InterMat Staff

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Cornell wrestling team put on a show, winning 8-of-10 matches en route to a 31-6 victory over Buffalo on Monday evening at Mayhem on the Mainstage at UB's Center for the Arts. The Big Red improved to 2-0 on the season, while the Bulls slipped to 3-4. The win, Cornell's 799th dual meet victory in school history, ended with six straight wins - including Chaz Tucker's thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over No. 16 Bryan Lantry at 133 pounds. Tied 1-1 heading into overtime, Tucker wasn't able to escape in the first rideout session. Lantry did escape for the first point, but Tucker, after nearly earning several takedowns in regulation, was able to finish to give the sophomore the victory. The win put the Big Red up 10-6, swinging the match to the visitors. Freshman Max Dean opened the meet with a solid 14-3 triumph over Brett Perry at 184, followed by a solid 5-1 win for Ben Honis at 197. The Bulls won the next two matches to get back within 7-6, but Tucker's upset at 133 made sure the home team's momentum was squashed. The Big Red won by fall at 141 and 165 to turn the close dual into a rout. Freshman Yianni Diakomihalis captured a dominant pin early in the third period, while Jon Jay Chavez squared up Noah Grover early in the second to grab six team points apiece. In between, Jonathan Furnas (149) and Adam Santoro (157) won narrow decisions to keep the train rolling. Brandon Womack closed out the night with an 8-2 triumph at 174. Cornell returns to action following a holiday break at the South Beach Duals beginning on Dec. 29 in Fort Lauderdale. Cornell will face North Dakota State, Minnesota, Kent State and Missouri over a two-day span, beginning with NDSU at 11:00 a.m. on the 29th. Results: 184: #11 Max Dean (C) won by major decision over Brett Perry (UB), 14-3 197: Ben Honis (C) won by decision over Joe Ariola (UB), 5-1 285: #20 Jake Gunning (UB) won by decision over Jeramy Sweany (C), 10-4 125: Kyle Akins (UB) won by decision over Mike Russo (C), 3-0 133: Chaz Tucker (C) won by decision over #16 Bryan Lantry (UB), 3-2 (SV2) 141: #3 Yianni Diakomihalis (C) won by fall over Blake Retell (UB), 5:26 149: Jonathan Furnas (C) won by decision over Jason Estevez (UB), 6-3 157: Adam Santoro (C) won by decision over Eric Fasnacht (UB), 9-7 165: #16 John Jay Chavez (C) won by fall over Noah Grover (UB), 3:40 174: #16 Brandon Womack (C) won by decision over Ryan Kromer (UB), 8-2

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Central Michigan wrestling team won 16 of 20 matches on Monday in sweeping a pair of nonconference duals at Purdue to close a road trip during which the Chippewas were dominant. The 23rd-ranked Chippewas won nine matches in downing Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, 42-3, and then won seven bouts in upending the 19th-ranked Boilermakers, 24-10. The double-dual sweep came two days after the Chippewas rolled to a 34-6 win over Northern Illinois in their Mid-American Conference opener. The weekend tally: CMU won 24 of 30 matches, and it scored bonus points in 14 of those 24 wins. “We did that without one of our better wrestlers (Colin Heffernan), who's been out (injured) for more than two weeks,” CMU coach Tom Borrelli said. “I really feel like we're improving, but we've got to keep the pedal down. We've got a good week to train this week.” The Chippewas wrestle in the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill., Dec. 29-30. On Monday against SIU-Edwardsville, CMU won two matches by pin, two by technical fall. and two more by major decision. The Chippewas posted three major-decision victories and won seven of the final eight matches in beating Purdue on the Boilermakers' home mat at Holloway Gymnasium. Justin Oliver (149 pounds), Logan Parks (165) and Jordan Ellingwood (184) won by major decision against Purdue. CMU's biggest wins came from CJ Brucki (174) and Matt Stencel (285). Brucki, who is ranked 15th, defeated 14th-ranked Dylan Lydy, 7-3. Stencel, an unranked redshirt freshman, took a 4-3 decision from 14th-ranked Shawn Streck. Streck had defeated Stencel twice earlier this season in the Michigan State Open. Streck's second win in that tournament over Stencel came via a pin. On Monday, Stencel rallied from a 3-2 deficit with a takedown with under 10 seconds remaining to pull ahead for good. Brucki dropped a 7-5 decision to Lydy earlier this season at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Brucki trailed, 3-1, in the second period on Monday and knotted the match, 3-3, with a takedown with 16 seconds remaining in the period. Brucki then got an escape, a takedown and a riding point in the third period in posting the victory. “Those were two big matches for us,” Borrelli said. “And those guys really performed well. In both of those matches we came back in the third period which is what we've been really emphasizing.” Among the other highlights: • Parks (165) won both of his matches on Monday by major decision. The sophomore posted an 11-4 win on Saturday at Northern Illinois. “Parks really wrestled well this weekend, I mean really well,” Borrelli said. “He's really coming on.” • Jordan Ellingwood scored bonus points in all three of his wins on the weekend. On Monday, he won by major decision against Purdue and by pin against SIU-Edwardsville. • Redshirt freshman Blake Montrie, Heffernan's replacement at 157 pounds, posted his first dual-meet victory when he beat Karstan Van Velsor of SIU-Edwardsville, 8-3. CENTRAL MICHIGAN 24, PURDUE 10 125: Luke Welch (P) major dec. Drew Hildebrandt, 10-2 133: Ben Thornton (P) dec. Dresden Simon, 6-3 141: Mason Smith (CMU) dec. Nate Limmex, 3-0 149: Justin Oliver (CMU) major dec. Koby Reyes, 15-6 157: Cole Wysocki (P) dec. Blake Montrie, 1-0 165: Logan Parks (CMU) major dec. Jacob Morrissey, 14-1 174: CJ Brucki (CMU) dec. Dylan Lydy, 7-3 184: Jordan Ellingwood (CMU) major dec. Max Lyon, 11-3 197: Jordan Atienza (CMU) dec. Christian Brunner, 10-6 285: Matt Stencel (CMU) dec. Shawn Streck, 4-3 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 42, SIUE 3 125: Drew Hildebrandt (CMU) dec. Zach Genztler, 3-2 133: Dresden Simon (CMU) pinned Joe Antonelli, 2:40 141: Mason Smith (CMU) tech. fall John Muldoon, 16-0, 1:57 149: Justin Oliver (CMU) tech. fall Tyshawn Williams, 25-10, 5:00 157: Blake Montrie (CMU) dec. Karstan Van Velsor, 8-3 165: Logan Parks (CMU) major dec. Nate Higgins, 13-5 174: Hunter Rollins (CMU) major dec. Mason McDaniel, 9-1 184: Jordan Ellingsood (CMU) pinned Jake Godinez, 3:22 197: Christian Dulaney (SIUE) dec. Landon Pelham, 8-4 285: Matt Stencel (CMU) won by forfeit

Pat Hogan and Jacob Holschlag will be guests for this week's broadcast of “On the Mat” this Wednesday, December 20. Guest host Jeff Bradley will talk to the two guests with connections to the University of Northern Iowa. Hogan, a UNI graduate, is currently wrestling coach at Union La Porte High School; Holschlag is the Panthers' 197 pounder. “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.

RENO, Nev. -- No. 5 Arizona State's Jason Tsirtsis led the way for the Sun Devils at the Reno Tournament of Champions, winning the title at 149 lbs, a tournament self-dubbed the "Toughest Tournament in the USA". The tournament, founded in 1994, now includes junior, high school, and college portions and the college version has grown from a four-way college dual to a 16-team invitational. Tsirtsis earned five straight wins to grab the 149 lbs title, defeating Stanford's Jake Berry and Wyoming's Jaron Jensen in the round of 32 and 16, respectively. In the quarterfinals, Tsirtsis captured his biggest win of the weekend, a 14-1 major decision over North Dakota State's Kyla Gliva. He defeated Oklahoma State's Boo Lewallen and NC State's Beau Donahue in the semifinals and finals, both by decisions. Cory Crooks (141), Oliver Pierce (157), Conner Small (174), and Cade Belshay (197) also wrestled officially for the Sun Devils while several others competed unattached (results below). The Sun Devils are back in action just before the new year at the prestigious Midlands Championships hosted by Northwestern on Dec. 29-30.

Bryce Meredith (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) RENO, Nev. -- Thanks to five top-three finishes, the University of Wyoming wrestling program took second place at the 2017 Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday. "We started off aggressive this morning and picked up bonus points," head coach Mark Branch said. "At that point, I was happy with the way things were going and the direction we were headed. From then on I thought we stayed consistent and our guys fed of each other." Senior Bryce Meredith (141 pounds), junior Branson Ashworth (165 pounds) and redshirt freshman Montorie Bridges (133 pounds) led the Pokes with first-place finishes at their respective weights, while seniors Archie Colgan (157 pounds) and Chaz Polson (184 pounds) took third for the Brown and Gold. UW racked up 140 points to finish behind No. 6 North Carolina State (192 points) in the team standings. Of Wyoming's 19 wrestlers that competed on Sunday, 14 recorded a bonus-point victory in their opening round match. "To have that many guys competing that late in the day in the semifinals was great," Branch added. "Montorie (Bridges), Bryce (Meredith) and Branson (Ashworth) had outstanding tournaments. They each had big wins that will help with seeding in the tournaments later in the season. Overall, we did well and I hope we can continue with that momentum as the season progresses." Bridges posted a perfect 5-0 mark at the tournament to capture his crown. He flew past the competition early with bonus-points in his first three bouts. Bridges would ultimately earn a solid 10-4 decision over Tariq Wilson of NC State in the finals. Meredith ran through the competition to earn his title at 141 pounds. Meredith's first three wins came via pins to push him to the semifinals. He then earned a 3-2 decision over No. 5 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) before upsetting former teammate and No. 2 Kevin Jack (NC State) in the finals. As expected, Ashworth went 5-0 and finished first at 165 pounds with a 6-1 decision over Conner Flynn of Missouri. He appeared ahead of the game with up two impressive pins in his first two matches of the day, and then followed with a tech fall in the quarterfinals. Colgan had a standout afternoon for the Pokes. He went 4-1 with two bonus-point victories to finish third at 157 pounds. Colgan, who currently has 96 career victories, moved into 20th all-time in wins at Wyoming. Polson was 4-1 to finish third at 184 pounds for the Brown and Gold. He claimed third-place with an 11-6 decision of Bob Coleman on Sunday night. Pope, who had three bonus-points victories to take fourth with a 3-2 record in Reno. Pope tried to match Polson and Colgan with a third-place finish, but fell to Danial Bullard (NC State) to end the day. Freshman Hayden Hastings was one of five Pokes to wrestle unattached on Sunday. He led the way with a sixth-place finish at 165 pounds. Hastings picked up four wins at the tournament, three of those bonus-points. His first loss came to teammate Ashworth in the quarterfinals and then dropped a decision to Brian Hamann (NC State) in the fifth-place bout. The Pokes will be back in action on Tuesday as they meet No. 3 Oklahoma State in Cheyenne for a 7 p.m. dual at Storey Gym.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- UW-Parkside wrestling had a dominating performance at the 39th Annual Midwest Classic Sunday afternoon, as the Rangers took home the team title in a strong field of 35 teams. Parkside, who came in unranked, finished with 137.0 points in first place over the field that including multiple ranked teams, including four in the top-10 according to intermatwrestle. No. 10 Ashland came in second with 117, No. 3 McKendree finished in third with 112.0 and No. 19 Findlay came in four with 88. The Rangers sent five wrestlers into the semifinals after a good day on Saturday and Nick Becker was the lone Ranger that came away with a championship. Becker, who is the reigning national champion, defeated No. 4 ranked Nick Foster in the championship match. Parkside saw both Airk Furseth (133) and Frank Yattoni (149) finish in second, while Joseph Arroyo (125) and Anthony Cheloni (141) took third place. Furseth fell to Darius Bunch of West Liberty while Yattoni dropped his match to No. 1 ranked James Krischke of Maryville. After the big weekend for the Rangers, the team will take the entire holiday season off before heading to the Mankato Duals on Jan. 6.

Daniel Lewis RENO, Nev. -- Redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) captured an individual title, as No. 4 Mizzou Wrestling (8-0, 2-0 MAC) recorded five top-three finishes at the Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday. Lewis was dominate throughout the tournament, as he recorded three falls and a major decision en route to his first place finish. In the team standings, Mizzou finished the tournament in third place with 106 points, finishing behind North Carolina State (189 points) and Wyoming (140 points). NOTABLE TIGERS Lewis, who entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed, recorded three falls on the day, including back-to-back first period pins in the semifinals and finals. Lewis pinned Daniel Bullard (North Carolina State) at 1:35 to reach the finals, where he pinned Kimball Baston (Utah Valley) at 1:40. With his three falls, the two-time All-American now has 29 career falls, which moves him into seventh place in the all-time career falls list in program history. Redshirt senior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.) returned home to finish second in his final collegiate Reno Tournament of Champions. Lavallee posted wins by major decision and technical fall in his opening two rounds before recording two decision wins to reach the finals, where he fell, 3-1, to No. 16-ranked Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State). The Tiger senior now has 22 career major decisions, which ranks tied for 10th all-time in program history. Also finishing second was redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Connor Flynn (Dardenne Prairie, Mo.) and redshirt freshman 184-pounder Canten Marriott (Exclesior Springs, Mo.), who each posted records of 4-1 on the day. Flynn recorded a fall and major decision, while Marriott had two technical falls in the tournament. Redshirt sophomore 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.) finished third in the tournament, defeating Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State), 5-1 to claim third. Eierman won three matches by bonus points, two by fall and one by major decision. UP NEXT Mizzou will next take the mat at the South Beach Duals, Dec. 29-30 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. On Dec. 29, the Tigers will dual MAC-opponent Kent State at 10 a.m. CT and North Carolina at Noon CT. Then, on Dec. 30, Mizzou will face two ranked opponents, as they wrestle No. 17 Rider at 10 a.m. CT and No. 13 Cornell at Noon CT. For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).

Christmas came early for Curran Jacobs. The former Michigan State wrestler and current catch wrestling champ came out the winner in his mixed martial arts bout at Knock Out Productions' KOP 59 event at the DeltaPlex Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. Saturday night. Curran JacobsJacobs earned a unanimous decision over Dillon "The Tank" Ankney in a three-round, 185-pound amateur MMA fight. The three judges each scored the bout 30-27 for the Spartan mat veteran. Jacobs came out on top, despite giving up a 5" height advantage to the 6'2" Ankney. "I knew going in he was a brawler and he loves to ground and pound," Jacobs told InterMat. "So I worked hard on my stand up and wanted to go in and get the KO. He had the size and strength advantage so I had to go back to what I know best so I utilized my wrestling to win a very tough unanimous decision." "It was a blast. He's a beast. It was a great victory. Very proud to get that No. 1 spot." With the win, the 28-year-old Jacobs is now 3-0 in his amateur MMA career, while Ankney -- a former Michigan high school wrestler himself -- falls to 6-3. Jacobs teaches catch wrestling at Murcielago MMA, one of the top MMA programs in Michigan. In addition to being an MMA fighter and instructor, Jacobs participates in catch wrestling. This summer, the two-time NCAA qualifier for the MSU Spartans took first place in the 2017 Frank Gotch World Catch Wrestling Tournament in Humboldt, Iowa, hometown to early 1900s professional wrestling champion Frank Gotch. Watch the Jacobs-Ankney fight in its entirety below.

NC State claimed the team title at the Reno Tournament of Champions RENO, NEV. -- Three NC State wrestlers claimed top honors in their weight class, and a total of seven reached the finals overall, as No. 6 NC State competed in the Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday. The Pack claimed tournament titles at 157 pounds (R-Fr. Hayden Hidlay), 184 (R-Sr. Pete Renda), and 197 (Michael Macchiavello). In addition, the Pack placed second at 125 (R-Jr. Sean Fausz), 133 (R-Fr. Tariq Wilson), 141 (Sr. Kevin Jack), and 149 (R-Sr. Beau Donahue). In the finals at 157, Hidlay scored a 3-1 OT decision over No. 2 Joey LaVellee of Missouri. With the score tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, Hidlay scored the bout's lone takedown 35 seconds into extra time. Hidlay went 5-0 with three bonus point wins. Renda cruised to the title at 184 pounds also going 5-0. After starting with a 16-1 tech fall, Renda pinned his next four opponents - all in the first period. Included was a pin in the title bout in 2:07 on Missouri's Canten Marriott. The Pack's third title came at 197 by Macchiavello, as he finished a 5-0 day with a 16-4 major decision in the title bout. NC State was well represented in the finals, as seven wrestlers advanced to the title bouts at their weights. In addition, three reached the third place bout and two more were in the fifth place match. The Pack had 13 of its 15 wrestlers advance to the quarterfinals, starting the day out a combined 30-2 with 23 bonus point wins. From that group, 10 reached the semifinals. The Pack took top team honors with 192 points.

NORMAN -- In its first home dual of the season, the No. 20 Oklahoma wrestling team claimed a 19-13 victory over Appalachian State inside McCasland Field House on Sunday afternoon. The Sooners claimed six bout wins in the dual, including one bonus-point victory, to earn the win and move to 2-2 on the season. “I think that we won some close matches, and I think Appalachian State came prepared and fought really hard, and some of our guys were not really ready for that,” head coach Lou Rosselli said. “Maybe some times they think it is going to be easy, but I have tried to explain to them many times that every time you compete it is hard. “I think that the last three matches, those guys had a tough situation,” Rosselli continued. “Losing the 174-pound match, I think the momentum swung right after that. Then we have a couple of freshmen at 184 and heavyweight, and that made it tough on us. But, that is just the way that it is. That is college wrestling. When you are not a team that has five or six superstars that win everything, then we are in battles. We have to battle all the time.” The match started at 149 pounds, where junior Davion Jeffries earned a 2-1 decision over Gavin Londoff. Jeffries earned both an escape and the riding time point to give the Sooners an early 3-0 lead. Redshirt freshman Justin Thomas grew the Sooners' lead to 6-0 with a 9-3 decision over Laken Cook. Thomas opened the match with two takedowns in the first period to build a 4-1 lead. He added on an escape, a 2-point nearfall and a reversal to earn the 9-3 win. At 165 pounds, senior Dawaylon Barnes downed Thomas Flitz by 3-2 decision, marking Barnes' 10th win of the season. He recorded a takedown and an escape in the match, pushing OU's lead to 9-0 after three bouts. After Sooner losses at the next four matches, No. 17 Christian Moody regained the Sooners' momentum with a 6-3 decision over De'Andre Swinson-Barr at 125 pounds. The redshirt sophomore recorded takedowns in the first and second periods and added an escape and the riding time point to put Oklahoma back within one, as it trailed the Mountaineers 13-12. At 133 pounds, redshirt junior Jake Rubio defeated Codi Russell by 17-7 major decision to put the Sooners back in the lead. Rubio took a 5-4 lead after the first period, and an escape, a takedown and a 4-point nearfall in the second extended his advantage to 12-4. He added two more takedowns and the riding time point in the final frame. The win marked Rubio's third major decision of the season, a team high. “Jake did a nice job,” Rosselli said. “Jake came out and took control of his match, and it seemed like it was going to get close, but then he opened it up again… I thought he did a good job competing and being aggressive.” Senior Mike Longo sealed the match for the Sooners with an 8-6 decision over Irvin Enriquez. With two takedowns in the first frame, Longo took a 5-4 lead. Enriquez escaped to start the second period, but Longo took him back down to hold a 7-5 advantage heading into the final frame. Each wrestler was awarded a penalty point in the third period, and Longo finalized OU's 19-13 win. No. 11 Yoanse Mejias (174 pounds) fell to No. 20 Forrest Przybysz, 4-2, in the first sudden victory period. Freshman Matthew Waddell dropped an 11-5 decision to Alan Clothier at 184 pounds. In the 197-pound bout, senior Andrew Dixon was defeated by Randall Diabe in a 5-2 decision. At heavyweight, freshman Connor Webb dropped a 14-4 major decision to Cary Miller. The dual marked the Sooners' final event of the calendar year. OU returns to the mat on Jan. 4 in its Big 12 opener against West Virginia in Morgantown, W. Va. Results: 125 No. 17 Christian Moody (OU) dec. De'Andre Swinson-Barr (APP ST), 6-3 133 Jake Rubio (OU) maj. dec. Codi Russell (APP ST), 17-7 141 Mike Longo (OU) dec. Irvin Enriquez (APP ST), 8-6 149 Davion Jeffries (OU) dec. Gavin Londoff (APP ST), 2-1 157 Justin Thomas (OU) dec. Laken Cook (APP ST), 9-3 165 Dawaylon Barnes (OU) dec. Thomas Flitz (APP ST), 3-2 174 No. 20 Forrest Przybysz (APP ST) dec. No. 11 Yoanse Mejias (OU), 4-2 (SV1) 184 Alan Clothier (APP ST) dec. Matthew Waddell (OU), 11-5 197 Randall Diabe (APP ST) dec. Andrew Dixon (OU), 5-2 HWT Cary Miller (APP ST) maj. dec. Connor Webb (OU), 14-4

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Kennedy Monday pinned No. 7 Tyler Berger in the opening period at 157 points to key a 22-14 North Carolina win over No. 12 Nebraska Sunday afternoon at the Devaney Center. The Tar Heels won six of 10 bouts to score the upset and even their dual record at 2-2 on the year. No. 4 Troy Heilmann added a top-10 win of his own, dropping No. 8 Colton McCrystal 13-4 at 149. James Szymanski opened the dual with a 5-3 win over Mitch Maginnis at 125 pounds. No. 19 Zach Sherman made it 6-0 in favor of UNC with a 3-1 sudden victory win over Zak Hensley at 133. No. 8 Chad Red Jr. got Nebraska (2-2) back in it with a 16-1 tech fall at 149, but the Tar Heels got back-to-back bonus point wins in the next two bouts to reclaim control. Heilmann upped his record to 14-1 and continued the hot start to his redshirt senior campaingn with a 13-4 major over McCrystal. Leading 3-2 after the opening period, Heilmann dominated the second and continued to put the pressure on McCrystal, working for the major in the final two minutes. Monday then delivered the exclamation point with a pin at 1:31 in the first period to put Carolina up 16-5. The redshirt freshman avenged a 7-5 loss to Berger in Las Vegas earlier this month in emphatic fashion for his third pin of the year. All six of his victories so far this season have been on the bonus point variety. Nebraska took three straight bouts to inch within 16-14 in the team score before the Tar Heel heavyweights sealed the victory. Danny Chaid led wire to wire in a 6-2 decision over Eric Schultz at 197 before Cory Daniel topped David Jensen 3-2 at 285 to close out the dual. The 22-14 win was a complete reversal from last year's 30-6 loss to the Huskers in Chapel Hill. Carolina will look to extend its winning streak to three Monday night when the Tar Heels visit No. 15 Northern Iowa at 8 p.m. ET. Results: 125: James Szymanski (UNC) dec. Mitch Maginnis (NU), 5-3 133: #19 Zach Sherman (UNC) dec. Zak Hensley (NU), 3-1 (SV-1) 141: #8 Chad Red Jr. (NU) tech fall A.C. Headlee (UNC), 16-1 149: #4 Troy Heilmann (UNC) maj. dec. #8 Colton McCrystal (NU), 13-4 157: Kennedy Monday (UNC) pinned #7 Tyler Berger (NU), 1:31 165: #10 Isaiah White (NU) dec. Clay Lautt (UNC), 10-4 174: Beau Breske (NU) dec. Adis Radoncic (UNC), 3-2 (TB-1) 184: #6 Taylor Venz (NU) dec. #20 Chip Ness (UNC), 13-11 (SV-1) 197: Danny Chaid (UNC) dec. Eric Schultz (NU), 6-2 285: Cory Daniel (UNC) dec. David Jensen (NU), 3-2

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- No. 1 Penn State (5-0, 1-0 B1G) dominated visiting Indiana (6-3, 0-2 B1G) in the Big Ten dual opener for the Nittany Lions. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad won nine of ten bouts to roll to a 44-3 win in front of nearly 6,500 fans in Rec Hall. A sell-out crowd of 6,425 filled Rec Hall for Penn State's first home dual since Nov. 12 and was treated la resounding Lion performance, led by junior Jered Cortez (Carol Stream, Ill.) with a big win at 141. The dual victory was Penn State's 36th straight dual victory dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season. The sell-out was Penn State's 37th straight in Rec Hall and its 40th of 42 including three of five in the Bryce Jordan Center. The dual began at 125 where Nittany Lion redshirt freshman Devin Schnupp (Lititz, Pa.) dropped a tough 7-2 decision to two-time NCAA qualifier Elijah Oliver, giving the Hoosiers an early 3-0 lead. Senior Corey Keener (Schuylkill Haven, Pa.), ranked No. 18 at 133, returned to action and dominated Hoosier Garrett Pepple, posting an 11-3 major decision to put Penn State up 4-3. Junior Jered Cortez (Carol Stream, Ill.) looked strong at 141, downing No. 12 Cole Weaver 6-5 to give the Nittany Lions a 7-3 lead. Senior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, remained unbeaten in B1G duals for his career by pinning IU's Davey Tunon at the 1:42 mark. The fall was the seventh this season for Retherford and the 43rd of his career. Junior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, also remained unbeaten in Big Ten action for his career, with a dazzling first period pin, getting the fall at the 1:30 mark. The pin was Nolf's eighth in nine matches this season and the 37th of his career. The veteran duo gave Penn State a 19-3 lead at intermission. Sophomore Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, returned to action for Penn State and picked up a forfeit as Indiana's Bryce Martin suffered a slight injury preparing for the match but could not compete after weighing in. Joseph's win gave Penn State a 25-3 lead. Sophomore Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 1 at 174, put on a show with a 17-0 technical fall over IU's Devin Skatzka, getting the tech fall at the 4:56 mark with two quick four-point turns late in the second period. Junior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 184, continued his penchant for fast falls, pinning Indiana's Norman Conley at the 0:42 mark. It was Nickal's fifth pin this year, all coming in under 1:00 (and the 30th fall of his career). Sophomore Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.), ranked No. 9 at 197, put on a takedown show with seven takedowns to roll to a 16-5 major decision with 3:21 in riding time. Junior Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 3 at 285, closed out the dual with a strong 11-3 major decision over Indiana's Fletcher Miller. Nevills' win made the final score 44-3 in Penn State's favor. Penn State dominated the dual, posting a 27-4 takedown advantage. Eight of Penn State's nine wins included bonus points and the ninth was a win over a top-12 wrestler. Penn State tallied 17 bonus points off three pins, a forfeit, a tech fall and three majors. The sellout was the 37th straight in Rec Hall for Penn State and the 40th of 42 including three of five in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions are now 5-0, 1-0 in Big Ten action. Indiana falls to 6-3, 0-2. Penn State returns the Southern Scuffle after a year away from the event, looking to win its seventh Scuffle title in as many trips (Penn State won six straight before missing the event last year). The 2018 Southern Scuffle, hosted by UT-Chattanooga, is set for Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tenn. 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. Results: 125: Elijah Oliver IND dec. Devin Schnupp PSU, 7-2 / 0-3 133: #18 Corey Keener PSU maj. dec. Garrett Pepple IND, 11-3 / 4-3 141: Jered Cortez PSU dec. #12 Cole Weaver IND, 6-5 / 7-3 149: #1 Zain Retherford PSU pinned Davey Tunon IND, WBF (3:42) / 13-3 157: #1 Jason Nolf PSU pinned Jake Danishek IND, WBF (1:30) / 19-3 165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph PSU win by forfeit / 25-3 174: #2 Mark Hall PSU tech fall Devin Skatzka IND, 17-0 (TF; 4:56) / 30-3 184: #1 Bo Nickal PSU pinned Norman Conley IND, WBF (0:42) / 36-3 197: #9 Anthony Cassar PSU maj. dec. Spencer Irick IND, 16-5 / 40-3 285: #3 Nick Nevills PSU maj. dec. Fletcher Miller IND, 11-3 / 44-3 Attendance: 6,425 (37th straight Rec Hall sellout, 40th of 42 including 3 of 5 in the BJC) Records: Penn State 5-0, 1-0 B1G; Indiana (6-3, 0-2 B1G) Up Next for Penn State: Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2, 2018, Chattanooga, Tenn. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: Redshirt freshman Devin Schnupp (Lititz, Pa.) took on Indiana veteran Elijah Oliver at 125. Schnupp fought off a quick Oliver shot early and looked to control the action on his feet. Blood time halted action a couple times and Schnupp continued to move away from Oliver's offense, picking up a stall warning at the 1:40 mark. Schnupp tried a quick low single at the :40 mark but a stalemate forced a reset and more blood time at the :29 mark. Tied 0-0, Oliver chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Schnupp battled Oliver evenly as the second period clock worked its way down to :29 before another blood time for the Lion halted the action again. Oliver connected on a takedown as the period ended to lead 3-0 after two. Schnupp chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 score. The Lion freshman then turned in on the two-time NCAA qualifier and began looking for a takedown of his own. Schnupp shot low and Oliver countered for a takedown and a 5-2 lead with :50 left. The Hoosier junior finished with a late takedown to post a 7-2 win over Schnupp. 133: Senior Corey Keener (Schuylkill Haven, Pa.), ranked No. 18 at 133, returned to action against Indiana's Garrett Pepple. Keener worked in on a low single, forcing a scramble that he turned into a takedown and a 2-0 lead at the 2:15 mark. Keener worked on top for a few seconds before cutting Pepple loose. Keener blew through a quick double for a second takedown and a 4-1 lead with 1:20 on the clock. Keener cut Pepple loose and then went to work on his feet again but Pepple's defense kept the score at 4-2 through one period. Keener chose down to start the second period and quickly reversed the Hoosier, nearly pinning him in the process, to up his lead to 6-2. Keener cut Pepple loose on a reset with 1:00 left. He then finished in control with a late double leg takedown to lead 8-3 after two periods. Pepple chose neutral to start the third period. Keener scrambled his way to a late takedown and finished on top. With 1:39 in time, Keener posted the 11-3 major decision. 141: Junior Jered Cortez (Carol Stream, Ill.) met No. 12 Cole Weaver of Indiana at 141. Cortez drew first blood with a slick low single to lead 2-0 early. He turned Weaver briefly but the Hoosier worked his way through the move and out of bounds and did not give up the near fall. Cortez controlled the action from the top position for nearly a minute before Weaver escaped and worked his way into a low single and a takedown of his own. Trailing 3-2, Cortez steadily worked his way to an escape and a 3-3 tie after the first period. Weaver chose down to start the second period and appeared to have him turned for two back points. The official was on the other side of the action and Penn State challenged the no call. The call stood and Weaver eventually escaped to a 4-3 lead but Cortez had 1:30 in riding time. Cortez used shoulder control for another takedown and the bout was tied 5-5 at the :20 mark after a quick Weaver escape. Cortez chose down to start the third period. Weaver controlled a Cortez scramble until the Lion escaped with 1:22 left. Cortez led 6-5 but his riding time edge dipped below 1:00. Cortez fought off two Weaver shots, working the clock down to :16. The Lion was hit for one stall with :06 left and the finished on his feet to claim the 6-5 win. 149: Senior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, took on Hoosier freshman Davey Tunon. Retherford used a high double to lift Tunon off the mat and take him down on the edge for a quick takedown and a 2-1 lead after cutting him loose with 2:25 on the clock. Retherford tacked on a second takedown and cut with 1:48 left, then tripped the Hoosier to the mat for a third takedown to lead 6-3 with 1:36 on the clock. Retherford's furious offense led to a fourth takedown and an 8-3 lead with 1:10 on the clock. The Lion then controlled the action from the top, worked the Hoosier's shoulders over and nearly got the pin. But time ran out and Retherford settled for a four-point near fall to lead 12-3 after one. Tunon chose neutral to start the second period but Retherford quickly took him down and to his back. Retherford picked up the pin, his seventh this year and the 43rd of his career, at the 3:42 mark. 157: Junior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, met Indiana's Jake Danishek. Nolf scored quickly, taking Danishek down and cutting him loose to a 2-1 lead just over :30 into the bout. Nolf gave up ankle control and then used his legs for a takedown and four back points to lead 8-1. He then set up Danishek by nearly cutting him loose, then rolled through shoulder control and a fast pin. Nolf got the fall at the 1:30 mark. 165: Sophomore Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, returned to action and picked up a forfeit victory, moving to 4-0 on the year. 174: Sophomore Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 2 at 174, met sophomore Devin Skatzka. Skatzka shot quickly, gaining control of Hall. The Lion sophomore scrambled his way out of trouble and Indiana called for a video review, looking for a takedown. The call stood and action resumed 0-0 at the 2:40 mark. Hall swiftly took Skatzka down for a quick 2-0 lead. He then worked from the top position, turning the Hoosier for four near fall points to lead 6-0 with 1:40 on the clock. Hall worked top control into a huge riding time edge. Hall finished on top to lead 6-0 with 2:20 in riding time after one period. Hall chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 7-0 lead. Hall forced Skatzka's shoulders down to the mat, worked around for a low single and took the Hoosier down to lead 9-0 with 1:10 on the clock. He then turned him for four back points once, reset, and turned him again for four more to post the dizzying 17-0 technical fall at the 4:56 mark. 184: Junior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 184, met Indiana's Norman Conley. Nickal continued his penchant for fast falls, working shoulder control into a takedown and then finishing off the throw with a pin at the :42 mark. It marks the fifth time this year Nickal has picked up a pin in under one minute. 197: Sophomore Anthony Cassar (Rocky Hill, N.J.), ranked No. 9 at 197, took on Indiana's Spencer Irick. Cassar worked his way to a quick takedown and a 2-0 lead less than :30 into the bout and then controlled the action from the top position. Cassar cut Irick loose to a 2-1 score and action resumed on the Nittany Lion logo midway through the period. Cassar blew through a high shot with :15 left for a second takedown and led 4-01 with 1:04 in riding time after one period. Irick chose down to start the second period and worked his way to an escape and a 4-2 score. But Cassar's offense was on point and the Lion sophomore picked up his third takedown to lead 6-2 with just over 1:00 left in the period. Cassar cut the Hoosier loose at the :30 mark and moved in for a high double and a fourth takedown to lead 8-3 with 2:36 in time after two periods. Cassar chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 9-3 lead. Cassar scrambled his way to another takedown and led 11-3 with 1:10 on the clock. Cutting Irick loose, Cassar countered a slight Hoosier shot for a takedown and a 13-5 lead after another cut. The Lion sophomore finished on top with a final takedown and posted the strong 16-5 major with 3:21 in riding time. 285: Junior Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 3 at 285, met Indiana junior Fletcher Miller. Nevills countered a slight Miller shot, gained control of the Hoosier's shoulders and finished off the takedown to lead 2-0 with 1:36 on the clock. Nevills cut Miller loose, then worked in on a low single leg. He lifted Miller's leg off the mat and tripped the Hoosier to the mat for a 4-1 lead with :40 left in the opening period. Nevills finished in control and led 4-1 with :59 in time after one period. Nevills chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. Nevills used a low single to notch another takedown and up his lead to 7-1 midway through the period. Nevills finished on top and led 7-1 with 2:12 in time after two periods. Miller chose down to start the third period and Nevills cut him loose at the 1:40 mark. Looking for bonus points, Nevills worked his way around for a fourth takedown and a 9-3 lead after cutting him loose again at the 1:15 mark. Nevills forced a second stall, got the point and then picked up the 11-3 major with 2:46 in riding time. WRESTLING HOME

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The Bucknell wrestling team upended Pitt, 20-16, in a hard-fought dual Sunday afternoon at Sojka Pavilion. After ceding the Panthers (1-5) a 7-0 lead through the first two bouts, the Bison (1-4) roared back, winning six of the next seven to secure their victory before the heavyweights took the mat. Garrett Hoffman brought the Sojka Pavilion crowd to its feet, sealing Bucknell's first ever win over Pitt by edging Kellan Stout at 197. Hoffman trailed Stout, 4-2, entering the third period but scored an immediate reversal to even the score. After picking up a point for stalling, he built a minute advantage in riding time to win by a 6-4 decision. Tyler Smith kicked off Bucknell's roll by defeating Nick Zanetta, 5-2, in a battle between two ranked 141-pound wrestlers. Smith carried a 3-0 lead into the third period on the strength of a last-second takedown in the second period; after Zanetta drew within two with an escape, Smith scored his second takedown to build what proved to be an insurmountable 5-1 edge. With his win over Zanetta, his second over a ranked opponent in 2017-18, Smith became the 16th Bison to win 85 bouts during his career. Seth Hogue and D.J. Hollingshead came up big for Bucknell, each winning by major decision. Hogue defeated Alex Murray, 13-5, at 149 behind four takedowns. Bolstered by an early four-point near fall, Hollingshead dispatched Curtis Decker, 13-2, at 165. After Hollingshead's commanding victory, Nick Stephani and Drew Phipps won tight, back-and-forth bouts to put Hoffman in position to clinch. Late in the third period of his 174 match against Austin Bell, Stephani fought off a takedown to defend his slim 6-5 lead. At the buzzer, he brought down Bell to win by an 8-5 decision. At 184, Phipps edged Gregg Harvey, who tied the match at 4-4 with an escape late in the third period, on riding time. Pitt won the first three meetings between the teams, including the most recent during the 2014-15 campaign. The Panthers were the fourth team the Bison have faced that was ranked in the USA Today/NWCA Coaches preseason poll, checking in at No. 24. After enjoying a break for the holidays, Bucknell returns to the mat on Sunday, Jan. 7 for a 2 p.m. dual at Navy. Results: 125: L.J. Bentley (Pitt) dec. over Jakob Campbell (BU) 3-1 133: #11/13/10 Dom Forys (Pitt) maj. dec. over Joey Gould (BU) 14-4 141: #14/12/16 Tyler Smith (BU) dec. over #16/19/11 Nick Zanetta (Pitt) 5-2 149: Seth Hogue (BU) maj. dec. over Alex Murray (Pitt) 13-5 157: #20/-/- Taleb Rahmani (Pitt) dec. over Christian Bassolino (BU) 7-2 165: D.J. Hollingshead (BU) maj. dec. over Curtis Decker (Pitt) 13-2 174: Nick Stephani (BU) dec. over Austin Bell (Pitt) 8-5 184: Drew Phipps (BU) dec. over Gregg Harvey (Pitt) 5-4 197: Garrett Hoffman (BU) dec. over Kellan Stout (Pitt) 6-4 285: #15/13/15 Ryan Solomon (Pitt) fall over Nate Feyrer (BU) (1:46)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The second-ranked Ohio State wrestling team closed out the 2017 calendar year with any strong all-around performance, winning nine of 10 matches in a 39-3 triumph over Tennessee-Chattanooga on Sunday afternoon The Cooler in Atlanta, Ga. The Buckeyes are 6-0 on the season with UTC falls to 2-3. After dropping the opening bout of the afternoon, the Buckeyes rebounded by winning the next nine -- seven of which were via bonus points. In the two matches between ranked wrestlers, No. 2 Myles Martin (16-0) controlled the pace against No. 15 Bryce Carr at 184 lbs., winning 10-5. At 197 lbs., top-ranked Kollin Moore (12-0) scored 10 takedowns in a 20-8 major decision over No. 15 Scottie Boykin. Redshirt junior Micah Jordan improved to 14-2 on the year, needing just 1:25 to pin Dylan Forzani at 157 pounds. Not to be outdone, Olympic and World champion Kyle Snyder wowed the capacity crowd with a pin in 3:17 to close out the dual at 285 pounds. It was Snyder's third fall in three matches this year and his 31st consecutive collegiate victory. Other Buckeyes that remained perfect of the year included Luke Pletcher, who is 16-0 and Joey McKenna (4-0). UTC's Alonzo Allen got the dual started by scoring three takedowns at 125 lbs. to top true freshman Brakan Mead, but Pletcher followed with a workman-like 12-4 major decision at 133 lbs. and McKenna broke open a close match late with a flurry of scoring for his 8-2 decision at 133. Hayes, who improved to 17-1 on the year, had three takedowns and two four-point nearfalls in his 15-0 tech fall before Jordan's quick pin of Dylan Forzani. After B. Jordan upped his record to 14-2 with a 12-2 major decision at 174 lbs., the first bout between ranked wrestlers was controlled by Martin at 184 lbs. He led 5-2 after two periods and scored two third-period takedowns for the 10-5 decision. Moore then followed with a takedown clinic of his own, jumping out to a 8-3 first period lead and never looking back. Snyder led 18-7 when he completed the fall at 285 lbs. The Buckeyes now have an extended break before the 2018 portion of their schedule open with a Big Ten road trip the first weekend in January. Ohio State travels to College Park, Md. on Friday, Jan. 5 to take on Maryland and then Piscataway, N.J. on Jan. 7 to tangle with No. 17 Rutgers. Results: 125: Alonzo Allen (UTC) decision over Brakan Mead (OSU) 6-3 | UTC 3, OSU 0 133: Luke Pletcher (OSU) major decision over Jake Huffine (UTC) 12-4 | OSU 4, UTC 3 141: Joey McKenna (OSU) decision over Mike Pongracz (UTC) 8-2 | OSU 7, UTC 3 149: Ke-Shawn Hayes (OSU) tech fall over Chris Debien (UTC) 15-0 | OSU 12, UTC 3 157: Micah Jordan (OSU) fall over Dylan Forzani (UTC) 1:25 | OSU 18, UTC 3 165: Te'Shan Campbell (OSU) major decision over Chad Pyke (UTC) 9-1 | OSU 22, UTC 3 174: Bo Jordan (OSU) major decision over Justin Lampe (UTC) 12-2 | OSU 26, UTC 3 184: Myles Martin (OSU) decision over Bryce Carr (UTC) 10-5 | OSU 29, UTC 3 197: Kollin Moore (OSU) major decision over Scottie Boykin (UTC) 20-8 | OSU 33, UTC 3 285: Kyle Snyder (OSU) fall over Ben Stacey (UTC) 3:17 | OSU 39, UTC 3

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Virginia (2-3) closed out the 2017 dual slate in dominant fashion on Sunday (Dec. 17) afternoon, posting a 36-5 win at Bloomsburg (2-4) in its final dual match before the holiday break. Virginia picked up wins in 9-of-10 weight classes on the way to the victory over Bloomsburg. Six of the wins were bonus-point victories for the Cavaliers. “The guys wrestled really well today,” said Virginia head coach Steve Garland. “We needed a good day to close out a very tough semester and we got that today. It was a good day overall on almost every front. The thing I was most excited about was our guys on top. Hopefully we can carry this into a really big Southern Scuffle tournament.” Virginia got off to a quick start with bonus point victories from No. 16 Louie Hayes (Orland Park, Ill.) at 125 pounds and No. 5 Jack Mueller (Dallas, Texas) at 133 pounds. Hayes won by technical fall in the first period, while Mueller turned in a major decision to give the Cavaliers the nine-point lead overall. Sam Martino (Colonial Heights, Va.) then picked up a decision at 141 pounds. Four consecutive bonus-point victories from No. 19 Sam Krivus (Greensburg, Pa.) at 149 pounds, Michael Murphy (Lookout Mountain, Tenn.) at 157 pounds, Andrew Atkinson (Lynchburg, Va.) at 165 pounds and No. 17 Will Schany (Blair, Neb.) at 174 pounds locked up the victory for the Cavaliers. Bloomsburg picked up its only win of the day at 184 pounds before Jay Aiello (Chantilly, Va.) and Tyler Love (Clifton, Va.) closed things out with wins by decision at 197 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. The Cavaliers will return to action in the new year, kicking things off at the Southern Scuffle hosted by Chattanooga on Jan. 1. The two day event is one of the largest tournaments of the season and features some of the top talent in the nation. Results: 125: No. 16 Louie Hayes tech fall Drew Massetti, 18-2 (2:47) - UVA 5, BU 0 133: No. 5 Jack Mueller major dec. Andy Schutz, 11-2 - UVA 9, BU 0 141: Sam Martino dec. Braden Stahlnecker, 4-1 - UVA 12, BU 0 149: No. 19 Sam Krivus major dec. Evan Campbell, 14-4 - UVA 16, BU 0 157: Michael Murphy won by forfeit – UVA 22, BU 0 165: Andrew Atkinson major dec. Nate Newberry, 10-1 – UVA 26, BU 0 174: No. 17 Will Schany major dec. Anthony Vetrano, 17-5 – UVA 30, BU 0 184: Trevor Allard tech fall Michael Battista, 20-3 (6:28) – UVA 30, BU 5 197: Jay Aiello dec. Logan Womelsdorf, 8-2 – UVA 33, BU 5 HWT: Tyler Love dec. Bruce Graeber, 9-5 – UVA 36, BU 5

One year after announcing it would be adding men's wrestling to its sports roster -- and nine months after hiring a head coach -- Oklahoma Wesleyan University has suspended its intercollegiate wrestling program in its first season in light of the departure of its coach, according to multiple media reports. Colby Robinson is no longer wrestling coach, Oklahoma Wesleyan's athletic director Mark Molder told the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise. "He just chose to look at some other opportunities," Molder told the newspaper in OKWU's hometown. There is no mention of Robinson's departure at Oklahoma Wesleyan's website; his name is still listed as head coach as of Saturday, as is the program's assistant coach, Aaron Hane. Robinson's personal Facebook and Twitter accounts have not been updated in the past week. When asked whether the OKWU Eagles wrestlers would be participating in Sunday's Oklahoma City University Duals as originally scheduled, Molder said, "For right now, we've suspended the operations part of it," until a new head coach is brought on board to take the program "in a different direction." While the OCU Duals is listed on the event calendar of the official OKWU wrestling website, the school is not listed among the participants at the host school's website. Meanwhile, Oklahoma Wesleyan is already mounting a nationwide search for a new wrestling coach. "Hopefully we'll have a little better grasp next week," said Molder. Oklahoma Wesleyan revealed its plans to add a men's intercollegiate wrestling program in early December 2016. In late March of this year, the school announced that it had hired Colby Robinson to head up the new program. Prior to coming to Bartlesville, Robinson had been head coach at DeSmet High School in St. Louis, and an assistant at Missouri Baptist. Located in Bartlesville about 45 miles north of Tulsa, Oklahoma Wesleyan University can trace its roots back to 1909. At its website, here's how Oklahoma Wesleyan describes itself: "As an evangelical Christian university of The Wesleyan Church, OKWU models a way of thought, a way of life, and a way of faith grounded in these four pillars (Christ. Scripture. Truth. Wisdom.). We are a place of serious study, honest questions, and critical engagement, all in the context of a liberal arts community that feels like family." The four-year school has approximately 1,300 students, with about half of them at the Bartlesville campus.

Alex Tirapelle (Photo/Hunter Martin) STANFORD, Calif. - Former Stanford wrestling assistant coach Alex Tirapelle has rejoined the staff as a volunteer assistant coach, head coach Jason Borrelli announced today. "We are thrilled to welcome Alex back to our program, as he is one of the best coaches and wrestling minds in the country," said Borrelli. "Alex epitomizes our program's Cardinal Caliber values and I have zero doubt that our student-athletes will benefit tremendously from his direction." Tirapelle served as an assistant coach for Stanford from 2010-14 before becoming the head coach at Penn (2014-17). While on The Farm, Tirapelle helped guide the Cardinal to its best dual-season record in school history with a 17-5 mark in 2013-14. That year's team sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships - tying a then-school record. Four of the five NCAA qualifiers were Pac-12 champions, also a school record. "During Alex's previous stint on The Farm, he was part of a stretch that saw us hit numerous program milestones. We look forward to having him be a part of even more milestones in the future, starting this March in Cleveland," added Borrelli. In his four seasons at Stanford, Tirapelle helped coach 14 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, including Stanford's second three-time All-American and first two-time finalist in Nick Amuchastegui. The Cardinal earned five total All-America honors during Tirapelle's tenure, including three at the 2011 NCAA Championships in Philadelphia -- the highest All-America output at any NCAA Championships by a Stanford squad. The three All-Americans in 2011 propelled the Cardinal to an 11th-place finish overall, the highest team finish in program history. During his tenure at Penn, Tirapelle went 21-18 in duals and had 13 wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships, including All-American Casey Kent in 2016. Tirapelle will be with the Cardinal on Sunday at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Stanford will have 13 wrestlers in the tournament and an additional four wrestling unattached.

DeKALB, Ill. – Perhaps there was a little residual frustration and maybe something to prove. Whatever the motivation, the Central Michigan wrestling team rebounded on Saturday with a 34-6 victory over Northern Illinois in the Chippewas' Mid-American Conference-opening dual at the Huskies' Convocation Center. The victory, during which the Chippewas won eight matches and scored bonus points in five of those wins, came a week after CMU dropped two duals, the first to 17th-ranked South Dakota State and the second to North Dakota State. “It was more about just wrestling harder, wrestling with more energy and trying to score more points, all those things we've been emphasizing,” CMU coach Tom Borrelli said. “That's really been our emphasis, just to continue to keep the pace high and try to score points and really focus on breaking the matches open in the third period. I think we did that tonight. We'll see if we continue to do it on Monday.” The 23rd-ranked Chippewas, who are 2-3 in duals, go to Purdue on Monday where they will face the Boilermakers and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in a pair of nonconference duals. CMU will then wrestle in the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill., on Dec. 29-30, closing a rugged month of December that began with the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. The Midlands and the Keen are considered two of the very best regular-season tournaments. “This month has been a really tough month for us,” Borrelli said. “We went to Vegas and then to the Dakotas and this weekend. In between we've had exams and then the Midlands. We're kind of grinding right now. Any time your guys respond the way they responded tonight it's a good sign.” The Chippewas got pins from Mason Smith (141 pounds) and from Matt Stencel (285), a technical fall from Justin Oliver (149), and major-decision victories from CJ Brucki (174) and Jordan Ellingwood (184). CMU's Dresden Simon (133), Logan Parks (165) and Jordan Atienza (197) each won by decision. • It was the first dual-meet win for Simon, a redshirt freshman who defeated junior Alijah Jeffery, 2-1. “That's a big win for Dresden,” Borrelli said. “Anytime our freshman are gaining confidence in themselves it's real important.” • Smith's pin, which came at 1:27, was his second consecutive and his fourth of the year. He improved to 16-3, and 10 of his wins have come either by fall or technical fall. Smith is ranked 19th nationally. • Stencel's pin came in 36 seconds. It was his team-leading ninth of the season, and it marked the eighth time he has pinned his opponent in the first period. • Oliver, who is ranked third, upped his win streak to nine consecutive matches, improving to 14-1. It was his third technical fall of the year. • It marked the third major of the season for Ellingwood and the second for Brucki. Ellingwood is ranked 14th, Brucki is ranked 15th. Results: 125: Brock Hudkins (NIU) dec. Drew Hildebrandt, 4-2 133: Dresden Simon (CMU) dec. Alijah Jeffery, 2-1 141: Mason Smith (CMU) pinned Anthony Rubino, 1:27 149: Justin Oliver (CMU) technical fall Zack Velasquez, 5:00, 20-4 157: Caden McWhirter (NIU) dec. Blake Montrie, 7-2 165: Logan Parks (CMU) dec. Andrew Scott, 11-4 174: CJ Brucki (CMU) major dec. Quinton Rosser, 12-4 184: Jordan Ellingwood (CMU) major dec. Michael Aldrich, 14-3 197: Jordan Atienza (CMU) dec. Max Ihry, 9-3 285: Matt Stencel (CMU) pinned Caleb Gossett, 36 seconds

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- The No. 22/17 Lock Haven University wrestling team (4-0, 1-0 EWL) continued to flex its muscles as LHU went 3-0 on the day, competing at the Bald Eagle Duals. Today's quad meet hosted by LHU at the Liberty Arena in Williamsport, Pa., marked the facility's first collegiate wrestling event in its history and Lock Haven downed Wheeling Jesuit 32-11 before dropping Messiah 34-6. The Bald Eagles closed the day with another strong effort as they rolled over rival Bloomsburg in Lock Haven's Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) opener. Luke Werner (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty), No. 13 Ronnie Perry (Christiana, Pa./Solanco), Jonathan Ross (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York), No. 8 Chance Marsteller (New Park, Pa./Kennard-Dale (Oklahoma State) and Jared Siegrist (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) were all a perfect 3-0 on the day. Marsteller (165) was 3-0 with two tech falls and a pin. He's now a perfect 19-0 on the season. Perry (149) was 3-0 with three tech falls. He extended his win streak to 12 matches and now has 85 career wins as he looks to become the 20th LHU wrestler in school history with 100 career wins. Werner won by forfeit, before registering two majors at 125, Ross was 3-0 at 157 and Siegrist was 3-0 at 174. On the day, Corey Hazel (Spring Mills, Pa./Penns Valley) was 2-0 at 184 and Kyle Shoop (Boiling Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs) was 2-1 at 141. Lock Haven opened the day with a dominating 32-11 win over No. 23 (DII) Wheeling Jesuit (4-1). The Bald Eagles won seven of 10 bouts and got tech falls from both Perry (149) and Marsteller (165). DJ Fehlman (Warren, Pa./Warren) added a major at 133, and Siegrist needed just 56 seconds to pin Justice Avery at 174. In LHU's second match of the day the Bald Eagles rolled by No. 14 (DIII) Messiah (4-4), 34-6. Lock Haven won eight of 10 bouts. LHU got tech falls from Shoop (141), Perry (149) and Siegrist (174). Werner won by major at 125 and Marsteller recorded a pin at 165. LHU capped the day in style, winning nine of 10 bouts in the lopsided 37-2 win over Bloomsburg (2-3, 1-1 EWL). The Bald Eagles recorded four tech falls and two majors. Thomas Haines (Quarryville, Pa./Solanco (Ohio State), ranked No. 13 at 285, only saw action vs. Bloomsburg, but he put an exclamation on the big conference win with a thrilling tech fall. He extended his win streak to nine matches. Lock Haven entered today's action with a 1-0 dual meet record. On Friday, Dec. 1, LHU upset Rutgers for the Bald Eagles first dual-win of the season. LHU was ranked No. 22 in the most recent USA Today/NWCA Coaches' poll and the Bald Eagles were ranked No. 17 in this week's InterMat Dual Meet rankings. Lock Haven 32 - Wheeling Jesuit 11 125: Luke Werner (LHU) wins by forfeit; LHU leads 6-0 133: DJ Fehlman (LHU) major dec. Jaylen Hill (WJU) 11-3; LHU leads 10-0 141: Tyler Warner (WJU) dec. Kyle Shoop (LHU) 3-2; LHU leads 10-3 149: #13 Ronnie Perry (LHU) tech fall Daniel Romero (WJU) 16-0, 1:55; LHU leads 15-3 157: Jonathan Ross (LHU) dec. Connor Craig (WJU) 5-3; LHU leads 18-3 165: #8 Chance Marsteller (LHU) tech fall Keegan Driscoll (WJU) 18-2, 4:58; LHU Leads 23-3 174: Jared Siegrist (LHU) pinned Justice Avery (WJU) 0:56; LHU leads 29-3 184: Corey Hazel (LHU) dec. Aidan Pasiuk (WJU) 5-0; LHU leads 32-3 197: Saywer Leppla (WJU) dec. Tristan Sponseller (LHU) 7-4; LHU leads 32-6 285: Terrance Fanning (WJU) tech fall Derek Dragon (WJU) 16-0, 4:43; Lock Haven wins 32-11 Lock Haven 34 - Messiah 6 125: Luke Werner (LHU) major dec. Sean Redington (MC) 15-7; LHU leads 4-0 133: #10 Hunter Harris (MC) dec. DJ Fehlman (LHU) 12-11; LHU leads 4-3 141: Kyle Shoop (LHU) tech fall Nick Nunez (MC) 17-2, 6:44; LHU leads 9-3 149: #13 Ronnie Perry (LHU) tech fall Stephen Maloney (MC) 26-11; LHU leads 14-3 157: Jonathan Ross (LHU) dec. Lee Cassel (MC) 7-0; LHU leads 17-3 165: #8 Chance Marsteller (LHU) pinned Kevin Diehl (MC) 1:18; LHU leads 23-3 174: Jared Siegrist (LHU) tech fall David Stevens (MC) 24-6, 6:50: LHU leads 28-3 184: Trey Hartsock (LHU) dec. #9 Derek Beitz (MC) 11-8; LHU leads 31-3 197: #4 Kyle Koser (MC) dec. Tristan Sponseller (LHU) 5-4: LHU leads 31-6 285: Derek Dragon (LHU) dec. Dan Kiser (MC) 8-4; Lock Haven wins 34-6 Lock Haven 37 - Bloomsburg 2 125: Luke Werner (LHU) major dec. Andrew Massetti (BU) 14-4; LHU leads 4-0 133: Andy Schutz (BU) dec. DJ Fehlman (LHU) 3-1; LHU leads 4-3 141: Kyle Shoop (LHU) tech fall Shawn Orem (BU) 16-0, 2:00; LHU leads 9-3 149: #13 Ronnie Perry (LHU) tech fall Ryan Stocku (BU) 24-9, 6:20; LHU leads 14-3 157: Jonathan Ross (LHU) major dec. Kevin Laubach (BU) 11-2; LHU leads 18-3 165: #8 Chance Marsteller (LHU) tech fall Nate Newberry (BU) 19-3, 3:20; LHU leads 23-3 174: Jared Siegrist (LHU) dec. Kyle Murphy (BU) 4-3; LHU leads 26-3 184: Corey Hazel (LHU) dec. Trevor Allard (BU) 5-3; LHU leads 29-2* 197: Tristan Sponseller (LHU) dec. Logan Womelsdorf (BU) 7-4; LHU leads 32-2 285: Thomas Haines (LHU) tech fall Bruce Graeber (BU) 15-0, 5:19; Lock Haven wins 37-2 *Bloomsburg was deducted a team point for control of the mat during the 184-bout *individual rankings = InterMat Up next, the Lock Haven Classic: On Friday, Dec. 29, LHU will host the 2017 Lock Haven Classic tournament. Action will get underway at 9:30 a.m. with several Bald Eagles set to hit the mats. It will mark the seventh annual Lock Haven Classic and the Bald Eagles are coming off their first title. Last year when LHU won, it marked the sixth different champion as Lock Haven (2016), Pittsburgh (2015), Hofstra (2014), Michigan State (2013), Bloomsburg (2012) and Michigan (2011) have each claimed a past title. A look ahead to the Southern Scuffle: For the first time since 2010, Lock Haven will return to the prestigious Southern Scuffle Tournament. The 2018 Southern Scuffle kicks off on New Year's Day. The two-day (Jan. 1 - 2) tournament is hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The Bald Eagles attended the Southern Scuffle every season from 2004 to 2010 and their highest finish in seven appearances came in 2004 (11th). Seth Martin is Lock Haven's only Southern Scuffle champion (2006, 157-lbs.).

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- The Clarion wrestling team earned its first dual match win of the season on Saturday, riding two late pinfalls to a 24-20 win over Pittsburgh at Fitzgerald Fieldhouse. The Golden Eagles (1-1) have now beaten the Panthers in each of the last two meetings between the teams. The highlight of the match may very well have been the action in the upper weight classes, when Clarion turned a 14-9 team point deficit into a 21-14 lead. Dom Rigous started it off at 174 pounds with his win over Austin Bell. Things started innocently enough with Rigous taking a 2-0 lead into the second period, but it was his takedown and tilt midway through that round that spelled the end. Rigous twisted and contorted Bell before finally getting him flat on the mat for the fall at 4:04. By comparison, Greg Bulsak's win by fall at 184 pounds came as a sudden shock, with the redshirt freshman pinning Gregg Harvey in the first period. Bulsak wasted no time at all, bringing Harvey down and notching four back points seemingly as soon as the bout began. Continuing to work Harvey throughout, Bulsak finally got the fall with eight seconds remaining in the first, putting the Golden Eagles in the driver's seat down the stretch with a 21-14 lead. Bulsak's win essentially clinched the team match, but Dustin Conti's overtime victory at 197 pounds guaranteed a team win for the Golden Eagles. It was back-and-forth with Kellan Stout through three periods, with the two wrestlers tied at 3-3 after three periods. Neither scored in the sudden victory period but Conti reversed Stout in the first tiebreaker, spinning out of the down position for two points. He kept Stout at bay in the next portion to pick up the 5-3 decision. Clarion started fast with an encouraging win at 125 pounds, with Jake Gromacki defeating two-time NCAA qualifier LJ Bentley soundly to put the Golden Eagles on the board first. The turning point of the match came midway in the second period, when Gromacki – who started in the up position – managed to tilt Bentley for a four-point near fall. That broke the scoreless tie and put Gromacki in position to dictate the pace of the third period. Bentley got a two-point takedown in the third period to cut the lead to 5-2 and seemed on the verge of scoring a near fall of his own, but Gromacki reversed him late to cement the victory. The 141-pound match saw two nationally ranked contenders battle it out, with Brock Zacherl and Nick Zanetta throwing down in a tightly contested bout. The only scoring in the first two periods came when Zacherl escaped from the down position to start, and neither wrestler was ready to give an inch. Zanetta escaped to start the third period but Zacherl finally caught him on a shot to make it 3-1. Zanetta escaped again but could not catch Zacherl as the latter held on for a 3-2 decision. The 149-pound bout was a similar defensive struggle. Taylor Ortz trailed 2-1 after one period but seized the momentum in the second period after starting the round on top. He rod Alex Murray out in the second period and then escaped to start the third, tying the bout for the time but also clinching the riding point in the process. Not content to leave it at that, Ortz took Murray down in the waning second of the third period to lock up the 5-2 decision. Results: 125: Jake Gromacki (Clarion) def. LJ Bentley (Pittsburgh) Dec. 8-2 133: #11 Dom Forys (Pittsburgh) def. Roshaun Cooley (Clarion) TF 18-3 141: #9 Brock Zacherl (Clarion) def. #16 Nick Zanetta (Pittsburgh) Dec. 3-2 149: Taylor Ortz (Clarion) def. Alex Murray (Pittsburgh) Dec. 5-2 157: #20 Taleb Rahmani (Pittsburgh) def. Avery Shay (Clarion) Fall 4:59 165: Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh) def. Max Wohlabaugh (Clarion) SV-1 4-2 174: Dom Rigous (Clarion) def. Austin Bell (Pittsburgh) Fall 4:04 184: Greg Bulsak (Clarion) def. Gregg Harvey (Pittsburgh) Fall 2:52 197: Dustin Conti (Clarion) def. Kellan Stout (Pittsburgh) TB-1 5-3 285: #15 Ryan Solomon (Pittsburgh) def. Toby Cahill (Clarion) Fall 1:33

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Northwestern wrestling (6-0, 1-0 Big Ten) extended its undefeated start to the season with a pair of dual wins over CSU Bakersfield and Cal Poly on Friday night at the Mott Center. Seven Wildcats won both of their bouts in the double-dual, including #12 Sebastian Rivera, who extended the hot start of his rookie campaign to a 10-0 record. He started the evening off with a commanding 19-4 tech fall over Sergio Mendez of CSU Bakersfield. NU iced the first dual against CSU Bakersfield after the eighth bout, clinching the first win of the day after Mitch Sliga's 16-4 major decision over Dom Ducharme. In all, five Wildcats picked up extra points in the 27-13 victory, including major decisions by #9 Ryan Deakin, Johnny Sebastian, Mitch Sliga, and #19 Conan Jennings. The Wildcats glided to a 30-8 victory over Cal Poly in the nightcap as well, as NU won eight of 10 bouts to pick up its sixth dual win of the season. Shayne Oster picked up his third win by fall of the season and the only one of the dual for the Wildcats, pinning Jett Moy in 2:43 before the intermission. Mitch Sliga notched a tech fall in the second dual, a 17-1 output in 5 minutes, 39 seconds. Over the two duals, he outscored his competition, 33-5. #19 Conan Jennings also went two-for-two on the night, logging a major decision and a sudden-victory decision. He outscored Mark Penyacsek of CSUB, 13-0, in the last bout of the opening dual. Chicago's Big Ten Team improved to 4-0 all-time against Cal Poly. Northwestern is off until December 29-30, when the grapplers will participate in the NU-hosted Ken Kraft Midlands Championships at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Northwestern 27, CSU Bakersfield 13 125: #12 Sebastian Rivera (NU) Tech. Fall Sergio Mendez (CSUB), 19-4 (7:00) | NU 5, CSUB 0 133: Colin Valdiviez (NU) dec. Sean Nickell (CSUB), 7-2 | NU 8, CSUB 0 141: Russell Rohlfing (CSUB) dec. Alec McKenna (NU), 3-0 | NU 8, CSUB 3 149: #9 Ryan Deakin (NU) maj. dec. Kalani Tonge (CSUB), 12-3 | NU 12, CSUB 3 157: #18 Coleman Hammond (CSUB) maj. dec. Shayne Oster (NU), 13-0 | NU 12, CSUB 7 165: Michael Sepke (NU) dec. Jacob Thalin (CSUB), 8-3 | NU 15, CSUB 7 174: Johnny Sebastian (NU) maj. dec. Bryan Battisto (CSUB), 11-0 | NU 19, CSUB 7 184: Mitch Sliga (NU) maj. dec. Dom Ducharme (CSUB), 16-4 | NU 23, CSUB 7 197: #14 Matt Williams (CSUB) Fall Zack Chakonis (NU), 5:20 | NU 23, CSUB 13 285: #19 Conan Jennings (NU) maj. dec. Mark Penyacsek (CSUB), 13-0 | NU 27, CSUB 13 Northwestern 30, Cal Poly 8 125: #12 Sebastian Rivera (NU) dec. Yoshi Funakoshi (CP), 10-3 | NU 3, CP 0 133: Colin Valdiviez (NU) dec. Tyler Schilling (CP), 6-1 | NU 6, CP 0 141: Colton Schilling (CP) maj. dec. Alec McKenna (NU), 8-0 | NU 6, CP 4 149: #9 Ryan Deakin (NU) dec. Joshua Cortez (CP), 7-2 | NU 9, CP 4 157: Shayne Oster (NU) Fall Jett Moy (CP), 2:43 | NU 15, CP 4 165: Michael Sepke (NU) maj. dec. Killian Vendler (CP), 14-4 | NU 19, CP 4 174: Johnny Sebastian (NU) dec. Mathew Wilhelm (CP), 8-3 | NU 22, CP 4 184: Mitch Sliga (NU) Tech. Fall Ryan Anderson (CP), 17-1 (5:39) | NU 27, CP 4 197: Thomas Lane (CP) maj. dec. Zack Chakonis (NU), 13-0 | NU 27, CP 8 285: #19 Conan Jennings (NU) dec. Spencer Empey (CP), 2-0 (SV-1) | NU 30, CP 8

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio State wrestling team improved to 5-0 on the season in impressive fashion, winning all 10 bouts in a 39-0 shutout of Princeton (0-3) on Friday evening on the campus of the University of Delaware. The Buckeyes -- just as they've been in their first four duals -- were a bonus-point scoring machine, taking six of the 10 bouts by either major decision, technical fall or fall. Redshirt senior Bo Jordan scored the lone fall of the night, pinning Riley DeMoss in 1:57. Myles Martin picked up a technical fall at 184 pounds to keep his record unblemished on the season while Joey McKenna, Micah Jordan, Kollin Moore and Te'Shan Campbell all had major decisions. The dual started at 125 pounds with the most competitive match of the night. Freshman Brakan Mead jumped out to a 6-0 first period lead with a takedown and four-point nearfall, but Princeton's Jonathan Gomez chipped away at the lead, eventually taking a 8-7 advantage late the third period. Mead, however, scored a reversal and two-point nearfall with 10 seconds remaining for the 11-8 decision. At 133, Luke Pletcher improved to 15-0 on the season with a 10-3 decision, followed at 141 by McKenna's 10-2 major decision. In the following match, fifth-ranked Ke-Shawn Hayes battled seventh-ranked Matthew Kolodzik in the most anticipated match of the dual. Hayes used a second-period ride out and third period escape for the 2-0 decision. From there, Ohio State scored bonus points in five of the next six bouts, highlighted by Jordan's pin at 174 pounds. Four wrestlers - Pletcher, McKenna, Martin and Moore - remained unbeaten on the year. Moore's 14-5 major decision at 197 pounds was against Patrick Brucki, who is ranked No. 20 nationally this week. The Buckeyes remain on the road this weekend at will take on Tennessee-Chattanooga on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Atlanta, Ga. Full coverage of the match, including live video and scoring, can be found at Trackwrestling.com. Results: 125 | Brakan Mead (OSU) dec. over Jonathan Gomez (PU) 11-8 | OSU 3, PU 0 133 | Luke Pletcher (OSU) dec. over Ty Agasse (PU) 10-3 | OSU 6, PU 0 141 | Joey McKenna (OSU) maj. dec. over Joey D'Arcy (PU) 10-2 | OSU 10, PU 0 149 | Ke-Shawn Hayes (OSU) dec. over Matthew Kolodzik (PU) 2-0 | OSU 13, PU 0 157 | Micah Jordan (OSU) maj. dec. over Mike D'Angelo (PU) 16-6 | OSU 17, PU 0 165 | Te'Shan Campbell (OSU) maj. dec. over Jonathan Schleifer (PU) 8-0 | OSU 21, PU 0 174 | Bo Jordan (OSU) fall over Riley DeMoss (PU) 1:57 | OSU 27, PU 0 184 | Myles Martin (OSU) tech fall over Kevin Parker (PU) 19-4 | OSU 32, PU 0 197 | Kollin Moore (OSU) maj. dec. over Patrick Brucki (PU) 14-5 | OSU 36, PU 0 285 | Kevin Snyder (OSU) dec. over Michael Markulec (PU) | OSU 39, PU 0

LINCOLN, NEB. -- The No. 6 NC State wrestling team won nine of the 10 matches, including the final eight, and came away with a 29-3 win at No. 12 Nebraska Friday night. The Wolfpack (10-0) also scored three individual top-10 wins on the night. The teams also met for the fourth straight season, and the road team has won each time out. Starting at 157 pounds, No.16 R-Fr. Hayden Hidlay started out the Pack with a top-10 upset. The reigning ACC Wrestler of the Week improved to a perfect 8-0 on the season with his 6-3 win over No.7 Tyler Berger. Hidlay started with a takedown in the first, then a reversal and another takedown in the third scored the upset win. Nebraska got a 9-3 decision at 165 pounds to even it at 3-3. R-Fr. Daniel Bullard gave the Pack its lead back with a close 6-5 win at 174 pounds. With the score tied 5-5 late, Bullard was awarded a stall point with seven seconds left for the win. In the most exciting match of the night, No.3 R-Sr. Pete Renda scored the Pack's second top-10 win of the night as he downed No.6 Taylor Venz 9-6 at 184 pounds. Venz started with a takedown then Renda scored a reversal all in the first 15 seconds. Venz then had a reversal answered by Renda's second in the period. Renda then turned him for a four-point near fall and held an 8-5 lead with 2:04 of RT. Venz rode Renda the whole second period, but Renda answered by riding Venz the whole third and with riding time took a 9-6 win. No.7 R-Sr. Michael Macchiavello put the Pack up 12-3 at the break with his 6-2 win at 197 pounds. Macchiavello scored takedowns in the first and third to improve to 6-0 on the season. R-Jr. Malik McDonald picked up the winning string after the break, as he scored four takedowns and came away with a 9-5 win at 285 pounds. So. Tommy Cox followed suit at 125 pounds, with a 7-6 win – as the match ended 6-6 but Cox had almost two minutes of ride time for the final point and an 18-3 team lead. R-Fr. Tariq Wilson scored the Pack's first bonus point win of the night, winning 17-1 at 133 pounds. Wilson dominated from the start, scoring a takedown and four-point near fall in both the first and second period before a two-point near fall ended it in the second. No.2 R-Sr. Kevin Jack picked up his 100th career win at NC State and notched the Pack's third top-10 win of the night at 141 pounds. Jack defeated No.8 Chad Red 9-3 with three takedowns. No.17 R-Sr. Beau Donahue closed the dual with a dramatic comeback win at 149 pounds. Donahue was down 8-4 at the start of the third. He then scored two takedowns, and cut him, and clinched the win with a takedown with 13 seconds left to win 11-10. Earlier in the day, Donahue earned his undergrad degree in business administration. Up Next: NC State will remain on the road and next compete on Sunday at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Results: 157: #16 Hayden Hidlay (NCSU) dec. #7 Tyler Berger; 6-3 – 3-0 165: #10 Isaiah White (NEB) dec. Brian Hamann; 9-3 – 3-3 174: Daniel Bullard (NCSU) dec. Beua Breske; 6-5 – 6-3 184: #3 Pete Renda (NCSU) dec. #6 Taylor Venz; 9-6 – 9-3 197: #7 Michael Macchiavello (NCSU) dec. Eric Schultz; 6-2 – 12-3 285: Malik McDonald (NCSU) dec. David Jensen; 9-5 – 15-3 125: Tommy Cox (NCSU) dec. Mitchell Maginnis; 7-6 – 18-3 133: Tariq Wilson (NCSU) tech fall Zak Hensley; 17-1 – 23-3 141: #3 Kevin Jack (NCSU) dec. #8 Chad Red; 9-3 – 26-3 149: #17 Beau Donahue (NCSU) dec. Collin Purinton; 11-10 – 29-3

OREM, Utah -- Behind seven total victories, including three by bonus points, the Utah Valley University wrestling team knocked off Big 12 Conference foe North Dakota State, 26-13, for the second consecutive year in UVU's home opener on Friday afternoon at Lockhart Arena. The Wolverines, who are currently receiving votes for the USA Today/NWCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, improve to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 action with the win, while the Bison, who also currently receiving votes for the top 25 and ranked 24th by InterMat, drop to 1-4 and 0-3 in Big 12 competition. "We knew coming in that most of the matches were going to be hard fought because North Dakota State is a good program and every single one of their guy's fights hard," head UVU coach Greg Williams said. "I know that we have a good team and a lot of people are starting to be aware of that. I told our guys before the match that we needed to show that we are on the rise and they did just that. We have several guys that are out-wrestling their opponents in the third period no matter what the score is, and that is a big step for our program." Sixth-ranked Taylor LaMont (125 pounds), Matt Findlay (141) and Tanner Orndorff (197) all won their respective bouts by bonus points, while fellow Wolverines No. 16 Demetrius Romero (165), Kimball Bastian (174), Gary Jantzer (184) and Dustin Dennison (285) also all won their matches by decision. "I told the team after that I was proud of their effort and proud of everyone in the room," added Williams. "We still haven't accomplished what we have sought out to, but everyone wrestled very well and that was truly a team win." In the opening bout at 141 pounds, the redshirt freshman Findlay got the Wolverines off to a strong start with a first-period fall over NDSU's Nico Colunga. Findlay scored an early takedown and followed that up with a four-point nearfall to take a 6-0 lead. The Wolverine 141-pounder then again rolled Colunga on his back and managed to secure the fall at the 2:24-mark to give UVU an early 6-0 advantage. The Bison then answered back with back-to-back wins to take a 9-6 lead. Kyle Gilva started the rally with a 9-1 major decision over Matthew Ontiveros (149), and No. 14 Clay Ream followed for NDSU with a 26-10 technical fall over Raider Lofthouse at 157 pounds to give North Dakota State what proved to be its only lead of the dual meet. In a battle of two ranked opponents at 165 pounds, UVU sophomore and 16th-ranked Romero earned a hard fought overtime win over No. 12 Andrew Fogarty to deadlock the team score at 9-9 and swing the momentum in Utah Valley's favor. With Fogarty holding to a 3-2 lead in the third period, Romero managed to pick up an escape point to tie the match at 3-3 and send the contest into overtime. In the first sudden victory period, Romero then managed to wrap up Fogarty's legs and take him down to secure the 5-3 overtime win. Sophomore 174-pounder Bastian and 184-pound redshirt freshman Jantzer then followed with consecutive decision wins to give the Wolverines a 15-9 lead. Bastian first earned a 4-0 win over Colton Clingenpeel, before Jantzer followed with a 5-2 decision over Tyler McNutt. Bastian scored a takedown, an escape, and a riding time point to take his bout by a score of 4-0, while Jantzer managed to hold on late and even recorded a match-sealing takedown just as time expired to take the 5-2 victory. Sophomore 197-pounder and 2017 NCAA qualifier Orndorff then continued UVU's winning ways with a 11-3 major decision over North Dakota State's Cordell Eaton to give the Wolverines a 19-9 lead. Orndorff controlled his match against Eaton and earned a late takedown and an additional riding time point to lock up the major decision. Heavyweight and fellow 2017 NCAA qualifier Dustin Dennison then followed for the Wolverines by pulling out an exciting 12-9 decision over NDSU's Dan Stribral to extend UVU's lead to 22-9. Trailing 8-3 after nearly getting pinned in the third period, Dennison managed to respond with a reversal and a four-point nearfall of his own to take a 9-8 lead. He then sealed the victory with a late takedown and a riding time point to lock up the win for the Wolverines. Sixth-ranked and 2017 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational champion Taylor LaMont then pushed UVU's winning streak to six straight matches with a 9-1 major decision over Paul Bianchi. Holding to a 3-0 lead midway through the third period, LaMont wrapped up the victory with a four-point nearfall, an addition stall point, and a riding time point to earn Utah Valley's third bonus-point win of the afternoon. Just last week, LaMont was named the Big 12 Conference, NCAA Wrestling, USA Wrestling and FloWrestling Wrestler of the Week after defeating four ranked foes en route to winning the 125-pound championship at the prestigious CKLV Invite. In the final match of the afternoon, 22nd-ranked Cam Sykora then finally ended NDSU's scoring drought with a 12-3 major decision over UVU's Durbin Lloren (133). The win not only marked UVU's second of the season over a Big 12 foe, as it previously defeated West Virginia at the Clarion Duals on Nov. 3, but also its second straight over North Dakota State, as the Wolverines also knocked off the then 23rd-ranked Bison by a score of 22-16 in Fargo a season ago. Utah Valley will now step out of dual action to compete at the Reno Tournament of Champions this weekend in Reno, Nevada. The one-day tournament will take place on Sunday, Dec. 17 and will be streamed live on FloWrestling. Following the tournament, a handful of Wolverines will head to the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2 in Chatanooga, Tennessee, before returning to Orem to host No. 16 South Dakota State on Jan. 12. Results: 141: Matt Findlay (UVU) Fall Nico Colunga (NDSU), 2:24 149: Kyle Gilva (NDSU) Major Dec. Matthew Ontiveros (UVU), 9-1 157: #14 Clay Ream (NDSU) Tech Fall Raider Lofthouse (UVU), 26-10 165: #16 Demetrius Romero (UVU) Dec. #12 Andrew Fogarty (NDSU), 5-3 (SV-1) 174: Kimball Bastian (UVU) Dec. Colton Clingenpeel (NDSU), 4-0 184: Gary Jantzer (UVU) Dec. Tyler McNutt (NDSU), 5-2 197: Tanner Orndorff (UVU) Major Dec. Cordell Eaton (NDSU), 11-3 285: Dustin Dennison (UVU) Dec. Dan Stibral (NDSU), 12-9 125: #6 Taylor LaMont (UVU) Major Dec. Paul Bianchi (NDSU), 9-1 133: #22 Cam Sykora (NDSU) Major Dec. Durbin Lloren (UVU), 12-3

One hundred years ago this Saturday, Dec. 16, wrestling superstar Frank Gotch passed away at age 39. Franck GotchThe Humboldt, Iowa native, who had been world wrestling champion from 1908 to his retirement in 1913, died of kidney failure at home. Frank Alvin Gotch never stepped onto the mat in high school. He did not wrestle in college, nor was he a member of a U.S. Olympic wrestling team. After all, organized amateur wrestling programs were few and far between when he was growing up in north-central Iowa in the late 1800s. However, as a professional wrestler in the early 1900s, Gotch became a sports superstar who helped fuel interest in "the oldest and greatest sport" beyond the pro ring, leading to the establishment of amateur wrestling programs in YMCAs, schools and colleges throughout the U.S. in the early 20th century. Today's sports fan would not recognize Frank Gotch's world of a century ago. Organized college sports were in their infancy, including collegiate football and basketball... with the NFL and NBA still in the future. Popular professional sports in the 1900s included baseball and cycling -- high-speed bicycle racing on a banked oval track. As for combat sports 100 years ago ... there was no mixed martial arts fights; the UFC and Bellator would emerge decades later. Boxing seemed to be on two tracks: one, "the manly art of self-defense" was a staple at private men's clubs and many colleges as a pure, amateur athletic endeavor, while, professional boxing matches were outlawed in many states. (The same year Gotch won the world wrestling title, Jack Johnson became the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion, having defeated white champ Tommy Burns in Australia, which did not help boxing's cause among many U.S. politicians or fans in an era of Jim Crow laws and overt racism.) Today's WWE fan would be completely thrown off by professional wrestling of the Frank Gotch era. There was none of the theatricality and showbiz elements we associate with the WWE, either in terms of the participants -- no costumes, no flamboyant personalities, no "heels" (villains) or "faces" (baby-faced good-guys) -- nor in their actions in the ring (for example, no piledrivers, no spectacular jumps from the ring's top ropes). Farmer Burns and Frank GotchIn fact, for the most part, professional wrestling matches of 100 years ago resembled amateur wrestling as we know it today. Sadly, no films of Frank Gotch's wrestling matches have survived. However, there are a couple pro matches which are available for viewing online, including a 1913 bout between Gustav Fristensky and Josef Smejkal in Prague, and a 1920 match at Madison Square Garden between Midwestern wrestlers Earl Caddock and Joe Stecher. Gotch was a strapping, farm-raised young man who first started wrestling classmates -- and his male teacher -- at a one-room schoolhouse outside Humboldt. As an 18-year-old, he wrestled a man purported to be a traveling salesman in match held on the cinder track at a local high school. Gotch lost ... but the "salesman" was actually professional wrestler Dan McLeod, who was so impressed with the young man's grappling talent, that he told Martin "Farmer" Burns about Gotch. Burns, famous for his mail-order wrestling instructional program, took Gotch under his wing ... and transformed him into a seasoned pro wrestler. Beginning in 1899, Gotch wrestled hundreds of matches throughout the U.S. In 1908, Gotch earned a shot at the world title held by George Hackenschmidt, nicknamed "the Russian Lion" (but actually from Latvia). Hackenschmidt was known for his incredible physical strength and impressive muscular physique, with neck and chest measurements equal to Brock Lesnar's in his college prime. (Teddy Roosevelt -- who boxed and wrestled even while at the White House -- said of the world champion from Europe, "If I weren't President, I would want to be George Hackenschmidt." Gotch himself said, "Picture the most perfectly developed man, and you've described George Hackenschmidt.") Frank Gotches battles George HackenschmidtWhile Frank Gotch didn't have the carved-from-marble physique of Hackenschmidt developed in a gym, his muscles came from working his parents' farm ... and his stamina from putting in miles of road work every day. When the two met in the ring in Chicago in April 1908, most sportswriters and fans assumed that the Russian Lion would make short work of the Iowa Plowboy (Hackenschmidt's matches usually lasted only 5-10 minutes). However, Gotch used traditional collar-and-elbow technique to put pressure on the neck and shoulders of "Hack", wearing the big man down. After just over two hours of wrestling, Hackenschmidt eventually submitted to Gotch after the challenger applied his patented toehold, giving up the title to his Iowa rival. The two met again in the ring, again in Chicago, on Labor Day in 1911. This time, Gotch made short work of Hackenschmidt, using his feared toehold to defeat the former champ in two rounds adding up to about a half-hour of actual wrestling. It was Hackenschmidt's last professional wrestling match. Frank Gotch's popularity as world champion transcended wrestling. His matches were front-page news in newspapers across the country. (The two Gotch-Hackenschmidt matches got the same sort hype that today's media employs in covering the Super Bowl.) Standing 5'11" and weighing in at about 210 pounds, Gotch was a handsome, articulate champion -- and, coupled with his earnings from the ring -- an eligible bachelor who reportedly dated the most beautiful actresses of the era. However, when it was time to tie the knot, he married a young woman from his hometown, Gladys Oestrich, who he known for years, in 1911. Frank and Gladys had one son, Robert Frederick. Gotch retired from the ring in 1913, but kept in the public eye by participating in a circus where patrons could earn $250 if they lasted ten minutes with the popular wrestling champ. No one collected that prize. Sadly, by 1916, Gotch's health started to decline. He consulted with doctors from around the country, and visited therapeutic springs in Colorado and Arkansas. Gotch was eventually diagnosed with kidney failure caused by uremic poisoning, which led to his death on Dec. 16, 1917. Gotch's death was front-page news in a number of newspapers across the nation. Here's part of an obituary from an unidentified newspaper of the time: "Although dispatches told from to time to time that Frank A. Gotch, the great grappler, was far from being a well man, the news of his death came as a distinct shock to many friends in all parts of the country. Those who had not seen him in the past two years could not realize how the hairy giant had failed physically. They thought his ailment was nothing serious and that he would soon be his jolly self again, ready to kid and joke along with anyone and so full of animal life... "Those who saw Gotch in his prime as a wrestler saw one of the greatest physical human specimens that ever came to grips with another man. He was about 5 feet, 11 inches tall, built as round as a barrel around the chest, his neck was 19 inches round, his legs were thick and strong, and he was as quick as a cat on his feet... In addition to his great physical qualifications, Gotch was a quick thinker, and he beat many a good man by tricking him..." Years later, here's how Mac Davis, author of the book "100 Greatest Sports Heroes", described the reaction to Frank Gotch's passing: "When news of his death reached the people of his native Iowa, the whole state went into mourning. In Humboldt, his hometown, every store closed down, the schoolhouse was shuttered and empty, on the day of his funeral. Thousands of weeping mourners, gathered from many parts of the land, trudged the icy path to the rural cemetery on a cold December day to bid a final farewell to the farm boy who had been the greatest wrestling champion in history." Frank Gotch is entombed, along with his wife and child, in a mausoleum at Union Cemetery on the north edge of Humboldt. However, his legacy lives on. Each year there's a wrestling tournament that bears his name at Humboldt High School; earlier this summer, former Michigan State wrestler Curran Jacobs won the 2017 Frank Gotch World Catch Wrestling Tournament in that same gym. One significant legacy of Frank Gotch's popularity -- and the popularity of the sport he participated in -- is that his era helped propel the growth of amateur wrestling in the U.S. Among the top college wrestling programs that got their start when he ruled the wrestling ring: Penn State (1908), University of Iowa (1911), Oklahoma State (1916) Iowa State (1916) and University of Oklahoma (1920). The Iowa high school state wrestling championships -- one of the first in the nation -- was established in 1921. Frank Gotch has earned a number of honors. He has been welcomed into the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1951, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2002, and the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame -- part of the Dan Gable National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Waterloo, Iowa -- in 1999. There's a 67-acre state park named in his honor just south of Humboldt. In addition, an eight-foot tall bronze statue of Gotch was unveiled in Humboldt's Bicknell Park, site of his outdoor training camp, in 2012. A street near the park was also renamed in his honor.