InterMat Staff

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The final non-conference dual of the season started slow for the fifth-ranked Loras wrestling team on Thursday, conceding three of the first four bouts before the Duhawks ran away to a 27-9 win for their 16th dual win of the season, tying a program record in the process. TURNING POINT - After Cornell took three consecutive bouts from 133 to 149, junior Merrick Purcell flipped the script with a major decision at 157# to get the Duhawks back on track … Loras went on to win the final six bouts, two by bonus points NOTABLES - The Duhawks remain one of two undefeated collegiate dual teams in the state of Iowa and one of two in the latest NWCA Team Poll - Third-ranked Guy Patron Jr. recorded his 23rd win by bonus points this season, improving to 26-1 this season while recording his 13th win by fall - Loras tied the school record for dual wins in a season, previously set by the 2002-03 squad that finished 16-6 and finished second in the Iowa Conference - The Duhawks are in position to break the school record for dual winning percentage, set in the 1977-78 season when Loras finished 10-1 with a .909 winning percentage Results: 125# - Matt Randone (LOR) won by forfeit; 6-0 133# - Brody Lamb (COR) over Michael Triplett (LOR) (Dec 7-6); 6-3 141# - No. 1 Josh Martin (COR) over Kevin Kelly (LOR) (Dec 4-2); 6-6 149# - Phillip Opelt (COR) over No. 2 Jimmy Davis (LOR) (Dec 7-3); 6-9 157# - Merrick Purcell (LOR) over Lenny Bloom (COR) (MD 15-6); 9-9 165# - Eddie Smith (LOR) over Ben Hewson (COR) (MD 9-1); 13-9 174# - Sam Schuler (LOR) over Wylie Allen (COR) (Dec 9-5); 16-9 184# - Awais Arain (LOR) over Bryce Oveson (COR) (Dec 8-6); 19-9 197# - No. 3 Guy Patron Jr. (LOR) over Chris Lyones (COR) (TF 16-0 3:12); 24-9 285# - No. 6 Quin Gilliam (LOR) over Tyler Ortmann (COR) (SV 3-1); 27-9 UP NEXT Loras hosts the Duhawk Open on Saturday from inside the Graber Sports Center. Action is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.

MANKATO, Minn. -- Augustana (9-2, 4-0 NSIC) faced an uphill climb when they set out for Mankato, Minn. on Thursday night. The Mavericks of Minnesota State brought in the No. 16 ranked squad in DII and four individually ranked wrestlers while Augustana was unranked with only one ranked wrestler. The Vikings rose above the challenge, winning three of the four against ranked wrestlers and upsetting No. 16 Minnesota State, 17-13. Oscar Ramirez Jr. scored the first upset of the dual at 149 pounds. Ramirez Jr. took down No. 11 Kyle Rathman by a 5-4 decision. Ramirez Jr. moved to 10-1 in duals on the season as the Vikings trailed 7-6 through four matches. Trailing 13-8 after seven matches, Augustana would win the final three matches with two wins against ranked opponents. At 184 pounds was a battle of All-Americans and ranked wrestlers. No. 7 Aero Amo came out victorious with a 6-5 decision over No. 6 Corey Abernathy. Augustana took its first lead of the dual when Clayton Wahlstrom upset No. 9 Matthew Blome at 197 pounds. Wahlstrom won by a 6-5 decision and shifted the momentum the Vikings way. Luke Nohns sealed the deal at heavyweight with a 2-0 decision over Chris Zimmer. Nohns rode out Zimmer for the entire third period and gave the Vikings the 17-13 victory. Keaten Schorr put the Vikings on the board at 141 pounds with an 8-2 decision over Louie Sanders. Regan Bye remained unbeaten in NSIC duals with an 8-6 decision over Seth Elwood at 165 pounds. The Vikings return home next weekend to take on Minot State and U-Mary. Augustana will celebrate Senior Night on Friday, Feb. 2 against Minot State at 7 p.m. in the Elmen Center. Augustana will have its final home contest of the season against U-Mary on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m.

Wilkes-Barre, Pa. -- The SUNY Oneonta wrestling team overpowers King's College 49-3 in a midweek dual. The Red Dragons had three wrestlers win via pin, and the Monarchs forfeited four rounds enroute to Oneonta's seventh victory of the season (7-2). The Red Dragons first pin came in the 157lbs class by sophomore Tyler Brazinski (Johnson City/Johnson City) when he took down Tony Immediato in 4:19. The next pin came two classes later in the 174lbs class when junior Ryan Marszal (Unadilla/Unatego) pinned Darren Marte in 3:37. The final pin for the Red Dragons came in the 184lbs class by freshman Austin Carr (Guilford/Bainbridge-Guilford) in 1:33. In the 165lbs class junior Daniel Murphy (Poughkeepsie/Roy C. Ketcham) had a major decision over David White, 9-1. At 197lbs junior Peter Pjetri (Suffern/Suffern) beat his opponent via decision, 10-3. The Red Dragons took six points the opening four weight classes by forfeit and the King's lone victory came in the heavyweight class by Kyle Osterhound, 4-3. The Red Dragons are back in actions at the John Reese Duals at Wilkes on Sunday, January 28th. Results: 125 - Michael Muldoon (Mahopac/Mahopac) (O) won by forfeit 133 - #9 Austin Sisco (Denville, NJ/Pope John) (O) won by forfeit 141 - Anthony Messina (Farmingville/Sachem East) (O) won by forfeit 149 - Ahken Chu (Patterson/Carmel) (O) won by forfeit 157 - Tyler Brazinski (O) pinned Tony Immediato (K), 4:19 165 - Daniel Murphy (Poughkeepsie/Roy C. Ketcham) (O) major dec. David White (K), 9-1 174 - Ryan Marszal (Unadilla/Unatego) (O) pinned Darren Marte (K), 3:37 184 - Austin Carr (Guilford/Bainbridge-Guilford) (O) pinned Anthony Harmon-Miller (K), 1:33 197 - Peter Pjetri (Suffern/Suffern) (O) dec. Nick Price (K), 10-3 285 - Ralph Bernardo (K) dec. Adam Groesbeck (Bethlehem/Bethlehem Central) (O), 4-3 Exhibition: 285- Kyle Osterhoudt (K) major dec. Alex Marro (Ilion/Central Valley Academy) (O), 11-2

No. 6 Upper Iowa improved to 8-3 overall and 4-1 in the Northern Sun Conference with a 25-13 victory over Southwest Minnesota State to close out their third straight dual in Dorman Gym this month. The Peacocks won six of the ten bouts including three bonus-point wins thanks to a pair of falls and a major. UIU recorded a 16-7 advantage in takedowns, while SMSU battled back with a 5-1 advantage in nearfalls. UIU honored their three seniors, Nick Georgean, Josh Walker and Logan Hopp prior to the match. The trio has combined for 173 wins in varsity singlets for the Peacocks. Maleek Williams (No. 6) scored a takedown midway through the first period of the 125-pound bout and rode SMSU's Taylor Curtis out. Each wrestler scored an escape before Williams added a takedown in the third to secure the victory, 6-1. Josh Walker (No. 6) picked up two takedowns in the first period against Brock Buysee took a 4-2 lead into the final period. The senior opened the final period with an escape and then scored three takedowns and a ride time point to earn the major decision, 12-4. The Mustangs bounced back with a major decision of their own at 141 pounds. SMSU's Trent Butcher scored two takedowns against redshirt freshman Aaron Baker and six nearfall points in the opening period to grab a 10-1 lead. Butcher would go on to win 14-3 to get the Mustangs within three, 7-4. At 149 pounds, UIU's Damian Penichet earned a first-period takedown and rode out his 2-0 lead heading to the second period over Zach Beaumaster. In the second, Penichet caught the Mustang wrestler off his feet and earned a fall at 3:36 pushing the Peacock lead to 13-4. Redshirt freshman Mac Spotts got the nod at 157 pounds for the Peacocks. Spotts trailed Cortez Arredondo 1-0 after two periods. Spotts scored an escape late in the third period, but was unable to score the takedown to make up for a ride time point earned by the SMSU wrestler for a 2-1 win. SMSU made it two straight wins when Kegen Fingalsen. After falling behind 2-0, UIU's Cody Nelson got a pair of escapes to tie the bout, but Fingalsen scored a takedown and four nearfall points in the second to take an 8-3 lead into the third. Nelson got a takedown, a penalty point and a ride time point in the third, but came up a point shy, 8-7. Jordan Gundrum looked to be in trouble early in the 174-pound match, but a big reversal after giving up six points to SMSU's Griffin Osing led to UIU's second fall of the night at 1:28. The big swing pushed the Peacock lead to 19-10 with three matches to go. The Mustangs scored the final win of the night at 184 pounds when Cole Hennen picked up a quick six points on freshman Dalton Hahn on a takedown and four nearfall points. The Mustang grappler earned an 8-2 decision to pull the visitors within six, 19-13. Nick Baumler ensured a Peacock victory at 197 with a 10-3 decision over Jackson Ryan. The sophomore used a takedown in each period and added two nearfall points to earn the win and improve to 26-7 on the season. Redshirt sophomore Triston Westerlund toed the line in the heavyweight match and moved to 22-10 with a 6-2 decision over Ben Thompson. Westerlund controlled the action using takedowns in the first and second periods to pave the way for the win. Upper Iowa heads on the road next week to Aberdeen, S.D. to match up with the Wolves of Northern State University on Friday, Feb. 2 with start time scheduled for 7 p.m. Results: 125: Maleek Williams (UIU) over Taylor Curtis (SMSU) (Dec 6-1) 133: Josh Walker (UIU) over Brock Buysse (SMSU) (MD 12-4) 141: Trent Butcher (SMSU) over Aaron Baker Jr (UIU) (MD 16-3) 149: Damian Penichet (UIU) over Zachary Beaumaster (SMSU) (Fall 3:36) 157: Cortez Arredondo (SMSU) over Mac Spotts (UIU) (Dec 2-1) 165: Kegen Fingalsen (SMSU) over Cody Nelson (UIU) (Dec 8-7) 174: Jordan Gundrum (UIU) over Griffin Osing (SMSU) (Fall 1:28) 184: Cole Hennen (SMSU) over Dalton Hahn (UIU) (Dec 8-2) 197: Nick Baumler (UIU) over Jackson Ryan (SMSU) (Dec 10-3) 285: Triston Westerlund (UIU) over Ben Thompson (SMSU) (Dec 6-2)

The No. 1 St. Cloud State University wrestling team (15-0, 4-0 NSIC) maintained its unblemished dual match record this season with a big 42-3 victory at Northern State University on Thursday, Jan. 25 in Aberdeen, S.D. The Huskies have now won 24 consecutive dual matches dating back to 2016-17 and they have not lost an NSIC dual match since the 2010-11 season. SCSU is the six time defending NSIC champions and the Huskies recently captured the 2018 NWCA Division II National Duals title in Fort Wayne, Ind. SCSU opened the match at Northern State with a three falls to gain an early 18-0 lead. At 125, No. 5 Brett Velasquez earned a fall at 6:14 followed by Joel Salomon's fall at 1:43 in the 133 pound bout. Next up was No. 3 Jarred Oftedahl, who won at 141 pounds with a pin at 3:55. At 149, No. 1 James Pleski added a 4-0 decision against NSU's Billy Holtan before NSU's Tanner Olson upset No. 1 Larry Bomstad at 165 by a 3-1 score in sudden death OT. The loss was SCSU's lone setback of the night as No. 6 Travis Holt rallied with a 6-2 win at 165. In action at 174, Devin FitzPatrick tallied a 7-1 win in OT and Tyree Overton posted a 10-3 win at 184 for the Huskies. The evening was wrapped up with a pin by No. 6 Vince Dietz at 197 pounds and a forfeit win for No. 10 Lawrence Phillips at 285-pounds. The Huskies remain on the road with a Feb. 1 match at Minnesota State Moorhead followed by a Feb. 3 date at Minnesota State Mankato. Results: 125: Brett Velasquez (SCS) over Jay Maxville (NOST) (Fall 6:14) 133: Joel Salomon (SCS) over Juan Castellanos (NOST) (Fall 1:43) 141: Jarred Oftedahl (SCS) over Griffin Hieb (NOST) (Fall 3:55) 149: James Pleski (SCS) over Billy Holtan (NOST) (Dec 4-0) 157: Tanner Olson (NOST) over Larry Bomstad (SCS) (SV-1 3-1) 165: Travis Holt (SCS) over Paxton Mewes (NOST) (Dec 6-2) 174: Devin Fitzpatrick (SCS) over Kaden Campbell (NOST) (SV-1 7-1) 184: Tyree Overton (SCS) over Riley Lura (NOST) (Dec 10-3) 197: Vince Dietz (SCS) over Diego Gallegos (NOST) (Fall 5:26) 285: Lawrence Phillips (SCS) over (NOST) (For.)

Oklahoma State's Dean Heil defeated Missouri's Jaydin Eierman in the NCAA quarterfinals (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) No. 3 Missouri heads to Stillwater on Saturday to face No. 5 Oklahoma State in a former Big 12 rivalry match. The Tigers are undefeated on the season, but the Cowboys represent their biggest challenge to date. The dual meet will feature 15 ranked wrestlers and three matches between top-ten ranked competitors. The following is a weight-by-weight preview of the dual meet. The lineups are a prediction of each team's best squad 125: No. 7 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) vs. Barlow McGhee (Missouri) After back-to-back losses against No. 5 Sean Fausz (NC State) and No. 3 Spencer Lee (Iowa), Piccininni bounced back with a pair of wins over No. 15 Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) and Jake Ferri (Kent State). On the season, the Oklahoma State wrestler is 15-3 with a 50 percent bonus rate. However, his victory over Moisey is his only official win over a wrestler currently ranked. (He defeated Lehigh's Darian Cruz at the NWCA All-Star Classic.) McGhee enters this match coming off a one-point decision loss against Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan). He has gone 12-6 during his senior season, but, in dual meet matches, he has gone only 7-6. McGhee did manage to pick up a win over No. 17 Christina Moody (Oklahoma). During his time at Missouri, McGhee has often ended up in close matches. This season, he has already gone to overtime four times, and he has lost all four of those matches. These two have met twice before. In 2016, McGhee defeated Piccininni during his redshirt year via 3-1 decision. Last season, Piccininni got the win with a 7-4 decision at the Southern Scuffle. McGhee will almost always have a size advantage at 125, but Piccininni's offense will be too much in this match. Prediction: Piccininni (Oklahoma State) dec. McGhee (Missouri) 133: No. 3 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 7 John Erneste (Missouri) Since being upset by No. 9 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming), Brock has gone on a four-match winning streak and picked up bonus points in three of those wins. In his last match, he defeated Anthony Tutolo (Kent State) with a 13-5 major decision. Brock has gone 17-2 and also holds a win over No. 12 Mitchell McKee (Minnesota) this season. Erneste has gone 19-1 this season with his only loss coming against No. 6 Jack Mueller (Virginia). In his other matches against ranked opposition, he has taken a decision over No. 14 Cameron Kelly (Ohio) and a major decision over No. 17 Dennis Gustafson (Virginia Tech). Last season, Brock picked up a pair of victories over Erneste. The Cowboy majored him at the Southern Scuffle and then took a 15-8 decision against him in the dual meet match. In those matches, Brock's attacks were too aggressive and diverse. That should be the same story in this match. Prediction: Brock (Oklahoma State) dec. Erneste (Missouri) 141: No. 5 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 3 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) Heil has lost more matches this season (two) than he did in his previous two seasons combined (one). Both of his losses have been close, and they have come against No.1 Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) and No. 2 Kevin Jack (NC State). Outside of those two losses, Heil has won 17 matches and picked up signature wins over No. 13 Luke Karam (Lehigh) and No. 10 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota). Eierman is having a bit of a breakout season. He has gone 21-1 with his lone loss coming against Meredith. He holds a 72 percent bonus rate, and he has defeated multiple ranked wrestlers including No. 16 A.C. Headlee (North Carolina), No. 15 Alex Madrigal (Old Dominion), No. 9 Mason Smith (Central Michigan) and No. 4 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell). Heil holds a pair of wins over Eierman. Last year, he defeated him by a two-point margin in the dual meet match. Heil won again by a one-point margin at the NCAA tournament. If Heil is firing on all cylinders, he should be able to win this match via close decision. However, he has looked vulnerable is that type of match year. With that being said, this will be a good match to determine where Heil is heading into the postseason. For now, he should remain the favorite. Prediction: Heil (Oklahoma State) dec. Eierman (Missouri) 149: No. 15 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 3 Grant Leeth (Missouri) Many expected Lewallen to take over the starting spot from teammate Geo Martinez at some point this season. After competing exclusively in tournaments during the first semester, Lewallen made his dual debut in January. So far the results have been mixed. In his first match, he fell in overtime against No. 14 Beau Donahue (NC State). Then, he ran into No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) and gave up five team points. However, since those losses, he has picked up a pair of wins over Kyle Rea (West Virginia) and Chance Driscoll (Kent State). Leeth returned to action this season after missing two full seasons. He has gone 16-2 and picked up wins over No. 12 Solomon Chishko (Virginia Tech), No. 6 Troy Heilmann (North Carolina) and, in his last match, Justin Oliver (Central Michigan). Lewallen's biggest win this season actually came against Leeth. He defeated the Missouri wrestler at the Lindenwood Open. However, at the time Leeth was still adjusting to regular competition. Since that loss, he has won 10-straight matches and earned a spot as one of the best 149-pound wrestlers in the nation. Prediction: Leeth (Missouri) dec. Lewallen (Oklahoma State) 157: Jonce Blaylock (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 4 Joey Lavallee (Missouri) Blaylock is in his first year at 157 after spending his previous three seasons at 149. He began the season with an 11-3, which included wins over No. 16 Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) and No. 18 Jake Short (Minnesota). However, he recently dropped three straight matches against Archie Colgan (Wyoming), No. 3 Hayden Hidlay (NC State) and No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa). Blaylock recently got back on track with a pair of wins over Zachary Moore (West Virginia) and Casey Sparkman (Kent State). Lavallee has gone 23-1 and picked up bonus points in 67 percent of his wins. He has faced only two ranked wrestlers this season. He defeated Monday via 20-4 technical fall. In his other match against a ranked opponent, he fell in sudden victory against Hidlay. After reaching the NCAA finals last year, Lavallee has cemented himself as one of the four best 157-pound wrestlers in the country this year. Blaylock has had some quality wins this season, but it will be a struggle to avoid giving up bonus points here. Prediction: Lavallee (Missouri) maj. dec. Blaylock (Oklahoma State) 165: No. 10 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State) vs. Connor Flynn (Missouri) Rogers has missed Oklahoma State's last two matches with an injury. If he does not go against Missouri, expect Dalton Moran to fill in for the All-American. In his last competition, he dropped a 5-2 decision against No. 9 Alex Marinelli (Iowa). Rogers has gone 10-3 this year and picked up signature victories over No. 17 Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State) and No. 7 Nick Wanzek (Minnesota). Flynn has gone 18-6 so far this season. He is coming off a decision win over Logan Parks (Central Michigan). For the most part, he has struggled against ranked competition this year. However, he did reach the finals of the Reno Tournament of Champions before falling against No. 14 Branson Ashworth (Wyoming). If Rogers comes into this match at 100 percent, he has a chance to pick up bonus points. Otherwise, it might be a tough match. If Moran goes for the Cowboys, this could easily become a tossup match. Prediction: Rogers (Oklahoma State) maj. dec. Flynn (Missouri) 174: No. 14 Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 4 Daniel Lewis (Missouri) Smith has gone 15-3 on the season, he is riding a six-match winning streak since dropping a decision against redshirt Michael Labriola (Nebraska). His only two other losses have come against ranked wrestlers. In his last match, Smith picked up a first-period fall over Dylan Barreiro (Kent State). Lewis has been on quite the run this season. He has won all 24 of his matches and picked up bonus points 22 of those matches. Lewis has also racked up 15 falls. He has defeated multiple ranked wrestlers including No. 15 Christian Brucki (Central Michigan), No. 17 Brandon Womack (Cornell) and No. 11 Yoanse Mejias (Oklahoma) The top three wrestlers at 174 get a lot of attention. Lewis is on a mission to prove that people should be talking about the top four. Against wrestlers ranked in the teens, he has been amazing all season. He should be the clear favorite here and will likely put up bonus points. Prediction: Lewis (Missouri) maj. dec. Smith (Oklahoma State) 184: Keegan Moore (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 14 Canten Marriott (Missouri) Moore has a tough start to the 2018 calendar year. In Italy, he dropped a match against No. 3 Pete Renda (NC State). Against Iowa, he fell via decision to No. 20 Mitch Bowman. These two losses chased Moore from the rankings. Recently, he got back on track with a pair of wins over Brenden McRill (West Virginia) and Colin McCracken (Kent State). Since Christmas, Marriott has gone 6-1 and picked up signature victories over No. 17 Chip Ness (North Carolina) and No. 12 Jordan Ellingwood (Central Michigan). His only defeat over that stretch was a one-point loss against No. 11 Max Dean (Cornell). For the season, Marriott has gone 21-4 with 10 bonus-point wins. These two wrestlers have been on different trajectories recently. Marriott seems to be rounding into form, while Moore has continued to struggle. Look for this bout to be close early. Marriott will likely pull away late. Prediction: Marriott (Missouri) dec. Moore (Oklahoma State) 197: No. 3 Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 7 Willie Miklus (Missouri) Since returning to the lineup, Weigel has faced a very tough schedule. Despite missing time with an injury, he has had one of the best stretches of his career. During the run, he has gone 6-0 and defeated No. 4 Mike Macchiavello (North Carolina State), No. 5 Cash Wilcke (Iowa) and No. 18 Jake Smith (West Virginia). Miklus is back for his senior year after missing most of last year with an injury. He has gone 15-3 and picked up a win over No. 2 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech). Despite the impressive record, Miklus has dropped some seemingly winnable bouts against redshirt Jacob Warner (Iowa), No. 16 Daniel Chaid (North Carolina) and No. 6 Ben Darmstadt. From a career perspective, Miklus probably has the better accomplishments, but this season Weigel has looked much better. The Oklahoma State wrestler is exceedingly hard to score on and rides tough from the top. This might turn out to be a close match, but Weigel will be able to do enough to pull out the victory. Prediction: Weigel (Oklahoma State) dec. Miklus (Missouri) 285: No. 11 Derek White (Oklahoma State) vs. Jacob Bohlken (Missouri) White moved up to heavyweight this season after spending his entire career previously at 197. The move has turned into quite the success story for the Cowboys. He has gone 14-2 on the season and picked up wins over No. 13 Thomas Haines (Lock Haven) and No. 12 Jordan Wood (Lehigh). Heavyweight continues to be an issue for the Tigers. Bohlken has taken over the starting spot recently. On the season, he has gone 17-12. However, seven of those wins have come outside of the Division I level. In his two dual meet matches on the season, he has lost to Gage Hutchison (Eastern Michigan) and Matt Stencel (Central Michigan). White should have a pretty sizable advantage in the neutral position in this match. If he is able to get to his offense early, he should be able to wear Bohlken down and pick up bonus points. Prediction: White (Oklahoma State) maj. dec. Bohlken (Missouri) Dual Prediction: Oklahoma State 20, Missouri 14

The family of a New Jersey State Police officer fatally struck while in the line of duty at a crash scene nearly two years ago has settled lawsuits over his death for nearly $2.4 million, an attorney said Tuesday. Sean CullenTrooper Sean Cullen -- a wrestler at Cinnaminson High School in New Jersey who later earned NCAA All-American honors at Pennsylvania's Lycoming College -- was struck while responding to a car accident on I-295 in Deptford the night of March 7, 2016. He died the following day at a hospital in Camden, N.J. The 31-year-old Cullen left behind a fiancée and two young sons. In announcing the $2.375 million settlement -- reached with the insurance companies of the driver whose vehicle struck Cullen, and the motorist who caused the initial accident -- Philadelphia attorney John Dodig told the Courier-Post, "This was a very sad and tragic case that befell this wonderful family." Dodig went on to say that Cullen "loved his job as a New Jersey state trooper and lost his life serving the citizens of New Jersey." As InterMat reported in March 2016, Cullen had been team captain at Cinnaminson High, and was the school's first wrestler to achieve 100 wins. At Lycoming, Cullen was a three-time NCAA Division III championships qualifier, earning All-American honors at 133 pounds at the 2005 Nationals. He also served as team captain at Lycoming for two seasons. Six years ago, Cullen was welcomed into the Lycoming Athletics Hall of Fame.

It's a question that gets asked whenever wrestling fans gather: Who would you put on the Mount Rushmore of college wrestlers? In other words, which college mat stars would rank among the all-time legends? NCAA.com took up the challenge. In another installment of its NCAA "High Five" series, the website named its choices of the five top legends in collegiate wrestling in a fast-paced, one-and-a-half-minute video unveiled this week. (Just two weeks ago, NCAA.com named the top five all-time great college wrestling programs.) Here is NCAA.com's list of all-time collegiate mat legends, along with some basics about each athlete's career: 5. Kyle Dake, Cornell University: As a wrestler for the Big Red, Dake is a member of the ultra-exclusive NCAA Division I four-time champions club ... but is the only wrestler to have earned his four individual titles at four different weights: 141 pounds in 2010, 149 in 2011, 157 in 2012, and 165 in 2013. The New York State native compiled an overall record of 137-4 at Cornell (including 44 falls) ... with no losses his last two seasons. 4. Dan Gable, Iowa State: As a Cyclone, Gable compiled a near-perfect 118-1 record, with his only collegiate loss being to University of Washington's Larry Owings at the 142-pound finals at the 1970 NCAAs. In addition to his collegiate career, Danny Mack Gable made a name for himself in international competition (winning a gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics), as head coach at the University of Iowa, and as a goodwill ambassador for the sport. Yojiro Uetake crafted a flawless 57-0 record as a Cowboy3. Yojiro Uetake, Oklahoma State: Uetake crafted a flawless 57-0 record as a Cowboy, with 11 falls. He won three NCAA titles in the mid-1960s at 130 pounds, and was twice named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. Uetake also earned two Olympic gold medals for his native Japan at the 1964 and 1968 Games. 2. Dan Hodge, University of Oklahoma: This native of Perry, Okla. earned the nicknames "Dangerous Dan" and "Homicide Hodge" for his total dominance of the 177-pound weight class in the mid-1950s. As a Sooner, Hodge was 46-0, with 36 falls. He won three NCAA titles (1955-1957) and two Outstanding Wrestler trophies. Speaking of trophies… his name is on the award given each year to the nation's top college wrestler. And Hodge owns the distinction of being the only amateur wrestler to have appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated as an amateur wrestler. (Read The greatness of Dan Hodge.) Cael Sanderson, Iowa State: This four-time Utah high school state champ went on to rewrite the history books in college wrestling, compiling a 159-0 record as a Cyclone (with 51 of those wins by pin). Sanderson become only the second Division I wrestler to win four consecutive NCAA titles (1999-2002, at 184 and 197 pounds). He also brought home three Hodge Awards. Post-college, Sanderson won gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Sanderson is now head coach at Penn State, where he has led the Nittany Lions to six NCAA team titles.

Much will be determined about the mythical national title picture in high school wrestling over a period of just under 24 hours on the campus of the Wyoming Seminary Upper School in Kingston, Pa. Things will become very clear about who the No. 1 team in the country is after this weekend. Conversely, things could get very muddy, or it could be something in between. Over the course of Friday and Saturday, five rounds of dual meets involving eight matches will feature five of the top eight teams in the Fab 50 national high school team rankings. Friday, Jan. 26 5:30 p.m. Easton (Pa.) vs. No. 2 Blair Academy (N.J.) 7 p.m. Easton (Pa.) at No. 3 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), No. 2 Blair Academy (N.J.) vs. No. 8 St. Edward (Ohio) All three matches on Friday will have a decided favorite and decided underdog. Perennial power Easton has seen some down times in recent years, but looks to be emerging in the right direction under second-year head coach Jamarr Billman. Despite returning just one state qualifier in sophomore Jonathan Miers (132), the Red Rovers placed third at the season-opening Cumberland Valley Kickoff Classic, fifth in the always tough Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic, and eighth at the Escape the Rock Tournament. Miers won titles at both December tournaments before finishing runner-up at the Escape the Rock Tournament, losing 3-2 to nationally ranked Nick Raimo in the final. Junior Gaven Krazer (160) and senior Jonathan Pineda (285) have also placed in all three tournaments. Even though St. Edward took No. 5 St. Paris Graham (Ohio) to the wire this past Saturday night, it would take many things going right for the Eagles if they were to upset the second-ranked Buccaneers on Friday. The lower-weight matches in this dual meet should be worth the watch. 120: No. 2 Michael Colaiocco (Blair Academy) vs. state placer Angelo Rini 126: No. 10 Chris Cannon (Blair Academy) vs. state runner-up Bryce Hepner 132: No. 16 Matt Kazimir (St. Edward) vs. No. 20 Travis Mastrogiovanni 138: No. 12 Bryce Andonian (St. Edward) vs. three-time National Prep placer Malcolm Robinson Out of the other ten matches in the dual meet, Blair is strongly favored in six (106, 113, 160-182, 220). St. Edward favored in three (145, 152, 195), with a tossup at 285. Saturday, Jan. 27 10 a.m. No. 4 Montini Catholic (Ill.) at No. 3 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), No. 1 Bergen Catholic (N.J.) vs. No. 8 St. Edward (Ohio) Noon No. 1 Bergen Catholic (N.J.) vs. No. 4 Montini Catholic (Ill.), No. 8 St. Edward (Ohio) at No. 3 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) 2 p.m. No. 1 Bergen Catholic (N.J.) at No. 3 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) Action really intensifies on Saturday with four Fab 50 teams competing in a quad meet against one another. The lone exception is that Montini Catholic and St. Edward will not wrestle one another, as they met in the championship match at The Clash XVI National Duals in Rochester, Minn. last month. Montini Catholic blew out St. Edward, winning twelve matches in a 47-9 dual meet victory. Below are the projected lineups for each of the four teams. Bergen Catholic's Robert Howard gets his hand raised after winning the Doc Buchanan Invitational (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) No. 1 Bergen Catholic 106: No. 8 Nick Kayal 113: Enrique Sanchez (state medalist) or Richard Halal (state qualifier) 120: No. 3 Robert Howard 126: Dylan Weaver (freshman, pinned nationally ranked Chris Cannon to start the Blair Academy dual; consolation round of 12 at the Beast, fifth place at the Doc Buchanan) 132: Carmen Ferrante (three-time state medalist) 138: Joseph Zargo (state qualifier) 145: Wade Unger (upset Malcolm Robinson in the Blair dual) 152: Gerard Angelo (three-time state placer, 2015 state champion) or Tony Asatrian (Beast of the East fifth place, Doc Buchanan third place) 160: No. 2 Shane Griffith 170: No. 6 Chris Foca 182: No. 11 Jacob Cardenas 195: Josh McKenzie (2016 state medalist) 220: Sage Mosco (state qualifier) 285: John High (Beast of the East sixth place, Doc Buchanan fourth place) No. 3 Wyoming Seminary 106: Tim Levine (California state qualifier) 113: Nic Botello (Powerade fifth place, Eastern States Classic champion) or Drew Munch (National Prep champion) 120: Zeke Escalera (Kentucky state champion, Cadet freestyle champion) 126: No. 2 Beau Bartlett 132: No. 5 Carson Manville -- went 138 last week, avenged Ironman loss to Ryan Anderson in dual meet 138: No. 14 Jack Davis -- went 132 the last two weeks 145: Connor Kievman (3-2 at Powerade, consolation round of 12 at Eastern States) or Mosha Schwartz (2017 National Prep runner-up at 113) 152: Benny Baker (two-time National Prep placer) or Cole Rees (top 25 overall freshman) 160: No. 18 Jake Hendricks 170: Jake Stefanowicz (Powerade seventh place, Eastern States Classic sixth place) 182: No. 17 Darrien Roberts 195: No. 17 Austin Cooley 220: Matthew Doggett (Powerade seventh place, Eastern States Classic third place) 285: Anthony Cutrie (New York state qualifier) No. 4 Montini Catholic 106: Nain Vazquez (freshman, Walsh Ironman consolation round of 12, Cheesehead third place) 113: No. 4 Dylan Ragusin 120: No. 4 Joey Melendez 126: Dylan Burnowski (two-time state qualifier, 2016 state medalist) 132: No. 3 Real Woods 138: Fidel Mayora (state medalist, Cadet National freestyle champion) 145: No. 11 Jake Stiles 152: No. 5 Will Lewan 160: Matt Ortiz (state medalist) 170: Anthony Geraci (Cheesehead sixth place) 182: Trevor Swier (state qualifier) 195: Peter Christensen (state qualifier; Ironman placer, Cheesehead champion) 220: Colin Baker (freshman) 285: Mike McNicholas (Cheesehead fourth place) No. 8 St. Edward 106: Richard Delsanter (Walsh Ironman 2-2) 113: Scott Richter (Walsh Ironman consolation round of 12 last two years) 120: Angelo Rini (state medalist) 126: Bryce Hepner (state runner-up) 132: No. 16 Matt Kazimir 138: No. 12 Bryce Andonian 145: No. 16 Sam Dover 152: Padraic Gallagher (top five overall freshman, All-American at UWW Cadet and Cadet Nationals in freestyle, Walsh Ironman consolation round of 12) 160: Hudson Hightower (top 25 overall freshman, Walsh Ironman consolation round of 12) 170: Michael Garcar (sophomore) 182: Jiryes Zakaib (senior) 195: No. 8 Cody Howard 220: Seamus O'Malley (Walsh Ironman seventh place) 285: Luca Santillo (senior) It is abundantly clear looking at these four rosters the talent that will be colliding on the mats come Saturday. In addition, one can also see how No. 1 Bergen Catholic is susceptible to taking a loss. Of course, should the Crusaders come through these three duals with a sweep of wins, they would remain at the top of the rankings and do so with much aplomb. On the other hand, should one of these three teams -- or for that matter more than one -- upend Bergen Catholic, then the national team rankings take a turn for the murky. Current No. 2 Blair Academy is in a very good position based on their dominant showings at the nation's best two tournaments in December, and could further their case with a decisive victory over St. Edward on Friday; if they earn said victory, they would now have four dual meet wins over top ten teams to counter-act the loss to Bergen Catholic. On the other hand, if one of these teams was to beat Bergen Catholic, they would obviously have their own shout at the No. 1 ranking. Depending on the nature of the loss(es), Bergen Catholic might have a shout of their own based on beating Blair Academy decisively (9-5 in terms of matches), along with an excellent runner-up finish at the Beast of the East and then winning a very robust Doc Buchanan Invitational. Wyoming Seminary and Montini Catholic have their deficiency with the relative finish at the Ironman, also Wyoming Seminary losing 9-5 in terms of match count to Blair last week; however, the Blue Knights dominated their way through the Powerade, while the Broncos dominated their way through the Clash National Duals (four wins over Fab 50 teams) and the Cheesehead.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- No. 8 Arizona State (10-2, 3-0 Pac-12) took an early lead and despite the Roadrunners pulling within three midway through the contest, the Sun Devils emerged with a 24-14 win at CSU Bakersfield (4-9, 0-2 Pac-12). The Sun Devils' 10th consecutive win moves this year's team into sole possession of the third-longest streak in program history. The second longest was 13 straight (1977-78) while the 1975-76 team earned a perfect 15-0 record. With the win, the Sun Devils reach the 10-win mark for the third consecutive season, the sixth time in Sun Devil wrestling history that the program has recorded 10-plus wins in three or more consecutive seasons. The longest 10-win streaks are as follows: 1995-01 (6 seasons) 1986-91 (5 seasons) 2002-06 (4 seasons) 1979-82 (3 seasons) 1975-78 (3 seasons) 2015-current (3 seasons and counting) "As always, it's good to get a win," said head coach Zeke Jones. "But I think we're still making too many mistakes in our matches at this point in the season. Some are improving and others need continual work to develop their technique and skill." Starting the match at 165, No. 15 Anthony (165) and No. 1 Zahid Valencia (174) earned back-to-back bonus point victories to give the Sun Devils an early 9-0 lead and Kordell Norfleet (184) pushed the lead to 12-0 on a 9-7 decision. "Kordell did a nice job of firing at the end of the match and iced the match with an offensive mindset." The Roadrunners scored their first points of the match at 197 before No. 4 Tanner Hall responded with a tech fall at heavyweight to put ASU ahead 17-4. "Tanner executed a lot of different takedowns and definitely had the most diverse attack I've seen him hit all year." CSU Bakersfield put together their longest run of wins from 125 to 141, pulling within three, 17-14, before No. 9 Jason Tsirtsis (149) and No. 4 Josh Shields (157) earned a decision and major decision to close the contest and secure the victory. "I'm happy with Josh Shields' performance. He's taking his intensity up another level and is wrestling very physical." After three duals in six days, the Sun Devils have a longer stretch between competitions, sending some of the team to the Edinboro Open on Feb. 3 before the home finale on Feb. 9 vs. Lehigh. Results: 165 - #15 Anthony Valencia MD Jacob Thalin, 12-4 174 - #1 Zahid Valencia TF Bryan Battisto, 25-9 (5:31) 184 - Kordell Norfleet DEC Dom Ducharme, 9-7 197 - #14 Matt Williams MD Cade Belshay, 13-4 HWT - #4 Tanner Hall TF Dominic Balmer, 23-8 (6:26) 125 - Sergio Mendez DEC Josh Kramer, 14-10 133 - Sean Nickell DEC #12 Ali Naser, 3-0 141 - Russell Rohlfing MD Nikko Villarreal, 8-0 149 - #9 Jason Tsirtsis DEC Kalani Tonge, 6-1 157 - #4 Josh Shields MD #15 Coleman Hammond, 16-8

DICKINSON, N.D. -- After losing three of its last four duals, (7) University of Providence men's wrestling team is back to its winning ways, defeating Dickinson State University 31-13 despite forfeiting one match. UP had 3 pins and a major decision while sliding three new wrestlers into the starting lineup and moving another up a weight class. "We moved a couple guys around in our lineup and I think that is really going to help us. We put exclamation points on a lot of matches and got the bonus points that we weren't getting against some tougher teams," Head Coach Caleb Schaeffer. "This shows that we can still be dominant when we need to be dominant." With senior Isaac Wilson moving up from 125 to 133 for the rest of the season, and UP otherwise thin at 125, the dual started off with the Argos forfeiting the match and giving the Bluehawks a 6 point lead. Wilson made up quite a bit of that advantage with a 9-0 major decision, making him 6-1 on the year when wrestling at 133. Junior Travis Vermulm got his first dual start of the year for UP and did his best to fend off a technical fall, losing by major decision (9-1). With the score at 10-4 DSU, the Argos had two of the team's top wrestlers up next and they quickly turned the tide. At 149, redshirt-sophomore (5) Shonn Roberts, the 2017 NAIA Gorrarian Award Winner, worked his pinning magic, earning 6 points for UP and tying up the dual with a win by Fall (1:24). Teammate (8) Casey Dobson wasn't quite as quick as Roberts but wasn't far off, winning his match by Fall (2:44) to put the Argos ahead 16-10. UP's next wrestler was much less proven in transfer sophomore Joshua Beckler. The match at 165 was Beckler's first action for UP in a dual, although he has had some bright points in tournaments earlier in the year. As a dual starter, he didn't keep up Robert's and Dobson's pin streak, but he did get a win, pulling out a 3-1 decision. That set up another top dog for the Argos, (5) Adrian Lyons-Lopez at 174. The junior took a little longer than UP's other ranked wrestlers, but ended with the same result, winning by Fall (5:47). Another new face in the lineup came at 184, with redshirt-sophomore Alex Quick stepping in at 184 while the team's top two wrestlers at the weight class (8) Randy Keesler and (10) Tyler Webley got a rest. Quick's match was a battle that was scoreless after the first three minutes, but as the bout went longer, Quick got stronger and ended with a confident 7-4 decision. Leading 28-10, the overall result was decided before the final two weight classes, but (9) John Hensley added another 3 points to UP's total with an 11-5 decision at 197. At 285, junior (8) Matt Hopkins had his first true dud match of the season, losing a 3-2 decision to an unranked opponent. After going 1-2 at the national duals, the win brings the Argos back to the dual dominance that it had earlier in the season. The team's record is now 8-5 with all five losses coming either against top-15 NAIA teams or NCAA Division II teams. UP will get back to wrestling ranked teams for its next action, hosting (T14) Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) in a dual on February 2 at 7 p.m.

HOBOKEN, N.J. -- No. 1 Troy Stanich earned a first-period fall to spark a run of three consecutive pins as the seventeenth-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology Wrestling team won the first six bouts in downing the United States Merchant Marine Academy, 29-21, Wednesday evening in a Centennial Conference dual at Canavan Arena. The victory improved Stevens' dual record to 8-3 on the year and a perfect 3-0 in the Centennial Conference. The Ducks have won three consecutive duals. Merchant Marine has lost two of its last three duals to fall to 6-5 on the year, The Mariners are 2-1 in conference action. At 125 pounds, junior Joey Borai opened the evening with a statement, earning a technical fall over Jace Garza. The Toms River, New Jersey native was leading 19-0 in the final period at the time of the stoppage. Stanich, the nation's top wrestler at 133 pounds, extended his unbeaten streak to 24 with a pin of Brennan Dizon at 1:43 of the opening period. Freshman Brett Kaliner, ranked fourth in the country by both the National Wrestling Coaches Association and D3Wrestle.com continued the run with a second-period fall over Daniel May to improve to 20-2 on the year. Already leading 17-0, sophomore Dylan Van Sickell extended the dual-opening steak with another bonus-point victory as the Little Silver, New Jersey native won h a first-period fall over Chad Puglio. Van Sickell increased his 2017-18 win total to 23. Consecutive one-point decisions boosted the Stevens advantage to 29. No. 4 Zach Wilhelm earned a hard-fought, 6-5 victory over Kieran Duggan. The Merchant Marine grappler desperately tried to even the score in the match's final minute, but Wilhelm, the program's all-time leader in career wins, held firm on the mat and didn't allow Duggan to gain an advantage. Senior Josh Smith followed and came-from-behind in the final period to take a 4-3 decision over Christian Willoughby. With the dual outcome no longer in question, Merchant Marine rallied over the final four bouts to round out the scoring. Joshua Glantzman took a 6-0 decision from sophomore Carl Vasti to stop the Stevens run and put the guests on the scoreboard. The Mariners earned pins at 184, 197 and 285 pounds to close out the match. Results: 125# - Joey Borai (SIT) over Jace Garza (USMMA) (TF 19-0 6:50); Stevens leading 5-0 133 - 1 Troy Stanich (SIT) over Brennan Dizon (USMMA) (Fall 1:43); Stevens leading 11-0 141 - 4 Brett Kaliner (SIT) over Daniel May (USMMA) (Fall 3:34); Stevens leading 17-0 149# - Dylan Van Sickell (SIT) over Chad Puglio (USMMA) (Fall 1:16); Stevens leading 23-0 157 - 4 Zach Wilhelm (SIT) over Kieran Duggan (USMMA) (Dec. 6-5); Stevens leading 26-0 165# - Josh Smith (SIT) over Christian Willoughby (USMMA) (Dec. 4-3); Stevens leading 29-0 174# - Joshua Glantzman (USMMA) over Carl Vasti (SIT) (Dec. 6-0); Stevens leading 29-3 184# - Collin Keil (USMMA) over Ryan Jachin (SIT) (Fall 4:17); (Stevens leading 29-9 197# - Blake Bunce (USMMA) over Colin Myles (SIT) (Fall 2:28); Stevens leading 29-15 285# - Victor Raigoza (USMMA) over Joe Moreno (SIT) (Fall 4:15); Stevens leading 29-21 Exhibition Matches 165# - Stephen Friedman (SIT) over Travis Ahrens (USMMA) (MD 13-4) 184# - Matthieu Dupuy (SIT) over Joseph Fiore (USMMA) (Fall 4:45) Rankings are NWCA Up Next: No. 17 Stevens welcomes Ursinus College and Muhlenberg College to Hoboken Sunday for a pair of Centennial Conference duals. The bout with Ursinus is scheduled to start at noon, with the dual with Muhlenberg to follow. The afternoon is scheduled to begin with a ceremony honoring the Wrestling Class of 2018. Video link for the entire day is available at StevensDucks.com.

WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson wrestling team earned a 41-18 nonconference victory over Penn State Fayette in its final home match of the regular season on Wednesday, Jan. 24. With the win, the Presidents improve to 6-7 overall in dual matches. Seniors Sam Florentino (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township) (157) and William Oberschelp (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township) (197) both earned pins on senior day, as Florentino needed only 2:52 to pin Pedro Tavarez Jr., while Oberschelp finished off Gavin Uphold in 6:00. Also earning wins on the day were Vinny Palm (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) (141) on a technical fall at 5:17 with a score of 21-4. Mike Heinl (Glenshaw, Pa./Shaler) (149), Lawrence Schrott (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin) (165) and Jared Walker (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) (174) earned wins by way of forfeit, and Alex Miller (Fredericksburg, Va./Riverbend) (184) pinned Josh Godzin, needing only 1:05 to do so. Mike Smith (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bethel Park) wrestled in an exhibition match and pinned Lucas Baranski in 2:44. W&J will travel to Wilkes-Barre, Pa., on Sunday, Jan. 28, for the Wilkes Duals with the first match slated for 11:00 a.m. Results: 125 - John Fedorek (PSUF) won by forfeit 133 - Lucas Baranski (PSUF) won by forfeit 141 - Vinny Palm (W&J) tech. fall Mike Perdomo, 21-4 (5:17) 149 - Mike Heinl (W&J) won by forfeit 157 - Sam Florentino (W&J) pinned Pedro Tavarez Jr., 2:52 165 - Lawrence Schrott (W&J) won by forfeit 174 - Jared Walker (W&J) won by forfeit 184 - Alex Miller (W&J) pinned Josh Godzin, 1:05 197 - William Oberschelp (W&J) pinned Gavin Uphold, 6:00 HWT - Nathan Spinetti (PSUF) pinned Derek Allen, 2:54 EXH - Mike Smith (W&J) pinned Lucas Baranski, 2:44 EXH - Gunnar Lynch (PSUF) maj. dec. Tyler White, 9-1

Williamsburg, KY -- The fourth-ranked UC men's wrestling team picked up a conference win on Wednesday over the Phoenix of Cumberland University, who are receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Poll, 35-9 at the UC Volleyball Gym. With the win, the Patriots improve to 11-1 overall and 4-0 in MSC duals while the Phoenix fall to 2-6 on the year and 0-2 in conference. At 125 pounds, top-ranked Hayden Lee earned a 5-0 decision over Keyshawn Laws to start the Patriots off with a 3-0 lead. Jake Sinkovics, ranked first at 133 pounds, defeated Josh Parrett by fall at 4:39 to increase the score to 9-0. The Phoenix managed to earn a narrow 9-8 decision at 141 pounds to shorten the deficit to 9-3. However, second-ranked Tres Leon answered back at 149 pounds with a fall win at 2:16 over Evan Cole to make it 15-3 UC. In the 157 pound weight class, Bobby Ehman increased the lead further to 19-3 by upsetting 14th-ranked Shota Sisco with a 17-7 major decision win. The Patriots continued to stay in control after the halfway point of the match as 11th-ranked Tristan Macri, 165 pounds, defeated Matthew Sells in a 9-1 major decision to extend the score to 23-3. Max Emerson then pinned Zach Diviney at 3:27 in the 174 pound weight class, moving up the lead to 29-3. At 184 pounds, first-ranked Cameron Jones tallied a fall win of his own at 4:11 over John Olivieri, increasing the lead to 35-3. Cumberland snagged a pair of decision wins in the final two matches, but UC managed to win the dual by a final score of 35-9. The Patriots will return to the mat on Sunday, January 28 at 10:00 A.M. for the Cumberland Open in Lebanon, TN.

WEST LIBERTY, Pa. -- The Mercyhurst wrestling team defeated No. 16 West Liberty 30-7 in nonconference action on Wednesday. With this win the Lakers earn their third straight victory over top twenty teams. Mercyhurst remains undefeated collecting their ninth straight win. The Lakers claimed eight of ten bouts, earning bonus points in three of them. Mercyhurst was led by Jacob Robb who recorded his ninth fall of the season over Ronnie D'Amico at heavyweight. Gavin Wilkerson earned a 16-1 second period technical fall over Chase Morgan at 165 pounds. At a 149 pounds Logan Grass earned a 10-0 major decision over Tanner Sutton. Eric Bartos pushed the Lakers off to a 3-0 lead when he earned a 12-0 decision over No. 12 Corey Secrist at 125 pounds. West Liberty knotted the match at 133 pounds with a victory from No.1 Darius Bunch. Freshman Aidan Burke held the top ranked Bunch to a 2-0 decision. This would be the closest the Hill Toppers would come to taking the lead and winning the match. The Mercyhurst middleweights asserted control of the match by claiming victories in the next six bouts. Kevin Kinyua (141 pounds), Owen Watkins (157 pounds), Nick Koynk (174 pounds), and Dakota DesLauriers (184 pounds), all earned decisions for the Lakers. With the bonus points added by Grass (149 pounds) and Wilkerson (165 pounds) the Lakers led 24-3 going into the final two matches. No. 12 Logan Kemp earned a 10-2 major decision for West Liberty at 197 pounds over No.10 Wes Phipps, earning the Hill Toppers their final points of the match. The Lakers will return to action on Wednesday when they host Seton Hill on Wednesday at 7pm in the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Results: 125 Eric Bartos (Mercyhurst) over Corey Secrist (West Liberty University) (Dec 12-6) 0 3 133 Darius Bunch (West Liberty University) over Aidan Burke (Mercyhurst) (Dec 2-0) 3 0 141 Kevin Kinyua (Mercyhurst) over Josh Ridgeway (West Liberty University) (Dec 3-0) 0 3 149 Logan Grass (Mercyhurst) over Tanner Sutton (West Liberty University) (MD 10-0) 0 4 157 Owen Watkins (Mercyhurst) over Josh Cornell (West Liberty University) (Dec 3-0) 0 3 165 Gavin Wilkerson (Mercyhurst) over Chase Morgan (West Liberty University) (TF 16-1 3:13) 0 5 174 Nick Konyk (Mercyhurst) over Chance Morgan (West Liberty University) (Dec 6-3) 0 3 184 Dakota DesLauriers (Mercyhurst) over Chris Cook (West Liberty University) (Dec 10-4) 0 3 197 Logan Kemp (West Liberty University) over Wes Phipps (Mercyhurst) (Dec 10-2) 4 0 285 Ronnie D`Amico (West Liberty University) vs. Jacob Robb (Mercyhurst) 0 6

BATESVILLE, Ark. -- The Lyon College men's wrestling team improved to 7-7 overall on the season after defeating Ouachita Baptist University (Ark.), 25-24 Wednesday night on Senior Night, inside Becknell Gymnasium. The Scots won a tiebreaker over the Tigers with a 3-2 advantage according to Section 21 b. in the NCAA Wrestling rulebook. Lyon senior wrestlers Dustin Miller, Jacob Hill, Connor Webber and Robb Rodriguez were each recognized prior to the match, for their contributions to the men's wrestling program. The Scots earned two quick wins, with Matthew Connelly picking up a forfeit and Rodriguez pinning OBU's Weston Cronan in the 133-pound weight class. The Tigers' Trey Waltz and Robert Otero would each pick up decision wins over the Scots but trailed 12-7. Roger Gasmann then defeated Joseph Santos by a score of 6-4 to extend Lyon's lead, but the Tigers' Tyler Mann picked up a major decision win to keep the match close. Raul Gonzalez would pick up a forfeit victory for the Scots, while Jacob Hill defeated Ouachita Baptist's Austin Weldon by decision, 5-0. After a forfeit victory for OBU, the Tigers Tanner Hawkins defeated John Bentley by pin to tie the match up. However, due to the tiebreaker the Scots would come out on top with the victory. Up Next for the Scots Lyon has a quick turnaround as they travel to Miami, Oklahoma, for the Golden Norseman Open at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College on Saturday. Results: 125: Matthew Connelly (Lyon) wins by FFT 6 0 133: Robb Rodriguez (Lyon) defeated Weston Cronan (OBU) by pin (6-0) 12 0 141: Trey Waltz (OBU) defeated Tevin Sandoz (Lyon) by decision (5-3) 12 3 149: Robert Otero (OBU) defeated Al Ordonez (Lyon) by decision (14-6) 12 7 157: Roger Gasmann (Lyon) defeated Joseph Santos (OBU) (6-4) 15 7 165: Tyler Mann (OBU) defeated Arman Mansouri (Lyon) by Maj. Dec. (21-6) 15 12 174: Raul Gonzalez (Lyon) wins by FFT 21 12 184: Jacob Hill (Lyon) defeated Austin Weldon (OBU) by decision (5-0) 24 12 197: Justin Villagas (OBU) wins by FFT 24 18 Hwt.: Tanner Hawkins (OBU) defeated John Bentley (Lyon) by pin (6-0) 24 24

PUEBLO, Colo. -- The No. 5 Colorado State University-Pueblo wrestling team dominated Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe No. 15 Western State Colorado University Wednesday in a bout at Massari Arena. The ThunderWolves totaled seven victories, including five from seniors on Senior Night. The Pack (6-5, 4-1 RMAC) wrestled five seniors against the Mountaineers (9-4, 3-1 RMAC) and all five were victorious. Senior Cody Johnson (Broken Arrow, Okla.) earned a first period pin at heavyweight in just 1:44 to record a team-high seventh fall this season. Senior Jared Mestas (Pueblo, Colo.) used a late third period four-point near-fall to secure an 18-1 tech fall at 149, as he improved to 6-1 in dual competition. Senior No. 2 JaCobi Jones (Omaha, Neb.) moved to 10-0 in dual bouts this season with a 12-4 major victory at 165. Senior No. 7 Clay Archer (Broken Arrow, Okla.) overcame a first period injury to finish his match at 141 with a 12-8 decision win. Finally at 157, senior Kyle Fantin (Cave Creek, Ariz.) grinded out a 3-2 decision win, as he is now 11-5 overall this season. The ThunderWolves were leading 19-3 after Jones' win at 165, thanks to four of the seniors and a 9-1 major decision victory for junior No. 7 PT Garcia (Denver, Colo.) at 133. Leading 19-9, sophomore JaVaughn Perkins (Omhaha, Neb.), who is ranked No. 1 nationally at 184, made quick work of his opponent with a fall just 1:22 into the bout. The victory moved the dual score to 25-9 to ensure a team win for CSU-Pueblo. Johnson would but the cherry on top of a successful evening with his pin. Western got all three of its wins from nationally ranked wrestlers. Junior Josiah Seaton (Bonner Springs, Kan.) came up just short in his upset bid at 125, as he lost 4-3 to No. 8 Trent Piatt on ride time. In addition to the five seniors who wrestled, the program also recognized senior Steven Ullman (Arvada, Colo.) before the dual. Ullman was slated to wrestle at 197 this season, but suffered a season-ending injury during the first tournament. The Pack remain at home for a Sunday, Jan. 28 bout against No. 10 University of Central Oklahoma set to begin at 3 p.m. Results: 125: Trenton Piatt (WSCU) over Josiah Seaton (CSUP) (Dec 4-3) 133: Paul Garcia (CSUP) over Colby Duncan (WSCU) (MD 9-1) 141: Clay Archer (CSUP) over Jody Sandoval II (WSCU) (Dec 12-8) 149: Jared Mestas (CSUP) over Timothy Edmonson (WSCU) (TF 18-1 7:00) 157: Kyle Fantin (CSUP) over Shawn Beiriger (WSCU) (Dec 3-2) 165: JaCobi Jones (CSUP) over Ryan Pellow (WSCU) (MD 12-4) 174: Brandon Supernaw (WSCU) over Gavin Melendez (CSUP) (Fall 5:47) 184: JaVaughn Perkins (CSUP) over Brendan Gonzales (WSCU) (Fall 1:22) 197: Konnor Schmidt (WSCU) over Donavon Rincon (CSUP) (Dec 4-0) 285: Cody Johnson (CSUP) over Samuel DeSeriere (WSCU) (Fall 1:44)

MARSHALL, Minn. -- Southwest Minnesota State (6-4) took advantage of three Dakota Wesleyan forfeits and strung together four consecutive pins as a team on the way to a dominant 54-0 win over DWU on Wednesday night in the PE Gym. Taylor Curtis grabbed his sixth straight win with an 18-7 major victory to begin the night for SMSU. The Mustangs' cushion would grow as Brock Buysse, Nick Santos and Zach Beaumaster each won by forfeit. With Dakota Wesleyan going open at 133, 141 and 149, SMSU held a 22-0 lead heading into the 157 bout, which Cortez Arredondo controlled from start to finish on the way to a 13-5 major decision for the Mustangs, his third straight victory on the season. Kegen Fingalsen (165), Griffin Osing (174), Cole Hennen (184), and Jack Ryan (197) then put together their string of four straight pins to put SMSU ahead, 50-0. Fingalsen won by fall at 2:13, Osing at 1:09, Hennen at 1:47 and Ryan at 3:45. Andrew Petersen closed out the night for SMSU with an 11-3 major decision to give the Mustangs a 54-0 win. The win was the first time SMSU had shutout an opponent since a 40-0 win over Minot State back in 2013-14. The Mustangs' big night was its highest team point total under Head Coach, Jesse Nelson, and the most points for an SMSU team since a 50-3 win over St. Thomas back in 2000. SMSU will now turn its attention to wrestling No. 6 Upper Iowa on Thursday night at 7 p.m., on the road in the Dorman Gymnasium. SMSU vs Dakota Wesleyan Results Summary 125 Taylor Curtis (Southwest Minnesota State) over Seth Caro (Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.)) (MD 19-7) 4 0 133 Brock Buysse (Southwest Minnesota State) over Unknown (For.) 6 0 141 Nick Santos (Southwest Minnesota State) over Unknown (For.) 6 0 149 Zachary Beaumaster (Southwest Minnesota State) over Unknown (For.) 6 0 157 Cortez Arredondo (Southwest Minnesota State) over Marcus Urban (Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.)) (MD 13-5) 4 0 165 Kegen Fingalsen (Southwest Minnesota State) over Forrest Lewis (Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.)) (Fall 2:13) 6 0 174 Griffin Osing (Southwest Minnesota State) over Alex Osborne (Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.)) (Fall 1:09) 6 0 184 Cole Hennen (Southwest Minnesota State) over Zechariah Westergaard (Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.)) (Fall 1:47) 6 0 197 Jackson Ryan (Southwest Minnesota State) over Nick Woslum (Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.)) (Fall 3:45) 6 0 285 Andrew Petersen (Southwest Minnesota State) over Robert McCardle (Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.)) (MD 11-3) 4 0

INDIANAPOLIS -- UIndy took a 34-9 win on Senior Night over visiting Marian in the Ruth Lilly Fitness Center Wednesday evening. Behind wins in the seven of the 10 weight classes, the Greyhounds improved to 6-7 on the dual season. Prior to the dual, UIndy honored its three seniors, with #2 Nick Crume, Kyle Keller and Luke Kriech all making their final appearance in a Greyhound dual. After a Knight win at 125, Keller (3-2) earned a 4-3 win over Anthony Jagel to tie the score at 3-3. Marian then forfeited both 141 and 149 to put the Greyhounds ahead 15-3. The Knights added three more points with a win at 157 before Shelden Struble (4-3) took a 7-3 win at 165 to push the score to 18-6 UIndy. The Knights would take their final win of the evening at 174, and UIndy closed out the win with bonus points in each of its final three bouts of the night. At 184, #12 Brody Conner (20-8) pinned Charlie Hill in 2:02, with Jordan Collins (4-5) following with a 12-2 major decision over Zach Worm at 197. #3 Dylan Faulkenberg (21-2) closed out the Greyhound win with a pin in 2:44 over Ethan Bunce. UIndy will jump back into Great Lakes Valley Conference action this Saturday, with matches at Bellarmine against Drury and Truman State. Wrestling from Louisville begins at noon eastern.

Kearney, Neb. – The 12th-ranked Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team used two bonus point wins and two forfeits to beat Central Missouri, 27-14, Wednesday night in Warrensburg. UNK (18-1, 2-0) pushes its win streak to 10 straight while the Mules fall to 3-11 (1-2). The Lopers led 12-0 right off the bat as nationally-ranked Josh Portillo (9th/125 lbs.) and Bryce Shoemaker (11th/133 lbs.) both won by forfeit. The lead quickly grew to 17-0 as sophomore Tevin Briscoe (Garden City, Kan.) recorded two takedowns and had 12 near fall points to tech Zachary Schridde, 16-1, in just 2:18. While the Mules pulled an upset at 149 pounds, redshirt freshman Matt Malcom (Glenwood, Ia.) majored Shea Conley, 16-6, at 157 pounds. Malcom led 5-2 heading into the third period and secured the win thanks to six near fall points and 2:18 of riding time. UCM took the next three weight classes but sophomores Trey Schlender (197 lbs.) and Jarrod Hinrichs (285 lbs.) closed things out for UNK. Schlender (Kearney H.S.) scored four points in the first period to win 8-2 with Hinrichs (Geneva) having 3:31 of riding time and four takedowns in a 13-7 victory. He is now 29-6 on the year, including 17-0 vs. Division II competition. Kearney heads to 20th-ranked Lindenwood (4-4, 0-2) on Friday night.

Jason Nolf (Photo/Juan Garcia) INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA has released updated standings for the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Awards that will be awarded in March at the respective Division I, II and III Wrestling Championships. The inaugural NCAA Wrestling Awards were presented at the 2012 wrestling championships. The three awards, given in each division, honor the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes that have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular and postseasons. For falls and tech falls to be counted they must come against opponents in the same division. Ties in the two categories are broken based on the aggregate time. Penn State 157-pounder Jason Nolf holds a five-minute lead in aggregate time to break a tie with 149-pound teammate Zain Retherford for the lead in Division I falls with 14 each. Hofstra heavyweight Mike Hughes is third with 13, while Cornell 197-pounder Ben Darmstadt has 11. In Division II, Central Oklahoma 165-pounder Mason Thompson has added to his lead with a pair of falls to reach 12, three more than a trio of pursuers from St. Cloud State, Nebraska-Kearney and Western State. Wesleyan (Connecticut) heavyweight Isaiah Bellamy has taken sole possession of the lead in Division III with 16 falls, while Isaac Odell of Wheaton (Illinois) has 15. North Dakota State's Cam Sykora and Lock Haven's Kyle Shoop lead Division I with eight technical falls. Sykora holds the tiebreaker with an aggregate time of 30:24, three minutes faster than Shoop. An additional six wrestlers are still in good position to win the award with seven tech falls. Division II features a three-way tie of six for the national lead in tech falls. Lake Erie's Nick Vandermeer holds the time tiebreaker of 28:07 over Gannon's George McGuire and Wheeling Jesuit's Connor Craig. Messiah 197-pounder Kyle Koser has added three technical falls to his total as he climbed to the national lead in Division III with 13, one more than Loras' Jimmy Davis and Wartburg's Cross Cannone. The initial Most Dominant Wrestler standings will be released later this season to allow wrestlers to achieve the minimum amount of matches that is required to be eligible for the standings. Awards Standings

Stories about amateur wrestling are pretty much limited to wrestling media such as InterMat, Amateur Wrestling News and WIN magazine ... or newspapers covering the local team or an individual "hometown hero." So it's always a nice surprise when the sport gets positive coverage from unexpected sources. In the past week or so, this writer came across three news stories about women's wrestling from what I would consider to be highly unlikely places -- two from global mainstream media organizations, and the third from what I would classify as an up-and-coming source (look up Ozy and see how they describe themselves) Wrestle Like a Girl on Megan Kelly TODAY Last Thursday, the third hour of NBC's TODAY morning news show -- hosted by Megyn Kelly since last September and shown in most parts of the country at 9 a.m. -- devoted six-and-a-half minutes to Wrestle Like a Girl, the organization devoted to encouraging girls and young women to participate in the sport. The segment -- part of Megyn Kelly TODAY's ongoing "Grit" series which focuses on people who have overcome adversity to do something extraordinary -- featured WLAG founder Sally Roberts who told Kelly that she "grew up in a really challenging home." (The Megyn Kelly TODAY website described Roberts as "a young woman who got in trouble in school until she channeled her energy into joining the wrestling team. After rising to the top of her field and serving in the U.S military, she's now teaching other young women through her Wrestle Like a Girl program.") After showing a two-and-a-half-minute filmed segment that took viewers inside a Wrestle Like a Girl wrestling camp, Megyn Kelly TODAY returned to the studio for a live interview Roberts and two of her wrestlers, 14-year-old Chloe Ayres, and Hailey Chancelleri, 17. Roberts, who was the only female on her wrestling team throughout junior and senior high school, then wrestled freestyle, earning two bronze medals in World competition, shared with the audience that the idea of launching Wrestle Like a Girl came from her time in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, saying, "I was so moved to see girls in Afghanistan who didn't have opportunities. I wanted to pay it forward back in the U.S." When contacted by InterMat about the segment on Megyn Kelly TODAY, Roberts said, "It's the best, most inclusive sport on the planet and people are going to know about it. Our athletes, and our sport, deserve the recognition." OZY: Is women's wrestling headed to the NCAA? The news website OZY recently featured a nearly 1,000-word essay titled "Grappling with equality: Is women's wrestling headed to the NCAA?" OZY, founded by former MSNBC news anchor and businessman Carlos Watson in September 2013, describes itself as delivering "only original content, focused not simply on where the world is but, more importantly, where the world is going. And every morning, we set out to profile the people, places, trends and technology that are ahead of their time and worthy of yours." Here's how OZY's Matt Foley opened his look at women's wrestling: "In late August, wrestling fans from all corners of the globe descended on Paris to witness greatness at the 2017 world championships. They weren't disappointed. In a sport of constant grappling, one American proved untouchable in the arena on Boulevard de Bercy. Helen Maroulis captured her third consecutive international title to go along with a world championship in 2015 and Olympic gold at Rio in 2016. In Paris the 25-year-old native of Rockville, Maryland, breezed through five competitors by a combined score of 53-0. "So, why doesn't the NCAA let her wrestle?" The OZY feature goes on to describe the state of women's wrestling in the U.S. right now -- mentioning efforts by individuals such as University of Iowa head wrestling coach Tom Brands to get the NCAA to add women's wrestling as an emerging collegiate sport -- then, ultimately, an official NCAA sport, like men's wrestling ... a movement led by none other than Wrestle Like a Girl's Sally Roberts. Matt Foley goes on to provide details on this quest to expand opportunities for women to wrestle in college, and why these efforts are not only good for female athletes, but their male counterparts as well. It's a thoughtful, in-depth story worthy of the attention of those of us in the wrestling community who might not normally check out the OZY website. The BBC: Neeto's journey from child bride to world-class wrestler Mention the BBC (British Broadcasting Corp.), and most Americans may immediately think of classy period dramas such as "Downton Abbey" and "Victoria" -- or wacky vintage comedies featuring Benny Hill or Rowan Atkinson. However, the BBC is also one of the largest and most respected global news organizations, covering events and people making news well beyond London and Liverpool. Earlier this month, the BBC ran a human-interest video feature titled "The child bride who became a wrestling champion." Here's how the BBC described the nearly three-minute video: "Neetu, 21, was illegally married to a much older man when she was just 12 years old. But she has defied all odds to win a medal for wrestling in India's National Games." Neeto Sarkar won the bronze medal in wrestling at the National Games of India in 2015. The fast-moving video includes easy-to-read subtitles. "I am 21 but my story starts when I was 12," Neeto said at the beginning of the video. "I was illegally married to a mentally-ill 40-year-old man." "The marriage only lasted two months. But I was married again and gave birth to twin boys at 14." As the video states, Neeto Sarkar used wrestling to turn her life around. But it came at a price, as she lives away from her family in a small room ... able to see her sons and family only once in a while. "I am making this sacrifice because wrestling is my life." Neeto Sarkar's ultimate dream: to win a medal at the Olympics.

The last weekend of January is here, and it's a big wrestling weekend across the country. The race for No. 1 in the Fab 50 team rankings takes center stage, as do a couple of other events that have multiple Fab 50 teams present. In addition, it is the start of state series wrestling in a few states this weekend. Below is the listing of competitions for teams ranked in this week's Fab 50 high school wrestling team rankings covering today through next Tuesday (1/24-1/30). No. 1 Bergen Catholic, N.J. --travels to No. 3 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) on Saturday for quad meet with the host Blue Knights, No. 4 Montini Catholic (Ill.), and No. 8 St. Edward (Ohio) No. 2 Blair Academy, N.J. --travels to Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) on Friday for dual meets against Easton (Pa.) and No. 8 St. Edward (Ohio) No. 3 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. --travels to The Hill School (Pa.) for dual meet tonight; hosts dual meet against Easton (Pa.) on Friday; hosts quad meet on Saturday against No. 1 Bergen Catholic (N.J.), No. 4 Montini Catholic (Ill.), and No. 8 St. Edward (Ohio) No. 4 Montini Catholic, Ill. --hosts T.F. South (Ill.) and Loyola Academy (Ill.) in a tri-meet tomorrow; travels to No. 3 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) for dual meets against the host Blue Knights and No. 1 Bergen Catholic (N.J.) No. 5 St. Paris Graham, Ohio --hosts regional preliminary rounds in the state dual meet tournament tonight, hosts Louisville (Ohio) in dual meet on Friday, hosts Richmond (Mich.) and No. 21 Wadsworth (Ohio) in tri-meet on Saturday No. 6 Buchanan, Calif. --travels to No. 33 Clovis (Calif.) for dual meet tomorrow No. 7 Lake Highland Prep, Fla. --competes in the Flagler Rotary Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Palm Coast (Fla.) No. 8 St. Edward, Ohio --hosts regional preliminary rounds in the state dual meet tournament tonight; travels to Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) on Friday for dual meet against No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.); competes in dual meets on Saturday against No. 1 Bergen Catholic (N.J.) and the host Blue Knights, ranked No. 3 nationally No. 9 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich. --travels to Oxford (Mich.) for dual meet tonight, competes in dual meet against Richmond (Mich.) at Michigan State on Friday, travels to No. 40 Lowell (Mich.) on Saturday for dual meets against the host Red Arrows and No. 11 Cincinnati (Ohio) LaSalle No. 10 Poway, Calif. --hosts Mission Vista (Calif.) in dual meet tomorrow, competes in the Mid-Cals Classic on Friday and Saturday at Gilroy (Calif.) No. 11 Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio --hosts regional preliminary rounds in the state dual meet tournament tonight; travels to No. 40 Lowell (Mich.) on Saturday for quad meet against the host Red Arrows, No. 9 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.), and Dundee (Mich.) No. 12 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. --hosts Pleasant Valley (Pa.) in dual meet tonight, travels to Easton (Pa.) for dual meet against Nazareth (Pa.) on Saturday night No. 13 Tuttle, Okla. --competes in the Mid-Cals Classic on Friday and Saturday at Gilroy (Calif.) No. 14 Selma, Calif. --hosts Kingsburg (Calif.) in dual meet tonight, competes in the Mid-Cals Classic on Friday and Saturday at Gilroy (Calf.) No. 15 Delbarton, N.J. --competes in the Morris County Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Mount Olive (N.J.) No. 16 Malvern Prep, Pa. --travels to Episcopal Academy (Pa.) for dual meet on Friday, competes in the Vanguard Tournament on Saturday at Sun Valley (Pa.) No. 17 Allen, Texas --travels to No. 31 Broken Arrow (Okla.) for dual meet on Tuesday 1/30 No. 18 Gilroy, Calif. --travels to Alvarez (Calif.) for dual meet tonight, hosts Mid-Cals Classic on Friday and Saturday No. 19 Choctaw, Okla. --compete in the 4x4 Tournament on Saturday No. 20 Brecksville, Ohio --hosts regional preliminary rounds in the state dual meet tournament tonight No. 21 Wadsworth, Ohio --hosts regional preliminary rounds in the state dual meet tournament tonight, travels to No. 5 St. Paris Graham (Ohio) on Saturday for tri-meet against the host Falcons and Richmond (Mich.) No. 22 Oakdale, Calif. --travels with East Union (Calif.) for tri-meet at Weston Ranch (Calif.) tonight, competes in the Mid-Cals Classic on Friday and Saturday at Gilory (Calif.) No. 23 Park Hill, Mo. --travels to Raymone-Peculiar (Mo.) for dual meet tonight No. 25 Apple Valley, Minn. --travels to Shakopee (Minn.) for dual meet tomorrow No. 26 Parkersburg South, W.Va. --travels to Parkersburg (W.Va.) for dual meet tomorrow, competes in the Brooke (W.Va.) Classic on Saturday No. 27 Brownsburg, Ind. --competes in sectional tournament on Saturday at Avon (Ind.) No. 28 Fort Dodge, Iowa --competes in the CIML Invitational on Friday at Southeast Polk (Iowa) No. 29 Christian Brothers College, Mo. --travels to Jefferson City (Mo.) for dual meet tomorrow, travels to Desmet (Mo.) for dual meet on Tuesday 1/30 No. 30 Anoka, Minn. --hosts Elk River (Minn.) in dual meet tonight, competes at the Orono (Minn.) Tournament on Saturday No. 31 Broken Arrow, Okla. --travels to Bixby (Okla.) for dual meet tomorrow, hosts No. 17 Allen (Texas) in dual meet on Tuesday 1/30 No. 32 Massillon Perry, Ohio --travels to Wooster (Ohio) for regional preliminary rounds of the state dual meet tournament tonight No. 33 Clovis, Calif. --hosts dual meet against No. 6 Buchanan (Calif.) tomorrow No. 34 Kasson-Mantorville, Minn. --hosts Zumbrotta-Mazeppa (Minn.) in dual meet tomorrow, hosts the Swalla Duals on Saturday No. 35 Perry Meridian, Ind. --competes in sectional tournament on Saturday at Southport (Ind.) No. 36 Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind. --competes in sectional tournament on Saturday at Lawrence Central (Ind.) No. 37 Portage, Ind. --competes in sectional tournament on Saturday at Griffith (Ind.) No. 38 Southeast Polk, Iowa --hosts CIML Invitational on Friday No. 39 Simley, Minn. --competes in the Bloomington-Kennedy (Minn.) Duals on Saturday No. 40 Lowell, Mich. --hosts No. 9 Detroit Catholic (Mich.), No. 11 Cincinnati (Ohio) LaSalle, and Dundee (Mich.) in quad meet on Saturday No. 41 Howell, N.J. --travels to Freehold Boro (N.J.) for dual meet tonight, competes in the Shore Conference Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Red Bank Regional (N.J.) No. 42 Lincoln East, Neb. --competes in the George Hoover Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Liberty (Mo.), travels with Lincoln North Star (Neb.) for tri-meet at Lincoln Southwest (Neb.) on Tuesday 1/30 No. 43 Kearney, Neb. --competes in the Rocky Welton Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Garden City (Kansas) No. 44 St. John Bosco, Calif. --travel to Servite (Calif.) for dual meet tomorrow No. 45 Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa. --competes in the Brooke (W.Va.) Classic on Saturday No. 46 Mount St. Joseph's, Md. --travels to The Gilman School (Md.) for dual meets against St. Paul's (Md.) and Boys Latin (Md.) tomorrow, competes in the Bubba Bunting Invitational on Saturday at The Bullis School (Md.) No. 47 Waukee, Iowa --competes in the CIML Invitational on Friday at Southeast Polk (Iowa) No. 49 Pope John XXIII, N.J. --travels to St. Peter's Prep (N.J.) for dual meet tonight, travels to Morris Hills (N.J.) for dual meet on Monday 1/29, hosts Mount Olive (N.J.) in dual meet on Tuesday 1/30 Off this week: No. 24 Oak Park River Forest (Ill.), No. 48 Davison (Mich.), No. 50 Washington (Ill.)

Kanen Storr wrestling Bryce Meredith at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State freshman Kanen Storr has asked for and been granted a release to transfer. The native of Leslie, Mich., has compiled a 15-7 record this season is ranked No. 18 at 141 pounds by InterMat. "Kanen (Storr) requested permission to transfer to another institution," Iowa State Head Coach Kevin Dresser said. "I am going to honor that request and allow him the one-time transfer exception. We wish him the best." Storr, who was 25-5 and runner-up at the Dave Schultz Memorial International as a redshirt, will not compete for Iowa State anymore this season.

The 2017 Freestyle World Team Trials took place at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb.(Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The quality of wrestling at the U.S. World Team Trials typically is as good as any event on American soil. The best American wrestlers in men's and women's freestyle, and Greco-Roman battle in the non-Olympic years to land coveted berths at the World Championships three out of every four years. There are plenty of fierce and entertaining matches along with many of the compelling storylines that play out during this top-notch competition. The World Team Trials also has been one of the least attended with sparse crowds over the years, even when it was held in wrestling hotbeds like Iowa and Ohio. Last year was an exception when the World Team Trials for freestyle were held at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb. Fans came out to see a pair of former Nebraska Cornhuskers -- Olympic and world champion Jordan Burroughs, and world medalist James Green -- compete in that event. The crowds were excellent and the athletes loved competing in an electric atmosphere. Now USA Wrestling is looking for a way to attract even more interest and fans to the sport. USA Wrestling's new Final X format for the World Team Trials, where it partners with FloWrestling, is quite a departure from what has been done in the past. The final event will be split into three different weekends -- June 9, 16 and 23 -- in three different cities. It hasn't officially been released, but Lincoln, State College, Pa. and Bethlehem, Pa. are expected to be the host cities for this event. Returning world medalists who stay in the same weight class this year advance directly to Final X. That means Thomas Gilman, James Green, Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Snyder and Nick Gwiazdowski have already landed spots in the best-of-3 finals of the Trials. Returning world medalist J'den Cox likely is expected to move up to one of the new weight classes so he would still have to qualify for Final X. There are certainly plenty of potential positives for doing it this way. Spreading the amount of matches out provides an opportunity for the sport to gain additional attention and exposure by being held over three weekends instead of one. The finalists in each weight class now will be known beforehand. That provides an excellent chance to promote the finals matchups ahead of time and create storylines that can attract interest. The Final X format will decide the world team berths in men's and women's freestyle. The Greco-Roman Trials will be held later, on June 21-22, and part of that reasoning is to give freestyle athletes who don't make the world team an opportunity to make the Greco world team. That rationale makes sense, but it also prevents Greco athletes from competing on that same big stage in Final X that the freestyle athletes will take part it. The Greco Trials will be held during the Junior National Duals in Tulsa, Okla. Greco continues to take a backseat to freestyle in this country. Having the Final X program over three weekends narrows the focus of what fans are watching and shortens the sessions. Each style has added two weight classes, and the Trials in the past would drag on endlessly in the finals with a best-of-3 format. Sessions would take four or five hours, or even more, and it's difficult to hold a fan's attention for that long. With the Final X, the goal is to shorten sessions and make it more fan friendly. With fewer matches, that should happen. Wrestlers also will be paid more for landing a spot in the Final X stage. And finalists in the Greco Trials also will receive additional money. Among the drawbacks of this new format are that fans who are only able to attend one of the three Final X weekends will only see one-third of the freestyle wrestlers compete in person. The wrestling-specific media, many of whom don't profit from covering the sport, would have to travel to three different locations on three straight weekends. That would obviously cost them extra money in addition to having to budget the time to go. Another huge issue with many people already is that the Final X event will not be televised. The event will be on Flo's pay wall, so the only way people who can't attend the events to watch is to pay. Not everybody who wants to watch is going to pay, so that reduces your number of viewers. Not sure how this grows the sport. Your audience will be the die-hard wrestling people who subscribe to Flo and the families of the athletes who will pay to watch if they are unable to attend. How does this attract new fans? The sport needs to be on television to grow. This may be a great new format, but how many people are actually going to see it? Back on the positive side of the equation, the U.S. is a force internationally in wrestling again. After a subpar showing at the Olympics, the U.S. wrestling program has a ton of momentum right now. The men's freestyle team is coming off its first world team title in 22 years and the women's team coming off a runner-up finish. And plenty of young talent is coming up the ranks as well. It was exciting to see the Americans pull out an exciting win over Russia at the 2017 World Championships in Paris. It was something to see with Snyder rallying for a dramatic win in the closing seconds. Many people in wresting that I've communicated with -- athletes, coaches and media -- have mixed feelings about the new format. Burroughs, as you might expect, told me he is "very excited" about Final X. He is already in the finals of the World Team Trials. Plus, he is expected to be wrestling in front of his home fans in Lincoln at the university he competed for and still trains at. The magnetic and charismatic Burroughs likely will be a big draw again this year. Burroughs showed us what a great champion he was by bouncing back to win a world title last year after a disappointing showing at the Olympics in Rio. One change with the new World Team Trials format is that Burroughs and other returning world medalists will face a fresh opponent in the finals instead of one that had to go through a mini-tournament earlier in the day. That definitely provided Burroughs and others an edge, but the past format made sense. Burroughs owns an Olympic gold medal, four world titles and a world bronze medal. He should be given an advantage in the Trials because USA Wrestling obviously wants its best team on the mat for the World Championships. I'm one-hundred percent on board with developing innovative ways to promote wrestling. I did it for 10 years when I worked at USA Wrestling. I'm not sure this new format is the answer for the World Team Trials, but obviously nobody really knows how it's all going to unfold at this point. It definitely will be interesting to see how the new Final X format plays out. Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.