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Chuck Clausen, a high school state mat champ who wrestled and played football at the University of New Mexico before going on to coach football at a number of high school, college and NFL teams ranging from the Buckeyes to the Eagles, died on Christmas Eve in Gainesville, Ga. at age 75. Born in Anamosa, Iowa in June 1940, Charles Richard Clausen came to New Mexico with his family in the mid-1950s when his father Dick Clausen took a football coaching job at University of New Mexico. The younger Clausen quickly made a name for himself on the gridiron and on the mat, winning two state heavyweight wrestling titles at Albuquerque's Highland High School. When his dad accepted the Athletic Director position at University of Arizona, Clausen first enrolled at University of Iowa, according to the Albuquerque Journal ... but then transferred to UNM, where the 6'2", 230-pound Clausen was starting center and linebacker for the Lobos, helping them win the inaugural Western Athletic Conference championship his senior year in 1962. Described by his friends as a "big bear of a man" and a "gentle giant," Clausen also wrestled heavyweight for the New Mexico Lobos, winning 90% of his matches, according to his bio at the UNM Hall of Fame website , which also described Clausen as an academic star in addition to his athletic accomplishments. After graduating from UNM, Clausen launched his coaching career, serving as a head wrestling coach at Gallup High School in New Mexico and at Washington High School in Fremont, Calif. However, the greatest portion of Clausen's professional career was spent as an assistant football coach, starting as an assistant with Marv Levy at The College of William & Mary in Virginia in 1958. Later, Clausen accepted a coaching position working with head coach Woody Hayes at Ohio State through the early 1970s, helping to take the Buckeyes to four consecutive Rose Bowl appearances. After a decade-and-a-half in the collegiate football coaching ranks, Clausen then moved on to the NFL, as an assistant coach for Dick Vermeil and Marion Campbell with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1976-1985, earning a Super Bowl ring in the process when the Eagles' lost to the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV. Clausen later served as an assistant for the Atlanta Falcons and the San Diego Chargers before retiring from coaching in 1991. He worked in commercial real estate in Gainesville, Ga., some 55 miles northeast of Atlanta. However, Clausen didn't leave the sports world completely. While in Gainesville, he began writing a high school sports column for the local newspaper and serving as a color commentator on high school football broadcasts on WDUN. A memorial service for Clausen will be held Saturday, Jan. 9 at 11:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Gainesville. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Boys & Girls Club of Hall County, PO Box 691, Gainesville, GA 30503 or Eagle Ranch, P.O. Box 7200, Chestnut Mountain, GA 30502, www.eagleranch.org .

In the past year, a number of individuals who once wrestled, coached or otherwise contributed to the sport passed away. There were young athletes, still competing in high school or college ... as well as those whose time in the sport was decades ago. InterMat pays tribute to these individuals who left us in 2015. Active wrestlers Three active high school wrestlers died during the 2015-16 season. In November, Tristan White, 14, of Treynor High School in western Iowa was struck and killed by a sport utility vehicle while doing roadwork with his teammates after school. Earlier this month, Cullen Porter, 17, a senior at Franklin High School in Virginia died after being injured in wrestling practice. Then, on Dec. 19, Austin Roberts, 18, a 220-pound placer at the Iowa state wrestling championships in March, collapsed during the finals at a tournament in his home gym at Spencer High School, passing away later that evening at the local hospital. At least two current collegiate wrestlers died in 2015. In June, Steven Kelly, 157-pound starter for the Colorado State University-Pueblo wrestling squad, drowned while tubing in the Arkansas River near Pueblo. He was 23. In February, Nick Gavazzi, an 18-year-old freshman member of the Clarion University wrestling team, was killed when his car collided with a coal truck in Armstrong County, Pa. Olympians Dan Brand was welcomed into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum in 2011 (Photo/Larry Slater)A quartet of wrestlers who represented the U.S. at the Olympics in the 1950s and 60s died within the past 12 months. Dan Brand, University of Nebraska All-American heavyweight and two-time U.S. Olympic wrestler who earned a bronze medal at the 1964 Tokyo Games, died in February at age 79. Bill Kerslake, three-time Olympian (1952, 1956, 1960) who wrestled heavyweight at what is now Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, died in September at 85. Hugh Perry, a three-time NCAA champ at University of Pittsburgh who wrestled for the U.S. at the '56 Melbourne Games, passed away in January at age 84. A couple weeks earlier, Dick Beattie, 82, two-time NCAA titlewinner for Oklahoma State (1958, 1959) who earned a place on the '56 Olympic team but was forced to sit out because of an emergency appendectomy just before the Games, was killed in a car accident in his native Oklahoma. Two Olympic alternates also left us this year. Bradley Glass, 1951 NCAA heavyweight champ for Princeton University who was a U.S. Olympic alternate for the 1956 Melbourne Games, died at age 84 in August. Verne Gagne, two-time NCAA champ for Minnesota (1948, 1949) and 1948 London Olympics alternate who went on to become a major pro wrestling star in a career that spanned decades, lost his decade-long battle with Alzheimer's disease in May. He was 89. College mat stars of the past In addition to Olympians with college mat titles already mentioned, at least three NCAA champs passed away this year. Bob Hoke, a two-time Big Ten conference champion and 1954 NCAA titlewinner for Michigan State who enjoyed a long career in medicine, died in May at age 82. Steve Fernandes, former Western New England College wrestler who won a 1982 NCAA Division III championship at what was then called Trenton State (now College of New Jersey), died at age 54 in September. The following month saw the passing of Jim Harmon, 81, 1953 NCAA champ for Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa). As for other former collegiate wrestlers who died in 2015 ... Greg Plitt, a 2000 West Point graduate who wrestled for Army, then went on to become a fitness model featured on dozens of magazine covers (and was the subject of 2007 InterMat profile), died in January after being struck by a commuter train in suburban Los Angeles. He was 37. Gary Dillingham, a 1962 SUNY Athletic Conference champion wrestler at SUNY-Cortland who went on to a long coaching career at Cortland High School, died of an apparent heart attack while maintaining statistics at a high school wrestling event in January. Frank Rader, a former Davidson College wrestler and leader in USA Wrestling, passed away in his North Carolina home in May at age 66. George Hobbs, three-time Big Ten finalist and 1962 NCAA All-American for Michigan State who went on to coach the now-defunct mat program at Western Michigan University, died in July. In October, Carl Abell, two-time Big Ten runner-up in the late 1940s at Ohio State, passed away at age 88. Russ Doan, a three-time Interstate conference champ for Kent State in the late 1930s who went on to a long high school coaching/athletic director career in northeast Ohio, died in December at age 99. Emanuel Yarbrough, larger-than-life two-time NCAA heavyweight All-American for Morgan State in the 1980s who went on to compete in sumo and mixed martial arts, died of a heart attack just before Christmas. Chuck Clausen, heavyweight wrestler for the University of New Mexico in the early 1960s who went on to coach football at big-time college programs as well as the NFL, died Christmas Eve at 75. Coaches Death took a trio of well-known, highly-respected former college mat coaches. Joe Wells, former University of Iowa wrestler and retired head coach at Oregon State who led the Beavers to a 161-94-3 record in 14 seasons from 1993-2006, died in April at age 67. Dean Sensenbaugh, who created the intercollegiate wrestling program at California's Modesto Junior College and served as its head coach for nearly 30 years, died in August after suffering a stroke on his 91st birthday. Also passing away in August: Jim Aguiar, 68, former head wrestling coach at New Hampshire's Plymouth State and Minnesota State University Moorhead. In December, it was announced that Dave Foster, long-time wrestling coach at California's Lassen Community College, had passed away. A number of top-notch high school coaching legends who made their mark in intense wrestling hotbeds passed away in 2015. Ray Nunamaker, Penn State wrestler who became a legendary coach at Nazareth High School in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, died in July at age 74, having been diagnosed with a brain tumor last year. John T. Toggas, the first York County, Pa. wrestling coach to reach 300 victories, passed away in October at 83. George Munnich, long associated with wrestling on Long Island - as a wrestler at the storied Mepham High School program in the early 1950s, then at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and later as wrestling coach on the middle and high school level - passed away at age 78 after suffering a stroke in November. The wrestling community also felt the loss of individuals with strong connections to the sport. Ruth McCain Nichols, widow of all-time great Iowa State head wrestling coach Harold Nichols, passed away in September at age 92. That same month, Jillian Tsirtsis, 33, sister of Northwestern wrestling champ Jason Tsirtsis and former Iowa All-American Alex Tsirtsis, was killed in an accident on Chicago's Lake Shore Drive. Doug Reiter, patriarch of a wrestling family that included two sons who won four Iowa state titles and who served the Don Bosco High School wrestling program in a number of ways, passed away this fall after a two-year battle with brain cancer. On December 1, Allen Brown, College Editor for the amateur wrestling website WrestlingReport.com and popular, highly respected participant in various online amateur wrestling forums under the name "Stove Pipe" passed away days after suffering a stroke.

In terms of intercollegiate wrestling programs, the year 2015 saw a number of birth announcements for new programs ... sadly, a few obituaries concerning the death of a handful of programs ... and, even a few programs that returned from the grave to wrestle another day. New programs The roll call of college programs announced in 2015 came from geographically diverse locations throughout the U.S. For the most part, the new programs built on a trend of the past few years of smaller colleges adding wrestling to their roster of sports offerings to attract and keep a diverse student body. The year started off with Greensboro College of North Carolina reporting it would add men's wrestling to its roster of intercollegiate sports competing in NCAA Division III. In April, Ferrum College in Virginia revealed it would build on the success of its current men's wrestling program with the addition of women's wrestling and men's club wrestling. In June, Bacone College in Oklahoma announced it would be adding a women's intercollegiate program to go with its successful men's program. In July, Otterbein University just outside Columbus, Ohio let it be known they would add a men's wrestling program to their roster of Division III sports. The fall saw even more news of new programs. In September, Otero Junior College revealed it was adding a mat program, the first two-year college in Colorado to do so... all with the idea of offering more opportunities for wrestlers in that state and neighboring Kansas. Just last month, Drury University in Springfield, Mo. announced it was launching a men's wrestling program which would compete in NCAA Division II ... while, just before Thanksgiving, Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Ky. -- a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio -- announced it would be adding a varsity Division III wrestling program as well as a dance team to its roster of sports programs in the fall of 2016. Rounding out the newly announced programs for 2015 ... Castleton University, the oldest institution of higher learning in Vermont (founded in 1787), just named Scott Legacy to head up its new wrestling program which takes to the mats in 2016. Reinstated programs Some schools brought back wrestling programs that had been eliminated a number of years earlier. In January, Millikin University of Decatur, Ill. revealed it was bringing back its Division III mat program which had been eliminated in 2008. Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, which had axed its Division III men's program three decades ago, announced its return ... becoming only the third all-male school to offer D3 wrestling. In July, Nebraska Wesleyan announced it was bringing back its D3 program that had been in existence from 1962-1982. Arguably the most eagerly anticipated "return" was Fresno State. After months of statements and speculation, the California university made it official in February: the Bulldogs will be back on the mat in 2018-19 after the program was axed in 2007. Resurrection A couple schools announced they would be saying goodbye to their mat programs ... only to reverse their decisions a couple weeks later. Less than a month after announcing in March it was "suspending" its NCAA Division II wrestling program for two seasons, Northern State University of South Dakota changed its mind and reinstated its Wolves mat program immediately. Cleveland State wrestling teamAbout the same time, Cleveland State revealed it would defund its 52-year-old Division I wrestling program, and replace it with a men's lacrosse program. However, thanks to the efforts of the National Wrestling Coaches Association and Wrestlers in Business Network, coupled with the outrage that erupted from the wrestling community -- not just in the wrestling hotbed of northern Ohio, but throughout the nation, along with the news that the CSU athletic director was a former lacrosse star still involved in the sport, and the embarrassment of having the school host the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships without having a mat program -- forced the school to change its mind, reinstating and reestablishing funding for the Viking mat program, while staying true to its plan to add a men's lacrosse program. Dealt a death blow Sadly, some college mat programs received the death penalty, with no expectation of being resurrected anytime soon. Darton State College announced it would be axing its intercollegiate wrestling program at the end of the 2014-15 season. The school, located in Albany, Ga., cited significant decreases in revenue and continued decline in enrollment among the reasons. The Darton mat program had generated negative national headlines in September 2013, when a total of three wrestlers had collapsed during outdoor workouts in summer heat on two separate days. One of the wrestlers, 20-year-old Ben Richards of Tampa, Fla. died nine days after collapsing during a five-mile run. Three weeks after placing seventh in the team standings at the 2015 National Collegiate Wrestling Association Championships, the wrestling club at Glendale Community College in Arizona was eliminated in March. In June, Knox College extinguished its Prairie Fire NCAA Division III wrestling program after 65 years, effective with the 2015-16 season. The school, located in Galesburg, Ill., cited low roster numbers and a succession of three coaches each serving only one season as primary reasons for the decision. That same month, New York City's Yeshiva University eliminated its wrestling program launched 65 years ago by legendary Olympic wrestler Henry Wittenberg, and dismissed its head coach of 45 years, Neil Ellman, with a phone call from the athletic directed who cited the school's "pressing financial needs."  

The path to the New Jersey high school state wrestling championships will remain as it has for both public and non-public schools, as the state's Commissioner of Education reversed a decision made earlier this month by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association which would have mandated a separate set of qualifying tournaments for private school wrestlers to qualify for the state tournament. In what the NorthJersey.com website described as "a stunning announcement" late Monday, state Commissioner of Education David Hespe reversed the decisions made by the membership of the NJSIAA earlier this month to separate public and non-public schools in football and on the road to the state tournament in wrestling NJ.com -- website for a number of New Jersey newspapers, including the Newark Star-Ledger -- opened its article announcing Monday's news: "In one of the most significant decisions ever in New Jersey high school sports, State Commissioner of Education David Hespe ruled Monday to reverse a pair of controversial votes separating public and non-public schools in football and wrestling for the first time in state history." Under the plan approved by the NJSIAA in early December but reversed Monday by Hespe, there would have been four districts and one separate region for wrestlers at nonpublic schools in the state individual wrestling tournament. In addition, Hespe asked the NJSIAA to further study the nonpublic/public issue. NJSIAA member schools voted by a nearly 2-to-1 margin to split non-public wrestling programs into their own district and region tournaments before advancing to Atlantic City for the state tournament, echoing a proposal made by the NJSIAA in 2008 but shot down by a previous commissioner of education in January 2009. In a letter to the NJSIAA on Monday, Hespe wrote, "It is clear that some NJSIAA member schools are frustrated by the non-competitive nature of playing elite non-public schools, raising both fairness and safety concerns. However, non-public schools have also raised concerns about discrimination, equal athletic opportunity and the ability to develop full schedules without increased burdens to the non-public schools." Addressing the wrestling proposal, Hespe said that while the proposal is "somewhat different" from the 2008 proposal, it "does not clearly demonstrate an unfair competitive disadvantage for public school participants at the individual State wrestling tournament." He went on to say that even if the proposal was able to demonstrate an unfair advantage, "the submission fails to address how the proposal maintains equal athletic opportunity for non-public school students." In responding to Hespe's decision, Steve Timko, executive director of the NJSIAA, said, "It was a long-awaited decision. I was anticipating a response like everybody else." "When we get back from vacation, we'll be taking a close look at his letter to me and starting our strategy from there," Timko added.

The preseeds for the 2016 Defense Soap & Flips Wrestling Southern Scuffle are listed below. We are just a day after from the start of action, so here is where the top competitors sit in each weight class. Hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Southern Scuffle takes place in the McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Jan. 1-2. For tickets, local attractions and hotel information, visit www.TheSouthernScuffle.com. Flowrestling and Trackwrestling provide complete coverage of the event through live video and live scoring. Links for both are on www.TheSouthernScuffle.com. Once again, the official hashtag of the Southern Scuffle is #LetsScuffle. The tournament trended nationally on social media each year it has been in Chattanooga. Be sure to use the #LetsScuffle hashtag when tweeting about the event. 125: 1. Nico Megaludis (Penn State) 2. Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) 3. Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State) 4. Darian Cruz (Lehigh) 5. Drew Templeman (Wyoming) 6. Connor Schram (Stanford) 7. Sean Russell (Edinboro) 8. Emilio Martinez (Virginia) 9. Dalton Macri (Cornell) 10. Brent Fleetwood (Central Michigan) 133: 1. Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) 2. Jordan Conaway (Penn State) 3. George DiCamillo (Virginia) 4. Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) 5. Josh Martinez (Air Force) 6. David Pearce (Drexel) 7. Caleb Richardson (Penn) 8. Nathan Kraisser (Campbell 9. Sam Brancale (Minnesota) 10. Keegan Moore (West Virginia) 141: 1. Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) 2. Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State) 3. Joey McKenna (Stanford) 4. Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) 5. Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) 6. Randy Cruz (Lehigh) 7. Zach Horan (Central Michigan) 8. Kevin Devoy (Drexel) 9. Kade Moss (Penn State) 10. Javier Gasca (Michigan State) 149: 1. Zain Retherford (Penn State) 2. Evan Henderson (North Carolina) 3. C.J. Cobb (Penn) 4. Colin Heffernan (Central Michigan) 5. Jake Short (Minnesota) 6. Matthew Cimato (Drexel) 7. Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) 8. Patricio Lugo (Edinboro) 9. Laike Gardner (Lehigh) 10. Paul Fox (Stanford) 157: 1. Jason Nolf (Penn State) 2. Joe Smith (Oklahoma State) 3. Lucas Smith (Central Michigan) 4. Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) 5. Dylan Cottrell (West Virginia) 6. Dylan Palacio (Cornell) 7. Russell Parsons (Army) 8. Aaron Walker (The Citadel) 9. Andrew Atkinson (Virginia) 10. Zack Beitz (Penn State) 165: 1. Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) 2. Jim Wilson (Stanford) 3. Duke Pickett (Cornell) 4. Casey Fuller (Edinboro) 5. Jake Faust (Duke) 6. Geno Morelli (Penn State) 7. Shakur Rasheed (Penn State) 8. Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) 9. Garrett Hammond (Penn State) 10. Logan Massa (Michigan) 174: 1. Brian Realbuto (Cornell) 2. Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State) 3. Ethan Ramos (North Carolina) 4. Bo Nickal (Penn State) 5. Mike Ottinger (Central Michigan) 6. Jadaen Bernstein (Navy) 7. Benjamin Stroh (Wyoming) 8. Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State) 9. Brian Harvey (Army) 10. Casey Kent (Penn) 184: 1. Gabe Dean (Cornell) 2. Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) 3. Lorenzo Thomas (Penn) 4. Matt McCutcheon (Penn State) 5. Matthew Miller (Navy) 6. Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State) 7. Alex Utley (North Carolina) 8. Jordan Rogers (Oklahoma State) 9. Jordan Ellingwood (Central Michigan) 10. Austin Severn (Central Michigan) 197: 1. Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) 2. Conner Hartmann (Duke) 3. Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) 4. Jacob A. Smith (West Virginia) 5. Zach Nye (Virginia) 6. John Bolich (Lehigh 7. Marshall Haas (The Citadel) 8. J.T. Goodwin (Cal Poly) 9. Vince Pickett (Edinboro) 10. Scottie Boykin (Chattanooga) 285: 1. Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State) 2. Michael Kroells (Minnesota) 3. Denzel Dejournette (Appalachian State) 4. Max Wessell (Lehigh) 5. Riley Shaw (Cleveland State) 6. Jared Johnson (Chattanooga) 7. Tanner Harms (Wyoming) 8. Billy Miller (Edinboro) 9. Nathan Butler (Stanford) 10. Jeramy Sweany (Cornell)

Evanston, Ill. -- For the first time in program history, a member of the NC State wrestling team capture a first place finish at the prestigious Midlands Championships - and the Wolfpack did so twice tonight. Redshirt-seniors Tommy Gantt (157 pounds) and Nick Gwiazdowski (285) each won NC State's first titles at the Midlands Championships. Gantt claimed the Pack's first-ever title at the Midlands Championships, cruising to a 6-0 record and the title at 157 pounds. Going 4-0 on Tuesday to reach the semifinals, Gantt picked up two wins over ranked foes in Wednesday action for the championship. He started with a 6-4 win in overtime over No. 15 Chad Walsh of Rider. In the title bout, Gantt defeated top-seed and No. 7 Cody Pack of South Dakota State, 4-2. Gwiazdowski was dominating enroute to his title win, and extends his NCAA-best winning streak to 71 straight matches in the process. He used three bonus point wins - two falls and a major decision - to reach Wednesday's semifinals. Just like Gantt, Gwiazdowski beat two ranked foes on Wednesday to win the title. He took out No. 13 Sam Stoll of Iowa in the afternoon session with a 10-1 major decision, then in the night-cap defeated No. 15 Tanner Hall of Arizona State, 4-3. Both Gantt and Gwiazdowski remain undefeated on the season, combining to go 28-0, including nine wins over ranked foes. In addition to Gantt and Gwiazdowski's wins, NC State also had two other grapplers on the final podium as So. Kevin Jack was third at 141 pounds, and Jr. Pete Renda was fifth at 184. Jack was a perfect 4-0 in action on Wednesday in the wrestlebacks. He started with a 16-1 technical fall, followed by decisions of 7-4 and 6-3. In the third place bout, Jack topped No. 4 Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers 5-2. Renda scored a pair of wins over ranked foes on his way to a fifth place finish. His first match resulted in a first-period pin, and then downed No. 20 Nicholas Gravina of Rutgers. Renda narrowly fell to No. 9 Sammy Brooks of Iowa, 8-7, but finished strong with a 3-2 win over No. 17 Abram Ayala of Princeton in his final bout. In the team standings, NC State placed fourth with 95.5 points. No. 2 Iowa won the event with 152 points, followed by Nebraska (135) and Rutgers (110). Up Next: NC State will be in action for the first time this season, when the Wolfpack travels to Duke on Jan. 6 for a 7 p.m. dual.

Viking junior Andrew Long (Creston, Iowa) made program history on Wednesday, becoming the first Grand View wrestler to win a title at The Midlands Championships held in Evanston, Ill. He is also the first NAIA champion to win a title at the Midlands since 2003 and the first non-NCAA Div I wrestler to win a championship since 2006. Long won the 141 pound championship, competing in a bracket that included four NCAA Div I All-Americans. Seeded fourth, Long dominated the 141 bracket with a fall over Will Clark of North Carolina (6:32) in his first match, followed by a 14-4 major decision over Tyler Scotten of American University. He collected another fall over Danny Sabatello of Purdue (6:09) to advance to the semifinals where he recorded a tech fall (25-8) over Ronnie Perry of Lock Haven. In the championship bout, Long matched up against Northern Illinois' Steve Bleise. Long nearly pinned Bleise on two occasions, but settled for another tech fall (23-6) to claim the title. At the conclusion of the tournament, Long was named the Dan Gable Outstanding Wrestler as well as the Art Kraft Champion of Champions, an award voted upon by the other first place finishers in the tournament. As a team, Grand View tallied 38 points and finished 16th of the 43 mostly NCAA Div I teams in the tournament. In addition to Long, five more Vikings competed at the prestigious Midlands Tourney - Tristan Bundy (125), Jacob Colon (133), Godwin Cutler (133), Elijah Sullivan (149), and Dean Broghammer (285).

Evanston, Ill. -- Led by two finalists, No. 9 Nebraska finished second in the 53rd Ken Kraft Midlands Championships at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Wednesday. The Huskers scored 135 points for the tournament to finish behind team champion Iowa (152). Rutgers rounded out the top three with 110 points. All-American TJ Dudley (184) and redshirt freshman Derek White (197) each advanced to the finals, but fell by narrow decisions to collect runner-up honors. Dudley, the No. 8 wrestler by InterMat, pinned No. 16 Abram Ayala of Princeton in the semifinals. Dudley fell to two-time NCAA champion David Taylor, a former Penn State wrestler, by a 5-3 decision in the finals. At 197 pounds, White won a 6-2 decision in the semifinals over Rutgers' Hayden Hrymack. In the finals, White fell to fourth-ranked Nathan Burak of Iowa, 6-1. White, a redshirt freshman from Edmond, Okla., moves to 8-2 on the season. No. 10 Tim Lambert (125), No. 14 Eric Montoya (133) and No. 7 Jake Sueflohn (149) each finished third. Lambert, a junior from Forest Hills, Mich., went 5-1 in the tournament and has won 11 of his last 12 matches. Montoya defeated 20th-ranked Anthony Giraldo of Rutgers in the third-place match, 4-2. Montoya went 7-1 in the tournament, which included one pin and three major decisions. Sueflohn fell to No. 2 Brandon Sorensen of Iowa in the semifinals, but responded with two victories to finish third. Sueflohn won a 10-1 major decision over fourth-ranked Alexander Richardson of Old Dominion in the third-place match. No. 12 Micah Barnes (174) and No. 16 Aaron Studebaker (197) each finished fourth. No. 11 Austin Wilson (165) took fifth place with a 7-2 showing at the Midlands Championships. Freshman Kris Williams (125), wrestling unattached, also finished fifth. He went 6-2 with four bonus-point wins. No. 18 Tyler Berger finished seventh at 157 pounds after a 5-2 performance in the tournament. No. 15 Collin Jensen (HWT) also wrestled on Wednesday, but did not place. The Huskers resume their Big Ten dual slate on Friday, Jan. 8 at Wisconsin at 7 p.m. (CT). On Sunday, Jan. 10, NU will host Minnesota at the Devaney Center at 2 p.m. Both duals will be streamed on BTN Plus.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The University of Iowa wrestling team won three individual titles and scored a team total of 152 points to win the 53rd annual Midlands Championships on Wednesday night. In the team point race, Iowa was followed by Nebraska (135), Rutgers (110), North Carolina State (95.5), and Rider (67). Iowa crowned three champions -- Thomas Gilman (125), Brandon Sorensen (149), and Nathan Burak (197). No. 1 seeded Gilman took the 125 title for the second time in three years at the Midlands Championships. He collected first place in 2013 and took second in 2014. Gilman surpassed second seeded Ronnie Rios (Oregon St.), 5-1, to improve his Midlands record to 14-3 and advance his season record to 12-0. "It's a feather in your cap", the Iowa junior said. "It's not really about winning the Midlands, it's how you win it and the way I won it was a little too close. I've got to get guys to start coming into me and keep scoring those bonus points". Sorensen, seeded first at 149, gathered his first Midlands Championship with a 3-1 overtime victory over No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern). At the end of regulation, the wrestlers were tied at one, but Sorensen delivered a takedown shortly into sudden victory to secure the title. The win improves the head-to-head record between the competitors to 2-2 and advances Sorensen's season record to 13-0. "It's big, I've been here three times now, finally getting the Midlands title is really what I wanted", Sorensen said. "Moving on still undefeated, let's keep it that way". Burak defended his championship title at 197 after a 6-1 decision over No. 14 seed Derek White from Nebraska. This is the second consecutive year an Iowa wrestler has become a repeat champion (Mike Evans, 174-pounds). "A big takeaway for me is just to score quick and stay on the guy", Burak said reflecting on the tournament. "It feels pretty good (to win two years in a row), it's definitely exciting and I'm gonna try to keep winning". The Hawkeyes also closed out the Midlands Championships with two third-place finishes, as first-seeded Alex Meyer (174) and fourth-seeded Sam Stoll (285) each won their consolation finals matches. Meyer tallies his second consecutive third place finish at the Midlands Championships with a medical forfeit from No. 2 seed Micah Barnes (Nebraska). Stoll recorded a 11-1 major decision over sixth-seeded Ross Larson (Oklahoma) to place for the first time in his career at the Midlands. Sammy Brooks collected a fourth-place finish at 185 pounds. The junior was defeated by the No. 5 seed Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State), in a 9-5 decision. This was the third meeting between Brooks and Zillmer, most recently during the Midlands quarterfinals where Brooks took the match 5-2 to advance to the semis. Freshman Michael Kemerer, wrestling unattached, placed fifth in his Midlands debut after a medical forfeit by the fifth-seed, Bryant Clagon (Rider), in the finals. Kemerer went 6-2 at the tournament, four of his victories resulting in bonus points. So far this season, Kemerer holds a 20-2 overall record and tallied bonus points in 16 of those matches. "We've got to do a better job of scoring takedowns", UI head coach Tom Brands critiqued as he summarized the tournament. "We've got to score takedowns. Positive is that we had three in the finals and we went three for three, that's important to me. Winning finals is important". Iowa returns to action on Friday, Jan. 8 at Illinois. Action is set to begin at 7 p.m. (CT) inside Huff Hall.

1. Iowa 152 2. Nebraska 135 3. Rutgers 110 4. North Carolina State 95.5 5. Rider 67 6. Iowa State 64 7. Old Dominion 63.5 8. Princeton 63 9. Northwestern 61 10. South Dakota State 57 11. Purdue 54.5 12. Oregon State 50 13. Northern Iowa 45 14. Oklahoma 41 15. Ohio 40.5 16. Grand View 38 17. North Dakota State 37.5 18. Arizona State 36 19. American U. 35 20. Northern Illinois 35 21. Maryland 33 22. CSU Bakersfield 31 23. Nittany Lion WC 26 24. Buffalo 23 25. Columbia 20 26. Wisconsin 17.5 27. Eastern Michigan 16.5 28. George Mason 16 29. Lock Haven 13 30. Cal Baptist 12.5 31. Kent State 10.5 32. Lehigh 8.5 33. Indiana 5.5 34. SIU-Edwardsville 5.5 35. Bloomsburg 4.5 36. Illinois 3.5 37. Messiah College 2.5 38. Poeta WC 1 39. Bears Wrestling Club 0 39 Chicago 0 39. Franklin & Marshall 0 39. Wabash College 0 39. Wisconsin-Whitewater 0

125: 1st: No. 2 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) dec. No. 6 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State), 5-1 3rd: No. 10 Tim Lambert (Nebraska) dec. No. 16 Josh Rodriguez (North Dakota State), 4-2 5th: Kris Williams (Nebraska) maj. dec. Kegan Calkins (Oregon State), 12-4 7th: Ben Thornton (Purdue) dec. Brandon Jeske (Old Dominion), 6-4 133: 1st: Emilio Saavedra (Old Dominion) dec. No. 18 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa), 4-2 SV2 3rd: No. 14 Eric Montoya (Nebraska) dec. No. 20 Anthony Giraldo (Rutgers), 4-2 5th: Dom Malone (Northwestern) by medical forfeit over Cory Clark (Iowa) 7th: No. 5 Earl Hall (Iowa State) maj. dec. No. 17 Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 11-3 141: 1st: Andrew Long (Grand View) tech. fall No. 20 Steve Bleise (Northern Illinois), 23-6 3rd: No. 5 Kevin Jack (North Carolina State) dec. No. 2 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers), 5-2 5th: Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) dec. Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven), 8-6 7th: No. 19 Rick Durso (Franklin & Marshall) dec. No. 3 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion), 3-1 149: 1st: No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern), 3-1 SV 3rd: No. 7 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) maj. dec. No. 4 Alexander Richardson (Old Dominion), 10-1 5th: Michael Kemerer (Iowa) by medical forfeit over No. 14 Bryant Clagon (Rider) 7th: Ken Theobald (Rutgers) pinned No. 16 Gabe Moreno (Iowa State), 1:12 157: 1st: No. 7 Thomas Gantt (North Carolina State) dec. No. 6 Cody Pack (South Dakota State), 4-2 3rd: No. 20 Chad Walsh (Rider) maj. dec. No. 17 Richie Lewis (Rutgers), 10-1 5th: Greg Flournoy (George Mason) by medical forfeit over No. 11 John Boyle (American) 7th: No. 18 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) dec. Markus Scheidel (Columbia), 5-2 165: 1st: No. 6 Chad Welch (Purdue) pinned No. 15 Tanner Weatherman (Iowa St.), 3:54 3rd: No. 19 Connor Brennan (Rider) dec. Mitch Wightman (American), 6-2 5th: No. 11 Austin Wilson (Nebraska) dec. Adam Fierro (CSU Bakersfield), 3-1 7th: Patrick Rhoads (Iowa) pinned Tyler Rill (Buffalo), 6:42 174: 1st: No. 9 Cody Walters (Ohio) dec. No. 13 Jonathan Schleifer (Princeton), 1-0 3rd: No. 3 Alex Meyer (Iowa) by medical forfeit over No. 12 Micah Barnes (Nebraska) 5th: Phil Bakuckas (Rutgers) dec. David Kocer (South Dakota State), 4-1 7th: No. 15 Lelund Weatherspoon (Iowa State) pinned Trace Engelkes (Northern Illinois), 0:18 184: 1st: David Taylor (Nittany Lion WC) dec. No. 8 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska), 5-3 3rd: No. 12 Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State) dec. No. 7 Sammy Brooks (Iowa), 9-5 5th: No. 17 Pete Renda (North Carolina State) dec. No. 16 Abram Ayala (Princeton), 3-2 7th: Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) pinned No. 20 Nick Gravina (Rutgers), 2:44 197: 1st: No. 4 Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec. Derek White (Nebraska), 6-1 3rd: No. 13 Brett Harner (Princeton) pinned No. 16 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska), 2:50 5th: No. 6 Reuben Franklin (CSU Bakersfield) by medical forfeit over Hayden Hrymack (Rutgers) 7th: No. 12 Nate Rotert (South Dakota State) dec. Ryan Wolfe (Rider), 7-3 285: 1st: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) dec. No. 18 Tanner Hall (Arizona State), 4-3 3rd: No. 8 Sam Stoll (Iowa) maj. dec. No. 11 Ross Larson (Oklahoma), 11-1 5th: No. 9 Billy Smith (Rutgers) dec. Dawson Peck (Maryland), 5-0 7th: Gage Hutchison (Eastern Michigan) tech. fall Joseph Fagiano (Cal Baptist), 26-8

125: No. 2 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) dec. No. 16 Josh Rodriguez (North Dakota State), 4-1 No. 6 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) pinned No. 10 Tim Lambert (Nebraska), 2:21 133: Emilio Saavedra (Old Dominion) by medical forfeit over No. 2 Cory Clark (Iowa) No. 18 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) dec. No. 20 Anthony Giraldo (Rutgers), 5-2 141: Andrew Long (Grand View) tech. fall Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven), 25-8 No. 20 Steve Bleise (Northern Illinois) dec. Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton), 5-4 TB 149: No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) dec. No. 7 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska), 7-4 No. 3 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. No. 4 Alexander Richardson (Old Dominion), 3-1 SV 157: No. 6 Cody Pack (South Dakota State) dec. No. 11 John Boyle (American), 6-2 No. 7 Thomas Gantt (NC State) dec. No. 20 Chad Walsh (Rider), 6-4 165: No. 15 Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State) dec. Adam Fierro (CSU Bakersfield), 10-4 No. 6 Chad Welch (Purdue) maj. dec. Mitch Wightman (American), 15-2 174: No. 9 Cody Walters (Ohio) dec. No. 3 Alex Meyer (Iowa), 7-0 No. 13 Jonathan Schleifer (Princeton) dec. No. 12 Micah Barnes (Nebraska), 5-4 TB2 184: David Taylor (Nittany Lion WC) dec. No. 7 Sammy Brooks (Iowa), 7-2 No. 8 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska) pinned No. 16 Abram Ayala (Princeton), 6:55 197: No. 4 Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec. No. 16 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska), 4-2 Derek White (Nebraska) dec. Hayden Hrymack (Rutgers), 6-2 285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) maj. dec. No. 8 Sam Stoll (Iowa), 10-1 No. 18 Tanner Hall (Arizona State) maj. dec. No. 11 Ross Larson (Oklahoma), 10-2 Finals Matchups: 125: No. 2 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) 133: No. 18 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) vs. Emilio Saavedra (Old Dominion) 141: Andrew Long (Grand View) vs. No. 20 Steve Bleise (Northern Illinois) 149: No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) vs. No. 3 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) 157: No. 6 Cody Pack (South Dakota State) vs. No. 7 Thomas Gantt (NC State) 165: No. 6 Chad Welch (Purdue) vs. No. 15 Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State) 174: No. 9 Cody Walters (Ohio) vs. No. 13 Jonathan Schleifer (Princeton) 184: David Taylor (Nittany Lion WC) vs. No. 8 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska) 197: No. 4 Nathan Burak (Iowa) vs. Derek White (Nebraska) 285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) vs. No. 18 Tanner Hall (Arizona State)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Myles Martin, a highly-touted true freshman on the Ohio State wrestling team, will make his 2015-16 debut in the Buckeyes' starting lineup this Sunday at No. 11 Illinois, head coach Tom Ryan announced today. Martin, who is 18-2 so far this season wrestling unattached in open tournaments, came to Ohio State as the nation's top-ranked recruit at 182 pounds and was the No. 3 pound for pound prospect by Flowrestling. He will wrestle at 174 pounds this season for the No. 6 Buckeyes. “We're excited to see Myles compete in the varsity line up,” said Ryan, the 2015 National Coach of the Year. “He is an elite recruit and the past six months I have witnessed his world class work ethic. He will have a significant impact in our lineup. He is selfless and we expect big things from him at 174 pounds.” “My training partners in the practice room and coaches have prepared me for this and I couldn't be more excited,” said Martin. “I came to Ohio State because I knew I'd be around people who would push me to be better, to reach my full potential – and that's exactly what's happened. I'm ready to help this team in any and every way that I can.” Included in Martin's resume this year are titles at the Eastern Michigan Open, Findlay Open and a second place showing at the Penn State Open. Thirteen of his 18 wins have come via bonus points (six tech falls, five falls, two major decisions). On his way to his Findlay Open title, Martin had pins in the first and second rounds before winning his final three matches by a combined score of 52-6 (all tech falls). At Eastern Michigan, he went 5-0 with a pin, tech fall and major decision before edging Indiana's Nate Jackson, a NCAA qualifier last year, 7-5 in the championship match. Martin, a Penns Grove, N.J. native, comes to the Buckeyes from the McDonogh School, where he was a four-time national prep finalist and junior freestyle national champion. Martin twice won the Beast of the East Tournament and placed first at the 2014 National Preps. He went 46-1 as a junior with 25 pins in leading McDonough to a triple crown: the MIAA dual meet title, tournament title and MIS wrestling team title. In his final two high school seasons, Martin was 92-2. He won 171 matches over his four-year career. True freshmen making a major impact in Ohio State's lineup in not uncommon. Under Ryan, the Buckeyes have produced five true freshmen All-Americans -- JD Bergman, Lance Palmer, Cam Tessari, Hunter Stieber and Kyle Snyder. Snyder's run to the 197-pound NCAA finals last March was key in Ohio State's first-ever team national title. Ohio State's match at Illinois on Sunday can be seen live on FightingIllini.com (subscription required). The Illini feature sixth-ranked Zac Brunson (13-0) at 174 lbs.

The recent death of Austin Roberts, Spencer (Iowa) High School senior wrestler who collapsed during the 220-pound finals at a tournament in his home gym the Saturday before Christmas and died in the hospital hours later, can only give pause to those involved in the sport. Yet athletes, coaches, families and fans can take comfort in knowing that wrestler deaths tied directly to an incident during workouts, practice or in an actual match are incredibly rare. Since Roberts' passing, the Des Moines Register cited a report from the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, which found just one fatality in high school wrestling across the country for the 2012-13 school year, the most recent year for which statistics were available. The National Federation of State High School Associations lists 278,890 high school wrestling participants in that season. To provide additional perspective ... in a separate article, the Des Moines Register cited statistics from another report from the same organization which found four fatalities from all high school winter sports nationwide for the 2012-13 school year. (This article was published in light of the deaths of two prep athletes in Iowa while directly participating in their respective sports. In addition to Roberts, a high school basketball player collapsed during a game in early December, and passed away one week later.) The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that there isn't a record of wrestling-related deaths in Iowa, according to Iowa High School Athletic Association officials. That said Roberts' death was the first in Executive Director Alan Beste's 28 years with the ISHAA. To be eligible to participate, Iowa high school male athletes must pass a yearly physical conducted by a "physician and surgeon, osteopathic physician and surgeon, osteopath, qualified doctor of chiropractic, licensed physician's assistant or advanced registered nurse practitioner," the IHSAA rules state. An autopsy was performed on Roberts the day before Christmas. As of this writing, results have not been made public. An initial exam indicated the late Spencer High wrestler -- who was a placer at the Iowa high school state championships in March, and was 12-0 this season -- died of natural causes, and had not been injured or poisoned. Austin Roberts' father Travis Roberts told NBC News that his son had no history of collapsing during matches or workouts, nor any other known health issues. Witnesses to Austin Roberts' last match on Dec. 19 said there was no collision or slam or any other incident. InterMat has reported on the deaths of three high school wrestlers so far during the 2015-16 season. Two involved prep wrestlers in the state of Iowa. In addition to the passing of Roberts this month, in November, Tristan White, 14, of Treynor High in western Iowa, was struck and killed by a sport utility vehicle while doing roadwork with his wrestling teammates on a country road not far from home. A third death took place in Virginia; in early December, Cullen Porter, 17, a senior at Franklin High School, died after being injured in wrestling practice. No cause of death had been reported in the local media. Anecdotal evidence may provide additional comfort for wrestlers, their families and friends beyond statistics. In 2009, this writer began producing news stories about U.S. amateur wrestling, including reporting on the deaths of active and former participants in the sport. In that time, most of the deaths involving current high school or college wrestlers have taken place far from the sport. Prior to the deaths of the three high school matmen this season, the last U.S. amateur wrestler to have died while involved in an activity related directly to his sport was in September 2013, when a wrestler at Georgia's Darton State College collapsed during an outdoor team run in extreme heat, and died nine days later. From my experience, the two most common causes of death for active wrestlers have involved vehicle accidents, with accidental drownings ranking a close second.

EVANSTON, Illinois -- The University of Iowa wrestling team posted a 7-3 record in the quarterfinal round of the Midlands Championship on Tuesday night. The Hawkeyes have individual title hopes in seven weights, with all No. 1 seeded wrestlers remaining en route to the championships. Iowa sits in first place with 96 points. Nebraska is a distant second with 78 points, followed by Rutgers (62), North Carolina State (49.5), and Northwestern (42.5). "It's up, then it's down, but it's a lot more up than down," said UI head coach Tom Brands. "Advancing seven wrestlers is good, even with takedowns at what seems like a premium right now". First-seeded Thomas Gilman continued to rake in bonus points for the Hawkeyes, delivering a pin to No. 8 Keegan Calkins (Oregon State) at 2:53. The fall is Gilman's fifth of the season and 14th overall. "Gilman, every time he comes out tries to wrestle harder and he has wrestled harder", Brands said of the 125 pounder. "That match was like an avalanche for that guy and that's what we've got to have. That seems to be Gilman's best chance to dominate and he has, so good for him". Defending champion Cory Clark secured a semifinal berth for the second consecutive year at 133 pounds. Clark collected a 7-1 decision over Columbia's Angelo Amenta, recording two takedowns to continue his run towards the finals. Brandon Sorensen, seeded first at 149, advances to the semifinals for the third time in as many years at the Midlands. The sophomore posted a 9-5 decision against eighth-seeded Ken Theobald, wrestling unattached from Rutgers. Alex Meyer (174) collected a 3-1 decision over #9 Phil Bakuckas (Rutgers) and Sammy Brooks (184) used a 5-2 decision against #5 Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State) to continue into the semifinal matches. Senior Nathan Burak continues his advancement towards consecutive titles at 197, earning a spot in the semifinals with an 8-2 decision over North Carolina State's eighth seeded Michael Boykin. The victory pushes Burak's season record to 10-0 on the season. Continuing his streak of firsts, Sam Stoll will be making his Midlands semifinals debut at heavyweight after collecting a tight 2-0 decision victory over fifth-ranked Billy Smith (Rutgers). "The biggest thing in tournaments like these is getting ready for multiple matches and being ready for whatever is thrown at you," Brands said. "If you're looking too far ahead, you could be the one that gets upset so you want to be focused one match at a time and keep things going." Session III of the Midlands Championships is set to begin at 12 p.m. (CT) Wednesday. Updated team standings and complete tournament brackets are available throughout the tournament at nusports.com and on trackwrestling.com.

125: No. 2 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) dec. Kegan Calkins (Oregon State), 2:53 No. 16 Josh Rodriguez (North Dakota State) dec. Alex Madrigal (Old Dominion), 2-1 No. 10 Tim Lambert (Nebraska) dec. Brandon Jeske (Old Dominion), 7-1 No. 6 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) maj. dec. Garrison White (Northwestern), 13-4 133: No. 2 Cory Clark (Iowa) dec. Angelo Amenta (Columbia), 7-1 Emilio Saavedra (Old Dominion) dec. No. 17 Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 4-2 SV No. 18 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) dec. Cameron Kelly (Ohio), 10-5 No. 20 Anthony Giraldo (Rutgers) dec. No. 5 Earl Hall (Iowa State), 5-4 141: Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) dec. No. 3 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion), 3-2 Andrew Long (Grand View) pinned Danny Sabatello (Purdue), 6:09 Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) dec. No. 19 Rick Durso (Franklin & Marshall), 6-3 No. 20 Steve Bleise (Northern Illinois) dec. No. 5 Kevin Jack (North Carolina State), 4-2 SV 149: No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) dec. Ken Theobold (Rutgers), 9-5 No. 7 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) pinned No. 14 B.J. Clagon (Rider), 6:47 No. 4 Alexander Richardson (Old Dominion) dec. Michael Kemerer (Iowa), 11-9 No. 3 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. No. 16 Gabe Moreno (Iowa State), 8-2 157: No. 6 Cody Pack (South Dakota) pinned Markus Scheidel (Columbia), 5:52 No. 11 John Boyle (American) dec. Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa), 3-1 SV No. 20 Chad Walsh (Rider) pinned No. 15 Lou Mascola (Maryland), 6:21 No. 7 Thomas Gantt (NC State) maj. dec. No. 16 Edwin Cooper (Iowa), 17-6 165: Adam Fierro (CSU Bakersfield) dec. Anthony Perrotti (Rutgers), 6-4 No. 15 Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State) pinned Patrick Rhoads (Iowa), 0:46 No. 6 Chad Welch (Purdue) by medical forfeit over No. 13 Clark Glass (Oklahoma) Mitch Wightman (American) dec. Seth Thomas (Oregon State), 8-4 174: No. 3 Alex Meyer (Iowa) dec. Phil Bakuckas (Rutgers), 3-1 No. 9 Cody Walters (Ohio) dec. Lelund Weatherspoon (Iowa State), 7-2 No. 13 Jonathan Schleifer (Princeton) dec. Jacob Holschlag (Northern Iowa), 9-5 No. 12 Micah Barnes (Nebraska) dec. Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa), 6-5 184: David Taylor (Nittany Lion WC) tech. fall Zahid Valencia (Arizona State), 15-0 No. 7 Sammy Brooks (Iowa) dec. No. 12 Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State), 5-2 No. 8 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska) dec. No. 17 Pete Renda (NC State), 6-5 No. 16 Abram Ayala (Princeton) dec. No. 3 Jack Dechow (Old Dominion), 8-7 197: No. 4 Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec. No. 17 Michael Boykin (North Carolina State), 8-2 No. 16 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska) dec. No. 13 Brett Harner (Princeton), 3-1 SV Derek White (Nebraska) dec. No. 11 Phil Wellington (Ohio), 7-4 Hayden Hrymack (Rutgers) dec. Josh DaSilveira (Arizona State), 11-5 285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) maj. dec. No. 15 Collin Jensen (Nebraska), 11-3 No. 8 Sam Stoll (Iowa) dec. No. 9 Billy Smith (Rutgers), 2-0 No. 11 Ross Larson (Oklahoma) dec. No. 7 Blaize Cabell (Northern Iowa), 6-3 No. 18 Tanner Hall (Arizona State) dec. No. 5 Amarveer Dhesi (Oregon State), 6-5 Semifinal Matchups: 125: No. 2 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) vs. No. 16 Josh Rodriguez (North Dakota State) No. 6 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) vs. No. 10 Tim Lambert (Nebraska) 133: No. 2 Cory Clark (Iowa) vs. Emilio Saavedra (Old Dominion) No. 18 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 20 Anthony Giraldo (Rutgers) 141: Andrew Long (Grand View) vs. Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) No. 20 Steve Bleise (Northern Illinois) vs. Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) 149: No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) vs. No. 7 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska) No. 3 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) vs. No. 4 Alexander Richardson (Old Dominion) 157: No. 6 Cody Pack (South Dakota) vs. No. 11 John Boyle (American) No. 7 Thomas Gantt (NC State) vs. No. 20 Chad Walsh (Rider) 165: No. 15 Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State) vs. Adam Fierro (CSU Bakersfield) No. 6 Chad Welch (Purdue) vs. Mitch Wightman (American) 174: No. 3 Alex Meyer (Iowa) vs. No. 9 Cody Walters (Ohio) No. 12 Micah Barnes (Nebraska) No. 13 Jonathan Schleifer (Princeton) 184: David Taylor (Nittany Lion WC) vs. No. 7 Sammy Brooks (Iowa) No. 8 T.J. Dudley (Nebraska) vs. No. 16 Abram Ayala (Princeton) 197: No. 4 Nathan Burak (Iowa) vs. No. 16 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska) Derek White (Nebraska) vs. Hayden Hrymack (Rutgers) 285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) vs. No. 8 Sam Stoll (Iowa) No. 11 Ross Larson (Oklahoma) vs. No. 18 Tanner Hall (Arizona State)

Live Blog Midlands Championships

Link: Brackets EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Midlands Championship Committee released the official brackets and seeding Monday night for the 53rd annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. #Midlands53 begins tomorrow morning, Dec. 29, at 9:30 a.m. and runs through the finals on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 8 p.m. The championship round will air live on Big Ten Network. Top seeds include: Thomas Gilman, Iowa (125); Cory Clark, Iowa (133); Chris Mecate, Old Dominion (141); Brandon Sorensen, Iowa (149); Cody Pack, South Dakota State (157); Anthony Perrotti, Rutgers (165); Alex Meyer, Iowa (174); David Taylor, Nittany Lion Wrestling Club (184); Nathan Burak, Iowa (197); Nick Gwiazdowski, North Carolina State (285). For more information, please visit the Midlands home page at NUsports.com and TrackWrestling.

Funeral services have been set for Brad Paddock, upstate New York wrestler and coach who mentored a number of athletes to state titles and college success, who passed away this week at age 50. Visitation will take place this Saturday and Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. each day, at Robinson & Hackemer Funeral Home in Warsaw, N.Y. The funeral service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday in Warsaw, at Valley Chapel Free Methodist Church. Brad Paddock died Tuesday after multiple diseases caused organ failure over the course of about three weeks at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y., the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported Thursday. Brad Paddock owned and operated a business that offered breeding services for livestock and dairy supplies. He had described himself as a "decent wrestler" during his days at Perry High School, winning the 167-pound Livingston County title in 1983, according to the Livingston County News. However, it can be argued that it was as an assistant coach at Warsaw High School -- and as founder of the nationally-recognized Team X wrestling club -- where Paddock's greatest accomplishments took place. At Warsaw, Paddock coached his wrestlers to 90 Section V individual championships, eight Section V team titles, and three New York State team titles. His Team X wrestlers included 50 NYS place finishers, 20 NYS individual champs, and 30 NCAA All-Americans. Nearly two-dozen of Brad Paddock's wrestlers went on to compete at NCAA Div. I programs, including three of his sons: Ian, who wrestled at Ohio State, Paul at Edinboro University, and Burke at the University of Iowa. Two other sons also wrestled: Joey followed in his father's footsteps to Liberty University ... while Aaron continues his high school career at 195 pounds. "Brad Paddock was an amazing man," Jackie Carman, the wife of longtime Geneseo head wrestling coach Danny Carman, told the Livingston County News. "He was a gentle giant who in his quiet way brought the best out in many young wrestlers. He opened his home and his heart to so many who will be forever impacted by his touch." "Brad was all about the kids, all of the time," Warsaw Athletic Director Ed Stores Jr. said. "He worked extremely hard for his own kids and he meant everything to his kids. He opened his doors up to all Warsaw kids, particularly our wrestlers. He opened his doors up to wrestlers from neighboring districts as well. If they were willing to put the work in, he was willing to work with them. He was without question a major factor and major contributor to our success we have experienced over the last 15 years." "We have all lost an amazing coach, friend, and father today," said Rob Hirsch, who was head coach at Warsaw High from 2000-2012. "But we are so much stronger for having him with us in our lives. We now know what the '10' stands for in Team X. Think of the most amazing person in your life and then times it by 10 and you will understand what Brad meant to people." Brad Paddock is survived by his wife Jeanie, nine children (ranging in age from 16 to 30 years old), and two grandchildren.

NCAA All-American. Sumo wrestler. Mixed martial arts fighter. Actor. Heftiest athlete on earth. All these describe Emanuel Yarbrough, who passed away Monday, Dec. 21 in Richmond, Va. at age 51. Emanuel Yarbrough Known to fans by the nicknames "Manny" and "Tiny", Yarbrough held the distinction of being the world's largest athlete, standing 6'8" and tipping the scales at 616 pounds, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. (His bio at his official website lists 675 lbs.; NJ.com reported "over 700 pounds", while another source claimed he was once 880 lbs.) Born Sept. 5, 1964 in Rahway, N.J., Emanuel Yarbrough played football at Morgan State University in the 1980s, and wrestled for the now-defunct mat program at the Baltimore-based school. In 1983, he earned his first All-American honor, placing eighth in the unlimited weight class (now 285 pounds) at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. At the 1986 NCAA Division I championships at the University of Iowa, Yarbrough was unseeded in the unlimited weight bracket. He pinned his first opponent, but lost to eventual champ Kirk Trost of Michigan by disqualification in his second match. Yarbrough battled back in the consolation bracket to eventually place eighth for his second All-American honors. (Yarbrough was among the last of the supersized heavyweight wrestlers in college competition, along with 370-pound Jimmy Jackson of Oklahoma State (three-time champ, 1976-78) and 1984 champ Tab Thacker of North Carolina State (who weighed in at over 400 pounds). It was about this time that the NCAA put a top weight limit on what had been "unlimited", first, 265 pounds, then, later, 285.) Forced to discontinue wrestling because of weight restrictions place on Olympic-style wrestling, Yarbrough took up sumo wrestling. He was a member of the U.S. National Sumo team starting in 1992. Yarbrough was the World Amateur Sumo Champion in 1995, and won a number of medals at the Sumo World Championships. Yarbrough was certified as 4th Dan/Yodan by Nihon Sumo Renmei in 1996. During the same era, Yarbrough also ventured into professional MMA, then a fledging sport, with no weight classes or restrictions. At the Ultimate Fighting Championships' UFC 3 event in Charlotte in Sept. 1994, the 600+ pound Yarbrough drew to fight 195-pound Keith Hackney. In the opening seconds of their bout, Yarbrough drove Hackney out of the cage through the door. When the match resumed, Hackney knocked Yarbrough down with handstrikes, winning on a TKO in less than two minutes. Yarbrough had a total of three pro MMA bouts in the 1990s, compiling a 1-2 overall record. Yarbrough became something of a multi-media star, appearing in TV series and commercials, and movies. Among his more famous roles included the HBO series "Oz", and in the Mickey Rourke movie "The Wrestler." A GoFundMe.com campagin has been launched to help raise funds to bring Yarbrough back to New Jersey and pay for funeral costs and has already raised more than $6,000.

Just in time for the holidays, Brown University wrestling received a gift that will keep on giving. The mat program at the Providence, R.I. Ivy League school was the recipient of what head coach Todd Beckerman described as a "particularly generous gift" in a letter emailed earlier this week to Brown alumni, parents and friends of Bears wrestling. "A former Brown wrestler and his wife made a $1M gift to create a new endowment for the program," Beckerman wrote. While he did not identify the donor couple by name, Beckerman revealed the name the couple selected for their gift -- the Marvin L. Wilenzik '56 Head Coaching Chair for Brown Wrestling -- which is designated to provide funds to sustain the head coaching position for the school's NCAA Division I wrestling program. "This is an amazing gesture, but it is even more powerful because they have also decided to name the endowment in honor of Marvin Wilenzik, Brown Class of '56," Beckerman added. "Marv's influence and reach spans decades of Brown wrestlers, and there is no better person to receive this recognition than Marvin. In the coming weeks and months, we will share more information about Marvin and this endowment." "This is just the beginning," Beckerman continued. "Our hope is to grow this endowment to $2 million which will truly have a lasting impact. Just in the few weeks since the gift was revealed, a number of alumni and friends have already contacted me about adding to the endowment." The Brown wrestling endowment is the latest in similar gifts from generous alumni to sustain Division I wrestling programs. Early this summer, wrestling announcer and WIN Magazine columnist Sandy Stevens established the Bear and Sandy Stevens Head Wrestling Coach Endowment for her alma mater, University of Northern Iowa, with funds designated to support the salary of the Panthers wrestling coach position. (Her late husband Bob -- also known as Bear -- wrestled for legendary coach Bill Koll at the school in the early 1960s.) In September 2014, David Lehman, a former wrestler at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., provided a $5 million gift to fully endow his alma mater's mat program.

Due to how the events and the calendar fall between Christmas and New Year's, the next set of rankings will not be published until Wednesday, January 6. As a result, this schedule article will summarize scheduled competitions for nationally ranked teams from December 24 through January 5. No. 1 Wyoming Seminary, Pa. -- travel to Canon-McMillan (Pa.) for the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament on 12/29 and 12/30 No. 2 Blair Academy, N.J. -- travel to No. 4 St. Paris Graham (Ohio) for dual meet on Saturday 1/2 No. 3 Bergen Catholic, N.J. -- compete in BCCA Tournament at Hackensack (N.J.) on 12/29 and 1/30, host DePaul Catholic (N.J.) for dual meet on 1/5 No. 4 St. Paris Graham, Ohio -- compete in GMVWA Tournament at Wright State University on 12/28 and 12/29, host No. 2 Blair Academy (N.J.) in dual meet on Saturday 1/2 No. 6 Carl Sandburg, Ill. -- compete in Berman Holiday Classic at Palatine (Ill.) on 12/29 and 12/30, travel to Lincoln-Way East for dual meet on 1/5 No. 7 Buchanan, Calif. -- compete at The Clash National Wrestling Duals in Rochester, Minn. on 1/1 and 1/2 No. 8 Oak Park River Forest, Ill. -- compete at The Clash National Wrestling Duals in Rochester, Minn. on 1/1 and 1/2 No. 9 St. Edward, Ohio -- compete at The Clash National Wrestling Duals in Rochester, Minn. on 1/1 and 1/2 No. 10 Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. -- host Christmas City Tournament on 12/29 and 12/30, compete in Easton (Pa.) Invitational on Saturday 1/2 No. 11 St. Michael-Albertville, Minn. - compete at The Clash National Wrestling Duals in Rochester, Minn. on 1/1 and 1/2 No. 12 Lake Highland Prep, Fla. -- compete in Osceola (Fla.) Knockout Classic on 12/29 and 12/30, compete in Prep Slam VIII at Holy Innocents (Ga.) on 1/1 and 1/2 No. 13 Tuttle, Okla. -- compete at The Clash National Wrestling Duals in Rochester, Minn. on 1/1 and 1/2 No. 14 Archer, Ga. -- host Takedown Sportswear Invitational on 12/28 and 12/29, compete at The Clash National Wrestling Duals in Rochester, Minn. on 1/1 and 1/2 No. 15 Belle Vernon Area, Pa. -- travel to Canon-McMillan (Pa.) for the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament on 12/29 and 12/30 No. 16 Southeast Polk, Iowa -- host North/Hoover, Iowa in dual meet on 1/5 No. 17 Poway, Calif. -- compete in Cerritos (Calif.) Tournament of Champions on 12/29 and 12/30 No. 18 Elyria, Ohio -- compete in Brecksville (Ohio) Holiday Invitational Tournament on 12/29 and 12/30 No. 19 Marmion Academy, Ill. -- host tri-meet on Monday 12/28, compete at The Clash National Wrestling Duals in Rochester, Minn. on 1/1 and 1/2 No. 20 Malvern Prep, Pa. -- travel to Indian River (Del.) for the Battle of the Beach on 12/28 and 12/29, compete in Easton (Pa.) Invitational on Saturday 1/2 No. 22 Lowell, Mich. -- compete in Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) Invitational on Saturday 1/2 No. 23 Delta, Ohio -- compete in Brecksville (Ohio) Holiday Invitational Tournament on 12/29 and 12/30 No. 24 Allen, Texas -- host Texas Outlaw Tournament on 1/1 and 1/2 No. 25 Warren Central, Ind. -- compete in IHSWCA Team State at Fort Wayne (Ind.) War Memorial Coliseum on Saturday 1/2 No. 26 Apple Valley, Minn. -- compete at The Clash National Wrestling Duals in Rochester, Minn. on 1/1 and 1/2 No. 27 Montini Catholic, Ill. -- compete in quad meet at Antioch (Ill.) on 12/30, compete in tri-meet at St. Rita (Ill.) on Saturday 1/2 No. 28 Boyertown, Pa. -- travel to Cumberland Valley (Pa.) for dual meet on Saturday 1/2 No. 29 Washington, Ill. -- compete at The Clash National Wrestling Duals in Rochester, Minn. on 1/1 and 1/2 No. 31 Nazareth, Pa. -- compete in Bethlehem (Pa.) Liberty Holiday Classic on 12/28 and 12/29 No. 32 Monroe Woodbury, N.Y. -- compete in Massapequa (N.Y.) Holiday Tournament on Tuesday 12/29 No. 33 Don Bosco Prep, N.J. -- compete in Mustang Classic at Brick Memorial (N.J.) on Monday 12/28 No. 34 Platte County, Mo. -- travel to Park Hill South (Mo.) for dual meet on 1/5 No. 35 Dundee, Mich. -- compete in Brecksville (Ohio) Holiday Invitational Tournament on 12/29 and 12/30 No. 36 Camden County, Ga. -- compete in Osceola (Fla.) Knockout Classic on 12/29 and 12/30 No. 38 Olentangy Liberty, Ohio -- compete in Brecksville (Ohio) Holiday Invitational Tournament on 12/29 and 12/30 No. 41 Park Hill, Mo. -- compete at The Clash National Wrestling Duals in Rochester, Minn. on 1/1 and 1/2 No. 42 Kiski Area, Pa. -- travel to Canon-McMillan (Pa.) for the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament on 12/29 and 12/30 No. 44 Delbarton, N.J. -- travel to Canon-McMillan (Pa.) for the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament on 12/29 and 12/30 No. 45 Reynolds, Pa. -- travel to Canon-McMillan (Pa.) for the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament on 12/29 and 12/30 No. 45 Neosho, Mo. -- travel to Granite City (Ill.) for the Red Schmitt Holiday Classic on 12/29 and 12/30 No. 47 Father Ryan, Tenn. -- travel to Archer (Ga.) for the Takedown Sportswear Invitational on 12/28 and 12/29, travel to Brentwood Academy (Tenn.) for dual meet on 1/5 No. 48 San Marino, Calif. No. 49 Post Falls, Idaho -- compete at the Hall of Fame Duals in Moses Lake, Wash. on 1/2 No. 50 Good Counsel, Md. -- travel to Canon-McMillan (Pa.) for the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament on 12/29 and 12/30 Off: No. 5 Clovis (Calif.), No. 21 Mt. Carmel (Ill.), No. 30 Fort Dodge (Iowa), No. 37 Bakersfield (Calif.), No. 39 Kasson-Mantorville (Minn.), No. 40 Hartland (Mich.), No. 46 Pomona (Colo.).

Christmas has come and gone, and here's hoping everyone had the best of holidays. Now it's on to the post-holiday week of wrestling, which in many states is one of the more prestigious of the regular season. It's chock full of tournaments and dual meets of consequence The Clash XIV National Wrestling Duals Ten nationally ranked teams will be among the 32 in attendance at this event in Rochester, Minn. on New Year's Day and January 2, 2016. The assignment of teams into day one brackets will be unveiled at 7 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, December 28th. Nationally ranked teams include No. 7 Buchanan (Calif.); No. 8 Oak Park River Forest (Ill.), the defending tournament champions; No. 9 St. Edward (Ohio), champions in the 2011-12 season; No. 11 St. Michael-Albertville (Minn.), champions in the 2012-13 season; No. 13 Tuttle (Okla.); No. 14 Archer (Ga.); No. 19 Marmion Academy (Ill.); No. 26 Apple Valley (Minn.), five-time champions of this tournament; No. 29 Washington (Ill.); and No. 41 Park Hill (Mo.) For the first day, there will be four eight-team brackets. Each team will compete three times, winners of the opening match will seek first through fourth place, while losers in that opening match will compete for fifth through eighth place. On the second day, there will eight four-team pools, with each team wrestling in a dual meet against the three other squads that finished in the same place they did on day one. Competition on each day takes place in two sessions, the first of them at 9 a.m., 11, and 1 p.m. Central Time; the second at 4 p.m., 6, and 8 (the late session on day two will have teams that finish first through fourth on day one). Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), ranked No. 1 in the nation, will be making its debut in this prestigious event held south of Pittsburgh at Canon-McMillan High School on December 29 and 30. The Blue Knights are joined by five other Fab 50 teams in the field: No. 15 Belle Vernon Area (Pa.), No. 42 Kiski Area (Pa.), No. 44 Delbarton (N.J.), No. 45 Reynolds (Pa.), and No. 50 Good Counsel (Md.). In all, teams from nine different states are present in the 48-school field. Twenty-eight nationally ranked wrestlers are slated to be in the tournament this coming week, including three ranked first in the country, and another four ranked second nationally. Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) seeks to be the sixth ever four-time champion in tournament history, while Gavin Teasale (Jefferson-Morgan, Pa.) is a junior after his third title in this event. Below is a list of all the nationally ranked wrestlers in the field. 106: No. 19 Kurt McHenry (St. Pauls, Md.) 113: No. 1 Gavin Teasdale (Jefferson-Morgan, Pa.), No. 4 Patrick Glory (Delbarton, N.J.), and No. 7 Matthew Parker (Pennridge, Pa.) 120: No. 3 Ty Agaisse (Delbarton, N.J.) 126: No. 9 Ethan McCoy (Greater Latrobe, Pa.), No. 15 Cole Matthews (Reynolds, Pa.) 132: No. 2 Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe, Pa.), No. 10 Gus Solomon (Franklin Regional, Pa.), and No. 17 Nick Farro (Delbarton, N.J.) 138: No. 2 George Phillippi (Derry Area, Pa.), No. 19 Patrick Munn (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) 145: No. 2 Jarod Verkleeren (Belle Vernon Area, Pa.), No. 3 Cameron Coy (Penn Trafford, Pa.) 152: No. 1 Mason Manville (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 3 Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.), and No. 15 Stephan Glasgow (Bound Brook, N.J.) 160: No. 5 Jake Wentzel (South Park, Pa.) 170: No. 2 Austin Bell (Belle Vernon Area, Pa.), No. 15 Nino Bonaccorsi (Bethel Park, Pa.) 182: No. 1 Nick Reenan (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 9 Kyle Gentile (Pennridge, Pa.), and No. 15 Greg Bulsak (South Park, Pa.) 195: No. 9 Christian Dietrich (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 12 Drew Phipps (Norwin, Pa.), and No. 20 Kevin Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) 220: No. 11 Will Hilliard (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 18 Cole Nye (Bishop McDevitt, Pa.) Brecksville Holiday Invitational Tournament Four nationally ranked teams will be among the 49 squads in the 55th annual Brecksville (Ohio) Holiday Invitational Tournament on December 29 and 30. Those teams are No. 18 Elyria (Ohio), defending tournament champion No. 23 Delta (Ohio), No. 35 Dundee (Mich.), and No. 38 Olentangy Liberty (Ohio). A couple other teams will be contesting for the team title as well, the hosts Brecksville and Davison (Mich.). Three weight classes have possible showdowns involving a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers: No. 8 Tommy Hoskins (Dayton Christian, Ohio) and No. 9 Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio) at 113 pounds, No. 14 Mario Guillen (Perrysburg, Ohio) and No. 17 Drew Mattin (Delta, Ohio) at 120, along with No. 9 Kyle Lawson (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio) and No. 12 Kaleb Romero (Mechanicsburg, Ohio) at 160; Lawson and Romero are both juniors, each of whom has already won two state titles. Five other nationally ranked wrestlers potentially feature in the field: No. 16 Alex Mackall (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio) at 126 pounds, No. 11 Brandon Whitman (Dundee, Mich.) at 182, No. 2 Ben Darmstadt (Elyria, Ohio) at 195, No. 3 Matt Stencel (Oregon Clay, Ohio) at 220, and No. 3 Kevin Vough (Elyria, Ohio) at 285; it is possible that Whitman could also be at 195, which would put him in the same weight class as Darmstadt. Knockout Christmas Classic Two nationally ranked teams, No. 12 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.) and No. 36 Camden County (Ga.), are among the 26 schools slated to compete in Osceola (Fla.) on December 29 and 30 for this relatively new event that has shown the ability to get a more than solid field. Six nationally ranked wrestlers are among the formidable competitors in the field. Listed below are some of the wrestlers to watch in this tournament. 106: Ryan Chauvin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), Elijah Varona (South Dade, Fla.) 113: Angel Perez (Southwest Miami, Fla.), Alex Victor (Braddock, Fla.) 120: Mason Wohltman (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) 126: No. 8 Joey Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), Brevin Balmaceda (South Dade, Fla.), Jacob Conrad (Tampa Jesuit, Fla.), Jordan Marshall (Miami Southridge, Fla.), and Francisco Valdes (Southwest Miami, Fla.) 138: No. 20 Grant Aronoff (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.), Denton Spencer (Camden County, Ga.) 145: No. 16 Anthony Artalona (Tampa Prep, Fla.), Jake Brindley (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), Adam Lewis (Tampa Jesuit, Fla.), and Ozzy Lugo (South Dade, Fla.) 152: No. 19 Julian Ramirez (Tampa Jesuit, Fla.), Erich Byelick (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), and James Nereim (Winter Springs, Fla.) 160: Giovanni Bonilla (Osceola, Fla.), Bryce Rogers (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), Bunmi Smith (Camden County, Ga.), Leo Tarantino (Tampa Prep, Fla.), and Max Wohlabaugh (Winter Springs, Fla.) 170: No. 12 Elijah Cleary (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), Brian Buser (Tampa Jesuit, Fla.) 182: Dominique Hargrave (Camden County, Ga.) 195: Ryan Thomas (American Heritage, Fla.) 220: No. 14 Dylan Meeks (Dr. Phillips, Fla.), Darius Hamilton (Miami Southridge, Fla.), and Chei Hill (South Dade, Fla.) 285: Kyron Taylor (South Dade, Fla.) Blair Academy travels to St. Paris Graham for January 2 dual meet Last year St. Paris Graham (Ohio) made the trip to Blair Academy in New Jersey on the first Saturday in January coming off a title at the Walsh Ironman. The Falcons, ranked first in the nation, took one on the chin in the form of an unexpected upset loss. It temporarily dropped them from the top spot in the Fab 50, and created a rankings debate for the rest of the season, one though that would end in favor of St. Paris Graham as they won the national title. This year, it's No. 2 Blair Academy who makes the trip to west-central Ohio in hopes of not being upset by No. 4 St. Paris Graham. The Buccaneers will do so in all likelihood missing No. 9 Requir van der Merwe from the lineup at 132 pounds, his return is more likely to come the next week at the Geary Invitational in Oklahoma. Below are the projected matchups: 106: No. 14 Michael Colaiocco (Blair Academy) vs. Jordan Crace (St. Paris Graham) 113: Chris Cannon (Blair) vs. Jeffrey Thomas (Graham) 120: Zach Sherman (Blair) vs. Justin Stickley (Graham) 126: Josh Gobencion (Blair) vs. No. 13 Mitch Moore (Graham) 132: Mekhi Holley (Blair) vs. Ryan Thomas (Graham) 138: Shane Brackup (Blair) vs. No. 6 Brent Moore (Graham) 145: Andrew Merola (Blair) vs. No. 18 Rocky Jordan (Graham) 152: John Manning (Blair) vs. Joey Sanchez (Graham) 160: No. 17 Ryan Karoly (Blair) vs. No. 1 Alex Marinelli (Graham) 170: No. 3 Brandon Dallavia (Blair) vs. Garrett Jordan (Graham) 182: Jimmy Stillerman (Blair) vs. Gage Braun (Graham) 195: No. 3 Chase Singletary (Blair) vs. Kanan Sarver (Graham) 220: Nick Mosco (Blair) vs. Johnny Shafer (Graham) 285: Neil Putnam (Blair) vs. Nick Newport (Graham) The national rankings would give Graham an advantage in four weight class, with Blair having the edge in three weight class. Looking at those matches that are bereft a nationally ranked wrestler, Blair would have a clear edge in three (113, 152, and 285) with Graham favored in one (132). The other three matchups have some degree of tossup to them, though Blair would appear to have the slight edge in each (120, 182, and 220). In order to get this to a seven-all dual meet, it looks like the Falcons will have to get some combination of an upset over one of the Blair Academy ranked wrestlers or steal one/some of the slight tossups involving non-ranked wrestlers. Again, the above presumes this is the list of contested matches in the dual meet on January 2nd. Quick hitters Before traveling to The Clash National Wrestling Duals in Minnesota, No. 14 Archer (Ga.) hosts the Takedown Sportswear Invitational on December 28 and 29. The field also includes No. 47 Father Ryan (Tenn.) No. 31 Nazareth (Pa.) travels to neighboring Liberty High School for the 27-team Bethlehem (Pa.) Holiday Wrestling Classic. Other notable teams in the field include Central Dauphin (Pa.), Council Rock South (Pa.), Northampton (Pa.), and Phillipsburg (N.J.) No. 10 Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) and No. 20 Malvern Prep (Pa.) will be among the attendees at the Easton (Pa.) Invitational on January 2nd, though that is a dual meet event, with the schedule of matchups unknown at this time.

Five Delaware Valley University wrestlers, along with their head coach/athletic director, were struck by a car driven onto a sidewalk on the Las Vegas Strip Sunday night, the Pennsylvania-based school announced. The DelVal wrestlers and their coach/AD Steve Cantrell – along with four wrestlers from Pacific University in Oregon – were among those hit by Lakeisha N. Holloway, 24, who is accused of intentionally driving her car onto the sidewalk repeatedly on a busy stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, killing a woman from Arizona and injuring dozens of others on Sunday night. http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/15412 The athletes from both schools were in town to compete at Wartburg Desert Duals wrestling tournament. Although the Delaware Valley wrestlers and Cantrell were released from the hospital and expected to make full recoveries, the coach decided to pull the team from the tournament. "We need to feel blessed. The way our students acted at the scene and the way they were caring for everyone was amazing," said Cantrell. "I called the tournament director and said, 'It doesn't make sense to focus on wrestling today.' They have gone through something emotional and they are processing what they witnessed." The coach and his wrestlers were on their way to see Star Wars after working out in preparation for Monday's Desert Duals tournament before the accident, WPVI-TV reported. The team was taken to a nearby hospital. "They were released after a couple of hours, mostly bumps, bruises and scrapes. Now they're just shaken up emotionally," Laurie Ward of Delaware Valley University said. The DelVal wrestlers received counseling while in Las Vegas and will have access to counseling on campus, according to the Doylestown, Pa. school. "The University is thankful that Steve and our student-athletes were not more seriously injured," said Dr. April Vari, DelVal's vice president for student affairs. "Please keep all involved in the incident in your thoughts and prayers." Holloway is accused of deliberately swerving her car onto the sidewalk two or three times in front of the Paris Hotel and Casino at approximately 6:30 p.m. local time Monday. At least one individual who was struck landed on the car's windshield, shattering it. Holloway, who resided in Oregon, had been in Las Vegas for about a week, living in her 1996 Oldsmobile sedan with her three-year-old daughter, parking the car at garages throughout the city, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said. After the incident, Holloway parked at a casino a few blocks away, telling a parking attendant that she had run down people and asked the valet to call 9-1-1, Lombardo said. Her daughter, who was in the back seat, was not hurt. Authorities declined to comment on a potential motive and said they were struggling to piece together Holloway's background.