InterMat Staff

MINNEAPOLIS -- Heading to 174 pounds during Saturday night's home opener, six matches into its dual against No. 20 South Dakota State and trailing by 14 points, a Gopher victory looked improbable. Even after three straight victories, the home team needed five points from the final contest to level the match and six to win. That's when the improbable comeback took an almost impossible turn, transforming what appeared to be a defeat into an unbelievable victory. No. 5 Michael Kroells at minimum needed a technical fall over Alex Macki to give the Gophers a shot to win. As he worked to turn Macki to his back repeatedly during the match, he eventually drew a warning for stalling against Macki. Then he drew a second warning. Then a third. Then a fourth. Late in the match, a fifth warning on Macki for inactivity disqualified him from the match, earning the Gophers six points and completing the come-from-behind victory in the unlikeliest fashion. "I was just thinking, score as many points as I could," said Kroells about his mentality heading into the dual-clinching bout. "When I knew I won, it was a great feeling. I haven't had that here at home where I got a win like that decided the dual. It was a pretty great feeling." "Kroells was pumped up. He was looking for the big win. We've had some great [heavyweights] here and Kroells is doing a great job filling those big shoes," said head coach Brandon Eggum. Kroells victory capped a run of four consecutive wins from Minnesota's upper-weights to erase its early deficit. That streak began with a ranked victory for No. 18 Nick Waznek, who scored the lone takedown of his match with No. 15 David Kocer to pull the 3-2 upset. That win gave the Gophers momentum heading to 184 pounds, where redshirt freshman Bobby Steveson won his career dual debut on the evening with a convincing 8-3 decision over Martin Mueller. No. 2 Brett Pfarr followed with a 7-0 decision over No. 5 Nate Rotert. In the past two seasons, Pfarr is 3-0 against Rotert by a combined margin of 34-0. The need for that late run came after the Jackrabbits got the better of the Gophers in five of the night's first six matches. The bright spot in that tough start for the Gophers came at 141 pounds, where Gannon Volk looked strong in a 6-2 decision over fellow redshirt freshman Henry Pohlmeyer in Volk's dual match debut. Volk and Steveson, victors in their first-ever match before the Sports Pavilion crowd, were two of four Gophers who made their career dual debuts on Saturday night. At 133 pounds, true freshman Mitch McKee fell to No. 7 Seth Gross and at 149, James Berg lost to Alex Kocer. While the Gophers found themselves in a hole at halftime and some may have wondered if the comeback was possible, Eggum had confidence the team could pull out a win on the strength of its heaviest wrestlers. "It was tough at halftime. Going into the locker room, guys were quiet," said Eggum, but "we knew the upper-weights were capable of doing it and they did a good job. That's a tough thing to do when momentum is going the other way, but they stopped it and got it going in our direction." Full match-by-match results are listed below. Minnesota, now 1-0 on the young season, will stay at home over the Thanksgiving holiday to prepare for its next match, a home dual against top-ranked Oklahoma State next Sunday, Nov. 28, at 1 p.m. Central. Tickets for that match are currently available at MyGopherSports.com. GopherSports.com is your home for all Gopher Wrestling news throughout the 2016-17. Whether you're looking for a dual recap, match previews, features on the wrestlers you're seeing on the mat each week or team stats, we will have it all for you right here. Be sure to follow Gopher Wrestling on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates. Results: 125: Ben Gillette (SDSU) dec Skyler Petry (Minn), 8-1 | SDSU 3 - Minn - 0 133: No. 7 Seth Gross (SDSU) maj dec Mitch McKee (Minn). 12-3 | SDSU 7 - Minn 0 141: Gannon Volk (Minn) dec Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU), 6-2 | SDSU 7 - Minn 3 149: Alex Kocer (SDSU) maj dec James Berg (Minn), 10-2 | SDSU 11 - Minn 3 157: Colin Holler (SDSU) dec No. 18 Jake Short (Minn), 6-4 | SDSU 14 - Minn 3 165: Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) dec Brandon Kingsley (Minn), 3-1 | SDSU 17 - Minn 3 174: No. 17 Nick Wanzek (Minn) dec No. 15 David Kocer (SDSU), 3-2 | SDSU 17 - Minn 6 184: Bobby Steveson (Minn) dec Martin Mueller (SDSU), 8-3 | SDSU 17 - Minn 9 197: No. 2 Brett Pfarr (Minn) dec No. 5 Nate Rotert (SDSU), 7-0 | SDSU 17 - Minn 12 285: No. 5 Michael Kroells (Minn) disqualified Alex Macki (SDSU) | SDSU 17 - Minn 18

CHAPEL HILL -- Pins from James Szymanski, Joey Ward and Ethan Ramos powered North Carolina to a 28-12 win over No. 25 Old Dominion in dual action Saturday night at Carmichael Arena. Joey Moon added a major decision for the Tar Heels, who opened their dual schedule in impressive fashion against the visiting Monarchs. Carolina (1-0) got a dream start at 125 pounds when Szymanski scored a defensive pin against ODU's Steve Simpson to give the hosts an early 6-0 lead. After Alex Madrigal outlasted Tyrone Klump 3-2 at 133, No. 8 Ward needed just 85 seconds to put Kenan Carter on his back for UNC's second pin of the night. Troy Heilmann pushed the overall lead to 15-3 with a 5-2 decision at 149. No. 16 Moon then continued his impressive start to the season with an 8-0 shutout of Shane Jones at 157, the major decision putting the Tar Heels up 19-3 after five bouts. No. 14 Seldon Wright gave ODU (0-2) its second win of the night as he won an intense 8-6 decision over Jack Clark at 165. That was a close as the Monarchs would get, however, as No. 9 Ramos dominated Jared Swan at 174 to seal the dual. The reigning ACC champion scored eight takedowns in the bout and finished Swan off with a pin at 5:55 to push the Carolina lead to 25-6. ODU's Jack Dechow and Kevin Beazley, both No. 10 nationally at their respective weight class, won at 184 and 197 for the visitors. Cory Daniel capped a great night for UNC with a 4-1 win over Will Hilliard at 285. Daniel landed a pair of takedowns in the opening period before the two heavyweights traded ride outs. Carolina returns to the mat next Sunday at 3 p.m. when the Tar Heels travel to Boone to face in-state rival Appalachian State. Results: 125: James Szymanski (NC) pinned Steven Simpson (ODU), 3:55 - UNC leads 6-0 133: Alex Madrigal (ODU) dec. Tyrone Klump (NC), 3-2 - ODU leads 6-3 141: #8 Joey Ward (UNC) pinned Kenan Carter (ODU), 1:25 - UNC leads 12-3 149: Troy Heilmann (UNC) dec. Michael Hayes (ODU), 5-2 - UNC leads 15-3 157: #16 Joey Moon (UNC) maj. dec. Shane Jones (ODU), 8-0 - UNC leads 19-3 165: #14 Seldon Wright (ODU) dec. Jack Clark (UNC), 8-6 - UNC leads 19-6 174: #9 Ethan Ramos (UNC) pinned Jared Swan (ODU), 5:55 - UNC leads 25-6 184: #10 Jack Dechow (ODU) dec. Elijah Kerr-Brown (UNC), 8-3 - UNC leads 25-9 197: #10 Kevin Beazley (ODU) dec. Danny Chaid (UNC), 3-2 - UNC leads 25-12 285: Cory Daniel (UNC) dec. Will Hilliard (ODU), 4-1 - UNC win 28-12

TEMPE, Ariz. -- A string on three straight bonus point wins in the final three bouts lifted No. 4 Ohio State to a 27-15 victory over No. 19 Arizona State on Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Ariz. THE STORT STORY Trailing 15-12 after back to back ASU wins at 165 and 174 pounds, Ohio State got a technical fall, fall and major decision to win its dual opener in front of nearly 2,000 fans. The wins came from second-ranked Myles Martin (184), redshirt freshman Kollin Moore (197) and returning Olympic champion Kyle Snyder (HWT), who made his 2016-17 debut. In all, Ohio State won six of 10 matches - five via bonus points. RODRIGUEZ BONUS POINT TO START Making his dual match debut, redshirt freshman Jose Rodriguez picked up key bonus points with a 13-0 major decision over Josh Kramer at 125 lbs. Rodriguez jumped out to a 6-0 lead on a takedown and four-point near fall. He then rode Kramer the entire second period, turned him on his back for two more points, and then finished it off with two more takedowns and well over 3:00 of riding time. HAYES, JORDAN GO BACK TO BACK True freshman Brendan Fitzgerald dropped a hard-fought 5-2 decision at 133 lbs., but Ke-Shawn Hayes, who like Rodriguez was making his dual debut, made quick work of ASU's Tyler Sage at 141, getting a 15-0 second period technical fall. Hayes piled up eight first period points, escaped the start the second, scored a takedown and four-point near fall for the final. Seventh-ranked Micah Jordan moved to a team-best 9-0 on the season while racking up 15 points and scoring five first-period takedowns. He scored two more takedowns in the third period and piled up well over 1:00 of riding time. ASU WINS AT 157, 165, 174 In one of the more entertaining matches of the night, redshirt sophomore Jake Ryan led 9-6 early in the third period against Josh Shields but eventually dropped a 13-12 decision that was decided on riding time. Brothers Anthony and Zahid Valencia then won back to back matches to swing the lead to the Sun Devils after seven bouts, 15-12. Anthony, ranked ninth nationally, narrowly topped Cody Burcher, 4-3, on two first period takedowns. At 174, Zahid, who is No. 7 this week, pinned Seth Williams in 1:43. MARTIN GIVES OHIO STATE THE LEAD Reigning national champion Martin looked the part in his match against Jacen Peterson, getting an 18-3 technical fall. Martin quickly got a takedown, two point near-fall and four point near-fall for a quick 8-1 edge. He led 16-3 heading into the second period and quickly scored another takedown to end the match. MOORE, SNYDER FINISH IT OFF Moore quickly got two takedowns against Sully Cauley at 197 and then scored a fall in just 1:06 to give the Buckeyes a comfortable 23-15 lead. Snyder then took the mat at heavyweight, becoming the first American wrestling Olympic champion to compete in a collegiate match. Snyder looked to be in midseason form, scoring three takedowns in the first period, four more in the second and two in the third for a 20-8 major decision (he also had over 1:00 of riding time). In nine of his last 12 matches dating back to last season, Snyder has scored 20 or more points. UP NEXT The Buckeyes have a quick turnaround before their next dual, heading up 71 on Tuesday to compete against Cleveland State and host Kent State in a tri-dual in Kent, Ohio. Start time is slated for 7 p.m. Results: 125: Jose Rodriguez major decision over Josh Kramer 13-0 | OSU 4, ASU 0. 133: Ali Nasser decision over Branden Fitzgerald 5-2 | OSU 4, ASU 3 141: #14 Ke-Shawn Hayes technical fall over Tyler Sage 15-0 4:17 | OSU 9, ASU 3 149: #7 Micah Jordan decision over Josh Maruca 15-8 | OSU 12, ASU 3 157: Josh Shields decision over #10 Jake Ryan 13-12 | OSU 12, ASU 6 165: #9 Anthony Valencia decision over Cody Burcher 4-3 | OSU 12, ASU 9 174: #7 Zahid Valencia fall over Seth Williams 1:44 | ASU 15, OSU 12 184: #2 Myles Martin technical fall over Jacen Peterson 18-3 3:33 | OSU 17, ASU 15 197: #12 Kollin Moore fall over Sully Cauley 1:06 | OSU 23, ASU 17 HWT: #1 Kyle Snyder major decision over #4 Tanner Hall 20-8 | OSU 27, ASU 15

EDINBORO, Pa. – The No. 11 Lehigh wrestling team concluded its two-day western Pennsylvania road trip with gritty 20-13 victory at snowy Edinboro on Saturday afternoon. The Mountain Hawks claimed victories in six bouts, including the first three, and earned bonus points in three of those six victories. Lehigh is now 3-0 in duals this season and Edinboro is now 0-3. "I knew on paper this was going to be a really tight dual and turned out that it was," said head coach Pat Santoro. "There were a couple of close bouts that we wish we could have won, but they wanted to win them also and they did. Any time you can come up here and leave with a win it is a good thing." Two bouts on the day needed extra time to decide a winner, including the opening bout at 125 between junior Darian Cruz and Sean Russell. Cruz scored a first period takedown, but Russell countered with and escape in the second and then racked up 1:21 riding time to force the bout into overtime. After a scoreless sudden victory period, Cruz scored a reversal and tacked on two near fall points as he claimed the 6-3 victory. The Mountain Hawks stuck with an aggressive mindset as sophomore Scott Parker scored the first points of his 133-pound bout with a first period takedown over Korbin Myers. Parker tacked on another point with an escape and received an addition point with 1:32 riding time en route to a 4-1 decision. Senior Randy Cruz earned the first team bonus point of the dual with his 8-0 major decision over Ozzy Lugo at 141. Controlled the match the whole way and racked up 3:08 in riding time to secure necessary eight points for the major. After falling behind 10-0 through the first three bouts, the Fighting Scots finally got on the board in the 149 bout as Patricio Lugo edged out senior Laike Gardner for a 4-0 decision. Lugo scored all his points in the second period as he put Gardner on his back for four near fall points. Lehigh got back in the win column at 157 when freshman Jordan Kutler scored the team's second major decision of the dual win an 8-0 victory over Chase Delande. Kutler notched takedowns in the first and third periods to go along with two escapes and point awarded for a second stall warning on Delande. Edinboro earned a major decision at 165 to keep within striking distance as Austin Matthews defeated junior Drew Longo by a score of 11-3. Matthews was the aggressor early with two first period takedowns and a 1:25of riding time. Matthews had the potential for technical fall, but two challenges by coach Santoro reversed the calls on the mat and took away two takedowns for Matthews. Sophomore Ryan Preisch and Ty Schoffstall traded blows throughout most of their 174-pound bout. Preisch broke the bout open late as he scored a takedown with four near fall points in the third period. He gained an additional point with his 1:51 in riding time to post a 12-5 victory In the 184-pound bout, Dakota Geer scored a takedown in the closing minute of the first period, but freshman Kyle Gentile managed to escape. Gentile scored another escape in the second, but an escape for Geer to start the third period proved to be the difference-maker in the 3-2 victory for Geer. After being taken down in the first period at 197 by Dylan Reynolds, senior Ben Haas scored an escape and racked up over two minutes in riding time to finish the first period. Haas would go on to score another escape and finished with 2:02 in riding time to earn the 4-2 victory. The dual ended in similar fashion as it started with another overtime bout to close things out at 285. Doug Vollaro and William Miller both conceded escapes during regulation to head into overtime tied 1-1. Miller would go on to claim the 4-2 victory with a takedown in the second sudden victory period. The Mountain Hawks have a break from competition before returning to the mat in a nationally-ranked battle at Penn State on Sunday December 4. Lehigh will square off the Nittany Lions the Bryce Jordan Center starting at noon, in a match that will be nationally televised on Big Ten Network. The Brown and White will return home to Leeman-Turner Arena on December 9 for a dual against Princeton starting at 7 p.m. Results: 125: Darian Cruz (Lehigh) decision Sean Russell (Edinboro) 6-3 (TB-1) 133: Scott Parker (Lehigh) decision Korbin Myers (Edinboro) 4-1 141: Randy Cruz (Lehigh) major dec. Ozzy Lugo (Edinboro) 8-0 149: Patricio Lugo (Edinboro) dec Laike Gardner (Lehigh) 4-0 157: Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) major dec. Chase Delande (Edinboro) 8-0 165: Austin Matthews (Edinboro) major dec. Drew Longo (Lehigh) 11-3 174: Ryan Preisch decision Ty Schoffstall (Edinboro) 12-5 184: Dakota Geer (Edinboro) decision Kyle Gentile (Lehigh) 3-2 197: Ben Haas (Lehigh) decision Dylan Reynolds (Edinboro) 4-2 285: William Miller (Edinboro) decision Doug Vollaro (Lehigh) 4-2 (SV-2)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- No. 9 NC State got its first chance to wrestle in front of the home crowd this 2016-17 season, and the Wolfpack did not disappoint in picking up two dual wins on Saturday. Overall, the Pack won 16 of its 20 matches on the day, with 11 bonus point wins. The Pack started with a 43-6 win over UNC Pembroke. NC State jumped out to a fast start, gaining a 28-0 lead at the midway point. In the dual, NC State recorded four pins and three tech falls among the eight wins. NC State turned right back around and downed Air Force, 29-6. The Pack also won eight of the 10 matches in the dual, and started the dual winning the first six bouts and to gain a 19-0 lead. Wade Cummings (125 pounds), Sean Fausz (133), Kevin Jack (141), Max Rohskopf (157), and Michael Machiavelli were all in action in both duals, and all won both their matches. #9 NC State 43, UNC Pembroke 6 125: Wade Cummings (NCSU) fall Jayquon McEntyre; 1:32 6-0 133: #18 Sean Fausz (NCSU) tech fall Jonathan Miller; 18-3 11-0 141: #7 Kevin Jack (NCSU) tech fall Chad Hoff; 18-2 16-0 149: Sam Speno (NCSU) fall Tyler Makosv; 0:53 22-0 157: #4 Max Rohskopf (NCSU) fall Eric Milks; 5:36 28-0 165: Chad Pyke (NCSU) tech fall Joey DiMartino; 15-0 33-0 174: Blaze Shad (UNCP) dec. Lee Davis; 2-0 33-3 184: #18 Michael Macchiavello (NCSU) major dec. Mikey Thomas; 14-6 37-3 197: Makenna Cook (UNCP) dec. Tyler Johnson; 4-2 37-6 285: Michael Boykin (NCSU) fall Danny Berrier; 4:35 43-6 #9 NC State 29, Air Force 6 125: Wade Cummings (NCSU) major dec. Drew Romero; 19-7 4-0 133: #18 Sean Fausz (NCSU) dec. Dylan Hyder; 9-4 7-0 141: #7 Kevin Jack (NCSU) dec. John Twomey; 7-2 10-0 149: #16 Beau Donahue (NCSU) dec. Gerald McGinty; 5-2 13-0 157: #4 Max Rohskopf (NCSU) dec. Dane Robbins; 6-5 16-0 165: Brian Hamann (NCSU) dec. Alexandre Lopouchanski; 7-4 19-0 174: Michael Billingsley (AF) dec. Nick Reenan; 10-5 19-3 184: #18 Michael Macchiavello (NCSU) major dec. Zen Ikehara; 10-2 23-3 197: Anthony McLaughlin (AF) dec. Malik McDonald; 5-1 23-6 285: Mike Kosoy (NCSU) fall Kerry Powers; 5:34 29-6 UP NEXT NC State returns to action tomorrow, hosting the annual Wolfpack Open. Action starts at 9 a.m. at Carmichael Gymnasium.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Despite missing four NCAA tournament qualifiers in its season debut, the Cornell wrestling team kept the train rolling with an 18-15 dual meet victory over Buffalo on Saturday afternoon at Newman Arena. Two-time NCAA champion Gabe Dean's pin at 184 pounds proved to be the difference as the Big Red move to 1-0 on the season. The Big Red lost four of its five matches by a single point and won each of its decisions by at least five points, but in the end the difference was a dominant senior doing what he does. Dean was well on the way to a bonus point victory over Brett Perry before putting his shoulders to the mat 27 seconds into the third period. That gave Cornell some breathing room at 18-9 before Buffalo won a pair of one-point decisions in the final two weights to fall just short. Dean moved into 11th place all-time at Cornell with his 119 wins and also to seventh with his 73 bonus point wins with his 31st career win by fall. Despite Four of Cornell's five ranked wrestlers earned wins, with only No. 15 Mark Grey falling by a 3-2 decision at 133 pounds to NCAA qualifier Bryan Lantry. Fifth-ranked Brian Realbuto made his season debut and first public appearance since suffering an injury at the NCAA championships and shook off some early rust before earning a 9-4 win over Muhamed McBryde at 174. Joey Galasso and Brandon Womack, both ranked #20 at their respective weights, each had dominant wins, but fell short of pulling bonus points with six- and seven-point triumphs. The Big Red wrestled without nationally ranked Dalton Macri (#15 at 125), Dylan Palacio (#2 at 157) and Jeramy Sweany (#19 at 285) and NCAA qualifier Owen Scott at 197. Cornell now leads the all-time series with Buffalo 7-4 and extended its win streak against schools that reside in New York state to 31 and against unranked opponents to 69. Cornell will be in search of its fifth straight New York State title tomorrow at Newman Arena. Results: 125: Derek Spann (UB) won by decision over Noah Baughman (C), 7-4 133: Bryan Lantry (UB) won by decision over #15 Mark Grey (C), 3-2 141: Jason Estevez (UB) won by decision over Will Koll (C), 3-2 149: #20 Joey Galasso (C) won by decision over Colt Cotten (UB), 10-4 157: Taylor Simaz (C) won by decision over Kobe Garrehy (UB), 8-1 165: #20 Brandon Womack (C) won by decision over Derek Holcomb (UB), 13-6 174: #5 Brian Realbuto (C) won by decision over Muhamed McBryde (UB), 9-4 184: #1 Gabe Dean (C) won by fall Brett Perry (UB), 5:27 197: James Benjamin (UB) won by decision over Ben Honis (C), 4-3 285: Jake Gunning (UB) won by decision over Craig Scott (C), 5-4

"Battle at the Birthplace" took place at High Points Solutions Stadium (Photo/Ben Solomon) PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- No. 10 Rutgers wrestling (4-0) and Princeton (0-1) drew the second-highest crowd in NCAA dual history Saturday at High Point Solutions Stadium, where the Scarlet Knights defeated the Tigers, 19-16, in the "Battle at the Birthplace" presented by Autoland. The teams split the dual, 5-5, but bonus points for RU in the form of two major decisions and a tech fall from Nicholas Gravina at 184 pounds gave the Scarlet Knights their 21st-straight win in the series. "I thought it was an awesome atmosphere," said head coach Scott Goodale. "It was a little bit different obviously than being in the RAC, it's hard to get that feel of the fans right on the mat, but still, tremendous crowd, and good for New Jersey wrestling. I want to thank Princeton and their administration for all their help through this, about seven, eight months in the making." A total of 16,178 fans filed into High Point Solutions Stadium Saturday for the historic dual match against the Tigers. Rutgers picked up decision wins from No. 13 Tyson Dippery at 133 pounds and Ken Theobold at 149 pounds, followed by back-to-back major decisions from John Van Brill (157 pounds) and Richie Lewis (165 pounds). Gravina captured RU's final win of the afternoon, 24-3, against No. 17 Ian Baker. At 125 pounds, Sean McCabe dropped a tightly contested 2-0 bout against Ty Agaisse. Agaisse rode McCabe out in the second period and escaped with 1:18 left in the third for the victory. No. 13-ranked Dippery built a 6-0 lead after two periods and never looked back, despite D'Arcy scoring a takedown in the final period. Dippery improved to a team-best 8-0 on the year. No. 3 Anthony Ashnault fell by a last-second takedown against No. 10 Matthew Kolodzik in the series rubber-match between the two in-state foes. Ashnault led 3-2 down the stretch, but Kolodzik struck with five ticks left for the win and a 2-1 lead all-time against Ashnault. No. 14 Theobold bumped his record to 6-0 this season with a 6-4 decision against No. 19 Jordan Laster. Laster scored with 1:06 left in the third period to tie the match at 4-4. Officials reviewed whether or not Laster scored back points, but the call on the mat for a takedown alone was confirmed. Theobold escaped 20 seconds later and earned the riding time point for the 6-4 win, tying the dual at 6-6. Van Brill scored six points on a takedown and four-point near fall in the final period to close out a 14-3 major decision with riding time. Lewis (1-0), ranked No. 6 at 157 pounds, stepped on the line a match later at 165 pounds and overpowered Joe Tavoso in a 17-6 major decision. No. 16 Jonathan Schleifer and Phillip Bakuckas were knotted at 1-1 after seven minutes at 174 pounds. After 40 seconds of sudden victory and a long scramble, the wrestlers returned to the neutral position, where Schleifer attacked and scored a takedown on the edge. Gravina, ranked No. 14, stayed unbeaten with a dominant performance against No. 17 Ian Baker. The Allendale, New Jersey, native scored 20 points in the final two periods, ending the match with four back points in a 24-3 final. Gravina's win made it a 19-9 match with two bouts left. The Tigers captured wins in the final two matches at 197 pounds and heavyweight, but could not make up the difference in the team score. Anthony Messner battled to lose by decision against No. 4 Brett Harner, 8-2, while Marc McDonald fell to No. 18 Ray O'Donnell, 12-4. "I looked around and I was pretty proud we were able to pull this off," Goodale said. "I can tell you this: we need to get better as a team. I don't think that was our best performance. Obviously it's November, it's early, and we're going to be a lot better down the line and a lot better in all three areas of wrestling - top, bottom, and neutral." The Scarlet Knights are now 42-33-5 all-time against Princeton and have now won 21-straight matches in the series since 1993. Rutgers returns to action next Sunday at the "Grapple at the Garden." The Scarlet Knights are scheduled to wrestle No. 8 Cornell (12:30 p.m.) and Columbia (10:30 a.m.). Results: 125: Ty Agaisse (PU) dec. over Sean McCabe (RU), 2-0; Princeton leads, 3-0 133: No. 13/13/19 Tyson Dippery (RU) dec. over Pat D'Arcy (PU), 7-2; Dual tied, 3-3 141: No. 10/10/10 Matthew Kolodzik (PU) dec. over No. 3/3/4 Anthony Ashnault (RU), 4-3; Princeton leads, 6-3 149: No. 14/11/NR Ken Theobold (RU) dec. over No. 19/NR/13 Jordan Laster (PU), 6-4; Dual tied, 6-6 157: John Van Brill (RU) major dec. over Mike D'Angelo (PU), 14-3; Rutgers leads, 10-6 165: No. 6/7/7/ Richie Lewis (RU) major dec. over Joe Tavoso (PU), 17-6; Rutgers leads, 14-6 174: No. 16/19/17 Jonathan Schleifer (PU) dec. over Phillip Bakuckas (RU), 3-1 (SV); Rutgers leads, 14-9 184: No. 14/14/14 Nicholas Gravina (RU) tech fall over No. 17/15/11 Ian Baker (PU), 24-3; Rutgers leads, 19-9 197: No. 4/4/4 Brett Harner (PU) dec. over Anthony Messner (RU), 8-2; Rutgers leads, 19-12 HWT: No. 18/18/14 Ray O'Donnell (PU) major dec. over Marc McDonald (RU), 12-4; Rutgers wins, 19-16 Rankings (-/-/-): InterMat / FloWrestling/The Open Mat NR denotes not ranked

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STANFORD, Calif. -- No. 13 Stanford improved to 2-1 on Friday night, defeating Purdue 23-14 at Burnham Pavilion. The Cardinal won six of ten bouts in the dual, handing the 4-1 Boilermakers their first loss of the season. Stanford took the early lead and never relinquished it. The dual began at 174 pounds, where redshirt senior All-American Jim Wilson gave the Cardinal the lead, winning 17-5 in a major decision to put Stanford up, 4-0. Purdue responded at 184 pounds when Tanner Lynde won 3-1 with a sudden victory decision over redshirt freshman Austin Flores. Josh Marchok scored a quick six points for Stanford at 197 pounds, winning by fall at 1:12 over Christian Brunner to give the Cardinal a 10-3 lead. Redshirt junior Nathan Butler, the ninth-ranked heavyweight in the nation, extended Stanford's lead at 285 pounds with a 4-0 decision against Tyler Kral. Returning All-American Connor Schram further extended the lead at 125 pounds. The redshirt junior, who ranks seventh in the nation at 125, won by 9-1 in a major decision, putting the Cardinal ahead, 17-3. Purdue cut into the deficit at 133 pounds when Luke Welch defeated redshirt senior Peter Russo by technical fall at 6:17, making the score 17-8 in favor of Stanford. Sophomore All-American Joey McKenna, the nation's second-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds, won a 6-3 decision over Kyle Ayersman, upping Stanford's advantage to 20-8. Alex Griffin narrowed Stanford's lead to 20-14 in the penultimate bout of the dual, defeating redshirt sophomore Paul Fox in a 5-2 decision. Redshirt senior Peter Galli finished off the win for Stanford with a 6-1 decision at 165 pounds over Dylan Lydy. Prior to Stanford's dual against Purdue, the Boilermakers faced off against Boise State, defeating the Broncos by a score of 20-17. The Cardinal returns to action on Sunday when it travels to Fresno, California, to compete in the Roadrunner Open. Results: 125 #7 Connor Schram (STAN) dec. Ben Thornton (PUR) 9-1 133 Luke Welch (PUR) fall Peter Russo (STAN) F6:17 141 #2 Joey McKenna (STAN) dec. Kyle Ayersman (PUR) 6-3 149 Nate Limmex (PUR) dec. Tommy Pawelski (STAN) 3-1 157 Alex Griffin (PUR) dec. Paul Fox (STAN) 5-2 165 Peter Galli (STAN) dec. Dylan Lydy (PUR) 6-1 174 #14 Jim Wilson (STAN) dec. Peter Andreotii (PUR) 17-5 184 Tanner Lynde (PUR) SV Austin Flores (STAN) 3-1 (SV) 197 Josh Marchok (STAN) fall Christian Brunner (PUR) 1:12 285 #9 Nathan Butler (STAN) dec. Tyler Kral (PUR) 4-0

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Wrestling in front of a hostile crowd of 1,921 at Northern Iowa's West Gym on Friday evening, the No. 6 Virginia Tech wrestling team came away with a 27-10 win over the No. 22 Panthers. The Hokies (4-0, 0-0 ACC) improve to 4-2 all-time against the Panthers (2-1, 0-0 MAC) and have now topped ranked opponents in back-to-back duals. Tech will next travel to No. 5 Missouri for a 2 p.m. match on Sunday that will be streamed live on FloWrestling.com. The dual consisted of highly physical matchups that only added to the electric atmosphere in Cedar Falls as a top three matchup at 125 got the night started between No. 3 Joey Dance and No. 2 Dylan Peters of UNI. Dance, facing Peters for the fourth time in his career, jumped out to a 7-1 lead after two and came away with an 8-3 decision with 1:38 of riding time. After the Panthers picked up a major decision at 133, Dennis Gustafson came out with high energy our of the gate and helped bring the dual meet score to a tie at 6-6. A ranked bout at 149 followed between No. 6 Solomon Chishko and UNI's No. 18 Max Thomsen where Chishko used two takedowns in the first and second periods to ride to a 6-2 win. Senior Sal Mastriani, who came into the match leading the Hokies with two tech falls at 157, struck again as he used four near fall points to pick up the tech in the second period, giving Tech a 14-6 advantage. The dominance of Zach Epperly and Zak Zavatsky at 174 and 184, respectively, were really tested with the Hokies leading by four, 14-10. Both of their matches came down to smarts and both came away with key decisions. Jared Haught followed at 197 with a 6-2 decison before senor heavyweight Ty Walz capped things off his first major decision, 20-6, of the dual season. Results: 125 - #3 Joey Dance (VT) dec. #2 Dylan Peters (UNI), 8-3 (1:38 RT) 133 - #14 Josh Alber (UNI) pinned Dominic Latona (VT), 1:47 141 - Dennis Gustafson (VT) dec. Jake Hodges (UNI), 10-5 (2:02 RT) 149 - #6 Solomon Chishko (VT) dec. #18 Max Thomsen (UNI), 6-2 (2:20 RT) 157 - Sal Mastriani (VT) tech fall Paden Moore (UNI), 18-2 (2:30 RT) 165 - #13 Bryce Steiert* (UNI) maj. dec. Mike Ciavarro (VT), 11-3 (2:24 RT) 174 - #2 Zach Epperly (VT) dec. Taylor Lujan (UNI), 9-7 184 - #9 Zach Zavatsky (VT) dec. Jacob Holschlag (UNI), 9-7 (1:30 RT) 197 - #3 Jared Haught (VT) dec. Jared Bartel (UNI), 6-2 (1:18 RT) 285 - #3 Ty Walz (VT) maj. dec. JJ Everard (UNI), 20-6 (2:50 RT)

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 11-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team won each of its first seven matches, earning bonus points in four bouts, to cruise to a 27-15 win against No. 17 Oklahoma in its first true road competition of the 2016-17 season on Friday night (Nov. 18) at the Sooners' McCasland Field House. "Overall, it was just a great team effort," said head coach Joe McFarland. "As a coaching staff, we're really liking the energy that these guys are bringing to the mat. We had Oklahoma on their heels with an aggressive, attacking style. That's exactly what we want to see. We made some mistakes, but we'll continue to learn from those, and we'll just keep moving forward and keep getting better." The Wolverines opened the dual with three straight bonus wins to build a 14-0 lead through the lowerweights. Sophomore/freshman Austin Assad set the tone in the first match with a second-period fall against Dalton Duffield at 125 pounds, earning his first collegiate dual win and first pin of the season. Amine, ranked 18th in the latest InterMat poll, jumped to an early lead with a pair of first-period takedowns and, starting on top in the second period, put in the legs in before turning Duffield in a power half to end the bout at the 4:25 mark. Sophomore/freshman Stevan Micic and Sal Profaci followed with back-to-back major decisions at 133 and 141 pounds, respectively. Micic, ranked 10th nationally, used four takedowns -- two apiece in the first and third periods -- and a second-period reversal to defeat Trae Blackwell, 11-3. Profaci similarly finished on four takedowns and reversal and accumulated 3:16 in riding-time advantage to beat Mike Longo. Like Assad, it is Profaci's first collegiate dual win. The Wolverines knocked off nationally ranked opponents in each of the next three bouts at the middleweights, with decision victories from junior/sophomore Zac Hall, senior captain Brian Murphy and sophomore/freshman Logan Massa. Hall, unranked at 149 pounds, used a big second period to defeat 12th-ranked Davion Jeffries, 9-3, tacking on six points on a takedown and four-point leg turk in the final 30 seconds of the frame. He added another takedown in the third period to ice the win. Murphy, ranked fifth at 157 pounds, converted on five takedowns, using a variety of knee picks, barzegar and single-leg finishes, to roll past 12th-ranked DaWaylon Barnes, 11-4, for his second straight win over a ranked opponent. After a low-scoring first period, he broke it open with two takedowns apiece in the second and third. Massa, ranked seventh at 165 pounds, made a pair of first-period takedowns hold up in his 4-2 decision against 10th-ranked Clark Glass. He improved to 7-0 on the season. Sophomore/freshman Myles Amine added another bonus victory -- already his fifth of the season -- with an 11-2 major decision against Hayden Hansen at 174 pounds. He broke the match open early with a takedown and four-point leg turk in the first period before adding a takedown in the second, reversal in the third and 3:23 in riding-time advantage. Like Massa, he improved to 7-0 on the season. Oklahoma claimed the final three bouts, earning big points with falls at 184 pounds and heavyweight, but the Wolverines already had clinched the dual victory. Michigan will travel to Corvallis, Oregon, to wrap up the road trip against No. 24 Oregon State on Sunday (Nov. 20). The dual is slated for a noon PST start at Gill Coliseum and will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Oregon. Results: 125 -- #18 Austin Assad (U-M) pinned Dalton Duffield, 4:25 U-M, 6-0 133 -- #10 Stevan Micic (U-M) major dec. Trae Blackwell, 11-3 U-M, 10-0 141 -- Sal Profaci (U-M) major dec. Mike Longo, 12-4 U-M, 14-0 149 -- Zac Hall (U-M) dec. #12 Davion Jeffries, 9-3 U-M, 17-0 157 -- #5 Brian Murphy (U-M) dec. #12 DaWaylon Barnes, 11-4 U-M, 20-0 165 -- #7 Logan Massa (U-M) dec. #10 Clark Glass, 4-2 U-M, 23-0 174 -- Myles Amine (U-M) major dec. Hayden Hansen, 11-2 U-M, 27-0 184 -- Andrew Dixon (OU) pinned Ernest Battaglia, 4:05 U-M, 27-6 197 -- Brad Johnson (OU) dec. Jackson Striggow, 6-4 SV U-M, 27-9 Hwt -- #12 Ross Larson (OU) pinned Kostya Golobokov, 0:36 U-M, 27-15

Durham, N.C. -- Six Badgers picked up wins as the 11th-ranked Wisconsin wrestling team earned a 25-17 dual victory over Duke on Friday evening in Card Gym. "I'm glad that we got a win," assistant coach Kyle Ruschell said. "We came into an ACC school and came away healthy and on top, but we definitely have a lot of stuff to work on since it was our first dual of the season. The upperclassmen did a great job and the underclassmen need to learn from that." Wisconsin entered the final match up 22-17, but 149-pounder Andrew Crone knew the Blue Devils could steal the match away still. Up against Xaviel Ramos, Crone gave it his all in the first period and narrowly escaped a pin. The junior entered the third period trailing 8-3, but a strong finish gave him the 11-7 decision to seal the UW victory. "Crone got put to his back early and took it one step at a time," Ruschell said. "He fought off his back for almost a minute and a half, but he came back and got his hand raised." Freshman Ben Stone gave the Badgers a pivotal spark with his upset. With the Badgers up by just four points heading into the heavyweight match, Stone rose to the occasion by pinning No. 16 Jacob Kasper. Stone recorded the fall at 1:18 and gave the fired-up Badgers plenty to cheer about. Senior Isaac Jordan met his always high expectations by pinning Michael Wright. The second-ranked 165-pounder recorded the fall at 2:44 to give the Badgers six points. At 197 pounds, Ricky Robertson won by an 18-6 major decision over Duke's Alexander Belaia-Martiniouk and the junior gave UW a crucial four points heading into Stone's match. Sophomore Ryan Christensen earned a hard-fought 12-7 decision over Michael Wright in the 174-pound match. Freshman and 133-pounder Eli Stickley also gave the Badgers three points by defeating Cole Baumgartner with a 7-2 decision. Freshman Izaec Quintanilla got off to a strong start to kick off the dual, but ultimately was pinned by Jose Abbate at 5:46. In the 184-pound bout, Duke's Alec Schenk came away with the 6-3 decision over UW freshman Hunter Ritter. In a tough match against Thayer Atkins, sophomore Jens Lantz fell with a 5-2 decision while fellow sophomore Luke Rowh lost by a technical fall against Zach Finesilver. The Badgers will stay in North Carolina this weekend as they head to Raleigh to compete in the Wolfpack Open on Sunday. "We feel good heading into Sunday," Ruschell said. "We've got about 18 guys out here wrestling, so it will be a team event and hopefully the guys can feed off each other and learn from some of the big wins today. "We're excited to show everybody what we're capable of." Results: 157: Joey Abbate (Duke) pinned Izaec Quintanilla (Wisc.), 5:46 Duke 6, Wisconsin 0 165: No. 2 Isaac Jordan (Wisc) pinned Michael Wright (Duke), 2:40 Duke 6, Wisconsin 6 174: Ryan Christensen (Wisc) dec. Connor Bass (Duke), 12-7 Duke 6, Wisconsin 9 184: Alec Schenk (Duke) dec. Hunter Ritter (Wisc), 6-3 Duke 9, Wisconsin 9 197: Ricky Robertson (Wisc) major dec. Alex Belaia Martiniouk (Duke) Duke 9, Wisconsin 13 285: Ben Stone (Wisc) pinned No. 16 Jacob Kasper (Duke), 1:18 Duke 9, Wisconsin 19 125: Thayer Atkins (Duke) dec. Jens Lantz (Wisc), 5-2 Duke 12, Wisconsin 19 133: Eli Stickley (Wisc.) dec. Cole Baumgartner (Duke), 7-2 Duke 12, Wisconsin 22 141: Zach Finesilver (Duke) tech fall Luke Rowh (Wisc), 17-0, 5:00 Duke 17, Wisconsin 22 149: Andrew Crone (Wisc.) dec. Xaviel Ramos (Duke), 11-9 Duke 17, Wisconsin 25

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- The 11th-ranked Lehigh wrestling team claimed eight out of 10 bouts from No. 21 Pittsburgh and handed the Panthers their first loss of the season, 28-8 Friday night at Fitzgerald Field House. The Mountain Hawks are now 2-0 dual matches as they picked up their first road win of the season, while Pitt is now 3-1 on the season. "We beat a very good team and we were winning matches, but I thought our performances could have been better," said head coach Pat Santoro. "I think training leading up to the match caused the guys to be sluggish. We are going to adjust how we train moving forward on road trips to ensure that the guys fresh for competition." Pitt's LJ Bentley scored the first points of the 125 bout with a takedown in the first 30 seconds, but junior Darian Cruz scored a reversal and then piled up four near fall points in first period. Cruz then tacked on four more near fall points within the final two minutes of the first period. After a scoreless second period, Cruz remained defensive throughout third period to protect his lead and held on for 10-2 major decision to put Lehigh on top through the first bout. Eighth-ranked Dom Forys of Pitt scored a takedown for first points of the 133 bout, but sophomore Scott Parker countered back quickly with an escape. Forys scored an escape after starting in the down position to start second period, but then Parker recorded a takedown. Forys escaped out to go ahead 4-3 and then scored another takedown with 30 seconds left in the second period to take 6-3 lead heading into final period. Parker scored an escape to start the third period. Forys then scored a critical takedown with under 40 seconds left in the bout to go ahead 8-4 and held on to win 9-4 with the riding time advantage. Senior Randy Cruz tallied the first points of his match against Robert Lee at 141 with a takedown with just over one minute left in the first period. Cruz started in the down position to start the second period and scored an escape as he fought off multiple near takedowns. Cruz protected his lead in the third period and grinding out a 3-0 victory. The 149 bout began with a takedown by Pitt's Mikey Racciato with 40 seconds left in first period. Laike Gardner managed to cut into lead with an escape and trailed 2-1 heading into the second period. Gardner chose bottom position to start the second and went to work with an escape to go with a takedown in the first 30 seconds of the period. Racciato scored a late reversal, but Gardner escaped to take a 5-4 lead into the final period. Gardner then recorded an early takedown in the third and rode out the rest of the period to an 8-4 decision with 2:42 in riding time. At 157, freshman Jordan Kutler notched the first points of the bout against Jake Wentzel with a takedown with just over one minute left in first period. Kutler racked up over a minute of riding time in first period. Kutler fought through two near takedowns to start second period and scored an escape to go ahead 3-0. Wentzel escaped for the only points of the final period but riding time gave Kutler a 4-1 victory and Lehigh a 13-3 lead at the halfway points. Pitt's Te'Shaun Campbell came storming out of the gates with a takedown and four near fall points within first 30 seconds against junior Drew Longo in the 165 bout. Campbell then added on four more near fall points before the end of the first minute of the opening period. Longo tallied an escape in the final minute of opening period, but Campbell countered with another takedown and four near fall points to record the 16-1 technical fall victory at 2:44. At 174, sophomore Ryan Preisch scored a late takedown over Christian Dietrich after slow start to the first period. Preisch then scored a critical takedown with less than 10 seconds remaining in the second period to hold a 5-0 lead through two periods. Preisch remained on the offensive in the third and picked up another takedown and tacked on four near fall points as his riding time exceeded one minute. Preisch would get the bonus point and claimed the first of three straight major decisions by Lehigh with a 12-0 victory. Freshman Kyle Gentile claimed the first points of his bout with a takedown after a 1:30 scramble with Mat Carr in the 184 bout. Gentile finished the first period with 1:34 in riding time. He would then tack on an early point in the second period with an escape. Gentile extended his lead to 5-0 with a takedown in the final minute of the period and bumped his riding time to over two minutes. Gentile allowed a strategic escape point in the third period to then score his third takedown of the bout. Gentile finished with 3:08 in riding time on his way to the 10-2 major decision victory. After a scoreless first period at 197, senior Ben Haas chose bottom to start the second period and then and intense scramble ensued, but was ultimately blown dead due dangerous positioning. Haas kept up the pressure and scored a reversal against Zach Bruce, combined with two near fall points. He then tacked on four more near fall points late in the period to take 8-0 lead into third. Haas closed out the third period by racking up over a minute of riding time to earn the bonus point and claim the 9-0 major decision. The dual concluded with a battle of ranked heavyweights as No. 14 Ryan Solomon of Pitt faced 11th-ranked senior Doug Vollaro. After scoreless first period, Solomon scored the first points of the bout with an escape. Vollaro returned the favor as scored an escape of his own to start the third period. Vollaro nearly had a takedown as time expired in third period, but then got his takedown off a counter in the overtime period to win the bout 3-1 and lock up the dual victory for Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks will return to the mat on Saturday with a trip to Edinboro for a 3 p.m. dual with the Fighting Scots. Results: 125: Darian Cruz (Lehigh) major dec. LJ Bentley (Pitt) 10-2 133: Dom Forys (Pitt) dec. Scott Parker (Lehigh) 9-4 141: Randy Cruz (Lehigh) dec. Robert Lee (Pitt) 3-0 149: Laike Gardner (Lehigh) dec. Mike Racciato (Pitt) 8-4 157: Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) dec. Jake Wentzel (Pitt) 4-1 165: Te'Shaun Campbell (Pitt) tech. fall Drew Longo (Lehigh) 16-1 (2:44) 174: Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) major dec. Christian Dietrich (Pitt) 12-0 184: Kyle Gentile (Lehigh) major dec. Matt Carr (Pitt) 10-2 197: Ben Haas (Lehigh) major dec. Zach Bruce (Pitt) 9-0 285: Doug Vollaro (Lehigh) dec. Ryan Solomon (Pitt) 3-1, sv

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Northwestern bounced back in a big way after intermission to beat Bloomsburg 27-10 on the Huskies' home mat Friday night. Bloomsburg had a narrow 10-6 lead at the halfway point, but the Wildcats won each of the final five bouts, outscoring the Huskies 21-0 in the process. Chicago's Big Ten Team improved its record to 4-0 on the season. "I am proud of the way the team battled tonight," head coach Matt Storniolo said. "We put ourselves in a bit of a hole after the first few weights, but the guys stayed focused and righted the ship. Bloomsburg tested our resiliency tonight, and we responded.” Northwestern now boasts seven wrestlers that have not lost a bout this season. Anthony Rubinetti, Shayne Oster, Johnny Sebastian, Mitch Sliga, Jacob Berkowitz and Conan Jennings all improved to 4-0 Friday night, while Bryce Brill also remains undefeated at 3-0. Rubinetti got the proceedings underway with a 6-2 win over Willy Girard at 125 lbs. Following two narrow Bloomsburg victories, Oster then won a competitive contest at 149 lbs. by a 5-4 score in the first tiebreak to tie the team score at six points apiece. Bloomsburg then went up 10-6 on a major decision, but the second half of the meet provided a much different outcome. Senior Ben Sullivan got the comeback started with a victory over Reid Stanley at 165. Teammates Johnny Sebastian, Mitch Sliga, Jacob Berkowitz and Conan Jennings then continued the onslaught with four more wins. Sebastian picked up four points for the 'Cats with a 14-5 major decision before Sliga tacked on another six with a pin in 3:44. Jennings completed the Northwestern win with a dominant 16-0 tech fall in 5:38 at heavyweight. Up next for Northwestern is the Keystone Classic at UPenn on Sunday. The tournament will be an all-day event featuring twelve teams and 25 ranked individual wrestlers. Results: 125: Anthony Rubinetti (NU) dec. Willy Girard (BU), 6-2 [NU 3, BU 0] 133: Matt Noble (BU) dec. Jason Ipsarides (NU), 8-4 [NU 3, BU 3] 141: Grant Bond (BU) dec. Alec McKenna (NU), 6-4 (SV-1) [BU 6, NU 3] 149: Shayne Oster (NU) dec. Kevin Laubach (BU), 5-4 (TB-1) [NU 6, BU 6] 157: Brendon Colbert (BU) maj. dec. Anthony Petrone (NU), 19-4 [BU 10, NU 6] 165: Ben Sullivan (NU) dec. Reid Stanley (BU), 4-0 [BU 10, NU 9] 174: Johnny Sebastian (NU) maj. dec. Trevor Allard (BU), 14-5 [NU 13, BU 10] 184: Mitch Sliga (NU) Fall Tyler Worthing (BU), 3:44 [NU 19, BU 10] 197: Jacob Berkowitz (NU) dec. Kyle Murphy (BU), 4-0 [NU 22, BU 10] 285: Conan Jennings (NU) Tech Fall Shawn Spiller (BU), 16-0 (5:38) [NU 27, BU 10]

CLARION, Pa. -- The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team grinded out a hard fought, 18-16, dual win over Clarion University Friday night, Nov. 18, at Tippen Gym in Clarion. With the win, EMU moved to 2-0 on the season. The Eagles and Golden Eagles (0-3, 0-0 EWL) actually tied in matchups, 5-5, but a pin in the 133 lbs. bout by redshirt freshman Sa'Derian Perry (Lakeland, Fla.-Lake Gibson)ended up being the difference in the match. The pin was the only bonus point win for Eastern, while Clarion notched a major decision of their own. Beginning at heavyweight, redshirt junior Gage Hutchison (Buchanan, Mich.-Buchanan)got EMU off on the right foot with a tight 4-3 decision. Hutchison got a takedown in period one and a reversal in period three, while Clarion got three escapes. With time winding down in the third, Hutchison fended off a couple shots to maintain the decision and give Eastern the early 3-0 lead. Clarion returned the favor at 125 with a 5-1 decision, tying the score at 3-3 going into the 133 lbs. bout. There, Perry followed up his EMU dual debut pin with another one against the Golden Eagles, once again in the first period in 1:39. After three bouts, EMU led 9-3. At 141 lbs., Clarion sent the 14th-ranked national wrestler out onto the mat in Brock Zacherl, and he took care of business, winning 5-3 to close the gap to 9-6. Redshirt senior Nick Barber (Cleveland, Ohio- St. Edward) answered back at 149 lbs. with a 7-5 decision. The veteran got takedowns in periods one and two, and with an escape led 5-1 into the third. He got one more in period three, but two escapes and a late takedown by Clarion finished things out with the two-point win. Midway though, EMU led 12-6. Eastern made it two in a row at 157 lbs. when redshirt freshman Zac Carson (Akron, Ohio-Lake) made his dual debut. He notched four takedowns in all, and with an escape and riding time, secured a 10-5 decision and extended the Eagles' lead to 15-6. A major decision at 165 lbs. made the team score 15-10, as redshirt freshman J.J. Wolfe(Dakota, Ill-Dakota) wrestled up a class, but fell by a 13-3 tally. At 174 lbs., a thrilling overtime match went in favor of Clarion in sudden victory. Redshirt senior Jacob Davis(North Ridgeville, Ohio-St. Edward) was tied with Dom Rigous at three after regulation, but a takedown late in OT gave Clarion the win, and cut EMU's lead to two with two bouts to go. Needing a clutch win to maintain its lead, Eastern got the victory it needed at 184 lbs. when redshirt sophomore Kayne MacCallum (Green Oaks, Ill.-Libertyville) took a 4-2 decision. Tied at two all in the third, MacCallum notched a takedown with about 1:30 left in the match, and rode out the decision to push the lead to five, 18-13, going into the final match. With the five-point lead, redshirt sophomore Derek Hillman (Woodhaven, Mich.-Woodhaven) just needed to avoid a fall to secure the dual win. He wrestled to a 1-1 stalemate into the third, and took the match into overtime. After a scramble, Hillman gave up the takedown to fall 3-1 in OT, but EMU still walked away with the 18-16 dual win. The Eagles will remain in the Keystone State for the Keystone Classic tournament this Sunday, Nov. 20. The Philadelphia based event will run all day. Results: 125: Jake Gromacki (Clarion) def. Noah Gonser (EMU) Dec. 5-1 133: Sa'Derian Perry (EMU) def. Roshaun Cooley (Clarion) Fall 1:39 141: No. 14 Brock Zacherl (Clarion) def. Kyle Springer (EMU) Dec. 5-3 149: Nick Barber (EMU) def. Mike Bartolo (Clarion) Dec. 7-5 157: Zac Carson (EMU) def. Taylor Cahill (Clarion) Dec. 10-5 165: Evan DeLong (Clarion) def. J.J. Wolfe (EMU) MD 13-3 174: Dom Rigous (Clarion) def. Jacob Davis (EMU) Dec. 5-3 SV-2 184: Kayne MacCallum (EMU) def. Scott Marmoll (Clarion) Dec. 4-2 197: Dustin Conti (Clarion) def. Derek Hillman (EMU) Dec. 3-1 SV-1 HWT: Gage Hutchison (EMU) def. Evan Daley (Clarion) Dec. 4-3

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- The Army West Point wrestling team won its first three matches in a 23-10 victory over Cal Poly on Friday from Union Plaza. The Black Knights improve to 1-2 on the season, while the Mustangs dropped to 3-4. ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES This was the first meeting between the two schools since 1972-73. Army earned its first victory over Cal Poly and is now 1-2 against the Mustangs all-time. Freshman Trey Chalifoux won his first dual match. Senior Trevor Smith earned the 30th win of his career. Seniors Logan Everett, Russ Parsons and Samson Imonode all lead the team with a 2-1 record in duals. KEY MOMENT Army set the tone early with a pair of major decisions in the first two bouts to take an early 8-0 lead. HOW IT HAPPENED 197: #15 Rocco Caywood maj. dec. over J.T. Goodwin, 17-8 (Army leads, 4-0) 285: Trevor Smith maj. dec. over Spencer Empay, 9-1 (Army leads, 8-0) 125: Trey Chalifoux dec. over Isaac Blackburn, 3-1 (Army leads, 11-0) 133: Yoshito Funakoshi dec. over Austin Harry, 12-6 (Army leads, 11-3) 141: #17 Logan Everett dec. Colton Schilling, 6-2 (Army leads, 14-3) 149: Joshua Cortez dec. over Matt Kelly, 6-4 (Army leads, 14-6) 157: #14 Russ Parsons dec. over Colt Shorts, 5-2 (Army leads, 17-6) 165: Andrew Mendel dec. over Blake Kastl, 3-1 (Army leads, 20-6) 174: Travis Berridge maj. dec. over Ben Harvey, 13-5 (Army leads, 20-10) 184: Samson Imonode dec. over Thomas Lane, 7-4 (Army leads, 23-10) UP NEXT The Black Knights will compete at CSU Bakersfield's Roadrunner Open on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

Members of the Columbia wrestling team have released a letter of apology addressed to the Columbia University community and sent to the Bwog.com website -- an independent, student-run Columbia news website affiliated with the Blue and White Magazine -- which originally posted obscene and racist text messages from some senior class members of the Lions wrestling team from a GroupMe account late last week. Earlier this week, Columbia announced it was suspending its wrestling program until it had completed an investigation. On Friday, the New York City school announced the results of the investigation, stating that the wrestlers who had sent the messages have been removed from the team, and that the Lions wrestling program is no longer under suspension. Those found not to have been involved in the group messaging were cleared to resume wrestling, starting this weekend at the New York State Intercollegiate Championships at Cornell University. To the Columbia community: All of us apologize, without reservation or condition, to all members of the Columbia community for the creation and dissemination of the inappropriate, vulgar and hurtful text messages which have affected so many members of our community and the overall University. In particular, we apologize to our fellow students, the faculty members who teach us, and the campus administrators who work so hard on our behalf. As a team, we want to make it clear to everyone that we understand the fact that these offensive text messages are inexcusable. These messages do not represent our core values as a program, our coaching staff or the athletics department. We sincerely apologize for the hurtful things that have been said, the damage done to relationships we hold dearly, and the harm this incident has done to Columbia University's reputation and public image. We are truly very sorry. We tremendously regret the harm that this has caused the Columbia athletics program; many members of the athletics family dedicate their time to make sure that all student-athletes represent the university in a positive light, and are active and productive members of the university community. We are sorry for betraying their trust and not being mindful of their strong example. We also apologize to our alumni and supporters, as we have let you down and have disrespected the entire collegiate wrestling community. We apologize to our coaches - for putting them in a difficult position and jeopardizing their professional careers and personal well-being, as these messages do not (and never has) represent them or their values whatsoever. More importantly, we want all people who were insulted or felt threatened by the messages to know that we could not be more remorseful for the harm that this situation has caused. Our team aspires to be leaders on campus and in our community. We know that we must contribute to campus life in a way that makes everyone feel safe and celebrated regardless of our differences. We are disappointed in ourselves because members of our team stood by as bystanders as opposed to speaking out on behalf of those individuals and groups which were being talked about in such a negative and hostile manner. We will strive to do everything in our power to help everyone feel safe, accepted and valued as all members of the Columbia community should be. We realize that what was done is extremely wrong. There is no excuse for this behavior. All of us have gained an entirely new perspective on how hurtful the comments made by members of our team truly are. These messages are not just words or playful jokes between teammates. This has been a wake-up call for our team. A culture change was obviously needed - and, rest assured, it will take place. We are prepared for any deserved repercussions from our actions. Every member of this team has already learned -- and will continue to learn -- from this experience. We will do our best to contribute to pursuing social justice. We will continue to strive to represent our sport and school which we love with pride and integrity. We ask for your continued understanding, and pledge to be better contributors to the university community. With respect and humility, we once again offer our sincerest apologies to all for our irresponsible behavior. Remorsefully, The members of the Columbia Wrestling team

Zach Tanelli NEW YORK -- When I stepped on campus in July as the Columbia wrestling coach, I committed myself and my leadership to Columbia University, the Athletic Department and its wrestling team. The University and Athletic Department conducted a thorough investigation, and we respect their decisions. While I am exceedingly disappointed in light of these circumstances, we, as a program, take full responsibility. It is our immediate mission to deliver the best possible enrichment opportunities for the reconciliation and personal growth of our student-athletes. Not only do we demand that the harming and offensive language end; we want Columbia Wrestling to be a part of the solution toward cultural competency and systemic change.

Columbia University Columbia's Department of Athletics has completed its investigation of the school's varsity wrestling team, working together with the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. Over the past week we made it clear that the team would not compete while the investigation was pending. It has now been determined that the deeply offensive group messaging and texts were written, sent and viewed by a distinct group within the wrestling team. While all team members feel a sense of collective responsibility and regret for what was said and done by some, the investigation found that the individual student-athletes who participated in the group chat acted on their own. Those responsible for the offensive statements in the group chat have lost the privilege to represent Columbia University in intercollegiate athletics competition and have been immediately suspended from the wrestling squad through the rest of the season and 2016-17 academic year. Other individuals have been suspended from the squad until the beginning of the spring 2017 semester. We recognize that free speech is a core value both of the University community and of our nation. Our students and faculty have the right to express themselves and their views, whether through their public or private communications. However, the group text messages that have been brought to light do not meet the standard of behavior we expect from our student-athletes at Columbia. Prior to the start of each competition season, Columbia Athletics shares with its teams a code of conduct, outlining our expectations for individual and team behavior. The messages are appalling and violate team guidelines. Moving forward, members of the wrestling team who were found to be uninvolved in the offensive group messages are cleared for competition and will be able to wrestle at this weekend's New York State Championships in Ithaca, N.Y. The wrestling team is collectively committed to making amends and will do more than simply apologize to individuals and groups rightly offended by the words or actions of some team members. In response to this incident Columbia Athletics has recommitted itself to promoting a culture of respect and inclusivity. For the wrestling team, this will include working with leaders like Hudson Taylor, who as Founder and Executive Director of Athlete Ally, has become an admired advocate of ending discrimination in sports. We sincerely hope these disciplinary actions and ongoing commitments will help Columbia wrestling and all of Columbia's athletics programs set an example that makes our University proud.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa wrestling team opened its home schedule with a pair of wins against Iowa Central and Cornell College on Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes swept 20 matches, blanking Iowa Central, 55-0, and shutting out Cornell, 45-0. Iowa scored bonus points in 16 matches, recording 10 pins, four technical falls, and two major decisions. "We won 20 matches," said UI head coach Tom Brands. "We want to see whipping butt and taking names, but there are always things to work on." Iowa fans watched five Hawkeyes make their Carver-Hawkeye Arena debuts. Redshirt freshman Michael Kemerer walked onto Mediacom Mat for the first time, but gave fans just 4 minutes, 33 seconds of wrestling. The nation's seventh-ranked 157-pounder recorded a fall in 2:01 in his opening match and scored a first-period technical fall (16-1) in his second bout. "Wrestling in Carver is something I've been thinking about for a long time," Kemerer said. "I've been waiting for it and it was nice to get out there. I felt good. I got two first-period wins so I have to feel good about that." Sophomore Mitch Bowman and redshirt freshmen Joey Gunther, Jeremiah Moody, Cash Wilcke, and Steven Holloway also wrestled for the first time in front of the home crowd. Wilcke scored 13 combined takedowns in a 24-8 technical fall and a first-period pin at 197. Gunther won by technical fall at 165 before bumping a weight class and winning a 9-5 decision at 174. Moody used three foot-sweeps in the opening minute to earn a fall at 174, and Holloway's second-period takedown was the difference in a 3-2 win at 285. "I saw some good things from Steven Holloway and that was a weight I wanted to get," Brands said. "Gunther moved up a weight and it didn't phase him. He gave up the first takedown but got right back into the match against a guy who knows how to wrestle. And Moody was entertaining, probably outstanding wrestler of the event. Now the competition ratchets up and we need to see more urgency about us." Iowa's returning NCAA finalists -- Thomas Gilman (125), Cory Clark (133), and Brandon Sorensen (149) -- combined for five pins and a major decision. Gilman and Clark both scored a pair of first-period falls, and of Iowa's 10 total pins, Sorensen's fall in 37 seconds was the most time efficient. Alex Meyer, an All-American at 174 in 2016, won 13-1 in his opening match at 174 before bumping up a weight class and blanking Brian Cristion, 7-0, at 184. Topher Carton built a 12-1 first period lead on his way to a 16-1 technical fall at 141, and followed with a pin in 4:23 in his second bout. "Make no mistake, this is important," Brands said. "It's another event. It's another weekend. It's another event on the calendar where you're moving forward. A week from Sunday we have Purdue, five days later we have south Dakota State, and then a week later we have Iowa State. We're getting into the competition where we'll see more of where we're at." Iowa returns to the mat Sunday, Nov. 27 in its Big Ten opener against Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana. The dual begins at 12 p.m. (CT) and can be heard on KXIC AM 800 and online at Hawkeye All-Access. NOTES: Attendance was 6,202... Iowa held a 61-3 advantage in takedowns… Iowa is 27-0 all-time in the Iowa City Duals... Iowa improved to 9-0 all-time against Iowa Central and 10-3 all-time against Cornell College… Mitch Bowman, Michael Kemerer, Steven Holloway, Joey Gunther, Jeremiah Moody, and Cash Wilcke made their Carver-Hawkeye Arena debuts… Thomas Gilman is 5-0 with five pins this season. #3 IOWA 55, Iowa Central 0 125 -- #1 Thomas Gilman (I) pinned Joseph Sibomana (ICCC), 1:33; 6-0 133 -- #1 Cory Clark (I) pinned Zak Hensley (ICCC), 2:05; 12-0 141 -- Topher Carton (I) technical fall Nick Santon (ICCC), 16-1; 17-0 149 -- #2 Brandon Sorensen (I) pinned Keenan Cook (ICCC), 0:37; 23-0 157 -- #7 Michael Kemerer (I) pinned Carlos Champaign (ICCC), 2:01; 29-0 165 -- Joey Gunther (I) tech. fall Jonah Egli (ICCC), 21-6; 34-0 174 -- #6 Alex Meyer (I) major dec. Antrez Clagon (ICCC), 13-1; 38-0 184 -- Jeremiah Moody (I) pinned Anthony Jones (ICCC); 1:10; 44-0 197 -- Cash Wilcke (I) tech. fall Jacob Becker (ICCC), 23-8; 49-0 285 -- Mitch Bowman (I) pinned Amari Latimer (ICCC), 1:32; 55-0 #3 IOWA 45, Cornell College 0 125 -- #1 Thomas Gilman (I) pinned Vikash Hypio (C), 2:34; 6-0 133 -- #1 Cory Clark (I) pinned Brody Lamb (C), 1:36; 12-0 141 -- Topher Carton (I) pinned Josh Martin (C), 4:23; 18-0 149 -- #2 Brandon Sorensen (I) major dec. Leonard Bloom (C), 18-6; 22-0 157 -- #7 Michael Kemerer (I) tech. fall Aaron Engle (C), 16-1; 27-0 165 - Skyler St. John (I) dec. Ben Hewson (C), 7-4; 30-0 174 -- Joey Gunther (I) dec. Michael Maksimovic (C), 9-5; 33-0 184 -- #6 Alex Meyer (I) dec. Brian Cristion (C), , 7-0; 36-0 197 -- Cash Wilcke (I) pinned Ben Bergen (C), 2:43; 42-0 285 -- Steven Holloway (I) dec. Tyler Ortmann (C), 3-2; 45-0 Cornell 32, Iowa Central 9 125 - Gage Griffin (Cornell) major dec. Josh Sibomana (ICCC), 14-5; 4-0 133 - Zak Hensley (ICCC) tech. fall Brody Lamb (Cornell), 22-4; 4-5 141 - Josh Martin (Cornell) dec. De'Andre Reed (ICCC), 8-5; 7-5 149 - Leonard Bloom (Cornell) tech. fall Keenan Cook (ICCC), 21-6; 12-5 157 - Aaron Engle (Cornell) major dec. Merrick Purcell (ICCC), 12-1; 16-5 165 - Ben Hewson (Cornell) pinned Brady Vogel, 2:15; 22-5 174 - Andrez Clagon (ICCC) dec. Michael Maksimovic (Cornell), 9-5; 22-8 184 - Brian Cristion (Cornell) dec. Jacob Becker (Iowa Central), 7-4; 25-8 197 - Ben Bergen (Cornell) pinned Anthony Jones, 3:30; 31-8 285 - Tyler Ortmann (Cornell) dec. Amari Latimer (ICCC), 2-1; 34-8

The Columbia University men's wrestling program was indefinitely suspended this week after it was revealed several wrestlers engaged in a group chat rife with racist, misogynistic and anti-LGBT language. Initially the season was believed to have been canceled (a la Harvard men's soccer), but Columbia University athletic director Peter Pilling issued a statement on Thursday clarifying that the investigation is ongoing and no determination regarding the season had yet been made. The backlash towards the Columbia wrestling program has been immense with repudiations trickling in from around the sporting world. While most wrestlers and fans agree that the language is inappropriate, the truth remains that the vast majority has either lived with these remarks in their locker rooms, or are aware that they exist within collegiate programs. I was an assistant wrestling coach at Columbia University from 2005-2008 and at no point did this type of behavior live within the team. We had our share of disciplinary issues, but most were behavioral or academic, with none rising to the seriousness of these latest allegations. Yet as a coach I was understandably insulated from knowledge of their worst behavior. As a staff it was possible that we might hear about fights and minor altercations, but it would have been somewhat unprecedented for us to be read-in on the daily going-ons of group chats or common banter. Like Hudson Taylor mentioned in his piece on the matter, while we as coaches may not have heard anything we are still informed on the situation from our competitive days. My years were pre-Facebook, pre-Twitter and mostly pre-text message, but the culture of our team was undeniably misogynistic and what many would consider anti-LGBT. For the first few years there was no effective voice within our team to tell us to tone it down. As for race, I can't say with absolute certainty that we were without racial issues, but we had several black athletes on the team and I don't recall overhearing any name-calling, and certainly there was no disparity in treatment. The only memory of a racial slur being used at the time was when a Southern fraternity (already well known for its racism) used the N-word after denying my roommate entrance to a party. As a consequence more than half the wrestling team descended on the fraternity to let them know we didn't stand for such behavior. In looking at our sport it's undeniable that racism, misogyny and an anti-LGBT attitude exist, but unlike most other sports I think we are well-equipped to fight that behavior, but have so far (save Hudson Taylor) lacked the courage. Wrestling is a sport of big men and bigger egos, yet we are immobilized by cowardice. Leaders in our sport are either too afraid to call out their colleagues, feeling the same way themselves, or fearful of missing out on a buck. We've become comfy in tweeting out banalities and shouting down those who think that the sport should make progressive changes, instead of advocating for real change. To me the behavior has always been wimpish, but now increasingly it seems contagious. We know that today's world is primed for anger and reductive thought. In 2016 there has been a record-shattering number of hate crimes committed and more seem to hit the news every day. The general attitude among Americans has been somewhere between ideologically divisiveness and outright class and racial warfare. It doesn't take a big man to throw an insult, and maybe writing that makes me sound sanctimonious or self-righteous, but if you stare long enough at the culture of wrestling in America you should be disturbed and you should want to act for its betterment. Columbia was not an isolated incident. Racism and misogyny are a reality of our sport. The vocal nature of those who believe in backward thoughts like these pollute the culture of our sport and without a radical shakeup it's certain to worsen. Let's find the mettle to make positive change. Instead of protecting a brand, or worrying about the fallout for correcting the immoral behavior of others it's time to be fearless and take a stand for what is right. Tell the bullies and trolls to take it elsewhere. Don't shrink. We can improve our sport by calling out their behavior in-person and online. Wrestling doesn't have to settle for the lowest common denominator, we just have to summon the nerve fight for something healthier. To your questions … James Green went undefeated at the Freestyle World Cup in LA (Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Do you see both Logan Stieber and James Green as potential medalists at the Non-Olympic Weight Class World Championships this year? Who has the better chance to strike gold? -- Mike C. Foley: James Green is in a slightly less-stacked weight class and has medaled at the World Championships, which gives him a better edge to place at this year's World Championships. Stieber is a monster, but I'm concerned that his style is still too open for the international level. While the refereeing is never totally without bias, even a totally impartial jury will be likely to award some points for many of Stieber's moves during the finals with Jordan Oliver. In the USA we are used to seeing that type of funk roll, but at the international level any exposure (or near-exposure) is seen as a reason to gain points or throw the cube. Remember that international wrestling is about technique and NOT control, which doesn't play well into Stieber's current game planning, especially when he's tired. Green is a little more compact and strict with his movements. I like his chances to take home as high as silver. Would put him as a long shot for gold with Russia and Azerbaijan likely to bring top competitors. Q: When will Iran allow me to open a Five Guys franchise in Tehran? -- @JaroslavWrestle Foley: Will you have a burger named after Yazdani? If so, you might be able to get some great traction with the political class. What are your thoughts on Mark Hall's redshirt at PSU? -- @dmehcsg Foley: I'm a believer in both outcomes. Mark Hall has the talent to win this season or next season. Should Coach Cael decide to use Hall halfway through the season I think we'd see an All-American performance. Penn State might win the NCAA tournament with Hall on the sidelines, and it's common logic (though not always accurate) that another year of on-the-mat maturity can help some college wrestlers win additional hardware during their four years of eligibility. Assuming Hall sees himself as a four-time NCAA champion I think this is the right decision … for now. Q: Kyle Snyder is expected to face Tanner Hall this weekend. The betting line is Snyder -6.5. What side are you betting? -- Mike C. Foley: Tanner Hall is a real talent, but I'll take Snyder by technical fall. Too much gas tank. Q: How about Yoel Romero destroying Chris Weidman? -- Ryan O. Foley: Yoel Romero is an absolute freak of nature! The athleticism at his age and his killer instinct are very rare. But when you factor in his increasing ring savvy he has the makings of a superstar champion. Assuming Romero gets his title fight against Michael Bisping I'd expect to see the first-ever UFC champion from Cuba. As for Chris Weidman I think he is having some confidence issues post neck surgery. While he was the right fighter to beat Anderson Silva, the neck injury will likely put him on the downslope of his career. Incredible talent, but age and injuries eventually snag every fighter. Also, for Weidman it'll be even more difficult to bounce back after consecutive losses -- the second of which was a flying knee to the head. As our friends at Bali MMA say so succinctly: "Fighting is crazy, man." Q: Will UWW ever do anything substantial about Russia's PED usage, official bribing and their president abusing a female athlete? -- @Bpaynecpa727 Foley: I can't predict the outcome of any investigation, but all the matters you mentioned are in front of the organization, not behind. There is a bureau meeting in a few weeks where these and other matters are sure to be discussed. That will be a closed-door meeting, but one can assume that opinions will be expressed and updates on all investigations will be decided. Once I know more I'll be sure to share! As a side note, the official "bribing" is more hullabahoo and hot air than anything substantial. Influences are certainly something to be investigated, but I'd be cautious about using the word bribery without ANY substantiating evidence. Q: Is Zahid Valencia the most impressive freshman in NCAA wrestling? -- Mike C. Foley: It's early, but Nick Suriano ain't bad.

Three Greco-Roman wrestlers are among sixteen athletes to be stripped of their medals presented to them at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the International Olympic Committee announced Thursday. Vitaliy Rahimov Khasan Baroev of Russia, Azerbaijan's Vitaliy Rahimov, and Asset Mambetov of Kazakhstan will have their medals taken away for testing positive for banned substances in a recent retest of samples taken at the Olympics eight years ago. Baroev was silver medalist at 120 kilograms/264 pounds, while Rahimov won silver at 60 kilograms/132 pounds. Mambetov received a bronze medal at 96 kilograms/211 pounds, all in Greco competition at the Beijing Games. Baroev, now 33, and Rahimov, 32, tested positive for the banned substance dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (turinabol). Mambetov, 34, tested positive for the prohibited substance stanozolol. United World Wrestling has yet to announce how these IOC actions might change the standings -- and possible medal awards -- for Greco wrestlers in the affected weight classes. However, no U.S. wrestlers are expected to have their medal status change because of these wrestlers being forced to give up their medals. At 96 kilograms, Adam Wheeler won a bronze medal and was on the opposite side of the bracket from Mambetov, according to USA Wrestling. At 120 kilograms, Dremiel Byers placed seventh at his weight class and was on the opposite side of the bracket from Baroev. Team USA did not have an entry in Greco-Roman competition at 60 kilograms. At least one of the Greco-Roman wrestlers stripped of his 2008 Olympic medal plans to fight the IOC decision. Baroev originally told the Russian news agency Tass he would not go to court to keep his silver medal awarded in Beijing. However, Baroev -- who also won a gold medal in Greco at the 2004 Athens Olympics -- later said, "I have changed my mind, I will fight for myself and for my medal, and I will go to court." These three Greco medalists aren't the first to be disqualified for doping nearly a decade after the fact. In October, two men's freestyle wrestlers at the 2008 Beijing Olympics -- Uzbekistan's Soslan Tigiev, and Kazakhstan's Taimuraz Tigiyev -- were stripped of their silver medals after recent retesting indicated doping had taken place eight years ago.

FAIRFAX, Va. -- In the two weeks leading up to Indiana's dual at George Mason on Thursday evening, head coach Duane Goldman challenged his grapplers. After dropping their second dual of the season, he wanted to see how the young dual lineup would respond after a loss. The Hoosiers (2-1) responded emphatically, earning five wins with bonus points on the way to a 35-6 victory over the Patriots (0-1). "I thought they responded really well. They came in with a good attitude and wrestled a lot harder, with a little more resiliency in situations," Goldman said. "A lot of young guys like Jake Hinz, Garrett Pepple, and Fletcher Miller had some nice wins that they needed to get. It was a good result." Much of Indiana's success against the Patriots came from the spark in the first two bouts. No. 12 Elijah Oliver (3-0) opened the dual at 125 lbs. with a 72-second pin, his second of the season and his third win with bonus points. Immediately following in the 133 lbs. match, Garrett Pepple (2-1) sealed the deal against Lio Quezzada (0-1) before the end of the first period. Pepple grabbed a takedown and four back points before securing the win by fall in 2:51. "That's always huge anytime you can start a dual meet with a fall, and even better with two," said Goldman. "It definitely gets the ball rolling for anyone else coming up behind them, so that was a really important start for us. It's one we needed coming into this match." Indiana returned to the win column at 157 lbs., when Jake Danishek (2-1) tallied seven takedowns for a 16-6 major decision against Matthew Raines (0-1). It sparked a dominating closing stretch, as the Hoosiers won the final seven bouts. Bryce Martin (1-1) saw his hand raised for the first time this season after grinding out a 10-5 decision over Garrett Tingen (0-1). Devin Skatzka (3-0) did more of the same at 174 lbs., remaining unbeaten on the year with a 6-3 decision win. No. 6 Nate Jackson (3-0) continued his unblemished start to the 2016-17 season at 184 lbs. with his third pin at 3:22. Jackson racked up five takedowns in the first period alone, followed by two takedowns and the eventual win by fall. "He looked a lot better, started to get back in his form today," Goldman said regarding his returning All-American. "Even on the California trip, he dominated the matches but wasn't quite in his rhythm yet. Today he looked like he was getting back in sync." Redshirt freshman Jake Hinz (1-1) earned his first career varsity win, an imposing 20-7 major decision over Andrew Thomas (0-1) in the penultimate 197 lbs. bout. Hinz led 9-2 after two periods, with 2:33 in riding time, before pouring on five takedowns in the final two minutes. Fletcher Miller (2-1) outlasted reigning UWW Greco Roman University National Champion Matt Voss (0-1) in the heavyweight bout, claiming a 3-2 decision win. An escape by Voss tied the contest early in the third period, but Miller struck with a takedown midway through the final round. Miller rode away the riding time point, and contained Voss long enough to prevent a comeback attempt. Junior Luke Blanton (2-1) suffered his first loss of the year in the 149 lbs. match, 10-3, to George Mason's senior captain, Sahid Kargbo. Blanton scored on an escape in the first and a reversal in the second. The Hoosiers also saw a promising performance in the 141 lbs. bout from sophomore Cole Weaver (0-1). Although Weaver fell in sudden victory, 3-1, he wrestled his first match since suffering a season-ending injury on January 29, 2016 in a dual versus Ohio State. "Even though he lost, it was important for him to get out there and break the ice," Goldman said. Results: 125 #12 Elijah Oliver (3-0) pins Trevor Mello (0-1) 1:12 IU 6, GMU 0 133 Garrett Pepple (2-1) pins Lio Quezzada (0-1) 2:51 IU 12, GMU 0 141 Tejon Anthony (1-0) dec. Cole Weaver (0-1) SV-1 3-1 IU 12, GMU 3 149 Sahid Kargbo(1-0) dec. Luke Blanton (2-1) 10-3 IU 12, GMU 6 157 Jake Danishek (2-1) maj. dec. Matthew Raines (0-1) 16-6 IU 16, GMU 6 165 Bryce Martin (1-1) dec. Garrett Tingen (0-1) 10-5 IU 19, GMU 6 174 Devin Skatzka (3-0) dec. Patrick Davis (0-1) 6-3 IU 22, GMU 6 184 #6 Nate Jackson (3-0) pins Austin Harrison (0-1) 3:22 IU 28, GMU 6 197 Jake Hinz (1-1) maj. dec. Andrew Thomas (0-1) 20-7 IU 32, GMU 6 285 Fletcher Miller (2-1) dec. Matthew Voss (0-1) 3-2 IU 35, GMU 6 Up Next: Indiana (2-1) at the Navy Classic Saturday, November 19 • Prelims 10:00 a.m. • Finals 5:00 p.m. • Follow on FloArena Wesley A. Brown Fieldhouse • Annapolis, Md. Indiana will remain in the Washington, D.C. metro area this weekend for their first tournament of the season, the 2016 Navy Classic at the United States Naval Academy. The Hoosiers join 11 other teams, including George Mason, in setting up a tournament with tantalizing potential matchups in all 10 brackets. "We haven't looked forward too much, but they'll get a night to sleep on it," Goldman said on the upcoming tournament. "We'll get back in the room tomorrow and train a little bit, go over some things, and get refocused for the weekend."

State placer Travis Stefanik (Nazareth, Pa.) committed to Princeton University on Wednesday afternoon. The No. 55 overall prospect in the Class of 2017 was also a Flo Nationals champion and NHSCA Junior Nationals runner-up this spring. Stefanik is ranked No. 7 nationally at 160 pounds to start the 2016-17 season, and projects to compete as a 165/174 collegiately. He joins No. 35 Patrick Brucki (Carl Sandburg, Ill.) as a top 100 commit for the Tigers in this class.

Alex Lloyd won his third straight InterMat JJ Classic title (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) On Thursday, South Dakota State received a verbal commitment from Alex Lloyd (Shakopee, Minn), the nation's No. 30 junior by InterMat. Last season Lloyd compiled a 42-1 record en route to winning a state championship at 145 pounds as a sophomore. In the spring he claimed a Junior National folkstyle title at 145 pounds. In Fargo, Lloyd earned double All-American honors, placing sixth in Greco-Roman and seventh in freestyle. This fall Lloyd won his third straight InterMat JJ Classic title and earned Outstanding Wrestler honors. He is currently ranked No. 14 at 152 pounds by InterMat. To learn more about Alex Lloyd, read Steve Elwood's stories: From Russian orphan to American wrestling star and Three days in Fargo with Alex Lloyd.