InterMat Staff

Pete Willson, long associated with Wheaton College wrestling as an athlete and coach whose name graces the school's annual invitational tournament, passed away Saturday, Dec. 30, the suburban Chicago college announced Saturday. He was 89. Willson, a two-time Illinois state wrestling champ for Proviso High School in Maywood, was a student-athlete at Wheaton in west-suburban Chicago in the late 1940s. He played football and wrestled in his four years as an undergraduate. Willson served as a team co-captain of the wrestling team in his senior season. He won four championships at the Wheaton Invitational and competed in three NCAA championships in his wrestling career. After graduating from Wheaton in 1950, Willson headed west to Lone Rock, Iowa, where he taught at Lone Rock Community High School from 1951-52. He also coached baseball and basketball there. After a brief hiatus from teaching, Willson returned to Illinois as a teacher at Blue Island Community High School from 1953-64. In addition to his teaching duties, Willson also coached the wrestling, track and football teams. In 1964, Willson returned to his college alma to serve as assistant wrestling coach to longtime coach George Olson. A decade later, Willson took the helm of the Wheaton wrestling program, serving as head coach from 1974-90 and 1995-96. Willson guided Wheaton to College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) championships in 1976, 1977 and 1981. During his tenure, Wheaton participated in the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships 14 times in his tenure, with 17 All-Americans and three wrestlers earning NCAA individual titles. In addition to his coaching duties, Willson served as Wheaton's Alumni Field Secretary from 1964-68. In 1969, he joined the Wheaton College faculty, teaching physical education until his retirement in 1990. Willson's name now adorns the Pete Willson-Wheaton Invitational, the annual college wrestling tournament held each January, as well as the school's wrestling room. He was welcomed into Wheaton College's Athletic Department's "Hall of Honor" in 1977, and was named Wheaton's Alumnus of the Year in 1987. In addition, Willson has earned numerous honors beyond his alma mater. He was inducted into the Illinois State Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 1979, and, in 1990, became only the second coach to be welcomed into the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Hall of Fame. Jim Gruenwald, Wheaton head wrestling coach for the past nine seasons, said of Willson, "After speaking and listening to 'Pete Stories' from his wrestlers over 30 years, I learned he was respected for his true Christian service, his mentorship, and his devotion to God and Christ. He leaves a big pair of shoes to fill." "Pete Willson's generous spirit and exceptional work ethic flowed from his loving relationship with Jesus Christ," said Wheaton College President Dr. Philip Graham Ryken. "As our head wrestling coach, Pete prepared generations of young men for faithful service to the kingdom of God. But his words of encouragement -- full of messages from Scripture -- touched many people across the Wheaton community, and far beyond. Although we will surely miss Coach Willson's unique personality, we believe that his life is safe with God in Christ, and know his legacy at Wheaton College will long endure." Willson is survived by his wife June Coray-Willson, also a 1950 graduate of Wheaton, and five daughters, also numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Services have yet to be announced.

Looks like Marquise Overton is about to trade in his football helmet for wrestling headgear. Overton, defensive tackle for the University of Oklahoma, is expected to join the Sooner wrestling squad, according to news reports prior to Oklahoma's 48-45 overtime loss to University of Georgia in the College Football Championships' playoff game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. New Year's Day. The former high school mat champ confirmed he'll join the Sooners wrestling team "shortly after” football season ends, according to Eric Bailey, sportswriter for the Tulsa World. "Spoke with Marquise Overton briefly today. The #Sooners DT said that he will begin his college wrestling career shortly after his football season ends,” Bailey tweeted on Saturday, two days before the Rose Bowl game. Overton, a junior, has serious mat credentials. He won the Class 6A heavyweight title at the Oklahoma state wrestling championships in 2015 for Jenks High School, completing his prep career with a 37-1 record. That year, InterMat had ranked Overton as the No. 20 high school heavyweight in the nation. According to his Sooner football bio, the 6'1” Overton tips the scales at 295, meaning he would have to drop ten pounds to make the NCAA's top weight limit of 285 pounds. This is not the first time Overton has expressed an interest in wrestling for the Sooners. Upon winning his state wrestling title in 2015, he told The Oklahoman, "I asked (OU football coaches) if I could wrestle and they told me it's my choice. But they also said that I should know football would come first.” One year ago – at the conclusion of the college football season -- Overton had tweeted that planned to go out for wrestling. However, when contacted by InterMat in January 2017, the sports information director for Sooner wrestling stated he had not received any confirmation regarding Overton joining the OU mat squad. If Overton were to make the move from football to wrestling, he'd be following in the footsteps of two other Sooners: the late Steve "Dr. Death" Williams, a four-time NCAA All-American wrestler and four-year letterman as an offensive lineman who graduated from OU in 1981 ... and Jake Hager, who, while in Norman, left the football field to focus on wrestling, becoming an NCAA All-American heavyweight. Both went on to successful pro wrestling careers (Hager as WWE star Jack Swagger, who in 2017 left pro wrestling to launch a professional mixed martial arts career with Bellator MMA). Currently the Oklahoma wrestling team is on Christmas holiday break. The Sooners' last dual meet was on December 17, having defeated Appalachian State, 19-13, at home. The OU wrestlers will be returning to the mat Thursday, Jan. 4 for an away dual against Big 12 rival West Virginia. The Sooners' next home dual is set for Jan. 21 against Northern Colorado at Lloyd Noble Center.

This week's edition of "On the Mat" is Wednesday, January 3 with Tom Borrelli, head wrestling coach at Central Michigan, and Ned Shuck, head wrestling coach at Wisconsin-Whitewater. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at 1650thefan.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Central on AM 1650, The Fan. A podcast of the show is available on mattalkonline.com. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments

125: No. 4 Darian Cruz (Lehigh) maj. dec. Thayer Atkins (Duke), 17-8 No. 16 Louie Hayes (Virginia) dec. Gabe Townsell (Stanford), 6-4 SV Sergio Mendez (CSU Bakersfield) dec. Luke Resnick (Lehigh), 11-7 No. 11 Jay Schwarm (Northern Iowa) pinned Alonzo Allen (Chattanooga), 0:41 133: Colby Smith (Unattached) dec. Isaac Jimenez (Air Force), 9-4 Gary Wayne Harding (Oklahoma State) dec. Rico Montoya (N. Colorado), 6-2 No. 6 Austin DeSanto (Drexel) dec. Nathan Boston (Campbell), 8-5 No. 4 Jack Mueller (Virginia) maj. dec. Sean Nickell (CSU Bakersfield), 10-0 141: No. 7 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) maj. dec. Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven), 16-3 Nick Lee (Penn State) maj. dec. Russell Rohlfing (CSU Bakersfield), 15-5 Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) by medical forfeit over No. 15 Jered Cortez (Penn State) No. 14 Luke Karam (Lehigh) dec. Nic Gil (Navy), 5-0 149: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) tech. fall Jamal Morris (NC State), 15-0 No. 19 Sam Krivus (Virginia) dec. Ty Buckiso (Citadel), 3-1 No. 11 (at 141) Jared Prince (Navy) dec. Jarod Verkleeren (Penn State), 8-5 Josh Heil (Campbell) dec. No. 6 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa), 3-2 157: No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) pinned Tyler Marinelli (Gardner Webb), 1:43 Paul Fox (Stanford) dec. No. 20 Alexander Mossing (Air Force), 6-1 Garrett Hammond (Drexel) dec. Ian Brown (Lehigh), 9-3 No. 10 Mitch Finesilver (Duke) maj. dec. Zack Davis (Navy), 15-3 165: No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) dec. Ebed Jarrell (Drexel), 10-7 No. 19 Gordon Wolf (Lehigh) dec. Drew Daniels (Navy), 9-6 No. 8 Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven) dec. Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech), 3-1 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) dec. Keilan Torres (N. Colorado), 6-1 174: No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) maj. dec. Matt Finesilver (Duke), 12-3 No. 8 Jadaen Bernstein (Navy) dec. No. 12 Keaton Subjeck (Stanford), 10-5 No. 7 Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) tech. fall Spencer Carey (Navy), 18-2 4:32 No. 5 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) dec. No. 17 Forrest Przybysz (Appalachian State), 4-0 184: No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) pinned Stan Smeltzer (Virginia Tech), 1:09 Nick Reenan (NC State) dec. No. 17 Michael Coleman (Navy), 6-4 No. 15 Bryce Carr (Chattanooga) tech. fall Dylan Gabel (N. Colorado), 16-1 7:00 No. 10 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) tech. fall Gary Jantzer (Utah Valley), 17-1 3:37 197: No. 9 Anthony Cassar (Penn State) dec. Stephen Loiseau (Drexel), 4-1 Jacob Holschlag (Northern Iowa) maj. dec. Jay Aiello (Virginia), 11-1 Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) pinned No. 15 Scottie Boykin (Chattanooga), 0:27 No. 14 Matt Williams (CSU Bakersfield) dec. Anthony McLaughlin (Air Force), 7-4 285: Mike Boykin (NC State) dec. No. 3 Nick Nevills (Penn State), 4-3 No. 11 Nathan Butler (Stanford) dec. No. 12 Jordan Wood (Lehigh), 4-2 No. 7 Mike Hughes (Hofstra) dec. No. 13 Thomas Haines (Lock Haven), 4-2 No. 5 Jacob Kasper (Duke) maj. dec. Joey Goodhart (Drexel), 10-2

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (5-0, 1-0 B1G) dominated the first day of the 2018 Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Nittany Lions picked up nearly 40 wins on the first day and moved out to a large lead in the team race (at press time). Penn State pushed eight wrestlers into tomorrow morning's semifinals at seven different weights. The Nittany Lions are looking for their seventh Southern Scuffle title, having won six in a row before not competing at the event last year. As of 9 p.m. at press time, with a handful of consolation bouts still on the mat, Penn State had 101 team points with Northern Iowa in second with 81.5 and Lehigh in third at 68. Penn State had 18 wrestlers competing at the team scored tournament, 16 attached and two unattached. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad had ten wrestlers seeded at the event, including seven top seeds: Senior Corey Keener (Schuylkill Haven, Pa.), ranked No. 18 at 133, was the No. 4 seed; junior Jered Cortez (Carol Stream, Ill.), ranked No. 15 at 141, was the No. 3 seed; true freshman Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), unattached at 141, was the No. 5 seed; senior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, was the No. 1 seed; junior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, was the No. 1 seed; sophomore Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, was the No. 1 seed; sophomore Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 2 at 174, was the No. 1 seed; junior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 184, was the No. 1 seed; sophomore Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.), ranked No. 9 at 197, was the No. 1 seed; and junior Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 3 at 285, was the No. 1 seed. Rounding out Penn State's entrants were red-shirt freshman Devin Schnupp (Lititz, Pa.) at 125; junior George Carpenter (Chapel Hill, N.C.) at 133; red-shirt freshman Bo Pipher (Paonia, Colo.) at 149, true freshman Jarod Verkleeren (Greensburg, Pa.) wrestling unattached at 149; sophomore Francisco Bisono (Hauppauge, N.Y.) at 174; senior Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.) at 197; junior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) at 197; and red-shirt freshman Alex Nicholas (Allentown, Pa.) at 285. Schnupp was Penn State's scoring wrestler at 125 and went 0-2. At 133, Keener bounced back from an upset loss in round two to major Carpenter and Northern Iowa's Rudy Yates in consolation action. Keener heads into day two's conso action with a 3-1 mark, all wins by major. Carpenter, with his loos to Keener, ended his tournament with a 1-2 mark. At 141, Cortez roared out to a 3-0 start with a forfeit win and two decisions. But late in the third period of his third round win, Cortez was injured and finished the final :12 unable to put weight on one foot. He ended his Scuffle with a 3-0 mark after injury forfeiting out of the tournament. True freshman Lee, wrestling unattached and therefore not a scoring wrestler for Penn State in the team race, was a perfect 3-0 on the day, including a tech a pin and a major. Retherford rolled through day one, posting a 3-0 mark with two pins and a tech fall. The Lion senior's performance has him set for tomorrow morning's semifinals. Verkleeren advanced to the quarterfinals before losing, going 2-1 with a major. The unattached true freshman will wrestle in consolation action tomorrow morning. Pipher went 0-2 at 149 as well. Nolf rolled to a 3-0 mark with a forfeit victory and two pins to advance to the quarterfinals at 157. Joseph posted a 3-0 mark to roll into the semis as well, picking up a pin and a tech in the process. Hall went 3-0 to move into the quarters at 174 with two quick pins and a major in the quarterfinals. Bisono went 0-2 at 174. Nickal was a perfect 3-0 on the day as well, getting three first period pins at 0:56, 1:34 and 1:09 to move into tomorrow's semifinals. Cassar posted a 2-0 mark at 197 as the top seed, moving into the semifinal round tomorrow morning. Rasheed had an outstanding first day at 197, going 3-0 with two wins over ranked wrestlers, including a pin in just :27 over No. 15 Scottie Boykin of Chattanooga in the quarterfinals. Rasheed's 3-0 day has him in tomorrow's semifinals. McCutcheon picked up a first round pin but then suffered an injury default loss in the second round and bowed out of the tournament with a 1-1 mark. Nevills suffered a 4-3 upset loss in the quarterfinals and went 2-1 on day one. He will wrestle in tomorrow morning's consolation action. Nicholas picked up his first win as a Nittany Lion at 285, going 1-2 at 285. Penn State posted a 36-14 record on day one, with nine majors, three techs and 14 pins. Retherford now has nine pins for the season, 45 for his career (fourth all-time at Penn State); Nolf has ten this year and 39 for his career (fifth 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). The Southern Scuffle continues tomorrow, Jan. 2, at 10 a.m. 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 - Team Standings (Top 3 as of 9 p.m.): January 1, 2018 - Chattanooga, Tenn. 1: PENN STATE - 101.0 2: Northern Iowa - 81.5 3: Lehigh --- 68.0

Live Blog Southern Scuffle

Over the next three days, 25 teams will make their way to the Scenic City for the 2018 Southern Scuffle, presented by Compound Sportswear. Action at the Scuffle takes place on Jan. 1-2 in the McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn. Preparation has been ongoing throughout the holiday season, both on and off the mat. Be sure to follow @utcwrestling for plenty of updates as the Roundhouse is turned into a premier wrestling venue. In the meantime, here are the pre-seeds for the tournament. The brackets will be released through FloArena closer to the start of the action. Tickets and hospitality passes are on sale now on TheSouthernScuffle.com, but if you can't make it, you can watch it live on Flowrestling. The PPV video feed is also available on Roku and AppleTV. 125: 1. Darian Cruz - Lehigh 2. Jay Schwarm - Northern Iowa 3. Daton Fix - Oklahoma State (UNA) 4. Louie Hayes - Virginia 5. Gabe Townsell - Stanford 6. Sergio Mendez - Cal State Bakersfield 7. Alonzo Allen - Chattanooga 8. Thayer Atkins - Duke 133: 1. Scott Parker - Lehigh 2. Jack Mueller - Virginia 3. Austin DeSanto - Drexel 4. Corey Keener - Penn State 5. Rico Montoya - Northern Colorado 6. Cole Manley - Virginia Tech (UNA) 7. Josh Finesilver - Duke 8. Colby Smith - (UNA) 141: 1. Josh Alber - Northern Iowa 2. Luke Karam - Lehigh 3. Jered Cortez - Penn State 4. Russell Rohlfing - Cal State Bakersfield 5. Nick Lee - Penn State (UNA) 6. Kaden Gfeller - Oklahoma State (UNA) 7. Nic Gil - Navy 8. Kyle Shoop - Lock Haven 149: 1. Zain Retherford - Penn State 2. Max Thomsen - Northern Iowa 3. Jared Prince - Navy 4. Ronnie Perry - Lock Haven 5. Sam Krivus - Virginia 6. Matt Zovistoski - Appalachian St. (UNA) 7. Tristan Moran - Oklahoma State 8. Jamal Morris - North Carolina State 157: 1. Jason Nolf - Penn State 2. Mitch Finesliver - Duke 3. Ian Brown - Lehigh 4. Alex Mossing - Air Force 5. Paul Fox - Stanford 6. Coleman Hammond - Cal State Bakersfield 7. Zack Davis - Navy 8. Tyler Marinelli - Gardner Webb 165: 1. Vincenzo Joseph - Penn State 2. Joe Smith - Oklahoma State (UNA) 3. Bryce Steiert - Northern Iowa (UNA) 4. Chance Marsteller - Lock Haven 5. Drew Daniels - Navy 6. Andrew Atkinson - Virginia 7. Mekhi Lewis - Virginia Tech (UNA) 8. Drew Longo - Lehigh 174: 1. Mark Hall- Penn State 2. Jordan Kutler- Lehigh 3. Taylor Lujan- Northern Iowa 4. Jadaen Bernstein- Navy 5. Keaton Subjeck- Stanford 6. Will Schany- Virginia 7. Forest Przybysz- Appalachian State 8. Matt Finesilver- Duke 184: 1. Bo Nickal - Penn State 2. Drew Foster - Nothern Iowa 3. Bryce Carr - Chattanooga 4. Michael Coleman - Navy 5. Nick Reenan - North Carolina State (UNA) 6. Dylan Gabel - Northern Colorado 7. Nick Corba - Cleveland State 8. Alan Clothier - Appalachian State 197: 1. Anthony Cassar - Penn State 2. Matt Williams - Cal State Bakersfield 3. Scottie Boykin - Chattanooga 4. Nathan Traxler - Stanford 5. Jacob Holschlag - Northern Iowa 6. Jacob Seely - Northern Colorado 7. Chris Weiler - Lehigh 8. Stephen Loiseau - Drexel 285: 1. Nick Nevills - Penn State 2. Jacob Kasper - Duke 3. Mike Hughes - Hofstra 4. Jordan Wood - Lehigh 5. Nathan Butler - Stanford 6. Thomas Haines - Lock Haven 7. Demetrius Thomas - (UNA) 8. Michael Boykin - North Carolina State

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- In an iconic night for the program, No. 17 Rutgers wrestling finished second at the 55th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships Saturday night in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Nick Suriano (125) became the first individual champion ever for the Scarlet Knights at the tournament, while Scott DelVecchio (133), John Van Brill (157) and Richie Lewis (165) recorded third-place results and Nicholas Gravina (184) finished sixth to help RU secure its best team result in program history. With 109.5 team points, Rutgers finished only behind No. 6 Iowa, who claimed the team title with 156.5 points. No. 21 Central Michigan placed third with 108 points. In total, Rutgers collected 16 bonus-point victories -- seven pins, five major decisions and four tech falls -- and defeated five ranked Intermat foes at the Midwest tournament. "What a great way to close out this tournament," said head coach Scott Goodale. "Our guys were prepared to close this weekend out the right way and it showed with us going four-for-four tonight. We picked up a lot of victories over ranked guys, so this was a great team effort all around." Suriano registered a gritty 2-1 victory over No. 3 seed Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) for his first major championship in a RU singlet. After a scoreless first period, the sophomore opened period two with a quick escape. With both wrestlers in a neutral position in the final period, Bresser was called for stalling, which proved to be the deciding factor in Suriano's title win. "[My strategy] was a little different," Suriano said of the match. "I had a guy who could move, is fast and can shoot from the outside, which is a little bit like myself. It was a good style for me to compete against. I'm used to guys coming at me more so I can get underneath them." The individual championship capped off a dominate run for Suriano, who outscored his opponents, 49-16, with two tech falls and two decisions to lead Rutgers with 24 team points during the two-day tournament. In his final two bouts of the event, Suriano defeated back-to-back ranked opponents in No. 10 Besser and No. 12 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern). The night started at 165 pounds, as Lewis faced No. 1 overall seed Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) in his third-place bout. Lewis scored first, courtesy of a takedown in period one, while his second takedown of the match in the third period sealed the win for Lewis over Valencia, who entered the match ranked No. 13 by Intermat. DelVecchio continued the strong night for Rutgers with his 3-1 decision over No. 7 seed Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh-Unattached) in sudden victory overtime. With the score tied, 1-1, at the end of regulation, the redshirt senior used a takedown in the closing seconds of the bonus period for the win. Van Brill closed out his tournament with a 7-4 decision over 11-seed Mike D'Angelo (Princeton), which game RU three third-place finishers on the night. Van Brill wrestled all the way back after a loss on day one, with victories over No. 11 Luke Zilverburg (South Dakota State), No. 18 Larry Early and Jake Danishek (Indiana), who qualified for NCAAs in 2017. Van Bill scored 23 team points off his four bonus-point victories and seven win overall, which included two pins, an tech fall and a major decision. Gravina, who entered the tournament as a No. 2 seed, placed sixth after taking a medical forfeit in his fifth-place match. Gravina finished with three wins at Midlands after advancing to the championship semifinal at 184 pounds, where he lost to No. 3 Emmery Parker (Illinois), 2-1, after being injured in the final period. Michael Van Brill (141), Jordan Pagano (174) and Kevin Mulligan (197) were all eliminated during their Round of 12 matches Saturday morning, while No. 8 Eleazar DeLuca (149) was forced to forfeit his consolation match. Matthew Correnti, who wrestled unattached at the tournament, also lost in the blood round to close out his Midlands Championships at 4-2. Rutgers returns to action next Sunday, when it hosts No. 2 Ohio State at noon at the RAC. The match will broadcast nationally on BTN.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- Mason Smith won the 141-pound title to highlight an outstanding showing by the Central Michigan wrestling team at the 55th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships at Sears Centre Arena. Five Chippewas placed in the prestigious tournament as CMU finished third in the team standings with 108 points. Iowa, which is ranked seventh by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, won the team title with 156.5 points. No. 17 Rutgers was second with 109.5. Among those in the 59-team field that finished behind the 21st-ranked Chippewas were No. 11 Arizona State, No. 13 Illinois and No. 15 South Dakota State. "The big talk on the websites before the tournament was that Arizona State could knock off Iowa," CMU coach Tom Borrelli said. "No one mentioned us. We weren't in the conversation and we finished ahead of (Arizona State). "Putting (team) rankings aside our kids are turning the corner a little bit which is really encouraging to see. Even guys who didn't place, we were encouraged by the way they're wrestling." CMU's Justin Oliver placed second at 149, Jordan Ellingwood was third at 184, Matt Stencel was fourth at 285, and CJ Brucki placed fifth at 174. Smith topped Cole Weaver of Indiana, 6-0, in the 141-championship match on Saturday night to complete a 6-0 run through the tournament. Smith defeated Tyler Smith of Bucknell, 5-4, in a semifinal earlier on Saturday. "We know he's probably our best feel wrestler," Borrelli said of Smith, a sophomore who is ranked 20th nationally by Intermatwrestling.com. "He just feels the sport really well. He had so much composure throughout the whole tournament. He was in tough situation after tough situation and he just came out on top every time he needed to. That's got to help him build his confidence." Smith was seeded first in the tournament. Weaver, the third seed, is ranked 16th; Tyler Smith, the fourth seed, is ranked 13th. Mason Smith outscored his six opponents by a combined 34-6 in the two-day tournament. • Oliver fell to Iowa senior Brandon Sorensen, 4-2, in the 149-pound final in one of the premier matches in the tournament. Oliver, who is ranked third, was the No. 2 seed. The second-ranked Sorensen, the No. 1 seed, is a three-time All-American who was the national runner-up in 2016. Oliver was an All-American that year as well. The two met in the title match last season at the Midlands, with Sorensen coming away with a 7-1 victory in overtime. Oliver, a junior who reached the final with a 6-1 win over third-seeded Matthew Kolodzik of Princeton, finished the tournament 5-1. Kolodzik is ranked seventh nationally. Among Oliver's five tournament wins were a pin, a technical fall and a major decision. He outscored his opponents by a combined 43-12. "He just had a really good tournament and we were really happy that we got that matchup (with Sorensen) at this time of the year," Borrelli said. "That was probably the toughest weight class in the tournament, really deep. "Justin's the type of guy that I think any time he doesn't get what he wants he improves. I don't have any doubt that he's going to improve on some of the things that he needs to improve on from that match." • Ellingwood, who was seeded fourth, defeated eighth-seeded Nino Bonaccorsi of Pitt, 7-0, in the consolation final at 184. A senior who is ranked 14th, Ellingwood opened on Saturday with an 8-3 loss in a championship-bracket semifinal to top-seeded Nate Jackson, a post-graduate assistant coach at Princeton who was wrestling unattached. Jackson was a four-time All-American at Indiana. Ellingwood rebounded with a 14-5 major-decision victory over sixth-seeded Joe Heyob of Penn. Heyob is ranked 19th. Ellingwood finished the tournament 5-1 with three of his wins coming by major decision. "He wrestled well the whole weekend, even in that loss to Jackson," Borrelli said. "You're frustrated after you lose in the semis and then you wrestle in a consolation semifinal to wrestle for third-fourth. He persevered through a pretty tough day." • Stencel made the long trek through the consolation bracket after dropping his opening match of the tournament on Friday. He finished with seven wins against two losses, the second coming on a pin in 1:33 to Maryland's Youssif Hemida in the consolation final. Stencel, a redshirt freshman who was seeded seventh, opened on Saturday with a 7-2 decision over fifth-seeded William Miller of Edinboro. He then pinned ninth-seeded Shawn Streck of Purdue in 1:08, and then took a 3-1 decision over Conan Jennings of Northwestern before falling to Hemida, who is ranked 10th nationally. The unranked Stencel ran through a gauntlet of ranked wrestlers, knocking off the ninth-ranked Miller; Streck, who is 14th; and Jennings, who is 19th. Of Stencel's seven tournament wins, two came by pin, one came on a technical fall, and another came on a major decision. Stencel's pin in 27 seconds of Blake Wolters of South Dakota State on Friday was the fastest fall of the tournament. "He's starting to blossom, you're starting to see it," Borrelli said of Stencel. "That's saying a lot for a redshirt freshman to have the moxie to do that." • Brucki, a senior who was seeded fifth, pinned Michigan's Garrett Sutton in 5:58 to win the fifth-place match. An 8-6 loss to the 13th-seeded Sutton on Friday had dropped Brucki into the consolation bracket. "That's huge, he really showed the heart of a champion," Borrelli said of Brucki's performance overall and his pin of Sutton in the fifth-place match in particular. "He could have been really disappointed with the way things went (on Friday) and just cashed in. He came back the next day and showed up. He really wrestled good (on Saturday)." Brucki, who is ranked 14th, opened on Saturday with a 14-2 major decision victory over Jordan Pagano of Rutgers. He then topped 10th-seeded Devin Skatzka of Indiana, 7-0, before falling to seventh-seeded Dylan Lydy of Purdue, 3-2. Lydy is ranked 15th. Brucki finished 6-2 in the tournament. Among his wins were a pin, two major decisions and a technical fall. • Logan Parks (165), the only other Chippewa who remained alive going into Saturday, dropped an 8-0 major to Kaleb Young of Iowa in a consolation-bracket match on Saturday and finished the tournament 2-2. Parks was seeded sixth; Young was seeded eighth. The Chippewas return to McGuirk Arena on Sunday, Jan. 7 (2 p.m.) for a Mid-American Conference dual with Ohio.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- South Dakota State's Seth Gross won the 133-pound title and five other Jackrabbit wrestlers placed in the top eight of their respective weight classes as competition wrapped up Saturday at the 55th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships held at Sears Centre Arena. A junior from Apple Valley, Minnesota, Gross concluded a dominant two-day performance by becoming the first SDSU wrestler to win an individual title at the Midlands. Neither of Gross' two matches Saturday lasted more than a period. In semifinal action during the afternoon session, Gross recorded a 16-1 technical fall over Dylan Duncan of Illinois. Facing Buffalo's Bryan Lantry in the championship match Saturday night, Gross built a 10-0 lead before pinning his opponent with 13 seconds remaining in the first period. Gross was later named the Dan Gable Outstanding Wrestler as he won four matches by technical fall and two more by pin, racking up tournament bests of 93 match points and 31 team points. Also reaching the finals was 174-pounder David Kocer. A senior from Wagner, Kocer blanked Purdue's Dylan Lydy, 13-0, in semifinal action before dropping an 18-7 major decision to top-ranked Zahid Valencia of Arizona State. SDSU's two other semifinalists, 157-pounder Luke Zilverberg and Nate Rotert at 197 pounds, fell short in their bids to reach the finals. Rotert lost an 8-1 decision to Penn's Frank Mattiace in the semifinals before posting a 6-4 decision over Pat Brucki of Princeton to earn the right to wrestle for third place. However, Rotert did not wrestle a scheduled rematch with Purdue's Christian Brunner in the evening session for medical reasons, ending his tournament run with a fourth-place finish. Zilverberg dropped each of his two matches in the afternoon session before coming back with a fifth-place finish Saturday night. A senior from Belle Plaine, Minnesota, Zilverberg dropped a 4-0 decision to Arizona State's Joshua Shields for the second time this season in the semifinals, then dropped a 9-6 decision to John Van Brill of Rutgers in the consolation semis. In the evening session, Zilverberg recorded a 5-0 shutout of Brown's Justin Staudenmayer to place fifth. Jackrabbit wrestlers Logan Peterson and Martin Mueller split their seventh-place matches. A junior from Lake Lillian, Minnesota, Peterson placed eighth at 165 pounds. He moved into the placing matches with a 7-6 decision over Brown's Jonathan Viruet to open the day, but fell 8-3 to Iowa's Kaleb Young and came up short in a 7-5 sudden-victory decision to Purdue's Jacob Morrissey. Mueller, meanwhile, claimed seventh place in the 184-pound weight class with a 2-1 record on Saturday. The sophomore from Rapid City began the day with a 7-5 decision over Mitch Bowman of Iowa before falling to Pittsburgh's Nino Bonaccorsi in the next consolation rounds. Mueller closed his tournament showing by defeating Eastern Michigan's Kayne MacCallum, 10-4, in the seventh-place match. Of the seven SDSU wrestlers to advance to the second day of competition at the Midlands, freshman 125-pounder Connor Brown was the lone Jackrabbit to not reach the placing rounds. Brown's four-match winning streak was ended by Purdue's Luke Welch, 13-4, in Saturday's opening round. As a team, the Jackrabbits tallied their highest finish at the Midlands, ending the tournament in fifth place with 99 points. Iowa claimed the team title with 156.5 points, followed by Rutgers (109.5), Central Michigan (108) and Arizona State (106.5). UP NEXT The Jackrabbits return to dual action, hosting Oregon State Friday (Jan. 5). Start time is 7 p.m. at Frost Arena.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. - No. 9 Arizona State's Zahid Valencia continued his undefeated sophomore campaign with his second consecutive title at Midland's 55th annual Championships. Five placewinners for the team -- Z. Valencia (1st), Josh Shields (2nd), Tanner Hall (2nd), Anthony Valencia (4th), Jason Tsirtsis (5th) -- was the most for the Sun Devils since 1997 when they had six and third-most all-time. Tsirtsis capped his Midlands career as a six-time placewinner. Z. Valencia earned the third most points for his team amongst the field (28 pts) while Oliver Pierce had the second most pins in the least time (3/7:34).

125: 1st: Nick Suriano (Rutgers) dec. Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State), 2-1 3rd: Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) maj. dec. Zeke Moisey (West Virginia), 15-2 5th: Sean Russell (Edinboro by medical forfeit over Spencer Lee (Iowa) 7th: Luke Welch (Purdue) dec. Devin Schroder (Purdue), 7-1 133: 1st: Seth Gross (South Dakota State) pinned Bryan Lantry (Buffalo), 2:47 3rd: Scott Delvecchio (Rutgers) dec. Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh), 3-1 SV 5th: Dylan Duncan (Illinois) dec. Colin Valdiviez (Northwestern), 6-2 7th: Paul Konrath (Wisconsin) dec. Korbin Myers (Edinboro), 3-2 141: 1st: Mason Smith (Central Michigan) dec. Cole Weaver (Indiana), 6-0 3rd: Tyler Smith (Bucknell) dec. Nate Limmex (Purdue), 10-4 5th: Max Murin (Iowa) dec. Carter Happel (Iowa), 5-2 7th: Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) maj. dec. Colton Schilling (Cal Poly), 10-2 149: 1st: Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) dec. Justin Oliver (Central Michigan), 4-2 3rd: Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) dec. Pat Lugo (Iowa), 8-5 5th: Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State) dec. Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton), 5-4 7th: Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) pinned Steven Bleise (Minnesota), 0:57 157: 1st: Michael Kemerer (Iowa) dec. Josh Shields (Arizona State), 5-2 3rd: John Vanschenkbrill (Rutgers) dec. Mike D'Angelo (Princeton), 7-4 5th: Luke Zilverberg (South Dakota State) dec. Justin Staudenmayer (Brown), 5-0 7th: Andrew Crone (Wisconsin) dec. Larry Early (Old Dominion), 7-1 165: 1st: Alex Marinelli (Iowa) dec. Jon Schleifer (Princeton), 3-1 SV 3rd: Richie Lewis (Rutgers) dec. Anthony Valencia (Arizona State), 5-2 5th: Kaleb Young (Iowa) dec. May Bethea (Penn), 2-0 7th: Jacob Morrissey (Purdue) dec. Logan Peterson (South Dakota State), 7-5 SV 174: 1st: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) maj. dec. David Kocer (South Dakota State), 18-7 3rd: Dylan Lydy (Purdue) dec. Mikey Labriola (Nebraska), 3-2 5th: C.J. Brucki (Central Michigan) pinned Garrett Sutton (Michigan), 5:53 7th: Johnny Sebastian (Northwestern) maj. dec. Devin Skatzka (Indiana), 14-5 184: 1st: Emery Parker (Illinois) dec. Nate Jackson (Princeton WC), 8-2 3rd: Jordan Ellingwood (Central Michigan) dec. Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh), 7-0 5th: Joe Heyob (Penn) by medical forfeit over Nick Gravina (Rutgers) 7th: Martin Mueller (South Dakota State) dec. Kayne MacCallum (Eastern Michigan), 10-4 197: 1st: Cash Wilcke (Iowa) dec. Frank Mattiace (Penn), 3-1 SV 3rd: Christian Brunner (Purdue) by medical forfeit over Nate Rotert (South Dakota State) 5th: Pat Brucki (Princeton) dec. Jacob Warner (Iowa), 4-2 7th: Jackson Striggow (Michigan) by medical forfeit over Jacob Smith (West Virginia) 285: 1st: Sam Stoll (Iowa) dec. Tanner Hall (Arizona State), 2-1 3rd: Youssif Hemida (Maryland) pinned Matt Stencel (Central Michigan), 1:03 5th: Conan Jennings (Northwestern) by medical forfeit over Amar Dhesi (Oregon State) 7th: Shawn Streck (Purdue) by injury default over Jake Gunning (Buffalo)

Iowa won its 27th Midlands title (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- The University of Iowa wrestling team went five-for-five in the finals to roll to their 27th team title at the 2017 Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Saturday night inside the Sears Centre Arena. Brandon Sorensen (149), Michael Kemerer (157), Alex Marinelli (165), Cash Wilcke (197), and Sam Stoll (285) all won titles at their respective weight classes. It marked the first time in school history Iowa crowned five individual champions at the Midlands Championships. The Hawkeyes scored 156.5 points, 47 or more than second place Rutgers (109.5). It was Iowa's largest margin of victory since scoring a tournament record 189 points and winning by 58.5 points in 2014. Two of Iowa's title bouts went into sudden victory, and the other three were decided by a total of six points. QUOTING BRANDS "We have to score with more efficiency. We're closing matches, we're winning matches, and when you get to the semis that's what you do. You get yourself in position to win titles and when you get to the championships match that what's you do. You win matches in the championship matches. But this is like a midterm. This is a midseason review or test and where we have to go from here to the next one is a significant step or two. There is a lot of work to do." 3-PEAT Sorensen broke a 1-1 tie with a takedown late in the third to win his third straight Midlands title. He is the 12th Hawkeye in program history to win three Midlands Championships. He has won 18 straight matches and owns a 27-2 record in the last five Midlands tournament. TITLE DEFENSE Kemerer closed his title defense with a 5-2 win over No. 2 Josh Shields of Arizona State. Kemerer ran through the 157-pound bracket, recording four pins, a technical fall, and a decision in the title bout. BONUS WRESTLING Iowa's first two title bouts went into sudden victory. Marinelli scored the deciding takedown 22 seconds into overtime to win, 3-1, and Wilcke finished a low single on the edge 15 seconds into his extra frame to win by the same 3-1 score. Wilcke scored the deciding takedown 15 seconds into sudden victory. Tied 1-1, he grabbed a low single and finished on the edge to earn the 3-1 decision. COOL HEAD, CHAMPIONSHIP STROLL Stoll won the 285 pound title with a 2-1 win that was decided by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. He escaped in the third to tie the match, 1-1, before Tanner Hall, the top seed at 285, was dinged for the deciding point after disputing a non-call. Stoll finished the tournament 5-0 with a pair of stalling disqualifications, on major decision, and two decisions. NOTABLES Iowa has won more team titles than any other school (27) in the 55 year history of the Ken Kraft Midlands Championship Iowa has won the last five Midlands team trophies. Former Hawkeye Jim Heffernen was inducted into the Midland Hall of Fame. He is the 10th former Hawkeye to join the Hall of Fame. UP NEXT The Hawkeyes return to action Friday, Jan. 5, hosting Michigan State at 7 p.m. (CT) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are available at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.

The University of Minnesota wrestling team responded on Saturday at the South Beach Duals, earning two victories over Columbia and Binghamton by scores of 35-9 and 45-6, respectively. Minnesota won 16 of 17 matches wrestled on the day, with 13 of those matches being bonus point victories for the Maroon and Gold. Mitch McKee provided the highlight of the day in his first match of the day with a 13-second pin, tied for the second fastest in Minnesota wrestling history, just behind teammate Owen Webster's 11-second pin earlier this season. "The effort from the guys today was just great. It really started with our bottom few weights, the way they came out really set the tone. The momentum was really going in the right direction and we saw guys looking for bonus points and really allowed us to dominate today." Columbia Dual The Gophers began the day against the Lions of Columbia, and it started fast. Ethan Lizak provided a perfect 4-0 start for the Gophers in Florida, starting with his 2:03 pin of Hunter Dusold, giving the Gophers a 6-0 start. McKee followed that up with his 13-second pin, which is the fastest Division I pin in Minnesota wrestling history (second is Evan Johnson over Todd Smith of Iowa at 15-seconds). No. 10 Tommy Thorn continued the domination from the Gophers at 141 with a major decision against JP Ascolese, giving Minnesota a commanding 16-0 advantage. "It was really a snowball effect today. Watching these guys make their opponents run out of gas was really impressive." Minnesota had to forfeit at 149, but No. 13 Jake Short put more points on the board with a 3-1, sudden victory decision over Markus Scheidel. The senior continued their push when Nick Wanzek took that mat against Max Elling, earning his fifth straight bonus point victory with a 22-7 tech fall. The 22 points is the most Wanzek has scored in a single match this season. Chris Pfarr topped off the trio of seniors with a 6-5 decision victory, which sealed the Gophers first victory at the South Beach Duals. Stepping up in the place of Webster was redshirt freshman, Dylan Anderson. Anderson was able to dominate his opponent at 184, Andrew Psomas, and won by major decision 11-3 with five takedowns. Bobby Steveson picked up his second win of the season, and his second major decision, against Michael Bulkin. Steveson was quick with his takedowns and helped the Gophers finish off the Lions, 35-9 after the Gophers dropped the heavyweight bout by decision. Binghamton Dual Just under an hour after the Gophers won their first dual of the South Beach Duals, the Gophers were ready to put on a show. Lizak opened up the dual with a 17-0 demolishing of Joe Nelson in the first period, putting the Gophers up 5-0. After his 13-seconds, McKee had plenty in the tank for his second match against Jacob Nicholson. McKee pinned his opponent at 1:03, putting just one minute and 16 seconds on the mat on the day. With Minnesota up 11-0, Thorn took the mat and tied the season pin lead with McKee with a pin at 56 seconds. Thorn and McKee now each have eight pins on the season. After a Minnesota forfeit at 149, Short was up and despite wrestling into overtime in his first match, had plenty of energy to earn his first pin of the season at 1:59 into the match. "Short did a really good job at moving his hands a feet today," Eggum said. "That is the way he needs to wrestle, even in tight matches. We know Jake is a great wrestler, he just needs to focus on the things he can control and when he does that, he wrestles really well." At 165, Nick Wanzek was once again the steady scoring machine that he was all weekend. His 10-2 major decision is his fourth in his last five matches. Winning his fifth straight match for just the third time in his career, Chris Pfarr took down Anthony Lombardo by decision, 3-2 sealing the victory for the Maroon and Gold for a second time on the day. Binghamton forfeited at 184, giving the Gophers a 36-6 lead heading into the final two bouts. Bobby Steveson was able to give the coaching staff and his teammates a show. He took that mat and scored the most points by any Minnesota wrestler this season in a 24-9 tech fall over Alexander Melikian for his third victory of the season. Rylee Streifel topped off the afternoon with a 9-1 major decision over Sean Dee, giving the Gophers a 45-6 win and the most points in a dual since the team scored 54 points against Portland State on Nov. 29, 2008. The Gophers will celebrate the New Year, and then gear up for the Big Ten opener against Michigan State on Jan. 7 at Maturi Pavilion at 1:00 p.m. GopherSports.com is always your home for Gopher Wrestling, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates all season long. Match-By-Match Results: Columbia Dual 125: No. 5 Ethan Lizak fall (2:03) Hunter Dusold | Minn 6 - Columbia 0 133: No. 8 Mitch McKee fall (0:13) Christopher Scorese | Minn 12 - Columbia 0 141: No. 10 Tommy Thorn maj dec JP Ascolese, 10-2 | Minn 16 - Columbia 0 149: Jacob Macalolooy med Hunter Marko | Minn 16 - Columbia 6 157: No. 13 Jake Short dec (SV-1) Markus Scheidel, 3-1 | Minn 19 - Columbia 6 165: No. 9 Nick Wanzek tech fall Max Elling, 22-7 | Minn 24 - Columbia 6 174: Chris Pfarr dec Tyrel White, 6-5 | Minn 27 - Columbia 6 184: Dylan Anderson maj dec Andrew Psomas, 17-7 | Minn 31 - Columbia 6 197: Bobby Steveson maj dec Michael Bulkin, 11-3 | Minn 35 - Columbia 6 HWT: No. 16 Garrett Ryan dec Rylee Streifel, 6-2 | Minn 35 - Columbia 9 Binghamton Dual 125: No. 5 Ethan Lizak tech fall Joe Nelson, 17-0 | Minn 5 - Bing 0 133: No. 8 Mitch McKee fall (1:03) Jacob Nicholson | Minn 11 - Bing 0 141: No. 10 Tommy Thorn fall (0:56) Joseph Russ | Minn 17 - Bing 0 149: Frank Garcia med Hunter Marko | Minn 17 - Bing 6 157: No. 13 Jake Short fall (1:59) Tristian Rifanburg | Minn 23 - Bing 6 165: No. 9 Nick Wanzek maj dec Vincent DePrez, 10-2 | Minn 27 - Bing 6 174: Chris Pfarr dec Anthony Lombardo, 3-2 | Minn 30 - Bing 6 184: Owen Webster over (Unknown), forefeit | Minn 36 - Bing 6 197: Bobby Steveson tech fall Alexander Melikian, 24-9 | Minn 41 - Bing 6 HWT: Rylee Streifel maj dec Sean Dee, 9-1 | Minn 45 - Bing 6

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. -- No. 24 North Carolina won 18 of 20 bouts and cruised to a pair of wins over SIU-Edwardsville and Michigan State Saturday on day two of the South Beach Duals. Carolina blanked SIUE 44-0 to start the day before pounding MSU 30-6 to close out a 3-1 showing at the inaugural event. A.C. Headlee led the way for the Tar Heels, blanking SIUE's Dakota Leach in an 18-0 technical fall before pinning No. 18 Javier Gasca of Michigan State in the opening period. UNC (5-4) opened the day with its first shutout dual win in nearly six years. After James Szymanski got things started with an 8-5 decision at 125 pounds, No. 19 Zach Sherman needed just 62 seconds to pin Joe Antonelli at 133. After Headlee's tech fall at 141, the Tar Heels added four more bonus point wins. That included a major decision by No. 4 Troy Heilmann at 149 and a Kennedy Monday tech fall at 157. Danny Chaid's 12-4 major over Christian Dulaney at 197 wrapped up the sweep, with SIUE forfeiting at heavyweight. Sherman, Headlee, Heilmann and Chaid gave Carolina four more bonus-point wins in the finale against Michigan State. Sherman quickly erased MSU's win at 125 with a 14-6 major over Matt Santos at 133. The rout was on with Headlee's second pin of the weekend, a first-period win over No. 18 Gasca. Adis Radoncic got his second win of the day with a 9-3 victory over Logan Ritchie at 174 that sparked a run of four straight Carolina wins to close out the day. Chaid scored his second major of the afternoon at 197, besting Nick May by a 14-1 score. Cory Daniel capped a dominant UNC showing with an 11-5 victory over Matt Okaiye at heavyweight. Carolina returns to Carmichael Arena next Friday to host American, Army West Point and Wyoming for the UNC Duals. No. 24 North Carolina 44, SIU-Edwardsville 0 125: James Szymanski (UNC) dec. Zachary Gentzler (SIUE), 8-5 - UNC leads 3-0 133: #19 Zach Sherman (UNC) pinned Joe Antonelli (SIUE), 1:02 - UNC leads 9-0 141: A.C. Headlee (UNC) tech fall Dakota Leach (SIUE), 18-0 - UNC leads 14-0 149: #4 Troy Heilmann (UNC) maj. dec. Tyshawn Williams (SIUE), 14-6 - UNC leads 18-0 157: Kennedy Monday (UNC) tech fall Karsten Van Velsor (SIUE), 20-4 (5:46) - UNC leads 23-0 165: Will MacDonald (UNC) dec. Mason McDaniel (SIUE), 3-2 - UNC leads 26-0 174: Adis Radoncic (UNC) dec. Nate Higgins (SIUE), 5-2 - UNC leads 29-0 184: Chip Ness (UNC) tech fall Bryce Shewan (SIUE), 21-4 - UNC leads 34-0 197: Danny Chaid (UNC) maj. dec. Christian Dulaney (SIUE), 12-4 - UNC leads 38-0 285: Cory Daniel (UNC) wins by forfeit - UNC wins 44-0 No. 24 North Carolina 30, Michigan State 6 125: RayVon Foley (MSU) dec. James Szymanski (UNC), 7-4 - MSU leads 3-0 133: #19 Zach Sherman (UNC) maj. dec. Matt Santos (MSU), 14-6 - UNC leads 4-3 141: A.C. Headlee (UNC) pinned #18 Javier Gasca (MSU), 2:38 - UNC leads 10-3 149: #4 Troy Heilmann (UNC) maj. dec. Austin Eicher (MSU), 12-3 - UNC leads 14-3 157: Kennedy Monday (UNC) dec. Jake Tucker (MSU), 8-4 - UNC leads 17-3 165: Austin Hiles (MSU) dec. Clay Lautt (UNC), 6-5 - UNC leads 17-6 174: Adis Radoncic (UNC) dec. Gary (Logan) Ritchie (MSU), 9-3 - UNC leads 20-6 184: #19 Chip Ness (UNC) dec. Shwan Shadaia (MSU), 3-1 - UNC leads 23-6 197: Danny Chaid (UNC) maj. dec. Nick May (MSU), 14-1 - UNC leads 27-6 HWT: Cory Daniel (UNC) dec. Matthew Okaiye (MSU), 11-5 - UNC wins 30-6

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. -- No. 4 Mizzou Wrestling (12-0, 3-0 MAC) recorded wins over No. 22 Rider (5-2, 0-0 EWL) and No. 12 Cornell (4-2, 0-0 IVY) on Saturday to finish the inaugural South Beach Duals with a 4-0 record. The Tigers began the day with a 31-8 win over the Broncos, then finished with a 27-11 win over the Big Red. Over the two-day, four-dual tournament, Mizzou won 28 of 38 bouts wrestled and outscored its opponents, 129-31. With the win, Mizzou improves to 12-0 on the season, just the third time in program history Mizzou has reached that mark. The 2017-18 campaign joins Mizzou's 15-0 season in 1967-68, and its 24-0 season in 2014-15. Redshirt sophomore 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.) provided the biggest win of the weekend, as he knocked off Cornell's No. 1-ranked Yianni Diakomihalis, 9-6. Eierman trailed in the bout, 5-3, with 30 seconds remaining when he took the top-ranked wrestler down and brought him to his back for a four-point near-fall to seal the match. DUAL RECAPS After dropping the opening bout, Mizzou won seven of the next eight matches against Rider to take control of the dual. Five Tigers recorded bonus point victories, as redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) recorded a fall, while Eierman, redshirt senior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.) and redshirt senior 197-pounder Willie Miklus (Altoona, Iowa) recorded technical falls, and redshirt sophomore 184-pounder Canten Marriott (Excelsior Springs, Mo.) posted a major decision. The Tigers came out of the gates firing against Cornell, as Mizzou claimed victories in the first seven bouts, including a forfeit to start the dual at 125 pounds. Lewis posted his second fall of the day against No. 10 Brandon Womack, while Lavallee recorded a major decisions against Adam Santoro. NOTABLE TIGERS Five Tigers won all four of their bouts in sunny Southern Florida, as Eierman, Lavalle, Lewis, redshirt junior 133-pounder John Erneste (Kansas City, Mo.) and redshirt junior 149-pounder Grant Leeth (Kearney, Mo.) all went 4-0. In addition to his win over the top-ranked Diakomihalis, Eierman recorded a 19-3 technical fall over Rider's Tyson Dippery in his first match. Lavallee defeated Rider's No. 6-ranked BJ Clagon by 19-3 technical fall in his first bout of the day, then Cornell's Adam Santoro by 16-5 major decision in his second match. Lavallee won all four of his matches by bonus points after recording a fall and technical fall yesterday. With his two technical falls, Lavallee now has nine career technical falls, tied for ninth-most in program history. Lewis recorded two falls on the day over Rider's Dean Sherry and Cornell's No. 10-ranked Brandon Womack, both which occurred in the first period. The Tiger junior has now recorded 31 career technical falls, surpassing Mark Ellis' 30 for the sixth-most in program history. After two decision wins yesterday, Leeth recorded a 7-1 win over Rider's Gino Fluri and a 6-5 win over Cornell's William Koll. Erneste recorded two decision wins on the day, defeating Rider's No. 16-ranked Anthony Cefolo, 8-6, and Cornell's No. 17-ranked Chaz Tucker, 6-2. Erneste defeated three ranked opponents in his four victories this weekend after also defeating North Carolina's No. 18-ranked Zach Sherman yesterday. QUOTABLES Mizzou Head Coach Brian Smith On the team's performance over the weekend… "Our wrestlers wrestled aggressivly this weekend. We came down to the tournament with small goals like get the first takedown and getting more bonus point wins, and I really saw a lot of that. We are not perfect at anything, so we will continue to work to get better as we move along in the season. UP NEXT Mizzou will now return home for its final two home duals of the season, as the Tigers host Buffalo on Thursday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. (CT) and Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 13, at Noon (CT). Both duals will be broadcast on the Mizzou Network through MUTigers.com. For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling). No. 4 Mizzou 31, No. 22 Rider 8 125: JR Wert (RID) SV-1 No. 17 Barlow McGhee (MIZ): 6-4 | MIZ 0, RID 3 133: No. 6 John Erneste (MIZ) dec. No. 16 Anthony Cefolo (RID): 8-6 | MIZ 3, RID 3 141: No. 5 Jaydin Eierman (MIZ) tech. fall Tyson Dippery (RID): 19-3 | MIZ 8, RID 3 149: No. 12 Grant Leeth (MIZ) dec. Gino Fluri (RID): 7-1 | MIZ 11, RID 2* 157: No. 4 Joey Lavallee (MIZ) tech. fall No. 6 BJ Clagon (RID): 19-3 | MIZ 16, RID 2 165: No. 3 Chad Walsh (RID dec. No. 25 Connor Flynn (MIZ): 10-4 | MIZ 16, RID 5 174: No. 4 Daniel Lewis (MIZ) fall Dean Sherry (RID): 2:36 | MIZ 22, RID 5 184: Canten Marriott (MIZ) major dec. Mike Fagg-Daves (RID): 11-2 | MIZ 26, RID 5 197: No. 2 Willie Miklus (MIZ) tech. fall Ethan Laird (RID): 18-2 | MIZ 31, RID 5 HWT: Mauro Corrneto (RID) dec. Rodrigo Diaz (MIZ): 5-2 | MIZ 31, RID 8 * - Rider deducted team point during match for unsportsmanlike conduct No. 4 Mizzou 27, No. 12 Cornell 11 125: No. 17 Barlow McGhee (MIZ) wins by forfeit| MIZ 6, CU 0 133: No. 6 John Erneste (MIZ) dec. No. 17 Chaz Tucker (CU): 6-2 | MIZ 9, CU 0 141: No. 5 Jaydin Eierman (MIZ) dec. No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (CU): 9-6 | MIZ 11, CU 0* 149: No. 12 Grant Leeth (MIZ) dec. William Koll (CU): 6-5 | MIZ 14, CU 0 157: No. 4 Joey Lavallee (MIZ) major dec. Adam Santoro (CU): 16-5 | MIZ 18, CU 0 165: No. 25 Connor Flynn (MIZ) dec. No. 13 Jon Jay Chavez (CU): 5-3 | MIZ 21, CU 0 174: No. 4 Daniel Lewis (MIZ) fall No. 10 Brandon Womack (CU): 1:30 | MIZ 27, CU 0 184: No. 10 Max Dean (CU) dec. Canten Marriott (MIZ): 4-3 | MIZ 27, CU 3 197: Ben Darnstadt (CU) major dec. No. 2 Willie Miklus (MIZ): 9-0 | MIZ 27, CU 7 HWT: No. 24 Jeramy Sweany (CU) major dec. Rodrigo Diaz (MIZ): 10-2 | MIZ 27, CU 11 * - Mizzou deducted team point during match for control of unsportsmanlike conduct

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. -- The Cornell wrestling team won its 800th dual meet in program history with a 22-19 win over No. 8 Minnesota on Friday afternoon at Deerfield Beach Sports Complex on day one of the South Beach Duals. That came just minutes after suffering its first loss of the season, 20-16 to North Dakota State. Boh duals came down to heavyweight, with junior Ben Honis moving up a weight and splitting a pair of one-point decisions. He dropped a tight decision after earning two early takedowns against North Dakota State, then rallied for a one-point victory with a late takedown to clinch the dual against Minnesota. Honis' takedown of Rylee Streifel with under 30 seconds remaining put the Big Red grappler up 4-3 and he was able to ride out the match to guarantee the Big Red its 800th dual meet win in program history (800-399-20). Top-ranked Yianni Diakomihalis remained unbeaten at 141 pounds with a win by fall over Sam Hampton of North Dakota State early and an impressive 18-4 major decision over No. 10 Thomas Thorn of Minnesota late. Freshman classmates Max Dean and Ben Darmstadt also went 2-0 on the day, with Darmstadt collecting a pair of bonus point wins to help Cornell rally into a position to claim both duals in the final match. Darmstadt's second period pin of Bobby Steveson tied the match with the Gophers at 19-19, while his major decision victory over Cordell Eaton of the Bison brough the Big Red back within 17-16 heading into the final match. Dean defeated Owen Webster of Minnesota by tech fall to being Cornell's rally from down 19-8 heading into the final three matches. Brandon Womack (174 vs. North Dakota State) and Will Koll (149 vs. Minnesota) also earned wins+ on the afternoon, with Koll going 1-0 with a major decision victory over Minnesota's Hunter Marko. Cornell has now won four of its last five meetings with the Golden Gophers and has claimed four straight wins against ranked teams (three vs. top 10 squads). Cornell will have two more chances to add to its 800 wins in Florida, as the Big Red wrestles Kent State on Saturday at 11 a.m. and No. 4 Missouri at 1 p.m. to close out the two-day event. North Dakota State 20, #12 Cornell 16 125: Paul Bianchi (NDSU) won by decision over Mike Russo (Cor), 13-9 133: Cam Sykora (NDSU) won by decision over Chaz Tucker (Cor), 4-3 141: #1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cor) won by fall over Sam Hampton (NDSU), 4:11 149: Kyle Gliva (NDSU) won by decision over Hunter Richard (Cornell), 9-6 157: #14 Clay Ream (NDSU) won by major decision over Adam Santoro (Cor), 14-6 165: #18 Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) won by major decision over Kyle Simaz (Cor), 19-5 174: #18 Brandon Womack (Cor) won by decision over Charley Popp (NDSU), 9-5 184: #11 Max Dean (Cor) won by decision over Tyler McNutt (NDSU), 11-5 197: Ben Darmstadt (Cor) won by major decision over Cordell Eaton (NDSU), 13-4 285: Daniel Stibral (NDSU) won by decision over Ben Honis (Cor), 8-7 #11 Cornell 22, #8 Minnesota 19 125: #4 Ethan Lizak (Minn) won by technical fall over Mike Russo (C), 16-0 133: #8 Mitch McKee (Minn) won by major decision over Chaz Tucker (C), 11-2 141: #1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cor) won by major decision over #10 Thomas Thorn (Minn), 18-4 149: Will Koll (Cor) won by major decision over Hunter Marko (Minn), 10-2 157: #12 Jake Short (Minn) won by decision over Kyle Simaz (Cor), 3-2 165: #9 Nick Wanzek (Minn) won by major decision over Adam santoro (Cor), 17-6 174: Chris Pfarr (Minn) won by decision over #18 Brandon Womack (Cor), 6-4 (tb1) 184: #11 Max Dean (Cor) won by technical fall over Owen Webster (Minn), 16-1 197: Ben Darmstadt (Cor) won by fall over Bobby Steveson (Minn), 4:43 285: Ben Honis (Cor) won by decision over Rylee Streifel (Minn), 4-3

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. -- No. 24 North Carolina scored its first top-10 win under head coach Coleman Scott when the Tar Heels knocked off No. 8 Minnesota 25-16 Friday as part of the 2017 South Beach Duals. Carolina got pins from A.C. Headlee and Danny Chaid among six match wins to score the upset in the first dual of the day. No. 4 Troy Heilmann added a major decision against the Golden Gophers for the Tar Heels, who fell to No. 4 Missouri later in the afternoon by a 27-9 decision. Headlee's third-period pin of No. 10 Tommy Thorn at 141 pounds highlighted a run of four straight victories that gave Carolina an early advantage. Headlee trailed in the match before pinning Thorn from a defensive position early in the third to swing the momentum to UNC. After Heilmann dominated Hunter Marko at 149 with an 18-6 major, Kennedy Monday upset No. 12 Jake Short 3-2 at 157 to give the Tar Heels a 16-6 lead in the dual. Zach Sherman also scored a top-10 win for Carolina during that stretch, handling No. 8 Mitchell McKee 5-2 at 133. Minnesota responded with consecutive wins at the next three weights to tie the dual, but Chaid's second-period pin of Bobby Steveson put the underdogs in a dominant position. Cory Daniel then secured the dual with a 3-2 decision over Rylee Streifel at heavyweight. Chaid had the marquee win of the second dual for Carolina, stunning No. 2 Willie Miklus of Missouri. After the match was tied 1-1, Miklus was hit with a second stall warning in sudden victory to give Chaid the victory. James Szymanski and Daniel also won for the Tar Heels, who saw the Tigers run off seven straight victories, including five of the bonus-point variety. UNC will wrap up the South Beach Duals Saturday starting at 11 a.m. with a pair of duals against SIU-Edwardsville and Michigan State. No. 24 North Carolina 26, No. 8 Minnesota 15 125: #5 Ethan Lizak (UM) pinned James Szymanski (UNC), 2:27 - Missouri leads 6-0 133: #19 Zach Sherman (UNC) dec. #8 Mitchell McKee (UM), 5-2 - Missouri leads 6-3 141: A.C. Headlee (UNC) pinned #10 Thomas Thorn (UM), 5:08 - UNC leads 9-6 149: #4 Troy Heilmann (UNC) maj. dec. Hunter Marko (UM), 18-6 - UNC leads 13-6 157: Kennedy Monday (UNC) dec. #12 Jake Short (UM), 3-2 - UNC leads 16-6 165: #9 Nick Wanzek (UM) maj. dec. Clay Lautt (UNC), 14-4 - UNC leads 16-10 174: Chris Pfarr (UM) dec. Adis Radoncic (UNC), 6-3 - UNC leads 16-13 184: Owen Webster (UM) dec. #20 Chip Ness (UNC), 8-6 - Dual tied 16-16 197: Danny Chaid (UNC) pinned Bobby Steveson (UM), 4:48 - UNC leads 22-16 285: Cory Daniel (UNC) over Rylee Streifel (UM), 3-2 - UNC lwins 25-16 No. 4 Missouri 27, No. 24 North Carolina 9 125: James Szymanski (UNC) dec. Barlow McGhee (MU), 5-4 - UNC leads 3-0 133: #8 John Erneste (MU) maj. dec. #19 Zach Sherman (UNC), 10-2 - MU leads 4-3 141: #5 Jaydin Eierman (MU) maj. dec. A.C. Headlee (UNC), 15-5 - MU leads 7-3* 149: #16 Grant Leeth (MU) dec. #4 Troy Heilmann (UNC), 6-3 - MU leads 10-3 157: #4 Joey Lavallee (MU) tech fall Kennedy Monday (UNC), 17-2 - MU leads 15-3 165: Connor Flynn (MU) maj. dec. Will MacDonald (UNC), 10-1 - MU leads 19-3 174: #4 Daniel Lewis (MU) tech fall Adis Radoncic (UNC), 18-1 (5:00) - MU leads 24-3 184: Canten Marriott (MU) dec. #20 Chip Ness (UNC), 3-1 (SV-1) - MU leads 27-3 197: Danny Chaid (UNC) dec. #2 Willie Miklus (MU), 2-1 (SV-1) - MU leads 27-6 285: Cory Daniel (UNC) dec. Rodrigo Diaz (MU), 10-4 - MU wins 27-6 *MU's penalized one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct

Link: Brackets Live Blog Midlands Championships

Many of the nation's top teams will be headed to the Midlands and Southern Scuffle this week for the biggest non-NCAA tournaments of the season. Among the team entries will also be a slew of individual athletes in redshirt, including Spencer Lee of Iowa (headed to the Midlands) and Daton Fix of Oklahoma State (headed to Southern Scufle). Should both wrestlers enter their respective 125-pound brackets the question will be whether their performances will impact the decision to pull their redshirt or keep them in redshirt. For Lee, the Midlands bracket is filled with potential challenges, including Ryan Millhof (Arizona State), Sean Russell (Edinboro), Luke Welch (Purdue) and undefeated local upstart Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern). However, no matchup would be more compelling to fans (and Tom Brands) than a potential scrap with No. 2 Nick Suriano of Rutgers. If Lee can scrap past that field, and put a decisive win up against Suriano, it could be the motivation Coach Brands needs to put Lee into the lineup for the Big Ten season. Should Lee fall short, or otherwise underperform, it could give Coach Brands the confidence to keep Lee sidelined until next November. Fix, who is coming off a Reno TOC title, will face a field at the Southern Scuffle that includes defending NCAA champion Darian Cruz of Lehigh. Fix won a tight match over NC State's Sean Fausz in the Reno finals. A matchup with Cruz would give Coach Smith and the Oklahoma State staff a much clearer picture on where Fix stands in the 2018 field. No matter the immediate outcome, it will be a treat for fans to see how these rising stars fair against the establishment at 125 pounds. To your questions … Q: I've heard from both Coach Gable and J Robinson who each say that Joe Russell was the best high school wrestler they ever saw. You mention Smith. Joe's brother Dan defeated Smith and was himself a four-time Division II champ and multiple-time Division I All-American. Joe teched him as a high school junior. It's funny, in Gables exchange with me, he says, "I think I know as I've seen them all." -- John L. Foley: Interesting anecdote! So maybe this is a settled topic?! Whenever cross-generational battles are offered up by fans, I'm reminded of something Coach Koll told me a few years ago during a similar discussion. No matter the progression of moves, or the perceived lack of athleticism of one generation versus the next, winners find a way to win. In Koll's theory a winner from one generation would do just as well in any other time period, because the real intangible is attitude, not a specific move or style. I'm not sure that's a fool proof theory, but mental toughness and ability to win in adverse situations are certainly factors to consider. Q: Like Mark Hall, Pat Smith won the first of his four titles as a true freshman. I believe that Pat would have given a match to Hall in high school, simply because he was training with the great Ronnie James his senior year. Coach James was a four-time NAIA All-American and three-time NAIA champion. He could have been the first four-timer in any division but placed third as a senior. He is the brother of David James and graduated from Del City where he placed third in high school once. He was also my coach and still one of the toughest people I know. But from what I've heard Mark was the best out of all of the Smiths in high school. I always look forward to Friday since I work the night shift and your article comes out. Thank you! -- Orlando R. Foley: Another cool anecdote! Thanks for reading! Q: While watching the dual between Oklahoma State and Wyoming it was hard not to notice how out of shape the Oklahoma State wrestlers looked, when compared to many of the Wyoming wrestlers. This is only a simple observation, so I can be greatly mistaken. However, during an interview, Bryce Meredith stated that he has been on the grind and Dean Heil has been missing in action and that was a contributing factor to Dean not being able to fight until the end and was one of the reasons Bryce was able to break Heil as he put it. Many of the Oklahoma State wrestlers have not been competing in tournaments. From what I've read Oklahoma State will not be taking its starters to the Southern Scuffle. Do you believe this will affect their performance come Big 12s and NCAAs? -- Uriel C. John Smith talks to 125-pounder Nick Piccininni (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Foley: I covered this a bit last week, but I really think that the elevation played a major role in the perception that the Cowboys were in poor shape. I was in Ecuador last week (9,000 to 13,000 feet) and was so oxygen deprived I had trouble sleeping the first few nights. Wrestling -- arguably the most difficult aerobic/anaerobic combo workout in sports -- is certain to drain even the top athletes when put at an elevation with significantly less oxygen. I think that every team has their own periodization scheme and Oklahoma State follows one that has always prioritized March and learning early. Coach Smith once said that they spend a majority of the first semester on techniques and drills rather than conditioning and live go's. I'm sure they do a mixture, but focusing on the technical side of the sport has always been a wining method for Coach Smith. All the more reason to see how Fix and the backups do at the Scuffle! Q: Will InterMat be posting information on options for viewing live or taped Midlands matches? I assume Flo and perhaps Trackwrestling will offer that service. -- Russ T. Foley: Midlands will be on Flo and BTN Plus. Q: I am a huge wrestling fan. I read columns and articles and websites every day. But I am having a hard time understanding this animosity I see in many comments here and elsewhere. Where is it coming from? Obviously, I missed something somewhere, but as a loyal follower and in several cases, paid subscriber, I find this RIDICULOUS. As adult journalists and commentators and website operators -- and followers -- this is coming off like spiteful teenagers harassing each other. I notice that you seem to bear the brunt of this, and I don't know why, but to ALL of you out there -- knock it off. Don't bring this noble sport down by such pettiness. -- Nancy W. Foley: I agree that the comments section for this article can sometimes be a breeding ground for trollish behavior and comments. As bad as the comments get they haven't quite reached the level of YouTube where even a video of German Shepard puppies can elicit a terrible response. The anonymity of the internet and the space between one person and another is so dependable and far reaching that it emboldens the crass amongst our community. For all the talk of faith and goodness in the wrestling community there sometimes feels like an outsized amount of bigotry, hatred and sexism. My hope has always been that it only feels that way because those who harbor these feelings tend to comment more, but sometimes I worry that our community has taken a hard turn toward the hateful and shortsighted. If so, there isn't much that you and I can do to directly change their beliefs. The goal, as always, is to inform and entertain, and I will continue to do it without personal attacks or hateful language, and appreciate all the readers who do the same.

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

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- Current Illinois wrestling head coach Jim Heffernan and former Illini head coach Mark Johnson will be inducted into the Ken Kraft Midlands Hall of Fame on Saturday, December 30, prior to the finals of the 55th annual tournament. The first two Illini to ever be inducted into the exclusive club, Coach Heffernan and Coach Johnson have combined to coach all four of Illinois' Midlands team titles and 11 of the 12 individual champions. The first with Illini ties to enter the Hall of Fame, Coach Heffernan and Coach Johnson are the 52nd and 53rd members of the Midlands Hall of Fame. A part of six team and five individual Midlands titles as an athlete or a coach, Jim Heffernan boasts continued success at the midseason holiday tournament. As a four-time All-American wrestler at Iowa, Heffernan won the 150-pound Midlands title three times to go along with Iowa team titles in 1983 and 1985. In his last of the three individual crowns, Heffernan was named the 1986 Art Kraft Champion of Champions which goes to the top overall wrestler at each Midlands tournament. Since joining the Illinois coaching staff as an assistant in 1992 under fellow inductee Mark Johnson, Heffernan has been a part of four more team Midlands titles, a three-peat from 2003 to 2005 and fourth team title in 2012 after taking over for Coach Johnson as head coach in 2009. In 2014 and 2016, Heffernan has guided two-time NCAA champion Isaiah Martinez to Midlands titles at 157 pounds and 165 pounds, respectively. The Midlands induction will mark the third Hall of Fame induction for Jim Heffernan, adding to his 2006 National Wrestling Hall of Fame and 2015 Iowa Hall of Fame inductions. Former Illini head coach Mark Johnson joins Heffernan in the 2017 Hall of Fame Class after leading the Illini to three straight Midlands team titles from 2003 to 2005 and eight individual Midlands champions. Of the eight Midlands titles, seven came during an eight-year span from 2002 to 2009 with one in every year except 2008. A two-time NCAA Finalist at the University of Michigan, Johnson placed three times at the Midlands tournament, finishing runner-up in 1976 and 1979. Coaching 17 seasons at the helm of the Illini, Johnson left the program with the most wins, NCAA Champions, All-Americans and NCAA qualifiers of any coach in Illini history. In 2005, Johnson broke Illinois' 53-year Big Ten title drought and won a pair of Big Ten dual titles in 2005 and 2006. In 2001, Johnson led the program to its highest finish at NCAA Championships with a fifth-place finish behind NCAA Champions Adam Tirapelle and John Lockhart. Johnson was named the 1995 National Coach of the Year and a two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (2001, 2005). For complete coverage of Fighting Illini wrestling, go to FIGHTINILLINI.com and follow @IlliniWrestling on Twitter and Instagram.

Andrew Long won a Midlands title in 2015 One of the charms of the Midlands Championships has always been its openness. In the past, wrestlers from divisions outside of NCAA Division I have been able to compete and have success. This year, NAIA No. 1 Grand View did not receive any bids for the tournament. With this lack of potential so-called "Cinderella stories" InterMat has decided to take a look back at some of the top non-Division I performances at the Midlands over the last five seasons. The article excludes post-graduate wrestlers such as David Taylor. 2016: Lucas Malmberg (Messiah), sixth at 125 Last year Malmberg defeated a pair of Division I competitors, Paul Bianchi (North Dakota State) and Christian Moody (Oklahoma), and ended up finishing sixth. He did suffer three losses in the tournament, but those turned out to be his only losses of the season. Malmberg went undefeated for the rest of the year and took home his second NCAA Division III title and fourth All-American season. 2015: Andrew Long (Grand View), champion at 141 After a troublesome end to his career at both Iowa State and Penn State, Long tried to revive his career at Grand View. Things got off to a good start on the mat with an impressive performance at the Midlands. He won all five of his matches via bonus points including a technical fall over Steve Bleise (Northern Illinois/Minnesota). However, this turned out to be the high point for Long at Grand View. The following March he was dismissed from the team and school following another off-the-mat incident. 2014: Brandon Wright (Grand View), seventh at 141 Wright defeated multiple Division I wrestlers including Todd Preston (Harvard), Topher Carton (Iowa) and Alex Kocer (South Dakota State) to finish seventh at the 2014 edition of the tournament. His only losses came against All-Americans Josh Dziewa (Iowa) and Joseph McKenna (Stanford/Ohio State). Wright finished the season with his second NAIA national title and currently serves as an assistant coach for the Vikings. 2014: Brock Gutches (Southern Oregon), sixth at 174 Gutches began his collegiate wrestling career at Boise State before transferring to Southern Oregon. He won four NAIA national titles and placed twice at the Midlands Tournament. In 2014, he reached the semifinals with a victory over Nate Jackson (Indiana) in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he dropped a decision against multiple-time All-American Mike Evans (Iowa) and defaulted out of the tournament. 2013: Brock Gutches (Southern Oregon), fourth at 174 During the previous season, Gutches actually finished a bit higher. He defeated Ricky McDonald (Brown), Collin Zeerip (Michigan), Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State) and Scott Liegel (Wisconsin). However, he dropped a rematch against Zillmer in overtime in the third-place match. 2013: Chad Lowman (Grand View), eighth at 165 During the 2013 tournament, Lowman knocked off a pair Division I competitors, Ben Cox (Wisconsin) and Jud Ziegler (Princeton), to finish eighth. He finished his career at Grand View with a pair of NAIA national titles. 2012: Matt Meuleners (Northern State) seventh at 285/Eric Thompson (Grand View), eighth at 285 Meuleners won a pair of NCAA Division II titles for Northern State. Also during his time there, he took home a seventh-place finish at the Midlands. He reached the quarterfinals with a victory over Ben Appland (Michigan) but lost in the next round. In the seventh-place match, he defeated Thompson. The Grand View wrestler ended up being a three-time NAIA champion and was the 2012 NAIA Wrestler of the Year.

An extremely talented field will convene for the 57th annual Brecksville Invitational Holiday Tournament come Friday and Saturday just south of Cleveland, Ohio. Nineteen wrestlers currently nationally ranked are expected to compete, including at least one ranked wrestler in twelve of the fourteen weight classes. Three nationally ranked teams are also present - No. 9 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.), No. 23 Brecksville, and No. 32 Lowell (Mich.). Additional notable teams to watch among the 47 in attendance are the three other out of state teams - Avon (Ind.), Dundee (Mich.), and Portage (Ind.); along with in-state teams such as three-time individual state runners-up Elyria, two-time dual team runners-up Wauseon, two-time individual state runners-up Canfield, plus a pair of teams that ended the 2016-17 season nationally ranked in Cincinnati Elder and Olentangy Liberty. The tournament is headlined by a pair of weight classes that feature three nationally ranked wrestlers, including the 106 pound weight class, which is led by No. 1 Jacob Decatur (CVCA). Additional ranked wrestlers are No. 13 Jacob Moon (Oregon Clay) and No. 19 Jacob Moran (Portage, Ind.). Also here are returning state Collin Yinger (Nelsonville-York) and Jacob Kuhlins (Tuslaw) along with Cadet freestyle All-American Kyle Rowan (Perry) and Beast of the East placer Jack Stanley (Brecksville). Also featuring three nationally ranked wrestlers is the 152 pound weight class, which is led by No. 7 Connor Brady (Olentangy Liberty) plus also features No. 16 Jake Marsh (Marysville) and No. 20 Cameron Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.). Other contenders include returning state champion Zach Bellaire (Dundee, Mich.), two-time state runner-up Sandro Ramirez (Wauseon), 2016 state runner-up Donnell Washington (Portage, Ind.), state placer Nathan Conley (Avon, Ind.), and David Cumberledge (Ashtabula St. John). Three other weight classes feature a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers, including the pair of state champions present at 120 pounds in No. 5 Julian Tagg (Brecksville) and No. 9 Ben Kamali (Detroit Catholic Central, Ind.). They are joined eight other state placers from last year, plus a ninth wrestler that placed at state two years ago. Notables among that group are three-time state placer Matthew Cardello (CVCA); two-time state placer Hunter Ryan (Lake Catholic); Jordan Rosselli (Olentangy Liberty), Brock Peele (Portage, Ind.), Jonathan White (Dundee, Mich.), and Dylan Burns (Milan Edison) who all placed third or fourth last year; along with 2016 state placer Jake Canitano (Solon). The 113 pound weight class features No. 13 Zach Shupp (Fairfield) and No. 16 Dylan Shawver (Elyria); Shupp placed at Flo Nationals, while Shawver is a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American. Also in the field are additional returning state medalists Brandon Lucas (Western Brown), Devon Johnsen (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), and Ray Adams (Milan Edison). The 170 pound weight class features a pair of Super 32 placers in No. 6 Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty) and No. 16 Ashton Eyler (Claymont); Kharchla placed third at 160, while Eyler was seventh at 182 in that tournament. Other notables in the field include state champion Jacob Lagoa (Ashtabula St. John) along with returning state medalists Anthony D'Alesio (Canfield) and Tyler Speelman (Nelsonville-York). No. 9 Jordan Decatur (CVCA) is the anchor of what is by far the tournament's deepest weight class, as eight additional returning state placers are present in the 126 pound weight class, plus another that placed at state in 2016 but not last year. Prime among that group of nine are 2016 state champion Asa Garcia (Avon, Ind.), a Super32 placer this fall, and returning state runner-up Gio DiSabato (Hilliard Davidson). Others include Cadet freestyle All-American Mick Burnett (Elyria), NHSCA Junior Nationals placer Colin Poynter (Portage, Ind.), and two-time state placer Connor McCrone (Lake Catholic). Another pretty deep weight class is the one at 132 pounds, where No. 16 Gabriel Tagg (Brecksville) is the lone ranked wrestler. He is a three-time placer at the Walsh Ironman and two-time placer at the Beast of the East. Eight others in the field were on their state tournament podium last year, including two-time state medalists Avry Mutschler (Lowell, Mich.) and Niko Chilson (Rootstown). No. 6 (at 145) Kevon Davenport (Detroit Catholic, Mich.) is dropping down to the 138 pound weight class for this event. Joining him in this weight class are three other returning state placers: two-time medalist Kris Rumph (Portage, Ind.), Marco Regalbuto (Brecksville), and Hunter Yackee (Wauseon). Others to watch are 2016 Cadet freestyle All-American Andrew Garr (Aurora) and impact freshman Stoney Buell (Dundee, Mich.). The 145 pound weight class will now be led by No. 11 Kasper McIntosh (Portage, Ind.), a placer at the Flo Nationals and Super 32 Challenge. Others to watch include state champion Austin Boone (Lowell, Mich.), Cadet freestyle All-American and Flo Nationals placer Victor Voinovich (Brecksville), as well as state placers Walker Heard (Marysville) and Dakota Bunting (Claymont). Two-time state champion Kevon Freeman (Lake Catholic), ranked No. 18 nationally, headlines a 160 pound weight class that does feature another state champion in Tyler Orrison (Dundee, Mich.). Additional returning state placers in the field include Colt Yinger (Nelsonville-York), Nevan Snodgrass (Kettering Fairmont), and Tyler Bates (Marysville), while Austin Murphy (Cincinnati Elder) was a state placer in 2016. Featured in the 182 pound weight class is state champion David Crawford (Canfield) as well as No. 12 Trevor Lawson (Olentangy Liberty). Four other state medalists in this field are David Kruse (Lowell, Mich.), Sam Stoll (Milan Edison), Charles Sanders (Cincinnati Elder), and Chris Langguth (Rootstown). The last of the ranked wrestlers in this tournament is No. 3 Brandon Whitman (Dundee, Mich.) at 220 pounds. Other contenders include Junior freestyle All-American Antonio McCloud (Cincinnati Elder); state placers Ryan Boyle (Rootstown), Josh Bever (Ashland), Connor Nugent (Lowell, Mich.), and Zach D'Anna (Brecksville); as well as Flo Nationals placer Tyler Stein (Canfield). Two weight classes in this tournament do not have a nationally ranked wrestler, 195 and 285 pounds. The 195 pound class feature just one returning state medalist, Dalton Hoover (Martins Ferry) with six additional state qualifiers, including Freakshow champion Keigan Yuhas (Lowell, Mich.). At 285 pounds, there are two returning state placers, Alec Moore-Nash (Cincinnati Elder) and Brayden Phillips (Tuslaw); while four additional state qualifiers are present, including Walsh Ironman placer Tyler Connolly (Marysville).

In its 51st year, the Powerade Wrestling Tournament has positioned itself as the best tournament held between Christmas and New Year's Day, and among the five (or so) best regular season tournaments across the country. The field is primarily centered upon the wrestling hotbed that is the WPIAL, and more broadly Pennsylvania as a whole. There are also teams from eight other states in the 52-school field. Leading the way is a pair of top ten ranked teams in the country, No. 5 Wyoming Seminary and No. 7 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.). Three other nationally ranked teams are in the field, No. 37 Parkersburg South (W.Va.), No. 41 St. Paul's (Md.), and No. 50 Kiski Area; while other notable teams include Reynolds, Erie Cathedral Prep, and Canon-McMillan. Three weight classes will feature the wrestler ranked first in the country, Kurt McHenry (St. Paul's, Md.) at 113 pounds, Joey Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) at 132, and Gavin Hoffman (Montoursville) at 195. No additional nationally ranked wrestler is present to challenge McHenry at 113 pounds, though there are two returning state champions, Beau Bayless (Reynolds) and Nic Bouzakis (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.). Other returning state placers include Ryan Sullivan (Shaler), Frank Bonura (Moon Township), and Christian Fisher (Mifflin County). Also in this weight class is Nic Botello (Wyoming Seminary). Joining Silva at 132 will be another nationally ranked wrestler in No. 6 Carson Manville (Wyoming Seminary), a Cadet National double champion this summer. However, being a freshman means that Manville will be an unseeded wrestler; the tournament as a rule seeds eight wrestlers per weight class, with freshmen not being eligible for seeding. Others to watch include two-time state placer Lucas Revano (Camden Catholic, N.J.); state placers Jordan Ward (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio) and Bodee Tolbert (Bishop McDevitt); along with state qualifiers Caleb Morris (Waynesburg), Colton Camacho (Franklin Regional), and Nick Coy (Penn Trafford). A pair of additional nationally ranked wrestlers join Hoffman at 195, No. 8 Ryan Reyes (Clovis West, Calif.) and No. 16 Austin Cooley (Wyoming Seminary). Also in this weight class are state runner-up Jake Thompson (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio) and state placer Xavier Molnar (Brookville). There are also a pair of wrestlers ranked second in the country in the tournament field – Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson Morgan) is ranked No. 2 at 132 pounds, but competing down at 126, while Trent Hidlay (Mifflin County) anchors the 182 weight class. Teasdale – yet to lose a high school match – is in a rather robust weight class, featuring two other ranked wrestlers in No. 6 Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary) and No. 11 Sam Hillegas (North Hills). Others include state champion Liam Lusher (Independence, W.Va.), state runners-up Colt Rhone (Benton) and Brayden Roberts (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), state medalist Ed Scott (DuBois), and state qualifier Patrick Noon (Stroudsburg). Hidlay's weight class features the most ranked wrestlers of any in this tournament, with three other ranked wrestlers joining him. No. 6 Cody Mulligan (Saegertown) is a fellow state champion, and lost 3-2 to Hidlay in the King of the Mountain final already this season, while No. 19 Jack Parr (St. Paul's, Md.) and Darrien Roberts (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) are both returning National Prep placers. Also in the field are returning state placers Tim Wallace (Albert Gallatin) and Luigi Yates (Erie Cathedral Prep). Another trio of weight classes feature three nationally ranked wrestlers. Returning Powerade champion Cody Matthews (Reynolds) is ranked No. 9 at 138, and is joined by No. 11 Jack Davis (Wyoming Seminary) as well as No. 12 Jackson Henson (Waynesburg) in this field. Also in the weight class are multiple-time state champions Luke Martin (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), Noah Castillo (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), and River Curtis (Battlefield, Va.) as well as two-time state placer Noah Levett (Kiski Area) and National Prep placer Irman Heard (St. Paul's, Md.) Three-time state champion Frankie Gissendanner (Penfield, N.Y.) is ranked No. 6 at 152 pounds, but competing in this tournament at 145. Also present are No. 15 Ricky Cabanillas (DePaul Catholic, N.J.) and No. 16 Ryan Vulakh (Pope John II). Others in the field are state champion Max Hammond (St. Paul's, Md.), 2016 state runner-up Alex Hart (Independence, W.Va.), two-time state placer Luke Kemerer (Hempfield Area), state placer Kai Bele (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), and 2016 state medalist Job Chishko (Penn Trafford). Cadet National double champion Carter Starocci (Erie Cathedral Prep) is ranked No. 8 at 160 pounds. Also in the field are a pair of Ironman placers, No. 12 Erich Byelick (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) and No. 16 Jake Hendricks (Wyoming Seminary); Byelick is a two-time Super 32 placer, while Hendricks was on the Cadet Greco world team this summer. Also in the field are state runners-up Ronald Miller (Battlefield, Va.) and Zane Hinzman (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), state medalist Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan), and two-time former state placer Zach Hartman (Belle Vernon). Two other weight classes feature a pair of ranked wrestlers, 152 and 220 pounds. No. 9 Justin McCoy (Chestnut Ridge) and No. 17 Josh Humphreys (Parkersburg South, W.Va) head the field at 152, while No. 5 Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) and No. 12 Ben Goldin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) are at 220. Other contenders at 152 include state champions Zach Feight (Battlefield, Va.) and Haegan Harvey (Independence, W.Va.), multi-time National Prep placer Benny Baker (Wyoming Seminary), multi-time state placer Caleb Hetrick (Brookville), and state medalist Brock Godzin (Belle Vernon). Additional wrestlers at 220 include state runner-up Ian Edenfield (Laurel Highlands), state medalists Dominic Deluca (Derry Area) and Tyler Cook (Brookville), along with 2015 National Prep placer John Urban (St. Paul's, Md.) Leading the pack at 106 pounds is No. 18 Will Guida (St. Paul's, Md.), while Jake Wohltman (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) and Kurtis Phipps (Norwin) are the only other returning state medalists. Additional wrestlers to watch include Junior freestyle All-American Tim Levine (Wyoming Seminary), state qualifier Trenton Donahue (DuBois), and freshman Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Seneca Valley) The lone ranked wrestler at 120 is Ryan Chauvin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), who is No. 17 down at 113. Additional contenders include state champions Doug Zapf (Downington West) and Brandon Wittenberg (Battlefield, Va.); mutli-time state placers Louis Newell (Seneca Valley), Logan Macri (Canon-McMillan), and Chase Shields (Bishop McDevitt); and state medalist Darren Miller (Kiski Area). Impact freshmen are Cadet freestyle champion Zeke Escalera (Wyoming Seminary) and Wyatt Henson (Waynesburg). Josiah Jones (Bishop McCort), ranked No. 6 at 220 pounds, is up in the 285 weight class and the lone ranked wrestler present. Others contenders include two-time state runner-up Louden Haga (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), two-time state medalist Kavaun DeBoe (Erie Cathedral Prep), state placer Curtis Ruff (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), and state qualifier Antonio Cutrie (Wyoming Seminary). The lone weight class without a nationally ranked wrestler is 170 pounds. Notable contenders include two-time state placer Jared McGill (Chestnut Ridge), two-time state qualifier Kyle Homet (Waynesburg), state placer Jason Montgomery (Bethel Park), and state runner-up Max Cosmides (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.)