InterMat Staff

DEKALB, Ill. -- The Ohio Wrestling team (5-4, 3-2 MAC) takes down Northern Illinois (3-4, 0-3 MAC), 22-10, on the road Friday (Jan. 13). The Bobcats took seven of the 10 matches from the Huskies. 125- Hayden Lee v. Kirk Johansen Redshirt sophomore Hayden Lee (Marysville, Ohio) completed a third period comeback against Kirk Johansen and took the match in sudden victory, 7-5. 133- Cameron Kelly v. Alijah Jeffery Sophomore No. 20 Cameron Kelly (Bellbrook, Ohio) took down Elijah Jeffery with a 13-4 major decision victory. 141- Noah Forrider v. Angel Velasquez Junior Noah Forrider (Marysville, Ohio) earned his 20th win of the season by shutting out Angel Velasquez with a 4-0 decision. 149- Kade Kowalski v. Steve Bleise Redshirt freshman Kade Kowalski (Nashport, Ohio) fell to No. 13 Steve Bleise by decision, 10-4). 157- Cullen Cummings v. Caden McWhirter Redshirt junior Cullen Cummings (Woodridge, Ill.) earned a narrow victory by decision, 5-3, over Caden McWhirter. 165- Austin Reese v. Andrew Scott Redshirt sophomore Austin Reese (Urbana, Ohio) earned his third straight Mid-American Conference victory as he took down Andrew Scott in a 7-1 victory by decision. 174- Arsen Ashughyan v. Trace Engelkes Redshirt sophomore Arsen Ashughyan (Vanadzor, Armenia) fell to Trace Engelkes in a loss by major decision, 13-2. 184- Dontae McGee v. Michael Aldrich Redshirt freshman Dontae McGee (Marion, Ohio) edged out Michael Aldrich with a last second escape to take a 7-6 decision victory. 197- Bailey Faust v. Shawn Scott Redshirt freshman Bailey Faust (Lexington, Ohio) battled in a match against No. 10 Shawn Scott, but Scott took the match in a 7-2 decision. 285- Zack Parker v. Caleb Gossett Redshirt sophomore Zack Parker (Felton, Del.) took the final match of the night over Caleb Gossett by a 9-5 decision to cap off the victory for the Bobcats. Results: 125: Hayden Lee (Ohio) over Kirk Johansen (NIU) (SV 7-5) 133: Cameron Kelly (Ohio) over Alijah Jeffery (NIU) (MD 13-4) 141: Noah Forrider (Ohio) over Angel Velasquez (NIU) (Dec. 4-0) 149: Steve Bleise (NIU) over Kade Kowalski (Ohio) (Dec. 10-4) 157: Cullen Cummings (Ohio) over Caden McWhirter (NIU) (Dec. 5-3) 165: Austin Reese (Ohio) over Andrew Scott (NIU) (Dec. 7-1) 174: Trace Engelkes (NIU) over Arsen Ashughyan (Ohio) (MD 13-2) 184: Dontae McGee (Ohio) over Michael Aldrich (NIU) (Dec. 7-6) 197: Shawn Scott (NIU) over Bailey Faust (Ohio) (Dec. 7-2) 285: Zack Parker (Ohio) over Caleb Gossett (NIU) (Dec. 9-5) UP NEXT: Ohio travels to Kent State for a MAC matchup next Sunday (Jan. 22). Action is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.

ADRIAN, Mich. -- The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team got the weekend started in dominating fashion, defeating the Adrian College Bulldogs 48-6 Friday night, Jan. 13, at Merillat Sport and Fitness Center in Adrian. The Eagles (5-2, 1-1 MAC) won all six bouts that took place by bonus points, that included one pin, four technical falls, and a major decision. The other four weight classes were forfeited, including Adrian (0-14) yielding 125 lbs., 174 lbs., and 184 lbs., while EMU gave up 149 lbs. to give the Bulldogs their only points. The dual began at 133 lbs. following the first forfeit, where redshirt freshman Sa'Derian Perry (Lakeland, Fla.-Lake Gibson) opened the evening with his fifth pin of the season, and fourth in dual action, this one coming in 2:09. The first-year starter is now 4-1 in duals with all four wins coming via fall. Redshirt sophomore Armando Torres (Lorain, Ohio-Elyria) made his 2016-17 dual debut wrestling up a class at 141 lbs. The usual 133-pounder was not overmatched, using a big 8-1 first period on his way to an 18-1 technical fall in 4:36. Eastern forfeited the 149 lbs. match, making it 17-6 after four. The 157 lbs. bout was the tightest of the evening, but redshirt freshman J.J. Wolfe (Dakota, Ill.-Dakota) was still able to win comfortably, coming away with a 12-2 major decision, his second of the season. Eastern registered its second technical fall at 165 lbs. as redshirt senior Devan Marry (Hudson, Mich.-Hudson) cruised to an 18-1 tech fall in 3:56, his first of the year. After Adrian forfeited at 174 lbs. and 184 lbs., Eastern sat way out ahead with a 38-6 lead with two bouts remaining. The penultimate match at 197 lbs. saw redshirt freshman Jared Langley (Newton, Kan.-Newton) make his Eagles dual debut. Langley made the most of it, locking up EMU's third technical fall, this one coming in 3:40 by 16-0 score. It was his first tech fall of the season. Finally, No. 14 heavyweight redshirt junior Gage Hutchison (Buchanan, Mich.-Buchanan) finished off the match with a dominating 20-2 technical fall in 3:34 to lock up his second straight 20-win season, as well as the 70th victory of his EMU career. It was his second tech fall of the season. The Eagles now set their sights to Sunday, Jan. 15, for a huge Mid-American Conference showdown with the No. 9 Missouri Tigers. The dual from the Convocation Center is set to begin at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN3. Results: 125: Adrian Forfeit 133: Sa'Derian Perry (EMU) over Dominic Paterra (Adrian) (Fall 2:09) 141: Armando Torres (EMU) over Kyle Briggs (Adrian) (TF 18-1) 149: EMU Forfeit 157: J.J. Wolfe (EMU) over Dylan Steward (Adrian) (MD 12-2) 165: Devan Marry (EMU) over James Pace (Adrian) (TF 18-1) 174: Adrian Forfeit 184: Adrian Forfeit 197: Jared Langley (EMU) over Riley Griffin (Adrian) (TF 16-0) HWT: No. 14 Gage Hutchison (EMU) over Zach Rieger (Adrian) (TF 20-2)

Fairfield, CT – Sage Heller recorded his fourth pin of the season and Ryan Burkert and Bobby Fehr added major decisions to lead the Hofstra Pride to a 38-3 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) victory over the Pioneers of Sacred Heart at the William H. Pitt Center Friday night. Hofstra, which won its second consecutive match, improved to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in the EIWA. The Pioneers slipped to 3-7 overall and 0-2 in conference action. In addition to the three bonus point victories, the Pride benefitted from Pioneer forfeits at 125 and 141 pounds. In between, freshman Vinny Vespa (10-9) posted a 7-0 win over Gerard Daly at 133 to give Hofstra a 15-0 lead after three matches. Ryan Burkert (13-9) followed his brother Connor's (8-11) forfeit win at 141 with a 14-2 major decision over Kyle Brady at 149. It is Ryan Burkert's third major decision of the year. Red-shirt freshman Jake Kaminsky (12-12) battled Sacred Heart's Casey Mitchell for a 9-6 win at 157 before red-shirt sophomore Bobby Fehr (6-7) tallied his third major decision of the year with an 11-3 win over Matt Fisher at 165. Heller, a freshman from Illinois, then posted his fourth pin of the year at 174-pounds, stopping Domenico Celli at the 1:01 mark of the match. It was Heller's 20th win of the year in 28 outings as the Pride increased the lead to 32-0. Sacred Heart got on the board at 184-pounds as Elliott Antler posted a big third period to defeat Hofstra red-shirt sophomore Michael Oxley (7-15), 6-2. The Pride finished out the match with two more decisions as red-shirt sophomore Nezar Haddad (9-7) defeated Sasha Oliinyk, 8-2 at 197 and sophomore Omar Haddad (6-11) topped John Hartnett, 8-1 at 285. The Pride return to action on Sunday, January 15 when they travel to Clarion, Pennsylvania for the Clarion Duals. The Pride will face West Liberty at 1 p.m. before meeting the host Golden Eagles of Clarion at 3 p.m. Results: 125- Jacob Martin (HU) won by forfeit 133- Vinny Vespa (HU) dec. Gerard Daly(SHU), 7-0 141- Connor Burkert (HU) won by forfeit 149- Ryan Burkert (HU) maj. dec. Kyle Brady (SHU), 14-2 157- Jake Kaminsky (HU) dec. Casey Mitchell (SHU), 9-6 165- Bobby Fehr (HU) maj. dec. Matt Fisher (SHU), 11-3 174- Sage Heller (HU) WBF Domenico Celli (SHU), 1:01 184- Elliott Antler (SHU) dec. Michael Oxley (HU), 6-2 197- Nezar Haddad (HU) dec. Sasha Oliinyk (SHU), 8-2 285- Omar Haddad (HU) dec. John Hartnett (SHU), 8-1

LINCOLN, Neb. -- The No. 5 Nebraska wrestling team (8-1, 2-1 Big Ten) won seven of 10 matches against No. 21 Wisconsin en route to a 28-11 victory at the Devaney Center on Friday night. No. 5 Tim Lambert (125), No. 3 Eric Montoya (133) and No. 11 Colton McCrystal (141) strung together bonus-point wins in the first three matches to help NU build a 13-0 advantage. Lambert downed 20th-ranked Johnny Jimenez by technical fall, 19-1. Montoya defeated Eli Stickley, 10-1, and McCrystal knocked off No. 15 Cole Martin, 12-2. No. 3 Tyler Berger (157) and No. 3 TJ Dudley (184) also added bonus points for the Huskers. Berger notched a 14-4 major decision over Jarod Donar. Dudley made quick work of Jake Stilling in the eighth match of the night with a 16-0 technical fall in the first period. At 174 pounds, Micah Barnes knocked off 20th-ranked Ryan Christensen, 8-1. The win marked Barnes' first over a ranked opponent this season, as he improves to 15-9 overall. No. 7 Aaron Studebaker (197) picked up his 99th career victory with a 4-3 decision over No. 13 Ricky Robertson in the penultimate bout of the dual. Studebaker has a chance to become the 26th wrestler to win 100 career matches at Nebraska when the Huskers face Michigan on Sunday. The Huskers suffered losses to the Badgers at 149, 165 pounds and heavyweight. Wisconsin's Isaac Jordan, ranked third at 165 pounds, edged Dustin Williams by a 4-1 decision. The Huskers return to action on Sunday at the Devaney Center for Tumble N Rumble against No. 13 Michigan. The dual, scheduled to start at 1:15 p.m. (CT), will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. Results: 125: #5 Tim Lambert (NEB) tech fall #20 Johnny Jimenez (WIS), 19-1 (NEB 5, WIS 0) 133: #3 Eric Montoya (NEB) major dec. Eli Stickley (WIS), 10-1 (NEB 9, WIS 0) 141: #11 Colton McCrystal (NEB) major dec. #15 Cole Martin (WIS), 12-2 (NEB 13, WIS 0) 149: Andrew Crone (WIS) dec. Collin Purinton (NEB), 10-7 (NEB 13, WIS 3) 157: #3 Tyler Berger (NEB) major dec. Jarod Donar (WIS), 14-4 (NEB 17, WIS 3) 165: #3 Isaac Jordan (WIS) dec. Dustin Williams (NEB), 4-1 (NEB 17, WIS 6) 174: Micah Barnes (NEB) dec. #20 Ryan Christensen (WIS), 8-1 (NEB 20, WIS 6) 184: #3 TJ Dudley (NEB) tech fall Jake Stilling (WIS), 16-0 (NEB 25, WIS 6) 197: #7 Aaron Studebaker (NEB) dec. #13 Ricky Robertson (WIS), 4-3 (NEB 28, WIS 6) HWT: #2 Connor Medbery (WIS) tech fall David Jensen (NEB), 16-0 (NEB 28, WIS 11) More From HUSKERS WRESTLING

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – It wasn't the most crisp performance but No. 8 Lehigh managed to win seven bouts from an upset-minded Navy squad in a 23-9 victory Friday night at Alumni Hall. The Mountain Hawks led 8-0 after two bouts and won five more on night when six bouts were decided by three points or fewer. Junior Darian Cruz set the tone with a 22-4 technical fall win over Brant Leadbeter at 125. The dual win is Lehigh's third straight, improving the Mountain Hawks to 6-1 overall and 4-0 against EIWA opponents. Navy suffers its first dual loss and is now 6-1 overall and 1-1 in the EIWA. "They out-fought us tonight," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "We were trying to hang on to wins, but that's not Lehigh wrestling. That's not what we've done all year, but we did it tonight. They (Navy) were ready. We need to learn from this. We need to think about scoring points instead of winning matches." Cruz struck for four first period takedowns then went to work on top, scoring three four-point near falls and nearly pinning Leadbeter before settling for the technical fall in 2:53. At 133, freshman Joe Lobeck made his varsity dual debut against Cody Lambert. Lobeck controlled the match throughout, scoring a late first period takedown and then riding out the second period. A third period reversal plus riding time gave Lobeck a 5-0 win. "Darian getting those bonus points was huge and then Joe Lobeck went out and wrestled great," Santoro said. "We got off to a great start and then we just kind of stopped wrestling a little bit it seemed." Senior Randy Cruz opened the scoring in his match with Jared Prince at 141 with an early takedown. After trading reversals, Cruz led 4-2 after one period, but Prince battled back with takedowns in the second and third periods. Prince eliminated Cruz's riding time and gained a riding time advantage himself, holding off a late reversal bid by Cruz to win 7-5. Lehigh won close decisions in the next three bouts to build a 17-3 advantage. At 149, senior Laike Gardner defeated Corey Wilding for the second time this month, using a second period ride out and four point near fall to win 6-1. Freshman Jordan Kutler took Zach Elvin down early at 157. A strong ride led to a 4:32 riding time advantage for Kutler, who was unable to earn Elvin and settled for a 4-1 decision. Freshman Cole Walter made his first dual meet appearance, scoring a second period takedown and surviving several third period flurries to hold off Drew Daniels 3-2 at 165. "Cole wasn't as sharp as he was at the Scuffle," Santoro said of Walter's performance. "He wasn't on the mat much this week, but Cole is really tough and found a way to win that match. That's what he's going to do. He's going to fight until the very end. He gave a great effort." With sophomore Ryan Preisch out of the lineup Friday, Lehigh sent freshman Chase Gallik out for his dual debut against 18th-ranked Jadaen Bernstein at 174. Bernstein led 10-5 early in the third period before Gallik countered a Bernstein shot by putting him on his back for six points. Bernstein had riding time advantage and secured a late takedown to win 15-12 to secure Navy's second win of the night. Freshman Kyle Gentile clinched the dual for the Mountain Hawks with a 7-4 decision over Alex Benoit at 184. Gentile scored takedowns in each of the first periods but had to hold on after a late Benoit score. Navy's third win came from Steban Cervantes at 197 after a 9-3 win over senior Ben Haas. Senior Doug Vollaro capped the dual with a 3-0 win over Thomas Ott at 285, using a third period escape plus a takedown in the final seconds. The Mountain Hawks will next head to Washington, D.C. to face American Saturday at 7 p.m. at Bender Arena. Video for that dual will be available via the Patriot League Network while audio coverage will be available on WLVR-FM (91.3) and WLVR.org. Results: 125 – Darian Cruz (Lehigh) tech fall Brant Leadbeter (Navy) 22-4, 2:53 133 – Joe Lobeck (Lehigh) dec. Cody Lambert (Navy) 5-0 141 – Jared Prince (Navy) dec. Randy Cruz (Lehigh) 7-5 149 – Laike Gardner (Lehigh) dec. Corey Wilding (Navy) 6-1 157 – Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) dec. Zach Elvin (Navy) 4-1 165 – Cole Walter (Lehigh) dec. Drew Daniels (Navy) 3-2 174 – Jadaen Bernstein (Navy) dec. Chase Gallik (Lehigh) 15-12 184 – Kyle Gentile (Lehigh) dec. Alex Benoit (Navy) 7-4 197 – Steban Cervantes (Navy) dec. Ben Haas (Lehigh) 9-3 285 – Doug Vollaro (Lehigh) dec. Thomas Ott (Navy) 3-0

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team got back to its winning ways in decisive fashion, claiming seven matches to earn a 25-16 victory over Maryland on Friday evening (Jan. 13) at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines earned three bonus wins, opening the bout with major decisions in two of the first three bouts before wrapping with a technical fall in the last match. Sophomore/freshman Myles Amine, ranked eighth in the latest InterMat poll at 174 pounds, set the tone with a 10-2 major decision over Sam Rowell in the first bout -- his 10th bonus win of the season. Amine finished on four takedowns, including a double leg off the opening whistle, and accumulated 3:23 in riding-time advantage. Senior/junior Ernest Battaglia and sophomore/freshman Jackson Striggow followed with two more wins at the upperweights to pad the Wolverine lead to 11-0 early. Battaglia used a pair of takedowns and a third-period reversal -- just missing on subsequent near fall -- to cruise past Idris White, 10-3, at 184 pounds. Striggow added a bonus point with a 12-4 major decision over David-Brian Whisler at 197 pounds, taking advantage of a four-point sequence and second takedown to build a first-period lead before adding another single leg and 3:20 riding time in the third. Maryland got on the board with back-to-back six-point victories, including a forfeit at 125 pounds, entering the intermission break. Sophomore/freshman Austin Assad was held out as a precautionary measure. The Terps added another bonus win with a major decision at 149 pounds but not before Michigan rallied to earn back-to-back decisions at 133 and 141 pounds. Sophomore/freshman Stevan Micic, ranked eighth nationally at 133 pounds, gave up the first takedown in an early first-period scramble against Billy Rappo but responded with a single leg of his own at the buzzer and then blew the match open in the second en route to an 11-4 victory. He scored on a pair of takedowns in the middle frame, including a four-point feet-to-back, and rode for 1:14. Sophomore/freshman Sal Profaci also used the second period to claim an 8-4 comeback decision against Jhared Simmons at 141 pounds. After giving up a pair of early takedowns, Profaci knotted the score with late takedown in the first period and followed suit with another in the waning seconds of the second before riding out the third period to accumulate 3:30 in time advantage. Senior captain Brian Murphy, ranked 10th at 157 pounds, also earned a decision victory, using an early first-period ankle pick and a third-period reversal to defeat Danny Boychuk, 6-3. Murphy rode out the final minute of the match to earn 2:16 in time advantage. Sophomore/freshman Logan Massa, ranked second nationally at 165 pounds, closed out the dual with the Wolverines' most dominant win, scoring seven takedowns, a reversal and 2:36 riding time to earn a 20-5 technical fall over Josh Ugalde. Massa converted on a variety of ankle picks, singles and doubles and, with the tech in reach, finished on three takedowns in the third period. He improved to 17-0 on the season and boasts 11 bonus wins. The Wolverines will wrap up the weekend on the road, traveling to Lincoln, Nebraska, to face Nebraska at 1:15 p.m. CST on Sunday (Jan. 15) at Bob Devaney Sports Center. The dual will be aired live on the Big Ten Network. Results: 174 -- #8 Myles Amine (U-M) major dec. Sam Rowell, 10-2 U-M, 4-0 184 -- Ernest Battaglia (U-M) dec. Idris White, 10-3 U-M, 7-0 197 -- Jackson Striggow (U-M) major dec. David-Brian Whisler, 12-4 U-M, 11-0 Hwt -- Youssif Hemida (UMD) pinned Dan Perry, 0:52 U-M, 11-6 125 -- Michael Beck (UMD) won by forfeit UMD, 12-11 133 -- #8 Stevan Micic (U-M) dec. Billy Rappo, 11-4 U-M, 14-12 141 -- Sal Profaci (U-M) dec. Jhared Simmons, 8-4 U-M, 17-12 149 -- #15 Alfred Bannister (UMD) major dec. Zac Hall, 12-3 U-M, 17-16 157 -- #10 Brian Murphy (U-M) dec. Danny Boychuk, 6-3 U-M, 20-16 165 -- #2 Logan Massa (U-M) tech. fall Josh Ugalde, 20-5 (7:00) U-M, 25-16

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Bonus points decided Cornell's 24-18 win over No. 25 Drexel on Friday evening at Friedman Wrestling Center. Cornell improved to 5-1 on the season, while the Dragons fell to 7-3 despite the teams splitting the 10 matches down the middle. The Big Red had two falls and three major decisions to pull away for the victory and improve to 10-1-1 all-time against the Dragons. Without the services of two-time national champion Gabe Dean, Cornell jumbled its lineup with mixed results. Senior All-Americans Dylan Palacio and Brian Realbuto had no problems going up a weight, with Palacio making his season debut with a 12-2 major decision over Austin Rose at 165 and Realbuto capturing a second period fall over Owen Brooks at Dean's usual weight, 184 pounds. Sophomore Brandon Womack, however, wasn't as fortunate, losing a 13-8 decision at 174 while also going up a weight class. Drexel picked up early momentum with a decisive tech fall by Tanner Shoap at 125 to open the deal, but Mark Grey answered with a first period pin of Brendan Hasson to give the home team the lead for good and improve to 83-0 against EIWA foes other than Lehigh over the last 12 years (90-4-1 overall). Both Will Koll (141) and Taylor Simaz (157) earned major decision victories for the Big Red. The visitors earned third period comebacks to claim wins in the final two matches. Cornell will turn around for another opportunity against ra ranked team when No. 9 Missouri visits Friedman Wrestling Center tomorrow at 1 p.m. Results: 125: Tanner Shoap (D) won by technical fall over Noah Baughman (C), 20-2 133: #19 Mark Grey (C) won by fall over Brendan Hasson (D), 2:29 141: Will Koll (C) won by major decision over Vincent Foggia (D), 11-2 149: #18 Matthew Cimato (D) wins by major decision over Jonathan Furnas (C), 8-0 157: Taylor Simaz (C) won by major decision over Willie Davis (D), 14-4 165: #4 (157) Dylan Palacio (C) won by major decision over Austin Rose (D), 12-2 174: Ebed Jarrell (D) won by decision over #19 (165) Brandon Womack (C), 13-8 184: #4 (174) Brian Realbuto (C) won by fall over Owen Brooks (D). 4:19 197: Josh Murphy (D) won by decision over Ben Honis (C), 6-4 285: Joey Goodhart (D) won by decision over Jeramy Sweany (C), 11-6

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (7-0, 3-0 B1G) dominated visiting Rutgers (7-2, 2-1 B1G) in sold out Rec Hall Friday night. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad used two pins, three technical falls and a major to post a lopsided 37-6 victory. The Nittany Lions won eight of ten bouts in the match and increased their dual match win streak to 24 straight dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season. The dual began at 125. True freshman Nick Suriano (Paramus, N.J.) dominated the action from start to finish, remaining unbeaten on the year with a 16-2 major over Rutgers' Brandon Paetzell. Sophomore George Carpenter (Chapel Hill, N.C.) dropped a tough 11-4 decision to RU junior Scott DelVecchio at 133, trimming Penn State's lead to 4-3. Senior Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 12 at 141, lost a close and hard-fought 4-1 decision to No. 6 Anthony Ashnault and the Scarlet Knights took a brief 6-4 lead. From there, Penn State rolled. Junior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, pinned No. 14 Ken Theobold at the 5:33 mark. Retherford remained unbeaten on the year with his 10th pin of the year. Sophomore Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, put Penn State up 15-6 at the break with a furious 22-4 technical fall at the 4:09 mark. Nolf also stayed unbeaten with the win. Red-shirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked no. 4 at 165, dominated Willie Scott, roaring to a 19-3 tech fall at the 4:55 mark to put Penn State up 20-6. Senior Geno Morelli (DuBois, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 174, fought off senior Phillip Bakuckas' late flurry to post a hard-fought 5-3 win. Sophomore Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 2 at 184, brought the sellout crowd of over 6,600 fans to its feet with a thrilling pin. Nickal lifted No. 14 Nicholas Gravina off the mat, sent him to his back and spent nearly 1:00 working for the fall. Nickal would not be denied and got the pin at the 4:22 mark to put Penn State up 29-6. Junior Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 11 at 197, posted a 4-3 win over Rutgers' Matthew Correnti. Sophomore Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 5 at 285, closed out the dual with a sizzling 24-9 tech fall over Ralphy Normandia, reeling off nine takedowns to get the tech fall with a four-point near fall at the 6:57 mark. Nevills' win gave Penn State the final 37-6 victory. Penn State won the takedown battle 30-9 and picked up 13 bonus points off two pins (Retherford, Nickal), three techs (Nolf, Joseph, Nevills) and a major (Suriano). Penn State has now won 47 straight matches dating back to the end of the 13-14 season. He is 12-0 with ten pins, a tech and a major. Nolf is 12-0 with seven pins, a major and four techs. Nickal is 11-0 with nine pins and a major this season. Nevills and Suriano both remain unbeaten with 11-0 records as well. Suriano has five majors and a fall while Nevills has four pins and two tech falls this year. The Nittany Lions are now 7-0 on the year, 3-0 in the Big Ten, and have won 24 straight duals dating back to the end of the 2014-15 campaign. Rutgers is now 7-2, 2-1 Big Ten. The crowd of 6,605 is the 32nd straight sell-out in Rec Hall for Penn State wrestling. The team has wrestled in front of 35 of 37 sellout crowds, including three in the near-16,000 seat Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State travels to Iowa City on Friday, Jan. 20, for a Big Ten road match-up with the Iowa Hawkeyes. The dual, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, begins at 9 p.m. Eastern / 8 p.m. Central. Penn State returns to Rec Hall on Sunday, Jan. 29, for a 2 p.m. dual with the Northwestern Wildcats. All Rec Hall dual meets are sold out, but a very limited number of Standing Room Only tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-NITTANY. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. The 2016-17 Penn State wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here. Results: 125: #3 Nick Suriano PSU maj. dec. Brandon Paetzell RU, 16-2 / 4-0 133: Scott DelVecchio RU dec. George Carpenter PSU, 11-4 / 4-3 141: #6 Anthony Ashnault RU dec. #12 Jimmy Gulibon PSU, 4-1 / 4-6 149: #1 Zain Retherford PSU pinned #14 Ken Theobold RU, WBF (5:33) / 10-6 157: #1 Jason Nolf PSU tech fall #16 John Van Brill RU, 22-4 (TF; 4:09) / 15-6 165: #4 Vincenzo Joseph PSU tech fall Willie Scott RU, 19-3 (TF; 4:55) / 20-6 174: #14 Geno Morelli PSU dec. Phillip Bakuckas RU, 5-3 / 23-6 184: #2 Bo Nickal PSU pinned #14 Nicholas Gravina RU, WBF (4:22) / 29-6 197: #11 Matt McCutcheon PSU dec. Matthew Correnti RU, 4-3 / 32-6 285: #5 Nick Nevills PSU tech fall Randy Normandia RU, 24-9 (TF; 6:57) / 37-6 Attendance: 6,605 (32nd straight Rec Hall sell out) Records: Penn State 7-0, 3-0 B1G; Rutgers 7-2, 2-1 B1G Up Next for Penn State: at #3 Iowa, Friday, Jan. 20, 9 p.m. Eastern (BTN live) BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: True freshman Nick Suriano (Paramus, N.J.), ranked No. 3 at 125, took on Rutgers freshman Brandon Paetzell. Suriano set the tempo early, forcing Paetzell back towards the outside circle for the first minute of the bout. Suriano bulled through a high double, forcing Paetzell to the mat for the first takedown of the match at the 1:49 mark. The Lion freshman cut Paetzell loose and continued to press on offense. Suriano forced Paetzell into a first stall then hit a swift single for another takedown and a 4-1 lead. A short rideout allowed the Lion to carry that lead into the second period. Suriano chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. A second Paetzell stall gave Suriano a 6-1 lead with 1:15 left in the middle period. Suriano scrambled behind the Knight for a third takedown and an 8-1 lead as the period ended. Trailing 8-1, Paetzell chose down to start the third period. A third Paetzell stall put Suriano up 9-1 and then the Lion turned the Knight for four near fall points and a 13-2 lead after cutting him loose. Suriano picked up one final takedown with :05 left and, with 2:37 RT, posted the 16-2 major. 133: Sophomore George Carpenter (Chapel Hill, N.C.) stepped up at 133 to face junior Scott DelVecchio. Carpenter forced the Rutgers junior into a first stall warning less than a minute into the bout. DelVecchio hit a high single to take Carpenter down and move out to a 2-0 lead with 1:15 left in the opening period. He then controlled the action for the next :25 before Carpenter escaped to a 2-1 score. Carpenter shot, DelVecchio countered and finished off the takedown to lead 4-1 with :30 on the clock. Trailing 4-1, Carpenter chose down to start the second period. He worked his way to an escaped and a 4-2 score with 1:40 left in the middle stanza, then went to work on offense, looking for a chance to tie the bout. Carpenter gained control of DelVecchio's left thight and worked in the middle of the mat for a takedown. The Knight fought off the effort long enough to get the stalemate call with :35 on the clock. Leading 4-2 with 1:23 in riding time, DelVecchio chose down to start the third period. He scrambled out of Carpenter's control for a reversal and a 6-2 lead with 1:40 on the clock. Carpenter escaped and cut the Knight lead to 6-3. Carpenter got in on a high single with :40 left but DelVecchio countered for a takedown and an 8-4 lead. The Knight picked up one more takedown and more point on 1:35 in riding time to post the 11-4 decision. 141: Senior Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 12 at 141, met No. 6 Anthony Ashnault. Gulibon set a fast early tempo, taking numerous shots low on Ashnault that the Knight was able to step back from. Ashnault caught Gulibon's shoulders, forcing a scramble on the edge of the mat that the Knight was able to finish off with a takedown and a 2-0 lead. Gulibon was unable to break free of a strong Ashnault ride until flying out after a reset with :20 on the clock. He shot low on the Knight, and Ashnault countered for a late second takedown to lead 4-1 after the opening stanza. Ashnault chose down to start the second period and Gulibon worked the Knight's riding time edge down below a minute (he was hit with one stall in the process). Gulibon broke Ashnault down at the 1:20 mark and kept his offensive position with a strong ride, repeatedly pulling Ashnault down to the mat to finish off the second period rideout. Trailing 4-1 with :43 in riding time, Gulibon neutral to start the third period. Gulibon worked in on a high single with :50 left and Ashnault scrambled to force a stalemate with :25 on the clock. Gulibon continued to force Ashnault back, but time ran out and the Knight posted a 4-1 win. 149: Junior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, took on No. 14 Ken Theobold. Retherford scored on a fast low double with 1:39 on the clock to take a 2-0 lead and then went to work on top, looking for a chance to turn Theobold. Retherford cut Theobold loose after a blood time out and then hit another low shot for a 4-1 lead with :55 on the clock. Retherford kept control for the remainder of the period and led 4-1 with 1:22 in time after one. Retherford chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way to an escape and a 5-1 lead with 1:25 on the clock. The Lion junior bulled through another fast low double and led 7-2 after cutting Theobold loose. He quickly turned in on two straight high singles, picking up two quick takedowns to lead 11-3 with :24 left on the clock. A short rideout gave the Lion junior an 11-3 lead with 1:32 in riding time after two. Theobold chose top to start the third period and Retherford made him pay for the decision. He worked his way into a reversal, rolled over once and turned Theobold to his back for a pin at the 5:33 mark. 157: Sophomore Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, battled No. 16 John Van Brill. Nolf worked in the middle of the mat as Van Brill tried to set a high tempo early. A high shot and trip gave the Nittany Lion an early 2-1 lead after a quick cut and action resumed in the center circle. Nolf took a low shot that Van Brill countered for a takedown, tying the match briefly at 3-3 after a Nolf escape. The counter takedown seemed to energize the Lion as he reeled off two quick takedowns before locking up a cradle and picking up four near fall points. He then reset, scrambled into control for another four point near fall, and led 15-4 after one period. Nolf chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 16-4 lead. Nolf turned in fast on a high single and then locked up another cradle. While not getting the pin, Nolf's final four point near fall ended the match early as the Lion posted the dominating 22-4 technical fall at the 4:09 mark. 165: Red-shirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 4 at 165, tangled with Rutgers' Willie Scott. Joseph fought off a quick Scott shot, then began to work for shoulder control in the middle of the mat. The Lion freshman forced Scott's head down to the mat and then scrambled around for a takedown and a 2-0 lead with 2:03 in the opening period. Joseph cut Scott loose and then zipped through a fast low double for another takedown and a 4-1 lead. He cut Scott loose and continued his offensive dominance, this time hitting a high double for a 6-2 lead. Joseph rode Scott out and led 6-2 with 1:41 in time after one. Joseph chose down to start the second period quickly escaped to a 7-2 lead. He roared through a high double, forcing Scott's back to the mat for a four-point near fall, and led 13-2. Scott escaped to a 13-3 score and Joseph continued to attack. He bulled through the Knight's chest for another takedown and a 15-3 lead and then turned him one more time for a four back points to end the match with a 19-3 tech fall at the 4:55 mark. 174: Senior Geno Morelli (DuBois, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 174, faced off against senior Phil Bakuckas. Morelli took an early 2-1 lead with a fast low single just over :30 into the bout. The Lion senior continued to press Bakuckas, forcing the Knight back towards the outside circle. Bakuckas was able to defend Morelli's efforts as the Lion worked to keep action in the center of the mat. Bakuckas got hit with a first stall at the 1:00 mark and Morelli continued to press on offense. Trailing 2-1, Bakuckas chose down to start the second period. Morelli put together a nice ride, dominating the action from the top position while looking for a turning opportunity. The Lion senior built up over 1:00 in riding time first, then continuing his ride for the remainder of the period. Morelli's rideout allowed the Lion to carry the 2-1 lead with 2:06 in time into the third period. Morelli chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. He fought off a Bakuckas high single, as the Knight scrambled in the middle of the mat for a takedown. Morelli was able to maintain control until the :55 mark before Bakuckas finished off the move to tie the bout. Morelli fought off two turns trying to escape and escaped with :07 left to take a 4-3 lead. 1:06 in time gave the Lion a 5-3 win. 184: Sophomore Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 2 at 184, met No. 14 Nicholas Gravina. The nationally ranked duo battled evenly for the first half of the opening period. Nickal worked for upper control over the next minute but Gravina was able to defend the Lion's offense for a bit. Nickal, then moved low, using an ankle pick to gain control of Gravina's left leg. He lifted Gravina's leg off the mat and picked up the takedown as the clock hit zeroes. Nickal chose down to start the second period, rolled off his back, locked Gravina up and lifted him off the mat. He took the Knight directly to his back and spent over a minute steadily working a cradle to fruition and got the fall at the 4:22 mark. 197: Junior Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 11 at 197, wrestled freshman Matthew Correnti. McCutcheon wasted no time opening up a lead, using a low shot to take Correnti down. He controlled action long enough to build up a :47 time edge before the Knight escaped to a 2-1 score. McCutcheon, leading 2-1, chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. He slipped in the middle of the mat, nearly giving up a takedown, but he righted himself quickly and forced Correnti back to maintain his lead. He fought off another Correnti takedown effort, forcing action out of bounds and a reset ensued at the :40 mark. Trailing 3-1, Correnti chose down to start the third period and rolled to a quick reversal to tie the bout at 3-3. McCutcheon steadily worked his way to an escape and a 4-3 lead with 1:20 left to wrestle. The Nittany Lion junior stepped back from a Correnti high double and maintained his feet as the clock moved below :30. McCutcheon killed the clock to post a hard-fought 4-3 win. 285: Sophomore Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 5 at 285, took on Ralphy Normandia. Nevills came out fast, taking Normandia down and cutting him loose for an early 2-1 lead. The Lion sophomore added a second quick takedown and then went to work on top, building up a :47 time edge before cutting Normandia loose. The Knight answered with his own takedown, tying the score at 4-4 with :59 on the clock. Nevills escaped quickly to a 5-4 lead and then bulled through a high shot, mid-waist, to take the Knight down once more. Leading 7-4, Nevills rode Normandia out, nearly getting two back points in the process. Trailing 7-4, Normandia chose down to start the second period and Nevills went to work on top. The unbeaten Lion sophomore worked his riding time edge up over 2:00 before cutting Normandia loose to a 7-5 lead. Nevills used a nice low single to up his lead to 9-6 and then a high shot to lead 11-7. Nevills, cutting Normandia loose with just :20 left, picked up another takedown as the period ended and led 13-7 with 2:37 in time after two periods. Nevills continued to pile on the takedowns, picking up two in the first :40 to up his lead to 17-8. He picked up another point on a second Normandia stall and then used a low double to up his lead to 20-9 with :35 on the clock. Nevills then worked Gravina's shoulders to the mat, nearly getting the pin. The four-point near fall, however, gave Nevills a 24-9 tech fall at the 6:57 mark.

On Friday night, No. 11 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) hosted No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.) in a dual meet between the two National Prep rivals. For a third straight year, the No. 1 team in the nation lost in this dual meet while traveling to enemy territory. The box score of this dual meet is available via the following link, http://s200.trackwrestling.com/tw/seasons/DualMatches.jsp?TIM=1484364023894&twSessionId=piddinsfuilzxvt&dualId=27137010&teamId=69686107 From an individual match-up perspective, the 126 pound weight class match result carries the most impact. No. 18 Jack Davis (Wyoming Seminary) upended No. 16 Chris Cannon (Blair Academy) 3-2 in a battle of returning National Prep champions. Cannon had out-placed Davis at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, though the two wrestlers did not meet directly in that tournament. The pair is favored to face off in the National Prep final next month at Lehigh University, though Daniel Planta (St. Paul's, Md.) would disagree with that assessment. The 120 pound match also served as a continuing statement from No. 6 Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary) about his supreme talents. The nation's top overall freshman pinned Junior National freestyle All-American Mike Madara in 1:11. Outside an upset loss in the semifinals over the Powerade, Bartlett is undefeated this season, including a championship at the Ironman. Two individual matches were won by ranked wrestlers for Blair Academy by a margin of two points. No. 13 Nick Incontera upended Drew Munch 5-3 at 106 pounds, while No. 5 Zach Sherman scored a 4-2 victory over Powerade champion Jake Riegel at 132. Looking at why Blair Academy was upset tonight, one can point to the absence of a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers from the Buccaneers lineup. No. 5 Michael Colaiocco was injured during the 113 pound match, and had to default to Mosha Schwartz; his backup Trevor Mastrogiovanni won the title at the Geary Invitational last week. In addition, No. 10 Andrew Merola remained missing from the Blair lineup at 160 pounds. As a result, they bumped No. 5 (at 152) Julian Ramirez to cover his spot in the lineup. While the Buccaneers did get a decision win from Ramirez at 160 (6-1) and a decision win from Willy Kaiser at 152 (5-3), the chance for potential bonus points in either match was lost. Most impactful from a high school Fab50 national rankings perspective is the use of Mansur Abdul-Malik at 285 pounds for Wyoming Seminary. Ineligible to wrestle in NFHS sanctioned competitions (i.e. Walsh Ironman, Powerade), he came into the lineup tonight and secured a pin. Ultimately, Blair Academy won eight weight classes in the dual meet tonight. However, Wyoming Seminary won on the strength of three pins and a forfeit, while Blair Academy could not muster a single six-point victory.

In leg two of their three-day wrestling trip to New Jersey over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, No. 6 Clovis (Calif.) went to No. 9 Bergen Catholic to take on DePaul Catholic (N.J.) and the host Crusaders. This comes off of day one, where the Cougars beat St. Peter's Prep (N.J.) 65-3 and upended No. 47 Delbarton (N.J.) 40-15, as Clovis took ten of fourteen bouts against the home-standing Green Wave in the later of those dual meets. Friday afternoon/evening opened for Clovis with a 52-13 victory over DePaul Catholic, winning ten of fourteen bouts over a top five ranked team in the Garden State. This set up a top ten collision between the visiting Cougars and the hosts from Bergen Catholic. Starting at 113 pounds, the Crusaders flipped their normal starters, with starting 120 pound wrestler Richard Halal wrestling in tonight's opening weight class. Halal, a regional qualifier last year, would win a 3-1 decision over Brandon Paulson. Then, No. 6 (at 113) Robert Howard upended returning state medalist Wyatt Cornelison 4-0 at 120. Bergen Catholic had a 6-0 lead through two matches. Clovis stopped the early bleeding, but only briefly, with a pin in 32 seconds from No. 4 Justin Mejia at 126 pounds. It was a backup for the Crusaders, as they wisely shifted two-time state placer Carmen Ferrante up one weight class. In that 132 pound weight class, Ferrante would upend Michael Portillo 3-2. After five more wins in a row, Bergen Catholic would have a 29-6 lead through the 160 pound weight class. Crusaders victories were earned by No. 13 Gerard Angelo (138), Wade Unger (145), No. 7 Shane Griffith (152), No. 19 Christopher Foca (160), and Anthony Astarian (170). Angelo earned a technical fall, Griffith a pin, Foca beat returning state medalist Brandon Martino 5-4, while regional qualifier Astarian knocked off state qualifier Victor Vargas 3-2. With five matches left, it would almost have to be a clean sweep for Clovis in order to take the dual meet victory, and that indeed is what happened. Sophomore Jacob Good started off the rally with a 7-1 victory over Sage Mosco at 182 pounds. It continued with a pin in 51 seconds from state qualifier Ruger Wyneken at 195, Joey Jaramillo pinned regional qualifier Jordan Michalski in 4:39 at 220, while No. 2 Seth Nevills scored a pin at 1:04 at 285 to set up a winner take all bout at 106 pounds. That last match of the evening live up to the billing as a battle of excellent freshmen took to the mat. Scoreless after two periods, Giano Petrucelli would get the necessary points in the third period to earn a 2-1 victory over Nick Kayal. The Cougars won 30-29 despite only earning victories in six of the fourteen weight classes.

HAMPTON, Va. -- North Dakota State University won five of the first six matches and seven overall to defeat No. 24-ranked University of Virginia 27-13 and bounced The Citadel 36-9 to take the York River Pool at the 37th annual Virginia Duals on Friday, Jan. 13, in Hampton Coliseum. NDSU won its ninth straight dual to improve to 10-1 overall and advance into the Virginia Duals Gold Division semifinal against No. 5-ranked Virginia Tech (9-1) at 1 p.m. Central Time on Saturday, Jan. 14. The Bison will close out the duals at 7:30 p.m. CT against either No. 15 Oklahoma (4-3) or No. 19 Arizona State (5-1). North Dakota State used a fast start in both duals Friday including the second against Virginia (6-3). That's where No. 4-ranked 125-pound Josh Rodriguez recorded a takedown in each period to defeat No. 7 Jack Mueller 7-2. It was the second win over a ranked opponent this season for Rodriguez, who improved to 14-0 overall and 11-0 in duals. NDSU 133 Cam Sykora overcame an early 2-0 deficit to earn a 7-2 decision over Virginia's Will Mason. Sykora kept the top position for the entire second period, and picked up an escape, takedown and had 3:08 of riding time to secure the win. Virginia tied the dual at 6-all with No. 7-ranked 141-pounder George DiCamillo's fall at 2:41 over freshman Taylor Nein. North Dakota State grinded out a pair of victories over the next two weight class. Bison 149 Mitch Friedman recorded a takedown with 35-seconds remaining in the third and picked up 1:05 of riding time for a 6-4 win over Sam Krivus. Friedman improved to 11-6 overall and 5-3 in duals. Then NDSU's No. 19-ranked 157 Clay Ream recorded a takedown with 1:34 left in third period and racked up 1:59 of riding time to edge No. 8 Andrew Atkinson 5-4. Ream is now 14-3 overall, 9-1 in duals. Andrew Fogarty received a medical forfeit at 165 pounds and extended the Bison advantage to 18-6 Virginia made things interesting and cut the deficit to 18-13. Garrett Peppelman notched a 12-2 major decision over Dylan Urbach at 174, while Will Schany outlasted NDSU's Tyler McNutt 5-4 at 184. North Dakota State 197-pounder Cordell Eaton did all of his scoring in the third period with an escape and a pair of takedowns in the 5-2 decision over Chance McClure. At 285 pounds, NDSU redshirt freshman Dan Stibral provided an exclamation point with a fall at 1:23 for his first collegiate dual win. NDSU opened and closed with pins, and had three straight tech falls during one stretch in the 36-9 win over The Citadel. Back-to-back pins from 125 Rodriguez and 133 Sykora at 1:24 and 1:37, respectively, put North Dakota State ahead 12-0. Nein produced an 8-2 decision over Douglas Gudenburr extended the lead to 15-0. The Citadel (1-4) bounced back with wins from Tyler Buckiso and Aaron Walker at 149 and 157. However, the Bison responded with three straight tech falls from 165 Fogarty, 174 Urbach and 184 McNutt. Sawyer Root edged Eaton for a 7-5 sudden victory-1 overtime at 197, but NDSU 285 Ben Tynan closed the match with his third straight pin and fifth overall at 3:52 over Joseph Bexley. North Dakota State 36, The Citadel 9 125 -- #4 Josh Rodriguez (NDSU) fall Charles Kearney (The Citadel), Fall 1:24 133 -- Cam Sykora (NDSU) won by fall Andrew Szalwinski (The Citadel), Fall 1:37 141 -- Taylor Nein (NDSU) dec Douglas Gudenburr (The Citadel), 8-2 149 -- Tyler Buckiso (The Citadel) dec Mitch Friedman (NDSU), 5-4 157 -- Aaron Walker (The Citadel) dec Kyle Gliva (NDSU) Dec 7-2 165 -- Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) tech fall Ruston Hill II (The Citadel), TF 17-0 174 -- Dylan Urbach (NDSU) tech fall Martin Duane (The Citadel), TF 16-0 184 -- Tyler McNutt (NDSU) tech fall Chandler Sambets (The Citadel), TF 16-0 197 -- Sawyer Root (The Citadel) sudden victory-1 Cordell Eaton (NDSU), SV-1 7-5 285 -- Ben Tynan (NDSU) fall Joseph Bexley (The Citadel), Fall 3:52 North Dakota State 27, #24 Virginia 13 125 -- #4 Josh Rodriguez (NDSU) dec #7 Jack Mueller (Virginia), 7-2 133 -- Cam Sykora (NDSU) dec William Mason (Virginia), 7-2 141 -- #7 George DiCamillo (Virginia) fall Taylor Nein (NDSU), Fall 2:41 149 -- Mitch Friedman (NDSU) dec Samuel Krivus (Virginia), 6-4 157 -- #19 Clay Ream (North Dakota State) dec #8 Andrew Atkinson (Virginia), 5-4 165 -- Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) medical forfeit Cameron Harrell (Virginia), MFF 174 -- Garrett Peppelman (Virginia) major dec Dylan Urbach (NDSU), MD 12-2 184 -- Will Schany (Virginia) dec Tyler McNutt (NDSU), 5-4 197 -- Cordell Eaton (NDSU) dec Chance McClure (Virginia), 5-2 285 -- Dan Stibral (NDSU) fall Chuck Boddy (Virginia), Fall 1:23

HAMPTON, Va. – The No. 13 Sun Devils rolled to a 29-10 victory over Bucknell in the Virginia Duals opener before grinding out a 23-20 win vs. Campbell in the second match of the day. “We got two wins today, so that's good, but that's about where it ends,” said head coach Zeke Jones. “The biggest mistake we're making is deciding how good a team is before we wrestle them instead of knowing how good they are after we wrestle them. Once you wrestle them, you know exactly how good they are, but before the match, you're only guessing. We must prepare like everyone we wrestle is a national champion, that way our focus is tight and sharp. We have to be ready to go out there every time.” Going 2-0 in their pool, the Sun Devils move to the championship/gold medal bracket for the second straight season, ensuring a top-four placement in the tournament. Prior to a year ago, ASU had not finished in the top four since 1997 when they placed third.

A legendary NCAA wrestling champ, a hall of fame wrestling coach, a current collegiate wrestler and coach, and former wrestler-turned-author are among the guests on this Saturday's Takedown Radio, the broadcast announced Friday. Join hosts Scott Casber, Dave Ewing, Tony Hager, Steve Foster, Stephen Stonebraker, Jeff Murphy and Brad Johnson this Saturday from 9-11 a.m. live on KXNO.com, IHeartRadio.com and TakedownWrestle.com. Call the Fareway Foods Fresh Hotline 866-333-5966 or 515-284-5966 for contests and conversation. This week's guests include (all times Central): 9 a.m.: Kelly Ward -- NCAA Division I national champion for Iowa State 9 a.m.: Dave Ewing -- former Ankeny High school wrestling coach and Iowa Hall of Fame honoree (354-141 dual record) 9:20 a.m.: Jacob Kasper -- Southern Scuffle champion for Duke University 9:35 a.m.: Michael Fessler -- author of the new book, "The Wrestler" 10:00 a.m.: Glen Lanham -- Head Coach of Duke University 10:20 a.m.: Jeff Murphy with the Kemin Report

This week's Takedown TV focuses on collegiate wrestling at the heart of the season. Among this week's features: Hawkeyes win big at Michigan Penn State sweep weekend road series Sooners stun former conference foe Missouri Wisconsin's Isaac Jordan gets 100th career victory Illinois arm-wrestling challenge One-on-one with Princeton's Matthew Kolodzik Watch this week's episode here … or at the Takedown Wrestling's YouTube Channel. In addition, Takedown Wrestling TV is aired on these television networks. All air times are Central. Cablevision: Sundays at 4 p.m. Charter Cable: Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Friday 11:30 p.m. and Monday 2:30 p.m. Comcast Cable: Friday at 5:00 p.m. Cox Cable: Sunday 9:30 a.m. Fight Network HD: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. KWEM, Stillwater, Oklahoma: Tuesday 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Long Lines Cable: Daily at 5:30 p.m. Mediacom Cable: Sundays at 10:30 a.m. MidCo Sports Network: Saturday 10 a.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m. SECV8: Friday at 5:00 p.m. Suddenlink Cable- Check your local listings. Multiple air times. Time Warner Cable Sports- Saturday at 12:00 p.m. Western Reserve Cable- Tuesday at 11 p.m., Friday at 5:30 p.m., Saturday at 10:00 p.m.

Below is my review of "Dangal" -- which I've posted in its entirety to the United World Wrestling homepage … 'Dangal' wrestles against stereotypes, pins down the details Based on true events, "Dangal" tells the story Mahavir Singh Phogat and his daughters Geeta and Babita as they struggle against societal norms and institutional corruption to pursue a dream of becoming world-class wrestlers. The movie opens with Mahavir (Aamir Khan) as a young man forced to quit the sport of wrestling to take on a paying job and raise a family. Having only achieved national prominence, Mahavir in dogged by this decision, largely because as a competitor he was unable to reach his goal of winning an international medal for India. Mahavir has some hope rekindled when he finds out his wife is pregnant. He hopes for the birth of a boy, but his wife Daya (Sakshi Tanwar) delivers a girl named Geeta. Next it's Babita and then two more girls. Knowing that girls in India don't wrestle, Mahavir is sidelines his aspirations of coaching a wrestler capable of winning an international medal. Depressed, the former wrestler is left to sulk until a fateful incident proves that girls -- specifically Geeta and Babita -- are also capable of being wrestlers. The trio immediately embarks on their journey to international success, navigating 5am workouts, restrictive dieting and a traditional Indian society less-than-welcoming of female wrestlers. Mahavir is obsessed with his children's success and while the audience is taken through his story by the comedic narration of his brother Omkara (Aparshakti Khurrana) there is an underlying selfishness that seems to distract from Geeta and Babita's struggles. Though it seems odd to exalt the sacrifices of a man during a movie about women overcoming obstacles, the role of the male advocate proves to be essential in taking on established power structures. In the movie's first pivotal scene Mavashir assaults a tournament director unwilling to allow his daughter to compete in a "dangal" -- a traditional Indian style wrestling tournament. Once the tournament director allows Geeta (Fatima Sana Shaikh) to compete she's able to impress onlookers. That moment catapults the trio's journey to international success through an expected, though entertaining, tale of setbacks and triumphs. Read the whole review here. To your questions … John Smith at the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Who is the leading candidate for Coach of the Year? -- Mike C. Foley: John Smith if he keeps Oklahoma State in the driver's seat for an NCAA championship. Lou Rosselli will likely be mentioned if he's able to stamp a top ten finish for Oklahoma. That's unlikely, but his recent triumph over Missouri shows that his team will be prepared for that challenge. Maybe I'm off here, but there is also a chance Kevin Dresser and the Virginia Tech Hokies make a run at a top-four finish. That might be worthy of recognition as well. Q: I coach high school wrestling, and have seen the 106-pound weight class turn into a forfeit fest even against some of the best teams throughout the Southeast. Even if it's not a forfeit, there isn't a lot of talented depth at the weight class like many other weight classes. Do you see any chance this weight class moves to 110 pounds in the near future? Who makes that decision? -- Mike Ca. Foley: Evidence is pointing to larger children and your anecdote is further substantiation for the realigning of high school weight classes. We don't need 106 pounds (once 103 pounds) as a number, we need athletes healthy and happy to compete in the sport. If there is a good reason for keeping the number at 106 I'd love to hear, but asking a 14-year-old to put on a few pounds shouldn't be that difficult and is certainly better than the alternative. Q: What are your thoughts on the University of Great Falls adding a women's wrestling program? -- Mike C. Foley: BRAVO. There is a growing need for women's college wrestling programs and any school willing to meet that need fulfill the purpose of higher education which is to provide a varied and complete educational experience to both men and women. Q: Just for fun! You're starting a Division I program. Mark Hall, Spencer Lee, Cary Kolat, Nick Suriano, and David Taylor are in their senior seasons of high school. Rank 1-5 who you're recruiting the hardest. -- Jared W. Foley: I think you have to recruit every one of those athletes with a certain amount of gusto. None should fall by the wayside. However, since you asked, I will make my list. 1. Nick Suriano. He might be the best freshman we've ever seen at 125 pounds. 2. Spencer Lee. Winner like I've never seen before. His comeback in France at the Cadet World Championships was epic. I could see his legs wobbling and he just wouldn't give up. Guy lives for the deep water. 3. David Taylor. Proven winner and the type of leader that helped establish a legacy at Penn State. 4. Cary Kolat. Love me some twisty knees. 5. Mark Hall. Great performances so far. Q: Bo Nickal has looked very impressive this season. What kind of chance do you give him to beat Gabe Dean in March? -- Mike C. Foley: This is the most anticipated matchup of the year. Nickal has been torturing opponents this season, often with falls and tech falls. Dean is heading into his third NCAA championships with another solid season of wrestling behind him. Were they to wrestle today I'd probably choose Dean. The man muscles and experience are a massive unknown to Nickal, who seemed flat in his appearance in last year's NCAA finals. Dean can look to control the match from his feet and limit the danger Nickal presents most wrestlers from the clinch. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Dangal trailer Lead character weight cutting Q: Since Mark Hall won the Scuffle where would he rank if he wasn't redshirted? Would PSU be the favorite to win the NCAA if he was wrestling? They are very close to Oklahoma State today without him. -- Mike Z. Foley: If Mark Hall is in the lineup he's likely ranked fourth and Penn State is the top team in the country. That won't one-hundred percent translate to an NCAA team title, but it increases the likelihood and takes them from a slight underdog to the top team. Q: Do you have a prediction for Iowa vs. Oklahoma State on Sunday? -- Mike C. Foley: Oklahoma State 19-18 Q: I believe there is an undefeated No. 1-ranked wrestler in every weight class this year so far. Is that normal? -- Willy D. Foley: Not by March, but it's definitely common in January prior to the Big Ten dual meet season and the Big Ten Championships where a lot of the closest matchups are competed. Not uncommon for an undefeated top seed to fall in a dual meet only to make it back in the tournament. Overall, pretty common. THOUGHT OF THE WEEK By Stacy B. Loved the latest mailbag article on the problems with scrambling. I think it is a serious problem. One angle you didn't address directly was the marketing aspect of it. To grow wrestling needs to be approachable by casual fans and scrambling does not help with this. It's basically impossible to explain to someone not already deep in the sport what is going on and that's a very bad thing. I don't have a problem with tilts scoring points but you do bring up an interesting point that maybe techniques that don't have a chance to actually pin the opponent perhaps should be worth fewer points. I'll have to think about that. I agree that it is absurd that there are no points awarded in a scramble for near falls. The whole point of wrestling should be to stay off your back. In my opinion folkstyle rules largely reward boring conservative wrestling and the much of the risk taking that does happen is because there are perverse incentives like with scrambling or out of bounds rules. Rule changes I would like to see in folkstyle wrestling in no particular order: 1. Step out rule similar to freestyle (out of bounds should not be a safe place) 2. 3 points for a takedown (escapes are overvalued currently) 3. 4 points for a feet-to-back technique - no reaction time or control needed (there is no incentive to try throws or other high risk techniques because the risk/reward balance thoroughly discourages the attempt) 4. Get rid of riding time (just promotes riding with no intention to turn) 5. Give choice of position in 2nd and 3rd periods to the wrestler leading the match. Neutral if score is tied. 6. Award 1 point for near falls less than 2 seconds (techniques like a leg lace or 2on1 gut could actually score -- eases transition to freestyle as a bonus) 7. Put near fall criteria at 90 degrees instead of 45 (and possibly award extra points for reaching 45 degrees. THOUGHT OF THE WEEK (PART II) By Nicholas K. I have always been frustrated by the "riders" who don't actually do anything. I propose a clock of say 30 seconds where the top wrestler has to turn or release the bottom wrestler. If the wrestler is turned with back points awarded, the clock starts over. If the top wrestler does not turn or release in the given time period, they are given a stalling warning. You could keep the riding time point to reward aggressive wrestlers on the top but someone who just hangs on hoping for a point would actually get penalized. This would force more aggressive wrestling or get them back to their feet. It would also carry over to the feet because if someone already had been given a stall call on top they would have to be more aggressive once they get to their feet or run the risk of giving up more points. And best of all, no more 1-0 and 2-0 wins with no takedowns or turns.

Bo Nickal is undefeated and ranked No. 2 at 184 pounds (Photo/Juan Garcia) No. 3 Penn State hosts No. 10 Rutgers at Rec Hall on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. The dual meet will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and streamed live on BTN2Go. The undefeated Nittany Lions are coming off a 27-14 win over Nebraska on Sunday in Lincoln. The Scarlet Knights edged Illinois 19-17 at home on Friday night. Below are five matchups to watch in the dual meet. 133: No. 13 Jered Cortez (Penn State)/George Carpenter vs. Scott DelVecchio (Rutgers) Cortez had a strong start to his season, winning six of his first seven matches before suffering an injury in a Dec. 4 loss to Lehigh's Scotty Parker. He has not competed since. Coach Cael Sanderson indicated earlier this week that the 13th-ranked Cortez might return to competition this weekend. Carpenter has an admirable job filling in for Cortez. He lost a close match at Minnesota last Friday, and then was overmatched against All-American Eric Montoya of Nebraska on Sunday. DelVecchio was an NCAA qualifier in 2015 and redshirted last season. He has put together a strong season despite not being ranked. He placed sixth at the Midlands Championships, and last Friday lost a close 9-7 match to No. 4 Zane Richards of Illinois. This is a match Rutgers could potentially win regardless of whether Cortez or Carpenter gets the call for the Nittany Lions. 141: No. 12 Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State) vs. No. 6 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) Ashnault and Gulibon have been household names in wrestling for several years. Both were four-time state champions and highly ranked recruits. Ashnault is a two-time All-American and has his sights set on winning an NCAA title in March. He's coming off a Midlands third-place finish where he lost in the semifinals to NC State's Kevin Jack for the second time this season. His only other loss came to Princeton freshman Matthew Kolodzik, who is ranked No. 4. Gulibon was an All-American in 2015, but fell short of All-American honors last season after moving up to 141 pounds. This season -- and much of his career -- has been up and down. He has shown that he can compete with the nation's best when he's wrestling well, but lack consistency. Gulibon split matches last weekend, beating Minnesota's Tommy Thorn 6-3 on Friday before falling to Nebraska's Colton McCrystal 12-5 on Sunday. Ashnault defeated Gulibon 9-0 in the Big Ten finals last season. 149: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. No. 14 Ken Theobold (Rutgers)/Anthony Giraldo Retherford is arguably the most dominant wrestler in college across all weight classes. The defending NCAA champion is 11-0 with nine pins, one technical fall and one major decision this season. While Rutgers has two accomplished wrestlers in this weight -- both NCAA qualifiers --it will be a tall order for the Scarlet Knights to avoid giving up bonus points in this weight class. Theobold qualified for the NCAAs in 2014 and 2015 before redshirting last season. Giraldo was an NCAA qualifier last season down two weight classes at 133 pounds. Both wrestlers have been productive this season. Giraldo was given the most recent start last Friday night against Illinois, and fell to Eric Barone 5-3. 174: No. 14 Geno Morelli (Penn State)/Shakur Rasheed vs. Phillip Bakuckas (Rutgers)/Jordan Pagano Both teams have solid options at this weight class, so it remains to be seen which wrestlers get the call. Regardless, expect a competitive match. Last weekend, Morelli competed in both of PSU's dual meets and picked up a couple wins to improve his record to 9-1. His lone blemish this season was a one-point loss to his teammate Rasheed, who wasn't cleared to wrestle last weekend. Bakuckas, a senior, is a returning NCAA qualifier. He enters with a season record of 10-4. All four of his losses have come against ranked wrestlers, but he is still looking for his first win over a ranked opponent this season. Pagano is coming off a strong Midlands performance where he went 5-2 and placed seventh. He has a season record of 16-6. 184: No. 2 Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. No. 14 Nicholas Gravina (Rutgers) Nickal, an NCAA runner-up last season down a weight class at 174 pounds, is one of five undefeated wrestlers in the Nittany Lion lineup. Like his teammates Retherford and Jason Nolf (157), Nickal has been piling up bonus point victories and has not been seriously challenged this season. He is 10-0 with eight pins, one major decision and one decision. The lone decision on his record came against NCAA runner-up T.J. Dudley of Nebraska, 10-5, last Sunday. The 11th-ranked Gravina, a returning NCAA qualifier, placed sixth at the Midlands last week where he beat returning All-American Pete Renda of NC State. On Friday night, Gravina was edged by Emery Parker of Illinois in sudden victory.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- No. 9 Mizzou Wrestling (6-2, 4-0 MAC) won eight of 10 bouts, including the first seven, to cruise to a 28-8 win over Buffalo (6-4, 1-2 MAC) on Thursday in Mid-American Conference action. Two Tigers - redshirt freshman 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.) and redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) - recorded bonus point victories as Mizzou improved to 5-0 all-time against the Bulls. The Tigers jumped out to a 25-0 lead thanks to seven straight wins to open the dual, beginning with redshirt junior 125-pounder Barlow McGhee (Rock Island, Ill.), who got the scoring started with a 3-2 decision win over Justin Patrick. With time running out in the third period, McGhee had to defend off a takedown attempt from Patrick to preserve the win. The call went to video review, but showed no takedown, giving the 3-2 advantage to McGhee. In the only bout of the night featuring two ranked wrestlers, redshirt sophomore 133-pounder John Erneste (Kansas City, Mo.) defeated No. 17 Bryan Lantry by decision, 8-5. Erneste, ranked No. 12, earned his third dual win and second win over a ranked opponent this season. Next up was Eierman, who matched up against reigning MAC wrestler of the week Jason Estevez. In the third period, it appeared the Tiger freshman would win by major decision or technical fall, but Eierman was able to turn Estevez to his back and pick up the six-point fall at 6:12, giving Mizzou a 12-0 lead after three matches. The lead increased to 18-0 following decision wins from redshirt senior 149-pounder Lavion Mayes (Mascoutah, Ill.) and redshirt freshman 157-pounder Phyllip DeLoach (Alton, Ill.). DeLoach's 7-4 win over Alex Smythe was the first dual win of his career. At 165 pounds, Lewis quickly scored a takedown and two near-falls in the opening period against Austin Weigel. He led 8-0 heading into the second period and increased his lead to 12-0 over the next two periods to record his 12th bonus point win of the season. The Tiger sophomore is now 15-2 on the season with four major decisions, two technical falls and six falls. Next for the Tigers was redshirt freshman 174-pounder Dylan Wisman (Winchester, Va.), who earned his fourth dual win of the season with a 8-3 win over Muhammed McBryde. After Buffalo wins at 184 and 197 pounds, redshirt freshman heavyweight Austin Myers (Alexandria, Ky.) closed out the scoring for Mizzou with a 6-1 win over Jake Gunning. Myers scored a takedown in the first period, an escape in the second, a two-point near-fall in the third and riding time to yield the 6-1 decision. The win could become a major factor in seeding at March's MAC Wrestling Championships, as Gunning entered the dual ranked first in the January MAC rankings. Mizzou will continue its three-dual road trip with a dual against No. 7 Cornell on Saturday. Wrestling from Ithaca, N.Y., is slated to begin at Noon (CT). Following Saturday's dual, the Tigers will make a quick turnaround and wrestle at Eastern Michigan in a MAC dual on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 1 p.m. (CT) For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling). Results: 125: No. 17 Barlow McGhee (MIZ) dec. Justin Patrick (UB): 3-2 133: No. 12 John Erneste (MIZ) dec. No. 17 Bryan Lantry (UB): 8-5 141: No. 9 Jaydin Eierman (MIZ) dec. Jason Estevez (UB): 6:12 149: No. 4 Lavion Mayes dec. (MIZ) Colt Cotten (UB): 8-3 157: Phyllip DeLoach (MIZ) dec. Alex Smythe (UB): 7-4 165: No. 4 Daniel Lewis (MIZ) maj. dec. Austin Weigel (UB): 12-0 174: Dylan Wisman (MIZ) dec. Muhamed McBryde (UB): 8-3 184: Brett Perry (UB) dec. Matt Lemanowicz (MIZ): 2-1 197: No. 16 Nate Rose (UB) tech. fall Jayden Bears (MIZ): 17-0 (4:57) HWT: Austin Myers (MIZ) dec. Jake Gunning (UB): 6-1

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. -- Coming off a long layover to start the New Year, the Broncs kicked 2017 off strong with a decisive 25-11 victory over EWL foe Clarion University. The Broncs (3-0, 2-0 EWL) rode bonus point victories from the junior middleweight duo of 7th ranked Chad Walsh (Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) and 14th ranked B.J. Clagon (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South) to the conference victory. “We try to keep the wrestlers anxious for competition, and they do a pretty good job of that,” said Rider Head Coach Gary Taylor about the win. Besides Walsh and Clagon, Rider also received victories from sophomore Anthony Cefolo (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park Regional), freshman 149 Gino Fluri (Wrightstown, NJ/Northern Burlington Regional), junior 184 Michale Fagg-Daves (Somerset, NJ/Franklin), senior 197 Ryan Wolfe (New Castle, DE/Caravel Academy) and redshirt junior heavyweight Mauro Correnti (Delran, NJ/Holy Cross). The match kicked off at 141, where Clarion sent out its top wrestler in 16th ranked Brock Zacherl. Zacherl won by technical fall, 19-4, over Rider freshman Evan Fidelibus (Easton, PA/Easton Area) to give Clarion the early 5-0 lead. The Broncs would then go on a run of three-straight victories, with Gino Fluri defeating Jake Keller by a 5-3 score to kick off the run. Clagon would then wrestle to the tune of a 12-3 major decision to give the Broncs a 7-5 lead that they would never again relinquish. Walsh fell behind 2-0 early, before countering Evan Delong to win by fall in 4:55 to push the Broncs out to a 13-5 lead. “I felt like I was able to bounce back and keep wrestling to get the victory,” said Walsh. The match would continue on to 174, where Dominic Rigous defeated Wayne Stinson (Wrightstown, NJ/Northern Burlington Regional) by a close 3-2 decision to pull the Golden Eagles to within five points. Another three-match win streak, with Fagg-Daves winning by 8-5 decision over Scott Marmoll, Wolfe defeating Dustin Conti by the score of 5-2, and Correnti winning 3-2 over Evan Daley clinched the dual meet victory for the Broncs, pushing the team score to 22-8 with two matches left. Junior 125 J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, VA/Christiansburg) would lose 3-2 to Jake Gromacki, followed by a last second 9-5 victory for Cefolo at 133 over Roshaun Cooley to end the dual. The Broncs next compete on Saturday, January 14th, when they travel to the Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh to face off in three dual meets against Columbia, West Virginia, and Brown. Rider Wrestling's next home match is Friday, January 20th, when they face off against Edinboro in an Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) rivalry match. Results: 141: Brock Zacherl (CU) Tech. Evan Fidelibus (RU) 19-4. CU Leads 5-0 149: Gino Fluri (RU) Dec. Jake Keller (CU) 5-3. CU Leads 5-3 157: B.J. Clagon (RU) M. Dec. Taylor Cahill (CU) 12-3. RU Leads 7-5 165: Chad Walsh (RU) WBF Evan Delong (CU) 4:55. RU Leads 13-5 174: Dominic Rigous (CU) Dec. Wayne Stinson (RU) 3-2. RU Leads 13-8 184: Michale Fagg-Daves (RU) Dec. Scott Marmoll (CU) 8-5. RU Leads 16-8 197: Ryan Wolfe (RU) Dec. Dustin Conti (CU) 5-2. RU Leads 19-8 285: Mauro Correnti (RU) Dec. Evan Daley (CU) 3-2. RU Leads 22-8. 125: Jake Gromacki (CU) Dec. J.R. Wert (RU) 3-2. RU Leads 22-11 133: Anthony Cefolo (RU) Dec. Roshaun Cooley (CU) 9-5. RU Wins 25-11

Jake Waste gets his hand raised after a victory (Photo/CBULancers Sports Information) California Baptist University wrestler Jake Waste, a 2011 graduate of Apple Valley (Minn.) High School, is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation at the NCAA Division II level at 197 pounds. Waste, a senior, has earned All-American honors in each of the past two seasons. InterMat recently caught up with Waste. You made the decision to move up a weight class to 197 pounds for your senior season. Why the move up in weight? Waste: As many know, I have never been a fan of dropping a lot of weight. I was walking around at 215 pounds this summer. We have guys that fit in at 184 pounds and make the team stronger. I saw an opening at 197 pounds, so I figured I would take it. I fit fine at the weight class. I've always wrestled better when I'm up a weight. When I won Fargo I weighed in at 158 pounds and wrestled at 160 pounds. I've never had an issue wrestling up higher. Last season you lost a tight, one-point match to Joey Davis of Notre Dame College in the NCAA semifinals. Davis would go on to finish his career as a four-time undefeated NCAA champion. How did that loss affect you? Waste: There are losses that still bug you to this day, and that's one of them. It's fueling me right now. I think about it when I'm training. I think about it when I'm tired. It gave me that little bit of taste like, OK, I can compete with the best and I was that close to a national title. Those two things fueled me through the summer and they're still fueling me now. You're currently ranked No. 1 at 197 pounds. Is there pressure that comes with that No. 1 ranking? Waste: No. I've never felt the pressures of rankings before. It's nice to see sometimes when you're in the middle of the season and things aren't going right. What matters is me going on the mat and competing the best that I can. The numbers don't do too much. You don't really think about it when you walk out there. Some people say it's a target on your back, but I don't necessarily feel that. I'm just going to keep working and pushing as hard as I can. One of your high school teammates at Apple Valley, Destin McCauley, is also ranked No. 1 in Division II. Is there pride that comes with having two wrestlers from Apple Valley at the top of the rankings in Division II? Waste: Yeah. I grew up with Destin ever since he came to Minnesota. It's always great to see the kids I went to high school with doing well. Even the kids I didn't go to high school with, the kids I grew up with, it's awesome to see them have success because we were there together when we were taking those Schoolboy Duals journeys or going to Junior Duals. It's always great to see them prosper because we have seen each other at highs and lows. You have been a two-time All-American. How much would a national title mean to you? Waste: It would mean a lot. It is something that has been on my mind for the last three years. My first year I kind of second guessed myself. I didn't know my own strengths. It would mean a lot. I have been thinking about how it would feel to go out on a great note. It has been on my mind a lot to say the least. Jake Waste looks to score on his opponent from a front headlock position (Photo/CBULancers Sports Information) Cal Baptist is currently ranked No. 12 in Division II. What are your expectations for the team? Waste: Last year we took sixth at the national tournament with five guys. If we can get more than that in there then I think we can do some damage. I don't know what we were ranked going into the national tournament last year, but we put up some big numbers. We definitely have the potential to do the same thing this year. I don't see a reason why we can't turn the corner in the second half of the season and put up some big numbers. You started your college wrestling career at Buffalo, a Division I program. How did you end up on the West Coast at Cal Baptist? Waste: It's been a crazy journey. Leaving Buffalo was on me, being a kid and not making the right decisions. I ended up following my roommate at Buffalo, Justin Lozano, to California. We came out to California together because he's from California. I was going to go to a school in Northern California, but it was too rushed. I ended up just spending time at Wrestling Prep. Carolyn Wester, who runs it, helped me out. She put me up, gave me a place to stay. I was just working for her and training. My dad called me and was like, 'The U.S. Open is coming up. Why don't you go compete in it in Greco.' So I came back to Minnesota and spent about four weeks training for it. I had gotten calls before the U.S. Open from Cal Baptist assistant coach Arsen Aleksanyan about Cal Baptist. I was interested. I went and competed at the U.S. Open and took fifth. While there I met Coach Zalesky. We started talking and started the process. Next thing I know I was signed and starting the next chapter in my career. It has been a journey. I didn't get the best grades when I was at Buffalo. Just bad decisions as a kid. You learn from those as you get older. You either learn or you go down. You either go down that wrong path and continue down it, or you learn and get better. Since I've been at Cal Baptist everything has been awesome. I couldn't have asked for a better life opportunity. The last two years I've had above a 3.0 grade point average, so it's been great. You had success on the mat at Buffalo. You won the New York Collegiate State Championships and placed third in the conference. What's the biggest difference between Division I wrestling and Division II wrestling? Waste: Sometimes the cultures of the rooms can be a little bit different. It's honestly the same. The way practices are run, especially at Cal Baptist, is almost the same as it is anywhere else. Division I might have a little more depth, but the practices are the same. The program at Cal Baptist is structured and run just like a Division I program. What's it like wrestling for Lennie Zalesky? Waste: He's such a great human. I have met a ton of people through wrestling. Sometimes it can be hard to come across a coach who is so willing to help you in not just wrestling, but in every aspect of life. If I have a question or I'm having problems with something, he's the first one there to tell me, 'This is how I did it. Here are things that have come across my plate, and here are ways you can correct it.' He understands everything you have gone through. As I said, I've had a tough journey. I've gone through so much, and he understands. In terms of wrestling, it doesn't get much better. He has been around the sport for years. He knows so much about wrestling and just life in general. It's easy to go to him with any problems. Or if I have any questions about wrestling, every question I have can be answered. There's never a 'No, I don't know that position.' It's always, 'Here's how we get to it.' What was your experience like working with Wrestling Prep? Waste: It was awesome. I got to coach a lot of youth kids and see the difference between how I was coached when I was a kid versus how it is nowadays. I got to use my knowledge and see these kids grow. I only spent six months there, but it was interesting to be able to implement my stuff. Obviously, I can't go into high level stuff, but just to be able to break things down for these kids and watch them pick it up, start learning and start using it in their matches, and watching the excitement that I went through when I was a kid and the joy they get when they are winning. It was awesome to watch these kids grow. At the end of the day, when I'm done, there's a future generation that is going to come through. Wrestling keeps evolving when we look at it from way back in the day to what it is now. Things evolve so much. So just to be able to implement my stuff and see how things are evolving with these kids and the way they think is awesome. You and your father are involved with drag racing. What do you enjoy about drag racing? Waste: I've been going to the track since I was 2 years old. So actually I've been involved in drag racing longer than I've been involved in wrestling. It's something our family just loves to do in the summers. It takes me away from the normal stresses. Drag racing actually has a lot of the same mentality as wrestling. You're working on your car. You're scrapping all night to get your car ready. When things aren't going right you've got to figure out different ways to put the parts together, how to get the parts and how to manage everything. Then when I start getting in the car I have so many different things going on. I run so many different things in my car, so I have to be mentally prepared to fire those things off, and if I don't I'm going to blow up the motor, which is a big chunk of money, or I could crash the car and that could possibly injure me. There are a lot of things that I have to be mentally prepared for. I'll do almost the same mental warmup going through everything, the visualization, before a race that I do before a wrestling match. I get super focused and I go through it. Drag racing is a huge adrenaline rush too. When you get out of that car your hands are shaking because the adrenaline dump is pretty intense. It keeps my mind focused. It's a great way to get away from wrestling at the same time. My dad and I have been doing that since I was 2 years old. It's a great way to spend time with my family and have that adrenaline rush. I love to do things that are adventurous. Anything that can really get the blood pumping is really fun for me. That's what it's been like for my dad and me. It's been awesome. Jake Waste with Ronda Rousey You have done some MMA training. Is MMA in your future? Waste: It's one of my options. I'm keeping my options open. I have a few things on the table right now. It's up there. I've been around it for a long time. I remember Gordy Morgan took us to do a little jiu-jitsu over at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy when I was kid. We just learned. I've been around it since then. It's always kind of been around. When I was up in Northern California I was training with Daniel Cormier and Luke Rockhold. We were training every day. It was awesome. So I got to meet a lot of those guys. Then this past summer I got to train with Rampage Jackson. I was around Ronda Rousey a lot. I've been around the game a lot, and I understand how things work maybe better than a person who hasn't and is just trying to jump in. I've seen the big lights, the big stars and how the money can really impact a wrestler. Like I said, it's one of my options. I might wrestle after I'm done with college. I'm a criminal justice major, so I might just go into law enforcement. We'll see. If you do continue wrestling, would you compete in Greco-Roman? Waste: I haven't really decided. I guess I haven't put too much thought into that part yet. It might be Greco just because the tradition that Minnesota holds with Greco and the opportunities. I've been around Greco since I was a kid, as well as freestyle. I'm probably leaning towards Greco because I've had a lot of success in that style. This story also appears in the Jan. 13 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The 10th ranked NC State wrestling team started its ACC slate in dominating fashion, as the Wolfpack (5-1, 1-0 ACC) won the final eight bouts of the night and defeated Duke 34-6 in Reynolds Coliseum. After the Blue Devils (2-3, 0-1 ACC) won the first two matches, NC State won eight straight, including six for bonus points. The ACC dual started at 285 pounds, and Duke got a pair of decisions in the first two matches (125) to take an early 6-0 lead. No. 15 R-So. Jamal Morris made his dual debut this season, and got the Pack on the scoreboard with a 17-10 win over Duke's Cole Baumgartner. Morris dominated the first period taking a 10-1 lead and 1:41 of ride time thanks to a pair of four-point near falls. Baumgartner made a comeback with a reversal and near fall of his own, but Morris got another four-point near fall at the end and claimed the win. No. 2 Jr. Kevin Jack dominated Duke's Zach Finesilver with a 16-0 technical fall win at 141 pounds for the first bonus point win of the night. It was Jack's 19th straight win on the season improving his record to 21-1. No. 14 Sr. Sam Speno also scored bonus points for the Pack, with an 18-7 major decision at 149 pounds over Duke's Xaviel Ramos. At the intermission, NC State held a 12-6 lead. In the most back-and-forth bout of the night, freshman Thomas Bullard pulled off a 7-6 comeback over Duke's Jake Faust, who was ranked in the preseason before missing recent time. Bullard was down 5-4 and giving up the ride time point as he started the third down. He got the reversal, and Duke got hit with a stall to give Bullard a 7-5 lead. A late Duke escape was not enough as Bullard pulled out the win. R-Jr. Brian Hamann gave the Pack its second technical fall with an 18-1 win at 165 pounds. Duke's forfeit at 174 pounds netted the Pack another six points. NC State closed out the dual with back-to-back major decisions. No. 11 R-Jr. Michael Macchiavello won 12-4 at 184 pounds, and R-So. Malik McDonald got a four-point near fall in the final seconds to record the 17-8 major. NC State has now won 39 of the last 43 duals dating back to 1975 against Duke, and the Pack has won 28 of its last 30 duals dating back to last season. Results: 285: #8 Jacob Kasper (DU) dec. Michael Boykin; 3-0 - 0-3 125: Thayer Atkins (DU) dec. Tommy Cox; 11-6 - 0-6 133: #15 Jamal Morris (NCSU) dec. Cole Baumgartner; 17-10 - 3-6 141: #2 Kevin Jack (NCSU) tech fall Zach Finesilver; 16-0 - 8-6 149: #14 Sam Speno (NCSU) major dec. Xaviel Ramos; 18-7 - 12-6 157: Thomas Bullard (NCSU) dec. Jake Faust; 7-6 - 15-6 165: Brian Hamann (NCSU) tech fall Jose Abbate; 18-1 - 20-6 174: Nick Reenan (NCSU) by forfeit - 26-6 184: #11 Michael Macchiavello (NCSU) major dec. Alec Schenk; 12-4 - 30-6 197: Malik McDonald (NCSU) major dec. Luke Farinaro; 17-8 - 34-6 Up Next: The Wolfpack will have a quick turnaround, traveling to Pittsburgh on Saturday to face Harvard, Edinburg and Columbia at the Pitt Duals starting at 9 a.m.

A robust field of 50 schools from seven states will assemble outside of Philadelphia for the 12th annual Escape the Rock Tournament this Saturday at Sunday at Council Rock South (Pa.) High School. Ten weight class feature at least one nationally ranked wrestler, with twenty nationally ranked wrestlers in total among the competitors. Michael Beard (Malvern Prep) is the top ranked wrestler in the country at 182 pounds, while another trio hold position as the second-best wrestler in the country at their respective weight classes: Kurt McHenry (St. Paul's, Md.) at 106 pounds, Patrick Glory (Delbarton, N.J.) at 120, and John Borst (Sherando, Va.) at 195. Three nationally ranked teams are in the field, led by No. 8 Malvern Prep, joined by No. 45 St. Paul's (Md.) and No. 47 Delbarton (N.J.). Other notable schools include the hosts (Council Rock South), Bishop McCort, Easton, Northampton, and Hanover Park (N.J.) Below is a weight-by-weight preview for the event. 106 pounds: Leading the way is UWW Cadet World champion Kurt McHenry (St. Paul's, Md.), who is ranked No.2 nationally in this weight class having already won a title at the Beast of the East this season. His primary challenge will come from freshman Anthony Clark (Delbarton, N.J.), who is ranked No. 10 nationally. Also in the weight class is Sammy Alvarez (St. Joseph Montvale, N.J.), a UWW Cadet freestyle All-American, who was one match away from placement at the Super 32 Challenge. 113: Despite the absence of a nationally ranked wrestler, three rather notable wrestlers lead the way in this weight class. Two-time state placer Jaret Lane (Southern Columbia) is also a two-time Junior National Greco-Roman champion, state qualifier Jacob Dunlop (Belle Vernon Area) placed at the Walsh Ironman and finished as runner-up at the Powerade, while Shane Hanson-Ashworth (Malvern Prep) was runner-up at National Preps last year. Additional contenders include state qualifiers Kyle Kaiser (Paramus, N.J.) and Jacob Downing (North Allegheny), along with state placers Chase Shields (Bishop McDevitt) and A.J. Burkhart (Athens). 120: Three nationally ranked wrestlers anchor a rather deep field at this weight class. Heading the list is Super 32 Challenge champion Patrick Glory (Delbarton, N.J.), who is ranked No. 2 nationally; Junior National freestyle All-American and two-time state champion Tommy Hoskins (Legacy Christian Academy, Ohio) is ranked No. 7, while two-time state placer Matthew Parker (Pennridge) is ranked No. 12. Others in the weight class include 2015 state placer Aiden Burke (Council Rock North), state placer Michael Kelly (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.), Super 32 Challenge placers Killian Cardinale (Brentsville, Va.) and Logan Macri (Canon-McMillan), along with 2015 National Prep placer Mark Salvatore (Malvern Prep). 126: The two nationally ranked wrestlers in this weight class met in the Beast of the East final last month, with No. 10 Julian Chlebove (Northampton) scoring the mild upset over No. 6 Nick Raimo (Hanover Park, N.J.). Others to watch include state champions Sam Book (Robinson, Va.) and Levi Englman (Colonial Forge, Va.), three-time National Prep placer Daniel Planta (St. Paul's, Md.), state qualifier A.J. Warner (Legacy Christian Academy, Ohio), and impact freshman Jonathan Miers (Easton). 132: Anchoring this weight class is No. 3 Brian Courtney (Athens), last year a state champion and Flo Nationals champion, along with placing third at the Super 32 Challenge this fall. Additional notables include two-time state placers K.J. Fenstermacher (Northampton) and Jakob Campbell (Boyertown), state champions Marc Garofalo (Colonial Forge, Va.) and Caden Darber (New Kent, Va.), state placers Lou Raimo (Hanover Park, N.J.) and Ray Wetzel (Queen of Peace, N.J.), two-time state qualifier Luke Landefeld (North Allegheny), along with 2015 state qualifier Micah Visuwan (Malvern Prep). 138: Bereft a nationally ranked wrestler, this weight class is led by a pair of notable seniors in Zack Trampe (Council Rock South) and Dan Moran (Northampton), both of whom have finished as state runners-up earlier in their career; Trampe has placed twice at state and was a Super 32 Challenge placer this fall, while Moran is a three-time state placer and was a Junior National freestyle All-American this past summer. Others to watch include state qualifiers Carnell Andrews (Bishop McCort) and Aaron Rump (Chambersburg), National Prep placer P.J. Crane (Malvern Prep), as well as 2015 state champion Josh Baier (Cave Spring, Va.) 145: Even without a nationally ranked wrestlers, there is a bunch of quality in this field, which is led by a trio of multi-time state placing seniors. John Pipa (Bishop McDevitt) has a pair of runner-up finishes sandwiched around a state fourth, two-time state placer Jake Hinkson (North Allegheny) is also a two-time Flo Nationals placer, while Todd Lane (Southern Columbia) placed second at state as a freshman and fourth last season. Another trio of state/National Prep placers reside in this weight class, Ethan Krause (Georgetown Prep, Md.), Nick Santos (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.), and Garrett Beam (Queen of Peace, N.J.). Also meriting attention in this weight class is state qualifier Devon Britton (Northampton), who will be competing in his first tournament of his sophomore season. 152: The last of the weight classes without a nationally ranked wrestler is led by 2014 state placer Riley Palmer (Council Rock South). Other contenders include star freshman Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan) and two-time state runner-up Ethan Dendy (McCallie, Tenn.) 160: Super 32 Challenge champion Kyle Cochran (Paramus, N.J.), ranked fifth nationally, was a state champion and NHSCA Junior Nationals champion last season. Others to watch include two-time state placers Zach Hartman (Belle Vernon Area) and Jared Lough (Colonial Forge, Va.), along with state placers Josh Stillings (Pennridge) and Seth Baney (Huntingdon). 170: Three nationally ranked wrestlers are featured in this weight class, led by Cadet National double champion Ryan Karoly (Malvern Prep), who is ranked No. 5 nationally. Also ranked are No. 10 Jacob Oliver (Huntingdon) and No. 16 Shane Sosinsky (Northern Highlands, N.J.); Oliver is a three-time state placer, including his state title from last year, while Sosinsky finished second at state last year. Additional contenders include National Prep runner-up Dale Tiongson (St. Paul's, Md.) as well as 2015 state champions Michael Battista (Broad Run, Va.) and Kade Sanders (New Kent, Va.). 182: Leading the field is Michael Beard (Malvern Prep), the tournament's lone wrestler ranked first in the country at his weight class; a returning National Prep champion, he has won titles at the Walsh Ironman and Beast of the East this season. No. 16 Drew Peck (Chambersburg), a state placer and two-time Super 32 Challenge placer, also features in this weight class. Other contenders include Junior National double All-American Miles Lee (South Philadelphia), National Prep placer Carter Davis (St. Christopher's, Va.), and state placer Louis Castellano (Delbarton, N.J.) 195: The tournament's deepest elite weight features a quartet of nationally ranked wrestlers, led by Super 32 Challenge champion John Borst (Sherando), who is ranked No. 2 nationally. No. 4 Jake Woodley (North Allegheny) was champion at the Powerade and a Junior National freestyle All-American, No. 12 Noah Bushman (Cave Spring, Va.) is a two-time state champion), while No. 19 Cole Nye (Bishop McDevitt) won state last year and was runner-up at the Super 32 Challenge. An additional contender is two-time state placer Anthony Walters (Bishop McCort). 220: Heading the field is No. 13 Josiah Jones (Bishop McCort), state runner-up last season, and off an excellent championship performance at the Powerade. Other contenders include Super 32 Challenge placer Joey Doyle (Council Rock South), state champion Jonathan Birchmeier (Broad Run, Va.), 2015 National Prep placer John Urban (St. Paul's, Md.), and Billy Korber (Belle Vernon Area). 285: National Prep champion Seth Janney (Malvern Prep), who is ranked No. 9 nationally after winning the Beast of the East last month, leads the way in this weight class. Others to watch include Super 32 Challenge champion Brendon Furman (Canon-McMillan) and state placer River Henry (McCallie, Tenn.)

The middle of January will be here this weekend, and it's yet another big weekend for tournaments, especially with the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday observance on Monday. In addition to the in-season tournaments, the first state championship tournament of the 2017 year will be held this week as Georgia hosts its team dual meet state championships tomorrow through Saturday in Macon. Below is a list of the nationally ranked teams and their competitions in the coming week, Jan. 11-17. No. 1 Blair Academy, N.J. -- travel to No. 11 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) for dual meet Friday No. 2 Buchanan, Calif. -- travel to Central (Calif.) for dual meet tonight, compete in the Tim Brown Memorial on Friday and Saturday in Sacramento No. 3 St. Edward, Ohio -- compete in the Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) Super Duals on Saturday No. 4 Lake Highland Prep, Fla. -- compete in the Showdown in O-Town Duals at Clay (Fla.) on Friday and Saturday No. 6 Clovis, Calif. -- travel to No. 47 Delbarton (N.J.) for dual meet tomorrow; compete at No. 9 Bergen Catholic (N.J.) in tri-meet with DePaul Catholic (N.J.) on Friday; compete at Ramsey (N.J.) in quad meet with Wayne Valley (N.J.) and Bergenfield (N.J.) on Saturday No. 7 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. -- travel to Northampton (Pa.) for dual meet tonight No. 8 Malvern Prep, Pa. -- compete in the Escape the Rock Tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Council Rock South (Pa.) No. 9 Bergen Catholic, N.J. -- host Passaic County Tech (N.J.) in dual meet tonight, host DePaul Catholic (N.J.) and No. 6 Clovis (Calif.) in tri-meet Friday No. 10 Olentangy Liberty, Ohio -- host Olentangy Orange (Ohio) in dual meet tomorrow, compete in Bill Dies Memorial Tournament at Akron Firestone (Ohio) on Friday and Saturday No. 11 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. -- host No. 1 Blair Academy (N.J.) in dual meet Friday, partial squad will compete in the Eastern States Classic at SUNY-Sullivan on Friday and Saturday No. 12 Tuttle, Okla. -- host Duncan (Okla.) in dual meet tomorrow, host Greg Henning Invitational on Friday and Saturday No. 13 Park Hill, Mo. -- compete in tri-meet at Staley (Mo.) with Ruskin (Mo.) tonight, compete in Capital City Invitational at Jefferson City (Mo.) on Friday and Saturday No. 14 Nazareth, Pa. -- travel to Stroudsburg (Pa.) for dual meet tonight, compete in the Virginia Duals at Hampton (Va.) on Friday and Saturday No. 15 Poway, Calif. -- travel to Westview (Calif.) for dual meet tomorrow, compete in the Battle for the Belt at Temecula Valley (Calif.) on Friday and Saturday No. 16 Elyria, Ohio -- compete in Bill Dies Memorial Tournament at Akron Firestone (Ohio) on Friday and Saturday No. 17 Allen, Texas -- host Berkner (Texas) in dual meet tonight, compete in dual meet state tournament at Klein (Texas) on Saturday No. 18 Detroit Catholic Central, Mich. -- travel to Perrysburg (Ohio) for dual meet tonight, host DCC Super Duals on Saturday No. 19 Sand Springs, Okla. -- travel to No. 49 Broken Arrow (Okla.) for dual meet tomorrow, compete in Jerry Billings Invitational at Sapulpa (Okla.) on Friday and Saturday No. 20 Choctaw, Okla. -- travel to Midwest City (Okla.) for dual meet tomorrow, compete in district duals on Tuesday No. 21 Pueblo County, Colo. -- travel to Pueblo South (Colo.) for dual meet tomorrow, compete in Bobcat Invitational at Custer County (Colo.) on Friday and Saturday No. 22 Pomona, Colo. -- travel to Windsor (Colo.) for dual meet tonight, travel to Ralston Valley (Colo.) for dual meet tomorrow, compete in Arvada West (Colo.) Tournament on Saturday No. 23 Kiski Area, Pa. -- host Penn Hills (Pa.) in dual meet tonight, host Chartiers Valley (Pa.) in dual meet on Saturday No. 24 Lockport, Ill. -- travel to Lincoln-Way East (Ill.) for dual meet Friday, compete in Nequa Valley (Ill.) Mega Dual on Saturday No. 25 Brownsburg, Ind. -- compete in Hoosier Crossroads Conference Tournament at Zionsville (Ind.) on Saturday, travel to Perry Meridian (Ind.) for dual meet on Tuesday No. 26 Montini Catholic, Ill. -- travel to Marist (Ill.) for dual meet tomorrow, travel to Dakota (Ill.) for tri-meet with Lincoln-Way Central (Ill.) on Saturday No. 27 Kasson-Mantorville, Minn. -- compete in the Osage (Iowa) Duals on Saturday No. 28 Shakopee, Minn. -- travel to Burnsville (Minn.) for dual meet tomorrow, compete in Monticello (Minn.) Duals on Saturday No. 29 Brecksville, Ohio -- travel to Stow (Ohio) for tri-meet with North Royalton (Ohio) tomorrow, compete in the Bill Dies Memorial Tournament at Akron Firestone (Ohio) on Friday and Saturday No. 30 Camden County, Ga. -- compete in Class 6A state dual meet tournament tomorrow through Saturday in Macon (Ga.) No. 31 Southeast Polk, Iowa -- travel to Ankeny (Iowa) for tri-meet with Des Moines Lincoln (Iowa) tomorrow, compete in the Valley Duals at No. 37 West Des Moines Valley (Iowa) on Saturday No. 32 Apple Valley, Minn. -- travel to Lakeville South (Minn.) for dual meet tomorrow No. 33 Chicago Mt. Carmel, Ill. -- host Lyons Township (Ill.) in dual meet tomorrow, travel to Brother Rice (Ill.) for dual meet Friday, compete in the Hinsdale South (Ill.) Duals on Saturday No. 34 Long Beach, N.Y. -- host Herricks (N.Y.) in dual meet tonight, compete in the Eastern States Classic at SUNY-Sullivan on Friday and Saturday No. 35 Oak Park River Forest, Ill. -- host Lyons Township (Ill.) in dual meet tonight, compete in the Carl Sandburg (Ill.) Super Duals on Saturday No. 36 Wadsworth, Ohio -- travel to Hudson (Ohio) for tri-meet with Cuyahoga Falls (Ohio) tomorrow No. 37 West Des Moines Valley, Iowa -- travel to Ankeny Centennial (Iowa) for dual meet tomorrow, host the Valley Duals on Saturday No. 38 Anoka, Minn. -- travel to Blaine (Minn.) for dual meet Friday, compete in the Mounds View (Minn.) Duals on Saturday No. 39 New Hampton, Iowa -- compete in dual meet against Dike-New Hartford (Iowa) at the University of Northern Iowa tomorrow, compete in the J-Hawk Invitational at Cedar Rapids Jefferson (Iowa) on Saturday No. 40 Washington, Ill. -- host tri-meet against Moline (Ill.) and Barrington (Ill.) tomorrow, compete in multi-team dual meet event at Lowell (Mich.) on Saturday No. 41 Fort Dodge, Iowa -- travel to Marshalltown (Iowa) for dual meet tomorrow, compete in the J-Hawk Invitational at Cedar Rapids Jefferson (Iowa) on Saturday No. 42 Roseburg, Ore. -- travel to North Medford (Ore.) for dual meet tonight, compete in the Oregon Classic at Redmond on Friday and Saturday No. 43 Mechanicsburg, Ohio -- compete in the Maumee Bay Classic at Oregon Clay (Ohio) on Friday and Saturday No. 44 Don Bosco Prep, N.J. -- travel to Clifton (N.J.) for dual meet tonight, host tri-meet against Northern Valley Old Tappan (N.J.) and Seton Hall Prep (N.J.) on Saturday No. 45 St. Paul's, Md. -- host Gilman School (Md.) in dual meet tonight, compete in the Escape the Rock Tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Council Rock South (Pa.) No. 46 Goddard, Kansas -- host Andover Central (Kansas) in dual meet tomorrow, compete in Bobcat Classic at Basheor-Linwood (Kansas) on Friday and Saturday No. 47 Delbarton, N.J. -- host No. 6 Clovis (Calif.) in dual meet tomorrow, compete in the Escape the Rock Tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Council Rock South (Pa.) No. 48 Gilroy, Calif. -- host Alisal (Calif.) in dual meet tonight No. 49 Broken Arrow, Okla. -- host No. 19 Sand Springs (Okla.) in dual meet tomorrow, compete in Jerry Billings Invitational at Sapulpa (Okla.) on Friday and Saturday No. 50 Mason, Ohio -- compete in Indianapolis Cathedral (Ind.) Six-Way Dual on Saturday No competitions scheduled: No. 5 St. Paris Graham (Ohio)

UGF Vice President for Athletics David Gantt This fall, the University of Great Falls will feature the first intercollegiate women's wrestling program in the state of Montana, the school announced Tuesday evening. The women's program will take to the mats during the 2017-18 school year, joining an existing men's program which competes in the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics). Caleb Schaeffer, who has been UGF's head men's wrestling coach for 13 years, will continue to head up the men's team while overseeing both programs as director of wrestling. The university will then hire a head women's wrestling coach to work with Schaeffer, "allowing the new program to take advantage of Schaeffer's wealth of knowledge and connections in the wrestling world while still allowing him to focus on the men's program," according to the school's press statement. "This community has become a wrestling powerhouse at both the high school and collegiate level, and we're proud to add women's wrestling to that lineage," UGF Vice President for Athletics David Gantt said. "This school and this department have an eye for significant growth over the coming years and this is a strong start." "Over the past five months, the university, and specifically Dave Gantt, have been looking into the best ways that athletics can grow and help the school bring in more new students," University President Dr. Anthony Aretz said. "Women's wrestling is the right beginning to that effort. It is a team that we can add immediately and effectively, and will put us in a position to succeed in a sport with rapidly increasing popularity." The school cited the rapid growth of women's wrestling in the U.S. as a prime reason for adding the program, stating there are currently 44 colleges nationwide that feature the sport, with the NAIA leading all associations with 18 programs. UGF added that there are over 7,000 young women wrestling at the high school level, according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association. UGF also emphasized how a women's program will complement the existing men's program. Argo wrestling's 11 dual-meet opponents on the 2016-17 schedule, six already have women's wrestling programs, with a number of those being regional opponents. The men's and women's teams will be able to travel together for most contests, bringing to a minimum the effort and cost of scheduling opponents and making travel arrangements. Furthermore, the university recently signed a 5-year lease for an off-campus building as a new wrestling facility will also provide ample practice space for both a men's and women's wrestling team. The new women's program will join these existing women's sports: basketball, cheer and dance, cross country and track, golf, rodeo, soccer, softball, and volley. In addition to the existing wrestling program, men's sports at UGF include basketball, cross country and track, golf, lacrosse, rodeo, and soccer. The University of Great Falls is a private Roman Catholic university located in Great Falls, Montana. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students. The school's sports teams, the Argos, compete in NAIA Division I. Jan. 16 update: Less than a week after announcing the establishment of a women's wrestling program at University of Great Falls, Abigail “Abi” Gontarek signed with the school on Monday, Jan. 16. A 2014 graduate of Laurel High School, Gontarek made history by becoming the first female high school wrestler to place in the state of Montana. Wanting to continue her mat career in Montana, she has been attending the University of Montana with the hope that an in-state school would add women's wrestling before she graduated. Her hope was realized when UGF made its announcement last week.

Imagine having the ability to share what you know now with yourself when you were a kid. Think of all the knowledge, wisdom and experience you could impart with the younger you. That's the idea behind Michael Fessler's third book, "The Wrestler: A Life of Passion and the Pursuit of Greatness" -- now available -- which the author has described as being "today's me talking to my younger self"… all with the idea of helping today's wrestlers gain more from their careers, including a thoughtful perspective while they're still competing. The genesis of "The Wrestler" Chances are, you're already familiar with Mike Fessler. The former wrestler is the author of two popular books -- "Faith and Wrestling: How the Role of a Wrestler Mirrors the Christian Life" and "They're Just Not Interested: Rediscovering Our Faith and Approaching Non-Believers with the Faith of a Wrestler." Now, in addition to authoring those two books which bring together faith and wrestling, the former Missouri high school state champ and Minnesota state finalist who went on to wrestle for one season at Cal State Bakersfield has been writing a blog for MissouriWrestling.com, a website geared primarily for wrestlers within the state of Missouri. (It is not affiliated with the University of Missouri and its wrestling program.) "I grew up in Missouri until my sophomore year of high school," Fessler told InterMat. He won a Missouri state wrestling title as a freshman, but then the family relocated to Minnesota for his father's career. "Jonathan Dickson, the individual who runs the MissouriWrestling.com website, was seeking to add additional content," Fessler continued. "He liked my 'Faith and Wrestling' book, and wanted me to write a monthly blog -- 4 or 5 paragraphs each -- where I share a story that has an impact on wrestling overall, or provides a new perspective on how to look at the sport differently." Fessler's blog has had an impact well beyond the borders of Missouri. "What I've written for the blog has been shared around the country," according to Fessler. "I thought 'maybe there's something here worth sharing to the wider wrestling community.'" "I wanted to give back to the entire wrestling community." "There was one piece in particular that bolstered my inspiration to write 'The Wrestler' even more. It's a poetic piece called 'If I could do it all over again.'" said Fessler. "You can actually find this piece in the epilogue of the book. I was sitting and reflecting on my life in the sport, and in about 15 minutes, 'If I could do it all over again' was written. I shared it on my MissouriWrestling.com blog and it became the most widely-viewed and shared of any of my blog articles, reaching almost 100,000 people within a very short period of time." While Fessler's blog serves as the inspiration for "The Wrestler", the former wrestler makes clear that most of the new book's thoughts and reflections on the sport are new, not contained in his blog, nor in his previous two books. It all comes together Fessler compared the actual writing process of "The Wrestler" to that of the two books that brought together concepts of wrestling and Christian faith. Michael Fessler"Writing the previous two books was a long process," Fessler disclosed. "I would have to set (each book) aside for a time as I worked on it." "With this book, I immersed myself into my wrestling career and thoughts about it. I really enjoyed the process, as the ideas flowed." "I think of the book as being today's me talking to my younger self," according to Fessler. "I can't go back and redo my wrestling career, or change the attitude I had as a young wrestler." "Things we sometimes do as youngsters, we don't always see the meaning or the consequences." "I was introduced to wrestling at age 6. We were a family all-consumed by wrestling," said Fessler, sharing how his family took trips to wrestling events all over the country. "Then again, wrestling is not your typical 'recreational' sport. It's all-consuming. I didn't have any perspective to deal with training, winning or losing. I didn't always appreciate the good things about the sport." "I remain very passionate about the sport. The thoughts I share in 'The Wrestler' are ones I wish I could have known when I was competing." "There's someone younger who isn't getting everything they could out of the sport. It's all about the journey. Sadly, too many of us don't appreciate it until it's over." "Wrestling can change a person's self-worth for better or worse," Fessler continued. "I hope a young person could read this book and gain a wider perspective on things." "I'd like to think I give some past wrestlers a voice, helping to express what they would communicate to a young wrestler about what's really important." A couple wrestling champs of the past weighed in with their thoughts about "The Wrestler." "… ('The Wrestler') covers a wide range of topics and areas that will help wrestlers young and old better understand the sport and the life lessons that go along with it," said Chuck Yagla, two-time NCAA Division I champ for the University of Iowa. "A few of my favorite topics addressed are the mental game, humility, passion, and taking advantage of your mentors. Very insightful information on all areas…" Chad Parks, head wrestling coach at Shawnee Heights High School in Kansas, said this about "The Wrestler": "Each chapter provides us with real-life stories filled with wisdom that will allow coaches and parents to see deep into the hearts and minds of their athletes. The lessons learned throughout the journey will apply to current wrestlers immediately, guiding them to greater success on the mat and beyond. Overall, this book provides the perspective that wrestling is a gift, and when viewed as such, has the ability to prepare all involved for the most important match -- the match of life." "The Wrestler" is easily Michael Fessler's most accessible book, which is saying a lot, in that, in his previous two books, this former wrestler and student of theology made potentially complex issues involving Christian faith clear and relatable to readers of various backgrounds. In his new book "The Wrestler", Fessler has crafted chapters are concise and compellingly written, with a clear presentation that will draw in readers of all ages. To purchase "The Wrestler: A Life of Passion and the Pursuit of Greatness" visit Amazon.com.

After months of grueling practice, making weight, and competing in dozens of dual meets and tournaments, the season for college wrestlers concludes with the national championships. By any measure, the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships in all three divisions were especially exciting, with some moments that will earn a place in the history books. NCAA Division I New York City's Madison Square Garden has long been a mecca for professional wrestling. However, for the first time in its long and storied history, the "world's most famous arena" played host to the ultimate event in college wrestling, the 2016 edition of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships held March 18-20. Some elements of the 2016 D1 mat championships had some of the showbiz elements one might expect at MSG ... including a first-ever finals weigh-in show on Saturday afternoon that seemed like a family-friendly version of an MMA event, with the collegiate finalists fully clothed (in school warmups), and on their very best behavior (no pushing or shoving, no trash talk). No one could have scripted the excitement of the championship matches later that night. A number of wrestling fans and journalists proclaimed it to be "the best NCAA finals ever" -- and it's hard to argue otherwise. To add to the drama: Two finalists were riding incredibly long win streaks as they sought their third NCAA titles. Alex Dieringer completed his Oklahoma State wrestling career winning the 165-pound championship -- his third NCAA title -- while maintaining an incredible 82 straight victories. Ohio State's Kyle Snyder denied NC State's Nick Gwiazdowski a third NCAA title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The other -- North Carolina State heavyweight Nick Gwiazdowski -- was denied his third title, and had his 88-match win streak snapped by Kyle Snyder of Ohio State in a highly-anticipated, top-of-the-card bout between two agile, active big men that more than lived up to the advance hype. Snyder's come-from-behind scoring knotted up the match in the closing seconds of regulation ... then the Buckeye scored another takedown to wrap up the title in sudden victory. (Afterwards, Snyder -- named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler -- said, "I think it will go down as one of the most exciting heavyweight matches in NCAA history.") Three top-flight wrestlers left the Garden with their second NCAA titles: lllinois' Isaiah Martinez at 157 pounds ... Gabe Dean, a junior at Cornell University, at 184 ... and Missouri's multi-talented J'Den Cox, crowned champ at 197. In addition to Kyle Snyder, five other finalists earned their first individual national championships. Seniors Nico Megaludis of Penn State and Cornell's Nahshon Garrett, who concluded their careers with individual championships at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively. Two sophomores also won titles: Oklahoma State's Dean Heil at 141 pounds, and Penn State's Zain Retherford, at 149. Ohio State freshman Myles Martin upset top-seeded Bo Nickal of Penn State to win the championship at 174 pounds. One more fun fact: two of the collegiate champs crowned at Madison Square Garden in March went on to earn medals in men's freestyle competition five months later at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro: Kyle Snyder, winning the gold medal at 97 kilograms/213 pounds ... and J'den Cox, claiming a bronze medal at 86 kilograms/189 pounds. When the 2016 Division I championships were concluded, Penn State claimed its fifth team title in six tournaments, with 123 points, and two individual champs in Nico Megaludis and Zain Retherford. Oklahoma State placed second, with 97.5 points, and Alex Dieringer's individual title. Defending team titlist Ohio State came in third with 86, on the strength of Buckeye champs Myles Martin and Kyle Snyder. Finals Results: 125: Nico Megaludis (Penn State) dec. Thomas Gillman (Iowa), 6-3 133: Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) dec. Cory Clark (Iowa) 141: Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) dec. Bryce Meredith (Wyoming), 3-2 149: Zain Retherford (Penn State) maj. dec. Brandon Sorensen (Iowa), 10-1 157: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) dec. No. 3 Jason Nolf (Penn State), 6-5 165: Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) dec. Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin), 6-2 174: Myles Martin (Ohio State) dec. Bo Nickal (Penn State), 11-9 184: Gabe Dean (Cornell) dec. Timothy Dudley (Nebraska), 5-3 197: J'den Cox (Missouri) dec. Morgan McIntosh (Penn State), 4-2 Hwt: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) dec. Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State), 7-5 SV1 Team Standings (Top Ten): 1. Penn State 123 2. Oklahoma State 97.5 3. Ohio State 86 4. Virginia Tech 82 5. Iowa 81 6. Missouri 74.5 7. Cornell 67 8. Nebraska 58 9. Illinois 50.5 9. Michigan 50.5 NCAA Division II Days after having survived school-mandated cuts that eliminated four other intercollegiate sports programs and reduced its own roster, the St. Cloud State University wrestling team managed to successfully defend its team title at the 2016 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. on March 13. The Huskies won its second consecutive team championship with 90 points and one individual champion, redshirt freshman Brett Velasquez, who won the 125-pound title. SCSU head coach Steve Costanzo was named the 2016 NWCA Coach of the Year. Ohio's Notre Dame College came in second in the team standings, with 82 points. The Falcons' Joey Davis won the 184-pound title -- his fourth national title -- at the 2016 NCAAs, completing his collegiate mat career with a perfect 131-0 overall record. With that championship, Davis became only the third college wrestler in decades of NCAA-sanctioned competition to compile four national titles along with a perfect record ... and the first in Division II. (The other two flawless four-timers: Cael Sanderson, who earned four Division I titles for Iowa State in 1999-2002, and a 159-0 mark ... and Marcus LeVesseur of Augsburg College, tallying four D3 crowns from 2003-05 and 2007, and a 155-0 record.) Since then, Davis embarked on his professional mixed martial arts career, earning a unanimous decision over Keith Cutrone in his debut at Bellator 160 in August. In third place was University of Nebraska-Kearney, with 78.5 team points, and two individual champs: Destin McCauley at 149 pounds, and at 197, Romero Cotton. University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown came in fourth in the team title race with 71.5 points, with two wrestlers winning titles of their own: Nick Roberts at 133, and Tyler Reinhart at 165. Finals Results: 125: Brett Velasquez (St. Cloud State) dec. Willie Bohince (Mercyhurst), 5-0 133: Nick Roberts (Pitt-Johnstown) dec. Nick Crume (Indianapolis), 4-3 141: Darren Wynn (McKendree) dec. Joseph Alessandro (Seton Hill), 12-8 149: Destin McCauley (Nebraska-Kearney) dec. Isaac Dulgarian (Notre Dame of Ohio), 9-4 157: Terrel Wilbourn (Lindenwood) dec. Brady Bersano (California Baptist), 5-4 165: Tyler Reinhart (Pitt-Johnstown) pinned Nick Fishbeck (Wisconsin-Parkside), 2:42 174: Nick Becker (Wisconsin-Parkside) dec. Blaze Shade (UNC-Pembrooke), 9-3 184: Joey Davis (Notre Dame of Ohio) dec. Travis McKillop (Pitt-Johnstown), 3-1 197: Romero Cotton (Nebraska-Kearney) dec. Joe Gomez (Northern State), 4-1 Hwt: Joseph Fagiano (California Baptist) dec. Malcolm Allen (Minnesota State-Mankato), 6-3 Team Standings (Top Ten): 1. St. Cloud State 90 2. Notre Dame of Ohio 82 3. Nebraska-Kearney 78.5 4. Pitt-Johnstown 71.5 5. Maryville 65.5 6. California Baptist 63.5 7. Wisconsin-Parkside 59.5 8. McKendree 42.5 9. Mercyhurst/Minnesota State-Mankato (tie) 42 NCAA Division III Having been denied a fifth straight team title at the 2015 NCAAs in Hershey, Pa., Wartburg College won that elusive championship at the 2016 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships a bit closer to their campus in Waverly, Iowa, at U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids March 13. The Knights ran away with the title with 129.5 points, putting five wrestlers into the finals ... with Kenneth Martin winning the 149-pound crown. With exactly 100 points, Messiah came in second in the team standings, with two of its wrestlers earning championships: Lucas Malmberg at 125 pounds, and Ben Swarr at 174. Luther College left Cedar Rapids in third place, with Drew VanAnrooy taking the title at 141. Wabash College placed fourth, with Devin Broukal and Riley Lefever winning titles at 133 and 184 pounds, respectively. Each champ for the all-men's school located in Crawfordsville, Ind. had a unique aspect to his title win. Broukal was the first unseeded wrestler to win an Division III mat title in three years ... while Lefever racked up his third consecutive championship as a junior, becoming only the 16th wrestler to earn a trio of titles. As a junior, Riley Lefever has the opportunity to join the ultra-exclusive four-time champs club at the 2017 NCAA Division III championships, joining Marcus LeVesseur who did it a decade ago for Augsburg. Finals Results: 125: Lucas Malmberg (Messiah) maj. dec. C.J. Pestano (Iowa Central), 14-6 133: Devin Broukal (Wabash) dec. Nathan Pike (New York Univ.), 8-5 141: Drew VanAnrooy (Luther) dec. maj. dec. Jimmy Nehls (Elmhurst), 10-2 149: Kenneth Martin (Wartburg) dec. Trevor Engle (Cornell Col.), 7-5 157: Robert Dierna (SUNY-Cortland) dec. Drew Wagenhoffer (Wartburg), 7-5 165: Logan Hermsen (Wisconsin-Stevens Point) dec. Nicholas Michael (Wartburg), 5-3 SV1 174: Ben Swarr (Messiah) dec. Eric Devos (Wartburg), 3-1 184: Riley Lefever (Wabash) maj. dec. Josh Thomson (Messiah), 12-4 197: David Welch (Roger Williams) dec. Gerard Roman (Wartburg), 5-4 Hwt: Zachery Roseberry (Delaware Valley Univ.) dec. Donald Longendyke (Augsburg), 5-4 Team Standings (Top Ten): 1. Wartburg 129.5 2. Messiah 100 3. Luther 64 4. Wabash 55.5 5. Augsburg 46.5 6. Wisconsin-La Crosse 37 7. SUNY-Cortland 35 8. Stevens Institute of Technology 34 9. Elmhurst 33 10. Cornell College 30.5