InterMat Staff

BROOKINGS, S.D. -- Three Husker wrestlers captured weight class crowns at the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open at Frost Arena on Sunday. T.J. Dudley (Photo/Stephanie Carpenter)Two-time All-American T.J. Dudley (184) opened his senior season with a perfect 3-0 mark in South Dakota, outscoring his opponents, 41-1. The Irmo, S.C., native managed two technical falls and one major decision. Sophomore Tyler Berger strung together four consecutive wins en route to the 157-pound weight class title. Berger, a returning NCAA qualifier, earned one technical fall and defeated his other three opponents by decision. True freshman Chad Red (141) defeated Collin Purinton in the finals by a 5-3 decision. Red opened his tournament with two pins, and went 5-0 overall at the Daktronics Open. Purinton registered one pin and two technical falls during the tournament en route to a runner-up finish. Returning NCAA qualifiers Tim Lambert (125) and Aaron Studebaker (197) also collected runner-up honors. All four of Lambert's wins were by bonus points, as he earned two pins, one technical fall and one major decision. Studebaker pinned one opponent before falling by sudden victory-1 in the finals. Junior Colton McCrystal (141) and true freshman Eric Schultz (197) each took third place at the Daktronics Open. McCrystal had a pair of bonus-point victories to open the tournament. Schultz dropped his opening bout, but reeled off four consecutive wins to finish his day. Additional Huskers to place include Collin Jensen (fourth at heavyweight), Kris Williams (fifth at 125), Justin Arthur (fifth at 165), Micah Barnes (fifth at 174), Taylor Venz (fifth at 184) and David Jensen (sixth at heavyweight). The Huskers return to action next weekend at the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. The tournament, set for Sunday, Nov. 13, begins at 9 a.m. (CT). Live results and brackets are available on TrackWrestling.com.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- There were a lot of new faces in the lineup for Northwestern, but the lack of experience did not matter as the Wildcats dominated the season opening tri-dual with wins over the University of Chicago and North Central College. Northwestern beat Chicago, 47-3, and North Central, 41-0. "Today was about individual matchups and seeing how the guys responded to certain situations," head coach Matt Storniolo said. "I am happy with the way they competed." The Wildcats won 14 bonus point matches in both bouts combined, including eight wins by fall. Five Northwestern wrestlers made their collegiate debuts on Sunday, and all five won twice on the day. Redshirt sophomore Johnny Sebastian opened his career with a pin in just over four minutes and followed that up with a 10-1 major decision in the nightcap. Four freshmen (Anthony Rubinetti, Jason Ipsarides, Alec McKenna and Shayne Oster) walked away winners, with McKenna getting both of his victories by fall. In fact, Sebastian, McKenna and Oster all won their first ever bout by pin. "I think the freshmen did great," Storniolo said. "Every guy who stepped on the mat today left with a win, and that is big for a young team like this. Confidence is huge to start the season off." Redshirt sophomore Bryce Brill wrestled for the first time since early 2015 and looked good, beating Luke Iida in the first match of the season by fall before a 13-1 major decision over Marcello Macellaio in the second dual. Northwestern's veterans in the lineup also wrestled well with returning starters Mitch Sliga, Jacob Berkowitz and Conan Jennings all going 2-0. Sliga won by tech fall and major decision, Berkowitz had a fall and a major decision, and Jennings used a pair of decisions to get his wins. After Chicago picked up a win in the second bout of the night, the Wildcats rattled off 82 straight points between the two duals. Chicago's Big Ten Team heads west next weekend to take on Cal Poly Saturday night in San Luis Obispo, Calif. in a match scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. CT. The Wildcats are next at home on Dec. 2 when they take on North Dakota State. Northwestern 47, UChicago 3 157: Bryce Brill (NU) Fall Luke Iida (Chicago), 3:34 [NU 6, CHI 0] 165: Mike Sepke (CHI) dec. Ben Sullivan, 6-3 [NU 6, CHI 3] 174: Johnny Sebastian (NU) Fall Nicholas Ferraro (CHI), 4:10 [NU 12, CHI 3] 184: Mitch Sliga (NU) Tech Fall Jason Lynch (CHI), 17-0 (4:12) [NU 17, CHI 3] 197: Jacob Berkowitz (NU) Fall John Jayne (CHI), 4:47 [NU 23, CHI 3] 285: Conan Jennings (NU) dec. Patrick Mulkerin (CHI), 3-0 [NU 26, CHI 3] 125: Anthony Rubinetti (NU) Win by Forfeit [NU 32, CHI 3] 133: Jason Ipsarides (NU) dec. Louis Demarco (CHI), 4-0 [NU 35, CHI 3] 141: Alec McKenna (NU) Fall Grant Morrison (CHI), 0:44 [NU 41, CHI 3] 149: Shayne Oster (NU) Fall Mason Williams (CHI), 1:20 [NU 47, CHI 3] Northwestern 41, North Central 0 157: Bryce Brill (NU) maj. dec. Marcello Macellaio (NCC), 13-1 [NU 4, NCC 0] 165: Ben Sullivan (NU) maj. dec. Brandon Mattinen (NCC), 16-3 [NU 8, NCC 0] 174: Johnny Sebastian (NU) maj. dec. Matt Marcotte (NCC), 10-1 [NU 12, NCC 0] 184: Mitch Sliga (NU) maj. dec. Josh Bouie (NCC), 10-0 [NU 16, NCC 0] 197: Jacob Berkowitz (NU) maj. dec. Vince Pizzo (NCC), 12-2 [NU 20, NCC 0] 285: Conan Jennings (NU) dec. Casey Greenberg (NCC), 5-0 [NU 23, NCC 0] 125: Anthony Rubinetti (NU) dec. Anthony Rink (NCC), 8-4 [NU 26, NCC 0] 133: Jason Ipsarides (NU) Fall Mike Bikulcius (NCC), 0:29 [NU 32, NCC 0] 141: Alec McKenna (NU) Fall Layten Binion (NCC), 4:23 [NU 38, NCC 0] 149: Shayne Oster (NU) dec. Ben Williamson (NCC), 8-1 [NU 41, NCC 0]

Cordell Eaton picked up a major decision FARGO, N.D. -- North Dakota State won the final three matches by major decision, pin and technical fall to rally past No. 14-ranked Iowa State University by the score of 25-16 in a Big 12 Conference wrestling dual Sunday, Nov. 6, before 1,371 fans in the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. It was the first win over a nationally-ranked opponent since the Bison edged No. 18 Wyoming 22-21 in Laramie on Feb. 1, 2015. It was North Dakota State's first win over Iowa State (0-2 Big 12, 0-2) in four meetings with the Cyclones. It was the first dual of the season for NDSU, which hosts the 46th annual Bison Open on Saturday, Nov. 12, at Scheels Arena (south side of Fargo). No. 6-ranked 184-pound Patrick Downey recorded the pin over Tyler McNutt at 1:54 to put Iowa State ahead 16-10. However, North Dakota State battled back behind 197-pound redshirt freshman Cordell Eaton, who started the comeback with a 12-4 major decision over Iowa State's Joe Teague. Eaton trailed 2-1 after the first period, but took control in the second and held Teague from the top position for the entire period. Eaton gained a stalling point to tie things 2-all entering the third. He recorded three takedowns, 2-point near fall and built riding time for the win. The Bison cut the deficit to 16-14. NDSU 285-pound senior Ben Tynan thundered past Iowa State's Samuel Colbray and recorded the fall at the 4:04 mark of the second period. Tynan's pin gave the Bison a 20-16 lead. Two-time NCAA qualifier, 125-pound senior Josh Rodriguez provided the exclamation point with a convincing 25-9 tech fall over the Cyclones' Kyle Larson in a rematch of the Big 12 Wrestling Championships third place match. Rodriguez entered the season ranked as high as No. 8 in the preseason. Iowa State opened with a pair of wins at 133 and 141-pounds before North Dakota State came back with three of its own to take a 10-7 lead. Mitch Friedman recorded a takedown with 7-seconds left in the second period and then kept the top position throughout the third for a hard-fought 5-4 decision at 149-pounds over Blayne Briceno. NDSU tied the match at 7-7 on Clay Ream's convincing 19-5 major decision over Renaldo Rodriguez at 157 pounds. The No. 14-ranked Ream is a two-time NCAA qualifier and earned the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Elite 90 Academic Award. The Bison took a 10-7 advantage on Andrew Fogarty's 10-7 win at 165 pounds over Dane Pestano. Pestano raced out to a 7-5 lead in the first period, but Fogarty kept him under wraps in a scoreless second. Fogarty gained an early escape in the third, recorded a takedown and received a stalling point while building riding time. Iowa State's No. 7-ranked Lelund Weatherspoon outdueled Cater Nielson for an 11-4 decision to knot the match at 10-10. Results: 133: Nathan Boston (ISU) major dec Albert Landeros (NDSU), MD 15-5 141: John Meeks (ISU) dec Joe Umlauf (NDSU), 11-7 149: Mitch Friedman (NDSU) dec Blayne Briceno (ISU), 5-4 157: Clay Ream (NDSU) major dec Renaldo Rodriguez (ISU), MD 19-5 165: Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) dec Dane Pestano (ISU), 10-7 174: #7 Lelund Weatherspoon (ISU) dec. Carter Nielsen (NDSU) 11-4 184: #6 Patrick Downey (ISU) pinned Tyler McNutt (NDSU), Fall 1:54 197: Cordell Eaton (NDSU) major dec Joe Teague (ISU), MD 12-4 285: Ben Tynan (NDSU) pinned Samuel Cobray (ISU), Fall 4:04 125: Josh Rodriguez (NDSU) tech fall Kyle Larson (ISU) TF, 25-9 6:00

MIAMI, Okla. -- The Oklahoma State wrestling team proved worthy of its No. 1 ranking in its season opener Sunday afternoon, dominating Bucknell in a 36-3 dual victory behind five bonus-point wins at NEO Fieldhouse. Kyle Crutchmer highlighted the day with a first-period fall in the 174-pound bout, while Nick Piccininni and Jonce Blaylock recorded technical falls and Kaid Brock and Chandler Rogers added major decisions. Dean Heil was also victorious at 141 pounds in the only match that featured two ranked wrestlers. "I'm feeling better about my team right now," head coach John Smith said. "I was a little concerned going in with a few starters out, and you don't like starting your season like that." The Cowboys opened the match with bonus points at 125 pounds as 15th-ranked Nick Piccininni recorded a 15-0 tech fall over Jordan Gessner in 3:46. Piccininni jumped out early, scoring 12 points in the first period, thanks to a takedown, a two-point near fall and a couple of four-point near falls. Starting the second period on bottom, the redshirt freshman escaped and converted a takedown 45 seconds into the frame to finish the match and pick up the first dual victory of his career. At 133 pounds, redshirt freshman Kaid Brock scored bonus points in his return to the mat from a season-ending injury last year. Brock knocked off Bucknell's Joey Gould in a 16-6 major decision to expand the Oklahoma State lead to 9-0. "In the end, I thought we looked pretty sharp at 125 and 133," Smith said. "Not that we were perfect. It's hard to be perfect, but getting out there, scoring points and a lot of riding on our part. I didn't expect that." Matched up with 19th-ranked Tyler Smith, returning 141-pound NCAA champion Dean Heil recorded a decision to push the Cowboy lead to 12-0. Heil notched three takedowns in the opening period to take an early 6-2 lead, and after a takedown with 35 seconds left in the second, Heil took an 8-5 lead into the final frame. The junior would close it out with ease, earning a 14-7 decision with riding time. Jonce Blaylock impressed in his 2016-17 debut, tallying a 21-2 tech fall over Seth Hogue in the 149-pound bout. Blaylock dropped Hogue for a takedown 30 seconds into the match, and recorded a pair of two-point near falls to cap off the first period. Leading, 14-2, heading into the third period, Blaylock would finish strong and score seven quick points to record the tech fall in 6:37. The Cowboys took their lone loss of the day at 157 pounds, as Bucknell's Victor Lopez held off junior Davey Dolan in a 7-5 decision. Fifth-ranked Chandler Rogers posted a 9-1 major decision over Bucknell's Logan Kerin in his first match down at 165 pounds after competing at 174 last season. Rogers led throughout the match, and picked up the riding time point for the bonus point win. Returning from an injury that cut his 2016 campaign short, senior Kyle Crutchmer couldn't have asked for a better return. Crutchmer pinned Chad Reese 1:32 into the first period to put the Pokes up, 27-3. "This was something that I had been looking forward to," Crutchmer said. "Not just the pin, but the match. I've been out for about six months. I've been training a little bit for the last couple of months, but coming back and having a pin. It's unbelievable." Senior Nolan Boyd (184), redshirt sophomore Preston Weigel (197) and senior Austin Schafer (285) each recorded decisions to close out the match, giving the Cowboys their first triumph of the season. Oklahoma State's next dual match will send the Cowboys back out on the road to face No. 15 Minnesota on Nov. 27 in Minneapolis. Results: 125: No. 15 Nick Piccininni (OSU) TF Jordan Gessner (BUCK) 15-0, 3:46 133: No. 6 Kaid Brock (OSU) MD Joey Gould (BUCK) 16-6 141: No. 1 Dean Heil (OSU) dec. No. 19 Tyler Smith (BUCK) 14-7 149: Jonce Blaylock (OSU) TF Seth Hogue (BUCK) 21-2, 6:37 157: Victor Lopez (BUCK) dec. Davey Dolan (OSU) 7-5 165: No. 5 Chandler Rogers (OSU) MD Logan Kerin (BUCK) 9-1 174: No. 6 Kyle Crutchmer (OSU) fall Chad Reese (BUCK) 1:32 184: No. 5 Nolan Boyd (OSU) dec. Garrett Hoffman (BUCK) 7-4 197: No. 7 Preston Weigel (OSU) dec. Tom Sleigh (BUCK) 7-2 285: Austin Schafer (OSU) dec. Tyler Greene (BUCK) 8-1

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The Pitt wrestling team (2-0) collected two wins at the Mountaineer Duals Sunday, Nov. 6, at the WVU Coliseum to open the 2016-17 season. The Panthers first defeated Ohio, 21-16, before recording a 21-13 win over Campbell. Freshman Jake Wentzel and sophomore TeShan Campbell were the lone Panthers to pin their opponents on the day, both of which came against Ohio opponents. "I think it was a good start," said head coach Jason Peters. "We got to see some guys for the first time and some at new weights. We'll get ready this week and maybe change some guys around. Overall I thought it was good, the warm-ups were good, the weight cut was good so those are definitely some positives from the first weekend out." Pitt vs. Ohio At 133 pounds, it was a battle between No. 9 Dom Forys and No. 13 Cameron Kelly. Kelly took the first lead of the match early on in the first, but Forys would record five takedowns in the second and third periods to secure a 10-6 decision, tying the dual 3-3. Senior Mikey Racciato then stepped in to take on Cullen Cummings at 149 pounds, looking to bring back the Pitt lead. Racciato struck early with a takedown, but Cummings escaped. In the second, Cummings started on bottom and escaped, tying the score 2-2. Racciato did the same in the third and held on to win in a 3-2 decision, tying the dual 6-6. At 157 pounds, freshman Jake Wentzel made his collegiate debut against Zach Wilson and did not disappoint. Wentzel recorded four points in the first period by way of takedown and nearfall. He added a takedown in the second, taking a 6-0 lead. Soon after, Wentzel pinned Wilson in 4:12 to give Pitt the lead, 12-6. Wrestling for the first time at 165 pounds was sophomore TeShan Campbell as he took on No. 19 Austin Reese. Campbell scored the lone points of the match with a takedown in the first and pinned Reese in 2:10, extending Pitt's lead to 18-6. In the final bout of the opening dual, redshirt junior Ryan Solomon came out and dominated Zak Parker, controlling the majority of the match. The 15th-ranked heavyweight won in a 6-2 decision, securing the Panthers victory, 21-16. Pitt vs. Campbell Forys picked up his second win of the day by way of major decision over Campbell's Jonathan Ryan, 17-6. Forys took the lead in the first period, 4-2, and dominated in the second with an escape, two takedown and a four-point nearfall. The Pittsburgh product collected four more points in the third with riding time, earning him 17-6 major decision, giving Pitt the lead, 4-3. At 141, Zanetta recorded his first win of the day over Joshua Heil in a 6-4 decision, extending Pitt's lead to 7-3. Wentzel also picked up his second win of the day at 157 pounds over Austin Kraisser, 10-6. The freshman recorded four points in the first period and scored the rest of his points in the third by way of three escapes, a takedown and capped it off with riding time. Campbell kept the momentum going at 165 pounds, winning in an 8-3 decision over Quentin Perez. The Pittsburgh product recorded an escape, three takedowns and added a point with riding time en route to his decision. At 174, Dietrich earned his first win as a Panther in a 16-5 major decision over Alex Herringshaw. Dietrich recorded seven total takedowns, including three in the third period. Dietrich's notable win boosted the team score to 17-6 in favor of Pitt. Rounding out the Panthers wins on the day was Bruce at 197, collecting a 15-5 major decision over Willie Bivens. Bruce started the match strong, scoring three-straight takedowns in the first period and another one in the second. Bruce continued to dominate Bivens in the third with a reversal, two takedowns and added on a point with riding time. Pitt resumes action Sunday, Nov. 13, at Edinboro for a 1 p.m. start. Pitt 21, Ohio 16 125: Shakur Laney (OU) dec. LJ Bentley (UP), 4-3 - Ohio leads 3-0 133: No. 9 Dom Forys (UP) dec. No. 13 Cameron Kelly (OU), 10-6 - Tied 3-3 141: Noah Forrider (OU) dec. Nick Zanetta (UP), 4-3 - OU leads 6-3 149: Mikey Racciato (UP) dec. Cullen Cummings (OU), 3-2 - Tied 6-6 157: Jake Wentzel (UP) pins Zach Wilson (OU), 4:12 - Pitt leads 12-6 165: TeShan Campbell (UP) pins No. 19 Austin Reese (OU), 2:10 - Pitt leads 18-6 174: Arsen Arshughyan (OU) dec. Christian Dietrich (UP), 5-3 - Pitt leads 18-9 184: Tom Williams (OU) dec. Mat Carr (UP), 10-8 - Pitt leads 18-12 197: Bailey Faust (OU) maj. dec. Zach Bruce (UP), 14-0 - Pitt leads 18-16 285: No. 15 Ryan Solomon (UP) dec. Zak Parker (OU), 6-2 - Pitt wins 21-16 Pitt 21, Campbell 13 125: No. 14 Nathan Kraisser (CU) dec. LJ Bentley (UP), 5-4 - Campbell leads 3-0 133: No. 9 Dom Forys (UP) maj. dec. Jonathan Ryan (CU), 17-6 - Pitt leads 4-3 141: Nick Zanetta (UP) dec. Josh Heil (CU), 6-4 - Pitt leads 7-3 149: Lucas Stewart (CU) dec. Mikey Racciato (UP), 10-4 - Pitt leads 7-6 157: Jake Wentzel (UP) dec. Austin Kraisser (CU), 10-6 - Pitt leads 10-6 165: TeShan Campbell (UP) dec. Quetin Perez (CU), 8-3 - Pitt leads 13-6 174: Christian Dietrich (UP) maj. dec. Alex Herringshaw (CU), 16-5 - Pitt leads 17-6 184: Ville Heino (CU) maj. dec. Mat Carr (UP), 15-5 - Pitt leads 17-10 197: Zach Bruce (UP) maj. dec. Willie Bivens (CU), 15-5 - Pitt leads 21-10 285: Jere Heino (CU) dec. John Rizzo (UP), 9-6 - Pitt wins 21-13

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The University of Michigan wrestling team crowned four champions and boasted eight total placewinners in its 2016-17 debut at the Eastern Michigan Open on Saturday (Nov. 5) at the Eagles' Convocation Center. Sophomore/freshman Austin Assad captured the 125-pound title, before sophomore/freshmen Logan Massa and Myles Amine and senior captain Domenic Abounader earned the top prize at three consecutive weights -- 165, 174 and 184 pounds. It is the first event in a Michigan singlet for the three freshmen. Assad posted a perfect 5-0 record en route to the 125-pound title, opening the tournament with back-to-back major decisions and outscoring in opposition, 38-8. He defeated Central Michigan's Brent Fleetwood, 5-3, in the championship match after hitting a late reversal in the tiebreaker set. Assad placed in all four of his open-tournament appearances last season with three titles. Massa, ranked eighth in the preseason InterMat poll, repeated as the 165-pound EMU Open champion, cruising to a 5-0 record and outscoring his opposition, 72-20, with three bonus wins. Massa defeated Michigan State's Drew Hughes, 8-4, in the championship match after finishing on four first-period takedowns. Massa claimed two open-tournament titles last season before taking second at the Southern Scuffle. Amine also went 5-0 en route to the 174-pound title, earning two pins and a major decision to cruise in the preliminary rounds. He avenged his only two losses from a season ago with a 13-6 decision against Central Michigan's Christian Brucki in the championship bout. Amine scored five takedowns in the bout -- two apiece in the first and third periods -- and rode for 2:11. It was his second career open tournament crown. Abounader, ranked eighth nationally at 184 pounds, similarly rolled in the preliminary rounds with three straight bonus wins, including a second-round pin, before battling through a close championship match to beat Central Michigan's Jordan Ellingwood, 1-0, on a second-period escape. It was Abounader's first ever appearance at the EMU Open. Sophomore/freshmen Stevan Micic and Sal Profaci both bounced back from semifinal losses to place third at 133 and 141 pounds, respectively. Micic, ranked eighth nationally, defeated Ohio's Mario Guillen, 16-3, in his third-place match on six takedowns and two back points, while Profaci took advantage of a quick start -- two first-period takedowns -- to beat Michigan State's Jwan Britton in his placing bout. Sophomore/freshman Jackson Striggow placed fourth at 197 pounds and junior/sophomore Zac Hall took seventh at 149 pounds to round out the Wolverine placewinners. The Wolverines will kick off the dual-meet portion of their 2016-17 season on Friday (Nov. 11), hosting Virginia at 7 p.m. at Cliff Keen Arena. Tickets are available through the Michigan Ticket Office.

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- The first Saturday of November was capped with five individual championships in two divisions at the 39th annual Cowboy Open. It was the second-consecutive year that Wyoming had at least five individual titles. To start the winning ways for Wyoming in the amateur division of the tournament was freshmen Montorie Bridges and Trent Olson. Bridges went a perfect 4-0 at 133-pounds with two decisions to win the first title for UW. In the semifinals, he won by major decision over Tanner Cox of Western Wyoming before defeating Olsen in the finals by decision, 6-4. Olsen made his Brown and Gold debut with a number of decisions before a runner-up finish to Bridges. He added a 9-7 sudden victory decision over Brett Kasprzyk of Colorado Mesa in the semifinals. In the elite division, sophomore Ben Hornickle claimed the second championship for UW at 141-pounds. He won his first two matches by decision before a major decision of Josh Giorgio of Air Force in the semifinals. Hornickle then went on to defeat Daniel Salazar of Colorado Mesa University, 4-3 in the finals to notch the victory. Redshirt senior Cole Mendenhall captured his title by medical forfeit from Gerald McGinty of Air Force in the 149-pound finals. He finished 4-0 on the day which included two decisions and one fall. Mendenhall won by decision in the morning before getting his first fall in the second match. Additionally, he claimed a 6-0 decision over Northern Colorado's Benjamin Polkowske en route to the title. Wyoming had great success at 157-pounds, taking home first and second place. Junior Archie Colgan claimed his title over teammate Branson Ashworth. Colgan began the day with a 3-1 decision over Jake Anderson of Chadron State. He added two more decisions before matching up with Branson for the championship. Colgan won by posting a 3-2 sudden victory decision in the finals. Branson clearly had himself a day as well wearing the Brown and Gold. He started things off with a 17-0 tech fall over Tommy Cooper of Montana State-Northern. He then had two decisions and a fall in the semifinals over Boise State's Fred Green before meeting to Colgan in the finals. Junior Wesley Schultz brought home the fifth title for the Cowboys. He began his UW career with two straight decisions before winning by medical forfeit over Nebraska-Kearney's Zach Stodden in the finals. Other Cowboys wrestlers were redshirt freshman Doyle Trout, who saw his first action for Wyoming. He won by decision to begin the day before falling to Tim Romero in the round of 16. Redshirt sophomore Sam Eagan fell in the quarterfinals after claiming a decision in the round of 16. Junior Luke Paine went 1-1 on the day. He had a tech fall in the quarterfinals before falling by decision in the semifinals. Dewey Krueger and Kyle Pope won their first two matches before defeat in the quarterfinals. Junior Bryce Meredith was competing at the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic. He fell in extra time to Rutgers' Anthony Ashnault. Ashnault scored a takedown in the extra period to move past Meredith, 8-6. Meredith held the advantage with two first-period takedowns. Ashnault closed the gap with a reversal late in the first period and then had a second-period takedown. Before fighting off attacks and counters, Ashnault tied the match in the third period with an escape. The Cowboys will now set their sights on the Northern Colorado Open on Nov. 13, before opening the dual portion of their schedule by hosting Nebraska on Nov. 20.

PLEASANT HILL, Iowa -- University of Iowa wrestlers Carter Happel, Matt Malcom, Kaleb Young, and Alex Marinelli won titles Saturday in their Hawkeye debuts at the Grand View Open. Happel won the 141-pound championship, Malcom won the 157-pound title, and Young won the 165-pound title in the freshman division. Marinelli placed first in the 165-pound open division. Happel was 3-0 with a technical fall and a pair of pins. Malcom was 3-0 with a pin, Young scored two pins and a decision in three matches, and Marinelli was 4-0 win two decisions, a major decision, and a fall. All of Iowa's wrestlers competed unattached. The Hawkeyes' official season opener is Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Luther Open in Decorah, Iowa. The home opener is Nov. 18 when Iowa Central and Cornell College visit Carver-Hawkeye Arena to compete at the Iowa City Duals. Single dual and season tickets are on sale at the UI Athletics Ticket Office, over the phone at 1-800-IA-HAWKS, and online at hawkeyesports.com.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- CSU Bakersfield came from behind to defeat California Baptist 29-12 in the 2016-17 wrestling season opener for the Roadrunners Saturday night. The dual began at 174 pounds where Nolan Kistler put California Baptist into the lead with 4-2 decision over Matt Penyacsek. Nick Fiegener, ranked fifth in the preseason Division II poll at 184 pounds, defeated Dylan Bollinger by major decision, 16-3. Matt Williams got the ‘Runners on the board with a 5-3 victory at 197 pounds against CBU's Jake Waste. Paul Head extended the California Baptist advantage with a tech fall in the heavyweight bout against Alex Encarnarcion-Strand. Sean Nickell was awarded a forfeit at 125 pounds to cut the Lancers' lead to 12-9. Carlos Herrera's four-point near fall with 22 seconds remaining in the third period gave the Roadrunner true sophomore a 9-5 victory over Armond Molina at 133 pounds. The result tied the dual at 12. Russell Rohlfing gave the Roadrunners their first lead of the night when he earned a 17-7 decision over Anthony Racobaldo in the 141-pound bout. No. 18 Coleman Hammond extended the CSUB lead when he pinned Daxton Gordon with 20 seconds to go in the first period of the 149-pound match. Sean O'Rourke clinched the dual for CSUB with a 6-2 victory at 157 pounds. In the final bout of the night, Lorenzo De La Riva defeated Dominic Kincaid 17-9. “I thought we had a good effort, but we had some slow starts,” said CSUB head coach Manny Rivera. “Guys fought back to get some wins and even they didn't win, they fought back to get some points back and that's a good sign. It's a matter of getting off to a stronger start.” CSUB returns to dual action next Friday night with a tri-dual against No. 12 Rutgers and San Francisco State. The tri-dual begins at 4 p.m. when CSUB faces the Gators. San Francisco State wrestles Rutgers at 5:45 p.m. before the night concludes with the Roadrunners facing the Scarlet Knights at 7:30 p.m. Results: 174 Nolan Kistler (CBU) def. Matt Penyacsek, 4-2 184 Nick Fiegener (CBU) def. Dylan Bollinger,16-3 197 Matt Williams (CSUB) def. Jake Waste, 5-3 285 Paul Head (CBU) def. Alex Encarnarcion-Strand by TF at 7:00 (17-2) 125 Sean Nickell (CSUB) wins by forfeit 133 Carlos Herrera (CSUB) def. Armond Molina, 9-5 141 Russell Rohlfing (CSUB) def. Anthony Racobaldo, 17-7 149 Coleman Hammond (CSUB) pins Daxton Gordon, at 2:40 157 Sean O'Rourke (CSUB) def. Kurt Becker, 6-2 165 Lorenzo De La Riva (CSUB) def. Dominic Kincaid, 17-9

PHILADELPHIA -- The Drexel wrestling team opened the 2016-17 season with wins over Shippensburg and Gardner-Webb at their own Dragon Duals, hosted at North Penn High School. The Dragons defeated the Raiders, 50-0 in their first dual of the day, before going on to earn a 23-15 victory over the Runnin' Bulldogs in their second matchup. The Dragons' sweep of Shippensburg featured pins from Kevin Devoy Jr., Matthew Cimato, Garett Hammond, and Joey Goodhart, technical falls from Tanner Shoap and Nick Elmer, and a major decision from Joshua Murphy. David Pearce and Alex DeCiantis added decisions at their weight classes, while Austin Rose picked up a win by injury default at 165. In the second dual of the day, the Dragons got off to a strong start with a win-by-fall from Shoap at 125 and a major decision from Devoy at 133. Pearce was edged by Gardner-Webb's Ryan Hull, 4-3 giving the Dragons' opponents their first points against the squad on the day. Cimato was able to pick him up though as he earned a 5-2 decision over the Runnin' Bulldogs' Chris Vassar, putting the Dragons ahead by a score of 13-3. Gardner-Webb took the 157 match due to injury default and cut the deficit to 13-9, but then Rose earned a 2-0 win over Kyle Ash to give Drexel back a seven point advantage. The Runnin' Bulldogs would then earn victories at 174 and 184, but the Dragons finished the dual out strong with a major decision from Murphy and a 5-0 decision from Goodhart. Drexel finished with a final score of 23-15 and earned its second win of the day. Next up, the Dragons will travel to face Sacred Heart, who was also present to participate in the Dragon Duals but did not face Drexel. The Dragons and Pioneers will face-off on Friday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. in Fairfield, Conn.

Gabe Dean was named Outstanding Wrestler of the NWCA All-Star Classic (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens) CLEVELAND -- The 51st annual NWCA All-Star Classic, which serves as a kickoff to the collegiate wrestling season, came to the campus of Cleveland State University on Saturday night. The evening's feature bout was the last match, one between a pair of NCAA champions at 184 pounds. Two-time champion Gabe Dean of Cornell was dominant throughout in a 13-4 major decision over Ohio State's Myles Martin, who was champion of the 174-pound weight class last year as a true freshman. Dean scored takedowns in each of the first two periods to take a 5-0 lead over Martin. Then, it was a third-period barrage for Dean with three takedowns catapulting him to that final margin. Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers upended Wyoming's Bryce Meredith (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens) With the exception of one third-period pin at 157 pounds, the other eight bouts of the main event were tightly contested, none having a margin of more than three points. Most notable of the bouts was the overtime affair at 141 pounds, where returning fourth-place finisher Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers upended Wyoming's Bryce Meredith 8-6. Meredith opened the bout with a pair of first period takedowns to take a 4-1 lead late in the first period. Ashnault shrunk that to 4-3 with a reversal before the three minutes ended. After two periods, it was 6-5 Meredith as Ashnault scored a takedown sandwiched around two Meredith escapes. A third period escape for Ashnault forced the overtime. One in which Ashnault fended off a deep Meredith attack before scoring the takedown on the next sequence of action. The previous bout was the other true barn-burner of the main event matches, as Zane Richards of Illinois out-lasted Eric Montoya of Nebraska at 133 pounds, a match between wrestlers that finished fourth and fifth last year at the NCAA tournament. Montoya opened the scoring with a takedown, before Richards would counter with two takedowns to end the first period with a 5-4 advantage. Montoya would get an escape in the second period to level the bout. Richards would escape to start the third, and take a 6-5 lead, one that Montoya vanished with a takedown. Richards countered with an escape to tie the bout at 7-7, and then scored the match-winning takedown with about five seconds left. Three other matches were decided on the basis of third period takedowns. The first of which came at 149 pounds, where Anthony Collica of Oklahoma State beat Missouri's Lavion Mayes 7-5. Mayes opened the match with takedowns in the first and second period to take a 4-1 lead, before Collica would counter with a takedown late in the second period and middle of the third period. The returning All-Americans are now 2-2 against each other since the start of the 2015-16 season. Next was the bout at 165 pounds, where returning NCAA runner-up Isaac Jordan from Wisconsin upended Missouri's Daniel Lewis by a 5-3 score. Lewis scored the opening takedown of the match to hold a 2-0 advantage after the first period, and then made it 3-0 with an early second period escape. Jordan scored a very late second period takedown to cut the deficit to 3-2 headed into a third period in which he chose neutral. Jordan scored a takedown in the early half of the third period to go ahead 4-3, and would then add the riding time point for the final score. Finally, there was the bout at 197 pounds between returning All-Americans. Brett Pfarr of Minnesota and Brett Harner of Princeton traded takedowns in a first period that ended 3-3. The wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third periods, before Pfarr earned a late-match takedown. The riding time point at match's end for Pfarr made it a 7-4 final score. Another match that fit the night's them of comebacks from an early match deficit was the one at 157 pounds between Max Rohskopf of North Carolina State and Michigan's Brian Murphy, a 2015 All-American. Murphy scored a takedown in the first period, then added a reversal to the back for a 6-1 lead early in the second period. Rohskopf earned a reversal right off that sequence, rode Murphy out for the second period, then added an early escape in the third period to cut the deficit to 6-4. During the early part of the third period, Murphy initiated a leg attack. The result of that was Rohskopf funking his way into a Brazilian jiu-jitsu type of leg-lock to trap Murphy on his back for the fall at the 5:43 mark. The opening bout of the evening saw Nathan Kraisser of Campbell defeat Missouri's Barlow McGhee 3-2 at 125 pounds despite not scoring a single takedown. McGhee scored a takedown within the first ten seconds of the bout, while Kraisser would respond with escapes in the first and second period before holding McGhee down for the duration of the third period to get the riding-time point. At 174 pounds, Zach Brunson of Illinois used a takedown and two-point near fall in the first period to take an early 4-0 lead against 2015 All-American Ethan Ramos of North Carolina. Ramos would level the match after two periods, keyed by a second period takedown. However, Brunson escaped at the start of the third period to hold on for a 5-4 victory. Connor Medbery topped Ty Walz at heavyweight (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens) Finally, it was 2015 All-American Connor Medbery of Wisconsin with a dominant second period to beat two-time All-American Ty Walz of Virginia Tech 5-2 at 285 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Medbery started the second period with an escape before earning two takedowns in that two-minute stanza to get all his scoring. Results (Main Event): 125: No. 14 Nathan Kraisser (Campbell) dec. No. 6 Barlow McGhee (Missouri), 3-2 133: No. 2 Zane Richards (Illinois) dec. No. 4 Eric Montoya (Nebraska), 9-7 141: No. 4 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) dec. No. 2 Bryce Meredith (Wyoming), 8-6 SV1 149: No. 4 Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 3 Lavion Mayes (Missouri), 7-5 157: No. 5 Max Rohskopf (North Carolina State) pinned No. 4 Brian Murphy (Michigan), 5:43 165: No. 2 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) dec. No. 3 Daniel Lewis (Missouri), 5-3 174: No. 9 Zac Brunson (Illinois) dec. No. 5 Ethan Ramos (North Carolina), 5-4 197: No. 2 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) dec. No. 3 Brett Harner (Princeton) 7-4 285: No. 3 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) dec. No. 2 Ty Walz (Virginia Tech), 5-2 184: No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) maj. dec. No. 2 Myles Martin (Ohio State), 13-4 Outstanding Wrestler: Gabe Dean (Cornell), 184 pounds Results (Showcase Bouts): 133: Mitch Pawlak (Indiana Tech) maj. dec. Mitch Tikkanen (John Carroll), 8-0 149: Cobey Fehr (Notre Dame) dec. Isaac Collier (CWRU), 12-5 197: Evan Rosborogh (Lake Erie) dec. Tyler McClellan (Baldwin-Wallace), 11-4 197: Garrett Lineberger (Notre Dame) tech. fall Mason Litz (John Carroll), 17-0 141: No. 18 Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) dec. Evan Cheek (Cleveland State), 8-2 Women: Haley Aguello (King College) dec. Becka Leathers (Oklahoma City), 7-4 HS 131: Matt Kazimir (St. Edward, Ohio) dec. Matt Fields (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), 2-0 JH 70: Patrick Reinecke (Wickliffe M.S., Ohio) dec. Wyatt Richter (Brecksville M.S., Ohio), 6-4 OT 141: No. 10 George DiCamillo (Virginia) dec. No. 15 Brock Zacherl (Clarion), 4-3 157: No. 6 Richie Lewis (Rutgers) dec. No. 11 Joey Lavallee (Missouri), 2-0

BLACKSBURG -- The No. 6 Virginia Tech wrestling team kicked off its 2016-2017 season at Cassell Coliseum on Saturday with two victories over Edinboro and VMI. The Hokies topped the Fighting Scots, 24-13, before defeating the Keydets, 39-6. Seven Hokies went 2-0 on the day while two other grapplers went 1-1 between the two dual meets. “Well today was a start, but far from a great start,” head coach Kevin Dresser. “We have a lot of work to do. We need to have a great week at practice, not a good week. We need a lot of these guys to buy in all the way, not just 80 percent of the way.” Tech opened the day against Edinboro, winning three of ten matchups in a highly physical dual meet. The Hokies came out on top for two of the three ranked matchups including a thrilling bout at 149 between No. 10 Patricio Lugo of Edinboro and No. 7 Solomon Chishko. Chishko recorded a takedown with the clock expiring in the third period and registered another in the sudden-death overtime period to win 7-5. Senior Sal Mastriani, who trailed 9-2 at the end of the first period against Chase Dlande at 157, followed Chishko's win with a comeback 15-10 victory, putting Tech ahead 13-4 in the match. Edinboro pulled within 13-7 after taking the bout at 165 but the heart of the Hokies lineup featuring All-Americans Zach Epperly at 174, Zack Zavatasky at 184 and Jared Haught at 197 all produced victories to give the Hokies a 24-13 win. Three technical falls, two falls, and four regular decisions led to the 39-6 victory over VMI. Dennis Gustafson (141), Chishko and Mastriani all walked away with second-period technical falls. Zavatsky and Haught had back-to-back pins, giving the Hokies a 39-0 lead before forfeiting the heavyweight match. The pin for Zavatsky came at 1:30 in the first period while Haught picked up a fall in 3:26. The Hokies will next take the stage at the Moss Arts Center against Chattanooga next Sunday, November 13, at 1 p.m. A limited number of tickets are still available and can be purchased online at HokieSports.com. No. 6 VIRGINA TECH 24, EDINBORO 13 125: No. 3 Joey Dance (VT) dec. No. 18 Sean Russell, 3-1 133: Korbin Myers (ED) maj dec. Dom Latona, 15-2 141: Dennis Gustafson (VT) maj dec. Nate Hagan, 12-3 149: No. 7 Solomon Chishko (VT) dec. No. 10 Pat Lugo, 7-5 (OT) 157: Sal Mastriani (VT) dec. Chase Delande, 15-10 165: No. 9 Austin Matthews (ED) dec. Mike Ciavarro, 13-6 174: No. 2 Zach Epperly (VT) maj dec. Ty Schoffstall, 17-9 184: No. 10 Zack Zavatsky (VT) dec. Dakota Greer, 9-4 197: No. 3 Jared Haught (VT) maj dec. Shawn Reynolds, 14-3 HWT: Billy Miller (ED) won by forfeit No. 6 VIRGINIA TECH 39, VMI 6 125: No. 3 Joey Dance (VT) dec. Dalton Henderson, 7-1 133: Dom Latona (VT) dec. Hunter Starner, 7-6 141: Dennis Gustafson (VT) tech fall John Reed, 16-1 (4:20) 149: No. 7 Solomon Chishko (VT) tech fall Stevan Smith, 23-3 (4:22) 157: Sal Mastriani (VT) tech fall Alex Rinehart, 18-2 (4:08) 165: Mike Ciavarro dec. Cade Kiely, 9-4 174: No. 2 Zach Epperly (VT) fall Shabaka Jones, (1:30) 184: No. 10 Zack Zavatsky (VT) fall Chris Beck, (3:26) 197: No. 3 Jared Haught (VT) maj dec. Shawn Reynolds, 14-3 HWT: Sam Bouis (VMI) won by forfeit

Live Blog NWCA All-Star Classic

Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune -- both NCAA wrestling champs -- each made short work of his opponent with first-round wins in their professional mixed martial arts debut at Bellator 163 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. on Friday night. Ruth, a three-time NCAA titlewinner for Penn State, scored a TKO by strikes over Dustin Collins-Miles at 3:19 of the first round of their scheduled three-round middleweight (185-pound) bout… while Fortune, a junior college and NCAA Division II champ, defeated Cody Miskell by TKO by strikes at 2:22 of Round 1 of their three-round heavyweight match. Collins-Miles, stepping in for Ruth's originally slated opponent, Mark Mangiardi, started the action by knocking Ruth onto his butt with a counter-right hand. However, Ruth popped up quickly, bringing his opponent to the canvas with a classic wrestling move -- a double-leg takedown. The former Nittany Lion mat champ rode Collins-Miles, landing several right hands to the side of his head. Collins-Miles suffered a cut from one of Ruth's shots, and began bleeding profusely. When Collins-Miles failed to protect himself, the referee called the match. Ruth, who signed with Bellator in summer 2015, is now 1-0 in his professional MMA career, while Collins-Miles, who has been competing in MMA as a pro for nearly a decade, is now 13-9, having lost his last three consecutive fights. Fortune, a two-time NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) heavyweight champ at Oregon's Clackamas Community College and 2013 NCAA Division II titlewinner at Grand Canyon University in Arizona, started his bout with a series of one-two jabs, backing Miskell into the fence. The Oregon native then rode Miskell near the fence, landing hard right hands and a knee to the body. The referee warned Miskell to defend himself, but moments later the match was halted about halfway into the first round. Fortune, who like Ruth signed with Bellator last year, is also 1-0 with his successful pro debut, while Miskell, also making his first appearance in a pro MMA bout, is now 0-1.

South Dakota State won two matches by technical fall and added a pair of major decisions to defeat 18th-ranked Iowa State, 27-9, in a season-opening wrestling dual for both teams Friday night before a record crowd of 1,814 at Frost Arena. The Jackrabbits, who were the top team receiving votes in the preseason USA Today/National Wrestling Coaches Association rankings, won seven matches overall, starting with a 14-2 major decision over Colston DiBlasi at 165 pounds. The 174-pound matchup featured a pair of returning national qualifiers in Iowa State's seventh-ranked Lelund Weatherspoon and the Jackrabbits' David Kocer. Weatherspoon recorded a second-period escape to take a 1-0 lead into the final period, but Kocer evened the match with an early escape, then recorded the lone takedown of the bout with two seconds remaining to give SDSU a 7-0 lead and send the crowd into a frenzy. Redshirt freshman Martin Mueller gave SDSU more bonus points with a dominating 19-6 major decision over Carson Powell in which he recorded six takedowns, a reversal and a four-point near-fall. Iowa State got on the board in the 197-pound division as Patrick Downey, the seventh-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds, wrestled up a weight class and took down the Jackrabbits' ninth-ranked wrestler at 197, Nate Rotert, in an 8-6 decision. SDSU closed out the first half of the dual with a 3-1 decision at heavyweight by Alex Macki over Iowa State freshman Nick Nolting. The Jackrabbits' Seth Gross prevented Iowa State from gaining any further momentum after the Cyclones' won the 125-pound bout by turning in the first technical fall of the night with a 16-0 shutout of Nathan Boston. Alex Kocer added the second technical fall win two bouts later with a 17-2, two-period victory over Blayne Briceno at 149 pounds, securing SDSU's first-ever dual victory over Iowa State in 10 tries. Colin Holler closed out the Jackrabbit victory with a 5-2 decision over Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer at 157 pounds. The Jackrabbits close out the weekend by hosting the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open on Sunday. Action begins at 9 a.m. at Frost Arena. Results: 165: Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) major dec., Colston DiBlasi (ISU), 14-2 174: David Kocer (SDSU) dec. #7 Lelund Weatherspoon (ISU), 3-1 184: Martin Mueller (SDSU) major dec. Carson Powell (ISU), 19-6 197: Patrick Downey III (ISU) dec. #9 Nate Rotert (SDSU), 8-6 [Note: Downey ranked 7th at 184 pounds] 285: Alex Macki (SDSU) dec. Nick Nolting (ISU), 3-1 125: Kyle Larson (ISU) dec. Ben Gillette (SDSU), 6-1 133: #6 Seth Gross (SDSU) tech. fall Nathan Boston (ISU), 16-0 (7:00) 141: John Meeks (ISU) dec. Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU), 5-3 149: Alex Kocer (SDSU) tech. fall Blayne Briceno (ISU), 17-2 (5:00) 157: Colin Holler (SDSU) dec. Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (ISU), 5-2

GREELEY, Colo. -- Despite Northern Colorado taking an early lead, ahead 15-6 at halftime, Sun Devil wrestling was able to overcome the deficit, winning five of the last six matches en route to a 24-19 victory. For the third straight season under head coach Zeke Jones, the Sun Devils open the dual season with a win. "Overall it was good to get our hand raised as a team," said Jones. "We got hit in the mouth, so to speak, in the first half of the dual and the upper weights had to rally back. A lot of our wrestlers put the Sun Devil singlet on for the first time in the lineup, so it was mixed on how they responded." The Bears won three of the first four matches (125, 141, 149) but Ali Naser captured ASU's first points of the match, defeating Rico Montoya by a 5-3 decision at 133 lbs. Josh Shields started the Sun Devil comeback at 157 lbs. win a takedown in each of the first and second periods, followed by one escape in the first and two more in the second. Shields finished the third period with three escapes and two takedowns, leading to a 10-5 decision. Petersen followed suit with a 5-3 decision at 174 lbs. In the Valencia brothers' much-anticipated first time in ASU singlets, Anthony Valencia pinned UNC's Keilan Torres (4:33) at 165 lbs. before Zahid Valencia defeated Dylan Gabel by tech fall, 20-3. The match tied, 15-all heading into the 184 lbs. match, Zahid's victory would make the difference, giving ASU the lead for good. Northern Colorado's Jacob Seeley picked up the Bears' final points on a 9-1 major decision before Tanner Hall sealed the ASU victory at heavyweight, winning a 15-4 major decision. "We had to make a last minute change and bump the upper weights up to give us a chance to win and despite that, we rallied. I think overall, it was a good effort. For the first dual of the year, we'll take it." ASU closes their opening weekend at South Dakota State's Daktronics Open on Sunday, Nov. 6 in Brookings, SD. Results: 125 – Trey Andrews (UNC) def. Josh Kramer (ASU), 17-5 133 – Ali Naser (ASU) def. Rico Montoya (UNC), 5-3 141 – Timmy Box (UNC) def. Tyler Sage (ASU), 15-0 149 – Ben Polkowske (UNC) def. Robbie Mathers (ASU), pin fall (1:53) 157 – Josh Shields (ASU) def. Jimmy Fate (UNC), 10-5 165 – Anthony Valencia (ASU) def. Keilan Torres (UNC), pin fall (4:55) 174 – Jacen Petersen (ASU) def. Tanner Davis (UNC), 5-3 184 – Zahid Valencia (ASU) def. Dylan Gabel (UNC), 20-3 197 – Jacob Seely (UNC) def. Conner Small (ASU), 9-1 HWT – Tanner Hall (ASU) def. Jack Kuck (UNC), 15-4

Live Blog Iowa State at South Dakota State

The mailbag intro can be tricky, and this week it seemed I'd face a difficult choice: Talk about the election, greet the NCAA season with a big warm hug, or possibly inform the readership that I'll be motorcycling through Patagonia for the next few weeks. Or maybe I could have written about the Cubs and relate their 108 years of losing to the small conference title drought in NCAA wrestling? But alas I avoided comment on the Trump-ian chicanery; I dodged penning passages on the poignancy of another college wrestling season; I sidestepped a self-indulgent examination of my upcoming ride through Chilean and Argentine wilderness; and I skirted having to discuss Harry Caray, Bill Murray and the Celebrity of Cubbies. In the end, all I know is that I was saved these embarrassing misfires by the news, the brilliant, life-affirming, smile-stretching information that Brent Metcalf is the new developmental coach for USA Wrestling! Why the excitement? To my eye, Metcalf has always been a special case. He's certainly had moments that left him in a poor light (we all do), but every time I've seen him wrestle, or heard him speak, or been recounted an interaction -- every single time -- it seems as though the Brent Metcalf I thought I knew, or that was open to the public, was only a sliver of the whole story. He seems to be in constant growth and change. At the risk of being too on-the-nose, Metcalf seems to have been developing well over the past ten years. The development job is not meant for a cement-head, and Rich Bender and the rest of USA Wrestling knows this. Bill Zadick, having molded the role over the past several years, certainly knows this. The developmental coach is asked to recruit talent to the room for weeks of sparring with the national team. He's meant to entice the youngsters into seeing the benefit of the OTC in their growth and find new ways to challenge the Cadet and Junior level competitors in-house. Metcalf is the right guy for this job. He can make it successful, he can make it grow, and he can find happiness hunting in the variety of nearby mountain ranges. Congrats to Metcalf and congrats to USA Wrestling on finding the right guy for the job. To your questions … Mark Hall with his coach Brandon Slay at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) Q: During Penn State's media day on Wednesday, Cael Sanderson didn't completely rule out Mark Hall competing in the Nittany Lion lineup this season. He's said it's not the plan to wrestle him, but hinted that it could be a possibility. What do you think it would take for Cael to pull Hall's redshirt? -- Mike C. Foley: I'm guessing it would take underperformance at Hall's weight class, a number of other wrestlers not performing well enough, and Hall absolutely running over his competition for Cael to prompt that type of move. Or … Hall's desire to start. There is something about that type of athlete sitting that might be harmful to their overall development. Something I read about Siberian Tigers really stuck with me and I see some similarities to top-level wrestlers, "In an effort to express the depth of [an] obsession Pikunov cited a Russian proverb usually reserved for wolves, 'No matter how much you feed him, he keeps looking at the forest.'" -- John Valient, The Tiger Q: I always enjoy when ESPN and other outlets have "Uni-watch" articles or cover some of the unique uniforms in sports today. I know you (and many other people) are tired of the singlet, but I was curious if you had some recent favorites. While the singlet is not the greatest, you must admit there are some classic looks that would be missed if/when the singlet disappears (Oklahoma State, PSU, Iowa). Possibly an InterMat Singlet-watch? -- Matt F. Foley: The Penn State singlet has always stood out to me as one of the sport's defining singlets. However, there is almost nothing as intimidating or ingrained in wrestling culture as the Iowa Hawkeye all-black singlet. Some looks are the best with they replace cheap frills, with implied skills. On to other singlets, I definitely liked Ohio State's "O" placed on the lower hip and torso. I find white singlets to be less fashionable than they were a few years ago so the finals singlets this color don't get me too jazzed up. Some of the smaller schools have also been doing well with designs. Looking forward to the new season! Q: Phil Davis is -250 vs. Liam McGeary in Bellator on Friday night. Would you bet Davis at those odds? Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune are also on the card, but I haven't seen lines on them. -- Mike C. Foley: I love Phil Davis and I get that wrestlers have the edge, but something about Liam McGeary from the ground creates too much danger for me to give -250 odds to Phil. The other issue is that McGeary can throw his hands, has a massive gas tank and precisely no quit. Bellator has done a wonderful promotion for the event with cartoons, stories, and even some faux-political ads featuring Phil Davis. Scott Coker has done wonders to draw eyes to his promotion. The Ruth and Fortune fights should be pretty easy to predict. Coker and Bellator have invested a lot of money in young wrestlers and would like to see them succeed. So long as the duo are capable at self-promotion and can show a knack to submit, KO and/or brawl they'll be given a few fights that are easily winnable without seeming like outright mismatches MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Q: Do you like that John Hangey is finally getting a shot to lead Rider's wrestling program after Gary Taylor announced his retirement after this season? Or would you have liked to see the job opened up after the season? -- Mike C. Foley: I've known John Hangey for several years and like most other wrestling coaches was happy to hear that he earned the head job. The Taylor-Hangey coaching duo has put up some really impressive performances at the NCAA tournament, and my hope is that it continues with Hangey himself. From 30K feet it's really heartwarming that the administration didn't go out and assume that some new name would be better than the person who had dedicated so much time and energy to their school. Division I sports are cutthroat, but despite that draw of the unknown, Hangey proved that he's up to the task of being the head coach. Nothing but the best of luck to the new head coach of the Rider wrestling program! Q: Not counting NCAAs, what's the best college wrestling event to attend? Geographical location doesn't matter. I want to bring my son to an event. Just not sure which would be the best. A dual meet between top teams? Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational? Southern Scuffle? Midlands? Conference tournament? -- Mike C. Foley: You'll almost always find the most excitement in a dual meet between top teams. Iowa and Penn State would be my top choice this season. Even if there is some disagreement on the point spread top teams create mega-promotion and bring on the type of competitive anxiety most of us felt last night during Game 7 of the World Series between the Cubs and Indians. I've never been to a dual meet in Iowa City, but my hunch is that the scene there is worthy of a father-son road trip. Just don't forget to bring your camera and a 12-pack.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly and Indiana battled on even terms through 10 matches, finishing Thursday night's non-conference dual meet tied at 18. Photo/Ray Ambler, RA PhotosCoach Jon Sioredas' Mustangs, however, won six of the 10 bouts to break the tie and, on criteria (most wins) claimed their second victory of the day, 19-18, inside the Mott Athletics Center. "We are proud of our guys. All of them wrestled hard for seven minutes," said Sioredas, whose Mustangs defeated San Francisco State 36-7 earlier in the day outdoors in the University Union plaza. Cal Poly, which wrestled in fromt of about 600 fans against Indiana, won its first two dual meets of the season for the first time in three years. "This is part of the process," said Sioredas. "When you wrestle hard, good things happen." Trailing by six points, 18-12, with two bouts remaining, Cal Poly needed wins from both 197-pounder J.T. Goodwin and 285-pounder Spencer Empey. Goodwin responded with a 6-2 decision over Norman Conley and Empey (pictured above) drew the Mustangs into the tie with a 7-2 decision against Fletcher Miller. First three criteria for breaking dual meet ties involves coach misconduct and there were none. Fourth criteria is which team won more matches and Cal Poly had the advantage there, 6-4. After Indiana won the first bout by fall, Mustang 133-pounder Yoshito Funakoshi earned a 6-4 decision, extending his 3-2 lead after riding out the second period with a takedown and riding time in the final stanza. Colton Schilling followed with an 11-6 triumph, overcoming an early 2-0 deficit with a reversal and four-point near fall. Indiana regained the lead with a decision at 149 before both Colt Shorts and Blake Kastl earned one-point decisions. In a match that saw each wrestler score a takedown and two escapes, Shorts compiled a 1-minute, 16-second advantage in riding time for a 5-4 triumph while at 165, Kastl overcame a 4-2 deficit with an escape late in the second period and an escape and takedown in the final period for a 6-5 decision and a 12-9 Cal Poly lead. Devin Skatzka outscored Matt Wilhelm 10-7 at 174 and Nathan Jackson earned Indiana's second fall of the night at 174 pounds to give the Hoosiers their 18-12 lead heading into the final two bouts. Goodwin and Conley were scoreless after two periods as Goodwin rode out the second period. The senior then tallied an escape and two takedowns plus riding time in the last stanza for his 6-2 victory. Empey trailed 2-1 after the first period, then recorded an escape and takedown in the second period for a 4-2 lead and added another escape and takedown to wrap up the 7-2 decision. With six decisions, Cal Poly had enough to overcome Indiana's two falls and pair of decisions on criteria. Earlier in the day, Highlighted by Luke Wilson's technical fall in his first wrestling match in nearly four years, Cal Poly opened the Jon Sioredas Era with an easy victory over San Francisco State. Wilson, a 2013 graduate of Righetti High School in Santa Maria, battled through injuries and multiple surgeries the past three years to work his way back onto the mat. In his first official match as a Mustang, Wilson earned a 20-3 technical fall over Jesse Lyga at 165 pounds. Wilson led 4-1 after the first period with a pair of takedowns, 14-3 following two takedowns, a reversal and a four-point near fall in the second period and added a reversal and four-point near fall in the final period for the victory. Cal Poly dropped the first two bouts but came storming back with falls by Schilling and Empey, Wilson's technical fall and major decisions by Joshy Cortez, Shorts, Travis Berridge and Goodwin. Schilling needed just 1 minute, 35 seconds, to pin Joshua Weinberg at 141 pounds while Empey earned his fall in 2:32 over Ricardo Jaramillo at 285 pounds. Cortez was a 13-3 winner at 149, Shorts earned a 13-1 major at 157, Berridge was a 13-5 winner at 174 and Goodwin scored a reversal late in the final period to get his major, 11-2, at 197 pounds. Sohrab Movahedi posted an 11-4 decision at 184. Indiana defeated San Francisco State 39-7 prior to facing the Mustangs. Cal Poly visits Stanford for a Pac-12 dual meet Saturday at 10:30 a.m. San Francisco State (7) at Cal Poly (36) 125: Matt Gamble (SFSU) dec. David Gonzalez (CP) 9-5 133: Nate Cervantes (SFSU) maj. dec. Yoshito Funakoshi (CP) 17-9 141: Colton Schilling (CP) pinned Joshua Weinberg (SFSU) 1:35 149: Joshy Cortez (CP) maj. dec. Dylan Furtado (SFSU) 13-3 157: Colt Shorts (CP) maj. dec. Romeo Medina (SFSU) 13-1 165: Luke Wilson (P) tech. fall Jesse Lyga (SFSU) 5:47, 20-3 174: Travis Berridge (CP) maj. dec. Mike Marshall (SFSU) 13-5 184: Sohrab Movahedi (CP) dec. Morris Wilner (SFSU) 11-4 197: J.T. Goodwin (CP) maj. dec. Johnathan Costa (SFSU) 11-2 285: Spencer Empey (CP) pinned Ricardo Jaramillo (SFSU) 2:32 Indiana (18) at Cal Poly (19) 125: Elijah Oliver (I) pinned David Gonzalez (CP) 4:06 133: Yoshi Funakoshi (CP) dec. Garrett Pepple (I) 6-4 141: Colton Schilling (CP) dec. Tommy Cash (I) 11-6 149: Luke Blanton (I) dec. Joshy Cortez (CP) 9-2 157: Colt Shorts (CP) dec. Jake Danishek (I) 5-4 165: Blake Kastl (CP) dec. Bryce Martin (I) 6-5 174: Devin Skatzka (I) dec. Matt Wilhelm (CP) 10-7 184: Nathan Jackson (I) pinned Thomas Lane (CP) 3:16 197: J.T. Goodwin (CP) dec. Norman Conley (I) 6-2 285: Spencer Empey (CP) dec. Fletcher Miller (I) 7-2 Cal Poly wins dual meet on criteria (6-4 advantage in wins)

Eric Grajales EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- SIUE wrestling head coach Jeremy Spates announced the appointment of Eric Grajales as an assistant coach for the Cougars. "We are excited to add Eric to an already-great staff," said Spates. "It is the first time since I have been here that we have three All-Americans in the room. The amount of accomplishments and experience Eric has in the sport is hard to come by." Grajales was an All-American wrestler with a third-place finish for the University of Michigan during the 2013-14 season. He has since been pursuing a career in mixed martial arts, winning both of his matches. "I'm very humbled to be given a chance to join such a talented coaching staff," said Grajales. "I see a very bright future ahead of us as a team and can't wait to see us progress over the season. He advanced to the national championships in each of his four seasons at Michigan, advancing to the Round of 12 for four consecutive seasons. Grajales completed his collegiate career with an 89-42 record with 17 falls, seven technical falls and 17 major decisions. His record in the NCAA Tournament was 12-7 after finishing 6-1 during his final season at Michigan. He defeated Edinboro's David Habat in the medal match. A native of Brandon, Florida, Grajales was a highly-touted prep wrestler at Brandon High School. He was named the South Region and Florida recipient of the 2009 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award and was named Mr. Florida as the state's top wrestler. A four-time Florida state champion, he was named the Male Athlete of the Year by the Tampa Tribune after completing his prep career with a 217-0 record. He was a two-time FILA Junior World team member (2006 and 2007) and claimed fifth place at the 2008 Greco-Roman Senior Nationals. The 2006 Junior Greco Wrestler of the Year, Grajales won the Fargo Greco-Roman national championship four times. Grajales earned a bachelor's degree from Michigan in 2014. "Eric and Rossi Bruno this year are big additions," noted Spates. "Their personalities and coaching style are similar to myself and Logun Taylor. We are working hard to help this team reach its goals."

Colton Schilling (Photo/GoPoly.com) SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Highlighted by Luke Wilson's technical fall in his first wrestling match in nearly four years, Cal Poly opened the Jon Sioredas Era with a come-from-behind 36-7 dual meet victory over San Francisco State on Thursday afternoon in the University Union plaza. Wilson, a 2013 graduate of Righetti High School in Santa Maria, battled through injuries and multiple surgeries the past three years to work his way back onto the mat. In his first official match as a Mustang, Wilson earned a 21-3 technical fall over Jesse Lyga at 165 pounds. Wilson led 4-1 after the first period with a pair of takedowns, 14-3 following two takedowns, a reversal and a four-point near fall in the second period and added a reversal and four-point near fall in the final period for the victory. Cal Poly dropped the first two bouts but came storming back with falls by Colton Schilling and Spencer Empey, Wilson's technical fall and major decisions by Joshy Cortez, Colt Shorts, Travis Berridge and J.T. Goodwin. Schilling needed just 1 minute, 35 seconds, to pin Joshua Weinberg at 141 pounds while Empey earned his fall in 2:32 over Ricardo Jaramillo at 285 pounds. Cortez was a 13-3 winner at 149, Shorts earned a 13-1 major at 157, Berridge was a 13-5 winner at 174 and Goodwin scored a reversal late in the final period to get his major, 11-2, at 197 pounds. Sohrab Movahedi posted an 11-4 decision at 184. Cal Poly wrestles Indiana of the Big 10 Conference tonight at 7 inside the Mott Athletics Center. Results: 125: Matt Gamble (SFSU) dec. David Gonzalez (CP) 9-5 133: Nate Cervantes (SFSU) maj. dec. Yoshito Funakoshi (CP) 17-9 141: Colton Schilling (CP) pinned Joshua Weinberg (SFSU) 1:35 149: Joshy Cortez (CP) maj. dec. Dylan Furtado (SFSU) 13-3 157: Colt Shorts (CP) maj. dec. Romeo Medina (SFSU) 13-1 165: Luke Wilson (P) tech. fall Jesse Lyga (SFSU) 5:47, 20-3 174: Travis Berridge (CP) maj. dec. Mike Marshall (SFSU) 13-5 184: Sohrab Movahedi (CP) dec. Morris Wilner (SFSU) 11-4 197: J.T. Goodwin (CP) maj. dec. Johnathan Costa (SFSU) 11-2 285: Spencer Empey (CP) pinned Ricardo Jaramillo (SFSU) 2:32

Brent Metcalf competing at the Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Brent Metcalf of Iowa City, Iowa, has been hired as National Freestyle Developmental Coach by USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States. Metcalf will work under National Freestyle Coach Bill Zadick as part of the USA Wrestling national freestyle staff. He will work remotely from Iowa City through May, when he moves to Colorado Springs, Colo. and assumes full-time duties at the USA Wrestling headquarters. "It is a challenge I am excited about. It is something I have been doing for the last seven years, working to make the United States the best in the world in freestyle wrestling. I will be coming from a different angle, the developmental angle. The work we have done at this level is proving itself with our recent results. I am excited to be a part of this," said Metcalf. "We are excited to welcome one of the country's great competitors and a man of high character to the USA Wrestling family. I am confident Brent will bring a unique skill set and attitude to our program. We are also eager to welcome his wife Kristen and his boys Chase and Cole to Freestyle Team USA. There's no doubt USA Wrestling was made better today by this hire," said USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender. "As a head coach, one of the most important things that you do is build a culture with your team and program. The staff is a huge piece of that. There are a ton of great people in the United States. I have respected Brent Metcalf for a long time. He is a fierce competitor. We all know his record on the mat. Going back into the age groups with the Developmental job, which is important to me, he was a record-setter with six Fargo titles. His record speaks for itself. On top of that, he is a great person, a family man, honest and trustworthy, and he works very hard. He is a grounded individual. Those are all characteristics we want to promote with our developmental athletes. He brings a lot to the program and I am excited to start working with him on a daily basis," said National Freestyle Coach Bill Zadick. Metcalf was a member of four U.S. Freestyle World Teams in men's freestyle, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015. He won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Canada, and claimed World Cup gold medals in 2014 and 2015 in Los Angeles, Calif. Other major international events he won included the 2014 UWW Golden Grand Prix Finals in Azerbaijan and the 2011 Olympic Test Event in England. Metcalf won a silver medal at the 2013 Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in Russia, considered one of the toughest competitions in the world. Metcalf qualified for the U.S. Freestyle National Team for six straight years from 2010-2016. He won U.S. Open titles in 2014 and 2015. Metcalf placed second in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He was also second in the 2012 Pan American Olympic Qualifier and third at the 2009 Pan American Championships. Metcalf competed on the 2006 U.S. Junior World Team. He was a two-time NCAA champion for the University of Iowa, winning his titles in 2008 and 2010. He won the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's best college wrestler in 2008. Metcalf was also second at the 2009 NCAA Championships, making him a three-time NCAA finalist, competing under head coach Tom Brands. The Hawkeyes won three NCAA team titles with Metcalf on the roster. His college career started at Virginia Tech, where he was a redshirt in 2005-06. When head coach Tom Brands left Virginia Tech to take over the Iowa program, Metcalf joined him in Iowa, and lost a year of eligibility when Virginia Tech did not release him. Metcalf was a high school star at Davison High School in Michigan. He won four Michigan state titles, finishing with a 228-0 record and 156 pins. He also led his team to four state team titles. He was a record-setting wrestler in USA Wrestling's age-group programs. Metcalf won six ASICS Junior National titles, three each in freestyle and Greco-Roman, joining Georgia's Sean Hage as the only six-time Junior National champions in history. He was also a 2002 Cadet National Greco-Roman champion and freestyle runner-up. "I was a part of that development system. The program which Bill Zadick has planned includes getting international experience early on. Earlier in my career, I didn't have that opportunity, so I am envious. I was in college when I had my first international tour. Before they get to college, these guys have wrestled many times overseas, including on Cadet and Junior World Teams. This is big, giving them the opportunity beyond Fargo and competing in the USA. With that experience abroad, you put yourself out there against the world's best and see yourself winning at the world level," said Metcalf. Metcalf will coach with USA Wrestling's age-group men's freestyle World Teams, serve as a coach for the freestyle resident athletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and serve as an assistant coach with the athletes on the Senior national team. "Freestyle wrestling is something that from day one I have been most passionate about. To be in that realm is something I am very excited about. I like the collegiate system. But growing up in the sport, freestyle was where my passion was. My family is excited about the move to Colorado. In this position, you are also in the biggest stage in wrestling, the World and Olympic championships. It doesn't get any better than that. My entire life I have geared my life towards being part of the World and Olympic championships, and now I get to be a leader for those who follow. There is a good thing going on, and Bill Zadick has some really good ideas. There are great things we can do to help prepare these guys. It is already showing in the success at that level. We have to keep it going and take it to another level," said Metcalf.

Dan Gable watches Iowa wrestle NC State in the National Duals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com) WATERLOO, Iowa -- The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum is hosting a special autograph signing with Dan Gable at the UNI Dome on Sunday, November 6 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The signing will take place during USA Wrestling's Preseason Nationals. In addition, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum will be open on Friday, November 4 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday, November 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. "USA Wrestling always puts on great events, and I'm proud to be part of this one," said museum namesake Dan Gable. "I always enjoy coming back to Cedar Falls." Gable is arguably the greatest athlete and coach ever. In 1972 he won a gold medal at the Munich Olympics without surrendering a point. As the head coach at the University of Iowa he led the Hawkeyes to 15 NCAA team titles in 21 years, compiling a 355-21-5 dual meet record. The UNI Dome has been an excellent facility for wrestling competitions. The UNI Dome was also where Dan Gable won his final NCAA tournament as the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes in 1997, setting the record for most points scored at 170. That National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum is located at 303 Jefferson St. in Waterloo. All are welcome to attend this special autograph signing at the UNI Dome. For more information call (319) 233-0745 or e-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org.

Olympian Haley Augello will compete in a showcase bout at the NWCA All-Star Classic (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) MANHEIM, Pa. -- Fourteen different college programs will be highlighted in showcase bouts at the 51st annual NWCA All-Star Classic on November 5 at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center. Along with the 14 different schools, Olympian Haley Augello will face Junior World Team member Becka Leathers in a women's freestyle bout and a pair of bouts will also take place featuring local high school and middle school wrestlers. The event, presented by The Brewer-Garrett Company and hosted by the Wrestlers in Business Network, has served as the major kick-off event for the wrestling season since becoming and early-season event. In 2012, the event moved to the first weekend of the major college wrestling calendar and has been a fixture ever since. "One of the big draws to hosting the event is the ability to showcase the nation's top wrestlers, but to also showcase local athletes, programs and competitors who come from a given area but may compete out of state," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. Augello, the representative for the U.S. at 48kg/105.5 pounds in the Olympic Games in Rio this past August, is an unbeaten two-time WCWA champion for King University in Bristol, Tenn. She competes at 116 pounds during the college season. Leathers, a sophomore from Oklahoma City University, won the WCWA championship last year at 123 pounds. Previous U.S. women to compete in the All-Star showcase bouts have been 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Randi Miller and 2016 Olympic gold medalist Helen Maroulis. Individually, three of the bouts will be Division I matchups as host Cleveland State will send out Milan, Ohio native Evan Cheek at 141 pounds to face Lock Haven's Ronnie Perry in a matchup between EWL foes. Perry is coming off a solid redshirt season where he finished sixth at the Midlands, while Cheek was third in the EWL last season. George DiCamillo, a senior at the University of Virginia from nearby Highland Heights, will return to the area to face Clarion's Brock Zacherl in a matchup of returning NCAA qualifiers. DiCamillo moves up to 141 pounds after spending the last three seasons at 133. At 157 pounds, two-time Division I qualifier Joey LaVallee will give Missouri its fourth wrestler at the event. LaVallee, who is coming off a redshirt season, will face Rutgers' Richie Lewis, a two-time NJCAA All-American at Iowa Central who qualified for the Division I championships last season for the Scarlet Knights. Division II All-Americans also are highlighted, with a pair of them coming from nearby Notre Dame College. Cobey Fehr, a Barberton, Ohio, native finished seventh at the NCAA Division II championships last season. He'll face Case Western Reserve's Isaac Collier at 149 pounds. Collier, a junior from nearby Northfield, is a graduate of St. Edward High School in Lakewood. Notre Dame College's second competitor, Garrett Lineberger, is a two-time Division II All-American and a 2014 Division II champion. He placed fifth last season. He'll face John Carroll University's Mason Litz, a sophomore from Fowlerville, Michigan, at 197 pounds. Another Division II All-American in the mix is Lake Erie College's Evan Rosborough. An eighth-place finisher in 2014, Rosborough will face Baldwin Wallace's Division III national qualifier Tyler Maclellan, also at 197 pounds. The NAIA will also be represented, with returning national champion and three-time All-American Mitch Pawlak of Indiana Tech facing John Carroll's Mitch Tikkanen at 125 pounds. Two of Ohio's stellar high school programs will also be showcased in a bout at 113 pounds as Walsh Jesuit's Matt Fields will face St. Edward's Matt Kazimir. This is a rematch of last year's OHSAA Division I semifinal, won by Fields 3-0. Fields finished second, while Kazimir finished third. Two up-and-coming middle school talents will also compete against one another at 70 pounds. State freestyle champion Patrick Reineke of Wickliffe Middle School will take on Wyatt Richter of Brecksville Middle. Wickliffe finished third at the 2015 USA Wrestling Preseason Nationals, while Richter has been impressive, winning titles at Reno and Tulsa Nationals. He was the runner-up at the Ohio Youth State Tournament in 2015. 2016 NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by The Brewer-Garrett Company Hosted by the Wrestlers in Business Network November 5, 2016 - Wolstein Center, Cleveland State University Time: Showcase Matches 6 p.m.; Main Event 7 p.m. Tickets: $15 GA, $100 Preferred Seating/Social. Group options available. Tickets available at www.goallstarclassic.com or Wolstein Center Box Office ( 844-407-2279) or Northeast Ohio Discount Drug Marts. Streaming: Trackwrestling.com Main Event Bouts 125: Barlow McGhee, Jr. (Missouri) vs. Nathan Kraisser, Sr. (Campbell) 133: Zane Richards, Sr. (Illinois) vs. Eric Montoya, Sr. (Nebraska) 141: Bryce Meredith, Jr. (Wyoming) vs. Anthony Ashnault, Jr. (Rutgers) 149: Lavion Mayes, Sr. (Missouri) vs. Anthony Collica, Sr. (Oklahoma State) 157: Brian Murphy, Sr. (Michigan) vs. Max Rohskopf, Sr. (NC State) 165: Isaac Jordan, Sr. (Wisconsin) vs. Daniel Lewis, So. (Missouri) 174: Ethan Ramos, Jr. (North Carolina) vs. Zac Brunson, Sr. (Illinois) 184: Gabe Dean, Sr. (Cornell) vs. Myles Martin, So. (Ohio State) 197: Brett Pfarr, Sr. (Minnesota) vs. Brett Harner, Sr. (Princeton) 285: Ty Walz, Sr. (Virginia Tech) vs. Connor Medbery, Sr. (Wisconsin) Showcase Bouts 133: Mitch Tikkanen (John Carroll) vs Mitch Pawlak (Indiana Tech) 141: Evan Cheek (Cleveland State) vs. Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) 141: George DiCamillo (Virginia) vs Brock Zacherl (Clarion) 149: Cobey Fehr (Notre Dame College) vs Isaac Collier (Case Western Reserve) 157: Joey LaVallee (Missouri) vs Richie Lewis (Rutgers) 197: Garrett Lineberger (Notre Dame College) vs Mason Litz (John Carroll) 197: Evan Rosborough (Lake Erie) vs Tyler Maclellan (Baldwin Wallace) Women: Haley Augello (King). vs Becka Leathers (Oklahoma City) HS 113: Matt Fields (Walsh Jesuit) vs Matt Kazimir (St. Edward) MS 70: Patrick Reineke (Wickliffe M.S.) vs Wyatt Richter (Brecksville M.S.) About the National Wrestling Coaches Association The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with a primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: coaching development, student-athlete welfare, and the promotion of wrestling. About Wrestlers in Business Network (WIBN) Wrestlers in Business Network is a registered 501 C-3 that strives to unite the thousands of wrestlers that have graduated from the sport and are now in their respective careers. Our mission is to build a community that serves as a platform to connect our members and facilitate business and job opportunities across the nation by leveraging a talent rich pipeline of wrestling alumni, with the ultimate byproduct of increasing reinvestment back to the sport. www.wrestlersinbusiness.org

Myles Martin after advancing to the NCAA finals as a true freshman (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The 51st annual NWCA All-Star Classic takes place this Saturday night at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center. The event, which features several of the nation's championship contenders, will stream live on Trackwrestling.com beginning with showcase matches at 6 p.m. ET and the main event matches starting at 7 p.m. InterMat will also have a live blog for fans to follow the action and interact. The following is a weight-by-weight preview of the event. The predicted outcomes are partially influenced by a proprietary statistical model developed by StrikeScoreMMA.com called Wrestler's Pythagorean Expectation (WPE). The model has been previously used to predict the finals of the Midlands Championships and the Oklahoma State vs. Missouri dual meet. In those two instances, the model correctly predicted the winner in 89 percent of matches. The WPE based on last season's performance for each competitor is list below in parentheses. 125: No. 6 Barlow McGhee, Missouri (80.70) vs. No. 14 Nathan Kraisser, Campbell (89.25) Last season McGhee reached the round of 12 before falling to Conor Youtsey (Michigan) and missing out of All-American status. During the season, he picked up impressive wins over 2015 NCAA finalist Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) as well as 2016 NCAA All-Americans David Terao (American) and No. 2 Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa). Kraisser will drop down to 125 after spending last season at 133. His WPE is inflated due to his ability to pick up bonus point. In his 2016 campaign, he scored 25 bonus point victories and 10 falls. However, he only faced two All-Americans and went 0-2 in those bouts. McGhee normally enjoys a size advantage. It will be interesting to see how that plays considering he is facing a competitor who spent the last season up a weight. With that being said, the Missouri wrestler should be able to slow the match down and win a close decision. Prediction: McGhee (Missouri) dec. Kraisser (Campbell) 133: No. 2 Zane Richards, Illinois (94.15) vs. No. 4 Eric Montoya, Nebraska (82.46) Richards had a very impressive junior season last year. He finished fourth at the NCAA tournament and only lost to Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) and No. 1 Cory Clark (Iowa). At the Big Ten tournament, he scored a 5-1 decision over Montoya. Richards also defeated All-Americans Jordan Conaway (Penn State) and Jade Rauser (Utah Valley). Montoya finished right behind Richards at the NCAAs, in fifth place. During the season, he was not as consistent as his opponent, but he did defeat Conaway, Rauser and fellow All-American No. 5 Earl Hall (Iowa State). Against high-level competition, Richards relies on his defense. That should be able to carry him to a victory here. Montoya failed to score more than a point in their last match, and he will likely struggle on offense in this bout as well. Prediction: Richard (Illinois) dec. Montoya (Nebraska) 141: No. 2 Bryce Meredith, Wyoming (91.61) vs. No. 4 Anthony Ashnault, Rutgers (91.36) Fans will be talking about Meredith's run through the NCAA tournament for years to come. After entering the bracket as the 14th seed, he defeated the likes of No. 6 Kevin Jack (NC State), Micah Jordan (Ohio State) and No. 3 Joey McKenna (Stanford) to reach the finals. Ashnault was on the other side of the bracket. He fell to eventual champion No. 1 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) in the semifinals before finishing fourth. During the season he also defeated fellow All-Americans Chris Mecate (Old Dominion) and No. 9 Randy Cruz (Lehigh). This might end up being one of the closest matches of the event. Their WPEs are extremely close, and the statistical similarities do not stop there. Meredith went 13-5 in decisions, while Ashnault went 15-5. The Wyoming wrestler's average point differential in those matches, 1.78, which was only slightly better than Ashnault's 1.40. Prediction: Meredith (Wyoming) dec. Ashnault (Rutgers) 149: No. 3 Lavion Mayes, Missouri (87.81) vs. No. 4 Anthony Collica, Oklahoma State (92.87) These two wrestlers are very familiar with each other. They wrestled three times last season and six times overall. At the NCAA tournament Collica defeated Mayes 3-2 in the quarterfinals before falling to No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) in the semifinals. In the third place match, Mayes returned the favor and defeated Collica 3-2. Mayes and Collica are clearly evenly matched. In their six career matches, they are both 3-3 with a fall. Collica has the edge in terms of WPE since he is a much more offensive wrestler. Of his 29 wins last season only nine came via decision, while Mayes picked up 19 decisions in 32 wins. Prediction: Collica (Oklahoma State) dec. Mayes (Missouri) 157: No. 4 Brian Murphy, Michigan (58.32) vs. No. 5 Max Rohskopf, NC State (93.36) Last year Murphy faced a very tough schedule. Of his 21 matches last season, seven were against eventual All-Americans. In those seven matches he went 1-6. His lone victory over a 2016 All-American came over No. 2 Dylan Palacio (Cornell) in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Rohskopf will drop down to 157 after spending last season at 165. At the higher weight, he went 16-4 and picked up pair of victories over All-American David McFadden (Virginia Tech) as well as Austin Wilson (Nebraska). While Murphy has been able to keep it close against higher level competition, he has struggled outside of his one match with Palacio. Look for Rohskopf to start the season off with a solid win. Prediction: Rohskopf (NC State) dec. Murphy (Michigan) 165: No. 2 Isaac Jordan, Wisconsin (95.75) vs. No. 3 Daniel Lewis, Missouri (93.84) Jordan is dominant in close matches. Of his 30 matches last season, 17 went to decision. In those matches he went 16-1 with his only loss coming against eventual NCAA champion Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State). Dieringer was the only person to score more than five points against Jordan in a decision. The Wisconsin wrestler allowed only 2.35 points per match in decisions. Lewis ended up finishing fourth at the NCAA tournament and earning All-American status. He went 2-5 against 2016 All-Americans with victories over Austin Wilson (Nebraska) and Steven Rodrigues (Illinois). While Lewis can put up a lot of points from the top position, scoring against Jordan is one of the toughest tasks in college wrestling. Look for Lewis to make this a fight, but in the end, Jordan will be the one with his hand raised. Prediction: Jordan (Wisconsin) dec. Lewis (Missouri) 174: No. 5 Ethan Ramos, North Carolina (85.80) vs. No. 9 Zac Brunson, Illinois (92.90) Both Ramos and Brunson had strong starts to last season. However, neither was able to earn All-American honors in the end. Brunson has the advantage in terms of WPE mostly due to the fact that he scored nine falls last season, while Ramos only managed three. However, in a head-to-head matchup, Ramos will probably be able to control the tempo and take the decision victory. Prediction: Ramos (North Carolina) dec. Brunson (Illinois) 184: No. 1 Gabe Dean, Cornell (95.92) vs. No. 2 Myles Martin, Ohio State (92.52) This match will feature a pair of returning NCAA champions. Dean captured the 184-pound crown, while Martin took the title at 174. Dean suffered only one defeat last season, against No. 5 Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State). Against 2016 All-Americans he went 9-1 with three bonus point victories. Martin entered the final tournament of the season as the 11th seed but ended up winning it all. In the finals, he defeated Bo Nickal (Penn State) for the first time after three losses. Martin also defeated 2016 All-Americans Lelund Weatherspoon (Iowa State), Nate Jackson (Indiana) and Casey Kent (Penn). Prediction: Dean (Cornell) dec. Martin (Ohio State) 197: No. 2 Brett Pfarr, Minnesota (93.12) vs. No. 4 Brett Harner, Princeton (89.63) Pfarr is the highest returning placer at this weight behind only Olympic bronze medalist No. 1 J'den Cox (Missouri). Last season he went 7-4 against 2016 All-Americans and scored bonus in 57 percent of his matches. Harner finished eighth at the NCAA tournament and scored impressive victories over No. 7 Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State) and Max Huntley (Michigan). However, he ended up going 0-3 against 2016 All-Americans. Prediction: Pfarr (Minnesota) dec. Harner (Princeton) 285: No. 2 Ty Walz, Virginia Tech (81.13) vs. No. 3 Connor Medbery, Wisconsin (97.46) With Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) having graduated and Adam Coon (Michigan) taking a redshirt year, it might look like things are lining up nicely for Walz. However, No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) is still looming and Medbery is returning from a redshirt year. During the 2015 season, Medbery defeated Walz 2-1 in their only matchup of that season. Prediction: Medbery (Wisconsin) dec. Walz (Virginia Tech) *Medbery's WPE is based on the 2015 season Richard Mann currently runs the data-driven MMA blog StrikeScoreMMA.com.