrestler and coach. "From my earliest recollection, I wanted to be great at something," Kemp shares in the foreword to "Winning Gold." "I think it maybe was a subliminal response for needing to feel wanted after being given up at birth and spending the first five years of my life in two foster homes, before being adopted." "I do not remember much about that part of my life other than feeling alone and insignificant. From my adoption records, I learned the two foster homes I was in had other children temporarily living there like me, so bonding with anyone was really hard, so I never felt that I belonged anywhere." Kemp continues, "As I reflect back I have learned that the struggles and trials I experienced early in my life were actually shaping me for the man I was to become, and without them I certainly would not have had the intense desire to be successful and to feel important and feel like I belonged somewhere." "I believe it was an internal struggle for recognition; to be great at something. ("Winning Gold") reflects my thoughts and the things that inspired me along my journey towards success." Kemp then shares how he developed as a wrestler ... and how that shaped him into the man who wrote "Winning Gold." In his first two years as a high school wrestler, he describes himself as being "average," with a record of 11-8-3 as a sophomore. He writes, "What happened next was nothing short of remarkable. I completed the next two years as an undefeated two-time Ohio state wrestling champion." The trajectory to further success was launched; as Kemp points out a couple paragraphs later, "In only six years, I went from an average high school wrestler to world champion!" "This transformation led me on a path to learn the psychological components of not only how to become successful, but how to stay successful." Written for anyone to put to work for themselves Kemp states the thought processes that helped him develop into a world-class wrestler who later became a successful entrepreneur and motivational speaker -- and are now shared in "Winning Gold" -- can be applied by anyone to achieve excellence in any vocation or discipline. Kemp's book is written to help make this happen. "Winning Gold" is a series of more than 70 "messages" -- brief, concise chapters of no more than 2-3 pages each -- that address a specific topic. Message titles include "Breaking Through Fear", "The Battle Inside All of Us" and "Visualization is a Really Powerful Tool!" Each message is written in an upbeat, easy-to-understand, conversational style that helps you the reader not only grasp the concept presented ... but see how it is applicable to your life. The format for Kemp's "Winning Gold" is very reader-friendly. You can pick up the book, read a message or two before bedtime or while on break ... and, in fact, turn to the book over and over when you could use some positive coaching to get through a challenging situation or a tough day. What's more, "Winning Gold" is appropriate for readers of all ages, from youngsters seeking success in the classroom and on the mat ... to seasoned business professionals wanting motivation and inspiration to take their careers -- and their lives -- to even higher levels. To learn more about "Winning Gold: Success Secrets of a World Champion" -- and to purchase a copy -- visit Lee Kemp's official website.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Once again, the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana will host the NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals presented by Applied Silver, InBody, Theraworx and the United States Marine Corps on January 4-5. And you can follow all 86 teams, 65 nationally ranked programs from five different divisions live on Trackwrestling and Trackcast Video Streaming. Competition begins at 9 a.m. on Thursday with the semifinal rounds beginning at 11 a.m. Friday followed by championship and placement matches at 2 p.m. All times are Eastern. WHAT: NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals WHERE: Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana WHEN: January 4-5 RESULTS & LIVE STREAMING VIA TRACKWRESTLING: Men's Divisions | Women's Division LIVE STREAM: Subscription Info ($19.95 – includes all divisions, live and archived content) TICKETS: Adult All-Session $40; Student All-Session $30. Adult Single Day $20, Student Single Day $15. 2018 EVENT PROGRAM PRELIMINARY BRACKETS Division II | Division III | NAIA | NJCAA | WCWA COMPETING TEAMS Division II: Ashland, California Baptist, Central Oklahoma, Colorado State-Pueblo, Gannon, Indianapolis, Kutztown, Lake Erie, McKendree, Nebraska-Kearney, Notre Dame College, Pitt-Johnstown, Seton Hill, St. Cloud State, Upper Iowa, Wheeling Jesuit. Division III: Augsburg, Augustana (Ill.), Baldwin Wallace, Centenary, Chicago, Coe, Concordia-Moorhead, Cortland State, Ferrum, Heidelberg, Ithaca, Johnson & Wales, Manchester, Millikin, NYU, North Central, Ohio Northern, Olivet, UW-La Crosse, UW-Whitewater, Wabash, Wartburg, Wheaton, Wilkes. NAIA: Baker (Kan.), Campbellsville, Concordia (Neb.), Cumberland (Tenn.), Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), Grand View, Indiana Tech, Jamestown (N.D.), Life, Lindsey Wilson, Midland, Missouri Valley, Providence (Mont.), U. of the Cumberlands (Ky.), William Penn (Iowa), Williams Baptist (Ark.). NJCAA: Barton, Clackamas, Colby, Harper, Iowa Lakes, Iowa Western, Labette, Lincoln, Nassau, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Northwest Kansas Tech, Rochester, Southwestern Oregon, Spartanburg Methodist, Triton, Western Wyoming. WCWA: Campbellsville, Eastern Oregon, Emmanuel, Grays Harbor, Jamestown, King, Life, McKendree, Missouri Baptist, Missouri Valley, Oklahoma City, Southwestern Oregon, U. of the Cumberlands (Ky.), Wayland Baptist. The NWCA brings the wrestling coaching community together to advance the sport and ensure that current and future generations have the opportunity to engage in a safe and educationally based wrestling experience. This is primarily done by strengthening existing programs, creating new programs, and providing coaches with progressive educational opportunities.

The first week of 2018 is upon us, and here is the schedule of competition for teams currently in the national rankings for the upcoming week (January 3-9). No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. -- competes in the Geary (Okla.) Invitational on Friday and Saturday No. 2 Buchanan, Calif. -- competes in the Doc Buchanan Invitational at Clovis (Calif.) on Friday and Saturday No. 3 St. Paris Graham, Ohio -- competes in the Valley View (Ohio) Invitational on Saturday No. 4 Bergen Catholic, N.J. -- competes in the Doc Buchanan Invitational at Clovis (Calif.) on Friday and Saturday No. 5 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. -- competes in the NFWOA Tournament in Niagara Falls (N.Y.) on Saturday No. 6 Montini Catholic, Ill. -- competes in the Cheesehead Invitational at Kaukauna (Wis.) on Friday and Saturday No. 7 Lake Highland Prep, Fla. -- hosts Southwest Miami (Fla.) tomorrow night in a dual meet, competes in the Lake Mary (Fla.) Tournament of Champions on Friday and Saturday No. 8 St. Edward, Ohio -- travels to Huntington (W.Va.) for quad meet along with Christiansburg (Va.) and Independence (W.Va.) No. 9 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich. -- host the Detroit Catholic Central Invitational on Saturday No. 11 Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio -- competes in the Parkersburg South (W.Va.) Classic on Saturday No. 12 Tuttle, Okla. -- competes in the Geary (Okla.) Invitational on Friday and Saturday No. 13 Gilroy, Calif. -- competes in the Doc Buchanan Invitational at Clovis (Calif.) on Friday and Saturday No. 14 Malvern Prep, Pa. -- hosts Penn Charter (Pa.) in a dual meet on Friday, competes in the Bissell Tournament at The Hill School (Pa.) on Saturday No. 15 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. -- hosts Pleasant Valley (Pa.) in a dual meet tomorrow No. 16 Allen, Texas -- travels to Plainview (Okla.) for dual meet tomorrow, competes in the Cushing (Okla.) Invitational on Friday and Saturday No. 17 Choctaw, Okla. -- hosts No. 38 Broken Arrow (Okla.) in a dual meet tomorrow, competes in the Geary (Okla.) Invitational on Friday and Saturday, hosts Plainview (Okla.) in a dual meet on Tuesday 1/9 No. 18 Wadsworth, Ohio -- hosts Nordonia (Ohio) and North Royalton (Ohio) in a tri-meet tomorrow No. 19 Oakdale, Calif. -- hosts Sierra (Calif.) and Kimball (Calif.) in tri-meet today, competes in the Doc Buchanan Invitational on Friday and Saturday No. 20 Park Hill, Mo. -- hosts Blue Springs (Mo.) in a dual meet on Tuesday 1/9 No. 21 Christian Brothers College, Mo. -- hosts St. Louis University (Mo.) in a dual meet tomorrow, hosts the Gateway to the Best Duals on Saturday, travels to Battle (Mo.) for a dual meet on Tuesday 1/9 No. 22 Delbarton, N.J. -- hosts Chatham (N.J.) in a dual meet tomorrow No. 23 Brecksville, Ohio -- hosts Twinsburg (Ohio) and Cuyahoga Falls (Ohio) in a tri-meet tomorrow No. 24 Selma, Calif. -- competes in the Doc Buchanan Invitational at Clovis (Calif.) on Friday and Saturday No. 25 Apple Valley, Minn. -- travels to Lakeville North (Minn.) for dual meet tomorrow, competes in the Cheesehead Invitational at Kaukauna (Wis.) on Friday and Saturay No. 26 Clovis, Calif. -- hosts the Doc Buchanan Invitational on Friday and Saturday No. 27 Brownsburg, Ind. -- competes in the Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) Invitational on Saturay No. 28 Fort Dodge, Iowa -- travels to Dowling Catholic (Iowa) for dual meet tomorrow, competes in the Leipic Duals at Iowa City West (Iowa) on Saturday No. 29 Southeast Polk, Iowa -- competes in the Cheesehead Invitational at Kaukauna (Wis.) on Friday and Saturday No. 30 Oak Park River Forest, Ill. -- competes in the Cheesehead Invitational at Kaukauna (Wis.) on Friday and Saturday No. 31 Anoka, Minn. -- hosts Centennial (Minn.) in a dual meet tomorrow, competes in the Buffalo (Minn.) Tournament on Saturday No. 32 Lowell, Mich. -- travels to Greenville (Mich.) for double dual with Cedar Springs (Mich.) on Friday, competes in the New Lothrop (Mich.) Invitational on Saturday No. 33 Massillon Perry, Ohio -- travels to North Canton Hoover (Ohio) for dual meet tmorrow No. 34 Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind. -- competes in the North Central (Ind.) Invitational on Saturday No. 35 Parkersburg South, W.Va. -- hosts the Parkersburg South (W.Va.) Classic on Saturday No. 36 Portage, Ind. -- hosts Valporaiso (Ind.) in a dual meet tonight, hosts Crown Point (Ind.) in a dual meet on Saturday No. 37 Simley, Minn. -- competes in the Cheesehead Invitational at Kaukauna (Wis.) on Friday and Saturday No. 38 Broken Arrow, Okla. -- travels to No. 17 Choctaw (Okla.) for dual meet tomorrow, competes in the Geary (Okla.) Invitational on Friday and Saturday No. 39 Howell, N.J. -- travels to Marlboro (N.J.) for dual meet tonight; hosts quad meet on Saturday against West Deptford (N.J.), Kittataning (N.J.), and Hunterdon Central (N.J.); travels to Manalapan (N.J.) for dual meet on Monday 1/8 No. 40 Kasson-Mantorville, Minn. -- competes in the Cheesehead Invitational at Kaukauna (Wis.) on Friday and Saturday No. 41 Kearney, Neb. -- travels to No. 42 Lincoln East (Neb.) for dual meet tomorrow, competes in the Gator Invitational at Lincoln (Neb.) North Star on Friday No. 42 Lincoln East, Neb. -- hosts No. 41 Kearney (Neb.) in a dual meet tomorrow, competes in the Millard West (Neb.) Duals on Saturday No. 43 Davison, Mich. -- travels to Midland Dow (Mich.) for quad tonight with Saginaw (Mich.) and Carman Ainsworth (Mich.), competes in the Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) Invitational on Saturday No. 44 Pomona, Colo. -- travels to Chatfield (Colo.) for dual meet tonight, competes in the Doc Buchanan Invitational at Clovis (Calif.) on Friday and Saturday No. 45 Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa. -- competes in the Perry (Ohio) Pin City Invitational on Friday and Saturday No. 46 Perry Meridian, Ind. -- competes in the Franklin Community (Ind.) Invitational on Saturday No. 47 Nazareth, Pa. -- hosts Pocono Mountain East (Pa.) in a dual meet tomorrow No. 48 Chicago Mt. Carmel, Ill. -- competes in the Cheesehead Invitational on Friday and Saturday No. 49 Mt. St. Joseph's, Md. -- travels to McDonogh (Md.) for dual meet on Saturday No. 50 Goddard, Kansas -- competes in the Derby (Kansas) Invitational on Friday and Saturday Off this week: No. 10 Poway (Calif.)

Over the holiday season, United World Wrestling posted its year-end awards on its website UnitedWorldWrestling.org and four American wrestlers were selected for international recognition. Below, we include the information on each award from the UWW website article, plus the link to the story and video that UWW posted on these awards. Helen Maroulis outscored her opponents 52-0 at the World Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 2017 Performance of the Year: Helen Maroulis 58kg WW: Helen Maroulis In one of the most dominant performances in recent memory, Helen Maroulis proved doubters wrong and showed that she had the ability to compete at 58kg. Already a 2015 world champion and 2016 Olympic gold medalist, Maroulis had her sights on gold in Paris. She outscored her opponents 52-0, including a controlling 11-0 technical superiority victory in the 58kg finals over Olympic bronze medal winner Marwa Amri (TUN). Link: 2017 Outstanding Performance 2017 Comeback of the Year: Jordan Burroughs 74kg: Jordan Burroughs (USA) Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion Jordan Burroughs (USA) was coming off an Olympic Games where his hand was only raised once. Leaving Rio, Burroughs was slotted as the ninth best wrestler at the Olympic Games. After surviving a scare from Ali Shabanau (BLR) in round one of the World Championships, Burroughs rallied off two technical superiority victories to reach the 74kg semifinals. Burroughs avenged one of his two Rio losses, defeating Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (UZB), 6-5. In the finals, Khetik Tsabolov (RUS) led with one minute remaining, but Burroughs tallied back-to-back takedowns to lock up the 9-6 win. Link: 2017 Comeback Wrestlers of the Year 2017 Freestyle Match of the Year: Kyle Snyder 97kg World Championship GOLD: Kyle Snyder (USA) v. Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) The 97kg world final was arguably the most anticipated match-up of all time. The stage was set for two-time world champion and Olympic champion Kyle Snyder (USA) to take on two-time world champion and Olympic champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS). In addition to the individual title, the winner of the 97kg final determined the team race, as the USA and Russia were tied with 53 points. apiece. Snyder's takedown with 25 seconds left sealed the 97kg title, also clinching the United States' first team title since 1995. Link: 2017 Men's Freestyle Matches of the Year 2017 Greco-Roman Match of the Year: Kamal Bey 74kg Junior World Championship GOLD: Kamal Bey (USA) df. Akzhol Makhmudov (KGZ) Makhmudov took the early 1-0 lead off a pushout. Bey (USA) went on to score 11 points, ending the first period with a combined 17 points. With 30 second left, Makhmudov closed the gap and got the match to within two points. A final takedown for Bey with three seconds left sealed the match which ended with a total of 27 points. Link: 2017 Greco-Roman Matches of the Year

Spencer Lee won by technical fall over Edinboro's Sean Russell in the Midlands quarterfinals (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Spencer Lee, the nation's top wrestling recruit in the Class of 2017, will be making his debut in the Iowa Hawkeye lineup at 125 pounds on Friday against Michigan State, according to Hawk Talk Daily, the daily e-newsletter of the UI Athletics Department. "It was a mutual decision," Lee said. "We thought it was the best thing for me -- that's what the coaches at the University of Iowa are going to do. If they think it is best for me, then I have to be selfish and do what is best for me. It wasn't just for the team, but my hope is that I can help the team improve and start (duals) off the right way." Lee has competed in six matches unattached this season, picking up three falls and three technical falls. He dropped a close match to Oregon State's Ronnie Bresser at the Midlands Championships on Saturday. He is a two-time junior world champion, cadet world champion and three-time Pennsylvania state champion. Lee is expected to face another true freshman on Friday, Michigan State's Rayvon Foley, who has compiled a record of 18-3 this season.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (5-0, 1-0 B1G) rolled through the finals of the 2018 Southern Scuffle, crowning six champions, to win the team title with 197.0 points. Penn State's title was its seventh in its last seven trips as the Nittany Lions won six straight before not participating in last year's event. The Lions crowned champions at six champions, going 6-1 in the finals. Penn State also claimed top two team awards, Most Pins in Least Time and Outstanding Wrestler. Northern Iowa took second with 127.0 and Lehigh was third with 102.0. Senior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, continued his Scuffle pin parade by taking care of No. 19 Sam Krivus of Virginia. Retherford opened up an early lead and then turned the Cavalier for his third pin in four Scuffle wins, this one coming at the 1:53 mark. Retherford's semi win moved him into the finals where met Campbell's Josh Heil. Retherford completed a superb tournament and clinched his third Southern Scuffle crown with a fall at the 4:39 mark, wrapping up a 5-0 tournament with four pins and a tech fall. He leaves Chattanooga with a 14-0 record, including 11 pins. Junior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, dazzled the Scuffle crowd with a semifinal pin over Stanford's Paul Fox, using his legs to take him to his back, adjusting once and getting the pin at the 3:42 mark, it was his third pin in four bouts with the fourth being a forfeit victory. Nolf met No. 10 Mitch Finesilver of Duke in the finals and ended the bout quickly. The Lion earned his second Scuffle title by hitting a fast headlock and pinning Finesilver at the 0:51 mark. Nolf went 5-0 with four pins and a forfeit victory to earn the title. He is now 14-0 with 12 pins. Nolf's performance garnered him the Most Pins in Least Time Award. Sophomore Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, dominated No. 19 Gordon Wolf of Lehigh in the semifinals, using a bevy of turns to post a 19-3 technical fall at the 5:53 mark. Joseph's strong win moved him into the finals, where he took on second seeded Bryce Steiert of Northern Iowa. Joseph rolled his way to an 8-0 major decision, using a strong full ride and back points in the third period to clinch the win. The victory gave Joseph his first Scuffle crown as the Lion went 5-0 with a pin, two techs and a major. Joseph heads back to Happy Valley with a 9-0 record. Sophomore Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 2 at 174, moved into the finals with a strong 4-0 win over No. 8 Jadaen Bernstein of Navy in the semis, using a second period rideout and a late takedown to post the win. Hal then dominated No. 5 Jordan Kutler of Lehigh in the finals, rolling up 2:31 in riding time and posting a 4-0 win. The victory gave Hall his second straight Scuffle crown as he went 5-0 with two pins and major this time around. Hall leaves Chattanooga with a 15-0 record with 7 pins. Junior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 184, put on a takedown flurry in the third period of his 12-4 major of North Carolina State's Nick Reenan in the semis. The late surge moved the Nittany Lion junior into the finals on the back of three pins and a major. He then capped off a perfect Scuffle run with a dominant 10-2 major over No. 10 Drew Foster of Northern Iowa in the finals, including 1:36 in riding time. Nickal went 5-0 with three pins and two majors. He leaves Chattanooga with a 14-0 mark including eight pins. Junior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), making a splash at 197 for Penn State, continued to dominate a ranked field. The Nittany Lion became Penn State's seventh finalist by pinning No. 14 Matt Williams of CSU Bakersfield in just 0:41. The victory was his third straight over a ranked foe and sent Rasheed to the finals with four wins (two pins, two majors). He met Holschlag in the finals and made it three straight quick cradles. Rasheed caught Holschlag and pinned him at the 0:46 mark to earn his first Scuffle title and end his tournament with a 5-0 mark, including three pins (all in under a minute) and two majors. Rasheed improved his overall mark to 12-2 over the weekend with nine pins. Rasheed was honored as the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler as well. True freshman Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), wrestling unattached at 141, took on No. 7 Josh Alber of Northern Iowa in the semifinals. Lee brought the Scuffle crowd to its feet by pinning Alber late in the bout. Lee, leading 5-4 in the final seconds, was not content with a decision and used a power throw to toss Alber to his back and get the fall at the 6:51 mark. The win moved the Lion into the finals where he met Oklahoma State's Kaden Gfeller in the finals and led 7-4 midway through the second when he got caught and reversed. Gfeller then turned Lee to his back and worked for over a minute before getting the pin at the 4:50 mark. Lee's outstanding 4-1 run and Scuffle runner-up finish included two pins, a tech and a major. The true freshman is now 14-3 as an unattached grappler. Sophomore Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.), ranked No. 9 at 197, appeared to have a win and a trip to the finals in hand with a late takedown of Northern Iowa's Jacob Holschlag. But the officials decided to undo the takedown, erasing Cassar's 7-4 win and send the bout to overtime where Holschlag countered a Cassar shot for a 6-4 (sv) win. Cassar rebounded with a 9-7 (sv) win over No. 15 Scottie Boykin of Chattanooga in the conso semis and then beat Stephen Loiseau of Drexel for the second time in the tournament, 4-1, for third place. Cassar's 4-1 performance has him leaving the Scuffle with a 12-2 record. Junior Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 3 at 285, opened up day two with a major decision in his first consolation bout and then received a medical forfeit win in the conso quarterfinals. Nevills downed No. 7 Mike Hughes of Hofstra in the consolation semifinals but finished fourth after dropping a 2-0 decision to No. 11 Nathan Butler in the third place match. Nevills went 5-2 at this year's Scuffle and leaves Chattanooga with a 15-2 overall mark. Senior Corey Keener (Schuylkill Haven, Pa.), ranked No. 18 at 133, lost his only match of the day, a 7-0 decision to CSU Bakersfield's Sean Nickell. Keener ended his tournament with a 3-2 record, with all three victories coming by major decisions. Keener leaves the Scuffle with a 9-2 overall record, taking his first losses as a Nittany Lion here in Chattanooga. True freshman Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.), wrestling unattached at 149, rebounded from a quarterfinal loss last night to win his first consolation bout and move into the conso quarters. He took on No. 6 Max Thomsen of Northern Iowa and led late before dropping a hard fought 5-3 decision. He downed Chattanooga's Roman Boylan 2-1 in the seventh place bout, going 4-2 in his first Scuffle. Seven Nittany Lions concluded action yesterday on day one. Redshirt freshman Devin Schnupp (Lititz, Pa.) went 0-2 at 125. Junior George Carpenter (Chapel Hill, N.C.) went 1-2 at 133. Junior Jered Cortez (Carol Stream, Ill.), ranked No. 15 at 141, went 3-0 but was injured at the end of his third win of the tournament and did not continue. He leaves Chattanooga with an 11-1 overall record. Redshirt freshman Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) went 0-2 at 149. Sophomore Francisco Bisono (Hauppauge, N.Y.) went 0-2 at 174. Senior Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.) went 1-1 at 197, taking an injury default loss in his second bout and bowing out of the tourney. Redshirt freshman Alex Nicholas (Allentown, Pa.) went 1-2 at 285. Penn State posted a 56-19 overall record with 22 pins, four techs and 12 majors. Retherford becomes the tenth three-time Scuffle champion and the third Nittany Lion (joining PSU greats Ed Ruth and David Taylor on the illustrious list). Retherford now has 11 pins for the season, 47 for his career (third all-time at Penn State); Nolf has 12 this year and 41 for his career (fourth all-time); Nickal has eight this year and 33 for his career (ninth all-time) and Hall has seven this year and 19 for his career (nearing PSU's top 20). Rasheed has nine pins this season and 17 for his career as well. Penn State hits the road for two Big Ten road duals in its next action, visiting Michigan on Friday, Jan. 12, for a 9 p.m. dual and Michigan State on Sunday, Jan. 14, for a 1 p.m. tilt. The Nittany Lions' next home dual is a Big Ten battle against Purdue in Rec Hall on Friday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. With all home dual meets sold out, a limited number of Standing Room Only (SRO) tickets are available to select Rec Hall duals based on availability. Call 1-800-NITTANY for information or to purchase tickets. The 2017-18 Penn State wrestling season is sponsored by The Family Clothesline. 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. 2018 Southern Scuffle - FINAL Team Standings (Top 3): January 2, 2018 - Chattanooga, Tenn. 1: PENN STATE - 197.0 2: Northern Iowa - 127.0 3: Lehigh --- 102.0

Nassau Community College women's wrestlers Carolyn Herrera and Kristen Walsh drill during practice (Photo/Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke) Looking for something to celebrate in the New Year? How about a toast to all the colleges and universities that announced new wrestling programs in 2017. The year 2017 was a banner year for colleges announcing new wrestling programs. This past year, InterMat reported on nearly twenty schools that revealed plans to launch new mat programs (or resurrect past programs). Of these, just about half were women's programs. Arguably one of the most historically significant announcements this year came from Presbyterian College. In December, the South Carolina-based school made it official: it would be adding both men's and women's intercollegiate wrestling programs, making Presbyterian the first NCAA Division I school to add individual programs for men and women at the same time. Icing on the cake of that sweet announcement: the school had hired Mark Cody, former University of Oklahoma coach, as its men's coach and director of wrestling operations. The new women's programs announced in 2017 were not limited to a specific region of the country, but pretty much spanned from coast to coast. In Oregon, Umpqua Community College revealed the addition of a women's mat program to join the newly resurrected men's program ... while, at the opposite end of the country, Nassau Community College unveiled plans to bring women's wresting to Long Island, New York. A number of other colleges located in the nation's heartland revealed plans this past year to establish women's wrestling programs. Three -- Baker University, Southwestern College, and Central Christian College -- are all located in Kansas, which in recent years has seen explosive growth in collegiate mat programs. Other mid-America schools adding women's squads include Nebraska's York College ... Lakeland in Wisconsin ... and Tiffin in Ohio. Ohio, Kentucky lead the way in new men's programs In 2017, a similar number of colleges let it be known that they would add men's wrestling to their sports rosters. The state of Ohio -- one of the nation's amateur wrestling hotbeds -- led the way with four new or reinstated mat programs. Urbana University, an NCAA Division II school located between Columbus and Dayton, brought college wrestling a short drive from nationally-ranked prep powerhouse St. Paris Graham. The Buckeye State also welcomed good news from a trio of NCAA Division III schools -- a new-from-scratch program at Defiance College, in northwest Ohio ... as well as re-establishing past mat programs at Ohio Wesleyan and Wilmington College. Kentucky -- a place where the state sport is arguably basketball -- cheered the news that two more colleges would offer students something new to root for in the wintertime. In the space of about a week, Midway University -- an NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) school located halfway between Louisville and Lexington -- and Kentucky Wesleyan, an NCAA Division II school in western Kentucky, near Evansville, Ind. -- both let it be known this fall that they would be rolling out the mats in fall 2018. Two other southern schools also announced the establishment of wrestling programs in 2017: Bluefield College in Virginia ... and Queens University in Charlotte, N.C., to be led by respected coach (and past Olympic wrestler) Ken Chertow. Michigan, another state with a rich wrestling heritage, can also lay claim to helping grow the oldest and greatest sport, as St. Clair County Community College is welcoming wrestling to its Port Huron campus. Waving goodbye to three collegiate programs In a year with announcements aplenty about new college wrestling programs for women and men, a trio of schools bucked the trend and dropped the hammer on their mat programs in 2017. In late March, Shorter University announced it would be eliminating its wrestling program, citing time and expense traveling to other Division II schools as a major factor in its decision to scrap the program it established in 2010. About six weeks later, Canada's University of Winnipeg axed its men's and women's mat squads -- and some other sports -- in response to a multi-million-dollar budget crisis. The announcement that got the most attention was Boise State's decision to chop its NCAA Division I program seemingly without warning, leaving its wrestlers, recruits and first-year coach Mike Mendoza stunned. The school's president, Robert Kustra, revealed that he wanted to focus resources on bringing baseball to the Idaho-based school, and talked about building a $40 million ballpark in downtown Boise to house both minor-league and the yet-to-be announced BSU baseball team. Despite having a rugged 2016-17 season, the Broncos had a rich wrestling history, having won six conference team championships, 2 top-20 NCAA team finishes and five top-10 NCAA team finishes. The elimination of Boise State wrestling raised anger well beyond the western U.S. Months later, the man behind the decision announced his retirement ... but there's been no official talk of reversing his decision.

125: No. 4 Darian Cruz (Lehigh) maj. dec. No. 16 Louie Hayes (Virginia), 11-0 No. 11 Jay Schwarm (Northern Iowa) pinned Sergio Mendez (CSU Bakersfield), 0:50 133: Gary Wayne Harding (Oklahoma State) dec. Colby Smith (Unattached), 3-2 No. 4 Jack Mueller (Virginia) by default over No. 6 Austin DeSanto (Drexel) 141: Nick Lee (Penn State) pinned No. 7 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa), 6:51 Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 14 Luke Karam (Lehigh), 2-1 149: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) pinned No. 19 Sam Krivus (Virginia), 1:53 Josh Heil (Campbell) dec. No. 11 (at 141) Jared Prince (Navy), 4-2 157: No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) pinned Paul Fox (Stanford), 3:42 No. 10 Mitch Finesilver (Duke) maj. dec. Garrett Hammond (Drexel), 9-1 165: No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) tech. fall No. 19 Gordon Wolf (Lehigh), 19-3 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) dec. No. 8 Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven), 3-2 174: No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) dec. No. 8 Jadaen Bernstein (Navy), 4-0 No. 5 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) dec. No. 7 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa), 8-4 184: No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) maj. dec. Nick Reenan (NC State), 12-4 No. 10 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) dec. No. 15 Bryce Carr (Chattanooga), 2-0 197: Jacob Holschlag (Northern Iowa) dec. No. 9 Anthony Cassar (Penn State), 6-4 SV Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) pinned No. 14 Matt Williams (CSU Bakersfield), 0:41 285: Mike Boykin (NC State) dec. No. 11 Nathan Butler (Stanford), 3-1 No. 5 Jacob Kasper (Duke) dec. No. 7 Mike Hughes (Hofstra), 2-0

Perry High School wrestling team Christmas came early for the Perry High School wrestling team ... and for the documentary chronicling the history of the legendary mat program. Just prior to the Christmas holiday, wrestling apparel maker RUDIS announced a partnership with the producers of the documentary film "The Price of Legacy: Wrestling with a Dynasty" which included gear for the legendary Perry Maroon wrestling program of Oklahoma. As part of the partnership, RUDIS provided the entire Perry High wrestling team and coaching staff with featured products -- including custom-made sublimated shorts and shirts featuring the RUDIS logo -- which were delivered on December 21, 2017. Chance Leonard, Creator and Executive Producer of "The Price of Legacy" documentary film -- and a former Perry High wrestler himself -- said, "My team and I are extremely excited to announce our partnership with RUDIS. Our brands share a common theme -- extreme commitment. The team at RUDIS is laser focused on its mission statement of being the most accurate and authentic expression of the sport of wrestling. My team and I are laser focused on creating and delivering the most accurate and authentic depiction of the greatest high school wrestling tradition in the nation." Leonard's words echo those that RUDIS uses to describe itself at its official website. www.therudis.com "Born from wrestling and built for wrestling. RUDIS was created with a single vision in mind: be the most accurate and authentic expression of the sport. The core values of wrestling govern our every action and drive us to continually innovate, serve, and connect with those who love this sport." "We take pride in being the most authentic expression of wrestling." Jesse Leng, CEO of RUDIS said, "Telling the story of wrestling through apparel has always been a driving goal at RUDIS. Partnering with the 'Price of Legacy' is an honor as the film illustrates the greatness of the journey and the rich tradition that wrestling has inspired through the ages. We are excited and proud to be affiliated with such a storied program and an amazing story. Leonard concurred, telling InterMat, "We're building support for our film via partnerships with the most recognizable entities within wrestling. One of our most important goals is to radically collaborate with the rest of the wrestling world. Together we can create visibility and credibility for our great sport by telling a true story of a legendary wrestling program that epitomizes the core values of the sport." "We would like to thank Mr. Jesse Leng, Mrs. Amy Rosselli and all of RUDIS for working with us," Leonard continued. "Their passion for wrestling is contagious and its seen in their products. Adding RUDIS to our team of outstanding partners brings additional credibility and visibility. We couldn't be more excited!" "We continue to make progress toward completing the film and hope to release it calendar year 2018." The just-announced partnership with RUDIS follows on the heels of a similar arrangement between the documentary filmmakers telling the story of the Perry High wrestling program and wrestling footwear company ASICS announced in early November. https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/18810 Perry -- a community located in northern Oklahoma, between Oklahoma City and Wichita, Kan. -- has a longstanding legacy with the sport of wrestling that is the subject of "The Price of Legacy: Wrestling with a Dynasty" documentary now in production. Perry High School can claim one of the most accomplished prep wrestling programs in the entire country. Although the town of Perry, Okla. has only about 5,000 residents, its wrestling program has produced greatness in its more than 95-year history. Among the achievements of the mat Maroons: Two Olympic medalists -- Jack VanBebber, gold medalist at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, and Dan Hodge, who won silver at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne -- 164 individual state champs, 964 dual wins, sixteen dual state titles, and eighteen individuals who have earned a total of 28 All-American honors at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. If that weren't enough, Perry can claim a total of 41 Oklahoma high school team titles -- a national record. In fact, the program has won a state team title at least once in every two years since 1961. The town of Perry is also home to the Perry Wrestling Monument Park, a unique tribute to the great wrestlers who called Perry home. Located in downtown Perry on Courthouse Square, the park features statues of the two Perry Olympic medalists -- VanBebber and Hodge -- along with granite columns which have the names of Perry mat legends carved into them. Wrestling fans are encouraged to follow the filmmakers' progress on social media: @priceoflegacy on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- The past three years, the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana has been a key location in the college wrestling landscape. In 2018, the United Wrestling Group will again host the NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals presented by Applied Silver, InBody, Theraworx and the United States Marine Corps on January 4-5. With 86 teams, 65 nationally ranked programs and five different divisions, the event will again live up to its moniker -- Mat Mayhem. "Fort Wayne has been a tremendous place for us the last four years," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "It's a big two days of wrestling, not just with the National Duals portion, but NUWAY also provides competition at the age-group levels as well as a college open, so there's no shortage of competition across the board." Two other notable stats stand out about the 86-team field and that comes from the quality of individuals competing. Of the 50 top-ranked individuals across the five divisions, 34 will be in action in Fort Wayne. A total of 345 nationally ranked individuals are expected to compete. Competition begins at 9 a.m. on Thursday with the semifinal rounds beginning at 11 a.m. Friday followed by championship and placement matches at 2 p.m. All times are Eastern. WHAT: NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals WHERE: Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana WHEN: January 4-5 RESULTS & LIVE STREAMING VIA TRACKWRESTLING: Men's Divisions | Women's Division LIVE STREAM: Subscription Info ($19.95 - includes all divisions, live and archived content) TICKETS: Adult All-Session $40; Student All-Session $30. Adult Single Day $20, Student Single Day $15. PRELIMINARY BRACKETS Division II | Division III | NAIA | NJCAA | WCWA COMPETING TEAMS Division II: Ashland, California Baptist, Central Oklahoma, Colorado State-Pueblo, Gannon, Indianapolis, Kutztown, Lake Erie, McKendree, Nebraska-Kearney, Notre Dame College, Pitt-Johnstown, Seton Hill, St. Cloud State, Upper Iowa, Wheeling Jesuit. Division III: Augsburg, Augustana (Ill.), Baldwin Wallace, Centenary, Chicago, Coe, Concordia-Moorhead, Cortland State, Ferrum, Heidelberg, Ithaca, Johnson & Wales, Manchester, Millikin, NYU, North Central, Ohio Northern, Olivet, UW-La Crosse, UW-Whitewater, Wabash, Wartburg, Wheaton, Wilkes. NAIA: Baker (Kan.), Campbellsville, Concordia (Neb.), Cumberland (Tenn.), Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), Grand View, Indiana Tech, Jamestown (N.D.), Life, Lindsey Wilson, Midland, Missouri Valley, Providence (Mont.), U. of the Cumberlands (Ky.), William Penn (Iowa), Williams Baptist (Ark.). NJCAA: Barton, Clackamas, Colby, Harper, Iowa Lakes, Iowa Western, Labette, Lincoln, Nassau, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Northwest Kansas Tech, Rochester, Southwestern Oregon, Spartanburg Methodist, Triton, Western Wyoming. WCWA: Campbellsville, Eastern Oregon, Emmanuel, Grays Harbor, Jamestown, King, Life, McKendree, Missouri Baptist, Missouri Valley, Oklahoma City, Southwestern Oregon, U. of the Cumberlands (Ky.), Wayland Baptist. DIVISIONAL BREAKDOWNS Division II Last year's Division II bracket was as unpredictable and upset-riddled as any in the event's history. While those types of scenarios are never truly expected, it gives fans a reason to keep an eye on every round of the competition. Three-time champion St. Cloud State looks to repeat. The top-ranked Huskies have finished in the top three six straight seasons and have won 136 of their last 145 duals. St. Cloud State will open with 15th-ranked Lake Erie College in the opening round with the winner facing either ninth-ranked Indianapolis or unranked Kutztown. Lake Erie finished in seventh place a year ago, a program best. Third-ranked Ashland will enter as the No. 2 seed. The Eagles will open with 25th-ranked Seton Hill. It's been a while since Ashland had any notable success in the event. The last time the Eagles placed in the top eight came in 2006. Notre Dame College has won the event four different times -- twice in Division II and twice as an NAIA program. The Falcons, ranked eighth, will open up with 10th-ranked Upper Iowa, showcasing the depth of the Division II portion of the event. Nine of the top 10 teams in the country are competing in Fort Wayne. The winner of the Notre Dame-Upper Iowa dual will face the winner of the Ashland-Seton Hill match. Also in the bottom bracket is third-seeded Cal Baptist, which is currently in its final year eligible to compete as a Division II program. The Lancers athletc department will begin the transition to Division I next season and coach Lennie Zalesky's team will try to claim the school's first NWCA National Duals title. The third-ranked Lancers open up with No. 18 Gannon. Two of the culprits behind last year's shattered brackets -- CSU-Pueblo and Wheeling Jesuit -- will meet in the first round. Last season, both were unseeded and found their way into the semifinals. Wheeling Jesuit earned the finals berth with a 21-20 criteria win over the Thunderwolves. CSU-Pueblo's ranked seventh this time around, so if Wheeling Jesuit wants to make a return appearance, they'll have to start out with another sizeable upset. The winner will advance to face either Cal Baptist or Gannon. Fifth-ranked McKendree opens up with No. 13 Central Oklahoma in the opening round with the winner advancing to face the winner of the Pitt-Johnstown-Nebraska-Kearney dual. Central Oklahoma won the first Division II crown back in 2002. Despite its stellar reputation as a formidable dual meet team, coach Pat Pecora's Mountain Cats have never won the event. They were third last year. Nebraska-Kearney has two championships, the most recent coming in 2007. Individually, six No. 1 wrestlers are in the field in Division II and 68 wrestlers are ranked in the top 12. There are also five past national champions in the Division II field: St. Cloud State's Brett Velasquez at 125, McKendree's Darren Wynn at 141, Nebraska-Kearney's Keith Surber at 149, Pitt-Johnstown's Tyler Reinhardt at 174 pounds and Cal Baptist's Andrew Schulte, who won a 141-pound NAIA title at Concordia (Neb.) in 2016. Division III Since the addition of the multi-divisional aspect of the National Duals in 2002, Wartburg is the only college program in the country that's made the finals every single year. The Knights have won 11 Division III National Duals championships, including the last seven in a row. Much like the dominance shown at the NCAA Division III championships for the past 20 years, the titles on the National Duals front have only been in the hands of Wartburg and its chief rival, Augsburg. "That's a rivalry that we just can't get enough of," said Moyer. "The history and legacy of those two programs is so notable, the New York Times even featured it a few years ago. "But one thing we also need to showcase about this event, especially in Division III, is the growth of wrestling we've seen. Johnson & Wales is a championship contender, they were ranked No. 1 a few weeks ago and that school has only had a wrestling team for 20 years. Ferrum is another program that's become nationally relevant in just a short time," added Moyer. Division III also has the largest field, with 24 teams competing. The top eight seeds -- Wartburg, Johnson & Wales, Augsburg, Ithaca, Wisconsin-Whitewater, Wabash, Baldwin Wallace and Ferrum all receive first round byes and will await winners of the preliminary round. Wartburg's lineup was recently bolstered by the second-semester return of 2017 NCAA Division III champion Eric DeVos. Division III features 14 of the 24 teams ranked in the Top 25 including 11 of the top 15. Six ranked teams will have to navigate those preliminary bouts as No. 11 Coe will face Mancheser with the winner facing No. 9 Ferrum; No. 15 Wisconsin-La Crosse opens up with Wheaton with the winner advancing to face No. 8 Baldwin Wallace, Division III's current leader in dual meet victories with 11. No. 17 Chicago will face Heidelberg with the winner facing fourth-ranked Ithaca. No. 24 Ohio Northern starts off with Cortland State with the winner earning the right to take on five-time champion and third-ranked Augsburg. Olivet will face Augustana (Ill.) with the winner to face top-ranked Wartburg while NYU and Millikin will wrap up the prelims with the winner advancing to face second-ranked Johnson & Wales. Individually, nine of the 10 top-ranked wrestlers in Division III are in the mix, including returning national champions Eric DeVos of Wartburg at 174 pounds and Jordan Newman of Wisconsin-Whitewater at 197 pounds. Wabash's Devin Broukal hasn't seen action this year, but he did win the 2016 NCAA Division III title at 133 pounds. In all, 57 wrestlers ranked in the top 10 of Division III will be competing in Fort Wayne. NAIA While Wartburg's dominance has been prevalent since the event's inception, Grand View's dominance in the NAIA has been prevalent since the program's inception. The Vikings are eyeing a sixth straight National Duals championships in the program's first nine years. Last year, Grand View went 42-8 in individual matches and defeated Indiana Tech for the championship for the second year in a row. While Grand View enters No. 1, a perch they've held in the NAIA for 42 straight polls, the field also includes a total of 12 ranked teams, including the top seven teams. They'll bring past national champions Josh Wenger, Grant Henderson, Evan Hansen and Dean Broghammer to the party in Fort Wayne. Second-ranked Missouri Valley has placed in the top eight 12 times, but these Vikings haven't reached a final since the event expanded beyond four teams in 2006. They open with unranked Jamestown with the winner facing either No. 6 Providence (Mont.) or No. 14 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.). Providence underwent a name change in the offseason. The school was previously known as the University of Great Falls. Third-ranked Indiana Tech has been a force in the NAIA since the program started in 2011-12. The Warriors have placed in the top seven each of the last four seasons. They open up with unranked Cumberland University (Tenn.) with the winner facing either fifth-ranked Williams Baptist (Ark.) or 15th-ranked Baker (Kan.). Williams Baptist is led by returning NAIA heavyweight national champion Demetrius Thomas. Coach Chris Fleeger has a division-leading three top-ranked wrestlers for fourth-ranked University of the Cumberlands (Ky.). With three of the first four weights manned by Hayden Lee, Jake Sinkovics and Tres Leon, the Patriots are a formidable squad and can get momentum moving in their direction in a hurry. Cumberlands will open with unranked Midland with the winner facing either seventh-ranked Life (Ga.) or 19th-ranked Concordia (Neb.). Life is led by top-ranked 197-pounder Dalton Bailey. Nine top-ranked wrestles in the NAIA are set to compete as well as a total of 115 wrestlers who are ranked in the top 20. NJCAA Teams from the National Junior College Athletic Association joined the National Duals fray in 2004. Clackamas Community College out of Oregon City, Oregon is going for a record fifth straight National Duals title in the division. In 2011, the Cougars played spoiler and claimed its first title, preventing Iowa Central from winning its fifth in a row. They'll have to avoid the same fate against a solid field that includes 12 ranked teams including two-time team runners-up Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Clackamas, which boasts a lineup of names wrestling fans may recognize from their high school and age-group successes, opens up with unranked Triton and the winner of the dual will advance to face either No. 13 Northwest Kansas Tech or No. 17 Lincoln. Clackamas hammers include returning NJCAA champion Dayton Racer, who competed at Iowa Central last season, and former Division I wrestlers Ralpy Tovar, Dylan Reel and Gage Harrah. Northwest Kansas Tech brings in the top-ranked heavyweight as Odgerel Batkhishig, a native of Mongolia, comes in ranked No. 1. Down on the bottom half of the bracket, NEO will open with 23rd-ranked Colby Community College. The Golden Norsemen have finished second in two of the last three National Duals and are led by returning NJCAA champion Wyatt Jordan at 165 pounds. The winner of the NEO-Colby dual will face either 11th-ranked Southwestern Oregon or 15th-ranked Nassau Community College, which returns to the National Duals after a number of years competing at the Virginia Duals. Nassau won the first two NJCAA National Duals championships. Fourth-ranked Iowa Lakes is the third seed and will face unranked Harper in the opening round. The winner will face either 14th-ranked Barton (Kan.) or Western Wyoming. Iowa Western comes in ranked fifth and is seeded fourth. The Reivers will open up with Labette, a two-time winner of the National Duals, with the winner of that dual facing the winner of the Rochester-Spartanburg Methodist dual. Individually, 52 wrestlers are ranked nationally in the NJCAA portion of the National Duals. WCWA With the growth of women's wrestling comes the growth of the women's portion of the National Duals. Initially a tri-meet, the WCWA tournament has grown to where 12 of the 14 teams are ranked in the top 20. With almost every team founded in the past 18 years, the depth and quality has improved. King University has won the last four National Duals titles, but the Tornado are in the midst of a rebuilding season and second-ranked Campbellsville seems to be the front runner to capture its first title this season. Seeded first, Campbellsville will have a first-round bye as will the No. 2 seed, McKendree. With a little over a month left in the WCWA season, this is one of the final events teams will use to peak heading into the WCWA Nationals in Oklahoma City. Campbellsville will face the winner of the Life-U. of the Cumberlands dual. Life, under first-year coach Ashley Sword, has made considerable gains this season. Fourth-seeded King will be hard-pressed to tie Oklahoma City's record of five straight titles as they've already lost once this season to Campbellsville. The Tornado open with Jamestown with the winner facing either Emmanuel or Missouri Valley in the top bracket. Wayland Baptist is the third seed. The fifth-ranked Pioneers haven't seen much dual action this year. They'll face Southwestern Oregon in the opening round with the winner facing either Grays Harbor College or Missouri Baptist. McKendree, like Wayland Baptist, has seen limited dual meet competition this season. The Bearcats will face the winner of the Eastern Oregon-Oklahoma City dual. Individually, 53 wrestlers are ranked in the top eight in the WCWA rankings. King is anchored by two-time WCWA champion Marina Doi. Campbellsville is led by three-time champion Kayla Miracle. Andribeth Rivera sat out of WCWA competition the first semester, but she could be one to watch should she be back on the mats for Campbellsville. Cody Pfau, a two-time champion while at Oklahoma City, is back for one last shot at Emmanuel College.