InterMat Staff

Cleveland is sounding the call: The NCAAs are coming, the NCAAs are coming! Cleveland will be hosting the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships twice this year. First, the Division III championships will take place Friday, March 9 and Saturday, March 10 ... then, the following weekend, the Division I Championships will come to town, starting Thursday, March 15 and finishing Saturday night, March 17. It's been two decades since Cleveland last hosted the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. So InterMat thought it would be helpful to put together some information on the host city ... so you can get the most out of your trip, and experience some of the host city's most popular attractions. Getting there Cleveland is located on Lake Erie in northeast Ohio, where I-90, I-80, I-77 and I-71 converge. It's just off the east-west Ohio Turnpike -- I-80 -- which links New York City and the eastern U.S., and Chicago and points west. Ohio's second-largest city is served by two major commercial airports -- Cleveland Hopkins, which is about 20 minutes southwest of downtown, and Akron-Canton, about an hour south of the city. If you fly into Hopkins, you can use the RTA Red Line -- "the Rapid" -- to take you from the airport to the Tower City station in the heart of downtown in minutes for only $2.50. Where you'll find the mat action The two national mat championships will be held at two different venues, both in downtown Cleveland. The NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships will be held at Public Auditorium at 500 Lakeside Avenue on the north side of downtown. This ornate, beautifully restored 1920s facility, which seats approximately 10,000, has hosted a number of major amateur wrestling events over the years. The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will take place at Quicken Loans Arena The Division I Wrestling Championships will take place at Quicken Loans Arena, One Center Court, just south of Public Square, the center of downtown Cleveland. Built in 1994, "the Q" is home to the Cleveland Cavaliers and was the site of the 2016 Republican National Convention. This state-of-the-art facility seats approximately 20,600 spectators. (In case you were wondering, the 1998 NCAA Division I Championships were held at Wolstein Center on the campus of Cleveland State University, on the eastern edge of downtown.) Both facilities are a short distance from major hotels, bars, restaurants, and other attractions. Downtown Cleveland is very walk-able; RTA offers a choice of three unique trolley routes which provide quick, free access to different portions of downtown Cleveland. Fan Fest during 2018 NCAA Div. I Championships In recent years, NCAA Fan Fest has become a go-to event coinciding with the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. This year is no different. The 2018 NCAA Fan Fest will be held March 15-17 at Hall A of the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland at 300 Lakeside Avenue, a short walk from Quicken Loans Arena and the D1 championships. Fan Fest features a number of attractions, including Team USA senior-level practice sessions, autograph sessions, an NWCA (National Wrestling Coaches Association) coaching event, and, of course, the classic WIN Magazine Memorabilia Show ... along with food and drink options. It's a great way to spend time between wrestling sessions. In addition, 2018 Fan Fest offers these unique attractions: Gable-Owings reunion: The two wrestlers involved in the biggest upset in NCAA finals history -- Dan Gable and Larry Owings -- will appear together in a public event for the first time in nearly a half-century at the WIN Magazine Memorabilia Show on Saturday, March 17 at 3:00 p.m. (Please note new day/time from what had been originally announced.) Larry Owings -- a University of Washington sophomore -- handed Iowa State senior Dan Gable his first loss in his entire high school and collegiate career in the 142-pound title match at the 1970 NCAAs. Video of that epic match will be shown, followed by a question-and-answer session. Then the two will be available for photos and autographs. "Wrestling and Football" exhibit: The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has partnered with the Pro Football Hall of Fame to create an exhibit which showcases the connections between the sport of wrestling and football. As part of that exhibit, there will be a roundtable discussion featuring four athletes who excelled at both: Curley Culp (Pro Football Hall of Fame member and NCAA wrestling champion) ... two-time wrestling All-American and 14-year National Football League veteran Bob Golic ...six-time NCAA wrestling champion and NFL veteran Carlton Haselrig ... and two-time NCAA wrestling champion and three-time Super Bowl Champion Stephen Neal. This discussion will take place Thursday, March 15 from 4:15-5 p.m. (Note: the "Wrestling and Football" exhibit will be on display all three days of Fan Fest.) Wrestle Like Girl Empowerment Clinic: Female wrestlers will have an opportunity to gain on-the-mat skills -- as well as championship life skills -- at the Wrestle Like a Girl Empowerment Clinic at Fan Fest. This clinic -- open to girls ages 5-18 -- will take place Saturday, March 17, from 2 -2:40 p.m. (after Session V). Other attractions to check out while in Cleveland ... While at the 2018 NCAAs, you'll want to make time for these unique Cleveland-area attractions ... Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: The place to explore the music of our times, and the greats who made it, in an incredible facility designed by noted architect I.M. Pei. Open every day 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; open Wednesdays until 9 p.m. Tickets are $23 per adult when purchased online; $26 at the box office. 1100 Rock and Roll Blvd. (East Ninth Street at the lakefront) in downtown Cleveland. (216) 781-ROCK. "A Christmas Story" House/Museum: The classic Christmas movie "A Christmas Story" was filmed in Cleveland in the early 1980s. The house where Ralphie and his family "lived" is now open for tours; a museum and gift shop are located across the street. Open seven days a week 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Located at 3159 West Eleventh Street in the Tremont neighborhood, about five minutes southwest of downtown. Tickets are $11 for adults which includes admission to the house and museum. (216) 298-4919. "Superman" Exhibit at Cleveland Public Library: "Superman: From Cleveland to Krypton" exhibit at the downtown Cleveland Public Library celebrates the fact that the iconic comic superhero's creators originally hail from Cleveland. Three floors of exhibits feature memorabilia, art and artifacts from the Mike Curtis Collection of Superman Memorabilia and other prominent collectors. Free and open to the public. 325 Superior Avenue, downtown. Open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (216) 623-2881. NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton: Located about one hour south of downtown Cleveland is the Hall that honors the greatest athletes and coaches in professional football. Among those enshrined in the Canton hall: Curley Culp, Arizona State NCAA heavyweight champ who went on to an enduring NFL career. Open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults. 2121 George Halas Drive NW, Canton, Ohio, just off I-77 (the north-south expressway linking downtown Cleveland to the Akron-Canton area and points south). (330) 456-8707. Dine at restaurants owned by a former Cleveland high school wrestler Michael Symon, restauranteur and regular on ABC-TV's The Chew, once wrestled at St. Edward High School in suburban Cleveland ... until a shoulder injury ended his mat career as a junior. Symon owns a number of eateries in his hometown you might want to check out: Lola Bistro: Upscale dining, using locally-sourced ingredients, right downtown. 2058 East Fourth Street. (216) 621-5652. Mabel's BBQ: Classic barbeque, relaxed atmosphere. 2650 East Fourth Street. (216) 417-8823. The B Spot: Burgers, brats, beer, shakes, sides. Two locations downtown: inside Quicken Loans Arena, as well as at JACK Casino, 100 Public Square. (Other locations in Beechwood, Strongsville, Westlake.) (216) 292-5597. Favorite hangouts for this wrestling writer/former Clevelander Long before I became a senior writer at InterMat, I was an advertising copywriter. My first job out of college was writing newspaper ads for May Company, a Cleveland-based department store located on Public Square, around the corner from Quicken Loans Arena. Here are some of the places I enjoyed visiting during my time in Cleveland many, many years ago ... Cleveland Arcade (Photo/This Is Cleveland) Cleveland Arcade: Built in the 1880s, this glass-enclosed shopping arcade is a trip back in time. 401 Euclid Avenue, downtown. (216) 696-1408. Cleveland Museum of Art: An incredible collection of paintings, sculpture and other fine art that spans the centuries. Free admission. 11150 East Boulevard, University Circle. (216) 421-7350. Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum: Get your motor running with cool cars of every era, and more. 10825 East Boulevard, University Circle. (216) 721-5722. Go-to resources to make the most of your NCAA experience Want to know more about Cleveland? You'll find winning information easily available ... Cleveland Visitor Guide Fall-Winter 2017-18: A 110-page guide to all things Cleveland, including attractions, entertainment options, more. Cleveland Dining Guide 2017-18: Hungry? This is your source for suggestions to satisfy any appetite and taste. Cleveland Visitor Guide on social media: Check out This Is Cleveland on Facebook and Twitter. Destination Cleveland App: Your personalized guide to Cleveland's must-see attractions, restaurants and events. Find your way around town and create your own experience, save your favorite items, and receive insider information on locations to get the most out of your trip to Cleveland. Cleveland Visitors Center: While you're in Cleveland for the NCAAs, stop by the official Visitors Center downtown at Euclid Avenue and East Fourth Street. You'll find all the brochures you could want, plus knowledgeable people who can answer your questions. Open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Cleveland/wrestling-related reading Metropolitan Cleveland and northeast Ohio comprise one of the nation's strongest amateur wrestling hotbeds. Here are two books celebrating mat greats from the area you might want to take with you for your trip to the 2018 NCAAs: Lee Kemp's Winning Gold: Kemp is arguably one of the greatest amateur wrestlers of all time. A product of Chardon, Ohio near Cleveland, Kemp was a two-time Ohio state champ, a four-time NCAA championships finalist, and three-time champ for University of Wisconsin, and America's first three-time World champ. In his new book, Kemp shares his inspirational ideas for readers to achieve success on and off the mat. Jim Kalin's Mustang: There are a number of high school wrestling programs that could be considered among the all-time greats. Kalin, a writer for Amateur Wrestling News, makes a strong case for the Maple Heights Mustangs in a suburban Cleveland, coached by Mike Milkovich. Thanks to Destination Cleveland for assistance in putting this feature together.

Stan Mousetis, champion wrestler, coach and mat official in Pennsylvania whose career spanned the decades, died Tuesday in Lancaster, Pa. from complications after heart surgery. He was 88. A 1946 graduate of Washington High School in southwestern Pennsylvania, Stanley Mousetis was a Pennsylvania state wrestling champ and WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League) titlewinner. Mousetis then headed east to Franklin & Marshall University in Lancaster, where he was crowned 1948 EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) champ at 128 pounds. He lost just one dual meet bout in college, and was a three-time Mid-Atlantic AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) champ. After graduating from F&M, Mousetis launched a coaching career lasting more than four decades. He began at Bellefonte High School in 1951, then returned to his alma mater at Washington High, coaching the Prexies from 1955 through 1979. While at Washington, Mousetis coached four state champions. Mousetis also coached at Plum and Franklin Regional, compiling a career record of 343-260-11. He also served as an assistant at the University of Pittsburgh in the 1980s, and was a high school and college referee for two decades. Mousetis was a member of a number of Halls of Fame, including the Franklin & Marshall Athletics Hall in 1987, and the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches' Hall of fame in 1994. However, Mousetis' fame went beyond titles and honors. Here's how John Sacco of the Observer-Reporter of Washington, Pa. opened his tribute to hometown hero Stan Mousetis. "His wrestling knowledge was unparalleled. "He had a special gift that enabled him to impart that vast wrestling intellect on to those he coached, those who coached under him and those he mentored." "He wasn't easy to wrestle for and he would not bend. He was a tough guy," said Frank Rotundo, who wrestled for Mousetis at Washington, then later became head wrestling coach and school principal. "Nobody, I mean nobody, knew more wrestling than Stanley. Nobody." Dave Cook, who coached under Mousetis at Washington, echoed those sentiments, telling the Observer-Reporter, "There was a right way, a wrong way and Stan Mousetis' way. "He molded me and he taught me. "Stanley was a great coach and a great man. I learned more wrestling from Stanley than anybody. His practices were long and he never shied away from letting you know about his philosophical thoughts." "He was hard on each wrestler," Ricardo "Ticky" Bryant said. "No exceptions. But he cared for every wrestler he coached. It didn't matter what your skill level was or the success you did or didn't have. Mr. Mousetis would go to your house. He made me a better person. He was like my second father. I loved him. "The man is an icon. He coached some of the best teams around and state champions. He is known all over Pennsylvania." Stan Mousetis with close friend Tom EllingTom Elling, dean of Pennsylvania amateur wrestling journalists, described Mousetis as "a close friend," telling InterMat, "I worked with Stan as coaches for the Pennsylvania USWF Junior freestyle and Greco teams back in the 1970s. He was disciplined, hard-working and very knowledgeable. He was successful wherever he went. Wrestling has lost another great one." Mousetis was preceded in death by his first wife Alice and his second wife Gretchen. He is survived by four daughters and two sons.

Logan Stieber competing at the 2017 World Championships in Paris (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) USA Wrestling has named Logan Stieber (Columbus, Ohio/Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) to its 2018 U.S. Men's Freestyle World Cup Team at 65 kg/143 lbs. Stieber will be on the USA Wrestling team which will compete at the 2018 Freestyle World Cup at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on the campus of the University of Iowa, April 7-8. The World Cup is the annual international dual meet championship featuring the top eight men's freestyle wrestling teams in the world. Stieber, a 2016 World champion, will be competing in his second Freestyle World Cup. Stieber competed on the 2017 U.S. World Cup Team in Kermanshah, Iran, going 3-1 in his matches at 61 kg/134 lbs. At the 2016 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Stieber won a gold medal at 61 kg/134 lbs., on his first Senior World Team. He was also a member of the 2017 U.S. World Team. Stieber claimed a 2011 Junior World silver medal. He was a 2017 Grand Prix of Spain champion, and won silver medals at the 2016 Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial and the 2015 UWW Golden Grand Prix in Azerbaijan. Stieber placed second at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, and has placed at the U.S. Open six times. In college, Stieber was a four-time NCAA champion for Ohio State, winning his titles between 2012-2015. He was the 2015 Dan Hodge Trophy winner as the nation's top college wrestler, and also won four Big Ten titles. Stieber helped lead Ohio State to the 2015 NCAA Championships team title. He was a four-time Ohio state champion for Monroeville High School. USA Wrestling will announce one World Cup participant in each of the 10 weight classes each day through March 14. In addition to these 10 athletes, additional athletes will be added to the team roster, with at least two wrestlers in each weight class. The USA has drawn into Pool A against the nations of Japan, Georgia, and Iran. Pool B consists of teams from Russia, Azerbaijan, Cuba, and Kazakhstan. Iran is the defending World Cup team champions. This will be the first major international event for the U.S. men's freestyle program since the United States won the team title at the 2017 World Wrestling Championships in Paris, France last August. It was the first World Team Title for the USA in men's freestyle in 22 years and only the third time in history. Ticket opportunities for the World Cup include a Gold all-session package ($225), a Black all-session package ($150), and standard all-session tickets ($75/$50). Tickets are now available on the University of Iowa Athletics website. Visit worldcupiowacity.com for more information on the event. FREESTYLE WORLD CUP At Iowa City, Iowa, April 7-8 U.S. men's freestyle lineup (as of March 7) 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Thomas Gilman, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) 61 kg/134 lbs. - Kendric Maple, Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC/Nebraska WTC) 65 kg/143 lbs. - Logan Stieber, Columbus, Ohio (Titan Mercury WC/Ohio RTC) 70 kg/154 lbs. - 74 kg/163 lbs. - 79 kg/174 lbs. - 86 kg/189 lbs. 92 kg/202.5 lbs. - 97 kg/213 lbs. 125 kg/275 lbs. - National Freestyle Coaches - Bill Zadick, Kevin Jackson and Joe Russell (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Honorary Coaches - Dan Gable (Iowa City, Iowa), J Robinson (Minneapolis, Minn.), Mike Duroe (Marion, Iowa) Additional U.S. athletes and delegation members will also be named. Logan Stieber's previous World Cup results 2017 World Cup, Kermanshah, Iran, Feb. 16-17 WIN Ali Rahimzade (Azerbaijan), 12-11 WIN Viktor Rassadin (Russia), 7-4 WIN Shota Phartenadze (Georgia), 7-4 LOSS Masoud Esmaeilpoorjouybari (Iran), 6-2 LOGAN STIEBER Residence: Columbus, Ohio Club: Titan Mercury WC College: Ohio State High School: Monroeville (Ohio) Born: Jan. 24, 1991 Weight class: 65 kg/143 lbs. • 2016 World champion • 2011 Junior World silver medalist • Two-time U.S. World Team member (2016-17) • 2017 Grand Prix of Spain champion • Second in 2016 Outstanding Ukrainian Memorial • Second in 2016 UWW Golden Grand Prix (Azerbaijan) • Four-time NCAA champion for Ohio State (2011-15) • 2015 Dan Hodge Trophy winner

The last weekend of the official high school in-season is here, and it's truly "the best for last" as Ohio and Pennsylvania conduct their state tournaments. Each event will be held from Thursday through Saturday. Below is the schedule for each event. Ohio (Divisions I, II, and III): first round championship/consolation -- Thursday starting at 3 p.m., second round championship/consolation -- Friday starting at 10 a.m., semifinals/consolation quarterfinals -- Friday starting at 6:30 p.m., consolation semifinals/medal bouts -- Saturday morning starting at 10 a.m., championship finals -- Saturday evening starting at 5:30 p.m. Pennsylvania Class AA: championship preliminary and first round/consolation preliminary -- Thursday starting at 9 a.m., championship quarterfinals/first and second round consolation -- Friday starting at 9 a.m., championship semifinals/consolation quarterfinals and semifinals -- Friday evening starting at 7:30 p.m., medal matches -- Saturday afternoon starting at 2 p.m. Pennsylvania Class AAA: championship preliminary and first round/consolation preliminary -- Thursday afternoon starting at 4 p.m., championship quarterfinals/first and second round consolation -- Friday afternoon starting at 2:15 p.m., championship semifinals/consolation quarterfinals and semifinals -- Saturday starting at 9 a.m., medal matches -- Saturday at 7 p.m. From a team perspective, the Ohio Division I field is the most robust of the weekend with five nationally ranked teams present. That group is led by No. 8 St. Edward, which qualified twelve wrestlers to the state tournament; No. 12 Cincinnati LaSalle and No. 20 Brecksville each qualified ten, No. 21 Wadsworth qualified nine, while No. 37 Massillon Perry and Cincinnati Elder each have eight competing this weekend. The Pennsylvania Class AAA field has three nationally ranked teams present. No. 11 Bethlehem Catholic is the strong favorite with seven state qualifiers, though that is not a tournament high. The tournament high is the nine which No. 35 Erie Cathedral Prep advanced to the event. Also in the national rankings is No. 49 Kiski Area, which advanced five to the state tournament. Unranked Nazareth will be in the hunt for a team trophy, and the Blue Eagles have six competing in Hershey. The only other ranked team between the two state tournaments is No. 5 St. Paris Graham, which qualified 13 to state and is prohibitively favored to win the Division II title in Ohio for an 18th straight season. The Falcons opted up to Division I for the dual team tournament, and beat St. Edward to win that title. Dual team state champions in Division II, Wauseon enters as favorites to take runner-up honors, as the Indians qualified nine to state. Others in contention include Canfield, the runners-up each of the previous two years in this division, who bring seven to state; along with CVCA, which has a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers among their five state qualifiers. Rounding it out in Ohio is Division III, where returning state runners-up Genoa are the prohibitive favorites. This year's dual team state champions qualified seven, including all four of their state finalists from last season. Among those in the hunt for second is Tuslaw, runners-up in dual team the last two years, they bring a division-high eight to state; Nelsonville-York, who brings seven to state; and Rootstown, which brings five to state. While in Pennsylvania Class AA a two-team battle likely looms for the title between last month's dual team finalists. Dual team champion Reynolds, also the returning state tournament champions, qualified eight for state; while dual team runner-up Southern Columbia qualified seven. One would have thought Chestnut Ridge would be in the hunt; however, they only qualified two wrestlers for state in addition to their stars Justin McCoy and Jared McGill. Four weight classes within Ohio Division I feature three nationally ranked wrestlers. 138: The three nationally ranked wrestlers each won district titles, with No. 12 Elan Heard (Cincinnati LaSalle) and No. 15 Luke Baughman (Wadsworth) placed in the top half of the draw. Heard is looking at a likely quarterfinal against returning state placer Marco Regalbuto (Brecksville), while Baughman's path to the semifinal is more straight forward. It should be noted that Heard beat Baughman at the Walsh Ironman in the consolation final. No. 11 Bryce Andonian (St. Edward), state champion at 106 as a freshman two years ago, is well positioned in the lower half-bracket, where his likely semifinal will be against the winner of an opening round bout between the undefeated Daniel Segura (Dublin Scioto) and 2016 state runner-up Lamonte Chapman (Fremont Ross). 145: It is very fitting that in a weight class that is an absolute mess from a national rankings perspective, this weight class in Division I with three nationally ranked wrestlers has a mess of head-on and transitive outcomes. No. 12 Sam Dover (St. Edward), a two-time state placer, enters the tournament with a 5-0 record against the two other nationally ranked wrestlers in this weight class; No. 13 Victor Voinovich (Brecksville) and No. 17 Michael North (Wadsworth). However, Dover has a head-on loss to nationally not ranked Chris Donathan (Mason), who joins Dover and North as district champions in this weight class. Voinovich has wins over No. 14 Austin Boone (Lowell, Mich.) and Wade Ungar (Bergen Catholic), opponents to whom Dover has lost; while North has wins over No. 11 Mitch Moore (St. Paris Graham) and Donathan, Moore being an opponent Dover has split matches against. Voinovich lost to Dover 5-0 in the district semifinal, and is looking at a state quarterfinal against now four-time state qualifier Xander Gore (Olentangy); while North is in the same half-bracket, and projects to face returning state placer Josh Jaeckin (Olmsted Falls) in his second round bout. Jaeckin lost to Dover in the district final. In the lower half of the draw, it's a collision course for Dover and Donathan in the semifinal; Dover does project to face returning state placer Walker Heard (Marysville) in the quarterfinal, who comes off a semifinal loss to Gore at district. 182: The three ranked wrestlers in this weight class have an aggregate seven state placements from eight previous state tournament appearances. No. 11 Victor Marcelli (Massillon Jackson) is a two-time state semifinalist from three state qualifications, No. 12 Trevor Lawson (Olentangy Liberty) is also a two-time state semifinalist after being closed out of the lineup as a freshman, while No. 13 Joey Baughman (Wadsworth) is a two-time finalist and three-time state placer. Marcelli has picked up wins over both Lawson and Baughman this season, pinning Lawson in the consolation semifinal of the Ironman and defeating Baughman 3-2 in the district final; while Lawson has a 3-0 win to his credit against Baughman in mid-January. However, Lawson beat Marcelli in the state semifinal round two years ago despite losing to him in the middle of that regular season; Lawson also beat Baughman last regular season, though Baughman took second to Lawson's third last year at state (both losing to the eventual state champion). As a result of Marcelli's district final victory, it is Lawson and Baughman residing in the same half-bracket. Marcelli could face one of two returning state placers in his semifinal bout, Gary Wokojance (Barberton) or Charles Sanders (Cincinnati Elder), while Baughman and Lawson each could face a state placer in their respective quarterfinals; Baughman against district champion Blake Wilson (Cincinnati LaSalle) and Lawson against two-time medalist Zach Blackiston (Massillon Perry). 195: All three ranked wrestlers in this weight class won their district tournament and placed top three at state last year. Both No. 11 Cody Howard (St. Edward) and No. 14 Jake Thompson (Cincinnati Moeller) were state runners-up last year. It happens to be that Howard got the favorable path, and that Thompson is in the same half-bracket as two-time third in the state Jared Ball (Hilliard Darby); the Super 32 champion Ball is ranked No. 4 nationally. For Howard, a Junior National freestyle All-American, manageable would be a fair way to describe his path to the state final. He is looking at a likely semifinal against Walsh Ironman placer Michael Baker (Cincinnati LaSalle), who is in his third state tournament as a junior; or Ben Smith (North Canton Hoover), a senior in his state tournament debut with a 50-1 record. It would be a major upset if Ball and Thompson did not meet in the semifinal round on Friday night. Two additional Ohio Division I weight classes feature a pair of top ten wrestlers. 106: No. 6 Zach Shupp (Fairfield) and No. 7 Logan Agin (Lancaster) are in opposite half-brackets. Should each reach the final it would be a rematch of last year's state semifinal, which was won by Shupp 3-2 in the ultimate tiebreaker. 170: No. 5 Emil Soehnlen (Massillon Perry) and No. 6 Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty) are in the same half-bracket and would meet on Friday night in the semifinal. The defending state champion Soehnlen did lose 3-1 to Kharchla five weeks ago, but both have had excellent seasons with Soehnlen having a stronger base of quality wins to earn the higher national ranking. The other half-bracket features Cornell Beachem (Winton Woods), who placed third at state last year. The only other weight class between Ohio and Pennsylvania to feature three nationally ranked wrestlers is the 170 pound weight class in Pennsylvania AA. There are a pair of undefeated wrestlers, No. 16 Edmond Ruth (Susquehanna Township) and No. 20 Robert Patrick (Ligonier Valley). They are in opposite half brackets, and if they reach the final would be meeting in a state title rematch from last year, that match was won by Ruth 3-1 in overtime. The other ranked wrestler is No. 17 Dalton Group (Susquenita), the returning runner-up in this weight class and a sixth-place finisher at the Super 32 Challenge in the 182 weight during the preseason. Group's only two losses on the season are to Ruth in the district and regional finals; he would project to face Patrick in the state semifinal. One other weight class in Class AA strikes me as having significant intrigue, and that would be the 160-pound weight class. Returning state champion Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing) was upset by sophomore Tyler Stoltzfus (Mifflinburg) in the regional final. The resulting draw now positions Edsell in a likely quarterfinal against two-time state placer Jared McGill (Chestnut Ridge). The other regional champion in that bottom half is senior Jacob Kallenborn (Port Allegany) with a 40-1 record. Stoltzfus sits in the upper half of the draw looking at a quarterfinal against junior Derek Yingling (West Branch), whose lone loss was in the regional final to McGill; while the winner would likely face the undefeated Caleb Clymer (Northwestern Lehigh), a two-time state placer in his own right. Traditionally the Class AAA state tournament in Pennsylvania is the nation's deepest and most brutal. However, in somewhat of a surprise, there are only three weight classes with multiple nationally ranked wrestlers present. Sam Hillegas is a returning state champion and ranked No. 11 at 126 pounds (Photo/Tom Elling) 126: The nationally ranked pair of No. 11 Sam Hillegas (North Hills) and No. 14 Chris Wright (Central Dauphin) have 74 wins and two losses between them on the season. The lone loss for Hillegas is to national No. 2 Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) in the Powerade semifinal, while for Wright his lone loss came to No. 1 Patrick Glory (Delbarton, N.J.) in the Beast final. They occupy opposite half brackets of this draw. For returning state champion Hillegas, the obstacles start with a possible quarterfinal against 2016 state placer Dalton Rohrbaugh (Spring Grove). The possible semifinal could be against returning state placer Kenny Herrmann (Bethlehem Catholic), though sophomore Cade Bealestrini (Shikellamy) will have something to say about that. Three-time state placer Wright has never finished higher than fourth, and is looking at a possible quarterfinal against the talented Caleb Morris (Waynesburg), a returning state qualifier. Looming as a possible opponent in the semifinal is the sophomore Ed Scott (DuBois), who placed third at state and sixth at the Flo Nationals last year. 138: The clear favorite in this weight class is No. 3 Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic), the Super 32 champion at this weight class in the preseason. His lone losses on the season are to the top two ranked wrestlers nationally in this weight class (Kinner and Manville, whom he also beat during the season) and the No. 3 at 132 Real Woods. Looking at his half of the draw, the likely semifinal would be against either two-time state placer Noah Levett (Kiski Area) or returning state placer Leno Ciotti (Erie McDowell). The murkier upper half-bracket features the other ranked wrestler in this weight class, No. 18 Jackson Henson (Waynesburg), a two-time West Virginia state champion and this fall a Super 32 placer. It starts for Henson with a round of 16 bout against returning state fourth place finisher Zach Ortman (Parkland), with the winner looking at a quarterfinal date against the undefeated Seth Koleno (Bald Eagle Area), a two-time state placer. It is admittedly anyone's guess for the advancer out of the second quarter with regional champions Paul Feite (Northern York) and Cameron Robinson (Council Rock North) as possibles, along with freshman Ty Linsenbigler (Hempfield Area). 182: Returning state runners-up Josh Stillings (Pennridge) also placed fourth at state as a sophomore, and was runner-up at the Super 32 this fall; he is ranked No. 15 nationally. The other ranked wrestler in this weight class is No. 19 Tim Wallace (Albert Gallatin), who placed third at state last year, but was upset in the regional final last week. The opponent that upset Wallace, returning Flo Nationals placer Christian Sequete (Butler), looms as the likely semifinal opponent for Stillings. However, it should be noted that Sequete has another regional champion in his quarter-bracket, Damien Moyer (Bethlehem Liberty); Moyer will likely face a battle in the round of 16 against Brendan Shaffer (Lower Dauphin). Wallace sits in the lower half of the draw, and is looking at a likely quarterfinal against returning state placer Luigi Yates (Erie Cathedral Prep). The possible semifinal could be against NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up Blake Barrick (Big Spring), who also placed at the Super 32 this fall, though he'll have to get past Max Shaw (Thomas Jefferson) in the round of 16. Though there are zero ranked wrestlers present, the 120-pound weight class in Class AAA personifies the robust depth that is normally present in this tournament. It is also a total mess to wade through with an over-abundance of talent. Leading the way from the top of the bracket is returning state champion Doug Zapf (Downington West). However, life will not be easy for him, and that starts with a likely quarterfinal collison against returning state placer Cam Enriquez (Stroudsburg). Things get even murkier in the next quarter bracket. Three-time state placer, and two-time state runner-up Louis Newell (Seneca Valley) is looking at a likely quarterfinal date against either two-time state qualifier J.J. Wilson (Cedar Cliff) or Escape the Rock champion Brandon Kassis (Parkland); it also presumes Newell beats regional champion Paniro Johnson (Erie Cathedral Prep) in the round of 16, while Wilson is also a regional champion, and Kassis upset returning Class AA state champion Jaret Lane to win the ETR title. The third quarter of the draw features returning state placer Shane Pierson (Nazareth) and two-time National Prep placer Shane Hanson-Ashworth (Council Rock South). Pierson could have a round of 16 match against sophomore Tyler Kocak (Hampton), who displaced returning state placer Darren Miller (Kiski Area) from the state bracket with a 6-3 consolation semifinal victory at the WPIAL. The bottom quarter features WPIAL champion Logan Macri (Canon-McMillan), who placed fifth at state in this weight last year and beat Newell in the WPIAL final; his toughest match before the semi would likely be in the round of 16 against 2016 state placer Brandon Meredith (Spring-Ford). Within Ohio Division II, there is only one weight class featuring a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers. That would be at 160 pounds, where returning state champion Ryan Thomas (St. Paris Graham) is ranked No. 5 and two-time state champion Kevon Freeman (Lake Catholic) is No. 19; Thomas was champion at the Walsh Ironman, while Freeman placed fifth. It would probably be the biggest shock of the state tournament in the Buckeye State if they did not meet Saturday night. The Ohio Division III state tournament is relatively dull. Its best final is likely to come at 120 pounds with two-time state placer Julian Sanchez (Genoa) facing three-time state placer Graham Shore (Miami East). Sanchez beat Shore last year in 4-2 in the state quarterfinals of this same weight class.

Odunayo Adekuoroye claimed a silver medal at the 2017 World Championships in Paris (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) NEW YORK- Beat the Streets Wrestling, Inc. and USA Wrestling announced today that three Nigerian women's wrestlers will compete at this year's Beat the Streets event at the Seaport District (Pier 17) on Thursday, May 17. They will compete against top U.S. women at 55kg, 57kg and 59kg as part of the annual competition. Competitors for Team USA, which will likely include members of the 2016 Olympic team and 2017 World Championships team as well as other elite stars, and their opponents will be announced in the coming weeks. Nigeria is considered the strongest women's wrestling team in Africa. At the 2018 African Championships, Nigeria won nine of the 10 gold medals in women's wrestling. Nigeria has developed numerous Olympians and World medal contenders in its women's program. The athletes who will compete at the Beat the Streets Benefit have not yet been selected by the Nigerian Wrestling Federation. "The addition of the Nigerian women's team to this year's Beat the Streets is a landmark moment for the event," said Beat the Streets Chairman of the Board Mike Novogratz. "We look forward to welcoming them to New York and couldn't be more pleased that they will be the first wrestlers to represent the continent of Africa in the history of the Beat the Streets Benefit." Previous international Beat the Streets opponents have included Russia, Iran, Cuba, Japan, Canada and others. This year will mark the first time that Beat the Streets has held its annual event at the Seaport District/Pier 17. Top Beat the Streets youth wrestlers will take the mat showcasing their skills in exhibition matches beginning at 3:00 p.m. to kick off the NYC Benefit. For the third straight year, the Benefit will feature the PSAL Girls Freestyle Dual Meet Championships finals, showcasing the two top New York City girl's freestyle wrestling high school teams from the spring girl's freestyle season. Then it's Team USA vs. an international squad at 6:00 p.m. with video highlights and special guest appearances followed by the Beat the Streets Benefit Celebration. Tickets are required for entry and can be purchased at www.btsny.org or 212.245.6570 or by emailing Kate Linker at klinker@btsny.org. The Benefit Celebration at Pier 17 will follow the wrestling competition. This unique and electrifying annual event helps Beat the Streets raise significant funds to further its mission. Whether it's providing a safe, constructive outlet for our urban youth, fighting childhood obesity, empowering women, or uniting entire nations, wrestling teaches persistence, dedication, and the value of working hard to achieve one's goals and creates opportunities for personal and universal growth. BTS currently serve over 3,000 student-athletes every year. 2018 Beat the Streets Wrestling Schedule The Seaport District/Pier 17, New York City, May 17, 2018 3:00 p.m. - Beat the Streets Youth Exhibition Matches 4:45 p.m. - New York City Girl's Freestyle Dual Meet Championships Finals 6:00 p.m. - World Class Wrestling: Team USA vs. international-level squad TBD Followed by Benefit Celebration, Pier 17 About Beat the Streets The mission of Beat the Streets is to develop the full potential of the urban youth and to strengthen the culture of New York City wrestling. BTS works directly with the New York City Department of Education in a public-private partnership to bring the life changing sport of wrestling to over 3,000 New York City student-athletes to help them achieve their personal and athletic goals. Through the operation of wrestling programs in middle and high schools in the five boroughs, BTS and the DOE provide a safe, positive atmosphere in which disadvantaged and at-risk youth can learn the essential life lessons of grit, personal responsibility and teamwork, physical fitness and nutrition, and life-long learning. The goal of fostering strong, well-rounded student-athletes is delivered through coaching, after-school programs, life skills workshops, and summer camps. More information can be found at www.btsny.org. About USA Wrestling USA Wrestling is the National Governing Body for the Sport of Wrestling in the United States and, as such, is its representative to the United States Olympic Committee and United World Wrestling, the international wrestling federation. Simply, USA Wrestling is the central organization that coordinates amateur wrestling programs in the nation and works to create interest and participation in these programs. It has over 220,000 members across the nation, boys and girls, men and women of all ages, representing all levels of the sport. Its president is Bruce Baumgartner, and its Executive Director is Rich Bender. More information can be found at TheMat.com

Who are the all-time greatest wrestlers for a particular college wrestling program? It's a loaded question, sure to stir passionate debate even among wrestling fans who have never set foot on that school's campus. Les Gutches (Photo/Larry Slater)The sportswriters at the Corvallis (Ore.) Gazette-Times were up for the challenge, as they selected a dozen wrestlers -- and six alternates -- to Oregon State's all-time great wrestling team, presented in a flip-through, photo-gallery format. What does it take to be named among the best Beaver mat stars of all time? A conference title -- or, better yet, an NCAA championship -- would appear to be the basic price of admission to the Gazette-Times' list. (It also appears that being an upper-weight wrestler weighs in one's favor.) The list goes back nearly a century, with two 1924 Olympic medalists with ties to Oregon State making the team. Most of the other honorees wrestled in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Here are the Gazette-Times picks for its all-time Oregon State wrestling team, in sequential order, earliest to most recent: Chester "Chet" Newton -- 1924 Olympic silver medalist wrestler who later coached at what was then called Oregon Agricultural College Robin Reed -- 1924 Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler ... three-time AAU (American Amateur Union) champ in the early 1920s ... and coach at OAC Don Conway -- 1961 NCAA champ at 167 pounds ... three-time Pacific Coast Conference champ ... sixth place on the Beavers' all-time winning percentage (.909) with a 40-4 record Jess Lewis -- two-time NCAA heavyweight champ in 1969, 1970 ... 1968 Olympian in Greco-Roman ... No. 1 in win percentage (.987) with a 76-1 mark Jim Crumley -- three-time NCAA All-American at 177 pounds (1970, 1971, 1973) ... three-time Pac-8 champ. Later an assistant coach at Oregon State in the 1980s Roger Weigel -- 1971 NCAA champ at 134 pounds ... three-time Pac-8 titlist Greg Strobel -- two-time 190-pound NCAA champ (1973, 1974) ... NCAA Outstanding Wrestler, 1973 ... second in win percentage (.958) with a 124-5-1 record. (Later head wrestling coach at Lehigh University.) Larry Bielenberg -- 1975 NCAA heavyweight champ ... four-time NCAA All-American ... 94 falls ... ranked fifth in win percentage (.914) Dan Hicks -- two-time NCAA champ at 142 pounds in 1978, 1979 ... No. 7 in win percentage (.898) with a 108-11-3 record Howard Harris -- 1980 NCAA heavyweight champ ... 1980 NCAA Outstanding Wrestler ... four-time NCAA All-American ... ranked No. 1 in career wins (169) .... No. 2 in pins (87) ... tenth in win percentage (.871) Babak Mohammadi -- three-time NCAA All-American (1991, 1992 at 126 pounds; 1994 at 134) Les Gutches -- two-time NCAA champ (1995, 1996) ... 1996 NCAA Outstanding Wrestler ... three-time All-American ... No. 4 in win percentage (.931) ... 1996 Olympian, 1997 World freestyle champ

All-American Tommy Thorn of Minnesota earned an at-large berth at 141 pounds (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA announced the 47 at-large selections for the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Tuesday. The wrestlers, listed in alphabetical order by weight class, join the 283 student-athletes that qualified automatically through their conference tournament finishes over the past two weekends. The at-large selections were made by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee using the following selection criteria: head-to-head competition, quality wins, results against common opponents, winning percentage, rating percentage index, coaches ranking and qualifying event placement. The 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships takes place at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland March 15-17. Wrestling fans can buy and sell official tickets through the NCAA Ticket Exchangeâ„¢. This gives ticket holders who are unable to attend a session a place to safely sell their tickets. Buyers can also get their tickets knowing the tickets are authentic and guaranteed, visit here for more information. Check back here at 6 p.m. Wednesday for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship selection show and brackets. 125: Gage Curry American 22-14 EIWA Barlow McGhee Missouri 15-11 MAC Kyle Norstrem Virginia Tech 11-14 ACC Gerald (JR) Wert Rider 17-7 EWL 133: Josh Finesilver Duke 20-18 ACC Rico Montoya Northern Colo. 23-12 Big 12 Sean Nickell CSU Bakersfield 22-10 Pac 12 Josh Terao American 29-8 EIWA Ben Thornton Purdue 26-11 Big Ten 141: Austin Headlee North Carolina 15-13 ACC Alex Madrigal Old Dominion 20-8 MAC Henry Pohlmeyer South Dakota St. 24-9 Big 12 Russell Rohlfing CSU Bakersfield 22-11 Pac 12 Thomas Thorn Minnesota 18-11 Big Ten Cole Weaver Indiana 24-10 Big Ten 149: Malik Amine Michigan 15-12 Big Ten Davion Jeffries Oklahoma 24-17 Big 12 Khristian Olivas Fresno St. 24-7 Big 12 Justin Oliver Central Mich. 25-5 MAC Taylor Ortz Clarion 26-10 EWL Michael Sprague American 23-13 EIWA 157: Ian Brown Lehigh 17-10 EIWA Larry Early Old Dominion 27-10 MAC Coleman Hammond CSU Bakersfield 27-13 Pac 12 Taleb Rahmani Pittsburgh 17-12 ACC 165: Andrew Atkinson Virginia 19-7 ACC Zachary Carson Eastern Mich. 21-11 MAC Jacob Morrissey Purdue 21-18 Big Ten Quentin Perez Campbell 25-8 SoCon 174: Austin Rose Drexel 20-16 EIWA Will Schany Virginia 18-12 ACC Ty Schoffstall Edinboro 21-3 EWL Devin Skatzka Indiana 22-11 Big Ten Tyrel White Columbia 24-12 EIWA 184: Jordan Ellingwood Central Mich. 25-10 MAC Nick Gravina Rutgers 17-5 Big Ten Canten Marriott Missouri 25-6 MAC Chaz Polson Wyoming 32-11 Big 12 197: Jordan Atienza Central Mich. 19-11 MAC Rocco Caywood Army West Point 19-12 EIWA Randall Diabe Appalachian St. 19-7 SoCon Eric Schultz Nebraska 18-9 Big Ten Jacob Seely Northern Colo. 16-10 Big 12 285: Brett Dempsey American 18-11 EIWA Jake Gunning Buffalo 17-6 MAC Ryan Solomon Pittsburgh 20-9 ACC Matt Voss George Mason 23-11 EWL

Kendric Maple finished runner-up at the World Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) USA Wrestling has named Kendric Maple (Lincoln, Neb./Titan Mercury WC/Nebraska WTC) to its 2018 U.S. Men's Freestyle World Cup Team at 61 kg/134 lbs. Maple will be on the USA Wrestling team which will compete at the 2018 Freestyle World Cup at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on the campus of the University of Iowa, April 7-8. The World Cup is the annual international dual meet championship, and will feature the top eight men's freestyle wrestling teams in the world. Maple, a 2017 U.S. Open champion, will be competing in his first Freestyle World Cup. Maple became a member of the men's freestyle National Team after placing second at the 2017 U.S. World Team Trials. He won a gold medal at the 2017 U.S. Open, and was a 2015 U.S. Open runner-up. Maple added a gold medal at the 2017 Alexander Medved International in Belarus. He was also a 2011 UWW Junior Nationals champion in freestyle. In college, Maple competed for Oklahoma, where he was a 2013 NCAA champion and three-time All-American, also placing fourth in the 2012 NCAA Championships and eighth in the 2014 NCAA Championships. He is currently an assistant wrestling coach at the University of Nebraska, and has previous coaching experience at Purdue and Oklahoma. Maple was a two-time Kansas state champion for Wichita Heights High School. USA Wrestling will announce one World Cup participant in each of the 10 weight classes each day through March 14. In addition to these 10 athletes, additional athletes will be added to the team roster, with at least two wrestlers in each weight class. The USA has drawn into Pool A against the nations of Japan, Georgia, and Iran. Pool B consists of teams from Russia, Azerbaijan, Cuba, and Kazakhstan. Iran is the defending World Cup team champions. This will be the first major international event for the U.S. men's freestyle program, since the United States won the team title at the 2017 World Wrestling Championships in Paris, France last August. It was the first World Team Title for the USA in men's freestyle in 22 years and only the third time in history. Ticket opportunities for the World Cup include a Gold all-session package ($225), a Black all-session package ($150), and standard all-session tickets ($75/$50). Tickets are now available on the University of Iowa Athletics website. Visit worldcupiowacity.com for more information on the event. FREESTYLE WORLD CUP At Iowa City, Iowa, April 7-8 U.S. men's freestyle lineup (as of March 6) 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Thomas Gilman, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) 61 kg/134 lbs. - Kendric Maple, Lincoln, Neb. (Titan Mercury WC/Nebraska WTC) 65 kg/143 lbs. - 70 kg/154 lbs. - 74 kg/163 lbs. - 79 kg/174 lbs. 86 kg/189 lbs. 92 kg/202.5 lbs. - 97 kg/213 lbs. 125 kg/275 lbs. - National Freestyle Coaches - Bill Zadick, Kevin Jackson and Joe Russell (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Honorary Coaches - Dan Gable (Iowa City, Iowa), J Robinson (Minneapolis, Minn.), Mike Duroe (Marion, Iowa) Additional U.S. athletes and delegation members will also be named. KENDRIC MAPLE Residence: Lincoln, Neb. Club: Titan Mercury WC College: Oklahoma High School: Wichita Heights (Kan.) Born: Aug. 19, 1991 Weight Class: 61 kg/134 lbs. • Second in 2017 U.S. World Team Trials • 2017 U.S. Open champion • 2017 Alexander Medved International champion (Belarus) • 2015 U.S. Open runner-up • Fourth in 2015 U.S. World Team Trials • 2011 UWW Junior Nationals champion • 2013 NCAA champion and three-time All-American for Oklahoma

Barry Davis has resigned as Wisconsin's wrestling coach MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin wrestling coach Barry Davis resigned on Monday, ending his 25-year tenure as the Badgers' head coach. Davis will coach the Badgers through the NCAA Championships on March 15-17. "I want to thank Barry for all he's done for Wisconsin wrestling throughout his time here," Wisconsin Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez said. "I've known Barry for a long time, back to my days as an assistant coach at Iowa and he is one of the most genuine people I've ever met. He has left an indelible mark on Wisconsin wrestling." "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Wisconsin," Davis said. "I've worked with lots of great people and many tremendous student-athletes. This University will always hold a special place in my heart." Davis, a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, coached 26 All-Americans, eight Big Ten champions and three NCAA champions while at Wisconsin. He was named NWCA National Coach of the Year in 2010 after leading UW to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA championships. Davis is Wisconsin's all-time winningest coach and led the Badgers to 15 top-20 finishes at the NCAA championships. Prior to being named the head coach at Wisconsin, Davis spent seven years as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Iowa. While a student at Iowa, Davis won four Big Ten titles, earned All-America honors all four years and won three NCAA Championships. A two-time Olympian, he won a Silver Medal at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

Minnesota's state tournament is held at the Xcel Energy Center (Photo/David Peterson) Some Minnesota high schools have a serious weight problem: finding enough wrestlers to fill all 14 weight classes for dual meets. In an attempt to solve that problem, the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association has proposed cutting the number of weight classes from 14 to 12. The MWCA is concerned that there are too many non-competitive duals because a number of teams do not have enough wrestlers to complete the standard 14-athlete lineup. The association's concerns were backed up by a survey it conducted last fall, asking high school coaches about a potential reduction in weight classes. Of the 162 coaches who responded, 144 coaches said they would be in favor of eliminating at least one weight class; 61 said they would prefer cutting two weight classes. Based on survey results, the MWCA proposal recommends a two-year trial period in which teams could take double-forfeits at 106 and 195 pounds, in essence creating a 12-weight dual meet. Large school teams with full rosters could still wrestle 14 weights if agreed upon in advance. In Minnesota, a number of small schools have formed co-ops -- partnerships bringing together wrestlers from two or more programs into one team -- to ensure they have enough wrestlers to compete in a dual meet. Coaches contacted by the Star-Tribune have mixed feelings about the MWCA proposal. Brandon McAfee, coach at Minneapolis North which is in the process of building its program, said that his school has had to forfeit at least two matches in every dual meet this season. "At times, it was tough. We had a couple of spots where we had consistent forfeits. On average, we would fill out 10 to 12 weights." McAfee believes fewer weights will be boost to the sport's overall health. "I think it would be beneficial, especially to the small schools. It might help some schools stay out of co-ops and remain independent," he said. "I feel for the Class A schools that are having to struggle," said Dan LeFebvre, coach of the St. Michael-Albertville program that won the Class 3A championship just last week. However, he worries that cutting weight classes means fewer opportunities for high school wrestlers.

Thomas Gilman won a silver medal at 57 kilograms (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) USA Wrestling has named Thomas Gilman (Iowa City, Iowa/Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) to its 2018 U.S. Men's Freestyle World Cup Team at 57 kg/125,5 lbs. Gilman will be on the USA Wrestling team at the 2018 Freestyle World Cup at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on the campus of the University of Iowa, April 7-8. The World Cup is the annual international dual meet championship, and will feature the top eight men's freestyle wrestling teams in the world. Gilman, a 2017 World silver medalist, is competing in his first Freestyle World Cup. He won a silver medal at the 2017 World Championships in Paris, France at 57 kg/125.5 lbs., competing on his first Senior World Team. He also competed on three age-group World Teams for the United States, including winning a 2014 Junior World bronze medal. He was a 2017 Grand Prix of Spain champion. At the World Cup, Gilman will be competing in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, where he was a star for the University of Iowa during his college career. Gilman was a three-time All-American for the Hawkeyes, placing second at the 2016 NCAA Championships, third at the 2017 NCAA Championships and fourth at the 2014 NCAA Championships. He attended Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha, Neb., where he was a four-time state champion. Starting today, USA Wrestling will announce one World Cup participant in each of the 10 weight classes each day through March 14. In addition to these 10 athletes, additional athletes will be added to the team roster, with at least two wrestlers in each weight class. The USA has drawn into Pool A against the nations of Japan, Georgia, and Iran. Pool B consists of teams from Russia, Azerbaijan, Cuba, and Kazakhstan. Iran is the defending World Cup team champions. This will be the first major international event for the U.S. men's freestyle program, since the United States won the team title at the 2017 World Wrestling Championships in Paris, France last August. It was the first World Team Title for the USA in men's freestyle in 22 years and only the third time in history. Ticket opportunities for the World Cup include a Gold all-session package ($225), a Black all-session package ($150), and standard all-session tickets ($75/$50). Tickets are now available on the University of Iowa Athletics website. Visit worldcupiowacity.com for more information on the event. FREESTYLE WORLD CUP At Iowa City, Iowa, April 7-8 U.S. men's freestyle lineup (as of March 5) 57 kg/125.5 lbs. - Thomas Gilman, Iowa City, Iowa (Titan Mercury WC/Hawkeye WC) 61 kg/134 lbs. - 65 kg/143 lbs. - 70 kg/154 lbs. - 74 kg/163 lbs. - 79 kg 86 kg/189 lbs. 92 kg/ 97 kg/213 lbs. 125 kg/275 lbs. - National Freestyle Coaches - Bill Zadick, Kevin Jackson and Joe Russell (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Honorary Coaches - Dan Gable (Iowa City, Iowa), J Robinson (Minneapolis, Minn.), Mike Duroe (Marion, Iowa) Additional U.S. athletes and delegation members will also be named. THOMAS GILMAN Residence: Iowa City, Iowa Club: Titan Mercury WC College: Iowa High School: Omaha, Neb. (Skutt Catholic) Born: May 28, 1994 Weight Class: 57 kg/125.5 lbs. • 2017 World silver medalist • 2014 Junior World bronze medalist • Two-time Junior World Team member (2013-14) • 2011 Cadet World Team member • 2017 Grand Prix of Spain champion • Three-time NCAA All-American for Iowa (2015-17) • 2017 Big Ten champion • Four-time Nebraska state champion for Omaha Skutt Catholic High School

Keiser University will be adding wrestling to its slate of varsity athletic programs beginning for the 2019-20 academic year and has hired Joe Bertolone as head coach, the Florida college announced last week. Bertolone will bring more than 40 years of coaching experience to Keiser, having directed a handful of high school programs. Prior to becoming a coach, he won back-to-back NCAA Division III titles as a wrestler at John Carroll University in Cleveland in 1974 and 1975. For all these accomplishments, Bertolone has earned a number of honors, including being welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Florida Chapter in 2012, John Carroll University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985, NCAA Division III Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1996, and Broward County Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2015. "I'm truly excited to lay the groundwork for the Keiser University wrestling program," said Bertolone. "Never stop dreaming, even after 40 years!" Kris Swogger, Keiser Director of Athletics, offered this explanation as to why the school is adding wrestling. "There are a lot of great high school wrestling programs in Florida, and we are excited to provide those student-athletes the opportunity to stay home and compete in the sport they love," according to Swogger. With the addition of wrestling, Keiser will be able to claim 25 varsity teams. The Seahawks will compete in the NAIA, joining 58 existing National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics wrestling programs. Keiser will become the second Sun Conference institution, along with Southeastern University, to sponsor men's wrestling as an NAIA varsity sport. Keiser University is a four-year private school located in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with satellite campuses throughout Florida.

Ohio State won the team title at the Big Ten Championships with 164.5 points EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Ohio State grasped the 2018 Big Ten Wrestling title by accumulating the most team points (164.5) at the conference championships in 16 years (Minnesota, 174.0 in 2002). The 10-man lineup captured four individual titles, seven finals appearances and nine top-3 showings. All 10 Buckeyes also earned automatic bids to the 2018 NCAA Championships (March 15-17) in Cleveland. TOP-5 TEAMS 1st | Ohio State 164.5 points 2nd | Penn State 148.0 3rd | Michigan 118.0 4th | Iowa 90.5 5th | Nebraska 72.5 INDIVIDUAL BUCKEYE CHAMPIONS Nathan Tomasello | 125 lbs • One of just 16 wrestlers in the 106-year history of the Big Ten Championships to become a four-time champion) • Avenged his lone loss of the season, defeating Iowa's Spencer Lee in the Semifinals • NCAA Championships to be hosted at Quicken Loans in Cleveland, Ohio; less than 10 miles from the house he grew up in) Joey McKenna | 141 lbs • Third straight conference title after back-to-back Pac-12 trophies at Stanford in 2016 and 2017 • Did not surrender a single point during the entire tournament • Closed it out with a 13-0 major decision in the Finals Kollin Moore | 197 lbs • Second consecutive Big Ten title, yet to lose a match in his career at the B1G Championships Kyle Snyder | HWT • Third straight Big Ten title • Avenged his only collegiate loss in the last three years by topping Adam Coon in sudden victory period number two • Weighed in 59 pounds less than Coon Sunday morning (283.6 lbs to 224.6 lbs) BUCKEYES BITS • Ohio State registered an overall record of 33-7 for the weekend • Bonus points came in 14 bouts for Ohio State (four pins, three tech falls and six major decisions) • This marks Ohio State's fifth Big Ten Wrestling title in school history (1923, 1951, 2015, 2017, 2018).

Oklahoma State claims sixth consecutive team title at the Big 12 Championships TULSA, Okla. -- The Oklahoma State wrestling team claimed its sixth consecutive team title at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship Sunday, adding individual championships from Nick Piccininni at 125 pounds, Boo Lewallen at 149 pounds, Chandler Rogers at 165 pounds and Derek White at heavyweight. OSU finished with 137 team points, beating second-place Northern Iowa by 40.5 points. The Cowboys' four individual champions was the most in the conference, while no other team had more than two. The team championship also marks coach John Smith's 20th career conference title and OSU's 52nd overall conference title in wrestling. With the addition of the four individual champions Sunday, OSU now has 102 Big 12 champions and 281 conference champions in its wrestling history. "It was a good night with four champs," coach Smith said. "I really thought we wrestled well (at those weights) … It's good to take the trophy home and put it in the trophy case." Piccininni started the evening with a bang for the Cowboys, taking down No. 3 seed Zeke Moisey inside the first minute of the match and wrestling him to his a back for the fall in just 1:11. It marked his second Big 12 title in as many appearances. "It was great," Piccininni said. "I just wanted to come out and wrestle hard. Both (this year's and last year's titles) were good, but this one feels good…I performed to the standard that I wanted to. I didn't hold back like I did in those earlier matches. I just kind of let loose and tried to have fun with it. That was my main goal." OSU's second title of the evening came by way of a 9-3 decision from Boo Lewallen over No. 1-seeded Max Thomsen of Northern Iowa. With the score tied at 3-3 late in the second period, Lewallen managed a takedown and nearfall in the final 20 seconds to separate the score. He added another takedown and escape in the final period to lock up his first Big 12 title in his first appearance. "It's a great feeling. It took a lot of hard work, a lot of time behind the scenes," Lewallen said. "It was a great moment…(Takedowns) are my emphasis right now. If I'm shooting, I'm scoring and I'm winning. If I'm not shooting, it's not looking good for me." After runner-up finishes as a freshman and sophomore each of the past two seasons, Rogers claimed his first Big 12 title with a 12-9 decision over North Dakota State's fourth-seeded Andrew Fogarty. Rogers started quickly with a takedown in the first 30 seconds and nearly ended it with a fall, but it was enough to jump out to a 6-0 lead and set the tone for the rest of the bout. Rogers added a pair of escapes and takedowns and held off a late surge from Fogarty to win the title. "It's my first time winning a Big 12 title. It's satisfying, and it's great winning in Tulsa. We've got a great fanbase and this was a fun tournament. It's fun to win these things…It was satisfying to come out here and win. I wish I would have won in a better way, but that's just how it is." OSU's fourth title came in the last bout of the event as White earned a 13-6 decision over No. 3 seed AJ Nevills of Fresno State. White's consistent approach gave him four points in each period and only allowed Nevills to score via releases from White. It also gave White a Big 12 title in his first appearance at the event. "I felt good and ready to go every match," White said. "It was fun being out there. I didn't really get the competition that I'll be getting in Cleveland, but it was good preparation." Two other Cowboys also made it to the final round, but Kaid Brock and Dean Heil came up short in close matches. Heil nearly won his fourth career Big 12 title, but fell just short of knocking off No. 1 seed Bryce Meredith of Wyoming in the 141-pound finals. Trailing by three points with less than 20 seconds remaining, Heil scored on a reversal and nearly took Meredith to his back to claim a last second win, but Meredith managed to hold him off to seal a 6-5 decision. Brock faced off with top-seeded Seth Gross of South Dakota State in the 133-pound final. In a back-and-forth match that came down to the final minute, Brock fell by way of a 8-5 decision to the defending Big 12 champion. The Cowboys now turn their attention to the NCAA Wrestling Championships, scheduled for March 15-17 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Missouri won its seventh straight conference title at the MAC Championships (Photo/MUTigers.com) MT. PLEASANT, Mich. -- No. 3 Mizzou Wrestling (19-0, 7-0 MAC) captured its seventh straight conference title at the 2018 Mid-American Conference Championships, as seven Tigers claimed individual conference titles. With 170 points, Mizzou reset the conference record for points scored at a conference tournament for the second consecutive season and third time overall since joining the league in 2013, surpassing its previous totals of 154.5 points in 2017 and 139.5 points in 2015. Claiming conference championships for Mizzou was redshirt junior 133-pounder John Erneste (Kansas City, Mo.), redshirt sophomore 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.), redshirt junior 149-pounder Grant Leeth (Kearney, Mo.), redshirt senior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.), redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Connor Flynn (Dardenne Prairie, Mo.), redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) and redshirt senior 197-pounder Willie Miklus (Altoona, Iowa). Mizzou's seven conference champions is a program-best, surpassing its 2017 total of six. Lewis became the sixth wrestler in program history to win at least three conference titles, while Erneste, Eierman and Lavallee claimed their second conference titles. Leeth, Flynn and Miklus all won conference titles for the first time in their careers. All seven wrestlers clinched berths to the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships with their title performances at the MAC Championships. TEAM SCORES Mizzou ended the tournament with 177 points, a 22.5 point increase from its 154.5 points it scored at the 2017 MAC Championships. Finishing runner-up behind Mizzou was Central Michigan with 125 points, while Eastern Michigan finished third with 120.5 points. Kent State finished fourth with 98 points, followed by Ohio (84.5 points), Buffalo (81 points), Old Dominion (80 points) and Northern Illinois (78 points). NOTABLE TIGERS Lewis put Central Michigan's CJ Brucki on his back at 1:33 for a pin to claim his third conference title. With two falls in the tournament, Lewis now has a team-leading 16 falls this season and 35 in his career. Among program records, Lewis ranks eighth and sixth, respectively. The Tiger junior joins J'den Cox (2014-17), Drake Houdashelt (2012-15), Ben Askren (2004, 06-07), Nick Marable (2008-10) and Alan Waters (2012-13, 15) as the only wrestlers in program history to claim at least three conference titles. Lewis enters the NCAA Tournament with a perfect 29-0 mark on the season with 25 wins coming by bonus points as the two-time All-American has recorded 16 falls, five technical falls and four major decisions. At 197 pounds, Miklus put Eastern Michigan's Derek Hillman on his back for a pin at 2:58 to claim his first career conference title. The fall was Miklus' 27th of his career, moving him into a five-way tie for the ninth-most career falls in program history. With three wins in the tournament, Miklus improves to 21-3 on the season, with 16 wins coming by bonus points (six falls, seven technical falls, three major decisions). Following two falls on Saturday, Eierman recorded a 24-9 technical fall over No. 2-seed Mason Smith (Central Michigan) to claim his second consecutive title. The Tiger sophomore improves to 28-1 on the season with 21 wins coming with bonus points. Eierman's 14 falls on the season only trail Lewis' 16 on the team. At 149 pounds, Leeth captured his first conference title with a 9-0 major decision over Ohio's Kade Kowalski. Leeth will be riding a 17-match win streak heading into his first NCAA appearance, as the Tiger junior has not lost since the Lindenwood Open on Nov. 18. The Kearney, Mo., native will enter the NCAA Championships with a 22-2 record with six wins coming by bonus points (one fall, two technical falls, three major decisions). Lavallee defeated Kent State's Casey Sparkman, 8-2, to win his second consecutive MAC title at 157 pounds. The returning NCAA finalist will enter his fourth NCAA Tournament with a 28-1 mark, with 19 of his victories coming by bonus points (six falls, six technical falls, seven major decisions). Lavallee's three wins in the tournament give him 111 career victories, moving him above two-time All-American and current UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley (110 wins) for the 14th-most wins in program history. Erneste captured his second straight conference title with a 4-2 win over Buffalo's Bryan Lantry. Erneste will wrestle in his second NCAA Tournament in Cleveland after advancing to the round of 12 in 2017. The Tiger junior enters the tournament with a record of 22-2 with 10 bonus point wins (seven falls, three major decisions). After taking fourth at the 2016 Big 12 Championships while wrestling for West Virginia and redshirting last season, Flynn captured his first MAC title at 165 pounds with a 10-5 win over Eastern Michigan's Zac Carson. Flynn will enter his first NCAA Tournament with a 24-7 record on the season, with 13 victories coming by bonus points (four falls, five technical falls, four major decisions). QUOTABLES Mizzou Head Coach Brian Smith "I was really pleased with everyone's effort this weekend. It took a real team effort, my staff put in a lot of hard work and time to get everybody prepared. We had to deal with a few things that were out of our control, but we tried to focus on what we could control, and everyone did a really good job managing what we were dealt. On the mat, we wrestled our best on the second day of the tournament, which is a big positive. We came out pushing the pace in matches and scored bonus points in numerous finals matches, which I was pleased with. I'm really excited to see what this team can do at the National Tournament. We'll take care of logistics over the next few days, then we'll get locked in for Cleveland. We'll work on a few small things on the mat, but this team has been very consistent throughout the whole year, so we won't be changing much of anything. We are going to have a lot of good seeds at Nationals, now it's a matter of going out and executing on the big stage." UP NEXT Mizzou now turns its attention to the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships, which will be held March 15-17 in Cleveland, Ohio. A Selection Show for the NCAA Championships will air on Wednesday, March 7, at 5 p.m. (CT). Mizzou wrestlers redshirt senior 125-pounder Barlow McGhee (Rock Island, Ill.) and redshirt freshman 184-pounder Canten Marriott (Excelsior Springs, Mo.) will be seeking at-large bids to the NCAA Championships, which will be announced Monday evening. For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).

Lehigh claimed the EIWA title HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Lehigh's 35th EIWA team championship was sealed with a pin. Needing a victory from junior Ryan Preisch to clinch their first title since 2006, the Mountain Hawks clinched the title in style as Preisch used a half nelson to pin Cornell's Max Dean in 4:31 Sunday at Hofstra's Mack Sports Complex. The Mountain Hawks went 5-for-5 in finals bouts, claiming five individual champions for the first time since 2003, and after leading Cornell by a slim margin for most of the two-day event, it was the fourth individual title that sealed the deal. Lehigh finished with 164.5 points, to defeat the Big Red by 18.5 points. Senior Darian Cruz won his third consecutive EIWA title at 125, while junior Scott Parker won his second straight at 133. Sophomore Jordan Kutler (174) and freshman Jordan Wood (285) also claimed individual titles. The Mountain Hawks placed nine wrestlers and qualified nine for the NCAA Championships in Cleveland. "That was a great way to seal it," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said of Preisch's pin. "I'm just proud of these guys. They've worked really hard. We've wanted this for a long time. Cornell's a great team. They've done amazing things over the last decade, so we're happy about getting this one." Lehigh also swept the major individual awards with Preisch claiming both the Coaches' Trophy (Outstanding Wrestler) and Sheridan Trophy (Most Falls in the Championship Bracket). Cruz won the Fletcher Trophy (Career Team Points Scored at EIWA Tournament), while Santoro was named Coach of the Year for the fourth time. Remarkably, Lehigh won five finals bouts with the aid of just one takedown. "When you get to the finals, there's a lot of game-planning going on," Santoro said. "You have to be mentally tough. You have to be really tough when you come to this tournament or the NCAA Tournament. You have to win matches that you don't feel comfortable winning and that's what a lot of our guys did today." After a 14-1 major decision over Binghamton's Joe Nelson in the semifinals, Cruz met Noah Baughman in the first of three head-to-head finals battles between Lehigh and Cornell. A second period escape by Cruz proved to be the only points in a 1-0 decision. Parker also had a tough battle against a Big Red foe. Tied 1-1 with Chaz Tucker through regulation and sudden victory, Parker escaped in the first half of the tiebreaker and then rode out to win 2-1. Earlier in the day, Parker posed an impressive 10-3 decision over American's Josh Terao. "I'm happy for both those guys at the top," Santoro said. "Scott has been through a lot this year and to win this in Darian's senior year has been great for him too. Those guys got it started tonight. We wanted to win five. That was the goal, and they accomplished it." Kutler became Lehigh's third champion with a 2-0 decision over Navy's Jadaen Bernstein. He used a strong ride to ride out the second period and escaped early in the third for the only scoring of the bout. Earlier Kutler advanced to the finals with a 9-2 win over Cornell's Brandon Womack. Preisch posted two falls on day two, opening the day by pinning CJ LaFragola of Brown in 3:54 in the semifinals. In his finals match with Dean, Preisch scored a takedown and two point near fall to lead 4-0 after one period, then added four near fall to open the second period before flattening Dean with a lethal power half, getting the mat slap in 4:31 and sending Lehigh's team and fans into a frenzy. "He started getting his timing back," Santoro said of Preisch. "Being out for two months is tough. He was just tenacious. He really wanted to get this done." Lehigh's finals run concluded with a win by Wood over 10th-ranked Michael Hughes of Hofstra, the No. 1 seed. Tied 1-1 through regulation and sudden victory, Wood escaped 12 seconds into the first half of the tiebreaker and was able to keep the 285-pound Hughes down in the second half to seal the 2-1, tiebreaker win. Wood is the first Lehigh freshman to win an EIWA title since Randy Cruz in 2013 and just the second since 2003. He advanced to the finals with a 4-1 win over Columbia's Garrett Ryan in the semifinals. Freshman Luke Karam rebounded from a 5-2 semifinal loss to Bucknell's Tyler Smith in the semifinals to win a pair of 1-0 matches in the consolations to finish third and punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships. At 149, junior Cortlandt Schuyler secured his first NCAA berth with a fourth place finish. Schuyler fell in the semifinals but earned his trip to Cleveland with a takedown and four point near fall in sudden victory to knock off American's Michael Sprague 7-1. Junior Gordon Wolf will return to the NCAA Championships for the second time, this time following a fifth place finish at 165. Wolf claimed his NCAA bid with a technical fall victory over Drexel's Ebed Jarrell. After a loss to Penn's May Bethea in the consolation semifinals, Wolf earned two big bonus points as we was awarded a medical forfeit win in the fifth place bout. Freshman Chris Weiler's day started strong with a 3-0 takedown edge against top seed Ben Darmstadt of Cornell in the semifinals at 197, but a third period reversal from Darmstadt and four-point near fall gave him a 10-6 decision. Weiler dropped his next two bouts and finished sixth, but qualified yesterday for the NCAA Championships. Two-time EIWA Champion and three-time All-American Joe Peritore '67 and the late John Harmon '59, a generous Lehigh benefactor known in particular for his support of Lehigh wrestling, who passed away in September were among the members of the EIWA Hall of Fame Class inducted prior to the start of the finals session. Lehigh's nine automatic qualifiers will now move on to the NCAA Championships, March 15-17 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Junior Ian Brown, the only Mountain Hawk EIWA entrant to not place, will learn his NCAA fate when at-large selections and brackets for the NCAA Championships are announced Wednesday. "This was a great win tonight, but we have to look forward," Santoro said. "We want to be celebrating in two weeks with guys that are national champions and All-Americans. That's the goal for us." Top Five Team Scores 1. Lehigh 164.5 2. Cornell 146 3. Princeton 93 4. Drexel 86.5 5. Navy 83

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Ohio State sits atop the team standings after Day One of the 2018 Big Ten Wrestling Championships at the Breslin Center. The Buckeyes racked up 137.5 points, building a 13.5-point cushion over No. 1 Penn State (124 points) entering Sunday's action. Michigan rounds out of the Top-3 with 100.00 points. BUCKEYE BITS • Seven Buckeyes advanced to the finals • Nine tickets were punched to the NCAA Championships for Ohio State • Ohio State registered an overall record of 23-4 on the day • Bonus points came in 11 bouts for Ohio State (four pins, three tech falls and three major decisions) Micah Jordan advanced to the finalsSession III begins at noon ET on Sunday with consolation action. The finals are set to air live on the Big Ten Network starting at 3 p.m. The seven Buckeye finalists are: Nathan Tomasello (125 lbs), Luke Pletcher (133 lbs), Joey McKenna (141 lbs), Micah Jordan (157 lbs), Myles Martin (184 lbs), Kollin Moore (197 lbs) and Kyle Snyder (HWT). Micah Jordan delivered the night's biggest highlight, pinning previously-unbeaten and top-seeded Michael Kemerer of Iowa in the semifinals. The Hawkeye had entered the bout at 24-0 and was leading 1-0 when Jordan took him to his back and finished off the fall. It marks Jordan's team-leading ninth pin of the season and the 20th in his career. This came after Jordan topped All-American Tyler Berger (Nebraska) in the quarterfinals. Nathan Tomasello and Luke Pletcher also had thrilling semifinal triumphs, both getting through via one-point wins. Tomasello's advancement came in a vengeful manner, handing Iowa's Spencer Lee a 2-1 season equalizer after coming up short against Lee back in the January dual. A takedown with 25 seconds remaining in the bout was the difference, causing an `O-H I-O' Chang to breakout inside the MSU arena. Pletcher flashed some late-match heroics in the semifinals as well, picking up the tying takedown with 20 seconds left in regulation. He completely erased a 3-0 deficit by garnering three consecutive takedowns, the third of which came quickly in sudden victory for the 6-4 win over Minnesota's Mitch McKee. Pletcher walked the tight rope all day long, registering his three wins by a total of just five points. Joey McKenna pinned 2017 B1G finalist, Javier Gasca III (Michigan State), in the opening round before shutting out the subsequent two opponents by final tallies of 6-0 and 4-0. It took less than five seconds for his first semifinals takedown, riding out Nate Limmex (Purdue) for 2:55 in the first period. He would then grind out the 6-0 decision. Myles Martin maintained his blistering bonus point pace, notching a pin and tech fall in the first two rounds. He now owns 11 tech falls, six major decisions and five pins in 27 total wins. Kollin Moore followed up a first-round bye with 10-4 and 5-3 decisions for his slot in the 197-pound finals. Kyle Snyder banked a boat-load of bonus points much like Martin did. He earned two major decisions and a tech fall during his three-bout run to the heavyweight finals. Most impressive, he served fourth-ranked Nick Neville's of Penn State a 14-5 loss. Ke-Shawn Hayes and Bo Jordan also chipped in to the team score by advancing to the semifinals. Both were bonus point contributors as well, donating a major decision from Hayes and Jordan's fall.

Joey Lavallee is one of seven MAC finalists for Missouri (Photo/MUTigers.com) MT. PLEASANT, Mich. -- No. 3 Mizzou Wrestling (19-0, 7-0 MAC) closed an extremely successful first day of the 2018 Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships by advancing seven wrestlers to the tournament's finals on Sunday. In the 14 matches wrestled by Mizzou's seven finalists, 11 matches were won by bonus points, including six by fall. In addition to seven wrestlers wrestling for a conference championship tomorrow, four Mizzou grapplers have already qualified a spot at the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. Redshirt junior 133-pounder John Erneste (Kansas City, Mo.), redshirt sophomore 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.), redshirt senior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.) and redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) each punched their trips to Cleveland with two wins on Saturday. TEAM SCORES Mizzou finishes the opening day of competition with a commanding lead, as its 134.5 points sits 34 points ahead of second-place Eastern Michigan, who has 100.5 points. Mizzou has its sights sets on resetting the conference point record for the third time since joining the league in 2013, as it needs just 20 points to surpass its 2017 record-total of 154.5 points. NOTABLE TIGERS Eierman was the lone Tiger to pick up two falls on the day, as the Tiger sophomore never made it past the first period, pinning Northern Illinois' Anthony Rubino at 0:58 and Ohio's Mari Guillen at 1:29. The falls were Eierman's 13th and 14th on the season, as he improves to 27-1 on the season with 20 wins coming with bonus points. Eierman will face Central Michigan's Mason Smith tomorrow in the finals. At 174 pounds, Lewis recorded a fall and technical to improve to 28-0 on the season and advance to the MAC finals for the third consecutive season. The Tiger junior pinned Buffalo's Austin Weigel at 1:57 in his opening match before defeating Kent State's Dylan Barreiro by 15-0 technical fall (7:00) in the semifinals. The technical fall was Lewis' 10th career technical fall, which moves him into a four-way tie for eighth place all-time in program history. Lewis will wrestle Central Michigan's CJ Brucki in the finals. Wrestling in his first MAC Tournament, redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Connor Flynn (Dardenne Prairie, Mo.) advanced to the finals with a 16-0 techincal fall (4:49) over Old Dominion's Shane Jones and a fall at 2:58 over Kent State's Isaac Bast. In tomorrow's finals, Flynn will wrestle Eastern Michigan's Zac Carson. At 197 pounds, Miklus clinched a spot in the finals with two technical falls, beating Northern Illinois' Max Ihry 16-1 (5:29) and Ohio's Aaron Naples 16-1 (7:00). The two 15-point wins gives Miklus 11 career technical falls, which moves him into a tie for sixth-most all-time. Miklus will wrestle Eastern Michigan's Derek Hillman tomorrow in the finals. UP NEXT Mizzou looks to capture its seventh straight conference championship tomorrow as it wraps up competition at the MAC Championships. The action will begin with the consolation semifinals at 11:30 a.m. (ET), with the finals and remaining place matches beginning at 1 p.m. (ET). A live stream of the event will be available on ESPN 3. For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).

Virginia Tech won its second straight ACC title CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Virginia Tech claimed its second straight ACC Championship, the fourth in program history, on Saturday at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, N.C., edging out second place NC State by a score of 81.0-73.0. Individually, the Hokies had four wrestlers earn individual titles out of seven finalists. The winners were redshirt senior Dennis Gustafson at 133 pounds, redshirt freshman Brent Moore at 141, redshirt sophomore David McFadden at 165 and redshirt senior Jared Haught at 197. Redshirt junior Ryan Blees, freshman Hunter Bolen and redshirt junior Zack Zavatsky placed second. Moore was the named the tournament's Most Valuable Wrestler. He went 2-0 on Saturday with a major decision over North Carolina's A.C. Headlee and a 6-4 decision in sudden victory overtime over two-time defending ACC champion Kevin jack of NC State, the nation's fifth-ranked wrestler at 141. Moore is the Hokies' first MVW since Devin Carter earned the award at the 2014 tournament. The Hokies' four individual titles was their least at an ACC Championship in which they took home the team title. Bonus points in the quarters and semifinals helped propel Tech to its fourth ACC title in program history. HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FINALS Trialing Virginia's Jack Mueller 7-5 with under a minute left in the third period, Gustafson got deep on a shot and secured the takedown on the edge of the mat. He then was able to get Mueller on his back and picked up four near fall points. With riding time, he registered up an 11-7 decision, book ending his Virginia Tech career with another ACC title. Two weeks ago, NC State's Kevin Jack defeated Moore by technical fall in Raleigh. The bout at 141 on Saturday between Moore and Jack was completely different than the first from the whistle. Despite a scoreless first period, Moore was cautioned for stalling. Moore started the second period on top but Jack struck first on a reversal. He picked up two more on a takedown with the clock expiring in the second period that made it 4-1 entering the third period. Moore quickly escaped at the start of the third and picked up two to tie the score at 4-4. McFadden's win at 165 was a workmanlike, 22-9, major decision over Duke's Zach Finesilver. It was the redshirt sophomore's first ACC title and his record improved to 31-0 on the season. Haught's win over second-seeeded Michael Macchiavello of NC State in the finals was nothing short of epic. It took five tiebreaker periods to decide the winner. In the final tiebreaker, Haught secured a reversal that made it 6-3. Macchiavello escaped to make it 6-4 but it wasn't enough as Haught defended his conference title. HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MORNING Bonus point wins proved to be key in the Hokies' run to the ACC title as Tech tallied six bonuses between the quarters and the finals. Along with Moore's major decision over Headlee, the Hokies saw majors from Blees over Brandon Leynaud of Duke in the quarterfinals, McFadden over Pitt's Jake Wentzel, Zavatsky over Pitt's Gregg Harvery and Haught's major over Duke's Alec Schenk. After Blees' major over Leynaud, he avenged a regular season loss to second-seeded Beau Donahue of NC State in the semifinals with a 6-4 decision that clinched him a spot in the finals and an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. The Hokies have eight wrestlers that automatically qualified for the NCAA Championship in Cleveland on Saturday; Gustafson, Moore, Blees, McFadden, Bolen, Zavatsky, Haught and redshirt freshman Andrew Dunn. Tech's eight qualifiers are its most since 2015-16 when the Hokies also sent eight grapplers to nationals in New York City. FINAL TEAM SCORE 1. Virginia Tech, 81.0 2. NC State, 73.0 3. North Carolina, 52.5 4. Duke, 47.5 5. Virginia, 34.0 6. Pitt, 33.5

Grand View claimed its seventh straight NAIA national title (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) DES MOINES, Iowa -- (Team Scores | Brackets) The Vikings of Grand View (Iowa) continues the rewrite the wrestling record book as the program won an unprecedented seventh straight team title at the 2018 NAIA Wrestling National Championships. The 61st annual event took place at the Jacobson Exhibition Center. Grand View, fueled by 10 All-Americans, scored 171.5 team points. The victory makes the Vikings the fourth program in collegiate wrestling history to win seven-straight team titles, joining NCAA Division I Iowa (nine-straight 1978-86), NCAA Division I Oklahoma State (seven-straight 1937-1949) and then-NCAA Division II Cal Poly (seven-straight 1968-1974). All three of Grand View's finalists won national titles. Grant Henderson at 165 pounds was the first champion on the night for the Vikings, as the senior downed Andrew Simmons of Missouri Valley, 6-2, to claim his second-straight individual medal. Two weight classes later, Evan Hansen joined in with a major decision (17-4) against Dalton Bailey of Life (Ga.) in a rematch of the 2017 banner match. Four-time All-American Dean Broghammer capped the evening for Grand View - and his career - with an 8-4 win against returning national champion Demetrius Thomas of Williams Baptist (Ark.). Broghammer also won the national title in 2016. Cumberlands (Ky.) found itself securely in second-place in the team standings with 107.0 team points, followed by Williams Baptist (86.5 points) and Montana State-Northern (81.5 points). The Patriots' Jake Sinkovics ended his tremendous collegiate career with his first national title. The 133-pounder used a takedown in the closing seconds of the third period to win 9-6 over Erique Early of Indiana Tech. Hayden Lee at 125 pounds also won a title for Cumberlands, while 149-pounder Tres Leon finished second to Lindsey Wilson's Cam Tessari. Program history was made for Life (Ga.) this evening, as Nosomy Pozo won the 157-pound championship. He defeated returning national champion Brandon Weber of Montana-State Northern, 4-3, in a highly contested bout. The victory makes him the first-ever national champion in school history. Seniors Charles Sharon of Campbellsville (Ky.) (184 pounds) and Tyler Fraley of Williams Baptist (Ark.) (141 pounds) both ended their careers with medals. Sharon, who finished second at the 2017 championships, knocked off Zach Linton of Doane (Neb.), 10-3, while Fraley defeated Matt Weber of Montana State-Northern in sudden victory, 6-4. Lastly, Baker's Lucas Lovvorn won the fourth national title in program history with a 6-2 decision against Adrian Lyons-Lopez at 174 pounds.

Lock Haven won its first EWL title since 1997 EDINBORO, Pa. -- The nationally-ranked Lock Haven University wrestling team crowned three individual champions and nine Bald Eagles placed as LHU powered its way to the 2018 Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) team title. It marked the second EWL championship in school history and the first since the Bald Eagles won the title in 1997. Ronnie Perry (Christiana, Pa./Solanco), Alex Klucker (Summerdale, Pa./East Pennsboro) and Corey Hazel (Spring Mills, Pa./Penns Valley) all claimed individual EWL titles while Chance Marsteller (New Park, Pa./Kennard-Dale) and Thomas Haines (Quarryville, Pa./Solanco) both placed second. Those five along with Kyle Shoop (Boiling Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs) all booked trips to the NCAA Division I Championships. The six NCAA qualifiers mark the most since LHU had six in 2005 and the three individual EWL champions are the most since the Bald Eagles also had three in 2001. Perry's title marked the second straight season he claimed an individual title. Last season he won the 141-pound title. He's also now a three-time NCAA championship qualifier and will make his second straight trip the sports' biggest stage. For Shoop and Haines, it also marks back-to-back NCAA trips. Klucker, Hazel and Marsteller will all make their NCAA debuts for Lock Haven later this month in Cleveland. Tristan Sponseller (East Berlin, Pa./Bermudian Springs), who hadn't competed since the Virginia Duals on January 12, returned to the Bald Eagle lineup and took third at 197. He was 3-1 on the day. Shoop was third at 141 and earned a trip to the NCAA tournament. He was 3-1 on the day. Luke Werner (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) was fourth at 125 after going 2-2 and DJ Fehlman (Warren, Pa./Warren) added a fourth-place finish at 133. Perry, ranked No. 15 nationally, entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed at 149 and received a bye into the semifinals. In the semifinals, he downed Justin Yorkdale (George Mason) in dominating fashion. He won by tech fall 19-4 (5:54). In the finals, Perry rolled past Clarion's Taylor Ortz 8-3. With the win, Perry became a two-time EWL champ and three time NCAA qualifier. His two wins today also ran his career total to 100 as he became the 20th member of LHU's 100-win club. Klucker, ranked No. 33 nationally, was the No. 3 seed at 157 and moved into the finals after a pair of wins. He opened the day with a win (INJ. DEF) over Cleveland State's John Vaughn and followed it up by knocking off No. 2 seed BJ Clagon of Rider, a former All-American. Klucker downed Clagon 8-3 in the semifinals. In the finals, Klucker took down No. 1 seed (No. 25 DI) Andrew Shomers of Edinboro in thrilling fashion. Klucker needed just 52 seconds before he earned the fall and individual EWL crown. The win helped Klucker book his first trip to the NCAA tournament. Hazel entered the day as the No. 1 seed at 184. He's ranked No. 22 in the nation and after a first-round bye, he downed Bloomsburg's Trevor Allard 7-4 in the semifinals. In the finals, Hazel used a sensational effort and six-point second period to drop Clarion's Greg Bulsak, 6-1. With the win, Hazel claimed the 184-pound title and booked a trip to the NCAA tournament. Marsteller, the top-seed at 165, rattled off two dominating wins to earn a spot in the 165-pound finals. He majored Garrett Griffith 14-4 to open the day, before downing Georgio Poullas (Cleveland State) 7-3 in the semifinals. In the finals, Marsteller, ranked No. 5 nationally, locked up with Chad Walsh of Rider. Walsh is ranked No. 6 in the nation and Walsh's only loss of the regular season came to Marsteller when the two met in the dual meet in late January. Walsh edged Marsteller 2-1 thanks to one minute of riding time in the finals tonight. The loss to Walsh pushed Marsteller into a "true-second place bout" for NCAA qualifying purposes. Although it had no impact on the team score, Marsteller held nothing back and went right back to work and posted 10-2 major decision over Clarion's Max Wohlabaugh. The win secured Marsteller's trip to the NCAA championships, his first trip as a Bald Eagle. Haines, ranked No. 13 nationally and the No. 2 seed at 285, used a pair of hard-fought wins to earn a spot in the finals where he met his biggest EWL rival in Edinboro's Billy Miller. Haines opened the tournament with a 10-0 major decision over Bruce Graeber (Bloomsburg) and in the semifinals, Haines edged George Mason's Matt Voss 4-2. In the finals vs. the top-seed Miller, the Fighting Scot escaped with a hard-earned 4-2 win. UP NEXT: The 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships are scheduled for Thursday, March 15 - Saturday, March 17 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. On Tuesday, March 6, the NCAA will announce the at-large bids for the championships. Check www.GoLHU.com in the coming days for more information regarding the NCAA tournament. FINAL TEAM SCORES 1. Lock Haven, 81.5 pts. 2. Rider, 72.5 pts. 3. Edinboro, 72 pts. 4. Clarion, 55 pts. 5. Bloomsburg, 28 pts. 6. Cleveland State, 25.5 pts. 7. George Mason, 15 pts. MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER Evan Cheek, Cleveland State

Appalachian State won the team title at the SoCon Championships CHARLESTON, S.C. -- It's a SoCon Sweep for Appalachian State's wrestling team. After wrapping up a third straight regular season championship in the same venue last month, App State completed a sweep of Southern Conference titles by winning the eight-team championship tournament with 110.0 points on Saturday at McAlister Field House. Second-place Chattanooga finished 22 points behind the Mountaineers, who benefited from individual titles by top-seeded senior Forrest Przybysz at 174 pounds and fourth-seeded tournament MVP Irvin Enriquez at 141 pounds. Redshirt freshman Alan Clothier joined Przybysz and Enriquez in clinching an NCAA Championships berth by securing the SoCon's second automatic spot at 184 pounds. App State dominated the 10 weight classes with eight finalists, four more than the second-place total, and two wrestlers in third-place matches. As a result, JohnMark Bentley was named the league's coach of the year for the third time in the last four seasons and the fourth time in his nine seasons as the Mountaineers' head coach. "Today was a great day for Appalachian," Bentley said. "We came in, and our guys responded. They were ready to go this morning. We had really good quarterfinal and semifinal rounds to put eight in the finals and placed all 10 of our guys in the top four in the tournament. That's really important as far as the team title. I just can't say enough about our guys because we have a young group and have a lot of these guys coming back. We're growing and continuing to improve." The 2018 team joined the groups from 2016, 2003, 2001 and 1997 as two-way champions in the Southern Conference. In addition to Przybysz, Enriquez and Clothier, App State was also represented by De'Andre Swinson-Barr (125 pounds), Codi Russell (133 pounds), Gavin Londoff (149 pounds), Angel Najar (157 pounds) and Cary Miller (285 pounds) in championship matches. An at-large berth into the NCAA Championships is still possible for Randall Diabe, who finished third at 197 pounds thanks to an escape in the Tiebreaker-2 period against Campbell's Chris Kober, and Laken Cook placed fourth at 165 pounds. Enriquez opened with an 11-2 major decision against SIUE's Dakota Leach and reached the final with a 3-1 upset of top-seeded Chattanooga standout Mike Pongracz, who had claimed a victory by major decision against Enriquez during the regular season. Enriquez then won by a 14-3 major decision against Campbell's Jonathan Ryan in the final. "I came in here and obviously had some nerves, but I knew I could win this tournament," Enriquez said. "I knew people were going to sleep on me. I came here to have fun, wrestle as hard as I could and attack. It paid off." Przybysz, who competed at the NCAA Championships two years ago as a sophomore, secured a return trip with an 11-1 major decision against The Citadel's Robert Tywater, a 5-1 decision against Gardner-Webb's Christian Maroni and a 3-2 decision against Campbell's Andrew Morgan. Morgan officially took a 2-1 lead on a takedown with 1:02 left in the final, but Przybysz already had a point locked up for riding time. He executed an escape with 45 seconds left to regain control and win his first conference title. "I can't even describe how much better it is to go out like this than had I lost," said Przybysz, who also received the Pinnacle Award that goes to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA on the championship team. "It's just a night-and-day difference." Clothier dropped an 8-2 decision against Chattanooga's Bryce Carr, the SoCon Wrestler of the Year, after recording a 10-1 major decision against Gardner-Webb's Cole Graves in the semifinal round and a 4-2 decision against Campbell's Charlie Andrews in the opening round. Since Clothier hadn't faced third-place finisher Conor Fenn of Davidson during the tournament, they concluded the event by wrestling for the league's second automatic NCAA berth at 184 pounds, and Clothier won by an 11-3 major decision. Diabe, who went 7-0 against his SoCon competitors during the regular season, is one wrestler who could still join three of his teammates in Cleveland from March 15-17. With 33 wrestlers filling every bracket at the NCAA Championships, there are five at-large spots available for the 197-pound wrestlers who don't qualify automatically, and those selections are based on head-to-head competition, quality wins, coaches' ranking, results against common opponents, RPI, qualifying event placement and winning percentage. Those announcements are scheduled for Tuesday. As a No. 5 seed, Swinson-Barr had the most improbable run to the championship round Saturday. He collected a third-period pin against VMI's Clifton Conway and moved on to the final because of a medical forfeit by SoCon freshman of the year Korbin Meink from Campbell. Russell followed an 18-1 technical fall against The Citadel's Nicholas Long with an 11-5 decision against reigning SoCon champion Chris Debien, and Londoff reached his final thanks to a Tiebreaker-1 takedown that helped him claim a 4-2 semifinal win against The Citadel's Tyler Buckiso. Londoff started his day with a first-period pin of VMI's Kevin Keaveney. Najar had technical falls by scores of 20-2 and 20-3 to advance to his final, and Miller posted an 11-0 major decision against Chattanooga's Connor Tolley in the semifinals after winning with a first-period pin against VMI's Jake Tomlinson in the opening round.

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- The Lehigh wrestling team scored bonus points in 9-of-10 first round wins and advanced eight wrestlers to the semifinals to lead the team race after day one of the EIWA Championships Saturday at Hofstra's Mack Sports Complex. The Mountain Hawks scored 19 bonus points, by way of eight falls, and three major decisions, with seven of the eight pins coming in Saturday's morning session. Lehigh finished day one with 88.5 points and holds an 8.5 point lead over Cornell heading into the final day of competition. The Mountain Hawks posted a 19-3 record on the tournament's opening day. "Overall a good day," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "We have eight in the championship bracket and one on the back side. We've put ourselves in a good position but we have to wrestle really well tomorrow. "We needed bonus points," Santoro added about the day's early bonus barrage. "We knew they'd be available early in the tournament, and sometimes on the back side. We needed to take advantage of that. Our guys were looking for them and did a nice job getting them." Senior Darian Cruz led the way with falls in both of his matches Saturday to reach the semifinals at 125. Cruz built a 14-0 lead over Navy's Aslan Kilic in the semifinals before picking up Lehigh's eighth pin early in the third period. He will face Binghamton's Joe Nelson in the semifinals Sunday morning. Lehigh's two other top seeds, sophomore Jordan Kutler (174) and junior Ryan Preisch (184) were part of the group of eight that advanced to the semifinals. Both wrestlers opened with first period falls in their opening bouts. Kutler needed a strong second period ride to defeat Drexel's Austin Rose 2-0 in the quarterfinals, while Preisch was in control throughout in an 8-1 win over Bucknell's Drew Phipps. Freshman heavyweight Jordan Wood joined Cruz as the lone Mountain Hawks to post two bonus point wins Saturday. Wood opened with a first period fall over Binghamton's Sean Dee before riding a strong third period to a 10-2 major decision over Princeton's Christian Araneo. Next up for Wood is defending champion and No. 3 seed Garrett Ryan of Columbia. Second seeded junior Scott Parker advanced to the semifinals in his bid for a second EIWA title. Leading late, Parker left no doubt by pinning Princeton's Jonathan Gomez with four seconds remaining in his first bout, before recording a takedown in each period to defeat Navy's Cody Trybus 7-4 in the quarterfinals. Parker will next face No. 3 seed Josh Terao of American in the semifinals. Freshman Luke Karam and junior Cortlandt Schuyler made the semifinals as No. 3 seeds at 141 and 149, respectively. Karam won by major decision in his opener against Hofstra's Vinny Vespa, then edged Joe Russ of Binghamton thanks to a strong third period ride. He will look to avenge a loss to Bucknell's Tyler Smith in Lehigh's season opener last November. Schuyler was the lone Mountain Hawk not to score bonus points on Saturday, holding off Zach Krause of Brown 6-4 before posting a solid 6-3 win over Harvard's Hunter Ladnier. He will next face No. 10 seed Frank Garcia of Binghamton. Lehigh's eighth semifinalist is freshman Chris Weiler, who needed just 29 seconds to pin Joe Toci of Sacred Heart, then dominated Jeric Kasunic of American with more than four minutes of riding time in an 8-1 decision. Wins by Preisch and Weiler in the quarterfinals make them Lehigh's first two automatic NCAA qualifiers. Sunday's semifinal round will feature two head-to-head matchups: Kutler and Brandon Womack at 174 and Weiler against top seed Ben Darmstadt at 197. Juniors Ian Brown and Gordon Wolf both opened with bonus point wins before suffering close losses in the quarterfinals. A second period ride out was the difference as Brown lost to Brown's Justin Staudenmayer 2-1 at 157 with riding time the deciding point. Brown was then eliminated by Binghamton's Tristan Rifanburg. Wolf held a late lead on riding time against Navy's Drew Daniels in the quarterfinals at 165, but a stall warning sent the match to overtime and Daniels converted a double leg takedown to win 5-3. He fell into an early 6-0 hole against Binghamton's Vincent DePrez in the second round of consolations, but battled back to claim a 12-10 decision. While Lehigh and Cornell both have eight semifinalists, Wolf is the only wrestler on either team currently alive in the consolations. "We have to put guys in the finals," Santoro said. "We have eight in the semifinals. They have eight in the semifinals. It's basically even and will come down to how many guys can punch through. It's a big day tomorrow. For both teams. Both teams know what's at stake and both teams will wrestle hard tomorrow. We just have to be ready for the dog fight." The EIWA Championships conclude Sunday at Hofstra's Mack Sports Complex. Session three, featuring the championship semifinals and two rounds of consolations, begins at 10 a.m. while the final session with bouts for first, third and fifth place will begin at 3 p.m. Video for the entire tournament is available on FloWrestling.org while Lehigh will offer audio of the finals session on ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160-AM) and ESPNLV.com. Top Five Teams 1. Lehigh 88.5 2. Cornell 88 3. Princeton 56.5 4. Drexel 53 5. Navy 52

TULSA, Okla. -- The Oklahoma State wrestling team qualified six Cowboys to the finals of the 2018 Big 12 Wrestling Championship Saturday, wrapping up day one of the two-day event in first place with a 28.5-point lead on the rest of the field. OSU's six finalists are the most of any team in the 12-team event, with no other school having more than three. Cowboy finalists include Nick Piccininni (125 pounds), Kaid Brock (133 pounds), Dean Heil (141 pounds), Boo Lewallen (149 pounds), Chandler Rogers (165 pounds) and Derek White (heavyweight). Heil and Piccininni both already have Big 12 titles to their credit, with Heil winning each of the last three at 141 pounds and Piccininni winning at 125 pounds as a freshman last season. It marks the third Big 12 finals for Rogers, who has twice finished runner-up, and the second for Brock, who finished runner-up at 133 pounds last year. Lewallen and White are making their first appearances in the Big 12 finals, with this season also marking their first appearances at the event. Also of note, Rogers, Heil and Brock will compete in rematches of last year's Big 12 finals at their respective weight classes, with Rogers facing North Dakota State's Andrew Fogarty, Heil facing Wyoming's Bryce Meredith and Brock facing South Dakota State's Seth Gross. Rogers earned his spot in the finals after he picked up his team-leading 11th pin of the season in a first-period fall over Utah Valley's Demetrius Romero. The Cowboy opened with a pair of takedowns before turning Romero to his back to seal the match. "Pins are always something that changes the momentum and builds a lot of confidence," Rogers said. "I'm just going in with the same attitude. Whatever happens, happens. At this point in the year, you've got nothing to lose. You've kind of just got to go for everything and not hold anything back." Piccininni started the evening with a bang for the Cowboys as he turned a tight bout into an 11-3 major decision with a late takedown and four-point nearfall at the horn against No. 4 Christian Moody of Oklahoma. It was his 11th bonus-point win of the season and places him in the Big 12 finals for the second-straight season. "Nick had a little bit of a slow start and strong finishes in both of his matches" head coach John Smith said. "The match was a little bit tight and he went and scored the last takedown and back points so those are the things you like to see. You aren't leaving it in the hands of a ref. You're separating the scores and making sure you get your hand raised so that's good for him" Kaid Brock will wrestle in the 133-pound finals for the second-straight season after recording a 6-2 decision over Wyoming's Montorie Bridges. Brock was able to record a couple of takedowns in the win over Bridges -- a rematch of the December contest in Cheyenne, Wyo., that Bridges took, 11-10. Heil will attempt to become the ninth Cowboy in school history to win four conference titles on Sunday, as he's set to match up with rival Bryce Meredith for the second consecutive season. Heil edged No. 3 seed Josh Alber of Northern Iowa, 2-0, in a tight match to advance. Lewallen recorded a thrilling, 10-4 win over Oklahoma's Davion Jeffries in sudden victory on Saturday night to move onto the finals. After ending regulation tied at four, the redshirt sophomore was able to convert a takedown and quick four-point nearfall with just seconds remaining to lock up the win and move onto his first career conference finals appearance. Lewallen will take on Northern Iowa's Max Thomsen in the finals on Sunday. "It was a tough match. People wrestle a little differently in postseason," Smith said. "You've got to expect a little bit of a tougher match. If you don't continue to score, you find yourself in overtime and tied. I'm happy with where he's at. He's wrestling a guy that made the semifinals last year so it's a chance to build your confidence and see where you're at going into the NCAA Championships." White will also be competing in his first career Big 12 finals on Sunday, as he scored three takedowns en rout to an 8-1 win over Utah Valley's Dustin Dennison in the heavyweight semis. He will face Fresno State's AJ Nevills in the championship bout, who he defeated in the Cowboy win over the Bulldogs last month. "Derek is continuing to score points and you like to see that against the competition," Smith said. "These are probably not the guys he's going to need to beat at the NCAA Championships but you're seeing him stretch the score, which you like to see. You don't want to see your athlete wrestling to his competition." Saturday's second session also brought tough losses for Keegan Moore and Jacobe Smith to higher-ranked foes. Smith and Moore both took leads at one point in their matches against top-seeded Taylor Lujan and Drew Foster, respectively, but came up just short of moving on to the finals. Preston Weigel also dropped a tough, semifinal match to West Virginia's Jacob Smith, 4-3. The Cowboys will continue their Big 12 title defense Sunday at noon with consolation action. The finals will be wrestled at 6 p.m.

125: Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) by medical forfeit over Nick Suriano (Rutgers) Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) dec. Spencer Lee (Iowa), 2-1 133: Stevan Micic (Michigan) tech. fall Jason Renteria (Nebraska), 19-3 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) dec. Mitch McKee (Minnesota), 6-4 SV 141: Joey McKenna (Ohio State) dec. Nate Limmex (Purdue), 6-0 Michael Carr (Illinois) dec. Nick Lee (Penn State), 10-6 149: Zain Retherford (Penn State) maj. dec. Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State), 10-0 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) dec. Ryan Deakin (Northwestern), 7-2 157: Micah Jordan (Ohio State) pinned Michael Kemerer (Iowa), 5:48 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) by medical forfeit over Jason Nolf (Penn State) 165: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) dec. Richie Lewis (Rutgers), 8-5 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) dec. Logan Massa (Michigan), 5-4 174: Mark Hall (Penn State) dec. Johnny Sebastian (Northwestern), 4-1 Myles Amine (Michigan) pinned Bo Jordan (Ohio State), 5:30 184: Bo Nickal (Penn State) dec. Emery Parker (Illinois), 5-2 Myles Martin (Ohio State) dec. Dom Abounader (Michigan), 7-3 197: Kollin Moore (Ohio State) dec. Kevin Beazley (Michigan), 5-3 Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) maj. dec. Christian Brunner (Purdue), 10-2 285: Adam Coon (Michigan) pinned Sam Stoll (Iowa), 2:12 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) maj. dec. Nick Nevills (Penn State), 14-5