InterMat Staff

Joey McKenna claimed his second straight Pac-12 title at 141 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) STANFORD, Calif. -- Joey McKenna and Zach Nevills stood atop the podium as Pac-12 champions, Sunday, at the 55th-annual conference tournament at Maples Pavilion. As a team, Stanford (122.5) finished as the runner-up behind Arizona State (127.0). Joining McKenna (141) and Nevills (184) as automatic qualifiers to next month's NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Missouri were redshirt senior Josh Marchok (197) and redshirt junior Nathan Butler (285). As a member of the Pac-10/12 Conference, Stanford's second-place finish ties for the highest in program history (2008 and 2014). McKenna, ranked third nationally, became just the seventh two-time conference champion in Stanford history. The Towaco, New Jersey native opened the tournament with a fall over Arizona State's Nikko Villarreal in 2:02.The tournament's No. 1 seed at 141 pounds, McKenna narrowly reached the finals after being put on his back in the semifinals by Cal Poly's Colton Schilling late in the third period. McKenna stayed off his back as time expired in regulation, but Schilling was awarded four near fall points which sent the match into a sudden victory period. There, McKenna went in on a shot which he was finally able to convert with less than 10 seconds remaining. In the finals, McKenna dominated Oregon's State's Jack Hathaway with a 12-1 major decision. The sophomore is now 28-1 overall, surpassing last season's win total. He leads the Cardinal with 10 falls on the season and is second among current Stanford wrestlers with 15 for his career. He moves to 55-4 during his time on The Farm. The surprise of the tournament had to be the finals match-up at 184 pounds between the two unseeded wrestlers - Nevills and Arizona State's Jacen Petersen. Nevills, who entered the tournament with a 3-9 overall record, won three consecutive matches to claim his first conference title. He had previously finished third (2015), fourth (2014) and fifth (2016) and the championships. Nevills defeated the No. 4 seed Bryan Battisto of CSU Bakersfield, 7-5, in sudden victory in the opening round. The Clovis, California native then knocked-off top-seeded Mitch Woods of Cal Poly, 4-1 in the semifinals. In the finals, Nevills edged Petersen, 7-6, with a late reversal in the final period. He is now 6-9 on the year and is a first-time NCAA qualifier. Marchok, a redshirt senior ranked 17th nationally, was the ruunner-up at 197 pounds. He fell to top-seed Corey Griego of Oregon State, 5-3, in the finals after a hard-fought 5-4 decision in the second tiebreaker against Matt Williams of CSU Bakersfield in the semifinals. The Pac-12 received three automatic berths at 197 pounds, securing Marchok a spot in his first NCAA Championships. Butler also earned an automatic berth with a third-place finish at 285 pounds. The No. 3 seed, Butler fell to No. 2 Cody Crawford of Oregon State, 5-4, in the second tiebreaker in the semifinals. The Leavenworth, Kansas native turned in a 5-0 decision over Boise State's Gabriel Gonzalez in the consolation semifinals and registered an 11-2 major decision over Cal Poly's Spencer Empey in the third-place match. Butler, who is ranked No. 12 in the nation, is now 22-9 overall and is second on the team with 78 career wins. Stanford had eight of its 10 wrestlers finish in the top 3 in their respective weight classes. Redshirt sophomore Connor Schram was the runner-up at 133 pounds, while Paul Fox (157), Keaton Subjeck (165) and Peter Galli (174) all placed third. The Cardinal will have a week off before the NCAA Tournament brackets will be released, revealing the wrestlers who will receive at-large berths to the postseason.

Arizona State won its first conference title since 2006 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) PALO ALTO, Calif. -- For the first time in 11 years, Arizona State wrestling will be bringing a conference championship trophy home to Tempe after winning the 2017 Pac-12 Wrestling Championships by a 4.5-point margin over the host Stanford Cardinal, 127-122.5. CSU Bakersfield (92) finished third, Oregon State fourth (91.5), Boise State fifth (79), and Cal Poly sixth (78). ASU's 19th all-time conference championship and 17th in the Pac-10/12 comes also thanks to five individual champions for the Sun Devils -- Josh Maruca (149), Josh Shields (157), Anthony Valencia (165), Zahid Valencia (174), and Tanner Hall (HWT). Five marks the most title winners the Sun Devils have had since 2003 when ASU had six champions. "It means a lot to have all our administrators here and it always starts with leadership," said head coach Zeke Jones. "All of our guys put their all into making this weekend all that it was, whether it's on the mat or in the back room as practice partners. It takes a lot of us to get it done. We have a very young team and we're not done yet but it's a good start. These guys are going to be a part of the leadership of our team for a very long time." ASU also led all teams with seven individuals advancing to Sunday evening's championship finals as Josh Kramer (125) and Jacen Petersen (184) also pulled off upsets en route to a pair of second place finishes. Sophomore Tanner Hall credited the entire team effort that contributed to the title saying that "many times the champions are the ones that get all the publicity but I think it's important to recognize everyone, especially Jacen Petersen and Josh Kramer who did more than was expected of them and without them, we couldn't have won." Zahid Valencia was named Outstanding Wrestler (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Zahid Valencia, who remains undefeated (33-0) on his freshman campaign, was named Most Outstanding Wrestler for the Pac-12 tournament, also receiving the award for most falls in the tournament. Valencia's Most Outstanding award was a first for ASU since 2009 when Anthony Robles, one of the commentators on the call for the Pac-12 Network broadcast, won the same award and was just the Sun Devils' 11th all-time. Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson, as well as multiple administrators and support staff, were in attendance and the championship was especially meaningful for him, as his first Pac-12 champion as athletics director. "This is a great place to start," said Anderson, "but we have a long, illustrious road ahead. Thank you to all the student-athletes and their families. President Crow texted his hearty congratulations and as a former wrestler, he understands everything that goes into successes like this. Thank you to Zeke, Art Martori, and all the supporters - we're just getting started." The five Pac-12 champions will now prepare for next month's NCAA championships in St. Louis, Mo. Mar 16-18.

Jake Allar battles Brady Berge in the finals of the Minnesota Christmas Tournament (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine) The transition of head coaches at Iowa State has seen one of their previous signees choosing to go elsewhere, as Jake Allar (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) announced his intention to wrestle collegiately at the University of Minnesota. Ranked as the No. 23 overall recruit in the Class of 2017, Allar will be after a second straight state title to cap off his high school career this week. In the past off-season, he was a Junior National freestyle champion and a runner-up at the Super 32 Challenge. Allar is currently ranked No. 4 nationally at 170 pounds, and projects to compete collegiately as a 165/174. Iowa State did receive a bit of positive news this weekend, as Austin Gomez (Glenbard North, Ill.), ranked No. 26 overall in the 2017 class, announced his intention to commit again to Iowa State; Gomez had asked for a release from his letter of intent after the resignation of Kevin Jackson earlier this month.

Nick Roberts won a national title at the NCAA Division II level last season (Photo/Ali Single) Nick Roberts, 2016 NCAA Division II wrestling champ for the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, was found dead in his on-campus apartment Saturday evening. He was 23. The Pennsylvania State Police and Cambria County Coroner's office are investigating the death, with an autopsy scheduled for Monday. Foul play is "absolutely not suspected," according to Tammy Barbin, Pitt-Johnstown's executive director of community and public relations. The Pitt-Johnstown wrestling team competed in the NCAA Division II Super Regional on Saturday at Mercyhurst, but Roberts was not in the lineup due to a knee injury earlier this season that ended his competitive career, the Tribune-Democrat reported. Long-time UPJ head wrestling coach Pat Pecora met with his team members late Saturday to inform them of Roberts' passing. Pitt-Johnstown President Jem Spectar issued the following statement Saturday night: "It is with great sadness that I share with you the loss of one of our university family, Nick Roberts. The death occurred earlier this evening in his room. The cause of death is not known at this time, but foul play is not suspected. "Nick is a senior in the class of 2017. We also know Nick as a standout member of our Mountain Cat wrestling team. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his parents, family, friends and loved ones. "More information will follow as it becomes available. "Counseling services will be available throughout the day Sunday in the Student Union." Born in December 1993 in Pennsylvania, Nicholas Roberts was a three-time PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) AA state champ for North Star High School in Somerset County, compiling a career record of 146-10. Roberts was a two-time Junior World Team member who placed fifth in the world, a four-time Fargo Champion, and 2010 Asics First-Team All-American. Roberts launched his collegiate career at Ohio State. During the 2012-13 season, Roberts took a redshirt, compiling a 22-5 overall record in open tournaments. In his redshirt freshman season (2013-14), Roberts joined the Buckeye starting lineup at 125 pounds, scoring 28 victories and qualifying for the 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Roberts transferred to Pitt-Johnstown prior to the 2015-16 season. After sitting out the first semester, Roberts made a splash in NCAA Division II wrestling, winning the Super Region I Championship and the National title at 133 pounds in Sioux Falls, S.D. by defeating Nick Crume of the University of Indianapolis, 4-3, in the finals. Last season, Roberts was 19-1 overall and 11-1 in dual meets. Of his 19 wins, eight came by way of major decision and three by fall. "This is very sad news," USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach Bill Zadick, who coached Roberts on two Junior World Teams, told that organization's website. "I enjoyed having him on my first two Junior World Teams. He was very outgoing, a fun kid to be around. He was a great addition to our teams. Not only was he an excellent wrestler, but he was a great teammate. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, his team and his coaches.

Mack Beggs Mack Beggs, a 17-year-old transgender wrestler transitioning from female to male, won the Texas Class 6A 110-pound girls' state championship Saturday afternoon in suburban Houston. Beggs, a junior from Euless Trinity High School outside Dallas-Fort Worth, won the title with a 12-1 victory over Chelsea Sanchez of Morton Ranch High School in the finals. He completed his season with a perfect 57-0 record. Texas is one of seven states with separate competitions for girls and boys. Texas' University-Interscholastic League -- the independent body that governs collegiate and high school athletics in the Lone Star State -- had implemented a rule last year, requiring transgender individuals to wrestle against the gender listed on their birth certificates. Beggs' family has said Mack would rather be wrestling boys. Before the championship round the PA announcer told the crowd not to take part in action that would cause any wrestler to "doubt their accomplishments this weekend." Beggs took part in the parade of all the state finalists, with his hood up and headphones on most of the time. When Beggs' name was announced as a finalist, a large cheer rose up, the Houston Chronicle reported. It was followed by a small number of boos. Beggs' win was met by an extended cheer mixed with some boos. Beggs won all four of his matches at the state tournament rather handily. In his first match Friday, the 5'2" Beggs earned a 18-7 decision over League City Clear Springs' Taylor Latham, who brought an 11-14 record into the state tourney. Later that day, Beggs earned a 12-4 major decision over Amarillo Tascosa's Mya Engert (37-9). In Saturday's semifinals, after needing to take a time-out for a bloody nose, Beggs pinned Grand Prairie's Kailyn Clay to advance to the finals. Beggs qualified for the state tournament after two of his three opponents forfeited at the Regional tournament the previous weekend. Throughout the state tournament, Beggs and his coach did not talk to the gathering of reporters assigned to the story. His opponents and their coaches were similarly silent, sometimes saying they had been instructed not to talk to the media by their school administrators. Off-the-mat legal battles Mack Beggs' journey to a high school title has received considerable coverage from media organizations that normally would not cover amateur wrestling, even the state championships in one of the largest states in the country. In recent months, transgender issues have become major news stories. North Carolina passed HR 2, which requires individuals to use bathrooms which correspond to the sex on their birth certificate. (The Texas state legislature is considering a similar bill.) Just this past week, President Donald Trump announced the decision to overturn an Obama administration directive that let transgender students use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their chosen gender identity at schools which receive federal funding. As stated earlier, Texas UIL had instituted what has become known as the "birth certificate rule" last August, requiring student-athletes to participate in the appropriate competition based on the sex listed on their birth certificate. The UIL put the matter to a vote of school district superintendents across the state. It overwhelmingly passed 586-32. The UIL's decision went opposite of the NCAA, which in 2011 set transgender policy as requiring a trans male athlete who is receiving testosterone treatment, such as Beggs, to compete on a men's team, while prohibiting the athlete from competing on a women's team, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Before the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the International Olympic Committee issued updated transgender guidelines allowing athletes who transition from female to male to compete in the male category without restriction. Part of that transition process involves taking testosterone, which normally would disqualify a student-athlete. Beggs began steroid therapy in August 2015. Beggs' school district says it shared the athlete's medical records with the UIL and that the testosterone level is "well below the allowed level." Last week, after the conclusion of the regional tournament, it was revealed that a lawsuit had been filed against the UIL by attorney Jim Baudhuin, a father of a female high school wrestler who competes in a different weight class than Beggs. The suit sought to bar Beggs from competing against girls including at the state championships, claiming that allowing a wrestler to compete on testosterone exposes other female athletes to bodily harm. (At least one opponent at the Regionals had stated her decision to forfeit was based on her fear of being injured by wrestling Beggs.) "There's a reason they're called performance-enhancing drugs and why they're banned by every anti-doping agency in the world," Baudhuin said. "There's no question it is an advantage." Baudhuin sought an injunction to stop Beggs from wrestling in post-season competition; the courts refused. "This is not and never has been some kind of vendetta or rivalry," Baudhuin said. "[Beggs] is a great kid. It is not hatred. It's a resentment because other parents see this as cheating." Baudhuin said his outlook changed because he said he read reports that Beggs had asked the governing body, the University Interscholastic League, to compete as a boy and was turned down. "The more I learn about this, the more I realize that she's just trying to live her life and her family is, too," Baudhuin said of Beggs. "She's being forced into that position. Who knows, through discovery we may find out that's not the case. But every indication is, the way the winds are going now, the blame rests with the UIL and the superintendents." Meanwhile, the UIL stands by the so-called "birth certificate" rule. Spokeswoman Kate Hector said the UIL's policy is not to comment on a specific student, and, instead presented a general statement Wednesday: "To compete at this year's wrestling state tournament all students are subject to UIL rules and state law. This helps ensure a fair competition to the more than 400 students participating. We will continue to work with member schools to best meet the needs of all students." The UIL declined to comment on whether there are other transgender wrestlers competing at state. Others weigh in Medical experts say competitive and safety claims made in the lawsuit have merit because Beggs' development as a male does give him a physical advantage against most female competitors in his age range and weight class. In a detailed analysis of Mack Beggs' situation, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram consulted with two experts located outside of Texas. Dr. Eric Vilain, professor of human genetics and pediatrics at UCLA and an adviser on gender issues for the IOC, agrees with the NCAA and IOC policies of allowing female-to-male athletes using testosterone to compete against males. He called the UIL's decision to use a birth certificate to determine gender "twisted logic." "Most of the discussions" regarding the revised IOC guidelines "were for male to female [transition], which is much more controversial," Vilain told the Star-Telegram. "Female to male, this was a very easy consensus by saying the female to male athletes could compete in the male category, and would be allowed an exemption to use testosterone. It makes complete sense. "That's why this case has a completely twisted logic based on some social argument that the sex on the birth certificate supersedes any other identity. It doesn't make any sense. From a sports perspective, men and women are in two different categories, and for good reason. If not, women would lose most of the time." The Fort Worth paper also contacted Joanna Harper, a medical physicist in Portland, Ore. who is also a transgender female. "Dealing with transgender adolescent athletes is probably the most difficult time frame to make a ruling. In the NCAA, there would be no question that Mack would be required to compete against men, but that's not an option for him because of the UIL rule," said Harper, who served as an adviser to the IOC. "I think the UIL rule is misguided, shortsighted and I actually find a wonderful irony in it" -- the irony being that the birth certificate rule was intended to protect female athletes from competing against males transitioning to female, Harper surmises. In other words, a transgender female athlete whose testosterone level has not been decreased sufficiently would possess a physical superiority against female competitors. Yet by forcing Beggs, a transgender male taking testosterone, to compete against girls, his female opponents may be at a distinct disadvantage especially in regards to strength, with the unintended consequence of making competition less safe for girls. "That's why this case has a completely twisted logic based on some social argument that the sex on the birth certificate supersedes any other identity. It doesn't make any sense. From a sports perspective, men and women are in two different categories, and for good reason. If not, women would lose most of the time." "This is the exact opposite effect of what they had desired," Harper said. "Female to male, this was a very easy consensus by saying the female to male athletes could compete in the male category, and would be allowed an exemption to use testosterone. It makes complete sense." It's possible that the situation could repeat itself at next year's Texas girls state wrestling championships. Beggs will be a senior, and has been a three-time state qualifier. The UIL has said it has no intention of putting a vote regarding the "birth certificate" rule before member schools again, citing the overwhelming support it received last summer.

Iowa Central won its seventh NJCAA national title COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- Thomas Peterson clinched Iowa Central's national title dreams in the final match of the NJCAA national tournament. Petersen earned a fall in the 285-pound championship to give the Tritons (150) the crown, climbing past Clackamas (146.5). Heading into the final match, Iowa Central just needed a win, but Peterson earned the fall in 2:33. "If it's coming down to heavyweight to win the national title, there is no other guy that I would want," said Iowa Central head coach Luke Moffitt. "I knew his offense was going to get him through it and I just had to remind him of that. Some guys would clam up in that situation, but when he scored first with a takedown, I know he had it." This was Iowa Central's first championship since 2015 and seventh overall. Read complete story on The Messenger …

125: 1st: Todd Small (Iowa Central) dec. David Campbell (Clackamas), 4-3 3rd: Cole Verner (Western Wyoming) dec. Justin Folley (Ellsworth), 15-9 5th: Ian Muller (Harper) pinned Brennen Doebel (NIACC), 2:08 7th: Logan Terrill (Northeast Oklahoma) pinned Dj Millett (Lincoln), 4:52 133: 1st: Sean Deshazer (Northeast Oklahoma) dec. Zak Hensley (Iowa Central), 10-6 3rd: George Farmah (Iowa Lakes) dec. Nathan Johnson (Clackamas), 7-4 5th: Gunner Laffoon (Otero) pinned D'andre Brumfield (Iowa Western), 1:52 7th: Otis Rollins (Colby) by medical forfeit over Jamarius Jackson (NIACC) 141: 1st: Nick Casella (Nassau) dec. Andrew Ramirez (Highline), 10-4 3rd: Kurt Mode (Clackamas) dec. Christian Kanzler (Lincoln), 11-9 5th: Austin Anderly (NIACC) dec. Deandre Reed (Iowa Central), 3-2 7th: Lamont Cannon (Minnesota West) dec. Curtis Burnett (Northeast Oklahoma), 16-10 149: 1st: Josh Reyes (Clackamas) dec. Dylan Lucas (Northeast Oklahoma), 6-4 3rd: Nate Skonieczny (Jamestown) dec. Brandon Murray (Iowa Central), 3-1 5th: Anthony Hinkle (Otero) pinned Coltan Laganiere (Rochester), 1:12 7th: Dominique Evans (Northwest Kansas) by forfeit over Anthony Maia (Iowa Lakes) 157: 1st: Dayton Racer (Iowa Central) maj. dec. Brett Bradford (Rochester), 13-0 3rd: Danny Conley (Labette) dec. Alex Gonzalez (Lincoln), 8-3 5th: Anthony Curtis (Northeastern) pinned Steven Lawrence (Ellsworth), 5:31 7th: John Leal (Clackamas) dec. Alex Nelson (Northeast Oklahoma), 10-5 165: 1st: Wyatt Jordan (Northeast Oklahoma) dec. Dillon Ulrey (Clackamas), 6-2 3rd: Lucius Van rensburg (Southwestern Oregon) dec. Alfred Daniel (Rochester), 6-4 5th: Troy Keller (Niagara County) by medical forfeit over Trey Meyer (North Idaho) 7th: Tucker Black (NIACC) maj. dec. Skyler Bloomer (Labette), 11-2 174: 1st: Colt Doyle (Clackamas) dec. Adrian Lyons-lopez (Southwestern Oregon), 8-2 3rd: Tyree Overton (Lincoln) dec. Antrez Clagon (Iowa Central), 4-2 SV 5th: Michael Morris (Camden County) pinned Jordan Gundrum (Ellsworth), 2:51 7th: Alex Aguilar (North Idaho) dec. Saul Ortiz (Northeast Oklahoma), 3-2 TB2 184: 1st: Preston Lauterbach (Iowa Western) pinned Haszell West (Clackamas), 1:23 3rd: Levi Perry (North Idaho) dec. Logan Hagerbaumer (Lincoln), 8-6 5th: Daishi Goto (Camden County) dec. Isaiah Cox (Iowa Lakes), 3-2 7th: Nathanael Holecek (Northland) dec. Danny Bush (Iowa Central), 7-2 197: 1st: Timothy Young (Ellsworth) pinned Christian Dulaney (Iowa Lakes), 6:46 3rd: Dymere Rappa (Camden County) dec. Ruston Duke (Northeast Oklahoma), 9-4 5th: Wyatt Westfall (Southwestern Oregon) dec. Jeffrey Oakes (Northwest), 5-3 7th: Aspen Naylor (Western Wyoming) pinned Cedrick Stephens (Nassau), 2:22 285: 1st: Thomas Petersen (Iowa Central) pinned Mario Pena (NIACC), 2:33 3rd: Odgerek Batkhishig (Northwest Kansas) dec. Lisiate "Richard" Anau (Northwest), 8-5 5th: Shawn Beeson (Northeast Oklahoma) dec. Stephen Boone (Iowa Western), 8-3 7th: Tom Halecki (Camden County) dec. Miguel Morales (Highline), 6-4

MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The No. 2-ranked Augsburg College wrestling team claimed an NCAA Division III regional title for the 15th straight year, qualifying individuals in eight weight classes to the national championships at the NCAA West Regional, held on Saturday at Concordia College. THE BASICS FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 1st/11 (159.0) LOCATION: Memorial Auditorium, Moorhead, Minn. HOW IT HAPPENED • Augsburg, ranked No. 2 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national poll, won the 11-team regional with 159.0 points. Augsburg has won the team title in its NCAA regional every year since starting regional competition in the 2002-03 season. • With its eight national tournament qualifiers -- including five first-year competitors -- Augsburg has had seven or more national tournament qualifiers in 14 of the last 15 seasons. Augsburg had seven regional champions and one third-place finisher. The top three finishers in each weight class qualify for the national tournament. • Augsburg Head Coach Jim Moulsoff was named West Region Coach of the Year, while Augsburg's Tony Valek was named West Region Assistant Coach of the Year by his coaching peers. • Augsburg 184-pounder Owen Webster (FY, Shakopee, Minn.), ranked No. 1 nationally, earned the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler honors with three dominant wins on Saturday, claiming two second-period pins to advance to the finals, where he scored a 12-0, major-decision win over No. 9-ranked Grant Wedepohl of Wisconsin-Platteville. Now 29-1 on the season, Webster has scored 26 straight victories and has 22 bonus-point victories (10 major decisions, four technical falls, eight pins). Webster is now 20-0 against NCAA Division III opponents, with his lone loss coming to Division II Minnesota State-Mankato's Matt Blome (3:50 pin) on Nov. 19 in the finals of the Auggie-Adidas Open. • No. 3-ranked heavyweight Donny Longendyke (SR, Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake HS) qualified for his third national championship as an Auggie with his third regional title. He scored two first-period pins to reach the finals, then topped No. 8-ranked Justice Davis of Concordia-Moorhead 6-1 in the championship match. The 2015 Division III heavyweight national champion and 2016 national runner-up, Longendyke is now 24-3 on the season with 18 bonus-point wins (15 pins, three major decisions). He is now 148-29 in his collegiate career with 111 bonus-point wins (84 pins, four technical falls, 23 major decisions), including a 107-8 record with 81 bonus-point wins (61 pins, four technical falls, 16 major decisions) in three seasons at Augsburg. • Sam Bennyhoff (SO, Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS) will compete in his second national tournament, after winning the 133-pound regional title for the second straight year .He claimed two major decisions -- a 14-2 win over Cody Vogel of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the semifinals and a 10-2 win over Scott Arneson of UW-Platteville in the finals. Now 28-7 on the season, Bennyhoff has 18 bonus-point wins (11 major decisions, five technical falls, two pins). He is now 56-14 in his two seasons at Augsburg, with 33 bonus-point wins (17 major decisions, eight technical falls, eight pins). • Augsburg dominated in the lower weights, with four titlists in the first four weight classes, including three first-year wrestlers -- No. 3-ranked 125-pounder Victor Gliva (FY, Farmington, Minn.), No. 5-ranked 141-pounder Dave Flynn (FY, Jordan, Minn./Scott West) and No. 8-ranked 149-pounder Ryan Epps (FY, Cannon Falls, Minn.). • Gliva opened with a first-period pin, then scored a 9-3 win over Concordias Aaron Dick and a 3-2 win over Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Zackary Sirny to advance to the national tournament for the first tie. Gliva is now 30-4 on the season with 15 bonus-point wins (six major decisions, four technical falls, five pins). He extended his winning streak to 21 straight matches with his three wins on Saturday. • Flynn scored two decision wins to reach his first national tournament, scoring a 7-2 win over Joshua Curcuio of Concordia-Wisconsin and a 7-2 win over Kody Azarian of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Now 21-4 since transferring to Augsburg after competing in the first half of the season at Division I North Dakota State (now 30-7 overall), He has 17 bonus-point wins (12 pins, two technical falls, three major decisions) this season, including 11 (eight pins, three major decisions) as an Auggie. • Epps opened his tournament run with a 10-0 major-decision, then scored a 17-0, technical-fall win over Branden Schorr of Saint John's in the semifinals. He secured his first trip to the national tournament with a 4-0 win over Ty Johnson of Concordia-Moorhead in the finals. Epps is now 31-5 on the season with 14 bonus-point wins (four pins, five technical falls, five major decisions). • Lucas Jeske (FY, St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS) continued the first-year bonanza for the Auggies with the title at 165 pounds, improving to 21-7 on the season. He scored a 14-3 major-decision in his opening match, then scored a 2:04 pin of Mitchell Fucile of Lakeland (Wis.) in the finals to claim the title. Jeske now has 12 bonus-point wins on the season (seven pins, one technical fall, four major decisions). • Grant Parker (SR, Onalaska, Wis.) rallied from a semifinal loss at 157 pounds to finish third for the second straight year at the regional, qualifying for his second national tournament. He rallied in the wrestlebacks with a 4:52 pin of Sam Rathburn of the Milwaukee (Wis.) School of Engineering and a 4-2 win over Jerod Novak of Saint John's to earn the national tournament bid. Parker is now 22-10 on the season with 10 bonus-point victories (five major decisions, five pins) and 88-59 in his career with 30 bonus-point wins (15 pins, one technical fall, 14 major decisions). • Two Auggies saw their seasons end with fourth-place finishes in the regional. Austin Boniface (SR, Wyoming, Minn./Forest Lake HS) went 2-2 with a pin at 174 to finish 23-14 on the season and 68-42 on his career, and Sebastian Larson (JR, River Falls, Wis.) went 3-2 at 197 to finish his season at 19-18. He is now 59-45 in his career. UP NEXT • Augsburg competes at the NCAA Division III National Championships, to be held March 10-11 at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wis.

Ferrum won the NCAA East Regional title ROCKY MOUNT, Va. -- Ferrum College racked up 135.5 points to claim the 2017 NCAA Div. III Wrestling East Regional title this afternoon at Franklin County High School. The Panthers beat runner-up New York University by 29 points. Three Ferrum wrestlers advanced to the NCAA Tournament; Zach Beckner (125 lbs), Collin Saunders (149) and Logan Meister (157). Beckner and Saunders claimed individual titles, while Meister placed second. No. 5 seed Beckner posted a 4-2 win in the title match over No. 3 Brenden Velez of Delaware Valley. He posted a first-period pin and two major decisions to reach the finals. No. 4 Saunders eked out a 4-3 decision over #2 Zach Wilhelm of Stevens Tech in the finals. He reached the finals with a pin, a 10-6 decision and a 4-3 overtime win in the semifinal. Meister reached the final with a 3-1 decision, a pin and a 5-4 win in the semifinal. This will be the third post-season trip for Meister, who made All-America last year with his 6th-place finish at the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers had nine placewinners in all, including 4th-place finishers Austin Smith (141), Blake Rosenbaum (174), Adam Bresson (184) and Tate Dulany (285). Robert Cunningham (133) and Andrew Tolbert (165) both finished fifth. At the close of the tournament, Ferrum's Nate Yetzer and Ryan Riggs were named Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year, respectively. Stevens Tech Troy Stanich, champion at 133 pounds, was named Outstanding Wrestler. Standings: 1. Ferrum 135.5 2. New York Univ. 106.5 3. Stevens Tech 104.5 4. Delaware Valley 81.0 5. Centenary 80.0 6. Ursinus 78.5 7. Merchant Marine Academy 61.0 8. Gettysburg 60.5 9. College of New Jersey 56.5 10. Washington and Lee 49.5 11. Greensboro 37.0 12. King's 26.0 13. McDaniel 24.0 14. Muhlenberg 18.5 15. Johns Hopkins 15.5 16. Hunter 5.5 17. Hampden Sydney 2.5 18. Mt. Saint Vincent 2.0 19. Southern Virginia 0.5 Special Awards: Outstanding Wrestler: Troy Stanich, Stevens Tech Coach of the Year: Nate Yetzer, Ferrum Assistant Coach of the Year: Ryan Riggs, Ferrum Individual Champions: 125 - Zach Beckner, Ferrum 133 - Troy Stanich, Stevens Tech 141 - Tim Ambacher, Delaware Valley 149 - Collin Saunders, Ferrum 157 - Derek Arnold, Ursinus 165 - Joseph Scott, Washington and Lee 174 - Benjamin Schweiger, Delaware Valley 184 - Blaise Benderoth, NYU 197 - AJ Kowal, Stevens Tech 285 - Zachery Roseberry, Delaware Valley

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The top-ranked Wartburg College wrestling team won its fifth consecutive NCAA Central Regional Championship on Saturday. The Orange and Black scored 190 points and No. 16 Loras College followed with 122.5 points. All 10 Knights qualified for NCAA Nationals on March 10-11 in LaCrosse, Wis. This is the first time since 2013 that Wartburg has had 10 qualifiers. Wartburg wins Central Regional coaching staff of the year. Final Round: 125: #2 CJ Pestano (Central) won by 3-1 dec over #5 Arnulfo Olea (WB) - Olea 2nd place 133: Connor Campo (WB) won by 1-0 dec over Brendan Gould (Augustana) - Campo 3rd place 141: Clint Lembeck (Loras) won by fall (6:07) over #3 Cross Cannone (WB) - Cannone 2nd place 149: #1 Kenny Martin (WB) won by fall (6:21) over Aaron Engle (Cornell) - Martin 1st place 157: #3 Logan Thomsen (WB) won by 13-4 maj dec over Jimmy Davis (Loras) - Thomsen 1st place 165: #3 Andrew Steiert (WB) won by fall (2:36) over Trace Timmons (Augustana) - Steiert 3rd place 174: #2 Eric DeVos (WB) won by fall (2:20) over Mike Maksimovic (Cornell) - DeVos 1st place 184: #5 Bryan Levsen (WB) won by 4-1 dec over Awais Arain (Loras) - Levsen 3rd place 197: #2 Kyle Fank (WB) won by medical forfeit over Matt Seabold (Central) - Fank 1st place 285: #2 Lance Evans (WB) won by 2-0 dec over Adarios Jones (Augustana) - Evans 1st place Notes: -All ten Wartburg wrestlers qualify for Nationals -Fifth-consecutive Central Regional championship for the Knights -Martin remains undefeated at 14-0. -Martin has a winning streak of 30, which dates back to last season. -Thomsen has 30 wins on the year. -DeVos remains undefeated on the season at 15-0. -DeVos has a winning streak of 15. -All but one of DeVos' victories on the season have been by bonus points. -Fank has a team-best 31 wins this season. -Fank has a winning streak of 24. -Evans remains undefeated on the year at 25-0. -Evans has a winning streak of 25.

GOLDEN, Colo. -- History was made in more ways than one by California Baptist University at the NCAA Division II Super Region IV Tournament, as the Lancers claimed the team title and qualified seven wrestlers for the D-II Championships on Saturday. Both those achievements were program-firsts for the Lancers, but they also matched another historic achievement by going 3-0 in region championship matches at Colorado School of Mines. Nolan Kistler claimed the 174-pound title, Nick Fiegener secured the 184 crown and Jacob Waste prevailed at 197 to give CBU three regional champions for the second time since 2014. It pushed the Lancers over the top for the regional title after they'd finished second in the region in 2016 and 2014. This time, CBU won the crown with a 12.5-point cushion, totaling 125 points, while No. 16 Colorado State-Pueblo finished second (112.5), third-ranked Nebraska Kearney took third (100.5) and No. 4 Central Oklahoma finished fourth (97.5). "It was actually tougher than it was last year," Coach Lennie Zalesky said. "The guys just wrestled amazing, we had so many guys wrestle way above their seeds. It was just a total team effort. There were a lot of pin points and tech points, too." Peter Cunningham (141), Christian Smith (165) and Paul Head (heavyweight) all won both of their consolation matches on Saturday to take third place in their respective weight classes. It took overtime, but Daxton Gordon secured a fourth-place finish at 149 to punch his ticket to nationals. "We won by 12.5 points, but it was very close and we came into today down by one," Zalesky said. "If any of our guys in consolation slipped up and got eliminated, we would have lost so many points and wouldn't have won. We had two really good rounds, I just can't give the guys enough credit." Waste won his third-straight regional championship to maintain his No. 1 Division II ranking at 197. The senior squared off with third-ranked Jon Inman of Fort Hays State for the first time this season and took control of the match with a takedown halfway through the first period. Inman battled back to a 2-2 tie with two escapes with 1:43 left in the second period, but Waste took back a 4-2 lead with a takedown at the 45-second mark. A third-period escape gave Waste the 5-2 victory. "It was No. 1 against No. 3 in the nation," Waste said. "He's a tough kid but I was ready for the battle. I just had a bring-your-lunch-pail mentality, because I knew it was going to be a scrap." Waste also expressed high expectations for the Division II Championships. The Lancers took sixth in D-II last season, with five individuals qualifying for nationals. "I am just really proud of these guys to come out and fight as hard as they can," Waste said. "Everyone fought so hard and it's a big step going into nationals. We qualified five guys last year and took sixth as a team. Now we have seven going, so our possibilities are endless." Fiegener's championship match with eighth-ranked JaVaugh Perkins of Colorado State-Pueblo was the most dramatic finals match of the day for CBU, going into overtime. Twenty seconds into the match, Fiegener found himself down 2-0 and then had to battle back against Perkins. Two escapes and a takedown led Fiegener to a 4-4 tie at the end of the regulation. No points were scored in the first overtime, and Fiegener successfully rode out Perkins in the next 30-second overtime. Perkins gave Fiegener an automatic escape in the third and final overtime, and Fiegener's defense led him to a 5-4 victory. "I just kind of knew I could come back, I knew he wasn't great on the mat and I could score points there and I did," Fiegener said. "I wasn't too worried, I knew I was in for a tough match but I was ready." Even so, all the individual success did not compare to the team's championship run for Fiegener. "It was definitely the highlight of the trip," he said. "It's never be done before, so it is pretty cool to be the first CBU team to come in and do it." Kistler defied seedings all week and upset 10th-ranked Brandon Supernaw of Western State Colorado with relative ease in a 10-3 championship win. About halfway through the match, the fourth-seeded Kistler picked up a single-leg takedown for a 2-0 lead. At the end of the first period, Supernaw chose down position in hopes to tie the score. It played right into Kistler's strength, as he rolled Supernaw for two nearfalls totaling six points and an 8-1 lead going into the third period. "Honestly, I just haven't been worrying about [seeds] like I usually do," Kistler said. "I usually stress about it, but it's been all about having fun and enjoying it while it's here since I'm a junior and next year is my last season. My whole family has been backing me and praying for me, and the reason I have the confidence I do comes from knowing God is right there and will always be there for me." It was just the latest memorable regional chapter for Kistler, who's qualified for the Division II Championships all three years, taking third in the region in 2015 and second in 2016. "Regionals have always been special for me," Kistler said. "You never know what can happen at regionals. It's a great victory for all of us and a great day." Cunningham won his first match of the day over Colorado State-Pueblo's Jared Mestas, 10-3, to advance into the third-place bout. Cunningham then exacted some revenge and upset Colorado Mesa's Daniel Salazar, the seventh-ranked 141-pounder in Division II, on a 3-2 decision. Smith shutout his consolation semifinal opponent, Ouachita Baptist's Tyler Mann, 7-0, and then rolled right through Colorado Mesa's Jason Buhr, 16-9, to take third place. Head won his third-straight regional match in the consolation semifinals by upsetting eighth-ranked Christian Lance of Fort Hays State, 3-1. The senior then launched a furious, third-period comeback against Chadron's Cooper Cogdill in the third-place match. Head hit a reversal with 1:52 to go in the match for a 2-1 lead. Cogdill worked his way to an escape to tie things with 1:40 remaining, but Head nailed a takedown with 17 seconds to go to secure the 4-3 victory. To open the day, Gordon upset Newman's 11th-ranked 149-pounder Tyler Mies on an 8-4 decision to move on to the third-place match, which he lost in the final three seconds to move into the fourth-place match with Ouachita Baptist's Blake Clevenger. With the winner advancing to nationals and the loser going home, Gordon and the ninth-ranked Clevenger went into overtime tied at 1-1. Gordon scored two precious points with a reversal in the second overtime period and then preserved the 3-2 lead for the win after the third and final overtime session. Greg Gaxiola dropped his first match of the day against second-ranked Greg Tooley of Fort Hays State. The 157-pound Gaxiola came through in his next outing, defeating WSCU's Shawn Beiriger 12-7, but an injury forced him to default in the third period of his fourth-place match with CSUP's Kyle Fantin. All of Gaxiola's proved crucial in helping the Lancers win the regional. While CBU certainly had plenty to celebrate this weekend, the Lancers will look to add to it at the national level on March 10-11 in Birmingham, Alabama. "I definitely think we are in the running to win it, so that's the goal," Kistler said. "This is the best we have ever wrestled, looking up and down the lineup. Coach has us peaking us at the right time, we had our losses at the beginning of the year and now we are wrestling our best when it matters most."

ERIE, Pa. -- The Notre Dame Falcons wrestling team had an impressive two days during the Division II Super Regional, finishing first in team score, with 155 points, and had four wrestlers win their bracket throughout Friday and Saturday. (Results) The Falcons have now won the Regional, four out of the last five years, however, Head coach Frank Romano mentioned that this was the largest margin of victory for Notre Dame, as a team, in the Regional. As a team, the first place Falcons had 38.5 more points than Gannon University, who came in second with 116.5 points. "We wrestled very well this weekend and we only had two seniors with us, Garrett Lineberger and Cobey Fehr, the rest were underclassmen." Romano said, "We feel really good about that." Individually, the grapplers needed a fourth place finish, or higher, to qualify for the National Championship. The Falcons had eight wrestlers qualify for the National Championship and one who will be going as an alternate. In the 125 lbs. bracket, Ivan McClay, who had the second-seed, went to work for the Falcons. McClay won his first match with a 10-7 decision and the second match with a fall at 1:57. In the semifinal round, he took down the third-seeded Austin Petril, from Kutztown University, with a 3-1 decision. He then defeated Alan Diltz, from Seton Hill University, in the final round, with a 10-9 decision. David Bavery (133 lbs.), the three-seed, lost in the semifinal round to the two-seeded Dustin Warner, of Wheeling Jesuit University, with a 3-0 decision. Bavery was able to turn it around on the other side of the bracket, winning two matches, which included taking down Anthony Sparacio with a 3-1 decision to take third place. At 141 lbs., third-seeded, Fehr was able to win three straight matches with major decisions, including Dylan Nace, who had the two-seed. However, he fell to Chris Eddins from the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, in the final round, taking second place. Juwon Edmond, the five-seed, pulled off a couple of upsets on his way to a first place finish. In the quarterfinal, Edmond defeated Dominick Narnia, of Wheeling Jesuit, with a fall at 2:27. He would also take down the two-seed, Logan Grass in the final round with 6-1 decision at 149 lbs. Fernando Silva will head to the National Championship as an alternate as he took fifth place in the 157 lbs. bracket. Silva fell in the quarterfinal and then lost to Joey Kratochvil, of East Stroudsburg University, in the match for fourth place. In the 165 lbs. bracket, Isaiah White was able to cruise through his match-ups with back-to-back major decisions and a 6-1 decision to get the final round. There, the number three-seed, White, defeated Francis Mizia, from Mercyhurst University, with another major decision, 13-3. Justan Rivera defeated Jake Stratton, of Gannon University, with a 16-9 decision in the semifinals. He would then fall to five-seed Dalton George, of Ohio Valley University, in the final round of the 174 lbs. bracket, taking second place. At 184 lbs., Lineberger was able to continue his success as a one-seed with a bye in the first round. He won in the quarterfinals with a major decision and got past the semifinals with a Tech. Fall over the five-seed, Levi Niebauer. Lineberger then took down Nick Costa, of Gannon, with another Tech. Fall to win the bracket. Kameron Teacher then took to the mat in the 285 lbs. bracket for Notre Dame. He won the first round with a fall and the quarterfinals after Ryan Appleby was injured. In the final round, Teacher ran into the one-seed from Mercyhurst, Andy Welton, who beat Teacher, with a 6-3 decision. "We wrestled really well on our feet and nobody got banged up too bad," Romano said. The NCAA Division II National Tournament is set to take place from March 10 to March 11 in Birmingham, Ala.

The No. 1 ranked St. Cloud State University wrestling team (17-1, 8-0 NSIC) added another title to its rich legacy with a first-place finish at the 2017 NCAA Division II Super 3 Region tournament, which was held on Feb. 24-25 in Moorhead, Minn. The Huskies tallied a total of 147.0 points to win the team title, while McKendree placed second with 121.0 points. Maryville (102.0), Augustana (92.5) and MSU-Mankato (74.0) completed the top five teams in the standings. The completed results are listed below. The two-time defending national champions, SCSU will be sending a solid contigent of nine wrestlers to the upcoming NCAA Division II championships, which will be held in Birmingham, Ala. on March 10-11. SCSU wrestlers who have qualified for the trip to Alabama include defending 125-pound national champion Brett Velasquez, Mike Rhone (133), Jarred Oftedahl (141), James Pleski (149), Larry Bomstad (157), Gabe Fogarty (165), Clayton Jennissen (174), Uthman Rabiu (184) and Austin Goergen (285). This marks the fourth trip to the NCAA finals for Goergen and Fogarty, while Jennissen has qualified for the NCAA's three times. Velasquez, Rhone, Bomstad and Rabiu will be making their second NCAA appearances. In action at 125-pounds at the regional, Velasquez earned the Huskies' lone championship with a perfect 4-0 record in regional action. On the final day of action, Velasquez gained a 13-10 win over Jaret Singh of Maryville in the semi's and then nabbed an 8-0 major decision win over Augie's Brandon Carroll in the title bout. Second place finishers for the Huskies at the Regional included Larry Bomstad at 157-pounds and Clayton Jennissen at 174-pounds. Bomstad gained a 16-10 decision over Dylan Herman of Mankato in the semi's before losing on a fall to Ryan Strope of McKendree in the title bout. Jennissen opened his day on Feb. 25 with a 4-2 sudden death victory over Augie's Lukas Poloncic before falling in the finals to top ranked Adam Cooling of MSU, Mankato by a score of 3-1. SCSU wrestlers who gained third place finishes at the tournament included Mike Rhone at 133, Jarred Oftedahl at 141, James Pleski at 149, Gabe Fogarty at 165 and Austin Goergen at 285. Uthman Rabiu placed fourth at 184 for SCSU and Vince Dietz was fifth at 197. Rhone finished with a 4-1 record and scored a 4-3 win over Hunter Harlanson of Lindenwood in the bout for third place to punch his ticket to nationals. At 141, Oftedahl was 4-1 in tournament play and earned his bid with a 9-3 win over Jordan Roths of Upper Iowa in the bout for third place. At 149, Pleski gained his first trip to the NCAA finals with a 4-1 record. In the bout for third place, Pleski scored a 4-2 sudden death win over Isaiah Kemper of McKendree in the third place bout. Fogarty, a three-time All-American for the Huskies, was 4-1 in tournament action. In the match for third, Fogarty advance to the nationals with an injury forfeit. At 184-pounds, Rabiu was 3-2 and placed fourth in the tournament. At 197, Dietz was 3-2 in tournament action and was the fifth place finisher in the weight division. Three-time All-American, Goergen completed his tournament run with a 4-1 record. He had three falls in the tournament and placed third with an 8-0 major win over Logan Hopp of Upper Iowa. His lone loss of the season occured in the semi's with a 6-4 sudden death loss to Donnell Walker of Maryville. Complete Regional Brackets (PDF) Standings: 1. St. Cloud State University 147.0 2. McKendree University 121.0 3. Maryville University Of Saint Louis 102.0 4. Augustana University (South Dakota) 92.5 5. Minnesota State Mankato 74.0 6. Lindenwood University 71.0 7. Upper Iowa University 62.5 8. Northern State University 46.0 9. Minnesota State University Moorhead 44.0 10. University Of Central Missouri 27.0 11. Southwest Minnesota State University 19.5 12. University Of Mary 16.0 13. Drury University 10.5 14. Truman State University 9.5 15. Minot State University 4.5

The brackets have been released for Pac-12 Wrestling Championships, which take place on Sunday at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, Calif. Link: Brackets Schedule: 9:30 a.m. PT Doors Open 10:30 a.m. Session I 3 p.m. Doors Re-Open 4 p.m. Session II 5:45 p.m. Grand March 6 p.m. Championship Finals

Allie Morrison, gold medal-winning wrestler at the 1928 Olympics who was undefeated in college, is one of 28 athletes to be named to the inaugural University of Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame, the school announced Thursday. Allie MorrisonA native of Marshalltown, Iowa, Allie Morrison won the freestyle featherweight gold medal at the 1928 Olympics as the only American wrestler to capture gold at the Amsterdam Games, and the first Olympic gold medal-winning athlete from the state of Iowa in any sport. A 1928 Big Ten champion, Morrison was undefeated as a University of Illinois wrestler. He also won three consecutive U.S. AAU National Wrestling Championships starting as a high school senior in 1926, losing just once during his career. Morrison was forced to retire in 1929 after suffering broken vertebra in his neck. Morrison is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. The Illini mat great died in 1966 at the age of 61. Morrison is among the honorees which include national hall of famers, Olympians, national champions, multi-sport stars and All-Americans dominate this list of legendary Fighting Illini male and female athletes. Among the honorees known well beyond the Champaign-Urbana campus: Dick Butkus, Dwight "Dike" Eddleman, Red Grange, George Halas, and Steve Stricker. "I would like to thank the selection committee for its work in identifying the members of this inaugural Hall of Fame class," said Director of Athletics Josh Whitman. "As you would expect, with more than 120 years of athletics excellence to consider, it was an incredibly difficult process to select this small, elite group. The Class of 2017 includes some of the greatest names in the history of American sports. Equally exciting, however, is that we have hundreds of additional candidates with Hall of Fame credentials. Although not everyone could be included in the first class, all who are deserving will one day be recognized with this special honor. Congratulations to the inaugural class of the University of Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame." The Class of 2017 will be introduced at the Fighting Illini Athletics Hall of Fame Gala at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago on Friday, June 23. Ticket information will be released in the coming weeks. The University of Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 30 at State Farm Center (formerly Assembly Hall) on the UI campus. Illinois hosts Nebraska in football on Sept. 29. Want to know more about Allie Morrison? Check out this InterMat profile of this legendary wrestler/coach.

Deron Winn battled Ed Ruth at the Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Deron Winn, two-time junior college wrestling champ and freestyle competitor, will be making his professional mixed martial arts debut next month in the San Francisco Bay area. Winn's first MMA fight will take place at Conquer Fighting Championships' Conquer 3 event at Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, Calif. on Saturday, March 18. Winn made the announcement on his Facebook page Friday. "March 18th! Craneway Pavilion Richmond, California. Go to Conquerfighting.com to get tickets to my professional MMA debut!" wrote Winn alongside a photo of himself, stripped to the waist, that looked like a promotional poster for the event. Winn's opponent has yet to be announced. In September 2016, InterMat reported that Winn had signed a contract with Zinkin Entertainment, an organization that represents a number of former mat stars entering mixed martial arts competition. Winn was a three-time Missouri state wrestling champ for Liberty High School outside Kansas City. He then enrolled at St. Louis Community College, Meramec where he was a two-time NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) champ. At the 2008 NJCAA Nationals, Winn was presented with the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award. He also wrestled freestyle for USA Wrestling at 98 kilograms/189 pounds. March 13 Update: Deron Winn will be going up against Mike Morales of Susanville, Calif. in a main-event bout at 205 pound. Morales brings a 9-5 record to the match.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- (Preliminary Brackets -- PDF) Preliminary brackets for the 2017 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, presented by USA Wrestling-Kansas have been released, the national office announced Friday. Session I action inside the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, Kan., begins March 3 at 10 a.m. CST. The 60th annual event consists of four sessions, concluding Saturday with the championship finals at 7 p.m. Preliminary brackets are subject to change and are not considered official until the conclusion of team registration on Thursday, March 2. Official brackets will be released on NAIA.org Thursday night following the conclusion of the on-site NAIA-Wrestling Coaches Association Bracketing Committee meeting. For additional information on the national championships, click here.

Peter Galli SAN FRANCISCO -- Stanford's Peter Galli was named the Pac-12 Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2016-17 season, the Conference office announced today. The award, which is presented in each of the 23 sports the Pac-12 sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline. Galli, who hails from Baltimore, Md., becomes the fourth Cardinal to be named Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for wrestling. He carries a 3.33 grade point average as a Science, Technology & Society major. As a redshirt junior last season, Galli was named NWCA Academic All-America. He is currently second on the team in victories, sporting a record of 23-5, and is ranked nationally at No. 18 (174 pounds) by InterMat. His career record stands at 58-28. Galli and his fellow Cardinal will compete at the Pac-12 Wrestling Championships on Sunday at Stanford's Maples Pavilion. The competition will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Network, starting at 6 p.m. PT. Tickets to attend the event are available at GoStanford.com/tickets or by calling 800-STANFORD. In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50% of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport's regular season. The athletic accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in the voting for the award. A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12's 23 sponsored sports: baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, beach volleyball, men's cross country, women's cross country, football, men's golf, women's golf, women's gymnastics, men's rowing, women's rowing, men's soccer, women's soccer, softball, men's swimming & diving, women's swimming & diving, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's track & field, women's track & field, women's volleyball, and wrestling. Also Nominated: Coleman Hammond, Cal State Bakersfield (3.19, Business Administration)

Dylan Geick It's been an incredible week for Dylan Geick. The senior wrestler at Stevenson High School in suburban Chicago placed fourth in the Class 3A 160-pound bracket at the Illinois state wrestling championships this past weekend. Then, on Thursday, Geick, who will be wrestling for Columbia University this fall, was the subject of a profile at a leading gay website. In Outsports.com's feature titled "This elite Illinois high school wrestler is proudly gay" Geick revealed that he first came out to friends at their lunch table at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Ill. last year. Soon after, Geick came out to his wrestling coach and teammates. "That tight family atmosphere has helped lead to Geick's sexual orientation being widely accepted by his teammates and coaching staff," Outsports.com's Cyd Zeigler wrote. "For the record, Geick said he hadn't heard a single negative reaction from a teammate or coach since he came out to them. Not one." Geick said many of the reasons he waited so long to come out as gay was not wanting to disrupt the positive team environment ... and over concerns about the intense physical contact that is intrinsic to the sport. "Some people could have been uncomfortable if they knew they were wrestling someone who was gay," Geick told The Statesman, Stevenson's student newspaper, last week. "But what they don't understand is that this is a sport and is completely removed from that." Geick said he didn't receive a single negative response from members of the team. His relationships with his teammates never wavered. "It just so happened that all of those kids, even those who maybe had a homophobic view before were able to see past that, and are still my friends, and we are much closer even now," Geick said. In addition, when Geick revealed his orientation to the wrestlers and coaches of the Columbia Lions wrestling program during his visit to the New York City campus, he was warmly received. In fact, Geick told Outsports.com that his entire senior season had gone by without incident, except for one issue heading into the state championships: a rival wrestler left a "biting" message about Geick's orientation on the Stevenson mat star's Instagram account. "To be honest, it fired me up, and I focused it into the match," Geick disclosed to Outsports.com. "I blew that kid out when we got on the mat." Geick hopes that by sharing his story, he can help other gay athletes realize they are not alone. A year ago, as he struggled to come to terms with who he is, Geick came across the story of Mike Pucillo, 2008 NCAA wrestling champ for Ohio State, who came out publicly last March in an interview with award-winning wrestling journalist Jason Bryant. "I really didn't know any gay wrestlers," Geick told Outsports.com. "The first thing I Googled was 'NCAA gay wrestling' and that was the article I found. So it's cool that I get to share my story. "I hope I can have the same effect on a high school kid."

This week a wrestler in Texas forfeited a match to an opponent based on the knowledge that the competitor has transitioned into a male. The news made national headlines and sparked debate about transgender rights and the rights of athletes competing against transgender athletes. Though it would be easy to jump to a side, this is not a matter of simple discrimination, or religious zealotry. At the core of the forfeit (and lawsuit asking that the transgendered athlete be forbidden from competing) is that the transgendered athletes is taking testosterone to help with the gender transition, something otherwise prohibited by in Texas high school sports. Those opposing the transgender athlete's participation make a point about fairness: if a student who took these drugs and tried to compete would test positive for performance enhancers and be ineligible, why should an exception be made for those transitioning between sexes? The NCAA also tackled a few years ago, settling on the ruling that a female athlete may participate in female athletics during their first year of transitioning. After that point the athlete would no longer be eligible to compete on a women's team. But here's the real crux, the athlete in question, Mack Beggs, wanted to compete against boys but athletic administrators in Texas, and later court rulings, compelled him compete against girls. No doubt that transgender policy is a complicated issue that touches on a lot of hot topics, however this should have been a non-issue. A transgender athlete wanted to participate in wrestling, but due to a lack of understanding about the complex situation a handful of bureaucrats denied him that right, and possibly denied the right of fair competition to others. Wrestling is too often about wins and losses. Every year we see news specials in the profiles of courage by some of our sport's disabled athletes and it stirs up in us a love of our sport and the equality among people it promotes. This isn't as stark of an example, but it's one which would require even more courage and would bang the drum of our sport's equality even louder than before. A wrestling match is a meeting between two humans with the expectation of exchanging techniques, strength and grit. Competitors testing their work ethic and hoping for a positive outcome. Here, what could have been -- an acceptance of a match including a transgendered athlete in the gender of his identification -- would have shown the world our sport's most redeemable and admirable qualities, rather than our culture's most vile and basest instinct. To your questions … Jimmy Gulibon of Penn State nearly secured a fall against Oklahoma State's Dean Heil (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) Q: I feel like Flo's issues overshadowed the one glaring rules issue that took place in the National Duals finals match between Jimmy Guilibon and Dean Heil. We had a situation where a wrestler was put onto his back by another wrestler in an inescapable situation from neutral position (much like a jones' shin whizzer tilt) and exposed in criteria for a grand total of 20 uninterrupted seconds. Following the exchange, zero points were awarded in two similar exchanges. What constitutes "control" in situations like these? Is it purely a judgment call? -- Bryan O. Foley: The situation was obnoxious. The wrestler from Oklahoma State was pinned -- plain, simple and without argument. The area of his back necessary to call the fall was on the mat and the wrestler on top was in control of the situation. When compared to the "flash takedown" the control was even more evident, lasting (as you noted) for 20 uninterrupted seconds. In wrestling, you are meant to stay OFF your back. This is universal and has a history that extends back more than 5,000 years. It's the heritage that binds our sport! That our wrestlers are putting themselves on their back for 20 seconds and not being called for a pin, but also WINNING the matches is simply embarrassing. I don't have a preference between the teams and think the world of both coaches, but it's an embarrassment to our sport that this match didn't end with an obvious fall call. My hope is that the rules committee dives into this issue and ensures that the sport returns to a more logical rule set. Q: What do you look to take away from the upcoming National Collegiate Open? -- Glenn Y. Foley: I'm all for this type of tournament. In international wrestling there are a number of ways for wrestlers to engage in top-level, end-of-the-season wrestling and I'm thrilled that this initiative is picking up more steam. Q: I think that riding (maintaining control) is a valuable part of folkstyle wrestling that we should keep. That said, I agree that it needs modifying. But, rather than make things even more complicated (and difficult to understand), how about this simple rule change (to avoid "riding" including pushing your opponent out of bounds from the rear standing position): If a wrestler goes out of bounds from neutral, penalty point (with disqualification after, say, 5 such penalty points). If both wrestlers go out of bounds from the top/bottom positions, restart neutral (with no escape point). -- Irv O. Foley: Sold. Think it should be like freestyle where there is a caution if more than two pushouts happen within quick succession. Q: How many people were signed up to watch PSU/OKIE would you guess -- @palhal_ Foley: You'd need to ask Flo, but I imagine between 5,000 and 10,000 would be a wide, but conservative estimate. The Facebook feed had 15,000-plus watching, though inevitably not all those would've been paying customers. Q: So apparently Flo really dropped the ball with the PSU vs. OSU match. With that in mind, any chance InterMat expands into the world of streaming broadcasts? It's crazy that such a big match isn't picked up by someone bigger. -- Ryan P. Foley: I don't know of InterMat's plans for streaming, but they do a great job in the area they've concentrated their efforts -- rankings, event coverage and articles. The PSU/OSU streaming blackout was an unprecedented failure on the part of FloWrestling. No question Flo is experiencing some managerial hiccups in their effort to ramp up their operations across sporting platforms. While bad on its face, the blackout of the National Duals championships was compounded by Flo's lawsuit against Trackwrestling.com, which prevented the latter's plans to broadcast the match live on NBC -- an inconvenient side note when balanced against their ongoing criticism of NBC's lack of wrestling coverage by Flo personalities. Yet … media commenting on media happenings can be gross and self-serving. I've chased this into the rabbit hole before and looking back I regret not using that energy to put more focus on the people, stories and trends in the sport that matter. Flo's faceplant is a big story, so there is room here to discuss, but I'll keep it brief. Martin and the rest of the C-Suite are in this game to generate profit. This is not altruism, this is not love, this is money This week FloSports announced they'll be moving to a 60,000-square foot headquarters in Austin and hiring 175 additional employees over the next six months. That rapid expansion is being paid for, in part, by Flo's latest round of fundraising worth upwards of $20 million. That money creates a lot of pressure for Flo's management team and filters down to the brand's personalities whose job it is protect their company. Simply put, Flo is a streaming and events company that failed to deliver the stream for the National Duals championship. For some this is another reason to cancel their Flo subscription, for others it's just seen as an embarrassing, but ultimately forgivable hiccup. I wouldn't advocate for cancellation, but I would use this moment to ask our community to refigure its longstanding belief that this is some sort of non-profit doing what is best for the sport. Flo is a for-profit business doing what is best for the ownership and investors and at $20/month there is quite the premium placed on their access and delivery of events. Before you attack me as a socialist, I'm totally OK with this model (America!), but a focus on the bottom line means you should never mistake this endeavor as something altruistic. This is about money, your money, and if you're ticked off then the best way to make your voice heard, whether through social media or your pocketbook. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Working with a very gifted videographer this year to help bring more coverage of behind-the-scenes action from wrestling around the world. Check out this piece of the Klippan Ladies Open Training Camp Abdulrashid Sadulaev gets married! Olympic champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev was recently married NCAA allocations NCAA qualifier allocations Q: Have to discuss @magicman_psu. When last week's mailbag posted, he "looked good." Saying anything other than impressive is insulting -- @josephmjamison Foley: Please remember that David Taylor beat the 2012 Olympic champion and pinned the 2016 Olympic champion AFTER I finished the mailbag on Thursday. He was a total terror on the mats and proved that the USA could have a serious shot at contending with Abdulrashid Sadulaev at the World Championships. Also keep in mind that DT will still need to wrestle past J'den Cox and that are still many more up-and-coming and proven competitors at 86 kilograms which could knock down medal expectations in 2017. That's a tall task and one that can't be circumvented by these early season wins. Overall, I couldn't be more impressed with DT and all of Team USA. Taylor's was of the best weekend performances in recent USA Wrestling history. Q: I don't know about you, but I was very proud of USA Wrestling and Iran Wrestling and how Team USA was received and has always been treated in Iran. Is there anywhere else in the world that could've happened in this type of political climate? Even the Iranian immigrants who I've met here in the U.S. love wrestling. Where else in the world do they express that type of love for wrestling? Carver-Hawkeye Arena gets passionate, but can you think of anywhere else and what is like? -- Marcus R. Foley: The politics of the day helped add a layer of intensity to the event that permeated into the press and into the atmosphere in the arena and on the mats. Wrestling in Iran is a big deal and when paired up with an important event you are always guaranteed an explosive and consequential event. Russia certainly has a following for the sport which could produce some similar results. Dagestan, which is bidding to host the 2018 European Championships, will almost certainly be bubbling with excitement during the inevitable clash between Russian wrestlers overseas and those that wear the gold-striped singlet. The Yarygin, while missing the notes of international conflict, still can pack the house and create a raucous reaction. Mongolians turn out for wrestling events in record numbers, complete with rowdy fans and chanting. Uzbeksitan was a packed house for the 2014 World Championships. Finland will be mad for the Greco-Roman finals this year at the Junior World Championships. Q: I've been looking forward to watching the Women's Freestyle World Cup, but when I looked it up on the UWW event schedule it had competition dates listed (04-05 Mar, 2017), but no competition location. Is this a sign that the Women's World Cup isn't happening this year? It'd be a shame if it's not because I found the women's wrestling to be some of the most entertaining at the Olympics this last go around. If it is happening, any information about where we might be able to watch it would be great? -- Dan L. Foley: The Women's World Cup is one of my favorite events, too. The federation was looking for a host this year, but ran into a few hurdles with location and funding. It's not widely known, but the event organizer assumes almost all the costs for the World Cup event, including the $100,000 in prize money handed out to teams. There is still time to find a host in 2017, but do know that there is already a host city for 2018, Tokyo! Q: ISU had an awful dual meet season, going 1-12. There are certainly some talented wrestlers on the roster and some accomplished incoming recruits. What is a realistic timetable for the Cyclones contending for team trophies again? -- Mike C. Foley: The Cyclone turnaround will be contingent on a few factors. First, is the ability of head coach Kevin Dresser to address and correct any team culture issues. The recent expulsion of full-tine tweeter Pat Downey and the stepping down of Kevin Jackson before year's end signals that the team is having some real issues. Dresser needs to balance a heavy hand with a modicum of compassion for the upheaval experienced by the athletes. The next big indicator on future success is determining which athletes will honor their commitments to Jackson and which new recruits may now be added to the mix now that Dresser is the head coach. Finally, the dual meet success will come down to who Dresser finds to staff his program. Will he bring over some of the Virginia Tech coaching staff? Or retain some members of the Iowa State program? That's a juggling act and one that will impact the time it takes him to succeed. Overall, I think that ISU is a .500 dual meet team in the first year one and follow a pretty Dresser-standard five-year growth curve with a top ten finish likely by 2020 and top five by 2022. Q: How are the Hawkeye faithful going to feel in a couple years when Iowa's lineup is basically a PA All-Star team? Won't have many local kids to root for. -- Steve M. Foley: I think you are basically trolling the Iowa faithful … but to be honest I don't think they'll mind so long as those guys are winning NCAA titles. Based on the some of those wrestlers it's impossible to think they won't be racking up the individual honors in the years to come. Q: What weight class do you think will go last for the NCAA finals? Obviously, Kyle Snyder is an Olympic and world champion and that will appeal to viewers. However, I see 184 pounds, Gabe Dean vs. Bo Nickal, as the most compelling matchup and would like to see that as the grand finale. Both have been extremely dominant. -- Mike C. Foley: Absolutely Gabe Dean and Bo Nickal! Or, that's my vote -- the young startup vs. the grisly veteran is a matchup worthy of primetime. What do you guys think? Vote in the comments!

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has announced the qualifier allocations for the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships as listed in the chart below. Each qualifying tournament was awarded spots per weight class based on current year data. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage at the weight class; ratings percentage index (RPI); and coaches' ranking. For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his qualifying tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each qualifying tournament, with automatic qualifying status, was awarded a minimum of one wrestler per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA tournament spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at the tournament based solely on place-finish. After all of the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 49 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 7. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; quality wins; coaches' ranking; results against common opponents; RPI; qualifying event placement; and winning percentage. NCAA qualifier allocations The coaches' rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches representing each conference. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. In order to be eligible for the rankings, wrestlers must have participated in at least five matches against Division I opponents in the weight class and have wrestled within the last 30 days. COACHES' RANKINGS To be eligible for an RPI ranking, a wrestler must have a minimum of 17 Division I matches at a given weight class. Among the top-ranked wrestlers by the coaches are seven former national champions with Nathan Tomasello of Ohio State (133 pounds), Dean Heil of Oklahoma State (141), Zain Retherford of Penn State (149), Isaiah Martinez of Illinois (165), Gabe Dean of Cornell (184), J'Den Cox of Missouri and Kyle Snyder of Ohio State (heavyweight). The additional top-ranked wrestlers at each weight class in the coaches' rankings are: Thomas Gilman, Iowa (125 pounds); Jason Nolf, Penn State (157) and Zahid Valencia, Arizona State (174). In the RPI, which requires a minimum of 17 Division I matches to be eligible for a ranking, top-ranked wrestlers include: Gilman (125 pounds); Kaid Brock, Oklahoma State (133); Heil (141); Anthony Collica, Oklahoma State (149); Michael Kemerer, Iowa (157); Martinez (165); Valencia (174); Bo Nickal, Penn State (184); Cox (197) and Ty Walz, Virginia Tech (heavyweight). RPI RANKINGS The 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships takes place at Scottrade Center in St. Louis March 16-18. A limited number of single session tickets are still available, in addition 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. A full description of the entire selection process is in the 2017 Division I Wrestling Championships Pre-Championships Manual which is available at NCAA.org.

This week's episode of Takedown Wrestling TV takes wrestling fans from Iran to Iowa State and all points in between. Among the topics: Coverage of the 2017 World Cup freestyle action from Iran NWCA National Duals Kevin Dresser: making the move from head coach at Virginia Tech to taking the helm at Iowa State One-on-one interview with Iowa State All-American Dave Ewing Central College wrestler Jaime Miranda's inspiring story, featured on NBC News

Iowa State coaches during the dual meet against Iowa (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State assistant wrestling coach Travis Paulson will coach the Cyclones for the remainder of the 2016-17 season. The move takes effect immediately. Coach Kevin Jackson approached Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard this week to express his desire to not coach the team in the post-season. The move gives Paulson, who is in his sixth season at ISU, an opportunity to lead the Cyclones at the Big 12 and NCAA Championships. Travis Paulson, his brother Trent and Angel Escobedo will serve as the Cyclones coaching staff for the rest of the year.

Pat Downey celebrates after a victory at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Pat Downey, All-American redshirt junior, is no longer a member of the Iowa State wrestling team, according to a statement issued by current head coach Kevin Jackson Wednesday. "Patrick Downey is no longer a member of the Iowa State wrestling team because of repeated violations of team rules," Jackson stated in an afternoon release. "He will no longer compete for the Cyclones, including this year's Big 12 or NCAA Championships." The announcement of Downey's dismissal came the same day that Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard officially introduced the Cyclones' new head wrestling coach, Kevin Dresser, an Iowa native who had headed up the mat program at Virginia Tech. Downey has generated considerable attention in the college wrestling world far beyond Iowa State's Ames campus for his bold comments on social media, including calling out Gabe Dean, defending NCAA Division I champ at 184 pounds for Cornell University. Earlier this month, Jackson had told the Des Moines Register, "We're in conversations with Pat all the time. Probably a little bit too much. For some reason, he can't grasp the fact that Iowa State is bigger than you. It's bigger than tweets. The wrestling program is bigger than that." "You have to raise to that level," Jackson had said at the time, going so far as to tell reporters that if they didn't already follow Downey on Twitter, "don't start." Downey's Twitter account became even more active after his dismissal, with messages such as "Fav & RT if YOU think @IASTATEAD@IowaStateU@CycloneWR should let me wrestle in the @Big12Conference championships & accomplish MY DREAM!!!" and "their goal obviously aint to win. if it was @CycloneWR wouldnt be 1-12 this year.. https://t.co/FMbsKHFmPG" posted on Wednesday. Iowa State just completed its 2016-17 season with just one win and 12 losses. Despite dealing with injuries this season, Downey was 7-0 wrestling at 184 pounds. His last match was Jan. 20 vs. Northern Iowa, where he won 9-5. The Baltimore native earned All-American honors last season with the Cyclones, placing fifth in the 197-pound bracket at the 2016 NCAA Championships. Prior to arriving at Iowa State last year, Downey had a brief stint at University of Nebraska before spending the first two years of his collegiate career at Iowa Central Community College, where he compiled a 46-0 record and won a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) title.

Another week of state championship tournaments is upon us, with most of them starting on Friday. In six weight classes across the country, there will be a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers contending for a solitary championship medal. New York Division I 106 pounds: No. 19 Dylan Ryder (Half Hollow Hills West) vs. No. 20 Zach Redding (Eastport-South Manor) This pair of wrestlers has split matches against one another on the season, with Ryder winning the most recent meeting two weeks ago by a 3-0 decision in the Section XI final; Redding won by 2-1 decision in the ultimate tiebreaker at the Eastern States Classic in the championship match six weeks ago. The junior Ryder was runner-up at 99 pounds last season, and finished eighth at 106 pounds in Cadet freestyle this past summer; while the freshman Ryder does have two other losses on the season, though those both came in the opening weekend bumping up to 120 pounds off a 113 weigh-in. However, should the wrestlers meet, it would be in the semifinal as they are the second and third seed respectively. In what has to be a baffling decision, the top seed is Matt Griffin (Jamesville Dewitt), a junior who placed third last year at 99 pounds. He placed seventh at the Eastern States Classic in this weight class, while the two nationally ranked wrestlers met in the finals. National Preps 126 pounds: No. 14 Jack Davis (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. No. 15 Chris Cannon (Blair Academy, N.J.) Both wrestlers were National Prep champions one year ago, Davis winning at 120 pounds, while Cannon earned gold at 113 pounds. When the pair met this season in the early January dual meet, it was Davis coming away with the 3-2 decision. However, Cannon placed seventh at the Walsh Ironman the previous month, while Davis failed to place. Both wrestlers have also earned All-American honors in Cadet freestyle in previous years. Other notable wrestlers in this weight class include three-time National Prep placer Daniel Planta (St. Paul's, Md.), along with returning National Prep placers in Ray Kable (McDonogh, Md.) and Nathaniel White (DeMatha, Md.) New York Division I 138 pounds: No. 1 Vitali Arujau (Syosset) vs. No. 16 Jake Silverstein (Hauppauge) The Cornell-bound Arujau is after a fourth state title, and is seeking to cap off yet another undefeated season. One that included a 3-1 victory over Silverstein in the Eastern States Classic final. Prior to the high school season, Arujau was a Cadet World silver medalist and a Super 32 Challenge champion. Silverstein was runner-up at state in the 106 pound weight class two years ago as a freshman before missing out on placement last year at 120 pounds; however, he bounced back nicely with a seventh place finish at the Super 32 Challenge prior to the start of the season in this weight class. For Arujau, the most likely semifinal opponent would be returning state fourth place finisher Christian Gramuglia (Burnt Hills), while Silverstein is looking at a semifinal date with another returning state fourth place finisher in Kyle Mosher (South Side). National Preps 170 pounds: No. 12 Khamari Whimper (Baylor School, Tenn.) vs. No. 20 Dale Tiongson (St. Paul's, Md.) Whimper placed third last year up a weight class at 182 pounds, while Tiongson was runner-up at 160 pounds losing a 3-2 finals decision against Ryan Karoly. In the off-season, Whimper placed fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and fifth at the Super 32 Challenge, both of those at 182 pounds; while Tiongson was eighth at the FloNationals in the 152 pound weight class. Other notable contestants include returning National Prep placers Isaiah Bailey (Tabor, Mass.) and Justin Henry (Mt. St. Joseph, Md.), along with three-time Florida state placer Leonardo Tarantino (Blair Academy, N.J.) and Cadet National double All-American Jake Hendricks (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Ryan Karoly, ranked No. 6 at 182 pounds, was a Fargo double champion this past summer (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) National Preps 182 pounds: No. 6 Ryan Karoly (Malvern Prep, Pa.) vs. No. 12 A.J. Pedro (Phillips Exeter, N.H.) Karoly is the returning National Prep champion at the 160-pound weight class, and this past summer was a Cadet National double champion at 182 pounds. In addition, the Northwestern-bound junior was runner-up at the Walsh Ironman in the 170-pound weight class earlier this season. The Brown-bound Pedro missed last year's event due to injury but placed third at National Preps as a freshman and sophomore. Pedro was sixth in Junior freestyle at this weight class over the summer, and placed third at the Beast of the East in this weight class two months ago. Two other notable contestants in this weight class are returning New England placer Austin Cooley (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), who also was a Cadet freestyle All-American this past summer, and Beast of the East placer Jack Parr (St. Paul's, Md.) Oklahoma Class 6A 285 pounds: No. 16 Gage Johnson (Norman North) vs. No. 17 Trenton Lieurance (Broken Arrow) Two years ago in the consolation semifinals at the state tournament, Lieurance beat Johnson 2-1 in the tiebreaker to earn a top four podium finish. However, in the four meeting since then (two each season), it has been Johnson earning the victory. In the 2015-16 season, there was a pin at the Geary Invitational and a 3-2 win in the state semifinal; while this season, Johnson won in overtime at the Geary Invitational and in the tiebreaker at the regional tournament. Lieurance placed third last year and fourth the year before, while Johnson was second last year. This season Lieurance has lost four times, twice to Johnson and twice in December to nationally ranked opposition; while Johnson has one loss on the season. It would come as significant surprise if they did not meet Saturday night with the title on the line.