InterMat Staff

Joey McKenna defeated Jaydin Eierman for third place at the NCAAs (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) This weekend's slate is highlighted by the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, but also includes some anticipated dual meets between in-state rivals. Here is a look at what to watch this weekend in college wrestling. Friday-Saturday Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (noon) Aside from any conference championship weekend or the national tournament, the toughest weekend of the year is here, and all eyes will be on the Las Vegas Convention Center as it's set to host 13 of InterMat's top-25 tournament teams at the 2018 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Of those 13 top-25 teams heading to compete in the Sin City, five teams find themselves sitting inside the top 10. To further paint the picture of just how tough this weekend is going to be, InterMat ranks 20 wrestlers at each weight, totaling 200 top-20 guys. This weekend, 114 of those wrestlers will be competing for a CKLV title. Arguably, three of the toughest weight classes of the tournament are 133 pounds, 174 pounds and 184 pounds. At 133 pounds, there are 12 ranked wrestlers, and three of them have reached the big stage on Saturday night at the NCAA Championships. Michigan's second-ranked Stevan Micic reached the 133-pound finals a year ago, while third-ranked Nick Suriano (Rutgers) and seventh-ranked Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) each fell short in the previous two 125-pound finals. In addition to the three NCAA finalists, Ohio State's 2018 NCAA fourth-place finisher and fifth-ranked Luke Pletcher, and Missouri's ninth-ranked John Erneste (Missouri) will also compete at this weight class. Though four of the five top-10 guys are from the Big Ten Conference, the only previous head-to-head match-up is between Stevan Micic and Luke Pletcher. These guys have met four times. Micic owns the 3-1 advantage, with his most recent win coming in the last year's NCAA semifinals when the Wolverine beat the Buckeye 8-4 to make it to the finals. When predicting the pre-seeds, one can only imagine that Micic will be given the top seed, with Suriano, Pletcher, and Lizak following in the second, third and fourth spots respectively. If this holds, and each guy wrestles to his seed, I see Micic eking out a win over Lizak, and Suriano narrowly sliding past Pletcher to set up a Micic and Suriano final. I'll give Micic the upper-hand in this match for two reasons. One, this is their first time wrestling. Secondly, I think it's complicated to not only prepare but also to make in-match adjustments to counter Micic's unorthodox style. These two will meet again on Feb. 17 when Michigan travels to Rutgers. Taking into consideration travel, the time of year, and it being (potentially) the second time these two have met, I'll say Suriano evens the score at one apiece heading into the Big Ten Championships. Another weight class to keep an eye on is 174 pounds where 12 ranked guys are also entered. Though it doesn't have a previous NCAA finalist, 174 pounds does feature a trio of guys who have claimed All-American honors multiple times. They are Myles Amine, Daniel Lewis and David McFadden. Michigan's third-ranked Amine reached the consolation finals in back-to-back years, improving on his fourth-place finish in 2017 with a third-place finish last year. Missouri's fourth-ranked Lewis is looking to become a four-time All-American after he finished his previous three years in fourth, fifth, and fourth respectively. The third multiple-time All-American entered at this weight is Virginia Tech's fifth-ranked David McFadden. The Hokie, who returned to action in 2018 after redshirting in 2017, added a fifth-place finish to his resume a season ago after wrapping up the 2016 NCAA Championships in sixth place. The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational will be McFadden's first tournament back after representing the United States at 74 kilograms at the U23 World Championships which were held in Bucharest, Romania. The Hokie two-time All-American does have an 8-4 win over Lewis at the 2016 CKLV, but without seeing him have at least one match to transition back to folkstyle, it's tough to pick him as the favorite over two of the best mat wrestlers in the nation in Amine and Lewis. Amine defeated Lewis 4-2 in sudden victory in the third-place bout at the 2018 NCAA Championships, giving him a slight advantage to win the CKLV title at 174 pounds. A third deep weight class to watch is 184 pounds. Of the eight returning 184-pound All-Americans, six are entered in this tournament. The six returning All-Americans in 2018 placement order are Myles Martin (Ohio State), Emery Parker (Illinois), Taylor Venz (Nebraska), Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech), Chip Ness (North Carolina), and Max Dean (Cornell). The only two who are not registered are Penn State's two-time NCAA champion Bo Nickal (now competing at 197 pounds) and Michigan Dom Abounader who has since graduated. On a side note, in addition to six top-10 wrestlers, 141 pounds was scheduled to feature Cornell's returning NCAA champion and top-ranked Yianni Diakomihalis. The sophomore made his season debut last weekend, going 3-0 after sitting out for nearly nine months post reconstructive surgery on a torn ACL that he suffered in the first minute of his NCAA quarterfinals match against two-time NCAA champion, Dean Heil. On Tuesday, Diakomihalis wrote on Twitter, "Won't be wrestling in Vegas this weekend. Should be back for everything else though!" Though Diakomihalis won't be competing, 141 pounds does have a pair of two-time All-Americans who met in last year's NCAA consolation finals. They are Ohio State's second-ranked Big Ten champion and returning third-place finisher Joey McKenna and Missouri's third-ranked Jaydin Eierman. Saturday No. 23 Iowa State at No. 4 Iowa (3 p.m.) For the first time since taking over as Iowa State's head coach, Kevin Dresser leads his Cyclones into Carver-Hawkeye Arena to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk dual. Last year in Ames, the Hawkeyes won nine of 10 bouts -- which included four bonus-point victories -- to defeat their in-state rivals 35-6. The Cyclones lone victory came at 197 pounds when Sam Colbray received a forfeit. Though the Hawkeyes are still favored to win the dual meet, Iowa State brings three ranked wrestlers into Iowa City. They are No. 14 Austin Gomez (133), No. 12 Jarrett Degen (149) and No. 5 Willie Miklus (197). The Cyclones will rely on their fifth-ranked three-time All-American transfer Miklus to add a much-needed spark. In his first Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk dual, Miklus could square off against Iowa's No. 11 Jacob Warner at 197 pounds. These two previously met last season at the Lindenwood Open where Warner knocked off Miklus, 16-7. In addition to Warner, Iowa's lineup is littered with ranked wrestlers. Leading the way for the Hawkeyes are top-ranked wrestlers Spencer Lee (125) and Sam Stoll (285). Other ranked wrestlers for Iowa inlcude No. 10 Austin DeSanto (133), No. 16 Max Murin (141), No. 11 Pat Lugo (149), No. 13 Kaleb Young (157), No. 4 Alex Marinelli (165) and No. 11 Cash Wilcke (184). Also of note, Iowa announced on Tuesday that two-time All-American and sixth-ranked Michael Kemerer (174) would be having season-ending surgery. Iowa leads the series 64-16-2 and is 32-5-1 in Iowa City. Other potential ranked matchups: 133: No. 10 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) vs. No. 14 Austin Gomez (Iowa State) 149: No. 11 Pat Lugo (Iowa) vs. No. 12 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) 197: No. 11 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs. No. 5 Willie Miklus (Iowa State) Sunday No. 8 Lehigh at No. 1 Penn State (1:30 p.m.) The Lehigh Mountain Hawks are set to head to Happy Valley in search for their 35th win over Nittany Lions, and first since the 2009-10 season. Sunday's dual meet will be the 107th time these two have met, with Penn State owning the 69-34-3 advantage. Last season, Lehigh jumped out to an early 15-0 lead, picking up bonus points in two of the first three matches, but ultimately lost six of the final seven matches and fell short, 23-19. This year there will be four matches where top-10 wrestlers will compete against each other, and they'll all be on the back side of the dual. The match to pay attention to will be at 174 pounds when Penn State's two-time NCAA finalist and 2017 NCAA champion Mark Hall takes on Lehigh's 2018 All-American and seventh-ranked Jordan Kutler. These wrestlers have met a pair of times, with Hall getting his hand raised both times. Hall beat Kutler, 3-2 last December's dual and followed that win up a month later with a 4-0 shutout over the Mountain Hawk at the Southern Scuffle. Other potential top-10 matchups: 157: No. 1 Jason Nolf vs. No. 10 Gordon Wolf 174: No. 2 Mark Hall vs. No. 7 Jordan Kutler 184: No. 4 Shakur Rasheed vs. No. 7 Ryan Preisch 285: No. 5 Anthony Cassar vs. No. 6 Jordan Wood Other potential ranked matchups: 165: No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph vs. No. 11 Cole Walter 197: No.1 Bo Nickal vs. No. 15 Jake Jacobsen

Saturday marks the first major in-season event for all the teams in this 16-team field. Schools from six different states will convene at Gardner Edgerton High School in Kansas for the annual pool-to-bracket event. Competition will start with four pools of ideally four wrestlers each, with the wrestlers earning the same place in pool competition paired up for a semifinal and then final match. Four of the teams in this field are nationally ranked -- No. 12 Broken Arrow (Okla.), No. 14 Southeast Polk (Iowa), No. 20 Allen (Texas), and No. 47 Goddard (Kansas). Broken Arrow will be without the back half of their starting lineup due to advancing to the state final in football on Friday night, while Allen will be without a few starters (not sure which ones) due to their football team playing a state playoff game this weekend. Below is a listing of the top wrestlers expected to compete in the event come Saturday by projected weight class. 106 - No. 4 Braxton Brown (Allen, Texas), Bryce Cockrell (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Nathan Rubino (Skutt Catholic, Neb.) 113 - Jackson Cockrell (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Jason Henschel (Goddard, Kansas), Devin Harmison (Southeast Polk, Iowa), Caden Garcia (Allen, Texas) 120 - Rance Waigand (Allen, Texas), Blazik Perez (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Joel Jesuroga (Southeast Polk, Iowa), Eli Rocha (Platte County, Mo.), Jordan Fisher (Goddard, Kansas), Zachary Keal (Mill Valley, Kansas) 126 - Keegan Slyter (Olathe North, Kansas), Gabe Martinez (Allen, Texas), Jared Hill (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Lucas Glover (Goddard, Kansas), Caleb Lazure (Skutt Catholic, Neb.), Joshua Pence (Manhattan, Kansas) 132 - No. 15 Reece Witcraft (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Noah Yeamans (Allen, Texas), Camden Baarda (Southeast Polk, Iowa) 138 - Blake Gonzalez (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Nicholas Stoltenberg (Skutt Catholic, Neb.), Jace Fisher (Goddard, Kansas), Nathan Marchand (Southeast Polk, Iowa) 145 - Trent Dooley (Allen, Texas), Ryan Strickland (Southeast Polk, Iowa), Cayleb Atkins (Goddard, Kansas) 152 - No. 11 (at 160) Lance Runyon (Southeast Polk, Iowa), Bubba Wilson (Manhattan, Kansas), Elise Brown Ton (Allen, Texas), Nolan Craine (Goddard, Kansas) 160 - No. 14 (at 152) Cade Devos (Southeast Polk, Iowa), Trevor Dopps (Goddard, Kansas) 170 - No. 6 Troy Fisher (Goddard, Kansas), Alex Van Dyke (Skutt Catholic, Neb.) 182 - Nate Dooley (Allen, Texas), Cayden Atkins (Goddard, Kansas) 195 - Gabe Christenson (Southeast Polk, Iowa), Matthew Muller (Fayetteville, Ark.), Eli Jansen (Skutt Catholic, Neb.) 220 - Trenton Willert (Goddard, Kansas), Marcos Fisher (Dodge City, Kansas) 285 - Johnny Green (Allen, Texas), Evan Darville (Dodge City, Kansas)

Michael Kemerer battling Jason Nolf in the NCAA quarterfinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa junior Michael Kemerer is scheduled to have surgery this week and will miss the 2018-19 NCAA wrestling season. The announcement came Tuesday from head coach Tom Brands. "We always do what's best for our athletes and this is what is best for Kemerer," Brands said. "He is as good a wrestler as there is in the country, and that is a credit to him doing things the right way. I know he is driven to come back even stronger and we will do everything we can to help him along the way." "I'm disappointed I won't be on the mat with my teammates this season, but I am 100 percent committed to my rehab and recovery so I can return to the mat in 2019," Kemerer said. "I have complete faith in my teammates, coaches, and medical staff, and they have faith in me. I will continue to give them all the very best that I have, on and off the mat." Kemerer is a two-time All-American from Murrysville, Pennsylvania. He placed third as a redshirt freshman and fourth as a sophomore at the NCAA Championships. He has a career record of 60-6, competing at 157 pounds in 2017 and 2018. He was projected to be Iowa's starting 174-pounder in 2019. Kemerer has not competed this season. He will seek a medical hardship waiver at the end of the season. Iowa hosts Iowa State on Saturday at 2 p.m. (CT) in the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series.

The online sportsbook BetDSI has released college wrestling betting odds for this weekend's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. The event takes place on Friday and Saturday at the Las Vegas Convention Center. How betting works: If betting on a wrestler listed with a minus (-) sign, you must risk that number amount to profit $100 (and get your stake back). For example, risking $20 on Joey McKenna would result in a profit of $10 if he wins the title at 141 pounds. If betting on a wrestler listed with a plus (+) sign, for every $100 you risk, you profit that amount. For example, risking $20 on Grant Leeth (+600) would result in a profit of $120 if he wins the title at 149 pounds. If betting "Field" in a weight class, you receive all the wrestlers not listed with odds. Note: Betting odds are subject to change. Odds are listed under Sportsbook-Futures-Wrestling. To create a BetDSI account, click here.

As the end of November will be upon us, and December begins on Saturday, the first week of competition is here for the majority of states across the country. Below is a listing of scheduled competitions for teams ranked within the Fab 50 national high school team rankings. No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. -- travels to St. Benedict's Prep (N.J.) on Saturday for the Caruso Invitational No. 2 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. -- competes in dual meet at Union Endicott (N.Y.) on Wednesday, competes in the Lake Norman (N.C.) Duals on Saturday No. 4 Cincinnati (Ohio) LaSalle -- competes in the Franklin (Ohio) Invitational on Saturday No. 5 St. Edward, Ohio -- hosts No. 32 Parkersburg South (W.Va.), Massillon Perry (Ohio), and Westerville North (Ohio) for quad meet on Saturday No. 6 Montini Catholic, Ill. -- travels to Providence Catholic (Ill.) for quad meet, along with Bowen (Ill.) and No. 33 Chicago (lll.) Mt. Carmel No. 11 Park Hill, Mo. -- hosts No. 12 Broken Arrow (Okla.a) for dual meet on Friday, hosts the Park Hill Duals on Saturday No. 12 Broken Arrow, Okla. -- with the back half of the lineup competing in the state football title game on Friday night, this may be subject to change; scheduled to travel to Owasso (Okla.) for dual meet on Thursday, travel to No. 11 Park Hill (Mo.) for dual meet on Friday, compete in the Gardner-Edgerton (Kansas) Invitational on Saturday No. 14 Southeast Polk, Okla. -- travels to Ames (Iowa) for dual meet on Thursday, compete in the Gardner-Edgerton (Kansas) Invitational on Saturday No. 16 Elyria, Ohio -- host double dual on Saturday, will face Tiffin Columbian (Ohio) and Perrysburg (Ohio) No. 17 Clovis, Calif. -- compete in the Newbury Park (Calif.) Invitational on Saturday No. 20 Allen, Texas -- though missing some wrestlers due to continued advancement in the state football playoffs, compete in the Gardner-Edgerton (Kansas) Invitational on Saturday No. 21 Simley, Minn. -- travels to No. 42 Apple Valley (Minn.) for dual meet on Friday, compete in multi-team event at New Prague (Minn.) on Saturday No. 23 St. John Bosco, Calif. -- travels to Westminster (Calif.) for the Cossareck Classic on Friday and Saturday No. 25 Wadsworth, Ohio -- hosts Streetsboro (Ohio) and Massillon (Ohio) for tri-meet on Friday No. 26 St. Paris Graham, Ohio -- competes in the Marysville (Ohio) Duals on Saturday No. 27 Waverly-Shell Rock, Iowa -- hosts West Delaware (Iowa) for dual meet on Thursday, travels to Cedar Falls (Iowa) for the Keith Young Invitational on Saturday No. 28 Mt. St. Joseph's, Md. -- competes in the King George (Va.) Duals on Saturday No. 30 Marmion Academy, Ill. -- hosts tri-meet against Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick and Providence Catholic (Ill.) on Friay; hosts quad aganst St. Rita (Ill.), Wheaton North (Ill.), and Marist (Ill.) on Saturday No. 31 Kasson-Mantorville, Minn. -- travels to Stewartville (Minn.) for dual meet on Thursday, competes in the Winona (Minn.) Invitational on Saturday No. 32 Parkersburg South, W.Va. -- travels to No. 5 St. Edward (Ohio) for quad meet on Saturday, along with Massillon Perry (Ohio) and Huntington (W.Va.) No. 33 Chicago (Ill.) Mt. Carmel -- travels to Marian Catholic (Ill.) for dual meet on Friday, travels to Providence Catholic (Ill.) for quad meet on Saturday along with No. 6 Montini Catholic (Ill.) and Bowen (Ill.) No. 34 McDonogh, Md. -- hosts the Ray Oliver Tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 36 Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral -- travels to Lawrence Central (Ind.) for dual meet on Tuesday, hosts the Super 6 Invitational duals on Saturday No. 38 Pomona, Colo. -- hosts Bear Creek (Colo.) for dual meet on Thursday No. 42 Apple Valley, Minn. -- hosts No. 21 Simley (Minn.) for dual meet on Friday No. 43 Clovis North, Calif. -- travels to Vacaville for the Larry Nelson Classic dual tournament on Friday and Saturday No. 44 Millard South, Neb. -- competes in the Sergeant Bluff-Luton (Iowa) Invitational on Saturday No. 45 Poway, Calif. -- competes in the Newbury Park (Calif.) Invitational on Saturday No. 46 South Dade, Fla. -- No. 47 Goddard, Kansas -- competes in the Gardner-Edgerton (Kansas) Invitational on Saturday No. 48 Arlington Martin, Texas -- travels to Burleson Centennial (Texas) for dual meet on Tuesday No. 49 Oak Park River Forest, Ill. -- travels to Washington (Ill.) for multi-team event on Saturday Season is yet to start: No. 3 Bergen Catholic (N.J.), No. 7 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.), No. 15 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.), No. 18 Brighton (Mich.), No. 19 Paulsboro (N.J.), No. 22 St. Joseph Montvale (N.J.), No. 24 Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep, No. 29 Davison (Mich.), No. 35 South Plainfield (N.J.), No. 37 Reynolds (Pa.), No. 40 Howell (N.J.), and No. 41 Delbarton (N.J.) Not competing: No. 8 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), No. 9 Buchanan (Calif.), No. 10 Gilroy (Calif.), No. 13 Tuttle (Okla.), No. 39 Brecksville (Ohio), and No. 50 Staley (Mo.)

Jerry Boland ELKINS -- Director of Athletics Jamie Joss has announced the addition of wrestling as the 24th varsity sport offering at Davis & Elkins College on Monday, as well as the hiring of Jerry Boland as the program's first head coach. The Senators will receive support for some of the startup costs from the National Wrestling Coaches Association and allied partners beginning competition in the 2019-20 academic year. "We are thrilled to add men's wrestling to our athletic program and elated to have Coach Boland lead our program," Joss said. "The addition of wrestling will provide opportunities for wrestlers throughout the region to compete at the collegiate level and an additional pathway for our student-athletes to compete for Mountain East Conference and NCAA Championships." Boland, a member of the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame, will be coming to Elkins after 14 years as a high school wrestling coach and five years as an administrator in the Evesham Township School District in New Jersey. "We are pleased to welcome Coach Jerry Boland to lead the first wrestling program at D&E," said D&E President Chris A. Wood. "The 2019-20 academic year promises to be an exciting one as we begin play in the Mountain East Conference and, now, with the addition of our 24th varsity sport." Overall, Boland has 20 years of coaching wrestling at various levels and also has served as an official for eight years. "I am truly honored and excited to become the first head wrestling coach at Davis & Elkins College," said Boland. "I want to thank President Wood, Director of Athletics Jamie Joss, and the rest of the selection committee for having the faith in me to build this program. "I also want to thank my wife, Michelle, my family, and all of those who supported me along this journey. I am looking forward to being a part of Senator Nation and leading young men to successful careers both on and off the mat." During his time in high school wrestling, Boland has coached three New Jersey State Championship teams at Camden Catholic High School. He has also led the Camden Catholic and Cinnaminson High School programs to six more conference championships. Boland has coached several individual district and regional champions at both schools, as well as three individual state champions at Camden Catholic. He has a career coaching record of 146-34. A two-year team captain and four-year starter in college, Boland was an NCAA Division III All-American at Lycoming College in the mid-90s and was a two-time NCAA Tournament qualifier. "Jerry's experience as an All-American and Hall of Fame high school and college wrestler, and successful high school coaching career at his alma mater will be critical in building the foundation of a successful program on and off the mat, "Joss added. "Coach Boland embodies our four pillars of Education-Engagement-Character-Competition. We look forward to welcoming Jerry and his family to the Elkins community." Boland recently completed the 2018 National Wrestling Coaches Association Leadership Academy, where he worked closely with mentor Jack Spates, former head coach of the University of Oklahoma wrestling program. A 2016 inductee of the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame, Boland is a USA Wrestling certified club coach and a New Jersey state certified high school wrestling official. He is also a member of the South Jersey Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association, where he has served as an executive member. Boland graduated from Lycoming College with a bachelor's degree in Psychology in 1998. He also earned his master's degree in Educational Leadership from Grand Canyon University in 2010. Boland and his wife Michelle, along with their four boys, Gavin (13), Caden (10), Brennan (9), Owen (4), will be relocating to Elkins. The addition of wrestling also expands the Davis & Elkins Athletics Department's sport offerings to 24, coming a year after women's triathlon and women's golf emerged for the 2018-19 year. Other recent additions have included men's and women's indoor and outdoor track in 2016-17 and women's acrobatics & tumbling in 2017-18. What others are saying about Jerry: Mike Moyer - NWCA Executive Director "I want to congratulate the Davis & Elkins administration for selecting a phenomenal coach to lead their newly established men's wrestling program. Coach Boland is one of an elite group of coaches to receive a full scholarship to attend our prestigious NWCA CEO Leadership Academy. The Senators wrestling program is in great hands." Jack Spates - Former University of Oklahoma Head Coach "Davis & Elkins has hit a home run. Jerry Boland is a coach with great expertise and incredible passion for our sport and for young people. Look for great things to come from this program." John Hangey - Rider University Head Coach "Jerry has always wanted to be a college head wrestling coach. He has tremendous passion and knowledge for the sport. He will be a great leader for the student athletes and wrestling program at Davis & Elkins College." Gary Papa - National Wrestling Hall of Fame member; Camden County College Head Coach "I have had the unique pleasure of knowing Jerry Boland as a student/athlete, member of my coaching staff, and as a friend. I was the Head Wrestling Coach at Jerry's alma mater, Camden Catholic, when he competed in high school, and later on, when his college days were over, I was fortunate enough to have Jerry as an assistant coach on my staff at CCHS. I have always found Jerry to be one of my hardest working, dedicated, wrestlers and he brought the same work ethic to my coaching staff. Jerry is a true family man and a great friend that you can always count on to make the right decisions and do the right thing. I congratulate Davis & Elkins for their foresight in naming Jerry Boland as their new Head Wrestling Coach" Davis & Elkins College, related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), is a private liberal arts college located in Elkins, the heart of the West Virginia Highlands. D&E Athletics has 24 varsity sports with affiliations to the NCAA Division II, Great Midwest Athletic Conference, USA Triathlon and the NCATA, as well as a future affiliation to the Mountain East Conference beginning in 2019-20.

Zain Retherford (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) The new American Wrestling League bills itself as "The Greatest Wrestling Show on Earth!" That remains to be seen, but the new AWL does provide another opportunity for international wrestlers in the U.S. to gain exposure. Along with winning a little bit of cash. Each of the AWL participants will collect $2,500 to wrestle in the freestyle wrestling event, which will be streamed live on Trackwrestling.com. The winners will pick up an additional $5,000. The inaugural AWL event is scheduled to be held on Friday (Nov. 30) at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids. Newly crowned world champions David Taylor and Kyle Dake drafted the athletes that will compete in the AWL. Unfortunately for the fans, neither Taylor nor Dake will be competing in the first AWL event. None of the seven freestyle medalists from last month's World Championships are competing. Even with the lack of star power, there are a number of top wrestlers who will be competing. Adam Coon, who won a world silver medal last month in Greco-Roman wrestling, is scheduled to compete at heavyweight. He will face veteran Dom Bradley. One of the best matchups will involve a bout between past NCAA champions Jordan Oliver and Zain Retherford. Past Iowa Hawkeye national champions Tony Ramos and Cory Clark also are expected to square off. Another intriguing battle will feature two-time NCAA champion Isaiah Martinez and three-time NCAA champion Alex Dieringer. It's too bad Dake and Taylor won't be competing. It is understandable with the event coming just a few weeks after they won world titles, but if you want "The Greatest Wrestling Show on Earth!" you should put the best wrestlers on the card. A Dake-Taylor match alone would be worth the price of admission. As a wrestling fan, it would be awesome to see. I applaud the initiative for trying to put a professional league together and I think it could succeed in this country with the right formula. But you need your best wrestlers to be a part of it. The AWL event should still be a good show with some high-level wrestling, but it could offer so much more. Here are my predictions for the AWL I event: 57 kilograms: Frank Perrelli (Team Dake) vs. Nico Megaludis (Team Taylor) Perrelli is a tough, hard-nosed veteran with a ton of experience and Megaludis is a strong competitor who could definitely contend for a world team spot. This has the makings of an entertaining match with two little guys who know how to scrap and get after it. My pick: Megaludis 61 kilograms: Tony Ramos (Dake) vs. Cory Clark (Taylor) This is the match that many of the Iowa fans will be most intrigued about. Ramos is a past NCAA champion for the Hawkeyes who has made two U.S. world teams. Ramos left Iowa City for the University of North Carolina after losing to former Hawkeye Daniel Dennis at the 2016 Olympic Trials. A year later, Ramos lost to former Hawkeye Thomas Gilman at the World Team Trials. Now Ramos will face Clark, a 2017 NCAA champion for Iowa that he knows well. This is the match I am looking forward to most in this dual. It should be interesting to watch. My pick: Clark 65 kilograms: Jordan Oliver (Dake) vs. Zain Retherford (Taylor) This is expected to be another match between two wrestlers with legitimate chances to make the world and Olympic team the next two years. Oliver has been as high as second on the U.S. ladder and Retherford made the 2017 world team. These are two highly skilled wrestlers who have the potential to medal on the world stage. This is a match you won't want to miss. My pick: Retherford 70 kilograms: James Green (Dake) vs. Brandon Sorensen (Taylor) Green is a two-time world medalist who is coming off a disappointing performance at the World Championships. It's good to see Green competing in this event. This could be an interesting match with Sorensen wrestling just up the road from where he competed at the University of Iowa. Sorensen is a good prospect who can be lethal when he opens up. Green is an explosive athlete who also is tough to score on. My pick: Green 74 kilograms: Richie Lewis (Dake) vs. Tommy Gantt (Taylor) Lewis proved his mettle by becoming a surprise gold medalist at the U23 World Championships. He will be the favorite here against Gantt, who has experienced some success on the freestyle circuit. It will be interesting to see how Lewis progresses and fares on the Senior level. My pick: Lewis. Isaiah Martinez (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) 79 kilograms: Isaiah Martinez (Dake) vs. Alex Dieringer (Taylor) If both wrestlers open up and let it fly, this could be the best match on the card. Martinez is a very dynamic and athletic wrestler. Dieringer is a wrestler with an impressive skill set and a huge upside. Martinez is coming up a weight class after being second on the ladder behind Jordan Burroughs at 74 kg. Dieringer may have a size advantage over Martinez and that may be the difference in this bout. My pick: Dieringer 86 kilograms: Nick Heflin (Dake) vs. Sam Brooks (Taylor) Heflin is a wrestler who has held his own internationally and Brooks is another top prospect who has made two age-group world teams. Both of these wrestlers have big moves in their arsenals and could put on a heck of a show for the fans. Brooks is a fan favorite who has wrestled well in Iowa. My pick: Heflin. 92 kilograms: Deron Winn (Dake) vs. Mike Macchiavello (Taylor) Winn has been a solid freestyle wrestler for a number of years, but he has competed only part-time in wrestling while he pursues a career in mixed martial arts. Macchiavello was a surprise winner at the NCAA Championships. He's a very physical wrestler who is tough to match up against. My pick: Winn 97 kilograms: Jacob Kasper (Dake) vs. Kyven Gadson (Taylor) Kasper looks like he could excel internationally. Gadson is a potential world medalist, but with Olympic and world champion Kyle Snyder in the same weight class it will be difficult for him to even make a U.S. team. This is a homecoming of sorts for Gadson, an Iowa native who won an NCAA title for Iowa State. Look for Gadson to try and put on a show for his fans. My pick: Gadson 125 kilograms: Dom Bradley (Dake) vs. Adam Coon (Taylor) This also has the makings of another interesting and compelling match. Bradley is a veteran who is still a very good wrestler. Coon is coming off an outstanding performance at the World Championships where he pinned four straight opponents en route to the finals. Coon is on a roll right now and look for that trend to continue. My pick: Coon Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

STILLWATER -- Four Oklahoma State wrestlers made their Gallagher-Iba debuts on Sunday as the Cowboys defeated Wyoming, 27-6, in their first home dual of the season. Kaden Gfeller and Dakota Geer came away with bonus-point wins, and Andrew Shomers and Daton Fix both collected wins by decision over ranked opponents. "That is kind of what you live for," coach John Smith said. "I thought Dakota and Andrew did a good job, just have to focus at the end of the third period, and I thought (Daton) worked through the match with common sense. He did pretty good defending when his opponent got to his legs." The dual started with a shootout at 141 pounds with No. 6 Kaid Brock defeating Wyoming's Sam Turner, 14-10. The redshirt junior scored five takedowns in the first period and added another in the third. At 149 pounds, Kaden Gfeller remained undefeated with a major decision over Jaron Jensen. Shomers notched his first win against a ranked opponent this season with a 3-1 decision over No. 19 Dewey Krueger. He was awarded two points for stalling in the bout and road out the entire second period to finish the bout with about four minutes of time on top. "It was a big cultural change," Shomers said. "I wrestled at a small school, and there was about 100 people at each match, so being here on Thanksgiving weekend and have a crowd like that was really exciting." Redshirt sophomore Dakota Geer won his third major decision of the season, defeating Carless Looney, 14-4, in his first OSU home dual. Looney got an early first-period takedown, but No. 14 Geer responded with a reversal and went on to score three more takedowns and two back points in the closing periods. "There's definitely a different atmosphere here than at Edinboro," Geer said. "There were a lot more people, which makes it more exciting. I like it … I like it here." In the afternoon's finale, No. 6 Daton Fix won a much-anticipated bout with 11th-ranked Montorie Bridges, 3-0. Fix was awarded a point after two stalling calls in the first and rode the returning All-American through the second period. Fix was able to escape in the third and notched a point for riding time. At 165 pounds, No. 6 Chandler Rogers lost his match to ninth-ranked Branson Ashworth, 4-1, in the pair's third meeting. In the next bout No. 8 Jacobe Smith squeaked out a 6-5 decision over Hayden Hastings following a last-second, third-period reversal. Andrew Marsden fell to Cale Davidson, 8-5, in the 197-pound matchup. No. 3 Derek White scored three takedowns to win his bout with Brian Andrews, 8-2, before Nick Piccininni collected the Cowboys' third bonus-point win of the day, in a 12-4 major decision over Cole Verner. OSU returns to GIA on Dec. 9, for Bedlam. The Cowboys take the mat at 12:30 p.m., and the match will air live on ESPNU. Results: 141: No. 6 Kaid Brock (OSU) dec. Sam Turner (WYO), 14-10 149: No. 15 Kaden Gfeller (OSU) MD Jaron Jensen (WYO), 9-1 157: No. 18 Andrew Shomers (OSU) dec. No. 19 Dewey Krueger (WYO), 3-1 165: No. 9 Branson Ashworth (WYO) dec. No. 6 Chandler Rogers (OSU), 4-1 174: No. 8 Jacobe Smith (OSU) dec. Hayden Hastings (WYO), 6-5 184: No. Dakota Geer (OSU) MD Carless Looney (WYO), 14-4 197: Cale Davidson (WYO) dec. Andrew Marsden (OSU), 8-5 285: Derek White (OSU) dec. Brian Andrews (WYO), 8-2 125: No. 3 Nick Piccininni (OSU) MD Cole Verner (WYO), 12-4 133: No. 6 Daton Fix (OSU) dec. No. 11 Montorie Bridges (WYO), 3-0

BOONE, N.C. -- Freshman Joe Heilmann's first dual win as a Tar Heel helped lead No. 15 North Carolina to a 28-7 win over Appalachian State. The win gives UNC a 3-0 record to start the year for the first time since the 2005-06 season. The dual started at 149 pounds, giving No. 9 Austin O'Connor the opportunity to start the afternoon strong. He stormed out of the gate and picked up bonus points in his win, a major decision that would start a run of five straight victories for the Tar Heels. Josh McClure (165) and No. 8 Chip Ness (184) both won with major decisions before the intermission, while No. 6 Kennedy Monday (157) and Devin Kane (174) grinded out wins to give UNC an 18-0 lead at the break. The second half of the dual was capped by standout performances from Heilmann and No. 13 Cory Daniel. Heilmann broke out early with a 6-point first period and never looked back. He held strong the rest of the way, rolling to a 14-5 win. Daniel was tied with App State's Cary Miller late in the third period, but was able to find a way to win late. With under ten seconds to go, he scored on a quick takedown and held on as the buzzer sounded. A.C. Headlee finished the afternoon with a 7-0 win at 141 pounds, capping off a 28-7 win for the Tar Heels. "This was a team win. It's one you love to see," head coach Coleman Scott said. "Everyone who took the mat today came to win and it showed. You have to give credit to Joe Heilmann for picking up bonus points for us, and starting the day with Austin O'Connor's big win was huge. I'm proud of this team. They're showing everyone who we think we can be this year." The Tar Heels will head to Las Vegas this weekend for the 2018 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Results: 149: #9 Austin O'Connor (UNC) maj. dec. Jonathan Millner (APP), 14-3 – UNC leads 4-0 157: #6 Kennedy Monday (UNC) dec. Angel Najar (APP), 5-1 – UNC leads 7-0 165: Josh McClure (UNC) maj. dec. Joe Accousti (APP), 10-1 – UNC leads 11-0 174: Devin Kane (UNC) dec. Thomas Flitz (APP), 6-5 – UNC leads 14-0 184: #8 Chip Ness (UNC) maj. dec. Alan Clothier (APP), 10-2 – UNC leads 18-0 197: Randall Diabe (APP) maj dec. Hunter Queen (UNC), 10-2 – UNC leads 18-4 285: #13 Cory Daniel (UNC) dec. Cary Miller (APP), 3-1 – UNC leads 21-4 125: Joe Heilmann (UNC) maj. dec. Andy Richard (APP), 14-5 – UNC leads 25-4 133: Codi Russell (APP) dec. James Szymanski (UNC), 4-3 – UNC leads 25-7 141: A.C. Headlee (UNC) dec. Irvin Enriquez (APP), 7-0 – UNC wins 28-7

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota wrestling team notched their first home victory of the season in dominating fashion with five bonus point victories en route to a 35-6 dual victory over South Dakota State. It is the Gophers' second time scoring over 30 points in a dual this season after a 33-3 victory over Air Force on Nov. 9. Wrestling hard throughout the match and scoring early points were a key stressed by coach Brandon Eggum throughout this week, so he was pleased to see the Gophers put the plan into action. "I'm really impressed with the team's energy from the start until the end," Eggum said. "Those bonus points are big when it comes to the Big Ten Championships or the NCAA Tournament so getting in that mindset early is important. They were thinking about scoring." 125-pound No.5 Sean Russell got the Gophers started early in the dual with a 18-3 victory. Russell got the first takedown of the match and scored two nearfalls within the first period. After taking a sizable first period advantage Russell scored a technical fall less than a minute into the second period for his first career victory at Maturi Pavilion. "Coach said he wanted our guys shooting in the first three seconds so I was focused on just doing that and coming out hard to set the tone for the rest of the team," Russell said. 133-pound Ethan Lizak, ranked seven in the nation, took a quick lead with two nearfalls in the first period over Spencer Huber. After a stellar first two periods Lizak's reversal to start the third period gave him the necessary 15 points for a technical fall. Lizak had accumulated over three minutes and 30 seconds in riding time. No.5 Mitch McKee continued the Gophers roll at 141-pounds with a first-period (2:28) pin of Rylee Molitor after an early nearfall. At 174-pound No. 20 Devin Skatzka got his first victory at Maturi Pavilion since transferring to the university in a dominating 16-0 technical fall victory over Brett Bye. No. 2 Gable Steveson got his first takedown only ten seconds into the match and then got another only 20 seconds later. By the end of the first period the freshman heavyweight held a 12-3 advantage. Steveson finished off his technical fall 24 seconds into the second period. No. 17 Tommy Thorn notched a victory for the Gophers with an 11-5 minor decision over No. 14 Henry Pohlmeyer with over three minutes of riding time. Thorn had lost to Pohlmeyer in the Daktronics Open final early this season. After dropping bouts early in the season both Carson Brolsma and Dylan Anderson got their first home victories of the year. Brolsma got four takedowns plus the riding time point for a 10-3 win. Anderson rode out Samuel Grove for the entire second period and then escaped Grove's ride after less than ten seconds towards an 8-2 victory. Making his first dual start of the season was 157-pound Miles Patton. Patton battled in a close match with Colten Carlson but fell in the third period for the Gophers first dropped bout of the day to put the Jackrabbits on the board. 184-pound Owen Webster dropped his decision with Zach Carlson by a score of 8-6. Even in the matches the Gophers dropped, Eggum was proud of the effort. "Even in those I thought the guys made a lot of progress," Eggum said. "Our bottom wrestling was good and something we talked about this week was getting out from the bottom faster and being more aggressive. It's not so much technique as it is attitude." The Gophers hit the road for Cliff Keen Invitational this upcoming weekend in Las Vegas. Their next home dual will be against Rutgers on January 6. Results: 125: No. 5 Sean Russell tech. fall Gregory Coapstick 18-3 | Minnesota 5-0 133: No. 7 Ethan Lizak tech. fall Spencer Huber 16-0 | Minnesota 10-0 141: No. 5 Mitch McKee fall (2:28) over Rylee Molitor | Minnesota 16-0 149: No. 17 Tommy Thorn dec. No. 14 Henry Pohlmeyer 11-5 | Minnesota 19-0 157: Colten Carlson dec. Miles Patton 10-5 | Minnesota 19-3 165: Carson Brolsma dec. Logan Peterson 10-3 | Minnesota 22-3 174: No. 20 Devin Skatzka tech. fall Brett Bye 16-0 | Minnesota 27-3 184: Zach Carlson dec. Owen Webster 8-6 | Minnesota 27-6 197: Dylan Anderson dec. Samuel Grove 8-2 | Minnesota 30-6 285: No. 2 Gable Steveson tech. fall Blake Wolters 18-3 | Minnesota 35-6

Deron Winn continues to find success in both amateur wrestling and professional MMA. Here's how MMA website Sherdog.com opened its description of Winn's latest MMA win: "Accomplished wrestler Deron Winn continues to impress, as he dominated longtime veteran Tom Lawlor for three rounds in a light heavyweight tussle" at the first-ever MMA event put on by boxing legend Oscar de la Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Saturday night. Despite giving up 5" in height and a decade of MMA experience, Winn earned a unanimous decision over Lawlor, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, to improve his overall record to 5-0. "Winn brutalized 'Filthy Tom's' face for the first two rounds, using solid boxing while opening cuts under both eyes," Sherdog.com reported. "Lawlor never managed to find a rhythm offensively, and Winn made it worse in the third with a pair of easy takedowns. Lawlor (10-7) threatened with a guillotine in the final round, but Winn was too savvy to be tapped." Deron WinnBloodyElbow.com wrote, "Deron Winn turned in an excellent performance here against the accomplished Lawlor. Winn dominated on the feet for the first round and a half, bloodying Lawlor up with his fists. Midway through round 2, Lawlor seemed to come alive, scoring some shots of his own, but it wasn't enough. In round 3, Lawlor tried to make it a slugfest, and had some success, only to see Winn switch gears and use his wrestling to take it down. Lawlor had a nice guillotine in the 3rd, but once Winn escaped that, he kept on the pressure until the final second." Winn's bout vs. Lawlor was his first to go the distance, having dispatched his first four MMA opponents with first-round TKOs. "I just want to let LA know -- mark your calendars, this is the day you witnessed a star be born," Winn said after the victory. "I really wanted to show off my power tonight. Tom is a vet -- he can run his mouth, but he's a tough fighter. For a guy like me, I knew I had to connect my punches to knock him out. After I landed a couple, I realized I was going to have to rumble with him." Later Saturday night, Winn posted the following on his Facebook page: "Toughest test of my life tonight. Thank you to everybody involved in my journey and success. I love you guys so much. When I'm training, working hard and everything behind the scenes.. i do this for us, for my family, for all my close friends, my wrestlers at all ages I love you guys and thanks for inspiring me to push myself to the limits. This is only the beginning." Both Winn and Lawlor brought amateur wrestling backgrounds to this MMA event. Prior to launching his MMA career eleven years ago, Lawlor, 35, was a three-time NCWA (National Collegiate Wrestling Association) mat champ, winning titles in 2003, 2004 and 2005 at University of Central Florida. Winn, 25, was a three-time Missouri state wrestling champ for Liberty High School outside Kansas City. Winn then enrolled at St. Louis Community College, Meramec where he was a two-time NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) champ. At the 2008 NJCAA Nationals, Winn was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the championships. Winn continues to compete in amateur wrestling. In fact, on Nov. 30, Winn will face Michael Macchiavello, 2018 NCAA Div. I champ at 197 pounds for North Carolina State, in the premiere event of American Wrestling League in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The season opening week of Illinois saw No. 30 Marmion Academy compete in one of their allowable "tournament" events during the course of the season. The Cadets went to Barrington High School for the 27-team Moore-Prettyman Invitational, which was held on Friday and Saturday. Scoring 260 points on the strength of nine placers - all in the top five - eight of them in the top three, Marmion Academy outlasted fellow state power Lockport for a tournament title. Leading the way for the Cadets were three weight class champions: No. 10 Diego Sotelo at 106 pounds, No. 15 (at 138) Trevor Chumbley at 145, and 2017 state medalist Peter Ferraro at 170. Runner-up finishes were earned by state placer Michael Jaffe (120) as well as state qualifiers Nathan Callaway (132) and Patrick Daum (182); state qualifier Ryan Fleck (138) and three-time state placer Brad Gross (160) finished third, while Jack Bazukas (220) placed fifth. Runner-up Lockport amassed 213-1/2 points, led by a tournament-high four weight class champions: freshman Keegan Robertson (113), No. 7 Matthew Ramos (120), No. 5 Anthony Molton (126), and No. 20 Baylor Fernandes (285). Ramos beat Jaffe 9-4 in the final at 120 pounds, a weight class that featured two other returning state medalists. Ramos beat Enzo Silva (Plainfield South) 7-1 in the semifinal, while Jaffe knocked off Tommy Frezza (Lincolnshire Stevenson) by 16-6 major decision in that same round; Frezza would beat Silva 2-0 for bronze. The six other starters that placed for Lockport all finished fourth or worse, led by returning state qualifier Mikey Kaminski, who was fourth at 132 pounds. Placing fifth were seniors Jake D'Angelo (138) and Malik Daghash (160), along with sophomore Brendon Shin (285); freshman Drew Blackburn-Frost (195) placed seventh; while junior Anthony Crapia (145) was eighth. Two reserve wrestlers competing as "extras" also placed for the Potters - Jake Lukaszczyk (113) took third and Kyle Boone (160) earned seventh. The other team to win multiple weight class titles was Libertyville, which finished third in the tournament with 159-1/2 points. Their titles came in back-to-back weight classes, returning state placer Danny Pucino (132) and multi-time state qualifier Michael Gunther (138). Most notable of the remaining weight class champions was junior Luke Rasmussen from the host school, Barrington, at 160 pounds. His tournament started with a pair of pins and then an 11-3 major decision. The key win was a 4-1 semifinal victory over three-time state placer Gross, a returning state runner-up. In the final he beat Jake Kendall (Plainfield South) by a score of 5-4. Rounding out the champions were Cadet double All-American Josh LaBarbera (Metea Valley) at 182 pounds, state runner-up Nick Stemmet (Yorkville) at 195, along with seniors Max Gomez (Lincolnshire Stevenson) and Jose Ramos (Prospect) at 220 and 285.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Senior Mitch Bowman led off with an upset and the No. 3 University of Iowa wrestling team strung together five straight wins in the middle of its 26-9 win over No. 14 Purdue on Saturday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Bowman was giving away 13 pounds to 11th-ranked Christian Brunner, but opened the dual with a pair of first-period takedowns and added a second-period reversal to earn a 7-5 decision. Bowman, a natural 184-pounder, won for the second time this season wrestling at 197. "It comes back to the way I was raised and that you do what the head coach asks of you," Bowman said. "I believe in Tom (Brands) and I know he has my best interests in mind. If he asks me to go '97, I'll wrestle '97. If he asks me to wrestle heavyweight, I'll wrestle heavyweight. It doesn't matter because he's doing what's best for me and what's best for the team and I truly believe that." Bowman was one of two Hawkeyes wrestling up a weight in a lineup that was missing five projected starters. Carter Happel, a natural 141-pounder, won, 2-0, at 149 with the benefit of a second-period escape and one point for riding time (1:52). "Tom preaches that you're a heartbeat away from the lineup. This week I and others were asked to fill a spot and we went out there and got the job done," Happel said. Happel's victory at 149 was sandwiched between decisions by Austin DeSanto (133) and Max Murin (141), and a pair of bonus-point victories from Kaleb Young (157) and Alex Marinelli (165). The Hawkeyes trailed 6-3 in the team score before rattling off those five straight wins. The dual opened at 197 with a Bowman victory. Purdue then won consecutive decisions at 285 and 125. DeSanto and Murin's decisions gave Iowa a 9-6 lead at the break. Happel's win extended it to 12-6, and Young's pin at 157 extended the lead to 18-6. Young's match was scoreless after one period. He started on top in the second period and turned No. 14 Griffin Parriott, registering a fall 23 seconds after the whistle. "I knew if I went out and wrestled my style, was loose and let things go, that I would be able to get bonus points," Young said. "It felt great to make it happen and get things rolling a little more our way." Marinelli totaled more than four minutes of riding time, four takedowns, and four nearfall points to clinch the dual with a 14-3 major decision at 165. Purdue got back on the board with a decision at 174, but Cash Wilcke ended the dual with a 12-4 major decision at 184. With half of its lineup in street clothes, Iowa won its 21st consecutive Big Ten Conference opener. "You never know what's going on in that wrestling room and we are going to rely on these guys for the near term," Brands said. "It's the lineup you're going to see and we have to be making hay with that lineup. I don't know how many teams can throw five backups in there and win in seven different weights. "It's a culture. You hear the word a lot from programs on the rise that they need a better culture, or from good programs with one established. We love our guys and they feel that they're loved." NOTABLES Iowa has won 21 straight conference openers. Iowa has won 30 straight against Purdue. Iowa wrestled without projected starters Spencer Lee (125), Pat Lugo (149), Michael Kemerer (174), Jacob Warner (197), and Sam Stoll (285). Mitch Bowman's decision against No. 11 Christian Brunner was his fifth career win against a top 20 opponent. Brunner represented Team USA at the 2018 U23 World Championships earlier this month. Perez Perez made his dual debut and his first appearance at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Austin DeSanto earned his second win this season over a ranked opponent. Carter Happel made his first career appearance at 149 pounds. Kaleb Young earned his second career win over a top 20 opponent. Marinelli improved to 4-0 with two major decisions and two falls. Wilcke improved to 4-0 with a team-high three major decisions. UP NEXT The Hawkeyes host Iowa State in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 2 p.m. (CT) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are available at hawkeyesports.com/tickets. Results: 197 -- Mitch Bowman (IA) dec. #11 Christian Brunner (P), 7-5; 3-0 285 -- Jacob Aven (P) dec. Aaron Costello (IA), 3-1 SV1; 3-3 125 -- #15 Devin Shroder (P) dec. Perez Perez (IA), 4-2; 3-6 133 -- #11 Austin DeSanto (IA) dec. #18 Ben Thornton (P), 5-2; 6-6 141 -- #14 Max Murin (IA) dec. #19 Nate Limex (P), 5-0; 9-6 149 -- Carter Happel (IA) dec. Parker Filius (P), 2-0; 12-6 157 -- #13 Kaleb Young (IA) pinned #14 Griffin Parriott (P), 3:37; 18-6 165 -- #4 Alex Marinelli (IA) major dec. Cole Wysocki (P), 14-3; 22-6 174 -- #13 Dylan Lydy (P) dec. Myles Wilson (IA), 7-3; 22-9 184 -- #12 Cash Wilcke (IA) major dec. Max Lyon (P), 12-4; 26-9

"More Division I student-athletes than ever are earning their degrees, according to new Graduation Success Rate data …" That was the opening line of a press release issued by the NCAA last week. The statement went on say, "The most recent rate is 88 percent, a record high and an increase of 1 percentage point from 2017 numbers." "Student-athletes continue to achieve academic success at record levels," NCAA President Mark Emmert said. "When the GSR was created more than 15 years ago, the NCAA set an aspirational goal of 80 percent of student-athletes graduating. College athletes have met and exceeded that goal -- as they often do with any challenge." Last week's announcement was general in scope, addressing stats of Division I student-athletes overall in multiple intercollegiate sports. Which got us to thinking: how well are D1 wrestlers doing in terms of Graduation Success Rates? Luckily, the NCAA was kind enough to provide links to a mind-blowing wealth of GSR information across the years and for various sports, including men's Division I college wrestling. Here are 2018 NCAA Graduation Success Rates for the top three NCAA Division I wrestling programs by conference. Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) 1. Duke 100% 2. Virginia 92% 3. Pittsburgh 88% Big 12 1. West Virginia University 85% 2. U.S. Air Force Academy 82% 3. University of Oklahoma 78% Big Ten 1. Penn State 100% 2. Michigan 94% 3. Northwestern 93% EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) 1. Sacred Heart (Connecticut) 100% 1. American University 100% 1. Princeton 100% EWL (Eastern Wrestling League) 1. Bloomsburg 83% 2. Lock Haven 77% 2. Rider 77% MAC (Mid-American Conference) 1. Kent State (Ohio) 82% 2. Ohio University 80% 2. Old Dominion 80% Pac-12 1. Stanford 93% 2. Oregon State 76% 3. CSU Bakersfield 72% Southern Conference 1. Davidson College 93% 2. The Citadel 89% 3. Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville 77%

Soslan Andiyev, two-time Olympic gold medalist in freestyle in 1976 and 1980 who later served as an official of the Russian Olympic Committee, died Thursday, Nov. 22 in a hospital in Moscow. He was 66. Soslan Petrovich Andiyev was born on April 21, 1952 in Vladikavkaz, Respublika Severnaya Osetiya-Alaniya, Russia. The website Sports-Reference.com describes him as "the dominant super-heavyweight freestyle wrestler of the 1970s." First gaining a spot on the Soviet Union's freestyle wrestling team in 1973, the 6'4", 276-pound Andiyev grabbed the international wrestling world's attention by defeating 6'5", 400+ pound "Gentle Giant" Chris Taylor -- 1972 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time NCAA heavyweight champ for Iowa State in 1972 and 1973 -- at a World Cup event. Soslan AndiyevAndiyev added to his reputation and wrestling resume by claiming seven titles at the Soviet Championships (1973-78, 1980), four World Championships (1973, 1975, 1977-78) along with a silver at the 1974 Worlds, and three European Championships (1974-75, 1982). Andiyev won Olympic gold medals as a superheavyweight in men's freestyle competition at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and was expected to claim a third consecutive Olympic gold medal in 1984 until the Soviets chose to boycott the Los Angeles Games. He retired from wrestling that year, becoming a coach. Andiyev later became a Minister of Sports of North Ossetia, then served as Vice-President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), and a member of the Executive Committee of the ROC. In 2006, Andiyev was welcomed into what is now the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Lowell Lange, a three-time NCAA wrestling champ for Cornell College of Iowa who went on coach the sport at Georgia Tech, passed away late Monday night, Nov. 19 near his home in Canton, Ga., according to the Atlanta-based school. He was 90 years old. Lowell Lange (Photo/NWHOF)Here's the tweet from Georgia Tech's athletics director, Todd Stansbury, posted Wednesday evening to announce Lange's passing: "The @GTAthletics family & I mourn the loss of Lowell Lange, who passed away this week. A 3-time national champion as a student-athlete at Cornell College in Iowa and member of the @NWHOF, he coached our wrestling program from 1964 87. Our thoughts are with his family and friends." Lowell William Lange was born in Dixon, Iowa on August 17, 1928. According to a profile written by historian Arno Niemand for the "History of Collegiate Wrestling" book by Jay Hammond, Lange and his family moved numerous times before settling in Waterloo, Iowa. Lowell and his older brother Kent enrolled in Waterloo West High, and went out for the school's wrestling team. Lowell Lange was a two-time Iowa high school state champ at 145 pounds. Lowell "Tiger" Lange -- along with Wahawk teammates Richard Hauser and Leo Thomsen -- was recruited by Paul Scott, head wrestling coach at Cornell College in Mt Vernon, Iowa, about a half-hour north of Iowa City. While Hauser and Thomsen had already committed to Cornell, Lange had been considering Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa) -- located a few minutes from Waterloo -- but had developed a friendship with coach Scott on a trip to the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) national championships in New York City, and decided to go to Cornell with Hauser and Thomsen. As a wrestler at Cornell, Lange was a three-time NCAA champ at 136 pounds -- and grabbed three more AAU titles -- in 1947, 1949 and 1950. As a freshman, Lange was one of two individual champs for Cornell (the other being Hauser, at 121 pounds) who helped propel the Purple to the team championship, the first private school to win an NCAA team title, and the school with the smallest total enrollment. In 1948, Lange was seriously injured in a car crash near Mt. Vernon that sidelined his mat career for the year, making him unable to defend his NCAA and AAU individual titles, thus denying him the opportunity to possibly become the first four-time NCAA mat champ (an accomplishment not to be realized until Oklahoma State's Pat Smith won four titles in the early 1990s). Lowell Lange (Photo/NWHOF)Lowell Lange completed his Cornell athletic career with a 46-1 overall record, with 19 falls. His only collegiate loss was to Keith Young of Northern Iowa. Having graduated from Cornell College in 1950, Lange took the helm of his alma mater's wrestling program after coach Paul Scott left to become athletic director at Davidson College in North Carolina. In his one season as head coach at Cornell, he guided former teammate Walt Romanowski to the 128-pound title -- and Outstanding Wrestler honors -- at the 1951 NCAA championships. After one year as Cornell coach, Lowell Lange was called to the U.S. Army, where he served in military intelligence for three years... then returned to the family farm to help his father through the rest of the 1950s. In the early 1960s, Lange moved his family to Atlanta... where he revived the wrestling program at Georgia Tech which became a varsity sport in 1964. There were two high points of Lange's Georgia Tech coaching career which took place in 1966. That year, the Tech squad defeated Auburn in the SEIWA (Southeastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) Tournament, handing legendary coach Swede Umbach of Auburn his first conference loss in over 20 years ... while, that same year, Lange coached the first college wrestling All-American from the state of Georgia, Jim Pond, who placed sixth at 145 pounds at the 1966 NCAAs. Lange served as head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets until the program was eliminated in 1996. "He broke my nose more times than I could remember," Jim Pond told TheGoodWord.com online newsletter for Georgia Tech in 2015. "Everything on his body was hard. I've been on the mat with some tough guys ... nobody was even close to being as tough as Lowell Lange." "Coach Lange affected the direction of many lives of young men who came through the Georgia Tech Wrestling program during these 30 plus years," according to Billy Saville, who wrestled for Lange at Georgia Tech. "Many people never knew of his tremendous accomplishments because of Coach Lange's humble nature. We almost had to drag the information out of him to uncover his background, although for those of us who worked out on the mat with him, it was very apparent." In addition to his wrestling and coaching accomplishments, Lowell Lange served as a member of the rules committee and the coaches' executive committee and helped launch USA Wrestling programs in Georgia, according to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Lowell Lange (Photo/NWHOF)In addition to being welcomed into the Stillwater Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1981, Lowell Lange was installed into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1979, the Cornell College Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Battle of Waterloo Hall of Fame in 2014, among other honors. Lange's Dream Team teammate Al Partin also passes away Lange is the second member of the Cornell College "Dream Team" of the late 1940s to pass away this fall. Last month, Al Partin, who usually wrestled heavyweight for Cornell the same years as Lowell Lange, died Oct. 17 at Carle Hospital in Urbana, Ill. from complications from colon cancer at age 96. Born in Portsmouth, Va. in 1922, Partin was a 1941 Illinois state champ for Proviso East High in suburban Chicago. He served in the U.S. Navy for four years during World War II, then enrolled at Cornell the same time as Lowell Lange, wrestling at various weights from 165 pounds to unlimited (as what is now the 285-pound weight class -- generally known as heavyweight -- was called back then). After graduating from Cornell in 1950, Partin served as head wrestling coach at the University of Nebraska from 1950-54 before becoming head football and wrestling coach at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., according to his obituary in the Galesburg Register-Mail. He earned a master of arts in school administration from Bradley University and served as director of physical education at Knox until his retirement in 1983. He also served as an alderman in Galesburg. To learn more about Lowell Lange, Al Partin and the Cornell College "Dream Team" check out the 2007 InterMat profile on the 1947 NCAA titlewinning team ... and a 2010 article on Arno Niemand's "The Dream Team" book. Thanks to wrestling historian/author Arno Niemand, former Georgia Tech wrestler Billy Saville, Georgia Tech Athletic Director Todd Stansbury, and Jack Carnefix of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for their assistance.

The online sportsbook BetDSI has released college wrestling betting odds for this weekend's slate (Nov. 24-25). How betting works: When betting matches/dual meets with point spreads, a minus (-) sign indicates the favorite, while a plus (+) sign indicates the underdog. -120 means that for every $1.20 wagered, the bettor would profit $1. So a $60 wager at -120 that wins would profit $50 and return a total of $110. Note: Betting odds are subject to change.

Ho! Ho! Ho! The holidays are upon us! Feel cornered as to what to get the wrestlers, coaches and fans on your gift list? No worries! You've got this... Just take a look at some of these great gift ideas ... For youngsters new to wrestling ... Wrestling: A Boy's First Book Want to introduce a youngster to all that's great about the sport of wrestling? You could spend hours searching the internet for an appropriate book, shell out some money for it (along with shipping and handling), then wait for it to arrive in the mail. Or you can take the easy way ... by downloading "Wrestling: A Boy's First Book." This age-appropriate book is written for young boys and girls ages 7-9 who might be interested in the sport ... and is designed to be read to potential wrestlers by their parents, grandparents or other caring adult. First published in 2009, it's proven book that's already in use in thousands of homes, now available as a FREE download for you to print out ... or read on your tablet or other device. To Be The Best -- Young Readers' Edition The award winning three-novel wrestling fiction series has expanded to include versions more fitting for readers in grades four through seven. The young readers editions follow the same story of triumphs and tribulations as brothers Ron and Nick Castle pursue their dreams of becoming state wrestling champions but situations that are too intense for younger readers have been toned down. A special edition volume includes the second and third books and the TO BE THE BEST: PREQUEL story which appeared as a series in WIN and USA Wrestler magazines. Books can be ordered at a discount at ToBeTheBestWrestling.com. Use coupon code INTERMAT to receive 20 percent off any order of $25 or more through December 31, 2018. Fresh off the press: New books for 2018 Icon by Michael Fessler Over the past half-decade, wrestler/writer Mike Fessler has penned books that bring together Christianity and wrestling (including "Faith and Wrestling"). His most recent is "Icon: The Value of Faith and Wrestling." As Fessler told InterMat this summer, "It's important to compare the idea of 'idol' vs. 'icon.' An idol attracts and absorbs attention, while an icon is reflective -- a gift to share with others... In wrestling, I think it's important to compete in such a way that's beyond yourself. We as icons can point to God, in, for example, how we treat others." Pathfinder 2 by Kevin Emily "Pathfinder Vol. 2: The Journey Continues" by Kevin Emily is a follow-up to his original "Pathfinder: The Journey of the African-American Wrestler" that told the stories of pioneering African-American wrestlers who paved the way for thousands of athletes in subsequent decades. "Pathfinder Vol. 2" carries on the legacy of Emily's first book by sharing the stories of more recent black wrestling stars -- including Marcus LeVesseur, Greg Jones, Tab Thacker, Bobby Douglas, Jordan Burroughs, J'den Cox and more -- in a very informative yet conversational style that even young readers will enjoy. A Saint in the City, 2nd Edition by Scott Glabb The U.S. wrestling community loves an "overcoming adversity" story -- whether it's directly wrestling-related, or about overcoming poverty, a violent neighborhood, or an abusive childhood, too. These types of challenges -- and more -- have faced Scott Glabb and his wrestlers at Santa Ana High School in suburban Los Angeles since Glabb took the head coaching job at the impoverished, inner-city school in 1990. Nearly a decade ago, Glabb shared some of these stories in his original book "A Saint in the City: Coaching At-Risk Kids to Become Champions." Now Glabb shares new, uplifting stories of how he, his staff and his wrestlers overcome adversity on and off the mat with his new second-edition book, titled "A Saint in the City: True Stories of Champions Living in the Barrio." As Glabb wrote in his introduction in the new 2nd edition, "My hope is that this book changes you, inspires you, and motivates ou to make a positive difference in someone's life …" Wrestling with Ramos: Behind the Stare Here's what Amazon.com said about this 700-plus page biography of former University of Iowa wrestler Tony Ramos: "Follow the life and journey of American wrestling's modern day anti-hero, Tony Ramos, from his kids' club days, all the way through high school, college, and onto the United States World Team. No other wrestler has been more loved, hated, and misunderstood than the brash, open, and honest Ramos in recent years. In this, his official biography, as he has always done, Ramos does not hold back on himself or others … The rise and fall of Tony Ramos has been one of the most talked about and critiqued incidents since his interview at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials after he lost to fellow Hawkeye Wrestling Club teammate, Daniel Dennis, in a best-of-three finals match-up at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Unfiltered, emotional, honest, and now exposed, take a look into Ramos' life and discover the man behind the stare." Ready references you'll rely on ... The History of Collegiate Wrestling: A Century Of Wrestling Excellence The most comprehensive guide to the history of collegiate wrestling with stunning photographs and timeless stories that provide a year-by-year look at the sport and those who make it great. Originally compiled by legendary mat historian Jay Hammond, this volume is a must-have for serious wrestling fans. Pennsylvania Wrestling Handbook, 2018-2019 Compiled by award-winning wrestling writer Tom Elling and updated each year, "Pennsylvania Wrestling Handbook" is the go-to source for the sport in the Keystone State. Features every PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) returning wrestler who was in PIAA or PIAST series tournaments, including won-loss records, weight, graduation year and tournament placement. In addition, you'll find every PIAA placer since 1938, as well as placer results for major tournaments featuring Pennsylvania wrestlers. Stories of late, great Hall of Fame coaches to inspire you Two all-time great high school wrestling coaches who earned a place in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame -- Bob Siddens, and Mike Milkovich -- both passed away this fall. However, their inspiring stories live on in these compelling biographies. Siddens! Win with Humility, Lose with Dignity -- But Don't Lose! By Don Huff and Mike Chapman Biography of Bob Siddens, long-time coach at Waterloo West High School in Iowa who led his "lads" to eleven state team titles and 51 individual championships. One of Siddens' Wahawks was none other than Dan Gable. Mustang by Jim Kalin When naming the storied high school wrestling programs in the U.S., 2009 Dellinger Award-winning Amateur Wrestling News writer and second-generation Ohio State wrestler Jim Kalin makes a powerful case in his book "Mustang" that Maple Heights High School in suburban Cleveland and its head wrestling coach Mike Milkovich should be included in any list of all-time legacy mat programs. Learn from the old-school greats The website Lulu.com offers affordably-priced reprints of old-time books not otherwise readily available... including these old-time how-to-wrestle books from all-time greats of the past. Wrestling by Ed Gallagher Ed Gallagher is considered to be "the father of modern college wrestling." He coached the Oklahoma State Cowboys to numerous individual and team titles from the end of World War I to just before World War II... despite never having wrestled himself. This book was one of two classic instructional books written by "the Knute Rockne of wrestling" whose name adorns the arena at Oklahoma State. Scientific Methods of Wrestling by Paul Prehn Born on a farm in Mason City, Iowa, Paul Prehn taught hand-to-hand combat in World War I, then made a name for himself as wrestling coach at the University of Illinois in the 1920s (one of his students was 1928 Olympic gold medalist Allie Morrison, first Iowa native to win an Olympic gold medal). Wrestling and How to Train by Frank Gotch Frank Gotch was a professional wrestling champ from 1908-1913. The Iowa native's popularity helped encourage the growth of high school and college wrestling throughout the nation. This book is a primer on catch wrestling (not amateur wrestling). The Complete Science of Wrestling by George Hackenschmidt George Hackenschmidt -- aka the Russian Lion -- was a world champion professional wrestler known for his muscular physique and ability to put away opponents quickly. This 1909 book provides Hack's instruction for catch wrestling in words and photos. Shop the Hall, not the mall Winning gift ideas for wrestlers and fans direct from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa as well as the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. Iowa: The State of Wrestling poster Display your love of wrestling in the state of Iowa with this limited edition poster from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum, showcasing some of the state's great wrestling coaches. Poster measures 24 x 36 and is only $20 plus shipping. To order, contact Melissa at (319) 233-0745 or dgmstaff@nwhof.org. Glory Beyond the Sport; Wrestling and the Military The relationship between the Armed Forces and the sport of wrestling dates back thousands of years. Many of the stories on these pages detail those who have helped shape our country. Family Ties: An American Wrestling Tradition Family Ties: An American Wrestling Tradition documents 138 families that meet an established criterion: immediate family members who were NCAA Division I All-Americans, Senior World Team members, or Olympic Team members. What's more, the book explores unique aspects of wrestling as it relates to family. The Wrestling Presidents from Pins to Patriots Thirteen United States Presidents -- Washington, John Adams, Jackson, Taylor, Pierce, Lincoln, Garfield, Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Coolidge, and Eisenhower -- have wrestled. The Wrestling Presidents presents in first person the life story of each wrestling Chief Executive, with special focus on their "great (or not so great)" scuffling exploits. Hungry for more gift ideas? To win over the toughest mat stars of today and yesterday this holiday season, check out these Holiday Gift Guides of the recent past for more possible gifts, including 2017 Holiday Gift Guide ... and the 2016 Holiday Gift Guide.

The holidays just got happier for wrestlers in the Lone Star state, as Texas Wesleyan University just announced it will be adding both men's and women's wrestling to its sports roster, the Fort Worth school revealed this week. The Rams will take to the mats the Sooner Athletic Conference in the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) starting in fall 2019. A search for a head coach is underway, with recruiting expected to begin in early 2019. Texas Wesleyan's new intercollegiate mat programs are the first in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex... and only the second in the entire state of Texas at any level to offer scholarships. "Texas Wesleyan athletics continues to grow every day, thanks to recent successes across several of our sports," said Ricky Dotson, athletic director. "With Texas having the fastest- growing participation in high school wrestling of any state in the country, adding men's and women's teams to our diverse offering is a perfect next step." "Wrestling is great addition to our successful athletics program," said Frederick G. Slabach, president of Texas Wesleyan. "We think this is a wonderful opportunity for students to compete in wrestling collegiately while earning their degree in a student-first environment ideal for thriving on and off the field." Texas Wesleyan University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university established in Fort Worth in 1890. The school has a total enrollment of approximately 3,4000 students.

Add Maine to the growing list of states to announce the addition of an official state wrestling tournament for girls for 2019. The Maine Principals Association has voted to give final approval for the creation of a girls wrestling state championships to conclude the 2018-19 scholastic wrestling season, USA Wrestling reported this week. The date and location for the inaugural Maine State Girls Wrestling has already been announced: Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019 at Penobscot Valley High School in Howland. “The [wrestling committee] just ran with this because they've seen girls wrestling right along, and it seems like they should have this opportunity,” Michael Bisson, Assistant Executive Director of the MPA, told the Bangor Daily News. “They saw that other states have started it and that momentum is growing nationally, so they wanted to get involved.” Maine is the 14th state to establish a separate girls wrestling state championships, and the eighth to do so for the 2018-19 school year. Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, and Oregon also made the decision to add a separate girls championship in 2018. These eight new states join the six states -- Alaska, California, Hawaii, Tennessee, Texas and Washington State -- which already had separate state championship competition for girls prior to this year. In another sign of the continued growth of girls' and women's wrestling in the U.S. … during the 2017-18 school year, 16,562 girls wrestled at 2,351 schools around the country, according to the annual National Federation of State High School Associations participation survey.

The Thanksgiving holiday week is upon us. The upcoming weekend in many states will be the last one without high school wrestling -- except for holiday shutdowns where applicable -- for approximately three months. After this, it's all systems for wrestling. However, for this weekend, let's shift the focus onto the gridiron where there are many with wrestling ties making noise. Bergen Catholic vs. St. Joseph Montvale Two of the nation's top 25 high school wrestling programs are meeting at MetLife Stadium on Saturday night for the New Jersey state title in Non-Public Group 4. In addition, these two teams hold the top two positions in the statewide media poll in the Garden State. Two projected upper-weight starters are significant contributors to the football success of St. Joseph Montvale, which is ranked No. 22 nationally in wrestling to start the season. Projected 182-pound starter Frank Monte is a linebacker, who last year as a freshman lost a go-to-state match at the regional tournament. Projected 285-pound starter Luke Wypler is a four-star recruit as an offensive guard, who has already verbally committed to Ohio State for the Class of 2020; in 2017-18, Wypler was a backup on the wrestling mat to state quarterfinalist Brian Sidle. In addition, 220-pound starter Michael Toranzo -- who made state last year as a freshman -- is also on the football team. For Bergen Catholic, which is ranked No. 3 nationally in wrestling, the starters at 220 and 285 pounds are part of the football team. Junior Gabe Mendez is listed as an offensive lineman, while John High is a key contributor on the defensive line; High qualified for state in wrestling last season. The obvious big name from a wrestling/football perspective is top-100 overall wrestling senior Josh McKenzie, who committed to Yale as a running back; however, his senior football season has been clouded by injury, and participation in wrestling would be characterized as doubtful. St. Edward seeks fourth state title this decade In wrestling, championships and St. Edward go hand-in-hand. It is kind of similar in football as the Eagles seek a fourth state title in nine years; they won their first in 2010 and have won two others since (2014 and 2015). Friday night, St. Edward will be playing in their fifth state semifinal game over the last nine seasons. Three members of the No. 5 in the nation wrestling team play key roles on the football squad. Returning state medalist Seamus O'Malley, who signed with Stanford to wrestle, starts at defensive end; the projected 220-pound starter has overcome an injury to be an absolute terror against both the run and pass. A pair of juniors Nick Lisco and Brian Kilbane, both of whom were backups last year on the wrestling mat also play key roles on the football team; projected 195-pound starter Lisco is part of the defensive line rotation, while projected 285 pound starter Kilbane plays right tackle. Broken Arrow seeks elusive state football title The largest school by enrollment in the state of Oklahoma has been a perennial contender in football with state titles in many other sports, including four individual tournament state titles this decade in wrestling (2010-2012, 2015); there are also dual team titles in 2011 and 2014 on the resume. However, in almost 115 years of existence, Broken Arrow has never won a state football title. One week from Friday the 12-0 football team, which features the back six projected wrestling starters on the squad, are favored to break the schneide; the Tigers will be playing Jenks at Tulsa University for the Class 6A-1 title. Senior Noah Cortes, who qualified for state last year as an undersized 285, is in his second year as a featured running back for the Broken Arrow squad. Linebackers Gavin Potter and Zach Marcheselli are both multi-time state wrestling champions for the Tigers, and each has verbally committed to a Big XII school. Starting 195-pound wrestler Potter, a two-time state champ, will be attending Kansas State; while starting 220-pound wrestler Marcheselli, a three-time state champ, will be attending TCU. Also part of the linebacker group is junior Zeno Marcheselli, the projected starter at 182 pounds; fellow junior Bryce Mattioda, a two-time state placer, is the projected starter at 170 and is a starting defensive back; while fellow junior Tye Rozell, the projected 160-pound starter, is listed on the roster as a wide receiver and defensive back. Garcia brothers anchor Southern Columbia football powerhouse While the presence of three high-major college recruits will rule the day from a football perspective when talking about Southern Columbia football, for purposes of this feature the impact of Gaige and Gavin Garcia carries the most oomph. The Garcia brothers are top-20 overall wrestlers in their respective grade levels nationally, both featuring at running back on a team that seeks a third Pennsylvania Class 2A football title in four seasons. The Tigers have made it to the state quarterfinal round with a 13-0 record, where they will play York Catholic this Saturday. Two-time state medalist Gaige is ranked No. 20 overall in the Class of 2020. His statistical summary for three seasons is the following: 2018: 157 carries, 1552 yards, 30 TD; 11 receptions, 215 yards; 2 kickoff return touchdowns 2017: 199 carries, 2306 yards, 37 TD; 31 receptions, 448 yards, 6 TD; 1 kickoff return touchown 2016: 162 carries, 1938 yards, 31 TD; 10 receptions, 113 yards; 1 TD His younger brother Gavin is ranked No. 11 overall in the Class of 2022, and enters high school winning six PJW titles in seven years, including a junior high title this past year. In his freshman football season, Gavin has jumped into the Tigers offense with much aplomb: 88 carries, 970 yards, and 19 TD; plus 6 receptions for 131 yards.

SAN DIEGO -- A fall by Gabriel Townsell and an upset by Requir van der Merwe sparked the Stanford wrestling team in a 22-15 win over Fresno State, Tuesday, on the flight deck of the USS Midway. Townsell needed just 55 seconds to pin Robert Garcia IV at 125 pounds and give Stanford a 12-7 lead over the Bulldogs. Fresno State then took a 15-12 lead with three matches remaining. That's when van der Merwe went to work at 149 pounds. The redshirt sophomore fell behind 4-2 after two periods to 20th-ranked Khristian Olivas. He went down to start the third and scored a reversal to even the score. He was then able to register four near fall points before Olivas notched a reversal of his own. But van der Merwe had locked up riding time and earned the 9-6 decision to square up the team score. Redshirt senior Paul Fox put the Cardinal up 18-15 as he edged out Isaiah Hokit, 3-2. He scored a takedown in the opening period and an escape in the third. Sophomore Dominick Mandarino sealed the win with a dominating 12-1 major decision over Jacob Wright at 165 pounds. The sophomore tallied a quick takedown and then four near fall points before riding out Wright with almost 2:30 of advantage time. He added another takedown in the second and an escape and takedown in the third to hold off Fresno State. The dual began at 174 pounds where graduate student Rico Stormer posted a 9-5 decision over Fresno State's Dominic Kincaid. Stormer scored first with a reversal to start the second period. Kincaid answered with a reversal of his own to begin the final frame. Stormer added two takedowns and two escapes in the period and tacked on his final point with riding time. Stormer is now 8-3 on the season and 2-0 in duals. Redshirt sophomore Nathan Traxler, who is ranked eighth nationally at 197 pounds, shut out Danny Salas with a 7-0 decision. He registered a takedown and four near fall points in the opening period and an escape in the second. Without riding time secured, Salas chose neutral to start the third and avoided the major as no points were scored down the stretch. Up next, Stanford will compete in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. Results: 125 #20 Gabriel Townsell (STAN) fall Robert Garcia IV (FSU) F0:55 133 Gary Joint (FSU) tech. fall Anthony Le (STAN) 15-0 (5:37) 141 Chris Deloza (FSU) dec. Dalton Young (STAN) 12-10 149 Requir van der Merwe (STAN) dec. #20 Khristian Olivas (FSU) 9-6 157 Paul Fox (STAN) dec. Isaiah Hokit (FSU) 3-2 165 Dominick Mandarino (STAN) maj. dec. Jacob Wright (FSU) 12-1 174 Rico Stormer (STAN) dec. Dominic Kincaid (FSU) 9-5 184 Jackson Hemauer (FSU) dec. Colbey Harlan (STAN) 8-2 197 #8 Nathan Traxler (STAN) dec. Danny Salas (FSU) 7-0 285 #19 AJ Nevills (FSU) maj. dec. Haydn Maley (STAN) 18-9

Chris Bono is in his first season as head wrestling coach at Wisconsin (Photo/David Stluka) You figured it wouldn't take long for Chris Bono to make an impact at the University of Wisconsin. Especially after the way Bono elevated the wrestling program at South Dakota State. So it wasn't a huge surprise when Bono's first Big Ten Conference dual meet as head coach of the Badgers caught everyone's attention. His 15th-ranked Wisconsin team knocked off No. 11 Nebraska on Friday night in Lincoln. "That was a huge win for us," Bono said. "We know how tough the Big Ten is, and we went on the road and won a very tough dual against Nebraska. We were ready to go. We have conditioning on our side right now and we always will -- that's what Bobby Douglas taught me when I was in college." Wisconsin is off to a blazing 6-0 start under Bono, a no-nonsense coach with a high-energy, hard-nosed approach. The Badgers returned home after the win over Nebraska to defeat No. 24 Utah Valley State and Princeton on Sunday at home. The Badgers are led by All-American Evan Wick, a California native who is ranked No. 2 nationally at 165 pounds. Wick, a sophomore, is coming off a third-place finish at the NCAA tournament. "We're off to a great start," Wick said. "Nebraska crushed us last year and we went in there and fought hard. We have guys who are going to push the pace and wrestle hard for seven minutes. The team is coming together. We believe in our ability and we believe in each other." Wick powered past a pair of ranked opponents over the weekend. He beat No. 11 Isaiah White of Nebraska 12-5 before downing No. 16 Demetrius Romero of Utah Valley 12-2. "Evan bought into what we are doing right away and it shows," Bono said. "He's gotten stronger and better technically. His conditioning is off the charts. We are super proud of what he's doing." Wick's twin brother, Zander, is another top prospect for the Badgers. He is ranked 20th at 157 pounds. Zander Wick was a starter at 149 last season, compiling a 12-4 record before his season was cut short by an injury. "Zander has missed some time, but he's now getting back into the lineup," Bono said. "He's a great kid who works hard. I'm looking forward to seeing what he does for us." Senior Ryan Christensen has provided another huge boost for Wisconsin. Christensen delivered a huge win in his team's win over Nebraska by pinning No. 10 Mikey Labriola at 174 pounds. He also earned a 3-1 win over No. 14 Kimball Bastian of Utah Valley. Christensen has ascended to 10th in the national rankings at 174. "Ryan Christensen is doing a great job," Bono said. "Labriola had a lead on us, and we were still down by a point late in the match. We got in a scramble and caught him on his back for a fall. It was a very good match. Ryan followed that up with a big win over Bastian and he also beat a good kid from Princeton." Jon Reader is Chris Bono's top assistant coach at Wisconsin (Photo/Richard Immel) Bono said Wisconsin assistant coach Jon Reader has played a big role in the progression of Christensen. Reader spent the past four seasons as Bono's top assistant at South Dakota State, where they built the Jackrabbits into an elite program. Bono and Reader coached Seth Gross to the program's first NCAA Division I title last season at 133 pounds on a team that finished a respectable 12th in the country. Bono and Reader both won NCAA titles for Iowa State. "Jon Reader is a tremendous coach and an outstanding person," Bono said. "He's family to me. He means the world to me and our program. The way he carries himself rubs off on our guys. He's a great guy who works hard -- he's the first one in the office every morning." Badger junior Tristan Moran, a transfer from Oklahoma State, also contributed a fall in the win over Nebraska. He's ranked 13th at 141 pounds. "Tristan wrestles a unique style -- he's very dangerous," Bono said. "He can score from a lot of positions." Wisconsin freshman heavyweight Trent Hillger delivered a pair of clutch wins Sunday. He is now ranked 14th nationally. Hillger recorded a 16-0 technical fall over Princeton's Obinna Ajah to secure the dual win. He followed by rallying from a 6-0 deficit to knock off No. 15 Tate Orndorff of Utah Valley 9-7 in overtime. "Trent stepped up and did an awesome job," Bono said. "He won that match against Utah Valley because of his conditioning. What he did was amazing." Wisconsin sophomore Connor Brown is ranked 17th nationally at 125 pounds. Brown followed Bono to Madison after being an NCAA qualifier for South Dakota State last season. The Badgers have another tough lightweight wrestler in senior Jens Lantz, who went 3-0 at 133 pounds this past weekend. Bono also said to keep an eye on 184-pounder Mason Reinhardt, a junior who dropped a 6-5 decision to No. 3 Taylor Venz of Nebraska. "Mason is making some good progress," Bono said. "I really like the direction he is moving in." Matt McDonough, a two-time NCAA champion for Iowa, also has joined Bono as a Wisconsin assistant coach. "McDonough's making a big impact for us," Bono said. "He obviously knows what it takes to excel at this level. He is a high energy guy who believes in that strong work ethic." Wisconsin also just signed a strong group of five wrestlers to national letters of intent. "We love our recruiting class," Bono said. "They are really good students and good citizens. And all of the kids are highly ranked nationally. We're really happy with that group." Bono said the transition from South Dakota State to Wisconsin wasn't easy. He took over for Barry Davis, who led the Badger program for the last 25 years. "It was tough at first," he said. "Change is very hard in anything you do in life. We had some guys who didn't buy in at first. It's taken some time, but we feel like the guys are all bought in now and they're excited about the future of this program." Chris Bono coaching Seth Gross at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Bono inherited a roster with a number of wrestlers with strong credentials. "We are not starting from ground zero -- there were some talented kids here when I was hired," he said. "Our job is to develop them. We have some areas we are trying to improve on as we instill our philosophy and work ethic. "We train hard and our guys are in shape. All I ask of them is their best effort and their best fight." Even with the early success the Badgers have had, Bono realizes it's a long, grueling season. "Everything we do is getting us ready for March," he said. "It is November and this is the preseason. Everything is the preseason until we get to the Big Ten tournament. It's early, but it's exciting to see these guys come together and really start to believe in each other." Bono likes seeing his team being recognized for its early success. "These kids are giving us everything they have," he said. "These student-athletes are amazing. They deserve it. I'm not doing the work. The kids are doing the work and laying everything on the line. They believe in us. They deserve all the accolades." Wisconsin's next big test will come in its second Big Ten dual when the Badgers wrestle at No. 2 Ohio State on Dec. 9. "We will go into Ohio State as a huge underdog," Bono said. "It's a great opportunity for us. Our guys will be fired up and ready to roll, that's for sure." Chris Bono took over Barry Davis, who coached the Badgers for 25 seasons (Photo/David Stluka) Bono said he has the type of backing he needs in Madison to build a top-flight program. "The administration here has been great -- they are really supporting the wrestling program," he said. "We love what they have given us. Our goal is to win a national championship. That's the type of program we're trying to build here." Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.

Gavin Teasdale battles Patrick Glory at Beat the Streets in New York (Photo/Juan Garcia) Gavin Teasdale, one of the nation's top wrestling recruits in the Class of 2018, has left Penn State because of "health issues" and expects to be back in January. The 125-pounder made the announcement via Twitter on Tuesday. Teasdale has been removed from Penn State's online roster. Penn State released the following statement: "Gavin Teasdale has withdrawn from school for the fall semester for personal reasons and is no longer on the Penn State wrestling roster." Teasdale, the nation's No. 20 recruit in the Class of 2018 by InterMat, claimed four Pennsylvania state championships for Jefferson-Morgan High School. He compiled a high school career record of 162-2. Teasdale was a Dave Schultz Award winner and named Pennsylvania Wrestler of the Year. He won three Powerade titles.

Donovan Benetti A GoFundMe page has been established for Drury University freshman wrestler Donovan Benetti, who is recovering after being wounded in a hunting accident in Phelps County, Missouri Saturday morning, just three days before the official end of the state's deer hunting season. The fundraising page, set up to cover medical expenses for the college wrestler, had already raised over $3,000 of its $100,000 goal in its first four hours after being set up Monday afternoon. The hunting accident was first reported at Drury's wrestling Facebook page page Saturday afternoon just hours after the incident: "This morning Donovan Benetti was in a hunting accident and was flown to University Hospital in Columbia (Mo.). He is currently out of surgery and in the ICU. He has some more surgeries ahead of him and a long road to recovery. Donovan is as tough as they come. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers." Early Monday afternoon, that same Facebook page shared this update on Benetti's condition: "Donovan is fully awake from yesterday's surgery. The doctor has removed the breathing tube and he is now breathing on his own. Donovan is communicating positively and is surrounded by family and friends!" Although the Drury Wrestling Facebook page is not produced by the school or its wrestling program, official Drury Athletics spokesperson Drew Beach confirmed to the Springfield News-Leader that Benetti had been seriously wounded in the Saturday hunting accident in south-central Missouri, about halfway between Springfield -- where Drury is located -- and St. Louis. Beach added that Benetti is expected to be hospitalized for approximately two weeks. The wounding of Benetti came just days before the conclusion of Missouri's deer-hunting season, which officially ends Tuesday. A freshman, Benetti is listed at 197 pounds on the Drury wrestling roster. Prior to coming to Drury, Benetti was a student-athlete at Nixa High School, located just outside Springfield, where he was a three-time Missouri state wrestling tournament qualifier, placing sixth in 2017 and fourth in 2018. According to his Drury wrestling bio, Benetti was also a three-time Academic All-American at Nixa. Drury University, founded in 1873 as Springfield College, is a private liberal arts college located in Springfield, Missouri. Drury University has a total enrollment of approximately 5,500 students. The Drury Panthers wrestling program -- and all other intercollegiate athletic programs at the school -- compete in NCAA Division II.